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Journal News / Mysterties / Ret. US Army Major Showed Deleted UFO Photos Captured By Apollo Astronauts On Moon
Mysterties,
Ret. US Army Major Showed Deleted UFO Photos Captured By Apollo Astronauts On Moon
By Vicky Verma
NASA marks 53 years since the first human stepped on Moon on July 20, 1969. For some people, lunar landing is still a conspiracy whereas many top-notch people came forward to criticize NASA for hiding the truth. Whether or not the Moon is inhabited, there are some photos presented by UFOlogist Bob Dean at Barcelona Exopolitics Summit, on 25 July 2009, that NASA did not want the world to see, as he claimed.
Soon after the news broke out that NASA landed humans on Moon, different conspiracies quickly took over the matter. From a fake landing to aliens on the moon, people were discussing every bizarre thing a human mind could imagine. Then a sudden halt to Apollo missions in 1972 fueled the conspiracies to grow, allowing astronauts, military personnel, NASA workers, etc to discuss about Moon mysteries.
A man named Robert O. Dean, a.k.a. Bob Dean gave a number of interesting lectures, providing a wealth of information about not only the Moon landings and Apollo missions but also corroborating what numerous whistleblowers said in the past.
Bob Dean's credibility cannot be questioned as he worked at NATO headquarter from 1963 to 1967. He joined the US Army on April 5, 1960, and also served in combat service in Korea and later in Vietnam. He got retired from the army on October 31, 1976, as a Command Sergeant Major.
Former US military retired Major Robert Dean. Image in public domain
During the Barcelona Exopolitics Summit, on July 25, 2009, Mr. Dean released a set of amazing images. He also explained the Apollo missions, and what astronauts encountered unlike anyone before. He released to the public a set of fascinating images supposedly captured by astronauts of the Apollo 12 mission, including an image showing some mysterious spacecraft several hundred feet in diameter.
During the lecture, Mr. Dean recounted how in the morning of February 2, 1961, World War III almost began, and a fleet of UFOs were to blame. "It appears that on the morning of the 2nd of February 1961, World War III almost started. It was involved in the flyover of large numbers of circular metallic craft, flying in formation, very obviously under intelligent control," said Mr. Dean.
Mr. Dean continued: "They would fly out of the Soviet sector in the Warsaw Pact toward the U.S. in formation at a high speed and at a very high altitude. They would turn north over the English Channel over the southern coast of England and then they would disappear off of NATO radar over the Norwegian Sea."
"The Soviets went on red alert. The NATO forces went on red alert. Everybody was, you know … fingers on their triggers, thumbs poised above those red buttons. And World War III was just moments away," explained Mr. Dean. "Within 20 minutes, it was all over. The objects flew, turned north and disappeared off of radar."
He claimed that NATO launched a three-year program to investigate the UFOs and find out if they posed a military threat. He received this information from a 1964 NATO report titled "AN ASSESSMENT" (An Evaluation of a Possible Military Threat to Allied Forces in Europe). He said the report was so sensitive that only 15 copies of it were printed. Besides, the report contained in-depth studies of atmospheric physicists, astronomers, astrophysicists, sociologists, historians, and theologians. (Click here to read full the article)
Mr. Dean said: "There had been the case after case of UFO landings, face-to-face confrontations, invitations to come aboard their ships. It had been going on for some years. It has been going on for centuries." According to him, the report stated that "there apparently was not a military threat because if…[ETs] were hostile or malevolent, the game would have been up a long time ago." This conclusion sounds similar to the UFO emails sent to John Podesta by Edgar Mitchell, who also called E.T. "nonviolent."
He further said in the lecture that "They [experts] concluded that the planet Earth and the human race had been under some kind of survey or observation going on for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. They concluded, in 1964, that there were at least four different groups coming here, observing us, surveying us, analyzing us, closely watching us, what we were up to, what we were doing."
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In his 41 years of federal service to the United States, Mr. Dean heard a lot of bizarre things, but the thing that the human race is a hybrid race stunned him. He said: "I've learned that we are not merely alone; we have never been alone. We have had an intimate interrelationship with advanced extraterrestrial intelligence from the beginning of our history. And let me tell you that that intimate interrelationship is still going on."
He continued: "This one race, in particular, apparently reengineered us as a species about 200,000 years ago. What we are here today is what we call homo sapien sapiens — you're an engineered creature. Your genetics have been manipulated. You're not the same as what you were and you are not the same as to what your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be in the next hundred years."
NASA unreleased images?
Mocking NASA acronym calling it "Never A Straight Answer," Mr. Dean in anguish said that the agency erased 40 rolls of film of the Apollo Program: the flight to the Moon, the flight around the Moon, the landings on the Moon, and others.
Credit: Bob Dean
This image (shown above) comes from the Apollo 12 mission, Apollo Systems 12, roll number 50, negative number 7348. A mysterious object was sighted by Apollo astronauts as they were orbiting the moon.
The image seen below was taken by Astronaut Neil Armstrong. While the astronauts were looking out of the window of their little craft, this cigar-shaped object flew by.
The next image, according to Mr. Dean, shows a mysterious disc-shaped object with several hundred feet in diameter. It was snapped while the astronauts were on their way to the surface of the moon. (Note: This image, which in many ways appears the most spectacular, may have a prosaic explanation: click here to read)
The next two images were taken by Apollo Astronauts when they were overflying the so-called Lansberg crater. According to Mr. Dean, "The astronauts in orbit above the Moon were particularly fascinated by the Lansberg crater. They had been given a special designation to take pictures of Lansberg, because the crater, which they named as the Lansberg, had things going on that were very anomalous. There was construction going on. There were gigantic facilities in the crater up there. So they were specifically delegated and assigned to photograph Lansberg to see if they could figure out what the hell was going on down there. While they were looking at Lansberg, this object happened to express interest in them and flew by. Now this line is an artificial line that was drawn to show you the… it gave the direction that this object was going. This is a good-size object flying past the Apollo Lander."
Another image of the Apollo 13 "UFO" encounter, as noted by Mr. Dean.
Mr. Dean continued showing evidence gathered by astronauts from the Apollo 13 mission. The below image, as Mr. Dean said, was taken by Apollo 13 astronauts while traveling to the moon when a number of things began happening. Some strange objects were appearing outside the windows of the spacecraft, so the Apollo 13 astronauts grabbed their Hasselblad cameras and started taking pictures of what they encountered.
Another image of the Apollo 13 'UFO' encounter, as noted by Mr. Dean.
Such claims and evidence shared by Mr. Dean come with a price. He received harsh criticism from the skeptics' side, but most opinions shared by people are in favor of Dean, and the majority believes that he was legit. He died on October 11, 2018, at the age of 89 in Tucson, Arizona.
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We Are Lucky To Be Here. Let's Try To Not Stuff It Up.
Our universe holds over a hundred billion galaxies, each containing many billions of stars. We now know that many of those stars are orbited by planets, and it's almost impossible not to conclude that, even if just a tiny fraction of one percent of those planets lie within in a star's habitable zone, the universe must be teeming with life. And surely some of those life-supporting planets have given rise to complex, multicellular and, occasionally, intelligent life.
On the other hand, consider how incredibly improbable our existence is. As scientists come up with theories to explain the peculiarities of alien solar systems, their conclusions point to the possibility that our early solar system was a pretty chaotic place. Jupiter may even have gone walkabout in its early days, wreaking havoc on the orbits of its smaller brethren and setting up collisions with comets, asteroids and even other planets. And it could do again.
Just having a planet of the right size in the right place, with a stable orbit and a moon to help keep it steady on it axis, rotating at the right speed so the sunny side doesn't get too hot or the shady side too cool, with liquid water, a protective magnetic field, the right blend of atmospheric gases and the other critical conditions needed to kick-start primitive life is unlikely enough. But the right conditions then need to persist for billions of years if even the most basic forms of multicellular life are to evolve. Earth has experienced cataclysmic events – large scale volcanism, asteroid impacts and the like – that have nearly wiped the planet clean of life. The fact that life persisted may be evidence that it is incredibly resilient. Or it may simply be that life on Earth has been incredibly lucky.
At the level of species and individuals evolution is partly a lottery. It isn't just about survival of the fittest; it's also about survival of the luckiest. Without the impact that wiped out the dinosaurs the world would be a very different place, and if we were able to do a rerun of evolution it would yield different results. There are many millions of species on Earth, yet only one exhibits our type of intelligence. Rather than being inevitable, we humans are highly improbable.
Yet here we are, endowed with the mystery of human consciousness and able to comprehend something of the universe and our place in it. Looking out we can contemplate the possibility, or even the probability, that we are alone; that in the entire universe life is restricted to a thin layer of Earth's crust and a smear of atmosphere just a few kilometres thick. We can appreciate and be awed by the amazing richness of life that shares our tiny sanctuary, and we can understand the threat that we pose to it.
Even if life is sprinkled throughout the universe, we are astoundingly rare bundles of self-aware atoms. We are, without a doubt, incredibly lucky not just to be here, but to be able to marvel at all the living wonders of our world. Isn't that reason enough for us to want to preserve our rich legacy, rather than be the agents of its ongoing impoverishment?
If we really value our minuscule planetary gem we will need to try a lot harder to not further stuff it up.


I caught up with these three...Todd, Liz, and a few-days-shy-of-one-year Haidyn. Before they move next year, we have three shoots scheduled to document Haidyn's first and second birthdays + a bonus shoot somewhere in between.
Look! What do we see?


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Embargoes and Sanctions
Russia Thins Out Its Embassy in Ukraine, a Possible Clue to Putin's Next Move
– Data Covid-19 USA – The slow evacuation may be part propaganda, part preparation for a conflict or part feint, Ukrainian and U.S. officials say. It could be all three.
Belarus, Cyberwarfare and Defense, Defense and Military Forces, Diplomatic Service, Embassies and Consulates, Embargoes and Sanctions, Evacuations and Evacuees, Kyiv (Ukraine), Lukashenko, Aleksandr G, Politics and Government, Putin, Vladimir V, Russia, Ukraine, United States International Relations, War and Armed Conflicts, Zelensky, Volodymyr
New Sanctions for Russian Gas Pipeline Fall Short in Senate
– Data Covid-19 USA – The measure pitted Ukraine's president, who was pushing for the penalties, against the Biden administration, which successfully lobbied Democrats to oppose them.
Biden, Joseph R Jr, Cruz, Ted, Embargoes and Sanctions, Lobbying and Lobbyists, Natural Gas, Nord Stream AG, Pipelines, Putin, Vladimir V, Russia, Senate, Ukraine, United States International Relations, United States Politics and Government, Zelensky, Volodymyr
Can Russia Be Stopped From Invading Ukraine? Here's What We Know
The United States, its NATO allies and Russia meet this week in a whirlwind of diplomacy aimed at averting the largest military action in Europe since World War II.
Belarus, Biden, Joseph R Jr, Defense and Military Forces, Embargoes and Sanctions, European Union, Geneva (Switzerland), Kazakhstan, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Putin, Vladimir V, Russia, Ukraine, United States International Relations
U.S. and Russia Will Discuss European Security, but Without Europeans
The coming talks in Geneva are bilateral, reviving old fears that the two Cold War powers will forge a deal on their own.
Biden, Joseph R Jr, Borrell Fontelles, Josep, Brussels (Belgium), Defense and Military Forces, Embargoes and Sanctions, European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Putin, Vladimir V, Russia, Ukraine, United States International Relations
U.S. Details Possible Sanctions on Russia Over a Ukraine Invasion
The Biden administration and its allies are developing new possible sanctions ahead of a series of meetings to defuse the crisis with Moscow.
Banking and Financial Institutions, Biden, Joseph R Jr, Cyberattacks and Hackers, Cyberwarfare and Defense, Defense and Military Forces, Embargoes and Sanctions, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Putin, Vladimir V, Sherman, Wendy R, SolarWinds, SWIFT(Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), Ukraine, United States International Relations, War and Armed Conflicts
Deal With Ted Cruz Sets Stage for Russia Pipeline Fight in Early 2022
The Texas Republican leveraged his obstruction of diplomatic nominees into a Senate vote that could complicate President Biden's efforts to defend Ukraine.
Biden, Joseph R Jr, Burns, R Nicholas, Cruz, Ted, Embargoes and Sanctions, Pipelines, Putin, Vladimir V, United States International Relations, United States Politics and Government
U.S. and Britain Help Ukraine Prepare for Potential Russian Cyberassault
Russia has attacked Ukraine's power grid in the past, and experts say Moscow might take similar steps as it masses troops along the border.
Biden, Joseph R Jr, Cyberwarfare and Defense, Defense and Military Forces, Embargoes and Sanctions, Kyiv (Ukraine), Politics and Government, Power Failures and Blackouts, Putin, Vladimir V, Russia, Ukraine, United States International Relations, War and Armed Conflicts, Zelensky, Volodymyr
Iran's Nuclear Program Ignites New Tension Between U.S. and Israel
Strains emerged during talks this week after a short period of strong relations between a new Israeli government and new American one.
Arms Control and Limitation and Disarmament, Bennett, Naftali, Biden, Joseph R Jr, Blinken, Antony J, Embargoes and Sanctions, Iran, Israel, Nuclear Weapons, United States Defense and Military Forces, United States International Relations
U.S. Threat to Squeeze Russia's Economy Is a Tactic With a Mixed Record
Sanctions, like aiming to cut oil exports, could also hurt European allies. "It's a limited toolbox," one expert said.
Biden, Joseph R Jr, Embargoes and Sanctions, Europe, Natural Gas, Nord Stream AG, Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline, Pipelines, Politics and Government, Putin, Vladimir V, Russia, United States International Relations, United States Politics and Government
Biden Expected to Offer Warnings and Alternatives in Call With Putin
President Biden will hold a high-stakes video call with Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Tuesday.
Biden, Joseph R Jr, Embargoes and Sanctions, Putin, Vladimir V, Russia, Ukraine, United States Defense and Military Forces, United States International Relations
Angela Merkel – Im Lauf der Zeit Online first in den Mediatheken +++ Sendetermine: 22. Februar 2022 um 20.15 Uhr bei ARTE und am 27. Februar 2022 um 21.45 Uhr im Ersten sowie jeweils zwei Tage vorab in den Mediatheken.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Thrill-seeker with a sensible head
17.10.2019 Text Paula Ristimäki Photos Vesa Tyni
Emmi Parkkisenniemi from Kuusamo got on skis and to the slope for the first time when she was four. Eight years later at the age of 12, Parkkisnniemi's cousin swapped skis for a snowboard and soon, young Emmi did the same.
"I can definitely say that it was love at first sight. Compared to skis, snowboarding offered so many new and interesting aspects that I was sold."
Parkkisenniemi says that she enjoys the thrill of the speed and adrenaline pumping through her veins.
"Snowboarding lets you challenge yourself and test your limits in a good way. However, the most amazing thing is the freedom: I can do and develop just the things I want to."
Slopestyle is Emmi's favourite
Parkkisenniemi emphasises that you need a hard head and a good set of nerves to become a great snowboarder. You have to be brave and ready to put yourself out there. In addition, you must know your body well.
Of the snowboarding styles, her favourite is the slopestyle.
"It's definitely my thing."
The slopestyle jumps also put your body to the test. Coming down from the jump, your back and knees have to be fit and, as Parkkisenniemi says, you must be able to hold your body together when landing.
Emmi Parkkisenniemi emphasises that you need a hard head and a good set of nerves to become a great snowboarder.
Her previous season was interrupted by occasional back problems, and that's why the snowboarder's top priority is to compete throughout this season. The competition season is the busiest in the spring. Beijing Winter Olympics 2020 loom on the horizon, but for now, Parkkisenniemi is focusing on this season.
"I graduated from upper secondary school last spring, and now with my studies behind me, I'm currently focusing 100% on sports."
Of her achievements so far, Parkkisenniemi values most her place in the Finnish national snowboard team and competing in her first World Cup finals in Seiser Alm, Italy last year.
"I finally came in fifth. It was a great course where I challenged myself."
Home in Kuusamo
Parkkisenniemi praises the team spirit of the Finnish national snowboarding team. It's her third year in the team, and she follows the competitions and roots for her friends in the team. She's also interested in how the top snowboarders of the world perform. Otherwise, she's not interested in watching sports, with just one exception.
"I have to watch the ice hockey world championships every time! It's a sort of a tradition."
After upper secondary school in Vuokatti, Parkkisenniemi returned to Kuusamo, at least for now. At home, she relaxes with her dog Ninni. The energetic Finnish Spitz often goes on nature excursions with the athlete. For Parkkisenniemi, nature is an important place for recharging.
"It's good to spend time in the forest, by a swamp, think about your own thoughts in peace and quiet. For me, nature is very important. But you can also empty your head at home, for instance, by watching a series on Netflix."
Emmi Parkkisenniemi
In Kuusamo
Important at home
Recharging, relaxing and Ninni the Dog
The Lumo sponsorship and grant programme supports top Finnish athletes as well as individual and team sports for young people.
In 2019, the sponsored individual athletes are Anna Haataja (orienteering, long-distance running), Joona Kangas (ski slopestyle), Henry Manni (wheelchair racing), Oskari Mörö (400m hurdles), Nooralotta Neziri (100m hurdles) and Emmi Parkkisenniemi (snowboarding).
Lumo sponsorship
Sponsored by Lumo − cross-country skier Anita Korva: "Now it's time to ski"
A good eye for the game is the key to success


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You are at:Home»Movie Reviews»Review: Ryan Coogler's 'Creed', Starring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone
Review: Ryan Coogler's 'Creed', Starring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone
By Mae Abdulbaki on November 23, 2015 0 Comments
Southpaw was the first boxing movie of the year, and while Jake Gyllenhaal's portrayal of a boxer from rags to riches to rags again was well done, the film has a lot of competition when compared to director Ryan Coogler's Creed, a successor to the Rocky films starring Sylvester Stallone.
Creed pays proper homage to its predecessors, but miraculously makes a case of its own, standing on its own merits and relaying the question of legacies and rising above one's own name and the history attached to it. Michael B. Jordan, whom we last saw in the atrocious and severely criticized Fantastic Four reboot earlier this year, is back to being an actor to watch for.
Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) has been moved from group home to group home. He's a troubled child who never knew his father, the famous Apollo Creed, who died before Adonis was born. After being taken in by his stepmother, Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad) Creed, Adonis grows up living a good life, but soon realizes that typing away at a computer at a financial company is not for him.
Secretly, he's been boxing for years and wants to go pro. Packing up and moving from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, Adonis convinces famed boxer, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) to train him under the name Johnson and not Creed. But can he ever step out from behind the shadows of his father's legacy and make a name for himself?
Ryan Coogler's (Fruitvale Station) film isn't quite a sequel but complements the Rocky films nicely. He takes what made those films memorable and mixes it in with a new take on a modern tale. The theme of the film, making your own name and legacy, is there the entire time but is never so blatant, which is Coogler choosing not to insult the audience's intelligence by refraining from hitting you over the head with the film's point. The training montages are really well done, and by the time Michael B. Jordan is jogging down the streets of Philly, pumping his fists in the air, you want to be right along with him doing the same.
Sylvester Stallone reprises his role as Rocky and it's easily the best film he's been in the last few years. He steps right back into the ring, but as an older, tired, and retired version of his character. He and Jordan have an easy onscreen chemistry and Stallone serves as a great father-figure to Jordan's character. Similarly, Michael B. Jordan, who is a powerfully subtle actor, really breathes life into his role as Adonis, a man plagued by a slightly rough past but has something to prove in the wake of his father's legacy.
His performance is layered with emotion and honesty, powered by his passion for boxing and his future. Tessa Thompson, as musician Bianca, equally rises to the occasion, but as a supporting character to the film's lead actors. Yes, she is the supporting female to Jordan's big dreams, but she has her own thing going on, her ambitions to make music and to perform echo throughout. She has no tolerance for bullshit and although Thompson's role is smaller, she is clearly not forgettable.
Creed is not just about boxing or the character of Rocky, but about building new relationships and how a name with a legacy can make you or break you, making it difficult to branch out on your own. Coogler, along with co-writer Aaron Covington, allow the characters to shape the outcome of the story and it's that emotional core and character development that render this film more than merely a boxing movie. Rooting for the underdog has never looked better and fans of the Rocky films can rest assured that the film doesn't disappoint.
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Features: 11 Drawers. The upper drawers are smaller, and four drawers are extra large and designed for blanket storage. Shown in the Colonial style with a cut base and Colonial knobs. Available in all styles.


The Contra Corriente Network in Spain ask for prayer tomorrow (16th) as as they take part in the Art3 Festival in Madrid.
The telling thing about this up-its-own-bottom site is that since October 11th last year there have been no comments posted. Readership? Maybe. But clearly not interactive (I am being kind).
Please chop and get on elsewhere.


- List of self service. This are boxes elements or list tended to be as an option to execute some automation (For example create user, reset password or order laptop) When selecting specific self service it will open form and will offer possibility to submit it.
The main goal is to create good looking professional design for this portal. You can check other ITSM system for inspirations like Jira or others. Also there should be possibility to adjust branding of portal (Logo, colors and may be layout).
Now working. 1 days wait please.
Looks very basic. You can take any admin template for inspiration.
Can you attach any sample images or screenshots of the data/features that you looking for? ITSM softwares are a bit broad in scope with multiple screensso a mockup of all is too broad to specify..


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'Attestation d'accueil': Why you may need to register your British guests at your local French town hall
@thelocalfrance
BrexitDealing with BrexitnewsletterSecond homesTravelTravelling to France
Having friends or family to stay may now involve asking your local mayor. Photo: Eric Cabanis/AFP
With more and more travellers set to arrive in France from the UK in the coming weeks there are plenty of new rules to be aware of, given the UK is now outside the EU, including an apparent obligation for those living in France to register British guests in advance at the local town hall.
Who does this affect?
This applies to British nationals coming to France for a visit of less than 90 days who do not have have either;
Dual nationality with an EU country
Residency status in France (carte de séjour or receipt acknowledging carte de séjour application)
A visa
Is it just Britons?
No, this is the standard rule for all étrangers, which in the context of French bureaucracy means non-EU citizens. So the rule has always been in place for American, Australian, Canadian etc travellers, it's just new to Brits because they are no longer citizens of an EU country.
READ ALSO What Brexit has changed for British visitors to France
(article continues below)
See also on The Local:
Updated travel guidance on the British government's travel advice page
When entering France as a non-EU national border guards are within their rights to ask you for;
Proof of accommodation during your stay (booking for hotel, gîte, Airbnb or B&B for tourists, second-home owners may need to provide proof of address such as a utility bill and if you're staying with friends or family you may need an attestation d'accueil)
A return ticket or the means to acquire one
Sufficient financial means to cover basic costs during your stay. The guideline figures for this are; €65 per day if you have a hotel booking, €120 per day if you have no hotel booking, €32.50 per day if you are staying with friends or family
Insurance that covers health costs and the cost of repatriation if required
If you are transiting through France you may be asked for proof of your right to enter your final destination
So who needs the attestation d'accueil?
It's for people paying "private visits" to France – so really it's visits to family and friends if you're staying in their homes. If you have a booking for a hotel, Airbnb, gîte, B&B or similar then you won't need the attestation as well.
The French Embassy in Canada provides the clearest explanation of this, saying: "It is not the definition of a 'private visit' and not a tourist visit that counts, but the fact that you are staying in a private home rather than a hotel or similar.
"In fact, proof of accommodation covering the entire duration of the stay (hotel reservation and/or certificate of accommodation with a relative previously validated at the town hall) is one of the supporting documents that must be presented at the border upon arrival in France of a third country national (outside the EU)."
If you're staying in your own property while visiting – ie second-home owners – you may need to provide proof of your ownership such as property deeds or utility bills in your name.
Basically, everyone needs some type of proof of where they will be staying and if you're staying with family or friends, that proof is via the attestation d'acceuil.
If you're travelling as a family then spouses or legally registered partners plus children aged under 18 can all be covered by the same form, but two friends travelling to stay with the same person would need a form each.
READ ALSO What to do if you cannot get the attestation d'accueil before your visit
The Local asked the Interior Ministry if they could could confirm that this definitely applies to Brits and they confirmed that it does – but added an extra provision that can be used instead of the attestation d'acceuil.
A spokesman for the Interior Ministry told us: "British tourists, who are now third-country nationals, are subject to compliance with the conditions for entry into the Schengen area under Article 6 of the CFS.
"Since January 1st 2021, they must have proof of sufficient means of subsistence both for the duration of their intended stay and for their return to the UK.
"To enter France, British tourists must therefore present
– an attestation d'acceuil issued by the town hall (if they are staying in private accommodation) or a hotel reservation (which can be replaced by a sum of €120 per person per day)
– proof of means of subsistence (65 euros per day in the case of hotel accommodation or 32.50 euros in the case of an accommodation certificate)
– a certificate of insurance for repatriation on medical grounds"
Therefore people who cannot provide either a hotel booking or an attestation d'acceuil to have a third option – being able to provide proof that they have at least €120 for each day of their stay in France.
You don't have to pay out this money to anyone, you just need proof – bank statements, cash, travellers cheques or credit card – that you have it and therefore will not become a burden on the French state during your stay.
Come on, do I really need to do this every time my mate/sister/mum visits? Who will check?
This is a good question. As mentioned, this has always been the rule for other non-EU visitors, but when we asked about it in a couple of "Americans in France" Facebook groups most people had never even heard of it.
It's the same with the requirements to show a return ticket and proof of means at the border, they are technically the rules but asking around Americans and Australians in France reveals that they are not often checked.
However, just because these checks don't happen often it doesn't mean that they don't happen at all and if you are asked and cannot provide the correct paperwork, you can, in theory, be turned back at the border. Because Covid has dramatically decreased travel since the end of the Brexit transition period, at this stage we really don't know how strictly the UK/France border is being manned.
There's also politics to factor into all this – over in the UK, EU nationals visiting friends/family who don't have the correct papers have actually been locked up in detention centres in a series of cases that are causing increasing anger. There's no suggestion that France will start doing this, but if this becomes a political issue it's not impossible that checks could be stepped up at the border.
Ok fine, how do I get hold of one of these attestations?
The person who actually applies is the host, not the guest.
If you are having a British guest to stay with you, you apply in advance to your local mairie, pay a fee, get the attestation validated and then send a copy (an electronic copy is fine) to your guests for them to show at the border if necessary.
What's the process?
The host contacts their local mairie (for people living in Paris, Lyon and Marseille that's the arrondissement mairie) and requests the form for the attestation d'accueil or form number n°10798 (you can find a sample copy of the form here).
You then fill it in and provide supporting documents. These vary slightly depending on whether you are French, European or a non-EU citizen but you will need;
Proof of your right of residence in France if you are not French or European
Property deeds or a rental contract for the address your guests will be staying at
A recent utility bill
Documents to prove your financial means (pay slips, most recent tax return) plus a commitment to take care financially of your guest if necessary
The form costs €30 and can be paid with either a timbre fiscale or by card, depending on the system at your mairie.
The official then signs and stamps the attestation and you can send a copy to your guest to show at the border if necessary.
The validation of the attestation is not necessarily done on the same day, if it is not you will be given a receipt while your application is processed. The maximum time allowed for processing is one month.
The mayor or official has the right to refuse your request on the following grounds:
The host cannot present the required supporting documents,
The visitor cannot be accommodated in normal housing conditions
The information provided is inaccurate
Certificates previously requested by the applicant show a misuse of procedure
You can find full details on the process here.
The certificate relates to only one visit, so you will need to do this every time you have guests.
Are there any exemptions?
Yes, some. As mentioned above, this only relates to Brits who have neither a visa, French residency or dual nationality with an EU country and who are on a visit of less than 90 days.
However there are some other exemptions:
A person staying for humanitarian reasons, eg refugees
A person involved in a cultural exchange, usually through a recognised programme
A medical emergency if the person visiting is seriously ill, or they are visiting a loved one who is seriously ill
A funeral, if the guest is travelling to attend the funeral of a loved one.
Find full details here.
As mentioned above, the alternative option is to present proof of your financial means at the border and this could be useful for – for example – someone whose mate has lent them their second home for a cheap holiday.
I'm confused
Yes, it is confusing and we don't really know how this is going to work in practice with the mairies, especially in smaller places in rural France where there is not a lot of immigration paperwork usually processed.
It's also very unclear exactly how strict border controls will be on this type of paperwork.
Claire Waddington from citizens' rights group Remain in France Together (RIFT) said the situation was "confusing and frustrating", and added that her group was working on getting further clarity.
You can contact us on [email protected] if you have any questions.
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alan stuart - 21 May 2021 at 12:26 CEST
This is basically a visa in all but name . So much for reciprocal visa-free travel.
francesinprovence - 19 May 2021 at 20:05 CEST
The only people being stopped are those who want to work in the U/K but don't have visas to do so. The young girl who it was said was going to be an au pair didn't have a visa. Her uncle thought this would help her but instead got her stopped from entering the country. She would have automatically been allowed in if he hadn't made such a silly mistake. But at least you don't have to pay to visit relatives!
Beth Eastwood - 19 May 2021 at 19:46 CEST
This article has the wrong link to support "EU nationals visiting friends/family who don't have the correct papers have actually been locked up in detention centres in a series of cases that are causing increasing anger." Sadly, it won't surprise me if this UK government really is locking up EU nationals trying to visit friends and family in the UK, but the only cases I have read about so far involved EU nationals going to the UK for job interviews, or to look for work, or to be au pairs (who still should not have been locked up in detention centers, obviously). If you have heard of EU nationals being locked up when they are only trying to visit friends or family, could you please post the correct link? Thanks in advance!
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text:
Current positionReducerHome>> Knowledge of international trade>> The main characteristics of the foreign exchange market
The main characteristics of the foreign exchange market
Although the international foreign exchange market is a day and night 24 hours continuous operation of the market, a market exchange rate fluctuations can quickly spread to other markets, but each one has its own market has different characteristics.
Sydney daily foreign exchange market as the world's first open markets for foreign exchange transactions, the transaction time is about 6:00-14:00 (Beijing time). Fluctuations in exchange rates are usually relatively calm trading varieties to Australian, New Zealand and U.S. dollars.
Tokyo foreign exchange market trading is more a single species, mainly in the yen against the dollar and the yen against the euro. Japan, as a major exporter of its receipt and payment of import and export trade is more concentrated, and therefore has the characteristics susceptible to interference. The transaction time is about 8:00-11:00 and 12:30-16:00 GMT.
London foreign exchange market trading currency many species are often more than 30 kinds, of which the largest transaction of the pound against the dollar deal, followed by the pound against the euro, Swiss franc and yen. Its trading time is about 17:00 to next day 1:00 GMT. London foreign exchange market, almost all the major international banks have branches here, the New York foreign exchange market due to its convergence with trading hours, so daily from 21:00 to 1:00 the next day is the major Currency fluctuations in the most active phase.
New York foreign exchange market is an important international foreign exchange markets, the daily trading volume after London. Currently accounts for more than 90% of global final U.S. dollar transactions through New York to settle inter-bank clearing system, so the New York foreign exchange market has become the dollar's international settlement center. Other than U.S. dollars, the major currencies were trading currency euro, British pound, Swiss franc, Canadian dollar, Japanese yen and so on. Its trading hours to 21:00 GMT the next day about 4:00.


When/Where: 3:30 p.m./Lane Stadium, Blacksburg.
TV: ABC. Radio: 790AM, 850AM, 910AM, 1140AM, 93.5FM, 105.5FM, 107.5FM.
The favorite: U.Va. by 4.5.
The buzz: At this stage, there's only one path to making this season even remotely successful for Tech, and it has to go through U.Va. Tech can only finish with an above-.500 record for a 26th straight season by winning three straight games. The only way it can have a shot at playing even one more game after Friday is by beating U.Va. For the Cavaliers, it's already been a season that far surpassed expectations. U.Va. is already ensured of finishing with a winning record for the first time since 2011. Not that it's necessarily any indication of level of focus, but after not shying away before the season from talking about the importance of this season's game against Tech, U.Va. made players off-limits this week to media. With Tech facing one of the best secondaries it has played this season, led by cornerback/safety Juan Thornhill and cornerback Bryce Hall, the Hokies must try to establish some kind of running game, which has been a chore for them (122 or fewer rushing yards in three of the last four games). Tech running back Steven Peoples (team-high 586 yards; only gained more than 64 yards in one game this season) and the Hokies' offensive line can take a lot of pressure off quarterback Ryan Willis and wide receivers Damon Hazelton, Eric Kumah and Hezekiah Grimsley, a Lafayette High alum. U.Va. quarterback Bryce Perkins' mobility will test Tech's young, banged-up defense, which got a little boost last Saturday in a loss to Miami with the return of defensive tackle Jarrod Hewitt (who missed two games with an ankle injury). Perkins and running back Jordan Ellis (team-high 868 rushing yards and eight touchdowns) could present serious challenges for a defense that's 107th-best in the nation out of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision programs in rushing defense (208.2 rushing yards per game), and has given up more 40-plus-yard carries (11) than all but four FBS teams.
The pick: U.Va. 28, Tech 21.


Suspects shown in CCTV stills, provided by Vienna police.
Three middle-aged men entered an auction house in Vienna and removed a painting by French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir from a wall on Monday, according to a police statement. The artwork was displayed on the second floor for an upcoming sale at the Dorotheum auction house.
Each thief escaped through a different exit. The incident took just minutes, with the artwork removed from its frame. Police have released images of the suspects.
Dorotheum previously had listed online a Renoir painting from 1895 titled "Golfe, Mer, Falaises Vertes," with a pre-sale estimate of between 120,000 euros and 160,000 euros ($136,000-$181,000).


text:
Following are the results of the 2013–14 Serbian League Vojvodina season.  The Serbian League Vojvodina is a section of the Serbian League, Serbia's third football league. Teams from Vojvodina are in this section of the league. The other sections are Serbian League East, Serbian League West, and Serbian League Belgrade.

Teams
 FK Banat Zrenjanin
 FK Bačka 1901
 FK Bačka Bačka Palanka
 FK ČSK Pivara
 FK Dinamo Pančevo
 FK Dunav Stari Banovci
 FK Jedinstvo Novi Bečej
 FK Novi Sad
 FK Palić
 FK Radnički Nova Pazova
 FK Radnički Sombor
 FK Radnički Sremska Mitrovica
 FK Radnički Šid
 FK Senta
 FK Sloga Temerin
 FK Tekstilac Odžaci

League table

External links
 Football Association of Vojvodina - Official Site

Serbian League Vojvodina seasons
3
Serb

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Format: Text
Soloist / Performer: Bette Davis, 1908-1989
Place Written / Recorded: United States
Literature & Language(5)
Film(5)
1930s(5)
Alfred E. Green, 1889-1960(3)
Courtney Terrett, 1903-1950(2)
Darryl F. Zanuck, 1902-1979(2)
Bette Davis, 1908-1989(5)
Frank McHugh, 1898-1981(2)
Guy Kibbee, 1882-1956(2)
Warner Brothers(5)
Hal B. Wallis, 1899-1986(1)
That Certain Woman (1937): Shooting script
directed by Edmund Golding, 1891-1959; produced by Hal B. Wallis, 1899-1986, Warner Brothers; performed by Bette Davis, 1908-1989, Henry Fonda, 1905-1982, Anita Louise, 1915-1970, Ian Hunter, 1900-1975, Donald Crisp, 1882-1974 and Hugh O'Connell, 1898-1943 (Alexandria, VA: Alexander Street, 2005), 171 page(s)
Bette Davis, 1908-1989, Henry Fonda, 1905-1982, Anita Louise, 1915-1970, Ian Hunter, 1900-1975, Donald Crisp, 1882-1974, Hugh O'Connell, 1898-1943
Hal B. Wallis, 1899-1986, Warner Brothers
Edmund Golding, 1891-1959, Bette Davis, 1908-1989, Henry Fonda, 1905-1982, Anita Louise, 1915-1970, Ian Hunter, 1900-1975, Donald Crisp, 1882-1974, Hugh O'Connell, 1898-1943
Family, Mary Donnell, Flip, Jack Merrick Jr.
Copyright © 1937, Warner Bros.
Dangerous (1935): Shooting script
directed by Alfred E. Green, 1889-1960; produced by Harry Joe Brown, 1890-1972, Warner Brothers and Vitaphone Corporation; performed by Bette Davis, 1908-1989, Franchot Tone, 1905-1968, Margaret Lindsay, 1910-1981 and John Eldredge, 1904-1961 (Alexandria, VA: Alexander Street, 2005), 114 page(s)
Bette Davis, 1908-1989, Franchot Tone, 1905-1968, Margaret Lindsay, 1910-1981, John Eldredge, 1904-1961
Harry Joe Brown, 1890-1972, Warner Brothers, Vitaphone Corporation
Alfred E. Green, 1889-1960, Bette Davis, 1908-1989, Franchot Tone, 1905-1968, Margaret Lindsay, 1910-1981, John Eldredge, 1904-1961, Laird Doyle, 1907-1936
Entertainment industry, Great Depression, 1929-1941, Joyce Heath, Don Bellows, Gail Armitage
Copyright © Warner Bros. Reproduced by permission of Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Division of Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P.
The Dark Horse (1932): Draft script
directed by Alfred E. Green, 1889-1960; produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, 1902-1979, Warner Brothers; performed by Warren William, 1894-1948, Bette Davis, 1908-1989, Guy Kibbee, 1882-1956, Vivienne Osborne, 1896-1961 and Frank McHugh, 1898-1981 (Alexandria, VA: Alexander Street, 2008), 101 page(s)
Warren William, 1894-1948, Bette Davis, 1908-1989, Guy Kibbee, 1882-1956, Vivienne Osborne, 1896-1961, Frank McHugh, 1898-1981
Darryl F. Zanuck, 1902-1979, Warner Brothers
Alfred E. Green, 1889-1960, Warren William, 1894-1948, Bette Davis, 1908-1989, Guy Kibbee, 1882-1956, Vivienne Osborne, 1896-1961, Frank McHugh, 1898-1981, Darryl F. Zanuck, 1902-1979, Wilson Mizner, 1876-1933, Joseph Jackson, 1894-1932, Courtney Terrett, 1903-1950
Politics, Hal Samson Blake, Kay Russell, Zachary Hicks
Special Agent (1935): Shooting script
directed by William Keighley, 1889-1984; produced by Samuel Bischoff, 1890-1975 and Martin Mooney, 1896-1967, Warner Brothers; performed by Bette Davis, 1908-1989, George Brent, 1904-1979, Ricardo Cortez, 1900-1977, Jack La Rue, 1902-1984 and Henry O'Neill, 1891-1961 (Alexandria, VA: Alexander Street, 1935), 138 page(s)
Bette Davis, 1908-1989, George Brent, 1904-1979, Ricardo Cortez, 1900-1977, Jack La Rue, 1902-1984, Henry O'Neill, 1891-1961
Samuel Bischoff, 1890-1975, Martin Mooney, 1896-1967, Warner Brothers
William Keighley, 1889-1984, Bette Davis, 1908-1989, George Brent, 1904-1979, Ricardo Cortez, 1900-1977, Jack La Rue, 1902-1984, Henry O'Neill, 1891-1961, Abem Finkel, 1889-1948, Martin Mooney, 1896-1967, Laird Doyle, 1907-1936
Criminal investigations, Alexander Carston, Julie Gardner, Bill Bradford
The Dark Horse (1932): Shooting script


Ricardo Kaka, the famous Brazilian football player and ex-AC Milan Midfielder posted a photo of his Orlando jersey Kaka <3 Italy on Instagram, saying that he's helping the Italian Red Cross raise funds by auctioning his Orlando worn and signed jersey.
Kaka was awarded the Italian citizenship in 2007, after his long career with AC Milan.
Southeast of Norcia, Italy was hit by a deadly Magnitude 6.2 earthquake on Aug 24, which killed 290 people.


text:
WSU committed to helping student veterans succeed
There are around 1,500 students on the post 9/11 G.I. Bill attending classes across the WSU system. Pullman alone has more than 1,100 students who are veterans or military affiliated.
academics, rotc, veterans, veterans affairs
Culinary certificate students serve those who served the country
Pizza and patriotism were the focus of a lunch prepared for veterans by students in the WSU Carson College of Business.
New study to investigate role of sleep in chronic pain
By Judith Van Dongen, WSU Spokane SPOKANE, Wash. – Washington State University will lead a study to understand the relationship between sleep and chronic pain, part of a nationwide effort to address the rising abuse of opioid pain relievers and expand the arsenal of non-drug treatment options.
addiction, College of Nursing, hypnosis, NIH, opioid, pain management, sleep, veterans
WSU Tri-Cities named a Military Friendly School
By Jeff Dennison, WSU Tri-Cities RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Tri-Cities announced today that it has earned the 2017 Military Friendly School designation from Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs, STEM Jobs and Military Spouse.
military, military friendly, veterans
Coug students make a 'reel' difference for veterans
By Tina Hilding, Voiland College of Engineering & Architecture PULLMAN, Wash. – Students sometimes wonder whether they'll ever use what they are learning in school. Those at Washington State University recently witnessed the practical difference their work is making as they shared a barbecue, demonstrated their reel projects and learned the basics of fly fishing […]
fly-fishing, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, veterans, Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
Nov. 11: Veterans Day includes speakers, wreath-laying
PULLMAN, Wash. – The annual, public Veterans Day ceremony at Washington State University will begin with food served outside the CUB auditorium at 9:30 a.m. and a program in the auditorium at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11.
veterans, veterans day ceremony
Veteran awareness campaign wins national honor
By Darin Watkins, Edward R. Murrow College of Communication PULLMAN, Wash. – A public relations campaign promoting education to military veterans won national recognition for Washington State University students Steffen Stroup, Alberto Vázquez, Madison Miller and Micah Peyron.
award, public relations, veterans
March 2, 3: Terrell tent offers spot for vets, students to meet
PULLMAN, Wash. – A Veterans Connection Event to unite the Washington State University community in recognition of and respect for student veterans will be 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, March 2 and 3, in a tent on the Terrell mall.
competition, Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, public relations, veterans
Student highlights lives of World War II GIs attending WSC
By Nella Letizia, WSU Libraries PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University honors student Claire Thornton grew up hearing stories of her grandfather, Dell, a combat medic during World War II. This year, Thornton studied the impact GIs had on Washington State College as they left the war behind and entered the halls of higher education.
family, GI Bill, history, honors, libraries, military, research, student, veterans, World War II
Sept. 11: 9/11 ceremony honors WWI veterans
By Cathy McKenzie, WSU Mount Vernon MOUNT VERNON, Wash. – Veterans will be honored and the 100th anniversary of World War I commemorated at a public ceremony at 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, in the Discovery Garden at Washington State University Mount Vernon, 16650 State Route 536 (Memorial Highway).
9/11, garden, master gardeners, memorial, veterans
WSU and U of I pledge combined $1 million for new airport terminal
Washington State University and University of Idaho are teaming up to support the new terminal construction at Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport.


text:
Hippiscus is a genus of band-winged grasshoppers in the family Acrididae. There is only one described species in the genus, Hippiscus ocelote from North America.

References

Further reading

External links

Oedipodinae
Articles created by Qbugbot
Monotypic Orthoptera genera


QUESTION: And there's been a lot of criticism -- I shouldn't say that -- there's been some criticism of the Attorney General's so-called Patriot II, if you will, tour that he's begun. Is that really what's behind the President going into the issue today, to try and give the Attorney General a little bit of juice on that?
MR. McCLELLAN: What's behind the President's actions is the American people and protecting the American people from future attacks. We want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to prevent something like September 11th from ever happening again, and the President will act on multiple fronts.
As I mentioned, the most important front is taking the fight to the terrorists. And that's exactly what we have been doing. And we are making great progress in that effort, going after the al Qaeda leadership -- two-thirds of it that has been killed or captured. And we are making great progress in Afghanistan. We have made significant progress in Iraq, and the President -- which is now central to winning the war on terrorism, a free a democratic Iraq will help bring about peace and stability in a very important part of the region, to winning the war on terrorism. But the President is always looking at ways, too, that we can better secure the homeland and make America safer. And that's what this is about.


text:
Q: javafx project with multiple css .root{...} I have a JavaFX project (in NetBeans) with multiple fxml files. Is there any way to assign individual css files for each of these fxml files? I want to make different .root{...} settings for each fxml. Is it possible?

A: Add to each FXML file the associated css file:
  <stylesheets>
    <URL value="@stylesheet.css" />
  </stylesheets>

Make sure that stylesheet.css is somewhere on the CLASSPATH.
Edit: if you want one global css for many fxml files, add the fx:id to the root pane in your fxml files , and use the ID in your css, root in the default value.
#fxml_1 {
  ... style from the fxml file with fx:id = "fxml_1", and so on
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
On His Majesty's Service
Excerpt # 18: On His Majesty's Service
M. Bakri Musa (www.bakrimusa.com)
After about three months at GHKL, I was called for an interview with the Public Services Commission. Only a formality; it would not affect my work though definitely my pay. Up till that time I was paid at the level of a first-year doctor – an intern – even though I was a specialist with over six years post-MD experience. That should have entitled me for a "Superscale" posting that would doubled my current pay. I had been drawing on my savings, and that was with no car payments as I was using my father's.
That interview was the very first time I had to fill in any application form. Up till then I could have been an imposter and no one would have caught it, except for those initial clinical queries from Tan Sri Majid, the Director-General who first appointed me to GHKL.
I was in the same group being interviewed with all the other new doctors, including a few of my interns. They were as surprised as I was. My turn was midmorning. I wished they had told me the specific time so I could have made my hospital rounds first and not have wasted a good part of the morning waiting.
There was a panel of five, including the chairman, a short, thin, old Malay man with wiry white hair and black-rimmed thick glasses. He had a go at me first after scrutinizing my papers with the disdain of a fussy editor consigned to peruse an unsolicited manuscript. Perhaps my hippie-style hair did not sit well with him.
Noting that I had my science degree before entering medical school, he asked why I did not return home then and give others a chance to go to medical school. I should have been satisfied with one degree. "Besides," he added, "our country needs science teachers badly, you know, especially Malays!"
I interjected that perhaps I could be a teacher of doctors seeing that I had both a science and a medical degree.
"You have a point there!" He missed my sarcasm.
Then treating him like a high school kid who had read something in the library, or using today's equivalent, something on Google, I lectured him that in North America, unlike Malaysia or Britain, we were required to have a good broad-based liberal education before entering medical school. Thus, I had to take English Literature during my premed. I quoted my medical school dean who said that you could learn more about human nature from reading Shakespeare than from dissecting frogs. I received a grunt as a response to that one.
Then noting that I also had my Masters' degree in Experimental Surgery, he intoned, "We don't want you experimenting on our people!"
Unable to upstage me on the degree game, he asked how many prime ministers Malaysia has had. Let's see, there was Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, and now Hussein Onn. I replied, "Three."
"Wrong!" he shouted with glee as he jabbed his index finger in my direction. I had missed the brief spell of Dr. Ismail who died in office as acting prime minister during Tun Razak's visit to Canada. I knew that but thought he was only the acting head. "That's the trouble with you people. You go abroad and forget about our country."
I could not disagree with him on that point.
"He was formally sworn in by Agung, you know!" he smugly continued, more to his fellow panelists.
I had no trouble with the rest of the panelists except for the last one, a young Indian man. Straightening his body, stiffening his neck, and leaning forward to appear profound, "Why do American surgeons perform unnecessary surgery?" he taunted me.
Ignoring his bait, I corrected him by saying that I was trained in Canada, a separate country to the north, and that Canadians are not Americans. Elementary stuff! Then I went on to expound on the meaning of "unnecessary." It happened that a few days earlier there were headlines of a well-known personality who had died in hospital following a road accident. I told the panel that doctors do not always know exactly what was going on inside a patient's body. That individual probably died of a ruptured spleen but when he came in, the signs were not so obvious and his surgeon was afraid to operate because of fear of doing "unnecessary surgery." He grasped my point right away and I did not belabor it. This was the days before CAT scans. Today with sophisticated scans and other diagnostic tests, we rarely have to do exploratory laparotomies.
Later, back at the hospital I pondered what would have happened had I bombed that interview. Would they have denied my appointment when the country desperately needed surgeons?
I had high hopes before the interview that we would be discussing something substantive, as how we could learn about hospitals and healthcare delivery in general from Canada. Instead, I faced a bunch of senior civil servants more interested in proving to me how smart they were, and how ignorant I was about Malaysia. That made my earlier chanced encounter with Dr. Majid Ismail that much more remarkable as well as exceptional.
In truth, if I had anything to prove, I wouldn't do it to these yahoos. Yet I kept thinking (dreaming would be more like it) that the next time it would be different and that I would meet someone with whom I could discuss something substantive. Every time I thought I had a chance, that proved to be a severe disappointment.
Next Excerpt # 19: A Rookie In The Bureaucracy
From the author's second memoir, The Son Has Not Returned. A Surgeon In His Native Malaysia, 2018.
Excerpt #18: Life In Bungsar
When in Canada, Karen read about a Canadian married to a Malaysian and had settled in Malaysia. That was how Karen heard of Leslie Muri. She was a teacher at the International School and through her Karen became a substitute teacher there. I knew of her husband but had never met him; he was a few years ahead of me at Malay College.
I compared what Karen did with her students at ISKL to what I had experienced at Malay College, supposedly an elite school. By that measure, Malaysia had a long way to go in terms of an enlightened curriculum and teaching philosophy. The gulf has only widened since, as judged by the experience of my first maid.
Karen taught at the high school level at ISKL. During my time, we only read about rice planting, the rubber industry, and tin mines, Malaysia's main commodities. She however, divided her class into groups and assigned each a specific sector. Theywent out and learned by themselves and did their own research in the library and from visiting those tin mines and rubber estates, which Karen helped arrange.
"Did you know that when the British introduced mechanical dredges to replace hydraulic mining, thousands of those Chinese coolies were laid off?" she asked me one day. No, I did not know that. They left the mines and settled in urban areas and eventually displaced those Malays already there. No, I did not know that either. Karen learned those facts from her students. Those hydraulic mines changed forever the demographic dynamics of urban Malaysia, with the political repercussions still felt to this day.
Ever wonder why graduates from schools like ISKL ended up at the Harvards and Princetons while those from leading Malaysian public schools like Malay College at Oklahoma State, at best? The irony did not escape me. Here was a school meant for foreigners subscribing to a pedagogical philosophy championed by our own 19thCentury writer Munshi Abdullah who likened a child's brain to a parang(machete) – to be sharpened, not a paper bin to be filled with dogmas. To a sculptor, a sharp knife is an instrument for expressing his creativity; to a surgeon, a tool to save lives. All you could retrieve from a paper bin are old recycled papers. That was what Malaysia was getting from her young then . . . and now.
One lazy Saturday, the rare ones when our maid Hapsah decided not to go out, she became very excited, running in and out of the house gesturing at Karen and me to look outside. We could see nothing unusual except for a stylish female couple with high-heel shoes walking gingerly on the still unfinished road. One of them had striking long, black shiny hair.
"Noor Kumalasari!" she gushed to us in unrestrained excitement. Don't Karen and I know her? Should we?
The next day Hapsah brought home Wanita, and there on the cover was this gorgeous girl, the younger half-sister of Anita Sarawak. Yes, I have heard of Anita, and Noor lived only a few houses away from us! That was our only claim to fame living in Bungsar.
One late Saturday evening, I saw a group of thuggish young Chinese men at my neighbor's gate. I had seen them before but did not pay much attention. By now I had gotten to know my neighbor well enough to ask him who were they. He was a high government official, his wife a homemaker, and they had a young daughter. My memory of their daughter, Su Lin, was vivid only because of the raucous every morning on getting her to school. She would try to escape to our house!
After the group was gone, I inquired from the neighbor. He gestured for me to be quiet until Karen went inside. Then he whispered that they were gangsters collecting their regular 'protection' money. Don't worry, he assured me, they bothered only the Chinese. Then I thought of Hapsah and her Chinese look.
My other neighbor was also a Chinese couple, she a veterinarian and he, a banker. But I never saw a similar crowd at their gate until I realized that their gate was slightly hidden from my front door. When I paid closer attention, they too had regular visitors though not the same group.
During our stay at Bungsar, I never once saw the police making their rounds except when they came to my gate to deliver a message from the hospital.
The empty land across the street was being readied for development, hence the rush to complete the road. Oh, what a painful sight to see those workers! No boots, gloves, hats, eye goggles or any protective gear as they hammered and chiseled those rocks. Imagine the potential injuries!
Nonetheless over that unfinished bumpy street the latest model cars would drive by daily. At least that helped compact the ground. The hawkers too would ply their carts daily, loaded with fresh fish, vegetables and other produce, a mobile mini-grocery store. That was the very first time Karen bought fresh crabs. The hawker showed her how to clean and instructed her how to cook them!
There was an open drain in front of our house, typical of modern, urban Malaysia. The grey waters from the kitchen and showers would flow into it. You could tell when someone 'upstream' had seafood as the stench from the drain would be unbearable. We had to flush the drain. Even that did not relieve the stink. Behind us was another row of similar linked houses with their backs facing us but at a higher elevation. A retaining wall of about fifteen feet separated us. I do not know whether it was reinforced. When it rained, green slimy material, and a stench to match, would extrude in between the cracks, telltale signs of leaking septic tanks. Despite being an upscale and high-density development, there were no central sewer connections in Bungsar.
There were open spaces slated for parks and playgrounds on the area's master plan. The operative word there is "slated."
As for traffic flow, Bungsar had only one narrow access road when we lived there. There was a huge culvert near the entrance. At the slightest rain the road would be flooded. Intrigued, one day I stationed myself nearby. As soon as the rain started, the boys from the nearby rumah kilat(illegal settlement) would dump discarded pellets into the culvert. They would then collect their 'tolls' for pushing the stranded flooded motorists.
The city's traffic and hydrologic engineers never factor in those human elements in their designs. Nor did they do the needed maintenance and inspections. As a consequence, KL and other major cities are plagued with flash floods. With the country having over 100 inches of rain annually, Malaysian engineers should be experts on hydrology and flood control. They are not because, at least those on government payroll, are desk-bound and poorly trained.
A few weeks after we settled into our Bungsar home, our freight from Edmonton arrived. With Mindy getting her old toys and my wife and I our old clothes, we felt at last we were back in our old familiar groove.
From the author's second memoir, The Son Has Not Returned. A Surgeon in His Native Malaysia(2018.
Next: Excerpt # 18: On His Majesty's Service
Excerpt #16: Having A Maid
Back to our new house in Bungsar, as soon as we moved in, Karen freaked out. She had opened one of the many built-in closets and was met by a blitzkrieg of cockroaches, reminiscent of her experience in our Honolulu hotel room months earlier on our trip home to Malaysia.
Through our long-time friend from Edmonton days, Zainal Abidin bin Ahmad (Zai to us) who was teaching at UKM, we heard that the university was looking for English instructors. Zai put in a good word for Karen. She too felt good on her subsequent interview. Those good vibes notwithstanding, she never heard back.
Those few words would not do justice for our friendship with Zai and his wife Rahmah. Zai was a Kirby-trained teacher. When his contract with the Malaysian government was over, he returned to Britain, and from there to Alberta. We met when he was on campus for continuing education. It was hard not to be friendly when meeting another Malay in snow-white Alberta!
Zai had a beautiful booming voice and a perfect BBC English accent, but he could in an instant and with minimal prompting revert to the typical local Malay, complete with the obligatory "lah" and "mon!" Coming from him, it was hilarious! Zai was once an announcer with Radio Malaya. No surprise that he was a regular emcee for our Malaysian events on campus.
I convinced Zai on one of his visits to campus that he should go for his degree. At that time the university's Faculty of Education, Canada's largest, was embarking on the new field of teaching English as a second language. With Zai's experience he would have a lot to offer on the practical side. Zai did that and went on to get his doctorate from Wisconsin. I used to tease him saying that he was the genuine Dr. Za'aba. The other Za'aba, the famous Malay grammarian, had only an honorary doctorate!
Zai's effort on Karen's behalf whetted her appetite for work in Malaysia. What better way to integrate into a new culture than to work in it? However, with two little kids that meant a maid, Karen's egalitarian Western ideals notwithstanding.
Our first was a girl from Perak. Gee was literally just a little girl, a distant niece of one of my brothers-in-law. Karen spent more time teaching her personal hygiene than her helping us. She had difficulty relating to me, a hang-up from her religious instructions back in the village. Nonetheless from my limited conversations with her, I gathered that she did not finish her primary school. She said that she did not learn anything and was bullied often, by her classmates as well as her teachers because of her small size.
Malaysia then (and now) often bragged about its schools being among the best in the region if not the world, but nothing like hearing directly from the children to know the reality on the (school) ground. Gee was one of those awful statistics personified.
Soon she was homesick. We paid her way home for a holiday together with some extra cash and a return bus ticket, but she never came back. Our only hope was that whatever Karen and I had taught her about personal cleanliness and taking care of babies in the only-too-brief a time she was with us would help her when she would have her own family.
Our second maid, Hapsah, was from Sarawak. She had been adopted by one family after another before landing into my uncle's home. She looked Chinese. The Chinese have been known to disfavor daughters and were wont to give them up for adoption. Malays on the other hand valued girls, so that was a good fit.
My uncle brought her to our house for a preview. Karen and I had the distinct impression that she was not keen to leave my uncle. He assured us that we were misreading her. When he left her with us, it was not a pretty sight. We swallowed our embarrassment and did our best to make her feel at home. She turned out to be good with the kids. She was also very clean, an excellent cook, and keen to learn English.
We told her that she would be free from Saturday noon after lunch to late Sunday after dinner. Meaning, she was spared from having to cook us two dinners, a breakfast, and one lunch. For the first few weeks she just stayed with us acting like she did not deserve the break. For our part, we wanted her to leave so we could have some privacy. However, it did not take her long to enjoy her breaks.
Like the maid before, Hapsah ate with us. We felt better that way. In the beginning she was reluctant and felt uncomfortable. The only way we could convince both maids to eat with us was that we had a rule to finish everything on the table. No leftovers so every meal would be fresh. If she did not eat with us she would have to cook again for herself.
We did not feel right that Hapsah should be destined to be our maid for the rest of her life. That would be too heavy a responsibility and burden for us. Seeing Karen doing her knitting, Hapsah was keen to learn. She wanted to be a seamstress. Soon with us buying her the materials, she had quite a wardrobe for herself and a collection for our children.
With time she became comfortable with us; at times too comfortable, availing herself often to our only telephone. Telephones were a scarce commodity in Malaysia then. It took us months to get one, despite the high priority with my being a doctor. Before we had one installed, the hospital used to send the police to get hold of me. That would elicit quite a bit of stares from the neighbors until they found out the reason. The police were just an expensive messenger system, nothing nefarious, we assured our neighbors.
One night long after we had our phone installed, the police again came to our gate. It was the hospital trying to get hold of me for an emergency but could not break through the busy signals. Hapsah had been tying up the phone all night after we went to bed! I had warned her many times but we still caught her once in a while. Being that I did not want to see the police at my doorsteps again, I put a lock on the rotary dial without our permission so she could not dial out though people could still phone in.
My uncle was right. We had misread Hapsah. She became attached to us, and we to her. With her in our confidence, Karen began again looking for a job.
Next: Excerpt #17
Life In Bungsar
posted by M. Bakri Musa | 10:13 AM | 0 comments
A Wonderful Depiction of a Mother-Daughter Bonding
Book Review: Rosana Sullivan's Mommy Sayang, Pixar Animation Studios Artist Showcase Series
Disney Press, New York & Los Angeles, April 2019.
ISBN: 978-1-368-01590-5 / LCCN: 2018033419
Hardcover; 48 pages; $11.72
Age level 4-7 (Preschool and Kindergarten)
Storytelling fills our basic need for intergenerational, in particular, mother-child bonding. It has been practiced since ancient times. However few of us, mothers included, are born raconteurs; hence the enduring fairy tales and booming sales of children's books.
In 2014 Walt Disney Animation Studio and Pixar Animation Studios teamed up with Disney Worldwide Publishing to launch a series of children's books by their artists and storytellers. Thus was born the Pixar Animation Studios Artist Showcase series.
That was also a way to recognize and provide an avenue to showcase the talents of their artists. Otherwise the only public recognition they received would be the ever-too-brief mention in the lines of credit rolling fast up the screen at the end of a movie.
Most children's books, being produced in the West, are heavy on themes and scenes familiar only to their Western urban readers. Even when those books venture to the countryside as with the Peter Rabbit series, the farm scenes would be heavily sanitized.
Rosana Sullivan'sMommy Sayang (Mommy, Dear!) is a refreshing exception. Hers is autobiographical, set in a Malay kampung. Her story arc is simple and readily comprehensible but nonetheless profound: a child's secure, comfortable world suddenly turned topsy-turvy with her dear mother becoming unwell. This sudden reversal of fortune is a universal theme; likewise a mother's love for her child, and vice versa.
Mommy Sayangfollows the endless curiosities of a child, Aleeya, and her mother's ever-patient and attentive responses to her endless whys. This maternal-love theme is reinforced throughout the book. After the panoramic kampung scene on the first page, complete with the adjacent rice field, cars parked on the front yards, houses on stilts with the women casually conversing on the steps, the obligatory mosque, and yes, even a water buffalo with a little boy holding the tether, is the sketch of two mother hens with their broods happily pecking on the spacious grounds. On the next page a mother cat nursing her kittens. Mother hens and cat look contended, like all mothers.
Then there are the scenes of her mother cooking, serving dinner, and praying. There is the touching picture of her mother's storytelling and kissing her at bed-time that sent Aleeya into extravagant dreams of flowers, all in vivid, vibrant colors. The illustrations reveal much about Malay culture, right down to the foods we eat. There was the ubiquitous durian on the table served next to a Caucasian-looking guest, and without him grimacing!
Aleeya's world was suddenly turned upside down when her mother became unwell. The whole household routine was disrupted. Unable to comprehend the sudden change, Aleeya acted out as her aunts and others tried to console her.
She found solace in those beautiful flowers in her yard as well as in her dreams. She picked one colorful hibiscus in full bloom and gave it to her mother. As with all Disney stories, with that simple gesture her mother felt better – the healing power of nature's beauty and a child's love. And Aleeya's world was restored!
Rosana, American-born and of Malaysian descent, now resides in Oakland, California. Among the many films she has worked on are The Good Dinosaur, Coco, and Incredibles 2. She recently released her first short animation, Kitbull, written and directed by her, to critical reviews.
Mommy Sayangis her first children's book, suitable for 3-7 years old. It is delightfully written and even more beautifully illustrated. As you would expect from an outfit like Disney, the technical quality of this hardcover was flawless. This book would make a perfect Mother's Day gift for a young mother. I am getting a few for my many grandnieces who are now mothers or soon-to-be. The book would also be an excellent and enjoyable way to introduce your child to a very different culture – that of the rural Malay.
The focal points of the illustrations are clear and well depicted. Thus we could see the serene reflections on the subject's face, as with the cat and her kittens. The background is uncluttered but nonetheless conveys the essence of a Malay kitchen and kampung.
This book is a universe beyond, in content and presentation, to the A Man, A PanEnglish reading text I had in primary school back during the colonial days of the early 1950s. If the Ministry of Education is looking for supplemental reading books in its effort to increase the English fluency of rural pupils, this is the one to get.
The only anachronism in the illustrations for me growing up in a kampung in the 1950s would be the gas stove and electric fans. We had neither in those days.
In Arabic, Aleeyah means exalted or sublime. Despite Malaysia's obsession with matters Arabic, modern Malays tend to dispense with the "h" ending, as with "Maria" instead of "Mariah." The Western influence is still pervasive.
With Rosana's gift for drawing and storytelling, Aleeya will soon be a well-known children's character, adorable to kids and adults. Elsa, meet your competition!
Let's Eradicate Ramadan's Religious Brownie-Point Mentality
Let's Eradicate Ramadan's Religious Brownie-Point Mentality
Legend has it that the Eighth Century mystic Rabia al-Adiwayya was so upset with her fellow believers' obsession with the Hereafter that one day she ranthrough the streets of Basra with a torch in one hand and a bucket of water in the other yelling, "I want to burn down Heaven and douse the flames of Hell!"
To her, this preoccupation with heaven and hell blocks our path to Allah. We should worship Him not out of fear of His punishment or for the promise of Paradise, but for His love. We earn that through serving mankind and respecting all His creations.
This fixation on the afterlife also trivializes our great faith, reducing us to boy scouts chasing religious "brownie points" to be cashed in at the Gates of Heaven.
This mentality makes us belittle this world and its achievements. "Real" success awaits us in the Hereafter. Ever wonder why Muslims are mired in abject poverty? We forget this wisdom of our forefathers – kemiskinan mendekati kefukuran(poverty invites impiety).
Then there are the promised 72 virgins in Heaven to seduce those young jihadists. As Imam Tawhidi observed with contemptuous cynicism, if that were true, don't you think that those doing the advising would be the first to blow themselves up? Then there are those who think that they could plunder the nation and then cleanse their sins away by going to Mecca, or "photo-op" sessions of charity feeding for orphans.
Ramadan begins today and with that, heightened religious fervor. Mosques would be filled to overflowing and sermons loaded with endless reminders of the extra generosity of Allah during this blessed month. The portal to heaven remains wide open, we are told. Praying and other virtuous deeds done on the "Night of Power" (Lailatul qadar) would be magnified a thousand fold.
The consequence to this mindset is that if you travel during Ramadan in the Muslim world, be prepared for unexpected inconveniences and outright hassles. Eating establishments would be closed during the day. They assume that their customers are all Muslims, and fasting. There is little consideration for serving their non-Muslim and non-fasting clientele.
Not just restaurants. Try transacting business with government agencies! It's like France in August. At least the French have the excuse of being in holiday mood. Come September they would return with renewed vigor. In Malaysia, the sluggishness remains.
Productivity suffers. With that, so too safety. A school bus plunged into a ravine when I was a kid. The driver was asleep at the wheel. He was fasting; at least that was his excuse. His personal salvation came ahead of his passengers' safety.
As a surgeon in Malaysia, I once reprimanded a doctor during Ramadan for abandoning his patients while he was off for his Friday prayers. His salvation too came ahead of his patients. The fact that helping his patients would pave his own salvation escaped him.
Serve mankind and you serve Allah. That is the mantra of the Ahmaddiya and Ismaili Muslims; they understand and practice this essence of our faith. The Ahmaddiyas built hospitals in Africa and Latin America. They recently commissioned one in Guatemala. There are not many Muslims there. The Ismailis use their tithes to build schools and universities especially for girls. The Aga Khan University in Karachi, established only a few decades ago, has the country's finest teaching hospital and medical school, eclipsing others much older.
The Islamicity Index, using criteria extracted from the Koran, measures how well nations serve their citizens. No Muslim nation is among the top twenty.
In his book Misquoting Muhammad, Jonathan Brown quotes the advice one Mufti of Al Azhar gave his country's rulers. Bring peace, justice and prosperity to your people, and he (the Mufti) would find the hadith or Koranic verse to justify those policies. By definition those would be Syariah-compliant. Malaysian ulama have it backwards. They would be consumed first with whether those measures were "Islamic" even before they have been proven effective. To those ulama too, lies and stealing are Syariah-compliant if they would get a piece of the action, or their victims were non-Muslims.
We should have an equivalent personal Islamicity Index, based not on such things as how often we have undertaken the Hajj or how erudite we are in reciting hadith, rather on how well we serve our friends, families, and community.
Yet in Malaysia the screaming headlines are of corpses being snatched from grieving families (on the presumption that the deceased had converted to Islam on their deathbed), the surreptitious conversion of minors without both parents consenting (so the subsequent custody hearings could be in a Syariah rather than civil court), and most obscene of all, the contempt for personal privacy with officers of the religious department raiding hotels looking for khalwat("close proximity").
On a juvenile level, those caught not fasting would be paraded around town in a hearse. Meanwhile, drug abusers, abandoned babies, HIV sufferers, and other victims of our social dysfunction cry for attention. Ameliorate those problems and you effectively defend and protect the ummah, as well as the faith. Mass demonstrations yelling "Defend Islam!" or "God is Great!" would achieve nothing except snarl up traffic.
Allah's greatest gift is our precious life. We have a one-in-five-billion (number of sperms in an ejaculate) chance of being here, essentially zero. Yet here we are. We should celebrate this miracle by making the most of it. I cringe when our ulama belittle our lives in this world in their obsession with the afterlife.
It would be more fruitful to regard the Day of Judgement as a concept, with heaven and hell, metaphors. Study hard in high school and your day of judgement would come soon enough, as at the end of the year when your test results come out and you could be rewarded with an overseas scholarship – a youth's heaven!
Plunder the nation and your day of judgement too would come soon, as former Prime Minister Najib now finds out. Today he is going through hell, dragging along his family.
Heed the wisdom of Rabia al Adiwayya. Eradicate this distracting religious brownie-point mentality. Instead, enhance our Islamicity Index, the personal as well as the nation's. At least you would have a legacy then. As to whether you would end up in Paradise, Allah hu Alam(only Allah knows), as my village elders of yore used to say.
The serialization of my memoir, The Son Has Not Returned. A Surgeon In His Native Malaysia, will resume next week.


WASHINGTON, May 17 (UPI) -- The following article, excerpts from an exclusive story published by United Press International six days after the Sept. 11 attacks, describes a 1994 federal report that warned of possible terrorist strikes -- including, in its original form, how airplane hijackers could use Washington landmarks to hit the White House or Pentagon. "Terror 2000" was never released to the public because of State Department concerns it would cause panic.
The Sept. 17 story by UPI Pentagon Correspondent Pam Hess said the report, which was obtained exclusively by United Press International, not only outlined the changing face of terrorism but also seemed to predict the scope and timing of the attack carried out against the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
"Targets such as the World Trade Center not only provide the requisite casualties but because of their symbolic nature provide more bang for the buck. In order to maximize their odds for success, terrorist groups will likely consider mounting multiple, simultaneous operations with aim of overtaxing a government's ability to respond, as well as to demonstrate their professionalism and reach," states "Terror 2000," compiled in 1994 after the World Trade Center bombing from research and interviews from 41 intelligence, government and private industry experts, including foreign governments such as Israel and Russia.
The report was distributed to the Defense Department, State Department, FEMA, intelligence communities and members of Congress on June 24, 1994, according to author Marvin Cetron.
At the State Department's request, it was "scrubbed" of some details -- including how to hit the Pentagon or White House by airplane using the Washington Monument as a landmark. It was never publicly released, again at the request of State, according to Cetron.
"They said, 'You can't handle a crisis before it becomes a crisis. It scares the hell out of people and they can't do anything. It's like a person with cancer; some people don't want to know. Others want to know everything so they can fight it.' I think they took the ostrich approach," Cetron told United Press International.
Cetron runs an economic and technological forecasting company in northern Virginia, producing reports for the U.S. government, 300 Fortune 500 companies and 17 foreign governments.
Where once most terrorists were politically motivated and sought achievable ends -- safe passage out of a country, or the release of political prisoners -- "Terror 2000" predicted a more dangerous form was evolving in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
"We appear to be entering an era in which few, if any, restraints will remain. ... Unlike politically motivated terrorists, they do not shrink from mass murder. ... Mass casualties are not to be shunned ... but sought because they demonstrate to unbelievers the cataclysmic nature of divine retribution. And if innocents suffer, God will sort them out."
Ethno-religious terrorists would be motivated by "fierce ethnic and religious hatreds" bent on the "utter destruction of their chosen enemies."
The 1.5-inch think report was compiled by Cetron and Peter Probst, then with the Office of the Secretary of Defense and 40 government and private industry experts after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. While it seems to accurately describe the situation that is unfolding now, it makes only passing mention of prime suspect Osama bin Laden as a specific threat.
"The ethno-terrorist is defending his family and his community, the memory of his ancestors, his cultural heritage, and the identity of his people, most of whom have suffered and many of whom have died simply because they were Armenians, Bosnians, Basques, Irish, Quiche, Ibo or Kurds. His enemies seek the subjugation or annihilation of his people, if only in his eyes; it is his sacred to prevent this evil, not only for the sake of the living and future generations, but out of reverence for the dead."
Cetron asserted that Islamic fundamentalists considered the conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo in which Muslims were persecuted by the Yugoslav government, a Holocaust of their own. The perceived delay by Western countries to intervene in the Balkans stoked already existing anger with the United States and European countries.
The report says because this motivation is so strong and death is not to be feared, ethno-religious terrorists are most likely to kill indiscriminately and to embrace weapons of mass destruction.
Secular terrorists "have no basic argument with the existing order; they simply want power within it or concessions from it. Religious terrorists consider themselves completely outside a system that is to be eradicated and replaced," states the report.
The report warned that the states of the former Soviet Union -- three of which border Afghanistan, where bin Laden is believed to reside -- are fertile grounds for terrorists as the repressive government yoke is off them. Intelligence communities have done little to penetrate these once insignificant groups, because the focus of collection was on Warsaw Pact countries.
"Only now are we beginning to learn their names, histories and agendas. Because such groups were of little interest to the traditional intelligence collector, security services know virtually nothing about their ethnic allies or their depth of support, either on their home turf or in other countries," the report states.


AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN, October 10, 1999.
Texan Reneé O'Connor wasn't sure what she'd find when she went to New Zealand for Xena: Warrior Princess. What she discovered was ruggedly beautiful land, honest people -- and herself.
I laugh to myself when I think about it now, because I've learned that New Zealand is more complex than that.
Sure, it is incredibly natural. New Zealand is filled with picturesque landscapes that, as yet, haven't been tortured by modernization. It's as if you're living in a part of Eden. Yet at the same time, you have a city like Auckland -- my home -- which is as contemporary as any city from around the world.
So it's the best of both worlds, I think. What's more, I've come to love the "Take me as I am" spirit of New Zealand. It's an accepting place. People are honest. You feel free to express yourself here.
I couldn't have picked a better country to call my second home. I love it here. And as it turns out, you can drink the water from some of the streams -- you just have to be careful to pick a spot upstream from the backpackers.
I've heard people describe their visit to New Zealand as "stepping back into 1950's America." A lot of New Zealanders laugh at that comment. They say, "What does that mean? That we're just developing the color television?"
I think that observation has more to do with the spirit of the people. There's a sense of integrity and respect between people that I think we've lost in the States somewhat. There's definitely a code of honor that makes people accountable for how they treat each other.
Once I was given the role on "Xena," I think it was the people -- more than the natural beauty of the country -- that attracted me. They're friendly, personable. The population is quite small -- about 4 million people, at the moment -- and there's about "one degree of separation" between everyone. Everyone knows you, in some way, and what you've been doing.
There is a no-nonsense mentality here. You are who you are. And they take you for what you give. There's no need for facade, superficiality. In New Zealand, people wait for you to prove a sort of "mana". It's a Maori term, relating to honor, a pride you have of family or a person. And it's quite highly regarded here. As I watch New Zealanders and how they treat each other with affection, I realize that "mana" isn't necessarily "kindness" or "generosity". It has more to do with respect.
I think the natural environment of New Zealand has an effect on the character of its people. New Zealanders have traveled abroad extensively. I find that when they come home, they tend to appreciate their country even more. They see the beauty of it, and respect it more. It's easy to see, from my own work environment, that New Zealand is a rugged country. It takes stamina -- real physical stamina--to maintain your endurance here. New Zealanders are used to this, yet they still expect you to prove your own inner strength, to pull your own weight. As they say, "No whinging!" -- which translates to "No Whining."
Outside the city of Auckland, you can drive miles and miles and not see another car. Especially on the South Island of New Zealand. During a day's drive at Christmastime, I went through a rain forest, stopped at a glacier and then continued on through barren hillsides. On this tiny island, you can see geological facets from all over the world. We even have a tundra area, where you can see penguins! The South Island is surreal. So beautiful, so untouched.
It takes me about 20 minutes to get to work -- and it is a beautiful drive. We don't work in the city; we work around farmland. So I pass these beautiful pastures, filled with sheep. And these pastures are so lush, it's as if they can't be real. The colors are so vivid here -- the sky, the foliage, the streaks of a rainbow.
The sheer variety of native birds... I notice it all the time. Just outside the door, sometimes, I'll see rosella. It's from the parrot family, and its colors are brilliant red, green and blue. It thrills me, to see something like that, still living freely in nature.
I grew up in a suburb of Houston. So even now, after four and a half years, it's still hard for me to get used to the idea that I live in this lush, tropical home.
Auckland is quite a large city, home to 1.3 million people. It's the major port of the North Island. When I moved here, it reminded me of San Francisco. You have this great mix of people. And at the same time, its a cafe, cosmopolitan lifestyle.
Because so many different types of people live here -- Maoris, Europeans, Samoans -- people are respectful of different cultures, different lifestyles. And it's interesting to see how foreign visitors are received.
When you travel in other parts of the world -- say in Europe -- it sometimes seems that tourists are frowned upon. Here, they seem to appreciate it when people come -- because then they can talk about their own travels abroad.
You find that whenever you walk into a shop. They'll ask where you're from, what you do here. Nice, welcoming conversations. It happens all the time.
During my first three years here, I lived in a townhouse in the heart of Auckland. A year and a half ago, I moved into the country. It's been fun to see the friendly rivalry between the city folk and the country folk.
If you could live over here... it's such a clean lifestyle, and it's so clean and beautiful, that you never want to leave where I live. Still, my boyfriend and I make ourselves take day trips, or get away for a weekend, just because there's so much to see in New Zealand. On the west coast, there are beautiful black sand beaches that go for miles on end, with rolling hills leading up to them. On the east coast, the land drops away to the white sand beaches.
Not long ago, we took a weekend trip -- New Zealanders call it "a holiday batch" -- to Sandy Bay, about an hour and a half north of where we live. It's on the northern tip of the North Island. And it was a little cove -- a white sand beach cove -- and just off the coast were these little rock islands. We'd just sit, and watch the sun rise.
We stayed in this simple cottage, where you pumped your own water. It was just as basic as you needed -- yet so quaint in the way it provided those needs. For me, it was just another reminder of how little we need to survive in the world and be extremely happy. There were no telephones, no television. Just the beauty around us, and books, and each other. It was ideal.
My experience in New Zealand has completely spoiled me. If I had to choose a place to live the rest of my life, I would stay right where I am now. There's only one problem with that: the possibility of employment after Xena. That's why my boyfriend and I intend to leave New Zealand to pursue our careers one day -- in the hopes that we can come back to New Zealand in the future. It's the most beautiful place on Earth to spend your life.
I'm so thankful that I came to New Zealand when I was in my 20s -- that crucial time in life, when you begin to learn about yourself as a person. I learned what it was, here, to develop a respect for people that was not necessarily about being "polite." It's about listening to who people are -- and appreciating what it is to be alive and around friends.
I grew up in Texas, a state where "hospitality" and "etiquette" are so important. That's how I was raised! But people used to make fun of me when I first came to New Zealand because of how polite I was to everyone. "Hey knock it off!" they'd say.
You don't have to try so hard in that way. Everybody wants you to be yourself. And I was able to do that, in the time of my life when I was trying to figure out who I was.
When I spend time with my mother in Austin, I frequently hear it said: "It's so nice when people come to visit Austin -- we just don't want them to stay!" And I think it relates to people's desire to maintain the soul of their home, to protect it from people who come in and don't respect it for what it is.
And I like that about New Zealand -- and the notion of respect. The key is to appreciate the beautiful place before you come -- so you can truly enjoy it for all it offers.