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For new releases go to
As we transition to our new site, you'll still find some Stats NZ information here on this archive site.
Measuring New Zealand's Progress Using a Sustainable Development Approach: 2008 presents an overarching view of New Zealand's environmental, economic, and social progress and whether that progress was consistent with sustainable development. The selected indicators provide information about whether we are meeting our current needs, how our resources are distributed, how efficiently we are using our resources, and what impact our actions may have on the stock of resources that will be available in the future.
The data in Measuring New Zealand's Progress Using a Sustainable Development Approach: 2008 now becomes part of official statistics, which are an indispensable element in the information system of a democratic society. They provide the government, researchers, business, and the public with data to inform policy, research, and debate.
The report focuses on long-term changes, and looks at the interdependencies between the environment, economy, and society within an integrated and conceptually robust framework.
Internationally, the measurement of sustainable development is a well-established, although developing, area of official statistics. In 2002, Statistics New Zealand produced an experimental set of sustainable development indicators in Monitoring Progress Towards a Sustainable New Zealand. In 2006, Statistics NZ was invited to participate in an international working group convened by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Economic Committee for Europe (UNECE), and Eurostat (part of the European Commission) to work on statistics for sustainable development. The aim was to ensure greater consistency in measurement and international comparability, with the 'capital approach' as its starting point.
This report builds on the experience of our 2002 report and the outcomes from the international working group. The group endorsed the capital approach as a basis for measuring sustainable development, which Statistics NZ has used to underpin its measurement framework, as published in our 2009 report Statistics New Zealand's Framework for Measuring Sustainable Development. The framework uses the approach developed by the Swiss Federal Statistics Office, but adapted for the New Zealand context.
Statistics NZ would like to thank the members of the advisory group, which included representatives from central and local government, business and non-governmental organisations; members of the public who attended the public workshops; and the many other organisations and individuals who provided technical assistance. We would also like to acknowledge the support and assistance of the sustainable development team at the Swiss Federal Statistical Office.
Geoff BascandGovernment Statistician


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Grape Varieties: Cannonau, Carignano, Bovale Sardo, Malvasia Nera Ageing: 18-24 months in new French...

subset: commoncrawl


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How do you know when you have begun healing from the trauma of war? For Lou, it was two months ago when he no longer "needed" to carry a gun. We first met at the Greenfield Y where exercise is the medicine that launched his journey to health — reducing blood pressure, losing weight, and quelling diabetes. At his request, we met with Karen Adams, his acupuncturist who, in her words, "brings soul and capacity to connect" to those she treats with holistic therapies.
"For a lot of my life after Vietnam," Lou explained, "I was depressed, bummed out. I had been in combat, came back with wounds; my head was messed up. The Army showed no interest in my injuries," so he had to use political influence to get the VA to acknowledge that he had war-related injuries. "And all they did was give me a bunch of pills."
After returning from Vietnam, he worked as a respiratory therapist, then joined the state police and worked undercover in narcotics. "The job was 90 percent boredom and 10 percent adrenalin. Until acupuncture, I was always in cop mode and carried a gun even after retiring." Thanks to the exercise is medicine program and acupuncture, he no longer takes pills. "I have my reflexes when I need them, but I've lost my paranoia. Since my acupuncture treatments, I don't have to carry a gun," he emphasized again — clearly, his most significant sign of healing.
Shortly after our discussion, a piece on the power of touch was published in the New York Times. The author, David Brooks, told the story of an Austrian orphanage in 1945 where infants received the best of nutrition and medical care, but they were not held or stroked in order to minimize contact with germs. (I imagined these little ones among the hundreds of thousand of orphans from World War II). Despite the best of physical care, a tragedy ensued: "Thirty-seven percent of the babies died before reaching age 2," wrote Brooks.
Why did they fail to thrive? From infancy and throughout life, we flourish when we are loved and respected — often expressed as loving touch, respectful touch, and in conversation with others who listen and speak to us with eye contact and genuine interest. Lou's memories resonate with this. "When I came back from Vietnam, people shunned me. They asked stupid questions about combat. Vets could only talk to vets."
Healing wounds from war is less about painkillers and more about the curative power of listening, empathy and respect in the treatment process, Karen explains. She described her life odyssey that led to her chosen practice with vets and first responders. As a young woman, she was drawn to working with dying people and to children suffering trauma. After Hurricane Katrina, she treated homeless victims in New Orleans on "sidewalks, warehouses, anywhere" as part of Acupuncturists without Borders. Through her years of practicing acupuncture, she has "learned to listen with immense empathy … to speak from my heart … you need to bring soul and capacity to connect." Lou gives a concrete picture of the effects: "After acupuncture, my whole demeanor does a 180 degree turn. It's like driving down Route 5/10 compared to Interstate 91 to the same destination." He adds, "I do more meditation now."
Our discussion left me with many converging streams of thought, the first being the profound harm of war, beginning but not ending with vets. Our war veterans have among the highest rates of injury and pain, homelessness, divorce, suicide, and domestic violence.
As for the other victims of our wars, consider just one war: Some 3 million Vietnamese lost their lives during our war in Vietnam; and hundreds of thousands of mentally and physically handicapped children were born of parents exposed to the chemical warfare herbicide Agent Orange. Another juxtaposing thought was the destructive power of exploitative touch, exposed in the Me Too movement, and my profound hope that this movement catalyzes a revolution in male behavior and accountability for their actions.
Finally, what of the path to peace in this world, so that we do not have war orphans failing to thrive and war veterans, with near permanent physical and spiritual wounds? "Waging peace is never passive," writes Iraq war veteran turned peace educator Paul Chappell. Training in peace literacy is as crucial as learning reading, writing and mathematics; and it cannot be left only to parents, he warns. Schools must teach the history of strategic nonviolent campaigns that won civil rights and women's rights. They must teach the arts of listening, asking questions to achieve clarity and understanding, cultivating empathy and mutual communication; and the skills of disciplined resolution of conflict. As Gandhi affirmed, "If peace schooling were taken as seriously as military schooling, our world would be a much different place."
Frederick Douglass, the 19th-century African American activist to end slavery and win women's rights, so wisely said: "It is easier to raise a strong child than to heal a broken man."
Pat Hynes directs the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice in Greenfield.


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Personalise this spill proof Contigo travel mug for someone this holiday season. Makes a great gift for a loved one or yourself!
Made for the modern movers, commuters and travellers, this mug featuring THERMALOCK® Vacuum Insulation ensures drinks stay hot for up to 5 hours and cold for up to 12 hours. Coupled with its sleek design and generous 473ml capacity, keeping a refreshing thirst quencher by your side is easier than ever!
AUTOSEAL® technology is leak and spill proof, featuring easy one-handed drinking with the push of a button which locks for added peace of mind.
It's a clever eco-alternative to single use takeaway coffee cups.
Say goodbye to nasty and surprise spills in your bag!
• 473ml capacity.
• Autoseal technology is leak-proof and spill-proof with a button lock for peace of mind.
• Vacuum insulation keeps drinks hot for up to 5 hours and cold up to 12 hours.
• Easy clean lid completely opens for an extra squeaky clean with no separate parts to take apart or misplace.
• Designed to fit most car cup holders and under most single serve brewers.
• Top rack dishwasher safe lid, hand wash body.
• Stainless Steel (S/S) body, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) lid


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How to Make It
Step 1
Combine first 8 ingredients; mix well. Shape into 3-inch patties, about 1/2-inch thick.
Step 2
Heat 1/8 inch oil to 375° in a skillet. Fry patties 3 to 5 minutes on each side over medium heat. Drain well. Serve hot.
Oxmoor House Homestyle Recipes


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My Apple Watch has come in handy more times than ever this past week when it came to residency interview invitations. I submitted my ERAS application for pediatrics residency a little over a week ago and so far have received some invitations from programs to interview with them. These invitations are time sensitive so I always want to respond back as quickly as I can. However, when on rounds in the hospital or on other rotations where is not always possible to check your phone often, I love being able to know whenever I get an important email by a subtle tap on my wrist.
Mostly, I only use my Apple Watch for notifications. I get so many notifications on my phone, that if I had my phone on vibrate, it would constantly be going off. By pushing only the most important ones to my watch, I can still be notified of things whenever I need to without being as disturbing to others. I also love using the fitness/activity feature to track how many steps I'm taking while I'm traveling all over the hospital. With the new watchOS 2 upgrade Apple released a couple of weeks ago, the Apple Watch is supposedly faster than ever. I hope with these new changes that I will continue to find useful ways to utilize my watch.
Learn more about the Apple Watch, its features, and the latest model, by clicking here.
I am still getting used to my Apple Watch and finding new ways to use it. Do you have one? Any suggestions for useful apps? Let me know by leaving a comment below.
Being a pre-medical student automatically means a hectic life. Luckily, following Doctors of Tomorrow is easy! Sign up to get alerts of new posts sent directly to your email by clicking here. By signing up, you will also get exclusive access to FREE Study Plans, Printable Calendars, and Digital Wallpaper for your phone, tablet, or computer. You can also follow Doctors of Tomorrow on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
This post may contain affiliate links. To read full disclosure, click here.


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Whilst arguably not offering anything new in the grand scheme of things the self-titled album from Californian rockers Popular Giants is a quite irresistible riot of rock n roll. Fusing the best varied flavours of punk rock with garage rock and other distinctive flavours, the Los Angeles quartet burst out of the speakers with an energy and hunger which is impossible not to be persuaded and enamoured by. Consisting of thirteen raucous treats of rock music at its dirtiest best the album unleashes a vigorous fun in its boisterous company which you just cannot deny.
The band was formed in 2011 by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Christopher Peacock with the intent of getting back to playing the old school punk he grew up upon. With the addition of guitarist/vocalist John Fortin, bassist Francis Cyan, and drummer Mike Criddell to the ranks, the sound of the band found its own natural evolution to the bruising, insatiable, and varied sounds which light up this impressive album from start to finish. The four members found an instant and shared vision on how songs and their music should find their most powerful and dynamic stature as well as on how they would sound to escape the 'sterile' digital prevalence of today. The band recorded their album using a Stevens two –inch analog tape machine from the seventies to produce the 'fat steamroller sound of Popular Giants live', and in fact the machine was the exact same one Pink Floyd used on The Wall.
As soon as the immediate contagion of Pretty Life sets in to start the album off, there is a sense of something exciting in the winds, the release soon proving that right with ease with every one of its infectious seconds. The opener lights up the ear with bulging rhythms and coaxing riffs whilst the vocals of Peacock top the riot with expression and passion. With essences of Foo Fighters and Living End to its irresistible anthem, the song flicks all the switches of satisfaction and full pleasure to begin one thrilling cruise down their sonic highway.
So Happy sends the infection up another level with its delicious teasing beckoning within a stormy energy, the song a punk/rock incitement recalling spices of Nirvana and Offspring in a new tasty recipe all Popular Giants. The following On The Road is just the same though for the Seattle trio loud whispers swap an Everclear loud hint for the ear from within another bounty of compelling riffs, teasing hooks, and ear rapping beats.
Song by song the passion and balls of the band fire up their imaginative party, the likes of We Want Your Soul with a Buzzcocks scented hook and pop punk harmonies, the garage rock/grunge coated Devil I Ain't Done, and the barging old school punk bite It's Not Your Fault, leaving a warm glow on the heart and a ripe greedy demand for much more. The third of the these songs barely musters 30 seconds in length but in its snapping snarl leaves a giant rapture, a song in all ways seventies punk bands would be proud of.
Amongst nothing but real highs across the whole release the loftiest pinnacles come in the second half of the album starting with the excellent Trepidation. With Fortin taking the lead vocally, the track bristles with the agitation and contagion of Bad Religion across its drive of provocative riffs and jabbing rhythms. It is an addiction forming song backed up with equal potency by the stunning I'm Not The One. With a heavier muscular intensity and force to its predatory stance, the track melds a rich mix of garage rock and punk with a Heartbreakers breath to its fiery voice. It is an instinctive squall for the passions to latch on to and be inspired by, a song which calls to the heart.
The cover of the Turbonegro track Get It On is a very decent encounter with a great punk rawness to its roar whilst its successor Antibody is a delicious attitude spitting poke with a New York Dolls swagger and Richard Hell snarl. It also has a 'nasty' Pistols groove which lights the deepest fires and a barrage of riffing that demands and receives willing attention.
With plenty more great tracks including another cover, this time of Unsatisfied by The Godfathers, this is an album which feeds all the wants of a punk rock album with accomplished excellence. Ok it is not going to break down new walls for you to play behind but it is hard to remember too many punk releases recently offering this much energy and fun to unite with.
Ringmaster 02/02/2013
Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright


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Dow Theory is one of the most important trend following theories ever. As market evolved, the concepts of Technical analysis became more elaborated and complex, most essential foundation was forgotten in the Market literature.Even with much complexity nothing beats the Dow Theory on odds and logic. It's around for over 100 years and still important as it is, even today
SDA2 Hourly Nifty Future charts
Hourly Nifty Future charts for the fans of SDA2 Trend trading system. Few more hourly charts are included for you reference about the trading system. Testing this afl code and feedbacks appreciated!


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UPDATE: 2012-01-20 Reader "correcto" asserted that this is definitely not an octopus. In my original post I did say it was a squid, but admitted to being suspicious of mentions of it being octopus based on a few anatomy shots, which persuaded me otherwise. However, I now have a video that shows squid being prepared and it's more obvious that it's not an octopus.
It's still rather grotesque, but I take back what I said about the creature still being alive.
It is possible to re-animate dead appendages with a little salt, either table salt or in solution form as soy sauce. Be warned, this may put you off your breakfast. In the first video (which seems to have first appeared on the web a couple of years ago but a variant of which went viral this week), the dish – Ika Odori Don* – served raw is made to dance by pouring on soy sauce. The sodium ions stimulates still active neurones in the just-dead sea creature. In the second, the frogs' legs are made to twitch by application of salt, with a similar effect.
I am not sure of the translation here. Squid is "ika" and octopus is "tako". "Odori" is a traditional dance. Does "don" mean rice bowl? Either way, most sites say that "Ika Odori-don" translates loosely as "dancing squid rice bowl". The head from a live squid (is it a squid or an octopus?) is removed and served on top of a bowl of sushi rice, accompanied by sashimi prepared from the head (usually sliced ika (squid) and ika-kimo (squid liver) as well as other seafood.
Apparently, the concept was introduced by a sushi restaurant a couple of years ago as a marketing gimmick. Nice. And, they wonder why people become vegetarians…you don't see asparagus tips dancing when you pour on melted butter, after all, and presumably nor would you want to.
Related articles
- What is the difference between a octopus and squid (wiki.answers.com)
- How To: Harvest your own squid ink (boingboing.net)
- Steamed squid… (thebloggingpath.com)


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I've long been thinking about which videogames would be best suited for crossover and conversion into the Tabletop world. There are, obviously, many games which have gone that way, and many that have made the reverse happen. Look at such popular titles as Dragon Age, Warcraft1, Fallout, and the Elder Scrolls series. Or, look how many tabletop games have made their way into videogaming culture. How many times have we trudged through Baldur's Gate? How many liches have we slain in Neverwinter? How many times have we crossed the desert sands into Tyr? Show of hands, who here would pay for the opportunity to go up against Tiamat in a cRPG?
My question to everyone is this, what are the top three video games, other than the ones already mentioned, you would like to see converted into a Tabletop PnP game?
Mine are, in this order:
- Albion (Blue Byte, 1994)
- Ultima (whole damn series)
- Tex Murphy (the concept of the series)
"Sometimes you can approach feedback with a scalpel, sometimes only the sledgehammer approach will make your point clear."
~ Zyn - Forum Crit Team Captain @ The SCP Foundation


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BOSTON (CBS) – The Boston Red Sox are not sure who their starter will be on Thursday if a one-game playoff is needed with the Tampa Bay Rays.
In fact, that starter may not even be on the team yet.
According to a tweet by Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, Theo Epstein is still looking to possibly make a deal to land a starter for the potential playoff.
Read: Game 163 Scheduled, If Necessary
One of the potential targets is Kansas City left-hander Bruce Chen, who is scheduled to pitch Wednesday night against the Minnesota Twins. Chen has had a solid 2011 season for KC, posting a 12-8 record with a 3.98 ERA. He went 5-1 in August, but is just 2-3 in September.
A 12-year veteran, Chen is 60-58 over his career.
The Red Sox would have to give up something for one game out of Chen or anyone else they acquire, showing just how little faith they have in their own $15-million dollar man John Lackey.
Roche Blog: Game 162, Will Red Sox Get In?
The fact Boston would have to surrender a prospect for a pitcher to start just one game, what would be their most important of the year, just emphasizes their lack of depth in the starting rotation.
It is also likely Epstein would have to acquire a starter before Wednesday's game, without actually knowing if Boston will need him.
If no starter is acquired, the Red Sox could send Lackey to the mound. Tim Wakefield is also an option, but the knuckleballer would be pitching on three days rest.


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Anhui Conch Cement Co reported a 48.3 per cent YoY increase in profit attributable to shareholders during 2013 to CNY9.38bn (US$1.5bn) from CNY6.33bn a year ago.
Turnover increased 20.75 per cent to CNY55.26bn from CNY45.77bn in 2012. In accordance with PRC Accounting Standards, the group's revenue amounted to CNY55.3bn, a YoY increase of 20.28 per cent.
Sales by region
Clinker and cement sales amounted to 228Mt, representing growth of 21.95 per cent YoY. Sales volumes in East and Central China increased by 19.13 and 29.94 per cent, respectively. The South China market remained "relatively stable," according to Conch, where it saw volumes rise by 2.91 per cent but prices declined 2.39 per cent. In West China, previously-acquired projects as well as the construction of new facilities reinforced the group's market dominance, leading to sales volumes rising 40.17 per cent YoY.
Exports remained relatively stable, with volumes rising two per cent YoY.
Investments home and away
Last year the group produced 183Mt of clinker and 198Mt of cement, a YoY increase of 16 and 25 per cent, respectively.
New capacity investments and acquisition activity led to additional clinker and cement production capacity of 11.6Mt and 24.3Mt, respectively, for the year. As at the end of 2013, the group's total clinker capacity amounted to 195Mta while cement capacity reached 231Mt. Waste heat generation capabilities totaled 921MW.
Outside China, the phase 1 construction of PT Conch Cement's 3200tpd clinker line in South Kalimantan, Indonesia, was completed with equipment installation in full swing. Moreover, at the end of last year the group signed the land purchase agreement for PT Conch Cement Indonesia's Merak grinding station project for which it has acquired the first batch of land.
In addition, the group said in its 2013 Annual Report that it has also conducted on-site surveys and research for projects in several countries, including Vietnam and Myanmar, and carried out preliminary preparation works.
Prospects for 2014
This year, Conch expects the supply and demand situation in China to improve further. On the demand side, it says the government's measures to facilitate urbanisation and efforts to modernise the agricultural industry will promote the construction of railways, highways, city railway transportation as well as affordable housing cement demand. As such, the group sees "steady growth" in demand "with relatively huge potential in the central and western regions."
In terms of supply, the implementation of the Guidelines on Addressing Severe Overcapacity (Guo Fa [2013] No.41) will help contain the growth of new capacity while the implementation of environmental regulations for the cement industry will accelerate the phasing out of backward capacity.
Conch's planned capex for the year amounts to approximately CNY8.5bn (excluding merger and acquisition expenditure) to be funded primarily by internal resources and supplemented mainly by bank loans. The investment will mainly be used in the construction of cement and linker lines as well as waste heat projects for Tongren Conch Panjiang Cement Co and Linxia Conch Cement Co Conch expects that clinker and cement capacity will increase by approximately 10Mta and 30Mta, respectively for the full year.


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Tag Archive | "Dominic Moore"
St. Louis Listed as a Game-Time Decision
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
St. Louis returned to practice over the past week and looks like he could play tonight according to TBO's Erik Erlendsson, via Twitter. While the superstar left the ice with the rest of the team and went through his usual pregame rituals, coach Guy Boucher is not expecting to have him in the lineup. Nevertheless,…Continue reading...
Looking at the Beasts of the East
Thursday, April 28, 2011
The Eastern Conference, much like the Western Conference, displayed a few entertaining battles. Unlike the wild wild west, three of the four series went to seven games with only my hometown New York Rangers taking a bow in less. Last night we saw both the Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated even though they were…Continue reading...
Daily Deke: Stamkos & Ovi meet; Red hot Kings host Stars
Thursday, November 11, 2010
There are some exciting matchups NHL fans should keep an eye on this evening. With ten games on the schedule tonight, let's review some news and notes for tonight's games. After battling back against the Penguins last night, the Boston Bruins host the Montreal Canadians. Boston came up with a big win on the road…Continue reading...
Nightly Scrap: Canes dominate Stanley Cup rematch
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The Carolina Hurricanes simply continue to score goals in buckets. As an excellent combination of veteran presence and youth, the team seems to be finally establishing their identity. What better way to show that to the rest of the League than embarassing the team they beat in the playoffs just five short years ago. Captain…Continue reading...
Nightly Scrap: Leafs, Stars now defeated
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
All good things must come to an end. That end just happened to come on Monday for both the undefeated Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs. The one thing that could be said of both early season powerhouses is they went down fighting. Toronto took the play to overtime thanks to their bread and butter–…Continue reading...
VOTE: Fantasy 3 Stars of the Night Oct. 18
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Buffalo Sabres 2009/10 Season Preview
Friday, September 11, 2009
Buffalo Sabres 2008/09: 41-32-9 – 91 pts (3rd in Northeast, 10th in East) Arrived: Steve Montador (BOS), Mike Grier (SJ), Cody McCormick (COL), Joe DiPenta (ANH) Departed: Jaroslav Spacek (MON), Teppo Numminen (retired), Dominic Moore (UFA), Andrew Peters (UFA), Maxim Afinogenov (UFA) After narrowly missing the playoffs again in 2008-09, the Sabres made almost no…Continue reading...


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A meandering path through trees and flowery bushes brings you to a pretty house with a sloping roof. The house nestles among more flowers. Whichever way you look, there are flowers smiling. This is the prettiest house you have ever seen – not in the hills or a suburb of a metro but in a village in one of the remotest parts of India bordering Bangladesh. Under brilliant blue skies with the sun spreading warmth on a winter December day, you find yourself in the most beautiful village.
You have just driven through a scenic road with tall Broom grass lining the smooth tarred road on your way to Mawlynnong, ninety km from Shillong in Meghalaya. Mawlynnong has an unusually surprising tag especially given the sanitary condition of India's cities, towns and villages. Oh yes, the cluster of flowers or inflorescence of Thysanolaena maxima or the Broom grass, grown as a cash crop, goes into the making of our household phool jhadu. It will soon have a serendipitous resonance with the fame of the village.
|Tall Broom Grass lining the road to Mawlynnong
You have just driven through a scenic road with tall Broom grass lining the smooth tarred road on your way to Mawlynnong, ninety km from Shillong in Meghalaya. Mawlynnong has an unusually surprising tag especially given the sanitary condition of India's cities, towns and villages. Oh yes, the cluster of flowers or inflorescence of Thysanolaena maxima or the Broom grass, grown as a cash crop, goes into the making of our household phool jhadu. It will soon have a serendipitous resonance with the fame of the village.
|Mawlynnong - India's Prettiest Village
It will come as a surprise to all Indians that Mawlynnong was given the honour of "The Cleanest Village in Asia" by the travel magazine 'Discover India' magazine in 2003. Finally, villages of India are enjoying their days in the spotlight. So while Mana village in Garhwal bordering Tibet, is famous as 'Last Indian Village,' Kuldhara near Jaisalmer is supposedly a haunted village when the entire resident population deserted it overnight and the Heritage Crafts Village of Raghurajpur in Odisha has artisans in every household practising the ancient art of Pattachitra. Back here in the North-East, Mawlynnong is basking in its unique title; an epithet later echoed by BBC, UNESCO and Nat Geo.
|Mawlynnong Scenes: A House in the prettiest setting
Yes, the village is squeaky clean – okay the cleanest and the most beautiful village you have ever been to. The greenery is everywhere, flowers glow in the sun and a gentle refreshing breeze tiptoes through the village lanes. Coming from smoggy Delhi, it is hard to imagine that something basic like breathing could be so nourishing and refreshing. Now that you notice there are these bamboo conical basket cases, locally called khoh, that are supposed to be trash bins. There is no litter to be seen anywhere; there are no polythene bags or chip packets flying around. It is unbelievable that such a place actually exists in India. And it is so serene here. Except for the laundry drying in the sun, the simple houses built of bamboo, wood and metal sheets seem to be empty. Once in a while a child walks out smiling trying to evade the camera of a prying tourist!
|The Beautiful houses and paths of Mawlynnong
The village did not turn pristine overnight. The residents of the hundred year old village always remember the village this clean with the cleanliness habit being handed down over the generations. Children are taught to keep their surroundings clean. Each house has a toilet and there is no open defecation. It is only the tourists like us unaccustomed to clean ways who might throw packets or wrappers around. The village with a population of 500 and 90 families though has seen some changes; few cement houses have been built, roofs have satellite dishes and the cobbled streets have turned into concrete paths but the cleanliness ethos have remain unchanged.
|The bamboo waste baskets can be seen along the village paths
Long before the Prime Minister launched Clean India Campaign, the inhabitants of Mawlynnong with 100% literacy were already practising cleanliness. The village council governs this community effort where polythene and smoking are banned and the streets are swept by the residents themselves. The kids pitch in by picking any dirt and dropping it into the baskets before going to school. The organic waste is collected and turned into manure which is then used to grow organic produce. Mawlynnong's headman was thrilled with the recognition when the PM lauded the village's efforts involving the citizens in keeping their village clean during his monthly Mann Ki Baat program on radio.
|The Beautiful Cosmos flower
The village along with being the cleanest is definitely the floweriest village in India. As in a trance, you walk through the lanes in complete joy and awe. Flowers, ornamental shrubs and tall areca nut palms line the alleys covering every inch of the landscape. The feeling is almost similar to when you walked through the flowery canvas of Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand. Canary yellow Allamanda, the heart achingly beautiful Cosmos set against the blue skies, purple and white Flamingo Feathers, Golden Shrimp, never seen before Pink Jacobinia, the stunning Scarlet Clock Vine and the ethereal Bleeding Heart Vine made to adorn the hair of princess all come together to create a magical garden where you want to dance and sing with abandon.
Every which way there is an astounding variety of happy flowers in all colours – swamping the lanes, hanging like garlands from eaves, in pots and in the small gardens around the houses. It seems the village started as a large garden. The houses came later and now are just incidental. Mawlynnong is definitely 'God's Own Garden!'
|The Wonder Rock at Mawryngkew; on the way to Mawlynnong
Mawlynnong, in a remote corner of this incredible country, is a perfect stop to spend a couple of days soaking up the Khasi culture. The village has several homestays. One of these houses offers you a delicious vegetarian lunch. A guesthouse built of bamboo provides tree-top accommodation along with an unmatched experience. The 'Sky View' has a viewing gallery built high on top of trees that offers views of plains of Bangladesh. At Mawryngkew, on the road leading to the village, a huge Balancing or Wonder Rock incredibly balances itself inches above the ground on a tiny stone below.
|The Living Root Bridge of Riwai
The biggest surprise is two kilometres away in the village of Riwai. Here you actually get to walk on a Living Root Bridge (Jingkieng Jri), a bioengineering feat, across a stream. A living root bridge is an ingenious way of connecting communities across the criss-crossing streams in these remote locations especially during monsoons when the streams turn into swollen frenzy. The bridge is formed by training the aerial roots of rubber trees (Ficus elastic) through the hollow trunk of areca nut palms on either side to span the width of a river. It might take years before the intertwined and complex web of the living roots become strong enough to carry the weight of people. Some of the bridges are over hundred years old. So while the conventional steel and concrete bridges become weak over the years, these breathing and growing root bridges become stronger.
|Mawlynnong - Blue Skies and Yellow Flowers
In Mawlynnong, do not think much about what to see or do; simply walk the village lanes. The flowers, the greenery, the tall swaying palm trees will keep you wonderstruck all day. The sheer variety of flowers is incredible. The cold winter afternoon has never felt so crisp and perfect. Few minutes of this experience is guaranteed to lull you into a sweet stupor. You wish, just like in the Haryana villages, there was a chaupal here too, so that you could have just pulled a charpai and napped sprawled under the gentle warm sun.
As the soft sun caresses the flowers and the smiling kids flit around like butterflies, you realize this is an experience that can be easily replicated across our villages and cities. We would all love to live in clean surroundings among flowers. All it takes is some community spirit and resolve. Mawlynnong does not need to feel like a foreign country. We together can make more Mawlynnong flowers bloom across our country.
Getting There
Mawlynnong is located in the East Khasi Hills about 90 kms south of Shillong in Meghalaya. The two hour drive is pleasant offering amazing views of mountains and narrow winding road through clumps of bamboos and broom grass.
Hiring a taxi from Shillong is a good idea for the day long excursion unless you want to stay over in Mawlynnong in one of the several homestays. In that case, you can check with Meghalaya Tourism's bus services that can drop you here. The office is in Police Bazaar, downtown Shillong. The Meghalaya Tourism buses only run if they get minimum 10 or 15 passengers. You can leave your phone number with them and if they get enough people by the end of the day, they will call you to make payment. Alternatively, you can take shared jeeps from Bara Bazaar with a stopover at the midway point Pynursla.
When in Mawlynnong
Hire a local guide who can take you around the village. Stay in one of the homestays and mingle with local families. Go trekking on several trails that lead to neighbouring villages and beyond along stone pathways called the King's Way. Visit a neighbouring Sacred Grove which are forests protected by the local communities and are believed to be the abode of deities. The groves are a treasure trove of plants, trees and animals.
A version of the story appeared in the Winter 2018 edition of Namaste - magazine of ITC Hotels.


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Texas Suspends Killing of Feral Burros in Park
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has been shooting feral burros in Big Bend Ranch State Park in an effort to reduce their populations, as a way of mitigating impacts on the desert park's water sources, archaeological sites, and native plants. Agency personnel have killed about 130 burros since 2007.
We've urged an end to the state-sponsored killing and the implementation of more humane methods of managing the burros' numbers. Yesterday, after extensive and constructive discussions and a visit to the park with the agency, we got a burst of great news: the agency is suspending the policy allowing the animals to be killed. The HSUS has offered to develop a nonlethal plan to manage the animals, and the first step in that process is partnering with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to conduct an aerial survey this spring to collect data, with the department offering financial support.
Kathy Milani/The HSUS
A burro at Black Beauty Ranch.
Developing nonlethal approaches for wildlife and partnering with governmental agencies is not new to The HSUS or our sister organization, The Fund for Animals. Our Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch, which we operate with the Fund for Animals in east Texas, was created in the late 1970s as a placement site for hundreds of burros slated for killing at Grand Canyon National Park. We airlifted the burros from this treacherous terrain and prevented the bloodshed, and out of that rescue operation came Black Beauty Ranch, which now houses dozens of different species. The last of these surviving burros, named Friendly, passed away just last year.
Also last year, I wrote about our dramatic efforts in Hawaii to rescue, neuter, and rehome more than 300 burros to prevent their possible killing. We flew 120 burros to a California sanctuary so they could live in peace and safety. (Less than 100 donkeys remain in the wild on the island and are being managed humanely).
Officials estimate that there may be as many as 300 burros remaining at Big Bend Ranch, but no one really knows for sure. That's why The HSUS is working with the TPWD to conduct a scientific, infrared aerial survey of the burro population to determine how many are living there. That data will be used to develop a nonlethal proposal for managing the existing burro population at Big Bend Ranch State Park, which The HSUS will submit to the department for consideration.
These animals are at the park through no fault of their own. We humans put them there, and it's up to us to handle any conflicts that now arise in the most merciful way. We now have a path forward, thanks to the leadership of TPWD for agreeing to look at a new way of handling the situation and TO all of you who demanded a better outcome for the burros.


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"Come GROW with Us" is our Board approved formal plan to set the stage for a phased-in approach for the Garden Grove Childcare Inc. Program and Facility Expansion.
Goals to guide our work and accomplish the Plan:
1. To provide a quality childcare facility that meets ALL the needs of the children in our care; a building that includes onsite washrooms, kitchen, and staff facilities.
2. To offer a facility that not only meets but exceeds accessibility standards.
3. To increase licensed preschool spaces and to launch a new infant program to address community needs.
4. To make available a facility that may be used by other community groups during our non-use times. We see the building as a community hub where people may gather.
"On behalf of our volunteer Board, Staff, current and awaiting families, I invite you to partner with us, as together we seek to offer a quality facility where children may grow and blossom into strong, independent, capable & caring youth!"
Jodi Ramgotra
Come Grow With Us Update
Just a few weeks ago, we received the draft and preliminary paper-work from the City of Winnipeg for the acquisition of the surplus building, quickly shortening the timeframe for our actual 'possession' of that facility. It is very exciting, but there is still a lot of hard work ahead.
This is where you come in!
Please see the attached Brochure which explains giving levels from $20.00 all the way up to… well, feel free to surprise us! It's a campaign where everyone can do their part, from a child's handsome gift as a "little flower patch" at $20.00 to a "landscaper's major gift" of +$5,000. Best of all, pledges can be paid over an entire 12-months; the brochure has all of the information you need to help you make an informed decision and valuable contribution.
It all adds up to meet our goal to renovate, move in, and GROW the program to meet current and future demands.
Please, take a minute to think of the impact your gift will have to the children presently here, to those who 'want in' and to the many new 'infants' who will be welcomed at GGCC with our expanded program.
Join us. Come GROW with us. YOU CAN Grow TOO!
We look forward to hear from you soon with our sincerest appreciation and thanks.
Jodi Ramgotra, Executive Director and Penny Daigle, Volunteer Board Chair


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Serena Williams may have suggested a delay in her comeback all the way until spring 2011, but it doesn't mean she's not eager to train. The relentless Serena still has her right leg in the crystal-decorated cast, but that doesn't prevent her from making red carpet appearances and even hitting the tennis court!
Everything's there! Ballet flats (actually, a ballet flat), sunglasses, Swarowski crystals and a tennis racquet! (source: Simply Serena Williams)


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To find a family dentist in Brooklyn you can trust, look for one who can treat your whole family. You develop a relationship with one dental practice by relying on them for all your dental needs. During this time, you get to know them and they get to know you. Your children learn to trust the dentist, making your job as a parent that much easier.
When you visit Century Medical and Dental, your dentist:
Read more: https://www.centurymedicaldental.com/specialties/family-dentistry/
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QuickTime is a multimedia technology developed by Apple Computer, capable of handling various formats of digital video, sound, text, animation, music, and immersive virtual reality panoramic images. It is currently at version 7.1.5 on the Mac and Windows platform.
QuickTime Player Pro Features
- Full-screen playback.
- New movie recordings from a FireWire DV or iSight camera.
- Editing clips through the Cut, Copy and Paste functions, merging separate audio and video tracks, freely placing the video tracks on a virtual canvas with the options of cropping and rotation
- Saving and exporting (encoding) to any of the codecs supported by QuickTime. QuickTime 7 includes presets for exporting video to a video-capable iPod.
- Some other free player applications that rely on the QuickTime framework provide features not available in the basic QuickTime Player. For example:
- iTunes can export audio in WAV, AIFF, MP3, AAC, and Apple Lossless.
- RealPlayer and Media Player Classic support all of the playback features included in QuickTime, including full-screen playback.
- In Mac OS X, a simple AppleScript can be used to play a movie in full-screen mode
Updates : Quicktime Player Updates
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QuickTime is integrated with Mac OS X, but it was once an optional component at install for earlier versions of Mac OS. QuickTime for Microsoft Windows is downloadable, either as a standalone installation or bundled with iTunes.


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In her latest post, my colleague, Liz Economy, asks: What will Vice President Biden find in China? I thought I'd try out my own response to this very direct question:
1. Biden will find a China whose rise depends on economic growth but whose growth model is no longer sustainable.
Bluntly put, China's leaders know that their capital-intensive, export-oriented approach is delivering diminishing returns and threatens to become a major political vulnerability for the government. The global economic crisis provided clear evidence that China's export-driven economy is vulnerable to dips in demand in the rest of the world. Meanwhile, its dependence on investment has introduced distortions and imbalances into the Chinese economy.
Why should this matter to Biden and the United States?
Washington has spent years urging China to "rebalance" its economy: China produces much and consumes little, while the U.S. consumes much and wants to produce more (in part to sell to China). The bottom line is this: Beijing lacks the political stomach to undertake the toughest rebalancing steps (for instance, a rapid appreciation of the renminbi) but the good news is that, for self-interested reasons, its leaders are committed to rebalancing and will take some steps that are in the U.S. interest. And ironically, it's probably worth asking whether, from a Chinese perspective, the ongoing U.S. debt crisis may even create some additional incentives to reckon with China's own imbalances. To use the pregnant phrase from a Reuters article this morning, could China now "reprice U.S. risk"?
2. Biden will find a China whose social and political fabric is fraying.
A spate of headlines about truckers' strikes and ethnic unrest shows just how brittle China's polity is. China is beset by rural protest. It has one umbrella labor federation but faces sporadic and unpredictable strikes. China's leaders have been effective at blunting the political effects of this discontent through a combination of carrots and sticks. Still, the challenges are growing. (And if you need more evidence, see the angry public reaction to China's recent high-speed rail crash).
Why should this matter to Biden and the United States?
Two reasons: First, it means China's leaders are preoccupied domestically and will be (mostly) uninterested in what the U.S. has to say. Second, it means China's leaders will probably dismiss U.S. calls for political reform with even more than their usual vigor.
The regime is likely to meet challenges to its stability with an increasingly assertive mix of blandishments and force. Beijing (and local officials) will co-opt some demands of the discontented, not least by hiking wages and funding social housing (which, incidentally, may be marginally helpful in promoting economic rebalancing). But they will also build, deploy, and ultimately use paramilitary and police capabilities while cracking down hard as incidents arise.
3. Biden will find a China whose cautious leaders prefer incremental steps to bold action.
Beijing is facing this litany of development and social challenges against the backdrop of a cacophony of voices and views. Some voices represent entrenched domestic interests and are deeply invested in the status quo. For their part, as conservative technocrats, China's leaders tend to split the difference between these competing groups. The result is a strong bias toward incremental policy change that should persist until China's next leaders take office in 2012, and probably even beyond that. Here are two examples: Chinese leaders broke the renminbi's peg to the U.S. dollar in 2010 but have chosen to implement their decision incrementally. Similarly, China voted for new sanctions on Iran in the UN Security Council but offered assurances to insulate Chinese interests from the fallout with Tehran.
Why should this matter to Biden and the United States?
For one, it means domestic Chinese allies will be essential if the U.S. is to elicit cooperation from China. Foreign pressure generally only works to the extent that it aligns with the objectives of one or another of the interest groups Chinese leaders seek to balance. But perhaps more important, it also suggests that while China's commitment to rebalancing is real, this process will move more deliberately than anyone in Washington would like. From Beijing's vantage point, an uncertain global environment, combined with inflationary pressures and a leadership transition at home, dictate caution rather than boldness. And the kind of incrementalism that Chinese bureaucrats favor isn't going to mesh with American expectations and exhortations.
4. Biden will find a China that is being asked to assume global responsibilities but is (very) reluctant to do so.
To use my former boss, Bob Zoellick's, famous phrase, China is a "stakeholder" at many of the top tables of international relations. It is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a WTO member, and a signatory to protocols on everything from ozone depletion to chemical weapons. It is a member of the G20 (which has largely supplanted the G8) and has a seat on the Financial Stability Board. But China has proven itself to be a reluctant stakeholder, often content to continue taking a free ride on the provision of public goods by others.
Why should this matter to Biden and the United States?
In some areas, China will push back hard against steadily building international expectations that it match its new economic clout to tangible actions in concert with others. Often, China will continue to insist that, as a developing country with its own litany of challenges, it cannot be expected to shoulder "unreasonable" burdens. And that will mean growing resentment of China, not least in the United States, as many argue that Beijing is punching below its weight. This, in turn, will feed a parallel process of resentment in Beijing, as some Chinese argue that the country is punching above its weight by supporting global growth and becoming a new demand driver in the face of a slowdown in the U.S. and austerity in Europe.
5. Biden will find a China where security hawks preen and posture.
Finally, here is something Biden should contemplate: For some in China's strategic class, recent events have reinforced breathtaking conclusions about China's "rise" and American "decline." Many, both in and out of China's government, want to test what Beijing's growing weight might yield. They are confident of China's growing strength. And they relish the opportunity to, at minimum, make Washington work harder for Chinese support of ostensibly shared objectives.
Why should this matter to Biden and the United States?
As I've blogged here on Asia Unbound before, the United States and China share more interests than, say, ten years ago (much less twenty or thirty years ago). But translating that common stake into complementary policies will remain elusive unless the two countries' threat assessments begin to converge. And even when Beijing does share America's sense of threat, countervailing interests too often obstruct cooperation. Combine that with other tensions in the relationship—not least in Asia, on everything from U.S. arms sales to Taiwan to the South China Sea—and the U.S. and China are likely to face a period of greater security tension.
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The 5 Types Of Social Media Schizophrenics
Your social media feeds are most likely made up of three kinds of people: those you talk to in real life, those you don't, and those you've never even met before. And then there are those who baffle you. Because like Jekyll and Hyde, they have one distinct personality online and a totally different one offline. Scroll through your friend list and you're likely to find these five social media schizophrenics!
The Online Ghoster
If you can chat like long-lost friends (maybe you really are long-lost friends) in person, you'd expect that friendship to continue online. But like the ghosts of the online realm, they suddenly go quiet on you on social media; they don't acknowledge the photos that you tag them in, ignore your comments when you point out a restaurant you know they'd love to check out and has never hearted any of your posts. You however know they're there. Scrolling. Reading. Watching. Till the next time you meet IRL.


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What Should I Consider When Buying an Ironing Board?
An ironing board is an indispensable item in most homes. It is necessary for keeping clothing neatly pressed. The humble ironing board has been around in various forms ever since flatirons came into being as a way of pressing wrinkles out of garments. The standard ironing board usually consists of a flat metal plate, narrowed at one end, with holes for ventilation, welded atop a telescoping stand that locks into place at various heights. The plate is generally covered with some kind of padding and a decorative cover made of heat-resistant fabric.
Other types of ironing boards are also available. The most popular ironing board for dorm students is the small, portable kind that sits on four legs on a countertop or desk. The only problem with this ironing board is that the front legs are so close to the end of the board that they can prevent one from placing clothing properly on the board. This is especially problematic when ironing sleeves or anything that needs to fit around the end of the ironing board.
Another kind of ironing board is mounted on a closet door or into a special panel. This ironing board is fastened at the top, anchored only on one end and drops down from the door. This option is a great space saver and good for apartments or smaller homes. The homeowner should consider what tools may be necessary to mount the ironing board, and whether he or she has the technical knowledge to do it.
A standard ironing board is available from almost any store that sells housewares, usually for about US$10-$15. Anyone wanting to purchase one should think about where it will be folded and stored, and if it is adjustable in height. If more than one person uses the ironing board, the height adjustment feature is a necessity. Portable ironing boards cost about the same as the standard kind, and the drop-down boards are more expensive, since they include mounting hardware. When buying an ironing board, a person should consider how often it will be needed, where it will be placed, how much space is available and price.
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Discussion Comments
Consider the size of the ironing board. The larger it is the easier it will be to iron. I also like to have a small ironing board handy for the smaller, or more difficult areas to iron.
Also an ironing board should be sturdy. It is really difficult to iron if the surface if wobbly.
Another factor to consider when buying an ironing board is the cover. Buy one that is scorch resistant and make sure that the cover is not too slick! It's very frustrating to iron a piece of clothing and having it slide off the ironing board while you're reaching for the iron.


text: Following on from the successful work undertaken in the first two years of work by our resident Research Fellow Dr Matha Penna on analysis of patient outcomes after the new TaTME treatment, we are seeking resources to continue this funding into a third year. The programme has included the setting up of one of the most rigorous and comprehensive databases of medical assessment, treatment regime and patient outcomes, in conjunction with Pelican, another UK based charity. Extending the work into a third year will enable us to finalise and publish our work on this revolutionary treatment and ensure there is an evidence-based underpinning for growing its use in the field of colon surgery worldwide.


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Goodale Commentary: Conservative's Contempt for Canadians
Liberals are running on two strong national themes in this election:
• Integrity in how government operates; and
• A strong economy focused on families.
The Harper government was defeated last Friday in the House of Commons on a clear finding of Conservative contempt against Canadians – the first time in the Commonwealth that a government has been so disgraced.
The Conservatives were facing two contempt proceedings for suppressing financial data, falsifying documents and failing to tell the truth. They are being investigated by the RCMP for tampering with government information and influence peddling. And four senior Conservative officials (including two Harper Senators) are in court on charges of violating election laws.
So Mr. Harper fell from power because of his contempt. But also significantly wrong are his economic choices.
He's using up all of Canada's fiscal capacity on three big expensive risky projects — $30 billion for stealth fighter warplanes, $30 billion for extra corporate tax cuts, and $10 billion for US-style mega-jails.
As a result, family care-giving, child care, healthcare, education and pensions get pushed off the agenda. A Liberal government will put these bread-and-butter issues front and centre where they belong, and we'll do so in a fiscally responsible way that does not increase the tax burden on families.
Here in Saskatchewan, among other things, Liberal candidates will also be emphasizing greater leverage for Saskatchewan in Ottawa.
The Harper regime has badly used and abused this province. Think about equalization, income trusts, carbon capture and storage, cellulosic ethanol, rail service and costs, the RCMP Heritage Centre, PFRA, the Canadian Police Research Centre, potash, downtown urban renewal. In every case, Stephen Harper has just taken Saskatchewan for granted.
A Conservative political monopoly here (controlled and manipulated from Ottawa) only hamstrings Saskatchewan's ability to protect its interests and get things done.
Ralph Goodale, M.P.


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Pont du Gard
From: Viking River Cruises: Southern France cruise review
The Roman aqueduct of Pont du Gard was one of the high points of our cruise on the MS Maribelle.
The drive from Arles took about an hour, culminating at a modern visitor center with a handful of shops. Then, after a walk along a gravel path, we reached the aqueduct itself--and the monument was far more impressive up close than we'd ever imagined from photographs.
For one thing, the aqueduct was--and is--huge. The bridgelike structure has three rows of arches, one atop the other, and stands 49 meters or 160 feet high (about the height of a 16-story building). The arches are built with massive stones that were hauled to the aqueduct's river crossing and fixed in place without mortar. The projections used to hold scaffolding have survived nearly two millennia, along with Roman numerals and other identifying marks on the custom-shaped stones.
The Pont du Gard was merely one part of a 50-km or 30-mile system of covered stone canals that transported water from the Eure river to the city of Nîmes. If you cross the 18th Century stone bridge that parallels the aqueduct's lower level and climb the stairs on the other side, you can see the water channel in the top course of arches and a tunnel that once carried water through the stone mountainside.
Following our trip to Pont du Gard, we returned to Arles, where we had about an hour to explore the compact city center before the MS Maribelle returned to Avignon at 6:30 p.m.
The ship arrived back in Avignon in late evening, with bundled-up passengers braving cold weather to join hands and sing "Sur le Pont d'Avignon" on the Sun Deck as MS Maribelle sailed past Avignon's floodlit medieval bridge of Pont Saint Benezet.
For more information on the Pont du Gard, see:
Cruise Photos: Pont du Gard europeforvisitors.com
Next section: MS Maribelle photos (169 captioned cruise pictures)
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The fight against international tax avoidance is likely to gain momentum after a massive cache of documents is published.
Multinationals are bracing themselves for more state aid investigations, following the publication of a massive cache of leaked corporate tax documents from Luxembourg.
The tax affairs of more than 300 multinationals were dragged into the open when the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, a global network based in the US, partly published a stash of nearly 28,000 pages of leaked files. These businesses include corporations such as PepsiCo, Ikea, Accenture, Glanbia, Burberry, Procter & Gamble, Heinz, JPMorgan, FedEx, Abbott Laboratories and Macquarie.
The revelations have lifted the lid on practices that are regarded as normal in the corporate world, where most big businesses use Luxembourg as part of their financial structures. But tax experts said the documents may provide more examples of cases where allegedly favourable tax "rulings" - comfort letters concerning a company's future tax treatment - amounted to illicit state aid, breaching EU rules.
Caroline Ramsay, a state aid lawyer at Pinsent Masons, an international law firm, said: "The Commission is now very likely going to scrutinise this dossier of papers in great detail - and several more companies could join the ranks of Fiat, Apple and Starbucks and find themselves in the state aid firing line."
The commission is currently probing rulings agreed by the Luxembourg tax authority with Fiat, the car company, and Amazon, the ecommerce company. The government and companies subject to the state aid probes reject any improper arrangements or wrongdoing. ICIJ also stressed that it was not suggesting any irregularity in any of the documents it had examined.
However, the release of the documents is likely to give renewed momentum to the global crackdown on international tax avoidance that is set to be discussed at this month's G20 leaders' meeting in Brisbane. Given Luxembourg's importance in international tax planning, the publicity around its tax arrangements will focus attention on the effort to rewrite the global tax rules, which is about halfway through.
The ICIJ - which worked with 80 journalists and outlets including The Irish Times, the Guardian, Le Monde and Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung - said its findings illustrated how companies saved billions of dollars in taxes. It said: "In some instances, the leaked records indicate companies have enjoyed effective tax rates of less than 1 per cent on the profits they've shuffled into Luxembourg."
Although it has long been known that companies achieve the very low tax rates in Luxembourg, the cache of data provides insights into the complex mechanisms used to achieve them.
Luxembourg is not overtly a low-tax country for businesses: more than two-thirds of OECD countries have corporate tax rates lower than its 29.2 per cent. But the documents show there are numerous deductions and exemptions that lower the rate by creating profits that escape tax altogether.
The documents reveal myriad strategies, including arrangements such as low-tax Swiss branches, "hybrid" financial instruments and "hidden capital contributions". They also outline details of sprawling structures which allow companies to arbitrage the difference between countries' tax rules.
Their exposure is likely to be particularly unnerving for some companies because it contrasts with a tradition of secrecy in Luxembourg. Foreign tax inspectors trying to understand their multinationals' tax planning often struggled to make sense of the sparse details in the companies' Luxembourg accounts, and found it hard to get hold of legal documents.
Campaigners said the latest "Luxembourg leaks" underlined the need for G20 leaders to crack down on tax avoidance. Murray Worthy, a campaign manager at ActionAid, a development group, said: "This exposure of the industrial scale of global tax avoidance involving Luxembourg clearly highlights the need for global action."
Nicolas Mackel, chief executive of Luxembourg for Finance, an inward investment agency, said Luxembourg had been aware that the details would be published, although he had not anticipated the scale of the publication. He added: "The criticism that Luxembourg helps companies evade taxes on an industrial scale is rubbish. This does not show that Luxembourg has any scheme that helps companies. Rulings are a normal tax technique. They exist in multiple countries."
Mr Mackel also hit out at reports that the publication features "secret deals", saying that the rulings were merely confidential. He said he believed the data had been leaked by a "disgruntled employee" from an archive. The confidential documents mostly concern clients of PwC, the professional services group. ICIJ said it had helped multinationals obtain at least 548 tax rulings or "Advance Tax Agreements", from 2002 to 2010.
PwC said in a statement: "The documents referred to date back a number of years - we cannot comment on individual cases".
At a time when businesses are aware of reputational risk, public scrutiny of their tax plans is likely to hasten the restructuring of their global tax planning. Fears of a state aid inquirywill further add to concerns, said Ms Ramsay.
"The companies that are on this list should immediately consider how they can restructure their global tax planning in a way that the commission will not find offensive."
Leaked PwC documents reveal how the franchising arm of Ikea rearranged its financing, with the help of a Luxembourg-based structure and low-tax Swiss branch.
The strategy involves making loans to a Swiss finance branch of a Luxembourg entity, for lending to Ikea companies around the world. By doing this, the loan interest is taxed in Switzerland at a very low rate. Passing the loans through Luxembourg incurs a tax charge at an effective rate of 0.03 per cent.
PwC started the process in 2009, asking Luxembourg to approve a structure for the financing of the Inter Ikea group, which oversees Ikea's franchise operations. Inter Ikea's Luxembourg company proposed replacing its Belgian Treasury subsidiary with a Swiss finance branch in Geneva. This would become the company's internal bank, lending cash that came from a subsidiary in the Netherlands Antilles, a tax haven.
This arrangement left little profit to be taxed in Luxembourg at its tax rate of 29.6 per cent. PwC suggested the amount taxed in Luxembourg should be calculated as 0.03 per cent for each billion euros allocated to the Swiss branch. Once the funds exceeded €6bn, the tax would be 0.016 per cent of working capital.
Marius Kohl, a Luxembourg tax official, wrote to PwC saying the arrangements were "in compliance with current tax legislation".
Ikea's Luxembourg finance unit reported a €199,170 tax charge in 2011, of which the corporate tax charge was just €1,575. Inter Ikea told the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists its tax planning complies with all laws.
Financial Times


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August 2010
01 Strength is not the opposite of weakness; all opposites breed further opposites.
02 I must change because I know I am dull, stupid, envious, anxious, fearful, and every pleasure is vanishing, and I want to change so radically, so totally, that my mind is new.
03 There is a state without any change, in which there is a quality of shadowless movement
04 I am afraid we ordinary people also are trying in various ways to become something, but inwardly we are absolutely nothing.
05 Any movement on my part, any movement, conscious or unconscious is the movement of conditioning
06 Stillness cannot be cultivated, because if you cultivate a still mind, it is not a still mind, it is a dead mind.
07 When you see something clearly as being true - and clarity is always true - there is no other action but the action of clarity.
08 How can one stimulate a desire for freedom?
09 By adding little by little to the granary in the mind, you hope to become full, and to be able to meet life fully, wholly.
10 We refuse to accept life as it is in fact.
11 But we do not want the new, we do not want to be reborn. All that we want is to be made certain.
12 Learning is an active-present of the word, not the past-present.
13 With this cycle most of us are familiar, hope and despair.
14 Surely, truth is not something distant; truth is in the little things of everyday life - in every word, in every smile, in every relationship - only we do not know how to see it;
15 Most of us think one to be very serious when one is following a certain principle, a belief, an idea, or a formula;
16 Surely meditation is understanding - meditation of the heart is understanding.
17 A constant battle is going on within us, wearing us out in the process.
18 Thought is a very strange thing, is it not?
19 You are not listening, you are not learning, but accomodating, adjusting to what is being said.
20 To understand every mood, every sense of reaction, surely one must be aware without choice because the moment we choose, we set into motion a process of conflict.
21 You want to be led from one hope to another hope, from one longing to another longing, from one desire to another desire, from one satisfaction to another satisfaction.
22 A person is serious, earnest, passionate, intense, when he tries to comprehend or learn about the process of consciousness; that is, the whole of life.
23 A serious mind is concerned not only with the immediacy of all the demands of life but also with the resolution of all human problems, not at some future date, but immediately.
24 Whatever movement a conditioned mind makes, whatever movement a conditioned mind follows, it is still conditioned; therefore, one asks, can it remain completely with the fact alone and nothing else?
25 It is extremely difficult and arduous to express, and still not be caught in the net of words.
26 Anyone who wants to become something, whether in this world or the next, is ambitious.
27 What we call problems are merely symptoms, which increase and multiply because we do not tackle the whole life as one, but divide it as economic, social or religious problems.
28 I have no system. I think systems are pernicious things, because they may for the moment alleviate the problems, but if you merely follow a system you are a slave to it.
29 I am going to be purposely vague, because although I could quite easily make it definite, it is not my intention to do so.
30 It is easy to perceive what is, but to be free of it is another matter;
31 Merely labelling a state does not mean that we understand it; on the contrary, it is a hindrance to understanding.
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text: China Mobile and China Telecom are aiming to sell a combined total of 136 million 4G Time Division Long Term Evolution (TD-LTE) devices in 2014, DigiTimes quotes unnamed industry sources as saying. China Mobile, the world's largest wireless provider by subscribers is aiming to sell 100 million TD-LTE terminals, as well as 90-120 million devices compatible with its home-grown TD-SCDMA 3G platform. Meanwhile CDMA operator China Telecom, the smallest of China's trio of cellcos, has set its sights on selling 36 million 4G devices in 2014, alongside 64 million 3G (CDMA2000) terminals. Telecom is currently in the process of procuring 300,000 TD-LTE MiFi routers, USB modems and CPE (customer premises equipment) devices, the sources claimed, saying that domestic vendors Huawei and ZTE were major bidders for the contract. In addition, China Telecom plans to launch entry-level TD-LTE smartphones priced at CNY1,000 (USD163.8) in the first half of 2014 as well as mid-range and high-end models in the second half. China's second-largest cellco, China Unicom, also has a concession for TD-LTE services, but intends to concentrate its attention on rival platform Frequency Division (FD)-LTE.


text:
The first season of the television series Lost commenced airing in the United States and Canada on September 22, 2004, concluded on May 25, 2005, and contained 25 episodes. It introduces the 48 survivors of a plane that broke apart in mid-air, scattering them on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific. Forced to work together to survive, they come to realize it is no ordinary island.
The first season aired Wednesdays at 8:00 pm in the United States. In addition to the 25 regular episodes, a special, "Lost: The Journey", was aired on April 27, 2005, between the 20th and 21st episodes of the season. The season was released on DVD as a seven disc boxed set under the title of Lost: The Complete First Season on September 6, 2005 by Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
The season was produced by Touchstone Television (now ABC Studios), Bad Robot Productions and Grass Skirt Productions and was aired on the ABC Network in the U.S. The executive producers were co-creator J. J. Abrams, co-creator Damon Lindelof, Bryan Burk, Jack Bender and Carlton Cuse with Jesse Alexander and Jeff Pinkner serving as executive consultants. The staff writers were Abrams, Lindelof, Cuse, Alexander, Pinkner, co-executive producer David Fury, supervising producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach, producer Leonard Dick, producers Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz, co-producer Jennifer M. Johnson and story editor Paul Dini. Some of the first season's episodes were written or co-written by writers on a freelance basis. The regular directors throughout the season were J. J. Abrams, Jack Bender, Stephen Williams, Tucker Gates, Greg Yaitanes and Kevin Hooks. Its incidental music was composed by Michael Giacchino. Abrams, Lindelof and Cuse served as the season's show runners.
The initial season had fourteen major roles getting star billing. Naveen Andrews portrayed former Iraqi Republican Guard Sayid Jarrah.[1] Emilie de Ravin played the pregnant Australian Claire Littleton.[2] Until later in the season, de Ravin is only credited for the episodes in which she appears. Matthew Fox acted as the troubled surgeon, leader of the group and protagonist Jack Shephard.[3] Jorge Garcia portrayed Hugo "Hurley" Reyes, an unlucky lottery winner.[4] Maggie Grace played Shannon Rutherford, a former dance teacher. Josh Holloway acted as con man James "Sawyer" Ford. Yunjin Kim played Sun-Hwa Kwon, the daughter of a powerful Korean businessman and mobster, with Daniel Dae Kim as her husband Jin-Soo Kwon.[5] Evangeline Lilly portrayed fugitive Kate Austen. Dominic Monaghan acted as an ex-rock star drug addict Charlie Pace. Harold Perrineau portrayed construction worker Michael Dawson, while child actor Malcolm David Kelley acted as his young son, Walt Lloyd. Ian Somerhalder played Boone Carlyle, chief operating officer of his mother's wedding business and step brother of Shannon. Terry O'Quinn played the mysterious John Locke.
Numerous supporting characters have been given expansive and recurring appearances in the progressive storyline, including: L. Scott Caldwell as Rose Henderson, Mira Furlan as Danielle Rousseau, Kimberley Joseph as Cindy, Fredric Lane as Edward Mars, William Mapother as Ethan Rom, Daniel Roebuck as Leslie Arzt and John Terry as Christian Shephard. Ana Lucia Cortez, played by Michelle Rodriguez, made her first appearance this season, and she became a major character during the second season.
On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the first season scored 87 out of 100, based on 26 reviews, indicating "Universal acclaim".[6]
The pilot episode garnered 18.6 million viewers, winning the 9:00 pm (Eastern) timeslot, and giving ABC its strongest ratings since 2000 when Who Wants to Be a Millionaire initially aired—beaten only the following month by the premiere of Desperate Housewives.[7] Based on its strong opening, Reuters dubbed it a "hit drama" noting that "the show appeared to have benefited from an all-out marketing blitz that included radio spots, special screenings and ABC's first billboard advertising campaign in five years."[8] After four episodes aired, ABC announced Lost had been picked up for a full season order. Lost's first season averaged about 17.6 million American viewers.[9]
The first season was nominated for twelve Primetime Emmy Awards. They won six: Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series, Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (J. J. Abrams for "Pilot"), Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) (Michael Giacchino), Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series. Terry O'Quinn and Naveen Andrews received nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. J. J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof and Jeffrey Lieber were nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for "Pilot", with David Fury receiving a nomination in the same category for the episode "Walkabout". The series also received nominations for Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series.[10] The show was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama.[11]
The number in the "No. in series" column refers to the episode's number within the overall series, whereas the number in the "No. in season" column refers to the episode's number within this particular season. "Featured character(s)" refers to the character(s) whose back story is featured in the episode's flashbacks. "U.S. viewers (million)" refers to the number of viewers in the United States in millions who watched the episode as it was aired.
|No. in
|Directed by
|Written by
|Featured character(s)
|Original air date
|U.S. viewers
|"Pilot (Part 1)"
|J. J. Abrams
|Story by : Jeffrey Lieber and J. J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof
Teleplay by : J. J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof
|September 22, 2004
|Oceanic Airlines Flight 815, a commercial airliner flying from Sydney to Los Angeles, hits turbulence and breaks apart in mid-air and crashes on a deserted tropical island in the South Pacific, with forty-eight survivors of the initial crash. Mysterious roars are heard from the jungle and trees are found knocked over. Jack, Kate and Charlie set out into the jungle to find the cockpit of the airplane so they can send out a distress signal using the plane's transceiver. They also find the pilot, who survived the crash, and informs them that the plane had been steered more than a thousand miles off course before it crashed, and thus any rescuers would be looking in the wrong place. The pilot is soon killed by a mysterious unseen "monster." A flashback shows Jack on the plane.
|"Pilot (Part 2)"
|J. J. Abrams
|Story by : Jeffrey Lieber and J. J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof
Teleplay by : J. J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof
|Charlie & Kate
|September 29, 2004
|Kate, Sayid, Sawyer, Charlie, Shannon and Boone head out to take the transceiver inland in an attempt to reach higher ground and get a better signal. Along the way they are attacked by a charging polar bear, which Sawyer shoots and kills. They are unable to send a signal with the transceiver due to the presence of another (stronger) signal, a distress call (translated by Shannon) sent by a French woman that has been playing over and over for approximately sixteen years. Back at the beach, a federal marshal wakes up during his operation and asks Jack about Kate, who, in a flashback, is escorted by the marshal on the plane. In another flashback, Charlie is shown to have sneaked a small bag of heroin onto the plane.
|"Tabula Rasa"
|Jack Bender
|Damon Lindelof
|October 6, 2004
|Jack learns about Kate's past as a fugitive. The signal party returns, but decides not to tell the others about the transmission. Sawyer shoots the dying marshal, thinking to relieve him of his misery. However, this only punctures his lung, so Jack - who had earlier rejected euthanasia as murder - finishes him off. Flashbacks show Kate's life on an Australian farm, until she is captured by the marshal.
|Jack Bender
|David Fury
|October 13, 2004
|The fuselage, filled with decomposing bodies, is burned after it is raided by a group of wild boars. Locke successfully goes hunting for boar. Locke encounters the monster, but does not tell anyone about this. In flashbacks, it is revealed that he was in a wheelchair before the plane crash and miraculously regained the ability to walk after the crash.
|"White Rabbit"
|Kevin Hooks
|Christian Taylor
|October 20, 2004
|Boone steals the decreasing water supply in a misguided attempt to help everyone, but the survivors turn on him. A sleep-deprived Jack chases after what appears to be his deceased father in the forests and eventually discovers caves with fresh water. Jack comes to terms with his role as leader. In flashbacks, Jack goes to Australia to retrieve his deceased father.
|"House of the Rising Sun"
|Michael Zinberg
|Javier Grillo-Marxuach
|October 27, 2004
|Some of the survivors move to the caves, while some stay at the beach. Locke exchanges Charlie's heroin for Charlie's guitar. Jin attacks Michael because he has Jin's father-in-law's watch. Jin is handcuffed to the wreckage. Sun reveals to Michael that she can speak English and explains why Jin attacked Michael, after which Michael frees Jin. Flashbacks show that Jin had to take a job working for Sun's father for her hand in marriage. One night, after they are married, Jin returns home covered in someone else's blood. Sun secretly plots to leave Jin (hence the secret English lessons); however, she changes her mind.
|"The Moth"
|Jack Bender
|Jennifer Johnson & Paul Dini
|November 3, 2004
|Charlie is suffering from withdrawal and asks Locke for his heroin, and Locke says that he will return the drugs the third time Charlie asks. Charlie risks his life to rescue Jack after he is trapped in a cave-in. Flashbacks show Charlie and his brother Liam leading their band Drive Shaft and, eventually, Liam getting Charlie hooked on heroin. Years later, Charlie visits Liam's house in Australia and wants him to rejoin Drive Shaft for their comeback tour but a clean Liam refuses. Charlie eventually asks Locke for his heroin for the third time, but only in order to destroy it.
|"Confidence Man"
|Tucker Gates
|Damon Lindelof
|November 10, 2004
|Sawyer is suspected of having Shannon's inhaler when she has an asthma attack. Sayid tortures Sawyer, who reveals to Kate that he does not have them. Kate reads a letter that Sawyer always carries around, which reveals that "Sawyer" is an alias. When Sawyer was a child, a man known as Sawyer conned and slept with his mother, who was killed by young Sawyer's father in a murder-suicide. Young Sawyer vowed, in the letter, to give the letter to the original Sawyer before exacting revenge. Later, he became a con-man himself and took the name of the original Sawyer. In flashbacks, Sawyer tries to con a husband and wife, but gives up when he discovers that they have a son. Sayid sets off to explore the island's shoreline in self-imposed isolation, needing time to come to terms with his actions in torturing Sawyer.
|Greg Yaitanes
|David Fury
|November 17, 2004
|Sayid finds a cable running out of the ocean and into the jungle. While following it, he is caught in a trap and captured by Rousseau, the woman who sent out the distress signal. Rousseau tells Sayid she was part of a science team, and that they crashed on the island sixteen years ago. She identifies a group of island inhabitants she calls the "Others" as the carriers of a sickness that her companions caught, and says that the Others whisper in the jungle. Sayid escapes and while trying to find his way back to camp, Sayid hears the whispering she told him about. In flashbacks, Sayid is tasked with torturing a prisoner named Nadia, who was a childhood friend. Sayid's superior tells him to execute Nadia, but instead he helps her escape.
|"Raised by Another"
|Marita Grabiak
|Lynne E. Litt
|December 1, 2004
|A badly wounded Sayid returns to camp and tells the others about Rousseau and that there are other people on the island. Claire wakes up screaming two nights in a row and insists that someone held her down and stabbed her stomach. This attack persuades Hurley to take a census of the survivors using the flight manifest, and he discovers that Ethan was not on the plane. In flashbacks, Claire finds out she is pregnant and her boyfriend leaves her. She goes to see a psychic, who says that great danger surrounds her baby and that it must not be raised by anyone except her.
|"All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues"
|Stephen Williams
|Javier Grillo-Marxuach
|December 8, 2004
|After Claire and Charlie are kidnapped by Ethan, two parties of Jack and Kate, and Locke and Boone go looking for them. Jack encounters Ethan, who warns that one of the hostages will be killed if Jack continues pursuit. Jack and Kate find Charlie, blindfolded and hanging by his neck from a tree branch. Jack furiously performs CPR and Charlie comes back to life. Meanwhile, Boone and Locke discover a piece of metal embedded in the forest's ground. In flashbacks, Jack confesses to his superiors that his father had been under the influence of alcohol while operating.
|"Whatever the Case May Be"
|Jack Bender
|Damon Lindelof & Jennifer Johnson
|January 5, 2005
|While swimming, Kate finds the marshal's locked case. Jack agrees to help Kate open the case if she will show him what is inside it. There are guns inside and a toy airplane. Kate says the airplane belonged to the man she loved—and killed. Shannon helps Sayid translate some of Danielle Rousseau's maps. Flashbacks show Kate robbing a bank in order to recover the toy airplane.
|"Hearts and Minds"
|Rod Holcomb
|Carlton Cuse & Javier Grillo-Marxuach
|January 12, 2005
|Shannon's relationship with Sayid gets more personal. Locke and Boone try to get into the hatch they found. Boone wants to tell Shannon about the hatch and Locke gives him a drug that causes him to hallucinate, sending him on a mental trip which eventually helps him to let go of Shannon. In flashbacks, Boone tries to get rid of Shannon's abusive boyfriend by paying him off, only to find out that it was all a scam perpetrated by Shannon, who proceeds to sleep with Boone.
|Greg Yaitanes
|David Fury
|Michael & Walt
|January 19, 2005
|An annoyed Michael confronts Walt, who has been studying knife skills under Locke, and enlists his help in scavenging parts from the wreck to build a raft, but Walt wanders off. Michael and Locke track Walt into the jungle and find that he has been trapped by a polar bear. Michael risks his life to save Walt and they reconcile. Later, Locke and Boone find Claire stumbling out of the jungle. Flashbacks show that when Walt was only a few months old, his mother accepted a job in Amsterdam and took her child with her. She later married a co-worker named Brian when Walt was two and refused to let Michael speak to Walt. Years later, Susan dies and Brian does not want custody of Walt because the boy is "different."
|Kevin Hooks
|Damon Lindelof
|February 9, 2005
|Claire is back among the survivors, but still has no memory beyond the plane flight. Ethan confronts Charlie, threatening to kill the other castaways one by one until he gets Claire back. Despite security measures, Scott is murdered. With the guns from the briefcase and Claire as bait, Jack, Kate, Locke, Sayid and Sawyer set a trap and Ethan is captured. Although the plan is to keep Ethan alive, a vengeful Charlie kills him. In flashbacks, Charlie tries to get drug money by stealing from a rich girl.
|Jack Bender
|Drew Goddard
|February 16, 2005
|A dream or flashback shows the murder/suicide of Sawyer's parents. Sawyer is awakened by a boar in his tent. Sawyer becomes obsessed with finding the boar that raided his tent and goes into the jungle with Kate to find it; however, he does not kill it when he finds it. He gives his gun to Jack, who now has all the group's known firearms in the marshal's suitcase. In flashbacks, Sawyer tracks down the man he believes to be the Sawyer who ruined his life, in Australia. Sawyer shoots him, but then finds out that he had been tricked into killing the wrong man. He later realizes that during his time in Australia he had also briefly met Jack's father.
|"...In Translation"
|Tucker Gates
|Javier Grillo-Marxuach & Leonard Dick
|February 23, 2005
|Michael continues work on his raft, which only has one available spot left as Sawyer has bought a seat on the raft in exchange for building materials. The raft is set on fire and everyone blames Jin. Michael beats up Jin the next morning. Sun then tells him to stop because Jin did not burn the raft. Everyone is surprised that she speaks English, including Jin. Locke says that it was probably the Others. Michael concedes the raft is gone and decides to make a new one. Sun goes to see Jin, who tells her that it is too late to start over. Jin goes back to the beach and helps Michael rebuild the raft, on which he has gained a spot. Walt confesses to Locke that he burned the raft because he likes the island. In flashbacks, it is revealed that the reason Jin once showed up covered in blood was because he beat a man to save him from the death sentence that Sun's father had ordered, and that he had planned to go to America with Sun to start a new life.
|Daniel Attias
|Brent Fletcher & David Fury
|March 2, 2005
|Hurley finds that some of Rousseau's documents contain the repeated numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42, the same numbers which Hurley had used to win a lottery jackpot. Hurley sets off on his own and finds Rousseau, who says that she does not know what the numbers mean: only that her party had originally been drawn to the island by a radio transmission that was broadcasting the numbers. The numbers are also revealed to be engraved on the side of the hatch. In flashbacks, Hurley wins the lottery, and over the coming weeks, everyone around him suffers increasingly bad luck. He then discovers that the man who'd given him the numbers originally got them from the same transmission.
|"Deus Ex Machina"
|Robert Mandel
|Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof
|March 30, 2005
|Locke discovers that he is losing sensation in his legs. Locke and Boone find a Beechcraft 18 teetering on the edge of a cliff. Boone climbs up and, using the radio, sends out a distress call, "We are the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815", to which a man responds "We're the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815." The plane falls and Locke carries a critically injured Boone back to the camp. Locke arrives at the caves with Boone and lies about how Boone got hurt. Locke disappears into the jungle. As he pounds on the hatch and screaming in anguish, the inside of the hatch suddenly becomes illuminated. In flashbacks, Locke meets his parents and his father cons him out of a kidney.
|"Do No Harm"
|Stephen Williams
|Janet Tamaro
|April 6, 2005
|Boone reveals to Jack that he and Locke have discovered the hatch, and Locke has told him not to tell anybody else. Despite Jack's extensive attempts to save him, Boone dies. Shannon & Sayid have a candlelit dinner. Claire goes into labor and gives birth to a boy. Shannon is devastated over Boone's death. Flashbacks show Jack's wedding to Sarah, a former patient whom he had "fixed" after she was injured in a car accident.
|"The Greater Good"
|David Grossman
|Leonard Dick
|May 4, 2005
|Locke arrives at Boone's funeral and is attacked by Jack. Locke asks for Shannon's forgiveness, to no avail; instead, Shannon steals the key to the gun case from a sleeping Jack, and confronts Locke in the jungle. Sayid tackles Shannon just as she fires the gun and the bullet grazes Locke's head. Sayid later tells Locke to take him to the hatch. In flashbacks, Sayid becomes an informant for the Australian Secret Intelligence Service and the CIA, which has asked him to infiltrate a terrorist cell of which his old friend Essam is a member. Sayid agrees to do it in return for Nadia's whereabouts and he betrays Essam, who kills himself.
|"Born to Run"
|Tucker Gates
|Story by : Javier Grillo-Marxuach
Teleplay by : Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz
|May 11, 2005
|Sayid and Locke show the hatch to Jack, who believes that the hatch needs to be opened. Walt warns Locke not to open the hatch, despite not ever being told about it. Kate seeks a place on the raft, threatening to take Sawyer's spot. After Michael is poisoned, he kicks Sawyer off the raft. Sawyer reveals to everyone that Kate was the fugitive on the plane. Walt confesses to Michael that he was responsible for the fire that destroyed the first raft and, although Michael says they can stay on the island, Walt insists that they have to leave. Jack discovers from Sun that the poison was intended for Jin. In flashbacks, Kate returns to her home town to see her dying mother, and meets up with former boyfriend Tom Brennan. With Tom's help, Kate is able to be alone with her mother, who begins screaming for help upon seeing her. She and Tom try to escape, but Tom is killed and Kate runs.
|"Exodus (Part 1)"
|Jack Bender
|Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse
|May 18, 2005
|Rousseau arrives at the beach to warn the survivors that the Others are coming, and tells them more of her own story. She was pregnant when she came to the island sixteen years ago but the Others—their arrival heralded by a column of black smoke—came and kidnapped her baby, who she has not seen since. A column of black smoke is soon seen in the distance. Jack, Locke and Sayid tell Rousseau about the hatch, and their need to open it, perhaps with dynamite. Rousseau offers to take them to the Black Rock to get some dynamite. Jack, Locke, Kate, Hurley, Arzt and Rousseau arrive at the Black Rock, a large slave ship stranded inland. Before Walt goes on the raft, he leaves his dog Vincent in Shannon's care. Meanwhile, Charlie gathers messages to put in a bottle and the raft sets sail. In flashbacks, several of the survivors are shown in the final hours before the flight.
|"Exodus (Part 2)"
|Jack Bender
|Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse
|May 25, 2005
|Rousseau leaves the Black Rock, and Arzt explodes while mishandling the dynamite. They encounter the monster—a cloud of black smoke. Rousseau steals Claire's baby, whom she has named Aaron. Sayid surmises that Rousseau intends to attempt an exchange of Claire's baby, for her own child with the Others. Charlie and Sayid head toward the column of black smoke and along the way, they also encounter the drug smugglers' plane, which Sayid reveals is full of heroin; Charlie takes some, though this is not revealed until season 2. When Sayid and Charlie arrive on the beach with the black smoke, there are no other people, just a pyre and Rousseau and Aaron. She returns Aaron and tells them that she overheard the Others saying that they were going after "the boy". On the raft, the crew encounters a boat. The boat's crew turns out unfriendly and demands that they hand over Walt. Sawyer is shot - but is not killed - and Walt is taken. An explosive is thrown onto the raft, destroying it. Meanwhile, Jack, Kate, Locke, and Hurley blow open the hatch, revealing a very deep dark hole with a broken ladder. The survivors' time in the airport and boarding the plane continues to be shown through flashbacks.
Lost: The Complete First Season was released as a widescreen seven-disc Region 1 DVD box set on September 6, 2005, two weeks before the premiere of the second season. It was distributed by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. In addition to all the episodes that had aired, it included several DVD extras such as episode commentaries, behind-the-scenes footage and making-of features as well as deleted scenes, deleted flashback scenarios and a blooper reel.[36] The season was subsequently released on Blu-ray Disc on June 16, 2009.[37]
The same set was released on November 30, 2005 in Region 4, and on January 16, 2006 in the United Kingdom. For the region 2 release, the season was split into two releases, with part 1 (episodes 1–12) released on October 31, 2005 and part 2 (episodes 13–25) and the complete season set on January 16, 2006.
|Lost: The Complete First Season
|Set details
|Special features
|Release dates
| United States
|United Kingdom
|Part 1
|Part 2
|September 6, 2005
|November 30, 2005
|August 2, 2006
|October 31, 2005
|January 16, 2006
^ A. In some regions, the first season has 25 episodes. This is because "Exodus: Part 2" is split into two episodes "Exodus: Part 2" and "Exodus: Part 3."
|Wikiquote has quotations related to: Lost Season 1
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lost (television programme).