text:
Skaltsis faces 19 charges related to Ponzi scheme: Securities bureau says his debts total more than $1.2m
DOVER — Officials from the New Hampshire Attorney Generals' office Thursday arrested and charged real estate investor and businessman Nickolas Skaltsis with 19 felony counts of theft for operating a fraudulent investment scheme.
Within hours of the arraignment, the Securities Regulation Bureau, released a report that Skaltsis' total debts, between prior investments, secured deals, personal loans, partnership deals, a defaulted mortgage and the judgment against him brings his total debts to more than $1.2 million.
Skaltsis, 62, of 6 Erik Drive, along with firms associated with him — Phoenix Asset Group, Inc., Liberty Realty Trust and Tobias Investment — have been under an intensive investigation, according to the Securities Regulation Bureau, since August 2012, by the AG's office, the Bureau and the Dover Police Department.
The Bureau alleges that Skaltsis engaged in unlicensed activity, sold unregistered securities, and committed securities fraud. The Bureau's administrative action filed today includes a request that Skaltsis, Liberty Realty Trust, and Phoenix Asset Group, Inc. pay restitution to investors, pay the costs of the bureau's investigation, pay an administrative fine, and be permanently barred from conducting securities-related business in New Hampshire.
In addition to the bureau's administrative action, the bureau has obtained an order from Strafford County Superior Court Justice Brian Tucker freezing the assets of Skaltsis, Liberty Realty Trust, Phoenix Asset Group, Inc. and other parties restraining them from converting, sequestering, transferring, selling or suffering the loss of any assets under their control.
The Securities Regulation Bureau said Skaltsis has been operating a Ponzi scheme.
They discovered the investors' checks were deposited into Skaltsis' personal People's United Bank and Citizens Bank accounts, despite promissory notes to investors being issued by Liberty Realty Trust.
Approximately $250,000 in cash withdrawals were made from the People's United Bank account from March 2010 to October 2012. At the same time, approximately $117,000 was transferred from this account to Phoenix Asset Group's Bank of America account.
By Oct. 10, 2012, the People's United Bank account was negative $1.33.
The Bureau has found 13 known investors who were promised as much as 14 percent interest on their money, which they were told by Skaltsis was going into acquiring, rehabilitating and managing real estate in Strafford County.
Instead, within a week of receiving an investor's check throughout 2011 and 2012 Skaltsis would deposit the money into his personal account and deplete it through a cash withdrawal or check to himself. The Bureau states money was also sent to Phoenix Asset Group's Bank of America account, where monthly interest payments to investors were drawn from.
As reported by Foster's and now identified through the bureau by Senior Auditor William Masuck who reviewed Skaltsis' banking records, investor money was often used to pay Skaltsis' prior investors or other personal debts.
A press release from the bureau details how some of the investors' money was spent. Investor Number 1, for example, from Dover, invested $15,000. Bank records reveal his money was deposited into Skaltsis' personal People's United Bank account. Before the money was deposited, Skaltsis' bank account was sitting at $2.23. Approximately $12,000 of Investor Number 1's $15,000 was placed in Phoenix Asset Group's bank account and given to Skaltsis' wife, Lorraine. The Bureau said personal purchases were also made with this money at Hannaford, Shaw's, TJ Maxx and Walgreens.
Although Senior Assistant Attorney General Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau James T. Boffetti could not comment specifically on this case, he did explain how money trails are confirmed.
"Generally, we have forensic accountants and people who are trained to track financial records," Boffetti said. "We rely on their expertise to examine bank records and other financial records and we have done that in this case."
Although the Bureau was able to track some of the investors' money, there are instances where the money has yet to be found, supporting reports the investigation is ongoing.
As stated in the press release, "At this time, the Bureau has been unable to locate where Investor Number 2's second $30,000 check was deposited. The Bureau has no reason to believe the funds were used for the purchase or rehabilitation of property."
The total amount of loss to those investors identified in the 19 charges is alleged to be $287,000.
The Bureau also identified $14,000 in principal owed to two of the four people who gave personal loans to Skaltsis. One of the four loans was as recent at October 2012.
"The Bureau has also learned that Skaltsis solicited individuals for real estate partnerships in the past few years," the Bureau's release states. "One individual claims that Skaltsis still owes him $51,250 for a past real estate partnership where the individual provided Skaltsis with $51,250 to rehabilitate a property they co-owned and Skaltsis just walked with the funds and never even began the renovations."
When the Bureau conducted a review of the Registry of Deeds in the county under Skaltsis, Skaltsis' wife and Liberty, Phoenix and Tobias, no property purchases or recording of title or deed by Skaltsis in 2011 or 2012 appeared. During these years, Skaltsis raised at least $327,500 in investor funds.
Additionally, the New Hampshire Supreme Court affirmed a lower court decision, according to the Bureau, for Skaltsis to pay $703,504.99 on an unpaid promissory note from 1990. Skaltsis was ordered by Strafford County Superior Court on March 22, 2011 to pay $1,200 per month toward this debt. He has not made every payment and many of them have been late.
The Bureau also stated, "A review of Skaltsis' bank records revealed that he was making payments on this judgment from monies received from the investors identified above."
"The use of new monies to pay old debts, the commingling of investor funds in a personal account with other investors funds, the conversion of investor checks to cash, and the evidence that Skaltsis convinced some investors to rollover their funds so he wouldn't have to return their principals, are all hallmarks of a Ponzi Scheme," the bureau stated. "Coupled with the fact that Skaltsis was heavily in debt and that very little to no business activity occurred while Skaltsis was raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2011 and 2012, the Bureau is confident that Skaltsis was operating a Ponzi Scheme."
Investors have told Foster's that the question they want answered is the question still being investigated: Where is the money?
"We certainly have been investigating it," Boffetti said. "But, it wouldn't be proper to comment on anything we have found on where the money is."
On Thursday morning, Skaltsis was arraigned in the Circuit Court in Rochester. He was not represented. According to Boffetti, Skaltsis applied for appointed council in court.
He was taken into custody by authorities and the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office has charged Skaltsis with 15 felony counts of theft by deception and four felony counts of theft by misapplication.
The court allowed Skaltsis to remain hospitalized in Concord at New Hampshire State Hospital, where he has been after attempting suicide by running a generator inside his vehicle on Oct. 12, 2012, according to the bureau.
The Wells, Maine police found Skaltsis, who was later transported to Southern Maine Medical Center for treatment.
Since then, Skaltsis has been held at the hospital in Concord, where he is now "on personal recognizance bail, with the condition that he not leave the hospital premises without the permission of his treatment team," according to a public statement by the Attorney General's office.
If or when Skaltsis is discharged, his bail is immediately converted to $300,000 cash only. According to Boffetti, if this is not posted, Skaltsis will enter Strafford County House of Corrections and await his trial.
Skaltsis is to surrender his passport, sign a waiver of extradition and not have any contact with victims in this case. Skaltsis is also prohibited from engaging in any real estate transactions.
A probable cause hearing is scheduled for Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. at the Circuit Court in Rochester. Under state law, the maximum penalty for each Class A felony is 7½ to 15 years in state prison. With 19 charges, Skaltsis could face up to 285 years in prison.
Boffetti urges anyone with information about this case to contact the Dover Police Department and step forward with information they think would be helpful in this ongoing investigation.
Jeff Spill, deputy director of enforcement at the bureau, and Eric Forcier, bureau staff attorney, who are handling the case, emphasized the danger schemes like Skaltsis' pose to investors and what investors should look out for.
"'When someone offers investors an opportunity for financial returns that sounds too good to be true, it probably is,' Forcier said. Spill added that, ''When investors are seeking better returns in a down economy, it is often easy to miss the warning signs of a Ponzi scheme, such as high guaranteed returns when average returns are much lower than those being promised."


text:
Original 1997 Doom 64 Nintendo Shirt. This is a true vintage shirt, not a modern reproduction. Sizes vary so please use measurements for best idea on fit. Front and back graphics. Shirt is in excellent condition, no holes, no stains. This shirt comes laundered and ready to wear.
Tag Size: Extra Large
Material: 100% Cotton
Pit to Pit: 23 inches
Collar to Hem: 31 inches

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Through the bottleneck moments of the evolutionary process, cuteness may have played a significant role in helping our species survive. And, though some of us might like to believe that we are "looks-blind," it seems, to the contrary, that there is a great deal of prejudice based on looks. Naomi Miles posted an interesting article on FirstScience.com this week, discussing some research regarding the situational causes and consequences of cuteness. We have excerpted portions of her article below.
* * *
Konrad Lorenz, an Austrian ethnologist, looked into the science of cuteness in the 1940s. He compiled a list of the esthetic and behavioural characteristics we are particularly attracted to, and found that we are drawn to relatively large heads, large and low-lying eyes, bulging cheeks, short and thick arms and legs, springy elastic skin, and clumsy movements.
Typically, these are the attributes of a child. Juveniles are not simply miniature adults; they have distinctive body proportions. A newborn has a large head in relation to the rest of its body, stubbier arms and legs and tiny hands and feet. As a baby grows up, the relative head size diminishes, the jaw gets bigger and the limbs become longer and leaner. A baby's esthetic proportions are instantly recognisable, and we are hardwired to regard them as 'cute'.
Lorenz noted that childish characteristics trigger a parental instinct. Cute things make us feel warm and exhilarated and we want to look after them. They awaken affection and feelings of nurture, making us want to pet and coo.
But when and why did our instinctive responses to cuteness develop? How has cuteness been an advantage in human development?
A couple of million years ago, human brain size began to increase. Childbirth became more painful, as fitting a bigger-brained baby through a narrow birth canal was a dangerous squeeze. Birth limited how big our brains could become.
Nature's solution was for human babies to be born with highly undeveloped brains. Unlike other mammals, our grey matter does about 75% of its growing outside of the womb.
Since human babies are born helpless and take so long to develop, they are totally dependent upon adult care for everything. It takes about 17 months for newborns to become as independent and mobile as chimpanzees are at birth, and so we have an extremely extended childhood. For years, we rely on the love, attention and goodwill of our parents. If they abandon us, we don't stand a chance.
But what would inspire parents of these immature babies to invest such a high level of care? Cuteness seems to play a major role.
* * *
. . . Jeffrey Kurland, an associate professor of Biological Anthropology and Human Development from Penn State University, believes that our responses are truly innate, inherited from our primate ancestors. Kurland thinks that babies evolved to be cute, their cuteness perhaps conveying biological information about strong genes and good health. Women developed an appreciation of cuteness and, choosing to lavish more care on the cuter babies, gave them the best chance of survival.
According to scientists at the University of Alberta in Canada, good-looking babies have a definite advantage. A research team lead by Dr Andrew Harrell found that parents of cute newborns were more responsive and affectionate than mothers of less attractive babies. Gorgeous children also seemed to receive more notice from teachers and other adults as they grew up.
* * *
Our imagination and abstracting tendencies mean that we also find animals, pictures and even concepts cute. For years, market research has looked into the images that people find appealing and has found that cuteness sells.
* * *
To read the entire article, click here. For a 2004 article in NewScientist.com describing research finding that even babies prefer to look at attractive faces, click here. Dr. Andrew Harrell (from the University of Alberta, Canada) has found evidence suggesting that even parents discriminate among their children based on looks. For a brief description of the "halo effect," and the way in which "good looks" generally advantage individuals, click here.
Growing public awarness has led to the somewhat hopeful trend of some commerical interests cleverly highlighting the role of other commercial interests in defining and exploiting unrealistic conceptions of beauty. For instance, the following ad, aptly titled "evolution," is part of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty.


text:
After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than have any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first directly elected president, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means and a centralized economic system. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion remain in place.
Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Geographic coordinates
Area (sq km)
total: 207,600 sq km
land: 202,900 sq km
water: 4,700 sq km
Area - comparative (sq km)
slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries (km)
total: 3,599 km
border countries: Latvia 161 km, Lithuania 640 km, Poland 375 km, Russia 1,312 km, Ukraine 1,111 km
Coastline (km)
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
generally flat and contains much marshland
Elevation extremes (m)
lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m
highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
Natural resources
timber, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay
Land use (%)
arable land: 26.63%
permanent crops: 0.59%
other: 72.78% (2011)
Irrigated land (sq km)
1,150 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources (cu km)
58 cu km (2011)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) ()
total: 4.34 cu km/yr (32%/65%/3%)
per capita: 435.4 cu m/yr (2009)
Natural hazards
Environment - current issues
soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine
Environment - international agreements
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes
People and Society
noun: Belarusian(s)
adjective: Belarusian
Ethnic groups (%)
Belarusian 83.7%, Russian 8.3%, Polish 3.1%, Ukrainian 1.7%, other 2.4%, unspecified 0.9% (2009 est.)
Languages (%)
Belarusian (official) 23.4%, Russian (official) 70.2%, other 3.1% (includes small Polish- and Ukrainian-speaking minorities), unspecified 3.3% (2009 est.)
Religions (%)
Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)
9,608,058 (July 2014 est.) evolution and prospects (1950-2100)
Age structure (%)
0-14 years: 15.4% (male 759,285/female 717,118)
15-24 years: 11.7% (male 575,907/female 544,170)
25-54 years: 45.5% (male 2,141,419/female 2,227,433)
55-64 years: 13.3% (male 562,639/female 716,216)
65 years and over: 14.2% (male 430,225/female 933,646) (2014 est.)
Median age (years)
total: 39.4 years
male: 36.3 years
female: 42.4 years (2014 est.)
Population growth rate (%)
-0.19% (2014 est.)
Birth rate (births/1,000 population)
10.86 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
Death rate (deaths/1,000 population)
13.51 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
Net migration rate (migrant(s)/1,000 population)
0.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
Urbanization (%)
urban population: 75% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 0.21% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Major urban areas - population
MINSK (capital) 1.861 million (2011)
Sex ratio (male(s)/female)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.87 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.46 male(s)/female
total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2014 est.)
Maternal mortality rate (deaths/100,000 live births)
4 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
Infant mortality rate (deaths/1,000 live births)
total: 3.64 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)
Life expectancy at birth (years)
total population: 72.15 years
male: 66.53 years
female: 78.1 years (2014 est.)
Total fertility rate (children born/woman)
1.47 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Health expenditures (% of GDP)
5.3% of GDP (2011)
Physicians density (physicians/1,000 population)
3.76 physicians/1,000 population (2011)
Hospital bed density (beds/1,000 population)
11.1 beds/1,000 population (2011)
Drinking water source (% of population)
improved: urban: 99.8% of population
rural: 99% of population
total: 99.6% of population
unimproved: urban: 0.2% of population
rural: 1% of population
total: 0.4% of population (2012 est.)
Sanitation facility access (% of population)
improved: urban: 94% of population
rural: 95.3% of population
total: 94.3% of population
unimproved: urban: 6% of population
rural: 4.7% of population
total: 5.7% of population (2012 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%)
0.4% (2012 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
23,200 (2012 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
1,200 (2012 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate (%)
24.3% (2008)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight (%)
1.3% (2005)
Education expenditures (% of GDP)
5.1% of GDP (2012)
Literacy (%)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.6%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.5% (2009 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) (years)
total: 16 years
male: 15 years
female: 16 years (2012)
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 (%)
total: 12.6%
male: 12.4%
female: 12.6% (2009)
Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Belarus
conventional short form: Belarus
local long form: Respublika Byelarus'/Respublika Belarus'
local short form: Byelarus'/Belarus'
former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type
republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship
name: Minsk
geographic coordinates: 53 54 N, 27 34 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions
6 provinces (voblastsi, singular - voblasts') and 1 municipality* (horad); Brest, Homyel' (Gomel), Horad Minsk* (Minsk City), Hrodna (Grodno), Mahilyow (Mogilev), Minsk, Vitsyebsk (Vitebsk)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers; Russian spelling provided for reference when different from Belarusian
25 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday
Independence Day, 3 July (1944); note - 3 July 1944 was the date Minsk was liberated from German troops, 25 August 1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union
several previous; latest drafted between late 1991 and early 1994, signed 15 March 1994; amended 1996, 2004 (2013)
Legal system
civil law system; note - nearly all major codes (civil, civil procedure, criminal, criminal procedure, family and labor) have been revised and came into force in 1999 or 2000
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state: president Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994); note - the US does not recognize the results of the 19 December 2010 elections under which the Central Election Commission of Belarus declared LUKASHENKO president
head of government: prime minister Mikhail MYASNIKOVICH (since 28 December 2010); first deputy prime minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since December 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; first election took place on 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the 1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999, however, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996 referendum; subsequent election held on 9 September 2001; an October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits and allowed the president to run in a third (19 March 2006) and fourth election (19 December 2010); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 79.7%, Andrey SANNIKOV 2.6%, other candidates 17.7%; note - election marred by electoral fraud
Legislative branch
bicameral national assembly or natsionalnoye sobraniye consists of the Council of the Republic or Sovet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members elected by regional and Minsk city councils and 8 members appointed by the president, to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - the US does not recognize the legitimacy of the national assembly
elections: Palata Predstaviteley - last held on 23 September 2012 (next to be held September 2016); OSCE observers determined that the election was neither free nor impartial and that vote counting was problematic in a number of polling stations; pro-LUKASHENKO candidates won every seat with no opposition representation in the chamber; international observers determined that the previous election, on 28 September 2008, despite minor improvements also fell short of democratic standards, with pro-LUKASHENKO candidates winning every seat
election results: Sovet Respubliki - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Palata Predstaviteley - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - KPB 3, AP 1, Republican Party of Labor and Justice 1, no affiliation 105
Judicial branch
highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chairman, deputy chairman, and NA judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 12 judges including a chairman and deputy chairman)
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president with the consent of the Council of the Republic; judges initially appointed for 5 years and evaluated for life appointment; Constitutional Court judges - 6 appointed by the president and 6 elected by the Chamber of Representatives; term of judges is 11 years with an age limit of 70
subordinate courts: regional, district, city, town, and military courts
Political parties and leaders
pro-government parties: Belarusian Agrarian Party or AP [Mikhail SHIMANSKY]
Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Nikolay ULAKHOVICH, chairman]
Communist Party of Belarus or KPB [Igor KARPENKO]
Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Sergey GAYDUKEVICH]
Republican Party of Labor and Justice [Vasiliy ZADNEPRYANYY]
opposition parties: Belarusian Christian Democracy Party [Pavel SEVERINETS] (unregistered)
Belarusian Party of the Left "Fair World" [Sergey KALYAKIN]
Belarusian Popular Front or BPF [Aleksey YANUKEVICH]
Belarusian Social-Democratic Hramada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH]
Belarusian Social Democratic Party Hramada ("Assembly") or BSDPH [Irina VESHTARD]
Belarusian Social Democratic Party People's Assembly ("Narodnaya Hramada") [Nikolay STATKEVICH] (unregistered)
Christian Conservative Party or BPF [Zyanon PAZNIAK]
European Belarus Campaign [Andrey SANNIKOV]
Party of Freedom and Progress [Vladimir NOVOSYAD] (unregistered)
"Tell the Truth" Campaign [Vladimir NEKLYAYEV]
United Civic Party or UCP [Anatoliy LEBEDKO]
Political pressure groups and leaders
Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH] (unregistered)
Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Aleksandr YAROSHUK]
Belarusian Association of Journalists [Zhana LITVINA]
Belarusian Helsinki Committee [Aleh HULAK]
Belarusian Independence Bloc (unregistered) and For Freedom movement [Aleksandr MILINKEVICH]
Belarusian Organization of Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]
BPF-Youth [Andrus KRECHKA] (unregistered)
Charter 97 [Andrey SANNIKOV] (unregistered)
Perspektiva small business association [Anatol SHUMCHENKO]
Nasha Vyasna ("Our Spring") human rights center [Ales BYALYATSKI] (unregistered)
"Tell the Truth" Movement [Vladimir NEKLYAYEV] (unregistered)
Women's Independent Democratic Movement [Ludmila PETINA]
Young Belarus (Malady Belarus) [Zmitser KASPYAROVICH] (unregistered)
Youth Front (Malady Front) [Zmitser DASHKEVICH] (unregistered)
International organization participation
BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CEI, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SCO (dialogue member), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Oleg KRAVCHENKO
chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ethan GOLDRICH (since July 2012)
embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya Street, Minsk 220002
mailing address: PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723
telephone: [375] (17) 210-12-83
Flag description
red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the hoist side bears Belarusian national ornamentation in red; the red band color recalls past struggles from oppression, the green band represents hope and the many forests of the country
National symbol(s)
mounted knight known as Pahonia (the Chaser)
National anthem
name: "My, Bielarusy" (We Belarusians)
lyrics/music: Mikhas KLIMKOVICH and Uladzimir KARYZNA/Nester SAKALOUSKI
note: music adopted 1955, lyrics adopted 2002; after the fall of the Soviet Union, Belarus kept the music of its Soviet-era anthem but adopted new lyrics; also known as "Dziarzauny himn Respubliki Bielarus" (State Anthem of the Republic of Belarus)
Economy - overview
As part of the former Soviet Union, Belarus had a relatively well-developed industrial base; it retained this industrial base - which is now outdated, energy inefficient, and dependent on subsidized Russian energy and preferential access to Russian markets - following the breakup of the USSR. The country also has a broad agricultural base which is inefficient and dependent on government subsidies. After an initial burst of capitalist reform from 1991-94, including privatization of state enterprises, creation of institutions of private property, and development of entrepreneurship, Belarus' economic development greatly slowed. About 80% of all industry remains in state hands, and foreign investment has been hindered by a climate hostile to business. A few banks, which had been privatized after independence, were renationalized. State banks account for 75% of the banking sector. Economic output, which had declined for several years following the collapse of the Soviet Union, revived in the mid-2000s thanks to the boom in oil prices. Belarus has only small reserves of crude oil, though it imports most of its crude oil and natural gas from Russia at prices substantially below the world market. Belarus exported refined oil products at market prices produced from Russian crude oil purchased at a steep discount. In late 2006, Russia began a process of rolling back its subsidies on oil and gas to Belarus. Tensions over Russian energy reached a peak in 2010, when Russia stopped the export of all subsidized oil to Belarus save for domestic needs. In December 2010, Russia and Belarus reached a deal to restart the export of discounted oil to Belarus. Little new foreign investment has occurred in recent years. In 2011, a financial crisis began, triggered by government directed salary hikes unsupported by commensurate productivity increases. The crisis was compounded by an increased cost in Russian energy inputs and an overvalued Belarusian ruble, and eventually led to a near three-fold devaluation of the Belarusian ruble in 2011. In November 2011, Belarus agreed to sell to Russia its remaining shares in Beltransgaz, the Belarusian natural gas pipeline operator, in exchange for reduced prices for Russian natural gas. Receiving more than half of a $3 billion loan from the Russian-dominated Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) Bail-out Fund, a $1 billion loan from the Russian state-owned bank Sberbank, and the $2.5 billion sale of Beltranzgas to Russian state-owned Gazprom helped stabilize the situation in 2012; nevertheless, the Belarusian currency lost more than 60% of its value, as the rate of inflation reached new highs in 2011 and 2012, before calming in 2013. As of January 2014, the final tranche of the EurAsEC loan has been delayed, but in December 2013 Russia announced a new loan for Belarus of up to $2 billion for 2014. Notwithstanding foreign assistance, the Belarusian economy continues to struggle under the weight of high external debt servicing payments, a growing trade deficit, stagnant economic growth, and low foreign reserves.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$150.4 billion (2013 est.)
$147.3 billion (2012 est.)
$145 billion (2011 est.)
note: data are in 2013 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate)
$69.24 billion (2013 est.)
GDP - real growth rate (%)
2.1% (2013 est.)
1.5% (2012 est.)
5.5% (2011 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$16,100 (2013 est.)
$15,700 (2012 est.)
$15,400 (2011 est.)
note: data are in 2013 US dollars
GDP - composition, by sector of origin (%)
agriculture: 9.2%
industry: 46.2%
services: 44.7% (2013 est.)
Labor force
5 million (2009)
Labor force - by occupation (%)
agriculture: 9.4%
industry: 45.9%
services: 44.7% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate (%)
1% (2009 est.)
1.6% (2005)
note: official registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers
Population below poverty line (%)
27.1% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share (%)
lowest 10%: 3.8%
highest 10%: 21.9% (2008)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
27.2 (2008)
21.7 (1998)
revenues: $26.68 billion
expenditures: $26.79 billion (2013 est.)
Taxes and other revenues (% of GDP)
38.5% of GDP (2013 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) (% of GDP)
-0.2% of GDP (2013 est.)
Public debt (% of GDP)
31.5% of GDP (2013 est.)
31.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) (%)
19% (2013 est.)
59.1% (2012 est.)
Central bank discount rate (%)
10.5% (31 December 2010 est.)
13.5% (31 December 2009 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate (%)
10% (31 December 2013 est.)
19.49% (31 December 2012 est.)
Stock of narrow money
NA% (31 December 2013 est.)
$4.018 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Stock of broad money
$9.073 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
$7.655 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Stock of domestic credit
$22.68 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
$19.82 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares
Agriculture - products
grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk
metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, televisions, synthetic fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators
Industrial production growth rate (%)
1% (2013 est.)
Current account balance
-$4.245 billion (2013 est.)
-$1.688 billion (2012 est.)
$42.06 billion (2013 est.)
$45.57 billion (2012 est.)
Exports - commodities (%)
machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners (%)
Russia 35.4%, Netherlands 16.4%, Ukraine 12.1%, Latvia 7.1% (2012)
$45.17 billion (2013 est.)
$45.01 billion (2012 est.)
Imports - commodities (%)
mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals
Imports - partners (%)
Russia 59.4%, Germany 5.9%, China 5.1%, Ukraine 5% (2012)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$4.513 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
$5.809 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
External debt ($)
$1.204 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
$1.225 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Exchange rates
Currency converter
Belarusian rubles (BYB/BYR) per US dollar -
8,950.7 (2013 est.)
8,336.9 (2012 est.)
2,978.5 (2010 est.)
2,789.49 (2009)
2,130 (2008)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Electricity - production (kWh)
32.82 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Electricity - consumption (kWh)
31.74 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Electricity - exports (kWh)
5.067 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Electricity - imports (kWh)
7.767 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Electricity - installed generating capacity (kW)
8.032 million kW (2010 est.)
Electricity - from fossil fuels (% of total installed capacity)
99.7% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Electricity - from nuclear fuels (% of total installed capacity)
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants (% of total installed capacity)
0.2% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Electricity - from other renewable sources (% of total installed capacity)
0.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Crude oil - production (bbl/day)
32,070 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil - exports (bbl/day)
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil - imports (bbl/day)
294,800 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil - proved reserves (bbl)
198 million bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
Refined petroleum products - production (bbl/day)
346,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Refined petroleum products - consumption (bbl/day)
188,800 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Refined petroleum products - exports (bbl/day)
224,200 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Refined petroleum products - imports (bbl/day)
43,240 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Natural gas - production (cu m)
220 million cu m (2011 est.)
Natural gas - consumption (cu m)
21.82 billion cu m (2010 est.)
Natural gas - exports (cu m)
0 cu m (2011 est.)
Natural gas - imports (cu m)
21.02 billion cu m (2011 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves (cu m)
2.832 billion cu m (1 January 2013 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy (Mt)
67.16 million Mt (2011 est.)
Telephones - main lines in use
4.407 million (2012)
Telephones - mobile cellular
10.675 million (2012)
Telephone system
general assessment: Belarus lags behind its neighbors in upgrading telecommunications infrastructure; modernization of the network progressing with roughly two-thirds of switching equipment now digital
domestic: state-owned Beltelcom is the sole provider of fixed-line local and long distance service; fixed-line teledensity is improving although rural areas continue to be underserved; multiple GSM mobile-cellular networks are experiencing rapid growth; mobile-cellular teledensity now exceeds 100 telephones per 100 persons
international: country code - 375; Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line, and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); 3 fiber-optic segments provide connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus through this infrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations (2008)
Broadcast media
4 state-controlled national TV channels; Polish and Russian TV broadcasts are available in some areas; state-run Belarusian Radio operates 3 national networks and an external service; Russian and Polish radio broadcasts are available (2007)
Internet country code
Internet hosts
295,217 (2012)
Internet users
2.643 million (2009)
65 (2013)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 33
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 20
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 7 (2013)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 32
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 28 (2013)
1 (2013)
Pipelines (km)
gas 5,386 km; oil 1,589 km; refined products 1,730 km (2013)
Railways (km)
total: 5,537 km
broad gauge: 5,512 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified)
standard gauge: 25 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)
Roadways (km)
total: 86,392 km
paved: 74,651 km
unpaved: 11,741 km (2010)
Waterways (km)
2,500 km (major rivers are the west-flowing Western Dvina and Neman rivers and the south-flowing Dnepr River and its tributaries, the Berezina, Sozh, and Pripyat rivers) (2011)
Ports and terminals
river port(s): Mazyr (Prypyats')
Military branches
Belarus Armed Forces: Land Force, Air and Air Defense Force, Special Operations Force (2013)
Military service age and obligation (years of age)
18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation is 12-18 months, depending on academic qualifications; 17 year olds are eligible to become cadets at military higher education institutes, where they are classified as military personnel (2012)
Manpower available for military service
males age 16-49: 2,401,785
females age 16-49: 2,429,653 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 16-49: 1,693,626
females age 16-49: 2,012,401 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
male: 51,855
female: 48,760 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures (% of GDP)
1.2% of GDP (2012)
1.27% of GDP (2011)
1.2% of GDP (2010)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
boundary demarcated with Latvia and Lithuania; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Poland has implemented strict Schengen border rules to restrict illegal immigration and trade along its border with Belarus
Refugees and internally displaced persons
stateless persons: 6,969 (2012)
Trafficking in persons
current situation: Belarus is a source, transit, and destination country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; women and children are trafficked to European and Middle Eastern countries and within Belarus for sexual exploitation; Belarusian men, women, and children are found in forced labor in the construction industry and other sectors in Russia and Belarus; Belarusian men seeking work abroad are increasingly subjected to forced labor
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Belarus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; the government demonstrates decreased law enforcement efforts, conducting fewer trafficking investigations and convicting only one trafficking offender; while two new anti-trafficking laws were passed, they have not been fully implemented and government services to victims remain very limited; the government continues its efforts to prevent trafficking through public awareness campaigns and NGO-operated anti-trafficking hotlines (2013)
Illicit drugs
limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to and via Russia, and to the Baltics and Western Europe; a small and lightly regulated financial center; anti-money-laundering legislation does not meet international standards and was weakened further when know-your-customer requirements were curtailed in 2008; few investigations or prosecutions of money-laundering activities (2008)
Largest cities of Belarus
These are the 50 largest cities of Belarus ordered based on their number of inhabitants.


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Arrow Scoop: Romance, Revenge and the Return of Familiar Faces
When Arrow returns (Wednesday, 8/7c, The CW), Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) has one thing on his mind - and it's not what you think.
The playboy-turned-vigilante will set his sights on tracking down the man in the skull mask, otherwise known as Brother Blood (Kevin Alejandro), who dosed Roy (Colton Haynes) with Mirakuru in a bid to create an army of super soldiers. But his real hunt will eventually lead him to something much worse: Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett), who is on a quest to ruin Oliver's life. TVGuide.com caught up with executive producer Marc Guggenheim to get the scoop on what's in store when the show returns.
Mega Buzz: When will Laurel find out the truth about Sara on Arrow?
What can you tell us about Oliver's hunt to find Brother Blood?
Marc Guggenheim: Last year, we had ended Episode 9 with Oliver learning that there was a Dark Archer (John Barrowman) who had bad plans for the city. Oliver was so off the bread crumb, so in Episode 10 we came back and he basically did absolutely nothing about it. We were really determined to correct that mistake with the man in the skull mask in Season 2. We wanted to come back after our hiatus with Oliver in a full head of steam with a singular purpose of finding this guy. The man in the skull mask plays a very large role in the next couple of episodes. The Arrow has been spending the holidays and the weeks between Episodes 9 and 10 basically turning the city upside down looking for this man.
As far as we know, Slade wants revenge for Shado's death, but is there more to it?
Guggenheim: For Slade, he has spent five years planning his revenge. Suffice it to say that simply killing Oliver would not be worthy of a five-year plan. Between Episodes 10 and 18, which would be the next chunk, you'll really get a full sense of what Slade has basically come to Starling to do. It's nothing as simple or as merciful as killing Oliver.
Can you talk about Laurel's (Katie Cassidy) spiral into drug and alcohol abuse? At what point does her family need to step in, especially Sara (Caity Lotz), who was part of the cause of this in some ways?
Guggenheim: It's really something in the first four to five episodes back. Even though Sara, in flashbacks, has been a part of the show, Sara in the present day has been gone since Episode 5. It's really since that episode that Laurel has gone on this downward journey. It's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. And it'll get a whole lot worse before we see what reaction Sara has to it.
Fans have been very vocal about seeing Oliver and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) together. Do you see a romantic potential for them?
Guggenheim: There's always potential. There's clearly a connection between the two of them and a lot of chemistry between Stephen and Emily. Whether that gets consummated in some way, I would say everyone has to keep watching. Part of the fun for us with the show is doing this razor's edge walk with them. The characters are two very different people, yet they're drawn together. They're also drawn to other people at the same time. A big part of Episode 10 is the fallout from the Barry-Felicity flirtation. They have some quintessential Oliver-Felicity moments in the first four to five episodes of the second half of the season.
How much of Felicity's background will you explore?
Guggenheim: We talk a lot about whether Felicity is an only child or not, but the truth of the matter is until we actually write it and put it on screen, anything is possible. That said, we are going to learn a bit about Felicity's parentage. We'll learn it pretty soon.
Arrow Postmortem: Season 2's big villain revealed! What's next?
How is Roy handling his newfound powers?
Guggenheim: One of the biggest hanging chads off the midseason cliffhanger was Roy has been to exposed to the Mirakuru and lived to tell the tale. We all know from seeing Slade in the flashbacks what that means. A big part of the drive of our first few episodes back is Roy's discovery of his abilities and how he's struggling with it. As we've seen with Slade in just the hint in Episode 9 - and this will be explicated in the flashbacks once we return - Mirakuru giveth and it taketh away. It obviously makes you a very formidable physical force, but there are also some downsides to it that both Roy in the present and Slade in the past will be experiencing.
The other hanging chad is the truth about Malcolm being Thea's father. Can you talk about the implications of Thea (Willa Holland) being the progeny of one of Oliver's greatest foes?
Guggenheim: For us, the fun of that reveal at the end of Episode 7 wasn't so much the reveal, it was the fact that now we have several bombs under several different tables. Oliver and Thea have yet to find out the truth. By the end of the season, they will learn the truth, but how and when will be part of the surprise.
Will we see Iasbel Rochev (Summer Glau) again because there is still the question of why she wanted to acquire Queen Consolidated?
Guggenheim: Summer will be returning to the show. We have not seen the last of Isabel. All of Isabel's motives will be revealed. That said, not everyone on the show has to be planning on blowing up the city. There are some people who are heroes, some people who are bad guys and there are people who have to just be people. That said, in Episode 8, we got a taste that there's a history between Isabel and Moira that we don't fully understand or know about yet. When Isabel returns, we will learn the secrets of that exchange that they had.
Talk about some of the villains coming in during the second half of the season.
Guggenheim: Robert Knepper is coming in Episode 12 [as the Clock King]. He plays a bad guy, but there's an expectation when Robert Knepper plays a bad guy that you'll be seeing a very specific version of Robert. What's wonderful about his turn on Arrow is that he's every bit as scary as we've seen him be before, but in a completely different way. He really took a lot of inspiration from his character being the Clock King in the comics. Then we have Katrina Law coming in Episode 13 as Nyssa al Ghul. She is outstanding. We loved having her on the show. We thought she was the perfect embodiment of the daughter of Ra's al Ghul.
Arrow returns Wednesday at 8/7c on The CW.
(Full disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS, one of The CW's parent companies.)
View original Arrow Scoop: Romance, Revenge and the Return of Familiar Faces at TVGuide.com
Related Articles on TVGuide.com


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NEW YORK — Americans will pay more to heat their homes this winter as they feel something they didn't feel much of last year: cold.
Fuel prices will be relatively stable, but customers will have to use more energy to keep warm than they did a year ago, according to the annual Winter Fuels Outlook from the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration.
Last winter was the warmest on record. This year, temperatures are expected to be close to normal.
Heating bills will rise 20 percent for heating-oil customers, 15 percent for natural-gas customers, 13 percent for propane customers and 5 percent for electricity customers, the EIA announced Wednesday.
Heating-oil customers are expected to pay the highest heating-oil prices ever. That will result in record heating bills, with an average of $2,494. That's nearly $200 more than the previous high, set in the winter of 2010-11.
Customers who use natural gas, electricity or propane will see lower bills than they have in previous typical winters — even with the increase over last year — because prices are relatively low.
"It's two different worlds. For most families this is still going to be an affordable year, except for those who use oil heat," says Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Director's Association. "For them, it's going to be very difficult."
Just 6 percent of the nation's households use heating oil, but they tend to be in some of the coldest parts of the country where heating needs are high, mainly in the Northeast. About half use natural gas for heat and 38 percent use electricity. Five percent of households use propane, and 2 percent use wood.
Natural gas prices will average $10.32 per thousand cubic feet. That's 0.8 percent higher than last year, but 13 percent lower than the five-year average. Electricity prices will fall 2.3 percent to 11.4 cents per kilowatt hour. Propane prices will fall 8 percent in the Midwest to $2.02 per gallon and 13 percent in the Northeast to $2.95 per gallon.
Natural gas, propane and electricity prices are relatively low because of a dramatic increase in domestic natural-gas production during the past five years. Natural gas is used to generate about one-third of the nation's electricity and is instrumental in setting the price of electricity. Recently, drillers have been increasing production of so-called natural-gas liquids, including propane.
Heating oil will average a record high of $3.80 per gallon because it is made from crude oil. Crude is priced globally, and has stayed high because of increasing world demand, worries about supply disruptions in the Middle East and stimulus programs from central banks around the world that encourage investment in oil and other commodities.
But most of this year's increase is because forecasters expect a more typical winter. East of the Rockies, weather is expected to be about 2 percent warmer than normal but 20 to 27 percent colder than last year. In the West, temperatures were closer to normal last year, so the expected increase for this winter is just 1 percent.
NEW YORK — Americans will pay more to heat their homes this winter as they feel something they didn't feel much of last year: cold.


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Not only do I have Western District families, but I also have West Gippsland families. The Combridges, Hunts and Whites resided around Grantville and Wonthaggi.
My great-great-grandfather was Culmer Thomas White, born in Thanet, Kent, England in 1857. Culmer descended from the Culmer and White families, well-known in Kent for their boat building businesses at Broadstairs. The two families came together around 1714 when John White married Mary Culmer. Culmer's father, great grandfather and gg-grandfather were all named Culmer White. There are several other Culmer's including my gg uncle Culmer William White and William Culmer White, Culmer's 2nd cousin 1 x removed, who also immigrated to Melbourne, and his son Culmer Reuben White.
Almost everything I have found in the newspapers about Culmer Thomas White has been a treasure. None more so than this heartfelt letter written to Reverend Henry Howard in 1927 which was then passed on by the Reverend to the West Gippsland Gazette. Culmer was 70 at the time of writing.
It is a touching letter as Culmer gives his thanks to Reverend Howard, shows his pride in his children, and expresses his feelings at that time in his life, happy but at times lonely.
Culmer's wife, my great great grandmother, was Alice Elizabeth Hunt, daughter of William Henry Hunt and Margaret Beatty, immigrants from Middlesex, England. Alice was born at Chilwell, Victoria in 1857.
Culmer died in 1938 at Wonthaggi and Alice in 1940 at Bass. They are buried together at the Grantville cemetery.
Culmer and Alice's youngest child, Myrtle Rose White, married Les Combridge in 1919. They had five children, four daughters, and one son. One of those daughters was my Grandma, Mavis Combridge, later to marry Percy Riddiford.
Grandma passed away in 2007, but I did get to ask her about her grandparents Culmer and Alice, prior to her death. She told me the story of how she and her three younger sisters would stay at their grandparent's house. Culmer would pick them up in a horse and cart and they would sit in the back as he drove them to his house. He was a "lovely man" according to Grandma. As is the way, there is still so much I would like to ask her about them.
I am very lucky as I still have a living link to Culmer and Alice, via my great Auntie Jean. I have also spoken to her about her grandparents and she reiterated Grandma's words that Culmer was a "lovely man". When I found this letter, I printed it out and sent it to Auntie Jean. She was thrilled. I have sent her some of the other articles I have found about him and she has enjoyed being taken back in time. I wish Grandma could have seen this wonderful letter.


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PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) – A triumphant North Korea staged a mass rally of soldiers and civilians Friday to glorify the country's young ruler, who took a big gamble this week in sending a satellite into orbit in defiance of international warnings.
Wednesday's rocket launch came just eight months after a similar attempt ended in an embarrassing public failure, and just under a year after Kim Jong Un inherited power following the death of his father.
The surprising success of the launch may have earned Kim global condemnation, but at home, the gamble paid off, at least in the short term. To his people, it made the 20-something Kim appear powerful, capable and determined in the face of foreign adversaries.
Workers' Party Secretary Kim Ki Nam told the crowd, bundled up against a winter chill in the heart of the capital, that 'hostile forces' had dubbed the launch a missile test. He denied the claim and called on North Koreans to stand their ground against the 'cunning' critics.
In response, the tens of thousands of North Koreans who packed snowy Kim Il Sung Square clenched their fists in a unified show of resolve as a military band tooted horns and pounded on drums.
Huge red banners positioned in the square called on North Koreans to defend Kim Jong Un with their lives. They also paid homage to Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il, and his grandfather, North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.
Pyongyang says the rocket put a crop and weather monitoring satellite into orbit. Much of the rest of the world sees it as a thinly disguised test of banned long-range missile technology. It could bring a fresh round of U.N. sanctions that would increase his country's international isolation. At the same time, the success of the launch could strengthen North Korea's military, the only entity that poses a potential threat to Kim's rule.
To his people, the launch's success, 14 years after North Korea's first attempt, shows more than a little of the gambling spirit in the third Kim to rule North Korea since it became a country in 1948.
'North Korean officials will long be touting Kim Jong Un as a gutsy leader' who commanded the rocket launch despite being new to the job and young, said Kim Byung-ro, a North Korea specialist at Seoul National University in South Korea.
The propaganda machinery churned into action early Friday, with state media detailing how Kim Jong Un issued the order to fire off the rocket just days after scientists fretted over technical issues, ignoring the chorus of warnings from Washington to Moscow against a move likely to invite more sanctions.
Top officials followed Kim's suit in defiantly shrugging off the international condemnation of the launch.
Workers' Party Secretary Kim Ki Nam told the crowd Friday that 'hostile forces' had dubbed the launch a missile test. He rejected the claim, and rallied North Koreans to stand their ground against the 'cunning' critics.
North Korea called the satellite a gift to Kim Jong Un's late father, Kim Jong Il, who is said to have set the lofty goal of getting a satellite into space and then tapped his son to see it into fruition. The satellite, which North Korean scientists say is designed to send back data about crops and weather, was named Kwangmyongsong, or 'Lode Star' – the nickname legendarily given to the elder Kim at birth.
Kim Jong Il died on Dec. 17, 2011, making the successful launch a fitting mourning tribute. State TV have been replaying video of the launch to 'Song of Gen. Kim Jong Il.'
But it is the son who will bask in the glory of the accomplishment, as well as face the international censure that may follow.
Even while he was being groomed to succeed his father, Kim Jong Un had been portrayed as championing science and technology as a way to lift North Korea out of decades of economic hardship.
'It makes me happy that our satellite is flying in space,' Pyongyang citizen Jong Sun Hui said as Friday's ceremony came to a close and tens of thousands rushed into the streets, many linking arms as they went.
'The satellite launch demonstrated our strong power and the might of our science and technology once again,' she told The Associated Press. 'And it also clearly testifies that a thriving nation in our near future.'
Aside from winning him support from the people, the success of the launch helps his image as he works to consolidate power over a government crammed with elderly, old-school lieutenants of his father and grandfather, foreign analysts said.
Experts say that what is unclear, however, is whether Kim will continue to smoothly solidify power, steering clear of friction with the powerful military while dealing with the strong possibility of more crushing sanctions against a country with what the United Nations calls a serious hunger problem.
'Certainly in the short run, this is an enormous boost to his prestige,' according to Marcus Noland, a North Korea analyst at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington.
Noland, however, also mentioned the 'Machiavellian argument' that this could cause future problems for Kim by significantly boosting the power of the military – 'the only real threat to his rule.'
Successfully firing a rocket was so politically crucial for Kim at the onset of his rule that he allowed an April launch to go through even though it resulted in the collapse of a nascent food-aid-for-nuclear-freeze deal with the United States, said North Korea analyst Kim Yeon-su of Korea National Defense University in Seoul.
The launch success consolidates his image as inheritor of his father's legacy. But it could end up deepening North Korea's political and economic isolation, he said.
On Friday, the section at the rally reserved for foreign diplomats was noticeably sparse as U.N. officials and some European envoys stayed away from the celebration, as they did in April after the last launch.
Despite the success, experts say North Korea is years from even having a shot at developing reliable missiles that could bombard the American mainland and other distant targets.
North Korea will need larger and more dependable missiles, and more advanced nuclear weapons, to threaten U.S. shores, though it already poses a shorter-range missile threat to its neighbors.
The next big question is how the outside world will punish Pyongyang – and try to steer North Korea from what could come next: a nuclear test. In 2009, a rocket launch was followed up just weeks later by an atomic explosion.
North Korea's nuclear ambitions should inspire the U.S. , China, South Korea and Japan to put aside their issues and focus on dealing with Pyongyang, Scott Snyder, a Korea specialist for the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote recently.
If there is a common threat that should galvanize regional cooperation 'it most certainly should be the prospect of a 30-year-old leader of a terrorized population with his finger on a nuclear trigger,' Snyder said.
—- Jon Chol Jin in Pyongyang, and Foster Klug and Sam Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report. Follow Jean H. Lee on Twitter: (at)newsjean.


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TNB: Spam Alert
A salty rant from Andrew Bisharat to add flavor to your free lunch.
Spam is no longer the kitschy canned treat that used to feed anyone with little money and lots of courage (e.g., soldiers and mountain climbers). It is now a virus relentlessly
infecting our e-mail accounts with nonsense.
I digest about a hundred spam e-mails a day, which is probably easier than digesting one can of the miraculous mystery meat whose first ingredient is,
"Pork with ham." Well, so what? The ingredients of spam the e-mail are far more redundant and just as repulsive. For example, my inbox just blurped
at the arrival of a new message—this time, from "Carmela Vernon." The subject line reads, "Separate yourself from other men."
That sounds good, I think. I open e-mails like I climb bolt ladders and fill out electoral ballots—mindlessly and quickly. This one, I find out,
is nothing but an advertisement for something called "Penis Enlarge Patch RX." Haven't heard of it? This antidote to timidity purports to "expand erectile
tissue longer and wider without any extra effort."
No extra effort? Holy balogna, this is too good to be true, I think (not really). So I keep scrolling. At the bottom of the message is a picture of a pretty
brunette holding a tape measure up to a penis the size of a baby's arm.
The brunette looks surprised, but I'm not. Like I said, I get 100 of these things a day. With so many spam-mails crawling into my computer and promising
me a better sex life, more happiness or the chance to make $9 million by simply handing over all of my bank-account information to Prince Toto Bouba
of Nigeria, it's a red-letter day when I get spam that succeeds in shocking me.
That day came last month, when I was spammed by a fellow writer. My lawyers and conscience have agreed that I should not publish his name. And why would
I, when I can just as easily refer to him by some cleverly appropriate nickname like "Spam Male"? Anyway, Spam Male was asking for large amounts of
money to go climbing abroad. It started like this:
Hello friends:
As many of you know, I've been in the mountaineering world since 2000, climbing nearly 40 peaks across the globe. However, I now have a unique opportunity
to climb [blah blah mountain in some Asian country] this year.
The e-mail then went on to explain the details of the ironic "self-supported" slog: how many miles they'd need to cover each day, etc. It continued:
Along the way I'll be documenting my trip and writing about it for a climbing, men's or adventure publication. Why am I doing this? For a challenge that's
not a trek. This is also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Wow, this is an amazing opportunity, I think (again, not really, since I know what's coming next).
I'm raising money to help defray the cost of the climb ($2,800) and flight ($1,500) … all superfluous funds are going to help the Children's Hospital
… I'll be asking companies to help with donations of gear … and I will be selling my "[Spam Male] Climbs Asia" T-shirts in the coming
months, too.
Thanks for your help in advance. More to come, including a Paypal donate button.
Spam Male
When I saw the words "children's hospital," iThrewup on my iMac, and now I need a new one. I will be raising money for a new computer with T-shirts, rubber
bracelets and other superfluous garbage that I am guessing you are smug enough to put on your body.
If you would like to be part of this exciting opportunity to see humanity grow through me getting anything I want for free, send checks directly to me
at once.
Yeah, right. There's a rising trend going on, and this time, it's not a freak-out over Harry Potter. That is, more and more people think that they shouldn't
have to pay full price for anything anymore. From my perspective, this is especially true in Boulder, where the Spam Male is based, along with many
others like him: mountaineers intent on tagging humanitarian missions onto their trips to the Himalaya in order to make themselves feel as if mountaineering
really isn't the most selfish thing in the world.
It's not just with mountain climbers, either. The same phenomenon manifests itself in many ways; namely, with the bling'd out band of young climbers who,
on some level, believe that the climbing experience climaxes when you finally become sponsored.
There's something terrifically entitled about Boulder. I can't walk two blocks in that town without being asked for a dollar or a cigarette. Now these
egg-suckers have figured out how to set up Paypal accounts and send e-mails. I'm not safe, not even where I hide (that is, live) in little Carbondale,
Open letters concerning the state of our high-gravity sport are the new thing, so here is mine: "Dear adventuring humanitarians: Just because you've successfully
invented a charitable mission, it does not automatically mean that your trip to go play your ridiculous gear-laden Western sport should be free. Besides,
it's obvious the only reason you want to go to the Himalaya is so you can justify having a giant American house filled with all those Tibetan prayer
flags and gongs you bought from Beardy McWeirderson on Pearl Street."
I thought that the trend of "Save the Children 2008 (And Climb Mount Himalaya, Too)" had died out. What's so bizarre and crazy is that I was wrong, which
never happens.
At one time, let's say the mid-90s, it was popular to scam gear companies and other people with lots of money and little courage into sponsoring an adventure.
Then, after enough people saw the genius in using guilt to get free money (like the church), the whole scam became so overdone and prosaic that it
stopped working. Or so I thought.
I'm sure I will get a lot of flak for being cynical, but that's some rotten skin I've become accustomed to wearing. Not to say that there aren't worthwhile
humanitarian groups out there. I think the folks at the dZi Foundation and the Central Asia Institute (CAI) are truly doing good, meaningful work,
and deserve all the support they can get.
Unlike those groups, however, are people who say they want to save the children, or whatever their cause of the week is, and then refuse to leave their
kayak on the roof of their 4Runner where it belongs (right next to skis or bikes, depending on the season). Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue.
Spam Male wants $3,000 just to go climbing. That's a lot of money to spend on yourself. I never thought I would say this, but Whole Foods was right: People
really will pay for anything, especially if it makes them feel elite.
Do you think Spam Male really needs the money? This is America, and anyone with enough free time to consider a month-long departure from reality is probably
fat and happy enough to float themselves. Which makes Spam Male's plea even more disturbing. By making his trip seem like a big, important mission,
he's really just buying himself a brand-new raison d'etre. Spam Male's trip now has the facade of a worthy purpose that successfully covers up what
this whole thing really is: a vacation.
This tiny fact allows Spam Male to impress others with phrases like, "I'm going abroad to save the world and, gosh, maybe climb a mountain or two." This
mock coupling of heroism and bravery unfortunately really stands for, "I want to go climb mountains, bro. To hell with everyone but me."
Being sponsored gives new meaning to the daily grind as well. Instead of his typical training (for nothing), he's now training for something. Do you see
the difference? Some have said that you can't put a price on giving your life meaning—but you can: $3,000.
The same goes for many sponsored rock climbers. For some reason, getting free gear justifies an existence spent on the entirely selfish pursuit of climbing
all the time. You should see the number of hoops sponsored climbers go through just to get a free pair of $80 shoes four times a year. The effort is
hardly worth it, but it's not about the money—it's the exterior validation of their worth as climbers. That's priceless.
Everyone complains that there's no money in the outdoor industry—but that's because no one is putting any money into it. Many companies literally
have about 100 people on the shoe-dole. When was the last time you paid retail? These days, everyone is either sponsored or knows a bro to hook 'em
up with a pro deal. When did everyone turn "pro"?
The need for freebies comes with a price, and the providers will, of course, want payback. This has affected the way many climbers act. First, no one can
go and do anything anymore without a camera. The magazines need to know about your great achievement—or, barring the 99 percent chance that you
don't actually achieve anything great, whatever second-rate thing you end up doing instead. You better turn up in a magazine with a feature or in a
climbing film with your shirt off and your free shoes on, or the taxman will come and get you.
As climbers are increasingly rewarded for self-promotion, the "pure climbing experience," as ironically overused as that phrase is by the people I'm talking
about, is lost. This experience is all about climbing, with your friends and having fun. That's it. Climbing becomes pure when you realize that even
if there was no one else around to spray to, you'd still be climbing the same things, enjoying it for yourself. Likewise, when you go abroad just to
save the children, because that's your true passion, you'll have a much easier time raising money from optimists like myself. Also, you won't be a
lying hypocrite, which is important for reasons too stupid to type.
Otherwise, do yourself a favor and check out this one grant program. The application is easy: Fill out a form with your name, address and Social Security
number and send it to Visa. If you win the grant, Visa will send you a plastic card. Show the card at gear stores and airports, and you will get all
that you need.
Like most spam that promises "no extra effort," the Visa grant may seem too good to be true. When you get back from your big trip with nothing but awesome
memories, stories to tell your friends around the campfire and one giant credit-card bill, you will realize the universal truth—nothing is for
free, and the true self-supported missions offer the best reward programs.
Andrew Bisharat gets lots of free gear as a senior editor of Rock and Ice. He also sends out weekly spam. Sign up here to get E-Blasts sent directly to your inbox. The children are counting on you.


text:
Was Harry Belafonte sleeping or meditating during a morning interview? Anderson Cooper weighs in on "The RidicuList."
Post by: Anderson Cooper
Filed under: The RidicuList
I'm disappointed in this selection. You're putting Harry Belefonte who has done so much good in the world, in the same category as a drunk actor who chose to urinate on the floor of a plane
Asleep or meditating (and it doesn't really matter,) doesn't come close to that kind of boorish behaviour.
Anderson, your crush on Isha is both adorable and fun to watch. 🙂 Too funny!
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°


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Ugly Aur Pagli – Movie Review
If one had to define Slapstick comedy, it is:
A boisterous form of comedy marked by chases, collisions, and crude practical jokes…
but the movie Ugly Aur Pagli (Ugly and Madwoman) takes the meaning of slapstick to another level… a literal level! In this movie the humor is centred around slaps…and well, the tag line is 99 slaps and one kiss! I didn't bother to count the slaps but they could well be 99. Was the movie funny you might ask. Sure, the movie is funny, though not so funny that it will make your stomach ache or have you laugh till the tears start rolling down your cheeks.
Funnily, I found more women laughing than the men, at least in the cinema hall I was in. It could be because it was a woman was slapping a man. I don't know.
Slapping has been used as a humour device in many slapstick comedies (although not as continously as in this movie)…mostly we have men slapping some moronic character or the other, or at times women doing the same. (Men slapping women is rarely used as a comic device, being pretty serious business).
What's the movie really about? (no spoilers)
It's a love story, a romantic comedy. The movie revolves around Kuhu (played by Mallika Sherawat) who is an attractive but aggressive girl. Right at the start of the movie she bumps into the other central character, Kabir Achrekar. He is a loser and the director (Sachin Khot) makes that clear within the first few scenes itself. What better man for a pushy and dominating girl like our Kuhu?
The dominating female and the submissive male situation has been used umpteen times to make people laugh in Hindi films, but this is refreshingly different. Here Kuhu is not projected as the wrong kind of girl, but just a mixed up young girl…or not even mixed up. That is exactly how she is, take her or leave her. But let me warn you that all characters are exaggerated beyond belief and are simply caricatures, with no resemblance to reality at all. This is certainly not a movie that is to be taken seriously and if it is, it's likely to make people (specially men) wince.
Although the exaggeration works as comedy, the director could not keep up either the pace of the movie nor the comedy. The last quarter of the movie is a damp squib and in fact it's as if somebody suddenly turned off the comedy switch. The rest of the story seems very silly indeed, because it's not funny anymore.
The songs (music by Anu Malik) were okay, but were simply add-ons, and nothing to do with the movie. You can read a detailed music review here.
What I liked about the movie
I loved Mallika in the movie – her role reminded me of Anjelina Jolie's action roles. Mallika not only does a class act as a seductive siren, she is great in the action scenes, dressed up Jolie style. Where acting is concerned, she was fine wherever she had play the aggressive and dominating girl-friend. She was not good in the emotional scenes but thankfully such scenes were very few and mostly at the end.
As for Ranvir Shorey, it is his brilliant acting which which lifts this movie above the ordinary. Mallika, though just right for the role, could not have carried this movie on her own shoulders. The movie is all Ranvir's.
A copy, again
This film is said to be a copy of the Korean film My Sassy Girl. It's a pity that the directors and producers of Ugly Aur Pagli failed to acknowledge the source of their inspiration. I guess there is no shame left in the industry anymore. However, the movie has been Indianised just enough for the makers to be able to claim that it is not a copy. In the attempt to make it different they've spoilt it.
I had been warned that the original is better, but it was still interesting to see this movie and I have mentioned some of the reasons above. I want to add some more. The movie was very different. And I was in a light-hearted mood that day, had great company for the movie, and enjoyed the woman-centric theme.
All Mallika fans will love this movie and so will Ranvir fans.
You might wonder whether it's worth seeing this movie in a theater. Well, I guess most critics and most reviews aren't advising it. But I could never have watched this movie on DVD as there are times when the action slows…I have overall a difficult in sitting in front of a television screen for more than half an hour at a time (I prefer 15-20 minutes) and can only do so for a great movie. If I have to see a silly movie, then it's the cinema hall or nothing. At the theater one can least be out, eat popcorn, and generally have fun.
Related Reading: Review of The Mummy – Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
More Movie Reviews
August 4, 2008 1:44 am
Just saw dark night
movie was decent and liked the special effects
thanks for ur review
Good u didnt see the original – or this movie would most likely have been a dreadful experience
still have it wt me- it would have definitely put u off
After partner i am scared of seeing bad copies
On unp i still cant comment and will watch it ff when it comes to vcd /dvd or i get it from someone – but i guess it will be too late by then
August 4, 2008 4:18 pm
Risking being arrogant – i hate cheesy movies and bad copies – i cant sit through 2.5 hrs of crap spending good money that too when ticket fares have seen incredible inflation – that's is all there is to it and u dont have to interpret too much into it and risk branding me pseudo intellectual !
maybe most of these bad indian remakes or govinda starrers put me off – plain and simple i dont like them when they dont put something new on the table
not that i have a hatred for dumb movies – i like a kind of dumb too -or mindless movies – like teen comedies or some funny indian horror movies.
first i wasnt being arrogant
sanjukta said
/ they are only breaking new grounds /
sorry for me a gunda will rate better than a partner or a
i have better taste as in seeing better movies .
take for example sholay it was totally indiginsed and was a fantastic movie comparable to the original
and the more recent jaane tu – which had a rather weak story but great directing
August 4, 2008 4:20 pm
plus i had qualified in my review it could be either a good copy or pure crap
After partner i am scared of seeing bad copies
On unp i still cant comment and will watch it ff when it comes to vcd /dvd or i get it from someone – but i guess it will be too late by then
It's okay, I know what you mean. In any case I don't think you will enjoy this movie, even on dvd! 🙂 That's because everyone has different likes and dislikes. Whether dumb or not. 🙂 – Nita.
August 4, 2008 9:08 pm
Prax ..
Of course I've already seen it 🙂
Sanjukta ..
I think it's not a question about whom we copied from and whether we hurt their profits or not — It's a question about why can't Bollywood be more creative and come up with more brilliant ideas that others would like to copy.
It's not about copying — It's about *not* creating new and good stuff


text: Hey! I'm Kirsty, I am one of the original members of Shop Your TV starting in 2011. My sister owns the website and together we have helped to develop it to what it is today. From 2016 I have committed to Shop Your TV on a full time basis. I love posting for Shop Your TV, and it has become such a fun and passionate part of my life. I first started off with Disney and Nickelodeon shows and was the owner of: Dressing Like Disney and All About Sam and Cat . I have also owned multiple tumblr TV show fashion blogs for Riverdale and Runaways . But since have dedicated all my time to just finding outfits for Shop Your TV. My favourite shows are KUWTK, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist,The Good Place, The Last Man on Earth, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I also have a soft spot for binge-worthy Netflix shows .


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The Community Care Program was implemented by the Forsyth County Animal Services Department in 2004 to provide for additional adoption, rescue & foster care resources for the Forsyth County Animal Shelter. Currently over 40 animal welfare groups participate in the Community Care Program. The success of this program is due largely to the efforts of our partner organizations and the sustained relationship of the department with these groups.
Through this program the community itself becomes an extension of the animal shelter. Annually over 240 animals are cared for and eventually placed in new homes.
The objective of the Community Care Program is threefold:
The department reserves the right to select all animals for adoption, including specific breeds. An organization wishing to participate in the adoption program must submit a CCP application to the department of Animal Services. Once an application is approved animals may be released to the custody of the organization. The adoption policies and procedures of the applicant organization must be compatible with the adoption policies utilized by the department of Animal Services. Animals are not released to an organization that has not been approved by the department.
Criteria to participate in the Community Care Program include, but are not limited to, a completed CCP application containing:
FHS University North (FCAS) Adoption Hours:


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Help! Too many crocodiles, S Africa police say
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Calling all crocodile experts — South African police say you're needed to help capture thousands of crocs out on the lam.
Thousands of crocodiles escaped a breeding farm along a river on the South Africa-Botswana border when the farms' gates were opened earlier this week to alleviate pressure caused by rising flood waters.
Efforts are now being made to wrangle the reptiles and get them back to the Rakwena Crocodile Farm, from where the vast majority escaped. Hangwani Mulaudzi, a spokesman for the police in Limpopo Province, said Friday that experts are needed right away to help sort out the crocodile crisis.
"Due to the number of crocodiles that have been washed away there is a need for expertise, people who have expertise to come and assist," Mulaudzi said. "So we are just making appeals to anyone ... who has knowledge of catching crocodiles to come and assist."
News reports from the scene show people hunting down smaller crocodiles at night, tying them up and taking them back to the Rakwena Crocodile Farm in northern South Africa. The crocodiles are easier to hunt at night because their eyes glow when hit with a beam of light. The farm's website shows crocs up to 5 meters (16 feet) long, though crocs of all sizes escaped, Mulaudzi said.
It isn't clear exactly how many crocodiles are on the loose. Mulaudzi said he believes around 10,000 from multiple farms remain on the loose. Officials from the Rakwena Crocodile Farm have been quoted in conflicting South African media accounts as saying either 7,000 escaped or up to 15,000 escaped. The farm originally held about 15,000 crocs. About 2,000 crocodiles have been returned to the farm, Mulaudzi said.The farm did not respond to an email or calls seeking comment.
Regardless of the exact number of farm-raised crocs now touring the wild, government officials and experts are calling on people who live near the remote region, which sits on the Limpopo River, to be careful around bodies of water. Many of the crocodiles are assumed to now be residing in the river.
"So far we are lucky. There has not been any emergencies," said Mulaudzi. "And we are hopeful that nothing will happen. But with crocodiles all over in the river we are saying, please, we need assistance."
Donald Strydom, a wildlife expert at South Africa's Khamai Reptile Centre, said he doesn't think the croc release will lead to a loss of human life. People are aware of the situation, he said, and crocodiles don't naturally hunt humans.
"People must not go into a monster hunt and think these crocodiles are out to eat them," Styrdom told South Africa's eNews Channel Africa.
Mulaudzi said he did not think the Rakwena Crocodile Farm would face any charges from police for releasing the crocs, given the emergency nature of the flood. Flood waters are inundating northern South Africa and neighboring Mozambique. But Mulaudzi said the farm may face scrutiny from the Department of Environmental Affairs, which is helping with the reptile emergency.
The Rakwena Crocodile Farm website shows goods like crocodile-skin purses, belts and hats for sale. Crocodile meat is also available for purchase.


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Today's News: Our Take - Ravi Shankar, Indian Musician and Beatles Mentor, Dies at 92
Indian musician and composer Ravi Shankar, the father of Grammy winner Norah Jones and the man George Harrison called "the godfather of world music," has died. He was 92.
"It is with heavy hearts we write to inform you that Pandit Ravi Shankar, husband, father, and musical soul, passed away today, December 11th, 2012," his family said in a statement on his website. "His health has been fragile for the past several years and on Thursday he underwent a surgery that could have potentially given him a new lease of life. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the surgeons and doctors taking care of him, his body was not able to withstand the strain of the surgery. We were at his side when he passed away."
See other celebrities we've lost this year
Born in 1920, Shankar began touring Europe and India at an early age with his brother's dance group. He later gave up dancing and began studying sitar, a plucked stringed instrument used mainly in Indian classical music. He began composing, created the music for a trilogy of Bengali films that were released between 1955 and 1959. He was also the music director of All India Radio in New Delhi.
Harrison met Shankar in London in 1966, and later studied sitar under Shankar in India for six weeks. Shankar performed at the Monterey Pop Festival and on opening day at Woodstock. Some of the biggest bands of the '60s incorporated Shankar's sound, including The Beatles, whose Grammy-winning album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band included the Indian-inspired song "Within You Without You." In 1971, Harrison and Shankar organized two benefit concerts for Bangladesh that included performances by Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan and Ringo Starr. In 1973, Harrison and Shankar continued their collaboration by recording an album together.
Has your favorite show been canceled?
Shankar continued to perform and compose and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Music Score for his work on the 1982 movie Gandhi. He also wrote two autobiographies. His final concert was on Nov. 4 in Long Beach, Calif.
"We know that you all feel our loss with us, and we thank you for all of your prayers and good wishes through this difficult time," the family said in its statement. "Although it is a time for sorrow and sadness, it is also a time for all of us to give thanks and to be grateful that we were able to have him as a part of our lives. His spirit and his legacy will live on forever in our hearts and in his music."
Shankar is survived by son Shubhendra Shankar from his first marriage; Jones, from his relationship with producer Sue Jones; and Anoushka, from his relationship with Sukanya Rajan. He also had three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
View original Ravi Shankar, Indian Musician and Beatles Mentor, Dies at 92 at TVGuide.com
Other Links From TVGuide.com


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Back in early August, there were reports that new CEO Marissa Mayer intended to do what Google's cofounders have always done: review every single new hire the company makes.
Now, according to a Yahoo executive involved in hiring, Mayer is actually doing it.
She literally looks at every serious candidate's resume.
Yahoo has about 15,000 employees and it is hiring all the time, so this is no small task.
This seemingly small change is already having an impact both positive and negative on the company, says our source.
In some cases, it is costing Yahoo good candidates because the CEO-level review slows down the entire hiring process.
"It's gotten a little frustrating," says our source, who has, himself, lost out on two hires who joined other companies before Mayer got around to approving their hire.
But this source also says: "I can't say that I blame her."
He says that one of Yahoo's biggest problems over the past couple years has been "B-players" hiring "C-players" who were not "fired up to come to work" and were "tolerated too long."
"I mean nobody gave a s--- to come to Yahoo."
Taking over a mess like that, says our source, "I'd want to review all the talent that comes in the doors, too."
Mayer has worked hard in her first few weeks to improve Yahoo's employee culture. She's keeping the lights on later at the office, giving employees new smartphones, and made food free.
She's also explained to Yahoos that with these privileges, they will be expected to work harder and faster than they did before.
Now, it seems she's just making sure the company is staffed with people who will get the message.
This is an imposing task for someone who has a lot to do at the company:
Produced by Daniel Goodman


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October 25th, 2010
Smoking boosts risk for Alzheimer's
Here's yet another reason to stop smoking: It elevates the risk of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, according to a new study.
An analysis of more than 20,000 men and women found a 157 percent heightened risk of Alzheimer's disease in people who had smoked more than two packs of cigarettes a day. For vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia, these smokers had a 172 percent increased risk.
"Dementia is a disease that crops up in late life, and that becomes clinically apparent, but I think people really need to think about risk factors for it over the life course," said Rachel Whitmer, study co-author and research scientist with Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California.
The study, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, is published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Researchers say the association between smoking and various forms of dementia is strong, but they do not know exactly why. It has been shown before that people who smoke are more likely to have hypertension and cerebral vascular disease, as well as inflammation, Whitmer said. Smoking may contribute to the damage of brain blood vessels in addition to brain cells, she said.
The data came from Kaiser Permanente Northern California members surveyed between 1978 and 1985. At that time, they were between ages 50 and 60. Diagnoses of various forms of dementia among these people were made from 1994 to 2008, and researchers took that information from electronic health records. The participants in this study were all alive and still members of the health plan in 1994.
Researchers found that associations with the development of the disease are more modest among smokers who use up fewer than two packs a day, but still significant. Those who smoked a half-pack to one pack a day had an overall 37 percent elevated risk of dementia, and those who smoked between one and two packs had a 44 percent heightened risk, compared to non-smokers.
But this could be an underestimation, because some smokers who would have developed dementia died before diagnosis, said Kenneth Hepburn, associate dean for research at the Emory University School of Nursing, who was not involved in the study.
The reported risk of dementia among heavy smokers is also likely an underestimation because many of those people will die before they're old enough to develop dementia, he said.
While the elevated risk for various forms of dementia was shown for those smoking two packs a day in midlife, smoking less than half a pack of cigarettes a day, or having smoked in the past, did not appear to raise the risk compared with nonsmokers.
Hepburn found the study compelling, and noted that it incorporated an ethnically diverse population of both men and women.
"This gives great confidence in saying this kind of heavy smoking has some kind of association – and it looks like a fairly strong association – with the development of the disease," he said.
One limitation of the study is that researchers collected data only about smoking habits among middle-aged people; it did not look at what happened among those who had quit after the initial survey, Whitmer said.
The research speaks to what the Alzheimer's Association Maintain Your Brain campaign is promoting: that brain health has a lot to do with overall health, Hepburn said.
"The brain is part of the body, it's part of the whole and if you assault parts, it's going to have an impact on the whole," he said.
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.


text: cool fun things to do in singapore on a budget 28 By Bilyana June 8, 2018 0 comments cool fun things to do in singapore on a budget Subscribe for my newsletter.Join other travel lovers - Get free travel tips and updates straight to your inbox. Thank you for subscribing. Something went wrong. I agree to have my personal information transfered to MailChimp ( more information ) I will never give away, trade or sell your email address. You can unsubscribe at any time. Share By Bilyana Bilyana is the founder of Owl Over The World and the girl behind the screen. Besides being a travel blogger, she's also a mountain freak and a full-time dream chaser. She writes about her adventures around the world wanting to inspire you to travel more & worry less.