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Vatican Newspaper Issues CDF Clarification on Abortion in Wake of Fisichella Controversy
Pope Benedict XVI is believed to have ordered Bertone to issue statement reiterating Catholic doctrine on sanctity of human life
Fri Jul 10, 2009 - 12:15 pm EST
By LifeSiteNews.com
By John-Henry Westen and Hilary White, Rome Correspondent
VATICAN CITY, July 7, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano has today published a clarification from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) reiterating the Church's stand against abortion. The clarification notes that it comes after the CDF received communications from political and church leaders expressing concerns about an article published in the same newspaper by the new head of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Archbishop Salvatore (Rino) Fisichella.
The clarification is an impressive compilation of most of the strongest statements of the Church in defense of human life. It runs though teachings from the Bible, the early Church, Councils and Popes, reaffirming constantly that abortion is absolutely prohibited and an "abominable crime."
Previously, both the heads of the Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) had refused to retract or clarify the assertion by the president of the PAV that doctors who committed an abortion on the twins of a nine year-old rape Brazilian victim were not deserving of excommunication (see below for more coverage on the Brazil case).
The clarification by the CDF, however, goes into the matter at length. It states that: "The formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church punishes with this crime against human life with the canonical penalty of excommunication."
The clarification comes only days after a blog post by Italian journalist and Vatican expert Sandro Magister reported that over half of the members of the Pontifical Academy for Life (PAV) had rejected the position of its president on the controversy surrounding the abortion on the nine year-old Brazilian girl.
27 of the 46 members of the PAV wrote to Archbishop Fisichella, asking him to recant the "wrong" position he took in a March 15th article published in the Vatican's newspaper L'Osservatore Romano. Magister reports that Fisichella responded to the April 4th letter by rejecting the request.
Turning to the higher authority, the PAV member signatories made a formal request for a statement clarifying the Church's teaching regarding abortion to William Cardinal Levada, the head of the CDF, and were ignored.
The letter requesting a clarification was reportedly passed on to the head of the Secretariat of State, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, "as Fisichella's article had been written at his request." Magister noted that the same group has also submitted a dossier on the issue to Pope Benedict XVI who is believed to have ordered Bertone to issue a statement reiterating Catholic doctrine on the sanctity of human life.
See the full English text of the L'Osservatore Romano article
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
L'Osservatore Romano Won't Let me Defend Myself Says Brazil Archbishop
Brazilian Archbishop Who Announced Excommunication of Abortionists Receives International Pro-Life Award
International Pro-Abortion Group Conspired With Hospital to Kill Unborn Twins in Famous Brazilian Case -
Part I Part II Part III:
Vatican Newspaper Issues CDF Clarification on Abortion in Wake of… Vatican Newspaper Issues CDF Clarification on Abortion in Wake of Fisichella Controversy News By LifeSiteNews.com
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Bases Loaded Podcast Episode 25: Brennan Armstrong
In Episode 25 of the Bases Loaded Podcast, host Gabe Kennedy talks with Shelby football legend Brennan Armstrong who led the 2016 Whippets to the state Final 4. He was a first team All-Ohio QB in 2015 and second team All-Ohio QB in 2016. He threw for more than 8,400 yards and had 84 touchdowns while running for 3,800 yards and 68 scores.
Click here to listen to Episode 25 of the Bases Loaded Podcast.
About the host: Gabe Kennedy is the host of the Bases Loaded Podcast, a Shelby resident, devoted husband, father and high school history teacher at Clear Fork High School. He is a former baseball and football coach and lifelong avid sports fan.
"I have respect and love for sports that just continues to grow with age," Kennedy said. "I’ve taken up listening to sports podcasts in recent years, but with a global pandemic and trying to find intriguing ways to distance teach, the idea of doing my own podcasts became real. The idea of hosting a sports podcast allows me to stay close to my passion for sports after deciding to put coaching on hold and focus on raising a family."
Follow the Bases Loaded Podcast on Twitter at @BasesPodcast for updates on future guests.
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US case against Venezuela's oil minister hits another snag
FILE - In this May 19, 2018 file photo, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, right, and then Vice President Tareck El Aissami tour the construction site of La Rinconada baseball stadium on the outskirts of Caracas, Venezuela. The prosecution of El Aissami, Venezuela’s Oil Minister, for violating U.S. sanctions has run into another snag after a federal judge on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, allowed one of his co-defendants to withdraw a guilty plea over allegations U.S. attorneys withheld evidence in the case. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan, File)
The prosecution of Venezuela’s Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami for violating U.S. sanctions has run into another snag after a federal judge allowed one of his co-defendants to withdraw a guilty plea over allegations that U.S. attorneys withheld evidence in the case.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan on Monday said they don’t object to Victor Mones withdrawing his guilty plea, but refused to concede they violated rules requiring them to turn over all exculpatory evidence to the defendant.
Mones, a Florida-based businessman, pleaded guilty almost a year ago to arranging chartered flights to Russia and elsewhere for El Aissami and his alleged frontman, Venezuelan businessman Samark Lopez.
But a year later, prosecutors in the case have yet to finish handing over abundant evidence, something that Judge Alvin Hellerstein said “concerns” him.
“Obviously this late production by the government is a chunk of evidence that you have not had an opportunity to consider,” Hellerstein said in a hearing last week. “So if you wish to withdraw your plea, I will allow it.”
The rare move by a federal judge inviting a defendant to withdraw his guilty plea — something Mones’ attorney had not been seeking but did following the Oct. 29 hearing — follows the arrest of the key informant against El Aissami, Alejandro Marin, for lying to federal investigators.
Like Mones, Marin owns a flight charter company that allegedly arranged flights for El Aissami and Lopez. He was not charged in the case but was arrested in September in Miami for allegedly lying to his handlers about the equivalent of $140,000 that went missing from a package of 1.3 million euros he transported by private jet to the U.S. in 2018 at the direction of U.S. law enforcement.
Mones’ attorney, Christine Chung, said in court filings that the late production of evidence against her client mirrors problems detected in the high-profile sanctions case against Ali Sadr Hashemi Nejad.
Prosecutors in June abruptly dropped charges against the Iranian businessman after he was convicted, citing what they described as “disclosure-related issues” that would have altered his defense. In one instance, a prosecutor suggested to a colleague that they “bury” a document that should have been handed over to the defense.
When trying a case, prosecutors are required to hand over any evidence that could help defendants prove their innocence and can face disciplinary action if they do not.
As a result of the revelations, Judge Alison Nathan ordered prosecutors and their supervisors in the New York Southern District’s international terrorism and narcotics unit to provide a written explanation of their actions.
The same unit is prosecuting El Aissami, who has celebrated the prosecutorial setbacks.
“The web of smears and false evidence is collapsing,” Aissami tweeted in September after The Associated Press reported on Marin’s surprise arrest. “Not even the media at service of imperialism can hide the gravity of the accusations based on LIES, CRIMINALS and PROTECTED MERCENARIES.”
Goodman reported from Medellin, Colombia. Follow him on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman
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Final Draft's screenwriting contest underway
Final Draft Inc., makers of the Final Draft screenplay software, is taking entries for its fourth annual "Big Break" International Screenplay Contest.
This year's winner will receive US$10,000 plus an all-expense-paid, three-day visit to Los Angeles, California to take meetings with studio executives and agents. Second prize is $3,000, and third prize is $1,000. The top 10 winners will be submitted to a Hollywood literary agent and will receive a copy of the Final Draft software, a one-year subscription to Creative Screenwriting Magazine, Script Magazine and RES Magazine, a $50 gift certificate from The Writer's Computer Store, and a copy of The Hollywood Creative Directory Producers Guide.
Complete contest rules and entry forms can be downloaded from the company's Web site; scripts may also be submitted online. The deadline for entries is May 31
Final Draft, currently at version 6.0, runs on Mac OS X and Mac OS 8.6-9.x. It requires 24MB of RAM and 15MB of available hard-disk space. The cost is US$199.95; educational pricing is also available.
This story, "Final Draft's screenwriting contest underway" was originally published by PCWorld.
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HomeClub NewsZidane secures his seat at Real Madrid after a difficult period
Zidane secures his seat at Real Madrid after a difficult period
Spanish newspaper Marca commented on the landslide victory in Real Madrid's game against Eibar.
Karim Benzema's teammates are on track after the result of Real Madrid's match today
El Merengue came to Eibar in the 13th round of the Spanish league and managed to win a wide result, 4 goals for nothing, led by the distinguished French striker, Karim Benzema.
Real did not start the season as required, and there was great pressure on the French coach, Zinedine Zidane, and began to talk who replaces the legend of French football at the head of the technical team of the Royal team, but the results in the recent period, in the interest of Zizo.
Los Blancos managed to win at least 4 goals in 3 of their last four games, beating Leganes 5-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu, then crushing Galatasaray with a hexagon in Madrid and finally a landslide victory over Ibar with four.
Zidane secures his seat after a landslide victory in the game Real Madrid today
Marca said that Zidane was postponed in his history as coach of Real Madrid after a difficult period, and Benzema also provided another lesson in scoring goals.
The newspaper, known for its Madrid tendencies, said it is not possible to argue too much with Zidane when he said that Benzema was on the same level as Cristiano Ronaldo, in the club's history, after this big offer from the former Lyon star.
Marca also praised Belgium's Eden Hazard, who, despite not scoring a goal, showed his technical abilities, speed, intelligence and the ability to connect with his teammates.
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Liability of a Commercial Establishment for Selling Alcoholic Beverages to a Minor
Home » Blog » Product Liability » Liability of a Commercial Establishment for Selling Alcoholic Beverages to a Minor
The New York State Liquor Authority recently revoked the liquor license of a bar and lounge (known as Novvo Restaurant and Lounge, formerly known as Hashi Sushi) located in the Inwood section of Manhattan. Complaints from the local community board, a sergeant at the 34th precinct and a coalition of concerned residents that the bar was serving alcoholic beverages to minors prompted a hearing before the agency. The hearing revealed that there were six separate incidents of sales of alcohol to minors in the past year.
Besides the potential loss of a highly coveted liquor license, a commercial establishment’s sale of alcoholic beverages to minors can expose the establishment to liability for personal injuries where the sale results in an intoxicated minor causing injuries to a third party. The third party’s personal injury claim, commonly known as a “Dram Shop” claim or lawsuit, arises through the operation of two New York statutes, General Obligations Law section 11-101 and the Alcohol Beverage Control Law section 65.
General Obligations Law section 11-101 gives anyone “injured in person, property, means of support, or otherwise” by an intoxicated individual the right to sue any person who, by the unlawful sale of liquor, caused or contributed to the intoxication of the individual. The unlawful sale of liquor arises from the Alcohol Beverage Control Law section 65 which declares illegal the sale, delivery or giving of alcoholic beverages to any person who is “actually or apparently” under the age of twenty one.
Liability may be imposed on the bar owner even though the intoxicated minor was completely sober at the time of the sale, so long as the minor was intoxicated at the time of the incident causing the injuries. Also, a New York bar may be held liable for injuries caused by the intoxicated minor, even if those injuries occur outside the State of New York. Finally, not only the person directly injured by the intoxicated minor, but also a spouse, child or parent injured in “means of support” or for loss of services, affection and companionship may sue for damages.
Product Liability Blog Posts:
Proving a Defective Product Liability Claim
Under products liability law, the manufacturer, distributor, supplier, or retailer of a defective product can be held responsible for injuries caused by the product. But typically, these manufacturers
Product Liability Claims Involving Medical Devices
“Product liability” is a legal principle that holds manufacturers, designers, and sellers accountable for putting defective and/or unsafe products on the market. When these defective devices are
Product Liability Claims Involving Pharmaceutical Drugs
More than 48 percent of Americans have used at least one prescription drug in the past month, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Doctors prescribe prescription drugs in
Product Liability Claims Involving Defective Cars
On average, motor vehicle crashes send more than 2 million drivers and passengers to the emergency room every year, claiming the lives of more than 30,000 Americans. Human factors contribute to a
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Home | Multiple Categories | Selvig’s Career No. 2 on Big Sky’s “Greatest Moments” List
Selvig’s Career No. 2 on Big Sky’s “Greatest Moments” List
By JOEL CARLSON for GoGriz.com
The Big Sky Conference office suggested this article, an ode to the No. 2 entry on its “25 Greatest Women’s Moments” list, be titled “Death, Taxes and Robin Selvig.” But doesn’t that paint too dark a picture of the Lady Griz coach who just finished his 36th season, making him the third side of an unholy trinity, a grim reaper of the sideline? How about “Sunrises, the tides and Robin Selvig”?
But maybe the former is a better fit. After 821 wins and averaging a regular-season championship nearly two out of every three seasons he’s been coaching the Lady Griz, what is a more deterministic fate for a team than playing Montana? And what are box scores if not an ugly tax form: 34 percent shooting, 56 points and a reminder that your team is nowhere near the top one percent.
How he manages to do it year after year is the subject for another time. Are Montana kids, who have made up a majority of Lady Griz rosters the last 36 years, just better than the kids in other states, or is there something to what Bum Phillips, in his best Texas drawl, once said about Don Shula: “He can take his’n and beat your’n and take your’n and beat his’n.”
Photo courtesy of University ofMontana
Instead this is an attempt to celebrate those 36 years as a moment. But what does that mean? How do you take 36 years, 821 wins, 23 regular-season conference championships, 20 NCAA tournament appearances and 20 conference coach of the year awards and reduce that to a moment? Wouldn’t it be like asking the coach to name his all-time favorite player or favorite team? It can’t be done.
Because what is that moment? His first win (69-48 over Montana Tech after an — ahem — 0-2 start)? Montana’s first regular-season title (in 1980-81, the Mountain Division of the Northwest Women’s Basketball League)? The Lady Griz’ first appearance in a national tournament (1981-82, vs. Wayland Baptist in the AIAW) or the first time making the NCAA tournament (1982-83, vs. Louisiana-Monroe)?
Maybe his first conference coach of the year award (1981-82, NWBL) or his team’s first NCAA tournament victory (March 18, 1984, No. 4 Montana over No. 5 Oregon State in a game Selvig says was probably the moment for his program)
Or maybe it was the day a decade ago that he opened his mail to find the Street and Smith magazine listing the greatest women’s basketball programs of all time and seeing his little ol’ Montana program sitting there at No. 7, keeping company with Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Connecticut, Stanford and Texas, among others.
But maybe the moment was the moment that first had to occur before any of this could ever get rolling. Had it not, today Robin Selvig might be the most popular psychology and physical education teacher and girls’ basketball coach in northeast Montana and one of the winningest prep coaches in state history instead of one of winningest coaches in college history.
Do you know the story? How Robin Selvig, as a player at Montana in the early 70s, did not even know the school had the very women’s basketball program he would one day turn into a juggernaut, even though it practiced and played games just a few buildings down from the men’s team?
How after a year coaching the Griz freshman team and finishing his degree, in 1974-75, the Outlook native returned to northeast Montana and took over the girls’ program at Plentywood High for three years? And that he claims he could have done that for a career and still been perfectly content?
Or how in the summer of 1978, Selvig, Mike Montgomery and Tara VanDerveer — who today approach 2,400 career wins — had two things in common: They had zero of those wins, and they all converged in Missoula
The job interviews that were conducted and the decisions that were made set all three on hall of fame-level paths, and though one coach did not get the job she wanted, all are certainly pleased with how everything turned out.
At that time, to address the requirements set forth by the Title IX portion of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Montana Department of Athletics, which had been a men-only club, was taking on the school’s women’s programs, which had been operating within the Department of Physical Education.
The coaches of those women’s sports were on faculty appointments. Many were against the move, mostly because they thought the athletic experiences for women should be different than they were for men.
“When we combined departments, it resulted in a fairly significant resignation from the women who were coaching the female programs at that time. As a result of those resignations, we had to hire coaches in many if not all of our sports,” says Harley Lewis, who was then UM’s Director of Athletics.
Enter VanDerveer, who was then the JV and assistant varsity coach at Ohio State and who saw the Montana job listing in the Chronicle of Higher Education, and Selvig. The pair became two of the four finalists for the program’s first full-time coaching position.
(One of the other two finalists: Pat Dobratz, who later succeeded VanDerveer at Idaho and had a six-year record, from 1980-81 to 1985-86, with the Vandals of 142-39 and split her 10 head-to-head meetings with Selvig and Montana.)
Not that the job came without risks, because who knew where women’s collegiate athletics, and women’s basketball in particular, was headed?
Photo by Austin Smith forMakeItMissoula.com
“There was a decision to make. The money was barely more than I was making in high school, and it wasn’t like anyone knew this was going to be a fast-growing deal,” Selvig says. “But it looked like women’s basketball was going somewhere, and I just wanted to coach.”
Montgomery, who recently retired after successful runs at Montana, Stanford and California, was the Griz men’s coach at the time. He’d just been appointed to the position after two years as an assistant under Jim Brandenburg, who had left Montana to take over at Wyoming, when Montgomery was asked by Lewis to head the search to find Montana’s new women’s coach.
No one could have known the success three of those applicants would have as head coaches, but Selvig was holding all the right cards. He had spent three years coaching girls in the state. And he loved the University of Montana. The other applicants could spuriously make that claim. Selvig had already proved it.
“High school girls’ basketball was becoming a big deal in Montana,” Montgomery says. “That was one thing Robin had going for him. In Montana, everybody knows everybody and everybody knows the top players. Robin knew all the gals and all the coaches.
“You just felt that Robin had such a strong feeling for the state and the people in the state that he would be a good fit.”
Montgomery made the call, Lewis signed off on the decision.
“We felt with his Montana connections and his Montana roots that Robin would serve us very well,” Lewis says. “The mission of the University of Montana was — and hopefully still is — to give Montana residents the first shot at being involved in intercollegiate athletics, and we felt Robin would fulfill that role.
“I think we made a pretty good hire.”
VanDerveer, who played at Indiana when that program, too, was part of the school’s PE department, was going to be hired somewhere. It just wasn’t at Montana. She interviewed that summer at Colorado, Idaho and Montana, the last two on the same trip. Montana went with Selvig, Idaho went with VanDerveer, and the rest is history.
VanDerveer spent two seasons at Idaho and five years as the head coach at Ohio State before moving on to Stanford. She led the Cardinal to national championships in 1990 and ’92 and has been to 11 Final Fours.
She certainly would have led Montana to some success, but it’s doubtful she would have just finished up her 36th year coaching the Lady Griz.
“Tara would probably say it worked out well for both of us,” Selvig says. “She was going to do well, but we probably had different types of goals. Tara obviously had some goals of winning national championships, and that’s not unusual. I’m a Montana guy, and I’ve always known I have a good thing going here.”
VanDerveer, who still remembers how struck she was by the beauty of Missoula, agrees that the school made the right move when Montana selected Selvig. “It’s been a great fit for Robin, and it was a great decision when they hired him.”
“I don’t think you could predict anybody having the kind of success Robin’s had, or Tara for that matter. It’s extraordinary what she’s done at Stanford, and it’s extraordinary what he’s done at Montana,” Montgomery adds. “It would be pretty unique that you would have people who have done that well in one job search.”
Results under Selvig came quickly and were almost comical: winning his first 23 meetings against Montana State; going 13-13 and 19-10 his first two years, then reeling off 18 straight 20-win seasons, 29 overall; going 78-1 at home during one particularly dominant stretch of the 80s; winning the first 65 games against league opponents once the Big Sky Conference began sponsoring women’s sports in 1988-89.
And because of what he’s done and what he’s built, and because he claims he sees no end in sight, the on-court moments will continue. And then there will be larger moments.
There will one day be a retirement from coaching. Probably a trip to Springfield, Mass., for his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
And certainly one day future Griz and Lady Griz teams will play on Robin Selvig Court, because if Jiggs Dahlberg gets building naming rights for 222 wins, what does — dare we suggest? — 900-plus wins get a guy?
The Big Sky Conference certainly would have been worse off had Selvig not gotten the Montana job in 1978, or if he had opted to join Jud Heathcote at Michigan State when Selvig’s former coach at Montana offered him a job back in the early 80s, not long after Heathcote and Magic Johnson led the Spartans to the 1979 national championship.
The league would have been worse off, but how many women’s basketball coaches over the last three-plus decades would have been spared the annual question from their athletic director: Why can’t you do it like that guy?
This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014 at 8:00 am
Category Archive: All Featured, All Sports & Recreation, UM Athletics, University of Montana
Tags: Big Sky Conference, Lady Griz, Missoula, Montana, University of Montana
« DeCuire Formally Introduced as Griz Basketball Coach
Montana Women: Key Players in the Startup World »
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THE TESKEY BROTHERS RING IN THE FESTIVE SEASON
Image: Supplied.
After picking up the ARIA Award for Best Blues and Roots Album at last weeks ceremony, The Tesky Brothers are spreading Christmas cheer with the release of two original holiday themed tunes, Dreaming Of A Christmas With You and Highway Home For Christmas.
Speaking of the new tracks, the band shared: “Our first Christmas tunes! These two songs are both inspired by the lockdown we all faced this year. The story speaks to the separation of lovers and family, in Victoria’s case divided by the great Murray River, holding onto hope for a reunion at Christmas. You’ve got a lonely soul at home who's ‘Dreaming Of A Christmas With You’, while their loved one is hightailing it down the ‘Highway Home For Christmas’. After a slow year off the tools, it was so much fun to get back together and record these tracks live in the room.”
As if that wasn’t enough, the four-piece have also announced a special Christmas performance event with Orchestra Victoria. Taking place at Hamer Hall, the event will be premiere on YouTube, giving fans all over the globe the chance to join in on all the fun. As well as debuting their new Christmas tunes live, the band will be working with arranger Jamie Messenger to reimagine their classic songs over a 50-minute performance. Fans can watch the performance live here on December 22
The Teskey Brothers for Best Blues & Roots Album for their #1 ARIA chart-topping LP, Live At The Forum!, which was recorded during their 16-date sold out national Australian tour in 2019. Recorded during their four-night residency at the iconic Melbourne venue, the release features live recordings from the bands acclaimed records Run Home Slow (2019) and Half Mile Harvest (2017), as well as a special cover of John Lennon’s Jealous Guy. Live At The Forum is the first live album to go number 1 by an Australian band since 1992’s AC/DC Live.
Dreaming Of A Christmas With You and Highway Home For Christmas are out now! Watch the music video for Dreaming Of A Christmas With You below.
JOHN-ROBERT SHINES ON 'USMO'
CAMINO GOLD DROP NEW SINGLE ‘DREAMER’
SPOTLIGHT ON WILD YOUTH
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Amid numerous scams, Indian Crypto-currency industry readies code of conduct
Topics:Amazon, eCommerce, FDI In E-Commerce, US Government
Amazon continues to lobby for FDI in e-commerce
NT Balanarayan
Amazon lobbied US government agencies for the second quarter in a row, on issues related to foreign direct investment in India, international data flows and free trade agreements, according to a lobbying disclosure for the quarter filed by the company. It approached US Senate, House of representatives, US Trade Representative (USTR), Department of Commerce and the Department of State with these issues.
The company spent $830,000 on lobbying this quarter on issues such as net neutrality, patent laws, taxation, cloud security, online wine sales, big data, unmanned aerial vehicles and mobile payments, apart from FDI laws in India. The company had spent $960,000 lobbying for similar issues in the previous quarter.
Amazon has been expanding its offerings in India aggressively, but it remains a marketplace and the only item it seems to sell directly are Kindle e-book readers. It competes against companies like Flipkart, Snapdeal and eBay apart from vertical focused companies like Myntra and Jabong.
Getting 100% FDI in e-commerce here will be an uphill battle for Amazon, because all political parties seems to be against such investments, going by their election manifestos. However it is worth noting that commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma had said just ahead of the elections that he is in favor of allowing 100% FDI in the e-commerce sector.
Earlier in January, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) had also floated a discussion paper on e-commerce in India, mentioning that several MNCs, industry bodies and an international council have made a case for allowing FDI in B2C e-commerce while a national body of traders had strongly opposed this move. In its submission, E-commerce venture Yebhi had sought 100% FDI in e-commerce of all goods, except for food (Read: Medianama’s submission on FDI in E-commerce sent to the central government).
Lobbying in India: In India, Amazon has been continuously engaging with the Indian government to relax the regulations against foreign e-commerce companies and allow foreign direct investment in online retail. Amazon’s global vice president Paul Misener had met with Anand Sharma in February 2013 and again in July 2013 to discuss this issue.
In November 2013, a PTI report quoted Amazon director and general manager (seller services) Amit Deshpande saying that they are engaging with the government to relax FDI norms in e-commerce space, following which it can adopt a US-like hybrid model wherein Amazon will start retailing products along with the existing marketplace. Note that Amazon marketplace accounts for around 40% of their business in the US.
Following a long ambiguity in the Indian Government’s stance on FDI in e-commerce, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) had floated a discussion paper on e-commerce in India, in which it had mentioned that several MNCs, industry bodies and an international council have made a case for allowing FDI in B2C e-commerce while a national body of traders had strongly opposed this move.
In this article:Amazon, eCommerce, FDI In E-Commerce, US Government
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Tagged: communication covid19 interviews
The Sars-Cov-2 pandemic management in Italy: interview with Girolamo Sirchia
We are pleased to present an interview with Professor Girolamo Sirchia, memorable head physician of Haematology at the Milan Polyclinic Hospital, and Minister of Health from 2001 to 2005, during the SARS emergency; he is also known for his law against smoking (Law no. 3 of 16 January 2003), which not only had an impact on the health of Italians but was taken up as a model in all European countries.
MGM. Good morning Professor, and welcome. I read your posts on social networks and I always come out enriched, with an impression of great competence and calmness. You were Minister in 2003 during the SARS emergency and now here we are with COVID-19.
GS: COVID-19, this second SARS, unlike the first, is a demonstration of an incredible lack of epidemic emergency management. At the time of SARS, I was fortunate enough to have a strong friendship with US Secretary of State Tommy Thompson, who was dealing with health issues (under the Bush administration, he insisted – unheard – on the problem of lack of health insurance coverage for citizens, while the US continued to invest money in the army, ed.), for discussions on tobacco smoke. SARS broke out and I learned of their organisation of a Center for Disease Control. Indeed, I took up the American model and the organisation of the centres, and I issued the Decree Law no. 81/2003 (converted into Law no. 138/2004): the CDC is governed by the Director of Prevention of the Ministry and the regional directors for prevention, and its aim is to analyse epidemics in an international network with a core group of experts, and whether they can reach Italy. If the probability does not exist, we monitor without intervening; if it does, on the contrary, we build an epidemiological plan with three possible scenarios, mild, medium and severe. For each of these plans, a programme of actions is then made, from the involvement of the whole nation, to the evaluation of the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), to the definition of protocols for hospital and local doctors, nurses, army and civil protection. So in the serious scenario, like this last one in 2020, when the epidemic arrives you are not in the situation.
MGM: But we were in the situation, we could say in chaos, to date there is still no plan for territorial medicine, there is still discussion about who should do the swabs; so what happened to this CDC?
GS: It was financed until 2012, and in 2012 health care was massacred (together with the school ed): the plans for managing the epidemic were skipped, we found ourselves without general practitioners, without protective devices produced in Italy, continuing to give China the production of these PPE, instead of increasing production in Italy. This is why China also sold shoddy products to the highest bidder. In short, there has been a lack of a culture of risk, a culture of seriousness scenarios and what to put in place. SARS COVID-19 is an alarming disease, and it won’t even be the last pandemic if you don’t engineer these situations.
MGM: So we missed Risk management and Disaster recovery; dealing with narrative and therefore communication, with you we would like to examine two aspects: the narrative that scientists and doctors had with the public and the narrative of journalists during the pandemic in 2020.
GS. In the epidemiological plan of the CDC there is precisely a chapter that provides for communication to health care staff and the population: everything that did not happen here, and was disregarded. For example, there has not been a single spokesperson for the scientific technical committee, a single assigned, or a couple of people delegated to issue communications. For lack of these spokesmen, everyone has the right to speak in a frightening uncertainty: see the contrasts between the scientists who appear and are fomented by talk shows.
MGM: On the other hand, science also goes ahead because of disputes, confutations, the results by their nature must be questioned.
GS: Yes, but these disputes remain behind the scenes for public opinion. It is this uncertainty among scientists that leads people to be, on the one hand, terrified and, on the other hand, not to believe in any information because of the constant rethinking of action: people are intelligent, but at a time like this, in a great crisis, there is a need for clarity.
MGM The effect of the confusion is this polarisation between “denialism” and “terrorism”: in Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel informed all her citizens with great clarity, without hiding anything.
GS: In fact, and this is not the daily uproar we are witnessing: no one here is more credible, everyone has his or her own way. The Ministry of Health – which for us was represented by the CDC – should have organised an institutional communication, twice a day with clarity and transparency. Instead, every night we have a talk show of people fighting against each other.
MGM: Makes me think, maybe the doctors should take a step back?
GS: Sometimes they really should keep quiet. The truth is that we are at war, against an enemy called the virus. So we need a strict chain of command, and in a war there are only a few people in command, not everyone, and there are orders and prohibitions on intervention. The population must always be informed and in truth, things should not be sweetened and mitigated at all. Exactly as Anthony Fauci, who is good, credible, authoritative and respected (later dismissed by the Trump administration, ed), had set up the communication.
MGM: We are at war; thanks to those who told us about the Second World War, because they experienced it as a child, we know that children and young people did not go to school for some time because they were closed. Now there is the issue of distance learning.
GS: Walter Bergamaschi, director of ATS in Milan, with a degree in physics, had shown me the projection of the contagions when the schools reopened in September: the data were already dramatic, with projections that left no hope. I am perfectly aware that I am saying something extremely painful for children, young people and families, but distance education remains the least bad thing today. For a few months it is a necessary evil, at least to bring home some time while waiting for more effective therapies.
MGM: Professor, let’s come to the learning curve of treatments: from point 0, the moment the Virus appeared on 21 February, has anything changed?
GS: At first, nobody knew anything about the management of these patients, but then important information came to light: people died of pulmonary venous thrombosis, and this finding came about thanks to autopsies performed for the first time in Germany. Our DRG funding system provides for autopsy, but it is expensive, so what more can you do to save money? You cut money there instead of investing in knowledge. Because the autopsy is the key to understanding how the disease takes place: everything that came afterwards, the cortisone, the heparin, the aspirin, we owe to this procedure. Of course, we are waiting for the vaccine, or an antiviral, of monoclonal antibodies, tools that will allow us to resume a normal life.
MGM: In the book Spillover, David Quammen, biologist and reporter of National Geographic, writes that through continuous deforestation, pollution with consequent global warming, spills of oil, anthropization, we have destroyed biodiversity in its flora and fauna. And so viruses, which have always existed long before Homo Sapiens, come into contact with us more easily, even in our pets because we have destroyed the intermediate species – wild animals that did not get sick. In fact, never before in our history have so many epidemics been recorded as since the Second World War: and never before has the forest been so quickly felled as it has been in the last seventy years. Do you think there could be a relationship between zoonoses and the way we have treated the earth?
GS: The relationship is certain: we are talking about One Health, which is the collaborative efforts of several disciplines working at local, national and global level to achieve optimal health for people, animals and our environment. Let’s think of the animals that we raise in a shameful way, indoors with no possibility of moving, stuffed with hormones, forced in an uncivilized way, to make the cooks in the Masterchef’s to talk about recipes. But one could talk more about the Divine Comedy. I respect profit, but I cannot accept that profit comes before health; of course, we are all connected, we live in the same environment and we must keep the air unpolluted and the environment healthy.
MGM: You have made an extraordinary law, the law against smoking, trying to act on lifestyle: positive lifestyles act and strengthen the immune system, thus putting us in a situation of potential defence against the virus?
GS: Just look at the mortality data from COVID-19: these are “frail elderly people”, where “frail” means carriers of multiple chronic diseases. Fragility is therefore the threat, not just old age. Chronic diseases are the cause of death and derive from inadequate lifestyles: those who live well since childhood, eat healthily, do not smoke, move, become old, yes, it is inevitable, but not fragile …
MGM: Not fragile. “Anti-fragile” is a term that goes beyond resilient. Thank you again Professor for this vision of yours, which gives clarity to what is happening and also leaves us with a bit of a bitter taste for how it could have been handled both from the point of view of risk management and from the point of view of communicative narrative.
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Rheumatology > Arthritis
Comorbidities Frequent in Gout Patients
— Patients with gout had at least one comorbidity, according to new study.
by Wayne Kuznar, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today December 1, 2014
Comorbidities are common in patients with gout at diagnosis and are even likelier following the diagnosis, according to a case control study by authors from the U.K. and Taiwan.
"This study suggests that a thorough search for a broad range of comorbidity and subsequent vigilant observation should be considered for all patients with gout from the date of first diagnosis," they wrote in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
The case control study was conducted within the Clinical Practice Research Data-link, a U.K. database containing medical records of about 12 million individuals. From this database, 39,111 patients (72.5% men; mean age, 62.2 years) with incident gout were identified. Controls were matched individuals without gout identified at random from the same database. Comorbidities were assessed 10 years prior to diagnosis, 1 year prior to diagnosis, and from diagnosis to the occurrence of a comorbidity, death, or end of the study. The cumulative probability of comorbidity was estimated at the time of diagnosis (index date) and at 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, and 10 years following diagnosis.
At the time of diagnosis, significantly more people with incident gout had at least one comorbidity in the Charlson index compared with controls (32.25% versus 27.95%; P<0.001). Retrospective observation showed that cardiovascular and genitourinary diseases were associated with a higher risk for incident gout. The highest risks were for renal diseases, with an odds ratio (OR) of 5.96 and congestive heart disease (OR 4.37). In adjusted models in the 10-year and 1-year periods prior to diagnosis, hyperlipidemia (OR 1.71), hypothyroidism (OR 1.50), anemia (OR 1.40), psoriasis (OR 1.32), chronic pulmonary diseases (OR 1.30), osteoarthritis (OR 1.27), and depression (OR 1.09) were positively associated with incident gout.
Development of a first comorbidity was significantly faster in patients with incident gout. The median time to a first comorbidity was 43 months (95% CI 41-45 months) in patients with incident gout and 111 months (95% CI 108-115 months) in controls (P<0.001). A first comorbidity occurred in 42.09% of the group with incident gout versus 30.78% of the controls at 1 year post index, 45.39% versus 33.32% at 2 years, 53.99% versus 40.92% at 5 years, and 66.28% versus 51.51% at 10 years.
The cumulative probability of any increase in the Charlson index after diagnosis was significantly greater in patients with gout than in controls at all time points after diagnosis (P<0.001).
Gout was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 1.41 (95% CI 1.34-1.48) for having a Charlson index ≥1. The risk of an incident cardiovascular, genitourinary, metabolic/endocrine, and musculoskeletal/connective tissue disease comorbidity was higher in patients with gout, including triple the risk of incident renal disease (HR 3.18, 95% CI 2.88-3.50). Risks of liver diseases, hemiplegia, depression, anemia, and psoriasis were also higher in patients with gout.
Mortality at 5 years and 10 years after the index date was significantly higher (P<0.001) in patients with gout compared with matched controls: 14.43% versus 11.14% at 5 years and 26.98% versus 21.66% at 10 years. After adjustment for potential confounders, gout was associated with a HR of 1.13 (95% CI 1.08-1.18) for all-cause mortality (P<0.001).
Because some of the comorbidities, such as hypothyroidism and anemia, found to be associated with gout are not included in gout patient management guidelines, "this study supports the case for a comprehensive investigation for comorbidities, including but not limited to 'checklists,' as an integral part of initial assessment for patients with gout at diagnosis," according to the authors.
Limitations include potential misclassification of gout and comorbidities. In addition, all potential risk factors for gouty arthritis are not recorded in the database and therefore could not be adjusted for.
The authors report no financial conflicts related to this paper.
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Source Reference: Kuo CF, et al "Comorbidities in patients with gout prior to and following diagnosis: case-control study" Ann Rheum Dis 2014; DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-206410.
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דף הבית > שפות זרות > PARTNERS AND PURSESTRINGS
PARTNERS AND PURSESTRINGS
מאת: Ernest Stock
הוצאה: מנדלי מוכר ספרים ברשת | 1987 | 256 עמ'
קטגוריות: היסטוריה וביוגרפיות, עיון, שפות זרות
תגיות: PARTNERS AND PURSESTRINGS, Ernest Stock, A History of the United Israel Appeal.
"Written with beautiful lucidity… will hold the readers."
– Philip Bernstein, Executive Vice President Emeritus, Council of Jewish Federations
"Partners and Pursestrings is a must for anyone wishing to understand more about Israel's relations with American Jewry,"
– Yuval Elitzur, Ma'ariv
"Details… the UIA's rich history, one in which some of the great ideological and political struggles of American Jewish communal life and of the relationship between the American Jewish community and its counterpart in the land of Israel have been played out over the years…. Enormous value… eminently worth reading."
– Dr. Jonathan Woocher, Executive Vice President, Jewish Education Service of North America (review in American Jewish History)
"Finally we have a clear and authoritative book about the greatest of Jewish philanthropies…. Essential for the understanding of the American Jewish community's dynamics."
– Prof. Lloyd P. Gartner, Dept. of Jewish History, Tel Aviv University.
"The first serious academic history of the Zionist and pro-Israel fund-raising apparatus in the United States…. Fascinating."
– Prof. Daniel J. Elazar, Dept. of Political Studies, Bar-Ilan University
"Fascinating probe into the history of American Jewish fund-raising for Israel."
– Charles Hoffman in The Jerusalem Post
And more recently:
"A rich but highly readable and accessible narrative… a feat of brilliance.
I and anyone else who produces any work on American Jewish philanthropy in Israel will forever be indebted to you…."
– From a 2014 letter to the author by Dr. Eric Fleisch, Lecturer in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, Brandeis University
מקט: 001-2160-002
מסת"ב: 978-965-565-106-5
"Written with beautiful lucidity… will hold the readers." – Philip Bernstein, Executive Vice President Emeritus, Council of Jewish Federations […]
1. World War I – “All Would Have Been Lost…”
IF A specific date had to be chosen to mark the beginning of the enduring partnership between the Jews of America and the modern Jewish community in the Land of Israel, it might well be October 6, 1914, some two months after the roar of the “Guns of August” first signaled the outbreak of the World War, and just three weeks before the Ottoman Empire entered the war on the side of Germany. On that day, an American warship, the U.S.S. North Carolina, cast anchor off the port of Jaffa. Among those rowed ashore was an emissary from the American Ambassador to Constantinople, capital of the Ottoman Empire of which Palestine was a part. Having previously visited Palestine, the Ambassador, Henry Morgenthau, had become aware of the precarious situation of the country’s Jewish population which the war threatened to cut off from all sources of outside help. He immediately cabled his friend, the banker and philanthropist Jacob H. Schiff in New York, that “the Jews of Palestine were facing a terrible crisis” and that $50,000 was needed immediately.
Schiff went with the request to his colleagues at the American Jewish Committee, the organization dedicated to the protection of the civil and religious rights of Jews all over the world. The American Jewish Committee in turn consulted with the Provisional Committee for General Zionist Affairs, newly-established and headed by Louis D. Brandeis; its purpose to “save the Zionist Organization and its Palestinian institutions.”[1]
Within days, the sum requested was collected, a rather substantial amount by prevailing standards. The AJC allocated half from its own funds; another $12,500 was contributed by Mr. Schiff personally; and the remaining $12,500 was given by the Zionist Committee.[2]
An official report[3] later described the arrival of the American vessel at Jaffa port and the debarkation of the Ambassador’s emissary with the money as an extraordinary event. “It raised the morale of the Jews, who now realized that they were not forsaken but could count on the help of their brothers overseas.”
The ship’s arrival, the report went on, also enhanced the status of the Jewish community in the eyes of the rest of the population and of the authorities, who now realized that the Jews, through their connections with the outside world, were a more influential community than their mere numbers would indicate. Moreover, American vessels not only continued to deliver assistance to the Yishuv (the Jewish community in Palestine); but also evacuated Jews who were being ordered to leave and those who left voluntarily for fear of hunger and persecution. Thus, in May 1915, a special shipment of food supplies paid for from diverse Jewish sources including Zionist ones arrived on the U.S.S Vulcan at a most critical moment. “The situation in Palestine was such that, in spite of all the efforts made locally to overcome it, all would have been lost in a very short time if it had not been for the financial help from America. America was then the only country whose political and economic situation permitted it to save the Yishuv from ruin.”
Almost as significant as the relief shipments themselves was the way their distribution was organized. Maurice Wertheim, Morgenthau’s son-in-law, who brought that first $50,000 in October, turned the money over to a committee consisting of three prominent community leaders who, in consultation with Wertheim and the American Consul in Jerusalem, decided on a mode of distribution. They divided Palestine into three districts for the purpose – District A: Jerusalem, Hebron, and Motza (an early Jewish agricultural colony near Jerusalem); District B: Jaffa and the surrounding Jewish colonies; and District C: Haifa, Safad, Tiberias, and the colonies of the Galilee and Samaria. Each member of the central committee was in charge of a District, but the funds were actually distributed by specially appointed local committees chaired by the respective central committee member. The percentages received by each District were determined by the Central Committee (on what basis the report does not say): District A, 47 per cent; B, 26 per cent; C, 27 per cent. The local groups were given wide discretion in choosing the beneficiaries within guidelines established by the central committee:
twenty per cent of the funds to be used for the purchase of food products, which would be resold at cost;
forty per cent for food to be given away to those without means or to public kitchens (this category to include Muslims in a percentage to be determined by the local committee);
forty per cent to constitute a loan fund, to enable private employers or public bodies to employ Jewish workers.[4]
The members of the central committee were to send monthly financial reports to Dr. Arthur Ruppin, the committee’s chairman, who in turn was to forward these reports to Louis Marshall, the President of the American Jewish Committee in New York.
Though far from Zionist, the AJC had responded promptly to the emergency in Palestine. But as the war gathered momentum, its concerns would soon extend to other areas as well. Before long it found itself swamped by appeals for help from Jewish communities and organizations all over Europe. The Antwerp Jewish community, overwhelmed by the needs of refugees who flocked to it, appealed for help. The Alliance Israelite Universelle and the Anglo-Jewish Association asked for the AJC’s assistance in caring for the thousands of immigrants on their way to America when the outbreak of war left them stranded in Western Europe. Austria’s Israelitische Allianz pleaded on behalf of masses of Jews who, having fled from Galicia on the approach of the Russian troops, were crowding the cities of Vienna, Prague and Budapest. The Chief Rabbi of Salonica described the critical condition of the Jews of his city.
Fraternal organizations, such as B’nai B’rith, received urgent calls for help from their brother lodges in Europe. Landsmannschaften (Associations) of Rumanian Jews, Bessarabian and Polish Jews, were faced with desperate appeals from their kinsmen back home. Unions of Jewish workers in Europe turned to their fellow unionists in the United States. And finally, private persons and rabbis in America were flooded with messages of woe from individuals and groups caught in the first tide of misery and starvation.
As the ceaseless stream of cables brought about feverish and somewhat anarchic activity on many fronts, the AJC saw itself as the logical body to take the initiative toward some form of united action. Early in October 1914, Louis Marshall called upon all national Jewish organizations to send representatives to a conference “to consider the organization of a general committee and the formulation of plans to accomplish the largest measure of relief,” with no division in counsel or in sentiment. “All differences should be laid aside and forgotten. Nothing counts now but harmonious and effective action.”.”[5]
Marshall’s appeal met with a positive response, and on October 25th, delegates of 38 organizations gathered at Temple Emanuel in New York City to lay the foundations for the American Jewish Relief Committee. Among them was a delegation of the Federation of American Zionists, headed by Louis Brandeis. The officers they elected were among the foremost leaders of American Jewry: Louis Marshall, President; Cyrus L. Sulzberger and Oscar S. Straus, Secretaries; Felix M. Warburg, Treasurer; and an executive committee including Louis D. Brandeis, Julian W. Mack, Jacob H. Schiff, Dr. Judah L. Magnes and Dr. Cyrus Adler.
A statement issued after the conference announced that “representatives of the leading national Jewish organizations and of the important Jewish communities of America have formed a general committee for the relief of the Jews of the several European nations and of Palestine who now or may hereafter require aid in direct or indirect consequences of the war…. The fund collected is to be administered through such agencies as shall best accomplish an effective and equitable distribution among those individuals and institutions whom it is sought to help.”[6]
The American Jewish Relief Committee may be described as an early prototype for the United Jewish Appeal. It embodied the principle of a single nationwide campaign for overseas causes (Europe and Palestine), even though its structure was different from the model that was to evolve in the 30s. While the United Jewish Appeal was established as a campaign instrument by its constituents (the Joint Distribution Committee and the United Palestine Appeal), the prototype was created by an outside organization (the American Jewish Committee). Its main “beneficiary” was organized later, as a distributing arm for funds already raised. Together with an Orthodox relief committee and a third, labor-socialist fundraising group called the People’s Relief Committee, the ARJC founded the Joint Distribution Committee of the American Funds for Jewish War Sufferers, soon to be known as the JDC, or the “Joint.” Only after the War did the three component groups fade from view, while the “Joint” remained on the scene.[7]
It was understood that the new body would operate both in Europe and Palestine; no distinction was to be made on the basis of geography, the only criterion being need. The Zionist leader, Louis D. Brandeis, was also among the founders of the American Jewish Relief Committee and of the JDC. There was at first no conflict between the programs of these groups and that of the emergency fund established by the Zionist Federation. On the contrary, Brandeis and his Zionist associates had reason to be gratified that the JDC assigned such a prominent place in its relief efforts to Palestine, and that its action there helped prevent worse disaster than befell the Yishuv. In June 1915, Brandeis cabled Ambassador Morgenthau in Constantinople, “to express to you the very high appreciation of the Zionists, and generally of the Jews in America, for the devoted and efficient aid which you are giving to our brethren in Palestine.”[8]
Until the outbreak of World War I, American financial aid reached Palestine almost exclusively through religious channels: the system known as chalukka (distribution) by which Jews in the diaspora supported the Orthodox Old Yishuv and its institutions of learning and of charity. Donations to the pious emissaries of the Yishuv were considered a mitzva, a fulfillment of a religious duty, and little attention was paid to follow up regarding the use of the money. The agricultural colonies which constituted the heart of the modern Zionist settlement until the turn of the century were dependent in large measure for both capital investment and the covering of current deficits on the generosity of Baron Edmond de Rothschild of France, the man who is sometimes called the father of modern Jewish settlement in Palestine. When the Ottoman Empire entered the war on the side of the Central Powers, with France as the main enemy, the colonies were not only subjected to harassment by the Turkish overlords; they were also cut off from their financial lifeline.
The Zionist Organization had, in 1904, founded its own subsidiary for collecting voluntary donations which it called the Jewish National Fund (Keren Kayemet LeIsrael); its income, some $100,000 by 1918, was intended mainly for the purchase of land for Jewish settlement. The Organization collected additional funds for the Palestine community and channelled them through the Palestine Office it had established in Jerusalem in 1908 under the direction of Dr. Arthur Ruppin. Until the war, these sums had been anything but significant (about $12,000 annually from the U.S.)[9] and, with the outbreak of hostilities, even this small amount could no longer be counted on. Still another source of funds, the annual membership dues payment to the Zionist Organization called the Shekel, intended to finance the administrative expenses of the Zionist Organization, was also subject to wartime disruptions.
The Zionists’ wartime emergency fund initiated by Brandeis had managed to raise $170,000 by 1915, but, during the same period, the American Jewish Relief Committee collected almost ten times as much – $1,500,000 for distribution overseas by the JDC. Before long, Brandeis pleaded that more of these funds be directed to Palestine, and the first signs of friction between the Zionists and the JDC made their appearance.[10] By the time the war ended, the AJRC had collected over $16,500,000[11], having developed an effective campaign organization headed by a resourceful professional staff and based on local volunteer branches. These branches raised respectable amounts even by today’s standards. Pace-setting gifts were obtained from such men as Julius Rosenwald, Felix Warburg, Herbert Lehman, Jacob Schiff, Nathan Straus, and others. In addition to these leading Jewish personalities, local groups were often able to enlist the aid and sympathy of non-Jewish circles. An example was set by President Woodrow Wilson himself, who proclaimed January 27, 1916 as a special day for public contributions to the Jewish Relief Fund. The President’s noble gesture also had its drawbacks, as described in this contemporary report:
A million dollars was collected throughout the country on the streets, in hotels and other public places. In the light of the intense interest manifested everywhere and the splendid publicity given by the press, it is fair to say that with an effective organization as we now understand the term, at least ten million dollars might have been obtained through this appeal of President Wilson. Men and women who should and would have been willing to subscribe substantial amounts if properly approached, dropped a coin in the box, necessarily not more than a dollar, and oft times a fraction of that amount.
But in terms of the future, there was a lesson to be learned from the event. As the same account puts it:
The Wilson Day campaign marked an important step in the progress of national fundraising. It pointed out the weakness of street collection, and the vital necessity of a carefully planned effort, which laid special stress upon the wealthy, who in fairness should bear the greater part of the burden, instead of the wage earners who generously gave their nickels and dimes, many times at a great personal sacrifice.[12]
The JDC’s expenditures in Palestine during the period from November 1914, when it began operating, until June 30, 1921, amounted to $5,200,000, out of a total of $38,000,000 spent in the same seven-year period. It was the third largest amount for any country (Poland being first with $11,500,000, followed by Rumania with $5,400,000) even though the Jewish population of Palestine could hardly compare in size with those vast centers of Jewry. As against barely 70,000 in Palestine after the war, there were some 3,000,000 Jews in Poland alone.
But the JDC in that initial period saw its role as confined to relief of wartime suffering and the reconstruction of lives and communities damaged by the war. No matter how effective its fundraising machinery, and how generous its appropriations for the Yishuv in Palestine, it could not take the place of a fund designed to finance the new immigration and settlement opportunities opened up by the Mandate. Moreover, since its main purpose was relief of war-induced suffering, the leadership of the JDC still thought of their organization as transitory, to be wound up as soon as its most urgent war-imposed tasks were behind it.
The Zionist Organization, on the other hand, needed an effective fundraising mechanism of its own to nurture its enterprise. This became an imperative after Britain’s Balfour Declaration in November 1917 had put a great power’s stamp of approval on the idea of the Jewish National Home. Two months after the issuance of the Declaration, Chaim Weizmann and his fellow Zionist leaders proclaimed an interim Preparation Fund, Keren Hakhana in Hebrew, with a worldwide goal of $1,000,000. But the total amount collected did not exceed $650,000, of which 40 per cent came from America.[13] The money was put at the disposal of the Zionist Commission, established by the Zionist Organization in April 1918 “to act as an advisory body to the British Authorities in Palestine in all matters relating to Jews, or which may affect the establishment of a National Home for the Jewish people in accordance with the Declaration of His Majesty’s Government.” The Commission, chaired by Dr. Weizmann, took over the functions of the former Palestine Office as the representative on the spot of the World Zionist Organization, implementing its programs. It remained active until the first post-war Zionist Congress convened in Carlsbad in September 1921 and created a Jerusalem section of the Zionist Executive, to become known as the Palestine Executive, to replace the Zionist Commission as the operating arm of the WZO in Palestine.
To quote from the Organization Department’s Report to the 12th Zionist Congress on the need for funds in those years:
As the war continued, the problems in Palestine multiplied. To the unavoidable calamities of war were added other evils, such as the locust plague in 1915 and the messirah [charge] lodged with the Turkish Government against the Zionists by certain Jewish traitors which was aimed at the expulsion of all leading Zionists and the destruction of the Zionist institutions in Palestine. In the autumn of 1917 began the British conquest of Palestine, leading to the capture of Jerusalem early in December of that year. In their retreat the Turks evacuated large numbers of the Jewish population, whose great distress intensified the problems of eleemosynary relief. The addition of the war epidemics of typhus and cholera to the endemic diseases of malaria and trachoma, and, furthermore, a dearth of physicians and a depletion of medical stores, rendered the health conditions exceedingly precarious and made imperative a large-scale action in medical relief.[14]
In 1919 the Preparation Fund was renamed the Restoration Fund (Keren Geulah), its income continuing to be used by the Zionist Commission to support the settlements, assist immigrants and subsidize the cost of education and health. The sum collected in the following two years – $3,770,000, half of which came from the U.S. – was sorely inadequate, not only in relation to actual needs but especially in light of the challenges for the future posed by the Balfour Declaration.
The Balfour Declaration, issued by the British Government on November 2, 1917, had merely held out the prospect of a National Home in Palestine; but when the Peace Conference in 1919 incorporated the Declaration in the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine its implementation became a practical possibility. As a further step toward realization of the dream, the Allied Powers, meeting at San Remo in April 1920, conferred the Mandate on Great Britain.
Chaim Weizmann was anxiously waiting in the lobby of the hotel where the conference took place when David Lloyd George, the British Prime Minister, approached him. “Now it’s up to you,” Lloyd George said to the Zionist leader. “You have no time to waste. Today the world is like the Baltic before a frost. For the moment it is still in motion. But if it gets set, you will have to batter your heads against the ice blocks and wait for a second thaw.”[15]
The challenge before the Zionist Organization was urgent and clear. To confront it, Weizmann convened a special conference of delegates of Zionist bodies in London that summer – the first such meeting since the outbreak of the war – where the question of how to secure the necessary funds was high on the agenda. Two Russian Zionists living in Paris, Isaac Naiditsch and Hillel Zlotopolsky, brought in a proposal for a $100,000,000 endowment fund. The name they chose for their project was Keren Hayesod – in English, “Foundation Fund.” In their optimistic concept, the pledges for the entire amount were to be obtained in the first year and to be paid off in instalments over a five-year period. The proposal was adopted by the Conference, but before the Fund became operative, considerable controversy arose as to its future mode of operation.[16] At one point the two “founders” resigned in protest from the Fund’s Executive Committee and were persuaded to return only with some difficulty. And within a year, Justice Brandeis, who headed the American delegation to the London Conference, would resign his leadership position in the American and World Zionist movements.
המדריך המקוצר למתגרש
מחר תזרח השמש
פנקס הכיס של השועל
מאחורי מסך המשי: עמים ויהודים במרחב האיראני
לגעת בנפש
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New Rules Threaten Tide of Chinese Buyers
Iris Duan 7076 2017-01-17
MNP's TAKE: Realtors and developers in Canada’s hottest real estate markets of Vancouver and Toronto are keeping a close eye on new currency exchange restrictions announced in China. In a bid to staunch the flow of yuan out of the country, the Chinese government has tightened regulations around buying foreign currencies and increased penalties for infringements. This could reduce opportunities for middle-class Chinese to buy residences in overseas markets, such as Canada, but likely not impede more affluent individuals and those who find alternate ways of purchasing a home overseas.
Understanding the nuances of issues impacting Canada’s dynamic real estate market is key to remaining competitive and successful. For more information on how MNP can help, contact Iris Duan, CPA, CA, National Leader, China Services, at 604.685.8408 or [email protected]
BY NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE FROM THE GLOBE & MAIL
China’s restrictions on individuals moving cash seen hitting Vancouver, Toronto, where foreign purchasers have boosted home prices
Strict new government scrutiny on Chinese people who want to convert their money into other currencies threatens to slow the rush of foreign property buying that has stoked sky-high home prices in Canada and around the world.
For months, China has sought to dam the flood of money pouring out of its borders, which has rapidly diminished its stockpile of foreign reserves.
It has raised new barriers to companies buying abroad and moving money out of the country.
Now, authorities in China are taking new steps to bar individuals from putting their cash into overseas markets to buy homes and other investments, a change with important implications for cities such as Vancouver and Toronto where Chinese buyers had contributed to frenzied property trading.
Under the new regime, the number of buyers will “drop sharply,” said Andy Xie, a China economist formerly with Morgan Stanley.
Those selling homes to Chinese buyers should brace for their “business to shrink dramatically,” he warned.
The Vancouver region’s real estate market has already been cooling off for months, after sales volume and prices peaked last spring.
In February, the B.C. government slapped a tax on the portion of a property sale above $2-million and then implemented a 15-per-cent tax on foreign home buyers in Metro Vancouver in August.
In the seven weeks leading up to the tax’s implementation in the Vancouver area, foreign purchasers (including those from China) accounted for 13.2 per cent of the region’s total.
Since then, the influx of foreign buyers has slowed to a relative trickle, according to the B.C. government.
In October, Ottawa tightened mortgage rules in general and closed tax loopholes used by some purchasers who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
Real estate industry officials said Wednesday it will take many months for the impact of various government measures in Canada and restrictions in China to play out. “There are so many factors in the housing market,” said Dan Morrison, president of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. “Vancouver is not a homogeneous market. Some people want to point to one easy problem or one easy solution, and there is no such thing.”
People in China, who can normally only convert $50,000 (U.S.) a year in foreign currency, have long been technically barred from buying property overseas, but those rules have not been rigorously enforced.
At the outset of 2017, however, China imposed a series of new documentation requirements on currency transactions and punishments for using money in ways the rules don’t allow.
Before, changing yuan into loonies could be done with the tap of a smartphone screen. Now, banks have begun requiring paperwork that entails submitting for approval the reason a person wants to obtain foreign currency and when it will be used. A new rule then holds people liable for what they do with that money — and could bar them from exchanging money for up to three years if they are found to have used it improperly, such as for the purchase of a home.
The rich, with corporate assets and access to sophisticated market tools for stealthily routing money around the world, are unlikely to feel much difference from the change.
But for the middle class, which has become an important force in property markets in places such as Canada, the United States and Australia, “it will have a big impact,” Mr. Xie said.
Families that once bundled together converted currency to buy condominiums and modest houses abroad will face new inspection of their currency conversions and new risks to falling afoul of the rules.
Mr. Xie expects many to simply abandon the idea, particularly since the rules also give banks much more latitude to simply deny transactions. He expects authorities to give banks quotas, in a bid to keep the country’s foreign reserves from dipping below $3-trillion, a line Beijing does not want to cross, he said. In November, China’s foreign reserves stood just $50-billion from that mark.
“China is trying to defend the line,” he said, a shift that has created anger among Chinese citizens, which spilled out on social media.
“Why can companies use vast amounts of foreign currency to buy mines or contracts for soccer stars, but citizens can’t buy houses abroad?” one person complained.
Another posted a mock bank application, saying the reason for needing foreign currency was that “I have lung disease and need to breathe fresh air in Canada,” and, “if I don’t go to a country with a better environment, I will have to use this money to buy a tomb in Beijing.”
Those in the property industry, however, say they aren’t worried Chinese buying will stop. In the first few days under the new policy, clients have asked questions, but, “I haven’t seen any anecdotal reasons to believe that there will be a drop in inquiry levels from a year earlier,” Charles Pittar, chief executive officer of Juwai.com, the top international property website for Chinese buyers, said in an e-mailed statement.
Rather than dry up, he expects Chinese home acquisitions to grow alongside rising domestic wealth and an appetite for overseas property.
“There is no doubt that Chinese buyers will set new records for international property purchase in the years to come,” Mr. Pittar said.
Indeed, crackdowns inside China often have the opposite effect.
Many cities have rolled out policies to tame real estate markets in recent years only to find the announcement of the new rules “turned out to be a starting gun for even more house buying,” said Li Zhanjun, director of the Shanghai Yiju Real Estate Research Institute.
“Don’t imagine that once the government announces something, it will always reach its intended outcome.”
The new currency rules could even motivate more Chinese buying by making “people more worried about the security of their assets and more eager to move them overseas,” said Anne Stevenson-Yang, co-founder of investment advisory J Capital Research.
Chinese investors tend to be nimble in finding ways around new rules, too. “It takes about a month before people find the next channel,” Ms. Stevenson-Yang said.
Still, the Chinese determination to choke cash outflows appears to be serious, and could have implications that extend far beyond property and into other sectors whose payrolls and future plans are increasingly dependent on Chinese money, such as universities and tourism operators.
What China is doing with capital controls is similar to its successful management of the Internet. Access to censored web...
sites “is not impossible from China, but it’s just a big hassle, and because it’s a hassle, very few people manage to do it on a regular basis,” said Victor Shih, who specializes in Chinese fiscal policy at the University of California, San Diego.
The goal with currency conversion restrictions “is exactly the same — to create enough friction to deter the vast majority of people from converting sizable amounts of money,” he said.
China could do much more, Dr. Shih said. Every month, Chinese people spend between $15-billion and $20-billion abroad on services such as tourism and education. It’s a huge cash drain, and one that China could pare back by restricting the number of people who can travel and study abroad.
“I really think this is where it’s all heading — dialling back the clock to the early eighties, when all flows, including visits, were tightly regulated by the government,” Dr. Shih said.
“The leadership would like a certain combination of outcomes — stable growth, and also currency stability, and also no financial risk,” he said. “In order to accomplish that, you just have to control more and more stuff.”
This article was written by Nathan Vanderklippe from The Globe And Mail and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
China; Real Estate ＆ Construction
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Motorola V80, V180 and V220
Discontinued / End of life
Motorola have announced three new phones to complement their growing range of V-series handsets. The V180 and V220 fit pretty squarely into the range of phones that starts with the minimalist V150 up to the V600. The V80 is a different beast altogether. There's no sign of the long-awaited MPX220, but Motorola have demonstrated that they're still the market leaders in the clamshell market. In addition to these new phones, Motorola have also announced a limited black edition of the V600 - a phone that's almost impossible to find in the retail channel as it is.. a limited edition of a limited edition?
Motorola V80
Possibly the joker in the pack of V-series mobiles, the V80 brings back the rotating mechanism that we'd seen before in the Motorola V70. Although at first glance the rotating mechanism looks like a gimmick, it's actually very practical on this phone, as we will see later.
In pure technical terms, the V80 is pretty typical for a high-end compact handset. It's a tri-band GSM phone with support for GPRS, Bluetooth and Java plus a large 176x220 pixel display and VGA resolution camera. There's instant messaging support, an email client, MMS and an internal antenna to keep it looking tidy.
However, the rotating mechanism (dubbed as having "auto open" capability) is highly useful here.. with the large screen and navigation key visible at all times, this means that most people will rarely have to open the keypad. And more interestingly it makes it a good-looking games console.
And it's games that the V80 excels at, and it beats the rival Nokia N-Gage on several key features. Firstly, the screen is larger and has a greater colour depth, it has more memory as standard, the V80 is smaller and lighter and the design isn't as compromised as the N-Gage because it works perfectly well as a phone too. Plus there's peer-to-peer gaming over Bluetooth, so you can play games against friends.
There's no doubting that the V80 is an attractive phone too, and the rotating function definitely adds to the "wow" factor. The V80 should sell well on looks alone.
However, the rest of the phone, although competent, is nothing to write home about. The screen only looks good compared to the current batch of Nokias - if you look at something like the Sharp GX30, then the V80 is easily beaten in terms of screen and camera resolution, but the V80 is prettier and better for gaming.
We think this is going to be a phone in some demand when it comes out. Our estimate of contract prices is about �180/�290 on a 200 minute cross network tariff.
Motorola V80 At A Glance
Tri-band GSM
176x220, 65k colours
Unique rotating format
99x44x19mm / 92 grams
3.5 hours talk / 5 days standby
In stark contrast to the V80 is the V180 model. Pitched somewhere between the back-to-basics V150 and low-end camera phone, the V220, this unit is pitched at the bottom end of the market.
There's no digitial camera, and the display is only a basic 128x128 pixel unit in 4096 colours. It's a tri-band GSM unit with GPRS though and like all of the recent Motorola clamshells, it's in an extremely attractive case, complete with a small secondary display on the outside so you call tell who's calling.
You can expect the V180 to be free on all but the most basic tariffs. This looks like a practical, inexpensive phone with some cool features such as a ringtone mixer that's likely to shift in some volume for lower-cost contracts.
Motorola V180 At A Glance
128x128, 4000 colours
Approx 95x45x25mm / 85 grams
Best described at a V180 with a built-in VGA resolution digital camera, the Motorola V220 is similarly pitched at the budget end of the market. It does nicely fill in the gap between the V150 & V180 and the extremely popular V300. The press releases show a farily standard, but compact, silver clamshell with a bottom-end screen, but this is a competitive part of the market, and the V220 is going to be fighting out for market share against the elegant Siemens MC60.
But the Motorola V220 (UK Only)
Compact clamshell
Approx 85x45x22 mm / 80 grams
Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on new mobile phones as they are announced
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Grey’s Anatomy Star Sarah Drew Is Pregnant!
July 28, 2011 by ModernMom Staff Leave a Comment
“Grey’s Anatomy” star Sarah Drew is expecting her first child with husband Peter Lanfer. The baby is due in January. The 30-year-old actress, who plays Dr. April Kepner on ABC’s hit show, was promoted to series regular in June.
And she’s not the only cast member with a growing family – Eric Dane (Dr. McSteamy) and Rebecca Gayheart confirmed a few weeks ago that they’re expecting their second child.
But the big question on everyone’s mind is whether or not the writers are going to work Drew’s pregnancy into the show. It would be a big development for her character, as previous storylines have revealed that Dr. Kepner is still a virgin.
Do you watch Grey’s Anatomy? If so, We want to hear your predictions for the future of Dr. April Kepner. Let us know in the comments below!
The Stranger You Know: How to Spot a Child Molester’s Tricks
Do you think you would be able to tell if a sexual predator … [Read More...] about The Stranger You Know: How to Spot a Child Molester’s Tricks
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Last Updated: Tuesday, 20 October 2020
Working abroad can be a satisfying and exciting addition to anyone's career development plans. The rewards include not just a paycheck, but the opportunity to live in another country and experience a different culture. Before deciding if working abroad is the right choice, we've put together some information that can help everyone make a more informed decision.
Learning about other Countries
Prior to moving, or taking a job abroad, the first step is to truly learn about a country. The best approach is to research the country as if planning a vacation. Travel agencies will provide tourist information, airlines carry brochures for the countries they fly to, the country itself might have a department of tourism, and certainly foreign embassies can provide up-to-date information.
Hot Jobs in 2015
Make sure to learn about cultures, local customs, and the political environment. It is difficult to learn a new language as an adult; if English is the only language known, think about working in countries with a significant English-speaking population.
The U.S. Department of State maintains a current listing of travel advisories. Such advisories, or warnings, are an important source of information when conducting this research. Warnings or advisories can be a result of health conditions, crime, unusual entry requirements, or unstable governments.
The Department of State maintains consular data sheets for every country in the world, and their website is an important source of information for anyone considering working abroad.
The documentation needed while working abroad will vary from country to country. That being said, it's still possible to make some generalizations. The first requirement is a passport. Even if the foreign country does not require a passport, having one will make it much easier when returning to the United States. That's because a passport is recognized as the single best proof of U.S. citizenship.
A visa may also be required, which is an endorsement or stamp that is placed in a passport. A visa permits someone to stay in a country for a specified period of time, and this is usually for a specified purpose, such as working. Getting a visa is much easier if it's done before departing. It's possible to apply for a visa through an embassy, a consulate, or even a travel agent can help with the process.
Records of immunizations may also be required under international health regulations. In particular, a country may require proof of immunization against cholera and yellow fever. In some countries, typhoid fever vaccinations are also required.
If someone becomes hospitalized due to injury or illness, medical care overseas can be very costly. Learn about the process, and the health coverage someone might be entitled to receive. For example, it's important to understand the effective dates of insurance if covered by an overseas company. If continuing coverage under a health insurance plan obtained in the United States, make sure the medical, dental, and healthcare coverage under that policy is clear.
Even if health insurance covers medical expenses while working abroad, supplemental insurance for medical evacuation back to the United States may be warranted. Emergency transportation to the U.S. can cost in excess of $10,000. If the health care system of the country is considered inadequate, it may be a good idea to purchase this insurance.
In general, Social Security and Medicare taxes will apply to wages earned while working abroad, if one of the following conditions applies:
The work involves a U.S. employer.
The taxpayer is working in a country in which the U.S. has entered into a Totalization Agreement. This type of agreement is a Social Security agreement between the U.S. and the foreign country.
The work involves a foreign partner of an American employer under a voluntary agreement with the U.S. Treasury Department. A foreign partner is one in which an American corporation owns a 10% interest in voting stock or profits of the partner.
Finally, self-employed citizens that are working abroad are subject to a self-employment tax on net earnings of more than $400 up to $137,700 in 2020 and $142,800 in 2021.
About the Author - Working Abroad
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MGA News
School of Arts and Letters
Category School of Arts and Letters College of Arts and Sciences Athletics School of Aviation School of Business School of Computing School of Education and Behavioral Sciences Events- Public Events- Students Faculty/Staff Finding Greatness School of Health and Natural Sciences School of Health Sciences Honors/Awards School of Information Technology In the News Knightly News Pressroom Students
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Middle Georgia State University (MGA) announces the names of undergraduate students who made the fall semester 2020 President's List and Dean's List. Students on the President's List had a grade point average of at least 3.8. The Dean's List ...
In partnership with the University System of Georgia, Middle Georgia State University (MGA) is significantly expanding mental health services to students. As part of a new initiative called BeWell@MGA, the University will introduce the ...
MGA Approved As Level V Institution, Paving The Way For Doctoral Degree Introduction
Middle Georgia State University is now a Level V institution following approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The new status, which SACSCOC announced on December 8, 2020, means that Middle Georgia ...
MGA’s Fall 2020 Enrollment Marks Eight Consecutive Semesters of Growth
Continuing an upward trend, Middle Georgia State University (MGA) grew its enrollment this fall by more than 4 percent over last year. MGA's fall 2020 enrollment reached 8,404 students, according to the University System of Georgia’s ...
MGA Theatre’s Unique Pandemic Era Production Set for November 18
Ok, so the title of Middle Georgia State University Theatre’s upcoming production needs a bit of explaining. The “hybrid” play, so called because the production does not take place on a traditional stage but will be ...
MGA Theatre Cochran Presents Pandemic-Influenced Play Created By Students
The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting live theatre perhaps more than any other art form. Social distancing makes it difficult – impossible in many cases – for audiences to gather in theaters to watch live performances. Production ...
Age Is No Barrier To This MGA Music Student
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USG Grant To Help Middle Georgia State University’s BROS Initiative
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Finding Greatness: Tesia Baker
Health services administration major Tesia Baker is one of #MGA’s most high-profile student leaders. She is, among many other things, president of the University’s Student Government Association. Baker was a panelist for the ...
MGA Ranks 14th on U.S. News & World Report “Best Regional Colleges South” List
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Finding Greatness: Joey Bronner
Joey Bronner, a church music director and private percussion and piano instructor, is pursuing MGA’s Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary Musicianship to take his career to a new level. Full Name: Joey ...
MGA Announces Summer 2020 President’s And Dean’s Lists
Middle Georgia State University (MGA) announces the summer semester 2020 President's List and Dean's List. Students on the President's List had a grade point average of at least 3.8. The Dean's List includes students who had at least a 3.5 grade ...
Finding Greatness: Jordan Pridgeon
Media and Communication major Jordan Pridgeon is editor of the MGA student newspaper, The Statement, and layout editor of the art and literary publication, The Fall Line Review. First Name: Jordan Pridgeon. Age: 21. Hometown: “I was ...
MGA Theatre Director Envisions ‘Hybrid’ Production in Midst of Pandemic
Like many things in the age of COVID-19, theatre faces an uncertain future. When will it be safe for audiences to gather again to watch live drama productions? Dr. Stephen Wisker, visiting theatre director at Middle Georgia State, ...
Finding Greatness: Chip Fulcher
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MGA Faculty and Staff Members Recognized for Scholarship, Service, and Teaching
Eight Middle Georgia State University (MGA) faculty and staff members have received awards for excellence in scholarship, service of various kinds, and teaching. The awards were announced at the 2020 fall convocation held virtually on Thursday, ...
MGA’s School of Arts & Letters Kick Starts University Discussions on Racial Justice
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Middle Georgia State University Sets Summer Enrollment Record
Middle Georgia State University (MGA) set a summer enrollment record in 2020 - the largest percentage increase in its history. Summer 2020 enrollment is 4,090, a 14.5 percent increase over summer 2019 and a 21 percent increase over summer 2018. ...
MGA Announces Spring 2020 Dean's and President's Lists
Middle Georgia State University (MGA) announces the spring semester 2020 President's List and Dean's List. Students on the President's List had a grade point average of at least 3.8. The Dean's List includes students who had at least a 3.5 ...
MGA to Host Web-Based Info Session About Fully Online Master of Arts in Technical and Professional Writing
Middle Georgia State University's Office of Graduate Studies is hosting a web-based meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 27, to give anyone interested in the Master of Arts in Technical and Professional Writing or the 15-credit-hour graduate ...
MGA’s New School of Arts & Letters Focuses on Program Innovation, Marketplace Value
As the first dean of Middle Georgia State University’s new School of Arts & Letters, Dr. Mary Wearn is committed to countering the “false narrative” that liberal arts programs are great at producing creative ...
MGA Direct Energizes Middle Georgia State’s Fully Online Degree Options
When Christina McDaniel enrolled at Middle Georgia State University (MGA) in 2013, her love of literature drew her to the bachelor’s degree program in English.The Warner Robins native and Houston County High School graduate said she ...
MGA Today Spring Issue Now Online
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MGA Professor: Why Shakespeare Still Matters
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MGA Professor Named Governor’s Teaching Fellow
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Adapting to the Online Class Shift: One MGA Professor’s Story
Dr. Sabrina Wengier, associate professor of French at Middle Georgia State University (MGA), is used to teaching classes online – just not all of them at once. As it did for many of her MGA colleagues, as well as college and university ...
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MGA History Professor Receives $40,000 Research Grant
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English Major Logan Gibbs Named MGA’s 2020 Academic Recognition Day Scholar
Logan M. Gibbs, a senior English major, has been named Middle Georgia State University’s 2020 Academic Recognition Day Scholar. Each year, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG) honors a student from each of the ...
Dr. Robertiena Fletcher to Visit Middle Georgia State University To Discuss Her Civil Rights Activism
Dr. Robertiena Fletcher, who in the early 1960s was one of a number of girls locked away in an abandoned Leesburg, Ga., jail for protesting racial segregation, will talk about her experiences at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, in the Arts Complex ...
Finding Greatness: Sandy Callaway
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Middle Georgia State University to Host U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo
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MGA Hosts Award-Winning Journalist Sarah Topol For Master Lectures and Conversations Series
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MGA to Graduate Nearly 700 Students at Fall 2019 Commencement
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Middle Georgia State Symposium Highlights the Achievements and Suffering of an American Composer
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Finding Greatness: Carolyn Goodman
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MGA Library Named An Official NaNoWriMo Writing Center
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Finding Greatness: Zoe Edenfield
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MGA Launches Strategic Partnerships Office to Support Online Campus
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MGA Appoints New Deans of the Schools of Arts & Letters and Business
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MGA Holding Auditions for “Blood at the Root” Play
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Middle Georgia State University Introduces New Schools in Academic Reorganization
A new academic organizational structure will help Middle Georgia State (MGA) strengthen efforts to create smaller, supportive communities of students, faculty and others within the University as a whole. As of July 1, 2019, MGA’s ...
On July 1, 2019 a new academic structure went into effect at MGA and many academic departments were moved into new schools. For releases dated before July 1, 2019, please see the category page from the specific department’s former college/school:
For releases about the Department of English, the Department of History, or the Department of Media, Culture and the Arts, click here for the former College of Arts and Sciences.
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Employee Misconduct: How Should an Employer Respond?
The recent publicity around the off-field behaviour of rugby players has highlighted the challenges employers face when dealing with employee misconduct. This issue can be especially problematic when the conduct amounts to criminal conduct and criminal proceedings are operating in parallel with an employer’s investigation. In this scenario, there is an inevitable conflict between the employment law duty of good faith (which requires parties to be “responsive and communicative”) and the criminal law right to silence.
Two cases illustrate the critical nature of the timing and quality of an employer’s investigation. The first case concerned a bus driver, employed by Ritchies. One of the driver’s passengers made a complaint of sexual assault against him. The Employment Court held that the decision to dismiss the bus driver was unjustified.
Before the employer’s investigation was completed, a criminal jury trial took place and the driver was acquitted of a charge of indecent assault. During the criminal process, the employer suspended the driver without pay. Following the acquittal, the employer resumed its investigation, and summarily dismissed the driver a few months later.
The Employment Court held that the dismissal was unjustified because the employer had a predetermined view that serious misconduct had occurred and its belief that the indecent assault had occurred was based on a series of unsafe assumptions. Indicators of a predetermined view regarding misconduct included a statement from the employer’s human resources manager that “if the Police have gone through due process when they have charged somebody then I will come back to the whole thing that where there is smoke there is fire.”
The Court considered that it was unsafe for the employer to assume that serious misconduct had occurred merely because (1) police decided to lay charges against the driver and, (2) the driver chose to not give evidence at the criminal trial. Accordingly the Court described the disciplinary process as fundamentally flawed for predetermination.
The Court added that an employer had to satisfy the Court on the balance of probabilities, and as a result of a complete and fairly conducted enquiry, it was justified in believing that serious misconduct had occurred. The decision to dismiss had to be based on a “reasonably founded belief”. Where there were indicators of predetermination, that belief could not be viewed as “reasonably founded”.
On the other side of the line is a case concerning a high profile senior investment analyst. The analyst was involved in an altercation with another motorist while driving and ran over the other motorist while departing the scene. The police charged him with causing grievous bodily harm with reckless disregard. The employer advised the analyst that he was entitled to the presumption of innocence and that any judgment on the part of the employer would be reserved pending outcome of the criminal process.
The analyst was found guilty of the charge. At sentencing, the Judge noted the analyst’s good character and observed that it would be extremely unfortunate and unfair if he were to lose his employment as a result of the conviction. Immediately following the criminal process, the employer resumed its investigation and decided to dismiss the analyst for serious misconduct.
The employer’s decision to dismiss was upheld by the Court. In doing so, the Court helpfully summarised the relevant principles:
Conduct that occurs outside the workplace can give rise to disciplinary action.
Out of work conduct need not meet a higher standard of seriousness than conduct in the workplace.
The focus of the enquiry was the impact of the conduct on the employer’s business.
The employer did not need to show actual damage to its reputation or goodwill because this would prevent employers from taking pre-emptive action.
These cases demonstrate that a criminal proceeding need not derail an employment investigation. However, an employer must make its own enquiries, keep an open mind and consider an employee’s views prior to taking any disciplinary action. As a specialist court, the Employment Court will focus its attention on the fairness and reasonableness of the disciplinary process in order to determine whether the employer’s actions are “what a fair and reasonable employer could have done in all the circumstances”
If you would like any further information or advice about any employment matters, please contact our employment lawyers on 04 472 0020.
04 472 0020 | morrison.kent@morrisonkent.com
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You are here: Home / Article topics / Book reviews / Biographies / Book Review: Arthur Phillip: Sailor, Mercenary, Governor, Spy
Book Review: Arthur Phillip: Sailor, Mercenary, Governor, Spy
Book reviews, History - pre-Federation, Royal Navy, Influential People, Biographies
Governor Phillip
Arthur Phillip: Sailor, Mercenary, Governor, Spy. By Michael Pembroke, Hardie Grant Books, Melbourne, 2013. Hardback, 354 pages, rrp $34.40
To his biography of Arthur Phillip the author adds – sailor, mercenary, governor and spy. Yes, Phillip was all of these, however not necessarily in that order. Arthur Phillip, as the first governor of the British colony in Australia, has long been a household name to us. He was governor for six years: what of the other 69 years of his life? Michael Pembroke, an author and Supreme Court Judge, has the answers in his extensive research into the life of Arthur Phillip, citing 27 pages of bibliography. He has visited the scenes of Phillip’s life from childhood in London to his death in Bath. Before Phillip’s mother married Jacob Phillip, a German language teacher, she was the widow of a seaman. Little is known of Jacob Phillip, other than he settled in London from Frankfurt. There are no extant records of his arrival in London, his marriage or death. However, he had some naval service that allowed young Arthur to attend the Charity School for Seamen in what became the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. His schooling and his mother’s naval connections saw Arthur destined for a life at sea. At age 15 he was an apprenticed seaman in a whaling ship that took him to the Barents Sea. The Seven Years War allowed him to break his apprenticeship and join HMS Buckingham as a captain’s servant when he was aged 17. He was a midshipman two years later, however promotion was slow and reaching post captain took another 24 years.
During the 18th century most officers were shunted aside on half pay in peace time. With the peace in 1763 Arthur Phillip married a wealthy widow and took up farming near Portsmouth. After six years of marriage Arthur and Charlotte agreed to live apart. At the Admiralty’s behest Phillip then spent four years in Flanders for health reasons. Pembroke’s research shows this period and a later spell in northern and southern France for health reasons were, in fact a cover for Phillip to see what was going on in France. Phillip was fluent in French and German and his language skills saw him seconded to the Portuguese navy for four years. Indeed, with the Portuguese navy he gained his first command and was in action against the Spanish. Phillip’s obituary records his commanding a convoy from Portugal to Brazil to transport 500 convicts. Pembroke has a comprehensive account of Phillip’s time with the Portuguese and argues this was never a task for Phillip. In reviewing Phillip’s selection for governorship of a proposed colony at Botany Bay, Pembroke covers the British government’s dilemma following the loss of the American colonies as a destination for excess criminals. Many destinations were considered. A colony in Botany Bay would thwart French and Spanish influence in the Pacific and also satisfy Prime Minister Pitt’s aspiration to create a global commercial network. Phillip, through his services in France and Portugal, was well known to government ministers and he was the choice of Cabinet. Lord Howe, the First Sea Lord, was not so enthusiastic.
After four years in Sydney, Phillip sought resignation because of his deteriorating health. He returned home to news of his wife’s death and the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War. Following his return to health he sought a fighting command. Whilst he was at sea in 1796-97, then aged in his late 50s, he was not in the front line. Following Napoleon’s resumption of hostilities in 1803, the threat of invasion loomed. Phillip was called to put some spine and organisation into the Hampshire Fencibles, a sort of Dad’s Army armed with what might come to hand to repel any Frenchman wading ashore. His success saw him responsible for the Fencibles throughout the country. Phillip remarried and settled in Bath, then quite the centre of fashion. His second marriage was troubled with his absences on duty, although they continued together in his retirement and gradual promotions through the ranks of admiral. Another myth Pembroke discusses surrounds Phillip’s death. Whilst he died at home in Bath, a story developed about 100 years later that he leapt to his death rather than face the agonies of his arthritis. Pembroke has sourced the background to this baseless account. He also gives coverage to Phillip’s will to dispose of his estate valued at £25,000 to relatives and friends – he had no children. Pembroke equates this amount to £40 million today, just what you would expect of a retired admiral. There is no doubt a lesser man than Arthur Phillip would not have succeeded with the establishment of the colony in New South Wales and those interested in the whole of the life of Arthur Phillip are commended to this book. The work would be improved with illustrations and maps.
Reviewed by J.W. Ellis
Filed Under: Naval Historical Review, Book reviews, History - pre-Federation, Royal Navy, Influential People, Biographies Tagged With: Governor Phillip
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Wade: Hey, I Don't Suck!
Published December 3, 2009 • Updated on December 4, 2009 at 7:41 am
It’s never fun to be a head coach in the NFL. You have to work 100-hour weeks. And, even if you do that, there’s no guarantee your boss is going to be happy with you. In fact, according to stats, there’s a very strong likelihood that you’re only going to stay in your job for 2 1/2 years, regardless of how much time you clock in at the office.
Wade Phillips has been the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys for a little over two and a half seasons. So, if you go by the averages, he’s actually something of a success. Congrats, Wade! You’re above average! But that hasn’t stopped people from wondering just when Jerry Jones will end up firing him. Phillips has always felt like a stopgap solution for the Cowboys in between hiring their next big name coach. His contract option for next year still hasn’t been picked up yet, making him something of a lame duck as we head into December. And Wade, at long last, is getting a little frisky about it.
Earlier yesterday, Jerry Jones was vaguely laying out various criteria for Phillips to keep his job. From the Dallas Morning News, we got to the blockquotes. what will it take for Wade to get contract picked up? Jones said:
"You're in coaching and then there's a lot of pressure to win, so that's there. But what we do here and how we get into these playoffs and get in with an advantage, have a game here [Cowboys Stadium], get a bye, all of those are things that look good for Wade."
But you’ll excuse Wade if he’d rather not hear people, least of all his boss, muse on what he needs to do to prove himself. Wade, who has never won a playoff game, defended his record:
The center of the Dallas Cowboys universe.
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Hours after owner Jerry Jones responded to a question about his coach's future, Phillips wondered aloud how many coaches have won more games than him since the start of the 2007 season. The answer is one – New England's Bill Belichick…
“…we have won some games here. I don't know if people realize that… I don't know what the determining factor is, I've never known. I didn't know when I was in Buffalo and we were 29-19 in three years that I was going to get fired. I thought I did a heck of a job.
"All I do is try to do the best I can as a coach. I work hard at that. I don't think I get a lot of respect for that, but that's the way it goes."
"I don't know," Phillips said. "I don't. I've won 75 games [not counting three more wins as an interim] as a head coach so far in eight years. That's not bad compared to a lot of other people.
"Now, I understand the playoffs and so forth. I understand all that. But I think – I think, and it's my opinion – that winning breeds winning. If you're a winner, you're going to come out fine whether it's regular season or playoffs sooner or later.
"If you learn to coach and win games, then you're going to do well. And I'm confident we're going to do that."
Could it be? Dare we say that Wade is actually ASSERTING himself? Is that possible? It would appear so. Not only that, Wade is right. Coaches like Tony Dungy and Bill Cowher were once questioned for their inability to bring home a championship. Both proved that their consistently winning ways would pay off down the road with Super Bowl titles. Can Phillips do the same? One thing’s for sure: it’s nice to see the Cowboys head coach go out of his way to defend himself. WADE ISN’T GONNA BE YOUR WHIPPIN’ BOY NO MORE, DOUBLE J!
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Amazon to hire 100,000 for new seasonal jobs
FILE – The Amazon logo appears in Douai, northern France on April 16, 2020. With many independent bookstore owners facing the most dire financial crisis in their lifetimes, the American Booksellers Association has teamed with an award-winning advertising agency known for “culture hacking” to dramatize the threats of the pandemic and the growing dominance of Amazon.com. On Tuesday, the trade group launched the “Boxed Out” campaign, for which a handful of bookstores around the country will have windows boarded up and boxes piled up out front that resemble Amazon delivery containers. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File)
(NEXSTAR) — Amazon announced Tuesday that it’s creating an additional 100,000 seasonal jobs.
Last month, the retail giant said it was hiring 100,000 full- and part-time workers across the U.S. and Canada.
The company said the newest crop of positions will allow people to earn money during the holiday season, and many of the job locations will include bonus holiday incentives.
“With more than 12 million Americans out of work according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics these new seasonal roles in several locations across the US and Canada will complement its regular full- and part-time positions,” Amazon said in a statement. “Amazon offers jobs for people of all backgrounds and skill levels, and these 100,000 new, seasonal jobs offer opportunities for pay incentives, benefits, and a path to a longer-term career, or can simply provide extra income and flexibility during the holiday season.”
Amazon kicks off career fair with 33,000 work-from-home jobs up for grabs
The retail giant also said it has promoted more than 35,000 employees in 2020, and 30,000 workers have participated in its Career Choice program, which is designed to help “upskill” people seeking a future in a “high-demand field” by offering courses on 20 career paths.
The company said half of the program’s participants are from underrepresented minority groups.
“Career Choice is one way we help people think big about their careers, and we offer training across a wide variety of skills needed for high-demand fields,” Darcie Henry, VP of Global HR for Amazon Operations, said in a statement.
The company said the new positions could lead to a more permanent opportunity.
“A job with Amazon can be the start of a future, long-term career inside or outside of the company,” the retailer said.
Anyone interested in applying can visit amazon.com/apply. The company said training will be provided and all facilities will adhere to strict COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Nearly 1,200 acres protected in Vermont’s Taconic Mountains
Vermont / 14 hours ago
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#1710 – 1977 13c Lindbergh Flight
camera Mint Plate Block of 12
camera Classic First Day Cover
- MM636215x30mm 25 Horizontal Strip Black Split-Back Mounts
- MM50145x30mm 50 Horizontal Black Split-Back Mounts
- MM420245x30mm 50 Horizontal Clear Bottom-Weld Mounts
U.S. #1710
1977 13¢ Lindbergh Flight
Issue Date: May 20, 1977
City: Roosevelt Station, NY
Quantity: 208,820,000
Printed By: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Photogravure
Perforations: 11
Color: Multicolored
U.S. #1710 commemorates the 50th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh’s historic solo transatlantic flight from New York to Paris.
Charles A. Lindbergh (1902-74)
Since 1919, a New York City hotel owner, Raymond Orteig, had offered a $25,000 reward to the first pilot to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean. Several pilots attempted to earn this prize, but all failed – some were injured or even killed.
In 1927, this unclaimed prize came to the attention of a talented young pilot, Charles A. Lindbergh. Lindbergh was an Army-trained pilot who flew the mail route between St. Louis and Chicago. He believed that the trip was possible with the right plane. Lindbergh convinced a group of St. Louis businessmen to give him the financial support he needed to build a special airplane of his own design. He named the plane the Spirit of St. Louis.
On May 20, 1927, at 7:52 A.M., Lindbergh took off in the Spirit of St. Louis from Roosevelt Field, located near New York City. Thirty-three-and-a-half hours later, he landed near Paris at Bourget Field. A huge crowd of people had gathered to greet Lindbergh and celebrate his historic accomplishment. Lindbergh’s daring flight made him an international celebrity and a respected authority on aviation.
Charles Lindbergh, Airmail Pilot
On April 15, 1926, Charles Lindbergh made his first airmail flight.
When the US Airmail service was inaugurated in 1918, the Post Office Department oversaw the delivery of the mail. Then in 1925, Congress passed the Kelly Act, which allowed the post office to work with commercial air carriers to create new airmail routes and deliver the mail.
The first two contract airmail routes went into service on February 15, 1926, flying between Detroit and Cleveland and Detroit and Chicago. Charles Lindbergh, who was already an experienced pilot at the age of 24, was then hired by the Robertson Aircraft Company to develop a third route, which was known as Contact Airmail Route #2. This route would fly from Chicago to St. Louis, with stops in Springfield and Peoria.
In the months leading up to the start of the service, Lindbergh surveyed the 278-mile route, establishing the flight and postal operations at each of the four landing fields. He also selected nine additional emergency landing fields, each about 30 miles apart. Lindbergh also hired two of his Army flying friends to help him complete the flights.
Days before the inaugural flight, on April 10, 1926, Lindbergh and his team completed survey flights to make sure everything was in order and to help general public interest in the upcoming flight. Then at 5:50 a.m. on April 15, 1926, Lindbergh inaugurated the first flight of the new line, departing Chicago with 87 pounds of mail. All of the covers carried a special commemorative cachet.
From there, Lindbergh flew south to Peoria where he picked up another 23 pounds of mail. He then stopped in Springfield and picked up 93 pounds of mail before completing the last leg of his journey, reaching St. Louis at 9:15 am.
That afternoon, Phil Love made the return flight back to Chicago. Because the morning flight had generated so much interest, the evening flight carried a large load – 144 pounds from St. Louis alone. Lindbergh and another pilot also departed St. Louis in empty planes, as they expected a large amount of mail in Springfield. And there was! A large crowd had assembled at the field to watch the pilots and they sent out a total of 385 pounds of mail. After picking up 40 pounds of mail in Peoria, the return trip reached Chicago at 7:15 p.m.
Lindbergh worked as an airmail pilot for 10 months, flying five days a week. On two occasions he was forced to bail out of his plane. On September 16, 1926, his plane ran out of fuel before he could reach Chicago and he had to jump out of the plane over Wedron, Illinois. His 4,000-foot parachute jump was the longest recorded night jump at that time. Two months later, on November 3, he had to jump out of his plane due to bad weather and landed on a barbed wire fence.
It was while working as an airmail pilot that Lindbergh first heard about hotel owner Raymond Orteig’s $25,000 prize for the first pilot to fly non-stop across the Atlantic. Just a little over a year after he began his airmail career, Lindbergh became an international celebrity for completing the journey in his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis.
#M207
1970s Commemoratives, 321 stamps, mint
1970s Commemoratives, 321 stamps, used
1977 13c Colorado Statehood
1977 13c Peace Bridge
1977 13c Herkimer at Oriskany
1976 13c Commercial Aviation
1977 13c First Civil Settlement: Alta, California
1977 13c Sound Recording
1977 13c Washington at Princeton
1977 13c Articles of Confederation
1977 13c Marquis de Lafayette
1977 13c Surrender at Saratoga
1977 13c Talking Pictures 50th Anniversary
1976 13c Benjamin Franklin
1976 13c Adolph S. Ochs
1976 13c Telephone Centennial
1978 13c Early Cancer Detection
1977 13c Energy Conservation
1976 13c Chemistry Centenary
1977 13c Traditional Christmas: Washington at Valley Forge
1978 15c Viking Missions to Mars
1977 13c Butterflies
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VINCENNES, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — The Pantheon Theatre was once a place where entertainers like Vincennes’ own Red Skelton would put on a show.
Now, it’s taking on a different role as co-working space and business incubator. Entrepreneurs can use the Pantheon as a place to get their start-ups off the ground, or continue existing work.
Pantheon’s executive director said she sees it as an opportunity to breathe life into the Vincennes economy.
“Many rural communities lack an entrepreneurial ecosystem. They lack innovation. Therefore, they’re losing their young people. And so that’s something we struggle with. This is part of the solution to that,” said Nichole Like.
Members can pay to have their own desk or office space to get their businesses started. The Pantheon can also be useful in the age of COVID-19.
“I think we all found out during COVID that remote working is growing. It’s not going away. So that’s one element of our co-working clientele,” Like said.
The Pantheon will be open for use in November.
3 TH North High students among those testing positive for coronavirus
by Web Desk / Jan 18, 2021
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — The Vigo County School Corporation on Monday reported that four students and three staff members across four schools have tested positive for the coronavirus while having been on school grounds during their infectious periods. They are:
Students and staff have been notified, and will only need to quarantine if notified by a contact tracer.
How Terre Haute organizations celebrated MLK day
by DeSherion McBroom / Jan 18, 2021
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Local groups in the area took part in the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, highlighting some of the most notable moments of his life.
Dr. King was a civil-rights leader who fought for equal rights. Some of his most notable moments include leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott and his "I Have a Dream" speech.
Local charity adapts, continues fight against hunger in Wabash Valley
by Zeke Torres / Jan 18, 2021
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) For the past 10 years, the Soup Bowl Benefit hosted by Catholic Charities of Terre Haute was an in-person event that created awareness toward an ongoing food insecurity issue within the area. Year 11 will now require those wanting to participate to purchase soup passports to use at their own disposal.
These changes were made after evaluating the traditional format in today's circumstances.
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President-elect Joe Biden arrives to speak at The Queen Theater in Wilmington, Del., Tuesday, Dec 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Wednesday’s congressional joint session to count electoral votes has taken on added importance this year as congressional Republicans allied with President Donald Trump are pledging to try and undo Democrat Joe Biden’s victory and subvert the will of the American people.
Parents with babies born in 2020 could qualify for $1,100 in extra stimulus cash
The Republicans — a handful of senators and dozens of House members — are citing Trump’s repeated, baseless charges of widespread fraud. They say they will officially object to the results, forcing votes in the Republican-run Senate and the Democratic-controlled House that will almost certainly fail.
There was not widespread fraud in the election, as has been confirmed by a range of election officials and by William Barr, who stepped down as attorney general last month. Neither Trump nor any of the lawmakers promising to object to the count have presented credible evidence that would change the outcome.
Hawley’s plan to object to Electoral College results derided as political stunt
Nearly all of the legal challenges put forth by Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges. The Supreme Court, which includes three Trump-nominated justices, has also denied requests to hear a pair of cases aimed at invalidating the outcome of the election in key battleground states.
The congressional meeting on Jan. 6 is the final step in reaffirming Biden’s win, after the Electoral College officially elected him in December. The meeting is required by the Constitution and includes several distinct steps.
A look at the joint session:
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CONGRESS MEETS WEDNESDAY?
Under federal law, Congress must meet Jan. 6 to open sealed certificates from each state that contain a record of their electoral votes. The votes are brought into the chamber in special mahogany boxes used for the occasion.
Bipartisan representatives of both chambers read the results out loud and do an official count. The president of the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence, presides over the session and declares the winner. The session begins at 1 p.m. EST.
WHAT DOES THE CONSTITUTION REQUIRE?
The Constitution requires Congress to meet and count the electoral votes. If there is a tie, then the House decides the presidency, with each congressional delegation having one vote. That hasn’t happened since the 1800s, and Biden’s electoral win over Trump was decisive, 306-232.
HOW DOES THE SESSION UNFOLD?
The two chambers meet together midday to count the votes. If the vice president cannot preside, there is precedent for the Senate pro-tempore, or the longest-serving senator in the majority party, to lead the session. That’s currently Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
The presiding officer opens and presents the certificates of the electoral votes in alphabetical order of the states. The appointed “tellers” from the House and Senate, members of both parties, then read each certificate out loud and record and count the votes. At the end, the presiding officer announces who has won the majority votes for both president and vice president.
WHAT IF THERE’S AN OBJECTION?
After a teller reads the certificate from a state, any member can stand up and object to that state’s vote on any grounds. But the presiding officer will not hear the objection unless it is in writing and signed by both a member of the House and a member of the Senate.
If there is such a request, then the joint session suspends and the House and Senate go into separate sessions to consider it. For the objection to be sustained, both chambers must agree to it by a simple majority vote. If they do not both agree, the original electoral votes are counted with no changes.
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The last time such an objection was considered was 2005, when Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio and Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, both Democrats, objected to Ohio’s electoral votes, claiming there were voting irregularities. Both the House and Senate debated the objection and easily rejected it. It was only the second time such a vote had occurred.
WHO IS EXPECTED TO OBJECT?
Dozens of House Republicans and a smaller group of GOP senators are expected to object to the count from some swing states where Trump has alleged fraud, despite the consensus of nonpartisan election officials and even Trump’s former attorney general that there was none. None of the members have presented detailed evidence and none of them objected to the swearing-in of congressional lawmakers who won election on the same ballots.
In the Senate, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley was the first to say he would join with the House Republicans. On Saturday, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas announced a coalition of 11 additional senators who vowed to vote against unspecified state electors on Wednesday unless Congress appoints an electoral commission to immediately conduct an audit of the election results. Hawley and Cruz are both among potential 2024 presidential contenders.
The challenges have split the party. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has urged his colleagues not to object, saying last month on a private call that the vote would be “terrible.”
Several other Senate Republicans have criticized the effort as well, including Texas Sen. John Cornyn and South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican. Thune said last month that any objections will go down “like a shot dog” in the Senate.
McConnell congratulates Joe Biden as president-elect
On Sunday, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse said the challenge is “‘bad for the country and bad for the party.”
WHAT IS PENCE’S ROLE?
Pence’s role is largely ceremonial and he has no power to affect the outcome, despite Trump’s wishes to the contrary.
The role of the vice president as presiding officer is often an awkward one, as it will be for Pence, who will be charged with announcing Biden’s victory — and his own defeat — once the electoral votes are counted.
Pence won’t be the first vice president put in an uncomfortable situation. In 2001, Vice President Al Gore presided over the counting of the 2000 presidential election he narrowly lost to Republican George W. Bush. Gore had to gavel several Democrats’ objections out of order. In 2017, Biden presided over the count that declared Trump the winner. Biden also shot down objections from House Democrats that did not have any Senate support.
ONCE CONGRESS COUNTS THE VOTES, WHAT’S NEXT?
The joint session is the last official chance for objections, beyond court cases that have so far proven ineffective for Trump and his team.
“I think there comes a time when you have to realize that, despite your best efforts you’ve been unsuccessful,” Cornyn said earlier this month.
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Current Version Adopted by Council: April 2014
Review Date: Subject to review by University
Committee Ownership: Academic Policy
Student Support at Murray Edwards College
In all cases in which a student is experiencing difficulties of any kind, the College will work with that student to ensure that she receives the support that she needs. This will usually involve a combination of the student's Tutor, the Senior Tutor, the Executive Graduate Tutor, the College Nurse, the College Counsellor, the University Counselling Service and the Disability Resource Centre. The College will always encourage students to engage fully with their own GP, and with other external agencies which can provide additional specialist support. The student herself carries the main responsibility for engaging with services and support which are offered.
In the majority of cases, even when a student is experiencing difficulties, the College will support the student if she is keen to continue with her studies. In such cases, the co-operation of the student in formulating a support plan is crucial. This plan will be drawn up with the student, the student's Tutor and the Senior Tutor (or Executive Graduate Tutor in some graduate cases), and the student will be asked to agree to it. If appropriate, the College Nurse may also be involved, and the student can also ask for other relevant parties to be involved if she wishes. If the student does not engage with this plan, then further review will be necessary.
If a student wishes to suspend her studies and intermit, then the College will normally be fully supportive of this. The student should speak in the first instance to her Tutor, and then to the Senior Tutor. When a student returns to College and to the University after a period of intermission, in addition to meeting with her Tutor, she will also meet with the Senior Tutor (or Executive Graduate Tutor in the case of a graduate student) as a matter of course. The purpose of these meetings will be to ensure that a plan is put in place to ensure that the student has all the support she needs to resume living and working in the College and University.
In a minority of cases, a student may not wish to intermit, but the College may have such substantial concerns about a student's own well-being, or the well-being of those around her, that it might be necessary to consider suspending the student's studies. These cases will involve the student posing a risk to herself or to others. While the College has a disciplinary procedure, it is not suitable for such cases to be dealt with in this way, hence the importance of the Fitness to Study procedure detailed below.
Fitness to Study Procedure
The procedures described in this document must be read in conjunction with the relevant provisions of the College's Statutes and Ordinances (in particular Statute 26 and Ordinance 35) and, where applicable, the University's Statutes and Ordinances. Similarly, the provisions and decisions of the Faculty or Department in which a graduate student is studying must also be taken into account. If a decision by the College would require alteration to a student's standing for an examination, the College will consult the Secretary to the Examination Access and Mitigation Committee (eamc@admin.cam.ac.uk) for qualifications under its remit, or Emma Rixon (emma.rixon@admin.cam.ac.uk) for qualifications which are the responsibility of the Board of Graduate Studies.
Purpose and Scope of the Procedure
Whilst at University, all students should be able to study and perform to the best of their ability in a safe and comfortable environment. The reality of College and University life means that students not only work but also live in close proximity to each other.
The term 'fitness to study' as used in this document relates to the entire student experience, and not just a student's ability to engage with their studies. For example the College expects its students to be able to live in harmony with others, and not conduct themselves in a way which has an adverse impact on those around them. This procedure is not designed to address academic performance issues (which should be dealt with under the normal academic assessment and monitoring procedures) except where poor academic performance is resulting from a fitness to study issue.
Stage 1- Case Review Group
If the usual discussion with relevant parties within the college, as detailed above, has not been successful, Stage 1 of the Fitness to Study procedure can be invoked. In the case of graduate students, the principal Research Supervisor and/or the Course Director will be informed about the College's concerns and the nature of the case review, and, where appropriate, they will be asked to provide a written report on the student's progress and performance and any concerns that might relate to the case review.
A meeting of a Case Review Group shall be convened by the Senior Tutor, made up of the student's Tutor and the Senior Tutor and to include if appropriate: the Director of Studies; Supervisor in the case of Graduates or Course Director if there is no Supervisor; College nurse or another member of the College support services. The Executive Graduate Tutor will also be included in the review group in the case of graduate students. The student may be accompanied to this meeting by a student or other friend or representative if they so wish. Representatives such as the University Mental Health Advisor or a member of the Disability Resource Centre may also attend for information and advice if felt appropriate by the Senior Tutor or by the student herself.
In both Stage 1 and Stage 2 the student's Tutor should be the point of contact with the student and should ensure that the Senior Tutor is kept informed of all communications. The Senior Tutor should be the main point of contact with all other agencies and individuals and should keep records of the whole process. The Senior Tutor will appoint a deputy if unavailable to act at any stage.
Before the meeting, a medical assessment may be sought from a qualified practitioner familiar with the Cambridge University system and the spectrum of student difficulties, or from the University Occupational Health Service. The student will be encouraged to consent to this, as it will ultimately enable the College to address the student's difficulties in the most effective manner possible and make an accurate assessment of risk, and how best to support the student.
The medical assessment will be used to determine the following matters:
the nature and extent of any medical condition from which the student may be suffering;
the student's prognosis;
the extent to which it may affect her fitness to study and manage the demands of student life;
any impact it may have or risk it may pose to others;
whether any additional steps should be taken by the College, in light of the medical condition, to enable the student to study effectively;
whether the student will be receiving any ongoing medical treatment or support.
The student will be asked to authorise full disclosure to the College of the results of any medical examination. The College recognises that any such information disclosed will constitute "sensitive data" for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998 and will be handled, processed and stored accordingly.
Should the student refuse to undertake a medical examination, or disclose results, the College may continue this procedure based on the information already in its possession.
The student will be given at least 7 working days' notice of the convening of a Case Review Group and informed of the purpose of the meeting. This period may be shortened in emergency on the advice of the Senior Tutor. The student will also be provided with any documents that will be considered by the Group, and asked to provide any documentation she may wish the Group to consider, in good time for the meeting.
As detailed above, the student may be accompanied at the meeting by a Students' Union representative, a fellow student, or other advisor. The student may choose to be accompanied by a parent or carer if she wishes, but this decision should be taken by the student. A support worker, if required may also accompany disabled students. The student should notify the Senior Tutor at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting if they are to be accompanied and by whom.
Should the student choose not to attend, she is welcome to send the individual who would have accompanied her to observe on her behalf. The meeting will proceed even in the student's absence.
The purpose of the meeting will be to ensure that:
the student is made fully aware of the nature of the concerns that have been raised;
the student's views are heard and taken account of and the best way to proceed is agreed upon;
the student is fully aware of the possible outcomes if difficulties remain.
The Case Review Group will order its proceedings at its own discretion depending on what is most appropriate for the particular student.
The Case Review Group may decide
(a) that no further action is required beyond support detailed above; or (b) to formally monitor the student's progress for a specified period of time. In this case an action plan will be agreed with the student, outlining any steps, which the student will need to take, and/or any support to be provided to the student, to address the concerns identified.
Regular review meetings with the student will be arranged with a nominated member of College staff (usually either the Tutor or Senior Tutor, or possibly the Executive Graduate Tutor or College Nurse), to ensure that the action plan is being appropriately followed and that reasonable support to enable the student to study effectively is being provided.
It will be made clear to the student that her engagement with the action plan is essential, and her own responsibility, and that failure to engage with the plan will lead to initiation of the second stage of the procedure.
or (c) to recommend that special academic arrangements or support are put in place. Such recommendations should be agreed with the student's department (and in the case of a graduate student with her Research Supervisor and/or Course Director) and by the student and approved by the relevant University authority.
The student will be informed that unless these arrangements remedy the concerns to the College's satisfaction, their fitness to study may be considered at Stage 3 of these procedures.
or (d) with the consent of the student, to agree that their studies be suspended for a period of time with appropriate application to the relevant University authority.
or (e) to refer the case to the appropriate Senior member of the College, to be considered under Stage 2 of this procedure.
This will only be appropriate in the most serious of cases, where for example evidence of a serious risk to either the health and safety of the student or others has been identified, and it is thought that suspension or exclusion of the student may be the appropriate course of action, or where a particular course of action has been recommended but the student does not agree.
The decision of the Case Review Group, together with a concise record of the meeting, should be sent to the student within 7 working days from the date of the meeting, and a copy kept on the student's personal file. The decision will be communicated in such a way that support is available to the student at the time either from the student's Tutor or Senior Tutor. A copy of this documentation should be sent to the student's Department where relevant and, in the case of a graduate student to her Research Supervisor.
Stage 2 - College Review Panel
This stage of the procedure will only be implemented following a referral from a Stage 1 Case Review Group, or if in the opinion of the Senior Tutor (having consulted as appropriate) initial concerns are raised, which are sufficiently serious as to warrant the consideration of the student's suspension, or exclusion (e.g. if they pose a potentially threat to the health and safety of themselves or others, or disruption to the working of the College and/or University).
As a first step in this stage the Senior Tutor shall consider whether interim suspension of the student pending further action is appropriate, including from College accommodation. In such cases, the visa status of an international student is then compromised and the University's International Student Team will be informed immediately.
The Senior Tutor shall then convene a Review Panel, which shall be chaired by a senior member of the College Governing Body (appointed by the President) with no previous involvement in the case. The Review Panel will normally comprise the Chair, the student's Tutor, the Senior Tutor, and another independent member of the College Governing Body. The Executive Graduate Tutor will also sit on the panel in the case of graduate students.
The Chair will fix a date for a formal meeting of the College Review Panel to discuss the case and invite the student to attend to discuss the concerns and all relevant issues. A member of the College Tutorial Office staff will act as Secretary to the Panel.
Wherever possible the student will be given at least 7 working days' notice of the meeting of the College Review Panel. The student will be informed of the purpose of the hearing. The student will also be provided with any documents to be considered at the meeting, and asked to provide any documentation she may wish the Panel to consider in good time for the meeting.
The student may be accompanied at the meeting by a Students' Union representative, a fellow student or other adviser. The student may choose to be accompanied by a parent or carer if she wishes. Disabled students may also be accompanied by a support worker where required. The student should notify the Senior Tutor at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting if they are to be accompanied and by whom.
The purpose of the meeting will be to consider the evidence available, including the student's perception of these concerns and to reach an appropriate decision, action plan or other outcome.
The Review Panel will order its proceedings at its discretion and may call witnesses and institute enquiries to assist its deliberations. The panel may request further medical assessments of the student's fitness to study.
It will also consider any previous risk assessments.
The Chair of the Review Panel will ensure that all parties have access to all documents.
The decision it arrives at shall be confirmed by the Chair of the Review Panel having obtained a collective decision from members of the Panel.
The student shall be notified in writing of the decision, with reasons, within 7 working days of the meeting of the College Review Panel. The decision will be communicated in such a way that support is available to the student at the time either from the student's Tutor or Senior Tutor. A graduate student's Research Supervisor or Course Director (as appropriate) and Department, and the Board of Graduate Studies will be informed of the decision.
The decision may include one or more of the following:
To formally monitor the student's progress for a specified period of time. In this case the Panel will provide the student with an agreed action plan, outlining any steps which the student will need to take and/or any support to be provided to the student to address the concerns identified. Regular review meetings with the student will need to be arranged with a nominated member of staff (to ensure that the action plan is being appropriately followed and/or that reasonable support to enable the student to study effectively is being provided). The student will also need to be informed of the consequences of any breaches of the action plan.
That, following consultation with the academic Department, and subject to the approval of the relevant University authority, special academic arrangements are put in place - or an interruption of studies is agreed. The student will be informed of the consequences should these arrangements fail to remedy the concerns identified to the College's satisfaction.
To recommend that the College exercises its statutory power to suspend or exclude the student.
Any other action considered to be appropriate and proportionate.
Any decision regarding suspension or exclusion should be communicated by the Senior Tutor to the relevant University authorities and to any support services who have been involved with the student.
Return to Study
In some cases where a student has temporarily left the College under the provisions above, a proposed return date may be agreed in advance, assuming that the student is able to provide satisfactory evidence that she has recovered sufficiently to return to College. The procedure that will be followed here will be that usually followed when students who intermit return to Cambridge, and will require the approval of the Applications Committee. In the rare cases in which a proposed return date has not been specified, after a break from study the student may make a request to the College for permission to return to the course. The decision as to whether to ask the University permission for the student to be put in standing to return to study will then be made by the Senior Tutor who will request authorisation for the student to return from the relevant University authority.
To this end, the Senior Tutor, in consultation with relevant organisations such as the University Counselling Service, the University Mental Health Advisor, and Disability Resource Centre. etc., will identify the issues of concern that the College may have in respect of the student's fitness to study. The Senior Tutor will also contact the relevant medical professional for an assessment of the student's ability to manage the demands of returning to studying at Cambridge University, drawing attention to the nature and extent of the student's previous problems and the College's concerns about them.
The student will only be permitted to return if, after receiving medical advice, the College and relevant University authority are satisfied that the individual is fit to study and able to comply with any conditions imposed on their return.
In cases where the College has any continuing concerns about the individual's fitness to study, it may require a second medical opinion. In this case a student may be asked to submit themselves for medical examinations by doctors/specialists, including the University Mental Health Advisor, nominated by the College, at the College's expense to allow the situation to be properly evaluated.
In any case where a student returns to study following the implementation of the fitness to study procedure, the College should hold an initial meeting with the student to discuss what support measures need to be put into place for the student's return and establish a return to study plan. This initial meeting should include the student's Tutor, the Senior Tutor and the Director of Studies. At this meeting regular review meetings will be planned with the student to monitor and support a return to study plan.
The student will be expected to provide their continued co-operation in this respect and such review meetings may continue for part or all of their remaining time at College. There should be a written record of what is agreed for the return to study plan and a copy given to the student.
The Senior Tutor should ensure that, where appropriate, a copy of the plan is sent to the relevant support agencies, who have agreed to help implement the plan and that any necessary support from agencies external to the College is put in place.
The Senior Tutor should make arrangements for monitoring that the support plan is being delivered and accepted.
Right of Appeal
If the student is not satisfied with any decision made in accordance with the Fitness to Study Procedure, they should follow the College complaints procedure within 14 days of the receipt of a letter outlining that decision, at any stage in the proceedings.
General Matters
The College will take account of relevant legislation such as the Data Protection Act, the Mental Health Act, the Human Rights Act, the Equality Act 2010 and the general rights and expectations of a student of confidentiality. In cases where Stages 1 or 2 of the Fitness to Study Procedure have been invoked, the Chair will make a decision about whether the student's emergency contact should be informed, and discuss with the student whether any statutory services should be contacted.
The College acknowledges that as a result of implementing this procedure it will receive personal sensitive data and data of a confidential nature pertaining to the student and other third parties, and shall ensure that all such data is handled, processed and stored accordingly.
Terms and Conditions of Network
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Dr. Hartnell's Nutty the A.D.D. Squirrel
All About Nutty
Nutty's Chapters
Ch. 1: How'd We Get Here?
Ch. 1: Table of Contents
Ch. 1: Summary
Why study history?
Is history a lie?
Geography 101
Ancient History: Dirt-476
Collapse & Rebirth: 476-1650
Colonialism: 1400-1763
Revolutions: 1763-1918
America: 1775-1900
Ch. 2: America 2.0
Imperialism: 1850-1914
Immigration: 1492-Now
Reform: 1877-1920
Ch. 3: Ka-Boom to Bust
Ch. 4: King America
Ch. 5: The American Overhaul
Ch. 6: The U.S. of Awesome
America: 1975-Now
Nutty's Nuts
Big Mac Imperialism
I'm lovin' it...
According to the 1996 Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, when a country gets a McDonald's fast-food restaurant, it will not go to war with another country that also has a McDonald's.
Think about it... the U.S. fought Germany in WWI and WWII. No McDonald's Happy Meals were eaten by the Führer. Germany got a McDonald's in 1971... and no wars have been fought with Germany since.
The U.S. fought Japan in WWII. No McDonald's were in Hiroshima. Japan got a McDonald's in 1971... no more wars.
The U.S. sides with South Korea, who got a McDonald's in 2003, but dislikes North Korea, who doesn't have a McDonald's.
McDonald's opened in 1990 in the Communist Soviet Union. The next year... the country fell, ending the Cold War.
Coincidence?
The argument for this theory states that when a country reaches a certain level of economic development, and when it has a middle class big enough to support fast-food, it can open a McDonald's franchise... and people in McD’s countries don't fight wars with other McD's countries (because they share economic ideas/goals).
Still, the McDonald's "Peace Theory" has failed to prevent war twice. In 2006, Israel (McD's in 1993) went to war with Lebanon (McD’' in 1998). In 2008, Russia (McD's in 1990) invaded Georgia (McD's in 1999).
And Iraq thought all they were getting was democracy. Silly Iraq... [Click picture for a larger version.]
Dr. Hartnell "Sounds Off"...
The movie Supersize Me did nothing but confirm that Americans love to blame everyone (and everything) except themselves. At no point in time has McDonald's advertised that their food is nutritious and should be eaten every single day. Nope. Not once. They simply advertise that their food is fast. And cheap. The rest they leave to you. The fact that Morgan Spurlock ate McDonald's three times a day for a month proved exactly what anyone with half a brain could deduce... that eating McDonald's three times a day for a month is NOT GOOD FOR YOU. If you don't like McDonald's, then don't go there... but don't ruin it for everybody else. (Then again, you're probably the type that hands out toothbrushes for Trick-of-Treat, aren't you?) I mean, I could prove that bananas are unhealthy by eating nothing but bananas for a month. It's called moderation. Look into it...
Here's a map of the U.S. as shown in terms of distance to the nearest McDonald's. In fact, the only place in the lower 48 states that is more than 100 miles from a McDonald's is a barren plain in South Dakota. [Click picture for a larger version.]
International flavors... [Click picture for a larger version.]
But don't forget to blame McDonald's for making you fat... [Click picture for a larger version.]
The McDonald's Peace Theory is a parody of the Democratic Peace Theory, which says democracies do not fight each other. The Democratic Peace Theory was introduced by German Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant in Eternal Peace (1795). But, historians debate this. While war between democracies is rare, it is not clear that it never occurs. The argument depends on the definition of democracy. If that is simply "elections", then the theory fails. There are other factors that define a democracy:
(1) no slavery
(2) no restrictions on
voting based on sex or race
(3) stability after elections
(4) government must have elected officials
(5) "balance" is needed between govt.'s branches
As you can see, as the definition is narrowed down, there are fewer "democracies" (and wars) to work with.
Here me out on this one...
In 1940, Richard & Maurice McDonald opened McDonald's in CA.
Ray Kroc bought McDonald's in 1954 and franchised it in 1955 in IL.
He kept the name "McDonald's"... probably because nobody wants to supersize their Kroc Burger.
Once it hits the lips...
McDonald's daily customer traffic (62 million) is more than the population of Great Britain.
McDonald's sells more than 75 hamburgers every second.
McDonald's $27 billion in revenue makes it the world's 90th largest economy.
Nearly 1 in 8 U.S. workers were once employed by McDonald's.
McDonald's has 761,000 employees worldwide, which is more than the population of Luxembourg.
A new McDonald's opens every 3 hours.
Every sesame seed on every McDonald's bun comes from Mexico.
Apple dippers suck.
31,000 McDonald's are in 119 countries.
Americans consume 1 billion pounds of beef at McDonald's a year – That works out to be 5.5 million cow heads.
Move over Santa! McDonald's is the world's largest distributor of toys, with one included in 20% of all sales.
Big Macs in India are made of mutton (sheep) due to laws against beef.
From 2011 to 2013, McDonald's opened one restaurant every day in China.
McDonald's in Saudi Arabia close 5 times a day for prayer.
McDonald's iconic golden arches are recognized by more people than the
Christian cross, which means we're all going to Hell. Oh well, we were probably going there already, so we might as well go with a full stomach!
Um, yes please... [Click picture for a larger version.]
Soon, North Korea... soon. [Click picture for a larger version.]
I love everything about this picture.
Dear world: You're welcome... [Click picture for a larger version.]
Dr. Hartnell hates to see his two favorite fast-food restaurants fight… even if it is delicious.
Click here to return to the Age of Imperialism page
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Home Economy US third-quarter economic growth unrevised at 2.1%
US third-quarter economic growth unrevised at 2.1%
U.S. economic growth nudged up in the third quarter, the government confirmed on Friday, and there are signs the economy more or less maintained the moderate pace of expansion as the year ended, supported by a strong labor market.
Gross domestic product increased at a 2.1% annualized rate, the Commerce Department said in its third estimate of third-quarter GDP. That was unrevised from last month’s estimate. The economy grew at a 2.0% pace in the April-June period.
Despite the unrevised reading, which was in line with economists’ expectations, consumer spending was stronger than previously reported. There were also upgrades to business spending on nonresidential structures such as power infrastructure, which limited the drop in overall business investment. That offset downward revisions to investment in homebuilding and inventory accumulation. Imports, which are a drag to GDP growth, were higher than previously estimated.
When measured from the income side, the economy grew at a 2.1% rate in the last quarter, rather than the 2.4% pace estimated in November. Gross domestic income (GDI) increased at a rate of 0.9% in the second quarter.
The revision to the income side of the growth ledger reflected a downgrade to corporate profits.
After-tax profits without inventory valuation and capital consumption adjustment, which corresponds to S&P 500 profits, were revised down to show them declining $23.1 billion, or at a rate of 1.2%. Profits were previously reported to have decreased $11.3 billion, or at a rate of 0.6% in the third quarter.
They were in part held down by legal settlements with Facebook and Google. Profits increased at a 3.3% rate in the second quarter.
The average of GDP and GDI, also referred to as gross domestic output and considered a better measure of economic activity, increased at a 2.1% rate in the July-September period. That was down from the previously reported 2.3% pace and an acceleration from a 1.4% growth rate in the second quarter.
MODERATE GROWTH PATH
The economy appears to have maintained its moderate growth speed in the fourth quarter, with the lowest unemployment rate in nearly half a century supporting consumer spending. Recession fears, which gripped financial markets in the summer, have faded.
The Federal Reserve’s three interest rate cuts this year are lifting the housing market. The U.S. central bank last week kept rates steady and signaled borrowing costs could remain unchanged at least through 2020.
Manufacturing looks to be stabilizing as tensions in the 17-month trade war between the United States and China ease. A turnaround in manufacturing could, however, be delayed after Boeing announced on Monday it would suspend production of its best-selling 737 MAX jetliner in January as fallout from two fatal crashes of the now-grounded aircraft drags into 2020.
Growth estimates for the fourth quarter range from as low as a 1.3% rate to as high as a 2.3% pace. Though growth has been relatively strong, economists did not expect the economy to achieve the Trump administration’s 3.0% target this year.
The economy grew 2.6% in the first half. Growth has slowed from the 3.1% rate notched in the first three months of the year in part because of the U.S.-China trade war and as the stimulus from last year’s $1.5 trillion tax cut package fades.
Growth in consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, was raised to a 3.2% rate in the third quarter from the previously reported 2.9% pace. Inventories rose at a $69.4 billion pace instead of the $79.8 billion rate reported last month.
As a result of the smaller build, inventories were neutral to GDP growth last quarter, instead of adding 0.17 percentage point as previously reported. The trade deficit increased at a $990.1 billion rate instead of the previously reported $988.3 billion pace. The wider trade gap, which reflected higher imports, subtracted 0.14 percentage point from GDP growth, rather than the 0.11 percentage point estimates last month.
Business investment dropped at a 2.3% rate in the third quarter, rather than contracting at a 2.7% pace as previously reported. Spending on nonresidential structures such as mining exploration, shafts and wells declined at a 9.9% rate instead of the previously reported 12.0% pace.
Growth in residential investment was lowered to a 4.6% rate from the 5.1% pace estimated last month. Government spending growth was raised to a 1.7% rate from a 1.6% pace.
SOURCECNBC
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news.today - July 22, 2020 12:40 pm
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Indo-Burma car rally
Nicholas Farrelly - 06 Dec, 2006
A military endorsed car rally through north-east India, across Burma…to Yangon has just been flagged off by the Indian Defence Minister. The rally traverses a route that is maybe just starting to re-emerge as a viable conduit for everyday trade and transportation. The rally is considered sufficiently interesting that media across India have picked up the story. Hopefully, more will be published about all-things-rally throughout December as the cars snake their way to Burma.
More details follow from the official Indian press release:
The rally, comprising 14 teams including three from the Myanmar Army, will cover a distance of more 8000 km and traverse over rugged mountains, dense forest and numerous rivers. The rallyist will pass through UP, Bihar, Assam, Nagaland and Manipur and enter Myanmar at Moreh. In Myanmar, they will transit through Tamu, Mandalay, Taungoo and finally reach Yangon. This route will acquaint them with a number of historical battle fields of the Burma Campaign of World War II, where a number of Indian Army Regiments had won their Battle Honours with distinction.
Global Voices Online » Blog Archive » Myanmar: Indo-Burma Car Rally
[…] New Mandala writes about a car rally taking place in north-east India and Myanmar. “The rally traverses a route that is maybe just starting to re-emerge as a viable conduit for everyday trade and transportation.”. A former supporter of democracy in Myamar, India is now open to seeking closer with the military government. Preetam Rai […]
India’s greatest rally is Raid De Himalaya. This is one of the toughest off-road rallies in the world. This pics of the rally are really cool. http://tinyurl.com/ykdbxcr
Nicholas Farrelly
Dr Nicholas Farrelly is the co-founder of New Mandala. A graduate of the Australian National University and the University of Oxford, over the past 20 years he has undertaken research in Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China and India. Nicholas is Head of the School of Social Sciences at the University of Tasmania and formerly the Associate Dean of the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University, where he also led the ANU Myanmar Research Centre from 2015 to 2017.
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Indonesia is no saviour: against normalisation with Israel
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The impact of the Indonesian government’s crackdown on Islamists
Environmental degradation in Indonesia: lessons from Jambi
Religious minorities in Indonesia face discriminiation
2020: top posts and tipping points in the year of living precariously
For human capital or social justice? Indonesia’s study abroad scholarships fall short either way
Indonesia’s rice racket
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Judge Demands Explanation Regarding Release Of Roger Stone Book
The judge in Stone's criminal trial wants to know why Stone's attorneys didn't disclose the planned book release to the court sooner.
The judge in Roger Stone's criminal trial has warned the former Trump campaign adviser that a re-release of one of his books could violate her recent gag order.
Stone was banned from making any public comments about his case after his Instagram account posted a photo on Feb. 18 of U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson with what appeared to be crosshairs in the background. That same week, Stone's 2017 book about the presidential election was re-published with an "explosive new introduction."
In the new introduction he says, "I now find myself on Crooked Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller's hit list because I've advised Donald Trump for the past 40 years. I am being targeted not because I committed a crime, but because the Deep State liberals want to silence me and pressure me to testify against my good friend."
Stone's attorneys asked Jackson to clarify whether the release of book violates the gag order. The judge rejected that request Tuesday, saying "there is no question that the order prohibited and continues to prohibit the defendant from making any public statements, using any medium, concerning the investigation."
She also wants to know why Stone's attorneys didn't disclose the planned book release to the court sooner. She says Stone "deliberately waited until public sales were not only 'imminent,' but apparently, ongoing, to inform the court of the publication effort that had been underway for weeks."
Stone and his attorneys must now provide a report of his specific actions taken to comply with the judge's gag order by Monday. According to NBC News, if Jackson determines Stone violated the order, she could extend it so he cannot make any public statements on any topic or require him to stay in jail until his trial.
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Inside: Life in Children’s Homes and Institutions: exhibition launch
Jack Thompson, the Hon. Jenny Macklin, Shane Mortimer, Christine Harms and Andrew Sayers, 15 November 2011
ANDREW SAYERS: Welcome everybody to this evening’s opening here at the National Museum of Australia of the exhibition Inside: Life in Children’s Homes and Institutions. My name is Andrew Sayers and I am the Director of the National Museum of Australia.
Our Auslan interpreter this evening is Deborah Hayes. I would like to advise that there is a hearing aid induction loop in the Hall so, if you require hearing assistance, you can use the T-switch on your hearing aid and also to advise that tonight’s proceedings are being recorded for Museum and Commonwealth government purposes.
I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and welcome Shane Mortimer who will shortly welcome us to his country.
On behalf of the Museum, it gives me great pleasure to welcome the Hon. Jenny Macklin, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs; Mr Jack Thompson; members of the National Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants Consultative Forum; and representatives of the Alliance of Forgotten Australians. I would like to welcome Caroline Carroll and Eris Harrison, representatives from Care Leavers Australia Network, and I would particularly like to welcome Joanna Penglase, co-founder of Care Leavers of Australia Network. The International Association of Former Child Migrants and their Families, I would like to welcome Harold Haig, the secretary. I would also like to welcome Mr Jim Luthy, the President of Care Leavers of Australia Network, and Mr Ian Thwaites, assistant director of the Child Migrants Trust, and all members of those organisations. Danny Gilbert, the chair of the National Museum of Australia, and Anne-Marie Schwirtlich, Director-General of the National Library of Australia, who are our partners with the National Museum in this history project, along with the Australian National Maritime Museum represented here this evening by Michael Crayford.
And most importantly I would like to welcome all of those present who have spent time in children’s homes and institutions and I know that many of you have travelled a long way to be here this evening - welcome.
When we started this exhibition two years ago, the only object that we had in the Museum’s collection was a fundraising button. Most of the objects you see in the exhibition have been donated or lent by those who have spent time in the homes. You have given us your precious objects, your photographs and your stories. You have made this exhibition. I thank you for your generosity and your trust.
We welcome you here this evening and we also remember those who have spent time in homes and institutions who are not with us tonight, those who have taken their own lives or those whose lives were taken from them too soon and those who as adults are still incarcerated - you are not forgotten.
This exhibition is about giving a voice to those whose voices were for so long silenced or ignored. You won’t find the voices of staff or families or others concerned, only those who were children in the homes. It’s their time to be heard and to be believed. We have been very fortunate that so many of those who were in the homes have shared stories with us and on the Inside exhibition blog, which has been up now for more than 12 months in the lead-up to the exhibition.
We know that we can’t tell all of the stories of the 500,000 children in the probably 800 homes and institutions that existed in the twentieth century. What we have here is part of bringing this story into history. We would like to acknowledge the Minister and her Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs who have funded this exhibition.
We would also like to thank the National Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants Consultative Forum whose guidance and support have been so crucial to the development of this exhibition.
There are several organisations that also deserve our thanks including the Alliance of Forgotten Australians, the Care Leavers of Australia Network, the International Association of Former Child Migrants and Their Families, and the Child Migrants Trust. We thank them all for their generous support.
Many people have worked on this exhibition over the past two years. I would particularly like to pay tribute to the Museum’s curatorial team of Jay Arthur, Adele Chynoweth [applause], Karolina Kilian, and to Julie Gough and Freeman Ryan Design who have worked to effect a design which is sensitive, appropriate and powerful. Thank you.
We are committed to telling the truth so we are aware that the exhibition and this evening’s proceedings may arouse difficult feelings. We do have counsellors here this evening. If you have spent any of your childhood in out-of-home care and feel you need the services of a counsellor this evening, please feel free at any stage to approach one of our visitor services hosts, who are team members of the Museum wearing the black and grey shirts on which ‘Where our stories live’ are embroidered, and they will be able to direct you to a counsellor.
I would now like to welcome to the Museum Mr Shane Mortimer, Ngambri elder, who will welcome us to country. [applause]
SHANE MORTIMER: Thank you, Andrew. The Hon. Jenny Macklin, Mr Jack Thompson, Mr Danny Gilbert, Mr Andrew Sayers and all of the National Museum of Australia team and volunteers who work so hard to mount such exceptional exhibitions as this Inside exhibition you are about to see.
My name in Walgalu is Mingo, which means grass tree. My people are the Ngambri people, the people for whom Canberra is named. Many Aboriginal people claim this land to be their own. I can only speak for my own people. It is with abiding respect that I acknowledge all of the Aboriginal people of this land, their elders, past and present, and I bid you all welcome to country.
Special guests and ladies and gentlemen, please raise your hand if you are Indigenous - fantastic. Now everybody raise your hand because you are all indigenous to somewhere. And what is indigenous you are generally very proud of - you are proud of your origins.
Exhibitions such as Inside: Life in Children’s Homes and Institutions are a clear demonstration that Australians are ready to identify the mistakes of the past, correct them and progress to embrace and be proud of all things Indigenous, not just the people.
It is with great pleasure that I stand before you today very proud on behalf of over 400 members of my Aboriginal family and in particular my mother in her 80th year, the oldest of all of the Ngambri people. Ngambri in our Walgalu language means ‘cleavage’, the space between women’s breasts - a good place to work and live, Andrew.
Inside reminds me of the former Australian government’s Aboriginal Protection Board policy that saw my grandmother and her six siblings taken from their mother at the Brungle mission, somewhere between Gundagai and Tumut, and set off to the cold hard charity of St Joseph’s and St John’s Catholic orphanages in Goulburn. Goulburn residents recall stories of the orphanage children going to school without lunch, without shoes, without warm clothes. In fact, one man told me that he used to pack an extra sandwich every day for one of the boys at St John’s because they had no food. It was really very harsh.
Leaving Brungle was the last time my grandmother saw her mother. Florence Ellen Lowe died within weeks of her children being taken away absolutely broken hearted. Their eldest brother ran away and was never seen again. They were denied their family, their language, their culture, their environment. The girls were then dispatched from Goulburn to a Catholic girls’ home, for want of a better word, in La Perouse near Sydney. The treatment was so harsh that the siblings formed a pact never ever to reveal their Aboriginal background and they took that secret to their graves. As a result, they were assimilated, married Europeans, went separate ways, had their own children and never really spoke to one another again. My mother and her cousins grew up blissfully ignorant of their Aboriginal background and culture - the policy worked.
Now put yourself in my shoes being told that we are an extinct race, get over it. The ACT former chief minister stated that native title is extinct in the ACT. The 400-plus blood relatives of the Ngambri people that I represent are scattered throughout the continent. Our culture denied, our country overrun, our ecosystem decimated - Ngambri land today is no longer capable of producing food or water enough to sustain its population.
But out of that adversity comes opportunity and we have discovered that, since the 1992 High Court of Australia Mabo decision overturned the notion of terra nullius, giving common law native title rights to the land belonging to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Not even the Commonwealth has clear title to the land that the seat of government is on.
Sir Gerard Brennan, former Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, handed down the Mabo decision. He laughed when I told him that the ACT claimed that native title was extinct. The Walgalu language is spoken on a daily basis in the Snowy Mountains and can be recorded and taught for future generations. Men and women knowledge holders of our people still reside among us in our Walgalu language area. The remnant vegetation of the area still exists and can be a great resource to feed millions around the world.
So I say to you: be proud of all things indigenous to you and of the people on whose land you reside. Look ahead ten generations, 222 years is all it took European infusion to get to this point.
Congratulations to the National Museum of Australia team. It’s a phenomenal exhibition and Jenny, a great initiative, thank you very much. Fantastic initiative. [applause]. (Native language spoken) Welcome to Ngambri country.
ANDREW SAYERS: Thank you, Shane. I would now like to introduce one of our greatest actors, one of the great friends and supporters of the National Museum of Australia from way back and someone who has deep personal connections with the stories told in this exhibition. Would you please make welcome Mr Jack Thompson. [applause]
JACK THOMPSON: Thank you very much. Thank you for honouring me by asking me to be here for the opening of this exhibition. Thank you, Jenny, for supporting this extraordinarily important exhibition.
There are two reasons why I am here. I was invited far too many years ago to be a part of the establishment of a national museum and for many years we fought to have such a museum created. In the end, it is here. The importance of the National Museum is that it is only here in this country that we tell the tale of who we are. There is a line of my father’s poetry: ‘I have what I have had, say I. We are all the sum of all those things that go to make us up, and this nation is the sum of all those things.’
More recently, we have agreed to face some of the things in our past which we have decided previously we would bury and deny, forced to by all sorts of circumstances, including a monumental guilt. We denied not only our personal aboriginality, we denied what it was that brought us here. A lot of people would wish to escape that by decrying this as, for example, the black armband view of history. But if we are to deny all suffering, if we are to ignore all the pain, all the error, all the cruelty, then we will deny half of history, including the Anzacs. We are prepared to embrace the awful carnage at Gallipoli and we have recently been game enough, gutsy enough to embrace a torrid, cruel history that brings us to this time and place. It is not as if it is not full of moments of great comradeship, of great love, of great affection and of great heroism.
But if we do not recognise the fundamental inhumanity and cruelty exhibited in this exhibition, the awfulness carried out in the name of God and goodness, then we will ignore the fact that it didn’t happen in the last century, it happened in this century and in many parts of our society continues to happen. Let us look this thing in the face; let us deal with it. Thank you for this exhibition. Thank you for asking me to be a part of it. [applause]
ANDREW SAYERS: Thank you, Jack. I would now invite the Hon. Jenny Macklin, the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, to open the exhibition.
JENNY MACKLIN: Thank you very much, Andrew. If I could first of all say to Shane thank you so much for your very heartfelt welcome to country. We all join today, all of us here today, in acknowledging you as an elder, in acknowledging all the other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are here today, and we also acknowledge the ancestors and elders past. I can only say the way in which you talked to us today demonstrated your true understanding of what we are about tonight.
I want to say to Jack: thank you very much for the way in which you bring us all together in the way that you have just spoken to us. Thank you for your love of the Museum - give him another clap. [applause] We know you love the Museum but we also know that this comes because of a very personal understanding of what so many people here today have been through, and it is very special for everybody for you to be here.
To Danny Gilbert, thank you for your leadership of the Museum. We know that this is a national treasure and we know that it is in extraordinarily safe hands. Thank you for the leadership you show.
I do want to acknowledge all of the survivors who are here tonight - all of you who have come from so many parts of Australia. This is for you and for all the people who couldn’t be here with us tonight. [applause]
A few of us - Caroline Carroll, Harold Haig, Ian Thwaites, Jim Luthy, Joanna Penglase and I - went through the exhibition this morning, and it was very difficult. I decided not to go and have another look this afternoon because I wasn’t sure I would be able to speak to you if I did. I am sure when you go you will see the enormous dedication that those from the Museum have shown in putting together this very significant exhibition. To all of those wonderful advocates who I have just named, thank you so much for your leadership. You are very special. [applause]
There are a few others who haven’t been able to join us tonight for different reasons. I want to acknowledge Leonie Sheedy, Margaret Humphreys [applause] and someone who I know is very special to you all - the former senator Andrew Murray who couldn’t be with us tonight. These and others are very special people who have done so much over such a long time to shed light on each and every one of your experiences in institutions.
And of course now tonight we can add to these wonderful advocates the National Museum. We now have people in this Museum: Mike Pickering, Jay Arthur, Adele Chynoweth and others who have put this exhibition together [applause]. They too have joined the ranks of wonderful advocates for the forgotten Australians and the former child migrants.
Inside: Life in Children’s Homes and Institutions does tell the stories that have been left untold and for many remain untold. They are told, as you will see in a moment, with the most beautiful accuracy but also very, very chilling poignancy. Their telling itself is so important. Through this exhibition these stories will over time continue to form part of the patchwork of our national memory, the way in which all of us understand our past, both now and into the future.
It is true that what happened to these children, to all of you, must be acknowledged. It must be confronted and, of course, must be better understood by all of us because what happened to these children, to you, must never happen again. [applause] Hiding these stories from ourselves has gone on for long enough.
Two years tomorrow, as so many of you remember, the Australian government acknowledged the forgotten Australians and the former child migrants and acknowledged your experiences and we did say sorry. I just want to say again: we said sorry for the brutality - and it was brutality - and for the injustices inflicted on you as children who were placed in our collective care; we said sorry for the lack of warmth, the lack of love and affection which you deserved just like every other child in our country. And I know this meant so much to you. We said we believe you; we believe what you have been telling us and we believe you now. [applause]
We acknowledge what happened was real; and we are very sorry that what was real was forgotten - not forgotten by you but forgotten by too many. But you are now remembered. Of course the apology helped to open so many hearts and I think very importantly the hearts and ears of the nation to your stories, to your courage and to your determination. That is really what led to the apology, and that courage and determination is what has led to this exhibition. It is your exhibition, yours, and is dedicated to all of you. Inside will make certain that the stories of the Forgotten Australians and former child migrants will be heard and will not be forgotten.
I would also like to acknowledge the oral history project which records the stories of survivors, and this too will make sure that these stories are preserved in perpetuity. I would like on behalf of everyone here tonight to thank the National Library for their dedication and work to preserve your stories. [applause]
One of our jobs, in addition to making sure that this exhibition took place, is also to continue our support for CLAN, for the Alliance of Forgotten Australians and the International Association of Former Child Migrants and Their Families, to continue to support the very important work that you do, counselling and supporting your members and their families. I do want to say a very big thank you for that work, because nobody else could do it in the way that you do. Please give them a big round of applause. [applause]
One of the things we committed to at the apology was a national find and connect service to help family tracing and support services right across Australia. Tonight I am very pleased to be able to announce some further progress on the find and connect service. The national Find and Connect web resource to help care leavers search for their records has gone live today. [applause] So you can get online and make use of that very important service. Of course it will grow with time.
We know how important it is to continue to unearth the stories that are critical for all of you, to know your own history, to know who you are, to know where you came from, who it was that brought you into this world. Telling these stories helps all of us recognise your experience and understand it that little bit better.
There is a story of a small teddy bear that features in this exhibition. Jeanette Blick owned this teddy but, as soon as it was given to her, it was taken away. Jeanette wasn’t allowed to cuddle her teddy at night. It is so symbolic of the harshness and brutality and also the absence of love and warmth in children’s lives. Posted underneath Janette’s story on the website for this exhibition is this note: ‘Auntie Janette, you and Auntie Pat gives us all strength by not only surviving what you have been through but also being brave enough to face it and bring it into the light for all to see. Stay strong.’
Strength and courage do define you and allow your stories to be told. We hope that through this exhibition more survivors find the strength to tell their stories so that we as a nation find the strength to confront this very dark chapter of our past and strengthen our resolve to never ever let this happen again. [applause]
Six years ago the Care Leavers Australia Network, so well known to us as CLAN, called for this exhibition. They said, ‘Let our histories be visible.’ They wrote this in their submission to the Senate inquiry into the forgotten Australians, and I love this quote:
Get the dinosaurs out of the Australian Museum and dedicate it to the orphanages and children.
And that is what the National Museum has done. I am pleased to launch this exhibition and dedicate it to those children. Thank you. [applause]
ANDREW SAYERS: Thank you, minister. I know there are several of you who would like to make presentations to the minister and there will be an opportunity to do that after the formalities have concluded. I would now like to welcome to the National Museum Christine Harms. Christine spent 13 years in Nazareth House in Brisbane and she is singing Eagles wings, a song dedicated to those who were with her in Nazareth House and in Nazareth Houses all around the world. Would you please make welcome Christine Harms.
CHRISTINE HARMS: Thank you. This is really emotional. I won’t talk long. Hello to all the Queenslanders here. Thank you to the Museum for liking my song and asking me to perform it here. Hey Sue, my very best sister and my very best friend in 13 years at Nazareth House at the back. Who would have thought this would happen. I think of you, Wilhelmina, who threw me out of the choir constantly. There you go.
SONG SUNG:
I have walked through the valley of the shadows.
Been crucified in the name of love.
I carried the cross of my yesterdays
My heart was hurt with so much pain
On eagles wings I will fly
Soaring high above in to heavens skies
The past is but the future is mine
I’ve learnt to live one day at a time.
The dice rolls and the numbers fall
Gamblers play for dreams
Some lose them all
There are those on avenues tonight
With battle scars that come with the price.
On the eagles wings I will fly
Soaring high above into heavens skies
I’ll let the rain wash the sorrow from my heart
As I lay down these weary burden of my past
I have stood and I face the eye of the storm
I am peace full, I am reborn
I’ve learnt to live one day at a time. On the eagles wings I will fly
I’ve learnt to live one day at a time. I’ve learnt to live one day at a time.
God bless everyone.
ANDREW SAYERS: Thank you, Christine. Tomorrow between 11 o’clock and 2 pm in this Hall you will have an opportunity to hear Christine perform again with two other musicians from the Forgotten Australians, Leanne Hawkins and Graeme Evans.
Finally, guests here tonight are the first to view this exhibition. We know that many have come on a long journey, a journey of both distance and survival. We would like all those who grew up in homes and institutions to be the first to experience the exhibition which is in the gallery just behind the column to the left.
Only 100 people can go into the space at any one time and I appreciate there is a lot to see and experience, but the exhibition is on show until 26 February next year. It’s free admission and we hope to see you again and as many Australians as possible to hear your voices and to understand your stories. Thank you. [applause]
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$10M for CHOC Autism Center
By Sherry Hsieh
Children’s Hospital of Orange County plans to open an autism center at 170 S. Main St. in Orange in early 2019.
The two-story, 20,000-square-foot Thompson Autism Center, named in honor of a $10 million founding gift from the William and Nancy Thompson Foundation, will expand the hospital’s ability to diagnose children as early as possible and provide long-term support for children with complex care needs.
Get the latest OC business and Coronavirus updates
The Thompsons founded the foundation in 2007 to help make a difference in the lives of children and families affected by autism spectrum disorders, according to its website. William "Bill" Thompson was the longtime chief executive of Pacific Investment Management Co. in Newport Beach. He retired in 2008.
The center will partner with Chapman University to assist families in navigating the education system from preschool to college.
The center was designed by Houston-based FKP/Cannon Design, which specializes in science, technology and education development, including brain and autism projects at children's hospitals.
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Cruel Boss Dunks Employee’s Face in Boiling Hotpot as a Joke
By Spooky onNovember 26th, 2018 Category: News
A 23-year-old man has filed a criminal complaint against his ex-boss for dunking his face into a scalding hotpot at an office party, as a joke, causing severe burns to his face that required over a month to heal.
The shocking event reportedly took place at a company party on December 20, 2015, but was made public just last week, after a couple of videos recorded on mobile phones went viral online. One of the clips shows a group of people sitting around a table in a Japanese-style restaurant. In the center of the table is a “nabe”, a pot of boiling water used for cooking meat and vegetables over an open flame. At one point, a man whose face is not shown in the video grabs the one of the people around the table by the back of his head and dunks his face into the nabe, holding him down for a couple of seconds before he manages to wrestle free, knocking over the pot.
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Just in Love with a Never Ending Story... E-girls' 'The NeverEnding Story' Single Review
All thoughts and opinions are totally my own and no one else's. Don't like my opinion? Feel offended by it? Judged by it? Then please, feel free not to read. I would rather you feel comfortable not reading my blog or post rather than feel uncomfortable reading it. Thank you~
Ignore the fact that I am a little tired and have no idea what I am saying in this post, kay?
So after battling it out with myself about where I should post this, either on Selective Hearing where I post a few single reviews of groups I don't follow as actively as others, or on here where I post a lot... I decided to post this review on here because I felt like I needed to fully throw myself into this group and review a single or PV by them to introduce you all to them here on this very blog. Ready? Well, here we go...
I have actually mentioned the group E-girls on this blog once or twice before, however I have yet to review anything by them, be it a PV or a single. I decided at some point during the past two weeks prior to this post that I certainly wanted to review this song; it's quite recent, but it's also a song that many of us will know well, a nice little blast from the past if anything. I am sure by now that you all know what The NeverEnding Story is, whether it is the book or the film, and I hope beyond all hope that you know what the song sounds like at least.
If not, then I think that the E-girls' own rendition will help you in learning more about this glorious song and possibly peak your interest into venturing into the film itself, who knows?
So, let's take a look at E-girls' cover of The NeverEnding Story! I hope you enjoy!
1. The NeverEnding Story ~Kimi ni Himitsu wo Oshieyou~
When I saw the short music video for this song on Aramatheydidn't, I immediately thought to myself 'have E-girls named a song after that film and song of the same name...', and of course my interest was peaked at that very moment. I took a look at the short PV and realised quickly that this was actually a cover and not a random song with the very same name, and honestly, I think that I fell in love with E-girls a little more... well, my interest in them peaked greatly.
The NeverEnding Story is, like many others alike, a part of my childhood. I have heard this song in various forms too, but one of my earlier memories concerning this song and film would be when I was extremely young. I only remember vague parts of the film because it was so long ago, but hearing this song instantly brings me back to my childhood where I sat with my father, younger sister and one of my brothers as we watched the film. Even though I have few memories of the film itself, the song itself brings back a lot of nostalgia and just takes me back to my childhood when I watched this film, and it's nice to be able to look back at that.
The song performed by E-girls is a Japanese rendition, but it is done very well. There is a slight difference in the instrumental... okay, a vast difference, but it suits the rhythm of E-girls and fits with their group dynamic perfectly in my opinion. E-girls have quite an electro feel to them, but this song isn't overly synthesised or auto-tuned like Just in Love is in some parts, and I am thankful that whilst they were reconstructing the instrumental, they did not overdo the electro parts at all. It still sounds as gentle as I remember (from the few reconstructions I have heard plus the original) and I really feel that E-girls did this song justice and made it sound wonderful.
I love the song itself, but I feel like E-girls have made me love and appreciate The NeverEnding Story more. Maybe it's because it's a mix of the Japanese music that I love now and nostalgia, or maybe it's just pure love for the song itself that allows me to love it more. Either way, I feel like E-girls have allowed me to enjoy it more and go back a little. Hearing this song again also makes me want to look at the film and watch it once again, maybe with my family or on my own.
I like the E-girls rendition; it's modern, but it doesn't hurt the original in any way. f anything, it makes it sound just as beautiful. It's sung beautifully and the arrangement sounds great and just makes me want to take a trip down memory lane and re-watch The NeverEnding Story movie with my dad.
2. JUST IN LOVE
JUST IN LOVE is an original song by E-girls and the first song that really caught my attention from this group. I actually heard this song through a short PV that I had enjoyed thanks to the abundance of colour and creativity in the video. This song was actually a digital single at first, however it was released as a B-side to The NeverEnding Story because... well, it's just awesome. Or at least it is to me.
The song is energetic and extremely catchy, and whenever I listen to it I feel really happy and energetic. It's such a fun tune, one that sounds as colourful as its video counterpart. I enjoy singing along to the parts that I can sing along to, and shimmying around to the parts that I can't sing along to... either way, I am enjoying this song a whole lot. It's so vibrant and energetic, and I love that it can make me feel so happy and energetic at the same time.
As a song, JUST IN LOVE is just as enjoyable and fun as the PV is in my opinion. It's an upbeat, well-paced song that is so addictive and good! It's a nice contrast to The NeverEnding Story as well, something I do like when it comes to A-sides and B-sides, and sounds extremely cheerful and friendly. The girls all sound amazing in it and I feel like E-girls really delivered a strong, amazing performance with this song, one that won me over immediately after viewing the short PV for the first time. I'm really happy that I was able to gain an interest for E-girls through this song, because it's wonderful; it introduced me to a pretty awesome group in my opinion.
Before I prattle on with more praise, I do want to highlight the fact that there is a lot of electro effects in this song on the voices, something which I have, over-time, come to enjoy in songs when done correctly. Thankfully it's done pretty well in JUST IN LOVE, though i my opinion the opening line is a bit too heavily tuned, but that's a personal opinion entirely. Other than that, I actually really enjoyed the electro effects in the song; it added a fun element to JUST IN LOVE and made it all the more enjoyable for me as a listener.
Then again, any group that isn't a Hello! Project unit tends to have decent to awesome auto-tuning and electro sounds.
3. The NeverEnding Story
The final track on this single is an English cover of The NeverEnding Story by the E-girls. I was actually surprised to see the English cover on the track list, but I think that adding it in there just shows that the girls are working hard by singing in English as well as sticking true to the song in a way. Of course the instrumental is the same as the Japanese cover, however I like the modern feel to it still.
I do think that it would have been quite cool for the girls to have actually sung the original English lyrics with the original instrumental, though. It would have been a nice bit of nostalgia for fans of the movie who were buying the single, but oh well, I'm happy that they covered the song in both English and Japanese; it's nice.
There really is not much I can say about the song itself other than that I think that the girls did a good job with singing in English and that I think they sound fabulous; E-girls are amazing together, and I like how they fit each other perfectly when it comes to singing. They sound so gentle and heavenly, almost, which is probably why The NeverEnding Story sounds so good when they sing it. Their voices are just so perfect for a song as pure and gentle as this, and their own voices match the song beautifully and just enhance that magical sound that The NeverEnding Story has behind that instrumental.
Again, not much I can say, but I enjoy this song just as much as the Japanese cover the girls did. This is a nice treat in the single if anything though, and shows how hard the girls worked to sing in English.
The Conclusion:
Overall I have really enjoyed this single. The NeverEnding Story covered by the E-girls is a beautiful tune, on which sounds very pure, gentle and almost heavenly thanks to the voices of the girls used here. A classic song has been given a nice modern twist, one which is quite powerful but still holds onto that magical and nostalgic feeling that the original song has. I love how modern it sounds and I love that it was sung by a group; it sounds so lovely with everyone's voices coming together and I really think that E-girls made an amazing cover.
The single itself is good; you have two great songs that are nice contrasts to each other and make you feel happy when you listen to them. It helps that they are both extremely catchy and fun to listen to as well, though that's what I think... check them out and see what you guys like about this single.
But yeah... I love it. It's a nice Nostalgic trip for me, and JUST IN LOVE is just a damn good song. Enough said~
PING!!! Idolminded Recommended Reading: March 9th, 2013
Labels: E-girls, Single Review
Thennary Nak 9 March 2013 at 23:56
I highly recommend E-Girls, which is actually the girl groups under LDH (Dream, Happiness, Flower & Bunny) mixed together. It is set up kinda like EXILE where most of the girls are just dancers but a few are vocalists. Follow Me is another good song from them and I like Celebration too.
I got into the group because two of the members are sisters of a Kansai Junior, Fujii Ryusei. I have the girls listed in the relatives in showbiz post (http://never-ending-music-power.blogspot.com/2012/04/relatives-in-showbiz.html) I did about a year ago if you want to see which ones. Honestly all three siblings are gorgeous.
Thanks, I am just trying to get into them but so far, I like the group itself; though sooo many girls!
Ah that will explain it then! I took a look and I find it quite interesting that they are sisters and in the group, but also not so surprised because so many siblings enter the entertainment industry anyway :D
I enjoyed reading this, thanks.
I've got into E-girls quite recently and I must say they're all really talented. My favourite A-side is One Two Three. My favourite B-side is Suki desu ka? from Follow Me single. The majority of their fans are young girls but recently they say that there are more male fans coming to their live event, and it looks pretty balanced.
The large number of members doesn't deter me at all because I'm also a 48 fan. I only hope that their overseas fans would increase so that we'll have a more active fandom. It's pretty boring right now, all the fan forums are dead T_T
Chiima 7 May 2013 at 20:14
Why thank you very much! :D
I have yet to listen to everything they have done, but I do think that I have heard One Two Three... I may need to re-listen to remember it, though! And it's great that they are getting more balance in fans, but having female fans is great too!
I do agree that it seems that the E-girls' fanbase overseas is a little low; I actually haven't really found anyone who is a very big fan of them. Currently, I am a casual fan, but I hope to follow them a bit more, because they are really wonderful and, as you said, talented.
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Demolition of iconic First Christian church deemed 'imminent'
Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid received notice from a member of the board of the First Christian Church of Oklahoma City, 3700 N. Walker Ave., that the church property was under contract to a buyer who would only complete the purchase on the condition that existing buildings — including the iconic sanctuary — be demolished.
Shadid was invited to speak to the church board to better educate it on the possible roadblocks that might present themselves and stand in the way of the property sale. Shadid was told the potential buyer has become nervous due to recent publicity surrounding a possible demolition.
Shadid said that he would be in the Oklahoma City Council meeting at that time and could not attend.
Over the last several months, rumors have circulated that there was a plan in place to raze the structure, once promoted on postcards as the “Church of Tomorrow.”
Due to related concerns, Shadid brought up the subject at the most recent city council meeting on Feb. 12, recognizing that the city might need to take action or risk losing yet another building with historic and architectural significance.
Just in the last few years, the city has seen the demolition of Stage Center and United Founders Bank, and nearly lost the Donnay Building at Classen Circle before Braum’s Ice Cream and Dairy Store’s plans met public opposition and were ultimately withdrawn.
Because First Christian does not fall within the geographic boundaries of a city design review committee, demolition merely requires a simple permit that is often issued the same day an application is submitted.
Oklahoma City Council can vote to designate any property within city limits as a historic landmark. Once in place, an owner or future buyer would be required to obtain approval from the Historic Preservation Commission before any significant exterior modification can be made, including partial or full demolition.
As the current owner is likely to oppose such a move, positive votes from at least 7 of 9 council members would be necessary. Only a simple majority is required without owner opposition.
Shadid said he will introduce a historic landmark resolution for the church property at the March 12 council meeting. Although there is a meeting scheduled for next Tuesday, the deadline for placing an item on the meeting agenda has passed.
For over a year, the church has attempted to sell the property, which is comprised of several buildings set on a scenic 32-acre plot bordering the historic neighborhoods of Crown Heights and Edgemere Park.
The site at NW 36th Street between Walker Avenue and Interstate 235 drew an ambitious commercial development proposal in 2008 that was ultimately withdrawn due to public backlash.
In addition to the soaring domed sanctuary that was built in 1956, the property also includes the Jewel Box Theatre, an office building for Oklahoma Disciples, Trinity School and a large amphitheater.
Indications are that the church now has less than 100 members and due to the size of the main sanctuary, now hold services in an ancillary building instead.
There is currently a petition drive to save the buildings by local preservationist Lynne Rostochil, who was involved in a similar movement in support of the Donnay Building.
Rostochil's grandfather, architect R. Duane Conner, designed First Christian,.
Thus far, over 3,800 have signed the petition, which can be viewed here: https://www.change.org/p/okie-mod-sq...ristian-church
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Flower Child and Torchy's Tacos coming to Classen Curve area
A national restaurant chain is planning to bring its health-oriented concept to the southeast corner of NW 63rd and Grand and will be joined by Torchy's Tacos.
In what would be the first Oklahoma location for Flower Child, plans are underway to construct a new 8,000 square foot building with the Phoenix-based chain taking the west end and Torchy's occupying the eastern space. Both restaurants will have large outdoor patios.
Flower Child is part of Fox Restaurant Concepts, a highly regarded group featuring more than a dozen brands in 50 locations across the country. The company is expanding will the help of recent investments from such heavyweights as the Cheesecake Factory and PF Chang's.
The tagline for Flower Child is 'Healthy food for a happy world' and various vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and fresh and light dishes are delivered in a fast-casual atmosphere.
Featured are bowls, wraps, grains, and salads such as the Vietnamese Crunch and Mediterranean Tabbouleh as well as crushed avocado toast.
Serving lunch and dinner, the restaurant features a both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks including fresh-pressed juices.
This location will be the first for Fox in the state of Oklahoma but Fox has been looking at the OKC market for some time and may soon bring other concepts to the area.
After a very successful start by 3 other OKC-area locations, Torchy's is planning to take the western part of the new building and bring its unique brand of gourmet tacos and sides, along with a strong and active bar scene.
The 63rd and Grand site will join the Torchy's in Norman, Edmond and Chisholm Creek.
A bank building was recently demolished to make room for the two new restaurants.
Directly north, Hopdoddy Burger bar continues to experience strong business and Oklahoma's first Slapfish – fast-casual seafood – is nearing completion next door.
On the site of the recently-razed Mamasita's, a new retail center is being constructed which will closely resemble the Hopdoddy/Slapfish structure. Taking approximately half of the new building, Chicken Salad Chick features over a dozen Southern-style chicken salad recipes, as well as soups, salads, and various healthy sides. The company has over 100 locations nationwide and will also be opening in Chisholm Creek.
The projects are all being developed by Washington Prime, which bought Nichols Hills Plaza, Classen Curve, the Triangle at Classen Curve and the large vacant property north of the Triangle from Chesapeake Energy.
Plans are underway to bring a boutique hotel to the sports field north of Whole Foods and the company has recently resolved litigation over a proposed large-scale apartment and retail center.
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Olagón
a Cantata in Doublespeak
About Olagón
A Tour of Olagón
Dan Trueman is a composer, fiddler, and electronic musician. He began studying violin at the age of 4, and decades later, after a chance encounter, fell in love with the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle, an instrument and tradition that has deeply affected all of his work, whether as a fiddler, a composer, or musical explorer. Dan’s current projects include: a double-quartet for So Percussion and the JACK Quartet, commissioned by the Barlow Foundation; Olagón — an evening length work in collaboration with singer Iarla Ó Lionáird, poet Paul Muldoon, and Eighth Blackbird; the Prepared Digital Piano project; ongoing collaborations with Irish fiddler Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and guitarist Monica Mugan (Trollstilt). His recent albums with Ó Raghallaigh (Laghdú) and So Percussion (neither Anvil nor Pulley) have met with wide acclaim. Upcoming record releases include The Nostalgic Synchronic Etudes for prepared digital piano, to be released by New Amsterdam Records, and The Sideband Chronicles (a Princeton Laptop Orchestra project). His explorations have ranged from the oldest to the newest technologies; Dan co-founded the Princeton Laptop Orchestra, the first ensemble of its size and kind that has led to the formation of similarly inspired ensembles across the world, from Oslo to Dublin, to Stanford and Bangkok. Dan’s compositional work reflects this complex and broad range of activities, exploring rhythmic connections between traditional dance music and machines, for instance, or engaging with the unusual phrasing, tuning and ornamentation of the traditional Norwegian music while trying to discover new music that is singularly inspired by, and only possible with, new digital instruments that he designs and constructs. His tools of the trade are the first-of-its-kind Hardanger d’Amore fiddle by Salve Håkedal (played with a beautiful baroque bow by Michel Jamonneau), and the ChucK music programming language by Ge Wang. Dan’s work has been recognized by fellowships and grants from the Guggenheim and MacArthur Foundations, among others. He is Professor of Music and Director of the Princeton Sound Kitchen at Princeton University, where he teaches counterpoint, electronic music, and composition.
photo credit Feargal Ward
Iarla Ó Lionáird has carved a long and unique career in music in Ireland. From his iconic early recording of the vision song Aisling Gheal as a young boy to his ground breaking recordings with Dublin’s Crash Ensemble he has shown a breadth of artistic ambition that sets him apart in the Irish Music fraternity. He has worked with a stellar cast of composers internationally including Nico Muhly, Gavin Bryars and David Lang and he has performed and recorded with such luminaries as Peter Gabriel, Robert Plant and Sinead O’Connor. His unique singing style has carried him to stages and concert halls all over the world, from New York’s Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House and beyond. His voice has graced the silver screen also, with film credits extending from “The Gangs of New York” to “Hotel Rwanda” and most recently as featured vocalist in the film “Calvary” starring Brendan Gleeson. He is the vocalist with the critically acclaimed Irish /American band “The Gloaming.” This year he is Traditional Artist in Residence at University College Cork where he is teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate courses on the aesthetics of Sean Nos song.
Paul Muldoon is an Irish poet and professor of poetry, as well as an editor, critic, and translator. Born in 1951 in Portadown, Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland, to Patrick Muldoon, a farm labourer and market gardener, and Brigid Regan, a schoolteacher, Paul Muldoon was brought up near a village called The Moy on the border of Counties Armagh and Tyrone. He is the oldest of three children. After studying at Queen’s University, Belfast, where Seamus Heaney was a tutor and where he met other Belfast Group poets such as Michael Longley, he published his first book, New Weather (Faber) in 1972, at the age of 21. From 1973 he worked as a producer for the BBC in Belfast until, in the mid-1980’s, he gave up his job to become a freelance writer and moved to the United States with his second wife, the American novelist Jean Hanff Korelitz. He now lives in New York City. Muldoon is the author of twelve major collections of poetry. He has also published innumerable smaller collections, works of criticism, opera libretti, books for children, song lyrics and radio and television drama. His poetry has been translated into twenty languages. Muldoon served as Professor of Poetry at Oxford University from 1999 to 2004. He has taught at Princeton University since 1987 and currently occupies the Howard G.B. Clark ’21 chair in the Humanities. He has been poetry editor of The New Yorker since 2007. He occasionally appears with a spoken word backing group, Rogue Oliphant. In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, he has received an American Academy of Arts and Letters award in literature, the 1994 T. S. Eliot Prize, the 1997 Irish Times Poetry Prize, the 2003 Griffin International Prize for Excellence in Poetry, the 2004 American Ireland Fund Literary Award, the 2004 Shakespeare Prize, the 2005 Aspen Prize for Poetry, and the 2006 European Prize for Poetry. He has been described by The Times Literary Supplement as “the most significant English-language poet born since the second World War.”
Eighth Blackbird is “one of the smartest, most dynamic contemporary classical ensembles on the planet” (Chicago Tribune). Launched by six entrepreneurial Oberlin Conservatory undergraduates in 1996, this Chicago-based super-group has earned its status as “a brand-name…defined by adventure, vibrancy and quality….known for performing from memory, employing choreography and collaborations with theater artists, lighting designers and even puppetry artists” (Detroit Free Press).
Eighth Blackbird’s 2017-18 season marks debuts in Turin, Milan, Budapest, with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Cincinnati Ballet, tours through 11 states, and the release of Olagón, a new album featuring music by Dan Trueman, poetry by Paul Muldoon, and sean nós singer Iarla Ó Lionáird. Eighth Blackbird celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2016 with tours of music from Filament and Hand Eye, as well as keystone performances celebrating Steve Reich’s 80th birthday, a fresh round of raucous shows with “Appalachian post-punk solipsist” (The Wanderer) Will Oldham (Bonnie Prince Billy), and world premieres by Holly Harrison, Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lang, and Ned McGowan.
Eighth Blackbird first gained wide recognition in 1998 as winners of the Concert Artists Guild Competition. Over the course of two decades, the group has commissioned and premiered hundreds of works by composers such as David Lang, Steven Mackey, Missy Mazzoli, and Steve Reich, whose Double Sextet went on to win the 2009 Pulitzer Prize. A long-term relationship with Chicago’s Cedille Records has produced eight acclaimed recordings and four Grammy Awards for Best Small Ensemble/Chamber Music Performance, most recently in 2016 for Filament. They were named Music America’s 2017 Ensemble of the Year, and in 2016 were the inaugural recipients of Chamber Music America’s Visionary Award and the prestigious MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions.
Eighth Blackbird’s members (Nathalie Joachim, flutes; Michael J. Maccaferri, clarinets; Yvonne Lam, violin & viola; Nicholas Photinos, cello; Matthew Duvall, percussion; Lisa Kaplan, piano) hail from the Great Lakes, Keystone, Golden, Empire and Bay states. The name “Eighth Blackbird” derives from the eighth stanza of Wallace Stevens’s evocative, aphoristic poem, Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird (1917).
Mark DeChiazza is a director, filmmaker, designer, and choreographer. Many of his projects explore interactions between music performance and media to discover new expressive possibilities. His work can bring together composers, ensemble and musicians with visual artists, dancers, music ensembles, and makers of all types. Called “wildly imaginative” and “a tour de force” by the Washington Post, Columbine’s Paradise Theater his music-theater collaboration with composer Amy Beth Kirsten, continues a relationship with multiple-Grammy winning ensemble eighth blackbird that began in 2009 with his acclaimed production of Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire. In 2014, Kirsten and DeChiazza founded Howl, an artists collective to aid the creation of interdisciplinary music work, and they join forces again for the creation of Quixote, a theatrical work for three singers and four percussionists produced by Montclair State’s Peak Performances to premiere in March 2017. Other recent projects include choreography and design for Pulitzer-winning composer John Luther Adams’ Sila, a massive site-determined piece for 80 musicians commissioned by Lincoln Center, video projection design for Visitations: Theotokia and The War Reporter, two new operas by Jonathan Berger and presented by Stanford Live and Prototype Festival in New York City, and directing a staged concert of Missy Mazzoli’s work for Young People’s Chorus of NYC and Mazzoli’s band Victoire. Additional upcoming projects include direction, video projection and set design for 5 Beasts, a music theater work featuring singer/actor Rinde Eckert, musican/composer Ned Rothenberg and human beat-boxer Adam Matta, that will premiere at Les Subsistance in Lyon, France. ORPHEUS UNSUNG: an opera for electric guitar, a large-scale film and music performance work, is his latest collaboration with Grammy winning composer Steven Mackey, which will premiere in 2016.
Olagón Now Available on Cedille Records
The complete double CD album of Olagón is now available. Check it out here!
Lead support for Olagón: A Cantata in Doublespeak is provided by the Poetry Foundation, with additional support from The University of Richmond, the Irish Arts Center, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, Culture Ireland, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.
© 2017 Eighth Blackbird – All Rights Reserved
Site design by Messy Queen Productions
Pillow Talk Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Introductions Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Marbhan's Shadow Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Being Only A Dame Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
A Queen Bee Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Stirrings I Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
For Eons and Eons Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Motet for Medhbh Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Stirrings II Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 0:58
Nil Aon Ton-Ton Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Stirrings III Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
You Know It's a Salmagundi Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Stirrings IV Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Marbhan and Guaire Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Pillow Talk Reprise Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Restless Rest Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Ululations I Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Zeus to my Demeter Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Only on Medhbh Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Ululations II Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Reelings Reels Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
Ailill Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
The Book of Lamentations Eighth Blackbird - Dan Trueman - Iarla Ó Lionáird 1:01
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Video Game Trading Card Spotlight – Howard Scott Warshaw
by Todd Friedman | Apr 3, 2020 | 1980s, 1990s, 2020s, Columns | 0 comments
Our next Trading Card Spotlight features Howard Scott Warshaw who currently is displayed on card number 208, from the Superstars of 2012 Collection. Howard is a true pioneer in the gaming industry. As one of the original Atari programmers for the Atari 2600, Howard has created such classics as Yars’ Revenge, Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. He also has written three books, with another in progress, in addition to producing and directing documentaries. One of his proudest documentaries is “Once Upon Atari”, which documents the life of working at Atari back in the early 1980’s. Howard is now a licensed psychotherapist in a private practice specializing in the high stress and anxiety of living in the tech world of Silicon Valley.
Do you prefer arcade or console gaming and why?
Back in the day, I preferred arcade games. Arcade games to me were just juicier. I like the variable controller scheme, because you really didn’t have that with home games. Not early on, not with the VCS. As it went on with the more elaborate console games like the PS2, I definitely preferred some of my home games over arcade games because arcade games can’t really afford to give you an ongoing elaborate experience because they have to get you out of there, take your quarter and keep going. Arcades games are about making revenue, home games are about delivering an experience that you pay for once and maximizing the experience. That is more my style.
Do you remember when you played your first video game and what do you remember about the experience?
I do remember playing my first video game, it was a Magnavox Odyssey system when I was in high school way back when, it was fun. It was cool, but it was basically just Pong, there wasn’t a lot of dynamism to it. I remember thinking, “this is cool, this is interesting”. A much more significant moment was the first time I saw a Space Invaders arcade cabinet. I remember, I was in college, and I had been avoiding computers like the plague. I had nothing to do with computers at this point. I walked into a Blimpies, in New Orleans, and I saw this thing standing there. It was a Space Invaders machine, and I walked up and looked and saw what was going on with that. To me this was a real Video Game, and I looked at that and I thought, this is going to be Huge. I knew that and I was right. Then I went on with my regular studies and had nothing to do with computers and video games for at least another year. Before I had anything to do with this, I just knew this was going to be enormous, and that was my real impression of video games.
What are your opinions about today’s generation of video games and how do you compare them to older, classic games?
Now vs. then is very interesting to me because the way I see it, video games started at a simple place with a basic one screen, what I call How-High-Is-Up gaming, where your goal is to keep playing and getting a higher score. It was very simple and fundamental, and the goal was to create new things. Every game had the goal to do something new that no one has seen before. We were still trying to explore and define the medium. Video games were a new medium, that is what was exciting about creating them. What happened is, as the industry matured, as most industries do, it becomes a narrower cast. There isn’t much focus on innovation and creating new gameplay. It is more about refining approved and existing validated gameplay and just moving on with that, having properties, having legacies. That is fine for a lot of people. Modern video games are so much bigger and so much more elaborate, I am not going to say that the games we did originally were better because that is just not true. There are phenomenal games that are coming out now, but it’s a very different gaming experience, and it’s not about innovation. It’s also a huge monolithic thing where the amount of ownership makers have in their product is diluted and reduced. At the same time, console gaming evolved way out of the class of what original auteur game style making was back at Atari. On the other hand, there is another branch of video game evolution which includes handheld devices and app gaming. There you have a return to the ability of one individual or a few individuals to actually create and make a game. Innovation and new gameplay are experienced and experimented with there. The way I look at it, it came full circle. It went further out away from what it was and then kind of branched back to the original style of innovation and creative design, which is what I really thrived on and valued. Another thing you could say is that just like video gaming went full circle and returned to its origin, I kind of did too. Originally as a game maker at Atari, I used to make entertainment for nerds, but now as a Silicon Valley Therapist, I actually make their lives better. It is an interesting way to return to the people I was working with and for so long ago.
What made you want to get into the gaming business?
I got into computers, not really gaming, but computers and got my master’s in computer engineering at Tulane University. I was working at Hewlett Packard and I was dying because all the joy and excitement I had found in computing had gone away, because what I specialized in my college education, was microprocessor based real time control systems, which is another term for a video game. I did not recognize it that way, I just thought I was doing very large-scale uninteresting programming application at Hewlett Packard. All the joy I had found in computing was lost, and I was lost. I got really depressed, and I used to act out. Whatever was going on at work, I was a wacky guy and used to do some wacky stuff. One day a guy I was working with came up to me and goes, “You know, I was telling my wife a Howard story last night.” People used to tell Howard stories because of my acting out. She said, “Well that is something that goes on all the time where I work.” I said to my co-worker, “Where is that?” He said, “Atari.” So, I went and interviewed with Atari because I thought it would be a fun place for me to work. I like games, I enjoyed playing games, but it never occurred to me I would get a job making games. So, I went to Atari because I thought it would be a fun place to work. As I interviewed there, I realized that they do microprocessor based real time control systems, so I realized that was a place I needed to be. That is what got me pointed at Atari and wanting to work there. Of course, after all the interviews, they rejected me. Fortunately, I was able to talk them out of it.
What is a funny story that happened working at Atari that most people would not know?
That is a tough question because there are so many stories. I will tell you one story that is in the book. There are three kinds of parties at Atari. There is the major corporate event type party, which are very stayed and laid back, you really can’t do anything because everyone is there. Then there would be the very small casual parties here and there which were all about drugs and things like that. Those weren’t really amazing, they were fun to be a part of, but they are not really fabulous stories. It’s a bunch of stories of people sitting around and talking about stuff. The really interesting parties were at the department level, when you would get a group or department party. Then what we would do is rent some place, go to a restaurant or something, and those would usually get pretty raucous. There weren’t many places we went to twice, let’s put it that way. Once, they didn’t really want to do that again, even though we would tip them pretty nicely. One of the classic moments was a VCS department party at this restaurant and it turned into a game of chicken, parking lot chicken. Where the idea is to get people on your shoulders and knock people off. Most people play that in pools, we were playing that in a parking lot. Everyone was wasted enough that it seemed ok.
If you could describe Walter Day in one word, what would it be?
Stripes.
When you were younger, did you ever think you would be on a video game trading card?
It depends on what you mean by younger, if you go actually young like in my teens, I didn’t even know there would be video games. Trading cards never would have occurred to me. When I was at Atari, I never thought I would still be talking about games, dealing with games, or have video game cards. I was there at the moment, just doing what I was doing, game to game. The idea of something beyond that literally did not occur to me. As evidence in the new book, when I talk about my last day at Atari, because when I left Atari there was nothing. Nothing in my consciousness about what was next. All I knew was Atari was gone and that was pretty devastating to me.
Do you believe some video games are too violent and lead to violence in America today?
You are asking a therapist about this, so I have a lot to say about this. This is something that has come up in trainings that I have had as a therapist. It is a very interesting topic. Here is the thing about violence in video games. First, off the bat, let’s just say a lot of people talk about the research that demonstrates violence in video games makes people violent. There are two things I want to talk about. The first is, there was 2004 Harvard meta-study where they reviewed all these studies that show that video game violence creates violence in kids. It showed that it is absolutely not true. In fact, the incidence of violence in violent video game players is likely lower than the incidence of violence in non-video game players. It is not supported by the data, let’s put it that way. Another thing is a famous quote, it may be by Dick Cavett from a long time ago, he said, “If television had that much impact on our behavior, comedy would be breaking out in the streets.” The truth of it is, the research is very poor, it commits a major fallacy in reasoning. Most of the research, most of the people who think video games lead to violence, arrive at that conclusion because they look at violent offenders, and they go “Do you guys play video games? Oh yes, we play very violent video games.” Ah ha, see, violent video games cause violence. That is false logic. You must look at people who played violent games and see how many of them committed violence, and that number is very small. On one hand, people make the argument that if you are normalizing violence in a video game then you become more violent and that’s what you do. On the other side, there is another argument that says people have violent impulses, violence in video games give the people a chance to exorcise those impulses and clear them out so they don’t need to resort to them in day to day life. Another thing that comes up, in therapy trainings they talk about video games and violence and that always gets me going. These are people who don’t know about video games presenting to people who don’t know about video games. What they usually present are things that don’t actually exist in gaming. When they show examples of violence in video games, I recognize the examples as games that were never released, or games that were withdrawn because they felt the stuff in the games was inappropriate. Another point is that if you look at the numbers, what the numbers really say is that video games have no effect on violence. If you separate the video game population from the non-video game population, they are violent at very close to the same rate.
Which company today, in your opinion, makes the best games and why?
For a while, I thought Rockstar was really in the lead, produced some great stuff. Blizzard does some great stuff. It’s not really about the companies putting out the games, it’s about the developers who are creating them and there are a lot of small developers. Now that you have the ability for an incredible number of people to just jump in an create a number of concepts and trying new things, it takes a lot of experimentation to get there, but occasionally you will see an Angry Birds or things like that. Things that just pop out that are fun and clever and fresh concepts. If you want to talk about all time game design and what is really great, I will tell you what I think is the one ultimate video game that is the cleanest, simplest, most engaging design that you can do on almost any hardware for any system anywhere. From the simplest handheld breakout hardware to anything more sophisticated is Tetris. Tetris is the perfect example of the ultimate video game design. It’s very simple, very basic, but it plays enormously well and does not get tiresome. You can always come back to it, and it’s an ongoing challenge, I just think it’s a tremendous example of a classic game design. If you want talk about more modern game designs, I think of Grand Theft Auto 3. It will always stand out as the transition between 2D and 3D gaming. It was the combination of one of the most brilliant innovations in actual game design and structure and one of the most reprehensible game theming’s ever done. It’s a horrific theming for a clever and innovated gameplay, it’s not an innovator in technology, but an innovator in game design which to me is more important than technologies. You can always increase the technology, there is no gamble in increasing technology. It is the design innovation that is not easy to come by, and GTA 3 took a huge step forward, between that and Vice City. That just put Rockstar ahead of everyone in terms of people who can come up with really solid innovative gameplay that moves the quality of gaming forward, I was very impressed with that.
Movies or other forms of entertainment cause more violence in society, wouldn’t you agree?
Movies invented it. Media and movies are what started the violence talks, media has become entirely about entertainment, not substantially informational. You can find information in it, but mostly it is about entertainment and drawing an audience. You don’t draw an audience with normal or uninteresting activities. You draw an audience with extraordinary and unusual things. So, what happens is the news looks for extraordinary things, typically outrageous and difficult and threatening and scary things. If you get a steady diet of that, you may start to believe that kind of thing is normal. So, you could say media does impact people to the extent it controls our fears and makes people more fearful. It does not seem to make them more violent. What can make people more violent is losing a sense of being a part of community or being connected to other people. One thing technology, not video games, has done is break down the sense of community by creating an artificial sense of online community, which is reducing the amount of actual contact and maybe impacting the level of empathy that people have. When you take empathy out of the picture, that’s when violence can enter the picture substantially. There is a social working theory of why the world is more violent and it is not about video game but is about technology and media.
What got you started in the filmmaking business?
After Atari, I got a real estate salesman license, then I got a real estate brokerage license, I hated real estate. I got back into tech and worked in compilers, industrial robotics, video display, communications. I worked all over the computer industry. I needed more creative stuff, so I started writing, taking pictures, I did some professional photography. I wrote some books on various topics and then I decided to go to school and get certified in video production because what I wanted to do, I wanted to make “Once Upon Atari.” I wanted to do a documentary about what it was like to be at Atari because no one really told the story truthfully about what was going on at Atari. There was a lot of media about it, but it was all so far off base, it was so wrong, and it wasn’t even nearly as interesting as the actuality of it. I thought it was time to tell the true story and I thought it was worth becoming a video producer to do it, so I did.
What sparked your interest in the profession of therapy?
I was always interested in getting into the therapy profession, when I was 17 years old, a friend of mine and I were thinking about creating our own personality theory. I was always interested in it but once I hit college, I completely veered away from it. Just went in different directions. Ultimately what happened was around 2006, 2007 a lot of other things in my life were just not working. I wasn’t getting to where I wanted to go. After experimenting in other industries, I was having trouble getting back into tech. I felt I had to get back into tech, but really didn’t want to. At one point someone sat me down and said, look, what do you want to do? I said, “I want to find a job in tech.” They said, “Not what you feel you have to do, but what do you want to do?” If you could do anything with no restrictions, what would you want to do? Without missing a beat, I just said instantly, “I want to be a psychotherapist.” I always wanted to be a psychotherapist. They convinced me to just at least start looking into it and it was the most amazing thing. As soon as I started looking into becoming a therapist, everything that wasn’t working in my life started to fall in line and created this perfect path into becoming a therapist, and I did. I never regretted it. The first time I have been really happy with my job experience since Atari.
Who is your favorite video game character of all time and what makes that character special?
If I would have to pick a favorite game character, it might be Jak and Daxter. I really always like them. There was something about the Jak and Daxter thing, more of how it operated in the game world because the character wasn’t as fully developed itself as it is in a lot of other games now. I enjoyed Jak and Daxter tremendously. It has great feel to it, enormous feel.
If you were to design a game today, what would it be about and what platform/system would you choose?
I am probably going to design a game soon, I am not telling a lot of people this yet, but I am telling you. I have had a design for a Yars’ Revenge sequel that I had floating around my head for many years. It provides a new gameplay that I have not seen anywhere. I think it may come out originally as a 2600 homebrew. I can’t really call it Yars’ Revenge as I don’t own that property, but I could call it Ray’s Revenge or HSW’s Revenge.
You are known for making Atari games from movies, but do you like it when Hollywood makes a movie from the video game?
Movies from video games are really just movies, I don’t see movies from video game to be any special genre. When you are talking about making a movie from another source material, as long as that story material has some sort of storyline suggestion, then the movie could be great, or it could suck depending on the quality of the writers, directors and actors that you put in the movie. Well, they did Tron a long time ago, it was the first movie from a video game. It was a good movie, they did some pretty cool stuff, but look at Pirates of the Caribbean. Here is a great movie, based on a theme park ride. When I think of movies to video games, I think it’s a perfectly viable way to start a concept for a movie, but I don’t think it will have anything to do with the overall quality of the movie. It’s great to make movies from video games, but the video game will not have any impact. It might impact the sales of the movie, but I think the movie makers will be the ones to impact the quality of the movie.
What games today do you play and what are your favorite genres of games?
Some of my favorite games now are Trivia Quiz and Sudoku. I must admit I like Bejeweled and a lot of the Candy Crush type games. What I like are the games that are simple, quick play that is sort of like a mental exercise and mixes fast response with quick reads and quick strategizing. I am not playing that many elaborate console games these days as I am too busy doing a lot of other stuff. I may pick up a game after I am finished writing this book.
What does it take to get a career in video game programming, and what advice would you give a person who would like to get into the industry today?
What it takes to get into the game industry is tremendous resiliency and commitment. That is what it takes. Obviously, you have to get some education and you have to develop some skills. Nowadays you have to choose if you want to go the artistic route or the programming route, although they are converging to some degree. You have to pick a skill, you have to own it, but it’s a brutal industry. It demands a lot of people and it doesn’t have the payoff that it used to in my opinion. You have to really want to do this, not just think games are cool and it would be fun to make them, you really need to be ready to pay for your art and suffer for your work. You will suffer, I can promise you that. If you get through that, what is cool about it is that you are in an entertainment industry, and when you are in an entertainment industry you get to be a part of something that people recognize and see and if it’s good it creates value. They think it’s cool, and some of that cool inures to you. When you are a part of something that gets a lot of focus and attention in the world and people really think it’s neat, and that is great, and when people ask what you do, you say I worked on this and they say “ I know this, and that is cool.” Well that is a nice place to be in your life, but you pay a price to get there. My advice would be to be very realistic about the fact that you are making a huge high-stakes trade off. You are going to pay a lot in personal endurance, but you may win a lot in terms of esteem, gratitude and pleasure.
Where do you see gaming in the next 20 years?
I see gameplay in the next 20 to 30 years leaving consoles and stepping into virtual reality and augmented reality. I think that’s really where it is at, particularly augmented reality. The idea that a game will shift, because gaming now is about operating within a specified provided environment. I think what gaming is going to become is going to be modifying your current environment, and that’s going to be a new style of gaming. It isn’t about operating within the environment, it’s about changing the environment I am in to work through the game. One interesting example that might be relevant to some degree is the game Portal. It is a very different concept in what a game is and how you approach it. You don’t see that very much anymore. The great thing about being back at Atari in the day, is that every game was supposed to be like that. Each game was supposed to be something really fresh and new, and through the years people have tried most of the concepts. It does take longer to come up with something that is really fresh, but you will see a different approach to gaming and what a game is and what that means with augmented reality. It’s also going to change day to day life because that is the kind of technology that isn’t just going to be about gaming, it’s going to literally change the world. Virtual reality is going to remain a marginal thing, but augmented reality is going to change our day to day lives in terms of all the things you are able to do because you will have a little visual guide to be able to instruct you and see how and what you are doing and be able to correct and guide you. Suddenly a lot of things that most people are not capable of doing, they will be capable of doing. That also has scary aspects, but it has wonderful aspects too. We are realizing science fiction. The world is entering a realm where science visions of the past are easily realized now, and that is a really weird and exciting place to live.
https://onceuponatari.com/
This is one of an ongoing series of articles based on the Walter Day Collection of e-sports/video gaming trading cards – check out more information at thewalterdaycollection.com.
Todd Friedman (219 Posts)
Todd Friedman is heavily involved in the video game community. He is currently writing for Old School Gamer Magazine, Retro Gaming Times and The Walter Day Collection. He has Co-Promoted the Video Game Summit in Illinois for the past 11 Years. Todd's first book, Walter Day's Superstars of Gaming, Volume 1, was released in February of 2020. Todd is also the Chairman of the Nomination Committee for the International Video Game Hall of Fame.
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Watergate Hotel
offers the following summary of the Watergate scandal, and it is republished
here, in part, for reference. You will find the declassified documents
obtained below.
Watergate scandal was a major political scandal that occurred in the United
States in the 1970s as a result of the June 17, 1972, break-in at the
Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters at the Watergate office complex
in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration’s attempted cover-up of its
involvement. When the conspiracy was discovered and investigated by the U.S.
Congress, the Nixon administration’s resistance to its probes led to a
constitutional crisis. The term Watergate has come to encompass an array of
clandestine and often illegal activities undertaken by members of the Nixon
administration. Those activities included such “dirty tricks” as bugging the
offices of political opponents and people of whom Nixon or his officials were
suspicious. Nixon and his close aides ordered harassment of activist groups and
political figures, using the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The scandal
led to the discovery of multiple abuses of power by the Nixon administration,
articles of impeachment, and the resignation of Richard Nixon, the President of
the United States. The scandal also resulted in the indictment of 69 people,
with trials or pleas resulting in 48 being found guilty and incarcerated, many
of whom were Nixon’s top administration officials.
affair began with the arrest of five men for breaking and entering into the DNC
headquarters at the Watergate complex on June 17, 1972. The FBI connected cash
found on the burglars to a slush fund used by the Committee for the Re-Election
of the President (CRP), the official organization of Nixon’s campaign. In July
1973, as evidence mounted against the President’s staff, including testimony
provided by former staff members in an investigation conducted by the Senate
Watergate Committee, it was revealed that President Nixon had a tape-recording
system in his offices and that he had recorded many conversations. After a
protracted series of bitter court battles, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously
ruled that the president had to hand over the tapes to government
investigators; he eventually complied. Recordings from these tapes implicated
the president, revealing he had attempted to cover up the questionable
goings-on that had taken place after the break-in. Facing near-certain
impeachment in the House of Representatives and equally certain conviction by
the Senate, Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974. On September 8,
1974, his successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned him.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Files
Barker,
Bernard Leon (FBI File) – [
352 Pages, 23.57 MB ]
Bernard Leon (Secret Service File) – [ 18 Pages,
0.9 MB ]- Bernard Leon Barker (March 17, 1917 – June 5, 2009) was a
Watergate burglar. He had a long career as an undercover operative.
Hunt,
E Howard – [ 169 Pages, 9.3MB ] – Everette
Howard Hunt, Jr. (October 9, 1918 – January 23, 2007) was an American
intelligence officer and writer. From 1949 to 1970, Hunt served as a CIA
officer. Along with G. Gordon Liddy and others, Hunt was one of the Nixon White
House “plumbers” — a secret team of operatives charged with fixing “leaks”
(real or perceived causes of confidential Administration information being
leaked to outside parties). Hunt and Liddy engineered the Watergate burglaries
and other undercover operations for the Nixon Administration. In the ensuing
Watergate scandal, Hunt was convicted of burglary, conspiracy, and wiretapping,
eventually serving 33 months in prison.
John – [ 2,729 Pages, 157MB ] – John Newton
Mitchell (September 15, 1913 – November 9, 1988) was the Attorney General of the
United States from 1969 to 1972 under President Richard Nixon. Prior to that,
he was a noted New York municipal bond lawyer, director of Nixon’s 1968
presidential campaign, and one of Nixon’s closest personal friends; after his
tenure as Attorney General, he served as director of Nixon’s 1972 presidential
campaign. Due to his involvement in the Watergate affair, he was sentenced to
prison in 1977, serving 19 months. As Attorney General, Mitchell was noted for
personifying the “law-and-order” positions of the Nixon administration, amid
several high-profile anti-war demonstrations.
Frank (Watergate Burgler) – [ 112 Pages, 57.4MB ]
Frank (Watergate Burgler) Release #2, October 2015 –
[ 62 Pages, 17.5MB ] – Frank Anthony Sturgis (December 9, 1924 – December
4, 1993), born Frank Angelo Fiorini, was one of the five Watergate burglars
whose capture led to the end of the Presidency of Richard Nixon. He served in
several branches of the United States military, aided Fidel Castro in the Cuban
revolution of 1958, and worked as an undercover operative.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Files
Inspector General Report on Watergate, Denial Letter [2 Pages,
0.5MB] – For whatever reason, after all these years, the CIA is still
withholding, in it’s entirety, the CIA’s Office of the Inspector General’s
Report on Watergate. Here is their official denies letter sent to me on 7 April
Inspector General Report on Watergate, Appeal Denial [1 Page, 0.5MB]
National Security Agency (NSA) Files
Watergate [5
Pages, 0.9MB | a/o 12/2013]
Richard Helms Collection References
Clarify points and
Ervin Watergate Committee
Watergate prosecutor Cox’s staff focused on”
on Watergate
Dismissal,
Nixon, politicization, Watergate
Watergate,
Nixon, Dismissal
knowledge of “Family Jewels” OXCART, Watergate, Laos
Laurence Stern story “Not Watergate Material”
for Warner re Watergate trial closing
See Also: Operation 40
RUSYA DOSYASI : Putin Obama’nın Türkiye Darbesini Nasıl Şah-Mat Etti ???
TARİH : WEALTH IN THE OTTOMAN AND POST-OTTOMAN BALKANS (İNGİLİZCE)
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North Cascades National Park to end fish stocking
Updated Mar 27, 2019; Posted Apr 13, 2009
By Scott Learn, The Oregonian
AP/Trail Blazers
Lewis Lake, a high alpine lake in North Cascades National Park, is one of many lakes that volunteer anglers stock with baby trout.
Every summer, Sandy McKean and volunteers lug plastic jugs full of baby trout into the rugged wilderness of North Cascades National Park and plant them in alpine lakes for anglers to catch.
This year, reversing a practice that's been around longer than the park itself, park officials say they'll no longer allow fish stocking in those mountain lakes -- and will kill remaining fish -- unless Congress tells them otherwise.
It's the latest twist in a long, often contentious debate over what it means to be "natural" when it comes to national parks and wilderness.
Park officials say stocking fish in lakes that never had them in the first place runs counter to the park's mission to maintain and preserve ecosystems in their natural state.
"We feel fish stocking is inappropriate without legislative authority," said Roy Zipp, the park's environmental protection specialist. "It was envisioned as wilderness from its inception."
Anglers like McKean and the volunteer group Trail Blazers say there's a historical case for it and the park doesn't need Congressional approval. They also question how trout in a lake is any less compatible with wilderness than a man-made trail.
North Cascades, a vast wilderness area about the size of Rhode Island with jagged high peaks and more than 300 glaciers, is the only U.S. national park where stocking nonnative fish still occurs for recreation purposes, Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins said.
Yellowstone, Mount Rainier, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon parks no longer do it, Zipp said.
Park officials have tried for decades -- without much success -- to phase it out and bring the North Cascades in line with national park policy.
After a long review, including a 12-year scientific study, the National Park Service decided in January to end fish stocking if it doesn't get Congressional approval by July 1. It would remove fish from some lakes, using gill nets or a pesticide that has been used in other parks.
If Congress allows it, the park will continue to stock up to 42 mountain lakes with species of rainbow, cutthroat and other trout that can't reproduce. The lakes are all in designated wilderness areas within the park complex.
It's unclear whether Congressional approval could come this summer.
A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., said he plans to reintroduce a bill giving the park that authority. Hastings' 2008 bill, which five Washington representatives co-sponsored, passed the House last summer but didn't get a Senate hearing.
Congress didn't directly mention fish stocking when it created the North Cascades National Park complex in 1968, leaving plenty open to interpretation.
McKean said the park's director promised during a Congressional hearing at the time that fish stocking would continue.
"There's a historic interest in providing angler recreation in high mountain areas. It's as valid a recreational activity as hiking," said Bob Everitt, regional director for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, which relies on volunteers like McKean to stock alpine lakes.
The state has had a fish stocking program in the North Cascades for over 40 years, and stocking took place even in the late 1800s, Everitt said.
"The fact that it's been going on for a long time is not a reason for it to continue," said David Fluharty, a board member with the North Cascades Conservation Council. "We'd like to see restoration of those lakes through fish removal. ... We're talking about lakes that never had fish."
The park estimates about 1,000 people fish these alpine lakes each year, but McKean believes those numbers are low.
While national parks had fish stocking programs in the past, North Cascades was created at a time when people's perception of parks was shifting toward conservation, Jenkins said.
"This tension still exists today between preserving ecosystems and the public's desire for recreational activities in those places," Jenkins said.
Disagreements between the park and state over fish management have been legendary over the years.
Tempers flared in the late 1980s, when the head of WDFW threatened to "bomb" 12 park lakes with trout by helicopter if stocking didn't continue, while a park official threatened to kill any planted fish, according an account by park historian David Louter.
The Department of Interior intervened. What followed was an agreement in 1988 that stocking would continue but the park would research how it affected other plants and wildlife.
Researchers found that nonnative fish that reproduce can harm native aquatic organisms such as salamanders, insects and zooplankton.
But the study also found that in lakes where fish are stocked in low numbers and cannot reproduce, there weren't detectable ecological effects to native aquatic life.
Both Fluharty and McKean think the park shouldn't have punted the decision to Congress.
Come July, when snow typically begins to melt in the Cascades, McKean isn't sure whether he'll hike as many as 12 hours into alpine lakes with plastic containers of trout.
"We'll have the fish in hand," said Everitt, whose agency works with McKean's group to stock lakes. "We'll have to see as we approach the summer."
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All the Way: My Life on Ice
My Life on Ice
Jordin Tootoo
The bestselling story of a true warrior's toughest battle, now in paperback
It seemed as though nothing could stop Jordin Tootoo on the ice. The captain, a fan favourite, a star in international competition, Tootoo was always a leader. And when he was drafted by Nashville in 2001 and made the Predators out of camp in 2003, he became a leader in another way--as the first player of Inuk descent to suit up in the NHL.
All the challenges and pressure would have been more than enough for any rookie, but Tootoo faced something far more difficult: the tragic loss of his older brother before his first shift for the Predators. Though he played through it, Tootoo suffered from many of the same problems that have plagued so many people from his community. In 2010, he checked himself into rehab for alcohol addiction. It seemed as though a promising career had ended too soon.
But that's not the way Tootoo saw it and not the way it would end. Told in Tootoo's bold voice, with contributions by Stephen Brunt, arguably one of the best sportswriters, All the Way is the searing, honest tale of a young man who has risen to every challenge but all too nearly fell short in the toughest game of all.
ab 18 Jahr(e)
20.8/13.4/2 cm
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Mike Bianchi: Jim McElwain gives Gators a non-Gator perspective on slumbering program
By Mike Bianchi
New University of Florida football coach Jim McElwain reacts to a reporter's question during the school's football media day in Gainesville on Wednesday, August 5, 2015. (Jacob Langston / Orlando Sentinel)
GAINESVILLE – Jim McElwain may be the most non-Gator coach in modern Gator history – a man as unfamiliar to University of Florida football fans as a beer-less tailgate.
This is not a bad thing; in fact it might be a very good thing. The Gators, stuck in one of the most mundane malaises anyone can remember, might well need an outsider to shake them up, wake them up and rescue them from their apathetic rut.
And, no, I'm not even talking about McElwain's bravado during UF's Media Day Wednesday when he said "the optimism in the air is awesome" and pointed out the Gators had "15 opportunities to play the game" this season. When pressed about the "15 opportunities" — a 12-game regular season, a Southeastern Conference Championship Game, a College Football Playoff semifinal and title game — and if this meant he was predicting the Gators to play for the national championship, McElwain elaborated. "There isn't a game, there isn't an event, there isn't a thing that we go into expecting a participation ribbon. We have 15 opportunities. Let's take advantage and make 15 a reality."
Fans obviously aren't buying into McElwain's confidence — at least not yet. McElwain may sense "optimism in the air" but there certainly isn't any optimism in the Gator ticket office where season-ticket sales continue to be sluggish. After four years of watching with glazed eyes as former coach Will Muschamp subjected them to one of the most miserable offenses in the country, many UF fans are still suffering from a chronic case of Muschamp Melancholia.
Understandably, the hiring of McElwain from Colorado State hasn't provided an instant influx of excitement. Let's be honest: Most of Gator Nation had never heard of him until the day he was introduced as UF's new coach. Just last week, the Gainesville Sun identified the new coach as "Jim Elwin" in a front-page headline.
McElwain, even though he was the offensive coordinator under Nick Saban for two national championships at Alabama, has no ties to UF and neither do any of his assistant coaches. University of Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley, whether intentional or not, certainly went out of UF's comfort zone when he hired McElwain.
Recent UF coaches all had at least some UF connection. Urban Meyer retained longtime UF defensive assistant Charlie Strong; Muschamp grew up in Gainesville; Ron Zook was an assistant under Steve Spurrier, who was UF's first Heisman Trophy winner. Galen Hall was an offensive coordinator under former UF coach Charley Pell before he got the head-coaching job.
McElwain grew up in Montana and has coached at places ranging from Eastern Washington to Alabama; from Montana State to the Oakland Raiders. Having some new blood and a fresh perspective could be exactly what's needed at a UF program that has grown a bit complacent. Much like his former boss Nick Saban did when he got to Alabama, McElwain almost immediately let Foley know the Gators needed more staffing and better facilities.
Even though a new $17 million indoor practice facility was already in the works before McElwain arrived, it has been upgraded and fast-tracked and should be ready sometime this month. McElwain not only has a highly paid assistant coaching staff that includes the likes of former Miami head coach Randy Shannon, he has an extensive secondary staff that includes four quality control assistants. One of those is John Garrett, brother of Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett and the offensive coordinator at Oregon State last year.
"What impresses me the most is his big-picture perspective," Foley says of McElwain.
"There are so many things that go into a successful football program, a successful university, a successful business," McElwain says. "It doesn't matter what it is; it's all in the little details. It's not just about the player, not just about the play that was called, but all the things that go on in a year-round cycle."
McElwain's philosophy of staffing, facilities and infrastructure sounds eerily like Saban, who has revived a moribund Alabama and returned it to the glory days of Bear Bryant.
Latest Florida Gators
Michigan transfer Colin Castleton thrives after joining Gators
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Gators add transfer kicker Jace Christmann, tackle Daquan Newkirk
By the way, it was the Bear who in the 1960s once called the perennially underachieving Gators "a sleeping giant."
Spurrier rousted the snoozing behemoth in the 1990s, but now he's nodded off once more.
McElwain, the most non-Gator coach in modern Gator history, is poking and prodding and trying once again to revive a boring program with a snoring fan base.
mbianchi@tribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @BianchiWrites. Listen to his radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on 740 AM.
Jim McElwain
Randy Shannon
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Home News & Analysis Brookfield hits equity raising trail on $4b global RE fund
Brookfield hits equity raising trail on $4b global RE fund
The Toronto-based fund manager has revealed plans for its most significant real estate capital raising effort since it attracted $5.5 billion for its Real Estate Turnaround Consortium. The fund is one of seven fundraising efforts with a combined total capital raising target of $7 billion.
James Comtois
Brookfield Asset Management has hit the fundraising trail on a global real estate opportunity fund, targeting $4 billion. The fund is one of seven fundraising initiatives the Toronto-based firm is to work on over the coming two years.
Combined, these fundraising campaigns are expected to result in the raising of more than $7 billion in equity over the course of 2011 and 2012. They will include a mix of opportunistic property funds, value-added property funds and private equity strategies.
According to its first quarter report and letter to shareholders, both released Wednesday, Brookfield's $4 billion real estate fund will encompass all of its new opportunistic real estate investment activities around the globe. Further details on the vehicle were not disclosed.
News of the global real estate fund, one of the biggest to come to market since the global financial crisis, marks the first significant capital raising by Brookfield since it attracted $5.5 billion for its Real Estate Turnaround Consortium in 2009. At the annual PERE Forum: Europe last year, Brookfield chief executive Bruce Flatt indicated to the delegates that the firm's follow-up capital raising effort would likely take the form of a traditional private equity real estate fund.
Brookfield also is marketing two new private equity funds, each targeting $1 billion. The first is a follow-on fund to its Special Situations Fund series for distressed investments and the second is a private equity fund focused on Brazil. According to the company, the money for these funds is coming from an equal mix of expanded relationships with current clients and the addition of new clients to the business.
Additionally, during the first quarter of 2011, Brookfield acquired 113 million common shares of General Growth Properties (GGP), which increased its interest in the shopping mall REIT to 40 percent. The firm initially considered GGP to be a restructuring investment when it first got involved with the bankrupt company through its $5.5 billion Real Estate Turnaround Consortium, but it now considers the investment to be a long-term holding.
“GGP has a number of things working in its favor for it to grow at a healthy pace,” said Flatt during a conference call. “It has many short-term vacancies that can be converted into proper occupancies. Plus, retails sales in America are going up.”
Brookfield was able to increase its stake in GGP by issuing 45 million shares of common stock—27.5 million of which were issued to Fairholme Funds—for $1.5 billion, marking the first time Brookfield had issued any meaningful number of shares since 1995.
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Home News & Analysis L&G hits £250m for UK fund
L&G hits £250m for UK fund
Insurer reaches halfway point in its quest to raise ‘innovative’ UK Property Income Fund. Legal & General Property's head, Bill Hughes, says raising equity remains a challenge, yet he is delighted with the success so far.
Robin Marriott
Legal & General has reached the half way mark in its effort to raise £500 million (€567 million; $818 million) for its UK Property Income Fund, the insurer revealed today.
Having raised £150 million in a first close last ApriL, it has since added £100 million, it said, with investors coming from France, Finland, Switzerland and Japan.
Cushman & Wakefield Corporate Finance is the placement agent.
Bill Hughes, managing director of Legal & General Property, said raising equity remained challenging, but added he was delighted with the fund’s progress.
He said: “We are aware of many funds in the UK and beyond that have failed to achieve a close, and others that have not grown since modest first closes. We are delighted with the progress on capital raising for our fund and plan to bring a number of active conversations to a head in the next few months, prior to a final close in September.”
The Legal & General UK Property Income Fund is being marketed to investors as a highly innovative proposition in that limited partners can select their individual level of leverage, which the company says has never been done before in the UK. The amount of leverage can be anywhere between 0 percent and 50 percent.
Investors are being told that target returns are 15 percent geared and 10 percent ungeared.
Updating the market on its progress, L&G said so far there had been an even split between those with gearing and those without. Debt has been provided by German bank, Eurohypo.
The fund has so far invested £213 million in the market, with acquisitions including Fremlin Walk shopping centre in Maidstone, Guildford Business Park and a distribution centre at Andover pre-let to Co-op.
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Expect the Bucs to be in the conversation…… (in a few years)
michael89156
Sep. 1, 2015 at 4:13 am
2015 Division Preview Series: NFC SouthNational Football PostAugust 31, 2015 This is part seven of our eight-part division preview series. We will pose two questions per team, one about offense and one about defense, and then predict each team’s 2015 record and final standing within the division. Atlanta Falcons (6-10 in 2014, 3rd in NFC South)How will the offensive line perform in 2015?2014 was a less than stellar year for the Falcons’ offensive line, which gave up 31 sacks in 2014 and was negatively ranked in both pass and run blocking by Pro Football Focus. The offensive line started struggling midway through the season after first round pick, Jake Matthews, received a high ankle sprain while playing against the Saints. Matthews finished out the season as one of the worst ranked offensive lineman in the league, with the rest of the line not doing much better. However, expectations for rookie left tackles must be tempered as the position is one of the most important ones in the league with a steep learning curve. This year, the Falcons plan on transitioning to a zone blocking based scheme to help alleviate the ground game and open up lanes for running back Tevin Coleman. Additionally, the Falcons released offensive tackle Sam Baker this past season and are looking at replacing him with Ryan Schraeder, who excelled as a pass blocker last year. Overall, these changes only point to an improvement in the offensive line. Matt Ryan has experienced offensive lines on both ends of the spectrum throughout his career and has proven he can play at an elite level when given solid blocking. He posted a passer rating of 99.1 and was a top-five quarterback in terms of yardage in 2012, the same year his line was ranked positively in both pass and run blocking. With the transition to the zone blocking scheme and Jake Matthews adjusting to the NFL, Ryan may once again have a career year. How will first-year coach Dan Quinn’s defensive scheme impact Atlanta’s defense?The Falcons’ rookie coach is the former defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, and it is no surprise that the front office went with a defensive minded coach after the team ranked last in defense last year, giving up almost 400 yards a game. The team further displayed its commitment to improving the defense after drafting Clemson linebacker Vic Beasley with the eighth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Quinn brings the “4-3 Under” defensive scheme with him to Atlanta. The scheme mainly consists of four defensive lineman, three linebackers, and four secondary players mainly in the Cover 3. The defensive lineman must be able to take double blocks, especially the defensive tackles. While the tackles focus on securing their gaps, the defensive ends’ main responsibility is getting up field and rushing the passer or snuffing out the run. The scheme also utilizes the LEO position, a hybrid linebacker/defensive end whose primary responsibility is to rush the passer. Beasley should easily fill this role, as he played a similar position at Clemson and has the athleticism and versatility to transition to the NFL.Quinn’s defense utilizes three types of linebackers: the SAM, the MIKE, and the WILL. The SAM linebacker has to be an athletic and rangy linebacker that can cover most of the field, keeping up with tight ends and running backs. Justin Durant should be able to fill this role well if he manages to stay on the field—he’s missed sixteen games over the past two seasons. The MIKE backer must be a bigger, instinctual player that is capable of covering the middle of the field on third down. Falcons fans should consider projected starter Paul Worrilow‘s ability to play the MIKE position after receiving a -12.2 rating from Pro Football Focus in Pass Coverage. The WILL backer is usually the fastest of the group and the one picking up the tackles. The Falcons signed Brooks Reed this off-season to be their starting outside linebacker, and he should excel in that position, ranking positively in run defense according to Pro Football Focus.Finally, Quinn’s scheme requires strong, physical corner backs to press the receiver before covering their zone in the Cover 3 base defense. Desmond Trufant, the third-year player already ranked as the #6 corner back in the league, should benefit from this new role because he particularly excels in zone coverage and bumping wide receivers at the line of scrimmage. Dan Quinn’s arrival in Atlanta appears to be a perfect marriage between scheme and personnel, with most of the critical positions being filled with players that fit the role. While expectations for the unit should still be tempered, anticipating a defense ranked 16-20 should not be unreasonable for Falcons fans. Prediction: 7-9, 3rd in NFC SouthThe Falcons are recovering from a disappointing season with the lowest ranked defense, but with a new scheme and head coach, the team should improve in all areas on that side of the ball. The Falcons will be a contender for the division title in 2015 but ultimately fall short. ˜˜˜Carolina Panthers (7-8-1 in 2014, 1st in NFC South)How will Kelvin Benjamin‘s injury affect the Carolina Panthers?During practice last week, Benjamin injured his knee, and an MRI confirmed that he had torn his left ACL and will soon require season-ending surgery. Many are concerned about the vacuum Benjamin leaves as the #1 receiver in the Panthers’ offense. The second-year receiver was building a good rapport with Cam Newton at the end of last season, and he was expected to step up and help the young quarterback progress as a passer. His large frame was especially beneficial to Newton, who is known for making wide and errant passes at times in the red zone.The injury cannot be understated. Without Benjamin, the Panthers are left with Devin Funchess, Jarret Boykin, and Corey Brown at the receiver position. This pushes rookie Funchess to the starting role when he is unprepared for the position and learning curve that comes with being the #1 receiver. Tight end Greg Olsen will most likely be Newton’s favorite target this year and should provide a safety valve for him over the middle. The Panthers must now compensate for their passing game by running the ball, which fortunately looks to be one of the better units in the league. The team cut DeAngelo Williams last year, the all-time leading rusher for the team, after his worst season as a pro. Jonathan Stewart will be expected to fill the role as the #1 back this year after being named the starter at the end of last year and running for the most yards among running backs during the last four games. Fullback Mike Tolbert looks to be coming back after being injured last year and should help Stewart tremendously. Ultimately, the Panthers will be forced to rely heavily on their run game to take pressure off of Newton for the time being. Once Funchess has adapted to the NFL, the Panthers can look forward to becoming a dual-threat offense again. Can the secondary give the defensive line time to pressure the quarterback?Of all the position groups on the team, the secondary should be one of the team’s smallest concerns. Josh Norman and Bene Benwikere are expected to be the team’s starting corner backs this year and are one of the more underrated corner back duos in the league; Pro Football Focus rated both corner backs in the top 30 at the position last year. Roman Harper will continue to be the starting strong safety for the team, while second-year player Tre Boston should step in as the starting free safety after playing well in the last five games of the season. However, the defensive line presents a different story. After Greg Hardy was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List last year due to off-the-field issues, the defensive line struggled with applying consistent pressure to the quarterback. It wasn’t until the last four games of the season that Charles Johnson and Kawaan Short emerged and recorded seven sacks together. Playing in the same division as Drew Brees and Matt Ryan means pass rush is absolutely essential if the Panthers hope to slow down either quarterback. The defensive line seemed to come into its own after Boston was inserted into the lineup. One possible reason for this is because Boston quickly informed opposing teams of his ball-hawking abilities and held opposing quarterbacks to an average quarterback rating of 24.2 in the games he started. The defensive line should be able to apply more pressure this year, as Boston is named the starter. Both of the units work in tandem with each other, so when one suffers an injury or setback, the other is affected as well. With both groups looking rested and ready for the season, Brees and Ryan should be prepared for a tough defense come game day. Prediction: 9-7, 1st in NFC SouthThe Panthers were the most complete team in the NFC South last year, and that trend should continue in 2015. While the injury to Benjamin does set this team back in terms of offense, they can expect to repeat as division champions this year. ˜˜˜New Orleans Saints (7-9 in 2014, 2nd in NFC South)How will Jimmy Graham‘s departure affect the Saints offense?During this past off-season, the Saints traded Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham for center Max Unger and a first round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, which the Saints used to draft Clemson linebacker Stephone Anthony. Many fans and analysts are concerned about Graham’s departure. Graham recorded 355 receptions, 4,396 yards, and 46 touchdowns over the past four seasons and was Drew Brees’s favorite target during that time. Graham’s ability to create a mismatch against opposing linebackers and safeties contributed greatly to the Saints offense and made him one of the best receiving tight ends in the league. However, Saints fans should not be concerned about Graham’s departure as long as Drew Brees is still the quarterback. One of the reasons Brees is in the conversation for the Hall of Fame is his ability to elevate the level of play of those around him. Brees still has Marques Colston, his other favorite receiver, and Brandin Cooks, who is making a name for himself this preseason. The Saints are also looking to recommit to the ground game this year, putting less pressure on Brees to carry the offense. Mark Ingram quietly had a solid season last year, recording 964 yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games. The Saints drafted Andrus Peat, an offensive tackle from Stanford, with their 13th overall pick in the hope that he can help anchor the left side of the line. While Graham was certainly an important cog in the Saints offense, the team should not expect any major setbacks in 2015. How will the departure of Junior Galette affect the Saints pass rush?In late July, Sean Payton informed Galette, who had signed a four-year, $41.5 million contract extension with the team in 2014, that he would be released in less than a week. The move was based on Galette’s off-the-field issues regarding domestic violence, his lack of leadership abilities as a defensive captain, and his rocky relationship with Payton. Galette lambasted the team for cutting him, claiming it was the worst move the team had ever made. The team was so adamant on releasing Galette that they were willing to pay the $12.1 million he is due in 2016, along with his $5.45 million cap hit this year. However troubled Galette has been off the field, it is hard to ignore the hole he leaves on the defensive line. Galette recorded 22 sacks over the past two seasons. In his place, the Saints will most likely place Akiem Hicks in the starting lineup, and he will play for an extension in his contract year. Cameron Jordan should continue to be the team’s best pass rusher and can hopefully help rookies Anthony and Hau’oli Kikaha adjust to the NFL.The pass rush this year will be critical towards the defense as a whole. The secondary looks to improve this year after the team signed former Patriot and Seahawks corner back Brandon Browner to a three-year, $15 million contract. If the pass rush is unable to get to the quarterback and apply the necessary pressure, the team could easily return to being a bottom 10 defense like it was a year ago. Prediction: 8-8, 2nd in NFC SouthThe Saints will always be in contention for a division title as long as Brees and Payton are leading the team, but a weaker defense and tougher competition from the Falcons and Panthers this year may prevent the team from playing in January. ˜˜˜Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-14 in 2014, 4th in NFC South)How will Jameis Winston lead the offense in 2015?After a dismal season and a 2-14 record to show for it, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided it was time to move on and rebuild the franchise. The team released journeyman quarterback Josh McCown and selected quarterback Jameis Winston from Florida State. It came as little surprise to most that Winston was selected with the first overall pick, as he was lauded as the #1 quarterback in this draft class throughout the entire process. Winston comes to an offense with more direction than it had last year. The Buccaneers hired former UC Berkeley coach Jeff Tedford as the offensive coordinator, but when he required heart surgery during the preseason, quarterback coach Marcus Arroyo was forced into the role. The result was a 30th ranked offense that put up only 4,672 yards and allowed 56 sacks throughout the season. For reference, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, and Matt Ryan all threw for more yards than the Buccaneers achieved in total. This year, the Buccaneers have hired former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter to help turnaround the anemic offense. Koetter’s vertical offense emphasizes play action passes, two back sets, and passes out of the backfield. Winston helped run a fast paced mix of the Pistol, spread, and pro style offense at Florida State, and he will be expected to lead his receivers and quickly go through his progressions, something he wasn’t required to do in college. Growing pains are to be expected of Winston, like any other rookie quarterback, but with solid players in skill positions such as Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson, Winston should be able to become a leader for his offense and team. How effective will the Cover 2 defense be for the Buccaneers?Last year, the Buccaneers hired former Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith to be the head coach of the team and signed former Minnesota Vikings head coach Leslie Fraser as the defensive coordinator. Smith brought his signature Cover 2 defense with him and is looking to improve upon his implementation of the scheme this year. The basis of the Cover 2 defense is a “bend, but don’t break” philosophy. The defense allows short yards and first downs before eventually stopping the offense or getting a turnover. The linebackers in this scheme are usually the ones tackling the ball carrier and are responsible for pass coverage across the middle. The corner backs are usually responsible for jamming the receiver at the line of scrimmage to disrupt the offense’s timing and have more responsibility in stopping the run. Alterraun Verner is the ideal corner back for the Buccaneers, as he was ranked the #1 cornerback in run defense last year by Pro Football Focus. However, the most important part of the Cover 2 defense is the defensive line. The defensive line’s main obligation is to provide constant pressure on the offense so the linebackers and secondary have time to cover their zones. While All-Pro defensive tackle Gerald McCoy can be expected to take double teams for most plays, the rest of the defensive line must be able to step up and apply pressure if the scheme is to work. Prediction: 5-11, 4th in NFC SouthThe Buccaneers will definitely improve on last season, but they are still in the rebuilding process. A division title may not be within their grasp, but with all the young, talented pieces they have on both sides of the ball, expect them to be in the conversation in a few years.
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U.S. detects first case of Covid-19 variant as Biden offers gloomy vaccine outlook
Colorado, Congress, Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, COVID-19 Vaccinations, Covid-19 Variant, Diagnostic Tests, Distribution, Donald Trump, Europe, Jared Polis (Colorado), Joe Biden, Schools, Scientists, United States, Winter
The first known U.S. case of a highly infectious coronavirus variant discovered in Britain was detected in Colorado on Dec. 29 as President-elect Joe Biden warned it could take years for most Americans to be vaccinated against Covid-19 at current distribution rates.
December 29, 2020 /by Andrew Humphreys
https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/U.S.-detects-first-case-of-COVID-19-variant-as-Biden-offers-gloomy-vaccine-outlook-12-29-20.jpeg 246 370 Andrew Humphreys https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Pharmalive_4c-300x37.png Andrew Humphreys2020-12-29 18:53:252020-12-30 11:23:18U.S. detects first case of Covid-19 variant as Biden offers gloomy vaccine outlook
U.S. sets record with over one million coronavirus tests in a day
Coronavirus Diagnostic Tests, Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, COVID Tracking Project, COVID-19 Testing, Donald Trump, FDA, Houston, Outbreaks, United States
The United States set a one-day record with over 1 million coronavirus diagnostic tests being performed, but the country needs 6 million to 10 million a day to bring outbreaks under control, according to various experts.
https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/U.S.-sets-record-with-over-one-million-coronavirus-tests-in-a-day-Reuters-9-20-20.jpeg 734 1100 Andrew Humphreys https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Pharmalive_4c-300x37.png Andrew Humphreys2020-09-20 11:29:532020-09-21 01:43:27U.S. sets record with over one million coronavirus tests in a day
Two Mass-Market, Paper-based Covid-19 Diagnostics Tests in Development
COVID-19 Testing, Diagnostic Tests, Phone Apps, R&D, RNA, SARS-CoV-2 Antigen, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Testing Labs
Researchers are developing simpler Covid-19 diagnostic tests for use outside of labs in an effort to make mass testing available, fast and inexpensive.
August 5, 2020 /by Andrew Humphreys
https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Two-Mass-Market-Paper-based-COVID-19-Diagnostics-Tests-in-Development-BioSpace-8-4-20.jpeg 350 625 Andrew Humphreys https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Pharmalive_4c-300x37.png Andrew Humphreys2020-08-05 12:28:582020-08-05 14:10:38Two Mass-Market, Paper-based Covid-19 Diagnostics Tests in Development
FDA clears Roche Epstein-Barr virus test for transplant patients
Breakthrough Device Designation, Cancer, Diagnostic Tests, DNA, Epstein-Barr Virus, FDA, FDA/Regulatory, Transplants
Roche received authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the company’s cobas 6800/8800 diagnostic tests for transplant patients.
https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Pharmalive_4c-300x37.png 0 0 Andrew Humphreys https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Pharmalive_4c-300x37.png Andrew Humphreys2020-08-05 01:22:582020-08-05 12:46:28FDA clears Roche Epstein-Barr virus test for transplant patients
NIH investing $248.7 million in seven companies to scale up COVID-19 testing
COVID-19 Deaths, COVID-19 Testing, Diagnostic Tests, NIH, Point-Of-Care Tests, Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) Initiative, Testing Labs
The National Institutes of Health is investing $248.7 million in seven diagnostic companies with new testing technologies to increase their testing capacities and make millions of rapid Covid-19 tests per week available by fall.
July 31, 2020 /by Reuters Health
https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Pharmalive_4c-300x37.png 0 0 Reuters Health https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Pharmalive_4c-300x37.png Reuters Health2020-07-31 11:05:232020-08-04 13:44:10NIH investing $248.7 million in seven companies to scale up COVID-19 testing
Federal Government Should Provide Additional $75 Billion for Covid-19 Diagnostics, Report Says
Business, Contact Tracing, Coronavirus Cases, Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, Diagnostic Tests, Epidemics, Government, Rockefeller University
A dramatic increase in Covid-19 testing and tracing is needed in order to put the United States on a surer path through the pandemic. But that diagnostics increase comes with a significant price tag of about $75 billion from the federal government, the Rockefeller Foundation said in its latest report.
July 17, 2020 /by BioSpace
https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Federal-Government-Should-Provide-Additional-75-Billion-for-COVID-19-Diagnostics-Report-Says-BioSpace-7-16-20.jpeg 350 625 BioSpace https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Pharmalive_4c-300x37.png BioSpace2020-07-17 00:14:272020-07-17 13:08:56Federal Government Should Provide Additional $75 Billion for Covid-19 Diagnostics, Report Says
Where COVID-19 is spreading fastest in U.S.
Alabama, Analysis, Arizona, California, Coronavirus Cases, COVID-19 Testing, Diagnostic Tests, Florida, Kansas, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oregon, Reuters, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, United States, West Virginia, World Health Organization
The United States saw a 27 percent increase in new cases of COVID-19 in the week ended July 5 compared to the previous seven days, with 24 states reporting positivity test rates above the level that the World Health Organization flagged as concerning.
July 6, 2020 /by Reuters Health
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Becton Dickinson’s rapid antigen test for COVID-19 authorized by FDA
Analysts, Antigen Tests, Business, Diagnostic Tests, Emergency Use Authorization, FDA, FDA/Regulatory, Shares, United States
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization to Becton Dickinson for a COVID-19 antigen test that can be administered at the point of care and produce results within 15 minutes.
https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Pharmalive_4c-300x37.png 0 0 Reuters Health https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Pharmalive_4c-300x37.png Reuters Health2020-07-06 10:09:212020-07-07 22:31:08Becton Dickinson's rapid antigen test for COVID-19 authorized by FDA
Quest Diagnostics sees faster-than-expected recovery in U.S. testing volumes
Antibody Tests, Business, Coronavirus Restrictions, COVID-19 Lockdown Measures, COVID-19 Molecular Diagnostic Tests, Diagnostics, Emergency Use Authorization, Quarterly results, U.S. government
Quest Diagnostics saw a higher recovery in the company’s testing volumes in the United States where state and local governments were slowly lifting restrictions after the coronavirus lockdowns.
June 3, 2020 /by Reuters Health
https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Pharmalive_4c-300x37.png 0 0 Reuters Health https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Pharmalive_4c-300x37.png Reuters Health2020-06-03 08:02:162020-06-15 19:26:33Quest Diagnostics sees faster-than-expected recovery in U.S. testing volumes
Mammoth Strikes Deal with GSK Consumer Healthcare to Develop COVID-19 Test Using CRISPR-Based Platform
Asymptomatic Patients, Business, Cas-12 Enzyme, Collaborations, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), COVID-19 Infections, CRISPR, Deals, Diagnostic Tests, Nature Biotechnology, Papers, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
Weeks after Mammoth Biosciences announced the company’s CRISPR-based diagnostics test for COVID-19 had a high degree of specificity even for asymptomatic patients, the Bay Area-based firm struck a deal with GlaxoSmithKline to accelerate development of the test in hopes of getting them in consumer hands as soon as possible.
May 20, 2020 /by BioSpace
https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Mammoth-Strikes-Deal-with-GSK-Consumer-Healthcare-to-Develop-COVID-19-Test-Using-CRISPR-Based-Platform-BioSpace-5-20-20.jpeg 350 625 BioSpace https://www.pharmalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Pharmalive_4c-300x37.png BioSpace2020-05-20 15:24:112020-05-22 01:35:27Mammoth Strikes Deal with GSK Consumer Healthcare to Develop COVID-19 Test Using CRISPR-Based Platform
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Four Live and Virtual Concerts to Check Out This Weekend
Your Guide to Jimmy Eat World's 'Phoenix Sessions' Streaming Concert Series
John Doe of X Explains How The Arizona Desert Affected His New Album
Mark C. Horn
| Interviews |
Mark C. Horn | May 6, 2016 | 9:15am
John Nommensen Duchac has walked many miles in the shoes of his fabled rock ’n’ roll persona.
He is John Doe, who is not too unlike your everyday … well, John Doe. He is the neighbor at the end of the street, who makes an honest living, minds his own business, supports his family, and gets through life the best he knows how.
But to the world of alternative music, this John Doe is also a founding member of the legendary Los Angeles punk pioneers X and alt-country band The Knitters, as well as being a prolific solo artist and actor. Doe is on the verge of releasing not only his latest roots-rock opus, The Westerner, but a book titled Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk that chronicles the rough-and-tumble punk jungle of the LA underground scene that exploded between 1977 and 1982.
Pretty heady stuff for a guy named Doe.
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“No matter how famous or infamous or a nobody you might be, you've gotta be a nobody to write a song,” he says, clarifying with, “You’ve gotta just be a person. You can’t write a song as a personality.”
Doe knows all too well that writing songs as an independent artist can be a double-edged sword. Financial success is often elusive to achieve, and despite having the freedom to be your own boss, the biz of being an artist can be tiresome and detract from the creative process.
“You’ve gotta just be a person. You can’t write a song as a personality.”
“I am eternally grateful to be part of X, and maybe at one point was a little resentful of [the drags of the business of music]. But I’m just grateful, and I think we all are,” says Doe, now 63. “You realize it allows you that freedom and that every good song or good record is because you dug a little deeper.”
Recorded on Cool Rock Records/Thirsty Tigers with the support of fans, The Westerner hit the streets and internet April 29. And, on this, his ninth solo release, Doe produces a versatile and poetic homage to one of America’s last frontiers: the wide-open desert plains of Arizona. The end result is a grouping of what Doe calls “psychedelic soul” songs, many of which were inspired both directly and indirectly by his late friend, the award-winning author, screenwriter, and humanitarian Michael Blake.
The Westerner was recorded at Wave Lab recording studios in Tucson with production help from prolific singer-songwriter and producer Howe Gelb, the longtime singer-guitarist of the enduring alt-country rock group Giant Sand.
But it was the indomitable spirit of Blake, who lived in Tucson but passed away last May of Hodgkin's lymphoma, that led Doe, even though he didn't realize it at first.
“I just noticed a trend, and you realize even the songs about some of my experiences, they also could have been Michael’s,” he says of the man who won the 1991 Academy Award for a Best Adapted Screenplay of his original novel, Dances with Wolves.
Doe has walked many miles, passing up the pop pap of commercial highways, and opting instead for the alternative back roads of originality. His knack for storytelling is a perfect companion for his well-hewn vocal pipes, described by Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in song as “a voice of gold.”
The opening number, “Get On Board,” is all Doe. The song is like an electric roots version of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready,” which beckons the listener to get on the heaven-bound train. Doe’s rail journey is left to interpretation, but it moves with a steady, up-tempo, bluesy twang.
“Go Baby Go” is a garage rock song in which Debbie Harry of Blondie fame provides more-than-adequate backing vocals. It is an interesting change for the vocal legend to be in the background.
“First of all, Debbie Harry is the coolest, without a doubt,” Doe says emphatically. “We just hit it off. I tried to find something on the record that would be more of a duet, but the song that she sang on reminded me of a '60s garage rock sound.”
“The thing that blew me away, is that it took her only about an hour to figure the part out and to get that recorded, and then she said, ‘Well, what if I double it?’ and she did it in one take. It was uncanny and kind of frightening, and then it's like, ‘Oh, that’s right, you’re Debbie Harry. You can do magical things.’”
Likewise, Harry knew Doe had a great track record, and Blondie had toured in 2013 with X.
“I knew it would be very easy to work with John after touring with him," she offers of the song. “He had a good idea of what I sounded like, what he needed for his track, and we worked easily together, finishing in a pretty short time. I'm not so used to harmonizing, but I think our voices sound compatible.”
On a pair of numbers, “Sunlight” and “Drink Of Water,” Doe shares vocals with Cindy Wasserman. Chan Marshall sings on the Dylan-seque “A Little Help.” Marshall was better known in her earlier days as Cat Powers.
The desert desolation dirge “Alone in Arizona” probably best exemplifies Doe’s ability to contrast the peaceful existence of the wide-open plain and the sense of being far away and desolate.
Under the Big Black Sun – A Personal History of L.A. Punk on Da Capo Press came out May 1. It is a 320-page recollection of the scene as seen through the eyes of Doe, Henry Rollins (Black Flag), Mike Watt (The Minutemen), Dave Alvin (The Blasters), Jane Weidlin and Charlotte Caffey (the Go-Gos), Chris D (The Flesheaters), and Jack Grisham (TSOL) among others.
Tom DeSavia, who formerly handled AOR at Elektra Records, co-wrote the book with Doe.
“He [DeSavia] and my sweetheart [wife Gigi] were on the verge of haranguing me to do something, and then at some point, I thought, I don’t want to do it all by myself. I’m happy to be one of the recurring voices, or the narrator, but I want other people’s stories and their perspective and their expertise on certain subjects.”
Doe and DeSavia describe the famous and infamous locations of the early LA punk scene in unapologetic and unabashed detail, from the original Whiskey A-Go-Go to makeshift dark playing rooms, eateries, and underground haunts such as The Masque, Club 88, and Hong Kong Café.
For Doe, those days are still fresh in his memories. But he's also facing the impending 40-year milestone of his beloved X, which released its first double-single "Adult Books/We’re Desperate" back in 1978 on the fledgling Dangerhouse label.
Overcoming the lack of radio play, the rise and fall and rise again of the original quartet, and band member illnesses, Doe’s perspective and appreciation for the longevity has changed with time.
“Ten years ago, I would have seen that as, ‘Oh my god, we’re getting so old.’ And now I feel like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing.’ We have succeeded, and we have triumphed against all odds. We have survived.”
Doe and the rest of X are preparing to mark the group’s 40th anniversary. The group will be doing a lot of touring and producing a compilation of live recorded shows.
“Flying under the radar is bad and good. I think we’d love to have a big fat bank account, but on the other hand, maybe we wouldn’t still work as much as we do,” Doe says. “I think we’re still kind of weird for most people. We’re still kind of weird for the radio.”
The Lost Leaf Closes Down Temporarily, Plus More Phoenix...
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Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): November 20, 2020
PARTS ID, INC.
DELAWARE 001-38296 81-3674868
(State or other jurisdiction (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer
of incorporation) Identification No.)
1 Corporate Drive, Suite C Cranbury, New Jersey 08512
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
☒ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share ID NYSE American
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
On November 20, 2020 (the “Closing Date”), PARTS iD, Inc., a Delaware corporation (f/k/a Legacy Acquisition Corp. (“Legacy”)) (the “Company”), consummated the previously announced business combination pursuant to that certain Business Combination Agreement, dated September 18, 2020 (the “Business Combination Agreement”), by and among the Company, Excel Merger Sub I, Inc., a Delaware corporation and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and directly owned subsidiary of Merger Sub 2 (“Merger Sub 1”), Excel Merger Sub II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub 2”), Onyx Enterprises Int’l, Corp., a New Jersey corporation (“Onyx”), and Shareholder Representative Services LLC, a Colorado limited liability company, solely in its capacity as the stockholder representative pursuant to the terms of Section 11.16 of the Business Combination Agreement.
At the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement (the “Closing”), (a) Merger Sub 1 merged with and into Onyx (the “First Merger”), with Onyx surviving as a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Merger Sub 2, and (b) promptly following the First Merger, Onyx, as the surviving company of the First Merger, merged with and into Merger Sub 2 (the “Second Merger” and, together with the First Merger, the “Mergers”). Upon the consummation of the Second Merger, Merger Sub 2 was the surviving company and Onyx ceased to exist, and Merger Sub 2 became a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (collectively with the other transactions described in the Business Combination Agreement, the “Business Combination”). On the Closing Date, (i) Legacy changed its name from Legacy Acquisition Corp. to PARTS iD, Inc. and listed its shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class A Common Stock”) on the NYSE under the symbol “ID” and (ii) Merger Sub 2 changed its name to PARTS iD, LLC (“PARTS iD, LLC”).
Pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, at Closing, (a) each share of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of Merger Sub 1 (the “Merger Sub 1 Common Shares”) issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effectiveness of the First Merger was converted into and became one validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable share of common stock, no par value per share, of Onyx (the “Onyx Common Shares”) and (b) each share of Onyx Common Shares (other than (x) those Onyx Common Shares held by an Onyx stockholder who neither voted in favor of the First Merger nor consented thereto in writing and who properly demanded appraisal for such shares in accordance with Section 14A:11-1 of the New Jersey Business Corporations Act (the “Dissenting Shares”) and (y) each Onyx Common Share that is owned or held in treasury by Onyx or that was owned by Legacy which were automatically cancelled and cease to exist (the “Cancelled Shares”)), was automatically converted into the right to receive (i) a number of shares of Class A Common Stock equal to $249,509,598.69, divided by $10.00 (in each case, the “Closing Share Consideration”), (ii) the per share amount of payments, if any, to holders of Onyx Common Shares under Section 2.5(c) of the Business Combination Agreement, and (iii) the per share amount of any other release to holders of Onyx Common Shares generally under the Business Combination Agreement, in each case determined by dividing the aggregate amount of such released amounts by the aggregate number of shares of Onyx Common Shares outstanding immediately prior to the effectiveness of the First Merger.
A description of the Business Combination and the terms of the Business Combination Agreement are included in the definitive information statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on October 30, 2020, as supplemented by the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on November 17, 2020 (the “Information Statement”) in the section entitled “Approval No. 1 — The Business Combination Approval” beginning on page 51 of the Information Statement.
In connection with the Business Combination Agreement, the Company amended (the “Warrant Amendments”) that certain Warrant Agreement between Legacy and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, dated as of November 16, 2017 (as amended from time to time, the “Warrant Agreement”), pursuant to which, at the effective time of the First Merger, (i) each outstanding public warrant and 2,912,230 private placement warrants issued pursuant to that certain Sponsor Warrants Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2017, between Legacy and Legacy Acquisition Sponsor I LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”), which were issued to the Sponsor and were beneficially owned by certain institutional investors of the Sponsor, were converted into the right to receive $0.18 in cash and 0.082 of a share of Class A Common Stock and (ii) the Sponsor forfeited 14,587,770 private placement warrants held of record and beneficially owned by it. In addition, the Sponsor is cancelling 1,688,482 private placement warrants held on behalf of certain beneficial owners as required by the terms of the Sponsor’s limited liability company agreement. The shares of Class A Common Stock issued in connection with the Warrant Amendments were not registered under the Securities Act in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act.
The foregoing descriptions of each of the Business Combination Agreement and the Warrant Amendments are summaries only and are qualified in their entirety by the full text of the Business Combination Agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 2.1, and the Warrant Amendments, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 4.1, and are incorporated herein by reference.
Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
Registration Rights Agreement
At Closing, the Company and the Onyx stockholders receiving shares of Class A Common Stock as consideration (the “Onyx Holders”) entered into a Registration Rights Agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) to provide the Onyx Holders with registration rights with respect to certain outstanding shares of the Class A Common Stock and any other equity security of the Company issued or issuable with respect to any such shares of Class A Common Stock by way of a stock dividend or stock split or in connection with a combination of shares, recapitalization, merger, consolidation or reorganization (the “Registrable Securities”). The terms of the Registration Rights Agreement are described in the Information Statement in the section entitled “Approval No. 1 – the Business Combination Approval — Related Transaction Agreements — Registration Rights Agreement” on page 66 of the Information Statement.
Pursuant to the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement, the Onyx Holders are entitled, after the expiration of a lock-up, to request (i) up to three written demands for registration, (ii) “piggy-back” registration in connection with any proposal of the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act and (iii) Form S-3 registrations, all subject to certain minimum requirements and customary conditions. The Registration Rights Agreement provides for certain instances in which the Company may defer registration: if (A) during the period starting with the date 60 days prior to the Company’s good faith estimate of the date of the filing of, and ending on a date 120 days after the effective date of, an initiated registration by the Company and provided that the Company has delivered written notice to the Onyx Holders prior to receipt of a demand registration and it continues to actively employ, in good faith, all reasonable efforts to cause the applicable registration statement to become effective; (B) the Onyx Holders have requested an Underwritten Registration (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) and the Company and the Onyx Holders are unable to obtain the commitment of underwriters to firmly underwrite the offer; or (C) in the good faith judgment of the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”) such registration would be seriously detrimental to the Company and the Board concludes as a result that it is essential to defer the filing of such registration statement at such time. The Registration Rights Agreement includes a lock-up period which provides that the Onyx Holders shall not transfer any shares of Class A Common Stock issued to such Onyx Holder as part of the Closing Share Consideration that may have been issued to such Onyx Holder prior to the earlier of (i) the first anniversary of the Closing, (ii) the date, following the 180th day after the date of the Closing, on which the volume weighted average per share price (“VWAP”) of Class A Common Stock equals or exceeds $15.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), (iii) the date, following the 270th day after the Closing, on which the VWAP of Class A Common Stock equals or exceeds $13.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), or (iv) the Company’s completion of a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Onyx Holders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A Common Stock for cash, securities or other property.
The foregoing description of the Registration Rights Agreement is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the Registration Rights Agreement, a copy of which was attached as Exhibit 8.7 to the Business Combination Agreement and is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.1 and incorporated herein by reference.
Indemnification Agreements
In connection with the Closing, the Company expects to enter into indemnification agreements with each of its directors and officers. Each indemnification agreement provides for indemnification and advancements by the Company of certain expenses and costs relating to claims, suits or proceedings arising from the director or officers service to the Company.
The foregoing description of the indemnification agreements is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the indemnification agreements, a form of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.2 and is incorporated herein by reference.
Amended and Restated Sponsor Support Agreement
On November 20, 2020, the Company entered into the Amended and Restated Sponsor Support Agreement (the “Sponsor Support Agreement”) with the Sponsor and Shareholder Representative Services LLC, a Colorado limited liability company. Pursuant to the Sponsor Support Agreement, prior to, and in connection with, the Closing of the Business Combination, the Sponsor, among other things, (a) agreed to forfeit (i) 3,069,474 shares of Legacy’s Class F common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class F Common Stock”) and (ii) 14,587,770 warrants to purchase shares of Class A Common Stock, (b) retained the rights to an aggregate of 4,430,526 shares of Class F Common Stock, (c) assumed the obligation to pay the Buyer Transaction Expenses (as such term is defined in the Business Combination Agreement) and (d) retained the right to 1,502,129 shares of Class A Common Stock should the Class A Common Stock exceed $15.00 per share for any thirty (30) day trading period during the 730 calendar days after Closing. In addition, pursuant to the Sponsor Support Agreement, 1,100,00 of the 4,430,526 shares of Class F Common Stock retained by the Sponsor were retained in consideration of Sponsor’s contribution to Legacy of that certain direction notice provided by Onyx Enterprises Canada Inc. (“OEC”) to Sponsor, which direction notice was paid to OEC, as the sole holder of the Company Preferred Stock, as consideration for $11,000,000 of the Preferred Payment (as such terms are defined in the Business Combination Agreement) of $20,000,000 that was otherwise payable in cash. The Company agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to register 2,700,000 shares of Class F Common Stock retained by Sponsor pursuant to a registration statement that becomes effective within 90 days of the Closing.
The foregoing description of the Sponsor Support Agreement is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the Sponsor Support Agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.3 and incorporated herein by reference.
Item 1.02 Termination of Material Agreement
On November 20, 2020, in connection with the Closing of the Business Combination, the Company terminated that certain Letter Agreement, dated November 16, 2017, by and between the Company, the Sponsor and the members of the Sponsor listed on the signature pages thereto.
Item 2.01 Completion of Acquisition or Disposition of Assets.
The disclosure set forth in the “Introductory Note” above is incorporated by reference into this Item 2.01.
As permitted by the Company’s organizational documents and by Section 228 of the DGCL, certain of the Company’s stockholders holding, in the aggregate, a majority of the then issued and outstanding shares of Class F Common Stock and Class A Common Stock on September 18, 2020, executed and delivered to the Company a Stockholders’ Written Consent approving the Business Combination and the other transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement (the “First Stockholders’ Written Consent”). The Business Combination was completed on November 20, 2020.
As of the Closing Date and following the completion of the Business Combination, the Company had the following outstanding securities:
Approximately 20,906,572 shares of Class A Common Stock.
As of the Closing Date and following the completion of the Business Combination, the Company had an additional 11,966,886 shares of Class A Common Stock reserved for issuance to former stockholders of Onyx upon delivery of certain administrative paperwork to the Company.
FORM 10 INFORMATION
Prior to the Closing, the Company was a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) with no operations, formed as a vehicle to effect a business combination with one or more operating businesses. After the Closing, the Company became a holding company whose only assets consist of equity interests in PARTS iD, LLC.
This Current Report on Form 8-K contains or incorporates by reference “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These statements may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company’s Business Combination, the financing of the Business Combination, the benefits of the Business Combination respecting our Stockholders and the associated objectives, expectations and intentions, all statements regarding the Company’s expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, dividends, financing plans, business strategy, budgets, capital expenditures, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management, all discussions, expressed or implied, and statements containing words such as “anticipate,” “approximate,” “believe,” “plan,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “could,” “can,” “would,” “should,” “will,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “potential,” “upside” and other similar expressions. All statements in this Current Report on Form 8-K that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that reflect the best judgment of the Company based upon currently available information. Such forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and our Stockholders and other potential investors must recognize that actual results may differ materially from the Company’s expectations as a result of a variety of factors, including, without limitation, those discussed below. Such forward-looking statements are based upon management’s current expectations and include known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which the Company is unable to predict or control, that may cause its actual results, performance or plans to differ materially from any future results, performance or plans expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed below and detailed from time to time in the Company’s filings with the SEC. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among other things:
● potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships resulting from the completion of the Business Combination;
● the Company’s ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition and the ability of the Company to grow and manage growth profitably following the Closing;
● the risk of exceeding the costs related to the Business Combination;
● the inability to retain key personnel following the Closing of the Business Combination;
● adverse changes in U.S. and non-U.S. governmental laws and regulations;
● the outcome of any legal proceedings against the Company;
● the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business;
● the ability of the Company to execute its business model, including market acceptance of its planned products and services and the ability of our stockholders to realize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination;
● the Company’s ability to raise capital;
● other risks and uncertainties set forth in the Information Statement in the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 19 of the Information Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Business and Properties
The business and properties of the Company and Onyx prior to the Business Combination are described in the Information Statement in the sections entitled “Information About Legacy Acquisition Corp.” beginning on page 86 and “Information About Onyx Enterprises Int’l, Corp.” beginning on page 110 of the Information Statement, which are incorporated herein by reference.
The risks associated with the Company’s business are described in the Information Statement in the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 19 of the Information Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements
The unaudited consolidated financial statements of Onyx as of September 30, 2020 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 set forth in Exhibit 99.1 hereto have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and pursuant to the regulations of the SEC. The unaudited financial information reflects, in the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary for a fair statement of Onyx’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods indicated. The results reported for the interim period presented in 2020 are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the full year.
These unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the historical audited consolidated financial statements of Onyx as of and for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the related notes included in the Information Statement, in the section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation for Onyx Enterprises Intl’l, Corp.” beginning on page 120 of the Information Statement and the section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included herein.
Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Consolidated Combined Financial Information
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information of the Company as of and for the year ended December 31, 2019 is included in the Information Statement in the section entitled “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information” beginning on page 41 of the Information Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information of Legacy, Onyx and the Company as of and for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 is set forth in Exhibit 99.2 hereto and is incorporated herein by reference.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Management’s discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operation of Onyx prior to the Business Combination is included in the Information Statement in the section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for Onyx Enterprises Int’l, Corp.” beginning on page 120 of the Information Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference, and is supplemented by management’s discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operation of Onyx as of and for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 set forth below:
Comparison of the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019
Nine Months ended Changes from previous
2020 % Sales 2019 % Sales Dollars Percentage
Revenues 307,751,463 217,749,149 90,002,314 41.3 %
Cost of goods sold 240,928,853 78.3 % 171,235,868 78.6 % 69,692,985 40.7 %
Gross profit 66,822,610 21.7 % 46,513,281 21.4 % 20,309,329 43.7 %
Gross Margin 21.7 % 21.4 %
Advertising 25,014,794 8.1 % 15,584,259 7.2 % 9,430,535 60.5 %
Selling, general & administrative 28,883,134 9.4 % 25,810,128 11.9 % 3,073,006 11.9 %
Depreciation 5,034,672 1.6 % 4,242,694 1.9 % 791,978 18.7 %
Total operating expenses 58,932,600 19.1 % 45,637,081 21.0 % 13,295,519 29.1 %
Income from operations 7,890,010 2.6 % 876,200 0.4 % 7,013,810 800.5 %
Interest expense 7,684 0.0 % 4,814 0.0 % 2,870 59.6 %
Income before income tax 7,882,326 2.5 % 871,386 0.4 % 7,010,940 804.6 %
Income tax expenses 1,659,227 0.5 % 215,145 0.1 % 1,444,082 671.2 %
Net income $ 6,223,099 2.0 % $ 656,241 0.3 % $ 5,566,858 848.3 %
Revenues increased $90.0 million, or 41.3%, for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the same period for 2019. This increase was primarily attributable to a 29.4% increase in website traffic and a 24.1% increase in conversion rate compared to the same period for 2019, caused by rapid adoption of online shopping during the initial outbreak of COVID-19.
Sales promotions such as free shipping, discounted shipping and discounted product pricing can impact conversion rates, average order value, sales volume and margin in varying amounts depending on the type of promotion, the effective promotional value, the length of the promotion, the specific products, brands and categories the promotions are applied to, and the promotional and pricing strategies and activities of competitors for the same or similar products during the period. Onyx measures the impact from pricing and promotional strategies using tools like A/B testing, discount code redemptions and sequential analysis among others.
Cost of goods sold is composed of product cost, the associated fulfilment and handling costs charged by vendors, if any, and shipping costs. In the nine months ended September 30, 2020, cost of goods sold increased by $69.7 million, or 40.7%, compared to the same period in 2019. The increase in cost of goods sold was primarily driven by an increase in the number of orders delivered. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the cost of goods sold was 78.3% of revenues, consistent with 78.6% of revenues in the same period of 2019.
Gross Profit and Gross Margin
Gross profit increased $20.3 million, or 43.7%, for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the same period for 2019. This increase was primarily attributable to the 41.3% increase in revenue in the nine months ended September 30, 2020. Gross margin in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 of 21.7% was slightly higher than gross margin of 21.4% in the same period for 2019.
Advertising expenses increased $9.4 million, or 60.5%, for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the same period for 2019. This increase was primarily attributable to i) an increase in paid traffic along with an increase in revenue in the nine months ended September 30, 2020, and ii) testing of new social media advertising campaigns and development of commercials for connected TV marketing.
Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses increased $3.1 million, or 11.9%, for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 versus the same period for 2019. This increase was primarily attributable to an increase in merchant services provider processing fees in line with the increase in revenue and small changes in other operational costs, including one-time Legacy merger deal expenses of $0.3 million. As a percentage of revenue, SG&A expenses decreased from 11.9% to 9.4%, reflecting greater operating cost leverage on higher revenues during the nine months ended September 30, 2020.
Depreciation expenses increased $0.8 million, or 18.7%, for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the same period for 2019. This increase was primarily attributable to increased depreciation related to prior years’ website and software development combined with a marginal increase in website and software development costs during the nine months ended September 30, 2020.
Interest expense increased $2.9 thousand, or 59.6%, for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. This increase in terms of dollar amount was not material.
Income Tax Expenses
Income tax expenses increased $1.4 million, or 671.2%, for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the same period for 2019. This change was primarily attributable to an increase in taxable income for the period. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the effective income tax rate was 21.05% compared to 24.69% for the same period for 2019. The increase in rate was primarily attributable to differences in expenses not deductible for income tax purposes.
Onyx’s primary sources of liquidity are cash on hand of $36.9 million as of September 30, 2020, cash generated from operations and changes in operating assets and liabilities of Onyx. Onyx believes its current resources will be sufficient to fund its cash needs, as they arise, for at least the next 12 months. Onyx’s primary uses of cash are for investment in website and software development.
Comparison of the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 and 2019
The following table summarizes the key cash flow metrics from Onyx’s statements of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019:
Net cash provided by operating activities $ 28,879,301 $ 4,608,760
Net cash used in investing activities (5,171,877 ) (5,351,722 )
Net cash used in financing activities (390,892 ) (390,078 )
Net change in cash $ 23,316,532 $ (1,133,040 )
The net cash provided by operating activities consisted of our net income adjusted for certain non-cash items including depreciation as well as the effect of changes in working capital and other activities. Operating cash flows can be volatile and are sensitive to many factors, including changes in working capital and our net income (loss). Onyx has a negative working capital model (current liabilities exceed current assets). Any profitable growth in revenue results in incremental cash for Onyx, as Onyx receives funds when customers place orders on the website, while accounts payable are paid over a period time, based on vendor terms, which range on average from one week to eight weeks.
Cash provided by operating activities in the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was $28.9 million and was driven primarily by cash provided by a) operating assets and liabilities of $16.3 million, b) net income of $6.2 million, c) impact of non-cash item depreciation and amortization expense of $5.0 million, and d) the net impact of deferred income taxes $1.4 million.
Cash used in operating activities in the nine months ended September 30, 2019 was $4.6 million and was driven primarily by cash provided by a) impact of non-cash item depreciation and amortization expense of $4.2 million, and b) net income of $0.7 million, partly offset by cash used by operating assets and liabilities of $0.5 million.
Net cash used in investing activities was $5.2 million and $5.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. This decrease of $0.2 million, or 3.4%, was primarily attributable to lower spending on website and software development (technology platform and catalog) costs and purchases of property and equipment. This is something that varies depending on the timing of technology and product development cycles.
Net cash used in financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 of $0.4 million was consistent with net cash used in financing activities of $0.4 million during the same period for 2019.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in Onyx’s consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Onyx considers its most important accounting policies that require significant estimates and management judgment to be those policies discussed below. Onyx’s other significant accounting policies are summarized in Note 2 of the Notes to the Unaudited Financial Statements for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 set forth in Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.
Onyx recognizes revenue from product sales and associated shipping fees, net of promotional discounts and return allowances, when the following revenue recognition criteria are met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; the selling price is fixed or determinable; collectability is reasonably assured; and the product is delivered to the customer. Onyx estimates customer product return allowances based on historical experience and reduces product revenue, inclusive of shipping fees, by expected product returns.
Amounts received from customers prior to the delivery of products are recorded as customer deposits in the accompanying balance sheets. These advances are recognized as revenue in accordance with Onyx’s policy on revenue recognition.
In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”). This new standard replaces all previous accounting guidance on this topic, eliminates all industry-specific guidance and provides a unified model to determine how revenue is recognized. The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In doing so, companies need to use more judgment and make more estimates than under prior guidance. Judgments include identifying performance obligations in the contract, estimating the amount of consideration to include in the transaction price, and allocating the transaction price to each performance obligation.
Effective January 1, 2019 Onyx elected to adopt ASU 2014-09 using the modified retrospective method which applied to all new contracts initiated on or after January 1, 2019 and all open contracts which had remaining obligations as of that date. Prior period amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with Onyx’s historical accounting practices under Topic 605. The adoption of ASU 2014-09 did not have a material impact on Onyx’s balance sheets and financial results for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and there was no cumulative effect to retained earnings on the date of adoption.
In determining the appropriate amount of revenue to be recognized as it fulfills its obligations under its agreements, Onyx performs the following steps (i) identifies contracts with customers; (ii) identifies performance obligation(s); (iii) determines the transaction price; (iv) allocates the transaction price to the performance obligation(s); and (v) recognizes revenue when (or as) Onyx satisfies each performance obligation.
Onyx recognizes revenue on product sales through Onyx’s website as the principal in the transaction as Onyx has concluded it controls the product before it is transferred to the customer. Onyx controls products when it is the entity responsible for fulfilling the promise to the customer and takes responsibility for the acceptability of the goods, assumes inventory risk from shipment through the delivery date, has discretion in establishing prices, and selects the suppliers of products sold.
Onyx’s revenue recognition is impacted by estimates of unshipped and undelivered orders at the end of the applicable reporting period. If actual unshipped and undelivered orders are not consistent with Onyx’s estimates, the impact on Onyx’s revenue for the applicable reporting period could be material. Unshipped and undelivered orders as of September 30, 2020 and 2019 were $13.9 million and $8.9 million, respectively, which are reflected as customer deposits on the Company’s balance sheets.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, the unshipped and undelivered orders, the goods in transit, and cost of goods sold were estimated based on a) 10 days of unshipped and/or undelivered orders based on the actual computed days for similar orders at the end of December 2019, and b) the cost of goods sold and goods in transit were estimated by applying the percentages to total revenues for unshipped and undelivered orders based on the actual data for June 2020 and December 2019, respectively.
Sales discounts earned by customers at the time of purchase and taxes collected from customers, which are remitted to governmental authorities, are deducted from gross revenue in determining net revenue. Allowances for sales returns are estimated and recorded based on historical experience and reduce product revenue, inclusive of shipping fees, by expected product returns. Net allowances for sales returns at September 30, 2020 and 2019 were $664,886 and $550,450, respectively.
If actual sales returns are not consistent with Onyx’s estimates or adjustments, Onyx may incur future losses or gains that could be material. Adjustments to return allowances for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 are as follows:
Nine Months Ended September 30, Balance at Beginning
of Period Adjustments Balance at Close
of Period
2020 $ 495,697 $ 169,189 $ 664,886
2019 $ 480,192 $ 70,256 $ 550,450
Website and Software Development
Onyx capitalizes certain costs associated with website and software (technology platform including the catalog) developed for internal use in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 350-50, Intangibles — Goodwill and Other — Website Development Costs and ASC 350-40, Intangibles — Goodwill and Other — Internal Use Software when both the preliminary project design and the testing stage are completed and management has authorized further funding for the project, which it deems probable of completion and to be used for the function intended. Capitalized costs include amounts directly related to website and software development such as contractors’ fees, payroll and payroll-related costs for employees who are directly associated with and who devote time to the internal-use software project. Capitalization of such costs ceases when the project is substantially complete and ready for its intended use. Capitalized costs are amortized over a three-year period commencing on the date that the specific module or platform is placed in service. Costs incurred during the preliminary stages of development and ongoing maintenance costs are expensed as incurred. Determinations as to when a project is substantially complete and what constitutes ongoing maintenance require judgments and estimates by management. Onyx periodically reviews the carrying values of capitalized costs and makes judgments as to ultimate realization. The amount of capitalized software costs for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 are as follows:
Nine Months Ended September 30, Capitalized
2020 $ 5,146,408
Onyx is not a party to any off-balance sheet arrangements.
See Note 2 of the Notes to the Unaudited Financial Statements for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, set forth in Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K, for information on how recent accounting pronouncements have affected or may affect Onyx’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
The properties of the Company and Onyx prior to the Business Combination are described in the Information Statement in the sections entitled “Information About Legacy Acquisition Corp.” beginning on page 86 and “Information About Onyx Enterprises Int’l, Corp.” beginning on page 110 of the Information Statement, which are incorporated herein by reference.
The following table sets forth information known to the Company regarding the beneficial ownership of the Common Stock as of November 20, 2020, after giving effect to the Closing, by:
● each person who is known by the Company to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent (5%) of the outstanding shares of the Common Stock;
● each current named executive officer and director of the Company; and
● all current executive officers and directors of the Company, as a group.
Beneficial ownership is determined according to the rules of the SEC, which generally provide that a person has beneficial ownership of a security if he, she or it possesses sole or shared voting or investment power over that security, including options and warrants that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days.
The beneficial ownership percentages set forth in the table below are based on approximately 32,873,458 shares of Class A Common Stock as of November 20, 2020 and do not take into account the issuance of any shares of Class A Common Stock under the PARTS iD 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, a copy of which was attached to the Information Statement as Annex E, which is incorporated herein by reference or the PARTS iD 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, a copy of which was attached to the Information Statement as Annex F, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Unless otherwise noted in the footnotes to the following table, and subject to applicable community property laws, the persons and entities named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to their beneficially owned common stock and preferred stock.
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner Number of
Shares of
Beneficially Owned Percentage of
Principal Stockholders:
Onyx Enterprises Canada Inc.(1) 14,084,072 42.84 %
Roman Gerashenko(2) 5,983,443 18.20 %
Stanislav Royzenshteyn(2) 5,983,443 18.20 %
Legacy Acquisition Sponsor I LLC(3) 3,180,873 9.68 %
Directors and Executive Officers:
Antonino Ciappina - -
Kailas Agrawal - -
Ajay Roy - -
Mark Atwater
Prashant Pathak(4) 14,084,072 42.84 %
Aditya Jha -
Rahul Petkar -
Ann M. Schwister -
Edwin J. Rigaud(5) 3,180,873 9.68 %
Darryl T.F. McCall(5) 3,180,873 9.68 %
Richard White(5) 3,180,873 9.68 %
The address of Onyx Enterprises Canada Inc. (“OEC”) is 2 Bloor Street W., Suite 2006, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4W 3E2.
(2) Consists of 5,983,443 shares of Class A Common Stock reserved for issuance upon delivery of certain administrative paperwork to the Company.
(3) The address of Legacy Acquisition Sponsor I LLC is 1308 Race Street, Suite 200, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.
(4) Consists of 14,084,072 shares of Class A Common Stock held by OEC. Mr. Pathak serves as the President and a director of OEC. Mr. Pathak disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.
(5) Consists of 3,180,873 shares of Class A Common Stock held by Legacy Acquisition Sponsor I LLC. The reporting person is the managing member of Legacy Acquisition Sponsor I LLC and disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.
Directors and Executive Officers
The directors and executive officers following the Closing of the Business Combination are described in the Information Statement in the Section entitled “Management After the Business Combination” beginning on page 130 of the Information Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The Company intends to develop an executive compensation program that is designed to align compensation with its objectives and the creation of stockholder value, while enabling the Company to attract, motivate and retain individuals who contribute to the long-term success of the Company.
Decisions on the executive compensation will be made by the Company’s compensation committee.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
The certain relationships and related party transactions of the Company are described in the Information Statement in the section entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” beginning on page 149 of the Information Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Information about legal proceedings is set forth in the Information Statement in the section entitled “Information About Onyx Enterprises Int’l, Corp. — Legal Proceedings” on page 114 of the Information Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Market Price of and Dividends on the Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters
The information related to the Class A Common Stock set forth in the section entitled “Price Range of Securities and Dividend Information” on page 151 of the Information Statement is incorporated herein by reference. Additional information regarding holders of the Company’s securities is set forth in the section entitled “Description of Registrant’s Securities to be Registered” below.
On November 23, 2020, the Class A Common Stock will begin trading on the NYSE under the new trading symbols “ID”. As of the Closing Date and following the completion of the Business Combination, the Company had approximately 20,973,498 shares of the Class A Common Stock issued and outstanding held of record by four holders and will have an additional 11,966,886 shares outstanding upon delivery of certain administrative paperwork by former stockholders of Onyx to the Company.
The Company has not paid any cash dividends on the Class A Common Stock to date. The Company may retain future earnings, if any, for future operations, expansion and debt repayment and has no current plans to pay cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of the Board and will depend on, among other things, the Company’s results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors that the Board may deem relevant. In addition, the Company’s ability to pay dividends may be limited by covenants of any existing and future outstanding indebtedness the Company or its subsidiaries incur. The Company does not anticipate declaring any cash dividends to holders of the Class A Common Stock in the foreseeable future.
Description of Registrant’s Securities to be Registered
Class A Common Stock
A description of the Class A Common Stock is included in the Information Statement in the section entitled “Description of Securities — Capital Stock” and “— Founder Shares” beginning on page 134 of the Information Statement, which are incorporated herein by reference.
Information about indemnification of the Company’s directors and officers is set forth in the Information Statement in the section entitled “Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors” beginning on page 96 of the Information Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
The information set forth in Item 9.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 3.02 Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
The disclosure set forth in the “Introductory Note” above is incorporated by reference into this Item 3.02. The shares of Class A Common Stock issued as Closing Share Consideration were not registered under the Securities Act in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and/or Regulation D promulgated thereunder and were issued at a price of $10.00 per share.
Item 3.03 Material Modification to Rights of Security Holders
Item 5.01 Changes in Control of the Registrant
The information set forth in the section entitled “Introductory Note” and in the section entitled “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” in Item 2.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers
Certain of the directors and each of the executive officers following the Closing of the Business Combination are described in the Information Statement in the Section entitled “Management After the Business Combination” beginning on page 130 of the Information Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.
On the Closing Date, pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, the following persons were elected as directors to serve on the Board in addition to those directors disclosed in the section of the Information Statement referenced above:
Name Age Title
Aditya Jha 64 Director
Rahul Petkar 60 Director
Ann M. Schwister 53 Director
Aditya Jha serves as a director on the Board, is chair of the Governance Committee, and is a member of both the Finance and Audit Committee and the HR and Compensation Committee. His entrepreneurial pursuits have included startup technology ventures in the United States and internationally as well as turn-around businesses in Canada. He co-founded a software company, Isopia Inc., which was acquired by Sun Microsystems Inc., USA in 2001. He also served as General Manager, eBusiness at Bell Canada. He is Member of the Order of Canada (Canada’s highest civilian honors).
Rahul Petkar serves as a director on the Board and is a member of both the HR and Compensation Committee and the Governance Committee. Mr. Petkar is a business leader with over thirty years’ experience in the financial services and technology sectors spanning Asia, Middle East, North America and Latin America, and is a strategic advisor and board member to both public and private financial technology startups in the United States and Canada. He is President and CEO of Ishkan Inc., a Canada corporation, and established Polaris Canada, a banking technology company providing services to all major Canadian banks and select U.S. financial institutions. He also served as Director of International Development at TD Waterhouse, where he was a core member of the team responsible for the global expansion of its brokerage and wealth management business to Japan, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, and Hong Kong.
Ann M. Schwister serves as a director on the Board, is chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, and is a member of the Governance Committee. Since 2018, Ms. Schwister has been principal at Ann M. Schwister Associates LLC. Prior to that, she served as Vice President and CFO at Procter and Gamble, Vice President and CFO at Global Oral Care, and has held senior executive positions at other select companies in the United States and internationally. In these roles, Ms. Schwister has amassed significant experience regarding Global P&L responsibilities, gained a deep understanding of consumers and digital and traditional retail environments, and gained experience with respect to small businesses. She is a qualified audit committee financial expert and has corporate governance expertise. Additionally, she has served on the boards of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation and the Wisconsin School of Business.
PARTS iD 2020 Equity Incentive Plan
A description of the PARTS iD 2020 Equity Incentive Plan is set forth in the Information Statement in the section entitled “Approval No. 4 — The Equity Incentive Plan Approval” beginning on page 82 of the Information Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference. The Form of Option Agreement and the Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement under the PARTS iD 2020 Equity Incentive Plan are attached hereto as Exhibit 10.4 and Exhibit 10.5, respectively, and are incorporated herein by reference.
PARTS iD 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
A description of the PARTS iD 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan is included in the Information Statement in the section entitled “Approval No. 5 — Employee Stock Purchase Plan Approval” beginning on page 84 of the Information Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 5.03 Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year
A description of the amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) is included in the Information Statement in the section entitled “Approval No. 3 — The Amended and Restated Charter Approval” beginning on page 81 of the Information Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference. The Certificate of Incorporation became effective upon filing with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on November 20, 2020. A copy of the Certificate of Incorporation is attached hereto as Exhibit 3.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.
In a unanimous written consent of the Board, dated October 1, 2020, the Board authorized and approved the Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company (the “Amended Bylaws”). The Amended Bylaws became effective November 20, 2020. Among other things, the Amended Bylaws (i) remove the ability of the Company’s stockholders to act by written consent, remove restrictions placed on the transfer of shares of the Company and (ii) include forum selection and consent to jurisdiction clauses, each in the State of Delaware. A copy of the Amended Bylaws is attached hereto as Exhibit 3.2 and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 5.06 Change in Shell Company Status
As a result of the Business Combination, the Company ceased to be a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act) as of the Closing. A description of the Business Combination and the terms of the Business Combination Agreement are included in the Information Statement in the section entitled “Approval No. 1 — The Business Combination Approval” beginning on page 51 of the Information Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits
(a) Financial Statements of Businesses Acquired.
The historical audited consolidated financial statements of Onyx as of and for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 and the related notes are included in the Information Statement beginning on page F-62 of the Information Statement and are incorporated herein by reference.
The unaudited consolidated financial statements of Onyx as of September 30, 2020 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 are set forth in Exhibit 99.1 hereto and are incorporated herein by reference.
(b) Pro Forma Financial Information.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information of Legacy and Onyx for the year ended December 31, 2019 is included in the Information Statement in the section entitled “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information” beginning on page 41 of the Information Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information of Legacy, Onyx and the Company as of and for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was derived from Onyx’s unaudited statement of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1, and Legacy’s unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, attached hereto as Exhibit 99.3.
(d) Exhibits
Exhibit No. Description Incorporation by Reference
2.1 Business Combination Agreement, dated as of September 18, 2020 Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 22, 2020.
3.1 Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Form 8-A/A filed on November 23, 2020
3.2 Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Form 8-A/A filed on November 23, 2020
4.1 Amendment No. 1 to Warrant Agreement, dated as of November 19, 2020 Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 20, 2020.
10.1 Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of November 20, 2020 Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Form 8-A/A filed on November 23, 2020.
10.2* Form of Indemnification Agreement Filed herewith.
10.3 Amended and Restated Sponsor Support Agreement Filed herewith.
10.4* Form of Option Agreement under the PARTS iD 2020 Equity Incentive Plan
Filed herewith.
10.5* Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement under the PARTS iD 2020 Equity Incentive Plan
21 Subsidiaries of the Registrant Filed herewith.
99.1 Unaudited consolidated financial statements of Onyx as of and for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 Filed herewith.
99.2 Unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated combined financial information of the Company as of and for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 Filed herewith.
99.3 Unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations of Legacy for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. Filed herewith.
* Indicates management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Dated: November 27, 2020
By: /s/ Antonino Ciappina
Name: Antonino Ciappina
Title: Chief Executive Officer
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“BUILT TO ABYC STANDARDS”:
My wife and I are planning to buy a trawler, and for the past two years we have been busily researching the various possibilities on the market. Purchasing a new boat is an alternative that we are considering, and recently we have come across the statement “built to ABYC standards.”
What are builders implying when they make this claim? We have learned that new boats sold in Europe must comply with the European CE construction standards, and we are anxious to learn if equivalent regulations and standards exist for the U.S. boat market.
John and Paulette Lee Little Silver, New Jersey
ABYC, which stands for American Boat & Yacht Council, is an industry body that has been around for more than 50 years. (To read an article I wrote about ABYC and how it works, see PMM June ’04.) Since its inception, the ABYC has arguably been the single largest factor in influencing the construction and design of boats built in the United States and elsewhere, particularly in the last two decades.
ABYC’s standards and reports (of which there are more than 65), officially titled Standards & Technical Information Reports for Small Craft,
are produced and updated annually in book, CD, and online format. They are available in their entirety only to ABYC members; however, select individual chapters or standards may be purchased from ABYC ( abycinc.org) by nonmembers. Anyone can access the ABYC website to determine where the nearest member boatyard or individual ABYC-certified technicians are, or to find out if the builder of your current or prospective vessel or the manufacturer of a piece of
equipment you are considering purchasing is a member. The popularity of ABYC has grown markedly in the marine industry, so much so that I believe it’s safe to say it is the odd industry professional or organization that has not heard of ABYC and the role it plays in setting standards. This has had an immeasurably positive effect on the marine industry and the products it builds.
It’s important to remember that ABYC standards are strictly voluntary. There is no law that says builders or yards must comply with any or all of the standards and reports, and nobody polices compliance or assertions of compliance. In many cases, particularly for gasoline-powered vessels, the standards do mirror the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which is federally mandated law. For the average recreational diesel-powered vessel, however, ABYC guidelines are just that: voluntary guidelines. Having said that, it’s also important to point out that I, PMM, and many boatbuilders and yards treat these guidelines very seriously and either utilize them or strongly advocate their use. When I managed a boatyard, my mandate was that ABYC guidelines were to be followed; if they could not be followed, there had to be a compelling reason why.
Very few boats meet every guideline. The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) has established a program that’s referred to as the Yacht Certification Program. Using select ABYC and CFR guidelines ( 38 at last count), the Yacht Certification Program establishes a worthwhile measure of quality and safety for boatbuilders and consumers alike. If the boat you are considering purchasing carries NMMA Yacht Certification approval, that’s an excellent indication of the builder’s willingness to meet a high standard
that’s verifiable. Upon successful “type inspection” by a NMMA inspector, the vessel class will receive NMMA Yacht Certification. (More information on this program is available at nmma.org/certification/standards.)
Now on to the meat of your question: just what does a boatbuilder or boatyard mean when it says, “built (or repaired/installed) to ABYC standards”? Unfortunately, there’s no clear answer. I have encountered builders and yards that use the term somewhat loosely. This does a disservice to those who follow the protocol more strictly and diminishes the credibility and importance of meeting ABYC standards. Remember, there are scores of standards, all of which are important, but many of which may not apply to the vessel you are thinking of buying (for instance, the outboard engine standard, S- 12, and “Gasoline Fuel Systems,” Standard H- 24, probably aren’t relevant when building a 48-foot trawler). There are, however, standards that are critical to the seaworthiness and safety of vessels of the type you are probably considering, and these are the ones that builders may be referencing in their literature (such as Standard A- 1, “LP Gas Systems”; Standard E- 11, “AC and DC Electrical Systems”; and Standard H- 27, “Seacocks”).
Unless you ask, there’s no way to be certain which standards builders are claiming to meet, and because there are no compliance police, there’s no way to be certain that builders are in fact conforming to the standards with which they claim compliance, short of a survey or inspection by a knowledgeable individual. My suggestion is this: whenever you see or hear the phrase “built to ABYC standards,” you should ask exactly which ABYC standards the builder is claiming to comply with. If you are seriously considering purchasing
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Home Daily News Joe Biden’s climate agenda is all about creating a crisis — not...
Joe Biden’s climate agenda is all about creating a crisis — not actually fixing one
Former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel’s famous axiom is that a crisis is a terrible thing to waste. It’s an even a worse thing to manufacture.
Although Joe Biden obviously disagrees. Creating an unwarranted sense of drama and urgency around climate change is central to his approach — to catalyze action unsupported by the facts or common sense.
In announcing his climate and energy team the other day, the president-elect declared climate change a crisis requiring a “unified national response.” Going even further, he called it “an existential threat of our time,” a frankly preposterous claim if taken literally, or even seriously.
To maintain that increasing global temperatures are a threat to human existence itself entails believing that human beings — an endlessly adaptive species that has drastically increased its own life span over the last century — will be snuffed out if the planet gets a few degrees hotter.
If the worst comes, and sea levels rise significantly, we won’t move away from the coasts and find better ways to control flooding. If summers get much hotter in places unaccustomed to it, we won’t invest more in air conditioning. If droughts markedly increase, we won’t husband our water resources more intelligently. If some areas become uninhabitable, we won’t leave for more hospitable climes.
No, a humanity that is wealthier and more technologically proficient than ever will be content to expose itself to the worst depredations of nature that it has done so much to master over the last millennium.
This is a laughable account of how the world works. The globe has been getting warmer for decades now, with no adverse effects on human population or longevity. Heck, even polar bears, once held out as the pitiable victims of global warming, aren’t being driven to extinction.
In a climate speech during the campaign a few months ago, Biden relied on the tried-and-true alarmist tack of attributing every adverse weather event to global warming.
The flooding in the Midwest was an artifact of climate change, he suggested. Never mind that, as Bjorn Lomborg points out, the United Nations isn’t sure that whether flooding overall is getting more or less frequent.
Somewhat counterintuitively, Biden also blamed drought in the Midwest on climate change, even though, according to Lomborg, the federal government’s National Climate Assessment says “drought has decreased over much of the continental United States in association with long-term increases in precipitation.”
Of course, Biden maintained that California wildfires have been caused by the upward trend in the global temperature, and they are probably a factor. Still, as Lomborg notes, the amount of land that is burning around the globe has fallen sharply since the late 19th century in response to changing human behavior (e.g., more cultivation of the land).
Finally, Biden cited Hurricane Laura, the Category Four storm that made landfall in Louisiana, as yet more climate-driven extreme weather. The studies do show more storm activity in the Atlantic, Lomborg writes, although not necessarily from climate change. Meanwhile, there’s no global trend in tropical cyclones.
Biden spoke of “a feeling of dread and anxiety” over climate change, but this isn’t a sentiment that, to the extent it exists at all, he wants to address or assuage. Instead, he seeks to stoke it, and if that requires frankly distorting the scientific consensus to paint catastrophic scenarios, so be it.
There is no doubt that human activity contributes to climate change. It is a long-term challenge that we should seek to understand better and prepare to address through adaption and innovation should the worst come decades from now.
But that isn’t enough for Biden. He doesn’t want to get us thinking about climate change, but rather to suspend all rational thought about the issue — especially about the downsides of costly measures to crimp the US economy in the name of saving the planet.
In short, he needs a crisis atmosphere, the facts and science be damned.
Twitter: @RichLowry
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Watch 'Somebody That I Used To Know' as rendered by devices you used to know
By Cassandra Khaw
Contributor, TechHive |
Who needs a lead vocalist when you can have an old HP Scanjet 3C take center stage? YouTuber BD594 has been experimenting with music and things comprised of high-powered circuitry for a long time now, but this may well be their best piece of work yet. At least, we certainly think so.
As spotted by Laughing Squid, BD594's interpretation of Gotye's Somebody That I Used To Know is all human ingenuity—and old gadgetry—and none of the sweaty, fleshy bits.
Here, the vocals are performed by an old HP Scanjet 3C. There, the drums and cymbals are being manned by a musically-inclined pair of hard drives. As for the xylophones, they're apparently the province of BD594's glockenspiel.
According to the YouTube video's description, BD594 has an Amiga 600 Bass on the left audio output and a guitar on the right audio output, both of which were fed into an oscilloscope. Though probably not immediately obvious to anyone but BD594 and music connoisseurs, it appears as though there's some lag when it comes to the vocals.
"In order for the stepper motor to play a note it has to be moving and with that large carriage it takes a few milliseconds before it can play a note. It doesn't sound like a lot of time but stretch that over a 4 minute song and voila—out of sync."
Either way, it's an exceptionally well-made production. With any luck, the music industry might pick up on the idea and replace Auto-Tune-loving singers with an Atari 2600 instead.
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This story, "Watch 'Somebody That I Used To Know' as rendered by devices you used to know" was originally published by TechHive.
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Restricts all non-essential personal and business services
Mayor Kate Snyder and Portland City Manager Jon Jennings announced today at a 3:00 PM press conference that the City Manager has signed an emergency stay at home order for all non-essential businesses and services in Portland. The order goes into effect at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, March 25 and has measures that apply to both residents and businesses. The order is good for five days, and any extensions will have to be approved by the City Council, which is expected to host a remote meeting on Monday, March 30. The stay at home order is in response to the need to lessen the community spread of the global pandemic, COVID-19.
“I was propelled to take this action based on the data we have related to the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Southern Maine,” said City Manager Jon Jennings. “This was not an easy decision to make given the impacts it will further have on our economy, but my hope in doing this stay at home order now is that if we restrict as many activities as possible for a short time, then we can re-emerge from this crisis sooner. It is essential for anyone living in Cumberland or York counties to take this very seriously. We can flatten the curve in Southern Maine if we act now.”
“With 90 of 118 confirmed cases in Southern Maine, we are obligated to take additional measures to protect public health,” said Mayor Kate Snyder. “We know this is a person to person virus that requires vigilant social distancing in order to stem the spread. Portland’s early actions laid the base for today’s additional, aggressively cautious measures. The City Council is in support of the Manager’s action, and appreciative of this expansion of efforts that seeks to safeguard people, and alleviate the inevitable strain on our health care system.”
Portland’s City Code (Chapter 2, section 2-406) authorizes the City Manager to issue an emergency proclamation when a civil emergency exists. It further allows for the City Manager and the Council to exercise emergency powers to protect life and property, restrict the movement of persons within the city, and other regulations necessary to preserve the public peace, health, and safety (Chapter 2, section 2-408).
About the Emergency Order
The order is issued in accordance with, and incorporates by reference, the March 15, 2020 Executive Order issued by Governor Janet T. Mills.
More specifically, the following provisions should still be complied with within the City of Portland:
A. Gatherings of more than ten (10) people are prohibited throughout the State. Gatherings subject to the Governor’s Executive Order are those that are primarily social, personal, and discretionary events other than employment. Such gatherings include, without limitation, community, civic, public, leisure, and faith-based events; social clubs; sporting events with spectators; concerts, conventions, fundraisers, parades, fairs, and festivals; and any similar event or activity in a venue such as an auditorium, stadium, arena, large conference room, meeting hall, theatre, gymnasium, fitness center or private club; and
B. All restaurants and bars shall close their dine-in facilities. Such businesses that offer carry-out, delivery, and drive-through food and beverage service may continue to do so but eating and drinking inside restaurants and bars is still temporarily prohibited.
3. The business, production and service sectors that qualify as “COVID-19 Essential Services” are outlined in this document. The City Manager shall amend and publish updates to the document as is determined necessary in response to conditions as they develop.
4. All individuals currently living within the City of Portland are ordered to stay at their place of residence. To the extent individuals are using shared or outdoor spaces, they must at all times as reasonably possible maintain social distancing of at least six (6) feet from any other person with whom they don’t share a household when they are outside their residence. All persons may leave their residences only to access COVID-19 Essential Services or as otherwise expressly provided herein. Individuals experiencing homelessness are exempt from this requirement, but are strongly urged to obtain shelter, and be at least six (6) feet from any other person, to the maximum extent practicable and possible.
5. All travel including, but not limited to, travel on foot, bicycle, scooter, motorcycle, golf carts, automobile, or public transit, for COVID-19 Essential Services is permitted. Outdoor exercise and/or dog walking is also specifically permitted. All individuals are encouraged to not use or congregate on City playgrounds, and it is recommend that all individuals should seek, to the maximum extent possible, to be at least six (6) feet from any other person with whom they do not share a household with when engaged in any travel or exercise activities on City streets, trails, grounds, fields, tennis or basketball courts or other outdoor areas.
6. The requirements in Paragraphs 4 and 5, above, shall not apply to police officers, peace officers, firefighters, EMS, or other emergency personnel or civilians engaged in police or emergency work, persons performing essential governmental functions, nor shall it apply to health-care providers or workers traveling to or coming from work assignments in hospitals or other health-care facilities whether in or outside of the City of Portland. Those requirements shall also not apply to authorized representatives of any news service, newspaper or radio or television station or network.
7. All businesses with a facility in the City of Portland that do not provide COVID-19 Essential Services, shall close their physical workspaces and facilities (“brick-and-mortar premises”) to workers, customers, and the public as of the effective date and time of this proclamation. Businesses that do not provide COVID-19 Essential Services are encouraged to continue operations through remote means that do not require workers, customers, or the public to enter or appear at the brick-and-mortar premises closed pursuant to this proclamation. With that said, such non-essential businesses may continue to access their brick-and-mortar premises in order to conduct essential business functions including, but not limited to, processing mail, depositing checks, completing payroll and paying vendors; as long as social distancing requirements are being implemented, and the fewest number of employees possible are on premises when conducting such services. Churches, temples, mosques, and other places of worship shall not be required to close their brick-and-mortar premises to employees or to the public; provided, however, that such institutions shall be required to comply with all limitations on gatherings established by Governor Janet T. Mills’ March 15, 2020 executive order outlined in paragraph 2 above.
9. All businesses providing COVID-19 Essential Services are strongly encouraged to remain open. To the greatest extent feasible, COVID-19 Essential Services shall comply with social distancing protocols by maintaining at least six (6) feet of physical distance from other people, including other employees and members of the public, including, but not limited to, when any customers are standing in line, and allow and encourage remote working where practical.
10. This proclamation shall be effective as of March 25, 2020 5:00 p.m.
11. As per Chapter 2, section 2-407, this order shall remain in effect for five (5) days unless and until it is renewed by the Portland City Council.
12. Violation of or failure to comply with this Order is punishable by a fine of $500.00 per occurrence plus the costs of prosecution.
Anyone wishing to report violations related to this order can call the Portland Police Department at 207-874-8479.
The public is encouraged to stay up to date on the latest information from the Maine CDC. The City is posting information related to COVID-19 resources on a dedicated page at https://www.portlandmaine.gov/COVID19.
⇐Previous Portland Issues COVID-19 Related Updates for City ServicesNext⇒ City of Portland Following CDC Guidelines Regarding Coronavirus Precautions
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"The motion for leave to file a petition for a writ of certiorari under seal with redacted copies for the public record is granted," the court said in an order Monday.
Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm has asked the nation's top court to overturn a decision by Wisconsin Supreme Court to shut down an investigation into Walker and groups on the right.
Chisholm and other prosecutors argue state Supreme Court Justices David Prosser and Michael Gableman should not have been allowed to hear the case because their campaigns benefited from work by some of the groups being investigated.
They also want the U.S. Supreme Court to review whether the Wisconsin court got it right when it ruled candidates have free speech rights to work closely with advocacy groups during their campaigns, according to sources.
A copy of the filing was submitted last month but has not yet been made available to the public or media.
The U.S. Supreme Court — one member short because of the death of Justice Antonin Scalia — takes only a tiny percentage of cases filed with it each year. Four justices are needed to accept a case.
Joining Chisholm in the effort are two other Democratic district attorneys, Ismael Ozanne of Dane County and Larry Nelson of Iowa County.
In 2012, Chisholm launched the probe of the Republican governor's campaign and brought in other district attorneys as the investigation spread to people and groups based in other counties, including Republican District Attorneys Kurt Klomberg of Dodge County and Jane Kohlwey of Columbia County, who worked on the probe but did not join the appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Special prosecutor Francis Schmitz led the probe, which was conducted under the John Doe law that allowed prosecutors to force people to testify, turn over documents and remain silent about the case.
The Wisconsin Club for Growth and two of its advisers brought legal challenges to stop the investigation for good. One of those advisers, R.J. Johnson, previously worked both for Walker and the Wisconsin Club for Growth.
The state Supreme Court last year ruled 4-2 against the prosecutors. Because the investigation was conducted in secret, large portions of many court filings have been blacked out for the public. The case centers on how much candidates can work with political groups at election time.
Separate but related criminal investigations initiated by Milwaukee County prosecutors have examined events and activities during Scott Walker's time as Milwaukee County executive and as governor. Prosecutors have conducted the probes under the state's "John Doe" statutes that grant extraordinary powers to investigators to compel testimony and maintain secrecy.
The first John Doe investigation, begun in 2010, led to convictions of six Walker aides, associates or appointees on charges ranging from theft from a veteran's group to misconduct in office. The second Doe probe, launched in 2012, looked into coordination between conservative political organizations and Walker and other candidates during recall elections.
The second probe was halted in May 2014 by a federal judge who agreed that the investigation denied one of the conservative groups' its free-speech rights. No charges have been filed in the second investigation. Walker has denied wrongdoing.
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vlasic pickles slogan
KFC. Vlasic Pickles is an American brand of pickles currently owned by Pinnacle Foods. Community. Kosher Dill Pickle Halves. CLAUSSEN. Local Business. Vlasic marketed themselves as "the pickle pregnant women crave...after all, who's a better pickle expert?" Claussen is a brand of pickled cucumbers.It is headquartered in Woodstock, Illinois, an exurb of Chicago. Many companies and brands can stand on their own and survive, maybe just needing an attractive logo and a catchy slogan to help them along their way. [2] In 1937, Vlasic was approached to distribute a home-style pickle, later marketing their fresh-packed pickle in glass jars. The Ad Mascot Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. Fresh from the Field. The Vlasic Stork was introduced in 1974. And the leftovers? He is based on the myths of storks delivering babies and pregnant women having an above average craving for pickles. CLAUSSEN. What does a wisecracking stork have to do with selling pickles anyway? Brand: Vlasic Pickles. [9] The Vlasic Stork was shown in "Icons", a MasterCard commercial from 2005 where many famous advertising icons from food and cleaning equipment are shown having dinner together. Its everyday low prices benefit millions of Americans. Walmart , Vlasic Pickles Case Essay ... Wal-Mart’s slogan “Save Money, Live Better” gives people a positive view of Wal-Mart. Eventually, the company gained the slogan, “the pickle pregnant women crave.” The company’s clever marketing helped it blow past Heinz—while the condiment-maker stayed at … Since its introduction in 1942, it has become one of the most popular pickle brands in the United States. In May 2010, he was redesigned with a slimmer, more three-dimensional look. You may be familiar with the board game Schmovie, hashtag games on Twitter, or @midnight’s Hashtag Wars segment on Comedy Central. Vlasic Pickles was sold to Campbell Soup Company in 1978. A common theme in Vlasic's advertising is the crunchiness and flavour of their pickles. [11], The cucumbers used in Vlasic pickles are grown in Michigan, including the cities of Mount Pleasant and Kalamazoo, and processed at its plant in Imlay City. Franjo Vlasic (an ethnic Bosnian Croat) emigrated from Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1912 and started a small creamery with savings from his factory job. The bespectacled Vlasic Pickle stork is back in TV ads for the first time in about 10 years, with an updated tagline: "That's the tastiest crunch I ever heard." Well, those made their way into pickle-perfect recipes like this Dilly Potato & Egg Salad and this hearty BBQ Bacon Burger. The modern Vlasic Stork speaks in a style reminiscent of Groucho Marx, holds a pickle like a cigar, and is voiced by Doug Preis. Brand Represented: Vlasic Pickles Year Introduced: 1974. Unlike many other brands, Claussen pickles are uncooked, and are typically found in the refrigerated section of grocery stores. Kosher Dill Deli-Style Spears 80 Oz. Plenty! If what Marc-Edouard Vlasic is saying is true, it would seem Roussel mistook Vlasic’s hand for the pickles who share the same name. But Vlasic … Vlasic Pickles. Mount Olive is a brand of pickles that are produced by the Mount Olive Pickle Company Inc. and was formed in 1926. Heinz. See Our Pickles. The pros said that Claussen and Vlasic were the brands they preferred because that’s what they grew up with. Vlasic Vikendica MACA. Vlasic's Holders Clear Concern's Acquisition By Campbell Soup Co. "Pink or Blue? [10], On April 10, 2019 at the Conagra Brands Investor Day event, Tom McGough, Conagra Co-Chief Operating Officer, announced that Vlasic Pickle Chips, made from vacuum-fried pickles, were in development. Oh yes, it’s that time again! Always Juicy, Always Crunchy. However, a lot of companies and brands take their marketing campaigns a step further and adopt a mascot to help to boost their image and visibility. Explore {{searchView.params.phrase}} by color family {{familyColorButtonText(colorFamily.name)}} Related searches: dill pickle chips Vlasic Pickles was sold to Campbell Soup Company in 1978. A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, ... Pre：Vlasic Pickles. Eventually, the company gained the slogan, “the pickle pregnant women crave.” The company’s clever marketing helped it blow past Heinz—while the condiment-maker stayed at 10 percent of the market in 1977, Vlasic’s share of the pickle market grew to a quarter. The falling birth rate is mentioned in this advert. If anything, this test made me appreciate pickles even more. [7], Today, Vlasic is owned by Pinnacle Foods, a subsidiary of Conagra Brands, since its name change in 2001. Vlasic Slogan: "That's one crunchy Pickle! Vlasic vikendica Pogled. He is almost always seen holding a pickle in his hand as if it was a cigar. Vlasic Studio. See how well you can match these most-beloved mascots, including those that have been around awhile, like Elsie, and those that are new, to the brand they're associated with. As a writer for Insider, I was sent 15 types of pickles to review from Vlasic. He holds pickles in his hand like cigars and bites down on them, triggering a loud crunching sound. [5] It was spun off to Vlasic Foods International on March 30, 1998. Test your knowledge with amazing and interesting facts, trivia, quizzes, and brain teaser games on MentalFloss.com. His son Joseph acquired a milk route in 1922, which eventually grew into the state's largest dairy distributor. Uncle Ben’s. A child-bearing stork was introduced as a mascot in 1974, merging the stork baby mythology with the notion that pregnant women have an appetite for pickles. Eventually, he took cartoon form, where the United States Forest Service used the slogan, "Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires." Did you know that Elsie the Cow was created in 1936, which makes her the oldest brand mascot in the U.S.? The Vlasic Stork (apparently named Jovny) has been the official mascot of Vlasic Pickles since 1974.He is known for speaking in a Groucho Marx-style voice and holding a pickle like a cigar.According to Vlasic, he was introduced to capitalise on the falling birth rate at the time. Kosher Dill Mini Pickles. It’s time to unleash our puzzly and punny imaginations and engage in a bit of sparkling wordplay! Mount Olive Pickle Company only specializes in pickles and has no other brand products. The Vlasic Stork is an anthropomorphic stork wearing a blue mailman hat with the Vlasic logo on it, a red bowtie and a small pair of glasses upon his beak. The modern Vlasic Stork speaks in a style reminiscent of Groucho Marx, holds a pickle like a cigar, and is voiced by Doug Preis. The Vlasic line of pickles, sold by the Pinnacle Foods Group, is introducing a campaign this week with a redesigned version of its talkative stork character, which has spoken … Choose the Right Career Path . Product/Service. However, there is a bad bargain behind the scenes; the company puts people out of work and destroys local companies. Antoine Roussel might find himself in a pickle after this one. However, the particular Vlasic brand uses a stork as its mascot and has the slogan, “ That’s the tastiest crunch I’ve ever heard”. In one ad from 1977, the Stork delivers pickles to a doctor and nurse even though the doctor informs him that it is the doctor's job to deliver babies and not the stork's. [3] The business rapidly expanded in the post-war years, corresponding with growth in per capita pickle consumption.[4]. Vlasic marketed themselves as "the pickle pregnant women crave...after all, who's a better pickle expert?" 1. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. To help figure out which cuts and brines truly make for the best pickle, I decided to review popular varieties from the iconic brand. Food & Beverage Company. Kosher Dill Deli-Style Spears 80 Oz. Hotel Resort. If you're well-organized, have good people skills and you can manage multiple people working on various projects all at once to make sure your team meets deadlines, a career as an Account Executive may suit you very well. "™ That's what she said =) Community. The announcer says, “Blank. Fresh from the Field. https://admascots.fandom.com/wiki/Vlasic_Stork?oldid=5074, Vlasic Pickles, holding pickles like cigars. In 1987 the company took the slogan "Big Crunch" out of itslogo and added the bird to theirlogo. Since its introduction in 1942, it has become one of the most popular pickle brands in the United States. Because folklore at the time held that pregnant women craved pickles, Vlasic marketed itself as "the pickle pregnant women crave." Artisanal quality. All of these problems were exacerbated by the non-Wal-Mart stores cutting back their orders because people did not need to buy the grocery sized jars as often or as much as they used to. CLAUSSEN. No artificial flavors. A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the public or a … MOUNTAIN LAKES, NJ (September 9, 2010)—Vlasic ® Pickles is pleased to announce that the Vlasic Stork has been nominated for the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame.
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Prague Museums
The innumerable museums scattered around Prague (Praha) attracts the lovers of culture and history from around the world.
The museums emphasise the works of many distinguished artists which represents the Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque eras. Every tourist who visits Prague must make a stop at least one of the museums in the city like the National Museum, Mucha Museum, Czech Beer Museum and the Rudolfinum which is a music auditorium and art gallery. Check out some of the most popular and must-visit museums in Prague city.
che/CC BY-SA 2.5
National Museum (Národní Muzeum)
One of the biggest museums in Prague, the National Museum is also one of the city's main tourist attractions. Founded in 1818 in Prague by Kašpar Maria Šternberg, the museum has around 14 million items varying from natural history, arts and music. Entry to the Museum is free every first Monday of the month and the museum is closed every first Tuesday of the month.
Address: Václavské nám. 68, 110 00 Nové Město, Czechia.
VitVit/CC BY-SA 3.0
Lobkowicz Palace (Lobkowiczký palác)
The Lobkowicz Palace is located inside the Prague Castle complex and is the only privately owned facility there. The palace houses the Lobkowicz Collections which includes things like paintings, ceramics, manuscripts and many other artefacts of some eminent personalities like Beethoven, Canaletto, Velázquez and Mozart. The palace also has a cafe, a gift shop and venues for private functions.
Address: Prague Castle Jiřská 3 119 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic.
DIMSFIKAS/CC BY-SA 3.0
Mucha Museum (Muchovo Muzeum)
This popular museum presents Alfons Mucha's paintings, photos and ornamental panels. Mucha was known especially for representing artwork of Slavic maidens. A video documentary is also shown portraying Mucha's success. This is definitely worth a visit, as Alfons Mucha is known as one of Prague's most respected artists.
Address: Kaunický palác, Panská 7, 110 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic.
House of the Black Madonna - Czech Museum of Cubism
House of the Black Madonna is a cubist building in Old Town designed by Josef Gocár. Presently, it exhibits works of Czech Cubism from 1911 to 1919. This museum features three floors of cubist designs, sculptures and paintings. It also comprises the famous Josef Gocar's House of the Black Madonna, which is Prague's most superb model of Cubist architecture.
Address: House at the Black Madonna, Ovocný trh 19, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia
CC / Che
Address: Václavské nám. 68, 115 79 Praha 1, Czech Republic.
CC / Lobkowicz Palace
Lobkowicz Palace (Lobkovický palác)
Flickr / Russ Matthews
Opening Times: 10am - 6pm
Museum of Czech Cubism
House of the Black Madonna - Museum of Czech Cubism
Opening Times: Thu. 10am - 7pm, Wed. to Sun. 10am - 6pm
Address: No. 19, Ovocný trh, Prague, Czech Republic.
PD Photo
Jewish Museum in Prague (Židovské muzeum v Praze)
The Jewish Museum in Prague was founded by a historian Dr Hugo Lieben and Dr Augustin Stein in 1906. It is one of the most popular museums in Prague and includes six monuments altogether- the Spanish Synagogue; the Maisel Synagogue; the Pinkas Synagogue; the Klaus Synagogue, the Old Jewish Cemetery and the Ceremonial Hall. They are all important historical monuments.
Address: U Staré školy 141/1, Josefov, 110 00 Praha, Czech Republic.
Maxpixel
Beer Museum
Since ancient times beer has been brewed in Prague and the Beer Museum celebrates the art of beer-making in the city. The place contains a large collection of beers and memorabilia and that signifies the beer-making process and its history. The visitors can have a chance to see the beers being made and also taste and buy their favourite beers as souvenirs.
Address: Husova 7, 110 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic.
Piotrus/CC BY-SA 4.0
Museum of Communism (Muzeum komunismu)
Situated in Na Příkopě 10 near the Wenceslas Square the Museum of Communism in Prague is devoted to the post–World War II Communist regime in Czechoslovakia and also in the rest of the world. The museum contains things like artefacts, multimedia presentations, statues, historical posters, informative text, etc. The museum lies inside an 18th-century palace and is a popular tourist destination.
Address: V Celnici 1031/4, 118 00 Nové Město, Czechia.
Toklick/CC BY-SA 4.0
National Technical Museum (Národní Technické Muzeum)
Founded in 1908, the National Technical Museum is a one of its kind of museum which showcases the development of technology in the Czech Republic. Situated near the Letná Park, the museum has documented the history of a variety of technical fields, industrial sciences, etc. The NTM has a research centre for their researchers and a publication house also.
Address: Kostelní 42, 170 78 Prague 7, Czech Republic.
National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror (Národní památník hrdinů heydrichiády)
The National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror is located inside the Church of Sts Cyril & Methodius and is a monument which commemorates the seven Czech paratroopers involved in the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. The monument is a fitting memorial for the heroes and is a popular landmark in the history of Czech Republic.
Address: Resslova 9a, 120 00 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
Jr0316/CC BY-SA 3.0
Antonin Dvorak Museum (Muzeum Antonína Dvořáka)
The Antonín Dvořák Museum in Prague is located inside the National Museum and is dedicated to the Antonín Dvořák who was an eminent composer of his time. The museum houses personal belongings of the composer and also other things like his manuscripts, photographs, a piano, his viola, newspaper cuttings, programmes, etc. This place literally unravels the life of Antonín Dvořák in front the visitors.
Address: Ke Karlovu 462/20, 120 00 Praha 2, Czech Republic.
Vachovec1/CC BY-SA 4.0
Náprstek Museum
The Náprstek Museum situated in the National Museum represents the African, Asian and American art. The museum was created by Vojtech Naprstek who was a patriot and also a great patron of arts. The museum is divided into different parts like the cultures of Australia and Oceania, Vojta Náprstek collection, etc. They also hold exhibitions, lectures and other events related to the museum
Address: Betlémské náměstí 1, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic.
High Contrast/CC BY 3.0 DE
Bedřich Smetana Museum (Muzeum Bedřicha Smetany)
The Bedřich Smetana Museum is devoted to felicitate the life and the works of Bedřich Smetana, who was a celebrated music composer in the Czech Republic. Located near the Charles Bridge on the banks of the Vltava River this is one of the most visited museums in the city. The museum contains letters, photographs and newspaper cuttings, folders, etc.
Flickr/Dominic Milton Trott/CC BY 2.0
Speculum Alchemiae Museum
Discovered while the reconstruction of one of the oldest buildings in Prague, the Speculum Alchemiae Museum is an exciting place to visit. The museum was once an alchemist's workshop and contains equipment and other interesting objects. The museum recreates the period of alchemy and also arranges guided tours for the visitors.
Address: Haštalská 1, 110 00, Praha 1, Czech Republic.
FilipVetter/CC BY-SA 3.0
Army Museum Zizkov (Vojenský historický ústav Praha)
The Army Museum Zizkov lies on the foothills of the Vítkov Hill. The building in which the museum is located is a historical one which was build between 1927 and 1929. The museum displays articles and mementoes of the First and Second World Wars and also of the Czechoslovakia interwar.
Address: U Památníku 2, 130 05 Praha 3, Czech Republic.
Flickr/Alistair Young/CC BY 2.0
Museum of Miniatures (Muzeum miniatur)
The Museum of Miniatures situated near the Strahov monastery is a world of microscopic wonders where you will find masterpieces like a train perched on a strand of hair, a caravan in the needle eye, smallest book in the world, a microscopic Eiffel tower, etc. Some of the objects there are also registered in the Guinness Book of Records. This place though a bit difficult to find is well worth visiting.
Address: Strahovské nádvoří 11, Praha 1, Czech Republic.
Wax Museum Grevin Praha
The wax museum located at Celetná in Prague is one of the most-visited museums in the city. Here you will find life-like figures of many famous personalities from the Czech Republic and also from the rest of the world. The place also has a cafe, a theatre, exhibition space, workshop, ballroom etc.
Address: Celetná 15, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic.
The City of Prague Museum (Muzeum hlavního města Prahy)
This was built between 1896 and 1898 and exhibits artefacts dated back from prehistoric times to the 20th century. The main attraction here is Antonin Langweil's impressive 1:480 scale model of Prague representing how the city was built up between 1826 and 1834 and you can spot some incredible changes if you have a good understanding of Prague.
Address: Na Poříčí 52/1554, 180 00 Nové Město, Czechia.
Tel.: +420 224 816 772 / 3
Recommended Activities
Prague in One Day
Duration: 3,5 hours (approx.)
Night Tour and Vltava Dinner
Duration: 4 hours (approx.)
Terezin Concentration Camp
Prague Folklore Party
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Another View: Toni Morrison wouldn’t let us forget our racist past, and it haunts us still
The timing of her death is particularly poignant: We're mourning both the novelist and the innocent people cut down for no reason but hatred.
By The Dallas Morning News
Forgetting the past, or refusing to see it, to understand it and to grapple with it, is as sure a path as there is to tearing the present apart.
It seems that today, as we mourn the death of the novelist Toni Morrison, we should reflect on this terrible strain of forgetting that is infecting our country. Some are turning back toward a past of racism and violence that one could only accept by refusing to understand in any honest way what we have done as a people.
Morrison was not one for forgetting. She would not let the past slip away and let us slip away with it.
She faced, ferociously and luminously, the horror of America’s racist sins and the waves of pain and destruction that washed over the generations that followed.
They are washing over us now, as we mourn the innocent people cut down for no reason but hatred and that they wouldn’t acknowledge the lie that they were less for the place they were born, or the color of their skin or the language that they spoke.
Morrison’s most famous novel, “Beloved,” is a ghost story, and it tells of the haunting of a mother by the child she killed to keep the girl from being returned to the bondage of slavery. The child’s spirit is embodied and haunts the story, as the horrors of the past haunt us still.
Morrison didn’t want us to turn away from the truth of that horror.
“It is not possible for me to be unaware of the incredible violence, the willful ignorance, the hunger for other people’s pain,” she told The Paris Review in 1993.
We need to see the past for what it is. We need to understand the pain and destruction it caused and that it still causes.
Morrison was so finely attuned to the unreality cast into too much of history and fiction about slavery and racism – and the risk of letting a false understanding obscure the true meaning of the past to the present.
“I wanted it to be truly felt,” she said in that same interview. “I wanted to translate the historical into the personal. I spent a long time trying to figure out what it was about slavery that made it so repugnant, so personal, so indifferent, so intimate, and yet so public.”
We could apply those same sentiments to our struggle to understand what drove a man to walk into a Walmart and just murder people going about their lives.
That past will haunt us too, and we must let it. It is part of America now.
Another View, editorial, history, race, racism
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Predictive policing
Hong Kong deploys police contact tracing computer system
The Hong Kong Department of Health has asked the police to deploy its computerised Major Incident Investigation and Disaster Support System in order to trace the contacts of patients infected by the novel coronavirus. The request for the system, which was used during the SARS epidemic in 2003, came
English councils adopt predictive analytics to prevent child abuse
In September 2018, at least five local English councils had developed or implemented a predictive analytics system incorporating the data of at least 377,000 people with the intention of preventing child abuse. Advocates of these systems argue that they help councils struggling under budget cuts to
UK police forces expand testing of automated facial recognition despite high levels of inaccuracy
In 2018 a report from the Royal United Services Institute found that UK police were testing automated facial recognition, crime location prediction, and decision-making systems but offering little transparency in evaluating them. An automated facial recognition system trialled by the South Wales
Police and crime committee proposes cutting police oversight to use AI to put more police on London's streets
In 2018, the chair of the London Assembly's police and crime committee called on London's mayor to cut the budget of the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, which provides oversight, in order to pay for AI systems. The intention was that the efficiencies of adopting AI would free up officers'
Los Angeles Police Department uses Palantir software to target "chronic offenders"
In 2018, documents obtained by a public records request revealed that the Los Angeles Police Department required its analysts to maintain a minimum of a dozen ongoing surveillance targets identified using Palantir software and a "probable offender" formula based on an LAPD points-based predictive
China calls for data sharing to enable AI prediction of terrorist attacks
In 2017, the head of China’s security and intelligence systems, Meng Jianzhu, called on security forces to break down barriers to data sharing in order to use AI and cloud computing to find patterns that could predict and prevent terrorist attacks. Meng also called for increased integration of the
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement abandons machine learning to identify terrorists
In May 2018, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement abandoned the development of machine learning software intended to mine Facebook, Twitter, and the open Internet to identify terrorists. The software, announced in the summer of 2017, had been a key element of president Donald Trump's "extreme
British local authorities adopt predictive analytics to identify need for child services
In 2018, at least five British local authorities began developing systems intended to use predictive analytics to identify families needing attention from child services on the basis that algorithmic profiling could help them target their scarce resources more efficiently. Data about at least 377
Pre-crime software for border guards
Designed for use by border guards, Unisys' LineSight software uses advanced data analytics and machine learning to help border guards decide whether to inspect travellers more closely before admitting them into their country. Unisys says the software assesses each traveller's risk beginning with the
Durham Constabulary experiments with predictive policing
In 2012, Durham Constabulary, in partnership with computer science academics at Cambridge University, began developing the Harm Assessment Risk Tool (HART), an artificial intelligence system designed to predict whether suspects are at low, moderate, or high risk of committing further crimes in the
Palantir's secretive predictive policing programme in New Orleans
Under a secret deal beginning in 2012, the data mining company Palantir provided software to a New Orleans Police Department programme that used a variety of data such as ties to gang members, criminal histories, and social media to predict the likelihood that individuals would commit acts of
Draft US reports call for long-term surveillance of Sunni Muslim immigrants
In a draft January 2018 report obtained by Foreign Policy and produced at the request of US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, the Department of Homeland Security called for continuous vetting of Sunni Muslim immigrants deemed to have "at-risk" profiles. Based on studying 25
China tests full-bore surveillance in Xinjiang
In the remote western city Xinjiang, the Chinese government is using new technology and humans to monitor every aspect of citizens' lives. China, which has gradually increased restrictions in the region over the last ten years in response to unrest and violent attacks, blames the need for these
Chicago violence prediction list fails to deliver
In 2013, in collaboration with the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Chicago Police Department set up the Strategic Subjects List, an effort to identify the most likely victims and perpetrators of gun violence. In 2016, a report published by the RAND Corporation found that the project, which had
Police use of facial recognition raises concerns about racial profiling
A 2016 report, "The Perpetual Lineup", from the Center for Privacy and Technology at Georgetown University's law school based on records from dozens of US police departments found that African-Americans are more likely to have their images captured, analysed, and reviewed during computerised
New police technologies assign individual "threat scores"
A new generation of technology has given local law enforcement officers in some parts of the US unprecedented power to peer into the lives of citizens. In Fresno, California, the police department's $600,000 Real Time Crime Center is providing a model for other such centres that have opened in New
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Privacy Policy for Sonoma County Growers Alliance
Effective date: December 18, 2019
Sonoma County Growers Alliance ("us", "we", or "our") operates http://www.scgalliance.com (hereinafter referred to as the "Service").
We use your data to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. Unless otherwise defined in this Privacy Policy, the terms used in this Privacy Policy have the same meanings as in our Terms and Conditions, accessible from http://www.scgalliance.com
Service is http://www.scgalliance.com operated by Sonoma County Growers Alliance
Sonoma County Growers Alliance uses the collected data for various purposes:
If you are from the European Economic Area (EEA), Sonoma County Growers Alliance legal basis for collecting and using the personal information described in this Privacy Policy depends on the Personal Data we collect and the specific context in which we collect it. Sonoma County Growers Alliance may process your Personal Data because:
Sonoma County Growers Alliance will retain your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use your Personal Data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes and enforce our legal agreements and policies. Sonoma County Growers Alliance will also retain Usage Data for internal analysis purposes. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of our Service, or we are legally obligated to retain this data for longer periods.
Sonoma County Growers Alliance will take all the steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of your Personal Data will take place to an organisation or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of your data and other personal information.
Sonoma County Growers Alliance may disclose your Personal Data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:
To protect and defend the rights or property of Sonoma County Growers Alliance
If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain data protection rights. Sonoma County Growers Alliance aims to take reasonable steps to allow you to correct, amend, delete or limit the use of your Personal Data.
The right to withdraw consent. You also have the right to withdraw your consent at any time where Sonoma County Growers Alliance relied on your consent to process your personal information.
By mail: 321 S. Main St #524 Sebastopol, CA 95472
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Apple TV+ wins bidding war for Will Smith film project Emancipation
The thriller is based on a true story and follows Peter, an escaped slave who attempts to join the Union Army.
By Flora Carr
Sunday, 5th July 2020 at 11:48 am
Apple TV+ has won a seven-way bidding war for Will Smith’s latest film project, Emancipation, about a runaway slave who is attempting to join the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Antoine Fuqua is directing the Willam N. Collage-scripted project, which is described as a thriller and will star Smith.
Apple won the rights at the Cannes Virtual Market in a fierce bid against the likes of Warner Bros, in a deal reportedly worth over $100 million.
The film is inspired by the photograph ‘The Scourged Back’, when an escaped slave showed his back during an Union Army medical examination. The image was circulated and published in newspapers around the world in 1863, providing proof of the cruelty of slavery and prompting many free black men to enlist.
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In the film, plantation slave Peter has a treacherous journey ahead of him, as he travels bare-foot through Louisiana swamps, masking his scent with onions as he evades capture and cruelty in his attempt to make it to the North.
Writer Fuqua believes that the film will resonate with many in the wake of recent Black Lives Matter protests around the world.
“It was the first viral image of the brutality of slavery that the world saw,” Fuqua previously told Deadline. “Which is interesting, when you put it into perspective with today and social media and what the world is seeing, again.
“You can’t fix the past, but you can remind people of the past and I think we have to, in an accurate, real way. We all have to look for a brighter future for us all, for everyone. That’s one of the most important reasons to do things right now, is show our history. We have to face our truth before we can move forward.”
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All about Emancipation
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Map of San Diego County California
Rodney Stokes
San Diego / 1925 circa
55.5 x 53.5 inches Including Rods
Uncolored
Large wall map of San Diego County published by the San Diego-based mapmaker Rodney Stokes Co. around 1925.
A fascinating and detailed map of San Diego county at 1:25,000, showing the region before it had been transformed by freeways and large-scale suburban development.
There is extensive information about the Indian reservations within the county, as well as roads, and neighborhood and city names.
The map key differentiates between paved highways, secondary roads, city & grant lines, township lines, section lines, county boundaries, railroads, resorts, and missions.
At the bottom of the map are indexes of the local resorts, towns, lakes and reservoirs, and ranches.
The map shows Torrey Pines Lodge (different from the Lodge at Torrey Pines), which was built between 1922 and '23 but it does not have any numbered U.S. Highways (such as 101). As such, it was probably made between 1924 and 1926.
Some toning of the paper, notably at the top and bottom of the map. Backed on linen and mounted to original rollers.
Antique Maps / United States / California / San Diego
San Diego Bay From Trigonometrical Survey . . . 1857
Nice example of the much sought after large format survey of San Diego Bay, form the US Coast Survey.
Recreational Map of San Diego City and County, Compiled & Copyrighted By Lowell E. Jones . . .
Whimsical map of San Diego County, showing a host of activities throughout, with a larger city street map.
Map of San Diego City, Cal. Showing Portion of City South of River and West of 32nd St. . . . . 1895
A San Diego Rarity
Block Map of South Bay District. Compiled and Published by the Rodney Stokes Co.
Rare Wall Map of the South Bay
Street Map of Metropolitan Area San Diego, Calif.
Large wall map of the San Diego Metropolitan Area, from Coronado to El Cajon, with an inset of Pacific Beach and La Jolla, and a further inset of the County of San Diego.
Map of a Portion of San Diego Including Point Loma, Morena, and Pacific Beach... Copyrighted Feb. 11th 1924
Large wall map of the San Diego neighborhoods of Point Loma, Mission Bay, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, and Bay Park.
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DISABILTY SERVICES
Employment and Community First CHOICES
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Alan's Story...Finding a Place to Turn
Sometimes at Progress, we meet people with very limited options. Some are on the brink of homelessness. Some already are homeless. Many have no family. These individuals have quietly slipped through the cracks of our community, without access to resources or knowledge of where to turn.
Alan is one of those cases. He is kind, capable and friendly. He has a good sense of humor and a lot of opinions. Alan lived with his mother his whole life, but after she died in 2015, he had nowhere to go.
There were a few people in Alan’s life who knew of his circumstances and stepped in to help as best they could. Heather and Johnny Thomas were two of those people. Johnny was Alan’s manager at the Bass Pro Shop where Alan worked for a number of years. Alan excelled in his job there; he knew where almost every item was located. He memorized SKUs and stocked shelves with precision. He was extremely skilled in his work, but after his mother died his housing became uncertain. He bounced around between housing solutions and as a result, had difficulty consistently managing his day to day needs.
At one point Alan moved in with Heather and Johnny for two months as they looked for an apartment for him. Alan had no furniture or living necessities, so when an apartment was eventually found, there wasn’t much to make it feel like home. Heather turned to Facebook and family for help, and within one weekend Alan’s apartment was fully stocked with everything needed to make it feel like home.
Although things went well at first, it was clear after a while that it was not safe for Alan to live on his own. Not long after he moved into the apartment, his health began to deteriorate. As a diabetic, Alan had difficulty managing the illness himself, and eventually lost 60 pounds within a year. He became so weak he couldn’t get down the steps to his apartment and began falling on a regular basis. As a result of falling and increasing weakness, he had no other choice but to stop working. Alan was not only physically deteriorating, but he was also isolated. When he would fall, the only person he could call was Johnny, who would faithfully drive 45 minutes to come help him.
Heather and Johnny weren’t sure what to do, and it was through a connection with Progress Executive Director Donna Goodaker that they were able to find direction. “Alan would have truly fallen through the cracks,” Heather shared, “There are no clear and concise instructions on what to do in this situation.” With help from Progress, Alan was able to apply for social security and receive Medicaid for his care. He moved into an apartment with Progress companion Ethel and roommate Ricky and began receiving physical therapy.
Alan has made astounding improvement since coming to Progress. He didn’t take a bath for an entire month before moving in with Ethel because he was so afraid of falling. Within the first week they were working on bathing skills. Ethel has encouraged Alan in gaining his strength back. He can now dress himself and is working on making his bed. Ethel prepares healthy meals for Alan and gets both him and Ricky out of the house and into the community. “I like everything about Alan,” Ethel shared. “He came here in a wheelchair and can now walk using a walker most of the time. He was not physically able to take care of himself, and has overcome so many challenges.”
Alan is grateful for the people in his life that have helped him when times were tough. “I’m thankful to have them in my life. It was difficult not to have Mom around, and it was hard when I got sick and had to stop working; it was hard to not be able to move around.”
Heather and Johnny are still involved in Alan’s life. “He is like our older son. When Alan lived on his own, the only people he would call was us,” Heather shared. Johnny took Alan to Alan’s high school reunion this year. He goes to their house for Thanksgiving and Christmas. They continue to be a part of his life and are relieved that he is receiving the best possible support to live happily and safely.
Alan is also happy about this new phase of his life. He enjoys having people around in the house, and “having a roommate is good.” Although he doesn’t always agree with Ethel when she’s trying to motivate him to work on his strength, he is no longer isolated and physically deteriorating. One day he may even be fully independent, at least that’s what Ethel and Alan are striving towards.
Connie Gee
As Heather's mother this makes me so proud of Heather and Johnny. I don't know how they do it. They are better and stronger than me, Love you two.
What an amazing story! I'm so happy to be able to support Progress.
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Progress Inc. 319 Ezell Pike Nashville, TN 37217 Phone: 615.399.3000 Fax: 615.365.0259
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READY Training
Epidemiology and Modeling of Infectious Diseases in the Humanitarian Setting
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Integrated Framework
Integrated Framework, Part 1: Integration Entry Points
Integrated Framework, Part 2: Integration of Multi-Sectoral Services and Cross-Cutting Themes
RCCE Toolkit
MHPSS
Mental health and psycho-social support
https://www.ready-initiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/READY-wordmark-tagline-340-unc-300x107.png 0 0 READY https://www.ready-initiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/READY-wordmark-tagline-340-unc-300x107.png READY2020-03-17 10:37:062020-03-17 10:37:06MHPSS
This website is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the READY initiative. READY (not an acronym) is supported by USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and is led by Save the Children in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, UK-Med, EcoHealth Alliance, and Mercy Malaysia. The contents of this website are the sole responsibility of Save the Children. The information provided on this website does not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, any or all consortium partners, or the United States Government, and is not official U.S. Government information.
This website is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). READY is led by Save the Children in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, UK-Med, EcoHealth Alliance, and Mercy Malaysia. Site contents are the responsibility of READY and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
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Contact Us: ready@savechildren.org
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Keller seeks to keep common-sense approach to government in seat
By Keith Trout;
ktrout@masonvalleynews.com;
Incumbent Lyon County Commissioner Vida Keller wants to continue using the common-sense approach to government she relied on during her first term, as she seeks reelection to her District 2 seat.
“As a long-term resident of Lyon County, I’ve worked throughout the county to promote healthy communities through economic growth and fiscal responsibility,” the Silver Springs resident said.
Trying to be active in her community, she served 4½ years as president of the Silver Springs Chamber of Commerce, during the last year of which she ran for the Lyon County Board of Commissioners.
“I campaigned on a common-sense approach to government,” she said of four years ago. “I have used this common-sense approach when it comes to my voting record as commissioner.”
She said during her three-plus years on the commission, she has sat on the Northern Nevada Development Authority board, “working diligently towards economic recovery in every community of Lyon County. When it comes to economic development and recovery, I support sustainable business like mining, agriculture, farming, manufacturing and technology that will sustain jobs for future generations to come,” Keller said.
She noted for 2014 she was elected as the vice president of the Nevada Association of Counties executive board.
Of NACO’s role, she said, “This includes protecting our public lands and natural resources, but allowing for ranching, grazing, mining, recreational use, and more.”
Regarding government operations, she said, “I am dedicated to working with the nonmandated but very essential services and our community volunteers, which serve a significant role in our communities.
“I believe this promotes a healthy business climate to promote community growth and bring employment opportunities.”
Noting she’s been appointed by Gov. Brian Sandoval to two sector councils of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, manufacturing and mining, she said, “I have worked to remove governmental roadblocks to businesses.”
Keller said she’s attended numerous Nevada Department of Transportation meetings for more than four years and been involved in projects such as the widening of U.S. 50 and regarding the design and environmental work to complete the Lyon County portion of the extension of USA Parkway from I-80 to U.S. 50 for future construction.
She said even prior to her election as a commissioner, she strived to attend the advisory board meetings in her community.
Since her election, she said, she’s tried to continue that and attend other advisory board and Fernley City Council meetings.
“Often citizens are unable to attend the county commissioners meetings and this is the only time citizens have a chance to give input,” she said.
Keller said she will be visiting all communities in coming months.
“Please feel free to talk to me about any county issues when you see me.”
She expects to have a website soon.
Meanwhile, people can contact her at vidakeller@gmail.com.
“I believe in doing my due diligence on all issues and continue to apply common sense to the best of my ability,” she said.
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Posted September 5, 2017 by Joseph Rositano in Feature
The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Review
The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses concerts have been playing world wide since January 2012. Originally conceived as a limited run to celebrate the Zelda franchise’s 25th anniversary, it has now lived to see the series run past the the 30-year mark and has been updated accordingly. Not only is Breath of the Wild featured in the concert, but footage from the re-releases on 3DS and Wii U is also used which helps bring the concert into the next generation.
But you’re not there for the footage. While it certainly helps trigger memories of all those locations, characters and battles you’ve come across, the concert puts the music at the forefront. The Zelda Overture, which was one of the highlights from Nintendo’s E3 2011 conference, opens the concert. I have to admit, I regularly listen to an audio rip I found online (this was before the concerts originally started in the US), yet hearing it for the first time performed live sent shivers down my spine. There’s always something special about hearing music performed lived and the Zelda soundtrack is no exception. The Overture has of course been updated recently to feature a small section inspired by Breath of the Wild.
After the Overture plays the concert is split into various remixes of Dragon Roost Island from The Wind Waker, A Majora’s Mask Melody and a short Breath of the Wild suite. The latter was one of the more interesting pieces, featuring the main theme from The Great Plateau area but also being integrated with sound effects from the game including birds chirping and the wind cutting through the grass. It’s here where you start to appreciate the different tones and styles of each game. The Wind Waker had a distinctive island setting driven by emotion, Majora’s Mask was darker and creepier, while Breath of the Wild focuses more on exploration and lets you bask your natural surroundings and having complete freedom.
Between pieces translated video messages from Shigeru Miyamoto, Koji Kondo and Eiji Aonuma were shown. The three men are legendary amongst Zelda fans, so it seemed fitting to have them talk about their feelings towards the series and see their delight at the prospects of the The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses concert.
The main highlight of the concert comes from suites inspired by individual games. Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds each had their own set with footage of the games shown to accompany the music. I noted that Ganondorf’s theme usually meant a showcase was shown of all bosses for that particular game, which seemed like a shame given most bosses have their own distinctive theme. But, you can only play so much in a two hour concert. To name a few of the more popular themes that were played; Saria’s Theme, Outset Island, the Pirate Ship theme, Ghirahim’s Theme and the Temple of Time. Overall there was a great mix and it would have resonated with anyone who has properly played any of the Zelda games.
I attended the 8pm concert at the Arts Centre Melbourne on September 3rd. The orchestra was conducted by the talented Jessica Gethen, who brought great energy to the stage with her bright smile and appreciation for the musicians and fans alike. It is disappointing however how the organiser has treated the Australian fan-base. For some time Australians thought Perth was the only local capital city the concert would be visiting, but then a Melbourne show and later a Sydney show were announced. You have fans who would have booked tickets for an interstate session only for it to come locally. Others who don’t have a local show as an option (like this South Australian…) like to know their options ahead of time so that they can plan travel budgets and work out what there best options are.
Regardless, The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses is a breathtaking experience for any Zelda fan. It demonstrates the unique musical tones of each game, shows how the series has evolved throughout the ages, and is certainly a step above listening to pre-recorded audio. If you ever get the opportunity to see the concert, prepare yourself for a night of pure delight.
nintendo The Legend of Zelda The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Joseph Rositano
While Joseph's main hobby has always centered around video games, he's also taken an interest in movies, musicals and traveling around the world. No one quite knows what Joseph's true motivations are, but rest assured he is always planning his next grand adventure!
More articles by Joseph Rositano »
Donkey Kong Country 2, Mario’s Super Picross and more join Nintendo Switch Online library
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity announced
Nintendo Are Exploiting FOMO With Their Limited Release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars
Nintendo make Super Mario Bros. 35th anniversary announcements
Pikmin 3 Deluxe announced for Nintendo Switch
Pokemon Go Fanatics Score Two COVID-19 Fines
Super Mario Maker 2 Zelda Crossover Coming This Week
Check out The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening overview trailer
A Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild Collaboration Is Happening
The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses returns to Sydney in October
Zelda: Breath of the Wild audio language update released, first DLC detailed
SNES games coming to New Nintendo 3DS console
COVID Isolation Has Sold Me On Digital Tourism
Rocket Chainsaw’s Top 11 Games of the Decade
Rocket Chainsaw’s 2017 Game of the Year Awards
Nintendo Switch firmware 4.0.0 released
Rumour: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Coming To Switch
Nintendo celebrate Zelda’s 30th anniversary
Interview with Symphony of the Goddesses Creator, Jason Michael Paul
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Workers face 'uphill battle' proving firms liable if they catch COVID-19 as economy reopens
Paul Davidson / USA TODAY
A handful of states are reopening for business following coronavirus-triggered lockdowns, raising two compelling questions: Must employers ensure the workplace is safe? And will they be held liable if employees contract the virus?
The short answer is that while health care providers must follow federal safety guidelines to guard against contagion, other businesses are not obligated to do so, leaving it to states and localities to set standards, experts say. And sick employees who seek damages, typically through worker’s compensation, must prove that they contracted the virus at work – an especially thorny challenge.
“It’s often an uphill battle,” for workers, says Jonathan Segal, an employment lawyer who represents companies at Duane Morris law firm in Philadelphia.
States such as Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Alaska have at least partly lifted shutdown orders in recent days. In Georgia, gyms, bowling alleys, barbers and massage therapists were allowed to open Friday and restaurants were allowed to open Monday.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires employers to establish a workplace that’s “free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm” to employees. To meet that standard, OSHA is advising businesses to follow Center for Disease Control guidelines, including instructing employees to keep six feet away from co-workers or customers, taking temperatures, disinfecting surfaces and providing face masks, hand sanitizers and barriers when appropriate.
“We’re seeing employers do that to mitigate that risk,” says Christina Meddin, a labor lawyer at Seyfarth Shaw in Atlanta who is advising business clients to follow the guidelines.
The more safeguards a company adopts, “The better your argument is going to be” if there’s a challenge by OSHA or a lawsuit, says Jennifer Scharf, a health law attorney at the Coppola Firm in Amherst, New York.
Here’s the rub: OSHA is enforcing the CDC guidelines and conducting inspections in response to deaths in hospitals but not in other cases, according to an OSHA memo released April 13 and Debbie Berkowitz, Worker Safety and Health program director for the National Employment Law Project, a worker advocacy group. About 4,000 corovavirus-related complaints have been filed against employers that fail to provide safe workplaces but the agency has not issued any citations or fines, Berkowitz says. Instead, she says, OSHA is pointing businesses to the voluntary guidelines.
“OSHA is not enforcing anything,” says Berkowitz, former OSHA senior policy adviser during the Obama administration. “OSHA does not have the backs of workers…It’s a travesty.”
In response to the criticism, the Labor Department, which includes OSHA, said in a statement: “OSHA will consult CDC guidelines and its own guidance” as it determines whether a workplace is “free from recognized hazards.”
“Where OSHA finds a violation, a citation will be issued and a civil monetary penalty imposed.”
Some states take the lead
Some states are creating their own safeguards. Besides mandating social distancing and other standards, Georgia Governor Kemp’s executive order requires restaurant employees to wear face coverings. But most other businesses must provide personal protective equipment -- such as face coverings – only “as available and appropriate to the function and location of the worker within the business.”
Bernstein says that’s not enough, noting “there is significant risk of transmission of COVID-19 from infected individuals who are asymptomatic and presymptomatic.”
Many Georgia businesses, worried about the safety of employees and customers, as well as any legal liability, are choosing to remain largely shuttered. Suzanne Vizethann, the chef and owner of Buttermilk Kitchen in Chastain, is providing curbside pickup, e-commerce and catering services but doesn’t plan to reopen her 85-seat dining room for at least a couple of months.
“We don’t feel comfortable that this thing is behind us,” she says. “We're not going to do anything that puts (employees) in harm’s way. That could be a big liability if somebody gets sick and their family get sick.” She adds that it’s much easier to monitor social distancing between employees with the restaurant’s current limited services.
Other businesses in Georgia are reopening but taking pains to follow all the state’s guidelines – and more. Lester Crowell, owner of Three-13 Salon, Spa & Boutique in Marietta, reopened Friday and is requiring all hairstylists and technicians to wear face coverings and gloves. And even though styling stations are already six feet apart, the boutique for good measure is leaving every other chair empty in the 39-chair hairstyling section and 24-chair coloring area. Stylists are barred from gathering in the break room and are using disposable gowns for customers, among other safety measures.
“I’m anxious,” Crowell says. “It’s a hard decision to make but we are a business and we’re available to be open . If you say we're taking a chance, I guess we are.” But he added, “We are going above and beyond” the guidelines.
Workers face hurdles proving liability
Nationwide, employees -- or their families -- can seek monetary damages if workers get sick or die. But in most states, employees who can file a claim through workers’ compensation, a type of insurance, must take that route and relinquish the right to sue, lawyers say. Meanwhile, winning such a claim can be difficult, with workers having to prove they contracted coronavirus on the job – a high bar during a pandemic.
“Even though it's recognized that some groups of workers are at elevated risk of catching a virus, there's still that reality that they may be catching it outside of work,” says John Ruser, CEO of the Workers Compensation Research Institute, an independent group that analyzes workers compensation issues. “The burden of proof would be pretty heavy for them to show that it was work-related.”
A workers’ compensation case could be bolstered if a number of employees at a workplace came down with coronavirus, Segal says.
Meanwhile, a handful of states, including Illinois and Kentucky, have started to shift the burden of proof from the worker to the employer. Under an order from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, essential workers at businesses such as grocery and hardware stores would have “the presumption that the workers that are essential caught the disease at work.” The company would then have to demonstrate otherwise.
Late last week, however, a county judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the rule after business groups filed a lawsuit opposing it.
Wave of lawsuits?
Some workers, and their advocates, are heading to court in the leading edge of what could be a wave of lawsuits stemming from the pandemic.
In Illinois, the family of a Walmart worker who died of coronavirus sued the retailer in early April, alleging the company didn't do enough to protect its workers from the disease. Among other concerns, the family of the worker, Wando Evans, says Walmart did not do enough to enforce social distancing guidelines, properly sanitize the store, or provide sufficient personal protective equipment for employees.
In a statement, Walmart spokesperson Randy Hargrove told USA TODAY the store in Evergreen Park, Illinois, where the worker had been employed had passed third-party environmental and health inspections.
"We are heartbroken at the passing of two associates at our Evergreen Park store and we are mourning along with their families," Hargrove said. "We took action to reinforce our cleaning and sanitizing measures, which include a deep-cleaning of key areas.
And in Missouri, a nonprofit workers group sued Smithfield Foods in federal court on behalf of its workers after a coronavirus outbreak at a Smithfield plant in Milan sickened several employees. The suit alleges Smithfield workers were forced to work without adequate protective equipment, "shoulder to shoulder," were not given opportunities to wash their hands, and were discouraged from taking sick leave and given bonuses for working while sick. The suit also alleges Smithfield had not implemented a plan for testing and contact-tracing workers exposed to the coronavirus.
According to the suit, Smithfield's operations at the plant could result in spread of the coronavirus throughout the surrounding area unless further action is taken. As a result, the plaintiffs ask for the plant to be declared a "public nuisance" and for Smithfield to be forced to change its policies.
Smithfield did not return a call seeking comment. But in an April 24 court filing, the company said, "As of today’s date, we are not aware of any confirmed diagnoses of COVID-19 in plant employees or in Sullivan County. In the meantime, Smithfield has and continues to follow all OSHA requirements and all guidance from CDC and other public authorities."
The Walmart plaintiffs were able to circumvent the workers’ compensation mandate because they’re charging gross negligence while the Smithfield plaintiffs are relying on a novel “ public nuisance” argument and aren’t seeking damages, Bernstein says.
Businesses seek to limit liability
Worried about such lawsuits and a hodgepodge of state laws, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is among several business groups asking Congress to set a federal standard that limits liability for employers who follow CDC guidelines.
“We’re looking for a narrowly tailored policy that will give employers the confidence to reopen their businesses without there being a cloud of liability,” says Harold Kim, president of the chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform. For example, businesses that check employees’ temperature could have different criteria for what constitutes an illness, he says.
The White House is sympathetic to the pleas. Last week, President Trump told reporters he wanted to try to “take liability away from these companies” as they started to open up because “we want the companies to open and to open strong.”
National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said, “Some of it can be done through executive order or regulatory changes. Some of it might require legislation.”
Democrats, meanwhile, are trying to beef up what they see as weaknesses in OSHA enforcement. Democratic lawmakers pressed for a bill requiring OSHA to issue an emergency standard to obligate all workplaces to implement coronavirus exposure and control plans.
“We cannot combat this pandemic if we do not take immediate action to protect the millions of health care workers, food-service and grocery store workers, and all those working on the frontlines every day to confront this pandemic and move our economy forward,” says Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin, one of the bill's authors.
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Romeo Samoa bringing cheer through music
Romeo Ioane Samoa aka Dr. Rome at his studio in Vaitele Fou. (Photo: Anetone Sagaga)
Special music recordings, live performances at holiday functions and a concert leading up to Christmas are keeping Romeo Ioane Samoa on his toes during a most peculiar holiday season.
To say that the 35-year-old music producer, better known as Dr. Rome, and the father of two children, Loloma and William, is busy would be an understatement.
The goal behind his recordings and holiday concerts is to ease the country’s COVID-19 worries after the country two different patients returned positive tests for the virus putting the country on alert.
He also wants to cheer up Samoans who are stuck outside of the country due to COVID-19.
“The aim is to entertain the country, our people and cheer everyone up because right now there are a lot of worries caused by the pandemic. We are trying to bring out some new music to cheer everyone up so the pandemic won’t weigh so heavily on everyone's minds,” Samoa said.
“We are recording a lot of songs, especially Christmas songs. Oh my goodness, the number of songs that have not been released yet! There are so many. It won’t be long before Christmas is here so all the Christmas songs will be released by this week.”
A few Samoan language Christmas tracks have been released on his YouTube Channel which has 50,000-plus subscribers. But he says there are several more that need to be fine-tuned and published even before the week is over.
Viewers can already find a number of new Christmas recordings on the Dr. Rome Productions Tama Ole Pouseilala YouTube channel.
When all the Christmas recordings have been released, there will come family and church gatherings that will require music, of course.
“We are receiving a lot of invitations to perform and provide entertainment at so many functions,” said Samoa.
“Not just in the town area….kua as well. We are performing for the churches, hotels, and it’s our entire team. We have a huge team for Dr. Rome Productions and we have a lot of concerts scheduled for Upolu and Savai’i.”
The Dr. Rome Productions team, formed in 2015, has grown from one band to include more than 100 artists.
Part of his team traveled to Savai’i on the weekend to perform at Nighthawk in Salelologa.
Dr. Rome fans can look forward to a free concert tentatively scheduled for 19 December at the Malaefatu Park Reserve in Sogi.
“We are planning to have a big concert,” Samoa said.
“We want to set up a tent and perform there maybe [...] so our team can come and everyone can come and enjoy the show.”
Music has always been a big part of Samoa’s life.
After Avele College and a foundation year at university, Samoa earned a scholarship to study in Fiji.
After graduation, he returned to Samoa in 2007 and worked as a Policy Analyst for the Ministry of Prime Minister and Cabinet (M.P.M.C.).
In 2011, his wife, Fiona Lene Samoa, who works for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (M.F.A.T.), took up a post for the Samoa High Commission in New Zealand. They relocated.
“That is where my love for music was reawakened. When we returned to Samoa I didn’t go back to my job,” the musician said.
“But I grew up with music.”
His musical influences are artists like Tiamaa, the original Punialavaa, Aniseto Falemoe and Musiluki Su’a. American "oldies" are also high on his playlist.
Dr. Rome got his start with the Tama Ole Pouseilala Band in 2015.
Tama Ole Pouseilala is the name of a parcel of land in Salelologa, Savai’i, and his father’s village.
His parents are Rev. Elder Ioane Viliamu Samoa and Vaitai Samoa who served the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (C.C.C.S.) in Fogapoa, where Samoa was raised.
“My dad’s village is Salelologa where there is land named Pouseilala which we named the band after,” he said.
Their earliest songs were “Lou Sei Oe” and “I’m So Sorry.”
Tama Ole Pouseilala disbanded when most of its members left the country.
Music is one industry that hasn’t seemed to slow down since the pandemic.
Dr. Rome says business is quite “normal.”
“[The pandemic] hasn’t affected my work. There are a lot of people who are coming to record their music. Business is normal. It’s good. We are making good money,” he said.
“What I want to do is to help our young artists to develop their singing and musical talents and we have a lot of new artists.”
Homesick Samoans who are unable to travel home for the holidays are responding well to his videos that showcase the sounds and scenes of Upolu and Savai’i.
“There are a lot of people outside of the country and they are really happy with the music. They say when they see the videos, it’s like they are here in Samoa,” Samoa said.
“A lot of them wait for the songs to be released and they say it is just like being back in Samoa when they watch the videos.”
The Dr. Rome Productions Studio is offering a $150 special that includes a music recording and music video.
On Christmas Eve, Dr. Rome will join the C.C.C.S. Fasitoo Uta Youth for a Christmas concert and celebration.
N.Z. trade union slams Govt over vaccines
A trade union in New Zealand has lashed out at their government over reports Samoa will take delivery of its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines next month.
By Hyunsook Siutaia 18/01/2021
Samoa's first qualified paramedic graduates
A 33-year-old registered nurse, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in paramedicine at the Victoria University in Australia, is Samoa’s first qualified paramedic.
Cabinet orders Associate Ministers to return Govt. property
At the dissolution of Parliament on 19 January, 2021 it also ends the services of the Associate Ministers and they are to turn in government assets allocated to them including government vehicles.
By Joyetter Feagaimaali'i 18/01/2021
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There were 248 permits issued for commercial projects with a total value of $148.2 million. The commercial work was divided into three main categories: 75 new buildings, 157 addition/alternation projects and 16 finish-outs, according to Tim Littlejohn, chief building official with the city of Abilene.
The commercial activity in 2019 almost doubled the value of new buildings, renovations and finish-outs in 2018, which was $75.3 million for 196 projects, according to Reporter-News files.
Top building projects
The top five projects have a combined value of $78,704,024, which is more than half (53 percent) of the total value of all 2019 commercial permits. Here are the top five 2019 commercial projects by dollar value – all undertaken by non-taxed entities.
► Taylor County Expo Center Arena Phase 2, $18.7 million – The Phase 2 projects, which are part of a $55 million bond package approved by voters in 2016, include construction of a livestock and equine center.
More:Progress: Taylor County Expo Center continues to get a new look
► Austin Elementary School, $18 million – This is first of three Abilene Independent School District elementary schools being replaced, using bond money approved by voters in 2018. The original Austin Elementary, which opened in 1959 at 2341 Greenbriar Drive, will be replaced by a new facility under construction next to it. The new building will incorporate the kindergarten wing that was added to the original structure in 2004. Students should be able to walk the new hallways at the start of the 2020-21 school year.
More:Abilene ISD breaks ground on new Austin Elementary facility
► Taylor Elementary School, $18 million – This new Abilene ISD school building is taking taking shape in an open field at 1719 E.N. 10th St., two-plus miles from the current and original campus. It was opened in 1955.
It is expected to be completed several months into the 2020-21 school year.
More:Next Taylor Elementary in Abilene ISD good enough for Superman, other superheroes
More:Abilene ISD's Taylor Elementary replacement delayed to November 2020
► Hendrick Home for Children $16 million – A new, energy-efficient main building is being constructed to have much of the same look as the 1938 building it is replacing. The architect for the original building was David S. Castle.
More:Hendrick Home for Children original building disappears as construction project continues
► Dodge Jones Youth Sports Center, $8 million – The 55,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in late February as host site for tournaments, competitions, clinics and practices. It will feature four regulation basketball courts, four youth basketball courts, eight regulation volleyball courts, professional hardwood court flooring and state-of-the-art technology and equipment.
More:Eyes were wide at first peek inside new youth sports complex at Nelson Park
Nonprofits dominating Abilene's commercial scene is not surprising, said John Hill, an economics professor at Hardin-Simmons University and a broker with the real estate firm Barnett & Hill.
"When you’re looking at Abilene’s market, Abilene isn’t really driven by pure commerce," Hill said. "A lot of it comes from our nonprofits. A lot of it comes from institutional money. It comes from our universities, bond projects, schools that are getting renovated or rebuilt."
New schools and buildings associated with nonprofits give Abilene a short-term lift in economic activity, but they do not add to the tax rolls as would a new shopping center or industrial site.
Private developments
The top private commercial permit based on dollar amount was issued in July 2019 for an addition at Funeral Directors Life Insurance Co. at 6550 Directors Parkway. The construction work was valued at $3.4 million according to city permit data.
The company announced in a December 2018 news release with the Development Corporation of Abilene plans for a 30,000-square-foot addition to its campus for a total estimated cost of $6.9 million. Funeral Directors Life Insurance at the time employed more than 160 people and planned to add more than 70 positions in the next five years, the release aid.
The DCOA matched 15 percent of the project cost, up to $1 million, because of the expected added jobs and economic impact, the release said.
The No. 2 private commercial project started last year was the gutting and renovation of a three-story corner building at 202 Pine St. The permit value was $2.6 million, according to city data.
In its new life, the Motis Building will be home to boutiques, offices and Grain Theory, a brewery, kitchen and coffee enterprise.
The Motis Building is one of several new ventures taking shape in north and south downtown Abilene. Others are Matera Gardens at 833 S. First St. to be home to Sockdolager Brewing Company and an events center and Cedar Terrace loft apartments in the former law offices building at North Fourth and Cedar streets.
More:Renovations underway at downtown Abilene building for brew pub, boutiques, office space
“You have projects that are going on all around downtown that are showing a pivot in people’s interests in what part of town they want to do business in," Hill said.
Entrepreneurial repurposing of downtown Abilene buildings reflects a national trend of revitalization projects in the heart of cities, Hill said.
The interest in downtown Abilene as a place to work, live, shop and play has been years in the making, he said. The foundation was laid with the restoration of the Paramount Theatre in 1987 and the opening of The Grace Museum in 1992 and the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature in 2000. All three projects involved historic downtown buildings.
"Twenty years ago, our foundations took a gamble on downtown and really did a nice job of developing a skeleton for development downtown," Hill said. "And now, they’re finally able, I think, to enjoy the shade of the acorns that the foundations planted years ago with taking a risk on downtown as a place to be.”
Million-dollar club
Here are other commercial projects permitted in Abilene in 2019 that had a value of $1 million or more, according to city permitting data:
► Shotwell Stadium improvements, including new track and field facility, concession and restrooms – $2.54 million
► Construction of First National Bank of Albany Abilene Branch building, 5657 Buffalo Gap Road – $1.9 million
► Construction of assisted living facility, 5301 Memorial Drive – $1.5 million
► New Madagascar Exhibit at Abilene Zoo – $1.5 million
► Renovations of building for Integrated Pain Associates, 4351 Ridgemont Drive – $1.5 million
► Finish-out of tenant space for Aldi food store, 4765 Southwest Dr. – $1.4 million
► New Abilene Christian University golf team facility, 2117 N. Judge Ely Boulevard – $1.27 million
► New 5,567-foot-building for Bimbo Bakeries, 5450 N. First St. – $1.25 million
► Self-storage units, 18 Windmill Circle – $1.2 million
► Additions and renovations to Abilene Christian School cafeteria – $1 million
One other commercial project of note involves building four new residential homes on the Disability Resources Inc. campus at 3602 N. Clack St. The houses were permitted individually between June and September at a value of $825,000 each.
Combined, the four new houses at DRI have a permitted value of $3.3 million.
Another major project is the construction of four shell buildings for the Allen Ridge mixed-use lifestyle village being developed in stages at North Judge Ely and East Ambler Avenue near ACU. The four buildings that were permitted in August each are valued at $500,000, bringing the total cost to $2 million, according to city data.
More:ACU's Allen Ridge 'lifestyle village' project breaks ground in first phase
School building projects are likely to make a major impact on Abilene commercial construction in 2020 with two more major bond-funded projects in Abilene ISD.
Sewer line work has begun as a prelude for building a new school building for Dyess Elementary on the original campus at 402 Delaware Road. The district is in the process of soliciting construction bids.
More:Coming in for a landing at Dyess Elementary as Abilene ISD continues planning replacement
Abilene ISD also is planning to break ground this year on The LIFT Center, a career and technical education high school on the campus at Texas State Technical College near Loop 322 and Abilene Regional Airport. The 124,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in August 2021 as the new home for the district's Academy of Technology, Engineering, Math and Science and CTE programs not associated with the specialty school.
More:Abilene ISD looking to LIFT its career and tech education programs
Other commercial activity includes the Rent-A-Center formerly located next to H-E-B at South 14th and Barrow streets moving this month to the Edgewood Shopping Center at North 12th Street and Mockingbird Lane. A Dollar Tree also is opening at the shopping center, said Erik Johnson, vice president with Paul Johnson & Associates.
And, the vacant building at John Knox Drive and Cedar Run, the former location for Academy Sports + Outdoors, was sold recently to a local investor for use as a training center, Johnson said.
Laura Gutschke is a general assignment reporter and food columnist and manages online content for the Reporter-News. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.
Housing momentum continues to build
Home sales grew in volume and value in 2019 in Abilene and Taylor County, and in some cases outpaced state averages. See story in Sunday Business, Page xx.
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Metchosin Mayor John Ranns (Black Press Media file photo)
Greater Victoria mayor wants changes to prison-transfer system after alleged murder by escapees
James Busch and Zachary Armitage have been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Martin Payne
Jun. 17, 2020 8:10 a.m.
The mayor of a Vancouver Island community where two inmates are accused of murdering a man after they escaped from a minimum-security prison says they never should have been there in the first place.
John Ranns says he’s warning people in Metchosin to stay vigilant as long as there’s a loophole allowing inmates to be transferred to low-security facilities through an override of their security classification when they still pose a risk.
“The wrong people got sent,” Ranns said in an interview.
The RCMP said on Friday that James Busch and Zachary Armitage have been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Martin Payne, whose body was found in his home on July 12 last year.
READ MORE: William Head prison escapees charged in homicide of Metchosin man
Police were alerted on July 8, 2019, that the two men had escaped from the minimum security William Head Institution outside Victoria. An off-duty officer spotted the men while walking his dog almost two days later, leading to their arrest.
It was only when Payne, who was 60, failed to show up for work that officers found his body days later.
Busch, 42, was serving an indeterminate sentence for second-degree murder and assault. Armitage, 30, was convicted of offences including a violent aggravated assault and violent robbery.
In a sentencing decision following the escape, provincial court Judge Roger Cutler says Armitage had served eight years of a 14-year sentence when he fled the prison.
On July 7, during a walk by the water, the two prisoners decided to escape by walking along the shoreline of the ocean-front facility during low tide, the decision says.
“Given the offender’s prior violent record and his history of escaping lawful custody, including four prior convictions, I was perplexed as to why at the time of his escape the offender was serving his sentence at a minimum-security institution,” Cutler writes in the decision.
“This situation was particularly troubling as the information provided to the court indicated that the offender had recently escaped in 2016 and less than two years later, in February 2018, he had been assessed as a medium security or moderate risk to escape on the security reclassification scale.”
However, a week after the assessment, it was overridden to minimum security, the decision says. Two months after that, Armitage was transferred to William Head.
Cutler says he reviewed an internal Correctional Service Canada report provided by the Crown recommending the override because Armitage had made positive efforts and progress to rehabilitate himself. His case management team did not believe he posed a risk of escape, Cutler says.
The escape is understandably disconcerting to the public, the judge adds.
“The public is entitled to expect that those incarcerated for violent criminal conduct and who have an extensive and recent escape history are rarely, and only with solid reasoning, placed in a position where escaping incarceration may be achieved by merely walking along the shoreline at low tide,” he says.
“And, when such an escape occurs, the public ought to be provided a full explanation of the process leading to the decisions made by those responsible.”
READ MORE: Langford mayor left with questions nearly two months after Metchosin prison escape
Cutler added one year to Armitage’s sentence for the escape, but at the time of sentencing the Crown had not alleged he committed any offences while at large.
On Saturday, commissioner Anne Kelly of the Correctional Service of Canada said an investigation was started on how to prevent and respond to escapes, and measures have been taken to enhance security.
A written statement said escapes from federal prisons are uncommon, with nine across Canada in 2019-20. The last one at William Head was in 2014 and before that in 2004.
The Correctional Service said in a statement Tuesday the investigation is in its final stages and all minimum-security inmates have had their security levels reviewed.
Policy changes include mandatory psychological risk assessments for specific inmates before they’re assigned to a minimum-security prison and higher decision making authority for their reclassification.
The assistant deputy commissioner is now the final decision maker for the reclassification of any inmate convicted of a sex-related offence, or who was initially rated maximum security and who committed an offence causing death or serious harm and has three or more years before they are eligible to apply for day parole.
The assistant commissioner of correctional operations and programs, and the deputy commissioner for women remain the final decision makers for the reclassification of a dangerous offender to minimum security.
Ranns said when Armitage was transferred, the minimum security warden had no say and that under the changes, that remains the same.
The Correctional Service did not immediately respond when asked for confirmation of Ranns understanding of the transfer, and the William Head warden could not be reached for comment.
“It just makes sense to me that the warden who understands that program the best and understands the community the best doesn’t get a chance to refuse an inmate,” Ranns said.
“While a lot of positive changes were made, the major factor hasn’t been addressed and that is: those guys should not have been there in the first place.”
READ MORE: Some residents still don’t feel safe nearly one year after prison escape
Ranns said William Head has been a “very good corporate citizen” and communicates well with the community.
The prison has a strong program for preparing inmates to reintegrate into society in the final months before their release, Ranns said. They live in housing units together, cook for themselves, do their own laundry and participate in work programs in the community.
Sooner or later, almost every inmate is released from prison and they need to have the life skills to contribute to society, Ranns said.
“It’s a very good program with very good results. The problem is, how did (Armitage and Busch) get there,” he said.
— By Amy Smart, with files from Terri Theodore, in Vancouver.
National parks to open campgrounds for existing reservations next week
CERB to be extended by eight weeks amid gradual post-COVID reopening: Trudeau
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Harold Kinnard
In profound sadness, the staff of Veasley Funeral Home & Cremations, Inc. want to express our sincere condolences to the Kinnard family. Harold’s earthly temple is now resting in the care of Rowell-Parish Mortuary. Revelations 21:4 says "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death; nor sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away." Be assured that in the days ahead you will surely gain strength from the memories of Mr. Harold Kinnard.
Harold Kinnard, 72, was born June 26, 1947 in Ozark, Arkansas to Phelin “Kill” Kinnard, Sr. and Dovie Rue Alston Kinnard. He departed this life January 26, 2020 at Baptist Health in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He was preceded in death by his parents, and brothers, Ray Alston, Jessie, Frank, and Phelin “Kill”, Jr. Kinnard.
Harold attended Washington Elementary during his childhood. He graduated from the historic Lincoln High School class of 1965. He was known by some as “Polly”. In 1967 he was drafted into the U. S. Army where he specialized as a cook. His service ended in 1969. Upon his return from serving his country, he was employed 24 years by Rheem Manufacturing as a heavy machine operator.
During his years at Rheem, Harold met and married his wife, Debra (Kitten) Holliman on June 30, 1979. From this union was born two daughters and one son. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He loved his family dearly. HE loved people, enjoyed mowing lawns, cooking, and basketball games.
Bro. Harold accepted Christ as an early age. He was a member of Mallalieu United Methodist, where he served as an usher and cook. He and his family later joined Northside Church of God in Christ where he served as Food Service Director and Trustee Board member. Occasionally,
Harold sung in the Men’s Choir.
Harold always saw to it that the Pastor and 1st Lady Watson had something to eat. He took joy in preparing Sunday meals for them. He also saw to it that the Pastor had a meal on Wednesday evenings after Bible Study.
Harold leaves to celebrate his life of 40 years, his wife, Debra Kinnard of Fort Smith, Arkansas; two daughters, Nicole “Coco” Kinnard (fiancé, DeAndre Boykin, Sr.) of Little Rock, Arkansas, and Phylicia “Fefe” Kinnard; one son, David (Jennifer) Kinnard; a brother, Ersie Kinnard all of Fort Smith, Arkansas; seven grandchildren, Madison Cross, Keyshiia Peterson, Keyahnna Peterson, Armahnii Kinard, David Kinnard, Jr., Deashia Boykin, and DeAndre Boykin, Jr.; a cherished cousin, Creta (Donald) Cummings of Fort Smith, Arkansas; two extended family members, Robert Tyree of Fort Smith, Arkansas and Whitney Cook of Van Buren, Arkansas and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, friends, and his Northside Church Family.
Visitation will be Friday, February 7, 2020 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Northside Church of God in Christ 4420 Kelly Highway Fort Smith, Arkansas 72904.
Celebration of life service will be held Saturday, February 8, 2020 at 11 a.m. at Northside Church of God in Christ.
Committal service and final resting place will be Monday, February 10, 2020 at 10 a.m. at the Fort Smith National Cemetery Fort Smith, Arkansas.
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Comedian Stephen Colbert testifies on Capitol Hill as expert witness
24 Sep, 2010 21:07
The line between newsreader and newsmaker seems to be getting finer and on September 24 on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, it was unclear which was which.
Stephen Colbert, who hosts “The Colbert Report” on the Comedy Central network in the United States, was invited to speak as an expert witness at a House immigration subcommittee hearing titled "Protecting America's Harvest.”
In character, Colbert mocked the slow pace of Congress in getting anything done and stayed in character as he testified.
“I think there are way too many undocumented Mexican workers in the United States,” Colbert said. “It’s time to roll up our sleeves and face this issue mano a whatever the Spanish word for mano is.”
The Colbert Report is a parody of fox news conservative talk show, The O’Reilly Factor, hosted by Bill O’Reilly. As part of his show, Colbert took part in the United Farm Workers' Take Our Jobs campaign, which offers legal residents and US citizens jobs as farm laborers working alongside the other farm workers, most of whom are undocumented.
The program is designed in part to show how few Americans would actually do the jobs they say illegal immigrants are taking from them.
Arturo Rodriguez, the president of the United Farm Workers said so far, the point has been made in a dramatic way.
“Since June 24, we received 8,600 inquiries through our website, www.takeourjobs.org, but only seven people have accepted those jobs on a full time basis,” said Rodriguez.
As far as what to do about this problem, Colbert said it’s simple.
“The obvious answer is for all of us to stop eating fruits and vegetables. And if you look at the recent obesity statistics you’ll see that many Americans have already started,” he stated.
Members of the committee said they were shocked at the star power of Stephen Colbert. They say they haven’t seen this much media attention since the impeachment hearings of President Bill Clinton.
It is a trend that’s here to stay: media stars drawing media attention for religious and political purposes. At Glen Beck’s Restoring Honor rally, tens of thousands came out in support.
In response, on October 30, Jon Stewart of the Daily Show will hold “The Rally to Restore Sanity” alongside Colbert, who is calling his, “The Rally to Keep Fear Alive.”
In America, it is a clear sign of change, that the power of politicians to instill change may be diminishing in the shadows of TV personalities who use their fame to influence everything from religion to immigration to religion.
Columnist Brent Budowsky from The Hill in Washington, DC said Colbert’s star power is telling, since he was on The Hill to speak about agriculture and migrant workers; a topic that rarely receives media attention.
“He did a great service to migrant workers. He made the point that people come from all over the world that people come from all over the world to immigrate to the United States in search of a better life, but when they get here they don’t always get the best treatment,” said Budowsky.
He explained further that this is bigger than Colbert’s and Stewart vs. politicians. It is, in fact, also Colbert’s and Stewart vs. the established media, which as loosing audience share while Colbert’s and Stewart gain it.
Budowsky explained that Glenn Beck appeals to the conservatives and is a unique phenomenon for cable news, he is not the normal personal of the Fox network. While Colbert and Stewart appeal to the younger generations who do not want to watch cable news and politicians giving the same repeated, old spin.
“Cable networks are down,” he said.
Colbert helped the cause of migrant workers, even making a mockery of congress in the process, argued Budowsky.
“Congress sometimes deserves to be made a mockery of. But nobody would be talking about migrant workers if Steven Colbert wasn’t there,” he said”
Colbert brought up issues regarding migrant workers that would never have received media or congressional attention before. What Colbert did was bring attention to issues no one talks about on the Hill.
“Sometimes it takes a comic to tell the truth that the serious people won’t tell you,” said Budowsky.
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Calls for action as Swedish TV rejects anti-immigration ad
US politics gets dose of comic relief
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Five reasons why Australia CAN win the Rugby World Cup 2015
With Australia kicking off their Rugby World Cup 2015 campaign tomorrow against Fiji we look at five reasons why the Wallabies could have a chance of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup for a third time.
No-nonsense head coach Cheika has manufactured a remarkable turnaround, transforming a faltering Wallabies team into potential Rugby World Cup winners.
The 48-year old took over from Ewen McKenzie last October, but it didn’t start well initially with the Wallabies defeating only Wales on a discouraging four-Test end of year European tour.
However, playing the explosive brand of attacking rugby that Cheika is renowned for they turned over South Africa, Argentina and the All Blacks in the summer to claim this season’s condensed Rugby Championship. It was the first time Australia had won the competition since 2011.
Cheika has a history of miraculous reversals as during his tenure at New South Wales Waratahs he guided the perennial underachievers to their maiden Super Rugby title last year, playing a breathtaking, offensive style of rugby in the process.
The two-time winners in the past have shown they can cope with conditions of a Northern Hemisphere Rugby World Cup. The two times they have hoisted the Webb Ellis Cup have both been north of the equator; first at Twickenham in 1991 before again eight years later at the Millennium Stadium in 1999.
Australia has a new lease of life heading into the Rugby World Cup after seizing the Rugby Championship last month. They dethroned New Zealand with a stunning victory against the All Blacks in Sydney.
Although they lost against New Zealand the subsequent week, which will have somewhat slowed them down, their momentum or confidence won’t have been that badly affected
The determination and spirit they have established could now be key to them firstly escaping their ‘Pool of Death’, which includes England and Wales, before moving onto the quarter-finals and beyond.
David Pocock
The Zimbabwean-born flanker will be his adopted country Australia’s potent weapon at the upcoming World Cup due to his ferocious will to win and extraordinary capability.
Nicknamed “Bamm Bamm”, because of his resemblance to the Flintstones character, he had been long ear-marked for big things even before he made his Wallabies debut in Hong Kong against New Zealand in 2008.
Then in 2012, at the age of 24, he was handed the captaincy of the Wallabies but over the next few years he would suffer a few almost career ending injuries.
However, after recovering from his latest set-back he played a fundamental role in Australia’s Rugby Championship triumph last month. The back row’s biggest contribution was his ability to steal the ball at crucial times during the Wallabies famous victory against the All Blacks.
He then took his place in their 31-man World Cup squad, with Aussie fans hoping the number 7 can put in a few more memorable shifts in the gold jersey during their upcoming campaign.
The Wallabies squad possess a good mix of youthful exuberance and World Cup know-how, which is a recipe for success. Cheika has a wealth of talent to choose from so if he can get all his star players firing and their combinations flowing smoothly, Australia could win the Rugby World Cup.
The top players to keep an eye out for will be their experienced winger Adam Ashley-Cooper, who has won over 100 Test caps, and centre Tevita Kuridrani as his direct attacking style makes him always a try-scoring threat.
Then you have their superstar fullback Israel Folau. The 26-year old is the most electrifying player in world rugby today, boasting incredible pace and power that allows him to glide through tackles. He is unplayable when at his best.
Tags: 5 reasons, Australia, David Pocock, Israel Folau, Michael Cheika, Pool A, Pool of death, Rugby World Cup 2015, the Wallabies
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Premiership side offer Danny Cipriani short-term deal
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Mohawk Donates Face Shields to Local Law First Responders
Now producing face shields for local law enforcement and first responders.
Mohawk Home is no making face shields for local law enforcement officers and first responders.
CALHOUN, Ga. --Mohawk Data Management specialist Alicia Kilgore, after hearing about the company's production of face shields and medical gowns for local health care providers, spearheaded an effort to bring personal protective equipment to law enforcement and first responders.
"I was thinking about one of my family members in law enforcement and how when these officers go out on calls, they don't know if that person is sick or if they've been exposed to the virus -- they just get dispatched to the call," she said. "A lot of the police and fire departments are providing things like gloves, hand sanitizer and masks when they're available, but I thought if we could donate face shields, it would give them added protection."
Her idea was met with enthusiasm by the Mohawk Home team, and to date the company has donated face shields to the Gordon County Sheriff's Department, Calhoun Police Department, Adairsville Police Department, Whitfield County Sheriff's Department, Dalton Police Department and Catoosa County Fire Department.
"When we started producing the gowns and face shields earlier this month, we were responding to the need shared by our local hospitals," Nikki Robinson, Mohawk Home senior director of human resources said. "We quickly realized that the need reached beyond healthcare, and we had an opportunity to support our local first responders, as well. Anytime an officer stands close enough to a vehicle to see and speak to a driver or a firefighter responds to a call, they are going to be closer than six feet of another person. We feel honored that we can provide these items for many of our local first responders while they continue protecting and serving our communities during this ongoing health crisis."
In addition to producing medical gowns at Mohawk Home's Antioch Road facility in Dalton, the company is now producing both medical gowns and face shields at its location on Marine Drive in Calhoun. Franco Sanchez-Camarillo, one Mohawk's process engineers, reverse engineered the easily assembled face shield that utilizes elastic from the company's existing bathmat production line. Once other components were sourced, the team quickly learned the assembly process and began producing the shields in mass quantities.
"The requests for these items have come in rapidly, so we looked at how we could expand our operations," Bart Hill, Mohawk Home senior vice president, product development and operations, said. "We're currently working up to producing 5,000 gowns a day and 10,000 face shields a day. It's our intention to continue donating items regularly and providing the remainder of them to healthcare organizations at cost. This isn't a long-term operation for Mohawk, but we have a heart for our communities and are committed to helping while this need is so great."
In total, Mohawk has donated approximately 1,500 gowns and 1,000 face shields to first responders and healthcare organizations including Hamilton Healthcare System, AdventHealth Gordon and Emory University Hospital.
Mohawk Industries is a leading global flooring manufacturer that creates products to enhance residential and commercial spaces around the world. Mohawk's vertically integrated manufacturing and distribution processes provide competitive advantages in the production of carpet, rugs, ceramic tile, laminate, wood, stone and vinyl flooring. Our industry-leading innovation has yielded products and technologies that differentiate our brands in the marketplace and satisfy all remodeling and new construction requirements. Our brands are among the most recognized in the industry and include Mohawk, American Olean, Daltile, Durkan, Feltex, Godfrey Hirst, IVC, Karastan, Marazzi, Pergo, Quick-Step and Unilin. During the past decade, Mohawk has transformed its business from an American carpet manufacturer into the world's largest flooring company with operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, India, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.
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EMS Director Jim Stover retiring at the end of March
Jim Stover reflects on how he and his family found Ruidoso, and how the Lincoln County EMS evolved to its current level of proficiency,
Dianne L Stallings
Ruidoso News
Mention Lincoln County Emergency Medical Services and director Jim Stover's name is bound to be tossed into the conversation.
He has nursed the service through crises, contract changes and the dynamics of mixing paid staff in the population hub of Ruidoso with dedicated volunteers in rural communities.
But at the end of March, Stover will retire after 32 years at the helm.
His parents, the late James "Smoky" and Mable Stover, set the standard of community involvement and Jim Stover followed their example.
The youngest of three children, he was born at the air force base in in Montgomery, Ala., because his parents were in the military. The family traveled as his father was reassigned about every three years, then settled outside of Baltimore, where his father was in the Pentagon when he retired.
After college, Stover joined the military and when he was discharged, became involved with a rural fire service in a town nearby in West Virginia, becoming the chief. He was recruited to be a paramedic, because the governor was giving fire departments ambulances to expand health care.
His wife Carolyn was teaching and his parents lived next door, but one day, Stover read about an opening for an EMS director at a hospital in Ruidoso. Things changed quickly after he and his wife visited Lincoln County. The couple hadn't plan on coming to New Mexico, but they loved Ruidoso immediately and thought the community would be a safe place to raise their children.
"By the time we landed back in Washington, we said, 'The Lord gives you opportunities and this looks like a great place to bring our family.'"
The elder Stovers sold their farm to follow their son.
"We had the only two grandchildren," he said. "My mom and dad always had been community people, helping with Boy Scouts, community service organizations. Dad had a Boy Scout camp in Hawaii named after him that he built while he was there with the military. He had done that everywhere he traveled. He always tried to make a community better."
Village officials were having problems with their stand-alone EMS service and the county-owned hospital was having issues with the handling of patients in transit, Stover said. Gary Mitchell, hospital board chairman, then administrator Ken Moore and Dr. Roger Beechie worked with village manager Jim Hine and the council in 1982, to come up with an arrangement.
"They said if you help fund (EMS), so that we can do it the right way, the hospital will sign a contract and manage it for you," Stover said. He arrived the next year.
"That's how it was relocated," he said. "Those three gentlemen saw a need in the community to improve the EMS service and move it to an advance life support system that could better help the hospital and the patients."
When he came on board, the service was operating with two ambulances, one showing more than 100,000 miles on its odometer and the other just a quick replacement, and an old suburban from the police K-nine unit with more than 200,000 miles on it.
Part of the agreement was that a mobile home purchased by the village be set up as the EMS station at the hospital. The county at that time operated its own separate EMS with six stations and more than 100 volunteers, mostly basic emergency medical technicians.
The next transition occurred in 1997, when the county experienced problems sustaining their volunteer pool that had dwindled to 20. Two stations were closed, because they couldn't be manned. County officials approached the hospital managed by Presbyterian Healthcare Services, about taking over its EMS as part of the lease of the county hospital.
Initially, Stover reported to two bosses under two contracts. The service operated with 10 ambulances and five stations.
In 2006, because of changes in the structure of the lease between Presbyterian and the county, EMS became part of the Lincoln County Medical Center without contracts. The county agreed to help with capital outlay using a voter approved a special property tax levy and the hospital was responsible for operational and staffing needs. The village turned over its equipment to the hospital and the county EMS took over service for all of the county. Jim Gibson was hospital administrator at the time.
Finally, Stover reported to just one board.
Today, five stations are manned and 12 ambulances respond to calls, as well as a paramedic intercept unit to support rural areas. Out of 40 staff, about 25 are volunteers.
"We have a core group at each of the stations who are very dedicated and some have been there longer than I have," Stover said, "We have some tremendous staff. It's all about taking care of the communities."
About nine are paramedics and 15 intermediates, with the rest basic EMTs.
Retirement time
The Stovers plan to keep their home in Ruidoso, "because our kids want to come here and visit," but decided it was time to spend more time with family.
"My son and his family are living in Nashville, Tenn., and my daughter and her family in Fort Worth, Texas," Stover said. "Carolyn retired from teaching after about 40 years and she's had a lot of fun the past two years visiting them. We think it's about time to spend more time with the grandkids. We want to be able to do things for them and with them, and enjoy them, because grandchildren are very special you realize once you have some. I certainly understand why our parents followed us.
"That was a blessing for them and for us."
"Health care delivery has matured as the needs of the community have changed," Stover said. "I'm always amazed at the level of service that this hospital, considering it is a critical access hospital, provides. It's been a strong partnership between the county and Presbyterian and the local folks on the hospital board, and the citizens who support the mill levy. We've been able to things that many hospital in other rural areas cannot do.
"Everybody who comes here is so dedicated to the community. They move here for its quality of life and they find out its about the quality of the people who live here."
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Customer service in times of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This article is posted on our Sartorius Blog.
Despite all the preparation to visit customers, Kevin Mascol had some concerns. “I thought, “If I get down there, what if I can’t get back?” But then he put his foot down on the gas pedal of his black pickup truck and off he drove – roughly 1,000 miles away from his home. Because customers were waiting for him. A road trip through almost the entire western United States – in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As a Sartorius Field Service Engineer, Kevin needed to support installation or calibration of equipment for 15 different customers in Southern California. But during a pandemic, travel restrictions and closed hotels made in-person meetings difficult and travel almost impossible. “There was a lot of uncertainty and there was even talk by local authorities about shutting down the state as a safety measure,” he remembered.
However, some projects just can’t wait. Customers rely on Sartorius to continue with their important work, including the development of life-saving vaccines. “My manager Dennis Webb and I discussed how we can safely go forward. I had the support of the team as well as supervisors and managers. I wasn’t the only one out there. The service department worked really hard.”
So Kevin drove from Idaho to Southern California, and found a particular way to meet the challenge: To prepare for the 15-hour road trip, he loaded up his pickup truck with necessities and pulled along a recreational vehicle to serve as a place to sleep during a time when air travel was not an option and many hotels and restaurants were closed. “It is 985 miles each way and it took two days to get there. I went overboard; I packed up as much as I could. I stowed enough food and water to last a couple of months,” said Kevin laughing. During his journey, he slept in his Airstream travel trailer designed for sleeping or resting. And needless to say, Kevin got the job done.
He was finally rewarded for his long journey – not only by satisfied customers, but also by the beautiful landscape of the Arizona desert. “I definitely would do it again,” he concluded. “We can’t all stay home. Somebody has to go out there and do the job. I think when it comes to something this overwhelming, it’s up to each person to figure out their own way. Everybody has a different level of exposure.”
At the height of the closures in each U.S. state, Kevin wasn't the only one on the road. Geoff Barger went the 700-mile-distance to support a company that focuses on gene therapies for patients with rare diseases. Because of air travel restrictions, Geoff drove to Florida from Virginia. He needed one entire day to drive down there – and arrived 15 minutes early. After spending one day working on site for six hours and completing his work, he then drove on to Durham, North Carolina. Geoff ended up spending the night in a hotel as its only guest. “I carry a can of Lysol with me wherever I go now. When I enter the hotel room, I spray all of the soft surfaces. It’s the first thing I do. I spray the couch, the bed, the chairs and light switches.” There was no food locally or at the hotel, so he ordered takeout through a food delivery service.
It was worth the effort as the customer was satisfied with his work: “He completed the period maintenance service on three units in a timely manner.” The customer, who deals with multiple vendors, emphasized that Geoff also maintained the current distancing requirements of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Others have just postponed visits indefinitely. So, I am impressed with the service from your company.”
After four days on the road, Geoff finally arrived at home again. “The concerns are always in the back of your mind, but I love my job and I’m here to do what needs to be done,” he concluded.
Always willing to help
As an Ambr Field Application Specialist, Don Traul is on hand to provide Ambr 250 training and initiate Covid-19-related collaborations with customers and partners. They are involved in Covid-19 research and need their systems up and running. “Our team doesn’t think twice about it; they’ll do whatever it takes to be successful and make the customer successful. We are focused on figuring out solutions,” said Don. He developed this attitude early on. “I worked on a farm during my formative years — sixth grade through high school — and if the sun was shining, there was work that had to be done,” he emphasized.
Always willing to help a client, Don traveled from his Colorado home to Vancouver, Washington, an approximately 1,200-mile trip one way. Due to the pandemic, his flight on Sunday was delayed and he did not arrive until after midnight in Vancouver. Then his return flight on Friday was canceled so he had to travel home Saturday morning. “Some of the interesting observations was how quiet the airport was and there weren’t any cars in the parking lot. Planes were parked on the tarmac and sitting idle,” he reported.
Despite all the risks, he felt safe. “I had buy-in from all of my managers and their guidance. My wife got me gloves and masks and I was as protected as I was going to be.” The only thing he was concerned about was eating. “I knew restaurants would be closed and I didn’t know how I’d deal with it, but there was a really nice supermarket nearby. I went to a coffee shop, the same place every day for breakfast and lunch. So I felt pretty safe.” Probably also because he had the full backing of his supervisor. “The responsibility was on me. My managers said traveling was all up to my discretion. I could back out at any point if I felt unsafe. If I ever thought the risk was too great, I wouldn’t have done it.”
Whether it is Kevin, Geoff or Don - they are all proof of what it means to go the extra mile. Jerry Varvaro, Head of BPS Service in North America, is proud of the teams. “It’s great to see them achieve what they had to in order to get over the obstacles we’ve had because of Covid-19. Everybody pulled together.”
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Sault Star
Share this Story: Federal government spent millions on 631 new cars for G7 summit. Now, it's trying to sell most of them
Federal government spent millions on 631 new cars for G7 summit. Now, it's trying to sell most of them
According to the RCMP, buying the automobiles outright at a cost of $23 million was considered the most affordable choice
Marie-Danielle Smith
A 2018 Chevy Suburban is listed for sale on the GC Surplus website. Photo by GC Surplus
OTTAWA — The federal government spent $23 million buying more than 600 brand-new cars for use at this year’s G7 summit — and is now struggling to sell them off second-hand.
According to figures the Royal Canadian Mounted Police provided to the National Post, 431 vehicles were to purchased to be used for “motorcade” purposes, and another 200 for “administrative” purposes at the Group of Seven summit last June in Charlevoix, Que., where the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan and Italy met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Only 51 are being repurposed for use within the government.
Federal government spent millions on 631 new cars for G7 summit. Now, it's trying to sell most of them Back to video
According to the RCMP, buying the automobiles outright was considered the most affordable choice. “The RCMP conducted an analysis prior to acquiring the vehicles and concluded it would be more cost-effective to purchase rather than lease,” said Sgt. Marie Damian. “The analysis compared the cost to lease a vehicle over a one-year period versus the depreciation amount of a vehicle over a one-year period.”
Purchasing also made it easier to transport, register and outfit the vehicles with “the appropriate equipment” months in advance of the conference, she said. The RCMP did not address a question about why vehicles from its existing fleet, or borrowed from other police forces, could not be used.
“For security reasons, the RCMP does not provide details on the specific use of the vehicles; however, they were purchased based on the operational requirements,” Damian said.
For “motorcade” purposes the government bought 154 Chevrolet Suburbans, 140 Touring-model Chrysler 300s, 109 Toyota Siennas and 28 Dodge Chargers. It acquired 88 Ford Escapes, 43 Mitsubishi Outlanders, 32 Nissan Rogues, 30 Dodge Journeys and seven Ford Explorers for “administrative” reasons.
From August through October, the feds recouped about $6.3 million from selling 167 vehicles via a government surplus website, mostly out of Quebec City and Montreal. But the attempt to sell such an unusually large number of vehicles appears to be an uphill battle.
In the last two weeks of October alone, almost 40 of the vehicle listings received no bids from potential buyers.
Canadian and United States flags are seen on a vehicle in the motorcade as President Donald Trump arrives at the airport at CFB Bagotville, Que. for the annual summit of G7 leaders on Friday, June 8, 2018. Photo by Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press
“It’s good that they’re trying to recoup something from this but the fact that they’re keeping less than 10 per cent of the cars they bought suggests they bought way too many cars in the first place,” said Aaron Wudrick, executive director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
“Canadian taxpayers just paid for 500 new cars that we don’t need, that even if they sell them, I’m sure we’re going to take a haircut on. This is a straight-up waste of millions of dollars.”
In addition to the seven delegations from G7 member states, guests from another dozen countries and several international organizations were invited as observers. It is unclear whether the vehicles purchased for motorcades were used to transport all those delegations — it has been widely reported that U.S. presidents travel with their own motorcades, for example. Regardless, Wudrick argued, purchasing what works out to 60 new motorcade cars per G7 country is excessive — “It’s the G7, not the G100,” he said.
Based on the Post’s analysis of 135 transactions on GCSurplus between the beginning of August and the end of October, the vehicles sold so far have had an average of just 1,726 km on them. Some have total mileage as low as 41 km.
The lowest-mileage vehicles are 2018 Chrysler 300s, which have a suggested market retail price of between $40,895 and $49,195 new, according to Driving.ca. Based on 29 sales over the past few months — almost half of which were for vehicles that had less than 100 km in mileage — bidders were paying an average of $27,780 per car.
World leaders including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (centre) stand for a family photograph during the Group of Seven (G7) Leaders Summit in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, on Friday, June 8, 2018. Photo by Cole Burston/Bloomberg
At the higher end, buyers have been getting new Chevrolet Suburbans for an average $60,046, compared to a suggested retail price of $58,700 to $77,200. These, 26 of them, had been on the road for an average 1,698 km each.
To determine the best prices, Damian said the government uses the Canadian Black Book and takes into account the condition and mileage of the vehicle. The vehicles are too new and valuable to qualify for other options such as “gratuitous transfer or donation to non-profit organizations,” she said.
“If the vehicles are not sold as currently posted, they may be moved to other locations across the country and re-posted.”
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As of Monday, just under 30 vehicles are listed for sale.
The total budget for this year’s G7 meeting was more than $600 million. The two-day summit ended in chaos as U.S. President Donald Trump, who left early, attacked Trudeau over his position on steel tariffs and disavowed a joint document his officials had already signed, which set out the group’s shared positions on international issues including free trade and Russian interference in Western elections.
Canada holds the rotating presidency of the G7 until the end of 2018, when it will be succeeded by France.
• Email: mdsmith@postmedia.com | Twitter: mariedanielles
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Highlights from the 2015 Campaign for Life Gala
Last week the Susan B. Anthony List hosted our 8th annual Gala and Summit!
SBA List Summit
Senator Rand Paul kicked off the SBA List Summit. Here’s an excerpt from his remarks, which you can watch at the video below.
“Now some have said to me, they’ve said, ‘Well, you’re big on all this liberty stuff, why do you want to restrict a woman’s right to choose?’ And I say, “Well, you know what, the government does have some role in our lives. One of the main roles the government has is to restrict you from harming another individual.’ Which gets us back to the original debate, when life beings there is a role for state. So it’s not that I’m against people choosing things, I’m in fact one of the biggest believers in choice and liberty, but you can’t have liberty if you don’t protect where your liberty originates from and that’s your right to life.”
— Sen. Rand Paul
We also heard from Rep. Steve King and Rep. Chris Smith.
SBA List Gala
Later in the evening at the SBA List Gala, after cracking a few jokes, our keynote speaker Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) spoke very movingly about the need to advance the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and to aggressively take on the other side’s abortion extremism.
“I’m not here to judge people who disagree with me. I’m here to stand up for what I believe, and I really do believe we are on the right side of history. This debate is long overdue and it is going to be a joy. It is not going to be a burden. And I am going to do it with a smile on my face, and love in my heart…The only thing I am going to do is to ask the other side to do a little soul search and to tell me why, in 2015, abortion on demand, five months into pregnancy, makes us a better country.” — Sen. Lindsey Graham
Speaking about the differences between the two political parties, Sen. Graham said:
“The voice for the unborn resides in our party almost exclusively. And for that I am sad. To our pro-life Democrats: you should have a very special place in Heaven.”
Mistress of ceremonies Carly Fiorina also brought up the Democratic Party platform of abortion on-demand:
“Here is what is says: any abortion, anytime, at any point during a woman’s pregnancy, for any reason, to be paid for by taxpayers. Now there are Democrats who want to add, ‘to be performed by a non-doctor.’ This policy has been succinctly summarized by Democrats, such as Barbara Boxer, as ‘it isn’t a life until it leaves the hospital’…Do you agree with that? Nobody agrees with that!” — Carly Fiorina
We also heard from SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), the recipient of the Marilyn Musgrave Defender of Life Award.
And RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, recipient of our Distinguished Leader Award.
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School of Economics | The issue today is whether a dishonest system can be managed honestly
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24 Dec The issue today is whether a dishonest system can be managed honestly
Posted at 00:53h in SOE by Admin 0 Comments
Allegations of interference in major institutions have been the big news of late. The ongoing fracas in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has got out of hand, with the two top officials in the chain of command accusing each other of corruption. The recent pronouncements in the Supreme Court do not promise an early resolution.
The fight against widespread graft in the country has been set back. The Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has highlighted the serious consequences if there is an erosion of its autonomy. The intervention by the Supreme Court in the CBI issue places a question mark on the independence of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the functioning of the government as a whole in making key appointments in the CBI. The CBI controversy has also left an imprint on the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing.
The list of institutions in decline is long. The ongoing #MeToo movement has exposed the sordid goings-on in large swathes of the media and the entertainment industry. Earlier too, the Election Commission was under a cloud over the announcement of election dates, action taken against some Delhi legislators and the functioning of electronic voting machines. The functioning of the judiciary itself has been a cause for concern. Then there is the attempt to introduce Civil Service Rules in Central universities, an attempt to erode the autonomy of academics. The crisis in the banking system and the huge non-performing assets that overrun their balance sheets impact the viability of the financial system.
The present and past
The storm is gathering pace. The decline of institutions in India is not recent. In 2016, demonetisation brought out the centralisation of power and a lack of consultation with important sections of the government. The chaos prevailed for months and about 99% of the money came back into the system, thus defeating the very purpose of carrying out this draconian measure. Those with black money escaped and those who had never seen black money were put to great hardship. The RBI and the banks were marginalised.
The CBI imbroglio is no surprise. Political interference in the agency and corruption among its ranks have been talked about but are hard to prove. The Supreme Court, in 2013, even called the agency a ‘caged parrot’ but this was not concrete enough. The political Opposition when feeling the heat of various investigations has always accused the agency of being its ‘master’s voice’. Now that the spat within has come out in the open, with a spate of accusations, these fears have become all the more credible.
A deep rot
The rot has set in deep, with charges of government manipulation in crucial cases. With the Vineet Narain case, in the 1990s, the Supreme Court tried to insulate the CBI from political manipulation by placing it under the supervision of the CVC. But that has not worked since the independence of the CVC itself has been suspect.
Why is the autonomous functioning of the CBI and CVC such an irresolvable issue?
The CBI is an investigative agency largely manned/controlled by personnel drawn from the police force. And this is a force used to doing the bidding of the ruling dispensation. The rulers themselves commit irregularities in the routine and depend on the police to cooperate with them. The rulers cannot pull them up in their own self-interest.
In the police, there are ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ duties where money can be made in the first but not in the second. Being on the right side of the political masters is lucrative. While earlier there may have been few such officers doing political bidding, now it seems they dominate.
It is akin to having a ‘committed bureaucracy’, an idea floated during the Emergency. The issue is: Committed to whom? To the national interest or to the rulers?
The rule of law is being subverted and illegality being committed on a large scale. Growth of the black economy is a measure of illegality. It has gone up from 4-5% of GDP in 1955-56 to the present level of 62%. It has become ‘systematic and systemic’ and eroded institutional functioning all across the board. This has damaged institutions.
Institutions provide the framework for individuals and systems to function. Their breakdown leads to a breakdown of societal functioning — democracy is weakened, the sense of justice is eroded and the Opposition is sought to be suppressed. The tainted not only survive but also get promoted and damage institutions.
If institutions are strong, they are respected and it becomes difficult to manipulate them. It enables the honest to survive. In strong institutions, individual corruption is an aberration but when they weaken, it becomes generalised. It leads to individualisation, illegality becomes acceptable and the collective interest suffers. Even an ‘honest’ Prime Minister tolerated dishonesty under him. The dilemma is, can a dishonest system be managed honestly?
Arun Kumar is Malcolm Adiseshiah Chair Professor, Institute of Social Sciences, and the author of ‘Understanding Black Economy and Black Money: An Enquiry into Causes, Consequences and Remedies’
The issue today is whether a dishonest system can be managed honestly
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The Science Coalition Applauds Confirmation of Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier as Director of OSTP
WASHINGTON – The Science Coalition (TSC) released the following statement regarding the confirmation of Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier as Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP):
“The Science Coalition applauds the confirmation of Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier as director of OSTP. Dr. Droegemeier is a strong voice for science and federal research funding and is ideally suited to oversee continued growth of essential federal research programs.
“Dr. Droegemeier’s experience and distinguished record of public service provide him a unique perspective into the partnership between the federal government, our nation’s research universities, and the private sector. He has served on the National Science Board and has spent decades at the University of Oklahoma as a research scientist, the director of large-scale, multi-university research initiatives, and Vice President for Research. The Science Coalition is confident that Dr. Droegemeier understands that the federal/university partnership is vital to the country’s scientific enterprise, our economy, and national security. Further, his esteemed career as a research meteorologist proves his commitment to the advancement of world-class science.
“With his deep knowledge of both science and public policy, TSC congratulates Dr. Droegemeier for his new role as science lead within the White House.”
Established in 1994, The Science Coalition is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of more than 50 of the nation’s leading public and private research universities. It is dedicated to sustaining the federal government’s investment in basic scientific research as a means to stimulate the economy, spur innovation, and drive America’s global competitiveness. To learn more, visit www.ScienceCoalition.org.
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Home > Journals > Earth & Environmental Sciences > JWARP
Journal of Water Resource and Protection > Vol.5 No.7A, July 2013
Application of Modified Bagasse as a Biosorbent for Reactive Dyes Removal from Industrial Wastewater ()
Abd El-Aziz A. Said, Aref A. M. Aly, Mohamed M. Abd El-Wahab, Soliman A. Soliman, Aly A. Abd El-Hafez, V. Helmey, Mohamed N. Goda
Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
DOI: 10.4236/jwarp.2013.57A003 PDF HTML 5,439 Downloads 7,634 Views Citations
Propionic acid modified bagasse was used for the removal of reactive yellow 2 and reactive blue 4. The effects of pH, contact time, initial dye concentrations, adsorbent particle size and adsorbent dose on the adsorption of the two dyes were investigated. Additionally, the desorption process and intra-particle diffusion were studied. Acidic pH values were favorable for adsorption of both dyes. The equilibrium adsorption data were best fitted with the Freundlich isotherm for reactive yellow 2 and the Langmiur isotherm for reactive blue 4. The values of their corresponding constants were determined. The kinetic for dye adsorption is well described by a pseudo-first order kinetic model for the reactive yellow 2 and by pseudo-second order for the reactive blue 4. The investigation revealed that the hydroxyl groups of bagasse and the carboxylic group of propionic acid play a great role in the removal of both reactive dyes.
Modified Bagasse; Reactive Yellow 2; Reactive Blue 4; Adsorption; Kinetics
A. Said, A. Aly, M. El-Wahab, S. Soliman, A. El-Hafez, V. Helmey and M. Goda, "Application of Modified Bagasse as a Biosorbent for Reactive Dyes Removal from Industrial Wastewater," Journal of Water Resource and Protection, Vol. 5 No. 7A, 2013, pp. 10-17. doi: 10.4236/jwarp.2013.57A003.
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Saturday October 2020
Match practice biggest issue for Spain
In our second preview of the the main continental teams taking part in this years Autumn Internationals we turn to Spain, and we are delighted that the team behind Spanish women's rugby website Rugby Femenino have agreed to guest for us.
Rugby Femenino is simply one of the best women's rugby websites in the world, and has been since it began in January 2013. An incredibly comprensive coverage of Spanish rugby is at the core of the site, but it is its international coverage that sets it apart. There are few websites that attempt to cover the entire world of women's rugby, and none do it better than Rugby Femenino.
The "Leonas" planned to work for two weeks in October but in the middle of it, they had two Covid positive so they had end the camp early.
One problem this has created is that the players who should have returned to play in France and England couldn´t, and have therefore missed important training and match practice.
For me the biggest problem is that the rest of the squad, who have been without training, and the difference this creates between the players. Some of the players are more active, especially the ones based in France and England, but others much less. Players based in Spain are not generally paid to train away from national camps - there is some funding but it is not the same trying to train without a contract for six months, and then training for one week with one.
That will be the major problem for the team, looking ahead to Russia playing Spain next weekend. Apart from that the Spanish (players and coaches) are confident about the game. They expect only one result (as I do). We are a better team and the previous results where good, with a big difference in scores at the end. Today they started a new training programme leading up to the game next weekend and concentrating 100% on it.
The Netherlands is not going to be a problem. The gap with them is bigger than with Russia, so if they play as we expect there is not going to be a surprise.
The WCQ - that´s another issue. We will have more time to do things (depending on the Covid situation) but domestically Ireland is playing their league, the Scottish players are playing (a lot of them in England) and the Italian league in starting soon too. We do not kick off in Spain until December - after the internationals have finished - so this lack of match practice could be an real issue. We need to do something to be in the right shape, with rugby in our bodies to play those games.
In general this four team group is very even, so it is the details that will win the games.
Patricia Garcia, of course.
Amalia Argudo – a young player with a lot of future.
Paula Medin - She is the best, the oldest player, born in 1984
Maria Garcia - Another future star
Anne Fernandez - Young but with experience
I also want to see Maria Losada. She was injured last year and has not played any games since, but she is a good and powerful Number Eight.
"The World Cup qualification group is very even. It is the details that will win the games."
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Call for land to be donated to the people of Winterton after being withdrawn from sale
The call follows North Lincolnshire Council's decision to remove a site off Earlsgate Gardens in Winterton from the market
Winterton town mayor Paul McCartan (left) and Peter Saunby, pictured by the parcel of land off Earlsgate Gardens which has been removed from sale by North Lincolnshire Council
Campaigners have called for a piece of land to be donated to the people of Winterton after it was withdrawn from sale.
North Lincolnshire Council had intended to sell a 0.04-hectare site off Earlsgate Gardens as a site for two houses and a planning application had been submitted.
But after opposition was mounted to the potential sale, the land has now been taken off the market.
The land has been used for up to 40 years as an allotment, with fruit, flowers and vegetables grown there given to local residents.
But the land had been cleared ahead of any potential sale, before it was announced it would be taken off the market.
Strong winds blow down tree in Scunthorpe
Council leader Rob Waltham confirmed earlier this week that the land was no longer for sale and apologised to residents for the inconvenience they had been put through.
Responding, Winterton town mayor Paul McCartan said: "The apology is welcome but I would like to see North Lincolnshire Council put the allotment back the way it was and I want them to give the land to Winterton so it can be saved as a green space for the enjoyment of the people of Winterton.
"We do value this land and the best way of saving it is to give it to the people of Winterton and we can ensure it stays as a green space for people to enjoy.
"Let’s try and get a positive out of this."
The entrance to the land, off Earlsgate Gardens in Winterton (Image: Google Maps)
At a meeting yesterday, Winterton Town Council agreed to formally write to North Lincolnshire Council to request that the land is gifted to Winterton to ensure it can be protected.
Peter Saunby, 77, who has gardened on the land for 40 years, said he now intended to keep it up next year.
Mr Saunby said he had sold a sectional shed and greenhouse and taken fruit trees and bushes away since being given notice to clear the site.
Watch as power station meets its thunderous end after it is spectacularly demolished by 50kg of explosives
But he said: "I have said I will keep it for another year so people can sort out what they want to do with it.
"I definitely agree with the idea of gifting the land to the people of Winterton.
"If they do that, it will be something that is there for a long time."
The location of the land, marked in red (Image: North Lincolnshire Council)
Mr Waltham said the decision was taken to remove the land from sale after representations were made by ward councillors Elaine Marper, Ralph Ogg and Helen Rowson and Brigg and Goole MP Andrew Percy.
He said: "I have received some really strong representations from the ward councillors and Andrew Percy, the MP for Winterton, about the sale of this land.
"Sometimes councils get it wrong and this is a good example of one of those occasions.
"As leader of the council, I think it is right that we apologise for the inconvenience this has caused residents.
"Elaine, Ralph and Helen have been clear that the sale of this land will have an adverse impact on this area of Winterton.
What the Budget means for people in Scunthorpe including Universal Credit, the National Living Wage and beer duty
"I have ensured that the site has been removed from sale and the planning application has been withdrawn too."
Mr Waltham said the council was now in discussions with local residents about the future of the land.
He said: "The council is already in talks with residents to see how we can deliver it as an allotment site for the community.
"We are looking to formalise it as an allotment and we want a succession plan around it.
"We will reveal some more on these plans in the coming weeks."
Andrew Percy
Rob Waltham
North Lincolnshire Council
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Manchester United target Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin
Date: 11th December 2016 at 8:54pm
Written by: Daniel Church
Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Uruguay international defender Diego Godin, according to the Mirror.
The Premier League side, who fought Tottenham at Old Trafford in the English top-flight this afternoon, have been linked with a move for the Atletico Madrid centre-half ahead of the forthcoming January transfer window.
The 30-year-old, who has 106 international caps for his country, has scored one goal in 19 appearances in all competitions for the La Liga outfit so far this season.
Godin; who has also featured for Spanish rivals Villarreal, is wanted by Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho to bolster his side’s defensive ranks next year, having won just five of their opening 14 league fixtures this term.
The Uruguayan ace, who won the La Liga title with Atletico during their remarkable 2013/14 campaign, has played 277 times for Diego Simeone’s side since arriving at the Vicente Calderon Stadium back in August 2010.
Godin’s current deal with Atletico expires in the summer of 2019.
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Company Update (NASDAQ:EXEL): Exelixis, Inc. to Present Clinical Data on Cabozantinib and Cobimetinib at ESMO 2016
Corey Williams- August 31, 2016, 8:53 AM EDT
Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) announced that data from clinical trials of cabozantinib and cobimetinib will be the subject of 15 presentations at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2016 Congress in Copenhagen, October 7 – 11, 2016.
Detailed results from CABOSUN, a randomized phase 2 clinical trial of cabozantinib compared with sunitinib in patients with previously untreated advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), will be presented at ESMO as a late-breaking abstract in the Genitourinary Tumours, Non-Prostate oral presentation session on Saturday, October 8. Additional poster presentations will detail the investigation of cabozantinib in other cancer settings, including in combination with nivolumab in metastatic urothelial carcinoma and other genitourinary cancers, as well as the evaluation of cobimetinib in combination studies across multiple tumor types.
“This year’s ESMO Congress provides Exelixis and our partners with the opportunity to present data across a broad spectrum of cancers and potential treatment combinations,” said Michael M. Morrissey, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Exelixis. “We look forward to the first presentation of the CABOSUN data, which will provide more detail about the statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival for cabozantinib in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma in the front-line setting. Our focus remains on further examining the potential of our therapies and moving these medicines through clinical development so they are available to patients and physicians as quickly as possible.” (Original Source)
Shares of Exelixis closed yesterday at $11.04, up $0.06 or 0.55%. EXEL has a 1-year high of $11.74 and a 1-year low of $3.55. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $9.55 and its 200-day moving average is $6.27.
On the ratings front, Exelixis has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. In a report issued on August 29, Leerink Swann analyst Michael Schmidt reiterated a Buy rating on EXEL, with a price target of $12, which implies an upside of 8.7% from current levels. Separately, on August 4, Stifel Nicolaus’ Stephen Willey maintained a Buy rating on the stock and has a price target of $12.
According to TipRanks.com, which ranks over 7,500 financial analysts and bloggers to gauge the performance of their past recommendations, Michael Schmidt and Stephen Willey have a total average return of 11.8% and 19.5% respectively. Schmidt has a success rate of 57.1% and is ranked #243 out of 4129 analysts, while Willey has a success rate of 52.7% and is ranked #126.
Overall, one research analyst has assigned a Hold rating and 3 research analysts have given a Buy rating to the stock. When considering if perhaps the stock is under or overvalued, the average price target is $12.00 which is 8.7% above where the stock closed yesterday.
Exelixis, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company, which engages in the developing and commercializing small molecule therapies for the treatment of cancer. Its brands include COMETRIQ and cobimetinib. The company focuses on their proprietary resources and development and commercialization of cabozantinib.
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Top Analyst Pounds the Table on Exelixis, Inc. (EXEL)
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Wednesday Morning’s Market Insights: Linn Energy LLC (LINE), Lululemon Athletica inc. (LULU), ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ACAD), Opko Health Inc. (OPK)
Sarah Roden- March 30, 2016, 8:50 AM EDT
Linn Energy LLC (NASDAQ:LINE) is up 9% in pre-market trading after oil prices rose slightly this morning due to a weaker dollar, which increased the interested in riskier assets for holders of other currencies. This comes after dovish comments made by Fed Chair Janet Yellin yesterday about a possible rise in interest rates. Brent futures LCOc1 is now at #39.60 a barrel and U.S. crude CLc1 is at $38.89 a barrel. Another reason for the slight rise is comments from the International Energy Agency regarding Iran’s projected oil output. The agency stated that Iran would not produce as much oil as it originally planned. Executive director of the IEA Fatih Biron stated, “It was misleading to believe that there would be a huge amount of new Iranian crude and natural gas production entering the market in the short term,”
According to TipRanks’ statistics, all 5 analysts who have rated the company in the past 3 months are bearish. The average 12-month price target for the stock is $0.50, marking a 39% upside from where shares last closed.
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ACAD) is soaring nearly 25% in pre-market trading after the company got the nod from the FDA’s advisory committee for Nuplazid, the company’s drug to treat psychosis associated with Parkinson’s disease. The drug has already been granted Breakthrough Drug designation, which will give it priority review, but it was facing scrutiny after several patients died in the trial. The FDA’s advisory committee voted 12 to 2, in favor of the drug. The committee concluded that the deaths in the trial could not be directly attributed to Nuplazid as high mortality rates are associated with PDP, and that the benefits of the treatment outweigh the risks. In light of the good news for Acadia, Needham analyst Alan Carr reiterated a Buy rating on the stock with a $49 price target, noting that the favorable votes “creates a path to approval,” which he expects by May. According to TipRanks, all 9 analysts who have rated the stock in the last 3 months are bullish with an average 12-month price target of $52, marking a 120% upside from where shares last closed.
Lululemon Athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) is trading up 5% in pre-market trading as the company posted earnings this morning. The company posted fiscal fourth quarter 2015 net revenue of $704.3 million, marking a 17% year-over-year increase, and beating analysts’ estimates of $693 million. The athletic retailer posted diluted EPS of $0.85, compared to $0.78 in the same quarter of last year and beating the analyst consensus by 5 cents. For full year 2016, the company forecasts net revenue between $2.285 billion and $2.335 billion, and full year diluted EPS between $2.05 and $2.15. As of this writing, 11 analysts are bullish on Lululemon, 1 is bearish, and 3 are neutral. According to TipRanks, the average 12-month price target between these 15 analysts is $63.92, marking a 4.3% potential upside from where shares last closed.
Opko Health Inc. (NYSE:OPK) is down nearly 9% in pre-market trading after the company received a reply from the FDA regarding RAYALDEE, the company’s investigational treatment for hyperparathyroidism in patients with kidney disease. The FDA did not request a new clinical study for the drug, only indicating that there is an issue in the third-party manufacturer. Opko ensures that its third-party manufacturer has already agreed to cooperate and respond to the FDA’s observations. Phillip Frost, CEO, assured, “OPKO is committed to bringing RAYALDEE to patients who will benefit from its intended use and will work closely with the FDA and our third-party manufacturer to ensure that the inspection observations are promptly and fully addressed. We will continue to build our commercial sales organization in preparation for the earliest possible RAYALDEE launch.” According to TipRanks, both analysts who have rated the stock in the last 3 months are neutral.
Top Analyst Stands Firm for Acadia Pharmaceutical (ACAD) Stock While its Anti-Depression Medication Goes Through Trial
Shanna Fuld, December 3, 2018
J.P. Morgan’s Cory Kasimov Shares Thoughts on ACADIA Pharmaceuticals (ACAD) Following FDA Approval of Nuplazid Formulations
Jason Cohen, June 29, 2018
Acadia Pharmaceuticals (ACAD): Another Glimpse Into Nuplazid Safety Profile
Jason Cohen, April 10, 2018
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Video encyclopedia
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Flashback: 19th of January
Eminem and Ed Sheeran are at #1 on the UK singles chart with 'River'
"River" is a song by American rapper Eminem featuring guest vocals by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It is the fifth track from his ninth solo studio album Revival. The song was written by Mathers, Sheeran and Emile Haynie, and produced by Haynie. The song details the struggles of a failing relationship that culminates in an abortion.
The 60th Golden Globes
The 60th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television for 2002, awarded The Hours as Best Motion Picture – Drama and Chicago as Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. The award for Best Director went to Martin Scorsese for Gangs of New York.
Fantasy drama 'Charmed' celebrates its 100th episode
Charmed is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. Centennial Charmed is the 12th episode of the fifth season and the 100th overall episode of Charmed.
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Faiz Fazal
Rate this Cricketer1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Team India National Cricket Team
Role Batsman
Born Sep 7, 1985
Nationality India
Vidarbha cricket team 2003 - present
India 2016 - present
Railways 2009 - 2011
Rajasthan Royals 2009 - 2011
Faiz Yakub Fazal is an Indian professional cricket player born in Nagpur, Maharashtra in 1985. His major teams include Central, India U-19s, India Red, Railways, Rajasthan Royals and Vidarbha. He has been retained by the Rajasthan Royals team to play at the IPL 5 season 2012.
Faiz is a left handed opening batsman having played in 43 First class matches, 40 List A matches and 27 Twenty20 matches. He was also an active part of the Rajasthan Royals IPL team 2011.
Of the 43 First class matches that he played, Faiz scored 2642 runs, with an average of 37.21 and a strike rate of 44.45. He played in 40 List A matches, scoring 1119 runs, with an average rate of 29.44 and a strike rate of 63. Moreover, he scored 427 runs of the 27 Twenty20 matches, with an average of 18.56 and a strike rate of 109.48.
Latest edit made by Abhay Burande
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SoulTonic is an acoustic quartet that fuses rock, folk and soul into a unique, lush and rhythmic sound all our own. Our standout original tunes and creative reinterpretations of classics and contemporaries are meant to be heard, seen and felt. We're working on our first full album of original music while paying tribute to traditional soul and folk icons and more recent indie folk alternative influences, including John Mayer, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Khan, Shawn Colvin, The Eagles, Bonnie Raitt and others. Audiences love the band's energy, performance style, rich layered vocals, superb musicianship and eclectic set list. Based in Fairfield County, Connecticut, SoulTonic performs at local venues, music festivals and concert series, community events, house concerts and private parties.
NANCY BURGER
// guitar, vocals
Nancy grew up playing classical piano, clarinet and guitar, but turned her attention to singing and songwriting in the late 90’s. In 2013, Nancy became lead vocalist for Hindsight, a guitar-based trio whose set list includes both originals and covers from a wide range of artists including Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, The Beatles, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac and Dave Mason. SoulTonic represents an oasis of
creative partnership and friendship: “It not only gives me the rare opportunity to write and perform original songs with gifted musicians, it allows me to do so with people I love being around. It doesn’t get
any better than this.” Nancy plays a Breedlove guitar.
SCOTT WEBER
Scott is a self-taught guitarist / singer / songwriter and has been playing guitar since he was eight years old. He has two albums to his credit with his philanthropic project Acoustic Wilton which showcased both adult and student artists raising money for local causes. Scott currently serves on the board of directors for Kids Empowered by Your Support (KEYS) providing music instruction to disadvantaged students in the Bridgeport, CT school system. Scott's music is heavily influenced by Michael Hedges, Indigo
Girls, Marvin Gaye and Little Feat. He plays Taylor, Breedlove, Collings and Maton acoustic guitars.
DAN BERG
// bass, vocals
Dan started on piano, switched to guitar when he first heard Led Zeppelin, but became a bass player when the only bassist in his high school graduated and left the jazz ensemble bass-less. What initially started as a favor to the band director has become a lifelong musical passion. Dan has played and composed his entire life and he's involved in a number of musical endeavors, but the rapport, the music and vibe of this organic acoustic soul project are a special kind of alchemy. “It’s a bit of lightning in a bottle and I’m privileged to help bring it to life.” Dan has a whole mess of basses, but is really enjoying playing his Warwick Alien 6-string fretless acoustic bass in SoulTonic.
// percussion, vocals
James began as a self-taught drummer by grooving to classic rock records in high school before earning music performance degrees from SUNY Purchase and
Yale. Additional formal studies include drum set, middle eastern and African percussion. James has performed with dance troupes, Broadway tours, regional theatres and orchestras. James currently teaches for the Darien Public Schools. He composes music and presents at workshops while continuing his passion for performance. James also plays regularly with a jazz trio and a Sephardic group, but "playing percussion with SoulTonic is a wonderful part of this joyous musical journey." James plays an LP Americana Birch cajon, LP Giovanni Hidalgo bongos, and Box Percussion shakers.
info@soultonicofficial.com
© 2019 by SoulTonic. Proudly created with Wix.com
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Submit A Sports Event
One community,
This year’s summit includes $20,000 in scholarships.
Express Photo/Courtesy Educating Children of Color
CREATING CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE SCHOOLS
Annual summit provides opportunities for students and teachers
Heidi Beedle
One of the biggest local events focused on educating children of color — along with providing scholarships — takes place this month, on Jan. 16.
The 14th annual Educating Children of Color Summit has gone virtual as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and big gatherings are prohibited. The summit, which brings students, parents and educators together for a day of classes and sessions on higher education, leadership, and self-empowerment, will also award $20,000 in scholarships to students and teachers. This year’s presenters include nationally recognized authors and speakers like anti-racism educator Tim Wise, University of San Francisco School of Law professor Rhonda Magee and public health consultant Willy Wilkinson.
“Our goal for youth is to teach them about higher education, leadership opportunities, life skills and self-empowerment — and to expose them to higher education and careers,” said Regina Walter, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Educating Children of Color. “Our goal with professionals mostly is to reach educators so they can engage and inspire children who don’t look like them, weren’t raised like them, through the use of culturally responsive pedagogy. Our goal with parents is just to teach them what it means to be college ready, what it means to be career ready and how to hold kids and schools accountable.”
This year, the summit’s virtual program poses a challenge for Walter. As of Dec. 3, she had more scholarships than registrants for the Summit. Parents and students can visit https://educatingchildrenofcolor.org/ to register.
Pull Quote
"I would say it’s one of the best professional developments staff can have around equity. It allows our staff to see things from different perspectives.”
— Wendy Birhanzel
“We have five scholarships based on the theme, ‘Infinite hope with deliberate effort,’” she said. “Then we have a $1,000 scholarship for someone interested in a career in the construction field. We have a $1,000 scholarship for an individual who’s interested in a career in cosmetology. We have two $500 scholarships for a single mom. We have two $1,000 scholarships sponsored by Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and that’s based on an essay about societal problems and solutions. We have one being sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta. Then we’ll give away two $500 teacher awards that a teacher can use either in their classroom or to further their education.”
Walter has witnessed firsthand the impact Educating Children of Color has had on participants during the past 13 years.
“We have a number of youth who never ever contemplated college, who are now successful college graduates and have professional careers,” she said. “We’ve given away $200,000 in scholarship money over the last 13 years, and more than 200 laptops. We’ve increased the number of people who attend [the summit], it’s about 1,500 a year. That very first year we had 350. We’re able to attract nationally renowned speakers, and [we’re most]proud of the youth who have taken advantage of the opportunities we’ve given them in terms of scholarship money or leadership opportunities.”
Walter isn’t the only one who believes in the summit’s impact for local communities. Wendy Birhanzel, superintendent for Harrison School District 2, sees it as a valuable professional development opportunity for teachers in her district.
“We are partners with Educating Children of Color Summit,” she said. “We’ve been sending students for years. We usually have the largest contingency of students. We value the program so much that we bus our students there. We do planning prior with our students and starting last year we paid for staff to attend also. We’ll be doing that moving forward. It’s just such a good opportunity for our students and staff to come together and really learn some new strategies and skills on how to work together.”
Last year, D2 sent 135 teachers, administrators, central office staff, instructional coaches, and athletic directors to the summit.
“I would say it’s one of the best professional developments staff can have around equity,” said Birhanzel. “It allows our staff to see things from different perspectives. In education, it’s all about relationships, and so you can’t teach the content if you don’t have that relationship, so it really helps create those strong relationships with our students from many different backgrounds than our staff. I really think it allows staff to uncover their own biases they might have, or see things from a different perspective that’s not been brought to their foresight before. It’s just really eye-opening and allows everyone to be on the same page. We’re all here to work to support students of diverse backgrounds, and here’s how we do it best. It’s a great opportunity, there’s multiple sessions going on, and every time staff comes back and they’re just invigorated with new ideas to try and really reflecting on their practices of, ‘How do I change things in the classroom to make it better for students?’”
Issues around racial justice and equity have been a hot topic following widespread, sustained national protests after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. The national movement for racial justice has influenced this year’s Educating Children of Color Summit.
“It absolutely directed what our content would be,” said Walter. “Our content committee spent our time talking about George Floyd’s murder and we chose our speakers based on that — and self-care. We recognize the trauma that affects our nation also affects our children and affects our educators. It’s an emphasis on equity and self-care [this year].”
Addressing equity in the school setting is something that can have an impact on the educational outcomes for marginalized students, especially those who not only struggle around issues of race, but also gender and sexual identity. Willy Wilkinson, one of this year’s summit presenters, is a California-based public health consultant and the author of Born on the Edge of Race and Gender: A Voice for Cultural Competency.
“Of course people of color are experiencing multiple systems of oppression around race, ethnic identity, gender identity and expression and other issues,” he said. “Studies show that Black boys, or gender non-conforming girls, those are the folks who are experiencing more disciplinary action at schools. When people are perceived as breaking rules around gender, they’re experiencing multiple systems of oppression around being discriminated against by race, as well as gender and gender expression. When you look at statistics on a national level, for instance, in one large-scale study done nationwide [the National Transgender Discrimination Survey] with 6,450 respondents in every state and territory in the U.S., 78 percent of the respondents had experienced harassment and discrimination in their K-12 experience. High incidences of harassment, physical and sexual violence, even, in their K-12 experience. People of color are disproportionately impacted. When we talk about alarming statistics in the community, we’re talking about Black and brown folks being primarily impacted, so we really have to look at statistics with that lens.”
Not only do students of color face discrimination in school settings, but they are also more likely to face legal consequences. Birhanzel notes that the Educating Children of Color Summit has had a positive impact on D2’s restorative justice programs.
“I can tell you, as we know, the data shows students of color, students in poverty are overrepresented in the justice system,” she said. “A lot of the work at the ECOC Summit helps staff see students in a different light, so it’s really helpful for our work around restorative justice and really looking at, ‘How do we proactively support students of all different backgrounds?’ Staff will come back with all kinds of ideas and just excitement around changing the culture and changing how we work with students versus being more of a punitive system.”
The focus on equity and intersectional issues is a promising sign of the times, and so is the success of the summit’s sister program, University Diversity, a multi-session program for professionals and community members.
“This year [In 2020] more than 500 people signed up for Diversity University in light of everything that was happening in this country, which was completely overwhelming,” said Walter. “We ended up having to do two one-week sessions and five one-day sessions to try to accommodate everybody, and we still weren’t able to. This fall we’ve been doing a fall version of Diversity University in two-hour bites, so the community’s response has been incredible in terms of wanting to heal the divide in this country.”
Educational Theatre Association
Willy Wilkinson
Regina Walter
Student Television Network
University Of San Francisco School
Derek Chauvin
University Diversity
Public Health Consultant
Harrison School District
Wendy Birhanzel
Public Health Consultant And The Author
Director Of The Nonprofit Educating Children Of Color
Minneapolis Police
Diversity University
Rhonda Magee
University Of San Francisco School Of Law
Heidi Beedle is a former soldier, educator, activist, and animal welfare worker. She received a Bachelor’s in English from UCCS. She has worked as a freelance writer covering LGBTQ issues, nuclear disasters, cattle mutilations, and social movements.
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Isle of Man Steam Packet Company confirms schedule
The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has confirmed its revised schedule following the easing of travel restrictions by the Isle of Man Government.
From 20th July, the Island will move from Level 5 to Level 4 in the Isle of Man Borders Framework. This will allow Island residents to visit the UK and beyond for holidays or to visit friends and relatives before self-isolating for 14 days on their return.
Although the Steam Packet Company rescheduled its timetable in late March, it has continued to operate daily services between Douglas and Heysham, including an overnight lifeline freight service.
The change in government policy – considered the next stage of a phased border reopening – will see the company run two daily sailings between Douglas and Heysham on the Ben-my-Chree on most dates from Friday 24th July, as well as providing a daily fast craft service to Liverpool on Manannan from Fridays to Mondays (again beginning on 24th July).
Chief Executive Mark Woodward said: ‘We were anticipating this news for some time so have been developing rigorous processes to ensure measures are in place to protect passengers and crew.
‘This schedule is available for Manx residents who can self-isolate on their return for 14 days. It will see the Ben-my-Chree provide a twice-daily service for both freight and passengers to Heysham and a link to Belfast. Manannan will also provide a passenger service to Liverpool.
‘Throughout the pandemic, our team has worked within strict parameters and the safety, wellbeing and protection of our passengers and staff remains our number one priority with easy-to-follow guidance in place for those travelling on our vessels. Passenger bookings are currently being capped on every sailing to around 40% of capacity to help maintain social distancing onboard.’
From 20th July, Island residents must have a Manx Entry Permit to ensure they can return and need to complete an online Government Landing Form prior to travelling.
The Isle of Man borders remain closed to non-residents unless they have been granted an exemption certificate.
New reservations can be made online at: www.steam-packet.com, by calling 661661 or by visiting the Ferry Travel Shop at the Sea Terminal in Douglas. Sailing schedules may be adjusted in due course to reflect the revised level of demand. All passengers affected will be contacted by the company.
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Americas Europe Asia-Pacific Middle East Africa
War and Conflict Arms Control Defense
Turmoil at Home, Turmoil Abroad: Israel and the U.S. Escalate Their War Against Iran
© Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
As the combined impact of the corona virus and the wholesale destruction of America’s history and culture, or at least the part of it that is white, continues, it is nice to see that other nations are getting into the game that will lead to the de facto elimination of western civilization. No one is yet quite up the U.S. level of senseless destruction and looting by the heroes of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Antifa, but in Britain mobs are beating policemen, statues including that of Winston Churchill are being attacked and the Cenotaph commemorating the country’s war dead has been vandalized. In a bizarre incident demonstrating the fundamental ignorance of the wreckers, a memorial to those who died at the 1651 Battle of Worcester in the English Civil War has suffered “significant damage”, with the letters BLM painted on the marker.
Perhaps the most ridiculous SJW demand arising out of the ethno-racism nonsense that has induced the politicians and journalists to go down on their knees and beg for forgiveness is the argument that the Arch of Titus in Rome, which has been standing for two thousand years, should be destroyed because one of its panels depicts the triumphal parade that displayed the loot obtained from the Roman capture of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Yeshiva University senior Michael Weiner writing in the Jewish magazine “The Forward” argues that “…like Columbus, Robert E. Lee, and King Leopold II, it too must come down. There is no excuse for Italy to maintain, fund, and proudly display a structure that celebrates the destruction of Jerusalem, the forced displacement of the Jews of Judea, and the burning of the Temple… As an ancient propaganda tool to glorify Rome’s bloody conquests and a modern emblem of Christian persecution and Jewish subjugation, the Arch of Titus is a cruel symbol.”
Weiner seems unaware, or more likely does not care, that there is considerable irony in his denunciation of the Roman subjugation of Judea while ignoring the very real contemporary genocide of the Palestinian people by his co-religionists in Israel. It just goes to show you that once the destruction game starts, anyone who has a grievance can join in and the damage will increase exponentially as every foolish demand becomes self-justifying.
If the current political turmoil ever reverts to anything like normalcy, what is likely to emerge out the other end is a coalition of grievance groups that have figured out that destroying things indiscriminately to make some people feel consumed with guilt so you can steal their money and property is a whole lot easier than actually having to come up with something reasonable. Whatever it winds up calling itself the “NewPolitics” will look a lot like Nancy Pelosi’s groveling Democratic Party or possibly Britain’s Labour Party under its new dystopian leader Keir Starmer, whose overriding mission appears to be ridding the world of anti-Semitism.
Be that as it may, and assuming that the world will not end in the next year or so, the distraction arising from the virus and demonstrations has provided plenty of opportunity for the Trump Administration’s consigliere Mike Pompeo and his foreign allies to make mischief all around the world. Indeed, there have been opportunities for several “twofers” with condemnation of China’s and Venezuela’s relations with Iran permitting attacks on multiple “enemies” simultaneously.
China is completing a “New Silk Road” trade agreement with Iran that will reduce the impact of U.S. sanctions while Iran has been supplying refined petroleum products to Venezuela. Washington has been working hard to disrupt both developments, even threatening to use counter-terrorism legislation to intercept the Greek-owned but carrying-Iranian-fuel tankers in international waters.
The real question all along has been whether the United States and Israel will attack Iran now or later, but the usual anonymous sources in Washington that provide the New York Times with fodder for its fabricated foreign policy pieces are now suggesting that we are looking at something that might be called “incremental conflict management”, which would consist of a series of “short-of-war clandestine strikes, aimed at taking out the most prominent generals of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and setting back Iran’s nuclear facilities.”
Brian H. Hook, the State Department’s special envoy for Iran described the U.S. government’s vapid Iran policy by observing “We have seen historically that timidity and weakness invites more Iranian aggression.” Also, in an election year, “incremental” sounds better than real war and it also obscures the reality that Israel is already attacking Iran and its allies, almost daily, aided by the Trump Administration and also encouraged by a belligerent U.S. Congress.
The U.S. approach to Iran is only marginally more subtle than that of the Jewish state, consisting of seeking to destroy the country’s economy by blocking its oil exports and its banking sector. Last week a U.S. court in Washington cited “anti-terror legislation” to rule against Iran, awarding $879 million in damages to the survivors and families of the U.S. airmen killed in the Khobar Towers bombing attack in 1996. Iran has denied involvement in the bombing and there is certainly no hard evidence that it was behind it, but the victims will in any event have a hard time collecting their money as the Iranian government has had many of its bank accounts frozen by the U.S. Treasury.
The “incremental war” crowd sees a situation in which the United States and Israel have de facto been pursuing a plan to bring down the Iranian government while also devastating its nuclear program. The United States is applying the economic pressure through an increasing use of sanctions, while Israel regularly bombs Iranians and Iranian proxies in Syria and Lebanon. The two governments believe that the combination of military force and economic sanctions will eventually force the Iranian regime to basically surrender and effectively disarm without having to escalate into an open, shooting war.
The only problem with the staged approach is that Israel has already, in the past two weeks, directly attacked major research and development facilities inside Iran, and has apparently done so in part with missiles fired either from Israeli fighter-bombers or from ships offshore in the Persian Gulf. The two attacks took place on July 2, 2020, one directed against the Iranian nuclear research facility at Natanz and the second was targeting a claimed missile development center at Parchin. Neither attack was much reported in the western media even though they together appeared to be a major escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict, with potentially significant consequences.
Even the Times, again relying on an anonymous “Middle Eastern intelligence official with knowledge of the episode,” eventually reported that Natanz was not hit by a cyber-attack, as had been previously suggested, but by a “powerful bomb” which might well have been placed in the site’s main building by an Israeli agent. One assumes that the “Middle Eastern official” was Israeli and Israeli media sources also confirmed that Parchin was hit by missiles fired from an F-35 Israeli Air Force plane, which suggests that the Benjamin Netanyahu is not exactly being shy about what his government did.
The point is that the U.S. and the Israelis are intent on going to war against enemy number one Iran and are packaging their actions in such away as to suggest that they are really behaving in a moderate fashion. They are assuming that Iran will retaliate, but in such a way as to avoid intensifying the conflict. In reality, taking action to destroy a nation’s economy is an act of war just as much as is staging attacks using bombs carried by spies or using missiles fired from planes. There is already a war going on, but the smokescreen provided by the coronavirus spread and BLM means that no one seems to want more on their plate and there is great reluctance to call it for what it is.
July 16, 2020 | Security
© 2010 - 2021 | Strategic Culture Foundation | Republishing is welcomed with reference to Strategic Culture online journal www.strategic-culture.org.
The views of individual contributors do not necessarily represent those of the Strategic Culture Foundation.
Iran Israel Middle East United States War
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Netanyahu-Pompeo Meeting Solidifies War Plan on Iran
Cornering and Strangulating Iran Has Backfired on Israel
Who Made Coronavirus? Was It the U.S., Israel or China Itself?
A New War in the New Year? Trump Again Takes Aim at Iran
Trump Didn’t End Endless Wars, He Extended the Carnage
Renewed Efforts at Normalising Global Violence
The Trump Administration Barrels on a Warpath Towards Iran
Vultures, Wolves and Sharks Around Iran
Democracies Don’t Start Wars. But Democrats Do
No Hope Ahead for Palestinians
Biden’s Iran Deal Faces Iran’s ‘Red Pill’
One Assassinated Iranian Scientist – Many Questions Raised
Obama’s Back. The Middle East Has a Chance Now for Some Kind of Order
‘Thinking Machiavelli, Acting Mussolini’
A Killing in Iran: Who Gains From Yet Another Assassination?
America in Crisis... Blaming Russia Is Self-Defeating Diversion
Should Trump and His Supporters Face ‘Damnatio Memoriae’?
Beyond Coronavirus: What 2020 Will Also Be Remembered For
When Deplorables Become Ungovernables
Is Adam Schiff an Anti-Semite?
Ph.D., Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest.
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Couch finishes 12th in 10m Platform final
Tonia Couch finished 12th in the final of the Women’s 10m Platform event after putting in some solid dives in the penultimate diving event of Rio 2016.
The Plymouth diver had experienced a few set-backs in the prelims, with a few dives not quite hitting their mark. Despite this, she made it through to the final after some stronger performances towards the back end of both the prelims and the semi-final.
She saved her best ’til last! Great final dive from @toniacouch – she finishes her Olympic campaign on 323.70 (12th) pic.twitter.com/9ywPgc8f25
— Team GB (@TeamGB) August 18, 2016
In the prelims and the semis, Couch struggled with her first dive, scoring below 50 points. However in the finals, she looked strong at the end of the first round, scoring 64.50 to kick off the event.
Her second dive was pretty strong too, executing her Armstand Back Double Somersault 1 1/2 Twists very well. Her entry was slightly off vertical, but she scored 67.20.
Couch’s best dive of the final was her Back 2 1/2 Somersaults 11/2 Twists. This was the only dive that scored over 70 points.
No match for the Chinese
Couch did execute four out of five dives reasonably well. However she was just not on form in the final of the Women’s 10m Platform.
The two Chinese divers were nearly both 100 points ahead of her, outclassing the rest of the field. 15-year old Ren Qian took gold with 439.25, and her team mate Si Yajie claimed silver with 419.40.
Tonia Couch said: “I focused so much on synchro with Lois that going up there today and yesterday without her next to me felt like I was on my own. Before the Olympics she was down at my house for a week, I was up with her as well and we just focused so much on synchro.
“I gave everything I could into that and didn’t leave enough for my individual so I’m a little bit gutted. Everybody stepped it up in that final and I just stayed steady.”
“I wanted to have fun in that final but it’s just a shame it wasn’t my best performance. I finished with a great dive though so I guess that was good to do.” – Tonia Couch
“It’s been a long run for me and I feel like I’ve been on top of my game for so long now and I’m getting older and it’s getting harder but fingers crossed I can keep my body together for the synchro over the next few years.”
Tonia Couch News
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HomeThe Keeping Room
The Keeping Room
The Keeping Room is a TV show on British national television from Channel 4 with an average rating of 3.0 stars by TelevisionCatchUp.co.uk's visitors. We have 1 episodes of The Keeping Room in our archive. The first episode of The Keeping Room was broadcast in October, 2019. Did you miss an episode of The Keeping Room but don't you wan't that to happen in the future? Please set an alarm and add The Keeping Room to your favourites, so we can remind you by email when there's a new episode available to watch. For free!
(2014) Violent US Civil War western starring Hailee Steinfeld, Brit Marling, Muna Otaru, Sam Worthington and Kyle Soller. Two renegade soldiers target three young women living on an isolated farm.
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Ireland 'still on' for gay-hate preacher Steven Anderson after Dutch ban
Sean Pollock
Sunday May 05 2019, 12.01am, The Sunday Times
Not welcome: Anderson
An American preacher who says homosexuals should be executed, and who was banned by Dutch authorities last week from entering the Schengen area, still plans to visit Ireland as part of a speaking tour this month.
Steven Anderson, founder of the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Arizona, has been widely criticised for the contents of his sermons, which have included denying the Holocaust happened and claiming that LGBT people should be stoned to death.
He has also praised the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, in which 49 people were killed and 53 others wounded when a gunman opened fire on the Florida city’s Pulse LGBT bar.
Anderson, who regularly live-streams his sermons online, was due to conduct a speaking tour at the end of May in
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Stephen Jackson; Former NBA Player Turned Activist Using His Platform To Get Justice | The Triangle
Stephen Jackson; Former NBA Player Turned Activist Using His Platform To Get Justice
By Mark Budd
On May 25, 2020, a 46-year-old African-American man named George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis, Minnesota on camera as he was being detained by four officers for suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a market. Despite the initial claim of the Minneapolis police, video footage released suggests that there was no sign of resisting from Floyd during the arrest. In the footage taken at the scene, after walking around with a handcuffed Floyd, the four officers got Floyd on the ground and then-officer Derek Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for approximately nine minutes. During that time, Floyd repeatedly exclaimed, “I can’t breathe,” and soon became unresponsive before Chauvin lifted his knee. The aftermath of George Floyd’s death has led to protests in every state for the past eight days.
One of the leaders of this movement to get justice for Floyd is former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who spent 14 years in the NBA and won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003. Like Floyd, Jackson is from the Houston, Texas area which is where the two met years ago back when Floyd still lived in Houston. Since 2014, Floyd had been living in Minneapolis.
Since Floyd’s death by the hands of Minneapolis Police, Stephen Jackson has been fighting for justice for his friend, who he referred to as his twin because of their similar resemblance. On Monday, Jackson spoke with ESPN reporter Marc Spears about how he and Floyd first meet.
“We have a homeboy named Tello, rest in peace Tello. He’s gone now. He was from Port Arthur, but he used to be in Houston as well. Houston is 45 minutes from my hometown. So I’m in Houston back and forth,” explains Jackson. “So he came and he’s like, ‘I’m bringing my homeboy Floyd down here next week. He played basketball too, but y’all look alike. You might have the same dad.’ I’m like, please man. So he brings Floyd down, I look at Floyd, and the first thing we both say is, ‘Who’s your daddy?’ From looking alike and from that day forward, we just had a bond. We became tight.”
During his playing career, Jackson was known as a fierce competitor who talked a lot of smack and wasn’t afraid to go against anybody. This tenacity has been on full display amidst country-wide protests in the name of racial justice. Jackson has gone from being known as a “bad boy” to a staunch political activist in the span of eight days. He has been leading several protests in Minnesota and conducting press conferences every other day demanding justice for his friend who he considered to be a brother. Jackson has also made it a mission of his to take care of Floyd’s six-year-old daughter Gianna. At a June 2 press conference in Minnesota, Jackson looked directly at Gianna’s mother Roxie Washington when talking about how he was gonna look after her daughter.
“But you know what, there’s a lot of stuff you said that he’s going to miss, that I’m going to be there for,” Jackson said, turning to Washington. “I’m going to walk her down the aisle, I’m going to be there for her, I’m going to be there to wipe your tears. You hear what I’m saying? I’m going to be here for you and Gigi.”
It is the people like Stephen Jackson that are so incredibly important in the fight for social justice. Having someone like Jackson protesting can pay huge dividends given his ability to use his platform and fame. His position as a celebrity helps people listen to him and gives him a wider audience. So far the hard work from Jackson has paid off, as it was announced on Wednesday that all four officers involved in the murder of George Floyd have been charged. Tou Thao, Thomas K. Lane and J. Alexander Keung have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. Chauvin, who was seen on video with his knee on Floyd’s neck saw his charge of third-degree murder amended to second-degree murder.
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Gunns Limited and Ors v Alexander Marr and Or et ales
[2005] VSC 251
Ramos J
The case and issues presented today before us in this court is one that has lead to the legal profession being in disrepute amongst the general public. Generally put, is one of incompetency and expertise by legal practitioners, who by virtue of their own professional arrogance have implicitly refused to accept sub-standard quality in their own work.
As stated by Bongiorno J there exist several material defects that have negatively impacted upon the case brought today by the Plaintiffs in bringing this action. As I shall discuss later in more detail, the Plaintiffs have changes solicitors a numerous number of times. In addition to this, they have amended their Statement of Claim four times, not withstanding any lack of precision therein.
The main complaint by the defendants was and still remains that the Plaintiff’s claim broke the Rules of the Supreme Court to the degree that it was not possible to comprehend the claim with sufficient clarity and it therefore compromised the defendant’s ability to respond and hence procedural fairness. To examine this further, I shall now discuss the Plaintiffs action in more-depth.
The original Statement of Claim of the plaintiff consisted of 216 pages, which was filed on 13 December 2004. It listed seventeen (17) individual defendants in addition to three (3) corporate defendants. Gunns Limited, a wood cutting entity brought an action against the defendants arising out of anti-deforesting protests championed by the various defendants. In the early part of the following year various defendants requested of the plaintiff further and better particulars. The plaintiff’s claims were founded on the law of tort and claimed both general and special damages. The primary difficulty for the defendants were discerning from the language of the Statement of Claim the legal basis for each claim and the factual background giving rise to the various claims.
At a Directions Hearing on 11 March 2005 my learned friend Bongiorno J expressed “concerns about” the “Statement of Claim.” At a second Directions Hearing on April 8, 2005 an order was made for further and better particulars to the Statement of Claim. On July 18, 2005 an application filed by a majority of the defendants for the Statement of Claim to be struck out was awarded by the court. The court’s order effectively struck out the initial Statement of Claim and the Amended Statement of Claim which included responses to the defendant’s requests for further and better particulars. The plaintiff was allowed one month to prepare “a new Statement of Claim” by Bongiorno J.
Procedural Defects
QC Mark Dreyfus, representing 6 of the defendants in this present case told the Sydney Herald his primary concern with the initial Statement of Claim. Dreyfus said that
“The statement (of claim) is very long, confused, muddled, and deficient in details and parts of it should be struck out…”
In the context of the Federal Court of Australia’s ruling in Philip Morris (Australia) Ltd v Nixon (2000) 170 ALR 487 it is immediately clear how this present case might have abused the civil process in the compilation of the plaintiff’s claim. The Federal Court ruled in Philip Morris (Australia) Ltd v Nixon (2000) 170 ALR 487 that:
“The requirement imposed by FCR O 11, r 2, that a pleading contain a statement in summary form of the material facts on which the party relies, is to be understood by reference to the functions of pleadings. Thus it is a well-established rule that the permitted level of generality of a pleading must depend on the general subject matter and on what is required to convey to the opposite party the case that is to be met…”
In other words, the Statement of claim should simply state the cause of action and the facts giving rise to the cause of action. The defendant should be able to either confirm or deny the claims made in the originating pleadings. The primary purpose for this rule is to familiarize the party against whom the claim is made with the material facts that will be relied on at the trial: Davy v Garrett (1878) 7 Ch D 473.
A chronology of the events leading up to the final draft of the plaintiff’s Statement of Claim clearly demonstrates that the claim was far from clear. It would appear that even with the ensuing provision of further and better particulars the plaintiff’s claim remained confusing and difficult to respond to effectively. As seen in Bongioro’s J at paragraph 57 final strike out judgment Gunns had not submitted a “proper, coherent and intelligible statement of its case.”
Having to listened to arguments from both sides at the hearing for striking out in July of 2005, the judge, in line with the Federal Court’s ruling in Philip Morris (Australia) Ltd v Nixon (2000) 170 ALR 487 explained that quite simply the pleadings contained in the Statement of Claim should be narrowed down and simplified to permit a response.
As previously noted this court has dealt with the time and expense issues by ordering costs against the plaintiff and ordering the plaintiff to file a new version of the complaint at least three times. It might well be wise for this court to consider whether or not the plaintiff is serious about recovering damages or merely seeking to achieve an unlawful advantage. If this can be determined at an early stage the defendants can be spared the anguish of having to commit time and expense in the litigation of a case which only intends to misuse the civil process. The courts could dismiss the process from the outset.
When a defendant’s motives cannot be determined from the outset the court has a duty to permit the plaintiff to pursue his claim. In the present case, the court was perhaps overly cautious in attempting to allow Gunns to present a claim with merit. However, the fact that there were three different lawyers at different times should have been sufficient evidence that the case had no merit and should have been struck out altogether.
This fact alone should have alerted the court to the fact that Gunns had no real intention of recovering alleged damages. The primary motive was very likely to achieve an unlawful advantage over civil protesters. In the circumstances the court should not permit the misuse of the civil process for disingenuous reasons.
I agree with the order set out by Bongiorno J.
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Jacob Collier Commits To Return To India For A 2-City Tour
While the return of live music events still hangs in the balance for India, Jacob Collier has announced his commitment to perform in New Delhi and Mumbai whenever it’s safe to do so.
The Grammy-winning composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist made his debut in the country last year when music agency Mixtape brought him to National Centre for the Performing Arts for two shows. Announcing a 91 dates-world tour in support of the third edition of his 4-album cycle ‘Djesse’, Collier has promised performances across North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia without confirmed dates and venues.
The audience can join the waitlist for each show and reserve their tickets for the tour now, which will be charged and confirmed only when the exact dates of the shows are announced. The venue for each show will be decided based on the demand from the audience and the eventual availability of space, while the dates will be confirmed as and when the government allows for feasible music live shows to take place. According to the announcement post: “The coolest part of this for me is that, for the first time, YOU, the audience, can shape the nature of this tour!”
Find the full list of cities Jacob Collier has committed to perform in and enter their waitlist here.
Image by © Harald Krichel / CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
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#conceptual #currency #installation #money #multiples
Hans-Peter Feldmann Hangs $100,000 in Dollar Bills on the Walls of the Guggenheim Museum
Last November German conceptual artist Hans-Peter Feldmann was named the winner of the eighth Biennal Hugo Boss Prize, a bi-annual award bestowed by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation for significant achievement in contemporary art, with an attached honorarium of $100,000. In a unique gesture to the museum Feldmann proposed the idea of creating an installation that would involve tacking 100,000 $1 bills to the walls of a large gallery off the Frank Lloyd Wright ramp. Via the NY Times:
“I’m 70 years old, and I began making art in the ’50s,” Mr. Feldmann said in a telephone interview from his studio in Düsseldorf. “At that time there was no money in the art world. Money and art didn’t exist. So for me $100,000 is very special. It’s incredible really. And I would like to show the quantity of it.”
It took museum art handlers roughly 13 days to pin the out-of-circulation bills to the wall and to condense the surface area required by so much currency the dollars were slightly overlapped. The exhibition will be up May 20–November 2, 2011. The photographs above by David Heald were provided courtesy the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York.
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Vertigo-Inducing Room Illusions by Peter Kogler
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Thought. Leadership.
Innovations, investments, strategies and opportunities introduced at the speed of business.
Thoma Bravo to Acquire J.D. Power
Firm (49)
Transaction (171)
Investment to Fuel Continued Growth of Analytics and Product Offerings
SAN FRANCISCO and CHICAGO, July 30, 2019/PRNewswire/ -- Thoma Bravo, LLC, a leading private equity investment firm, today announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire J.D. Power, a global leader in data analytics and consumer intelligence. The transaction is expected to close by year end, subject to customary closing conditions. Upon closing, Thoma Bravo plans to partner with J.D. Power's existing team in the ongoing expansion of the company, with a focus on continued development of enhanced industry insights, advanced analytics and innovative new offerings. As part of the transaction, J.D. Power's existing management team and employee owners will be rolling over their ownership interest in the company.
"We are thrilled to partner with Thoma Bravo, a firm that clearly understands our space and is well-positioned to help us develop new growth opportunities and continue on our current path of rapid expansion," said Dave Habiger, J.D. Power President and CEO. "This is an exciting step forward for our company, and we look forward to a fruitful partnership that will help us maximize our company's fullest potential."
A pioneer in data science, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on consumer interactions with brands and products for over 50 years. The world's leading businesses across more than a dozen different industries rely on J.D. Power data, research and insights to guide their customer-facing strategies, and consumers around the world look to J.D. Power ratings as the undisputed mark of quality. The company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., with offices in 16 cities throughout North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and South America.
"J.D. Power is one of the most recognized brands in the world, synonymous with a deep understanding of real-world customer experience, and it provides trusted insight that businesses of every type need in order to make critical strategic decisions," said Scott Crabill, a Managing Partner at Thoma Bravo. "More recently, the company has expanded its leadership to include globally recognized experts in several industries, and it has dramatically expanded its analytics and product offerings, leveraging AI, the cloud and big data in ways that really showcase the brand's significant near-term and long-term growth potential. We look forward to partnering with Dave Habiger and his team to further accelerate the business and build even greater value for J.D. Power's employees, customers and partners globally."
"We saw J.D. Power as an iconic brand with strong upside potential and have been greatly impressed with the management team's accelerating the digitization of the platform, including the successful implementation of AI initiatives and introduction of innovative analytics products," said Joseph Pacini, a spokesperson for London-based XIO Group. "As we exit our investment, we wish them every success in the years ahead."
J.D. Power is being advised by Evercore and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP.
Kirkland & Ellis is serving as the legal advisor, and Barclays and RBC Capital Markets are acting as financial advisors to Thoma Bravo. Financing for the transaction is being provided by RBC Capital Markets, KKR and SunTrust Bank.
About J.D. Power
J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. These capabilities enable J.D. Power to help its clients drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability. Established in 1968, J.D. Power has offices serving North America, South America, Asia Pacific and Europe.
Read the press release on PR Newswire here.
Thoma Bravo Enters Agreement to Sell Elemica
Clearlake Capital Group and TA Associates to Make a Strategic Growth Investment in DigiCert
150 N. Riverside Plaza
THOMA BRAVO NEWSLETTER
© 2020 Thoma Bravo
Imagined by
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Virgin Hotels scouts London for expansion
30 January 2015 by Janet Harmer
Virgin Hotels, the new lifestyle brand from Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, has confirmed that it is searching for a property to launch in London.
The brand launched its first hotel earlier this month with 250 bedrooms in Chicago, USA, and has just confirmed that its second hotel will launch next year in Nashville with a 240-bedroom property, which will include 15 penthouse residential units. A third hotel will open in New York in 2017.
Branson intends to create a group of 20 hotels, which are "beautiful, comfortable and fun" and "gentle" on guests' wallets, by 2025.
London is the only city outside the USA to be targeted by the brand for the development of a Virgin property, alongside Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington DC. New builds and existing hotel and office conversions are being considered.
Virgin Hotels brand offers free Wi-Fi at unlimited bandwidth and has eliminated early check-in fees, late check-out fees, room service delivery charges, business centre transactions, and other services that are described as causing frustration for travellers.
TagsProperty, Hotels and Openings
IHG partners with Norland Nannies for expert childcare guidance
Ashkenazi-inspired restaurant Jago to open in Shoreditch
New appointments boost Catering Academy's healthcare strategy
Swinton Park granted permission for £5.5m spa
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Total Greek Yoghurt launches healthy eating campaign
06 January 2015 by Lisa Jenkins
Fage UK, maker of Total Greek Yoghurt, the number one selling Greek yoghurt brand in the UK, has launched a campaign to coincide with the time of year most commonly associated with healthy eating.
It will be based on the brand's Total+ concept, which demonstrates Total Greek Yoghurt's versatility and how to incorporate it into everyday meals.
The campaign will kick off with a series of TV ads followed by targeted digital, PR and social media activity. The ads also tie in with the newly launched Total Greek Yoghurt Cookbook, which provides over 120 recipes by Sophie Michell.
Alison White, head of marketing and communications for Fage UK, said: "We want to demonstrate that Total is so much more than a yoghurt. It's also a basic ingredient that can transform a dish into so much more. By adding things to it, you can create healthy, delicious food."
Well wicked
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Victoria Keilthy
Victoria brings knowledge of the UK charity sector and governance to our board. In her previous role as a Director at the National Audit Office, Victoria reported to Parliament on government's engagement with the charity sector. Her report on the Charity Commission prompted the Government to bring forward the Charities Act 2016 to address gaps in the Commission’s powers.
Victoria is a trustee of medical humanitarian charity Medecins sans Frontieres UK. Early in her career she worked as a Finance Manager for two international charities: Medecins sans Frontieres in North Sudan, and subsequently International Rescue Committee in Afghanistan. Victoria was a trustee of the charity EveryChild UK when it made the bold and unusual decision to transfer the charity's assets to a global network of national organisations in order to better pursue its charitable objectives.
In her current role at the health regulator NHS Improvement, Victoria works with the boards of NHS trusts to ensure their effective governance and financial management. Victoria is a Chartered Accountant by training and is a member of our Finance and Audit Committee.
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