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Dan Gillmor is a BoingBoing guest-blogger.
It's even more disgusting than we heard yesterday. According to the Wall Street Journal, AIG, the financial giant that has taken more than $170 billion of our money to save it from extinction — and given lots of it to other financial companies — is paying almost half a billion dollars in bonuses (my emphasis in first quoted paragraph)
to employees in its financial products unit. That division was at the heart of AIG's collapse last fall, which compelled the U.S. government to provide $173.3 billion in aid to keep it running….
Those payments are in addition to $121.5 million in incentive bonuses for 2008 that AIG will start making this month to about 6,400 of its roughly 116,000 employees. AIG, which was rescued in September as it faced potential bankruptcy, is also making over $600 million in retention payments to over 4,000 employees.
Together, the three programs could result in roughly $1.2 billion in retention and bonus payments to AIG employees.
Who's worse? The legislators and executive-branch people who let this happen, or the AIG executives who are showing themselves to be supremely greedy, and who must be laughing at the rest of us by now. Close call…

domain: politics


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Pablo Picasso Horse Line Drawing T-shirt
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Ships within 5 business days
This item is non-returnable and non-exchangeable
This awesome tee features one of many animal line drawings by Picasso, who created them with just a single, well thought-out line in pencil or chalk. The simplicity was astounding and helped others to realize the beauty that lie in minimalist abstraction. Picasso's animal line drawings can be found in homes all over the world.
Our super soft and smooth jersey t-shirt fits like a well-loved favorite, featuring a crew neck, short sleeves and designed with superior combed and ring-spun cotton. Main features include:
- 100% U.S. cotton
- Medium fabric (5.3 oz/yd² (180 g/m²))
- Classic fit
- Double-needle sleeve and bottom hems
- Taped neck and shoulders; 7/8" rib collar
- Runs true to size

domain: artistic


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The Houston Rockets' losing ways continued Wednesday night, as they fell at home to the Denver Nuggets, 105-95.
(Photo : Reuters) Jeremy Lin, far left, and James Harden, second from left, look to keep the momentum going for the Rockets Wednesday night when they host Ty Lawson, far right, and the Denver Nuggets at 8 p.m.
With the loss, Houston has now dropped eight of its last nine and sits at 22-22. It continues to barely hold onto the last playoff spot in the West over Portland, which is also reeling.
The Nuggets, however, now have two impressive wins in a row after beating Oklahoma City on Sunday and stand at 26-18 overall.
For a complete look at the entire box score, check out NBA.com.
Player of the Game: Ty Lawson
A case could be made for several Nuggets, who shot 46.5 percent on the night and got a balanced, all-around effort in the win.
Andre Iguodala did Andre Iguodala things as he racked up 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals while Wilson Chandler chipped in 20 points, six boards and three steals off the bench.
Danilo Gallinari and JaVale McGee also finished in double digits in scoring.
But Ty Lawson was the engine that made Denver go on Wednesday night. Not only did he score 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, but he dished out seven assists to go along with four rebounds and two steals.
Source: Bleacher Report | Tim Keeney

domain: sports


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"Where is the evidence that he carried out this massacre because he was bullied?"
On the surface it's a valid question. But just beneath the surface, from the viewpoint of anyone who attended America's public school system, it could hardly be a more ludicrous question.
Imagine meeting a black man who grew up in Georgia during the 1950's and asking for the evidence that he was mistreated. He would have difficulty producing any. But no one would believe you if you claimed that the absence of documented evidence meant that he wasn't treated badly. That's because it is common knowledge that the prevalent culture in Georgia during the 1950's dictated that black people needed to be routinely mistreated so that they would not forget their proper place in society.
And so it goes today with society's least masculine young males.
I don't need documented evidence that Adam Lanza was subjected to a considerable degree of cruelty during his short life because the prevalent culture in America today is that young males who are not physically powerful, aggressive, and socially confident are considered to be legitimate targets for cruelty. Boys will be boys and all that...
I don't need to know in specific terms what happened to Adam Lanza. All I need to do is look at his photograph to realize that he lived in fear throughout his adolescence, and that he had few, if any real friends.
The process of turning a child into a mass murderer is well understood, and widely practiced. Millions of Americans blithely condition other people's children to hate everyone around them and then feign bewilderment when things turn out badly. December 14th was not the last time we're going to witness such a massacre. It's going to happen again...and again...and again until Americans stop putting violent males on a pedestal and stop referring to non-violent males as faggots, pussies, and wimps. If you wouldn't refer to a black man as a nigger, you should think twice before using similarly demeaning terms simply because the target isn't violent enough to punish you
Have a nice day.

domain: sociology


- Press Secretary Jen Psaki joked that Russia may have actually sanctioned Biden's late father.
- "Biden is a junior," she said during a briefing on Tuesday, referring to the suffix in his name.
- Russia earlier sanctioned a number of prominent US officials, including Biden, his son, and Hilary Clinton
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday joked that new Russian sanctions may have actually targeted President Joe Biden's late father, and not the president himself.
Russia's Foreign Ministry announced sanctions on a group of prominent US politicians on Tuesday, including Biden, Psaki, secretary of state Antony Blinken, and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
Biden's legal name is Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. A list published on a Russian government website omitted the junior suffix in spelling his name.
"I would first note that President Biden is a 'junior,' so they may have sanctioned his dad — may he rest in peace," Psaki told reporters during a press briefing.
"None of us are planning tourist trips to Russia, none of us have bank accounts that we won't be able to access, so we will forge ahead," she added.
Despite the suffix mix-up, a press release from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs specifies the sanctions targeted "President J. Biden."
Russia's actions were in response to a slew of US, UK, and EU sanctions imposed on the Russian economy, Putin, his inner circle, and other Russian oligarchs over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Russia said its sanctions are a response to the "extremely Russophobic course taken by the current US Administration, which, in a desperate attempt to maintain American hegemony, has relied, discarding all decency, on the frontal constricting of Russia," CNN reported.
Other US officials sanctioned by Russia include Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, CIA Director William Burns, national security advisor Jake Sullivan, and deputy national security advisor Daleep Singh.


AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Congress has organized a Kinara Bachao Yatra program from July 9 to July 20 to save this coast. On the third day of the yatra, a meeting was held at the Malpur village of Jambusar taluka of Bharuch district. Congress leaders and AICC secretary and MP Ashok Tanwar addressed the meet.
Gujarat has a 1600 Km long coastline, which is the longest any state has got.This long coast has contributed a lot in the development of the state and its people.Senior Congress leaders said today said that industrialist close to Chief Minister Narendra Modi have destroyed Gujarat's coastal areas. As a result, marine wealth has been destroyed. This has destroyed the fish which were found in large quantities here.
Fishermen of Pakistan used to poach in Indian waters and Indian authorities used to arrest them. Now the situation has been reversed. Indian fishermen are caught by Pakistan authorities fishing in their territories.
In the past, Congress govt. had launched special schemes for salinity ingress which were quite successful in fighting the salinity problems. But the present BJP government has closed the schemes. This government is also not doing anything to build protection walls. The Gujarat govt. has indulged in massive corruption in the gas kit scheme for fishermen. Even CAG has observed that gas kits worth billions of rupees have been bought but no kit has been given to fishermen. The BJP govt. has done the sin of withdrawing the schemes introduced by Congress for the welfare of farmers, fishermen and salt pan workers in the coastal areas. This govt. has even stopped subsidy on diesel and kerosene to fishermen.
Congress leaders have given a call to launch a fight against Gujarat government to save the precious coastline of Gujarat. AICC secretary Ashok Tanwar said that Gujarat govt. should have concern for the common man and not just for a handful of industrialists. In Gujarat children are missing, law and order is broken, there in nobody to hear the problems of farmers and dalits and govt. is vibrant only for some industrialists which is not justified.


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|Keywords:||Kaizen, Just-in-time, Consistency,, TQM,, Multiversity of capital assets,, Empowerment,, Plan ownership and sustainability overtime.|
International Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Change Management, Volume 4. Article: Print (Spiral Bound), ISSN: ISSN 1447-9524, MC04-0092-2004. Article: Electronic (PDF File; 787.426KB), ISSN: ISSN 1447-9575, MC04-0092-2004.
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domain: literature


OnePlus has just announced its OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition and it’s more than just a phone with a fancy paint job. This new special edition device comes with more RAM and it features an even faster charger than its existing 20W Dash Charge.
The McLaren edition is still based on the current OnePlus 6T device and it retains the same 6.41″ Full HD+ AMOLED display with a taller 19.5:9 display aspect ratio. While it still runs on a Snapdragon 845 processor, the McLaren version of the 6T packs an insane 10GB of RAM while storage is still maintained at 256GB.
To give this device an extra special look, it gets a McLaren inspired carbon-fibre pattern for the rear. There’s also McLaren’s iconic Papaya Orange stripe around the bottom edges of the device. The device is also stamped with McLaren’s logo which can move and shift under different lighting and angles.
The rest of the phone appears to be similar to the standard OnePlus 6T. That means it should come with the same 3,700mAh battery, 16MP f/1.7 + 20MP f/1.7 dual cameras and it also lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Apart from having more RAM, there’s also another speed upgrade. OnePlus has finally bumped up its charging tech with a new Warp Charge 30. The 30 Watt charger (5V 6A) is capable of pushing 50% charge in just 20 minutes.
It’s worth noting that OnePlus’ Warp Charge 30 is still a step below OPPO’s new
For the full McLaren experience, OnePlus has also included a customised theme, boot up animation and wallpaper for the special edition device. Even the box is different and there’s a specially designed mini book which holds the phone in place
In the US, the OnePlus 6T is priced at US$699 (about RM2,925) while in the UK, it’s going for 649 GBP (about RM3,427). The pricing is not as insane as a Porsche Edition Huawei device. The McLaren edition is only US$70 (about RM293) more than the standard 8GB RAM + 256GB storage version.
So far there are no details yet on its Malaysian availability but we reckon that our local retailers will be able to offer imported units very soon.


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Vitamins & Supplements
Ayurveda & Herbs
Weight Loss Herbs
Herbs for Hair Growth
Herbs for Diabetic Care
Protein & Supplement
Bigflex Essential Raw Whey Protein 250Gm Unflavoured (8 Servings)
7 day return available. View details
BigFlex’s Essential Raw Whey Protein is one of the best fitness supplement that may help you get your body in the shape you always dreamt it to be! The 24g of raw whey protein per serving makes it a fruitful supplement for your daily workout regimen. Moreover, there is no added sugar which makes it a healthy choice. Finally, the 4.38g of Branched Chain Amino Acids per serving supports high protein synthesis and muscle development for a fantastic workout routine.
BigFlex’s Essential Raw Whey Protein helps with the building and recovery of muscle tissue. The Raw Whey protein also helps in increases strength, reduces fatigue, improves immunity, and can be a substantial energy source. It contains Digezyme too, which further helps in enhancing digestion and helps your body get the most out of the Raw Whey Protein.
Use 1 serving of BigFlex’s Essential Raw Whey in the morning at breakfast time and post-workout. Additionally, it can be taken as per your nutritional requirements.

domain: food


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Gold reveal annual winner of festive search
A joke about Take That has been voted as the best new Christmas cracker joke for 2014.
The winning gag was sent in by Lynne Newton, who picked up £1,500 courtesy of TV channel Gold in their annual search for the joke “What will be missing from Take That’s Christmas stocking this year? An Orange.”
The joke, a reference to Jason Orange’s departure from the band earlier this year, has won Newton a £1,500 holiday. The joke was submitted via Twitter before being crowned the winner following a vote of over 2000 members of the public. The winner of the competition in 2013 was a joke about Miley Cyrus having “twerky” for Christmas dinner.
The rest of the Top 10, including jokes at the expense of Bono, Nigel Farage, David Cameron and footballer Luis Suarez can be read below
2. How does Luis Suárez like his Christmas dinner? Bite-sized.
3. What do the royal family play at Christmas instead of musical chairs? Game Of Thrones.
4. What did the Snowman say to the aggressive carrot? “Get out of my face.”
5. Why is Christmas a busy time for David Cameron? He’s got two parties to organise.
6. What’s the difference between Bono and Santa? Santa gives you things you want.
7. Why won’t Santa visit Nigel Farage? Because he only comes if you sleep, not if Ukip.
8. Why are snowmen rubbish at cricket? They’re always bowling snowballs.
9. I got a Ukip advent calendar. It’s rubbish, all the doors keep slamming shut.
10. Why is The Great British Bake Off like the nativity? Because the Star is in the Yeast.

domain: entertainment


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Helen is a speaker, writer and activist. Helen utilizes her experiences with bipolar to help foster better understandings of mental health. Helen promotes the art of authenticity, individuality and how to surrender or let go. She writes mostly self help but is authoring a new adult fiction novel, self help/memoir and children's book. When not writing, she enjoys kayaking, hiking or being outdoors. Helen is additionally an animal activist.
3 Powerful Tips For Retirement Abroad And Enhance Your Well-Being
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“People look for retreats for themselves, in the country, by the coast, or in the hills . . . There is nowhere that a person can find a more peaceful and trouble-free retreat than in his own mind. . . . So constantly give yourself this retreat, and renew yourself.”
- MARCUS AURELIUS


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Violations & Consequences
If you find yourself in a shared custody or child support situation that is spiraling out of control fast, you should take action immediately. When the other parent is violating their end of your custody or parental support plan, you may need to enlist the court’s assistance to make them comply. There are a number of ways that this can be enforced. Parental plan violations can be dealt with through charges of civil and/or criminal contempt. However, they can also penalize through wage garnishments, license suspensions, property liens and a host of other methods. Due to all the consequences, it’s best to consult with an attorney or a family law practice guide for more information about your options.
How To Enforce Visitation Orders
To file an enforcement order, the Texas Family Code 157.002 requires very specific things:
- The provisions of the order you seek to enforce (which part of the order the respondent violated)
- The manner of the respondent’s alleged noncompliance (what the other parent did or did not do)
- The request for relief by the movant (what you’re asking the court to do for you)
You will also need to submit evidence of the violation(s). This could include detailed data or submission of dates and times. Your attorney will want to establish a pattern of violations that the other parent has committed to show the court. It could be records that you notated during each occurrence, text messages or emails. If you notice a pattern of violations occurring, begin documenting everything sooner than later.
Revisit Your Family’s Plan Today
We believe that family is the most important thing in a parent’s life. So we help parents revisit their initial plan and make difficult decisions about what is best for their children. Don’t trust just anyone to decide the fate of your family. Reach out to us on our website, DM or call us today at 888-981-7509. Our Texas child support attorneys can use their family law expertise in order to protect your rights and to reach an agreement in your specific case.

domain: law


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The location, the colonial style bunglow which takes us into the bygone era, the lawns which are the USP of the hotel, the service, all absolutely amazing.....Am raring to go there again
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Cancelon, Travelocity, Agoda, Orbitz, Hotwire and Cheap Tickets so you can book your Sherlock Hotel reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- Sherlock Hotel Ootacamund
- Sherlock Hotel India/Ooty (Udhagamandalam)

domain: travel


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A specially designed shelf for mini machines is a complementary element of our rectangular hangers for polishing machines. The shelf fits a single, double and triple hanger. Can easily handle the weight of mini machines and additional equipment such as an extension cord.
Made of high quality, durable steel. Precisely cut and bent, finally covered with a powder finish to provide an additional protective layer against oxygenation.
Length: 43 cm
Width: 16 cm
Height: 19 cm

domain: design


MTVu Artist of the Year Porter Robinson's 2014 single 'Flicker' has been remixed by Mat Zo. The song is from Robinson's self-produced, critically acclaimed debut studio album 'Worlds', released that same year through Astralwerks.
Sia gets a string of Hollywood stars involved in her latest music video, a festive number entitled 'Santa's Coming For Us' from her newly released...
A startling new video has been unveiled by Alt-J to go with their newest single 'Pleader'.
Green Day have long been known for having political undertones in their music, and their new song 'Back In The USA' is no different.
The film is almost half an hour longer than 'The Force Awakens'.
The actress will no doubt be returning for the long-running FX series.
The film is expected to continue without Mendes' involvement.


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Butlers Cookwith Chocolate Demos
- View as map
Clonshaugh Business Park, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Learn the essential techniques of cooking with chocolate with our Ballymaloe trained Chef, Yvonne Carty
Learn the essential techniques of cooking with chocolate with our Ballymaloe trained Chef, Yvonne Carty and see how Butlers signature chocolate recipes are brought to life. Recipes may include such chocolate delights as Butlers Ultimate Chocolate Puddings, Chocolate Biscuit Nut Crunch & White Chocolate Ganache Mousse.
Enjoy tastings of everything made during the demonstration and a refreshing glass of prosecco or refreshing hot beverage.
Demos are priced at €40.00 per participant.
To book a class, simply click on the link above and choose your date


They like playing bridge
The city asked. 133 people answered.
That’s how many submitted ideas so far to a design competition run by the Boston Redevelopment Authority and Boston Society of Architects to replace the Northern Avenue bridge. Some were high-gloss renderings; others came in essay form. One looked as if it was drawn in colored pencil or crayons.
A jury will name winners at the end of May. And the city said the submissions will help in the real design of the new bridge, expected to begin later this year.
We picked a few of the more visual submissions. To see them all, and follow the competition, visit www.northernavebridge.org.


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Reuben Fox McClure
To borrow from everyone’s favourite angsty Danish prince: “Words, words, words.” They’re the ultimate playthings, constantly inviting us to explore their many sides and shapes, from semantics to sound, syntax to structure.
That’s why I’m inspired to approach my role as Writer for Pearlfisher London with a playfulness that I believe is at the heart of creativity. I’m thrilled to work alongside such a talented team who so artfully bring my words to life – after all, clever copy is nothing without daring design.
When I haven’t got my nose in a thesaurus, you can find me getting lost in London’s scruffy vintage shops, or getting my feet stuck to the floor of a venue whilst discovering my new favourite terrible band.


Matrix.org Comms Federation
In his week as guest curator Rob Pickering of ipcortex now has a post by Amandine Le Pape who discusses WebRTC federation.
I’ve held a view for a long time that the world would be a better place if there were a widely used standard for messaging federation, so that I could for example have one universal public chat address on my business card just like I have a phone number and e-mail address. I know quite a few folks disagree with this, and think that it is a “feature” rather than a bug that they have to use a myriad of apps each with their own private chat space and no interoperability, but I think this is a big usability headache.
Like most things, there is an Internet standard for messaging interop: XMPP, but it doesn’t have the wide adoption of other standards like SMTP for e-mail, or HTTP for the web. In fact it suffered a bit of a body blow when Google dropped support for messaging interop via XMPP from its front line messaging products a couple of years ago – I wrote about this at the time. Whilst XMPP is a well documented protocol, it is over complex with many extensions to do fairly basic operations. A new initiative has emerged from the folks at Matrix which aims to produce a de-facto standard protocol for messaging interoperability – I wish them well and suspect that this is probably our last chance to sort this out. Here is what Amandine Le Pape from Matrix has to say…
Take a look at your smartphone. Chances are, among the various icons on the screen, there are quite a few messaging apps and apps with a messaging capability. Whether text, chat, calling or via video, every week brings a new app to download. We use all these different applications daily – LinkedIn for colleagues, Facebook for family, WhatsApp for the sports club, Viber for some international contacts, Skype for video and that is without even touching messages sent from within other apps.
The only point where these apps and the profiles on them converge, is on your phone. We then have to juggle what app connects me to what person, or holds the information you need. Matrix.org is a new open source and non-profit project aiming to fix the problem of fragmented IP-communications between devices, people and services with a very pragmatic and novel approach. Matrix defines a persistent data layer for the Web, with open federation, strong cryptographic guarantees, eventual consistency and push semantics. Like the Web, Matrix can be used for many purposes, from Instant Messaging to IoT, via VoIP and WebRTC. With it the “missing link” of interoperable calling between WebRTC silos becomes interoperable and as simple as a single HTTP PUT to invite the callee, and a single HTTP PUT for them to answer. Meanwhile, OTT messaging apps can finally federate by synchronizing their conversations into Matrix; letting users own their history and select their preferred app and service.
As an open source project, any developer can use Matrix (it’s all on Github) to easily create and host their own feature-rich real-time communication apps that openly interoperate with one another, or add such features to an existing service whilst building on the Matrix community of users. Existing communication services can also easily join in and integrate with the Matrix ecosystem, extending their reach while participating in this collaborative effort to break down the walls between communication silos.
Matrix is an open project and will stay so because for Matrix to achieve its mission of making all communications services interoperable we believe it needs to be truly open; giving people access to take all the code we produce to use and build on top of it. We need the trust and support of those who want to use Matrix in their own applications and startups and want to see an end to all walled garden applications and closed silos.
We firmly believe in doing what is right for the consumer and the internet user. As people begin to use interoperable communications tools, service providers will have to compete on the quality of their service, security and features rather than relying on locking people into their walled garden. Can you imagine using a phone network that only allowed you to call people on the same network? We genuinely hope that one day, Facebook, Whatsapp, BBM etc will all integrate with Matrix voluntarily.
Once consumers realise they can choose to use their favourite app, from their trusted app provider, and still be able to communicate with friends using competing apps and services, they will likely demand integration and interoperability.
Matrix is here to help foster innovation throughout the Internet. We are making communications safer, more ubiquitous and innovative. Generic messaging and data synchronization across the web will never be quite the same again. The project may well provide the disruption needed to change how real-time data is shared on the Internet, and usher in a new age of services which by default collaborate rather than compete. There is no doubt that a revolution of sorts has begun and Matrix intends to fan the flames.
As a company or an individual, whether you believe that today’s communications are fragmenting and need to change or not, check out the Matrix.org website or follow us on Twitter @Matrixdotorg. We also recently launched our ‘Matrix Console’ app which is free to download from the Google Play or Apple App Store.
Amandine Le Pape is the Co-founder and Business lead for Matrix.org
Previous posts from the ipcortex WebRTC week:
Check out all WebRTC post on trefor.net here.


Former Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) is in full effect by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, but according to the 12 time UFC champion, it won’t be enough for him to step back inside the Octagon just yet.Welterweight Champion is thrilled that a ban on
During a media scrum, GSP revealed he wants to see a few more minor changes before his road back to the UFC. In addition to that, GSP also gives his thoughts on the upcoming fight between Johnny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler for the vacant welterweight belt at UFC 171 this weekend, Anderson Silva’s recovery, and his time away from the Zuffa-owned banner.
All that and so much more in theinterview right above. Check it out!


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Grantville Gazette 78 opens with "Goodbye" by Thomas K. Scot, about a journeyman setting out on his working travels.
"The Observer" by Bjorn Hasseler explains how the first down-time profiler got started.
Michael Lockwood's "The Freeman's Oath" is set in one of the North American colonies that passed to the control of France. Can a freeman swear allegiance?
"Cremonensis Faciebat 1632, or Body and Scroll: The Luthier's Tale" by Tim Sayeau is about a violin maker who hears about Grantville and has to check it out.
"The Visible Dogs of Grantville" by Jackie Britton Lopatin picks up from her earlier "The Invisible Dogs of Grantville" and addresses the dilemma of what happens when Mom cleans out the house.
In this issue's "Notes from The Buffer Zone: Conventions in the Sky," Kristine Kathryn Rusch remembers writers who have passed on.
A new column debuts: "Hot Off Eric Flint's Ring of Fire Press!" Here are the latest 1632 and non-1632 titles coming out.
In the Universe Annex, Mike Watson brings us "The Enigma of Charlie Peabody." Who is this man?


“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” – so said Samuel Johnson, on considering Boswell’s affection for the city. Not wishing to cross swords with the great man, i beg to differ – i find i tire of London’s gritty air and forced conviviality all too quickly, but perhaps that says more about me than about the city itself.
In a similar vein, i’ve heard much the same said about sl – that it’s impossible to tire of the virtual world and that to do so is probably a greater reflection of an individual’s character than – perish the thought – a product of sl. Again, i have to disagree: it is perfectly possible to be less than enamoured of the virtual landscape and to fall out of love, even if only temporarily, with the inworld experience, although to admit to such a crime is strictly anathema within the virtual community.
Even so, on my travels around the metaverse, i come across ever more frequent instances of blogs strewn with virtual cobwebs and apologetic posts adopting a now familiar mantra… ‘I’m suffering from writer’s block at the moment…’
Could it be the change in the seasons – has winter sapped our strength, leaving us with the dry husks of ideas, left over from autumn, as we long for the coming of long-overdue springtime, and the budding of fresh new inspiration to brighten our pages? Or perhaps these serious and sombre times which we now have to face – failing industries, struggling economies and the tightening of belts is also serving to tighten our lips and focus our minds on less frivolous activities?
Perhaps life is simply busier than it ever was before – with greater demands on our time, greater expectations to perform and ever-growing responsibilities to be fulfilled. When do we find the luxury of free time?
Well, it could be any, or all, of those things and many more besides, but heaven forbid that sl itself might be less than inspiring. Or is it? Well… almost certainly not, but we residents tend to get a bit stuck in our ways: we do the same old things, hang out with the same people, in the same familiar places and, just as the real world can become somewhat dull and predictable when we don’t make the effort to get out and about, so too can sl. Then there’s the the other side to sl that we all love to get into a tizzy about, but when it’s missing, things can become very quiet indeed. It’s been a while now since us bloggers have had a real scandal to get our teeth into, or debate to become embroiled in – sl, for the most part, is performing pretty well, nobody’s been fired, there have been relatively few scandals and dramas, in fact, when it comes to things to moan, whinge and gripe about, we’ve had pretty slim pickings for quite some time. Far from it being a case of ‘no news is good news’, it’s a case of ‘no news is… not news’.
All of which is my extremely roundabout way of saying that, for far too long now, i’ve had nothing much to say, and rather than spend another fruitless session staring at a screen and wondering what to write, i think it’s high time i gave myself a kick up the butt, stopped feeling sorry for myself and got back into the business of exploring sl, just for the hell of it!
So now, it’s on with the silly costumes, out with the comfortable and familiar, and off into the unknown… don’t wait up, i may be out all night!
I need something to believe in
Cos I don’t believe in myself
I’m sick and tired of getting nowhere
Guess it’ll all work out
Newton Faulkner – I Need Something


text: A rare bone disease is also called skeletal rare diseases. These bone diseases can make the bones easy to break. They are different kinds of bone problems which may make your bones weak and more likely to break. They are many diseases that involve bones they are genetic, that are inherited by a child from a parent . and they affect metabolism of the bones these diseases can appear at the time of birth or earlier.

domain: medical


text:
Dear Anatomy Colleagues
Warm greetings to all our anatomy friends and colleagues! We are very pleased to send you Issue 1, 2018 of PLEXUS, the newsletter of the IFAA (The International Federation of Associations of Anatomists). Thank you to all who contributed to this edition. We appreciate your participation.
If you do receive PLEXUS, kindly circulate this to fellow anatomists, members of your Societies, and colleagues and students in your departments.
I also take this opportunity to remind that the next issue of Plexus will be published in August 2018.
Contributions from Societies of Anatomy and Anatomical Sciences are most welcome. Plexus usually includes society contributions on:
· announcements of future Society conferences, meetings, symposia
· reviews of past Society conferences, meetings
· awards made by Societies
· news on initiatives by Societies
As always, articles showcasing research and teaching innovation, anatomy equipment and teaching aids, and anatomy collaboration are always welcome.
My apologies, if you are receiving this more than once.
Plexus is intended for staff and student of all member Societies of the IFAA
Should you receive a copy, please distribute as widely as possible to inform all members of the events and issues covered by the IFAA and its member Societies.
Editor: Professor Helen Nicholson
Professor of Anatomy
Te Kura Whaiora o Otago
University of Otago
PO Box 913
Dunedin, New Zealand
Co-editor: Dr Nalini Pather
School of Medical Science, Medicine
University of New South Wales
Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
Phone: +61-2 93858025
ANZACA council response to Real Bodies exhibit in Sydney May 1st 2018
The recent controversy regarding the display of dissected and plastinated human bodies in an exhibition in Sydney raises significant concerns regarding the donation and use of human material. In Australia, the use of human tissue for purposes of teaching and research is controlled by State, rather than Federal legislation. In New South Wales there are two Acts of parliament, the ‘Anatomy Act’ and the ‘Human Tissue Act’ both of which lie under the jurisdiction of the NSW Public Health Unit. However, both of these Acts are focussed on human tissue derived from Australia and so are not necessarily designed to deal with tissue brought in from overseas.
The Australian and New Zealand Association of Clinical Anatomists (ANZACA) covers a broad range of jurisdictions in which Human Tissue legislation and requirements vary. Our members regularly deal with human tissues for teaching and research, on the understanding that there is always a transparent and documented process of informed consent associated with cadaver donation. Whilst the wording may vary from one jurisdiction to another, typically a living person, often well before the time of their death, voluntarily completes a written informed consent form that allows their body to be used for anatomy teaching and research purposes. This would never allow display of human tissues or bodies for financial gain.
The primary concern of ANZACA relates to whether the people whose bodies are on display in this exhibit gave their voluntary and informed consent to this specific use of their body. We feel that it is incumbent on the organizers of the exhibit to ensure that such documentation can be provided for all the bodies that are currently on display.
Rod Green, PhD
A/Prof in Human Anatomy La Trobe University
President of ANZACA
On behalf of ANZACA Council
Ph: 03 5444 7282
Membership renewals are to be paid between 1st-31st July for the next financial year.
Please renew your subscription.
1. First log in (left menu), then
If you can't remember your username or password, the system can email you instructions


text:
Chief executive describes purchase as an ‘attractive investment opportunity’
PIB Group has added another notch on its acquisition belt by purchasing London-based real estate broker Arlington Insurance Services.
Arlington, which was established in 2005 and has 12 employees, focuses on providing broking services to professional property investors across the real estate market, with a particular specialism in commercial property assets.
The business also offers professional indemnity, directors’ and officers’ and some retail and commercial covers from its Bristol office.
For PIB Group, the acquisition aims to boost the broker’s existing property and construction insurance proposition.
Brendan McManus, PIB Group’s chief executive, said: “I’d like to extend a warm welcome to everyone at Arlington Insurance Services to PIB Group. As an experienced team of property insurance broking professionals who have consistently grown their business, they are an attractive investment opportunity for PIB.
“Their excellent client care is reflected through their loyal customer base and strong relationships with a broad range of insurers. I look forward to seeing the team reach their considerable potential through PIB’s investment.”
Nick Watts, managing director for Arlington Insurance Services, added: “We’re delighted that Arlington Insurance Services has been acquired by PIB Group, which marks an exciting milestone in our 15-year history.
“With the backing of PIB, we can develop the full potential and profile of the business while continuing our client-centric approach and excellent relationships with many leading real estate insurers.
“We also look forward to enjoying the benefits that come with being part of a wider group, including enhanced career prospects and collaborating with new colleagues to achieve the best client outcomes.”

domain: finance


text:
Nia and her sister Lia came to us at the Center two years ago as tiny kittens who had lost their mother. We nursed them with baby bottles and they grew but unfortunately Lia did not survive. Nia has a strong constitution and immune system and came through her difficult beginnings with only a minor, but chronic, problem with stomatitis so that she needs treatment occasionally. Nia is a happy cat with a charismatic personality and she loves to be with her humans. She is spayed and fully vaccinated as are all of our cats at the center.
By virtually adopting an animal with a monthly donation, you will provide food, shelter, medications, toys, blankets and care.
We'll e-mail you regularly their pictures and their story, accompanied by our great appreciation for you irreplaceable support .
Become an AZI Guardian today! Offer your ongoing support.
Or contact us to learn more about virtual adoptions.

domain: pet


It is rare when U.S. presidential candidates talk about Latin America during the campaign. Usually a mention or two about Cuba and an obligatory salute to democratic regimes in the hemisphere are all the candidates believe is required of them.
This time we have been lucky, and know a little bit more, though not enough.
We know both Democratic candidates, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, say they would like to renegotiate the North America Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada, although top supporters in both camps have told officials in Canada this is only campaign talk. They also oppose new free trade agreements, particularly the one pending with Colombia.
We know that the two Democratic candidates and Republican John McCain speak of securing the border with Mexico before considering any comprehensive immigration reform.
And of course, we have heard all three candidates criticize the Cuban government, while Obama says he would talk to its leader without any preconditions.
There is much more to discuss. Letting the candidates get away with a few cursory comments about politics in the region is unacceptable. Latin America is too close, and its problems too serious to be dismissed so lightly.
A serious debate on U.S. relations with nations in the region is necessary.
Candidates should be asked how they would deal with the new wave of radical populist regimes holding sway in several Latin American countries. What would a new U.S. president say about Venezuelan President Hugo ChM-avez and his attempt to create an anti-imperialistic block of nations in the hemisphere? Would the new president maintain a critical view of ChM-avez or would he/she attempt to constructively engage Venezuela to curb its ambitions in the region?
Would he/she watch from afar and do nothing as ChM-avez uses his vast oil resources to consolidate and perpetuate the regimes of Evo Morales in Bolivia, Rafael Correa in Ecuador and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua? Would a new U.S. president watch passively as Venezuela tries to influence the political process in Peru?
So far, ChM-avez has been full of sound and fury, but has not followed through with a proactive agenda to create the anti-U.S. coalition he so desperately wants. A new president should be aware of the difference between what Fidel Castro tried doing in Latin America during his early years in power and what ChM-avez is attempting to carry out now.
Castro had an ideology and a charismatic personality but lacked the money. Cuba fought in Africa, where the Soviet Union needed a surrogate force. That was the price Cuba paid for the aid the Soviet Union provided the island nation. ChM-avez can pick where he wants to fight. He has the money.
It would also be interesting to know if a new administration would continue to provide financial support and training to Colombia's military to help control the alliance of drug dealers and left-wing guerrillas who for decades have sown chaos in Colombia. Plan Colombia has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance and helped the government of President Alvaro Uribe restore peace in much of the country.
If given an opportunity, I would ask the presidential candidates if they would still consider Colombia's Revolutionary Armed Forces a terrorist organization, as Europe and the United States say now, or would they decide that the FARC is a legitimate force that deserves international recognition?
What would a new U.S. president do to strengthen relations with other nations in the hemisphere, with socialist democratic presidents? Would they try to improve relations with countries such as Brazil, Chile and Argentina, or would they let these nations drift to a natural alliance with the more radical ideas predicated by ChM-avez?
The person elected in November should also pay special attention to Mexico, one of our most important trading partners, and a vital component of any new Latin American policy for the new administration.
We cannot forget that early in his administration, President George W. Bush said relations with Mexico would have top priority. Sept. 11, 2001, changed all that.
Mexicans still resent that Bush never returned to that principle. It would be interesting to ask the presidential candidates what they would do to improve relations with Mexico. The two countries share a common border where problems with drug trafficking, the use of water and illegal immigration abound.
If elected, what would the new president do to improve relations with Mexico?
Guillermo I. MartM-mnez is a journalist living in South Florida. He may be reached at email@example.com.


The Smart Way To Do Gates
InteleGates® is a Southern California-based gate company specializing in a broad range of residential & commercial services that include the following:
- Electric Gate Repairs
- Gate Maintenance
- Gate Automation
- Telephone Entry Systems
- Intercom Keypads
- Vehicle and Human Sensor Installs
- Access Controls
- Phone Application Gate Opener Installation and Repair
InteleGates® offers same-day service and provides repair and installation of gates and gate automation for the following brands:
InteleGates®, a family-owned and operated business, will provide a diagnostic plan for your gate.
What We Do
No matter what kind of gate service you need, we have you covered. Contact us if you need help with any of these services:
- Gate repair – As electric driveway gate repair experts, we have all the parts, tools, and expertise needed to get everything back to good working condition. From fixing gate openers to repairing damaged wrought iron, we’ll get the job done at an affordable price.
- Gate automation – Automatic gates are available in a broad range of types, from wood to iron, and can significantly enhance the security of your commercial or residential property. Call our electric gate specialists for more info.
- Maintenance & preventative care – A lot of electric gate repairs can be avoided with a little preventative maintenance. We can take a look at your gates and your access control systems to catch any issues in the early stages and ensure safety.
Over 20 Years’ Experience with Gate Repair Services in Los Angeles!
Our experienced technicians will perform all necessary tests to locate the cause of the problem and report the findings to you along with suggested solutions. We charge a minimal fee that includes the trip cost plus a full diagnosis. If you’re in the need of diagnostic service for your gate, don’t chance it with sub-contractors or non-professionals. Know who you’re hiring and have the confidence in our ability to do a proper diagnostic in order to eliminate unnecessary costs due to inaccurate findings. If your gate does need replacement, we will credit the diagnostic fee towards any new purchase and installation.
If your existing manual gate slides or swings, ask InteleGates® about the advantages of gate automation. Imagine being able to open your gate with a push of a button or sensor!
Contact Us Today
Don’t wait to fix or automate your existing gate. Call us for an on-site diagnosis and estimate at (833) 468-4283 today. Our gate repair and installation experts serve commercial and residential customers throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties


text:
Health officials in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo have detected cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Global Polio Eradication Initiative say.
The WHO said the Burundian government had declared the detection of the virus a public health emergency after cases were confirmed in an unvaccinated four-year-old boy in Isale district in western Burundi and two other children who were his contacts.
Five other samples from environmental surveillance of waste water confirmed the presence of circulating poliovirus type 2 in Burundi, the WHO added in a statement.
Circulating poliovirus type 2 is different to wild poliovirus, with infections occurring when a weakened strain of poliovirus contained in the oral polio vaccine circulates among under-immunised populations for long periods. (QNA)
Source: Qatar News Agency

domain: news


Safe Agua Water System
Exhibition: Cities | October 11, 2011 by oldadmin
For residents of Chile’s campamentos (informal communities), running water is a luxury few can afford. Instead, families, and particularly women, expend tremendous energy, effort, and time carrying large containers of water to complete daily tasks—washing dishes and laundry, cooking, and cleaning. To resolve this, a team of faculty and students from the Designmatters program at Art Center College of Design collaborated with the Chilean NGO Un Techo para Mi País and local community members to develop a gravity-fed water system called Gota a Gota (“drop by drop”). Water collected in an elevated storage tank flows down a hose to indoor and outdoor faucets that have flexible nozzles and on/off handles. But to get water up to the elevated storage tank, the team included a foot pump, easy enough for women, children, and the elderly to operate, that moves water from a ground-level tank.
To conserve water and provide a dedicated kitchen workstation, another team developed the Relava sink for use at the indoor faucet, allowing women to wash dishes with more efficiency and dignity. It repurposes two affordable 16-liter plastic tubs as wash and rinse basins, held by a collapsible wire frame that hangs from the wall. For those in the campamentos, these solutions help relieve the burden of living without running water and improve their quality of life.
Penny Herscovitch, Dan Gottlieb, and Liliana Becerra, Designmatters, Art Center College of Design; Gota a Gota designers: Stella Hernandez, Nubia Mercado, and Diane Jie Wei. Relava designers: K. C. Cho, Jacqueline Black. Collaborators: Un Techo para Mi País Social Innovation Center, Campamento San José community. Santiago, Chile (prototype Pasadena, CA), 2008–present. Gota a Gota: plastic barrel, wood frame, hose, injection-molded plastic faucets, ABS plastic faucets, bicycle parts; Relava: powder-coated wire frame, plastic tubs, drain connector


text:
Guess who is on the photo - The answer is below
The Hermitage is the cultural heart of St. Petersburg. This is the largest museum in Russia which is known worldwide. It contains about three million works of art: statues, paintings, works of decorative art, coins, archaeological artefacts, and much more.
The Hermitage contains the collections of historical and cultural monuments of the world: ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, Byzantium, ancient Rome, ancient Greece, the Middle and the Far East, Western Europe.
A visit to the Hermitage will be one of the most memorable events of your trip.
Museum working hours:
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday: 10:30 am - 6 pm
Wednesday, Friday: 10:30 am - 9 pm
* Answer to the picture: Young Christopher Columbus on the pier!
- We may start with Impressionists, old Masters or visit The Winter Palace and then proceed to the Galleries
- Among the old masters, we can find two works of Leonardo, two by Rafael, one by Michaelangelo; the largest collection in the world of Rembrandt and a lot more.
- Among the Impressionists: Monet, Renoir, Sisley, Pissarro are represented as well as many other artists of the same epoque as Gauguin, van Gogh, Cezanne, Picasso and others.
My art history background will be of great help for the explanations.
* We will adjust the itinerary based on your interests.
Meeting Point + Tour Duration
Meeting Point Options: Rail or Bus Station, Hotel, Address or Intersection, Monument/Building
End Point Options: Rail or Bus Station, Hotel, Address or Intersection, Monument/Building
Duration: 4 hours
It can be flexible.
Estimated Local Cash Needed
1000 RUB - For a snack or a drink.
Credit cards are accepted as well.
I can arrange for a separate car and driver. Usually Mercedes van, comfortable and air conditioned
A Recent Review of this tour
Read More Reviews For This Tour
Anna is a true art lover & teacher. Guided our group of 4 cruisers through Staff Bldg & Hermitage. In a short time, she gave a course in Impressionism - offering insights into lives of artists, forms & subjects, relations to social & art developments. On short notice, Anna got wheelchair access with staff. Expertly navigated way to key works through Hermitage, contextualizing many pieces with ease. Equally at adept at Russian & art history, life of the Palace & Museum collection. DELIGHTFUL.


text:
Zenith Plastics Industries Limited V. Samotech Limited (2018)
LAWGLOBAL HUB Lead Judgment Report
KUDIRAT MOTONMORI OLATOKUNBO KEKERE-EKUN, J.S.C.
The respondent herein, as plaintiff before the High Court of Rivers State sitting at Port Harcourt, instituted an action against the appellant, as defendant where, by paragraph 30 of its statement of claim dated 30/12/1996 filed on 6/1/1997, it sought the following reliefs:
“a) N502,400.00 being balance outstanding against the defendant in respect of electrical work carried out on its behalf by the plaintiff in September 1995 and July 1996.
b) N1.9 million being damages and losses plaintiff suffered by reason of the defendant’s failure to pay the contract price as and when due.
c) N20 million general damages for breach of contract and libel of the plaintiff by the defendant.
d) 25% interest per annum on the total sum of N22,402,400.00 from December 1996 until judgment is delivered in the matter and thereafter 25% interest per annum thereon until full payment thereof is made.”
Pleadings were filed and exchanged and evidence led by the parties in respect of their positions. At the conclusion of the trial the Court found in favour of
the plaintiff and awarded reliefs (a) and (b) as claimed. It also awarded N10 million as general damages for breach of contract and libel. The defendant/appellant was dissatisfied with the judgment and appealed to the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division.
The facts that gave rise to the suit were ably summarised by the Court below at pages 214-216 of the record, I adopt the summary of facts hereunder as follows:
“The plaintiff and the defendant entered into a contract for the plaintiff to construct an 11 KVA electric power line. The cost of the contract was N1,405,500 (one million, four hundred and five thousand five hundred naira).
The plaintiff completed the construction of the 11 KVA electric power line in September 1995 and demanded payment. The defendant did not pay the debt.
In July 1996, the defendant and its neighbour, Belhope Plastics Ltd. gave the plaintiff a contract jointly. The contract sum was N193,000 (one hundred and ninety three thousand naira). On completion of the contract Belhope Plastics Ltd paid its own share of N96,500, while the defendant did not pay its own share of N96,500 despite demands for payment by the
The defendants indebtedness to the plaintiff stood at N1,502,400 (one million five hundred and two thousand four hundred naira) made up of N1,405,500 on the 11 KVA contract and N96,500 on the contract shared with Belhope Plastics Ltd. Union Bank Plc (the plaintiff Bankers) stopped all credit facilities to the plaintiff, and this affected the execution of plaintiffs SHELL contract which SHELL terminated and which the plaintiff says caused him a loss of N1.9m.
Due to mounting pressure on the plaintiff from its Bankers Union Bank Plc to pay up the loans advanced to it to perform the contracts, the plaintiff authorized the defendant to pay its debt directly to Union Bank Plc. The authorization was an irrevocable authority. See Exhibit B. On receipt of Exhibit B, Union Bank Plc wrote to the defendant to make confidential inquiry about the plaintiff and to confirm the authenticity of Exhibit B. The defendant replied Union Bank Plc.
See Exhibit C. It reads in part.
“… we wish to emphasize that this company has no business relationship whatsoever with SAMOTECH LTD.
Therefore SAMOTECH LTD. irrevocable authority letter dated
19/7/96 should be regarded null and void. We dissociate ourselves from any transaction/s that may exist between your bank and SAMOTECH LTD.”
After exhibit C the defendant paid the plaintiff N1 million. This payment left outstanding balance of N502,500.
After due trial on the plaintiffs statement of claim, the defendants further amended statement of defence, and the reply to statement of defence, the learned trial Judge E.N.T. Ebette J handed down his judgment on 25/3/04 in favour of the plaintiff against the defendant.
The concluding part of the judgment reads:
“…In the event, it is the view of the Court that the plaintiff has proved that the defendant owes it the sum of N502,000 being the outstanding balance unpaid for the contracts it awarded to the plaintiff and the sum of N1.9 million being the amount sustained as a loss for the termination of the contract awarded to it as shown in Exhibit C. The plaintiff is also entitled to the sum of N10,000,000 (ten million naira) as general damages for the breach of contract and Libel of the plaintiff by the defendant.”
In a considered judgment delivered on 12/7/2007 the Court, in dismissing the
appeal, held thus at pages 242-243 of the record:
“I agree with the learned trial judge bearing in mind the circumstances in which Exhibit C was written, any reasonable man would view the respondent with disgust, deceitful, untrustworthy, a trickster, dishonest. The banker customer relationship was seriously disrupted. The respondent’s business nosedived. The Bank did not want to have any relationship with the respondent after it received Exhibit C, except to collect and quickly too, all the money advanced to the respondent. Exhibit C is clearly defamatory of the respondent. For the avoidance of doubt the respondent is entitled to the following:
- N502,400.00 (Five Hundred and Two Thousand, Four Hundred Naira)
- N10,000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira).
The appeal fails and it is accordingly dismissed. There shall be no order on costs.”
The appellant, still aggrieved, further appealed to this Court vide a notice of appeal dated and filed on 13/7/2007 containing two grounds of appeal. The appellant realising that the grounds of appeal were not grounds of law alone, discarded the original notice of appeal and filed an application for the
trinity prayers i.e. extension of time to seek leave to appeal, leave to appeal and extension of time to appeal against the judgment of the Lower Court. The application was granted on 11/6/2008 and the appellant was given 60 days within which to file its notice of appeal. The said notice of appeal containing three grounds of appeal was filed on 01/10/2008 and can be found at pages 251- 254 of the supplementary record.
The parties duly filed and exchanged their respective briefs as required by the Rules of this Court. At the hearing of the appeal on 9/1/2018, C.A. Adolor Esq. adopted and relied on the appellant’s brief filed on 12/8/2008 in urging the Court to allow the appeal. E.C.N. Igbokwe Esq. adopted and relied on the respondent’s brief deemed filed on 28/4/2010 in urging the Court to dismiss the appeal,
At page 9 of its brief, the appellant formulated 3 issues for determination which are reproduced hereunder:
“1. Whether from the circumstances of this case the learned Justices of the Court of Appeal afforded the appellant fair hearing when they held that “the learned counsel for the appellant did not file a Reply Brief to enable him respond
to the submissions contained in the Respondent’s brief.” (Ground 1)
- Whether it was not wrong for the learned Justices of the Court of Appeal to have held that the award of damages for libel was not improper whereas the complaint of the appellant in the Court of Appeal is that it was wrong for the learned trial judge to award general damages of N10 million for both breach of contract and libel without categorizing the award for each cause of action. (Ground 2)
- Whether it was not wrong for the learned Justices of the Court of Appeal to have relied on the evidence of PW2 to hold that Exhibit C was published and therefore defamatory.”(Ground 3)
Learned counsel for the respondent adopted the three issues.
In support of this issue, learned counsel for the appellant submitted that in the course of its judgment, the Lower Court held that it failed to file a Reply brief in reaction to the preliminary objection raised in the respondent’s brief. He submitted that contrary to the Court’s observation, it filed its Reply brief, though out of time, with leave of the Lower Court granted on 14/2/2007. The said brief was deemed duly filed
and served on that date. He referred to the Reply Brief at pages 204-209 of the record and the order of the Lower Court extending the time to file the process at page 210 of the record. He submitted that the appellant pointedly addressed the issues raised in the respondent’s brief, particularly as it relates to the lump sum of N10 million awarded by the trial Court as general damages for both breach of contract and libel and the failure of the plaintiff to prove the allegation of defamation.
He submitted that the failure of the Lower Court to consider its Reply brief amounts to a denial of its constitutional right to fair hearing as enshrined in Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He also referred to Olagunyi Vs Oyeniran (1996) 6 NWLR (Pt.453) 127 @ 146 B C; Mohammed v. Olawunmi (1990) 2 NWLR (Pt.133) 458 @ 485 B-C; Ejeka Vs The State (2003) 7 NWLR (Pt.819) 408 @ 421 C-E. He contended that had the Lower Court considered the submissions in the Reply Brief, it would have reached a different conclusion. He submitted that the effect of the breach of the appellant’s right to fair hearing is that it vitiates the
proceedings and renders them null and void. He referred to: Military Governor Imo State Vs Nwauwa (1997) 2 NWLR (Pt.490) 675 @ 708 H; Olagunyi Vs Oyeniran (supra) and urged the Court to set aside the judgment of the Lower Court.
Learned counsel for the respondent prefaced his submissions in response with this concession at paragraph 4.1 of his brief:
I concede that the appellant filed a reply brief and that the Court of Appeal inadvertently did not refer to the Reply brief.”
He however submitted, that notwithstanding this omission, the Lower Court afforded the appellant “full, adequate and complete fair hearing” and that the appellant’s complaint is thus untenable. He submitted that the authority of Mohammed Vs Olawunmi (supra) is not applicable to the circumstances of this case, as in that case, the application in question was granted without a hearing. He submitted that the other authorities relied upon by the appellant do not support its case. He relied on Ejeka Vs The State (supra) cited by learned counsel to the effect that it is not every mistake or error in a judgment that would result in an appeal against it being allowed.
He argued that the omission of the Lower Court to refer to the appellant’s brief is an unsubstantial error, which has not occasioned a miscarriage of justice. He referred to the observation of the Court that “not filing a Reply Brief or responding to the above submissions is in no way fatal” as an indication that the absence of the appellant’s Reply Brief did not affect the finding and decision of the Court.
He submitted that the purpose of a Reply Brief is to respond to any new points arising from the respondent’s brief and not an opportunity for the appellant to take a second bite at the cherry or to add more flesh to his earlier submissions. He contended that the only new issue raised in the respondent’s brief was in relation to the competence of the grounds of appeal, which was resolved in the appellant’s favour. He noted that the only ground of appeal struck out by the Court was Ground 3 because no issue was distilled from it. He argued that other submissions in the Reply Brief which related to the issue of accord and satisfaction were fully argued in the appellant’s main brief and that the said issues were duly considered and resolved against the
appellant under Issue 2 in the judgment. He submitted that the issue of libel was also considered and resolved at pages 235-242 of the record.
He reiterated his contention that the appellant did not suffer any injustice by the omission of the Lower Court to consider the Reply Brief. He submitted, relying on Oje Vs Babalola (1991) 4 NWLR (Pt.185) 282 C, that this Court will only interfere with the judgment of the Court below if the error or omission is so substantial as to occasion a miscarriage of justice.
Section 36 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended provides:
“36(1) In the determination of his civil rights and obligations, including any question or determination by or against any government or authority, a person shall be entitled to a fair hearing within a reasonable time by a Court or other tribunal established by law and constituted in such manner as to secure its independence and impartiality.
What is fair hearing In Duke Vs Govt. of Cross River State & Ors (2013) 8 NWLR (Pt.1356) 347 @ 366 C it was held by this Court as follows:
‘The term ‘fair hearing’ within the con of Section 36 (1) of the 1999
Constitution, is that a trial ought to be conducted in accordance with all the legal norms designed to ensure that justice is done at all cost to all parties. The principle of fair hearing is that both sides must be given an opportunity to present their respective cases. It implies that each side has the right to know what case is being made against it and given ample opportunity to react or respond thereto.”
(Underlining mine) In Mohammed Vs Olawunmi & Ors (1990) 2 NWLR (Pt.133) 458 @ 485 B-C it was held per Nnaemaka-Agu, JSC, “The right to fair hearing entrenched in Section 33 (1) of the 1979 Constitution entails not only hearing a party on any issue which could be resolved to his prejudice, but also ensuring that the hearing is fair and in accordance with the twin pillars of justice, namely audi alteram partem and nemo judex in causa sua.” Further, in Pam & Anor. Vs Mohammed (2008) 16 NWLR (Pt.1112) 1 @ 48 E-F His Lordship, Oguntade, JSC stated thus: “The question of fair hearing is not just an issue of dogma. Whether or not a party has been denied of his right to fair hearing is to be judged by the nature and circumstances
surrounding a particular case; the crucial determinant is the necessity to afford the parties equal opportunity to put their case before the Court before the Court gives its judgment.”
See also: Denloye Vs Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (1968) LPELR- 25526 (SC); (1968) 5 NSCC 260. It is thus clear from the authorities referred to above that the principle of fair hearing is fundamental and must be observed in the conduct of any judicial or quasi judicial proceedings, The requirement that a party must be given ample opportunity to present his case means that the Court has an obligation to consider all the material placed before it by all parties before reaching a final decision.
The effect of failure to observe the principle of fair hearing is that the proceedings are null and void, no matter how well conducted. His Lordship, Tobi, JSC had this to say in Orugbo & Anor. Vs Una & Ors. (2002) 16 NWLR (Pt.792) 175 @ 199 A-D:
“The fair hearing principle entrenched in the Constitution is so fundamental in the judicial process or the administration of justice that breach of it will vitiate or nullify the whole
proceedings, and a party cannot be heard to say that the proceedings were properly conducted and should be saved because of such proper conduction.
Once an appellate Court comes to the conclusion that there is a breach of the principle of fair hearing, the proceedings cannot be salvaged as they are null and void ab initio. After all, fair hearing lies in the procedure followed in the case, not in the correctness of the decision.
Accordingly, where a Court arrives at a correct decision in breach of the principle of fair hearing, an appellate Court will throw out the correct decision in favour of the breach of fair hearing, See generally:
Ceekay Traders Ltd. Vs General Motors Co. Ltd. (1992) 2 NWLR (Pt.222) 132; University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Management Board Vs Nnoli (1994) 8 NWLR (Pt.363) 376.”
See also: Kotoye v. CBN (1989) 1 NWLR (Pt.98) 419 @ 488 C D; Wagbatsoma v. FRN (unreported) SC.517/2015 delivered on 9/2/2018; Oyeyemi v. Owoeye (2017) LPELR 41903 (SC) @ 56 B E.
I shall now apply the above principles to the facts of this case. For the hearing of the appeal,
the processes before the Lower Court were (1) the appellant’s brief filed on 24/8/2005 at pages 154-176 of the record; (2) the respondent’s brief filed on 2/12/2005 at pages 181-199 of the record and (3) the appellant’s Reply Brief dated 15/2/2006 at pages 204-209 of the record which was deemed filed on 14/2/2007 pursuant to an order of the Lower Court of same date.
Therefore, in determining the appeal and for all the parties to have equal opportunity of being heard, all the processes had to be considered. Now, in the course of the judgment, the Court below noted at page 218 of the record that learned counsel for the respondent had argued that the Notice and Grounds of Appeal and the additional ground of appeal were in breach of Order 3 Rule 2 (3) of the Court of Appeal Rules and that there was unnecessary repetition in some of the grounds. The learned Justice who wrote the lead judgment proceeded at page 219 of the record to state as follows:
“Learned counsel for the appellant did not file a Reply to enable him respond to the above submissions. Not filing a Reply brief or responding to the above submissions is in no way fatal. This is so because the
court has the power suo motu to strike out incompetent grounds of appeal. See: Order 3 Rule 2(2),(3) and (4) of the Court of Appeal Rules.
If indeed the appellant failed to file a Reply brief, the above position taken by the Court would have been in order. However, where the Court states that the appellant did not file a Reply brief when the process was properly before it, it creates a different scenario altogether. It is a clear admission that the appellant’s case was not considered in its entirety. This fact was admitted by learned counsel for the respondent in paragraph 4.1 of his brief. Since the Court erroneously held that the appellant did not file a Reply brief, there was no opportunity for it to consider whether the Reply brief met the requirements of a Reply brief. It is not for learned counsel for the respondent to contend before us that the only new issue raised in the respondent’s brief had been addressed in the main brief or that the Reply brief was a re-hash of arguments in the main brief.
Learned counsel for the appellant contends that apart from addressing the objection raised by the respondent, the Reply Brief also contained
submissions on other aspects of the appeal relevant to its case. Order 6 Rule 5 of the Court of Appeal Rules 2002 permits an appellant to file a Reply Brief, if necessary. Having exercised its right under the Rules, by filing a Reply Brief, the Lower Court had a duty to consider it and make necessary findings in respect of the arguments proffered therein. The Court could only reach a determination as to the competence of the Reply brief or the materiality of the submissions of learned counsel after giving it due consideration. Having held that the appellant failed to file a Reply Brief, when it had in fact filed one, means that the entirety of its case was not considered by the Court before it reached its decision. It may well be that if the Court had considered the Reply brief it could have found that it did not provide any material assistance to the Court in resolving the issues before it. However, it would have come to that conclusion fully seised of all the relevant material submitted by the parties.
The argument of learned counsel for the respondent to the effect that there has been no miscarriage of justice in this case and that the Lower Court’s
omission is not fatal, is misconceived. A similar submission was made in Kotoye vs C.B.N. (supra). The Court held that it was not necessary to consider whether or not the order made in that case was more beneficial to the appellants or the respondents. It held that once it is established that a party entitled to be heard was not heard, a breach of the principles of fair hearing is established. It concludes the matter and the proceedings are vitiated.
I am satisfied that there was a breach of the appellants right to fair hearing by the Lower Court when it failed to consider its Reply Brief. This issue is accordingly resolved in the appellant’s favour.
The net effect of the resolution of this issue in the appellant’s favour is that the entire proceedings before the Lower Court are vitiated. They are rendered null and void. In the circumstances, the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division in CA/PH/191/2004 delivered on 12/7/2007 is hereby set aside. It is ordered that the appeal be remitted to the President of the Court of Appeal for re-assignment to a different panel of that Court for expeditious hearing and determination.<br< p=””
The parties shall bear their respective costs in the appeal.


Washington (CNN) - Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California has chosen to face a House ethics trial rather than accept a finding of wrongdoing by the House ethics committee, according to a source familiar with the process.
The ethics committee has been looking into whether Waters violated any House rules when she helped arrange a meeting in September 2008 between a bank she and her husband had ties to financially and Treasury Department officials.
The bank was seeking federal assistance. Waters is a senior member of the House Financial Services committee.
Waters met with the House ethics committee Wednesday evening, but she declined to comment to CNN when she left the meeting.
If Waters' trial goes forward, she would be undergoing the same sort of procedure begun just this week for another prominent House Democrat, Rep. Charles Rangel of New York.
Earlier: House investigators back reprimand for Rangel
She gets an ethics trial for arranging a meeting and Cheney gets off with nothing for arranging untold billions of no-bid contracts to Halliburton?
Another corrupt career politician. Throw her out along with Rangel!
We need new blood in Congress!
I don't care if the Dems are shady are not, so long as they are for gays and abortion I am going to keep voting for them!!! Boo-yah!!!
This capitalist would be all about sending you to jail, Congresswoman Waters.
Sigh. When will these politicians ever learn? Like it or not, they are held to a higher standard. Oh, and for the Republicans who may be judging Ms. Waters, don't get too far upon that high horse. After all, it's just a matter of time until another Rethug screws up too.
Jefferson, Rangel, Waters......Hmmmmmmm – what do they have in common???? That's right they are all members of the same....................party
Let's see Pelosi and company have been covering for Rangel for two years now and so far he's still in congress which means this woman has two more years before things heat up if Pelosi has her way. If they both had been conservative or republicans they wouldn't be in congress now. And the libs talk about the scandels from the republican side. LOL
We all know the Democrats are ethically challenged. I guess the only thing you can say is so are the Republicans and at least the Democrats aren't hypocritical about it. Both partys suck.
We all know the Democrats are ethically challenged. I guess the only thing you can say is so are the Republicans and at least the Democrats aren't hypocritical about it. Both partys stink.
I know what she is going to say ,"the cia did it ,not me "!
From now on my attitude will be to QUESTION AUTHORITY!!!!!!!!! I'm sick and tired of the corruption infesting our government at ALL levels State and Federal!! This November "we the people" need to go into extermination mode and use our votes as a weapon to get rid of ALL of these sleazy, self serving, elitist, a-holes once and for all.......This is bulls**t!!!!!!!!!
What has happened to CNN? Slackers. It's dinnertime and there's no metion of their favorite covergirl, Sarah Palin? Oh no, they "refudiated" her Shakespearean eloquence for a whole 24 hour new cyele? Impossible!!!
Yes we can!
who is gonna hold accountable both the GOP and their Wall Street pals for creating our current recession? When are we gonna have them take responsibility for the loss of thousands of homes and millions jobs accross America? When are we gonna have them pay for the undending and unjustified war in Irak which has increased our deficit while thousands of our young men and women have died?
If we have to choose, it would be shameful if we throw ourselves under the bus by giving our economy back to those who almost destroyed it in the first place. All politicians are common human beings like any of us.
But if we compare the results brought about by the GOP's administration and their failed policies, we know that at least the Dems work to improve the lives of America's Main Street.
Another politician in ethics trouble. Big shock there!
When you don't punished these people for their misdeeds then more of them will try to do the same things.A lot of these people are no better than Bernie Madoff except that they have the walls of Congress to protect themselves from jail.
The republican-led attack on all minorities in government continue.
A particularly odious practitioner of racial identity politics. And hideous, to boot.
"I know I look good."
Maybe Obama can fix it for her too, like he is doing for the crook Rangel.
Dems are gonna pay for this nonsense in November.
WOW,here we go again,another smear champaign. Who cares but the religious up bible carrying republicans. Well I will supporting her all the way to the ethnic trail. Go now. i am not surprised the CNN will push this story until more smut comes along,well, what should I expect.
It's fine to have these investigations, but when do we start with Bush, Jr., Cheney, Wolfewitz, Rumsfeld, etc. who orchestrated a phony war to grab the Iraqi oil reserves?
I know 4,000+ families have plenty of questions regarding same..........
will the naacp get involved
She's just another entitled politician who thinks she's above the law.
Here we go again why is all of this coming out now about the Democrats every time there is some progress in the Obama legislation then someone leaks distractions. First this week it was Rangel and now Waters (people of color) what about John Ensign nothing is more appalling than that. Let's be fair the GOP tatics is to try to do anything to distract and bring President Obama down.
They need to try and help fix the woes of this country and do the job that we sent them to do instead of trying to tear down the country.
Weiner was exactly right going ballistic this is the way we all feel stop the nonsense and digging up info to distract.
Congresswoman Waters used her position to benefit her and her husband's financial fortunes. She is not a newbie to the game. She knew what she was doing was illlegal. She should be removed from Congress.


text:
Nanaimo’s trail system is great, but what does the city have planned for expansion?
The City of Nanaimo parks department is not about to rest on its laurels when it comes to trails.
With more than 130 kilometres of trails within its boundaries, the city has a system that is key to both recreation and transportation.
Whether it’s hiking the routes around Jack Point or Westwood Lake parks, or biking to work along the Parkway or E&N trails, residents and visitors have a host of options available to them.
And if Jeff Ritchie, senior manager of parks, gets his wish, there will be more kilometres added.
“We’re pretty proud of what we’ve got, but there’s always something on the horizon,” he said. “We want to have as many multi-use trails and as many people on them as possible.”
The latest plan is for a second section of the E&N Trail in the city’s south end.
“We have council approval to go for a grant looking at the E&N from Albert to Seventh Street,” said Ritchie. “You see a lot of people walking along the railway tracks and we’d like to duplicate what we’ve done in the north.”
That concept starts with completion of a trail between Franklyn to Fitzwilliam streets behind the E&N Train Station this summer.
“It’s not very long, but it’s a start to connecting to the south,” said Ritchie. “We’ve got some concepts and we’ll see how the grant application goes. If we’re successful, that would be great.”
With work on Bowen Road getting closer to completion, the perimeter trail at Bowen West Field is scheduled for paving, relinking the trail system from Maffeo Sutton Park, through Barsby and Bowen parks, to Buttertubs Marsh, the university district and onto the Nanaimo Parkway.
Other concepts on the wish list include work at Harewood Centennial Park at Howard Avenue between Sixth and Seventh streets.
“It’s a fairly large park with soccer fields, ball fields, a playground, and we’re looking to put a trail system through it,” said Ritchie.
The idea of a trail network through downtown, along the waterfront, skirting Departure Bay, around to Neck Point Park, Walley Creek and out to the north end is still in the city’s strategic plan, but remains well into the future.
“We’re always looking at opportunities to link trails, and from a parks person’s perspective that would be awesome. But there are a lot of issues with that,” said Ritchie. “For now, priority is the south. That’s the best bang for the buck.”


text:
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — State health officials say two dead bats that were dropped off at a veterinary clinic Thursday tested positive for rabies.
The bats were brought to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Clinic in St. Paul for testing by an unidentified woman. The Minnesota Department of Health is now urging the woman or anyone else who may have been exposed to the rabid bats to call them for a health assessment. Rabies prevention shots may be required.
“If someone has been bitten or exposed to a bat, it is very important to test the bat for rabies,” state public health veterinarian Dr. Joni Scheftel said. “If this is not possible, then rabies prevention shots should be given as soon as possible.”
For more information, visit the MDH’s website.


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THE WORD “sustainability” rolls off the tongue. Like “natural” on cereal boxes. Or “green” on just about everything new. But what does sustainability mean for you? How can you prove if something is sustainable or not? Today’s post shows what sustainability looks like. Sometimes it even wears concrete.
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina is a bustling resort and residential community on the Atlantic Coast. Second only in size to Long Island, N.Y., it has a colorful history and a rich ecosystem with vast salt marshes, maritime forests, old growth wetlands, and plentiful wildlife. It has about 34,000 full-time residents and 2.5 million tourists per year. And it has TRAFFIC.
This island is shaped like a foot almost cut in half. Broad Creek, a winding tidal inlet, bisects the land. For centuries, islanders had to to take a slow boat or make the long, time consuming trek on plantation roads around the creek to reach the other end of the island. In 1956, the State of S.C. constructed a two-lane “swing bridge” to the island and U.S. Highway 278 was paved to accommodate the predicted influx of cars. Real estate sales began. The first hotels and golf courses were developed.
Reality struck In 1974. A barge collided with the one and only bridge, closing it for six weeks. In 1979, Hurricane David slashed across the island and pulverized oceanfront homes. Islanders in cars waited for nervous hours to evacuate. People now understood that island living isolates and limits, and makes you vulnerable.
The Town of Hilton Head Island was finally incorporated in 1983. The population had grown 600 percent. Tourism visitors swelled to one-half million per year. Gridlock infected Highway 278. This lengthened school bus routes, slowed fire fighting vehicles, and worse, impacted EMS response time. People began talking — and arguing — about the need for a second highway on the island.
The debate over a new road heated into the 1990s. On one side, the town leaders, emergency services, business interests, and civic groups supported the program. They argued that improved transportation would improve quality of life. Opposing the road were residents living near the proposed route and several conservationists. It was a no-win argument: urgent civic interest vs. not-in-my backyard rage and theoretical nature protection.
People, Places, and Things
In the 1980s and 1990s I wrote extensively in my newspaper columns about how to create an environmentally-sound highway on Hilton Head Island. Ballantine Environmental Resources worked pro bono on this project to assure the highway would: (1) save lives and also not impact local communities (people), (2) preserve the island’s upland and wetland ecosystem (places), and (3) enhance the the fragile tourism economy (things). In a nutshell, this is what sustainability is: actions that mutually benefit people, places, and things over the long term: SUSTAINABILITY.
In a collaborative effort employing new environmental techniques, federal and state agencies, the Town of Hilton Head, and the S.C. Sierra Club agreed upon a design for Cross Island Parkway, the state’s first sustainable highway. Today, when you travel on this road, look for:
Broad Creek Bridge. This four-lane bridge crosses sensitive tidal salt marsh habitat. Scuppers attached under the bridge collect all stormwater and convey it to wetland retention basins. The piling in the creek have provided reef-like structures for shellfish, sessile (attaching) organisms, and gamefish.
Wetland basins. Freshwater wetlands were created to capture highway and bridge runoff. The bald cypress and willow wetlands filter nutrients and remove water through evapotranspiration.
Natural sound buffers. A series of berms, native plantings, masonry walls, and highway grade changes minimize sound pollution.
Alternative transportation. Bicycle trails, lanes, and pedestrian pathways allow for non-vehicular use of the parkway route.
Tolls, not taxes. The highway is primarily funded with user fees, not public taxes.
The Cross Island Parkway adventure taught me lifelong lessons. Perhaps these will help you too:
Finding the balance takes patience. Stakeholders need time to come to agreement. Some never will agree.
Have a spine. Expect criticism for seeking solutions.
Believe in new thinking. People, places, and things thinking is “we” thinking.
Remember who you are working for: Future generations, habitats, and those organisms without a voice.
Be hard on the problem, soft on the people. Physical solutions are a matter of observation, study, and design. People solutions require empathy, understanding, and leadership.
Never give up. Always remember who you are working for.
Do it again. What if all highways could be sustainable? Let’s get started.
Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the future.
– Gro Harlem Brundtland, Special Envoy to the U.N. Secretary General on Climate Change.


text:
MALUNGA & ANOR v WEDE
HIGH COURT, HARARE
[Civil Trial HH 362-16]
February 8 and June 15, 2016
Contract law – Agreement declared null and void – What rights accrue to the parties from such an agreement – Restitution – Use of mathematical formula to arrive at the correct value.
The parties concluded an agreement for the sale of an immovable property which agreement was subsequently declared null and void by the court after plaintiffs had prestated. On the basis of the court order declaring the agreement null and void, plaintiffs brought an action for restitution. Defendant argued that nothing could derive from an agreement which the court had already held to be null and void.
Held, that a cancelled agreement retains the rights accruing up to the date of cancellation whereas an agreement that is null and void does not give rise to any rights at all and the court cannot enforce any in respect thereto.
Held, further, that a void agreement does not create rights as between the respective parties. Where an agreement is nullified the position is that the parties revert to the status quo ante and the court can only assist the parties revert to the status quo ante. If any price or part thereof had been paid, the one who received payment of the price has an obligation to refund it as not to do so would result in one of the parties being unjustly enriched. A party to a void agreement who approaches the court to enforce its right to restitution does not seek to enforce the void agreement but seeks the doing of justice between man and man.
Held, further, that in ordering restitution, the court is at large to adopt a mathematical formula which yields a determination of the true value of foreign currency at any given time. This approach is a recognition of the fluidity of the exchange rates during the period of hyperinflation in Zimbabwe.
African Banking Corporation Ltd v Rainsford 1912 SR 157, referred to
Dube v Khumalo 1986 (2) ZLR 103 (S), not followed
Musingarambwi v Dewa HH 413-15 (unreported), referred to
Petersen v Jajbhay 1940 TPD 182, referred to
York Estates Ltd v Wareham 1949 SR 197; 1950 (1) SA 125 (SR), referred to
L Uriri, for the plaintiff
OT Sanyika, for the defendant
The plaintiffs in this matter who are husband and wife sued the defendant for refund of the sum of £40 000 and interest thereon at the rate applicable to the British Pound in the United Kingdom and costs of suit. The plaintiffs’ claim arises from the nullification of an agreement of sale of the defendant’s stand situated in Hatfield Estate (“the stand”). The agreement of sale was declared to be null and void for illegality by the High Court on the 17th April 2008 under case number 5429/07. The plaintiffs claimed that in ordering their eviction on the basis that the agreement was null and void the court failed to order restitution of the purchase price to them.
The defendant defended the plaintiffs claim pleading among other things (i) that the defendant did not owe the plaintiffs the sum of US$ 40 000 as the matter was res judicata and (ii) disputed at any rate that the sum of ZWD 5 000 000 000 forming part of the plaintiff’s claims converted to £15 000 as it was never agreed that it would be converted to pound sterling and (iii) that there were no rights that the plaintiff could exercise as arising from an agreement ruled void ab initio. Before the commencement of trial the parties agreed and requested that the court deal with the dispute as a stated case which the court acceded to. A statement of agreed facts was filed by the parties. The agreed facts are outlined as follows:
“1. That on the 5th of June 2006 the parties herein entered into an agreement of sale by which the first and second plaintiffs purchased and the defendant sold certain immovable property namely the stand.
2. That in terms of that agreement the purchase price of the property was 37 000 pounds sterling.
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