Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article Arnold van Gennep (born 1873, Württemberg, Ger.—died 1957) was a French ethnographer and folklorist, best known for his studies of the rites of passage of various cultures which he himself described in Les Demi-Savants (1911; The Semi-Scholars) Gennep’s major work was Les Rites de Passage (1909; The Rites of Passage), in which he systematically compared those ceremonies that celebrate an individual’s transition from one status to another within a given society. He found a tripartite sequence in ritual observance: separation Gennep offered interpretations of the significance of these rites as forms of social regeneration based on such natural symbols as death and rebirth His writings include the monumental Manuel de folklore français contemporain (1937–58; “Manual of Contemporary French Folklore”) He also edited the “Ethnographie-Folklore-Religions–Préhistoire” section in the publication Mercure de France and wrote Religions moeurs et légendes; Essais d’ethnographie et de linguistique (1908–14; “Religions and Legends; Essays of Ethnology and Linguistics”) This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page but I will have some fun on the bike and just enjoy racing in the Netherlands this week." Results powered by FirstCycling The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox! Lukas Knöfler started working in cycling communications in 2013 and has seen the inside of the scene from many angles. Having worked as press officer for teams and races and written for several online and print publications, he has been Cyclingnews’ Women’s WorldTour correspondent since 2018. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Your Ads Privacy ChoicesIMDb If you're unhappy with your product in any way Simply email us at shop@goodbeerhunting.com SHIPPINGAll orders will be processed and shipped in about a week's to ten days time This isn't always perfect (we're not Amazon) so if you have a rush please email us ahead at shop@goodbeerhunting.com to make sure we can pull it off in time Your email or personal information will never be shared or sold to anyone Trying to find some meaning in the margins with literary overthinker Oliver Gray Despite our daily exhaustion at trying to manage a household and this particular political point in history finding conviviality in commiserating over current events as the guests and music dissipated into memory but rather how neatly we had put a bow on another year The party was as much celebration as it was permission to move on to the next phase transitionary point from which we could grow Liminality is an anthropological explanation for the psychological middle First described by Arnold Van Gennep in his 1909 work liminality makes up the emotional and sociological basis of humanistic rituals and the personal transformation contained therein Van Gennep broke these rituals down into three phases: rites of separation that include a metaphorical death; transition rites that involve an established pattern or order and are overseen by a master of ceremonies or other leader; and rites of incorporation where the person going through the rite emerges on the other side A diet version of Joseph Campbell’s theory of the hero’s journey liminal phases bring meaning to an otherwise arbitrary reality laying the foundations that make up life as we know it We need to build context and structure to justify sentient existence Ever stop to consider why we celebrate birthdays imagine how many rites of passage you’ve been party to but there they lie: between the conscious and the unconscious as obvious and invisible as the breaths that get us through the day.  we are amorphous: a story with no teller.  Why has a puddle of fermented grains and flowers interjected itself so continuously and relentlessly in virtually every society for our entire recorded history The “it gets you drunk” theory is lazy and unsatisfying The “community and culture” angle is much more metaphysically nutritious but it lacks a certain lizard-brain answer that justifies the human investment in an agricultural byproduct for literal millennia I’ve invested a lot of myself into what—without examination—is just a drink At times I feel guilty that my life’s work hasn’t been committed to a greater altruistic good meaning they have the characteristics of a full liminal experience (only without the profound life-altering conclusion that leads to personal transformation) Coffee and other drinks have similar liminoid structures but there’s a cultural sprezzatura—a casual nonchalance—that hides beer’s immense importance.  Like an abandoned building—purpose long lost to history—a collector’s hoard of bottles is haunted by what could have been Those beers that have established themselves as liminal superpowers understand the importance of the trappings of a ritual The fabled pint at an Irish pub has everything to do with what happens around the beer While the quality of the draft is nigh mandatory it’s the atmosphere and context that make that particular pint such a rarefied ideal People strive for the perfect pint because it contains the formula for a perfect moment What we’ve lost in our unplanned hiatus from bars isn’t about flavor or the beer itself It’s about those moments that help define our relationships to others and to ourselves.  the failures of our collective days seek resolution which we in turn seek through liminal microtransactions: pints at the pub.  its eager little belly pressed up against the bar Sloughing off a week’s worth of life is no easy task Taking glass in hand signifies a change—you’re no longer work you The time it takes to drink 12-to-20 ounces gives us time to reflect to bring order to the swirling chaos of the human mind and exit another—not because of the drink itself the act of taking time to transition between parts of ourselves Bubbles cascading through a glass shimmer with the faceted soul of humanity: a wink from a wedding While the major liminal events get all of the attention Filling our days is as simple as filling our glasses Life would be exhausting—if not downright impossible—if every day were packed to the pillows with life-changing meaning Beer’s crucial role is not gustatory or anesthetic Those shared beers—clinked glasses—circles of condensation left on the bar—are building blocks The tiny blocks fill in the gaps between the larger ones and 2014 at 2:53 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Lincoln-Way East High School Athletic Department held their fall college signing day on Wednesday November 12 in Griffins Lair at Lincoln-Way East High School Four Lincoln-Way East student-athletes participated in the National Letter of Intent ceremony: Nikole Van Gennep Nikole Van Gennep will play softball for Eckerd College Her parents are John and Kris Van Gennep and her softball coach is Elizabeth Pawlicki She said she chose Eckerd College because she “really liked the coach we are able to play softball the entire year.” Jenny Van Geertry will be attending Northern Illinois University in DeKalb where she will play softball Her parents are Robert and Hilda Van Geertry and her softball coach is Elizabeth Pawlicki Jenny will be majoring in marketing at Northern Illinois University “I really like the coaches and the university itself.” Julia Junkroski will be attending the University of South Dakota in the city of Vermillion She will be a member of the Track & Field team for South Dakota Julia is the daughter of Robert and Mary Junkroski Her coaches are Caroline Gerritsen and Wendy Hegarty “I chose the University of South Dakota because I think it is a good fit for me; the size and the academics plus it has the best pole vault coach in the country,” she said with a smile Kelly Sterling will be attending the University of Illinois-Chicago where she will be playing golf Kelly chose the University of Illinois-Chicago because she “liked her coach and liked the city of Chicago “Each of these student-athletes have worked hard and earned the opportunity to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level We are extremely proud of them and know that they will represent Lincoln-Way East with great pride,” said Mark Vander Kooi Caption: Four Lincoln-Way East High School student-athletes participated in the National Letter of Intent ceremony recently at the East High School Student-athletes signing are: (left to right) Nikole Van Gennep Jenny Van Geertry both for softball; Julia Junkroski for track & field; and Kelly Sterling for golf Coaches standing in back row are: Elizabeth Pawlicki Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. he explored the rituals that cultures use to transition people from one stage of life to the next the seasons—we’re always on the threshold of one phase or another How do communities shepherd individuals from the pre- to the post- Van Gennep argued that certain universal principles underlie rites of passage across cultures and eras in which “rites of separation” detach individuals from their earlier thoughts a volatile interregnum that’s simultaneously disorienting and ambiguous during which “rites of transition” open up the possibility of a new and different future the “rites of incorporation” allow one to reënter society somehow changed “Life itself means to separate and to be reunited to die and to be reborn,” van Gennep wrote Van Gennep’s observations were a landmark in the nascent field of anthropology “Elements of ceremonial behavior were no longer the relics of former superstitious eras,” the anthropologists Richard Huntington and Peter Metcalf later wrote but “keys to a universal logic of human social life.” In the century since scholars have applied van Gennep’s framework not just to individuals but to societies in times of turmoil and transformation often experiencing intense periods of renunciation and sports all coexisted alongside vaccine holdouts Today, Omicron might make it feel as though we’re still squarely in the liminal phase we may soon be tipping into a post-liminal paradigm Omicron’s extraordinary contagiousness—combined with rising vaccination and booster rates—could mean that nearly all Americans will have some level of immunity to COVID Repeat infections and breakthrough cases will still occur as our individual and collective immunity broadens these will become milder and less disruptive The influenza pandemics of the twentieth century each lasted around two years; now twenty-one months into our battle with the coronavirus Omicron is accelerating what could be this pandemic’s final chapter some broad questions: Where will we end up in our attitudes toward ourselves and the social web in which we live Who will we be on the other side of our transition health has shifted from a narrow individual consideration to a more expansive these activities now carry an ethical dimension Will this remain true after the acute threat of COVID-19 has subsided we’ll adopt some version of the physician’s oath to do no harm they’ve been forced to do so—perhaps by medical vulnerability or unprecedented disruptions in schooling—while the pandemic’s chaos presented an opportunity to reëvaluate priorities we don’t just passively recite our lines; we write them taking vows that may reverberate for decades One of the questions we face now is whether we can make such changes on a social level The pandemic’s school disruptions are the result not just of a novel virus but of years of underinvestment that have yielded underpaid teachers We’ve seen the same pattern in many aspects of our pandemic experience Decades of investment in basic science allowed American scientists to race from genomic sequencing to an effective COVID vaccine in less than a year—but a public-health system that had been neglected for decades hampered our ability to contain the virus at every turn building capacity so that our institutions can be more resilient and flexible The pandemic has posed similar questions for the world as a whole COVID-19 struck during the seventy-fifth anniversary of the creation of the United Nations and arrived at a moment characterized by a sharp rise in nationalism and a broadening skepticism about the international arrangements that have governed since the Second World War the multilateral system of international coöperation was fraying Americans had grown increasingly suspicious of globalization and frustrated by their leaders’ failure to address its consequences: inequality Now the coronavirus has shown that globalization moves not just goods and people across borders but pathogens In March, the National Intelligence Council released a report arguing that the world will face global crises—pandemics technological disruptions—with growing frequency greater international fragmentation and tension will impede our ability to respond to them The report outlined several possible futures called the “renaissance of democracies,” the world settles into a new equilibrium characterized by technological progress “a world adrift,” the international system is “directionless and volatile”; global problems are largely ignored and multilateral institutions lose their influence At a global level, as at the national one, the health crisis of the pandemic has put another preëxisting crisis into sharper relief. Effective pandemic response requires coördination across nations; this is the work of the World Health Organization, of which America has long been the largest funder. In 2019, the U.S. contributed more than four hundred million dollars to the W.H.O., but in April, 2020, Donald Trump announced that the U.S the world’s primary global vaccine-distribution mechanism Today less than nine per cent of people in low-income countries have received a single dose of a COVID vaccine; the rise of ever more concerning variants and other wealthy countries to vaccinate the world the G-20—a forum comprising nineteen nations and the European Union which together account for ninety per cent of the world’s economic output—proposed key steps for strengthening the global response to future infectious threats: higher and more consistent funding for the W.H.O.; greater collaboration between governments and the W.H.O and vaccine development; and the establishment of global norms for the reporting of emerging pathogens Will countries unite in making such changes on their willingness to act multilaterally—to see that their own security is interwoven with the security of others It’s an issue that’s larger than the virus has created a hinge in the history of the world which could swing either toward greater cohesion or toward disarray In 1954, a researcher named Muzafer Sherif conducted what would become one of the most famous experiments in social psychology. Sherif was interested in the dynamics of group conflict: how easily loyalties form; how little it takes for rival factions to quarrel; what, if anything, can be done to repair relations. As my colleague Elizabeth Kolbert wrote recently, in a piece on political polarization Sherif invited twenty-two fifth-grade boys to a summer camp at Robbers Cave State Park Sherif and his team divided them into two groups each unaware that the other was housed in a cabin at another end of the camp which named themselves the Eagles and the Rattlers bonded over shared interests and activities—hiking the groups were brought together in a series of zero-sum competitions: baseball One group was delayed in arriving at a picnic; when they got there they were led to believe that the other group had eaten their food The Eagles burned the Rattlers’ flag; the Rattlers raided the Eagles’ cabin Researchers had to step in to break up fights The goal of the third phase was to defuse the animosity the researchers organized a series of noncompetitive activities Only when the campers were given tasks requiring collaboration on a common endeavor—restarting a stalled food truck raising money for a movie night—did conflict decline The findings of the Robbers Cave experiment have become a staple of undergraduate seminars and psychology textbooks But they appear not to apply to our current moment Never before has it been so clear that our work and fates are inextricably linked to those around us Working together to control the virus should have been the ultimate shared goal Americans couldn’t agree not to sneeze on one another America has remained one of the world’s most polarized nations He’d invited a similar cohort of boys to a camp in upstate New York and divided them into groups: the Panthers and the Pythons The researchers had carried out a similar series of conflict-generating shenanigans: they’d stolen clothes the boys caught on—they realized that they were being manipulated “Maybe you just wanted to see what our reactions would be,” one boy suggested to a researcher ​​One of the groups decided that their clothes must have gone missing because of a laundry mishap; both sides worked together to restore an overturned tent He grew so despondent that he nearly punched a research assistant in the face The experiment was stopped early; Sherif never published the findings a result of forces that aim to extract political or financial gain by stoking division and appealing to our basest instincts They reflect our discord but also create it We don’t yet know what post-liminal life looks like—but recognizing that truth may be the first step to healing the divide How China’s response set the stage for a worldwide wave of censorship Why are preschoolers subject to the strictest COVID rules in New York City Ecuador’s largest city endured one of the world’s most lethal outbreaks What it was like to treat some of the oldest and sickest people in New York’s jails Young New Yorkers grapple with the pandemic’s mental toll In the COVID era, the success of the chickenpox vaccine is staggering to contemplate Sign up for our daily newsletter to receive the best stories from The New Yorker. own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment University of Connecticut provides funding as a member of The Conversation US View all partners Following the wave of protests over the war in the Gaza Strip, several U.S. universities have decided to cancel or ramp down commencement ceremonies. More are expected to follow Announcing their decision, these institutions cited security concerns related to the turmoil and division that followed the protests As an anthropologist who studies the human need for ritual I have spent two decades investigating the role of collective ceremonies in creating meaning and belonging I have also seen the flip side of that: Depriving people of meaningful rituals can lead to disillusionment and social disengagement From the cradle to the grave, the most important moments of our lives are ritualized. From personal milestones such as birthdays and weddings to societal changes like the transfer of government power all major transitions are shrouded in ceremony The fact that these rituals occur without exception in all human societies highlights their importance The anthropologist Arnold van Gennep called these ceremonies “rites of passage.” He noted that across cultures they have a similar structure and achieve similar outcomes Rites of passage typically involve three stages participants are separated from their previous way of life civilians may give up their familiar routines and move away from their friends and family to join the army Students do the same when they leave behind campus life to join the labor force The second phase is the liminal period between stages It is characterized by ambiguity and uncertainty as initiates leave their former status behind but have yet to assume their new role a cadet may feel as neither a civilian not a soldier; a bride neither single nor married; and candidates neither pupils nor graduates the transition is complete and the initiate is reintegrated into society with new status As a military initiation turns civilians into soldiers a commencement turns apprentices into qualified professionals Rites of passage do not merely celebrate the transition to a new state – they actively create this new state in the eyes of society an important transition may feel less real and its significance diminished Imagine that no one remembers your 50th birthday; or that as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve Not everyone cares about a graduation ceremony some graduates choose not to attend theirs The vast majority of graduating students do care as is evidenced by packed auditoriums and stadiums across the country In the spring of 2020, the University of Connecticut, where I teach, announced that it was suspending all campus activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. That day, the first question my students asked me was “Will we be able to have a graduation ceremony?” As with most colleges around the world I still remember the disappointment in their faces Most high schools canceled their graduations in 2020 many of those students are having a déjà vu they will be deprived of an opportunity to celebrate their accomplishment Graduating from college can be one of the most important transitions in a person’s life it involves radical changes in their lifestyle social relations and overall role in society The lack of a symbolic act to demarcate that change can leave graduates in Van Gennep’s liminal space, a feeling that the transition has not been properly completed. In the words of the anthropologist Victor Turner, they are caught “betwixt and between.” In addition to their personal importance, rituals also play important roles in shaping group identities One might even argue that the only times a conglomerate of individuals truly becomes a group is during the performance of collective rituals the members of an extended family tend to gather together only at events like weddings and funerals Religious adherents only congregate to perform a sacred ceremony And a student body only comes together as one to partake in a commencement Graduation ceremonies embody not only the sacredness of education and the importance of student achievements but also graduates’ bonds to their institution and fellow students such gatherings may be needed more than ever in a context fraught with division Press releases are provided by companies as is and have not been edited or checked for accuracy Any queries should be directed to the company issuing the release an international logistics service provider has secured Murata Electronics as a new customer in the Netherlands As a leading Japanese manufacturer of electronic components Murata has chosen Arvato to operate its central distribution center for the EMEA region at the Gennep site this state-of-the-art facility showcases Arvato's commitment to customer-centric logistics solutions "We are excited to join forces with Arvato in this strategic partnership setting new industry standards in logistics excellence," said Bert Heerink Director Supply Chain management at Murata Electronics Europe "With Arvato's automation expertise and our shared commitment to sustainability we are confident that this endeavor will deliver unparalleled value to our customers while minimizing our environmental impact." A highly automated shuttle system lies at the core of this logistics solution catering to Murata's requirements for high-density storage with enhanced flexibility the system enhances efficiency and speed in order picking and packaging processes leading to quicker and more accurate fulfillment of customer orders fully automated image processing and barcode reading technology employed throughout the goods receipt to loading shipments onto trucks ensure real-time monitoring and virtually error-free flow of goods for all processes outside the shuttle system "We are proud to enter the industry vertical as Murata's preferred logistics partner leveraging our state-of-the-art automated shuttle technology with its unique video scanning and our customer-centric approach to fuel this highly successful collaboration Our automated solutions not only efficiently address Murata's current requirements but also provide a scalable platform for accommodating their anticipated growth in the future.” The strategic location of the Gennep site in the Netherlands offers Murata ideal access to the European highway network providing swift access to major airports such as Frankfurt with multiple parcel service providers having their main transshipment points in the region incoming goods can be efficiently integrated into the inventory and enabling shipments to reach most of Murata's European customers within one to two days Arvato and Murata share a strong commitment to sustainability and the location in Gennep offers remarkable advantages in this regard Arvato's Operations Excellence Manager covering 220,000 square meters of warehouse space boasts an impressively low carbon footprint The facility utilizes electric heating and cooling and the entire premises are equipped with 27,000 solar panels making it one of the largest roof-mounted photovoltaic systems in the Netherlands." With an annual output exceeding 10,000 megawatt hours (MWh) reducing Arvato's carbon footprint by 4,100 tons annually - equivalent to offsetting more than 416,600 trees yearly The site's successful BREEAM certification the world's leading sustainability assessment for real estate This collaboration between Arvato and Murata marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of sustainable HOUSTON (May 1, 2025) – Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas one of the world’s leading manufacturers and providers of material handling today announced the completion of a major expansion at its Houston manufacturing campus with the 73,500-square-foot electrification fabrication facility This milestone marks a significant step in the company’s strategic initiative to grow its footprint in the rapidly expanding electric market The new facility is designed to meet the rising demand for Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas’ Electric Class I and Class II products It is also designed to significantly enhance production capacity and lower manufacturing costs to better serve evolving customer needs “This expansion is a reflection of our continued commitment to innovation and growth,” said Berry Mansfield President of Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas “It took a shared vision to bring this expansion to life This facility not only supports our growth in electrification but also creates a more engaging environment for our employees We’re excited to start production this year.” Construction began with a groundbreaking in August 2023 and was completed in spring 2024 including powder painting and robotic welding equipment culminating in the completion of the new electrification building in 2025 The development aligns with Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas’ long-term strategic goal to grow its warehouse product market share With electric-powered solutions continuing to outpace internal combustion (IC) vehicles in the market this facility strengthens the company’s position for sustained momentum Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas has invested nearly $20 million in the new facility to respond to increasing demand while improving lead times The new facility will help all parties involved by streamlining operations and boosting overall manufacturing efficiency To learn more about Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas and its network of dealers, please visit www.logisnextamericas.com a leading provider of intelligent warehouse automation solutions has appointed Cortney Hunt as Chief Operating Officer Hunt brings over 25 years of leadership in the strategy and implementation of warehouse technologies as an end user ensuring flawless delivery of the company's innovative automation solutions to customers Hunt served in senior leadership roles during his tenure at McLane Company Inc. most recently as Vice President of DC Network and Facilities he has consistently enhanced operational efficiency through the strategic implementation of automation and transportation technologies while building high-performing technical teams to support complex distribution center operations “Adding Cortney to our leadership team brings a genuine customer perspective to our solutions and implementation helping us deliver a better product” said Trew CEO “Cortney will add vast end user experiences to our team and lead driving operational improvements and helping ensure efficiency and alignment across the organization "I am excited to join Trew and further strengthen our position as a trusted partner delivering innovative automation solutions with the highest life-time value to our customers,” said Trew’s new COO “I am very grateful for my time at McLane Company Inc. and I look forward to helping them and our clients thrive.” Hunt holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from the University of Oklahoma He is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and former member of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor College of Business Advisory Board makers of a Warehouse Management System (WMS) and AI-Powered Slotting Solution The acquisition will provide a strong technical foundation that enables Fidus to expand beyond equipment control into broader warehouse management accelerating progress to create the industry’s first truly open-architecture automation suite that is poised to revolutionize the future of warehouse automation Fidus will gain key assets from Fulfilld—a WMS system and an AI-powered slotting solution—that accelerate progress toward Fidus’ own open-architecture solutions that aim to provide customers true ownership and long-term control over their warehouse automation technology several key engineers from Fulfilld will join the Fidus team “Our core philosophy at Fidus has always been that technology should adapt to how people work not force people and businesses to adapt to the technology,” remarks Aarron Hale “and now with the integration of sophisticated core assets from Fulfilld we are able to take meaningful steps to create a comprehensive approach that ultimately frees businesses from the limitations of closed vendor-controlled systems across their entire warehouse operation We are excited to welcome our new team members from Fulfilld and plan to make significant strides towards an unrivaled open-architecture Enterprise Control Platform.” Fidus Global is committed to building the industry’s first truly open-architecture Enterprise Control Platform (ECP)—a comprehensive automation suite that will give operators control over every aspect of their material handling ecosystem Fidus Global is a warehouse software solutions firm and a full-service controls engineering firm with a diverse range of expertise that spans across retail Fidus provides clients with exceptional solutions in industrial automation with a team composed of seasoned engineers from leading corporations including Amazon Through the launch of Pontem (Best IT Innovation Award 2025 the industry’s first open architecture Warehouse Control System (WCS) that puts the customer back in control with both flexibility and scalability Fidus Global is reshaping the future of warehouse automation Fidusglobal.com systems and services for supply chain automation technology announced today important changes to the company’s leadership structure to build on an impressive growth history and to continue increasing market share will take on newly created roles on the company’s leadership team to better align the organization around demand generation and operational execution Johnson and Bruner have built Hy-Tek into an industry leader and successfully led multiple acquisitions “We are excited to take on these new roles and contribute to helping accelerate our growth by focusing on the customer and working with a talented group of people The future at Hy-Tek could not be brighter,” said Johnson “The growth of Hy-Tek has been amazing and it has been great to be a part of that We are looking forward to continuing to help shape the future by focusing on mission critical projects while mentoring our future leaders We will continue to push ourselves to operate at an ever-increasing level of high performance.” Using a strategy of organic growth and targeted acquisition Johnson and Bruner have been cornerstones in the exceptional growth of Hy-Tek and have led the Hy-Tek expansion into new services and vertical markets while successfully integrating multiple companies into the market leader Hy-Tek is today Johnson will now become Chief Customer Relations Officer for Hy-Tek Intralogistics Integrated Systems Division for Hy-Tek Material Handling Donnie will focus on strengthening relationships with customers while also mentoring the next generation of sales leaders at Hy-Tek to provide the best solutions for material handing needs Bruner will become Chief Operations Advisor after serving most recently as the Hy-Tek Intralogistics Chief Operating Officer troubleshooting and continuous improvement “Donnie and Mark have been the driving force in our business for many years and are recognized across the industry as leaders partners and friends,” said Hy-Tek Intralogistics CEO Kevin Viravec they will help us strengthen our enterprise account strategy and reach new levels of growth and strategic alignment with our partners We are excited to have them continuing with us on this journey.” Johnson will hand off systems leadership responsibility to Billy Carter Bruner will pass day-to-day operational and execution leadership to Brian Craft who has been promoted to SVP of Operations and will assume responsibility for engineering Johnson and Bruner will immediately begin working with the new senior leadership group on detailed plans to support their respective teams well into the future These moves are expected to increase Hy-Tek market share and customer satisfaction in the software and services sectors of the industry and will utilize cutting-edge technologies to match existing market leading sales design and engineering to produce the most effective one-stop shop for all The two companies are also gearing up for the launch of their first joint product “We are excited about the partnership with GreyOrange It allows enVista to have a single warehouse orchestration system provider to complement our automation and robotic systems integration business GreyOrange has the only warehouse orchestration platform in the market that optimizes independent robotic multi-agents within a facility regardless of the manufacturer,” said Jim Barnes “GreyOrange’s flexibility of integration supports one of enVista’s key differentiators which is to design and integrate automated facilities with any variety of autonomous robots This partnership further enables enVista to provide a unique level of innovation and creativity within our clients’ facilities facility optimization is about balancing the art of possibility with data science to create expansive operational excellence.” GreyOrange’s AI-powered software has enabled dozens of major retailers and logistics providers to embrace automation and ensure every aspect of the fulfillment process runs seamlessly inventory and people in warehouses and retail stores “As global supply chains become increasingly complex and expensive organizations are under growing pressure to automate and optimize their processes GreyMatter and gStore are harnessing the power of AI to perform more than a million optimizations every minute for customers across four continents increase revenue and deliver exceptional customer experiences,” said Akash Gupta “We invited enVista to join our Certified Partner Network based on its proven implementation methodology and decades of expertise as a trusted system integrator We look forward to supporting enVista and its clients with warehouse automation and store solutions powered by our software.” By submitting the above I agree to the privacy policy and terms of use of JTA.org dozens of homeowners in the Netherlands open their homes to thousands of visitors eager to see where Jewish compatriots murdered in the Holocaust used to live THE HAGUE, Netherlands (JTA) — After Yvonne van Gennep-Bouma discovered that Holocaust victims used to live in what is now her home van Gennep-Bouma imagined the former occupants preparing to turn in she wondered where they had their breakfast talking to a visitor in the manicured three-story townhouse in the Hague where she has lived with her husband and three children since 2001 started to research the tragic story of Barend Koekoek who lived here with his wife and son until they were evicted and murdered in the genocide READ: Dutch thrift shop returns 1942 wedding book of couple murdered at Auschwitz  van Gennep-Bouma said she relied on help from a historian who studied The Hague’s Jewish community joined the Nazi-sponsored Jewish Council through his friendship with the controversial Friedrich Weinreb — a Jewish author accused and later imprisoned for taking money from other Jews he falsely promised to protect Koekoek insisted on boarding a death transport to Auschwitz with his ailing 5-year-old son Though she has to hold back tears while talking about certain parts of the story van Gennep-Bouma said knowing Koekoek’s fate ultimately helped her find peace and learn to live with the Koekoeks’ memory “It brought closure and replaced the uncertainties with facts,” she explained van Gennep-Bouma completed a two-year effort to have memorial cobblestones placed outside her home bearing the victims’ names Now she doesn’t think about the Koekoeks as much as she once did Yet van Gennep-Bouma wanted to do more than merely know the story she decided to share it by joining Open Jewish Houses a unique grassroots project featuring dozens of property owners and renters of former Jewish homes Each year on and ahead of Holland’s national memorial day for its World War II victims they open their homes to strangers for lectures about the Jews who used to live there At a time when survivors are increasingly scarce “buildings can tell the story in a very powerful way,” she told JTA at her home on Sunday Taking place for the fifth consecutive year the Open Jewish Houses project was born in 2011 out of a website which lists the former addresses of 104,000 Dutch Jews murdered in the Holocaust Having found his own address in the database advertising copywriter Frits Rijksbaron urged other Amsterdam residents of former Jewish homes to place a “Jewish home” poster on their windows The action created a small community in Amsterdam which in 2012 saw the first Open Jewish Houses event ever held in Europe the project spread to five other cities and now encompasses dozens of homes in 16 municipalities with 10,000 visits expected this year on May 4 the Netherlands’ day of Remembrance of the Dead (which this year happens to fall one day before Yom Hashoah world Jewry’s day of Holocaust remembrance) who coordinates the project for Amsterdam’s Jewish Historical Museum attributes the project’s success to a number of coinciding factors that are specific to the Netherlands “Jewish property issues were resolved vis-à-vis the Dutch government shortly after World War II meaning very few homeowners have reasons to resist or fear the initiative.” Most Jewish victims information about Dutch Jewry was preserved thanks to meticulous archives READ: In eye of Nazi storm, Dutch Jews found unlikely refuge And then there’s “a certain element of guilt,” she noted for the murder of 70-75 percent of Dutch Jewry during the Holocaust – the highest death rate in Nazi-occupied Western Europe And whereas this guilt would have prevented earlier generations from talking about the Holocaust in such an intimate setting “younger  generations are sufficiently distant from the genocide to speak about it without triggering questions about personal complicity,” said Citroen The Netherlands also has Western Europe’s highest number of non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews from the Holocaust With 5,516 Dutch rescuers designated as Righteous among the Nations by the State of Israel the Netherlands is second only to Poland’s 6,620 If Poland had the Netherlands’ ratio of saviors per Jews in 1940 there would have been nearly 120,000 Polish Righteous among the Nations Hosts and guests often discuss the broader context of World War II over coffee or tea after the host is done telling about the specific Holocaust victim who lived at that Open Jewish House talking to guests about the Jewish family that once lived in what is now his home in the Netherlands town of Vught an eastern town that is infamous for the nearby concentration camp run by the Nazi SS host Kees van den Heuvel remarked on Saturday that the story of the Frankenthals Jewish refugees from Germany who lived in what is now his home “is something very familiar to countless Syrians today.” He also said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte should take in more Syrian refugees knew their house used to belong to Jews — a wine dealer and his brother and a dentist who avoided deportation thanks to his marriage to a non-Jewish woman – because they found “little signs,” he said These included special tiles favored by Jews in the 1940s and a mural of a Jewish man But Van den Heuvel learned the story from local volunteers working with Citroen to encourage participation in the Open Jewish Houses project READ: With mega-menorah, Dutch Christians help Jews come out of their shell “I now know this space right here used to be the waiting room for the dentist’s clinic,” he said at his home “Googling and researching on Yad Vashem archives till 3 a.m is very normal in the days leading up to May 4,” said Robert Herbschleb a Jewish businessman from Vught who helped set up the town’s first Open Jewish Homes edition last year you only have three lines about them and it’s up to you to do for them the only thing you can do: Remember.” JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent I accept the Privacy Policy EXPERT OPINION BY NICK HOBSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR NORTH AMERICA, INFLUENCE AT WORK, BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE ADVISER @NICKMHOBSON These phases of life are described as liminal Liminality refers to a transitional or in-between phase when individuals or societies experience ambiguity, uncertainty, and transformation The concept was introduced by anthropologist Arnold van Gennep in The Rites of Passage It highlights the betwixt space between old and new structures as part of it) has been launched into liminality and here’s why it can feel both invigorating and nerve-wracking The advent of the new world of work has seen a significant shift toward remote work, blurring the boundaries between professional and personal life. Work from home has become a prevailing trend offering employees greater flexibility and work-life balance this blending of work and home life has its challenges Flexibility and work-life balance: Remote work has granted employees the freedom to choose when and where they work, allowing for more flexibility in managing their personal and professional commitments. This newfound autonomy enables individuals to strike a better work-life balance leading to improved overall well-being and productivity Technological connectivity: Technological advancements have played a crucial role in facilitating remote work Communication tools such as video conferencing and cloud storage have bridged the gap between distributed teams enabling seamless collaboration and productivity Challenges of work-life integration: While remote work has brought benefits, it also poses challenges in work-life integration. The line between work and personal life becomes blurred leading to potential burnout and decreased productivity Establishing boundaries and self-discipline becomes essential to maintain a healthy balance Impact on organizational culture: The shift to remote work has prompted organizations to rethink their culture and leadership strategies Building a strong virtual culture that fosters collaboration and inclusivity becomes imperative to maintain employee engagement and a sense of belonging The new world of work is driven by technological advancements that are reshaping industries and revolutionizing job roles The integration of cutting-edge technologies brings both exciting possibilities and apprehensions Automation: Automation and A.I. technologies have led to increased efficiency and productivity across various sectors. Mundane and repetitive tasks can be automated, allowing employees to focus on more strategic and creative aspects of their work concerns about job displacement and the need for upskilling arise Data analytics and decision-making: Data analytics provides organizations with valuable insights into customer behavior Informed decision-making becomes a competitive advantage fostering innovation and continuous improvement Human-machine collaboration: The rise of technology brings forth the concept of human-machine collaboration leveraging technology as a complement rather than a replacement The new world of work is characterized by a dynamic job market where individuals are more likely to switch jobs and explore diverse career paths Gig economy and freelancing: The gig economy has gained momentum allowing individuals to offer their services on a freelance basis This trend offers flexibility and opportunities for side hustles but it also raises concerns about job security and access to benefits Skills and continuous learning: As the job market evolves the demand for specific skills changes rapidly Lifelong learning becomes crucial for individuals to remain employable and adaptable to emerging trends Organizational adaptability: Employers must embrace a more agile approach to talent management Creating a culture that encourages internal mobility and learning opportunities can attract and retain top talent this phase also presents an unprecedented opportunity for positive change and transformation Embracing the blending of work and home life and adapting to the fluid job market are essential steps in navigating this liminality successfully Individuals and organizations alike must cultivate resilience and a growth mindset to thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of the new world of work The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own The super early-rate deadline for the 2025 Inc. Power Partner Awards is Friday, May 30, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now Refreshed leadership advice from CEO Stephanie Mehta Learn More Maps of the prologue and five stages of the Simac Ladies Tour The 2023 Simac Ladies Tour will be held from September 5-10 in the Netherlands.  The route covers 580.2 kilometres across six days of racing. There are two races against the clock and four road race days. Join Cyclingnews' coverage of the 2023 Simac Ladies Tour with race reports, results, photo galleries, news and race analysis. The Prologue winner will wear the first leader's jersey on Tuesday, September 5. Riders will cover a 2.4-kilometer time trial in the city centre of Ede. The route and distance are the same as in 2021, when Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma), put on the leader's jersey. Stage 1 is a 139.6km route that begins in Gennep and heads north for two large laps of 62.7km. Riders return to the same town in the province of Limburg using one 16.2km circuit to the finish line. The individual time trial on stage 2 is a flat 7.1km, with a start finish on Bondgenotenlaan in Leuven. Stage 3 follows a route of 149km from Emmeloord to Lelystad. Once in the capital of the province of Flevoland, the peloton will complete a 60.4km circuit with finish at Museumweg. Stage 4 then takes the peloton around Valkenburg, where the route starts starts at Landal castle and finishes on the Cauberg. There are 130 kilometers through the southernmost part of the countryside of South Limberg, then culminates with two final rounds with the Cauberg, Geulhemmerberg and Bemelerberg. Stage 5 begins on the Zijpendaalseweg in Arnhem for the longest day of the six, 150.5km, which covers a series of loops. First up are seven circuits of the Emmapiramide and the Posbank, followed by five loops through Arnhem with the Zijpendaalseweg and the Apeldoornsweg. The fast finish sets up on the Zijpendaalseweg. Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999 and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling Arvato Healthcare is taking a targeted approach to further expanding its European network for Healthcare services Around 9,000 square metres of warehouse space specially designed to meet the demands of the Healthcare business is currently being set up in the new multi-user warehouse in Gennep which has a total area of 30,000 square metres was originally opened in March 2016 to serve Arvato’s High-tech and Entertainment division Arvato Healthcare will carry out various services for its customers from the Gennep site including the distribution of medical devices to destinations in Europe The Gennep site will initially have a total of 1,200 pallet locations and 1,500 shelving rack bays available for storing these products These include medical devices and cardiology and endovascular equipment such as heart catheters and heart valves Arvato’s Healthcare experts will be responsible for transport management (inbound and outbound) The site is also setting new standards with regard to security “The site is TAPA A certified – the highest level for the transport and logistics sector – and is also an AEO (Authorised Economic Operator) It will also comply with high quality standards in accordance with ISO 9001 and 13485 by 2017” Director of Quality Management at Arvato Healthcare in Europe Logistics Business © 2025 All Rights Reserved. | Privacy | Terms | Site Map Subscribe to our quarterly magazine and weekly newsletter to stay updated with the logistics industry By submitting this form you agree that the personal data you provided will be transferred to Logistics Business for processing in accordance with our Privacy Policy Lieke Nooijen just missed out on victory in the first stage of the Simac Ladies Tour The young rider from Team Visma | Lease a Bike finished second in the opening time trial Anna Henderson and Riejanne Markus also finished in the top ten The Dutch stage race kicked off with a 10-kilometre time trial in the streets of Gennep Nooijen entered the flat course as one of the first and immediately set the standard high she could hope for the stage win for a long time Zoe Bäckstedt rode her time trial seven seconds faster than Nooijen "A time trial on the first day is always a bit tense Seven seconds is of course a big gap on a 10-kilometre distance The legs have spoken and Zoe is the deserved winner I gave everything and am happy with second place" is looking forward to the rest of the week the start of the stage is in my hometown of Coevorden The Simac Ladies Tour has long stages and I expect the wind will definitely play a role We came here with three good classification riders Henderson and Markus also occupied a spot in the top ten of the general classification after the time trial "I think I need some more kilometres to get back in shape I'm looking forward to the rest of the week." Subscribe yourself for the Team Visma | Lease a Bike newsletter and receive previews for races Maps of the six stages of the Simac Ladies Tour The 2024 Simac Ladies Tour will be held from October 8-13 in the Netherlands.  The route covers 708.1km kilometres across six days of racing, including one individual time trial. According to the organisers, the wind, bonus seconds, time trial kilometres and a selective final around Arnhem will determine the ranking and where tension seems guaranteed until the end. Join Cyclingnews' coverage of the 2024 Simac Ladies Tour with race reports, results, photo galleries, news and race analysis. The stage 1 winner will wear the first leader's jersey on Tuesday, October 8. Riders will cover a 10.1-kilometre time trial in the city centre of Gennep in Limburg. Stage 2 is a 159km route that begins in Coevorden for the longest day of the six, and heads north to Assen. Stage 3 is a 143km loop starting and ending in Zeewolde. Stage 4 is another loop, 118km route in a stretched figure eight shape starting and finishing in Ede. Starting in Doetinchem, stage 5 is 140km long. Stage 6 delivers the traditional Arnhem to Arnhem stage for 139kms, with its numerous undulating roads where differences can be made. betwixt and between successive lodgments in jural political systems In this gap between ordered worlds almost anything may happen.” Copyright ©2025 Harvard Business School Publishing Harvard Business Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School As more and more people are abandoning their religious upbringing many still want to celebrate certain cherished cultural traditions This is why the upcoming Secular Day of the Dead was created as a redesign of Hispanic traditions and rituals that celebrate our one and only life “Ritual” indicates a formal repetitive behavior before or during some task considered important by the actor and it usually includes actions not directly relevant to nor causal of the intended outcome Its best-known manifestations are in religious contexts when the extraneous actions have symbolic meaning and by far the greatest number of studies of ritual are analyses of the practice of religion ritualistic behavior is evident in our daily lives Following them precisely is important and helps one to feel complete and confident; omitting some part of the routine can lessen those feelings Such routines are especially important for people embarking on busy work schedules with critical outcomes “Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?” is a reaction to a friend’s unusually disorganized or grumpy behavior suggesting that some violation of one’s morning ritual is to blame and it has been suggested that it’s rooted in our evolutionary biology An experiment by psychologists Victoria Horner and Andrew Whiten (Animal Cognition 8:164-181 children aged three to four preferred a series of actions with many irrelevant movements to acquire a treat even when they could see that the irrelevant steps could be by-passed such ritual may help to ensure caretaking in critical tasks It certainly gives people a sense of control and confidence in an impersonal and confusing world Anthropologists and psychologists who have examined the issue agree that ritual promotes sociality and a sense of belonging—all critical to human success Ceremonies marking major transitions in the human life cycle—birth as are celebrations of other important transitions like marriage Coined as “rites of passage” by French/Dutch sociologist and folklorist Arnold van Gennep in his classic work some of these transitions are clearly biological but all mark the individual’s passage from one culturally recognized status to another Van Gennep said that each has three parts: separation from the previous status; transition in which one is prepared for entry into the next status; and incorporation when the subject is fully received in the new status Van Gennep famously gave the term “liminal” to the status of the subject in the transition stage: it is “betwixt and between,” having left its previous status but not yet having entered the next and people die and their corpses must be disposed of all the time; but some ceremonies collectively marking such events may be held at conceptualized interstices between seasons Boys and girls who have entered adolescence within some months of each other are frequently ushered into adulthood together often in the spring or summer—periods of birth and growth And ceremonies marking the passage of the year’s deceased souls from the realm of the living to the other world are often held at the end of a year In agricultural societies people typically conceptualize the cycle of a year in symbolic terms corresponding to the human life cycle: birth (planting) and death (harvest); the winter or dry season is a period of regeneration preparatory to the new birth In the Christian calendar Easter marks birth (or rebirth) and the festivals of All Saints and All Souls mark death Either point can mark the beginning of a new year The Hispanic holiday known in English as the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) features rituals commemorating the deceased members of a community; in this aspect it has parallels throughout the world Pre-Columbian Mexicans celebrated Día de los Muertos in the springtime During Christianization the celebration was incorporated into the three-day observance of All Hallows Eve The souls of persons who died the previous year are imagined to be in a liminal state until they are symbolically freed and sent off to the other world by the rituals performed by their descendants On subsequent Days of the Dead people believe that the ancestral souls may return to help celebrate the newcomers to their realm ancestors are honored members of the family supernatural belief is not necessary here; agnostics and atheists celebrate their ancestors’ birthdays and participate in collective remembrances like the American Veterans Day and Memorial Day and the birthdays of certain cultural heroes In that vein nonbelievers can share in the elaborate and joyous commemorative ceremonies of Día de los Muertos without religion or superstitions the first virtual Secular Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos Secular will take place online founder of The Freethought Society and a co-founder of the Secular Day of the Dead Secular Day of the Dead/ Día de los Muertos Secular is a celebration of life Nontheist Hispanics view the Secular Day of the Dead as a perfect way to remember the legacy of dead loved ones in a way that does not require prayer Downey, who in the past five years has helped organize in-person Secular Day of the Dead events in San Diego and Los Angeles notes that the event welcomes “those nontheist Hispanics who hope to maintain family celebrations that are not forcing them to be hypocritical” and that it can also be a beautiful and rewarding event “for everyone who loves life and cares about honoring a dead love one.” The 2020 Secular Day of the Dead will be presented with special attention to Spanish-speaking participants with the use of subtitles along with a devoted Spanish and English breakout room for the keynote speaker and honoring ceremony portions of the program The event is co-sponsored by The Freethought Society and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) Co-sponsors and organizers will each light a candle to honor a “secular saint” of historic significance during the welcome FFRF’s Dan Barker will present “Adios a Dios” (a journey story presentation) while actors John de Lancie and John Davidson and sculptor Zenos Frudakis have each reserved honoring ceremony slots After the reserved speaking spots conclude, the Zoom spotlighting function will be available for anyone who would like to participate. The screen-share function will be enabled so that speakers can display photos of the person being honored. Reserve a three-to-five-minute time slot to celebrate the life of a dead loved one through the following email address: SecularDayoftheDead@FtSociety.org Prizes will be awarded and mailed to participants whom the co-sponsors determine to have the best Secular Day of the Dead themed clothing, face painting, face mask, hair adornment, and space/room decor. Zoom login information is available only to those who pre-register. Register today and experience a new secular ritual for yourself Famed Spanish art patron uses island haven in South Pacific to manage her collection Tourists who come to Spain’s capital often make a pilgrimage to the museums in Madrid’s so-called Art Triangle. After the Prado and the Reina Sofia, the next stop usually is the Thyssen-Bornemisza The Spanish state owns the majority of the paintings inside this museum but it also holds much of the private collection of Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza What visitors don’t know as they look at these Monets Matisses and other masterpieces is that many of them are legally owned by secrecy-guarded companies in tax havens: Liechtenstein the British Virgin Islands and the Cook Islands Van Gogh’s 1884 painting, Water Mill at Gennep is one of the works Thyssen-Bornemisza purchased with the help of an offshore operative based in the Cook Islands a South Pacific haven more than 10,000 miles from Madrid Documents obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists show how Thyssen-Bornemisza built up part of her collection buying art from international auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s through a Cook Islands company The offshore service provider now called Portcullis TrustNet helped with the arrangements under a secretive structure that connected people in as many as six different countries to discuss her art and her offshore companies Rotondo acknowledged that Thyssen-Bornemisza gains tax benefits by holding ownership of her art offshore but he stressed that she uses tax havens primarily because they give her “maximum flexibility” when she moves paintings from country to country Offshore ownership helps prevent works of art from getting tied up by laws in various countries that can make it “a nightmare” to transfer them across national borders Thyssen-Bornemisza isn’t alone in using offshore havens to manage her vast art collection Many of the multi-millionaires and billionaires who count themselves among the world’s biggest art collectors use tax havens to buy and sell art Using offshore entities to buy and sell art “is quite common among the very, very wealthy,” said Hector Feliciano, a Puerto Rican journalist who investigated the commercial side of the art world for his book about Nazi-plundered art, The Lost Museum Feliciano said many art dealers and big collectors use companies in the Cayman Islands Monaco and other “loosely regulated” jurisdictions to trade and own art in much the same way they use offshore entities to make investments reduce their taxes and protect their fortunes “Art to them is one more thing to be bought and sold,” he said The global art market now tops $55.1 billion The mixing of art and offshore is another example of how the super-rich use tax havens to organize their lives and their belongings — buying and selling art homes and jewelry through offshore companies and trusts jewelry and furnishings over a 13-year period A $937,500 portrait of Benjamin Franklin and other items were legally owned by two offshore corporations but the report said evidence showed that the family held and used these assets in the U.S asserting that they were following the recommendations of their financial advisers Thyssen-Bornemisza’s attorney said she paid sales taxes for her paintings in the countries where she bought them but she doesn’t pay annual wealth taxes on them in Spain or Switzerland Rotondo said a loophole in Spanish law allows her to live in Spain most of the year but she doesn’t have to pay taxes there on her art because assets held in trusts are exempt from taxation under Swiss law Had the paintings been owned directly under her name she may have been required to pay millions of dollars a year in taxes Carmen “Tita” Cervera became a celebrity in Spain in 1961 when she won the Miss Spain contest She was the third runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant After Barker died of a heart attack in 1973 she appeared in a few films as an actress and raised a son Her life changed dramatically in 1985 when she married businessman and art collector Baron Hans Heinrich von Thyssen-Bornemisza Born in the Netherlands to a German baron and a Hungarian baroness Hans Heinrich inherited a global fortune with dozens of companies that ranged from glass production to shipping He lived in several European countries and had four wives — and four children — before he met Carmen He himself used offshore to manage his money and his art collection partly as a way of preserving control and confidentiality amid battles among his children and earlier wives over his wealth The legal owner of the Thyssen-Bornemisza’s family collection was Favorita Trustees Limited a Bermuda company likely named after Villa Favorita where the collection resided for many years just 10 months after the baron opened a museum under his name in Madrid Favorita Trustees Limited sold 775 paintings — about half of the collection — to the Spanish state for $350 million Spanish law considers Bermuda as a tax haven That same year Carmen “became fully aware of her role as a collector,” according to the museum’s website She began building up her own art collection using the same secretive structures used by her husband In March 1994 Nautilus Trustees Limited was incorporated in the Cook Islands with the help of TrustNet, the offshore services provider, internal records show. The company’s 2,000 shares were put in a “bearer certificate.” Whoever held that piece of paper, held their ownership. It was immediately sent to prominent law firm Lenz & Staehelin in Zürich to be kept safely A month later TrustNet incorporated Sargasso Trustees Limited Rotondo said the Swiss lawyers used corporate structures that obscured shareholders’ identities because she needed to “protect” the art work from the aging baron’s sons at a time when it was unclear how his wealth would be divided after his death The family tradition of fighting over his fortune would continue until he died in 2002 Nautilus Trustees Limited appears to be the vehicle Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza used to purchase Water Mill at Gennep painting entirely outdoors in November 1884 tried out “pure touches of colour for the first time bringing him closer to Impressionism and heralding his mature style,” according to the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum It was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in London for £500,000 ($760,000) on June 24 Three weeks later TrustNet received correspondence about the sale at its offices in Rarotonga  TrustNet faxed a note to alert the Swiss firm Lenz & Staehelin — its contact for Nautilus Trustees Limited “Please find enclosed various correspondence received from Sotheby’s. In particular we have received correspondence as to the purchase of ‘Watermill Gennep’ [sic] by Vincent Gogh [sic],” the July 18, 1996, letter said The Van Gogh did not end up in Rarotonga nor Zürich It landed in Madrid at the Thyssen-Bornemisza in late 1996 — the same year Carmen’s private collection was first shown in public Between July 1995 and November 2002 TrustNet received at least 31 invoices and statements from Sotheby’s and Christie’s for Nautilus Limited The correspondence shows charges for £202,912.50 (about $300,000) from Christie’s in London in relation to “an export licence” and $302,605.06 for Sotheby’s client account number 3012374 TrustNet records also include six invoices from Momart an international art transport company.Other correspondence came from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York Today Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza’s public collection includes around 700 works of art it’s worth more than half a billion dollars It not only includes Water Mill at Gennep but also paintings from renowned artists such as Canaletto, Munch, Picasso and Goya. Apart from Madrid’s museum, some are shown in Barcelona, and about a third of the pieces are now exhibited in a new museum with her name in Málaga The Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza collection remains in Spain temporarily given up “for free” thanks to a loan agreement signed in 1999 with then-Minister of Culture (and now Prime Minister) Mariano Rajoy but it has been renewed yearly since then — although the number of paintings has decreased 35 percent because of the move to Málaga the public foundation that owns the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum in Madrid receives around €4 million annually in subsidies Public funds also paid for an expansion between 2002 and 2004 The yearly agreement is published in the Boletín Official del Estado (Official State Gazette) It states that the contract is signed between the foundation Imiberia Anstalt and the Baroness Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza.” The four companies mentioned are all incorporated in tax havens Although Swiss magazine Bilan ranked her as the seventh-richest woman in Switzerland with an estimated family fortune between $1.6 billion and $2.1 billion in 2011 Carmen has complained that most of her wealth is tied up in art In May 2012 she announced she had to sell one of her masterpieces — The Lock “I may be a millionaire in art, but not in liquidity,” she said The Lock’s auction at Christie’s in London closed at £22.4 million ($34 million) making it one of the most expensive British paintings ever sold Thyssen-Bornemisza’s attorney confirmed she sold it through Omicron Collections Limited A change in Cook Islands law in 2003 required Thyssen-Bornemisza to send her “bearer certificate” to TrustNet. But her lawyers couldn’t find it — not in Zürich, Bermuda or Madrid, correspondence shows Emails from the end of 2004 indicate that she was no longer the sole shareholder of Nautilus Trustees Limited Her then-24-year-old son Borja had 45 percent of the company a landlocked microstate tucked between Spain and France which has had a long history as a tax haven the company was renamed as Nautilus Limited Sargasso Trustees Limited was closed by then Having endured a family quarrel over her husband’s fortune, which ended with a secret agreement in 2002, Carmen now is in the midst of a new family battle. Both mother and son are engaged in a legal fight disputing who owns what, and reportedly the two hardly talk since Borja married in 2007. In an October 2011 interview Carmen denied they had any companies in common Carmen said that they were from the baron and he never gave them to her son They are both owned by Cayman Islands-based Omicron Collections Limited Borja lost that case because he could not prove that the paintings were his A WOMAN has discovered her WW2 pilot dad died a hero after heavy rain miraculously unearthed his crashed plane For decades, Margaret Thompson believed her tragic father, Flight Lieutenant Frank Bolton, was just another "ignoble" casualty in the ill-fated Battle of Arnhem This month marks the 80th anniversary of the failed military op which saw more troops killed than during the D-Day Landings But now Margaret knows the truth - her dad died saving dozens of innocent lives Heavy rain fell on the River Meuse in the Netherlands with the resultant floodwater exposing the wreckage of a P-51 Mustang I He quickly became a local hero in the town of Gennep and locals were desperate to track down his family A shot-down plane was hurtling towards the town and the pilot managed to divert it away from buildings and civilians on the ground at the last second. It was a move that would have made Frank's own survival highly unlikely, as he would have been too low for his parachute to be effective. clamber onto the wing and unsuccessfully try to launch his parachute into the air Margaret was yet to be born when her dad died - but most upsetting was none of the details of Frank's death made it back to his family She went on to visit his grave at the Commonwealth War Grave Commission's Jonkerbos War Cemetery with her mum and brother several times without knowing what really happened Speaking about the moment her son told her the truth about her dad, Margaret told the Times: "I felt incredulity While the revelation has changed her view of what happened to Frank "I know it’s the done thing to say it was all for the greater good and the country is proud of them but I felt that it was totally unfair and as I’ve got older I do question what he died for," she said Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during WW2 fought in German-occupied Netherlands from September 17 to 25 1944 It aimed to create a 64-mile salient into enemy territory with a bridgehead over the Lower Rhine River - which in turn could create an invasion route into northern Germany The op was split in two: the seizing of nine bridges by US and British airborne forces (Market) and then British land forces swiftly following over the bridges (Garden) The 41,000 airborne soldiers - from the First Allied Airborne Army - were dropped at sites to capture key bridges and hold them until the land forces arrived who were advancing from the south along a single road 100,000 German soldiers were in the area and opposed the allied offensive A total of 11,500 Allied troops died in the nine days of the operation more than during the D-Day landings two months earlier It failed to achieve its objectives but the determination shown by the airborne troops and assisting units made it one of the war's most famous battles It was immortalised further in the film A Bridge Too Far full of admiration for all our armed forces and the sacrifice they made "It helps me to think that he is remembered by others and to know how heroically he died." Margaret has since travelled to Gennep again to meet Jacob van Tankeren who was just a teenager at the time of the crash and found Frank as he was dying and in turn Margaret held his hand and said they "wept together" and she added that Frank remains the "perfect father Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/ Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Eindhoven native Rob Haantjes (55) is not only trainer/coach of the first women’s team of field hockey club Oranje-Rood but also a gifted writer of fantasy stories The first volume of his trilogy “The Ramaika” was published in 2022 and volume 2 will follow in November “Gennep is a magical place,” he says The setting for his fabrications is the medieval town of Eynthoven “Historical facts are interwoven with pure fantasy Much of what is described takes place in Genoppe magical things happen there and there is a family that is cursed: the Raimaika “Like that name (“As a child I called my play attic that I don’t know why”) almost everything Rob writes is made up Although he hastens to say that he did thorough research on the history of the Duchy of Brabant where most of the events take place….” An awful lot happened here from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century,” Rob himself a great lover of Tolkien’s books and there was plenty of warfare and plundering The reason Rob started writing books about a family affected by a curse in the 14th century lies with his children My kids loved it and we also regularly went for walks through the Genneper Parks I wrote everything down and had a manuscript of more than six hundred pages.” “I also use my creativity as a field hockey coach If you google you will read that these are special animals The women are in charge and they always hunt in groups So one time I made my players all cry like hyenas.” Sometimes the goal is to get his team to relax (“The girls are asked to guess which hyena howl belongs to which one”) At other times Rob is trying to distract his players from “just field hockey” for a while he wants to achieve the same thing with his books and the walks he organises with small groups in the Genneper Parks “People should use their imagination and discover for themselves what they find important in life.” Rob says he tries to create a world of experience in which nature is not violated at all “I see it as the entertainment of the future trying to preserve things while adding something to that nature Without all kinds of action groups diving on top of it It would go too far to tell the whole story but the main character is a boy from our time Their mother has died and their father has been missing for six months He worked for the municipality as a municipal archivist and disappeared during dredging work in De Vleut – near the Prehistoric Village When the boys go to collect their father’s things from the municipality Jacob van Genderen receives from Duke John III of Brabant the area on loan between Dutmala (the Dommel) and Tongler Reep (the Tongelreep): Genoppe Right on the spot where the ruin of Ogenal stands whereupon Jacob has the hut burned down and the torenaar is killed he puts a curse on Jacob van Genderen and his progeny: the Raimaika “In the past: how do I get rid of that pesky curse The third part of the series will eventually reveal that breaking the curse has something to do with the father’s disappearance I already know how it ends but you will understand that I’m not going to reveal the ending.” The fun spills over from Rob field hockey and writing are strictly separate for me but now and then I do threaten to turn someone into a character in part 3 Haantjes not only dreams that his books will one day be filmed but also that the digital scavenger hunt for children which he has worked out with the small company Magic Trails the trail will go through the Genneper Parks And a third wish I have is that my stories will eventually be translated into English The many expats in Eindhoven are mostly nature lovers What could be nicer than that I can tell them a piece of history about this special part of Eindhoven?” Translated by: Aysenur Kuran  and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" A serval that escaped in the Helmond district of Houtsdonk a week and a half ago has not yet been found The police would like to contact the owner A serval is a feline predator with sharp teeth and claws the police sent out a Burgernet message warning residents of Helmond (Noord-Brabant) to keep their dogs and cats indoors or on a leash Th spokesperson could not say on Monday whether that was still necessary The Helmond Animal Ambulance said it was unaware of the escape and was not looking for the animal Another serval recently escaped in Lexmond in Utrecht is currently caring for the serval from Utrecht because the owner did not want to take the animal back said director and biologist David van Gennep the serval currently on the loose in Helmond has a good chance of survival The animal eats “anything smaller than itself,” like mice and rats wild animals like servals don’t like the taste of other predators But if it has lived in a house for a long time Van Gennep thinks the animal may no longer recognize cats and dogs as other predators keeping a serval as a pet is “highly undesirable,” and people often quickly regret it the AAP Foundation has received 50 to 60 requests to take in servals per year Netherlands residents are no longer allowed to keep servals as pets People who already have one can keep it until the end of its life They’re also allowed to sell or give the animal away It is not allowed to release the animal into the wild A tiger that narrowly survived a gruelling journey across Europe is pictured in his temporary enclosure at the AAP (Animal Advocacy and Protection) animal refuge in Villena near Alicante WARSAW:  Five tigers that were trapped "in horrific circumstances" in a truck on the Polish-Belarussian border in October arrived at an animal shelter in the Spanish city of Villena on Monday ending an ordeal that had alarmed animal lovers "If you know what these animals have had to endure you would prefer to never transport them again But we had to," said AAP Animal Advocacy and Protection Managing Director David van Gennep who supervised the transport from Poznan to Primadomus in Villena we have to make sure that they fully recover," he said After having traveled some 2,000 kilometres en route from Rome to a Russian circus the tigers were stranded on the horse truck for days "in horrific circumstances" after being denied entry to Belarus They were subsequently treated and cared for at Poznan zoo in western Poland One of the ten tigers originally transported in the lorry died The four remaining tigers will stay in Polish zoos Poznan zoo will keep a pair of tigers called Gogh and Kan Gogh was unable to travel as he had suffered serious health problems as a result of being fed "incorrect food" while being transported Originally bound for Dagestan in southern Russia van Gennep said the tigers probably would have died if they had reached their destination "Probably they would have been used for traditional medicines