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How Do Alpha-Stim, Pharmaceuticals and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Compare in Treating Anxiety, Insomnia and Depression?
If you are battling anxiety, insomnia or depression, it is important to take into account all of the available treatments and make an educated decision as to which would be the best fit for you. This article will include a comparison of the following treatments:
Alpha-Stim
Alpha-Stim – a handheld, prescription (in the U.S. only) medical device that is FDA cleared and clinically proven to provide fast, safe and effective relief for anxiety, insomnia, and depression using a mild electrical current with a patented waveform. Cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) is delivered through small earclips and treatment can be performed while doing normal activities at home or work.
Pharmaceuticals – for anxiety, insomnia, and depression, drugs are an ingested medicine, obtained only through a prescription by a physician, that chemically change the brain by mimicking neurotransmitters.
Cognitive behavioral Therapy – a type of psychotherapy in which negative patterns of thought about the self and the world are challenged in order to alter unwanted behavior patterns or treat mood disorders such as depression
Comparing Apples to Oranges
While all of these treatment options are proven effective, their side effects, safety and rate of efficacy vary.
When using Alpha-Stim, patients have reported seeing significant effectiveness in 1 to 4 weeks, and around 70% of patients reported more than 50% improvement in their condition. Well-constructed scientific surveys, by both doctors and patients, consistently find that 9 out of 10 people who use Alpha-Stim get significant relief.
Behavioral therapy may be an option doctors use in an attempt to help patients with mood disorders. However, while around 65% of patients report that behavioral therapy improves their anxiety by over 50%, only around 5% of patients reported the same results for depression.
Pharmaceuticals are often prescribed when patients report symptoms of anxiety, insomnia or depression, and while the degree of patients who reported significant improvement varies, the drugs have a high relapse rate. Prescription drugs are also highly addictive and come packed with a long list of dangerous side effects.
In contrast, Alpha-Stim has no risk of addiction and less than 1% of patients experience minor and self-limiting side effects. While the body develops a tolerance for drugs, which requires the patient to increase the dosage in order to maintain the same effect, the body creates a reverse tolerance to Alpha-Stim. Over time, the patient will require fewer and/or shorter Alpha-Stim treatments to achieve the same level of relief.
Cost Comparison: When Money Matters
The Alpha-Stim AID Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulator costs $795 and is accompanied by a 5-year warranty.
Accessory Costs: $54/year
$15 for one box of 256 felt electrode pads for earclips
$24 for 250ml Alpha Conducting Solution Refill size bottle
$15 for an 8-pack of AAA lithium batteries
The cost comparison charts below show all Alpha-Stim costs needed for treatment, including accessories purchased over time. To make this a more accurate product-to-product comparison, the drug costs do not include ongoing physician visits to change drug prescriptions, adjust dosages, treat side effects, or the likelihood of increasing drug costs over the five-year period.
CBT costs include 15 sessions at $150 per session, for a total treatment cost of $2,250.
During the warranty time period, even when the cost of accessories is included, Alpha-Stim is far less expensive than the costs associated with pharmaceuticals or behavioral therapy over a 5-year period.
Patient Comparison: How Do They Feel?
In many cases, patients are prescribed multiple drugs while they are undergoing behavioral therapy, only adding to the cost, without the promise of relief. With cognitive behavioral therapy, it often takes a while for patients to begin feeling better.
Patients who have tried Alpha-Stim after years of struggling to find relief from drugs have noted that Alpha-Stim was unique in that it treated their condition in a way that helped them feel like themselves again.
“Within a week of using it, I experienced relief from clinical depression, which has stubbornly resisted treatment for over two years,” said Sue Clark Lindh, a patient from Washington. “Until I started using the Alpha-Stim, I had only partial relief with a SSRI antidepressant. Within three days, I noticed my sleep was much improved. Then, I noticed feeling more emotionally resilient. Today, I am almost back to the outgoing, spontaneous person I know myself to be!”
See more testimonials on anxiety, insomnia, and depression, or get started on your journey with Alpha-Stim!
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Angela Pierro in front of "It Happened Tomorrow", oil on canvas. 3' x 24'.
An Exploration of Color
Artist Angela Pierro Debuts Solo Show “Forgotten Premonitions” at RedLine Milwaukee
by Beth Fhaner
The influential Russian painter and art theorist Wassily Kandinsky once said, “Color is a power which directly influences the soul.”
For abstract artist Angela Pierro, color is also of paramount importance, and it’s the element of art she enjoys working with the most.
“I love exploring color and how we respond to it,” said Pierro. “What I find most fascinating is how people respond differently to different colors and combinations. The visceral response to color and abstraction are part of my exploration.”
Her current solo show “Forgotten Premonitions” at RedLine Milwaukee features an array of 50 pieces, ranging in size from 10" x 10" to 3' x 24' long. The Canadian-born, Milwaukee-based artist admits being inspired by the transitory qualities of light, creating color-flooded paintings which portray the illusion of depth and space. Working in oil and with an artistic practice focusing on the connection between the physical and the metaphysical, Pierro is fascinated with the science and spirituality of our human capacity to see and feel the future.
The centerpiece of the exhibit is “Meditation 3”, which has a special significance for the artist as it involved an incredibly poignant moment she shared with her mother, to whom the show is dedicated. “It holds a lot of meaning for me,” noted Pierro. “I painted the piece during a very difficult time in my life.” The painting is symbolically positioned at the entrance/exit of the gallery, and with its mesmerizing hues of red, purple, deep blue and hints of amber, “Meditation 3” does indeed provide an opportunity for a transcendent moment for its viewers.
Another highlight of the show is “It Happened Tomorrow”, a work Pierro created specifically for the exhibit, as she wanted to create a large, horizontal piece that would occupy a specific wall in the gallery. The piece consists of four canvases and measures 3’ x 24’ in length. Because of its location, the work cannot be viewed in its entirety if you stand back at a distance. The artist’s intention was to have the viewer move around the painting and look at it from various angles, which would allow them to engage, connect and think about what they are seeing.
The primary focus of “Forgotten Premonitions” is to invite quiet contemplation, and to ask if taking momentary pause in our chaotic world can clear the path to see our future with greater clarity and awareness. As Pierro explained, “Our lives are so busy and consumed with the stresses of the frantic world around us, so my hope is that people will come to the show and just take pause. Be still.”
Of course, how a viewer experiences the work is unique to each individual, and each person will feel something different. “I have witnessed friends moved to tears, and I have listened to others reminisce about a place they have travelled to,” said Pierro. “Either way they took a visual journey through my work and that is incredibly rewarding for me. If people leave my show having felt moved in some way, then I have succeeded.”
A graduate of the OCAD University (Ontario College of Art and Design University) in Toronto, Ontario, Pierro also studied abroad in England, France and Italy. She has worked as an art director in various Canadian and American design studios. She later started her own design firm and was part-time faculty at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As Pierro continues with her daily studio work and pursuing new opportunities to showcase her work on a local, national and international level, she’s grateful for the support she’s received from fellow artists and art enthusiasts, alike.
“Having this solo show at RedLine Milwaukee has been an incredible experience,” said Pierro. “Since I moved here just over two years ago, the show has been a terrific way to introduce myself and meet people that are part of this vibrant Milwaukee art community.”
“Forgotten Premonitions” By Angela Pierro
RedLine Milwaukee, 1422 N. 4th, St. Milwaukee, WI 53212
Exhibition runtime: April 20 - May 26, 2018
The gallery hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.-3 p.m., or by appointment. For more information, please visit the RedLine Milwaukee website at redlinemilwaukee.com.
Tags Angela Pierro Artist, Beth Fhaner, Milwaukee Artist, Canadian Artist, Ontario College of Art Alumni 1996, Abstract Artist
“The greatest events - they are not our loudest but our stillest hours” - F. Nietzsche
Dedicated to My Mother Nina.
The most frequently asked question about my work has been, “what inspired you to create this series?” The one word answer is “light”.
I am incredibly fascinated by changing light and how we respond to color. I’m also driven by my belief that we all need to find stillness in our lives in order to appreciate the power we possess to love more, and to give more of ourselves.
Love and light are not tangible but we know it and feel it, or witness it in ways that
Tags Angela Pierro Artist, Milwaukee Artist, Redline Milwaukee, OCAD U alumni in USA, Toronto Artist, Abstract Artist, End Alzheimer's
Museum of Wisconsin Art, Members' Show 2017
Museum of Wisconsin Art, opening night of the Members' Show 2017
Tags Angela Pierro Artist, Museum of Wisconsin Art Member Show, Milwaukee Artist, Abstract Artist Milwaukee, Toronto Artist, Ontario College of Art Alumni 1996
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Airport refurbishment and reconstruction
Estimated Investment
$1.26bn
Construction Started
Phase one: 2008, Phase two: January 2014, Terminal T2: January2014
Indian Government, MIAL, GVK (50.5%), Bid Services Division (13.5%), ACSA (10%) and AAI (26%)
Lead Contractors, Designers, Architects and Engineers
Larsen & Toubro, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), Netherlands Airports Consultants B V (NACO), Changi Airport, Clifford Chance ABN Amro, Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A Shroff & Co (AMSS)
Industrial Development Bank of India (IDFC) and UTI Bank, GVK, Bidvest, ACSA
670,235t
The departures area in terminal 1-B of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
The departures area in terminal 2 was designed by ADP.
The drop-off and pick-up areas at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
New architecture at the old Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport terminal 2.
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is now able to handle about 40 million passengers a year.
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) in Mumbai, Maharashtra (formerly Sahar International Airport) is spread over an area of 7.6km² (it is India’s largest airport) and is located inside the city, towards the north with convenient access to the rest of the city by road and the local rail network. The airport handled 30.75 million passengers and 600,000t of cargo in 2012.
"India is currently upgrading many of its major airports to satisfy international standards and provide world-class airports for business and the tourist industry."
India is currently upgrading many of its major airports to satisfy international standards and provide world-class airports for business and the tourist industry. As far back as 1996 the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had been considering the modernisation of CSIA as it is an important hub for the major industrialised states of Maharashtra and Gujarat and also for Indian domestic traffic.
In 2003 the AAI approved a $7.6bn modernisation plan for the airports at Delhi and Mumbai and the government decided that the airports should be modernised and operated under a joint venture lease arrangement between the AAI and private consortia, who would provide the majority up to 74% of the funding in return for an operating concession for 30 years under a Build Own Operate Transfer (BOOT) arrangement.
The bidding process began in May 2004 and after some political machinations that caused delays the winning consortium was chosen in January 2006 and was GVK, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and Bidvest.
The GVK consortium set up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in March 2006 called MIAL (Mumbai International Airports Limited) to carry out the upgrade project.
Modernisation project
The modernisation project at Mumbai involved several aspects but the main goals were to produce an airport that could handle a passenger volume of 40 million a year and also cargo traffic of over one million tons a year. Specific construction projects included:
A new common integrated terminal for domestic and international passengers and refurbishment of the older domestic terminal
Upgrade and development of the runway system with new taxiways and also rapid exit taxiways
New access infrastructure for terminals on the city side of the airport
A new integrated cargo complex equipped to cater for all kinds of goods including perishables
The modernisation project was completed in January 2014.
Chhatrapati Shivaji finance
MIAL (GVK 37%, Bidvest 27% and ACSA 10% – Clifford Chance legal adviser) announced an investment of $1.26bn for the project in October 2006 (consortium members contributed $242m to the project).
On 2 March 2011, GVK increased its stake to 50.5% by acquiring 13.5% interest from Bidvest.
The debt for the project amounts to $1.016bn and is being provided by the Industrial Development Bank of India (IDFC) and UTI Bank over a period of 24 years.
ABN Amro was financial adviser to the government and Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A Shroff & Co (AMSS) provided legal services.
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport master plan
The master plan, which was developed by Netherlands Airports Consultants BV (NACO), was unveiled in October 2006 (also reviewed by Changi Airport of Singapore who advised on operations and management). There were two main stages.
Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL/VIDP) Terminal 3, India
The international Terminal 3 at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi, India, was opened in July 2010.
The interim stage was completed by the end of 2008 and included the commencement of refurbishment and construction at terminal 2, refurbishment of terminal 1A to upgrade and expand facilities such as check-in counters and boarding bridges, set up temporary cargo facilities to add capacity, upgradation of the airside runway facilities such as rapid exit taxiways to increase runway capacity and the enhancement of city side facilities such as multilevel car parks.
The second phase included construction of a brand new (T2) terminal building for both international and domestic passengers, a dedicated link from the Western Express Highway to T2 at Sahar, enhancement of the airside facilities by moving the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower and the construction of a parallel taxiway, development of infrastructure on the city side, construction of permanent cargo facilities and a new domestic terminal 1-C.
The new terminal 1-C was inaugurated on 17 April 2010. Built over an area of 297,194ft², the terminal 1C has three levels. It has six new passenger boarding bridges that connect terminals 1A and 1B.
The project also added 106 stands for aircraft (67 in contact and 39 remote), 51 boarding bridges (previously there were only 18), 316 check-in counters and parking space for 12,000 cars.
Runways at Mumbai airport
Mumbai airport is equipped with two crossing runways which are called 09/27 and 14/32. Runway 14/32, (2,925m, 9,596ft) is the one that runs between terminals 1 and 2. The main runway 09/27 (3,445m, 11,302ft) intersects 14/32 just south of the terminal buildings.
Reconstruction of the primary runway (09/27) was completed on 30 May 2011 after seven months of work. The runway was increased in width from 45m to 60m with a runway shoulder width of 7.5m added on each side.
"Reconstruction of the primary runway (09/27) was completed on 30 May 2011 after seven months of work."
A workforce of 120 engineers and officials and 800 field workers was employed for the reconstruction. More than 200 types of equipment and machines were utilised.
The second runway 14/32 was reconstructed in 2010. The runway shoulders on both sides were widened from 7.5m to 15m. Five new taxiways including two new rapid exit taxiways were constructed.
MIAL has incorporated a parallel runway as part of the master plan but there are obstructions to this part of the plan including land acquisition and rehabilitation of slums as well as relocation of a number of airport facilities. The parallel runway remains an active part of the plan but meantime the cross runways are being upgraded as much as possible.
New terminal construction
The airport has two terminals, domestic terminal 1 (1-A and 1-B) and international terminal 2 (2-A, 2-B and 2-C). The construction contract for the reconstruction of terminal 2 was awarded to Larsen & Toubro and the design was completed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM).The new terminal was inaugurated in January 2013. The estimated cost of the project was INR5.5bn ($894.3m).
International operations at T2 will start from February 2013and domestic operations will start by 2015. The terminal has208 check-in counters, 60 immigration counters for arrivals, 72 immigration counters for departures, over 20,000m² of commercial space, 47 escalators, 161 elevators and parking space for 5,200 cars.
Blastwall
Blastwall engineers steel and fiberglass jet blast walls for the...
Blastwall engineers steel and fiberglass jet blast walls for the protection of buildings, navigation equipment, vehicle traffic, and ground personnel at airports worldwide.
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Welcome to a World of Professional Radio Communications
Air Traffic Control and Airspace Management
DAMM’s TetraFlex® Solution for Airports
First Demos of GOF U-Space Project Carried Out
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Home » The Airshow » Visiting the Show » Latest News » News: Application numbers for flying scholarship soar
Application numbers for flying scholarship soar
Published: 18 Jan 2017 updated: 29 Mar 2017
The word is out as RAF Flying Clubs' Association ( RAFFCA) has already received more than 300 applications for its Junior Rank Pilot Scholarship Scheme (JRPSS) in the first six weeks.
With just two weeks to go, the association is encouraging those wishing to apply for the RAF Charitable Trust ( RAFCT) sponsored scheme to 'get their skates on' and submit their application before the window closes on 31 January.
The JRPSS, open to serving RAF Regular and Reserve Junior Ranks (JRs) across the UK, will enable 30 lucky candidates to each receive 15 hours of flying instruction on a light aircraft, which may count towards a Light Aircraft Pilot Licence (LAPL). All necessary equipment to undertake the training at selected RAF flying clubs will also be provided through the scholarship, including flying suits and study packs.
RAF Flying Clubs' Association Project Officer Flight Lieutenant Chris Hives said: "We had a total of 368 applications over the three month application period in 2016 so we knew the scheme would be popular again this year.
"The scheme, which has received £82,500 of funding from the Trust this year alone, is a fantastic opportunity for our JRs. Two of our scholars have now secured to their Private Pilots' Licence (PPL) and many of the others are well on their way to achieving their LAPL. We are still accepting applications, but those who have not yet done so need to get their forms in quickly before the application window closes in two weeks' time."
Once candidates have successfully completed the scholarship there is also the opportunity to apply for the JRPSS Top-Up-Scheme which provides additional funding for those selected to continue their flying training.
Senior Aircraftman Aaron Garcha became the second person to achieve his PPL after he was awarded the JRPSS and top-up grant in 2016. He said: "November was a busy and exhausting month with lots of exams and testing, lots of travelling and lots of flying, but the hard work has paid off. On December 1 I successfully passed my final test and qualified as a pilot. I am grateful for everyone's support, including the incredible RAF Charitable Trust for opening these doors and making this possible.
"It's not just about the 15 hours but that fact that these hours will get the individual to solo standard and give them the opportunity to be the pilot in command of an aircraft for the first time. The first solo flight is a truly incredible experience that pilots remember for the rest of their life and I believe going solo will give individuals the drive to pursue a full license.
"This isn't the end for me - it's just the beginning. Achieving my licence has shown me that, with a little determination and the right support, you can achieve anything."
RAFCT Director Justine Morton added: "It's great to see that the results of the hard work our Junior Ranks have put in is paying off, and to see that the scheme really is making a huge difference to young people and the future of aviation. The application numbers just go to show that the scheme is extremely popular and really taking off."
The JRPSS was launched to improve the air-mindedness of Junior Ranks by offering them flying experience and the opportunity to increase their knowledge and understanding of the technologies used in aviation. In just two years, the scheme has already benefited 40 serving personnel.
To apply, or to find out more information, please click here. The 30 successful applicants will be announced on Monday 13 February 2017. Any applications made after the closing date will not be accepted. All training for successful candidates must be completed between 1 April and 30 September 2017.
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Louis Armstrong: Louis Armstrong: Satchmo - Ambassador of Jazz
By CHRIS MAY
Satchmo: Ambassador Of Jazz
Verve/Universal
"You can't play anything on a horn that Louis hasn't played," trumpeter Miles Davis said. And while pianist Jelly Roll Morton may have claimed to have invented jazz, if any one artist could be said to have done that, it would be trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong.
No one artist invented jazz, of course, but Armstrong's importance in its early development is supreme, and four decades after his passing, he continues to delight. Even during his infrequent below-par periods, he was only treading water; practically everything he recorded is worth listening to. So box set compilers have an easy job, one requiring no more than a pin and a list of available tracks. Satchmo: Ambassador Of Jazz, however, has been put together with a sense of history and it includes a representative selection of highlights from Armstrong's career, throwing in a few obscurities along the way.
The four-disc, 81-track set is a slimmed down version of the ten-disc, 186-track set released by Universal under the same title in 2011. The bigger box included seven CDs compiled from Armstrong's commercially released recordings from 1923-1967; an eighth CD of previously unreleased or rare session material; a ninth from a 1956 performance at the Hollywood Bowl; and a tenth comprising a 1965 interview Armstrong gave to Dan Morgenstern. The four-disc set samples all this material with the exception of the 1965 interview.
The collection includes at least one track from most of Armstrong's significant studio sessions; from his early work with cornetist King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band and Fletcher Henderson's orchestra; through his ground-breaking Hot Fives and Hot Sevens; with Sy Oliver's and Russell Garcia's orchestras; with the small groups featured on the albums made with singer Ella Fitzgerald, and with pianist Oscar Peterson; and with the various orchestras, studio bands and All Stars Armstrong fronted until shortly before his death in 1971.
As the years rolled by, and his lip problems got worse, vocals became increasingly central to Armstrong's work. Some pooh-pooh his singing as showbizzy and inconsequential; others find it as uplifting as his trumpet playing. If you are in the second group, you will find many glorious Armstrong vocal tracks here. The only quibble, and it is a small one, is the number of tracks on which Armstrong duets with Fitzgerald; nine is overdoing it given the capacity of a career-long, four-disc set.
Like with the bigger box, the discs are packaged in a replica of one of Armstrong's travel cases, which includes a 164-page, hardbound book. The book was assembled from previously published biographical material and offers no new insights. Its value comes from the illustrations: photos, gig fliers, sheet music, album covers and other miscellaneous ephemera. Travel case and book are made from heavy gauge card and the book is printed on art paper. It is a quality production let down only by the book's underwhelming text, which also suffers from sloppy copy editing.
Inevitably, some listeners questioned the choice of tracks on the ten-disc set, and there are likely to be more mutterings about the slimmed down version. But, actually, the collection is well-balanced between the familiar and the not so well known, with some choice rarities and a good proportion of live recordings. The less familiar material includes a 1949 recording with singer Billie Holiday ("You Can't Lose A Broken Heart"), and a 10:31 performance of "St Louis Blues" recorded in 1956 with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein. Throughout, Russ Titelman's remastering is state of the art.
The bottom line, as usual, is price. There are more comprehensive Armstrong sets around, of which Mosaic's seven-disc, complete Decca recordings from 1935-1946 is particularly valuable. But the slimmed down Satchmo: Ambassador Of Jazz is one of the more attractively packaged and it is also one of the least expensive.
After enjoying the four discs, however, all but casual Armstrong fans will likely be left wanting the ten-disc version. It is a cruel worldbut as Armstrong reminds us on the last track of this collection, it can be a wonderful one, too.
Tracks: CD1: Stomp Off, Let's Go 19231938: Just Gone; Chimes Blues; Shanghai Shuffle; Copenhagen; St Louis Blues; Gut Bucket Blues; Heebie Jeebies; Cornet Chop Suey; Muskrat Ramble; New Orleans Soup; Potato Head Blues; West End Blues; Mahogany Hall Stomp; Blue Yodel No. 9; Chinatown My Chinatown; I'm In the Mood For Love; Old Man; Ev'ntide; Swing That Music; The Skeleton Is In The Closet; On A Coconut Island; Old Folks At Home (Swanee River); Jubiliee; Struttin' With Some Barbecue; When The Saints Go Marching In. CD2: C'est Si Bon 1938-1951: Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen; Jeepers Creepers; Perdido Street Blues; I Cover The Waterfront; When It's Sleepy Time Down South; You Won't Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart); Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?; Back O' Town Blues; Rockin' Chair; Mukrat Ramble Parts 1 and 2; That's My Desire; That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Round Heaven All Day); Blueberry Hill; You Can't Lose A Broken Heart; C'est Si Bon (It's So Good); La Vie En Rose; Dream A Little Dream Of Me; Baby It's Cold Outside; Gone Fishin'; A Kiss To Build A Dream On. CD3: Satchmo 1955-1957: Rockin' Chair; Blue Turning Grey Over You; Mm-Mm; St Louis Blues (Concerto Grosso); Ole Miss Blues; Bucket's Got A Hole In It; Mack The Knife; Stars Fell On Alabama; They Can't Take That Away From Me; Moonlight In Vermont; On The Sunnyside Of The Street; When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You); King Of The Zulus; Stompin' At The Savoy; Our Love Is Here To Stay. CD4: What A Wonderful World 1957-1967: I Get A Kick Out Of You; Stormy Weather; Body And Soul; Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen; I've Got The World On A String; Summertime; Bess Oh Where Is My Bess; Indiana There's No You; Let's Fall In Love; Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child; Hello, Dolly!; A Lot Of Livin' To Do; I Still Get Jealous; Blueberry Hill; Moon River; So Long Dearie; Pretty Little Missy; Cabaret; Mame; What A Wonderful World.
Personnel: Louis Armstrong: trumpet, cornet, vocals; Billie Holiday: vocals (CD2#13); Bing Crosby: vocals (CD2#19); Ella Fitzgerald: vocals (CD2#6, 17, CD3#8-10, 14, 15, CD4#6, 7); various instrumental lineups.
Title: Louis Armstrong: Satchmo - Ambassador of Jazz | Year Released: 2012 | Record Label: Unknown label
Louis Armstrong Extended Analysis Chris May United States Miles Davis Jelly Roll Morton Fletcher Henderson Sy Oliver Russell Garcia Ella Fitzgerald oscar peterson Billie Holiday Louis Armstrong: Satchmo - Ambassador of Jazz
Kathy Ingraham
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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in German. (February 2009) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
View a machine-translated version of the German article.
You should also add the template {{Translated|de|Osterburken}} to the talk page.
Place in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Main train station
Location of Osterburken within Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis district
Show map of Germany
Show map of Baden-Württemberg
Coordinates: 49°25′51″N 9°25′34″E / 49.43083°N 9.42611°E / 49.43083; 9.42611Coordinates: 49°25′51″N 9°25′34″E / 49.43083°N 9.42611°E / 49.43083; 9.42611
Jürgen Galm (CDU)
47.32 km2 (18.27 sq mi)
Dialling codes
MOS, BCH
www.osterburken.de
Osterburken is a town in the Neckar-Odenwald district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 28 km southwest of Tauberbischofsheim, 50 km northeast of Heilbronn, 90 km east of Heidelberg, 60 km southwest of Würzburg and 30 km east of Mosbach; the S1 S-Bahn line of VRN public transport service operates between Homburg (Saarland) and Osterburken, hence the train station here is used frequently to transfer to and from other trains.
Sons and daughters of the city[edit]
August Becker (1879-1953), physicist and university lecturer
Towns and municipalities in Neckar-Odenwald (district)
Elztal
Fahrenbach
Höpfingen
Hüffenhardt
Mudau
Neckarzimmern
Rosenberg (Baden)
Schwarzach
Walldürn
Zwingenberg (Baden)
^ "Bevölkerung nach Nationalität und Geschlecht am 31. Dezember 2017". Statistisches Landesamt Baden-Württemberg (in German). 2018.
MusicBrainz: 492ed626-70e6-46d7-9239-d210cb64f508
This Neckar-Odenwald location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Osterburken&oldid=901494200"
Towns in Baden-Württemberg
Karlsruhe region geography stubs
Articles to be expanded from February 2009
Geography articles needing translation from German Wikipedia
Pages using infobox German location with unknown parameters
Mosbach is the capital of the Neckar-Odenwald district in the north of Baden-Württemberg, about 58 km east of Heidelberg. Its geographical position is 49.21'N 9.9'E. It has a population of 25,000 people distributed in six boroughs: Mosbach Town, Neckarelz, Diedesheim and Reichenbuch. Mosbach is situated south of the Odenwald mountains at a height of 134-354m at the confluence of the Neckar and the Elz; the town is part of the conservation area Naturpark Neckartal-Odenwald and the UNESCO Geopark Bergstraße-Odenwald. The settlement of Mosbach developed around the Benedictine monastery of Mosbach Abbey, the first written record of which dates from the 9th century. In 1241 rights and privileges had been granted to Mosbach as an Imperial free city; these rights were lost in 1362. With the division of the lands of King Rupert in 1410, Mosbach became the capital of a small principality known as Palatinate-Mosbach as the inheritance for his son Otto I. With the death of his brother John, Count Palatine of Neumarkt 1443, the territory of Palatinate-Neumarkt was added in a personal union to Palatinate-Mosbach creating the territory of Palatinate-Mosbach-Neumarkt.
This principality was dissolved with the death of Count Palatine Otto II in 1499. The city and adjoining territory reverted to the Electorate of the Palatinate, Mosbach became the capital of the administrative district of "Oberamt Mosbach". In 1806 the city was made part of the Grand Duchy of Baden. In World War II, the Mosbach area was the location of a Daimler-Benz underground airplane engine factory, codenamed "Goldfisch", it was occupied by the 289th Combat Engineer Battalion in the immediate postwar period. Mosbach is twinned with: Château-Thierry Finike Lymington Pesthidegkút Pößneck Historic sites include: the historic town centre with the pedestrian area and timber-framed houses, such as: the Palm House built in 1610, the town’s emblem the Salzhaus, the oldest timber-framed house old town hall with tower the former collegiate church, now a parish church, of which the nave is used by the Protestants, the chancel by the Roman Catholics the Tempelhaus in Neckarelz, which has the character of both a castle and a church.
Mosbach lies on two heritage routes: the Burgenstraße, linking many historic castles the Deutsche Fachwerkstraße, joining the locations of many of the best German half-timbered buildings
Walldürn is a town in the Neckar-Odenwald district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 23 km southwest of Wertheim; the town of Walldürn consists of the ten districts Walldürn-Stadt, Gerolzahn, Gottersdorf, Kaltenbrunn, Reinhardsachsen and Wettersdorf. Walldürn Basilica: Elections in 2014: The poll was 52,9 %. CDU: 13 seats SPD: 9 seats Demokratische Christliche Bürger: 5 seats Free voters Baden-Württemberg|Walldürner Bürgervereinigung: 2 seats Walldürner Liste: 2 seats Total: 31 seats 1901–1907: Knoth, Hermann 1907–1909: Schön, Friederich 1909–1919: Nimis, Wilhelm 1919–1920: Helmling, Peter 1920–1925: Scheurich, Otto 1925–1930: Trautmann, Arthur 1930–1933: Geier, Michael 1933: Kaufmann, Josef 1933–1940: Kiefer, Karl 1940–1945: Leiblein, Josef 1945–1946: Trunk, Heinrich und Scheurich, Otto 1946–1948: Schmidt, Hermann 1948–1966: Trautmann, Arthur 1966–1974: Hübner, Alfred 1974–1975: Hollerbach, Robert 1975–1991: Hollerbach, Robert 1991–2007: Joseph, Karl-Heinz since 2007: Günther, Markus Walter Zimmermann and botanist Peter Assion and germanist Peter Hauk, forest manager and Member of Landtag since 1992, Silvia Neid, former footballer and world champion coach of the German women's football team
Obrigheim is a town in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the location of the Obrigheim Nuclear Power Plant; the concentration camp Neckarelz was from March 1944 to March 1945 an extension of the concentration camp Natzweiler-Struthof. Thousands of forced workers and KZ-prisoners had to build tunnels in the nearby mountains. In October 2014 Achim Walter was elected the new mayor, he is the successor of Roland Lauer, he was 24 years in office
Neckarzimmern is a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neckarzimmern was the main site of dispersal for the German Anti-Friction Bearings Industry during the Allied bombing of Germany; this site was chosen. Most of the machines that were transferred here were from the Schweinfurt factory. Emil Stumpp, press drawer Ernst von Gemmingen and aristocrat Götz von Berlichingen, owner of Burg Hornberg
Adelsheim is a small town in northern Baden-Württemberg, about 30 km north of Heilbronn. The state-recognized resort of Adelsheim in the Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis looks back on a 1,200-year heritage. Adelsheim lies at the mouth of the river Kirnau which comes from the west, emptying into the river Seckach coming from the north; the combined stream was used in building the town fortifications. Farther downstream, the Seckach flows by Möckmühl into the Jagst, thence into the Neckar, thence into the Rhine; the Adelsheim area is part of the greater geographical region known as the Bauland, a mountain range stretching from the Odenwald in the northwest to the Jagst valley in the south as well as to the Tauber valley in the east. Part of the municipality's area lies within the Neckartal-Odenwald Nature Park. Sennfeld has about 1,250 inhabitants; the place was first mentioned in a document in 1110. In 1615, Margaretha von Carben, Götz von Berlichingen's granddaughter, endowed the Evangelical parish church.
The Sennfeld Schloss owned by kin of the Barons of Berlichingen, was built in 1713 in a countrified Baroque style. Leibenstadt, a former knightly village with about 320 inhabitants lying south of Adelsheim was first mentioned in a document in 1293, has been part of Adelsheim since 1971. Website: http://www.leibenstadt.de The hamlet of Wemmershof, lying 3 km west of Adelsheim, saw the beginning of its village history in 1423. In the Middle Ages, the landlords relinquished the property to the farmers who lived there at the time. Today Wemmershof is now, as a community shaped by agriculture, it has about 50 inhabitants. Hergenstadt lies to the southeast, it is a hamlet with about 50 people, founded in 1500. The Adelsheim Business Park is located 1 km to the west, outside the Adelsheim municipal centre and 8 km from Autobahn A81, right on Federal Highway B 292; the B 292 leads to Osterburken. In 1374, Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor raised Adelsheim to town; the landlords were the Imperial Knights of Adelsheim.
The Reichsritters von Adelsheim were elevated to the rank of Freiherr. Adelsheim was home to some Jews in the Middle Ages. In 1338, Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor had allowed the brothers Poppo and Berlinger von Adelsheim to "keep" four Jewish families in their lands. In 1690, there were four Jewish families resident in Adelsheim; the establishment of an actual community can be traced back to the seventeenth century. The highest number of Jewish inhabitants was reached in 1885 when the count was 70. Under an ordinance from 1690, the Jewish community yearly had to pay the Barons of Adelsheim four gulden for "school", to say, to be allowed to hold their religious services; the prayer room used at that time, according to oral tradition, was set up on the second floor of the house built by Melchior Keller in 1418 in the Torgasse. This house was dismantled in 1952. There was a prayer room in a no longer standing building in the yard of the Oberschloss. From the middle of the nineteenth century until 1889, a synagogue stood at Turmgasse 27.
A ritual bath and a Jewish school were housed at the old synagogue in the nineteenth century at Turmgasse 27, as of 1889 at the new synagogue. When the new synagogue was being torn down in 1977, the ritual bath was rediscovered. Burials were performed after 1884 in Sennfeld. After the deportations during the Third Reich, at least ten of the 35 Jews living in town in 1933 lost their lives; as a result of the Reformation, the people became Lutheran. Until 2000, Adelsheim was the seat of a deaconate of the Baden State Church, part of the Evangelical Church in Germany. In the course of deaconate reform, the deaconate moved to Hirschlanden in Rosenberg. Catholics are a minority. After 1945 a rough balance between the two faiths was reached through the arrival of refugees from the east. After 1960, a further Catholic church was established, St. Mary's; the forerunner to the folk festival was the Homeland Days in 1948. The occasion for Adelsheim's second folk festival in 1949 was the celebration of the dedication of the new Kirnau Bridge, which replaced one destroyed in 1945.
On 11 November 1948, the Adelsheim District Agricultural School opened its doors under Dr. Leopold Wiswesser's leadership. In the years that were to come, Adelsheim's history was shaped by its schools: the Volksschule moved onto the Eckenberg in 1958, farther into the forest a few years the Gymnasium with its boarding school was established. Mayors Klaus Gramlich Walter Muth Peter Hütt Günter Bauer Friedrich GernerMunicipal council: CDU 8 seats SPD 6 seats FWV 3 seats BLA 3 seats The coat of arms, which might be described as "Argent an alpine ibex's horn sable", was bestowed upon the town by Kaiser Sigismund in 1422. Adelsheim's town colours are white; the town colours are to be seen at the Schildmännchen – an emblem depicting a little man behind an heraldic shield – near the centre of town at the Oberschloss-Erker. Adelsheim lies on the Frankenbahn railway and the Neckartalbahn railway, thereby on the S-Bahn RheinNeckar. Since December 2003 both hourly trains on S-Bahn line S1 and RegionalExpress trains every two hours run on this line.
Goods trains run evenings or nights. Whi
Schwarzach, Baden-Württemberg
Schwarzach is a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Schwarzach consists of the two former districts Unterschwarzach. Since 2015: Mathias Haas 1991-2014: Theo Haaf
Germany the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central and Western Europe, lying between the Baltic and North Seas to the north, the Alps to the south. It borders Denmark to the north and the Czech Republic to the east and Switzerland to the south, France to the southwest, Luxembourg and the Netherlands to the west. Germany includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,386 square kilometres, has a temperate seasonal climate. With 83 million inhabitants, it is the second most populous state of Europe after Russia, the most populous state lying in Europe, as well as the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is a decentralized country, its capital and largest metropolis is Berlin, while Frankfurt serves as its financial capital and has the country's busiest airport. Germany's largest urban area is the Ruhr, with its main centres of Essen; the country's other major cities are Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Dresden, Bremen and Nuremberg. Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity.
A region named Germania was documented before 100 AD. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation. After the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire, the German Confederation was formed in 1815; the German revolutions of 1848–49 resulted in the Frankfurt Parliament establishing major democratic rights. In 1871, Germany became a nation state when most of the German states unified into the Prussian-dominated German Empire. After World War I and the revolution of 1918–19, the Empire was replaced by the parliamentary Weimar Republic; the Nazi seizure of power in 1933 led to the establishment of a dictatorship, the annexation of Austria, World War II, the Holocaust. After the end of World War II in Europe and a period of Allied occupation, Austria was re-established as an independent country and two new German states were founded: West Germany, formed from the American and French occupation zones, East Germany, formed from the Soviet occupation zone.
Following the Revolutions of 1989 that ended communist rule in Central and Eastern Europe, the country was reunified on 3 October 1990. Today, the sovereign state of Germany is a federal parliamentary republic led by a chancellor, it is a great power with a strong economy. As a global leader in several industrial and technological sectors, it is both the world's third-largest exporter and importer of goods; as a developed country with a high standard of living, it upholds a social security and universal health care system, environmental protection, a tuition-free university education. The Federal Republic of Germany was a founding member of the European Economic Community in 1957 and the European Union in 1993, it is part of the Schengen Area and became a co-founder of the Eurozone in 1999. Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G7, the G20, the OECD. Known for its rich cultural history, Germany has been continuously the home of influential and successful artists, musicians, film people, entrepreneurs, scientists and inventors.
Germany has a large number of World Heritage sites and is among the top tourism destinations in the world. The English word Germany derives from the Latin Germania, which came into use after Julius Caesar adopted it for the peoples east of the Rhine; the German term Deutschland diutisciu land is derived from deutsch, descended from Old High German diutisc "popular" used to distinguish the language of the common people from Latin and its Romance descendants. This in turn descends from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz "popular", derived from *þeudō, descended from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂- "people", from which the word Teutons originates; the discovery of the Mauer 1 mandible shows that ancient humans were present in Germany at least 600,000 years ago. The oldest complete hunting weapons found anywhere in the world were discovered in a coal mine in Schöningen between 1994 and 1998 where eight 380,000-year-old wooden javelins of 1.82 to 2.25 m length were unearthed. The Neander Valley was the location where the first non-modern human fossil was discovered.
The Neanderthal 1 fossils are known to be 40,000 years old. Evidence of modern humans dated, has been found in caves in the Swabian Jura near Ulm; the finds included 42,000-year-old bird bone and mammoth ivory flutes which are the oldest musical instruments found, the 40,000-year-old Ice Age Lion Man, the oldest uncontested figurative art discovered, the 35,000-year-old Venus of Hohle Fels, the oldest uncontested human figurative art discovered. The Nebra sky disk is a bronze artefact created during the European Bronze Age attributed to a site near Nebra, Saxony-Anhalt, it is part of UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme. The Germanic tribes are thought to date from the Pre-Roman Iron Age. From southern Scandinavia and north Germany, they expanded south and west from the 1st century BC, coming into contact with the Celtic tribes of Gaul as well
Germany [videos]
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central and Western Europe, lying between the Baltic and North Seas to the north, and the Alps to the south. It borders Denmark …
The Nebra sky disk, c. 1700 BC
Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1400–1468), inventor of the movable-type printing press
Baden-Württemberg [videos]
Baden-Württemberg is a state in southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the border with France. It is Germany’s third-largest state, with an area of 35,751 km2 and 11 million inhabitants. Baden-Württemberg is a parliamentary …
SAP headquarters in Walldorf
The Black Forest seen from the Belchen
The University Library Freiburg was reopened in 2015.
University of Karlsruhe, since 2009: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Burgomaster [videos]
Burgomaster is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or executive of a city or town. The name in …
The Burgomaster's Family, possibly painted by Gerard Donck c. 1640
Caption of a Bürgermeisteramt from 1505 (burgomaster Erhart Huck of Bozen, South Tyrol
Arnold von Brauweiler, a German burgomaster, known in German as Bürgermeister
Session of the council of the community Oude IJsselstreek, eastern Netherlands: mayor Steven de Vreeze (right) as chairman of the council.
Christian Democratic Union of Germany [videos]
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Germany. It is the major catch-all party of the …
The election poster of 1957 reading "No experiments" and featuring then Chancellor Konrad Adenauer what would be the only election in which the CDU obtained an absolute majority
East German CDU leader Lothar de Maizière (left) with West German CDU leader Helmut Kohl, September 1990
Konrad-Adenauer-Haus, headquarters of the CDU in Berlin
Vehicle registration plate [videos]
A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate or a license plate, is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. All countries require registration plates for road vehicles such as cars …
Some jurisdictions license non-traditional vehicles, such as golf carts, particularly on on-road vehicles, such as this one in Put-in-Bay, Ohio.
Botswana plate
Burkina Faso passenger plate
Burkina Faso Gendarmerie plate
Heilbronn [videos]
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is surrounded by Heilbronn County and, with approximately 123,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. — The city on the Neckar is a former Imperial Free City and is the seat …
View of the Heilbronn centre of town toward the Wartberg
The Deutschhof.
Bollwerksturm
Heilbronn in 1643. Engraving by Matthäus Merian
Heidelberg [videos]
Heidelberg is a university town in Baden-Württemberg situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. In the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, with roughly a quarter of its …
Heidelberg, with Heidelberg Castle on the hill and the Old Bridge over the river Neckar
Heidelberg with suburbs
Heidelberg on the Neckar at night
Würzburg [videos]
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia, northern Bavaria, Germany. Located on the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is East Franconian. — Würzburg lies about …
Impression of the city seal of 1319
Würzburg with Fortress Marienberg
Residence (front view).
Marienberg Fortress
Mosbach [videos]
Mosbach is the capital of the Neckar-Odenwald district in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 58 km east of Heidelberg. Its geographical position is 49.21'N 9.9'E. — It has a population of approximately 25,000 people distributed in six boroughs: Mosbach Town, Lohrbach, Neckarelz …
Image: Mosbach Merianblick 3
Image: Mosbach kickelhain
Image: Mosbach palmscheshaus
Image: Mosbach marktplatz gegenseite
Homburg (Saar) [videos]
Homburg is a town in Saarland, Germany, the administrative seat of the Saarpfalz district. With a population of c. 41,822 inhabitants, is the third largest city in its federal state. The medical department of …
Homburg in the 17th century
Image: Homburg Saar Blick vom Schlossberg
Buchen [videos]
Buchen is a town in Germany Neckar-Odenwald district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the Odenwald low mountain range, 23 km northeast of Mosbach. — Geography — Buchen is situated on the seam between the south-eastern Odenwald and the Bauland area, along the Upper …
Buchen, view from Wartberg
The Wartturm, Buchen
Display of Buchen carnival characters in the Faschenachtsmuseum
The 'Wedding Cake'; the Stalactite Cave in Eberstadt
Elztal [videos]
Elztal is a municipality in the Neckar-Odenwald district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is named after the valley of the river Elz. — Geography — The municipality Elztal is located in the southern part of the Odenwald, close to Mosbach at the B 27, B 292 and L 615. The next district cities …
The water castle in Dallau
Image: Dallau kathkirche
Image: Neckarburken Kirche
Image: Elztal auerbach evkirch
Tauberbischofsheim [videos]
Tauberbischofsheim is a German town in the north-east of Baden-Württemberg on the river Tauber with a population of about 13,200. It is the capital of the Main-Tauber district. It is a popular tourist destination due to the presence of numerous historical buildings …
Centre of the town with the tower and castle
A panorama of Tauberbischofsheim.
Entrance of the Fencing-Club Tauberbischofheim's training camp
Adelsheim [videos]
Adelsheim is a small town in northern Baden-Württemberg, about 30 km north of Heilbronn. The state-recognized resort of Adelsheim in the Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis looks back on a 1,200-year heritage. — Geography — Adelsheim lies at the mouth of the river …
Schloss Sennfeld
Gertrud Scholtz-Klink 1934
Billigheim [videos]
Billigheim is a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The town of Billigheim has five local subdivisions: Sulzbach, Billigheim, Allfeld, Waldmühlbach and Katzental. — History — The first historic mention of Billigheim is in the …
Image: Allfeld kirche innen
Image: Altes Rathaus Billigheim
Image: Schule Billigheim
Walldürn [videos]
Walldürn is a town in the Neckar-Odenwald district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 23 km southwest of Wertheim. — The town of Walldürn consists of the ten districts Walldürn-Stadt, Altheim, Gerolzahn, Glashofen, Gottersdorf, Hornbach, Kaltenbrunn, Reinhardsachsen, Rippberg and …
Walldürn-Town hall
Walldürn-Savings bank
Gottersdorf St. Michael church
Neckarzimmern [videos]
Neckarzimmern is a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neckarzimmern also was the main site of dispersal for the German Anti-Friction Bearings Industry during the Allied bombing of Germany. This site was chosen because an abandoned mine provided …
Ernst von Gemmingen
Götz von Berlichingen
Bibliothèque nationale de France [videos]
The Bibliothèque nationale de France is the national library of France, located in Paris. It is the national repository of all that is published in France and also holds extensive historical collections. — History …
Reading room, Richelieu site
View of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, François-Mitterrand site
Höpfingen [videos]
Höpfingen, sometimes spelled Hoepfingen, is a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. — Administration — The municipality consists of two subdivisions: — Höpfingen — Waldstetten — Geography — The district lies on the southeastern slope of the Odenwald …
Aerial view of St. Ägidius Church and surrounding area in the Höpfingen subdivision
Mudau [videos]
Mudau is a municipality in the Neckar-Odenwald district, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As of 2013 it has 4,833 inhabitants. — Geography — Mudau lies in the southeastern Odenwald mountains between the Neckar and Main rivers, 75 km southeast of Frankfurt am Main and 40 km northeast of Heidelberg …
Town hall Mudau
Neckargerach [videos]
Neckargerach is a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. — Mayors — 1915–1919: Johann Georg Steck, butcher — 1919–1924: Heinrich Gramlich — 1924–1933: Carl Bödigheimer I — 1933–1935: Rudolf Bödigheimer — 1935–1937: Ludwig Menges — 1937–1945: Christian Seemann …
Neckargerach Town hall (2007)
Neunkirchen, Baden-Württemberg [videos]
Neunkirchen is a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located near Mosbach. — References …
Neunkirchen Town hall and protestant church
Obrigheim [videos]
Obrigheim is a town in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. — It is the location of the Obrigheim Nuclear Power Plant. — History — The concentration camp Neckarelz was from March 1944 to March 1945 an extension of the concentration camp Natzweiler-Struthof …
Shaft Brasse in 2012
Schwarzach, Baden-Württemberg [videos]
Schwarzach is a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. — Schwarzach consists of the two former districts Oberschwarzach and Unterschwarzach. — Mayors — Since 2015: Mathias Haas — 1991-2014: Theo Haaf — References …
Unterschwarzach Town hall
Waldbrunn, Baden-Württemberg [videos]
Waldbrunn is a town in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. — References …
Integrated Authority File [videos]
The Integrated Authority File or GND is an international authority file for the organisation of personal names, subject headings and corporate bodies from catalogues. It is used mainly for documentation in libraries and …
GND: Screenshot of the German National Library (Browser: Opera 11.62).
MusicBrainz [videos]
MusicBrainz is a project that aims to create an open data music database that is similar to the freedb project. MusicBrainz was founded in response to the restrictions placed on the Compact Disc Database, a database for software applications to look up audio CD information on …
MusicBrainz homepage.
Virtual International Authority File [videos]
The Virtual International Authority File is an international authority file. It is a joint project of several national libraries and operated by the Online Computer Library Center. — History — Discussion about having a common international authority started in the late 1990s. After …
Screenshot 2012
Prague [videos]
Prague is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, the 14th largest city in the European Union and the historical capital of Bohemia. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its …
Clockwise from top: panorama with Prague Castle, Malá Strana and Charles Bridge; Pankrác district with high-rise buildings; street view in Malá Strana; Old Town Square panorama; gatehouse tower of the Charles Bridge; National Theatre
The mythological princess Libuše prophesies the glory of Prague.
The Prague astronomical clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still working.
The Bohemian Crown Jewels are the fourth oldest in Europe
Hugh Jackman [videos]
Hugh Michael Jackman is an Australian actor, singer, and producer. Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in a variety of film genres. He is known for his long-running role as Wolverine in the X-Men film series which he holds the Guinness World Record of …
Jackman at the world premiere of Logan at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival in February 2017
Hugh Jackman at the Sydney premiere for Real Steel in September 2011
Jackman at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con
Jackman at the Japanese premiere of his 2017 film, The Greatest Showman
Jewel House [videos]
The Jewel House is a vault housing the British Crown Jewels in the Waterloo Block at the Tower of London. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 and refurbished in 2012. Regalia have been kept in various parts of the Tower since the 14th century after a series of …
Entrance to the Jewel House
The Chamber of the Pyx, Westminster Abbey
The Imperial State Crown
A Scots Guards sentry outside the Jewel House
Charles, Prince of Wales [videos]
Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent to the British throne as the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II. He has been Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay since 1952, and is the oldest and longest-serving heir apparent in British history …
The Prince of Wales on Christmas Day 2017
Prince Charles with his parents and sister in October 1957
The Prince and Princess of Wales visit Uluru (Ayers Rock), Australia, March 1983
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in Jamaica, March 2008
Palace of Versailles [videos]
The Palace of Versailles was the principal royal residence of France from 1682, under Louis XIV, until the start of the French Revolution in 1789, under Louis XVI. It is located in the department of Yvelines, in the region …
The garden facade of the chateau of Louis XIII in 1660-64. (Engraving by Israël Silvestre)
The palace in 1668 during the first reconstruction. (Painting by Pierre Patel)
The facade of the palace facing the garden in 1675. The terrace was replaced by the Hall of Mirrors
A masked ball in the Hall of Mirrors (1745) by Nicolas Cochin
Imperial Regalia [videos]
The Imperial Regalia, also Imperial Insignia, are regalia of the Holy Roman Emperor. The most important parts are the Imperial Crown, the Holy Lance and the Imperial Sword. Today they are kept at the Imperial Treasury in the Hofburg …
Charlemagne, wearing the Imperial Regalia. An imaginary portrait by Albrecht Dürer
Imperial Crown (Reichskrone)
Imperial Orb (Reichsapfel)
Coronation Gospel (Krönungsevangeliar)
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Conakry (Sosso: Kɔnakiri) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. Conakry is a port city on the Atlantic Ocean and serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its population was estimated in 2009 at 1,667,864. Originally situated on Tombo Island, one of the Îles de Los, it has since spread up the neighboring Kaloum Peninsula.
The current population of Conakry is difficult to ascertain, although the U.S. Bureau of African Affairs has estimated it at 2 million. Conakry is thought to contain almost a quarter of the population of Guinea.
According to a legend, the name of the city comes from the fusion of the name "Cona", a wine producer of the Baga people, and the word "nakiri", which means in Sosso the other bank or side.
Conakry was originally settled on the small Tombo Island and later spread to the neighboring Kaloum Peninsula, a 36-kilometer (22 mi) long stretch of land 0.2 to 6 kilometers (660 to 19,690 ft) wide. The city was essentially founded after Britain ceded the island to France in 1887. In 1885 the two island villages of Conakry and Boubinet had fewer than 500 inhabitants. Conakry became the capital of French Guinea in 1904 and prospered as an export port, particularly after a railway (now closed) to Kankan opened up the interior of the country for the large-scale export of groundnut.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Conakry
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Widow of Texas Pizza Delivery Man Sues Dominos for Wrongful Death
On behalf of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Aziz posted in Wrongful Death on Wednesday, July 27, 2011.
The widow of a Texas pizza delivery man has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the pizza giant Domino's after her husband died due to injuries received while on the job.
In 2009, a call came into the Fort Worth Domino's for delivery to a house that the pizza place had never previously been. When the delivery man arrived with the pizzas he was attacked, robbed and beaten with a baseball bat by a three teenagers who had placed the phony order using a prepaid cell phone. The delivery man suffered severe brain damage, and just over a year after the attack, died as a result of his injuries. Police later ruled his death as a homicide.
All three teenagers, ages 15 and 16, were charged as juveniles since they were not of majority age at the time of the attack. The boys were charged with aggravated robbery and sentenced before the delivery man died. Two of the teens were sentenced to five years in a youth facility.
The third teen was sentenced to 40 years in a Texas Youth Commission facility. He turned 18 this last week and was transferred to an adult prison, where he must serve at least half of the 40-year sentence. Prosecutors did not charge the boy with murder after the delivery man died because he still would have been charged as a juvenile and he was already serving the maximum 40 years, so it was not possible to receive an enhanced sentence.
Even though the criminal charges have since been settled, the delivery man's widow is seeking civil damages -- alleging that Domino's was negligent in following safety procedures. The spousal wrongful death lawsuit was filed on July 11 in Tarrant County against the local franchise, Mark of Excellence Pizza Co., and the national corporation, Domain's Pizza and Domino's Pizza Franchising.
Source: Insurance Journal, "Domino's Sued After Texas Deliveryman's Death," 7/15/11.
Tags: Domino's, brain injury, death of spouse, deliveryman, wrongful death
Related Posts: Wrongful Death Suits Filed Against Railroad, Widow's Lawsuit Seeks Answers for Husband's Failed Heart Transplant at Baylor St. Luke's, California Jury Awards Over $6,000,000 in Wrongful Death Suit, Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Fatal July 4 Boat Crash
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Three Dead After Intoxicated Individual Crashes Boat on the Open Water
E-Scooters And Head Injuries
Kansas Supreme Court Throws Out Longstanding Cap on Noneconomic Damages in Personal Injury Lawsuits
Several Patients Sue Hospital over Infections
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Release Date: 20 Oct, 2017
Running Time: 1hr 30min
Director: Brett Morgen
Producer: Brett Mogren, Bryan Byrke, James Smith, Time Pastore, Jeff Hasler
Writer: Brett Morgen
Cast: Jane Goodall, Hugo van Lawick, and others
Synopsis: Drawing from over 100 hours of never-before-seen footage that has been tucked away in the National Geographic archives for over 50 years, award-winning director Brett Morgen tells the story of Jane, a woman whose chimpanzee research challenged the male-dominated scientific consensus of her time and revolutionized our understanding of the natural world. Set to a rich orchestral score from legendary composer Philip Glass, the film offers an unprecedented, intimate portrait of Jane Goodall — a trailblazer who defied the odds to become one of the world’s most admired conservationists.
Bryce Kirchoff December 28, 2017 2017, b2017
2002 And BeforeBryce Kirchoff January 14, 2018
Bryce Kirchoff December 1, 2017 2017, b2017
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Home / Sustainability / Macadamia conservation trust
macadamia conservation trust
The Macadamia Conservation Trust is a not for profit registered environmental organisation and the trustee is the Australian Macadamia Society Ltd which represents growers and the industry. The trust aims to conserve remaining wild macadamia trees in their native habitat for future generations.
Why do we need to conserve macadamias?
There is a lack of public awareness about wild macadamias and the challenges they face in both the short and long term. With over 80% of wild macadamia trees lost since European settlement, many of the populations remaining today are at risk of extinction. The most vulnerable are small, isolated populations in patches of rainforest.
Four species of macadamia are found in small isolated remnants in rainforests from Lismore in the south to north of Bundaberg. Residential development, clearing and inappropriate fire regimes threaten many of these remnants. The once magnificent ‘big scrub’ that covered 74,000 hectares in the Northern Rivers region and contained many macadamia trees is now reduced to less than 1% of its original size.
Climate change, in the form of variable rainfall and higher temperatures, is also likely to exacerbate the risk to wild species, making smaller populations more vulnerable to changes, altering natural balances, and increasing the environmental suitability for exotic vines to proliferate.
How is the trust funded?
The Trust has been funded for the past decade through a range of revenue-raising initiatives including raffles, auctions and merchandise sales. The Australian Macadamia Society, growers and other commercial organisations have also provided funding.
Valuable preliminary surveys and conservation work culminated in the development of a species recovery plan (648kb PDF) which became the first conservation plan developed by a farming body to receive formal recognition from the Australian Government.
The implementation of this plan has now commenced under a new project, Wild About Macadamias. Through this work, the industry recently discovered a species of macadamia tree as rare as the Wollomi Pine. We are working as a group with the assistance of local indigenous communities to protect this species through selective replanting.
With your help we can do so much more to protect macadamias from extinction in the wild.
There are numerous ways to get involved:
• Become a supporter by making a donation
• Volunteer to undertake plantings and surveys
• Identify remnants on your land
• Register to receive our newsletter
For more information contact the Australian Macadamia Society admin@macadamias.org
Wild About Macadamias
The survival of one of Australia’s national treasures was given renewed hope recently with funding approved for a project designed to conserve and protect local wild macadamia species, all four of which are listed as under threat according to Australian State and Commonwealth legislation. The Wild About Macadamias project was five years in the making.
The aim of the project is to conserve the species in the wild. Funding comes from the Macadamia Conservation Trust and generous donations and fund-raising efforts by individual macadamia growers and macadamia businesses, non-government organisations and Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA). Additional funding and resources have also come from local councils including Gympie, Scenic Rim, Tweed and Logan.
Wild About Macadamias is funded entirely by growers and other industry members, making it the only non-government funded program of its kind in Australia.
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Baker, Simon
BBC Worldwife Ltd, 2002 The Ship tells the exciting story of Captain James Cook's voyage on the Endeavour and describes what happened when a BBC team of volunteers boarded a magnificent replica of the ship to retrace a dramatic stretch of its route from Cape Grafton in Australia to Jakarta in Indonesia. Simon Baker, author and volunteer able seaman, begins by taking a fresh look at Cook and the origins of his first voyage - how it turned from a scientific expedition to observe an eclipse into a far-reaching quest for the Great Southern Continent. Drawing on original journals, he re-examines Cook's motives and reputation, revealing a more complex character than the hero that history has handed down to us. The replica Endeavour provided a unique opportunity to 'test' the achievements of Cook and his company within an authentic eighteenth-century environment....
NZ History / General
Aldworth, John Dudley
The Imperial Album of New Zealand Scenery (2 Volumes)
British Regiments in Napier 1858 - 1867
Woodhouse, Alice
Community - The Story of Riverside
Rain, Lynn
The Webbs In New Zealand 1898
Hamer, D. A.
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Firefighters and volunteers with Cache Creek’s Engine 3 in July 2017. Photo: Barbara Roden.
Online auction raises funds for new Cache Creek fire engine
Close to $40,000 raised, thanks to local businesses, residents, and Fraserway RV
Barbara Roden
Jan. 9, 2019 11:00 a.m.
If all goes according to plan, the Cache Creek Volunteer Fire Department (CCVFD) will be taking delivery of a new primary fire engine later this year, and an online auction that took place over Christmas helped raise close to $40,000 towards its purchase.
In August 2018 The Journal reported that CCVFD chief Tom Moe and 2nd assistant fire chief Damian Couture were at the Cache Creek council meeting on Aug. 20 to start the ball rolling on the purchase of a new primary engine.
The current primary engine, Engine 3, was built in 1994 and will come to the end of its life as a primary engine in 2019.
Insurance underwriter regulations stipulate that for a community of Cache Creek’s size, the primary engine must be no more than 20 years old, although a five-year extension can be applied for (and was, in Cache Creek’s case). The current secondary engine was built in 1969, and a recent mechanic’s report showed that it was not in good shape. Both engines are underpowered and have issues on the hills around Cache Creek.
The CCVFD had $100,000 set aside towards the purchase of a new primary engine (estimated cost $450,000), plus another $41,000 coming from the office of the fire commissioner for the department’s work fighting the 2017 wildfires. Then, in September 2018, the Village of Cache Creek received an email from Fraserway RV, saying that the company had raised some funds from special RV sales they had done, and were looking for community groups involved in reconstruction after the devastation caused by the 2017 wildfires.
“We have the Adventurer Foundation, which is the charitable arm of Fraserway RV Ownership and Family,” says Jay Shokar, HR Coordinator for Fraserway RV, Country RV, Travelhome RV, and The Adventurer Group. “We did some research [regarding organizations that had been impacted by the fires] and came up with the Cache Creek Volunteer Fire Department.”
The funds were raised during a B.C. Fire Relief initiative from a group of RV dealers that form The Adventurer Group. A total of $670,000 was raised to help relief efforts, and the CCVFD was told that any funds they raised for a new fire engine between Oct. 1 and Dec. 30, 2018 would be matched by Fraserway RV to a maximum of $100,000.
Lindsay Armitage—payroll and finance administration clerk for the Village of Cache Creek—says that when the Fraserway offer came in she discussed the matter with then-mayor John Ranta and asked what the money could be used for. The answer was a new fire truck, and at the council meeting on Oct. 9 Cache Creek council voted to purchase a new primary fire engine.
“In December we got an email from Fraserway asking if we’d done any fundraising,” says Alana Peters, finance administration clerk for the Village of Cache Creek and a member of the CCVFD.
“Lindsay thought of the idea of an auction, and we went around to businesses to explain what we were doing and look for donations. We thought we’d have to check back in a few days, but the response was fantastic, and immediate. People said ‘Here are some items’ or ‘I’ll make up a gift basket.’ Individual people donated items, and we had people calling to donate items up to the last day.”
While most of the items were only on offer for a few days, one thing remained up for bids for the entire auction: a 2008 three-quarter ton Ford F-250 crew cab. It had been donated to the CCVFD by Spectra Energy in Savona, which had heard that the department needed a new command unit after the old one failed during the 2017 wildfires.
Moe said that he had had to tell Spectra that the department had just had just purchased a new command unit with funds that had been donated by area businesses. “I asked if it was okay for us to sell the truck they’d donated and put the money towards a new engine. They were fine with that.”
The truck was only one of dozens of items that were donated, with every item that was posted receiving multiple bids; some winning bidders immediately donated their prizes back to be re-auctioned. Peters and Armitage spent Christmas keeping track of the auctions, posting new items almost daily, and arranging for the pick-up and delivery of items as the bids closed.
When the auction ended on Dec. 30, a total of just under $20,000 had been raised. With the Fraserway RV matching funds, it means that almost $40,000 was raised for the purchase of the new engine. “It was awesome how much support we had,” says Peters. “Everyone supported us. The fire department and the Village of Cache Creek really appreciate it.”
“It was heartwarming to see the response,” says Armitage. “It was incredible. I’d like to say a big thank you to the community, the businesses, and everyone who supported us.”
Moe is now looking forward to the delivery of the new primary engine. “I’d just like to thank Alana and Lindsay for taking this on. They did an amazing job. Also thanks to everyone who bid, and all of the donors. I was amazed by the generosity!
“Huge thanks to Spectra Energy, and to Fraserway. I’m not sure why they picked us, but we’re very thankful and appreciative. I was very happy with the results. As for the truck, it has been ordered, and the expected delivery date will be late summer, early fall 2019, hopefully.”
editorial@accjournal.ca
Third B.C. city bans clothing donation bins after recent deaths
Shoppers Drug Mart starts selling medical cannabis online
Washout hits Highway 97 north of Cache Creek
Highway now reopened to single-lane, alternating traffic
UPDATE: Meadow Lake/ Dog Creek Canoe Creek Road is open to single lane alternating traffic
Dog Creek Road remains closed
$4 million federal grant to Lytton group will strengthen fibre optic network
Fibre optic backbone will stretch from Boston Bar to Lillooet
Ashcroft emergency department to close for several hours on July 13
Closure is seventh unexpected one this year
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T.M. Landry College Prep is hoping to relocate to a former skating rink in Lafayette, La.
Safety & Security>Fire & Life Safety
Safety problems block Louisiana private school from opening at new site in Lafayette
T.M. Landry College Prep School has moved out of its site in Beaux Bridge, but the fire marshal won't allow the school to open at its new site until safety deficiencies are addressed.
Mike Kennedy | Mar 08, 2019
A private prep school's plan to relocate to Lafayette, La., from Beaux Bridge has been halted after a fire marshal ordered safety improvements.
The Acadiana Advocate reports that until the improvements are made, 75 K-12 students at T.M. Landry College Prep School will be without a place to attend class.
Greg Davis, chairman of Landry Prep's board, learned late Wednesday that a former skating rink on Moss Street in Lafayette where school officials planned to hold classes starting Monday can't be occupied at all until safety improvements are made and approved by the State Fire Marshal's Office.
"We have to find somewhere else for our students to have class until we are able to do the things that this fire marshal is requiring," Davis says. "Right now we do not have a facility."
Last week, school officials started moving into the Lafayette site from a building about seven miles away in Breaux Bridge.
The Lafayette Daily Advertiser reports that the state fire marshal determined in December 2017 that the Beaux Bridge facility was not in compliance with safety codes. The state allowed the school to remain in the building for more than a year, but ultimately informed Landry Prep officials that they had until March 8 to move out of the Breaux Bridge location or come up with a plan of action for bringing it into compliance.
School officials said renovating the building in Breaux Bridge would be too expensive and instead sought a new location for the campus.
Landry Prep officials say they were told when they chose the Moss Street site that they could hold classes in the front half of the building while safety improvements were made to the rear of the building.
"For the first time today I heard they would not let us occupy at all until all the work was done," Davis says.
Ashley Rodrigue, spokeswoman for the fire marshal's office, says state law requires the school to submit plans for the safety improvements, which it has. The plans are under review. If approved, the school must do the work outlined in the plan and pass inspection by the fire marshal's office before the building can be occupied.
School representatives were advised last week of the procedures they have to follow in order to occupy the building, Rodrigue says.
The architect's plans call for dividing the building into three "fire areas," each less than 12,000 square feet and each having an exit. This avoids the need to install a sprinkler system in the school. A two-hour fire partition will be built, and two 90-minute rated hollow metal doors and frames will be installed, according to the plans. The school also is supposed to install a fire alarm system that will provide enhanced early detection.
TAGS: Facilities Management
Explosion damages residence hall at University of Nevada Reno
Jury awards $60 million to New York City student burned in 2014 explosion
Florida district hit hard by hurricane gets $1.25 million grant for mental health services
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Home :: Paintings :: DreamKeepers :: Faith :: New Adventure - DreamKeeper Print
New Adventure - DreamKeeper Print
Product # DK967
Framing Options Mini Framed (+$ 15.00)
Qty 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
"An ending is also a beginning. God bless you on your new adventure."
5 x 7 in (matted / framed size) limited edition print.
Now offered as a mailable mini at a special price! Makes a great gift for distant friends & loved ones. Also available in the traditional raw, matted or framed formats.
Faeries / There Is Always A Reason To Dance - Mailable Mini
Step By Step - DreamKeeper Print
God Bless You - DreamKeeper Print
It Is The Adventurers . . . - DreamKeeper Print
If You Laugh Your Head Off... - DreamKeeper Print
Wild & Precious - Easel Back Tile
Every Obstacle... - DreamKeeper Print
'May You Soar On Wings...' Mailable Mini
Puffin With Love For Each Otter - Art Card
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Copyright © 2005-2019 Bergsma Gallery Press
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Researchers look to salt-tolerant crops for the future of agriculture in Middle East, North Africa
Two studies, recently published by a team of scientists at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), look into how salt-tolerant crops like safflower and quinoa can help farmers cope with rising soil and water salinity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Regional training in Uzbekistan focuses on climate change impacts in Central Asia
Hotter summers and colder winters have become a normal way of life for the 70-million-population of the Central Asian region, predominantly residing in the rural areas. These weather extremes, combined with the shrinkage of the Aral Sea, soil salinity and water shortages, are causing a major threat to food and nutrition security as they negatively affect crop yields and livestock productivity.
ICBA, Uzbekistan’s Innovation Ministry partner to set up international Aral Sea innovation center
The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) and the Ministry of Innovative Development of Uzbekistan signed today a memorandum of understanding to establish an international innovation center for the Aral Sea Basin under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan to host international Aral Sea science, innovation forum
More than 100 delegates, including senior policymakers, representatives of international and regional development organizations, scientists, experts and professionals from Azerbaijan, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan will convene in Samarkand on 16-18 October 2018 to discuss how science and innovation can boost sustainable developm
Morocco: global forum puts alternative water sources center stage
More than 200 scientists and practitioners in the water sector have called for stronger collaboration and coordination between all water sector stakeholders, including government entities, private- sector and non-government organizations, at a three-day international conference titled “GLOBEAQUA - Managing Water Scarcity in River Basins: Innovation and Sustainable Development”.
New study brings scientists one step closer to salt-tolerant tomato
A new study led by a team of scientists from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), has provided new insight into the salinity tolerance of tomato.
Study sheds new light on drought threat in Morocco
As droughts in Morocco continue to increase in both frequency and intensity, a new research report by the World Bank has found drought is severely affecting the country’s water systems and food production.
Research reports highlight growing drought risks in Lebanon, Tunisia
Two recently published research reports by the World Bank concerning climate change in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region underscore the growing problem of drought in Lebanon and Tunisia.
ICBA gives Dubai Municipality seeds of threatened, indigenous plant species
On 1 October 2018 the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) shared with Dubai Municipality more than 800 seeds of five threatened, indigenous wild plant species from its gene bank.
Global policy forum mulls how data can prop up drought mitigation
Around 40 leading experts from more than 10 countries, including the Czech Republic, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, South Africa, Tunisia, the UAE and the USA have urged policymakers and governments to speed up development of climate change adaptation strategies to ward off growing risks like drought to food and water security.
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Shoppers help Bishopston's charity shops buck the national trend
Gloucester Road is well known for its numerous charity shops, and despite the difficult economic climate, it seems sales of second-hand clothes, furniture and homeware are still going strong.
by Lucy King
Last month Oxfam reported a 9.9 per cent drop in net income from shops nationwide, but Gloucester Road’s often-busy charity shops seem to be bucking this trend.
Cancer Research UK has had a store on Gloucester Road for more than 20 years.
Store manager Gemma Fisher said the shop has seen an increase in profits every year and this year has been no different. “I think the number of charity shops on Gloucester Road is a really good thing,” she said. “It seems to be a destination for people who want to browse in all the charity shops and business is doing really well this year.”
Earlier this summer, housing and homelessness charity Shelter opened a new store on the Promenade, Gloucester Road, and it has been a busy first few months.
Julie Kenworthy, head of retail at Shelter, said: “It’s been great to see how busy our new shop has been, but with sales doing so well we now desperately need more donations to keep the shop well-stocked.”
She added: “We’d like everyone locally to search through their wardrobes and donate a bag of pre-loved clothes, books, DVDs or homeware to Shelter. With homelessness in England at a five-year high, we urgently need more donations to help us reach more people. Every item donated helps homeless families find and keep a home.”
Little Steps, a charity shop supporting Children’s Hospice South West, has recently celebrated the first anniversary of its launch on Zetland Road. The shop sells a mixture of pre-loved and new goods for under sevens.
Manager Gemma Schofield said it had been a great first year. “We are doing really well, we had a slow start but now lots of people are talking about us and we are always busy with a mixture of regular visitors and new customers.”
Gemma added: “We receive lots of donations from the public, more so here than at our other shops – once we received 58 sacks in one day! We always welcome more donations as they can be shared out across our other stores.”
A spokeswoman for Marie Curie Cancer Care said some of their shops are doing better than others, but overall the charity has been boosted by the warm weather, as people look for second-hand summer clothes while high street shops are already stocking autumn trends.
The area is also home to the city's first department store style charity shop. The St Peter’s Hospice shop opened in 2011 and is set over two floors with sections for menswear, childrenswear, furniture, books, wedding dresses and vintage clothing. The shop, previously home to Tile Flair, was taken by the charity after its smaller Horfield shop closed.
Janet Loud, head of shops, said: “Since opening our Gloucester Road shop we have been overwhelmed by the support from the local community which continues to shop with us and donate unwanted items. Our previous Horfield shop was also a great success and we wanted to remain within the heart of the community.
“This shop is in the centre of our support base, and as the city’s only adult hospice we care for Bishopston families when they need us the most. It’s lovely to see people giving back to the hospice which means so much to many. As a local charity we were started by the people of Bristol, for the people of Bristol and I'd like to say a huge thank you to the Bishopston residents who continue to help us carry on our vital work.”
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Bible Society
It exists today because millions of people lack the Bible in a language they can understand, in a form they can use or at a price they can afford.
Serving the local Godalming community by providing a friendly meeting place where people with problems can meet and discuss them amongst themselves and with staff and volunteer helpers.
Skillway
Established in 1997 Skillway has provided opportunities for over 700 pupils working in various skills and materials including wood, stone, motor mechanics, boat building, glasswork ceramic and sculpture and creative arts. Many pupils proceed to formal apprenticeships, and most leave with accreditation.
Leonard Cheshire Disability
Working for a society in which every person is equally valued, where LCD believes that disabled people should have the freedom to live their lives the way they choose – with the opportunity and support to live independently, to contribute economically, and to participate fully in society. In particular we have historically had strong links with the Hydon Hill Cheshire Home in Godalming.
Salcet
Established in 2005 by members of our Church responding to the emergency and long term rehabilitation needs of children damaged by earthquakes and other natural disasters in El Salvador and other vulnerable countries.
Church Pastoral Aid Society
With a vision to see a Christ-centred, Bible-based, mission-focused Church where leaders are clear about their call to discipleship, CPAS assists churches developing effective leadership learning and mentoring.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide
Human rights organisation which specialises in religious freedom, works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs and promotes religious liberty for all.
Elam Ministries
Mission is to strengthen and expand the church in the Iran region and beyond.
Nigerian Chaplaincy
Set up in 1980 by Christian Mission Society with the support of the Church of Nigeria and the Overseas Fellowship of Nigerian Christians. It was established to provide fellowship for Nigerians in the UK and to assist local churches to reach out and receive Nigerians.
Send Prison
The Chaplaincy team at HMP Send Prison builds the faith community through worship, prayer groups, baptism and confirmation preparation. It reaches out though pastoral care, Christmas services and gifts, Alpha courses etc. The team sees it as a vital responsibility to meet every new prisoner, every departing prisoner, and to listen to anyone who asks for support. Members of our Church, and other churches in Godalming are now involved in voluntary work and have joined services and lead worship at HMP Send.
tearfund
Driven by the belief that local church is the answer to poverty Tear Fund works particularly in Africa, Asia and South America focusing on some of the region’s biggest challenges: disease, sanitation, economic injustice.
The Besom
The Besom, with the help of the local Church community, utilises the power of prayer and the willingness of people to make a difference by providing a bridge between those who want to give time, money, things or skills and those who are in need. Members of our Church are involved donating, making and distributing Christmas hampers, undertaking gardening and painting projects, donating furniture and even driving the Besom van!
Christian Aid has a vision – an end to poverty – and we believe that vision can become a reality.
Crisis is the national charity for single homeless people. We are dedicated to ending homelessness by delivering life-changing services and campaigning for change.
Churches Together in Godalming and District
Churches Together in Godalming & District include Anglican, Baptist, Roman Catholic, the Godalming United Church & Religious Society of Friends.
Church Mission Society (CMS)
CMS is committed to evangelistic mission, working to see our world transformed by the love of Jesus.
Church Family Support Fund
CFSF offers an opportunity for church members to express love and care towards others in the communities of Busbridge&Hambledon who are facing difficult times.
CYE
CYE is an activity centre situated in the Chichester harbour. It offers the opportunity to participate in many different activities including sailing, kayaking and archery. CYE is not only an activity centre – it is much more than that – providing training, evangelism and discipling agency.
Feba through using media to improve life, inspire change and instil hope in some of the world’s hardest-to-reach communities.
Freedom from Torture
Friends International
Reaches out to all foreign students at the University of Surrey offering them friendship, wide-ranging group activities, a lively personal introduction to the Christian faith, and support in becoming Christian disciples.
Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care
Only adult Hospice caring for terminally ill people and their families across West Surrey and North East Hampshire.
Prison Fellowship works through its volunteer members to support prisoners in a number of ways. Through Sycamore Tree – victim awareness programme; Angel Tree – prisoners to provider their children with Christmas presents; Letter writing to prisoners.
Seed Project
Christian charity facilitating sustainable community development in Zimbabwe. SEED doesn’t do hand-outs, it rather looks to empower communities to move forwards with dignity. It is much more quality over quantity, dignity over dependence, lasting change.
Christian organisation who put on a range of events to help young people, youth leaders, and those in their 20s and 30s, develop and deepen their relationship with Jesus.
Part of Soul Survivor is SoulNet. The aim to support the brilliant youth leaders through one-to-one support and advice; an annual retreat at Centre Parcs, conferences and seminars. Our youth team have been involved recently.
Sports for Freedom
Aims to inspire and unite people through the positive power of community and sport to end human trafficking and slavery.
Human trafficking is the sale of a person to another person, and is the biggest contributor to the millions of people in slavery today. It is one of the largest crimes in the world and Stop The Traffik aims to make it history.
Trinity Trust Team
Formed in 2000 with the vision to support the young people of Godalming through Churches, Schools and Community.
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Picture Study Bible with Maps and Background Information
< Genesis 1:1
Genesis 1:3 >
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Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE
Commentary by A. R. FAUSSETT
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
JFB.
Questions Related to this Verse
Where In Scripture Does It Talk About Adultery?
Where In Scripture Does It Talk About Backsliders?
Where in Scripture does it talk about the sinful problems with the Christians at Corinth?
Where In Scripture Does It Talk About Impenitence?
Where In Scripture Does It Talk About Lasciviousness?
Where in Scripture does it show examples of love?
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2 Corinthians Images and Notes
The Book of 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 3:18 - But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 - For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
The New Testament - A Brief Overview
Painting of Paul the Apostle by Rembrandt - 1657
Introduction to The Book of 2 Corinthians
Brief Summary. Titus brought such good news to Paul that he was moved to express to the Corinthians his joy when he heard of their change of heart. Paul also defends his apostleship in this letter, as well as his conduct among the Corinthians, which were both under strong criticism.
Summary of The Book of 2 Corinthians
Background. Around the year 52 AD the apostle Paul was reaching the end of his second missionary journey, and he had just spent about a year and a half in Corinth where he made many disciples (Acts 18:10, 11). Later on his third missionary journey he spent about three years in Ephesus, from about 54 to 57 AD. During this time Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians from the city of Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:8). It was around this time that Paul almost lost his life during a great riot (Acts 19). He left Ephesus and came to Macedonia and he was meeting with many churches, and he was anxiously waiting to hear from Corinth, and finally Titus arrived having just returned from Corinth and gave Paul the good news that his letter was received with joy (II Corinthians 7:6) yet there were some leaders in the Corinthian church who were questioning Paul's apostolic authority. It was at this time that Paul wrote his second letter to the Corinthian church. He gave it to Titus to hand-deliver (2 Corinthians 8:6, 17), and he would follow soon after.
Purpose. The message of Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians was to defend his authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ, and to remind them that it was he that founded the church in Corinth, and he had every right to instruct them in the ways of the Lord concerning conduct and gathering together as a church of Jesus Christ. When Paul finally arrived in Corinth he spent all winter there (Acts 20:2, 3). While he was in Corinth he wrote his epistle to the church in Rome.
Authorship. Paul the Apostle as in 1 Corinthians.
Date. 2 Corinthians was written soon after 1 Corinthians, possibly even a few months.
Place of Writing. 2 Corinthians was written from some city in Macedonia where Paul had gone to receive Titus' report concerning the "severe letter" that was written by him.
Outline of the Book of 2 Corinthians
Paul's Testimony - Chapters 1:1-2:13
Glory of Christian Ministry - Chapters 2:4-7:16
Glory of Giving - Chapters 8:1-9:15
Defense of the Christian Ministry 10:1-13:14
The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus" would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A). Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means "The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".
2 Corinthians Maps and Resources
Map of the Roman Empire (14 A.D.) - This map reveals the Roman Empire during the time shortly after the birth of Jesus, in 14 AD at the time of the death of Augustus. The order which prevailed in this extensive empire, the good military roads, and the use of Koine Greek as the general language of culture throughout the area were among the factors which multiplied the rapid spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's First Missionary Journey (48 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia Minor where Paul visited in his first missionary journey. Around 48 AD, in the springtime, Paul and his companions Barnabas and Mark were sent on a mission from the church in Antioch. This would be the first of Paul's Missionary Journey's. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's Second Missionary Journey (51 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia and Greece where Paul visited in his second missionary journey. Paul re-visits a couple cities in Asia, one of which was Lystra where he was stoned and left for dead a few years earlier. He later has a vision that leads him over to Greece and Paul and his companions travel and minister in various cities in Greece (Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and Corinth. Later Paul returns to Ephesus and finally to Caesarea and Antioch. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's Third Missionary Journey (54 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia and Greece where Paul visited in his third missionary journey. On Paul's third missionary journey he returned to the cities he had first visited on his first missionary journey. During this time he decided to remain in Ephesus for about 3 years, and this city was the main focus of his activities and an important Christian community (Acts 19). (Color Map)
Map of the New Testament World - This map reveals the "Nations" within the ancient world during the first century A.D., the time of the New Testament. The map includes the areas of Israel, Asia, Greece, and Italy. (Color Map)
Map of New Testament Greece This map reveals the cities within Greece in the ancient world during the first century A.D.,The map includes the principal cities of Greece like: Athens, Corinth, and Thessalonica, and provinces like Macedonia and Achaia. (Color Map)
Bible History Online Picture Study Bible, King James Version. New York: American Bible Society: www.bible-history.com, 1995-2013. Bible History Picture Study Bible. Jul 17, 2019.
© Bible History Online
Many Thanks to The British Museum, The Louvre, The Oriental Institute, Dr. Amihai Mazar, Dr. Dan Bahat, Dr. Craig Johnson, Yaacov Kuc, Chuck Smith, Jim Darden, Ron Haaland, The Translators of the KJV, and many others including Jesus, the Word of God.
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Hell at Hinnom Valley
Hinnom Valley outside of Jerusalem
What exactly is the HELL referred to by Jesus during his Sermon on the Mount? How does his message relate to the Hinnom Valley, which is located just south of the city of Jerusalem? Jesus, in his message, warned ". . . whosoever shall say (to his brother), Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire" (Matthew 5:22, KJV). The HBFV Bible translates the last part of the verse as "the fire of Gehenna."
The Greek word from which we get the (mistranslated) English word "hell" in the KJV version of Matthew 5:22 is Gehenna (Strong's Concordance #G1067). This word means "valley of Hinnom" according to Strong's and Thayer's Greek Definitions. There are also other New Testament locations where the King James erroneously uses the word Hell instead of a direct reference to the valley (Matthew 5:29, 30, 10:28, 18:9, 23:15, 33, Mark 9:43, 45, 47, Luke 12:5).
The first two places where "hell" (the Hinnom Valley) occurs in Scripture are as the boundary between the land inherited by the tribes of Benjamin and Judah (Joshua 15:8, 18:16).
Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man
Is the devil in Hell right now?
What is the eternal fate of angels?
Anciently, the Hinnom valley was one of the places where the idolatrous Israelites worshipped the pagan gods Moloch (Molech) and Baal using, among other things, fire (the fire of "hell" or gehenna). Many of the kings of Judah and Israel personally endorsed such worship. In fact, Judah's King Ahaz (whose rule began in 735 B.C.) not only made idols, he sacrificed his own sons in the valley by having them BURNED and offered as a pagan burnt offering (2Chronicles 28:1 - 3)!
One of the national reforms of King Josiah was to destroy all the places used to worship false gods. He stopped this practice near Jerusalem, when he "defiled Topheth, in the valley of the children of Hinnom, so that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech" (2Kings 23:10, HBFV).
According to Adam Clarke's Commentary, the word "Topheth" means "drum." It is a reference to the drums used to drown out the screams of children as they were placed, alive, on red-hot arms as a pagan sacrifice!
Although pagan sacrifices were not being made at Hinnom during the time of Jesus, many fires still burned in the valley. According to Albert Barnes' Notes, the location was commonly used as a city dump, a place where the trash of the city and dead carcasses were thrown, and where even public executions took place. Fires were constantly burning in the area (Gehenna or "hell" fire) in order to consume the continuous stream of garbage and other unwanted materials thrown into it.
Jesus used the continually burning fires of Himmon (and not the flames of an imaginary place of torment, like hell, accessible only in the afterlife) as an analogy of the eternal punishment (not punishing) of those who refuse to repent of hatred and anger toward others.
Should we receive a baptism of fire?
Does purgatory actually exist?
What does God need a Lake of Fire?
Photo courtesy of Deror avi
Clarke's Commentary
Holy Bible, a Faithful Version
Thayer's Greek Definitions
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Mosquitoes have become a dangerous nuisance in the state of California more so, northern California. Control measures usually include using insect repellents approved by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to keep off mosquitoes and other insects from biting you. The use of pesticides in the home or in areas where they are prone to thrive also helps to do away with the menacing insects. The CDC also advises residents to avoid areas that experience water is clogging and ensuring the drainage of stagnant water. The water creates a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Mosquito-borne diseases become the result of being bitten by a mosquito. The illnesses are very severe, and if not treated with a sense of urgency, they can result in the death the people infected. Below are some of the diseases spread by mosquitoes in Northern California.
The mosquitoes that spread the virus are not native to Northern California, but since 2011, the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (yellow fever mosquitoes) and the Aedes albopictus mosquitoes (Asian tiger mosquitoes) have been sighted in different parts of the state. The Zika virus is transmitted when the Aedes bites a person infected with the virus. In pregnant women, it causes severe brain damage to the unborn baby. No case has been reported as at yet of Northern California citizens getting the disease within the borders of the state. The ones who have shown symptoms of the virus are people who had traveled outside the country.
The West Nile Virus is the most rampant of viruses spread in the USA by mosquitoes. The virus was first detected in California in 2003. It is a disease that affects animals as well as human beings, especially for the older adults. The people who are ill with the virus rarely give off any symptoms although severe nausea, fever, and swollen lymph nodes have been determined as the symptoms of the sickness. No treatment has been discovered for the virus, and when someone gets infected, they can combat it by taking medication. Only very few individuals may require hospitalization.
An individual gets malaria when he/she is bitten by a mosquito that carries the Plasmodium parasite or when the mosquito has bitten an individual infected with the parasite.The disease is widespread in almost every continent with about half a billion cases of the illness reported and treated each year. Around 12000 cases are reported annually in the USA. Malaria destroys the red blood cells of the infected individual. There are four different Plasmodium that cause the disease in humans, and they are the Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malaria, Plasmodium ovale, and Plasmodium vivax.
Symptoms begin to show between one to four weeks after the person becomes infected. They include severe fever, with sweating and shivering, pain in the joints. With the Plasmodium falciparum, the most fetal of the parasites, symptoms lead to coma and then death if not treated. Malaria can be treated with prescription drugs, and this will be dependent on the symptoms exhibited as well as the area where transmission occurred and the age of the patient.
Just like the Zika virus, it is spread by the Aedes, that is, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes known as the yellow fever mosquitoes and the Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, Asian tiger mosquitoes. No case has been reported in Northern California yet, but the mosquitoes have been spotted in different parts of the state. The symptoms of Chikungunya include fever as well as joint pains. The people who have been found to have the disease in the state are most likely to have contracted it by visiting countries where the conditions are rampant. A person suffering from the disease is not contagious to other people.
St. Louis encephalitis (SLE)
The St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) is a disease transmitted by mosquitoes, and it affects the brain by causing inflammation known as encephalitis. Since the spread of the West Nile virus, cases of the St. Louis encephalitis virus have declined. The disease originates from infected birds, and a person gets the disease by being bitten by a mosquito that got infected with the virus when biting a bird carrying the virus. Its symptoms include fever, stiff neck, confusion, blackouts, coma's and these may lead to death.
An infected individual will not contaminate others through touch or by being around them. There is no cure for the virus, but infected people are treated by supportive therapy like hospitalization and respiratory support.Mosquitoes are mostly carriers of these diseases; therefore, getting rid of them should be a matter of priority.
Professional pest control services should be contacted to help clear areas of mosquitoes and mosquito-thriving conditions. The pest controllers are equipped with devices and the training to know how to best do away with the insects while protecting the environment as well as the people in the area.
Household Items that You Can Use to ...
Are Pests A Bother In Your Home? ...
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BFO ends 2011 on positive note
Home » Feature » BFO ends 2011 on positive
The Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma ended 2011 on a positive note in almost every statistical category, Foundation President Robert K. Kellogg has reported.
The highlight of the Foundation’s year, said Kellogg, is the annual distribution. The 2011 distribution was made available in January.
“We were able to distribute approximately $9.8 million to more than 300 charitable causes in Oklahoma, throughout the nation, and around the world through the annual distribution,” he said. “This represents a 22 percent increase over last year, largely the result of a record year in mineral income.”
Included in this distribution are gifts to Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children, $3.2 million; Baptist Village Communities, $277,000; the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, $1.1 million; churches and associations, $659,000; the International Mission Board, $251,000; the North American Mission Board, $125,000; and Oklahoma Baptist University, $3.3 million, which includes $1.4 million for scholarships.
Other Foundation highlights from 2011:
• Assisted 299 families to complete their estate and planned gifts, a fourth consecutive year-over-year increase in families assisted. These families memorialized more than $19 million of future testamentary gifts for ministry causes. One of the largest beneficiaries of these gifts is the local Southern Baptist church.
• The church building loan portfolio closed the year with slightly more than $72 million on loan to 208 churches. In 2011, the church building loan portfolio generated approximately $4.1 million of interest income that was distributed to charitable clients, an all-time high.
• Fourth quarter investment performance was strong (+5.0 percent) but not sufficient enough to wipe out the market losses incurred during the third quarter. The Foundation’s largest investment pool posted a loss of 1.6 percent for the calendar year.
• Assets under management increased by $11.9 million to $305.2 million. This new growth is the result of new planned and testamentary gifts.
“While we continue to have significant concerns about the economy, sovereign debt and looming inflation, we are encouraged and even blessed by the opportunity to send just under $10 million out the door to the ministry causes we exist to support. God willing, next year we will be able to distribute more than $10 million,” Kellogg said.
Author: Staff
View more articles by Staff.
Rite of passage parenting: Cheap airfare Apr 2, 2012
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Messenger Insight Podcast 131 – Off the cuff with Acuff Mar 8, 2012
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Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006.
• Grammar Nazi (7/16)
• TINA (There Is No Alternative) (7/16)
• “At the gym, I decided to hop on a treadmill. Got weird looks, so I started jogging instead” (7/16)
• “The person who would proof read Hitler’s speeches was a grammar Nazi” (7/16)
• “I went to the grocery store. The sign said ‘no food or drink inside.’ So I went home” (7/16)
More new entries...
Follow @barrypopik
Above, Big Apple Corner at 54th Street and Broadway in Manhattan.
Above, John J. Fitz Gerald, from the Oct. 17, 1931, Turf Play, p. 7.
Listen to Robert Emmerich introduce "The Big Apple," a hit song from 1937. Music written by Bob and performed by Tommy Dorsey's Clambake Seven with Bob on piano. Lyrics written by Buddy Bernier and sung by Edythe Wright. Audio provided by Dorothy Emmerich.
Also listen to a 1937 "The Big Apple" song by Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra. See another 1931 photo of John J. Fitz Gerald.
This site is edited by Barry Popik.
Entry from July 19, 2018
“Currently stuck at an auction bidding for a house with a lengthy corridor. In it for the long hall”
"@simontkey I’ve joined the army so I can afford the 100 metre corridor I want in my house. I’m in it for the long hall” was posted on Twitter on August 20, 2010. “In it for the long hall” is a pun on “in it for the long haul.”
“The corridor extending business was always going to be tough but hey, I’m in it for the long hall” was posted on Twitter by Alex Hinge on November 14, 2010. “Stuck at an auction bidding for a house with a lengthy corridor. I’m in it for the long hall” was posted on Twitter by Bobs on March 21, 2011. “Currently stuck at an auction bidding for a house with a lengthy corridor. I’m in it for the long hall” was posted on Twitter by sickipediabot on March 28, 2011, and popularized on the Sickipedia website.
“I got trapped in a bidding war for a house, because my wife loved the lengthy corridor. Now I’m in it for the long hall” was posted on Reddit—3amjokes on July 20, 2018.
Botty
@BottyB
RT @simontkey I’ve joined the army so I can afford the 100 metre corridor I want in my house. I’m in it for the long hall.
5:14 PM - 20 Aug 2010
Alex Hinge
@hinge832
The corridor extending business was always going to be tough but hey, I’m in it for the long hall
1:04 PM - 14 Nov 2010
@_bobs__
Stuck at an auction bidding for a house with a lengthy corridor. I’m in it for the long hall.
LeFonk
@LeFonk
Currently stuck at an auction bidding for a house with a lengthy corridor. I’m in it for the long hall.
3:50 PM - 28 Mar 2011
sickipediabot
@sickipediabot
Google Groups: The Grif.net
08/24/15 Grif.Net - Painters
Two painters, one an old man and the other his young apprentice, were painting a very large home. It was getting late in the day when they reached the second floor.
There ahead of them was a lengthy corridor. The older painter said, “I’ve had enough for one day. I’m going to quit and come back tomorrow. How about you?”
With that the younger painter headed toward the corridor and said, “Not me. I’m in it for the long hall.”
Reddit—Jokes
I’m stuck at an auction, bidding for a house with a lengthy corridor.
submitted September 28, 2015 by CiaranM87
I’m in it for the long hall.
Got trapped in a bidding war for a house with a lengthy corridor
submitted September 5, 2016 by CiaranM87
I’m in it for the long hall
Reddit—3amjokes
I got trapped in a bidding war for a house, because my wife loved the lengthy corridor. self.3amjokes
Submitted July 20, 2018 by porichoygupto
Now I’m in it for the long hall.
Shit Jokes
@ShitJokes
I got trapped in a bidding war for a house, because my wife loved the lengthy corridor.
3:48 PM - 20 Jul 2018
Posted by Barry Popik
New York City • Buildings/Housing/Parks • Thursday, July 19, 2018 • Permalink
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This Afternoon
Dr. Janet Dunlop, Superintendent of Schools
Lois Newman, Executive Assistant
Starting her career in 1991 as a high school English teacher, Dr. Janet Dunlop has served the students of Broken Arrow since July 2010. In her tenure, she has served as the executive director of curriculum, chief academic officer, associate superintendent of instruction and now as superintendent of schools.
During her time leading the instructional division, she facilitated a districtwide literacy initiative resulting in significant gains in elementary literacy achievement recognized by the National Reading Recovery Council. The literacy initiative set the groundwork for Broken Arrow Public Schools’ mantra of “100 percent Literacy, Engagement, Graduation” which serves as a goal for every student, educator and staff member in the district.
In her first few years as superintendent, she established four core values to emphasize a family-centered school culture. Each value focuses on individual responsibility to serve students, the district and community through respectful relationships while maintaining a passion for learning.
Under her leadership, the district completed a three-and-a-half-year process involving hundreds of community members to reconfigure Broken Arrow High School, the largest high school in the state, in an innovative way that re-imagines what high school should be in the 21st Century. The BeyondBA Career Pathway Program is a multi-year plan enabling students to begin a career pathway through early college, early career tech and/or early trade apprenticeships, all of which will allow students to be life ready.
Additionally, Broken Arrow Public Schools joined forces with Tulsa Community College and Northeastern State University to build concurrent associate degree programs, allowing high school students to graduate high school and earn an associate’s degree simultaneously, with little to no cost to parents. Likewise, in 2018, the district collaborated with Mullin Plumbing to create the first plumbing apprenticeship partnership whereby students work in paid apprenticeships and may earn a journeyman license upon graduation. This has expanded to more than 30 career pathways for the 2019-2020 school year.
She represents Oklahoma on the National College Board Advisory Committee and the National SAT Suite Advisory Committee. For two years, she has served as a member of the American Association of School Administrators’ Redefining Ready Cohort, a nationwide cohort of school administrators redefining what high school should be in the 21st Century.
In addition, State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister selected her in 2017 to serve on her State Superintendent Advisory Council. Since 2016, she has served on the Oklahoma Association of School Administrators and the United Suburban Schools Association legislative agenda committees.
In 2016, Dr. Dunlop was named as the Oklahoma Assistant Superintendent of the Year by the Cooperative Council of Oklahoma School Administrators and the Oklahoma Association of School Administrators. In 2017, she received the Women’s Community Impact Award by the Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce, and in 2019 was selected as the Citizen of the Year by the Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce.
As the superintendent, Dr. Dunlop leads the district to ensure the needs of all Broken Arrow Public Schools students are met. Dr. Dunlop oversees the district's strategic plan (pdf), working closely with leadership team and the Board of Education to achieve the district's goals.
Chuck Perry, Associate Superintendent of Student Services
Melissa Addison, Administrative Assistant
Email Mr. Perry; 918-259-5755
Chuck Perry attended Broken Arrow Public Schools from kindergarten through 12th grade and graduated with the Class of 1987. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tulsa in 1991 and his Master of Education degree from Northeastern State University in 2005. He started his teaching and coaching career with Broken Arrow Public Schools as a middle school teacher at Haskell Middle School and head boys varsity soccer coach from 1992 to 1997.
Perry continued his career in education at Union Public Schools as a teacher and coach before taking the position of assistant principal at Union High School from 2005 to 2008. Perry went on to serve as Union's director of athletics from 2008 through 2012 and director of secondary education for the 2012-13 school year.
In 2013, Perry made his way back to his alma mater and was appointed as the assistant superintendent of student services. In January of 2017, he was named as the associate superintendent to ensure opportunities for student engagement in the areas of fine arts, athletics, co-curricular activities and ArrowVision.
Mr. Perry oversees the Student Services Division, which provides opportunities for student engagement and ensures student health and well-being. The Student Services Division includes fine arts, athletics and other co-curricular activities and ArrowVision. Mr. Perry also oversees public relations, which handles media and community relations, open records requests, requests to distribute information and legislative affairs.
Karla Dyess, Associate Superintendent of Instructional Services
Jennifer Kline, Administrative Assistant
Email Ms. Dyess; 918-259-5724
Karla Dyess was born and raised in Arvada, Colo. After graduating high school, Karla attended the University of Northern Colorado and received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She taught students in grades 5 and 6 for five years in Westminster, Colo. During that time, she also received her master’s degree in instruction and curriculum from the University of Colorado.
In 1995, Dyess and her family relocated to Broken Arrow, Okla., and four years later, she joined the Broken Arrow Public Schools team as a teacher at Wolf Creek Elementary. Since then, she has served as an assistant principal at Wolf Creek Elementary and Leisure Park Elementary and as the principal of Arrow Springs Elementary, Park Lane Elementary and Highland Park Elementary.
Dyess became the executive director of elementary education in 2013, where she worked directly with Broken Arrow’s early childhood centers and elementary schools. In 2017, she was appointed as assistant superintendent of elementary education to ensure student achievement through the district's curriculum and instruction, initiatives and support services.
Ms. Dyess leads the Instructional Services Division, which is responsible for ensuring student achievement through the district's curriculum and instruction, as well as implementing initiatives and support services that enhance academic performance. Instructional Services also oversees the administration of all school sites, as well as special services, federal programs, assessment, health services and B&A Connections.
Natalie Eneff, Chief Financial Officer
Marsha Janey, Administrative Assistant
Email Ms. Eneff; 918-259-5769
Natalie Eneff earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration in accounting and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Tulsa. Natalie began her career as a public accountant and was previously in the financial reporting and treasury group at Union Public Schools. She was hired at Broken Arrow Public Schools in 2011 as the director of budget and became the executive director of finance in 2014.
In 2017, she was named as the chief financial officer to lead the financial services division, which is responsible for leading and coordinating the financial activities of the district. The services offered include purchasing and procurement, treasury, accounts payable, financial reporting, budget, activity funds, federal programs and risk management. She is a graduate of Leadership Broken Arrow Class of 2015 and has completed the Oklahoma Center for School Business Management training.
Ms. Eneff leads the Financial Services Division, which is responsible for managing district financial services. Financial Services oversees bids, vendors, purchasing and accounts payable.
Lori Kerns, Chief Administrative Officer
Email Ms. Kerns; 918-259-5769
Lori Kerns has more than 20 years of experience in education. She was previously an adjunct instructor for Tulsa Community College and Langston University, a high school administrator at Owasso Public Schools, an assistant superintendent at Sand Springs Public Schools and the director of continuing education and workforce development for Tulsa Community College.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts in History from Langston University, a master’s degree in educational leadership from Southern Nazarene University and has completed a graduate certificate in strategic human resources management through Cornell University.
In 2016, Kerns joined the Broken Arrow team as the executive director of human resources. In 2017, she was appointed as the chief administrative officer to oversee human resources, payroll, child nutrition and communications. She also handles district personnel, legal affairs and Board of Education policy council. She is a member of the Leadership Broken Arrow class of 2018.
Ms. Kerns leads the Administrative Services Division, which is responsible for personnel, recruitment and retention, district Board of Education policies, compensation and benefits, payroll, legal coordination, child nutrition and negotiation team member. Ms. Kerns also oversees the Tiger Threads spirit store and communications, which handles district publications, requests to distribute information, the website and social media.
Michelle Bergwall, Chief Operating Officer
Courtney Cheatwood, Administrative Assistant
Email Ms. Bergwall; 918-259-5727
Michelle Bergwall graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1996 with a Bachelors of Science in Construction Management. Bergwall joined Broken Arrow Public Schools in 2010 as the chief operating officer to oversee the Operations Services Division, which includes construction, maintenance, plant operations, custodial services, warehouse, facilities and transportation.
Since joining the district, she worked to re-vote the district’s 2009 bond issue, which included the removal of more than 100 portable buildings and the construction of six new school sites. Since the passage of the 2015 bond issue, her team has renovated a number of buildings, opened a new elementary school and repurposed the site of former North Intermediate High School.
Under her leadership, her team has also built a maintenance facility and indoor athletic facility.
Ms. Bergwall oversees the Operations Services Division, which is responsible for the district's facilities and vehicle fleets. The Operations Services Division manages capital improvements, the maintenance of buildings, facility use, plant operations and warehouse, as well as transportation services.
Ben Stout, Chief Technology Officer
Gena Zwart, Administrative Assistant
Email Mr. Stout; 918-259-7419
Ben Stout received his bachelor’s degree in computing and information sciences from Oklahoma State University and has more than 20 years of executive management experience. In 2017, he joined Broken Arrow Public Schools as the chief technology officer to oversee the information technology (IT) department for the district.
Stout is responsible for the management of all IT support services, operations and functions across the enterprise. His primary goals are to improve customer service and business operations, and his mission includes aligning services and operations with the business and academic needs of Broken Arrow Public Schools.
Prior to joining Broken Arrow Public Schools, he served as chief information officer for Cypress Energy Partners, Tulsa Public Schools and the City of Tulsa.
Mr. Stout leads the Technology Services Division, which is charged with managing the district's network and all instructional technology, including the 1:1 Initiative. This division also oversees student data management and enrollment.
2019-20 Instructional Calendar (pdf)
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Science Around Us
Worldwide, the bioeconomy is gaining traction. But a lot of research and development still needs to be done. When are renewable resources truly good?
Naturally good? Searching for new bio-based raw materials for industry
Driving on dandelions
A car tire made of dandelions? Initial tests have determined that the roots of the Russian dandelion can be a raw material source for natural rubber. These are the findings of a joint project between the tire manufacturer Continental and the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology in Münster, Germany, along with other partners. It will take at least five years, though, before the first dandelion tires hit the streets.
Limited resources and a growing world population require new ways of thinking. One example is the use of bio-based products like wood scraps, dandelions and glucose as complements to crude oil. Worldwide, the bioeconomy is gaining traction. But despite considerable successes, a lot of research and development still needs to be done. When are renewable resources truly good?
Frakta means transport – and that is just what the bag that carries this name is designed to do. Large, robust and simple to clean, the iconic blue shopping bag from the Swedish furniture retailer IKEA can be found in many households. It is used for all kinds of things, including storing bottles and moving house, or as a laundry basket, shopping bag or even a suitcase replacement. For now, this multipurpose bag is made of petroleum-based plastic, partly from virgin polypropylene. However, this will soon change: By 2020, IKEA wants to manufacture all of its plastic products – including carrier bags, children’s toys and storage boxes – from renewable and/or recycled materials. It will not be an easy task. For applications in sensitive areas such as food packaging or children’s toys in particular, health protection requirements mean that today’s recycled plastics are not an option. Alternatives are needed. “Here, we are trying to replace oil-based plastics with those made from renewable raw materials. This could mean 100 percent bio-based polymers such as polylactide or else combinations of a variety of biobased materials. In some cases, mixtures with oil-based plastics are also a possible first step,” explains Puneet Trehan, Material Innovation and Development Leader at IKEA. The initial target, he says, is a bio-based proportion of 40 to 60 percent.
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Complements to crude oil
Bio instead of petro: IKEA is not the only company committed to biobased plastics. Around 100 years after the invention of the first entirely synthetic plastic Bakelite, which was soon followed by thousands of others, scientists and producers are now turning their research focus in a new direction. The products of tomorrow should be high quality but made from renewable resources, plants, organic waste or microorganisms. Toy manufacturer LEGO, for example, has said it wants to produce its building bricks from plastic made of alternative materials as of 2030. To do so, in 2015 the company announced it was investing the equivalent of around €135 million to found its own Sustainable Materials Center. In 2009, the Coca-Cola Company launched its PlantBottleTM technology and soon afterwards it licensed the technology to other major companies such as ketchup producer H.J. Heinz and Ford Motor Company. The polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle was initially made up of 30 percent plant-based material. Coca-Cola’s goal is to produce the PlantBottle using only renewable resources. In the next decade, this should be the case for all PET plastic bottles, which represent around 60 percent of all of Coca-Cola’s packaging.
LEGO plans to increase its use of plastics made from renewable raw materials in its building bricks.
One solution that enables plastic bottles to be made from 100 percent renewable raw materials is offered by the company Synvina. This recently established joint venture between BASF and Dutch company Avantium produces the chemical building block furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) from fructose. FDCA can be used to make polyethylenefuranoate (PEF), which can be manufactured into beverage bottles and food packaging. PEF bottles have some unique features: Not only are they 100 percent bio-based, compared to bottles made of PET they offer improved barrier properties for gases like carbon dioxide and oxygen, leading to a longer shelf life for the packaged beverages. The automotive industry is also aiming to go back to the roots: In its early days, the car industry worked with biomaterials – as demonstrated by a car developed by Henry Ford in the 1930s with a body made of hemp fibers. But after the passage of the Marihuana Tax Act in 1937 in the United States, the pressure on Ford grew too great and development was stopped. Today there is renewed interest in the idea of lowering a car’s carbon emissions by reducing weight through the use of natural materials such as hemp, sisal, kenaf and flax. Increasingly, components are being made from the relatively less expensive natural-fiber plastics instead of the lightweight building materials carbon or glass fiber.
Wood, liquefiedA traditional material creates new possibilities: Liquid wood, largely made up of the polymer lignin, can be shaped into any form using injection molding. It can be used to make enclosures for headphones like these from the firm Audioquest, or casing for speakers and mobile phones. Around 50 million metric tons of lignin are generated as waste from paper production each year.
Lowering carbon emissions
The fossil-based economy is increasingly reaching its limits. Climate change and the associated need to reduce greenhouse gases mean it is time for a rethink. “Biobased products are now the only alternative. Without the bioeconomy, the G7 countries’ long-term goal of eliminating carbon dioxide emissions is probably not achievable,” says Waldemar Kütt, PhD, head of the unit Bio-Based Products and Processes at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. The reason for this is that plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air through photosynthesis. “When we use this carbon obtained from plant or microbial biomass in manufacturing our products, we are removing CO2 from the environment, in harmony with the natural biological carbon cycle. This is not the case with oil, which has been created over millions of years and offers no advantages in CO2 reduction,” explains Ramani Narayan, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Material Sciences at Michigan State University, USA. Oil will not be replaced completely, but even partial substitution is a positive step forward to reducing our carbon footprint. “If just 20 percent of the carbon in the 37.5 million or so metric tons of PET used in making bottles worldwide were to be replaced by bio-based carbon, this would absorb 17.2 million metric tons of CO2 from the environment. That would be equivalent to about 40 million barrels of oil savings,” Narayan says.
Potato cultivation: Chinese farmers who switched from using non-compostable mulch film to the biodegradable product ecovio® were able to increase their yields significantly.
Growing production capacity for bio-based products
There are two phrases that consumers come across time and again when it comes to bioplastic: biobased and biodegradable. Biobased plastic is made from renewable raw materials but is not necessarily biodegradable. It can even be just as long-lasting as conventional plastic. On the other hand, plastic made from crude oil or natural gas can be biodegradable (see box). “We are seeing growing demand for bio-based products which we are addressing with new technologies and innovations. At the same time, we are expanding our portfolio of biodegradable materials,” says Carsten Sieden, PhD, head of BASF’s white biotechnology research unit. For now, bioplastics still represent a small slice of the market. They make up less than 1 percent of the 300 million metric tons of plastics produced worldwide each year. But, according to market data from the industry association European Bioplastics, this figure should rise sharply in the coming years. The global production capacity of around 2 million metric tons (2015) should nearly quadruple by 2019 to about 7.8 million metric tons. The lion’s share (around 80 percent) consists of bioplastics which are made from biobased raw materials but are not biodegradable or compostable.
Not every bioplastic is biodegradable
The prefix “bio” for plastics is used for both the characteristics “biobased” and “biodegradable.” Bio-based plastics are made partially or entirely of renewable raw materials, but they are not necessarily biodegradable. Biodegradability is dependent on the molecular structure of the plastic rather than the raw materials used to make it. For example, bio-based PE (polyethylene) and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) are just as non-biodegradable as their fossil-based equivalents, while plastics made from bio-based polylactic acid (PLA) are biodegradable. Plastics made from crude oil can also be biodegradable: After a certain period of time under specific temperature, oxygen and moisture conditions, and with the help of microorganisms or fungi, they can turn into water, carbon dioxide (CO2) and biomass.
Biodegradable plastics are used in organic waste bags and in agricultural mulch film, among other things. BASF’s compostable plastic ecovio®, for example, proves its advantages in the Chinese agriculture sector. In China, the conventional technique of using mulch film made from non-biodegradable polyethylene plastic is becoming a serious environmental problem. The film helps plants to grow by keeping heat and moisture in the soil, but all of the film is left behind in small, thin strips on the fields. When plowed under, the plastic pieces hinder root growth and thus lower future yields. Farmers who have switched over to using biodegradable mulch film made from ecovio have been able to increase their yields again. This has also been proven by large-scale experiments that BASF has been carrying out for years in cooperation with local partners and organizations. For example, in one test field for potatoes in the province of Guangdong, yield was increased by 18 percent, which also reduced harvest costs by 11 percent.
Political strategies
Given the limited resources, how can a growing population be provided with enough daily essentials such as food and energy? Policymakers and industry are looking to the bioeconomy to provide answers to a key question of the 21st century. All of the G7 countries have launched related initiatives and some have introduced very decisive strategies. The U.S. government, for example, published the National Bioeconomy Blueprint in 2012, which declared bioscience research and commercialization as a “major driver” of American economic growth. That same year, Japan passed its Biomass Industrialization Strategy, an action plan which sets out seven initiatives with clear timelines and targets. Japan’s policies aim to advance the development of new biorefinery technologies as well as biological resources such as microalgae. The medium-term focus is on new industrial technologies, while the short-term priority is securing bio-based energy supplies.
Reactor with algae to generate biomass: Policymakers and industry are looking to the bioeconomy to provide answers to the issue of resources.
Last but not least, the European Union is also an important supranational player in this paradigm shift. Nearly five years ago, it presented its Bioeconomy Strategy and policy plan for a European bioeconomy. Two years later, the European Commission launched the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking as a central investment initiative in 2014. Around 70 companies from the agriculture, forestry, chemical and energy sectors are involved, as are technology suppliers as industry partners. Altogether, this initiative will invest around €3.7 billion by 2020 in the commercialization of new bio-based products and processes. It is not only the leading industrial nations that are planning a partial shift. A lesser known fact is that today around 45 countries have already developed very diverse strategies for a partial transition to a system with renewable resources and bio-based production processes. For example, Uganda is fostering the use of renewable energies, biotechnology and biomass, while in Malaysia the focus is on switching to bio-based products.
Fashion made of milk
Microbiologist and fashion designer Anke Domaske creates clothing made of milk that is no longer suitable for consumption. Her QMilk fibers are based on the powdery milk protein casein. This biofiber is gentle to skin, completely compostable – and theoretically even edible.
The question of sustainability
Nevertheless, the move towards a bioeconomy is also the subject of critical discussions. Topics such as “food versus fuel,” land use and the corresponding resource inputs for cultivation, and fair working conditions play a central role in the current debate about renewable resources. At present, there are signs that second-generation biomass – made up of non-edible raw materials – is becoming increasingly important. Although this does not mean that canola (rapeseed oil), corn, and the like, as the first generation, have been superseded as a result. “Bioeconomy and bio-based industries have the potential to provide sufficient food, feed, fiber and other materials to meet our needs, if they are developed in the right way,” says Joanna Dupont-Inglis, Director of Industrial Biotechnology at EuropaBio. “However, there will be no ‘one size fits all’ answer because the bioeconomy is incredibly diverse and therefore different feedstocks make sense in different regions for different applications. In addition, we are sure to see new solutions for both minimizing waste and using what is unavoidable more.” Nylon from wood, tires from dandelions, lubricants from thistles – second-generation biomass is predominately made up of non-edible plants, organic waste and residues. According to the United Nations, around 5 billion metric tons of biomass are created annually in the form of agricultural residues. As these are not suitable for food, they can be used as raw materials.
Plant-powered engines
Biomass is not only a raw material, it can be used as a fuel as well. Biodiesel is produced from plant oils, such as canola (rapeseed oil), soybean and palm oil, while bioethanol is created by the fermentation of the sugar in corn, beets or sugarcane. It is not without controversy, however, as the “food versus fuel” debates of recent years have demonstrated. The answer is clear: Food production must take precedence over energy generation. With that in mind, there will continue to be a role for canola, corn and sugar beets in the bioeconomy. But biofuels can also be made from organic waste, wood, straw and algae. These second- and third-generation processes, however, are still mostly in the development stage.
Microscopic image of the bacterium Basfia succiniciproducens. This microorganism produces bio-based succinic acid, which is an important component for biodegradable plastics.
The price must be right
Theoretically, the bioeconomy has great potential: a boost to innovation from a key technology, better performance, new jobs and lower carbon dioxide emissions. Nevertheless, it should not be overestimated. “The bioeconomy is not a silver bullet or the answer to all of our problems, but it can help us tackle some of the biggest societal and environmental challenges that we face,” Dupont-Inglis says, adding: “All 100,000 chemicals that are currently in use can, in theory, be made from renewable carbon sources rather than from fossil carbon. However, of course we need to consider all three pillars of sustainability in developing the bioeconomy of the future, which means weighing up the environmental, societal and economic benefits in each case.” BASF researcher Sieden adds: “One lever to advance the bioeconomy is sufficient volumes at competitive prices. But most importantly, a strong biobased industry is a major opportunity for innovations. We want to leverage this potential in our research network.”
More and more customers are asking for bio-based products. “This is a great opportunity for us to expand our raw material base. But that won’t be possible from one day to the next,” explains Sieden. It took over half a decade of research and development work in order to make bio-based succinic acid – produced from the bacterium Basfia succiniciproducens – into a commercial product. The acid is an important component for biodegradable plastics, coatings and polyurethanes, which can be used to manufacture mattresses, flooring and automotive seating. Succinity, the joint venture between BASF and the Dutch company Corbion, has been operating a plant in Montmélo, Spain, since 2014 that has an annual capacity of 10,000 metric tons of bio-based succinic acid for the world market. The issue of sufficient volumes is also a key challenge for IKEA executive Puneet Trehan. However, he sees significant progress for his sector even at the cost stage. “Our experience shows that if the value chain is organized correctly in a partnership, the costs will certainly be competitive,” he says. In his view, one thing is important above all else: “You need partners who are signed up to the same goal.” Business as usual is not an option in the world of bioeconomy. “‘Industrial evolution’ would perhaps be fitting for the transition which is currently under way,” says Joanna Dupont‑Inglis. “Producing renewable and resource-efficient bio-based solutions will involve previously unseen levels of collaboration across a diverse range of industries and sectors.”
Renewable raw materials in use
It doesn’t always have to be crude oil. We show how products made entirely or partly from renewable raw materials have already established their place in our everyday lives – or will in the future.
To find out more, visit:
www.biopreferred.gov
www.plasticsportal.net
3 questions for Nikolaus Raupp
Using nature to protect plants
Read reportage
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Overcoming an addiction is an intensely personal battle that everyone will fight in their own way. There are a huge number of challenges and obstacles to overcome, but with the right guidance, especially in the early stages, the chances of success are much higher. One unusual, but very effective form of treatment is known as art therapy for addiction, and it taps into the creative urges and talents some people have to deal with their issues in a unique, often imaginative way. If you’d like to know more, just contact our trained admissions counselors at 866-349-1770 for details.
What Is Art Therapy?
One of the big challenges in treating a drug or alcohol addiction is the initial cleansing or “purge” of physical addiction. Some substances can create a physical dependence within the body that makes the addict have a very real, physiological craving for a substance that actively punishes them when they don’t get it. Purging this physical addiction is an important first step, though it means dealing with withdrawal, which can be a demanding time with symptoms such as nausea, fever and even hallucinations depending on the substance.
Once that purge is over, however, there’s still an emotional or psychological component that needs to be dealt with, and this is even more important than the physical aspect. This is where one possible avenue, art therapy treatment, comes in. Art therapy is a holistic treatment that has been in practice in the USA since the 1940s and is practiced by professionals who are licensed and certified to conduct this particular form of treatment. This requires both an understanding of art techniques, as well as good psychological grounding in human behavior, therapy, and transformative therapies. Art therapy for addiction is exactly what it sounds like. Rather than use traditional discussion techniques like psychoanalysis, or counseling, treatment occurs through the creation and discussion of art.
How Art Therapy for Addiction Works
With art therapy treatment, the key goal is to have people in recovery feel comfortable about expressing and discussing their experiences and emotions. For some people, speaking about themselves and describing their experiences, whether to a group or a counselor, may still be too personal and uncomfortable. Art therapy for substance abuse “bypasses” this discomfort by moving the topic somewhere else, to the subject of a work of art.
Art therapy works in two ways. First, it introduces a comfortable, calming system of rules and regulations that give a person in recovery some non-threatening structure. Learning to paint, discovering the rules of drawing, getting a new appreciation for perspective, light, shadow or contrasts are all ways to bring back a sense of order and structure. The actual creation of art takes that imposition of structure and gives people in therapy a chance to express themselves.
Putting Problems In Their Place
By taking an emotion or experience and illustrating it, this gives a recovering addict a safe space in which to think about and focus on the elements of addiction that affected and mattered to him or her most. Then, by taking the time to present those aspects as a work of art, the manner of expression and the subject itself can be discussed with the art therapist, or with a group, if the comfort level is high enough. This puts the experiences at a distance, making it easier to discuss “the work” rather than the person.
Art therapy treatment can also focus on other works, not just that of people within the facility but classical and contemporary works of art that address similar topics. It’s always easier to discuss something that happened to someone else, giving people an opportunity to say things they might not want to admit about themselves when it’s the context of another work or person.
Dealing With Emotional Issues
This type of access to emotions is critical to recovery. If a person cannot discuss what they felt, how they felt and why they felt the way they did, it’s difficult to overcome the emotional issues that led to addiction in the first place. For example, if low self-esteem is one of the issues leading someone to drug or alcohol abuse, then confronting that low self-esteem, discussing it, and eventually coming to terms with it and leaving it behind are critical to long-term recovery. Art therapy for addiction can be one of the tools that brings these issues out, and puts them in a place where the addict in recovery can look at it, talk about it and ultimately take the steps required to move on.
While art therapy for substance abuse is not necessarily for everyone, for some, it may be the perfect vehicle to express and deal with the issues that led to addiction.
Art Therapy Is a Holistic Treatment
Learn about the holistic treatments that we can provide to help treat addiction and the emotion issues that come withit.
Contact Beachside right away to begin your recovery.
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At the library: Explore some cool programs this summer
By The Burlington County Library System
Check out all the great library programs available to adults in July.
The Burlington County Library System’s July calendar features plenty of activities for adults of all ages, including fun crafts, helpful workshops, and informative classes. Paint a pretty picture or create a unique piece of jewelry. Get feedback from fellow writers on your work-in-progress, or brush up on your computer skills. Or get tips from a professional about how to brace for severe weather events, such as a hurricane or blizzard, before they hit.
All BCLS libraries will be closed on July 4, Independence Day.
All programs are free (unless otherwise noted) but may require registration. Please call the appropriate location or register online to reserve a space. For the complete BCLS program calendar, go to bcls.lib.nj.us.
At the Burlington County Library in Westampton 609-267-9660:
Tuesday, July 9, 16, 23 and 30 (10 a.m.): Join fellow knitters for the Social Knitting group. Bring light-colored, 4-ply yarn and short size 9 or 10 knitting needles.
Tuesday (2 p.m.): Learn the basics, including how to point, click and scroll during Computers for Beginners. Registration required.
Wednesday (7 p.m.): Learn how to research your family tree with the Burlington County Genealogy Club.
July 9 (9:30 a.m.): Get an Introduction to Ebooks and explore the Overdrive Digital Library. Mouse skill and registration required.
July 9 (1 p.m.) and July 24 (6 p.m.): Improve your skills with The South Jersey Crochet Guild. Please bring your own supplies.
July 9 (2 p.m.): Learn more during Email Beyond the Basics. Email account and registration required.
July 10 (11 a.m.): The Smocking Arts Guild of America presents Authentic Smocking Techniques.
July 13 (noon): Learn about quilting from the Queens of Quality Quilting who share their skills and donate their creations. Beginners welcome. Supplies provided.
July 16 (2 p.m.): Learn the basics of creating a spreadsheet during Excel 2016 for Beginners. Basic computer skills and registration required.
July 17 (1 p.m.): The Page Turners Book Club discusses “All the Summer Girls” by Meg Donohue. Registration required.
July 18 (9:30 a.m.): Learn the basics for creating a document during Word 2016. Basic computer skills and registration required.
July 24 (10:30 a.m.): Virtua at Lourdes offers Free Health Screenings and health and wellness information.
July 24 (6 p.m.): Job Seekers learn about Competing in the Modern Workforce and programs offered by Rowan College at Burlington County’s Workforce Development Institute.
July 30 (2 p.m.): Become a Google Master. Gmail account and registration required.
At the Bordentown Library 609-298-0622:
Monday, Wednesday, July 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29 and 31 (10 a.m.): English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes are offered through the Community District Alliance. To register, call (609) 298-0025, ext. 1202. Registration required.
Monday (6:45 p.m.): Learn breathing techniques and experience a guided meditation to dissolve stress during Mind and Meditation, a class presented by The Art of Living Foundation.
Tuesday, July 16, 23 and 30 (6:30 p.m.): Enjoy some card playing fun during Magic the Gathering.
Friday, July 12, 19 and 26 (1 p.m.): Play Mahjong just for fun. Registration requested.
July 8 (2 p.m.): Enjoy the Monday Matinee.
July 9 (7 p.m.): The Tuesday Night Book Club discusses “Sing, Unburied, Sing” by Jesmyn Ward. New members welcome.
July 10 (2 p.m.): Make a Beach Gel Candle during the Adult Craft. Registration required.
July 11 (2 p.m.): Therapist Diane Lang discusses Positive Aging. Registration required.
July 15, 30 (1 p.m.): Enjoy a Soft and Gentle Yoga Class perfect for beginners. Please bring a yoga mat and blanket. Registration required.
July 17 (1:30 p.m.): Join certified exercise physiologist Heather Kennedy for a Better Balance Class for Adults and Seniors. Registration required.
July 17 (7 p.m.): Learn how to gain financial independence by investing in real estate during the Financial Independence Retire Early workshop. Registration required.
July 17 (7 p.m.): Join the Writers Group for adults who love to write.
July 19 (10:30 a.m.): The La Leche League of Bordentown meets. Moms welcome.
July 19 (2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.): Get your questions answered during the One-on-One Computer Help Sessions. Mouse skill and registration required.
July 23 (2 p.m.): Enjoy a Foreign Film.
July 30 (7 p.m.): The Rogues and Roses Book Club discusses international romance stories.
At the Cinnaminson Library 856-829-9340:
Monday (10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.): Lourdes Health System offers Free Health Screenings and health and wellness information.
Tuesday, July 9, 16, 23 and 30 (10:30 a.m.): Take a beginner’s course in Qigong and Tai Chi, slow, gentle forms of exercise that help increase energy, flexibility, balance and body awareness.
Wednesday, July 10, 17 and 31 (1 to 5 p.m.): Drop in to the library’s Scrabble Club. All ages welcome.
July 8 (7 p.m.): The Happy Bookers book club discusses “Before We Were Yours” by Lisa Wingate. New members welcome.
July 9, 22 (6 p.m.): Learn how to use your iPhone or iPad during this informal workshop.
July 11 (2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.): Have fun painting during Chocolate and Canvas. Supplies provided. Registration required.
July 12, 26 (2:30 p.m.): Meet one-on-one with a professional writing instructor and get help writing resumes, cover letters, college papers and more during the Writer’s Clinic. Registration required.
July 22 (6 p.m.): Learn how to use your iPhone or iPad during this informal workshop.
July 24 (6:30 p.m.): Join Dorene Nixon RN to learn about the wellness benefits of Essential Oils during this hands-on workshop. Registration required.
July 31 (6 p.m.): Join the Writer’s Critique Group for a helpful and inspiring group critique.
At the Evesham Library 856-983-1444:
Wednesday, July 10, 17, 24 and 31 (10:30 a.m.): Join fellow knitting and crochet enthusiasts at the Adult Yarn Social.
July 8 (2 p.m.) and July 18 (10 a.m.): Drop by the activity room to ask the librarian your computer and technology questions.
July 9 (1 to 3 p.m.): Relax during Drop-in Coloring for Adults.
July 10 (1 p.m.): Increase flexibility with Chair Yoga. Registration required.
July 10 (6 p.m.): Comedian and writer Jay Black teaches the fundamentals of screenwriting, the three-act structure, during Screenwriting 101. Registration required.
July 11 (7 p.m.): Joyce Skomsky and Leslie Sussman of Humana discuss financial, legal, and healthcare issues during Talking to Your Aging Relatives. Registration required.
July 16 (2 p.m.): Enjoy Mr. Kajaria’s Foreign Film Picks. Seating is limited.
July 18 (6:30 p.m.): Enjoy Abrakadoodle for new and experienced adult artists. Supplies provided. Registration required.
July 22 (10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.): Get your questions answered during the One-on-One Computer Help Sessions. Mouse skill and registration required.
July 25 (6:30 p.m.): Become more centered and focused during Release and Relax Yoga. Registration required.
July 30 (2 to 7 p.m.): Donate blood during the Red Cross Blood Drive. Register online at redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive. Walk-ins also welcome.
At the Maple Shade Library 856-779-9767:
July 9 (1 to 3 p.m.): Lourdes Health System offers Free Health Screenings and health and wellness information.
July 10 (2 p.m.): The Bookbuzzers Chew and Chat Club discusses favorite books Registration required.
July 11 (6 p.m.): De-stress while you stretch, strengthen and breathe during Gentler Yoga. Registration required.
July 18 (6 p.m.): Join Karl Rogers for a presentation on Financial Literacy. Registration required.
July 25 (2 p.m.): Bring a project to the Needlework Meetup.
At the Pemberton Library 609-893-8262:
Monday to July 31 (library hours): Pick up a free copy of “Sex and the City and Us” by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong at the information desk to participate in the library’s “One Book, One Summer” adult summer reading program. Register online to hold your copy at the desk. (Then mark your calendar for a reading with the author Sept. 10.)
Monday (5:30 p.m.): Meet artist Michael Tyrrell, whose digital photography will be showcased at the library through Aug. 30.
Tuesday, July 9, 16, 23 and 30 (10:30 a.m.): Enjoy the Tuesday Morning Movie. Registration required.
Wednesday (6 p.m.): Celebrate our nation’s independence when “George Washington,” as portrayed by historical interpreter David Emerson of History on the Hoof, visits the library to reminisce about the battles and encampments that made New Jersey the "Cockpit of the Revolution." George Washington Remembers New Jersey is generously funded by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. Registration required.
Friday (2 p.m.): Create a one-of-a-kind centerpiece to take home during DIY Flower Arranging: Mini Summer Bouquet. Registration required.
July 10 (10 a.m. to noon): Lourdes Health System offers Free Health Screenings and health and wellness information.
July 11, 18, 25 (2 p.m.): Learn basic greetings, phrases and numbers in Hindi from a native speaker during Conversation Club: English to Hindi.
July 11, 25 (6 p.m.): Learn the basics during Cross Stitch for Beginners. Supplies provided. Registration required.
July 17 (7 p.m.): Bring your work in progress to the Works in Progress Writing Workshop and get feedback from other writers. Registration required.
July 18 (10 a.m. to noon): Deborah offers Free Health Screenings on various health issues.
July 23 (6 p.m.): Make a Christmas in July Cork Ornament. Registration required.
July 31 (2 p.m.): Make a statement piece from the library’s mix and match collection of beads during the DIY Jewelry Making class. Registration required.
At the Pinelands Library in Medford 609-654-6113:
Monday, July 15 (5:30 p.m.): Begin a series of tabletop role-playing sessions using the Pathfinder ruleset. Newcomers welcome. Registration required.
Tuesday (6 p.m.): Learn more about Apollo 11 from NASA Solar System Ambassador Frank O’Brien during The Epic Voyage of Apollo 11. Registration required.
July 9 (6:30 p.m.): Make a painting for a loved one during Adult Craft: Love You to the Moon and Back. Supplies provided. Registration required.
July 10, 24 (1 p.m.): Enjoy a Gentle Yoga class perfect for beginners. Registration required.
July 19 (2 p.m.): Learn about Cloud Storage: One Drive Basics. Please bring your laptop or tablet and your Microsoft, Outlook or Hotmail address and password. Registration required.
July 22 (10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.): Learn how to download ebooks, eaudiobooks and streaming videos during the Ebooks How-to Open Session.
July 29 (6 p.m.): Robert Dovi of the Medford Fire Department and Department of Emergency Management offers tips for Severe Weather Preparation. Registration required.
At the Riverton Library 856-829-2476:
Wednesday, July 10, 17, 24 and 31 (10 a.m.): Swap tips and socialize with others knitters during Knit-Wits.
July 9, 23 (6:30 p.m.): Enjoy Chair Yoga. Registration required.
July 11, 18 and 25 (1 p.m.): Play Bridge with other bridge enthusiasts.
July 17 (6:30 p.m.): Learn about River Cruises during the Expert Travel Series presented by Dream Vacations. Registration required.
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New tenants MADE for city centre offices
The organisation established to raise standards of architecture has opened a new centre in the heart of Birmingham.
Midlands Architecture and the Designed Environment (MADE) has taken the first floor of 6-7 Newhall Street from RO St Bernards (ROSB).
Funded by Advantage West Midlands, the Arts Council and CABE (the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment), MADE runs training courses, exhibitions and networking events for those working in the built environment and the building will act as its new architecture centre.
MADE has taken a six-year lease on 1,970 sq ft at 6-7 Newhall Square, moving from Fazeley Street, in Digbeth, having outgrown its premises. The organisation employs eight full- and part-time staff and has an expert panel of 40 built environment specialists including architects, artists, engineers, designers and urban designers.
David Tittle, chief executive of MADE, said: “Given that our mission is to raise architectural standards, it is important that we practice what we preach.
“6-7 Newhall Square was specifically designed as a low carbon building, without the need for air conditioning.
“The façade, glazing, wall insulation, solar control blinds and natural ventilation make it one of the most energy efficient buildings in Birmingham.
“On a practical level, as well as housing our team, we now have additional exhibition and function space, and access to a lecture theatre for our training courses,” he added.
6-7 Newhall Square is part of the £63 million mixed-use Newhall Square scheme which comprises 10,856 sq ft set over five floors.
Craig Satchwell, director and head of the office team at Colliers International in Birmingham, said: “MADE is exactly the type of occupier we have been seeking for 6-7 Newhall Square.
“The premises provides a unique opportunity for smaller occupiers to reap the benefits of low carbon Grade A accommodation usually the preserve of larger corporates, given that a building of similar specification is typically much larger,” Mr Tittle added.
Also at Newhall Square is a 100-bed Travelodge, the hotel chain’s best-performing UK operation, fronting a new public square; 144 Newhall Street, a Grade II-listed building which has been refurbished for office space, and The Engine Room, the refurbished former exhibition hall of the Science Museum, for which a new tenant is being sought.
Agents on the scheme are Colliers International and GBR Phoenix Beard.
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There’s an Apple Car for sale — but it's not the one you think
William Fierman
Jul. 6, 2016, 10:24 AM
The first Apple Car: a Porsche 935 once driven by actor and racing driver Paul Newman at Le Mans.
DPPI
This is the first-ever Apple Car. It's 36 years old and Paul Newman once drove it.
Let's explain.
The problem with being a multiple-Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning actor, Newman found, was that it can make it hard for people to take your driving chops seriously.
Wherever the star of "Cool Hand Luke," "The Sting," and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" raced, local news outlets had a field day. Many assumed that Newman was just another celebrity with more money than sense.
But there was a big problem with that theory: Newman was winning. Often.
It was the same story when Newman showed up to Le Mans, the world's most famous endurance race, in 1979. International media picked up the story, and spectators flooded to the French race course to see Newman compete — setting an attendance record.
Still, Newman's skills as a driver were largely dismissed, so when he and his team came in second overall at the biggest race in the world it caused a sensation.
The 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans will forever be remembered not for who won, but as "the year Paul Newman came in second."
The car, a Porsche 935 owned by Dick Barbour racing and sporting a "Hawaiian Tropic" livery, will be offered for sale at a Gooding & Company auction at Pebble Beach in August. It is expected to fetch $4.5 million to $5.5 million.
So why is it the first Apple car?
Well, while Steve Jobs was famously a Mercedes man during the last two decades of his life, during the 1980's he loved Porsches — so much so that when Dick Barbour returned to Le Mans in 1980 with the same car, Apple sponsored it.
This particular 935 would be the first and last race car the tech company would ever sponsor.
The news that actor Paul Newman would race caused a media sensation. Crowds at the famous French endurance contest set an attendance record for the 47th running.
Courtesy of DPPI
During the 1979 campaign the car wore this distinctive "Hawaiian Tropic" livery. While a second-place finish convinced many people that Newman's driving abilities were real, the media circus at Le Mans was so overwhelming that he never returned.
Gooding & Company/Mathieu Heurtault
A year later, the Porsche would earn the distinction of being the first and last race car Apple would ever support. And yes, back then, pre-iPhone, the tech giant was called "Apple Computer."
The car would go on to win several major victories at Daytona and Sebring. In 2006, it was restored and returned to its Paul Newman/1979 look.
The following year it won best in class at the Amelia Island Concours.
Someone will have to come up with $4.5 million to $5.5 million to bring it home.
More: Features Transportation Porsche Le Mans
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A woman who chose to keep working when her husband retired at 34 explains the honeymoon conversation that set them on that path
Tanza Loudenback
Dec. 29, 2016, 3:54 PM
On their honeymoon, Brandon asked his wife Jill to describe her perfect life.
Courtesy of the Mad Fientist
Mid-2016, Brandon retired at just 34 years old.
To get there, Brandon, who doesn't use his last name online for privacy reasons and is better known as the Mad Fientist, chose to live frugally in rural Vermont, where he managed to save and invest about 70% of his after-tax income.
"I'd never been a spender," Brandon, who worked as a software developer, told Business Insider. "For the first 5 to 7 years of my career, I wasn't saving for anything in particular. I was just saving because I wanted a portfolio. Then I learned about financial independence, and I was like, 'This is perfect. This is what I'm saving for.'"
While the prospect of early retirement excited Brandon, his wife Jill wasn't convinced, she revealed on a recent episode of Brandon's " Financial Independence Podcast."
"I think when you started me on this journey, I didn't have the same motivation that you did for achieving financial independence. It didn't really appeal to me," Jill, who keeps her finances largely separate from her husband, said.
Although Jill still works as an optometrist and has no immediate plans to retire, she explained the conversation that "sort of shifted [her] whole mindset" about financial independence:
"It was, I think, on our honeymoon, we had a conversation where you said to me, 'What would be your perfect life? Describe: If you could design your life any way you want, then what would it be like?' So, we had this big conversation.
"I found that actually was a hard question. It's not like the 'What would you do if you won the lottery?' It's more of a realistic version of that where you don't have just unlimited money to do whatever you want.
"So, we talked about that a lot. And we both were in agreement about where our priorities were and what we would like to spend more time doing — spending time with friends and family, traveling, volunteering, and all those kinds of things.
"So, when we talked about that, and then we talked about, 'Would it be possible to do more of that stuff if we weren't having to work full-time?' It just really kind of opened my eyes to the benefits of financial independence."
The conversation with her husband made Jill realize that they both share the same goal — to spend time doing the things they love. For her part, Jill loves working.
"I really enjoy my job," she said. "I feel like I'm always learning new things. So, as long as it continues to be challenging and fulfilling, I definitely want to keep doing it."
Additional reporting by Libby Kane.
SEE ALSO: I retired at 34, and here are the 7 best pieces of advice I can give you about money
DON'T MISS: A man who stopped working at 34 shares the hardest part of preparing to retire early
More: Early retirement Financial Independence Mad Fientist Your Money Family
Smart Investor
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UWE launches state-of-the-art digital facilities
Education | Property & Construction | South West | Technology
Bower Ashton campus, UWE
Sir Peter Bazalgette, who is Executive Chairman of ITV, hosted the official opening of the Digital Media Studios at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) on Monday. The award-winning £9m building on the Bower Ashton campus houses industry standard production film making, animation and photography facilities for creative industries students.
Sir Peter Bazalgette said: “I am delighted to open UWE Bristol’s Digital Media Studios, which will give students access to the very latest facilities and technology that is also used by the television and creative industries. This will put them at the heart of one of the UK’s most important creative clusters: the Bristol screen industries.”
The television executive, who was previously Chair of the Arts Council England, unveiled a plaque at the state-of-the-art facilities, whose building won the Best Educational Building award at the LABC West of England Building Excellence Awards 2018. The LABC (Local Authority Building Control) awards recognise the best in construction in England and Wales.
Architects Austin-Smith:Lord, which designed the building, created a building that blends in with the natural surroundings of the Ashton Court conservation area. Facilities include a production studio, two large photography studios, stop motion animation and CGI facilities, sound and Foley recording studios, as well as colour grading and editing suites.
The building is open to all students based on City Campus, UWE Bristol’s creative and cultural industries campus made up of sites at Bower Ashton, Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed. It is also available to those studying journalism, fine art, illustration and graphic design at the University.
Professor Jane Roscoe, who is Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean for the Faculty of Arts, Creative Industries and Education at UWE Bristol, said: “Our new Digital Media Studios provide industry standard facilities that give our students the opportunities to develop skills in the contexts in which they will use them out in the industry. Our studio facilities replicate those in the creative industries, allowing our graduates to move more quickly into creative roles across Bristol and the region.”
New £9 million building for creative industries…
£5m investment in Bristol-based digital campus
UWE Bristol bucks national university application trends
Sir Peter Bazalgette highlights challenges faced by…
Stoke on Trent College wins £1m grant for creative…
Bristol recognised as world-leading film destination
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Business Observer Friday, Aug. 22, 2003 15 years ago
Aug. 28 - The Suncoast Tiger Bay Club will hold a luncheon meeting with guest speaker U.S. Rep. Jim Davis at noon in the Feather Sound Country Club, 2201 Feather Sound Drive, Clearwater. Cost is $15 for members and $20 for guests. Call (727) 822-1001.
by: Business Observer Staff
HILLSBOROUGH, PINELLAS AND PASCO COUNTIES
Sept. 18 - The Tampa Chamber of Commerce will announce Small Business of the Year award winners at 6:30 p.m. at A La Carte Pavilion, 4050 Dana Shores Drive.
Oct. 28-29 - Tampa Bay Technology Forum will hold a two-day entrepreneurial boot camp at the Raymond James office in St. Petersburg. Speakers include company founders, venture capitalists and angel investors. Cost is $199 for forum members and $299 for all others. Call (727) 510-2524.
SARASOTA AND
MANATEE COUNTIES
Aug. 28 - The Young Professionals Group will hold a free social from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. between The Tasting Room at Fred's, J.D. Fords Wine & Spirits and the Living Room, Sarasota. Call 955-2508, Ext. 442 or e-mail [email protected].
Aug. 28 - Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc. will hold the second annual ArtinBusiness reception from 5 to 8 p.m. at 1999 Main St., Sarasota. RSVP by Aug. 22. Call 365-8500 or e-mail [email protected].
Sept. 5 - The Sarasota County Association of Realtors will hold the first of a two-part education class for Realtors and appraisers. "The Florida Building Code" will be taught by Paul Mashburn from 8:30 to noon in the association office, 3590 S. Tuttle Ave., Sarasota. Cost is $7. Call (941) 923-2315.
Sept. 10 - The Sarasota County Association of Realtors will hold "This Code's for You," a discussion of the code of ethics for all Realtors from 9 a.m. to noon in the association office, 3590 S. Tuttle Ave., Sarasota. Cost, $5. Call (941) 923-2315.
Sept. 10 - The Manatee Chamber of Commerce will hold "The Impact of Good Ethics in the Workplace" from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Chamber Board Room, 222 10th St. W., Bradenton. Cost, $15 for members; and $20, others. Reservations are required by Sept. 5. Call Lisa Reeder at (941) 748-4842, Ext. 123.
Sept. 17 - The Southwest Florida Paralegal Association Inc. will hold a dinner meeting "Construction Lien Law" with guest speaker Stuart Levine, Esq., from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling Blvd., Sarasota. Call Kim Swartz at 364-8787.
Sept. 25 - The Sarasota County Openly Plans for Excellence will hold a Community Principles for Redevelopment and Infill Study Group meeting with Karen Rushing, the Sarasota County Clerk of Court, from 4:15 to 5:45 p.m. at the Hospice of Southwest Florida, 5955 Rand Blvd., Sarasota. Call 365-8751 or e-mail [email protected].
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HomeBusiness West BlogChambers call on PM to 'fix the fundamentals' for UK growth
Chambers call on PM to 'fix the fundamentals' for UK growth
Chamber business leaders from across the United Kingdom, including Business West managing director Phil Smith, have today (Tuesday) written to the Prime Minister calling for a renewed focus on tackling the barriers to growth and investment in the United Kingdom - and a radical plan for action.
Gathered today in Manchester, Chamber business leaders are calling on the Prime Minister to balance the importance of securing the best possible deal with the EU with the urgent need to set out a compelling vision for UK growth and a bold set of domestic policies to fix the fundamentals at home.
Business communities throughout the UK are concerned about perceived inaction in Westminster and Whitehall on key domestic economic matters - where attention and swift action are needed for the UK to succeed after it leaves the EU.
Writing on behalf of the 53 accredited Chambers of Commerce from every region and nation of the UK, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), says:
“Our future success depends not just on Brexit negotiations, but also on the big economic decisions that must be made here in the UK. It is time, Prime Minister, for you to set out a compelling, pro-enterprise and pro-growth vision for the future, and a bold set of domestic policies to make it happen.
“It is time for you to tell business communities across the UK how your government will act – fast – to stabilise the faltering training and apprenticeship system and give clarity on migration rules, as businesses face unprecedented labour and skills shortages all across the country.
“It is time for visible action to rebuild our rutted and potholed roads, to use the resources of the state to build more homes, and to speed up the delivery of airport, rail and energy upgrades.
“It is time to eliminate the significant gaps in mobile and digital connectivity that continue to strangle business productivity and UK competitiveness – the central theme of our ‘No More Not Spots’ campaign.
“It is time to set a new mandate for HMRC and economic regulators to support, rather than pursue and punish, the small and medium-sized firms that can drive future growth, and focus their enforcement activities on the small number of companies pursuing questionable practices that are ultimately paid for by the rest.
“After decades of delay and incremental change, it is time to tackle the huge costs and complexities of the UK tax system, which actively discourage investment, risk-taking, and the stronger export performance we all want to see.
“And it is time for your government to deliver a far more explicit blueprint to support economic growth in all regions and nations – including greater local decision-making, away from the centralising instincts of Westminster and the devolved administrations.
“Prime Minister, the many thousands of firms we collectively represent are clear: business as usual is not good enough at a time of significant uncertainty. A concerted drive to ‘fix the fundamentals’ would unlock business confidence and investment – and set the UK on a path to long-term growth, alongside a comprehensive settlement between the UK and EU.”
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Local economy & development, Lobbying & representation, Leadership & management
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This Couple Tried to Rescue a Rabid Bat, And It Took an International Effort to Track Them Down
This is why you need to be careful when it comes to rescuing bats.
By Lauren Strapagiel
Lauren Strapagiel BuzzFeed Staff
Posted on April 26, 2018, at 4:59 p.m. ET
A Swiss couple on vacation in Florida had to be tracked down by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Swiss authorities after the couple attempted to save a sick bat from a mall parking lot that later turned out to have rabies.
Fermate / Getty Images
The couple was in Naples, Florida, when they come across the ailing bat. The husband, who works in pest control, decided they should take it to a local veterinarian to see if it could be helped. But the couple didn't didn't leave their names or any other information — just the fact that they were visiting from Switzerland. Five days later, the bat tested positive for rabies, which then triggered an international effort to find the couple.
The CDC searched the area for days with no luck before contacting the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health through a World Health Organization network. The Swiss federal agency issued a national press release and the couple called in to identify themselves. It may have saved their lives — infection with the rabies virus can be fatal, and is generally incurable if not caught early enough.
"A lot of visitors to the United States may not understand the risk associated with bats," Emily Pieracci, a veterinary epidemiologist with the CDC, told BuzzFeed News.
She said about 1%–2% of bats carry the rabies virus and they account for the majority of human rabies cases in the US (about one or two cases per year).
The rabies virus can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to incubate in humans before symptoms appear. The rabies vaccine is highly effective if given before symptoms appear, but not effective if the disease has progressed too far. Rabies symptoms can include fever, aches, and weakness that progresses to insomnia, confusion, paralysis, hallucinations, and fear of water, according to the CDC.
A 6-year-old boy died in Florida earlier this year after contracting rabies from a bat scratch.
"Once they get sick and start showing signs of rabies it’s almost 100% fatal," said Pieracci.
The couple was able to start the vaccine the same day they identified themselves and are still healthy. The incident took place in January but was recently reported in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
"We were able to potentially save their lives," said Pieracci.
Seregraff / Getty Images
Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus).
Bats with rabies may act oddly, such as having difficulty flying or being active during the day, which is unusual for the nocturnal animals. That makes them more likely to come into contact with humans, increasing the risk of exposure. If you find an injured or sick bat, the safest thing to do is to leave it alone and call a local wildlife center or public health department, Pieracci said.
"If they do handle a bat for some reason, or if they come in contact with a bat, they should seek immediate health care," she said. Pets should also be taken for a rabies vaccine if they come into contact with a bat. People have gotten rabies even with no obvious scratches or bites, and any kind of contact with a rabid animal is considered risky.
Nathalie Karvonen, executive director of the Toronto Wildlife Centre, has seen her fair share of bats. The rehabilitation center has about 40 bats at present. She said that unlike other animals that could carry rabies — such as raccoons, foxes, and skunks — there's no way to vaccinate bats.
"We do get rabid bats in from time to time because we’re the biggest wildlife center in the country," she said.
Animals with rabies are always euthanized because they can't be cured. Although caution should be taken, Karvonen stressed that the vast majority of bats don't carry the disease and are an important part of the ecosystem, as well as endangered, in many cases.
People who work with animals that could carry rabies, or who are traveling to areas where it is prevalent, can get pre-exposure rabies vaccination, which can help reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of rabies.
Lauren Strapagiel is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in Toronto, Canada.
Contact Lauren Strapagiel at lauren.strapagiel@buzzfeed.com.
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The Temple, the Times and the BDS Supporter
By: Alex Safian, PhD October 10, 2015
In the face of escalating, deadly attacks against Israelis by Palestinian assailants, the New York Times has endeavored to explain to its readers, and perhaps to itself, the main trigger point behind the violence – alleged Israeli threats to the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, where the ancient Jewish temples once stood, and the third holiest site in Islam, where now stand the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Historical Certainty Proves Elusive at Jerusalem’s Holiest Place, aims to describe the history of the Temple Mount, and the competing claims that surround the site. Unfortunately, at least one of the “experts” quoted by the Times is an outspoken supporter of the anti-Israel movement known as BDS (for boycott, divest and sanction).
Palestinian Charges Lead to Violence
While despite this the Times story gets some of the history right, it also gets much more wrong and suffers from vast omissions, including not telling its readers of many repeated inflammatory charges from Palestinian leaders. Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas, for example, has been actively inciting violence with false claims about Israeli threats against the mosques. Instead of covering this incitement to deadly violence, the Times blames Israelis for the increased tensions, telling its readers that:
… pressure by nationalist religious Jews for access, including some calls for building a new temple, has aggravated Palestinian fears that the Israelis will change the current arrangement, an assertion the Israeli government denies.
Aggravated Palestinian fears? Readers who count on the Times for their information would have no idea that in September on PA TV Abbas said:
We bless you, we bless the Murabitin (those carrying out Ribat, religious conflict/war to protect land claimed to be Islamic), we bless every drop of blood that has been spilled for Jerusalem, which is clean and pure blood, blood spilled for Allah, Allah willing. Every Martyr (Shahid) will reach Paradise, and everyone wounded will be rewarded by Allah. The Al-Aqsa [Mosque] is ours, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is ours, and they (the Jews) have no right to defile them with their filthy feet. We will not allow them to, and we will do everything in our power to protect Jerusalem.
(Mahmoud Abbas, PA TV, September 16, 2015, as recorded by Palestinian Media Watch; emphasis added)
The theme of alleged Israeli insults to the mosques and threats to their existence is one Abbas has repeated over and over again in recent days, including even in his speech to the UN, leading directly to the deadly assaults against Israelis, as even some of the Palestinian attackers have confirmed. For example, just before he stabbed two Israelis to death in Jerusalem on October 3rd, Muhannad Halabi posted on his Facebook page these chilling words:
According to what I see, the Third Intifada has erupted. What is happening to al-Aqsa [mosque] is what is happening to our holy sites, and what is happening to the women of al-Aqsa is what is happening to our mothers and women. I don’t believe that our people will succumb to humiliation. The people will indeed rise up.
This direct line between Abbas’s inflammatory statements and the blood now being shed by Palestinian attackers is obscured by the Times. And beyond mangling this recent history, the Times also mangles more distant history.
Were the Jewish Temples on the Temple Mount?
As implied by the headline, the article calls into question the actual existence of the ancient Jewish temples on the Temple Mount (note: in a correction to the original story, the Times walked back its skepticism regarding the existence of the Temples). Thus the Times quotes an academic Temple skeptic:
“The sources for the first temple are solely biblical, and no substantial archaeological remains have been verified,” said Wendy Pullan, senior lecturer in the history and philosophy of architecture at the University of Cambridge, in the book “The Struggle for Jerusalem’s Holy Places.”
The Times is either unaware or keeps from readers that Pullan is not some disinterested scholar. She is an anti-Israel activist who has signed her name to petitions supporting boycotts of Israel based on its supposed “breaches of international law.”
Beyond Pullan’s utter unreliability as a commentator on Israel, there is no doubt the ancient Jews knew very well the location of the First Temple, and chose that spot for the building of the Second Temple. So archaeological evidence for the Second Temple, which does exist, is also evidence for the First Temple.
A further key omission by the Times is that going back to at least the 1920’s the Muslim authorities that administer the Temple Mount accepted that it was the site of the Jewish Temples. The Waqf published a booklet in 1926 entitled A Brief Guide to the Al-Haram Al-Sharif (translated as the Noble Sanctuary, the Muslim name for the Temple Mount), which included these lines:
The site is one of the oldest in the world. Its sanctity dates from the earliest (perhaps from pre-historic) times. Its identity with the site of Solomon’s Temple is beyond dispute. (emphasis added)
The 1950 edition of the booklet repeats the above passage, though, evidently for political reasons, the passage was deleted from subsequent versions.
Furthermore, it is no coincidence that roughly 1300 years ago the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock were constructed on the Temple Mount. They were built there precisely because this was the site of the Jewish Temples. In Jerusalem, and throughout the lands conquered by Islam, victorious Muslim armies regularly built mosques over the holy sites of their defeated foes. This is no less true on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, than, for example, in the Indian city of Ayodhya, where mosques were built atop destroyed Hindu shrines. The Economist (12/12/1992) described this history in covering the destruction of one such mosque by Hindu extremists:
… for many Hindus it is welcome revenge on the Muslim invaders who in their time demolished
so many Hindu temples. The Babri Mosque, erected on the supposed birthplace of the Hindu god Ram, is but one of the ancient mosques built by the Moghuls on the sites of demolished Hindu temples.
Archaeological Evidence?
The Times also further mangles the question of archaeological evidence regarding the Temples, deceptively reporting that:
… the Waqf has never permitted invasive archaeological work that could possibly yield proof of either temple.
While it’s true that the Waqf has not permitted archaeological work, it has illegally undertaken heavy construction on the Mount with bulldozers, turning the subterranean Solomon’s Stables into the new Marwani Mosque. This construction in 1999 violated both antiquity laws meant to preserve the archaeological integrity of the site, and the status quo that Palestinians repeatedly and falsely charge Israel with violating.
In the course of this work the Palestinians dumped 6000 tons of excavated fill from the Temple Mount into the nearby Kidron Valley. That fill has been pored over by archaeologists, led by Professor Gabriel Barkai.
Finds include:
a First Temple period bulla, or seal impression, containing ancient Hebrew writing, which may have belonged to a well-known family of priests mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah…
[and for the Second Temple] remains of buildings: plaster shards decorated a rust-red, which Barkai says was fashionable at the time; a stone measuring 10 centimeters and on it a sophisticated carving reminiscent of Herodian decorations; and a broken stone from a decorated part of the Temple Mount – still bearing signs of fire, which Barkai says are from the Temple’s destruction in 70 C.E.
Why would the Times not report this, both as evidence that contrary to Palestinian claims they are the ones violating the status quo, and as archaeological evidence for the existence of the Jewish Temples on the Temple Mount?
After the Six Day War
The Times also gets the history around 1967 wrong, claiming:
In recent decades, after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem, the site has been administered by a special Islamic religious authority called the Waqf, under Jordanian custodianship.
Waqf administration of the Temple Mount goes back centuries, long predating the 1967 war. The remarkable thing that happened in 1967 is that in a gesture towards peace and reconciliation Israel allowed the Muslim authorities to continue to administer the Temple Mount, despite the fact that it is the holiest place in Judaism.
Israel never gets credit for this generous and hopeful act, intended to soothe Muslim sensibilities and perhaps encourage the Arabs to make peace. The Israelis did this despite the fact that during the Jordanian occupation of East Jerusalem Jews were barred from visiting their holy places including the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, a clear violation of paragraph 8 of the 1949 Armistice Agreement. And under Jordanian rule all but one of the Old City’s 58 Jewish houses of worship were destroyed, including the historic Hurva Synagogue.
Headstones from the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives were widely used by Jordanians as paving and building stones — in walls and homes, in army fortifications at Ras el-Azour and on Mount Zion, and even to line a pathway to a Jordanian army latrine.
Even after 1967, and before the excavation at Solomon’s Stables, the Muslim authorities were already destroying some of the remains of the Jewish Temples on the Temple Mount. According to Biblical Archaeological Review (Sept./Oct. 1991) the ancient remains, which predate Islam by thousands of years, included a “Herodian wall 16 feet long and 6 feet wide … [which was partially] dismantled and the rest covered up” by the Muslim authorities. Other evidence of the Jews’ presence on the Temple Mount was “covered up by dirt and plantings” or had been “covered by paving.”
That is, contrary to the Times, if anyone should be angry about what is happening to the Temple Mount, it is the Jews. And anyone who counts on the Times for news would have no idea of this documented reality.
Would the Times Question the Muslim Narrative?
Finally, it should be noted that Muslim attachment to the Temple Mount site is due to the presence there of the al-Aqsa – or “furthest” – Mosque, reputed to be the site of Prophet Mohammed’s night journey to heaven. However, as many scholars have pointed out, the first version of the al-Aqsa Mosque was built by the Caliph Omar after the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem in 637, well after Mohammed’s death in 632. Thus the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is unlikely to be associated with Mohammed’s night journey. Furthermore, nowhere is Jerusalem even mentioned in the Quran.
Recall that the Times quoted Wendy Pullan saying that “the sources for the first temple are solely biblical, and no substantial archaeological remains have been verified.” So, using exactly the same logic, will the Times publish an article saying that the “sources for Mohammed’s presence in Jerusalem are solely Quranic, and no substantial archaeological remains have been verified”? Will the Times publish an article questioning more generally the entire Muslim narrative of Jerusalem?
Don’t hold your breath.
Update: Oct. 9, 2015 No doubt in response to many objections to their report, including from CAMERA, the Times has published the following correction:
Correction: October 9, 2015
An earlier version of this article misstated the question that many books and scholarly treatises have never definitively answered concerning the two ancient Jewish temples. The question is where precisely on the 37-acre Temple Mount site the temples had once stood, not whether the temples had ever existed there.
To see the various revisions of the Times report click here.
Update: Oct. 12, 2015
The Times has published a letter from Prof. Jodi Magness, one of the experts quoted in the article, in which she states:
The question of the existence and location of two successive temples on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is not nearly as contested as the article suggests.
Prof. Magness also states that she knows “of no credible scholars who question the existence of the two temples or who deny that they stood somewhere on the Temple Mount.”
The Times has now appended an Editor’s Note to the Temple Mount story, a step reserved only for the most serious mistakes, and a far deeper admission of error than a mere correction. It reads as follows:
An article on Thursday, with the headline “Historical Certainty Proves Elusive at Jerusalem’s Holiest Place,” examined the scholarly debate about two ancient Jewish temples on the Temple Mount, a site sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians. While the article laid out the history of the Jewish temples and the archaeological and historical evidence about them, the headline and a passage in the initial version of the article implied incorrectly that questions among scholars about the location of the temples potentially affected Jewish claims to the site and Israel’s broader assertion of sovereignty over Jerusalem. In fact, as the article was later corrected to clarify, the scholarly debate is a narrower one, focused on the precise location on the Temple Mount where the long destroyed temples once stood. All versions of the article should have made clear that the archaeological and historical uncertainties about the site — unlike assertions by some Palestinians that the temples never existed — do not directly challenge Jewish claims to the Temple Mount.
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NPR Host Misses Anti-Israel Hate In 140 Characters or Less
CAMERA Author
Alex Safian, PhD Alex Safian is the associate director of CAMERA. His articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, the San Diego Union Tribune, the Jerusalem Post, NewsMax.com and National Review Online, Middle East Quarterly and other newspapers and academic journals. He has lectured widely on media coverage of the Middle East and related issues. Safian is the author of the monograph "PBS and Israel: A Pattern of Bias - The Case of Journey to the Occupied Lands" and testified before an appropriations subcommittee of the US Congress regarding bias in PBS and NPR programming.
Rick Gladstone
Corrections: Jerusalem
NY Times Cites Poll, Hides Palestinian Support for Violence
Not a Scoop: 448 Days Later, NY Times Reports Slur by Palestinian Leader
CNN’s Zakaria Indulges Palestinian Propagandist Hanan Ashrawi
After Broadcasting Holocaust Denial, AJ+ Feigns Innocence
In Robert Bernstein Obit, AFP Inappropriately References His Judaism
Rashida Tlaib Says Palestinians "Provided" Jewish Haven
Professor John Quigley Falsely Condemns Israel and U.S. Support in His Syndicated Column
New York Times Adopts Erroneous 'Palestine' Terminology
The New York Times' Slow Reaction to Hamas Crackdown on Palestinian Protesters
CNN’s Zakaria Deals With U.S. Proclamation Recognizing Golan As Part Of Israel
Killing Jews vs. Conversion Therapy in NY Times Fun-House Mirror
Stay up to date by following us on social media:
Follow @CAMERAorg
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SC lawmakers want to prevent new fishery protections
Sarita Chourey
COLUMBIA -- South Carolina lawmakers want a regional fishery council to reverse course on new protections against from overfishing.
At issue is a pending change weighed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. It would affect the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region.
Rep. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Murrells Inlet, says the proposed change could carve out additional Marine Protected Areas along the Atlantic coast, including 40 square miles off the coast of South Carolina.
He says the change would hurt recreational and commercial saltwater fishing and more than 1,000 square miles along the Atlantic coast would be added to the protected areas.
"We've been haggling with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council for years now over what best science is and what best science isn't, and what appropriate measures should be taken to protect the fisheries off of South Carolina," Goldfinch told a House subcommittee.
"I have no idea why they have decided to go with these draconian measures to close fishing off of South Carolina."
This month Goldfinch introduced a non-binding resolution, H. 4596, which says the S.C. General Assembly opposes "any additional live-bottom Marine Protected Areas off the coast of South Carolina associated with (the council's) proposed (amendment) or any future amendments to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region."
Among the resolution's claims: "South Carolina fishermen are already burdened by numerous fishery closures, overly restrictive catch limits, high fuel prices, costly U.S. Coast Guard regulations, growing seafood imports and the ongoing economic recession."
More than a dozen lawmakers have signed on as co-sponsors, including Beaufort County lawmakers, Rep. Weston Newton, R-Bluffton, Rep. Andy Patrick, R-Hilton Head Island. and Rep. Kenneth Hodges, D-Green Pond.
The council describes its work as "conserving and managing America's fisheries from 3 to 200 miles off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida." South Carolina has three voting members.
A spokesperson for the regional council did not respond to questions about the effects of the South Carolina resolution last week.
A representative of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources is among South Carolina's three voting members on the fishery council.
Robert Boyles, deputy director for marine resources for DNR, has served in the past. He said several years ago the council established a deep water closure where fishing was prohibited, but later rescinded it.
"I'm not sure we've developed a position," he told the subcommittee, when asked about Goldfinch's resolution.
"But it's a very complicated one and we're doing our best to find our way through the wilderness."
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Contact: Karen McNulty Walsh, (631) 344-8350, or Peter Genzer, (631) 344-3174share:
Zinc Transporter Protein Structure Deciphered
Implications for understanding seizures, type-2 diabetes, environmental remediation
UPTON, NY - Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have deciphered the atomic-level structure of a cell-membrane protein that regulates the movement of zinc ions into and out of cells. Details of the structure may help scientists better understand the crucial role zinc plays in many biological process, from nerve cell communication to insulin regulation. The research will be published online by the journal Science on Thursday, August 23, 2007.
Dax Fu (seated) and Min Lu (click image to download hi-res version)
The Brookhaven scientists, Dax Fu and Min Lu, studied a zinc transporter protein taken from the common bacterium Escherichia coli. "This protein is structurally and functionally related to zinc transporter proteins found on human cells, and will therefore provide insight into the role of zinc and these transporter proteins in a variety of human conditions," said Fu. The findings may also have implications for improving microbial cells' ability to modify or remove metal contaminants from the environment.
Zinc is essential for cellular growth and differentiation, and is often a structural or catalytic component of proteins and enzymes. It is involved in myriad processes, from gene expression to immune function. It modulates the activity of chemical messengers in the brain, and helps to regulate the release of insulin from pancreatic cells in response to changing blood sugar levels.
But too much zinc can be toxic. For instance, excessive zinc may cause seizures and play a role in the deposition of amyloid protein plaques in Alzheimer's disease.
Zinc transporter proteins are one of the major regulators of zinc levels. These proteins lie partially within the cellular membrane, moving zinc ions across this otherwise impermeable barrier to maintain an optimal balance, or homeostasis.
Sometimes the transporter proteins push zinc out of cells or lock it up in vesicles within the cells. In the brain, the transporter proteins reabsorb excess zinc from extracellular spaces called synapses. Failure of this reuptake mechanism has been identified as one of the leading causes of seizures. Another human zinc transporter involved in regulating insulin release has recently been identified as a major risk factor for type-2 diabetes — and is now a hot target for drug development.
While the location of transporter proteins within the membrane makes them ideally situated for their diverse functions, it also makes them particularly difficult to study. This is because, chemically, membrane proteins are similar to grease molecules; they tend to clump together in aqueous solution. The challenge is to keep individual zinc transporter proteins isolated from one another as well as from other proteins. The purified proteins then have to be put back together in an orderly manner into a three-dimensional crystal lattice for structural analysis.
"After more than seven years of intensive efforts, we have finally learned how to crystallize the zinc transporter," said Fu.
Another critical barrier to determining the human zinc transporter protein structure is the lack of a way to produce large-scale quantities. Most mammalian membrane proteins can only be obtained from their native sources, but despite its ubiquitous functions, the zinc transporter is extremely limited in human tissues. The scientists circumvented this hurdle by using a homologous zinc transporter that can be abundantly obtained from E. coli.
At the structural level, many bacterial proteins look just like their human counterparts. In fact, Brookhaven Science Associates, manager of Brookhaven Lab, has filed a patent application for models of mammalian zinc transporters and their use, based on the Brookhaven scientists' newly derived structure.
Using E. coli proteins has the added benefit of contributing to a better understanding of how microbes maintain a proper balance of metals, and may suggest new ways to use this knowledge to improve microbes' ability to remove or sequester heavy metal contaminants in the environment.
The technique
A molecular model of the YiiP zinc transporter protein with bound zinc ions (red spheres). (Click image to download hi-res version)
The Brookhaven scientists obtained crystals of an E. coli zinc transporter protein known as YiiP bound with zinc ions. They then deciphered the protein structure using a technique called x-ray diffraction at Brookhaven Lab's National Synchrotron Light Source. By studying how an intensely bright beam of x-rays diffracts and bounces off the crystal, the scientists can determine the positions of, and distances and angles between, the individual atoms that make up the protein. They then use computers to generate 3-D models.
Since YiiP crystals are unusually small (the size of a needle tip) and fragile, however, even the brightest x-ray beam at NSLS is only marginally adequate to produce useful diffraction data. The scientists therefore had to manually position each of thousands of YiiP crystals in the center of the x-ray beam to maximize exposure.
"This project would have been impossible without the help of the beamline scientists at the NSLS and the easy access to this remarkable scientific facility," said Fu.
The structure
The crystal structure of YiiP reveals an unusual Y-shaped architecture made of a pair of identical protein chains. They juxtapose each other in the cell's cytoplasm to form the base of the Y where the protein chains swing out and insert into the membrane.
The cytoplasmic domain adopts a structural fold similar to a family of small soluble proteins involved in intracellular metal ion trafficking. The transmembrane domain is characterized by two cavities, which collectively penetrate more than half of the membrane thickness from opposite membrane surfaces.
"The YiiP structure suggests that the cytoplasmic domains may receive zinc ions inside the cell and deliver them to a water-filled cavity where the ions are then transported across the membrane barrier via a protein conformational change," Fu said.
"In addition to providing information about the specific function of a zinc transporter protein, our structure provides a more general conceptual framework for understanding the selective binding and energized movement of metal ions across membranes," said Lu.
This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and supported by the Biology Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory, which receives funding from the Office of Biological and Environmental Research within the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
Note to local editors: Dax Fu lives in Leonia, New Jersey; Min Lu lives in Patchogue, New York.
Optimizing the Growth of Coatings on Nanowire Catalysts
NYPA Extends Solar Forecasting Network to Albany as Part of Study to Improve Grid Reliability
Plants' Oil-Production Accelerator Also Activates the Brakes
Researchers to Take Advantage of DOE's Advanced Supercomputers
Electron (or 'Hole') Pairs May Survive Effort to Kill Superconductivity
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Posted on October 31, 2017 June 1, 2018
October 31st – a Shadowlands story
It’s October 31st, Trick or Treat! No tricks for my friends, just treats! I wanted to share a story from my book Shadowlands. This story is dedicated to one of the guys in this story whose favorite holiday happens to be Halloween.
Shadowlands miniseries is available on OUTtv and OUTtvGO in Canada and on Vimeo for our friends around the world.
IT WAS OCTOBER 31st AND THEY SAT ON THE SOFA WITH THE LIGHTS OFF.
A movie flickered on the big plasma screen but neither of the men paid attention. I call them men because they are in their late twenties though by all approximations they are still boys. There are four others like them – living like a pack of wolves in a house with four bedrooms. One lives in the garage. Their own private Pleasure Island where they can smoke and drink and play poker and video games all day if they want and most days they do.
But tonight it’s just the two of them. The best friends. All the other boys have gone out. A night on the town to howl at the moon and chase their own tail until it leads them back home again.
The house groans as the October wind blows against it and branches from the avocado tree tickle its roof. It’s his favourite month; October that is and the one on the left. The one wearing the sweat pants, cut into shorts just above the knee. His legs are muscular, tan and smooth. He likes to keep them that way although the other secretly wishes he’d let the hair grow – on his legs, his chest, face…
The other has a lot of secrets.
The one on the left is also wearing a tank top. He’s proud of his muscular arms and this is no secret although he currently has them hidden, wrapped up in a blanket. It’s October. His favorite month and even though this is Los Angeles there’s a slight chill in the air.
The one on the right is watching. One eye on the TV and the other on his friend. He’s in love. This is another one of his secrets. He also doesn’t like horror movies. Secret number three. He pretends to because they watch together. In the dark and alone.
The one on the left has a girlfriend. The one on the right wants to hate her but can’t. In fact he loves her too. Just in a different way.
Tonight is not special. It’s like a hundred others they have spent together. Sometimes she comes by the house and they will be lying on one of their beds shirtless. Just home from a run. She is his girlfriend and she has suspicions but those are her secret.
But they only lay together. Not touching. Just talking. They talk for hours.
They love each other but in different ways. That is their shared secret.
“If only you were a chick…” the one on the left has said with a laugh and not just once.
“If only you would try it…” the other would respond also laughing but it was a practiced trick to mask the pain.
If only. If only. A life punctuated with a conditioned statement.
And so they sit side by side. Two grown men who are still boys. One wants to touch the other. That’s his secret. The other longs to be touched. That’s his secret.
It’s the hundredth night in a litany of others which have played out much the same. Neither has the courage to take the first step. Neither wants to upset the perfectly imperfect balance of what they have. It’s love. It’s fear. It’s an unholy union that may never be realized.
The one on the left doesn’t understand his thoughts or why he can’t concentrate on the TV. He just wants a blowjob but hates himself for even thinking about his friend in that way. He thinks it would offend him. That he’d suddenly want more than he’d be able to give. He dreams of a middle ground – a place where they both get what they want and need from the other but he imagines it can’t exist.
And so he does nothing. He does nothing because he loves him.
The other only wants to touch his friend. He only wants to be close and close and closer. He only wants to make him happy. He’s smart enough to know he will never be, can never be enough for him. But he yearns to be more than what he is. He wants to show his devotion and show it is distinct and special from the other boys. But he hates himself for wanting something from his friend that he cannot offer.
He dreams of a middle ground – a place where they both get what they want and need from the other but he imagines it can’t exist.
It does. But it’s a secret they may never know.
And so the one on the right does nothing. He hugs a pillow a little tighter to his chest and does nothing because he loves him.
Is not one of the most powerful things to so love someone with all your heart and yet have the knowledge you will never have an opportunity to be intimate. Like an iron in a fire always burning, always present is this love, unable to be extinguished or at the same time be of any use.
The one on the left slipped one hand under his t-shirt and casually pulled it up while carefully gauging his friends reaction. He let the blanket fall off his shoulders onto the couch letting the one on the right get an unobstructed view of his tan stomach. He let his hand rest there while he adjusted the bulge in his sweat pants to a no more comfortable but definitely more obvious position.
The one on the right was sweating.
Drip. Drip.
He could feel the small beads gathering under his arms and his heart was screaming through his t-shirt. He began to worry anxiously if the one on the left would be able to hear it pounding right through the pillow that he hugged to his chest. He wanted to stop this stupid movie and stop this stupid dance that they both knew the steps to all too well.
“Kind of a shitty movie huh?” The one on the left mumbled through a yawn as he crooked one arm behind his head.
“S’alright. Not great,” the one on the right agreed.
“Should we shut it off?”
“We could. You getting tired?” The one on the right asked as he reached for the remote.
“Nah. Let’s just do something else.”
“Well I haven’t had a foot massage today,” the one on the right joked and dared to kick his friend in the shin. “Shouldn’t I get a reward for chasing you around the UCLA track three times a week?”
“Your reward is fitness and getting to watch my ass for twenty laps.”
“Well usually that’s only fifteen laps, you’re nearly lapping me on the last five.”
“That’s my reward,” the one on the left grinned a silly crooked smile.
The one on the right dropped his jaw ready to pose a question. A question about the definition of his friend’s reward. But the sentence hung on his tongue like a sky diver afraid to leap and never took flight.
The one on the left swung his feet up onto the couch and adjusted the blanket behind him into a makeshift pillow. “But since you brought it up, shouldn’t the winner get a massage first? I promise the day you win, I’ll happily return the favor.”
“You’ve heard of Tanya Harding right? I’m not above that.” The one on the right laughed and grabbed his friend’s foot and rested it on his thigh. The boys who were men caught each other’s eye and then looked away quickly. This was a new level of intimacy and neither knew exactly how to behave.
The one on the right rubbed his hands firmly over his friend’s foot, pressing his thumbs into the meaty flesh of his heel and toes. It was just his foot but there was something incredibly exciting about touching him this way. The one on the left let a small groan of approval escape his lips as he slid down further into the couch, pushing his feet right into the lap of his friend and resting his powerful legs on top of the other boy.
The one on the right felt himself stiffen in his basketball shorts and push up precariously close to the elastic waistband. His eyes danced over his friend’s contented face and he thought, ‘This is enough. This is all I need. Just to be able to make him happy.’
He arched and flexed the tan foot in his hands and then pushed them up and under the muscular calf, applying careful pressure as he went.
“Okay I may be an asshole but I’m not completely selfish,” the one on the left opened one eye and winked. “Give me your foot. It’s a mutual reward.”
The one on the right felt like his shaking insides would betray him as he lifted his foot into the hands of his friend.
Rough hands. Rough hands handling him gently.
“Are you kidding me? Have you ever walked a day in your life? Your feet are like…really soft,” the one on the left guffawed and then started laughing. “So what do we call this?”
The one on the right looked up cautiously. “What do we call what?
“This. What’s happening here.”
“Um… I think it’s called a foot massage.”
“You know what I mean. You okay with it?”
“Yeah. Are you?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
The men who were feeling more and more like boys handled each other’s feet for the next few minutes in silence, each lost in his own thoughts.
And questions.
And hopes.
And fears.
“You know…” the one on the left started and then stopped, lifting his friends leg gently to massage his calf.
“Seriously what? I need to know what you’re thinking.”
“I don’t think I can talk about it,” the one on the left said as he rested his friend’s leg across his lap and let the foot fall on his chest where he could get a more convenient grip.
Suddenly the one on the right didn’t need to hear what his friend was thinking. He already knew. It was obvious. He could feel it pressed against the back of his leg. Without a word he looked at his friend. And his friend looked back at him.
The avocado tree creaked against the house and shadows danced in the corners of the room. The one on the left had taken a chance. He hoped his friend would understand and accept it for exactly what it was.
And no less.
The one on the right pressed his leg down into the evidence of his friend’s arousal just to be sure. Now was no time to make a mistake. He took the left foot of his friend and placed it casually between his legs as he took the right foot up in his hands.
The one on the left wrapped his arms around the leg of the other and pressed his hips up against him. He pushed his left foot gently into his buddy’s crotch and felt him straining against the mesh basketball shorts. He stroked the bottom of his foot up and down along the length of his friend’s shaft, surprising himself at how much he was enjoying this kinky session.
The one on the right pulled the foot in his hand up to his mouth and wrapped his lips around his friend’s toes. He’d never imagined doing anything like this before but now that he found himself here it was quite possibly the most erotic experience in his life. He pushed his hips forward against the foot of his friend. The threat of how much pain he could cause him with the mildest of kicks excited him further. He was at his mercy and he liked it.
The one on the left was happy. So was the one on the right.
It was nothing like any night they had ever imagined having together.
And yet. It was perfect.
The shadows danced. The house creaked. The men acted like boys as they waited for the other wolves to chase their tails home.
If you enjoyed October 31st, consider picking up my book, Shadowlands. It’s available on Amazon, Chapters-Indigo, Dreamspinner Press or by asking at your favourite bookstore.
Love books? Me too! Let’s connect on GoodReads.
You can also learn more about the new Shadowlands TV series here.
The short story October 31st explores a bromance between a straight guy and a gay guy. This dynamic is also explored in our short film FORCES. You can watch it here.
Posted on July 11, 2017 January 4, 2019
Shadowlands Pygmalion Revisited
My heart is full today. We just wrapped Shadowlands episode 2 Pygmalion Revisited. You’ve likely heard athletes, actors or artists talk about being ‘in the zone’ and this whole episode has felt that way. Perhaps through a mix of focused preparation and a little bit of luck I felt like every day of this shoot my team was in the zone – supporting each other, rooting for each other and contributing creatively to make the best show we could.
Shadowlands is a book of short stories that I wrote several years back. For the TV miniseries I selected stories for the initial three episodes – The Hiker, Pygmalion Revisited and Narcissus. Definitely three very disparate stories but they thematically interweave and all touch on the theme of love. Negotiating relationships, mourning the loss of a star-crossed love and never having experienced it.
Charlie David as Rudy in Shadowlands
We filmed episode 2 Pygmalion Revisited first which is the story of an artist who has lost the love of his life and is compelled to paint his lover in an attempt to find communion with him again. The story was inspired by the Greek myth of Pygmalion and Galatea in which Pygmalion is a sculpture who creates a statue so beautiful, so life like that he falls in love with it. The goddess Athena takes pity on him and brings the statue, Galatea to life.
My take on the classic myth isn’t quite as succinct nor does it result in a happily ever after. In fact it may be the most tragic piece I’ve written to this point. Since the first drafts of the short story and then the script I’ve always felt compelled to play the painter. His words, his love, his losses felt intrinsically mine. Though I wanted to act again, I’ve also been anxious about it. It’s been a while since I’ve been in front of the camera and this role has so many challenges. For instance, the painter is in every scene. Half of those scenes are just him with no other actors. How would I bring to life a whole world; a whole life alone on screen?
Marc Devigne (Xavier) & Charlie David (Rudy) in Shadowlands episode 2 ‘Pygmalion Revisited’
The answer for me in many ways was in the casting of Marc Devigne as Xavier, the painter’s lover. Over the course of a month and a half prior to filming we spent time together in rehearsal or discussion and built our collegial acquaintance into a friendship. Marc is so special. He is a truly gifted singer, actor and is thoughtful and gracious in both his creative endeavors and everyday life. In essence he made falling in love easy.
Shadowlands – Marc Devigne & Charlie David
We filmed all of the scenes for Shadowlands episode 2 when the painter is alone first over the course of four days and though I hadn’t shot with Marc yet, I had all the richness I needed to shape our relationship in my mind because of his generosity of time leading up to the shoot. I witnessed how he walks on the balls of his feet when excited, the joys of a road trip with him singing the soundtrack, his predilection for flat ginger ale, his dedication to family, how he looks when excited by a phone call and how it’s impossible not to catch his smile when he throws it in your direction.
Marc Devigne as Xavier in Shadowlands episode 2 ‘Pygmalion Revisited’
Marc and I got together yesterday to watch the footage from the shoot and make some selections together. Since this is a story about a relationship, I wanted to continue to share the film making process with him. Marc has a great instinct and his opinion has been invaluable throughout this journey. We’re so excited to share the film with you on the film festival circuit and on TV in Spring 2018!
If you like romance and drama, explore some of our other titles here.
Find out more about the cast and crew of the Shadowlands series on IMDB.
If you enjoyed this post about the song My Buddy, explore other chats with cast members of the Shadowlands series.
Marc Devigne (Xavier in episode 3 ‘Pygmalion Revisited’ of the Shadowlands series.
Oscar Moreno (Matteo in episode 2 ‘Mating Season’ of the Shadowlands gay series)
Sean C. Dwyer (Alex in episode 1 ‘Narcissus’ of the Shadowlands miniseries)
Nicolas James Wilson (Will in episode 2 ‘Mating Season’ of the Shadowlands gay series)
Vasilios Filippakis (Daniel in episode 2 ‘Mating Season’ of Shadowlands)
Brian Woodford (Drew in episode 1 ‘Narcissus’ of Shadowlands gay series)
Natasha Balakrishnan (Thalia in episode 1 ‘Narcissus’ of Shadowlands
Learn about the hidden ‘Easter Eggs’ in the Shadowlands gay series
Felice Stevens author of The Arrangement
Hi friends! This week I’d like to introduce you to author Felice Stevens. I recently worked on the audio production of her book, The Arrangement.
And now we have two new collaborations in the works. I narrate my fair share of MM romance and what I’ve appreciated about Felice’s work is how she draws nuanced and flawed characters. There’s always a bigger challenge at play besides getting into bed – children, mental illness, dogs that need to be rescued, dealing with families and friends who haven’t quite come around to acceptance.
Of course Felice does pretty well once her characters get into the bedroom as well. Or the hallway. Or the stairwell. Or the taxi. Or the nightclub. I really, really want a sex life as exciting as what her men get up to!
When you sign up for my newsletter you can expect to receive a mix of interviews with authors, filmmakers and actors I work with as well as exclusive photos and video from some of my upcoming work.
I’ve shared a little about Felice Stevens and her new book The Arrangement below. She’s even offering the first chapter of the audiobook as a free download when you sign up for her newsletter and select ‘Charlie David’ from the drop down menu of how you found her – so make sure to do that. Then I can do what I love to do – tell you a story!
Felice Stevens has always been a romantic at heart. She believes that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending around the corner, her characters have to work for it, however. Like life in NYC, nothing comes easy and that includes love, but getting there is oh so fun and oh so sexy.
Felice lives in New York City with her husband and two children. Her day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass (or two of red wine). She practices law but daydreams of a time when she can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there are bound to be a few bumps along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.
Sign up for Felice’s newsletter and pick Charlie David’s newsletter from the drop down menu in answer to “How Did You Find Me.” and you will receive a download link for the first chapter of the audiobook of The Arrangement.
Reviewers have called The Arrangement, A sexy, heartfelt and romantic story and a moving MM story with a lot of heart and some angst.
The Arrangement is a 2016 Rainbow Awards top ten finalist and received an Honorable Mention. It has a 4.7 out of 5 star rating on Amazon and over five hundred 4 and 5 star reviews on Goodreads.
CHARLIE DAVID’S CORNER
When asked what my job is, my face generally scrunches up as I try to figure out the best way to describe what it is I do. I write, produce, and direct. Sometimes books, sometimes documentaries, television or films. I think the best description hasn’t changed much from what I wanted to be as a kid – a storyteller.
I follow my curiosity in my creativity and it takes me to some pretty awesome places. Right now I’m directing a documentary miniseries on open relationships and polyamory. Up next is a scripted miniseries titled Shadowlands that is based on a book of short stories in the psychological thriller/paranormal world.
This week I’d like to share the first episode of a series titled Coming Out that was filmed in Montreal, one of the cities I call home. As you likely know, Montreal is a city woven of many cultures and languages including Greek, Yiddish, Arabic, Russian, and English but the most commonly used is French. I invite you to watch the first episode of our series which spans two seasons. Don’t worry if you don’t speak French – I’ve included English subtitles!
COMING OUT is a twenty-four episode series following the explosive lives, loves and losses of an intermingled group of Montréalers as they confront the subject of difference. Managing a modern relationship can be a mess.
Single? Attached? Married? Divorced? Open? Closed? The most common answer is ‘It’s complicated.’
Get ready to come out with these characters as they negotiate acceptance, prejudice and just how much they’re willing to risk in the pursuit of love and happiness.
Discover the new books and audiobooks I’m working on now…
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College of Education and Health Sciences
The mission of the College of Education and Health Sciences (EHS) at Bradley University is to prepare leaders within the human service professions. The college provides undergraduate and graduate innovative programs through excellence in teaching, scholarship, and collaboration with interdisciplinary and community-based partnerships. This dynamic learning environment prepares graduates to provide services in a diverse and global society to enhance human resources and to foster life-long learning. Presently, the College provides its students with distinctive professional programs and the support environment that will aid in preparing them for future responsibility and desired leadership roles as counselors, educators, specialists in family and consumer sciences, nurses, physical therapists, other health care specialists, and administrators within these disciplines.
Employing a comprehensive, integrated services model, the College blends the education and health care disciplines in the curriculum and provides collaborative opportunities for students and professionals in teaching, learning, and applied research.
The College strives to make its coursework and experiences relevant by emphasizing strong content knowledge with laboratory practice of professional skills—and ultimately through practical field-based experiences. From the beginning of each student’s program, there is exposure to practicing professionals in the career world. The College faculty and cooperating regional educators and health care personnel share their expertise regarding career problems and rewards, with expectations for professional improvements.
The College prides itself in its student-oriented philosophy, in which there is the belief that each student deserves individual personal attention combined with academic rigor. The College does not expect to prepare a large number of graduates, but instead, a small number of tomorrow’s professional leaders. The faculty expects that its graduates demonstrate high quality professional skills, and the College expresses pride in the identifiable professional attitudes of its graduates.
Students who maintain continuous enrollment and who complete work toward the baccalaureate degree within five years from the date of entry may graduate under either the catalog in effect at the time of entrance or under the catalog in effect at the time of graduation. A change in major could mean meeting new requirements in force at the time of the change as a condition for acceptance into that major. Students whose work has been interrupted for one or more semesters may be held to requirements in effect at the time of their re-enrollment.
The following requirements exist for all students, regardless of major field. Courses should be selected in careful consultation with advisors.
6 semester hours, including English 101 and a 3-semester-hour 300-level advanced writing course approved by the student’s major department.
3 semester hours
3 semester hours. Every student must demonstrate proficiency in mathematics. Depending upon the major, each student will choose an appropriate course from an approved list.
Western Civilization
Non-Western Civilization
3 semester hours. Each student must choose one course from an approved list.
Human Values
Social Forces and Institutions
6 semester hours. Courses must be selected from an approved list.
6 semester hours. Courses must be selected from an approved list of basic science courses and a list of technology related courses.
Each general studies course selection must be selected in consultation with the student’s academic advisor.
Global Scholars
Professionals in the fields of education and health sciences are challenged with a complex global reality. Awareness of global developments and cross-cultural competencies are crucial in dealing with differences and learning from people of other cultures.
The Global Scholars Program is designed to prepare professionals for this international state of affairs. The Global Scholars Program (GSP) can be earned in your program in the College of Education and Health Sciences regardless of your major. Your designation as a Global Scholar will assist you in job searches in your profession.
Students majoring in education, health science, nursing, or family and consumer sciences have the unique opportunity to earn the Global Scholar recognition of achievement in global studies. The Global Scholar may be earned with any degree and major offered within the College of Education and Health Sciences; completion entails neither additional expense nor additional time to graduate if planned early in your program at Bradley.
As a Global Scholar you will…
demonstrate increased awareness and appreciation of cultural, ethnic, and disciplinary backgrounds.
identify and analyze crucial factors in developing global and cross-cultural communication and attending to issues of diversity in your profession.
demonstrate greater awareness for global perspectives in communication, collaboration, diversity, and professional networking.
collaborate and communicate effectively with colleagues and other professionals within one’s own and other cultures.
demonstrate aspects of international culture and human behavior.
Global Scholars Program Requirements
Seventeen to 20 semester hours at Bradley University plus international/global campus activities, service activities, and participation in internationally focused seminars.
One to 3 hours to be approved by departmental Global Scholar Advisor, e.g., one semester in foreign language, proficiency equivalency, immersion course when studying abroad.
Nine hours of general education courses focused on international, human values orientation to be approved by the departmental Global Scholar Advisor from approved department list.
Departmental International/Multicultural Course
One 3-hour course from the student’s major.
ETE 280
FCS 338, FCS 433, FCS 438, FCS 406
For HS: ELH 370 & 375 (concurrently)
ELH 586
NUR 333, NUR 533
Minimum of 4 semester hours earned from study abroad.
EHS 300 Professionalism Across Cultures
Required 1-3 hour course taught by an interdisciplinary team.
International/Global Focused Campus Activities
Twenty hours of activity approved by departmental Global Scholar Advisor. Five of these hours are service related.
Focused Seminars
Participation in two or more internationally focused seminars sponsored by departments or college faculty.
Cooperative Education/Internship Program
The College participates with employers in an optional Cooperative Education/Internship Program. Students either alternate periods of full-time study with full-time employment or have part-time employment while attending classes. The program provides academic- or career-related work experiences. To be eligible, the student must have sophomore standing and a 2.0 minimum overall grade point average at Bradley and in the College of Education and Health Sciences; a nursing student must have senior standing and a 2.5 minimum overall grade point average at Bradley. (See Cooperative Education/Internship in EHS or Cooperative Education in Nursing.)
The University Experience
A one-semester-hour credit course, EHS 120, is available to all new students in the University.
Through discussions and class activities, students are assisted in clarifying personal goals and are familiarized with the University’s procedures, policies, and resources.
EHS 120 The University Experience 1 hr.
Designed to help new students adjust to the University environment. Assists students in gaining an appreciation for higher education, general education, and the value of a Bradley University education.
Professional Teaching Programs
The professional education unit is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
Bradley University has teacher education programs approved by the Illinois State Board of Education for the following categories:
Early Childhood (birth to grade 3)
The majors in early childhood education and elementary education require a second major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Secondary Educations (grades 6-12)
Family and Consumer Science—Apparel and Textiles
Family and Consumer Science—Living Environments
Family and Consumer Science—Nutrition, Wellness, and Hospitality
Science—Biology
Science—Chemistry
Science—Physics
Social Science—History
Special (K-12)
Learning Behavior Specialist I—LBS I
Learning Behavior Specialist I—Elementary Education —LBS I-ELED (K-9)
General Administrative
School Service Personnel
Information on graduate programs is included in the graduate catalog. General inquiries about graduate studies in the College can be made of chairs of degree program departments or the coordinator of graduate studies, the associate dean.
Graduate programs are offered in the following areas:
Special Education (C & I)
Leadership in Educational Administration
Leadership in Human Service Administration
Human Development Counseling
Nurse Administered Anesthesia
The Department of Teacher Education offers M.A. degrees in curriculum and instruction and special education. The curriculum and instruction major may be designed to include early childhood certification, middle-level endorsement, and/or a reading specialist. The department also offers an advanced certificate program at the graduate level with concentration options in:
Literacy and Reading
Multidisciplinary Special Education
The Department of Leadership in Education, Human Services, and Counseling offers M.A. degrees in leadership in educational administration, leadership in human service administration, and human development counseling. Individuals not seeking certification may develop a program that fulfills their needs. Graduate-level post-master's certificate programs in clinical mental health counseling, school counseling and in educational administration (Type 75) are available. Please consult the Graduate Catalog for further information.
The Department of Nursing offers a Master of Science in Nursing degree (MSN). One area of emphasis is nursing administration. The purpose of this 36-semester-hour graduate program is to educate professional nurses for managerial or administrative positions in adult health settings in hospitals, community health agencies, nursing homes and other agencies. The graduate is prepared for specialized nursing practice as a leader of the interdisciplinary health team, a manager of nursing personnel, a provider of health care, a client advocate, a consultant, a colleague, and a researcher.
Also, Bradley University and Decatur Memorial Hospital offer a 48-semester-hour Master of Science in Nursing degree in nurse administered anesthesia. Graduates of this program are eligible to take the national examination leading to certification as a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). Students will be scheduled for classes on the Bradley University campus in Peoria and for classes and internship at the Decatur Memorial Hospital campus in Decatur, Illinois.
For more information concerning the Master of Science in Nursing degree program or an individualized program plan, contact the chair, Department of Nursing.
The Department of Physical Therapy and Health Science offers a Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) degree program. Please consult the Graduate Catalog for further information.
The Department of Family and Consumer Sciences offers 500-level courses and a Dietetics Internship Graduate Certificate. Students interested in this certificate must have a completed a bachelor’s degree and have completed all requirements for the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) with a signed verification statement from their university’s respective DPD Director.
This Catalog represents the University’s best effort to communicate information on academic programs, policies, rules, and regulations that were in effect at the time of its publication. Students should be aware that the University reserves the right to modify these programs, policies, rules, and regulations at any time within a student’s term of residence. The University’s policy is to provide notice of any such modifications sufficiently in advance of their implementation to ensure adjustments without undue inconvenience. Before pre-registering for any academic term, students should contact the administrative office of their academic department or college to verify the most current information.
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From Climate Investment Funds Monitor 13
Clean Technology Fund (CTF)
Climate Investment Funds Monitor 13
Forest Investment Program (FIP)
Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR)
Scaling Up Renewable Energy Program (SREP)
CIFs Monitor 13
Credit: Flickr Green Prophet
The upcoming Clean Technology Fund (CTF) resource shortfall, now estimated to September 2016, continues to raise concerns
Following November 2015 discussion on new financing modalities for the CTF, a proposal for “CTF 2.0” will be discussed in the June meeting, including two proposed modalities: CTF Green Markets and the Risk Mitigation Facility
Concerns were raised over safeguards for a geothermal energy project in Indonesia
Read a pdf version of CIFs Monitor 13
Concerns over resource shortfall
Concerns remain over the shortfall in resources for the CTF (see CIFs Monitor 12, 11). In the November 2015 CTF trust fund committee meeting it was decided that there should not be any over-programming of restricted funds or any additional contributions until otherwise decided. The committee also repeated its calls for the CIF Administrative Unit to work with the MDBs to explore pipeline management, including a potential cancellation policy.
The April CTF semi-annual operational report reconfirmed the concerns, noting that by end of 2015 $4.5 billion (out of $5.6 billion in total pledges), had been committed to 92 projects and programmes. This leaves $709 million available to commit, with a potential addition of $264 million, which includes an expected further contribution from the US. According to the report, this will cover all projects scheduled to be submitted for approval until September 2016, however, when considering all projects in the pipeline there is an expected resource shortfall of $357 million. Since September 2015 the CIF Administrative Unit has conducted several reviews of the pipeline to identify projects that can be dropped, potentially freeing up additional resources to reduce the shortfall. A proposal for pipeline and cancellation policy will be discussed in a forthcoming meeting.
CTF 2.0
The November trust fund committee meeting discussed the paper New financing modalities for the Clean Technology Fund, which set out future options for the CTF. The paper presented the CTF as “an especially unique model” to ground international efforts in tackling climate change and argued that “a modest incremental investment from contributors can put CTF on a self-sustaining basis”. The paper noted that over-programming has “enabled more projects from new and existing countries to enter the CTF pipeline”, but that this also meant that the CTF pipeline “includes more projects than its resources can deliver.” According to the paper, the CTF concept is “straightforward (and compelling)”, in that it provides additional capital to MDBs from sovereign contributors, which expands the scale and would “bring down the cost of key mitigation activities in developing countries”. Furthermore, it argued that “the CIFs – and CTF in particular – offer a continuing and attractive opportunity for the international community: to fully engage the expertise and convening power of the MDBs to attract institutional investment at scale, and at the lowest possible cost, by deploying contributors’ public resources flexibly, efficiently and to the same high fiduciary and safeguard standards as its MDB partners.”
The paper discussed “how to build on [the CTF’s] ‘pure green MDB driven’ business model to increase the scale and broaden the range of capital engaged”, in particular through accessing “the huge pools of savings in the world’s pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, mutual funds and other investment vehicles.” It outlined three options for CTF going forward: to take no action, which would lead to the CTF likely winding down new commitments; to move into a pattern of periodic replenishment; or for the fund to receive a further equity capital infusion by one of more contributors, which would allow it to “leverage the equity position modestly” while it implements “a self-sustaining pricing and financial management regiment and builds out the aspects of the CTF business that can most efficiently deliver”. The paper recommended the latter option with arguments, including that it is “up-and-running”, coupled with an alleged “track record as an effective catalyst for green investments by MDBs in emerging market”, as well as its complementarity with the evolving climate finance architecture. The paper further explored what this option would look like in practice, including portfolio characteristics, capital structure and self-sustainability. It also concluded that no material changes would be necessary to the CTF’s legal framework.
Following the November 2015 discussions, the June trust fund committee meeting will discuss the paper CTF future strategic direction, which presents the case for “CTF 2.0” as “a unique opportunity to ensure most efficient use of limited public resources through the use of reflows from legacy assets in order to mobilise private sector financing and in the process, minimise the need for periodic replenishments from contributor countries.” According to the paper, the “legacy assets” refer to “a substantial asset base attributed to [the CTF’s] portfolio of committed loans to various middle income countries”, expected to increase to $5.6 billion by the end of financial year (FY) 2017. The debt service is proposed to support capital market borrowing, enabling “CTF to sustain a prudent cash reserve while continuing to make additional commitments to finance the projects advancing the objective for which CTF was created.”
The paper proposed that “an enhanced programmatic approach under which both geography focused as well as thematic … focused programmes would be considered for support … [to] harness the benefits and scale of the MDB partnership in support of priority investment areas including new frontier areas, while providing agility and a predictable and strategic framework within which to develop and structure investments.” Suggested themes for frontier areas include energy storage and sustainable transport. Moreover, two new financing modalities are proposed: CTF Green Markets and the Risk Mitigation Facility. Under the CTF Green Markets model “a new legal entity would be established and new securities (‘green bonds’) would be issued in the international capital markets to finance a new generation of CTF projects”, benefiting from the existing CTF structure but also introducing “innovative features”. MDBs would remain the lenders, and CTF would continue to bear any losses on the loans. The Risk Mitigation Facility (RMF) would be set up to “scale up mobilisation of local and international private capital for clean technology projects through provision of risk mitigation guarantees by utilising expected legacy CTF reflows.” It would be established and managed by IBRD on behalf of the CTF, but with inbuilt flexibility to enable other MDBs to offer the products. The paper noted that the RMF would need “substantial capital” to mobilise capital at scale, proposing an initial size of $1 billion through legacy CTF reflows.
For consideration in the December meeting, the paper asked the CIF Administrative Unit, in consultation with the MDBs and the trustee, to “a) explore and propose any modifications required in the current CTF documents to implement the proposed programmatic approach; and b) develop concrete proposals on priority investment areas and new frontiers that could be implemented within 18-24 months.” Moreover, the paper proposed that the CIF Administrative Unit and the trustee “conduct any necessary consultations with the contributors on making available the reflows (and any other available assets in the CTF trust fund)”, as well as any other necessary consultations and research, in preparation for the December meeting. It further estimated the cost for developing the new CTF modalities to $1 million, which has been allocated to the FY17 CIF budget.
Selected project updates
Indonesia: concerns over safeguards for geothermal energy
Project name Amount and date approved MDB services Key project documents
Geothermal energy upstream development project
$49 million (grant)
7 March 2016 IBRD
$600,000 Decision
The project aims to facilitate investments in geothermal energy, with a focus on the geothermal market in eastern Indonesia, “in order to increase access to electricity in areas with high poverty rates and expensive diesel-fired power generation.” CTF will fund risk mitigation for geothermal exploratory drilling, the first out of three key components of the overall project. The two other components are technical assistance and capacity building; and investment support for geothermal exploitation.
Key donor questions and concerns prior to approval
The UK pointed out that “the vast majority of the revised Indonesian IP [investment plan] is for geothermal development” and asked that “lessons from other projects are learned and incorporated into new projects as they emerge”. It also asked for further details on risks, including corruption/fiduciary risk and for a clarification on how the risks of “land disputes, illegal land uses, damage or loss of natural habitats and forests, and reduced watershed” would be managed. Furthermore, it questioned whether it is fair that the project developer does not have to bear any risk in the project exploration phase, and asked for further details on this.
The US raised issues regarding social and environmental due diligence. Noting that the environmental and social impact assessments will be conducted during project implementation, it asked “how will this allow for consultation with potentially affected persons?” It also asked whether “using new geothermal plants to expand energy access requires building new distribution networks”. Furthermore, it requested further details on “how financially sustainable these geothermal plants will be, particularly in regards to potential market size given that eastern Indonesia has high poverty rates and low electrification rates.”
On social and environmental due diligence, the IBRD explained that the project “is subject to due diligence by the [World Bank] safeguards specialists”, who will prepare “a number of safeguards instruments”, including an environmental and social management framework (ESMF), to be disclosed prior to project appraisal. Moreover, according to the IBRD: “If the present classification as category A is maintained the necessary safeguards document will be reviewed and endorsed by the WB’s [World Bank’s] Regional Safeguards Secretariat and consulted with PAPs [project-affected persons] and stakeholders 120 days in advance of board presentation to comply with US ED [executive director] requirements.” It clarified that the ESMF will also look into whether the new power plants will require strengthening of the transmission/distribution networks.
On the lack of risk for project developers, the IBRD responded that the project appraisal document will be updated to take into account recent directives from the minister of finance, requiring “that developers will have to pay the exploration costs at licensing rather than financial closure”. Finally, it clarified that details on financial sustainability will be clarified in the final project appraisal document.
Clean Technology Fund (CTF) explained
The objective of the CTF is to use minimum levels of concessional financing to catalyse investment opportunities that will reduce emissions in the long term. The CTF focuses on financing projects in middle-income and fast-growing developing countries.
The CTF is piloted in 15 countries and one region. In Phase I (2008-2010) 13 investment plans were endorsed: Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Vietnam, Philippines; and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), covering Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia. A further three plans have been endorsed in Phase II (after 2010): Nigeria, India and Chile. Furthermore, expressions of interest to join CTF have been received from Costa Rica, Jordan, Pakistan, Peru and Uruguay.
As of end June 2015, $5.3 billion had been pledged to the CTF. A total of $6.1 billion has been allocated for 134 projects and programmes, including $508.5 million for 23 sub-projects and programmes under the CTF Dedicated Private Sector Program (DPSP). Out of this $4.2 billion has been approved for 84 projects and programmes.
Donors: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, Sweden, UK, US
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//August 30, 2012
Archbishop of Canterbury criticises local failures to protect children from paedophile priests
The Church of England diocese that includes Brighton and Hove has been criticised in an official report – as has the recently retired Bishop of Chichester. The report was commissioned by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to investigate repeated failures to protect children...
Posted On 30 Aug 2012 at 4:03 pm
Bye Noone! Brighton and Hove Albion sell Scouse winger and sign a Spaniard
Gus Poyet has signed Spanish midfielder Andrea Orlandi from Swansea City after selling popular winger Craig Noone to Cardiff City. Noone, 24, joined Brighton and Hove Albion from Plymouth Argyle for £300,000 in January last year and helped the club to win the League One title. He...
Brighton radio boss explains personal reasons behind move to children’s charity
Ryan Heal leaves his job as managing director of the Brighton radio station Juice 107.2 tomorrow (Friday 1 September). On Monday (3 September) he will start his new job as chief executive of Rockinghorse, the Brighton children’s charity. He said that he had always felt that it...
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Bottled water company's £50k boost
Pictured are David Hunter, co-founder of Clearer Water and Phelim Sharvin, Associate Director, UCIT.
Times Reporter
Published: 14:46 Monday 09 July 2018
A social enterprise near Larne has had the ‘sparkle’ put into its business thanks to a £50k loan from Ulster Community Investment Trust (UCIT).
Clearer Water, based at Magheramorne, sources and bottles drinking water which is certified as among the best in the UK and Ireland.
The funds will allow the business to purchase a new automatic carbonator, enabling them to expand their customer base in the hotel and restaurant trade where sparkling water is more popular.
Production has grown to 10,000 bottles per day and the firm now operates additional shifts to meet demand.
Clearer Water, which employs 11, has created a relaxing working environment designed to help disadvantaged people who find it difficult to secure employment.
Clients include Shu, Ox, Wine & Brine, the Fitzwilliam and Lough Erne hotels, Titanic Belfast, Henderson Food Group and a number of up-market delicatessens in London.
Phelim Sharvin, UCIT’s Associate Director, said: “Clearer Water is a great example of what social enterprises can deliver - combining commercial success with a vision to improve local communities.
“Thanks to funding from UCIT, the company has been able to switch from a manual to an automatic carbonator. This has greatly improved production efficiency and allowed them to win new customers.
“The importance of social enterprises, community and voluntary groups to Northern Ireland’s economy continues to grow, generating annual revenues in excess of £1.2bn. Last year UCIT provided a record £14 million to 80 third sector organisations across the island.”
The social enterprise’s water is naturally purified through three limestone aquifers on the Antrim Plateau and has a pH of 7.8, putting it in the top 10 percent of UK bottled water.
Each bottle also contains a unique ‘Trace Code’ which allows customers to find out not just about the product, but also the person they have helped to support in employment by their decision to purchase Clearer Water.
David Hunter, co-founder of Clearer Water, said: “In the past year employment has more than tripled and sales have increased six-fold. As a company we’re focused on the idea that to be social, we need to be enterprising. This enables us to provide employment to people who previously had little expectation of holding down a job, and that has been life changing for them and their families.
“Demand for bottled-water is projected to increase by over 13 percent in the UK over the next decade, fuelled by the sugar tax and a greater awareness of diseases such as diabetes. As the market grows, we expect to increase production and provide further employment opportunities. The automatic carbonator will assist greatly in meeting the demand, particularly for sparkling, or as we call it, ‘With Bubbles’ bottled water.
“In addition to UCIT we’ve been supported by the Big Lottery, Rural Development Fund, Northern Trust, Housing Executive NI and Henderson Food Group, which is our distributor. Without them it wouldn’t have been possible for the business to grow as quickly as it has.”
The idea for Clearer Water was sparked by an 18-year long campaign to prevent a local quarry being turned into a landfill site.
During this time professional reports were commissioned to detail the quality of the water source, providing the provenance and certification Clearer Water would require to sell it as premium bottled drinking water.
Clearer Water is a partnership between Acceptable Enterprises Larne, which operates a number of social enterprises and training schemes, and Learning to Grow, a charity specialising in therapeutic horticulture.
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Analysis: Pope Benedict XVI's Visit in Israel
Geschrieben von Ariel Ben Ami
Erstellt: 26. Mai 2009
Pope Benedict's visit to the Holy Land was an emotional experience for me, as it was for many. Ironically, I was not able to see him "live" from my usual place of residence in Jerusalem, but had to be content with watching him on live internet broadcasts from Rome, where I am currently residing for a few months. This gave me a unique perspective on the papal visit - and not only because I probably saw and heard the pope much better than had I tried to make my way through the crowded sites. Rather than hearing first-hand Israeli reactions to the pope's visit, I got to observe and engage many Catholic reactions from the Eternal City and heart of the Church. These turned out to be a real eye opener. Observing the reactions and counter-reactions to the Holy Father's visit drove home the reality of the immense gap in understanding that remains to be bridged between Jews and Christians.
The Pope's Message to Israel
Benedict's visit to the Holy Land was and probably will remain the most complicated and sensitive trip of his pontificate. Even before he arrived there was a sense in the air that "anything that can be misinterpreted will be." Now that the dust has settled, it is fair to say that the trip generated very mixed feelings. Let's look at a few highlights of the Holy Father's visit that are particularly relevant to Jewish-Christian relations, and the way they were received and perceived by Israelis and Catholics. [Benedict's most important speeches can be found in our section the Pope and the Jewish People.]
Even before he arrived in Israel, from Mount Nebo in Jordan the pope already emphasized the "inseparable bond" that connects the Church with the Jewish people, and the imperative of working towards reconciliation between them:
The ancient tradition of pilgrimage to the holy places also reminds us of the inseparable bond between the Church and the Jewish people. From the beginning, the Church in these lands has commemorated in her liturgy the great figures of the Patriarchs and Prophets, as a sign of her profound appreciation of the unity of the two Testaments. May our encounter today inspire in us a renewed love for the canon of Sacred Scripture and a desire to overcome all obstacles to the reconciliation of Christians and Jews in mutual respect and cooperation in the service of that peace to which the word of God calls us!
Upon his arrival at the Tel Aviv airport on Monday, May 11, Benedict was greeted by President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. There, in his arrival speech, he immediately made a clear and unequivocal condemnation of anti-Semitism that was well-received:
Tragically, the Jewish people have experienced the terrible consequences of ideologies that deny the fundamental dignity of every human person. It is right and fitting that, during my stay in Israel, I will have the opportunity to honor the memory of the six million Jewish victims of the Shoah, and to pray that humanity will never again witness a crime of such magnitude. Sadly, anti-Semitism continues to rear its ugly head in many parts of the world. This is totally unacceptable. Every effort must be made to combat anti-Semitism wherever it is found, and to promote respect and esteem for the members of every people, tribe, language and nation across the globe.
Controversy at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial
After a warm reception at the President's residence the same afternoon, Benedict then visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial for what turned out to be the most controversial part of his visit. In his much scrutinized speech, the successor of Peter said that he had come to "stand in silence before this monument, erected to honor the memory of the millions of Jews killed in the horrific tragedy of the Shoah." The pope then respectfully honored the name and memory of the dead. He warned against any attempt at denying the Holocaust: "May their suffering never be denied, belittled or forgotten!" He spoke of the Church's "deep compassion" for the victims and somewhat generically said how the Church "draws close to all those who today are subjected to persecution on account of race, color, condition of life or religion" and how the cry of the victims is "a cry raised against every act of injustice and violence."
I must admit that as soon as Benedict finished speaking I knew that his speech would not be very well received. There was nothing wrong with what he said. The problem was with many crucial things that were not said, and sadly because of this a unique opportunity for Jewish-Christian reconciliation was lost. Sure enough, immediately a flurry of criticism was heard in the Israeli media. Most Jewish listeners thought the speech was disappointing. It was said that the pope had not mentioned the number 6 million, had used the word "killed" instead of "murdered," and had not mentioned the Nazis or Germans, a significant silence considering his own identity as a German. It was said that the speech lacked empathy and sorrow. Most importantly, the pope stopped short of making an apology or even expressing regret for the long history of Christian anti-Semitism that had paved the way for the Shoah. The main headline in the English-language Haaretz was representative of many others: "[Holocaust] Survivors angered by Benedict's 'lukewarm' speech." The lead editorial of the same Israeli daily added:
The thorough preparations for his visit to Israel, the complex traffic and security arrangements, and the millions of shekels that were earmarked for his hospitality evaporated as if they did not exist thanks to a speech that was missing one word — 'sorry.'
To me, these emotional, overly critical and at times uncharitable reactions were no surprise. To the outsider they may have seemed like petty and immature nitpicking against a speech that was sensitive, respectful, dignified, and moving. Clearly there was a wide gap in how the pope's speech was understood by Jews and Catholics. But what was really troubling for me was to hear and observe not a few harsh and insensitive Catholic counter-reactions that showed little or no genuine desire to try to understand the Israeli disappointment. Again and again I encountered impatient responses such as: "Those Jews are never happy!" or "why should the pope be obliged to satisfy their rigid expectation of what they think he should have said?" I heard Catholics say that the Jews should just "get over" the Holocaust. Others thought that since John Paul II had asked for forgiveness nine years ago the matter had been taken care of and there was no need to return to the topic. It was now time to move on. Topping off the disgraceful Catholic remarks were the comments of Father Thomas D. Williams, LC writing for Zenit. Fr. Williams described Rabbi Ysrael Meir Lau, chairman of the Yad Vashem memorial and a holocaust survivor whose father died in the Treblinka death camp, as "looking as if he had recently eaten something particularly disagreeable to his stomach" during the pope's speech. Sorry, Father Williams, that Rabbi Lau was not looking more cheerful as he pondered the murder of his father and his own nightmare in the Nazi death machine where two thirds of his people were ruthlessly exterminated.
To me such reactions testified to a total lack of sensitivity towards the gaping wound that remains in the Jewish soul following the abyss of the Holocaust - the decimation of the Jewish people that followed upon the heels of centuries of vicious Christian anti-Semitism and persecution. The hair-splitting criticism over Benedict's choice of words was not the issue. This was only a symptom of a much deeper malaise. Unfortunately, it seemed that few Catholics were willing to extend the grace to overlook the emotional reactions and consider the deep hurt underlying them. Too many Catholics possibly remain unaware that for most Jews, Christianity is not the religion that brought peace and love into the world, but rather the one that caused unspeakable suffering upon them for the greater part of their history: from the first centuries of the Church, blaming the Jews for the death of Christ led to forced conversions and baptisms, public humiliations and mythical accusations resulting in brutal executions, the burning of synagogues, mass exiles and deportations, ghettoes, and murderous pogroms - to only scratch the surface of this less than illustrious past. The few positive steps towards repentance and reconciliation initiated a decade ago by John Paul II, as groundbreaking as they were, were not enough to heal this painful heritage. Constant, persevering and enduring efforts remain an imperative to bring genuing healing and reconciliation between Israel and the Church.
Identificational Repentance
In my opinion, what was most lacking about the pontiff's visit in Israel was identificational repentance. This is a key biblical principle by which a representative of a group of people repents and asks forgiveness not for his own sins but for those of his forefathers or predecessors. Though he may be entirely innocent of personal guilt, he identifies with the sins of his forefathers to the point of almost considering them his own, and he repents and asks forgiveness in their place. Anyone who understands the theology of the communion of saints will know that this is a very Catholic concept. We can see a beautiful example of identificational repentance in the book of Daniel (9:1-19). Daniel was a righteous man who contemplated the tragic destiny of his people from the perspective of the Babylonian captivity. He realized that the sins of Israel had led to their humiliating exile. Though he bore no personal guilt for this tragedy, Daniel prayed a moving and humble prayer asking God forgiveness for the sins of his fathers:
O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments... We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets... O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem... because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary... (Dan 9:4-5, 10, 16-17)
Calls for Pope Benedict to apologize for his personal past as a German were out of place because it is well known that his family was strongly opposed to the Nazi regime. However, as head of the universal Church, the Church whose children were responsible for such a long history of unjust persecution of the Jews, and especially as a son of the German people, would it not have been fitting and good to make a strong statement of identificational repentance at this historical moment, in the presence of Holocaust survivors? What would have been the cost? What was there to lose?
Bewilderment at the absence of repentance was not only expressed by Jews. Christians also expressed dismay at the words that were left unspoken. In a special commentary on the pope's visit, Rev. Malcolm Hedding, executive director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, pointedly asked: "Why is it so hard to embrace humility and repent? After all, these are the great hallmarks of the Christian faith." Hedding underlined the prophetic nature of humble repentance towards Israel, pointing out how Isaiah foresaw that "the sons of those who afflicted you [Israel] shall come bowing to you, and all those who despised you shall fall prostrate at the soles of your feet" (Isaiah 60:14).
As head of the organization that has perhaps done the most to further Jewish-Christian reconciliation, Hedding knows what he is talking about from experience. He added:
Yet oddly, it has been Evangelical Christians - today the fastest-growing stream of Christianity worldwide - who have sought to fill that prophetic role by facing up to the Church's tragic legacy head-on. From our ranks, clergy and laymen alike have journeyed to Yad Vashem to profess the Christian world's corporate guilt for the church's dark history of anti-Semitism, including the Catholic Church, and to repent for these great moral failings. This repentance has been honest, sincere and without condition. We have stood in humility, accepted the shame, and said "sorry", even though there is no history in our 400 year-old movement of Evangelical involvement in the sad chronicle of inquisitions, pogroms, expulsions and convert-or-die scenarios that repeatedly took aim at the Jewish people.
As a convinced Catholic who loves the Church, I can only echo Hedding's question: Why is it so hard for many Catholics to embrace humility and repent, when countless Evangelicals who bear not even a fraction of the historical burden of guilt that we Catholics carry towards the Jewish people do this willingly and gladly?
The absence of identificational repentance was perhaps the reason why Benedict's prayer at the Wailing Wall the following day also failed to make an impression. Unlike John Paul's prayer nine years ago, which specifically touched upon the Christian responsibility towards the persecution of the Jewish people and attendant need for repentance, Benedict's prayer was general and universalistic, asking the Lord to "send your peace upon this Holy Land, upon the Middle East, upon the entire human family; stir the hearts of all who call upon your name, to walk humbly in the path of justice and compassion." Again, nothing wrong with these gentle words. A touching prayer, but one that didn't address the deep wounds of the past.
Benedict then went on to Visit the Grand Rabbinate of Israel, where he declared to the chief rabbis his desire for reconciliation between Jews and Christians:
Today I have the opportunity to repeat that the Catholic Church is irrevocably committed to the path chosen at the Second Vatican Council for a genuine and lasting reconciliation between Christians and Jews. As the Declaration Nostra Aetate makes clear, the Church continues to value the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews and desires an ever deeper mutual understanding and respect through biblical and theological studies as well as fraternal dialogues.
How unfortunate that the words most needed to further this noble goal of reconciliation were never said.
If the many Catholic reactions to the Israeli disappointment were an embarrassement, the one person who displayed the most humble response to the critics was Benedict himself. Just before his departure for Rome, at the Ben Gurion airport, the Holy Father showed that he had listened to his critics with attention and respect. Addressing President Shimon Peres, Benedict quoted St. Paul to emphasize again the common roots of Israel and the Church, before returning once again to the subject of the Holocaust in very clear terms - though identificational repentance was still absent:
Mr. President, you and I planted an olive tree at your residence on the day that I arrived in Israel. The olive tree, as you know, is an image used by Saint Paul to describe the very close relations between Christians and Jews. Paul describes in his Letter to the Romans how the Church of the Gentiles is like a wild olive shoot, grafted onto the cultivated olive tree which is the People of the Covenant (cf. 11:17-24). We are nourished from the same spiritual roots. We meet as brothers, brothers who at times in our history have had a tense relationship, but now are firmly committed to building bridges of lasting friendship.
The ceremony at the Presidential Palace was followed by one of the most solemn moments of my stay in Israel -- my visit to the Holocaust Memorial at Yad Vashem to pay my respects to the victims of the Shoah. There I also met some of the survivors. Those deeply moving encounters brought back memories of my visit three years ago to the death camp at Auschwitz, where so many Jews -- mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters, brothers, sisters, friends -- were brutally exterminated under a godless regime that propagated an ideology of anti-Semitism and hatred. That appalling chapter of history must never be forgotten or denied. On the contrary, those dark memories should strengthen our determination to draw closer to one another as branches of the same olive tree, nourished from the same roots and united in brotherly love.
The Balance Sheet
During a press conference the Wednesday after the pope's departure, Archbishop Fouad Twal, patriarch of Jerusalem, and Archbishop Antonio Franco, apostolic nuncio, defined the trip as "more than 90% successful." Certainly, Benedict came to the Holy Land as a humble pilgrim and did his best to further peace and reconciliation in a tense region. But one wonders by what standard the two archbishops arrived at this rather triumphalistic grade. I have a hard time following how Catholic clergymen and commentators viewed the trip as such a great success, despite the fact that the overwhelming local response ranged from sharp discontent to cautious optimism, with the average feeling probably being one of disappointment with a touch of cynicism.
On the positive side, Pope Benedict strongly condemned anti-Semitism and appealed that it be "universally recognized that the State of Israel has the right to exist, and to enjoy peace and security within internationally agreed borders." He tirelessly spoke about the need for peace and reconciliation and the urgent necessity of overcoming all forms of injustice and violence. He came as "a friend of the Israelis" as much as a "friend of the Palestinian people." Benedict also had strong words of encouragement for the local Christians, and he pleaded for the healing of divisions between them.
On the other hand, the one missing word, "sorry," turned what could have been a giant step towards touching the heart of the Jewish nation and dramatically furthering the reconciliation between Israel and the Church into a moment that fell short of all expectations and hopes. Humble identificational repentance remained and still remains badly needed on the part of the Church and her leaders, as an example for all Christians to come to grips with our less than illustrious past with the Jewish people. Moreover, the burning potato of the Muslim persecution of Christians in the Holy Land was carefully avoided, and so was the issue of the current paralysis of the Church's evangelistic mission of sharing the Gospel of salvation to all people of the Holy Land (two topics that I will not address here). The "elephant in the room" - which no one really wants to notice - remains the troubling correlation between the dwindling number of Christians in the Holy Land and refusal of the hierarchy to evangelize. Is the calling of all people to conversion to the Gospel not a crucial requirement to foster a thriving and growing Christian community in the land of Jesus? And is a universal invitation to a life-changing encounter with the Messiah of Israel not the only real way to overcome prejudice and hatred and to bring forgiveness, reconciliation, unity and love between all people in Israel and the Holy Land?
In light of all the pressure and sensitivities of this trip, the Holy Father did his best. But perhaps 75% would be a fairer grade.
Haaretz: A Missed Opportunity (May 13)
Politics Daily: How the Pope Fell Short as a Guest (May 14)
Ynet: Pope concludes Holy Land Visit (May 15)
Ansprache Benedikts XVI. in Yad Vashem
Gott ist kein Bigamist
Pope Benedict XVI: Holocaust Denial Unacceptable
Pope Benedict XVI's Address to American Jewish Organizations
Der Papst bei seiner Ankuft in Israel
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Knox v. SEIU: An Important Free Speech Victory
By Trevor Burrus
It may not get the attention of the impending Obamacare decision, but today’s Court’s decision in Knox v. SEIU is an important and somewhat unexpected victory for the First Amendment.
In 2005, the SEIU initiated a mid-year campaign against two California ballot measures, one that would cap state spending and another that would restrict the use of union dues for political purposes. In states such as California that do not have “right to work” laws, unions are allowed to take dues from non-union workers to finance collective-bargaining activities that, arguably, benefit all employees. Since 1977, however, unions have not been allowed to take dues from non-union members to pay for pure political advocacy without adequate protections for possible dissenters. In order to distinguish political money from collective-bargaining money, the Supreme Court requires that a “Hudson notice” be given to all non-union workers. This notice gives non-members the opportunity to challenge political expenditures.
The narrowest question in Knox was whether the notice given by the SEIU Local 100 complied with the Supreme Court’s requirements. There was a broader question, however, pushed by Cato in our brief (joining the Pacific Legal Foundation, the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, and the Mountain States Legal Foundation), on whether only having the ability to “opt-out” of political spending (rather than to “opt-in”) violates the First Amendment (Tim Sandefur of PLF offers his thoughts here). Opting-out presumes that the non-members want to engage in the union’s political advocacy, and this seems to place the burden on free speech on the wrong party.
In a decision that rings with a chastising tone directed at the union, Justice Samuel Alito affirmed that opting-out can be a First Amendment violation. In his words: “Our cases have tolerated a substantial impingement on First Amendment rights by allowing unions to impose an opt-out requirement at all.” Justice Alito also adopts our argument that balancing the rights of individuals with the “rights” of unions is the wrong way to look at the issue. Unions have long argued that complying with administrative requirements to give notice to non-union members impinges on their ability to be effective political advocates. Moreover, the unions argue, sometimes it is not possible to accurately determine what percentage of their funds will be used for political advocacy and “there is at least a risk that, at the end of the year, unconsenting nonmembers will have paid either too much or too little.” “Which side should bear the risk?” asks Justice Alito. “The answer is obvious: the side whose constitutional rights are not at stake.”
In this case, the First Amendment violation was particularly troubling because the union exacted money from nonmembers in order to defeat a California proposition that would have bolstered nonmembers rights. “If Proposition 75 had passed,” writes Alito, “nonmembers would have been exempt from paying for SEIU’s extensive political projects unless they affirmatively consented. Thus the effect of the SEIU’s procedure was to force many nonmembers to subsidize a political effort designed to restrict their own rights.”
Although the decision does not go so far as to require that unions must always use an opt-in procedure when extracting political war-chest money from nonmembers, it takes a very strong step in that direction, as Justice Stephen Breyer argues in dissent. Opting-in will only be required for such “special assessments” as in this case or for a general “dues increase.”
But Justice Breyer is correct that the majority opinion offers few reasons why opting-in should not be required for all union political dues taken from nonmembers, not just special assessments. In making the strong argument that forced speech without affirmative consent is a First Amendment evil, Justice Alito leaves little room for even the existing opt-out system. Alito and the justices who joined his opinion seem very friendly to the idea that all union political dues for nonmembers require opt-in procedures. Hopefully that case will hit the Court soon. For now, congratulations to Jim Young and National Right to Work Legal Foundation on an important victory.
General, Constitution, the Law, and the Courts, Regulatory Studies
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Group Defends WTC Cross at 9/11 Memorial
CP Current Page: U.S. | Wednesday, July 27, 2011
By Lawrence D. Jones, Christian Post Reporter | Wednesday, July 27, 2011
A conservative legal group said Tuesday it will help defend the World Trade Center cross from a legal challenge by a group of atheists seeking its removal from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
The American Center for Law and Justice said it will file a friend-to-the-court brief on behalf former 9/11 firefighter and first responder Tim Brown in support of the WTC cross, which was installed at the Ground Zero memorial Saturday.
"We will aggressively defend the placement of this cross," Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ACLJ, said in a statement Tuesday. "This memorial, a powerful part of the history of 9-11, serves as a constitutionally-sound reminder of the horrors that occurred nearly a decade ago."
On Monday, American Atheists filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the iconic WTC cross, made up of two intersecting steel beams found intact amid the rubble of the Sept. 11 attacks. The atheist group claims that the cross is a "Christian icon" and an inappropriate "mingling of church and state."
American Atheists is asking that either the museum allow other faiths to display their own religious symbols or take down the WTC cross. The suit names the museum, Mayor Bloomberg, and New York, among others, as defendants.
Supporters of the WTC cross argue it represents more than a Christian symbol but serves as remembrance of those who died in the terrorist attacks.
Joe Daniel, president of the 9/11 Memorial, called the cross display "a symbol of the progress on the Memorial & Museum that we feel rather than see, reminding us that commemoration is at the heart of our mission."
Others have called the cross an "inspiration" and symbol of "unity" for the American people.
In his statement, Sekulow called the lawsuit "deeply flawed and without merit."
The Washington, D.C.-based lawyer also blogged about the case on the ACLJ's website Tuesday, dismissing the lawsuit’s claims that plaintiffs "continue to suffer damages, both physical and emotional, from the existence of the challenged cross."
"They are injured by the mere existence of the cross? We're talking about two intersecting steel beams that held up when the Twin Towers collapsed. Yes, it is cross-shaped. But, suffering physical and emotional damage because of the existence of the cross? Give me a break," Sekulow wrote.
"This claim is ridiculous. If someone doesn't like it, look the other way. Skip that part of the exhibit."
The ACLJ is confident that legal challenge against the WTC cross will not succeed, pointing out that court challenges by atheist organizations in the past targeting the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Motto, the National Day of Prayer have all failed. The conservative legal group filed amicus briefs in those cases.
"This is just the latest chapter of an anti-God strategy employed by atheist organizations across the country – a strategy offensive to millions of Americans, a strategy that we're confident ultimately will fail in court," said Sekulow in the statement.
Request for 9/11 Money to Fund Ground Zero Mosque Reignites Controversy
Ground Zero Church Sues NY Authorities over Stalled Rebuild
Obama Remembers 9/11 Victims, Says 'We Will Never Forget'
Reservations for Ground Zero 9/11 Memorial Site Open
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over Mosque Blocks from Ground Zero Site
Ground Zero Museum Prepares for 10th Anniversary of 9/11
Relatives of 9/11 Victims Request Involvement in News Corp Hacking Scandal
American Atheists Want Cross Removed From World Trade Center Memorial Museum
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Occupancy tax renewed by Yates Legislature
By Gwen Chamberlain
Yates County Legislators have unanimously agreed to renew the local law that established the 4 percent occupancy tax that was first effective Jan. 1, 2008. District II Legislator Timothy Dennis recalled the conflicts that arose 12 years ago when lawmakers first proposed collecting a local tax on lodging. He said as a result, the county has returned $350,000 per year for tourism promotion efforts, and the local property tax burden has been reduced by about $250,000 annually because of the revenue.
Only one person spoke during the public hearing regarding the law. Lisa Salotto, who owns a rental property in the Town of Italy about four miles from Canandaigua Lake says she has to compete with properties in Ontario County, where there is no occupancy tax. She suggested that consideration - perhaps a reduced rate for annual membership in the Yates County Chamber of Commerce — should be given to properties like hers.
She also suggested that the county could work with Air BNB to collect the tax so property owners wouldn’t be responsible.
Acting Administrator Nonie Flynn said in the past, unlike other counties in New York, Yates County did not use AirBNB to collect the tax because AirBNB would not share the address information on the rental properties. That’s a detail Yates County needs to calculate the correct amount to share with the village of Penn Yan. The worker in the county treasurer’s office who called AirBNB learned that the company’s practices had changed. Flynn said AirBNB is now willing to share the addresses with Yates County. Now the treasurer’s office will work with the company to begin collecting the tax which will be sent to the county quarterly. She said this new process will be helpful for the treasurer’s office.
At the beginning of the meeting, Gene Pierce, a member of the county’s Tourism Advisory Committee gave a presentation about the use of the $309,889 in 2018 tourism promotions funds that were granted to 11 projects or organizations: Yates County Chamber of Commerce as Tourism Promotion Agency ($176,629); Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance ($21,860); Finger Lakes Wine Country ($67,500); Seneca Flight Operations - Mom’s 5K ($5,000); Arts Center of Yates County ($5,000); The Windmill ($3,000); Friends of the Outlet ($10,000); Dundee Scottish Festival ($1,000); Cornell Cooperative Extension - FL Farm Country ($5,000); Fox Run Vineyards ($12,500).
The aim of the funding is to increase the number of overnight visits to the county. According to a report by the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance, which quoted data from an industry study of the 2017 economic impact of tourism, visitors spent $64 million in Yates County, and while the regional growth rate was 2.4 percent, the growth rate in Yates County was 4.5 percent.
Other business July 8 included:
• Airport Lighting: Legislators authorized Paddock to execute a grant agreement with the Federal Aviation Agency for airport lighting improvements. The total project cost is $137,393 and Yates County’s share is $6,869.
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Paralyzed man walks again thanks to spinal implant
By James Griffiths and Wayne Drash, CNN
Updated 12:36 AM ET, Fri November 2, 2018
New electrical implants were able to assist subjects with spinal injuries in walking and regaining feeling in their limbs.
(CNN) A man with a spinal-cord injury leaving him wheelchair bound has been able to walk thanks to a revolutionary new spinal implant.
Two other men involved in the study were also able to regain control of their leg muscles after they were implanted with electrical stimulators that could help compensate for the damage to their spinal cords, according to new research published in the journal Nature.
The spinal cord carries messages from the brain to other parts of the body, allowing us to move our limbs, feel sensations like pressure or temperature, and control vital functions.
If it is damaged, the neural signals can have trouble getting through, leaving a person paralyzed or otherwise disabled. In this experiment, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne used electrical implants to bridge the gap in the spinal cord, helping to carry the messages from the brain across the damaged area into a non-damaged part of the spinal cord lower down.
The effects of the treatment lasted beyond when the electrical signals stopped, and "all of the participants retained some improvement in muscle movement even after the stimulation therapy," according to Nature.
David M'zee was told he would never walk again after a sporting accident.
While the results were astonishing, the team was quick to caution that the treatment -- called epidural electrical stimulation -- is in the early stages and it is not clear for how many people this would work. Importantly, the current sample size was very small, and all involved in the study retained some level of motor function below their injuries, even if this was not enough to walk unaided.
One positive sign about the study is that the electrical stimulation was not simply moving the muscles by itself, in the way that sending current through a dead body will make it twitch, but that it relied on the subjects attempting to move their limbs.
"It really works as an amplifier," study lead Grégoire Courtine told Nature. "It's not that we're taking over control of the leg. The patients -- they have to do it."
He said that after two days, the new movement became almost natural to the subjects and within a week, they were able to walk with limited assistance. This included one person previously had no movement in his legs, and one whose left leg had been completely paralyzed, according to Nature.
'Amazing' treatment helps paralyzed people walk again
"Not so long ago, the hope that someone paralyzed for years by a severe spinal-cord injury would ever be able to walk again was just that -- hope," the journal said in an editorial about the new research. "But recent advances are bringing those hopes closer to reality."
In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in September, researchers at the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center at the University of Louisville described how two of four patients with "motor complete spinal cord injury" -- meaning no voluntary movement below their injury -- were able to walk again after being implanted with a spinal cord stimulation device and then undergoing extensive physical therapy. They walk with the aid of walkers.
How paralyzed patients are able to stand again
"This should change our thinking about people with paralysis," said Susan Harkema, one of the lead researchers of that study who is a professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Louisville when that study was published. "It's phenomenal. This new knowledge is giving us the tools to develop new strategies and tools for recovery in people with chronic spinal injuries."
Another study also published in September in the journal Nature Medicine unveiled similar results. A man paralyzed since 2013 regained his ability to stand and walk with assistance due to spinal cord stimulation and physical therapy, according to research done in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic and the University of California, Los Angeles.
"What this is teaching us is that those networks of neurons below a spinal cord injury still can
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Movie review: ‘Stan & Ollie’ gets to the heart of Laurel & Hardy
Ed Symkus More Content Now
Neither a comedy nor a full-fledged biography, “Stan & Ollie” is a loving ode, a tip of the bowler hat, to Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, the legendary team that made it unscathed from silent films to talkies, and shorts to features in an internationally renowned career that lasted from the 1920s to the 1950s.
With such a wide time span of their films making people laugh, this project could have gone in many directions. But it’s very focused. It doesn’t go into who they were before they were a team - before producer Hal Roach noticed them in his stable of actors and got the idea to pair them up - nor does it show how they developed their act and personas.
The storyline sticks with two periods - 1937 when they were filming the feature “Way out West” and 1953 when they attempted to revive their flagging career by going on a stage tour of Great Britain. The idea of the film is to show them, not as the characters of Laurel and Hardy, but as the two men who played those characters. It’s a story of their relationship - how it was in the early days, what went wrong, and how they both tried to reconnect with the close friendship, the love, that was always there.
Accolades go to John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan in the title roles. Not just because of the amazing makeup and prosthetic work that’s been applied to them, and not even because these two longtime Laurel & Hardy fans got both the voices and the mannerisms down to a tee (Coogan fans already know that he has a gift for mimicry). It’s that both actors got inside the men they were portraying, reaching the heart and soul of them. Reilly’s performance is a tad more layered, and he really lets his eyes do the talking for him. That’s best seen in the wonderful sequences when Stan, always coming up with new comedy bits and trying them out on Ollie, gets him to quietly erupt in laughter. Nothing is to be taken away from Coogan. In a scene where he gets some bad news from a film producer, the camera is trained on his expressive face and, wordlessly, he conveys a combination of disappointment and desperation.
But the film also has plenty of funny moments. The shows on their British tour consist of bits from their films - one from “County Hospital,” involving a broken leg and hard-boiled eggs is there - that are recreated for the loving audiences who remember them from the team’s heyday. A nice touch is that screenwriter Jeff Pope has also come up with new routines of the sort that Stan and Ollie might have done. The best is a hilarious double door bit that shows off the timing the two men had down pat. Pope tops that when, later in the film, a scene takes place “behind the curtain,” revealing how the two men pulled off the intricacies required for it.
There’s also some movie magic in the film. It opens with a four-minute tracking shot of Reilly and Coogan walking through a studio back lot (it’s actually three shots seamlessly blended together) that ends up with them performing their dazzling little dance from “Way Out West.” And shortly afterward, the storytelling begins. We hear of their multiple divorces - though in the 1953 scenes the women they’re married to, played by Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda, are the main strengths in the lives. There are money hassles with their boss Hal Roach (Danny Huston) that lead to a rift between Stan and Ollie, and the trip to England isn’t just to do shows but also to find out about an upcoming remake of “Robin Hood” that they’re scheduled to make.
Laurel & Hardy fans will already know the fate of that film, but even they probably don’t know what went on between the two men during that period of time, as not much has ever been told of it. The ending is bittersweet, and a few tears will likely be shed by some viewers. But everyone should be fine when in the midst of the end credits, they get to see actual footage of Stan and Ollie doing their little dance.
Ed Symkus writes about movies for More Content Now. He can be reached at esymkus@rcn.com.
Written by Jeff Pope; directed by Jon. S Baird
With John C. Reilly, Steve Coogan, Shirley Henderson, Nina Arianda, Danny Huston
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Tangling with Tua: Missouri defense bracing for potent Alabama offense
By Cameron Teague RobinsonColumbia Daily Tribune
Oct 10, 2018 at 7:18 PM Oct 10, 2018 at 9:51 PM
The Alabama offense has been a mismatch for every defense it has gone up against this season.
Led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the Tide have put together a six-game stretch that hasn’t been seen in over a decade.
Alabama, the No. 1 team in the country, has beaten its opponents by an average of 40 points per game. The only other team to beat its opponents by 40 or more points since 2003 was the 2013 Florida State Seminoles led by Jameis Winston.
And then there are the numbers Tagovailoa is putting up. Tagovailoa, who has yet to see the field in the fourth quarter, is averaging 14.8 passing yards per attempt. That’s the most a quarterback has thrown for dating back to 1956. Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray is second with 13.1 this season.
That’s Missouri’s opponent on Saturday. An offense that leads the Southeastern Conference in total offense, is second in passing yards per game and fourth in rushing yards per game.
“They have weapons everywhere,” Missouri linebacker Cale Garrett said.
But the hype surrounding Alabama, which allowed a season-high 31 points last week against, is something Garrett said the Tigers can’t get consumed with.
On film, Garrett said it’s evident that some players do get caught up in the intimidation factor that comes with playing against Alabama.
“I think they just see what’s on the front of their jersey. They expect, ‘Oh that’s the No. 1 team in the country and we have no shot of keeping up with these guys.’ and teams just kind of crumble over,” Garrett said. “We can’t have that mentality with anybody. We want to go in, play and give them our best shot. That’s all we can ask of ourselves.”
Alabama’s offensive strength doesn’t begin with the quarterback, though, it begins up front with the offensive line. Missouri and Alabama have both allowed an SEC-leading four sacks this season. Alabama has played one more game than Missouri, though.
“Their line is as good of a group as there is in college football,” Odom said.
Tagovailoa has been sacked just twice this season and is the nation’s leader in passing efficiency.
But it’s not just what Tagovailoa can do in a clean pocket that stands out on tape, it’s what he can do to extend a play.
“He has great vision and he has time to throw and when he doesn’t he’s athletic enough to build in time,” Odom said.
Add Tagovailoa with Alabama's playmakers on the outside and you have the most difficult challenge Missouri’s secondary has faced to date.
“He is the best quarterback we will play against this season, in my opinion,” Walters said, before adding that it will be important that the defensive backs have their eyes in the correct spots.
Defensive back Demarkus Acy’s explanation behind South Carolina’s game-winning drive on Saturday was about miscommunication.
In order to fix communication mistakes, Acy said, the focus for the secondary is on the film.
“We know we can match up physically with any team in the nation,” Acy said. “At this point it’s all about the mental, in the film room and knowing what we will be getting in different splits, formations and down and distances.”
The Tigers secondary has been a weak spot this season. The Tigers rank 116th nationally, giving up 284.4 yards per game. Where Missouri’s defense has been strong this year, is on the ground.
Missouri ranks 15th in rushing defense, giving up 107.4 yards per game. Alabama is averaging 222 yards per game, on the ground.
Najee Harris leads that group with 382 yards and four touchdowns, while Damien Harris is right behind Najee with 361 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Josh Jacobs leads the team with six rushing touchdowns.
While Alabama’s passing game can put a defense in difficult situations downfield, Walters said the Tide have a physical rushing game that doesn't disguise much.
“Their runners, they run like it’s 4th-and-1 and like the national championship is on the line every time they carry the ball,” Odom said.
Much like the Tigers said before their game against Georgia, they aren’t intimidated by Alabama. But the Alabama, which is averaging a NCAA-leading 56 points per game, will provide a challenge unlike anything the Tigers have seen this season.
Alabama will make plays, but Walters said the team has to focus on itself.
“You have to go into it having the same mindset of preparing your best and treating every game like it’s the championship so that when you get to the championship there is no difference,” he said. “Throughout the season you encounter tough opponents and tough atmospheres, it can’t change your preparation.”
crobinson@columbiatribune.com
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French Pianist and Composer Chassol Talks Working on Frank Ocean's New Album at Abbey Road Studios
ByConstant Gardner
Frank Ocean’s new album is one of the year’s most highly anticipated. We still don’t know much about the record, but we do know that it’s coming in July and will be accompanied by a magazine, which will include an interview with Lil B.
Now, French composer, arranger, and pianist Chassol has given us a few more juicy tidbits in a radio interview with Gilles Peterson. Chassol, who has worked with the likes of Phoenix and Sebsastian Tellier, talks about working at Abbey Road Studios with Ocean, Diplo’s role, and even not knowing who Rick Rubin is.
Listen to Chassol on Gilles Peterson’s show here from around 2:12 minutes onwards and read the transcript via Fader below. July can’t come soon enough.
Ocean invited me to Abbey Road to record on his album. I asked him when I came, how he heard about me. He told me his friend Diplo was listening a lot to Indiamore, and they started to listen to it, and they were wondering how I was doing the speech harmonization, so he called me. He asked me to do some speech harmonization on a song with him. After a while, it was cool and he was like, ‘yeah, but we have to find another way because you already did it.’ The guy is smart. He’s really smart. The way he works in the studio is really cool. He has a printer, he has a lot of pictures of architecture, contemporary art, a lot of pictures of different kinds of things.
So we start to work on a track and he says, this track is this—that car that you can see. He makes me work on a song, and I’m like, ‘oh this sounds like Pino Donaggio’s score for ‘Blow Out’, by Brian Depalma. I start to work on a song and five minutes later on the pro-tools screen you have the movie, the score, stretched to fit the song—just to try. I’ve never worked with that much money in music. It’s good sometimes to have money, because you can try things…At some point, a guy came into the studio, a guy with a long beard. We start talking and then he leaves and they tell me it’s Rick Rubin! I didn’t know the guy! Sometimes I’m the only one who doesn’t know the things.
Related: Is Frank Ocean About to Drop the Most Fire Rap Album of 2015
Pigeons & Planes is all about music discovery, supporting new artists, and delivering the best music curation online and IRL. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
Frank OceanPigeons And PlanesRick Rubin
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Zika - Everything You Need to Know about the Virus
With the increasing concern over the domestic spread of Zika in the US, we have been getting many questions regarding the virus and what impact it may have on our area. At Cooper Pest Solutions, you can be assured that we are staying up-to-date on all the latest research on Zika, as well as informing our residents on what they can expect on the virus’ effect for our area.
History of Zika
Contrary to what you may suspect, the Zika virus, which has taken the media by storm, has been around since 1947. The virus that was first discovered in a rhesus monkey was named after the Zika Forest in Uganda and had its first human case in 1952. Since then, there have been outbreaks in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands and the Americas.
Since its rapid spread over the last year, Zika has become a focal point in the media, especially with the 2016 summer Olympics being held in Brazil. From Brazil, Zika had been linked to several countries in South and Central America as well as the Caribbean. After only eight months from the discovery of Zika in Brazil, the country had over 30,000 cases of Zika causing widespread concern for neighboring countries and travelers looking to visit infected countries.
By January 2016, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued travel guidelines for travelers who were venturing to affected countries, including recommendations for pregnant women and women planning on becoming pregnant, to consider postponing travel to the Zika confirmed countries.
Although during the time following the cases in the Americas, the United States had not confirmed any cases that were domestically transmitted by mosquitoes. There were confirmed cases of Zika in the US, but they were contracted from travel to affected areas or transmitted from an individual to an uninfected individual through sexual relationships or contact with infected body fluids.
In July 2016, the first cases of domestic mosquito-transmitted Zika were confirmed in Wynwood, FL, a neighborhood near Miami. According to the Florida Department of Health, there has been a total of 14 confirmed cases of local mosquito-borne transmission of Zika in the Florida town. The Florida Department of Health is taking initiatives to test people in local neighborhoods near Wynwood to continue monitoring for any additional Zika cases.
What is Zika?
Zika is a mosquito-borne illness found in Aedes aegypti, commonly referred to as the Yellow Fever mosquito. It is primarily transmitted by mosquito bites, but it may also be transmitted through sex and blood transfusions, although blood transfusions haven’t been confirmed yet.
Pregnant women who are infected with the virus can spread it to their fetus during pregnancy and Zika has been linked to the birth deformity microcephaly, as well as other severe brain defects. It is recommended by the CDC that pregnant women, or partners looking to get pregnant, avoid travel to Zika confirmed locations.
Symptoms of Zika and Treatments
Many people infected with Zika may not have any symptoms of the virus, or they may be mild. Common symptoms are:
Conjunctivitis (red eyes)
Symptoms may last anywhere from several days to a week and usually aren’t severe enough for a hospital visit. If you have recently traveled to a confirmed Zika area, your doctor can conduct a blood test to check for Zika. If you are confirmed to have Zika, you are likely to be protected from future infections.
There are currently no medications or vaccines available to combat Zika, so if you become infected, you should follow the CDC’s treatment recommendations:
Treat the symptoms.
Get plenty of rest.
Drink fluids to prevent dehydration.
Take medicine such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or paracetamol to reduce fever and pain.
Do not take aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) until dengue can be ruled out to reduce the risk of bleeding.
If you are taking medicine for another medical condition, talk to your healthcare provider before taking additional medication.
How Will Domestic Transmission of Zika Impact the United States?
Up until July 2016, the confirmed cases of Zika in the US had strictly been travel-acquired, and then subsequently spread from one person to the next. However, the threat of the spread of Zika in the States has dramatically increased with the transmission of the virus in mosquitoes found in Florida.
According to Cooper Pest Solutions’ staff entomologist, Dr. Richard Cooper, the spread of the mosquito-borne illness in Florida has opened up the potential for Zika to spread throughout the United States.
“Now with transmission occurring by mosquitoes within the US, the potential for more rapid spread has increased,” Dr. Cooper said. “Currently, transmission of the virus has been limited to Aedes aegypti, which has a very limited range in the US, occurring only in the most Southern states. It will be very interesting to see what happens in the Southern states over the next few weeks and through the remainder of the summer.”
Dr. Cooper went on to add that although the Zika has only been spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, there are concerns that a closely-related species, the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), which is more widely distributed throughout the country and is found in the Northeast, could also serve as a vector of Zika virus.
“I would not be too concerned here in the Northeast until the Asian tiger mosquito is demonstrated to be an efficient vector of the disease and we begin seeing locally transmitted cases moving north,” said Dr. Cooper. “At this time, the risk associated with Zika virus by the Asian tiger mosquito is purely speculative,” Dr. Cooper said, “and will undoubtedly be carefully monitored by the entomologists studying mosquito-vectored disease transmission.”
What Could Potentially Happen if the Asian Tiger Mosquito Can Transmit Zika?
The Asian tiger mosquito is part of the same genus as the Aedes Aegypti, the carrier of the Zika virus, and both species are considered a “backyard” mosquito since they rarely travel more than 500 feet from their breeding sources.
As of right now, the Northeast is not in imminent danger of Zika being spread by local mosquitoes. All the confirmed cases have been spread by Aedes aegypti.
“If the Asian tiger mosquito were to begin transmitting the pathogen that causes Zika virus, the potential for more rapid transmission would exist,” said Dr. Cooper. “The fear is that the Asian tiger mosquito could feed on infected individuals and then transmit the disease, and since the mosquito is more widely distributed in the US, it could lead to mosquito-based transmission outside of the areas where Aedes aegypti occurs.”
What Can I Do to Prevent Contracting Zika?
There are some ways to protect you and your family from contracting Zika. If you live or are traveling to a Zika area, follow CDC’s guidelines for protecting yourself from mosquitoes.
Always use EPA-registered insect repellent, preferably DEET-based.
Wear long-sleeve shirts and pants.
Stay in places where there is air conditioning or has screenings on windows and doors.
Reduce mosquito breeding grounds around your home by removing standing water.
How Can Cooper Pest Solutions Help With Mosquitoes?
In addition to taking the necessary steps to prevent any mosquito, Cooper Pest Solutions offers a home service that specifically treats and prevents the Asian tiger mosquitoes in your backyard. For more information on Cooper’s Mosquito-Free program, call 1-800-949-2667 or fill out our estimate form.
At Cooper, we are taking the risk potential for Zika seriously by staying on top of the latest research and findings regarding the spread of the virus and the possibility it has to infect our area. We will continue to provide Zika updates to keep everyone informed on how to protect themselves now and into the future.
For a more local perspective, please visit the Center for Vector Biology at Rutgers website, which will provide you with resources as they pertain to our area.
Informative Zika Websites
Center for Disease Control – Zika
American Mosquito Control Association
National Pest Management Association
PestWorld – Zika
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Home Culture Books & Authors At 84, Holocaust survivor tells of ill-starred love
At 84, Holocaust survivor tells of ill-starred love
Janice Arnold, Staff Reporter
Sarah Engelhard’s new memoir details a turbulent life
Sarah Engelhard’s memoir Sarah & Abraham: The Search for Miracles and The Stuttering Poet (Guernica Editions) is a reminder of the Holocaust’s psychological toll on multiple generations. Not all who survived and immigrated here lived serenely ever after.
Certainly not those who were children during World War II, like Engelhard, who was born in Alsace, France in 1932.
At 84, Engelhard has published her first book, in which she lays bare a life marred, on top of her trauma, by parents who – she quotes her mother as saying – were made “crazy” by the war.
“No one talked about post-traumatic stress then,” said Engelhard.
The Engelhard family, which also included Sarah’s brother Jack, eight years younger, fled in fear through France and across the Pyrenees mountains into Spain. There they lived in mounting despair for almost three years trying to find refuge from Europe.
Deception was a means of survival, and Sarah was schooled in it early on.
Finally, the Engelhards found passage on the legendary Serpa Pinto to the United States and arrived in Montreal – definitely not her father’s choice – in 1944.
Her parents were from Poland, Yiddish-speaking and poor. Her father, an ordained rabbi, eked out a living making handbags.
Sarah & Abraham, however, is not a typical Holocaust survivor’s recounting.
It may equally be read as a cautionary tale about obsessive love that ends in self-destruction.
When 13-year-old Sarah first laid eyes on her classmate at Baron Byng High School, Abie Boxer, she was hooked. He was handsome and seemed worldly beyond his years. The fact that he stuttered only made him more irresistible.
To this day, Engelhard thinks of him as her bashert.
Thus, began a toxic lifetime relationship in which they both agree they “royally f—ed up.” Worse than the tumult between them is that their late-in-life illegitimate son became the pawn in a rancorous custody battle.
Avi Boxer (1932-1987), as he became known, was a noted poet who emerged from Montreal’s fertile literary scene in the 1950s – a romantic figure, indeed, to Sarah who tried to overcome the stigma she felt as a refugee with a dysfunctional home life.
Engelhard tells of how, as a teen, she was emotionally abused and exploited by her parents. According to her description, both used her to vent their mental turmoil – and to advance economically.
They made her get a job at 13, forced her to drop out before she graduated to help her father in his business because she had the language skills and the looks to attract customers.
Photos show that Sarah did resemble Elizabeth Taylor, and her mother had ambitions to match her with a wealthy man.
In the conservative mores of her community and the times, Sarah was judged a “bad girl” because she had sex with Abie and left home. She landed in juvenile court.
At 18, Sarah and Abie became engaged but the adults broke it up.
She was sent to the United States and married off to a man 20 years her senior. They were plainly incompatible, but Sarah did settle down and came into her own.
She raised three children in a New Jersey suburb, then happened upon a career in television enjoying surprising success as host of a women’s show. Then she got into the psychic movement that was a fad in the 1970s and found a new vocation.
Things unraveled when her son took his life. Soon after, she reconnected with Boxer, had a fling and, at 41, gave birth to another son.
Boxer was already involved with another woman.
From Asa’s birth until he was in his teens, the boy was caught in a tug-of-war between his mother and father, who wanted to adopt him with his common-law wife.
Estranged from her husband, Sarah returned to Montreal, abandoning her career in the United States. She took odd jobs to survive and sometimes was on welfare.
She finds succour with the Lubavitch community, with which she stayed for about a decade, along with one of her daughters.
The memoir culminates with the court battle between Sarah and Avi over their son, a very bitter fight in which she was portrayed as mentally ill and of poor character – in other words, an unfit mother. Most wounding was having her wartime experience minimized.
Most difficult for her to accept, even to this day, is that Jewish Family Services was on the side of Avi.
Engelhard left Lubavitch amicably (she and Asa lived in Israel for nine years after that) and continues to find solace in its spirituality and belief that nothing happens without a reason.
The book’s title reflects her identification with the trials and tribulations of their biblical namesakes. Miracles really do happen, Engelhard has come to believe.
It is hard to believe in meeting Engelhard today that she went through what she did. Gracious and quiet-spoken, she ponders before answering questions.
“At my age now, I can understand – if not to forgive, for who am I to forgive? – what happened to me…Out of all that, so many blessings came.”
U.S. senators introduce bill to pay for Holocaust education programs in schools
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Franz Welser-Möst
Christoph von Dohnányi
Vinay Parameswaran
Lisa Wong
Ann Usher
Daniel Singer
TICKET SERVICES
Monday thru Friday 9 to 6
(Closed Saturdays in summer)
Sundays beginning 3 hours prior to concerts at Severance Hall
A-L Musicians
Photograph by Roger Mastroianni
Assistant Concertmaster
Clara G. and George P. Bickford Endowed Chair
Jessica Lee joined The Cleveland Orchestra as assistant concertmaster with the start of the 2016-17 season. She is the Grand Prize Winner of the 2005 Concert Artists Guild International Competition and has performed around the world, including as guest soloist with the Pilsen Philharmonic, Gangnam Symphony at the Seoul Arts Center, and the Malaysia Festival Orchestra (for the gala birthday celebration of the Sultan of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur), as well as in recital at the Rudolfinum in Prague. She has also appeared with the Houston Symphony and other orchestras across the United States, and has performed in recital at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and Weill Recital Hall, as well as at the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C., Caramoor Festival, and Asociacion National de Conciertos in Panama. Summer appearances include performances at the Bridgehampton, Santa Fe, Music@Menlo, Lake Champlain, and Olympic music festivals.
An active chamber musician, Jessica was a long-time member of the Johannes String Quartet, which toured with the legendary Guarneri String Quartet in its farewell season. She was a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Two and has made many appearances at Alice Tully Hall and the Rose Studio. Ms. Lee has toured frequently with Musicians from Marlboro, including appearances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Boston’s Gardner Museum, and is a member of the conductor-less string ensemble ECCO (East Coast Chamber Orchestra), with which she has performed at Town Hall and the Kennedy Center.
A native of Virginia, Jessica Lee began playing the violin at age three and captured national attention with a feature article in Life magazine. Following studies with Weigang Li of the Shanghai Quartet, she was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music at age 14 and earned a bachelor’s degree under the tutelage of Robert Mann and Ida Kavafian. Ms. Lee completed her studies with Robert Mann for a master of music degree at the Juilliard School. Prior to joining The Cleveland Orchestra, she was a member of the faculty at Rutgers University and Vassar College.
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India Prime Minister Narendra Modi hopes for support for GST during parliament session
Published Mon, Aug 1 2016 11:32 PM EDT Updated Tue, Aug 2 2016 12:08 AM EDT
Nyshka Chandran@nyshkac
Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, promising to focus on development and cement India's position as an economic power.
As the country's parliament meets, hopes are high that lawmakers will finally pass a reform that may prove to be one of the most meaningful achievements of his leadership.
Pedestrians wearing masks featuring the picture of Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, pose for a photographer as they arrive to attend a community reception for Modi at Wembley Stadium in London, U.K., on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015.
Simon Dawson | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The implementation of a national Goods and Services Tax (GST) would not only bolster investor confidence in Asia's third-largest economy, it would also strengthen Modi's image as a reform-minded leader amid criticism that he hasn't done enough during his two-year reign. The tax reform has been pending for a decade.
India's current system consists of 15 types of taxes, including central excise and states' value added tax (VAT). The model's sheer complexity has scared off many businesses and investors--the World Bank noted that tax compliance actually became more difficult this year, compared to 2015--underlining the need for a single, unified structure.
"The impetus to move towards GST stems from the inadequacies of the present system and the need for a taxation system which is economically efficient, neutral in its implication, simple to administer, encourages voluntary compliance and, most importantly, integrates India to a single common market," Morgan Stanley economists explained in a report.
Overcoming political tensions
Following the bill's passage in the lower house last year, approval is now needed in the upper house. Should that go through, state assemblies will then be asked to vote independently and at least 50 percent approval is required before GST can be fully implemented by Modi's target date of April 1, 2017, Goldman Sachs explained in a recent note.
In order to ensure successful passage in parliament before the current session ends on August 12, Modi's administration has been reaching out to opposition parties to build consensus.
"The ruling government does not enjoy a majority in the upper house and has reached out to key opposition parties and state governments for support. Some are on board, subject to concessions. Near-term positive sentiment could falter if the bill is stalled yet again, delaying its implementation beyond 2017," commented DBS economist Radhika Rao.
India's public sector banks to go on strike
State governments have long opposed GST adoption as it would mean their share in the pool of tax revenues would shrink to 53 percent, from around 68 percent, while the central government's share would rise to 47 percent, versus 32 percent currently, Rao added.
There's still a healthy chance that Modi's team could emerge victorious.
"With recent changes and retirement schedules, the number of members opposing the bill has come down to 80 (versus 91 in February). This implies that if all the members of the upper house are present and voting and 82 members oppose it, technically, the GST could be passed with all the remaining members supporting the bill," Morgan Stanley noted.
Economic growth and public finances are expected to spike following the GST's implementation.
"The overall impact of better allocation of resources, improving efficiency of domestic production and exports is likely to improve overall growth. As per estimates from the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), growth could increase by 0.9 to 1.7 percent," Morgan Stanley said.
As for price pressures, investors needn't worry about a return to double-digit consumer price inflation (CPI).
"A bottom-up analysis of CPI components suggests that the implementation of GST would not be inflationary if the standard rate were to be 18 percent," said Goldman Sachs. "In addition, high-tax items such as petroleum, alcohol and tobacco are also not included in the GST."
So far, the government has yet to confirm whether GST would consist of a single rate, or a tiered system.
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Publications – Health
Publications – Healthy living
Consultation summary: proposals for the regulation of vaping products
Download the alternative format
(PDF format, 2.2 MB, 19 pages)
Organization: Health Canada
Cat.: H149-8/2018E-PDF
Pub.: 170393
2. Overview of Comments on Proposals to Regulate Vaping Products
3. Summary of Comments on Each Proposed Measure
Labelling: Proposals 1 and 2
Labelling-Nicotine content in mg/ml
Labelling-Products that contain more than 0.1mg/ml of nicotine
Warning Statements: Proposals 3 and 4
Warning statement
Information Reporting: Proposals 5 to 8
Information to be reported to the Minister of Health
Requests for supplemental information
Measures to enhance compliance with reporting requirements
Record-keeping practices by manufacturers
Relative Risk Statements: Proposal 9
Advertising Restrictions: Proposal 10
4. Additional Comments on Other Applicable Legislation
Canada Consumer Products Safety Act - Child-Resistant Containers
Canada Consumer Products Safety Act - Labelling Requirements
Canada Consumer Products Safety Act - Other Issues
Food and Drugs Act
5. Next Steps
Health Canada published a consultation document on August 25, 2017, setting out proposals to regulate vaping products in Canada. The document Proposals for the Regulation of Vaping Products was open for comments from the public and interested stakeholders for a 60-day period ending October 27, 2017. In total, 105 comments were received from across nine groups: academics; the general public; other levels of government (municipal, provincial and territorial); the health products industry; the vaping industry; the tobacco industry; non-governmental organizations (NGOs); public health groups; and retailers (including vape shops).
Comments on the proposed regulations were generally supportive, with some clear but expected differences of opinion and specific concerns identified by some groups. For example, some public health groups and NGOs expressed concern about the negative health consequences of vaping, and advocated for additional restrictions than those being proposed. The vaping industry and retailers cited vaping products as an important harm reduction tool that, in order to achieve its potential health benefits, should not be over-regulated.
This report provides a summary of the feedback received during the consultation period on each of the 10 proposed regulatory measures.
The consultation was not intended to capture comments on the federal government's broader legislative approach to vaping products (as set out in Bill S-5, An Act to amend the Tobacco Act and the Non-smokers' Health Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts) being currently examined by Parliament. However, many comments received spoke to Bill S-5 and a high level summary of comments on this issue is included in this report.
In March 2015, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health issued a report entitled "Vaping: Towards a regulatory framework for e-cigarettes."Footnote 1 Following eight meetings with 33 witnesses, the Committee put forward 14 recommendations, one of which asked the Government of Canada to "work with all affected stakeholders to establish a new legislative framework (under the Tobacco Act, new legislation, or other relevant statutes) for regulating electronic cigarettes and related devices."
In response, the Government of Canada introduced in Parliament Bill S-5, an Act to amend the Tobacco Act and the Non-smokers' Health Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, in November 2016.Footnote 2 The Bill's framework for vaping products is based on the following principles:
Protecting youth and non-users of tobacco products from nicotine addiction and inducements to tobacco use;
Allowing adults-in particular, adult smokers-to access vaping products as a less harmful alternative to tobacco;
Providing a mechanism through the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) to address potential health and safety risks from nicotine-containing vaping products without therapeutic claims;
Preserving the current regulatory process through the Food and Drugs Act (FDA) for vaping products marketed for a therapeutic use, such as smoking cessation.
Bill S-5 contains provisions that would amend the Tobacco Act, including changing its title to the "Tobacco and Vaping Products Act" (TVPA). The proposed TVPA would regulate the manufacture, sale, labelling and promotion of vaping products as a set of products separate from tobacco products.
Under the framework proposed by Bill S-5, vaping products would also be required to meet the applicable provisions of either the FDA or the CCPSA, depending on whether the product is marketed with or without therapeutic claims. Information on the applicability of the FDA and the CCPSA to vaping products is included at the end of this document, under Additional Comments on Other Applicable Legislation.
On August 25, 2017, Health Canada proposed 10 measures for the regulation of vaping products to be made under the proposed TVPA. The Department invited all interested organizations and individuals to review the measures being considered and to provide feedback that would be used to inform the development of regulations.
In total, Health Canada received 105 submissions during the 60-day consultation period (August 25 to October 27, 2017), spread across nine groups, as set out in Figure 1, below. Of the 105 comments received, only 40% of respondents commented specifically on the regulatory proposals. Most respondents took the opportunity to provide comments about the government's legislative approach proposed in Bill S-5. Comments received on the regulatory proposals were mostly supportive, however, commenters raised various concerns about their implementation.
Figure 1: Number of Submissions Received on Proposals for Vaping Regulations, by Group
Figure 1 - Text description
The figure depicts the number of submissions received on proposals for vaping regulations, by stakeholder group.
Stakeholder Group
Number of submissions
General Public 43
Retailers (Including vape shops) 26
Public Health Organizations 12
Non-Governmental Organizations 7
Vaping Industry 5
Tobacco Industry 4
Health Products Industry 3
Governments (Municipal, Territorial, Provincial) 3
Most submissions were made by members of the general public (43) and retailers, including vape shops (26), with most identifying themselves as vapers and former smokers. Of those who identified themselves as vapers, most framed vaping products as lifesaving, describing their past difficulties quitting smoking and how they used vaping products to finally stop smoking.
Public health groups that made submissions (12 in total) included medical practitioners and public health advocates. For this group, as well as those in the NGO group (7 commenters), views were divergent. Some identified vaping products as a harm reduction tool, while others characterized them as a risk to public health. Of those who expressed concern about the negative impact of vaping product use, most were worried about their availability to youth and inducements that would promote vaping product use. The public health groups generally advocated for additional restrictions on advertising, as well as more stringent requirements for labelling and industry reporting beyond what was being proposed in the consultation document.
Submissions from industry were provided by three sub-groups based on the products they market:
The health products industry (three submissions from marketers of medical devices and therapeutic products) generally expressed concern that there was overlap between the FDA and the proposed TVPA, which will regulate vaping products.
The tobacco industry (four submissions) generally supported the proposed regulations. They expressed concern, however, about the proposals related to the disclosure of confidential business information and the potential public dissemination of that information (Proposal 5). These commenters also advocated that additional authority be added to Bill S-5 to allow them to promote certain tobacco products as less harmful products, similar to proposed regulatory measures for vaping products.
The vaping industry (five commenters representing vaping product manufacturers and importers) expressed concern that the proposed regulations were too restrictive. They argued that vaping products are an important harm reduction tool and, in order to achieve their potential health benefits, should not be overregulated. They said the regulations would be too burdensome for smaller vaping industry players, forcing them underground. This same group did indicate support for many of the other proposals, as described later in this report.
Submissions from municipal, provincial and territorial governments were generally supportive of the proposals and, at the same time, expressed concern that vaping product use and promotion would renormalize smoking behaviours and be detrimental to public health. Of the two submissions from academics, one did not support the proposed regulation of vaping products at all, citing vaping as a vastly important harm reduction tool in the fight against smoking that should not be regulated; the other was generally supportive of the proposals.
Although Bill S-5 was not the subject of this consultation, many commenters stated that they did not support the inclusion of vaping products in the same legislation as tobacco products, in turn subjecting them to similar restrictions. Concerns over the restrictions on the promotion of flavours were also expressed as this may be detrimental to efforts to entice smokers to switch to vaping products. As well, concerns were expressed over the possible future taxation of vaping products (which is not part of Bill S-5).
Proposal 1: Health Canada proposes that all vaping products which contain nicotine display their nicotine concentration in milligrams/millilitre (mg/ml).
There was strong support for Proposal 1.
Almost all (approximately 85%) that commented on this proposal were in support. One commenter suggested that the percent (%) of nicotine concentration should also be considered for display on labels.
Only two commenters were opposed to this proposal. One commenter stated that vaping products-as a harm reduction tool-should not be required to display any labelling requirements. Another commenter was concerned about the legislative overlap for labelling requirements under the FDA and those being proposed under the TVPA.
Proposal 2: To prevent consumers from being misled about the presence or absence of nicotine, Health Canada proposes that any vaping product be considered to contain nicotine if nicotine is present at a concentration of 0.1 mg/ml or higher.
Almost all of those that commented on this proposal were in support (approximately 95%) of establishing a level of nicotine to require labelling. However, some public health groups and municipal/ provincial/territorial governments that commented stated that a vaping product should be considered to contain nicotine at any detectable level, as opposed to the proposed 0.1 mg/ml. Approximately the same number of retailers and manufacturers of vaping products noted that a higher level, such as 0.5mg/ml, would be more appropriate. According to them, current methods are only capable of detecting the presence of nicotine above 0.5mg/ml. Lastly, there was a comment to allow the nicotine content to be expressed as a range of +/-10% of the actual nicotine content.
Only two commenters were opposed to this proposal. Their concerns are the same as those raised for Proposal 1.
Proposal 3: Health Canada proposes to require that vaping products that contain nicotine display a warning such as "WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive substance. Use of nicotine during pregnancy may harm the fetus."
Many of those that responded to this proposal (approximately 93%) supported the display of a warning although several suggested different warning statements. Several commenters also mentioned the label size as a limiting factor, with concern that the information would be illegible due to tiny print size.
Some commenters felt that the warning statement needed to be stronger to truly warn of harm, while others felt that the proposed warning might discourage smokers, especially pregnant women who smoke, from switching to a less harmful alternative (i.e. vaping). Of the few who were opposed to this proposal, one opposed all labelling regulations due to vaping's harm reduction potential. Another (a retailer) expressed concern that the limited space on the label of a small 30ml bottle of e-liquid would prevent compliance with all of the proposed requirements. Rather, it was suggested that the warning could be displayed in the retail store, instead of on the bottle.
A requirement for plain and standardized packaging (packages without any distinctive or attractive features, that are similar in appearance and shape, and of the same ordinary colour), was suggested as a potential requirement for vaping products by a few public health groups and NGOs, similar to those proposed for tobacco products. There were other suggestions, including the use of a rotating set of graphic warnings (akin to current cigarette warnings) to be placed on the vaping product label, covering 70% of the package.
Proposal 4: Health Canada proposes to require that products that contain a vaping liquid display a complete list of ingredients in descending order by weight.
There was strong support for the proposal, however several of those in support raised concerns over how flavourings should be listed. One frequent suggestion (mainly from retailers and members of the vaping industry) was that only "flavouring" or "natural and artificial flavourings" should be listed in order to keep manufacturers' flavouring ingredients proprietary, and to ensure that there is enough room on the label for other health-related information.
Among the few who opposed this proposal, one commenter stated that the proposed measure is burdensome and far too cumbersome, given the harm reduction potential of vaping products. Another supported having a list of ingredients for vaping products, but was also concerned about overlap with the FDA, which requires that medicinal and non-medicinal ingredients be listed on the label or package insert.
Information reporting-information to be reported to Minister of Health
Proposal 5: Health Canada proposes that manufacturers be required to report the information set out belowFootnote 3 at the frequency specified.
Feedback about Proposal 5 was mixed.
Approximately half of respondents who commented on this proposal were in support while the other half expressed concerns. Among the supporters were mainly public health groups and NGOs, as well as retailers and other members of the vaping industry. A number of them suggested additional items to be reported, and some suggested a change to the timing of reporting. A few NGOs specified that they would like to see emissions testing for vaping products included in reports to the Minister of Health. Other calls were for collected data to be made available to the provinces or to the public, and that regulations for vaping products should be similar to the Tobacco Reporting Regulations. Some of those in favour of this proposal wanted clarification and additional detail on the reporting elements.
Some retailers and both the tobacco and vaping industries expressed concern about releasing proprietary information to Health Canada. Some were concerned that regulations would be too burdensome, which would drive the industry underground, creating an industry of "Do-It-Yourselfers." Other commenters said they worried that their custom e-juice manufacturing business would not be able to meet the reporting requirements. Some claimed that the proposal would freeze innovation by requiring the industry to hand over confidential business information. Industry commenters noted that there are provisions in Bill S-5 to make some information public, and they expressed concern that their confidential business information would be made public under the Bill S-5 authority.
Proposal 6: Health Canada proposes that manufacturers of vaping products be required to provide supplementary information in a form, manner and within the time frame specified, once notified by the Minister. The form, manner and time frame allowed for manufacturers to provide the supplementary information would be specified in the request and could vary according to the nature of the information requested.
Feedback on Proposal 6 was mixed, and consistent with Proposal 5.
Many NGOs, public health groups, retailers and industry members supported this proposal. Those critical of Proposal 5 were also critical of this proposal. Reasons include the broader "overreach" of the reporting requirement. At least one commenter questioned what might constitute "supplemental information", requesting that it not be overly burdensome and that clarity be provided about what information would be required.
Proposal 7: Health Canada proposes that manufacturers of vaping products be given a period of no more than 30 calendar days to address any deficiency in the reporting of information prescribed by the regulations, once they are notified of the deficiency by Health Canada. Should the manufacturer fail to address the deficiency, or should the information provided continue to be deficient, the sale of the product in question would be suspended until the missing information is submitted to Health Canada, and the manufacturer would be informed accordingly.
There was mixed support for Proposal 7.
As is the case for Proposals 5 and 6, both support for and opposition to this proposal were expressed. Concerns included that the proposal constitutes government overreach, and that it would drive the industry underground. There was also concern about how this proposal would be enforced. While some supported the idea of having measures to enhance compliance, some retailers and industry groups stated that 30 days may not be enough time to comply and that provisions should be in place to extend the timeline as necessary.
Other suggestions included that the timeline could be negotiated for more complex situations. One commenter pointed out that halting the sale of a product can have a major detrimental effect on the industry. For this reason, the suggestion was made that the decision to halt sale should be made at a higher level within government (e.g. at the Director or Director General level), and that there should also be a mechanism that would allow companies to appeal decisions if they believe that they have complied with the regulations.
There was support for this proposal among the municipal/provincial/territorial governments, public health groups, the vaping industry and NGOs. Some said that 30 days is too lenient, and that sales should be halted as soon as the deficiency is noted.
Proposal 8: Health Canada proposes that manufacturers of vaping products be required to maintain all records and documents used to prepare their information reports for a period of six (6) years after the end of the year to which the document relates. This documentation would have to be kept in a form and manner prescribed by the regulations, so that it could be readily accessed and viewed in Canada during audits.
There was general support for Proposal 8.
This record-keeping proposal had broad support (approximately 95%) from almost all groups, including public health groups, NGOs, industry and retailers. One frequent suggestion from public health groups and NGOs was to significantly lengthen the time that industry must keep their records (to 25 or 30 years, much longer than the six years proposed in the regulations). As was the case with some of the other proposals, some expressed concern about overlap (being regulated by both the FDA and the proposed TVPA). Also in line with some other proposals, the vaping industry expressed concern about the burdensome requirements of this proposal.
Relative risk statements
Proposal 9: Health Canada proposes to establish regulations that would specify the conditions upon which manufacturers, retailers and others could use authorized relative risk statements in vaping product promotions. The regulations would incorporate by reference a selection of authorized statements regarding the relative health risks of using vaping products or comparing the potential health effects arising from the use of a vaping product relative to that of a tobacco product. As the authorized statements may need to be amended from time to time to keep up with scientific knowledge, these regulations would also set out the requirement for public consultations on such amendments.
While there was broad support (approximately 90%) expressed across commenter groups for this proposal to allow "relative risk" statements, there were different views about how to move forward with the regulation of such statements, and concern about who would be responsible for developing acceptable statements.
Public health groups, NGOs and those not affiliated with the vaping industry tended to support relative risk claims, however many had concerns about the implementation of this proposal. Among those with concerns, widely divergent views were offered, from complete opposition, to preventing any form of relative risk statements for vaping products, to support for a precautionary approach that would allow such statements only when there is unequivocal evidence of their reduced harm. A few offered full support for relative risk statements as a means to educate consumers about their reduced harm, compared to that of cigarettes.
Some from the health products industries expressed concern that relative risk statements may drift into therapeutic claims (such as claims that vaping products aid in smoking cessation), which would be better regulated under the FDA. One commenter noted their concern that smoking cessation products that are authorized under the FDA might not be allowed to have relative risk statements, yet under this proposed new regime, vaping products that do not undergo a pre-market review under the FDA prior to their sale would be able to make a relative risk statement.
Some NGOs offered that relative risk statements should be accessible only to smokers and never to youth or non-smokers, and to achieve this should only be placed in cigarette and little cigar packages as part of mandated Health Information Messages, to persuade smokers to switch to vaping product use.
Commenters across all nine groups expressed interest in being involved in the decision-making process, to help ensure that approved relative risk statements are scientifically sound and appropriately address reduced risk. Some commenters said that any industry should not be involved in the generation of reduced risk statements. However, the vaping industry indicated strong support for relative risk statements and advocated for their involvement in the creation of such statements. The tobacco industry expressed support for relative risk statements if they could also be allowed to make similar statements for different tobacco products (such as "heated" tobacco and smokeless tobacco). The tobacco industry commenters also advocated for product-specific reduced risk claims that are supported by science. Both the tobacco and vaping industries also stated they prefer general guidelines for the development of relative risk statements (rather than prescribed statements).
Vaping retailers as well as the general public said they want clear guidance on what can and cannot be said about the health benefits of vaping products. At the same time, some commenters from both these groups said that this is an example of government overreach.
One academic expert was opposed to any restriction on the use of relative risk statements due to the much lower risk associated with vaping products compared to cigarettes.
Advertising restrictions
Proposal 10: Health Canada proposes to establish regulations to help limit youth exposure to information and brand-preference advertising of vaping products. These regulations would include restrictions on the type, medium and content of advertising of vaping products. In line with the objectives of the proposed TVPA, the restrictions would be based on limiting advertising that has a high likelihood of being viewed by youth, while still allowing vaping product manufacturers to advertise their products and brands to adult smokers. Restrictions would therefore seek to limit advertising in or near locations that are attended predominantly by youth, such as schools, parks, recreational and sporting facilities. Restrictions would also be placed on advertising in certain media-for example, by either prohibiting advertisements on television and radio or restricting the times of the day when such ads may appear or be heard to limit youth exposure to them.
There was strong support for Proposal 10.
Similar to feedback on Proposal 9, there was strong support (approximately 95%) for this proposal; however, commenters were divided about the need to further restrict advertising. In general, public health groups and NGOs were strong advocates for additional advertising restrictions, with many suggesting that vaping advertising restrictions should align with those for tobacco products. Other suggestions included plain packaging of vaping products, banning of all promotion on television, radio, social media, billboards, point-of-sale and the use of promotional e-mails and giveaways. They also advocated for a ban on all lifestyle advertising, including in age-restricted areas.
Those in the vaping industry (manufacturers and retailers) expressed support for advertising restrictions in order to protect youth, while still allowing marketing of a reduced risk product. Some advocated that social media be allowed as an advertising medium, noting that they already have age-restricted access to their social media feeds, to adults over the age of 19. Others suggested time-of-day bans on vaping advertising on television and radio. One suggested banning all promotional materials near schools.
The vaping industry and retail group raised concern about their ability to comply with these promotional regulations, and called for clear guidance on what would/would not be considered legal. Some expressed confusion about how online user reviews of products would be treated, as well as about the difference between factual and promotional information. Some retailers noted that proposed reduced risk statements (Proposal 9) would benefit the industry as a promotional tool.
Canada Consumer Product Safety Act-Child-Resistant Containers
Comments on the proposal to require child-resistant containers (CRCs) for vaping products were received from 27 stakeholders from various groups, including from the general public, retailers, NGOs, public health organizations, the vaping industry and the tobacco industry.
There was strong support for CRCs to be required on vaping substances (liquids) and strong opposition to requiring CRCs on tanks (devices). In many cases, the same commenters expressed support for CRCs on containers of vaping substances (liquids) and strong opposition to CRC on tanks (devices). Sixteen commenters specifically expressed broad support from many different groups for CRCs on bottles of vaping substances, and/or indicated that the bottles they sell already have CRCs. No commenters expressed opposition to the proposal to require CRCs on bottles of vaping substances.
Nineteen of the 27 stakeholders (from the general public, NGOs, retailers, the vaping industry and the tobacco industry) expressed strong opposition to requiring CRCs on the tanks of vaping devices. Most stated that virtually all vaping devices are imported from China, that there are very few vaping device models available with CRCs on the tank, and that manufacturers would be unwilling to develop compliant models for the small Canadian market. Not one commenter expressed support specifically for CRCs on tanks. Several commenters offered additional remarks: that the risk of harmful effects from swallowing the liquid from the tank would be low, because most tanks hold a volume of only 1 to 5 ml. Several indicated that requiring CRCs on tanks would have a devastating effect on the Canadian vaping industry.
Five commenters indicated that among vapers, many are older adults, and that CRCs on tanks would be very difficult for older adults to open and close, and/or that many older customers have difficulty with the closures on current vaping products.
Canada Consumer Product Safety Act - Labelling Requirements
Comments on the proposed labelling requirements under the CCPSA and the Consumer Chemicals and Containers Regulations, 2001 (CCCR, 2001) were received from 13 stakeholders, including from the general public, retailers, NGOs and the vaping industry. Commenters were all supportive of toxicity labelling on vaping substances, although some retailers and one representative from the vaping industry expressed general concern that limited label space may make compliance with the CCPSA and other government labelling requirements problematic. One NGO and one retailer expressed concerns that toxicity warnings on containers of e-liquids with low nicotine concentrations or on tanks may give consumers an exaggerated impression of nicotine toxicity and of the relative risks of vaping compared to smoking.
Canada Consumer Product Safety Act - Other Issues
Other Health and Safety Risks
Five commenters (including from the public, NGOs, municipal, provincial, territorial governments and the vaping industry) stated that requirements should be introduced to address safety issues related to batteries and other mechanical hazards.
Two retailers said that requirements to address chemical hazards other than nicotine should be introduced.
Five commenters (from the general public and the vaping industry) said, more generally, that minimum safety and quality standards for the manufacture of vaping product should be introduced.
Assessment of Nicotine Toxicity under CCCR, 2001, Criteria
Two commenters, one academic and one from the vaping industry stated that they believed Health Canada's application of CCCR, 2001, toxicity classification criteria to nicotine-containing vaping substances, is incorrect and will result in an overly restrictive regulatory regime.
Five commenters (from the public, one academic and one vaping industry) said that the vaping industry needs clarity on requirements for the manufacture of vaping substances. Some of these commenters also indicated that the proposed maximum concentration of 66 mg/ml nicotine for vaping substances sold as consumer products is not appropriate or workable for nicotine solutions used as manufacturing inputs.
Regulatory Pathway
One retailer stated that the CCCR, 2001, is not an appropriate instrument for regulating CRC and labelling of vaping products. This commenter and a commenter from the health products industry said that the Government of Canada should introduce specific regulations to address health and safety risks related to vaping products.
Comments on provisions that may affect the FDA came mainly from those in the health products industry. Commenters expressed concern that products authorized for sale under the FDA may also have to meet requirements under the proposed TVPA and its supporting regulations, thus possibly creating confusion on how to comply with both the FDA and TVPA.
An additional concern identified was that the proposed TVPA has fewer restrictions than the FDA. For example, an authorized smoking cessation product that has had a full scientific review may not be allowed to have certain relative risk claims under the FDA, while a vaping product that has had no pre-market review may be allowed to make such claims under the proposed TVPA.
Health Canada will take the comments received as part of this consultation into consideration while developing regulations for vaping products under Bill S-5.
Should Bill S-5 receive royal assent, and regulations under it be formally put forward, any proposed regulations and their accompanying Regulatory Impact Assessment Statements would be pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, to give Canadians and interested parties the opportunity to review and provide comments before they are finalized.
House of Commons Standing Committee on Health. Vaping: Towards a regulatory framework for e-cigarettes, report of the Standing Committee on Health. 2015 Mar [cited 2017 Jun 5]. Available from: http://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/41-2/HESA/report-9.
An overview of the Bill is available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/programs/consultation-regulation-vaping-products/s5-overview-regulate-vaping-products.html.
Proposed information and frequency are listed on page 5, "Proposals for the Regulation of Vaping Products. Document for Consultation, August 2017" (Health Canada).
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Lawsuit against Nunavut RCMP claims force losing touch with Inuit
IQALUIT, Nunavut — An Inuit family whose son was shot by RCMP is suing the force over its alleged failure to staff Arctic detachments with officers who can speak with and understand the communities where they are posted.
It’s the second recent lawsuit to question the relationship between officers and Indigenous northerners. The longtime northern lawyer who represents the family said she fears the RCMP is gradually losing its connection to the people they are supposed to serve.
“We want to prevent another shooting death of a person in Nunavut,” said David Qamaniq, the father of Kunuk Qamaniq, who died of a gunshot wound after a confrontation with Mounties in Pond Inlet in 2017.
A statement of claim says the 20-year-old man was grieving the one-year anniversary of his sister’s suicide the afternoon he was shot.
“Together with his mother he cried for his lost sister,” the statement says. “Kunuk expressed despair and suggested he, too, might commit suicide.”
His parents became concerned and contacted RCMP when they learned their son had borrowed a rifle to go rabbit hunting and was headed to the community graveyard. David Qamaniq told the officers his son was sober.
Shortly after, the Qamaniqs were summoned to the community health centre, where they learned their son had been shot by an officer. The young man died shortly after.
The lawsuit is an attempt to force the RCMP to institute recommendations from several inquests into suicides and police shootings in Nunavut, said Qamaniq.
“RCMP, I don’t think, have followed the recommendations,” he said.
The lawsuit alleges Mounties aren’t trained in how to deal with possible suicides. It claims officers don’t speak the language of the people and don’t use the communication tools they have.
It also refers to “the personal and cultural biases of the officers … both unexpressed and which they had expressed in the community.”
It accuses the RCMP of failing to recruit Inuktut-speaking officers or civilian members who could build bridges with local people.
A statement of defence has not been filed and none of the allegations has been proven. The RCMP did not respond to a call for comment.
V-Division, which polices Nunavut, boasts fewer and fewer Inuk officers and has three of about 120 in total. The RCMP website says none of its 25 detachments offers services in Inuktut.
V-Division spokesmen have said they try to prepare southern officers for policing remote Inuit communities. There is a firearm occurrence somewhere in the territory every day and a half.
“They orient them a little bit — a little bit,” Qamaniq said. “Just the tip of an iceberg. That’s not enough.”
Anne Crawford, the family’s lawyer, said the force is losing touch with Inuit.
“Everyone is concerned about the overall relationship between the RCMP and individuals in Nunavut these days,” she said.
“I have practised here for a very long time. It seems to be more and more difficult for RCMP officers to get a really good feel for the communities they’re working in.”
A class-action lawsuit filed in an Edmonton court in December alleges RCMP in the three northern territories regularly assault and abuse Indigenous people.
The Nunavut legislature has also discussed the problem. In 2015, a report was commissioned into police misconduct. The report was never released.
A letter that year from Nunavut’s legal-aid service suggested it had information on 30 cases of excessive use of force. The service’s chairwoman has said there were 27 civil cases filed between 2014 and 2017.
— By Bob Weber in Edmonton. Follow @row1960 on Twitter
DNA quirk could reveal mysteries of Newfoundland’s first settlers
Big pharma might cut R&D, delay new drugs if pharmacare means more generics: memo
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Drowning In Job Rejections? You Are Not Alone
If you are tired of people telling you things like, “I found a job in two weeks. Why haven’t you found a job in two years? You’re not looking hard enough,” check out some of these stories graduates who, despite doing well in school and being very skilled at what they do, had a really tough go at finding jobs in recent years.
Adam Pacitti, a media production graduate, was so desperate to find work at age 24 after repeated failures that he spent his last £500 on a massive billboard advertisement which said, “I Spent My Last £500 On This Billboard. Please Give Me A Job,” and listed a website. As of this time, so far as we know, Pacitti is still unemployed, but has reported that more than 50 companies have called him to discuss possibilities. This just goes to show that acknowledging and accepting your own desperation can actually be a step along the path to success.
Pasha Stocking, a marketing executive who lost her job in the recession spent $2,000 on a billboard in Connecticut in 2010. Her billboard, like Pacitti’s asked those who drove by it to consider giving her a job. During this time however she discovered her passion for entrepreneurship and started her own company.
Brian John Spencer studied law and graduated, only to find himself unemployed for the next two years, wondering at rejection after rejection. During that time, however, he got into blogging and realized he could make a living as a freelance writer, and enjoy that life more than one where he worked at a 9-5 job. Now he is grateful for the tough experience he went through because he realizes he will likely be happier over the long run.
It can be extremely demoralizing to not only be having an impossible time finding work, but believing that you’re the only one, and that you’re somehow “doing it wrong.” But you’re not necessarily doing anything wrong—and the reality is that there are a ton of other people who are struggling just as much as you are. And that’s the case whether you’re young or old, recently graduated or graduated years ago. Realizing that you’re not alone is important.
What’s also important is to realize that if you’re not finding a job right away, you should be taking this time to evaluate what it is you really want from life. It might be a good time to consider a different career field, go back to school, get a new certification, think about going into business for yourself, or something else altogether. See if you can turn a negative experience into a springboard for a positive future. Success often rises from the ashes of failure.
Job Interview Mistakes You Should Avoid
What Is Keeping Me From Getting A Job?
What Motivates Employees To Be Top Performers?
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New study finds Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) could offer hope to sufferers of Fibromyalgia
A newly released observational study conducted by researchers from the Verona University Hospital in Italy has suggested that a substance currently classified as a food product could potentially offer hope to sufferers of Fibromyalgia.
In the study, data from 407 fibromyalgia patients who had been prescribed ultramicronized Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) tablets between the years 2013 and 2016 was analysed. The data showed a statistically significant decrease in the study group’s Visual Analogue Pain Score as well as a statistically significant increase in their Quality of Life score. Only 36 patients reported adverse events and these comprised relatively minor side effects such as diarrhea, constipation and related gastrointestinal complaints.
PEA is an endogenous fatty acid amide produced naturally in the body and also found in foods such as meat, eggs, soybeans and peanuts. As a naturally occurring substance PEA supplements are classified in Australia, and many other countries, as a food product, not a drug. PEA has been shown to have antiinflammatory, antinociceptive, anticonvulsant and neuroprotective properties and is increasingly being used in the treatment of chronic pain. Previous studies also suggest that PEA rarely causes serious side effects and, as a natural food product, can be used in conjunction with many other drugs without causing a drug-drug adverse reaction.
While the exact mechanism behind PEA’s apparent therapeutic actions are not well understood, the researchers hypothesized that it’s well-documented antiinflammatory properties could prove beneficial in the treatment of Fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia syndrome is a chronic disease whose wide-ranging symptoms include muscle stiffness, extreme fatigue, sleep problems, ‘foggy thinking’, mood swings and sensitivity to cold, heat, light and smell. The cause of the disease is not known and currently there is no cure.
The researchers said the results of their analysis warranted further investigation into, “…the development of a new and well-tolerated therapy for fibromyalgia syndrome, mostly suitable for these patients who need long-term treatments.”
The researchers acknowledge that their study was statistically small and that, “…methodologically stronger studies will be necessary to validate our observation.”
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Lawmakers Push Disastrous Legislation On Keystone XL
By Center for Biological Diversity
Law Would Force Presidential Decision on Controversial, Destructive Pipeline in 60 Days
WASHINGTON - The House Subcommittee on Energy and Power held a hearing today on legislation called the “North American Energy Security Act,” which would require President Barack Obama to issue a permit on the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline within 60 days of the law’s enactment or determine the pipeline is not in the national interest. The legislation comes on the heels of a decision by the State Department to delay the pipeline’s approval to allow for more study of its environmental impacts on our land, air, water and climate.
“Once again congressional Republicans are paying more attention to their deep-pocketed campaign contributors in oil and gas than to the American public, which overwhelmingly opposes more tar-sands development, including the Keystone pipeline,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “If it passes, this law will end careful consideration of the devastating impacts of Keystone, doing terrible damage to representative government as well as to the environment.”
The 1,700-mile pipeline would, every day, transport up to 35 million gallons of oil derived from tar sands in Alberta, Canada, through the middle of the United States to refineries in Texas. In the process it would cross hundreds of streams and rivers and pass through wildlife habitat that would be at an increased risk of disastrous oil spills.
Strip mining of oil from Alberta’s tar sands has already destroyed tens of thousands of acres of boreal forest and polluted hundreds of millions of gallons of water from the Athabasca River, creating toxic ponds so large they can be seen from space. Processing and refinement of tar-sands oil produces two to three times more greenhouse gases per barrel than conventional oil and represents a massive new source of fossil fuels, which leading climate scientist Dr. James Hansen has called “game over” for our ability to avoid climate catastrophe.
If this were not enough, the caustic oil known as bitumen, which would be transported across six states and thousands of water bodies, poses an unacceptable risk of spill. An existing pipeline, Keystone 1, has already leaked 14 times since it went operational in June 2010; one spill dumped 21,000 gallons of tar-sands crude. Another tar-sands pipeline spilled more than a million gallons in the Kalamazoo River.
“From the Alberta tar sands to the Gulf of Mexico, the Keystone XL pipeline would be an environmental disaster,” said Greenwald. “Americans deeply value clean air and water, and we need to be able to trust our leaders to protect our children’s future. Keystone XL should not be approved at all, and clearly it shouldn’t be rushed to approval by cynical politicians making an end run around democracy.”
At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature - to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law, and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters, and climate that species need to survive.
Comments are not moderated. Please be responsible and civil in your postings and stay within the topic discussed in the article too. If you find inappropriate comments, just Flag (Report) them and they will move into moderation que.
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From Murder Mystery To Spy Thriller:
The Continuing Saga Of The Mumbai Terror Attacks
By Raveena Hansa
A great deal of new evidence concerning the 26 November 2008 terrorist attacks in Bombay has emerged over the past year. This includes the book Who Killed Karkare: The Real Face of Terrorism in India by S.M.Mushrif, a former police officer with a distinguished record, who uses news reports during and just after the attacks to question the official story; the book To the Last Bullet by Vinita Kamte (the widow of Ashok Kamte) and Vinita Deshmukh; revelations concerning Hemant Karkare's bullet-proof jacket and post-mortem report; the David Coleman Headley trial; and the trial of Ajmal Kasab, Fahim Ansari and Sabauddin Shaikh. I do not include the Ram Pradhan Commission report on police responses to the attack, for reasons I will explain.
The Headley Affair
The Headley affair has, predictably, grabbed a great deal of publicity. The fact that the FBI had been investigating the involvement of this American in conducting reconnaisance for the 26/11 attacks seems to have come as a revelation to the Indian investigators, who had a chance to apprehend him but instead chose to detain two Indian Muslims, Fahim Ansari and Sabauddin Shaikh, for preparing maps of 26/11 targets.
It has been established that Headley was an agent of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, and his plea bargain leads us to conclude he was also a US intelligence agent: in other words, a spy. It is also known he was involved with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and supplied information to them about targets attacked on 26/11. There are three possible explanations that would fit these facts:
1) He started off as a US intelligence agent, but was won over by the LeT, and was acting on their behalf.
2) The US intelligence agency employing him was complicit in the 26/11 attacks. Since the most likely fallout of such attacks would be increased tension and even armed clashes on the Pakistan-India border, and since it appears to be a priority of US foreign policy to reduce such tension, this would suggest that Headley was being handled by a rogue element in US intelligence.
3) The third possibility is that he remained loyal to the US agency, which in turn was following US policy. His brief, unknown to the FBI, was to infiltrate the LeT, find out their plans, and report to the US agency so that those plans could be foiled. In order to infiltrate the LeT, he had to win their trust by participating in their activities, including preparations for their Bombay attacks, and while he was doing so, the FBI got on his trail. He did, in fact, pass on intelligence of the planned 26/11 attacks to his US handlers, who in turn passed it on to Indian intelligence.
All these are plausible scenarios, but what more or less rules out 1) and 2) is that, as Mushrif reminds us, US intelligence did alert the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) on 18 November 2008 that an LeT ship was trying to infiltrate Indian waters with hostile intent and provided its coordinates, after having earlier warned of an attack from the sea on coastal hotels (pp.182-87). Headley was the likely source of this intelligence. If he was an LeT agent, why would he pass it on to the US agency? And if the latter wanted the attack to succeed, why would they pass on the intelligence to RAW? So 3) seems the most likely explanation (Miller 2010).
If it is doubted that a US intelligence agency could conduct operations without the knowledge of the FBI, we have an example closer to home which illustrates precisely such a possibility. On 6 December 2008, Tausif Rehman and Mukhtar Ahmed were arrested by the Kolkata police for supplying three SIM cards for the cellphones of the Mumbai attackers. Initially seen as a breakthrough in the investigation, the arrests soon became an embarrassment when it was discovered that Ahmed was an Indian intelligence operative who had infiltrated the LeT. Clearly, this was a case of Indian intelligence acting without the knowledge of the Indian police. These SIM card numbers (among others) were passed on to the Intelligence Bureau (IB) on 21 November with strict instructions to monitor them, and they were, in fact, used by the terrorists to keep in touch with their handlers in Pakistan (Mushrif, p.185).
According to news reports, it appears that on 19 November, RAW passed on the US intelligence to the IB, which on 20 November passed it on to the Coast Guard and the Principal Director of Naval Intelligence. However the Coast Guard was unable to locate the ship (possibly because it was still in Pakistani waters) and asked the IB Joint Director for more information. He promised to revert, but never did. Nor, according to Mushrif, was the Mumbai police, Maharashtra government, or Western Naval Command alerted to the looming threat. This proved all the more disastrous because the Mumbai police had suspended its normal coastal patrols near Badhwar Park (where the terrorists landed) forty days before the attack, despite warnings of an attack from the sea (Mushrif, pp.182-87).
If the Western Naval Command had joined the search, if the Mumbai police had stepped up instead of suspending its coastal patrols, and if the SIM cards had been monitored to find out the precise location of the terrorists, they would surely have been intercepted, either on the high seas or when they came in to land. This looks like something much more sinister than an intelligence failure, namely complicity by elements in Indian state institutions in waging war against India.
The fact that the terrorists were not apprehended before they could carry out their deadly attacks would have put Headley in a very difficult position. If he had been a fictional hero like Samir Horn in the Hollywood thriller Traitor – who, like Headley, uses his mother's surname and participates in US undercover operations without the knowledge of the FBI – Headley would have taken on the Pakistani handlers, emerged victorious, and aborted the mission. But in real life, given that it was more likely he would have been killed and the attack would have occurred anyway, he presumably decided not to risk it. If this is what happened, is Headley responsible for the attacks? Yes and no. Yes, because he staked out the targets and provided information to the LeT in his capacity as a US spy. No, because he provided precise, actionable intelligence that could have been used to prevent the attacks. This is surely what accounts for the lenient treatment he has received at the hands of the US authorities.
Why would prior intelligence of the attacks be blocked?
But why would Indians block intelligence that could have prevented the terrorist attacks of 26-29 November 2008? Mushrif's explanation is that the IB has been infiltrated by Hindu extremists who in the last few years have changed their strategy from fermenting communal pogroms to carrying out terrorist attacks and blaming them on Muslims. Hemant Karkare, in his capacity as Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) Chief, had begun to uncover this network, and had to be stopped at all costs; the terror attacks on the Taj and Oberoi Trident hotels and Nariman House provided a perfect cover for a parallel operation which was aimed at eliminating Karkare. (See Hansa 2009a and 2009b for my earlier observations on this issue.)
Savarkar's directive in 1942, asking Hindu nationalist cadre to infiltrate organs of the state, supports Mushrif's allegation of Hindu extremists infiltrating the IB, which is also borne out by Open Secrets, the memoirs of former IB chief M.K. Dhar. According to K.P.S. Gill, Dhar ‘starts out in life as a self-confessed hater of Muslims,..never loses his sneaking sympathy for the “Sangh parivar” and makes no secret of his sympathy for, and sustained association with, some of its prominent leaders' (Gill 2005). Indeed, Mushif may be understating the case by leaving out other organs of the state that are similarly infiltrated. Communal bias within the police force is demonstrated in every pogrom, and Karkare's investigations provided evidence that the rot had spread even into the armed forces.
Evidence that Muslims have been framed in real or imaginary terrorist plots is plentiful too. In a few cases in which they were killed, relatives have brought charges against the police: for example, Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife, Ishrat Jahan and three others, and Khwaja Yunus, accused of involvement in the Ghatkopar blasts of 2002 (Janwalkar 2008). In most cases, their lives and reputations are ruined by their being held in jail for years and tortured on terrorist charges without any evidence against them. Thus the police response to the Hyderabad blasts of May and August 2007 was to round up Muslim youths indiscriminately and torture them to obtain confessions. Twenty-one victims of torture who were later released without charge were given a small compensation, but no action was taken against the police who had incarcerated and tortured them ( IBNLive 2008).
This consistent pattern of framing Muslims even for attacks in which the overwhelming majority of victims were Muslims, as in the case of the Samjhauta Express train blasts in 2007, could not have been sustained without the participation of the IB and police. Investigations into the Nanded blasts in 2006 revealed that bombs made by the RSS and Bajrang Dal had earlier been set off at mosques in Parbhani (2003), Jalna (2004), and Purna (2004), and were about to be used in another terrorist attack in Aurangabad when they went off prematurely. But half-hearted prosecutions allowed members of the network to get away. Ironically, local protests at the way the case was being mishandled led to its being transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which further diluted the charges (Mushrif 153-67)! Initial investigations by the local police pointed to Hindutva groups as the perpetrators of the blasts at a Muslim festival in Malegaon in 2006 that killed over 30 and injured hundreds, yet again the police, the Maharashtra ATS (then headed by K.P.Raghuvanshi) who took over from the police, and the CBI who took over from the ATS charged Muslims against whom there was no evidence whatsoever (Khan 2010). It appeared that Hindutva terror groups could commit mass murder with impunity (Gatade 2008).
It is against this dismal background that the first bona fide investigation into a terrorist attack, carried out by Karkare in 2008 after the second round of Malegaon blasts, stands out in such sharp relief, because it followed the clues in a logical manner, did not accuse innocent Muslims of crimes they had not committed, and did not cover up the role of Hindutva terrorist networks. What was particularly sensational about these findings was that they revealed how wide and deep the network had become, and unearthed evidence that earlier bomb blasts (for example the Ajmer Sharif and Mecca Masjid blasts in 2007) for which Muslims had been blamed, arrested, jailed and tortured, sometimes for many years, were actually the handiwork of Hindu extremists. Abhinav Bharat, headquartered in Pune, appeared to be the centre of these operations. Mushrif's book sifts through evidence suggesting that these and many more terrorist attacks were planned and executed by Hindutva terror networks.
Karkare's revelations were confirmed recently, when the Rajasthan ATS arrested two Hindutva activists linked with Abhinav Bharat and suspected of involvement in the Ajmer Sharif, Mecca Masjid and Malegaon blasts ( Insurance News 2010; Nair 2010). And Mushrif's allegation that Karkare had been killed by the same network in order to preempt their own exposure gains credibility from the murder of advocate Shahid Azmi on 11 February 2010. Like Karkare, but in his capacity as a lawyer rather than detective, Azmi had time and again exposed police investigators who framed Muslims in terror attacks alleging that they were members of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), Indian Mujahideen, and other real or fictitious Islamic terrorist organisations (Sahi 2010). His defence of Fahim Ansari, one of the accused in the 26/11 case, is a good illustration of his methods as well as those of the police and prosecutors. Public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam's story was that Ansari had made maps of the city and handed them over to co-accused Shaikh in Nepal; Shaikh in turn allegedly handed them over to Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi in Pakistan, and one of them was supposedly found in the pocket of Abu Ismail after he was killed. Azmi's cross-examination of Nooruddin, who claimed he had seen Ansari hand over the maps to Shaikh in Nepal, revealed there was no evidence that Nooruddin had ever been to Nepal; and showing the court the blood-soaked clothes of Ismail, Azmi asked, ‘How could the police recover the map spotless and uncreased?' These arguments clearly carried weight with Justice Tahaliyani, as did the unanswered question why they would have relied on hand-made maps when better ones were available on the internet (Holla 2010)! But to those involved in framing Ansari, Shaikh and hundreds of other innocent Muslims, Azmi was clearly a thorn in flesh who, like Karkare, had to be eliminated.
Evidence of Two Distinct Operations, One Aimed at Killing Karkare
Mushrif lists several reasons why the operation at CST (VT) station-Cama Hospital-Badruddin Tayabji Lane could not have been part of the same operation as the Colaba attacks at Café Leopold-Taj-Oberoi/Trident-Nariman House. (1) 284 Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) messages were received by the gunmen in Colaba from their handlers in Pakistan, but not a single one by the gunmen of the former operation, who, on the other hand, dropped mobile phones with SIM cards registered in Satara. (2) The gunmen in Colaba were instructed by their handlers to spare Muslims, whereas 40 per cent of the victims killed by the gunmen in CST station were Muslims, most of whom looked Muslim. (3) The gunmen in Cama Hospital spoke fluent Marathi – a fact reported in various newspapers and confirmed by a senior IAS officer – and spared an employee when he told them he was a Hindu (pp. 190-95). To these, one might add a few more observations: The targets of the Colaba operation were high-profile ones frequented by the Indian elite and foreigners, whereas VT station would have been frequented by middle to lower-class people, and Cama Hospital by the poor. The timing is different too: the Colaba operation went on for three days, while the other one ended as soon as Karkare was dead; the gunmen could have ensconced themselves either in the station or in the hospital and fought to the death like the others, but instead they went scuttling around from place to place: a completely different modus operandi .
The mystery that continues to surround the circumstances in which Karkare and his colleagues were killed, and what looks like a deliberate cover-up by the police, strengthens the impression of an assassination. First, there is the riddle of the missing CCTV footage of the carnage at VT station. Immediately after the attack, the media reported that the entire episode had been captured on the sixteen CCTV cameras in the mainline station (Mushrif, pp.210-211), but some time later, it was reported that they had all been malfunctioning. All? One or two, perhaps, but are we seriously being asked to believe that not a single one was working on that particular night, whereas all the cameras in the surburban section were functioning? It seems highly probable that this is a case of tampering with the evidence, which could only have been done by agencies which had access to the tapes. (K.P.Raghuvanshi was chief of railway police at the time, and would certainly know who did it.) Why would the police tamper with this critical evidence? In the first place it would have established that there were not two but four terrorists, as eyewitnesses and all the newspapers reported the following day; and secondly, it might well have cast doubt on the allegation that Kasab was one of them.
Then there is the scandal of Karkare's missing bullet-proof jacket. In response to a Right to Information (RTI) application by his widow Kavita Karkare and a complaint filed by a social activist, it became clear that the jacket had gone missing. At first the police alleged that a sweeper at JJ Hospital, where the post-mortem was conducted, had thrown it away, but Ms Karkare angrily dismissed this story as a fabrication, and the sweeper himself later denied it. One explanation for its disappearance was that this was an attempt to cover up the fact that it was part of a defective batch, but in that case, why didn't all the other jackets in the batch disappear too ( SahilOnline 2009)? The police officers taking Kakare's body to the hospital would certainly have been aware that ‘Under the norms stipulated by the criminal procedure code (CrPC), the police taking an injured or dead person to the hospital have to draw a panchnama in presence of the hospital staff, listing all the items found on the body of the victim. Not only this, these items are then to be sealed and referred to the forensic science laboratory, if needed, or kept in safe custody till the trial in the case is over' (Parmar 2009). If, in contravention of normal procedure, the bullet-proof jacket of such a senior police officer was destroyed, this clearly amounts to tampering with the evidence.
In response to allegations that the jacket had been removed to destroy evidence of police corruption in the buying of bullet-proof jackets, Karkare's post-mortem report, which had initially been denied even to his widow, was released to the press. It showed that there were five bullet entry wounds on top of his right shoulder-blade, between his neck and shoulder, and three exit wounds in his right chest and right shoulder, while two bullets remained in his body (Menon 2009). This casts serious doubt on the official version of Karkare's death, according to which terrorists in the lane ambushed the vehicle in which he was travelling along with other police personnel. In the absence of a convincing analysis showing how they could have shot him on the top of the shoulder-blade with the bullets going downwards, and identification of the bullets and gun with which he was shot, there is considerable room for doubt about what actually happened. If he was indeed killed in the vehicle, the autopsy report appears to be more consistent with his being shot by the police personnel inside it. Furthermore, it does not look as if the wounds would have been fatal if he had received immediate medical attention. Finally, the trajectory of the three bullets that exited his body suggests that one of them might have lodged in the inside of his bullet-proof jacket; if it came from a police weapon, that could have been the reason why the jacket was tampered with.
Curiously, the verdict says that all the bullets passed through Karkare's body (Plumber and Shetty 2010). So what happened to the two bullets that were found in his body at the autopsy? What happened to the bullets that passed through him? Were they found in the vehicle, in his bullet-proof jacket, or elsewhere? Why has the gun from which they came not been identified?
All this makes clarification of the events of the 26/27 November night in Badruddin Tyabji Marg (locally known as Rangbhavan Lane), where Karkare, Kamte, Salaskar and other police personnel were supposedly killed, all the more important. The best account we have is by Vinita Kamte, herself a lawyer, who interviewed eyewitnesses and used the RTI Act to extract information from an obstructive police force. It appears that Commissioner of Police Hasan Gafoor decided to lead the operations at Trident Hotel, leaving the Control Room in charge of Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Rakesh Maria. Ms Kamte knew from a telephone conversation with her husband that Gafoor had summoned him to the Trident: how, then, did he end up at Cama? Maria told her that he did not know, yet when she got access to police call logs, they revealed that he himself had directed Ashok Kamte to Cama. Karkare too was at the back of Cama, inside which firing and grenade blasts were taking place. At 23.24 on the 26th he called the Control Room saying he was there and requesting that a police team be sent to the front of Cama Hospital to encircle it. He reiterated his request to the Control Room for reinforcements at 23.28 so as to encircle Cama. There were three police posts two to five minutes away, yet no reinforcements were sent.
Instead of reinforcements, two young people with backpacks arrived at the corner of St Xaviers College, at the end of the lane. At around 23.45 they gunned down Inspector Durgude when he tried to warn them there was firing at Cama, then fired at the car driven by Maruti Phad. Phad's family, who were watching from their apartment above the lane, as well as other residents and two constables from Azad Maidan Police Station, all called the Control Room for help, but still none arrived. According to eyewitnesses, the terrorists were wandering around the lane for over fifteen minutes. Around midnight, officers Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar got into a vehicle and proceeded towards the CID Special Branch office, which is on the way to the lane's exit beside St Xaviers. Karkare had told the constables and officers at the rear gate of Cama that he was proceeding to the front gate in order to help rescue the police personnel injured and trapped inside the hospital, where firing was still going on. Despite all the desperate calls to the Control Room from residents and police, Karkare was not informed that there were terrorists ahead of them in the lane.
At around 00.03-00.04 on the 27th, the police vehicle was ambushed in the lane, and residents reported an exchange of fire between a man in police uniform who got out of it (presumably Kamte) and the terrorists, in the course of which one of the terrorists was shot in the hand and dropped his gun. Another police vehicle with flashing beacon went past the ambushed vehicle while the terrorists were still in the lane, but neither stopped to help the injured men and confront the terrorists, nor informed anyone that help was needed. Not until 00.47 were the three officers picked up and taken to hospital, by which time it was too late to save their lives. At 00.56, Gafoor called Maria in the Control Room to enquire about Karkare's and Kamte's safety, and Maria feigned ignorance of their whereabouts despite the fact that call logs show Karkare had called the Control Room at 11.24, 11.27, 11.28 and 11.58 giving their location at the back of Cama, and others had called the Control Room at 00.25, 00.33 and 00.40 saying that they were injured in the lane, and finally at 00.49 saying that they were being taken to hospital. Vinita Kamte keeps asking ‘Why?' and she is surely entitled to know (Kamte and Deshmukh 2009, pp. 36-61).
The Ram Pradhan Committee failed to uncover any of this information, and refused to allow Vinita Kamte to depose before them (Kamte and Deshmukh, p.68). Instead, as former police officer Y.P.Singh puts it, their report ‘chastises the whistle-blower and exonerates the culprits'. Gafoor, who had charged police officers for failing to go to Cama when they had been instructed to do so, was criticised by the report for leading the action at Trident instead of stationing himself in the Control Room, and was removed from his post, despite the fact that it was entirely within his discretion to do this (Singh 2009). No one else was criticised. In other words, the Ram Pradhan Committee report scapegoated Gafoor and whitewashed the rest of the police force.
Vinita Kamte's account makes it clear that terrorists attacked the police officers in Rangbhavan Lane while firing was still going on in Cama, that reinforcements were not sent despite repeated requests, and that help was not sent to the injured officers until they were almost sure to be dead. It is commonly assumed that the terrorist whose hand received a gunshot wound was Kasab, but that is impossible since Kasab had no bullet injuries when examined in Nair Hospital (Hemmady 2008). However, the CNN-IBN report from Metro Junction shortly afterwards, where a man who looks like Karkare and is identified as such by the reporter is being carried into a car unconscious, shows a youth with a bleeding hand: could he have been the one in the lane? In fact, the Metro incident has never been explained satisfactorily, nor have the people in the clip been identified; this remains to be done.
The Kasab Trial
On 3 May 2010, the trial of Ajmal Kasab, Fahim Ansari and Sabauddin Shaikh in Bombay ended with an acquittal for Ansari and Sabauddin and a guilty verdict on over 80 counts for Kasab, who was sentenced to death on May 6th. His so-called flip-flops, sometimes confessing to most of the crimes with which he had been accused and at others pleading his innocence, alleging he had been framed and that the confessions were extracted from him by coercion, make it particularly important to review the evidence against him. From his experience as a police officer, Mushrif points out that DNA samples and fingerprints supposedly recovered from the fishing vessel Kuber that had been out at sea for many hours could hardly be credible evidence, since it could so easily be tampered with. The only witness who saw the terrorists disembark from the rubber dinghy at Badhwar Park and actually spoke to them, Anita Uddaiya, said there were six people not ten, and Kasab was not one of them. Despite her proving her reliability as a witness by identifying all six in the morgue, she was not only dropped as a witness, but charged with ‘misleading the investigators' as a punishment for refusing to change her story under pressure (Mushrif, pp.202-206). This leads to the suspicion that other witnesses too were coerced into corroborating the official story, and dropped if they refused. How else can one explain why Cama employee Tikhe had to drink ten glasses of water before identifying Kasab as the terrorist who spoke to him (Baghel 2010)? Or why the other Cama employee, who was questioned in Marathi by a terrorist pointing a gun to his head and saved himself by replying in Marathi (Mushrif, pp.192-93), was not called as a witness?
In the absence of CCTV footage that could prove Kasab's presence in VT station, the two photographs snapped by Sebastian D'Souza (photo editor with Mumbai Mirror) became, as a comprehensive report of the verdict put it, ‘the most irrefutable evidence against Ajmal Qasab in the 26/11 trial' (Baghel 2010). Kasab denies that he is the person in the photograph, and if we look at another photo of the same person, which is easier to compare with images of Kasab because it is taken from the front ( topnews.in 2010), there is indeed room for doubt that it is Kasab. It is also notable that both gunmen snapped in VT had saffron wristbands worn by Hindus; it surely would not have been necessary for Muslim jihadis to wear these as a disguise! So this evidence does not seem irrefutable after all, unless analysis of the photographs by an expert identifies the person in them definitively as Kasab, something that Kasab's lawyers did not ask for.
However, we cannot really blame Kasab's lawyers for failing him. As his earlier lawyer, Abbas Kazmi, complained bitterly, "I was not allowed to talk to him alone. He would be in the courtroom, in the box, and I would go up to him and speak to him in the presence of the security guards who could hear everything. Even the media could hear half of what he was telling me… In such a situation, where the normal interaction between the lawyer and his client was not confidential, how could he talk about anything freely? On one occasion he told me, 'yeh jail bhi unka hai, yeh judge bhi unka, yeh prosecutor bhi unka hai, aur mera vakil bhi unka hai [This jail is theirs, this judge is also theirs, this prosecutor is also theirs, and even my lawyer is theirs]'. He obviously had misgivings". After Kazmi was dismissed by the court and replaced by Pawar, the trial proceeded at breakneck speed (383 witnesses in 15-20 days), and the final defence was summed up in just one-and-a-half days (Baghel 2010).
Apart from eyewitness accounts and the photographs, the main evidence against Kasab comes from his own confession, which he later retracted, saying it was extracted from him under duress. One can only say that if the part of his confession implicating Ansari and Shaikh was a police fabrication, the rest of it could have been a police fabrication too; and if the police and prosecution could have planted maps to incriminate Ansari and Shaikh, they would have been equally capable of planting a gun to incriminate Kasab.
Finally, Mushrif questions the whole story of the capture of Kasab at Girgaum Chowpatty, and surely it would have been psychologically impossible (not to mention a dereliction of duty) for Sub-Inspector Ombale's police colleagues to allow a gunman to pump bullets into him without attempting to save him by shooting the gunman dead! And that, indeed, is what appears to have happened. According to newspaper reports the next day, as well as an audio tape of wireless communications between the Mumbai Police Control Room and the Commissioner of Police, both gunmen were killed at Chowpatty. Could one of them have been Kasab, who was pronounced by doctors at Nair hospital to have no bullet injuries and only minor abrasions and bruises (Hemmady 2008)? Is it credible that the police could have been so stupid as to report a terrorist dead when he was practically uninjured?
Under these circumstances, is it safe to conclude that Kasab is guilty of the eighty-odd charges beyond all reasonable doubt? Not really. Anita Uddaiya's testimony suggests there is no evidence he landed at Badhwar Park or had any connection with the Colaba operation. Since the crucial CCTV footage is missing, there are only photographs, which have not been analysed sufficiently, to connect him with the carnage in VT. Even the verdict admits there is no evidence he killed police officers Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar (Plumber and Shetty 2010). It is unlikely Kasab was one of the Marathi-speaking gunmen in Cama, and even more unlikely he was one of the gunmen who was killed at Girgaum Chowpatty. Given the seriousness of the charges and the fact that they carry the death sentence, a miscarriage of justice in this case would not only result in the execution of an innocent man, but would also discredit the Indian legal system. Worse still, if it results in the illusion that those who were responsible for the carnage in VT and the murder of police officers Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar have been punished, whereas the real culprits are free to wreak more havoc, it would directly undermine the safety and security of the public. It would therefore be desirable for Kasab's guilty verdict to be appealed. The trial in a higher court should answer all the questions raised above about tampering with evidence and witnesses, as well as explain the extraordinary sequence of events at Cama Hospital, Rangbhavan Lane and Metro Junction. And Kasab should be able to communicate with his lawyer without being overheard by his captors, thus facing a threat to his person should he contradict their story.
Mr Chidambaram, the Home Minister, is quite right when he says that extra anti-terrorist legislation is not needed for dealing with terrorists ( The Hindu 2010). What is needed, however, are honest and intelligent detectives like Hemant Karkare. Given the suspicion of IB and Maharashtra police involvement and/or complicity in the 26/11 attacks, it would be desirable that investigations into them be conducted by a completely different team of detectives, perhaps from the National Investigation Agency, who are of the calibre of Hemant Karkare. Since the US has agreed to allow Indian investigators to question David Headley, he would obviously be the best person to cast light on the Colaba attacks, and there should be pressure on the government of Pakistan to provide access to the Pakistani conspirators whom he names as well. But there should also be investigations into who in India was responsible for blocking the intelligence and preventing the attackers from being intercepted. Investigations into what exactly happened in VT station, Cama Hospital, Badruddin Tyabji Road and Metro Junction should be able to clarify what happened to the CCTV footage from the mainline station, Karkare's bullet-proof jacket, and the two bullets from his body. All other evidence, including the photographs taken at the station, TV footage of the incident at Metro, post-mortem reports, police wireless logs, the cellphones dropped by the terrorists at VT, and the vehicle in which the police officers were supposedly killed should also be seized and analysed. The same team should investigate the murder of Shahid Azmi, who was defence lawyer for one of the accused, and the other terror attacks in various parts of the country which were being investigated by Karkare prior to his death.
If extremists are allowed to infiltrate India's state institutions unchecked, its constitution and secular character would eventually be destroyed. Hemant Karkare and Shahid Azmi lost their lives while trying to save India from this dire fate. We must ensure that they did not die in vain.
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Sahi, Ajit, 2010, ‘A Grain in My Empty Bowl,' Tehelka, 27 February, http://www.tehelka.com/story_main43.asp?filename=Ne270210a_grain.asp
SahilOnline, 2009, ‘Hemant Karkare's bulletproof vest missing,' 13 November, http://sahilnews.org/english/news.php?catID=nationalnews&nid=6798
Singh, Y.P., 2009, ‘Flawed!' The Week, http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/mmonline.dll/portal/ep/theWeekContent.do?BV_ID=@@@&contentType=EDITORIAL
§ionName=TheWeek%20Current%20Events&programId=1073754900&contentId=6506339
The Hindu, 2010, ‘Conviction came without anti-terror law: Chidambaram,' 6 May, http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article423365.ece
TopNews.in, 2010, ‘Mohammad Ajmal Kasab to receive death penalty!' 5 March,
http://www.topnews.in/mohammad-ajmal-kasab-receive-death-penalty-2260436
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Price falls slow
Holly Kirkwood August 7, 2008
Halifax has found house prices were still falling in July, although at a slower rate – just 1.7% compared with falls of 2.5% in May and 1.9% in June. The UK average house price is still one third higher than five years ago, says the report.
The data also points out that a solid labour market, low interest rates, and a shortage of new houses continue to support the market: ‘The labour market is the key driver of the housing market and the number of people n employment is at a record high,’ Halifax says.
Although it admits house prices are back to the level of June 2006, the lender is determined to be upbeat. Others, however, are not so confident. Seema Shah from Capital Economics said: ‘Another dire set of numbers from the housing market means that, to date, the correction has wiped out the last two years’ gains in average house prices.
‘Unfortunately, with the housing market still plagued by tight lending criteria, falling buyer confidence and now a rapidly weakening economy, the end for this housing market correction remains a long way off.’
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Half of children on benefits are food insecure, and need urgent support increases, says CPAG
Children's sector welcomes Government's human rights commitment
New report reflects outdated and damaging Welfare relationship rules
Originally published at www.ihc.org.nz. Republished with permission of IHC New Zealand.
Children’s organisations have today welcomed the Government’s decision to accept the majority of the recommendations affecting children made under New Zealand’s third Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
Every four years New Zealand looks at how well human rights are protected, and engages with other countries, to identify where more needs to be done to make sure everyone nationwide enjoys their rights.
New Zealand’s progress on human rights was reviewed under the UPR process for the third time last year and a raft of recommendations were made, many of which focussed on children’s rights.
“The need for New Zealand to do more to ensure all children can enjoy their rights equally – especially tamariki Māori, Pasifika children and children with disabilities – were key themes to emerge from the UPR,” says Andrea Jamison, Chairperson of Action for Children and Youth Aotearoa, one of the organisations who prepared a joint children’s sector report to the UPR.
“That means all children in Aotearoa being listened to, respected and safe, growing up healthy and well, with equal opportunities to learn and play, amongst family and whānau and friends,” says Andrea.
“It’s about working together so all children can have good childhoods and teenage years.”
Jeni Cartwright, spokesperson for Child Poverty Action Group, says it is vital that income adequacy is recognised as a right of the child in New Zealand, and for policy settings in every sector to reflect this.
“The New Zealand Government has committed to prioritising wellbeing for all, including children, but there is much work to be done to address inequities that result in barriers for many children in accessing adequate healthcare, housing, education and nutrition,” says Jeni.
“We know that reducing poverty and ensuring all children have an adequate standard of living is central to realising their rights to be well, to good healthcare, to education and to know and be cared for by their families.
“The UPR is an important opportunity to reflect on how well we are doing. What needs to continue is concerted effort to not just accept but to address the recommendations made, so that every child has the best opportunity to thrive.
Trish Grant, IHC Director of Advocacy says the UPR process has clearly recognised children with disability as part of the community of all children, with human rights as both children and as people with disability.
“We are especially pleased to see the government accept recommendations on the rights of children with disabilities to quality inclusive education and to increase the provision of reasonable accommodation in primary and secondary schools in line with international standards,” says Trish.
Heidi Coetzee, Chief Executive Save the Children NZ says it’s time now to see some real progress and she’s hopeful that by UPR4 many of the issues of the past will have started to be addressed.
“Every child in New Zealand deserves the right to be happy and safe and to have access to quality education, nutritious food and a healthy home,” says Heidi.
Click here to read the joint submission to the Periodic Review compiled by IHC, ACYA, CPAG and Save the Children
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Stalin’s Security Force
Home » Crime Library » International Crimes » Stalin’s Security Force
After the bloody Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, the leaders of the new Soviet Union protected their authority through the use of secret police. With the rise of Joseph Stalin, the secret police which had once been used purely for enforcement, expanded its control over the country. In 1934, it became known as the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs, which in Russian is abbreviated to NKVD.
The NKVD was the vehicle that drove a great part of Stalin’s Purges. After Vladimir Lenin’s death and the brutal fight for the head seat of the party, Stalin needed a way to both build up the USSR as an industrial communist nation and to maintain his power. In tune with his Five-Year Plan, he instituted work camps, famines (by raising grain quotas when he knew they could not be filled), and purges in order to “cleanse” the nation and his own party. Stalin was historically paranoid and used the NKVD as his own private force for eliminating people he thought were disloyal or a threat.
The main purpose of the NKVD was national security, and they made sure their presence was well known. People were arrested and sent to work camps for the most mundane things. Individuals would report on their friends and neighbors because they feared that the NKVD would come for them if they did not report suspicious activity.This is not dissimilar from the behavior by Americans who reported their neighbors as suspected communists during the Cold War. It was the NKVD who carried out the grunt work of the majority of Stalin’s Purges; Nikolay Yezhov, the head of the NKVD from 1936 to 1938, was so ruthless in these mass displacements and executions that many citizens referred to his reign as the Great Terror. They also maintained a large intelligence network, instituted ethnic and domestic repression, and carried out political kidnappings and assassinations. As the NKVD was not directly associated with the communist party, Stalin used them as his own personal para-military force, eliminating opponents as he saw fit.
After Stalin’s death and during Nikita Khrushchev’s rise to power in 1953, the purges of the NKVD were halted. Even after the dilapidation of the USSR, its legacy resonated from the Gulag, the program that arranged the work camps, and the Main Directorate for State Security (GUGB), which was the predecessor of the KGB. The horrors suffered under Joseph Stalin devastated the entire nation and memories of his reign still strike fear in the hearts of many Russians who lived through it.
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by Monika Alleweldt | Sep 14, 2018 | Article | 1 comment
A Plan for the Healing of Humankind and the Earth
by Monika Alleweldt,
Verlag Meiga
The “Healing Biotopes Plan” is a global peace strategy developed, both in theory and practice, over nearly 40 years by Dr. Dieter Duhm, Sabine Lichtenfels and others, with the aim of bringing about a worldwide process of healing on Earth – a future without war.
The plan is based on a clear vision. Dieter Duhm’s “Political Theory” describes this vision in scientific terms. The theory explains why and how only a few outstanding centers worldwide, “Healing Biotopes,” can replace the existing information field of fear and violence with a new, globally effective information field of trust and cooperation.
How can these local centers have a global effect? The answer lies in the nature of holistic systems, whose functions and parameters are described in the Political Theory. In his book Future Without War Duhm writes,
Crucial to the success of these local centers is not how big and strong they are (compared to the existing apparatuses of violence), but how comprehensive and complex they are, how many elements of life are well combined and united within them. Evolutionary fields develop not according to the “survival of the fittest,” but the success of the most comprehensive. Otherwise, no new development could prevail, for they all started small and inconspicuous.
What is a Healing Biotope?
A Healing Biotope is the model of a future society. Just as a new prototype is first developed in a laboratory, the Healing Biotopes Plan is based on building a new society first as a model before it can be applied on a large scale. In a future peace culture, the problems currently leading to war all over the world will be solved (or will be in a process of being solved). Healing Biotopes are therefore places where these solutions are prepared. The results must be applicable and accessible to everyone who seeks them. Healing Biotopes are organized so that the various solutions can be linked to each other until the image of the overall model becomes visible.
For clarity, we divide it into different aspects:
1. The material basis of life
2. The social basis of life
3. The spiritual basis of life
Humankind needs new responses in these three areas to be able to initiate a nonviolent future.
The problem of the material basis of life is expressed in the global lack of water, food and energy and in their inequitable distribution. Desertification, famine and peak oil are just some aspects of this scarcity, which arises as a result of the fundamentally wrong way in which humanity deals with nature. The necessary correction is based in creating life systems compatible with the regenerative systems and inexhaustible energy sources from nature.
The solution specifically lies in the implementation of decentralized, regionally self-sufficient, water-rich and sustainable centers where up to several thousand people can live. With the support of Water Retention Landscapes, permaculture and new energy technologies working according to the laws of life, these centers will be able to supply all of humanity with an abundance of food, energy and fresh drinking water within a few decades. At the same time they heal all of nature’s ecosystems and living beings. The apparent contradiction between thriving economically and protecting nature is thus overcome.
The new energy technologies are no longer based on breaking resistances, but follow a “line of tension.” They connect the new centers with the everlasting energy sources of the sun and the universe. The fight for resources will come to its end.
The social basis of life, in all societies, has been destroyed. People have lost the ability to live together in peace. Fear, alienation and mistrust lead to irresolvable conflicts in all systems, from the smallest scale of marriage and family all the way to the wars and global crisis areas. The latent readiness for violence can break out at any time and be used for the cruelest of atrocities.
Healing Biotopes demonstrate how creating new living environments can structurally and lastingly develop cooperation and trust. The change does not happen (only) through individual therapy or admonitions. Marx said, “It is the social being that determines consciousness.” A new type of socialization is the higher level of order at which previously hopeless conflicts can be resolved. The people in these new communities support each other and their fellow creatures, not because they follow external moral commandments, but because they have recognized that all that lives is part of the great family of life, to which they themselves also belong.
Central to building trust is the reconciliation of the genders. There can be no peace on Earth as long as there is war in love. The patriarchal society must be transformed into a way of life in which both women and men reconnect with their sensual knowledge and apply it for a future culture of partnership between masculine and the feminine.
The fight against the spiritual basis of life proceeds today in such a subtle and encompassing way that it can hardly be perceived. We only notice the consequences of being spiritually bankrupt in eruptions such as religious wars, structures of domination and subordination, psychological deprivation and blocked anger reaching all the way to self-destruction. Humanity has lost its authentic spiritual and ethical anchor. Returning from this “exile” requires developing a new worldview and studying a theory of primal trust that is able to open the human heart again. Autonomous, independently thinking human beings will evolve out of this learning process – people who no longer submit themselves to punishing authorities. Such people have developed a strong humane core and are therefore incorruptible. They make life itself their sacred authority and protect it wherever they are. Healing Biotopes are spiritual training centers for this kind of human being.
The State of Implementation
The Healing Biotopes Plan is mature and far developed theoretically and in practice. In 1995, the first Healing Biotope was established – Tamera in Portugal. Today approximately 170 co-workers, students, youth and children are living and working there. The work was strongly focused on building a resilient community in the first years. Over time, various sub-projects within Tamera have developed – the ecology department, the SolarVillage Test Field, the Animal Project, the Children’s Republic, the Youth Place, the guest center, the peace education, the Art Department, the Love School, the Political Ashram, The Grace Foundation and the Institute for Global Peace Work. The Global Campus was established with cooperation partners in Israel-Palestine, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Kenya and other countries. A growing global network links Tamera with an increasing number of projects and individuals around the world. In this network the seeds for further Healing Biotopes are germinating. Now the project faces the next level of manifestation.
The Next Steps
Healing Biotopes and peace centers need international protection and support. For this purpose a “world council” is to be established with people who pick up the idea, cooperate with one another and support the plan.
The plan requires international distribution and acknowledgment so that more and more people will be able to see the endeavor as realistically feasible.
Alongside the indispensable political awakening to what is happening on Earth, a new peace movement needs media channels and professionals to develop and spread the archetypal images and words of peace, through for example political art, films, commentary on global events, et cetera. The underlying potential of revolutionary power is thereby awakened, for this information is in resonance with a dream anchored in every human being’s soul.
All those interested need free access to the necessary knowledge. More and more people from around the world are studying these new thoughts. We are working to establish a series on free webinars about all of these topics.
All the aforementioned points call for donors, journalistic support, and committed people who want to contribute to the manifestation.
For further information, please contact us!
Jaclin on September 30, 2018 at 7:46 pm
I love what you’re doing.
Although I wonder about the material basis in”permaculture” and “the laws of life.” What is your vision and practice regarding animal-based vs. plant-based agriculture and nutrition?
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Deeside Timberframe appoints Stewart Ferguson as Operations Director
John Wright, managing director of Deeside Timberframe, with new operations director Stewart Ferguson.
Stonehaven-based Deeside Timberframe, part of the Bancon Group, has appointed a new operations director to help drive its continued expansion and growth.
Stewart Ferguson is currently director of the Bancon Group’s specialist works division.
k He will transfer to Deeside Timberframe to take up his new role, which will include overseeing on-site activity, quality systems and site health and safety as well as managing the commercial team.
The timber systems manufacturer is reaping the rewards of its investment in additional resources in Central Scotland and North-west of England, with more than 60% of its business now coming from outwith the North-east of Scotland.
John Wright, managing director of Deeside Timberframe, said: “I am delighted to welcome Stewart to the team at Deeside, where his broad experience will assist in our current growth strategy.
“This move also allows us to take advantage of our diverse skill set by providing opportunities for personnel development across the Bancon Group.”
Stewart brings more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry, having joined his father’s joinery business after studying building management at university.
He has worked on housing, health, education, industrial, commercial and retail construction projects, including a major maintenance project for Aberdeenshire Council and a £450,000 health centre extension in Angus.
Stewart said: “After six years working for the Bancon Group, I am looking forward to the challenge of taking on a new role within the group, at what is a time of growth for Deeside Timberframe.
“Timber frame systems are increasingly being used in the construction of homes, supermarkets and hotels and are considered one of the most economic, efficient and environmentally friendly methods of construction, so there is huge potential to continue expanding the company and its reach in the UK market.”
Deeside Timberframe’s precision-engineered timber systems are manufactured at its operations in Stonehaven and Stirling, where the company employs 70 people.
With more than 25 years’ experience in the industry, Deeside Timberframe designs, manufactures and installs timber frame solutions many for house builders and construction companies across the UK.
North-east libraries to become testbeds for rural entrepreneurship
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Reginald Hudlin Produces the 50th NAACP Image Awards for the 7th Year In A Row
TV One took me behind the scenes of the making of the 50th NAACP Image Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. Check out my interview with Writer, Director and Producer, Reginald Hudlin, as he prepares for his 7th year producing this legendary awards show.
Newer PostTV One Takes Us Behind The Scenes of the 50th NAACP Image Awards
Older Post50th NAACP Image Awards Recap
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In Bad Taste? Vomit and Disgust in Paul McCarthy’s Performances of the 1970s
In Bad Taste_Performance Research.pdf (1.143Mb)
Curtis, Harriet
In the 1970s, Los Angeles-based artist Paul McCarthy made visceral performances which appealed to audiences’ innermost feelings of disgust and revulsion. Using everyday materials – notably, consumable foodstuffs – such as hot dogs, ground meat, ketchup, chocolate syrup, mustard and mayonnaise, he enacted performances of consumerism in which he both ingested and expelled this potent mixture of materials. McCarthy succeeds in relaying this nausea to his audiences, both in the live moment of performance and whilst watching performance recordings. In this proposed article I consider vomiting in McCarthy’s performances, and the sense of nausea felt by his audience, as an act of resistance against unthinking consumers who swallow culture whole. In other words, McCarthy employs tactics of bad taste – typically, invoking ‘low culture’ and bodily excretions – as a critical tool for activating audiences. Looking at McCarthy’s performances – notably Hot Dog (1974) and Tubbing (1975) – this article looks at the urge to vomit and the will to prevent it, as a way of both alienating audiences and becoming more intimate with them. Artist Barbara Smith recalls from her experience of McCarthy’s live performance Hot Dog, the sense of nausea she felt when watching him stuff numerous hot dogs into his mouth. She considered it kinder to leave the room to vomit than to do so in front of the artist, for fear that he would do the same and risk choking. In my own reflections on McCarthy’s video performance Tubbing, I read his struggle to chew and digest raw meat not only as a struggle with his own body, but as indicative of his career-long interest in the politics of cultural critique; breaking it up, destroying it, or reconfiguring it into something less palatable.
The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
Citation : Curtis, H. (2017) In Bad Taste? Vomit and Disgust in Paul McCarthy’s Performances of the 1970s. Performance Research, 22 (7), pp. 119-125.
https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/in-bad-taste-vomit-and-disgust-in-paul-mccarthys-performances-of-the-1970s(9218cdd9-38c2-4b26-8e05-99a5267ccb4a).html
https://doi.org/10.1080/13528165.2017.1353206
Research Group : Drama Research Group
School of Arts [722]
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Can Path replace Facebook?
March 14, 2014 /0 Comments/in cyber, Dot Social, Facebook, internet, iphone, Social Media /by Wendy Ager
Path – The place for your personal life
The first I heard of Path was watching The Gadget Show this week. It’s described as an Ad-Free version of Facebook. Why it’s been mentioned now as a possible rival in social networking terms to Facebook, when it’s been around for quite a while could be because they’ve only just launched it’s iOS7 App.
Path is a Social Media network with the difference to others that it limits your friends to 150. This is because physiologists say that that’s the maximum number of people you can maintain meaningful relationships with at any one time. You can delete and add people as you change friends.
Your uploads/shares are called Moments and it’s more like a closed network as your Moments remain within those friends. You can even have an inner circle of friends too. It seems really slick and is intuitive to use on an iPhone, with new swiping features and moving between messages and the Home screen etc.
It has been doing pretty well gaining numbers from what what I’ve read but there’s scepticism on how it can be monetised.
Their CEO Dave Morin, according to this Business Insider article, has hinted in the past that somehow making money from data about users’ behaviour might be a way it makes money, rather than straightforward advertising, and that they intend to remain independent. Path Premium is £2.99 for 3 months or £10.49 for 12 and this gives you unlimited access to items from the their online shop (sticker packs and camera filters) and early access to new items.
For me, it’s like anything new…. I’d love to try it out properly but need more friends to be on it to see if it’s really going to replace something else. It will have to be pretty good to overtake something else you’ve invested time and effort in. It’s been around for over 3 years now and this is the first I’ve heard of it and it’s got to make money to take off too, so lets see, eh?!
As it’s FREE do have a go with Path via Google Play or Apple’s App Store.
Tags: content marketing, Marketing and Advertising, News
https://www.dot-social.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/DotSocial-logo-W-small.jpg 0 0 Wendy Ager https://www.dot-social.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/DotSocial-logo-W-small.jpg Wendy Ager2014-03-14 19:03:452014-03-14 19:03:45Can Path replace Facebook?
Long live Social Media
Facebook Updates - Tips from them!
Google's new email 'Unsubscribe' button
Blogging for Business - Tips
Facebook buys WhatsApp, so what?!
What you can do with the iOS8 update by Apple
Sharing your location on Twitter
What do you love best about Twitter, Facebook, Linke…. Support Croydon’s Meanwhile Use
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Tag: Canada
Long-term and big-picture analyses, historic datasets, and graphs focusing on Canada and its food and energy systems, environment, and economy.
Through the mill: 150 years of wheat price data
Wheat price, western Canada (Sask. or Man.), farmgate, dollars per bushel, 1867–2017
The price of wheat is declining, and it has been for many years. The same is true for the prices of other grains and oilseeds. The graph above shows wheat prices in Canada since Confederation—over the past 150 years. The units are dollars per bushel. A bushel is 60 pounds (27 kilograms). The brown line suggests a trendline.
These prices are adjusted for inflation. The downward trend reflects the fact that wheat prices fell relative to prices for nearly all other goods and services; as time went on it took more and more bushels of wheat or other grains to buy a pair of shoes, lunch, or a movie ticket. For example, my father bought a new, top-of-the-line pickup truck in 1976 for $6,000, equivalent to about 1,200 bushels of wheat at the time. Today, a comparable pickup (base model) might cost the equivalent of about 4,000 bushels of wheat. As a second example, a house in 1980 might have cost the equivalent of 20,000 bushels of wheat; today, that very same house would cost the equivalent of 60,000 bushels.
The graph below adds shaded boxes to highlight three distinct periods in Canadian wheat prices. The period from Confederation to the end of the First World War saw prices roughly in the range of $20 to $30 per bushel (adjusted to today’s dollars). From 1920 to the mid-’80s, prices entered a new phase, and oscillated between about $8 and $18 per bushel. And in 1985, wheat prices entered a third phase, oscillating between $5 and $10 per bushel, more often closer to $5 than $10. In each phase, the top of the range in a given period is roughly equal to the bottom of the range in the previous period.
Wheat price, western Canada, farmgate, dollars per bushel
1985 is often cited as the beginning of the farm crisis period. The graph above shows why the crisis began in that year. Grain prices since the mid-’80s have been especially damaging to Canadian agriculture. The post-1985 collapse in grain prices has had several effects:
– The expulsion of one-third of Canadian farm families in just one generation;
– The expulsion of two-thirds of young farmers (under 35 years of age) over the same period;
– A tripling of farm debt, to a record $102 billion;
– A chronic need to transfer taxpayer dollars to farmers through farm-support programs (with transfers totaling $110 billion since 1985); and
– A push toward farm giantism, with the majority of land in western Canada now operated by farms larger than 3,000 acres, and with many farms covering tens-of-thousands of acres.
As per-bushel and per-acre margins fall, the solution is to cover more acres. The inescapable result is fewer farms and farmers.
It is impossible to delve into all the causes of the grain price decline in one blog post. Briefly, farmers are getting less and less because others are taking more and more. A previous blog post highlighted the widening gap between what Canadians pay for bread in the grocery store and what farmers receive for wheat at the elevator. This widening gap is created because grain companies, railways, milling companies, other processors, and retailers are taking more and more, chocking off the flow of dollars to farmers. This is manifest in declining prices. Agribusiness giants are profiting by charging consumers more per loaf and paying farmers less per bushel.
Of course, grain prices are a function of domestic and international markets. The current free trade and globalization era began in the mid-1980s. (The Canada-US Free Trade Agreement was concluded in 1987, the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, and the World Trade Organization Agreement on Agriculture in 1995.) The effect of free trade and globalization has been to plunge all the world’s farmers into a single, borderless, hyper-competitive market. At the same time, agribusiness corporations entered a period of accelerating mergers in order to reduce the competition they faced. As competition levels increase for farmers and decrease for agribusiness corporations it is easy to predict shifts in relative profitability. Increased competition for farmers meant lower prices while decreased competition for agribusiness transnationals translated into higher prices and profits.
– 1867–1974: Historical Statistics of Canada, eds. Leacy, Urquhart, and Buckley, 2nd ed. (Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 1983);
– 1890–1909: Wholesale Prices in Canada, 189O–19O9, ed. R. H. Coats (Ottawa: Government Printing Bureau, 1910);
– 1908–1984: Statistics Canada, Table: 32-10-0359-01 Estimated areas, yield, production, average farm price and total farm value of principal field crops (formerly CANSIM 001-0017);
– 1969–2009: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food: Statfact, Canadian Wheat Board Final Price for Wheat, basis in store Saskatoon;
– 2012–2018: Statistics Canada, Table: 32-10-0077-01 Farm product prices, crops and livestock (formerly CANSIM 002-0043).
Methane and climate: 10 things you should know
Global atmospheric methane concentrations, past 10,000+ years (8000 BCE to 2018 CE)
The graph above shows methane concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere over the past 10,000+ years: 8000 BCE to 2018 CE. The units are parts per billion (ppb). The year 1800 is marked with a circle.
Note the ominous spike. As a result of increasing human-caused emissions, atmospheric methane levels today are two-and-a-half times higher than in 1800. After thousands of years of relatively stable concentrations, we have driven the trendline to near-vertical.
Here are 10 things you should know about methane and the climate:
1. Methane (CH4) is one of the three main greenhouse gases, along with carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O).
2. Methane is responsible for roughly 20% of warming, while carbon dioxide is responsible for roughly 70%, and nitrous oxide the remaining 10%.
3. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas (GHG). Pound for pound, it is 28 times more effective at trapping heat than is carbon dioxide (when compared over a 100-year time horizon, and 84 times as effective at trapping heat when compared over 20 years). Though humans emit more carbon dioxide than methane, each tonne of the latter traps more heat.
4. Fossil-fuel production is the largest single source. Natural gas is largely made up of methane (about 90%). When energy companies drill wells, “frac” wells, and pump natural gas through vast distribution networks some of that methane escapes. (In the US alone, there are 500,000 natural gas wells, more than 3 million kilometers of pipes, and millions of valves, fittings, and compressors; see reports here and here.) Oil and coal production also release methane—often vented into the atmosphere from coal mines and oil wells. Fossil-fuel production is responsible for about 19% of total (human-caused and natural) methane emissions. (An excellent article by Saunois et al. is the source for this percentage and many other facts in this blog post.) In Canada, policies to reduce energy-sector methane emissions by 40 percent will be phased in over the next seven years, but implementation of those policies has been repeatedly delayed.
5. Too much leakage makes electricity produced using natural gas as climate-damaging as electricity from coal. One report found that for natural gas to have lower overall emissions than coal the leakage rate would have to be below 3.2%. A recent study estimates leakage in the US at 2.3%. Rates in Russia, which supplies much of the gas for the EU, are even higher. Until we reduce leakage rates, the advantage of shutting down coal-fired power plants and replacing them with natural gas generation will remain much more modest than often claimed.
6. Domestic livestock are the next largest source of methane. Cattle, sheep, and other livestock that graze on grass emit methane from their stomachs through their mouths. This methane is produced by the symbiotic bacteria that live in the guts of these “ruminants” and enable them to digest grass and hay. In addition, manure stored in liquid form also emits methane. Livestock and manure are responsible for roughly 18% of total methane emissions.
7. Rice paddy agriculture, decomposing organic matter in landfills, and biomass burning also contribute to methane emissions. Overall, human-caused emissions make up about 60% of the total. And natural sources (wetlands, swamps, wild ruminants, etc.) contribute the remaining 40%.
8. There is lots of uncertainty about emissions. Fossil fuel production and livestock may be responsible for larger quantities than is generally acknowledged. The rise in atmospheric concentrations is precisely documented, but the relative balance between sources and sinks and the relative contribution of each source is not precisely known.
9. There is a lot of potential methane out there, and we risk releasing it. Most of the increase in emissions in recent centuries has come from human systems (fossil fuel, livestock, and rice production; and landfills). Emissions from natural systems (swamps and wetlands, etc.) have not increased by nearly as much. But that can change. If human actions continue to cause the planet to warm, natural methane emissions will rise as permafrost thaws. (Permafrost contains huge quantities of organic material, and when that material thaws and decomposes in wet conditions micro-organisms can turn it into methane.) Any such release of methane will cause more warming which can thaw more permafrost and release more methane which will cause more warming—a positive feedback.
Moreover, oceans, or more specifically their continental shelves, contain vast quantities of methane in the form of “methane hydrates” or “clathrates”—ice structures that hold methane stable so long as the temperature remains cold enough. But heat up the coastal oceans and some of that methane could begin to bubble up to the surface. And there are huge amounts of methane contained in those hydrates—the equivalent of more than 1,000 years of human-caused emissions. We risk setting off the “methane bomb“—a runaway warming scenario that could raise global temperatures many degrees and catastrophically damage the biosphere and human civilization.
Admittedly, the methane bomb scenario is unlikely to come to pass. While some scientists are extremely concerned, a larger number downplay or dismiss it. Nonetheless a runaway positive feedback involving methane represents a low-probability but massive-impact risk; our day-to-day actions are creating a small risk of destroying all of civilization and most life on Earth.
10. We can easily reduce atmospheric methane concentrations and attendant warming; this is the good news. Methane is not like CO2, which stays in the atmosphere for centuries. No, methane is a “short-lived” gas. On average, it stays in the atmosphere for less than ten years. Many natural processes work to strip it out of the air. Currently, human and natural sources emit about 558 million tonnes of methane per year, and natural processes in the atmosphere and soils remove all but 10 million tonnes. (again, see Saunois et al.) Despite our huge increase in methane production, sources and sinks are not that far out of balance. Therefore, if we stop increasing our emissions then atmospheric concentrations could begin to fall. We might see significant declines in just decades. This isn’t the case for CO2, which will stay in the atmosphere for centuries. But with methane, we have a real chance of reducing atmospheric levels and, as we do so, moderating warming and slowing climate change.
A series of policies focused on minimizing emissions from the fossil-fuel sector (banning venting and minimizing leaks from drilling and fracking and from pipes) could bring the rate of methane creation below the rate of removal and cause atmospheric levels to fall. A more rational approach to meat production (including curbing over-consumption in North America and elsewhere) could further reduce emissions. This is very promising news. Methane reduction represents a “low-hanging fruit” when it comes to moderating climate change.
The methane problem is the climate problem in microcosm. There are some relatively simple, affordable steps we can take now that will make a positive difference. But, if we don’t act fast, aggressively, and effectively, we risk unleashing a whole range of effects that will swiftly move our climate into chaos and deprive humans of the possibility of limiting warming to manageable levels. We can act to create some good news today, or we can suffer a world of bad news tomorrow.
– United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), “Climate Change Indicators: Atmospheric Concentrations of Greenhouse Gases.“
– Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), “Latest Cape Grim Greenhouse Gas Data.“
– National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Earth System Research Laboratory, Global Monitoring Division, “Trends in Atmospheric Methane.“
$100 billion and rising: Canadian farm debt
Canadian farm debt, 1971-2017
Canadian farm debt has risen past the $100 billion mark. According to recently released Statistics Canada data, farm debt in 2017 was $102.3 billion—nearly double the level in 2000. (All figures and comparisons adjusted for inflation.)
Some analysts and government officials characterize the period since 2007 as “better times” for farmers. But during that period (2007-2017, inclusive) total farm debt increased by $37 billion—rising by more than $3 billion per year.
Here’s how Canadian agriculture has functioned during the first 18 years of the twenty-first century (2000 to 2017, inclusive):
1. Overall, farmers earned, on average, $47 billion per year in gross revenues from the markets (these are gross receipts from selling crops, livestock, vegetables, honey, maple syrup, and other products).
2. After paying expenses, on average, farmers were left with $1.6 billion per year in realized net farm income from the markets (excluding farm-support program payments). If that amount was divided equally among Canada’s 193,492 farms, each would get about $8,300.
3. To help make ends meet, Canadian taxpayers transferred to farmers $3.1 billion per year via farm-support-program payments.
4. On top of this, farmers borrowed $2.7 billion per year in additional debt.
5. Farm family members worked at off-farm jobs to earn most of the household income needed to support their families (for data see here and here).
The numbers above give rise to several observations:
A. The amount of money that farmers pay each year in interest to banks and other lenders ($3 billion, on average) is approximately equal to the amount that Canadian citizens each year pay to farmers ($3.1 billion). Thus, one could say that, in effect, taxpayers are paying farmers’ interest bills. Governments are facilitating the transfer of tax dollars from Canadian families to farmers and on to banks and their shareholders.
B. Canadian farmers probably could not service their $100 billion dollar debt without government/taxpayer funding.
C. To take a different perspective: each year farmers take on additional debt ($2.7 billion, on average) approximately equal to the amount they are required to pay in interest to banks ($3 billion on average). One could say that for two decades banks have been loaning farmers the money needed to pay the interest on farmers’ tens-of-billions of dollars in farm debt.
Over and above the difficulty in paying the interest, is the difficulty in repaying the principle. Farm debt now—$102 billion—is equal to approximately 64 years of farmers’ realized net farm income from the markets. To repay the current debt, Canadian farm families would have to hand over to banks and other lenders every dime of net farm income from the markets from now until 2082.
The Canadian farm sector has many strengths. By many measures, the sector is extremely successful and productive. Over the past generation, farmers have managed to nearly double the value of their output and triple the value of agri-food exports. Output per year, per farmer, and per acre are all up dramatically. And Canadian farmers lead the world in adopting high-tech production systems. The problem is not that our farms are backward, inefficient, or unproductive. Rather, the problems detailed above are the result of voracious wealth extraction by the dominant agribusiness transnationals and banks. (To examine the extent of that wealth extraction, see my blog post here).
Although our farm sector has many strengths and is setting production records, the sector remains in a crisis that began in the mid-1980s. And what began as a farm income crisis has metastasized into a farm debt crisis. Further, the sector also faces a generational crisis (the number of farmers under the age of 35 has been cut by half since 2001) and a looming climate crisis. Policy makers must work with farmers to rapidly restructure and transform Canadian agriculture. A failure to do so will mean further costs to taxpayers, the destruction of the family farm, and irreparable damage to Canada’s food-production system.
We’re in year 30 of the current climate crisis
An excerpt from the Conference Statement of the 1988 World Conference on the Changing Atmosphere held in Toronto
In late-June, 1988, Canada hosted the world’s first large-scale climate conference that brought together scientists, experts, policymakers, elected officials, and the media. The “World Conference on the Changing Atmosphere: Implications for Global Security” was held in Toronto, hosted by Canada’s Conservative government, and attended by hundreds of scientists and officials.
In their final conference statement, attendees wrote that “Humanity is conducting an unintended, uncontrolled, globally pervasive experiment whose ultimate consequences could be second only to a global nuclear war.” (See excerpt pictured above.) The 30-year-old conference statement contains a detailed catalogue of causes and effects of climate change.
Elizabeth May—who in 1988 was employed by Canada’s Department of Environment—attended the conference. In a 2006 article she reflected on Canada’s leadership in the 1980s on climate and atmospheric issues:
“The conference … was a landmark event. It was opened by Prime Minister Mulroney, who spoke then of the need for an international law of the atmosphere, citing our work on acid rain and ozone as the first planks in this growing area of international environmental governance….
Canada was acknowledged as the leader in hosting the first-ever international scientific conference on climate change, designed to give the issue a public face. No nation would be surprised to see Canada in the lead. After all, we had just successfully wrestled to the ground a huge regional problem, acid rain, and we had been champions of the Montreal Protocol to protect the ozone layer.”
The Toronto conference’s final statement also called on governments and industry to work together to “reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 20% … by the year 2005…. ” This became known as the Toronto Target. Ignoring that target and many others, Canada has increased its CO2 emissions by 29 percent since 1988.
Other events mark 1988 as the beginning of the modern climate-change era. In 1988, governments and scientists came together to form the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Since its formation, IPCC teams of thousands of scientists have worked to create five Assessment Reports which together total thousands of pages.
Also in 1988, NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen told a US congressional committee that climate change and global warming were already underway and that he was 99 percent certain that the cause was a buildup of carbon dioxide and other gases released by human activities. Thirty years ago, Hansen told the committee that “It is time to stop waffling so much and say that the evidence is pretty strong that the greenhouse effect is here.” The New York Times and other papers gave prominent coverage to Hansen’s 1988 testimony.
Fast-forward to recent weeks. Ironically, in Toronto, the site of the 1988 conference, and 30 years later, almost to the day, newly elected Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced he was scrapping Ontario’s carbon cap-and-trade emission-reduction plan, he vowed to push back against any federal-government moves to price or tax carbon, and he said he would join a legal challenge against the federal legislation. In effect, Ford and premiers such as Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe have pledged to fight and stop Canada’s flagship climate change and emission-reduction initiative. To do so, 30 years into the modern climate change era, is foolhardy, destructive, and unpardonable.
Citizens need to understand that when they vote for leaders such as Doug Ford (Ontario), Scott Moe (Saskatchewan), Jason Kenney (Alberta), or Andrew Scheer (federal Conservative leader) they are voting against climate action. They are voting for higher emissions; runaway climate change; melting glaciers and permafrost; submerged seaports and cities worldwide; hundreds of millions of additional deaths from heat, floods, storms, and famines; and crop failures in this country and around the world. A vote for a leader who promises inaction, slow action, or retrograde action is a vote to damage Canada and the Earth; it is a vote for economic devastation in the medium and long term, for dried-up rivers and scorched fields. A vote for Moe, Ford, Kenney, Scheer, Trump, and a range of similar leaders is a vote to unleash biosphere-damaging and civilization-cracking forces upon our grandchildren, upon the natural environment, and upon the air, water, soil, and climate systems that support, provision, nourish, and enfold us.
In the 1990s, in decade one of the current climate crisis, inaction was excusable. We didn’t know. We weren’t sure. We didn’t have the data.
As we enter decade four, inaction is tantamount to reckless endangerment—criminal negligence. And retrograde action, such as that from Ford, Moe, Trump, and others, is tantamount to vandalism, arson, ecocide, and homicide. How we vote and who we elect will affect how many forests burn, how many reefs disappear, and how many animals and people die.
In the aftermath of every crime against humanity (or against the planet or against the future) there are individuals who try to claim “I didn’t know.” In year 30 of the current climate-change era, none can make that claim. We’ve known for 30 years that the ultimate consequences of ongoing emissions and climate change “could be second only to a global nuclear war.”
Posted on May 8, 2018 September 22, 2018
Home grown: 67 years of US and Canadian house size data
Average size of new single-family homes, Canada and the US, 1950-2017
I was an impressionable young boy back in 1971 when my parents were considering building a new home. I remember discussions about house size. 1,200 square feet was normal back then. 1,600 square feet, the size of the house they eventually built, was considered extravagant—especially in rural Saskatchewan. And only doctors and lawyers built houses as large as 2,000 square feet.
So much has changed.
New homes in Canada and the US are big and getting bigger. The average size of a newly constructed single-family detached home is now 2,600 square feet in the US and probably 2,200 in Canada. The average size of a new house in the US has doubled since 1960. Though data is sparse for Canada, it appears that the average size of a new house has doubled since the 1970s.
We like our personal space. A lot. Indeed, space per person has been growing even faster than house size. Because as our houses have been growing, our families have been shrinking, and this means that per-capita space has increased dramatically. The graph below, from shrinkthatfootprint.com, shows that, along with Australia, Canadians and Americans enjoy the greatest per-capita floorspace in the world. The average Canadian or American each has double the residential space of the average UK, Spanish, or Italian resident.
Those of us fortunate enough to have houses are living in the biggest houses in the world and the biggest in history. And our houses continue to get bigger. This is bad for the environment, and our finances.
Big houses require more energy and materials to construct. Big houses hold more furniture and stuff—they are integral parts of high-consumption lifestyles. Big houses contribute to lower population densities and, thus, more sprawl and driving. And, all things being equal, big houses require more energy to heat and cool. In Canada and the US we are compounding our errors: making our houses bigger, and making them energy-inefficient. A 2,600 square foot home with leading edge ‘passiv haus’ construction and net-zero energy requirements is one thing, but a house that size that runs its furnace half the year and its air conditioner the other half is something else. And multiply that kind of house times millions and we create a ‘built in’ greenhouse gas emissions problem.
Then there are the issues of cost and debt. We continually hear that houses are unaffordable. Not surprising if we’re making them twice as large. What if, over the past decade, we would have made our new houses half as big, but made twice as many? Might that have reduced prices?
And how are large houses connected to large debt-loads? Canadian debt now stands at a record $1.8 trillion. Much of that is mortgage debt. Even at low interest rates of 3.5 percent, the interest on that debt is $7,000 per year for a hypothetical family of four. And that’s just the average. Many families are paying a multiple of that amount, just in interest. Then on top of that there are principle payments. It’s not hard to see why so many families struggle to save for retirement or pay off debt.
Our ever-larger houses are filling the air with emissions; emptying our pockets of saving; filling up with consumer-economy clutter; and creating car-mandatory unwalkable, unbikable, unlovely neighborhoods.
The solutions are several fold. First, new houses must stop getting bigger. And they must start getting smaller. There is no reason that Canadian and US residential spaces must be twice as large, per person, as European homes. Second, building standards must get a lot better, fast. Greenhouse gas emissions must fall by 50 to 80 percent by mid-century. It is critical that the houses we build in 2020 are designed with energy efficient walls, solar-heat harvesting glass, and engineered summer shading such that they require 50 to 80 percent less energy to heat and cool. Third, we need to take advantage of smaller, more rational houses to build more compact, walkable, bikable, enjoyable neighborhoods. Preventing sprawl starts at home.
Finally, we need to consider questions of equity, justice, and compassion. What is our ethical position if we are, on the one hand, doubling the size of our houses and tripling our per-capita living space and, on the other hand, claiming that we “can’t afford” housing for the homeless. Income inequality is not just a matter of abstract dollars. This inequality is manifest when some of us have rooms in our homes we seldom visit while others sleep outside in the cold.
We often hear about the “triple bottom line”: making our societies ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable. Building oversized homes moves us away from sustainability, on all three fronts.
– US Department of Commerce/US Census Bureau, “2016 Characteristics of New Housing”
– US Department of Commerce/US Census Bureau, “Characteristics of New Housing: Construction Reports”
– US Department of Commerce/US Census Bureau, “Construction Reports: Characteristics of New One-Family Homes: 1969”
– US Department of Labour, Bureau of Labour Statistics, “New Housing and its Materials:1940-56”
– Preet Bannerjee, “Our Love Affair with Home Ownership Might Be Doomed,” Globe and Mail, January 18, 2012 (updated February 20, 2018)
The cattle crisis: 100 years of Canadian cattle prices
Canadian cattle prices at slaughter, Alberta and Ontario, 1918-2018
Earlier this month, Brazilian beef packer Marfrig Global Foods announced it is acquiring 51 percent ownership of US-based National Beef Packing for just under $1 billion (USD). The merged entity will slaughter about 5.5 million cattle per year, making Marfrig/National the world’s fourth-largest beef packer. (The top-three are JBS, 17.4 million per year; Tyson, 7.7 million; and Cargill, 7.6.) To put these numbers into perspective, with the Marfrig/National merger, the largest four packing companies will together slaughter about 15 times more cattle worldwide than Canada produces in a given year. In light of continuing consolidation in the beef sector it is worth taking a look at how cattle farmers and ranchers are fairing.
This week’s graph shows Canadian cattle prices from 1918 to 2018. The heavy blue line shows Ontario slaughter steer prices, and is representative of Eastern Canadian cattle prices. The narrower tan-coloured line shows Alberta slaughter steer prices, and is representative for Western Canada. The prices are in dollars per pound and they are adjusted for inflation.
The two red lines at the centre of the graph delineate the price range from 1942 to 1989. The red lines on the right-hand side of the graph delineate prices since 1989. The difference between the two periods is stark. In the 47 years before 1989, Canadian slaughter steer prices never fell below $1.50 per pound (adjusted for inflation). In the 28 years since 1989, prices have rarely risen that high. Price levels that used to mark the bottom of the market now mark the top.
What changed in 1989? Several things:
1. The arrival of US-based Cargill in Canada in that year marked the beginning of integration and consolidation of the North American continental market. This was later followed by global integration as packers such as Brazil-based JBS set up plants in Canada and elsewhere.
2. Packing companies became much larger but packing plants became much less numerous. Gone were the days when two or three packing plants in a given city would compete to purchase cattle.
3. Packer consolidation and giantism was faciliated by trade agreements and global economic integration. It was in 1989 that Canada signed the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement (CUSTA). A few years later Canada would sign the NAFTA, the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Agriculture, and other bilateral and multilateral “free trade” deals.
4. Packing companies created captive supplies—feedlots full of packer-owned cattle that the company could draw from if open-market prices rose, curtailing demand for farmers’ cattle and disciplining prices.
Prices and profits are only partly determined by supply and demand. A larger factor is market power. It is this power that determines the allocation of profits within a supply chain. In the late ’80s and continuing today, the power balance between packers and farmers shifted as packers merged to become giant, global corporations. The balance shifted as packing plants became less numerous, reducing competition for farmers’ cattle. The balance shifted still further as packers began to utilize captive supplies. And it shifted further still as trade agreements thrust farmers in every nation into a single, hyper-competitive global market. Because market power determines profit allocation, these shifts increased the profit share for packers and decreased the share for farmers. The effects on cattle farmers have been devastating. Since the latter-1980s, Canada has lost half of its cattle farmers and ranchers.
For more background and analysis, please see the 2008 report by the National Farmers Union: The Farm Crisis and the Cattle Sector: Toward a New Analysis and New Solutions.
Graph sources: numerous, including Statistics Canada CANSIM Tables 002-0043, 003-0068, 003-0084; and Statistics Canada “Livestock and Animal Products”, Cat. No. 23-203
Rail lines, not pipelines: the past, present, and future of Canadian passenger rail
Canadian railway network, kilometres of track, 1836 to 2016
One kilometre of oil pipeline contains the same amount of steel as two kilometres of railway track.* The proposed Trans Mountain pipeline expansion will, if it goes ahead, consume enough steel to build nearly 2,000 kms of new passenger rail track. The Keystone XL project would consume enough steel to build nearly 4,000 kms of track. And the now-cancelled Energy East pipeline would have required as much steel as 10,000 kms of track. (For an overview of proposed pipelines, see this CAPP publication.)
With these facts in mind, Canadians (and Americans) should consider our options and priorities. There’s tremendous pressure to build new pipelines. Building them, proponents claim, will result in jobs and economic development. But if we’re going to spend billions of dollars, lay down millions of tonnes of steel, and consume millions of person-hours of labour, should we be building soon-to-be-obsolete infrastructure to transport climate-destabilizing fossil fuels? Or should we take the opportunity to create even more jobs building a zero-emission twenty-first century transportation network for Canada and North America? Admittedly, the economics of passenger rail are different than those of pipelines; building a passenger rail system is not simply a matter of laying down steel rails. But for reasons detailed below, limiting global warming probably makes significant investments in passenger rail inevitable.
The graph above shows the total length of the Canadian railway network. The time-frame is the past 180 years: 1836 to 2016. Between 1880 and 1918, Canada built nearly 70,000 kms of railway track—nearly 2,000 kms per year, using tools and machinery that were crude by modern standards, and at a time when the nation and its citizens were poor, compared to today. In the middle and latter decades of the twentieth century, tens of thousands of kms of track were upgraded to accommodate heavier loads.
The length of track in the Canadian railway system peaked in the 1980s. Recent decades have seen the network contract. About a third of Canadian rail lines have been torn up and melted down over the past three-and-a-half decades. Passenger rail utilization in recent years has fallen to levels not seen since the 1800s—down almost 90 percent from its 1940s peak, despite a doubling of the Canadian population. Indeed, ridership on Via Rail is half of what it was as recently as 1989.
Contrast China. In just one decade, that nation has built 25,000 miles of high-speed passenger rail lines. Trains routinely operate at speeds in excess of 300 km/h. Many of those trains were designed and built by Canada’s Bombardier. China plans to build an additional 13,000 kms of high-speed passenger lines in the next seven years.
Japan’s “bullet trains” began running more than 50 years ago. The Japanese high-speed rail network now exceeds 2,700 kms, with trains reaching speeds of 320 km/h.
Saudi Arabia, Poland, Turkey, and Morocco all have high-speed lines, as do more than a dozen nations in Europe. Uzbekistan—with a GDP one-twentieth that of Canada’s—has built 600 kms of high-speed rail line and has trains operating at 250 km/h.
The construction of Canadian and North American passenger rail networks is probably inevitable. As part of an international effort to hold global temperature increases below 2 degrees C, Canada has committed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions emission by 30 percent by 2030—now less than 12 years away. Emissions reductions must continue after 2030, reaching 50 to 60 percent in little more than a generation. Emission reductions of this magnitude require an end to routine air travel. Aircraft may still be needed for trans-oceanic travel, but within continents long-distance travel will have to take place using zero-emission vehicles: electric cars or buses for shorter journeys, and electrified passenger trains for longer ones.
This isn’t bad news. Trains can transport passengers from city-centre to city-centre, eliminating long drives to and from airports. Trains do not require time-consuming airport security screenings. These factors, combined with high speeds, mean that for many trips, the total travel time is less for trains than for planes. And because trains have more leg-room and often include observation cars, restaurants, and lounges, they are much more comfortable, enjoyable, and social. For some long journeys where it is not cost-effective to build high-speed rail lines, European-style sleeper trains can provide comfortable, convenient overnight transport. In other cases, medium-speed trains (traveling 150 to 200 km/h) may be the most cost-effective option.
Canada must embrace the inevitable: air travel must be cut by 90 percent; and fast, comfortable, zero-emission trains must take the place of the planes. Maybe we can build thousands of kms of passenger rail lines and thousands of kms of pipelines. But given the gravity and menace of the climate crisis and given the rapidly approaching deadlines to meet our emission-reduction commitments, it isn’t hard to see which should be our priority.
*For example, Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline would be made up primarily of 36” pipe (914mm) with a 0.465 wall thickness (11.8 mm). This pipe weighs 262 kgs/m. Rails for high-speed trains and other demanding applications often weigh 60 kgs/m. As two rails are needed, this means 120 kgs/m—half the weight of a comparable length of pipeline.
Urquhart and Buckley, 1965, Historical Statistics of Canada.
Leacy, Urquhart, and Buckley, 1983, Historical Statistics of Canada, 2nd Ed.
Stats. Can., Various years, Railway Transport in Canada: General Statistics.
Stats. Can., CANSIM Table 404-0010
If you’re for pipelines, what are you against?
Canadian greenhouse gas emissions, by sector, 2005 to 2030
As Alberta Premier Notley and BC Premier Horgan square off over the Kinder Morgan / Trans Mountain pipeline, as Alberta and then Saskatchewan move toward elections in which energy and pipelines may be important issues, and as Ottawa pushes forward with its climate plan, it’s worth taking a look at the pipeline debate. Here are some facts that clarify this issue:
1. Canada has committed to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30 percent (to 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030).
2. Oil production from the tar sands is projected to increase by almost 70 percent by 2030 (From 2.5 million barrels per day in 2015 to 4.2 million in 2030).
3. Pipelines are needed in order to enable increased production, according to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and many others.
4. Planned expansion in the tar sands will significantly increase emissions from oil and gas production. (see graph above and this government report)
5. Because there’s an absolute limit on our 2030 emissions (515 million tonnes), if the oil and gas sector is to emit more, other sectors must emit less. To put that another way, since we’re committed to a 30 percent reduction, if the tar sands sector reduces emissions by less than 30 percent—indeed if that sector instead increases emissions—other sectors must make cuts deeper than 30 percent.
The graph below uses the same data as the graph above—data from a recent report from the government of Canada. This graph shows how planned increases in emissions from the Alberta tar sands will force very large reductions elsewhere in the Canadian economy.
Emissions from the Canadian oil & gas sector vs. the rest of the economy, 2015 & 2030
Let’s look at the logic one more time: new pipelines are needed to facilitate tarsands expansion; tarsands expansion will increase emissions; and an increase in emissions from the tarsands (rather than a 30 percent decrease) will force other sectors to cut emissions by much more than 30 percent.
But what sector or region or province will pick up the slack? Has Alberta, for instance, checked with Ontario? If Alberta (and Saskatchewan) cut emissions by less than 30 percent, or if they increase emissions, is Ontario prepared to make cuts larger than 30 percent? Is Manitoba or Quebec? If the oil and gas sector cuts by less, is the manufacturing sector prepared to cut by more?
To escape this dilemma, many will want to point to the large emission reductions possible from the electricity sector. Sure, with very aggressive polices to move to near-zero-emission electrical generation (policies we’ve yet to see) we can dramatically cut emissions from that sector. But on the other hand, cutting emission from agriculture will be very difficult. So potential deep cuts from the electricity sector will be partly offset by more modest cuts, or increases, from agriculture, for example.
The graph at the top shows that even as we make deep cuts to emissions from electricity—a projected 60 percent reduction—increases in emissions from the oil and gas sector (i.e. the tar sands) will negate 100 percent of the progress in the electricity sector. The end result is, according to these projections from the government of Canada, that we miss our 2030 target. To restate: according to the government’s most recent projections we will fail to meet our Paris commitment, and the primary reason will be rising emissions resulting from tarsands expansion. This is the big-picture context for the pipeline debate.
We’re entering a new era, one of limits, one of hard choices, one that politicians and voters have not yet learned to navigate. We are exiting the cornucopian era, the age of petro-industrial exuberance when we could have everything; do it all; have our cake, eat it, and plan on having two cakes in the near future. In this new era of biophysical limits on fossil fuel combustion and emissions, on water use, on forest cutting, etc. if we want to do one thing, we may be forced to forego something else. Thus, it is reasonable to ask: If pipeline proponents would have us expand the tar sands, what would they have us contract?
Graph sources: Canada’s 7th National Communication and 3rd Biennial Report, December 2017
Earth’s dominant bird: a look at 100 years of chicken production
Chicken meat production, global, actual and projected, 1950 to 2050
There are approximately 23 billion chickens on the planet right now. But because the life of a meat chicken is short—less than 50 days—annual production far exceeds the number of chickens alive at any one time. In 2016, worldwide, chicken production topped 66 billion birds. Humans are slaughtering, processing, and consuming about 2,100 chickens per second.
We’re producing a lot of chicken meat: about 110 million tonnes per year. And we’re producing more and more. In 1966, global production was 10 million tonnes. In just twelve years, by 1978, we’d managed to double production. Fourteen years after that, 1992, we managed to double it again, to 40 million tonnes. We doubled it again to 80 million tonnes by 2008. And we’re on track for another doubling—a projected 160 million tonnes per year before 2040. By mid-century, production should exceed 200 million tonnes—20 times the levels in the mid-’60s. This week’s graph shows the steady increase in production. Data sources are listed below.
The capacity of our petro-industrial civilization to double and redouble output is astonishing. And there appears to be no acknowledged limit. Most would predict that as population and income levels rise in the second half of the century—as another one or two billion people join the “global middle class”—that consumption of chicken and other meats will double again between 2050 and 2100. Before this century ends, consumption of meat (chicken, pork, beef, lamb, farmed fish, and other meats) may approach a trillion kilograms per year.
Currently in Canada the average chicken farm produces about 325,000 birds annually. Because these are averages, we can assume that the output of the largest operations is several times this figure. In the US, chicken production is dominated by contracting. Large transnationals such as Tyson Foods contract with individual growers to feed birds. It is not unusual for a contract grower to have 6 to 12 barns on his or her farm and raise more than a million broiler chickens per year.
We’re probably making too many McNuggets. We’re probably catching too many fish. We’re probably feeding too many pigs. And it is probably not a good idea to double the number of domesticated livestock on the planet—double it to 60 billion animals. It’s probably time to rethink our food system.
FAOSTAT database
OECD-FAO, Agricultural Outlook 2017-2026
Brian Revell: One Man’s Meat … 2050?
Lester Brown: Full Planet, Empty Plates
FAO: World Agriculture Towards 2030/2050, the 2012 revision
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The health and fitness industry in the UK is booming. 1 in every 7 people in the UK is a member of a gym, and health club membership continues to grow. Wearable technology is making people more aware of their general activity levels, and our interest in healthy eating shows no sign of slowing.
In a crowded and noisy sector, Dawn Breakers is a unique concept that stands out from the crowd.
And ours is one area of business where internet providers can’t take a share of the market. It would be very difficult to hold ‘virtual’ boot camps. It’s also a business that is difficult to expand from a central base, so it’s ideally suited to a franchised network.
The health and fitness industry is addicted to fads and short term solutions that promise the world but fail to deliver. Every month sees a new diet or fitness craze hit the headlines. There is a huge gap in the market for a solution that really works. We fill that gap.
Something we often hear is: “I’ve tried everything to lose weight/get in shape, and nothing works.” In reality, pretty much all of it works if it’s applied as instructed. The trick is in making it sustainable. Running a marathon every day will certainly keep your weight in check, but could most people do it? The same goes for giving up carbs or eating like a caveman.
The Dawn Breakers programme is accessible, realistic and enjoyable for just about everyone. That’s the magic formula.
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Morocco - EN
System Freight (LTL)
DB Schenkereasy
Fulfillment Logistics
Service & Aftermarket Logistics
E-Commerce Logistics Solutions
Perishables & Reefers
About DB Schenker Marocco
DB Schenker in France
History DB Schenker in France
Our Branches in France
Magazine / Blog
bloGlobal
Direct Career Entry
Meet our Board of Management
Schenker AG, DB Schenker’s business unit management team is made up of industry-leading professionals, specializing in all areas of logistics and supply chain professionals.
Jochen Thewes
Jochen Thewes, born 1971, is Chairman of the Board of Management of Schenker AG since September 1, 2015. Thewes, whose roots are in the German city of Rheda-Wiedenbrück, is an internationally recognized supply chain and logistics expert, bringing more than 20 years of senior management expertise and experiences, in both regional and global positions. Over the past years Thewes has made significant contributions to DB Schenker, most notably since 2011 in his role as Chief Executive Officer in Singapore in the fast paced and most dynamic Asia/Pacific Region, where he is responsible for 13.000 employees spread across 200 locations in 20 countries. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President Global Ocean Freight, based in the Head Office in Essen/Germany.
Before joining DB Schenker, Thewes held various senior management positions within the global logistics group Kuehne + Nagel. He spent more than twelve years in different functions in Asia and Latin America such as President of the company in Brazil, General Manager for Central China in Shanghai and Chief Representative in Vietnam. He also operated in Hong Kong and New York.
Thomas Schulz
Member of the Board of Management (Human Resources)
Thomas Schulz was born in Cologne, Germany, in 1962. After completing a law degree in his hometown, Schulz began work in 1995 as a lawyer for the Holletschek und Partner law firm in Cologne, where he focused on transportation and freight forwarding law, among other areas. Schulz also holds an MBA in financial management.
In 1997, Schulz accepted a position as head of Human Resources and Legal Affairs with Horst Mosolf GmbH & Co. KG, a company headquartered in Kirchheim unter Teck which specializes in vehicle logistics.
Schulz became division manager of Corporate Human Resources at Dachser GmbH & Co. KG, based out of Kempten, on October 1, 2006. There he focused on developing strategy for global HR management.
On November 1, 2012, Schulz was appointed to the Management Board of Schenker AG, headquartered in Essen, where he is now in charge of Human Resources.
Oliver Seidl
Member of the Board of Management (CFO)
Oliver Seidl brings many years of experience in diverse finance-related management positions and as a managing director and management board member, including in listed global corporations. Before joining DB Schenker, he was CFO and CIO at Media-Saturn-Holding. From 2010 to 2013, he was Chairman of the Management Board at Loewe AG, having previously served as the management board member for finance and services. Prior to that, he looked after management accounting, strategy and M&A at medium-sized companies.
From 1990 to 2001, Seidl worked in various roles for Daimler AG in Bremen and Stuttgart, most recently heading Group management accounting for Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars. After training in wholesale and export, Seidl studied at the universities of Göttingen and Marburg, graduating in business administration.
Markus Sontheimer
Member of the Board of Management (CIO/CDO)
Markus Sontheimer was born in Friedrichshafen, Germany in 1968. Mr. Sontheimer has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, which was awarded by the Technical University in Esslingen. In 1994, he started his professional career at Daimler AG where he held various senior positions (both nationally and internationally) including the positions of CIO for Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, and CIO of the Daimler Financial Services AG. During the last 5 years he restructured and transformed the global IT for Group Finance at Deutsche Bank and became CIO Finance.
Markus Sontheimer joined the Board of Management team at Schenker AG on 1st December 2015 as the Chief Information Officer (CIO).
On 22nd June 2016 he was appointed the additional role of Chief Digital Officer (CDO) for Schenker AG by the Supervisory Board. As the Chief Information & Digital Officer he is responsible for IT and Digitalization.
Christian Drenthen
Board Member for Land Transport
Christian Drenthen, originally from the Netherlands, has been appointed to serve as Board Member for Global Land Transport at Schenker AG. Drenthen has a degree in logistics and has been with Schenker AG since 2015. Before this he worked for logistics companies such as FedEx and Unilever.
On January 1, 2019, Drenthen was appointed to the Management Board of Schenker AG, headquartered in Essen, where he is now in charge of Global Land Transport.
Xavier Garijo
Board Member for Contract Logistics
Xavier Garijo, who holds degrees in chemistry and physics, was born in Spain. He has many years of experience in management positions at French, British and US companies such as Unilever and Rhone-Poulenc – most recently at Reckitt Benckiser, and Revlon and Elizabeth Arden, in the consumer goods sector.
On January 1, 2019, Garijo was appointed to the Management Board of Schenker AG, headquartered in Essen, where he is now in charge of Contract Logistics.
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Wednesday, October 4
How a woman was saved by her iPhone during Las Vegas shooting
One woman's rose gold iPhone saved her life during the horrific Las Vegas shooting Sunday night.
The woman, who has not been publicly identified, showed her cab driver her damaged phone after the horrific attack that left 59 people dead and 527 injured during a music concert on Sunday night, KLAS reported.
A photo of the pricey and popular device shows the back of the iPhone completely shattered after being hit by a single bullet.
The iPhone was completely shattered by a bullet during the attack, but the woman was unharmed.
It's unclear how or where the woman was holding the phone while fleeing the scene of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.
Gunman Stephen Paddock, 64, died from what's believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police say Paddock started firing down on the crowd of 22,000 people at the concert from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.
His motive for the horrendous attack is being investigated by police and federal authorities.
It took police 72 minutes to zero in on Paddock's hotel room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino across the street from the festival.
They say he had cameras set up in the hallway so he would know when authorities arrived.
Credit: Mail Online
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Winter 2017 ›
The Risks and Rewards of International Pitch Forums
By Manori Ravindran
Vancouver-based doc maker Ryan Flowers preceded his roundtable pitch at the 2014 International Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) Forum by doing a set of push-ups with producer Sahand Zamani. The pair dropped to the ground in the Compagnietheater in a Rocky-style warm-up and, amidst cheers from bemused observers, worked up a sweat to present their feature doc Jimbo.
"It's a big thing," recalls Flowers, who was tackling his first feature film and pitch.
"It felt like I had to give a TED talk. It's not just rolling up and winging it—we really worked hard on the pitch."
The Canadian director spent around CAD$3,000 (US$2,250) to attend, with most costs covered by a $2,000 Creative BC grant, but Flowers says the $1,000 paid out of pocket was worth it just to meet commissioners from HBO Documentaries and Al Jazeera.
"I'm not sure how valuable it has been, but we have those people's actual contacts and we've met them face to face, so I think that is very [useful]," says Flowers, who took part in 15 meetings. "We got one pre-sale only, which was a Dutch broadcaster, but since the film's not done, I'm not sure if that has lapsed or not."
Elsewhere, Minneapolis-based director Sergio Rapu and producer Elena Rapu pitched their first doc, Eating Up Easter, last May at Toronto's Hot Docs Forum. The film covers the changing environmental and social conditions on Easter Island, and the team was in search of post-production funding.
"We got really great responses in the room, and it was a good opportunity to meet with these people and get to know the international community," says Rapu. "We've tried to follow up since but have not heard anything back, which has been a bit disappointing. No additional funds have come of it as of yet."
Flowers and Rapu's experiences are representative of countless filmmakers who attend international pitch forums in hopes of securing funding for their doc projects: While the deals are elusive, the contacts can be invaluable.
The costs of attending, however, are steep, if not prohibitive. There is an understanding that these forums are the domain of early-career filmmakers (with a few exceptions) keen to boost profiles, publicize projects and garner press coverage. But in a competitive market for docs and underpaid filmmakers, it is increasingly a challenge for some to justify the costs of flights, accommodation and pricy registration fees, only to come away with few deals, if any.
"People are not necessarily writing checks."
Despite the lack of deals for their project, Rapu speaks highly of Hot Docs and his first Forum experience, which helped to clarify the central themes around Easter and draw press attention. "Even though, financially, we may not see the return until much later, the bolstering of us as filmmakers and our project was well worth it," he reasons. "We're trying to ride that wave as we continue to write grants and follow up with other organizations."
Rapu spent US$3,885 to attend the Forum, with those costs covering registration fees for the team and flights, accommodation and transportation for the couple as well as Sergio's mother and infant, who could not be left at home. In addition, the filmmaker—who is director of development at Committee Films—estimates that missing a work week to attend cost him roughly $1,500.
"Given the way the industry is going [with] funding, we as indie filmmakers need to be really smart with the dollars that we have," he says. "I'm not sure if, two to five years from now, pitching at this type of a forum will be as mainstream as it is today.
"For our next project, we'll build in a much higher budget for [Forum] costs," Rapu continues. "But seeing as how people are not necessarily writing checks to you at the Forum and it's months after the fact that you continue catching up with them, I wonder if it's not as effective to buy a plane ticket and meet with this person at their office."
Another project pitched alongside Eating Up Easter was Saad Khan and Anam Abbas' Showgirls of Pakistan, which tracks three Pakistani burlesque dancers fighting for their place in society. The film was met with great interest at the pitch, but has so far failed to secure a broadcaster. The team spent roughly CAD$2,500 for both to attend.
Winning the Forum's Best Canadian Pitch award, however, opened doors to another major pitch opportunity with the Chicago Media Project, which unites impact-minded members with filmmakers. "[The prize] gave us a lot of legitimacy and enabled us to approach the Chicago Media Project, and they'd actually seen our pitch at Hot Docs," says Abbas. "They've been organizing a bunch of people they know who'd be interested in investing in the film."
Forums: A Cost of Doing Business
Hot Docs producer Dorota Lech says the "Forum as a concept is bigger than its individual pitches," enriching all participants involved, from observers to decision-makers to pitch teams, who are the ultimate risk-takers. "With the most to gain and the most to risk, pitch teams take major steps towards financing their films and often do finance their films out of these events," says Lech. "Festivals, agents and distributors track their work to pick up when complete. The value of the market validation accrued at the Forum table is immense."
The current registration fee for the spring Forum, per pitch team member, is CAD$734.50 (US$550), which covers an All Access pass to the festival. Hot Docs does not cover flights or accommodation. "This may create sticker shock for some folks," Lech admits. "However, for many it does not: They recognize that this fee is a bargain for the value of the experience."
The Forum will hear requests from filmmaking teams in dire financing situations and the Official Delegation Program for international attendees can also subsidize costs, but Hot Docs encourages film teams to write pitching fees into production budgets. "With the number of pitching forums around the world, this is essentially a cost of doing business," Lech explains.
Over in Spain, Docs Barcelona holds public pitch events each May for Latin American documentaries and interactive projects. Each pitch has a registration fee of €265 (US$273) per project (excluding VAT) for two people, granting industry and festival accreditation. Project director Elena Subirà says that of all projects presented over the years, more than 80 percent have been finished or are currently in production, and more than 60 percent have a financier on board that was present at the time of their pitch.
Elsewhere, the Australian International Documentary Conference's one-day FACTory event in March is now Australia's primary pitching forum, following the end of Good Pitch Australia in November. Registration fees amount to AUD$880 (excluding GST; US$647), which provides an All Access Pass.
Of the nine projects pitched at the 2016 FACTory event, two secured deals, allowing them to go into production, and another received "solid interest" that allowed the project to move ahead.
AIDC director Andrew Wiseman says, "By bringing many influential commissioners and funders to one event and having them in one room, we can save filmmakers the expense of traveling to them."
Meanwhile, the IDFA Forum's Central and Round Table pitches take place over three days. The festival does not cover flights and accommodation, and applies a €550 (US$573) registration fee per project (excluding VAT).
Head of Industry Adriek van Nieuwenhuyzen says the objective for most attendees is to network and locate potential new funders or co-producers. Her team tracks participants' experiences at each event by distributing two surveys—one following the November event and another four months later.
Results of the second survey sent to 2015 Forum participants showed that, of the 58 projects selected to pitch, close to 70 percent of participants filled out the survey, with 80 percent stating they were successful in finding money. In other words, 32 of those 40 projects secured funding.
"What we see over the years is that less money is secured [by March], but more money is in negotiations," explains van Nieuwenhuyzen. "But in the long run, we do not measure the [trajectory for that project] again, so I don't know what the outcome is because the negotiation can go either way.
"What I also observe is that it's a long way for producers to secure that money to finance the films, and often they go from one market to another. Maybe they don't pitch in Amsterdam, but the initial meeting with a potential funder is in Amsterdam, then six months later in Sheffield they meet this commissioner again. It's a long process."
Costs Too High to Harbor
Many established doc makers speak positively of forums and the role they play in film financing, but few are as effusive as Nima Sarvestani. The Iranian doc maker has pitched at IDFA's Central Pitch five times. He presented his latest documentary, Prison Sisters, at the 2015 Forum, and the film screened at this year's festival. "When you pitch at IDFA, many people see your project. It doesn't matter if they like it or not, doesn't matter if it fits their slot or not. They know that Prison Sisters is a project that's coming," says Sarvestani, adding that forums are the "biggest stage" available to new filmmakers.
Similarly, Finding Hillywood director Leah Warshawski has pitched projects six times over the last 10 years at forums including Hot Docs, IFP, Big Sky Doc Festival, Napa Film Festival and Sebastopol Peer Pitch. She presented her feature Big Sonia, co-directed with Todd Soliday, at the 2015 Hot Docs Forum, and the film recently world-premiered at DOC NYC. "We try to generate positive press and meet as many people as we can, but none of our pitches have directly led to funding," she says. "We have always had to cover all of our travel for pitching. Each city is different, but New York and Toronto are very expensive."
Attending pitch forums was not in the fundraising budget for Big Sonia, but the director says it should have been. "It's just not as ‘sexy' or ‘easy' to raise funds for pitch-forum travel while you're making a film," she explains. "It's hard to ask people to pay for you to go to New York and pitch your film, even though you know it's good for the project.
"Forums are incredibly helpful for filmmakers, but they're very expensive to get to when you're trying to raise money to make your film. It would be helpful to offer hotel and travel discounts or pay a stipend."
Dartmouth Films founder Christopher Hird says the grand tour of documentary forums is prohibitively expensive for many filmmakers. The London-based Dartmouth Films comes in to produce and fund independent docs at various stages of completion and often outside the broadcast system. The outfit has worked with innumerable directors and supported such films as Particle Fever and How to Survive a Plague. "Often you go to these forums and there are people there who—you can tell based on the conversation between the broadcaster and the person who's pitching—[have been in] Leipzig but they were in Barcelona before that, and before that Sheffield, and before that Edinburgh," says Hird. "These are frequently filmmakers who come from countries where there is funding to support this constant tour, and if you meet people on that regular a basis, then you build up a relationship with commissioning editors. But I'm skeptical that that one trip can build a sufficiently powerful relationship."
Hird acknowledges that forums serve primarily as networking hubs, but says filmmakers should not be paying thousands for these opportunities. The exec calls the economics of forums "cock-eyed" due to high fees and travel costs—often a sizeable chunk of a doc budget—paid by filmmakers seeking funding, versus the complimentary passes bestowed by festivals to decision makers.
"What you have at these things is, on one side of the table, some extremely well-paid TV execs and on the other side, financially struggling independent filmmakers," Hird observes. "For me, if broadcasters were seriously interested in creating a forum in which new and emerging filmmakers stood a better chance of getting their ideas in front of them, or raising money for them, they might want to devote a bit of energy to thinking what might be a way in which all of that could happen but without all the money being spent by people who can't afford it."
Hird proposes that big broadcasters support forums by paying some of the costs harbored by pitching teams. He also suggests that more commissioners from public service broadcasters could travel from their countries to meet with promising filmmakers, citing Channel 4's "Pop-Up" program for up-and-coming TV talent. "Rather than expecting filmmakers from all corners of Europe [to travel] to Sheffield or Amsterdam, you would say, ‘We're going to have a roadshow in which we're going to go—within a certain country—to a certain amount of cities.' You increase the frequency of them and you reduce the distance the filmmakers have got to travel.
"The financial risk is being borne here by the sector of the industry least able to bear it," says Hird.
Manori Ravindran is a London-based journalist and International Editor at Broadcast magazine, where she covers television and documentary. You can follow her on Twitter at @manori_r.
Pitch Forums
Life's a Pitch! Selling your Project at IFFCON
The 2015 IDFA Forum: A Reassessment of "The Mother of All Forums"
Can It Get Any Hotter? Hot Docs Celebrates Another Banner Year
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Draper Tools Celebrates 100 Years in business
Leading tool firm Draper Tools is proud to be celebrating 100 years in business this year. Established in 1919 by Bert Draper, the business is still family owned and run today by the fourth generation of the Draper family. At 100 years old, the company remains as committed to growth and innovation as ever, having recently made a number of investments as a business, as well as several improvements at its head office facility.
Draper Tools has a well-established reputation for supplying a wide range of hand and power tools for both professional trades and serious enthusiasts. To date, its range includes over 11,000 products lines. While the company’s offering has changed and expanded, it’s dedication to quality and customer service has remained a constant priority. Chairman of Draper Tools, John Draper, commented: “We are proud to have reached this important milestone in our company history and would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped us get here. Although we have grown a lot over the last century, we still like to think of ourselves as a no-nonsense, customer-focused tool supplier. Quality and reliability are still very much at the heart of the business and this will continue as we progress and grow into 2019 and beyond.”
Plans are afoot for a year-long celebration of the company’s 100-year anniversary in 2019, with exclusive promotions, competitions, charity fundraising and a staff party all in the pipeline. Each month there will be special edition centenary products launched at great prices. Keep an eye out for these fantastic deals on top products including trolley jacks, pressure washers, socket sets, spanner sets and more.
To further mark the occasion, Draper Tools has teamed up with Care for Veterans, a very special charity, which also celebrates its centenary in 2019. Care for Veterans (formerly The Queen Alexandra Hospital Home) was established in 1919 to care for those soldiers returning from World War I with life-changing disabilities. For 100 years, they have been providing long term nursing care, rehabilitation, respite and award-winning end of life care to disabled ex-Servicemen and women from the RAF, Army, Royal Navy and auxiliary services. Draper Tools will be dedicating 2019 to supporting and raising funds for Care for Veterans in honour of both organisations’ centenary year.
Keep up with all the latest news, special promotions and product launches from Draper Tools online at www.drapertools.com.
Draper Tools
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Julian Wasser
How Playboy's Unsung Female Photographer Broke Into the Boys Club and Took Them All for a Ride
By Mickey Rapkin
Late nights at the Playboy Mansion, nibbles of acid, and a sexy girl taking photos of sexy girls. The true story of pioneering 'rebel camera girl' Suze Randall.
For the fifth straight day it's raining in Los Angeles, a near Biblical flood that's turned the hills of Malibu into a muddy mess. It's late January and I'm driving up a long, unmarked dirt road, windshield wipers working overtime as I pass an old-timey horse stable. This can't possibly be the way, I think, as some kind of Labrador stares at my car.
But this is the place. Atop the mountain sits a picturesque Spanish-style house spread on 30 acres with forever views of the Santa Monica mountains. Though the Kardashians live nearby in Calabasas, I've never felt so far from Hollywood's trappings.
A massive roaring fire awaits inside and I take my seat on a deep plush couch. The mood feels a bit like the beginning of Titanic, when the maritime mystery-solver (Bill Paxton) comes to meet a wizened Rose (Gloria Stuart). Likewise, here sits a gray-haired spitfire ready to shock with an unlikely tale of romance, self-discovery, and (yes) pornography. Suze Randall, now 70, was the first woman to shoot a full frontal for Playboy, a pioneering artist, and an unlikely impresario of online erotica who never quite got her due.
Understandably, Suze isn't quite sure where to begin. She's dressed in faded denim and a cotton sweater, with tight curls framing her face; she looks more like a contestant on The Great British Baking Show than someone who says she once seduced Warren Beatty. She points to a framed black-and-white photograph of herself from the 1970s. She'd just moved out of the Playboy Mansion, she explains, when she was introduced to Helmut Newton, who needed someone to show him around Los Angeles. In the photo, Suze is sitting outside a dilapidated apartment building wearing a t-shirt and no pants. "Helmut Newton took that photograph," she mutters matter-of-factly. "And that's my bush."
Suze Randall in her nursing days in the late
Courtesy Suze Randall
At 22, Suze was working as a nurse at a London teaching hospital in the late '60s while studying for her midwifery degree. She was sharing a crappy Earls Court flat with seven other nurses and dating an aspiring novelist named Humphry Knipe when she spotted an advertisement in an underground newspaper: "Attractive girls wanted for nude modeling. No experience needed. Make up to 100 pounds a day." Though Suze, who grew up in working-class Worcestershire, had never been described as shy, pornography was an unlikely side hustle. "I would've been very happy to stay a nurse," Suze says now, "but Humphry had these fantasies of becoming a very rich and powerful writer. I got into this to make some money."
One hundred pounds wasn't a fortune, but it was more than she was making changing bedpans. And shortly after visiting a pervy photographer at his office down a dodgy alley, Suze appeared in a London tabloid called Mayfair. The whole story might have ended there had David Hurn—the cameraman who memorably photographed Jane Fonda as Barbarella—not encouraged Suze to try modeling with her clothes on.
Suze never saw herself as a model; her legs weren't long enough, for one thing. But with her Mia Farrow-esque pixie cut, she had a look. An agency took her on, and she quickly booked catalog work and a feature for British Vogue. Feeling high on her future prospects, Suze waltzed down Bond Street and dropped about ₤900 that she didn't really have on a new Nikon camera.
Suze (center) modeling in 1973
Keystone-FranceGetty Images
But when the Vogue spread came out, she was barely recognizable. She tried acting, making a brief appearance as a saucy housekeeper in the 1972 Éric Rohmer film Chloe In the Afternoon, even popping up in the film's trailer. But the auditioning and waiting didn't suit her. Broke again, she picked up the Nikon and started to take topless photographs of her friends. Her playful work caught the attention of some editors at The Sun (a newspaper that famously printed topless photos on page 3), and Suze suddenly found herself with a promising second career.
Being her own boss for the first time was thrilling. "You're not asking some idiot to give you a job—on your knees, begging, giving him a blowjob or whatever it takes," she says. "I had the best gimmick in the business," she says, "a sexy girl taking pictures of sexy girls." If she had a lot to learn about lighting and composition, she had other advantages: women would sit for her who would never take their top off for men. "I wasn't trying to get in their pants," Suze explains. The tabloids even had a nickname for her: "rebel camera-girl Suze." The nice thing about nudes, she adds, "Is that you can sell them."
Rebel camera girl Suze
Suze had taken some snapshots of a young, leggy Norwegian model named Lillian Müller, and Playboy's man in London agreed to send the photos to the magazine's main office in Chicago. For weeks Suze heard nothing, and then the news came: Hef wanted her for the cover.
Suze was 29 years old when she and Lillian stepped off the plane in Chicago. But while Lillian was invited to the Playboy offices to meet the staff and do a test shoot, Suze was largely ignored. The magazine, Suze quickly realized, had no intention of hiring her as a photographer. "It was a boy's club," she says. "They said, 'Oh Suze, nudes and food are the hardest things to shoot. We can't have you do it. Come back when you have more experience.'"
They weren't exactly wrong about her lack of experience, though they'd woefully underestimated Suze's resolve. She threatened to sell the images to Penthouse, and the magazine's brass relented. Suze and Lillian would continue on to L.A. where Suze would photograph Lillian for the cover and a 12-page pictorial (everything but the centerfold). Where would they stay? The Playboy Mansion, of course.
Suze Randall (center, bottom) with Hugh Hefner
The 29-room, 20,000-square-foot Playboy Mansion sits on five acres in Holmby Hills, a historic neighborhood that—along with Beverly Hills and Bel Air—forms the Platinum Triangle. Exotic birds are known to mill about the Playboy property. When Suze and Lillian's car pulled up to the gates that first night, a massive male peacock strutted across the entranceway with his feathers erect. Talk about symbolism. Suze and Lillian dropped their bags in their bedrooms and, within the hour, were splashing around in the Mansion's famous grotto, a wading-pool-hot-tub hidden behind a waterfall (at least, that's how Rob Lowe described it in his memoir). They would stay at the Mansion for three weeks, shooting at the Playboy studio on La Cienega Boulevard and partying at night.
Dustin Hoffman, Clint Eastwood, and James Caan all frequented the Mansion in those days, as did Vincent T. Bugliosi, who famously prosecuted Charles Manson and later wrote the 1974 bestseller about the case, Helter Skelter. According to Suze, Sundays were dubbed the "Society Day," and a lavish buffet of shrimp and lobster would appear before everyone was ushered into the screening room. (Rumor had it that Hef ate exactly one meal a day—in his bedroom, sometime between midnight and 5 a.m.)
Suze's photographs of Lillian ran in the August 1975 issue of Playboy; on the cover, Lillian holds a rose between her legs. That the photographs were taken by a woman became a selling point. Under the headline—"Scandinavian Modern"— the text read like a Sapphic love story: the tale of a "restless college student specializing in languages" and a former model "who'd switched to the other side of the camera." The two women, the text teased, even "wound up rooming together."
Suze wasn't the first woman to shoot for Playboy. (That honor is believed to belong to Bunny Yeager, who photographed Bettie Page for the magazine in the 1950s.) But Suze was the first to shoot a full-frontal spread and worked exclusively for them for two years. That position came with challenges. She was such a curious sight that when legendary footballer Jim Brown (notorious for his NFL feats and for accusations of violence against women that trailed his career), stopped by the Mansion one day, he couldn't understand why Suze had a camera in her hand, Suze says. Or her clothes on. He'd just assumed she was another model.
That was a common sentiment. On one of her early shoots, Suze recalls a resentful male assistant telling her to "load your own damn film." Other men felt she hadn't earned her spot—and there was some truth to that. Hef never would have flown an unknown British photographer to the United States to photograph a nubile nobody. But a rebellious former erotic model with a camera? The more the merrier. "I got in through the backdoor," Suze admits. "I jumped the line." It didn't help that she was the only photographer Hef regularly invited to the Mansion, a playground generally off-limits to the hired help.
Ron GalellaGetty Images
Suze had something else some of her male colleagues envied: an ease with the models, and an understanding of what it was to be in front of the camera. "A lot of the guys," she says, "were under pressure and didn't think about the model. They would stand you on a plain background and they'd say 'Do something!' One famous fashion photographer freaked me out so much that I couldn't walk." As a photographer," Suze adds, "you're only as good as your model feels." Oddly, her nursing degree proved to be an asset. "You learn a good bedside manner. And you're comfortable with people with their clothes off."
Though most of her male colleagues were more like competitors, Suze did have one ally: the magazine's legendary west coast editor, Marilyn Grabowski. In a 2005 interview with the L.A. Times, Hef referred to Marilyn as his secret weapon: "A woman's input is key," he said of her. "If you don't have that in mind, then you're going to be spending a lot of time in the locker room. Alone."
"Marilyn helped me in order to piss off the other boys," Suze says. It was Marilyn who taught Suze the art of draping. "This was before re-touching. I used cheats to cover up any imperfections and bring out the best qualities in the women. That was very important to me. Whereas a guy doesn't really see that."
That the photographs were taken by a woman became a selling point.
In 1976, Suze took some racy self-portraits for Playboy titled "Picturing Herself." "This time around," the copy read, "Suze has photographed the gorgeous…Suze." In the text she talks about how she likes to have sex in elevators or "anyplace where there's a chance of being caught with my knickers down." And those nudes led to a rush of fan mail. Even now, she likes to note that she was paid the same rate as the boys for her photographs, and she was paid as a model.
During those two years—from '75 to '77—Suze and Humphry, who had joined her in L.A., were going to the Mansion three or four nights a week, pulling up to the gates in a rusted Mercury Comet that Suze had bought for $325. "We were the first ones to be descended upon by the valets," says Humphry. And Suze became something of an unofficial host, the one to kickstart the party. "People would just be sitting in the corner!" Suze says. "They didn't know how to introduce people or anything like that. I was quite good at it because I'd got an English education." It helped that she never wore underwear on those nights and that she'd spin around on the dance floor, pulling up her dress and flashing people to get things going.
"Hef used to come up to me, chewing on his cigar, and say, 'Do you think your lady will dance her dance tonight?'" Humphry recalls. "All the celebrities would be around in a big circle gaping at this girl flashing her pubes." Suze started referring to these Sunday parties as "going to church." She wasn't afraid to make a fool of herself to impress the boss. But she was always in control. Taking one-twentieth of a hit of acid before the parties helped keep her from ever getting drunk, she reports.
Suze's time at Playboy would ultimately be short-lived. While she was working at the magazine, she and Humphry collaborated on a book—an extremely readable, often dirty tome called SUZE: The Memoirs of the Stunning Sexess Who Clicked on Both Sides of the Playboy Camera that was published in 1977. Though the book is more kiss than tell, Hef felt betrayed—and perhaps rightfully so. Suze insists she told Hef's assistant about the book. But "assistants don't like to tell their bosses anything that might be a problem," Suze acknowledges. "She just kept saying, 'As long as you don't discuss drugs'—not that I ever saw Hef take drugs—'it should be fine.'"
But when the British rag News of the World published an excerpt in advance of publication, Hef wasn't happy. As Suze tells it, Hef didn't actually fire her until she photographed herself for Hustler in 1977—a publicity stunt designed to drive book sales. ("Playboy photographer shows pink," reads the coverline, over a photo of Suze draped across a tufted sofa with her fingers between her legs.) "Hef took himself too seriously," Suze says "He used to say, 'We're not pornographers!'" Like all breakup stories, the facts surrounding Suze's parting from Playboy are a little fuzzy, but Suze, needing to pay the bills, eventually took a gig with Hustler.
Barry Shapiro
Famed Hustler publisher Larry Flynt encouraged her to start shooting erotic films, Suze's Hot Reels. (Humphry got in on the act as well, writing and directing a movie called Love Bites, in which a mosquito turns a woman into a sexual demon.) Suze shot a Robert Palmer album cover in Europe. Reuben Sturman, who the New Yorker once described as the "creator of the adult entertainment industry," employed her as well. (Sturman was later busted on tax evasion and died in prison. "Don't fuck with the tax man," Suze says.)
"She had her camera in one hand and her baby scooped in the other, literally breastfeeding and shooting at the same time."
Ginger Lynn, whom the trade publication AVN once ranked as the #7 porn star of all time, did her first-ever erotic photo shoot with Suze during these years. "Here was this vivacious, energetic, naughty, foul-mouthed but sweet, brazen woman. Moving on to male photographers was a shock. I don't want to say there was a creep factor. Suze could say the exact same thing as a man would say, but when it came out of Suze's mouth, it was funny and acceptable. Suze would say, 'Oh, Spread your pussy lips for me darling.' And it would be, 'Alright!'"
"In so many ways, she inspired me," Ginger adds. "We were shooting in Mexico, and I was posing on a rock out in the ocean. Suze had just given birth. She was sitting up on these rocks getting these incredible shots with the waves splashing up. She had her camera in one hand and her baby scooped in the other, literally breastfeeding and shooting at the same time. She showed me: You can do anything. You can be in this industry and be a business woman and be feared and respected by men."
But the business was changing—and contracting. When Penthouse went bankrupt, founder Bob Guccione owed Suze something like $70,000. In lieu of cash—which he clearly didn't have—she asked for the rights to all of her photographs. She negotiated a similar deal with High Society when that magazine faltered.
"I got in through the backdoor," Suze admits. "I jumped the line."
If there was a silver lining to her departure from Playboy, it's the survival instinct it instilled in her: "All the other motherfuckers who kept on working for Playboy never owned their pictures. I became more independent." When the Internet exploded, some bottom-feeders inquired about licensing Suze's work. Humphry very wisely suggested they launch an online archive of Suze's work themselves; thus the porn site suze.net was born, featuring some 80,000 photographs. Very quickly, the site grew to 12,000 subscribers, each paying $24.95 a month. In its heyday, they were making $400,000 a year from the site alone. "The money was just rolling in," Humphry says. "It was embarrassing."
Suze's three children were born in the late '70s and mid-'80s. And while she swanned about Hollywood with them in tow—her daughter Holly recalls a family legend about her brother pissing in Larry Flynt's pool, "like it was a large urinal"—Suze was also quite strict at home. "People automatically assume I had a weird upbringing," says Holly, now 38. "But we could only watch TV on the weekends. Education was really important to my parents. We had dinner every night together." Holly knew her parents were photographers, she says, and "the photographs were for grown-ups only." Occasionally, Suze would come home to find detectives sifting through her trash looking for contraband. But these incidents were rare. As for what the parents at school thought, Suze explains: "I had an English accent and good manners. You can get away with murder."
Holly would eventually follow in her mother's footsteps (despite Suze's protestations), and when she first started shooting for Penthouse in the aughts, Holly says, people would often ask if Suze Randall was her mother. But these days, she admits, it happens less and less. "The newbies don't know who she is," she says. Budgets have shrunk; much of the romanticism—if you can call it that—is gone. "For a Penthouse centerfold, my mom would fly to Mexico and shoot for four days. The last time I shot for Penthouse, I had to do four photo-sets and four videos in one day."
There's a need for more women like her mom behind the camera, Holly says. "It's hard for some men to comprehend what it's like as a woman to be naked and vulnerable in front of a camera. But we get that. We understand the way women are conscious of their bodies and insecure about their flaws." Her mother taught her "to put the model's needs first," she says. "To make sure they're as comfortable as you can make them. Make sure that they're fed and hydrated and that they feel beautiful and happy to be there."
Suze's daughter Holly recalls a family legend about her brother pissing in Larry Flynt's pool, "like it was a large urinal."
Her mother took care of the women, like Ginger Lynn, who often needed a surrogate parent. "[Ginger] said my mom came over with a joint and some homemade shepherd's pie—which my mom is famous for," Holly says, "and sat with her and talked her off a ledge." Ginger confirms Suze's influence: "I went down the cocaine path that so many people did in the '80s. It was not uncommon for me to celebrate after a job. Or when I got the job. I was celebrating more than I was working. Suze came to my home in Topanga Canyon and said, 'Get your shit together or get out of the business.' … She said, 'Make good decisions. Incorporate.' She guided me to see the adult industry as more than a quick buck but as a business. I know I'm not the only one she took care of."
"My mother never sought to be a pioneer," Holly adds. "That was not her goal. She didn't go in thinking, 'There are no women in the industry. I'm going to change the world and do this for women.' She saw an opportunity and steamrolled her way in. The fact that she inspired so many people is a side note to her."
Suze officially retired three years ago—a gradual slowing down made final by a freak accident: One of her horses kicked her in the face, and she lost her left eye. There are signs that a quiet reckoning is coming. This spring, Suze makes a brief appearance on an episode of Rashida Jones' Netflix series examining the porn industry, Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On. But she's largely—and happily—retreated from view. Despite the accident, Suze says, "I'm trying to become a really good dressage rider."
"Just kick ass, baby. I was brought up to enjoy fights and to fight the bully boys."
In more ways than one, Suze's retirement coincided with the end of an era. In 2015, Playboy stopped featuring nudes altogether, in part to court advertising dollars. (They've since reversed that decision.) The Playboy Mansion was put on the market for $200 million and sold to the owner of a private equity firm that owns, among other companies, Hostess and Ghirardelli—with the understanding that Hef (who is now 90) could continue living there for the rest of his life. Some 20 years after Suze was fired from Playboy, she and Holly ran into Hef at Glamourcon, a sort of Comic-Con for the porn industry. If there were any hard feelings, they were water under the bridge. "It was nice," Suze says of the brief encounter. "I wanted to say hi. He'd been good to me."
When asked about her legacy, she demurs: "I try not to think about myself," she says. "Maybe I'm a trailblazer. I was always looking for the best. You outwork the men. You out-charm everybody." To this next generation of women—photographers, artists, activists—she is more direct, imploring them to simply: "Just kick ass, baby. I was brought up to enjoy fights and to fight the bully boys. I was encouraged by my parents to get thrown out of class and disobey the rules. It was a family motto."
By the way, Suze.net is still bringing in some cash every month, which is perhaps the best testament to Suze's legacy.
"They say three percent of people still pay for their porn," Humphry says.
Suze laughs. "Those are my fans," she says. "The Republicans and the Christians."
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eceee press releases
eceee news & info subscription
France returns to top of global green bond ranking
(EurActiv, 26 Jun 2019) With more than €15 billion worth of green bonds issued since January, France has become a leader of green finance, ahead of the US and the Netherlands. EURACTIV’s partner La Tribune reports.
Since the start of this year, France has been the leading issuer of green bonds with $15.3 billion (around €13.4 billion), meaning it has regained its world champion title in green financing. This is according to a ranking published on Tuesday (25 June) by the British non-profit organisation Climate Bonds Initiative.
France has thus overtaken the US, the leader in 2018 and during the first quarter of 2019. It has also overtaken the Netherlands, which successfully issued its first government green bond worth €6 billion last May.
The green bond market consists of loans issued on the markets to finance projects that are exclusively ‘green’. These projects will have a positive impact on the climate and/or environment (renewable energies, reduction of CO2 emissions, etc.), and are accompanied by monitoring and reporting requirements.
This year, the green bond market has seen an incredible upswing. Last week, the volume of green bonds being issued exceeded $100 billion, and this in less than six months. This could well set a new record for the year.
“This is the first time we have achieved this milestone in the first half of the year,” said Sean Kidney, executive director of the Climate Bonds Initiative.
This milestone for the year was reached in September 2018 and November 2017 for the first time. This bodes well for the rest of this year.
EurActiv, 26 Jun 2019: France returns to top of global green bond ranking
“The Kyoto Club is an Italian non-profit umbrella organisation”
Kyoto Club
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Edward McPherson
The History of the Future
The Backwash Squeeze
Edward McPherson is the author of three books: Buster Keaton: Tempest in a Flat Hat (Faber & Faber), The Backwash Squeeze and Other Improbable Feats (HarperCollins), and The History of the Future: American Essays (Coffee House Press). He has written for the New York Times Magazine, the Paris Review, Tin House, the American Scholar, the Gettysburg Review, Gulf Coast, Salon, Guernica, True Story, the Southern Review, Esopus, Epoch, Catapult, Essay Daily, Literary Hub, I.D., the New York Observer, and Talk, among others. He has received a Pushcart Prize, the PEN Southwest Book Award, the Gulf Coast Prize in Fiction, an Artist Fellowship from the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, a Minnesota State Arts Board grant, and the Gesell Award from the University of Minnesota, where he received his MFA. He is a contributing editor of the Common Reader. He teaches creative writing at Washington University in St. Louis.
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HD DVD / Blu-ray
Reviews » Blu-ray Reviews » Pale Flower - Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)
Pale Flower - Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)
Criterion // Unrated // May 17, 2011 // Region A
Review by Jamie S. Rich | posted May 16, 2011 | E-mail the Author
"It's so pointless."
"Yeah, it is."
No, that's not the dialogue of two bored teenagers who've just discovered black turtlenecks and Edith Piaf. It's an exchange between a thrill-seeking gambling addict and the yakuza who loves her, the main characters in Pale Flower, Masahiro Shinoda's 1964 portrait of underworld ennui. These are doomed souls on a collision course with one another, an interpersonal big bang that can only spell their tragic end...though, as the poem goes, it's an end that will merely whimper. It's an implosion more than an explosion.
The dual nature of Shinoda's scenario is established from the very first scene. In voiceover, the hardboiled criminal Muraki (Ryô Ikebe, Early Spring) quickly explains that he has only just gotten out of prison after serving three years for killing another man. The whole sordid affair has left Muraki with a particularly nihilistic worldview. He took a man's life, but the rest of the world carried on. Life is indifferent to those who live it. Yet, the moment that Muraki lays eyes on Saeko (Mariko Kaga, Snow Country, Only on Mondays) in the gambling den, the gangster endeavors to change her fate and keep her safe. He is an ex-con white knight, swooping in to protect the fair maiden. He jumps in the game, interrupting her losing streak by starting one of his own. If only one of them can win this bet, it might as well be her.
The pair develops a relationship after that, though it's one that is never sexual. Saeko sees Muraki as her entry into higher-stakes games. Whatever life she has outside of the late-night gambling, she keeps it separate. We can guess she's probably from a respectable family well before Muraki accidentally runs into her with her friends. This is a girl of privilege with a yen for danger. She ponders bigger bets hoping that they will give her even more of a jump, she races other drivers on the highway, and naturally, when she hears the half-Chinese gangster Yoh (Takashi Fujiki) is a junkie, she becomes fascinated by him and his deadly habit. Muraki, resigned to the role as the "older brother," warns her against going on the dope, but even he knows it's pointless.
Because, though he may forget, it's all pointless. Symbolically, Muraki is a man whose time is limited. The lover who waited for him all these years (Chisako Hara) is our first indicator that the clock is ticking--in her case, quite literally. Her father owns a clock shop, and when Muraki returns to her, the persistent metronomic clatter serves as soundtrack to their lovemaking. This has been the woman's jail while Muraki has been behind bars; her life has been in stasis. Her devotion has also been a waste. When a fellow from her office offers to marry her, Muraki tells her to go for it, to take the normal life while she can. Perhaps he's trying to save her, too, but of anyone, she seems most aware of the troublesome mortality that defines their romance.
Indeed, Muraki is going to get a reminder that his position is tenuous in the very next scene. A friend of the man he killed tries to take revenge, even though the rival gangs have formed a truce since Muraki went inside. Ironically, Muraki takes the younger man (Isao Sasaki) under his wing after this, prepping him for greater things. Shinoda underscores this fateful first meeting with a subtle orchestral version of the Elvis Presley song "It's Now or Never." Live for the moment, Muraki, it's all you have.
Music plays an important role in Pale Flower. Shinoda and composer Toru Takemitsu draw on a variety of influences to establish the story's various moods. At one of the more crucial nights out, the game where Muraki realizes that Yoh is a threat, the soundtrack adopts more traditional Japanese sounds. Dissonant horns and chaotic percussion, combined with the ambient noise of the game itself, create a feverish mood, reducing the players to their most primal equation: Adam, Eve, and the Snake. This will be reinforced in the film's climactic scene, when the operatic events demand operatic music. Shinoda has given us various hints throughout Pale Flower that a shift toward more Western ethics and behavior is occurring, and here, besides, the music, the church-like decorations emphasize the particular moral landscape of this scenario. Muraki hopes to dissuade Saeko from chasing her various metaphorical dragons any further and simultaneously defeat his rival by showing her the one thing he believes Yoh can't conjure. In a way, it is the ultimate sacrifice he can make: he isn't literally giving up his life for her, but he is giving up his freedom, which itself will consign him to a kind of walking death. Still breathing, but exiled to purgatory.
It's a gamble, but then, the whole of life is a gamble. The game of luck that Saeko and Muraki play is one of pure chance. The players randomly draw hanafuda, colorful dominoes with pictures on them, and place wagers on whether or not they will draw a match to the domino played by the lead gambler. It's a conundrum we regularly take in life: if I put myself out there, will this other person match up, will we be compatible. For Saeko, Muraki is a new kind of danger. She tells him at one point, "I'm so bored with life," and she uses him to find fresh excitement. What he sees in her glass-eyed expression is something only he knows. Maybe it's a kindred spirit, maybe it's himself as he once was, making her his second chance. Regardless, he's foolish to think it will make any difference. She so much as warns him. "Whatever happens, I forgive myself," she says. In other words, she lives for her own sake first, and whatever she has to do to bring herself whatever pleasure or contentment she can find, she'll do it, anyone else be damned.
It's enough to make you wonder who the real nihilist is here! Pale Flower's philosophical landscape is as desolate as any American film noir, and its actual landscape is shot with just as much of an emphasis on style and shadow. The black-and-white photography of Shinoda's regular cameraman, Masao Kosugi, plays with light and dark, shooting down narrow corridors, highlighting the distance between the dens of inequity and common life outside. Much of the action takes place on location, and so we also get stunning images of 1960s Tokyo, which at times can seem as unreal and dreamy as the paranoid nightmare Muraki has midway through the picture. This glimpse inside his sleeping mind is the only time we see Muraki truly unhinged; otherwise, Ryô Ikebe plays him as stoic and contemplative. His exterior expression is his most fundamental weapon, he can never let his true feelings show. In this, Mariko Kaga is his equal. The actress is just as strong at establishing a fictional mask--though she is also allowed brief bursts of devilishness. At one point, just before her high-speed drag race, the pair laughs together; after the race, she laughs alone, and it has a completely different pitch. It only grows darker later, when her giggle turns a sexual charade into a humiliating experience for Muraki.
In the end, Muraki is an anti-hero who can't escape his destiny. Whatever he thought he was going to accomplish turns to dust, his endeavors are as pointless as his denials. Arguably, his exile is far less of a punishment than it might seem, because being cut off from everything means he doesn't know how colossal his failure may actually be. That's the haunting coda of Pale Flower: awareness of life's absurdity brings no relief. Unlike Western existentialism, where one hurls oneself into the abyss in order to transcend it, the deeper Muraki peers into the blackness, the more it consumes him. He pushed his rock up the hill, rolled it over the other side, and now he only wants to get it back.
THE BLU-RAY
The new high-definition 2.35:1 transfer on this Blu-Ray release of Pale Flower is flawless. The resolution is sharp as a razor, and the tonal values of the black-and-white image are wonderful. Quickly comparing it to the fairly good Home Vision Entertainment DVD release that came out in 2003, this new transfer has a greater clarity and more defined grays, whereas the previous disc had heavier blacks that obscured some of the detail. The new Criterion achieves a bolder picture without resorting to any enhancement, and the print is absent of any scratches, dirt, or other damage.
The uncompressed monaural soundtrack is also nicely balanced and free of any glitches. Music and dialogue trade off well, and there is even some good ambience, including an excellent mix on the scenes in the rain.
The optional English subtitles are rendered in white and easy to read.
As per usual, Criterion leads with an interior booklet complete with credits, photos, and an essay by critic Chuck Stephens. Chapter breaks are printed on the inside front cover of the disc.
There are two extras on the Blu-Ray itself. The first is a 2010 interview with Masahiro Shinoda (in case you can't tell from the date, it's different than the one on the HVE disc). Running just over 20 minutes, it gives the director a chance to reflect on the production and give viewers some context to how it all came together.
The selected-scene commentary on the movie covers five scenes in total, just over half an hour. The track is recorded by Peter Grilli, an expert on Japanese cinema and a producer of a film about Toru Takemitsu, who composed the music for Pale Flower. Thus, the commentary focuses on the maestro's work in the movie, dissecting the musical technique and the impact of his choices.
A theatrical trailer is also included.
Masahiro Shinoda's Pale Flower is a dark crime picture, rendering a nihilistic philosophy with an impeccable aesthetic to create a thoroughly involving noirish parable. Starring Ryô Ikebe as a tight-lipped gangster and Mariko Kaga as a gambling-addicted girl searching for ever-more thrills, Pale Flower weaves a tale of quiet passion and tragic destiny. The movie is constructed flawlessly, complete with nuanced performances and music that evolves to fit the mood, and this Criterion Blu-Ray has been produced with that same meticulous attention to detail. Highly Recommended.
Jamie S. Rich is a novelist and comic book writer. He is best known for his collaborations with Joelle Jones, including the hardboiled crime comic book You Have Killed Me, the challenging romance 12 Reasons Why I Love Her, and the 2007 prose novel Have You Seen the Horizon Lately?, for which Jones did the cover. All three were published by Oni Press. His most recent projects include the futuristic romance A Boy and a Girl with Natalie Nourigat; Archer Coe and the Thousand Natural Shocks, a loopy crime tale drawn by Dan Christensen; and the horror miniseries Madame Frankenstein, a collaboration with Megan Levens. Follow Rich's blog at Confessions123.com.
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9. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)
10. Heroes Shed No Tears
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New phone scam: One-ring calls from Mauritania, Sierra Leone could cost you
The Federal Communications Commission is sounding the alarm about a new phone scam that could wind up costing you a pretty penny.
Robocalls coming from places such as Mauritania and Sierra Leone take advantage of human curiosity, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Typically, these incoming calls only ring once. The scammers' aim is to get people wondering who just dialed their number to pick up the phone and return the call.
That's when the fees start adding up.
“If you call any such number, you risk being connected to a phone number outside the U.S.,” the FCC said in a written statement. “As a result, you may wind up being charged a fee for connecting, along with significant per-minutes fees for as long as they can keep you on the phone. These charges may show up on your bill as premium services.”
Many of the robocalls come from the 222 or 232 area codes, according to the Star-Telegram.
The FCC suggests people don't answer calls from numbers they don't recognize. Also don't return calls unless you know who you're dialing.
Consumers can also contact their cellphone carrier to block all outgoing international calls.
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School of Nursing and Midwifery & Pre-Service Training on Nutrition, Hawassa University, Ethiopia
By Aweke Yilma Dubi, Head, School of Nursing & Midwifery
Ethiopia is one of the least developed countries in the world. According to the Government's Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (2000-2003), over 45% of the population lives below the poverty line. A consequence of this widespread poverty is low levels of human capital accumulation. Whereas countries at the forefront of development often invest in education and aggressively engage in human capacity development and knowledge transfer, those who do not or cannot often fail to bring about significant development. Poverty reduction is a major issue for Ethiopia and capacity building in the public and private sectors is a key building block to accelerate much needed socioeconomic development.
The Higher Education Training Capacity Building Programme is part of the development effort of the Federal Government, regional states and the private sector. This aims to create countrywide sustainable human resource capacity that is responsive to changing circumstances. The development of higher education is among the highest national priorities. It is viewed as the major instrument towards achieving food security and alleviating poverty and other social and technological problems the country is facing. Hence, capacity building is the cornerstone of sustainable development in Ethiopia. In addition, there is a need to build the research capacity and address the critical issues of the country, particularly in relation to malnutrition and diseases such as HIV.
Hawassa University
Hawassa University, previously known as Debub University, was established in April 2000 by merging three colleges, namely Hawassa College of Agriculture, Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources, and Dilla College of Teachers Education and Health Sciences. Located at the centre of the Great Rift Valley in Hawassa city, the University is the largest and most comprehensive University in the Southern Nations Nationalities and People's Regional state (SNNPRs) and in the southern part of the country. It has 24 academic departments, four institutes, three colleges and 58 academic programmes, with more than 20,000 students involved in 41 undergraduate, 22 Masters and 2 PhD programmes. There is 960 academic and 1,100 administrative staff.
In the School of Nursing and Midwifery, there are 800 nurse and midwifery students and 30 academic and administrative staff at different academic levels, ranging from assistant professors, and lecturers to graduate assistants. Staff have a diverse range of professional qualifications in the areas of curriculum development, public health, international health, maternal and child health, midwifery, adult health nursing. Unfortunately, the School of Nursing and Midwifery has no staff trained in nutrition or with a nutritional background.
The education of nurses and midwives
In order to meet the national aim of creating sustainable human resource capacity for health and nutrition services, the School of Nursing and Midwifery offers undergraduate training to prepare the nurses and midwifes for the demanding environment of Ethiopia. This environment is characterised by high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, high maternal and infant mortality rates, malnutrition and frequent emergencies, as well as high levels of staff attrition. The role of nurses and midwives in Ethiopia has had to diversify and broaden, so that in addition to hospital based clinical work, they need to be able to work in community-based programmes in areas, such as therapeutic and supplementary feeding and HIV.
To help prepare the graduates for these roles, the School has designed a Community-Based Training Programme (CBTP) and Team Training Programme (TTP). This involves students being deployed to remote and hard to reach communities affected by drought, high levels of malnutrition and communicable diseases. During this period, the students work with community members to assess their health and nutrition related practices, such as food intake and food taboos, infant and young child feeding practices, feeding of infants and children during periods of sickness, nutrition during pregnancy, food hygiene, storage and preservation. The students plan, implement and evaluate activities aimed at addressing the identified problems in collaboration with community members.
In addition to the CBTP and TTP programmes that are well integrated into the formal undergraduate curriculum, the School conducts pre-service trainings (PST) on new competencies and concepts that, although not formally integrated in the existing curriculum, are seen as very important for the students professional development. In collaboration with governmental and non-governmental organisations such as Save the Children, World Health Organization (WHO), World Vision, Plan Ethiopia and professional associations, the school offers PST on Nutrition in HIV, Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV, Comprehensive HIV/AIDS care, Palliative Care, Infection Prevention and Injection safety. These PSTs are usually conducted when students prepare to enter their clinical years, a few months before they graduate and go into the community. This facilitates the immediate application of their newly acquired knowledge and skills.
Stakeholders, such as the WHO, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education as well as employers, have clearly stated the importance of equipping the graduates with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitude (competency) to tackle new health and nutrition problems and emerging technologies. PST is viewed as a particularly cost effective approach in terms of money and time expended. Pre-service training has many advantages when compared to in-service training (IST) in that it creates the opportunity for building the capacity of large numbers of potential health professionals within a short period of time. The existing infrastructure and system of a university/institution helps keep costs low. Furthermore, PST provides a golden opportunity to equip graduates with the requirements of the work environment and enable them to integrate themselves into the community norms and cultures. In contrast, IST, though very useful, can be very costly in monetary terms and can take staff away from their place of work for considerable periods of time in an already under-staffed environment.
Cognizant of the role the School plays in producing a critical mass of nurses and midwives for nation building and the benefits of working in collaboration with new partners and stakeholders, Hawassa University is re-designing the overall university curriculum into a modular system. This presents another opportunity to integrate areas of concern into the nursing and midwifery training programme.
In line with this development, the School is actively seeking collaboration with partners to build the capacity of faculty members in the area of nutrition in emergencies and in HIV/AIDS and nutrition. This is needed to equip the teaching staff with additional skills and knowledge to pass onto the nurse and midwifery students though the new modular approach. Existing faculty staff do not currently have all the knowledge and skills to design and teach a new module on nutrition in emergencies or on HIV/AIDS and nutrition. Specific technical areas in need of capacity development for faculty staff are in infant feeding in emergencies and community-based management of acute malnutrition; all pressing problems in Ethiopia. Recently, the School has started a discussion with World Vision Ethiopia and Tufts University in USA on capacity building of faculty staff in the areas of infant and young child feeding and HIV/AIDS and nutrition. This offers a positive step forward towards strengthening the quality and content of teaching in the future.
For further information, contact: Aweke Yilma Dubi, Head, School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Hawassa, Hawassa, Ethiopia. P.O. Box 1504
tel: +251 462 211 003 (Office)
e-mail: awekeyilma@gmail.com
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Tags for this page
Humanitarian systems
Location: Ethiopia
Article Type: Agency Profiles
Updated on 1 February 2011
Aweke Yilma Dubi (2011). School of Nursing and Midwifery & Pre-Service Training on Nutrition, Hawassa University, Ethiopia. Field Exchange 40, February 2011. p55. www.ennonline.net/fex/40/school
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IDC says PH healthcare IT spending to hit $60 million in 2019
Mobility solutions, tele-health, and customer relations management solutions will be in demand, International Data Corporation says.
By Entrepreneur Staff | Feb 22, 2016
HOSPITAL HARDWARE. Public hospitals will remain focused on developing hardware infrastructure, as the government is keen on making public health services more accessible. Photo from Thinkstock
Manila, Philippines – Healthcare IT (information technology) spending in the Philippines will boom between 2016 and 2019, thanks to increased demand for mobility solutions, tele-health, and customer relations management (CRM) solutions by the healthcare industry, said market intelligence firm International Data Corporation (IDC.
In IDC Health Insights' published research titled “Philippines: Healthcare IT Spend Market Analysis, Forecasts, and Trends" (and was released February 19), it was estimated that healthcare IT spending in the Philippines will reach $60 million in 2019, or around P2.5 billion, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 4% between 2016 and 2019.
In 2015, the report showed that the Philippines' priority was upgrading existing IT infrastructure, which was consistent with the thrust of its neighboring countries in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian) region. Spending on hardware was the highest IT expenditure at 79%, with IT services and software spending coming in second and third place respectively.
"The primary macroeconomic indicators driving growth in the country include upheaval of infrastructure in healthcare and education services, and a growing number of private hospitals in the Philippines. These indicators will bolster the IT spending growth in the Philippines healthcare market," said IDC Health Insights' market analyst Arpana Bharti.
IDC Philippines' head of operations Jubert Daniel Alberto noted that spending on healthcare IT is still limited, and there are disparities between the private and the public sectors.
The private sector, which is pushing for medical tourism, leads in terms of IT adoption. IT spending in the public sector, on the other hand, remains focused on developing hardware infrastructure, as the government is keen to make public health services more accessible.
However, bridging the healthcare gaps between the urban and rural populations remains the primary focus of both public and private healthcare institutions, with private hospitals moving toward an "intensity of care" model which will require new environments, processes, and IT infrastructure that can facilitate its growth.
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How Łódź went from 'forgotten' to thriving
Sebastian Shehadi | 13/12/2018 12:00 pm
Once a powerhouse of the textiles industry then neglected and forgotten by Polish authorities for decades, the city of Łódź has diversified and transformed itself into a hub for logistics, R&D, BPO, IT and advanced manufacturing. Sebastian Shehadi reports.
Located in the centre of the country, Poland's third largest city, Łódź, is also at the heart of a vast national revitalisation programme, partly funded by the EU to the tune of €1bn just for Łódź. The city, which celebrates its 600th anniversary in 2023, has come a long way from its origins as a small village.
Łódź's early development began in the 1830s. Its many streams made it ideal for the textile industry (eventually earning it the nickname ‘the Manchester of the east’). As the textile trade grew, Łódź attracted merchants and workers from Germany, Russia and the Jewish community and evolved into a highly multicultural community for its time. Its largest factories employed up to 12,000 workers, and some historians consider it to be the second fastest growing city during the 19th century after Chicago.
However, Łódź’s dominance in textiles also contributed to its demise when, after the fall of Communism, Poland lost its Soviet markets. The country was flooded with cheaper goods from Asia, and Łódź’s textile industry collapsed within six months. With unemployment hitting about 30%, the city of 900,000 inhabitants also witnessed a mini-exodus.
Change of direction
Łódź’s industrious spirit, however, remained strong. Smaller Polish enterprises replaced the fallen Soviet giants. From the late 1990s onwards, it attracted foreign investment into manufacturing. Following the advice of consultancy McKinsey, Łódź’s strategy was to be a European hub for household appliances.
This proved highly successful with the arrival of German and US sector leaders BSH and Whirlpool, respectively. Due to their success, as well as the city’s talent pool, these companies added business processes to their factories, such as logistics, R&D and IT. BSH and Whirlpool now employ about 20,000 people in Łódź. The city recently attracted Germany’s Miele, another giant in the sector, which will build a manufacturing plant.
Łódź’s many universities also played a role in the city’s rebirth. “Our young, educated and open-minded people facilitated a change in mentality. People realised that they could do more than just textiles or industry. This process of diversification started largely thanks to young engineers. We now have large modern sectors such as R&D, IT, BPO and shared services centres [SSC], which employ more than 20,000 people right now,” says Łódź mayor Hanna Zdanowska.
Down to business
As Europe’s leading location for BPO/SSC, Poland is expected to employ more than 300,000 people in the sector as early as the first quarter of 2019, according to the Association of Business Service Leaders. Łódź hosts 20% of the country’s business services centres.
The city is also benefiting from Poland’s wave of foreign investment over the past decade. Following 2017’s record high, greenfield FDI into Poland is on track for another stellar performance in 2018, according to greenfield investment monitor fDi Markets. Łódź already boasts many major foreign investors, such as Bosch, TomTom, Fujitsu and Samsung’s Harman. Despite this diversification, the city still enjoys a substantial proportion of industry in its agglomeration, with factories producing steel, white goods and hi-tech engineering parts.
Łódź’s unemployment rate has hovered around the 6% mark over the past few years, similar to the national average. As the third largest city in Poland, and 13th largest non-capital city in Europe, Łódź’s population stands at 700,000 (about 80,000 of them students). However, unofficially the number is closer to 900,000, including as many as 70,000 unregistered Ukrainian inhabitants.
Walking around Łódź can feel like a stroll through the 19th century. There are chimneys at every angle, and it is impossible to miss the beautiful red-brick factories and eye-catching period homes.
“Łódź is basically the only big city in Poland that wasn’t destroyed in the Second World War, for better and for worse," says Adam Pustelnik, director of Łódź’s Investor Service and International Co-operation Bureau. "As a result, the city did not benefit from the massive, decades-long post-war funding that took place to reconstruct Warsaw and Kraków’s historic centres. The destruction of war in Wrocław, which also saw a huge flood in 1997, also [sparked] massive investment,”
Between the world wars, Łódź was sidelined due to its lack of ‘Polishness’ and cosmopolitan make-up (the aforementioned German, Russian and Jewish citizens). Transportation lines bypassed the city that is now one of Europe’s most promising logistics hubs.
“For many decades Łódź was forgotten. [To this day], when foreigners think of Poland they think of Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław and Gdańsk. Where is Łódź, the third biggest city in Poland?” says Andrzej Kuczyński, project management office director at TME, one of the largest global distributors of electronic components, which was founded in Łódź. “For a long time, there was no political will to invest here. Now it’s our time. Łódź’s Mayor Zdanowska has really helped raise our profile over the past eight years. Development and investment have [come in very quickly].”
Moreover, as the city became the epicentre for household appliance production, logistics and much more, its aged or non-existent infrastructure has developed rapidly. The century of neglect also ended with Poland’s EU entry, which spurred huge amounts of revitalisation funding.
“Łódź needs billions more in funding, an endless amount of money to revitalise its red-brick buildings. The city is [bringing it in] and we have the biggest revitalisation programme in Europe – with around €1bn dedicated to our red brick. However, this still meets only 20% of the need,” says Mr Pustelnik.
How Łódź came back from the brink
Łódź redevelopment makes up for lost time
Universities give Łódź bright ideas
Łódź builds reputation as European logistics hub
Łódź looks to Expo Horticultural 2024 for green boost
Lodz weaves a new development strategy to entice investment
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Serbia Weak On Penalizing Money-Launderers – Analysis
July 9, 2019 July 9, 2019 Balkan Insight 0 Comments
By Balkan Insight
Only 15 per cent of money-laundering cases end up before the Serbian courts, with minor sentences often handed down to those who are put in the dock.
By Ana Curic and Milica Stojanovic
Less than a fifth of reported cases of money-laundering in Serbia end up in courts, with those convicted often handed a minor sentence of less than a year in prison or fines of fewer than 100 euros, a new analysis by BIRN of Serbia’s fight against money-laundering over the last decade shows.
The longest prison sentence handed down for money-laundering was three years, and the shortest was three months. Meanwhile, the smallest fine was 10,000 dinars (nearly 85 euros) and the largest was 5 million dinars (42,456 euros).
Miroslava Milenovic, a financial forensics expert from Belgrade, told BIRN that money laundering is a consequence of organised crime, because it is used to introduce money from the sale of narcotics, human trafficking or arms trading into legal financial flows.
Milenovic said the data shows what is happening in reality, and “why Serbia is poorly assessed in the fight against corruption, as only small cases are actually ending up in courts”.
BIRN collected data on the basis of the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance from all high prosecutor’s offices and courts in Serbia for the period from January 1, 2008 until December 31, 2017, and analysed how many criminal charges have been filed for money-laundering in the past decade, how many were dismissed, how many ended up in court, and what penalties were imposed on those found guilty.
During the decade-long period, 567 criminal reports were filed for money-laundering, with the prosecution rejecting 62 applications.
Only 15 per cent ended up in court – 77 judgments were handed down for 102 defendants. The appeals courts confirmed the first-instance verdicts in most cases.
Most of these cases – nearly half – ended with the defendants having concluded plea agreements. Of the 45 people who made plea deals, 33 refer to an organised criminal group that was arrested in 2010.
Another 28 people were convicted of money-laundering, while 29 were acquitted.
In half of the cases, the criminal offence of misuse of office was also committed.
Since March 2018, a special system within the Public Prosecutor’s Office has been specialising in the processing of all forms of financial crime.
The latest data from the Ministry of Justice on the work of the special anti-corruption units shows that in the period from March 1, 2018 to March 1, 2019, 448 convictions were handed down, involving 523 defendants.
However, only ten were convicted of laundering money.
Milenovic argued that the fact that there are no high-ranking officials have been convicted of money-laundering shows that the judiciary is only tackling those who launder smaller amounts of money.
“By the verdicts, you would think that corruption only exists at the most irrelevant levels, involving 10 to 20 euros, with a traffic police officer, a doctor taking a bribe, and that actually everything else at higher levels functions like some normal state,” she said.
The Financial Action Task Force, FATF, which monitor international anti-money-laundering and terrorist financing activities, put Serbia on its ‘grey list’ in February 2018 because of what it said were deficiencies in the country’s system of prevention of money-laundering and the financing of terrorism.
But in June 2019, the FATF decided that Serbia had addressed the deficiencies and took it off the list.
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The Balkan Insight (fornerkt the Balkin Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN) is a close group of editors and trainers that enables journalists in the region to produce in-depth analytical and investigative journalism on complex political, economic and social themes. BIRN emerged from the Balkan programme of the Institute for War & Peace Reporting, IWPR, in 2005. The original IWPR Balkans team was mandated to localise that programme and make it sustainable, in light of changing realities in the region and the maturity of the IWPR intervention. Since then, its work in publishing, media training and public debate activities has become synonymous with quality, reliability and impartiality. A fully-independent and local network, it is now developing as an efficient and self-sustainable regional institution to enhance the capacity for journalism that pushes for public debate on European-oriented political and economic reform.
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Impact of fighting on civilians in Libya's Derna 'devastating' - U.N.
By Aidan Lewis
TUNIS (Reuters) - Escalating conflict in the eastern city of Derna is having a devastating impact on civilians, with humanitarian workers denied access to deliver life-saving assistance, the United Nations said on Thursday.
Derna has long been encircled by forces loyal to east Libya-based commander Khalifa Haftar, who are trying to wrest the city from a coalition of local fighters and Islamists known as the Derna Mujahideen Shura Council (DMSC).
Located on the coast around 266 km (165 miles) from the border with Egypt, it is the only major town or city in the east of Libya outside the control of Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA).
This month after Haftar returned from medical treatment in Paris the LNA stepped up its campaign, launching ground attacks against its opponents on Derna's outskirts.
The U.N. Libya mission's humanitarian coordinator, Maria Ribeiro, said the intensification of the conflict had created an urgent need for humanitarian access and they had been denied repeated requests.
"Shortages in medicine and medical supplies are reaching critical levels and the first food shortages are being reported," the statement said.
"The continued encirclement of Derna and the escalation of conflict is having a devastating impact on civilians who fear for their lives."
Until this month, the LNA's campaign had been largely limited to occasional air strikes and bombardments.
Egypt, which backs the LNA, has also carried out air strikes in Derna against what it said were training camps sending militants into Egypt to carry out attacks.
The LNA says its rivals in Derna are linked to al Qaeda. Islamic State established a presence in Derna in 2014, but was pushed out by the DMSC.
Haftar is aligned with a parliament and government that moved to eastern Libya following fighting in Tripoli in 2014. He opposes an internationally recognised government now based in the capital.
Haftar says he is trying to rid Libya of the threat from militant Islamists. Critics accuse him of branding all his opponents as "terrorists" as he seeks to expand his power.
"There is no option left for us in Derna than to crush the terrorists after they rejected all peace efforts," Haftar said in an address to his forces on Tuesday. He also urged families of DMSC fighters to pressure them to surrender to the LNA so they could get a "fair trial".
The U.N. statement quoted reports that hundreds of families had been displaced by the recent fighting in Derna, and that at least one child had been killed.
"I call on all parties to immediately allow safe and unfettered access to Derna for humanitarian actors and urgently needed humanitarian goods," Ribeiro was quoted as saying.
(Additional reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
1Impact of fighting on civilians in Libya's Derna 'devastating' - U.N.
2Hafiz Saeed's arrest was result of 'great pressure' exerted by US on Pakistan, says Donald Trump
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Fort McMurray International Airport is happy to offer a pre-security observation deck area for local residents to enjoy on their next trip to the airport.
This captivating space, located on the top floor of the main airport terminal, was designed to present a spectacular view of the runway and the airport campus. The area has been outfitted with videos, art, and historical artifacts to increase passengers’ travel experience. Three state-of-the-art interactive video screens take visitors through the history of aviation in Northern Alberta and let them discover more about the new airport terminal. The walls are adorned with two new art installations by Alberta artists Jane Ash Poitras and Amy Keller-Rempp. Three display cases hold fascinating historical aviation artifacts on loan from the Fort McMurray Historical Society, Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame, and the Alberta Aviation Museum. Telescopes and interpretive reader rails turn the area into a destination for community members of all ages to learn about aviation in our region.
by Amy Keller-Rempp
Landing on the Snye features a float plane landing on the quiet waters of the Snye River at dusk. The eagle, one of the largest birds capable of taking flight, is shown as the ruler of the skies. When combined with the Northern Lights, this image represents a magical, spiritual, and timeless symbol of aviation. For many years, float planes landing on the Snye River provided the main access to Fort McMurray.
Spirit of Wood Buffalo features two majestic wood buffalo standing within a northern boreal forest. An eagle soars overhead in front of a stylized depiction of the Fort McMurray Airport Authority logo merged within the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). The wood buffalo, namesake of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, symbolizes abundance, strength, and stability. This piece is intended to evoke a sense of freedom and prosperity. These paintings were produced by combining metal grinding with automotive airbrushing on aluminum panels. The artist began by grinding the picture into the metal panel, then airbrushing, applying clear coating, sanding, and polishing the piece to transform the metal into a glass-like mural.
by Jane Ash Poitras
These two pieces, entitled Homeland Utopia and Northern Utopia, were described by Jane Ash Poitras as “a tribute to my indigenous peoples, especially my Mikisew Cree First Nation at Fort Chipewyan.”
These two works belong to the artist’s Utopia series: a series of large paintings expressing the euphoria she experienced while awaiting the birth of her first child. The artist’s work combines an awareness of contemporary trends in Western art with insight into aboriginal history and culture. The rich colors of the landscapes revealed in the work also reflect the intensity of the artist’s dream-like expectations of her child’s birth.
These pieces were generously gifted to the Fort McMurray Airport Authority by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC).
Aviation Heritage and Education
The Fort McMurray Airport Authority is pleased to pay homage to the rich history of aviation exploration and innovation in Northern Alberta. Historical features of the observation area include:
Many early Canadian aviation pioneers learned to fly in Europe during the First World War. Upon their return home, they displayed ingenuity and bravery as bush pilots flying into Northern Alberta. Bush pilots flew mail and supplies into remote northern outposts, and delivered urgently needed vaccines during diphtheria outbreaks. These ace fliers searched for other downed aircraft, often during blinding snowstorms. They also assisted police with rescue missions and manhunts by air.
Aviation pioneers with connections to Fort McMurray featured on this wall include:
Charles “Cy” Becker
A.M. “Matt” Berry
Leigh Brintnell
Clennell “Punch” Dickins
Zebulon Lewis Leigh
Wilfrid “Wop” May
Grant McConachie
Archibald “Archie” McMullen
Historical Aviation Artifacts
In cooperation with the Fort McMurray Historical Society, Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame, and the Alberta Aviation Museum, the Fort McMurray Airport Authority is pleased to present a rotating exhibit of aviation-related heritage artifacts on loan from its partner museums.
Notable items include:
Rifle case belonging to Wilfrid "Wop" May
Wilfrid "Wop" May's wooden monkey that he hung in his plane when flying up north
A pair of flying mitts worn by bush pilots to protect them from the elements
Model of a Canadian Airways Limited Junkers Ju-52 1M (CF-ARM) aircraft
An original 1928 Gypsy 1 engine
Aviation Education
Three state-of-the-art interactive video screens take visitors through the history of aviation in Northern Alberta and let them discover more about the new airport terminal. Telescopes and interpretive reader rails turn the area into a destination for community members of all ages to learn about aviation in our region.
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Nim’s secures first supermarket listing
By James Ridler contact
Nim’s Fruit Crisps has secured listings in The Co-op stores in the south east of England
Related tags: The london hilton on park lane
Snack manufacturer Nim’s Fruit Crisps is to supply The Co-op, the company's first deal with a major supermarket.
Nim’s products will be available in more than 60 stores across the south east of England. If sales go well, the supermarket plans to stock more lines in its stores nationwide.
The Co-op will start the listing with three of Nim’s products – Pineapple, Beetroot & Parsnip and Tomato & Cucumber crisps – as part of the retailer’s commitment to sourcing locally manufactured produce.
Nim’s founder and ceo Nimisha Raja said the deal was the culmination of 12 months of hard work by the company.
‘First supermarket to stock our crisps’
“Co-op is a firm believer in sourcing healthier and locally sourced products and, with 70% of Nim’s products being made using British ingredients, it was agreed that it would become the first supermarket to stock our crisps,” said Raja.
“This is just the start. There will be three varieties on the shelves in 60 locations, but we are already talking about extending the range and the listing. We’re doing in-store tastings throughout Kent over the next few weeks to help promote the brand and support the launch.”
The Co-op listing followed the healthy snack manufacturer’s deal with snacks distributor Handmade Speciality Products in June to distribute its crisps to the education and healthcare sectors.
Commenting on the listing, Simon Dryell, head of local sourcing for The Co-op, said: “As a community retailer, The Co-op is committed to championing great local food and drink and we are delighted to give Nim’s Fruit Crisps pride of place in our stores.
‘Championing great local food and drink’
“Food provenance, quality and trust really matter to our customers and it is the innovation, traditions, quality and passion which makes these prized and locally loved products.”
Nim’s products are also available in a number of independent shops and online platforms and has export agreements with distributors in Belgium, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy and Saudi Arabia.
It's fruit and vegetable crisps – which are fat-, gluten- and dairy-free – are manufactured at its BRC-accredited facility in Sittingbourne, where it is capable of producing over 12M packs of crisps a year.
Meanwhile, promoting the British origin of food and drink products will pay off for manufacturers after Brexit, according Raja.
In our exclusive video interview, Raja explained that there would always be customers wanting a British product, which won’t change after the UK left the EU.
Nim’s shortlisted for second year running
Nim’s Fruit Crisps has been shortlisted for Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) Innovation of the Year at this year’s Food Manufacture Excellence Awards, taking place at the London Hilton Park Lane on Wednesday November 1.
It's the second year the snack maker has been nominated for the award, after winning the coveted prize at last year’s glittering awards ceremony.
Be among the first to find out the winners of the night by booking your place at the 17th Food Manufacture Excellence Awards.
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We are very delighted that you have shown interest in our enterprise. Data protection is of a particularly high priority for the management of the Exotic Seed. The use of the Internet pages of the Exotic Seed is possible without any indication of personal data; however, if a data subject wants to use special enterprise services via our website, processing of personal data could become necessary. If the processing of personal data is necessary and there is no statutory basis for such processing, we generally obtain consent from the data subject.
The processing of personal data, such as the name, address, e-mail address, or telephone number of a data subject shall always be in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and in accordance with the country-specific data protection regulations applicable to the Exotic Seed. By means of this data protection declaration, our enterprise would like to inform the general public of the nature, scope, and purpose of the personal data we collect, use and process. Furthermore, data subjects are informed, by means of this data protection declaration, of the rights to which they are entitled.
As the controller, the Exotic Seed has implemented numerous technical and organizational measures to ensure the most complete protection of personal data processed through this website. However, Internet-based data transmissions may in principle have security gaps, so absolute protection may not be guaranteed. For this reason, every data subject is free to transfer personal data to us via alternative means, e.g. by telephone.
The data protection declaration of the Exotic Seed is based on the terms used by the European legislator for the adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Our data protection declaration should be legible and understandable for the general public, as well as our customers and business partners. To ensure this, we would like to first explain the terminology used.
In this data protection declaration, we use, inter alia, the following terms:
a) Personal data
Personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (“data subject”). An identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.
b) Data subject
Data subject is any identified or identifiable natural person, whose personal data is processed by the controller responsible for the processing.
c) Processing
Processing is any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data or on sets of personal data, whether or not by automated means, such as collection, recording, organisation, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction.
d) Restriction of processing
Restriction of processing is the marking of stored personal data with the aim of limiting their processing in the future.
Profiling means any form of automated processing of personal data consisting of the use of personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, in particular to analyse or predict aspects concerning that natural person’s performance at work, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behaviour, location or movements.
f) Pseudonymisation
Pseudonymisation is the processing of personal data in such a manner that the personal data can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject without the use of additional information, provided that such additional information is kept separately and is subject to technical and organisational measures to ensure that the personal data are not attributed to an identified or identifiable natural person.
g) Controller or controller responsible for the processing
Controller or controller responsible for the processing is the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data; where the purposes and means of such processing are determined by Union or Member State law, the controller or the specific criteria for its nomination may be provided for by Union or Member State law.
h) Processor
Processor is a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which processes personal data on behalf of the controller.
i) Recipient
Recipient is a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or another body, to which the personal data are disclosed, whether a third party or not. However, public authorities which may receive personal data in the framework of a particular inquiry in accordance with Union or Member State law shall not be regarded as recipients; the processing of those data by those public authorities shall be in compliance with the applicable data protection rules according to the purposes of the processing.
j) Third party
Third party is a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or body other than the data subject, controller, processor and persons who, under the direct authority of the controller or processor, are authorised to process personal data.
k) Consent
Consent of the data subject is any freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous indication of the data subject’s wishes by which he or she, by a statement or by a clear affirmative action, signifies agreement to the processing of personal data relating to him or her.
2. Name and Address of the controller
Controller for the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), other data protection laws applicable in Member states of the European Union and other provisions related to data protection is:
Calle de San Vicente Ferrer 9
Email: hello@exoticseed.eu
Website: www.exoticseed.eu
The Internet pages of the Exotic Seed use cookies. Cookies are text files that are stored in a computer system via an Internet browser.
Many Internet sites and servers use cookies. Many cookies contain a so-called cookie ID. A cookie ID is a unique identifier of the cookie. It consists of a character string through which Internet pages and servers can be assigned to the specific Internet browser in which the cookie was stored. This allows visited Internet sites and servers to differentiate the individual browser of the dats subject from other Internet browsers that contain other cookies. A specific Internet browser can be recognized and identified using the unique cookie ID.
Through the use of cookies, the Exotic Seed can provide the users of this website with more user-friendly services that would not be possible without the cookie setting.
By means of a cookie, the information and offers on our website can be optimized with the user in mind. Cookies allow us, as previously mentioned, to recognize our website users. The purpose of this recognition is to make it easier for users to utilize our website. The website user that uses cookies, e.g. does not have to enter access data each time the website is accessed, because this is taken over by the website, and the cookie is thus stored on the user’s computer system. Another example is the cookie of a shopping cart in an online shop. The online store remembers the articles that a customer has placed in the virtual shopping cart via a cookie.
The data subject may, at any time, prevent the setting of cookies through our website by means of a corresponding setting of the Internet browser used, and may thus permanently deny the setting of cookies. Furthermore, already set cookies may be deleted at any time via an Internet browser or other software programs. This is possible in all popular Internet browsers. If the data subject deactivates the setting of cookies in the Internet browser used, not all functions of our website may be entirely usable.
Making our shopping basket and checkout work
Remembering if you have accepted our terms and conditions
We use cookies to compile visitor statistics such as how many people have visited our website, what type of technology they are using (e.g. Mac or Windows which helps to identify when our site isn’t working as it should for particular technologies), how long they spend on the site, what page they look at etc. This helps us to continuously improve our website. These so called “analytics” programs also tell us if , on an anonymous basis, how people reached this site (e.g. from a search engine) and whether they have been here before helping us to put more money into developing our services for you instead of marketing spend.
You can usually switch cookies off by adjusting your browser settings.
4. Collection of general data and information
The website of the Exotic Seed collects a series of general data and information when a data subject or automated system calls up the website. This general data and information are stored in the server log files. Collected may be (1) the browser types and versions used, (2) the operating system used by the accessing system, (3) the website from which an accessing system reaches our website (so-called referrers), (4) the sub-websites, (5) the date and time of access to the Internet site, (6) an Internet protocol address (IP address), (7) the Internet service provider of the accessing system, and (8) any other similar data and information that may be used in the event of attacks on our information technology systems.
When using these general data and information, the Exotic Seed does not draw any conclusions about the data subject. Rather, this information is needed to (1) deliver the content of our website correctly, (2) optimize the content of our website as well as its advertisement, (3) ensure the long-term viability of our information technology systems and website technology, and (4) provide law enforcement authorities with the information necessary for criminal prosecution in case of a cyber-attack. Therefore, the Exotic Seed analyzes anonymously collected data and information statistically, with the aim of increasing the data protection and data security of our enterprise, and to ensure an optimal level of protection for the personal data we process. The anonymous data of the server log files are stored separately from all personal data provided by a data subject.
5. Registration on our website
The data subject has the possibility to register on the website of the controller with the indication of personal data. Which personal data are transmitted to the controller is determined by the respective input mask used for the registration. The personal data entered by the data subject are collected and stored exclusively for internal use by the controller, and for his own purposes. The controller may request transfer to one or more processors (e.g. a parcel service) that also uses personal data for an internal purpose which is attributable to the controller.
By registering on the website of the controller, the IP address—assigned by the Internet service provider (ISP) and used by the data subject—date, and time of the registration are also stored. The storage of this data takes place against the background that this is the only way to prevent the misuse of our services, and, if necessary, to make it possible to investigate committed offenses. Insofar, the storage of this data is necessary to secure the controller. This data is not passed on to third parties unless there is a statutory obligation to pass on the data, or if the transfer serves the aim of criminal prosecution.
The registration of the data subject, with the voluntary indication of personal data, is intended to enable the controller to offer the data subject contents or services that may only be offered to registered users due to the nature of the matter in question. Registered persons are free to change the personal data specified during the registration at any time, or to have them completely deleted from the data stock of the controller.
The data controller shall, at any time, provide information upon request to each data subject as to what personal data are stored about the data subject. In addition, the data controller shall correct or erase personal data at the request or indication of the data subject, insofar as there are no statutory storage obligations. The entirety of the controller’s employees are available to the data subject in this respect as contact persons.
6. Subscription to our newsletters
On the website of the Exotic Seed, users are given the opportunity to subscribe to our enterprise’s newsletter. The input mask used for this purpose determines what personal data are transmitted, as well as when the newsletter is ordered from the controller.
The Exotic Seed informs its customers and business partners regularly by means of a newsletter about enterprise offers. The enterprise’s newsletter may only be received by the data subject if (1) the data subject has a valid e-mail address and (2) the data subject registers for the newsletter shipping. A confirmation e-mail will be sent to the e-mail address registered by a data subject for the first time for newsletter shipping, for legal reasons, in the double opt-in procedure. This confirmation e-mail is used to prove whether the owner of the e-mail address as the data subject is authorized to receive the newsletter.
During the registration for the newsletter, we also store the IP address of the computer system assigned by the Internet service provider (ISP) and used by the data subject at the time of the registration, as well as the date and time of the registration. The collection of this data is necessary in order to understand the (possible) misuse of the e-mail address of a data subject at a later date, and it therefore serves the aim of the legal protection of the controller.
The personal data collected as part of a registration for the newsletter will only be used to send our newsletter. In addition, subscribers to the newsletter may be informed by e-mail, as long as this is necessary for the operation of the newsletter service or a registration in question, as this could be the case in the event of modifications to the newsletter offer, or in the event of a change in technical circumstances. There will be no transfer of personal data collected by the newsletter service to third parties. The subscription to our newsletter may be terminated by the data subject at any time. The consent to the storage of personal data, which the data subject has given for shipping the newsletter, may be revoked at any time. For the purpose of revocation of consent, a corresponding link is found in each newsletter. It is also possible to unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time directly on the website of the controller, or to communicate this to the controller in a different way.
The newsletter of the Exotic Seed contains so-called tracking pixels. A tracking pixel is a miniature graphic embedded in such e-mails, which are sent in HTML format to enable log file recording and analysis. This allows a statistical analysis of the success or failure of online marketing campaigns. Based on the embedded tracking pixel, the Exotic Seed may see if and when an e-mail was opened by a data subject, and which links in the e-mail were called up by data subjects.
Such personal data collected in the tracking pixels contained in the newsletters are stored and analyzed by the controller in order to optimize the shipping of the newsletter, as well as to adapt the content of future newsletters even better to the interests of the data subject. These personal data will not be passed on to third parties. Data subjects are at any time entitled to revoke the respective separate declaration of consent issued by means of the double-opt-in procedure. After a revocation, these personal data will be deleted by the controller. The Exotic Seed automatically regards a withdrawal from the receipt of the newsletter as a revocation.
8. Contact possibility via the website
The website of the Exotic Seed contains information that enables a quick electronic contact to our enterprise, as well as direct communication with us, which also includes a general address of the so-called electronic mail (e-mail address). If a data subject contacts the controller by e-mail or via a contact form, the personal data transmitted by the data subject are automatically stored. Such personal data transmitted on a voluntary basis by a data subject to the data controller are stored for the purpose of processing or contacting the data subject. There is no transfer of this personal data to third parties.
9. Routine erasure and blocking of personal data
The data controller shall process and store the personal data of the data subject only for the period necessary to achieve the purpose of storage, or as far as this is granted by the European legislator or other legislators in laws or regulations to which the controller is subject to.
If the storage purpose is not applicable, or if a storage period prescribed by the European legislator or another competent legislator expires, the personal data are routinely blocked or erased in accordance with legal requirements.
10. Rights of the data subject
A) RIGHT OF CONFIRMATION
Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator to obtain from the controller the confirmation as to whether or not personal data concerning him or her are being processed. If a data subject wishes to avail himself of this right of confirmation, he or she may, at any time, contact any employee of the controller.
B) RIGHT OF ACCESS
Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator to obtain from the controller free information about his or her personal data stored at any time and a copy of this information. Furthermore, the European directives and regulations grant the data subject access to the following information:
the purposes of the processing;
the categories of personal data concerned;
the recipients or categories of recipients to whom the personal data have been or will be disclosed, in particular recipients in third countries or international organisations;
where possible, the envisaged period for which the personal data will be stored, or, if not possible, the criteria used to determine that period;
the existence of the right to request from the controller rectification or erasure of personal data, or restriction of processing of personal data concerning the data subject, or to object to such processing;
the existence of the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority;
where the personal data are not collected from the data subject, any available information as to their source;
the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, referred to in Article 22(1) and (4) of the GDPR and, at least in those cases, meaningful information about the logic involved, as well as the significance and envisaged consequences of such processing for the data subject.
Furthermore, the data subject shall have a right to obtain information as to whether personal data are transferred to a third country or to an international organisation. Where this is the case, the data subject shall have the right to be informed of the appropriate safeguards relating to the transfer.
If a data subject wishes to avail himself of this right of access, he or she may, at any time, contact any employee of the controller.
C) RIGHT TO RECTIFICATION
Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator to obtain from the controller without undue delay the rectification of inaccurate personal data concerning him or her. Taking into account the purposes of the processing, the data subject shall have the right to have incomplete personal data completed, including by means of providing a supplementary statement.
If a data subject wishes to exercise this right to rectification, he or she may, at any time, contact any employee of the controller.
D) RIGHT TO ERASURE (RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN)
Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator to obtain from the controller the erasure of personal data concerning him or her without undue delay, and the controller shall have the obligation to erase personal data without undue delay where one of the following grounds applies, as long as the processing is not necessary:
The personal data are no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed.
The data subject withdraws consent to which the processing is based according to point (a) of Article 6(1) of the GDPR, or point (a) of Article 9(2) of the GDPR, and where there is no other legal ground for the processing.
The data subject objects to the processing pursuant to Article 21(1) of the GDPR and there are no overriding legitimate grounds for the processing, or the data subject objects to the processing pursuant to Article 21(2) of the GDPR.
The personal data have been unlawfully processed.
The personal data must be erased for compliance with a legal obligation in Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject.
The personal data have been collected in relation to the offer of information society services referred to in Article 8(1) of the GDPR.
If one of the aforementioned reasons applies, and a data subject wishes to request the erasure of personal data stored by the Exotic Seed, he or she may, at any time, contact any employee of the controller. An employee of Exotic Seed shall promptly ensure that the erasure request is complied with immediately.
Where the controller has made personal data public and is obliged pursuant to Article 17(1) to erase the personal data, the controller, taking account of available technology and the cost of implementation, shall take reasonable steps, including technical measures, to inform other controllers processing the personal data that the data subject has requested erasure by such controllers of any links to, or copy or replication of, those personal data, as far as processing is not required. An employees of the Exotic Seed will arrange the necessary measures in individual cases.
E) RIGHT OF RESTRICTION OF PROCESSING
Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator to obtain from the controller restriction of processing where one of the following applies:
The accuracy of the personal data is contested by the data subject, for a period enabling the controller to verify the accuracy of the personal data.
The processing is unlawful and the data subject opposes the erasure of the personal data and requests instead the restriction of their use instead.
The controller no longer needs the personal data for the purposes of the processing, but they are required by the data subject for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
The data subject has objected to processing pursuant to Article 21(1) of the GDPR pending the verification whether the legitimate grounds of the controller override those of the data subject.
If one of the aforementioned conditions is met, and a data subject wishes to request the restriction of the processing of personal data stored by the Exotic Seed, he or she may at any time contact any employee of the controller. The employee of the Exotic Seed will arrange the restriction of the processing.
F) RIGHT TO DATA PORTABILITY
Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator, to receive the personal data concerning him or her, which was provided to a controller, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format. He or she shall have the right to transmit those data to another controller without hindrance from the controller to which the personal data have been provided, as long as the processing is based on consent pursuant to point (a) of Article 6(1) of the GDPR or point (a) of Article 9(2) of the GDPR, or on a contract pursuant to point (b) of Article 6(1) of the GDPR, and the processing is carried out by automated means, as long as the processing is not necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.
Furthermore, in exercising his or her right to data portability pursuant to Article 20(1) of the GDPR, the data subject shall have the right to have personal data transmitted directly from one controller to another, where technically feasible and when doing so does not adversely affect the rights and freedoms of others.
In order to assert the right to data portability, the data subject may at any time contact any employee of the Exotic Seed.
G) RIGHT TO OBJECT
Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator to object, on grounds relating to his or her particular situation, at any time, to processing of personal data concerning him or her, which is based on point (e) or (f) of Article 6(1) of the GDPR. This also applies to profiling based on these provisions.
The Exotic Seed shall no longer process the personal data in the event of the objection, unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override the interests, rights and freedoms of the data subject, or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
If the Exotic Seed processes personal data for direct marketing purposes, the data subject shall have the right to object at any time to processing of personal data concerning him or her for such marketing. This applies to profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing. If the data subject objects to the Exotic Seed to the processing for direct marketing purposes, the Exotic Seed will no longer process the personal data for these purposes.
In addition, the data subject has the right, on grounds relating to his or her particular situation, to object to processing of personal data concerning him or her by the Exotic Seed for scientific or historical research purposes, or for statistical purposes pursuant to Article 89(1) of the GDPR, unless the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out for reasons of public interest.
In order to exercise the right to object, the data subject may contact any employee of the Exotic Seed. In addition, the data subject is free in the context of the use of information society services, and notwithstanding Directive 2002/58/EC, to use his or her right to object by automated means using technical specifications.
H) AUTOMATED INDIVIDUAL DECISION-MAKING, INCLUDING PROFILING
Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning him or her, or similarly significantly affects him or her, as long as the decision (1) is not is necessary for entering into, or the performance of, a contract between the data subject and a data controller, or (2) is not authorised by Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject and which also lays down suitable measures to safeguard the data subject’s rights and freedoms and legitimate interests, or (3) is not based on the data subject’s explicit consent.
If the decision (1) is necessary for entering into, or the performance of, a contract between the data subject and a data controller, or (2) it is based on the data subject’s explicit consent, the Exotic Seed shall implement suitable measures to safeguard the data subject’s rights and freedoms and legitimate interests, at least the right to obtain human intervention on the part of the controller, to express his or her point of view and contest the decision.
If the data subject wishes to exercise the rights concerning automated individual decision-making, he or she may, at any time, contact any employee of the Exotic Seed.
I) RIGHT TO WITHDRAW DATA PROTECTION CONSENT
Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator to withdraw his or her consent to processing of his or her personal data at any time.
If the data subject wishes to exercise the right to withdraw the consent, he or she may, at any time, contact any employee of the Exotic Seed.
11. Data protection provisions about the application and use of Facebook
On this website, the controller has integrated components of the enterprise Facebook. Facebook is a social network.
A social network is a place for social meetings on the Internet, an online community, which usually allows users to communicate with each other and interact in a virtual space. A social network may serve as a platform for the exchange of opinions and experiences, or enable the Internet community to provide personal or business-related information. Facebook allows social network users to include the creation of private profiles, upload photos, and network through friend requests.
The operating company of Facebook is Facebook, Inc., 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States. If a person lives outside of the United States or Canada, the controller is the Facebook Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland.
With each call-up to one of the individual pages of this Internet website, which is operated by the controller and into which a Facebook component (Facebook plug-ins) was integrated, the web browser on the information technology system of the data subject is automatically prompted to download display of the corresponding Facebook component from Facebook through the Facebook component. An overview of all the Facebook Plug-ins may be accessed under https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/. During the course of this technical procedure, Facebook is made aware of what specific sub-site of our website was visited by the data subject.
If the data subject is logged in at the same time on Facebook, Facebook detects with every call-up to our website by the data subject—and for the entire duration of their stay on our Internet site—which specific sub-site of our Internet page was visited by the data subject. This information is collected through the Facebook component and associated with the respective Facebook account of the data subject. If the data subject clicks on one of the Facebook buttons integrated into our website, e.g. the “Like” button, or if the data subject submits a comment, then Facebook matches this information with the personal Facebook user account of the data subject and stores the personal data.
Facebook always receives, through the Facebook component, information about a visit to our website by the data subject, whenever the data subject is logged in at the same time on Facebook during the time of the call-up to our website. This occurs regardless of whether the data subject clicks on the Facebook component or not. If such a transmission of information to Facebook is not desirable for the data subject, then he or she may prevent this by logging off from their Facebook account before a call-up to our website is made.
The data protection guideline published by Facebook, which is available at https://facebook.com/about/privacy/, provides information about the collection, processing and use of personal data by Facebook. In addition, it is explained there what setting options Facebook offers to protect the privacy of the data subject. In addition, different configuration options are made available to allow the elimination of data transmission to Facebook. These applications may be used by the data subject to eliminate a data transmission to Facebook.
12. Data protection provisions about the application and use of Google Analytics (with anonymization function)
On this website, the controller has integrated the component of Google Analytics (with the anonymizer function). Google Analytics is a web analytics service. Web analytics is the collection, gathering, and analysis of data about the behavior of visitors to websites. A web analysis service collects, inter alia, data about the website from which a person has come (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages were visited, or how often and for what duration a sub-page was viewed. Web analytics are mainly used for the optimization of a website and in order to carry out a cost-benefit analysis of Internet advertising.
The operator of the Google Analytics component is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043-1351, United States.
For the web analytics through Google Analytics the controller uses the application “_gat. _anonymizeIp”. By means of this application the IP address of the Internet connection of the data subject is abridged by Google and anonymised when accessing our websites from a Member State of the European Union or another Contracting State to the Agreement on the European Economic Area.
The purpose of the Google Analytics component is to analyze the traffic on our website. Google uses the collected data and information, inter alia, to evaluate the use of our website and to provide online reports, which show the activities on our websites, and to provide other services concerning the use of our Internet site for us.
Google Analytics places a cookie on the information technology system of the data subject. The definition of cookies is explained above. With the setting of the cookie, Google is enabled to analyze the use of our website. With each call-up to one of the individual pages of this Internet site, which is operated by the controller and into which a Google Analytics component was integrated, the Internet browser on the information technology system of the data subject will automatically submit data through the Google Analytics component for the purpose of online advertising and the settlement of commissions to Google. During the course of this technical procedure, the enterprise Google gains knowledge of personal information, such as the IP address of the data subject, which serves Google, inter alia, to understand the origin of visitors and clicks, and subsequently create commission settlements.
The cookie is used to store personal information, such as the access time, the location from which the access was made, and the frequency of visits of our website by the data subject. With each visit to our Internet site, such personal data, including the IP address of the Internet access used by the data subject, will be transmitted to Google in the United States of America. These personal data are stored by Google in the United States of America. Google may pass these personal data collected through the technical procedure to third parties.
The data subject may, as stated above, prevent the setting of cookies through our website at any time by means of a corresponding adjustment of the web browser used and thus permanently deny the setting of cookies. Such an adjustment to the Internet browser used would also prevent Google Analytics from setting a cookie on the information technology system of the data subject. In addition, cookies already in use by Google Analytics may be deleted at any time via a web browser or other software programs.
In addition, the data subject has the possibility of objecting to a collection of data that are generated by Google Analytics, which is related to the use of this website, as well as the processing of this data by Google and the chance to preclude any such. For this purpose, the data subject must download a browser add-on under the link https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout and install it. This browser add-on tells Google Analytics through a JavaScript, that any data and information about the visits of Internet pages may not be transmitted to Google Analytics. The installation of the browser add-ons is considered an objection by Google. If the information technology system of the data subject is later deleted, formatted, or newly installed, then the data subject must reinstall the browser add-ons to disable Google Analytics. If the browser add-on was uninstalled by the data subject or any other person who is attributable to their sphere of competence, or is disabled, it is possible to execute the reinstallation or reactivation of the browser add-ons.
Further information and the applicable data protection provisions of Google may be retrieved under https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/ and under http://www.google.com/analytics/terms/us.html. Google Analytics is further explained under the following Link https://www.google.com/analytics/.
13. Data protection provisions about the application and use of Instagram
On this website, the controller has integrated components of the service Instagram. Instagram is a service that may be qualified as an audiovisual platform, which allows users to share photos and videos, as well as disseminate such data in other social networks.
The operating company of the services offered by Instagram is Instagram LLC, 1 Hacker Way, Building 14 First Floor, Menlo Park, CA, UNITED STATES.
With each call-up to one of the individual pages of this Internet site, which is operated by the controller and on which an Instagram component (Insta button) was integrated, the Internet browser on the information technology system of the data subject is automatically prompted to the download of a display of the corresponding Instagram component of Instagram. During the course of this technical procedure, Instagram becomes aware of what specific sub-page of our website was visited by the data subject.
If the data subject is logged in at the same time on Instagram, Instagram detects with every call-up to our website by the data subject—and for the entire duration of their stay on our Internet site—which specific sub-page of our Internet page was visited by the data subject. This information is collected through the Instagram component and is associated with the respective Instagram account of the data subject. If the data subject clicks on one of the Instagram buttons integrated on our website, then Instagram matches this information with the personal Instagram user account of the data subject and stores the personal data.
Instagram receives information via the Instagram component that the data subject has visited our website provided that the data subject is logged in at Instagram at the time of the call to our website. This occurs regardless of whether the person clicks on the Instagram button or not. If such a transmission of information to Instagram is not desirable for the data subject, then he or she can prevent this by logging off from their Instagram account before a call-up to our website is made.
Further information and the applicable data protection provisions of Instagram may be retrieved under https://help.instagram.com/155833707900388 and https://www.instagram.com/about/legal/privacy/.
14. Data protection provisions about the application and use of Twitter
On this website, the controller has integrated components of Twitter. Twitter is a multilingual, publicly-accessible microblogging service on which users may publish and spread so-called ‘tweets,’ e.g. short messages, which are limited to 280 characters. These short messages are available for everyone, including those who are not logged on to Twitter. The tweets are also displayed to so-called followers of the respective user. Followers are other Twitter users who follow a user’s tweets. Furthermore, Twitter allows you to address a wide audience via hashtags, links or retweets.
The operating company of Twitter is Twitter, Inc., 1355 Market Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103, UNITED STATES.
With each call-up to one of the individual pages of this Internet site, which is operated by the controller and on which a Twitter component (Twitter button) was integrated, the Internet browser on the information technology system of the data subject is automatically prompted to download a display of the corresponding Twitter component of Twitter. Further information about the Twitter buttons is available under https://about.twitter.com/de/resources/buttons. During the course of this technical procedure, Twitter gains knowledge of what specific sub-page of our website was visited by the data subject. The purpose of the integration of the Twitter component is a retransmission of the contents of this website to allow our users to introduce this web page to the digital world and increase our visitor numbers.
If the data subject is logged in at the same time on Twitter, Twitter detects with every call-up to our website by the data subject and for the entire duration of their stay on our Internet site which specific sub-page of our Internet page was visited by the data subject. This information is collected through the Twitter component and associated with the respective Twitter account of the data subject. If the data subject clicks on one of the Twitter buttons integrated on our website, then Twitter assigns this information to the personal Twitter user account of the data subject and stores the personal data.
Twitter receives information via the Twitter component that the data subject has visited our website, provided that the data subject is logged in on Twitter at the time of the call-up to our website. This occurs regardless of whether the person clicks on the Twitter component or not. If such a transmission of information to Twitter is not desirable for the data subject, then he or she may prevent this by logging off from their Twitter account before a call-up to our website is made.
The applicable data protection provisions of Twitter may be accessed under https://twitter.com/privacy?lang=en.
15. Data protection provisions about the application and use of YouTube
On this website, the controller has integrated components of YouTube. YouTube is an Internet video portal that enables video publishers to set video clips and other users free of charge, which also provides free viewing, review and commenting on them. YouTube allows you to publish all kinds of videos, so you can access both full movies and TV broadcasts, as well as music videos, trailers, and videos made by users via the Internet portal.
The operating company of YouTube is YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, UNITED STATES. The YouTube, LLC is a subsidiary of Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043-1351, UNITED STATES.
With each call-up to one of the individual pages of this Internet site, which is operated by the controller and on which a YouTube component (YouTube video) was integrated, the Internet browser on the information technology system of the data subject is automatically prompted to download a display of the corresponding YouTube component. Further information about YouTube may be obtained under https://www.youtube.com/yt/about/en/. During the course of this technical procedure, YouTube and Google gain knowledge of what specific sub-page of our website was visited by the data subject.
If the data subject is logged in on YouTube, YouTube recognizes with each call-up to a sub-page that contains a YouTube video, which specific sub-page of our Internet site was visited by the data subject. This information is collected by YouTube and Google and assigned to the respective YouTube account of the data subject.
YouTube and Google will receive information through the YouTube component that the data subject has visited our website, if the data subject at the time of the call to our website is logged in on YouTube; this occurs regardless of whether the person clicks on a YouTube video or not. If such a transmission of this information to YouTube and Google is not desirable for the data subject, the delivery may be prevented if the data subject logs off from their own YouTube account before a call-up to our website is made.
YouTube’s data protection provisions, available at https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/, provide information about the collection, processing and use of personal data by YouTube and Google.
16. Payment Method: Data protection provisions about the use of PayPal as a payment processor
On this website, the controller has integrated components of PayPal. PayPal is an online payment service provider. Payments are processed via so-called PayPal accounts, which represent virtual private or business accounts. PayPal is also able to process virtual payments through credit cards when a user does not have a PayPal account. A PayPal account is managed via an e-mail address, which is why there are no classic account numbers. PayPal makes it possible to trigger online payments to third parties or to receive payments. PayPal also accepts trustee functions and offers buyer protection services.
The European operating company of PayPal is PayPal (Europe) S.à.r.l. & Cie. S.C.A., 22-24 Boulevard Royal, 2449 Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
If the data subject chooses “PayPal” as the payment option in the online shop during the ordering process, we automatically transmit the data of the data subject to PayPal. By selecting this payment option, the data subject agrees to the transfer of personal data required for payment processing.
The personal data transmitted to PayPal is usually first name, last name, address, email address, IP address, telephone number, mobile phone number, or other data necessary for payment processing. The processing of the purchase contract also requires such personal data, which are in connection with the respective order.
The transmission of the data is aimed at payment processing and fraud prevention. The controller will transfer personal data to PayPal, in particular, if a legitimate interest in the transmission is given. The personal data exchanged between PayPal and the controller for the processing of the data will be transmitted by PayPal to economic credit agencies. This transmission is intended for identity and creditworthiness checks.
PayPal will, if necessary, pass on personal data to affiliates and service providers or subcontractors to the extent that this is necessary to fulfill contractual obligations or for data to be processed in the order.
The data subject has the possibility to revoke consent for the handling of personal data at any time from PayPal. A revocation shall not have any effect on personal data which must be processed, used or transmitted in accordance with (contractual) payment processing.
The applicable data protection provisions of PayPal may be retrieved under https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full.
17. Legal basis for the processing
Art. 6(1) lit. a GDPR serves as the legal basis for processing operations for which we obtain consent for a specific processing purpose. If the processing of personal data is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party, as is the case, for example, when processing operations are necessary for the supply of goods or to provide any other service, the processing is based on Article 6(1) lit. b GDPR. The same applies to such processing operations which are necessary for carrying out pre-contractual measures, for example in the case of inquiries concerning our products or services. Is our company subject to a legal obligation by which processing of personal data is required, such as for the fulfillment of tax obligations, the processing is based on Art. 6(1) lit. c GDPR. In rare cases, the processing of personal data may be necessary to protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another natural person. This would be the case, for example, if a visitor were injured in our company and his name, age, health insurance data or other vital information would have to be passed on to a doctor, hospital or other third party. Then the processing would be based on Art. 6(1) lit. d GDPR. Finally, processing operations could be based on Article 6(1) lit. f GDPR. This legal basis is used for processing operations which are not covered by any of the abovementioned legal grounds, if processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by our company or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data. Such processing operations are particularly permissible because they have been specifically mentioned by the European legislator. He considered that a legitimate interest could be assumed if the data subject is a client of the controller (Recital 47 Sentence 2 GDPR).
18. The legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party
Where the processing of personal data is based on Article 6(1) lit. f GDPR our legitimate interest is to carry out our business in favor of the well-being of all our employees and the shareholders.
19. Period for which the personal data will be stored
The criteria used to determine the period of storage of personal data is the respective statutory retention period. After expiration of that period, the corresponding data is routinely deleted, as long as it is no longer necessary for the fulfillment of the contract or the initiation of a contract.
20. Provision of personal data as statutory or contractual requirement; Requirement necessary to enter into a contract; Obligation of the data subject to provide the personal data; possible consequences of failure to provide such data
We clarify that the provision of personal data is partly required by law (e.g. tax regulations) or can also result from contractual provisions (e.g. information on the contractual partner). Sometimes it may be necessary to conclude a contract that the data subject provides us with personal data, which must subsequently be processed by us. The data subject is, for example, obliged to provide us with personal data when our company signs a contract with him or her. The non-provision of the personal data would have the consequence that the contract with the data subject could not be concluded. Before personal data is provided by the data subject, the data subject must contact any employee. The employee clarifies to the data subject whether the provision of the personal data is required by law or contract or is necessary for the conclusion of the contract, whether there is an obligation to provide the personal data and the consequences of non-provision of the personal data.
21. Existence of automated decision-making
As a responsible company, we do not use automatic decision-making or profiling.
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NPD: Behind the Numbers, February 2010
by Matt Matthews [Business/Marketing]
March 15, 2010 Page 4 of 5
Shifting Hardware Fortunes
It has been several months since we examined the hardware market in the detail, and there are many trends worth examining in that segment.
There are currently 10 different major hardware models on the market across six platforms, and for the first time we wish to provide a one-month snapshot of how we believe each model is selling relative to all the others.
Before showing our estimates, however, we wish to make a few points clear. First, the NPD Group does not provide the level of detail that we are attempting to extrapolate here.
Second, we decline to consider the effect of retailer promotions on pricing, and use only the standard prices set by the manufacturers.
Finally, we have made what we feel are reasonable assumptions about the PSP market to arrive at our PSP Go sales figure.
With that said, based on pricing data provided to us by the NPD Group, the figure below shows what we believe is an approximate breakdown of hardware model sales for the month of February 2010.
There are several notable points on this graph, but we'll start with the one we find most interesting: the PSP Go. By our estimation, between 6,000 and 10,000 PSP Go systems were sold in February 2010.
According to official data, the average price across both PSP models in February 2010 was only $185. The PSP-3000 is currently available both in a standalone package for $170 and in bundles for $200. The standard PSP Go is priced at $250. Given the three configurations, it is difficult at best to gauge how much each system contributes to the average price but some modeling provides a bit of insight.
For example, given the standard prices, it is effectively impossible for the core $170 package to account for less than 50% of PSP hardware sales. In fact, between 50% and 80% of all PSP systems sold in February were this base model.
The same model reveals that 0% – 50% of all PSP systems sold in February were hardware bundles, priced at $200. The remaining were PSP Go systems.
According to figures provided to us in late 2007, it appears that consumers have often found the PSP hardware bundles quite attractive, with those models even outselling the core system in some months. For this reason, we believe that bundles accounted for 40% – 45% of all PSP system sales in February 2010.
Consequently, the model shows that the PSP Go would account for between 5% – 10% of all PSP systems that month. Again, we stress that this is an educated guess based on some hard data and some experience, and would welcome the release of harder figures from Sony.
With PSP Go sales this low, and the PSP-3000 itself demonstrating historically weak sales, we feel even more confident in our conclusions from last month: Sony will replace the PSP with a successor platform, possible announcing its intentions sometime in 2010. Beyond that, we expect the PSP Go to experience a slow death at retail.
As for Sony's other modern system, the PlayStation 3, the average price provided by the NPD Group reveals that approximately two $300 models (with a 120GB hard drive) were sold for each $350 model (with a 250GB hard drive). Sony has claimed hardware shortages, and ironically that is good news in light of our sales estimates.
If the $300 PS3 is outselling each of the $200 Xbox 360 Arcade and the $300 Xbox 360 Elite, as our estimates suggest, then that means that Sony has successfully made its case to the consumer for the price/value ratio of its system.
This doesn't mean that it's beating the Xbox 360 – Microsoft's two models are still collectively outselling the PS3 – but rather that consumers have embraced Sony's system alongside Microsoft's.
In fact, we would argue that Microsoft's Xbox 360 itself is doing quite well for a system in its fifth year. The company has increased sales each February since the system's launch, and the strong software offerings this year – including a new Halo title – should help propel the platform through the rest of 2010.
We remain dubious on whether Microsoft's Project Natal will actually lift and sustain the platform significantly, but are open to the possibility that the motion controls along with a $50 price cut might welcome more casual players into Microsoft's fold.
According to the average prices provided by the NPD Group, we estimate that the Nintendo DSi still accounts for about 50% of all Nintendo DS sales. That represents no change from the situation in October 2009, when we last got a read on DSi sales. We expect that the installed base for the Nintendo DSi now stands in the neighborhood of 5.8 million units or around 15% of the total Nintendo DS hardware base.
This is the last month in which Nintendo DS sales will be this easy to interpret. On 28 March Nintendo will launch the Nintendo DSi XL at a price of $190. Should that revision be even half as successful as the Nintendo DSi, the average price of Nintendo DS systems being sold in the U.S. will probably have risen by mid-year, an amazing feat for a platform now in its sixth year.
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The Gasconade County Historical Society provides information on Rosebud, Missouri along with a map to the location.
The Rock Island Railroad was instrumental in the growth of Rosebud. It was a small settlement in eastern Gasconade County. Upon construction of the tracks for the railroad, a depot was built and the settlement needed a name. According to legend, a representative of the Rock Island Railroad known as “The Major” suggested the name Rosebud after spying a rosebush in full bloom just beyond the depot. The name was discussed with others in the community and with H.R. Grote, postmaster of the Bourbeuse Post Office. Assured there was no other 'Rosebud' in the state of Missouri, the name was approved and a sign was erected over the depot proclaiming the depot stop Rosebud.
The first export of Rosebud via the new railroad was cordwood. This went to a brick kiln in St. Louis. Livestock and produce soon followed, as did passenger service.
Several businesses were in operation in Rosebud during the following years. Among them were a lumber yard, blacksmith shop, two general stores, a hotel, a mill, café, a telephone office, saloon, bank and garages. Clay mining became an important aspect of Rosebud, which continues today.
The Bank of Rosebud closed in 1932 during the depression, never to reopen. The lumber yard, blacksmith, hotel, mill, telephone office and general stores are also memories. Other businesses continue to flourish. Two Ford dealers are located in Rosebud, Ford-New Holland farm implements, owned and managed by Jim Estes’ family, Betty, John and Matt; and Wehmeyer Motor Company, run by the Wehmeyer brothers, Jim, Charles and Roy.
Rosebud is a destination for antique seekers. Located on Highway 50, enroute from St. Louis to the Lake of the Ozarks, travelers can find interesting shops, as well as restaurants along their way.
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Hero Intercontinental Cup
I had a dream but never dreamt of playing 100 matches: Sunil Chhetri
“I had a dream but never dreamt of playing 100 International matches. This is unbelievable,” National Team captain Sunil Chhetri said prior to Team India’s practice session at the Mumbai Football Arena on Sunday (June 3, 2018).
“Honestly, I never think much about milestones. It was only when I was having a chat with my mom the other night that she became a bit emotional. How big it was for her made me realise how big the occasion is,” he stated.
“I need to thank my parents, friends, family, all my coaches, players, fans, media for their support in my journey in being able to be the second person in history play 100 International matches for my country. It feels special,” he added. “I just feel I will be able to keep my emotions under control, play the game as we should, stick to the plan and try to win the game for the country.”
Chhetri’s is the 2nd Indian after his ‘mentor’ Bhaichung Bhutia to achieve the feat. Referring to his ‘mentor’ Bhutia’s accolades for Chhetri evolving as a player, the ‘disciple’ said that “as players grow older they start filtering stuff.” “Once you grow older and you play more, you understand what’s not good for you rather than what works for u. As you grow older you tend to start filtering stuff which is not needed and which is not important for you. That’s what is learnt. So I do the things which work for me. It’s monotonous but I hope it continues,” he informed.
“I still remember my first match for India. We were in Pakistan and Nabi-da (Syed Rahim Nabi) and I were the rookies. We were kind of chilling knowing that we may not be fielded. But Sukhi-sir (Sukhwinder Singh) made both of us to start the game. I scored a goal and all in euphoria I ran to the Pakistani fans and started to celebrate,” he smiled. There was laughter all around in the room.
The Captain admitted there has been a “steady growth” in Indian Football since that first day he wore the National shirt. “We are on the right path. There has been a steady growth and we need to go far. Rubbing shoulders with the best will help us improve further,” he opined.
Also Read: Hero Intercontinental Cup: 5 Talking points – India 5-0 Chinese Taipei
India sit pretty at the top of the four-team in the Hero Intercontinental Cup after their facile 5-0 victory over Chinese Taipei in the first match. “As a player, you are lucky if you get tougher games and the toughest one will be against Kenya tomorrow (June 4, 2018). The matches coming up the next day are always the toughest. The Asian Cup in UAE will also be very tough,” he maintained.
“As a player, I have been in many a tough match. The games against South Korea, Australia and Bahrain in the 2011 Asian Cup were so tough. We played Japan in Bengaluru and that was tough too,” he recollected. “Sometimes I feel the importance of the match makes it tougher. The matches against Myanmar (away in Yangon) and the home-match against the Kyrgyz Republic were tough on our road to qualification for the UAE Asian Cup.”
Dubbed as the “true leader” of the team, Chhetri said he enjoys the competition against the youngsters in his quest to get fitter and better. “I feel good when I speak with Udanta (Singh) and sprint with him; I feel good when I try to get past Sandesh (Jhingan); I feel good when I try to score against the big wall (Gurpreet Singh Sandhu). All of them are true professionals,” he declared.
“The desire in the present squad makes it special. The camaraderie is great and there is not a single ego clash within. There’s an ardent desire to improve and it’s really good to lead this bunch of players,” he stated. “We have the desire and the talent. We need to keep working hard. I always try to be a good example. I have understood that lectures don’t work. If I go up to Udanta and say to him about the importance of being on time, the importance of hitting the gym, maybe he will not take me seriously. Instead, I try to do it for myself so that the boys can follow. That’s so satisfying,” he nodded.
“It gives me immense joy that Jeje (Lalpekhlua) who started in front of my eyes just the other day is now 2 short of 50 International matches. The effort to improve yourself is the hallmark of the squad,” he certified. Chhetri also mentioned about his love affair with Kolkata. “I feel special about Kolkata. I can’t feel more proud. It was a huge feeling to sign for Mohun Bagan and then play for East Bengal. I cherish the love which I have got from both the clubs.”
Tickets for the match against Kenya are available online on www.bookmyshow.com and also at the box office counters at the venue. The match will also be telecast live on Star Sports 2, Star Sports HD 2, Jio TV and Hotstar.
– Courtesy AIFF Media
Also Read: Tickets for Hero Intercontinental Cup available online
Click for everything about Hero Intercontinental Cup – Football Counter
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updated on Mumbai & Indian Football
Renaissance FC and Regal SC trials tomorrow at Parel
Mustafi reveals the toughest opponent he has ever faced!
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Is Your City Safe From Pension Debt?
Elizabeth Bauer Contributor
I write about retirement policy from an actuary's perspective.
Readers, I've been very Chicago-focused in my recent articles, both because it is the metro area in which I live and because its public pension problems are particularly worrisome. But they're far from the only city with pension woes, and the watchdog group Truth in Accounting has just released their annual report on debt in large American cities, "Financial State of the Cities."
Here are the five worst cities, out of 75 studied, cities TIA labels "sinkhole cities":
San Francisco, per-taxpayer debt of $22,600;
Honolulu, per-taxpayer debt of $23,000;
Philadelphia, per-taxpayer debt of $27,900;
Chicago, per-taxpayer debt of $36,000; and, astoundingly,
New York City, per-taxpayer debt of $64,100.
In all, these five and three other cities were assigned the grade of "F" for having a taxpayer burden of greater than $20,000, and another 31 had a grade of "D" for burdens between $5,000 and $20,000.
And, lest you think the report is all bad news, 12 cities had a net surplus, that is, assets in excess of their debts. The top five such "sunshine cities" are
Irvine, per-taxpayer surplus of $4,400;
Charlotte, $3,400;
Washington, D.C., $3,300;
Lincoln, $2,900; and
Fresno, $2,500.
Of these, Irvine is noteworthy for lacking any bonded debt and Washington, D.C., for having overfunded pension and retiree healthcare systems. Fresno has an overfunded pension fund. Lincoln's and Charlotte's pension and retiree healthcare debts are moderate enough that the city's assets exceed this and other debt.
And here's what's noteworthy about their report:
First, they calculate the debt on a per-taxpayer basis, that is, "the estimated number of taxpayers with a positive federal income tax liability," rather than using a simple per-capita adjustment.
Does this overstate the debt? Maybe. Certainly the number would be lower on a simple per-capita basis -- but children aren't the ones paying taxes, so it makes sense to exclude them. Could have looked at the adult population of each city? Sure. But there's a certain logic for the "per taxpayer" approach that they take: a city with a relatively higher share of taxpayers (people with income that exceeds their deductions and produces taxes exceeding available tax credits) has a better chance of managing its debt, in the same way as a higher-income household can handle more debt. (Would I like to see an adjustment for each city's GDP? That would also be quite interesting - but the federal government only measures GDP based on metro areas rather than city limits.)
Second, they calculate both reported and unreported sources of debt by digging deeper than merely transcribing the figures reported in the cities' consolidated financial reporting to uncover accounting tricks that enable cities to claim they've balanced their budgets while they actually add to their debt. In particular, as it concerns retirement, due to lack of appropriate reporting requirements, not all cities report on their balance sheet the full extent of their post-retirement benefit promises, that is, retiree health and life insurance or OPEB (Other Post-Employment Benefits). In addition, some cities use an earlier "measurement date" for their liabilities, which can significantly understate liabilities by not reporting asset or liability losses after the measurement date; public pension accounting also allows plans to defer recognition of losses to later periods.
Third, underfunded pension and other postretirement benefits account for a majority of the debt of these "sinkhole cities." In New York City, 64% of the total debt is due to pension and other retirement promises. In Chicago, that's 69%; Philly, 63%; Honolulu, 80%; and San Francisco, 65%. And not all of these are cases such as Chicago's, with its horrifically low funded ratio of 28%. San Francisco, for example, nominally has a funded ratio of 87%, according to its most recent actuarial report, with an unfunded amount of $3.3 billion. However, that figure is as of July 1, 2017, TIA reports, and the true amount of unfunded pension liability is $5.0 billion, along with $4.2 billion in unfunded retiree healthcare; Chicago, by comparison, has comparatively little unfunded retiree medical liability.
Finally, TIA's calculations in this report are inevitably not apples-to-apples in comparing the cities' financial health. New York City includes in its reporting not just municipal employees' pensions, but also that of its teachers. Chicago's reporting excludes liabilities for its teachers, as well as employees in the transit system and city parks employees, because these are considered separate units of government. Helpfully, they publish a separate report (using 2017 data) which adds in the debt burden from these other entities. Considering all other local government entities, using last year's data, Chicago taxpayers' debt burden was 75,960, higher than New York City's $62,500. It is true that Chicago's (on-paper) debt burden decreased in 2018 because implementing a new funding plan allowed it to increase the discount rate, and decrease the pension liabilities reported for its most unfunded plan, so it may be that when TIA repeats their all-governmental-units analysis, New York City and Chicago may be more-or-less tied -- which is, however, small consolation for the taxpayers of those cities.
So have a look-see. Where does your city stand?
As always, you're invited to share your reaction at JaneTheActuary.com!
Elizabeth Bauer
Yes, I'm a nerd, and an actuary to boot. Armed with an M.A. in medieval history and the F.S.A. actuarial credential, with 20 years of experience at a major benefits con...
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Home - What are the best Forex brokers and how to choose the right one? - A guide to choosing the best Australian Forex brokers
A guide to choosing the best Australian Forex brokers
1 See top Australian FX brokers and their reviews
2 What is ASIC and what are ASIC regulated Forex brokers?
3 Australian FX brokers restrictions and requirements
4 CFD trading in Australia and available brokers
5 Importance of AUD the currency in Australian Forex
6 Australian Forex scams
Australia is one of the first countries to start offering FX trading to the retail clients, hence it is also amongst the most advanced countries in this sector. Most of the FX brokers are happy to accept the clients from Australia, yet one should only opt out for a locally regulated company to end up trading with the best Australian Forex broker. The rule of thumb is to make sure that the broker of your choice is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, or as it is often abbreviated – the ASIC. Keep in mind that there can be many scams pretending to have the regulation of this financial authority. This is why you should always visit the official ASIC’s website (http://www.asic.gov.au/) and verify that the company is regulated.
It is also quite important to choose a broker that supports deposits and withdrawals in the local currency – the Australian dollar. However, if you are choosing an ASIC regulated FX broker, you are very likely to have AUD trading accounts available. Needless to say, this point is only important for the traders that are located in Australia. In case you reside in New Zealand or one of the South-East Asian countries and are looking for a trusted financial company – you may skip the availability of AUD accounts.
Another reason for choosing an Australian Forex broker is to get the best possible support in your time zone. Most of the FX brokers provide support 24/5, yet a larger share of these brokers are unlikely to offer great support all the time. The best support operators are usually located in the headquarters, and often those are in Europe. So, if you are located in the UTC+10 timezone or somewhere close, Australian Forex brokers can support you in the best possible way.
See top Australian FX brokers and their reviews
Currently, there are around 28 brokers that are regulated by the ASIC, yet many of those are having only a small part of their business located in Australia. We have conducted in-depth research to help you navigating amongst the Australian Forex brokers list so you can choose the best possible place for your trading.
CySEC, FCA
30$, 50%+20%
Maximum leverage
MT4, WebTrader
Open AccountRead Review
FCA, NFA
Trading.com
MobileTrader
AMarkets
MT4, MT5, WebTrader
Trading 212
100 GBP/EUR,150 USD
FCA, FSC
EasyMarkets
CySEC, ASiC
Z.Com Trade
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 74-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Simply hit a button to land on the broker’s website and preview its services. Alternatively, you can read the reviews and find more details without leaving our site. For your convenience and safety, we have reviewed Australian Forex scams and companies that provide unfavorable conditions. You may read their reviews, but we have removed all of the sign-up links that led to these brokers’ websites.
What is ASIC and what are ASIC regulated Forex brokers?
As it was already mentioned, opting out for the brokerage company that is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission is the wisest choice a trader from Australia or South-East Asia can make. Now let’s see what ASIC is all about.
ASIC is the independent Australian governmental body that is responsible for overseeing the following areas:
Financial Service Companies (this is where the FX brokers belong)
Protection of consumers
Financial education and literacy
ASIC was established in 1998 and it has replaced the previous regulatory body known as Australian Securities Commission aka ASC. The later had been regulating most of the Australian financial products and services from 1991, and before this year, the financial regulation in Australia has been undertaken on the regional level. Since the year of 1998, it was possible for the FX brokers to get local licenses and finally become Australian regulated Forex brokers.
Next, to the brokerages, ASIC also regulated all of the insurance companies, investment funds, and even the banks. This allows ASIC to perform a full overview of the financial market and liaises with the vast majority of the market players.
Considering its age and the scope of overseeing activities, ASIC is considered to be one of the world’s most trusted financial regulators.
What is required from an FX broker to be regulated in Australia?
The first thing that is needed from a broker to apply for the Australian Forex License is the locally incorporated company for the purpose of the Foreign Exchange operations. Hence, the only way of becoming the best Australian Forex broker is by fully committing to establish the operations in this country.
One important thing to keep in mind is that only Australian registered companies may apply for a .com.au domain. However, not every registered company is a regulated one. Hence, you should always verify that the company is regulated by the ASIC and that its license number from the website corresponds to the ASIC’s financial register.
To start-up an FX brokerage regulated in Australia, the company should have a physical presence and submit the application form. Most likely, top Australian Forex brokers will have to appoint a local director as well.
After obtaining local representatives and the official address, ASIC sets a capital requirement for any company that wants to be locally regulated. For years, the company had to lock 50,000 AUD of its capital to serve as a licensed FX brokerage. However, now this limit is only applicable for the brokers that operate solely under Straight-through-processing (STP) business model. In case a broker wants to be a market maker (e.g. take the opposite side of the trade), a capital of 1,000,000 AUD is required. Before early 2013, the capital requirement for offering market making services has been capped at 500,000 AUD. Such a high capital requirement has been keeping the Australian retail FX sector rather safe as setting up an ASIC regulated FX broker and running away with clients money can hardly be possible when scammers have to put upfront over one million of assets.
Besides that, right after the notorious SNB’s decision that led to many FX brokers going bankrupt, ASIC has announced that it will be enhancing its screening procedures for authorized FX brokers even more. While there have not been much disclosed, it is believed that the new Australian Forex brokers have to either be only based in Australia or have a solid license (like FCA) for a number of years. Nevertheless, during the last few years, ASIC has stopped approving the vast majority of the applications for the Australian Financial Licenses that were coming from the firms that were offering marginal trading – the Forex brokers. In the meantime, such licenses have been processed and granted for the companies from the different segments, e.g. the lending companies.
Australian FX brokers restrictions and requirements
Unlike the brokers that are governed by the European Banking Authority (e.g. CySEC or FCA brokers), FX brokers from Australia do not have to share the same rights and restrictions. This is why Australian Forex brokers are still able to provide all sorts of trading benefits that include Forex contests, deposit bonuses, no deposit accounts, refer-a-friend promotions, and other deals.
In addition to this, the maximum leverage that a trader can get from an Australian broker is capped at 500:1. Unlike the FCA and CySEC, the broker is not required to make sure that default leverage is set below 50:1.
Forex brokers in Australia are required to clearly disclose the nature of their operations and the risks involved in the financial trading.
Possible changes in Australian Forex brokers regulation
FX brokers provide access to a few types of the markets. Obviously, these brokers enable the trading of various currency pairs. Along with that, the brokers provide the trading of the Contracts-For-Difference aka CFD, and this might be banned soon by the ASIC. The first announcements have been seen in 2016, yet there has been no action taken until now. Considering the current popularity of the bitcoin trading, the prohibition of the CFD trading might have a negative impact on the Australian cryptocurrency brokers and their offers, as most of them operate using CFDs.
CFD trading in Australia and available brokers
As previously noted, it is still possible for an Australian broker to offer CFD trading. Considering that Australia is having a large and an active stock exchange, CFD trading is also quite popular. Most of the CFDs are traded for the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) listed companies. It is also possible to trade ASX 200, an index of the largest listed companies. However, these types of trading may only be available to the largest Forex brokers in Australia.
Importance of AUD the currency in Australian Forex
One of the reasons why FX trading has been so popular in Australia is because the country’s national currency, the Australian dollar, is one of the most traded currencies in the world. It is directly quoted against the USD dollar, and AUD/USD currency pair even has its own nickname – the Aussie. The typical spread for this currency pair ranges between 0.4 and 2.6 pips on the accounts that do not include the commission. Hence, it makes Aussie one of the most expensive currency pairs to trade from the major ones.
Australian Forex scams
Scammers have been attacking the Australian traders often, and this is why it is always recommended to check the Australian Forex broker reviews before depositing or even signing up with a shady company. Various unregulated FX and binary brokers have been reaching out to Australian traders and investors, and the months of August and September of 2017 have seen the record amount taken from the traders. It is believed that around 30 million USD has been stolen by the Australians only during these two months.
Nowadays, FX and binary scammers still exist, but most of them have switched to cryptocurrency offers.
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Letters to the Editor — April 10, 2014
While we are in the middle of transitioning from a harsh winter to what I’m sure we all hope is a pleasant spring, I wanted to make citizens of Rochester aware of an obscure but important New Hampshire state law. According to NH RSA 231:91, municipalities are responsible for damage to your car as a result of insufficient roads. Municipalities have to be notified of insufficiencies and reasonable time is given under law to make repairs, but at the end of the day, they are responsible for safe roadways. I recommend reading NH RSA sections 231:90, 231:91 and 231:92 for all the details, but it’s important you know the City of Rochester cannot simply ignore our roads without consequences.
I bring this up because it was one of the reasons I decided to run for mayor last year. Rochester property taxpayers pay a lot of money in taxes and I believe city government has a responsibility to first use our tax dollars on things that have a direct impact on our daily lives. Our roads are in absolutely horrible shape and every time I ride down Salmon Falls Road, I feel like I’m going to bounce right out of my car.
I’m sure it’s putting unnecessary wear and tear on my vehicle because I ruined two wheels on my car not long ago when I hit a pothole. All the talk of economic development and downtown revitalization isn’t worth spit if our roads aren’t in good shape and kept in good shape. Our vehicles cost a lot of money and repairs are equally costly. Why should we be subjected to additional costs to live in Rochester because our government isn’t doing its job?
So next time you’re driving back and forth to work, taking your kids to practice or going grocery shopping, if you’re unhappy with the roads you’re driving on, let the city manager (dan.fitzpatrick@rochesternh.net), DPW commissioner (peter.nourse@rochesternh.net) or the mayor (t.j.jean@rochesternh.net) know about the insufficient roads you drive on. And if they don’t do something to fix them, then send them the bill for the damage your car suffers driving down those roads. Maybe then our roads will be properly taken care of like they should be.
Fred Leonard
We had a full house on April 3 for our 5th annual Young Writers’ Night, and our young writers were collectively wonderful.
I believe it is important to encourage young people to enter the wonder-world of the written word. Young people write, like the rest of us, to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what’s burning inside them. They write a necessity of words. They don’t learn how to write their stories from us, but they learn confidence, self-awareness, self-expression, and acceptance.
Last Thursday night we closed the gap between young and old. Our young writers brought the words of their hearts, and our experienced writers did the same. Ed Pacht, who has a talent for writing on the fly, brought the evening together by collecting some of the themes and ideas of our young writers, and expressing them in his poem. He showed them we were listening, and he brought the house down!
I sincerely thank all of you who came to support this event, and the young writers who participated. Special thanks to Doug Decker from Nute High School, and Monique Shutt from Spaulding High School, who were present to support the event, and who support our young writers every day in their work as teachers. And thank you to all who support Rochester Writers’ Night. You’ve made it one of the best in the seacoast!
It was a brilliant evening.
Pat O’Brien
Rochester Poet Laureate
April has come around again ... and so has another anniversary of the judicial murder of helpless Terry Schiavo. My comment will be limited to paraphrasing,. in modern jargon, what someone also said a long time ago.
First they said it was OK to get rid of the unborn, and I didn’t protest because, hey, “It’s a woman’s right to choose,” ain’t it.
Then they said it was OK to get rid of the senile, the quadriplegics and the comatose, and I didn’t protest because I believe in “death with dignity.”
Then they said it was OK to get rid of the deformed, the unwanted, and the hopelessly helpless, and I didn’t protest because I thought we were doing them a favor.
Then they said it was OK to get rid of the aged, the insane,the retarded, the incurable, the halt, the lame and the blind, and I didn’t protest because I felt they were an onerous burden we were all well rid off.
Then they said it was OK to get rid of you, and I didn’t protest because, well, the truth be told, I never liked you much to begin with.
Then they said it was OK to get rid of Me!
Protest not, indeed, applaud, when they come for me today, for her tomorrow and whutchoo gonna do, whutchaoo gonna say, when they come for you the next day?
And let no one say “It cannot happen here.”
B.J. Figueredo
Gonic
April 6-12 is National Volunteer Week, a time to celebrate people doing extraordinary things through service. Established in 1974, National Volunteer Week focuses national attention on the impact and power of volunteerism as an integral aspect of our civic leadership. The week draws the support and endorsement of the president and Congress, governors, mayors and municipal leaders, as well as corporate and community groups across the country. Since our nation’s founding, volunteers have been the source of action and change and this year marks the 40th anniversary of National Volunteer Week, demonstrating the enduring importance of recognizing our country’s volunteers for their vital contributions.
In the community of Rochester, we have a group of over 100 wonderful volunteers who generously give their time and share their talents at the SHARE Fund. These volunteers work tirelessly in our Emergency Financial Services program, Gerry’s Emergency Food Pantry, and the Community Clothing Shop, collectively donating over 13,000 hours annually supporting the SHARE Fund’s mission.
We’d like to thank and honor these folks who give so much for the benefit of others with no reward other than the satisfaction of making a difference for their neighbors in need. Whether a volunteer is providing direct client services or working behind the scenes providing program support, our agency could not operate without them. They are the SHARE Fund’s most valuable resource and we appreciate and cherish each and every one of these exceptional humanitarians.
Please reach out and thank a volunteer, not just this week, but all year through.
Torey Kortz, Executive Director
SHARE Fund
Why do the five Conservative justices of the U.S. Supreme Court (USSC) seem to hold our system of democracy, with free and fair elections, in such contempt?
In 2010, the USSC, with its Conservative majority, delivered a clean right upper cut to the chin of the American citizenry with its ruling in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) case that gave corporations the freedom to anonymously spend unlimited money on campaign advocacy. Just last week, with the knees of our democracy still wobbly from 2010, the same court landed a stiff left jab to the nose and a devastating straight right punch to the solar plexus of We, the People with its McCutcheon v. FEC ruling, which struck down limits on the overall campaign contributions the biggest individual donors may make to candidates, political parties and political action committees.
The USSC has completely opened up the floodgates for a deluge of money from wealthy outsiders like the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson, et al, to buy our elections. Former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown and former NH01 Congressman Frank Guinta, the preordained Republican nominees for the U.S. Senate (NH) and NH01 Congress Seats respectively, are no doubt smiling ear-ear.
Scott Brown, an outsider who cynically refuses to sign his own People’s Pledge, had forecasted the eventual ruling of the USSC when he gloatingly said, “More than you’ve ever seen,” in response to be asked how much the NH Senate race would cost.
The Republican Party, at its peril, has made the promise of destroying Obamacare its signature platform; hence, it is a foregone conclusion that the infinite stream of money coming into NH will be used to fund relentless negative attack ads on Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter, who are staunch supporters of the popular healthcare law.
If Scott Brown, Frank Guinta and all their deep-pocketed donors want to demonstrate their love for NH and are feeling philanthropic, I would suggest, instead of blowing their money on fruitless attack ads, spend the money repairing NH’s roads and infrastructure, which sustained major damage from severe winter weather.
Wayne H. Merritt
If it had been April 1, for sure I would have thought it was an April Fool’s joke. The U.S. Supreme Court, our highest court whose job it is to uphold The Constitution and in doing so, our Democracy, just ruled to eliminate aggregate donation limits for political campaigns. That means that millionaires and billionaires can pour up to $3.5 million directly into political campaigns, as many as they want, every election cycle.
Gone are the days when constituents can chip in 25 or 50 bucks for their favorite local candidate and feel like they are making a meaningful contribution. Our state and national elections will be bought by outsiders. The Koch brothers, for instance, could decide to throw big money at every close election in the country.
This Supreme Court decision was made on April 2. It was no joke and it’s no laughing matter. The discussion in the courtroom centered around upholding Freedom of Speech. I guess free speech isn’t free anymore. To have your voice heard, you have to have money, lots of it. Another nail was just pounded into the coffin for those of us who believe in equal representation for all, regardless of means.
Beth Olshansky
“Primum non nocere is a Latin phrase that means “first, do no harm.” “… one of the principal precepts of bioethics that all healthcare students are taught in school and is a fundamental principle throughout the world. …. It reminds the health care provider that they must consider the possible harm that any intervention might do. It is invoked when debating the use of an intervention that carries an obvious risk of harm but a less certain chance of benefit.” — from Wikipedia
I am of the opinion that the above “intervention” also applies to written and/or verbal information given to the patient or others.
Not too long ago, I fell and hurt my lower backside. I went to an unnamed medical facility to be checked out. After several x-rays, the doctor said, “Mr. MacLean, did you know you have a disc missing?” I responded, “No, I didn’t.” I expected some deterioration would be expected, but was definitely curious as to the mention of a “missing disc” since I seemed to function rather well otherwise.
A few days later in examining my requested records, I did not see any mention by the attending doctor or Radiologist, of a “missing disc” nor did I see any indication of a “missing disc” in looking at all the x-rays. I requested an amendment of my medical records be made.
I was given a “Health Record Correction Amendment Request “ form from the person in charge of medical records. The form requested… “Please explain how the entry is incorrect or incomplete. What should the entry say to be more accurate or complete?” and “Would you like the amendment/correction sent to anyone to whom we may have disclosed the information in the past? If so, please specify the name and address of the organization or individual.” In those few lines, I requested an amendment by my doctor, of the verbal remark made to me “…and of a “missing disc” since there was no mention of same in my records, nor any apparent sight in the x-rays.
Additionally, I stated, in so many words, that it would seem most proper and educational for the attending doctor to make sure the facts are as correct as possible before making any statement to the patient. In a responding letter to me, the medical records person said my health record “Amendment Request” form would be included in my medical record. However, “The electronic medical record will remain as it was originally created unaltered in compliance with [our policy]…..” and my attached letter would not be included.
In this case, a few medical “professionals” have chosen to isolate themselves from the needs and expectations of the patients. There has to be a much better honest and aboveboard relationship between patient and medical professionals. Above all, they should not in any way, hold themselves higher than their patients in that their comments are not to be questioned or corrected to be more truthful based on the facts.
In conclusion, over the years, my wife and I have established excellent relationships with an assortment of doctors and qualified medical professionals. We value their devotion to their profession. Indeed, far beyond the above experience, we are proud to include in our lives, the fact that one of our children is a medical doctor, and for over 45 years, my mother was the Senior Medical Librarian of a large hospital in Massachusetts, One of our grandsons is finishing up his MD/PHD at Univ. of VT Medical School, and another grandson is headed to medical school, desiring to become a Combat Orthopedic Surgeon. Additionally, on my parent’s side, we include over 142 MacLean/Collins ancestors who have been in the medical profession.
Richard MacLean
© Copyright 2006-2019 GateHouse Media, LLC. All rights reserved • GateHouse Gjopinion04
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'Beverly Hillbillies' Singer Dies at 93
LOS ANGELES – Jerry Scoggins (search), who sang "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" (search) that introduced the comical Clampett clan on "The Beverly Hillbillies," (search) has died. He was 93.
Scoggins, the lead singer of the Cass County Boys, died Tuesday of natural causes at his home in Westlake Village.
In 1962, the country and western singer was working as a stockbroker and singing on weekends when he was asked to record a theme song for the pilot of the television series starring Buddy Ebsen.
Bluegrass stars Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs played guitar and banjo on "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" while Scoggins sang the lyrics.
The song and series were instant hits, and the ballad made the national hit parade in 1963.
The series, which ran on CBS from 1962 to 1971, was ranked as TV's No. 1 program in its first two seasons and drew up to 60 million viewers at its peak.
Scoggins was retired when he read in 1993 that 20th Century Fox was planning a movie version of the series. He called the studio and was put through to music supervisor Steve Smith, who told him, "Criminy I didn't know you were still around."
The studio had wanted Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson to sing the theme for the movie, but director Penelope Spheeris held out for Scoggins.
"I wanted to keep as much familiarity in the movie as I could find, and that was a key part: people's familiarity with his voice," she told the Los Angeles Times in 1993.
Scoggins estimated that by the movie he had sung "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" more than 1,000 times since first recording it.
Scoggins was born in Mount Pleasant, Texas, and began singing and playing guitar on Dallas radio in the early 1930s. In 1936 he formed the Cass County Kids with John "Bert" Dodson and Fred Martin.
Gene Autry changed the group's name to the Cass County Boys when he hired them in 1946 for his Melody Ranch radio program. They worked with Autry for 12 years on radio and television, and performed in 17 of his movies.
The group also recorded and performed on TV with Bing Crosby in the early 1950s.
The Cass County Boys were inducted into the Western Music Hall of Fame in 1996. They also received a Golden Boot Award from the Motion Picture and Television Fund.
Scoggins, a widower, is survived by two daughters, Judy Headley of Santa Barbara and Jane Kelly of Westlake Village; five grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
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Toxic sites in likely path of Irma
By , MICHAEL BIESECKER and JASON DEAREN
Dozens of personnel from the Environmental Protection Agency worked to secure some of the nation’s most contaminated toxic waste sites as Hurricane Irma bore down on Florida.
The agency said its employees evacuated personnel, secured equipment and safeguarded hazardous materials in anticipation of storm surges and heavy rains.
The Associated Press surveyed six of the 54 Superfund sites in Florida before Irma’s arrival, all around Miami in low-lying, flood-prone areas. There was no apparent work going on at the sites AP visited this past week.
The EPA said that if there was no activity, a site should be considered secured but would be closely monitored. The sites were in various stages of federally directed, long-term cleanup efforts.
At the Miami-Dade Emergency Operations Center on Saturday, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said the EPA workers he’s spoken with seem “generally positive” about the prospects for toxic sites remaining secure in the coming hurricane. But “they can’t guarantee it 100 percent,” he told AP.
“EPA feels they got a handle on it.” he said. “They think that the risk is real but certainly not as severe as some other places. Not to minimize it — it’s something to think about.”
AP was not able to fully evaluate each site’s readiness for the hurricane.
“If any site in the path of the storm is found to pose an immediate threat to nearby populations, EPA will immediately alert and work with state and local officials and inform the public — and then take any appropriate steps to address the threat,” EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman said Friday. “So far no sites have risen to this level that we are aware of.”
A risk analysis by EPA concluded in 2012 that flooding at such sites in South Florida could pose a risk to public health by spreading contaminated soil and groundwater. Flooding could disturb dangerous pollutants and wash it onto nearby property or contaminate groundwater, including personal wells, said Elizabeth “Betsy” Southerland, who retired last month as director of science and technology in EPA’s Office of Water after 30 years at the agency.
“The agency needs to quickly respond with careful monitoring after the storm,” said Southerland.
A recent analysis for the Government Accountability Office by two researchers at American University found that a storm surge in South Florida of just 1 to 4 feet could inundate the half-dozen sites visited by AP in recent days. Irma was predicted to push in a wall of water up to 12 feet high.
Of particular concern was the one-acre Miami Drum Services site. It is located over a drinking-water aquifer in a heavily industrial area of Doral, in west Miami-Dade County. The site was once home to more than 5,000 drums of various chemicals, some of which were dumped onsite after the metal containers were washed with a caustic cleaning solution. That solution, mixed with the chemical residues in the drums, leaked into the Biscayne Aquifer, a drinking water source.
The EPA’s community involvement coordinator for the site, Ronald Tolliver in Atlanta, told AP he was not sure what the agency was doing to prepare the site or contact residents whose drinking water could be affected by serious flooding from Irma. Bowman said Tolliver was a new employee and may not have been familiar with the EPA’s hurricane procedures for Superfund sites.
At the Homestead Air Reserve Base Superfund site south of Miami, it would take only about a foot of storm surge to swamp the nearly 2,000-acre Superfund site. Numerous apartments and a shopping center with a supermarket are nearby.
The EPA needs to do a better job helping people who live near Superfund sites stay informed with accurate information, said Stephen Sweeney, a former graduate fellow in EPA’s office of policy and one of the American University researchers who conducted the Superfund flooding study.
“These residents need to be aware of their surroundings, and what could be in their water and the floodwater,” said Sweeney, now a private consultant. “There needs to be some sort of public communication. Either mass distribution of information or evacuating residents — it’s up to the agency to make that call.”
At the Anodyne site in North Miami Beach on Friday, the AP found three sealed steel drums labeled as being filled with “IDW” soil and water in the open, weed-covered field behind a building. IDW is the designation for “investigation derived waste.” The drums were labeled, “Do not disturb.” Bowman said the barrels were low-risk to human health.
A worker from a nearby building, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said he saw workers putting soil and water into the drums. Soil and groundwater at the former industrial site was contaminated with a brew of toxic chemicals, including pesticides, solvents and heavy metals.
After AP inquired about the drums, the EPA said Saturday it dispatched workers to Anodyne to remove the containers. They had contained “drill cutting and purge water” produced during the installation of a new monitoring well the prior week, the agency said.
The EPA has made significant efforts over the last week to publicize its response to flooding at Superfund sites in Texas and allay concerns about similar sites in Florida. That followed an Aug. 26 report by AP that at least seven Superfund sites in the Houston region had flooded during Hurricane Harvey. AP journalists on the scene in Texas surveyed the sites by boat, vehicle and on foot.
Hours after AP’s story last week, the EPA said it had reviewed aerial imagery confirming that 13 of 41 Superfund sites in areas affected by Harvey had flooded and were experiencing possible damage due to the storm. The EPA also confirmed that its own personnel had not yet visited the Houston-area sites.
Since then, EPA has been issuing daily updates about its efforts. On Monday, the agency organized a media tour of one of the Houston sites highlighted in AP’s reporting, though AP was not notified about the press event and was not able to attend. After AP informed the EPA in Washington that its reporters had been surveying Superfund sites in South Florida, the agency warned in a press release that “unauthorized entry at any Superfund site, either prior to or following the storm, is prohibited as these sites can be extremely dangerous and can pose significant threats to human health.”
Following his appointment by Trump, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has repeatedly said that cleaning up Superfund sites is among his top policy priorities. He appointed a task force to study the issue quickly, adopting 42 recommendations and saying he wanted to develop a “top-10 list” of the most dangerous sites.
Pruitt, who has questioned the severity of consequences from global warming, has been largely silent on the threat posed to Superfund sites by rising seas and more powerful storms.
A nationwide climate change adaptation assessment conducted by EPA under the Obama administration in 2012 determined that more than 500 Superfund sites are located in flood zones. Nearly 50 are in coastal areas that could also be vulnerable to sea level rise and storm surge, including several located in Florida.
“There’s a sharp contrast between the recommendations left behind for the Pruitt EPA and what his task force examined,” said Mathy Stanislaus, who served as EPA’s assistant administrator for solid waste and emergency response under President Obama. “They completely omitted any consideration of increasing vulnerability from climate change.”
The EPA declined to make Pruitt available for an interview with the AP. But asked about the issue by CNN, he said now is not the time to debate the impacts of global warming.
“To have any kind of focus on the cause and effect of the storm; versus helping people, or actually facing the effect of the storm, is misplaced,” Pruitt said Thursday. “What we need to focus on is access to clean water, addressing these areas of superfund activities that may cause an attack on water, these issues of access to fuel.... Those are things so important to citizens of Florida right now.”
https://www.foxnews.com/us/toxic-sites-in-likely-path-of-irma
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Giant keep lefty Derek Holland with $7M, 1-year deal
AP Jan 14, 2019 at 3:32p ET
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Left-hander Derek Holland is staying with the San Francisco Giants, agreeing to a one-year contract that guarantees $7 million.
With all the injuries to the rotation last season, keeping the versatile Holland provides a big boost to the pitching staff.
“For me, it was just an easy decision to come back after everything these guys helped me basically as I looked at it as resurrecting my career,” Holland said.
Holland has a $6.5 million salary this season as part of the deal announced Monday, and the Giants have a $7 million option for 2020 with a $500,000 buyout. The option price can escalate based on starts this year, by $500,000 each for 24 and 28, and by $1 million for 32.
The 32-year-old was 7-9 with a 3.57 ERA in 30 starts and six relief appearances over 171 1/3 innings in his first season for San Francisco.
“From our standpoint going back to the winter meetings, it’s been a priority to add some starting pitchers, partly to take some of the pressure off the younger guys,” president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said. “It was really encouraging to see that he made those 30 starts but also got better and stronger as the season went along. That’s always an encouraging sign when you’re looking at the free agent market of pitchers, guys who finished strong. Derek had a terrific second half.”
Holland dropped his ERA from 6.20 with the White Sox the previous year, the second best improvement by major league pitchers, according to STATS. San Francisco considers Holland a starter but appreciates his ability to come out of the bullpen as well.
“The way I look at it, I’m always competing for a spot,” Holland said.
Holland, who spent the first eight of his 10 big league seasons with Texas, helped fill a void in the rotation when the Giants dealt with injuries Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija.
Manager Bruce Bochy appreciated Holland’s leadership the whole way, especially when so many stars were hurt.
“When we’re getting an experienced guy like Derek who did just a terrific job for us and what a great teammate he was for us this year,” Bochy said. “He had some intangibles that we really liked to go along with the body of work that he gave us. He really gives us just a sense of comfort.”
The Giants still plan to add to the depth of their starting pitching.
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Microsoft, Facebook support AT&T’s T-Mobile acquisition
by Todd Bishop on June 6, 2011 at 10:23 pm June 6, 2011 at 10:41 pm
[Updated with text of letter below.] Microsoft and Facebook are among eight technology companies that filed a letter tonight in support of AT&T’s proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA, as first reported by the New York Times tonight.
The gist of their argument: The deal is the best way to expand AT&T’s network capacity to better serve a larger portion of Americans with high-speed wireless access.
“The FCC must seriously weigh the benefits of this merger and approve it,” the companies write. “Such action will help to meet the near term wireless broadband needs of consumers and ensure that we are globally competitive as the world increasingly embraces wireless broadband connectivity.”
AT&T and T-Mobile are both key partners for Microsoft in the U.S., having been the first two wireless carriers to offer the company’s Windows Phone 7. Sprint and Verizon have since joined them.
Others supporting the deal include Yahoo, Oracle, Research in Motion and VC firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Partners. Opponents include Sprint and consumer advocates.
Update: Here’s the letter, signed by Microsoft, Facebook, Oracle, Qualcomm, RIM, and Yahoo.
Julius Genachowski, Chairman
445 12th Street, SW
WT 11-65: In the Matter of applications of AT&T Inc. and Deutsche Telekom AG for consent to assign or Transfer Control of licenses and Authorizations
Dear Mr. Chairman,
Today, consumers are increasingly using smart phones, tablets, laptops and other mobile devices to wirelessly connect to the Internet and to each other. We expect access to our content, information and services wherever we are. As a result, consumer demand for wireless broadband is dramatically increasing and our wireless networks are struggling to keep pace with the demand. Given the network capacity challenges, policymakers must give meaningful consideration to AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile as a means of addressing their near term wireless broadband capacity needs.
Despite the network challenges presented by the surging consumer demand, the United States must continue to lead in wireless broadband technologies. U.S. companies are at the forefront of driving innovations in devices, applications and services and an ever evolving wireless network is essential to realizing new and innovative offerings. An increasingly robust and efficient wireless network is part of a virtuous innovation cycle and a healthy wireless ecosystem is an important part of our global competitiveness.
AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile represents a near term means of addressing the rising consumer demand. For example, the merged company will be able to leverage a larger network of cell sites allowing greater reuse of spectrum and increasing the wireless broadband capacity of the network. Furthermore, AT&T has indicated that it will migrate the T-Mobile network to LTE technology and offer LTE-based wireless broadband to 97.3 percent of the U.S. population. AT&T has stated that its LTE deployment will bring significant benefits to residents of rural areas and smaller communities, where the benefits of real-time video and similar capabilities are most urgently needed to fill gaps in physical infrastructure for healthcare, education, and other social needs.
The challenge of keeping pace with consumer demand and continuing to lead globally in wireless broadband services and products requires that we tackle the issue on multiple fronts. Many policy related efforts will not be able to quickly address near term capacity needs. The FCC must seriously weigh the benefits of this merger and approve it. Such action will help to meet the near term wireless broadband needs of consumers and ensure that we are globally competitive as the world increasingly embraces wireless broadband connectivity.
Todd Bishop is GeekWire's co-founder and editor, a longtime technology journalist who covers subjects including cloud tech, e-commerce, virtual reality, devices, apps and tech giants such as Amazon.com, Apple, Microsoft and Google. Follow him @toddbishop, email todd@geekwire.com, or call (206) 294-6255.
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Home Insights Back to School for Biotech
Back to School for Biotech
Michael Cohen Freelance Science/Business Writer WPI and UMass Medical School
How Academia and Industry Can Collaborate to Advance Biologic Drug Development and Manufacturing
The unprecedented pace of discovery in biological sciences is opening potentially transformative new modalities to treat many human diseases. Cell therapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy, epigenetic approaches to regulate gene expression, and other novel therapeutic strategies offer both an abundance of opportunity and significant challenges for companies trying to commercialize new biologics.
To grapple with the demands of the science and the technology needed to translate discoveries into approved biologic therapies, some start-up biotechs and established biopharmaceutical companies are building new bridges with academia. On the campus side of the equation, core facilities reap service revenue and academic investigators gain early-stage funding to explore ideas that are not ready for NIH or venture capital support. Several examples of these novel relationships were presented at a panel discussion at the Biotech Week in Boston Conference (formerly called BioProcess International East).
“Academic and industry collaboration for translational biologics research and development is an underutilized model,” said Kamal Rashid, Ph.D., research professor and director of the Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), who organized and moderated the discussion. “We want to shed light on how some of these relationships are working today, so we can expand the model for the benefit of companies, academic researchers and, ultimately, the patients who will benefit from these powerful new therapies.”
Panelists presented examples of ongoing collaborations for early research, proof-of-concept studies, process scale-up, manufacturing for clinical studies, workforce development, and best practice analysis for companies making approved biologics.
Collaborations for emerging cell therapies were discussed by Jerome Ritz, M.D., executive director of the Connell O’Reilly Cell Manipulation Core Facility at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Working on cell therapies remains a very difficult, labor-intensive process,” Dr. Ritz said. “In my view, no one can do all of this on their own. You need to collaborate.”
A key mission of the cell manipulation core facility is to support the stem cell transplantation programs at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Boston Children’s Hospital. These programs have grown significantly over the past 10 years and the lab now provides stem cell products for over 600 patients per year, Dr. Ritz explained. The facility also provides complex GMP cell manufacturing support for clinical trials at all of the Harvard-affiliated hospitals and other academic health centers in Massachusetts. These studies, which represent collaborative efforts between clinical investigators and laboratory scientists at multiple institutions and private companies, involve genetically modified stem cells, cancer vaccines, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, regulatory T cells, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), and extensively modified hematopoietic stem cell products.
In recent years, Dr. Ritz’s team has manufactured cells to support 30 to 40 clinical trials and 10 to 15 Investigational New Drug (IND) filings. The core facility staff has grown to 50 people and further expansion is planned to meet increasing demand. “We start at the early stage, working with the investigators, either in academia or industry,” Dr. Ritz said. “Our role is to help them develop new therapies, and to test the safety and efficacy of these new approaches in early phase clinical trials. Once successful cell therapies are identified, manufacturing procedures would be transferred to larger scale industrial facilities.”
A perceived barrier for academic/industry collaborations has been the incompatibility of intellectual property policies, “but IP can be managed and should not be a stumbling block anymore,” said Mark Klempner, M.D., executive vice chancellor, MassBiologics and professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS). “At MassBiologics we work very well with our industry partners, and I believe at most universities today you will find that IP is handled effectively.”
MassBiologics, a division of UMMS since 1997, was established in 1894 by the state’s Board of Health to make diphtheria antitoxin. MassBiologics has a long history of developing and manufacturing vaccines, immunoglobulins, and other biologics in support of public health. It is the only nonprofit, publicly owned, FDA-licensed vaccine and biologics manufacturer in the United States. “We are not your typical academic facility,” Dr. Klempner said.
Over the past 10 years, MassBiologics has expanded its vaccine and monoclonal antibody cGMP manufacturing facilities and also broadened its discovery research and process development capabilities on its campus in the Mattapan section of Boston. In 2015 it opened a Vector Manufacturing Center in Fall River, MA, to support gene therapy programs. “In addition to the discovery work we continue to do, we have developed this collaborative infrastructure that’s available for contract process development, contract manufacturing, aseptic fill and finish,” Dr. Klempner explained. “We also will collaborate with smaller companies to provide access to the technologies they need but can’t always afford, along with the process development expertise of our team.”
Panelist David Dismuke, Ph.D., director of vector production at the start-up gene therapy company Voyager Therapeutics, explained how his company’s strategic alliance with MassBiologics is accelerating their development processes. Voyager’s proprietary technology uses adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors to deliver constructs that either express healthy levels of specific proteins or knock down expression of disease-causing genes. “We are targeting diseases of the central nervous system, often through direct administration. So, manufacturing a safe and effective product is paramount,” Dr. Dismuke noted.
In-house expertise at Voyager focuses on optimizing its AAV platform and the sequences of DNA embedded for delivery within the AAV capsids. Success at the bench scale, however, does not automatically scale up to levels needed to make clinical quantities. “Our objective has been to transfer our early development baculovirus/Sf9 insect processes at 250 liters, switch from a paddle bioreactor to a stir-tank, and increase our vector recovery, which are not trivial matters,” Dr. Dismuke said. “Our collaboration with MassBiologics has been critical. We have been able to utilize their experience in process scale-up and regulatory compliance to achieve our goal of developing a commercially viable process, and we have been able to do so in a collaborative and efficient manner.”
From a larger company perspective, Sridaran Natesan, Ph.D., vp of strategic initiatives and scientific relations, North America, at Sanofi, presented his company’s emerging model for academic collaborations. “Sanofi used to be a small- molecule company. Now, 70% of our programs are in biologics,” Dr. Natesan said. “So the early-stage pipeline is the challenge. There are so many emerging modalities to consider, and we don’t have the internal expertise to evaluate or develop them all. So where do we invest?”
An important part of the answer to that question for Sanofi is to build closer collaborations with academic investigators. The company first piloted the concept at MIT and has since broadened the program to seven universities and hospitals in the United States. Sanofi invites research teams to submit proposals and the company funds about 25 each year. “We are looking for early stage programs that are not ready for NIH funding or venture funding, but that we are excited about,” Dr. Natesan explained.
Among the best practices Sanofi now applies to the program: academic investigators must identify a clear path to the clinic; a program manager from Sanofi is dedicated to work on the academic partnerships full-time and remain in regular, direct contact with the investigators; all involved must be willing to make course corrections as the program evolves. “Communication is really the key,” Dr. Natesan concluded.
Panelist Susan Roberts, Ph.D., professor and head of chemical engineering at WPI, gave an overview of 15 collaborations her department now has with various life sciences companies, including equipment manufacturers seeking external feedback on their latest designs. Many of those collaborations take the form of WPI’s Major Qualifying Project (MQP) which is a year-long undergraduate research project students complete in their senior year.
“Every undergraduate at WPI has to complete an MQP, and they are very rigorous projects done under the direct supervision of faculty,” Dr. Roberts said. “Many MQPs are industry-sponsored projects. So if you have an idea you want to test, or a problem you need to solve, then the MQP program at WPI is a great way to start.”
Academic-industry collaborations also extend beyond early research and help companies already making approved biologics, with benchmarking, best-practice sharing and technology assessment and development., For example, contamination in an FDA-approved process is, perhaps, the greatest operational risk biomanufacturers face. It’s a sensitive subject that companies prefer not to discuss publicly. MIT saw an opportunity to help the industry share important information and founded the Consortium on Adventitious Agent Contamination in Biomanufacturing (CAACB).
“We act as a neutral hub,” said Stacy Springs, Ph.D., who leads the CAACB and directs the Biomanufacturing Research Program (BioMAN) at MIT. “We work with the industry to collect data from member companies, anonymize it, analyze it, and share it back with industry so companies can learn from industry experience, and better prepare for similar risks.”
Focusing on that window of “precompetitive collaboration”, MIT is also developing a similar program for advanced analytical and process control strategies. “We are asking, ‘How can we be faster, smaller, and integrated with our analytics for both protein products and emerging products like cell and gene therapies?’ ” Dr. Springs asked.
MIT is also working with a consortium of universities and companies around the country (including the University of Delaware, WPI, UMass, and others) seeking funding from the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish a Manufacturing Innovation Institute as part of the ManufacturingUSA National Network of Manufacturing Innovation, she said.
In addition to translational research studies at WPI, the university offers hands-on programs at the Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center (BETC), a center built-out like a commercial facility, from cell banking through pilot-scale process, downstream capture, and purification. “Training is not a luxury for companies, it’s an FDA requirement,” Dr. Rashid noted. “The benefit of our center is that people can learn hands-on, and if they goof up, it’s not a million dollar mistake.” Over the past three years, more than 30 companies have sent employees to a range of intensive upstream and downstream training programs at the BETC, he said.
Summing things up at the end of the panel discussion, Dr. Rashid said. “I think what we learned here is that collaborations between academia and industry can be very successful, and I hope that others will benefit from the excellent examples presented here today.”
Michael Cohen (mcohen@wpi.edu) is a freelance science/business writer who works regularly for WPI and UMass Medical School.
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Pharma Builds Bridges with Advocacy Groups
Top 15 Best-Selling Drugs of 2018
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Home News Tarceva Given after Initial Chemotherapy Improves Survival in NSCLC Patients
Tarceva Given after Initial Chemotherapy Improves Survival in NSCLC Patients
Roche/OSI will submit supplemental data to maintenance therapy applications.
A Phase III trial evaluating the anticancer drug Tarceva found that using the drug immediately after initial chemotherapy against advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) significantly extends overall patient survival and delays disease progression. Roche says treating patients with Tarceva immediately following first-line chemotherapy rather than waiting for the cancer to reappear or spread, represents a new approach in the fight against NSCLC.
Roche and OSI Pharmaceuticals, its U.S. partner for Tarceva, aim to use this survival data to support their European and U.S. applications for the drug as a first-line maintenance therapy for advanced NSCLC, which were filed during March.
Tarceva is an oral drug targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor. It has been available in the EU since September 2005 and in the U.S. since November 2004, as a second-line treatment for advanced NSCLC after the failure of chemotherapy. It is now available in over 90 countries for the NSCLC indication and in 70 countries for the treatment of pancreatic cancer in combination with gemcitabine, according to Roche and OSI.
Roche reported worldwide sales of Tarceva were up 23% in 2008, to CHF 1.2 billion ($1.1 billion). Primary contributions came from Western Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Double-digit sales growth was also maintained in the U.S.
OSI receives a 50% profit share on U.S. sales of Tarceva and a 21% royalty on sales in the rest of the world. The company said non-U.S. sales of the drug increased from $470 million in 2007 to $665 million in 2008. U.S. sales were $457 million in 2008, up from $417 million in 2007.
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Home News 3D model of Abu Dhabi coming up soon
3D model of Abu Dhabi coming up soon
Abu Dhabi, UAE: Municipality of Abu Dhabi City (ADM) announced a new project, 3D model of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The project aims to enhance the planning, designing and development processes in support of the realisation of the Abu Dhabi’s Strategic Plan 2030. It is considered to be the first of its kind in the world in terms of size, technological setup and applied solutions.
The project, carried out by the GIS Section and the Spatial Data Division of the ADM, will span more than 5,866 sq. km. and include areas of Abu Dhabi, the Western Region and Al Ain.
The project will help establish a link between various projects and highlight their developmental, environmental, social and economic aspects. According to ADM, it will also help make it easier for decision-makers to carry out their duties, particularly in the field of urban planning and issuance procedures of building permits in addition to finding appropriate solutions for transportation.
Engineer Yousuf Abdul Rahman Al Marzouqi, Director of Spatial Data, explained that the project will be carried out in four stages over two years. He explained that the project will help in the follow-up of buildings and in plans for maintenance of re-building. It will also have a “considerable impact on the cultural and heritage aspects,” he added, pointing out that it will also provide a tool to monitor the heritage changes in the city.
Moreover, the model is important in supporting risks, crises and rescue management in the field of Civil Defence, said Marzouqi.
The official pointed out that the project will also help in health and educational aspects, by “streamlining infrastructure planning, which will contribute to building an enhanced healthy and civilised educational environment.”
“The project will similarly have a positive impact on the security and safety of the community as it will define the areas covered by surveillance cameras intended to preserve the safety and security of the community. Furthermore, it can be capitalised on to develop flight control and routes at airports for the safety of passengers, aircrafts and facilities and for the benefit of the community in general,” stated Al Marzouqi.
Source: gulftoday.ae
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No substitute for instructor-led training
Related News Article PDF
End-user training enhances the end-user experience and staff morale while improving business performance and profitability. Dorette Van Den Ende, Customer Services Director at FSI, Concept CAFM developers, discusses with PFM magazine.
When it comes to financial streamlining, the training budget is traditionally one of the first overheads to enter the cost-cutting spotlight. But trimming the enterprise's training investment could compromise a host of wider business benefits that can be realised by tapping in strategically to a system vendor's support network.
Today, CAFM platforms such as Concept from FSI are fully evolved, sophisticated business tools which deliver information that has a direct impact on the organisation's productivity, efficiency and performance.
Delivered by a supplier who has taken time to analyse the realtime needs and goals of the customer, the right kind of training and support extend way beyond the application itself to the context in which it is being deployed and the business processes and workflows which will be streamlined by the software investment.
As a CAFM specialist, it has always been FSI's experience that end-user training enhances the end-user experience and staff morale while improving business performance and profitability, particularly when it is delivered through scheduled courses based on specific business requirements. System training can reveal as much about the client's business processes as it does about the practical use of the application.
The alternative - a training offering that takes a blanket approach, throwing everything about the system at the end-users without any attempt to nuance or tailor the elements that will work specifically for the business - devalues the role that training can play in opening up wider knowledge and broadening attitudes to the value of technology.
There is no substitute for instructor-led training. Despite a wider trend to eLearning models, the benefits of having a human being, talking in real terms about the system, demonstrating the system's capabilities in response to specific end-user questions - and giving non-technical users the confidence that they can't break it! - are obvious in the outcomes: fewer support calls and contented staff.
The classroom setting for tailored training helps to build an appreciation that a big CAFM system can be broken down into manageable components, which an individual user can apply to their role or function in the business.
Sharing different views, angles and experiences of the system in the classroom is a great way to discover new potential benefits and feed them back into requests for product development and refinement.
With a key account manager overseeing the CAFM user's support requirements, training becomes an integral part of the bigger picture which includes the development of new modules, shared information about the direction of product development, and the constant matching of what's happening in the supplier's business with the customer's aims and ambitions.
This alignment between the CAFM vendor's roadmap and the client's business is an essential part of the service delivery model. It fuels a sustainable vendor/customer relationship. And it means the key account manager can provide an eagle's eye-view of developments that will have a direct impact on the enterprise's ability to gain maximum value from its investment in the platform.
By taking a proactive approach to service and support, we have long since learned the benefits of collaboration on both sides of the relationship - from system training to floor-walking on the day a new enterprise system goes live and beyond, to handling complaints and reservations about the way the CAFM platform is performing, and secure client access portals and WebEx sessions which allow end-users to speak frankly about their experience.
These touchpoints are fundamental in helping us to discover new things about how people use the system in the context of their business - and that drives innovation on our side.
Listening to the customer - and particularly to any complaint, which should always be treated as constructive criticism - helps us get to the root cause of any problem quickly, so that our service quality can be improved. Whether a misperception about the system has to be addressed or there is a need for a product fix, responding to complaints gives us a fast-track to the right solution.
This degree of collaboration extends to user groups. These bring customers together to share their experiences and see what we have in the pipeline, but also to tell us what they'd like to see from Concept in the future. That's where we get a strong sense of whether we're on track with, ahead of, or behind their expectations.
Top-class training and support helps end-users to develop their own levels of expertise, boosting productivity, and by becoming CAFM champions in the organisation, helps to reinforce the original investment - and therefore spend less time calling the help desk in search of simple information.
They enable a two-way communication channel which helps to build an intuitive understanding of the specific workflows, processes and goals that CAFM enables within the customer's organisation. Essentially, they help us to put the client at the heart of our business.
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