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The Evolving Opioid Epidemic: Observing the Changes in the Opioid Crisis through State-level Data (Webinar)
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Central / 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Eastern
During the past two decades, the national opioid crisis has proved to be persistent and dynamic. After deaths from prescription opioid painkillers grew quietly for years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rang the alarm in 2011, declaring the growing problem a national "epidemic." Despite efforts to rein in the crisis, vital statistics show that opioid overdose deaths have continued to grow year-after-year even after this declaration, reaching more than 47,000 deaths in 2017 alone.
While data has shown limited signs of progress in containing deaths from some opioids, statistics also recently illustrated how the opioid crisis has expanded beyond its early dimensions. Although the growth in death rates from prescription opioid painkillers largely plateaued after the CDC announced the epidemic, death rates from heroin soon began a rapid rise, followed closely by an even larger increase in death rates from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. By 2017, death rates from synthetic opioids were more than double that of prescription opioid painkillers at their peak.
In July 2019, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced that provisional overdose data from 2018 showed a five percent decline in deaths compared to the previous year, but Secretary Azar also acknowledged "other emerging threats, like concerning trends in cocaine and methamphetamine overdoses."1 The recent significant increases in death rates from cocaine and methamphetamine, in combination with CDC research finding overdoses from those drugs frequently also involve opioids, raises concerns that the crisis may again be transforming and spreading beyond opioids to other illicit substances.
In a recent SHADAC webinar, Senior Research Fellow Colin Planalp examined the U.S. opioid epidemic through national and state-level data on drug overdose deaths, including opioids such as prescription painkillers, heroin and synthetic opioids, and non-opioids (but related drugs) such as cocaine and psychostimulants (e.g., methamphetamine). Using data available through SHADAC's State Health Compare, the webinar detailed changing trends in the opioid crisis and how the specifics vary across states—both in the scale of the epidemic and differences in the top substances of concern.
Mr. Planalp was joined by SHADAC Research Fellow Robert Hest, who explained how to access and use the data on opioid-related overdose deaths through SHADAC's State Health Compare website. Mr. Hest also provided an overview of related measures available on State Health Compare, such as the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) data on sales of common prescription opioid painkillers.
Download the slides from the Webinar here.
The Opioid Epidemic (SHADAC Resource Page)
The Opioid Epidemic: National and State Trends in Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths from 2000 to 2017 (Briefs)
50-State Analysis of Drug Overdose Trends: The Evolving Opioid Crisis Across the States (Infographics)
State Health Compare Updated to Include 2017 Opioid-Related Overdose Data and New Data on Overdose Deaths from Other Drugs
[1] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). (2019, July 17). Secretary Azar Statement on 2018 Provisional Drug Overdose Death Data. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2019/07/17/secretary-azar-statement-on-2018-provisional-drug-overdose-death-data.html


Invest in Nigeria as Recent Reforms foster Recovery - Deloitte
Trade Investment	 5510 VIEWS
Monday, June 21, 2018/12:20PM/Deloitte
Nigeria is West Africa's unrivalled economic powerhouse. With a population of over 190 million people and a gross domestic product of over US$380bn, Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and second largest economy.
The country's gross national income (GNI) per capita was US$5 740 in 2016. While its GNI per capita puts Nigeria in the top third among African countries, its GINI score of 48.8 (in 2013) suggests that income is unevenly distributed across the population. Nigeria is endowed with Africa's second largest oil reserves. In addition to its large oil deposits, Nigeria has a number of other notable mineral resources including coal, gold, bitumen, iron ore and uranium.
Political Landscape
Two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP), dominate Nigerian politics. President Muhammadu Buhari, of the APC, currently governs the country, while the next elections are due to be held in early 2019. Analysts predict another close race between the two dominant parties, as it is at this point unlikely that a third party will be able to mobilise sufficient resources to mount a serious challenge.
Nigeria is a culturally diverse country. Ethnic groups play a significant role in the country where political and economic power is often tied to cultural allegiances. The major ethnic groups are the Hausa-Fulani (29%), Yoruba (21%) and the Igbo (10%).4 Furthermore, the country is split geographically along religious lines, the 46% Muslim population living predominantly in the north, while the 46% Christian population mostly live in the south of the country.5 Outliers to this trend are the diverse populations of major urban centres such as Lagos, Kano, Ibadan and Kaduna. Africa's second largest economy is home to 190 million people 2 Nigeria Country Report
In recent years, violence occurred in a number of regions across the country. In the Niger Delta, located in the southeast of the country, the 50-year-old Biafra independence movement has regained traction, leading to sporadic sabotage of oil production. Concurrently, Fulani herdsmen have carried out violent raids in the country's middle belt. Tensions over land rights with farmers in the region are seen as the root cause for the conflict. For over a decade, government forces have been fighting Boko Haram, an insurgent group in the north of the country set on creating an Islamic caliphate. Since the start of the conflict, tens of thousands have been killed and over 2.3 million have been displaced.6 A regional coalition between Nigeria and its neighbours Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger was formed to combat Boko Haram in 2015. The coalition has made headway in recapturing territory controlled by insurgents.
While trying to shake off the negative image that the volatile security situation created internationally, Nigeria has become a global force through its soft power of arts and culture. In terms of sales volume, Nollywood (Nigeria's film industry), is second only to India's Bollywood.7 The country's minister of information and culture has described the arts industry as the "new oil", its spread accelerated by the 17 million Nigerian diaspora living across the world.
Nigeria is part of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a group of 15 countries with a combined population of over 360 million people. In 2016, Nigeria played a critical role in ECOWAS' intervention in the Gambia, supporting the democratic process by persuading former President Jammeh to vacate his office after he refused to step down upon being defeated in elections. Nollywood is the second largest
film industry in the world 3 Nigeria.
1. Improving Nigeria's Business Operating Environment to Enhance Economic Growth
2. G7 Summit 2018: Commentary On Africa And Full Text Of Communiqué
3. Nigeria-China Trade: Having Banking Representative Offices in Beijing
4. Strengthening Africa's Gateways to Trade
5. A Brave Step Towards African Integration
6. The latest Business Competitiveness Ranking: How close is Nigeria to the Promised Land?
7. Nigeria gains Momentum on Ease of Doing Business
Forex: CBN Flags off SMIS in Chinese Yuan
TRANSCORP Declares N10.88bn PAT in Q2 2018 Results,(SP:N1.17k)
DMO Lists N10.69bn FGN Sovereign Green Bond on NSE
UAC-PROP Declares N1.83bn Loss in Q2 2018 Results,(SP:N1.91k)
Nigeria Joins Worlds Logistics Passport To Improve Connectivity
NIPC Acting CEO Receives FOI Award, Dedicates it to Commission Staffers
IATF 2021 Generates US$42.1bn Trade and Investment Deals


Evidently Incompetent Or Worse
By Charles P. Pierce
When the Duke lacrosse case was at high tide, I got in a little trouble when I opined somewhere that egregious hack Mike Nifong, the prosecutor who brought the charges, was merely doing what we tacitly admit through our love for get-tough, law-and-order politics that we want prosecutors to do, and that the only difference this time around was that the people who were dragooned onto the railroad were affluent enough, and (yes) white enough, to afford lawyers good enough to break down the prosecutorial misconduct that was the basis of the case brought against the players. Had those guys been five young black men on an AAU basketball team in Chicago, they'd still be in jail. I would almost guarantee that.
We want prosecutors to be tough. We want convictions, highly visible convictions, and we don't really care how the sausage gets made. (Every time someone refers to a defendant's rights as a series of "loopholes" it's an admission of that simple fact of life.) We don't care how the sausage gets made because, generally, the sausage involves people with whom we have no real contact in our lives. The "war" on drugs -- and the transparently racist body count that has come with it -- is proof enough of that. The problem is that this approach, in which we essentially give up on our obligations as self-governing citizens as regards the police powers of our government, almost insures that desperate problems will persist within the criminal justice system for years, grinding up lives for no good goddamn reason.
U.S. officials began the inquiry after The Washington Post reported two years ago that flawed forensic evidence involving microscopic hair
matches might have led to the convictions of hundreds of potentially
innocent people. Most of those defendants never were told of the
problems in their cases. The inquiry includes 2,600 convictions
and 45 death-row cases from the 1980s and 1990s in which the FBI's hair
and fiber unit reported a match to a crime-scene sample before DNA
testing of hair became common. The FBI had reviewed about 160 cases
before it stopped, officials said.
That, of course, is not the worst part. This is the worst part.
The report said the FBI took more than five years to identify more
than 60 death-row defendants whose cases had been handled by 13 lab
examiners whose work had been criticized in a 1997 inspector-general
investigation. As a result, state authorities could not consider
whether to stay sentences, and three men were put to death. One of those
defendants, who was executed in Texas in 1997, would not have been
eligible for the death penalty without the FBI's flawed work, the report
said. "Failures of this nature undermine the integrity of the
United States' system of justice and the public's confidence in our
system," the 146-page report stated. The failure to admit errors at the
time "also injured the reputation of the FBI and the Department."
I will make you another guarantee. I guarantee you every single one of those convictions was applauded by the public at large, and every one of the executions, including the one where the person was executed even though he shouldn't even have been eligible for the death penalty -- Fking Texas. Jesus God. -- was applauded by the vast majority of the people who actually knew they were happening. And I will make you another guarantee. The public defenders who dogged this case -- with admirable assistance of The Washington Post and Congressman Frank Wolf of Virginia -- are underpaid and over-vilified. I can make these guarantees because I know that all of this is what the political culture of this country, in ways large and small, have been saying that it wants out of its criminal justice system for nearly 40 years. This particular affront to the rule of law goes back at least as far as 1997, when a Department Of Justice task force warned that the FBI forensic lab was a clown college.
Problems at the FBI lab first surfaced in the early 1990s, when
scientist-turned-whistleblower Fred Whitehurst reported that sloppy work
by examiners was producing unreliable forensic testimony. Justice
officials launched a task force that was active from 1996 to 2004 to
ensure that potentially exculpatory evidence involving criticized agents
was turned over to defendants. But The Post found that such notification rarely happened and that not all flawed cases were properly reviewed.
(Here's another guarantee -- the Post can start clearing a space on Marty Baron's mantle for another Pulitzer. Spencer Hsu's reporting on this fiasco is bulletproof.)
Poor people in this country know that the system is rigged in a hundred different ways, but that it's most rigged in the places that are supposed to be the fairest of them all -- the criminal justice system in general, and in the courthouse in particular. The rest of us sit back and wonder why the sausage is making so many people sick. It's supposed to. That's what we want it to do.
Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.
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Parashat Vayetze: Yaakov's Love of Rachel and Leah
פורסם על ידי Mordechai Tzion ב- 4:33
[Tal Chermon]
Yaakov deeply loved Rachel as is stated: "Yaakov worked seven years for Rachel. But he loved her so much, it seemed like no more than a few days" (Bereshit 29:20). It was not a carnal love but a holy and lofty one based on a profound harmony between their souls. The proof of this is that he was with Leah for an entire night, thinking that she was Rachel and yet only in the morning did he discover the switch. His attraction to Rachel was clearly not bodily since he knew nothing about it and could thus be deceived for an entire night. Their bond was idealistic and spiritual. All the same, he loved her for what she was now.
Leah, however, was "disliked." This does not mean, G-d forbid, that he really hated her. Yaakov loved everyone, he even called the shepherds "my brothers" (ibid. v. 4). Leah was simply less loved than Rachel, as it says: "But he loved Rachel more than Leah" (ibid. v. 30). She feels "disliked" because she knows that as far as her husband is concerned she is the subordinate wife. Yaakov, however, did slowly develop a deep love towards her, not as his wife but as the mother of his children (On the birth of her first son, she called him "Reuven - see a son" and said "now my husband will love me" - Bereshit 29:32. On the birth of her third son, she said "Now my husband will be attached ["Levi"] to me because I have already given him three sons" - ibid. 29:34. And this pattern continues).
Yaakov's love for Rachel, despite all its sublimity, was not the ultimate in love. His love of Leah ended up deeper and more elevated. His love of Rachel, although it was a love in the depth of his soul, was a personal love of her. His love for Leah, however, centered on the creation of future generations and on the desire for continuance. By marrying and having children, one becomes "eternal" in this world since he is continued by his offspring. The heart of romantic love is, deep down, the love of and desire for continued existence. The Torah, by determining that the mitzvah is not marriage but procreation, makes abundantly clear that the purpose of marriage is not mutual pleasure and convenience but the bearing of children to ensure future generations. There is even an opinion that this command can be fulfilled with a concubine (The Rosh on Ketubot 1:12). G-d forbid that a person should act in such a shameful way, but the letter of the law indicates what is at the heart of the matter. A husband and wife must naturally love and respect each other on a personal level, but all of this stems from a deeper purpose. Maran (our revered teacher) Ha-Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook expressed this idea as: "Sexual impulses have been given to us in order to ensure the future of the world and of mankind (Orot Ha-Kodesh Part 3, p. 299).
Since Yaakov's love of Rachel was personal and unrelated to the propagation of future generations, their bond was infertile. Yaakov's spiritual romance had to give way to a love which bore with it the responsibility of maintaining the continuity of mankind. Rachel demanded in painful exasperation: "Give me children or let me die" (Bereshit 30:1). She implored G-d to be fertile like her sister (See Rashi's second explanation and Onkelos on Bereshit 30:8), and Hashem finally opened her womb (Bereshit 30:22). Her troubles, however, were not yet over. She died in childbirth when Binyamin was born (Bereshit 35:17-18). Rachel's temporary kingdom had to vacate its place for Leah's permanent kingdom to take over. The essential, romantic love was a preparation for the supreme state for them to "become one flesh" (Bereshit 2:24). This occurs when children are born, "for the child is created by both parents and in it their flesh becomes one and united" (Rashi ibid.). Both Rachel and Leah built the complete House of Israel.
תוויות: Parashat Ha-Shavua - Bereshit
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Shut SMS #92
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Giving a tenth during difficult financial times
Whose Country Is this, Your Eminence?
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Do not get angry
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SEC Rulemaking: Mandatory Corporate Political Expenditure Disclosures Are Invisible
On August 3, 2011, the Committee on Disclosure of Corporate Political Spending, composed of academics, submitted a petition to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC" or "Commission") requesting that the Commission develop rules requiring public companies to disclose corporate political expenditures. The petition suggested that through required political expenditure disclosures, shareholders can " 'determine whether their corporation's political speech advances the corporation's interest in making profits,' and discipline directors and executives who use corporate resources for speech that is inconsistent with shareholder interests."
The issue with regulating corporate political spending arose after the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, 558 U.S. 310 (2010), which lifted restrictions on corporate political expenditure. The Court noted, however, that the "[g]overnment may regulate corporate political speech through disclaimer and disclosure requirements," and that today's advanced technology would allow prompt disclosure to shareholders and the public. Such disclosure would provide transparency for the electorate to make informed decisions as well as accountability to the shareholders with respect to whether the political expenditures are in the corporation's best interests.
According to Bloomberg, the SEC has received over one million comments in support of the political spending disclosure rule. Most commentators to the petition have responded by emphasizing the utmost importance of public disclosure in carrying out the SEC's mission to maintain fair markets and protect investors. Recent anonymous comments highlight the Court's suggested government regulation through disclosure and requested the Commission to enact a political spending disclosure rule.
The Commission has yet to consider the political spending disclosure rule. The Commission did at one point indicate that a possible rule was on the Commission's long term rulemaking agenda. The Commission, however, removed the subject from the rulemaking agenda a year later.
According to Reuters, SEC Chair Mary Jo White has not commented on the removal of the initiative from the long term agenda, but has expressed a general opposition to regulating companies in response to societal pressures. The SEC may also have removed the item due to possible uncertainty concerning rulemaking authority. Or the SEC may have removed the item because it felt the legislative branch was better equipped for amending the Exchange Act.
Shannon Moran October 14, 2014
Opposition to Proposed Rulemaking Regarding Mandated Disclosure of Corporate Political Spending
Gabrielle Palmer October 15, 2014
Process Bylaws and the Internal Affairs Doctrine
J Robert Brown Jr. October 13, 2014


Category Archives: New CDs
Natacha Atlas' Something Dangerous?
May 12, 2003 Angel Romero
Natacha Atlas – Something Dangerous?
New York, USA – World music diva Natacha Atlas is returning with a new album, Something Dangerous?, and a new sound.
Due for release in the US on May 20th and in the UK on May 19th, the recording has been produced by (amongst others) Sugababes producer Brian Higgins and features guest appearances by Sinead O'Connor, Princess Julianna, Abdullah Chhadeh and the late Sami El Babli. There's also a So Solid Crew remix currently doing the rounds in the clubs.
With Something Dangerous?, Natacha Atlas zips Middle Eastern music straight to the heart of current UK pop, pulling in as she does so dance music, rap, drum'n'bass, R&B, Hindi pop, film music and French chanson. The success of her earlier work, both in the Middle East and in the West, including a top ten hit in France, has shown just how alluring a musical bridging of the divide can be.
Something Dangerous? not only combines more styles than ever, but for the first time on an Atlas album it features guest vocalists, and a great deal more singing in English than she's done before. But it's no abandonment of Arabic; she embraces and combines the two languages, as well as Hindi and French.
Buy Natacha Atlas' albums:
In North America: Mounqaliba, Ana Hina, Best of, Something Dangerous, Gedida, Mish Maoul, Foretold in the Language of Dreams
In Europe: Mounqaliba, The Best of Natacha Atlas, Ana Hina, Ayeshteni, Mishmaoul, Halim, Gedida, Foretold in the Language of Dreams, Something Dangerous, Diaspora
New from Yuri Buenaventura
Yuri Buenaventura – Vagabundo
Yuri Buenaventura was the first salsa singer in France to achieve a gold disc with his 1998 album Herencia Africana including the cover of "Ne Me Quitte Pas". For his third album, Vagabundo, Yuri worked with San Juan (Puerto Rico)musicians: Roberto Roena, leader of Appolo Sound, members of El Gran Combo, including singer, Jerry Rivas, and Cheo Feliciano, one of the mythical voices of the Fania All Stars, is special guest on two duets. The predominantly salsa style disc is further colored by the various influences of the collaborating artists. The Tango meets Caribbean music and Argentinean percussion. The album was released in France, Belgium and Switzerland last month.
Buy Vagabundo
Giramondu, New Corsican Band
Giramondu – A Nostra Accolta
Paris, France – Giramondu's third album "A Nostra Accolta" was released in March by Inca Music and has already received good reviews from as far away as Argentina. The six-piece band got together in 1993 and includes members from the well-known Corsican world music groups I Muvrini and A Filetta.
The experience and influences of the group members are evident on the album where traditional Corsican lyrics are given a modern edge with vibrant rhythms. You can catch Giramondu on the 23rd of May playing a benefit concert at the Empire in Ajaccio, Corsica. Inca are currently looking for tour dates in Europe and licenses worldwide. Releases in Canada, Spain, Italy, the UK and Germany are being planned.
Madama, New Galician Folk CD by Leilía
Leilia – Madama
Coruña, Galicia, Spain – Leilía, the innovative Galician folk group has released a new recording titled Madama. Leilía is the old name given to traditional songs.
Leilía is a group of Galician women who are forerunners and makers of the mini-revolution of tambourine music which has spread all over Galicia. They got together in the summer of 1989 to recover songs and musical forms that were in danger of extinction. Leilía reproduced and learned it all from the elders they visited all over Galicia and surrounding regions, recovering traditions they thought lost.
The group is formed by Montse Rivera, Mercedes Rodríguez, Felisa Segade, Ana María Rodríguez and Patricia Segade.
New Recording by Serj Tankian & Arto Tunçboyaciyan
USA – Serart is a collaboration between System of a Down's Serj Tankian and world class multi-instrumentalist Arto Tunçboyaciyan. Serart will be released by Serjical Strike and Columbia Records on May 20.
"It's not a rock album, it's not a band, it's not a solo album for me," says Serj Tankian. "It's a collaboration that I was compelled to do with a very creative artist. It's a very special type of album." It is important to note that Serart is not at all similar to a SOAD album – it's a departure away from SOAD's progressive-metal barrage. Serart finds these two, seemingly disparate, creative artists joining for a new vision. Serj describes the album best, "It's really crazy world, jazz and experimental with some rock and hip-hop beats, dance beats, and electronic beats. Arto plays the Coke bottle, water droplets, an ancient flute, percussion of all sorts, little toys and shakers."
The music on Serart is both "cross genre and cross cultural," an exotic and eclectic blend of electronica, poetry, Middle Eastern melodies, Pan-African rhythms, classical motifs melded with volleys of percussion. In addition to the 16 musical tracks on the album, Serart comes with a DVD component, the 14 minute experimental film, "Sun Angle Calculator," directed and edited by Matthew Amato. "The film is a visual collage," says Serj. "The name, 'Sun Angle Calculator,' is a funny way of saying 'let me help you see the light.'"
[Buy
Serart].
Luzmila Carpio's Latest CD
May 8, 2003 75 west
Luzmila Carpio – Kuntur Mallku
Nicknamed "the Voice of the Andes," Luzmila Carpio has gained international praise for her traditional Quechua songs, tunes that have brought indigenous Bolivian culture and history to the world.
Through her plaintive and penetrating voice, these chilling vocal pieces, accompanied by traditional instruments such as Andean flutes, evoke the natural elements of Bolivia; even the whistling wind is tangible.
With an interesting periodic resemblance to the music of North American Indians and a spirit that might occasionally bring to mind the musical styles of the East, these striking pieces are not to be missed by world music enthusiasts. Absolutely arresting and captivating.
Her latest CD "Kuntur Mallku – The Messenger" awarded by several music magazines in Europe is now available in the US.
Bonga, New CD Kaxexe
May 8, 2003 Angel Romero
Bonga – Kaxexe
Paris, France – Bonga's new album Kaxexe was released in France at the end of April (distribution BMG). It was released a few days earlier in Holland (Coast to Coast) coinciding with Bonga's forthcoming concert dates and television appearance there.
The album will also be distributed in Switzerland (Musikvertrieb), Austria (Hoanzl), Germany (Sunny Moon Music) and Portugal (Mega Musica).
Bonga sings of things such as unrequited love, social evils and the humiliation which is killing Africa with music that varies from melancholic to swinging.
Nakaira's Mediterranean Travels
Sicily, Italy – Melthemi is the title of Nakaira's new CD and it is also name of a Mediterranean wind. It enabled the first people who discovered it to trace new routes in the Mediterranean Sea and to enhance the spreading of cultures and populations. This is the spirit that drove the band in the recording of its second CD: original and traditional music. A trip from Greece to Sephardic Spain, and to the outskirts of the Middle East, passing through Sicily, Nakaira's native land.
Melthemi rides on the wings of a song in Sicilian dialect, whose text was been expressedly written for the album by Sicilian singer-songwriter Carlo Muratori based on an original Nakaira theme.
New Album by Indian Classical Sarod Master Rajeev Taranath
USA – Biswas Records in the US has released three ragas by Indian classical sarod master Rajeev Taranath. Entitled "Daybreak and a Candle End", the CDs presents ragas which range in time from early morning ragas to evening, hence the title (taken from a W.B. Yeats poem). Rajeev Taranath mentor is Ali Akbar Khan.
Bhangra – The Best Asian Beats from the Streets
London, England – British label Manteca continues its series of compilations with Bhangra – The Best Asian Beats from the Streets.
Bhangra has come a long way from its origins as a traditional harvest dance in the Punjabi speaking regions of India and Pakistan. For a generation of British Asians, Bhangra music is their music. It's desi music – music from the home, the culture – but mixed, beefed-up with bass and heavy doses of R&B, Ragga or Rap to give it an urban and contemporary relevance that now extends throughout the world.
This CD is 10 years (from 1993 to 2003) in the life of Bhangra – from Roots to Ragga and all points in between. Notes by Bhagwant Sagoo


POPPY #1
By Thomas Wong • n.d. • colour photograph
Work of the Week: "Poppy #1" by Thomas Wong
This week's Work of the Week is Poppy #1 by Thomas Wong in honour of Remembrance Day.
How did such humble flower become a powerful symbol of remembrance?
According the Canada's War Museum website:
"The familiar symbol of the poppy owes much of its fame to Canadian poet and soldier John McCrae (1872-1918). In Flanders Fields, McCrae's best-known poem, was inspired by and made reference to the poppies which grew along the Western Front…
The blood-red poppy had long been associated with the fighting armies of Europe, and the flowers often overgrew the mass graves left by battles. During the First World War, enormous artillery bombardments completely disrupted the landscape, infusing the chalk soils with lime. The poppies thrived in the environment, their colours standing out against the blasted terrain.
In 1921, the Great War Veterans' Association, the largest of several Canadian veterans groups, adopted the poppy as a symbol of remembrance. The Canadian Legion, formed in 1925, continued this connection. The poppy was worn on the left lapel and close to the heart to recognize the sacrifice of soldiers in times of war…
The poppy remains an enduring symbol of remembrance in Canada, Great Britain, the nations of the Commonwealth, and in the United States for those who served or fell in service of their country."


Playtime Is Better Together!
In Tennessee, the Lions-Anthem Foundation Healthy Heroes initiative helped to fund and build the All-Inclusive Playground at the Karns Lions Club Community Park, in the spring of 2017. The playground serves more than 3,500 families each year and is the only one in all of Knox County that meets the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The playground features a musical garden, modern accessible play structures and much more. Thoughtful and inclusive design are key. There are no hills, mulch or rocks. This artificial turf provides a soft, even surface on which all children can walk, run, and even fall safely.
For 5-year-old Natalie Barham, that means more confidence. Natalie's difficulty with balance used to keep her from exploring other playgrounds freely. Amy, Natalie's mom, explains, "We never spent much time at parks before because it was just too difficult for us." Natalie is an outgoing and friendly child, playing happily with new friends of all abilities she meets at the playground.
Perhaps as important, the playground is not only accessible, but inclusive. "Accessible" playgrounds are built exclusively for children with disabilities, whereas "inclusive" playgrounds are built for children of all abilities. For 7-year-old Addie Humphreys, who has cerebral palsy, this distinction is vital. Design elements like extra handrails and low transfer points on slides give Addie the opportunity to connect with other children. Disc-shaped swings provide Natalie the exhilaration of swinging alongside friends.
For Addie's mom, Rachel, the Karns Lions playground offers peace of mind. Addie lacks the core control to safely navigate traditional playground equipment, which often means she plays with her mom instead of other children. The innovative equipment lets Addie interact without her mom hovering too close. "Thank you so much, Lions and Anthem," says Rachel. "You see so far outside of yourselves. This is a gift for the kids, for the parents and for the entire community."
The project reflects Lions Clubs International Foundation's and Anthem Foundation's shared vision of health and wellness for all. Since 2015, Healthy Heroes projects have directly benefited more than 200,000 lives across eight states, through disability inclusive projects, food banks, shelters, and more.
"The Anthem Foundation remains committed to ensuring families across the country have access to programs and resources that improve the health and wellness of our communities," said Lance Chrisman, executive director of the Anthem Foundation. "Our collaboration with the Lions to support the All- Inclusive Playground is another example of how together we are working to ensure all children have access to safe places and opportunities to live active lifestyles."
Monica Dailey, a local former special education teacher, advised the Lions on their new playground. Inclusivity is paramount for her. "Separating children from each other isn't the answer," she says. "Inclusion teaches compassion and acceptance. And everyone benefits from more of that."
Visit lionsclubs.org to learn how Campaign 100 supports the work of Lions to help people with disabilities lead more independent, productive and fulfilling lives.
Katya Cengel
Leaving It All Behind
Jamie Konigsfeld
Sight for Kids, a Powerful Partnership
Women Are Changing Lions
Scaring is Caring


Good News from Gala Bingo!
posted by Elizabeth D. Wilbanks | January 7, 2014 | In Latest Articles, Online Bingo News
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Publication - Statistics
Scottish health survey 2017: volume one - main report
Population Health Directorate
Health and social care, Research, Statistics
Presents results for the Scottish Health Survey 2017, providing information on the health and factors relating to health of people living in Scotland.
Scottish Health Survey 2017: Volume 1: Main Report (PDF 7.7 MB )
Tables for Chapter 1: General Health, Long-Term Conditions and Cardiovascular Diseases (XLSX 100.5 kB )
Tables for Chapter 2: Mental Health and Wellbeing are available in Excel format (103KB) (XLSX 105.8 kB )
Tables for Chapter 3: Dental Health are available in Excel format (53KB) (XLSX 54.0 kB )
Tables for Chapter 4: Alcohol are available in Excel format (149KB) (XLSX 153.0 kB )
Tables for Chapter 5: Smoking are available in Excel format (115KB) (XLSX 118.0 kB )
Tables for Chapter 6: Diet are available in Excel format (51KB) (XLSX 52.6 kB )
Tables for Chapter 7: Physical Activity are available in Excel format (110KB) (XLSX 112.4 kB )
Tables for Chapter 8: Obesity are available in Excel format (99KB) (XLSX 101.3 kB )
Tables for Chapter 9: Gambling are available in Excel format (49KB) (XLSX 50.1 kB )
Foreword from the Chief Medical Officer
Editors' acknowledgements
Notes to Tables
1. General Health, Long-Term Conditions and Cardiovascular Conditions
Table 1.1 Self-assessed general health, adults and children, 2008 to 2017
Table 1.2 Adult self-assessed general health, 2017, by age and sex
Table 1.3 Prevalence of long-term conditions in adults and children, 2008 to 2017
Table 9.3 Gambling activities in the last 12 months, 2012 to 2017
Table 9.4 DSM-IV and PGSI scores for gambling in the last year, 2016/2017 combined, by age and sex
Table 9.5 DSM-IV and PGSI scores for gambling in the last year (age-standardised), 2016/2017 combined, by area deprivation and sex
Table 9.6 DSM-IV and PGSI scores for gambling in the last year (age-standardised), 2014 to 2017 combined, by GHQ-12 score
Table 9.7 DSM-IV and PGSI scores for gambling in the last year (age-standardised), 2014 to 2017 combined, by alcohol consumption
Appendix: Glossary
A National Statistics Publication for Scotland
Table 1.4 Prevalence of long-term conditions in adults and children, 2017, by age and sex
Table 1.5 Any CVD, doctor-diagnosed diabetes, any CVD or diabetes, IHD, stroke, IHD or stroke, 2017, by age and sex
Table 1.6 Any CVD, doctor-diagnosed diabetes, IHD or stroke (age-standardised), 2003 to 2017, by area deprivation and sex
Table 1.7 Blood pressure level, 2003 to 2016/2017 combined
Table 1.8 Blood pressure level (age-standardised), 2003 to 2016/2017 combined, by area deprivation and sex
Table 1.10 Adult prevalence of CPR training, length of time since original training and whether attended refresher, 2017, by age and sex
Table 1.11 Adult prevalence of CPR training, length of time since original training and whether attended refresher (age-standardised), 2017, by area deprivation and sex
Table 1.12 Type of CPR training last attended, 2017, by age and sex
2. Mental Health and Wellbeing
Table 2.1 Adult WEMWBS mean scores, 2008 to 2017
Table 2.2 Adult WEMWBS mean scores, 2017, by age and sex
Table 2.3 WEMWBS mean scores (age-standardised), 2017, by area deprivation and sex
Table 2.4 GHQ12 scores, 2017, by age and sex
Table 2.5 GHQ12 scores (age-standardised), 2017, by area deprivation and sex
Table 2.6 CIS-R anxiety and depression scores, attempted suicide and self-harm, 2008/2009 combined to 2016/2017 combined
Table 2.7 CIS-R anxiety and depression symptom scores, attempted suicide and self-harm, 2014-2017 combined, by age and sex
Table 2.8 CIS-R anxiety and depression scores, attempted suicide and self-harm (age-standardised), 2014-2017 combined, by area deprivation
Table 2.9 Stress at work, 2009 to 2017
Table 2.10 WEMWBS mean score, 2015/2017 combined, by stress at work, work-life balance, job/workplace conditions and sex
Table 2.11 Social capital, 2015/2017 combined, by age and sex
Table 2.12 WEMWBS mean score, 2015/2017 combined, by social capital and sex
3. Dental Health
Table 3.1 Number of natural teeth and percentage with no natural teeth, 2017, by age and sex
Table 3.2 Number of natural teeth and percentage with no natural teeth (age-standardised), 2008 to 2017, by area deprivation and sex
Table 3.3 Number of natural teeth and percentage with no natural teeth (age-standardised), 2017, by area deprivation and sex
Table 3.4 Length of time since last visit to the dentist, 2017, by age and sex
Table 3.5 Dental anxiety, 2017, by age and sex
Table 3.6 Difficulties when visiting the dentist, 2017, by age and sex
Table 3.7 Dental health problems, 2015/2017 combined, by age and sex
Table 4.1 Estimated usual weekly alcohol consumption level, 2003 to 2017
Table 4.2 Estimated usual weekly alcohol consumption level, 2017, by age and sex
Table 4.3 Estimated usual weekly alcohol consumption level (age-standardised), 2017, by area deprivation and sex
Table 4.4 Estimated units consumed on heaviest drinking day, 2003 to 2017
Table 4.5 Number of days on which adult drinkers drank alcohol in the past week, 2003 to 2017
Table 4.6 Number of days on which adult drinkers drank alcohol in the past week, 2016/2017 combined, by age and sex
Table 4.7 AUDIT scores, 2012 to 2017
Table 4.8 AUDIT scores, 2016/2017 combined, by age and sex
Table 4.9 AUDIT scores (age-standardised), 2016/2017 combined, by area deprivation and sex
Table 5.1 Cigarette smoking status, 2003 to 2017
Table 5.2 Cigarette smoking status, 2017, by age and sex
Table 5.3 Cigarette smoking status (age-standardised), 2003 to 2017, by area deprivation and sex
Table 5.4 Children's exposure to second-hand smoke, 2012 to 2017
Table 5.5 Smoking prevalence estimates without and with saliva cotinine adjustment, 2016/2017 combined, by age and sex
Table 5.6 Self-reported cotinine validated non-smokers exposure to second-hand smoke, 2003 to 2016/2017 combined
Table 5.7 Self-reported cotinine validated non-smokers exposure to second-hand smoke, 2016/2017 combined, by age and sex
Table 5.8 Self-reported cotinine validated non-smokers exposure to second-hand smoke, 2014 to 2017 combined, by area deprivation and sex
Table 5.9 Places self-reported cotinine validated non-smokers with detectable cotinine levels exposed to second-hand smoker, 2014 to 2017 combined, by age and sex
Table 5.10 Smoking rules in household, 2017, by age and sex
Table 5.11 Smoking rules in household (age-standardised), 2017, by area deprivation and sex
Table 5.12 E-cigarette use, 2014 to 2017, by age and sex
Table 6.1 Adult fruit and vegetable consumption, 2003 to 2017
Table 6.2 Adult fruit and vegetable consumption, 2017, by age and sex
Table 6.3 Child fruit and vegetable consumption, 2008 to 2017
Table 6.4 Consumption of vitamin or mineral supplements, adults and children, 2017, by age and sex
Table 6.5 Adult consumption of vitamin or mineral supplements (age-standardised), 2017, by area deprivation and sex
Table 6.6 Adult food insecurity, 2017, by age and sex
Table 6.7 Adult food insecurity, 2017, by household type
Table 6.8 Adult food insecurity (age-standardised), 2017, by area deprivation and sex
7. Physical Activity
Table 7.1 Adult summary activity levels, 2012 to 2017
Table 7.2 Adult summary activity levels, 2017, by age and sex
Table 7.3 Adult summary activity levels (age-standardised), 2012 to 2017, by area deprivation and sex
Table 7.4 Adult detailed activity levels, 2017, by age and sex
Table 7.5 Proportion of children meeting physical activity guideline over course of week (including and excluding activity at school), 2017, by age and sex
Table 7.6 Proportion of children participating in sport, 2017, by age and sex
Table 7.7 Proportion of children meeting physical activity guidelines (including and excluding activity at school), 2017, by area deprivation and sex
Table 7.8 Proportion of children participating in sport, 2017, by area deprivation and sex
8. Obesity
Table 8.1 Mean adult BMI, prevalence of overweight and obesity, 2003 to 2017
Table 8.2 Adult BMI, 2017, by age and sex
Table 8.3 Proportion of children with BMI within the healthy range, at risk of overweight and at risk of obesity, 1998 to 2017
Table 8.4 Children's BMI, 2017, by age and sex
Table 8.5 Mean and raised waist circumference (WC), 2003 to 2016/2017 combined
Table 8.6 Health risk category associated with overweight and obesity based on BMI and waist circumference, 2016/2017 combined, by age and sex
9. Gambling Behaviour
Table 9.1 Gambling activities in the last 12 months, 2017, by age and sex
Table 9.2 Number of different gambling activities in the last 12 months, 2017, by age and sex
1. Gambling Commission (2018) Gambling Particiaption in 2017: behaviour, awareness and attitudes. Available from: http://live-gamblecom.cloud.contensis.com/PDF/survey-data/Gambling-participation-in-2017-behaviour-awareness-and-attitudes.pdf
2. Ofcom (2013). Trends in Advertising Activity – Gambling. (Conducted by Zinc Research & Analytics). Available from: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0026/53387/trends_in_ad_activity_gambling.pdf
3. See: http://www.gambleaware.co.uk/recognise-a-problem.
4. Griffiths, M (2004). Betting your life on it: Problem gambling has clear health related consequences. British Medical Journal 329(7474): 1055–1056.
5. GamCare (2017) Annual Statistics. Available from: www.gamcare.org.uk/sites/default/files/file_attach/GamCare%20Annual%20Statistics%202016-17%20FINAL.pdf
6. American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition (DSM-IV); Wynne H.J. (2003). Introducing the Canadian Problem Gambling Screen. Edmonton, Canada: Wynne Resources.
7. Gambling Act 2005. Available at: www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/19/pdfs/ukpga_20050019_en.pdf
8. For further information see: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/acts2005/ukpga_20050019_en_2
9. Griffiths, M.D. (2007). (2007). Gambling Addiction and Its Treatment Within the NHS: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals. London: British Medical Association. http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/gamblingaddiction
10. Consultation on proposals for changes to Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures (2017). London: Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport. Available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/655969/Consultation_on_proposals_for_changes_to_Gaming_Machines_and_Social_Responsibility_Measures.pdf
11. Gambling Protection and Controls. London: Department for Culture, Media and Sport (2014). Available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/307458/Gambling_Protections_and_Controls_.pdf
12. Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures. (2016) London: Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Available from: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/562122/Call_for_evidence_-_Review_of_Gaming_Machines_and_Social_Responsibility_Measures.pdf
13. CAP (2014). The CAP Code: The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing. Edition 12. London: The Committee of Advertising Practice. Available from: www.asa.org.uk/asset/47EB51E7%2D028D%2D4509%2DAB3C0F4822C9A3C4/
14. See: www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-cut-fixed-odds-betting-terminals-maximum-stake-from-100-to-2
15. Potenza, M. N., Fiellin, D. A., Heninger, G. R., Rounsaville, B. J. and Mazure, C. M. (2002). Gambling. Journal of General Internal Medicine 17: 721–732. doi: 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2002.10812.x
16. See: www.gov.scot/scottishhealthsurvey
17. The BGPS 1999 and 2007 used a paper self-completion booklet to collect data. In 2010, computer-assisted self-completion was used which allowed the questionnaire to have a more complex structure as more follow-up questions could be asked. As the Scottish Health Survey used a paper self-completion, the questionnaire structure and format of the 1999 and 2007 studies was followed.
18. Lesieur H.R, Rosenthal M.D. (1991). Pathological gambling: A review of the literature (prepared for the American Psychiatric Association Task Force on DSM-IV Committee on disorders of impulse control not elsewhere classified). Journal of Gambling Studies 7, 1, 5-40.
19. Abbott, M., Volberg., R (2007) The measurement of adult problem and pathological gambling. International Gambling Studies, 6(2); 175-200.
20. This is with the exception of chasing losses which is rated on a scale ranging between 'never' and 'everytime I lost'.
21. Orford J., Wardle H., Griffiths M., Sproston K., Erens B., (2010). PGSI and DSM-IV in the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey: reliability, item response, factor structure and inter-scale agreement. International Gambling Studies 10(1); 31-44.
22. The categorisation and screening of problem and pathological gambling has been reviewed and revised in the recently published DSM V. Main changes made were that the term pathological gambling was replaced with the term 'gambling disorder', that the crime criterion be removed from classification and that the threshold for identifying 'gambling disorders' be dropped from 5 (formerly the threshold for identifying pathological gamblers) to 4. However, the DSM V was not officially released at the time of Scottish Health Survey 2012 fieldwork. Therefore, this chapter uses the standards set by the DSM IV and replicates the scoring methods used in the BGPS series to allow comparisons to be made.
23. Some researchers have recommended that different (lower) thresholds should be used when identifying problem gamblers using the PGSI. However, these recommendations have not been universally accepted and are not currently endorsed by the original developers of the PGSI instrument. Therefore, this chapter uses the thresholds and categorisation recommended by the original developers and replicates the methods used in the BGPS, also allowing comparisons to be made.
24. Goldberg, D and Williams, PA (1988). A User's Guide to the General Health Questionnaire. Windsor: NFER-Nelson.
25. Wardle, H. (2012). Chapter 9: Gambling. In: Rutherford, L, Hinchcliffe S, Sharp S (eds). The 2011 Scottish Health Survey – Volume 1. Edinburgh: Scottish Government. Available from: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2013/09/3684/13
Julie.Landsberg@gov.scot


Former AG Eric Holder Says Snowden Performed A Public Service
Eric Holder said Edward Snowden should still be prosecuted for dumping the classified information, however.
By The Christian Science Monitor
Former US Attorney General Eric Holder says Edward Snowden performed a "public service" by setting off a national debate over global surveillance, but that the fugitive must still face the "consequences" for leaking classified information.
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A gonzo journalist from Austin, Texas and Staff Writer for MintPress News, Kit O'Connell's writing has also appeared at Truthout, the Texas Observer, and The Establishment.
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Frederick Reese
Frederick Reese is lead staff writer for Mint Press specializing in race, poverty, congressional oversight and technology. An award winning data journalist and creative writer for over 15 years, Frederick has written about and worked for social advocacy projects and personal awareness efforts. Frederick is a jack-of-all-trades, with work experience as a teacher, a pastry chef and a story writer. Frederick has publication credits with Yahoo!, B. Couleur, and more. A native New Yorker, Frederick graduated from Colgate University in 1999 and Johnson & Wales University in 2003. Frederick started his journalistic career writing for his university's newspaper, "The Colgate Maroon-News," before starting and heading his own magazine, "The Idealist." Most recently, Frederick received a data journalism award from the International Center for Journalists for his minimum wage coverage for MintPress. Follow Frederick on Twitter: @frederickreese
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Linda Wieland
Helping Prepare Mexico City for Future Disasters
Sep 06, 2018 Mark 0
Press Release (ePRNews.com) - MEXICO CITY - Sep 06, 2018 - When the September 2017 Mexico City earthquake struck, Scientology Volunteer Ministers (VMs), who served as a vital part of the recovery effort, asked the question: How do we help the city prepare for the next time disaster strikes?
They answered that question with a Volunteer Minister tour providing disaster preparedness training to cities across the region.
As soon as the search and rescue phase of the earthquake was over, they began in the Guerrero neighborhood of northern Mexico City, where many schools requested training. There they focused on two factors: drilling people on how to survive a major earthquake and training on the Volunteer Ministers The Solutions for a Dangerous Environment booklet. Those participating not only learned the rudiments of how to protect themselves and their families, they also gained the tools to address the confusion, anxiety, loss and trauma that are the inevitable consequence of a major natural or manmade disaster.
To ensure the city was fully prepared to guarantee the safety of the local children, the Volunteer Ministers also trained 530 school police officers in these techniques at the Church of Scientology Mexico City.
Next, the tour visited Tlatelolco, where the Nuevo León housing complex collapsed in the 1985 Mexico earthquake, killing all residents inside. The area was electrified by the 2017 earthquake which brought back the feeling of panic and alarm from that experience. VMs set up their distinctive yellow tent in the Plaza de las Tres Cultura, and there too the training brought calm and confidence, helping local residents relax and get on with their lives.
Traveling south to the state of Oaxaca, the VMs arrived in San Pablo Villa de Mitla. Again delivery focused on schools, but also included the police, municipal officials and parishioners of a church. A local priest welcomed the volunteers by cutting the ribbon to their tent, set up in the main town plaza.
Once the disaster was officially over, the Volunteer Ministers continued their program, delivering more than 200 seminars to school students, teachers, police officers and church parishioners over the next year.
The Church of Scientology Volunteer Minister program is a religious social service created in the 1970s by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard. Anyone of any culture or creed may train as a Volunteer Minister and use these tools to help their families and communities. The Church provides free online training on the Volunteer Ministers website.
In creating the Volunteer Ministers program, L. Ron Hubbard wrote, "If one does not like the crime, cruelty, injustice and violence of this society, he can do something about it. He can become a Volunteer Minister and help civilize it, bring it conscience and kindness and love and freedom from travail by instilling into it trust, decency, honesty and tolerance."
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Home > Free Essays > Entertainment & Media > Journalism > The Swanston Street Wall Collapse
The Swanston Street Wall Collapse Report
The collapse of the Swanston Street Wall, which resulted in death of three young civilians, has attracted public's attention as to the possible causes of the tragedy.
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According to the Victorian Bureau of Metrology, westerly winds had a speed of over 100km/h, at around 3.00pm, minutes before the wall collapsed (Gough & Millar 2013).
In-depth analysis and scrutiny of the brickwork and its environs divulge possible contributory factors that might have led to the collapse of the wall.
Even though the speed of wind was extremely high, across check on the wall four months prior to the incident revealed huge cracks at its foot and parts of its body.
Engineering experts hold that the cracks on the wall created points of weaknesses; therefore, it was extremely impossible for the wall to resist the strong winds. In essence, the cracks on the wall contributed heavily to the occurrence of the tragedy.
The wall had Grocon's advertising board, which was 45 centimetres taller than the brick wall. Since the board was higher than the brick wall, it acted as a sail, and during strong westerly winds, it cannot block their influence.
The advertising structure concentrated winds to the wall, forcing it to rotate and collapse. Grocon did not apply structural control joints in mounting the hoarding next to the brick wall. In situations of load like strong winds, each structure acts independently to contain the impeding effects.
Structural joint separation helps in minimizing fatalities on a system in case of hazardous occurrences (The Wall: Site Analysis Summary 2013). Besides, the overall design and site layout caused the fall of the brick wall, as they placed great pressure on the wall's weakest points.
According to Victoria Police reports, the collapse of the wall at the construction site in Melbourne CBD took away lives of three innocent passers-by and caused injuries to other people who might have left the scene before the arrival of the rescue team.
The three pedestrians were French researcher Dr Marie-Faith Fiawoo, Alexander Jones, and his sister Bridget Jones. The incident has prompted the Building Commission, Coroner, WorkSafe, and Victoria Police to conduct investigations into the collapse of the wall along Swanton Street.
Notably, the City of Melbourne does not only have to participate in the investigations, but also conduct thorough auditing of similar structures within its territory (Gough & Millar 2013).
As part of containing or preventing future occurrences, the Planning Minister Matthew Guy instructed the Building Commission to identify other structures that can cause destructions to the public.
The investigation involves analysis on effects of the advertisement board, Grocon's reluctance to start the construction since purchasing the site from RMIT University in 2006, and the legality of the wall built in early 1970s.
In addition, the investigators are analyzing the design of the structure given the extremely low number of metal ties that constructors used in holding the two bricks.
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Currently, the Coroner Court is receiving testimonies from the concerned and interested parties into the possible causes of the deadly incident and criminal or civil prosecution to those found responsible for the collapse.
Investigating authorities have taken relevant information and materials from Grocon through their spokesperson detailing the records of the wall.
At the same time, RMIT University has forwarded detailed information about the construction site since they were the owners prior to 2007 (Drill 2013).
The accident that led to the deaths of three innocent pedestrians is an occurrence that happened due to negligence from different concerned parties.
For instance, institutions and companies had used the structures to mint millions for the past 30 years without caring on its possible effects to health and safety of the public and employees. The wall was adjacent to a footpath on Swanton Street, which pedestrians used frequently.
To worsen the situation, a wooden hoarding board blocked the wall from public's view, thereby eliminating public's anxiety on its possible collapse.
Constructed in late 1960s, the wall not heritage-registered as the law requires, and it violated the required heights for external walls of 1.8 meters high. In allowing the wall to remain standing for 40 years, the serial owners are both ethically and legally liable for the demise of the three pedestrians.
Photographs of the wall also showed that constructors used different bricks bringing in possibilities of brick recycling; this might have weakened the structure further (Drill 2013).
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In this aspect, the original owners of the wall, the brewery company, and the Melbourne City Council have to be answerable to the courts for engaging foul play in accepting construction of walls using wrong designs.
Markedly, constructors could have fixed the design and overall layout at the time of construction.
Grocon Construction Company is also responsible for the pedestrians' deaths. When they bought the site from RMIT University in 2006, they promised to start constructions and reconstructions in 2007, which never occurred (Sun & Drill 2013).
Since the construction company had all the reports on the state of the perimeter fence from the university, it is evident that their neglect on the wall led to the actual loss of lives. If the company could have kept its promise of 2007, there could not have been such fatalities.
From another perspective, after comprehending the state of the wall, Grocon went on to mount huge advertisement board that acted as sails (Heaton 2013). This amounts to carelessness and negligence on the company's side.
The company did not consider the safety of the passers-by in mounting the board on an already weak wall; instead, it focused on direct gains from the public. WorkSafe and Victoria Police should consider these aspects in prosecuting Grocon at the Coroner court.
In 2011, the WorkSafe authority visited the site, and it ought to have raised alarms on the possible consequences that the wall could have on employees and everyone. It is not clear what WorkSafe went to do at the site and the recommendations it gave forth.
However, this body has the authority to stop any dangerous construction or structure within Australia. From this dimension, Grocon as well as WorkSafe should be ethically and legally liable for the effects that arose from the debris.
In monitoring workplace practices, it is the duty of WorkSafe to enjoin the public and employees' safety in its investigations.
Coupled with the photograph evidence of cracks on the wall, WorkSafe should have ordered for the total destruction of the entire wall, and instructed Grocon to hoist notices on the wall to alert the public of possible collapse (Drill 2013).
In analyzing the aforementioned lapses of the bodies, it is evident that the occurrence was foreseeable and could be preventable if they could have acted within the given time schedule.
For instance, if Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) could have adhered to the allowable height requirements and use one form of bricks by the architectural bodies in 1960s, the wall could have not surged down due to strong winds.
System of laws, compliance codes, and regulations govern the workplace health and safety in Victoria, as they set out employers and workers' responsibilities in order to enhance overall work safety.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 requires an employer to offer a safe and healthy place of work for all employees, contractors, and every other person.
Other health and safety obligations of the OHS require the services or business conduct of an employer not to endanger the lives of other people including passers-by, visitors, and customers (Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 n.d).
In connection to this, an employer ought to provide protection from debris at the sites, alert the public of possible hazardous factors, reduce the rate at which the public access the construction site, and even limit traffic access to his/her workplace.
In this study, OHS requires employers to meet specific licensing, certification and registration requirements, give early notification of impeding risks to WorkSafe, and comply with WorkSafe Inspectors Directions.
Following the Victorian OHS Act 2004, investigations by WorkSafe can end up to prosecutions of Grocon since it hoisted the wooden hoarding board without the certification or licensing from the Melbourne Council (Heaton 2013).
Further, the advertisement board blocked the weak structure of the wall from pedestrians who used the nearest footpath. From the case study, there is no instance where Grocon notified WorkSafe of the wall as a health and safety hazard.
Even though WorkSafe officials agreed to have visited the site much earlier, there is no proof to their analysis on the status of the wall.
This leaves Grocon as the sole bearer of the fatalities. In addition, Grocon failed to notify or control the public's movement along the wall having been notified of the potential risks.
Again, Grocon failed to bring down the wall in accordance with the instructions from the reports that RMIT University had presented to them.
At the same time, RMIT University could also face prosecution for not bringing down the 40 years old wall, and going ahead to sell a health and safety hazard property.
Clearly, the University of RMIT was interested in gaining from the structure at the expense of the risks that could occur due to the collapse of the wall. Grocon and RMIT University are directly liable for the cause of the accident, and the Coroner should prosecute them for the same.
To some extent WorkSafe Victoria's investigations at the site in 2011 can also raise possibilities for prosecution given that Coroner, Building Commission, and Victoria police are directed in the investigation process.
The involvement of many teams in the process may minimize chances of compromising the results of the investigation.
Failure by CUB to register the wall among the heritage structures is a clear violation of the act, thus raising the chances of prosecution (Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 n.d.). Several organisations face charges for their negligence; instead, they concentrated on minting money from the old structure.
The tragic accident has some must-learn lessons that public and employers like construction firms must consider in their future operations. For example, original owners of structures have to ensure that they present the audited reports that show the status of the structure as at the time of sales.
This helps in averting implications into the consequences that can arise due to the structure's collapse. When engaging in auditing activities, WorkSafe should ensure that they inspect the conditions of all structures, and inform the employers of the risks at the place.
As evident in the 2011 audit report, WorkSafe has not come out clear on the recommendations it gave concerning the status of the wall. This tragedy can disclose WorkSafe officials as corrupt in their service provision.
For other companies to respect authority, WorkSafe should state clearly the contents of its 2011 audit of Grocon construction site in Melbourne's CBD.
Moreover, construction companies must understand that their structures can be of great health and safety hazards to not only the employees, but also the public; therefore, they should alert everyone on this situation (Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 n.d.).
Firms should remove all structures that can cause harm to everyone in order to prevent prosecution and engaging in compensations to incidences that they could have evaded. Negligence can cause an immense loss to an organisation in terms of compensations.
In the Australian Construction Industry, 12% of fatalities are due to fall from heights. Falling objects have caused 16-compensated deaths over the 5-year period of 2005/06 to 2009/10.
The value represents reported cases only, keeping in mind that unreported cases are always higher than the reported; such fatalities remain potential risks to everyone.
Occupational Health and Safety (1993) asserts that falling walls and structures are preventable events that engineers can identify and disseminate the underlying causes in time.
It is essential for the engineering community to discuss and share information regarding failures of the structures under evaluation.
For engineering professionals to continue commanding public confidence, they should maintain high level of transparency at all costs (Workplace Relations Ministers' Council 2004). Transparency will avert the risk of repeating mistakes.
For instance, engineers could have avoided the recent death of a tradesman at southeast Melbourne due to dramatic collapse of a two-storey building. In this Caulfield incident, another man sustained serious injuries. In sum, this industry reported over 17,000 injury claims in the last five years.
National OHS strategy 2002-2012 (2002) agrees that the replacement of the Australia's National OHS Strategy 2002-2012 with the Australian Work Health Safety Strategy 2012-2022 will strongly reduce injuries and deaths resulting from falling objects and structural failures.
For example, under Healthy and Safe by design, engineers will be able to do away with any possible risks and hazards at the design stage.
This is evident in the construction of the collapsed wall; it had poor design and layout, and constructors used different bricks, which increased the chances of collapse (Planning occupational health & safety (5th ed.) 2000).
By minimizing failures at the design stage, the construction industry will have reduced injuries and deaths within their sites by a sizeable margin. The possibility of prosecuting individuals increases the primary duty of care for OHS on persons at the sites.
In harmonizing the legislation, all companies will be able to apply one standard in all the six states and two territories of Australia, thus providing open platforms for sharing ideas on design criteria. Designers should be accountable to the weaknesses that arise in a structure.
In the event of fatalities, Coroner should prosecute such designers even if they are not members of the construction company at the time the incident occurs.
Besides, the new strategy obliges designers to share information freely with others, failure to do so results in prosecution. The move will reduce injuries and deaths within the construction industry.
Drill, S. 2013, Photo taken just months before the death wall collapse are 'shocking revelation' and reveal major flaws , Herald Sun. Web.
Gough, D., & Millar, R. 2013, The wall, and why it collapsed , The Age. Web.
Heaton, A. 2013, No Permit for Advertising Board on Collapsed, Design Build Source. Web.
National OHS strategy 2002-2012 2002, The Commission, Canberra.
Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Regulations (Amendment) 1993, Commonwealth Government Printer, Canberra.
Occupational Health and Safety Act , 2004, Victorian Legislation and Documentation. Web.
Planning occupational health & safety (5th ed.) 2000, C.C.H. Australia Ltd, North Ryde, N.S.W.
Sun, H., & Drill, S. 2013, Swanston Street wall was 'never good' , The Australian. Web.
The Wall: Site Analysis Summary , 2013, Melbourne City Council. Web.
Workplace Relations Ministers' Council: comparative performance monitoring: comparison of occupational health and safety arrangements in Australia and New Zealand. (3rd ed.) 2004, National Occupational Health and Safety Commission, Canberra.
This report on The Swanston Street Wall Collapse was written and submitted by your fellow student. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly.
Media Industry Structural Changes Top Secret America - Washington Post
IvyPanda. (2019, September 6). The Swanston Street Wall Collapse. Retrieved from https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-swanston-street-wall-collapse/
"The Swanston Street Wall Collapse." IvyPanda, 6 Sept. 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/the-swanston-street-wall-collapse/.
1. IvyPanda. "The Swanston Street Wall Collapse." September 6, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-swanston-street-wall-collapse/.
IvyPanda. "The Swanston Street Wall Collapse." September 6, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-swanston-street-wall-collapse/.
IvyPanda. 2019. "The Swanston Street Wall Collapse." September 6, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-swanston-street-wall-collapse/.
IvyPanda. (2019) 'The Swanston Street Wall Collapse'. 6 September.
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Dishoom's Covent Garden revamp under way
Dishoom – the restaurant group inspired by the Irani cafés of Bombay – has announced that the refurbishment works at its first site in Covent Garden are under way, with plans to open later on this autumn in a move that will create more than 100 new jobs.
The Covent Garden site originally opened in July 2010, and closed in January this year to undergo a major redesign to celebrate its 10-year anniversary; it has also undergone a significant expansion as part of the redesign, making it a first-rate flagship restaurant for the Dishoom team.
When the restaurant closed in January, all members of the Covent Garden team were offered roles at alternative cafés.
Dishoom has confirmed it kept everyone's jobs through the subsequent disruption brought about by Covid-19, and is looking forward to 'warmly welcoming its first-rate team of Dishoom-wallas back to their old home'.
The operator has also launched a new front of house foundational training course, allowing current team members to fast-track their training and development ahead of the relaunch.
Covent Garden's revamp will aim to bring to life the stories of Bombay's theatres, inspired by the London district's own connections to stage shows, which were reincarnated in the 1940s 'as all-singing, all-dancing talkie houses'.
Dishoom Covent Garden will tell the story of Bombay's 'theatrical journey from Parsi theatre, to silent film, to the thrill and amazement of the talkies era'.
Last year the Dishoom team, along with design partners Macaulay Sinclair, made the trip to Bombay (now called Mumbai) to discover the history and stories of the city's early cinema.
There, the teams were also inspired by visits to The Willingdon Club, Bombay Yacht Club and numerous private residences – painted shutters, cane and rattan furniture, and verandah spaces sitting alongside elevated detailing, including decorative ceilings and ornate chandeliers.
The restaurant will soon be open daily, serving guests from breakfast and mid-morning chai, to lunch and afternoon drinks, right through to evening meals and late-night snacks, served across both floors of the café, and in the restaurant's Permit Room bar.


History - TELFORD & WREKIN ARTHRITIS SUPPORT GROUP
TELFORD & WREKIN ARTHRITIS SUPPORT GROUP
In 2004 the Telford branch of Arthritis Care split from the national charity and became an independent group known as The Telford & Wrekin Arthritis Support Group. The group was granted charitable status by the Charity Commission the same year.
The object of the group is to work with and for all people with arthritis in the catchment area of Telford & Wrekin Borough, and promote their health, well being and independence through sevices, support, self help ,influence and information. The group holds bi-monthly social evenings with occasional speakers, outings and trips (all on wheelchair friendly coaches), and arranges an annual holiday. Hydrotherapy sessions have been held on a weekly basis at the PRH hospital, where members can do gentle exercise in warm water with the help of a Physiotherapist. A newsletter with information,hints and tips, and details of forthcoming events is published quarterly.
We welcome new members and membership at present is £10.00 per year. You do not have to suffer from arthritis to become a member, so if you or someone in the family suffers from arthritis, then why not come and join us.


Toler Gibson Band|Manda Mosher
THE TOLER GIBSON BAND
The Toler Gibson Band is from the mountains of Idyllwild, California. Finding it's roots in classic country, country rock, & folk, the music generated from this group of LA transplants is it's own brand of cosmic american music. Previously in LA bands such as Bell Gardens and Winter Flowers, TGB plays more to the roots side of the american song book then past projects.
MANDA MOSHER
From her first solo album on, Manda Mosher's songs have always shimmered with pure rock & roll soul as channeled through a singularly grounded American Girl, inspiring one writer to dub her the "female Tom Petty." That's high praise, but she carries it well.
An award-winning songwriter, recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, touring musician and entrepreneur, she was baptized in the river of real-time rock & roll, and has never abandoned that spirit. Like Tom Petty, her idol, she's radiated a reverence for the purity and artistry of great songwriting and record-making since the start.
Rock Cats Rock
The Mystos|Bad Leaf


Bethard.com
Cardiff roar to see Gatland's boys through
|In Rugby
|By Jessica Hogdson
It is set to be a thrilling encounter at the Principality Stadium, as the 2019 Six Nations championship concludes on a highly-anticipated Super Saturday.
Wales have their destiny in their own hands as they welcome reigning champions Ireland to Cardiff, in what will be Warren Gatland's final Six Nations game in charge.
'Wales have forgotten how to lose'
Gatland's words will be put to the ultimate test and under the most extreme pressure, as his former side Ireland head to the Welsh capital looking to spoil what would be some party should the hosts win.
A Grand Slam would be the perfect send off for Gatland, who like Ireland last year have been forced to juggle some tricky situations through the competition.
Both Wales and the Irish started with unconvincing yet vital wins in Paris, before gaining that all-important winning momentum through the tournament.
Wales were again below par for wins over Italy and Scotland, but produced their performance of the competition at home to England.
Gatland will need a similar 80-minute display this Saturday, against an Ireland side who for 75 minutes against France last time out produced their own best performance of this season's competition.
Wales came into the tournament with form but still all the talk was of Ireland and England for the big prize. Having been plagued by injuries in the past, the Welsh have discovered real strength in depth in most positions across the field.
Gareth Anscombe has been a revelation at fly-half and has shown he can be a reliable Test number 10 alongside Dan Biggar. And once again the more experienced heads of Alun Wyn Jones and Jonathan Davies have stood up when it mattered in crucial moments.
This might not be the prettiest Test match you will ever see, but Wales have the momentum, the crowd and the Gatland element to get them over the line and the hosts are 1.76 to get the win and seal the Grand Slam.
England out for Scotland revenge
The Calcutta Cup will wrap up the 2019 Six Nations and if Wales have already won in Cardiff, they will have denied the Red Rose their chance of the title.
If Ireland don't do England a favour, it will take a tiny shine off the final game… but not much.
Not for a long time have England seemed so geared up for a showdown with the Scots, having "had their pants pulled down" at Murrayfield last season. Those were the words of head coach Eddie Jones, who has spoken of the Scots' celebrations in Murrayfield 12 months ago.
Scotland played England off the field that day, but Gregor Townsend's side have been decimated by injuries through the competition.
The Scots will be playing for pride on Saturday and Scotland fans might be watching behind the sofa, for a game that could be damage limitation at the unhappy hunting ground of Twickenham.
England should finish their tournament on a high and it's not unreasonable to think, on current form, they can fall on the right side of a -18.5 FT handicap at 1.88.
BET NOW – CLICK HERE
Jessica Hogdson
© 2021 Bethard Blog All rights reserved


The long tail of pop-up stores
Supermarkets have customer trust, and an opportunity to sell foods and non-foods beyond their core seasons.
Pop-up stores are pure occasion-based retail sites. We're bound to see many later this year for Halloween and Christmas, and more in subsequent years as the concept spreads.
Supermarkets can do pop-ups too for different year-round seasonal opportunities. Consider two diverse examples: the ShopRite Passover store and the Kroger grilling and tailgating set-up at last month's Richmond International Speedway NASCAR race. Both imprint the chains as solutions providers when a defined range of foods and nonfoods are in short-term demand.
There's a key difference between the supermarket efforts and the typical nameless pop-up shops that appear and disappear on the retail landscape: customer trust in the marquee name, and a feeling of comfort about the store's product quality and price fairness, says The Lempert Report. Because this trust exists, supermarkets (and other known retailers) can generate traffic and good-sized baskets that others can't.
Pop-ups are largely seen as ways to capitalize on short-lived seasonal events. Yet we believe products that target specific occasions could have enduring sales lives online all year long. The physical setting of a pop-up store may be temporary, but the branding and merchandise availability can last much longer.
The Lempert Report calls this the long tail of pop-ups. Turkey, for instance, is one of the least expensive, versatile, satisfying high-protein foods in the store. Sure, Thanksgiving is the peak sales period. But there's no reason not to sell frozen turkeys online for much of the year, along with canned pumpkin, cranberry juice and other related flavorful foods—along with wine, colorful napkins, plasticware and other accompaniments that make themed picnics in the spring possible. Or how about Christmas in July parties with egg nog, whipped cream desserts, invitations, party supplies and more.
Even within season, supermarkets could test their shoppers' propensity for fun, in ways that a conventional store couldn't allow. Pop-up stores could have costume and makeup contests around Halloween, nutrition-for-better-academics seminars during back-to-School, and under tents in the parking lot pet-care demonstrations that benefit local animal shelters. Stores could also get edgier with private labels, such as cake and cookie mixes in holiday colors—to give shoppers new ideas and expand their image of how the marquee retailer could serve them in unexpected ways.


Racing: Reaching Within and Without
By Gordon Bakoulis
Haile Gebrselassie is a living legend, adored in his native Ethiopia and known throughout the world as one of the greatest distance runners of all time. In August, Gebrselassie won the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by Nike in New York City in 59:24 — the second-fastest time ever on North American soil (only his own 58:55 in Tempe in 2006 was faster) — on a course that included over seven miles in hilly Central Park. The runner-up finished more than a minute behind him.
At age 34, "Geb" has set 22 world and national records, won two Olympic 10,000-meter gold medals, and won 107 major road race titles. His appearance in New York — his first-ever race there — received intense media coverage and drew thousands of fans out to city streets that are normally deserted early on a summer Sunday morning. Two bodyguards accompanied him throughout his four-day visit as he was followed everywhere by fans and well-wishers. Crowds cheered, chanted, and sang to him at the start of the race, along the course, at the finish, and throughout the post-race festivities.
It's amazing, really, that the man was able to focus on the task at hand, to step to the line like every other runner and, when the horn sounded, simply do what he trains his body and mind every day to do: cover ground quickly. Like any top runner, Gebrselassie's face was a mask of concentration that only deepened as the miles wore on. Though he had the race in hand just past halfway, he hammered hard through the later miles and sprinted hard the final few hundred meters. Geb's concentration broke only in the final steps as he saw the clock and acknowledged the cheers of the crowd.
A runner such as Gebrselassie, who has been among the best in the world for more than a dozen years, has of course had plenty of time to hone his ability to block out distractions. Certainly, the act of putting on his game face is nothing new. The impressive thing about Gebrselassie in New York, though, was his ability to let in the world around him when it suited his purposes. Sounding every bit the tourist, he said that the sights and sounds of Times Square during the race excited him so much that he increased his tempo. He used the midrace urging of Abdirahman to share the lead as a motivation to make the move that made the race his.
Mostly, he said, he was propelled by the loyalty he felt from his fans and a desire to return that steadfastness. "The spectators, they do a lot to come out and support," he said. "You need to give them something."
What does that mindset say to those of us who will probably never need to hire a bodyguard to keep the autograph seekers at bay? Geb's attitude, in what are probably the final years of his magnificent career, is an inspiration to any runner who has ever been tempted to stop reaching, to settle for what's come before. It's also a reminder that though the will to succeed certainly comes first from within, there's nothing at all wrong with looking for external motivation as well. "I love the crowds in New York," said Gebrselassie, and to prove it, he put on a great show. One can imagine there will be quite a few more to follow.
Racing: Winning Without Speed
Should There Be Holidays Without Road Races?
Can I Race Without Orthotics?
Without Stopping


Home » News » stone lion stele bronze lion
stone lion stele bronze lion
FIVE-TIER PAGODA, FIVE-ELEMENT STUPA – Onmark Productions
GORINTŌ / GORINTO / GORINTOU / 五輪等 FIVE-TIER PAGODA, FIVE-ELEMENT STUPA FIVE-WHEELED RELIQUARY, FIVE-LAYERED STELE Funerary Monuments, Often Containing Relics of the Buddha
Obelisk of Axum – Wikipedia
In a 1947 UN agreement, Italy agreed to return the stele to Ethiopia, along with the other looted piece, the Lion of Judah. While the latter was returned in 1967 following the 1961 visit of emperor Haile Selassie to Italy, little action was taken to return the stele for more than 50 years, partly as a consequence of the considerable technical …
Hammurabi – Wikipedia
Hammurabi (standing), depicted as receiving his royal insignia from Shamash (or possibly Marduk).Hammurabi holds his hands over his mouth as a sign of prayer (relief on the upper part of the stele of Hammurabi's code of laws).
Dosojin – Japanese Protective Stone Statues Safeguarding the …
Dosojin, Sae no Kami, Stone Markers Protecting the Village and Crossroads and Liminal Areas. Also deities of fertility of the land and its communities.
SPHINX – Woman-Headed Lion of Greek Mythology
In Greek mythology the Sphinx was a female monster with the body of a lion, the head and breast of a woman, eagle's wings and, according to some, a serpent's tail.
Wiccan, Pagan and Voodoo Jewelry – Abaxion
A huge selection jewelry including Wiccan, Pagan, Goddess, God, Occult, Egyptian, Voodoo, Pentagrams, Dragons, Fairies and more. Choose from pendants, necklaces, rings, earrings, chains, chokers, crowns, anklets and bracelets.
IBSS – Biblical Archaeology – Evidence of the Exodus from Egypt
One of the most important discoveries that relate to the time of the Exodus is the Merneptah stele which dates to about 1210 BC. Merneptah, the king of Egypt, boasts that he has destroyed his enemies in Canaan.
Ancient coinage of Ionia – Snible
The motives of the two last described coins are remarkable; that of the stater resembles the Lion-gate of Mycenae and some early Phrygian monuments of the ninth and eighth centuries B.C. (Ramsay, J. H. S., 1888, 350 sq.).
Writing – Jewish Virtual Library
SCRIPTS AND MATERIALS General Survey. From the end of the third millennium B.C.E., the art of writing was practiced in the ancient Near East (see *Alphabet ).
True Colors | Arts & Culture | Smithsonian
Archaeologists such as Germany's Vinzenz Brinkmann are reconstructing some of the colorfully painted sculptures and glittering bronze statuary that existed during classical antiquity. A replica of a stele erected c. 510 B.C. on the grave of the Greek warrior, Aristion, commemorates his exploits in …
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