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May 4, 2022: Russia-Ukraine news
By Aditi Sangal, Maureen Chowdhury, Adrienne Vogt, Brad Lendon, Andrew Raine, Jack Guy and Ben Church, CNN
Updated 12:11 AM ET, Thu May 5, 2022
What we covered
A Ukrainian commander at the Azovstal steel plant said there are "bloody battles" unfolding with Russian forces inside the complex after they breached the perimeter.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 344 people were evacuated from Mariupol and surrounding areas to Zaporizhzhia on Wednesday. The Russian Ministry of Defense said it will open evacuation corridors from the Azovstal plant on Thursday.
The European Union is proposing a ban on Russian oil, European Commission chief said Wednesday. The bloc is also planning other measures, including removing Russia's largest bank and two other companies from the SWIFT system.
The EU will also look at ways of ramping up military support to Moldova over fears the breakaway region of Transnistria could be included in Russia's war strategy.
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5:32 a.m. ET, May 4, 2022
Don't be "Putin's altar boy": Pope slams pro-war Russian patriarch
From CNN's Delia Gallagher in Rome
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Orthodox Patriarch Kirill visit the Sretensky Monastery in Moscow on May 25, 2017. (Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)
Pope Francis warned the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, not to become "Putin's altar boy," he said in an interview this week.
In his strongest words to date against the pro-war Patriarch, Francis also slammed Kirill for endorsing Russia's stated reasons for invading Ukraine.
"I spoke to him for 40 minutes via Zoom," the Pope told Italian daily Corriere della Sera in an interview published Tuesday. "The first 20 minutes he read to me, with a card in hand, all the justifications for war."
"I listened and told him: I don't understand anything about this," said the Pope. "Brother, we are not clerics of state, we cannot use the language of politics but that of Jesus."
"The Patriarch cannot transform himself into Putin's altar boy," the Pope said.
Francis said the conference call with Kirill took place on March 16, and that both he and the Patriarch had agreed to postpone a planned meeting on June 14 in Jerusalem.
"It would be our second face-to-face meeting, nothing to do with the war," the Pope said. "But now, he too agrees: let's stop, it could be an ambiguous signal."
In March Kirill Patriarch Kirill said that the conflict was an extension of a fundamental culture clash between the wider Russian world and Western liberal values, exemplified by expressions of gay pride.
Experts say that Kirill's comments offer important insights into Putin's larger spiritual vision of a return to a Russian Empire, in which the Orthodox religion plays a pivotal role.
But the hardline stance of the Russian patriarch is costing him followers.
In March the Russian Orthodox church in Amsterdam announced it was severing ties with the leader, joining a growing number of priests and churches who are abandoning Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
One killed as Ukrainian shelling causes fire at oil depot in Donetsk, say local authorities
From CNN's Hannah Ritchie, Katie Polglase and Gianluca Mezzofiore
Vehicles on fire at an oil depot after missiles struck the facility in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Makiivka, Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, on May 4. (AP)
One person is dead after Ukrainian shelling caused a fire at an oil depot in the separatist-held Donetsk region, the Russian-backed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Territorial Defense Headquarters claimed Wednesday.
"According to preliminary data, as a result of the shelling of the oil depot in Makiivka, one person was killed and two were injured," the post from the DPR Defense HQ said, adding that "four large capacity tanks" containing 5,000 cubic meters of oil had been ignited.
The Ukrainian Armed forces are yet to respond to the accusation.
CNN has verified social media videos of the fire which show large plumes of black smoke coming from the area on Wednesday, as flames engulf the depot.
Some context:
Russian-backed leaders in the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk have repeatedly accused Ukraine of launching attacks on fuel depots and military installations, claims that Ukrainian officials say are intended to stoke "anti-Ukrainian sentiment."
Russian forces are aiming to take control of all of the Donestk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine.
They have been trying to push south from the Kharkiv region in an effort to surround Ukrainian units defending the Donetsk region, but with limited success, according to the Ukrainian military.
Despite heavy artillery fire on a number of fronts, Russian forces have made few advances, according to their Ukrainian counterparts.
Ireland condemns Russian TV simulation of nuclear attack
From CNN's Ben Church
Irish politicians have condemned a report from Russian-state media that simulated the devastation caused by a nuclear attack off the coast of Ireland.
The report from Russia's Channel One, presented by Kremlin ally Dmitry Kiselyov, shows a video simulation of an underwater missile which it said would cause a "gigantic tsunami wave up to 500 meters high" to sweep across Ireland and the UK.
Neale Richmond, a politician from the ruling Fine Gael party in Ireland, said the propaganda report was another reason to expel Russia's ambassador to Ireland, Yury Filatov.
"With Russian state media broadcasting blatant threats against Ireland supported by a continuing campaign of disinformation, it's clear we need to expel Russia's Ambassador from Ireland," he wrote on Twitter.
"He is just another patsy in their propaganda machine as they wage war in #Ukraine."
Irish MEP Billy Kelleher replied to a video of the report saying that such "wild language is simply unacceptable to us" while urging the Irish government to convey its disgust at the blatant nuclear threat.
Russia has been angered by countries supporting Ukraine since the start of the invasion. The UK has provided resources to the Ukrainian military and imposed numerous sanctions on Moscow in recent months.
School year in Ukraine "nears tragic end" with child deaths and destruction of facilities, says UNICEF
From CNN's Lauren Kent and Radina Gigova in London
A destroyed school in northeast Kharkiv, Ukraine, on April 22. (Alex Chan Tsz Yuk/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images)
Hundreds of schools across Ukraine are reported to have been hit by heavy artillery, airstrikes and other explosive weapons in populated areas, "underscoring the dramatic impact the conflict is having on children's lives and futures," the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement Tuesday.
"The start of the academic year in Ukraine was one of hope and promise for children following Covid-19 disruptions," said Murat Sahin, UNICEF Representative to Ukraine. "Instead, hundreds of children have been killed, and the school year ends amid the closure of classrooms due to war and the decimation of educational facilities."
Among the schools that have been damaged or destroyed by shelling is "School 36 – the only 'Safe School' in Mariupol," UNICEF said, adding two schools have been hit by attacks in the past week alone.
The "Safe Schools" program was established with Ukraine's Ministry of Education and Science in response to attacks on kindergartens and schools in the Donbas region, "which has seen a simmering armed conflict since 2014," UNICEF said.
UNICEF points out that for children affected by crisis, school provides not only a safe space and "a semblance of normality in the most difficult of times," but also access to information on the risks of deadly explosive ordnance.
Educational facilities also connect them and their parents to health and psychosocial services, added the agency.
"Ensuring access to education can be the difference between a sense of hope or despair for millions of children," Sahin said. "This is crucial for their future and that of all Ukraine."
Children and schools should be protected in line with international humanitarian law, UNICEF said, calling on the warring sides to take measures to avoid the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and the use of educational facilities for military purposes.
"Despite the horror of war, impressive work has gone into making sure children can keep learning," said Sahin. "Ultimately, the fighting needs to stop so that classrooms can be rebuilt, and schools can be safe and fun places to learn again."
The war in Ukraine is having "a devastating impact" on the country's 7.5 million children, UNICEF has said, as "children continue to be killed, wounded and deeply traumatized by the violence all around them."
The agency has also warned that children fleeing the violence in Ukraine are at heightened risk of human trafficking and exploitation.
More than 5.4 million refugees had fled Ukraine as of May 1, around half of them children, according to the latest UNICEF data.
Millions more people have been internally displaced, UNICEF said, adding "such large-scale displacements could have lasting consequences for generations to come."
Electricity in Lviv "completely restored" following missile strikes on three power stations, says deputy mayor
From CNN's Maddie Araujo and Isa Soares in Lviv
Firefighters work at a site of a power substation hit by a missile strike in Lviv, Ukraine, on May 3. (Andrii Gorb/Reuters)
Electricity in Lviv has been "completely restored" following missile strikes last night, the city's deputy mayor Serhiy Kiral told CNN on Wednesday.
Kiral said three cruise missiles hit three power stations in Lviv on Tuesday, leaving them "badly damaged."
Two other missiles that reached western Ukraine and the Lviv region "were shot down" by the air defense system, Kiral added. Another one hit the Transcarpathian region.
In total, there were "18 or 19" cruise missile strikes "shot from the Caspian Sea from the Russian strategic bombers" in Ukraine's direction, he said, "probably Tu-295 or Tu-160" aircraft.
"There were also disruptions on our pumping stations, which are supplying the city with water," Kiral said.
"This is interesting because, in fact, water [supply] was not stopped… and this is the result of some of the contingency plans for the resilience of the city that we had before the war," he added.
"We bought the diesel generators, and those diesel generators yesterday helped to continue to supply the water not only to the citizens, but also to the firefighters, which were trying to put out the fire," said Kiral.
The Ukrainian military said that the Russian missile attacks on Tuesday night were designed to destroy transport infrastructure.
Cruise missiles hit at least half a dozen targets across central and western Ukraine in what appears to have been an attempt to hamper the transit of military equipment and supplies.
The Ukrainian railway system reported that more than 40 trains were delayed following the attacks.
Kiral said he does not believe the attacks on infrastructure would affect supplies from the west.
"But it may affect the exports of the Ukrainian commodities, which is very critical in these times of the year because we need to take out more than 5 million tons of grain in order to be ready for the new harvest," he said.
Convoy of buses departs Mariupol with evacuees, official says
From CNN's Amy Cassidy and Sophie Jeong
Fresh evacuations from the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol got underway on Wednesday, according to a local official, who did not provide a figure for the number of people involved.
A convoy of buses departed Mariupol for Zaporizhzhia in efforts led by the United Nations and the Red Cross, Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of Donetsk Region Military Administration, announced on Telegram. The convoy will stop at Tokmak, Vasylivka and Lunacharske to pick up more civilians on the way, he said.
Private vehicles will be able to join the convoy from Tomak, Kyrylenko added.
He did not specify if the evacuees had been sheltering in the Azovstal steel plant, where Mariupol's last defenders are holding out against the Russian bombardment.
A convoy carrying people from Mariupol arrives in Kamianske, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine on May 3. (Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Some background: More than 127 people arrived in Zaporizhzhia from the steel plant Tuesday, and an unknown number of civilians remain, according to the UN. CNN's team in Zaporizhzhia saw the arrival of five buses with evacuees and witnessed emotional scenes as people emerged from the buses and were greeted by volunteers.
EU proposing a ban on Russian oil, commission president says
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers her speech during a debate on the social and economic consequences for the EU of the Russian war in Ukraine, on May 4, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. (Jean-Francois Badias/AP)
The European Union is proposing a ban on Russian oil, according to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission.
She said on Twitter:
"Finally, we now propose a ban on Russian oil. Let's be clear: it will not be easy. But we simply have to work on it. We will make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion. To maximise pressure on Russia, while minimizing the impact on our economies."
Von der Leyen is speaking at the European Parliament during a discussion on a sixth package of sanctions against Russia.
Ukrainian military says Russians have made few advances despite heavy bombardments
From CNN's Tim Lister in Lviv, Ukraine
Smoke rises above a burning oil storage on the outskirts of Donetsk, Ukraine, May 4. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)
The Ukrainian military said Wednesday that despite heavy artillery fire on a number of fronts, Russian forces have made few advances toward their goal of securing all of Luhansk and Donetsk regions in the east of the country.
On Tuesday, US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Michael Carpenter said the US had "highly credible" intelligence reports that Russia will try to annex the Donetsk and Luhansk regions "sometime in mid-May."
In its latest operational update, the military said that the Russian missile attacks on Tuesday night were designed to destroy the transport infrastructure. Cruise missiles hit at least a half-dozen targets across central and western Ukraine in what appears to have been an attempt to hamper the transit of military equipment and supplies.
One of the strikes was in the region of Zakarpattia, near the Slovak border, the first time it has been targeted since the invasion began.
Viktor Mykyta, head of Zakarpattia regional military administration, said a populated area had been hit but there were no casualties and work was underway to restore utilities.
Tens of thousands of displaced Ukrainians have moved from the east to the Zakarpattia region.
The Ukrainian General Staff update reported that there were few signs of Russian ground forces getting ready to move, but that more units from Russia's Central Military District had been brought into border areas in Russia's Bryansk region, which neighbors northeast Ukraine.
The General Staff said most of the offensive action continued to be in the form of artillery attacks. It said a ground advance toward Dovhenke had failed. Russian forces have been trying to push south from the Kharkiv region in an effort to surround Ukrainian units defending the Donetsk region, but with limited success, it said.
CNN is unable to confirm the details of the Ukrainian military's update.
The military leadership did acknowledge that the Russians are advancing in the direction of the village of Shandryholove, where Ukrainian troops are trying to defend the approaches to the towns of Lyman and Sloviansk in the Donetsk oblast. In recent weeks, the Russian military has conducted repeated military strikes on Lyman, including on its railroad infrastructure.
"The enemy strengthened the group of troops and intensified air reconnaissance," in the Lyman area, according to the update.
CNN has geolocated video from that same area showing Russian armor being destroyed by Ukrainian fire in recent days.
The military also reported continued fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region, where Russian forces had failed to advance on the town of Orikhiv.
Serhii Haidai, head of the Luhansk region military administration, said rocket and bomb attacks continued on the towns of Severodonetsk, Rubizhne and Lysychansk. Two people had died. He said fighting also continued in the town of Popasna. CNN has geolocated video showing intense street fighting among the town's ruins.
"The Russians are not just destroying Popasna. They are removing it from the map of Luhansk region," Haidai said.
In neighboring Donetsk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of Donetsk regional military administration, said the towns of Avdiivka and Maryinka were bombarded again Wednesday morning.
Australia imposes more sanctions on Ukrainian separatists and Russian officials
From CNN's Lizzy Yee in Hong Kong
Russian lawmakers attend a session of the State Duma in Moscow, in this file photo from Feb. 22. (Handout/Reuters)
Australia imposed further sanctions and travel bans against members of Russia's parliament and Ukrainian separatists on Wednesday, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The new listings will target 110 individuals, including 34 "senior members of the Russian-led movements" in Donetsk and Luhansk.
"These individuals have violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine through their assertion of governmental authority over areas of Ukraine without the Ukrainian Government's authorization," the statement said.
Among those sanctioned are also 76 members of the State Duma, Russia's parliament. The sanctioned individuals voted "to recognize Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states," the statement said.
On Tuesday, US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Michael Carpenter said the US had "highly credible" intelligence reports that Russia will try to annex the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk "sometime in mid-May."
Russian politician Oleg Matveichev was also sanctioned by Australia "for the dissemination of disinformation and propaganda."
"With these announced listings, the Government will have sanctioned 812 individuals and 47 entities in response to Russia's illegal war," the statement said. "Australia reiterates our unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for the people of Ukraine."
Some background: Australia is one of a number of countries, including the United States, that have been continually imposing fresh sanctions on Russia since the invasion began. On April 14, Australia sanctioned 14 Russian state-owned enterprises of "strategic and economic importance."
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The company's shares closed at Rs 127.35 apiece, down 1.85 per cent at BSE.
New Delhi: State-owned power equipment maker BHEL has received shareholders' approval for the proposal to issue 1 new equity bonus share for every 2 existing shares. The proposal to issue bonus share in the ratio of one bonus share for every 2 existing shares to members was listed on the agenda for annual general meeting held on September 22, 2017, which as passed by the requisite majority, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) said in a BSE filing today.
The shareholder have also approved the proposal to give a final dividend of 39 per cent. With this, the total dividend for the year 2016-17 will stand at 79 per cent. According to the proposal, shareholder will be issued one new bonus equity share of Rs 2 each for every 2 existing shares of Rs 2 each fully paid up.
The company will require Rs 244.76 crore free reserves for implementing the bonus issue. As on March 31, 2017, the company had defined free reserves and surplus of Rs 31,769.74 crore.
Earlier, the company had said that the bonus share are estimated to be credited to shareholder account by October 9, 2017.


For the sparkly part of my twenties, Odelay was a constant companion soundtrack. As I got older, I moved onto Se Change which I still adore. Apart from that Beck does little for me but I love, love this song. It's just plainly gorgeous, there's no other word for it.


They all support California offering universal health care to its residents. They all pledge to advocate for LGBT rights in Sacramento.
Education issues rank high on their list of priorities. And all agree another top prerogative would be addressing the state's lack of affordable housing and growing ranks of homeless individuals.
There are few policy differences, in fact, between the candidates running for the open 15th Assembly District seat, which stretches from Richmond south into parts of Oakland. The incumbent, Assemblyman Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond), is running to be the state's superintendent of public instruction after serving two two-year terms in the Legislature.
The East Bay contest is the only competitive legislative race in the Bay Area with out candidates this election year. Heading into the June primary, where the top two voter-getters will advance to the November election, any of the leading candidates has a chance of winning the seat.
The lack of contrasting positions between the candidates was on display at a forum with nine of them co-hosted by the Lambda Democratic Club of Contra Costa County and the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club, which covers Alameda County. The February 21 event drew close to 50 people.
"This is the first time we have had three queer out candidates running to represent our community," said Lambda club co-founder and president Cesar Zepeda, who is running for a second time this fall for a seat on the Richmond City Council. "Whether it is one of the LGBT candidates or a straight alley who wins, our aim is that they represent us correctly when they get up to the Assembly."
For voters, who they decide to back in the race likely will come down to personal relationships and affinities for the backgrounds of the various candidates.
At the forum, lesbian Richmond City Councilwoman Jovanka Beckles recalled the anti-gay insults she endured when she first joined the council. She stood up to the taunts, she said, in order to inspire and encourage LGBT youth and older people still living in the closet.
"We need a voice to represent all of the people," she said.
Lesbian Berkeley school board member Judy Appel pointed to her work tackling homeless issues in San Francisco and later pushing for LGBT rights as the former longtime executive director of Our Family Coalition, a group for LGBT parents and their children.
"I am the education candidate in this race," said Appel, who has two children with her wife.
Bisexual East Bay Municipal Utility District board member Andy Katz, who is vying a second time for the Assembly seat, pointed to his experience lobbying state lawmakers in the past on myriad public health issues.
"We need a champion for progressive values and someone who will take on workers' rights," said Katz, a Berkeley resident who is a worker rights attorney.
Former Obama administration staffer Buffy Wicks, noting that is her real name, spoke about growing up in a rural area of the Sierra Nevada with a gay brother and later watching friends struggle with HIV prior to the introduction of effective medicines.
"I think we can fix the housing crisis and get health care for all," said Wicks, a married mother of a newborn who lives in Oakland.
Thurmond recently endorsed El Cerrito City Councilwoman Rochelle Pardue-Okimoto to succeed him in the Legislature. She grew up with a mom who struggled with addiction and to make ends meet. A nurse, she now has two sons of her own.
"I will bring my 17 years of experience as a bedside nurse and labor activist to the table," she said.
Berkeley City Councilman Ben Bartlett once owned a local cafe with his father, a former Black Panther member, in the city's downtown. He also lived in Los Angeles for a time and worked as an organizer in the city's black community.
"We are all in this together. We as African-Americans, we need you to stand with us now," he said.
Two-term Oakland City Councilman Dan Kalb pointed to his 35 years of public policy work, including nearly a decade drafting legislation in Sacramento as the state policy director with the Union of Concerned Scientists.
"I know how to get things done in Sacramento," he said.
Journalist and blogger Owen Poindexter, who lives in Berkeley with his wife and son, is a proponent of adopting a universal basic income.
"We have folks working two to three jobs to stay in their homes who can't afford health care," he said. "We have the resources. We can solve this."
Cheryl Sudduth, a mother of two sons and a daughter, is a disability rights activist and contracting consultant who formerly worked for Goodwill Industries.
"I fight for social justice for everyone," said Sudduth, a Muslim who previously ran for Congress.
Toward the end of the forum, one major difference did emerge among the candidates. While nearly all said they had first voted for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary, and then for Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump that November, Beckles disclosed she had voted for Green Party candidate Jill Stein in the fall.
It drew audible gasps from the crowd, with Beckles defending her decision because, "in California, we get to vote our conscience. Hillary did a lot of damage to the black community, which was not OK with me."
Wicks, having run her campaign in the state, was the only person to say she voted for Clinton in both the primary and general election. Sudduth would only disclose that she didn't vote for Trump, while Appel had already left the forum prior to the question being asked in order to make it to her school board meeting that night.
The Stonewall club will vote on its endorsement in the race Wednesday, March 21. Lambda members will decide their endorsement April 25. In order to secure both clubs' endorsement, a candidate needs 60 percent of the vote.


text:
package com.google.inject.assistedinject;

import com.google.inject.Key;
import java.util.Collection;

/**
 * A binding for a factory created by FactoryModuleBuilder.
 *
 * @param <T> The fully qualified type of the factory.
 * @since 3.0
 * @author ramakrishna@google.com (Ramakrishna Rajanna)
 */
public interface AssistedInjectBinding<T> {

  /** Returns the {@link Key} for the factory binding. */
  Key<T> getKey();

  /** Returns an {@link AssistedMethod} for each method in the factory. */
  Collection<AssistedMethod> getAssistedMethods();
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Character and charm throughout this spacious and beautifully updated 2-story home with basement!
.86 acres – don't miss the bridge to the pergola covered fire pit entertainment area tucked in the trees.
Family room with custom built-ins and brick fireplace with wood burning stove.
Inviting renovated kitchen with large windows added along the rear wall of the home to take in the beautiful rear yard -- upgraded cabinets, stainless appliances, eat-in breakfast area, and pantry with slide out drawers.
Oversized screened porch off kitchen and breakfast area.
Large 16 x 13'8" dining room or formal living room.
Flex room off formal dining room with French doors has closet and could be small dining room if front room was used as living space OR office OR converted to 6th bedroom.
Built-ins continue on second level with shelving in laundry and several bedrooms.
Gorgeous white oak engineered hardwoods through most of main level.
All new flooring upstairs June 2018.
Owner's suite on second level offers walk-in closet.
Huge upstairs laundry with closet and room to work!
New flooring and upgraded vanity in 2nd bath upstairs.
Huge basement rec room with new flooring, brick hearth fireplace, custom built-in shelving, walk-in closet and half bath.
25 ft wide 2 car garage.
Room to play and explore including built-in sand box, large deck with seating area, gate leads to bridge and pergola covered fire pit area on the other side of the creek -- amazing privacy and mature landscaping.
HVAC – upgraded in 2015 to two systems!
All dual pane new windows with tilt-in except in basement.
Enjoy neighborhood access to McAlpine Creek Greenway!
Close proximity to Cotswold, Matthews, and South Charlotte with shopping, restaurants, and more.
Lansdowne Elementary, McClintock Middle, and East Mecklenburg High School.
*Always confirm all school assignments as they are subject to change.


I don't think I've mentioned this, but I started a thing.
I like cooking and I like eating and I like writing. It's simple enough, no?
Well, that's not all of it. Back in March I was damned close to getting my foot in the door at a publishing company as an editor. I had applied back while I was in Peace Corps and the guy in charge emailed me back and asked me to resubmit my application with a few more items that the hiring process would need, but closer to when I'd be home. I did. Then I heard nothing.
Then I heard something. I was told within the month I should be hearing about an interview. The month passed. I waited and waited and the whole time I was expecting it to be an out from the job I wasn't enjoying at the time but now has grown on me.
Then I finally heard back, about six months after my first application. The guy wanted to know more and specifically what my background is in their two niches (crafting and cooking). I didn't have any formal training in either nor did I spend much time working on either (I cooked, but I didn't work on improving my cooking). I explained this and said that I'm a fast learner and be more than willing to immerse myself in whatever I needed to. He said thanks, but no thanks because he needed people with experience. Catch-22 is a common theme when looking for a job. Also, thanks for stringing me along for six months, guy.
That's about the time I decided to start a food blog. While I was living at home and commuting 70 minutes each way, it wasn't really easy to dive into a recipe and eat at a normal hour so I kept putting it off until I had my own place. That day arrived and now I'm going to be updating from time to time. I want to build that experience that I was lacking and somewhere down the line turn it in my favor to be gainfully employed by it.


FLINT, MI - Board president Harold Woodson is hopeful a new $78.5 million Flint school building would provide a kick start for student enrollment and create a buzz about the district within the community and beyond.
Flint-based THA Architects Engineers was commissioned in April 2016 to create renderings for what a new middle school/high school building would look like if built on the campus of the former long-time Flint Central High on Crapo Street.
"When you build a new building there's going to be a buzz and an excitement," said Woodson, of the idea that still needs funding sources and approval of the board to come to fruition. "We hope that cascades throughout the district and (brings in) more students."
A committee that consisted of 10 Flint Community Schools' leaders -- three board members, superintendent, deputy superintendent, two high school principals, facility/safety director, athletic director, and one administrator - all sat in on seven design meetings along with Jeff and Madonna Bennett of THA.
Demolition would take place of Flint Central and Whittier Middle School that remains on the grounds.
The idea is not a new one for Flint schools, as Woodson noted a similar idea brought up more than a handful of years but did not occur. Flint Central closed in 2009 after opening at the site in 1923.
A new facility could accommodate 1,300 students, with the potential to expand for an additional 700 pupils. The building would span 278,600 square feet, not counting a pool area and the administration offices.
"It's a wonderful design, cutting edge, state of the art," Woodson said. "Everything is wonderful."
Funding still needs to be secured, with a construction budget of more than $66 million along, along with $3.4 million for furniture and loose equipment and $2.5 million for technology equipment and systems in the building.
Woodson cautioned the idea is still in the conceptual phase. A timeline provided by THA in its recent presentation to the school board shows a potential schematic design approval by Aug. 3, funding approval in early October, and demolition getting underway by Jan. 1, 2017.
"If everybody is on board and funding is secured, it would still take just under two years to do everything," he said. "In an ideal situation we would be ready to open it up by May 2018."
Officials would like to have upgrades and renovations at Flint Northwestern take place at the same time as the construction project and use the facility to build a Science, Engineering, Technology, and Math, or STEM presence, on the city's north side.


Everyone stops at Rowena's Pasalubong along Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road after visiting Tagaytay. But hey, don't miss Rowena's Restaurant too!
Ordering is an ordeal once you get hold of the menu in Rowena's Restaurant. That's simply because you would want to order everything on the menu! You can dine alfresco at Rowena's and enjoy a complete meal from soup to pasta and even cheesecake!
From a modest beginning of selling pasalubongs to Training Centers, Retreat houses, Seminaries, Camps and Tagaytay weekend lovers, Rowena's first outlet emerges as a winner among its industry competitors in Tagaytay City. Rowena's was established in November 2000 and is strategically located at #152 San Francisco Road, a very busy thoroughfare along the Tagaytay to Manila route via Sta Rosa exit. The place has ample parking space manned by security guards to ensure the safety of patrons and parked vehicles. It is a home of super scrumptious tarts that provides patrons with a variety of mini-sized tarts that are served individually. No messy cutting required! Their tarts come in Buko, Mango, Apple, Ube, and Pineapple. They also offer blueberry and strawberry cheesecake and an array of delicious home-made food items and delicacies.


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Previous / Hino stage 6 report Next / Team Aprilia Giofil rest day report
Six stages in the book, now a day to rest
The first week of the Dakar Rally was a triumph for Volkswagen: they have led the rally from day one, and won five of six stages. After taking the first four places during yesterday's stage, the German car manufacturer is firmly in command of the overall standings with their top drivers Carlos Sainz and Nassar Al-Attiyah. The only real remaining threat for VW is the BMW piloted by Stephane Peterhansel, but he is already almost 15 minutes behind the two VW drivers. If BMW want to win the 2011 edition of the Dakar Rally, they need a miracle, as the two other BMW drivers, Krzysztof Holowczyc (5th) and Orlando Terranova (7th) are 1:13:19 and 1:37:54 respectively behind Spaniard Sainz. It looks like the top three will be battling for the victory, but Peterhansel's chances of an overall victory have become uncomfortably slim.
The story of the trucks is similar to the cars, as the almighty Russian Kamaz team is leading the overall standings for the sixth consecutive ...
Dakar 2011 - A review of the first six stages
VW and Sainz still leading after six stages.
Photo by GEPA pictures.
The story of the trucks is similar to the cars, as the almighty Russian Kamaz team is leading the overall standings for the sixth consecutive day, Russians Firdaus Kabirov and Vladimir Chagin are leading the truck rankings, while Czech Tatra driver Ales Loprais is third. Chagin has won three stages, Kabirov two and Loprais one. The rest of the trucks are already more than one and a half hours behind the leaders, again it seems like the top three will be battling for the overall victory. But it is still Dakar, one strike of bad luck and the rally is over, many cars and trucks have already been eliminated the past week.
The Austrian KTM team is in command of the bike standings; currently Spaniard Marc Coma is leading the rankings, followed by Frenchman Cyril Despres, third is the Aprilia of Chilean Francisco Lopez Contardo, who is already 22 minutes behind the leader. Portuguese Helder Rodrigues is the best Yamaha driver on place four, the best BMW driver Dutchman Frans Verhoeven is in eighth place with a little over an hour behind Coma. Two American riders are still in the running, Jonah Street (Yamaha) is seventh, and Quinn Alexis Cody (Honda) is in 12th position overall.
The rally really kicked off on Sunday with a special stage from Victoria to Cordoba in Argentina, a mountainous route with narrow tracks where overtaking was difficult. The drivers and riders were surprised by rain, and Sainz even compared the stage with the Rally of Great Britain. American Robby Gordon of the Hummer team started in fourth place, but finished in eight place. "We knew that the Hummer team would not be as strong as we would like in the Argentina portion of the race, but we struggled a little bit more today than I would have liked due to the weather conditions," Gordon explained.
Two trucks had to retire from the rally during stage one. The Ginaf of Dutchman Wulfert van Ginkel crashed hard on the motorway on its way to the start of the stage. His truck hit a piece of metal which pierced his right front tyre, the tyre exploded and sent van Ginkel's truck into a frightening summersault before it crashed into the barrier. The truck was a total loss, but fortunately neither of the occupants were seriously injured. Bad luck for Dutchman Gerard de Rooy as well, his Iveco hit a bump, landed hard and de Rooy injured his back and had to retire. He flew back to the Netherlands and the next day x-ray images revealed he had sustained a hairline crack in one of his vertebrae.
In the bike category, Portuguese Ruben Faria won the stage, but he lost his victory to Despres again after the organizers had handed him a ten minute penalty after his GPS data had revealed he had breached the speed limits.
Stage two was from Cordoba to San Miguel de Tucuman, a stage through a bumpy forest track and bushy terrain, and again the riders and drivers were surprised by heavy rain. The terrain suited the VW Touaregs the best, and although Sainz had visibility problems because his wind screen wipers didn't work properly, he crossed the finish line in first position, and was followed by Al-Attiyah and Peterhansel. The third VW of Giniel de Villiers finished in fourth position.
The stage became a drama for Gordon, his Hummer hit a rock when he missed a corner. His Hummer sustained damage at the front, and when he tried to reverse his car, the reverse gear broke and it took him almost an hour to get the Hummer back on the track and to repair the damage. Gordon finished in 47th place. Another American, Mark Miller (VW), lost time after he also had missed a corner and his car had rolled over. Miller, "In a bend, we skidded and lost control of the car. We rolled over before we could get back on the track. After that, we had to stop and repair, especially the power steering." He was able to continue, but finished in 43rd place, 52 minutes behind Sainz.
#2 KTM: Cyril Despres.
Although the bikes and quads took a different route, the weather conditions were the same. Despres won the stage after Faria was given an one minute penalty. "Today the track was full of bends and very skiddy, like a 300-km giant slalom with jumps, like skiing," Despres commented after he had crossed the finish line. Kamaz drivers Chagin and Kabirov battled for first and second position, but Chagin ran into technical problems and his team colleague Kabirov took the stage win and became the leader in the truck standings.
Stage three was from San Miguel de Tucuman to San Salvador de Jujuy, the first part was through the desert, the second part through mountainous forested terrain. Al-Attiyah was the fasted VW driver and won the stage just ahead of Sainz. "We had lost a minute and a half to Al-Attiyah by the end of the first section, but in the end we made up most of the time we lost by pushing more on the last section where there was less navigation," said Sainz after he had finished only 25 seconds behind his team colleague. Sainz remained in the overall lead, followed by Al-Attiyah and Peterhansel.
Chagin did what everyone expected him to do, and made up for the time he lost the day before, and finished 6m45s ahead of Kabirov, who lost the lead in the truck standings to Chagin again. In the bike category leader Despres lost valuable time after he got lost during the first part of the stage, Coma won the stage 2m21s ahead of Despres, who still led the overall rankings, but only with 14 seconds. Coma was happy with his race, "This was really an authentic Dakar day: the first part with lots of navigation, then more riding on the rest."
Stage four led from San Salvador de Jujuy to Calama, the relatively short route of 207 km went over the Andes mountains, with the arrival in Chili. For KTM rider Coma it was an important day, he took over the lead from Despres after he had won the stage just 16 seconds ahead of his rival. "It was difficult to open the way, I'm happy and I felt great," the Spaniard said. But he was also cautious on his chances, "The general standings don't matter for the moment. The most important thing will be the last day."
Again both VW drivers Sainz and Al-Attiyah were fighting for the lead, Sainz took his third stage win, Al-Attiyah followed him in second place, and Peterhansel took third place. A flat tyre had slowed Peterhansel down. "It could have been a good day because we were in the lead at the intermediate points. But we got a flat tyre and had to change the wheel, which took two or three minutes," the Frenchman commented after he had arrived at the finish line.
Problems for Robby Gordon.
Photo by Planet Robby.
For Gordon and his Hummer the fourth stage was the end of his Dakar ambitions. A wheel bearing broke, and with little time for the support vehicle to bring him the new bearing, Gordon ran out of time and was automatically disqualified. "Disappointed doesn't even begin to describe the way I'm feeling right now, not only for me but for everyone involved," a bitterly disappointed Gordon said. "While it may not appear like it due to our performance thus far, countless hours went into this effort. To have a wheel bearing fail is just sickening, a huge, huge disappointment."
Truck 'Tsar' Chagin again won the stage, and left no doubt about his goal this year: to win the rally for the seventh time. After the fourth stage he was leading the overall standings, followed by Kabirov and Tatra driver Loprais. Fourth was the MAN of German Franz Echter, but he is 46m08s behind the leader, the second fastest MAN of Dutchman Marcel van Vliet is in tenth place.
Stage five was the first very difficult stage, a 423 km long stage from Calama to Iquique, which led through dunes and the huge sandy hills of the Attacama desert, but with a great reward: the last few kilometers was up a huge sandy hill, once at the top the drivers overlooked the finish and the bivouac at Iquique, with the ocean on the background. The last two kilometers were downhill at an 32 degree angle, for some of the bikes too steep, as the fuel in the tank couldn't reach the engine anymore, and the engine cut off, and they had to freewheel down the hill in the deep sand, sometimes at speeds of over 150 km.
During this stage many competitors got into real trouble, many riders fell and damaged their bike, many drivers got stuck in the sand and needed assistance to free their car or truck, many got lost in the desert, in other words: the Dakar Rally at its best. But stage five became Peterhansel's day, for the first time this week he beat both Sainz and Al- Attiyah. "We started with the bit between our teeth. We managed to overtake Al-Attiyah and Sainz by taking advantage of a navigation error they made," a happy Peterhansel said. The top three in the car rankings remained the same, Sainz was still leading, followed by his shadow Al-Attiyah, and Peterhansel.
The bikes also had huge problems, navigation was difficult, but Portuguese Paulo Goncalves was the first to reach the finish. Second place went to local hero Chilean Lopez Contardo. "It was really difficult today. The navigation was extremely complicated, but that's the Dakar," the Aprilia rider said. "The race really started today. It was a genuine day of rally- raiding with technical problems an lots of navigation," he added. Americans Street and Cody finished in eighth and 22nd position respectively, and after stage five, were eighth and 15th in the overall standings. Frenchman Olivier Pain (Yamaha) crashed out of the rally, he fell and broke his wrist 231 km into the stage.
A bad stage for Kamaz driver Chagin, he became fourth and lost the lead to Kabirov who scored his second stage victory. Chagin entered into stage six yesterday, 13m36s behind Kabirov, while Loprais started more than 25 minutes behind the leader.
Stage six led from Iquique to Arica, a true monster stage of 456 km, with a lot of navigation, and a sea of endless sand dunes, a stage that stretched the limits of man and machine. The stage became a disaster for Peterhansel, who had four flat tyres, changing a tyre in the deep sand is never a job to look forward to. "We only had three spare wheels, so we had to stop regularly to inflate that last wheel. We paid for our setbacks quite heavily today. It's bad news before the rest day," a disappointed Peterhansel commented. He also missed a waypoint and had to drive back, which again cost him time, he lost 12m25s to leader Sainz, and is now 14m51s behind him in the overall standings.
Sainz had a good day and is currently still the leader in the car rankings, he is followed by Al-Attiyah, who is now 2m42s behind him. Although he won the stage again, Sainz did complain about yesterday's stage, "I don't like this kind of stage. They are difficult and dangerous." American Miller (VW) finished in fourth position, and is now in sixth position of the overall ranking.
Kabirov is leading the truck rankings.
For the trucks an extraordinary difficult stage, they had to take huge risks to ensure they didn't get stuck in the sand dunes with their heavy trucks. Many of them got stuck on the sharp top ridges of the huge sand dunes, and needed help from the service teams or passing competitors to free their truck. Once out of the sand, it was down the dune again, turn around, and try to gain enough speed and momentum to this time hopefully get over the crest at the second attempt. Other trucks rolled over on their side on the steep dunes, and also had to wait for assistance to get their truck back on four wheels again.
Kamaz driver Kabirov was once again faster than Chagin, but it was Loprais' Tatra that won the stage. Kamaz had so far dominated the rally, and Loprais' goal is a podium place. "We are just one Tatra here against an army of six trucks from Russia," the Czech said. "But we will keep on pushing, that's our goal, we would like to target the podium at least," he added.
Competitors on stage six, who started yesterday, had until today 16.00 PM local time to reach the finish in Arica, close to the Peruvian border. Not all of them have yet arrived there, many riders and drivers had to spend the night in the desert, waiting for spare parts, or simply because they were lost or too tired to race on through the night.
Today's rest day isn't a rest day for everyone, while the top drivers can rest, catch some sleep and gather new energy for the next stage, many of the lesser gods have to service their own vehicles, repair broken parts, or shop for spare parts at other teams. Many of the service and backup trucks haven't made it to Arica, and the Iveco trucks don't have enough spare parts, as one of the Iveco service trucks went up in flames, and all spare parts were lost too.
The next stage will be on Sunday, and goes from Arica to Antofagasta, the longest special stage of the 2011 Dakar Rally. The stage is divided into two timed sections, and there is a special route for the bikes and quads. Many drivers and riders have had little sleep, and had to work hard during the past seven days, but they have one thing in common: they simply do not want to give up, and have set their sight to the arrival in Buenos Aires next week.
See also: Coma, Sainz and Kabirov on top after testing week
Hino stage 6 report
Team Aprilia Giofil rest day report
Gordon secures Dakar return after two years out
Other truck
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Gordon slapped with visa ban for burnout antics

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