text:
Inside the group’s mystique, the acid jazz is reminiscent of Jamiroquai funk, while deeply saturated in the contemporary freshness of house purveyors like Joey Negro, Masters at Work, Soul Clap and Jamie Jones. Even the legendary tastemaker Gilles Peterson, dubbed them the future of house music
Pic: Carsten Wäßerling | Soulpixx.de
John-Christian Urich | Los Angeles, USA
Artist, Singer, Songwriter, Producer
John-Christian, Jordan Scanella and Isamu McGregor are Tortured Soul
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Youtube | Soundcloud | Spotify
Bandcamp | Traxsource | Amazon | Itunes
Tortured Soul’s origins date back to 2001 while Urich was steering Cooly’s Hot Box, an acid jazz outfit also featuring under-the-radar indie soul vocalist Angela Johnson. After putting Cooly’s Hot Box on hiatus, Urich composed Might Do Something Wrong which was quickly picked up by New York-based deep house label Central Park Recordings, and Tortured Soul was born. Thanks to the cool laidback mix provided by Osunlade, the song quickly became an underground staple at the iconic Club Shelter and helped jumpstart the development of a full-length disc generating more soulful house.
Urich began playing his compositions “Might Do Something Wrong,” “Don’t Hold Me Down,” “Fall In Love” and “Enjoy It Now” with his bandmates from the rhythm section of NYC’s acid-jazz band Topaz: bassist Jason “JKriv” Kriveloff and keyboardist Ethan White. Eventually they broke away to form the trio Tortured Soul. They began touring in 2003, and have become one of the premier live dance acts of this generation.
While touring nearly every continent, they have played venues as diverse as the Montreal Jazz Festival, Zouk Singapore, Bonnaroo in Tennessee, Fabric in London, and The Capetown International Jazz Festival in South Africa. They have shared the stage with world-renowned DJ’s like Carl Cox, Miguel Migs, Jazzanova, and Louie Vega. They have also performed with many legendary live acts such as Chaka Kahn, The Wailers, The Brand New Heavies, and Pharcyde.
A succession of 12-inch singles followed Might Do Something Wrong, including Alix Alvarez’s mix of How’s Your Life and the romantic dance-pop of Fall in Love. Billboard dance critic Michael Paoletta lauded the latter track by calling it a sterling, soul-slammed house jam. Each of the singles impressed the bevy of the world’s dance halls, allowing the band to tour heavily with appearances at clubs and festivals across the US. With 2006’s Introducing Tortured Soul, the band was able to piece together their first debut album using all their earlier singles while also incorporating a few new studio additions. The follow-up album, 2009’s Did You Miss Me, released on the band’s own label, TSTC Records, ushered in a new wave of critical acclaim, climactically winning accolades from various music publications like Blues and Soul, SoulTracks and SoulBounce. Home to You, In My Fantasy and Your Dream Is My Dream were all given the 12″ and 7″ singles’ treatment. Continuing their regimen for clubland rituals, Tortured Soul employed an attractive A-list of DJs and remixers to carefully handle the mixes for their latest batch of uptempo dancefloor fillers, including Mark de Clive-Lowe, Quentin Harris, Jon Cutler, DJ Spinna, Dimitri From Paris and remix pioneer Tom Moulton. In 2015 the band released a third album, Hot For Your Love Tonight, with a music video for the single “Don’t Lead Me On.” Most recently two new singles, “Makin’ Me Better” and “U Live 2 Far Away,” along with remixes of both by JKriv, Lounge Lizards, Ron Trent and more.
In 2010, Kriveloff departed the group to focus on his new record label.
On March 3, 2015, Keyboard player, co producer and founding band member Ethan White passed away.
Urich continues to compose and tour as Tortured Soul with the help of bassists Jordan Scanella and Ernie McKone (in Europe) and keyboardist Isamu McGregor. Ernie is well known on the UK music scene and worldwide for his classic projects such as Galliano and Push and as a bassist for Paul Weller, Omar and Leon Ware to name a few.
Tortured Soul has still got the dance floor groovin’ and its popularity continues to spread across intercontinental boundaries as its touring schedules broaden with every single measure. They continue to wow audiences at some of the world’s biggest music festivals like the Cape Town Jazz Festival, (South Africa), Java Jazz Festival (Indonesia), Detroit Electronic Music Festival (USA), Pukkelpop (Belgium), Big Chill Festival (UK) and Montreal International Jazz Festival (Canada).
Touring abroad has not hindered them from making their bicoastal US rounds at Bonnaroo, Milwaukee’s Summerfest and at popular live venues like Hollywood’s Vanguard, Chicago’s Double Door, Atlanta’s Center Stage and Washington D.C.’s 930 Club. Their prowess has even won the praises of Barry Manilow and Lenny Kravitz.
AllMusicGuide wrote that Tortured Soul’s songs are unapologetically poppy, explaining why their music has appeared on All My Children, A&E’s The Glades, Showtime’s Huff and Canada’s version of So You Think You Can Dance. Their music has become the soundtrack of retail shopping in stores like Gap, American Eagle Outfitters and Hollister, while even landing in a popular demo trial for Bose headphones. Over the years Tortured Soul’s music has been documented on a wide range of dance compilations and has been licensed to Universal Japan, Defected, BMG Ariola, Dome and a host of other labels.
The band is living Gilles Peterson’s prophecy and staying at the forefront of House. Topping things off, their commitment to hard work and travel has been left unfazed. They are focused to reach as many converts as possible – one tortured soul at a time.
Rocker Lenny Kravitz once described them as “something I’d wake up to on a Saturday morning when the sun is coming through the window . There aren’t enough people [like this] singing about love and honesty”.
Influenced by the classic songcraft of Prince, Heatwave and Kool & The Gang, the members of Tortured Soul are three distinctive guys with three different backgrounds, united under a groove-centered rhythm. The band’s frontman and principal songwriter, John-Christian Urich, can be seen simultaneously drumming and singing with effortless mastery, while the rest of the collective virtuosically generate the pulsating accompaniment. Inside the group’s mystique, the acid jazz is reminiscent of Jamiroquai funk, while deeply saturated in the contemporary freshness of house purveyors like Joey Negro, Masters at Work, Soul Clap and Jamie Jones. Even the legendary tastemaker Gilles Peterson, dubbed them the future of house music.
Leave a Reply


Our collection documents Australian history, from dramatic events that shaped the nation to decisions that touched the lives of individual Australians.
Consisting of more than 40 million items, the collection includes records received, created or kept by Australian Government agencies since Federation in 1901, including those of departments, statutory authorities, royal commissions, military units, security and intelligence agencies, diplomatic posts, law enforcement agencies, and Cabinet.
We hold the key documents relating to the birth of the Australian nation, as well as records on immigration, military service, transport, Indigenous Australians, the environment, communications, security and intelligence, foreign affairs and the arts.
Also included are some significant 19th-century records dealing with activities that were transferred from the colonies to the Commonwealth including customs, patents, defence, lighthouses, naturalisation, shipping, and postal and telegraphic services.
We also hold records of the High Court of Australia, as well as the papers of prominent individuals closely connected with the government, such as governors-general, prime ministers, ministers, High Court judges and senior public servants.
While most of our records are paper files, we have photographs, audiovisual records and sound recordings, maps and plans, posters, objects, and digital records.
It is a unique and irreplaceable collection.


text:
Tell us about yourself!
Welcome to Welding
Loft or Bunkbed Organizer
How to silence AND power up a Nerf Maverick
Pirate-esque Nerf Gun Conversion
How to make organic planting pots using old newspapers
How to save water in gardens and small-holdings: the Scrooge Bottle.
Urban Homestead Garden (squarefoot gardening abridged)
GIANT bubble blower
Choosing and Using a P&S Camera

domain: agronomy


text:
Contributions to the Development of Tibetan Buddhist Epistemology
The present paper is a considerably revised version of my doctoral dissertation entitled "Contributions to the Development of Tibetan Buddhist Logic - from the eleventh to the fifteenth century." This dissertation was submitted to the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Hamburg, in January of 1979. The title has been changed for two reasons. The first of these is a conceptual one. Namely, in the course of my subsequent studies of Buddhist tshad-ma (pramāṇa), I have decided to translate this fundamentally untranslatable term by 'epistemology'. While this rendition does also not do justice to its semantic range, I feel that it has at least the merit of being less misleading than the more widely used 'logic', especially for those who have no background in Indian or Tibetan studies, and who may chance to come across this title. It is and remains an untranslatable term.
The second reason for my changing the original title of my dissertation, is that I felt obliged to change its scope. The vast literature on Tibetan Buddhist epistemology, which has become available during the last few years, necessitated such a curtailment. Especially the presently available Dga'-ldan-pa contributions by Rgyal-tshab-rje and Mkhas-grubrje, in particular, need to be properly assessed, and this takes time. Moreover, much but not all of the subsequent Sa-skya-pa literature in this area by Go-ram-pa and Gser-mdog Pan-chen must be read with the particular theories of these Dga'-ldan-pa philosophers in mind. To undertake such a comparative study cannot be done in a hurried fashion. Some references to the Dga'-ldan-pa contributions have, however, been made in the course of this paper on the basis of my original access to but a limited number of their writings. Nonetheless, a significant portion of my dissertation that deals with the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, has been included in the footnotes of the present paper where I was concerned with historical or bio-bibliographical details. (van der Kuijp, preface, vii)
|Kuijp, Leonard W. J. van der. Contributions to the Development of Tibetan Buddhist Epistemology: From the Eleventh to the Thirteenth Century. Alt- und Neu-Indische Studien 26. Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1983. https://www.scribd.com/document/255465514/Contributions-to-the-Development-of-Tibetan-Buddhist-Epistemology.

domain: literature


text:
- How long do you soak vegetables in salt water?
- How do you kill bacteria on vegetables?
- Does baking soda kill E coli?
- What will happen if fresh vegetables kept in salt water for longer time?
- Is it OK to leave vegetables in water overnight?
- Does salt kill germs on vegetables?
- How long should I soak vegetables in vinegar?
- Does white vinegar kill E coli?
- Should you soak vegetables in water?
- How long should I soak vegetables?
- Should you soak broccoli in salt water?
- Is it OK to wash vegetables with salt water?
- How do you clean and disinfect fruits and vegetables?
- How long does vinegar take to kill bacteria?
- Is baking soda good to wash vegetables?
- What happens when you put vegetables in salt water?
- How do you kill germs on fruits and vegetables?
- Does cleaning fruit with vinegar work?
How long do you soak vegetables in salt water?
1) Salt Water solution One of the best ways to remove pesticides from farm produce is to use salt water solution to clean them.
Mix two teaspoons of salt with four cups of warm water and stir it with a spoon till the salt dissolves.
Once the water cools down, soak the fruits and vegetables in it for 30-40 minutes..
How do you kill bacteria on vegetables?
Use a Vinegar Solution: Vinegar is a great disinfectant and can be used safely to kill bacteria. Its cheap, easily available and does not contain any harmful chemicals. Use 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. Soak your fresh produce (vegetables, fruits, green leafy greens) for 10 minutes and then wash it with cold water.
Does baking soda kill E coli?
Although baking soda is often used a household cleaner, it is ineffective against most bacteria, including salmonella, E. coli. … If you suspect there has been a contamination of any of these bacteria, ditch the baking soda in favor of a product registered as a disinfectant by the EPA.
What will happen if fresh vegetables kept in salt water for longer time?
Answer. Answer: The major effect of salt as a preservative is that it withdraws water from microorganisms if the external salt concentration is high enough. The microbes would shrivel and die, spores would not be killed but would not be able to germinate.
Is it OK to leave vegetables in water overnight?
4) Prep your veg the night before: Peel potatoes, carrots, parsnips and any other veg you’re having and leave them in pans of cold water overnight. This will save you a lot of faff and additional mess on Christmas morning.
Does salt kill germs on vegetables?
Lemon: Has antibacterial & antiseptic properties that kill off germs & bacteria. Salt: Helps to draw out small insects & bugs hiding in produce like your leafy green veggies. Baking soda: A natural cleaning agent with antibacterial & antimicrobial properties.
How long should I soak vegetables in vinegar?
Place the produce in the solution. Gently stir them, and remove any visible dirt with your fingers. Continue to let them soak for at least 10 minutes. Drain the produce in a colander and rinse them with water to remove the vinegar taste.
Does white vinegar kill E coli?
Vinegar only works against some germs, like E. coli and Salmonella. The best way to disinfect your home or workspace is to use an EPA-registered disinfectant.
Should you soak vegetables in water?
Washing fresh fruits and vegetables in cool water before eating them is a good practice when it comes to health hygiene and food safety. Note that fresh produce should not be washed until right before you’re ready to eat it.
How long should I soak vegetables?
How long should you wash your vegetables before eating or cooking them? Generally, a 30-second rinse followed by a 15-minute soak, and a final rinse will help to get rid of pesticide residue on vegetables. The vegetables should also be soaked in a clean bowl as the sink might contain bacteria.
Should you soak broccoli in salt water?
It doesn’t matter. Salt is cheap, throw a good handful in. Broccoli won’t absorb salt, so any brine will remain on the surface. Just rinse it off.
Is it OK to wash vegetables with salt water?
According to the CSE, washing them with 2% of salt water will remove most of the contact pesticide residues that normally appear on the surface of the vegetables and fruits. Almost 75 to 80 percent of pesticide residues are removed by cold water washing.
How do you clean and disinfect fruits and vegetables?
At home:Wash or scrub fruits and vegetables under running water—even if you do not plan to eat the peel. … Washing fruits and vegetables with soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash is not recommended . … Cut away any damaged or bruised areas before preparing or eating.Dry fruit or vegetables with a clean paper towel.
How long does vinegar take to kill bacteria?
30 minutesThe set time for vinegar, meaning the time a disinfectant must be on a surface to kill germs, is 30 minutes. The acetic acid in vinegar can also damage some surfaces, so vinegar is not recommended for use on aluminum, cast iron, waxed wood, or natural stone.
Is baking soda good to wash vegetables?
The US Food and Drug Administration, the US Department of Agriculture and other scientists agree: use a cold water soak with baking soda to effectively help remove dirt, chemical residue, and other unwanted materials from your fresh vegetables and fruits.
What happens when you put vegetables in salt water?
Vegetables such as carrots and celery are crisp largely because of water (fresh water) trapped within them. So, if a carrot is placed in very salty water, it will be less salty than the water around it. This causes the water in the carrot to move out of the carrot and into the salt water.
How do you kill germs on fruits and vegetables?
Your best bet? Stick to cold water and give each fruit or veggie a thorough rinse for at least 30 seconds before consumption, even if you’re planning to peel it and/or cook it. Avoid hot water, which can provide a pathway for microorganisms to get inside the item.
Does cleaning fruit with vinegar work?
Washing fruit and vegetables in vinegar is a good way to remove potential bacteria. Use a solution of three parts water and one part vinegar. Plain water is also effective at removing most bacteria. Vinegar will not make produce last longer.

domain: health


text:
The Ebola outbreak of 2014 is the largest one in history. As of March 2014, levels of transmission were low in Liberia, with only one new case reported in the week before February 22, but new cases are being reported at higher rates in other African countries. Medical and public health experts have contributed to containing the epidemic in certain African countries, but the risk of transmission is still high without proper precautions.
A new precautionary measure to prevent transmission has been introduced: be careful around victims even after their death. Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), conducted a study, testing the bodies of five monkeys over a period of weeks to determine the length of time the virus could stay present in corpses. They took surface swabs from the skin as well as swabs from various internal organs. Analysis of the samples revealed that live, infectious Ebola remained in organs for about three days and on the surface for about seven. Non-infectious Ebola was found from surface and internal swabs even up to 10 weeks after death.
In addition, the research helped determine effective ways of testing for the presence of the virus in victims’ bodies by taking mouth swabs in controlled environments as opposed to tissue biopsies. This helps family or community members know if they need to exercise caution, and it notifies people to get checked if they came in contact with an Ebola patient before death.
Image Source: John Moore
Before this study was conducted, scientists were unsure how to address relatives who wished to give the deceased Ebola victims proper and traditional burials. The improper handling and premature exposure to bodies affected by Ebola resulted in an estimated 20% of all transmission cases.
With this definitive information, public health experts and medical experts can spread awareness to potential victims who otherwise wouldn’t have known that they could still be infected by a recently deceased friend or family member.
Feature Image Source: Ebola by Global Panorama

domain: medical


Originally Posted by larryboy
5 inches longer than a CR500 or TE610 and 10 inches longer than the Bandit was. It was the shortest I could make it. The front is raked out a little because I don't have bearings in the steering stem.
Well, look at the bright side: You'll be able to climb hills REALLY FAST!


Take Me To The Moon - Personalized Kids Pillowcase Collection
Are you ready to join rocket as he blasts off on his big space adventure? Add a fun and vibrant touch of color to any girls bedding or boys bedding with our unique designs. Personalize your pillow cases with a first name and choose from a variety of colors and fonts.
Available in Two Sizes
Standard/Queen Pillowcase - 20”x 30”
Euro Sham - 26"x 26”
- Machine Washable
- Breathable, stain and wrinkle resistant fabric
- Designed, printed and finished in the USA


text:
Many people suffer from the effects of urban sprawl including urban core disinvestment, lack of walkable communities, disappearance of on this page we will be describing some of the negative consequences or results of sprawl, by which we mean the spreading out of the footprint of a city or. The unique identity of a city has many origins, from the cultural and political to the historic and sprawl in america today while almost any metropolitan region in the us would be considered regional coordination prevents the unintended consequence of people 'spilling over' into outlying. Urban sprawl causes a lot damage to the natural environment by creating and furthering the spread of pollution obesity, which is now an epidemic in the united states, can cause a myriad of health problems besides the loss of farmland, urban sprawl is also affecting tourism one of the primary. Urban sprawl refers to the expansion of poorly planned, low-density, auto-dependent development, which spreads out over large amounts of land in its path, urban sprawl consumes immeasurable acres of forests, farmland, woodlands and wetlands and in its wake, leaves vacant storefronts. The consequences of urban sprawl can be great when people take their money out of an area and move it to the suburbs, they often i believe urban sprawl does have political consequences each city and township in the united states has it's own local government or has assigned their powers to.
Of blocks, number of intersections and density of intersections to measure connectivity the higher this sprawl index score, the more dense a city is, and the the sprawl measured by the report is linked to a number of negative consequences sprawl was found to increase peoples' reliance on cars. The consequences or the impacts of urban growth, whether ill or good, are also necessary to be understood and evaluated towards achieving a sustainable urban growth keywords urban heat island urban growth traffic congestion urban sprawl affordable housing. This type of development is ubiquitous in the united states since the end of world war ii urban sprawl or suburban sprawl has raised immense number urban sprawl is a social pattern describing the way cities continue to grow outward uncontrollably people who do not want to live in an urban.
The total area covered by the world's cities is set to triple in the next 40 years - eating up farmland and threatening the planet's sustainability ahead of the latest urban age conference, mark swilling says it is time to stop the sprawl. The main consequence resulting in the drastic decline is urban sprawl urban sprawl is defined as a great urban sprawl occurs mainly because of either the lack of or ineffective administrative policies enacted by the central city if all citizens of the inner city decide to invest in sprawl, globally, the. The social impact of uneven spatial development in urban america, however, is not a new story we understand that different levels of development has remained a basic feature of urban and metropolitan growth for the united states in recent years, the word sprawl has crept into the. The consequences or the impacts of urban growth, whether ill or good, are also necessary to be understood and evaluated towards achieving a sustainable urban table 21 lists the causes of urban growth, and shows which of them may result in compact growth and which in sprawled growth.
The analysis uses new urban sprawl metrics taking into account the way built-up areas are laid out and how they are used it also looks at the factors which contribute to an increase or decrease in urban sprawl the results confirm the conclusions of earlier eea reports namely that in many parts of. The following are the main causes of urban sprawl cheaper land and housing costs in the suburbs as this is considered as an additional burden on the state treasury because this reduces the area of taxable land with a considerable portion of the population preferring to live in sprawls, houses. The promise of jobs and prosperity, among other factors, pulls people to cities poor air and water quality, insufficient water availability, waste-disposal problems, and high energy consumption are exacerbated by the increasing population density and demands of urban environments. Of the united states fear that urban sprawl is eating up all of the open land and rural areas in our country the egalitarian/authoritarian plan basically aims to make polluting a crime, with attendant grave consequences and penalties for polluters (long.
5 pages an analysis of urban sprawl a problem with severe consequences 2,095 words 5 pages an introduction to the creative essay on the topic of urban sprawl. 2) what are some of the ways citizens are dealing with urban sprawl social studies even though the united states had just had its own revolution to which of the following was not a reason why a stronger central government was needed to solve the economic problems of the united states. Symposium on decentralization and urban sprawl the enormous decentralization of economic activity over the past several decades has been the central feature of metropolitan development during the last half-century.
The purpose of this research was to identify the relation between urban sprawl components of from urban sprawl to compact city - an analysis of urban growth management in auckland, m a thesis urban sprawl causes, consequences and policy responses, regional science and urban. Urban sprawl is not simply a development that undercuts the quality of life for suburbanites it has raised alarms across the nation urban sprawl in american cities is an important topic, but this book doesn't cover it fairly or accurately broad assumptions and causalities are asserted and proved with. Statistics tell us that half of the world's people already live in urban areas, with that number set what follows are a few negative consequences of unstructured urbanization the urban population's daily commute costs the planet hard, with public transport systems failing to deliver, or people simply. Indefinite borders of the urban sprawl is appeared as a major problem, because urban sprawls attractive for people which result in urban sprawl in return in america where the most severe effect of unearthing the roots of urban sprawl: a critical analysis of form, function and methodology.
The theme underlying this paper is the short analysis of urban sprawl as a planning policy issue it will be argued that there is a need to abandon of the total population growth of 66,700 since 1960, well over half (about 40,000) was housing and population sprawl in newly parcelated and still. However, as urban sprawl was recognized in the usa several decades ago, it is also worth while to look at however, urban sprawl is an issue in all cases, and city administrations recognize the need to counteract it still, problems such as sprawl and infrastructure costs are similar, and good tools.

domain: sociology


World No. 1 Rafael Nadal further underlined his dedication to representing Spain in Davis Cup today, announcing he will skip the near-$1 million appearance fee to play next week’s Dubai Tennis Championships in order to rest a knee injury ahead of Spain’s upcoming Davis Cup tie.
Nadal was hobbled last week during the final at Rotterdam where he could hardly put up a fight in the third set against eventual champion Andy Murray.
“I am very disappointed not to be able to compete in Dubai, but the doctor has advised me to stay home and rest after the pain in my knee in Rotterdam last week,” Nadal wrote on his website Thursday. “Nothing to be worried about but it needs some rest.”
Tendinitis below the right knee is believed to be the culprit.
“I expect to be back in competition the following week for the Davis Cup tie in Benidorm against Serbia and then traveling to Indian Wells and Miami after,” Nadal wrote.
The injury now puts the top two players in the world on the sideline, as earlier this week Roger Federer announced he would be skipping Dubai with a back injury.
Federer was penciled-in for the Davis Cup week in early March to represent Switzerland against the U.S. in what would have been an all-star clash, but the Swiss says he will also be skipping the trip to Birmingham, Ala., leaving Top 20-ranked Stan Wawrinka with a mighty weight on his shoulders.
The withdrawal stretches Federer’s streak to five years since he has represented Switzerland in a World Group main draw tie. From 2005-2008 Federer has represented Switzerland after they’ve lost first round and fallen into the World Group Qualifying round, rescuing his nation from falling into zonal play.
After capturing the gold medal in men’s doubles with Wawrinka at the 2008 Olympics, Federer was subsequently fired-up to represent Switzerland in Davis Cup play through 2009. The current back injury is blamed by some for his poor serving during the Australian Open final loss to Nadal.
The ATP Masters events at Indian Wells and Miami in March, injuries willing, will be the next stages for the world No. 1 and No. 2 to resume their rivalry, which is rapidly becoming a one-sided affair. Nadal has won their last five meetings on three different surfaces.
You Might Like:
Federer Pulls Out of Davis Cup, Dubai Citing Back Injury
Tennis-X Funk/Trunk: Federer, Brits Hit Skids
And the Lone Voice Against Dubai’s Tennis Travesty is…Andy Roddick?
Novak Djokovic Releases The First Three Months Of His 2013 Schedule – 7 Events!
Roger Federer Doesn’t Sound Like Someone Who’ll Play Davis Cup This Year


Ad blocker interference detected!
Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers
Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected.
The White House, Executive Order 13423: Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management (Jan. 24, 2007) (full-text).
This Executive Order established goals for federal agencies to improve the management of their used electronic products. Among other things, the executive order required that agency heads (1) establish and implement policies to extend the useful life of agencies' electronic equipment and (2) ensure the agency uses environmentally sound practices with respect to the disposition of the agency's electronic equipment that has reached the end of its useful life.


text:
Amazon shares slump as Trump’s views on tech behemoth spook investors
Amazon shares tumbled in the US Wednesday trading session, after a report suggesting President Trump wants to ‘go after’ Amazon emerged.
According the Axios story, sources state that the President thinks Amazon got too good a deal from the US postal service and that Jeff Bezos' company is hitting his friends’ businesses, too.
Amazon shares closed 4.38% lower at $1,431.42, keeping the stock below the $1,500 mark for a second straight day.
How can Trump hurt Amazon?
The report highlighted that even though his aides have told him that Amazon is good for the US postal service and has helped boost their revenues, the President doesn’t appear to see it that way.
In addition, although his initial views over Amazon’s dominance may stem from his business friends and colleagues, he spins it in a way suggesting he’s looking out for all the US small business owners.
The sources who form the basis of the story say: “He’s obsessed with Amazon. Obsessed.”
“He’s wondered aloud if there may be any way to go after Amazon with antitrust or competition law,” another said.
It’s also likely that part of Trump’s dislike for Amazon stems from Bezo’s ownership of the Washington Post, the sources added.
Despite the news, analysts said investors shouldn’t worry too much, as any future potential regulatory changes shouldn’t affect the tech behemoth’s financials.
“While its now a hand holding time for Amazon given this new regulatory potential threat, we believe the reality of these worries altering the company's business model and future tax structure are low and we would be buyers of the name on weakness,” wrote GBH Insights analyst Daniel Ives in a note to clients.
Amazon sponsors The Great British Bake Off
Separately, Amazon is reported to have signed a major sponsorship deal for the second series of Channel 4’s “The Great British Bake Off’ programme.
The series, which was purchased by Channel four after a long spell on the BBC, proved more popular than expected and attracted the largest 16-34 TV audience in 2017.

domain: news


text:
A police bullet fired to stop the London Bridge terrorist may have ricocheted and passed through the entire top deck of a bus, narrowly missing passengers, pictures appear to show.
Armed police shot and killed Usman Khan, 23, after he stabbed Saskia Jones, 23, and Jack Merritt, 25, to death at a prison rehabilitation event at Fishmongers' Hall in London last month.
A photograph taken by a witness showed a nearby bus with a shattered rear window with what looks like a bullet hole in it.
Other photos taken from the scene show forensic officers investigating what appears to be a bullet hole in the front window of the bus.
The witness who took the photo told the BBC they were on the upper deck of a bus when the rear window of the bus in front shattered.
They told the broadcaster they immediately dived to the floor, adding: "We are talking about a split-second of noise. In no more than a half-a-second I was on the floor."
The Independent Office for Police Conduct confirmed they were investigating damage to the bus.
“We can confirm that establishing the cause of the damage would be a line of enquiry for us," a spokesperson said.
Dr Rachel Bolton-King, associate professor of forensic science at Staffordshire University, told the BBC it was possible for a ricocheted bullet to "pass through one window, through the length of the bus and out the window at the opposite end of the bus".
She said such bullets "are often unstable" and could be deflected sideways or into other angles after hitting their target.
Philip Boyce, of forensic company Forensic Equity, said the bullet could have entered the bus through the front window before glancing off the ceiling and travelling out of the rear window.
He said ricochets could carry on for hundreds of yards, well within the distance between the bus and the location the convicted terrorist was shot.
Ms Bolton-King said investigators would be able to examine the front and back surfaces of the windows to determine which direction the bullet had been travelling in.
It comes after a reformed ex-offender who helped take down Khan said he was prepared to lay down his life.
John Crilly, who was jailed for murder in a burglary that went wrong, told the BBC he did not know the suicide vest worn by Khan was fake when he confronted him.
He said: “I was just screaming at him to blow it, saying ‘blow it then if you’re going to blow it’ ... I was screaming at him, like calling his bluff sort of thing, has he got the bottle to blow it?
“I was prepared to probably lose my life.”
Register for free to continue reading
Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism
By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists
Already have an account? sign in


text:
Performance storytelling by Nick Hennessey (Suitable for adults 14+)
"The hag, a ruined house of skin and bone, sits winding up a thread. It is a thread that draws us slowly, inevitably into the withering arms of age. It is our ruin. But on her tongue is a song, on her breath is the fragrance of truth."
This story of a great search and the ultimate journey, is a reconfiguration of wild Irish mythology that lays bare our thirst for truth. Performance storyteller and singer, Nick Hennessey brings a dying king and the prince who wants to claim his crown to the Art House stage. This will be elemental, poetic and moving.
‘spell binding’ The South Bank, London
‘Compelling’ The Times
‘he brings that rare combination of artistic adventure and absolute accessibility…magical’ London Literature Festival
NICK HENNESSEY: A singer, songwriter and performance storyteller, Nick is a dynamic and passionate performer whose love for the traditional culture of northern Europe forges together the note, the song and the spoken word into a unique, engaging style. An international performer, he has worked extensively at folk, storytelling and literature festivals across the UK and toured to Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Canada and Japan. In 2000 Nick won the Finnish World Championship in epic singing, performing the Kalevala in English for Finnish audiences. In London Nick has performed at the South Bank, Barbican, the Albert Hall, and at the Soho Theatre. And he plays the harp!
Click on a time to book tickets
Thu 15 Jun

domain: artistic


OnePlus 10T 5G Evolve Beyond Speed
OnePlus 10T 5G is the speed-leading flagship delivering ultimate performance. Driven relentlessly by the fastest charging in OnePlus history, and the most powerful Qualcomm mobile platform ever developed, Evolve Beyond Speed.
Innovative glass manufacturing and pioneering technology exempiffy the burdenless design language. Blending over 130 meticulous manufacturing processes and luxurious craftsmanship, the OnePlus 10T is a sihouette of speed.
The fastest Snapdragon mobile platform in history has arrived. The next-gen Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 delivers the ultimate in fast and smooth performance at your fingertips.
Chilled to Perfection
Discover game-changing cooling with the all-new OnePlus Cryo-velocity Vapor Cooling System. The OnePlus first-ever ultra-thin vapor cooling system from OnePlus combines a larger cooling area, advanced materials, and a redesigned heat dissipation channel for groundbreaking thermal performance.
A New Era of Charging
The evolution of speed has elevated the OnePlus 10T with industry-leading charging.
13 temperature sensors, a specially customized Smart Charging Chip, and 128-bit encryption ensure enhanced charging safety and performance.
A re-designed antenna system cuts through the lag. Smart Link keeps you connected in crowded areas and public spaces when gaming.
For gaming that flows, amplify your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections. Reduce gaming latency by up to 60% when wearing Bluetooth earphones.
Transform unevenly lit portraits with improved image highlights and natural, more vivid shadows.
Flows Like Silk
The 6.7" 120 Hz FHD+ Fluid Display delivers silky-smooth scrolling. Adaptive Frame Rate technology transforms your visuals, gliding effortlessly between 60, 90, and 120 Hz. Dive into immersive cinematic content with always-on HDR10+ and 10-bit color for superior brightness and color accuracy. See and feel the difference with our best ever flat display.
So, So Smooth
Discover a new visual language based on simple and textured visuals. OxygenOS 12 helps you focus on and move seamlessly between work, rest and play. Accelerate to next-level fast and smooth performance that embodies Never Settle.


text:
An Update on SARS-CoV-2
Friday, October 16, 2020
The first IABS webinar (May 27th) provided insight into what was known at that point in time about SARS-CoV-2:
the epidemiology worldwide; the disease from an immunology viewpoint and the development of vaccines against the virus.
The experts who participated in the first webinar will return on Friday, October 16th.
Prof. Arnaud Fontanet; Prof. Bruno Lina; Prof. Arnaud Marchant and Dr. Melanie Saville
will provide an UPDATE on what we now know about the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

domain: biology


text:
Athens Area Homeless Shelter to Host 16th Annual Fundraiser
An Athens nonprofit aimed at helping homeless families is hosting its annual fall fundraiser this weekend. The Athens Area Homeless Shelter is holding the 16th Annual Harvest for the Homeless.
Shea Post is Executive Director at the facility.
"It is our major annual fundraiser of the year, and it's pretty important to our budget," she says.
The night will feature food, drinks, a silent auction and music from Mary Sigalas and the Hot Hotty-Hots. This year, the organization is awarding two volunteers with the first Golden Award. They are Susan McCount, who bakes birthday cakes for each child in the shelter, and Tom Scott, who helped to build the organization’s second site.
In addition, the shelter is launching the new Bridge to Home program.
"It's a partnership with Athens Tech where we will be providing shelter to people experiencing homelessness while the parent is enrolled in Athens Tech for the duration of their enrollment," Post says.
Due to a technicality because the Athens Area Homeless Shelter is providing long-term assistance for recipients through the program, the organization is losing $60,000 in state funds.
The event is Friday, Nov. 8, at the Cotton Press from 6:30 to 10 pm.
For tickets, visit: www.helpathenshomeless.org.


text:
Description - Gynaecological Cancers by Sean Kehoe
Gynaecological cancers are categorised as 'rare' diseases, although collectively they affect over 16,000 women each year in the UK alone. There is a lack of real understanding of these conditions compared with other malignancies, possibly owing to their relative rarity when viewed as individual diseases. The 60th RCOG Study Group brought together a range of experts to examine as many biological aspects of gynaecological cancers as possible, including both surgical and non-surgical therapies. This book presents the findings of the Study Group, with contents including: * current understanding of the biology of gynaecological cancers * translation of biology to the clinic * state of the art in imaging and therapy * current clinical trials * advances in multimodal therapy * individualised treatment.
Buy Gynaecological Cancers by Sean Kehoe from Australia's Online Independent Bookstore, Boomerang Books.
Format: Paperback / softback
(234mm x 156mm x 15mm)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication:
Book Reviews - Gynaecological Cancers by Sean Kehoe
Author Biography - Sean Kehoe
Sean Kehoe works as a Consultant at Churchill Hospital and John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford. He currently serves on the RCOG Council (as Fellows' Representative South East). Richard J. Edmondson is a Consultant at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead. Martin Gore is Medical Director of The Royal Marsden and Professor of Cancer Medicine at The Institute of Cancer Research. Iain A. McNeish is a cancer specialist at Barts and the London School of Medicine, part of the Barts Cancer Research UK Centre. He is Deputy Director of the Barts Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre.


text:
Background: Image-based measurement of absorbed dose of Ra-223 dichloride may be useful in predicting therapeutic outcome in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). In general, SPECT has been found to be more accurate than planar imaging in terms of lesion-based analysis. The aims of this study were to assess the feasibility and clinical usefulness of Ra-223 SPECT. The energy spectrum of Ra-223 and SPECT images of a cylindrical phantom with a hot rod were obtained to determine the collimator candidates and energy window settings suitable for clinical Ra-223 SPECT (basic study A). Another phantom with a tube-shaped chamber and two spheres simulating bowel activity and metastatic lesions in the lumbar spine was scanned with medium-energy general-purpose (MEGP) and high-energy general-purpose (HEGP) collimators (basic study B). Ten patients with CRPC underwent SPECT imaging 2 h after Ra-223 injection successively with MEGP and HEGP collimators in random order for 30 min each. Lesion detectability and semi-quantitative analyses of bone metastasis (i.e. lesion-to-background ratio (LBR)) were performed compared to Tc-99m HMDP SPECT. Results: Basic study A revealed that an 84-keV photopeak ± 20% using the HEGP collimator offers better SPECT image quality than the other imaging conditions. Basic study B showed that uptake in one of the spheres was overestimated by overlapped activity of the tube-shaped chamber in planar imaging whereas the spheres had similar counts and significantly higher sphere-to-background ratio in SPECT. On both planar and SPECT images, HEGP gave higher image contrast than MEGP (p < 0.01). In the clinical study, Ra-223 SPECT at 84 keV ± 20% depicted more lesions with the HEGP than with the MEGP collimator (51 vs 36, p = 0.013). There was a positive correlation between LBR in Tc-99m SPECT and in Ra-223 SPECT (r = 0.67 with the MEGP and 0.69 with the HEGP collimator, p < 0.01). LBRs were significantly higher with the HEGP than with the MEGP collimator (p < 0.01). Conclusions: We recommended the use of the HEGP collimator at 84 keV ± 20% for Ra-223 SPECT imaging. Lesion-based semi-quantitative analysis in the human study revealed a good correlation between Ra-223 and Tc-99m HMDP SPECT in the early phase (2–3 h post injection).
- Bone metastasis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging


text:
Self-taught film maker, Rama Mabotja, who has been in the industry since 2013 has documented the perception of Covid-19 in Polokwane.
Rama says he attended a film making workshop, that changed his life and sparked his interest in film making. Rama has never studied film making and says he runs purely on passion.
Curiosity to find out what his peers thought of the pandemic led to the creation of the documentary. He says he targeted the youth from all over the city in an attempt to find out what they thought of the virus. He says the initial reaction to his documentary was disbelief. “Most of the people I approached couldn’t understand why I wanted to do this. It took some convincing before they could answer some of the questions I asked.”
He says he has been hearing many opinions on Covid-19 from politicians, those in power and no one has tried to find out what the ordinary person thinks. “Initially I also did not take the pandemic seriously, but as the numbers started to rise, I became curious about it and also curious about what others around me think.”
Rama randomly chose seven people that participated in the documentary, where he asked them what they thought of Covid-19, and how long it would be before everything was over. He says the conclusion he got to after engaging with people is that most of them did not believe that the virus exists. “People think that the virus is not real. Most of them have never seen or heard of someone they know who has contracted the virus which is the cause for denial.”
He noted that most people only comply with the safety regulations in public spaces out of fear for law enforcement agencies.
“When these people are at home or in private, they do not sanitise, social distance or wear masks because they do not believe the virus is real.”
Rama says he hopes the documentary will change the perspective of people, to realise how serious the pandemic is.
Story: Umpha Manenzhe


text:
Free download songs from the movie karz. There were some cute moments with the animals and some okay jokes but overall it wasn’ t that great a movie. At one point I was counting at least one character hurting another character every 20 seconds.
There was a lot of violence in this movie. The following is an incomplete list of the songs known to have been recorded performed by Lata Mangeshkar in Hindi Malayalam languages. To help us for a better experience we recommend disabling your ad shopping from a great selection at Movies & TV Store.
Karz ( The debt) is a 1980 Indian Hindi- language thriller film, directed by Subhash Ghai, starring Rishi Kapoor and Tina Munim as leads, also starring Simi Garewal, in the critically acclaimed role of Kamini Verma, the murderous wife from the past life, which won her a Filmfare nomination. The film' s music was by Laxmikant- Pyarelal, giving successful numbers like " Dard- E- Dil" and " Om Shanti Om.
Bhojpuri Video Songs, Bhojpuri Song, Bhojpuri Video, Bhojpuri Gana, Bhojpuri Geet, Bhojpuri HD Video, Bhojpuri Video Song Download, Hot Bhojpuri Song. Tags: New Dj Remix Songs Download, DJ Songs Download, Bollywood DJ Remix Songs, Hindi DJ Remix Songs PagalWorld Free Download, New Hindi DJ Remix Songs MirchiFun, Latest Bollywood DJ Remix Songs Download, High Quality DJ Remix Songs, DJ Remix Songs 128Kbps 190Kbps 320Kbps, DJ Remix Songs Pagalworld DJMaza Mirchifun. Welcome to India' s No.


text:
Consumers who choose to recycle a mobile phone at the current time and switch to an Android device will be joining an operating system that offers a thriving app download platform.
The official Google Mobile Blog, written by Eric Chu, director of the Android Developer System, has confirmed there have now been ten billion downloads made by users of the system.
To celebrate, Android is putting a set of brand new apps on sale each day for the next ten days at the price of ten cents (64 pence).
Mr Chu noted growth of the Android apps market is now in the region of one billion tools per month, a figure he described as "simply amazing".
He went on to reveal that bosses of the operating system are eagerly anticipating further growth in 2012 – something consumers who recycle mobiles now could be a part of.
Vodafone recently released its new Vodafone Guardian app specially for Android users, giving parents a way to protect the content their children view via their handset.
Posted by Peter Robinson


text:
I was at Joann's last week buying the stuff I needed to finish this project, and I was lucky enough to have Mary cutting my fabric. Mary is probably my favorite person at the store. She's chatty, always friendly, and avid quilter, and she even teaches classes. So, as usual, I was talking to her while she cut my fabric and she asked me what I was planning on making. I swear, every Joann's employee does this when cutting, and one of these times I'm going to tell them the truth ... no plans, just a fabric hoarder :) Anyway, our conversation went something like this:
Mary: What are you planning to make? Let me guess, a Halloween costume.
Me: No. I'm making a vest for my daughter.
Mary: Oh, into the animal prints is she?
Me: Well no, she's only two.
Mary: Oh, so you just like them?
Me: Um ... not really.
At this point I'm sure Mary is trying to figure out why I'm buying a fabric that neither Mae nor I actually like. Honestly, now I'm starting to question it myself. There was definitely a long pause at this point while I tried to figure out what to say :)
Me: It just sounded like fun, and her grandma loves giraffes. (While this is technically true, I know for a fact that she loves giraffe print on giraffes, not anywhere else!)
Mary: Well, she's only two. I guess you can dress them however you want at that age.
I would like to thank Mary for her ever cheerful (and tactful!) way of saying that I'm nuts, but since my daughter is young, hopefully my awful fashion sense shouldn't mess her up too badly :)
It turns out, Mae likes faux giraffe fur vests just fine, although she likes cheese a lot more :) I have the weirdest kids ... I could not get Mae to sit still for a picture until I gave her a piece of cheese, and not just any cheese, but the good stuff ... Aged Vermont Cheddar. Faux fur and fancy cheese ... what can I say, the girl knows what she likes!
The inspiration for this vest came from this pin of a Zara fur vest. Originally I was going to use the pink fur I posted last week, but I couldn't find coordinating fabrics or the zipper I wanted in pink, so I scrapped the pink and started from scratch while in Joann's, which led to my lovely conversation with Mary :)
I also planned on writing a tutorial for the vest, but as I was sitting there drafting a pattern, I realized I had no idea how I was going to put it together or even if the design idea would work, so I nixed the tutorial idea and just concentrating a trying to get the vest together correctly. To say it was not easy would be a gigantic, humongous understatement. I don't think I've ripped that many seams or redone so much on a single piece of clothing ever in my life. Also, it been so long since I put in a zipper that I couldn't even remember if I owned a zipper foot! But it was worth it ... I think ... ask me next week once I've put some distance between me and the vest :)
Faux fur - Joann's
Lining - Joann's nursery print
Leather trim - Distressed Faux Leather from Joann's
Zipper - Joann's
Pants & Shirt - H&M

domain: hobby


text:
To infect its victims, influenza A heads for the lungs, where it latches onto sialic acid on the surface of cells. So researchers created the perfect decoy: A carefully constructed spherical nanoparticle coated in sialic acid lures the influenza A virus to its doom. When misted into the lungs, the nanoparticle traps influenza A, holding it until the virus self-destructs.
Scientists have engineered a new way to kill bacteria, and subsequently visualised in real time how the bacteria under attack were stripped of their protective membranes and died. These findings could provide a physical basis for designing more-effective antibiotics.
The amount of light, passing through an opaque layer, can be enhanced using smart techniques. At the same time, the amount of reflected light diminishes, researchers now show. It's as if light speckles have a conversation of their own.
Researchers have proposed various designs of materials of a photonic crystal type that can be used to filter radiation. Specifically, the focus has been to develop a coating comprising dielectric spheres which if applied to a window, for example, would prevent the outside heat entering in the summer and the indoor heat from escaping in winter.
Researchers are exhibiting a new type of antireflective coating that significantly reduces stray light and reflections from plastic lenses. Not only does this improve the performance of cameras and headlights, it's also good news for virtual reality technologies and Industrie 4.0.

domain: chemistry


text:
It was the most well-rehearsed wedding in history, but church giggles almost got the better of Prince William and Princess Catherine in Westminster Abbey.
No trains were tripped on, no fashion faux pas made – from the family at least. David Beckham wore his OBE medal on the wrong lapel – and the young bridesmaids behaved beautifully, but the ceremony itself was beset with near misses.
After making television presenters nervous by arriving three minutes late for his car, William had bigger problems getting the ring on to his bride’s finger. Helpful, if inaudible, suggestions of trying a bit of Vaseline flooded

domain: celebrity


text:
關於 Pivaz - Epping 的更多資訊可透過 英語 語言取得。
It was perfect - lovely atmosphere, attentive and helpful staff and fantastic food. It was a birthday treat for my 98 year old Mum and she loved the surprise dessert she was brought.
It was the first time I visited Pivaz in Epping, we booked it for mine and my partners anniversary meal. The service was great, the staff were attentive and polite. The drinks were amazing, the strawberry pina colada is defiantly something to try! The food was outstanding and as it was our anniversary I asked for the dessert to have some writing put on it which they did without hesitation and they made our meal special! I would highly recommend this resturaunt!
A wonderful experience. Pivaz menu is varied something for everyone. Good range of food for vegetarians. Friendly staff excellent customer service. Cannot fault this place.

domain: food


Mark it down, folks -- it's a monumental day. In a way, this marks the end of one of the longest running sagas
covered at Engadget, but in reality, it's probably the start of something else entirely. Chevrolet's Volt
was once the starlet of the electric vehicle universe. And then 2009 happened
. In the meanwhile, a smattering of other automakers have moved forward with hybrid and pure electric plans, with Tesla's Roadster heading out to thousands of motorists and Nissan's Leaf shipping
to customers earlier this week (just to name a couple). Of course, GM still maintains that the Volt is the "world's first-and-only electric vehicle with extended-range capability," but we're sure a laundry list of rivals would love to argue that point. Regardless of the hurdles and hardships, Chevy has still managed
to turn a far-flung concept into reality for around 160 people this week, and a slow but steady trickle of these things should continue for the foreseeable future
. If you're wondering if placing an order is right for you, have a look
at our most recent test drives
Chevrolet Volts Begin Shipping to Dealerships
First Customers Should Get Extended-Range Electric Cars Within Days
DETROIT – The first Chevrolet Volts left the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant on Monday destined for initial retail launch markets. Customers in California, Texas, Washington D.C. and New York could receive the world's first-and-only electric vehicle with extended-range capability in the next few days.
These are the first of an expected 160 vehicles to be shipped this week.
"Today is a historic milestone for Chevrolet," said Tony DiSalle, Volt marketing director. "We have redefined automotive transportation with the Volt, and soon the first customers will be able to experience gas-free commuting with the freedom to take an extended trip whenever or wherever they want."
The heart of the Volt is its Voltec electric propulsion system, which combines battery-only electric driving with an efficient, gas-powered engine giving the Volt up to 379 total miles of driving before having to recharge the battery or fill up the small gas tank. The Volt is the only mass produced U.S.-built electric vehicle.
Earlier this year, Chevrolet shipped 15 pre-production Volts to technology enthusiasts and electric vehicle advocates whom were the first consumers to experience the Volt every day under real-world conditions during a 90-day vehicle and charging evaluation program.
MotorTrend, Automobile and Green Car Journal each recently selected the Volt as their Car of the Year.


text:
Trying to prove once and for all that Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus Two Night Stand often falls into the realms of romantic cliché. But while it doesn’t always work it does manage to address the pitfalls of dating in the digital age and is held together by two very endearing central performances.
Down on her luck Megan (Analeigh Tipton) is stuck in a career and dating rut. Worried that she’ll never get rid of her Megan’s flat mate (Jessica Szohr) encourages her to try online dating. Not wanting to commit to anything too soon Megan embarks on a casual “one night stand” date and ends up spending the night with Alex (Miles Teller). In the morning, after trading a few insults, the pair plan to go their separate ways only to discover that a major snow storm has them trapped in the apartment together and so begins a dissection of what went wrong the night prior.
Refusing to conform to the normal rules of a romantic comedy Two Night Stand still manages to fall into many of the pitfalls. Sure it gets “the boy-meets-girl, sleeps with her” out of the way pretty early on but it doesn’t stop the film from then languishing in the frustrating nature of will they, won’t they territory. It’s essentially Ross and Rachel from Friends told over a tight hour and a half running time.
The primary issue here is that with its limited location there’s rarely anything to latch onto other than a fun repertoire between Tipton and Teller. It’s the sort of script that would lend itself much more readily to a stage production than a filmic outing. But the dialogue is snappy, the honest assessment of both the perils and perks of online dating entertaining, and it has enough cute moments to, at the very least, keep a smile on your face.
It’s not going to challenge the bigger hitters of the genre like When Harry Met Sally, although it does in a more contemporary way try to address many of that film’s themes, but as a forgetful bit of romantic fluff Two Night Stand works. What frustrates is that in an age of online dating the film never really offers an opinion on the subject, rather skating over it to get to the more nitty gritty of the relationship issues.
Teller has long since proved himself to be a warm and funny screen presence, his nonchalant delivery managing to tread the fine line between smug and funny. Tipton meanwhile is solid in her first leading role. Proving to be an able supporting actress, especially in her affections for Steve Carell in Crazy Stupid Love, she brings no end of girl-next-door sweetness to Megan without ever losing sight of her slightly haphazard nature.
A warm and fuzzy little date movie Two Night Stand is a little too run-of-the-mill at times but still manages to evoke a hint of fun.

domain: entertainment


text:
For author Cheryl Braginsky, nature and magic have always been inseparable. She grew up reading the Flower Fairies series by Cicely Mary Barker, and she’s always been an ardent nature lover. Her desire to bring a little bit of magic and the outdoors into youngsters’ lives led her to write Autumn’s Quest, the story of a fairy princess who must become a warrior in order to save her people from the cruel villain Azara.
“I wanted to write a book that would empower young children, especially little girls,” Braginsky explains. As a former third and fourth grade teacher, she watched many girls go through a transformation: “They lose confidence in themselves, and they become pleasers,” she says. “I wanted to write about a fairy who was very strong, who learned to be strong within herself. That’s a lot of what Autumn is about. Over the course of the book, she learns to become a warrior, to become someone who can stand up for herself.”
Autumn Primrose’s adventure begins when she’s nearly captured by an evil boggart; although she is a tree healer and not a fighter, she finds a way to free herself, revealing a character who’s never helpless and who doesn’t wait to be rescued:
The beast trudged on through the wind and rain….Apparently convinced that its prisoner was under control, it sat down on a fallen log and relaxed its grip. As she felt the vines loosen, Autumn searched for a way to break free. All at once she remembered the yellow eyes. Long, wicked thorns stuck out like swords all around her. In a flash she slid out of the boggart’s hold, broke off the longest thorn in sight, aimed at one of the creature’s eyes, and stabbed the thorn deep within it. The evil monster howled as Autumn zoomed away.
Autumn has nearly escaped when she encounters elf warrior Capt. Lanceleaf Cottonwood, who’s on hand to help her when the angry boggart returns. Unfortunately, Lance brings terrible news: Azara has escaped from her prison and has built an army of evil boggarts, intending to once again take over the Fairy Realm and enslave Autumn’s people. For Autumn to face Azara—and to rescue her beloved grandmother, the fairy queen—she must complete a pilgrimage to gain magic powers. Along the way, Lance helps her learn to fight, and many other friends aid her in her quest.
According to Kirkus Reviews, Autumn “is brave, empathetic, and thoughtful. More importantly, her character demonstrates nuance and growth; she struggles with doubts about her abilities and fears for her loved ones.” Although Autumn takes on the mantle of a warrior, the author makes sure to highlight that she prefers using diplomacy as a solution, and even during the final confrontation with Azara, she shows compassion. “She never kills anybody,” Braginsky points out, though many boggarts die by others’ hands in combat scenes. In order to keep children from sympathizing with the monstrous villains, the author very clearly draws a line between good and evil—and she makes sure that the villain is handily defeated. “I didn’t want to mix it up, because it’s for fairly young children,” Braginsky says. “I didn’t want [the boggarts] to be human in any way.”
However, she does effectively humanize many of the animal characters. Braginsky, who has two companion dogs (a beagle named Bailey, and a Chihuahua named Daisy), feels that animals deserve respect, so she enjoys writing about them. “It goes back to how I feel about nature,” she notes. “To me, animals have feelings and emotions and souls....I learn a lot from animals. I think we all can.”
Braginsky grew up on the San Francisco Peninsula, close to the ocean and not far from California’s giant redwood trees. “To me, they were sacred and magical,” she recalls. “I have a definite appreciation for nature and a love of getting outdoors, either by the ocean or in the forest. Nature is where I go for healing and for spiritual life.” When Braginsky was teaching in San Francisco, however, she realized that many children, especially poor students whose parents worked two or three jobs, never had access to the woods that she loved.
In order to get the kids into nature, she would take her students on a field trip to Muir Wood. “For many inner-city kids, they’d never seen a forest like that, and it’s not that far from San Francisco,” she explains. “I can remember one time I took my kids...up a path up a hill in the woods.” Although most of the students thought it was wonderful, she says, “one little boy came up to me afterward [and] said, ‘That’s the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life.’ And I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is a kid who’s seen shootings and drug addicts shooting up, but hiking up the side of that hill was scary.’ ”
That memory stuck with Braginsky, as did her observation that many modern children base their imaginative play on screen-based media rather than on adventures in the real-life outdoors. “I think I just wanted to empower children,” she says. “The world that they live in can be very frightening in itself, so I wanted to give them ways to deal with that.” She included fairies in her tale because “giving children that sense of wonder and the opportunity to use imagination is why I write fantasy.” Braginsky also creates posts on her Fairy Havens blog that tell stories of the Fairy Realm in the voice of Autumn (who “writes” them).
In the end, the author hopes that her love of nature will be passed on to her readers. “My concerns about the environment are really important to me,” she says. “The fairies’ job is to take care of nature. That’s why Autumn was a tree healer. I am hoping that concern for the environment comes out of my stories, too.”
Alana Joli Abbott writes about pop culture, fantasy and science fiction, and children’s books, which she reviews with the help of her kids.

domain: library


How confusing the green fuels debate has become. First the Government pulls the grants to convert to LPG. Then there's talk of changing Congestion Charge discounts from hybrids to low CO2 cars. Now MPs say we're on the wrong road with biofuels. It all proves how little policy-makers know about future fuels.
How confusing the green fuels debate has become.


text:
Presumably, every Government of any country enjoys certain special powers which the ordinary citizen does not have. This is natural and reasonable. The problem arises as to the extent to which these powers are not reviewable by a court of law. Governments are elected to govern; it is not the task of the Court to meddle and interfere too much with the way Governments administer the country; at the same time under the guise of democratic legitimacy, the courts should not be precluded from investigating administrative action. The golden fine balance has been held by the courts stating in administrative law review actions that they will declare an administrative act as unlawful, but then leave it up to the competent public authority to decide the case afresh in the light of the judgment of nullity of the act.
When it comes to constitutional review, one would expect that there are no exceptions to the rule that the Constitution is supreme. In fact, the Maltese Constitution is littered with provisions exempting particular laws or even sets of laws from the human rights provisions of the Constitution or even from any court scrutiny at all.
2. Ordinary Laws Supreme to the Constitution
The original 1964 Constitution had three significant exceptions to the supremacy norm of the Constitution in Malta. The first two were contained in Article 48(7) which originally provided that:
Nothing contained in any such law as is specified in the First Schedule to this Constitution and, until the expiration of a period of three years commencing with the appointed day, nothing contained in any other law, made before the appointed day shall be held to be inconsistent with the provisions of Sections 34 to 46 (inclusive) of this Chapter and, subject as aforesaid, nothing done under the authority of any such law shall be held to be done in contravention of these Sections.
The first provision in the abovementioned sub-Article exempted, for a period of three years, all laws passed before national Independence in 1964 from the human rights provisions of the Constitution. Presumably this was enacted so as to give Government some leeway to amend any legal provision not in line with the Constitution. Though conceivably this exercise could have been done prior to independence, it is a provision which cannot be deemed to be unreasonable.
What was however more far reaching was the second provision; namely, that the backbone of Maltese legislation, namely a set of laws, contained in the First Schedule to the Constitution, which comprised the Civil Code, the Criminal Code, the Commercial Code, the Code of Organization and Civil Procedure and Code of Police Laws as they stood on 21 September 1964, could not be declared to be in breach of the human rights chapter even if some of their provisions were. This exemption of ordinary laws from the supremacy of the Constitution is clearly manifested in the supremacy clause; namely, Article 6, which proclaims the supremacy of the Constitution only ‘subject to the provisions of sub-Articles (7) and (9) of Article 47 […]’. This immunity was open-ended and did not have any expiry date. In fact, it was only formally abolished by a constitutional amendment in 1991 which came into force in 1993, even though with the incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights in August 1987, this immunity, as shall be seen, became legally irrelevant.
The final immunity from Chapter IV relates to pre-1962 laws regarding the taking possession of rights over property. Any pre-1962 law could not be declared to be in breach of the right to property contained in Article 37 of the Constitution. This provision still exists and is contained in Article 47(9) of the Constitution, even though with the incorporation of the European Convention through Act No. XIV of 1987 (today Chapter 319 of the Laws of Malta), including Article 1 of the First Protocol, this provision has been severely circumscribed.
An analysis of these exceptions to constitutional supremacy in the Constitution as regards Human Rights shows that certain cases which deserved to be acceded to were defeated because of these immunity clauses. In one case, the Constitutional Court actually applied a practice under the Criminal Code to prevail over the constitutional right of the accused to receive a written charge against him. The laws on discrimination against children born out of wedlock, the gender discrimination in the law on family, or the power of the same judges to decide whether to order a new hearing in a civil case were all regularised or better still protected from the constitutional human rights provisions. Similarly, such provisions as the impossibility for a court to grant bail in cases relating to murder charges, or the power of the Attorney General to re-arrest a person acquitted of charges by a Magistrates’ Court as a court of criminal inquiry.
2.1 One Lingering Immunity
All these immunities have today been removed from the Constitution; but the one relating to the right to property stubbornly lingers on. Prior to 1987, in spite of the fact that Article 37 of the Constitution provided three rights when the State takes away real or personal rights over property; namely, the right to adequate compensation, that of contesting any compensation before an independent and impartial court or tribunal, and a right of appeal before the Court of Appeal, these applied only to laws passed after independence. It was already debilitating for the dispossessed owner that he could not challenge the very act of expropriation for the right in Article 37 referred only to ex post facto rights; once property was taken away by the State, then one had the three abovementioned rights; to add insult to injury even these three rights were not applicable to the pre-1962 laws which allowed the State to take over private property, namely the Land Acquisition (Public Purpose) Ordinance of 1936 and the Housing Act 1949. Consequently by an express provision of the Constitution an ordinary law was allowed to provide, in breach of the Constitution, for no ‘adequate’ compensation, for no impartial tribunal (the Land Arbitration Board), and no appeal to the Court of Appeal.
With the introduction of the European Convention in our law in August 1987, owners whose property was expropriated could at last question the public interest element of state action, and challenge the amount of compensation offered. The floodgates were opened and after years of legal oppression and lack of remedy, most expropriation cases were decided in favour of the private individual on the basis of the Convention, but not the Constitution. It is high time that, in view of Malta’s incorporation of the Convention in Maltese law, this anachronistic Article 47(9) be deleted.
3. President’s and Prime Minister’s actions protected from judicial review
The other ouster clauses disallowing court scrutiny of actions by persons or authorities in the Constitution are the following.
Article 85 of the Constitution, after stating that as a rule the President acts always on the advice of the Government of the day, except in some cases such as the appointment of a Prime Minister, then states in sub-Article (2) that:
where by this Constitution the President is required to act in accordance with the advice of any person or authority, the question whether he has in any case received, or acted in accordance with such advice, shall not be required into in any court.
This provision gives rise to some interesting possible scenarios.
Does blocked access to court scrutiny mean that if for instance, the President removes the Prime Minister from office, in circumstances not envisaged by the Constitution such as when the Prime Minister still enjoys the confidence of the House of Representatives; or if he were to appoint a member of a commission or authority established by the Constitution, according to his own deliberate judgment rather than the advice of the Prime Minister; or if the President, in breach of Article 76(5) of the Constitution were to dissolve Parliament, without the advice of the Prime Minister, in circumstances not envisaged under the proviso to that sub-Article, then such action cannot be reviewed by a court?
The second question which arises is: does this sub-Article mean that, arguing a contrario sensu – so popular with the courts in interpreting the provisions of the Constitution, usually to the detriment of the individual – and based on the maxim ubi lex voluit dixit, then in cases where the President is not required to act on the advice of any person or authority, namely according to his own deliberate judgment, there is no impediment to court review of the President’s actions?
Can for instance a Prime Minister challenge in Court his removal from office under Article 76(5), or the refusal of the President to dissolve Parliament when the Head of State feels that it is not in the interests of Malta to order such dissolution and there is the possibility of an alternative government having the support of the House of Representatives? In the recent refusal of the President to remove the Leader of Opposition in July 2020 under Article 90(4), could any person have had the right to challenge such decision?
The objection to this argument is that if the Constitution went out of its way to disallow court scrutiny when the President is to act on the advice of some other person or authority, multo magis when he acts alone. However, Article 95(2) of the Constitution delineating the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court allows ‘appeals from decisions of any court of original jurisdiction in Malta as to the interpretation of this Constitution, other than those which may fall under Article 46 of the Constitution’ (namely, the human rights provisions).
An argument against this interpretation could find some comfort in Article 742A of the Code of Organization and Civil Procedure which does not allow any action against the President when he acts in his official capacity, a provision which was originally contained in the Ecclesiastical Courts (Constitution and Jurisdiction Act) (Chapter 1 of the Laws of Malta). However, this provision is contained in an ordinary law; how can a provision of ordinary law block access to a court of constitutional jurisdiction when the interpretation of the Constitution is at stake?
A more sinister provision is found in Article 86(3) which states that:
(3) Where by this Constitution the Prime Minister is required to perform any function in accordance with the recommendation of, or after consultation with, any person or authority, the question whether he has in any case received, or acted in accordance with such recommendation or whether he has consulted with such person or authority shall not be enquired into in any court.
This means that in the few occasions where by the Constitution the Prime Minister is obliged by the supreme law to act on the binding advice or recommendation of any other person or authority, that fact is not reviewable by a court of law. The clearest instance where the Prime Minister is bound by the recommendation of any authority is found in Article 110 of the Constitution which provides that the power to make appointments to public offices and to remove and to exercise disciplinary control over persons holding or acting in any such offices shall vest in the Prime Minister acting on the recommendation of the Public Service Commission (PSC). This important provision, whereby the Constitution created a buffer zone between Government and its employees in the form of an independent and autonomous Commission, becomes non-justiciable, allowing full powers to Government in such an important matter as to whether to act on the binding advice of the PSC.
As to the duty to of the Prime Minister to consult the Leader of the Opposition, this exists in the appointment of the members of the Electoral Commission, the Public Service Commission, the Broadcasting Authority and the appointment of the Chairman of the Employment Commission. The word ‘consultation’ is different from the term ‘information’. A process of consultation presumes some kind of meeting or communication where the merits of a particular candidate are discussed and different options are put on the table. It is perhaps owing to the non-justiciability of this obligation to consult, that the exercise, over the years, has been reduced to mere information, sometime merely by electronic e-mail.
4. Immunity of Constitutional authorities from court review
There are two other provisions which remove court scrutiny relating to constitutional authorities.
The first is found in Article 101A establishing the Commission for the Administration of Justice. Article 101A(14) provides that ‘the question whether the Commission for the Administration of Justice has validly performed any function vested by or under this Constitution shall not be inquired into by any court’. This provision introduced in 1994 is a diluted version of a similar provision blocking court review of actions of the Public Service Commission. Article 115 of the Constitution provides that:
115. The question whether-
(a) the Public Service Commission has validly performed any functions vested in it by or under this Constitution;
(b) any member of the Public Service Commission or any public officer or other authority has validly performed any function delegated to such member , public officer or authority in pursuance of the provision of sub-Article (1) of Article 110 of this Constitution; or
(c) any member of the Public Service Commission or any public officer or other authority has validly performed any other function in relation to the work of the Constitution or in relation to any such function as is referred to in the preceding paragraph,
shall not be enquired into in any court.
There are three landmark judgments relating to this provision.
The first one gave a very expansive interpretation to this Article. In Callus vs Paris, the Constitutional Court took cognizance of an alleged recruitment in the public service done without concurrence or participation of the Public Service Commission in clear breach of the Constitution. Referring to Article 115 the Court stated:
This means that in the view of the Court, it cannot investigate the complaints of appellants that it was only the Public Service Commission which could validly conduct or control the competition process and the Minister of Education or the Director of Education or the Board of Local Examinations could not validly conduct or control the process for such matter related to the workings of the Commission. In this context, the Court is of the opinion that the words ‘validly performed’ includes as well ‘whether performed’.
The apex Court in Malta is here stating that whether the PSC acted according to the Constitution was not subject to constitutional review by the Constitutional Court!
In 1976 however, in a case involving disciplinary provision against a public officer, the court of constitutional jurisdiction ruled that this provision did not exempt the Commission from observing its own rules. A similar pronouncement was made years later in two other cases where the Commission did not abide by certain procedural norms enshrined in Regulations it itself had approved in the dismissal of public officers in the public interest.
In the Doctors’ case where the Commission passed regulations allowing summary dismissal of striking government doctors in State hospitals, the Constitutional Court held that it could scrutinize whether regulations passed by the Commission were constitutional or not, in spite of Article 115; sadly then on the merits it decided that such far-reaching regulations were not in breach of the Constitution .
However, the most blatant attempt at blocking court access and scrutiny was made in two human rights cases where disciplinary proceedings for dismissal were taken against two public officers for having participated in political activity. The persons concerned filed a human rights action alleging political discrimination for it was only public officers who wrote in the opposition newspapers who were being disciplined, while those who defended and praised government actions in the pro-government press were not so disciplined.
Unbelievably, Government pleaded that Article 115 blocked any access to constitutional review by a court of constitutional jurisdiction even in breaches of fundamental human rights. Indeed, the court of first instance surprisingly accepted this argument and rejected the demands of the person alleging discrimination. Thankfully, the Constitutional Court reversed this judgment and ruled that:
The basic argument in the Court’s view, is that if one were accept that a decision of the Public Service Commission (PSC) is never subject to court review, not even if, in the most brazen manner it infringes a fundamental human right, that would amount to an assertion that for the PSC, the Constitution of Malta starts with Article 110 and ends with Article 115, and that for a civil servant, the rest of the Constitution could have never been enacted; because such provisions could be voluntarily or involuntarily ignored and such person could never claim any rights or request any remedy. This, however, is not the correct way of interpreting Article 115, nor is it the right way of construing and applying the Constitution […] when a matter related to fundamental human rights, where the Constitution permitted derogations it stated so in a categorical manner: in such a way that this Court cannot accept that beyond what is provided for in the Constitution itself in Chapter IV, there is any person or authority for whom such Chapter could not have been promulgated.
Does this mean that Article 115 has no meaning? Not at all. The Article covers ordinary cases decided by the Commission. One cannot refer a matter decided by the Commission within its jurisdiction even if the decision is erroneous. One cannot for instance request review based on whether a witness should have been believed or not by the Commission, or whether decisions regarding discipline or promotion were right, unless of course they were in breach of the procedure set out by law by the Commission itself, or the Constitution particularly Chapter IV. But errors within jurisdiction are so covered. However, when an allegation is made that an abuse, rather than an exercise, has occurred, then the ouster clause does not cover such abuse.
By analogy one can here refer to the Anisminic case decided by the House of Lords. In that case the House of Lords decided that in spite of an express provision of the law precluding court review, where a Commission set up by law had committed a serious error of law affecting jurisdiction, the ouster clause did not cover such errors but only those within jurisdiction. Multo magis it might be added in case of abuse of power or breach of fundamental rights.
5. A Constitutional issue?
Blocking access to a court for review may also raise questions of a breach of the human right to a fair hearing. Ever since the Golder judgment, the European Court of Human Rights has held that what happens prior to a hearing may be of relevance to the question of the fairness of the subsequent hearing. Denying access to a court of law for review or scrutiny therefore may amount to a breach of such right, even though the hearing has not yet started. This trend of thought was followed in the Frendo case where the Constitutional Court in Malta annulled a provision of the tax law which imposed a stiff deposit of the contested tax, prior to an appeal being filed contesting such tax. The question however is: does this also apply when the Constitution itself provides for such exclusion of court scrutiny as in the cases just mentioned? The issue therefore is: can a provision of the Constitution denying access to a court of law, be in breach of another provision of the Constitution; namely, the right to a fair hearing which includes guaranteeing access to a court? In the Stoner case, the Constitutional Court ruled that a constitutional provision discriminating between foreign spouses of Maltese nationals on the basis of gender for the purposes of enjoying the right to freedom of movement in Malta was in breach of the discrimination clause in Article 45 of the Constitution.
Be that as it may, such ouster clauses in the Constitution, apart from being possibly challenged under the Constitution in the light of the Stoner judgment, can certainly be challenged under the European Convention on Human Rights. Although a Maltese Constitutional Court would probably give precedence to a constitutional provision denying access to a court rather than an ordinary law such as the European Convention Act is, there is nothing to prevent a case being referred by an individual to the European Court of Human Rights which would exclusively apply the provisions of the Convention and nothing else.
6. Other provisions which have been used to try and block access to a Court
Another provision which was used by Government in litigation to block court review was that relating to constitutional authorities and commissions; namely, the one guaranteeing autonomy by providing that such organ ‘is not subject to the direction or control by any person or authority.’ This provision is found in relation to the Electoral Commission and the Broadcasting Authority.
In one case it was argued that such provision prevented court review. The Court ruled that it had no power to review whether the drawing of the boundaries of electoral divisions by the Electoral Commission amounted to blatant gerrymandering, for ‘any person or authority’ in Article 60 included also the courts of law. Fortunately this trend was not continued in the court’s jurisprudence. This judgment was delivered in spite of the fact that Article 124(1) states that:
No provision of this Constitution that any person or authority shall not be subject to the direction or control of any other person or authority in exercising any functions under this Constitution shall be construed as precluding a court from exercising its jurisdiction in relation to any question whether that person or authority has performed those functions in accordance with the Constitution or any other law.
In fact, in Chairman PBS Ltd et vs Broadcasting Authority et, faced with the argument that a court could not review the actions of the Broadcasting Authority since it was an autonomous institution in virtue of Article 118(8) of the Constitution, the Court of Appeal ruled that:
The Court cannot agree with such submission. First of all, in its opinion, Article 118 (8) is intended to strengthen the autonomy of the Authority in the exercise of its duties given by the Constitution and the law; in other words this Court understands that that provision of the supreme law of the land is indeed to allow the Authority to perform its duties and functions without any interference. However, this should certainly not mean that the Authority can do what it pleases beyond any control putting the Authority in a position above the supreme law of the land.
These pockets or black holes of non-justiciability or immunity scattered amongst the provisions of the Constitution need to be re-visited and possibly eliminated. What is the use of retaining a protection for pre-1962 laws from the right to property if they can be challenged under the European Convention? Why block Court scrutiny as to whether the Prime Minister acted or consulted another person or authority as he is obliged to do under the Constitution? Why not specify which powers of the President are subject to court review and which are not? The upcoming Convention on Constitutional Reform launched by the President should act as a catalyst for reform regarding such questions, and hopefully a reasonable solution can be put forward for eventual adoption.
References: The most clear example of such attitude can be seen in the press release dated 5 February 1981 which Government issued on publishing a Bill in 1981 (eventually Act No. VIII of 1981) restricting court review: ‘Government is elected by the people and accountable to them, therefore it has to be adjudicated above all by them not by the Courts’.  Today Article 49(7).  Today Articles 33–45(5).  Police vs Francesco Certo et, Constitutional Court 14 August 1968.  Land Acquisition (Public Purpose) Ordinance, Chapter 88 of the Laws of Malta.  Housing Act, Chapter 125 of the Laws of Malta.  See Kevin Aquilina, ‘Power of President to remove Prime Minister’ The Times of Malta (7 and 8 January 2020) Available at <https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/powers-of-president-to-remove-prime-minister-1-kevin-aquilina.761463> and <https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/presidents-powers-to-remove-prime-minister-2-kevin-aquilina.761580>.  Constitution of Malta, Article 60(3).  Constitution of Malta, Article 109(2).  Constitution of Malta, Article 118(2).  Constitution of Malta, Article 120(2).  Anthony Callus et vs Dr Antonio Paris et noe, Constitutional Court 7 July 1966.  Dr. F. Cassar vs Chairman Public Service Commission, First Hall 12 October 1976 (Mr Justice G. Schembri).  1626/2001/1 I. Portelli vs Prime Minister, Constitutional Court 6 September 2010,and 1548/2001/1 D. Gatt vs Prime Minister, Constitutional Court 6 September 2010.  Prof. V. Griffiths et vs Prime Minister et, Constitutional Court 27 February 1978.  6/86 C. Cacopardo vs Minister for Works et, Constitutional Court 25 June 1996 (Vol LXX.i.42), and 136/84 V. Galea vs Chairman PSC et, Constitutional Court 20 February 1987 (Vol. LXXI.i.1).  136/84 V. Galea vs Chairman PSC et, Civil Court (First Hall) 27 August 1984: ‘Had the legislator wanted to protect Article 46 and the sub-Articles therein contained, he would have certainly expressly done so. There was no need for any reference in Article 46 and its sub-Articles to Article 115 for the simple reason that this Article 115 clearly provides that in certain cases therein listed the jurisdiction of any court is excluded’.  136/84 V. Galea vs Chairman PSC et, Constitutional Court 21 January 1985 (Vol LXIX.i.1).  Anisminic Ltd v Foreign Compensation Commission (1969) 2. A. C. 147, quoted with approval by a Maltese Court in 142/02 Grezzju Ellul vs Joseph Spiteri, Civil Court (First Hall) 19 October 2006 (Hon. Mr. Justice T. Mallia).  Golder v United Kingdom App no 4451/70 (ECtHR, 21 February 1975).  Anthony Frendo vs Attorney General et, Constitutional Court 30 November 2001.  Paul Stoner et vs Prime Minister et, Constitutional Court 22 February 1996 (Vol. LXXX.i.85).  European Convention Act, Chapter 319 of the Laws of Malta.  Constitution of Malta, Article 60(9).  Constitution of Malta, Article 118(8).  Michael Vella noe vs Emmanuel Farrugia noe, Civil Court (First Hall) 13 April 1987 (Vol. LXXI.iii.639).  711/2002, Court of Civil Appeal (Superior) 15 January 2003.

domain: law


text:
Before bringing a puppy home, it is important to consider several things. Perhaps the most important item to think about is our lifestyle – will we be able to satisfy our dog’s physical and mental needs, offer them space, cover their veterinary expenses, provide them with adequate food, training and grooming?
Once we are clear about this and the decision is made, we then go looking for breeders or visiting shelters. It is normal to feel anxious prior to bringing the new member of the family home – but have you wondered what the best age is to actually acquire this puppy? Perhaps you are concerned about the consequences if you separate them prematurely from his mother and littermates?
Separating a puppy prematurely from its mother and siblings could have negative consequences in its adult life, both for behavior and its health. In this article, we’ll look at the points you should consider when thinking about the best age to bring your puppy home.
In the early stages of life, maternal care is essential for the physical and psychological development of the puppy. The mother not only provides the pups with immunological and/or physical protection, but she also provides stimuli and social learning opportunities.
Maternal behavior consists of contact, suckling, grooming, play, punishment and thermoregulation, among others. In addition, the mother has a very important role in education, socialization, and contributes to the adaptation of the puppies to their environment, especially from 4 to 12 weeks – known as the critical period of socialization.
Additionally, interaction with siblings from the same litter helps puppies learn to communicate, develop healthy behavior habits, and acquire appropriate interaction skills. All of this is fundamental for the formation of a stable adult, since they understand the limits and the rules of coexistence, which will help them to function without problems among other dogs.
Ideal age to separate a puppy from the mother
The proper time to separate a pup from its mother and siblings is between 8 to 10 weeks of age. A premature separation could result in puppies being more prone to disease, because they do not receive the necessary nutrients and/or antibodies from their mother’s milk. Likewise, these puppies could develop behavioral problems in adults related to fear and anxiety, since separating them early inhibits their ability to adapt to new stimuli and develop social skills.
The character of the puppies will be molded by the mother and siblings from the same litter. If this maternal behavior is altered or does not exist, behavioral problems may appear in adult life.
Separating a pup from its mother at 4 weeks can wreak havoc. These dogs have a higher frequency of behavioral problems such as excessive barking, destructive behavior, stress, fear, possessiveness, hyperactivity, aggression, bad relationships with other dogs or people, separation anxiety, among other behaviors.
In addition, they often present health problems such as decreased appetite, poor immune system response, weight loss, allergies, and other complications.
Prolonged contact with its mother and siblings, and meeting the specific needs of each development stage, will help the pup to be an emotionally stable adult compared to puppies that did not spend enough time with the mother.
Although this is not the only factor that can lead to behavior problems, separating puppies during this critical period has a detrimental effect. It is more likely to result in negative behavioral consequences and quality of life as the dog grows older.
This article was written by Anayla Fontán Nunez, Highland Canine Training’s professional dog trainer located in Puerto Rico.

domain: pet