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Hotels in Times of Trouble
Trouble at the Majestic
The year is 1919, the scene a decaying imperial spa in County Cork, Ireland. The owner of the Majestic Hotel is an Anglo-Irish aristocrat who cares more for his dogs and piglets than for the starved villagers who raid his potato patch by night. His beloved piglets are housed in the former squash court and fed yesterday's pastries.
The Majestic Hotel figures in Trouble, a tragicomedy about the Irish rebellion against British rule–performed against a background of guerrilla attacks by the rebels and vicious reprisals by the British. The "Troubles" exploded again in 1970, the year that J.G.Farrell's remarkable novel appeared.
A century after the partitioning of Ireland, amid the planetary chaos of the coronavirus pandemic, California's vacant hotels suddenly figure in a social and economic crisis of survival.
California governor Gavin Newsom, confronting the vulnerable and potentially infectious mass of 150,000 homeless in the state, has engineered an ingenious deal. Hotels and motels, most notably Motel Six, have made available for lease some 15,000 hotel rooms for housing the most fragile homeless–the aged and those with underlying health conditions.
Newsom announced Project Roomkey at a press conference in front of a Motel Six in Campbell,California. Campbell is an unremarkable Santa Clara Valley town where I went to high school, when prune orchards were just giving way to housing tracts, highways, and the garage startups that transformed the farmland suburbs into Silicon Valley.
In the early days, Campbell, California had at least one street of "affordable housing," inhabited by poor people, then generically called "Okies". Gilman Avenue was a few blocks of small greyish bungalows, some with junked cars as lawn furniture. Betty the Moocher lived on Gilman. She was pallid and grimy with a plaintive, small-featured face. During lunch hour she would stand nearby, gazing silently at your sandwich. Sometimes we would give her something. It never occurred to me that she could actually have been hungry, though there were no free lunch programs then.
One of those Gilman bungalows is for sale right now as a "vintage" fixer-upper, for $1,220,000. Down half a million from its earlier listing. Most people cannot now afford any sort of home in California, but there are more free lunch programs. Just no housing.
Given the continuing pandemic lockdown, Project Roomkey hotel rooms would have been vacant anyway–a seemingly perfect solution, with FEMA ready to pay 75% of the costs. But two weeks ago only some 4,000 of the 15K available rooms were occupied. Tidy charts showed how many rooms had been leased for the project, how many were being prepared for occupancy, and the relatively few which were actually occupied.
It is not a simple process. The first challenge is the vetting of would-be occupants, by experienced social workers already overstretched by the Covid crisis. Applicants range from the responsible but roofless and medically fragile to lifelong addicts who may trash their rooms if not regularly supplied with their drugs. Medical records and background checks are needed. Staffing has to be arranged to provide food, housecleaning, medical help–and security.
Several counties have already signed onto Project Roomkey. But a number of southern California townships have rejected any use of their local hotels as homeless housing, either temporary or permanent. And anecdotal reports from some of the occupied lodgings are not good. Social distancing, along with housekeeping and private property, are unfamiliar concepts for many formerly homeless folks.
California has the fifth largest economy in the world, one of the highest costs of living in this country, and the largest number of homeless of any state. Some see this as flagrant evidence of a failed government–the inability to provide for the welfare of its least able citizens. Newsom, as governor, and earlier as mayor of San Francisco, took on homelessness as his central issue. There was the controversial Care Not Cash, which reduced cash support and increased shelter and social services. Now there is Project Roomkey.
Here in my present hometown of Berkeley, 40 homeless have moved into two Oakland hotels that are part of Project Roomkey. Each room is $186 per day, to be 75% reimbursed by FEMA. For whatever reason, Berkeley jokes aside, these are not Motel Six rooms like those claimed by other counties, which normally rent for $76 per night. Meanwhile the proposal for 16 stories of housing to be built at People's Park brings out opponents pointing to its 50-year history as a political symbol and a refuge for the homeless.
Newsom and his allies would like to see Project Roomkey succeed and extend beyond the pandemic. This cannot happen without aligning funds from state, local, and federal sources. And so far, even money has not proven to be the answer. Homelessness was a serious problem in California long before COVID-19, and will doubtless increase afterwards, given the economic devastation of the work stoppage as well as earlier problems with local zoning and construction workers' unions.
Bond issues for building affordable housing have been passed and then failed dismally to address the need. In California it costs $450K to construct one no-frills unit of subsidized low-cost housing. This is based on rising costs of labor and material and the expensive delays between securing funding and local approval of the project and the site. Given the cost of new construction, adapting ready-made housing seems a rational solution to the very immediate needs of California's 150K homeless.
Some say that this apparent emergency will shrink back into perspective once our society returns to normal. Others point out that "normal" has included indifference not just to homeless encampments under our clogged freeways, but to the climate crisis, to enormous income inequality, to mass shootings, and to the continuing partitioning of our electorate that gave us Donald Trump. ∞


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Americans Dissatisfied With Current Gun Laws But Still Supportive of Second Amendment
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In the aftermath of the murders at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newton, Connecticut, Gallup has found that the number of Americans open to greater restrictions on guns has taken an upswing going from 25 percent in support of tighter restrictions to 38 percent. Despite this, Americans are not keen on ending their Second Amendment rights. Despite this, Gallup also found that Americans are not keen on ending their Second Amendment rights.
Each year Gallup conducts its Mood of the Nation survey which contains one question on gun control asking if respondents are satisfied or dissatisfied with the nation's laws or policies on guns. If the respondent answers in the affirmative, a follow up question is asked. The respondent is asked if laws are too strict, not strict enough, or should remain the same.
After nearly ten years showing little change in the national mood on gun laws, Gallup found a 13 point rise in those wanting harsher restrictions with 38 percent of respondents saying they are dissatisfied and want stricter gun laws. Only five percent said they were dissatisfied but want fewer restrictions.
The poll also found that 68 percent of Democrats want gun laws to be more strict while only 18 percent of Republican respondents want tougher restrictions.
Despite these results, Gallup has also found that Americans are generally supportive of the Second Amendment and do not want to lose their right to self-protection. A poll at the end of December, for instance, found that 74 percent of respondents are against handgun bans.
Further, opponents of banning so-called "assault rifles" still slightly out number banners. 51 percent oppose banning "assault weapons" while only 44% are for such a ban.
With the full court press that the Old Media establishment and the Obama administration has dedicated to pushing gun bans and stricter gun laws, the uptick in numbers has been perhaps less than one might expect. With the heavy anti-gun push in full swing, these results show that even with heavy media pressure most Americans still support their Second Amendment rights.
One question on this particular polls looms, however. Since gun laws are essentially a state issue, one has to wonder how Americans would feel about the gun laws in their own states? Since every state but one (Illinois) now has voter supported concealed carry laws, one has to wonder if Americans feel the gun laws in their own states need to be strengthened? It's one thing to ask a question generalized to "the nation" but quite another to ask Americans if they favor actual restrictions right at home.
This reservation about Gallup's results can be likened to the question of the likeability of Congress. Few Americans have a very high opinion of Congress as a body. But when asked about their own congressman they have a much higher opinion often by many magnitudes.
Would real-life gun restrictions that hit Americans at home find similar percentages as Gallup's generalized polling? We will never know unless these questions are broken down by state.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Reliant Energy provides electricity and energy services to more than 1.5 million retail customers—including homes, small and large businesses, manufacturing facilities, government entities and institutions across Texas.
As part of NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG), Reliant Energy is backed by one of the nation's largest power producers. NRG owns and operates more than 24,000 megawatts of generation capacity, including more than 11,000 megawatts of capacity in Texas.
Reliant Energy traces its roots to the company that brought electricity to Houston for the first time. As you might imagine, things were simpler back then. There were no electricity meters, so service was provided on a flat rate…for $3 per month, customers would receive "an all night light."
But despite this modest beginning, the wheels of progress were turning. And in the decades to come, electricity and the men and women of the "Light Company," as it was known in those days, would play a vital role in bringing the city of Houston into the 20th Century. Like today, it was all done through an unwavering commitment to service, innovation and community.
Over the course of the next century, not only did electricity provide residential lighting to the city of Houston, it powered the city's economic development and helped make NASA's first space walk possible and established the city's preeminent role in the space program.
Today, as part of NRG Energy, Reliant Energy is even stronger. The combination of NRG's commitment to sustainability, renewable energy and innovation along with Reliant Energy's heritage of service since competition began, innovation and community involvement uniquely positions Reliant Energy to create value for their customers.


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About AmeriCorps
Current AmeriCorps Grantee Resources
Funding Opportunities
Empathy Sector
Volunteerism & Resources
Ambassador Program
What would our communities look like without volunteers?
Volunteering is one of the most important resources communities have and an expression of civic responsibility and awareness. By freely offering their time, skills and energies, a volunteer can have a profound impact on their community and the community of others, in turn, positively impacting the lives of each individual in said communities. In addition, by serving others the volunteer themselves gain from the experience; knowledge, self-worth, and the pride of knowing he or she made positive change in the community. The act of volunteering can range widely, from serving in large-scale nonprofit organizations to small acts of kindness for a neighbor, but the end result remains the same: the improvement of the health and well-being of a community and its citizens. Due to this fact, volunteers are and will always be integral to maintaining a supportive, functional, and connected society.
Hoosiers are a dedicated and selfless people who have a long and proud tradition of helping their neighbors and those less fortunate than themselves. Across Indiana, committed volunteers in faith and community-based organizations bring unique skills, services, and resources to address many of the state's unmet needs surrounding housing, hunger, and health. Indeed, there are many opportunities for Indiana's robust civic sector to partner with government to deliver services more effectively than either can do alone.
Learn more about our role in the community and our history here.


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Happy Valentine's Day! "Heart of America" by Alex Schattner
Allison went hiking near Lake Placid, hoping to be alone with her thoughts. She had just broken up with her fifth boyfriend in three months, and was feeling sorry for herself.
"Had she given each man a real chance?" Such thoughts consumed her so much that she accidentally walked into the path of a grizzly bear.
"Is this what an unloving girl deserves?" Allison said, closing her eyes and preparing for the worst. But then…the bear spoke.
"Fear not," the bear said, "Your true love is out there, and I will take you to him." Allison felt she had nothing to lose. So, she jumped aboard the bears back and soon they were bounding through the forest.
At that same moment, in a Santa Fe apartment, a man named Brad awoke to find a large eagle perched on his fire escape. Brad had recently broken up with his girlfriend, too. They were planning on living together, but they couldn't decide whose apartment to keep. This seemingly small issue, became a power struggle that ended their happiness.
Like the bear, the eagle spoke. "Rise up," it said, "I will take you to your one true love." So, a curious Brad climbed out his window, and on to the eagles back. Before long, his apartment was lost under the clouds.
Allison and the bear had been traveling for hours, when they came upon a family eating around a campfire.
"Might I join you," Allison asked, while the bear hid in the bushes.
"I'm sorry," the father said, "but there isn't enough to go around." Allison looked at their plates. They had plenty to share, but Allison wasn't going to argue with them. As she turned to leave, a wind blew, and the fire's flames shifted, setting the father's shirt on fire. Allison acted quickly; tearing off her coat and throwing it over the father's arm, extinguishing the fire. The father was unharmed, and very grateful.
"Perhaps we have more food than we realized," he said. Allison took a seat, and enjoyed the fine meal, with her now-pleasant company. By nightfall, Allison was treated like family, and given an extra sleeping bag so that she may rest beside them.
Brad and the Eagle also rested that night. They landed in front of "Turner's Bed and Breakfast," outside Grand Junction, Colorado. The place was a well-kept old house painted pink with Victorian turrets. When Brad entered, he heard two people arguing behind the check-in counter. Mr. and Mrs. Turner, he presumed.
"Did they hear me come in?" He wondered, "What am I supposed to do?"
He didn't want to interrupt them, so he stood by the door, and focused on a nearby bench topped with teddy bears. Still, he heard the couple arguing over how to manage the inn: spend their profit, clean the rooms, manage the gift shop, etc. Eventually, Brad had to interrupt them.
"You both want the same thing," Brad said, making the couple jump in surprise, "You both want to be in charge, but that's only possible if you compromise."
"Maybe you can help us," Mr. Turner said, "We could use an impartial voice."
"I'll do my best," replied Brad, and for the next hour he listened and advised. Finally, the couple agreed never to let silly problems stop them from loving one another, and Brad feel asleep totally at peace. The next morning, as he flew off, he dared to feel hopeful.
Allison shared this hope as she bid farewell to her new friends, and set off with the bear; now moving faster than ever. By mid-afternoon, both the bear and the eagle reached "Lebanon, Kansas!"
"This is America's center," the bear and the eagle said, "This is its heart. Here you will become whole." The eagle began its decent, and Brad could see Allison waving to greet him. Even from a distance, he felt he could see every feature of her face, as if he had always known it.
When Allison saw Brad's smiling face looking down from the eagle, she knew the bear had been right. All the unsuccessful relationships no longer mattered. Brad and Allison had acquired the patience, humility, and forgiveness they needed to move forward with their lives…together.
Tags: alex schattner, america, art, fairy tale, fairytale, folktale, heart, illustration, love, magic, romance, valentine, valentine's
Article of Interest: "America's Moral Volcano" by Eleanor Jones Harvey
Can landscape paintings depict political turmoil? They did during the American Civil War.
Read here: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/americas-moral-volcano/
An interpretation of Rockwell's "Girl at Mirror"
Norman Rockwell Day?
Happy Norman Rockwell Day!
Henceforth, let February Third be known as Norman Rockwell Day, for on that date in 1894 the world welcomed America's greatest illustrative idealist. Now, it was not I who founded this well-earned holiday, and the rules for celebrating it. A good friend of mine learned it from his father, who learned it from his father, Willy.
As a little boy growing up in Arlington, Vermont, Willy held on to each and every Saturday Evening Post and Boy's Life cover he could find. The walls in his room were covered in them. It might sound a little nutty to you, but times were tough. America was still going through the Great Depression, and Rockwell's vision of a brighter future inspired people all across the country.
When Norman Rockwell moved his family to Arlington in 1939, it was a dream come true for Willy. When Rockwell handpicked Willy to model for "A Scout is Helpful," an image of a Boy Scout rescuing a little girl from a lake, it was the greatest moment in Willy's life. He felt like the scrawniest of sixteen year-olds, but Rockwell saw "heroic potential in him." When America was drawn into WWII, and Willy was drafted to the front, these words gave him the strength to fight the Axis of Evil instead of high tailing to Canada. They also hampered Willy's sneaking suspicion that "Willie" Gillis, Rockwell's gawky cover boy for the armed forces, was based off him.
Fast forward almost four decades, to 1978, the year Norman Rockwell died of a heart attack. Willy lost his hero. What was he going to do? And then it came to him, like a cherry on a sundae. He was going to set aside one day every year to appreciate the wacky ingenuity that makes America great. One day to see America as it should be, and not necessarily as it is. One day to see the country as Rockwell saw it.
Since then, Willy and his son have been planning trips around February Third with the goal of achieving a uniquely American experience. They tracked down the world's largest bottle of ketchup and ate it. They traveled down the Mississippi River on a wooden raft (a la Huckleberry Finn). One year they even rode horses from Lexington to Concord, ringing bells and yelling at people the whole way down.
As the tradition became more and more finite, the four golden rules fell into place:
- You have to tell everyone you meet that it's Norman Rockwell Day. "Happy Norman Rockwell Day" is preferred, but "Merry Norman Rocks Socks Day" is also acceptable.
- You must designate an American Ritual or challenge in which to take part. Some tried and true examples are:
- Chop down a cherry tree, and proudly own up to it.
- Drive a Spike into the Pacific Railroad
- Attempt to purchase Louisiana
- Dress your dog up like a President. (Extra points for Millard Fillmore)
- Paint a self-portrait of painting a self-portrait.
- Experience must be photographed/documented in a Rockwellian Fashion.
- Wherever you go, you must take the road less traveled. (That was said by Robert Frost, not Rockwell, but it captures the spirit of the holiday.)
Now that's down, and your excitements been piqued, there is just one word of caution I have. Stay close to your team. Be kind to the bossy, the weak, and the glum. There's no fighting on Norman Rockwell Day, just lighthearted fun.
Written by Alex Schattner (2/3/13)
"The Christmas Department," Now on Amazon!
Moore Forgiven
A young man entered a gilded elevator, and pushed the button for the top floor. In his hand, he held a small package. To be honest, he was surprised he had made it so far. "What could have induced Robert … Continue reading
Friends in High Places
On a cool December morning, Dustin Tanglewood awoke to find bright whiteness outside his window. Overnight, his quiet suburban neighborhood had transformed into a snowy paradise. As he took a closer look, there was only one thing out of place, … Continue reading
The Eagle Float and Mr. Austin
The week before Thanksgiving…Mr. Austin, a high school art teacher, was told that his funding was being cut in half due to budget cuts. The athletics department wasn't being cut, just the arts. "Why?" Mr. Austin asked. "Because sports build … Continue reading


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Colosseum or Coliseumboth: kŏləsē´əm [key], Ital. Colosseo, common name of the Flavian Amphitheater in Rome, near the southeast end of the Forum, between the Palatine and Esquiline hills. Begun by Vespasian, c.AD 75, and completed by his son Titus in AD 80, it is the most imposing of Roman antiquities. The vast four-storied oval is 617 ft (188 m) by 512 ft (156 m), much of which is still standing; it had tier on tier of marble seats accommodating c.45,000 spectators. It encloses an arena measuring 250 ft (76 m) by 151 ft (46 m) where gladiatorial combats were held (see gladiators) until 404. According to tradition, persecuted Christians were thrown there to beasts. The Colosseum has been damaged several times by earthquakes.
See J. Pearson, Arena: The Story of the Colosseum (1974).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Italian Physical Geography


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These battle shields from Chimbu (Simbu) in the Papua New Guinea Highlands were collected by a New Zealand couple who spent nearly a decade teaching in the country until their return to New Zealand in 2009. The shields are significant for their cultural value and use in warfare among the Chimbu. They also have a strong visual presence.
In terms of their provenance they contribute to one of our tasks of documenting the important work of New Zealanders in the Pacific through material culture they collect. The museum has a small number of shields from Papua New Guinea. They date from the late 1800s and early 1900s with a few from the 1970s. These shields will be the only examples we have from Chimbu (Simbu). There is only one other artefact attributed to Chimbu in the collection, a ceramic whistle.
These well documented shields will be useful to researchers of warfare, art and culture in Papua New Guinea.


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How much will the Tooth Fairy leave under your child's pillow? Use this calculator to learn what children of similar demographics are receiving.
Not sure how much the Tooth Fairy should leave under your child's pillow? See what other parents of similar demographics are leaving kids from the Tooth Fairy.
According to a new nationwide survey conducted by Visa Inc., the going rate for a tooth in America this year is $3.40.
Visa Inc. 2015 Tooth Fairy Survey
The survey results are based on 4,027 telephone interviews conducted nationally from May 28 to June 21, 2015, in cooperation with OCR International's Omnibus Service "Telephone Caravan."


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I was reading about the Blood Elf models not making the WoW – Warlords release, and through the comments people are extrapolating from that (a) Blizzard are rushing, (b) release might be around the corner, (c) the community deserve a little more information, (d) Blizzard have had plenty of time already and they are lazy, (e) the expansion will be terrible.
The variety and breadth of perspectives on the next expansion is telling of two things. The fan-base isn't sure of many details they consider important, and that Blizzard isn't actually served (in the short term) by being honest with their fans.
The company who is infamous for releasing when they are ready, and who has already said that the game will be released closer to December than July – I just don't get it. A feature set was broad brushed a long time ago, and details are being released to keep the fans interested and also to keep WoW's long tail of blogs, news, etc alive. The release dates cycle is very long (basically impossible to argue against) but it is not significantly longer than other expansions.
I do not think the studio deserve to be derided for communicating about status, delays, and where their thinking is, because the alternative is that they just go silent and do press releases for the blogs to recycle. For pity's sake fan-base, start being fans.
If the long view is taken, a fan can look back at the 10 years of discussion and banter between the vendor and customer, it demonstrates that talking to fans is a good thing. Many other game devs do not discuss their products in this way, and I think they suffer less bad comments pre-release.
Comments such as this is superficially reasonable, until you start to ponder what answer would actually be satisfactory…
The only thing that worries me is this; what has to be scrapped to allow extra time to get this in at a later date now? Meaning, if this was supposed to be done at launch, that allowed for room for other content to be released later on. Since this is being pushed, what content may get pushed even further or now scrapped because of this?
There is no useful answer to this question. Speaking as a manager of software projects, I see questions similar to this all the time, and the answers cannot be specific without creating another set of clarifying questions. It becomes an endless cycle of q&a…but what if…why can't we just…why wasn't I consulted?
As much as it might be hurtful to say the end consumers of the expansion are not stakeholders who should be involved in the timing and planning stages, so releasing information to them is done for customer engagement purposes, not to actually ask which feature should be in or out to meet a flexible deadline. Yes, they are the end paying customer, but your needs and views have been analysed and incorporated into the product strategy already. I'm certain that Blizzard are taking every feature seriously as they've released so many good quality products in the past. A flippant approach to features, quality, or deadlines doesn't match their history.
Express your frustration or opinion without the dramatic rhetoric, and you might even find the vendor listening. Attack the vendor with no constructive feedback and you'll be muted. We all know that an attack creates more clicks, but at this stage the whining is just tiresome. If you don't like waiting, then go do something else because you'll be waiting regardless.
The fact that one of the racial character models won't be updated isn't a show stopper. This announcement proves that, and tells us that they are willing to drop some non-core features to meet their target dates. Heck, drop more character models for all I care. The content (worlds, raids, quests, etc) being finished to a high quality and without defects is a showstopper, the upgrade process for the game is critical, the distribution method is critical. Even the comms plan for marketing and the planning a round their own other products and the products of their competitors is important. New character models? Sit down (imho*).
Keep in mind too that the models are not being shelved, but being delayed. This isn't the dance studio. That is a box feature that is wonderful to drop into a discussion like this to demonstrate why something which was all but pointless to a wide range of players can also create a blather of negative feedback from a loud minority. It should never be anything except a silly nice-to-have feature. By comparison I think the new models are more important, but trivial compared to the actual story and event content for the expansion.
We need to deal with what we get at launch. Not what you wanted? Then don't buy it.
If the lack of a particular widget ruins the game for you, then wait till it is present and join the game again during that content patch. I've unsubscribed during the downtime period and cannot understand the parts of the fan-base who are angry that they don't have new content in the period where it was well communicated that there would be no new content. Too long between expansions is only true if you're choosing to not play or not enjoying what you have now.
I've previously blogged about the time to expansion release being long, but it was an observation targeting the idea of doings something else with my time and money. If you are choosing to pay for something you don't like, or sitting in front of a game which we know won't be changing for months and expecting something new; then I think there are other issues. PEBKAC.
Happy gaming, TyphoonAndrew.
* ok, not humble.


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TORONTO » Two men were arrested and charged with plotting a terrorist attack against a Canadian passenger train with support from al-Qaida elements in Iran, police said today. The case bolstered allegations by some governments and experts of a relationship of convenience between Shiite-led Iran and the predominantly Sunni Arab terrorist network.
Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, and Raed Jaser, 35, had "direction and guidance" from al-Qaida members in Iran, though there was no reason to think the planned attacks were state-sponsored, RCMP Assistant Commissioner James Malizia said. Police said the men did not get financial support from al-Qaida, but declined to provide more details.
"This is the first known al-Qaida planned attack that we've experienced in Canada," Superintendent Doug Best told a news conference. Officials in Washington and Toronto said it had no connections to last week's bombings at the marathon in Boston.
The arrests in Montreal and Toronto raised questions about Iran's murky relationship with the terrorist network. Bruce Riedel, a CIA veteran who is now a Brookings Institution senior fellow, said al-Qaida has had a clandestine presence in Iran since at least 2001 and that neither the terror group nor Tehran speak openly about it.
"The Iranian regime kept some of these elements under house arrest," he said in an email to The Associated Press. "Some probably operate covertly. AQ members often transit Iran traveling between hideouts in Pakistan and Iraq."
Last fall, the Obama administration offered up to $12 million in rewards for information leading to the capture of two al-Qaida leaders based in Iran. The U.S. State Department described them as key facilitators in sending extremists to Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. Treasury Department also announced financial penalties against one of the men.
The investigation surrounding the planned attack was part of a cross-border operation involving Canadian law enforcement agencies, the FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The attack "was definitely in the planning stage but not imminent," RCMP chief superintendent Jennifer Strachan said Monday. "We are alleging that these two individuals took steps and conducted activities to initiate a terrorist attack. They watched trains and railways."
Strachan said they were targeting a route, but did not say whether it was a cross border route.
Charges against the two men include conspiring to carry out an attack and murder people in association with a terrorist group. Police said the men are not Canadian citizens, said they had been in Canada a "significant amount of time," and declined to say where they were from or why they were in the country. Their bail hearing was scheduled in Toronto on Tuesday.
Best said the duo had been under investigation since last fall.
Authorities were tipped off by members of the community of one of the suspects, Best said, without expanding.
A spokeswoman for the University of Sherbrooke near Montreal said Esseghaier studied there in 2008-2009. More recently, he has been doing doctoral research at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique, a spokeswoman at the training university confirmed.
A LinkedIn page showing a man with Esseghaier's name and academic background helped author a number of biology research papers, including on HIV and cancer detection. The page carries a photo of a black flag inscribed with the Islamic declaration of faith.
The arrests just a few months after two Canadians were discovered among militants killed in a terrorist siege at a gas plant in Algeria. The siege killed at least 38 hostages and 29 militants, including Ali Medlej and Xristos Katsiroubas, two high school friends from London, Ontario.
In 2006 Canadian police foiled the so-called Toronto 18 home grown plot to set off bombs outside Toronto's Stock Exchange, a building housing Canada's spy agency and a military base. The goal was to scare Canada into removing its troops from Afghanistan. The arrests made international headlines and heightened fears in a country where many people thought they were relatively immune from terrorist strikes.
Associated Press writers Rob Gillies in Toronto, Peter Spielmann in New York and Pete Yost in Washington contributed to this story.


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An article on AOL Health ("All The News That's Fit for Hypochondriacs") reports that children all around the country are being infected by salmonella, breaking out in warts, and hungering for flies after kissing frogs in imitation of Disney's animated feature The Princess and the Frog. There have even been reports of children in France becoming so orally fixated on frogs that they are actually eating the things! The story seems ridiculous on its face (for example, not even a crazy person would eat a reptile, and everyone knows you get salmonella from salmon, not frogs), but it does have an echo of truth in it — over the years, there have been many cases of children doing silly things in imitation of Disney films.
For example:
- In the 1950s, little boys all across the country, in imitation of their TV hero Davy Crockett, donned raccoon-skin caps and ran for Congress.
- The popular Frisbee toy was invented to sate children yearning to imitate the disc-battling antics of their movie hero Tron.
- After the release of Beauty and the Beast, little girls followed the movie heroine's lead and began to read books for entertainment (much to the annoyance of film-based corporations, causing Disney to focus its next animated film, Aladdin, on a more commercial female role model — a marriage-obsessed princess in scanty clothes who hangs out with big, fluffy animals).
- Many children who saw Toy Story subsequently wanted toys.
This is not to say that The Princess and the Frog has had no impact on children. Quit the contrary — although there are no reliable reports of children doing anything so ridiculous as kissing frogs, a number of youths in the southern U.S. have been devoured (whole or in part) while trying to teach alligators to play jazz music.


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Posted on June 8, 2017
Followers will, no doubt, already be aware of the 'Qatar Blockade', to give the subject matter its Twitter hashtag handle. On Monday morning last, Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain broke off diplomatic relations with Qatar, along with some other Islamic power-houses such as Maldives and Libya Eastern Region. All flights between Qatar and 'The Others' were cancelled indefinitely on the following day with travel bans imposed on citizens. The land border with Saudi Arabia (the only land border that peninsular Qatar actually has) was closed with some red & white 'danger' tape and plastic bollards, like you see on construction sites back in Ireland. 'Danger – Do Not Enter' signs suddenly appeared all along the frontline. "WTF?" shouted all the normal (powerless) citizens of the Arabian Gulf who, to a man and woman, hadn't a clue what was going on.
And there you have it, dear followers. You are all as wise as all the locals on this matter. Tweets from 'The Donald' soon revealed that he was in the thick of it, and in all probability had rubber-stamped the whole escapade, which is still unfolding. 'The Donald' was in Saudi Arabia a few weeks back and departed with USD 100B in weapons contracts, while Ivanka gladly accepted a USD 100M donation to her 'Female Entrepreneurs Fund' from the Saudi King; her without the headscarf. Tramp. Trump.
While all the expats were scratching their heads and scratching their butts trying to figure it all out, Mr Mohammad & Mrs Fathima Al Qatari made an immediate bee-line for the supermarkets and cleared all the shelves of perishable goods. Generations of dealing with Arab volatility has thought the Qatari lads and lassies a thing or two about dealing with a crisis. Monday and Tuesday saw some of the longest queues in Qatari supermarket history. Fresh milk was gone by Monday evening, leaving only UHT Goats Milk for dim-witted expats like MB, when they finally cottoned on to the fact that shopping is what one does when a crisis strikes. Food shopping. Comfort shopping. Any kind of shopping. Even MB got a little caught up in it all, buying a dozen organic eggs on Tuesday evening, rather than his normal half. How comforted was MB?! Struth!
MB heard only today that there is no chicken available in the shops, him not being the greatest of chicken fans and unaware of that particular chicken fact. The desert sand does not provide much sustenance for your average chuck, so the chicken farms of the Gulf are primarily located in Saudi Arabia where an odd bit of muck and dirt resides; Islamic chickens one and all no doubt. The chicken trucks are therefore presently stacked ten-a-chicken-breast at the blockaded Saudi border, as MB writes this chicken missal.
For the information and ongoing education of HX followers, the Arabic word for chicken is 'dajaj' (some word), and MB swears that almost 75% of the items on every restaurant menu in Qatar have the 'dajaj' word included somewhere. Dajaj this and dajaj that and dajaj the other. It's akin to spuds back in Ireland. A must-have dish with every meal, in whatever format suits the moment. More dajaj please. And can I please order some desert dajaj? And a dajaj to go. Shukran.
So is there a threat of invasion MB? Well if there is lads, let's hope it's an invasion of chickens, or eggs. But which will come first MB? That's the proverbial question lads!
Anyway, MB is not fearful of invasion. The HX Blog has numerous followers in Saudi Arabia and UAE, from MB's sojourns in those regions. So the fact that MB is known to be presently residing in Qatar, means in all probability, that none of the hostile governments (of some 120M population) will risk sending troops across the border of Qatar (of some 2M population). Or if they do, it will only be to meet with MB to negotiate the terms of their surrender.
And that's the story to date lads. MB will keep you all a(chicken)breast of developments, even before they happen.
Watch this space. Yesterday!
Lulu Supermarket today. Doha, Qatar. UHT Goats Milk. Yuk!
Category: Irish man in the Middle East Tagged: Al Jazeera, Arabian, Bahrain, Border, Closure, Crisis, Egypt, Gulf, Maldives, news, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, uae
12 Comments
Posted on July 24, 2014
MB read the news today. Same as he does every other day. Makes for sad & disturbing reading out these parts. Read More
Category: Irish man in the Middle East Tagged: apostasy, Apostate, Beheading, Boka Haram, Culture, Gaza, I read the news today oh boy, IS, ISIS, islam, Israel, Meriam Ibrahim, MH17, news, Primitives, religion, Saudi Arabia, Stoning, Sudan, the beatles, Two Holy Mosques, Ukraine rebels, zakir naik
4 Comments
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Atmel announced at Embedded World today two innovations promising to make MCU design easier. The company launched Atmel Studio 6, the latest version of its popular integrated development environment (IDE) that now supports both Atmel 32-bit ARM Cortex-M series processor-based and Atmel 8/32-bit AVR based microcontrollers (MCUs). For the first time, the extensive AVR customer base of more than 100,000 engineers and the designers of ARM Cortex-M series processor-based applications have all of the tools required to develop and debug Atmel MCU applications in a single, seamless environment.
The company today also announced an aggressive expansion of its Atmel SAM3 ARM Cortex-M3 processor-based MCU family with 40 new devices, delivering more scalability, cost-efficiency and connectivity for a broad array of applications, including industrial automation, smart grid, and building and home control. Throughout this year, the SAM3 and SAM4 families will quadruple the Atmel Cortex-M series processor portfolio to nearly 200 ARM processor-based MCUs, and include devices with on-chip memory densities of up to 2MB Flash, 192KB of SRAM and extensive peripherals, such as high-speed USB host and device with on-chip physical layer (PHY), Ethernet and dual CAN.
"We're pleased to offer the design advantages of the Atmel Studio 6 IDE to the ARM community, whose engineers can now enjoy the ease of use and seamless integration with other toolsets that our AVR MCU development community has long experienced. With a user base of more than 100,000, our IDE is clearly proven and highly appreciated among AVR designers, so it was only natural for us to extend the environment to support all Atmel MCUs and enable the ARM application developers," said Vegard Wollan, vice president, microcontroller and touch business unit, Atmel Corporation. "Furthermore, by expanding our SAM3 family, we are delivering the first phase of significantly expanding our ARM Cortex-M processor-based MCU offering, providing the ARM community with more choice to meet their unique design requirements."


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Abu Aamir Muhammad bin Abdullah ibn Abi Aamir, al-Hajib al-Mansur (Arabic: أبو عامر محمد بن عبد الله بن أبي عامر الحاجب المنصور) (c. 938 – August 8, 1002), better known as Almanzor, was the de facto Arab ruler of Muslim Iberia (al-Andalus) in the late 10th to early 11th centuries. His rule marked the peak of power for al-Andalus.
Almanzor was born Muhammad ibn Abi Aamir, into a noble family of Yemeni origin in Algeciras. He arrived at the Court of Córdoba as a student studying law and literature. He subsequently became manager of the estates of Prince Hisham II.
In a few years Almanzor had worked his way from this humble position to considerable heights of influence, eliminating his political rivals in the process. Caliph al-Hakam II died in 976 and Ibn Abi Amir was instrumental in securing the succession of the young Hisham II, aged twelve, to the throne. Almanzor exercised strong influence over Subh, the mother and regent of the young Hisham II. Two years later he became hajib (a title similar to that of vizier in the Muslim East or Chancellor in Western Europe). During the following three years Almanzor consolidated his power with the expansion of Medina Azaharaon the outskirts of Córdoba, while at the same time completely isolating the young Caliph, who became a virtual prisoner in Medina Azahara. Following al-Hakam's death, Almanzor had al-Hakam's library of "ancient science" books destroyed.[1]
In 981, upon his return to Córdoba from the Battle of Torrevicente, in which he crushed his last remaining rival (and father-in-law), Ghalib al-Nasiri, he assumed the title of al-Mansur bi-llah, [the] Victorious by God. In Christian Spain he was referred to as Almanzor.
Almanzor's hold on power within al-Andalus was now absolute. Purportedly in order to conceal his usurpation of the Caliph's authority,[2] Almanzor dedicated himself to annual military invasions of the Christian states of the peninsula. He organized and took part in 57 campaigns, and was victorious in all of them. To wage warfare on this scale against the Christian states, he brought in many Berber mercenaries, which upset the political order over time.
Although Almanzor mainly fought against León and the Castile, he also sacked Barcelona in 985,[3] Leon in 988 and Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in 997, taking the cathedral bells to be melted down into lanterns for the Great Mosque of Cordoba.[4][5] Almanzor knew the magnitude of the devotion to Saint James' sepulcher, and ordered his generals to protect the tomb and all sacred objects that they encountered.
Almanzor also waged several campaigns against the Kingdom of Navarra, including his longest, in which he defeated a Castilian army at the Battle of Cervera.
He married Abda, daughter of Sancho Garcés king of Navarra, who bore him a son by the name of Abd al-Rahman. He was commonly known as Sanchuelo (Little Sancho, in Arabic: Shanjoul).
The consequence of his victories in the north was to prompt the Christian rulers of the Peninsula into an alliance against him (c. 1000). He was succeeded by his son Abd al-Malik al-Muzaffar, who continued to rule al-Andalus as hajib until his death in 1008.
After Abd al-Malik, his ambitious half brother Abd al-Rahman Sanchuelo took over. He however tried to take the Caliphate for himself from Hisham, as al-Mansur had effectively made the caliph a figurehead ruler. This plunged the country into a civil war, and the Caliphate disintegrated into rival Taifa kingdoms. This proved disastrous for Muslim Iberia as, being divided, the Christian Kingdoms were able to conquer the Taifas one by one.
Almanzor peak in central Spain is named after him.
In fiction
Almanzor is a major character in the historical novel The Long Ships (Red Orm) by the Swedish author Frans Gunnar Bengtsson. Three chapters of the book take place in Muslim Iberia under Almanzor's rule, depicted from the point of view of Scanian Vikings who are captured by Moors while on a raid into Iberia, serving as galley slaves. Later they become mercenaries in Almanzor's bodyguard and finally manage to escape back to Denmark after participating in the conquest and sacking of Santiago de Compostella. In the book Almanzor is represented as being driven to his ceaseless harrying of the infidel out of guilt for having imprisoned his religious superior; the young Caliph.
Almanzor is the main character in the Syrian drama series Rabee' Qurtuba (Arabic: ربيع قرطبة), which translates as Cordoban Spring. This Arabic-language series follows Almanzor's life story from beginning to end, although it is anachronistic in parts.
See also
- ↑ Ann Christy, Christians in Al-Andalus:711–1000, (Curzon Press, 2002), 142.
- ↑ 15th Edition Encyclopaedia Britannica, pages 407-408, vol. 15 macropaedia
- ↑ Roger Collins, Caliphs and Kings, 796-1031, (Blackwell Publishing, 2012), 191.
- ↑ Roger Collins, Early Medieval Spain:Unity in Diversity, 400–1000, (St.Martin's Press, 1995), 195.
- ↑ Joel L. Kraemer, Maimonides: The life and world of one of civilization's greatest minds, (Doubleday Publishing, 2008), 32.
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Almanzor.


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In the 1945 thriller Spellbound, Ingrid Bergman asks a lot of questions.
She asks so many questions, in fact, we're willing to bet she holds some kind of cinematic record.
Bergman plays a psychoanalyst who helps amnesia victim Gregory Peck uncover details of a murder he may or may not have committed. She is convinced Peck has knowledge of an event so horrible he's buried it in his subconscious. This is coupled with a Guilt Complex that is clouding his mind.
We (as in, yours truly) are not trained in psychiatry, so here's the simple Wikipedia definition of a Guilt Complex:
Guilt Com·plex (noun) : an obsession with the idea of having done wrong
You need to keep this definition handy because the term "Guilt Complex" really gets around in this film. Between Guilt Complex discussions and Bergman's questions, it's a wonder anything gets done.
But in spite of all of this heavy-handed psychiatry, Spellbound zips along. When Peck is discovered to be impersonating a man who has disappeared – and later found dead – Bergman takes it upon herself to Sort Things Out.
Of course, she and Peck and fallen in love, and she's convinced of his innocence. It's hard to know what this conviction is based on, because here's what keeps happening:
Bergman is certain this means progress – and she may be right, because each time Peck is able to shake a few more memories out of the box.
So you can see why Bergman asks so many questions. It appears you have to, if you're going to reboot someone's memory.
Now, all of this questioning takes place in between dodging the police and mental health authorities, and hoping Peck doesn't get any funny ideas when he sees a pattern of lines while he's holding a straight-edge razor.
Spellbound is not one of our favourite Hitchcock films; however, Hitch is such a clever director and the cast is so good, it ends up a much better film than it looks on paper.
Bergman's performance is crucial – it's up to her to carry the film. She convinces us the answers to the mystery are so close, we can almost reach out and touch them.
Her character is unafraid to collide head on with what comes next, even if it means Peck might kill her. (Well, if she insists on asking all those blasted questions…) However, her desire to cure him is far greater than her fear of him.
Bergman also has a way of slipping into Kind Doctor Mode, the way some doctors do when they're delivering bad news in an upbeat way. When she questions Peck, she speaks in a soft, cheerful voice and assures Peck they'll Get To The Bottom Of This.
How can you not salute a woman like that?
Spellbound has its flaws, in our opinion, but it is a must-see for Ingrid Bergman fans – or for those who like a big helping of psychoanalysis with their thrillers.
Spellbound: starring Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Michael Checkov. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Written by Ben Hecht and Angus MacPhail (adaptation). United Artists Corp., 1945, B&W, 115 mins.
This post is part of The Wonderful Ingrid Bergman Blogathon hosted by The Wonderful World of Cinema. Click HERE to see the schedule.


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Fortunately I remembered that I had made this bag a few months ago for my son's girlfriend, who was also going to the wedding.
The theme of the week has definitely been bags, as not only did I get the bag for the wedding finished I also managed to squeeze in some sewing on the patchwork bag that I had cut out before we left Riga. On the face of it this bag looked to be as straightforward as the frilled pouch, but the instructions were rather vague and I had to work out for myself how to join the squares at the side without having the seam allowance on the right side, and I am not altogether happy with the corners where the lining and the exterior join, but that might have something to do with me rushing it to get another finish in time for my May entry in 12 WIP's in 2012 ! Given the colours of this bag, I have christened it my Jubilee bag as it is finished just in time for the Jubilee weekend.
SewMamaSew Giveaway Week, there are even more quilting and blogging delights to be had this week. First up is voting for the Play mini quilt challenge quilts, which closes on Friday at GMT 13.00. There are some fabulous quilts in the challenge so you will be spoilt for choice. Click here to vote for your favourite.
Also on-going is the Let's get acquainted Blog Hop, organised by the very efficient Beth at Plum and June This week's blog posts are from
May 29
Heidi from Fabric Mutt
Amy from Amy's Crafty Shenanigans
May 31
Jodi from Tickle and Hide
Jennie from Porch Swing QuiltsThey are definitely worth checking out! The Blog Hop will continue through till October so there will be lots of new bloggers to meet over the coming months. Check out too the guest blog and giveaway from Deborah at Whipstitch that's running this week.
As it is Wednesday again, here's how my current project list looks
Completed projects
- Shades of Green, Fleur Bleu, Checkered Heart, Orange and Reindeer cushions
- Orphan Block needle roll, Pieced Arc Tea towel, Purse and Padded Hangers Tutorial
- Sunflower and Sew Happy QAL quilts
- All blocks of FPPFTT
- Sibling Together 20 Blocks sent and received
- First crochet project
- Play mini-quilt challenge quilt
- Patchwork Block Bag
- 3 blocks of In Color Order HST BOM (2 blocks behind schedule)
- (Almost) Irish Chain quilt basted
- 4 Zakka-style SAL projects completed (So many projects behind schedule!)
- First border of teatime quilt completed, blocks calculated and fabric cut
- 5 blocks of NY Beauty QAL completed and fabric cut for remaining 5 blocks
- 8 blocks of Craftsy BOM completed (on schedule)
- Yellow rainbow cushion waiting to be appliqued
- In the Bag Ugly Fabric fabrics sent waiting for swap fabric to arrive
- Indigo and violet rainbow cushions
- Last block of Sampler quilt
- Amy Butler bag
- Bag Making Bible Fashionista Bag
- Dragon Bag
- Christmas mini quilts
Linking up to WIP Wednesday
We Did it Wednesday