Frontline Systems Launches Analytic Solver V2020: Tool for Analytics-Powered Decision Models in the Microsoft Ecosystem – PR Web

Analytic Solver - Airline Crew Scheduling

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. (PRWEB) January 02, 2020

Frontline Systems, developer of the Solver in desktop Microsoft Excel, has released Analytic Solver V2020, a SaaS (software as a service) cloud and desktop platform that offers Excel-savvy business analysts point-and-click tools to create predictive and prescriptive analytics models themselves, without needing expert data scientists or programmers.

Available now in Microsoft AppSource, Analytic Solver (simulation and optimization) and Analytic Solver Data Mining (forecasting and machine learning) are the only next-generation Office add-ins for analytics models available that work in a browser with Excel for the Web, as well as in desktop Excel for Windows and Macintosh. A companion Windows desktop-only version is also available for download from https://www.solver.com, for users in firms who havent yet upgraded to Office 365 subscription versions.

Creation and Deployment of Decision Models

Analytic Solver V2020 complements RASON V2020, Frontlines JavaScript-embedded analytics modeling language and REST API, that makes model deployment and management easy for users of Microsoft Azure, Dynamics 365, Office 365, and the Power Platform (Power BI for business intelligence, Power Apps for custom applications, and Power Automate for orchestrating business workflows).

Analytic Solver V2020 has been rewritten from the ground up using JavaScript, REST API, Azure and Office 365 technologies, but it inherits the full power and ease of use of Frontline Systems analytics software from over 25 years experience supporting business analysts using these methods in practice.

Other vendors are talking about democratizing analytics through easier to use tools, said Daniel Fylstra, Frontlines President and CEO, but Frontline has been delivering on this vision for years.

User Interface Familiar to Business Users

Analytic Solver V2020 offers a user interface with a Ribbon and drop-down menu choices, a Task Pane for model analysis and navigation, and the full range of Excel features for model building, whether its used in a browser, on Windows, or on Macintosh. All the elements of optimization, simulation/risk analysis, and data mining models are saved in the users Excel workbook, which can be transferred freely between cloud and desktop. Unlike other prescriptive analytics tools, models and their results are fully transparent as Excel spreadsheets, readily understood at all levels of management.

DMN-Compatible Business Rules and Decision Tables

Analytic Solver V2020 (the only Excel-based tool) and RASON V2020 both support creation and editing of business rules in decision tables in a form compatible with the DMN 1.2 open standard and its FEEL (Friendly Enough Expression Language) first published by the OMG (Object Management Group) in 2015, and now a widely used alternative to proprietary business rules languages. Unlike other business rule systems where analytics is only a recent addition, Analytic Solver and RASON were designed from the ground up to use the full power of predictive and prescriptive analytics with business rules, to enable companies to implement analytics-powered decision management with far less time, risk and cost.

Optimization and Simulation/Risk Analysis Enhancements

Analytic Solver V2020 also features speed and functionality enhancements for analytics, even compared to Analytic Solver V2019 which is just six months old. Its built-in LP/Quadratic Solver, used for linear, quadratic (LP/QP) and mixed-integer (MIP) optimization models, is significantly faster and exploits all available processor cores. Its ultra-fast Monte Carlo Simulation engine features 36 new or enhanced probability distribution, statistics and property functions. This release also features new, faster versions of the Gurobi Solver V9.0, with a new ability to solve non-convex quadratic models; the Xpress Solver V35, with a new Solution Refiner, and the Artelys Knitro Solver V12.1, with SOCP and MIP speedups.

Frontline Systems Inc. (https://www.solver.com) is the alternative to analytics complexity, helping business analysts and managers gain insights and make better decisions for an uncertain future, without the cost, delays and risk of big vendor tools. Its products integrate forecasting and data mining for predictive analytics, Monte Carlo simulation and risk analysis, and conventional and stochastic optimization for prescriptive analytics. Founded in 1987, Frontline is based in Incline Village, Nevada (775-831-0300).

Azure, Dynamics, Microsoft Office, Excel, Power BI, Power Apps and Power Automate are trademarks of Microsoft Corp. Gurobi is a trademark of Gurobi Optimization Inc. Xpress is a trademark of FICO Inc. Artelys Knitro is a trademark of Artelys Corp. Analytic Solver and RASON are registered trademarks of Frontline Systems, Inc.

Share article on social media or email:

Original post:

Frontline Systems Launches Analytic Solver V2020: Tool for Analytics-Powered Decision Models in the Microsoft Ecosystem - PR Web

How Alien: Resurrection Brings Ripley Back From the Dead – Screen Rant

After Ripley's onscreen death in Alien 3, the makers of Alien: Resurrection needed to find a way to bring her back, and here's how they did it. While the number of kickass female movie heroes grows every year, one of the pioneers of the art form was Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in the Alien franchise. Ripley didn't start off as a stone cold badass, but she did still manage to defeat the Xenomorph all by herself in the original film, then returned to go bug hunting alongside space marines in Aliens.

Ripley was emotionally damaged by the loss of Newt and Hicks early in Alien 3, but eventually got back into fighting shape, shaving her head and once again taking down Xenomorphs. At the end of Alien 3, though, Ripley opted to take her own life instead of allow the evil Weyland-Yutani corporation to harvest the Xenomorph Queen embryo growing inside of her thanks to a facehugger. It's rare that suicide is the most courageous option, but in this case, it was.

Related: Alien: The Differences Between Theatrical & Director's Cut

With Ripley dead, one assumes the original plan was for 1992's Alien 3 to be the final film in the Ridley Scott-created franchise. Yet, nothing with a following ever stays dead in Hollywood, and 1997 saw the arrival of Alien: Resurrection, written by Joss Whedon before everyone knew who he was. As its subtitle implies, Resurrection needed to drag Ripley out of her grave, and the way Fox went about it proved to be more than a bit strange.

Thankfully, Alien: Resurrection's script doesn't invent some laughable way to somehow undo Ripley's very definitive death in Alien 3. The story does, however, find a way around this hurdle. Instead of bringing back the original Ripley, Alien: Resurrection saw a military scientist conduct DNA cloning experiments to try and make a new Ripley, with the goal of cloning the Xenomorph Queen embryo as well. The version of Ripley viewers follow for the majority of Alien: Resurrection is actually the eighth attempt at cloning Ripley, and while the scientists were able to retrieve the Queen as a baby chestburster, Ripley 8 was also kept alive for further study, which of course backfires later on the bad guys.

This version of Ripley is decidedly different from human Ripley, as defects in the cloning procedure led to Ripley and the Queen's DNA mixing together. Thus, this new Ripley has superhuman strength and speed, and also possesses much of the knowledge and abilities of her old human self. This bonded DNA leads Ripley 8 to have a bizarre relationship with both the Queen that was taken from inside her, and the oddly changed newborn Xenomorph the creature gives birth too. Ripley 8 ends the film by making it back to Earth, but a planned sequel never happened, partially due to Alien: Resurrection not performing well at the box office.

More: Alien's Original Ending Killed Off Ripley

The King of Marvel's Universe is Finally Claiming His Throne

Michael Kennedy is an avid movie and TV fan that's been working for Screen Rant in various capacities since 2014. In that time, Michael has written over 2000 articles for the site, first working solely as a news writer, then later as a senior writer and associate news editor. Most recently, Michael helped launch Screen Rant's new horror section, and is now the lead staff writer when it comes to all things frightening. A FL native, Michael is passionate about pop culture, and earned an AS degree in film production in 2012. He also loves both Marvel and DC movies, and wishes every superhero fan could just get along. When not writing, Michael enjoys going to concerts, taking in live professional wrestling, and debating pop culture. A long-term member of the Screen Rant family, Michael looks forward to continuing on creating new content for the site for many more years to come.

Follow this link:

How Alien: Resurrection Brings Ripley Back From the Dead - Screen Rant

Brydges iPad keyboard with trackpad is coming next month for $200 – The Verge

Brydge will release an iPad keyboard with a built-in trackpad next month, after Apple added support for trackpads to iPadOS back in September. A $199.99 model will be available for the 11-inch iPad Pro and a $229.99 model will be available for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, with both models clasping onto the iPad with a hinge that can fold the devices open and closed like a laptop. Initial preorders will ship in late February, with the rest following a month later.

The keyboard, called the Brydge Pro+, was first revealed in October as part of a lawsuit. Byrdge attempted to sue the creator of another iPad keyboard and trackpad for cloning its hinge design, and it included photos of this in-development keyboard as supporting evidence. The competing keyboard, the Libra, eventually had its hinge design changed in an attempt to avoid the lawsuit. The lawsuit has yet to move forward.

Trackpad support on the iPad is still very limited, and the experience isnt as fluid as you might expect coming from a Mac. But interest still seems to be high: the Libra keyboard received more than $313,000 through crowdfunding and preorders.

In addition to the Brydge Pro+, Brydge is also releasing a standalone trackpad. It doesnt appear to have a name, price, or release date yet, but Brydge did release a mock-up of it it looks roughly like a black version of Apples Magic Trackpad.

Apple began selling Brydges regular iPad keyboards at its stores last month. The keyboards clip onto an iPad and fold shut like a laptop, with the whole package looking a lot like a MacBook Pro.

Read the original:

Brydges iPad keyboard with trackpad is coming next month for $200 - The Verge

Don’t throw food in the trash in Vermont, or ask about salary history in New Jersey. Here are 7 state law changes for 2020 – USA TODAY

A slew of state laws take effect in 2020 ranging from mandatory compostingto child abuse registriesto access to diaper changing stations. One state will even begin banning expiration dates for gift certificates.

A few of the more notable changes:

Food scraps can't goin Vermont landfillsbeginningJuly 1. Residents will have four ways to handle rotten leftovers anditems such aspeels, eggshells, seeds, pits, coffee grounds and oils, according to the state's environmental conservation department.

Vermonters can use a household compost bin, buy a Green Cone solar digester to break down the scraps, feed scraps to pigs or leave it to the composting professionals.Theuniversal recycling lawwillrequiretrucking companies to provide food scrap collection services to nonresidential customers and multi-unit apartment complexes, the Burlington Free Press reported.

Restaurants, supermarkets and cafeteriasmust alsocomply with the law, which is the firststate law of its kind. The state hopes to reach a 60% recycling rate through mandatory composting.

Citing a need to respect human life, Arkansas will not allowpublic funding for human cloning or"destructive embryo research," which the statedefinesas medical procedures or investigations that kill or injure developing humans. ACT 653 also blocks state funds from stem cell research involving embryos, the stage lasting to eight weeks after fertilization.

Under the law effective Jan. 1, no state educational institutions can do human cloning for scientific research, either.It does not block state funds frominvitro fertilization.

Businesses in Washington state will be prohibited from putting expiration dates on gift cards beginning July 1.HB1727 will also prevent gift certificate users from being hit by inactivity or service charges.

However, ifa gift card is part of rewards orloyalty program, itcan still expire. The law will also not apply to gift certificates given to charitable organizations as a donation.

Restaurants, stores and other buildings with public restrooms in Illinois musthave at least one babydiaper changing stationunderHB 3711. Effective Jan. 1, the law requires buildings either have a station in both a women's and men's restroom, or a station in a unisex restroom. Building owners must also display a sign near restroom entrances to show that a sanitary andsafe changing station is inside.

Public buildings in New York must now have changing tables in bathrooms for both genders.(Photo: Wittayayut, Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Diaper duty: John Legend speaks out about why he changes diapers

Exceptions to the law include bars and nightclubs that don't allow minors, as well as cases where adding a station isn't feasible or would prevent people with disabilities from navigating the restroom.

In federal buildings, theBathrooms Accessible in Every Situation (BABIES) act already requires diaper changing stations in men's and women's restrooms. California has a law similar to Illinois, whileNew Yorkrequires stations in new or renovated public restrooms.

At the beginning of the new year, Nevada will joina dozenother states inpreventinginsurers from denying coverage to patients because ofpreexisting conditions. The federal Affordable Care Act currently protectspeople with preexisting conditions from that and higher coverage costs, but the act is facing legal challenges. A federal appeals court struck down a major partof the ACA last week, which could lead to a Supreme Court case.

'Unconstitutional': Federal appeals court strikes down key part of Affordable Care Act

Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak said Nevada'sAB 170will keep health care protections in place if the ACA is eliminated. States with similar protectionsin placefor preexisting conditionsinclude Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington,according to the Commonwealth Fund.

In Georgia, HB 478 will create stricter requirements to list a person on the state's child abuse registry, upping the age from 13 to 18.Previously, the state entered offenders who were minors into the database and didn't remove them until they turned 18,could prove they had been rehabilitated or more than a year passed since the date of the act that prompted the last case.

Effective Jan. 1, the law also updates theprocess to get a name expunged from the state registry. If a judge refuses to remove an offender from the registry after a hearing, the offender can request another three years later.

The state established the registry, which the public cannot view,in 2016. Each year, the state receives about 140,000 reports of child maltreatment, according to theGeorgia Division of Family and Children Services.

Employers cannot screen applicants based ontheir salary history under a New Jersey law effective Jan. 1.AB 1094also prevents hiring managers from requiring that an applicant's salary history falls within a minimum or maximum criteria.

If a worker voluntarily provideshis or her previous salaries, wages or benefits, employers can use the information to determine compensation, however. More than 15 other states, including California, Hawaii and Maine, have similar bans on salary history screening, HR Dive reported.

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/12/26/2020-new-laws-vermont-composting-arkansas-human-cloning/2739880001/

More:

Don't throw food in the trash in Vermont, or ask about salary history in New Jersey. Here are 7 state law changes for 2020 - USA TODAY

Sales Forecasts of Genetically Modified Organisms Market Reveal Positive Outlook Through 2023 – Market Research Sheets

Any organism whose genetic material has been modified using genetic engineering technique in laboratory is referred as genetically modified organism (GMO). Genetic modification of genetic material is practiced for production of specific biological product or for expression of specific physiological traits in an organism. Genetically modified organisms are produced using reproductive cloning and recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) technology. Transfer of entire donor nucleus into enucleated cytoplasm of host egg result in an offspring which is identical to its parent. Reproductive cloning generates offspring. While on the other hand, recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) technology involves insertion of multiple genes from an individual of one species into deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of another species. The first animal produced using reproductive cloning technique was a sheep named Dolly in 1996. Since then, many animals such as pigs, dogs and horses, have been generated using reproductive cloning technique.

Genetically modified organisms marketinvolves ethical issues and thus, the market is highly regulated in majority of the countries globally. For instance, labeling of genetically modified food has become a topic of controversy in the U.S. in recent times. In addition, high risk of genetic pollution is another issue surrounding genetically modified food. Thus, ethical issues involved in the production are primarily restraining the growth of global genetically modified organisms market.

Geographically, the global genetically modified organisms (GMO) market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). North America comprises genetically modified organisms (GMO) market for the U.S and Canada. Europe comprises cumulative market of genetically modified organisms (GMO) in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and Rest of Europe (RoE). Asia Pacific comprises cumulative market of genetically modified organisms (GMO) in China, India, Australia, New Zealand and rest of Asia Pacific (RoAPAC). Rest of the World (RoW) comprises genetically modified organisms (GMO) market in Latin America, Middle East and Russia. Presently, North America and Europe dominates the global genetically modified organisms market. Factors such as highly developed research infrastructure, well defined regulatory framework, availability of skilled scientists and exceptionally developed biotechnology sector are driving the growth of the genetically modified organisms (GMO) market in North America and Europe. Asia Pacific genetically modified organism (GMO) market is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period from 2014 to 2020. Governments of countries such as India and China are investing heavily on biotechnology sector to boost the biotechnology industry in respective countries.

Request For Report Brochure for Latest Industry Insights @https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=6565

In addition, India and China account for the largest population pool in the world leading to increase food in consumption needs. Rising food consumption is anticipated to drive the demand for genetically modified organism market in these countries. Ministry of Agriculture regulates the genetically modified organisms (GMO) market in China. Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa, are some of the countries in the rest of the world (RoW) region that are expected to show higher growth in the near future.

This post was originally published on Market Research Sheets

Read the original post:

Sales Forecasts of Genetically Modified Organisms Market Reveal Positive Outlook Through 2023 - Market Research Sheets

Global Voice Cloning Market Expected to Witness a Sustainable Growth over 2028 – Industry Mirror

The demand within the global market for voice cloning is expected to experience a sturdy rise in the years to come. Voice cloning has multiple applications across a wide array of industries which has played a key role in the growth of the global market for voice cloning. Several industries and sectors including banking, electronics, healthcare, and entertainment use voice cloning technologies. Voice cloning is used in electronic devices to run automated audios for giving out instructions. The rise in the demand for electronic device with audio assistance has played a major role in market growth.

Download Brochure of This Market Report at https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=4251

The entertainment industry frequently uses voice replication to generate video clips, audios, podcasts, and movies. This factor shall also emerge as a key driver of demand within the global market for voice cloning in the years to come. Voice cloning is also used in the healthcare industry to create automated voice assistance for high-end healthcare products. Use of voiceovers for creating explainer videos and digital collaterals has also played a major role in the growth of the global market for voice cloning. There is a stellar need for improved voice cloning to create better audio impact in animated movies and films.

The market for voice cloning in North America has been expanding at a stellar rate. This is attributed to the presence of a starry entertainment industry in the US and Canada. Moreover, the market for voice cloning in Asia Pacific is also growing due to the same reason. Other regional segments in the global voice cloning market are Europe and Latin America.

GlobalVoice Cloning Market: Overview

The demand within the global market for voice cloning has been rising on account of the need to replicate voices for various applications in industrial processes and entertainment activities. Voice cloning has enabled successful execution of text-to-speech applications in mobile phones, desktops, and laptops which has played a key role in the growth of the global market for voice cloning. The advent of several software applications that involve the use of voice cloning have given an impetus to the growth of the global market. Furthermore, voice cloning was considered to be a complex process a few decades ago due to technological limitations.

However, with advancements in software and hardware capabilities, it has become extremely easy to effectuate voice cloning in hardware devices and software applications. Furthermore, the advantages and agility served by voice cloning is expected to be a key parameter for growth within the global market for voice cloning. It is also true that the global market for voice cloning would expand as new entertainment avenues take shape across the world.

The global market for voice cloning may be segmented on the basis of the following parameters: component, application, deployment mode, vertical, and region. It is vital to get a thorough understanding of these market segments in order decipher the market dynamics.

A report on the global voice cloning market sheds value on some of the key standpoints for market growth. The report is a representation of the trends, opportunities, regional dynamics, and restraints that have housed in the global market for voice cloning in recent times. The regional segmentation has been distinctly highlighted in the report to give a wide purview of the market.

GlobalVoice Cloning Market: Trends and Opportunities

The demand within the global market for voice cloning has been rising on account of the tremendous technological advancements that have offset in the electronics and communication industries. New software tools that are equipped with voice feedback and other features relating to artificial voice have given an impetus to the growth of the global market for voice cloning. Moreover, the presence of multiple providers of voice cloning services has also led to the generation of voluminous revenues in this market. Wireless assistants such as Alexa, Siri, and other modes were possible only due to the presence of voice cloning. Furthermore, chatbots are other amongst others software applications that have played a pivotal role in enhancing the growth prospects of the global market for voice cloning. Besides this, the popularity of digital games, accessibility options, and interactive learning has also created tremendous demand within the global market for voice cloning in recent times.

GlobalVoice Cloning Market: Regional Outlook

The technological revolutions that has birthed across the US has resulted in the development of several specialised hardware and software capabilities in the country. For this reason, the growth of the global market for voice cloning in North America is expected to trace an ascending path in the years to come. The market for voice cloning in Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America is also expected to grow at a robust rate in the years to come.

Request TOC of the Report @https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=4251

GlobalVoice Cloning Market: Competitive Landscape

Microsoft, AWS, IBM, AT&T, Nuance Communications, Baidu, and iSpeech are some of the key vendors operational in the global market for voice cloning.

About TMR Research:

TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.

This post was originally published on Industry Mirror

See more here:

Global Voice Cloning Market Expected to Witness a Sustainable Growth over 2028 - Industry Mirror

This is what was happening in Chester as the 1990s dawned – Cheshire Live

The 1990s was a pivotal decade which will be forever synonymous with the arrival of the technological revolution.

As the nineties began, hardly anyone had heard of the internet but by the end of the decade, it was widely used across the world.

Before the decade had even started, change was happening everywhere.

Just weeks before Christmas 1989, the world had seen one of the most important events in world history with the fall of the Berlin Wall, and television was becoming the most most influential political medium for the first time.

Lots of things were happening in Chester at the dawn of the 1990s too, and the Chester Chronicle was reporting on all of it, as we found when we searched the archives at Storyhouse.

Believe it or not, the Sealand Stink issue was still rumbling on back then, and in December 1989, the problem was 'worse than ever'.

Despite millions of pounds being spent by Welsh Water on sewage work improvements, the foul smell was still invading everyone's nostrils, with Blacon councillor Dave Nield saying: "We've spent more time on this problem than any other."

Meanwhile, the George & Dragon pub on Liverpool Road was awaiting a new owner, and jewellers H Samuel was told to take down an unsightly display of paper banners from its city centre shops as Labour councillor and future MP Christine Russell branded them 'appallingly garish'.

Elsewhere, a display of naughty knickers in a sex shop window in Boughton outraged local residents and a shocking armed raid at the Abbots Well Hotel in Christleton made headlines, in which a member of staff was struck while a gang made off with contents of the safe.

As the Citroen XM car won the 1990 Car of the Year Award, The Chronicle was advertising New Year sales of F and G reg Vauxhall Novas and Hyyndai Ponys.

Back in 1989, satellite systems were becoming all the rage, with adverts for 'entertainment that rolls on from first thing in the morning to last thing at night'. At that time, a Hitachi Stereo Sound External Speaker system was being sold for 449.99.

And house prices were a little different back then too. A five bedroom bungalow off Lache Lane with a dining room, double garage and tennis court was up for sale for just 159,500.

And a mid terraced three bedroom townhouse in Handbridge with superb views of the River Dee would set you back just 49,500 in 1989.

A Christmas TV guide featured popular programmes including Beadle's About, The Dame Edna Experience and Hearts of Gold, while the top selling singles at Our Price on Eastgate Street were Ben Liebrand's Eve of the War, New Kids on The Block's Right Stuff, Linda Ronstadt's Don't Know Much and Phil Collins' Another Day in Paradise.

To receive one WhatsApp message a day with the main headlines from CheshireLive, as well as breaking news alerts add 07500 881875 to your phonebook contacts and save as Cheshire Live.

Then open WhatsApp and send the message NEWS to us (Cheshire Live) on 07500 881875.

You can opt out any time by sending us a message saying STOP.

Original post:

This is what was happening in Chester as the 1990s dawned - Cheshire Live

Easter eggs are already on sale in Plymouth – Plymouth Live

Most of us are still making our way through the mountains of chocolate we received at Christmas, but that hasn't stopped supermarkets displaying Easter eggs for sale - already .

These Easter treats have been spotted at the Iceland store in Plymstock. And they're not the only store to jump the gun and move swiftly past the festivities.

For most retailers it's never too early to get an order of Easter eggs in and put them on sale - though Easter is still more than four months away. You heard that correctly.

Co-op has already started selling Easter eggs and in stores in Cornwall.

It's a similar story at a Co-op store in Hull, which has led anger on social media.

One person posted: "Would you believe it. Co-op selling Easter eggs already!"

Another social media user also said: "What is wrong with all retail companies? Please let us enjoy Christmas, I think it is GREED with them."

With many people still trying to burn off those Christmas calories then it would seen unlikely that these eggs will be in high demand.

Video Unavailable

Click to playTap to play

Play now

However, it seems discount store B&M also failed to get the memo and was also offering Easter chocolates in December.

One confused shopper spotted Cadbury's Mini Eggs, Galaxy Enchanted Eggs and Kit Kat chocolate bunnies on sale in B&M's Sealand Road branch in Chester, as first reported on Cheshire Live.

But B&M isn't the only retailer selling Easter essentials already, with hot cross buns available at Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury's.

This year Easter Sunday falls on April 12.

Easter can be any time between March 22 and April 25. Good Friday is April 10, and the Easter Monday bank holiday is on April 13.

More here:

Easter eggs are already on sale in Plymouth - Plymouth Live

All the shops and businesses Chester said goodbye to in 2019 – Cheshire Live

You can't deny it's been a difficult year for retail on the high street, and sadly Chester is no different.

The city has lost a large number of businesses in 2019, ranging from restaurants, shops, bars and jewellers.

Some have been mainstays of the Chester high street for decades, some didn't even make six months thanks to the changing retail climate.

Here is a list of the ones we've had to say farewell to in 2019. We have also compiled a list of the businesses Chester has gained over the past 12 months too.

The Yorkshire-based women's clothing brandcollapsed into administration in October - putting almost 2,900 jobs at risk and closed earlier this month.

Its administrators said it had 'sustained a period of challenging trading conditions' prior to its collapse.

Described as 'an Aladdin's cave' of fine wines, quirky brews and sophisticated spirits, Chester's Corks Out shop on Watergate Street was a uniquely popular venue where customers could venture down into a 13th century crypt and browse an impressive selection.

But it closed suddenly in November, with a staff member from the shop's sister branch in Stockton Heath confirming it had closed for good.

Less than 12 months after it opened, the owners of Mistral wine bar on Watergate Street Row said they had decided not to renew the short pop-up licence after it expired, and said the bar was 'not an area in which we wish to continue our creative energies'.

The closure came 10 months afterMistral officially opened to the publicas the brainchild of three friends with a passion for the world's finest and most authentic wines, the majority of which were low in sulphites or completely sulphite free.

It was the end of an era for Chester last month when prominent opticians Siddalls closed its doors on Bridge Street after more than 200 years in the city centre.

The store was established on Bridge Street in 1815 and has traded from its current location near the cross since 1894 - making it one of the few oldest surviving shops in the city to date.

The closure came after the shop's proprietor decided to retire and staff said there was no viable way to continue the business in that location.

Siddalls' neighbour, Crabtree & Evelyn, closed its doors back in April, before a huge 70% closing down sale.

The international body, fragrance and home care products retailer closed a number of UK branches and it was reported in 2018 that the retailer closed its stores in Canada and filed for bankruptcy protection.

The collapse of the travel giant back in September meant 9,000 people were left without jobs with 150,000 customers abroad also being affected.

Its Bridge Street branch closed but there was a glimmer of hope when Hays Travel later agreed a 6m deal with the Official Receiver to buy every one of Thomas Cooks 555 former stores on October 9, vowing to reopen them and offer jobs to 2,500 former staff members.

Chester's first dedicated Arabic restaurant Baytea was described as 'something new' for the city when it opened in November 2018. But just a few months later its Foregate Street venue mysteriously closed with little explanation.

It was first announced that outdoor clothing store Trespass was closing back in May, but it didn't actually close until December. Staff didn't elaborate on the closure but it's believed to be due to 'building overheads'.

This wine deli on Godstall Lane closed in March after staff said they 'gave it their best shot' in Chester but there is hope that it may return to the city centre for good after staff reopened in pop up format for Christmas.

Owner Jamie Moore said: "We keep saying that if we can get some momentum behind us well consider staying open into the New Year."

Whitmore & White also operate successful sister shops in Frodsham, Heswall and West Kirby.

Only four months after it opened, family run Les's Fish Bar on Frodsham Street had suddenly closed.

The chip shop's owner Les Manning said he was forced to shut up shop in the former Steak and Shake premises because the city's rates were 'too crippling' and there simply wasn't enough trade.

This unique gift shop closed in April after 24 years of trading on the high street but continues to trade online.

The shop's manager Matthew Sutton told CheshireLive that reasons for the closure were 'complex' but cited declining sales as one of the factors.

The Chester branch of Mothercare on the Greyhound Retail Park launched a closing down sale in November after the company was plunged into administration, putting thousands of jobs at risk.

Two years after Chester was used as the launch pad for its unique fusion concept of jacket potatoes and burritos, Jack Burrito closed its Northgate Street premises in April.

But the outlet wasn't closed for long - artisan pizzeria Dough Dough opened in the summer offering two different speciality doughs as their name suggests.

The stationery store on Sealand Road launched a huge closing down sale in March and closed shortly afterwards.

Partners at Deloitte were appointed joint administrators on Monday, casting doubt on the future of about1,200 people at more than 90 stores across the country.

Gino's Gelato on Northgate Street had proved a popular addition to the city since opening in June 2017, with customers regularly seen queuing out of the door for traditional Italian ice cream, coffee, crepes and waffles.

But it closed suddenly without explanation in January last year, and despite attempts for a comment, the Irish chain would not comment further.

Longstanding music shop Back Alley Music had been a mainstay on Northgate Street for 30 years, specialising in a wide variety of musical instruments and offering a guitar repair service.

But it closed early in 2019 and was replaced a few months later by Parisian style deli PicNic.

One of Chester's two H Samuel jewellery stores closed in September. The 2,682 sq ft store on the corner of Frodsham Street and Foregate Street was a mainstay of the city centre since the 1960s, situated among popular stores like M&S, River Island and Paperchase.

But it closed in August and has most recently been taken over by discount Christmas shop Wonderland.

Towers Tearoom on Bell Tower Walk closed in July for unknown reasons and deleted its social media pages, leaving the premises vacant.

It had taken over Beatons Tearoom only last year, which has been operating as a lunch spot and bookshop for customers since the summer of 2015.

But it remains closed, despite being on one of the busiest thoroughfares in Chester.

Chester's only Burger King closed its doors suddenly in November with no further explanation given for the closure than a sign in the window.

We attempted to make contact with a spokesperson but received no response.

Back in March, Cestrians were shocked when popular fashion retailer Oasis closed its doors on Northgate Street.

Officials would not respond to request for comment but the premises still remains empty to date.

Chester's Yankee Candle shop closed suddenly in November only to re-open just a couple of days later as an entirely different store.

The American scented candle manufacturer had traded from a shop on Foregate Street for the past few years, and stocked candles in hundreds of different scents.

But within just two days it was replaced by Fresh Cosmetics which specialises in bath products, skincare and fragrances, and is said to be part of the same company as its predecessor.

The Steamer Trading Cookshop chain was sold to the rival houseware retailer after it went into administration earlier this year and closed its Bridge Street premises in May.

But kitchen appliance fans needn't have worried as the shop reopened as a Pro Cook outlet just a few months later, selling own-brand cookware, kitchen knives, accessories and tableware, as well as iconic branded products from household names such as Le Creuset, Brabantia, Robert Welch and Magimix.

The closure of a 49 Watergate coffee shop in Chester city centre in October came about due to a number of contributing factors, including a 'saturation' of similar businesses, its owners said.

They said that the growth of online shopping, the challenge of maintaining high standards and nearby competition including chain coffee shops were the biggest issues contributing to the closure.

One of Chester's most historic buildings, the Grade I listed Booth Mansion on Watergate Street was taken over by Sue and Richard Jacques back in 2016 who revitalised the building, reopening it as a popular art gallery and tea room.

But in September, Sue and Richard announced that they terminated the lease on the property, writing on Facebook: "The building needs a significant investment of money to enable us to continue to grow the business in the most effective way and enable us to meet the modern demands of the hospitality industry.

This Chester salon on Northgate Street, founded by celebrity hairdresser Andrew Collinge closed in September after more than 30 years of loyal custom.

A note on the door said: "Our Chester salon has now closed. We would like to thank our clients for over 30 years of loyal custom. Our nearest salon is located in Heswall."

Sister stores Scandinavian Living and Scandinavian Home, both on St Werburgh Street, suddenly closed in March, with court enforcement notices attached to the windows of both stores.

The notices explained that acting under instruction by the shop's landlord Werburgh Properties Limited, bailiffs had secured both premises and that any attempt to enter them could result in prosecution.

However, Nina Lindberg, who owns both shops, which specialised in Scandinavian vintage style home furnishings, told CheshireLive that the landlord company should be 'ashamed' of themselves after her several attempts to reach a compromise were rebuffed.

Chester's only exclusive hat store closed its Northgate Street store in March to trade permanently online after closing its Northgate Street store.

But it wasn't empty for long - luxury patisserie Sweet Elements opened just a month later, specialising in decadent, luxury desserts made on the premises and using all local ingredients.

Chester's branch of Patisserie Valerie closed in January after thecake chain collapsed into administration.

The company failed to secure finances from banksafter discovering 'significant and potentially fraudulentaccounting irregularities'.

However, the Cheshire Oaks branch still remains open for business.

To receive one WhatsApp message a day with the main headlines from CheshireLive, as well as breaking news alerts, text NEWS to 07500 881875. Then add the number to your phone contacts book as 'CheshireLive'.

Your phone number won't be shared with other members of the group.

Follow us onTwitter

Go here to read the rest:

All the shops and businesses Chester said goodbye to in 2019 - Cheshire Live

Fortnite Frozen Firework Locations: Where To Light Frozen Fireworks Found On Beaches – Forbes

Fortnite

Another trip around the sun, another chilly January morning. 2019 was something of a problematic year, like most of them, but its over now, time to start anew. Fortnites Winterfest challenge today is New Years themed, just like it was last year, asking you to launch some fireworks and celebrate 2020, whatever it might bring. Read on for a map, guide and location for where to launch frozen fireworks found on beaches at Dirty Docks, Craggy Cliffs and Sweaty Sands. Your reward will be the quite stylish 2020 glider.

We know where were going: its right there in the name. Spawns for frozen fireworks do not seem to be consistent, so the best you can do is head to one of the requisite coastlines and just start running around until you find one of them. Ive marked each coastline on the map here:

Fortnite

Youll want to land right away, because once a Firework is launched, its launched, even if you didnt launch it. Just get down early, fire something off and try to stay alive to earn the glider.

A note: like an idiot, I initially just sort of loaded up a match and tried to light fireworks, but didnt see anything on the ground. Thats because these things will not spawn unless you head to the Winterfest cabin first and open your stocking, thus triggering the challenge. So dont be like me, and dont forget to open your stocking.

2019 was a year of stabilization for Fortnite. It started things off near the peak of its fame, but declined off of those highs throughout the year. This is pretty standard for any game that becomes as big a phenomenon as Fortnite, but it can still be a bit of a come down for fans when it actually happens.

2020 should be an interesting year, however. Its starting off slow with a dramatically extended Chapter 2, Season 1, but then well see if Epic has used some of that extra time to build some more features. But expect more standard content, an expanded creative mode, and more likely than not a ton of crossover events. Well see what happens.

Go here to see the original:

Fortnite Frozen Firework Locations: Where To Light Frozen Fireworks Found On Beaches - Forbes

Australia: Thousands trapped on beach as fires approach – DW (English)

More than 4,000 people weretrapped on a beach by advancingfires in southeast Australia on Tuesday as devastating blazesencircled the seaside town of Mallacoota, wheresea or airborne evacuation was being planned.

"Mallacoota is under attack, it is pitch black and very scary," Andrew Crisp, emergency management commissioner of the state of Victoria, said."We have 4,000 people on the beach and nearby who are protected by our firefighters."

Some people took boats out to sea for fear that the fire would move closer to the beach.

For days, authorities have been warning tens of thousands of holidaymakers to leave popular seaside towns and seek shelter elsewhere.

Read more:Oceans play role in Australian bushfires drama, say experts

"We're naturally very concerned about communities that have become isolated,"Crisp said. He also confirmed "significant" property losses across the area.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said there were plans to evacuate those trapped on the seaside by boat. There was also concern about four missing people. "We can't confirm their whereabouts," he said.

Fires are raging across many partsof the country, and 100,000 people were evacuated from thesuburbs of Melbourne on Monday.

Massive fire fronts continue to blaze across other states. Sixteen "emergency fires" were designatedin New South Wales and Victoria on Tuesday.

Aerial view of an approaching fire in New South Wales

Batemans Bay: Three deaths

In the seaside town of Batemans Bay, New South Wales, residents also fled to beaches for safety as fires encroached upon the town.

Authorities have not yet confirmed whether buildings have been affected, but Youtuber Chloe Morello, a resident of the town, tweeted "We lost our home" after documenting herself fleeing from her house.

Three people have been confirmed deadin small towns in New South Wales.

"These fires moved quickly this morning," the New South Wales Rural Fire Service saidina warning to residents. "They pose a serious threat to life. Do not be in their path. Avoid bushland areas. If the path is clear, move to larger towns or beaches to take shelter."

Police were checking drivers' licenses for people entering and exiting the areas affected by fires,redirecting those whowere not residents.

The fire service tweeted a warning about a fire in Shoalhaven, New South Wales.

'Fire tornado' claims life

Firefighter Samuel McPaul became the 12th confirmed fatality since the fires broke out weeks ago. His 12-ton fire truck was lifted into the air and spun around in a "truly horrific" incident on Monday.

"It was a fire tornado or a collapsed pyro convective column that had formed above the main fire front. That resulted in cyclonic winds that moved across the fireground," Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.

Firefighters in Melbourne

Two other firefighters in the truck were seriously burned and are being treated in hospital.

The "freakish" weather incident resulted in the fire truck being lifted and dumped on its roof.

Over 34,000 square kilometers (13,100 square miles) of land have been razedsince the fires began in October and more than 1,000 homes have been destroyed.

Conditions are expected to worsen with high temperatures andno rain in the forecast.Despite major criticism, Sydney's environmentally impactful New Year's Eve firework display wentahead on Tuesday.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of theday's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up toreceive it directly here.

ls,ed/cw (AFP, dpa)

See the original post here:

Australia: Thousands trapped on beach as fires approach - DW (English)

13,000-pound buoy removed from New Smyrna Beach, taken to Ponce Inlet – WESH 2 Orlando

13,000-pound buoy removed from New Smyrna Beach, taken to Ponce Inlet

Updated: 12:24 PM EST Jan 2, 2020

Hide TranscriptShow Transcript

TO WATCH IT GO. >> ITS BEEN THE CENTER OF ATTENTION FOR ALL THE SNOW BIRDS FOR THE LAST WEEK OR SO. CLAIRE: RED NUMBER 8, AS THE BIG BEACON CAME TO BE CALLED, HAS BEEN THE TALK OF THE TOWN. AFTER ALL, ITS NOT OFTEN A 13,000 POUND MARINE MARKER WASHES UP, THIS ONE ALL THE WAY FROM SOUTH CAROLINA, DISLODG FOR A SECOND TIME FOLLOWING HURRICANE DORIAN. >> HOW COULD IT BE LOOSE FOR THAT LONG AND NOBODY REALIZE IT, AND REPORTED IT, OR RAN INTO ANOTHER SHIP? CLAIRE: THE COAST GUARD CONTRACTED WITH VOLUSIA COUNTY TO BRING IN A FRONT-END LOADER AND LIFT THE BUOY ONTO A FLATBED STARTING AT FIRST LIGHT. MANY GATHERED TO WATCH THE MARKER MOVE, AMAZED IT GOT THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE. >> ITS SO BIG, AND IT WAS S FAR UP ON THE SHORE. IT ALMOST LOOKED LIKE IT DROPPED OUT OF THE SKY INSTEAD OF WASHED UP FROM THE OCEAN. CLAIRE: DURING ITS TIME AS A NEW SMYRNA BEACH LANDMARK, PEOPLE CAME FROM ALL OVER TO TAKE PICTURES WITH IT. CHILDREN ENJOYED PLAYING ON IT. IT WAS PREVIOUSLY STRIPPED OF ITS ELECTRONICS IN PREPARATION FOR REMOVAL. WHETHER IT WILL EVER BE USED FOR NAVIGATION AGAIN IS UNCERTAIN, BUT ITS OFF THE BEACH -- AT LEAST FOR NOW. THE CREW DROVE THE BUOY TO T PONCE INLET COAST GUARD STATION, WHERE IT WILL BE SECURED AND STORED

13,000-pound buoy removed from New Smyrna Beach, taken to Ponce Inlet

Updated: 12:24 PM EST Jan 2, 2020

Plenty of people were drawn to New Smyrna Beach on New Year's Day for the sunshine, but also for the 13,000-pound buoy that washed ashore.The beacon washed up last week and red number 8 had brought in a steady stream of visitors since then, among them, Donna Bruno of Clermont. "I just had to see it. (I) wanted to take some pictures with that and clouds in the background, just kind of a neat first day of the new year," Bruno said. According to the Coast Guard, the unexpected tourist attraction belongs off South Carolina but broke free following Hurricane Dorian. Visitors were busy taking pictures with the behemoth buoy and children climbed all over it. The buoy was removed Thursday morning. It was taken to Ponce Inlet, where it will be stored.It is unclear if it will ever be used for navigation again.

Plenty of people were drawn to New Smyrna Beach on New Year's Day for the sunshine, but also for the 13,000-pound buoy that washed ashore.

The beacon washed up last week and red number 8 had brought in a steady stream of visitors since then, among them, Donna Bruno of Clermont.

"I just had to see it. (I) wanted to take some pictures with that and clouds in the background, just kind of a neat first day of the new year," Bruno said.

According to the Coast Guard, the unexpected tourist attraction belongs off South Carolina but broke free following Hurricane Dorian. Visitors were busy taking pictures with the behemoth buoy and children climbed all over it.

The buoy was removed Thursday morning. It was taken to Ponce Inlet, where it will be stored.

It is unclear if it will ever be used for navigation again.

More here:

13,000-pound buoy removed from New Smyrna Beach, taken to Ponce Inlet - WESH 2 Orlando

Thousands of Australians flee to beaches as wildfires rage – NBCNews.com

Thousands of Australians fled their homes on New Year's Eve, taking refuge on beaches from raging wildfires that turned the sky bright red, destroyed houses and businesses and caused deaths in the country's most populous states.

The devastating fires, fed by intense heat and winds, rampaged across Australia's southeastern states of New South Wales and Victoria heading into the new year, turning coastal towns into dangerous traps and forcing residents to the oceanside.

As of 3 a.m. local time Wednesday, 112 fires were burning across New South Wales and several large and dangerous fires continued to burn on the southern coast, according to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service. More than 2,500 firefighters were combating the fires, it said.

Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews requested assistance from 70 firefighters from the United States and Canada, while Australia's military sent air and sea reinforcements, The Associated Press reported.

Officials said that all telecommunications, including cellphone coverage, would be lost overnight on the south coast of New South Wales between Nowra and Moruya and that hospitals would be among the affected facilities, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

The massive blazes have already destroyed more than 10 million acres of bush and 1,000 homes after the devastating fire season began in September. Record heat, windy conditions and ongoing drought have exacerbated the blazes this annual fire season a combination that environmentalists say has been aggravated by climate change.

Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings.

Australia recorded its hottest day on record in mid-December, beating the mark that was set just the day before. This comes after Australia's Bureau of Meteorology declared spring 2019 to be the driest on record.

Shane Fitzsimmons, commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, told The Sydney Morning Herald that it was "absolutely" the worst bushfire season on record.

"What we really need is meaningful rain, and we haven't got anything in the forecast at the moment that says we're going to get drought-breaking or fire quenching rainfall," he said.

In Mallacoota, in the state of Victoria, about 4,000 people swarmed to the beach to escape the fires, according to authorities. An image released to AFP/Getty Images showed people taking shelter offshore on a boat near Mallacoota, covering their mouths against an orange sky.

"The community right now is under threat, but they will, we will hold our line, and they will be saved and protected," Steve Warrington, chief officer of the Victorian Country Fire Authority, said Tuesday.

Andrews said Tuesday that four people remained unaccounted for.

Police in New South Wales said in a statement Wednesday that a third man had died in the fires in the states South Coast. His body was found in a burned car Wednesday morning on a road a little less than 4 miles west of Lake Conjola.

Tuesday, police in that state said two men, believed to be a father and his son, died in a house in the wildfire-ravaged southeast town of Cobargo.

"They were obviously trying to do their best with the fire as it came through in the early hours of the morning," New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner Gary Worboys said, according to the AP.

A 72-year-old man remains unaccounted for at Belowra, which is around 31 miles west of Cobargo, police said Wednesday.

Dramatic video captured the moment a fire crew's truck was overrun by a bushfire south of Nowra, a town south of Sydney. The truck is seen making its way through the raging fires as smoke and embers fill the air. Massive flames are then seen surrounding the truck from all sides. Fire and Rescue New South Wales, which released the video, said the crew was forced to shelter in their truck as the fire front passed through. The fire service confirmed in a follow up post on Twitter that the crew survived the incident.

On Monday, a volunteer firefighter died when his truck overturned in a rare phenomenon known as a fire tornado, authorities said.

Cyclonic winds lifted the truck which weighs 10 to 13 tons and "flipped it onto its roof, trapping the people inside," and killing firefighter Samuel McPaul, 28, Fitzsimmons said. Three other people were injured.

McPaul is survived by his wife, who is pregnant with their first child. He was due to become a father in May, officials said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison expressed condolences, calling McPaul's death "absolutely heartbreaking."

"The fires in New South Wales and Victoria are continuing to rage, and we expect further difficult news out of both of those states," he said.

"I want to thank all of those out there fighting those fires, all of those out there supporting them in these difficult times," he added. "The conditions remain tough, and for the rest of us it's a matter of just simply listening to the instructions, staying safe and being patient and doing what we need to do to put ourselves in a place of safety."

Daniella Silva is a reporter for NBC News, specializing in immigration and inclusion issues, as well as coverage of Latin America.

Associated Press contributed.

View post:

Thousands of Australians flee to beaches as wildfires rage - NBCNews.com

Never-Lived-In Palm Beach Mansion Listed For $43M – Forbes

This never-lived-in oceanfront mansion is priced at $43 million.

The eight-bedroom mansion on the oceanfront in Palm Beach, Florida, is a reminder of the Gilded Age. But, no one has ever lived in it.

Its a eight-bedroom, 14,000-square-foot spec house developed by English native Sir Peter Wood, who lives next door. He built the French Provincial-style mansion after tearing down a house where Jimmy Buffet and his wife, Jane, once lived.

The mansion, constructed in 2017, is listed for $43 million with Christian Angle of Christian Angle Real Estate in Palm Beach.

Its about a mile from Mar-a-Lago Club, the resort owned by President Donald Trump. So, its close enough to make it a short jaunt to an al fresco dinner on the clubs patio, yet far enough away to not be house-bound by traffic jams when the president comes to town.

The street its on, South Ocean Boulevard, was recently cited as one of the top 10 most exclusive address in a global ranking by Knight Frank and Douglas Elliman Real Estate. The brokerages sorted luxury addresses by the number of residential sales priced above $25 million during the last five years.

Streets in Manhattan, Hong Kong, and London all ranked above South Ocean Boulevard, which was listed in the No. 10 spot. In the last five years, there were 10 transactions price over $25 million on the boulevard, at an average price of $34.5 million, the report said.

The property has a 43-foot pool.

Bath with a view: one of the mansion's 11 full bathrooms has a soaking tub with a view of the ... [+] Atlantic Ocean.

The kitchen has a marble-topped island.

Sign up for OpenHouse, the twice-weekly newsletter I produce covering the U.S. real estate market, by clicking here. For weekday real estate news updates, follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

Read this article:

Never-Lived-In Palm Beach Mansion Listed For $43M - Forbes

Restaurant Review: It’s worth braving the crowds for Sake in Vero Beach – TCPalm

Maribeth Renne, Special to TCPalm Published 10:15 a.m. ET Jan. 2, 2020

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Asian food is good anytime but when it comes to sushi, many swear by it to lose a few pounds after the holidays.Most people believe Japanese cuisine in general tends to be healthy and low in calories but its important to consider the amount of rice and sauces included in sushi.The lowest calorie rolls are those made with veggies or fish without a lot of other ingredients.An even better low calorie option might be sashimi, which consists of just the raw protein.

A good place to conduct your own research on the subject is Sake at Royal Palm Pointe in Vero Beach.

We had Sakes sashimi combo deluxe ($26.99).This was a big, beautifully presented assortment of twenty pieces of fresh raw fish, including buttery salmon and tuna.There were two chef appetizers in the combo with seaweed and cucumber salads and a small bowl of rice.

Our vegetarian guest ordered the vegetarian sushi platter ($14.99), also presented in an extremely appealing fashion with five pieces of fresh veggie sushi and two vegetable rolls.She also had the tofu spicy noodles ($10.99), a large dish of stir-fried rice noodles with egg, onions, mushrooms, scallions, bell peppers, carrots and fresh basil in a Thai chili sauce.Based upon the menu description, she thought it would have been a bit spicier.

The chicken tempura dinner ($14.99) with a light, crunchy batter enrobing the tender chicken cutlets and vegetables including sweet potato, onion rings and broccoli, made a very pretty and delicious entre.Obviously, this deep-fried entre would not qualify as low on calories.

Nor would my choice of massaman curry with tofu ($11.99).This rich, creamy Thai specialty was most likely healthy but certainly not low in calories.

The Sake staff members were extremely congenial.After an unfortunately long wait, our food finally arrived.Although the platters and dinners are listed on the menu as coming with a salad or miso soup, our choices of salad never did arrive but we were anxious to have dinner and get on with our evening.We chalked the snafu up to it being a very busy pre-holiday evening.

This restaurant is fairly small and extremely popular so it gets quite crowded with a line of folks waiting for tables.Another consideration might be take-out.We witnessed a steady stream of large orders being carried out.

Parking directly in front of the restaurant can be difficult to find but there are plenty of parking spots just a few feet away between the in and out lanes of Royal Palm Point.

Maribeth Renne dinesanonymously at the expense of TCPalm for #WhatToDoIn772. Contact her atmaribeth.d.renne@gmail.comor follow@mebpebon Twitter.

Cuisine: Japanese and Thai

Address: 42 Royal Palm Pointe, Vero Beach

Hours: 11:30 a.m. 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. 9:30 p.m., Monday Friday; 12 p.m. 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. 9:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday

Phone: (772) 978.9798

Website:sakemenus.com

Alcohol: Sake, beer, wine

Read or Share this story: https://www.tcpalm.com/story/entertainment/dining/2020/01/02/restaurant-review-its-worth-braving-crowds-sake-vero-beach/2755724001/

Original post:

Restaurant Review: It's worth braving the crowds for Sake in Vero Beach - TCPalm

Melissa Martin: What happens when freedom of the press is silenced? – Cleburne Times-Review

Jailed journalists around the globe. How can it be?

First Amendment aggressions in the United States. How can it be?

Devious despots misusing power and preying upon humanitywithholding information because knowledge is power. Silencing the other side of the story. Fear of losing control feeds their depravity. Dictators hiding behind castle walls and armies of destruction for those who dare criticize.

Freedom of the press is held hostage as journalists observe through prison bars. The courageous story-tellers that sacrifice personal safety for the human rights of others. But their lips will not be nailed shut like a wooden coffin. Truth finds a way to seep out of the cracks and crannies of the grave.

Duvar English, an independent newspaper in Turkey, revealed the following facts in a 2019 article. There are 250 imprisoned journalists in the world, nearly 50 of whom are in Turkey, according to a report by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Turkey follows China with the second largest number of journalists jailed with 47, marking a decrease from 68 last yearPenned by CPJ editor Elana Beiser, the report noted that over 100 news organizations have been closed under the current Turkish government and that many working journalists are being accused of terrorism and are in legal battlesSaudi Arabia and Egypt tied for third place with 26 journalists incarcerated. http://www.duvarenglish.com.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) lends bulletproof vests and helmets at no cost to journalists travelling to dangerous areas.

Freedom of Press in USA

Before the thirteen colonies declared independence from Great Britain, the British government attempted to censor the American media by prohibiting newspapers from publishing unfavorable information and opinions. http://www.history.com.

The First Amendment, which protects freedom of the press, was adopted on December 15, 1791, as part of the Bill of Rights.

The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, which documents First Amendment aggressions in the United States, has collected student journalism-based incidents at both the university and high school levels. Since its launch in 2017, the Tracker has documented five cases of high school newspapers being censored or placed under prior review for their coverage of controversial topics. At the university level, it has collected two arrests, two physical attacks and three border stop involving student journalists, as well as three cases of subpoenas or legal orders. http://www.freedom.press.

What Can Citizens in the US Do?

Support your local newspaper and pay for the news you consume. Read local, state, and national newspapers and write Letters to the Editors about free press issues.

Join or donate to Reporters Without Borders at http://www.rsf.org. Reporters Without Borders USA (RSF USA) is the US office of the global organization. Read about the 100 Information Heroes from countries abroad.

The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. CPJ is made up of about 40 experts around the world, with headquarters in New York City. When press freedom violations occur, CPJ mobilizes a network of correspondents who report and take action on behalf of those targeted. http://www.cpj.org.

Be aware of fake news outlets and fake news on social media. PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others at http://www.politifact.com. And Snopes.com is an independent publication fact-checking site online. Fact-checking and accountability journalism from AP journalists around the globe at FactCheck@ap.org.

Freedom of the Press, if it means anything at all, means the freedom to criticize and oppose. George Orwell.

Melissa Martin, Ph.D., is an author, columnist,

educator and therapist. She lives in Ohio. Contact her at melissamcolumnist@gmail.com.

See the rest here:

Melissa Martin: What happens when freedom of the press is silenced? - Cleburne Times-Review

Bagram’s Afghan music night is the American base’s other ‘sound of freedom’ – Stars and Stripes

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan Every Sunday night for the past two years, Jawid Kaderi has organized Afghan music nights in a recreation center on this expansive base to showcase an essential aspect of Afghan life that had been suppressed before the U.S.-led invasion 18 years ago.

American troops often dub the deafening roar of fighter jets taking off from the nearby flight line the sound of freedom, but in the small auditorium off the bases Disney Drive where Kaderi and a rotating cast of three to four contract interpreters gather each week, the strains of the stringed rabab and the rhythmic beat of the tabla drums make for a humbler celebration of the concept.

Though sparsely attended, the events are open to American troops and others who Kaderi hopes will come to learn about his countrys traditions.

The nightlong jam sessions are also helping to rebuild a musical culture that was nearly completely destroyed under the Taliban, and which faces continuing challenges even now, said Capt. Philip D. Tappan, associate bandmaster of the United States Army Band.

The revival of musical traditions here is also something of a rebuke of the radicalism that has mired Afghanistan in decades of war, said Tappan, who studied Afghan culture before deploying to the country several years ago with the 1st Cavalry Division band and played alongside Afghan musicians at Bagram and in Kabul in 2017.

If the work we did together provided any legitimacy to their programs and the musical arts in Afghanistan, then we have directly combated the extremism that has terrorized this country and the world at large, he said.

The Taliban had denounced singing and dancing as a moral perversion. When they emerged as victors in the countrys fractious civil war in the 1990s, they burned instruments and ripped apart cassette tapes, outlawing music and other forms of pop culture under their hardline interpretation of Islamic law.

But just a few decades before the country was plunged into 40 years of war, including street battles that ravaged Kabuls musicians quarter, artists like Ahmad Zahir the Afghan Elvis had flourished amid a golden age of music in the 1960s and 1970s, Kaderi said.

And after the militant regime fell in late 2001, it wasnt long before song returned to the countrys capital, Kaderi said.

Right after the Taliban were ousted by U.S. forces, the first thing that we saw on the streets of Kabul was the free people playing music, singing and dancing, he said.

The U.S. and NATO have funded music programs in the years since, but just as efforts to establish lasting peace, security and prosperity here still face numerous challenges, so too does any musical renaissance. In rural areas still under Taliban influence, the militant group continues to bar it, locals have said, and musicians elsewhere in the country still face strong family pressure and even threats from violent extremists.

In 2014, for example, a suicide bomb attack targeted Ahmad Naser Sarmast, founder and musical director of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music. The Taliban claimed the attack, which took place at a high school, and said Sarmast was corrupting Afghanistans youth.

Samast lost his hearing in both ears, and for three or four months afterward it felt like there was a full symphony orchestra in my head, playing out of tune, he said recently.

Now Sarmast is slowly regaining his hearing and continues teaching young people. However, an entire generation of other would-be teachers or mentors was silenced by death, oppression or exile, said Kabul University music professor Mohsen Saify, and Afghan women are still often discouraged from even studying music by family members who hold that its immoral.

At Bagram, however, Kaderi believes that sharing a love of music is a deep part of the countrys culture and a reason to continue to celebrate the Talibans ouster.

You cannot take away music from Afghan people, he said. Even during their fighting with their enemies, they sing and dance.

Capt. Eveleen Soroko has attended some of the music nights and said that even though she didnt understand all of the words, she enjoyed the musics poetry.

I can feel in the music that the culture is alive, and that the history has a beautiful depth to offer, she said.

The Bagram events are also a way for fellow musicians like Kaderi and Tappan to build camaraderie.

I have not forgotten about Afghan music, the experiences Ive had with Afghan musicians or the study of Afghan music, Tappan said. It will continually color my life.

lawrence.jp@stripes.comTwitter: @jplawrence3

Afghan and American musicians assemble on Oct. 23, 2016, at Bagram Airfield. The two groups of musicians closed the show in a joint performance of two traditional Dari folk songs.COURTESY OF CAPT. PHILIP D. TAPPAN

See the article here:

Bagram's Afghan music night is the American base's other 'sound of freedom' - Stars and Stripes

Theros: Beyond Death Previews – Glimpse of Freedom and Sweet Oblivion MTG Arena Zone – MTG Arena Zone

The official Korean: Magic the Gathering Facebook page revealed Glimpse of Freedom and Sweet Oblivion; both are blue spells with Escape to be released with Theros: Beyond Death on January 16, 2020.

Glimpse of Freedom 1UInstant (Uncommon)Draw a card.Escape 2U, Exile five other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its escape cost.)You can only be free if you accept that there is only one way. Meletis Philosopher, Nicholas

Glimpse of Freedom allows you to draw a card for each time you are able to cast the spell. Comparable to Radical Idea, the key thing to note is that this card allows you to cast it over and over. The most obvious deck it goes into is the Izzet Phoenix or Izzet Draw-Two variations, where you are naturally casting lots of cheap spells and putting cards into your graveyard. Unlike Radical Idea however, you dont get a way to naturally discard Arclight Phoenix.

Whether this card makes such decks more viable in the new Standard or Historic environments is not yet known, but certainly looks like a marginal upgrade over other cantrip spells available.

Sweet Oblivion 1USorcery (Uncommon)Target player puts the top four cards of their library into their graveyard.Escape 3U, Exile four other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its escape cost.)When memories are painful, oblivion is bliss.

Following on from that, heres the other blue Escape spell that has the ability to put cards into the graveyard. As mentioned previously, Escapes strength is being able to play it multiple times. This card is still probably too slow compared to cards like Merfolk Secretkeeper, but could be a decent addition as a one or two-of in the existing Mono Blue Dredge type decks.

If you have not already, be sure to check out our Theros Beyond Death Spoilers page for the full visual card gallery of all the cards revealed so far, and participate in our Theros Beyond Death Preorder Giveaway that runs until January 8, 2020!

View post:

Theros: Beyond Death Previews - Glimpse of Freedom and Sweet Oblivion MTG Arena Zone - MTG Arena Zone

Invest in Freedom: Support the Washington Monthly – Washington Monthly

During my two-and-a-half decades as a U.S. Foreign Service officer, I had the privilege of getting to know political dissidents around the world. They were the most courageous people Ive known. They fight for the freedoms we take for granted. Some sacrificed their lives.

Occasionally, in my last diplomatic posting, I used to meet the Vietnamese political dissident Dng Thu Hng in Hanoi. As a young woman during the Vietnam War, Dng served as a volunteer in a youth auxiliarynoncombatants who provided support services for the troops. She was one of only three in her 40-woman unit who survived the war. She also became a member of the Communist Party. After the country was unified in 1975, she turned to writing. Her novels became bestsellers in her country and later abroad.

Nevertheless, she became disillusioned with Vietnams repressive one-party regime and expressed her discontent in her stories. Her government responded by banning her books (which were then circulated underground samizdat-style, and smuggled out of the country); expelling her from the Party; imprisoning her and after her release, barring her from foreign travel. Her circle of friends, afraid to be seen with her, dwindled and the secret police constantly harassed her.

Her novel, Paradise of the Blind, banned in Vietnam, became an award-winning bestseller abroad. In it, she took on Vietnams political leaders boast that they had created a workers and peasants paradise. On the contrary, she countered, there was no paradiseonly blind men promoting a faux paradise based on a flawed ideology that could never succeed. Only the first lie really costs us; after that, everything flows from the same wellspring, she wrote.

Over lunch one day, I asked her how she put up with it allthe harassment, the marginalization, the censorship. Plus, didnt she worry about meeting openly with an American diplomat? She stiffened in her chair, chin up, and responded resolutely, I spit in their face.

The Vietnamese government, having their fill of the feisty Madame Dng, finally allowed her to leave the country. Today, she resides in France, busily writing away into her 70s.

When I worked on Afghanistan at the State Department, I occasionally met the young Russian muckraking journalist Artyom Borovik. The son of a Novosti journalist assigned to New York, Borovik spoke nearly perfect American English (and excellent Spanish). He was urbane, highly educated and multilingual. At the same time, he was as comfortable in an Afghan tea house as he was at a Manhattan Starbucks. Borovik was a pioneer of investigative journalism during glasnost and was fearless in his criticism of the corrupt, oligarchic system that was supplanting the old communist regime.

True to form, he had been digging dirt on Vladimir Putin in advance of the 2000 presidential elections. In a scathing article, he quoted Putin as saying, There are three ways to influence people: blackmail, vodka, and the threat to kill. Days later, Borovik, only 39, was killed in a still-unsolved Moscow plane accident, an early journalistic fatality as Putin was consolidating power.

I also got to know many Cuban dissidents before Fidel Castros death, when my diplomatic duties included traveling throughout the island to monitor the human rights conditions of people we had repatriated, in accordance with a bilateral agreement, after they had unsuccessfully attempted to flee to the United States. Yet we took it a step further and resettled genuine political dissidents to the U.S. In Cuba, I was constantly surveilled and harassed. At one point, the secret police slashed my tires.

Later, during the 2003 crackdown known as the Black Spring, the Cuban government imprisoned 75 dissidents, including 29 journalists. Several years later, two of them, Orlando Zapata Tamayo and Wilmar Villar Mendoza, died from hunger strikes.

Around this time, the dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez summed up the dissidents sentiments: Freedom is fundamentally the possibility of standing on a street corner and shouting There is no freedom here! That reminded me of one of the earliest American political dissidents, Thomas Paine, who proclaimed, Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it.

Indeed, we face the same challenge now, in Trumps America. Journalists are not enemies of the people; all voters need unhindered access to the polls; dark money needs to be taken out of politics; and whistleblowers are essential to democracy. Thats why we need to fight back. Because, as Paine made clear, and as the dissidents I knew exemplified, the most patriotic thing one can do is dissent. It means you love your country enough to sacrifice your own comfort for the sake of its improvement.

One way you can invest in our freedomand protect our democracywhile our rights as Americans are under assault, is to support Washington Monthly.

As our editors state on our website, Were an independent voice, listened to by insiders and willing to take on sacred cowsliberal and conservative. And, as a non-profit, the Monthlyis beholden to no vested interests. Were committed to putting pressure on power, telling the truth no matter the costs, treating journalism as a public service, and coming up with bold ideas that can improve the country.

But we cant do it all on our own. If you appreciate our work, please consider helping us by making adonationduring this months fundraising drive. Give whatever you can$10, $20, $100, $1,000and for a limited time only your contribution will be matched, dollar for dollar, thanks to a generous challenge grant from NewsMatch. If you give $50 or more, youll receive a complimentary one-year subscription to the print edition of theWashington Monthly.

Your contributions to theWashington Monthlyare vital, tax-deductible, and much appreciated. And rememberits an investment in freedom.

View post:

Invest in Freedom: Support the Washington Monthly - Washington Monthly

Alabama’s 200 years in 200 images: Freedom fighting from Iwo Jima to Selma – AL.com

AP

It was called the "Tuskegee Experiment."

Amid the unease of possibly being drawn into wars in Europe and Asia, the United States in the 1930s explored the idea of allowing African-Americans to serve as military pilots and looked to deeply segregated Alabama to get that idea off the ground.

"Potential candidates had to be college graduates and were expected to be officers in the Army Air Forces, usually second lieutenants, as they completed their advanced training," according to the Encyclopedia of Alabama.

More than 900 black pilots trained at the segregated Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama during the war, men from all over the country who fought racism and oppression at home and enemy pilots and antiaircraft gunners overseas.

More than 400 served in combat.

The Tuskegee Airmen lost 27 ships and would complete 1,578 total combat missions for the Fifteenth and Twelve Air Forces, destroying 150 enemy aircraft on the ground and 112 in air-to-air combat.

It was that record which inspired Harry Truman to eliminate racial divides in the military services.

These airmen shown listening to an instructor are among first class of African American pilots in history of the United States to get their wings at the advanced fly school on March 7, 1942 at Tuskegee, Alabama. Left to right: R.M. Long, G.S. Roberts, London, W. VA.; Capt. B. Washington; C.H. Debow, Indianapolis; Mac Ross, L.R. Curtis, New Rochelle, N.Y. (AP Photo)

B. I. Sanders

The Japanese on Dec. 7, 1941 attacked the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, and the nation was thrust into World War II. Approximately 300,000 uniformed men and women from Alabama served in the military branches during the war. More than 6,000 lost their lives, including those who served at Pearl Harbor, Normandy and Iwo Jima.

New or expanded military bases brought thousands of service members and civilians to Montgomery, Mobile, Selma, Ozark, Gadsden, Anniston and elsewhere, while munitions and supply plants roared day and night across the state.

In honor of Alabamas bicentennial, here is the third in a series of four pieces compiling more than 200 images capturing the states 200 years of history good, bad and ugly.

Part I: Creek War, Civil War, and the KKK

Part II: Promise, progress, Depression and death

Second Lieut. Russell Drinnan, an instructor in a Ranger division training at Camp Rucker, Ala., demonstrates how easy it is to clear bayonets, March 5, 1943. (AP Photo/B. I. Sanders)

Woman painting at Goodyear rubber plant in Gadsden, sometime between 1941-1945. Alabama Department of Archives and History.

AP

James Estes of Marion, Alabama stands guard beneath the stars and stripes on board a destroyer at the U.S. Naval operational base at Londonderry, Northern Ireland, July 12, 1942. (AP Photo)

A large electric phosphate smelting furnace used to make elemental phosphorus in a TVA chemical plant in the vicinity of Muscle Shoals in 1942. (Library of Congress)

Carl Thusgaard

Mess Sergeant, S/Sgt. Milton Henney (right, foreground) of Opelousas, La., tastes the chow in the field kitchen in New Guinea on June 23, 1943. At left is Sgt. Henry Hall of Leeds, Alabama. (AP Photo/Pool/Carl Thusgaard)

AP

Sergeant Joe Louis, top, world heavyweight boxing champion, stretched out for a rest in a water-filled trench in Alabama on March 11, 1944, where he is temporarily stationed, after crawling under live machine gun fire and through mud and barbed wire. He and his two companions were training on the battle conditioning course of the chemical warfare training centre at Alabama. (AP Photo)

Alabama also became home to 24 POW camps holding 16,000 German prisoners. Camp Aliceville in Pickens County is the largest, with a capacity for 6,000. German POWs housed in barracks in Aliceville. (Alabama Department of Archives and History.)

Robert Adams

The war at home

When the war and the victory celebrations ended, Alabama still faced the deep racial divides that haunted us since before we joined the United States 125 years earlier.

In the years after World War II, Birmingham's African-American families began crossing the invisible line formed by decades old city ordinances that kept blacks out of the city's 'white neighborhoods.'

Barriers that kept black children in inferior schools and black women at the back of city buses were challenged in court and with acts of peaceful, civil disobedience.

Each hard fought victory was met with violence from spiteful racists.

Impromptu celebrations erupted in the streets of Birmingham as news of the surrender of Japan in August 1945, ending World War II, swept across Birmingham. (Robert Adams/The Birmingham News)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jimmy Harris, right, 19, is questioned by Warden Tennyson Dennis, left, at the state prison in Montgomery, Ala., June 10, 1947, after Harris was rescued from a mob at Hurtsboro, Ala., which had a rope around his neck and was threatening to lynch him. Sheriff Ralph Matthews says Harris is held on an attempted rape charge. After his rescue from the mob, Harris was rushed to the jail at Phenix City and then to the state prison for his "protection." (AP Photo)

In the 20 years after WWII, bomb blasts turned Birmingham's Smithfield neighborhood into 'Dynamite Hill' and the Magic City into 'Bombingham.'

As civil rights activists made progress step by grueling step, their victories from the 1940s through the 1960s were punctuated with the sounds of bombs exploding.

After the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth fought to desegregate buses in 1956, his home was blown up on Christmas night.

When a truce was declared to end weeks of nationally televised protests in May 1963, bombs exploded at the Gaston Motel and the home of A.D. King, brother of MLK.

Days after city schools integrated in September 1963, four Sunday School students were killed in the deadliest, most tragic of the years-long series of bombings.

Original News caption: "Home Blasted: The four-bedroom home of a Negro woman who had challenged the city of Birmingham's zoning laws was blasted in 1950. This picture shows the over-all damage to the residence of Monroe and Mary Means Monk, 950 North Center Street. In the foreground is the wrecked porch, on which the bomb is believed to have exploded. Just back of the porch is the Monk's bedroom in which the owner of the house had retired before the explosion."

From a 2006 News article: "When Claretta Monk heard the blast four nights before Christmas 1950, she knew exactly what the target was: the home of her father and stepmother, Monroe and Mary Means Monk.

With a friend in tow, she hurried on foot from her residence in Enon Ridge to her parents' new home on the traditionally white west side of Center Street North.

''They stayed in it one night, and it was gone,'' said Monk."

.....The Monks were targets because they challenged (segregation) laws. The first black to do so was Sam Matthews. On Aug. 18, 1947, his home at 120 11th Court North was bombed.

Disgusted with the national Democratic Party for embracing aplatform to eliminate the poll tax and pass fair labor practices and anti-lynching laws, Southern state delegates walked out of the party's convention in Philadelphia into the rain on July 17, 1948and caught the Silver Comet train to Birmingham.

Bull Connor led the 6,000 people gathered under the ceiling fans there at Birmingham's Municipal Auditorium -- today called Boutwell Auditorium.

South Carolina Gov. Strom Thurmond, who had a relatively moderate record on race, accepted the presidential nomination to the newly formed Dixiecrat Party.

"There's not enough troops in the Army to break down segregation and admit Negroes into our homes, our theaters and our swimming pools," Thurmond said in his acceptance speech.

July 17, 1948: The Dixiecrat Convention assembles in Birmingham, selecting Strom Thurmond as presidential nominee for the States Rights Democratic Party. In the 1948 election, the Dixiecrats carry Alabama and three other Southern states.'Truman Killed By Civil Rights' reads the sign on this effigy of President Truman handing from the marquee of the Tutwiler Hotel tonight after a states rights meeting was held here.

Rosa Parks was arrested after refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery on Dec. 1, 1955. Her action ignited the yearlong Montgomery bus boycott and helped usher in the civil rights movement.

"While thousands of other Negroes boycotted Montgomery city lines in protest, Mrs. Rosa Parks was fined $14 in Police Court today for having disregarded last Thursday a driver's order to move to the rear of a bus," The Associated Press reported in December 1955.

"An emotional crowd of Negroes, estimated by the police at 5,000, roared approval tonight at a meeting to continue the boycott.

"Spokesmen said the boycott would continue until people who rode buses were no longer "intimidated, embarrassed and coerced." They said a "delegation of citizens" was ready to help city and bus line officials develop a program that would be "satisfactory and equitable."

"Mrs. Parks appealed her fine and was released under $100 bond signed by an attorney, Fred Gray, and a former state president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, E.D. Nixon."

Rosa Parks is fingerprinted by police Lt. D.H. Lackey in Montgomery, Ala., Feb. 22, 1956, two months after refusing to give up her seat on a bus for a white passenger on Dec. 1, 1955. She was arrested with several others who violated segregation laws. Parks' refusal to give up her seat led to a boycott of buses by blacks in Dec. 1955, a tactic organized by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which ended after the U.S. Supreme Court deemed that all segregation was unlawful,Dec. 20, 1956. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick)

Gene Herrick

In early 1956, the homes of (Martin Luther) King and E. D. Nixon were bombed," according to Stanford University.

"King was able to calm the crowd that gathered at his home by declaring: Be calm as I and my family are. We are not hurt and remember that if anything happens to me, there will be others to take my place."

"City officials obtained injunctions against the boycott in February 1956, and indicted over 80 boycott leaders under a 1921 law prohibiting conspiracies that interfered with lawful business. King was tried and convicted on the charge and ordered to pay $500 or serve 386 days in jail in the case. Despite this resistance, the boycott continued."

The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court and the boycott ended 0n Dec. 20, 1956.

"The next morning, (King) boarded an integrated bus with Ralph Abernathy, E. D. Nixon, and Glenn Smiley. King said of the bus boycott: We came to see that, in the long run, it is more honorable to walk in dignity than ride in humiliation. So we decided to substitute tired feet for tired souls, and walk the streets of Montgomery.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is welcomed with a kiss by his wife Coretta after leaving court in Montgomery, Ala., March 22, 1956. King was found guilty of conspiracy to boycott city buses in a campaign to desegregate the bus system, but a judge suspended his $500 fine pending appeal. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick)

HARDIN

Meanwhile, the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth was the driving force behind the Birmingham integration efforts in the 1950s and early 1960s that energized the national civil rights movement.

He was brutally beaten by a mob, sprayed with city fire hoses, arrested by police 35 times and also blown out of his bed by a Ku Klux Klan bomb during his struggle against segregation in Birmingham and said he never feared death.

"I tried to get killed in Birmingham and go home to God because I knew it would be better for you in Birmingham," he once told an audience of students.

June 5, 1956: Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth on the night he founded the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights at Sardis Baptist Church. The meeting came one week after Alabama Attorney General John Patterson outlawed the NAACP. Said Shuttlesworth of the meeting: It was packed. People were downstairs and outside too. It was an enthusiastic meeting. The thing you have to remember is that I was challenging the whole segregation law. I was saying what I wanted to say and I was screaming against segregation. I was getting the crowd whipped up. After the NAACP was outlawed by Alabama Attorney General John Patterson. A response was organized as the ACMHR one week later. The ACMHR was the organization most often associated with Birmingham civil rights actions for the next 10 years, with Shuttlesworth's fiery oratorical style at the helm. (Tom Hardin photo)

Jay Reeves The Associated Pres

For 40 years starting in 1932, medical workers in Tuskegee withheld treatment for unsuspecting men infected with a sexually transmitted disease simply so doctors could track the ravages of the horrid illness and dissect their bodies afterward.

Workers initially recruited 600 black men into a health program with the promise of free medical checks, free food, free transportation and burial insurance in a county where many blacks had never even seen a doctor. The men were tested and sorted into groups -- 399 with syphilis and another 201 who were not infected.

The disease-free men were used as a control group. Health workers told syphilitic fathers, grandfathers, sons, brothers and uncles only that they had "bad blood."

None of the men were asked to consent to take part in a medical study. They also weren't told that "bad blood" actually was a euphemism for syphilis. Instead, doctors purposely hid the study's purpose from the men, subjecting them during the study's early months to painful spinal taps and blood tests.

And doctors never provided them with penicillin after it became the standard treatment for syphilis in the mid-1940s.

The government published occasional reports on the study, including findings which showed the men with syphilis were dying at a faster rate than the uninfected. But it's doubtful any of the men -- or their wives, girlfriends or other sexual partners -- had any idea what had happened until an Associated Press story was published nationwide on July 26, 1972.

Finally exposed, the study ended and the men sued, resulting in a $9 million settlement.

In this 1950's photo released by the National Archives, a black man included in a syphilis study has blood drawn by a doctor in Tuskegee, Ala. For 40 years starting in 1932, medical workers in the segregated South withheld treatment for unsuspecting men infected with a sexually transmitted disease simply so doctors could track the ravages of the horrid illness and dissect their bodies afterward. Finally exposed in 1972, the study ended and the men sued, resulting in a $9 million settlement. (National Archives via AP)

The Freedom Rides, a protest to show how Supreme Court decisions integrating public transportation were not being enforced in the segregationist South, left Washington in May 1961 headed to New Orleans. The buses were filled with blacks and whites, riding side by side.

Waiting for them were klansman in Alabama, determined the trip, and the Civil Rights Movement, would not proceed.

A Freedom Rider bus went up in flames in May 1961 when a fire bomb was tossed through a window near Anniston, Ala. The bus, which was testing bus station segregation in the south, had stopped because of a flat tire. Passengers escaped without serious injury. (AP Photo)

TOMMY LANGSTON

Klansmen attack a Freedom Rider at the Trailways Bus Station in Birmingham, Ala., May 14, 1961. (AP Photo/Birmingham Post-Herald, Tommy Langston, File)

Nashville Tennessean

May 20, 1961: Freedom Riders arrive at the Greyhound bus terminal in Montgomery where a mob attacks them. Anniston and Birmingham are scenes of similar mob mayhem. The Freedom Rides through the Deep South are challenging racial segregation on public transit.Freedom Riders John Lewis and Jim Zwerg after being beaten by a mob in Montgomery Alabama as they took part in the 1961 Freedom Rides that ultimately brought integration of interstate transportation to the South.

AP

A workman removes a restroom sign at Montgomery Municipal Airport, Jan. 5, 1962, in compliance with a federal court order banning segregation. However, city officials delayed plans to remove waiting room furniture and close toilets and water fountains. But they said these and the airport restaurant will be closed if there is a concerted integration attempt. (AP Photo)

AP

In the mayoral election of 1963, former Alabama Lt. Gov. Albert Boutwell received 39 percent of the vote and Birmingham Commissioner of Public Safety Theophilus Eugene "Bull" Connor received 31 percent, setting up an April 2 runoff.

Civil rights activists saw the discord in the municipal goverment of one of America's most violently segregated cities as a chance to finally kill Jim Crow.

Boutwell decisively defeated Connor and the next day, the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) and the Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC) led sit-in demonstrations at downtown Birmingham lunch counters; 20 participants were arrested at Britt's lunch counters, while Kress, Loveman's, Pizitz, and Woolworth's closed their counters.

For the next five weeks, marchers, many of them children, took to the streets of Birmingham and were assailed by police dogs and fire hoses while the world watched on television.

(AP Photo/stf)

With an estimated 40 percent of the student body at the all-black Parker High School skipping class to protest and the Birmingham City Jail filled beyond capacity, Birmingham Public Safety Commissioner Bull Connor ordered the use of fire hoses and police dogs on the protestors in May of 1963.

CALVIN HANNAH

June 11, 1963, has been remembered most often as the day Gp. George Wallace fulfilled a campaign promise made more than a year earlier as he kicked off his run for governor, Charles Dean wrote.

"I shall refuse to abide by any such illegal federal court order even to the point of standing in the schoolhouse door, if necessary."

But Wallace's stand in front of Foster Auditorium was not how Vivian Malone, later to become Vivian Malone Jones, wanted history to remember those events. Jones, who died in 2005, said on the 40th anniversary of her and James Hood's successful enrollment, that she hoped people would remember doors opened, not blocked.

"For so long, it's gone down in a negative way, it's gone down in the way we portray that event as a 'stand in the schoolhouse door.' The press picked it up that way, which to me was a negative," said Jones. "What I was hoping and hoping will happen .... is that we celebrate the opening of the door, not the stand, not the attempt to close the door."

Former Alabama Gov. George Wallace is shown in this June 1963 photo, when he vowed 'segregation forever' and stood in an Alabama school house door to keep blacks from enrolling at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Tuscaloosa News, Calvin Hannah)

Jones, Ed

Although only the state flag typically flew over Alabama's capitol, the Confederate flag was raised as U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy visited the state to meet with Gov. George Wallace in 1963. The two spoke for nearly an hour and a half.

View original post here:

Alabama's 200 years in 200 images: Freedom fighting from Iwo Jima to Selma - AL.com