To Qualify as an Individual: Each region will qualify 20% of the number of contestants that start the regional race to the state meet inclusive of those individuals that qualified as a team qualifier, with a minimum of 10 individuals qualifying from each region. Regular math rounding (.5 & up round up, below .5 round down) will apply.
To Qualify as a Team: This depends on how many complete teams (5 or more runners) start in your regional. If only 1 full team starts, only the regional champion qualifies. If there are 2-5 teams start at your regional, the top 2 teams qualify. If 6-9 teams start at your regional, the top 3 teams qualify. If more than 10 teams start at your regional race, the top 4 teams qualify.


Jun 2, 2016 In addition to complimenting your house, the fence color should also by a natural wood stain fence, and be in contrast to a green fence.
Your wood fence can do more than provide privacy. Beautiful flowers, a beautiful wood fence: a great combination Stain colors for your wood fence.
Jul 30, 2018 Choosing a color for your fence can be daunting. Here are some tips on choosing the right hue for your fence to compliment your home.


text:
Perez tosses 8 scoreless innings, Twins top Astros
By Dave Campbell
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Martin Perez pitched eight scoreless innings in his longest start in two seasons, and Jonathan Schoop hit a towering two-run homer to help the Minnesota Twins beat the Houston Astros 6-2 on Wednesday night.
Perez (4-0) allowed only four hits and two walks while striking out seven, improving to 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA in his first four starts with his new team after the early schedule with extra off days steered the Twins to shorten their rotation and start him in the bullpen.
The 28-year-old left-hander last completed eight innings on Aug. 9, 2017, for Texas. He won a career-high 13 games for the Rangers that season. For the Twins, Perez has logged at least six innings in each of his four turns.
After a walk by George Springer and a single by Jose Altuve to start the game, Perez appeared to be in trouble when Alex Bregman connected on a 2-1 cutter. The fly ball held up at the warning track, though, and Carlos Correa grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Bregman homered on Tuesday night, when the Astros won 11-0, and had gone deep five times in his last eight games at Target Field.
Collin McHugh (3-3) hit Mitch Garver with a pitch to start the third, and Schoop made him pay with his drive into the third deck above left field. Byron Buxton followed with a single and a stolen base, before coming home on a soft infield single by Jorge Polanco.
McHugh finished six innings, with five hits, four runs and one walk allowed while striking out two.
Ex-Twins catcher Joe Mauer attended the game, his first appearance as a former player. He spent a couple of innings in the ESPN broadcast booth at the request of analyst Rick Sutcliffe. Mauer has kept busy at home, where he and his wife have twin 5-year-old daughters and a son who was born two days after his retirement news conference in November.
"Hit the ground running," Mauer said. "It's been great."
Astros: RHP Josh James, who worked a scoreless but shaky inning in relief while dealing with some back stiffness, was not expected to be available, manager A.J. Hinch said. He'll need a fresh bullpen this weekend, because while the Astros can add a 26th man for their two-game series this weekend in Mexico against the Los Angeles Angels, the extra must be a position player.
Twins: Backup catcher/infielder Willians Astudillo (strained left hamstring) will join the team on the upcoming six-game road trip, but manager Rocco Baldelli wouldn't guarantee he'd be cleared to play when he's eligible to come off the injured list in a week. "As soon as he can get out there and run and do some different things and show us he's good to go, then we'll have him ready," Baldelli said.
Astros: RHP Brad Peacock (2-1, 3.67 ERA) will take the mound for the Thursday matinee. He held Cleveland to one run on four hits and one walk in six innings while striking out seven in his previous start.
Twins: RHP Jose Berrios (4-1, 2.97 ERA) will pitch the series finale. He's 3-0 with a 1.77 ERA in three starts at home this season, with 25 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings and a .176 opponent batting average.
Netflix cuts scene of graphic suicide
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Add to Calendar 27-06-2019 2:00 PM 27-06-2019 3:00 PM Kuala Lumpur The Struggle for Identity and Native Customary Land Mustafa Along is a 32 year old indigenous rights activist and founder of the Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Kelantan (JKOAK). He began his journey in the world of activism since he was 21 years old back in 2008 and established JKOAK in 2010. Most known for his active role in leading the Temiar grassroot movement in Gua Musang in their struggle to defend their native customary land, he was the secretary for JKOAK from 2010-2011 and 2014-2015 before being elected as the current president of JKOAK. He has been arrested several times and is currently facing several charges in court due to his blockade efforts which are still on going. Mustafa is passionate about the Orang Asli land rights issue, along with education, health and the development of the Orang Asli.
The Struggle for Identity and Native Customary Land
Mustafa Along is a 32 year old indigenous rights activist and founder of the Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Kelantan (JKOAK). He began his journey in the world of activism since he was 21 years old back in 2008 and established JKOAK in 2010. Most known for his active role in leading the Temiar grassroot movement in Gua Musang in their struggle to defend their native customary land, he was the secretary for JKOAK from 2010-2011 and 2014-2015 before being elected as the current president of JKOAK. He has been arrested several times and is currently facing several charges in court due to his blockade efforts which are still on going. Mustafa is passionate about the Orang Asli land rights issue, along with education, health and the development of the Orang Asli.
Mustafa Along
Mustafa Along is a 32 year old indigenous rights activist and founder of the Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Kelantan (JKOAK). He began his journey in the world of activism since he was 21 years old back in 2008 and established JKOAK in 2010. Most known for his active role in leading the Temiar grassroot movement in Gua Musang in their struggle to defend their native customary land, he was the secretary for JKOAK from 2010-2011 and 2014-2015 before being elected as the current president of JKOAK. He has been arrested several times and is currently facing several charges in court due to his blockade efforts which are still on going.…


text:
Recycling roadshows include dates for Annbank, Barassie and Loans
19 December 2018 | Follow
Communal bins can be used for multiple properties such as flats
Communities in Annbank, Barassie and Loans as well as parts of Ayr, Prestwick, and a number of rural properties between Ayr and Maybole are being given the chance to find out more about the new recycling service at a series of roadshows. From February 2019, two new bins will be used to collect 'Paper, Card and Cardboard', and 'Glass Bottles and Jars', with blue bins changing to 'Metals, Plastics and Cartons'.
Supported by Zero Waste Scotland, the Council is introducing an enhanced collection schedule between now and April 2019. The latest stage of the campaign will see the service introduced to around 9,500 properties with letters detailing the changes having being sent to all affected properties, with the new bins being delivered in November 2018.
The latest recycling roadshows are scheduled to be held in January:
Monday 7 at Muirhead Activity Centre between 7-9pm
Tuesday 8 at Maybole Speakers Club between 2-4pm
Wednesday 9 at Annbank Village Hall between 10am-12noon
Thursday 10 at Heathfield Primary School between 6-8pm
Monday 14 at Loans Village Hall between 10am-12noon
Councillor Ian Cochrane, South Ayrshire Council's Portfolio Holder for Environment said the roadshows were a good opportunity to find out more, "More than half of South Ayrshire is already using the new system and we're working hard to increase the quality of the recycling collected while also increasing the amount of materials recycled.
"Our recycling rate rose by 5% to 55.2% last year and this new service will help us to improve that further to meet national targets, while cutting the amount of contaminated waste.
"To make sure people get the most out of the service, we've been working closely with communities in the last few months with one of the main issues highlighted involving the potential to use shared communal bins, which is an option we're happy to discuss with anyone that feels they may have an issue."
More information on the new service, including detailed service guides, frequently asked questions, and more information about your neighbourhood, please click here.
If you have any immediate questions please phone: 0300 123 0900 or email customer services on: customerservices@south-ayrshire.gov.uk


text:
San Angelo City Councilman asked to... | KTXS
Tue, 31 Jan 2023 14:43:03 GMT (1675176183222)
Chime In
San Angelo city councilman asked to resign over racial Facebook comments
by Jamie BurchNatalie Martinez
Tuesday, February 21st 2017
bill-richardson-1487613389967-5915140-ver1-0.jpg
SAN ANGELO, Texas - A San Angelo city councilman is under fire for comments he made on Facebook over the weekend.
The San Angelo Law Enforcement Spouses Association is calling for District 1 Councilman Bill Richardson's immediate resignation after he targeted the city's Hispanic police officers. The city's mayor also said if Richardson doesn't resign, a recall election is allowed under the city's charter.
"We do not want somebody on our city council who is not going to respect and stick up for our police officers," said one police officer's wife who did not want to be identified.
Richardson feels he was disrespected and physically threatened by an officer when he called to report a problem with one of his neighbors.
The Facebook post reads: "Yesterday, I had an encounter with a 'Hispanic' SAPD officer after I called SAPD dispatch about a problem with a 'Hispanic' neighbor.
"One of the officers who responded was 'Hispanic.' His attitude to me was disrespectful and I believed to be physically threatening."
Police Chief Frank Carter responded to Richardson's post asking him to file a formal complaint with the chief or the department's Office of Professional Standards.
Instead of taking that route, Richardson said "I will stick with my original statement."
Richardson also asked "non-'Hispanic' citizens of San Angelo to keep a written record of their encounters [with] 'Hispanic' SAPD police officers."
The San Angelo Law Enforcement Spouses Association said in a news release sent to KTXS, "any elected official attempting to deepen racial divides is inexcusable; to do so with our police is reprehensible … Richardson's statements serve to incite racism in our community and, at worst, could result in palpable threats and potential violence against some of our sworn law enforcement officers - our husbands and wives - based on the color of their skin."
They said if he does not resign immediately, they will push for a recall.
Mayor Dwain Morrison told KTXS he agrees with the police officer's wives.
"His words do nothing but unnecessarily inflame old prejudices and I am appalled by his comments," Morrison said. "The City Charter outlines a procedure to legally remove a council member by collecting signatures and placing the recall on the ballot. This may just be the issue that angers people enough to act."
Richardson was elected to the city council in May 2016.
"Although the Department has not received an official complaint from Mr. Richardson concerning the Officer's conduct, the audio concerning the Feb. 18 contact with Mr. Richardson and two of our Officers is currently under review," Carter said in a statement to KTXS. "We are working with City Legal regarding the release of the audio recording in an effort to ensure public transparency and police accountability."
The San Angelo Police Department has 173 officers; 32 classify themselves as Hispanic.
KTXS has reached out to Richardson for comment but have not heard back.
Video package by Natalie Martinez.
News In Photos: "Archive"


On 16 November 2006 Fortis Credit4me received a MAPIC Award at the MAPIC trade fair in Cannes (France), the world's largest for retail real estate. Fortis's German subsidiary picked up the award in the 'Services' category for its outstanding retail concept and its exceptional and dynamic growth.
Fortis Credit4me GmbH impressed the jury of experts with a sophisticated sales format and with a completely new business model, at the heart of which is a simple and transparent service offering. The credit shops - essentially brand shops specialised in lending - fill a niche by focussing on well-defined customer needs.
Interior designers Cronauer and Romani have split the shops into two areas to combine functionality and modern design as effectively as possible. The front area's open, lively shopping atmosphere invites customers to learn more about the services through multimedia screens, product displays and self-service terminals. They can shop around at their own pace and without being approached by staff. Borrowing money also calls for discretion, however: hence the area at the back, where qualified staff are on hand to help customers in private. The long opening hours - tailored to shoppers rather than banking customers - give people the feeling that taking out a loan is a simple and straightforward process, similar to buying any other product. It is this that sets the credit shops apart from banks, which are more formal and require appointments.
"Our innovative business concept centres attention on the needs of the public. Customers value our philosophy of proximity. We regard and present ourselves as a retailer - the difference being that we sell loan products instead of groceries," emphasises Marc Hentgen, Managing Director of Fortis Credit4me. Fortis has already established 18 credit shops in major German cities since the national launch of the new business model in June of this year. The company plans to set up a dense sales network, spanning a total of 130 branches in Germany by 2008.
The Fortis Credit4me concept was created following the acquisition of Von Essen Bank by Fortis in 2005. Besides offering consumer finance and credit cards, it also provides German retail customers with daily banking, borrowing, savings, mortgage, and brokerage products and services.
Fortis has been present in Germany for over 85 years. Its German operations now encompass the business lines Merchant Banking and Commercial & Private Banking, Fortis Investments and Retail Banking, particularly Consumer Finance. Commercial Banking operates out of seven business centres in Cologne, Frankfurt, Dortmund, Trier, Stuttgart, Munich and Hamburg. It provides international companies with a range of cross-border solutions, including cash management, credits, trade finance, global export and project finance, leasing, factoring and acquisition finance. Merchant Banking has offices in Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Cologne, where its operations include Acquisition & Leverage Finance, Corporate Banking, Corporate Finance and Capital Markets, Export and Project Finance, Global Market Sales, Institutional Banking, Prime Fund Solutions and Securities Financing. At each of these locations, it has sales and client service teams dedicated to corporate and institutional clients. Fortis Investments is based in Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, where it provides socially responsible investment (SRI) services. Its new investment centre in Frankfurt manages asset allocation portfolios and employs a portfolio manager specialising in German micro caps. Fortis Investments also has a stake in Versiko, a socially responsible financial services provider, headquartered near Düsseldorf. Fortis is actively growing its German Consumer Finance operations. It recently acquired Von Essen Bank and last July launched an innovative Credit Shop concept under the Credit4me brand. It has since opened 18 credit shops and aims to have a total of 130 shops fully operational by 2008. Besides offering consumer finance and credit cards, it also provides retail customers with daily banking, borrowing, savings, mortgage, and brokerage products and services.
Fortis is an international financial services provider engaged in banking and insurance. We offer our personal, business and institutional customers a comprehensive package of products and services through our own channels, in collaboration with intermediaries and through other distribution partners. With a market capitalisation of EUR 40.1 billion (30/11/2006), Fortis ranks among the 20 largest financial institutions in Europe. Our sound solvency position, our presence in 50 countries and our dedicated, professional workforce of 58,000 enable us to combine global strength with local flexibility and to provide our clients with optimum support. More information is available at www.fortis.com.


The whole team from Togán Labs will be attending FOSDEM at ULB Solbosch Campus, Brussels, Belgium this February 3-4. FOSDEM is the largest gathering in Europe – and arguably the world – for open source software developers.
We'd especially love to hear how people are using OpenEmbedded/Yocto Project and other embedded Linux tools and what their experience is, good or bad, with these projects. Our developers are heavily involved in the Yocto Project and related projects, and we value improving these tools for everyone, not just our customers.
If you're visiting FOSDEM this year and would like to discuss how Togán Labs can help you with your use of open source software then please get in touch via info@toganlabs.com. If you fancy a more casual chat we can usually be found at the OpenEmbedded booth in building AW during the event.
The event is free of charge to attend and features hundreds of technical talks across more than 40 tracks, including lightning talks, with attendance estimated to be over 8000 this year. You can also visit exhibit stands for many of the major open source projects and Linux distributions, plus take certification exams, and much more. FOSDEM is *the* place to visit for anyone who wants to get up-to-date on what's going on in the world of open source – we can highly recommend it!


text:
Front Page Politics U.S. World
'Nazi' problem for Obama's U.N. pick?
Comments could haunt prez's friend in confirmation process
By WND News Services
Published June 5, 2013 at 6:22pm
(FOX NEWS) WASHINGTON – The former White House adviser and longtime Obama friend nominated Wednesday as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has a history of controversial comments that could haunt her in confirmation -- including likening U.S. foreign policies to those of the Nazis.
In a March 2003 New Republic magazine essay, Samantha Power wrote that American foreign policy needs a "historical reckoning" which would entail "opening the files" and "acknowledging the force of a mantra we have spent the last decade promoting in Guatemala, South Africa, and Yugoslavia."
She continued: "Instituting a doctrine of the mea culpa would enhance our credibility by showing that American decision-makers do not endorse the sins of their predecessors. When (German Chancellor Willy) Brandt went down on one knee in the Warsaw ghetto, his gesture was gratifying to World War II survivors, but it was also ennobling and cathartic for Germany. Would such an approach be futile for the United States?"
Read the full story ›
WND News Services
These reports are produced by another news agency, and the editors of WND believe you'll find it of interest.
Popular eatery dumps vaccine mandate for its workers
Newspaper apologizes for mindlessly parroting government narrative


text:
Q: Importing module in other package causes error I have the following project structure:
project/
  app1/
    __init__.py
    views.py
    helper.py
  app2/
    __init.py
    file2.py

app1/__init__.py:
from flask import Flask
app = Flask(__name__)
from app1 import views

In app1.helper, I can do from app1 import app and it works. If I try to do the same import in app2.file2, I get ImportError: No module named flask_app. I tried sys.path.append/insert but it didn't work.

A: When i had set the PYTHONPATH variable to module i want to import it works fine

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Our company, Integrity Foundation Repair, has been in the DFW area almost 9 years. We specialize in steel piers driven to bed rock or load barring strata guaranteeing a permanent solution to vertical settlement. We choose our name very carefully all those years ago because it is the core value that we hang our hat on.
We also believe that educating our clients and potential clients about the difference between foundation movement and settlement is the key to our business practice. We never sell piers due to cosmetic cracks that may be misrepresented as a structural problem. We take the time to review all data both physical evidence at the time of the estimate and elevation numbers that we collect to be sure that a root cause is found and explained and a proper plan is set out to permanently stop structural damage being caused by vertical settlement.
What have you found to be the most common types of foundation damage that need to be repaired?
The majority of foundation issues that we repair are caused from lack of moisture around the perimeter of the house causing the weight of the house to settle. We also see many cases where natural erosion is the root cause for the movement.
When is it more practical to repair a foundation?
We only recommend repairing a foundation when the cause of the issues is related to a weight distribution problem. This means that if the settlement is beginning to cause the weight of the house to distribute which can cause many issues such as plumbing, roofing and drywall issues.
What are the basic steps involved in getting your foundation repaired/replaced?
After one of our foundation specialists comes out to complete a free evaluation on your home, and review the findings with you we design a repair plan specific for your situation. We send that info to an independent engineer for review. Upon his approval we will arrive on site and begin our excavation which is 1/6 the size of whole used for a concrete pier.
After excavation is complete we install a steel bracket under the perimeter beam of the house and begin driving 3" oil stem pipe hydraulically until hitting bed rock. At that point we move on to the next pier until all piers have been driven. Once all piers are installed we place 22 ton jacks on each pier and life simultaneously until we reach desired elevation recovering the house to an elevation that makes the house structurally sound. The last step in our process is the clean-up. Since our holes are smaller than other methods of repair our clean-up is very quick and leaves the property looking like it was when we arrived.
What is one of the biggest challenges that Texas homeowners have with their foundations?
The biggest challenge that north Texas homeowners face is the dense clay which causes lots of swelling and retraction due to the different amounts of rain we get or lack of rain we get.
The best way to get in touch with a knowledgeable foundation specialist here at Integrity Foundation Repair is to call us at 214-789-7983 or email us at chris@integrityfoundationrepair.com. Our website is Integrityfoundationrepair.com which has lots of good info about us and our products.
Chris Stroup is the owner of Integrity Foundation Repair.


Thread: Calling out around the World.
Anybody out there want to share a random moment in time just to describe a lived and learned experience? Everyone welcome! I want stories in compact detail. Emphasis on compacted detail,...... using minimal words.
Re: Calling out around the World.
I had a dream of sailing away on a carpet of leaves laid out on a fast flowing river.
When I was about 15 I was walking by a small triangular field on the outskirts of town, inside the wall in the field was a bald black man wearing a white suit sitting down on a white chair looking at something on a small white picnic type table, behind him was a small camping tent.
When I came back that way about an hour later the man and his table, chair and tent were gone and it didn't look like anyone had been in the little triangular field that day.
Quite a coup for the Paddies. It has the whiff of the Tet offensive about it. If they'd only had the wit to press their advantage, they would had had machine gunners outside to pick off the survivors.
^ The above is an extract from a former British government minister's diaries. Without using Google, what was his name, and what event did this extract refer to?
Norman Tebbitt and the Brighton Bombing?
Maidir Le: Re: Calling out around the World.
I don't know but I'd like you to tell me.
Right on second point, wrong on first.
Good one. Tell me, was the Sun shining and is the story true?
The sun was shining but it wasn't a hot day, 15° or so in the late afternoon but nice enough for someone to have pitched a tent.
Yes, it's true in my memory bank but as there weren't a lot of bald black men in white suits camping in small towns in the west of Ireland in the 80s then I can't quite be sure if I wasn't in the twilight zone at the time.
At the height of the hunger strikes when tensions in the South reached a crescendo that had the Southern authorities really worried about keeping public order. I saw a large troop carrying military helicopter flying low on a foggy morning as if it was getting its bearings from the landscape. As there were no large troop carrying type helicopters in the Irish Army at the time I assumed then that the Irish and British military were cooperating in preparation for keeping a lid on the South. It was a revelation in that if they were working that closely together then, the relationship must have been much deeper than that incident. Incidentally the chopper was not far away from the little triangular field.
Quite a few sitings of them on the wrong side of the border: saw it myself, and have heard other people say the same.
Thatcher sent troops in to the north of Finland in Russian uniform on a few occasions.
East Galway is a long long way from the border.
1981 - we were offering the British 500,000 Irish conscripts and a land base for their army ('in nuclear war') so that the British could get on with fighting the commies.
sites for missiles, 38 airfields, six major and 38 minor ports, a potential supply of oil and a staging post for reinforcements from North America, the report suggests.
So why should we be surprised at Enda offering to step into the shoes of the French forces in Mali ?
I've always known even as a chisler that the old Civil Service and security forces have always been loyal to outside influence. There's quare treacherous types still running this state since the letterboxes changed colour and Collins filled the Army with ex British Army men.
A good and fearless investigative historian could dig some seriously embarrassing stuff up on the never really left the place British intelligence presence in the ROI if he wasn't knobbled in the process.


text:
var osenv = require('osenv');
var fs = require('fs');
var querystring = require("querystring");
var _ = require('underscore');

module.exports = {

	// Get the name of the dot directory.
	getDotDirectory: function(createIfNotExists) {
		var dotDirName = osenv.home() + "/.liveapicreator";
		if ( ! fs.existsSync(dotDirName)) {
			if (createIfNotExists) {
				fs.mkdirSync(dotDirName, 0700);
				fs.mkdirSync(dotDirName + "/admin", 0700);
				return dotDirName;
			}
			else {
				return null;
			}
		}
		dotDirName += "/admin";
		if ( ! fs.existsSync(dotDirName)) {
			if (createIfNotExists) {
				fs.mkdirSync(dotDirName, 0700);
			}
			else {
				return null;
			}
		}
		return dotDirName;
	},

	// Write the given data to the dot file with the given URL
	writeToDotFile: function(name, data) {
		var dotDirName = this.getDotDirectory(true);
		return new Promise(function(resolve,reject) {
					var dotFileName = dotDirName + "/" + querystring.escape(name) + "--" + data.userName;
					var dotFile = fs.openSync(dotFileName, 'w', 0600);
					var numOfBytes = fs.writeSync(dotFile, JSON.stringify(data, null, 2));
					if(numOfBytes>0){
						resolve(numOfBytes);
					}else{
						reject("Data could'nt be written to the dot file :"+dotFileName);
					}
		} );
	},

	deleteDotFile: function(url, userName) {
		var dotDirName = this.getDotDirectory(true);
		if ( ! dotDirName) {
			return null;
		}
		var allFiles = fs.readdirSync(dotDirName);
		_.each(allFiles, function(f) {
			if (f === 'currentServer.txt' || f === '.DS_Store') {
				return;
			}
			var fileContent = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(dotDirName + "/" + f));
			if (fileContent.url === url && fileContent.userName === userName) {
				//console.log('Deleting login file: ' + f);
				fs.unlinkSync(dotDirName + "/" + f);
			}
		});
	},

	// Delete the dot file for the given alias.
	// Return true if successful, false otherwise
	deleteDotFileForAlias: function(alias) {
		var dotFile = this.getDotFileForAlias(alias);
		if ( ! dotFile) {
			return false;
		}
		try { fs.unlinkSync(dotFile); } catch(e) {}
		return true;
	},

	getDotFileForAlias: function(alias) {
		var dotDirName = this.getDotDirectory(false);
		if ( ! dotDirName) {
			return null;
		}
		var allFiles = fs.readdirSync(dotDirName);
		var dotFile = _.find(allFiles, function(f) {
			if (f === 'currentServer.txt') {
				return false;
			}
			try {
				var fileContent = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(dotDirName + "/" + f));
				return fileContent.alias === alias;
			} catch(e) {}
		});
		if ( ! dotFile) {
			return null;
		}
		return dotDirName + "/" + dotFile;
	},

	getLoginForAlias: function(alias) {
		var dotFileName = this.getDotFileForAlias(alias);
		if ( ! fs.existsSync(dotFileName)) {
			return null;
		}
		var keyObject = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(dotFileName));
		var expiration = Date.parse(keyObject.loginInfo.expiration);
		if (expiration > new Date()) {
			return keyObject;
		}
		console.log('The API key for this server has expired - you need to log in again'.yellow);
		this.deleteDotFileForAlias(alias);
		return null;
	},

	// Get the API key for the given URL, if available and current
	getApiKey: function(url, userName) {
		//console.log('Getting API key for user: ' + userName);
		var dotDirName = this.getDotDirectory();
		var dotFileName = dotDirName + "/" + querystring.escape(url) + "--" + userName;
		if ( ! fs.existsSync(dotFileName)) {
			return null;
		}
		var keyObject = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(dotFileName));
		var expiration = Date.parse(keyObject.loginInfo.expiration);
		if (expiration > new Date()) {
			return keyObject.loginInfo.apikey;
		}
		console.log('The API key for this server has expired - you need to log in again'.yellow);
		this.deleteDotFile(url, userName);
		return null;
	},

	// Write the given URL to ~/.calivecreatoradmin/currentServer.txt
	setCurrentServer: function(url, login) {
		var dotDirName = this.getDotDirectory();
		var dotFileName = dotDirName + "/currentServer.txt";
		var dotFile = fs.openSync(dotFileName, 'w', 0600);
		var record = {
			url: url,
			userName: login.userName
		};
		fs.writeSync(dotFile, JSON.stringify(record));
	},

	// If there is a ~/currentServer.txt, return its content, otherwise null
	getCurrentServer: function() {
		var dotDirName = this.getDotDirectory();
		var dotFileName = dotDirName + "/currentServer.txt";
		if ( ! fs.existsSync(dotDirName)) {
			return null;
		}
		var objStr = null;
		try {
			objStr = fs.readFileSync(dotFileName);
		}catch(e) {
			console.log(e.message);
		}
		return JSON.parse(objStr);
	},

	unsetCurrentServer: function() {
		var dotDirName = this.getDotDirectory();
		var dotFileName = dotDirName + "/currentServer.txt";
		if (dotDirName) {
			if ( ! fs.existsSync(dotFileName)) {
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	},

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			console.log(('Current project is now: ' + projName + " (" + projectIdent + ")").green);
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	// Get the ident of the current project, if any
	getCurrentProject: function() {
		var dotDirName = this.getDotDirectory();
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			return null;
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		var dotFileName = dotDirName + "/currentServer.txt";
		if ( ! fs.existsSync(dotFileName)) {
			return null;
		}
		var record = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(dotFileName));
		return record.currentProject;
	},

	// Get the ident of the current project, if any
	getCurrentProjectName: function() {
		var dotDirName = this.getDotDirectory();
		if ( ! fs.existsSync(dotDirName)) {
			return null;
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		var dotFileName = dotDirName + "/currentServer.txt";
		if ( ! fs.existsSync(dotFileName)) {
			return null;
		}
		var record = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(dotFileName));
		return record.currentProjectName;
	},
	// Get the ident of the current project, if any
	getCurrentProjectUrl: function() {
		var dotDirName = this.getDotDirectory();
		if ( ! fs.existsSync(dotDirName)) {
			return null;
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		var dotFileName = dotDirName + "/currentServer.txt";
		if ( ! fs.existsSync(dotFileName)) {
			return null;
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		var record = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(dotFileName));
		return record.currentProjectUrl;
	}
};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
2 Kings, 25
1. In the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched with his entire army and laid siege to Jerusalem. They camped outside the city and built siege works all around it.
2. The city was under siege up to the eleventh year of Zedekiah.
3. On the ninth day of the fourth month famine became a serious problem in the city, and throughout the land there was no bread for the people.
4. When the city was opened by a breach in the wall, the Judean army fled through the gate between the two walls near the king's garden while the Chaldeans were still around the city and they fled towards the Arabah.
5. The Chaldeans followed in hot pursuit of King Zedekiah and caught up with him in the plains of Jericho. All his army deserted and scattered.
6. The Chaldeans seized the king and led him away to Riblah in the territory of Hamath and there the king of Babylon passed sentence on him.
7. There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah in his presence. He then put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with a double bronze chain and took him to Babylon.
8. On the seventh day of the fifth month in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, commander of the bodyguard and servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem and
9. set fire to the House of Yahweh and the royal palace as well as to all the houses in Jerusalem.
10. The Chaldean army under the commander of the bodyguard completely demolished all the walls around Jerusalem.
11. Nebuzaradan, commander of the bodyguard, carried off into exile the last of the Jews left in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon and the remainder of the artisans.
12. But he left those among the very poor who were capable of working in vineyards and cultivating the soil.
13. The Chaldeans broke into pieces the bronze pillars, the stands and the bronze Sea in the House of Yahweh and carried off all this bronze to Babylon.
14. They also took the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, the spoons and all the bronze articles used in the temple service.
15. The commander of the bodyguard took the basins, censers, sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands, ladles and bowls - all that was made of gold or silver.
16. The two pillars, the Sea, the movable stands which King Solomon had made for the House of Yahweh - all this bronze was of immeasurable weight.
17. The pillars were each eighteen cubits high. Each had a thickness of four fingers and was hollow. On top of each pillar was a bronze capital five cubits high, and above and around the capital there was filigree work with pomegranates made of bronze.
18. The commander of the bodyguard took captive Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the next priest in rank, as well as three doorkeepers.
19. He also took from those in the city a eunuch in command of the fighting men, five personal advisers to the king who were discovered in the city, the commander's secretary, responsible for military conscription, and sixty of his men who were found in the city.
20. Nebuzaradan took all these away to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
21. There at Riblah in the territory of Hamath the king of Babylon had them put to death. So Judah was taken away captive from its own land.
22. As for the remnant of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had left behind, he appointed Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, as their governor.
23. When the commanders of the troops and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they went to him at Mizpah. These were Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, Johanan, son of Kareah, Seraiah, son of Tanhumeth, from Natophah, Jaazaniah the Macaathite, with their men.
24. Gedaliah told them and their men most solemnly, "Do not be afraid of submitting yourselves to the Chaldeans. Live in the country obeying the king of Babylon, and all will be well with you."
25. In the seventh month, however, Ishmael, son of Nethaniah son of Elishama, who belonged to the king's family, came with ten of his men and killed Gedaliah as well as the Judeans and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.
26. Then all the people, from the greatest to the least, set out with the commanders of the troops and took refuge in Egypt, in fear of the Chaldeans.
27. On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiakin king of Judah, Evil-merodah, king of Babylon, in the year he came to the throne pardoned Jehoiakin king of Judah and released him from prison.
28. He spoke kindly to him, and gave him more honorable treatment than the other kings who were with him in Babylon.
29. Jehoiakin put aside his prison garment and for the rest of his life ate at the king's table.
30. Day by day, for as long as he lived, he was maintained by the king of Babylon.
Babylon Chaldeans Jerusalem Riblah Zedekiah bodyguard bronze city commander day king month
"Todas as percepções humanas, de onde quer que venham, incluem o bem e o mal. É necessário saber determinar e assimilar todo o bem e oferecê-lo a Deus, e eliminar todo o mal." São Padre Pio de Pietrelcina


text:
Kuwait: Three Netizens Detained
Posted 28 September 2011 9:05 GMT
Twitter avatars of Mubarak Al-Bathali (left) and Nasser Abul in a blue t-shirt (right).
Kuwait does not have a history of detaining citizens for expressing their views online; the first arrest case in relevance to the internet happened to Bashar Al-Sayegh (@balsayegh) a Kuwaiti journalist who was detained by the State Security Police four years ago because of a post written in a forum that he monitored called AlOmmah.org. Al-Sayegh was released four days after his arrest due to the intense political sphere Kuwait lived in those few days between different political groups and the government. Other cases of arresting netizens only occurred this year after witnessing the interrogation of a popular local twitter user named Mishari Buyabis (@mbuyabis) who was investigated for hours by the State Security Police, which also made a fuss in Kuwaiti political sphere and through media. The arrest cases were three and they all took place three months ago creating a phobia of 'where your online opinions can eventually lead you.'
Nasser Abul (@NasserAbuL) was the first to get arrested for his tweets. He had a long timeline filled with insulting tweets of the Sunni sect and severe criticism and insults to the Saudi and Bahraini regimes for their stand against the Bahraini protests. Salafi Parliament member Walid Al-Tabtabai (@Altabtabie) was the first to post snapshots of Abul's tweets and demand his arrest, which eventually put the controversial parliamentarian, once again, under fire from the Shia community inside and outside Kuwait. Abul has spent three months between State Security Police and the Central Prison waiting for his trial and two of the charges against him were "insulting a religious sect and insulting neighboring regimes", in reference to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. On the 27th of September, Kuwaiti court found Abul guilty of insulting a religious sect and sentenced him to three months in jail, which he already served, and set him free. It is worth mentioning that Abul has denied writing the problematic tweets saying that his account has been hacked and when asked about his twitter avatar with the Bahraini flag he said that he was in a Kuwaiti protest in support of the Bahraini uprising.
Another arrest case of a twitter user happened to a very controversial person called Mubarak Al-Bathali (@mubaark) who has been previously linked with Al-Qaeda and of fundraising money and recruiting men for them through his speeches and visits to different mosques years ago. Al-Bathali openly declares his support of Al-Qaeda but has dedicated himself this year through twitter to being an anti-Shia fanatic with a very insulting tone of language. Locally, Al-Bathali is known for his frequent visits to State Security Police, and this year several Shias filed complaints against him for his tweets. Eventually, Al-Bathali was arrested and he did not deny what he wrote saying that he completely stands for his beliefs, so he was sentenced to three years in prison, which was eventually shortened to six months, for threatening national unity and insulting a religious sect.
The third case is the most mysterious one as Kuwaiti mainstream media avoids talking about it in details. It is the case of a man called Lawrence Al-Rishidi who was arrested for insulting the Kuwaiti Amir (ruler) in a Youtube video, which has disappeared. The Amir, according to the constitution, is the only figure that cannot be insulted nor criticized and it is said that Al-Rishidi has asked him to step down saying that the Arab Spring will eventually reach Kuwait. Human Rights organizations have several times issued reports demanding the release of Lawrence and the other two cases and no replies have been made by the Kuwaiti authorities. Latest local reports indicate that Lawrence tried to deny making the video. Several organizations and activists tried to reach him or his lawyer but nothing has been helpful.
Written byMona Kareem
22 January 2019Advocacy
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21 August 2018Advocacy
Facebook admits it has been slow in addressing hate speech in Myanmar
27 May 2018Advocacy
Acquittal of Fiji Times sedition case hailed as victory for press freedom in Oceania
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[…] Advox: Three Netizens Detained […]
28 September 2011, 11:49 pm
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Pingback: Kuwait Arrests Social Media Users: This Week in Online Tyranny - Social Media
[…] Two Twitters and one YouTube user have been arrested recently in the Gulf country of Kuwait. Kuwaiti Twitterers Nasser Abul and Mubarak Al-Bathali and YouTuber Lawrence Al-Rishidi have all been arrested in the last month or two. […]
5 October 2011, 8:01 pm
Pingback: Kuwait Arrests Social Media Users: This Week in Online Tyranny | Technology NZ
Pingback: Kuwait Arrests Social Media Users: This Week in Online Tyranny
Pingback: Week 6: Control and surveillance
[…] to ends that we, from our cultural vantage point, would find highly objectionable. In Kuwait three people were recently arrested for their social media activity – two Twitter users and one from YouTube. Going into the […]
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[…] Three Netizens Detained na Mpampiasa Aterineto Telo Voatàna Mpanoratra Tahina Voadika ny Tohiny » Ajanony […]
Pingback: Kuwait: Twitter Users Arrested then Released of "Insulting" Amir! · Global Voices
[…] months ago, State Security police in Kuwait arrested two Twitter and a YouTube user. On Thursday (Nov 3), two Twitter users were called in and detained by the public prosecutor for […]
4 November 2011, 11:18 am
Pingback: Kuwait: Twitter Users Arrested then Released of "Insulting" Amir! :: Elites TV
Legal Threats


New holland td 5050 service manual aside!
New holland td tractor specifications Read online or download PDF New Holland TD5050 User Manual View and Download New Holland TD5050 specifications online. TD Tractor. TD5050 Tractor pdf manual download. Also for: Td80d. We offer New Holland tractor manuals and a variety of other items and parts for the New Holland tractors New Holland TD5050 Tractor Operator's Manual Jensales Service Manual Format: New Holland TD5050 Tractor Operator's Manual.
New Holland Operators Manual Read and download New Holland Lawn Mowers TD5050 User's Manual Page 3 online. Download free New Holland user manuals, owners manuals, instructions, warranties and installation guides, etc.
New Holland TD5050 User Manual. Size: 80. 52 Kb. Download. New Holland. TD Tractor Specifications. TD80D TD5050 TD5050 HighClearance. Service brakes Description. Factory Service Repair Manual For New Holland TD5010 TD5020 TD5030 TD5040 TD5050. Diagrams, illustrations make easy any repair, Teardown, Overhaul, Disassembly and Complete workshop& service manual with electrical wiring diagrams for New Holland TD5040, TD5050.
It's the same service manual used by dealers that New Holland Service Repair Workshop Manuals. These are in Downloadable manuals are PDF and are easy to use and will not deteriorate like paper manuals.


At Toronto Physiotherapy we offer orthopedic and neurologic rehabilitation for a wide range of car accident injuries. We are a well-regarded provider of rehabilitation services, and we treat all patients with the same exceptional care regardless of whether they have a Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) insurance claim, extended health insurance coverage, or are an out-of-pocket payer.
All patients attending our clinic receive one-on-one care with a highly skilled registered therapist (no support staff), in private treatment rooms, and with full access to our comprehensive selection of treatment modalities including manual therapy, exercise therapy, electrotherapy and ultrasound, acupuncture, Toronto's first anti-gravity treadmill, and more.
We have the expertise to rehabilitate a wide range of car accident injuries including common orthopedic conditions such as whiplash and back strains, as well as accident-specific joint, muscle, ligament, tendon, spine and bone conditions. In addition to offering orthopedic rehabilitation, our clinic is one of the few clinics to offer specialized neurologic rehabilitation for cases of more severe nerve damage or brain injury. We can also provide car accident rehabilitation in the comfort of your home if warranted.
Coming to Toronto Physiotherapy for your motor vehicle accident rehabilitation is easy. We complete and submit all necessary insurance forms on your behalf, and we bill your insurance company directly. Our goal is make your car accident related rehabilitation fast, convenient, and complete.
Inform your car insurance provider of the accident and any injuries that you have sustained. Regardless of who was at fault for the accident, your insurance provider is responsible for making health and rehabilitation services available to you. If you were a passenger or were outside of a vehicle at the time of your accident, your claim will instead be processed by the driver's insurance company. Once you have a motor vehicle accident injury claim initiated with the relevant insurance provider we can take care of the rest.
Call us to book an initial assessment. In this one hour session your Registered Physiotherapist will examine your car accident related injuries, discuss with you a treatment plan, begin therapy, and collect all the necessary information to fill out and submit an MVA rehabilitation insurance claim on your behalf. If you have extended health insurance coverage you are legally required to exhaust these benefits first, and then the remainder of your therapy will be covered by your auto insurance provider.
Come to our clinic for follow-up treatment sessions. Follow-up appointments will be booked to fit your schedule. These appointments will incorporate a wide range of therapeutic modalities as appropriate, and may include massage therapy with one of our Registered Massage Therapists. As with all our patients, our objective is to use all of our available resources to get you better as fast as possible.
Focus on getting better. We will work on your behalf to manage all reporting and documentation required to continue your claim, and to ensure that you get the necessary treatment you need.
Neck injuries and related disorders caused by motor vehicle accidents are classified as whiplash-associated disorders (WAD), and graded on a scale of I – IV (with IV being the worst). Grade I-III whiplash injuries are treated through physical therapy and patient education. Over-the-counter muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatories can also be beneficial for some patients.
Whiplash is one of the most common injuries sustained in motor vehicle accidents, and accordingly, it is also one of the most common MVA insurance injury claims.
Whiplash can also be one of the more challenging injuries to treat. Success rates are very high, but a small subgroup of patients that appear outwardly 'typical', do not recover in a timely manner, instead experiencing prolonged or even chronic pain and disability. See our post: "Why Whiplash Treatment Can Fail".
How can I increase my chance of whiplash treatment success?
Keep active in your daily life, and continue working if possible.
Keep optimistic about your recovery.
With the help of your physiotherapist, set realistic expectations about your outcome, and discuss your progress and symptoms at every visit.
Request a multi-modal physical rehabilitation program that includes exercise therapy, patient education, and hands-on manipulation and mobilization as well as other therapies where appropriate.
Establish a home-exercise therapy program with your physiotherapist, and stick with it.


text:
namespace System.Collections.Immutable
{
    using System;

    internal interface IBinaryTree<out T>
    {
        int Count { get; }

        int Height { get; }

        bool IsEmpty { get; }

        IBinaryTree<T> Left { get; }

        IBinaryTree<T> Right { get; }

        T Value { get; }
    }
}


text:
Q: Google apps not working on wifi but works on Mobile date Why google apps not working on WIFI but works fine on mobile data I tried my best to solve but still I can't solved I faced this problem a weeks ago. I connect other devices on same Wi-Fi its works but not works on my phone. I clear cache and  data of Google Play Services still not solve.
If anyone know how to solve it please tell me I am waiting for your reply.


SOLKOA, Inc.™ addresses the needs of today's military, federal agencies, and supporting private sector entities, in the rapid development of state-of-the-art Personnel Recovery (PR) Survival, Evasion, Resistance & Escape (SERE) and related operational capabilities to meet government regulations, mission requirements and the current threat environment worldwide.
Using a combination of the latest technologies, flexible and adaptive strategies, multi-modal education & training, and best business practices, SOLKOA, Inc.™ stands ready to provide the most responsive, relevant and best value services and products to our clients who are placed in harm's way around the world in the course of supporting the nation's interests. Contact us so we may immediately begin addressing your needs today. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with you.
SOLKOA Survival Systems is SOLKOA's line of professional grade survival products available to the general public. These products include Fastfire™, the Faststrike™, the SUMA™ Container, the Grip-S™ and an expanding line of emergency survival kits and modules. All these products are available to consumers at www.solkoasurvival.com. SOLKOA is also seeking qualified resellers in the U.S. and abroad.


Despite protests in the tens of thousands that resulted in government buildings held hostage, Thailand's parliament kept Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in power by a large margin (297-134). Police now count the protesters at 15,000, which is small compared to the multitudes last week. The protesters oppose Yingluck because she is the sister of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister, who fled in 2008 before being convicted of abuse of power.


text:
.la és el domini de primer nivell territorial (ccTLD) de Laos.

Encara que el domini està assignat oficialment al país de Laos, aquest domini intenta relacionar-se amb el mercat de Los Angeles, Califòrnia.

El domini .la també es fa servir per a fer jocs de paraules en francès, perquè là vol dir "allà" en francès i altres llengües romàniques. La Fundació Mozilla utilitza el domini "mzl.la" per escurçar URLs.

Encara que el NIC del .la està orientat a pàgines de Los Angeles, les institucions de govern de Laos també utilitzen aquest domini.

Història
L'empresa LA Names Corporation, amb seu a Guernsey, té els drets de venda dels registres .la, i ha utilitzat els serveis de diferents empreses per donar el servei.

Referències

Enllaços externs
 Informació del whois de .la a IANA

Dominis de primer nivell territorial
Laos

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Located south of Dijon, the Gevrey-Chambertin appellation is the top village of the Côte de Nuits. In 1847, by royal order of King Louis Philippe, the name Chambertin was attached to Gevrey and officially became Gevrey-Chambertin.
The grace of the Premier Cru "Petite Chapelle" is equal only that of its elder, the great Cru "Chapelle-Chambertin". This is from a "warm" terroir of fine clays and pebbles that the supremacy of a sweet wine with sweet spices is born.
This wine is enjoyed with noble game such as woodcock, deer or deer.


text:
[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/dadrox/sbt-test-reports.png)](https://travis-ci.org/dadrox/sbt-test-reports)

This is an SBT plugin that produces reports for tests.

This was only tested with an sbt junit framework, but should work with any sbt test framework.

## Usage

Add `addSbtPlugin("com.dadrox" % "sbt-test-reports" % "0.1")` to `project/plugins.sbt`.

Add `testListeners <+= target map (t => new com.dadrox.sbt.test.reports.Xml(t getName))` to your full SBT configuration.

## Compatibility

Should work with the following scala versions:

 * 2.9.x
 * 2.10.x

Should work with the following SBT versions:

 * 0.12.x
 * 0.13.x

## Known Issues

 * Only works for full configurations.
 * Only XML is supported.
 * Does not include stdout/err in the reports for failures and errors.

## License

Copyright (C) 2012-2013, Christopher Wood (dadrox)

Published under [BSD 2-Clause License](http://opensource.org/licenses/BSD-2-Clause)


any Western Christian who is not an adherent of a Catholic, Anglican, or Eastern Church.
an adherent of any of those Christian bodies that separated from the Church of Rome during the Reformation, or of any group descended from them.
(originally) any of the German princes who protested against the decision of the Diet of Speyer in 1529, which had denounced the Reformation.
(lowercase) a person who protests.
belonging or pertaining to Protestants or their religion.
1539, from German or French protestant, from Latin protestantem (nominative protestans), present participle of protestari (see protest (n.)). Originally used of German princes and free cities who declared their dissent from ("protested") the decision of the Diet of Speyer (1529), which reversed the liberal terms allowed Lutherans in 1526.
The word was taken up by the Lutherans in Germany (Swiss and French preferred Reformed). It became the general word for "adherents of the Reformation in Germany," then "member of any Western church outside the Roman communion;" a sense first attested in English in 1553.
Often contemptuous shortened form Prot is from 1725, in Irish English. Protestant (work) ethic (1926) is taken from Max Weber's work "Die protestantische Ethik und der 'Geist' des Kapitalismus" (1904). Protestant Reformation attested by 1680s.
A Christian belonging to one of the three great divisions of Christianity (the other two are the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church). Protestantism began during the Renaissance as a protest against the established (Roman Catholic) church (see also established church). That protest, led by Martin Luther, was called the Reformation, because it sprang from a desire to reform the church and cleanse it of corruption, such as the selling of indulgences.
Protestants hold a great variety of beliefs, but they are united in rejecting the authority of the pope. Protestant groups include the Amish, the Anglican Communion, the Assemblies of God, the Baptists, Christian Science, the Congregationalists, the Lutheran Church, the Mennonites, the Methodists, the Presbyterian Church, and the Quakers.


text:
Tag: Colin Blakemore
Where Is the Evidence That Animal Research Benefits Humans?
Sometimes-Ray Greek collaborator Pandora Pound was the lead author on a paper with that provocative title published by in the February 28th edition of the British Medical Journal. The correct answer, of course, is that it is all around us but that Pound, et al. choose to ignore it.
In the paper, Pound and her co-authors write,
We searched Medline to identify published systematic reviews of animal experiments (see bmj.com for the search strategy). The search identified 277 possible papers, of which 22 were reports of systematic reviews. We are also aware of one recently published study and two unpublished studies, bringing the total to 25. Three further studies are in progress (M Macleod, personal communication).
Seven of the 25 papers were systematic reviews of animal studies that had been conducted to find out how the animal research had informed the clinical research. Two of these reported on the same group of studies, giving six reviews in this category. A further 10 papers were systematic reviews of animal studies conducted to assess the evidence for proceeding to clinical trials or to establish an evidence base.w1-w10 Eight systematically reviewed both the animal and human studies in a particular field, again before clinical trials had taken place.w11-w18 We focus on the six studies in the first category because these shed the most light on the contribution that animal research makes to clinical medicine.
Each of the six studies is then examined and offered up as a criticism of animal research,
An unpublished study by Ciccone and Candelise systematically reviewed randomised controlled experiments of animal stroke models that compared the effects of thrombolytic drugs with placebo or open control.17 The background to the study was the finding that clinical trials of thrombolysis for acute stroke had found a substantial excess risk of intracranial haemorrhage that had not been predicted by individual animal studies. When the animal data were pooled, a significant difference was found in the rate of intracranial haemorrhage between animals in the control and treatment groups.
But, as Colin Blakemore and Tony Peatfield note in a letter to the BMJ, Pound, et al appear to have misinterpreted their own findings,
The authors identified 277 reviews of animal experiments but described just six systematic reviews, conducted to discover whether animal research had informed particular clinical studies. Far from providing evidence that animal research doesn't work, five reviews showed that full analysis of the animal results predicted the ineffectiveness of the treatment being tested. But the clinical work was started before proper assessment of the animal studies.
It is imperative that animal research is properly evaluated before the results are transferred to medical practice. The relevant ethics committees and regulatory authorities should have identified that these clinical trials were based on inadequate analysis of animal experiments. The animal studies were not at fault.
Pound et al did not even consider the importance of animal studies for basic medical research. They ignored research on normal life processes and the natural history of disease, not to mention safety testing. All these make essential contributions to the development of new therapies for humans (and animals). Much of this work is required by law.
Some of the authors have called publicly for a "moratorium" on animal research.2 This is totally unjustified by their results.
In a comment on the paper posted on the BMJ's web site, Blakemore put this more bluntly,
Pound et al. used a Medline search to identify 277 reviews of animal experiments but they chose to describe just six systematic reviews conducted to discover whether animal research had informed particular clinical studies. One pointed out that there is no simple animal analogue of the established relationship between social status and coronary heart disease in humans. This is hardly surprising in view of the complexities of human society, which have no clear parallel in animal hierarchies. The other five papers all described clinical trials that had apparently been started without full analysis of prior animal studies or even in parallel with animal work. In each case the putative therapy turned out to have no benefit and subsequent systematic review showed that animal research revealed exactly the same problems. Far from providing evidence that animal research doesn't work, these studies revealed excellent agreement between animal results and clinical experience.
Unfortunately, as several posts to the BMJ site predicted would happen, mainstream news outlets picked up on Pound's paper as suggesting a serious scientific controversy over whether animal research has benefited human health. The BBC, for example, ran coverage of the study on its website under the headline, "Scientists doubt animal research" and absurdly claimed that,
In reaching their conclusions, the London team [Pound, et al] carried out a systematic review of all animal experiments which purported to have clinical relevance to humans.
Even Pound, et al didn't make that claim, which would be all but impossible to accomplish. Rather, they looked at the small number of studies that reviewed specific animal research, and then apparently cherry-picked just six of those studies to examine closer.
Scientists doubt animal research. The BBC, February 27, 2004.
Where is the evidence that animal research benefits humans? Pandora Pound, Shah Ebrahim, Peter Sandercock, Michael B Bracken, and Ian Roberts. British Medical Journal, 2004;328:514-517 (28 February).
Missing evidence that animal research benefits humans. Colin Blakemore and Tony Peatfield, BMJ 2004;328:1017-1018 (24 April).
Author Brian CarnellPosted on April 27, 2004 Categories UncategorizedTags Great Britain, Medical Research, Colin Blakemore, Pandora PoundLeave a comment on Where Is the Evidence That Animal Research Benefits Humans?
Eloquent Commentary on Animal Rights Terrorism
In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, animal rights activists and Animal Liberation Front defenders argue that their brand of terrorism isn't comparable to what happened at the World Trade Center the Pentagon. Certainly the two are not comparable in terms of scale and loss of life, but they are united by the simple fact that the goal is to terrorize people in an effort to change their behavior. When activists set a researcher's home on fire or fire bomb a laboratory, they are not attempting to make a reasoned argument about the role of animals in medical research, but rather are sending a pretty clear message — stop this or else.
Gillian Reynolds, writing in the London's Daily Telegraph, did an excellent job of puncturing the notion that there is any real difference in aims among terrorists. Reynolds wrote about a broadcast in Great Britain about the terrorism faced by Colin Blakemore, who has been targeted by animal rights activists largely because he is willing to publicly defend himself and debunk many of the activist claims. Reynolds wrote,
How can people who profess to care for animals be so vile to fellow human beings? …
A bomb was sent [to Blakemore] through the post, packed into the kind of cardboard tube that usually carries posters. His children had picked it up, looked at it. Had they opened it, at least one of them might have died, the others showered with HIV infected needles with which the explosive was also said to be packed. A letter arrived, razor blades attached to the top, lacerating the hand of the secretary who opened it. Gangs of screaming people invaded the Blakemore garden, tried to break down the front door. On police advice, they put in security gates and cameras, had panic buttons installed. The protesters came on Christmas Day, on Easter Sunday.
This is, in its most literal form, terrorist behavior. Blakemore and his family have suffered through it.
I couldn't have said it better.
Conscience and the call to arms. Gillian Reynolds, The Daily Telegraph (London), October 23, 2001.
Author Brian CarnellPosted on October 24, 2001 Categories UncategorizedTags Terrorism, Colin BlakemoreLeave a comment on Eloquent Commentary on Animal Rights Terrorism
The Barry Horne Fiasco
Animal rights activist and
convicted arsonist Barry Horne recently ended his much-publicized hunger
strike after 68 days. Horne, currently serving an 18-year prison term
in the United Kingdom for a series of arson attacks, began his hunger
strike after Britain's Labour government failed to deliver on a campaign
pledge to create a special commission to examine animal experimentation.
The prolonged hunger strike, however, raised more questions about Horne
and his supporters than about animal experimentation.
At first, Horne's
hunger strike seemed to energize at least some parts of the animal rights
community on both sides of the Atlantic. Activists in the United States
and Great Britain staged numerous demonstrations and activities in support
of Horne, and some groups began linking their generic protests against
fur or animal experimentation with Horne's hunger strike. But in
December the whole affair turned into a public relations disaster as the
animal rights terrorists got involved and Horne and his supporters made
a series of blunders.
Everything started to unravel
thanks to UK Animal Liberation Front spokesman Robin Webb. Webb, who made
numerous television appearances during the hunger strike, gave the media
a list he claimed came from the radical Animal Rights Militia. On the
list were the names of four people the ARM claimed would be assassinated
should Horne die.
The list included Christopher
Brown of Hillgrove Farm, who provides animal uses in medical experiments;
Colin Blakemore of Oxford University; Clive Page of King's College;
and Mark Matfield of the Research Defence Society. Death threats are no
strangers to Brown and Blakemore who have been targeted by UK activists
in an unrelenting campaign of harassment and terror; Blakemore's
children once received mail bombs intended for him.
Webb tried to distance himself
from the ARM hit list, saying, "we do not condone this," but
he couldn't bring himself to condemn the threat of violence either,
and perhaps for good reason. A British television documentary on animal
rights violence included allegations that Webb actively encouraged such
violence. Former ALF member David Hammond claimed, for example, that Webb
was the main force behind the violent animal rights group, the |Justice
Department|. Hammond also claimed that Webb once offered him a sawed-off
shotgun and asked whether he knew Blakemore. Suddenly, Webb was off consulting
with lawyers rather than distributing hit lists.
And then something really strange
happened – amidst all of the talk over who would be killed if he
should died, Horne ended his hunger strike without obtaining any of the
concessions he demanded. This was odd because only several days before
the British newspaper The Observer ran a story quoting Horne
saying, "I want to die. This is the end. In death you win. …
It is not a question of dying. It's a question of fighting. If I
die, so be it. We have tried to negotiate with the Government. They have
condemned me to death."
The same story quoted his next-of-kin,
Alison Lawson, saying "It is only a matter of time now [before Horne
dies]."
Following publication of that
story, however, Horne and the Animals Betrayed Coalition, which has been
the main animal rights group publicizing Horne's plight, denounced
The Observer's story and emphatically said that Horne,
in fact, wanted to live. What was going on here?
According to a story published in The Observer a few days after Horne ended his hunger strike, Horne had
planned a long fast but wanted to end his strike well before death, much
as he had done in two previous hunger strikes. Seeing newspaper stories
with quotes from activists such as Tony Humphries suggesting "he
is a dead man" forced Horne's hand, The Observer argues, and led him to issue the press release insisting he wanted to
live. Some animal rights activists might have wanted a martyr, but Horne
wasn't willing to play the part.
Ultimately, Horne ended his
hunger strike not only without getting the concessions from the Labour
government he sought, but if anything his actions delayed the creation
of a committee to look at animal experimentation, since the Labour government
doesn't want to be seen as giving in to blackmail and threats of
political terrorism. The Animals Betrayed Coalition did try to put a positive
spin on the story by claiming Horne decided to end his hunger strike after
examining papers sent to him by the Labour government, but those were
apparently papers Horne had in his possession for some time and which,
in any case, did not grant the assurances Horne sought.
There are many lessons from
the Horne fiasco, the most obvious of which is the extent to which animal
rights activists of all stripes are willing to support terrorists and
terrorist activities, starting with Horne himself. Although Horne wasn't
willing to die for the cause, he was willing to endanger the lives of
others during the arson campaign for which he is now serving an 18-year
sentence. Horne planted incendiary devices, hidden in a packet of cigarettes,
in stores of which he disapproved. Horne's activities were particularly
dangerous, however, because he planted his bombs in the products sold
at the stores.
One of his devices, for example,
was hidden in a leather bag which a woman subsequently bought. The device
wasn't discovered until four months later, after the woman had allowed
her children to play with the bag. Horne's activities represent an
extraordinarily callous disregard for human life, and he deserves every
single day of his jail term. As Ian Glen, who prosecuted Horne, told the
jury that convicted him, "the risks and dangers to human life were
blindingly obvious and the risks were either run or ignored for the sake
of political beliefs."
That animal rights activists
would rally around such an individual speaks volumes about the moral compass
of the movement. Animal rights activists like to compare their cause to
the U.S. civil rights movement, but Martin Luther King Jr. and others
didn't sneak around planting bombs in handbags – in fact the
civil rights movement activists were victims of the sort of violence the
animal rights movement perpetuates.
Medical researcher Colin
Blakemore, one of the targets of the ARM hit list, wrote an op-ed piece
noting something peculiar about those singled out for violence:
[When he was first targeted by activists] I was convinced that openness
offered the only route to understanding. But that very stance angers
the terrorists. It is surely significant that three of the four people
who were actually named for assassination by the Animal Rights Militia,
myself included, have participated in broadcast debates on the use of
animals in the past few weeks. The message is clear: defend yourself,
try to respond to criticism, and you may be killed. The perpetrators
of such tactics are not interested in dialogue: they are a lynch mob
that will not even give their victims the right to defend themselves.
The other important lesson
is that negotiating with terrorists only encourages more terrorism. As
Blakemore points out in his article, Horne and other animal rights activists
have been encouraged by a Labour government that actively courted them
during the most recent election cycle. According to Blakemore, Labour
accepted over 1 million pounds in donations from the International Fund for Animal Welfare and in exchange led animal rights activists to believe
it would convene a commission to look at modifying Great Britain's
1986 Animals Act which regulates animal experimentation.
The Labour government did
follow throw by banning Cosmetics Testing, which was a rather minor
victory given how few such tests were actually being carried out in the
UK (most such tests are performed in the United States, Japan or France).
The British government should follow Blakemore's advice and condemn
all animal rights violence and extremism.
I will talk to those who threaten to murder me. Colin Blakemore, Sunday Telegraph (UK), December 1998.
Horne: I'm dying to save 'tortured' animals. Yahoo! News, December 6, 1998.
'I want to die. It's the end.' The Observer (UK), December 6, 1998.
Animal activist attacked shops with fire-bombs. Will Bennett, Electronic Telegraph, November 4, 1997.
'Ruthless' animal rights bomber convicted. Will Bennett, Electronic Telegraph, November 13, 1997.
Horne ends hunger strike. A.J. McIlroy, December 13, 1998.
Revealed: how Barry Horne refused to become a martyr for the cause. The Observer, December 20, 1998.
Animal rights protester ends hunger strike. ITV News, December 14, 1998.
Militant protests target Britain. Animal Liberation Front Press Office, Press Release, November 24, 1998.
Police fear backlash if animal activist dies. John Steele, November 26, 1998.
Supporters rally for hunger striker. The BBC, November 29, 1998.
Hunger striker back in jail. The BBC, December 11, 1998.
Ordinary guy heading for martyrdom. The Telegraph, December 7, 1998.
Day 53 of Hunger Strike. Animals Betrayed Coalition, Press Release, November 29, 1998.
Animal liberation prisoner close to death. North American Animal Liberation Front Press Release, November 22, 1998.
Prisoner in hunger protest 'near death.' The Independent (UK), November 22, 1998.
Animal liberation prisone hunger striker given last rites: Barry Horne to go into intensive care. Animals Betrayed Coalition, Press Release, November 23, 1998.
Animal liberation prisoner close to death. North American Liberation Front Press Office, Press Release, November 22, 1998.
ARM lists potential targets. Animal Liberation Front Press Office, Press Release, December 3, 1998.
Animal rights 'hit list.' The Guardian (UK), December 3, 1998.
Dolly Scientists on Security Alert. The Scottsman, December 3, 1998.
We'll kill 10 if this man dies. The Mirror, December 3, 1998.
Scientists on alert after death threats. The BBC, December 4, 1998.
Author Brian CarnellPosted on December 27, 1998 Categories UncategorizedTags Animal Rights Militia, Animals Betrayed Coalition, Anthony Humphries, Barry Horne, David Hammond, U.S. Justice Department, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Medical Research, Research Defence Society, Animal Liberation Front, Robin Webb, Colin Blakemore, Hill Grove Farm, Cosmetics TestingLeave a comment on The Barry Horne Fiasco
Stephen Hawking condemns animal rights movement
British physicist Stephen Hawking
recently denounced animal rights extremists bent on banning the use of
animals in medical experimentation. Hawking author of the best selling
A Brief History of Time, attacked the animal rights movement in
comments before a meeting of the British Association of Science.
Andrew Blake, director of the UK-based
group Seriously Ill for Medical Research, also appeared before the gathering
of scientists to denounce animal rights extremists, saying, "Medical
progress is being threatened by the extreme tactics of those who are seeking
to abolish animal research."
Both men's comments were occasioned
by the recent controversy over protests by UK activists against an animal
breeding farm in Oxfordshire. The establishment, |Hill Grove| farm, breeds
cats specifically to be used for animal experiments. The cats are certified
to be free of common feline viruses that might disrupt or distort medical
research. British Association of Science president Colin Blakemore, for
example, studies the cats to find clues to the development of the cerebral
cortex. Blakemore is currently developing a new imaging system for analyzing
the brain that he hopes will later be modified for use in human beings,
possibly greatly enhancing our understanding of how the brain works.
For his efforts, animal rights
activists have rewarded Blakemore with two letter bombs, packages containing
razor blades, and assorted threats over the last 11 years. Activists have
engaged in an unrelenting campaign of harassment against Hill Grove involving
everything from car bombs to rock throwing that has destroyed 80 percent
of the glass panes in the house where |Hill Grove|'s proprietors live.
UK's Hawking condemns animal rights extremists. Patricia Reaney, Reuters,
Hawking defends tests on animals. Daily Telegraph,
Sept. 13, 1998.
Author Brian CarnellPosted on September 20, 1998 Categories UncategorizedTags American Medical Association, Andrew Blake, Cats, Cerebral Palsy, Colin Blakemore, Hill Grove Farm, Seriously Ill for Medical Research, Terrorism, Medical ResearchLeave a comment on Stephen Hawking condemns animal rights movement


Run Amok April 30, 2009 ?
In 2004, Haicoole unveiled the California DeLorme Challenge cache. This popular challenge cache has since been repeated in many other states. Your Pennsylvania volunteer cache reviewers thought that we should join in the fun! This cache is owned jointly by Keystone, OReviewer, skeetsurfer, Mr. Ollivander, and our special emeritus reviewer, MissPlaced.
The DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer is published for all 50 states. These maps are a favorite among travelers and outdoors enthusiasts, and are available at many locations, including online directly from DeLorme. The goal of this cache is simple: to find a cache on each and every page of the Pennsylvania State DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer.
The image above shows the geographical extents of each of the pages of the Pennsylvania DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer. The final cache coordinates can be obtained by successfully finding a cache on each page of the Atlas.
As mentioned above, the posted coordinates are not the actual coordinates for the cache. The physical cache may actually be quite some distance from these coordinates! It was hidden sometime in the summer of 2006 by one of the volunteer cache reviewers. The terrain rating and attributes apply to the final cache location, and more details will be provided when you become eligible to seek the final cache. We guarantee you that it will be a strenuous hike. Early finders report hiking for 5 or 6 hours to find the cache and return to their car. If you have concerns about your physical ability to complete this hike, please contact us with details and we will provide hints on the relative difficulty of the different approach routes. We would like for any geocacher to be able to complete the Challenge!
Generally accepted rules, guidelines and conditions for logging a cache find apply. These must be bona fide caches listed on Geocaching.com that you have personally (physically) found and logged. You may include caches found prior to the creation of the Pennsylvania DeLorme Challenge so long as they meet all other Challenge requirements.
Since the Challenge is a lot of work, we wanted to reward finders with some good swag. The initial cache contents are listed in a note below. All the original items were new, and have retail prices ranging from $5.00 to $25.00. Please "trade up, trade even or don't trade," so that every finder of the cache will have an opportunity to trade for a quality momento of their experience. And, please take only one geocoin per finder.
Rule added 5/13/07: If you have found or are working on the Pennsylvania All Counties Challenge, you may not use any of the same caches to qualify for the DeLorme Challenge. You must have at least one other reported find in a Map Grid in addition to the one you claimed to meet the requirements for the All Counties Challenge. And, if you've completed the Pennsylvania All Counties Challenge, you cannot use that cache to fulfill the requirement for the Grid where the random posted coordinates are located!
For Pennsylvania DeLorme Atlas pages that include space not located in Pennsylvania, only caches in the Pennsylvania portion count. We will go off of the posted coordinates for a cache (including multicaches and puzzles) when determining in which state or page a given cache falls.
While the various editions and versions of the DeLorme Atlas do not seem to have changed much in terms of page boundaries, the image above derived from the information in the cache owner's copy (2001 Edition) will be considered definitive.
The final cache is located on Pennsylvania State Gamelands. (Gee, *that* narrows it way down, doesn't it?) Like all cache hunts in State Gamelands, all applicable rules and regulations should be followed. This includes wearing at least 250 square inches of blaze orange on the head and body during the prime November-December hunting season.
If a Pennsylvania Volunteer Cache Reviewer chooses to complete the Challenge under their personal account, he or she must return to the cache location and sign the logbook after meeting the same eligibility rules that apply to everyone else.
When in doubt, ask — we can discuss it or even seek guidance from others, but the final decision rests with the cache owners.
Many thanks go out to Haicoole for the original idea for this cache and to the owners of other DeLorme Challenge caches, especially Moun10Bike's Washington version, from which we have borrowed liberally.
To help you figure out which caches are on which map pages, we have the following files available. Many thanks to IV Warrior and the Central Pennsylvania Geocachers group for hosting these files!
There is also an image of the Pennsylvania DeLorme overview map showing the map pages with the bounding latitudes and longitudes for the pages, excluding latitudinal and longitudinal boundaries created by state boundaries, shown in this log Log with image of bounding lats and longs.
A challenge checker for The Pennsylvania DeLorme Challenge is available from Project-GC.com. This checker meets the updated (May 25, 2016) guidelines for challenge checkers for new challenge caches. It provides a list of qualifying finds (1find per page) and also a map showing which pages have been completed and which still need a qualifying find. This challenge checker is what PA Reviewers will be using to confirm that a cacher has met The Pennsylvania DeLorme Challenge.
We also ask that you think of the *best* cache that you found on each page of the Atlas, for inclusion on your DeLorme Challenge bookmark list. That way, everyone will see how hard you worked to complete the challenge, and we will have a very nice compiled list of Pennsylvania's best caches. This is just a suggestion, not a requirement. If the only cache you found on an Atlas page is a micro at a highway rest stop, it's still eligible.
Speaking of bookmark lists, if you are looking for excellent caches to complete a page for the DeLorme Challenge, check out a shared bookmark list such as Pennsylvania's Favorite Caches, or the personal "favorite caches" bookmark list owned by a geocacher in the area you are visiting.


Dec 3, 2013 change - Mediator Code of Ethics, Standard 10 change (pdf) - Change to Standard 10, Advertising and Solicitation of the Alabama Code of Ethics for Mediators.
This Code of Ethics for Mediators sets forth Standards to guide mediators in their mediation practices. These Standards are intended as rules of reason and should be interpreted with reference to the purposes of mediation. This Code does not exhaust the moral and ethical considerations that should guide a mediator. Rather, this Code provides a framework for the ethical practice of mediation.
Failure to comply with a Standard set out in this Code may be the basis for removal from the roster of mediators maintained by the Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution and for such other action as may be taken by the Alabama Supreme Court Commission on Dispute Resolution.
This Code is designed to provide guidance to mediators. Violation of a Standard shall not give rise to a cause of action nor shall it create any presumption that a legal duty has been breached. Nothing in this Code should be deemed to establish or augment any substantive legal duty on the part of mediators.
2. Mediation conducted by persons whose names are listed on the roster of mediators maintained by the Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution.
(b) Definition of Mediation. Mediation is a process whereby a neutral third party encourages and facilitates the resolution of a dispute without deciding what the resolution should be. It is an informal and non adversarial process whose objective is helping the disputing parties reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
(c) Mediator's Role. In mediation, decision-making authority rests with the disputing parties. The role of the mediator includes, but is not limited to, assisting the disputing parties in identifying issues, facilitating communication, focusing the disputing parties on their interests, maximizing the exploration of alternatives and helping the disputing parties reach voluntary agreements.
(e) Effective Date. This Code shall govern all mediation proceedings commenced on or after March 1, 1996.
(a) Integrity, Impartiality, and Professional Competence. Integrity, impartiality, and professional competence are essential qualifications of any mediator. Professional competence means the knowledge, skill, and thoroughness reasonably necessary for the mediation.
A mediator shall not accept any engagement, perform any service, or undertake any act that would compromise the mediator's integrity.
(B) Regularly engaging in educational activities promoting professional growth.
If the mediator decides that a case is beyond the mediator's competence, the mediator shall decline appointment, withdraw, or request technical assistance.
(b) Concurrent Standards. Nothing contained herein shall replace, eliminate, or render inapplicable relevant ethical standards not in conflict with these rules that may be imposed upon any mediator by virtue of the mediator's profession.
A mediator shall be candid, accurate, and fully responsive to a court concerning the mediator's qualifications, availability, and other matters pertinent to his or her being selected to mediate. A mediator shall observe all administrative policies, procedural rules, and statutes that apply to mediation. A mediator shall refrain from any activity that has the appearance of improperly influencing a court to secure placement on a roster of mediators or appointment to a case.
The fact that the mediation can be terminated at any time by the mediator or by any of the parties.
That a mediated agreement, once signed, is binding and can have a significant effect upon the rights of the parties and upon the status of the case.
(c) Avoidance of Delay. A mediator shall perform mediation services in a timely and expeditious fashion, avoiding delays whenever reasonably possible. A mediator shall refrain from accepting additional appointments when it becomes apparent that completion of mediation assignments already accepted cannot be accomplished in a timely fashion.
(a) Parties' Right to Decide. A mediator shall assist the parties in reaching an informed and voluntary agreement. Substantive decisions made during mediation are to be made voluntarily by the parties.
(b) Prohibition of Coercion. A mediator shall not coerce or unfairly influence a party into entering into a settlement agreement.
(c) Misrepresentation Prohibited. A mediator shall not intentionally misrepresent material facts or circumstances in the course of a mediation.
(d) Balanced Process. A mediator shall promote a balanced process and shall encourage the parties to participate in the mediation proceedings in a non-adversarial manner.
(e) Responsibility to Nonparticipating Parties. A mediator may promote consideration of the interests of person who may be affected by an agreement resulting from the mediation process and who are not represented in the mediation process.
(a) Impartiality. A mediator shall be impartial and shall advise all parties of any circumstances that may result in possible bias, prejudice, or impartiality on the part of the mediator. Impartiality means freedom from favoritism or bias in work. action, and appearance, impartiality implies a commitment to aid all parties, as opposed to one or more specific parties, in moving toward an agreement.
A mediator shall maintain impartiality while raising questions for the parties to consider concerning the fairness, equity, and feasibility of proposed settlement options.
A mediator shall withdraw from mediation if the mediator believes the mediator can no longer remain impartial.
(b) Required Disclosures and Conflicts of Interest.
(A) Any current or past representation of or consulting relationship with any party or the attorney of any party involved in the mediation.
(B) Any pecuniary interest the mediator may have in common with any of the parties or that may be affected by the outcome of the mediation process.
(C) Known potential conflicts, including membership on a board of directors, full or part time service as a representative or advocate, consultation work performed for a fee, current stock or bond ownership other than mutual fund shares or appropriate trust arrangements, or any other form of managerial, financial, or immediate family interest with respect to a party involved. A mediator who is a member of a law firm is obliged to disclose any representation of any of the disputing parties by the mediator's firm or a member of that firm of which the mediator is aware.
(D) Any close personal relationship or other circumstances, in addition to those specifically mentioned in this Standard, that might reasonably raise a question as to the mediator's impartiality.
Mediators establish personal relationships with many representatives, attorneys, other mediators, and member of various other professional associations. Mediators should not be secretive about such friendships or acquaintances, but disclosure of these relationships is not necessary unless that relationship is one of those mentioned in this Standard or some feature of a particular relationship might reasonably appear to impair impartiality.
Prior service as a mediator in a mediation involving a party or an attorney for a party does not constitute representation of the party or consultation work for the party. However, mediators are strongly encouraged to disclose such prior relationships. Mediators must disclose any ongoing relationship with a party or an attorney for a party involved in a mediation, including membership on a panel of persons providing mediation, arbitration, or other alternative dispute resolution services to that party or attorney.
A mediator shall not provide counseling or therapy to any party during the mediation process, and a mediator who is a lawyer shall not represent a party in any matter during the mediation.
All disclosures required by this Standard shall be made as soon as practicable after the mediator becomes aware of the interest or the relationship.
The burden of disclosure rests on the mediator and continues throughout the mediation process. After appropriate disclosure, the mediator may mediate the dispute if all parties to the mediation agree to the mediator's participation and that agreement is reduced to writing. If the mediator believes that the relationship or interest would affect the mediator's impartiality, he or she should withdraw, irrespective of the expressed desires of the parties.
A mediator must avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest both during and after the mediation. Without the consent of all parties, a mediator shall not subsequently establish a professional relationship with one of the parties in a substantially related matter.
(a) Confidentiality. A mediator shall preserve and maintain the confidentiality of all mediation proceedings except where required by law to disclose information gathered during the mediation.
(b) Records and Research Data. A mediator shall store and dispose of records relating to mediation proceedings in a confidential manner and shall ensure that all identifying information is removed and the anonymity of the parties is protected when material included in those records are used for research, training, or statistical compilations.
(a) Generally. A mediator shall not provide information the mediator is not qualified by training or experience to provide.
(b) Independent Legal Advice. When a mediator believes a party does not understand or appreciate how a potential agreement reached through the mediation process may adversely affect the party's legal rights or obligations, the mediator should advise the participants to seek independent legal advice.
(c) Absent Party. If one of the parties is unable to participate in the mediation process for psychological or physical reasons, a mediator should postpone or cancel mediation until such time as all parties are able to participate.
(d) Personal or Professional Opinion. A mediator may discuss possible outcomes of a case, but a mediator may not offer a personal or professional opinion regarding the likelihood or any specific outcome except in the presence of the attorney for the party to whom the opinion is given.
(a) General Requirements. A mediator occupies a position of trust with respect to the parties and the court system. In charging for services and expenses, the mediator must be governed by the same high standards of honor and integrity that apply to all other phases of the mediator's work. A mediator shall be scrupulous and honest in billing and must avoid charging excessive fees and expenses for mediation services.
(b) Records. A mediator shall maintain adequate records to support charges for services and expenses and shall make an accounting to the parties or to the court upon request.
(c) Referrals. No commissions, rebates, or similar remuneration shall be given to or received by a mediator for referral of persons for mediation or related services.
(d) Contingent Fees. A mediator shall not charge or accept a contingent fee or base a fee in any manner on the outcome of the mediation process.
(e) Minimum Fees. A mediator may specify in advance minimum charges for scheduling or conducting a mediation session without violating this Standard.
(f) Disclosure of Fees. When a mediator is contacted directly by the parties for mediation services, the mediator has a professional responsibility to respond to questions regarding fees by providing a copy of the basis for charges for fees and expenses.
(g) Pro Bono Service. Mediator have a professional responsibility to provide competent service to persons seeking their assistance, including those unable to pay for their services. As a means of meeting the needs of those who are unable to pay, a mediator should provide mediation services pro bono or at a reduced rate of compensation whenever appropriate.
(a) Training. A mediator is obligated to acquire knowledge and training in the mediation process, including an understanding of appropriate professional ethics, standards, and responsibilities. Upon request, a mediator is required to disclose the extent and nature of the mediator's education, training, and experience.
(b) Continuing Education. It is important that mediators continue their professional education as long as they are actively serving as mediators. A mediator shall be personally responsible for ongoing professional growth, including participation in such continuing education as may be required by law or rule of an appropriate authority.
(c) New Mediator Training. An experienced mediator should cooperate in the training of a new mediators, including serving as a mentor.
Advertising. Advertising or any other communication with the public concerning mediation services offered by the mediator or regarding the education, training, and expertise of the mediator shall be truthful. Mediators shall refrain from making promises and guarantees of results.
Solicitation. A mediator shall not solicit business from a party to a dispute if the mediator know the party is represented by a lawyer.
A mediator shall not enter into a partnership or employment agreement that restricts the rights of the mediator to mediate after the relationship forming the basis of the agreement is terminated, except that a mediator may enter into an agreement concerning benefits upon retirement.
A mediator should support the advancement of mediation by encouraging and participating in research, evaluation, or other forms of professional development and public education.
Mediator Code of Ethics, Standard 10 change, December 3, 2013 - Change to Standard 10, Advertising and Solicitation of the Alabama Code of Ethics for Mediators.