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Mid Caps Less Risky Than Large Caps?
Capturing and Evaluating Intentionality in Funds
A Look at Mexican Industries and the Potential Impact of the USMCA
Royal Commission, Regulation, and Rocky Markets
Factor Use is Growing Among Financial Advisors and Institutional Investors
Blog - Dec 3, 2018
Tags 400, consumer discretionary, energy, growth, index performance, jodie gunzberg, large caps, mid-caps, Powell, risk, S&p 400, S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400, U.S. dollar, volatility
In November, there was high market volatility in response to at least a few major events including the U.S. midterm elections, Brexit, G20 and Fed Chair Powell's comments. The risk (measured by 30-day annualized volatility) on Nov. 30, 2018 for the S&P 500 was 20.6%, which is 3.5 times higher than its risk of 5.9% on Oct. 9, before the Oct. 10th sell-off, and 1.4 times higher than its average risk of 15.2% (using daily data since Jan. 2, 1991, the earliest common date of the S&P 500 and S&P MidCap 400, through Nov. 30, 2018). While the S&P MidCap 400 risk of 19.1% and S&P SmallCap 600 risk of 21.8% were also elevated ending Nov. 30, 2018, it is interesting to note the large-cap risk was higher than the mid-cap risk. The last November when this happened occurred in 2007.
November 2007 is clearly an interesting point since it was just following the bull market ending on Oct. 9, 2007. This does not necessarily mean the market will decline but it may be time to think about mid-caps since now the premium might be available for less risk. Going back to 1991, when the S&P MidCap 400 was launched, it has delivered on average 3.2% extra of annualized return but at a cost of higher 1.4% annualized risk, based on daily data from Jan. 2, 1991 – Nov. 30, 2018. It seems attractive to have earned that premium but it is not available consistently. Note, over many commonly measured periods, mid-caps underperform large-caps. Though, in November, mid-caps outperformed.
There seem to be moments in mid-caps that are powerful in capturing upside and limiting downside returns of the S&P 500. Overall, the upside capture ratio is 112 while the downside capture ratio is 97. This means, on average, for every 1% increase in the S&P 500, the S&P MidCap 400 gained 1.12%, and also, on average, for every 1% decrease in the S&P 500, the S&P MidCap 400 lost 0.97%. Since 1991, when the S&P 500 had a positive month, it rose 3.0% while in those same months, the S&P MidCap 400 rose 3.4%. During that same time period, when the S&P 500 fell in a month, it lost 3.4% while the S&P MidCap 400 lost 3.3%. In fact, in 88% of months (295/335), both sizes moved in the same direction, magnifying the gains and losses. When both the S&P 500 and S&P MidCap 400 gained, the large-caps were up 3.3% versus 3.9% for mid-caps. However, when both lost, the large-caps fell 3.9% versus 4.2% for mid-caps on average.
On an annual basis, there have been moments when strong mid-cap premiums appeared, and have been particularly helpful during difficult times such as the financial crisis, the tech bubble bust and the early 1990's recession. The S&P MidCap 400 outperformed the S&P 500 by 38% from 1991-1993, 81% from 2000-2005 and by 24.1% in 2007-2010. Not only were the premiums big, but in the latter two times, the returns of the S&P 500 were negative 15.0% and 11.3%, respectively, while the S&P MidCap 400 gained 66.0% and 12.8%, respectively. In years after the November 2007 risk discount of mid-caps to large-caps showed up, the mid-cap premium was prominent. It was especially great when the November 1999 risk discount persisted from the preceding October. This appears similar to the current risk discount that is in its second consecutive month.
Source: S&P Dow Jones Indices. Annualized risk used daily data for the stated year. Returns are annual per year. 2018 ends on Nov. 30, 2018 and the return is not annualized.
This November, the S&P 400 gained 2.9% versus the 1.8% from the S&P 500 and the 1.4% from the S&P SmallCap 600. In mid-caps, 9 of 11 sectors were positive, while 8 of 11 large-cap sectors gained and 6 of 11 small-cap sectors gained. Energy in the S&P MidCap 400 was the worst performer, losing 10.2% for the month on the back of a 16.7% loss, making it the worst consecutive 2-month energy sector loss since Dec. 2015 – Jan. 2016. However, the mid-cap consumer discretionary sector rebounded, posting its biggest monthly spread over consumer staples since Sep. 2017, which could be viewed as optimistic.
Finally in November, the S&P 500 had its biggest 3-day gain of 4.23% during November 26-28 since the 3 days ending on June 30, 2016, when the index gained 4.91%. This was largely driven by Powell's comments and anticipation of improving trade relations from the G20 Summit. While there have been 3-day gains larger than 4.23% only 1.8% of the time (or 436 out of 23,614 instances) in the whole history of the S&P 500 since 1928, many have happened in trending or turning environments. In the past 5 years, 3-day gains have only happened after bottoms (or temporary bottoms.) After the 3-day gain ending December 19, 2014, it was another 216 days until the peak and 249 days before the next bottom. Subsequently, another rebound happened with a 3-day gain of 6.49% ending on August 28, 2015 with 67 days until the next top and 167 days until the next bottom that happened on February 11, 2016 (the index never dropped below that index level afterwards) followed by another big 3-day rebound of 5.43%, ending on February 17, 2016.
There are many factors going into December that are bullish for equities, especially mid-caps. Equities historically perform well on average in December with every size, style and sector gaining. But mid-caps have done best. If trading tensions ease, helping growth and pushing the dollar down, mid caps may be best positioned to perform best based on historical sensitivity. Mid-caps gain most from a 1% dollar drop, rising on average 3.2% versus 2.6% for large-caps. Oftentimes, the falling dollar acts as a catalyst for new international growth and propels returns beyond the mature large-caps. Lastly, the S&P MIdCap 400 has a total return on average of 4.9% versus the S&P 500 total return on average of 4.0% per 1% of historical GDP growth.
400, consumer discretionary, energy, growth, index performance, jodie gunzberg, large caps, mid-caps, Powell, risk, S&p 400, S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400, U.S. dollar, volatility
Kelly Tang
Global Research & Design
Categories ESG
Tags environmental, ESG, ESG ratings, governance, social, SRI Conference, sustainability
One of the most salient themes in this year's 29th Annual SRI Conference was intentionality. The topic of intentionality has jumped to prominence in ESG discussions—particularly in regard to ESG ratings for mutual funds—and understanding what it means is important for ESG market participants.
In ESG terms, intentionality aims to evaluate whether a given fund or strategy has policies and procedures in place that demonstrate that the investment management process makes a concerted effort to address environmental, social, and governance issues.
Recently, fund analytics and financial information providers began to assign ESG ratings to over 34,000 funds using their proprietary scaling mechanisms and scores. Such methodologies involve a holdings-based scoring system of rolling up individual companies' ESG ratings into a single mutual fund rating.
The reception to this type of ESG ranking for funds has been mixed, with criticism centering around the fact that the fund's sustainability score fails to fully capture the ESG intentions of that strategy. In particular, the key concern has been that a holdings-based approach does not take into account the full arsenal of tools available to portfolio managers and investors, such as investor engagement and shareholder proposal voting.
Another criticism directed toward the rolling up method is the lack of consideration for the overarching strategies of the institution (i.e., intentionality) and the limitation in using data-based "snapshots" of funds' holdings in isolation. For example, the situation may exist whereby a fund has invested in and is working with low ESG score companies in an effort to improve their behavior. Yet in the current scoring system, despite this particular fund's intention to promote ESG, this fund would register as a low-ranking ESG fund. With this is mind, melding a fund's intentionality score with the quantitative holdings data would be the preferred method in rating a fund on its ESG performance.
Therefore, the question then becomes: what would be the best way to craft an intentionality score that encompasses a qualitative and quantitative lens for the fund manager? Although there are no easy answers to that question, it has been suggested that an intentionality score should ideally focus on the past actions of the fund and review how managers have voted historically on environmental or broader ESG resolutions at major companies.
Given these concerns about a fund score based on holdings, competitors for mutual fund ESG ratings are introducing methods that are more contextualized and nuanced. For example, some providers rank funds by their initiative on ESG strategy (depth and performance), shareholder engagement, public sphere advocacy, and performance.
It is important to note that these discussions and critiques around the existing methods to evaluate intentionality highlight the transition that ESG is undertaking as it evolves from emerging to mainstream status. The mainstreaming of ESG data into fund rankings is a positive development, as discussions have moved from pinpointing the weaknesses in a company's ESG data to those at the fund level.
environmental, ESG, ESG ratings, governance, social, SRI Conference, sustainability
Blog - Nov 28, 2018
Tags Mexican equities, Mexican industries, Mexican sectors, NAFTA, S&P/BMV IPC CompMx, trade, USMCA
After more than a year of negotiations, the United States-Canada-Mexico Agreement (USMCA) is scheduled to be signed on Nov. 30 2018, at the G20 Summit in Argentina. The deal represents the new trade agreement between the former North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) countries.
Market participants who want to gain more insight into the potential impact of the new agreement on the Mexican economy and capital markets can use the geographic revenue data to estimate the percentage of Mexican equities that derive their revenues domestically, and those that derive their revenues from the U.S. and Canada.
Using the constituents of the S&P/BMV IPC CompMx as of Oct. 31, 2018, we look at the revenue exposure of the constituents based on trailing 12-month figures. We found that the majority of Mexican companies derived their revenue locally (66.72%). Roughly 9.79% of revenues came from the U.S., and the remainder came from Canada or South American countries (see Exhibit 1).
Canada accounted for less than 1% of the revenues. Including Canada, approximately 10.74% of S&P/BMV IPC CompMx companies' revenue exposure (roughly more than a third of the 32.3% foreign revenue) came from the former NAFTA countries.
Beyond the headline revenue exposure breakdown by country, it is potentially worthwhile to dive deeper into individual industries, as trade agreements tend to affect certain industries more than others.
In Exhibit 2, we present a detailed breakdown of the Mexican industries that have exposure to the U.S. and Canada. The top three industries in descending order based on revenue exposure are Materials (43.4%), Food, Beverage & Tobacco (25.2%), and Telecommunication Services (15.5%).
It is not by coincidence that the automobile industry is a contentious topic in the new trade deal. Of the 10.74% revenue coming from the U.S. and Canada, the Automobiles & Components Industry (GICS Code 2510) is the fifth-largest in terms of weighted revenue exposure. However, based on our analysis, we find it likely that Materials and Food, Beverage & Tobacco are the two industries that would be most affected in Mexico, more so than the headline-grabbing automobile industry.
It remains to be seen who will take the biggest losses and gains in the new USMCA deal, and whether this is a step forward in international trade. At a minimum, using geographic revenue provides a rough picture of Mexican industries that have the potential to be affected.
Revenue exposure[1] gives us an additional tool to have a better understanding of what´s inside the index, characteristic, and risks that are not visible at a first glance.
[1] We used the FactSet Geographic Revenue Exposure (GeoRevTM) dataset to calculate revenue exposure. It provides a geographic breakdown of revenues at the country level for all companies with available data.
Mexican equities, Mexican industries, Mexican sectors, NAFTA, S&P/BMV IPC CompMx, trade, USMCA
Stuart Magrath
Senior Director, Channel Management, Australia and New Zealand
Tags ASX, Australian equities, ETFs, fas, Financial Advisors, Persistence Australia, Perth seminar, Royal Commission, SPIVA Australia
Over the past few months, there has been a flurry of activity in the financial advisor segment of Australia. In mid-September 2018, S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) hosted an exchange-traded fund (ETF) seminar in Perth, Western Australia. This was S&P DJI's second foray in the West, and with Perth being one of the world's most isolated cities, financial advisors were appreciative to have Easterners head to the West Coast.
Since the end of the mining investment boom, Western Australia has sought to realign its economy. Housing in Australia is one of the pillars of the retirement system, together with superannuation, non-superannuation assets, and the Age Pension from the federal government. With a fall in housing prices in the West, advisors have been looking for upside in other asset classes.
Advisors who attended our Perth seminar were eager to hear how they could diversify their clients' portfolios in a cost-effective and compliant manner. One of the seminar highlights was hearing hear from local advisors as to how ETFs can revolutionize financial advisor practices. The message came through loud and clear that stock-picking or selecting managed funds to achieve particular client outcomes has become increasingly difficult and that forward-thinking advisors are reorienting from actively managed fund selection to ETF selection in order to access particular asset classes. For example, an advisor seeking Australian Equity exposure for a client would recommend investing in an ETF that tracks an S&P/ASX index rather than selecting a range of shares listed on the ASX, or selecting an Australian large-cap active fund. The SPIVA® Australia Scorecard Mid-Year 2018 and Persistence of Australian Active Funds September 2018 Scorecard continue to show that most active funds failed to outperform their respective benchmarks the majority of the time. If advisors want to spend more time with their clients, the shift to ETFs as the core building block of a client's portfolio could assist in this regard, while also potentially delivering the additional benefits of lower cost, greater transparency, and easy tradability.
The growth of the ETF market in Australia to just over AUD 40 billion in assets is a testament to the increasing preference of Australian financial advisors, self-managed super fund trustees, and retail investors to consider ETFs as part of a portfolio. While most assets are held in core products that track either an S&P/ASX index or the S&P 500®, in order to secure exposure to the U.S. market, there is increasing interest in smart beta or factor-based strategies. We can expect to see ETFs that track these exposures launch in Australia. In the interim, Australian advisors can learn more by referring to How Smart Beta Strategies Work in the Australian Market.
The Financial Services Royal Commission was also a hot topic at the seminar, and also at the recent ASX Adviser Development Workshop. The concern among advisors is that the Royal Commission may recommend a slew of additional regulatory requirements, further burdening advice practices and reducing the time advisors spend with clients. Together with the new education requirements being laid down for Australian advisors, the constant rate of regulatory change in the past few years might be set to continue.
ASX, Australian equities, ETFs, fas, Financial Advisors, Persistence Australia, Perth seminar, Royal Commission, SPIVA Australia
Vincent de Martel
Solutions Strategist
Categories Factors
Tags factors
Factor investing is growing rapidly — not only are more investors adopting factor strategies, but as investors gain experience, they increase their use of them. This is one of the key findings from our recent Global Factor Investing Study, which is based on face-to-face interviews and discussions with more than 300 institutional and wholesale factor investors around the world — including financial advisors, pension funds, private banks and insurance companies.
Investors are adopting more factor strategies, but still in small doses
Factors are measurable characteristics of a security that help explain its performance. Our study found that while an asset owner often commences their factor journey with a single strategy, it is uncommon for them to stop there. The institutional and wholesale investors surveyed in the study have gone on to implement from two to four factor strategies on average.
However, factor allocations generally represent a small proportion of the asset classes they are being applied to. In the vast majority of cases (looking at equities and fixed income), allocations to factor strategies remain in the 0% to 20% range. This means that even for factor adopters, most still have over 80% of their equity and fixed income allocations in traditional active and/or market-cap-weighted passive strategies.
For those institutional investors who described themselves as "sophisticated" factor users, this segment reported nearly double the average allocation to factor strategies than the less sophisticated segment, at nearly 20%. This trend also applies to wholesale investors, where the more sophisticated users reported average factor allocations of 15%.
Which factor is the most used?
Our study found that Value continues to be the most commonly utilized style factor in portfolios and is particularly ubiquitous in institutional portfolios — which is notable given the extended underperformance of equity value strategies in recent years. Other key style factors include Low Volatility, Momentum, Size and Quality.
Respondents noted that they tend to start their factor journey with equities, and look to extend into fixed income and multi-asset applications.
Single or multi-factor?
When it comes to applying a single or multi-factor approach, our study found that equity single factors are the most common approach, closely followed by equity multi-factor. Some distance behind are multi-asset approaches, followed by single- and multi-factor fixed income.
The reasons behind these choices are relatively clear and rational.
For institutions, single factor approaches are driven by the desire to reduce or minimize complexity and to keep costs low. This is particularly relevant for newer factor investors and smaller institutions with limited internal resources.
Institutions favoring multi-factor approaches have different motivations — control of risk, factor tilting and enhancement of performance were cited by respondents as much more important than costs. Multi-factor strategies tend to be deployed by larger investors that have significant scale and lower cost ratios.
For wholesale investors, the drivers are very similar, with lower costs cited as an even stronger driver for single factor usage.
Learn more about how institutions and wholesale investors are using factor strategies.


Recently, much attention has been given to the negative impact that cars have on the environment, especially their carbon footprint. Each car can represent up to 10 tons of carbon emissions.
In an effort to address these concerns, former Dell executive Bruce Dietzen has made a high-performance car using hemp materials that is both carbon neutral and can be made to run on biofuel. The car is known as the Renew.
Hemp — the cannabis cousin legally defined as containing 0.3% THC or less — is one of the most carbon-absorbing plants in the world. Each ton of hemp represents 1.63 tons of carbon absorption.
The first car made from hemp was created in 1941; it was made by Henry Ford. Incredibly, that one-of-a-kind car made from hemp fiber and other plant material was two and a half times more carbon neutral than today's electric cars.
The Renew sports car seeks to pick up where Ford left off, but in carbon technology only. Made in Key West, Florida from roughly 100 pounds of hemp, the Renew is a true sports car that can be configured to 80 horsepower or a 525 horsepower dragster with a Flyin' Miata drivetrain. Weighing just 2500 lbs, the turbo package gives a weight-to-horsepower ratio comparable to a Porsche 911 Cabriole.
Another advantage of a hemp body is its durability. In a recent appearance on Jay Leno's Garage, Jay and Bruce show off the strength of the Renew body with some healthy whacks on the hood with a hammer.
Note: Photography by François Bota, courtesy of The Hemponair.


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Four Indicted in CAPTCHA Hacks of Ticket Sites
Four men, operating under a company known as Wiseguy Tickets, were indicted Monday on charges that they used a complex computer program to snap up some of the best seats to popular events being sold on Ticketmaster, Tickets.com, and other sites, then resold them at a hefty profit.
March 1, 2010 2:28PM EST
Did you miss out on floor seats for Bruce Springsteen's July 2008 concert at Giants Stadium? You might have an illegal online ticket racket to thank.
Four men, operating under a company known as Wiseguy Tickets, were indicted Monday on charges that they used a complex computer program to snap up some of the best seats to popular events being sold on Ticketmaster, Tickets.com, MLB.com, MusicToday, and other online ticket vendors, and re-sell them at a hefty profit, according to the Department of Justice.
Events included concerts from Bruce Springsteen, Hannah Montana, Bon Jovi, Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel, and Kenny Chesney, as well as theater productions of Wicked and The Producers, sporting events like the 2006 Rose Bowl and 2007 Major League Baseball playoff games at Yankee Stadium, and tapings of the television show "Dancing with the Stars."
Kenneth Lowson, 40, Kristofer Kirsch, 37, and Faisal Nahdi, 36, all of Los Angeles, and Joel Stevenson, 37, of Alameda, Calif., were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to gain unauthorized access and exceed authorized access to computer systems. They also face 42 additional counts of wire fraud; gaining unauthorized access and exceeding authorized access to computer systems; or causing damage to computers in interstate commerce.
Lowson, Kirsch, and Stevenson surrendered Monday morning at FBI headquarters in Newark, N.J. Nahdi is not currently in the country, but is expected to surrender in the next few weeks. All four will be arraigned before the U.S. District Court Judge Katharine S. Hayden, who will handle the case.
All four individuals face up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge and up to 20 years on each wire fraud charge. Lowson, Kirsch, and Stevenson also face an additional five years and $250,000 in fines on each of 19 counts charging gaining unauthorized access and exceeding authorized access to computers; and 10 years in prison for each of six counts charging damage to computers in interstate commerce.
How did they do it? Most online ticket Web sites like Ticketmaster employ CAPTCHA technologies, which requires users to read images that are recognizable to the human eye but confusing to computers, and type them into a box before buying tickets.
The defendants, however, worked with computer programmers in Bulgaria to develop a technology that allowed a network of computers to impersonate individual visitors to online ticket vendors. The ticket vendors did not immediately recognize the purchases as computer-generated, so these "CAPTCHA Bots" let Wiseguy Tickets to flood ticket vendors as soon as tickets went on sale and purchase tickets faster than any human.
"The public thought it had a fair shot at getting tickets to these events, but what the public didn't know was that the defendants had cheated them out of that opportunity," U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said in a statement.
For example, Wiseguy Tickets snapped up half of the general admission floor seats to Springsteen's July 2008 Giants Stadium show, as well as many prime seats for a January 2009 NFL playoff game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants, also at Giants Stadium.
Lowson and Kirsch served as the owners of Wiseguy Tickets, while Stevenson was the main computer programmer. Nahdi managed Wiseguys' operations and finances and at one point took ownership of a Wiseguys' entity named Seats of San Francisco.
To cover their tracks, the men used aliases, shell corporations, and fraudulent misrepresentations, both to deploy the CAPTCHA Bots and to disguise their ticket-purchasing activities. They also lied to online ticket vendors, Internet service providers, landlords, and lower-level employees at Wiseguy to conceal their activities.
They also had hundreds of fake domain names and thousands of e-mail addresses to handle the incoming tickets.
HP Adds SMB-Optimized Elite Desktop
Technology's Helping Hand

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Lexington Realty Trust sells Playboy Plus building for $19.2M: sources
Nov.November 30, 2016 03:30 PM
By Cathaleen Chen
Lexington Realty Trust, a New York-based real estate investment firm, has sold its Glendale-adjacent office building at 2706 Media Center Drive for about $19.2 million, or $231 per square foot, sources said.
The seller, as listed on the deed, is LIZ, a California general partnership.
Located just south of Glendale, at the edge of Glassell Park near the Super King, the 83,252-square-foot building was built in 2000 as the fifth of a seven-building campus called the Media Tech Center. Bank of America and Sony are two of its biggest tenants, according to a source with knowledge of the deal. Playboy Plus, a digital streaming service for adult videos, takes 2,850 square feet at the building, which is fully occupied, according to CoStar.
The property was listed as early as 2012 by CBRE, marketing materials show. The brokerage declined to comment.
Lexington acquired the building for $17.9 million in 2004, according to property records.
The REIT, which recently sold the land beneath three Manhattan hotels to L.A. commercial real estate firm BH Properties in a $300 million-plus deal, boasts a multibillion-dollar portfolio across the U.S.
Lexington CEO T. Wilson Eglin said on a February earnings call that the REIT wants to sell up to 30 properties this year in order to make $700 million in proceeds, The Real Deal reported.
Lexington could not be reached for comment.
Luxe rentals ramp up in suburban Glendale
Historic medical offices in Glendale to become senior housing
Brookfield sells Glendale office building to owner-occupier
State awards $23M for affordable housing in Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena
Value of Glendale office building dips to $217 psf
New owner wants to enlarge controversial Glendale hotel project
Blackstone pays $7.6B for SoCal storage outfit
Pasadena looks set to end emergency eviction moratorium


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Diplogrammus goramensis är en fiskart som först beskrevs av Bleeker, 1858.  Diplogrammus goramensis ingår i släktet Diplogrammus och familjen sjökocksfiskar. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Sjökocksfiskar
goramensis

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Life has gotten so busy lately. Between work, soccer games, and just trying to keep up with the house I feel stretched way to thin. I took today (Saturday) to just be, I didn't worry about cleaning the house or any of that stuff. I did do two loads of laundry but that is the extent. It is now after midnight and I am thankful I took the time to clear my head a little. I am hoping tomorrow will be a much better day mentally. I think we all need those days just to chill and regroup. Life just needed to stop for a little while. On top of all of this my car has been out of commission for over a week. We are thinking it will be covered under the extended warranty but the mechanic is extremely busy. He has promised to look at it Monday and call the warranty people with a diagnosis, if its covered they will pay for a rental and would make life so much easier for me. My hubby's truck is not the greatest and needs some work also and I do not feel comfortable driving it myself. This has delayed his returning to work. We really need this rental or my car repaired soon.
This recipe is a winner in my house and we try to make this often. It is super simple but the end result is so impressive. The traditional sweet 'n sour chicken does not have veggies in it. I like to put these in to stretch it and to give my family a good serving of veggies. They all love it and it is requested quite often by my kids so that is a plus.
Cube 2-3 chicken breasts and saute in a pan. Cook until done.
Add the sweet 'n sour sauce, pineapple chunks, and veggies and cook until the veggies are cooked. We use frozen stir fry veggies. While you are preparing this, make the rice. I have fell in love with Mahatma rice and make this instead of instant. Use what you have or what you prefer. Would be great with brown rice too. Prepare the rice according to directions on the package.
I've got to try it, you made it seem so easy and it looks delicious!
Mmmm good! Great idea to add the veggies!


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Home » News » Criterion takes control of Need for Speed
News	Criterion takes control of Need for Speed
Need for Speed's constant shift between developers could be about to come to an end, as Criterion have declared they will be taking over the franchise for the forseeable future.
Over the years, Need for Speed was predominately developed by EA Black Box, but tighter deadlines caused by a demand for annual releases led to a noticable slide in quality, with Pro Street and Undercover standing out as particular lowlights.
Slightly Mad Studios patched things up with their 'soft simulation' approach with Need for Speed Shift, but it was Criterion's take on Need for Speed Hot Pursuit that got the series back on the road, before EA Black Box briefly got back behind the wheel and released Need for Speed: The Run to lukewarm reception last year. It therefore wouldn't surprise us if The Run's poor performanced swayed the decision to hand over the keys to Criterion.
In an interview with GameInformer, Criterion's Vice President Alex Ward commented: "Our stamp's going to be in everything you see in Need for Speed and Burnout going forward in the future. "It's not going to be spread anymore across different companies. Different studios have had a crack at it – it's definitely a Criterion gig now."
It's unclear whether or not they will be taking on full developer duties or simply watching over the series, but with Criterion now taking charge we can at least be assured there will be no lapses in quality in future titles.
The mention of Burnout also leaves room for encouragement that Criterion's beloved series isn't gathering rust in a Guildford scrapyard. Considering that this year's upcoming Need for Speed Most Wanted is, in essense, a spiritual successor to Burnout Paradise, what we will eventually see from the next Burnout is anyone's guess.
What are your thoughts on Criterion taking charge over future Need for Speed games? Let us know in the comments below, or comment on our Facebook page.


IThriveToWrite: Happy Feet 1 & 2 Awesome!
Happy Feet 1 & 2 Awesome!
Into the world of the Emperor Penguins, who find their soul mates through singing a song, a penguin is born who cannot sing. But he can dance and has became his strength!
In the part 2, the penguin who cannot sing had his offspring born named Eric, who is full of curiosity and would love to know everything in his very young age. Such an inspirational animated movie for kids and grownups. I loved it.


Based on a proven play pattern with years of success, this train delivers fun action, sounds and more charming Touch and Feel zoo animals.
Specially made assortment of engines and train cars by ORBRIUM Toys Wooden Railway. Every train car is decorated in detail and colorful. Designed to enhance wooden train play activities. Set includes steam engines, engine tender, Farm Horse Carriage, Farm Cow Carriage, Grain Car, Recycling Car, Electric Diesel Engine, Safari Giraffes Carriage, Safari Camel Carriage, Switching Engine, Mail Car, and Caboose. Comes in beautiful display/storage wooden frame. Compatible with all major wooden railway play systems. Conforms to the safety requirements of ASTM F963 and CPSIA. Plastic wheels and animal carriages are specially designed and BPA free. Patent Pending.
SmartMax My First Animal Train is designed for kids ages 18 months - 5 years, offering an early, safe, and fun introduction to magnetic discovery. Easily build the animal train and play with the animals and the conductor. Drive around with the animals in the train or play with each separately. The oversize parts of the train and the animals simply click on the bars, making them ideal for little hands. SmartMax My First Animal Train includes 25 pieces and is compatible with all other SmartMax sets.
Toot! Toot! This motorized train helps Baby learn about animals through songs and play. Each train car has a unique feature that's sure to capture your little one's attention. The engine has a light-up smokestack that makes the train come to life when pressed. The train begins to roll forward and a song plays. Place an animal in the driver's area to learn more about the world of animals through a song. The second car features a bead bar to engage Baby's interest. Choose from two modes of play: sitting mode for the youngest baby and motion-activated mode for older play. Includes three animal friends. Requires 3 "C" batteries (not included). Measures 13" x 12" x 6.8".
Looking for more Animal Train Toy similar ideas? Try to explore these searches: Gal Deck, Zenith Series, and Refrigerator Print.
Look at latest related video about Animal Train Toy.
Shopwizion.com is the smartest way for online shopping: compare prices of leading online shops for best deals around the web. Don't miss TOP Animal Train Toy deals, updated daily.


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Business Fights Poverty · David Grayson, Chris Coulter and Mark Lee, The Sustainable Business Handbook
Thursday June 9 2022
Three of the globe's heavy weights in sustainable business and social impact pioneers join together to share their sustainable business guide. David Grayson CBE is Emeritus Professor of Corporate Responsibility at Cranfield School of Management and Chair of the Institute of Business Ethics, in the UK. Mark Lee is the Director of the SustainAbility Institute by ERM, based in Berkeley, California. And Chris Coulter is the CEO of GlobeScan, from Toronto, Canada. Each has devoted and dedicated their lives to creating positive social and environmental impact, particularly with business. David, Mark and Chris have recently launched 'The Sustainable Business Handbook' – they join us to provide insights from the research that went into it. Providing strong business arguments as to why to take action and then unpick how you too can take action from within your organisation.
Listen in to hear three fascinating stories of careers that have woven together to deliver impact. David, Mark and Chris provide us with frank updates on where business social and environmental impacts have gotten to. And together they share their insight into how we can all help businesses to take impact. They stress that this practical, step-by-step guidance isn't just for businesses leading the sustainability journey, but are vital for organisations at every level. So whatever stage your business sis at – this podcast is for you.
If the reviews of their Handbook are anything to go be ready for an important conversation:
Siddharth Sharma, Group Chief Sustainability Officer – Tata Sons, India says "The Sustainable Business Handbook is required reading for executives who are looking to better understand and respond to one of the most important issues facing business today, sustainability (or ESG)."
Whilst Mark Cutifani, most recent Chief Executive of Anglo American states the book provides practical measures for companies of all sizes and from all geographies.
And Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever plc calls the book a "comprehensive, step-by-step guide has the answers, skilfully navigating business through the big questions of our time."
The Sustainable Business Handbook; A Guide to Becoming More Innovative, Resilient and Successful: www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Th…BAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
David Grayson: www.linkedin.com/in/david-grayson-039a67/
Chris Coulter: www.linkedin.com/in/chriscoulter1/
Mark Lee: www.linkedin.com/in/markpeterlee/
All In; The Future of Sustainable Leadership: www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Al…BAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
The All In podcast on Sustainable Business: www.sustainability.com/thinking/all-in-podcast/
If you liked this try:
https://businessfightspoverty.org/podcast-interview-with-emeritus-professor-david-grayson-cbe/
https://businessfightspoverty.org/%E2%80%8Bplan-for-the-future/
Read more content about business impact on Business Fights Poverty here.
Listen to more social impact pioneer podcasts here


The king: Charles was born in St. James Palace, London, in 1630. He spent time in exile during the Republic, and returned as king (1660) after Cromwell's death. He married Katherine Henrietta of Portugal and had no live children (3 stillborn). He died in 1685.
KM Charles II, 1660-1685 Grading Price Pic.


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Vähä-Kissa är en ö i Finland. Den ligger i sjön Pitkäjärvi och i kommunen Jämsä i den ekonomiska regionen  Jämsä ekonomiska region  och landskapet Mellersta Finland, i den södra delen av landet,  km norr om huvudstaden Helsingfors. Öns största längd är 10 meter i öst-västlig riktning.

Klimat
Trakten ingår i den boreala klimatzonen. Årsmedeltemperaturen i trakten är  °C. Den varmaste månaden är juli, då medeltemperaturen är  °C, och den kallaste är januari, med  °C.

Källor

Öar i Jämsä
Öar i insjöar i Finland


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Internet Celebrity Alleges R1SE's Ren Hao Dated Her while Still Dating Actress Girlfriend
October 15, 2020 April 15, 2021 admin
The love life of R1SE member, Ren Hao (任豪), has been a topic of great interest in recent months. The idol was trending last month when fans and netizens made a big deal about him hanging out with an internet celebrity. In the past couple days, Ren Hao was trending again when actress, Zhao Wenrou (赵温柔), made a post detailing her four year relationship with her boyfriend. Netizens were pointing to Ren Hao as the boyfriend and he quickly trended on Weibo. A day after, an internet celebrity by the name of Sue Xiaozi (Sue小姿) made a video alleging Ren Hao was dating her while he was still with his girlfriend, Zhao Wenrou.
R1SE's Ren Hao Admits to Hanging Out with Female Internet Celebrity After Fan Club Denies His Participation
Sue Xiaozi
R1SE Gets Candid about Disbanding and Being a Time-Limited Group
Alleged girlfriend…
On October 14, actress, Zhao Wenrou, wrote a lengthy post detailing her relationship with an ex-boyfriend. She titled the post, "The boy in your mind". She starts the post going back to Autumn 2016. She met this person at a public event and they added each other on WeChat. After she returned to Shanghai from filming, he asked her out on a date. They had a meal and watched a movie. She said this person was very gentle and polite and treated her dog very well. After a week of consecutive dates, they were officially dating.
Wajijiwa Entertainment Warns Sasaeng Fans to Stop Harassing R1SE
Zhao Wenrou said she wasn't sure about his exact occupation, but found out later on that he was an artist signed to a company. During this time, her boyfriend said his situation at his company was unstable and he wasn't given any resources. He was under a lot of stress. Zhao Wenrou said she was still in Shanghai working to make a living. They both felt anxious about the future, but said, "The only thing real was our love." She was determined their futures would keep getting better and better, no matter whose career was developing.
"Produce Camp 2019" Debuts 11 Member Group, R1SE
From 2016-2018, Zhao Wenrou claims she missed out on a lot of good opportunities, but she did her best to fight for resources and connections to introduce to her boyfriend. She said she was willing to be the person who supported him from behind and hoped he could do whatever he wanted in his "limited youth". Zhao Wenrou said, "In order to realize his dream of becoming a member of an idol group, I protected him and did everything possible to conceal my identity as his girlfriend. Even though I felt wronged, but at the time, I felt as long as it helped his development and his company's requirements of him were worthy, I would do it without hesitation!"
Zhou Zhennan and Xia Zhiguang Address Fans' Complaints about R1SE's Anniversary Song, "Yao"
Zhao Wenrou
R1SE Member, Ren Hao, Apologizes for Recent Events Regarding His Personal Life
After losing out on two opportunities, Zhao Wenrou said he finally got his opportunity at a survival show in 2019. She believed in his promises to her and that as long as they stayed together, everything would get better. However, after he got really popular, Zhao Wenrou started having worries about their long distance relationship, pressure from his company, and voices around her.
Zhao Wenrou thought their "love was stronger than gold" and they could weather the storm. She said, "I didn't think that while I could go through the hardships with him, but he couldn't share the joys with me. He constantly lied to me and avoided me repeatedly. We broke up. We didn't survive through spring 2020."
Zhao Wenrou says she didn't regret anything, but says someone kept targeting her development and her career and wouldn't let her go. She claims someone "human search engined" (similar to doxxing) her family and friends and herself. She said she doesn't want to look into the past, but she said her life has been disrupted and made her feel uneasy because of all the malice directed towards her. She ended her post, saying, "What should I do?"
While Zhao Wenrou didn't name this person, netizens suspected it was Ren Hao.
R1SE's Ren Hao Raises Eyebrows with His Suggestions to Help Japan Dump Nuclear Wastewater into the Ocean
Internet celebrity's side…
Ren Hao made a post on October 15 at midnight about a story he heard about the ocean and the moon. Many people felt his post was in response to Zhao Wenrou's post. Zhao Wenrou's Weibo account name is her Chinese name, "赵温柔" and the word Moonla. His post read: "The ocean at night cannot be calm with its constant raging waves. The dark night makes the ocean even deeper and downcast until the moon appeared. Each wave doesn't seem so sharp. It turns out the moon has been affecting its ebb and flow all along, but the constant flows of the ocean has changed its shape to adapt to various terrain changes. All we can see is just the starlight above the ocean, but we've never seen the trench torn apart because the ocean water has buried it to the deepest place.
"Perhaps the moon can calm its appearance, but has no way of accepting that the moonlight cannot shine through the ocean trench. The ocean will never overturn everything in the trench either because it can see the countless craters on the moon. The ocean doesn't want to show these unbearable things to it. It also doesn't want to give all the roughness to the moon. So the sun came out, the moon left, and the ocean is also as calm as before."
Ren Hao's post about the ocean and the moon
Hours later, an internet celebrity by the name of Sue Xiaozi made a post with the hashtag "Zhao Wenrou posts lengthy post" and said, "Speechless to the point I couldn't sleep…Broke up in spring 2020? You told me you didn't have a girlfriend at the end of January, but not dating…with last time's Escape Room situation, I thought you were just a pure ocean king. In the end you turned out to be a swindler!
Sue Xiaozi's post of two people holding hands calling out Ren Hao after Zhao Wenrou wrote her lengthy post.
Sue Xiaozi also released a video calling out Ren Hao a few hours later. In the video, she said, "All the fans came and yelled at me saying, 'You're so ugly, would you really be worthy of his liking?'. You can say I'm ugly, but it's not okay to say I'm making things up." Sue Xiaozi then shows a video of a screenshot with a person named, "Li Tianqi". She asked this person to say the word, "nanami", and he recites it. Sue Xiaozi then explains his friend was the one who asked for her WeChat ID. They added each other and showed a picture from his Friend's Circle. She said she didn't know about domestic boy bands and really didn't know who he was. The first time they chatted, he introduced himself as "Li Tianqi" and worked as an interior designer.
Sue Xiaozi claims this screenshot is of Ren Hao's Friend's Circle on WeChat.
Caption: Does this picture look familiar? Sue Xiaozi referring to the fiery ocean picture Ren Hao posted.
Sue Xiaozi claims they were supposed to meet each other in Beijing on January 29, but because of the pandemic, they couldn't go out. They just stayed home to watch videos.
Sue Xiaozi posted a screenshot alleging this was Ren Hao when they were watching videos.
Comparison to a video of Ren Hao from a video
Sue Xiaozi's video: http://t.cn/A6bp7EV8?m=4560399523909028&u=5391496457
Ren Hao hasn't made any further response to this allegations.
Credit: Weibo (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
r1se ren hao sue xiaozi zhao wenrou
Will Xu Kai and Wu Jinyan Finally Get Their Happy Ending in "Royal Feast"?


Shenzhen Eelink Communication Technology stands tall as China's most acclaimed manufacturer and distributor of communication terminal products. The turnkey solutions provided by the company have seen them take on the global market where they have become synonymous with smart GPS tracking packages. A subtle combination of top-of-the-line technology and highly qualified staff is the winning edge for Shenzhen Eelink Communication Technology for all tracker based requirements.


There's a small bear who peeps out at me every morning and evening that I open my bathroom cabinet. He has a heart on his tummy and two heart shaped balloons in his paw. If you were a child of the '80s you'll know exactly who I'm hiding in my bathroom closet. A Care Bear. Tenderheart Bear was the first Care Bear that I ever owned. He was a Care Bear miniature and my mom bought him for me when she had to take my sister to the doctors for something and I was at school. I still remember my little sister running over to me with the pack and showing me what we'd got because of her being brave. She had Cheer Bear with a rainbow jump rope, and I had my very own Tenderheart Bear. I've had him for over 35 years now.
The Care Bears were everything to me growing up – to toys, the movie and then the TV series and although I have Wagon Wheel Syndrome when it comes to the new series [I liked the old series which I grew up with], I still love them just as much and more times than I'll admit have I tried to steer my boys into choosing them as presents, haha. Anyhow…. Finally a day arrived when something for review arrived that was for ME, just ME and only ME. The Care Bears sent me a gorgeous package of a fluffy LoveaLot Bear, a Cheer Heart bear with little PJ top on, some squishy little Care Bears and then a face mask, mug with hot chocolate, jelly bears to eat [perish the thought] and some soft, fluffy socks. Let's just say I love my face pack, thank you very much. The rest was gleefully taken off my hands by the boys who think that their pink and fluffy new friends are the best ever. Thank heavens I still have my little Tenderheart. Haha.


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Timber Home Photos & House Tours
Southern Timber Frame Houses
A Timber Home by Twin Waterfalls
A North Carolina vacation home is designed to capture views of majestic twin falls.
Written by Stacy Durr Albert
Photography by Roger Wade
Picture this : Breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, acres of unspoiled forestland and a scaled-down version of Niagara Falls, right in your own backyard. Sound too good to be true? That's what Dr. Jai Cho thought when he first stumbled upon a real estate ad for a private lot boasting twin 70-foot waterfalls cascading down a rock wall.
"I couldn't believe it," recalls Jai, who lives year-round in Tampa. "I always thought it would be great to have a natural waterfall, but never imagined I'd find one on private land. I couldn't have dreamed of something like this."
After purchasing the pristine 8-acre lot near Sapphire, North Carolina, Jai started to think about the type of home that would best fit the storybook setting. One thing he was certain about was that he wanted to capture the waterfall views from as many rooms as possible.
See also Unexpected Style in An Idaho Timber Home
"I've always liked moving water because it has such incredible life to it," says Jai. "I wanted to bring that life into the home."
Rather than rush into a design decision, Jai spent plenty of time doing research, poring over myriad design books and home magazines. He knew he wanted a contemporary flavor, but wasn't sure about the construction style that would work best. At first, he didn't consider timber framing, but after realizing that the classic construction method could be interpreted with a modern spin, the idea intrigued him.
"I really wanted a contemporary home with clean, modern lines," explains Jai.
Selecting a company to work with was simple, thanks to a magazine advertisement that Jai discovered for a family-run Amish business, Oakbridge Timber Framing Ltd. of Ohio. "Their craftsmanship looked amazing, and they were wonderful to work with," says Jai.
Deciding on a floor plan entailed a bit more work. Jai found inspiration in the work of the famous late architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen, whose signature style features white pavilion-based homes that recall the barns of early America. The hallmark of the style is its incorporation of several gabled forms that break down the scale of a house and define its distinct spaces.
"I fell in love with the style when I saw it in a book," says Jai. "I was drawn to the idea of mixing some traditional influences with contemporary construction."
In fact, Jai was so enamored with the Jacobsen look that he even went to visit one of the architect's best-known projects, the Buckwalter House in eastern Pennsylvania. After gleaning some ideas from the owner, Jai shared his wishes with his own architectural team, Jin Baek, Ph.D. and Youngsun Sonn, R.A. of South Korea. The trio worked together to come up with a floor plan for the steep, sloped site, which has a 30,000-foot elevation.
"There is no flat land on the property, so it took some careful planning to create the final design," recalls Jai.
Another challenging aspect of the design was that Jai wanted the home to have a minimal amount of wood. "Building with minimal wood to capture the modern look required some extra effort in the engineering," recalls Johnny Miller, owner of Oakbridge. "The main-floor decks are roughly 40 feet off the ground, so the heights required some extra safety measures."
In the end, the extra time put into engineering and planning proved to be more than worth the effort. Unlike many mountain homes that feature one main structure with a massive great room, Jai's 5,000-square-foot home features three separate gabled structures that are connected yet independent of one another.
"The dining, living and master areas are separate structures, and each caters to the spectacular waterfall view," explains Miller. "Each structure also has its own exterior space with a timber-frame porch facing the falls."
The timber frame matches the grandeur of the falls, defining the space with a quiet elegance that imparts a sense of instant tranquility. The frame was carefully pre-cut at Oakbridge's workshop, and then shipped to the home site for hand assembly.
See also Mountain Modern: A Contemporary Timber Home
The structural Douglas fir timber frame features coastal, slow-growth, kiln-dried wood with traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery. The timbers range in sizes from 8-by-8 posts and 8-by--10 bent girts and rafters, to 4-by-10 diagonal braces and 5-by-7 purlins. Attention to detail lends a distinctive look throughout.
The decor of the home is equally striking. Jai carefully selected all of the furnishings himself, choosing high-end tile from Italy, wood floors from Sweden and cabinetry from Germany. A sleek, polished look is the result. His favorite feature is the custom-designed home theater.
"It was one of the first 3-D theaters in a residential home," he shares. "It's a secluded space that's great for even just listening to classical music."
The minimalist approach to decorating allows for the grand waterfalls to take center stage, which is exactly what Jai had hoped for when he first set out to create the home.
"Even when you are taking a shower, you can look down over the falls and feel an incredible sense of peace and unity with nature," says Jai. "I couldn't ask for anything better than that."
TIMBER HOME DETAILS:
Timber Provider: Oakbridge Timber Framing, 866-599-5711
Tour the Timber Home by Twin Waterfalls
To maximize views of the twin waterfalls, Jai Cho opted for a design featuring three separate timber structures with small connecting areas in between. "The design really caters to the view," explains Johnny Miller, owner of Oakbridge Timber Framing.
The beauty of the home's Douglas fir frame is evident in the living room. The stately frame, which features traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery, was hand raised by the crew at Oakbridge Timber Framing.
See also A Contemporary Canadian Timber Tree House
The frame soars to great heights in the kitchen, where sleek cabinets introduce a contemporary flavor. Calacatta marble countertops add a touch of luxury.
In the modern dining room, a large expanse of glass connects the room to the outdoor dining area, blurring the lines between outdoors and in.
Even the smallest nooks are blessed with jaw-dropping views. Here, a cozy desk area set between two of the home's three gabled structures serves up unforgettable views.
Even the hallways and connecting spaces are blessed with spectacular views. Though the home is predominantly timber-framed, Jai didn't want it have an over-abundance of wood. "It required some extra effort in engineering," recalls Miller.
Soaking in the tub becomes a spa-like experience when you're gazing at the majestic waterfalls beyond the glass. "Every area of the home was designed to complement the views outside," says Joni Miller of Oakbridge Timber Framing.
See also A Modern Timber Home in the North Carolina Mountains
It's easy to see why the 3-D home theater is one of Jai's favorite spaces in the home. Ultra-comfortable seats, soundproof walls and distinctive wood detailing create a sense of seclusion and tranquility.
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If you are an avid Louis Vuitton or just a big bag collector and saw the Totally tote bag then you will just fall in love with this. The Louis Vuitton Cabas Rivington is also a tote bag but it does have a more formal edge so it can be used with versatility. It is not just a tote it has the look of a practical equestrian bag which would fit right in down at the country club or whilst drinking Champaign at a polo match.
Despite this bags robust look it is made of very soft leather with comfortable shoulder straps; the way that these shoulder straps are positioned adds to the intrigue of the bag as well as add comfort ability. The Louis Vuitton Cabas Rivington bag can be worn as a smarter more compact bag by keeping the side zips done up or alternatively you could make the most of its capacity by undoing the zips. Yes it is a transforming bag! What more could a girl want? The red interior holds a large zip pocket which is really handy for items that are needed to hand immediately.
This bag would definitely suit your more practical wardrobe; dig out the wrap around just above the knee linen dress and smart flats, or opt for the knee high leather boots when the weather is cooler. In the evening add a cream oversized, angular coat in keeping with the up and coming trend and mix with some cute and quirky black heels. There are many ways to dress this bag up or down but keep it practical or at least sophisticated for ultimate impact.
Would you consider the Louis Vuitton Rivington your must have bag?


An interactive, family-friendly event for race fans of all ages. Visit with real race car drivers, take photos, get autographs; scavenger hunt; tire changing contest, ticket drawings for Elko Speedway, and more! New this year – remote control car racing presented by Youth Impact Racing.
Located at 209th Street & Holyoke Ave.


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01 November 2021 – Analysis
Year of the Pulse
The International Grains Council (IGC) announced that it will include pulses in its definition of grains and expand market information on these products. Trade in pulses has been increasing as they grow in stature as a staple food and plant-based protein. The pod-based seeds of the legume family come in a variety of shapes and colors, and increasingly serve the role of sustainability. The UN got so excited it created the International Year of Pulses. They are viewed as inexpensive, easy to store, nutrient-dense and can be grown in a variety of climates. Although trade in dried peas took off in 2020, this year growth has seen stronger growth in dried beans. Governments have begun subsidizing pulses as a new superfood, but also with th...
TAGS – Pulses, North America
Farm Bill Could Change PLC Reference Prices
Topics for consideration in the farm bill are starting to take shape. According to reports from Capitol Hill, one likely change in the 2023 farm bill will be the reference prices under the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program, which are likely to get updated to reflect current markets. The PLC pro...
TAGS – North America
30 January 2023 – Analytics
Summary of Futures
Mar 23 Corn closed at $6.8375/bushel, up $0.0075 from yesterday's close. Mar 23 Wheat closed at $7.525/bushel, up $0.025 from yesterday's close. Mar 23 Soybeans closed at $15.3525/bushel, up $0.2575 from yesterday's close. Mar 23 Soymeal closed at $488.7/short ton, up $15.2 fr...
TAGS – Feed Grains, Soy & Oilseeds, Wheat, Livestock, Energy, North America
Communicating importance of value-added products
Facing increasing pressure to quantify the value of export promotion efforts to investors, a U.S. industry organization retained WPI to develop a quantitative model that better communicated the importance of exports. The resulting model concluded that value-added meat exports contributed $0.45 cents per bushel to the price of corn, increasing support for that sector's financial support of WPI's client. In addition to serving the red meat industry with this type of analysis, WPI has generated similar deliverables for the U.S. soybean and poultry/egg industries.


Last year, we felt God challenging us to grow in three specific areas – to pray more strategically, to give more generously, and to evangelise more intentionally. As we do so, we will see His hand work through us to see His kingdom advance here on earth. These are three areas of focus for us right now – hence our FOCUS 3 message series. Today we want to speak about the area of giving generously, including financial giving.
Many people have stories of God rewarding and blessing them for their generosity. There are also people who have been generous with their giving but who haven't seen any direct reward or unusual blessing from God as a result of it. That's a common occurrence and unless we understand the principle of 'seasons' and how God works, we can become frustrated and give up.
Randy Alcorn, in his book The Law of Rewards, tells the story of two men who owned farms side by side. One was a bitter atheist; the other was a devout Christian. Constantly annoyed at the Christian for his trust in God, the atheist said to him one winter, "let's plant our crops as usual this spring, each the same number of acres. You pray to your God, and I'll curse him. Then come October, let's see who has the bigger crop." When October came the atheist was delighted because his crop was larger. "See, you fool", he taunted, "What do you have to say for your God now?" "My God", replied the other farmer, "doesn't settle all his accounts in October!" The apostle Paul encourages us to have this kind of long term perspective (Gal.6:7-11).
What does God think about all this? Paul quotes Jesus as saying, "It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35)." Jesus is saying that when we give – whether it be time, energy, service, encouragement, resource, or whatever – there is an even greater blessing than when we are on the receiving end. That sounds unnatural, almost counter-cultural, doesn't it! I mean, wouldn't we be happier if we were always on the receiving end of things? Well, even modern day psychological research has recently proven that giving leads to longer and more lasting feelings of happiness and well-being than receiving does.
GOD is blessed when we give, especially when we give generously.
One thing we know for sure is that God is a generous God who gives so much to each of us, day after day. He gives us the very breath that we breathe and life itself. He provides for our daily basic needs – food, clothing and shelter. He gives us the power and ability to get wealth. He is faithful in his love, mercy, and compassion towards us. He gave us his very best – His Son.
Not only is God a generous God in the very fabric of his nature; he also loves it when we are generous too. Generosity pleases him greatly. When we give we are just like him. He delights in us as his children when we take on his character qualities. Through generous giving we prove that God is first in our life and we honour him (see Deut.14:23. Prov.3:9). Paul tells us that God 'loves' a cheerful (or joyful) giver (2 Cor.9:7)! In contrast, selfishness, tightfistedness or stinginess displeases him because it is opposite to his nature.
God is also blessed when we give because our generous giving helps his work on earth to grow. God is honoured and his kingdom expands. The gospel is free but it costs money to spread the good news and to build the church. God's work on the earth is great and it requires resources (people, time and finance). Our generous giving provides for the building of the church of Jesus Christ and the extension of God's kingdom. If everyone gave generously, according to their own resources and income, there would be 'more than enough' for the work of each local church, including the various ministries of the church.
OTHER PEOPLE are blessed when we give.
We've all been on the receiving end of someone else's generosity. How does it make you feel? Special and loved (example: birthday and Christmas presents)! When we give we have the opportunity to do the same for others. What a difference a gift can make. Others are blessed in powerful ways through our generous giving.
God does some amazing things when his people embrace a spirit of generosity in every area of their life. The early church experienced a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which resulted in tremendous impact on the local community, city and eventually the entire world. An important factor in what God did was the generosity of believers in contributing voluntarily, willingly and joyfully to what God was doing – and to the needs of others (see Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-37; 11:27-30; 24:17. Rom.15:25-28). Generosity is a sign of the Holy Spirit's work in the heart of a believer. A spiritual revival usually results in a surge of generous giving to God's work and the needs of other people. Revival touches not only the heart but also the wallet.
WE are also blessed when we give.
This is the surprise element. When you give you receive! This is a powerful spiritual principle that often baffles the rational mind because it doesn't make sense.
Natural wisdom says, "When I give, I make a loss." God's wisdom says, "When you give, you actually gain!" This is the miracle of giving! When we give or invest in the kingdom of God it's not lost or gone. It is still "there" – in our heavenly investment account. God has a record of it and there is a multiplied return on what we give. Jesus teaches this (Matt.6:19-21), as does Paul (see Phil.4:10-19 and 1 Tim.6:17-19).
Natural wisdom says, "I'll give when all my needs are met." "I can't afford to give" or "I'll give when I've got some surplus." God's wisdom says, "Give now, even in your time of need, and watch me work!" The Bible teaches that when we give in faith (trusting totally in God) even when we are in a time of need, his miraculous provision begins to come our way. He only asks us to give of what we already have (not what we don't have) and as we go first, in faith and obedience, we release his blessing into our life. This principle is taught explicitly throughout the Bible and there are also many illustrations of people who experienced the miracle of giving and then God breaking through to meet their need (see Gen.26:1, 12-14. 1 Kings 17. Luke 21:1-4. 2 Cor. 8:1-7).
Generosity has nothing to do with the 'amount' given. It has everything to do with the 'attitude' in which something is given. The Bible has much to say about the blessings that come through generous giving (Ps.112:5. Prov.3:9-10; 11:24-25; 19:17. Luke 6:38. 2 Cor. 9:6). When we give we are blessed too! Again, this should not be our motive in giving but it should be our expectation! We give because we want to and love to (not have to). As a by-product, we always receive in the process. If you sow, you will reap! If you don't sow, you won't reap. This is a law and a principle that God has ordained.
Without God's help we will easily succumb to materialism, become prisoners to our debt, and be unable to experience the joy of generous giving. With God's help we can curb the spirit of greed that so pervades our society, live within our means, and have a generous spirit of giving. As a church, let's seek to excel in everything, including giving (2 Cor.8:7). How would you describe yourself? Are you a non-giver, a giver, or a generous giver? Make a choice to give more generously … in every area of our life.
Why do you think 'money' is such a sensitive subject to talk about, especially in church?
Ask for any testimonies of the benefits or blessing of generous giving.
Discuss Randy Alcorn's story about the two farmers. How can we keep our faith strong during delays?
Share a time when you benefited from the generosity of someone else. How did it feel?
Share ways we can live more generous lives other than through financial giving (promote MOB brochure).
Have some testimonies of the benefits of serving – giving our time generously for the benefits of others.
Pray for business owners, those who believe they have the gift of giving, those facing financial difficulty (including unemployment), as well as for all employees.


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West Virginia became the 34th state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on March 10, 1920, guaranteeing the right of women to vote.
Courtesy of the West Virginia Humanities Council
On March 10, 1920, West Virginia became the 34th state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed the right of women to vote.
Courtesy of West Virginia Humanities Council
Statewide events planned for 100th anniversary of 19th Amendment
By HANNA PENNINGTON HD Media
HUNTINGTON — With 2020 just around the corner, West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner announced the formation of a committee designed to plan year-long, statewide celebrations commemorating the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which gave women in the United States the right to vote.
Faculty and staff at Marshall University are among those involved in spearheading local events and celebrations for the coming year.
"Marshall and community leaders are all working together to plan these various events," said Kat Williams, professor of U.S. women's history at Marshall. "There will be marches, there will be speeches and there will be a number of different, exciting events."
Williams said one of the committee's main goals is to bring the milestone to the attention of those who may be unaware of its importance.
"A lot of people don't know that 2020 is the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage, and they have a lot of misconceptions about it," Williams said. "Women fought for 72 years to gain the right to vote; the women's suffrage movement started in 1848, so this was a really long fight. This is a significant piece of legislation that we're celebrating."
Williams is teaching a one-time class during the spring 2020 semester as part of Marshall's celebration of women's suffrage. The class will discuss the history of women in the country since the passage of the amendment 100 years ago.
"What we've done in that 100 years since women gained the right to vote has been remarkable," Williams said.
Helen Gibbins, president of the League of Women Voters of the Huntington Area, said it is also playing a significant role in the planning of both local and statewide events.
"We're working with Marshall University and we're working with a statewide group," Gibbins said.
Gibbins said some of the smaller events will lead up to a parade on Women's Equality Day in August 2020, which will begin on Marshall's campus.
The League of Women Voters has also performed a "Right to Vote" Reader's Theater in years prior, and Gibbins said this year the group will make a special effort to include more information about women's suffrage.
A complete list of events statewide will be produced by the Secretary of State's Office and will be released at the start of the new year.
"It's important that people know about it and it's important that kids are learning about it in school; it's like a free history lesson," Williams said of the commemoration. "We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of women in this country having full citizenship rights, and it doesn't get much larger than that."
"Women fought for 72 years to gain the right to vote; the women's suffrage movement started in 1848, so this was a really long fight. This is a significant piece of legislation that we're celebrating."
Marshall University history professor


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Lord's Resistance Army kidnappings hit six-year high: monitors
Leader of the Lord's Resistance Army
DAKAR (Reuters) - Kidnappings in Central Africa by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) hit a six-year high in the first half of 2016 just as Uganda threatened to roll back its involvement in an operation to hunt down the rebels, monitoring groups said on Wednesday. The LRA, a Ugandan rebellion headed by messianic leader Joseph Kony, abducted 498 civilians between January and June, according to a report by The Resolve and Invisible Children, two groups that track LRA violence. Seventeen people were also killed during 122 attacks recorded during the period, nearly all of which occurred in northern Democratic Republic of Congo and eastern Central African Republic (CAR). "The international community must do more to protect civilians in eastern CAR from the LRA and other armed groups," Sean Poole, Director of International Programs at Invisible Children, said in a statement. For the first time, two attacks were also reported in the Kafia Kingi enclave controlled by Sudan, where Kony is believed to have sought refuge. Originally from northern Uganda, the LRA was driven out by a military offensive a decade ago and now roams a poorly policed area straddling the borders of Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Kony and other senior commanders of the LRA, which is notorious for mutilating civilians and kidnapping children for use as fighters and sex slaves. The group was not well known outside Central Africa until KONY 2012, a social media campaign that raised international awareness about the reclusive warlord. The U.S. military in March estimated that fewer than 200 LRA fighters remained, and a Uganda-dominated African Union regional task force has been hunting them down. Most of Uganda's 2,500 troops are operating in eastern Central African Republic with a smaller contingent based in South Sudan. Kampala said last month it planned to withdraw from CAR due to a lack of support from the international community. (Reporting by Joe Bavier; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
Jordan Cashmyer, a woman who was featured on MTV's "16 and Pregnant" in 2014, died in Maryland on Sunday. She was 26 years old. News of Cashmyer's death was shared by her stepmother, Jessica Cashmyer, through a post written on the Facebook account of the Dennis M. Cashmyer Jr., her husband and Jordan's father. A […]
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Javier Corrales is Dwight W. Morrow 1895 professor of Political Science at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts. He obtained his Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University in 1996.
Corrales's research focuses on democratization, presidential powers, democratic backsliding, political economy of development, ruling parties, the incumbent's advantage, foreign policies, and sexuality. He has published extensively on Venezuela, Cuba, and Argentina.
His latest book, Fixing Democracy: Why Constitutional Change Often Fails to Enhance Democracy in Latin America, was published by Oxford University Press in mid 2018.
He is the co-author with Michael Penfold of Dragon in the Tropics: Venezuela and the Legacy of Hugo Chávez (Brookings Institution Press, 2015), now in its second edition; with Daniel Altschuler, The Promise of Participation: Experiments in Participatory Governance in Honduras and Guatemala (Palgrave/Macmillan 2013), and with Carlos A. Romero, U.S.-Venezuela Relations since the 1990s: Coping with Midlevel Security Threats (Routledge, 2013). He is also the co-editor with Mario Pecheny of The Politics of Sexuality in Latin America: A Reader on GLBT Rights (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2010), and author of Presidents Without Parties: the Politics of Economic Reform in Argentina and Venezuela in the 1990s (Penn State University Press, 2002). His research has been published in academic journals such as Comparative Politics, Comparative Political Studies, World Development, Political Science Quarterly, International Studies Quarterly, World Policy Journal, Latin American Politics and Society, Journal of Democracy, Latin American Research Review, Studies in Comparative International Studies, Current History, and Foreign Policy. He is also working on a book manuscript on constitutional reforms in Latin America. He writes periodically for the New York Times.
Javier Corrales serves on the editorial board of Latin American Politics and Society and Americas Quarterly. He was president of the New England Council of Latin American Studies and Program Co-Chair of the 2010 Congress of the Latin American Studies Association. In 2010 he was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to serve on the executive board of Mass Humanities, a grant-making organization affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 2009, he was a visiting scholar at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard.
He has taught at the Center for Latin American Research (CEDLA) at the University of Amsterdam and at the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University. He has also offered short courses at the Institute of Higher Studies in Administration (IESA) in Caracas, the School of Government at the University of the Andes in Bogotá, and at the Universidad de Salamanca. In 2016 he was Fulbright scholar in Bogotá, and in 2005, in Caracas. In 2000, he became one of the youngest scholars ever to be selected as a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. He has also been a consultant for the World Bank, the United Nations, the Center for Global Development, Freedom House, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
In addition to ogoing research on Venezuela's politics, Corrales is also working on three separate projects: 1) Incumbents, Expresidents, and Newcomers; 2) variations in the performance of national oil companies, and 3) the factors helping to expand LGBT rights in Latin America.
Harbor to the Bay AIDS-benefit 68-mile bike ride, Sep 17, 2011.
With Jorge Domínguez at LASA 2010 (Toronto).


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On Helping Tell a Palestinian Story as a White American Jew
Penina Eilberg-Schwartz Wonders What It Means to Share Space
Via Beacon Press
By Penina Eilberg-Schwartz
Before a crowd of Israeli Jews at a peace demonstration—in the same square where an Israeli man, certain he was right, shot Yitzhak Rabin—Sulaiman Khatib stood on a stage. It was 2014, the war in Gaza not yet over. In Sderot, and sometimes in Tel Aviv, Israelis were ducking for cover. In Gaza, the death count was rising. That summer would see the deaths of approximately 70 Israelis, more than 2,200 Palestinians.
Looking down at a piece of paper, holding a microphone, Sulaiman wore a shirt that read "Combatants for Peace." On his chest, two silhouettes threw their weapons behind them, as if recklessly. From the stage, Sulaiman began to speak to the crowd in his Arabic-accented Hebrew. It was a rare moment of solemnity for him, his words slow and deliberate.
"My name is Sulaiman Khatib. I've come from Ramallah. . . We, Israelis and Palestinians, call on both sides to act in courage and wisdom, to immediately stop the war in Gaza—and to start a serious dialogue." He spoke the Hebrew words that had taken on their own life and rhythm from frequent use. "EIN pitaRON tsava'I l'sichsOOCH shelanu." It meant what it always had: There is no military solution for our conflict.
When he stepped offstage, his phone began to ring. It was his friend Ra'ed, calling from the Palestinian town of Yatta.
"I saw you on Al Jazeera live!" "Wallah, really?"
Sulaiman was surprised. Combatants for Peace received mostly international or progressive Israeli press. Palestinian TV didn't often cover their actions. When it did, Sulaiman was sometimes called a traitor to his people; an 'asfur: the Arabic word for bird that, for many Palestinians, meant a spy for the Israelis. Someone who, among other things, normalized the occupation, practiced tatbi'a.
For a moment, Sulaiman felt a little afraid to go home to Ramallah. It only takes one stupid person, he thought. But by this time, he'd grown accustomed to feeling fear and meeting it—or sensing it and burying it. It wasn't always clear which acts of imagination and erasure were needed to build a new story from an old one.
Two years later, a bit of wind blows as Sulaiman drives me down a West Bank road. The sky is darkening as we approach a famous junction near a number of Jewish settlements. Young Israeli soldiers stand at four corners, guns on their shoulders. As we drive by, Sulaiman's shoulders inch toward his ears.
Sulaiman Khatib—or Souli, as many know him—is a Palestinian peacemaker from a village northeast of al-Quds, the Palestinian name for Jerusalem. He is cofounder and codirector of a binational nonviolent movement called Combatants for Peace, created by Israeli and Palestinian ex-fighters and ex-prisoners. He is a person who's been through much, who seems able to lightly hold burdens that would bring others to the ground.
Soon after we pass the soldiers, Souli turns to me and smiles. My jaw is clenched, not yet ready to let go. Ajaki, he says, laughing out his favorite word. It's a play off of Arabic slang from the streets of al-Quds, a word that moves between meanings, from "You get it?" to a nod of agreement. But the way Souli repeats it—like a song, or a punch line—it seems to mean nothing at all, or too much to name. His hair bounces over his eyes. When I first met him, it was shaved close to his head.
it's been almost fifty years since Israel took over East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza; over ten years since Israel withdrew settlers from Gaza, but kept control of its borders and so much else.
We are headed somewhere, but we're not sure where. It's something Souli likes to do sometimes: get in the car at night and drive, without any destination, without any sense of what will come next. In this way, Souli's driving seems like a kind of dreaming, a thing he does often. It's linked to his way of existing firmly in reality while somehow escaping it entirely, living somewhere else, somewhere others can't quite find him.
Where he is now, in reality, it's been almost fifty years since Israel took over East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza; over ten years since Israel withdrew settlers from Gaza, but kept control of its borders and so much else. Souli is not sure how many years it's been since he acquired his nickname. He's not sure how many years it's been since he was only Sulaiman.
For years now, Souli's fans have told him to write his story. "It's so cinematic," they say and touch his shoulder while he smokes.
"They think I'm a visionary," he explained to me once, grinning.
People do think this, I've seen it, and it's because of what happened after one big bang of a moment many years ago, when at the age of fourteen and five months, Sulaiman stabbed an Israeli and was sentenced to fifteen years in jail. The length of his life until then.
Some people talk about him as if he were a prophet because, when he was released from jail over ten years later, he went searching for a way to participate in joint nonviolent activism and reconciliation with Israelis. Among many other things, he worked alongside a handful of Israelis to create Combatants for Peace, resisting the occupation and modeling a shared, peaceful future. Because of this, some people read his life as a textbook for transformation. They want it written.
"Why not have someone write the book in Arabic?" I'd asked him at the beginning.
"Palestinians know this story," he said, waving his hand at a nonexistent fly. "Palestinians know that za'atar is a religion, that land is a religion. They know what the olive trees, figs, and pomegranates mean to us
And he's right. Some parts of his story—the violence and fear, the redemption and lack of it, the sacredness of land and of memory—are old news to Palestinians. A person does not need their daily reality narrated back to them. But Souli's relationship to reality, as many friends have pointed out, is a bit strange. There's something different in his way of seeing, and it doesn't seem so only to me—a white American Jew—but to many of the Palestinians and Israelis around him.
Some people talk about him as if he were a prophet.
Strangeness has always seemed to me like a path toward truth or, if not truth, some better version of our world. So it was Souli's strangeness that made me finally say yes when he asked me to write this book, or to help him write it. At the beginning, it wasn't clear to either of us what he was really asking of me.
"We'll see!" he said the day I agreed to work on the project, sitting in a café in San Francisco, blinking at all the light coming in. "Life is a journey!" he said, as if in answer to a question I hadn't asked. Laughing, he picked up his fork. I rolled my eyes. He often said things that would annoy me coming from anyone else, but somehow, when he said them, they were true. I took a bite of his banana bread. I laughed, too.
I met Souli in 2006, in my mother's house. When I walked into her wide-windowed dining room, and saw the lean man slouching in a chair, legs crossed, I knew very little of him.
"We have the most amazing new friend," my mom, a rabbi who speaks in capital letters, told me. "He's a Palestinian peace activist." At the time, my mother, the first woman ordained by the Jewish Conservative movement, was engaging in dialogue about Palestine-Israel. It was a tense time for us, filled with many painful conversations about Zionism in which I angrily tried to unravel something I knew was precious to her, something she hoped would stay precious to me. I argued that it was not possible for a state to be both Jewish and democratic; she argued that no state (and no democracy) is perfect, and that the Jewish people deserve a safe space in the world to grow and govern—just like all other people. Our conversations pushed her further along a path she was already traveling, seeking out alternative narratives. Souli's story was one of many beginnings for her. It was a story she could hear.
I don't remember much of that initial encounter. I remember Souli, with tight, dark skin and close-cropped hair, getting up from his chair to shake my hand. I remember we ate and joked, that I invited him to come see my friends play banjo and musical saw in a café.
I remember later that night, when I went downstairs to fetch a book or something else I'd forgotten, and Souli was there, standing in the doorway of my younger stepbrother's room. He smiled at me, said goodnight.
Behind him, I saw my stepbrother's bed and the full-size Israeli flag hanging over the headboard.
"They have you sleeping there?" I asked. "Under that flag?"
I was so angry. They couldn't have given him someplace else to sleep, or taken down the flag?
He laughed. "It doesn't matter, habibti, calm down."
I didn't know it then, but this would be the first of our many political disagreements.
It wasn't until two years later that I heard him tell his story. He wrote to tell me he'd gotten another visa to the US and would be giving a talk in Berkeley. He wanted me to come. When I got to Cafe Leila, I hugged him and sat with a bunch of mostly white, gray-haired people in their fifties and sixties. Amid the sound of forks on plates and scraps of conversation, he began.
I don't remember what he said exactly. He changed focus erratically, traveling from place to place without warning. He spoke about stabbing two Israeli soldiers. He made jokes about jail—"Now I'm a couchsurfer, but then I was a jailsurfer. They took me from jail to jail, so I was traveling for free!" I sat there wondering at the nonchalance of his storytelling. He was light when he talked about his history; he didn't place weight on anything.
When he finished, people clapped and asked questions. Someone wondered how he kept going, even in the darkest times. "I had to have something inside myself," he said, "to know there was part of me living outside the jail."
I saw it in him, how he seemed able to tear down anything in his way. Not with violence, but with something metaphysical, alchemical. He acted as if certain things that appeared solid were just a mirage. I wanted to know more about it, this physics-defying capacity. I wanted to know what it meant for him to transport himself elsewhere, to walk through walls. And I wanted to know whether anyone could follow. Or whether, for some, the walls stayed solid.
After his talk in Berkeley, before he flew to the next place, Souli and I spent every day together—walking, sitting on trains, making sure we never felt hungry, arguing about Palestine and Israel. I wanted him to be angrier; he wanted me to see the traditional Israeli narrative, too, to understand not only the occupation but also the mistakes Palestinians had made along the way.
After he returned to Ramallah, we stayed friends online. Though he often asked me to visit him, I never did. I'd been working intensely on issues of peace and justice in Palestine-Israel, yet I hadn't visited the Middle East since the week-long vacation I took with my mom when I was ten years old. I'd never traveled to the West Bank or Gaza.
He was light when he talked about his history; he didn't place weight on anything.
Time passed, and our communication grew thin. Our exchanges were limited to brief messages with little in them: a cartoon face or a heart, and nothing else. So I didn't take it very seriously when, years after our last meeting, Souli sent a Facebook message asking me to help him work on a book. I said no. I didn't think I was the right person for the job. I was neither Palestinian nor Israeli, and this meant there were many things I could not know, the knowledge that comes from living in a place. I was a leftist, perhaps not someone Israelis would feel moved to listen to. And I didn't understand what Souli meant when he said he wanted to incorporate "my story," too. I didn't like the idea of a white American Jew telling a Palestinian story. I could hear the critiques. It's his story. Get out of the way. It's not for you to tell.
He wrote multiple times, and I said no just as many, until he was there—sitting across from me in a café in San Francisco. Seven years had passed since we'd last seen each other.
Over a small plate of banana bread, Souli asked again. He wanted me to help tell his story, to weave in Israeli stories, and my own—not to forget the importance of American Jewry in this conflict. As I listened, as time passed in its strange way, I knew that he was asking for the impossible. I knew that the result would be a tangled book, knotted with starkly unresolved issues of representation. But I also knew that the book's questions of ownership and form might have something beautiful and distinctive to say about who Souli is, about the place he comes from, about what has happened there.
I looked out the window and turned back when I felt his hand on mine. He pressed it, offered a question: "How can these two narratives—Palestinian and Israeli—exist in one homeland?" He shrugged as if there were little left to say. "That's the big question we have to share."
This book, a vehicle for telling (one version of) Souli's story, takes that question and peers at it through the lens of a larger and messier question: What does it really mean to share space?
When I arrive in Jerusalem/al-Quds to work on the book, it quickly becomes clear that Souli and I want to discuss different things. He avoids talking about jail, and instead speaks repeatedly and in generalities about what I already know. He moves quickly to other people's stories, wrapping them into his own, picking them up along the way—like the lucky coins his father used to spot on the ground. Throughout our conversations, we struggle with each other over which past is most important to tell. In many cases, he prefers to ignore the past and tell only stories that point toward the future.
I didn't like the idea of a white American Jew telling a Palestinian story.
This may have something to do with his tendency to look outside the frame, and, in a sense, outside of language. He speaks fluent English, but translated directly to the page, something essential in his words seems lost. In this book, to simulate the fluency he communicates in person, I will quote him while "correcting" his grammar, smoothing his syntax, making his tenses match. I want him to sound how I imagine he sounds in Arabic—though it's only an imagining. I understand these changes as a kind of trespassing; he doesn't.
Where there are holes in his narrative—so many things Souli doesn't recall or doesn't want to say—I slip into them, imagining my way into the small gestures of the story. These are intrusions Souli reads and approves before they make it into the final text. Because he wants his story—especially the beginning, before jail—told as story.
He doesn't remember (and I can never know) exactly how hard he could kick a soccer ball, precisely when he first thought to use violence as resistance, the way he waved his hand at his mother when she asked him questions. Though he remembers his aunt telling him she could predict the weather, he can't recall exactly how she told him. To speak of these things now, as story, is to imagine them. And yet, they happened.
So when it comes to his experiences, I tell the story based on what he's told me, but imagine my way into certain minor details, the way he's learned to imagine himself into the stories of people who've lived very different lives than his. All past dialogue is reimagined rather than explicitly remembered; the same is true for the exact sequence of events and duration in which they occurred. And due to the incredibly sensitive nature of this material, we have changed some names to protect the identities of those involved. Though what follows is faithful to the conversations I've had with Souli and with many others, it is not a work of history.
I am made nervous by all this slippage, but Souli remains unworried. Maybe it's already clear to him how much memory is an act of interpretation, how every telling requires intrusion. Even when he relates his story, in his own voice, he's only telling versions. That's how it is for all of us. Developing a story is the act of deciding what to emphasize, what to leave out. And Souli doesn't think this is a bad thing. On a collective level, he struggles both with and against this phenomenon to build a story—a third narrative—that includes Jewish and Palestinian histories, and all the places they overlap. His whole life has led to this reimagining. This, he thinks now, is how the world will get better.
When I talked about this act of imagination with a reporter, she looked at me with sharp eyes and told me that the Palestinian story is very real and has been ignored for a long time. I remember her saying, "It doesn't need you to imagine it."
Reliving this moment, I feel her words physically, a sharp pain in my stomach. I see her as she might see me: another Jew occupying Palestinian space. I see myself this way too, sometimes. Which is why I hope to make this occupation more visible, to remind myself endlessly that my presence here, even if I were to hide it, changes the story Souli tells. Making myself invisible won't erase the power I have, so I would rather see it towering above me. It serves as a reminder that this book is a place where the two of us are sharing space. A reminder of the responsibility that Souli has given me: to shape how he is seen and even, as I would find sometimes, to shape how he sees himself.
Power travels across so many lines, and I've decided there is no neutral place from which to write. A book is a place full of danger—of a man's story overtaking a woman's, of a European Jewish story overwriting that of a Palestinian.
When I tell Souli what the reporter said about imagination, he laughs. He tells me to relax, that Palestinians are not just victims, that they have at least one enormous power: to make Israel legitimate in the eyes of the world, or not.
Among others, this is one of the powers Souli has over me.
Excerpted from In This Place Together: A Palestinian's Journey to Collective Liberation by Penina Eilberg-Schwartz and Sulaiman Khatib (Beacon Press 2021). Reprinted with permission from Beacon Press.
Penina Eilberg-Schwartz
Penina Eilberg-Schwartz lives and writes in the Bay Area. She has worked on issues of justice in Israel-Palestine with several organizations and is a member of IfNotNow, a movement working to end American Jewish support for the occupation. She is an alumnus of LitCamp's juried writer's conference, the Logan Nonfiction Fellowship and the Alley Cat Books writing residency. With her partner Marty Piñol, she co-wrote the chapbook Everything in the speaking of it (Alley Cat Books, 2019), an exploration of Barthes's A Lover's Discourse written through redacted poems (omitted from the chapbook), prose poems, and essays-as-bookends. In this Place Together is her first full-length book. She is currently working on a novel as well as a book-length essay about the myth of the Jewish nose.
Searching for Answers to Everest's Greatest Mystery Among the Artifacts of Its Early Climbers
The Challenge of Editing a
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Beacon PressGazaIn This Place Together: A Palestinian's Journey to Collective LiberationIsraelJudaismoccupationPalestinePenina Eilberg-SchwartzSulaiman Khatib
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