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BENEFITING: Rollins College
Emily Sessoms
In rural Doti, Nepal, children lack access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation. Last year, I traveled there with a group of Rollins students and implemented one of the only two clean water sources in the entire village. Dirty water and lack of toilets greatly affects health, causing students to have to stay home from school. Parasites from contaminated water can also cause stunting and poor mental development as children's bodies are unable to absorb the nutrients they need. Clean water is a basic human right, and every penny raised will go towards water filtration systems in Doti. For every $10 raised, about 14 people benefit.
The Team: $0 TOTAL RAISED SO FARJOIN THE TEAM
Want to help Fundraise or Volunteer for this amazing Fundraiser? Join the Team


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August 31, 2009
Amherst was abuzz with excitement Aug. 30, as hundreds of new undergraduates began orientation and kicked off the 2009-10 academic year.
And what a group of students it is. This year, the Office of Admission received 7,679 applications for the Class of 2013 (the second largest applicant pool for an incoming class in the college's 188-year history) and 390 applications for fall transfer admission. Of those prospective first-years, 1,216 were admitted and 468 chose Amherst, while 22 transfers were accepted and 17 opted to enroll. That means that fewer than 16 percent of applicants for the Class of 2013 were accepted, and just under six percent of transfer candidates were offered admission.
Here are more few fun facts about Amherst's newest students:
- They hail from 23 countries, 39 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico (the top three states represented are New York, Massachusetts and California, in that order).
- Men outnumber women just slightly—by six.
- 40 percent identified themselves as students of color.
- 44—almost 10 percent—are non-U.S. citizens.
- 18 percent are the first in their families to attend college.
- 54 percent are receiving financial aid from Amherst.
- Their ages range from 16 to 22.
- Robert is the most popular name among the men. The most common name among the women? Sarah trumps Katherine for the first time in many years.
- They graduated from 388 different schools (61 percent attended public institutions, 35 percent independent and 4 percent parochial).
- They came from science and technological academies, virtual schools, the United World Colleges, health and fine arts schools, conservatories, economic institutes, law enforcement academies, community colleges, military academies and bilingual schools.
- For 17 percent, English is not a first language (the students speak more than 20 languages at home and have lived in some 40-plus countries).
- They describe themselves as Mormon, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, atheist and agnostic.
- They served as student body and class presidents, head prefects and team captains; managed award-winning newspapers and political journals; led peers to state, national and even international championships in athletic endeavors, chess tournaments and robotics and Quiz Bowl competitions
- They have founded women's issues organizations, book clubs, sustainability groups and a capella groups.
- They are step, hip-hop, ballet and salsa dancers; theatrical directors and winners of one-act play festivals; potters, ceramicists and printmakers; gospel singers, hand bell players, harpists, fiddlers and punk rockers. There are also an unusual number of award-winning playwrights and filmmakers—including one whose work was shown on the Sundance Channel.
- The wordsmiths among them have been National Council of Teachers of English award-winners, been published in the Concord Review, written for local papers, won essay contests and debated around the world.
- They are innovative and creative—one has a patent pending for a new type of hospital bed.
- They have interned for members of Congress; served as outspoken anchors on school TV and radio stations and led young Democratic, Libertarian and Republican clubs.
- They have worked on violence prevention and anti-racism campaigns, literacy projects, Native American reservations, school boards and missions in Central America and Africa; with Habitat for Humanity; and as mentors to gay youth.
- They have established microfinance clubs and charities. One young man cut a deal with his parents who were eager for him to enroll in a SAT preparation course: He proposed that if, after round one of his testing without the class, he met agreed-upon target scores, his mother and father would make a donation to UNICEF equal to the amount of the prep course (the organization was indeed the beneficiary of his intelligence).
- Fifteen opted to pursue some form of non-traditional learning by deferring college enrollment a year until this fall: The students traveled, rafted, hiked, biked and volunteered on five continents; worked in hospitals and villages in Asia and Cuba; earned money as a cast member at Disney; attended culinary school; played minor league hockey; helped restore a castle; served in the military and danced with the Boston Ballet.
- They were raised by adoptive parents, immigrants, single moms and dads, grandparents, TV producers, nomads, homemakers, neurosurgeons, casino dealers, teachers, cab drivers, welfare recipients, cancer patients, addicts, terrorist prosecutors and a few who claim to be "professional hippies."
- They have lived in apartments, mansions, homes with dirt and marble floors and trailers; on islands, farms and military bases; and with nannies and without. Several have lived without televisions.
And they all are now members of the Amherst community.

subset: commoncrawl


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With lingering bitterness, Nick Newell recalls the day he drove four hours to New Hampshire in anticipation of his fourth professional bout as a mixed martial arts fighter. He was limiting his diet to meet a contracted weight of 155 pounds; vacation days had been docked at his day job.
When Newell arrived from Connecticut, his opponent was nowhere to be found. There would be no fight, no chance to improve his record to 4-0.
"He was one of the top-ranked guys in the region at the time," Newell said. "I guess he got cold feet and didn't want to show up."
Just 26 and with a creditable — if unexceptional — pedigree in amateur wrestling, Newell is not so fearsome that professional fighters should cower. Yet the list of fighters who have canceled or rejected bouts with him is about two dozen long, and the reason is clear: it can be difficult to persuade able-bodied athletes to fight a man with one hand.
Newell is among the fighters known as adaptive athletes pursuing M.M.A., the grueling combat sport that combines wrestling, striking and submissions in a bonanza of soft-tissue and orthopedic damage. Previously relegated to the red-light district of sports culture, M.M.A. has gained mainstream prominence and become a test of toughness embraced by amputees who relish the challenge of modifying the sport's techniques and surprising those who stereotype them as victims.Continue reading the main story
"Sometimes an amputation or disability will actually get people to strive to become more than they might otherwise be," said Jeff Traub, an orthopedist in Atlanta who has worked with amputee fighters. "The amputation has led them to think, Why can't I do this? It gives them motivation to do more."
Such ambition has confounded state athletic commissions, the sanctioning bodies that regulate prizefighting and license its participants. In M.M.A., where even the veterans are frequently pummeled or choked, how do you evaluate the capabilities of a fighter missing part of an arm or leg?
Last August, the Association of Boxing Commissions held its annual conference in Washington. Among the items on the agenda for the first time: dealing with the amputee prizefighter.
"We were starting to hear of quite a few states that were running across the issue," said Tim Lueckenhoff, president of the association. "Commissioners need to decide — are we putting the fighter in a situation where they could be harmed?"
Dr. Margaret E. Goodman, a former chief ringside physician for Nevada, said in an e-mail: "If they have a medical condition that places them at a disadvantage, then they should not be granted a license to compete. The question is whether or not Mr. Newell adequately circumvents his disadvantage."
So far, the answer seems to be yes. In six professional bouts, Newell, who does not have a left hand, has rarely been hit or even troubled by opponents. He is scheduled to fight Friday night in Jackson, Tenn., against Chris Coggins, the first opponent in Newell's pro career with a winning record.
In a December fight against Denis Hernandez, Newell backed him into the cage, swarming him with a flurry of fist and elbow strikes. On the ground, he wrapped up Hernandez's foot in a painful submission.
"I didn't know what to expect," Hernandez said. "When he body-locked me, I felt his power. He did really well off the bat."
To compensate for his lack of left-handed boxing technique and incomplete defense, Newell focuses heavily on footwork with his trainer Jeremy Libiszewski, working to evade strikes rather than block them. "He cuts angles, punches and gets out," Libiszewski said.
A congenital amputee, Newell's left arm ends about three inches past the elbow, which gives him a handhold to complete submissions uniquely difficult to escape. "If he gets you in a choke," Libiszewski said, you're in trouble.
For all of his five-fight amateur career, Newell competed in Massachusetts, where the boxing commission had not yet been assigned authority over M.M.A. By the time he began applying for a pro license, he had set his own precedent. Faced with evidence of Newell's abilities, states including Nevada, Florida and New Hampshire have found no reason to deny him a license.
"I had already won an amateur title," Newell said. "They couldn't say I couldn't fight."
Because each state has autonomy in its licensing, there is no guarantee that cases like Newell's will be treated with consistency.
Keith Miner, a fighter from Texas who lost his right hand after being pulled into a wood chipper, won approval to compete and then nearly had it revoked the night of his bout in February.
"I was constantly being pulled aside," Miner said. "The commission kept making phone calls. It was all up in the air."
Miner fought, and lost.
Unlike Newell, Miner strikes with the tip of his afflicted limb: a custom-made glove was secured to his shaved forearm with tape. Commission members studied it intently before letting him enter the ring.
Matt Betzold rarely gets that far. Poisoned as a child, Betzold developed a blood clot and gangrene, prompting the amputation of his left leg below the knee. After having success in grappling tournaments, which prohibit strikes of any kind, he began lobbying the Arizona Boxing Commission to allow him to fight professionally.
He became a study in semantics: because Betzold competes by shuffling around on his knees in a genuflect position, is he considered a downed opponent? Or is the bottom of his incomplete leg the same as the sole of a foot?
"His head is at waist level" when competing, said Dennis O'Connell, executive director of the Arizona commission. "If he's viewed as down, his opponent can't kick him in the head. If he's categorized as upright, his opponent can just whale away at him."
Betzold was eventually granted amateur status, where there are no kicks to the head regardless of a fighter's position. He competed three times and won twice, dragging opponents into a wrestling match that evened the odds. But when Betzold lobbied to turn pro and risk more dangerous strikes against seasoned athletes, the commission flinched.
"I'm worried sick about his safety," O'Connell said. "He's brave, he's tough, and the crowd loves him. But what are we opening up here?"
Frustrated, Betzold turned to J. J. Rico, a disability lawyer in Arizona. Rico appeared with Betzold in front of the commission, carrying with him the legal bludgeon of the Americans With Disabilities Act. "Looking at the Arizona rules, I didn't see anything that would legally disallow him from participating," Rico said. "He had been very successful in his amateur career. He just has a starting position different from most."
The commission gave in. Betzold received his professional Arizona license last May. "I wanted that little piece of paper," he said. "That's what I was fighting for, for them to honor me as a pro."
He has yet to make use of it. While it was relatively easy for Betzold and Newell to find fights in the amateur circuit's more casual atmosphere, fighters looking to mold pro careers see no upside in risking a loss against a physically compromised opponent.
It may become increasingly difficult, however, for able-bodied fighters to avoid competing against adaptive athletes. Miner noted how a steady stream of martial arts fighters is emerging from military hospitals in Texas, damaged by war but newly versed in state-of-the-art limb substitutions and carrying a desire to remain physical.
"There are a lot of soldiers coming back and a lot of amputees starting to train," Miner said. "They'll run into a lot of the same issues we have."
He added, "If they can go fight in a war, they should be able to fight in a cage if they'd like."Continue reading the main story


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ATCO's pre-engineered steel buildings have been featured as fire halls, hockey arenas, and modern gymnasiums with basketball court, running track and various fitness facilities.
ATCO is a diversified global corporation delivering service excellence and innovative business solutions in Structures & Logistics, Electricity, Pipelines & Liquids, and Retail Energy. More information about ATCO can be found on www.ATCO.com.


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SEPM was founded in 1988 in Johor Bahru, the second largest city in Malaysia, initially as a small production base. Its electric wire and flat cable divisions steadily achieved good results and, a decade ago, the production division of SEPS, its original parent company in Singapore, was wholly transferred to SEPM. The company has grown to 740 employees and 4 factories, and owns one of the few manufacturing sites that have large equipment for radiation crosslinking electric wires and with the ability to produce thick heat-resistant electric wires. The demand for thick electric wires used in automobiles is showing a solid increase. In response to request for environmentally conscious products, replacement with halogen-free electric wires is in rapid progress. In addition to these products for export purpose, SEPM manufactures flat cables for sales in Malaysia, which account for about 70% of the flat cables produced by the company.
Malaysia is a multiethnic state composed of Malays, Chinese and Indians. We have to bring together and direct employees from different ethnic groups with totally different identities, and in doing so, we strictly follow the policy of not dividing them by race but evaluating them fairly based on their abilities. The high percentage of female staff (accounting for 70% of all employees) is notable and local female workers are performing well including in administrative posts such as factory directors and managers.
I am in charge of purchasing direct raw materials for the factories as well as machine parts and supplies such as stationery. I am making efforts to strengthen our competitiveness including searching for local suppliers offering products at lower prices and concentrated purchase. It is also important to explain regulations based on ISO 14001 and give guidance to the suppliers to control them. The potential of our company is attractive for me. In particular, I hope the automotive-related businesses grow more in Malaysia.
I started to work at SEPM 15 years ago, and have directly experienced the growth of the company. The expansion of our business has created many jobs and brought benefits to Malaysia. I have learned much about production control, and now supervise 107 employees as the director of the first electric wire factory. The improvement of the welfare system and the hygienic environment has lowered the labor turnover rate, and we have no labor problems. To meet any customer demand is the challenge which I, as a factory director, am always aware of.
* Interviewed in July 2008.


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Ghana Education News And Information, Alumni Groups, Scholarships, studentloans.
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I had the pleasure on the weekend of being the best man at a wedding of two very good old friends of mine here in Berlin. I met Oli and Nicole whilst travelling in and out of Berlin in 99. I have known them ever since and was there the day they got together as boyfriend and girlfriend.
|From oli and nicol...
With Diana and myself as the 'traumsauger' (the maid of honor and best man ) at the Palais der Festungsgraben in Mitte in berlin, near the Spree river and Humbolt University, on a hot Berlin day, they both said 'Ja' and a new chapter in their live began.
Before the ceremony it was wonderful to catch up with a lot of old friends, all a wee bit older and wiser than last time i saw them.
Diana and I headed into the wedding with Wolfgang in his Porsche, which almost went terribly wrong as we took the wrong exit off the autobahn and ended up in the Grunewald which is a very long way from Mitte. Thankfully, I had a GPS in my phone and i managed to get us back on track and 42Km later we made it in time. Gotta love the geek toys!
The reception at Oli's parent's place was lovely in the backyard under the pine trees. Oli and Nicole didn't think we need to bring music, but Wolfgang said we should so my laptop became the sound system for the party. Great idea Wolfgang :)
I had played some Andromeda the night before to Wolfgang, who lay back described it as 'Kunst', so we kicked off our music with some beautiful tracks. Jan then took over Dj'ing and later on we had a great retro set with tracks from Atmos, Element, Shiva Chandra , 2raumwohnung and many more old tracks.
The food and wine was fanatastic and I even learnt some greek dancing. I am going to get some more dancing lessons from Oli before the Greek wedding.
All in all a beautiful wedding!


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We will keep your Personal Information accurate, complete and up-to-date with the information that you provide to us. If you request access to your Personal Information, we will inform you of the existence, use and disclosure of your Personal Information as allowed by law, and provide you access to that information.
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Diplomas symbolize not just an educational journey completed, graduates at Fresno Pacific University were told May 5—they are guides for the journey of life that lies ahead.
In "Signposts for the Journey," Howard Loewen's commencement address, the university provost laid seven navigational aids before the 416 graduates of the undergraduate college, graduate school and Center for Degree Completion. Ceremonies took place in the campus Special Events Center.
Loewen told his audience:
- Learning is a life-long journey toward growth, and growth means change.
- The journey of life involves growth of the whole person—body, soul, spirit—and that such growth inevitably involves pain, resistance and conflict.
- During the journey growth occurs at a maximum when we, as individuals and community, openly respect and interact with each other.
- The journey of life involves both/and thinking, not just either/or thinking.
- You have to strike a balance between doing and being.
- The journey of growth involves service to others.
- That this journey requires having a vision for your life.
"Honored graduates," he concluded, "today I have good news and I have better news for you. The good news is that you've arrived. The better news is that the journey has just begun."
Loewen joined the university faculty in 1995, first as academic vice president, then as provost. In both positions, he has been directly responsible for the academic programs of the university. Prior positions include three years as academic dean at Mennonite Brethren Biblical. He earned a bachelor of arts from the University of Winnipeg, a bachelor's in theology from Concord College and a master's in divinity and doctorate from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Student addresses were given by Cathy Taylor, undergraduate student body president; Renee Soto for the Center for Degree Completion; and Vicki Bigler for the graduate school.
Taylor, an English major, quoted T. S. Elliot's comment that education is a journey where "you return to the start and know the pace for the first time."
Bigler, who earned a master's in mathematics education, expressed gratitude for the chance to pursue a dream. Many who attend college hope to return, she said. "Guess what? I got to do it."
Soto, who majored in management and organizational development, recalled the support of friends and family and the guidance of faculty, "that has brought us to this day."
Academic awards went to Douglas Noll, Jaime Huss, Sarah Brown and Marla Ernest. Noll, who earned a master's degree in conflict management and peacemaking, received the Graduate Dean's Award. Huss and Brown, both English majors, were named outstanding graduates of the college. Ernest, also an English major, earned the highest grade-point average in the class.


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The Langham collection expands upon Blithfield's tradition of printed fabrics and introduces some exciting new woven designs, incorporating many of Blithfield's signature motifs. In addition, there are three beautiful wovens: Albemarle, Lowell and Launceton Stripe. The Langham collection includes elegant, timeless designs that complement many other Blithfield prints.
Founded in 1996 by Anne Dubbs and Liz Downing, Blithfield & Co. is known for signature English design and use of fresh and innovative coloring. Its founders draw heavily upon the brand's archive, a vast collection of historic documents accumulated over several years of sourcing and exploration.Blithfield & Co. is known for painterly florals and graphic prints with simple motifs which are available on linen fabrics and wallpaper.


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From $21.98
Give your decorating scheme a tropical look with this soft green ball ornament. Accent summer wreaths and beachy centerpieces. Pair this color with light pinks and purples. Choose from two different finishes and several different sizes depending on your tastes and decorating needs. There are so many fun summer decorating options with this vibrant color.
Be the first to review this product.


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Tie Dye Kit
This kit contains primary colors of pre-measured procion dye powder (the same dye used by professionals) in convenient applicator bottles, soda ash dye fixer, rubber bands, rubber gloves, easy to follow instructions and an extra bottle for mixing secondary or pastel colors. For use on natural fabric or clothing, this kit will dye up to 15 adult T-shirts.
* Home * Marie Segal's The Hoarders Closet * MarieSegal.com * Marie Segal's Gallery * Marie Segal's Etsy Shop * Marie Segal Blogspot * Crafty Sellers Etsy Shop *
All rights reserved by Clay Factory, Inc ©1997-2016.


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By Leon Velasco
Born This Way Ball @ San Jose HP Pavillion
My Sister Felicia Cerda and I arrived in San Jose about 3:00 pm Thursday and passed by the HP Pavilion to get to our motel and saw the craziness of hard core Gaga fans that surrounded the Pavilion and going to each booth set up by local radio stations. There were people dressed in GAGA-ized fashion as well as some people who chose to show their own creative style in costume choice; and yes there were Unicorn outfits too.
We got to the Pavilion about 7:15 pm and at the entrance we found 2 men who were protesting the concert. Although I would like to have taken pictures of their wasted efforts to boycott the show, (one guy was holding a sign saying "GAGA is SIN" and the other guy spewing religious propaganda through a bullhorn) but no one paid any attention.
Before finding our seats we took a mini tour of the lobby, the booths set up for souvenir pictures and browsed through the booths selling T-Shirts. There was a contest we entered for a chance to win a personal phone call from Lady Gaga during mid show; with a chance for a surprise from Gaga herself (details further down in my review). We encountered people of every ethnicity and age group imaginable and we loved it.
To open the concert was a male DJ who played for about an hour and during his set had people dancing and grooving. To start her concert was no less than spectacular. She entered riding a mechanical horse, (being operated by two individuals inside because a real one would have caused chaos from the loud noises of the crowd), and the costume she opened with was very alien-like and futuristic. I was blown away. Her opening performance was sensational. There were a couple of songs that she did a short version of, but it was all good just the same.
Lady Gaga made a statement to help encourage self empowerment. She made a little speech and the most memorable yet powerful statement she made was, "You will NEVER take my make-up, you will NEVER take my fish-nets, you will NEVER take my wigs… I was BORN THIS WAY!"
About mid show Tracy from Phoenix Arizona won the surprise call from Lady Gaga. A 42 year old mother of 2 got a personal call from The Diva Gaga and spoke about 10 minutes. Gaga sang a special slow version of Born this Way for Tracy's 2 teens back home. After the song Gaga announced that Tracy also gets to choose a homeless shelter in San Jose, which assists the LGBT community, to donate $5,000.00 from Gaga's Foundation. In addition to the phone call and charitable contribution Tracy was also given the special privilege to go back stage with a friend to meet up with Lady Gaga and "Share a couple of shots of whiskey!", apparently the favorite drink of choice of Lady Gaga because she made several references during concert to Whiskey.
She made another very empowering speech about not taking to mind or heart what others say or think about you. "No matter what people think or say about you… (Shouts) DON'T GIVE A F*@#!!!! Because once you get to that point, YOU can surpass ANY thing!"
The concert was over before we knew it and everyone wanted more. Her performance was outstanding and her presence was powerful; but the show was DYNAMIC!


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The promotional eblast for Don Bosco Hall and the Detroit Tigers' 11th Annual Baseball Challenge was created as part of an annual email marketing campaign.
Don Bosco Hall, a non-profit youth services organization, needed an effective email announcement to encourage voting for the agency in the Toyota 100 Cars for Good Facebook contest. The announcement was developed to provide simple instructions for participation in the voting process.
Online presence for Michigan's Department of Human Services fatherhood initiative, the Dadz Connection program. ImageLab was hired to create a website that illustrates the many features of the program. The focus was on a clean layout and ease of navigation.


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CF3 Carbon Fiber Travel Jib
The CF3 Carbon Fiber Travel Jib is one of the lightest and longest Travel Jibs out on the market weighing in at 3.55 kg.
Introductory Special comes with Free Bonus Carrying Case, Tube Sleeves, and Free International Shipping (Limited Time)
Out of stock
The CF3 Carbon Fiber Travel Jib is one of the lightest and longest Travel Jibs out on the market weighing in at 3.55 kg. Made from the highest grade Carbon Fiber and CNC machined aluminum. Super light, portable, strong, and smooth.
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Testament 1337 / ****1/2
The world was robbed of a would-be legend with the suicide of French violinist Christian Ferras (1933-1982), a rare genius who would have celebrated his 80th birthday this year. His famous 1964 recording of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Herbert von Karajan on Deutsche Grammophon remains in the catalogue, but this 1957 version with The Philharmonia led by Constantin Silvestri is grittier and more exciting. While he sounds staid and respectful alongside Karajan, here he lets rip with liberties galore. There are some unsanctioned cuts in the first and third movements, but his additional touches in the 1st movement's cadenza have a gypsy élan and flourish that are inimitable.
Ferras is joined by legendary French cellist Paul Tortelier in Brahms's Double Concerto, a 1962 recording again with The Philharmonia, but presided by Paul Kletzki. Both soloists are well-matched and play with a togetherness that fits like hand and glove. Their exchanges are timed to perfection and unison passages are sung with an evenness that is a joy to behold. Add an exciting rocking rondo finale, this comes close to the perfect performance of a well-loved classic, aided by excellent recorded sound even by modern standards. One only wonders what further riches Ferras could have offered us were he still living today.
Overtures and Preludes
Filarmonica della Scala / Riccardo Chailly
Decca 478 3559 / ****1/2
While Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) is considered by many as the greatest opera composer ever lived, this accolade would not have been possible if his orchestral writing to precede and accompany the singing was not up to scratch. This celebratory disc for the Verdi bicentenary highlights orchestral music from his operas. The Preludes are brief, and set the mood for each act as the curtain rises. There are no better examples than those written for Act 1 of La Traviata, portraying tenderness and fragility, and Act 1 of Aida, which is intimate but mysterious, and alludes to the Triumphal March to come.
The Sinfonias or Overtures are longer, more dramatic and may quote melodies from the opera itself. The overture to Nabucco gives away a secret – the rousing Va, Pensiero, better known as the chorus of the Hebrew slaves. As stand-alone music, the best are the overtures for La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny) and I Vespri Siciliani (The Sicilian Vespers), where the violent hand of Fate is most eloquently represented. The longest music is also rarely heard, 19 minutes of Airs de Ballet from
, the French production
of I Lombardi. Pleasant but not the
most inspired of music, it is nevertheless performed with dedication and conviction
by the Orchestra of La Scala. Long live Verdi indeed! Jerusalem


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From Far and Wide: Imagining the Futures of Writing Centres
We are delighted that Dr. Frankie Condon will be the keynote speaker at our 2017 conference.
The Languages We May Be: Affiliative Relations and the Work of the Canadian Writing Centre
"Because when you are imagining, you might as well imagine something worth while."
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
In 1971, Canada became the first country in the world to affirm multiculturalism as a national policy. In contrast to other nations and to the U.S. in particular, as its population becomes increasingly diverse Canada has attempted to conceive of its racial and ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity not in terms of assimilation (the American melting pot), but of affiliation: to become a "mosaic" nation in which such differences are imagined as a source of social, cultural, and economic vitality. But moving from the articulation of this political – and philosophical principle – to its actualization is and will continue to be fraught with complexity and tension. Within this socio-political landscape, Canadian universities (and indeed Canadian education writ large) will continue to play a significant role. In this keynote address, Dr. Condon explores the quality and scope of a transformative writing centre ethos that might draw upon the wellsprings of what historian John Ralston Saul identifies as Canada's Metis cultural inheritance. This ethos and its attending pedagogical praxis will value, she suggests, place, sustained dialogue, affiliative relations and, most importantly, a willingness to live humanely within the complexity of those relations. Working from a recognition of the ways and degrees to which the languages we speak and write are inextricable from who we are – our memories, our stories, our ways of being – Dr. Condon imagines a uniquely Canadian writing centre in which the mixing and mingling of languages becomes not a source of consternation, but a resource that demands of us respect and stewardship even as it provides us with opportunities for the building and sustaining of thick affiliative relations.
About Frankie
Frankie is an associate professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Waterloo. Frankie's books include the newly published, Performing Anti-Racist Pedagogy in Rhetoric, Writing and Communication, co-edited with Vershawn Ashanti Young (WAC Clearinghouse and University of Colorado Press); I Hope I Join the Band: Narrative, Affiliation and Antiracist Rhetoric; and The Everyday Writing Center: A Community of Practice, co-authored with Elizabeth Boquet, Meg Carroll, Michele Eodice, and Anne Ellen Geller (both published by Utah State University Press). Among Frankie's recent book chapters is "Building a House for Linguistic Diversity: Writing Centers, English Language Teaching and Learning, and Social Justice," co-Authored with Bobbi Olson and published in Tutoring Second Language Writers (Utah State University Press).
Frankie lives in Waterloo with her partner, kids, two dogs, a cat, and a chinchilla named Sid. When she is not teaching or writing she may be found, in summer, fussing over her vegetable patch or, in winter, watching hockey in an ice rink somewhere in North America.


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Know God. Live Big.
Subscribe and receive free instructions to create your own Thinking Well Box.
One feeling we have in common is guilt –that underlying feeling that we're always in the process of failing something or someone. We long to be the perfect wife, perfect mom, perfect friend, and perfect homemaker, but is that even possible? In Blameless, I want to tell you that we can become better women. God is not waiting for us to fail everything. Instead, he has heavily invested in our success. Before he even created the world, he thought about the kind of perfect woman you should be, and he made a way for that to happen. Will you grab on to the hope that living a blameless life is possible? This has always been God's intention for you, so step out of guilt and into a life where becoming flawless is the guarantee.
There is a wonderful invitation extended to you in the pages of the Bible, for you to become a child of God. He wants you to call him Father, and all of his love is waiting for you. But when you hear the word "father" what memories and emotions come to mind? Do your experiences with your earthly father give you courage to be in a relationship with God, or do they make you take a step back? In the pages of my new book, I would like to share with you sweet and powerful stories from my experiences with my own father. It is because of him that I feel so very comfortable trusting God and accepting his love. By stepping into my stories for a short time, I hope what you see there will help you take steps toward God instead of away from him. He loves you, and everything you're hoping for in a relationship with him is true. It's all true.


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Kylie Jenner gifted her rapper beau Tyga with a new car on Wednesday (31Aug16), but the surprise was nearly ruined because of rumours that his car was repossessed.
Reports surfaced on Wednesday that the Rack City star lost his red Ferrari after he supposedly missed the last couple of lease instalments, with claims the alleged repossession went down on Tuesday (30Aug16) while he and Jenner were checking out Bentleys at a dealership in Calabasas, California.
According to TMZ.com's report, a man from a repo company reportedly entered the car with a spare key and drove off, forcing the couple to find an alternative way home.
However, the Keeping Up With The Kardsahians star took to her Snapchat account on Wednesday to reveal what really happened - insisting Tyga wasn't even at the dealership.
In a video showing off a new, white Bentley Bentayga, Kylie says, "So fake stories came out today and the blogs almost ruined it, saying me and T (Tyga) were at the Bentley dealership, when really it was only me."
She continues by showing followers the inside of the luxury SUV, saying, "And I had to lie to T and say, 'I have no idea T, what that story is! I was not at a Bentley dealership!' But I was."
Another snap shows Kylie with Tyga who admits he's "speechless" over the present, and his girlfriend says, "Did I lie to you?... The blogs almost f**king ruined it!"
The hip-hop star then shows off a happy dance before giving his girlfriend a smooch on the lips.


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NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – University of Massachusetts Dartmouth senior linebacker Joe Teixera (Seekonk, Mass.) and sophomore linebacker Derek Tarpey (Tewksbury, Mass.) were each voted to the inaugural Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) first-team this afternoon for their performances on the gridiron during the 2013 season.
"I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of Derek Tarpey and Joe Teixeira," Head Coach Mark Robichaud said. "Joe has been a four-year starter and two-year captain and has had an outstanding career. This year's accomplishments are amazing due to the fact he suffered a significant injury and had to miss two games. Derek is one of the best defensive players in the conference right now as a sophomore. He led the MASCAC in several defensive categories, and I'm confident that with his work ethic he will become one of the best players in the country."
Teixeira is making his debut on the top-team after earning All-New England Football Conference second-team honors in 2011 and 2012. The senior from Seekonk, Mass. ranked among the Division III leaders in tackles for loss per game (16th, 1.9). He was second on the Corsairs in tackles for a loss (13), while ranking third in total tackles (49), sacks (3), and forced fumbles (2). A starter in each of his seven appearances, Teixeira registered at least six stops six times on the campaign. He produced a season-high 11 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss, at MASCAC champion Framingham State on Oct. 5. Teixeira forced a fumble against Mount Ida and Plymouth State, while recovering a turnover against the Panthers. He also snagged an interception in the regular-season finale at Fitchburg State.
In 37 career games, Teixeira averaged 7.9 tackles per game. He accounted for 294 total tackles, including 144 solo stops. Teixeira had a knack for wreaking havoc in his opponents' backfield with 27.5 career tackles for a loss and three sacks. He also demonstrated an ability to drop back into coverage, recording six interceptions.
Tarpey is making his first appearance on the All-MASCAC, first-team. The sophomore from Tewksbury, Mass. was 10th in the nation in solo tackles per game (7.2), while ranking among the leaders in tackles for loss (27th, 1.7) and total tackles (29th, 98). Tarpey led the MASCAC in solo tackles (65), tackles per game (10.9), total tackles, and fumble recoveries (3), while placing second in assisted tackles (33). A ball-hawk, Tarpey reached double figures in tackles in five of his nine games. He registered the sixth highest single-game tackle total in Division III against Bridgewater State, when Tarpey recorded 22 stops. He was a consistent presence in the Bears' backfield with a sack, five tackles for a loss, and two forced fumbles. Tarpey also anchored the Corsair defense against MASCAC foe Worcester State with 15 tackles. He was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Northeast and MASCAC Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending Oct. 13.
In 2013, UMass Dartmouth posted an overall record of 3-6 and 3-5 in the conference circuit. The Corsairs gained regional and national attention, when freshman DaVon Fuller (Washington, D.C.) recorded four interceptions against Worcester State and earned D3Football.com Team of the Week honors.
For a complete listing of the 2013 MASCAC major award winners and all-conference teams, please click here.
Teixeira, Tarpey Tabbed As All-MASCAC Recipients
NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – University of Massachusetts Dartmouth senior linebacker Joe Teixera (Seekonk, Mass.) and sophomore linebacker Derek Tarpey (Tewksbury, Mass.) were each voted to the inaugural Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) first-team this afternoon for their performances on the gridiron during the 2013 season.


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Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is the world's leading achievement award for young people. Reflecting Lime House School's commitment to our students' development, Lime House is a Duke of Edinburgh's Award Directly Licensed Centre, which allows us to run and approve Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards.
Children grow, develop and mature at different stages, and the Award recognises this, allowing young people to achieve without competition. Participants develop communication skills, teamwork, commitment and meet personal goals.
Each Award level is divided into four sections, and your child will need to make a commitment of one hour per week in each of the first three sections:
- Volunteering – aims to inspire young people to make a difference within their communities or to an individual's life and develop compassion by giving service. At present our students are volunteering at animal refuges, at old people's homes, in local nurseries, within their church, at Sunday Schools and on environmental projects, as well as fundraising for charities and helping elderly neighbours.
- Physical – improving in an area of sport or fitness activity. In short, this is anything that requires a sustained level of physical energy and involves doing an activity. This section can be completed through after school activities or clubs in the community.
- Skills – developing practical personal interests. Lime House offers a large number of programmes for children to participate in, through after school activities, or, after discussing goals with a member of staff, students can complete this section at home.
- Expedition – training for, planning and completion of an adventurous journey on foot. Here at Lime House School we offer a very thorough pre-expedition training programme which was recently praised by a Gold Level Award Accredited Assessor. All Bronze participants must attend and pass a pre-expedition course which covers: first aid, camp craft, navigational theory, nutrition, the countryside code, health and safety both on the fell and at the campsite, as well as two days out of school developing their micro navigational skills. At Silver and Gold levels all students complete a course which refreshes and develops their skills in the key areas of camp craft, health and safety, navigation, nutrition and first aid.
At each level students complete a practice and qualifying expedition. While on expedition students work together as a team on an exploration project which, when they return to school they develop into a presentation.
Enrolment on the Duke of Edinburgh's Award is voluntary but we find our students are very enthusiastic to participate. Students' self confidence noticeably grows with their participation in the Award, and many rush to enrol for higher level awards as they become eligible. To begin the Bronze Award students must be 14 years old, 15 years old for Silver and 16 years old to enrol for Gold. While it is best to start at Bronze and work up this is by no means the only way and students regularly start at Silver and Gold Award level.
Those who complete their Gold Award are invited to St James's Palace where they are presented to either the HRH The Duke of Edinburgh or HRH The Earl of Wessex and presented with their Award certificate.


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Here's Andy awaiting another O-flight, his fifth maybe? Or he might just be looking cool standing in front of it. But that yellow vest indicates he's been busy keeping the tarmac a safe place.
Abi with a couple of extras hanging out in our kitchen. They are either done or getting ready to go present the colors at a truck pull. Would somebody close those cupboard doors?
Abi is donning her dress blues here waiting in line to ride the farris wheel.
something must have been funny
Don't they look so sharp?
The Color guard has been able to perform for a crowd several times this summer. Here's Andy taking a self portrait of his "gobsmackingly" good looks. The celebrity status is going to their heads! The practice in front of a crowd has been great though because they want to go to competition in the spring.
More hanging out in my kitchen with the doors open!


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Mum Hearts Giveaways teamed up with NaturalHairLatina to bring you this fabulous giveaway for "EyeBuyDirect" #EyeTry where one lucky participant will get a chance to win a #30 Gift Voucher {with the exclusion of designer eyewear + sunglasses}.
All you have to do is follow all the prompts provided by the Rafflecopter found at the bottom of this post + you are all set. Not only that, EyeBuyDirect have also allowed me to offer you a 15% discount on your first purchase at EyeBuyDirect.com using the Coupon code: IF2HFNL3XQ! Cool, right? ;)
Note:This giveaway is open to US + Canada residents only, but do not despair local readers, I have something lined up next for you! ;)
Don't forget to wait for the Rafflecopter widget to load, right + good luck everyone! ;)


text: Al Jazeera's James Bays reports on the Taliban's lack of enthusiasm for talks Taliban fighters in the remote eastern Afghan province of Nuristan have rejected calls to hold peace talks with the government. Delegates at the recently concluded peace conference in Kabul - locally called a jirga - asked the government to hold talks with the Taliban. FROM THE BLOGS Controversial jirga proposals By James Bays in The Asia Blog Shortly after the conference ended, Hamid Karzai, the country's president, made an overture to the Taliban, ordering the release of fighters held on questionable evidence in Afghan jails. But it is unclear whether Taliban fighters will respond to his call for reconciliation. Members of the Taliban in Nuristan told Al Jazeera they are winning the war, and do not see a need to enter into negotiations. They briefly seized control last week of Nuristan's Barg-e-Matal district. The Afghan government has retaken parts of the district, but rural areas remain under Taliban control. "The Islamic Emirate has a rule. While foreign forces are here, no representatives are allowed to attend any jirgas, or any talks. After the foreign troops leave, Afghans can sit and talk together," said Mullah Zayfan, a local Taliban commander, using the Taliban's name for itself. In neighbouring Kunar province, members of the Hizb-e-Islami militia group affiliated with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former Afghan prime minister, said much the same thing, insisting they would not talk with the government until foreign forces withdrew. SOURCE: Al Jazeera Asia Afghanistan


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Minimal UI Icon Pack Apk – is a wonderful theme for Android users who use launchers as Go Launcher EX, Nova, Apex, ADW and some others. Minimal UI theme currently includes 400+ icons but icons will be updating continuously to get up to 600.
Recommended Icon sizes:
- Go Launcher: Default Size (Small)
- Apex Launcher: 100% or 105%
- Nova Launcher Prime: 100% or 105%
This is not standalone app, you need a launcher such as Apex, Go, Nova etc that allows custom themes.
- Install Go Launcher, Apex or Nova
- Install the theme
- Find Minimal UI in any of the launcher's theme settings, then apply
What's New in v3.2 Apk
- 40 new icons
- Added 4 new wallpapers
Minimal UI Icon Pack v3.2 Apk
Download Now
More info from Google Play Store


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Waffletechnology Card Reader Cleaning Card
Are ATM Misreads Causing Frustrated Customers?
Correct misreads with a simple swipe of the Waffletechnology® Smart Card Reader Cleaning Card.
Ideal Cleaning On
Credit Card Readers
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How Waffletechnology® WorksWaffletechnology is an advancement in cleaning card technology. The cleaning waffles are flexible, raised platforms which allow the card to thoroughly clean areas within the card reader. Now more dirt and contaminants are removed than ever before, leaving your card reader cleaner and more reliable.


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Former Cockeyed Ghost frontman and sometime Wrecking Crew collaborator Adam Marsland returns with the highly successful "Adam's 70's Show"–a collaboration between the Adam Marsland's Chaos Band (which boasts the incomparable Evie Sands on guitar, vocals, keyboards) and members of the LA music community. This show will be the End-of-Year Finale with musical guests choosing their "best of" to perform and will be held on Friday, December 10th at Brennan's Pub in Marina Del Rey.
Los Angeles musician Adam Marsland brings together various people in the roots and pop communities of L.A. and invites them up with the Chaos Band to sing a '70s song of their choice. It took people a while to catch on the possibilities of this concept, but caught on they have…there will be more than 20 guests on tap for the show, with their song choices ranging from the better known classics to the more obscure deep album cuts. Together with returning songs from other shows, Adam's solo set, and Chaos-performed '70s covers, there will be upwards of three dozen '70s songs performed.
Marsland, when speaking of a past show said, "It always fascinates me the songs people pick out for this thing, stuff I would never think of. There's not a lot of country music chosen…the closest thing this time is a pretty fingerpicking singer-songwritery hit, where I get to further expand my newly developed fingerpicking skills (I learned for the first time at the Alex Chilton show). There's yet another Van Morrison tune, but no one's complaining about that. Shockingly, Supertramp, Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones were requested for the very first time. But my favorite of all of the requests, for the second show in a row, came from Brian Whelan. Last time he picked out an obscure Fleetwood Mac tune, "I Know I'm Not Wrong." This time it was an absolute classic of Memphis soul. Every time we play the midsection of this song, everyone in the band smiles and starts to relax. I said to Evie, "every time we hit the bridge I remember why I started playing music" and she grinned, "yeah! Me too!"
When: Friday, Dec. 10 – 9pm
Where: Brennan's Pub, 4089 Lincoln Bld., Marina Del Rey
Adam's '70s Show End-of-Year Finale
Adam Marsland's Chaos Band with:
Dan Janisch / Nelson Bragg / Anny Celsi / Rich McCulley / Evie Sands / Steve Barton / Susan James / Steve Moramarco / Steve Gregoropoulos / Debra Tala / Norm Kelsey / Carolyn Edwards / Rob Z / Anna Maria Rosales / Jeff Merchant / Tina diGeorge / Aimee Lay / Jennifer Gibbons / Mona Elyousef / David Kaufman / Tony Perkins / Tom Richards / and quite a few more besides….
To Learn More: www.adammarsland.com/ –
Dafni Amirsakis with Adam Marsland's Chaos Band – "Anarchy in the UK"
"If power-pop were marketable, Adam Marsland would be a millionaire, or at least a household name."–Pop Matters


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Garden Tutors Teach the Art of Growing Food
A new program in the UK is matching up novice gardeners with experienced horticulture tutors. Over 32,000 people have signed up for the program, that promises to help them with everything from finding a suitable plot of land to deciding what's realistic to grow. Tutors are also on call in the following months via phone or email to answer any questions. This "veg doctor" program is sponsored by organizations like the National Trust, Royal Horticultural Society and Garden Organic. A top priority of the scheme is to re-skill the general public in the largely forgotten art of growing vegetables.


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Sept. 28 — The Federal Arbitration Act doesn't preempt a California court-created rule that an employee's right to bring representative wage and hour claims under the state's Private Attorneys General Act can't be waived by a private arbitration agreement, a divided U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Sept. 28.
Reversing a district court's dismissal of a former LensCrafters employee's PAGA claims against Luxottica Retail North America Inc., the Ninth Circuit said the California Supreme Court in Iskanian v. CLS Transportation Los Angeles, LLC, 327 P.3d 129, 22 WH Cases2d 1511 (Cal. 2014), correctly held the federal arbitration law doesn't preempt PAGA claims, in which an employee acts as the state's representative to seek redress for alleged California Labor Code violations.
Luxottica argued that under the U.S. Supreme Court decision in AT&T Mobility, LLC v. Concepcion, 131 S. Ct. 1740 (U.S. 2011), which held the FAA preempted a California state court rule that precluded waivers of class arbitration claims, a state rule preluding waiver of PAGA claims likewise is preempted.
Deciding an issue of first impression, the Ninth Circuit said enforcement of a state rule precluding PAGA waivers escapes FAA preemption because it is generally applicable to all contracts and wouldn't obstruct accomplishment of the FAA's pro-arbitration objectives.
In dissent, Judge N. Randy Smith would hold that under Concepcion, the FAA preempts a state rule allowing employees to pursue PAGA claims even if their arbitration agreement expressly waives such claims.
The decision is a victory for employees seeking to press California state law wage claims despite being covered by arbitration pacts that preclude class actions.
"The decision today aligns [the] federal court with the California Supreme Court, and obeys the rules of California contract law," said Kyle Nordrehaug, who represents Shukri Sakkab, the former Luxottica employee who filed the PAGA lawsuit. "California courts were already following Iskanian, and now federal courts will also have to comply with California law."
The Ninth Circuit should reach the same result in two other pending PAGA cases, as "they presented the same issue" as Luxottica and were argued together, Nordrehaug said in a Sept. 28 e-mail to Bloomberg BNA.
Luxottica could ask the full Ninth Circuit to vacate the panel decision and rehear the case or seek Supreme Court review. Attorneys for the company weren't available for comment Sept. 28.
The PAGA allows employees essentially to stand in the state's shoes, alleging overtime pay claims and other Labor Code violations on behalf of themselves and similarly situated employees. If the employee succeeds, the state recovers 75 percent of any civil penalties assessed against the employer and the employees split the remaining 25 percent.
In Iskanian, the California Supreme Court said although Concepcion permits employers to enforce class action waivers in arbitration agreements, PAGA claims are different. It would violate state public policy to allow employers to enforce waivers of PAGA claims, as employees bringing such representative claims are aiding the state, which has limited resources to unearth and prosecute labor code violations, the Iskanian court said.
The U.S. Supreme Court subsequently denied the employer's petition to review Iskanian.
Section 2 of the FAA provides that written agreements to resolve disputes through arbitration "shall be valid, irrevocable and enforceable" except "upon such grounds as exist at law or in equity for the revocation of any contract."
In Concepcion, the Supreme Court said this FAA Section 2 "saving clause" means arbitration agreements could be invalidated by "generally applicable contract defenses," such as fraud, duress or unconscionability. But Concepcion said that under the FAA, arbitration agreements can't be invalidated "by defenses that apply only to arbitration or that derive their meaning from the fact that an agreement to arbitrate is at issue."
Even if a state law rule is "generally applicable," the FAA preempts the state rule if it conflicts with the FAA's objectives, the court said in Concepcion.
The court in Concepcion ruled a California state rule prohibiting class action waivers in arbitration pacts was preempted by the FAA because the state rule was aimed specifically at arbitration, and enforcement would interfere with the FAA's objective to protect enforcement of arbitration pacts.
But the Ninth Circuit said the Iskanian rule, which preserves employees' rights to bring PAGA claims as a representative of the state, stands on a different footing than a ban on class action waivers.
The Supreme Court said a contract defense must be "generally applicable" to be saved from FAA preemption, Judge Milan Smith wrote for the Ninth Circuit.
"The Iskanian rule complies with this requirement," the appeals court said. "The rule bars any waiver of PAGA claims, regardless of whether the waiver appears in an arbitration agreement or a non-arbitration agreement."
Concepcion supports the interpretation that a state law rule may survive FAA preemption if it applies both to arbitration and non-arbitration contracts, the court said.
But the court in Concepcion said the FAA preempted a state law ban on class action waivers because Congress didn't intend "to preserve state-law rules that stand as an obstacle to the accomplishment of the FAA's objectives," the appeals court said.
"Following the logic of Concepcion, we conclude that the Iskanian rule is a 'generally applicable' contract defense that may be preserved by § 2's saving clause, provided it does not conflict with the FAA's purposes," the court said.
Unlike the class arbitration waiver ban involved in Concepcion, enforcing the Iskanian rule that prohibits waiver of PAGA claims won't conflict with the FAA's purposes, the court decided.
The Supreme Court has identified the FAA's principal purpose as ensuring that private arbitration agreements are enforced according to their terms and as stating a "liberal federal policy" favoring arbitration, notwithstanding state substantive or procedural rules to the contrary, the Ninth Circuit observed.
Read broadly, those statements "would require strict enforcement of all terms contained in an arbitration agreement, including those that are unenforceable under generally applicable state law," the court said. "Such a broad construction of the FAA's purposes is untenable, of course, because it would render § 2's saving clause wholly 'ineffectual.' "
Congress didn't intend in the FAA to preempt all generally applicable state contract defenses, only those that "interfere with arbitration," the court said.
Compelling the arbitration of class claims interferes with arbitration if the parties had contemplated only individual arbitrations, the court said. Class arbitration would require a more procedurally complex process, with arbitrators forced to decide class certification issues, and that could erase the presumed advantages of arbitration as a quick, relatively inexpensive dispute resolution mechanism, the court said.
For those reasons, the Concepcion court said the FAA preempts a state law rule that disallowed an arbitration provision barring class actions, the court said.
But a PAGA action differs substantially from a class action, as no due process rights of absent class members are implicated and it doesn't trigger the complex procedural mechanisms of a class claim, the court said.
"We do not read Concepcion to require the enforcement of all waivers of representative claims in arbitration agreements," the court said.
"Instead, Concepcion requires us to examine whether the waived claims mandate procedures that interfere with arbitration, as the class claims in Concepcion did," the court said. "Here, they do not."
"In sum, the Iskanian rule does not conflict with the FAA, because it leaves parties free to adopt the kinds of informal procedures normally available in arbitration," the court said. "It only prohibits them from opting out of the central features of the PAGA's private enforcement scheme—the right to act as a private attorney general to recover the full measure of penalties the state could recover."
The conclusion the FAA doesn't preempt the Iskanian rule is "bolstered by the PAGA's central role in enforcing California's labor laws," the court said.
States' historic police powers aren't preempted by federal law, unless that is Congress's "clear and manifest purpose," the court said. Both the PAGA statute and Iskanian reflect California's judgment about the best way to enforce its labor laws, the court said.
PAGA enforcement actions by employees resemble "qui tam" actions in which an individual litigates on the government's behalf, the court said. Qui tam actions "predate the [Federal Arbitration Act] by several centuries," the Ninth Circuit said.
"The FAA was not intended to preclude states from authorizing qui tam actions to enforce state law," the court said. "Nor, we think, was it intended to require courts to enforce agreements that severely limit the right to recover penalties for violations that did not directly harm the party bringing the action."
"That qui tam actions can be difficult to arbitrate does not mean that the FAA requires courts to enforce private agreements opting out of the state's chosen method of enforcing its labor laws," the court said.
Judge Joan H. Lefkow joined in the decision.
Meanwhile, the dissent would hold Concepcion applies to PAGA claim waivers to the same extent as class action waivers. The Federal Arbitration Act preempts a state ban on PAGA waivers contained in arbitration agreements, the dissent said.
"Because the majority should have applied Concepcion and deferred to the FAA's 'liberal federal policy favoring arbitration,' rather than circumventing it, I must dissent," Judge N. Randy Smith wrote.
Although the majority emphasizes differences between class actions and PAGA claims, those asserted differences "do not change the fact that a rule prohibiting the waiver of either type of action in an arbitration agreement" interferes with the parties' freedom to limit arbitration "only to those claims arising between the consenting parties," the dissent said.
Applying Concepcion, a state rule banning waivers of PAGA claims interferes with the FAA's objectives just as much as a state law ban on class action waivers, Smith wrote.
"By requiring the arbitration of representative PAGA claims in arbitration (i.e., claims not specific to the contracting parties), the Iskanian rule interferes with the fundamental attributes of arbitration and thus creates a scheme inconsistent with the FAA," the dissent said.
In addition to Nordrehaug, Sakkab was represented by Norman B. Blumenthal and Aparajit Bhowmik of Blumenthal Nordrehaug & Bhowmik in La Jolla, Calif. Keith A. Jacoby, Scott M. Lindman and Judy M. Iriye of Littler Mendelson in Los Angeles represented Luxottica.
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Text of the opinion is available at http://www.bloomberglaw.com/public/document/SHUKRI_SAKKAB_an_individual_on_behalf_of_himself_and_on_behalf_of.
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Cary, NC
Store Details301 Crossroads Blvd.
Cary, NC 27518
All of our stores will be closing at 6pm on Memorial Day (5/27).
For years, hardworking men and women have turned to Duluth for innovative solutions to problems they face day in and day out on the job.
And now Duluth fans can find all that gear ready and waiting right in the neighborhood.
Our Duluth Trading Stores boast enough space to showcase our innovative and problem-solving men's and women's workwear. Plus we've got ingenious tools, gadgets, organizers, apothecary and specialty gear you need to get the job done.
So stop in today. See, touch and try on Fire Hose® Work Pants, our Longtail T® Shirts and everything else in our store. Then get down to business with a little help from the hardest-working store there is!
A note about our outlet stores
Our Outlet Stores are jam-packed with year-round savings of 50% or more on overstocks, slightly flawed gear, discontinued items and returns so you can scoop up some serious deals.
But please note that all Outlet sales are final – meaning no returns/exchanges for any reason. The Outlet does not accept returns from our website, stores or phone orders. Discount or coupon offers do not apply to Outlet purchases. If you'd like to be notified when we have special events, please sign up for our emails.


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It's May, the year is half over and if you're going to sulk over all those New Year's resolutions that fell through, you might as well have a drink. With May comes the harvesting of some of the sweetest, juiciest fruit, perfect for relaxing in the hot sun and letting the time tick by. Apricots, plums, peaches and almost every berry you can stomach are in the supermarket and ready to be muddled, pureed and incorporated into your glass.
This piece originally appeared on Liquor.com.


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|Denmark: New Danish Companies Act
(This article is from Mondaq.com, and we put it here only for our internal members to study and research. If it violates the author's copyright, please send e-mail to email@example.com, and we will delete it immediately.)
On 1 March 2010, the first part of the new Danish Companies Act took effect. The new Act regulates public limited companies (in Danish: "aktieselskaber") as well as private limited companies (in Danish: "anpartsselskaber"), and modernises and simplifies the overall regulation of both types of company.
Listed companies are subject to special regulation which is not described in this article.
Under the new Act, public and private limited companies may choose between the following alternative governance structures:
●the traditional Danish governance structure where an executive board performs the day-to-day management of the company and a board of directors exercises overall and strategic management functions as well as certain supervisory functions (the so-called "one-and-a-half tier" governance structure);
●a two-tier (German-inspired) governance structure where all the management functions are vested with an executive board and a supervisory board performs only supervisory functions; and
●a one-tier (Anglo-Saxon-inspired) governance structure, which is only available to private limited companies, where the company is managed only by an executive board. A public limited company may adopt a governance structure somewhat similar to a one-tier governance structure by allowing all members of the executive board to also be directors; however, a majority of the directors must be non-executive (meaning that they may not be members of the executive board).
Written resolutions
The new Danish Companies Act introduces more flexible rules on the convening and holding of general meetings by permitting the use of written resolutions rather than physical or virtual general meetings. By unanimous decision, the shareholders of a company may agree to waive the formal requirements of the Act and the company's Articles of Association applicable to general meetings. Such waiver may either be given in respect of a specific general meeting or in general. A general waiver must be incorporated into the company's Articles of Association. In any event, shareholders representing more than 10% of the company's share capital may require a physical general meeting.
By introducing the above flexibility, the Act codifies the existing practice of using written resolutions instead of physical meetings.
Convening of general meetings
If a physical general meeting is to be convened, the minimum notice period for convening the meeting as well as making available certain documents for inspection at the company's office has been extended from eight days to two weeks (however, under the transitional rules, the first general meeting convened in listed companies after 1 March 2010 may be convened (i) with up to five weeks' notice, irrespective of any shorter notice period stipulated in the Articles of Association; or (ii) with less than three weeks' notice, provided that such shorter notice is set out in the Articles of Association). The motive behind this amendment is to accommodate foreign shareholders for whom eight days' notice may be insufficient.
Company Articles of Association may provide that general meetings can be convened on the company's website. However, notice convening the general meeting must be sent to all shareholders registered in the company's register of shareholders upon request.
In an effort to promote active ownership in Danish companies, current restrictions on the duration and scope of proxies are maintained for proxies given to the board of directors (and the executive board) of a company, but relaxed for other proxies. Accordingly, a proxy issued to the board of directors (and the executive board) may only be valid for a twelve-month period and for a specific general meeting with an agenda known at the time the proxy is issued. Under the new Act, a proxy issued other than to the board of directors (and executive board) may be indefinite and general in nature.
Language used by the board of directors or the supervisory board
If a company's Articles of Association stipulate Swedish, Norwegian or English as the group's official language, meetings of the board of directors or the supervisory board may be conducted in such language without simultaneous translation into Danish, and directors or supervisory board members will not have the right to require documents in the official group language to be translated into Danish.
If a company's Articles of Association do not stipulate Swedish, Norwegian or English as the official group language, meetings of the board of directors or the supervisory board may only be conducted in a language other than Danish if simultaneous translation into Danish is provided upon request, and directors or supervisory board members will have the right to require documents in a foreign language to be translated into Danish.
Language at general meetings
The new Danish Companies Act permits general meetings to be held in a language other than Danish. Thus, the general meeting may resolve by a simple majority of votes to conduct general meetings in Swedish, Norwegian or English without providing simultaneous translation into Danish to all the participating shareholders.
However, if the language being approved is another foreign language than Swedish, Norwegian or English, and simultaneous translation into Danish is not provided, such a resolution will require approval by nine-tenths of the votes cast as well as nine-tenths of the share capital represented at the general meeting.
Furthermore, it is expected that the Danish Commerce and Companies Agency will accept registration of corporate documents in Swedish, Norwegian or English.
The new Danish Companies Act settles an ongoing debate among Danish company lawyers by explicitly providing that shareholders' agreements have no binding effect on the company or the decisions passed by the shareholders at general meetings.
Consequently, many typical shareholders' agreement provisions may be more difficult to enforce. Consideration should be given to including certain shareholders' agreement provisions in the company's Articles of Association. However, Articles of Association are publicly available through the Danish Commerce and Company's website and confidentiality considerations may exclude this possibility.
In light of the limitation on the enforceability of shareholders' agreements described above, it will be important to consider consequences of a breach of shareholders' agreements.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
Published on our website on Apr.23, 2010


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Isla and the Happily Ever After is a second companion to the highly popular Anna and the French Kiss. Isla Martin has two homes, one in Manhattan with her family and one in Paris where she attends boarding school. Before returning to Paris, Isla has a chance encounter with her long time crush, Josh. As Isla and Josh return for their senior, something starts to change between them. Falling in love is the easy thing to do for Josh and Isla, but can that love last forever?
This book was the perfect ending to the Anna and the French Kiss series. We are back in Paris, taking classes at SOAP (School of America in Paris) and once again the city becomes its own beautiful character. Isla is such a real and relatable character. Josh is one of those characters that always keep you wanting more. As the reader, you're constantly wondering what he's thinking. There are so many favorite moments in this book, but one of the best is the appearances of all our favorite couples; Anna and St. Clair and Lola and Cricket.
Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who has read Anna and the French Kiss or any fan of YA romance.
Check this book out or put it on hold.
-Stephanie Rudisill


text: Despite it's aggressive name, AK-47 has many peaceful tendencies. First bred in 1992, the name suggests the power packed in its dark, resinous, compact buds that bristle with red hairs and glistening trichomes. AK-47 has a spiced aroma bordering on skunk, with a hint of sandalwood, but tastes sweeter and more floral than the smell would lead one to expect.


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Are you wondering how I got this cool marbling effect on this 5x7 canvas board???
Wonder no more!!
You can purchase DecoArt products -www.decoart.com
I put it right back into my mixture and kept pulling papers thru until it was pretty grungy looking.
I stenciled the letters on with DecoArt Whimsical Delight letters and Americana black acrylic paint.
Give it a go yourself! Experiment with different colors. You can also use inks.


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Located in the Andes mountains on the border of Peru and Bolivia, Lake Titicaca is one of the highest lakes in the world. It's also BIG...and here's my favorite fact...you can see it from space!
There are around 40 man-made floating islands in Lake Titicaca, home to the Uros, a pre-Incan people who have lived on such islands for hundreds of years.
To create the islands, the Uros cut a chunk of matted reed roots from the shore line, pull it into position, and anchor it using ropes and long sticks. They then build up layer after layer of dried reeds on top of the base, piling it as high as 4 meters. I watched a couple travelers' home movies about visiting the islands, and one of them likened it to walking around on an inflatable bounce house. The islands are usually home to 2 to 10 families depending on size, and the islands share a clinic, school, church and watchtower, all located on islands. The islands only last about 12 years until the reeds get too wet and they have to create a replacement island.
I am amazed at how much the Uros construct out of the reeds - not just the islands, but also boats and structures! However, due to their limited natural resources, many of the islands have converted to be tourist sites, and modern life has crept in - it isn't unheard of to see TVs powered by solar panels and to hear radios.


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The 2007 Pirelli Calendar - A bed and five stories
The stars of this edition are five of Hollywood's most acclaimed and beloved actresses: Sophia Loren, Penelope Cruz, Hilary Swank, Naomi Watts and daring newcomer Lou Doillon, photographed by the Dutch duo Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin in California.
The unique 2007 calendar marks a turning point: the glamour that characterized past editions is absent. There has been a return to the simplicity of the film sets, stories and photography of the early sixties (reminiscent of the films of Pier Paolo Pasolini and Michelangelo Antonioni): the personality of the person prevails over the environment in a plain, unadorned setting.
Simple, spontaneous images portray five women. These profound, secret stories reveal the most private and hidden soul of the protagonists. The resolute and proud personalities of the actresses overwhelmingly emerge in the bareness of the environment. One bed, five protagonists, and five stories appear in a calendar that challenges fads, breaks with convention, and delves into the psyches of the women. Intellectual, psychological, and artistic are the adjectives that best describe this edition.
"We are in a room with just a bed and sheet. We wanted to make it as personal and intimate as possible, as if we were shooting pictures with friends," said Inez. This completely new way of portraying the actresses sharply contrasts with the usual images of the five superstars appearing in the media - from the red carpet of film premieres to glossy glamour magazine photos and snapshots taken by the paparazzi.
The 2007 calendar is a powerful combination of simple, eclectic images that explore the female personality in depth. Inez, a great portraitist, immediately establishes a feeling with the stars and puts them at ease. From one woman to another, she tries to capture the hidden and most intense aspects of the protagonists. Thus, Penelope appears "sanguine and sensual", Hilary is "a pure, sporty, natural American beauty", Lou is "elegant and cool", Naomi is "sleek and sophisticated, representing British perfection", and Sophia Loren is "a superstar and legend".
Twenty-six incredibly powerful black and white photographs are the result. The light, composition, and atmosphere of the simple, candid shots have everything one would expect from two great international photographers such as Inez and Vinoodh.
The photography team composed of Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin has an apparently infinite ability to explore new visual territories. In the early nineties they were among the first to demonstrate the potential of digital technology as an important creative medium. They developed their hallmark style - a combination of visual seduction and provocative stories -- that introduced new concepts to fashion photography.
Since the early nineties they have done revolutionary spreads for Vogue America , France and Italy ; V Magazine; Visionaire; The New York Times Magazine; and W Magazine. Their innovative approach can also be seen in advertising campaigns for Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, Yohji Yamamoto, Chloe, Dior Homme, Miu Miu and Estee Lauder.
Besides their work in the fashion industry, van Lamsweerde and Matadin create photos that have been applauded in the world of contemporary art. They are represented by the Matthew Marks Gallery of New York where they showed The Now People Part Two Life on Earth (2005), The Now People Part One: Paradise (2003/4), ME (1999) and The Widow (1997). Their work has also appeared in international museums and art galleries, including the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam , the Hayward Gallery in London , and the Whitney Museum of Contemporary Art in New York .
Oscar winner Sophia Loren is one of the most famous Italian actresses of all time. She was born and raised in the town of Pozzuoli , in the province of Naples , where she lived until the end of World War II.
At age 14 she took part in her first beauty contest in Naples , where she won one of the 12 titles. Shortly after, Sophia's mother enrolled her in acting school, and Sophia worked as an extra in Mervyn LeRoy's films Quo Vadis, Hearts at Sea, The Ballot, The Six Wives of Barbablu, and I Am the Captain.
One evening Sophia went with friends to a nightclub where the Miss Rome beauty contest was being held. She was noticed by one of the judges, the famous film producer Carlo Ponti, who encouraged her to participate. Sophia came in second but, even more importantly, she won a film test with Ponti, which did not result in a contract, however.
Sophia played a feature role in Africa under the Seas. The film was not instrumental to her career, but the turning point came with a film version of the opera Aida by Giuseppe Verdi. When the leading actress dropped out shortly after production began, Sophia stepped in and did a stunning job that earned her the applause of the critics and a one-year contract with Carlo Ponti.
Afterwards, the famous director/actor Vittorio de Sica asked Sophia to play the part of a Neapolitan pizza-maker in The Gold of Naples. De Sica recognized Sophia's love of acting, originality, and explosive passion and decided to help the young actress, which allowed her to cap the role of Nives Mongolini in The River Girl. She also starred in Too Bad She's Bad, The Miller's Beautiful Wife, Neapolitan Carousel, and Lucky to Be a Woman.
While filming Lucky to Be a Woman, Sophia started studying with linguist Sarah Spain to prepare herself for roles in English. She could not have chosen a better moment for lessons because American producer/director Stanley Kramer wanted Sophia for the leading role in the costume film The Pride and the Passion that also starred Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra.
Sophia accepted Kramer's offer of 200,000 dollars and filmed The Pride and the Passion with Sinatra and Grant, which opened the doors for other films in English such as Boy on a Dolphin with Alan Ladd.
In 1957 Sophia filmed Legend of the Lost with John Wayne. In the same year she signed a contract with Columbia for four more films, including Houseboat, once again with Cary Grant. After Houseboat, she starred in several successful films, including The Key with William Holden and Trevor Howard; It Started in Naples with Clark Gable and De Sica; The Millionairess with Peter Sellers; and Black Orchid and Heller in Pink Tights, both with Anthony Quinn as her leading man.
In 1960 Sophia participated in the Venice Film Festival, where she received the Volpi Cup as the Best Actress for Black Orchid. Her next film was Two Women, the story of a mother and daughter who survived World War II. During the filming, the actress relived memories of that war but now saw it through the eyes of the mother.
Sophia was thrilled when she learned she won the Oscar for Best Actress. She beat actresses of the caliber of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, Piper Laurie in The Hustler, Geraldine Page in Summer and Smoke, and Natalie Wood in Splendor in the Grass. Sophia was the first actress ever to win the Best Actress award for a foreign film.
Sophia wrote several books, including Sophia: Living and Loving; Her Own Story; Women and Beauty; Eat with Me; and Ricordi e ricette.
The magical chemistry with De Sica and Mastroianni, her favorite film partner, continued to produce hits such as: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; Marriage - Italian Style; The Priest's Wife, Oopsie Poopsie; Friday or another day; and Prêt-à-porter. Some of Sophia's favorite co-stars were Anthony Perkins ( Desire Under the Elms ), Robert Wagner ( The Condemned of Altona ), Paul Newman and David Niven ( Lady L ), Gregory Peck ( Arabesque ), Marlon Brando ( A Countess from Hong Kong ), Peter O'Toole ( The Man of La Mancha ), Richard Burton ( The Voyage and Brief Encounter ), Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner ( Cassandra Crossing ), and Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau ( Grumpier Old Men ).
Today Sophia Loren is one of the most loved and phenomenal actresses of history. She has made over 100 films in her 50-year career. She received the Oscar for Lifetime Achievements and has been defined by People Magazine as "one of the world's most stunning and age resistant women". She was recently proclaimed "The world's most beautiful woman" by Time Magazine.
Hilary Swank is the third-youngest woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress twice. Besides her Oscar for her portrayal of "Brandon Teena" in Boys Don't Cry, Hilary won the Golden Globe Award for "Best Actress in a Drama" and the Best Actress awards from the New York Film Critics, the Los Angeles Film Critics, the Chicago Film Critics, and the Broadcast Film Critics Association. She also won the "Breakthrough Performance" award of the National Board of Review.
Hilary subsequently appeared in supporting roles with Cate Blanchett and Keanu Reeves in The Gift directed by Sam Raimi and with Al Pacino and Robin Williams in Insomnia directed by Christopher Nolan. She capped the leading role of Alice Paul in Iron Jawed Angels for HBO, which tells the story of the suffragette movement: her performance in this film won her SAG and Golden Globe nominations.
Recently, Hilary starred with Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman in Million Dollar Baby, directed by Eastwood, the story of a girl who tries to make her dream of becoming a professional boxer come true. For this film she won her second Oscar as Best Actress and she also won other awards such as Best Actress from the National Society of Film Critics, the Screen Actors Guild, the Broadcast Film Critics, and a Golden Globe for the "Best Actress in a Drama".
Hillary played a supporting role in Black Dahlia directed by Brian De Palma, with Scarlett Johansson and Josh Hartnett, and will star in The Reaping for Warner Brothers. She recently made her debut as a producer with Freedom Writers, the true story of Long Beach teacher Erin Gruwell.
In fall, she will work again with Richard LaGravenese, the screenwriter/director of her Freedom Writers, to portray the protagonist in the film version of Cecelia Ahern's book P.S. I Love You.
Penelope Cruz Sanchez was born in Madrid in the mid-seventies. Dancing captured her imagination and dominated her life since she was a child, and she studied classical ballet at the National Spanish Conservatory for 9 years. After Penelope left high school at 15 years of age, she beat 300 competitors in an agency audition and started working part-time as a model. National fame arrived at 16 when she was chosen to present Spanish television programs.
Since the beginning of her career, Penelope has starred in many important films, but it was her role in the 2001 film with Nicolas Cage, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, that helped her become one of the world's most famous actresses. In the same year she co-starred with Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky, the Hollywood remake of Abre Los Ojos, in which the actress interpreted the same character. Vanilla Sky would drastically change Penelope's life. The film made 100 million dollars at the box office, which launched her to stardom in Hollywood , and it also marked the start of her relationship with Tom Cruise.
In 2003 she played a mentally disturbed woman in Gothika, with Halle Berry , and in 2005 she co-starred with Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey in Sahara.
Penelope Cruz has always been actively involved in charity work. She once donated her entire earnings for a film to Mother Teresa's orphanage, and she also did volunteer work for two months in Uganda .
Born in England but raised in Australia , Naomi Watts has been in the movie business for 15 years. After moving to Hollywood , her big break arrived in 2001 when she got a part in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. Her extraordinary performance was critically acclaimed and she received several awards that attracted the attention of major producers in Hollywood and abroad.
Naomi finally reached stardom in 2002 when she won the role of the investigative reporter in The Ring, which made 100 million dollars at the box office. She starred in the sequel, The Ring 2, and in 2005 she played Anne Darrow in one of the biggest remakes of our time, King Kong. The role immortalized by Faye Wray in the original film would turn out to be Watts ' most commercial part to date. Directed by Peter Jackson, the director of The Lord of the Rings, the film was critically acclaimed and made over 400 million dollars worldwide.
Naomi's beauty and sex appeal are irresistible. In 2002 People magazine included her in their "50 most beautiful women" list, and she was also voted one of the 15 sexiest actresses by the Australian Empire Magazine, on whose cover she appeared in March 2003.
Lou Doillon was born in 1982 to a "show biz" family: her mother is actress and singer Jane Birkin. At a very early age, she realized that her family's profession was an inescapable destiny.
Doillon made her film debut at five as Jane Birkin's on-screen daughter in a romantic drama entitled Kung fu master, but her first starring role arrived in 1997 when she played the rebellious adolescent in the film Trop peu d'amour, directed by her father.
At 16, she began an unexpected career as a model for Eres, Missoni and Givenchy and for the "Eau Torride" perfume, and she appears in the current Miu Miu advertising campaign.
Lou has often played tempestuous, volcanic roles such as Blanche, a romantic and sexy costume film from 2002. She next appeared with Charlotte Rampling, who played her mother, in Summer Things. In 2003, she was Miss Pepys, co-starring with Steve Coogan for the BBC, and she appeared in Saint Ange, her first French-American horror flick, with Virginie Ledoyen.
In 2006 Lou just finished a film written and directed by Douglas Buck, co-starring Chloé Sévigny and Stephen Rea. "Sisters" is the remake of "The Two Sisters", directed by Brian de Palma in 1973. She will soon appear in Boxes, the story of a family, directed by her mother Jane Birkin and starring Geraldine Chaplin, John Hurt, and Natacha Régnier.