N. Korea has sharply raised the value of its currency, causing confusion, and a sudden spike in demand in for Chinese yuan and US dollars… From VOA. Full story

This site may contain information about: canton china. For a different topic see best ham recipes. The blog is also related to: dongguan china.

Pindah ke suatu daerah baru, di pastikan harus menyesuaikan dengan kebiasaan dan budaya setempat. Setelah pindah dari ibukota setahun silam, gua masih harus beradaptasi dengan kebiasan di pulau dewata ini. Semuanya berasa seperti SMA lagi, dengan geografi sebagai mata pelajarannya. Living here, like it or not, you’re going have to accustom yourself the the wind directions. North, East, West, and South. and also the mother of the mountains according to Balinese culture, Mt. Agung. While sleeping, one should not direct it’s feet to the holy mountain. It’s a sign of disrespect. Also, while letting dry your under wears on a piece of rope, the height of the rope should not be above one’s head. To avoid black magic spell that is still believed and practiced here in Bali.

When you’re new in Bali, and you find yourself lost in the road, it’s wise to always prepare a compass, since all of the people here based their barrings on wind directions. You would rarely get a right / left directions from the people on the roads. This is something amazing and kind of stressful from time to time. It’s amazing to see how ordinary people can remember and know the wind directions on every part of the island. This is very new, to the likes of me, who was brought up in city like Jakarta. A place where you don’t need know where North or East, because of all the cities landscapes and huge buildings. Living in Jakarta, I can still remember where the Semanggi flyover is and how to get to there from, say, Pulo Gadung Bus terminal. No need to know where North, East, South, West is. But Jakarta has it’s own downside, as to Bali has it’s own upside. The less stressful life in Bali is something money can’t buy. Not even Jakarta’s most glamorous malls.

Hey all, our Aboriginal Art Show held the last weekend in November was a huge success with over 50 paintings sold and a wide range of visitors (some international) who came along to appreciate what David Dunn has achieved. World history was in the making with David’s unique style of painting along with the amalgamation of Aboriginal and Gay & Lesbian themes in his new works.

To view his artworks just click here

Original art by David Dunn

Workers with one of the derailed carriages of the Nevsky Express

At 09:34pm Moscow time,  Friday November 27, a bomb equivalent to 7kg of TNT detonated on rail tracks near the town of Bologoye, Russia, as the Nevsky Express train carried 661 passengers between Moscow and St Petersburg.

The blast derailed 4 carriages of the luxury express train, and killed over two dozen people. Russian authorities later fixed the figure at 26 fatalities, with 95 injured.

After the confusion subsided, Russian Railways Chief Vladimir Yakunin confirmed that two explosive devices had been planted under the tracks. The second one detonated at 2pm Moscow time on Saturday 28 November without injuring anyone.

But who had detonated the bomb and caused such a large loss of life, and why had this train been targeted?

The second question may prove easier to answer than the first. The Nevsky Express is one of the most luxuriant trains in all of Russia, and can cover the 650km between Moscow and St Petersburg in only four hours.

It is the preferred method of transport for government officials and some have been named as among the dead, including the head of the Federal Reserve Agency and the deputy head of the Fishing Agency. It’s clear the bombers were targetting specific people, not just ordinary Russian citizens.

So who perpetrated the act?

The fact that there were two planned detonations may give a clue. Terrorist cells from the North Caucasus, Chechnya and Ingushetia especially, use the “double-blast” technique to cause maximum casualties on those investigating the effects of the original blast.

The blast was almost identical to one on the same line in 2007 and similar to earlier incidents, suggesting it is part of a concerted, long-term strategy of terror.

There is, nominally, peace in Chechnya under the pro-Kremlin President Kadyrov (read my previous blog on it here), but militant groups are still active, albeit within the confines of the Caucasus mainly, and Ingushetia is still going through a vicious cycle of violence.

However, there are also theories that far-right extremist groups are to blame, with there being one unverified claim of responsibility from a neo-nazi group opposed to immigration.

Russian police have, however, released a photo ID of someone they suspect, who is believed to be Pavel Kosolapov, a former associate of ex-Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev.

If, as expected, the Kremlin points the finger at the separatists of the North Caucasus, don’t expect Chechnya to be out of the news for too much longer.

Martin’s favourite game was one that he was confident he would win.

Leeds United versus Liverpool (1974 Charity Shield), Wembley Stadium, Wembley, Brent, HA9

It only had two players, so the odds of winning were quite favourable.

Wembley Stadium (2009), Wembley, Brent, HA9

Being a portly man nearing his early sixties, the game avoided any physical output and relied more on mental acrobatics.

Wembley Stadium (2009), Wembley, Brent, HA9

It had no name and only he knew the rules.

f/5.6, ISO 200, 11 exposures, 33 minutes starting at 6:45 pm

And so my search for stars continued this weekend when hubby and I took a trip out of the city to my family’s cottage in the wine country. Whenever I visit the country I seek out new spots to shoot the sky. This always proves more challenging than I anticipate…hills and trees in this area conceal much of the sky, and the fields are guarded private property.

While scouting around the area we noticed that the gates to a normally locked-up vineyard, Williams Selyem, were wide open. It is the only place I could find with a clear view of north, but I’m nervous to tresspass in these vineyards. I wandered inside and got permission from a very nice man who said it was no problem at all to find myself a spot and return for a night shoot, as long as I showed him the pic after   So here ya go! Hope you like it

I would have preferred to have shot later, but I was being rushed by family. lol. The sky and moon were so bright so I chose short exposure times and blended.

I suspect they do.

Let me backtrack and explain.  As I’ve mentioned before, I have an absolutely atrocious sense of direction.  This applies not only to real life but in game worlds as well, and I am constantly finding myself confused, mixed up and turned around.  The mini-map is my constant companion.  Even that, however, can lead to confusion for me as I discovered while playing Fallen Earth today.  My mental model of a particular town has it facing entirely the opposite direction than it really does in the game (I’m somehow convinced that the southern gate is really facing north), and so walking around the town while looking at the mini-map is extremely disorienting.  I realized that this was in fact part of a larger pattern about how I create mental models of places.  The parallel case I found was the town I currently live in – my mental model has my school north of my apartment when really it is east.  What’s the connection between these two?  When I first spawned in the town in Fallen Earth, I was on the northern part and so walked south to get to the main part of town.  This means that the first time I walked around the town, the direction I walked somehow got set to “north” in my mental model.  The same thing happened with the real town where I live – the school was the first thing I walked to and so now I’m stuck thinking it’s north when it’s really east.

So somehow, when I enter a new place, the first direction that I walk in gets set to “north” in my mental schema of the local geography.  For me, the perfect MMO town would be one where the first direction I am asked to go in is in fact north.  While I don’t know that many – or any – people share my particular direction bias here I think it would make an absolutely fascinating study to see what biases do exist in the general population.  Geography is so central to the sense of “worldness” in MMOs that it would be beneficial to know as much as we can about this type of thing.  Does anyone know of research or articles about cognitive biases with the cardinal directions?

In the north, winter preparation is critical for everyone.  We put up wood to keep our house warm.  Now, we need to help our honey bees keep their house warm, too.    

There are various opinions held by experienced bee keepers regarding proper winter hive preparation.  Choosing the most effective method is somewhat confounding to novice bee keepers,  such as ourselves. 

Most bee keepers, though not all, wrap their hives in tar paper.  This protects from wind, and has the added benefit of attracting solar heat.  In addition, some sort of insulating material under the top cover of the hive is essential.  The trick is to use a porous material, so that condensation, which develops when the warmth the bees produce comes into contact with the cool walls of the hive, is absorbed and doesn’t drip down onto the bee cluster and freeze.  A bee popsicle is undesirable on every level.

Among the materials suitable for insulation are ceiling tiles, burlap, and homosote (whatever that is).  We are leaning toward using a material popular with old timers: newspaper.

Naturally, we want the bees to have an interesting winter hiatus.  We will use the Sunday edition of  The New York Times.  It is thick, therefore, practical, with the added benefit of a full range of news.

I purused today’s paper with an eye toward what the bees might find interesting.   Perhaps it is because it is a Holiday weekend, but it didn’t seem like the best news day. 

Tiger Woods ran over a fire hydrant and cracked his car into a tree.  Speculation abounds as to what really happened.   Allegedly, his wife heard the accident, raced outside, and used a golf club to break the window of the car.  She then pulled him out and called for help.  Some suspicious minds believe that she actually used the golf club, in the spirit of Lizzie Borden, to whack him a few times.  He fled, but didn’t get far.  This seems implausible, and besides, I don’t think the bees care.  Nor do I, though I wish him well.

There is  a story about a gecko that needed to go the veteranarian for an enema.  $500! 

Apparently Madonna is dating a 22 year old stud muffin from Brazil.  He is a model, and recently became a DJ, too.  He has DJ’d two gigs, earning a whopping $15,000 for just one night’s work.  Several column inches were taken up musing about whether his first name, Jesus, is pronounced, “Hay-soos” or “Gee-zus”.   Whatever.  The bees would find this tedious–though they do like to dance.

Of course, there is a lot of buzz about the interlopers who crashed the White House party.  Now, incredibly, they are attempting to sell thier story for hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Yoohoo, Weirdos:  We already know your stupid story!  Hay-soos!

Now that I think about it, maybe I’ll research what homosote is. . .

Just as the cold Northerly winds hit the UK, my new North Ice sails finally arrive.

I had to wait for a delivery from Austria, Nik Baker is the distributor in UK http://www.k66.org.uk/ , I ordered mine from Robin Hood Watersports http://www.roho.co.uk/ , who provided an excellent service.

I have not used them on the water yet, but rigged one up in the garden to try out the VTS (visual trim system), anything that takes the guesswork out of rigging has got to be welcome.  The following picture is the complete North Rig out of the box with Silver series boom and RDM mast plus Power XT RDM extension.  (Notice the colourful sheets underneath because I did not want to get the rig wet / dirty – sad I know!)

The ratchet handle on the Power XT RDM extension makes down hauling a breeze:

Now the VTS system, Just keep tensioning the downhaul until the sail becomes loose to the chosen mark (min for less wind or max for when its windier):

Setting the boom height, there is a guide to tell you the boom length for the height:

Now pick the clew position (min for less wind, or max for when its windier):

Finally, there is even a guide to position the harness lines:

Simples … can’t wait for warmer South Westerly’s to give them a try!

Read an early review here:

http://purewindsurfing.blogspot.com/2009/11/2010-northsails-ice-review.html

The flag is clearly visible on Google Earth, even at a relatively high altitude

It isn’t easy to get too involved in the political life of Cyprus, especially as a recently arrived visitor. Every argument has a counter, and every historical grievance has antecedents on an island that has been so strategic for so many empires … including, historically, one’s own. But some things can’t really be avoided – if only because they keep cropping up in your photographs.

Point your camera north from any high ground in the capital, and there’s a strong chance that you’ll get a Turkish flag in the shot. Clearly visible on the Kyrenia Mountains, in the Turkish-occupied northern part of the island, is the giant flag seen at right, in the image.

At night, the section on the left (“proud to be Turkish”) is illuminated in flashing lights.

This is propaganda on a rub-it-in-their faces scale, celebrating the 1974 occupation of the north by Turkey. They’d say it was protecting the Turkish-Cypriot population after a coup by Greek Cypriots; the south (and most of the rest of the world) consider it an illegal invasion that has left thousands of Greek Cypriots displaced from their homes for a generation, tens of thousands of Turks imported into the north of the island, and Nicosia the last divided capital in the world.

Getting nearer to the controversial flag

All that aside, the scale of this effort to brand the geography of the north with the Turkish flag is extraordinary. It’s visible on Google Earth, the source of the top image (once you find the flag and zoom out, you can still clearly see its location while most of the island’s outline is visible). It’s visible from across the great plain that makes up the centre of the island, and it’s increasingly visible as you head north.

per non dire che giuridicamente l’aggettivo giusto è vessatorio)Il Sindaco fa benissimo ad indignarsi, dovrebbe ringraziare e dare anche la buona uscita’Il modello multinazionale si rivela disumano e fallimentare e questa crisi e questa situazione lo dimostrano.Di gran lunga il modello nord est si rivela molto più attento alla persona, al capitale umano, che evidentemente consideri un mero capitolo di bilancio.Io non lancio accuse, constato che dopo aver ampliato quella che era semplicemente una stalla oggi ci ritroviamo con l’ennesimo capannone vuoto; qualcuno voleva pure un accesso diretto alla feltrina, visto l’epilogo si sarebbe creato un mostro urbanistico.Non merita alcuna comprensione una società che pur con utili stratosferici, fa una scelta simile con le modalità con cui è stata posta( cioè irrevocabilmente e degne di un blitz).

sono un cittadino di Pederobba leggo qualche pagina alcuni commenti accusatori e contro il sindaco del mio paese.Conosco il territorio, il sindaco e anche la storia che ha l’area su cui sorge il capannone che ospita North Face .mi rammarica che qualcuno possa esprimere giudizi così ingiustificati contro il sindaco di Pederobba non è certo lui a lasciare sulla strada più di cento persone (le notizie dicono che l’azienda pensa di portare 40 dipendenti in sivzzera e gli altri”)Semmai sarebbe da deprecare e bollare come ipocrita chi ottendo tempo addietro di convertire una semplice stalla, in un capannone industirale , con la promessa di assumere 400 500 persone ha naturalmente non rispettato gli accordi e speculato.La north face dice che ha pronti bonus e aggevolazioni per protare i lavoratori in Sivzzera.

(Vedi la insospettabile India) commento inviato il 26-11-2009 alle 17:48 da LDB @TOP ovver UNBRAINSTORMING Capisco il tuo “strabigliarti” difronte al mio ragionamento, ma proprio su questo puntano i “grandi manovratori” (apoliticamente parlando) e cioè sul fatto che la normalità delle persone arriva ad intuire mediamente non più di 2/3 mosse, e non l’esito di una lunga e complessa strategia (effettivamente non siamo dei Kasparov).La cosa ancora meno intuibile nello svolgersi della strategia stessa è il “movente” della sua elaborazione e ti assicuro che quando lo stesso si rivela nella maggior parte dei casi delude.Segnalo che mentre noi ci lamentiamo, in tutto il territorio Veneto, le delegazioni SVizzere radunano piccoli e medi imprenditori in assemblee per convincerli a lasciare l’Italia.Secondo Voi perchè lo fanno”’

Essendo una persona “informata” dei fatti,voglio dare il mio contributo.Le ipotesi riportate circa i motivi del trasferimento sono fuorvianti.Si parte da una premessa errata e cioè che tutti i dipendenti riceveranno l’offerta di trasferirsi.L’azienda ha già comunicato ai suoi lavoratori che solo per una parte di essi vi sarà questa opportunità.Anzi in maniera molto furba (probabilmente per frantumare il fronte sindacale) ha già iniziato dei contatti informali.Ma a questa conclusione ci si potrebbe arrivare anche senza conoscere i fatti.Che convenienza ci sarebbe a spostare 160 dipendenti in Svizzera,sapendo che in quel paese visti gli stipendi medi,li si dovrebbe pagare almeno il triplo rispetto adesso’Da questo deriva che l’operazione è concepita allo scopo di comprimere il costo del personale.La maggior parte sarà messo in cassa integrazione,un’altra parte non accetterà l’offerta di spostarsi per problemi personali (esempio marito o moglie con lavoro che non può trasferirsi);per gli altri che accetteranno l’offerta auguro buona fortuna.Infatti ricordo che in Svizzera vige la libertà di licenziamento previo indennizzo.Nulla vieta che un domani si decidano ulteriori sforbiciate.Infine voglio dire che l’azienda ha una grave presunzione,e cioè che la crescita miracolosa del suo fatturato negli anni sia stata merito solo del prodotto.Con il trasferimento a Lugano non si chiudono gli uffici di Pederobba,si chiude la The North Face.Vedasi fatturato dei marchi già a Lugano.

Fonte:
http://www.gazzettino.it/articolo.php?id=81722&sez=NORDEST

BEIJING – China has executed two men for abducting and selling 15 children, many of whom were taken as babies or toddlers and have not yet been reunited with their parents, state media said Friday.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Hu Minghua, 55, and Su Binde, 27, were executed Thursday morning, according to a statement from the Supreme People’s Court.

Hu was convicted of kidnapping and selling nine children from April 1999 to Oct. 2005. He was detained in January 2006. Five of the children, all boys now aged from 3 to 6, have been returned to their families, while the parents of the remaining ones have not been found.

Su was convicted of abducting six children between Sept. 2005 to July 2006. Five of the children were rescued by police while a sixth remains missing.

Child trafficking is big problem in China, where traditional preference for male heirs and a restrictive one-child policy has driven a thriving market in baby boys, who fetch a considerably higher price than girls. Girls and women also are abducted and often used as laborers or as brides for unwed sons.

Thousands of children go missing every year though the exact numbers of victims are difficult to obtain. Earlier this year, Chinese police announced they had rescued about 2,000 abducted children as part of a nationwide crackdown on widespread trafficking of women and children.

In October, China’s Ministry of Public Security set up a Web site — “Babies Looking for Home” — to reunite rescued children with their families.

State media have reported hundreds of rescues and arrests since the campaign began in April, and the new site had photos of dozens of children rescued from kidnappers but who had not yet found their families. The ministry set up a national DNA database earlier this year.

Published by: ABP World Group International Child Recovery Service

Visit our web site at: www.abpworld.com

by Jeremy D. Morley

Here are some tips for attorneys and clients faced with instituting or defending child abduction proceedings under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, whether in the United States or internationally.

In a nutshell, a Hague Convention application may be made when a child is taken or retained across an international border, away from his or her habitual residence, without the consent of a parent who has rights of custody, if the two countries are parties to the Convention. The child must be promptly returned to the habitual residence unless the return will create a grave risk of harm to the child.

1. ACT FAST

An attorney must be ready to file a Hague Convention application and institute or defend a Hague Convention lawsuit on extremely short notice.

Prompt action may be critical. The Convention specifically requires that hearings be conducted expeditiously. A Hague case can theoretically be instituted more than a year after the abduction but a defense will then arise that the child has become settled in the new environment and, in practice, the longer a child is in a new place the more likely it is that a court will be reluctant to send the child away.

Fast action by the left-behind parent is also necessary to help prevent a claim that the parent has acquiesced in the child’s relocation.

Clients must move quickly to obtain the documents needed to file the initial application and then to collect the documents needed for the hearing. They should normally be asked to prepare a detailed family history and to assist the attorney to develop evidence as rapidly as possible.

In addition to the Hague application and lawsuit itself, counsel for the left-behind parent should take many other steps.

First, counsel should enlist the support of the U.S. State Department’s Office of Children’s Issues. Second, the left-behind parent should institute civil proceedings. If there is no custody order in place from a court in the jurisdiction of the habitual residence, an application should immediately be made for such an order.

Third, counsel should consider putting the abducting parent on immediate written and formal notice of the dire consequences, civil, criminal and financial, that the abduction will cause to that parent personally, and, possibly to others conspiring with the parent. It may be appropriate to provide an extremely short time for the abducting parent to cure the problem by returning the child.

Fourth, the parent should consider requesting the federal and state prosecutors to institute both federal and state criminal proceedings. The federal crime of international parental kidnapping is a felony with a penalty of up to three years in prison. In addition, many states including New York have provisions that also provide criminal penalties for parental child abduction. It will occasionally be possible to seek extradition based on a federal warrant.

2. PREPARE THE FACTUAL PRESENTATION INTENSELY

Hague Convention cases are often extremely fact-intensive. They frequently hinge on the ability of one party to convince the court of matters such as the habitual residence of a child, the extent to which a parent actually exercised custody rights and whether or not a parent consented to or acquiesced in a new residency. For a court to resolve these matters it must analyze the relevant facts.

A successful Hague proceeding requires the attorney, working closely with the client, to marshal as much evidence as possible, in as many forms as possible, to support the client’s position.

Clients are frequently shocked that matters that to them are obvious and indisputable turn out to be disputed and to require them to produce clear and convincing proof. They may well be insulted that their word alone is insufficient to convince the court that they are truthful and that the other parent is lying.

In one case, the parents had moved permanently with their young child from the mother’s native country to the U.S. Two years later, the mother took the child back to her country for a vacation and then refused to return to the States. In supporting her claim that the child was never habitually resident in the States she claimed that the original move to America had been only temporary and that she and the father had agreed that they would return to the mother’s native country after a year or two. The mother had planned the move well in advance and had amassed — and even created — evidence that tended to support her claims. Additionally, she had removed evidence from the parties’ home that would have disproved her claims.

To win the case, we interviewed neighbors, friends, family members, schoolteachers, real estate salespeople, fellow office workers and an array of other people who had had some connection with the family. We checked into any and all areas of the mother’s life for anything that might indicate her intention to stay in the States. We obtained emails, notes, invoices, and other documents. We searched old household bills for evidence of the purchase of items that inferred a degree of permanency. At the hearing, the mother was shocked that her husband had collected so much written evidence to disprove her claims and undercut her credibility. The courts ultimately — and with great reluctance, since they were going against a local national — found in favor of our client.

Since Hague cases are tried quickly, there is usually only one chance to present the case and it needs to be done well at the very outset. An attorney must embark on a quick campaign of collecting mounds of relevant evidence to support the client’s positions, and must expect the other parent to lie, cheat, and distort the facts in a desperate attempt to avoid losing the case.

Just as a current military strategy is to employ overwhelming force to create shock and awe, so too in a Hague Convention case it is often advisable to use overwhelming amounts of evidence to win the case. Such a campaign in a Hague proceeding may yield a capitulation by the other parent even before the hearing actually commences.

Hague Convention hearings sometimes take the form of “he said, she said” disputes in which each side makes verbal accusations against the other. Documentary evidence is usually far better than the mere word of one parent. Thus, if you want to claim that a parent applied for an immigration visa, you must be prepared to do more than simply have the parent tell the court that this was done. You should do whatever you can to get hold of the actual application papers that the parent signed in applying for the visa, which may mean contacting the lawyer who handled the immigration matter originally.

While it is helpful if documents are supported by sworn statements, it is not essential. Both the Convention and the International Child Abduction Remedies Act (“ICARA”) provide that authentication of documents is not required in a Convention proceeding.

3. PREPARE THE LEGAL ARGUMENT INTENSELY

Hague Convention cases raise unusual international law, foreign law and treaty law questions. They involve the courts in matters of a kind that they are usually not used to handling. In many jurisdictions the court may be entirely unfamiliar with Hague cases. Accordingly it is usually essential for the lawyers to help the court to an unusual extent. Certainly a well-reasoned memorandum of law is essential.

The matters in dispute in most Hague cases raise difficult legal issues that must be thoroughly briefed. Thus, the Convention requires the left-behind parent to establish that the child was taken from the “habitual residence” and that the parent had “rights of custody” under the law of that jurisdiction. However, neither of those fundamental terms is defined in the Convention and substantial jurisprudence has grown domestically and internationally setting forth often-contradictory determinations concerning their scope and meaning. Moreover, courts have held that, while they must determine under international law whether the left-behind parent possesses Hague Convention “custody rights,” they must first examine the law of the child’s habitual residence in order to ascertain the extent of the rights that such parent possesses under that law. In this regard, it is often essential to use foreign law experts to establish the existence and scope of such rights.

A Hague Convention attorney may ” and should ” cite cases not only from the domestic jurisdiction but also from other jurisdictions if they support the client’s position. It has become more usual to cite cases from other jurisdictions in this area of the law than perhaps in any other. Courts around the world recognize that it is best to coordinate their decisions with those of other courts internationally and, for that very reason, the Hague Conference on Private International Law has established a database of significant Hague cases from courts around the world.

4. AVOID BEST INTERESTS ANALYSIS

In representing the left-behind parent in a Hague proceeding, it is necessary to keep the court focused on the narrow issues that the Convention requires an applicant to establish and the narrow defenses that a respondent can assert. Whenever the hearing strays into any areas that might be considered as constituting an analysis of the child’s best interests, the applicant should vehemently object.

However, a party opposing a return should do his or her utmost to assert any and all relevant issues under the rubric of one of the defenses specified in the Convention and should be armed with case law to establish that similar claims were permitted in other cases.

5. BE FLEXIBLE CONCERNING EVIDENCE

In Hague cases evidence rules are usually relaxed, so evidence should be submitted in any possible format. Live testimony is invariably the best and normally everything should be done to get the left-behind parent into the courtroom. (An exception is if that parent would be a poor witness and his or her presence would create an opportunity for embarrassing cross-examination). If a witness cannot be brought to the courthouse, consider testimony by video conferencing or otherwise by telephone conference. As a last resort, submit affidavits.

6. USE AN EXPERIENCED ATTORNEY: IF THAT’S NOT YOU, FIND SOMEONE WHO IS

Hague Convention cases happen too fast, and too much is at stake for the client, for an attorney to learn about this area of law at the last minute. It is extremely important to locate counsel with knowledge and experience in Hague proceedings.

Published by: ABP World Group International Child Recovery Service

Visit our web site at: www.abpworld.com

Many left-behind parents are told that the Hague Convention will bring about the return of their abducted children. Some authorities say that if your child is abducted, you should follow procedures outlined by the Hague, but we don’t agree.

Until 1980, there was no international system in place to help parents recover abducted children who had been taken to other nations. The Hague Convention attempted to create one, but it doesn’t work. If you take the time to read the well-intentioned text of the Hague, you’ll see its many flaws.

In our opinion, it’s not worth the large amounts of money, time and trouble to hire an attorney to try using the Hague Convention to get your child back. You aren’t likely to get him or her back — and even worse, the abducting parent could be “legitimized” by the courts in another nation.

Under the Hague Convention, a case must be filed in the country where the abductor has taken the child. The courts of that country tend to render their decisions in favor of their countrymen, as the Hague Convention focuses on residency, not citizenship. There is little concern for the fact that the child is a citizen of the country from which he or she was abducted, or for the possible detrimental effect on the child.

Even if the child was born in your country, if that child is found to be a “habitual resident” by the courts in another country, the child may be ordered to be returned to that country.

This underscores the need to act quickly.

Few, if any, of the Hague signatory countries are going to send anyone out to physically recover your child for you. Embassy officials will check on the child’s welfare, if it is known where the child is and if the abducting parent lets them.

As soon as abducting parents are aware that that they’ve been located, they’ll usually disappear with the children again.

And about hiring lawyers

You need to be aware that a great amount of money has been spent on lawyers in foreign abduction cases. The unfortunate fact is that they, most often, can’t practice in the foreign courts and are required to hire associate lawyers in the foreign country.

Note: they often have no qualifications or experience working with child abduction cases.

More money…

Educate yourself

Many resources are available to help you learn about parental child abduction. If you’re dealing with an abduction, the better informed you are, the better equipped you’ll be to cope.

Recover your child

Time is of the essence. Parentally abducted children are helpless on their own and confused by the irrational and sometimes abusive acts of non-custodial parents who are supposed to have their best interests in mind. ABP World Group Ltd. has the manpower and the know-how to rigorously cover all avenues, and bring your child home.

Published by: ABP World Group International Child Recovery Service

Visit our web site at: www.abpworld.com

They also demand China stop forcibly repatriating refugees to North Korea, where they could face execution… From VOA. Full story

This site may contain information about: china environment. The blog is also related to: population in china.

Les couloirs s’autoalimentent autour de North. S’enroulent comme des serpents autour de sa taille. Pénètrent son cœur et entaillent ses ventricules. Les anguilles dégagent leur électricité. Seul, les méandres sont pour lui. Il avale les bruits, les lumières crues, les pharmacopées de l’hubris. Jusqu’au passage des fleuves.

We Build Solutions Inc.

With the new tax credit available for Canadians I thought I might have to jump on the band wagon. So far, 2 of my girlfriends have taken advantage of this credit and then I thought, well why shouldn’t I? They gave me a business card for We Build Solutions Inc. I spoke to one of the employees and he explained to me how they could help me. Basically, they would do everything for me as far as contacting contractors, finding resources and making sure that my vision comes to reality. I guess you could call them the middlemen or like a wedding planner’s role in helping to plan a wedding. However, this has to do with house renovations.

Well, I’m happy to say that they did a wonderful job with my bathroom reno. AMAZING!!! And I managed to stay on budget which is even more amazing.

Their office is based out of Vancouver. And I just wanted to rave about this company as they saved me time from googling random contractors from the internet.
Check out my before and after pics:

Before & After Washroom

This is a repost from my other blog.

I’m sure you’ve all seen these markings on either sidewalks or raodways and wondered WTF are these?  They are often seen in different colors but the more prominant ones are; Red, Yellow, Blue, Green and often inside a marked area in White.  The paint itself is not permanent and will eventually fade.

Each color identifies a utility; Electrical, Gas, Potable Water, Sewer/Storm line respectively.  Most people who mark are minimalists and some get real technical using industry abbrev. that identify material, size and even depth.  Pretty straight forward stuff for excavation work.  So that “Joe Dirt” doesn’t sever your power, water and poop water.   Leaving you a caveman/woman/family for several hours eating cold Ligo sardines and rice, which is pretty damn tasty.

The industry mantra is “Call before you dig” meaning all proposed excavations must be called into USA North, a third party that sends out notifications to agencies and operators of a proposed project.  Each operator/agency is required to locate and mark their particular utility within the proposed work area marked in white with the words USA.  Mark’em if you gottem! 

Obviously roadways and sidewalks can get pretty colorful if it’s a large project, which can really piss off some of the residents in my municipality.  Often times they don’t care to know what they are for, despite every attempt to explain their importance, so their services won’t be affected by “Joe Dirt” wanking on the heavy equipment joystick.  “I don’t like how it looks”, “can’t you use a more subdued color that matches the roadway?”, how long will I have to look at it?”, I have visitors coming from out of town and this is not acceptable”, “can’t you write smaller?” “I’m calling the police as I consider this graffiti, what is your name?”…Donald “effen” Duck ma’m. O_o

Graffiti you say!? I may just have to keep practicing  my handstyle.  Montana paint, anyone?

Hey guys!

How’re you doing?

Hope all of you are doing fine!

Today I took my two last exams at school and went to North Vancouver for my graduation picture.

We’re in the changing room, taking some random shots while waiting for our turn:::

That’s all for now!   Hope you like it

Anyway, as usual, I’m gonna start posting new stuffs since my exam is over.

So, keep on visiting my blog!  There’ll be lots of new stuffs ^^

Take care always~

♥

Abbie

Here are Ways #s 4 and 5 from the last post which promised you 5 Ways to Be More Great-full (Boost Your Gratitude Attitude)…

#4: FAMILY (or couple’s) GRATITUDE BOOK
We just spent a very pleasant hour doing this great art & writing interactive project. So simple and yet so meaningful and fun! Quality family time!

We do not watch television, nor do our children. We are dedicated to parenting consciously and strive to support a vibration of love in our household. Yet, given that my husband and I are both entrepreneurs, with seven businesses between the two of us, and given that our children are still quite young, we know how important and sometimes challenging it can be to come up ideas (not to mention time, energy and materials) for positive family experiences.

I myself am about the least craftsy person you will ever meet and can draw a stick figure on a good day! So believe me when I tell you: Yes, you CAN do this project, and probably with what’s already available in your home. It really ranks high on simple, high on fun, high on memorable, and low on expense. (I can NEVER do those Origami things, puuleeeeeazzze, can we talk?)

Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time to do this Family Gratitude Book…but of course so is any day that ends in “y.” Monday, Tuesday…. Enjoy!

Materials:

All you need is:

Some blank paper (we used printer or copy paper, white)

Construction paper

Ribbon or brass brads to secure the book

Markers, pencils, hole punch and/or scissors

Optional: Stickers, stamps, other art supplies, scrapbook, photos

Definitely: A little bit of time and lots of love!

We started by making a brainstormed list of everything we are grateful for. You can do this any way you like; follow your own creative impulses & inspiration. We have four family members, so I decided to color code what we wrote on this collective page or you could just all write and draw without attributing who said/drew what, or make a chart, have sections of the page, etc. The things my 6-year-old called out first were written in yellow, my 10-year-old chose blue, I picked purple and my husband green. We made a color key on the page and wrote and drew various things we are thankful for: Our dog came first, followed by a lovely torrent such as family and friends, food, a good home, music, the Earth, music, health, God, life and so on.

Then I gave each family member a separate page on which to do whatever they like, the only requirement being that whatever is on the page relates to or represents what they are thankful for. We stuck in some more blank pages, so we can add more later as we are inspired.

The kids each got to pick a color for the front and back covers. The older did the words, the younger did the drawings. We punched holes, added brads, all signed the masterpiece and voila! A Family Gratitude Book.

Not only a wonderful way to spend part of our Thanksgiving Day, but a precious keepsake, and, I trust, a new family tradition as well. We will be sharing this book with family all weekend long and inviting them to add to it as well. And of course, it can be done any day! Every day bears its own gifts if we just open the package.

Today we focused mainly on what we are thankful for in our current lives (now), but we could also include wonderful memories (past) and gratitude for all the blessings on the way! (future)

Alternative for Couples: You can also do this as a Couple’s Gratitude Book or Journal, a beautiful way to show appreciation and deepen connection. So few marriages last or are happy, as we all know, and I am blessed to have a deliriously, deLIGHTfully ecstatic marriage, 12 years strong and better every day. One of the reasons is of course, the selection of the right mate; but in order to do so, we had to do the necessary self-healing and inner preparation to bring whole, healthy individuals to the relationship. Much of this work is presented in my book: The Radical Self-Love Workbook. But it is also essential to nurture even the best of relationships, and my husband and I do so daily in many creative ways such as this.

More tips on love and relationships are at

www.LoveandSpirit.org

and at my love blog: loveandspiritblog.wordpress.com.

Whether you do the Gratitude Book as a homemade book like we did today, like a scrapbook or journal, and whether you do it as a family activity or a couple’s relationship-enhancer, it will help you see your life through the eyes of love and gratitude, and bring you even closer with those you love. Enjoy! And I welcome you to send me a comment or email to share your experience.

#5: Honor the 4 Directions and 4 Sacred Elements:

Earth, Air, Fire, Water

You do not have to be Native American to appreciate one of their traditions, which is to honor the Medicine Wheel, facing each of the four directions, thanking each one for their gifts. This is also a tradition in all indigenous cultures including pre-Christian Europe (a.k.a. Wicca, Druidry, paganism, et al.), Africa, Australia, Hawaii and South America.

In fact, if you scratch the surface beneath contemporary religions on any part of the Earth, you will find an ancient shamanic tradition that honors all the directions and all of nature as sacred.

All things follow this cycle of birth, growth, fruition and quietude, whether we are looking at seasons, a lifespan, a day, or a garden. The beauty of Medicine Wheel ceremony and the paradigm itself is that it can be applied to our lives in so many ways.

So how do you honor the directions and elements, to give thanks for what they give to us so generously? Here are a few ideas:

* Altar: Create an altar to each direction or a Medicine Wheel altar encompassing all the directions/elements. This can be in your home or outside. My husband specializes in creating Medicine Wheels as a sacred practice on the land, and has helped others to do this as well.

* Cherokee Dance of Life – You would need to learn this in person from someone who has learned it, oral tradition. This is an incredible moving meditation to all 4 directions, peoples, and elements which also honors Mother Earth and Father Sky, balances their energies as sacred partners in our hearts, and helps us give away the gifts of Spirit that are our special medicine to share with the world through our right work and service. Occasionally my husband and I share this Dance with our community. If you live near Sacramento, and would like to experience this dance, let us know so we can invite you. Or perhaps Spirit will guide you to another teacher of this beautiful tradition.

* Drum, chant, play flute to each direction

* Give offerings such as cornmeal, tobacco or sage smoke to each direction

* Speak aloud from your heart to each direction and give thanks

* Sweat lodge

* Vision quest

If you do either sweat lodge or vision quest, please do so with the guidance of a Native elder to be sure you do it properly and safely.

* Journal or journey (shamanic meditation) to discover what power animals comprise your personal Medicine Wheel of your own energy field. I love to lead these meditations when I am called to do so. Honoring your own inner Medicine Wheel supports a strong aura and keeps you connected to your spirit guides, if this resonates for you.

Associations with Each Direction

Depending on which culture or even which tribe you consult, there are somewhat different associations with the directions, colors, elements and meanings, the medicine or power that direction helps us receive and embody. The one I am most familiar with follows but this is not dogma, merely a summary of what I have found to be the more universal associations. Follow your own heart and work with any spiritual practice in the way that resonates for your own heart and inner truth.

While I have a small amount of native blood, I was adopted and was not raised in that tradition. I discovered shamanism after my initiation and spiritual awakening 15 years ago. I do not claim to be a tribal elder or teacher of any one tradition. I am an interfaith minister, meditation teacher, hypnotherapist, energy healer and intuitive life coach. I have been on the path of Spirit, studying, practicing and sharing healing and wisdom teachings from many cultures for several decades, so I offer here a simplified summary as a starting point for your discovery journey. You would do well to study more in depth with a local teacher steeped in the particular tradition that calls to your spirit, and of course feel free to research further on the Web, in books, classes, and listen to your own inner guidance. I always say the best way to pray, do ceremony or ritual is the way that feels best to you, with harm to none, of course. But we do need to honor the specific traditions so they are not all diluted through multiculturalism.

From the East we have the yellow people (Asia) and the gift of Air, Brother Wind, clarity of vision, inspiration, the new day, new beginnings, establishment of purpose and intention, and springtime.

From South, we receive the wisdom of the black people (Africa), Fire. The tools, strength, perseverance and energy to follow through and manifest, midday/ noon, summer, also humor and passion, innocence and trust.

The West gives us the culture of the Red people (such as Native Americans), the setting sun, Water, emotions, the fall season, self-evaluation toward completion, looks-within time, peace, rest and healing.

And the North represents the White (European) people and all their cultural gift. The sacred mountain, winter, midnight, time to slow down, go within and be still to receive guidance for what comes next. Completion, what you keep from the past cycle and all that you have accomplished and learned. It is also associated with the Spirit and wisdom.

Note: You can also honor the other 3 directions: Earth (below), Sky (above) and Center (within).

I hope you enjoyed these five creative ways to give thanks and I wish you abundant blessings on your journey!

Finally, in the spirit of Sufi mystic poet Rumi, I invite you to kiss the ground. Blow kisses to the sky. Bow to everything. Everything is sacred.

With Love,

Sage

More resources for your path, including free special reports on abundance, love, transformational classes, soul and energy healing sessions, intuitive readings, matchmaking and more are at:

www.LoveandSpirit.org

Taylor@LoveandSpirit.org

“Let the beauty we love be what we do.

There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”

- Rumi

North Korea has experienced chronic food shortages for about two decades, mainly due to the government’s political isolation and mismanagement. Belts in the North have tightened even further since South Korea’s president stopped sending large amounts of rice…. From VOA. Full story

This site may contain information about: food. The blog is also related to: food.

Yet another picture taken from the car. There are some pretty weird sculptures on the road side heading up the north. I don’t have any idea why there was a bull made of chicken wire here. But the magpie sitting on it didnt seem to mind!