In March 2015 the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, in response to a call for suggestions regarding the development of a government 'National Plan on Business and Human Rights', submitted the following document to the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
In it we outline what we feel are necessary elements any such plan must incorporate in order to ensure that fundamental Palestinian rights are respected by Irish based-businesses and international businesses that operate within Ireland.
You can also download the report as a PDF file here.
As the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is developing a National Plan on Business and Human Rights, and is seeking consultation with interested groups for the plan, among them civil society groups, the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) is making this submission in order to ensure that Palestinian rights are not overlooked in the Plan, and that businesses operating out of Ireland are cognisant of and respect those rights. As a solidarity organisation that advocates a meaningful and just solution for all the people of the Palestine-Israel region, and as one based in Ireland, it is of the utmost importance to us that the Irish government takes concrete measures to ensure that international law, including international human rights law, is upheld with regard to Palestine and the Palestinian people.
For the purposes of providing a concrete example, we have in some instances highlighted our past experiences in trying to ensure that Irish multinational CRH conform to international guidelines on best practice for business and human rights.
The Irish company CRH plc (formerly Cement Roadstone Holdings) owns a 25% stake in the Mashav group in Israel. Mashav is the holding company for Nesher Cement, which, according to its website, is the sole producer of cement in Israel. Nesher is involved in the building of the separation wall in the West Bank which, in effect, annexes Palestinian land to Israel, and has been declared illegal by the International Court of Justice. Such action supports and sustains the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Nesher Cement is used in the construction of illegal settlements in the occupied territories, checkpoints that impede travel and commerce for Palestinians, and more than 700 kilometres of Israeli-only roads in the West Bank (See the Who Profits website for details of Nesher's involvement).
The implication of an Irish company in the systematic breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice and numerous UN Security Council resolutions should be a matter of grave concern to the Irish government, as it raises serious questions about the values and priorities it promotes through its foreign policy and trade activities, particularly in the light of the development of a National Plan on Business and Human Rights.
The current situation in Israel/Palestine is increasingly worrying from a human rights perspective, with the prospect of a real and meaningful peace becoming ever distant. This is due in large part to the international community failing to sanction Israel for its breaches of international law and human rights violations. While Ireland positions itself as an honest-broker regarding this issue, until it makes serious efforts to ensure that business which profits from occupation and illegality is not conducted by companies based here, such claims lack credibility.
It has long been the view of the IPSC that statements of condemnation and aid money alone are ineffective remedies for the problems faced by Palestinians living under Israel's decades-long military occupation. We believe that Israel's continued belligerence and violations of human rights norms and international law over since the outbreak of the second Intifada (in 2000) alone years illustrate this quite clearly.
Thus, it is our contention that if the Minister and the Irish government wish to be consistent in their words and actions, decisive steps need to be taken in order to ensure that Israel abides by the same international legal and human rights norms that are expected of any state that is as diplomatically and economically connected to the international community as Israel is.
It is incumbent on the government to do all in its power when drawing up the National Plan on Business and Human Rights to ensure that it takes into account the real, human impact of companies conducting business with Israeli companies complicit in the settlements, the apartheid wall, and the security/military industry.
The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights state that governments have the duty to protect human rights, companies have a responsibility to respect rights, and both governments and companies must work to provide a remedy when violations occur. This is known as the "Protect, Respect, and Remedy" framework. Ireland is a member of the Human Rights Council for the 2013-2015 term and as such, should try to fulfil such duties both for and after the term.
The IPSC welcomes the commitment made by the government to develop a National Action Plan to implement the UN Guiding Principles and is encouraging the state to take a proactive approach to the promotion of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. By Implementing the UN Guiding Principles the state can ensure that companies are demonstrating respect for human rights throughout their operations, including conflict areas such as the Occupied Palestinian Territories/State of Palestine.
The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights were developed by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, John Ruggie, on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises In Ruggie's initial report in 2008 he identified three key principles; 'Protect Respect and Remedy,' which outlined the duties and responsibilities which must be addressed in order to maintain and ensure compliance with national and international laws.
The Human Rights Council endorsed the Guiding Principles in its resolution 17/4 of 16 June 2011. The first of these principles is the State's duty to protect Human Rights. This highlights that states have a primary role to play in preventing and addressing corporate-related human rights abuses not only within its borders but, as stated in Guiding Principle 2, "states should set out clearly the expectation that all business enterprises domiciled in their territory… respect human rights throughout their operations" .
In order for a state to meet fulfil this duty it is required to take appropriate steps to prevent abuse abroad by business enterprises domiciled in their jurisdiction. This can only happen if the state enforces laws requiring business enterprises to respect human rights and provide effective guidance on how to respect them and address adverse human rights impacts by the application of the OECD Guidelines. States should encourage human rights due diligence as a way of assessing the risks to human rights by business operations.
While the Irish government's advising against Irish business involvement in financial and economic activities in illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is welcome, it must now move beyond passive advice and actively investigate companies that may be engaged in activities with negative human rights impacts.
The second part of the Guiding Principles emphasises the corporate duty to respect human rights, and the fact that this duty "exists independently of States" abilities and/or willingness to fulfil their own human rights obligations. Although it is addressed largely to enterprises themselves, the State clearly has a role to play in encouraging, incentivising or requiring best practice by companies in demonstrating their respect for human rights. This refers again to the importance of due diligence.
In order to discharge this responsibility the company must engage in due diligence to "prevent and address adverse human rights impacts". Due diligence consists of positive action by the company to ensure that their business conduct does not contribute to human rights abuses. Companies should assess the risk of human rights abuses in countries where they operate on an individual basis and tailor their policies accordingly.
The IPSC have continually called on CRH to carry out due diligence but these calls have fallen on deaf ears. By implementing the UN Guiding Principle 17 in relation to due diligence the Irish state can ensure that CRH will properly assess the "actual and potential human rights impacts" of their operations and take the "necessary steps to cease or prevent its contribution to those human rights abuses".
CRH claim that their 25% share in the Israeli holding company Mashav makes them a minority shareholder in Nesher, Israel's sole cement manufacturer which Mashav owns outright. The implication is thus that CRH do not have a say in the operations of the company. This is patently not the case as a quarter stake is a large shareholding. Furthermore, if this were the indeed case, Guiding principle 17 advises that where "a business enterprise lacks the leverage to prevent or mitigate the adverse impact it should consider ending its relationship". This brings us back to the State and its duty to Protect should the business continue to engage in human rights abuses.
Where Irish companies are found to be complicit, Ireland should review how best to ensure remedy for potential victims overseas of human rights abuses by Irish companies, ensuring that victims of human rights violations are not faced with undue barriers to justice, including legal, procedural or financial obstacles.
The Irish government has made a welcome commitment to develop a National Action Plan to implement the UN Guiding Principles. It must do so robustly.
The OECD Guidelines cover all major areas of business ethics. The Guidelines are recommendations by governments covering all major areas of business ethics, including corporate steps to obey the law, observe internationally-recognised standards and respond to other societal expectations. Their recommendations are set out in 11 chapters and cover topics such as information disclosure, human rights, employment and labour, environment, anti-corruption, and consumer interests. Multinational businesses operating from Ireland are expected to fulfil the recommendations of the guidelines. As a member of the OECD, Ireland has a responsibility to implement the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
The Guidelines provide voluntary principles and standards for responsible business conduct consistent with applicable laws and internationally recognised standards. However, the countries adhering to the Guidelines make a binding commitment to implement them in accordance with the Decision of the OECD Council on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
Unfortunately, these guidelines are relatively unknown in Ireland and their promotion by the state appears to be virtually non-existent. Significant progress could be made to strengthen the guidelines if Ireland were to take a proactive approach to promoting the effective observance of the Guidelines. The state could help enterprises identify and respond to risks of adverse impacts associated with particular products, regions, sectors, or industries.
The OECD Guidelines are the only international corporate responsibility instrument with a built-in grievance mechanism. They include a full chapter on human rights referencing the UN Guiding Principles. Within the OECD Guidelines is a mechanism whereby a complaint against a multinational enterprise can be referred to the country's National Contact Point for mediation. The NCP is the key person tasked with the promotion of the guidelines; carrying out investigations where companies may be considered non-observant and providing a mediation and conciliation platform for resolving issues.
In Ireland the NCP operates from the Bilateral Trade Promotion Unit within the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. Their primary job is working for the promotion of Irish business abroad. Their task as NCP is very secondary and is evidently under-resourced and given little importance or priority. Being located within the Trade Department raises a significant risk of a conflict of interest arising when dealing with complaints being made against businesses, especially businesses with which the Department may have developed relationships.
A concrete example of how these deficiencies impact on ineffectiveness of the position of NCP as currently set up is outlined below.
In May 2011 the IPSC followed the procedures in the guidelines to raise "a specific instance" concerning the failure by the Ireland based material's company, CRH plc, to observe the OECD Guidelines. This complaint referred specifically to its subsidiary's activities in Israel-Palestine and how it impacted on the human rights of the Palestinian people.
The IPSC requested the NCP to investigate whether CRH was complying with the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises with respect to Palestinian human rights; to investigate what due diligence measures has CRH undertaken in order to ensure the company adheres to the OECD Guidelines and to the discharge of its corporate responsibility to comply with national and international law to ensure it does not contribute to human rights abuses in countries where it operates; and to require CRH plc to commit itself to comply scrupulously with the OECD Guidelines and with International Human Rights Laws referred to in the Guidelines.
The guidelines state that the NCP "should strive to conclude the procedure within 12 months from receipt of the specific instance". However, four years later there has been no clarity on the status of the complaint or an indicative timeframe for mediation. This suggests that that there is either an inability or unwillingness, or both, by the NCP to operate in accordance with the guidelines. During this 4 year period the IPSC persisted with their demand that the complaint be investigated yet the complaint remains "blocked", according to the OECD Watch Quarterly Report of December 2014.
resources to enable them to carry out their function effectively; and to provide the NCP with the investigative powers and authority to ensure that Multinational businesses adhere to the OECD Guidelines and to the UN Guiding Principles.
The active promotion of these guidelines will ensure that they are implemented by the state and observed by the Multinational Enterprises. By Implementing the UN Guiding Principles, the state can ensure that companies such as CRH are demonstrating respect for human rights throughout their operations, including conflict areas such as the Occupied Palestinian Territories/State of Palestine.
It is the opinion of the IPSC and others that CRH have failed and neglected to comply with the UN Guiding Principles and the OECD guidelines. They are guilty of failure to implement business practices which respect international law in accordance with the due diligence process. CRH have been put on full notice of their complicity with these human rights abuses. They have full knowledge of the nature of these abuses and have failed to take positive action to prevent complicity. CRH have failed, and continue fail, in their corporate responsibility to protect against human rights abuses in their business dealings. Their action and inaction makes a direct contribution to the perpetration of human rights abuses against the Palestinian people.
During the period since the signing of the Oslo Accords, Israel's illegal settlement activity in the West Bank has been virtually unrelenting; since 1993, 53,000 settler homes have been constructed in the occupied West Bank. The year 2013 saw a sharp increase in settlement activity, with the rate of construction in the first half of that year jumping 70 percent from 2012. Israeli settlement construction increased by 40 percent during 2014. At present, the number of illegal Israeli settlers stands at around 500,000 in over 121 illegal settlements dotted across the West Bank and in East Jerusalem.
However, these guidelines are merely advisory and, so long as there is no penalty for doing so, can be ignored by companies. Ireland is therefore legally bound to ensure that that all economic support to the settlements comes to a halt, as such support is tantamount to the facilitation of grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Furthermore, Ireland should also prohibit trade with companies complicit in the settlement enterprise, i.e. Israeli companies that source any goods in settlements, or companies complicit in the construction, or physical or economic maintenance of these settlements, thereby giving both material and ideological legitimacy to these illegal projects.
The time to act on this is now. At a time when the issue of settlements is receiving unprecedented attention and scrutiny internationally, Ireland should take the lead in calling for international law to be upheld by creating strict rules regarding the prohibition business with illegal settlements and insisting that "companies must work to provide a remedy when violations occur," as per the UN guidelines.
Similarly, to comply with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights which state that "governments have the duty to protect human rights, companies have a responsibility to respect rights", the Irish government should implement a national ban on settlement produce and to push for an EU wide ban to be adopted.
Failing such moves, or in the interim leading up to it, Ireland should at the very least ensure that all produce stocked by retailers that originates from the settlements is clearly marked as such, so that Irish consumers can make the informed decision not to support violations of Palestinian human rights. A unilateral move such as this would set a precedent and could pave the way for other states to introduce similar measures.
Ensuring that multinational companies operating in Ireland have no involvement in Israel's illegal occupation, or in its violations of international law and Palestinian human rights.
The promotion of human rights and trade are two fundamental stated elements of Ireland's foreign policy. While both goals can often be pursued without contradiction, the presence in Ireland of certain companies with highly dubious track records in the Occupied Palestinian Territories/State of Palestine would seem to indicate a prioritisation by the Irish Government of trade and Foreign Direct Investment over human rights. Below we outline some of the steps the Irish Government could take in relation to such companies in order to ensure that its commitment to human rights is upheld unequivocally.
We are currently witnessing a slow but steady shift in approach to the issue of Israel and Palestine. This change reflects a gradual recognition of some fundamental elements of the conflict that have gone unnoticed or ignored by the Western world for many years, namely the power imbalance between the two sides–an imbalance that was institutionalised in the Oslo Accords– and the unviability of any resolution that retains this vast disparity. Some states and certain private entities are finally beginning to take account of this and act upon the dictates of international law, by making their dealings with Israel contingent upon it fulfilling its legal responsibilities as the occupying power.
Such examples provide a template for the Irish government to ensure that under the National Plan on Business and Human Rights it can draw up solid guidelines, rooted in respect for international law and human rights protection, which will position the state as a leader in this crucial area and ensure that companies operating out of the country are not complicit in human rights abuses.
While one often hears the argument from defenders of Israel's occupation that Israel is being "singled out" for criticism and calls for effective remedial action; this is simply not the case. Many countries have faced and continue to face EU and UN sanctions and embargoes, among them China, Russia, Iran, Syria, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Yemen, Belarus, Myanmar and North Korea, to name a few. China is subject to a US and EU arms embargo, as is Zimbabwe, as well as being subject to an international loans embargo. In this light, the only manner in which Israel is being 'singled out' is through its unique ability to persistently violate international norms with utter impunity. Israel is in violation of more UN Security Council Resolutions requiring action by it and it alone than any other nation, and yet has faced no sanction for such brazen contempt for the international community. Rather, it has been consistently rewarded economically.
Thus by making the demands set out in this document, the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign is merely insisting that the same standards are brought to bear on Israel as are on all other states that commit human rights violations and breaches of international law. It is, in our view, this impunity that explains the fact that the Palestine-Israel issue has remained unresolved for so long.
As the situation the Palestinian people face becomes increasingly desperate, Ireland should take a decisive leadership role by promoting the universal values of human rights and the rule of law in relation to Israel/Palestine. The time is long overdue for governments to support the work that has been done by grassroots civil society organisations and ordinary conscientious citizens, by insisting that Israel be held to the standards set by international law and that businesses also comply with and respect human rights law. It has so far been up to civil society organisations to act upon and enforce the statements of politicians and EU and UN officials.
In taking the concrete steps set out in this document, the Irish government could help break this trend and build upon the international reputation it earned through the experience of the peace process in the north of Ireland, leading toward a just and lasting settlement to the Middle Eastern conflict and ensuring that businesses are both cognisant of and compliant with international human rights law.
If Palestinians are to experience the freedom and equality they desire and deserve, then we, citizens and states, must do all in our power to aid them, for there can be no true peace without justice.
The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) is the largest and longest established organisation working for Palestinian rights on this island. We formed in 2001 as a democratic, broad-based and multi-faceted campaign to support the human, civil, political and national rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Territories, in Israel and in the Palestinian Diaspora. In partnership with Palestinians now living in Ireland the IPSC was formed to provide a voice for Palestine in Ireland. We are proud to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and have been to the forefront in promoting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel since the Palestinian call was issued ten years ago.
The IPSC is a volunteer-based coalition of individuals, human rights and political activists, academics, journalists and trade unionists all committed to a just peace in the Middle East. We are independent of all Irish and Palestinian political parties and groups.
The IPSC campaigns for freedom, justice and equality for the Palestinian people and for an end to Israel's racist and colonialist apartheid system. We do this through raising public awareness about the human rights abuses in the occupied territories, the violations of international law and the historical causes of the injustices to the Palestinians that lie at the heart of the Palestine-Israel issue.
The IPSC lobbies the Irish government and politicians at local, national and international level and the EU, campaigns on the streets and urges for a vigorous Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign similar to the one that played a part in ending Apartheid in South Africa. The IPSC also holds public talks with Israeli and Palestinian speakers and various cultural and fundraising events.
Posted March 5, 2015 in Analysis, Briefing Paper, Divestment, Economic Boycott, EU, Human Rights, Irish Government, National Rights, Political Rights, Press releases, Report, Sanctions, Settlements, UN, United Nations, War Crimes.


Judge Andrew Napolitano praised Donald Trump as the first president to challenge the mysterious, controlling 'deep state' in the modern American era.
"You take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you," said Schumer with a smile. In an appearance with Lou Dobbs, Napolitano laid out what the deep state is for the general public, and dropped bombshell after bombshell about its power to influence the behavior of presidents, obtain all manner of information about the general public and steer the direction of the country – regardless of which political group is supposedly in charge.
"Donald Trump has fallen victim to that, and he knows it, and he knows he has to stop it," he concluded.
Napolitano asserted that Trump's call for a congressional investigation into possible wiretapping and illegal surveillance of his campaign headquarters at Trump Tower is a nightmare for the deep state and their enablers in the federal government.
Napolitano referenced the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court as the "secret court" which reviews and approves virtually all requests by the federal government to spy on foreign individuals present in the United States and intercept all of their communications, but these same requests – which are rarely denied – are being used to spy on Americans in shocking fashion.
Dobbs and Napolitano discussed the depth to which the inter-agency spying occurs, noting that even Congress, high-ranking military officers, and Supreme Court justices are intimately monitored.
"If they will surveil journalists, if they will spy on U.S. senators, why would they hesitate to spy on a presidential candidate?" concluded Dobbs.
Just weeks ago, Senator Charles Schumer lobbed a barely-veiled threat at President Trump on behalf of the deep state, after Trump revealed that rogue elements of the intelligence community were leaking classified information about his conversations and meetings to the fifth column media and politicians.
"You take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you," said Schumer with a smile.
Jim Hanson, vice president of the Center for Security Policy, told Fox News that his sources believe Obama administration operatives could be facing jail time if a proper investigation is carried out into illegal surveillance of Donald Trump and his campaign.
Thanks to Dan Lynam and Infowars for this article.


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The Show Does Indeed Go On
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Nobody's Throwing Rose Petals at My Feet
"It was hard to get meetings," a China-fund manager told me last week.
He was traveling in the U.S. to spread the China stock story to anyone who would listen.
Turns out, nobody would...
"I wish it wasn't the case, candidly, Steve. I managed to fill the schedule. But not necessarily with several top-tier firms," he said.
The China-fund manager was positive, though...
"The lack of interest in China makes me more bullish," he told me. "Investors still don't appreciate what is taking place in China today.
"When folks are throwing rose petals at my feet, and I'm too busy to return your phone call, that's my ultimate sell indicator."
We're not there yet...
It's crazy to me that investors aren't interested...
Subscribers to my True Wealth China Opportunities newsletter are up 46% year-to-date on our simple four-fund China portfolio. And they're up more than 38% on our China stock portfolio.
But nobody around the world cares...
Shockingly, $4.5 billion has flowed OUT of China exchange-traded funds (ETFs) globally so far this year.
Most importantly for you, we're still early in this China trade...
You might not know it, but China has two stock markets – one in Shanghai, and the other across the border from Hong Kong in Shenzhen.
The benchmark index in Shanghai – the SSE Composite Index – is up around 9% in the last 12 months. The Shenzhen Composite Index has performed even worse – it's actually down 2% over the last 12 months.
Meanwhile, as I explained to my subscribers in my China Opportunities letter last week, $1.7 trillion could flow into Chinese stocks by the end of 2019.
Sure, my subscribers are up – a lot – in China. But we'll see a lot more to come...
Nobody cares about Chinese stocks today. Billions of dollars have flowed out of China ETFs this year. And China-fund managers can hardly find someone willing to give them the time of day.
This is not what a top looks like. When this fund manager won't take my call (because he's too busy basking in rose petals), then I'll know we're at the top.
We're a long way from that today. This is more what a bottom looks like than a top.
It's time for you to get some money into Chinese stocks, if you haven't already.
I promise, you haven't missed it yet. It's time to take action... Buy China, now...
"Nobody else is interested," Steve writes. One group of stocks saw record outflows recently. And that gives us an opportunity. Read more here: Investors Just Bailed on These Stocks – We're In!
Another hated investment recently started an uptrend. And readers of Steve's True Wealth newsletter are already profiting. Learn more here: The Ultimate Buy Setup Right Now in This Asset.
Visa (V)... credit cards
Bank of America (BAC)... financial-services giant
JPMorgan Chase (JPM)... financial-services giant
Morgan Stanley (MS)... financial-services giant
Interactive Brokers (IBKR)... Internet brokerage
TD Ameritrade (AMTD)... Internet brokerage
Salesforce (CRM)... software for businesses
Microsoft (MSFT)... "digital utility"
Cisco (CSCO)... Internet "plumbing"
Texas Instruments (TXN)... semiconductors
Intel (INTC)... semiconductors
Corning (GLW)... smartphone screens
Wal-Mart (WMT)... discount retailer
Dollar General (DG)... discount retailer
Dollar Tree (DLTR)... discount retailer
Pfizer (PFE)... prescription drugs
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)... health care giant
Baxter (BAX)... medical devices
UnitedHealth (UNH)... health insurance
Cigna (CI)... health insurance
KB Home (KBH)... homebuilder
Home Depot (HD)... home improvement
Sherwin-Williams (SHW)... paint
Stanley Black & Decker (SWK)... tools and storage
Honeywell (HON)... manufacturing
Northrop Grumman (NOC)... "offense" contractor
Boeing (BA)... airplanes
AT&T (T)... telecom giant
General Electric (GE)... appliance giant
Kellogg (K)... food giant
Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG)... burritos
Papa John's (PZZA)... pizza
Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA)... pharmacies
GGP (GGP)... shopping malls
This Chinese tech business will soon be the largest in the world...
No one cares about Chinese stocks. And that's great news for this Chinese tech company, which I believe will be the world's largest company by market value in just five years...


FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva today met Denmark's Minister for the Environment and Food, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, for talks regarding bilateral cooperation, including joint efforts to mitigate the threat of Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in food production.
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FACTBOX-Why are health experts so concerned about drug resistance?


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(989) 486-3676	414 Townsend, Suite 201
Midland,	MI 48640
Juvenile, Criminal, Divorce and Family
Courtney grew up in Mid-Michigan and earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice from Central Michigan University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She then attended Michigan State University College of Law, earning her Juris Doctor, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Following her education, Courtney was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in October 2007 and began her legal career as a judicial law clerk for the Midland County Circuit Court. There, she assisted the judiciary by researching issues in many different areas of the law. After passing the Florida Bar Exam,...
John Melton
Saginaw, MI Juvenile Law Attorney with 24 years of experience
(844) 236-2287	120 N. Michigan, Suite 318
Saginaw,	MI 48602
Free ConsultationOffers Video ConferencingVideo ConfJuvenile, Criminal, DUI and White Collar Crime
FREE TELEPHONE AND VIDEO CONSULTATIONS VIA ZOOM.
John E. Melton is a criminal defense attorney who has successfully defended people charged with a variety of crimes in courts all over the State of Michigan. This includes: -Sexual Criminal Conduct -Drug Crimes -Violent Crimes -Drunk Driving -White Collar Crimes -Domestic Violence -Armed Robbery -Breaking and Entering -and many more. Our offices are in Sandusky and Saginaw. We regularly practice in Flint, Saginaw, Bay City, The Thumb, Midland, Port Huron and surrounding areas and all of Southeast Michigan. We know the judges in these areas. We...
Katherine Marie Baluha
Freeland, MI Juvenile Law Attorney with 8 years of experience
(989) 573-8330	5798 Midland Rd
Freeland,	MI 48623
Juvenile, Divorce, Estate Planning and Family
Christopher A. Swartz
Saginaw, MI Juvenile Law Lawyer with 27 years of experience
(989) 793-7000	4371 State St
Juvenile, Criminal, Education and Family
Linda S. Weiss
(989) 832-6885	301 W Main St
Juvenile, Appeals, Education and Family
Michael Martin Mishic Esq
Midland, MI Juvenile Law Attorney
(989) 631-2800	207 Dartmouth Dr
Juvenile, Business, Divorce and Family
Kathryn L. Bolinger
Ithaca, MI Juvenile Law Attorney with 11 years of experience
(989) 875-0163	168 East Center Street
Ithaca,	MI 48847
Kathryn attended Central Michigan University and graduated with a B.S., majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Legal Studies. After graduating from CMU, Kathryn attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School and graduated cum laude with a concentration in Litigation. While at Cooley, Kathryn was awarded multiple certificates of merit for her academic performance. Kathryn focuses her practice on Criminal Defense and Family Law and Estate Planning. Ms. Bolinger is knowledgeable in all areas of divorce, property settlement, and alimony. Ms. Bolinger also handles all issues relating to child custody, parenting time, child support, adoptions, and grandparent's...
Michael Rolando
Caro, MI Juvenile Law Lawyer
(989) 672-0853	215 N. State Street
Caro,	MI 48723
Free ConsultationJuvenile, Criminal, DUI and Family
Michael grew up in Tuscola county and graduated from Kingston High School. He graduated with Summa Cum Laude Honors from Saginaw Valley State University with a Bachelors of Professional Accountancy. After attending SVSU, he attended law school at Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, MI. While attending Cooley, he was a member of the Thomas M. Cooley Law Review, competed in Mock Trial competitions, worked as an intern for an attorney in Okemos, MI., and represented several individuals in the Washtenaw County court system as a student-attorney. Michael graduated from Cooley with Magna Cum Laude Honors. Michael is...
Glenn M. Simmington
Flint, MI Juvenile Law Lawyer with 40 years of experience
(810) 820-3076	503 S Saginaw St
Flint,	MI 48502
Terina M. Carte
(810) 412-8668	1023 Church St
LeAnne Marie Dao
Flint, MI Juvenile Law Attorney with 7 years of experience
(810) 257-3877	900 Saginaw St
Juvenile, Criminal and Family
Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Kimberly A. Kalisz
Gladwin, MI Juvenile Law Lawyer with 17 years of experience
(989) 387-2547	PO Box 554
Gladwin,	MI 48624
Juvenile, Business, Criminal and Family
Douglas Eugene Corwin Jr.
Owosso, MI Juvenile Law Attorney with 23 years of experience
(989) 743-6441	608 S Washington St
Owosso,	MI 48867
David J. Gilbert
Mt Pleasant, MI Juvenile Law Lawyer with 22 years of experience
(989) 779-8505	524 E Mosher St
Mt Pleasant,	MI 48858
Juvenile, Appeals, Criminal and Family
J. Dallas Winegarden Jr.
Flint, MI Juvenile Law Attorney with 52 years of experience
(810) 732-7100	2347 Stonebridge Dr
Juvenile, Business, Employment and Environmental
Karen K. Bunker
Juvenile and Family
Robert M. Backus
Mt Pleasant, MI Juvenile Law Attorney with 34 years of experience
(989) 773-9941	115 S University Ave
Wayne State University Law School
Melanie L.B. Wandji
Dewitt, MI Juvenile Law Attorney with 23 years of experience
(517) 669-8090	11373 S US Highway 27 Ste A
Dewitt,	MI 48820
Erwin F. Meiers III
(810) 238-0900	1034 S Grand Traverse St
Juvenile, Animal, Criminal and Family
Amy L. Husted
(989) 307-8042	1060 E M 21 Ste 3
Damian Samuel Fisher
(989) 244-8679	301 E Genesee Ave
# 5th
Susan L. Thorman
Corunna, MI Juvenile Law Lawyer with 30 years of experience
(989) 743-2397	208 N Shiawassee St
Corunna,	MI 48817
Juvenile, Administrative and Family
Andrew W. Brockman
Mt Pleasant, MI Juvenile Law Lawyer with 4 years of experience
(989) 774-3971	1200 S Franklin St
Dominic Greco
(989) 317-9393	2885 Health Pkwy
Shayla Dawn Blankenship
(810) 600-2986	G-5091 Miller Rd
Juvenile, Divorce, Domestic Violence and Family
Scott Grabel
(800) 342-7896	124 W. Allegan St.
Free ConsultationOffers Video ConferencingVideo ConfLansing, MI Juvenile Law Lawyer with 26 years of experience
Juvenile, Appeals, Criminal and Domestic Violence
Scott Grabel is an experienced trial attorney with a strong history of positive results in drug, murder, criminal sexual conduct, and DUI/OWI cases. He has successfully argued cases before the Michigan Court of Appeals and has appeared as a commentator on Court TV's Best Defense for analysis of a murder case. Recently he was a guest on the Morning Blaze with Doc Thompson. He has served as an adjunct professor at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School and as a mentor for the Ingham County Bar Association's Mentoring Program. He is proud to be rated as one of the 10...
Keeley D Heath
Greenville, MI Juvenile Law Lawyer with 16 years of experience
(616) 773-2945	309 S. Lafayette St.
Greenville,	MI 48838
Juvenile, Civil Rights, Criminal and Education
Keeley Blanchard is a top criminal defense attorney in Michigan. She focuses her practice in the areas of defending those wrongfully accused of criminal sexual conduct, child abuse, domestic violence, assault, child pornography, and drug crimes. Her trial experience is significant, she has an excellent reputation for being aggressive, and will out-prepare any of the prosecutors she faces in court.
Jeffrey Buehner
Farmington Hills, MI Juvenile Law Attorney with 25 years of experience
(248) 865-9640	31700 W. 13 Mile Road
Farmington Hills,	MI 48334
Free ConsultationJuvenile, Criminal, DUI and White Collar Crime
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
Jeffrey Buehner is one of metro Detroit's top criminal defense attorneys. Mr. Buehner has comprehensive knowledge of the criminal justice system from his over 21 years of courtroom experience as both a prosecutor and criminal defense lawyer.
Jeffrey Buehner, PLLC, is located in Farmington Hills, MIchigan. The firm represents clients throughout Michigan in all areas of criminal defense including misdemeanors, felonies, juvenile offenses, drunk driving, white collar crime, first time offenders, habitual offenders, probation violations and traffic tickets.
We understand that there is no such thing as a 'minor' criminal charge - any criminal offense has potential negative consequences: loss...
William Weise
Free ConsultationLansing, MI Juvenile Law Lawyer with 27 years of experience
Juvenile, Criminal, Domestic Violence and White Collar Crime
William Weise brings with him a history of getting exceptional results with criminal defense charges and experience handling major cases such as homicides and felony violent crimes. He also has familiarity with innovative defense and trial techniques stemming from evidence related to latent fingerprints, cellular triangulation and other tracking technologies. Bill Weise uses aggressive and creative defense strategies to give his clients the edge on getting the best possible results in all types of criminal cases including violent crimes, DUI defense, sex crimes and drug charges. Changes to the medical marijuana laws involving acceptable amounts of the drug to be...
Daniel T. Geherin
Ann Arbor, MI Juvenile Law Attorney with 24 years of experience
(734) 263-2780	760 W Eisenhower Pkwy #305
Ann Arbor,	MI 48103
Daniel T. Geherin is a board-certified trial attorney with over 24 years' experience practicing law. He graduated with Honors from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in Humanities/Pre-Law, and graduated cum laude from law school at California Western in San Diego, CA. In law school, he was an Executive Editor of his school's Law Review. Upon graduation, he joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, where he prosecuted gang offenses, sexual assaults, narcotics violations, juvenile delinquency, and complex white-collar offenses. As a criminal defense attorney, he has defended nearly every type of crime, including hundreds of criminal...
Robert S. Hackett
(616) 633-7974	29 Pearl Street
Free ConsultationGrand Rapids, MI Juvenile Law Lawyer with 26 years of experience
Juvenile, Appeals, Criminal and White Collar Crime
Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and University of Michigan - Dearborn
I was born and raised in the City of Detroit and am committed to serving those individuals accused of committing criminal offenses throughout the State of Michigan.
Brian E Gordon
Grand Rapids, MI Juvenile Law Attorney with 23 years of experience
(616) 272-3331	146 Monroe Center NW, Suite 1225
Free ConsultationJuvenile, Criminal, Divorce and Family
Michigan State University and Michigan State University
Brian E. Gordon was born in Detroit but raised in the East Lansing area where he attended and graduated from Okemos High School, Michigan State University and Michigan State University College of Law (formerly known as the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University).
Brian has worked and resided in Grand Rapids for the past 20 years. Brian is an attorney/owner of Gordon & Hess, PLC with a practice primarily focused upon Divorce, Family Law, Criminal Defense, Bankruptcy and Mediation.
Brian is an experienced 20 year veteran of handling Paternity, Divorce, Custody, Parenting Time and Child Support matters for men facing...
William Amadeo
(800) 392-7311	2500 Packard St
Free ConsultationAnn Arbor, MI Juvenile Law Attorney with 10 years of experience
Juvenile, Criminal, DUI and White Collar Crime
Mr. Amadeo felt driven to become an attorney after seeing the injustices during his youth in Atlantic City. His legal knowledge paired with his time spent in journalism drives him to thoroughly investigate all angles of a case. Mr. Amadeo understands the importance of creative thinking when it comes to defense strategies and works closely with his clients to ensure that every detail of the case is fully explored. He is extremely dedicated to his clients, and always puts their needs first. He strives to be available to his clients whenever they need him and gives 110% to every case....
Cy Matthew Abdo
(844) 468-2236	42550 Garfield Rd #104-A
Charter Twp of Clinton,	MI 48038
Free ConsultationCharter Twp of Clinton, MI Juvenile Law Lawyer with 41 years of experience
Juvenile, Criminal, DUI and Domestic Violence
For more than 30 years, the Abdo Law Firm has delivered excellent results for their clients in the areas of criminal law, drunk driving and license restoration cases in all circuit and district courts in the metro Detroit area. The firm's attorneys also have a reputation for providing a high degree of legal services and client care. Cy Matthew Abdo has been rated AV Preeminent* by Martindale-Hubbell since 1995, has a Superb Avvo rating and was named the Top Criminal and DUI Lawyer in 2010 by Business Magazine. Matthew Sherman Abdo received the Avvo Client's Choice Award and is a...
Thomas Tomko
Clinton Township, MI Juvenile Law Lawyer with 34 years of experience
(586) 795-8822	16010 Nineteen Mile Road
Clinton Township,	MI 48038
Free ConsultationJuvenile, Criminal, DUI and Traffic Tickets
Let my over 30 years of experience work for you!
ARRESTED? I have successfully represented over 4,000 persons with matters ranging from traffic tickets to drunk driving to drug charges to capital offenses. When it comes to any criminal or traffic matter, let my experience work for you. I represent all persons who are arrested and are charged as adults or juveniles, and I represent persons seeking an appeal. When it comes to your freedom, your criminal record, your driving record, or the consequences of any criminal matter, seek the person who is experienced enough...
Marcie Ridley Esq
Marcie Ridley is a graduate of the University Tennessee Martin and the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. She began her legal career working at the Federal Public Defenders Office of Western Michigan and as a law clerk for Grabel & Associates. After passing the bar in 2002, Marcie became an associate attorney at Grabel & Associates. Marcie Ridley handles mostly driver's license restoration cases for Grabel & Associates, an area she excels in. In her free time, Marcie enjoys spending time with her family and being active in her community.
Peter Samouris
Free ConsultationLansing, MI Juvenile Law Attorney with 27 years of experience
Mr. Samouris has been a part of the winning criminal defense team at Grabel & Associates for over a decade. During that time he has gotten favorable results for clients in an endless list of types and degrees of criminal offenses in counties all over the state of Michigan. Mr. Samouris credits his success with his client's criminal cases to his thorough preparation and hardworking attitude. At Grabel & Associates, we understand being prepared is half the battle when getting the best possible results for our clients. Meticulous preparation along with exceptional knowledge and application of the laws that apply...
(248) 310-3399	32398 Woodward Ave
Royal Oak,	MI 48073
Free ConsultationOffers Video ConferencingVideo ConfRoyal Oak, MI Juvenile Law Attorney with 26 years of experience
Criminal Defense Law is all I do and have for over 24 years. If you are reading this, you need a criminal defense lawyer immediately.
I will do absolutely everything in my power to make your charges go away or diminish their effect on your life as much as possible.
When you retain me, I will immediately focus on dismissing the charges you are facing. This is ALWAYS my first step.
I'm the lawyer you want standing next to you in court when you are facing arrest charges and need a Michigan criminal attorney for defense.
Christopher Seikaly
Southfield, MI Juvenile Law Attorney with 48 years of experience
(248) 213-6410	24359 Northwestern Hwy
#200A
Free ConsultationJuvenile, Criminal, DUI and Domestic Violence
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
Attorney Southfield MI When you're in need of an Attorney in Southfield Michigan to help you when you've been charged with a crime, the lawyer you call can mean the difference between going home to your family and going to jail. You're here because you have a problem. We can help you fix it and being here is the first step to making your problems go away. Christopher Seikaly, Attorney at Law & Counselor 24359 Northwestern Hwy, #200-A Southfield, MI 48075 United States criminal.lawyer.247@gmail.com (248) 213-6410 If you've been arrested and are facing criminal charges, Christopher Seikaly is the man you can trust to take...
Steven Simkins
Grand Rapids, MI Juvenile Law Lawyer with 18 years of experience
(616) 350-0909	77 Monroe Center St NW
Attorney Steven R. Simkins has been licensed by the State Bar of Michigan since 2003, and he is a member of the Criminal Law, Family Law, and General Practice sections. Mr. Simkins is admitted to practice in all Michigan state courts as well as the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. He also serves as a court-appointed attorney in the Kent County Circuit Court for Juvenile Delinquency cases and family neglect cases. Mr. Simkins provides aggressive, personalized representation in the following areas: Criminal...
Juvenile Lawyers in Nearby Cities
Juvenile Lawyers in Nearby Counties


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Apple® iPhone 4S Class Action Settlement
Settlement Status: Awaiting Final Approval
Claim Form Deadline: Passed
Estimated Payout: $15 - $150
Proof required: No
Method of payment: Cash
What's This Settlement About?
Apple has dominated the smartphone market for years. With the upcoming release of the iPhone 14, Apple continues to innovate and upgrade their flagship product. However, Apple has not been without its share of controversy and questionable business practices.
In 2022, a $20,000,000 iPhone class action settlement was reached with Apple over an older release of iPhones. The class action lawsuit alleged that users who upgraded their iPhone 4S devices to iOS 9 had their iPhones slowed down, significantly diminishing the performance of their iPhone smartphones. The class action lawsuit alleged that Apple made false and deceptive representations about iOS 9 for iPhone performance.
Apple has accepted the terms of the iOS 9 class action settlement. However, by accepting the term of the settlement, Apple did not concede the truth of any of the claims against it in the class action lawsuit; Apple, Inc. has maintained throughout that it did nothing wrong and that iOS 9 performed well on the iPhone 4S, contrary to the claims made on behalf of iPhone users in the class action.
The Court did not make a determination as to whether anyone was right or wrong in the lawsuit. Instead, the parties (Apple, and the class action lawsuit plaintiffs) have all agreed to a compromise in the form of the $20 Million settlement, and to move on to approve and distribute these funds to affected iPhone users.
You are a member of the Settlement Class if you:
• Downloaded iOS 9 (which was first released in September 2015), or any version thereof, onto your iPhone 4S;
• Lived in New York or New Jersey at the time that you first downloaded any version of iOS 9; and
• Your iPhone 4S experienced a significant decline in performance as a result. You must meet all three criteria to be a member of this iPhone Class Action Settlement and get reimbursement.
What Can I Get?
Under the Proposed Settlement, Apple agreed to pay a maximum of $20,000,000, also known as the "ceiling" of the maximum fund payments.
Apple agreed to provide a cash payment of approximately $15 per eligible iPhone 4S. If the total value of approved claims, fees, and expenses, exceeds the $20 million ceiling, then the amount paid per eligible iPhone will be reduced on a pro rated, or proportional basis.
If, on the other hand, the total value of legitimate iPhone settlement claims submitted is less than the total ceiling at $15 per iPhone, then the amount paid per eligible device may be increased up to a maximum of $150 per device. Thus, the amount will be determined by the total number of valid claims filed (see link below).
The class action deadline for the iPhone Settlement passed on August 29, 2022. The Court will hold a Final Hearing at 10:30 a.m. on September 22, 2022, at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, NY 11201, or virtually.
If you received a unique ID for this class action settlement previously, follow this link here:
Claim Form Website: OperatingSystemUpdateSettlement.com
Nestle Coffee-Mate Class Action
Dickey's Barbecue Pit Class Action
Infant Formula Class Action
Celsius Energy Drink Class Action


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Adult disability payment: consultation
Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People
Social Security Directorate
Equality and rights, Money and tax
Consultation on the draft regulations for Adult Disability Payment, a new Scottish benefit which will replace Personal Independence Payment and be delivered by Social Security Scotland.
Respondent Information Form and Questions (DOCX 29.0 kB )
Annex A: Policy Approaches Underpinning the draft Disability Assistance for Working Age People regulations
Consultation on Adult disability Payment
Aims of Adult Disability Payment
About the Consultation
Who might be affected by the Adult Disability Payment draft regulations?
What comments are requested and by when?
Annex B: Outline of the Disability Assistance for Working Age People regulations
Annex C: Draft Disability Assistance for Working Age People regulations
Annex D: Draft Equalities Impact Assessment results summary
Annex E: Draft Children's Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) summary
Annex F: Draft Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment summary
Annex G: Draft Islands Communities Impact Assessment
Annex H: Draft Fairer Scotland Duty Summary
Annex I: Respondent Information Form
Annex J: Consultation process
Annex K: Consultation questions
Key policy differences
1. We have bold ambitions for Adult Disability Payment and have identified a number of ways to provide disabled people with a fundamentally different experience of accessing the social security system. While the eligibility rules for Adult Disability Payment will remain largely the same, there are a number of key areas of policy which differ from Personal Independence Payment, including:
All awards will be made on a rolling basis, with no set date for an award ending. In cases where there it is unlikely that a client's condition will improve there will be at least five years between Light-Touch reviews. Work is underway to establish parameters that could be put in place for the provision of indefinite awards for certain clients whose needs are very unlikely to change.
The introduction of Short-Term Assistance (STA), a new form of assistance that ensures that clients can continue to receive their previous payment amount until the conclusion of any re-determination or appeal challenging the decision to reduce or stop the award;
Extending the time limit for requesting a re-determination of a decision to 42 calendar days, to allow individuals time to access support with the process;
A new definition of terminal illness, removing the requirement that a person must reasonably be expected to die within 6 months and instead using the clinical judgement of doctors and registered nurses involved in the individual's care.
2. There are also a range of proposed operational and administrative measures that will ensure that Adult Disability Payment is delivered in a way that is consistent with the values of social security in Scotland. These include:
The provision of a range of application channels which clients can select based on preference including online, paper applications and face to face;
A local delivery service that will provide support and information to clients and stakeholders at a community level;
We will use existing supporting information to make a determination about Adult Disability Payment for the majority of clients and consultations will only be carried out where it is the only way to obtain the information needed to make a decision;
There will be no assessments like those carried out under the Department for Work and Pensions, as we will no longer conduct any functional examinations;
Consultations will be carried out by people who are 'suitably qualified' to do so and employed by Social Security Scotland;
Clients with mental health conditions and learning disabilities will discuss their needs with practitioners who have an appropriate understanding of their condition or disability;
We will take a multi-channel approach to how consultations take place, such as by phone or video call, removing the need for the majority of clients to travel to unfamiliar places.
Improved application and decision making process
3. Through our engagement with disabled people we have learnt that the Personal Independence Payment application process can be a cause of great anxiety and distress. We have received consistent feedback that the application form is confusing, individuals feel that it is designed to 'catch them out', and takes an unreasonable amount of time and effort to complete. We are significantly re-designing the Adult Disability Payment application form and testing it to ensure clients understand what is being asked of them and why. Carrying out testing with experienced decision makers is also enabling us to develop the application form in ways that enable clients to provide the most relevant and useful information to inform robust decision making.
4. We want clients to be able to provide or direct us to the supporting information which will best assist a determination to be made about their entitlement. That is why we have focussed on gathering supporting information, making use of information which already exists in the public sector where possible.
Changes to activities, descriptors and scoring criteria
5. The Scottish Government has committed to delivering Adult Disability Payment safely and securely, ensuring that people's payments are protected during this transition period as we commence delivery. We must ensure that people continue to receive the payments they are entitled to.
6. We have undertaken extensive consultation on the existing Personal Independence Payment framework. Stakeholders and individuals told us that there are many improvements that could be made to the existing activities, descriptors and scoring criteria.
7. The two particular elements highlighted in the consultation as causing concern were the 20, 50 and 200 metre descriptors used to assess mobility, and the 50% rule which is applied to the majority of descriptors. A series of descriptors relating to the distance in metres an individual can walk determine eligibility for the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment, with the enhanced rate provided to clients who are unable to walk more than 20 metres. The proportion of time during which an individual satisfies a descriptor must amount to 50% of the days in a month.
8. We have considered carefully whether we should implement changes to these rules when we begin delivery of Adult Disability Payment. There are a number of challenges associated with this that would risk safe and secure transition and could result in a poor experience for clients, including:
Other wide ranging issues have been raised with the current system, impacting individuals with mental health conditions, learning disabilities, sensory disabilities, epilepsy, MS, fluctuating conditions in general, those whose mobility is affected, those who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Making changes to the mobility or 50% rules in isolation could further embed unfairness into the framework resulting in a system which is disproportionately improved for clients with certain conditions, over others;
Making such changes may understandably cause clients to end their award with Department for Work and Pensions early and make a new application to Social Security Scotland. If a significant number of clients chose to do this when we begin delivery of Adult Disability Payment, it would overwhelm the agency's ability to deliver Adult Disability Payment to the high standards that clients rightly expect;
Making changes to the eligibility criteria before case transfer has completed will involve a much more involved decision making process than is currently planned for clients transferring from Department for Work and Pensions to Social Security Scotland, which would cause a significant risk to the delivery of the case transfer process;
Giving Social Security Scotland the opportunity to begin delivering Adult Disability Payment before wider changes are made will provide access to improved data to consider the impact of possible future changes to the eligibility criteria, including ensuring that we do not inadvertently disentitle clients who are currently in receipt of an award; and
If the changes we made increased entitlement to Adult Disability Payment, the Department for Work and Pensions would need to agree that it would continue to provide automatic access to passported benefits and premiums. This does not necessarily prevent us from making changes to the framework, but we need to take the time necessary to develop alternative criteria and secure agreement from the Department for Work and Pensions.
9. For these reasons, we do not consider it safe to make any significant changes to the activities, descriptors and supporting eligibility criteria in these regulations. However, this has not stopped us from making a number of significant changes to both policy and to the administrative aspects of the delivery of Adult Disability Payment, to ensure that the Scottish social security system better meets the needs of the people of Scotland.
10. Additionally, we have made some minor changes to a number of the activities, descriptors and definitions to reflect significant case law which has shaped the way Personal Independence Payment is delivered. This will ensure that developments made through the tribunals system for Personal Independence Payment are carried over into Adult Disability Payment so that it operates in the way currently intended.
11. In the longer term, in order to address the many reported concerns with the existing framework, subject to being re-elected in May 2021, we will commence a substantial independent review of Adult Disability Payment in summer 2023, a year after this form of assistance is rolled out nationwide.
Independent review of Adult Disability Payment
12. The Scottish Government plans to establish a group to undertake the review with its members and chair drawn from outside the Scottish Government. The group will also secure input from people with lived experience. The review will not be limited to specific aspects of Adult Disability Payment, such as the mobility rules. It will be wide ranging to allow consideration of the suitability all of the activities, descriptors and supporting criteria, for example, the reliability criteria and 50% rule.
13. The review will commence in summer 2023, providing the opportunity for Social Security Scotland to administer Adult Disability Payment for a full year so the necessary data and feedback from individuals can influence the recommendations. The Scottish Government will then make the independent report and recommendations publically available to allow for transparency, scrutiny and visibility. We understand that stakeholders are eager for changes to be made as soon as possible and are committed to implementing reforms as quickly as is achievable once case transfer is complete.
20 metre rule – improved decision making
14. We know that the mobility criteria are a source of great concern for both clients and other stakeholders. They have raised concerns about the high bar which must be met in order to qualify for the enhanced rate – being unable to walk more than 20 meters – which is thought to be too short a distance. Additionally the criteria have been criticised for failing to recognise the needs of individuals with a range of disabilities and health conditions, particularly those who experience fluctuations in how their mobility is impacted.
15. We are however confident that the improvements being made to the decision making process, including the replacement of the assessments undertaken previously by Department for Work and Pensions with consultations carried out by Social Security Scotland, will bring about a marked improvement. The following measures will all contribute to that commitment:
16. In order to inform determinations of entitlement to Adult Disability Payment, we will aim to collect one piece of supporting information from a formal source, such as confirmation of a diagnosis or letter from a support worker. It need only be sufficient to determine, on the balance of probabilities, that the individual's condition is consistent with the general care and mobility needs detailed on their application. This is a marked departure from the current system which requires formal supporting information to evidence each and every difficulty that the client reports experiencing. This can present particular challenges in relation to mobility as information from formal sources might not fully reflect the impact a client's condition has on their mobility from day to day.
17. Additionally, we know that useful insight into a client's daily life can often be provided by their informal support network – including family, friends, or unpaid carers. Social Security Scotland will ensure that equal consideration will be given to all sources of information. Details of this will be provided in the staff guidance documents which will accompany the finalised regulations.
Applying the reliability criteria
18. In order for a determination to be made that a client is able to undertake any of the Adult Disability Payment daily living or mobility activities, they must be able to do so reliably. The reliability criteria require consideration to be given to the client's ability to complete an activity safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time.
19. Our engagement with clients, stakeholders and those with experience of delivering the Department for Work and Pensions assessment service is that these criteria are often not properly applied and this may particularly impact on decisions made about clients' mobility. It is also felt that there is a lack of clear and accessible guidance for clients applying for Personal Independence Payment. This means that these matters may not be addressed in applications.
20. We plan to address this barrier by providing transparency regarding the Adult Disability Payment criteria and guidance which facilitates clients to provide the most relevant information about how their condition affects them. In conjunction with comprehensive guidance and training for case managers, decisions about mobility should take full account of how the client experiences moving around, rather than simply being a tick box exercise.
No physical examinations
21. There will be no assessments like those carried out under the Department for Work and Pensions, as we will no longer conduct any functional examinations, for example musculoskeletal examinations, testing limb strength, etc.
22. Our review of the current Personal Independence Payment assessment process concluded that such functional examinations did not meet our values of fairness, dignity and respect. It also concluded that examinations did not provide the kind of reliable information a case manager needs to make an informed decision.
Transparency of informal observations
23. We know that the current approach of assessors not discussing their informal observations with clients, or any assumptions they draw from them, is not in keeping with our values of dignity, fairness and respect. This can also lead to inaccurate conclusions being made in Department for Work and Pensions assessment reports. The elements of Scottish Government policy relating to informal observations intended to improve decisions about mobility are:
Informal observations must be restricted to the consultation itself – observations cannot be made outside of that discussion, for example (where a consultation takes place in person) the person's journey to and from the location;
All clients must be informed of any observations made during the consultation and what inferences the practitioner conducting the consultation draws from them;
The client, or person accompanying them, must be given the opportunity to respond to the observations.
Transfer from Child Disability Payment to Adult Disability Payment
24. We have not included detailed regulations within the draft in relation to how clients will transfer from Child Disability Payment to Adult Disability Payment. We are aiming to design this process in such a way that it places as little burden on the client as possible. A key improvement we are making elsewhere when a client submits a new application is to use existing supporting information to make a determination. We are considering how this principle can be applied to clients moving from Child Disability Payment to Adult Disability Payment. We will further refine these regulations when the feasibility of this approach has been fully considered and before the regulations are submitted to the Scottish Commission on Social Security for scrutiny.
Email: nathan.gale@gov.scot


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Toriko #353: And Now For The Main Course!!
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text:
package org.apache.eagle.alert.metadata.resource;

/**
 * @since Apr 11, 2016.
 */
public class OpResult {

    public int code = 200;
    public String message = "";

    public static final int SUCCESS = 200;
    public static final int FAILURE = 500;

    public static OpResult of(int code, String messsage) {
        OpResult opResult = new OpResult();
        opResult.code = code;
        opResult.message = messsage;
        return opResult;
    }

    public static OpResult success(String messsage) {
        OpResult opResult = new OpResult();
        opResult.code = SUCCESS;
        opResult.message = messsage;
        return opResult;
    }

    public static OpResult fail(String messsage) {
        OpResult opResult = new OpResult();
        opResult.code = FAILURE;
        opResult.message = messsage;
        return opResult;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Fascinating how if you mention certain topics people fade into the wood work. 9/11 is one of those topics. (As is targeting with directed energy weapons. Or being a targeted individual.) Don't have many readers to begin with because of subject matter and I've been told this site is hard to access. After reviewing targeted individual Mary Gregory's 2011, "Microwave Experiment a Story of Government Testing on a United States Customs Officer," on targetedartist.wordpress.com. targeting became much worse.
9/11 is a huge crime Americans want swept under the rug. Why? If 3,000 people were mysteriously and suddenly murdered in two large buildings and four airplanes in China… US citizens would be holding court on the true crime. But in America in the decades following 9/11 when Snowden leaked secret reports on US citizens' internet browsing history. Fear of being watched runs rampant in citizens and governs their behavior. A citizen can still be a patriot and review books about 9/11 and the targeting of individuals for experimentation. Writing about experts discussing true-crime is a natural for a thinking human being. But what if a nation's government has committed a crime? Is it treasonous for it's citizens to tell the truth about such a crime? Or just plain stupid of people to think the truth is wanted?
Architects know that buildings superbly made like those at WTC can withstand ten separate aircraft flying into them at once and still remain standing. Buildings don't just fall into their footprints from the fire of one plane crash. The fact is that commercial jet fuel cannot and does not melt steal.
Did you know that a third building fell on 9/11? 47 stories of concrete, glass and steal do not fall into an architectural-footprint because of a fire… as Building Seven of the World Trade Center did. -One US architect said "It is a violation of the fundamental law of physics to say that WTC Building 7 fell from fire. No such building, no such steal framed sky scraper in history, had ever collapsed from fire." Running from the World Trade Center US Customs office: Mary Gregory took shelter in Building 7 with her coworkers after two planes hit Buildings One and Two. Mary was shocked to learn in the afternoon that the perfectly sound Building 7, she had taken shelter in nine hours earlier, was a crumpled heap.
The BBC news was seen on TV the day of 9/11 reporting twenty minutes too early that WTC Building 7 had collapsed. Building Seven collapsed at the rate of free-fall: experts say a building can only free-fall with controlled demolition, zero resistance.
Woman in WTC hole that airplane made. Airplane fire almost burned out. She is looking down.
Building stable. Fire from plane almost out.
Detonation of nano-thermite explosives? Photo of WTC seconds before collapse and after fires from airplane almost put out.
-Is this a slow burning fire from an airplane? Or a detonated explosion?
The above took place in less than ten hours: The WTC South Tower collapsed at 9:59 am, less than an hour after being hit. The North Tower at 10:28 am. And later that day, the Seven World Trade Center collapsed at 5:21 pm.
On February 23, 1991 One Meridian Plaza a 38-story building caught fire. It was 19 hours before the fire was declared under control. The Meridian was not as structurally sound as the WTC buildings. (See above) The Meridian steal, glass structure stood almost a decade after the fire, before being demolished in 1999. One Meridian Plaza was the third-tallest destroyed building in the world at the time of demolition with explosives, just three years before 9/11.
On April 3, 2013 a 40-story Russian building, Chechnya Skyscraper in Grozny City caught fire and burned 29 hours. And did not fall.
2 photos of burned Chechnya.
As a result of the attacks to the World Trade Center, a total of 2,763 people died including 2,192 civilians, 343 firefighters, and 71 law enforcement officers as well as all the passengers and crew on the airplanes, including 147 civilians and the 10 hijackers. Watch WTC Building 7 fall in video below.
From -The Official ReThink911 Video "Did you Know a 3rd Tower Fell." –After the towers fell, it was the plan to scale back our civil liberties.
"A building deliberately was destroyed with demolition. Just taken down." quote from news Anchor Dan Rather, which Rather never repeated again.
What does it take to wake up a nation of people so enslaved by fear as to not see truth?
Fire official rides along for miles.


text:
Q: xslt select value of c where d equals BBB with local-name <abc>
    <loop>

                <c>hugo</c>
                <d>AAA</d>

    </loop>
    <loop>

                <c>Boss</c>
                <d>BBB</d>

    </loop>
</abc>

I am trying to get the value of c where d equals BBB. I am forced to use the local-name and not like /loop/a/b[d='BBB']/c

A:
I dont know the namespace

Perhaps you'd be better off working to fix that, because the alternative is not pretty.
Anyway,  you could use:
<xsl:value-of select="/*[local-name()='abc']/*[local-name()='loop']/*[local-name()='a']/*[local-name()='b'][*[local-name()='d']='BBB']/*[local-name()='c']"/>

or:
<xsl:value-of select="/*/*/*/*[*='BBB']/*[local-name()='c']"/>

or anything in-between the two.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Why doesn't water quality testing meet regulatory standards in many African countries? The Aquaya Institute launched the Monitoring for Safe Water (MfSW) program in 2012 to answer this question. In collaboration with IWA and the World Health Organisation, the MfSW project provides resources, knowledge, and technical assistance to collaborating water suppliers and public health surveillance agencies in Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Senegal, Uganda, and Zambia.
With IWA's support, the MfSW project has produced the largest data set on microbial water quality in Africa with the comprehensive analysis of over 70,000 water tests. In addition, program researchers are working with appropriate institutions to study the roles of specific factors in the scale-up of microbial water quality testing. Results of this analysis provide new valuable insights into the factors contributing to problems with water quality management across Africa and will guide the development of best policies and practices for water quality monitoring.


Can someone explain why patients discharged to inpatient rehab facilities and an SNF are excluded from the stroke education measure? These patients and families need to be educated prior to discharge and then reinforced while at the rehab facility. Not all patients who are discharged to a SNF are unable to learn or on comfort measures. Some of our patients do not qualify for inpatient rehab but go to a SNF, receive physical therapy and then return to their homes. They are still at risk for having another stroke. The measure written this ways does not assist our hospital in quality improvement because we want to know if these populations are educated. I would hope that this measure would be reviewed.
Concur with your clinical rationale. Absolutely continue to educate all stroke patients. However, only those patients discharged to home, home care, or law enforcement are now captured in the STK-8 denominator. This change only impacts data reported to The Joint Commission and NOT clinical practice.
This change was made due to the CMS alignment process required to include stroke in the national specifications manual as a new core measure set. The alignment process strives to adopt common abstraction guidelines for similar type measures. Other patient education core measures, such as HF-1: Discharge Instructions, share similar abstraction guidelines to ease the data collection burden for hospitals collecting data on multiple core measure sets.
Due to your patient population, we would suggest that you track stroke education for SNF and rehab patients separately from the data you report to Joint Commission each quarter for STK-8, and share these findings internally with your staff/colleagues to help improve the quality of education provided to all stroke patients.


text:
/ TV & MOVIES
After losing 'Friends,' Netflix buys rights to 'Seinfeld'
posted September 18, 2019 at 06:15 pm by AFP
Streaming giant Netflix said Monday it had acquired the global rights to popular American sitcom Seinfeld from 2021—a feather in its cap as the battle among online video platforms for coveted content heats up.
The company did not reveal the value of the transaction.
American live-action sitcom 'Seinfeld' will be streaming on Netflix starting 2021.
But the move was a bit of a rebound for Netflix, which has lost the rights to Friends from next year and to the American version of The Office from 2021 -- the two most-watched series it has on offer.
The digital broadcast rights to Seinfeld have been held by Hulu, a Disney subsidiary, since 2015. NBCUniversal paid $500 million over five years to get The Office, and WarnerMedia shelled out $425 million, also over five years, to acquire Friends for its new HBO Max platform.
Classic television series have become a hot commodity in the escalating battle for streaming supremacy.
The current major players like Netflix and Amazon are keeping an eye on Apple and Disney, which will launch later this year, and then NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia in 2020.
Rod Stewart reveals prostate cancer fight
British pop veteran Rod Stewart has been given the all-clear after battling prostate cancer, the music stalwart has revealed.
British pop veteran Rod Stewart urged men to have their prostates checked regularly after getting the all-clear following a cancer diagnosis
The 74-year-old, who released his 30th studio album last year, told the audience at a weekend prostate charity fundraiser that he was diagnosed two years ago.
The raspy-voiced singer said he received positive news about remission in July following treatment, according to Britain's Daily Mirror.
"Two years ago I was diagnosed with prostate cancer," Stewart told the audience at the event in Surrey, southwest of London, it reported.
"No one knows this, but I thought this was about time I told everybody. I'm in the clear, now, simply because I caught it early. I have so many tests," he added.
The father-of-eight, who appeared at the event with former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood—who was previously diagnosed with lung cancer—urged men to have their prostates checked regularly.
Topics: Friends , Netflix , Seinfeld , Rod Stewart , prostate cancer
Advice from real friends
Friends under fire
Screen royalties Kathryn and Daniel back with new series, movie, and more
Four fresh songs to listen to this 2020
Asia's biggest dog show comes to Araneta City


I just want to ask Pinoy users what games are cool to download for this phone? Thanks.
Please tell me if I can able to reduce the brightness to prevent dazzling during the night?
michael, 27 Feb 2009Hi, dear friends....m looking forward to buy this phone...its for those who are using it...are... moreMicheal, I have been using this phone for around 1 month now. Like most of the reviews, I agree that the material used isn't too strong. I think the camera quality is fantastic and finding applications is rather easy too. I paid around AED 950 for this phone, got 2 years warranty, a 1GB memory card and a free sim card as well. So I am pretty happy with the phone. But if you are a accident prone user, like me, I would suggest looking for something a little bit more durable. Its been 1 month and I already have had to repair the screen once, due to something like a 4 feet fall.
Hi! i am wondering if there is any of you who knows how to download a free quick office application and is not on trial mode. THanks!
I have this phone for two weeks.Its symbians is fast and refined the camera is fantastic.But the material that is it made of is CHEAP but i think that te material that is on the backside is tough.It scrachers very easly on the front side.The battery life isnt smoething Nokia shouldnt be proud it lasts only a day or 2.I couldnt use the gps.It is ritch with funcions.But peapole you buy a phone to talk or send sms.I had a N73 Lg shine and other phones.
Shiv, 28 Feb 2009Hi i bought the mobile just 2 weeks ago and am having some trouble with it now. whenever am o... moreturn your phone in offline mode.Now go to setting(general)on the predictive text.again start your phone in general profile.your problem will be solved.
i bought the mobile just 2 weeks ago and am having some trouble with it now. whenever am opening the clock icon, its giving me a "System Error!"
screen. could you please advise me on this situation. is it a version problem?
Sean Morris, 26 Feb 2009Hi guys,, can anyone tell me that the pencil key in N73,, where is it in 6220,, as it is not p... morepencil key on my n82 is star key..
Hi, dear friends....m looking forward to buy this phone...its for those who are using it...are you all satisfied with its performance???? is it worth??? m not a gizmo freakk...so m looking forward to your inputs....is there any problem with the keypad????
excellent features.very good performance.the quality of the resulting pictures is truly astounding. edges are sharp, colors are true, and it's honestly one of the best cameraphone experiences I've ever had. the Xenon flash makes a big difference when snapping pictures in low light situations, and the macro mode is simply awesome.
music player is nice.sound quality is very good but lacks 3.5mm standard audio jack.
GPS navigation is surprisingly superb and fast.
the phone uses the BP-5M 900mAh battery, and I found this to be enough for 2 days of decent usage. With email being checked throughout the day, some light GPS usage, a handful of 65-75 photos and 3-3.5 hours of phone calls, I was able to last till 5pm on the second day before the phone required a recharge.
Hi guys,, can anyone tell me that the pencil key in N73,, where is it in 6220,, as it is not placed in it,, so how cud we perform the pencil key functions in this fone...?
Thanks for telling me the size of the batteries, at least both batteries are same :D and I can also charge that Li-Ion 1050 mAh (BP-6MT) battery with the charger of 6220 with a lill extra time.
Thanks for sharing u r valuable information.
the xenon flash work really great.audio quality is good.
Great phone.Excellent camera quality.superb sound.Very smooth browsing..


Mano a Mano's newest reservoir in Wirkini, Bolivia was inaugurated yesterday! The project provides year-round access to water for more than 2,000 people in 5 surrounding communities.
The Wirkini water reservoir, started in 2012, was dedicated on October 18, 2016.
After three years of work, Mano a Mano workers, the community, and everybody was excited and happy that this project – that had brought so many challenges – is finally finished. As water rushed out of the piping, residents looked in awe at the amount and speed of water that came out of the reservoir.
The Wirkini water reservoir structure is quite impressive. Standing 59 feet above ground at 14,000 feet above sea level is quite impressive. Over 23 feet of water has already collected in the reservoir….but that is minimal compared to the amount of water that will ultimately store in this newly completed reservoir.
This reservoir will be the inheritance that residents will leave to their children.
I think all I can say is that the people were grateful for this project. Now, they said, they will better provide for their children. Actually, they said that this reservoir will be the inheritance that residents will leave to their children.
Mano a Mano volunteer Sam Klein recently wrote in more detail about the impact the Wirkini reservoir will have for the five communities in the area – read his post here.
Mano a Mano works on the Wirkini reservoir.


Over several days of spot visits throughout Chinatown I periodically worried about committing any number of cultural offenses by taking pictures of peoples' laundry hung out on the fire escapes. Personal undergarments trended toward the disappointingly big grandma-underpants range of the spectrum yet the feeling persisted I could be getting myself into some kind of trouble. Adam and I walked to the end of 000 Chinatown Lane where we spied through a ragged hole in a makeshift plywood wall into the center of the block, a tantalizingly forbidden view of even more laundry, mop-handles and exotic potted flora.
Red symbolizes good fortune in Chinese culture.
I posted the pictures I did tonight because this afternoon Adam and I found a one-story turreted adobe house in Ballard (one block south of Gilman Park on 9th Avenue NW) painted the color identical to this building. He and I biked the Burke Gilman Trail (a bike and pedestrian path) from Husky Stadium to the spot in Ballard where the bike path joins the street (3.5 miles total?). Our goal had been to reach saltwater at Golden Gardens but I explained to Adam 1. Training wheels don't work very well on surface streets and 2. There are still some old ladies left driving around in Ballard. It was only the second time I'd ridden a bike since Adam was born (the other time was 2009 in San Francisco- across the Golden Gate Bridge). Adam did an excellent job riding his bike on the right side of the path. He got lots of thumbs-ups and giggles. I had to have a talk with him under the University Bridge about keeping both hands on his handlebars because after awhile he got full of himself and wanted to wave to all his well-wishers. The waving tended to drastically compromise his steering.
We stopped at Gas Works Park for a snack on a very windy, inhospitable Kite Hill. For the rest of our ride there was just one incident to speak of: Between Fremont and Ballard Adam tried to fake me out by pretending to almost ride into a metal pole.
Until 4:15 PM today all I'd eaten were chocolate creme-filled donuts. Then I went bowling tonight for the first time in ten years. My score was 106. Bowling is more fun than I remember. It used to mean going into a smoke-filled hall, peering through the haze trying to count the number of pins still standing up all while fighting off a mild asthma attack.
This is a view from Grant Street, through which most visitors to Chinatown are funneled at some point. It's a very enjoyable place to walk, but then I discovered Stockton Street and was delighted to find I was in a real part of Chinatown and not just the kitschy Made in China version.


text:
Researcher says head CT radiation dose can be reduced by 90 percent
by John W. Mitchell, Senior Correspondent | May 31, 2016
CT Risk Management X-Ray
Dr. Ruogu Fang
Working with radiologists at Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Ruogu Fang, Ph.D., has applied machine learning and mathematical algorithms to manipulate low-dose CT perfusion images on stroke patients. When reconstructed, these low-dose images provide comparable image quality with just eight percent of the radiation needed to produce traditional, high-dose images.
Although the technique needs to be clinically validated on real patients, Fang, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Florida International University (FIU), told HCB News that the radiologists she is collaborating with are very excited about the promise it may hold for improving care. "They view the high-dose and restored low-dose images in random fashion side-by-side, and cannot tell the difference with statistical significance," she said.
All of the major imaging equipment manufacturers, from Siemens to GE, are working to reduce patient radiation exposure, but Fang describes her approach of applying machine leaning from big data to restore low-resolution images as "novel". She has recently received $175,000 in funding from the National Science Foundation and other sources. The grants will be primarily used to study blood flow in the brain as it relates to radiation exposure, as well as help validate her technique in patients
THE (LEADER) IN MEDICAL IMAGING TECHNOLOGY SINCE 1982. SALES-SERVICE-REPAIR
Special-Pricing Available on Medical Displays, Patient Monitors, Recorders, Printers, Media, Ultrasound Machines, and Cameras.This includes Top Brands such as SONY, BARCO, NDS, NEC, LG, EDAN, EIZO, ELO, FSN, PANASONIC, MITSUBISHI, OLYMPUS, & WIDE.
Fang began her study while working on her Ph.D. at Cornell. She said that while at Cornell, she learned of physician concern about radiation exposure, especially in conducting CT perfusion (head) scans.
"[Physicians] have a pressing need to reduce the radiation associated with the X-ray-based medical imaging, such as computed tomography (CT), CT perfusion (CTP), which are some of the most widely used medical imaging modalities for noninvasive diagnosis and treatment monitoring," Fang explained.
According to FIU sources, Fang's work may also reduce radiation exposure not just in stroke patients, but also in cardiovascular disease and kidney patients as well. It also has the potential for application in MR patient scans. The tenfold reduction in radiation could also greatly reduce the 15,000 deaths a year that are attributed to CT perfusion scans, according to FIU.
"While the technology is ready in the lab, it will take some time before it can be deployed widespread in imaging technology, since clinical trials can take several years," Fang said. "We do need collaborators to provide the big medical data of dual-dose patients to validate our method on real patients with widespread diseases."
In explaining the science behind her research, Fang noted that she uses machine learning called dictionary learning and sparse representation to learn from big medical data, or high quality radiation images. This data is used to restore the low-quality images with the clarity needed to study cerebral blood flow in stroke patients. The images provided by CT, combined with reduced radiation, could result in safer patient care.
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