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PDF2 PDF |Add To My Favorites | Version: 07/21/14 - Chaptered 07/02/14 - Enrolled 05/29/14 - Amended Senate 03/24/14 - Amended Assembly 02/20/14 - Introduced
AB-2098 Military personnel: veterans: sentencing: mitigating circumstances.(2013-2014)
An act to amend Section 1170.9 of, and to add Section 1170.91 to, the Penal Code, relating to sentencing.
[ Approved by Governor July 21, 2014. Filed with Secretary of State July 21, 2014. ]
AB 2098, Levine. Military personnel: veterans: sentencing: mitigating circumstances.
Existing law requires the court, in the case of any person convicted of a criminal offense who could otherwise be sentenced to county jail or state prison and who alleges that he or she committed the offense as a result of sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, or mental health problems stemming from service in the United States military, to make a determination, prior to sentencing, as to whether the defendant was, or currently is, a member of the United States military and whether the defendant may be suffering from sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, or mental health problems as a result of that service. If the court concludes that the defendant is one of the persons described above, and if the defendant is otherwise eligible for probation and the court places the defendant on probation, the court is authorized to order the defendant into a local, state, federal, or private nonprofit treatment program for a period not to exceed that period which the defendant would have served in state prison or county jail, provided the defendant agrees to participate in the program and the court determines that an appropriate treatment program exists.
This bill would additionally require the court to consider its conclusion that a defendant eligible for probation was, or currently is, a member of the United States military and that the defendant may be suffering from sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, or mental health problems as a result of that service as a factor in favor of granting probation.
Existing law provides that specified felonies are punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for 16 months, or 2 or 3 years or, where the term is specified, for the term described in the underlying offense. When a judgment of imprisonment is to be imposed and the statute specifies 3 possible terms, the choice of the appropriate term rests within the sound discretion of the court.
This bill would require the court, if it concludes that a defendant convicted of a felony offense is, or was, a member of the United States military who may be suffering from sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, or mental health problems as a result of his or her military service, to consider those circumstances as a factor in mitigation when imposing a term pursuant to the above provisions. The bill would provide that this consideration does not preclude the court from considering similar trauma, injury, substance abuse, or mental health due to other causes as evidence or factors in mitigation.
Section 1170.9 of the Penal Code is amended to read:
(a) In the case of any person convicted of a criminal offense who could otherwise be sentenced to county jail or state prison and who alleges that he or she committed the offense as a result of sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, or mental health problems stemming from service in the United States military, the court shall, prior to sentencing, make a determination as to whether the defendant was, or currently is, a member of the United States military and whether the defendant may be suffering from sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, or mental health problems as a result of his or her service. The court may request, through existing resources, an assessment to aid in that determination.
(b) (1) If the court concludes that a defendant convicted of a criminal offense is a person described in subdivision (a), and if the defendant is otherwise eligible for probation, the court shall consider the circumstances described in subdivision (a) as a factor in favor of granting probation.
(2) If the court places the defendant on probation, the court may order the defendant into a local, state, federal, or private nonprofit treatment program for a period not to exceed that period which the defendant would have served in state prison or county jail, provided the defendant agrees to participate in the program and the court determines that an appropriate treatment program exists.
(c) If a referral is made to the county mental health authority, the county shall be obligated to provide mental health treatment services only to the extent that resources are available for that purpose, as described in paragraph (5) of subdivision (b) of Section 5600.3 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. If mental health treatment services are ordered by the court, the county mental health agency shall coordinate appropriate referral of the defendant to the county veterans service officer, as described in paragraph (5) of subdivision (b) of Section 5600.3 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. The county mental health agency shall not be responsible for providing services outside its traditional scope of services. An order shall be made referring a defendant to a county mental health agency only if that agency has agreed to accept responsibility for the treatment of the defendant.
(d) When determining the "needs of the defendant," for purposes of Section 1202.7, the court shall consider the fact that the defendant is a person described in subdivision (a) in assessing whether the defendant should be placed on probation and ordered into a federal or community-based treatment service program with a demonstrated history of specializing in the treatment of mental health problems, including substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, and other related mental health problems.
(e) A defendant granted probation under this section and committed to a residential treatment program shall earn sentence credits for the actual time the defendant serves in residential treatment.
(f) The court, in making an order under this section to commit a defendant to an established treatment program, shall give preference to a treatment program that has a history of successfully treating veterans who suffer from sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, or mental health problems as a result of that service, including, but not limited to, programs operated by the United States Department of Defense or the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
(g) The court and the assigned treatment program may collaborate with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to maximize benefits and services provided to the veteran.
(h) (1) It is in the interests of justice to restore a defendant who acquired a criminal record due to a mental health disorder stemming from service in the United States military to the community of law abiding citizens. The restorative provisions of this subdivision shall apply to cases in which a trial court or a court monitoring the defendant's performance of probation pursuant to this section finds at a public hearing, held after not less than 15 days' notice to the prosecution, the defense, and any victim of the offense, that all of the following describe the defendant:
(A) He or she was granted probation and was at the time that probation was granted a person described in subdivision (a).
(B) He or she is in substantial compliance with the conditions of that probation.
(C) He or she has successfully participated in court-ordered treatment and services to address the sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, or mental health problems stemming from military service.
(D) He or she does not represent a danger to the health and safety of others.
(E) He or she has demonstrated significant benefit from court-ordered education, treatment, or rehabilitation to clearly show that granting restorative relief pursuant to this subdivision would be in the interests of justice.
(2) When determining whether granting restorative relief pursuant to this subdivision is in the interests of justice, the court may consider, among other factors, all of the following:
(A) The defendant's completion and degree of participation in education, treatment, and rehabilitation as ordered by the court.
(B) The defendant's progress in formal education.
(C) The defendant's development of career potential.
(D) The defendant's leadership and personal responsibility efforts.
(E) The defendant's contribution of service in support of the community.
(3) If the court finds that a case satisfies each of the requirements described in paragraph (1), then the court may take any of the following actions by a written order setting forth the reasons for so doing:
(A) Deem all conditions of probation to be satisfied, including fines, fees, assessment, and programs, and terminate probation prior to the expiration of the term of probation. This subparagraph does not apply to any court-ordered victim restitution.
(B) Reduce an eligible felony to a misdemeanor pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 17.
(C) Grant relief in accordance with Section 1203.4.
(4) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 1203.4, a dismissal of the action pursuant to this subdivision has the following effect:
(A) Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, a dismissal of the action pursuant to this subdivision releases the defendant from all penalties and disabilities resulting from the offense of which the defendant has been convicted in the dismissed action.
(B) A dismissal pursuant to this subdivision does not apply to any of the following:
(i) A conviction pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 42002.1 of the Vehicle Code.
(ii) A felony conviction pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 261.5.
(iii) A conviction pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 286.
(iv) A conviction pursuant to Section 288.
(v) A conviction pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 288a.
(vi) A conviction pursuant to Section 288.5.
(vii) A conviction pursuant to subdivision (j) of Section 289.
(viii) The requirement to register pursuant to Section 290.
(C) The defendant is not obligated to disclose the arrest on the dismissed action, the dismissed action, or the conviction that was set aside when information concerning prior arrests or convictions is requested to be given under oath, affirmation, or otherwise. The defendant may indicate that he or she has not been arrested when his or her only arrest concerns the dismissed action, except when the defendant is required to disclose the arrest, the conviction that was set aside, and the dismissed action in response to any direct question contained in any questionnaire or application for any law enforcement position.
(D) A dismissal pursuant to this subdivision may, in the discretion of the court, order the sealing of police records of the arrest and court records of the dismissed action, thereafter viewable by the public only in accordance with a court order.
(E) The dismissal of the action pursuant to this subdivision shall be a bar to any future action based on the conduct charged in the dismissed action.
(F) In any subsequent prosecution for any other offense, a conviction that was set aside in the dismissed action may be pleaded and proved as a prior conviction and shall have the same effect as if the dismissal pursuant to this subdivision had not been granted.
(G) A conviction that was set aside in the dismissed action may be considered a conviction for the purpose of administratively revoking or suspending or otherwise limiting the defendant's driving privilege on the ground of two or more convictions.
(H) The defendant's DNA sample and profile in the DNA data bank shall not be removed by a dismissal pursuant to this subdivision.
(I) Dismissal of an accusation, information, or conviction pursuant to this section does not authorize a defendant to own, possess, or have in his or her custody or control any firearm or prevent his or her conviction pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 29800) of Division 9 of Title 4 of Part 6.
Section 1170.91 is added to the Penal Code, to read:
If the court concludes that a defendant convicted of a felony offense is, or was, a member of the United States military who may be suffering from sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, or mental health problems as a result of his or her military service, the court shall consider the circumstance as a factor in mitigation when imposing a term under subdivision (b) of Section 1170. This consideration does not preclude the court from considering similar trauma, injury, substance abuse, or mental health problems due to other causes, as evidence or factors in mitigation.


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A broader community to network and share creativity.
Born in Belgium and having grown up in different parts of the world, Jill Pillot brings a unique European flair to her designs. What sets Ricochet apart from the others is its unique vogue look. Spunky, yet classy Vintage, yet fresh Bold, yet elegant Stylish, yet ecological Fierce, yet sophisticated. Jill Pillot breathes new life into "rescued" materials keeping the environment in mind, making Ricochet ecological, sustainable, and everlasting. Beautiful, chic, and flattering are just a few words to describe Jill Pillot's design. A unique combination of edgy, modern and a touch of a whimsical feel. With its alluring style, Ricochet clothes are surely an eye-catching pleaser. Every piece is created at Jill's boutique/studio in San Mateo, California.
Ricochet opened in 1996, as a small consignment store, and has evolved into a unique boutique with an emphasis on the environment and the celebration of creativity in the community. Ricochet's collections are made up of unique, one-of-a-kind pieces, constructed from rescued materials, and designed by Jill Pillot.


Add a touch of magic to your Christmas with this short break packed with wonderful Christmas markets in the bustling centre of Bristol, in the streets around Bath Abbey and in the shadow of Winchester Cathedral. Delight in a huge range of speciality gifts, decorations, food and festive cheer in the heart of our wonderful cities.
Day 1 After our normal pick up from your door, we travel across country to Bristol, where the Christmas Market is set up in Broadmead, right in the heart of Bristol's Shopping Quarter. You will find a host of chalets with authentic arts, crafts, gifts and mouthwatering food and drink. We then transfer to our hotel north of the city for our evening meal and a two-night stay.
Day 2 We travel the short distance to Bath, where you have all day to explore this beautiful town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are numerous attractions you might like to visit, or you could just spend the day at the award-winning Christmas Market. More than 200 wooden chalets are set in the picturesque streets surrounding Bath Abbey, selling high quality artisan products, gifts and delicious food.
Day 3 Leaving our hotel after breakfast, we travel to Winchester, where there will be free time to explore this excellent Christmas Market and to get some lunch. We return to the local area and our taxis late afternoon.
Our modern four-star hotel is to the north of Bristol and offers comfortable accommodation and leisure facilities which include swimming pool, Jacuzzi, steam room, sauna and gym. Bedrooms are equipped with TV, telephone, hairdryer and hospitality tray. The hotel has WiFi and a lift.


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Connected to your files ? Connect across multiple devices you use everyday like a phone or PC, SkyDrive, Facebook, Flickr, and other services, so you can smoothly get to all your photos and files.
All the Apps you could ever want ? Applications are at the epicenter of Windows 8. You?ll be able to get in the know quickly with a set of built-in apps for the you need the most. Designed for your connected lifestyle, the apps merge with the services you use daily.
Built-in Apps ? By using Windows 8, your whole computer is ?cloud-connected?. You?ll benefit from new Microsoft-Mail, Calendars, SkyDrive, Photo media, People, and Message apps that are linked with services like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter just by intergrating them with your Microsoft account.
Make it yours ? Personalise your start screen with the thing you care about most, Organise and customise it the way you want.
Intuitive ? Surf the web with ease. There when you require, tabs and navigation controls appear at the swipe of your finger. To Share websites with friends?just tap and swipe. And pin individual sites to Start for one?click access.
Great experience across many different devices ? Since Windows 8 runs on low-power computers, you can work much longer on a single battery charge. This means you can stay connected so your PC is ready whenever you are. Battery life is Increased and connections are stronger so you?ll be able to find a device to suit you for work or play. Low power requirements are also helped by the increasing number of energy-efficient devices that are designed to work on Windows 8.
Share between devices - Tap and Do works on mobile devices equipped with Near Field Communications. You can tap two devices together and share information, its so simple. Tap and Setup is another feature available on Windows 8 that lets you quickly connect wireless devices, such as keyboards, mice, headphones, and speakers by simply tapping them up against your computer. No more pin?s passwords or complicated setups!


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You are here: Home / Cabinet / Cabinet approves Amendments to the Finance Bill, 2021
Cabinet approves National Digital Communications Policy-2018
Cabinet approves Special Remission to Prisoners on the occasion of 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi
NITI Aayog to launch Urban Management Program for Capacity Building in States and Urban Local Bodies
'Focus on Image, Innovation, Initiative and Interaction': Javadekar
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gives ex-post facto approval for the Government amendments to the Finance Bill, 2021 (enacted on 28th March, 2021 as the Finance Act, 2021).
The amendments were essential to clarify and rationalise the proposals further and address stakeholders concerns arising out of amendments proposed in the Finance Bill.
The Government amendments to the Finance Bill, 2021 shall provide equity and inclusiveness to all the taxpayers by addressing stakeholders concerns arising out of amendments proposed in the Bill.
The Government amendments to the Finance Bill, 2021 are tax proposals which shall generate timely revenue for the Government and streamline existing provisions by addressing grievances of the taxpayers.


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'The Memoir of Mona Lisa and Other Poems' Image courtesy event organizers
The Memoir of Mona Lisa and Other Poems
Dance, Film, Literary, Poetry
Poetry! Dance! Film! Su Smallen Love had a yen to explore the intersection of those three artforms, so she commissioned three veteran choreographers to create dance films inspired by her newest collection, The Memoir of Mona Lisa and Other Poems. To celebrate its publication, she'll read the poems that inspired the films, screen the films, and talk about making art from art with the choreographers, filmmakers, and performers. Becky Heist's "Life Drawings" is based on three poems that brought the body into our Minnesota landscape. Christopher Watson's "between us a fault line" presents abstract reflections of physical and psychological intimacies, with animation by Leila Awadallah and music by Hilary James. Working in collaboration with Awadallah and performer Morgan Veldhuizen, Judith Howard responds to a sonnet sequence in which Mona Lisa reveals her relationship with her husband and her husband's male lover. Howard's "Vanishing Point" employs imagery from the poem to create a sensuous counter portrait of Mona Lisa with narrative around a line from the poem: "I would clothe myself with this surface. I would be a man."
by Linda Shapiro
1011 Washington Ave. S.


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UN Women campaign exposes how the internet thinks
Quiet, passive, and disciplined – women should know their place according to popular internet searchers highlighted in an alarming UN Women advertising campaign. The organisation wants to highlight that making the case for women's rights and equality is still urgent.
Beginning with phrases such as 'women should...' and 'women cannot...', the powerful images show real life examples of Google's autocomplete feature, placed over the mouths of women in portrait photographs. Autocomplete predicts and displays search phrases which reflect the activity of web users, as well as the content of web pages.
The campaign has provoked widespread news coverage as well as outrage and discussion on social media using the hashtag #womenshould.
Kareem Shuhaibar who worked on the ad series says 'The ads are shocking because they show just how far we still have to go to achieve gender equality. They are a wake-up call, and we hope that the message will travel far.'
Inspired, other campaigners have made similar experiments. The UN Free & Equal campaign for LGBT rights searched for phrases related to gay people, throwing up often violent and homophobic results.
While internet search terms do not necessarily reflect all the beliefs and actions of the over two billion internet users around the world, the UN Women campaign highlights a disturbing level of discrimination and violence bubbling away in the World Wide Web.
Images: Memac Ogilvy & Mather Dubai.
The BRIDGE website has been archived
After more than 25 years offering specialised gender and development research and information services funding for the BRIDGE programme at IDS ended in 2018.
New key issues guide: Social protection and the empowerment of girls and women
This new Key Issues Guide, produced by BRIDGE for the Eldis website, brings together key reading for governments, development partners, civil society organisations and researchers to consider in designing, financing and implementing soci
New publication! Gender, Age and Migration: An extended briefing
This new extended briefing from BRIDGE focuses on gender and age, offering an insight into who migrates and who doesn't, reasons for migrating, experiences of the migration process and what life is like for different groups of migrants a
Four reasons why gender is an essential part of sustainable development
The Commission on the Status of Women is just around the corner and this year's focus is 'women's empowerment and its link to sustainable development.' These are four of the reasons why.
It's time to decolonise feminist knowledge
The Rhodes Must Fall campaign has brought the movement to decolonise education out into the open and African gender scholars have a large role to play, professor Signe Arnfred argued at a recent lecture at IDS.


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Upgrading Cambodia's Economic Model for a Post-COVID-19 World
by : Mr Roland Rajah
The tumultuous and ongoing events of recent years is prompting countries around the world to rethink their development strategies for a post-Covid world. The Covid-19 pandemic has been followed by a series of further destabilising shocks including the Ukraine war, renewed downturns in China and Europe, disrupted supply chains, high food and energy prices, rising inflation, rapidly tightening global monetary conditions, a sharply rising US dollar, and mounting financial turmoil in many developing economies. Several longer-term trends have also intensified including geopolitical tensions between the US and China, rising protectionist sentiment in many countries, as well as escalating negative impacts associated with climate change and environmental degradation. The pandemic-induced shift away from contact-intensive ways of living and working has also accelerated the digitalisation of economic and social life, presenting both opportunities and challenges.
What about Cambodia? This article offers a few thoughts based on my own observations and analysis as an outside observer.
Prior to the pandemic, Cambodia's overall development strategy was very successful. In the decades since the end of civil conflict in the early 1990s Cambodia achieved economic growth of around 7—8% a year. Cambodia was therefore one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Extreme poverty fell precipitously, from about a third of the population in the early 2000s to less than 3% by late last decade according to World Bank estimates. Gains in human development were also substantial – average life expectancy is now 70 years, maternal and child mortality rates have declined dramatically, and most children receive at least a primary school education. None of these are small achievements given Cambodia's troubled past and undeniably difficult starting conditions.
On the surface, Cambodia has emulated the stylized export-driven rapid modernisation path followed by other dynamic Asian economies, including the original East Asian 'miracles' (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore), other parts of Southeast Asia, and mainland China more recently. Cambodia's economic performance of 7—8% average growth prior to the pandemic places it around the middle of this esteemed group of Asian success stories. The basic strategy of which is to take advantage of an abundant supply of young low-cost workers from the countryside to fuel export-driven growth and structural transformation towards a more industrial and urban economy while over time transitioning towards progressively more advanced economic activities as a basis for sustained productivity growth.
Cambodia is however still at an early stage of the economic modernisation process, as its gains have come from an unusually low base. In the early 1990s, GDP per capita was less than 3% of that in the US by purchasing power parity (PPP) – a very low starting point compared to other fast-growing Asian economies at the start of their own growth take-offs. Hence, despite decades of rapid growth, Cambodia's GDP per capita remains low at US$4,300 (constant 2017 PPP) and still less than 7% of the level in the US. To truly emulate the achievements of other successful Asian economies – something the country should aspire to – Cambodia needs to target sustaining rapid economic growth for decades more to come.
A critical question therefore is whether Cambodia will be able to continue along the stylized Asian rapid modernisation path in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Although the picture is still very much in flux, it seems clear that the emerging post-Covid world presents a myriad of challenges. Economic recovery is being repeatedly setback by negative international shocks. By the latest forecasts, Cambodia's economic growth is expected to remain below trend for several more years, leaving the economy well below its pre-Covid trajectory, potentially on a permanent basis. Cambodia's ability to rely on export-driven growth is also increasingly uncertain. First, due to rising protectionism and economic nationalism in many major economies, including linked to geopolitical tensions. And second, potentially due to rising automation, which threatens to dislodge existing manufacturing jobs and/or cut-off new opportunities. The impact of climate change is also becoming increasingly apparent, especially in the agriculture sector, which remains important as a driver of pro-poor growth.
Cambodia must also however overcome key deficiencies in its pre-Covid growth model. In particular, compared to other Asian success stories, Cambodia's economic modernisation looks notably unbalanced – being overly reliant on shifting workers out of low productivity agriculture and into basic manufacturing and tourism jobs while achieving minimal improvements in productivity and economic sophistication within the manufacturing and services sectors themselves.
A few key numbers tell the story. Agricultural employment in Cambodia has plummeted from almost 80% of total employment in the early 1990s to just 35% in 2019 – lower than in Vietnam currently and similar to China, Indonesia, and Philippines around 10—15 years ago. The shift out of agriculture and into other areas has delivered important productivity gains. Yet, growth in output per worker within the manufacturing and services sectors themselves has been low at just 1—2% a year. As a result, overall output per worker in Cambodia is still only about $7,800 (constant 2017 PPP). By comparison, worker productivity levels in China, Indonesia, and Philippines were 2—3 times higher at comparable points in their own transitions out of agricultural employment. In Vietnam, output per worker is currently about $18,800.
A key implication is that Cambodia's 'unbalanced modernisation' has delivered very rapid but ultimately unsustainable economic progress. First, simply shifting workers out of low-value added agriculture into higher valued-added activities in basic manufacturing and services is naturally running into limits as the pool of available agricultural workers dries up and productivity levels between sectors converge. Second, as this has occurred, Cambodia seems to have quickly reached what economists call the 'Lewis turning point', where low-skilled wages across the economy begin to increase rapidly. Real wages for garment workers doubled over the decade preceding the pandemic. While this also reflects sharp increases in the legal minimum wage, wage pressures amongst other types of low-skill workers are also evident, with wages for rice field workers, vegetable sellers, and unskilled construction workers also doubling in real terms. Because these wage increases have outpaced gains in productivity, this has eroded Cambodia's external competitiveness. For instance, manufacturing wages in Cambodia are now comparable to those in Bangladesh and Vietnam – despite Cambodia's much lower manufacturing labour productivity.
Essentially, Cambodia's pre-Covid growth model was highly successful in capitalising on its existing competitive advantage in low-cost workers (and world class tourism assets) but much less successful in finding new sources of competitiveness that can be sustained as wages rise – notably by lifting productivity and shifting into higher value-added activities. So far Cambodia has made only minor gains in industrial upgrading. Despite tentative progress moving into electronics, machinery and automobile manufacturing, these subsectors still account for less than 5% of Cambodia's total exports. By contrast, Vietnam over the previous decade has seen a dramatic shift out of low value-added garment manufacturing and into higher value-added electronics and machinery exports – which now account for over half of Vietnam's total exports. Cambodia will need to broadly replicate this kind of success, if it is to stay on the high growth path followed by other Asian success stories.
The key implication is that, to continue its success, Cambodia will need to move well beyond its pre-Covid growth model which essentially relied on the combination of abundant low-cost workers, economic openness, preferential access to key markets, and 'good enough' governance. It must also do so in what is likely to be a far more difficult post-Covid environment. Simply restoring the status quo ante and returning to business as usual will not be enough. At best this would likely see future rates of economic growth and progress much below Cambodia's historical experience, let alone that required to meet aspirations for reaching upper-middle-income status by 2030 and high-income status by 2050. Sustaining Cambodia's success after Covid will therefore necessitate unleashing a new wave of next-generation reforms, aimed especially at delivering better governance, enhancing the business environment, deepening regional integration, improving infrastructure, investing in climate resilience, and, most importantly, greatly strengthening the skills and education of the workforce so that Cambodians can compete and succeed in a fast-changing and more difficult global economic landscape.
The Outlook Post COVID-19: Implications for Cambodia's Development Strategy
Public Private Innovation Partnerships for Sustainable Transformations
Cambodia Development
Resource Institute (CDRI)
#56 Street 315, Tuol Kork,
PO Box 622, Phnom Penh,
Cambodia Postal Code: 12152
© 2022 Cambodia Outlook Conference


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Top 10 Shocking Moments of 2022
After 2 years of COVID lock-downs we were all feeling more optimistic about 2022. These are my list of most shocking moments in what turned out to be a shocking year. Wishing you all the Season's best. Be good. Duncan 1. Russia's Invasion of Ukraine On 24 February Russian troops mounted a full scale assault on Ukraine from multiple points on the Russian and Belorussian borders. It triggered the biggest conflict in Europe since 1945, with the most troops and territory involved, and tragically already the most causalities. With the US and NATO backing Ukraine, and Iran and (sometimes) China backing Russia, nearly a year later the destruction is still grinding on. I say the invasion was shocking, but the Western powers knew it was coming: President Putin is nothing if not consistent. Russian troops fought bloody battles in Grozny to prevent Chechnya seceding from the Russian Federation in 1999/2000; in 2008 Russia invaded Georgia and annexed South Ossetia and Abkhazia; Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, and destroyed Aleppo and other towns in Northern Syria in order to prop-up the Al Assad regime in 2016. Russia has been at war for much of President Putin's time. 2. Europe's Hottest Summer, Ever In the snow, wind and rain it is easy to forget that London and large parts of Western Europe had some 45c+ days in the Summer, which broke all records. Bushfires ran out of control, thousands of vulnerable people died, and crops were destroyed. One Sunday in July I was helping out at a summer fair, de-rigging a commercial stand in a field for a friend: the grass was turned to dust, and a hot wind blew great swirls in to our faces and dulled the green of the surrounding trees. We poured sweat as we worked and we were grimed in filth. It made the beautiful British countryside, which is usually so temperate and green, unpleasant to be in. We wished we were in energy-sapping and eco-unfriendly air-conditioning. Rather more significantly it damaged grain crops in Ukraine and Russia and added yet more pressure to global inflation, and once again led to destructive floods in Pakistan as glaciers melted. Another uncomfortable reminder of climate change and its multiple consequences. 3. FTX and the Crypto Implosion In some ways is is a surprise that it took so long for crypto to have a good old fashioned banking-style scandal. In November one of the two largest crypto exchanges in the world, FTX, which had been valued at $32bn not long before, imploded in a huge corporate ball of insolvent flame. The 30 year old founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, is accused of using clients funds to fuel his own trading firm, Alameda. If proved, this is the oldest trick in the book: get people to deposit or invest with you and use the money to trade on your own behalf at their cost and risk. Mr Bankman-Fried, some of his fellow executives and FTX itself also donated an extraordinary $70m to various US politicians, and Bankman-Fried was second only to George Soros in donations made to the Democratic party. It is no surprise that he swiftly became the poster boy for crypto in Washington DC, appearing as an expert in a number of Congressional hearings, typically advocating light-touch regulation for crypto. It is a sign of maturity that crypto has suffered this type of disaster; if anything bringing structured regulation to crypto - which may take time but now seems inevitable - will make it more viable to the mainstream. 4. The Reversal of Roe vs Wade by the US Supreme Court Whatever one's belief about the rights and wrongs of the case, it was still a surprise that the US Supreme Court reversed a decision in favor of women's rights made more than 50 years before (in 1969). In that seminal case a 25 year old single woman in Texas (anonymized at the time as "Jane Roe", the feminine equivalent of "John Doe" which had been used in British legal actions where the defendants name was not known from as early as the 18th Century: Wade was the DA for Dallas) claimed that she should be allowed to terminate her pregnancy on the grounds that she had been raped. The original Supreme Court judgement came too late to prevent the birth of the unwanted child, but effectively gave women in the US the absolute right to abortion in the first trimester of their pregnancies; very much in line with the rest of the world's developed economies. The recent reversal of that right in Federal law has left the US at odds with most other modernized nations and with a patchwork of different laws in different US States, and underscores the polarization of US politics and society in recent decades. 5. The Death of Queen Elizabeth II It wasn't a shock - the late Queen was a great age - but the ending of the Elizabethan Age, with all its triumphs and tragedies felt like a real moment in history: a pivot in to a new world that will be very different from what came before. The late Queen's husband, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, fought with distinction in WWII, she served herself, two of her uncles were killed while serving (one in each war), and another uncle was murdered by the Provisional IRA (there are many IRA's, as is often the case with extremists they fall out with each other regularly and easily). The Queen's work schedule was relentless and she had limited right of reply to criticism. She died in Scotland, which seemed like an elegant reminder of the unique and positive characteristics of the United Kingdom that she vowed to defend. The 20th Century was a very different place, and HM The Queen displayed the best qualities of its inhabitants: selflessness, care for others, stoicism, physical and moral bravery, aversion to showing off or self-obsession and a sense of humor. None of these qualities are in fashion at the moment. 6. The Assassination of Shinzo Abe Japan's former Prime Minster, the great modernizer Shinzo Abe, was assassinated on 8 July. Abe was credited with kick-starting Japan out of stagflation with reflationary policies combined with greater government spending and economic competitiveness (the so-called "Abenomics"). He was also wary of a resurgent China and urged Japan's rearmament as a priority, in a rejection of constitutionally imposed post-War pacifism. His policies led to Japan having its first operational aircraft carrier since the end of the Second World War, JS Izumo, which earlier this year conducted exercises with US F-35B's roaring on and off its deck. With China in the ascendancy history will likely see him as a leader of vision and master of grand strategy. 7. Liz Truss Becomes UK Prime Minister Yes, a truly WTF moment for anyone who had ever seen or met hapless Liz Truss, or heard her speaking about cheese markets. We are now all used to seeing politicians thrown in to jobs they are wholly unqualified to do (that's how democracy works for career politicians), but Ms Truss was an Olympian example of unsuitability for high public office. A senior civil servant contact of mine described her - before she was even a candidate for PM - as having the reputation within Whitehall of being an "unguided missile": how true that proved to be. Thankfully Ms Truss - who created economic chaos within weeks - lasted less time in office than the duration of a wet lettuce; literally. 8. Inflation: Central Banks Asleep at the Wheel A year ago the US Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England were all telling us that inflation was a brief and transitory side effect of two years of Covid lockdowns. They raised interest rates from their historically low levels gingerly and slowly as a result, confident that it would all be over soon. Accelerated by the conflict in Ukraine inflation rapidly rose across nearly all economies in to double digits for the first time in decades. The central bankers still didn't react. Eventually panic set in as central bankers realized that they had to do something more radical in May 2022: the Fed started raising 0.75% each month until December, where the rate was raised by only 0.5% to 4.5% (up from 0.25% a year ago). My amateur prediction is that the Fed - which everyone else has to follow - will only really stop raising interest rates when it sees a painful and significant increase in unemployment. 2023 could be rough. 9. The Soviet Union's Last General Secretary Those of us who lived through any part of the Cold War era will remember the world changing impact of the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, who died at the age of 91. Before his premiership the USSR was hostile and fearsome nuclear power, able to destroy the World, from the other side of the Iron Curtain and engaged in dangerous espionage and wars via proxies. By the end of Gorbachev's time the Soviet Union and its communism-in-one-country experiment was ended, the Cold War was over and such was the sense of the significance that American thinker Francis Fukuyama predicted that liberal, enlightened capitalism was now accepted as the only really fair way to run society - what he described as the "end of history". We all felt that Armageddon had been averted. Although much of what Gorbachev achieved has now been undone by the chaos of the USSR's collapse in the 1990's and the actions of President Putin, he still ranks as a great man to me. and finally 10. Nuclear Fusion Works! Sort of. Albert Einstein originally predicted that mass can be converted in to energy (the famous equation E=mc2); either by the division of atomic particles (nuclear fission: think nuclear powerstations and bombs) or the combination of two particles (nuclear fusion: the creation of a new element: think the power that runs the sun and stars). We know the former has been possible on Earth, for good and ill, but nobody has successfully managed the latter. That is until last week: scientists at the California based National Ignition Facility (NIF) claimed that they have generated more energy by combining atomic nuclei than the energy used to power the process. It does sound exciting and a potential near-limitless and pollution-free solution to the world's energy problems. However, as I understand it the NIF team had to heat up two hydrogen isotopes (deuterium and tritium) to a temperature of 3 million degrees Kelvin with 192 massive lasers to encourage them to meld in to a single atom of helium, thereby releasing one neutron and an some new energy. 3 million Kelvin is nearly 3 million degrees Centigrade, which is hotter than the surface of the sun (in fact it is like the warmer parts of the sun, but not the maximum high pressure center which could be as much as 27 million C). Anyway, it is quite hot, and most things on earth (like potential fusion power stations) tend to melt or vaporize if you subject them to that sort of heat. And, if you include the energy needed to heat up the 192 lasers, the whole equation then becomes energy negative. It is an interesting breakthrough but given some of the obvious practical issues fusion power seems some way off. We should stick to wind, wave and solar for the time being, perhaps.
Dec 20, 2022 · 10 min read
Parties, Protests & Politics
Beware Physicists The last edition of The Perspective Pool was entitled " October Entropy ": the reference was intended as an amusing and somewhat throw-away quip about the significant geopolitical events that seem to be destroying the accepted world order, as "entropy" implies a tendency for order to disintegrate in to chaos (and by further extension that process occurs in a single direction, thereby giving a direction and structure to time ). I thought it was a mildly entertaining comparison that would bring a wry smile to those who appreciate such things; in fact I hope it did. However, it also resulted in a number of over-attentive readers engaging me in some very complicated debates on the Second Law of Thermodynamics , which - after a short period of bluffing - I felt very under-qualified to engage in. The moral of the story is "do not meddle in the affairs of physicists"; maybe the other lesson is don't try to be a smartass… Record Breaking President Xi As predicted, the Congress of the Chinese Communist Party anointed Xi Jinping as its leader for an unprecedented (and hitherto un-constitutional) third term. Not only did President Xi take on the mantle of the greatest, and longest serving leader of The Communist Party and therefore of the People's Republic of China since Chairman Mao, he arranged to have his predecessor, Hu Jintao forcibly removed from the seat next to him on the front rank of the Politburo in full sight of the Congress, and global media. We may think of President Putin of Russia as a "strongman", but having your elderly predecessor of a decade before carted off for the sin of not being you is more resonant of the glory days of that other great Communist leader, Joseph Stalin . Xi now appears to be unassailable and unimpeachable, with a clear vision of how the PRC will dominate the world, and much greater capacity than ever to do so . As the UK and US were explicit and swift to point out this is very dangerous for everyone else. Record Breaking Liz Truss While President Xi was breaking records and brutalizing his opponents, hapless Liz Truss had already resigned as UK Prime Minister, after a record breaking 44 days in office - the shortest since the job began in 1721 - and that is including the 10 days of hiatus caused by the official mourning for HM The Queen. In that short time Ms Truss launched a mini-budget that had not been checked by the OBR, induced a record low for GBP against USD, spiked 30yr Gilt yields (and therefore the cost of Government borrowing) at over 5% for the first time in 20 years, threw the pension market in to chaos, caused the Bank of England to intervene with more QE when its stated objective was to do the opposite, sacked her long-time friend and newly appointed Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, made all British mortgages, bank loans and corporate debt more expensive, caused the ratings agencies to put the UK on negative watch and achieved a popularity rating lower than the 10.1% inflation rate. The resignation of Ms Truss caused former PM, Boris Johnson, her immediate predecessor recently removed by his own Conservative party for - in the view of some - his cavalier relationship with veracity, to fly back from his holiday in the Caribbean to assess his chances of a miraculous Lazarine comeback. The Tories came to their senses, and Boris didn't run, which left the way clear for Boris' former Chancellor Rishi Sunak to take over. The markets reacted well (look at the chart), but Rishi takes on an unenviable mess of high energy prices, Brexit headwinds and a war in Europe, needlessly made worse by the Truss era. Mr Sunak is British-Asian, and rather more encouragingly for UK democracy amidst the political turmoil the first person of color to occupy 10 Downing Street. Mr Sunak is also only 42 years of age, making him the youngest Prime Minister since Robert Jenkinson the 2nd Earl of Liverpool in 1812 (the year France invaded Russia). Iran's One Way Attack Drones The wave of protests triggered by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old woman accused of wearing her hijab too loosely, are entering their sixth week. The Iranian government forces have - according to dissident news outlet Hrana - killed nearly 250 demonstrators in that time, in protests across all parts of the country. On Saturday a huge crowd, estimated to be as many as 100,000, demonstrated against the Iranian theocracy in Berlin (Germany has a large population of the Iranian diaspora, after the UK, Canada and the US). In Iran the demonstrations are predominantly organised by students and younger people; somewhat redolent of the demonstrations against the Communist Party in China in the mid-1980's; which tragically culminated with the massacre in Tienanmen Square in 1989. Although the Iranian government appears to remain in control for the time being, these demonstrations have achieved a couple of things: (i) greater unity of the notoriously fragmented and often foreign-based opposition, and (ii) an even more negative view of the US, the UK and their allies against Iran: the US Pentagon has publicly confirmed that Iran is supplying "one way attack drones" - miniature modern day "doodlebugs" - to Russia and that it regards them as "militarily ineffective", although a weapon of terror against civilians. The UK Ministry of Defence said that Iranian Revolutionary Guards were in Ukraine actively training Russian forces, which means Iran is now embroiled in a proxy war with NATO. The theocratic government will come under more pressure internally and externally, and dictatorial countries under pressure - as we have seen in the case of Russia - are capable of making very bad decisions indeed. Saudi's MBS allegedly mocks Pres Biden The Wall Street Journal has reported on the deteriorating relationship between the youthful ruler of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Mohamed Bin Salman (MBS) and the 79 year old President Biden of the US. According to the WSJ, MBS is alleged to have mocked President Biden's "gaffes" and "mental acuity"; in private at least, which MBS has denied. This is the latest round of unedifying power politics between the US and KSA centered on the oil price. The US Administration is very frustrated with KSA for its role in the latest OPEC+ decision to reduce the production of oil, thereby maintaining the price, and a direct rejection of President Biden's request to push prices down made in person to MBS in June. The US Administration says the OPEC+ decision helps Russia, but a cynic would also add that high energy prices add to US inflation - which President Biden said would be transitory and has turned out to be anything but. KSA has also been exporting fuel oil to Russia, which has added to the annoyance in DC. This brings to an end a warm period of relations between the US and KSA, albeit they have to live with each other in defiance of Iran. And finally.. President Biden welcomed the appointment of the new UK Prime Minister as an " astounding milestone ", although as that clip shows the President may have pronounced him as "Rushi Sinook", which let the noble sentiment down a little bit, I could not help feeling. Be good, everybody. Duncan If you enjoyed The Perspective Pool please share it! It is free to subscribe.
While Russia Fights, China Prepares for War
History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes In March 1936 the Germany's Army reoccupied the Rhineland region of Western Germany. The Rhineland had been demilitarized under the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, to create a buffer region between Germany and France in the aftermath of the Great War of 1914-18. For Nazi Germany in March 1936 the "retaking" of the Rhineland was a hugely symbolic event, and its relative lack of reaction from other powers emboldened German Chancellor, Adolf Hitler who's armies moved on to invade Czechoslovakia almost exactly three years later, setting the World ablaze in another global conflagration. However, as the Great War had illustrated, it takes more than one event, one leader or one country to create a World War; it tends to be a culmination of multiple factors that cause the worst outcomes. A year after German troops reoccupied the Rhineland, Japan mounted an invasion on a politically divided China. Japanese imperial troops mounted an attack on the fractured forces of the nationalist Kuomintang and the insurgent Communist Party, which (temporarily) allied to resist it, in a conflict against Japan that raged from 1937 to 1945. The temptation is to be mesmerized by Russia and its invasion of Ukraine - a country divided by an 8 year civil war and run by an (at the time) unpopular government - but it is also worth thinking further East, to other, apparently disconnected events, that make the global situation more uncertain than just the direct byproducts of the first "tank war" in Europe since 1945. Now it is Russia, rather than Germany taking on unfinished business on its Western flank in Europe, and it appears China, rather than Japan, is intent on dominating the East China sea. It has unhappy echoes of the late 1930's. China and Taiwan - the Unfinished Civil War Taiwan (the Island of Formosa) had been under Chinese imperial control since the 17th Century. It was ceded by Imperial China to the Empire of Japan under the Treaty of Shimonoseki after the first Sino-Japanese War in 1895: a strategic byproduct of Japan's invasion of the Korean peninsular. This added to the pressures on the imperial Qing Dynasty of China, which had in prior decades already suffered the humiliations of losing both Opium Wars (1839-42, and 1856-60) and control of Hong Kong (ceded by the Qing to the British in 1841). By the time the Qing administration had been further knocked by territorial losses to Imperial Russia in the Sino-Russian War of 1904-5, the light was fading on centuries of imperial rule. Despite belated attempts at reform the Qing Dynasty and the imperial throne itself was deposed by a revolution in 1911, resulting in the abdication of the last Emperor Puyi, and the creation of the Republic of China. It was this Republic of China that was riven by internal divisions when Japan attacked it in 1937. The mainstream Kuomintang (KMT) and revolutionary Chinese Communists (CCP) had been fighting each other since 1927 but allied - not always coherently - to resist the Japanese invasion. Global power politics played a hand, and the KMT was backed by the US and the CCP by the Soviet Union. The CCP tended to be more successful in their military operations than the KMT, and when the Japanese surrendered to the Western Allies in late 1945, the friction between the two groups reignited in violence. After several more years of conflict in which the KMT suffered a series of reverses the KMT and its leader Chiang Kai-shek escaped to Formosa in 1949, leaving mainland China to the victorious CCP. The mainland became the Communist People's Republic of China (PRC), and the nationalists remained the exiled government of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. Nancy Pelosi Visits Despite the warm rhetoric of the US and others, the ROC is diplomatically recognized by only a handful of countries (14 to be exact, mainly in the Caribbean and Latin America, but also including the Embassy of the Holy See (Vatican); compared with the 172 foreign embassies hosted by the PRC). The USA continued to recognize the ROC in Taiwan until 1979 and then cut its formal recognition in favor of the PRC on the mainland, and now has no formal diplomatic relations with the ROC. The US may not have an embassy but it does have a significant presence in the form of the American Institute in Taiwan, a unique body mandated by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979; a "strategic ambiguity" that is more complex and subtle than the foreign policy stance of the Pope, it would seem. However, Taiwan is the United States' eighth-largest trading partner, a globally important manufacturer of microchips, and the United States is Taiwan's second-largest trading partner (ironically after the PRC, which is the largest). With this background in mind, the visit of House of Representatives Speaker, Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan last week was strange for at least three reasons: The Speaker has therefore ignited more tension between the US and PRC - one must assume deliberately - but it is not clear for what strategic purpose. The PRC responded in predictable manner, by increasing the number of its military air sorties in to or near ROC airspace ; but it also engaged in a new escalation by commencing a series of live-fire exercises in the waters around Taiwan itself. The PRC Arms Itself The PRC exercises around Taiwan resulting from Speaker Pelosi's visit differ in nature from the type of exercises that have gone before: The PRC increased its defense budget by 7.1% this year to Yuan 1,45 trillion ($230bn), despite its economy being under pressure from "zero covid" lockdowns, reduced domestic demand and some food inflation (2 - 6% depending on the food - still modest compared with the inflation seen in the G7 economies). This is still dwarfed by US defense spending of circa $700bn. However, in context, the Chinese defense budget has more than doubled in the last decade. The Creation of AUKUS and Japan Rearms In September 2021 the governments of the US, UK and Australia announced the creation of an " enhanced trilateral security partnership called "AUKUS " - Australia, the United Kingdom and United States ", much to the chagrin of other countries with historic ties to the Indo-Pacific region, notably France. The military pact is more like a series of agreements starting with the US and UK helping develop nuclear powered submarine capability for Australia and extending to collaboration on a number of other security related capabilities, including cyber, AI, quantum computing (useful for a number of things) and " additional undersea capabilities " (which is likely to be a euphemism for undersea drones or UUV's, Unmanned Underwater Vehicles). The late, great Shinzo Abe, who was so tragically assassinated on 8 July, had as Prime Minister of Japan urged rearmament as a priority, in a rejection of the constitutionally imposed pacifism since the Second World War. His quiet urging led to Japan converting helicopter carriers to fully fledged aircraft carriers, and in October 2021, two locally stationed US Marine Corps F-35B's landed on the deck of JS Izumo, the first operational aircraft carrier Japan has had since the end of the Second World War. The US has its largest permanent overseas military presence in Japan; as it nearly invariably has been since 1945. More than 55,000 military personnel occupy around one hundred and twenty bases throughout Japan's islands, including a large part of Okinawa. The US has another 26,000 troops stationed in South Korea. As I write the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group is bobbing about on the South China Sea: the USS Ronald Reagan is a Nimitz class nuclear powered super-carrier, accompanied by cruiser USS Antietam and destroyer USS Higgins and - one would have to assume - one or two nuclear powered submarines, lurking darkly beneath the surface, listening. Wake Up Call With war in Europe and military rearmament in East Asia, Western politicians - distracted by inflation and domestic issues - should have a more strategic eye on the risks of an increasingly confident PRC and an increasingly frustrated Russia. As slowness to build military capability and strong diplomatic relationships proved in the 1930's, mistakes now will prove costly in years to come. Further Reading
Turning Thoughts in to Dollars
Scriber - the new infrastructure of investment information We have just launched the operational version of Scriber - https://scriber.to/ - which has been in open beta since the end of March. Before launch Scriber has attracted 500 writers who are already delivering their own unique insights to circa 150,000 of their own subscribers via Scriber's tech. From today they and any new user will not just be able to create professional emails, web-presence and a structured way to share insights through social channels, but also introduce a paywall and get paid for their work. Scriber gives experts the ability to set up and grow their own subscription businesses, giving anyone who needs it access to their expertise for a fee. Financial information and insight is no longer trapped in the opaque world of traditional finance or on systems that most people have never heard of and do not have access to. By the same token even the investment professionals who do have access to those systems are increasingly separated from new markets and have less access to research than they used to: a combination of changing market dynamics, regulation and costs has meant that there is less research and analysis available at a time when the investment universe is in fact expanding: fintech, biotech, crypto and DeFi, deep dives on companies and the complex of opportunities and risks in sustainability, climate and ESG. That is the gap that Scriber will close. It dramatically lowers the access point to high-end expertise for the new class of semi-professional and retail investor and gives greater range and diversity of analysis to investment professionals, everywhere. The Power of Ideas Humans are good with ideas. We use concepts that are entirely fictional to create reality and drive civilization and our lives: money, ownership, contracts, qualifications, jobs, pensions, insurance and laws - the components that hold together society - are all human fictions. So powerful are these concepts that they start to feel very real to us all: a friend challenged me on this point, and I reminded her that there are plenty of places in the world now - and of course in the past - where humans abound but none of these concepts exist (at least not in a way that most of us would recognize). Humans used to transmit ideas and information with speech, stories, songs, drawing and writing. Each step in technology increases the potency of ideas: the creation of the mechanical printing press by Gutenberg in 1450 (movable type printing had be pioneered in China long before that), revolutionized the transmission of ideas and information and paved the way for the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution: because the printed word does not just facilitate the transmission of ideas and information through space, and the words of the author through time, it also allows the rapid, mass multiplication of ideas and duplication of information. The revolution in ideas preceded the revolution in industry. However, the means of creating publications was expensive and controlled by companies and institutions, who charge for access to information and decide what to pay the writers and experts. In the new digital era, we can not just separate ourselves from the shackles of physical paper, or closed tech systems, we can liberate expertise and insights from people outside a big franchise platform - former and aspiring professionals and subject matter experts: no one to edit you out, not select you for a role, or tell you what to write. We can all be judged on what we do, and the value we create with greater transparency than every before. That is what Scriber is for. Turning Thoughts in to Dollars The digital revolution of the 21st Century means that anyone, anywhere with expertise and ideas can be accessed by anyone else, anywhere else, at any time who is searching for information or ideas. I am writing this on a machine no bigger than a medium sized book, sitting at the kitchen table of a cottage in the rural UK - the sun is shining, sheep are bleating in the field next door and a dog is asleep at my feet - and you, dear reader, are reading it on email, the web or via social media, wherever you are. Technology has truly collapsed the time, space and geography gap between us. As the erudite and eclectic Jim O'Shaughnessey pointed out "Bill Gates figured out a way to turn his thoughts in to billions and billions of dollars". Scriber now let's anyone, anywhere perform the same alchemy. Further Reading:
Pariah Swap: Biden reverses on Saudi and Russia
Biden's first overseas trip In June 2021 the newly elected US President Biden made his first overseas trip, which included an in-person meeting with President Putin of Russia. The pair met with their foreign ministers, Anthony Blinken and Sergey Lavrov, in Geneva, in what was supposed to be two meetings; the first, in a small group with interpreters, and a second longer - less confidential - meeting with more officials discussing a longer agenda. Biden used the more discreet of the two meetings as an opportunity to ask Putin to stop cyber attacks on the US, and provide a lecture on the importance of human rights, while Putin used it as an opportunity to size up Biden's personality and resolve. As far as anyone can tell from outside the room the two Presidents quickly ran out of things to talk about. To both Biden's own officials and the Russian delegation it was painfully clear that Biden's rather indistinct approach represented a significant shift in the conduct of US foreign policy. It was certainly less robust than that of the prior Administration, which for all the unhelpful eccentricities of former President Trump was otherwise remarkably coherent. Saudi, Oil, Standards and Values The foreign policy issue that Biden was very robust about during his election campaign in 2019 was on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ("KSA"). Biden said it deserved to be made an international "pariah" as a result of its involvement in the murder of Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. In a policy volte face President Biden has just visited KSA, and met with its ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) with a jovial fist bump, whom he had previously blamed for the Khashoggi murder. In the period since Biden's original rhetoric the price of oil has nearly tripled, Russia has invaded Ukraine and put its nuclear weapons on alert, the deal to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons of their own torn up by the Trump Administration is no nearer being rehabilitated, relations with China remain fraught, and USD rates and inflation are rising at their fastest in a generation. A cynic might say that Biden has conveniently ditched is moral outrage in order to ask the KSA to produce more oil to bring down its price and curb inflation in the US. The first duty of government is to maintain the economy and prevent rioting in the streets; standards and values matter of course, but not as much as the price of gasoline or inflation, as it turns out. It is far from clear that he will succeed in this objective; there are limited reasons for KSA or any other GCC country to release more of their reserves of oil to depress the price. in fact as I write the price of oil (Brent crude benchmark) has just pushed back above $100 per barrel because the market doesn't believe the KSA will release more reserves. However, the general entente between the US and the KSA - even if Biden's key request has been rejected - is also despite the fact that due to limitations on processing capacity the KSA is buying more fuel oil from Russia to generate power than before the conflict in Ukraine. KSA doubled its imports of Russian fuel oil in Q2. In February of this year, President Biden said that Russia should be made a "pariah" because of the invasion of Ukraine. Biden obviously likes dishing out pariah status, but perhaps nobody should take the epithet too seriously. Iran, Oil and Nuclear Proliferation The other reason for President Biden's trip to the Middle East was to try to reignite the Iran nuclear deal: the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Under the JCPOA - which involved the UK, France, China, Russia, Germany and the EU, but President Trump tore up in 2018 - Iran was allowed to export more of its oil in exchange for limiting its nuclear ambitions, which again would help the US with inflation. However, now the deal is dead, it has strong resistance from both KSA and Israel, who have been on better terms with each other than ever before - in large part due to their distrust of Iran. Both are key political and economic allies of the US in the region. In a recent news interview the Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel al-Jubeir was asked about the meeting between President Biden and MBS and what was said about the Khashoggi case. With his customary and disarming charm, Adel al-Jubeir alluded to the fact that what is said on the campaign trail " sometimes doesn't get reflected in terms of being in office, because [Presidents] have access to more intelligence and because they have access to a fuller and broader picture ". Having swept that diplomatic embarrassment to one side as an understandable feature of the real politik it seems that the KSA team wanted to focus much more on what Adel al-Jubeir described as the " threat from Iran ". US Foreign Policy Mistakes have Driven both Russia and Iran in to the Arms of China Just as Russia's pariah status has driven it to do more business with China, and the energy crisis has caused the KSA to buy more Russian fuel oil, so the failure of the JCPOA has caused China to import record amounts of Iranian oil: China now imports more Iranian oil than it did before the imposition of sanctions on Iran in 2017. President Biden has just fist bumped in to contact with two pieces of political reality: Over the last year, President Biden's approval rating has fallen from 52% to 38%, and the annualized rate of inflation has nearly doubled to 9.1%: gasoline prices were one of the most significant components of that, having risen 59.9%. The President's visit to the Middle East is unlikely to have turned either of those around. Further Reading


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Introducing Mazda's New SP Range With Exclusive Design Features
30th November 2021 Tags: Finance Mazda
SP Range Exclusive Touches and Finishes
The Mazda SP models are designed to excite by showcasing new exclusive touches and finishes in each one of them.
Exterior Designs
The Mazda SP vehicles come in Polymetal Grey Metallic paint which brings out a luxurious, sophisticated aura of each unit. The colour exudes that understated and undisputable confidence to every silhouette of these Mazda models.
The SP line-up also boasts of wheels with black rims that further give the vehicle's overall look a sense of refinement only made possible by the darkest of shades. More specifically, all four SP models use 19-inch alloy wheels in Black Metallic colour. These stunning wheels are not just installed to make the SP vehicle look impressive, but they also deliver superb performance.
Adding to the sophistication of the Polymetal Grey Metallic paint and Black Metallic alloy wheels in every SP unit are the glossy black caps of the exterior mirrors. Such hue complements with the entire stylish, sleek external appeal of the Mazda SP models. In addition, these exterior mirrors also feature auto-folding as well as heating functions for convenient adjustment, unobstructed view and clear visibility when driving any time of the day and under any weather condition.
Mazda introduces some exclusive details inside every model in the SP range that exude refinement and sophistication just like the exclusive SP exterior details. These exclusive touches emphasize the finer details that Mazda has to offer. Some of these exclusive interior designs include the vibrant red stitching done on the gear shift and steering wheel.
The luxurious Mazda CX-9 GT SP and the Mazda6 GT SP both have Burgundy leather seat trim. The leather interior also uses the faux leather Maztex material on some select surfaces that are prone to high impact.
On the other hand, the iconic Mazda CX-5 GT SP and the Mazda CX-8 Touring SP both feature black seat trims with unique contrast red stitching. These seat trims utilise black Maztex and black Grand Luxe synthetic suede. Grand Luxe is a registered trademark of Seiren Co., Ltd.
Common Features in All SP Models
Here are some of the common features across all the Mazda models in the SP range.
Heated car seats are luxurious to have especially during a long drive and/or when driving in winter. Although the car's heater can warm the interior, heated car seats are much closer to your body, and thus, can provide warmth much faster than the heater.
The Mazda6 GT SP, the Mazda CX-8 Touring SP and the Mazda CX-9 GT SP have both heated front and rear seats. On the other hand, the Mazda CX-5 GT SP only has heated front seats.
Climate control is a sophisticated form of vehicle air conditioning system. It allows you to accurately control the temperature inside the car to ensure having the most comfortable interior environment while on the drive. It even gets more sophisticated when the air conditioning system is divided into zones, ensuring that everyone in a group of passengers (a common sight in a sporty or family car) are enjoying their preferred cabin temperature without distracting the driver or bothering the front passenger to constantly change the temperature setting.
The Mazda6 GT SP and the Mazda CX-5 GT SP feature dual-zone climate control with rear vents in the interior, while the Mazda CX-8 Touring SP and the Mazda CX-9 GT SP have three-zone climate control with independent rear control.
Infotainment system display
The Infotainment system is also a convenient feature in all SP models and provides entertainment and essential information while on the road. Run with Mazda Connect or MZD Connect (as it is called outside of the US, Japan, Mexico and Canada), the system is linkable with a smartphone to access a wide range of online services and applications. Its in-vehicle software is also updateable and upgradeable in order to remain compatible with newer smartphone operating systems in the future, and thus, will never go out of date.
The human-centred infotainment system is designed to reduce cognitive, manual, and visual distraction. Thus, it is divided into three sectors for ease of control and quick access to information. Specifically, the three zones are the command controller designed for tactile control, the active driving display strategically located above the meter hood for driving safety focus, and the centre display just above the dashboard for convenient visual access especially for the driver.
The Mazda6 and the CX-8 feature 8-inch full-colour touchscreen display while the CX-5 and the CX-9 have 10.25-inch full-colour widescreen.
Smartphone connectivity
The infotainment system can connect with your iPhone through Apple Carplay or your Android phone through Android Auto via Bluetooth. You'll have to check the compatibility of your smartphone though with the specific SP model you intend to buy by visiting Mazda's support page or by consulting a Mazda dealer.
Except for the Mazda CX-8, all other models in the SP range are equipped with Premium Bose amplifier. Specifically, the Mazda6 features 231-watt amplifier and 11 speakers, the CX-5 also uses 231 watts but only comes with 10 speakers, and the CX-9 utilises 294-watt amplifier with 12 speakers. As for the CX-8, it has six speakers but there's no disclosure in official brochures and Mazda website specifically indicating that it uses Premium Bose amplifier.
Driver assist technology for a safe driving experience
The Mazda SP models are also well-equipped with sophisticated, valuable driver assist technologies that ensure the safety of the driver and passengers as well as everyone and everything around the car. Take note, however, that these technologies are not to be used as substitutes for safe and skilled driving practices.
The Mazda Radar Cruise Control (MRCC) with Stop & Go function is an active safety technology that helps prevent road accidents by analysing the relative distance and speed of the vehicle in front and automatically adjusting and moderating the Mazda car's speed to ensure a safe following distance.
The Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) is also another active safety technology in every Mazda SP model that helps prevent road accidents especially when changing lanes. The technology basically alerts the driver of the presence of any vehicles on his/her blind spot on either side of the adjacent lane.
Still another active safety technology for preventing accidents is Mazda's Lane-keep Assist System (LAS), which ensures that the vehicle is driven within the lane. In Lane Departure Avoidance mode, steering assistance is activated when the vehicle starts to perform unintentional lane departure due to the driver's inattentiveness. In Lane Trace mode, steering assistance is provided to help the drivers maintain their lane especially when driving on curves and bends.
A Closer Look at Each Mazda SP Models
Now that we explored the common features across all the Mazda SP vehicles, let's take a closer look at more details available in each model.
Mazda6 GT SP
The Mazda6 is installed with LED headlamps that can automatic turn on and off. It's also equipped with the Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS) functionality, which is another active safety technology that helps maintain driving safety and prevent accidents by optimising the light distribution on the road depending on driving scenarios.
When it comes to its powertrain, the Mazda6 utilises the Skyactiv-G 2.5T turbo petrol engine with i-stop, specifically a 2.5 litre, in-line 4-cylinder, 16-valve DOHC S-VT unit. It boasts of a combined fuel consumption of 7.6l/100km based on ADR 81/02 test results. It can also reach a maximum power of 170kW@5,000rpm and maximum torque at 420Nm@2,000rpm.
Mazda CX-5 GT SP
Just like the Mazda6, the iconic Mazda CX-5 is also equipped with the AFS technology in its LED headlamps, which can also automatically turn on and off.
In terms of powertrain, there are two options to choose from for the Mazda CX-5. One is the 2.5 litre Skyactiv-G DOHC S-VT petrol engine with i-stop, in-line four cylinders and 16 valves. The second is the 2.5 litre Skyactiv-G 2.5T DOHC S-VT turbo petrol engine with i-stop, in-line 4 cylinders and 16 valves.
Mazda CX-8 Touring SP
In addition to the previously mentioned specifications common to all SP models, the front seats of the Mazda CX-8 have a 2-position memory function and 10-way power adjustment feature for the driver's side. For the passenger's side, the front seat features 6-way power adjustment functionality.
This SP model also utilises paddle shift gear control, which allows the driver to conveniently and safely shift gear while manoeuvring the steering wheel without having to move the hand to the gear lever.
The Mazda CX-8 is available in either Front Wheel Drive (FWD) or i-Activ All-Wheel Drive (AWD) drivetrain. The FWD variant is equipped with a 2.5 litre, Skyactiv-G DOHC S-VT petrol engine with i-stop, four in-line cylinders and 16 valves. On the other hand, the i-Activ AWD model comes with a 2.2 litre, in-line four-cylinder, 16-valve Skyactiv-D DOHC intercooled twin-turbo diesel engine with i-stop.
What's cool about the Mazda CX-9 is that it's equipped with a wireless charger, which is compatible with mobile phones featuring Qi technology or an adapter. In short, you won't be bothered looking for your misplaced wired chargers or untangling the messy wires especially when you're always on the go.
As for the powertrain, the Mazda CX-9 is run by a 2.5-litre petrol turbo engine, more specifically the Skyactiv-G 2.5T DOHC S-VT with four inline cylinders and 16 valves. The engine also comes with i-stop and i-ELOOP. The powertrain boasts of a combined fuel consumption (based on ADR 81/02 test results) of 9.0l/100km for the i-Activ AWD variant and 8.4l/100km for the FWD. In addition, the Mazda CX-9 can perform a maximum power of 170kW@5,000rpm and a maximum torque 420Nm@2,000rpm.
Get to Own a New Mazda Today
Get in touch with Brighton Mazda today to learn more about the Mazda SP range. We also help you determine your options from among a massive range of Mazda models you can choose from. Whether you're looking for a compact vehicle like the CX-3 or a luxurious one such as the 7-seater CX-9, our dedicated sales team can assist you in finding the best model for you from enquiry to after sales.


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Frank Thomas Dead
'Sister Wives' Leon Brown
Kate Middleton's Brother
Live-Action 'Barbie' Movie Trailer Starring Margot Robbie Released
By Ashley Turner - December 16, 2022 05:01 pm EST
Come on, Barbie, let's go party! A trailer for the highly-anticipated Barbie movie has been released, featuring the first footage of Margot Robbie as the famous fashion doll. This short teaser shows Robbie as the original Barbie, winking at a group of young girls and a shinier, newer model of the doll. "Since the beginning of time, since the first little girl ever existed, there have been dolls, but the dolls were always and forever. Baby dolls until..." Helen Mirren narrates the preview, which introduces the film as an adventure set after Barbie disrupts the tradition of girls playing with dolls and also highlights Ryan Gosling as Ken and Simu Liu. Greta Gerwig directs Robbie in a satirical spoof of the 1959 doll.
"People immediately have an idea of, 'Oh, Margot is playing Barbie, I know what that is,' but our goal is to be like, 'Whatever you're thinking, we're going to give you something totally different – the thing you didn't know you wanted,'" Robbie told the Hollywood Reporter. She added that she hoped the film will "provoke a thoughtful conversation." The all-star cast includes Ryan Gosling as Ken, Will Ferrell, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, America Ferrera, Ncuti Gatwa, Emerald Fennell, Rhea Perlman, and Kingsley Ben-Adir. According to Ferrell, who plays a Mattel CEO, the film is "the ultimate example of high art and low art" and "an amazing comment on male patriarchy and women in society."
After being in the works with Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody in 2015, Barbie was moved to Amy Schumer in 2016, who would star and co-write the film. In 2017, she dropped out, saying, "They definitely didn't want to do it the way I wanted to do it, the only way I was interested in doing it." Before Robbie, Anne Hathaway was set to star in the film, which fell through. When the Suicide Squad star got the part, she asked to bring Gerwig on board. Another Mattel adaptation is planned to follow, a take on Polly Pocket directed and written by Lena Dunham with Lily Collins. As Dunham confirmed in October, she is still writing the script. Masters of the Universe and Hot Wheels are also in development for Mattel. This month, Robbie will star in Babylon, co-starring Brad Pitt, and she will next appear in Wes Anderson's Asteroid City alongside Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, and Tilda Swinton. Barbie will hit theaters in July 2023.
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Buses stop at both ends of Deptford High St only 2 minutes walk.
Nearest train station is Deptford - only 200 metres. Deptford Bridge DLR only 5 minutes walk.
ARCHgallery is pleased to announce the first ever solo show of artist / poet Annie Freud. Daughter of renowned painter Lucian Freud, Annie has received much attention in recent years for her poetry. Forty-six years is an eclectic mix of paintings, drawings and embroideries dating from her teens in the sixties to the present. These are all very personal pieces, some of which were last exhibited in 2003 at the Walsall New Art Gallery, in a group show with Annie's mother, sister & daughter. Some have never been shown publicly before. Alongside these pieces is a new series of paintings Annie is producing for the gallery.


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Hong Yu – Taiwan's unique black tea
Posted by Peter Wescombe | Jun 13, 2011 | Legacy, Product Reviews | 2 |
Hong Yu (also written as Hong Yue), which translates as "Red Jade" and is also referred to as Ruby Black tea, is Black Tea Number 18 in the tea varietals numbering system developed by Taiwan's Tea Research and Extension Station (TRES). A small tea-growing region in Yuchih district in Central Taiwan, close to the internationally famous Sun Moon Lake in Nantou county, is the source of Hong Yu – one of the most amazing black teas in the world.
This area has been successfully producing high-quality Assam black tea for many years. It was originally introduced in the early 1900s from Assam, India. The Japanese administration that occupied Taiwan at the time – wanting to grow black tea in Taiwan – carefully studied various geographical, environmental, climatic, and soil conditions to find the most suitable location to produce black tea. Finally, the hills surrounding Sun Moon Lake were chosen. The area has an altitude of 600-800 meters (1,950-2,650 feet) and its stable humidity levels and diverse landforms help to create the ideal growing conditions.
In recent years, Taiwan's TRES has worked with local tea farmers to further develop and improve production of the black teas in the area, as well as experiment with cultivating new strains. An Assam tea strain from Burma was crossed with a local wild tea strain to produce Hong Yu black tea. This organically grown black tea has since been carefully refined by TRES and is now an excellent quality and a much sought-after premium-grade black tea.
Here are some excerpts gleaned from reviews of Hong Yu by tea masters and tea tasters:
"A delightful, full-flavored tea with a beautiful hand-harvested leaf, both before and after steeping. A very consistent cup during its three infusions. The result is one of the most interestingly wonderful teas you will ever taste."
"The full flavor profile is absolutely awesome. It is easily one of the best black teas I have had in a long, long time. It offers much more flavor in and of itself than many flavored black teas do – the raisin, date, caramel-cinnamon flavors are incredible, and the properties of this tea – the different flavors, textures, color, smell, aftertaste – cross boundaries of black tea, pu-erh, oolong. This tea is an impressive mix of flavors …"
"The tea has a luxuriant red / orange color and yields a delicious, flavorful liquor through multiple steeps. As one would expect from a leaf with Assamica in its pedigree, Hong Yu produces a strong brew, with intense depth of character. I've read descriptions that compare it to brandy, which is understandable given its wine-like tones. It has a deep, slightly bitter woody quality, somewhat akin to the character imbued in a wine casked in oak rather than stainless steel. Even before the first sip, I recommend inhaling deeply to experience the rich complex aroma, which includes a slight note of peppermint.
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Peter Wescombe
Peter Wescombe is an Australian entrepreneur and humanitarian who has been living and working in Asia for over 25 years. During this time, he has traveled extensively throughout Southeast Asia as well as India and China. His main business experience has been in the printing industry and export business and his positions have included that of International Marketing Director for a prominent Thai publishing company and Managing Director of a Swiss-owned, Taiwanese publishing company. When he moved to Taiwan several years ago to set up the aforementioned Taiwanese company, he was introduced to the amazing world of Chinese tea and tea culture. Since then, he has developed a passion for Chinese tea and the beautiful, artistic culture it embraces. Consequently, it has become his desire to share this with others. Toward this end, Peter has stepped out in a new direction this year and started the Zi Chun Tea Company (http://zi-chun.com), through which he hopes to provide an opportunity for others to experience and enjoy the wonderful world of Chinese tea. Peter has also been actively engaged in humanitarian work, charity projects, and missionary-related activities in many Asian countries during the past 25 years. He is the founder and chairman of the Family International Services Association of Taiwan, or FISAT (www.fisat.org.tw) – a national Taiwanese social service charity association.
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Michelle Rabin	on June 13, 2011 at 7:40 AM
Very interesting. I had not heard of a black tea that stood up so well to multiple steepings. I'm intregued by the science behind this tea. It sounds like TRES has done an amazing job. I look forward to trying Hong Yu. Do you think it will be available at the World Tea Expo this month?
Peter Wescombe	on June 14, 2011 at 10:48 PM
Michelle I cannot confirm it, but it is most likely the Taiwanese representatives at the Expo will have Hong Yu available. Some tea stores including Strand Tea & Samovar stock this tea


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Amnesty Intl risks criminal probe after taking Soros funds for pro-abortion campaign in Ireland
Published time: 8 Dec, 2017 23:35 Edited time: 19 Feb, 2018 09:32
© Amnesty International Ireland © Facebook
Amnesty International Ireland could face criminal charges after an Irish regulatory body found it broke the law by accepting a donation from George Soros' Open Society Foundation for an abortion rights campaign.
Ireland's Standards in Public Office Commission informed the human rights advocacy group that it had breached Irish law by accepting funds from a foreign donor and may face criminal investigation, Amnesty International Ireland said in a statement.
READ MORE: Soros sheltering $18bn that American tax authorities can never touch
The organization says the €137,000 grant received from the Open Society Foundation (OSF) last year was used to support a campaign to ensure abortion laws in Ireland comply with human rights.
Amnesty blasted the law as draconian, and defiantly stated it would not comply with the order to return the funds.
"Amnesty International will not be complying with the instruction from the SIPOC and will deploy every means at its disposal to challenge this unfair law," Colm O'Gorman, Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland said.
O'Gorman claimed on Twitter that Irish law was "being weaponized by those opposed to our work."
Shocking, but true. @AmnestyIreland is facing possible criminal charges after anti-choice campaigners weaponised a deeply flawed law. We will not comply. #BraveIreland Stand with us #joinamnestyhttps://t.co/XkzWSiW52mhttps://t.co/ncfG9I5TnY
— Colm O'Gorman (@Colmogorman) December 8, 2017
Pro-life campaigners have expressed outrage at Amnesty's refusal to comply with the law.
Amnesty say they will break the law and take funds from George Soros to push abortion referendum. #CriminalAmnesty#ObeyTheLaw#DirtyMoney#savethe8thpic.twitter.com/SxBvHU16NV
— Youth Defence (@YouthDefence) December 8, 2017
Amnesty is now saying it will break the law and take money from abroad, clearly to spend to push abortion/repeal the 8th. Obviously since they are not supported by Irish people they need George Soros' money. Their stance is unacceptable and illegal. #SaveThe8th
— Life Institute (@lifeinstitute) December 8, 2017
Today marks the first time in the modern history of the state that a political campaign has openly declared its intention to break the law to win a vote. You'd think that might be an item worthy of discussion in a democracy.
— John McGuirk (@john_mcguirk) December 8, 2017
Electoral Act 1997, as amended in 2001, forbids overseas donations of more than €100 to "third party" organizations for "political purposes." Violation of this law can carry a penalty of up to three years imprisonment.
Earlier this year, it emerged that three organizations, including the Abortion Rights Campaign and Amnesty International had received funds from the OSF.
The Abortion Rights Campaign was ordered by SIPO to return the funds or face criminal investigation – an order they duly complied with. However, no such order was made against Amnesty International.
The organization said it was using the grant to carry out opinion polling and "research into models of abortion law reform that might bring Ireland into compliance with its international human rights obligations," an explanation apparently accepted at the time, reported The Irish Times.
O'Gorman says it is unclear why SIPO reversed its decision, but noted that some groups and certain media outlets have been framing their campaign to reform Ireland's abortion law as 'controversial' or 'too political.'"They have also portrayed foreign funding as somehow sinister," he said.
Amnesty International is now calling on the Irish government to urgently amend the Electoral Act so that civil society groups are not so "punitively" restricted in their access to funding.
Soros' Open Society Foundation is the second largest charity in the US and said to be the most influential around the globe. It has been accused of undermining democracy in several countries – a charge denied by the NGO.
READ MORE: Tycoon George Soros transfers $18bn to his Open Society Foundations
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