text:
‘The Truth Will Come Out!’ Defiant Bill O’Reilly Rips Sexual Harassment Claims
Bill O’Reilly is not going down quietly! Just days after his Fox News ouster, the conservative TV host ripped the sexual harassment claims against him in a blistering podcast posted on his website.
As RadarOnline.com reported, O’Reilly left the news network on April 19 after more than 20 years amid a growing list of claims he harassed female guests and employees.
“I am sad that I’m not on television anymore,” O’Reilly admitted as the podcast began. “I was very surprised how it all turned out. I can’t say a lot, because there’s much stuff going on right now.”
“But I can tell you that I’m very confident the truth will come out,” he warned, “and when it does, I don’t know if you’re going to be surprised - but I think you’re going to be shaken, as I am. There’s a lot of stuff involved here. “
“Now, I can’t say anymore because I just don’t want to influence the flow of the information,” O’Reilly claimed. “I don’t want the media to take what I say and misconstrue it. However you, as a loyal O’Reilly listener, have a right to know, I think, down the lane what exactly happened. And we are working in that direction, okay?”
Still, he said he wouldn’t blame Fox News for the decision. According to reports, his legal team has planned to allege that the whole situation was more of a conspiracy drummed up by liberal enemies.
“Look, I was there for twenty years and six months,” O’Reilly explained. “We made history, put cable news on the map and were successful all that time. No ebb and flow, just straight up graph.”
“You know, that vehicle was fabulous for me and I said in the beginning that I’m sad, but why wouldn’t I wish them the best?” he continued. “They were there, we performed well for them, and that’s the fact.”
Meanwhile, former O’Reilly guest Sarah Palin spoke out this week to support him, blasting his accusers in the process.
"If a woman believes she is being intimidated and harassed, she needs to stand up and do something about it, not stick around for a paycheck for years and years and years and then after the fact complain about what she went through," said Palin.
We pay for juicy info! Do you have a story for RadarOnline.com? Email us at email@example.com, or call us at 800-344-9598 any time, day or night.


text:
West Burke, VT: The Janus Press, 1977. Wraps. First Edition. Unpag. Dark mustard yellow wraps with Helen Siegel wood cut printed in blue-gray on cover. Helen Siegl's wood cuts illustrate the text. Edition was handset in Bembo, titles in Mehart Uncial, printed on Kozu with Strathmore covers. Limited to 300 copies. Inscribed in pencil by Janus Press Founder Claire Van Vliet at the colophon. Fine.
West Burke, VT: The Janus Press, 1975. Wraps. First Edition. Unpag. An anthology of texts: The Legend of the Chin by Sir James George Scott; the Genesis text on the Tower of Babel; The Great Wall and the Tower of Babel, The Tower of Babel, The Pit of Babel, and The City Coat of Arms by Franz Kafka; and Builders of Babel. Signatures loose, as produced, in paper chemise with gray cloth covered clamshell box in Fine condition with paper label at spine. Lithographs printed from stone on Zerkall Butten paper, set in Monotype Spectrum. Lithographs and single wood-engraving by Claire Can Vliet.
110 copies produced: 100 numbered, 10 copies "hors commerce", this being number 18 of the numbered copies and signed by the artist at colophon. Fine.
Cambridge, MA: Cygnet Press, 1929. Hard Cover. First Edition. First publication of the Cygnet Press. Used as a promotional piece, this copy also has a New Year's gift slip laid in indicating that the press was being managed by George Parker Winship and Philip Hofer and their best wishes for the New Year. Pages uncut, woodcut illustrations throughout. Fine.
West Burke, VT: The Janus Press, 1977. Wraps. First Edition. Unpag. Heavy purple wraps with Helen Siegel wood cut of two doves over a cross printed in black on cover. Helen Siegl's wood cuts illustrate the text. Edition was handset and printed on Korean with Strathmore covers. Limited to 350 copies, inscribed in pencil by Janus Press Founder Claire Van Vliet at the colophon. Fine.
Worcester, MA: Stanbrook Abbey Press, 1967. Wraps. First Edition. viii, 9 pp. 8vo. Small 8vo with very pale green paper wraps, text printed on heavy rag paper with a deckled edge. Inscribed on the half-title page, inscribed back by the giftees to the gifter on the second free endpaper. Still covered in original glassine dust jacket.
Translated by the Benedictines of Stanbrook. Fine / fine.
Sweden, ME: Ives Street Press, 1991. Wraps. Limited Edition. Unpag. 12mo. Turqoise paper covers with a paper-laced binding at spine. Green first free endpapers with a collage of pressed flowers from the printer's garden on the second free endpaper. Housed in original purple cloth clamshell box with pasted paper label at spine, prospectus laid in.
Printed by Barbara Cash at the Ives Street Press in the summer of 1991. Printed in an 11 point Monotype Walbaum set by Golgonooza Letter Foundry on Hayle paper sewn into turqouise Saint Armand wrappers. Printed in an edition of 100 copies, this being #22 and signed by the printer on the colophon. Fine.
Newark, VT: The Janus Press, 1992. Wraps. First Edition. Printed on heavy white Royal Watercolour Society paper and illustrated with skull drawings by Ruth Fine, bound in a non-adhesive structure and encase in a two-part slipcase that uses shaped drum vellum for the sliding lid. This edition inscribed to the original recipient and signed by Clifford Burke, Ruth Fine, and Claire Van Vliet. One of 150 copies. Fine.
Tilling, Robert. The Celandine Press, 1986. Hardcover. Limited Edition. Unpag. 4to. Blue marbled paper boards with black buckram cloth spine. Clean, crisp copy with 6 tipped in plages by Robert Tilling.
Printed in an edition of 250 copies, 75 bound in quarter-leathe and 225 in quarter buckram, this being #154 of the latter. Fine.
Dourgne, Tarn: De L'abbaye d'En-Calcat, 1944. Leather. Limited Edition. 417 pp. 4to. Beautiful, rich, rust-brown leather binding by Bennett of New York. Covers have decorative, blind-stamped, bright gilt corners, rules and central geometric pattern. Spine has four raised bands, bright, blind-stamped gilt lettering and decoration. Top edge gilt, marble endpapers. Text is highlighted with red, black and white initial capital letters and margins are set off by red rules. Interior is clean, crisp and tight. 14 full-page medieval-style illuminated illustrations with gilt highlights. A fine Bennett binding.
No. 913 of 1000. In addition, at the rear are several pages set up for filling-in with family tree information and several others, with decorative borders, for attaching, marriage, birth, death certificates, etc. Very good.
Coleman, Nancy L. Lancaster, PA: Pennsylvania Farm Museum, 1977. Hardcover. Limited Edition. Unpag. 16mo. A simple binding with blue cloth boards with gold embossed frog on upper left corner of front board, green printed endpapers. Poetry, prose, and woodcuts by the author/artist celebrating the present and past of The Landis Valley.
Text printed in 12 pt. Latin Antique and printed on a c. 1825 press at the Pennsylvania Farm Museum in an edition of 50 copies, this being #9 and signed by the artist at the colophon. Fine.
Stockholm, WI: Midnight Paper Sales, 2002. Printed Wraps. First Edition. A poem about writing. The text has been hand-set in Walbaum, and with twelve wooden numerals illuminated in color with engraved wood blocks.
The book, signed by Danticat and Schanilec, is bound in boards covered with paper marbled for the edition by Carol Scott. Copy # 125 of 170. Danticat was a 2009 MacArthur Fellow. Fine.
Milan, Italy: Edizioni del Naviglio, 1969. Hardcover. Limited Edition.  pp. 4to. Accordion bound with white cloth front and rear boards and a Sonia Delaunay design gracing the front cover. Extremely clean and crisp within. 27 color lithographs of Delaunay's costume designs. Produced in a limited edition of 150 copies, numbers I-XXV were reserved for the authors, the remaining copies (XXVI-CL) are numbered and signed by both Delaunay and Damase at the colophon, this being #LIX (59). Housed in original scarlet cloth covered clamshell box with "Sonia Delaunay" printed in blue on cover and in Very Good condition with light scuffing and fading from time. OCLC lists only six institutions with a copy in their holdings, quite surprising given Delaunay's work crossing both art and...
Putney, VT: Bridge Press, 1990. Wraps. Limited Edition. Unpag. Folio. Black heavy stock portfolio with "Inferno" blind embossed on cover. 17 printed sheets wrapped in original glassine wrapping within heavy paper portfolio.
DeNiord's "Inferno," is based on Dante Alighieri's "Inferno" from "The Divine Comedy," was published in an original edition of 10 copies with etchings by Brian D. Cohen. This edition was produced in 50 copies of the poems alone and is not numbered. Fine.
August Derleth Society, 2007. Limited Edition. Unpag. 8vo. Blue paper wraps. A collection of four poems by Derleth about four very special people in his life: Zona Gale, Sinclair Lewis, Matilda Kitch, and Howard P. Lovecraft. A beatifully designed and executed production on behalf of the August Derleth Society.
Printed in an edition of 50 copies by Dan Boulden, signed by Boulden on the colophon, this being #29 of 50.
Bath, England: The Old School Press, 2008. Hard Cover. Limited Edition. An exquisite letterpress printed limited edition book by Martyn Ould's Old School Press. The text is set in 12pt Poliphilus printed on a dampened hand-made paper from the Carteria Amatruda in Amalfi, Italy. The end-papers are of burgundy-colored Magnani Firenze, hand-made in Italy. The book consists of a single section of 16pp sewn into boards. The front cover photograph by Martyn Ould was taken on a misty day from Dorsoduro, towards San GiorgioThe edition is 135 copies, of which this is number 24. Fine.
San Francisco, CA: The Arion Press, 1984. Quarter Leather. First Edition. Elephant Folio. Green quarter-leather binding with light green cloth covered boards, titling in gold embossed on spine. Housed in a custom box of the same light green cloth, it is topped by a bas-relief sculpture of the Temple of Flora by Jim Dine, with a green leather inlaid doorway with the edition title in gold. A stunning presentation with light spotting around the outer edge, which appears to have only had an effect on the box exterior, two light rust colored spots on bottom of box near foredge. Includes separate print "Details from Nancy's Garden" in printed paper folder with tissue guard, signed and numbered by Dine. Fourteenth book of the Arion Press.
Stockholm, WI: Midnight Paper Sales, 1999. Hard Cover. First Edition. The text was handset in Joanna with Delphian Open Titling. Three full-page, multicolor wood engravings with initial letters to open the three sections; a two-panel engraving for the title page. The book is printed on Zerkall mould-made paper. Hand-bound into boards by the Campbell-Logan Bindery.
Copy #143 of 220, enclosed in a slipcase, signed by Dufresne and Schanilec. Fine.
England: Nonesuch Press, 1932. Hard Cover. First Edition. First Printing of Nonesuch Press Edition. 109 pp. 8vo. Orange dust jacket with decorative border and title on front and spine. Considerable chipping and wear to edges, losses at corners, in mylar cover. Cover boards covered in marbled paper, with the same paper being used as endpapers. Paper beginning to chip along cover boards hinges, but still tight and intact.
Copy #44 of 625 produced for the English Market, 175 copies were also produced for the American market and distributed by Random House. Designed by Francis Meynell and printed in the types of Janson on Van Gelder paper by the Ernest Ingham at the Fanfare Press. Very Good / Good.
Burlington, VT: University of Vermont Libraries, 1992. Hard Cover. First Edition. Dark mustard cloth covered boards with an exposed linen stitch binding at spine. This is one of 100 copies of this publication published by the University of Vermont Libraries to accompany an exhibition of the same name that was bound by Stephanie Westnedge for friends of the Janus Press.
This edition signed by Westnedge and inscribed by Janus Press founder Claire Van Vliet to the recipient. Fine.
Arlington, MA: Tuesday Journal Press, 2007-2011. Wraps. First Edition. Letterpress printed covers folded to serve as envelope that contains letterpress-printed poems, photos, artwork.
Seven issues, including Premier plus issues 2 3, 5, 7, 8, 9. Each contains 16-20 items, wrapped in folded letterpress-printed "title" sheet. Poets range from David Rivard to Thomas Sayers Ellis to Sophie Cabot Black and Charles Simic. A beautifully produced set. Also contains duplicate issues of the Premier and Issue 2 for a total of 9 issues. Fine.

domain: literature


text:
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman Annual #1 and Batman: Fear State Omega #1, now on sale
The Bat-Family has been expanding lately, welcoming back figures like Jason Todd while formally introducing formerly villainous faces like Harley Quinn. One of the most exciting new additions though has been Ghost-Maker, a charming vigilante who can match Batman in most regards — and is always looking to get under the Dark Knight’s skin for a laugh.
Batman Annual #1 by James Tynion IV, Ricardo Lopez Ortiz, Romulo Fajardo Jr & Clayton Cowles, and Batman: Fear State Omega #1 by James Tynion IV, Riccardo Federici, Christian Duce, Ryan Benjamin, Guillem March, Trevor Hairsine, Chris Sotomayor, and Clayton Cowles cements Ghost-Maker’s origins and purpose. It also reaffirms why the newest ally to the Bat-Family should remain a presence in the modern DC Universe.
Since being introduced in Batman #100 by James Tynion IV and Jorge Jiménez, Ghost-Maker has proven to be a compellingly unique figure within the extended Bat-Family. A rival student of a young Bruce Wayne, Ghost-Maker has quietly become one of the world’s most mercenary anti-heroes. He spent his career confronting numerous threats across the globe before relocating to Gotham City, and his friendly rivalry with Batman has given him a unique place within the Gotham ecosystem. He is also able to bring out a surprisingly fun and competitive side of the usually stoic Dark Knight, which continues to be a refreshing change of pace. Batman Annual #1 ends up revealing more about Ghost-Maker’s past, though, and positions him as an even better contrast against Bruce Wayne.
Revealed to have been born Minhkhoa Khan, the future Ghost-Maker was brilliant from a young age — but quick to anger and confrontational. After he witnessed his father forced into selling his company and his assets to the global Midas corporation, Khan was enraged when Midas’ daughter implied that he and his family would just fade away and be forgotten by a world they could never have hoped to have genuinely affected. This was the push the brilliant young boy needed, leading him to become one of the world’s most fearsome fighters — seemingly to prove a point.
Batman Annual #1 even concludes his battle against that young woman — having inherited her father’s position to become Madam Midas in the present day by having him behead her and remind her of the message she shared with him when he was a child. He considers this one of his most personal victories. This speaks to the fact that the character, despite his attempts to be an emotionless force of nature, still has the same kind of passion and drive that inspires Batman. But because his mission was always about proving himself rather than changing the world, he’s a perfect rival to the Dark Knight. As someone who is intrigued by the challenge, a war on crime presents instead of the possible happy outcome of such a world.
This gives Ghost-Maker a unique position within the DC Universe. He’s a rival to Batman as opposed to a reluctant ally or friendly enemy. He can serve as the Vegeta to Batman’s Goku, a dark reflection of the hero’s ambition and skill who nevertheless can grow and change to become a better man. Ghost-Maker is even getting that opportunity to continue to develop as a hero in his own right, with Fear State: Omega revealing that he’ll be taking Clownhunter under his wing as a potential partner — giving him his own Robin analog to train. As a dark but not necessarily evil foil to the classic Batman/Robin duo, Ghost-Maker and his new sidekick could continue to shine an interesting new perspective on the Bat-Family.
Ghost-Maker also has the distinction of casually being an openly bisexual man and has been shown with both male and female sexual partners. As the Bat-Family increasingly embraces more openly LGBT characters (such as confirming Tim Drake’s bisexuality), it’s always exciting to see more characters bring added diversity to the pantheon of DC superheroes. His global rouges gallery and global scope mean even if he were to leave Gotham City, he could — and should remain a notable figure within the modern Batman corner of DC Comics.
from Ultimate Comic Blog https://ift.tt/32NbVeH


A recent Slack survey with 9,000 respondents revealed that 72% of global workers preferred a hybrid-remote work environment. For many industries, remote work is now standard and entrepreneurs are considering ways to effectively lead their teams.
Ashley Kent, a Lookout Mountain native, launched Clear Start Creative from Nashville, Tennessee in 2018. Wanting to be closer to her family, she moved operations to Chattanooga in 2019 and brought on her first hire. Since then, her company has grown to four full-time employees and currently serves 16 clients remotely in cities like New York, Barcelona, Spain, Denver and Nashville, Tennessee. TREND spoke with Kent to learn about her experience as an entrepreneur working remotely from Chattanooga.
“It’s really interesting to see how much [Chattanooga has] changed since being in school. I grew up here, and it’s really cool to see – especially being in the startup space – how much the startup and kind of VC ecosystem has really flourished here,” Kent says.
Now that her startup is in its fourth year, Kent is experiencing the full benefits of running a remote business out of Chattanooga. There are opportunities for networking and building connections. Chattanooga is also a more accessible community that makes it easier to meet other entrepreneurs. Kent encourages entrepreneurs to open their doors to these opportunities. “You’ve got to be willing to say yes and put yourself out there,” she says.
During the interview, the ding of Slack notifications echoed through her office. Kent explains how Slack is her team’s main communication platform because of the more casual and conversational tone offered to clients. As the head of a fully remote team, Kent says the key to effective communication is finding tools that fit your needs while staying adaptable and open-minded.
In a remote work setting, the right team is as important as the right tools. For Kent, finding the right people for her remote team was a top priority. Kent now leads a team of four women who work remotely across the country and share the same values. “It’s pretty cool to see how you can pull together a remote team and still work really cohesively with each other and also with clients, some of which I’ve never met in person,” Kent says.
Kent explains that autonomy and flexibility within her team are crucial to maintaining a positive remote work culture. She frequently offers encouragement and celebrates her team’s wins, while maintaining the best practices of meeting with her team members one-on-one in order to gauge their workload and avoid burnout.
Because of these practices, Kent is able to provide a positive experience for her team. “One of my new hires who just came on told me she was commuting an hour a day for work. She just gained an hour back that can actually go toward servicing clients or working together as a team,” Kent says.
Kent’s experience is one of many entrepreneurs who choose Chattanooga to launch their business. In 2021, Forbes listed Chattanooga as the #1 best work from home destination. Platforms like MakeMyMove’s.com also list Chattanooga in the top 10 remote work hot spots.
For Kent and many entrepreneurs, the startup culture and high quality of life make Chattanooga the clear choice above other nearby metropolitans. “In Nashville, it’s hard to get plugged into any sort of network. There are like 50 different networks you could be a part of. Here you can be a lot more focused and intentional,” Kent says.
Learn more about remote work in Chattanooga, here.
Learn about the Greater Chattanooga Economic Partnership, here.


text:
International Library of Technology Drawing Book
Geometrical and Mechanical Drawing. This vintage hardcover textbook is part of the International Library of Technology Series. This volume pertains to Drawing, Geometrical, Mechanical, Sketching, Practical Projection and Developlment of Surfaces. It was published in 1923 by International Textbook Company. It is numbered 171. The book is in good condition. The pages are a little stiff, there is wear and aging, some writing and staining.

domain: library


text:
From Our Editors
Preparing for a talent show? Grab some supplies at Sarah's Thimble in Virginia Beach and make a sweet backdrop or your own handmade t-shirts.
Adorn your space with something one-of-a-kind. This store is known for its beautiful, handcrafted works of art.
Drivers can park in the neighboring lot. So stock up on art supplies at Sarah's Thimble and inspire your creative side.

domain: design


Booth #236200 - KUKAs KMP 1500 is an omnidirectional, mobile platform that combines autonomous navigation with modular versatility.
Contributed by | KUKA
Tell us about your company.
Established in 1898, KUKA is a leading global supplier of intelligent, robotics-based automation solutions that create value for our customers by helping them optimize their production capabilities and lower costs associated with manufacturing. We utilize a culture of collaboration and creativity along with a comprehensive portfolio of automation products and services to provide our clients with innovative solutions that help them reimagine their production environments and overcome their most complex challenges. From individual robots to complete, customized systems, KUKA is dedicated to delivering the leading-edge products and services to meet our customers unique needs today while anticipating the obstacles and requirements of tomorrow.
Your company will be exhibiting at IMTS, what is it that makes this an important event for your company?
As the largest and one of the most historic manufacturing events in North America, IMTS offers us a unique opportunity to connect and engage with a signifcant cross section of manufacturers from different industries. IMTS 2016 attracted over 115,000 industry professionals from 117 countries. There are not many events that offer that kind of exposure. But it goes beyond that. McCormick Place is a premier settings for an event like this, and when you add in the educational expertise of the many presentations being offered at the show, it equals a great chance for our employees to learn about the latest technologies and solutions. It’s a great experience all around.
Highlight 2 or 3 products you will be showcasing at the event?
KUKA’s KMP 1500 is an omnidirectional, mobile platform that combines autonomous navigation with modular versatility.
Bringing the next level of automation to production facitilites, the KMP 1500 is an autonomously controlled, omnidirectional, mobile platform that can independently transport products through all process steps while seamlessly integrating into the production environment. The KUKA Navigation system eliminates the risk of collision and allows for autonomous movement of the mobile platform without artificial markings in the production facitiliies. The KUKA Sunrise controllers interface with all standard robots, allowing for the platform to be easily extended with any special equipment or sensors.
The KMP 1500 combines the utmost precision with simple operator control, utilizing the latest in omnidirectional wheel technology to enable unrestricted motion in any direction with a postitioning accuracy of up to ± 5 mm. The mobile platform meets all required safety standards for automous guided vehicles, offering a payload capacity of 1,500 kg with maximum safety. Integrated laser scanners allow for safe autonomous navigation throughout your production shop.
While painting applications previously were difficult to automate, KUKA and its partner, Dürr, have come up with ready2_spray: a powerful, maximum-performance solution which is simple and cost-effective – and includes service around the globe.
A worldwide premiere in its payload and reach class. This best-in-breed spray application is a unique combination of the best-in-class robot manufacturer KUKA and the expertise of Dürr. KUKA, one of the leading robotics companies, joins strengths with one of the global painting application leaders. The collaboration of KUKA and Dürr reflects the demand for high quality and affordable packages available on a global scale.
KUKA ready2_spray at a glance:
- KR AGILUS KR 10 R1100 EX 2G
- 1K/2K paint application from Dürr
- KUKA controller KR C4 combined with the Dürr EcoAUC control unit
Paint robot KUKA ready2_spray is particularly suitable for painting applications that need to meet the highest standards and which require integrated explosion protection.
KUKA’s autonomous KMR iiwa robot combines all the benefits of the lightweight, collaborative LBR iiwa robot with a flexible, mobile platform to meet all Industry 4.0 requirements and modern production challenges. The KUKA Sunrise, a multi-functional controller for both the vehicle and robot, allows for easy operation throughout the production environment. The vehicle and robot are independently powered directly through the same Li-ion battery.
The KMR iiwa offers the latest safety functions that allow it to navigate safely and without protective fencing. The LBR iiwa is equipped with seven special, highly sensitive joint sensors in each axis that cause it to stop when touched. The mobile platform comes furnished with laser scanners that react immediately when a person or object is in its path.
The KMR iiwa provides optimal precision, with positional accuracy of up to ± 5mm in the tightest of spaces. Specially developed Mecanum wheels deliver maximum agility, allowing the mobile platform to move omnidirectionally and execute 360˚ rotations to shorten throughput times and enhance productivity.
IMTS has many educational sessions & Demo’s, is your company involved in any of them this year?
Yes, we were very fortunate to have two of our company’s thought leaders get the opportunity to share their experiences with other attendees. First, KUKA Chief Regional Officer, Americas Joe Gemma will be presenting The Next Step: Taking 3D Priniting from Prototyping to the Production Floor on September 13th. And KUKA Director of Product Marketing, Americas Andy Chang will be presenting Utilizing IoT Technologies to Reduce Robot Downtime and Optimize Operational Efficiencies on September 11th at the 2018 Integrated Industries Conference being held in conjunction with IMTS.
When you get a chance to walk the exhibit hall floor yourself, what is it you will be most interested to see? Any educational sessions you plan on attending?
IMTS has so much to offer that it’s hard to pin down just one thing that will draw our interest. Our robots and other solutions have many uses in a lot of different industries, so it will be good to see the different potential applications that are exhibited at the show, as well as many of the other technologies and solutions that other companies have developed. The same holds for the educational sessions. The tracks that stand out for us include Manufacturing Process Innovations, Additive Manufacturing and Industry 4.0/IIoT.
When you book a booth for a tradeshow like this what are your expectations and what does your company hope to accomplish at the event?
Just like every other exhibitor, we are looking to get maximum exporsure for KUKA and to position ourselves as a leader for the products and service we provide. This takes several forms. Obviously, we would like to get as many people as we can to our booth, but we also would like them to leave with a clear understanding of who we are, what our products and services do, and how we can help enhance their processes. On the flip side, we also put the focus on our thought leaders at their educational sessions and media events to show the innovative ideas and people that make up the KUKA family.
The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of RoboticsTomorrow
This post does not have any comments. Be the first to leave a comment below.
Post A Comment
You must be logged in before you can post a comment. Login now.


text:
WestJet Group, which includes the WestJet and Swoop airlines, and the Air Lines Pilot Association (ALPA) announced that a tentative agreement had been struck on Friday to avoid a pilot strike.
Labour action was set to take place starting at 3 a.m. on May 19, following a protracted negotiation that had lasted months.
“After months of tough negotiations with management, we are pleased to announce a Agreement-In-Principle that goes a long way to recognizing the value and expertise we bring to our airline every day,” said Captain Bernard Lewall, Chair of the WestJet ALPA Master Executive Council.
“This contract will also help solve many of WestJet’s pilot attraction and retention issues, benefiting everyone involved from our company to our passengers and fellow employees.”
The pilots had been negotiating for wages that matched the average for North American pilots, and work-life balance accommodations that they said had fallen behind other what other airlines have offered over the past several years.
WestJet said they appreciated the patience that guests had shown during the lead-up to potential labour action. The airline says they are currently ramping their operations back up, after announcing on May 18 that they were beginning to park aircraft pending a strike.
“We appreciate we were able to arrive at a deal, however, recognize the impact on our guests and we sincerely appreciate their patience during this time. We are pleased to now return our focus to providing friendly, reliable and affordable air service to Canadians for years to come,” said Alexis von Hoensbroech, CEO of the WestJet Group.
“The WestJet Group is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that is industry-leading within Canada and recognizes the important contributions of our valued pilots by providing meaningful improvements to job security and scope, working conditions and wages.”
If ratified by WestJet ALPA members, the contract would be the second passed for the pilots. Their first contract, made in 2018, was a result of binding arbitration.

domain: news


text:
CardioDex has announced initial commercial use of a new femoral access site closure device. Recent data with the device in 41 patients at St Marien Hospital, Siegen, Germany, showed 100% success rate and no complications.
“We are very excited about these new data that demonstrate that this device provides a viable treatment for a major unmet medical need due to the increasing use worldwide of percutaneous femoral access and the subsequent high rate of complications seen,” said Hans Peter Hobbach, deputy chief of St Marien Hospital’s cardiac catheterisation laboratory.
The new CardioDex thermal femoral artery closure device was used in 25 diagnostic cases and 16 interventional cases. The 100% success rate was obtained for normal or diseased femoral vessels with calcified plaque.
According to Shimon Eckhouse, chairman and founder of CardioDex, “these very positive results confirm the data we observed in the first single-centre clinical trial, that were presented earlier this year. This demonstrated that the performance of Cardiodex closure device opens the door to a whole new and long awaited era for femoral arterial access and closure.”
One of the most exciting features of the device, according to CardioDex, is the extremely short period before patient ambulation – diagnostic patients were ambulated within two hours and percutaneous coronary intervention patients were ambulated within four hours. There were no cases of haematoma or late bleeding, despite the fact that percutaneous coronary intervention patients were fully anticoagulated with heparin, aspirin and clopidogrel. Neither were there any cases of post procedural discomfort.
Method of action
The mechanism of action of the CardioDex device is based on controlled thermal closure of the arterial puncture site. The device consists of a temporary nitinol anchor which is delivered via an existing introducer sheath and used to locate the puncture site. The fully controlled heating step is made possible by an integrated battery power unit and a heating system that is inserted over the nitinol anchor wire on the site of the arteriotomy. Local short heating pulses provide sufficient haemostasis through the cross linking of collagen, leaving no residual material at the puncture site.
While some of the newer closure devices can be used in patients considered to be at high risk, such as those with peripheral arterial disease and smaller calibre arteries, the CardioDex device can be used in all types of patients and situations, including bifurcations, peripheral arterial disease, superficial femoral arterial punctures as well as in very thin or obese patients.
Charles Davidson, clinical chief, Cardiology Medical Director, Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute Northwestern Memorial Hospital and CardioDex’s chief medical officer stated that: “Thermal closure of the arterial puncture site has several potential advantages including nothing left behind and the ability to address challenging anatomies. The initial successful cases we have had demonstrate the promise of this new technology.”

domain: medical


text:
The principle of majorities, therefore, is well established in the formsof government. Its justice is seen in the majorities of congress andthe legislatures, when they are in the right; and its injustice in theminorities, when they are in the wrong. If, in the application ofthe principle, the minority are treated with injustice, the remedy mustlie in the right of all to be masters of their own actions, and in thedetermination of justice by themselves, and by the use of all peacefulmeans. This is the doctrine of the people.
The action of this majority is a logical conclusion from the principleof majorities. The abstract justice of a majority is most apparent inthe case of an equal division of a vote. In such a case, the majorityis dominant, to the exclusion of the rights of the minority; and theremoval of the minority from the choice of the majority is the logicalconsequence of the equal division. It is true, that in the practicalapplication of this principle, the majority is inferior to the rights ofthe minority, and the choice of the majority is not in all cases thechoice of the best. But the justice of the principle is not affectedby these differences. The rights of the minority, in order to standuprightly, must be protected by some other course of action than thatwhich is prescribed in the order of the majority; and the protection of the minorities in the case of an equal division, is provided by the rights ofthe individual, so far as he can be the judge of his own interests.When the rights of the majority are superior to those of the minority, itis the interest of the individual to protect his rights and interests,and, by the exercise of this power, to prevent the wrongful exerciseof the superior rights of the majority; and if the majority, instead ofbeing composed of the best men, be so constituted, that the co-operationof the best men is impossible, it is the duty of the minority to enablesthem by the use of all peaceful means to be admitted to their share ofthe government, and to resist by every legitimate and peaceful means,the usurpations of the majorities.

domain: sociology


text:
What is a Team?
In the best of all possible worlds, teams are formed deliberately and carefully to meet work needs that an individual or a group of individuals cannot meet as effectively. Although many groups are called "teams," not every work group is a team. In a work group, performance is a function of what its members do as individuals. The focus in a work group is individual goals and accountabilities. A team's performance is measured primarily by the products produced collectively by the team.
Teams share certain characteristics, including a clearly defined purpose (mission) and goals. Teamwork is defined by a shared commitment both to the team's process (how the team works together) and to its product (what work the team accomplishes). This commitment to team process is demonstrated through the development and use of team norms and groundrules, a willingness to pay attention to group process, and a sense of mutual accountability both to the members of the team as individuals and the team as a whole.
Types of Teams
Project teams are usually time-limited teams formed to complete a particular task. When the team completes its task, it disbands. Standing teams (sometimes called "intact" teams) are formed as ongoing organizational units. Teams that bring together members from different departments or functions are called cross-functional teams.
What Makes a Team Successful?
There are several factors identified as key to a team's success. They include:
- Shared understanding of the team's mission
- Commitment to the team's goals
- Clearly defined roles and responsibilities
- Agreed-upon groundrules
- An established decision-making model
- Effective group process including commitment to open communication, mutual accountability and appropriate self-evaluation (see the Communicating with Others learning topic for more on open communication)
Working on a successful team (sometimes called a high-performing team) can be an exciting and empowering experience. When a team is working well, each member knows that they are part of something bigger than the individuals involved - that the team is greater than the sum of its parts. Team members in high-performing teams have a sense that the team can overcome obstacles and realize its goals. Communication is open; members can state their opinions knowing that differences of opinion are valued. Most importantly, successful teams don't just "feel good," they get their work done, meeting deadlines and achieving their goals. For more on building new teams, see our article Important Steps when Building a New Team.

domain: psychology


text:
‘The entire community itself was trapped’: Tennessee National Guard helps Kentucky flood victims
National Guard members traveled to Jackson, Kentucky, and are on standby if any more emergencies appear
JACKSON, Ky. (WVLT) - The Tennessee National Guard has returned home after leaving last Thursday to rescue those impacted by the Kentucky flooding.
National Guard members said there were a lot of creeks in their area, but now it’s all muddy rivers going through people’s homes.
“Imagine sitting in your trailer asleep, a lot of people around here live in trailers, not a lot of people were in houses, and next thing you know, you’re floating down what used to be a creek is now a river,” Sergeant Tracy Banza said.
Banza said as soon as they got there Thursday, they hit the ground running with rescue efforts.
“You can see the roads being washed away,” National Guardsman Robert Koons said.
Roads were being washed away in the community of Jackson where both adults and children asked for help.
“The entire community itself was trapped,” Sergeant Giovanni Dezuani said.
Many in Jackson, Kentucky, were trapped with no way of getting in contact with friends and first responders due to power outages. The Tennessee National Guard said social media was key in their rescue efforts.
“Some kind of signal device for us just allows us to come into those areas and do a check on you,” Sgt. Dezuani said.
When the National Guard found people, they said those impacted by the flooding didn’t want to leave. Sgt. Banza said these people were resilient.
“Obviously they want to take care of their young ones. They want to make sure their family and friends are taken care of, but those folks really didn’t want to leave. They said ‘Is help coming?’ I said ‘Well, there’s many roads washed out between here and there,’” Sgt. Banza said.
The Tennessee National Guard has come back to Tennessee, but they know it’ll take a long time to rebuild this community.
Guardsmen said the best way people can help Kentuckians is with donations. A church in Tazewell has a donation drive going through Aug. 2. They’re asking people for food, water, diapers, hygiene products and blankets.
Copyright 2022 WVLT. All rights reserved.


text:
A Simple Key For Daybeds Unveiled in Unity House PA 18373
Move delivers endless nationwide transport. If you’ll want to return or Trade an item you’ll be able to ship it back for free of charge or choose it for your neighborhood retailer.
This multifunctional piece can in good shape a variety of rooms in your house from a bureau in your salon or boy or girl’s bedroom and it really is perfect for more seating, sleeping and web hosting guests with its pull out trundle.
Bed and Mattress Stores in Unity House PA
Daybeds for Sale in Unity House PA
Unity House PA - BingNews Search results
Trump plan to unite territories will endanger Israel
White House envoy Jason Greenblatt told Yediot Ahronot on ... How can it possibly be good for Israel to have the PA strengthened through unity with Hamas and expansion into Gaza? And take a look at th...
Hunt urges Tories to back May after backlash over extended transition
Advertising Theresa May also met with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar while in Brussels, to discuss the Irish border issue (Irish Government/PA) But signs of unity appeared to be in ... who used an interview w...
Espina: Get even AND get MAD
their brazenness rivaled by a husband and wife who presumably live in the same house but who are running to represent two separate districts of their city. In Negros Occidental, they tout a “show of u...
White House denies Lauder sent by Trump to meet Abbas
The White House on Thursday denied an Israeli TV report which said that President Donald Trump had sent World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder to convince Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders to ...
Palm Beach panel OKs North End house after asking for major overhaul
And because the two properties weren’t joined by a unity of title, the houses could easily be sold separately at ... They also have mailing addresses at an accounting firm in Huntingdon Valley, Pa., t...

domain: politics


text:
Posted by johngl
I don’t know what it is about this time of year, but I start to crave a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. I even did a post on it back in the day whilst reminiscing about a joint called Millie’s Drive In located in Des Moines, IA.
Let’s go back to the beginning:
This is about a half inch of sous vide pork loin (not tenderloin) that was cooked sous vide style for 12 hours at 132°F (Note: It was refrigerated for several days post cook)
Frankly, I didn’t think this would work since that loin is now fork tender.
Seasoned with salt and pepper, along with a dusting of corn starch, this went into a batter consisting of equal parts flour and corn starch, salt, black pepper, pequin pepper, smoked paprika, and hot paprika, baking powder, oh, and beer. It’s more of a tempura-like batter in consistency (leave it thin and lumpy — do not overwork the batter mix!)
It doesn’t take long, probably about a minute and a half per side.
I put this one on some fresh-baked focaccia along with some a little ketchup and dill pickle slices.
I took a few bites…wa-a-a-y better than my last posted effort and nearly as good as the ones I used to get at Millie’s.

domain: food


17SER high efficiency Air Conditioner/Space heater, 120vac powered, powered by 15A branch circuit. 1-zone air mover for indoor placement.
This unit can be powered by 1200W off-grid solar array with inverter.
Mini Split Air Conditioner & Heat Pump Systems consist of four primary parts:
1. An inverter-based outdoor condenser unit
2. A sleek indoor mounted air handler unit that delivers treated air to the targeted space
3. A set of refrigerant and wiring lines that connect the two units
4. A remote control
The complete system is designed for energy conservation by targeting only those areas that need cooling or heating, a cost-effective feature when only certain enclosed sections of a larger structure have to be air conditioned.
Advanced Inverter Technology
Utilizing the most current technology, Whynter’s Inverter variable-speed system allows the compressor to optimize efficiency and power consumption together, while maintaining the specified output. This allows for much quieter operation and reduced energy consumption.
Infra-Red Remote Control with Follow-Me Feature
An efficient temperature sensor integrated in the remote control serves as a remote thermostat allowing for the precise and comfortable temperature control targeting exactly where the user is situated within a space.
Programmable 24-Hour On/Off Timer
Customize times to fit your schedule for immediate comfort. The built in timer allows you to preset the unit to turn on and off in half hour increments.
All-out comfort throughout the evening hours with the added benefit of energy savings. With Sleep Mode, the temperature gradually increases a few degrees in cooling mode and decreases in heating mode over the evening.
Low Temperature Heating
Feature designed to run at ambient temperature as low as 46°F / 8°C, which keeps the room temperature at a comfortable level in cold weather environments.
Louver Angle Memory Function
Restarts automatically with the previous open angle of the horizontal louver when operation is restored after a power interruption.
Operating at low frequency rate reduces the noise to the lowest level to create a quiet and comfortable environment.
Cools or heats your room quickly and effectively by operating at the maximum output and fan speed.
Prevents growth of harmful micro-organisms by eliminating the moisture inside of the indoor unit.
Complete Installation Kit Included
Everything you need to install this unit is included.
Local installation available for additional fee of $1995.
● 9,000 BTU Cooling/9,500 BTU Heating
● Coverage area: 250 – 350 sq. ft.
● SEER: 17/ EER: 11
● ECO-FRIENDLY CFC free GREEN R-410A refrigerant
● Five operational modes: Auto, Cool, Dehumidify, Heat and Fan
● Digital remote control
● Complete 16 ft. installation kit included
● Dehumidifying Capacity: 46 Pts / day
● 3 fan speeds
● Directional air discharge louvers
● Equipped with two 3M© + Activated Carbon filters
● Full thermostatic control: 62°F – 86°F
● Recommended operating temperatures:
– Cooling : 62°F – 90°F/ Heating: 32°F – 86°F
● 24 hour programmable timer
● Sleep mode function – saves energy by maintaining a comfortable temperature
● Follow me function – built-in remote thermostat to ensure even room temperature
● Low temperature heating – keeps temperature at 46°F in severe cold weather
● Refrigerant leak detection
● Auto restart after power outage
● Noise level (dBA): 39 – 24 dBA, Air Flow (at high speed): 247 CFM
● Maximum cooling power consumption: 782W / 7.0Amps
● Power supply: 115 V / 60Hz
● Unit dimensions: – Indoor Unit: 29” W x 8” D x 12” H – Outdoor Unit: 31” W x 12” D x 22” H
● Package dimensions:
– Indoor Unit: 29” W x 8” D x 12” H
– Outdoor Unit: 31” W x 12” D x 22” H
● Net weight:
– Indoor Unit: 17 lbs – Outdoor Unit: 64 lbs
● Gross weight:– Indoor Unit: 21 lbs – Outdoor Unit: 70 lbs
● AHRI certified and ETL listed


text:
Mar 27, 2012, 2:09 AM EDT
We can debate how the Wizards defended this if you want, but the fact is Rodney Stuckey played it right and drained the shot that gave the Pistons a win in Washington after an impressive comeback. The Wizards blew a double-digit lead in this game, just like they have in their last three losses.
Detroit… nice win. Bad tanking for a draft pick, but nice win.
- LeBron James unveils latest signature shoe from Nike: The LEBRON 12 0
- ProBasketballTalk 2014-15 Preview: Toronto Raptors 4
- Dwyane Wade credits David Stern’s dress code for improving his style 7
- Kevin Durant has grown close with Karl Malone 13
- ProBasketballTalk 2014-15 Preview: Philadelphia 76ers 3
- Steve Kerr said Danny Ferry made mistake but is a “man of high character” 26
- LeBron James on Kyrie Irving: “I believe Kyrie can be the best point guard in the league.” 21
- ProBasketballTalk 2014-15 Preview: Boston Celtics 4


text:
Prolific Polish publisher and developer Tate Multimedia are strapping on their spiked shoulder pads and fire-spewing wheel saws as they today announce that the all-out motorbike action title Steel Rats is coming to the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC in 2018.
Steel Rats is a visceral and groundbreaking evolution of the 2.5D action arcade genre, fusing destructive, octane-fueled motorbike combat and death-defying stunt gameplay, set in a visually stylized retro-future world.
Become one with your bike as you master the realistic physics-based controls of these powerful and deadly vehicles. Choose how you want to tear through the stylized and highly detailed environments of Steel Rats, traversing up, down, left and right as your bike speeds fluidly in and out of the game world, over rooftops and through enemy-infested tunnels.
Join the Steel Rats, a larger-than-life punk biker gang who once ruled the streets of Coastal City and now find themselves as the last line of defense against an invading horde of destructive and constantly evolving army of junkbots. Choose your character, and unlock new special abilities and customizable bikes to fight with style through vast areas of the city in a deadly mix of speed, agility and firepower.
Steel Rats features music from the Japanese rock trio The 188.8.131.52’s, who shot to fame after being featured in Kill Bill: Volume 1 with their hit song “Woo Hoo.” A remastered version of their track “Hoovering” will be featured in Steel Rats and was recorded exclusively for the game in the famous Parisian Midilive Studios, where music for films such as Taken and Hellboy II: The Golden Army was also recorded.
“Steel Rats is set in an atmospheric, stylized, retro-future version of 40s and 50s Americana,” says Jacek Gburczyk, Tate Multimedia art director. “We’ve taken everything we love from America in that time period and mixed it up with our favorite parts of dieselpunk and steampunk influences to create something that has a wholly original feel and character.”
Wojtek Biliński, head of studio at Tate Multimedia, says, “In terms of gameplay, we want to have something for speed runners, racers, brawlers, stunt drivers and all those who want to pull off insane and stylish fight moves from the back of a turbo-powered motorbike. We hope that everyone will enjoy playing Steel Rats in one of these ways and discover the many styles of gameplay we aim to deliver.”
Today’s announcement sees the release of an explosive CGI trailer, created by Deep Blue Studio, featuring The 184.108.40.206’s and their track “Hoovering,” with plenty more news and information on Steel Rats still to come.

domain: game


Here’s the June episode of our monthly roundup of thoroughly enjoyable indiepop listening pleasures from the last few weeks. Thirteen enjoyable new tunes from the likes of The Catenary Wires, Acid House Kings, The Boy Least Likely To, and more. Tracks from way back this month come from The Man From Delmonte and The Gravy Train. Enjoy!
As another kind of sub-awesome year draws to its welcome end, once more, one of the very few things that kept us sane is the music we love. And because we also love lists and love them all the more when they are ranked instead of presenting an “all of these were equally great” levelling, here’s our very well-considered top ten singles and EPs of 2019. There’s a song sample for each record and the cover will link you to a place where you can buy it. Respect and gratitude to everyone who’s written, recorded, played on, produced, released or manufactured a record this year – you rule! Read on
Our latest audio offering of new indiepop music is here! As usual, we feature six new tracks (coming from Vetchinsky Settings, Wild Firth, and more) plus one older favourite. Stream below or find the show on Mixcloud.
A driving rhythm, a punctuated bassline, a corny string section, a sweet melody and a break involving handclaps – all of this offered by a band from Glasgow? No, this is not about „Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken“ but about the new single „Tonic Youth“ by Glasgow melodic indiepop four-piece Wojtek The Bear. Read on


text:
Creative Cloud masterclasses in November
More Creative Cloud masterclasses
The year’s nearly done, but not without having a new series of masterclasses around the amazing work you can produce with Creative Cloud. Whether it’s through mobile solutions for colouring or simply having best in class software to produce amazing image compositions, we believe that creative software should be easy to use and powerful enough to produce groundbreaking work.
With that in mind, we are hosting two more masterclasses in November.
New masterclass with Chad Lewis
You already know the story: Chad was the student who got picked by Adobe and Marvel to create a special edition Marvel comic. He created the Avengers character Thor and in his last masterclass Chad shared his sketching technique. Many of you requested a second session on colouring technique so in this session this comic story will now get some final TLC and a touch of colour.
Chad’s masterclass is on November 19, 15.000 CET / 14.00 GMT. Make sure you sign up in advance here.
Masterclass with Mario Sánchez Nevado
Mario Sánchez Nevado is a Spanish independent illustrator is definitely one of the world’s most accomplished compositing artists. By designing ‘great things for people who have a story that needs to be told’, Mario was one of the artists that came together to create the Emmy-nominated ‘Dream On’ video to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Adobe Photoshop.
Mario’s masterclass is on November 25, 13.00 CET / 12.00 GMT. Make sure you sign up in advance here.

domain: artistic


text:
COIMBATORE: Houses newly built
by the slum clearance board
have developed cracks, shocking residents. As many as 1,293 people, living in makeshift dwellings and encroachments for years were allotted houses in the slum
clearance board-built apartments. But the residents are in shock as the new tenements have developed cracks
and in some houses the windows are broken.
One of the residents who visited the house
allotted to him was shocked to find the florring in the bathroom was extremely brittle. “I just tapped it and it cracked . The windows were broken, and in almost all the houses, they could not be closed,” he said.
Gowri, another resident, said she was shocked to find huge cracks on the walls of the buildings when she visited a few days ago. “The department has patched up in several places and painted the building again. But in many locations, we still could see the cracks. We are a little worried to come and stay here,” she said.
Kaliammal said that in her home, the flooring was neat but the windows were bent and could not be closed. “They were tied and kept. We are hopeful that they will repair all this before they hand it over to us,” she said.
The workers at the apartment said that three contractors were responsible for the construction. A model house was constructed, but one of the workers said other houses were not even close to the model one. “How can we expect quality from government buildings,” he asked.
Official of the slum clearance board said that the houses were ready but some civil work was pending.
“We have painted just one coat of paint. Once they pay Rs 36,000 and get No objection certificate from the electricity department, we will do wiring and paint the house one more time. We will also do patch up work based on the complaints,” he said.
Make sense of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections
and results on May 23 with TOI. Follow us to track latest news, live updates, news analysis and cutting-edge data analytics. Track live election results
, the big trends and fastest updates on counting day with India's largest news network.


text:
Meeting packed with young activists, senior church leaders denied access
Christian leaders who attended a meeting on Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in Pretoria yesterday hosted by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) say it was not a consultation with religious and traditional leaders as advertised but a calculated attempt to push its Unesco-driven CSE agenda and recruit CSE “champions”.
Most of the senior Christian leaders who applied to attend yesterday’s meeting were declined. Some who did make it to the event were shocked to see that about half of those present were students and young activists who had been coached for the event and were vocal supporters of CSE and hostile towards the religious community. There was also a sizeable contingent of religious and traditional leaders who were apparently hand-picked because of their support for the department’s plan to roll out CSE scripted lesson plans (SLPs) at South African schools.
Christian opponents of CSE recognise that the DBE needs to address challenges such as HIV Aids infection and teenage pregnancies but according to Freedom of Religion SA (FOR SA), which was represented at yesterday’s meeting, instead of facilitating meaningful consultation to seek “middle ground”, it provided a forum for bashing the religious community as out of touch, obstructive and discredited.
In a condescending speech, Dr Granville Whittle (DBE deputy director general) accused faith leaders of spreading “fake news”, homophobia and failing to read the curriculum content. Apart from these statements being untrue and unconstructive, the meeting was evidently simply an information and “get-on-board-or-else” session, says FOR SA.
The DBE also made it clear that they have no intention of changing their course of action and that there would be no “opt-out” permitted for parents who disagree with the SLPs and do not want it to be taught to their children — other than withdraw their children from the public school system and educating them in private schools or home schools at their own expense, says FOR SA.
“The DBE’s approach and position clearly place it on a collision course with many South African parents who view this [CSE] as a dangerous form of state indoctrination. With little or no room left for dialogue or compromise, it would seem that civil protest may be the only recourse left open to express objection, the blame for which falls squarely on the DBE, says For SA.
Rev Kenneth Meshoe, president of the ACDP, who attended yesterday’s meeting, despite his application to attend being turned down, said it was a farce whereby credible leaders were sidelined and the venue was packed with people who supported the DBE’s position.
He said the department’s presentations yesterday were “very soft stuff” that anybody would agree with and applaud if they did not know better about the agenda behind CSE. “They were just trying to win and woo the support of Christian and traditional leaders,”
“I am convinced that the war against CSE is winnable. People just need to know the agenda and we are going to fully expose this thing,” he said.
“We have to tell them where it’s going and tell them about the countries that are opposing UNESCO’s CSE programme and that these countries are not stupid — they know something we don’t know. In Africa, Ghana has protested, Kenya has protested, Namibia has protested — there are many other countries.”
See video clip (from Errol Naidoo’s Facebook page) of vocal CSE supporters at yesterday’s meeting
Errol Naidoo director of Family Policy Institute, who says he had to battle to get an invitation to yesterday’s meeting, said the event appeared to be a carefully orchestrated scheme by the DBE, which has been captured by UN agencies, to shame and harangue Christian leaders into supporting the CSE agenda.
He said a large contingent of young people at the gathering were sexual rights activists and CSE champions whose primary purpose appeared to be to attack and criticise pastors “for their ignorance, hypocrisy and sexual abuse”.
In a media release Naidoo says: “Significantly, however, what the UNESCO and DBE officials presented was not CSE. It was a sanitised version of the sexuality education that the DBE claims ‘was part of the curriculum since 2000’.
“Interestingly and despite these claims, in one of the presentations, the slide clearly indicates the South African Government signed on to CSE at a meeting in Cape Town organised by UN agencies and funded by liberal Western European governments in December 2013. No South African educators or school governing bodies (SGB’s) were involved.
“Presenter after presenter stressed: ‘CSE was not parachuted into SA from the US.’ But all the evidence reveals, CSE was developed by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and global sexual rights radicals to sexually indoctrinate the world’s children to normalise and promote ‘children’s rights’ to sexual pleasure, abortion-on-demand, experimentation with high risk sexual behaviours, LGBTQ lifestyle acceptance and promotion and gender theory. In fact, Dr Whittle confirmed ‘CSE is a rights-based approach to sexuality” (and not a health-based approach).
“DBE presenters also referred to ‘research that support and verify the success of CSE globally.’ However, there are tons of independent studies and research by respected global groups that prove the utter failure of CSE worldwide! A study conducted on the results of CSE in 103 nations including Sub-Saharan countries showed CSE failed comprehensively in all of them. The claims made by UNESCO were refuted. DBE/UNESCO officials claimed, ‘Abstinence education failed in SA, so that’s why they support CSE.’ But independent research indicates the exact opposite!”
See video of Dr Pearl Kupe making a presentation to yeterday’s meeting:
Kingdom marketplace leader Dr Pearl Kupe also expressed disappointment that the meeting did not live up to its expectation as a constructive consultation but was simply a DBE and UNESCO event to inform and mobilise support of religious and traditional leaders.
Kupe reported back on two submissions she made yesterday. In her first submission she referred the meeting to how Uganda successfully lowered the number of HIV/AIDS infections using the AB (Abstain and Be faithful model), which did not encourage the “C” condomise option.
“Uganda defeated the increase of HIV/AIDS in their nation by applying solutions that were moral, value based and African-values aligned. I made a request for DBE to consider taking best practices from successful African nations in responding to HIV/AIDS and pregnancy increases,” she said.
Reporting on her second submission she said: “I asked for three things:
a) For the Body of Christ to be involved at all levels and represented properly and not just called at the conclusion of the process to be asked to rubber stamp decisions that had already been made;
b) For an option to opt out of CSE to be given to Christian families who felt that their faith and beliefs did not line up with the CSE curriculum. Dr Granville Whittle responded to my request with a categoric NO and said that the only option that will be given to those who do not approve CSE is to withdraw their children and ‘send them to private schools’
c) For CSE to address the root cause regarding the increase of HIV/AIDS and pregnancies. Statistics show that many pregnancies and HIV/AIDS infections were as a result of sexual abuse/ molestation and sexual grooming by adults, and in some cases teachers. Teaching children about their body parts, therefore will be too late to protect them and will have minimal effect. For proper prevention the perpetrators must be dealt with criminally and also re-educated. CSE is not dealing with any aaspect of this.”
Gateway News has sent the DBE an email requesting its comment on the view of Christian leaders that its meeting was a set-up, packed with pro-CSE attendees and hostile towards the Church. We have not yet received a response.


text:
||Thread Tools||Search this Thread|
|Oct 25, 2004, 2:16 AM||#1|
Join Date: Aug 2002
I sold my nikon 5700, it was too much fuss, too slow, took too long to start up, and was too bulky to carry around. I only took it when I knew I was going to use it, like family get togethers or outings.
I never used any of the features of the 5700, I just left it on auto and clicked away.
I'm looking for a decent compact camera I can throw in my pocket and take with me all the time.
I use it both indoors and out, half and half.
I need reading glasses so that may be a factor, the Nikon had dioptic adjustment for the viewfinder which was nice. I'd hate to have tograbmy glasses everytime I wanted to take a picture.
I needed glasses for the lcd so I barely ever used it.
So here's the deal, I'm going to buy it through the computer purchase program at the college where I teach and I want to get it this week so I went to Staples and Costco where the college shops
Here's the compacts they got...
Pentax Optio S4 Kitwith case and abunch of stuff
Pentax Optio S40
Fuji FinePix E510
Cannon Powershot G1
I was going to get either the Pentax Optio S4 or the Sony T1, they look like they would fit in my pocket nicely.
I heard terrible things about the Sony T1's indoor pictures, but that nice big lcd might actually be usable without my glasses.
I like the little Pentax S4,except that power button.
Maybe the Pentax 540... uses double A's, not too much bigger.
The others start to get a little big for my pocket.
The Olympus C-60might be worth the extra size, but I think it's slow like the 5700 was.
So what do I get?
I took a bath on the 5700 and dont want to go through that again.
|Thread Tools||Search this Thread|

domain: hobby


text: This paper attempts to identify the key parameters and sources of efficiency Polish biotechnology companies. As more than 90% of them are small and medium-sized the base for analysis is profile characterizing such organizations. In the study was applied SME profile on the profile of biotechnology firm. An overview of these two blocks of information was gave list of main successes and problems sources of biotechnology companies and let to prepare resulting conclusions. To verify the literature analysis by empirical data were described two cases of typical small biotech firm.

domain: biology


whitening strips price Service is core competitiveness at Dental Teeth Whitening Products. We provide custom service and can send the sample as well. The products including whitening strips price can all be customized based on the draft, drawings, sketch and even ideas provided by customers. To relieve the worries of customers, we can also send the sample to customers for quality check.
View More >>
GlorySmile whitening strips price Nanchang Dental Bright Technology Co., Ltd. is one of the few authorized manufacturers of whitening strips price in the industry. The production process of the product involves critical steps demanding high human skills, allowing us to maintain the specified design quality and avoid bringing in some hidden imperfections. We introduced testing equipment and built a strong QC team to carry out several phases of tests on the product. The product is 100% qualified and 100% safe.smile science professional teeth whitening kit,blue light whitening kit,best teeth whitening products for sensitive teeth.


text:
After growing up in a small upstate New York town with a population that would barely fill some college lecture halls, one nearing RIT graduate is about to move to and work at a company many believe to be the epicenter of the technology world.
Barbara Pitts, a fourth-year imaging and photographic technology major from Antwerp, N.Y., near Watertown, is headed to Apple after crossing the stage at Gordon Field House. But she isn’t the only one. Griffin Kettler, a fourth-year student in the program from Warwick, N.Y., was hired after meeting with Apple representatives at an RIT career fair earlier this year.
“I come from a very tiny town with a population around 700 and most people don’t ever make it out or go to college,” Pitts said. She credits her “Apple appeal” to a love for photography that grew even stronger when she began attending RIT as an advertising photography major. Pitts then took a strong turn toward the technical side when she decided to take a class with Nitin Sampat, associate professor of imaging and photographic technology in the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences.
“After taking the (imaging systems) minor with Nitin and learning more about the technical details of photography, I fell in love with cameras: how they work, how they’re built, and how to make a camera take better images, so I officially switched to photo tech at the beginning of my third year,” Pitts recalled.
Fast forward to her meeting with a team of interviewers from the Cupertino, Calif.-based makers of revolutionary products like the Mac, iPhone, iPod and iPad: Pitts learned that Apple had specifically sought her out on LinkedIn due to her affinity toward photography— including her work as a freelancer and the time she spent in darkrooms and photo studios back in her hometown—combined with her strong yearning to discover the technological workings of the camera.
“This artistic background in photography coupled with courses I’ve taken here like imaging systems, electronic sensitometry (image quality testing), programming and other imaging science classes like vision and psychophysics and testing of focal plane arrays really made me marketable,” Pitts said.
Her academic and experiential mix combined with a co-op that Pitts landed last summer with Ricoh in Boulder, Colo., particularly caught Apple’s eye.
“I was working with a team of electrical engineers conducting psychophysical experiments to help better some algorithms that they were using in relation to printers and image quality,” Pitts said. “I think this co-op along with my ability to understand both the technical aspects of imaging, image quality, and that I also understand pictures from a photographer’s point of view are what made Apple want to hire me most.”
Kettler originally pursued a major in fine art photography at New York’s School of Visual Arts before transferring to RIT’s imaging and photographic technology program.
Sampat, who has taught at RIT for two decades, is particularly pleased this May that two of the six graduating students from the imaging and photographic technology program are headed to the Bay area—joining a swiftly growing number of RIT grads in the Silicon Valley.
“Both Barbie and Griffin are very talented and hard-working students and have both served as my teaching assistants; I am extremely proud of their achievements,” Sampat said. “The two of them are unique in their abilities but also serve to exemplify the unique nature of the majors that RIT offers.”
“They will bring together the creative side from their fine arts background and couple that with applied, technical and analytical skills they learned in their major at RIT to help employers like Apple improve their (imaging) products,” Sampat added. “Hats off to Apple for recognizing their unique strengths.”
Pitts will be a camera-tuning engineer, while Kettler will serve as a camera quality assurance engineer.
“Our graduating class this year for our major is only six people—and it’s a very niche field—so it’s just great that both Griffin and I have earned this opportunity after working so hard,” Pitts added.


text:
Evicted Big Brother Naija housemate Maria has come home to fans showering her with gifts from all angles.
A new video online shows Maria receiving gifts from fans during a presentation ceremony.
It is a norm in Nigeria for BB Naija stars to receive gifts from fans.
We have even seen some of them receiving cars and houses!
We guess that is the next gift Maria would come and announce her fans have bought for her.
Check out video of the donation below…


text:
French Bulldogs for adoption
French bulldogs have got in trend as a companion for the reason of their loyalty as a pet. They have smaller size and cheerful nature due to which people love them to keep them in their homes. The appearance of French bulldog doesn’t give scary feel. Instead, they are cute elements with lovely personality traits.
The average size of a French bulldog might be 12-16 inches. Some of them are really small in size and light weight in comparison to their English and American ancestors. You need to understand about the temperament of these dogs and the pros and cons to be undertaken in mind, if you are planning to purchase them.
Some of the positive and negative points about French bulldog temperaments are given below. Like human beings, dogs also have their own temperaments, but the general trends might be similar for most of the cases.
French bulldogs are intelligent dogs and understand the instructions from their masters very quickly. They are great companions and amazing watchdogs. They don’t have heavy barking sound and also, won’t bark too much. They generally have a good temper and enjoy playing with toys or other pets at home. These lovable creatures are playful and require affection from the family. They will require your time and of course, playing with them would be joyous for you as well.
French bulldogs are stubborn and hard to treat at times. If they are not given proper training or time, they become aggressive. They might suffer from digestive troubles and snoring while sleeping, but these things are due to the shape of their face. These bulldogs are poor in swimming as they can’t breathe out properly out of water. They have a lot of troubles during delivery and most of the Frenchie females reproduce by c-section.
It depends on the owner to make the decision to take care of the French bulldog and raising them with proper care by looking at pros and cons in depth.
Top Quality French Bulldog Puppies With Rare Color Genetics.
HAVE A QUESTIONS?
Copyright Frantastic Frenchies ©2020 All rights reserved
Our Loving Families

domain: pet


text:
Square Enix’s game will be huge (true, we’ve seen something similar not too long ago).
Kitase Yoshinori, the game’s producer, said in a press release, “We’re honored to bring Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to players worldwide early next year. In the next installment of this thrilling tale, Cloud and his new and returning friends will embark on a new adventure so that all players can enjoy this story, even those unfamiliar with the previous title or the original Final Fantasy VII. The entire team has worked fervently with love and adoration for the world of Final Fantasy VII to deliver an unforgettable experience for new adventurers and longtime fans alike, reaching new heights of cinematic storytelling, immersive and fast-paced combat, and rich exploration across a vast world. We can’t wait to share more details later this year.”
Here’s the game’s overview: “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the iconic fantasy game that redefined the RPG genre in three different games. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth picks up with iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith, and Red XIII after they escape from the dystopian city Midgar and sees them embark on a journey in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. In this standalone adventure, players will explore an expansive world; all brought to life with a new level of graphical fidelity developed specifically to leverage the power of the PlayStation 5 console. As players unravel a gripping narrative rich with mysteries to uncover, they will also witness the personal journey of each party member and strengthen their bonds to work together and face off against powerful enemies.”
Kitase says development is going according to plan, and they are now working on nailing down a release date. According to director Naoki Hamaguchi, we can travel through a big world with great freedom, experiencing many stories. According to Kazushige Nojima, the developer in charge of the story and script, we will also witness a chain of narrative developments while discovering the characters’ destinies. According to co-director Motomu Toriyama, we don’t need to play the Final Fantasy VII Remakes to enjoy Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Teruki Endo, the director in charge of the combat, says that we’ll be able to fight alongside our teammates more closely than ever before. According to Keiji Kawamori, the music supervisor, there will be new songs, but there will also be some rearrangements from FF VII Remake.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is coming to PlayStation 5 in early 2024. The disc release will be on two Blu-rays so it will be at least 100GB. Horizon II: Forbidden West was also a two-disc release for PlayStation 4…


text:
1023 W Grand Ave
Deb's Hair Port & Electrolysis
151 Market Ave Port Edwards, WI
Cut & Dry Total Hair Care
1021 Township Ave Wisconsin Rapids, WI
If you've been to or used
Ms Image, leave a review.
It's easy, only takes a couple of minutes and you'll help thousands make an informed decision.

domain: geography


text:
The fourth edition of biennial Japan-India Maritime bilateral Exercise (JIMEX) kicked off in the northern Arabia Sea. It is being conducted in a ‘non-contact at-sea-only format’, in view of COVID-19 restrictions. From India, the warships Chennai, Teg, Tarkash and fleet tanker Deepak will represent the Indian Navy, while Japanese warships Kaga and Ikazuchi will represent Japan in the drill.
JIMEX-20 will showcase a high degree of inter-operability and joint operational skills through the conduct of a multitude of advanced exercises, and further enhance the cooperation and mutual confidence between the two navies.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Chief of Naval Staff: Admiral Karambir Singh.


text:
The official launch of the “Connect the dots” program, a start-up program run by The Hellenic Initiative with the support of the Hellenic Initiative, took place today at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. USA in Athens, as part of the “USA-Greece: Celebrating 200 Years of Friendship” campaign, while it is also under the auspices of the “Greece 2021” Commission.
Through the program, successful Greeks up to 40 years old provide online mentoring to talented and promising entrepreneurs from Greece, who are now starting their careers.
The US Ambassador to Greece, Jeffrey Payat, in his greeting at the event, expressed his pride for the embassy’s support in this innovative program, while thanking the “Greece 2021” Commission for putting it under its auspices.
The Commission has done an important job, Mr. Payat stressed, celebrating the history of Greece, honoring its people and highlighting its many achievements during a difficult year.
Mr. Payat then noted that as US President Joe Biden told Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during their phone call on Greek Independence Day, the United States will work closely with Greece to pursue a sustainable economic recovery after the pandemic.
“In this regard, we look forward to the US-Greece Strategic Dialogue next month as an opportunity to reaffirm and accelerate the strong progress we have seen in US-Greece trade, investment and technology relations,” he said.
At the same time, Mr. Payat stressed that the support in the “Connect the Dots” program is based on the long-term cooperation with the Hellenic Initiative to support the Greek economy, helping to cultivate the business ecosystem of Greece.
In addition, Mr. Payat underlined the role of the Greek-Americans in strengthening the ties that unite the two peoples and in supporting the strategic relationship between Greece and the United States that “… has never been stronger.”
“As we look forward to the next two hundred years of US-Greek relations, I am confident that the contributions of diaspora organizations such as the Greek Initiative will deepen our friendship and advance our efforts to build an even more stable and prosperous Greece,” the ambassador concluded.
For her part, the chairwoman of the Greece 2021 Commission, Gianna Angelopoulou-Daskalaki, personally thanked the US Embassy and Mr. Payat for their participation in the celebrations for the 200th anniversary, adding that the support provided by the US Embassy to the program ” Connect the dots “is a modern expression of philhellenism.
Ms. Angelopoulοu stressed that most of the actions under the auspices of the committee are aimed at development and prosperity.
Technology can be a gateway to the third century of modern Greek life, said the Commission President, adding that Greek talents must remain in place and “χρειάζεται not have to travel abroad in search of opportunities”.
Greece can attract digital nomads, Ms. Angelopoulou continued, and develop its technological ecosystem.
“The connection with the Greek community will be a catalyst for extroversion and development, and the Greek Initiative, which operates in the USA, Canada and Australia, is well aware of this and has contributed a valuable network of contacts for this special initiative.” said Mrs. Angelopoulou.
At the same time, Ms. Angelopoulou referred to two emblematic actions carried out by the “Greece 2021” Commission, which aim at the future of Greece. The first is the Forum “Greece in 2040” where representatives of productive classes and social partners try to document the opportunities and challenges that their industry will face in the next 20 years. The conclusions of the Forum will be reflected in a “White Paper” that the ambition of the Commission is to be a valuable tool and will be accessible to all, said Ms. Angelopoulou.
The second is the creation of the Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence, which is done in collaboration with (Konstantinos Daskalakis from MIT, Christos Papadimitriou from Columbia University and Timo Celis from the University of Technology in Melbourne.
The event was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Research & Technology, Christos Dimas and the Secretary General of Research and Innovation, Athanasios Kyriazis.


text:
Re: [MP fights Iranian execution, Langley Advance Times, Jan. 19]
Letter to MP John Aldag:
I appreciated the story on the front page of the Advance Times describing your support for Iranians who are being oppressed by their government.
The actions of the Iranian government are certainly reprehensible and the anguish felt by the families should absolutely stir up empathy and a desire to extend whatever help we can.
Having said that, I would like to inquire whether a government must be executing citizens in order for you to defend a citizen’s right to protest and speak out against a government.
If the Iranian government were to agree to limit their actions to smearing peaceful protesters in the press and accusing them of violence without any evidence, would you then defend the government’s right to suppress voices of opposition?
What if a government declared a national emergency in order to temporarily make a peaceful protest illegal and justify the use of force, including techniques such as snatch and grabs (with some use of rifle butts to subdue protesters holding flowers, flags, or the constitution) or arrest and release (but while arrested those citizens were made to wait outdoors in negative temperatures and were then released in the middle of nowhere without access to vehicles or phones and some suffered frostbite) would that be enough cause to defend a citizen’s right to free speech?
What if the Iranian government agreed to limit the consequences imposed to financial ones, such as the freezing of bank accounts, loss of employment, or the use of professional bodies to sanction those who speak out or act in ways contrary to state policy, would that be acceptable?
What if it could be proved that the protests were disruptive to the communities where they were located, affected the economy of those living in the region and were negatively impacting the global reputation of the nation’s government, do the Iranian protesters still deserve your protection?
What if the Iranian government were suppressing protests in support of equality for the unvaccinated instead of equality for women, would you stand for free speech then?
A government that defends protesters experiencing, what is certainly extreme persecution in foreign nations, while suppressing protests in its own, cannot claim to be champions of liberty and free speech.
Saying, “The Islamic Republic of Iran must stop jailing anyone who wants to voice their opinion” just months after standing silent while your party jailed Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, to name just a few, seems hypocritical at best.
Your support of Iranian protesters makes for a good front page story, but unless you support free speech and protests, even when you disagree with the content and the way it is expressed, then you do not truly support free speech. I am increasingly frightened by the erosion of personal rights and freedoms in Canada.
Jessica Koehn, Langley
Do you have an opinion you’d like to share? Please send us a letter to the editor, including your first and last name, street address, and phone number. Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.


Wednesday game report: Bucks at Spurs
ON THE COURT
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Gary Neal was in the Spurs' starting lineup but played with the reserves at the start of the fourth quarter. He hit a key three-pointer and scored eight points as San Antonio outscored Milwaukee, 34-23, in the final period. Neal was 7 for 16 from the field and added six rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes.
BIG NUMBER: The Spurs grabbed 53 rebounds, including a game-high 12 by reserve Matt Bonner and 10 by Tim Duncan.
TEAMS: Bucks (8-9) vs. Charlotte Bobcats (7-10).
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday.
WHERE: BMO Harris Bradley Center.
BROADCASTS: TV - None. Radio - AM-620.
DIVISION JUMBLE: It is shaping up as a wild Central Division race, with the Chicago Bulls playing without all-star guard Derrick Rose and the Indiana Pacers missing star small forward Danny Granger due to injuries.
Following Wednesday's play, the Pacers are 10-9, the Bulls 9-8 and the Bucks 8-9.
Talk about a logjam, and that's at the top of the division.
The Pacers scored a road victory over the Bulls on Tuesday, holding off Chicago, 80-76, as Paul George finished with 34 points. And Indiana beat Portland, 99-92, on Wednesday at home.
"Indiana has done a nice job of stabilizing themselves and coming back from a poor start," Skiles said. "They're trending in a pretty positive direction right now.
"It's still early in the season. Usually at some point a team or two starts to separate. We'd like to be one of those teams.
"If everybody is flirting around .500, all you have to do is win four out of five and you've got pretty significant separation. Not that it's easy. But I would imagine one of the teams is going to do that and put itself in a really good spot."
MIRROR IMAGE: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he doesn't see the Bucks that often.
But what he sees doesn't surprise him.
"It's Scott Skiles on the court," Popovich said. "Mentally tough, physically tough. Playing hard. It doesn't matter if they're up 10, down 10. In fact they can be down 27 and win. It's a tough-minded group as one would expect."
Popovich referred to the Bucks' comeback from a 27-point deficit to edge the Bulls, 93-92, on Nov. 26 at the United Center.
Charles F. Gardner


Massimo Sustainable Wool Blankets
The beautiful simplicity of this limited collection of blankets presents a variety of classic colours that never go out of style. Each blanket uses reprocessed natural fibres and directly helps to reduce unmanaged waste and CO2 emissions.
Handwoven – 100% wool or mixed yarn
available in 18 colors:
- Black, Charcoal, Vibrant blue, Vibrant Pink, Green, Vibrant Orange, Dusty blue, Dusty Green , Light blue, Lime green, Peach, Sea Green, Racing Green, Burnt orange, Brown, Burgundy, Red, Salmon


text:
Blast your way through space in this innovative 3D bubble shooter! Bounce, bobble, swing, and explode bubbles across the universe. Intergalactic Bubbles advances the classic match-3 genre into the 21st century with stellar graphics, 3D action, and upgrades.
- No purchases during gameplay.
- In-app purchases are for level pack keys and ad-blocker only.
- Buy level pack keys or earn them in game.
- Sectors full of levels provide hours of bubble blasting challenges.
- Upgrade your abilities to enhance your play style.
- Use power bubbles alone or combine them to unleash devastation.


text:
Members of a gang, who set up bogus companies with the sole intention of committing tax fraud, have been jailed for their part in a £300,000 VAT scam.
Three men, two from the West Midlands and one from Manchester, were caught after an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
The gang set up nine bogus firms including a clothing manufacturer, a publishing house and a software engineering company. They then submitted VAT repayment claims from these companies, but there was no evidence of trading.
Adrian Farley, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation for HMRC, said:
“This case sends a clear message to anyone involved or considering fraud against HMRC – your time is up. We are working relentlessly to combat those involved in tax evasion and fraud and bring them before the courts. With over £10 billion being stolen from UK finances each year by criminals, it is serious crime which we are determined to eradicate.
“We would encourage anyone with information on tax evasion and fraud to contact the Customs Hotline on 0800 59 5000.”
HMRC criminal investigators arrested the men in dawn raids in March 2012. They searched five residential properties – three in the West Midlands, one in Staffordshire and one in Manchester. Computers and business records were seized along with banking documents.
Note for Editors
1. Pictures of the defendants are available on HMRC’s flickr channel www.flickr.com/hmrcgovuk or on request.
2. Details of those sentenced yesterday (5 February 2013) at Birmingham Crown Court:
- Pa Modou Njai (DOB 18.4.83), a naturalised British citizen and Gambian passport holder of Princess Gate, West Bromwich, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment and was disqualified from being a company director for five years.
- Ousman Moustapha Njai (DOB 9.7.80), a Gambian national of Handsworth New Road, Winson Green, Birmingham, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment and was disqualified from being a company director for five years.
- Annas Bah (DOB 16.03.79), a naturalised British citizen and Gambian passport holder of Woodhead Street, Manchester, was sentenced to three years imprisonment and was disqualified from being a company director for seven years.
They pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue contrary to the Criminal Law Act 1977.
3. Follow HMRC on Twitter at: @hmrcgovuk
Issued by HM Revenue & Customs Press Office
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is the UK’s tax authority.
HMRC is responsible for making sure that the money is available to fund the UK’s public services and for helping families and individuals with targeted financial support.

domain: law


text:
China is showing no sign of easing its crackdown on the nation’s rights defenders.
Earlier this week, rights lawyer Li Heping was officially indicted, and the whereabouts of three other rights activists, including public interest lawyer Jiang Tianyong, are unknown more than two weeks after they disappeared.
Li’s wife, Wang Qianling, learned of her husband’s indictment days after she and attorney Ma Lianshun began pressing authorities in Tianjin for an answer.
“Today [on Thursday], Ms. Wang went to [the procuratorate in] Tianjin again and confirmed that Li is formally charged with treason. No more details were given,” Ma told VOA.
Wang hired Ma to defend Li, one of the country’s best-known lawyers, who was taken away from his home in Beijing during the Communist Party’s sweeping crackdown on rights activists last July.
But the lawyer has never been allowed to meet his client, and the authorities, by putting Li in detention where he is incommunicado, have not followed due process of law.
Ma said Li’s situation is like a “boiling black pot with its lid on for no one to see clearly.”
Guilty verdict expected
What’s clear, however, may be Li’s fate. Experience shows that he may soon be put on trial and most likely be forced to plead guilty even before a verdict is reached.
But Ma called the treason charge against Li ridiculous, arguing that the detained lawyer has done nothing other than advocate for basic human rights.
The attorney suspects Li’s anti-torture, anti-death-penalty studies, funded by overseas organizations, are the main reason behind his treason charge, although the offense is hard to justify.
“In our view, human rights should transcend sovereignty,” Ma said, “Our country’s record of human rights hasn’t been ideal. Thus, the nature of [Li’s] studies, which aimed to promote human rights, should have been academic, rational and peaceful. That was far from subverting state power.”
Over the past few years, Li had defended underground Christians, political dissidents and followers of the banned group Falun Gong, as well as the blind “barefoot” lawyer Chen Guangcheng, all of which have irked Chinese authorities, Ma said.
Ma argued that the government’s crackdown has done the opposite of silencing outspoken lawyers. Instead, it has revealed the fallacy of those in power as the support for detained members of the country’s civil rights community has grown domestically and internationally.
Despite that, authorities continue to suppress dissident lawyers and rights activists. Jiang and two other rights campaigners, Huang Qi and Liu Feiyue, have been missing since late November. And their whereabouts remain unknown, said Chen Jinxue, who represents Jiang.
Jiang’s enforced disappearance
Over the past two weeks, Chen has accompanied Jiang’s father to file a police report on Jiang’s disappearance. But the public security apparatus has either refused to launch an investigation or made things difficult for them, Chen said.
Among other things, police have asked Jiang’s father to prove his relationship with his son or retrieve surveillance camera footage in Changsha himself, signs of deliberate inaction by police, according to Chen.
Jiang allegedly went missing after November 21 while boarding a train from Changsha in Hunan province. Jiang was traveling to Hunan to try to arrange a meeting with Xie Yang, a lawyer arrested in last year’s crackdown of rights activists, and was accompanied by Xie’s wife and lawyers.
Jiang never made it back to Beijing and is suspected to have been forcefully detained.
“The overall trend of arresting rights lawyers has apparently continued. Jiang is another target of the massive crackdown since July 9, 2015,” Chen said.
By law, police should have informed Jiang’s family of his whereabouts within 24 hours of his arrest.
At risk of torture
If he is under secret detention, Jiang would be at risk of torture. He had been beaten repeatedly during his previous enforced disappearances, which hurt his memory and hearing abilities, his wife Jin Bianling told VOA.
“I’m extremely worried that he may be tortured again. Also, he needs medication to lower his blood pressure. Without his medicines, he will be in a bad shape,” Jin said.
Jin, who lives in the U.S. with her daughter, has initiated a campaign online, urging China’s public security to investigate Jiang’s disappearance soon or hold those responsible for his secret detention accountable.
The campaign has, so far, garnered hundreds of signatures from supporters in an open letter addressed to head of China’s Public Security Bureau.
Jin also expressed concerns over her husband’s disappearance at a hearing organized by the State Council in Washington on Wednesday.
Rights groups, including experts from the United Nations and Freedom House, have also issued statements to express similar concerns.


text:
Registering to use the Library
We run induction sessions for new students at the start of the academic year. If you attend one of these sessions we will register you with the Library at the end of the session, and you will be able to start borrowing straight away. If you missed the induction sessions or if you are a new member of staff, just speak to a member of staff and we can register your card and give you a quick tour of the Library.
External users may be granted access to the Library at the Librarian’s discretion, please email firstname.lastname@example.org or call 01223 747260.
University card access to the Library
Homerton College Library is open 24 hours 7 days a week to anyone with an appropriate access card.
Library staff are available between 9.00-17.00 weekdays. Graduate students trained in the basic procedures of the Library will be present 13.00-17.00 weekends during full term.
To use Homerton College Library, you must have a University Card registered with the library, which will give you access to the Library 24 hours a day, and allow you to borrow and renew items at the self issue screens.