Toyota, Prestolite, StoreDot, Porsche, LiquidPiston.
Lower-cost fuel cells: Toyota's leading fuel cell engineer Yasuhiro Nonobe predicts prices for fuel cells to futher decrease. His projection is costs will have gone down by one-fourth to one-third by the end of this century compared to the costs of the current system used in the Mirai.
Electric drive production start: Prestolite Electric Propulsion Systems, a Chinese joint venture between Hydro-Quebec's subsidiary TM4 and Prestolite Electric, has now started production in Beijing. There, it will manufacture electric motors as well as power electronic modules for commercial vehicles.
EV charging in under 3 min? Israeli StoreDot says it has developed a new battery prototype based on artificial peptide molecules the company calls Nanodots. The new battery is said to enable ultra-fast charging of smartphones within 30 seconds and even EVs in three minutes or less by 2016.
Third Porsche 919 Hybrid: The German carmaker will have a third Porsche 919 Hybrid racing in the 24-hour race in Le Mans in summer 2015. The hybrid will make its first appearance in the six-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium in May. A driver has yet to be named.
Mini motor: LiquidPiston introduced the prototype of an extra small four-stroke engine with 70 cc. The production version is said to have an output of 5 hp with a weight of only 1.3 kg. While being made mainly for handheld power gear, the X Mini could also serve as a range extender in hybrids.
Most clicked link on Tuesday was the new carbon fiber bodykit for Tesla´s Model S designed by tuner RevoZport.
Elon Musk, Toshiyuki Shiga, George Crabtree.


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Private M&A trends: the use of a 'locked box' pricing mechanism
Corporate Finance/M&A United Kingdom
What is a 'locked box'?
How does a locked-box mechanism work?
What does it mean for buyers and sellers?
What is 'leakage' and what are typical leakage protections?
For the sale of a company using a European-style share purchase agreement governed by English law, the use of a 'locked box' as the seller's preferred pricing mechanism is now more commonplace than the traditionally popular closing accounts.
Traditionally, English law-governed share purchase agreements have provided for the purchase price to be varied by reference to the net assets of the target as at closing or sometimes by reference to some other measure, such as working capital.
Following closing, the buyer and its accountants would normally draw up a set of closing accounts used to calculate the net assets, with a pound-for-pound adjustment to the purchase price, to the extent that the actual net assets exceeded or were less than a target figure agreed by the parties prior to signing.
The 'locked box' is an alternative pricing mechanism to closing accounts, under which the parties agree a price payable for the target based on a balance sheet (the locked-box balance sheet) that is drawn up and settled between the parties on an agreed date in advance of signing (the locked-box date). This date is often the previous financial year-end date or the date of the most recently available management accounts.
Private equity sellers have driven an increasing trend, particularly in the secondary buy-out market but more generally in competitive sale processes, towards locked-box deals (or fixed price deals as they are also known).
For a private equity seller, the attraction of the locked-box pricing mechanism is that:
it allows a seller to resist closing accounts;
it avoids the potential post-closing disputes which can arise with the preparation of closing accounts; and
the full proceeds of a sale can be remitted to the private equity fund's investors upon closing, without the need for any retention to cover a potential post-closing adjustment to the purchase price.
In other words, this mechanism prevents a buyer from using the closing accounts process (where the buyer would ordinarily expect to have control of the relevant information) to renegotiate price.
In European deals, a locked-box mechanism is commonly stipulated up front in controlled auctions or other situations where a seller is in a position to dictate the terms of the share purchase agreement.
In general terms, the mechanism works as follows:
the price is set by reference to the agreed locked-box balance sheet (essentially by adding cash and deducting debt and debt-like items represented on that balance sheet from the headline price to give the equity price);
the selling shareholder confirms that it has received no 'leakage' from the locked-box date in the period up to signing and is restricted from doing so in the period between signing and closing;
the buyer takes the benefit of trading from the locked-box date; and
there will often also be some form of interest or purchase price adjustment mechanism applied to the equity price in the period from the locked-box date to closing. This is intended to reflect the delayed receipt of the sale proceeds by the seller and is often calculated by reference to the expected earnings of the target in that period, expressed as a percentage of the equity price (often referred to as the 'ticking fee').
In addition, a buyer may also be required to agree to repay or procure the target's repayment of indebtedness, which may include the repayment of shareholder loans.
For a seller, key considerations regarding the use of a locked-box mechanism will include whether:
the equity price is fixed (plus the interest or daily earning amount);
it ensures as clean a break as possible (ie, it avoids the need for a closing accounts process and the potential for drawn-out closing accounts-related disputes);
it can enable a private equity seller to remit the full proceeds of a sale to its fund investors at closing;
there needs to be a robust locked-box balance sheet to enable the buyer to price the deal and ring-fence and protect the business's assets to lock the box from the locked-box date to closing; and
any restructuring of the target or carve-out transactions must be completed prior to the locked-box date, as a buyer will accept only financial information which represents the business that it will ultimately acquire on closing.
For a buyer, key considerations regarding the use of a locked-box mechanism include whether:
it will be riskier for a buyer as there will be no opportunity to adjust the price (other than through a warranty claim, if applicable) once it has acquired the target and had a chance to verify its financial position – in particular, a buyer will not know at signing the precise level of target working capital and debt at closing (yet may have an obligation to repay such target debt at closing);
a buyer may also be attracted to the clarity around the purchase price; however, in terms of funds required on closing, the equity price may not represent the full picture (eg, a buyer might also be obliged to fund the repayment of target indebtedness);
a seller has control over the preparation of the locked-box balance sheet and a significant informational advantage; and
a buyer bears the risk (and possible reward) of the target's performance in the period between the locked-box date and closing.
Ultimately, with the use of a locked-box mechanism, a buyer will need to become comfortable through its due diligence investigations with the locked-box balance sheet (this may require more financial or accounting due diligence than that undertaken when the buyer has the comfort of a post-closing true-up).
To assist, a buyer will usually seek a warranty as to the accuracy of such balance sheets, although private equity sellers have been increasingly successful in limiting the warranties and indemnities that they give. A buyer will also require a number of protections in the share purchase agreement to prevent the seller from being able to extract value (referred to as 'leakage') from the locked-box date to closing, other than any pre-agreed value extraction that can be factored into the purchase price (referred to as 'permitted leakage').
'Leakage' typically includes (other than agreed as permitted leakage):
dividends from a target company;
other distributions or returns of capital by a target company and any other sums paid to the seller or its connected persons which are not paid on arm's-length terms and in the ordinary course of business;
fees and expenses incurred by the seller or its connected persons in connection with the transaction and other costs being put inappropriately through the target group;
other payments made (including management, consulting, monitoring and directors' fees) or assets transferred to or liabilities assumed, indemnified or incurred for the benefit of the seller or its connected persons;
the waiver or forgiveness of any amount owed to a target company by the seller or its connected persons;
the waiver of any claim by a target company against the seller or its connected persons;
loans made or interest paid by the target group to the seller or its connected persons; and
the entering into of any agreement or arrangement by a target company with or for the benefit of the seller or its connected persons or giving any commitment for their benefit.
The leakage protections referred to above (and given by the seller at signing) generally take the following forms:
a warranty that there has been no leakage since the locked-box date;
an undertaking that there will be no leakage from signing until closing (together with other more usual pre-closing covenants – eg, that the business will be conducted in the ordinary course and no material acquisitions, disposals, commercial arrangements and/or restructurings will be entered into without the buyer's consent); and
where there is leakage that is not permitted, the seller will make a pound-for-pound payment to the buyer or relevant target company (the buyer may also want to consider whether interest should accrue on this amount and/or whether it should lead to any walk-right).
For further information on this topic please contact Will Pearce or William Tong at Davis Polk & Wardwell London LLP by telephone (+44 20 7418 1300) or email (will.pearce@davispolk.com or william.tong@davispolk.com). The Davis Polk & Wardwell website can be accessed at www.davispolk.com.
Will Pearce
William Tong
Takeover Panel: roundup of recent panel statements
Sky takeover – post-offer undertakings
Sky takeover – regulating an auction process
Sky takeover – applying the chain principle
Takeover Panel seeks to clarify rules on asset valuations

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Springtime often brings forth thoughts of moving into a newer, closer or better apartment. Likewise, some freelancers wish to set up shop at a location outside their home, or to work from a location that is closer to their client's headquarters.
Scenario #1: You scan the newspaper and find an apartment with many amenities at a super low rate. You call or email the owner of the property and they are more than happy to show you the apartment; however, you must first provide your personal information, such as your social security number, address, bank account numbers, birth date, etc. Once you provide this information, you never hear from the owners again.
The real deal: More than likely, you've just been a victim of an identity theft. The scammer is a hacker who will now attempt to access your personal records and make purchases on your credit cards and/or bank accounts.
Scenario #2: The owner in question is not available because s/he lives abroad, is a missionary, in the military, etc. However, s/he will gladly accept your application and security deposit and send you the keys (via an agent, lawyer, etc.) to the apartment once these materials are received. Once you send your application and wire the money, you never receive those promised keys or hear from the owner again.
The real deal: You've just had your money and identity stolen by someone who created a fake apartment rental ad. That person could in fact be out-of-state, or even out of the country. The so-called agent, lawyer, etc. is imaginary.
Scenario #3: The 'owner' answers your ad inquiry and even agrees to show you the apartment. You are then asked to fill out a rental agreement, provide your bank and other information, and leave a security deposit plus one or two months' rent. When it comes time to move in, however, you find out that not only is the apartment no longer available for rent, but that the "owner" you dealt with has long since left town.
The real deal: A scammer broke into an unoccupied apartment and showed it to you as their own. Alternately, the scammer is a buddy of the actual renter/owner of the apartment and is using the place as a base of operations for his/her scam. In some cases, the scammer is an evicted tenant of the apartment and is using it to collect money from unsuspecting renters before being kicked out by the sheriff.
Scenario #4: You find a reasonably priced sublet on Craigslist and agree to take it for a few months after meeting with the current renter and landlord. You provide your information and deposit, then have trouble getting in touch with either the renter or landlord. Upon conducting some research, you learn that the real landlord not only doesn't allow sublets, but has even disallowed Craigslist ads of rentals because of sublet scammers.
The real deal: Scammer duos pose as renters and landlords and list properties that they either have access to and/or can pretend to own. Unsuspecting renters provide their information and security deposits and may even receive fake keys. Once the transaction is complete, the scammers disappear, leaving their victims with worthless keys and no address to call their own.
Each of the following above scenarios can be prevented if you follow a few simple protocols when apartment-hunting.
You are not required to provide any of your personal or financial information, nor any money, as a condition of viewing an apartment.
You should never wire money to anybody, ever, and especially not without first viewing the property.
If the actual property owner does in fact live overseas, use your credit card or Paypal to secure your claim on the property. Reputable owners will often ask that you use a verified third party rental website to place a deposit.
Before providing anything to an 'owner,' check with the city/county website and verify actual ownership.
When dealing with a potential owner via Craigslist or other ad, call the listed phone number and talk to the person one-on-one. Verify everything that the owner emailed to you to ensure that his/her email wasn't compromised.
Be leery of owners who appear too eager to rent their apartment to you, or who don't care about your background screening or whether or not you can sign a lease.
Don't believe that any owner would rent their place remotely- most owners want to actually see their renters before saying yes to them. Alternately, absentee landlords will entrust their property to a local real estate management company.
If an apartment is priced far below the price points of its neighbors, there could be a scam afoot.
If you must pay money, use your credit card, Paypal, or a verified apartment pay website. Never pay with cash or personal check. Never wire money to anybody.
The FTC provides additional information on apartment rental listing scams and how to spot them.
What if you become a victim of a rental scam?
If you do unknowingly become the victim of an apartment rental scam, you should first contact the police. In such situations, legal authorities may already be aware of the scam, and your testimony might help solve the case and catch the culprits.
If you answered an ad, get a hold of the publisher and notify him/her of the issue. Again, the publisher may have additional information on the scammer that could be provided to the police.
Contact the FTC by dialing 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or going to the FTC Complaint Assistant. If you suspect that your scammer is based outside of the U.S., file your complaint with Econsumer.
By taking the above noted steps, you'll not only provide valuable clues to authorities, but you'll help warn others about the scam.
I've been an apartment renter many times, and while I was never scammed in the ways you describe, I'm quite sure that many others have. I always appreciate someone who seeks to help others, particularly now that it's so popular to scam rather than attempt to make an honest living. There's so much bad around, it's refreshing to have someone like you and your other authors as references when we need them. Thanks for an interesting site!
Thank you for the steps of looking out for apartment rental scams. I think this is totally useful for everyone looking out for apartments to rent. The scenario are very practical and it may happen to anyone. I am thinking of renting an apartment sometime later this year and definitely will take reference from your website.


Have you ever had a notion, an idea, or a dream you knew was good, yet you just didn't know how to start? Probably so. I know I'm not the only one, by far. I've been reading books, taking online courses, watching webinars, all trying to convince myself I can do this.
I know I can do this. It's doing it that I procrastinate. The journey of going through tons of resources on websites cyphering through the junk to get to the gold is the reward. Some of this journey took valuable time and money to little avail. A learning journey, and a huge reward.
I let fear take control putting procrastination in spin cycle of my journey for way too long. Fear, that little devil, pops up on my shoulder every so often to manipulate my thoughts. Well, I'm brushing him off, for good I hope.
This post is the beginning of a new endeavor which should be fun and bring satisfaction, especially after I get the hang of things (and clean the devil poop off my shoulder). It's also, most assuredly going to be a difficult journey because all-about-publishing-and-writing is new to me. But, difficult? No, maybe not. It's like anything else we try the first time. Once we jump in, get wet, we love it and wonder why we didn't do this sooner.
So what is the journey? It's writing. Writing life stories, personal essays, precious memories, along with writing a memoir from a significant time in my life. It's also writing about whatever else I feel like writing about.
Since I am a graphic designer I'll use those talents in concert with writing to preserve memories in form of digital scrapbooking. I'm for hire if you need graphic design work (ads, flyers, brochures, for print and web, along with digital scrapbooking your precious memories).
My memoir is first priority yet it's somehow been moved to second fiddle lately as I get this website up and running. I've already started writing it, but I need to have a website to share the stories and build my platform. I won't be sharing all my memoir stories, but enough to whet our appetite. I figure I can write about my trials and tribulations of this process (hence, the Journal) as I write stories.
So here we go folks. I pretty much will be building the site and writing at the same time so you might not see a post every day (I still have a full-time day job), but rather see another part of the website come alive.
A journal of the journey of the memoir.


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Home » Secrets of Powerful Women: Leading Change for a New Generation (Paperback)
Secrets of Powerful Women: Leading Change for a New Generation (Paperback)
By Andrea Wong, Rosario Dawson
"There is something special that happens when you get a group of powerful women in a room . . . and shut the door." -- Andrea Wong, President and CEO, Lifetime Networks
"There's such a reservoir of power among us when we pool our resources and uplift each other. We are limitless in our power when we understand that . . . To read this book is to know that change is possible." -- Rosario Dawson, Activist and Co-Founder, Voto Latino
In the summer of 2008, sixteen teenage girls won exclusive access to dozens of the most politically powerful women in America. These congresswomen, journalists, and activists were supposed to talk to the young women about leadership skills and how to impact public policy, but they couldn't help sharing much more. They told funny, sad, and inspiring personal tales of missteps and small braveries, as well as of great leaps; they also talked to the girls about power pitfalls, power surges, powerful beginnings, and power suits.
Now those secrets are available to you. The wisdom imparted in this unforgettable collection of funny, thoughtful, and inspiring true stories will prove invaluable to women of all ages, aspirations, and lifestyles -- in situations from the PTA to a power lunch, from the kitchen table to the corner office.
Andrea Wong is President and CEO of Lifetime Entertainment and was previously Executive Vice President of Alternative Programming, Specials and Late-Night, ABC Entertainment. Her long list of business successes include importing Dancing with the Stars from the UK to ABC, taking Lifetime from moribund to hot within a year, stealing Project Runway from Bravo for Lifetime, etc. She's a graduate of MIT and of Stanford Business School. She was chosen to speak before the Women's Caucus at the Democratic National Convention in 2008.
Publisher: Hachette Books
Publication Date: February 2nd, 2010
Political Science / Political Process
Political Science / History & Theory


Thousands of individuals, families, and communities have been transformed by God's work through ANCOP. Together, we're truly answering the cry of the poor.
Through our Child Sponsorship Program (CSP), children are given hope for the future, for themselves, and for their families. Their High School and/or College education, along with needed school materials, are provided with a sponsorship.
Every community supported by ANCOP is also given the opportunity to be spiritually nourished through programs conducted by Couples for Christ and its family ministries (a Catholic charismatic lay movement officially recognized by the Vatican).
We build communities by building homes, and providing programs that help them eventually become self-sustainable.


The class continued to train together and after a while they heard of another Korean Black Belt who had just arrived in England from Singapore. Despite a great deal of effort they were unable to contact him but like all good practitioners of the art, they persevered and it was Liam Dandy who made the first breakthrough. Mr. Dandy was on his honeymoon in England when he heard that the Korean instructor was teaching in Coventry. He eventually tracked down the hall where he trained, only to discover that the instructor was away on holidays. Unwilling to give up, Mr Dandy obtained a contact number for the instructor from the caretaker. On returning to Ireland, Mr Dandy and the other practitioners managed to contact the Korean instructor, Mr. Rhee Ki Ha (then a 5th Dan), and arranged to visit him in Coventry. After the meeting, Mr. Rhee agreed to come to Dublin and watch them train.
As chairman of the R.I.T.A., Mr. Howard and another senior member in the association, Mr. Anthony Phelan set about the task of re-establishing I.T.F. Taekwon-Do in Ireland.
Master Howard and Master Phelan promoted to 8 th Degree in 2002.


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Home › News Archive › Milestones › Obituaries › Minister, scholar dies after heart attack
Minister, scholar dies after heart attack
OVERLAND PARK, KAN. —
"Please keep the Bullard family in your prayers, as well as our entire church as we go through this difficult time," Northland Mission's youth minister, Fletcher Hammond, wrote on the church Web site.
Dan Knight, Overland Park's minister of church life, was with the family at the hospital when Bullard died.
"Chris loved God's church with incredible passion," Knight said.
Survivors include Maxine, his wife of 36 years; their children, Jennifer Dennis, Christopher and Parker; two grandchildren, Vaughn and Liam; a son-in-law, Paul Dennis; and a daughter-in-law, Mali Bullard. His mother, Leatrice Bullard, of Texas, also survives him.
Bullard authored six books and was a popular guest presenter at several Christian universities. He established The World of Jesus Institute to promote a deeper understanding of the cultural, political, religious, and geographical world in which Jesus lived and taught. He is a former adjunct professor for the Jerusalem (Israel) Center for Biblical Studies during which time he spent one month of each year lecturing and conducting Biblical tours through the Holy Lands.
Bullard had a passion for leading people to a closer relationship with God, colleagues said. He made more than 20 trips to the Holy Lands to broaden his own knowledge, and he hosted several groups of people on their journeys to the Land of Jesus.
He held a bachelor's degree from Harding University; two masters degrees from the Harding Graduate School of Religion; and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Seminar, Pasadena, Calif.
Services were held Sept. 18. In lieu of flowers, charitable contributions be made to either the Northland Mission Church Building Fund or to the Christian Leadership Foundation for the Parker Bullard College Fund. Updates and a message board are available at the Northland Mission church's Web site, nmckc.org.
Filed under: Obituaries Staff Reports


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Is Civil Discourse Still Possible?
Earlier this month, the BBC's Andrew Neil interviewed Ben Shapiro to discuss Shapiro's new book, "The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great." The interview began with a series of questions about Trump, Breitbart, abortion and other hot button issues. However, as the interview goes on, the predominant question emerges about whether or not Shapiro is partly responsible for coarsening public discourse over the years. Although Neil was abrasive in his exposition of Shapiro, the question is one worth discussing in depth.
Early in the interview, Shapiro got hung up on Neil's harsh characterization of the Georgia abortion law as "barbaric" and a movement back to the "dark ages." However, instead of exclusively defending the assertion that the pro-life movement is civilized and humane, Shapiro attacked Neil as a "leftist." For the remainder of the interview Shapiro kept coming back to the leftist mischaracterization of the Georgia abortion law as Neil plowed forward in exposing certain inflammatory statements Shapiro had made over the years.
After about 15 minutes of intense dialogue, Shapiro abruptly halted the interview claiming, "I am not inclined to continue an interview with a person as badly motivated as you as an interviewer, so I think we're done here!" He got up and walked away. Later, Shapiro came to recognize and admit the mistakes he made in the interview and made a public apology to Neil claiming he had "mistaken his antagonism for leftism." Shapiro admitted that he had not done his homework and ended up with egg on his face by finding himself in the position normally reserved for his interlocutors.
Neil was, at the very least, provocative throughout the interview. However, one might suspect intellectual dishonesty if we were not so accustomed to the degraded status quo of the public discourse. Mattha Busby at The Guardian sheds some light on Neil's intentions in interviewing in such a manner. The BBC interviewer explains, "I tend to take the opposite position from those I interview. It's a useful way to test their positions. It tells you nothing of my own views. What do American interviewers do?" The American interviewer may do that too, but it is hardly an ethical journalistic standard for authentic news reporters.
Civil discourse is the golden mean between the extreme speech codes of political correctness and the opposite extreme of coarse personal and ideological attacks. Civil debate subordinates the emotions to the right use of reason, and reason is subordinated to ethics guided by the Natural Law. The coarsening of civil debate begins when the Natural Law is denied and subjectivism inverts the order of ethics, reason, and the emotions, making how one feels more important than objective truth and moral rectitude.
This great country was built on a robust but civil public discourse. The majority of the Founding Fathers were educated in the classical method and were able deduce talking points from principles of truth gleaned by the great authors expounding on the Great Western Tradition. Modern schools are a far cry from what they once were and have now trained our populace in such self-referential ideologies that authentic dialogue is all but impossible.
If speaking truth without charity is coarse, then speaking untruths is worse still because it is intellectually and morally dishonest. If political correctness is considered "charitable" (read: niceness) without truth, it is worthless in public discourse. Shapiro's method of speaking blunt truths without the requisite charity may indeed coarsen public discourse. However, the blame for the drastic descent of the public discourse to its current depths lies at the feet of our public schools and the media outlets that flow from them.
As a public school teacher, I am keenly aware of how the nationalized educational agenda leads to relativism, subjectivism and ideological indoctrination. Indeed, to disagree with the monolithic ideological stances of the public school is a kind of career suicide. The current state of the mainstream media is merely a rotten fruit of our deformed educational system. As the training in the public schools go, so go the media outlets they have formed.
Shapiro's thesis that "reason and moral purpose made this country great" is most certainly true. One aspect of reasonable moral purpose is robust civil discourse. Unfortunately, however, the golden mean of civil discourse is no longer within our grasp. It seems that either the truth is spoken without charity, or "charity" is propagated by ideological fiat in the name of class warfare and identity politics. Either way, the Neil-Shapiro interview can help us to see both extremes of the difficulties we face in recovering the golden mean of civil public discourse.
Photo credit: Screenshot via YouTube
Steven Jonathan Rummelsburg is a senior fellow at the American Principles Project, a writer in residence and teacher of philosophy and theology at Holy Spirit Preparatory School in Atlanta. He is also a senior contributor to The Imaginative Conservative and has written for numerous venues on matters of faith, culture and education.
Amid Chinese Threat to Cut Rare Mineral Exports, U.S. Should Start Mining Its Own
Pro-Abortion Lobby Deploys LGBT Playbook to Blackmail Georgia


The news arrived out of the blue, from that moment our life would have changed completely but we were not aware yet of the real consequences.
I have always imagined that, sooner or later, we would have been parents, maybe one day, but we didn't think it would have happened so suddenly.
Sometimes life is full of surprises, almost unpredictable, and the unexpected news proved that nothing could be properly planned.
During the pregnancy we experienced various contradictory feelings, from real joy and happiness to anxiety and almost fear to be not ready for the big change.
We felt it was the right moment to leave Madrid, the city where we met and we were living, to move to my hometown in Italy, Venice.
Surrounded by boxes and bags in our Spanish flat when Edda completed all the medical checks and the prenatal course, the fateful moments was only few weeks away, we were finally ready to leave our "querida" Spain, ready to open a new chapter and dive into the Venetian sea.


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Haitian-American GOP congresswoman demands Trump apologize
Republican Rep. Mia Love of Utah called on President Donald Trump to apologize Thursday for his reported comments cri...
Posted: Jan 12, 2018 7:22 AM
Updated: Jan 12, 2018 7:22 AM
Republican Rep. Mia Love of Utah called on President Donald Trump to apologize Thursday for his reported comments criticizing immigrants coming to the United States from what he called "shithole countries."
"The (President's) comments are unkind, divisive, elitist, and fly in the face of our nation's values," Love said in a statement Thursday night. "The President must apologize to both the American people and the nations he so wantonly maligned."
Rep. Mia Love is the first Haitian-American elected to Congress
"The (President's) comments ... fly in the face of our nation's values," Love said
Trump asked lawmakers during an Oval Office meeting on immigration reform, "why do we want all these people from 'shithole countries' coming here?" a source briefed on the meeting told CNN.
The source said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin was explaining to him a proposal to end the visa lottery in exchange for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for countries such as El Salvador. Durbin was going through a list of TPS countries that would be covered. When he got to Haiti, Trump asked why the US wants more people from Haiti and African countries.
The Washington Post-first reported-on Trump's comments in the Oval Office meeting, which the Post said "shocked" lawmakers in attendance.
Love, the first Haitian-American elected to Congress, whose parents immigrated to the US in the 1970s, went on to detail her family's ties to one of the countries that was maligned by Trump.
"My parents came from one of those countries but proudly took an oath of allegiance to the United States and took on the responsibilities of everything-that being a citizen comes with. They never took a thing from our federal government," Love said in the statement. "They worked hard, paid taxes, and rose from nothing to take care of and provide opportunities for their children. They taught their children to do the same. That's the American Dream."
Love isn't the only Republican from Utah responding to Trump's reported comments.
Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, of Utah, said in response to the vulgar remark, "I look forward to getting a more detailed explanation regarding the President's comments. Part of what makes America so special is that we welcome the best and brightest in the world, regardless of their country of origin."
Trump meets with GOP Haitian-American-congresswoman amid fallout from obscene remarks
Trump had promised to be a 'champion' of Haitian-Americans
Trump admin blocks Haitians from temporary visas
Schumer demands McConnell apologize to Kavanaugh accuser
African Union, African UN envoys demand Trump apology
Trump's disparaging remarks bring some Miami Haitians to tears
Congresswoman's victim-blaming comment is an outrage
Congresswoman claims most mass shooters are Democrats
Trump's almost apology tour


Rachael has worked with families and young people as a behaviour support specialist for twenty years, mainly with local government and most recently with a non-statutory service.
She has carried out innovative work with NVR in parent groups, and single family intervention with parents in their home environment. Rachael has pioneered the integration of NVR and 12-step principles in her work with parents recovering from addiction, and has supported PartnershipProjects by providing training and supervision on the NVR Certificate Course.


Entering the room in the London Intercontinental O2 conference center to hear Rick Jewell's keynote presentation on "Oracle SCM Cloud: Vision and Roadmap" proved to me that Cloud has finally arrived for supply chain. A packed room was there to hear not just about the recent launch of our full portfolio of supply chain products, but also to listen to customers such as RWG and SIG plc explain very coherently about how every customer's path to the Cloud is different.
The London event was the latest in a series of conferences we are hosting around the world covering arguably the most important technology trend of today: digital transformation. The Modern Supply Chain Experience events in San Jose, Dubai and London welcomed hundreds of supply chain professionals and laid on packed programmes of keynote speeches and customer panels providing much food for thought and painting a clear picture of just how much the supply chain is set to change over the next few years.
1. The Cloud has arrived in the supply chain. Until recently the Cloud had been something happening elsewhere in the business. All the signs now point to the fact that Cloud computing is set to have an impact across global supply chains. Feedback from attendees at the event suggested that while many were only just embarking on their journeys to the Cloud, or had yet to finalise a Cloud strategy when it came to supply chain, they are in the process of building one. Rick Jewell, SVP Applications Development at Oracle emphasised that use of the Cloud in supply chains is now a matter of 'when', not 'if', and that businesses need to ensure that when they do decide to migrate to the Cloud they can do so rapidly. This trend is one that Oracle is well aware of and, as a result, supply chain is now a key focus area for our Cloud proposition for customers.
The good news is that the Cloud supports a phased migration through which businesses can avoid the risk, cost and complexity associated with ripping and replacing legacy equipment all in one go.
2. Supply Chain Cloud adoption will happen at varying speeds. Supply chain is still dominated by on-premise solutions, owned by the business and maintained by the IT department. Even with the Cloud offering such transformative benefits to businesses as enabling Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things and connected supply chains, the ubiquity of on-premise solutions means there will be a degree of coexistence for some time. However, we also learned at the event that this is by no means a problem – everyone's path to the Cloud will be different; whether transformational, incremental or complimentary. The good news is that the Cloud supports a phased migration through which businesses can avoid the risk, cost and complexity associated with ripping and replacing legacy equipment all in one go.
Many attendees hadn't realized quite how different the look and feel of applications in the Cloud are, nor how quickly they can be provisioned and how easy it can be to share data within the Cloud.
3. The Cloud still surprises people. Maybe it's because the Cloud is relatively nascent in the supply chain space, but one takeaway that was common across all of the events was just how impressed supply chain managers were by how transformational the Cloud can be. Many attendees hadn't realized quite how different the look and feel of applications in the Cloud are, nor how quickly they can be provisioned and how easy it can be to share data within the Cloud. As more people from the traditional on-premise environment come to understand the adaptability and intuitive nature of Cloud-based supply chain applications, uptake will no doubt accelerate further.
The supply Chain is all about enabling marginal gains. While Sir Dave Brailsford's experience is outside of the supply chain space, his ideas gave attendees at the event much to think about.
4. The supply Chain is all about enabling marginal gains. In London, we were lucky enough to be joined by Sir Dave Brailsford, former Team GB cycling coach and general manager of the all-conquering Team Sky. Sir Dave talked about his belief in the aggregation of marginal gains – how small changes over the entirety of a system can be more effective than big changes in just one aspect of it. While Sir Dave's experience is outside of the supply chain space, his ideas gave attendees at the event much to think about. Historically, from both the software product and the organisational perspectives, we have often looked at individual elements of the supply chain as existing in silos, and therefore tried to optimize each of them in isolation. However, the modern supply chain is truly an end-to-end process, and performance needs to be optimized in a unified way across the entire chain. The Cloud provides visibility of the entire supply chain required to do that, allowing supply chain managers to make changes that can improve the system as a whole rather than just discrete elements of it.
The modern supply chain now encompasses everything from product and service innovation to manufacturing, fulfilment and post-sales service.
5. Customer centricity is key. While much of the day's programme focused on technology-driven transformation, a presentation by former Sainsbury's Bank and Eurostar CEO and expert on customer innovation, Hamish Taylor helped put the technology story into its wider context. Hamish reminded attendees about the importance of customer centricity in everything they do, and that when building supply chains they must think not only of their customer, but also their customer's customer. In the same way, they should think of their supplier, and their supplier's supplier. Building operations from the customer perspective helps businesses differentiate and encompasses much more than simply a customer-facing website or home-delivery. The modern supply chain now encompasses everything from product and service innovation to manufacturing, fulfilment and post-sales service. As such, customer-centricity should be at the core of supply chain and integral to everything modern business is about.
This year's events have shown that the Cloud has truly arrived in the supply chain space. It will be interesting to report back next year on how quickly uptake progresses.
Oracle's next Modern Supply Chain Experience events will take place in Singapore on the 23rd of March and in Munich on the 19th and 20th of April.


Get 10% cashback on orders worth Rs.7000 and above. You will receive the 10% cashback coupon code through email which you can use within a 3 months to avail the benefit. This coupon will be usable for all categories on the website.


text:
package com.mycompany.myapp.web.rest;

import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;

import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonInclude;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.SerializationFeature;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.datatype.jsr310.JavaTimeModule;
import com.mycompany.myapp.GeneratedByJHipster;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.math.BigDecimal;
import java.time.ZonedDateTime;
import java.time.format.DateTimeParseException;
import java.util.List;
import javax.persistence.EntityManager;
import javax.persistence.TypedQuery;
import javax.persistence.criteria.CriteriaBuilder;
import javax.persistence.criteria.CriteriaQuery;
import javax.persistence.criteria.Root;
import org.hamcrest.Description;
import org.hamcrest.TypeSafeDiagnosingMatcher;
import org.hamcrest.TypeSafeMatcher;
import org.springframework.format.datetime.standard.DateTimeFormatterRegistrar;
import org.springframework.format.support.DefaultFormattingConversionService;
import org.springframework.format.support.FormattingConversionService;

/**
 * Utility class for testing REST controllers.
 */
@GeneratedByJHipster
public final class TestUtil {

    private static final ObjectMapper mapper = createObjectMapper();

    private static ObjectMapper createObjectMapper() {
        ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
        mapper.configure(SerializationFeature.WRITE_DURATIONS_AS_TIMESTAMPS, false);
        mapper.setSerializationInclusion(JsonInclude.Include.NON_EMPTY);
        mapper.registerModule(new JavaTimeModule());
        return mapper;
    }

    /**
     * Convert an object to JSON byte array.
     *
     * @param object the object to convert.
     * @return the JSON byte array.
     * @throws IOException
     */
    public static byte[] convertObjectToJsonBytes(Object object) throws IOException {
        return mapper.writeValueAsBytes(object);
    }

    /**
     * Create a byte array with a specific size filled with specified data.
     *
     * @param size the size of the byte array.
     * @param data the data to put in the byte array.
     * @return the JSON byte array.
     */
    public static byte[] createByteArray(int size, String data) {
        byte[] byteArray = new byte[size];
        for (int i = 0; i < size; i++) {
            byteArray[i] = Byte.parseByte(data, 2);
        }
        return byteArray;
    }

    /**
     * A matcher that tests that the examined string represents the same instant as the reference datetime.
     */
    @GeneratedByJHipster
    public static class ZonedDateTimeMatcher extends TypeSafeDiagnosingMatcher<String> {

        private final ZonedDateTime date;

        public ZonedDateTimeMatcher(ZonedDateTime date) {
            this.date = date;
        }

        @Override
        protected boolean matchesSafely(String item, Description mismatchDescription) {
            try {
                if (!date.isEqual(ZonedDateTime.parse(item))) {
                    mismatchDescription.appendText("was ").appendValue(item);
                    return false;
                }
                return true;
            } catch (DateTimeParseException e) {
                mismatchDescription.appendText("was ").appendValue(item).appendText(", which could not be parsed as a ZonedDateTime");
                return false;
            }
        }

        @Override
        public void describeTo(Description description) {
            description.appendText("a String representing the same Instant as ").appendValue(date);
        }
    }

    /**
     * Creates a matcher that matches when the examined string represents the same instant as the reference datetime.
     *
     * @param date the reference datetime against which the examined string is checked.
     */
    public static ZonedDateTimeMatcher sameInstant(ZonedDateTime date) {
        return new ZonedDateTimeMatcher(date);
    }

    /**
     * A matcher that tests that the examined number represents the same value - it can be Long, Double, etc - as the reference BigDecimal.
     */
    @GeneratedByJHipster
    public static class NumberMatcher extends TypeSafeMatcher<Number> {

        final BigDecimal value;

        public NumberMatcher(BigDecimal value) {
            this.value = value;
        }

        @Override
        public void describeTo(Description description) {
            description.appendText("a numeric value is ").appendValue(value);
        }

        @Override
        protected boolean matchesSafely(Number item) {
            BigDecimal bigDecimal = asDecimal(item);
            return bigDecimal != null && value.compareTo(bigDecimal) == 0;
        }

        private static BigDecimal asDecimal(Number item) {
            if (item == null) {
                return null;
            }
            if (item instanceof BigDecimal) {
                return (BigDecimal) item;
            } else if (item instanceof Long) {
                return BigDecimal.valueOf((Long) item);
            } else if (item instanceof Integer) {
                return BigDecimal.valueOf((Integer) item);
            } else if (item instanceof Double) {
                return BigDecimal.valueOf((Double) item);
            } else if (item instanceof Float) {
                return BigDecimal.valueOf((Float) item);
            } else {
                return BigDecimal.valueOf(item.doubleValue());
            }
        }
    }

    /**
     * Creates a matcher that matches when the examined number represents the same value as the reference BigDecimal.
     *
     * @param number the reference BigDecimal against which the examined number is checked.
     */
    public static NumberMatcher sameNumber(BigDecimal number) {
        return new NumberMatcher(number);
    }

    /**
     * Verifies the equals/hashcode contract on the domain object.
     */
    public static <T> void equalsVerifier(Class<T> clazz) throws Exception {
        T domainObject1 = clazz.getConstructor().newInstance();
        assertThat(domainObject1.toString()).isNotNull();
        assertThat(domainObject1).isEqualTo(domainObject1);
        assertThat(domainObject1).hasSameHashCodeAs(domainObject1);
        // Test with an instance of another class
        Object testOtherObject = new Object();
        assertThat(domainObject1).isNotEqualTo(testOtherObject);
        assertThat(domainObject1).isNotEqualTo(null);
        // Test with an instance of the same class
        T domainObject2 = clazz.getConstructor().newInstance();
        assertThat(domainObject1).isNotEqualTo(domainObject2);
        // HashCodes are equals because the objects are not persisted yet
        assertThat(domainObject1).hasSameHashCodeAs(domainObject2);
    }

    /**
     * Create a {@link FormattingConversionService} which use ISO date format, instead of the localized one.
     * @return the {@link FormattingConversionService}.
     */
    public static FormattingConversionService createFormattingConversionService() {
        DefaultFormattingConversionService dfcs = new DefaultFormattingConversionService();
        DateTimeFormatterRegistrar registrar = new DateTimeFormatterRegistrar();
        registrar.setUseIsoFormat(true);
        registrar.registerFormatters(dfcs);
        return dfcs;
    }

    /**
     * Makes a an executes a query to the EntityManager finding all stored objects.
     * @param <T> The type of objects to be searched
     * @param em The instance of the EntityManager
     * @param clss The class type to be searched
     * @return A list of all found objects
     */
    public static <T> List<T> findAll(EntityManager em, Class<T> clss) {
        CriteriaBuilder cb = em.getCriteriaBuilder();
        CriteriaQuery<T> cq = cb.createQuery(clss);
        Root<T> rootEntry = cq.from(clss);
        CriteriaQuery<T> all = cq.select(rootEntry);
        TypedQuery<T> allQuery = em.createQuery(all);
        return allQuery.getResultList();
    }

    private TestUtil() {}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
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areaseven posted a topic in Anime or Science Fiction
The Iron Giant Warner Bros. Pictures, 1999 Directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) Executive Producer: Pete Townshend (the guy from The Who that used to destroy his guitars every night...) Based on the novel The Iron Man by the late Ted Hughes (1930-1998) Running Time: 86 minutes Rated PG for sci-fi violence. Cast Eli Marienthal (Stifler's brother in American Pie 1-2) as Hogarth Hughes Vin Diesel (Riddick, Dominic Toretto in The Fast and the Furious) as The Iron Giant Jennifer Aniston (Tory in Leprechaun, Joanna in Office Space) as Annie Hughes Harry Connick, Jr. (Narrator in My Dog Skip, Jimmy in Independence Day) as Dean McCoppin Christopher McDonald (Jor-El in Superman: The Animated Series, Superman in Batman Beyond) as Kent Mansley John Mahoney (Marty in Frasier) as Gen. Rogard Synopsis In 1957, a mysterious object from space crashes on a stormy night off the coast of Maine. The next night, in the small town of Rockwell, a boy named Hogarth discovers the object as a giant robotic being with an appetite for metal and the ability to repair itself. He befriends the robot after saving it when it clumsily traps itself between power lines. Shortly afterward, Hogarth has the Giant stay at a junkyard run by a Beatnik named Dean. At the same time, Hogarth must keep the Giant's existence a secret from Mansley, a nosy government agent sent to investigate strange anomalies in the town. Story: A+ It's such a shame that this film flopped at the box office due to Warner Bros.' inability to properly market it, as this is how an American animated story should be told. The Iron Giant is a classic tale of boy-meets-alien. The Cold War-era works perfectly with the story, as well as the Giant's interaction with its surroundings and its struggle to differentiate good from evil. In addition, outstanding performances are given by the main cast. Yes - even by Vin Diesel, who still has yet to outdo his role as the Giant. Despite the film failing at the box office, director Brad Bird went on to find greater success in 2004 with Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles. Animation: A+ This is how a great American story should be animated. The Iron Giant displays some of the best examples of different forms of animation - old-style rotoscoping (which is much better than the style Don Bluth used to kill his career in Titan A.E.) for the human characters mixed with cel-shaded CGI for the Giant and various military vehicles. Soundtrack: A The film score by the late Michael Kamen (1948-2003) (Metallica's S&M live album, Pink Floyd's The Wall) is not as loud as his other theatrical works, but it works really well and doesn't detract from the storytelling. The Bottom Line Probably the last great American 2D animated theatrical release and undoubtedly one of the best sci-fi stories ever told. DVD Extras: A The Special Edition DVD is loaded with extras such as additional scenes cut from the film (in animated storyboard form, with commentary by director Bird), the full "Duck and Cover" song, numerous behind-the-scenes footage that's accessible in the middle of the film, a motion gallery and some trailers. There's also a mini-documentary featuring Vin Diesel - not that anyone cares, anyway. In addition, the DVD-ROM has some bonuses that may probably crash your computer. Links The Iron Giant Official Site References The Internet Movie Database
Eli Marienthal
Christopher McDonald
giant robots
Kanedas Bike posted a topic in Anime or Science Fiction
Tomorrowland First teaser for Disney's new movie starring Britt Robertson, George Clooney, Judy Greer, Hugh Laurie and others, directed by Brad Bird. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1k59gXTWf-A Looks promising, for the most part I like Brad Bird's work so I look forward to seeing how this turns out. -b.
Geroge Clooney
Britt Robertson
Tom Cruise returns as IMF Agent Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, the fourth installment in the Mission: Impossible film series. J. J. Abrams, who directed Mission: Impossible III, is this film's co-producer with long-time colleague Bryan Burk. Taking over the director's chair is Brad Bird (The Incredibles, The Iron Giant), making this his first live-action film. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol makes its debut in Dubai on December 7 before being released worldwide between December 14, 2011 and February 3, 2012. Official Site


Five courses of awesome snowboard action in this 3rd person game with intuitive controls. Make it to the finish line before time runs out. Pick up power ups for extra speed , take off ramps and perform tricks for points. The ultimate snowboarding game.
Move the mouse up towards the middle of the game window to accelerate. Steer with mouse. Left mouse click to jump over obstacles. Skate onto ramps and when in the air, left click to do flips, move mouse left/right to spin in that direction. Extra points for combo tricks.


text:
VERMONT LOOKOUTS
SAXON HILL
July 26, 1932: "At 2 o'clock there will be guided field trips to parts of the forest to observer plantations, pruning operations, weeding and thinning. The Saxon Hill fire lookout tower will be demonstrations of fire tools and planting tools." (Rutland Daily Herald)
1949 - 1950: "New tower built by Village of Essex. Painted porch and installed new cook stove at lookouts cabin." (Biennial Report of the Vermont Forest Service)
1951 - 1952: "Porch floor painted." (Biennial Report of the Vermont Forest Service)
1953 - 1954: "Painted camp outside and inside. Stair treads painted. Painted inside of tower cab." (Biennial Report of the Vermont Forest Service)
1967 - 1968: "In the 1920's. the village of Essex Junction built a lookout cabin on Saxon Hill overlooking the Village Forest. The Department of Forests and Parks under 10 VSA 1492, has manned the station. In June 1967 the cabin was struck by lightning and burned. A house trailer was moved to the foot of the mountain and provided temporary quarters while the village was building a new cabin." (Biennial Report of the Department of Forests and Parks)


Rent a Dumpster in Atkinson Now!
Simply give us a call and we will answer any questions you may have about the Atkinson dumpster rental procedure, allowed materials, size you may need, etc.
Our roll off containers can usually be delivered in Atkinson the day after you place your order. Make sure to call us early to ensure timely delivery.
Most individuals do not want to rent dumpsters unless they absolutely have to. At times, though, it becomes clear that you just need to rent a dumpster in Atkinson for commercial and residential projects.
Most cities WOn't haul away building debris for you. It is your duty to make sure you have a suitable container to collect lost material from remodeling projects. Even though you just have a small project, municipal waste management is not likely to haul the debris away.
In case you have one of these projects in your mind, then you understand it is time to look for a reliable service in Atkinson.
Junk removal vs in Atkinson - Which is good for you?
For those who have a project you're going to undertake at home, you might be wondering if it's better to hire someone to come haul off all your waste and rubbish for you, or in the event you should just rent a dumpster in Atkinson and load it yourself.
Renting a container is a better solution in the event you want the flexibility to load it on your own time and you do not mind doing it yourself to save on labour. Dumpsters also work nicely in the event you have at least seven cubic yards or more of debris. Rolloffs normally begin at 10 cubic yards, so if you only have 3-4 yards of waste, you're paying for much more dumpster than you want.
Garbage or crap removal makes more sense if you want someone else to load your old stuff. In addition, it works nicely if you want it to be taken away immediately so it's out of your hair, or in the event you only have a few big things; this is likely cheaper than renting a whole dumpster.
Almost all roll of dumpsters have the same width (typically eight feet). This makes it possible for firms to make use of the same trucks to transport a wide variety of dumpsters. When you see a dumpster's measurements, therefore, you can assume that they refer to depth and length. You may even see dumpster sizes recorded by yards. This really refers to square yards that measure the dumpster's volume.
If you're organizing a large commercial job, then you'll likely need a 40-yard dumpster or larger. Big house renovations may require a 30-yard dumpster, but most smaller home repairs just need 20-yard or even 10-yard dumpsters. Speak to an expert should you need more guidance on selecting a dumpster size that matches your job.
One of the most important things to do when you're contemplating a construction or remodeling project is to plan ahead. Part of that procedure will be studying your dumpster needs for the job. Knowing ahead of time how in Atkinson functions will make things easier when you start the procedure. You can locate a lot of the general advice you need online, but for information particular to your region, you would need to call your local company. Be sure to ask about any hidden or additional fees so you don't get stuck with a surprise bill.
One of the greatest parts of your research will be determining the right size container you need to rent predicated on the size of the endeavor. This will be your largest cost, so ensure you get a size that's large enough to survive for the entire job. Other issues to research first comprise a possible location for the container, the type of waste which you're throwing away and the duration of time you'll need the dumpster.
Whether or not you require a long-term or roll off dumpster depends upon the type of job and service you will need. Long-Lasting dumpster service is for enduring needs that last more than just a day or two. This includes things like day to day waste and recycling needs. Temporary service is precisely what the name suggests; a one time demand for job-special waste removal.
Temporary rolloff dumpsters are delivered on a truck and are rolled off where they'll be properly used. These are typically bigger containers that may manage all the waste that comes with that particular job. Long-Lasting dumpsters are generally smaller containers because they are emptied on a regular basis and so do not need to hold as much at one time.
If you request a permanent dumpster, some firms demand at least a one-year service agreement for that dumpster. Rolloff dumpsters merely require a rental fee for the time that you simply keep the dumpster on the job.
All major credit cards accepted for dumpster rentals in Atkinson.


text:
Oct 23 2016 October 23, 2016 October 23, 2016 3Comments by Administrator
I am a tough administrator – Dilrukshi
President Maithripala Sirisena publicly warned that he would take action against the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) as well as the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) for 'pursuing a political agenda' at a function held on 12 October in Colombo.
The President irately said those institutions should not operate according to any political agenda at the expense of justice.
In response to this statement, then Director General of CIABOC, now Additional Solicitor General Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe, tendered her resignation. After many rounds of discussion held with several parties, the President finally accepted her resignation on 19 October. Former DG of CIABOC expressed these comments during an exclusive interview with Ceylon Today on Friday.
Following are excerpts:
BY A Special Correspondent
Q: Did you tender your resignation in order to defy the comments made by the President?
A: Yes indeed. I have always given my utmost to the cause. I am a person who believes that we could fully eradicate corruption in this country. I still believe in that. All we need is a strong commitment. I associated a zero tolerance policy at the Commission when disbursing my obligation. Although the President's comments were not made against me directly, he undermined the independence of the Commission in which I served as the Director General. Mind you, he is the first citizen of the country, making this comment on an independent Commission, and not any common man on the street. Also, I wanted to make this remark, during my tenure the President had never called me and interfered into any affair. I should give that credit to him. I believe that he was misinformed on certain facts.
However, I did not like to hold the position when the leader of this country is displeased with the turn of events or had an iota of doubt about the Commission.
The President had pledged to the people that he would establish good governance and fully eradicate corruption in the country. If the President feels that the existing investigative authorities are a hindrance to his cause, I honestly don't think that I should hold that position. I had always lived by principles and here I am walking my talk.
Q: Did you divulge any information to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Cabinet spokesperson accused you of doing?
A: I fully deny this fabricated story. I see this as a cowardly act to divert the blame on me by the minster. There were so many politicians and others that knew this. I am sure even the Joint Opposition and the SLFP will not believe this concocted story that I gave info to the former President. If the minister thinks that the citizens of this country are fools, he is sadly mistaken.
Q: Criticisms arose from many corners of possible bias when probing into allegations against the members of the United National Party. What is your response?
A: I must make this very clear to you. CIABOC is an independent Commission. I always strived to foster independence when probing into complaints lodged at the Commission. I never extended any preference to cases handed over to me by the Commissioners.
Political affiliation of the accused was never a consideration to me when disbursing my obligation to the Commission. I read in the media the several comments made on the bond issue. I probed into the controversial bond issue the same way I probed into other cases. I must make this very clear that former Governor of the Central Bank Arjuna Mahendran was summoned before the Commission to record his statement. The inquiry is underway as we speak. Also, Minister of Health Rajitha Senaratne was summoned and presented before the Commission multiple times to record statements. Therefore, the so-called bias is a fiction created by some accused politicians for their personal gain.
There are a number of Cases under investigation at this very juncture. The Commission will definitely file action once facts are established. So, how can you frame me or the Commission as biased when we are duly and honestly fulfilling the requisites of the Commission?
Moreover, the investigations are forwarded to me by the Commissioners. I never ever take decision to investigate. That is the role of the Commissioners. My duty is to get the investigators to work, provide them with the resources to enable them to investigate. I have no discretion in selecting the complaints. It is a very transparent process.
Q: How do you describe your tenure at CIABOC until the time it came to a controversial closure?
A: Well, I assumed duties in my position on 12 February 2015 at a juncture when the reputation of the CIABOC was at stake. People had lost trust due to various political influences that surrounded the Commission. Therefore, much work needed to be done to bring it back to a socially accepted state. Also, it was a time when there was a heap of complaints lodged at the Commission just after the change of government. We found it extremely difficult to cope up with the number of complaints due to various constrains existed in the Commission.
CIABOC was virtually paralyzed during the last decade, so we needed to take appropriate actions to put the system back in place and to build the capacities of the existing staff. Also, we had recruited many new faces to the Commission and trained them in conducting discrete investigations. It is not like any other institution; we needed to assure the extreme virtues of integrity and efficiency of the recruits. Also, the process of employee induction was somewhat a challenging task.
However, we managed to gradually uplift the reputation of the institution to a higher state. We have managed to develop close coordination with the UN and other foreign institutions to coordinate with us when training staff and exchange of technology and new methodologies. I must tell you that some of the complaints lodged at the Commission were extremely complex in nature and we did not have required resources at our disposal when conducting inquiries. Therefore, we needed to equip the Commission with modern techniques and capacity building when investigating the virtually impossible inquiries.
As you know, the State has recognized the international treaties and conventions on corruption thus it had been included in the 19th Amendment to the Constitution under Section 156A (1) C. Therefore, as a Commission, we had to take appropriate measures to comply with the guidelines stipulated in the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). UNCAC is a multilateral convention negotiated by the members of the United Nations, including Sri Lanka. It is the first global legally binding international anti-corruption instrument. We had to redefine the conventional methodologies to comply with the stipulated standards.
It was a hard task but I was able to pull it through with the immense support extended to me by the Commissioners and the staff.
Q: You were referring to the qualitative aspects of the Commission. What can you say about the quantitative aspects during your tenure?
A: I must state this very clearly. These qualitative aspects have produced what is termed as the quantitative outcomes of the Commission. If you go through the past records you may see the Commission had filed only around 60-70 cases a year in Courts. With the commendable support extended by the staff, we managed to file 87 cases during the first 10 months of this year.
We successfully managed to bring the Rs 125 million bribery probe related to some Customs officials before justice. This is historical as this is the biggest raid conducted by the Commission. Both Kumara Welgama and Wimal Weerawansa went before Courts seeking orders to prevent the Commission from investigating them. Namal Rajapaksa has refused to come before the Commission, which led the apex court of this country to issue charges on contempt. Why did they have to do it if the Commission itself is a dead duck? As you said, we have proved in both qualitative and quantitative aspects.
Q: Some media reported that you had no plan to spread the financial allocations throughout the year. What's the validity in this statement?
A: I honestly do not like to comment on these bogus news. The Commission had at its disposal a sum of Rs 123 million at the time this report was published in the media. The person who wrote the web article never questioned me. Had I been questioned, I would have given documentary proof to them.
Q: Also, there were concerns with regard to claims of rigidness of your administration. Did you intentionally victimize employees?
A: I agree that I am a tough administrator. When I took office, people were used to a lethargic life. The output by almost all the divisions was minimal. So, I needed to take several administrative steps to wake them up. Their grouse was about leave. Not that they were not given leave, if they wanted more than 5 days leave within 3 months, they needed to get approval from me. One web media report said I did not allow a cancer patient to take leave for her treatment. Do you really think I am that inhuman? I do not do such things even to my worst enemy, if I ever had one.
A very senior incompetent legal officer, who was constantly in the habit of taking leave, had initiated the story to cover her incompetency. As soon as I learnt that a staff officer needed treatment (actually periodical checkup after her cancer treatment), I immediately called her to my office and granted leave. I also did not fail to call the senior legal officer and confront her on the issue.
People who know me know that I am a person with a big heart; do you think I lack moral standards or empathy? I have supported all my staff at the Commission during their difficult times. That's exactly what my religion has taught me too.
Q: Don't you think that you had underutilized the media to make people aware of what is happening in the process of investigation at the Commission?
A: I am a great believer of people's rights. In terms of Article 13(5) of the Constitution, every person is presumed innocent until such person is proved guilty, which means any individual accused of any allegation must be treated as an innocent person until they are convicted in a court of law. Also, remember, had I told the media that this person and that person is before the Commission, I would have directly violated the 'innocent man' principle. The Commissioners and I strived hard to protect, preserve and uphold the law at all times.
Apart from the legal position, we considered it as a moral obligation too. They have children and families. When individuals come before the Commission their image is tarnished. This affects the kids, family and the kith and kin. I did not want to let them walk in society as criminals unless they've been convicted in a court of law.
Apart from that, some clouted media organizations reported that I paved the way to relax the overseas travel ban on Chairman of Avant Garde Nissanka Senadhipathi. See, it's the Magistrate who had lifted the travel ban and released the passport for him to travel overseas. It's a judicial affair, so how can I intervene into that?
We had conducted many events to stimulate public awareness on preventing bribery and corruption. Seminars, walks and public displays are a few of them.
Most importantly, we work under an oath. We cannot disclose any information relevant to investigations to the media. I clearly know that the Commission and I could have captured public attention if we had gone after cheap publicity. But, we didn't do that considering the duty before fame. I kindly request you to go through our annual report so that you would know what I mean.
Q: Do you regret the decision to tender your resignation, considering that your name was not even mentioned in the President's speech?
A: I was on a mission to totally eradicate bribery and corruption from this country. But, I had to comply with my conscience at the given situation. I wrote a 4-page resignation letter and explained how the President had forced me to tender my resignation. The citizens want good governance. My resignation is part of that process that the intelligent fully understand.
However, what worries me is that the President had, by accepting the resignation letter, sent a strong message to all public servants of the outcome of standing up for principles and good governance without being subservient to politicians.
I do not have to harp on the pressure exerted by politicians on public servants. Only a few like me can withstand it. I do not think this would augur well. That's my only regret.
(Source: Ceylon Today)
3 Responses to I am a tough administrator – Dilrukshi
Rifan says:
Undoubtedly you did a great job. Your resignation is our country's unfortunate. Now I think a real "Pabaya" will be appointed who can say yes sir several times for each sentence.
Eng.M.V.R.Perera says:
a good lady with strong princilpes and it is hoped our judicial officers also have those principles
Chie d'Zylva says:
The Yahapalana's so-called war against graft has come to a grinding halt in 20 months.
Just as it was gathering total momentum, threatening some pillars within Government, the Yahapalana topmost leadership has decided to rid of a committed officer.
This action is aimed at not only protecting the pretenders surrounding the person at the helm but will also protect the thieves who were in charge of this nation for over 10 years.
The UNP should walk out of Yahapalana and let the Chief and his golayas take us back to the dark days of the past. Well, I think that is what we deserve for we failed to take to the streets when this honourable lady's resignation was forced by the utterances of a corrupt and valueless leader.
Home » I am a tough administrator – Dilrukshi


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'He found a way': Milos Raonic advances to Wimbledon quarterfinals with five-set comeback over David Goffin
He had never rebounded to win a five-set match after losing the first two sets.
WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND — Winning a Grand Slam tennis championship is as much a mental battle as it is physical — especially on the grass courts at Wimbledon.
[np_storybar title="Serena, Venus keep rolling" link=""]
It was raining, ever so slightly, and her Wimbledon fourth-round match was slipping away, ever so slightly, when Serena Williams stumbled as she ran to the net, winding up seated on the slick Centre Court grass.
Her opponent, two-time major champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, sent a shot flying past Williams to go up a break at 5-4 in the opening set.
Eventually, after one more game and much discussion, action was delayed for nearly 30 minutes while the roof was closed.
Whether it was the transformation to an indoor court, the strategy session the break allowed her to have with coach Patrick Mouratoglou or, as Williams suggested, simply the chance to calm down, she completely dominated the rest of the way, taking the last nine games to beat the 13th-seeded Kuznetsova 7-5, 6-0 on Monday.
"That's one thing the past four years I've been really doing a lot of, just really taking a deep breath, re-collecting myself," the No. 1-ranked Williams continued. "I had a little more time to do it this time."
Williams moved into her 12th quarterfinal at the All England Club, and she'll be joined by her older sister Venus at that stage of the tournament for the first time since 2010.
A year after that, Venus revealed she had been diagnosed with an energy-sapping disease, and she hasn't approached the level of play that carried her to seven major titles, including five at Wimbledon. At 36 the oldest woman in the field, she eliminated 12th-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro 7-6 (3), 6-4 on Monday.
The oldest man left is Roger Federer, who turns 35 on Aug. 8, and he looked in fine form after two days of rest, easily dismissing unseeded American Steve Johnson 6-2, 6-3, 7-5. Federer equaled Jimmy Connors' Open-era record by reaching his 14th Wimbledon quarterfinal and added to his own mark by making it at least that far at a major for the 48th time.
Federer now plays No. 9 Marin Cilic, who beat him en route to the 2014 U.S. Open championship.
"He brushed me off the court," Federer recalled, "like I was nothing."
Wednesday's other men's quarterfinals: No. 2 Andy Murray against No. 12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 6 Milos Raonic against No. 28 Sam Querrey, and No. 32 Lucas Pouille against either No. 10 Tomas Berdych or Jiri Vesely. The fourth-rounder between Berdych and Vesely was suspended Monday night because of darkness, tied at two sets apiece.
Cilic (against No. 5 Kei Nishikori) and Tsonga (against No. 7 Richard Gasquet) advanced when opponents quit because of injury.
[/np_storybar]
For Canada's Milos Raonic, his first three matches were almost all physical as he powered his way into the Round of 16 without losing a single set and without having his huge serve broken even once.
That all changed Monday when the Thornhill, Ont., native faced Belgium's David Goffin on Court No. 2 in what physically looked like a David vs. Goliath matchup with Raonic standing six-foot-five and his opponent five-foot-eleven.
But it didn't go that way as Goffin used a racket instead of a slingshot to win the first two sets 6-4, 6-3 while incredibly breaking Raonic's serve — which reached a top speed of 140 mph — three times.
Now it became a mental game for Raonic, who had never come back before in a five-set match after trailing 2-0. What the heck was going on between the Canadian's ears when he sat down on his chair during the break?
"I just had to change something, had to change the way the match was happening, all the things that were happening on the court," Raonic said afterwards. "It was too much on his terms. I was allowing him to play too much, get too much rhythm. The points were too long. He was feeling good, he was doing a lot of good things at the beginning. I wanted to take that away from him."
Raonic was never broken again and won the last three sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals against American Sam Querrey, who upset No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic in the third round. Raonic and Querrey — who beat France's Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 7-6, 6-4 Monday — have met three times in the past with the American winning twice. Raonic won their last meeting three years ago, 6-4, 6-2, in San Jose.
Raonic is ranked No. 7 in the world and is seeded sixth here. He has all the physical tools to become the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles championship and he showed Monday that he also has the mental game.
When asked if he would have had the mental toughness to bounce back from two sets down a couple of years ago, Raonic said: "Maybe I would have had the mental strength, but I don't know if I would have had the exact same perspective on what I needed to do in those right moments. I think that's probably the general understanding of myself and my game that I have significantly improved on. That helped."
What also helped is working with new coaching consultant John McEnroe, a three-time Wimbledon champion. McEnroe was sitting in the front row at the beginning of Raonic's match but had to leave during a third-set rain delay due to his television commentating duties. It didn't seem to bother Raonic.
"You know, I'm out there playing by myself," he said. "Nobody can win those points for me except for myself. That's what I was trying to do."
But McEnroe has worked to improve Raonic's on-court attitude, getting him to impose himself more and make sure "the other guy knows you're there," as Raonic put it.
Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock work toward Wimbledon repeat in doubles
Goffin definitely knew Raonic was there during the last three sets, he simply couldn't do anything to stop him. Raonic finished the match with 22 aces and 53 winners.
What started off so badly turned into a very impressive performance by Raonic and surely sent a message to the other players in the quarterfinals. If Raonic beats Querrey on Wednesday, his semifinal opponent would be the winner of the Roger Federer-Marin Cilic match. Raonic met Federer in the semifinals here two years ago and was blown off Centre Court in straight sets, losing 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
Raonic is a more mature player now.
"It's about the time I've spent working — improving mentally has been about staying in the moment, not looking ahead and not looking behind," he said. "I think that was one of the more important things that made a difference for me today. I stayed in the moment and I just tried to deal with what was ahead of me, the next point. I tried to put it together, and I was able to do so.
"It's the first time for me and probably the most significant situation for me to come back from two sets to love down. I definitely felt good about that."
After it was over, McEnroe commented about Raonic's victory on TV while calling the match between Andy Murray (who won) and Nick Kyrgios on Centre Court.
"He was not playing well, but he found a way," McEnroe said.
That's what the best players do.
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Former U.S. House security chief denies 'optics' dictated Jan. 6 decisions at Capitol
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former U.S. House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving denied Tuesday authorities had rejected having the National Guard deployed at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 because it might look bad, saying the intelligence did not warrant the troops' presence.
FILE PHOTO: Police release tear gas into a crowd of pro-Trump protesters during clashes at a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, U.S, January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo/File Photo
Irving made his comments in written testimony for two Senate committees investigating the security preparations and response to the attack on the Capitol by a mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump. The committees began a joint hearing at 10 a.m. EST.
Irving said that on Jan. 4, he had discussed the possible use of 125 National Guard troops with then- Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund and former Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger.
"'Optics' as portrayed in the media did not determine our security posture … We did discuss whether the intelligence warranted having troops at the Capitol, and our collective judgment at that time was no – the intelligence did not warrant that," Irving said.
Irving's testimony appeared to be in direct conflict with Sund's account. Sund said he had requested National Guard troops but that Irving "stated he was concerned about the 'optics' of having National Guard present."
Sund, Irving and Stenger all resigned in the wake of the Jan. 6 violence that left five people dead.
Also appearing Tuesday at the hearing was Robert Contee, the acting police chief in Washington, D.C.. His forces helped the Capitol Police control the mob and eventually clear the Capitol so that lawmakers could return to certify President Joe Biden's election victory.
Senators in the Homeland Security Committee and the Committee on Rules and Administration want to find out where the breakdowns in planning and response occurred that allowed the violence to unfold in and around the citadel of American democracy, endangering the lives of, among others, Trump's vice president, Mike Pence.
In media interviews, Sund has blamed the former House and Senate sergeants-at-arms for not green-lighting his request for back-up from the National Guard ahead of Jan. 6. Once the rioting started, it took hours to get permission for the troops, which ultimately had to come from the Pentagon, Sund said.
Sund also says intelligence agencies did not pass on anything ahead of time indicating an orchestrated attack on the Capitol might happen.
The Washington Post has reported that the Capitol Police's own intelligence unit warned on Jan. 3 that "Congress itself" could be the target of Trump supporters summoned by the then-president to fight his loss in the Nov. 3 election.
The FBI also says it warned law enforcement agencies on Jan. 5 that extremists were preparing to commit violence, although the warning was based largely on unconfirmed intelligence such as social media postings.
Some Department of Homeland Security officials were also concerned by social media postings, but an official familiar with intelligence reporting said Trump appointees at the department blocked efforts to circulate that intelligence widely around the government.
Scores of police were assaulted in the melee, with over 140 Capitol Police and some 65 metropolitan police injured.
More than 200 people have been charged so far for their roles in the riot, including some with ties to far-right fringe groups such as the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.
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8 days ago 240 views by Desere Davis
Nomhle Nkonyeni is a celebrated actress who is remembered for her wonderful talents and beautiful heart. Briefly takes a look at the 8 roles she played that cemented her as an accomplished actress.
Although the country is in mourning, South Africa can remember late actress, Nomhle Nkonyeni, as a woman who had a deep effect on those around her and those who saw her in the many roles she played.
Nomhle made a significant impact on the entertainment industry. Both internationally and locally, she was known for several movies that she featured in.
As we are saddened by the loss of a wonderful human being, we also celebrate the greatness that was Nomhle.
Her latest role was as Lulama Langa, mother to Siseko Langa, in the popular soap Scandal!. She executed her role like a boss and was in the industry for more than 50 years.
Briefly.co.za took a quick look at the 8 big roles the late actress played that made Nomhle an icon. She also made her mark in films from abroad.
Nomhle made Mzansi proud when she played a part in Of Good Report, Catch a Fire, and Red Dust.
Local TV shows
Tsha Tsha, Igazi, Zero Tolerance and Gaz'lam, as well as the 2007 mini-series Society, are some of the shows that gave the late actress a platform to shine.
This is one actress that will be missed by many a sad South African heart.
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CSI Media Interviewed for Expertise in Umbraco and Sitecore Development
CSI Media Interviewed for Umbraco & Sitecore Expertise
Recently, we shared that CSI Media was ranked a leading web designer in the UK by Clutch, a ratings and reviews platform. Following this recognition, Clutch reached out to interview us on our expertise in Umbraco and Sitecore development. We were excited about the opportunity to share our insights and connected them with our Systems Architect, Martin.
Content Editing Experience
Umbraco and Sitecore are both content management systems that allow marketers & content editors to manage the content of pages within the websites themselves, without having to approach an agency for simple text and image changes.
There are multiple features and functionalities to consider, but these days, marketers demand a flexible content editing experience that gives them great freedom when developing engaging online experiences.
Martin commented: "I do like Umbraco's grid editor, which is a build-your-own-page tool. Rather than having a set area of text, users can choose to have text on the left and images on the right, or vice versa. They can include YouTube videos, single images, and image galleries. This is impressive, especially given that it's an open-source platform. This functionality is being given away for free, which makes the entire package very impressive."
Furthermore, security is a hot topic in the media and a concern for many of our clients. Martin provides advice on what actions are necessary to maintain a secure web presence:
"Organisations need to make sure that they are running under an SSL security certificate… Other than this, it's important to make sure we're up to date with updates from both Umbraco and Sitecore. They both rely heavily on third-party pieces of code, whether those are code written by Microsoft or other development companies, which are continuously releasing security updates and patches. Umbraco will roll those changes into their releases. Keeping on top of these is always beneficial."
Being proactive and working with a team like ours will help to ensure your site's security. In addition, it is important to think about how much control you want with the site. Thank you to Clutch for extending this opportunity to CSI Media. To read more from Martin, check out the full interview here.
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I'll keep showing you TNS Cosmetics Firenze's Lungomare collection for Spring/Summer 2018.
Today's nail polish is #540: Eden, a bright orange creme. Application is a dream and coverage is perfect in two coats. I can't even tell you how glossy this is, photos will speak for themselves. Drying time is a little below average but still ok.
Bright, summery, juicy! Perfect for this collection and for the hot season. Gotta love TNS!
Today I am showing you yet another shade from Italian salon brand TNS Cosmetics Firenze's S/S 2018 Lungomare collection.
Meet TNS Baia d'Oro, a gorgeous kinda iridescent orange-bronze foil. Coverage is minimal, you need 4 coats to hide the nail tip if you fancy using it on its own. Otherwise you can layer it on top of something else, maybe a dark base for a duochrome effect. Application is really easy anyway and it dries fast, which is great if you opt to use it alone.
Photos: 4 coats, no top coat.
I admit I loved it more than I expected! It's so bright on the nails, like it glows from inside?! I was speechless after application. It's just perfect for those sunny days coming our way.
What about the evenings? Now I have an alternative for you. In the below pic you can see two coats over black (index), two coats over TNS Oasi (middle) and on its own. Can you see the bronze to burgundy shift on my index?
I'm really impressed, I'm honest. Sure 4 coats always bug me, but this nail polish is worth the extra time.
What do you think of it? Do you like it better alone or over black?
Today I am showing you a nail polish from Italian salon brand TNS Cosmetics Firenze's S/S 2018 Lungomare collection.
TNS Oasi is a sunflower yellow creme. It's very easy to apply and it's quite opaque, too. I wasn't very precise with application so I needed an extra coat but that was my fault. Drying time is incredibly fast.
First two photos: three coats without top coat.
Third photo:three coats plus top coat.
I wanted to show you both pics prior and after top coat because this nail polish is so shiny there's no difference at all. You only need a top coat for your mani to last longer this time. And you'd better do so!
What do you think of TNS Oasi? Isn't it a great Summer shade?
I am back today with my pick for letter H in the Untried A-Z challenge: H&M Paper Ash. This nail polish is rather new in my collection, I purchased it during the last Winter sales in January at 1€.
H&M Paper Ash is a light grey creme. It applies easily and is opaque in two coats. It dries quite fast and glossy.
H&M nail polishes at 1€ are such a bargain! I went into an H&M store yesterday and they still had a few shades left and I was so tempted to purchase some more. In the end I gave up because I already have so many untrieds in my stash. Paper Ash is really pretty and I am glad it's part of my collection. It's a shade that works both for Spring and Winter plus it's really bright even though it's a grey. I think it might make a good nail art base, too.