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Home > Posts tagged "landowner"
Posts tagged 'landowner'
Are Hunters Spreading More Than #TrailHuntLies In Cheshire & Beyond?
Are badgers really to blame for spreading bTB or is there another, much more dangerous, source? Photo courtesy of Cheshire Monitors
Cheshire Monitors write about hunting and it's role in the spread of diseases, especially bovine tuberculosis (bTB):
The 2017/18 hunting season in Cheshire was interesting , to say the least. Yes, a number of Cheshire foxes sadly lost their lives to criminal interests but in many other ways it could not have gone better for us. We oversaw leaps forward in many areas as the nets were closing in on Cheshire's three foxhunts….
– In response to Mike Amesbury MPs enquiries, Cheshire Police & Crime Commissioner announced a review of how foxhunting is policed in the county, as reported here by the Cheshire Chronicle.
– Cheshire's Conservative MPs are abandoning their traditional support for foxhunting, mirroring the national stance of their party.
– Foxhunts are losing their land. Estates have recently revoked permission for access to their land in Cheshire.
Cheshire landowners would be wise to note this trend and get ahead of it by stopping hunts from entering their properties, especially those who have a stake in keeping disease at bay. Foxhounds have been recorded with bTB in a number of places, most notably within the Kimblewick Hunt where a large number of dogs were culled after picking up the disease in December 2016, and in Ireland where post-mortem results revealed bTB in foxhounds.
Biosecurity and foxhounds do not go well together. One report says they are at risk of a wide range of parasites and diseases including bTB when breaking up fox carcasses. Yes, foxes do carry bTB; just look at this research from France. Yes, foxhounds do break up foxes that they've caught; look at what Andrew German allowed to happen on Boxing Day 2017.
Conversely, the badger cull has found a very low rate of confirmed bTB in badgers across the country (a mere 4.87%) after testing 861 badger carcasses that were culled in High Risk Areas. A recent Freedom Of Information request to Nottingham University* pointed out that the tests can't distinguish between 'infected' or 'infectious'. It'd be charitable to describe the badger cull as a farce, and an expensive one at that (£831,093 in policing costs in Cheshire alone) …. and don't the three Cheshire foxhunts employ people specifically to tamper with badger setts**? Not very biosecure, is it?
Foxhunters know about their role in the spread of bTB but hide it, as evidenced by the absolute stonewall at DEFRA that was erected after the Kimblewick Foxhounds outbreak. Did you know that the DEFRA Minister for Animal Welfare is a member of the Kimblewick and a former Master of one of the hunts which amalgamated to form the Kimblewick?
Foxhunters have known about the risk that hunting with hounds poses in the spread of bTB for decades. Just have a read of this quote from 'To Hunt A Fox' (1937) by foxhunter David Brock, page 187;
"There is in this country a great move on foot for the establishment of more and more Tuberculin Tested herds. To establish such a herd is an expensive and troublesome affair and, once he has established it, the farmer is not going to risk incurring infection from outside. It is at present believed that this infection can be carried on the boots of human beings and the feet of animals. What more likely than that it will be carried from an infected farm to a pure one by horses and hounds?"
We'll leave these thoughts with you. If you're a landowner in Cheshire (or anywhere) who wants to stop hunting on your land then please contact Hounds Off for specialist help, support and advice.
* Hat-tip to Cheshire Wounded Badger Patrol for this
** No, they are not there to mend fences
© Cheshire Monitors
Tags: #TrailHuntLies, badger cull, bovine tuberculosis, Cheshire, disease, foxhunting, Hounds Off, landowner
But….They Say They Only Hunt Trails
Huntsman of the Eggesford Hounds waves sarcastically at landowners who want to keep him and his hounds off Wheatland Farm in Devon (who took this pic on 30.03.18).
Hunts do not always respect landowner wishes. Often people ask the local hunt to keep staff, followers and hounds off their property but then it happens – again. You need patience, stamina and strong support to stand up for yourself.
Sadly hunt trespass is all too common still. Hounds Off currently supports loads of people who are bemused at the attitude and arrogance of repeat offenders. In the instance below we are also asking ourselves, "But if they chase man-laid trails with dogs that are under control, like they say they do, then how come the Eggesford hounds were running all over forbidden land for the second time this year?"
Eggesford Hunt on Popehouse Moor Again: Wheatland Farm, Devon 30 March 2018
Are you troubled by the hunt? Contact Hounds Off
Tags: #TrailHuntLies, Devon, foxhunting, foxy love, Hounds Off, hunt trespass, hunt-free zones, Hunting Act, illegal hunting, landowner, MP, police, SSSI, wildlife crime
Trail Hunting – A Nationwide Criminal Conspiracy
Campaigners continue to expose #TrailHuntLies & lobby the National Trust to stop issuing licences to kill fox, hare, deer & mink on their land for so-called 'sport'. Here, at Stourhead in Wiltshire on 25 Feb 2018 as part of a day of similar protests at NT sites around England, co-ordinated by the National Dis-Trust. Pic: Hounds Off
Trail hunting is a myth, a ruse invented by the hunting community to enable them to continue abusing wild mammals with dogs for sport.
Trail hunting was invented on the day the Hunting Act (2004) came in to force. It has been used as a false alibi to cynically subvert the law ever since. There is no trail hunting governing body, there are no written rules and regulations to which participants must abide. How to conduct a so-called trail hunt is left up to each individual hunt to decide.
Trail hunting is billed by the Countryside Alliance and their allies as a temporary activity which sustains the infrastructure of hunting until such time as the law banning bloodsports is repealed. One of the main tenets of this charade is the principle that the scent which is laid for hounds to follow is based on their traditional quarry. They say that this will enable them to switch back to fox, hare, deer and mink hunting at the drop of a hat because their hounds won't need retraining. We say that this pretence enables them to "accidentally on purpose" harrass and kill live animals. Nobody, not even the National Trust, is denying that "accidents" happen.
In 2017 the National Trust introduced some changes in the rules they claim hunts must obey in return for a licence to trail hunt on NT land. The first of these is banning the use of animal-based scents as a trail for hounds to follow.
"This will reduce the risk of foxes or other wild animals being accidentally chased," the NT tells us. Alas, it's a nonsense.
Hunts continue to train their hounds to hunt the scent of their traditional quarry, not something else. You cannot have a situation where a hunt goes after a fox-based scent on private land on Monday, then an artificial scent on NT land on Wednesday. Hunting a pack of hounds doesn't work like that. Training a them to be steady and reliable on one thing takes time and effort. And who's checking anyway? Not the NT. They're happy to let hunts self-regulate.
We believe that everybody who follows so-called trail hunts, save newcomers, children and the terminally naive, knows that trail hunting doesn't really exist. Sure, somebody might trot around with a duster on the end of a whip as lip service to a 'trail' for the benefit of show, or if the press or cameras are present. But away from outsiders, out of public gaze, hunting wild mammals with dogs for sport continues much as it did in the last century. There is, we suggest, a nationwide criminal conspiracy to facilitate this animal abuse. It's tragic that the National Trust Ruling Council chooses to collude.
Tags: #keeptheban, #TrailHuntLies, false alibi, foxhunting, Hounds Off, hunt-free zones, Hunting Act, illegal hunting, landowner, National Dis-Trust, National Trust, Trail Hunting, Trail of Lies
National Trust: "Talk To The Hand…….."
The Portman Hunt all over Hod Hill in North Dorset on 6 November 2017. Hod is owned by the National Trust. Hunting is only permitted under licence. No licence existed. Photos: Hounds Off
Hounds Off Founder, Joe Hashman, reports:
It's no wonder that so many people have lost faith in the National Trust. The vote rigging debacle at their 2017 AGM and their attitude to what we call #TrailHuntLies has been documented on these blog pages and elsewhere. It's not something which just became an issue recently. The campaign to stop hunting on National Trust land has been going on for decades and is unlikely to disappear any time soon. I believe that to influence change within an institution like the NT, albeit a charitable one, you need a voice and a vote. That's why I'm a Member. It's just a shame that Members who highlight broken promises, breaches of licences and/or the law are currently being stonewalled with cut-and-paste platitudes.
On 6 November 2017 the Portman Hunt went onto Hod Hill, an Iron Age hill fort in North Dorset which is owned by the National Trust. I was there, turned my video camera on and recorded what happened. Hunt staff, followers and hounds were on Hod for 33 minutes between 3.16 and 3.49pm. There is a public bridleway across the site which anyone is free to use unfettered, but the Portman Hunt was not on this. They were all over the place. I understood the Portman was only allowed onto National Trust land if granted a licence and that, on 6 Nov '17, no such licence existed. That evening I contacted the landowners.
My initial email simply asked, "Please could you tell me if the Portman Hunt has a licence from the National Trust to do so-called trail hunting on Hod Hill, Stourpaine, North Dorset?"
There was no response so I resent it five days later. Oliver Silvester of the National Trust Supporter Services Centre answered by return. He redirected me to Amy Middleton at National Trust West Dorset. She's the Estate Manager and Hod is on her patch.
Amy wrote back very candidly, "I can confirm that the Portman Hunt does not have a trail hunting licence for Hod Hill."
I thanked Amy for confirming that this was an unlicensed activity and therefore not permitted by the National Trust. I informed her that I had GPS-verified evidence on film.
My email closed with this question, "In view of the fact that they were on National Trust land without a licence I would, as a Member, like the National Trust to take this matter further. Please could you advise me what action the National Trust will be taking and what I can do to assist the process?"
Three days later came the reply.
"The matter has been raised directly with the Master of the hunt," said Amy in her email, plus, "We take any reports of hunts acting illegally or outside the terms of any licence very seriously." I wondered how seriously they took hunting on their land with no licence at all!
Five days later I sent another email just to confirm that I was not reporting illegal hunting but specifically, "unlicensed trail hunting". I wanted to know what was being done to ensure that it didn't happen again.
Next day Amy Middleton, National Trust Estate Manager for South Somerset, West Dorset & Knightshayes, replied, "We are treating any report of trespass on a case by case basis and endeavouring to establish the facts. At this stage I am unable to comment any further."
A day later I opened an email from Oliver Silvester of the National Trust Supporter Services Centre. Oliver wrote, "We have raised your enquiry with our Specialist Team who should respond in due course."
They did. On 24 November 2017 Sophie Novelli dropped me an email. Apparently she works on the Specialist Team who were looking into the details of my "query". Apparently it had been forwarded to the Estate Manager of their Regional Office, a person called Amy Middleton. Sophie ended her missive, "I am sorry that we cannot be of any further help as we specialise in membership and donations."
And that's the last I've heard of it.
There has been a related development….
The Portman Hunt Huntsman appeared at Poole Magistrates Court on the 12 and 13 February charged under Section 1 of the Hunting Act (Hunting a Wild Mammal with Dogs) in March 2017. What came out under cross examination was that the alleged offence occurred on the National Trust-owned Kingston Lacy Estate. The case was not concluded and the District Judge set a further date of 14 March 2018, at Poole, to deliver his verdict.
Of course, in law a person is innocent until proven guilty. We make no assertions one way or the other at this stage. But, depending on the outcome of this case, it will be interesting to see how the National Trust responds as a consequence.
You can join a peaceful protest at a National Trust property near you this Sunday, 25th February. See this link to the National Dis-Trust for details.
Tags: #keeptheban, #TrailHuntLies, false alibi, foxhunting, Hod Hill, hunt monitor, hunt trespass, Hunting Act, illegal hunting, landowner, National Trust, Prosecution, Trail of Lies
Providing Support For Those In Pain & Distress
Hounds from the Warwickshire Hunt running out of control in Oxhill near Banbury. Pic credit: West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs
Last week we met a woman who had a foxhunt invade her property. She was still raw from the experience and visibly upset when telling us about it.
The local hunt was in the area and had let their hounds run loose on the scent of a fox. The fox ran into private woodlands with the hounds in hot pursuit. A herd of deer in the woods distracted the hounds and they split up to chase the deer in all directions, then cats, a dog and a goat. The woman and her friends were minding their own business just getting on with their day. Then this bedlam descended, literally, upon them. There weren't enough broom handles or people to cope and anyway, the hounds were only interested in hunting.
This was no fleeting stampede. It took over an hour for the Huntsman to gather and remove his dogs. By then the police had turned up and were also helping. Two weeks later and six cats are still missing, presumed dead. The others are nervous, shy, frightened. It will take time and tlc to recover their confidence.
The woman was traumatised. She shook as she talked. Her eyes welled up when she described how the peace and tranquillity of her sanctuary exploded with animals running left, right and centre when about twenty-five foxhounds in full cry descended the valley with no warning. She expressed surprise at how big the dogs were and shock at seeing a fox flash past at great pace, running for its life. We explained that, actually, hunts across the land are breaking the law. All the hunters have to do is claim it was an "accident" and they get away with it. She now knows first hand the reality of #TrailHuntLies.
Hunt trespass can have a profound effect on people. It traps some in their homes, fearful to go out on certain days of the week in autumn and winter because they never know if the hunt is going to come crashing through their place. That is no way to live.
Imagine stepping out of your back door and being almost knocked over by rampaging hounds, then having someone sat high up on a horse shouting down at you and gesturing to open your gate so they can come in and fetch them. This actually happened in Dorset and now we keep in close contact with the woman and local police. She is clear and so are we – there must never be a repeat of this.
A young mother who had foxhounds come into her kitchen told her local newspaper, "I am shaken and beyond furious. I can't bear to even speak to the hunt master who obviously thinks that my home, a haven for my children, is fair hunting ground for their hounds to come and go freely with complete disregard for the safety of my children."
We watched with interest the evidence of terriermen following a hunt in Devon digging out a fox which hounds had run to ground on Saturday. To most right-minded people it's an open and shut case but we've noted the terriermen's excuse that they did not intend to kill the fox and were merely rescuing their dog. Without doubt they'll lay that on as thick as possible and trust in the police to do less than a proper job. It grieves us to write that Devon & Cornwall Police have form. Despite this we've helped a number of disgruntled locals who have reported trespass and intimidation by the self-same hunt this last fortnight. We always advise involving the police at the outset, firstly by reporting anything which makes you feel concerned or unsafe and secondly, by cc-ing them in to all correspondence. We always live in hope to be pleasantly surprised.
We've been having a conversation with woodland owners in Somerset since December. They're fed up to the back teeth of having the local hunt ripping through their land and terrorising its human and non-human inhabitants. We've arranged to meet later this week. So it was wonderful to receive an email from our contact this morning with details of three neighbouring farms who want to keep hounds off their vast acreages too.
January is always a busy month. We believe this is because it's the fox mating season. Dog foxes are on the move in search of love. Their wanderings frequently take them far away from of their familiar, home patches. A hunted fox will instinctively bolt down a hole but hunts block all underground refuges and so the fox is forced, against its natural instincts, to keep running. Hunts deny this, of course, but we know the truth.
The above is just a snapshot of what we have going on right now. If you're affected by hunt trespass or know someone who is then please, contact us. Hounds Off will support you. You are not alone.
You can support our work by making a donation or buying some Hounds Off merch. Please consider it. We are all volunteers and cannot survive on goodwill and fresh air alone!
Tags: #keeptheban, Devon, fox, foxhunting, Hounds Off, Hunt Saboteurs Association, hunt trespass, hunt-free zones, Hunting Act, illegal hunting, landowner, police, Somerset, Warwickshire


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Q: Javascript eval()Javascript work with the percentage symbol (%) as a percentage but not as a reminder How do I make the eval() in Javascript work with the percentage symbol (%) as a percentage but not as a reminder
I want  to be able to let the eval() work with percentages as 1/100 not as a reminder

A: As percentage is defined as * 0.01,
function evalWithPercentage(s) {
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}
console.log( evalWithPercentage('10% + 150%') )
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


One year ago, the early days of Occupy Wall Street reached the front pages of mainstream media. The occupation of Zuccotti Park in downtown Manhattan gave a new impetus to a wave of worldwide protests. Starting in the Arab world, it then took root in Spain with the "Indignados" camps and assemblies that further extended to various European countries along with camp protest in Israel. In its turn, Occupy Wall Street inspired camps and actions in dozens of US cities and all over Europe, from London to Moscow. However, the indignados and Occupy may only represent the tip of the iceberg. Beyond their highly mediatized mobilizations and behind the scenes of institutional politics, vibrant progressive citizens' initiatives and movements have developed across Europe and the western world and constitute active poles of subterranean politics.
These citizens and activists share an opposition to the way national governments and the EU deal with the economic crisis. They provide alternative meanings to the crisis and reclaim a more democratic society. Their strategies, actions, concepts of social change, movements and democracy however vary considerably, to the point that some of their discourses and tactics may appear contradictory. Some citizens want to build stronger democratic institutions; others don't trust elected representatives any more and promote a change that starts at a local level and in daily life. The interviews and exploratory empirical fieldwork conducted in six European countries under the heading of the "Subterranean politics project" coordinated by Mary Kaldor and Sabine Selchow (2012) pointed to four main cultures of activism that animate this progressive sector: occupation/direct participation, local and ecological transition, expertise and advocacy, movement building and protest mobilizations.
Indignados and occupy movements surged in the wave of an economic crisis that has had a devastating effect on youth precarity and unemployment. However, the claims of this movement focus even more on a crisis in democracy, pointing to the actual and structural limitations of representative democracy. Activists denounce an "empty democracy", considering that the policies that have a real impact on their lives are settled in circles citizens have no impact upon. The "M15" movement in Spain started as a denunciation of a "democracy without choice". Many Spanish citizens considered that the 2011 general elections did not offer a choice between alternatives, as the two main parties had no significant differences in their policy approach. This echoes the concerns of Occupy activists in the US, where citizens claim that both parties are under the hold of big corporations and the richest 1%. All over the world, citizens denounce the collusion between big corporations and policy makers. Many indignados consider it as their main target: "We must break the vicious link between capital and the representatives of democracy, who are more eager to defend the interests of capital than those of the voting population" (David, Barcelona, January 2012). In Tunisia, the Ben-Ali family controlled the most profitable companies and used its political power to expand their businesses. In Mexico, the young citizens' movement "#yosoy132" denounces the collusion between the two major and very influential media consortiums, the economic elite and the winning presidential candidate.
Indignados and occupy activists consider democracy not only as a claim but also as a practice. Experimentation in horizontal and participatory discussion and deliberation processes is at the core of their camps and neighbourhood assemblies. Space occupied by the movements become "spaces of experience", understood as places sufficiently autonomous and distanced from capitalist society and power relations which permit actors to live according to their own principles, to knit different social relations and to express their subjectivity.
"We build spaces where you find freedom of imagination. When St Paul was there, I was able to avoid money, universities… and all the things that people tell me I have to do to have a happy life." (an activist from Occupy London Stock Exchange, 2012).
"I think that things happen much through a change of oneself. … After having been part of the indignados, I don't see the people in the same way any more. I realized that everyone has something to say and I try to care about everyone's opinion, and also about everyone as a human being" (Anne, Focus group in Paris, 2012).
While some seek to articulate these local democratic practices as a reflection of national and global democracy, other indignados mistrust representative democracy and only believe in participation at the (micro-) local level.
"I'm not sure democracy can work beyond a certain level, beyond the local or city level. Beyond, it is rather more about coordination than democracy." (Sophie, Paris, 2012).
Internet is another space where indignados and occupy activists develop and defend an open space of expression, call for mobilizations and build tools to empower offline democratic and horizontal processes. 'Subterranean Politics' fieldwork done by Tamsin Murray Leach and Sean Deel on Occupy LSE points to the strong interactions both of complementarity and tension between the camp offline and online dynamics and discussions. The insightful research of Ariadna Fernandez, Carles Feixa and Mònica Figueras into the indignados camp in Barcelona and Jeff Juris' analysis on US Occupy mobilization come to similar conclusions.
In the last decade, western Europe has witnessed a rise in actors seeking to implement more sustainable lifestyles with less consumption and more convivial relations among people. It ranges from the transition movement to voluntary simplifiers, local money initiatives and critical/local food networks. The latter has developed into a large economic sector in most of the western world. In the UK and in the US, networks of "community supported agriculture" (CSA) provide local food for people and local public administrations. In France, 250,000 people are involved in a restraint model of an alternative food network, and at least twice as many in less restraining local food networks. The broader "solidarity economy" or "human economy" sector has become a major actor in fostering renewable energies, local economy (notably thanks to alternative money systems), local agriculture and to foster the value of cooperation over competition among workers.
While Indignados and Occupiers implement prefigurative activism in public spaces and in their movements' camps and organizations, "transition activists" focus on prefigurative actions and consistency between values and practices in their daily life practices. More than the economic crisis, many activists we interviewed rank climate change and environmental damages as their main concerns. They consider it as their personal responsibility to lower their impact on the environment. The roots of social change thus lie in a change of one's lifestyle and in alternative practices at the local level. As a consequence, the subjective and self-transformative dimension is particularly strong in this mode of action.
"It is first and foremost a way to refuse playing a game with which I disagree. At least with vegetables, I don't play the game, I don't provide more water to the system" (Jerome, 23, Paris).
While many "transition activists" proudly claim that they go beyond rhetoric and implement concrete alternatives, the spread from self-transformation or from social change in a limited group to larger scale transformations often remains however a blind-spot, especially as many of these groups are reluctant to engage in largescale coordination and institutionalization.
With the Euro crisis and European austerity plans, committed intellectuals and expert activists have published dozens of appeals, books and articles where they develop both rigorous analysis and political statements underlining the irrationality of the way the EU and national governments deal with the crisis (see for example the work of the Tax Justice Network or the French "Les Economistes Attérés"). These activists build their credibility and legitimacy on the basis of the quality of their expertise on a precise topic (e.g. tax justice, public debt or water public management), which allows them to challenge EU and government experts and to propose concrete alternative measures. Like in Habermas' deliberative democracy, they trust that when arguments are rational and well-developed, they will ultimately be taken into account by policy makers.
Most expert activists networks focus much of their energy on the European scale and on EU institutions (e.g. the Corporate Europe Observatory or the Tax Justice Network). Their conception of social change is institutionalised and rather top-down, as it focuses on policy makers, regulations, institutions and redistributive policies at the national, continental and global level. The push towards this social change and its sustainability also requires however a bottom-up dynamic, and a more active citizenship, familiarised with macro-economics and able to get involved in debates on global issues. Popular education is thus an urgent task, to which expert activists dedicate much of their time.
"Mobilizers" focus on building popular mobilizations and mass demonstration able to forecast a different balance of power in the political system and to influence national government policies.
They consider that neither left-wing governments nor expert activists will be able to "force" a major political change without a strong citizens' mobilization.
Some activists and networks have become expert in organizing and connecting up movements, both nationally and internationally. More experienced (and institutionalized) civil society organizations also play a key role in bringing some practical and material help to emerging movements and convergences. For example, trade union activists and organizations have brought an important – but discreet – support to Occupy Wall Street, by opposing the first police attempt to evict the camp at Zuccoti park, by providing rooms where the OWS could hold its assemblies, or by contributing to founding the youth movement.
These four cultures of activism don't exist as such in the reality. Like ideal-types, they are heuristic tools that may help us to understand some features of progressive subterranean politics in Europe. They exist neither in a pure form, nor as isolated practices. Most activists, performance and event mix different logics of action even if one is often dominant. Indignados/occupy camps provide a clear illustration of coexistence and cross-fertilizations among these four cultures of activism, with alternative food initiatives and (in many cases) symbolic urban gardening; popular education (e.g. the "university tent" at Occupy LSX) or the discussion and elaboration of expert alternatives and the publication of appeals, newsletters and magazines. Besides, many camps and movements wouldn't have lasted long without the support of more institutionalized and experienced activists. At the same time, different concepts of social change and of movement organizations also lead to misunderstandings and tensions. Many of the activists we interviewed were very conscious of their differences and most underlined the complementarity among different forms of activism.
"There is not a right and a wrong way to do things. There are various ideas of how to transform society, some are pragmatic and other ones are utopian. Some focus on the global and other on local relations. Some are implemented by unions and other by associations. In my perspective they are all complementary and shouldn't be opposed". (Jerome, a local/transition activist, Paris, 23).
To analyze these movements together helps to point out their potential for cross-fertilization , which may help to overcome some limitations specific to each of them. For example, indignados/occupy movements are combining their energies and creativity with initiatives closer to the other three trends. Connections and cross-fertilizations occur with local human economy projects (this is particularly the case in Barcelona), with expert activists and popular education (see for example the "Occupied Times of London") or with more formal civil society organizations (Indignados from Brussels have developed strong connections after the eviction of their camp). Such cross-fertilizations may contribute to overcoming the ephemeral nature of their camps and the sporadic nature characterising many recent mobilizations and movements rooted in experience, subjectivity, creativity and horizontal organization.
Rather than contesting representative democracy, as many activists claim to do, these movements explore four ways to complement representative democracy and empower citizenship. Taken together, these forms of counter-democracy (direct democracy, responsible democracy, argumentative democracy and protest democracy) offer concrete ways forward for a multi-dimensional approach to deal with some structural limits of representative democracy and to explore paths towards more democratic societies, which remain to be invented.
1. This exploratory phase of the research is based on 27 interviews conducted with progressive activists in France, Belgium, Spain, Finland, Poland and Germany as well as participatory observation between January 15th and the 1st of March 2012. In addition, a focus group was organized in Paris. The results of this exploratory phase of the research are neither exhaustive nor representative. They may however provide a perspective that helps to categorize some parts of the subterranean politics and set bases of further research. Dr. Bartolomeo Conti (CADIS-EHESS) and Madeleine Sallustio (Université Libre de Bruxelles) conducted interviews and fieldwork in Paris and in Belgium. These research results owe a lot to their efficient work.
2. Kaldor M., Selchow S. (2012) The 'bubbling up' of subterranean politics in Europe.
3. Cultures of activism are understood as "coherent sets of normative orientations, concepts of the world, social change and movement organization and logics of action". (See Alter-globalization. Becoming actors in the global age, Cambridge: Polity, 2010). These four cultures of activism don't constitute an exhaustive list.
5. See Pleyers, 2010, op.cit. pp. 37-40.
8. Maye D. & Kirwan J. (2010) Alternative Food Networks, Sage – ISA: Sociopedia.
9. Murray, R. (2012) "The rise of the civil economy", In : M. Kaldor, H. Moore, S. Selchow, eds. Global civil society 2012, London: Palgrave; Hart, Laville, Cattani (2010) The Human Economy, Cambridge: Polity.
13. Expertise is not the monopoly of activists who focus on the European level (some experts focus on the local or national debates). However, there is a strong correlation between the importance given to the European scale and to expertise.
15. Della Porta, D. (2005) Multiple belongings, tolerant identities, and the construction of 'another politics', in D. Della Porta and S. Tarrow, eds., Transnational Protest and Global Activism, Lanham: Rowman and Littlefeld, 175–201.
16. For similar crossfertilization in the alter-globalization movement, see Pleyers, 2011, chapter 8 & 9.
17. See Sánchez Marta, Losing strength? An alternative vision of Spain's indignados, Reflections on a Revolution, June 23, 2012.
19. Sallustio M. (2012) Les indignés et l'engagement dans la gauche radicale, CriDIS working paper 36.
21. McDonald K. (2006) Global movements, London : Blackwell; Pleyers G. (2011) Alter-globalization, Cambridge: Polity, chapters 2-4.
22. Rosanvallon P. (2006) La contre-démocratie, Paris : Seuil ; Held D. (2010) Cosmopolitanism, Cambridge : Polity.


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Home / Thoughts / Ground-breaking consortium appointed to deliver new online portal for people experiencing homelessness in WA
Ground-breaking consortium appointed to deliver new online portal for people experiencing homelessness in WA
News | 30 Mar 2022
Infoxchange, Anglicare, Innovation Unit and Anthologie have been appointed as a consortium to deliver a world-first digital access portal for the WA Government and homeless sector.
The online portal will be a digital front door to support people experiencing homelessness. It will connect them to critical accommodation services and support the services to coordinate and deliver better outcomes for our community.
"With over 10 years' experience in delivering case management systems for the homelessness sector in WA, Infoxchange is excited to lead a consortium of subject matter and sector experts to deliver a world-first in digital access for those seeking housing and support," said Ric Benjamin, Head of Customer Engagement at Infoxchange.
"We seek out world-leading work that makes a visible difference to the lives of many, after months of planning we are thrilled to announce this appointment alongside sector experts to design and deliver a world-first digital platform for those seeking support," said Amy Sutton, Managing Director at Anthologie.
The consortium will develop the portal on behalf of the Department of Communities through a $2.25 million contract. The project will engage community service organisations and people with lived experience in the design process to ensure the portal is accessible and meets the needs of its users.
"At Innovation Unit, we believe that people are the experts in their own lives. We'll be learning as much we can directly from people who experience homelessness. This tool will be co-designed with them, and the people who support them," said Jethro Sercombe, Director of Innovation Unit.
"Our work alongside people experiencing – or at risk of – homelessness, we have come to understand the challenges in accessing support and accommodation. At Anglicare WA, we see this project as much more than a portal, it's a step in the right direction to creating systems change, and ensuring accommodation is more accessible for those who need it most," said Mark Glasson, CEO of Anglicare WA.
Consortium leader Infoxchange is a Not For Profit (NFP) Australian social enterprise that uses technology for social justice. They have experience in deploying referrals systems and vacancy management systems, and the delivery of digital directory platforms for people seeking access to relevant psycho/social supports.
Innovation Unit is a NFP social enterprise that grows new solutions to complex social challenges through strong co-design processes. They have experience in human-centred design, government and not for profit sector work, and expertise in the development of "a No Wrong Door System in Homelessness".
Anthologie is a B Corp certified design and digital consultancy based in Perth. They have a depth of experience delivering human-centred digital projects with both the WA Government and the Community sector.
Anglicare WA is one of the state's leading – and largest – community services organisations, supporting over 60,000 West Australians through nearly 90 services state-wide. Their role in the consortium is to represent the sector and facilitate engagement with the community.
Please direct all questions to Jethro Sercombe.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This .40 S&W ammo from Federal is a great way to supplement your training stock while supporting the families of fallen police officers. Each box of American Eagle C.O.P.S. purchased will generate proceeds for the Concerns of Police Survivors foundation which helps ease the burden of family members left behind by line-of-duty deaths. Inside each box, shooters will find the same great, inexpensive ammunition that they are used to seeing in the American Eagle brand. This particular ammunition is perfect for range practice and local matches with .40 caliber firearms.
We don't have any reviews yet for this particular .40 S&W (Smith & Wesson) ammo from Federal.
If you'd like to be the first to review this particular .40 S&W (Smith & Wesson) ammo from Federal, fill out the form below.


This listing is courtesy of Thomas Lynch from Garrett Realty.
ATTENTION ALL INVESTORS!!! Looking to increase your rental portfolio? Here is a great opportunity, 2 Houses on 1 Lot. Front house features 2 bedrooms, 1 bath & indoor utility room. Rear unit is a studio with tile flooring throughout with its own yard and alley access. Both houses are tenant occupied. Call today for more information!


Glasgow will host the Commonwealth Games for the first time in 2014 after fending off a rival bid by the Nigerian capital Abuja.
The result of the vote - a 47-24 majority of the Commonwealth's 71 member countries - was greeted by huge cheers when it was broadcast on large screens at Glasgow's Fruitmarket. Scotland will now host the Games for the first time since 1986, when Edinburgh was the venue.
Scotland's first minister Alex Salmond hailed Glasgow's victory and insisted the city would put on an "electrifying" spectacle. "We will make these Games the greatest sporting event our country has ever seen," he said. "They will be our chance to show the whole world the very best of Scotland, to inspire people to take up a sport or embrace a healthier lifestyle, and a chance for our athletes to compete for Scotland on Scottish soil."
Mr Salmond, who headed up Glasgow's final presentation which lasted around 30 minutes and was accompanied by a video narrated by Sir Sean Connery, said that the "enthusiasm and excitement" of the Scottish public had made a difference to the final vote.
Yvonne Murray, who won gold in the 10,000m at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, added: "It's absolutely fantastic. Can you imagine how athletes will feel, walking into the arena knowing the crowd are cheering them on? When I competed [at Edinburgh] in '86 it was just fantastic."
Glasgow were favourites because of the technical strength of the bid but Abuja were thought to have a lot of support from those hoping to see the Games in Africa for the first time. The decision means the Games are yet to be staged in Africa. Their next venue is Delhi in 2010, the first Indian city to play host.


Our 2018 Weddings & Events Showcase was a huge success!
We had over 300 guests registered for the event and expect even more in 2019!
Our annual Wedding & Events showcase is a great opportunity to tour Historic Oakland and meet some of Maryland's finest event professionals who can help create the celebration of your dreams!
Over 50 vendors fill the manor and tented patio.
Hotels, Rental Experts and Event Attire Experts … and so much more!!!
Come enjoy the delicious gourmet food and cake tastings, live entertainment.


Both of these enlightening gifts combined to begin a Sequence of Beneficial Events that pulled me from darkness and propelled me into a relationship of mutual enrichment and expanding happiness with the Universe. Empowered Wellness is now my destiny to be shared with all.
Today, I share this Gift of Gratitude with you in an exchange of mutual enrichment to expand our collective happiness. Please join me in the integration of Deepak's The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga into our daily lives. Together, we'll learn to balance our internal harmony through loving intentions that resonate outward to our evolving Universe.
I know for certain—from my own experiences of enlightenment by these seven spiritual laws—that we all have the tools to create our own preferred reality. I now invite you to walk this path with me as we attain inner balance together.


Well done boys, what a great start to the New Year for Bristol City!
A 0-2 win away at Stoke City on New Year's Day, our first win on New Year's Day in 116 Years and that's followed by a 3rd Round FA Cup victory at home to Huddersfield Town.
I wrote in last week's column at being a little bored during the two recent home games; well that was certainly not the case with these two games. Yes, we rode our luck a little, away in the Potteries but our defensive display and the fact that we took our chances saw us get a deserved victory against a side with arguably the biggest budget in the league. The Huddersfield game wasn't a classic but we did show more intent and it was a much better game to watch than the last home game against Rotherham.
Whilst the Terriers have been on a poor run of form they are still in the top flight and have a number of quality players. As expected both Managers made changes for the game. Huddersfield boss David Wagner, obviously wary of their current position in the Premier League and Lee Johnson faced with illness and injuries to his side.
The Gaffer gave first starts of the season to captain Bailey Wright and young midfielder Joe Morrell. There was also a place on the bench for 17 year old academy graduate Sam Pearson. I've seen Sam play a number of times and he is a player with a bright future and so this experience will have done him the world of good.
As fans who read this column will know I have not always been Bailey's biggest fan but credit where credit is due, I thought he was excellent when he came on at Stoke City and he continued that form in the Cup game on Saturday.
The Aussie is undoubtedly a top bloke and is popular with his team mates and looks to have worked hard on his fitness whilst he has been out, during what must have been a frustrating time. If Bailey performs as he has done in the last two games, he is like a new signing and will certainly add to the defensive solidity.
Youngster Joe Morrell must have been as equally frustrated this season at his lack of game time. Aside from a substitute appearance in the away victory at Ipswich, the young welsh midfielder has had to be content with warming the bench and Under 23 games.
This was Joe's opportunity to show what he could do and he took it with both hands. I thought he was excellent, working hard to break up and nullify Huddersfield's attacks but also looking to get on the front foot when the opportunity arose. With Marlon Pack ruled out, Josh Brownhill took the role of senior player in the middle of the park and was excellent, helping Morrell when needed but also leading from the front and not forgetting the all-important winner. It's easy to forget how young Josh is and he is getting better each game.
Aside from Brownhill, Morrell and Bailey Wright the other stand out performer for me was Adam Webster. Webster is a class ball playing centre half and at times against Huddersfield looked silky smooth as he strode out with the ball.
The Terriers were poor and on this performance look certainties for relegation from the Premiership but that's not to say that they didn't have a number of opportunities but the City back line stood firm and Stoke hero Niki Maenpaa dealt with everything that came his way.
The Manager got his tactics right late on and switched formations and within minutes Josh was doing a Cryuff turn and firing a left foot shot into the net for the winner.
This was the first time since the famous victory over Liverpool at Anfield and that goal from Tin Man (what a goal) that City have neaten a top flight team in the FA Cup. For me it demonstrated the resilience and determination that this squad has.
Following the high profile departures in the close season, Lee Johnson has made us a more solid proposition and whilst we have not seen the same free flowing football as we did at times last year, we are much more difficult to beat.
The next few weeks will be all about the January transfer window and whether we will hold on to Lloyd Kelly but potentially others as well, especially if the likes of Brownhill and Webster perform as they have of late. There is not much noise on incomings but that tends to be the way that Mark Ashton and their team go about business. Only when something is done is it known.
I would be disappointed if we didn't build on the current form and improve the squad where needed for the run in. We shouldn't rest on our laurels and need to cease the opportunity. Famara is getting through a huge amount of work and we need another forward who can help take some of the burden of him for the second half of the season.
I also think we need a strong central midfielder and a creative number 10. BUT there is no point making signings for the sake of it and these have to be quality additions or we don't bother and of course financial fair play comes into it. The key thing is quality as we don't want another January like last year.


Today we celebrate the 9th day of Christmas with this Christmas Tree Card project.
Oh, Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree..... I've been humming this song ever since I made this card.
I've got all the fixings ready for this project. I cut everything, again, from my Art Philophsopy Cricut Cartridge from CTMH.
The decorative layer is cut at 4" I used a designer green from a large 180 DCWV 12" x 12" pack.
The oval layer is cut at 3.5" it's a sienna colored card stock from DCWV textured card stock 12 x 12 pack.
Attach your decorative layer on to a solid piece of 4" x 5.5 card stock. (I used olive and a brighter green for the decorative layer to make it "pop"). Then attack to the back front of card so the decorative side shows through the cut outs.
Next, place your ribbon about 1/4" from the bottom of the card.
Take a piece of hemp or ivory embordery thread and tie around the left end of the oval cut out.
Attach Oval cut out around the trees, positing it best to the center.
Insert Brad about 1/2 inch from the end off the right side of the ribbon band.
Tie a piece of tread around the ribbon by the brad.
Take a 3/4" x 3" piece of white card stock and stamp with a warm greeting. Cut the end to make it appear like a banner and attach to card over the ribbon and oval cut out.
A warm and festive card for the season!
The tree is up, the packages wrapped and tagged, and the stockings hung. What's next for you in preparing for Christmas?