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South Korea grants Iranian student refugee status
SEOUL (UCAN): An Iranian student, who converted to Catholicism in South Korea, has now obtained refugee status thanks to the efforts of Andrew Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung of Seoul and his classmates.
The Ministry of Justice announced on October 19 that the Korea Immigration Service had accepted the application of the student—referred to as Anthony as his name was withheld to protect his identity and safety.
Cardinal Yeom had pledged to fully support Anthony's bid for refugee status when the two met on August 16 at the bishop's office in Myeongdong, Seoul.
Afterwards, the cardinal sent letters to prime minister, Lee Nak-yon; justice minister, Park Sang-ki, the chairperson of Korea's National Human Rights Commission; and other officials, appealing for leniency in light of Anthony's religious conversion.
Prior to the final judgment on October 2, the cardinal issued another message of support.
"Anthony converted to Catholicism and received the sacrament of Confirmation. As he now has a clear Catholic identity, if he were to return to his home country, he would face a high possibility of persecution," Cardinal Yeom wrote.
"I appeal to related agencies to offer special interest and care to Anthony, allowing him to live a humane life in South Korea and escape the threat of persecution as a refugee," the cardinal said.
Born in Tehran in 2003, Anthony later travelled to Korea with his father. He converted to Catholicism while in the second grade of elementary school. His father also converted.
All Muslims who convert to another religion are charged as criminals in Iran.
Anthony first appealed for refugee status in 2016 but his application was rejected. He applied again in July with the support of the cardinal, along with his classmates and teachers.
They held a protest in front of the Immigration Office in Seoul on the day he submitted his second application and issued a petition online to the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae.
"Lots of friends and teachers helped me to obtain this refugee status. Cardinal Yeom in particular encouraged me and gave me huge support," Anthony said.
The government has come under attack for rejecting a plea for refugee status by hundreds of asylum seekers from Yemen who have made their way to the southern resort island of Jeju despite the Korean Church having supported them with food, lodging and jobs.
Progressives have accused the authorities of buckling to xenophobic sentiment after Jeju locals protested their arrival earlier this year, The Associated Press reported on October 18.
The government has extended many of them temporary visas and shown leniency to illegal Thai migrant workers, whose numbers are said to be growing in South Korea, by allowing them to leave voluntarily despite having overstayed their visas without fear of punishment.
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Andrew Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung
Iranian granted refugee status


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Jenny Carolina Charlotta Wahlberg, född 11 juni 1842 i Stockholm, död 1911 i Stockholm, var en svensk målare.

Hon var dotter till rådmannen Carl Emanuel Wahlberg och Sofia Fredrika Sprinchorn och gift med kommendören i flottan Carl Gustaf Lindmark. Wahlberg medverkade några gånger i Konstakademiens utställningar i Stockholm under 1860-talet och utställningar arrangerade av Norrlands och Dalarnas konstförening. Hennes konst består av figurer, stilleben och landskap. Wahlberg är representerad vid Linköpings museum.

Tryckta källor
Svenskt konstnärslexikon del V, sid 542, Allhems Förlag, Malmö.

Svenska målare under 1800-talet
Födda 1842
Avlidna 1911
Kvinnor
Konstnärer från Stockholm

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This lesson reminds us that this is a mind training program. In this mind training program, the goal is to return to our true Identity — Love. We do this by letting go of the artificial values of the ego.
The ego always looks for material gain, material wealth, because that is what it values. The Holy Spirit always looks to bring us awareness of the truth, for that is what It values above all else. Awareness of the truth is hidden when our mind is filled with little senseless aims and agendas which keep our minds so busy that we don't have time to remember God. And yet God remains there in our minds waiting for our acceptance.
This world is filled with senseless aims and pointless goals, which do not exist. Some of these goals are consciously set. We think these goals will bring us happiness or safety. But many of our goals are kept unconscious. These goals are made to help us hide from the guilt we feel because we believe we have separated from our Source, and thus caused harm to our Source.
It is these unconscious goals that are the basis for judgment and all forms of anger. They are attempts to claim the innocence we do not believe we deserve. We want to project the guilt we feel to anything and everything outside of us so that we can hide the fact that the guilt is in our own minds. This guilt is not real, but it seems real because we believe separation is real.
The attempt to put guilt and blame on everything outside us actually works against the goal of ridding ourselves of guilt. It makes the guilt continue to appear real, thus keeping it firmly entrenched in our minds.
This is why we need to retrain our minds to have the goal to remember our unity in God. This is the way we end guilt. Guilt cannot be real because it is the effect of the illusion of separation. Remembering God ends the illusion of separation and reunites us with our Self, with Love. Love is innocent, being all encompassing and undivided. Therefore we are innocent in truth. When we remember God, we remember our innocence.
Holy Spirit, help me today to let go of senseless aims, so that I may remember Love. My goal is to see the Love in my brother so that I may remember God in him, and thus in me.
My goal today is to recognize senseless aims for what they are.
I have noticed that my list of needs is much shorter than it used to be. I take this as a good sign. But, there are still material goals that I am unwilling to release. I think I need a certain amount of money to live comfortably and I guess I am afraid God doesn't agree because I have been unwilling to just turn that part of my life over to him. I want to be able to pay my son's tuition to school. I want my body to be healthy and pain free. I want my children to be part of my life. Those are the only one's I could think of.
Today, I am asking Holy Spirit to help me become aware of the unconscious goals I have set for myself. I know they are there but I am not facing them and I want to. I want God to be my only goal.
I give Holy Spirit all resistance I am feeling toward relinquishing my ego goals. I give Him my fear and doubts and ask for another way to see this.


Last semester, I researched the African American YMCA movement, and I became particularly interested in activism through voluntary associations and the intertwining dynamics of ethnicity. As a prospective educator and a TESL/TEFL minor, I have also always been interested in issues of educational inequality, particularly its manifestations along racial and ethnic lines. Though I have volunteered in several of the local schools, my knowledge of these issues within the context of Williamsburg has been very limited. As a tutor, my engagement in Williamsburg educational system has been on a largely individual basis. When I began contemplating prospective projects, I hoped that I would be able to deepen my knowledge of the Williamsburg educational system while perhaps framing it in light of the increasingly multiethnic demography of the area.
I was excited to hear in preliminary meetings about a previous project done on the local organization, All Together. The group, which seeks to improve race relations in Williamsburg, is active in many key community issues, including education. As we discussed recent spotlighted education issues, including rising drop out rates and falling funding for alternative education , I became intrigued. A project focusing on the All Together's involvement in local education issues sounded like a great way to tap into my interests in both voluntary associations and education.
I read the 2008 project on All Together and looked through the transcripts of associated WDP interviews, and have only become more intrigued by the organization. That the organization evolved from a small gathering of concerned citizens know as the "Turkey Club" to a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a vocal presence in current community issues is fascinating to me. Though the project offered a general history and addressed All Together's influence in issues of housing affordability and displacement, I think that there is much to be added to their work. Specifically, I would like to examine All Together's historical and present involvement in community education issues and consider how the shifting social, political, economic, and demographic environment of Williamsburg has shaped this involvement over time.
From the project, it seems that issues of education have always been a fairly central component of the organization's efforts. The organization's mission "to bring together the people of the Greater Williamsburg area across racial lines, to communicate and engage in activities that foster unity, inclusiveness and equal opportunity, and thereby, to improve the quality of life of the community and its citizens," were once promoted through several steering committees, one of which was dedicated entirely to issues regarding education. As McCann and Sayles mentioned in their project, however, these Steering Committees have since been subsumed by a Board of Directors. I would be interested in examining how this structural change in the organization correlating with its designation as a501(c)3 non-profit has changed its function and the methods for addressing educational issues.
McCann and Sayles posit in their suggestions for future research that there is an increasingly international community in Williamsburg. They suggest that this population is largely comprised of non-resident workers whose labor is necessary to support business in Williamsburg, where most residents work outside the area or are retired. They assert that there are many issues associated with these population as they are often not incorporated as "full social citizens" of Williamsburg. I would be interested to see if there have been any shifts in the demographics feeding into schools, and to examine the role All Together might play in navigating issues presented by increasing internationalism in Williamsburg, particularly in terms of ESL education for both children and adults.
In looking into some of the recent Education news in the Williamsburg area, I saw that there has been increasing concern about rising drop out rates. Also due to drastic cuts in state budgets, there is rampant concern that the cuts in school budgets could require laying off teachers, eliminating enrichment and extracurricular programs, and possibly cutting summer school. The cuts seem to already be affecting alternative education programs for at risk kids. I hope to further examine how All Together is responding to these issues, and their influence in community negotiation of changes in education.
Overall, I think the project will be an interesting one, especially given the contentious and pressing nature of many these issues. Aside from interviews with All Together members, as I uncover some of the issues, I think gathering local teachers and students' perspectives on All Together's involvement in education could also be helpful. I would also like to obtain some demographic data about the school systems to better ground an examination of diversity in the school system and its role in shaping the debates on current programming and budgetary issues in education.
For my final project, I am interested in researching music in Williamsburg, looking both at the modern "scene" (or lack of scene) and historicizing what the "scene" has looked like in the past and how things have changed. In terms of my potential resources for this project, I have started off so far looking at past Williamsburg Documentary Projects to see what questions and conclusions have been raised about music in Williamsburg, and that has been a good jumping off point. One project, focusing on the late 60s and early 70s, gave me a good idea of what the "scene" looked like at that time and potential factors to the decline, and I would like to continue that research and examine the music and performances that went on from the end of the 70's to modern day.
To get a more in-depth timeline and framework, I want to look at archives in The Flat Hat, The Virginia Gazette, and possibly Colonial Echo (William & Mary yearbook). I would also like to meet with students who work for the student organization, AMP, on the Music Productions Committee, since they are responsible for bringing in local and national musical acts to the college community. I certainly want to visit local music venues to see what sort of performances are going on in town, who attends such events, and try to talk to some owners and performers that I may be able to interview later on this semester. I would also like to see if any local musicians (past or present) who reside in Williamsburg would be willing to do an interview with me, in addition to contacting musicians who have gone elsewhere.
This brings me to one particular point of interest, which is why people have left Williamsburg and the (possibly once vibrant) music scene, which could provide insight into what may be lacking in Williamsburg- whether it be venues, music stores, or fragmentation of taste, and so on- and I could provide a unique perspective from those who did not stay. In Kevin Leslie's past WDP on music, he spoke of a national and local spirit that contributes to the decline of the music scene; "not only is there no longer unanimity of taste, but people have become more and more confined within their own worlds". The community aspect of music, including going out and hearing other artists, "drinking beer and talking about music", as Mr. Hornsby said in an interview, has been a major piece missing from the scene today. I hope to uncover some reasons as to why this communal aspect is missing and whether or not that can ever be recovered in our individualized society today.
Why is there an abundance of old people in Williamsburg, mixed with a thriving population of young collegians just starting their lives? How has this mixture evolved over time, and what effect does it have on this place, as a whole?
I. Why is Williamsburg considered a retirement community, and is it still one?
II. Why would people want to settle in Williamsburg for the rest of their lives?
III. How does this town market itself to people, both young and old? How do individual groups (like Chambrel, Williamsburg Landing, New Town, High Street) market their communities to older/younger individuals?
IV. What effect, if any, does The College have on marketing the town to younger individuals?
In the field, I'd like to talk to marketing directors at these communities and possibly discover what techniques they've used to market Williamsburg as a retirement and senior living community. I'd also like to communicate with city officials in the Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce, and ask if, and how they attempt to market this community to older individuals as well. I know a good deal of people who work with the court system here, and who are natives of the area, so hopefully they can point me in the right direction of who to talk to. A little bit of informal research in the Swem online databases would suggest that towns want retirees because these individuals end up spending more money in their communities than what the local government would have to pay to provide resources to them. This way, there's more money coming in, and less going out; taxes are low, and everyone benefits. Perhaps there's an economic incentive? In 2006, over 15 percent of the population in Williamsburg was over sixty. Older individuals have moved here for the 'heightened sense of community (Kalwarski).' While this does not necessarily give me detailed information on how a community markets itself to retirees, it helps to answer the 'why' question.
It would seem as though New Town caters to younger individuals; it's a pseudo-city in a way. Additionally, High Street promotes itself to younger families on its website as a developing, 'vibrant community,' and a place to call home. I feel like these communities are growing, changing, and finding new ways to market to younger individuals. Additionally, a handful of restaurants frequented by a younger generation have been opened in the past couple of years- Five Guys, BDubs, Firehouse Subs, Plaza Azteca, to name a few. A Chipotle is even being built!
Just by looking at these new communities' websites, I can infer that they intend to be urban, youthful developments. So are they taking over? Or just coming into existence with the older retirement communities?
I hope to explore both of these dynamics. I want to see the effects they have on each other, but also look at differences. Also, why does Williamsburg seem as thought it constantly needs to market itself to a group of people? There's a dynamic of bringing people in; does this make it different than any other city in Virginia?
One of my hesitations is that I'm looking at two different groups, which could get very complicated. I'm also seeking to answer a series of questions, and while they may all interrelate, I'm afraid of getting my research and not knowing how to connect it. I know it's essential that I look at both groups of people because I'm exploring the dynamic of change. I just hope I can maybe focus my project more, and I believe that will come about when I start to do research.
Kalwarski, Tara. 'Where to Retire.' Money. 2006.
I have always been very interested in military history, and as a Virginian, the Civil War has always held a strong appeal to me. With these interests, the Battle of Williamsburg obviously presents a very interesting topic for me. Much has been written on the battle itself, so, while I will do some research on the actual fighting in order to provide background information, the focus of my research will be on how the battle is remembered (or not) and what role that plays in the construction of local history.
The Battle of Williamsburg was a critical piece of the early Peninsula campaign in which a force of Confederates led by General James Longstreet held off the advance of General George McClellan's forces long enough to allow the Confederates to solidify the defenses of Richmond. While this was not a major battle, the defense of Fort Magruder was critical in the eventual defeat of McClellan's forces in Richmond.
However, this battle has been largely forgotten in the widely accepted history of Williamsburg. With the construction of Colonial Williamsburg, much of the history of the City since the Colonial Era was largely ignored or, at the very least, placed secondary to the colonial story portrayed by the re-enactors. For example, in 1908 the Daughters of the Confederacy erected a Confederate monument on the Palace Green. However, once the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation began reconstructing 18th Century Williamsburg this monument became an anachronism in the newly created environment. As such, after long debate, the monument was moved in 1932 to the new Courthouse a few blocks away, a much less prominent location.
In particular, I plan to look at how the Battle of Williamsburg is remembered in Williamsburg today, both by the few physical remnants and any reenactments done in the area. In addition to the specific memory of the Civil War, I plan to use this topic to explore the larger impact of Colonial Williamsburg on the collective memory of Williamsburg between the Colonial and Modern Eras, or lack thereof. Another major focus of this project will be the impact of the physical landscape on collective memory. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has done some activities discussing the Battle of Williamsburg, but clearly does not represent that period in the physical landscape. To study this impact, my research may expand some beyond Williamsburg to look at how other Civil War sites are preserved, but the focus of my project will be the memory of the Battle of Williamsburg.
I would like to focus my research topic on Colonial Williamsburg somehow. The process of interpretation is one option; how do you decide what the "right" method of interpreting is. Is it consistent in Colonial Williamsburg, do all interpreters stay in character or do they talk to visitors as if they live in the 21st century? I recently visited the Coffee House in CW and the Governor's Palace on the same day and the tours differed in the way information was given by the interpreters. At the Coffee House they all stayed in character and only mentioned the 18th century. At the Governor's Palace they acted as tour guides from the 21st century and did not hesitate to mention the present; because of this I learned more about the process of how the Palace was rebuilt as well as its history in Colonial times.
Should interpreters bring up more recent developments, such as the archaeology of the site, or is the main goal to stay in character and inform visitors strictly about the past? How are some interpreters better or worse; is it the more accurate information they give or the more entertaining and captivating they are? Do different buildings in Colonial Williamsburg have different approaches to interpretation and educating the public, if not how strict are the guidelines for interpreters?
I have visited many historic houses in the area on trips for a class, so I've seen many different approaches that docents take when giving tours and educating the public. Some of the information is wrong, or other times it is factual, but misleading to the public. Some have been in costume, while others wear modern clothes; I wonder if this has any impact on the way the public perceives them or if it changes the way they give out information.
When I brought up the idea of studying the Colonial Williamsburg corps in a meeting with Professor Knight and Sarah, they suggested that I might instead focus on the American Eagle Fife and Drum Corps. I do not know much at all about the corps and have not been able to find any mention of it on the internet, but from what I understand it was an all-female junior corps (traditionally a corps consisting of members 18 and younger) in the Williamsburg area that existed in the seventies, and perhaps during earlier and/or later decades. However, I did come across what is reported to be the only remaining female senior fife and drum corps in the country, the Totoket Ancient Fife & Drum Corps of Connecticut. I find it interesting that such a corps existed locally, and that an all-female corps still exists to this day.
Since I have to find a website or any information on the American Eagle corps online, it seems like a perfect organization to document. However, I am a little worried about some of the issues that such work could bring to the surface. As far as I know, the corps was formed as a female counterpart to the all-male Colonial Williamsburg corps, which began admitting girls in 1999. I still think that the all-female corps is worth documenting, and so I plan to just let my informants speak for themselves and discuss controversial issues whenever they see fit. I may also be able to use past issues of the Virginia Gazette to collect more information on the corps. I am hoping to use the fife and drum corps 50th anniversary book and video produced by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation for its corps as a model for my work to answer questions such as: What is the history of the American Eagle corps? How did the girls in the corps view their role in the greater fife and drum culture?
In Edwards' cursory analysis of the dynamic between Williamsburg's economic and social contexts, he appropriately emphasized the importance of several grand, historic institutions (Colonial Williamsburg, William and Mary) to shape our cultural landscape. However, I felt that he, like most of Williamsburg's residents, had a quite myopic view of which economic entities this town actually relies on. This is why, for my research project I would like to highlight a hidden transcript of an essential labor force that provides what seems to be one of the cornerstones for the economic vitality of this colonial city. Rather than the primary, public performances of labor and capital in this city, I want to study the history of a labor force, which supports the infrastructure of the tourist/hospitality industry in Williamsburg: seasonal guestworkers.
This temporary, transient population, just from what limited personal interaction I have had with them, seems to arrive from countries around the world as disparate as Poland, Brazil, and Thailand. They stay for only a few months in varied contexts—some stay in hotels while others have houses, some perform their ethnic/racial identity quite publically at Busch Gardens while others are encouraged to hide it. And there has definitely been a dialogue between the town and this population, resulting in bars such as Alizé, which has European and Caribbean themed nights. This leads to many questions as an impetus for research. When did this phenomenon start? Who encouraged it? What economic entity brings these workers here and what sort of structure is provided for their stay? What are the cultural representations/reactions of the hegemon to these guestworkers? The legal reactions? What is the background of the young adults who choose to spend a portion of their lives here? And, most importantly, how do these workers feel about their time here and the unique cultural "place" they have been dropped into?
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As for sources for research, I feel like most of the information I would be collecting would have to be primary. I think oral interviews could be a great jumping off point, as I could ask people about their responses to Williamsburg and what brought them here, which would necessarily lead to more information about the larger forces governing this practice. I also think archival newspaper research, such as the archives of the Virginia Gazette, would yield valuable timeline information about when this invisible institution was established, who was pushing for it, and how it expanded. Also, following the advice of Professor Knight, I would like to talk with Cindy Hahamovitch about the history of guestworkers more generally and academic responses to their situations, specifically regarding eastern Europeans. Luckily I also know the head bartender at Alizé, which should be a big help getting interviews lined up.
I am very interested in extending the topic of last year, food in Williamsburg. I am fascinated by the new southern food empire that characters like Paula Dean and other celebrity chefs have created. Some questions come to mind when I think of the explosion of popularity things like Foodnetwok television have generated. What is it about food that brings people together? Does food have it's own culture? Does sharing in the same types of food create commonalities between people? Can food represent time periods? All of these questions are just the beginnings, and perhaps more will come once research and interviews begin to answer them.
Particularly I am going to focus on the idea of food as a time piece and culture benchmark. Specifically I will use the Taverns to focus on Williamsburg's use of food as a major distinction and tool to reveal past colonial histories. There has already been a project on the Taverns, so I will be picking up where they left off essentially. I am interested to know how the choices are made on the menus, the reactions of tourists to the food and the experience there. I plan to also conduct interviews with the staff and management of each tavern to compare and contrast them, and also to get their point of view on the types of people that come in, and maybe even about their training and personas they are supposed to portray to the public. There has already been some work done on the type of food they serve, just statements of their menu, but I want to find out why these certain foods are chosen and what makes them southern and colonial, and what these types of food might have meant to people in colonial times and what they mean to people in the 21st century. I am still developing ideas and more concrete questions to answer throughout the semester.
The Real Housewives of Williamsburg, Virginia?
While contemplating the idea of community in Williamsburg, I immediately found myself thinking about the various "gated communities" in the area. There are three major neighborhoods I can think of that are "gated", Kingsmill, Governor's Land, and Ford's Colony. While discussing my ideas with Professor Knight and Sarah, they pointed out that there are hardly any houses in Williamsburg that aren't associated with neighborhoods. I find this concept interesting, as as I feel it is difficult to build a strong sense of community in an area when people live in strictly defined neighborhoods.
Many of the gated communities in the area have amenities such as golf clubs, restaurants, and sports clubs that residents pay to be members of. I find myself wondering what affect these types of neighborhoods have on the idea of community in Williamsburg. Are "community centers/community activities" such as the YMCA, parks, even popular restaurants weakened by these gated communities?
I plan on researching the rise of gated communities in America, and how Williamsburg fits into these patterns. I plan on visiting the Williamsburg Realty Association to collect information concerning homeowner's associations. I suspect that each neighborhood, especially the gated communities, have their own unique culture. It will be interesting to visit selling offices within the neighborhoods to research the marketing materials used to get people to buy the houses. I am curious to find out if anyone has been gathering this stuff historically. How did the public relations people of Kingsmill get people to move into the neighborhood when it was built in the mid 1970s? I think it will also be interesting to study the price differences between different neighborhoods, and how much each resident must pay for the various amenities within each community.
As a double major in Music and American Studies, I have developed a keen interest in local music scenes and the different cultures they harbor. I first came to understand this idea while attending local shows in my home of Richmond, which is a center for a fairly vast scene incorporating many different genres of music. Having lived in Williamsburg for a few years now I discovered that there is not much of a live music scene and it sparked my interests both as a musician and one who frequents live music performances.
After meeting with Professor Knight and Sarah, where we discussed the different possibilities and explorations I could make on the front of music scenes, I was given some past projects to read. Much to my surprise, I found out from Kevin Leslie's project two years ago that Williamsburg had booming popular music scene back in the 1970s, hosting many national big name acts of the day including The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers and James Taylor. In addition to securing some of the biggest names of the day, Williamsburg also had a vast netword of bars and clubs where live music could be experienced any night in several places. This is in stark contrast with the Williamsburg that I know and am (somewhat) familiar with.
Another student, Jacob Charron, examined the music scene in present-day Williamsburg for his project last year. He chronicled the local music scene through three venues in specific: J.M. Randall's, The Spot and the (still yet-to-be-opened) Green Leafe Underground. Charron discussed the scarcity of live music today in Williamsburg and how the few occurrences of it often go unnoticed with little or no advertising and publicity. As a musician and student of music, this frustrates me a great deal, especially when most other college towns and urban centers have incredibly diverse and in depth music scenes.
After reading those two reports from the past and reflecting upon my time spent in Williamsburg, several questions were raised. What happened between the 1970s when thriving music scene inhabited Williamsburg and today where there is not much of anything? How did these venues and institutions come to fall effectively dissolving much of the music scene in Williamsburg? For my project this semester, I intend on filling in the gaps between these two times in Williamsburg history. I plan on picking up where Leslie left off with the early 1980s and extending my research until the late 1990s or early 2000s, which brings us to up present day. This interests me a great deal, as well as fills in a major gap in the research of this topic that will connect us to a better understanding of the past.


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Leeds United ace chased by Premier League sides and Derby County set for first signing - Championship rumours
Latest transfer rumours from around the Championship
Josh Challies
Tom Canning-READ
Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips (Image: PA)
The end of the summer transfer window is on the horizon but there is still plenty of business to be done by SkyBet Championship clubs.
Reading have seen Liam Kelly depart for Feyenoord this week and Royals boss Jose Gomes is hoping to have three or four new signings by the end of the week .
Royals, who are currently on a pre-season training camp in Spain are also expecting to see Jon Dadi Bodvarsson depart with the striker nearing a switch to Championship rivals Millwall .
Those clubs who suffered relegation - Fulham, Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town are eyeing an immediate return to the Premier League, while other clubs are also eyeing promotion and the battle to avoid relegation is also set to be fierce.
There's plenty more bits of business expected to be completed and announced in the coming weeks as the transfer rumours continue to whiz around.
Barcelona sign West Brom starlet
In one of the more surprising pieces of business this summer, a young striker has switched West Brom for Barcelona, as the Catalan giants have signed 16-year-old Louie Barry.
The teenager, who had been with the club since the age of six, rejected a professional contract at the Hawthorns in order to seal a move to Spain and will play for the U19 side next term.
Race for Leeds ace Phillips heats up
Leeds United's battle to retain the services of Kalvin Phillips is set to be even more fierce, as Wolves and Bournemouth have joined Aston Villa in the hunt for the 23-year-old midfielder.
The Mirror states Villa have offered £11m for Leeds' rising star but both Wolves and Bournemouth could make their own moves, which could spark a bidding war in the window's final weeks.
Leeds, having already sold Jack Clarke to Tottenham, are standing firm and want around £30m for their star man.
Liverpool hand Leeds blow
Ryan Kent playing for Liverpool in a pre-season friendly (Image: Getty Images Europe)
Leeds United have also been handed a blow in the transfer market as Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has blocked a loan exit for Ryan Kent, as reported by Leeds Live .
The 22-year-old excelled on loan with Rangers last season and Steven Gerrard's side were keen to bring him back north of the border, while Marcelo Bielsa was also eyeing his signature.
However, Klopp has rejected all advances as Kent is set to star for the Reds in pre-season with Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah unavailable.
Cocu set to land first Derby signing
Phillip Cocu is closing in on his first signing for the defeated play-off finalists, as he closes in on a move to bring Kieran Dowell to the club on loan from Everton.
Derbyshire Live understand that a deal for the Toffees' talent is imminent, with the 21-year-old set to be available for the pre-season clash against Bristol City on Saturday.
He spent the second half of last season on loan with Sheffield United, helping the Blades seal promotion to the Premier League.
Hull City beat rivals to Everton winger
Another club set to seal a loan signing from Premier League side Everton is Hull City, as TeamTalk reports they have won the race to secure the services of winger Josh Bowler.
Birmingham City, Derby County and Middlesbrough are among those to have taken a look at the 20-year-old but Bowler looks set to move to Hull in order to earn first-team opportunities.
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SCIENCE AND HISTORY
HIFU SCIENCE AND MICRO NEEDLING HISTORY
SKIN REJUVENATION CLINIC – SCIENCE AND HISTORY
The Science & History Behind HIFU
For decades ultrasound has been used as a diagnostic tool to help determine size, shape and consistency of various internal structures. It has also been used for monitoring pregnancies, and with varying success to break kidney stones. However, using ultrasound for cosmetic procedures is a new and fascinating development.
The history of this exciting new development began over 14 years ago after a partnership between both Ulthera and Johnson & Johnson, to develop micro-focus ultrasound for non-invasive treatment for liver cancer. In 2004 Ulthera was established to further develop the technology for the aesthetic space, and after two years of extensive pre-clinical research, Ulthera conducted three clinical studies to evaluate safety and efficacy of the technology. One of the studies, an efficacy studies at North-western University in 2007, demonstrated a clinically significant brow lift and 89% of the patients treated and led to Ulthera's first FDA indication.
They are, without a doubt, the leading innovators of ultrasound technology for medical and aesthetic applications. After several years of pre-clinical evaluation of clinical studies, Ulthera received the first FDA (food and drug administration) clearance for a non-invasive lift indication in 2009, and they approved the ultrasound device called the Ulthera Ultrasound system, designed for skin tightening treatment of the face. In 2012, the system received an FDA indication for visualisation of dermal and submental tissue layers.
Most recently, the system received its 4th FDA indication of June 2014 for improvement of lines and wrinkles on the décollete. Since then, they've increased with over 450,000 commercial procedures profound worldwide.
Diagram 1 is of younger skin and ageing skin, showing the decrease in collagen and broken elastin in older skin.
Diagram 2 highlights that HIFU treatments reach the same depths that surgeons operate to.
The History of Skin Micro Needling:
The very first study concerning skin needling was published by Dr Andrea Camirand et al, who in his 1997 article describes his experience with this technique. In an effort to camouflaging and hide facial hypochromic scars in several of his patients, he resorted to tattooing over the scars with the skin coloured pigment. After a couple of years, it was apparent the skin coloured pigment was gone, it had been replaced by actual Melanin, while the scars themselves had dramatically improved in appearance, tone, texture and colour.
Following Dr Camirand's development, Dr Des Fernandes introduced his own needling device, a small needle stamp that he regularly used in his surgical practice to induce and stimulate collagen production. He delivered his first paper on skin needling of the upper lips at the ISAPS Congress in Taipei in 1996.
Development of the micro needling device:
After extensive research and further development of skin micro needling technology, Clinical Resolution Laboratory, a US company from California, created a device called MTS Roller and released the instrument to the general public in 2004.
After comparing the two above mentioned techniques with the MTS roller, it is evident that the MTS roller combines the best features of both, while offering additional advantages. As the MTS roller is passed over the skin, it creates hundreds of temporary holes in the epidermis (the top layer of the skin), as well as hundreds of minuscule wounds on the dermis. This starts up and an aseptic inflammation process, which then will result in collagen production. The number of punctures caused by the MTS roller is dozens of times greater than the number of punctures created by tattoo gun or any previously used method.
Over the last two decades this process has brought about numerous research papers by the world's leading universities medical departments. Studies conducted at University of Naples, Asian Journal of Aesthetic Medicine and Phillips-University at Marburg (the world's oldest university), they all confirmed the amazing results that have been achieved with CIT.


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World Goes Round
Artist Spotlight | '80s Group World Goes Round Arrive in 2021
Julia Kuhnert Jan 25, 2021 0
Back in 1989, in Los Angeles, World Goes Round created their sensational debut album, There Is No Planet B—which is only now being released and shared with the world. Being hot songwriters, singers, and musicians, the band members were…
Artist Spotlight | Back to the '80s with World Goes Round
Olly Davies Dec 21, 2020 0
World Goes Round was the moniker worn by Frank Musker, Elizabeth Lamers, Jeff Hull and Marty Walsh in 1989. The outrageously talented friend group, consisting of songwriters, singers and musicians from the late '80s LA music scene, pooled…


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Guides >
Affordable Future Classics from the 80s and 90s – Number 7: Mazda FD RX7
Mazda's RX series cars have been famous since their introduction to western markets in the early 1970's, featuring unique rotary engine technology, and remarkable performance. Many of Mazda's RX cars have already become classics, and demand prices beyond consideration in this article. There is however one car, perhaps the most recognisable of all, which we believe has not yet realised its full potential. This car is the Mazda FD RX-7, the third generation of RX7 which holds 7th place on our top 10 list.
The FD RX7 was launched in 1991, replacing the outgoing FC model, and from a design perspective reflected a new direction. The car was extremely curvaceous and aerodynamic, with a low centre of gravity, making it immediately recognisable as a performance car. This generation of RX7 is undoubtedly the most famous in the world, despite having substantially lower production numbers than previous RX7 generations. The FD RX7 was produced until 2002, and continued the racing success achieved by previous generation RX7's.
The FD RX7 in all forms is well worthy of classic car enthusiast consideration, however, we note for the purposes of this article that a few special editions have started to come under the $20,000 AUD mark, and are highly worthy of consideration as investment opportunities. As noted in our introduction article, this is one car where production does extend a year of two out of the 90s, but due to its manufacture and achievements within the 90's, this car was a must on our list.
Reasons for selection in top 10:
The FD RX7 has been included in our top 10 due to its significant achievements across a variety of elements which suggest it should become a future classic. The car has a great motorsport history, is world renowned for its performance and handling and is one of the best styled Japanese sports cars of the modern era. The RX7's selection as a future classic is also supported by its pop culture reputation established with younger generations through film and video games. These factors are all outlined below.
1. Motorsport history:
Since the introduction of the RX7 in the early 1970s, Mazda has had substantial success on the race track. This success continued with the FD RX7, and the cars reputation as a serious race competitor is well established. The FD RX7 most famously won the Bathurst 12hr trophy four straight years in a row (from 1992 – 1995) in NSW, Australia. It dominated formidable competition such as the Lotus Esprit, Toyota Supra, BMW M5, Porsche 968/911, Skyline GTR, Honda NSX, among many other reputable racing brands. The winning car also gained a podium finish at the international tarmac rally Targa Tasmania in 1995. As a result of this success at Bathurst, the special edition "Bathurst R" was released at several points in the cars manufacturing life, and is one particular version which we believe is the best pick.
The RX7 also achieved wins in the GT2 racing championship in 1998, amongst many other private race and rally events around the world. The RX7's success continued after its manufacture ended, winning the drifting D1 grand prix title in 2003, and coming in as a close runner up in 2005.
The success of the FD RX7 in such a competitive era demonstrates the quality and performance of the car. Its motorsport success is one of the main factors contributing to its future collector status.
2. Performance and handling:
When the FD RX7 was launched, reviewers immediately reported that its performance and handling was world class, in particular noting how well balanced the car was. Mazda had used the front mid-ship engine and drivetrain layout, with 50/50 weight distribution, combined with a very low centre of gravity. This allowed the RX7 to make use of all the power available from its rotary engine, whilst remaining comfortable at its limits. The cars design gave it substantial advantages over its rivals, with success reflected on the race track despite being up against other cars with far more power.
Today, many still report the FD RX7 as the best handling car they have driven, and this reputation is well entrenched within enthusiast groups. Also making the car desirable is the power available from its unique engine. The engine itself, being a rotary, is not only a point of difference for enthusiasts but also provides substantial power and has kept the car competitive in modern performance terms. By the time the last RX7 left the factory in 2002, it was available with 206kw, in a car that weighed around 1300kg. This power to weight ration will continue to make the car desirable well into the future.
3. Styling, pop culture and awards:
Although a subjective topic, most agree that the FD RX7 is an amazing looking car for its 1991 release date. It's one of the most curvaceous sports cars available, and reminiscent of the famous Dodge Viper. Unfortunately, the RX7 never actually received any formal styling awards, perhaps due to the styling being a bit too advanced for the time. Nonetheless, its design is seen as one of its best elements, and like classics such as the E-Type Jag, should help the RX7 continue to generate interest from collectors in the future.
Despite the lack of formal awards in the styling department, the RX7 received many other automotive industry awards upon its release, including Motor Trends Import Car of the Year, Playboy Magazine Car of the Year 1993, Car and Driver's Ten Best list for 1993 through to 1995, and won the Automotive Researchers' and Journalists' Conference Car of the Year award in Japan. Further, Road and Track Magazine stated "The ace in Mazda's sleeve is the RX-7, a car once touted as the purest, most exhilarating sports car in the world". From its initial launch, it has clearly been a well acclaimed vehicle.
Assisted by the RX7's styling is its heavy pop culture presence during the 1990s and early 2000s. The RX7 is particularly familiar with younger generations who grew up with video games such as Gran Tourismo and Need for Speed. The car was further immortalised in films such as the Fast and Furious series, and the Initial D Japanese TV series. As a result of this familiarity, particularly with younger people, the Mazda's future as a collectible appears to be well secured.
4. Availability in Special Edition Form:
The availability of a sports car in limited edition form always helps its desirable to collectors in future. Thankfully, in the case of the RX7, Mazda managed to squeeze out 9 special edition versions over the FD RX7's lifespan. Not all of these special editions are affordable however, and a few are so rare that they have suffered little depreciation at all since their initial sale. For example, the RX7 SP of Australia can demand prices over $50,000AUD, with the Spirit R version demanding outrageous prices in Japan. The best pick from our research suggests that the special edition to go with is the Bathurst R edition from 2001 / 2002, which are only now starting to creep under the $20,000 mark. In 2001/2002 there were only 500 Bathurst R cars built, which is sure to attract the attention of enthusiasts. The alternative is to look at earlier model Bathurst editions, which were also produced in very limited numbers. Although you will always be able to get the standard type R, RB and RS at a good price, if you can get a special edition, even with a slightly higher mileage, it will be worth it in the longer term.
Why position 7 in the top 10?
Although the FD RX7 has achieved much in a variety of areas from styling to motorsport success, it lies amongst severe competition, particularly from its Japanese contemporaries. Cars like the Impreza WRX, Skyline GTR and Mitsubishi Evo have achieved even greater success than the RX7 in some areas, and often reflect a better buy in today's market in terms of price. Linking from this, the RX7's success on the track, although impressive, is largely confined to Australia and Japan, and we believe this is an element which will be looked upon less favourably when compared to other successful vehicles in the top 10.
High production numbers of the RX7 are also a factor to consider. Although there are many special edition low production versions to choose from, you will be forced to pay a heavier price for those, and there are only a few on the market, such as the Bathurst R edition which occasonally represent good value. There were a total of around 60,000 FD RX7's produced, meaning that overall they were far less common than the previous generation RX7. 60,000 is however not a small number, and as we have mentioned with other cars in this article series, this could continue to place downward pressure on prices for some time, along with the fact that some of the cars from the early 2000's simply are not old enough to appreciate in value.
Verdict / Conclusion:
The RX7 sits among severe competition in our top 10 list, and it's one of those cars which may need a bit more time in order for any value gains to be realised, or for values to at least bottom out. The fact that it had lower production numbers than earlier generation RX7's should mean this version performs better than those previous models, and this is particularly the case for the special edition versions.
The FD is clearly the most famous RX7, and its relevance to pop culture in recent history, along with its styling, performance and motorsport success, will see this car well appreciated into the future. If you are considering the RX7 as a future classic for your garage, we would, however, encourage you to have a look at the other Japanese competitors which we have ranked higher on our list, which may actually be available at a better price. However, none of them quite beat the styling of the Mazda.
I hope this article has been of interest to you, and I encourage you to have a look at our top 10 list article, or our other articles on individual vehicles in our top 10 list. The next article to be released is on our number 6 car, the Audi UR Quattro. Keep an eye on our other information on the website, including upcoming articles and new website features by liking our Facebook page.
The Classic Register team.
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Nissan Pulsar GTiR Register
I have a 2001 Bathurst R FD RX7. Love the car, and never want to sell it, also believing it will be a future classic. A very interesting article, thanks for posting and looking forward to the rest of the top 10 future classic articles in this series, especially all the Jap cars in the top 5!
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Yaakov Geringas` Shifting – Thirty Studies For Young Violinists is a fantastic book to help young violinists to develop and secure technique in shifting.
Shifting is one of the most remarkable features of violin playing. It makes the sound smoother, giving you a variety of tone colours, and helps you to overcome problems in string crossing. Shifting is an important technique to master for smooth playing, and this book is designed for violinists to develop and secure this technique from an early age.
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← Any point in today's IT report by Public Administration Committee?
As Agile as a John Deere tractor →
DWP defends £316m HP contract
Posted on January 27, 2012 | 1 Comment
The Department for Work and Pensions could lead the public sector in technical innovations. It has had some success in cutting its IT-related costs. It has also had some success so far with Universal Credit, which is based on agile principles.
It has further launched an imaginative welfare-to-work scheme , the so-called Work Programme, which seeks to get benefit claimants into jobs they keep.
Despite media criticism of the way the scheme has been set up – especially in the FT – a report by the NAO this week made it clear that the DWP has, for the most part, taken on risks that officials understand.
Some central government departments have updated business cases as they went through a major business-change programme and not submitted the final case until years into the scheme, as in parts of the NPfIT.
But the DWP has implemented the Work Programme unusually quickly, in a little more than a year, by taking sensible risks. The NAO report on the scheme said the business case and essential justification for the Work Programme were drawn up after key decisions had already been made. But the NAO also picked out some innovations:
– some of the Work Programme is being done manually rather than rush the IT
– suppliers get paid by results, when they secure jobs that would not have occurred without their intervention. And suppliers get more money if the former claimant stays in the job.
– the scheme is cost-justified in part on the wider non-DWP societal benefits of getting the long-term unemployed into jobs such as reduced crime and improved health.
So the DWP is not frightened of innovation. But while Universal Credit and welfare-to-work scheme are centre stage, the DWP is, behind the safety curtain, awarding big old-style contracts to the same suppliers that have monopolised government IT for decades.
Rather than lead by example and change internal ways of working – and thus take Bunyan's steep and cragged paths – the DWP is taking the easy road.
It is making sure that HP, Accenture, IBM and CapGemini are safe in its hands. Indeed the DWP this week announced a £316m desktop deal with HP. EDS, which HP acquired in 2008, has been a main DWP supplier for decades.
DWP responds to questions on £316m HP deal
I put it to the DWP that the £316m HP deal was olde worlde, a big contract from a former era. These were its responses. Thank you to DWP press officer Sandra Roach who obtained the following responses from officials. A DWP spokesperson said:
"This new contract will deliver considerable financial savings and a range of modern technologies to support DWP's strategic objectives and major initiatives such as Universal Credit.
"The DWP has nearly 100,000 staff, processing benefits and pensions, delivering services to 22 million people.
"DWP is on schedule to make savings of over £100m in this financial year for it's Baseline IT operational costs, including the main IT contracts with BT and HPES [Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services].
"All contracts have benchmarking clauses to ensure best value for money in the marketplace.
"The five year contract was awarded through the Government Procurement framework and has been scrutinised to ensure value for money."
My questions and the DWP's answers:
Why has the DWP awarded HP a £316m contract when the coalition has a presumption against awarding contracts larger than £100m?
DWP spokesperson: "The Government IT Strategy says (page 10) 'Where possible the Government will move away from large and expensive ICT projects, with a presumption that no project will be greater than £100m. Moving to smaller and more manageable projects will improve project delivery timelines and reduce the risk of project failure'.
"HM Treasury, Cabinet Office and DWP's commercial and finance teams have scrutinised the DWP Desktop Service contract to ensure that it represents the most economically advantageous proposition."
What is the role, if any for SMEs ?
DWP: "There are a number of SMEs whose products or services will form part of or contribute to the DWP Desktop Service being delivered by HP, for example ActivIdentity, Anixter, AppSense, Azlan, Click Stream, Cortado, Juniper Networks, Quest Software, Repliweb Inc, Scientific Computers Limited (SCL), Westcon etc."
Why is there no mention of G-Cloud?
DWP: "Both the new contract and the new technical solution are constructed in such a way as to support full or partial moves to cloud services at DWP's discretion."
For the bulk of its IT the DWP is trapped by a legacy of complexity. It is arguably too welcoming of the safety and emollients offered by its big suppliers.
The department is not frightened by risk – hence the innovative Work Programme which the NAO is to be commended on for monitoring at an early stage of the scheme. So if the DWP is willing to take on sensible risks, why does it continue to bathe its major IT suppliers in soothingly-large payments, a tradition that dates back decades? What about G-Cloud?
DWP reappoints HP on £316m desktop deal
DWP signs fifth large deal with HP
"DWP awards Accenture seven year application services deal"
"DWP awards IT deals to IBM and Capgemini"
This entry was posted in Agile, Campaign4Change, capacity building, change, change management, Cloud, Cloud Computing, G-Cloud, Government IT, IT projects, managing change, managing outsourced services, outsourcing, private sector lessons for the public sector, procurement, project management, public sector, public services, Real-Time Information, reducing cost strategically, reforms, supplier relationships, Universal Credit and tagged Cloud, Cloud Computing, government IT, innovation, innovation within government, procurement, public sector. Bookmark the permalink.
One response to "DWP defends £316m HP contract"
Sean | February 27, 2012 at 09:41 | Reply
It seems like a very good scheme, and although it had some risks, especially at the beginning, DWP never had any problems running it and all seems to fine, at least until now.
@guyverhofstadt @Europarl_EN Just in case you weren't aware how most of us Remainers here feel....😟 twitter.com/melbournecarri… 1 hour ago
RT @pearlylondon: Reading that Harry & Meghan are giving up their use of HRH seems fair. When I split from my husband we both agreed we sh… 2 hours ago


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Ruben Chamorro
Instagram Star Alexis Ren Opens Up About the Eating Disorder She Hid for Years
"I have nothing to hide at this point in my life ... I just felt so out of control."
By Elizabeth Narins
From the looks of her Instagram feed, it might seem like Alexis Ren, a 20-year-old model with more than 9 million followers, has an idyllic life. After all, the Los Angeles native is generally seen posing on beautiful beaches or under waterfalls.
But now, Alexis admits she's been less than forthright with her fans. "I would look at my profile and be like, 'Look at this girl! She has, like, the most perfect life!' and I would feel so guilty for not feeling blessed all the time."
A post shared by Alexis Ren (@alexisren)
In April, Alexis began tweeting vaguely about her health issues, confessing that those happy photos actually masked the truth — posting, in part, that she was in a "toxic state of mind," suffered from food guilt, and would overexercise as a way to punish herself. Recently, she opened up more about how she coped with the death of her mother and — for the first time — shared details about her struggle with disordered eating.
"I kind of was just like, 'I'm just going to be upfront with everyone,'" she says. "I have nothing to hide."
As a model, Alexis earns a living showing off her figure. But research shows that photos on social media — which many young women turn to for inspiration — can have a negative impact on how people view their own appearances. "Looking up to girls for inspo is a beautiful thing, but comparing yourself is what creates the anxiety and self-hatred," she says to the young women who count themselves as fans. "It's really important that young girls know the difference."
Worrying About Weight
Alexis was 17 when she lost her mother to breast cancer on Mother's Day three years ago.
Alexis, who has two sisters and a younger brother, was homeschooled and extremely close to her mom. She didn't always enjoy the same relationship with her father, a lawyer whom Alexis says worked a ton while she was growing up. "We're looking at each other like, 'Oh fuck, now we should probably be [closer],'" she says of the period after her mother passed away.
When Alexis turned 18, she went to Australia to model for several months, which she says helped her mourn. "You can take a parent's death one way or another. You could be like, 'Oh my god, fuck. I just want to get rid of this pain,' and party or whatever," she says. "But I took it as, 'OK, now I'm living for me and my mom. Now I have to live my life to the absolute most.'"
Over time, and without even noticing, Alexis gained some weight while abroad — a change she says her modeling agency pointed out when she returned to Los Angeles.
"They were like, 'You did gain weight and if you could start working out a little bit more…'" she says, trailing off. "I just felt so out of control."
"I knew I was letting my mom down by doing everything that she wouldn't have wanted me to do."
Alexis had never been chastised for her weight so the criticism shook her. She began working out more frequently — and dieting, something she'd never done. "I felt bad because I knew I was letting my mom down by doing everything that she wouldn't have wanted me to do," she says. (Her mother had been a health nutritionist.)
Seeking Control
Alexis met Jay Alvarrez around the same time her eating issues developed. (They discovered each other on Tumblr and Jay asked out Alexis via Instagram.) Their relationship got serious quickly: "I tried to replace [my mom] with another person, which obviously doesn't work out, especially when you're young and you put your faith into a person who has different intentions," she says.
Jay, a model and music producer who was well known by the time they met, managed the duo during their two-year relationship, booking modeling jobs for both of them in exotic locations like Greece, Spain, and Hawaii. When the couple began filming YouTube lifestyle videos, like a highlight reel of their summer, which received more than 22 million views, the project forced Alexis to be on camera constantly and face her appearance. "I was my worst critic ever," she says. "The only sense of relief I had was to be able to monitor my eating and my workouts."
The unpredictable travel schedule made it difficult for Alexis to find the foods she wanted to eat and maintain control over her increasingly strict diet. Restrictive eating also left her feeling bloated when she did put food in her system. "It was a vicious cycle where when I did eat, I just felt worse, so I didn't want to eat, and ate less and less and less," she says. "I was scared of food."
Alexis also upped her exercise regimen to compensate for any food she did eat. "Everyone around me was like, "Alexis, what are you doing?'" she says. "But I felt like my body was the only reason why people liked me."
"I felt like my body was the only reason why people liked me."
Her body didn't respond well: Every time she went back home to Los Angeles for a few days, she'd experience flu-like symptoms, such as exhaustion and fever. "I would catch things really easily because my immune system was so shocked from traveling, overworking myself, and not eating as much as I should have," she says.
She traveled with Jay for up to 11 months a year, although she doesn't blame him for her eating issues. "At that age, he didn't know how to handle what I was going through," she says. "I needed a mother, not a boyfriend." (Jay did not respond to a request for comment.)
After about two years of dating, the pair broke up in the summer of 2016. She later tweeted about the size of his penis, which led to accusations that she was body-shaming him. (Her tweet has since been deleted.)
Body Shaming is never cool in any gender or situation.. Making someone feel bad about how they naturally are is only showing your weakness
— Jay Alvarrez (@jayalvarrez) February 23, 2017
"I was just letting him know how it felt," she said, adding that many people hated what she did. "I'm over it," she says. "I'm happy."
It was only once she was single again that Alexis began to listen to her friends' and family's concerns. "I just got to the point where I was like, 'OK, I've got to change because this is not working,'" she says, adding that the burden of knowing how many fans idolize her figured into her decision to begin practicing healthy habits worth looking up to.
For about eight months, she took a break from traveling altogether and posted up at home in Los Angeles. Her godmother, Joni Lerner, a life coach who'd been close with Alexis's mother, introduced her to Maggie Tanielian, a certified personal trainer and health nutritional coach.
Maggie took Alexis grocery shopping, taught her coping strategies like packing food when she's out and about, and coached her through food guilt. "I was texting her every day to tell her what I was eating or that I ate something that made me feel so guilty. She'd help me get back to a healthy mind-set," says Alexis. "Everything started to fall into place when I started to stop worrying, when I wasn't being so anal about it."
Now Alexis works out about every other day, taking a yoga or Pilates class, or doing exercises with her trainer. "It's not obsessive, it's just something I do now," she says. She enjoys a well-rounded diet that includes carbs, lean proteins, and veggies.
Alexis has put on several pounds during her recovery — a change she's had to get used to. "It scared me at first but I had the right people around me," she says, adding that she's learned to embrace her weight gain.
Although Alexis recently tweeted that she's the healthiest she's ever been, she still copes with occasional food guilt. "It's always kind of there, like with my mom's death. Like, I'll be fine, and then suddenly it will just hit me every once in a while," she says, adding that she no longer acts on it.
Alexis is used to people commenting on everything she does — or at least everything she shares. But she tries not to care what people think, even when they suggest she's lost weight or looks too skinny. Instead, she's learned to focus on the core people in her life — who she refers to as her "Post-it People," since she has literally listed their names on a Post-it.
One person who's no longer on her Post-it is Jay. They are no longer in touch and Alexis doesn't particularly want to discuss him. "The past was in the past," she says. "I was putting him before myself, which I thought was an act of love, but it's not. It's not healthy to ever put someone first before yourself."
Alexis isn't dating anyone at the moment and she's been busy working on her career. She's been taking daily acting classes, has been cast in an upcoming psychological thriller called Tarot, and is working on photography and fashion design. Her line of fitness gear, Ren, which will be sold online, is due out in June.
In the meantime, her message to fans is this: "It's OK to not be OK," she says. "It's all about how you feel because your body will react to how you feel. Chemically, if you are not happy, your body will not look or be happy."
If you or someone you know needs help, visit the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) website or contact the NEDA Information and Referral Helpline at 1-800-931-2237.
Follow Delish on Instagram.
Elizabeth Narins Senior fitness and health editor Elizabeth Narins is a Brooklyn, NY-based writer and a former senior editor at Cosmopolitan.com, where she wrote about fitness, health, and more.
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NeighborsNewsSt. Anthony Park
Twin Cities Aikido Center moving to Hampden Park Co-op building
Twin Cities Aikido Center (TCAC) is moving from its longtime location at 2390 University Ave. to the space above Hampden Park Co-op, 2382 Hampden Ave.
The center will begin operations at the new location in early April.
Founded in 1976 by a group of University of Minnesota graduates, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, opened on University Avenue in what had been a truck showroom. TCAC has grown to be the largest Aikido group in the region, offering at least two adult classes per day, seven days a week, as well as two youth classes per week.
The pending renovation and the proposed sale of the University Avenue building, which the TCAC shared with Gremlin Theatre and armored-car company Loomis, forced the center to search for a new home.
The move will begin in late March and is expected to take three to four days to complete. Prospective students are encouraged to stop in at the University Avenue location to learn about Aikido. You can find out more at the TCAC website, tcaikido.com, or "Like" the group on Facebook.
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Welcome to "Fin de Siecle" a variant of the classic game of "Diplomacy". The aim of this site is to provide a brief overview of the game and, should you be interested, an opportunity to play. You will find all you need to play on this site: rules, maps and contacts. Click here to continue.


The Lady Bears 8A team traveled to Willow Wood Jr High to take on the Lady Wildkats. After a hard fought game, they fell short 23-29. Leading the team offensively was Sydney Holland with 8 points and Taylor Kathman with 5. Shining on defense was Angelina Postel, Ashlyn Wilson, and Tali Frederick. Dominating on rebounds was Laney Lemen and Carley Welch. The Lady Bears will look to bounce back against Montgomery at home next week!


Error: 0x800f081f The source files could not be found. Use the "Source" option to specify the location of the files that are required to restore the feature. For more information on specifying a source location, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=243077.
MDT has been capable of installing Roles and Features in 8.x since MDT 2012 Update 1, and my setup had previously worked.
After much searching around, it turns out there's an issue if some security updates have been installed before the .NET Framework 3.5 is installed. Microsoft have released this update to resolve the issue. It simply uninstalls the security updates, thereby allowing the .NET Framework to install successfully.
I added the hotfix into MDT as an application, and inserted it into the task sequence just prior to the Install Roles and Features step. Problem solved.
If your machines aren't automatically having their display resolution set to their monitor's native resolution after deployment via MDT, this may be the cause of the problem.
Although I'd previously deployed Vista and Windows 7 using MDT 2010, I'd never seen this problem. The issue occurred with a captured HP ProBook x86 Windows 7 Professional build.
I had to edit the unattend.xml for the task sequence in question, and delete the Display section from oobeSystem –> x86_Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup_neutral. Once this was done, the strange default of 1024 x 768 (where did that come from?) was no longer applied, and Windows Setup detected and set the maximum resolution.


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Mexico Riviera Maya Riviera Maya Sur
Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya is a family-friendly hotel that's steps from its own private beach in a quiet area on the east coast of Mexico. It's a short drive from the resort of Puerto Aventuras, while the lively resort of Playa del Carmen is within driving distance. The All Inclusive hotel has four outdoor pools, one of which has a water slide, and there's also a whirlpool to relax in. You can make use of the waiter service both around the pool area and at the sandy sheltered cove. The Caribbean waters are generally calm, and the hotel organises water-based activities including kayaking. The hotel has a zip-line, and there are a variety of other sporting activities for you to enjoy, including beach volleyball, football, basketball, tennis and table tennis. There's a gym where you can work out, and you can also keep fit with a session of aerobics or aqua aerobics. For some downtime, Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya has an adults-only spa. There are three bars and six restaurants to choose from at the hotel. In the evenings, you can enjoy the family-friendly entertainment, and there's 24-hour room service for when you prefer to relax on your balcony.
Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya is 6km from the resort of Puerto Aventuras and 22km from Playa del Carmen. Cancun is 75km away. At Puerto Aventuras, you'll find two marinas from where you can take cruises along the coast, dinner trips and wildlife-spotting expeditions, or head out to the coral reef to snorkel or dive. Land-based activities include golf at the resort's nine-hole course, shopping for tropical fruit at the farmers' market or browsing at the fashion boutiques in the mall. The town has a number of places to eat and a few bars, but if you want lively nightlife, you can head to Playa del Carmen.
Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya has a buffet restaurant that's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner offering international cuisine, with Mexican and Italian theme nights. For dinner, you can choose from five à la carte restaurants, specialising in a variety of cuisines. There's also a café and a pâtisserie.
The hotel has a kids' club with crafts and musical activities, and a teen club. There's also a kids' pool and a playground.
Each room has a balcony, air conditioning, Wi-Fi, TV with satellite channels and a minibar. You'll also have a whirlpool bath and king-size beds.
See less facilities
Distance to city centre 21.8km
Distance to beach 23.6km
Distance to airport 75.7km
Address: +529848751100, Km. 72. Carretera Cancún-Chetumal, Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
Riviera Maya Sur, Riviera Maya, Mexico
All Inclusive (7 Nights)
London Gatwick - Cancun
Cancun - London Gatwick


What more do you need other than getting a chance to polish your skills? Indulge in Linux World for a well-established base when it comes to professional IT. This organization will let you go to another level of academic horizon. The spelling of success will be registered in your dictionary for a long time. This will also make you achieve the best of what the field has to offer in Industrial Training for B. Tech. The knowledge that you gain can be applied in various modern computing industries and will let you explore the horizon. This training ends in a very short span of time, which will leave you with the rest of the time to enjoy your annual vacations.
The theoretical knowledge that you have gained in the past should be brushed up and updated. Without that there will be no chance for survival in the industry. This organization makes sure that you have the best of it.
A professional approach becomes necessary as it gives a chance for you to interact with all the basic possibilities that are necessary for one's sustainability.
The organization provides all the practical knowledge that one need to know when undergoing a training program.
What's more in the bag is that this offers a window for the students to interact with the real world. This will help them in hav9ing a better understanding of what the industry is like from within.
An in-depth knowledge is laid on current business rate and booming technology. This leaves the students to think and rethink on becoming a better technocrat in the future.
The institution plays a pivotal role in providing this. With organizations like Red Hat and Cisco, they have made it possible to tame the industry to their pace.
Make yourself sure of one thing that you have enrolled in an organization that believes in finesse of a subject. The result will be declared by your sustenance in the industry in the long run.
Nice blog, join Br Brains for industrial training in Jaipur.


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Cathy Washburn – EM
As the only member of the cast who also performed her role in the Boulder and Denver productions of the LA Diner, Cathy is delighted to work with a California cast and see how different the show will feel. She is currently in her third year of occasionally performing a one woman show, The Bonfils Girl, about Helen Bonfils, the first woman newspaper publisher and first female producer of Broadway plays, who married for the first time at age 43 to director George Sommes, and for the second time at age 69 to her chauffeur, Mike Davis. She's also secretary of the Colorado Community Theatre Coalition which produces the Colorado Theatre Festival each summer to promote all aspects of community theater.
Seth Wayne – DENNY
Seth originally hails from New York City and has won regional awards for his portrayals of Shelley Levene in "Glengarry Glen Ross" and Charlie in "Death of a Salesman". Other regional credits include "Awake and Sing", "God's Country", "The Porcini Test", "Bleacher Bums", "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf", "Strange Snow", "Brighton Beach Memoirs", "Rumors", "Isn't It Romantic", "Kiss Me Kate", and "Judy's Scary Little Christmas". Film/TV: "Hail Caesar!", "Live by Night", "Comedy Bang! Bang!", "Scandal".
Caroline Dunaway – EVIE
Caroline grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, attending Xavier College Preparatory, where she starred in numerous plays and musicals. After graduating from LMU's School for Film & Television, Caroline studied improv at The Groundlings and Upright Citizens Brigade while acting in numerous independent films, including Jeffrey Grellman's much-anticipated Mermaid Down. She wrote, produced, and starred in the musical A Self-Help Guide To Killing Your Boss, which sold out its Hollywood debut and subsequently ran at the prestigious Los Angeles Theatre Company in downtown LA. It then had its NYC premiere as a staged reading at The Alchemical Theatre in Manhattan in November. She played Sylvia, an unfulfilled housewife, in the premiere of the award-winning play Hold My Spot, which debuted at the 2017 Planet Connections Festival, and Hermia, a ghost-obsessed grave robber, in the new play The Necromantics, which premiered at the Hudson Guild Theatre in July. You can watch Caroline in David Ebert's latest "Apple" sketch, from his Twitter-famous viral production campaign.
Phil Adkins – SAMMY DAVIS JR.
Voted by act magazine as one of the top performers of 2017. Phil Adkins is an African/Native American actor and award winning producer. Phil has produced films that have appeared on iTunes, Queens World Film festival, IFilmmaker international film festival Depth of field international film festival and Independent film showcase. He has worked with actors such as Amin Joseph (Dope The Gambler, The Expendables) Eric Roberts ( Dark Knight, CSI, Cable Guy, Suits, Doa three time golden globe nominee and academy award nominee), Jose Yenque (academy award winner for traffic) Razaaq Adoti (Black Hawk Down Resident Evil) and Stephanie Vogt (Strike Back, Entourage the C word). He has appeared as a special guest on the Gus Summers show and La talk radio with Sam Hasson in the morning. Phil has appeared in the tabloids Flickerin Myth, Movie Marker, and Dread Central. He has also been featured in film industry network biz magazine.
Dina Cataldi – MOLLY
Dina is a uniquely versatile actress with her niche being your not so typical Girl Next Door Action Hero. Dina is extremely proficient in combat for film and stage with training in various weapon styles and hand to hand combat. She received her MFA in Acting from Brooklyn College and has studied everywhere from New York, to London, to Hawaii, and now LA. She continues to train whenever possible and constantly produces her own work. She added Off Broadway to her credits when she produced, and starred in an original piece called Ripper, about the nefarious Jack the Ripper at the Elektra Theatre in Times Square. She is also a self-proclaimed Geek and avid VideoGamer. Her credits include The Adjustment Bureau, The Avengers, the TV Show Forever, and several award-winning shorts and features. Much love to her parents for all the love and support they have shown in every step of the way.
Tuluv Price – SHIELA
Tuluv is an Actress, Director, Choreographer, Producer, Writer, as well as a triple threat in the performing arts. Tuluv pursued advanced studies at the Cal Arts, Howard University and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She received a BFA from the University of the Arts and a Masters degree in Management from The International Graduate University in Washington DC. Tuluv was a member of the female R&B group, 4BIDDEN, that opened for artists, such as Mya, Mary Mary, Destiny's Child. Tuluv was the lead role as "Antoinette Grayson" in the theatrical stage play "THE MAINTENANCE MAN" along side Billy Dee Williams, Darius McCrary, She received her 1st Off Broadway credit in Accept "Except" LGBT at the Castillo Theater on 42nd St, Produced by the New Federal Theater Co. Choreographically, Tuluv was taught under the tutelage of the legendary George Faison and was privileged to perform under his direction in several productions such as "The Wiz" and Aretha Franklins" and VH1 Divas Live at Radio City Music Hall. Shortly After, Tuluv developed her own Contemporary dance company Luv2dants while housed at the Faison Firehouse Theater and was featured in "Dance Now" and The New York Times. Most recently she had founded a non profit called Acting Out where she is currently working full time as a Drama and Dance Dean, developing arts education programming for LAUSD at George Washington Prep in South Central LA.
Anthony Depage – JIMMY
Anthony DePage is delighted to perform as Jimmy in LA Diner. A trained writer and director, Anthony has also pursued instruction for the stage and screen from artists from Los Angeles and New York. Before moving to Los Angeles, Anthony gained extensive theatrical experience during his tenure in undergraduate and graduate programs: from staples such as Sky Masterson to Lt. Frank Cioffi, to original characters. When he's not acting, Anthony writes both theatre and television.
Samuel Neagley – WALTER
Samuel Neagley is an actor and musician represented by The Paradise Group Talent Agency. After graduating from Dickinson College in 2014 with a degree in theatre, Samuel has continued his education at The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) as well as the Howard Fine Acting Studio in Hollywood. He co-composed and starred in the original musical "A Self Help Guide To Killing Your Boss" in 2016, which was recently staged in New York. In addition to original theatrical projects and musical comedy shows, Samuel has appeared in numerous short films, sketch comedies, and comericials. He appreciates you coming to support our production!
Georgina Leahy – MARILYN MONROE
Georgina Leahy is a singing, dancing, fire breathing actress from South East London who has spent her life on stage and screen. From Musicals and Operas to semi finalist in Britain's Got Talent, she just loves to perform. Her on screen work ranges from Sony Pictures, teen drama series 'Sofia's Diary', Treasure King, Real Husbands of Hollywood, to Cannes Film Festival credited 'Winters Secret' and 'PartyGirl' which got worldwide distribution. Georgina toured the UK as backing singer and support act Twinkle Twinkle for 80s legend Adam Ant which was documented by the legendary Jack Bond (Dali in New York) for 'Blueblack Hussar'. Georgina has been in numerous commercials and music videos including Pharrell Williams Happy and Miley Cyrus Mtv Video Music Awards promo. Georgina recently starred in the critically acclaimed immersive theatre show The Tension Experience, created my Saw II, III and IV director Darren Lyn Bousman and had the honor of sharing the screen with Terrence Howard and Kevin Hart. Georgina is currently following her dreams in the City of Angels, recording her debut album, starring in many viral videos with Brandon Rogers and filming her very own Virtual Reality show Single in the City.
PAST SHOW LOCATION:
Beverly Hills Playhouse
254 S. Robertson Blvd.
PAST SHOW DATES:
SAT March 31, 2018 – 7:00 pm PST
SUN April 1, 2018 – 3:00 pm PST
SAT April 7, 2018 – 6:00 pm PST
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