text:
Lessons from Peer Reviewing among Think Tanks
By Andrea Ordoñez
Part 8 of
Peer reviews for think tanks
[Editor's note: This is the last of a series of posts on a peer review mechanism pilot for think tanks. It has been edited by Andrea Ordoñez as part of the Guest Editor initiative launched by On Think Tanks last year. If you are interested in being a Guest Editor please get in touch.]
The peer review pilot was a space to learn about these processes; as with all exploratory tasks, I was left with many questions and also some ideas of things to do in the future. I have no recipes for making a peer review process for think tanks, but I do have some questions that should be answered before establishing the process, whether within a think tank or among various institutions. Also, in the process, other ideas on strengthening think tanks' research capacity have emerged, which are also shared here.
Define the objectives of a peer review system
As has been discussed in a previous post, peer review processes are carried out for a variety of reasons. In this initial pilot we did not have a clear objective for the peer review process. The objective was, indeed, to test a peer review system. But in terms of the objectives of the reviews themselves, these were not clearly stated beforehand. There were conceptions I brought to the design which are worth noting:
I had an underlying interest in capacity development. Being that this pilot was not aimed at sanctioning research papers, the most important goal for me was to make reviews relevant for researchers and think tanks.
For some of the outcomes (especially the policy briefs), I also wanted to include policy influence potential among the aspects to be evaluated.
These, of course, are my own perspectives of a peer review process. But if a peer review process is established, either at a think tank level, or among think tanks, these concepts should be more clearly and broadly debated among those involved. If a think tank wants to include a peer review process, I suggest having some clarity on these key points:
Objective – What is the objective of having a peer review process? Be clear about what a peer review process is, and what it is not. Check out some options here. After that, keep questioning your choice: Will the peer review determine what gets publish or not? Will reviews be considered in researchers' appraisals as a component of their performance? Will reviews be used to determining a capacity building strategy within the organization? A peer review process should be alive and evolve with the organization.
Research Quality – It is also critical to make sure there is some sort of consensus about what will be rated as 'good research quality'. There are many assumptions about what this is in academia, and I think there are even more in the context of think tanks. The Think Tank Initiative's External Evaluation summarizes the assumptions within the program's stakeholders and might be a useful resource for reflecting where you stand on this debate. If anything, start by having this debate among researchers.
Impact – Traditional peer review processes do not consider the dimensions of impact or relevance for policy debates, or the quality of the recommendations. It does not have to be the case that they do assess impact in this manner, but if it is, make it clear from the beginning as reviewers might not be used to this dimension. Let them know before hand that this is an important criteria.
Types of research outputs – In this pilot we tried to categorize research outputs: working papers, policy briefs, book chapters, etc. After all, it is the final product which is evaluated, not the research process as a whole. These categories, however, were not as useful when it came to understanding the purpose and nature of the products. Traditional categories might not really underpin the purpose of a given output. Furthermore, the understanding of what a 'working paper' or a 'policy brief' is might differ substantially between the authors and the reviewers. In these cases, the authors could feel that the reviewer did not understand the nature of their work. It might be necessary to explore new categories of research outputs that really explain their purposes.
Explore who the 'peers' are
The concept of peer review is based on the concept of peers – researchers with similar competences to those of the authors. However, identifying them in an increasingly complex academic ecosystem is a challenge. Maybe in the past the limits between sciences were clearer. Now the academic world is a growing mosaic of disciplines, with much more interdisciplinary work carried out. In addition to this complexity in science, think tanks researchers face the additional layer of relating to policymakers and the wider public.
So who are the peers? Are they the ones with the same academic background? Are they the ones that know the field? Or the ones that know the national policy context? Or is it other think tank researchers that know the challenge of these interactions between research and policy? Defining this might give more clarity to reviewers and authors and increase the credibility of the process.
Let us learn more about what makes a good reviewer
Although peer review is one of the pillars of the academic world it is neither a clear subject of research or of capacity development. Have we learned how to review documents? How to analyse our own objectivity and capacity to review the work of others? I suggest that more emphasis is given to this aspect of capacity building among researchers. We shouldn't take for granted that this is something all researchers are used to doing or are good at.
To feed this objective of developing the capacity of reviewers, we might need better conceptual and psychological frameworks as well as empirical evidence on how and why peer review processes work. There is a small but growing group of researchers interested in not only evaluating the system but also updating it in the context of a globalized academic world.
Research quality beyond the peer review system
I support peer review processes. In fact, I introduced one at the think tank I worked at before. But I know its limitations, and I am convinced that they are no silver bullet to improving the quality of research in a given institution. Although I keep advocating for the system as a key component of any effort to improve the quality of research, it might not be enough. Here are some ideas on additional activities that could be carried out to support think tanks in the global south.
Ad hoc peer review processes do not, and cannot, replace those of academic journals. As we have discussed, each journal and discipline has its own specificities. If one of the markers of 'research quality' is publishing in these journals, other strategies are needed. In this case, researchers need to be more involved in their own academic field and better understand how the journals they are aiming at work. This is almost a different knowledge from that of one's own field. Some strategies to gain this knowledge include:
Events with journal editors – What I would imagine is an event where different researchers could listen directly to journal editors discuss about what they perceive to be the value added of their particular journal. There could be, for instance, round tables with journals within a similar field. The objective is to bridge the gap between those journals and researchers. Researchers in universities, particularly in the North, are much more familiar with connecting with editors and reviewers who may have also acted as their teachers or advisors.
Special Issues – Another way to bridge this gap maybe to promote special issues within journals, aimed at a specific area of interest or region. These special issues go through an equally rigorous peer review process, but are usually focused on a specific topic or within a specific community. There is a growing interest in including more academic voices from the global south, but more incentives are needed. Special issues are an interesting approach.
The peer review process does not have the ability to improve a research output if there were significant fallacies in the research process. In the case of younger research teams, it might not be enough to have a review only in the stage of the manuscript. Instead, comments throughout the research process might be of use:
Continuous mentoring – One technique worth noting is that of the SIRCA programme that pairs young researchers with senior mentors to accompany the entire research process. In this case the knowledge and expertise of the senior researcher is available throughout the project. This matchmaking process is not an easy task, just as is the case of reviewers, but one where the investment might have higher returns.
Working groups – As described in a previous post, we did find some common themes among researchers supported by the Think Tank Initiative. Maybe creating thematic working groups among researchers in those topics from these and other think tanks in the region could create a valuable community to find reviewers, co-authors, etc.
I am convinced that the debate over what research quality is among think tanks, how to measure it, and how to support it will continue to gain momentum. I am happy that the Think Tank Initiative was willing to experiment with this concept, and hope they will continue to innovate with some new ideas on how to support think tanks in improving research quality.
Andrea Ordoñez: Director of Southern Voice, a network of think tanks devoted to bringing research from the Global South to international debates on the development agenda.
Read more from: Andrea Ordoñez
Related topics: monitoring and evaluation Peer Reviews for Think Tanks Research Understanding think tanks
Research methodologies: context and ethical considerations amid COVID-19
By Anisha Gooneratne
COVID-19 has renewed our focus on the importance of context in research. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw a wave of disruptions across a multitude of spectrums, which...
Understanding your audience
Introduction Throughout the various interactions I had with ChatGPT for this first effort to experiment with ChatGPT, I kept wondering about the technology's ability to understand my...
ChatGPT: a game changer for the knowledge industry?
Like millions around the world, I spent the holiday period playing with ChatGPT . It is a large generative pretrained transformer (GPT) language model developed by...
Think tanks and political uncertainty
The OTT Conference 2023 will focus on think tanks and political uncertainty. As we develop the programme we have beed discussing what specific issues could be included. Could ChatGPT...
AI: Challenges and opportunities for think tanks
I asked ChatGPT about its own influence on think tanks. My exact instructions were: Write an article for On Think Tanks. Make it a blog style. Consider: 1) How will technologies like...
Supporting think tanks: strategic thinking
OTT's work with think tanks often involves supporting new think tanks to develop their strategic plans and existing organisations to refresh their strategies. I decided to test ChatGPT...


Industrial Style Kitchen Chairs - This is the latest information about Industrial Style Kitchen Chairs, this information can be your reference when you are confused to choose the right design for your home.
Industrial Style Kitchen Chairs. Designing your own home will give your own satisfaction and pleasure, which you will not get by sharing other jobs in this world. If you intend to do so, designing your own home is not impossible.
Interior, Where To Go In Portland was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Where To Go In Portland has viewed by 81725 visitor.
Interior, Simple Valentines Day Dinner was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Simple Valentines Day Dinner has viewed by 13481 visitor.
Interior, Interior Design Software For Beginners was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Interior Design Software For Beginners has viewed by 99460 visitor.
Interior, Pacific Palisades Apartment Rentals was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Pacific Palisades Apartment Rentals has viewed by 34037 visitor.
Interior, Hawaii Mansion For Sale was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Hawaii Mansion For Sale has viewed by 37847 visitor.
Interior, Rugs For Small Rooms was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Rugs For Small Rooms has viewed by 34437 visitor.
Interior, Last Minute Getaways From Los Angeles was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Last Minute Getaways From Los Angeles has viewed by 88281 visitor.
Interior, Comfortable Bar Stools With Backs was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Comfortable Bar Stools With Backs has viewed by 91347 visitor.
Interior, Contemporary Bathroom Ideas On A Budget was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Contemporary Bathroom Ideas On A Budget has viewed by 64760 visitor.
Interior, Organizing A Living Room was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Organizing A Living Room has viewed by 39344 visitor.
Interior, Marble Mantels For Sale was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Marble Mantels For Sale has viewed by 39442 visitor.
Interior, What Are Some Cheap Online Shopping Sites was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over What Are Some Cheap Online Shopping Sites has viewed by 77668 visitor.
Interior, What Flowers Are In Season was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over What Flowers Are In Season has viewed by 19111 visitor.
Interior, Wood Mode Kitchen Cabinets Reviews was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Wood Mode Kitchen Cabinets Reviews has viewed by 66268 visitor.
Interior, Exterior Paint Colors For Florida Homes was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Exterior Paint Colors For Florida Homes has viewed by 64119 visitor.
Interior, Vacation Rentals San Francisco Bay Area was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Vacation Rentals San Francisco Bay Area has viewed by 6587 visitor.
Interior, Refacing Kitchen Cabinets Ideas was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Refacing Kitchen Cabinets Ideas has viewed by 68404 visitor.
Interior, Best Coffee Tables For Sectionals was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Best Coffee Tables For Sectionals has viewed by 42112 visitor.
Interior, Closet Organizer Small Closet was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Closet Organizer Small Closet has viewed by 9623 visitor.
Interior, Kitchen Remodel Before After was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Kitchen Remodel Before After has viewed by 46207 visitor.
Interior, Types Of Carpets For Home was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Types Of Carpets For Home has viewed by 78563 visitor.
Interior, New Mid Century Modern Furniture was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over New Mid Century Modern Furniture has viewed by 52127 visitor.
Interior, Small Media Room Design was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Small Media Room Design has viewed by 13753 visitor.
Interior, Trailer Rental Savannah Ga was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Trailer Rental Savannah Ga has viewed by 26919 visitor.
Interior, How To Landscape A Small Backyard was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over How To Landscape A Small Backyard has viewed by 75207 visitor.
Interior, Where Should I Travel Next was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Where Should I Travel Next has viewed by 44714 visitor.
Interior, Kitchen Counter Pendant Lights was posted June on this site by Clevrhome.co. More over Kitchen Counter Pendant Lights has viewed by 39410 visitor.


Daliah Lavi, an Israeli actress who transitioned from serious parts in foreign cinema and in dramatic films like "Lord Jim" to lighthearted turns in 1960s spy-movie spoofs like "Casino Royale," died on Wednesday at her home in Asheville, N.C. She was 74.
Her husband, Charles Gans, confirmed her death but did not specify the cause.
She went on to play a reporter in the German thriller "The Return of Dr. Mabuse" (1961), the romantic lead flogged in Mario Bava's lurid Italian horror film "The Whip and the Body" (1963), and Cunégonde to Jean-Pierre Cassel's Candide in a 1960 French film adaptation of Voltaire's novel.
"A new actress by the name of Dahlia Lavi is impressive along the lines of Brigitte Bardot or Claudia Cardinale as the lustrous Cunégonde," Bosley Crowther wrote in a review in The New York Times, which, like many reviews and film credits from the period, misspelled Ms. Lavi's first name.
Her first American film was "Two Weeks in Another Town" (1962), Vincente Minnelli's drama, starring Kirk Douglas, about filming a movie in Rome. Ms. Lavi said Mr. Douglas had discovered her as a child in Israel and started her on the path to becoming an actress.
"Lord Jim" (1965), Richard Brooks's adaptation of the Joseph Conrad novel starring Peter O'Toole, was to be the breakout American role for Ms. Lavi, who played Mr. O'Toole's love interest. But the movie flopped, and Ms. Lavi accepted a new career path as scantily clad femmes fatales in a number of parodies that sprung up after the initial success of the James Bond films.
She appeared in "The Silencers" (1966), the first of Dean Martin's Matt Helm films, and "The Spy With a Cold Nose" (1966), a British comedy built around the conceit of a bugged bulldog. It also starred Lionel Jeffries and Laurence Harvey.
Perhaps the best example of the subgenre was the discursive, psychedelic "Casino Royale" (1967), which had almost nothing in common with Ian Fleming's first Bond novel besides the titular casino. The movie had an ensemble cast that included Peter Sellers, Orson Welles, Ursula Andress, Deborah Kerr and Woody Allen; and an ensemble of directors that included John Huston, Ken Hughes and Joseph McGrath, each shooting a segment.
Ms. Lavi played a British agent who tricks Mr. Allen's character into poisoning himself with an atomic pill.
The critical response was largely negative, but audiences enjoyed it, making it a financial success, as was the soundtrack by Burt Bacharach. But it marked the beginning of the end of Ms. Lavi's American film career.
Daliah Levinbuck was born on Oct. 12, 1942, in Haifa, in what was then British Palestine. (Her last name at birth is spelled differently by some sources online).
Ms. Lavi told The New York Post that she was 10 when she met Mr. Douglas, who was in Israel filming "The Juggler," and told him that she wanted to become a dancer.
He helped persuade her parents to send her to Stockholm for dance instruction when she was 12. Her father died when she was 16, and she returned to Israel, where she worked for a time as a swimsuit model before becoming a full-time actress.
Her last American feature film was "Catlow" (1971), a western directed by Sam Wanamaker and based on a Louis L'Amour novel; it also starred Yul Brynner, Richard Crenna and Leonard Nimoy. She continued to act on German television and had a successful career as a singer in Germany, recording and performing in German.
Ms. Lavi was married four times. In addition to her husband, she is survived by a sister, Michal Vizansky; three sons, Alexander, Rouven and Stephen Gans; a daughter, Kathryn Rothman; and six grandchildren.
In 1964, before "Lord Jim" opened, Ms. Lavi told The Boston Globe that she took the vicissitudes of her film career in stride.


text:
Q: JAX-RS How to return a list as Json with field name I have a list which I want to return as a Response. But I want to prepend it with a field name.
List<String> res = ...
return Response.ok(res, MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON_TYPE).build();

This returns only the list
["abcd","efgh"]

But I want to return like
{
  "field" : ["abcd","efgh"]
}

Thanks..

A: Use a map.
List<String> list = ...
Map<String, List<String>> res = new HashMap<>();
res.put("field", list);
return Response.ok(res, MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON_TYPE).build();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Meats and Processed Food Products
HALO CUT
HALO CUT Trademark Information
Trademark by THE HONEY BAKED HAM COMPANY, LLC
Ham, ham slices consisting primarily of ham, ham portions consisting primarily of ham, and ham packaged on trays consisting primarily of ham
ham ham slices consisting primarily ham ham portions consisting primarily ham ham packaged trays consisting primarily ham
This is a brand page for the HALO CUT trademark by THE HONEY BAKED HAM COMPANY, LLC in *********, **********, ***** ****.
Write a review about a product or service associated with this HALO CUT trademark. Or, contact the owner THE HONEY BAKED HAM COMPANY, LLC of the HALO CUT trademark by filing a request to communicate with the Legal Correspondent for licensing, use, and/or questions related to the HALO CUT trademark.
On Tuesday, October 15, 2019, a U.S. federal trademark registration was filed for HALO CUT. The USPTO has given the HALO CUT trademark serial number of 88655389. The current federal status of this trademark filing is THIRD EXTENSION - GRANTED. The correspondent listed for HALO CUT is J. DAVID MAYBERRY of ********,********, ***** **** . The HALO CUT trademark is filed in the category of Meats and Processed Food Products . The description provided to the USPTO for HALO CUT is Ham, ham slices consisting primarily of ham, ham portions consisting primarily of ham, and ham packaged on trays consisting primarily of ham.
Intent to Use Trademark - Applicant has not submitted proof of use in commerce the the USPTO.
Meat, fish, poultry and game; meat extracts; preserved, frozen, dried and cooked fruits and vegetables; jellies, jams, compotes; eggs, milk and milk products; edible oils and fats.
Word mark: HALO CUT
THIRD EXTENSION - GRANTED
Goods and Services: Ham, ham slices consisting primarily of ham, ham portions consisting primarily of ham, and ham packaged on trays consisting primarily of ham
THE HONEY BAKED HAM COMPANY, LLC
Disclaimer: ("CUT")
J. DAVID MAYBERRY
Trademarkia-Network law firms can help you incorporate a business around your HALO CUT trademark in less than 5 minutes. Trademarkia makes the process easy and convenient, so start now!
J. DAVID MAYBERRY is a correspondent of HALO CUT trademark.
Please Rate and Review for HALO CUT
HALO CUT is providing Ham, ham slices consisting primarily of ham, ham portions consisting primarily of ham, and ham packaged on trays consisting primarily of ham.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This side chair is consistently very popular with our customers! It comes in several different combinations of upholstery fabrics and wood colors, giving you the ability to choose the best option for your home. In stock at our showroom in Pistachio (shown) and Aegean (bright blue). Other colors may be in stock, contact us for details!


text:
Macon Hill (Kelly McAndrew) and Bess Johnson (Tracy Middendorf) bond over their shared fates as mail-order brides, in Beth Henley's new play "Abundance." (Marielle Solan Photograph)
Theater Review: 'Abundance'
A story of two mail-order brides
By Diana Barth
March 3, 2015 Updated: March 6, 2015
NEW YORK—Although Beth Henley's play "Abundance" deals with four people, two women and two men, against the backdrop of the American West starting in the late 1860s, the play most tellingly details the emotional lives and experiences of the two women: Bess Johnson (Tracy Middendorf) and Macon Hill (Kelly McAndrew).
The women meet for the first time in Wyoming Territory as they await the arrival of their husbands-to-be. Bess, a shy, gentle soul, and Macon, a passionate, earthy type, are, courageously, mail-order brides and haven't a clue as to what their prospective grooms will be like.
When Jack Flan (Todd Lawson) arrives for Bess, he informs her that her intended groom, Jack's brother, had recently died. But, not to worry for he, Jack, will marry her. Unhappily for Bess, Jack seems a rather crude type, not at all like his deceased brother, who had written three poetic, tender letters to his intended.
(L—R) Bess Flan (Tracy Middendorf), Will Curtis (Ted Koch), Macon Curtis (Kelly McAndrew) and Jack Flan (Todd Lawson), are the mail-order brides with their mismatched husbands.
(Marielle Solan Photograph)
As for Macon's intended, he is Will Curtis (Ted Koch), whose left eye is covered with a black patch. He lost the eye in a farm accident. However, even with two good eyes, Macon would have found him "physically repulsive."
The women, who have bonded deeply, can only make the best of their fates. It's too difficult to pull up stakes and head east now; besides, the adventuresome Macon, particularly, wants to explore the West and find "the elephant," as she puts it.
After each couple settles into life in two cabins nearby, life is smooth at first. But Jack, thoroughly displeased with the withdrawn and unappealing Bess, turns his attentions to the vivid Macon. One night, Jack burns down his and Bess's cabin, and the pair move in with Macon and Will.
Tensions mount, until, one night, Bess goes missing. It's feared that she's been taken by Indians and murdered. Now it's clear that Macon and Jack have become a couple.
Bess Johnson (Tracy Middendorf) after her capture and rescue from Native American Indians. (Marielle Solan Photograph)
Years later, Bess is found by the U.S. Army and returned to the household, having presumably suffered terrible atrocities at the hands of the Indians. She is changed physically, now sporting a tattoo on her chin. Emotionally, she has become remote and is unwilling to communicate.
But a remarkable thing takes place. Bess is sought out by professor Elmore Crome (Jeff Talbott), who, having heard of Bess's experiences, wants to co-write a book with her and take her on a national lecture tour.
Bess, surprisingly rises to the occasion and soon the tables are turned for the foursome.
Playwright Beth Henley has woven a marvelous tapestry of fierce wills and passions against the backdrop of the exciting but fear-provoking, still-to-be-explored West.
Playwright Henley has woven a marvelous tapestry of fierce wills and passions against the backdrop of the exciting but fear-provoking, still-to-be-explored West. A Pulitzer Prize winner for her earlier "Crimes of the Heart," Henley can write dialogue ranging from the earthy to the poetic, and the twists and turns of the plot and characters' behavior make "Abundance" a fascinating adventure.
Performances, under the astute direction of Jenn Thompson, co-artistic director of TACT/The Actors Company Theatre, which is presenting "Abundance," are outstanding.
Tracy Middendorf skillfully expands her performance from the initially timid Bess to brittle tyrant. Kelly McAndrew impresses with her high energy and the ability to infuse Macon with unerring manipulative skills.
Theater Review: 'Da'
Todd Lawson effectively projects a nasty, selfish man, while Ted Koch's Will grows from a milquetoast to a man who demands his rights.
Jeff Talbott sets just the right tone for an impresario who will woo and win Bess to the touring circuit.
The beautifully coordinated technical team features the abstract but effective set (hills, clouds, and stars) by Wilson Chin, aided by lighting by Philip Rosenberg and costumes by Tracy Christensen.
Kudos are well deserved by Toby Algya, for his sound design and original music, which enhance the altogether impressive production.
'Abundance'
Beckett Theatre
410 W. 42nd St.
Tickets: 212-239-6200 or Telecharge.com
Running Time: 2 hours, 5 minutes (with intermission)
Closes: March 28
Diana Barth publishes New Millennium, an arts publication. For information see diabarth@juno.com.
Trump Admin to Roll Back Obama Admin's School Meal Standards on Vegetables, Fruits
Three US Airports to Screen Passengers for Pneumonia Virus From China
4hr By Eva Fu


If you've been in the candy section of CVS or Target lately, you know that candy choices have proliferated. Hershey is partly responsible. For a company initially known for its kisses and chocolate bars, its choices have become vast and sometimes head scratching.
Now, Hershey looks likely to streamline its lineup. The move is an effort to boost profits, according to the Wall Street Journal, because offering all that different candy has a real impact on its operations.
Hershey CEO Michele Buck says that the company could eliminate some of the special holiday chocolates that it makes for specific retailers. Instead, it might produce a smaller number that can be sold across the country. For instance, Hershey has set itself up to offer as many as 500 different display styles to stores that carry its products. "With a couple tweaks we could get that number in half and generate massive efficiency," she told the Journal.
A couple of things have happened to push Hershey into acting. For one thing, cocoa prices are going up. And, a trucking shortage has increased Hershey's delivery costs.
In its first quarter results last week, Hershey said that the move most likely will hurt its second-half revenue. It had been forecasting an increase of about 7%; now, Hershey says it thinks revenue will go up 5%.
One of the problems Hershey has faced in producing those many varieties is that it can't give marketing to support to everything in the lineup. And, if consumers don't know that a product is out there, they may not buy it.
That can leave stores with stale merchandise. And customers who make purchases might be disappointed in the candy's freshness, and seek a refund from the outlet or from Hershey itself.
There's been a lot of activity at Hershey in recent months. In January, it bought Amplify Snack Brands for $1.6 billion, its biggest acquisition to date. Amplify makes SkinnyPop popcorn, and the Hershey acquisition will put SkinnyPop in more places.
Also, Hershey broke ground in March on a $60 million expansion of its plant in Hazelton, Pennsylvania. The new manufacturing line will be devoted solely to producing Kit Kats.
Hershey, in a statement, said Kit Kat is poised to become its "next $1 billion global brand." Kit Kat is also produced overseas by Nestle, which makes many of the kicky flavors you've heard about, like green tea and plum.
But Hershey has gotten kickier, too. It recently introduced a gold version of its famous chocolate bar, its fourth chocolate flavor. You may have heard the ads featuring Olympic gold medalist Apolo Ohno, with Bruno Mars' music in the background.
As gardeners know, pruning makes shrubs and trees healthier. Maybe the same technique will work for Hershey down the line, too.


The game was found in the tomb of a Germanic prince in Poprad.
Slovakia has another unique archaeological object, an ancient game found in 2006 when researching the tomb of a Germanic prince in Poprad. After its conservation and further research, experts found the game has no parallel in Europe.
The game, over 1,600 years old, consists of chess-like squares with green and white playing pieces of different sizes that have also been preserved.
"There were plenty of board games in ancient times with many variants, but reconstructing the playing technique is a very complicated process that only top experts can solve," said the deputy of director of the Archaeological Institute in Nitra, Karol Pieta, as cited by the SITA newswire. Pieta lead the research on the tomb in Poprad.
Archaeologists turned to the best European expert on ancient games, Ulrich Schädler, director of the Museum of Games located near Lake Geneva in Switzerland. He travelled to Slovakia and was excited about the finding.
"There has been not a playing board of similar type in Europe yet," said Pieta for SITA. Games of this type were found in Greek and Roman temples on the floors or in the streets of ancient towns, carved into stone pavement.


text:
Nell'ambito della religione egizia Buchis (scritto anche "Bakh" e "Bakha") era la manifestazione della deificazione del "Ka", l'antico concetto egizio dell'Anima (potere/forza vitale) della divinità della guerra Montu, venerata nella regione di Ermonti.

Veniva scelto, almeno a partire dall'XI dinastia egizia, un toro selvatico bianco col muso nero - quindi sacro - il quale fungeva da incarnazione di Buchis. Nel corso del tempo, i criteri per la scelta del toro sono divenuti sempre più rigidi; quando poi questi tori e le loro madri (considerate aspetti di Hathor) morivano di vecchiaia, venivano mummificati e collocati in un cimitero speciale conosciuto come il "Bucheum".

Infine Buchis è stato identificato come una forma di Api; conseguentemente venne considerato sempre più incarnazione di Osiride. L'ultima sepoltura di un toro-Buchis nel Bucheum di Ermonti risale al 340 d.C.; mentre il culto del Toro in questa forma è durato all'incirca fin verso il 362, quando venne infine annientato dal crescente cristianesimo oramai dominante nell'impero romano.

Il Bucheum venne rinvenuto nel 1927 da sir Robert Mond e da UB Emery; pare avesse inoltre anche un oracolo: Macrobio ci dice infine che ogni volta cambiava colore.

Note

Bibliografia

Voci correlate
 Animali sacri delle divinità egizie
 Mnevis (o "Mer-wer")
 Nandi - la cavalcatura in sembianze di toro bianco del dio della mitologia induista Shiva.
 Toro di Creta - mostro taurino della mitologia greca; vedi anche il Minotauro, figlio suo e della regina Pasifae.
 Zoolatria (culto sacrale degli animali)

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Divinità egizie

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Your bedtime may be attempted when your child is already overtired. This can result in a chemical response of cortisol and adrenaline to the system that has two main functions: Firstly it may make it hard for your child to achieve sleep, resulting in a resistance to sleep when you address bedtime, meaning that it can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours to actually get your child to sleep at bedtime and secondly the hormonal secretion can make it hard for your child to stay asleep-causing frequent night awakenings outside of biologically necessary feeds and input, long wakeful periods overnight and also early waking. Consider your child's mood and behaviour before you are commencing the bedtime routine. If they are obviously signalling that they may be tired with intense eye rubs and yawns, agitated, cranky or increasingly upset, or perhaps hyper and entertaining, then it is likely that an earlier onset of bedtime may be suitable here. Sometimes, adjusting bedtime forward, as little as 20 minutes can have a significant, positive impact on the overnight sleep duration.
Your child may be getting too much or not enough day time sleep. Find out how much sleep your child may require based on their age group and work on making sure that they get closer to the suggested amount. The closer you get in achieving their average sleep need suggestion then the more likely that your child will stay in a deeper night time sleep for you. Conversely, if your child is napping far in excess of the suggested sleep need then consider curtailing the amount that they are getting, in an effort to re-distribute the sleep into night time. Don't be tempted to limit the day sleep far below the amounts outlined as that intervention may increase your night time activity.
A nap imbalance can also have a pernicious impact on night time sleep. Your child may be getting the right amount of day time sleep but it is not at the right time for their natural body clock. The intervals of wakefulness between nap periods can sometimes be too long resulting in some children under 8 months of age missing a crucial 3rd nap and in some older children being awake too long before bedtime. Furthermore, some children may have too long a nap in the morning and as a result not enough in the afternoon. Most children from 8 months to15-18 months sleep very well when they are having 2 naps per day with the second nap of the time being of equal duration or longer than the 1st nap and a wakeful period not exceeding 4 hours before bedtime. This seems to create the best nap dynamic which in turns helps for a better night time sleep to emerge. Once the young child is ready to have one nap per day, than this recommended wakeful period ideally should not exceed 4-5 hours, thus ensuring that overtiredness does not unnecessarily interrupt your child's night time sleep.
Your child may not being getting enough to eat and drink throughout the day or they may be getting enough, but at the wrong time for the body, which can result in night waking as they don't feel full. Once solid food is established, children benefit from 3 balanced meals with 2 healthy snacks and an age appropriate milk intake, further ensuring that your child is hydrated. Filling up the calories in advance of sleep time does not generally improve sleeping patterns, so avoid "extra" meals, but make sure that your child has eaten enough for their age group, with many benefitting from a conventional evening meal (protein and carb) at dinner time about 5-5.30pm, filling the need and preventing awakenings that could be avoided, by a change in feeding approach. Additionally, over relying on milk at bedtime and indeed overnight, when it is no longer a biological requirement, may also impair the day time appetite for a varied and balanced food intake that in turn results in night time activity.
Your child may not be getting enough outside activity and fresh air or exposure to bright and natural light. With a winter like the one that we have just had, pretty much every child in the country has probably not been outside enough, to help burn off their energy and regulate sleeping patterns. Now that Spring is afoot and we can now see a stretch in the evenings, make a special effort to get out and about. An hour a day is the recommendation- so 30 minutes mid morning and again in the mid afternoon, fills this quota. If your child is not yet walking, then you will need to walk them and play with them outside, but your active toddler can walk and explore with you. For the days when you can't get outside; spend play time close to windows, so that natural, albeit dull, light is meeting your child's face.
Too much exposure to television and electronic media. With studies consistently supporting the relationship between TV and electronics and a negative impact on sleep patterns, parents may find that just a simple adjustment of restricting the use throughout the day and more significantly in the final few hours before bedtime; your child may achieve sleep with greater ease, stay asleep for longer and also receive a better quality of sleep as well which promotes more day time sleep and in turn restful sleep, so it's the opposite of a viscous cycle.
You do not have sleep inducing environment and corresponding sleep-promoting bedtime routine. The optimal sleep environment is adequately dark without too many distractions or stimulation. The use of blackout blinds is helpful as we head into Spring/Summer and the avoidance of external hall and bathroom lights outside of the bedroom help promote the sleep hormone melatonin production. Consider a 4w night light to help ensure that the room is not scarily pitch black, and that your child can feel safe. Make sure that you are providing a simple, consistent pre-sleep ritual before bedtime, in the bedroom where your child will sleep. Studies continue to demonstrate the importance of regular sleep times along with repetitive sleep practises, refereed to a bedtime routine before you want your child to sleep. Allocate 20 minutes for a wind-down period before your child is due to go to sleep. Provide low impact, high sensory-cuddles, rubbing, massage, story time activity, in the same order and same way each night to help your child ingrain a positive sleep association which in turn helps to promote better overall sleep hygiene.
Don't be disappointed if you do not see immediate results, it may take time for the benefits to emerge from making initial changes, continue working away at improving and adjusting how your child's sleep is approached, stay patient and committed as well as flexible to your child's needs and you will yield the desired outcome.
The Baby Sleep Solution will be published by Gill Books on Friday, 24 March 2017, priced at €14.99.


text:
Eurasia Daily Monitor
Terrorism Monitor
Militant Leadership Monitor
Russia in Decline
Russia in the Middle East
War by Other Means
The Growing Importance of Belarus on NATO's Eastern Flank
Russia's Path to the High-Tech Battlespace
Black Sea Battleground: Risks and Challenges in Europe's Threatened Frontier
Guardians of the Belt and Road
China and the Asia-Pacific
The Caucasus
Press/Multimedia
Sixth Annual Terrorism Conference: "Implications of the Arab Spring for Insurgencies, the Jihadist Movement and al-Qaeda" (copy 1)
By: Hassan Abbas
December 12, 2012 01:30 PM Age: 10 years
Root Conference Room
*To order a DVD of the full conference, please visit our Purchases Page here.
8:00 A.M.–8:30 A.M.
Glen E. Howard
President, The Jamestown Foundation
Panel One:
The Periphery and the Core: The Evolution of AQ and Its Affiliates
8:40 A.M.–10:00 A.M.
David Kilcullen
President and CEO of Caerus Associates
Bruce Hoffman
Director, Center for Security Studies,
Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University &
Board Member, The Jamestown Foundation
Senior Fellow, The Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution
& Board Member, Jamestown Foundation
Coffee Break:
10:15A.M.–10:45 A.M.
Panel Two:
The Syrian Uprising: Militant Magnet and Regional Reactions
10:45 A.M.–12:15P.M.
Chris Zambelis
"A Highly Complex Insurgency: Analyzing the Various Militant Strains
of the Syrian Uprising"
Senior Analyst, Helios Global, Inc.
Nick Heras
"The Syrian Uprising and Its Impact on Lebanon"
Jamestown Middle East Analyst
Carole O'Leary
"Arabs and Kurds: The Impact of Local and Cross-Border Identity Politics in Northeastern Syria"
Visiting Scholar, Catholic University's Columbus School of Law
Emrullah Uslu
"The Syrian Uprising and Turkey's Struggles with the PKK"
Assistant Professor, Yeditepe University, Istanbul. Turkey
Moderator: Alex Vatanka
Fellow, Middle East Institute
12:15 P.M.–1:00 P.M.
Luncheon Keynote
Sheikh Falah Ajil Abdul Karim al-Jarba
"The Impact of the Uprising on Syrian Tribes and Cross Border Considerations"
Sheikh of the Shammar Tribe, Syria
Panel Three:
AQ Affiliates and Jihadist Strategies: From North Africa to the Sahel
Michael W.S. Ryan
"Is There a New Jihadist Threat? Lessons from Libya and Egypt"
Senior Fellow, The Jamestown Foundation
Dario Cristiani
"Militant Threats in Post-Qaddafi Libya"
Doctoral Candidate at King's College, University of London
Andrew McGregor
"The Jihadist Movement in Mali: From Smuggling to State-Building"
Senior Editor, Jamestown's Global Terrorism Analysis program
Jacob Zenn
"The Evolution, Expansion and Trajectory of the Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria"
Analyst, The Jamestown Foundation
Moderator: TBA
General Michael Hayden
"Post-Election, Post-Bin Laden, Post-Benghazi: Where to Now?"
Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Participant Biographies
Dario Cristiani is an expert on militant groups in North Africa and a frequent contributor to Jamestown's publications Eurasia Daily Monitor, Terrorism Monitor and Militant Leadership Monitor. He is a Ph.D. Researcher at King's College, University of London and senior analyst at the Global Governance Institute in Brussels. Previously, he was a teaching fellow in Political Science and Comparative Politics at the University of Naples L'Orientale in Italy. His main areas of expertise are Security, Politics and International Relations in North Africa and the wider Mediterranean region, Political and Economic Risk, and EU Foreign Policy.
Michael V. Hayden
General Michael V. Hayden (USAF Ret.) served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2006 to 2009 and was responsible for overseeing the collection of information concerning the plans, intentions and capabilities of America's adversaries, producing timely analysis for decision makers, and conducting covert operations to thwart terrorists and other enemies of the United States. Before becoming Director of the CIA, General Hayden served as the country's first Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence—and was the highest-ranking intelligence officer in the armed forces. Earlier, he served as Commander of the Air Intelligence Agency, Director of the Joint Command and Control Warfare Center, Director of the National Security Agency from 1999 to 2005, and Chief of the Central Security Service. General Hayden graduated from Duquesne University with a bachelor's degree in history in 1967 and a master's degree in modern American history in 1969. He was a distinguished graduate of the university's ROTC program, and began his active military service in 1969. General Hayden is currently a principal at the Chertoff Group in Washington, D.C., and a Board Member at The Jamestown Foundation.
Nicholas A. Heras
Nicholas A. Heras is an independent analyst and consultant on Middle Eastern affairs. Heras was a National Security Education Program (NSEP) David L. Boren Fellow based in Beirut, Lebanon, from 2010 to 2011, in addition to which he has almost two years of field experience researching the politics of identity, culture, and socio-economics throughout Lebanon. He also has extensive field experience in all regions of Syria, with a particular focus on restive, rural disadvantaged areas, Syrian Arab tribalism, and the politics of ethnic and sectarian mobilization throughout the country. Heras is a regular contributor to The Jamestown Foundation publication Terrorism Monitor, Fair Observer and other publications, on issues of pressing importance to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and the Gulf countries. He holds a B.A. in International Relations and an M.A. in International Communication from the American University (D.C.).
Professor Bruce Hoffman is a Board Member of The Jamestown Foundation. He has been studying terrorism and insurgency for more than thirty years. Professor Hoffman is currently a tenured professor at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service where he is also the Director of both the Center for Security Studies and the Security Studies Program. Professor Hoffman previously held the Corporate Chair in Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency at the RAND Corporation and was also Director of RAND's Washington, D.C., Office.
Professor Hoffman was Scholar-in-Residence for Counterterrorism at the Central Intelligence Agency between 2004 and 2006. He was also adviser on counterterrorism to the Office of National Security Affairs, Coalition Provisional Authority, Baghdad, Iraq, during the spring of 2004 and from 2004 to 2005 was an adviser on counterinsurgency to the Strategy, Plans, and Analysis Office at Multi-National Forces-Iraq Headquarters, Baghdad. Professor Hoffman was also an adviser to the Iraq Study Group.
Sheikh Falah is the leader of the largest tribe in Syria, the al-Shammar tribe. He is the son of the now deceased paramount sheikh of the Shammar of Syria, Sheikh Ajil, who died in 2007. In 2004, following the infamous Arab-Kurdish "soccer" riot in Qamishly, northern Syria, Syrian President Bashar Assad attempted to persuade Sheikh Falah's father to take up arms against the Kurds, but he refused, saying, "We are all one community–we Arabs have lived with our fellow Kurds for hundreds of years."
Dr. David Kilcullen is one of the world's leading experts on insurgencies and counter-insurgencies. He is the founding President and CEO of Caerus Associates, a strategic design consultancy with a focus on the overlapping problems of conflict, climate change, energy, health and governance. Dr. Kilcullen also serves as an advisor to NATO and a consultant to the U.S. and allied governments, international institutions, industry and NGOs, in conflict and post-conflict environments and the developing world. Dr. Kilcullen is also an Adjunct Professor at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Before joining the private sector, Dr. Kilcullen had a distinguished career in the Australian and United States governments, including 22 years as a light infantry officer in the Australian Army, during which he served in counterinsurgency, stability operations, peace operations and military advisory roles in Southeast Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East.
After leaving the Army, Dr. Kilcullen served in Australia's Office of National Assessments, then with the U.S. State Department. He first served as Chief Strategist in the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism and then as Special Adviser for Counterinsurgency to the Secretary of State. He served in the Iraq War as Senior Counterinsurgency Adviser to General David Petraeus during the successful 2007 "surge" and in Afghanistan as Counterinsurgency Adviser to the NATO International Security Assistance Force during 2009–2010. He was a member of the White House review of Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy in 2008, and he has advised the highest levels of the Bush and Obama administrations.
Dr. Kilcullen's academic background is in the political anthropology of conflict in traditional societies. His doctoral dissertation, completed in 2000, is a study of the impact of insurgency on political development, and it draws on extended residential fieldwork with guerrillas, militias and local people in remote parts of Indonesia, New Guinea and East Timor. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, regularly teaches and presents at academic institutions and industry conferences worldwide, and he is the author of numerous scholarly articles and books, including The Accidental Guerrilla (2009), Counterinsurgency(2010) and Out of the Mountains (forthcoming), all from Oxford University Press.
Dr. Andrew McGregor is a Senior Editor for Jamestown's Global Terrorism Analysis program. He is also the Director of Aberfoyle International Security, a Toronto-based agency specializing in security issues related to the Islamic world. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto's Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations in 2000 and is a former Research Associate of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs. In October 2007, McGregor took over as managing editor of the Jamestown Foundation's Global Terrorism Analysis publications. He is the author of an archaeological history of Darfur published by Cambridge University in 2001 and publishes frequently on international security issues. His latest book is A Military History of Modern Egypt, published by Praeger Security International in 2006. McGregor provides commentary on military and security issues for newspapers (including the New York Times, USA Today, and The Financial Times), as well as making frequent appearances on radio (BBC, CBC Radio, VOA, Radio Canada International) and television (CBC Newsworld, CTV Newsnet, Foxnews and others).
Carole O'Leary is a Visiting Scholar at the Program in Law & Religion at Catholic University's Columbus School of Law. Professor O'Leary is currently involved in a project to study religious freedom in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with a particular focus on the Christian communities there. Since 2003, she has been involved in a series of ongoing and related research projects focusing on understanding the sociopolitical and leadership role of Arab tribal networks, working in region with tribes from Iraq, Syria, Jordan and neighboring countries. O'Leary also organized and led two teams of civic education and human rights experts (2006–2010), working on human rights, democracy and voter education, under grants from the U.S. Department of State.
O'Leary was an adjunct professorial lecturer at American University's School of International Service in 1995–2011, appointed to the Division of International Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR). Professor O'Leary was also a Scholar-in-Residence from 1996 to 2011 at the former Center for Global Peace. She was also a member of the first Iraq Working Group at the United States Institute of Peace and an outside advisor to the U.S. Department of State Future of Iraq Project (2003), on education and governance. Among her publications, O'Leary is the author of "The Kurds of Iraq: Recent History, Future Prospects," published in the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal in December 2002. With Charles MacDonald, she is the co-editor of Kurdish Identity: Human Rights and Political Status (University Press of Florida, October 2007).
Bruce Riedel is a Senior Fellow in the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. He retired in 2006 after 30 years service at the Central Intelligence Agency including postings overseas. Riedel was a senior advisor on South Asia and the Middle East to four Presidents of the United States in the staff of the National Security Council at the White House. He was a negotiator at several Arab-Israeli peace summits, including at Camp David and Wye River. He was also Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Near East and South Asia at the Pentagon and a senior advisor at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels. In January 2009, President Barack Obama asked Mr. Riedel to chair a review of American policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan, the results of which the President announced in a speech on March 27, 2009. In 2011 he served as an expert advisor to the prosecution of al-Qaeda terrorist Omar Farooq Abdulmutallab in Detroit. In December 2011, Prime Minister David Cameron asked him to brief the United Kingdom's National Security Council in London on Pakistan.
Mr. Riedel is the author of The Search for al Qaeda: Its Leadership, Ideology and Future andDeadly Embrace: Pakistan, America and the Future of the Global Jihad. He is a contributor to Which Path to Persia: Options for a New American Strategy Toward Iran, The Arab Awakening and Becoming Enemies: U.S.-Iran Relations and the Iran-Iraq War, 1979–1988. He teaches at the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies. He is a graduate of Brown (B.A.), Harvard (M.A.) and the Royal College of Defense Studies in London.
Michael W. S. Ryan
Dr. Michael W.S. Ryan is a Senior Fellow at The Jamestown Foundation and an adjunct scholar at the Middle East Institute. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Decoding al-Qaeda's Strategy: The Deep Battle Against America, to be published by Columbia University Press. The book examines al-Qaeda's political military strategy based upon Arabic-language sources. Dr. Ryan also acts as an independent consultant and researcher on Middle Eastern security issues.
Dr. Ryan served as Senior Vice President at The Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. (2008–2009). The White House appointed him as Vice President in The Millennium Challenge Corporation (2006–2008). Previously, Dr. Ryan held senior positions in the Departments of State, Defense, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency after joining the U.S. federal government in 1979 as a Middle East/North Africa analyst for the Department of Defense.
In 1981, Dr. Ryan earned a Ph.D. from the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University. During his graduate study, he spent three years in Egypt under Fulbright, Smithsonian, and Center for Arabic Study Abroad fellowships. He was also a fellow at The American Research Center in Egypt during this period. He received his undergraduate degree from St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland.
Dr. Emrullah Uslu is an assistant professor at Yeditepe Univeristy in Istanbul and Visiting Assistant Professor at University of North Florida. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Utah in Middle East Studies/Political Science in 2009. He worked as a policy analyst for the Turkish National Police's counterterrorism headquarters for more than ten years. Dr. Uslu has taught courses on Islam and Politics, Terrorism, Middle East Politics, Middle East History and Nationalism. Between 2004 and 2008, he organized annual graduate student conferences titled "The Middle East & Central Asia: Politics, Economics, and Society Conference," at the University of Utah. In June, 2009, Dr. Uslu delivered a lecture based on his work on the PKK's crude oil pipeline strategy at a special event hosted by the Jamestown Foundation in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Uslu published a number of articles on Security, Terrorism, the Kurdish Question, Militant Islam, Turkish Nationalism and Turkey's relations with Egypt. He is the author ofDeep State's Threat Map: Kurds and Islamists (Derin Devletin Tehdit Haritas?: Dün Kürtler Bugün Cemaatler), published in 2010. The book examines Turkish military's responses to the Kurdish and Islamist political actors.
Mr. Uslu works as a columnist, contributing regularly to the Turkish daily Taraf and Turkey's English daily, Today's Zaman. He is often quoted by the international press, including but not limited to al Jazeera, the Guardian, the Times of London and The Los Angeles Times. Additionally he is a frequent commentator for Turkish television channels and newspapers regarding Middle East affairs, the PKK and the Kurdish question, terrorism, as well as security issues.
Alex Vatanka
Alex Vatanka is a fellow at the Middle East Institute, with a particular focus on Iranian foreign and security policies. From 2006 to 2010, he was the Managing Editor of Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst, based in Washington D.C. From 2001 to 2006, he was a senior political analyst at Jane's in London where he mainly covered the Middle East. He lectures also as a Senior Fellow in Middle East Studies at the U.S. Air Force Special Operations School (USAFSOS) at Hurlburt Field and at Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management (DISAM) at Wright-Patterson AFB.Born in Tehran and raised in Europe, he holds a BA in Political Science (Sheffield University), and an MA in International Relations (Essex University), and is fluent in Farsi and Danish. He is currently working on a book project on Iranian-Pakistani relations and its implications for U.S. national security interests in South West Asia.
Chris Zambelis is a Senior Analyst specializing in Middle East affairs with Helios Global, Inc., a risk management group based in the Washington, D.C., area. His primary research interests include geopolitics, domestic politics, security, economics and energy issues relevant to the broader Middle East. His work supports a wide range of clients in the public, private and non-profit sectors. A frequent traveler to the Middle East, he has spent significant time in Syria and Lebanon in recent years. In addition to his work for The Jamestown Foundation, Mr. Zambelis is also a regular contributor to numerous other publications. He holds a B.A. degree in Politics and History from New York University and an M.S. in Foreign Service degree from Georgetown University.
Jacob Zenn is an analyst for The Jamestown Foundation, specializing in security issues in Africa, South America, Central Asia and Southeast Asia, and is a frequent contributor to theTerrorism Monitor, Militant Leadership Monitor (MLM) and Eurasia Daily Monitorpublications. Mr. Zenn is the author of The Jamestown Foundation Occasional Report entitled "Northern Nigeria's Boko Haram: The Prize in Al-Qaeda's Africa Strategy," which analyzes the evolution of al-Qaeda's Africa strategy and operations in Nigeria, the rise and trajectory of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria, and the relationship between al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Boko Haram. He carried out field research in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad in June 2012.
Mr. Zenn earned a J.D. from Georgetown Law where he concentrated in Refugee Law and Humanitarian Emergencies and a degree in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins SAIS Center for Chinese-American Studies in Nanjing, China. During his graduate study, he received a fellowship from the American Society of International Law and Chadbourne & Parke LLP in Yemen and was selected for a State Department Critical Language Scholarship in Indonesia. His experience includes consulting with risk analysis firms and geospatial and socio-cultural research providers, serving as an educator in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and working as a legal adviser providing expertise on the international law and best practices related to the freedom of association.
Interfaith Respect and Dialogue in Azerb..Next
Azerbaijan and Its Partners: Regional, E..
Support Jamestown
Multimedia News
Friends of Jamestown
Washington DC, 20005
facebook twitter rss_reader vimeo
© 2023 The Jamestown Foundation All rights reserved.


text:
Man injured, suspect at large after shooting in West Valley City
Posted 8:40 pm, April 22, 2019, by Scott McKane, David Wells and Lauren Steinbrecher, Updated at 12:51PM, April 23, 2019
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — On person is in a hospital recovering from gunshot wounds, and police are still searching for the shooter after an altercation in West Valley City Monday night.
The shooting occurred shortly after 8 p.m. Monday, and detectives with West Valley City Police said they are still trying to work out the details and sort through several stories.
The uncle of the victim, Michael Hilton, said his nephew is lucky to be alive.
It appears Hilton got involved in a verbal altercation with two men, and that altercation escalated into a fist fight and then a shooting.
"He runs into the house, grabs a gun and is running out: two-feet from my nephew he starts shooting at him," William Burkholder said. "My nephew's rolling on the ground, trying to jump and get away from the bullets, and then the kid runs down the street.
Lt. Justin Wyckoff, West Valley City Police, said this appears to be an isolated incident.
"This was isolated to just to those two," he said. "Nobody else was hurt, and right now we don't even know if the victim and suspect know each other.
Hilton was rushed to a local hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. But his uncle said he's doing about as well as can be expected and should make a full recovery.
Meanwhile, police are still searching for the shooter, and, at this point, still trying to figure out what his name is.
If you have any information you can call Detectives at 801-840-4000.
WVC shooting: The cones you see mark the path of the victim crawling for help after he was shot 4 times. @WVCPD says he was trying to help break up a fight when he was shot. Shooter not caught yet. @fox13 pic.twitter.com/D4PMQzcS6M
— Lauren Steinbrecher (@LaurenSnews) April 23, 2019
Download the free Fox 13 app!
Read our latest articles, watch live streaming newscasts, customize your news alerts and much more!
One dead after shooting at West Valley City home, police say
Driver sentenced for killing man after dog abuse accusation in West Valley
Police searching for suspect(s) who shot teenager in West Valley City Park
Man hit, killed while crossing Redwood Road in West Valley City
Police search for gunman after male hit in buttocks during shooting that led to chase in Salt Lake County
West Valley City Police release partial photo of suspect vehicle in fatal shooting
Police searching for Salt Lake shooting suspects
Police officer taken to hospital after driver runs red light in West Valley City
Caught on Camera: 15 shops at Azteca Swap Meet burglarized
Unified Police seek man who evaded officers after chase, say he's armed and dangerous
California fugitive shot and killed in West Jordan police standoff
Unified Police investigating officer-involved shooting that killed suspect and injured officer
Three arrested after homicide victim found in restaurant parking lot in West Valley City


text:
Q: Custom Authentication flow with aws amplify cognito I want to create a custom signup Authentication Flow in aws amplify cognito service
What i Have
1.Enter Username
2.Enter Password
3.Verify user with Otp (Phone Number)/Confirmation Code (email)
What i want
1.Enter Username
2.Enter Otp/Confirmation Code
3.Enter Password
How to achieve this SignUp flow using aws amplify cognito service,Else what is the best service or approach

A: The scenario you want is possible to do with a custom auth flow but this has some caveats:

*

*You can't use Cognito's MFA with a custom auth flow. It's just not possible. I have an enterprise account with AWS and have raised this with our rep and it was not even in their backlog. This means you need to implement your own SMS OTP or use twilio's API for it ($).

*the cognito hosted UI does not support custom auth, you will need to redo ALL the UI yourself (think reset password links etc, not just login).

*since you will be making API calls, not using the hosted UI, you will lose all oauth benefits, no code grant or oauth scopes. This means you need to do a heap of extra work to get it working securely in a mobile auth session, essentially you will need to reimplement code grant with PKCE somehow.

If you want to do this you can use the custom auth flow, it's pretty complex but here is an article that helped me out when I was doing it: https://dev.to/duarten/passwordless-authentication-with-cognito-13c
My advice would be to stick with the Hosted UI if possible, or don't use Cognito. The feature set of Cognito is a lot less than other auth providers (but it's cheaper).


J. "Palmer" Smith of Lake Oswego died in Seattle Wednesday, November 1, 2017. Cherishing life, he fought to the end. The youngest of nine from Newport, Oregon, he played football for U. of O. While in the Coast Guard, Palmer married Chris Johnson of Port Angeles and Neah Bay, Washington. They raised four children in Lake Oswego: Jeff, Andrea Alexander, Betsy Tulee, Ada May McCormack (d. 2008); seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. In 1963, he founded the Franklin Institute of Sales in Portland, Oregon. He was an Athlete, singer, outdoorsman, businessman, and family man. A life lived fully.
Palmer's services followed by a meal will be Saturday, November 11, 2:00 p.m. at Lake Oswego Methodist Church, 1855 S. Shore Blvd.


Goodlife Box Hill will be opening in early 2019 but in the meantime we are hosting weekly boot camps commencing in the next few weeks, which you can bring a friend or family member along with you, for FREE.
At FNF Wetherill Park, we combine the latest exercise equipment with diverse amenities and group fitness classes all for an affordable value everyone can enjoy! Join now to begin achieving your fitness goals today!
Goodlife Subiaco Platinum offers members a superior experience that leaves the standard gym practice behind. From the dance studio-like Group Fitness space where you can work your upper body in a gun-slinging boxing session.


text:
Anthony Taranto
Taranto's Seafood
Anthony Taranto is the son of Italian immigrants. His parents, Joseph and Madeline Taranto, met in Apalachicola. In 1923 they opened their own seafood house, Taranto's Seafood. Anthony was born nine years later. As a kid, Anthony remembers his father employing more than fifty shuckers, mostly African Americans. When he was old enough, he helped pack shrimp. They would pour the shrimp into wooden barrels, pack them with ice, and send them to New York on a train. Anthony took over his father's seafood business as an adult. But today Taranto's Seafood is closed. Anthony retired in the late 1990s. No one else in the family wanted to take it over. The building still stands on Water Street in downtown Apalachicola. Anthony rents the waterfront access to some commercial fishermen. The building is empty, but the story of Taranto's Seafood is still very much connected to life on the bay.
I don't eat oysters. I'll eat them fried. And they got to be fried crisp. I don't eat raw oysters. I don't like them in a casserole. I don't like an oyster stew. I was the only one in the family that just didn't acquire a taste for them. Everybody else loves them. But that's the way it goes. ~ Anthony Taranto
XTRA: Vintage Apalachicola
Vintage Apalachicola All images courtesy of the Florida State Archives' Florida Memory Project. THE SEAFOOD…
Wes Birdsong
Originally from Atlanta, Wes Birdsong and his wife sailed into Apalachicola in 1996. They docked their boat in town at…
Tommy Ward
Eventually, he returned to the family business. But 13 Mile is not just his business. It's his heritage. Hurricane…
Terry Dean
Today only a handful of seafood houses line the water's edge through Eastpoint. Terry works at a retail market called…
Monica Lemieux
She and her husband, Leslie Lemieux, oystered together for a few years. In the 1980s Monica was an officer with the…
Monette Hicks
Oystermen harvested their catch nearby on Cat Point and Porters Bar. Shuckers would work daylight to dark, without…
Melanie Cooper Covell
In 2004 Melanie married Larry Covell. Together, they opened the Wheelhouse Raw Bar in downtown Apalachicola. Melanie's…
Lynn Martina
Born and raised in Eastpoint, Lynn Martina grew up in the seafood industry. Her parents, John and Sherrill Carroll,…
Janice Richards
Janice Richards was born in Eastpoint in 1945 and has been shucking oysters since 1960. Her mother taught her the trade…
James Hicks
He oystered for near thirty-five years before he decided to hang his hat and get a more reliable job. Today, 13 Mile is…
James and Betty McNeill
In 1947 James Jr. married Betty Lane. Together, they established the Indian Pass Seafood Company. The McNeills also…
Henry Tindell
As imports began replacing the local hard crab business, soft-shell crabs became popular. It takes a special person to…
Grady Leavins
Although he came into the industry as an outsider, Grady has earned the respect of his employees, his neighbors, and…
George Watkins
Over the years he has harvested just about everything the bay has to offer. But one day George decided to take up…
Genaro "Jiggs" Zingarelli
Printing has changed, but Jiggs still holds true to the craft he learned so many decades ago. He still prints tags for…
Fred C. Millender
He has found a way to keep Fred's Best Seafood afloat. Today his daughter Susan operates the seafood house. But Fred…
Donald Smiley
But in 1980 he moved to Franklin County and began oystering. Donald says he made more money in one day of oystering…
Charles Thompson
Today Thompson's Net Shop is one of the last of its kind. Some shrimpers make and repair their own nets, and some might…
Charles and Rex Pennycuff
In 1993 Charles opened Fisherman's Choice Bait & Tackle in Eastpoint. He has no employees, only his family. From this…
Carl McCaplan
As a teenager, Carl moved away, looking for a different life. But the people and the place drew him back. He returned…
Bobby Shiver
As he puts it, he sees a picture in his mind and he builds it. His boats are used by oystermen and fishermen all along…
Albert "Corky" Richards
Using his carpentry skills, he began to make his own oyster tongs. One year in the off-season, a local marine supply…
A.L. "Unk" Quick
A. L. "Unk" Quick has been an oysterman most of his life. He quit school at the age of sixteen and started working on…


Michelle Hepburn is the Assistant Director of Nursing Operations at the Spencer Cox Center for Health in New York City. She obtained her initial nursing degree from Beth Israel School of Nursing and her Bachelors in Nursing at Lehman College, CUNY. Ms. Hepburn is presently completing her Master's of Science in Nursing. She lectures on health topics including sexually transmitted diseases and chronic health ailments.


The Oberoi Vrinda docks at our private jetty on Vembanad Lake, at Kayippuram, near Allepey. The distance from here to Cochin international airport is 73km, approximately 1 hour 30 minutes drive.
Guests can enjoy an exclusive performances of the Mohinattam: "Dance of the Enchantress" and Kathakali dance, which dramatises ancient stories from the Indian epics: The Ramayana and The Mahabharata.
The itinerary on The Oberoi Vrinda includes accommodation, all meals on board, sightseeing excursions with a guide, evening entertainment, transfers to and from Cochin airport to Vembanad Lake jetty and all applicable taxes.
The itinerary on The Oberoi Vrinda includes accommodation, all meals on board, sightseeing excursion with a guide, evening entertainment, transfers to and from Cochin airport to Vembanad Lake jetty and all applicable taxes.
Cruise along the main waterways from Vembanad Lake to Alleppey. Meet local fishermen fishing for 'karimeen', also called 'pearl spot'.
Evening entertainment: An authentic performance of 'Kathakali' dance which tells stories from the ancient Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabarata.
All meals freshly prepared on board by Oberoi chefs.
Rice boat excursion along narrow rural waterways. Witness farming below sea level.
Visit the half-statue of Lord Buddha at Karumadi and a traditional Kerala 'tharavad' (family residence).
Evening entertainment: A traditional performance of 'Vrindavadyam', a musical fusion of classical instruments.
Visit St. Mary's Church, established by St. Thomas in 1721, Sree Bhagavathy Kshetram, a 100-year old Hindu temple to Mother Goddess and Chambakulam snake boat yard which is home to traditional racing boats.
Evening entertainment: 'Mohiniattam' classical dance, also called the 'Dance of the Enchantress'.
Day 3: At 10.00 am, after breakfast, it's time to say goodbye.
We offer flexible daily check in, which means that you can join the cruise on any day of the three day cycle.
Day 1 - Board from Vrinda Jetty, Kayippuram at noon.
Days 2 & 3 – You can choose to board at Rajiv Jetty at 9.00 am, at Palathruthi at 10.00 am or at Kanjipadam at 11.30 am.
Day 1 - Disembark at Vrinda Jetty, Kayippuram before noon.
Days 2 & 3 – You can choose to disembark at Vrinda Jetty before 7.30 am, at Rajiv Jetty at 9.00 am, at Palathruthi at 10.00 am or at Kanjipadam at 11.30 am.
Cruise along the main waterways from Vembanad Lake to Alleppey. Meet local fishermen fishing for "karimeen" also called as "pearl spot".
Evening on board entertainment: An authentic performance of "Kathakali" dance which tells stories from the ancient Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabarata.
All meals freshly prepared on board by Oberoi chefs and served with our heartfelt hospitality.
Rice boat excursion along narrow rural waterways. Witness below sea level farming.
Visit to the half-statue of Lord Buddha at Karumadi and a traditional Kerala tharavad (family residence).
Evening on board entertainment: A traditional performance of Vrinda Vadiyam; a musical fusion of classical instruments.
Visit St. Mary's Church, established by St. Thomas in 1721, Sree Bhagavathy Kshetram: a 100-year old Hindu temple to Mother Goddess and Chambakulam snake boat yard which is home to a traditional racing boat (130 feet long).
Evening on board entertainment: "Mohiniattam" classical dance, also called the 'Dance of the Enchantress'.
Day 4: At 10.00 am, after breakfast, it's time to say goodbye.


text:
import { Equatable } from "./Equatable";
import { ISet } from "./ISet";
import { negationOfSet } from "./negationOfSet";
import { unionOfTwoSets } from "./unionOfTwoSets";

export const intersectionOfTwoSets = (set1: ISet, set2: ISet): ISet => {
    const result = {
        toString: () => `(${set1} | ${set2})`,
        includes: (a: Equatable) => set1.includes(a) && set2.includes(a),
        union: (anotherSet) => unionOfTwoSets(result, anotherSet),
        intersect: (anotherSet) => intersectionOfTwoSets(result, anotherSet),
        get negation() { return negationOfSet(result); }
    }
    return result;
};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Tag Archives: Lebanese
Saudi Arabia: Persecution News Update
The link below is to an article reporting on the punishment that a Lebanese man will receive for his role in a conversion of an Islamic woman to Christianity.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/05/13/saudi-man-gets-300-lashes-6-years-for-helping-woman-convert-to-christianity/
Posted in Christianity, Islam, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia	| Tagged article, Christian, Christianity, Christians, conversion, Islam, Islamic, Lebanese, Lebanon, man, Muslim, muslims, news, Persecution, punishment, receive, role, Saudi Arabia, woman | Leave a comment
Morocco Continues to Purge Nation of Foreign Christians
Posted on July 10, 2010 by particularkev
New wave of deportations raises concerns for foreigners married to Moroccans.
ISTANBUL, July 1 (CDN) — Moroccan authorities expelled eight more foreign Christians from the country last weekend, bringing the total of deported Christians since March to 128.
Two foreign women married to Moroccan Christians were included in this third wave of deportations since March, raising concerns that local authorities intend to harass the country's small but growing Protestant community.
"They are all in fear," a source told Compass, "because this happened to people who are married."
One of the women, a Lebanese national married to a Moroccan, was diagnosed with cancer last month and is the mother of a 6-year old girl whom she was forced to leave behind.
A Spanish national, Sara Domene, 31, was also deported on Monday (June 28), according to news sources. Domene was working as a language teacher in the Western Sahara, a territory under Moroccan sovereignty.
Authorities called the foreigners to police stations across Morocco on Friday (June 25) and told them they had 48 hours to leave the country on grounds of "threatening public order."
Other nationals who were forced to leave the country over the weekend came from France, Egypt, Lebanon, Switzerland, Nigeria and Spain.
A source explained that Moroccan authorities are essentially deporting Christians for "proselytism," which is illegal in Morocco, but in order to justify the deportations they have claimed that the foreigners pose a threat to the state.
In April nearly 7,000 Muslim religious leaders backed the deportations by signing a document describing the work of Christians within Morocco as "moral rape" and "religious terrorism." The statement from the religious leaders came amid a nationwide mudslinging campaign geared to vilify Christians in Morocco for "proselytism" – widely perceived as bribing people to change their faith.
There are an estimated 1,000 Moroccan Christian converts in the country. They are not recognized by the government. About 99 percent of Morocco's population of more than 33 million is Muslim.
On June 17, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a U.S. congressional hearing on the ongoing deportations of U.S. citizens and other foreigners from Morocco.
Morocco has expelled about 58 U.S. citizens in the last four months. On Thursday (June 24) authorities informed about 10 U.S. citizens that they had 48 hours to leave the country, but within 24 hours the deportation orders were rescinded.
In a statement after the June 17 hearing, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), who co-chairs the Lantos commission, said he would lobby for the U.S. government to withhold funds it has pledged to Morocco if he did not see improvements in the treatment of Christians there.
"I will continue to stay with this issue until a resolution has been reached," he said. "Should this matter remain unresolved, it is possible that I may offer amendments in the Appropriations committee and on the House floor to restrict U.S. foreign aid from going to Morocco."
In a letter addressed to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on June 17, Ambassador of Morocco to the United States Aziz Mekouar claimed that the deportations "solely and exclusively targeted proselytism activities, which are clearly and categorically forbidden by the laws of Morocco and the precepts of Islam."
The ambassador said the Moroccan Penal Code imposes fines and prison sentences for those who "use means of seduction in the aim of undermining a Muslim's faith or of converting him/her to another religion, either by exploiting his weaknesses or needs, or through the use, to this end, of health or educational establishments, as well as shelters or orphanages."
Moroccan authorities have failed to provide foreign Christians whom they expelled with documented proof or official charges of their alleged proselytism activities. In his letter, the ambassador said the deportations were preferable to the "difficult ordeal" of incarceration and a trial as part of a criminal procedure against the Christians.
Wolf noted that that among those who were deported or denied reentry were businessmen, educators and humanitarian and social workers, "many of whom had resided in Morocco for over a decade in full compliance with the law. Additionally, those deported were forced to leave the country within two hours of being questioned by authorities, leaving everything behind."
Christian foreigners who were able to obtain official deportation documents have appealed their cases in the Moroccan courts. The hearings for those cases started in May and are continuing.
Posted in Christianity, Egypt, France, Islam, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Spain, Switzerland, USA	| Tagged activities, addressed, aim, alleged, ambassador, amendments, amid, appealed, appropriations, authorities, Aziz Mekouar, backed, behind, bribing, bringing, businessmen, campaign, cancer, cases, categorically, change, charges, Christian, Christianity, Christians, citizens, claimed, clearly, co-chairs, committee, community, compliance, concerns, congressional, continues, converting, converts, country, Courts, criminal, denied, deportations, deporting, describing, diagnosed, difficult, document, documented, educational, educators, Egypt, end, essentially, establishments, everything, exclusively, expelled, explained, exploiting, failed, faith, fear, fines, floor, forbidden, forced, foreign, foreign aid, foreigners, France, Frank Wold, full, funds, geared, girl, grounds, growing, happened, harass, health, hearings, house, humanitarian, illegal, imposes, improvements, incarceration, included, informed, intend, Islam, issue, justify, language, laws, leaders, leave, leaving, Lebanese, letter, lobby, married, matter, means, moral, Moroccan, Moroccan Penal Code, Moroccans, Morocco, mother, mudslinging, Muslim, muslims, nation, national, nationwide, needs, new, Nigeria, obtain, official, ongoing, ordeal, order, orders, orphanages, part, people, perceived, Persecution, pledged, police stations, pose, possible, precepts, preferable, prison, procedure, proof, proselytism, Protestant, provide, public, purge, raises, rape, reached, recognized, reentry, religion, religious, remain, Rep., rescinded, resided, resolution, restrict, Sara Domene, seduction, sentences, shelters, signing, small, social, solely, soverignty, Spain, Spanish, state, stay, Switzerland, targeted, teacher, territory, terrorism, third, threat, threatening, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Total, treatment, trial, undermining, unresolved, USA, vilify, Virginia, wave, weaknesses, Western sahara, widely, withhold, women, work, workers, working | Leave a comment
SAUDI ARABIA: AUTHORITIES ARREST CHRISTIAN CONVERT
Posted on February 1, 2009 by particularkev
Blogger incarcerated after writing about conversion, criticizing Islamic judiciary.
LOS ANGELES, January 28 (Compass Direct News) – Five months after the daughter of a member of Saudi Arabia's religious police was killed for writing online about her faith in Christ, Saudi authorities have reportedly arrested a 28-year-old Christian man for describing his conversion and criticizing the kingdom's judiciary on his Web site.
Saudi police arrested Hamoud Bin Saleh on Jan. 13 "because of his opinions and his testimony that he had converted from Islam to Christianity," according to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI). Bin Saleh, who had been detained for nine months in 2004 and again for a month last November, was reportedly being held in Riyadh's Eleisha prison.
On his web site, which Saudi authorities have blocked, Bin Saleh wrote that his journey to Christ began after witnessing the public beheading of three Pakistanis convicted of drug charges. Shaken, he began an extensive study of Islamic history and law, as well as Saudi justice. He became disillusioned with sharia (Islamic law) and dismayed that kingdom authorities only prosecuted poor Saudis and foreigners.
"I was convinced that the wretched Pakistanis were executed in accordance with the Muhammadan laws just because they are poor and have no money or favored positions, which they had no control or power over," he wrote in Arabic in his Dec. 22 posting, referring to "this terrible prejudice in the application of justice in Saudi Arabia."
A 2003 graduate in English literature from Al Yarmouk University in Jordan, Bin Saleh's research led him to an exploration of other faiths, and in his travels he gained access to a Bible.
"My mind was persistently raising questions and desperately seeking answers," he wrote. "I went on vacations to read about comparative religion, and I got the Bible, and I used to give these books to anyone before going back to Saudi, as going back there with such books is considered an unforgivable crime which will throw its perpetrator in a dark jail."
After reading how Jesus forgave – rather than stoned – a woman condemned for adultery, Bin Saleh eventually received Christ as savior.
"Jesus . . . took us beyond physical salvation as he offered us forgiveness that is the salvation of eternal life and compassion," he wrote. "Just look and ask for the light of God; there might be no available books to help you make a comparative study between the teachings of Muhammad (which are in my opinion a series of political, social, economical and human disasters) and the teaching of Jesus in Saudi Arabia, but there are many resources on the Web by which you might get to the bosom/arms of the Father of salvation. Seek salvation and you will reach it; may the Lord keep you from the devil's pitfalls."
With the Quran and sayings of Muhammad (Sunna) as its constitution, Saudi Arabia enforces a form of sharia derived from 18th-century Sunni scholar Muhammad ibn Abd Al-Wahhab that calls for the death penalty for "blasphemy," or insulting Islam or its prophet, Muhammad. Likewise, conversion from Islam to another faith, "apostasy," is punishable by death, although the U.S. Department of State's 2008 International Religious Freedom Report notes that there have been no confirmed reports of executions for either blasphemy or apostasy in recent years.
Saudi Arabia's ruling monarchy restricts media and other forms of public expression, though authorities have shown some tolerance for criticism and debate since King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud officially ascended to the throne in 2005, according to the state department report.
A spokesman for the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington, D.C. would neither confirm the Jan. 13 arrest of Bin Saleh nor comment on the reasons for it.
Previous Arrests
Writing that both Islam and Saudi Arabia promote injustice and inequality, Bin Saleh described himself as a researcher/writer bent on obtaining full rights of the Christian minority in Saudi Arabia.
He noted on his now-banned Web site ("Masihi Saudi," at http://christforsaudi.blogspot.com ) that he had been arrested twice, the first time in Beirut, Lebanon on Jan. 18, 2004. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees office there had notified Saudi authorities that he had been accepted as a "refugee for ideological persecution reasons," he wrote, but a few days later intelligence agents from the Saudi embassy in Beirut, "with collusion of Lebanese authorities and the government of [former Prime Minister] Rafik Al-Hariri," turned him over to Saudi officials.
After nine months of detention in Saudi Arabia, he was released but banned from traveling, writing and appearing in media.
He was arrested a second time on Nov. 1, 2008. "I was interrogated for a month about some articles by which I condemned the Saudi regime's violation of human rights and [rights of] converts to Christianity," he wrote.
During a Saudi-sponsored, inter-faith dialogue conference at U.N. headquarters in New York involving representatives from 80 countries on Nov. 12-13, according to ANHRI, Saudi authorities released Bin Saleh, then promptly re-arrested him after it was over.
His November arrest came a little less than a year after political critic Fouad Ahmad al-Farhan became the first Saudi to be arrested for Web site postings on Dec. 10, 2007; Al-Farhan was released in April 2008.
In August 2008, a 26-year-old woman was killed for disclosing her faith on a Web site. Fatima Al-Mutairi reportedly had revealed on Web postings that she had left Islam to become a Christian.
Gulfnews.com reported on Aug. 12, 2008 that her father, a member of the religious police or Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, cut out her tongue and burned her to death "following a heated debate on religion." Al-Mutairi had written about hostilities from family members after they discovered she was a Christian, including insults from her brother after he saw her Web postings about her faith. Some reports indicated that her brother was the one who killed her.
She had reportedly written an article about her faith on a blog of which she was a member under the nickname "Rania" a few days before her murder.
Posted in Blogging, Christianity, Islam, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, United Nations, USA	| Tagged accepted, access, accordance, adultery, agents, Al Yarmouk University, ANHRI, answers, apostasy, appearing, application, Arabic, Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, arrest, arrested, articles, ascended, authorities, available, banned, beheading, Beirut, Bible, blasphemy, blocked, Blog, blogger, Books, brother, burned, charges, Christ, Christian, Christianity, Christians, collusion, comment, Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, comparative, compassion, condemned, conference, confirm, confirmed, considered, constitution, control, conversion, convert, converted, convicted, convinced, countries, crime, critic, criticism, criticizing, daughter, death, death penalty, debate, derived, describing, detained, detention, devil, dialogue, disasters, disclosing, discovered, disillusioned, dismayed, drug, economical, Eleisha, embassy, enforces, English, eternal life, executed, executions, exploration, expression, extensive, faith, faiths, family, Father, Fatima Al-Mutairi, favored, foreigners, forgave, forgiveness, form, former, forms, Fouad Ahmad al-Farhan, gained, God, government, graduate, Hamoud Bin Saleh, headquarters, heated, History, hostilities, human, human rights, ideological, incarcerated, inequality, injustice, insulting, insults, Intelligence, inter-faith, interrogated, Islam, Islamic, jail, Jesus, Jordan, journey, judiciary, justice, killed, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Kingdom, law, Lebanese, Lebanon, light, literature, Lord, man, Masihi Saudi, media, member, mind, minority, monarchy, money, Muhammad, Muhammad ibn Abd Al-Wahhab, Muhammadan, murder, Muslim, muslims, New York, nickname, noted, obtaining, offered, office, officially, officials, online, opinion, opinions, Pakistanis, perpetrator, Persecution, physical, pitfalls, police, political, poltical, poor, positions, posting, power, prejudice, previous, Prime Minister, prison, promote, prophet, prosecuted, public, punishable, questions, Quran, Rafik Al-Hariri, raising, Rania, read, received, referring, refugee, regime, religion, religious, reportedly, reports, representatives, research, researcher, resources, restricts, revealed, rights, Riyadh, ruling, salvation, Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian, Saudis, Savior, sayings, scholar, seeking, series, shaken, Sharia, social, spokesman, sponsered, stoned, study, Sunna, teachings, terrible, testimony, throne, tolerance, tongue, traveling, travels, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, U.S. State Department international Religious Freedom R, UN, unforgivable, United Nations, vacations, violation, Washington DC, web, web site, Website, witnessing, woman, wretched, writer, writing, written | 2 Comments


Have you noticed that whenever the World's media, especially the British media, want to compare an area to something, they always choose Wales?
As in "The part of Arizona affected by the recent drought is roughly half the size of Wales." Or "The total area of fields growing opium poppies in Afghanistan is twice the size of Wales." Is everyone in the world intimately familiar with the size of Wales? Does the population of Wales even know the size of Wales? Well, according to Wikipedia it's 20,779 square kilometers. So now you know.
You see, the other day I was thinking – I do that from time to time – about the extent of the recent and ongoing flooding, not only in my own part of Thailand, but all the way down the east coast of the Peninsular, to the bottom of Malaysia. I figured, as a rough estimate, the flooding extended an average of fifty kilometers inland – here, only about 15kms, but further south more than 100kms. I reckoned that must be an area roughly the size of Wales, which, given that the water was anywhere from one to four meters deep, would be a scary amount of water.
The size of Wales according to the satirical motoring website Sniff Petrol!
The flooding extended a little ways north of here, and so the distance down to Johor Baru would be about 1200kms. If my estimate of the inland penetration, 50kms, is about right, then the total area of the flood would be some 60,000 sq.kms. … and that's three times the size of Wales. Which is a really scary amount of water.
"But, what's that in volume?" I hear you ask.
Well, a recent BBC News article about the world's largest container ship said it could hold 19,000 standard twenty foot containers, or 900 million cans of baked beans. Yes, really. They wrote that. So, it would seem just as the standard for comparing areas is Wales, the standard for volume is cans of baked beans.
Now, I won't bore you too much with the math, but if we are to believe the BBC, you can get 47,368 cans of beans in a container, and the volume of a container is 38.5 cubic meters. So, a baked bean can will hold 0.00081 cu.mtrs. … of water, or beans!
Now, if the average depth of the flood was one meter, that's about 60 million cubic meters of water, or … wait for it … 74 billion cans o' beans. Actually, my trusty calculator assures me it's 74074074074 cans. Which is about as bizarre as my twitterings.
Please don't ask me what's the weight of all that water in elephants.
Where I am, it's not too bad. The land is drying, but the rivers remain high. About ten days ago I went to Surat Thani, and fortunately the main highways are raised, otherwise I wouldn't have reached there. On one stretch of road, for about thirty minutes, it was like driving across a lake. There was no sign of land. Just water.
Yesterday I was out and about, and there was no longer any sign of flooded land, so things are improving. Here, the house is eerily quiet because I'd become accustomed to the noise of the crashing waves, but now the sea is returning to its more normal placid state. Usually, it's so calm it's hard to believe it's the sea.
Further south though, Malaysia is struggling to recover. Tens of thousands of people are still homeless, and as the floods recede, they leave behind a sea of mud, soaking wet furniture and possessions. The losses run into the billions – in a currency of your choice.
But back here, maybe soon I'll return to touring mode, to bring you some new travel stories. Last week there was one nice day, so I ventured into Khanom for lunch. A Thai-Finnish owned restaurant that was highly recommended. It was nice, but nothing special. Maybe better in an evening. And, I'd rather have a sea view, so I won't be going back there any time soon.
In any case, it's only 26 days until I start my giant tour of western Thailand with the Road To Mandalay Rally. I hope to have daily updates for at least two weeks, during which I will cover an area about ten times the size of Wales!