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« Reply #120 on: December 07, 2016, 01:32:15 am »
Argentine judge rules woman can marry her own stepdaughter
An Argentinian judge created quite a precedent, and an uproar, when he overrode the country's Civil Code and authorized a woman to marry her stepdaughter.
The unusual love story began when a woman – the two women's names are being withheld by the court system – married a much older man who had a daughter from a previous marriage who was nearly the same age as her.
After her husband's death in 2010, just four months after their wedding, the stepmom got closer with the daughter, and the two eventually started a romantic relationship, El Pais newspaper reported.
However, when last month the couple decided to formalize their relationship, they were denied a marriage license based on portion of the Civil Code, which has allowed same-sex marriage since 2010 but prohibits any kind of parent-child unions, even if the couple isn't related by blood.
Both women are now in their early 30s, and they sued claiming that the rule violated their constitutional rights.
And family judge Ricardo Dutto agreed, declaring the article unconstitutional and ruling that the constitution guarantees every citizen "the right to be happy."
"The National Constitution implicitly guarantees every citizen his right to seek his own happiness, which entails the right to be treated with dignity by the laws in all dimensions of life, including marriage," Dutto wrote in his opinion.
He also noted that the women had not lived as a couple while the man was alive.
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2016/12/06/argentine-judge-rules-woman-can-marry-her-own-stepdaughter/
Love Wins: French Woman Wants to Marry Her Robot
Move over bestiality, there's a new sexuality in town, and according to some experts, it will become widely popular by 2050: robosexuals, which is exactly as it sounds; someone in love with robots.
According to the Daily Mail, a French woman named Lilly has taken the flag up as the latest champion for the so-called "Robosexual" cause, and hopes for the day she and her robot lover, named InMoovator, can legally tie the knot.
From the Daily Mail:
Lilly's partner is a robot called InMoovator, who she 3D-printed herself and has been living with for a year. On her Twitter page, where she goes by 'Lilly InMoovator,' she says: 'I'm a proud robosexual, we don't hurt anybody, we are just happy.' Now, Lilly is reportedly engaged to the robot and says they will marry when human-robot marriage is legalized in France.
Lilly claims she found all relations with human men "disgusting" and realized at age 19 she preferred the mechanical over organic.
"I'm really and only attracted by the robots," she said. "My only two relationships with men have confirmed my love orientation, because I dislike really physical contact with human flesh."
Most of Lilly's family has accepted her chosen relationship with InMoovator, whom she plans to upgrade shortly after finishing school to become, you guessed it, a roboticist.
According to expert Dr. David Levy, "chess whiz and authority on Love and Sex with Robots," robot marriages should be the norm by 2050.
http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/love-wins-french-woman-wants-marry-her-robot
https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/0132196e-53f8-324d-afcf-aff55cbffad6/ss_man-accused-of-repeatedly.html
Man Accused Of Repeatedly Sexually Assaulting Pit Bull
A man in Pensacola, Florida, is charged in the repeated sexual assault of a pit bull over about 3½ years. Bradley Jean Hubbard, 23, was arrested Monday after a roommate accused him of assaulting his family dog, Baby Girl, according to the Pensacola News Journal. The accuser told police she estimated she had seen Hubbard take the dog to his bedroom for sexual abuse at least 100 times. ...
US Supreme Court Rejects 'Sister Wives' Appeal Effort to Overturn Ban on Polygamous Cohabitation
The U.S. Supreme Court has turned away a challenge to Utah's anti-bigamy law brought by the polygamist stars of the popular reality television show "Sister Wives."
The justices declined Monday (Jan. 23) to take up an appeal by Kody Brown and his four wives, only one of whom he is legally married to, of a lower court's ruling that threw out their challenge that claimed Utah's law banning multiple spouses violated their religious liberty rights under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.
They also claimed the law violated their legally protected right to privacy.
Continue reading this story >> http://religionnews.com/2017/01/23/u-s-top-court-rebuffs-sister-wives-challenge-to-utah-anti-bigamy-law/
http://christiannews.net/2017/01/24/us-supreme-court-rejects-sister-wives-appeal-effort-to-overturn-ban-on-polygamous-cohabitation/
« Reply #124 on: March 13, 2017, 06:20:56 pm »
Judge Awards Tri-Custody of Child to Former Couple and Their 'Polyamorous' Lover
A New York judge has awarded tri-custody to a former couple and their neighbor, who they entered into a "polyamorous" relationship with over a decade ago.
"Tri-custody is the logical evolution of the Court of Appeals decision in Brooke S.B., and the passage of the Marriage Equality Act and DRL [Domestic Relations Law] §10-a which permits same-sex couples to marry in New York," Suffolk County Supreme Court Judge Patrick Leis III wrote.
According to reports, in 2001, Michael and Dawn Marano began as friends to neighbor Audria Garcia, who was living with her boyfriend at the time. But when Garcia split with her significant other, she moved in with the Maranos, where she began to engage in "intimate relations" with both of them.
In 2006, Garcia became pregnant with Michael Marano's child—an agreement made between the three since Dawn Marano was infertile—and they all raised the boy together. However, in 2008, Dawn Marano left her husband to solely be in a relationship with Garcia.
The development prompted Michael Marano to file for custody of his son, and Garcia soon agreed to joint custody. However, Dawn Marano, who divorced her husband for Garcia, then also sued him "because she fears that without court-ordered visitation and shared custody, her ability to remain in [the boy's] life would be solely dependent upon obtaining the consent of either Audria or [Michael]."
Michael Marano opposed his wife's efforts to obtain joint custody of the child.
On Wednesday, Judge Leis granted custody to all three, saying that it was in the child's "best interests" to also keep Dawn Marano in his life.
"J.M. considers both plaintiff and Audria to be equal 'mommies' and that he would be devastated if he were not able to see plaintiff," he wrote. "The interview with J.M. also clearly shows that he enjoys his present living situation and would not want it altered in any way."
"J.M.'s best interests cry out for an assurance that he will be allowed a continued relationship with plaintiff," Leis stated. "No one told these three people to create this unique relationship. Nor did anyone tell defendant to conceive a child with his wife's best friend or to raise that child knowing two women as his mother."
He said that granting tri-custody was the "logical evolution" after the state approved of same-sex "marriage" in 2011, as well as a 2016 ruling expanding custody rights for unmarried couples.
While the women state that they are pleased with the ruling, Michael Marano told the New York Post that he plans to appeal.
19th century statesman Daniel Webster, who held office both in the House and Senate, once said, "If the power of the gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness will reign without mitigation or end."
The matter went to trial, and the boy told the court that he has "two mommies," and that he tells them apart as being the "mommy with the orange truck" and the "mommy with the gray truck."
http://christiannews.net/2017/03/13/judge-awards-tri-custody-of-child-to-former-couple-and-their-polyamorous-lover/
Some Polygamists Urge Fleeing Utah After Senate Approves Anti-Bigamy Bill
With only five minutes left in the legislative session, the Utah Senate approved a new anti-bigamy law by a margin of a single vote. It will only take Gov. Gary Herbert (R) a few seconds to sign it, if that is his decision.
Herbert hasn't said which way he is leaning on the legislation.
Rather than wait for Herbert to make up his mind, the best advice to all those with multiple spouses from the "Sisters Wives" reality TV show cast, a real-life family of polygamists, is to get out of Utah now.
Another family — one man and his three wives — has vowed to never leave Utah.
"My concern is all this is going to do is drive the good polygamous people who don't have those abuses more into hiding," Meri Brown, a plural wife, told the Salt Lake Tribune, "and it's going to make the people who do have those abuses just be able to do them even more."
"It also classifies all polygamists as second-class citizens," added her husband, Kody Brown.
Kody Brown is legally married not just to Meri, but to another woman, Robyn. He is "spiritually married" to Meri, and Janelle and Christine, who have all taken his last name.
The family lived discretely in Utah until 2010 when their lifestyle went public with the "Sister Wives" TV show. Lehi, Utah, police watch TV, too. They started a criminal investigation. The Browns pulled out of Utah and moved to Nevada to avoid any possibility of bigamy prosecution.
The Browns successfully filed suit against Utah's bigamy law on the grounds that it was unconstitutional. A federal judge ruled in their favor in 2013. But his decision was reversed by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2016.
Rep. Mike Noel (R) saw that and decided the law needed to be changed so there would be no doubt of its constitutionality.
He sponsored HB99, legislation that would change the definition of bigamy and increase the penalty for a violation of the law in some cases.
HB99 would change the definition of bigamy to include people who "purport" to marry two or more people and live with them. Currently, only one or the other provision is required to be a bigamist.
Bigamy would still be a third-degree felony under HB99. But the penalty of up to five years in prison could go up to as much as 15 years if the bigamy is associated with another crime like abuse, fraud or smuggling.
Prosecutors in Utah have not prosecuted many cases of bigamy unless some kind of abuse or other crime can be included in the criminal charges.
Kody said it's ridiculous to try to tie polygamists to crimes such as abuse. He called it a "rope-a-dope" strategy in which a boxer pins his opponent against the ring's ropes, pummeling him with one punch after another until he falls.
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/2017/03/18/some-polygamists-urge-fleeing-utah-after-senate-approves-anti-bigamy-bill/
Polyamory & Polygamy -- Same Practice, Now Presented as Edgy & Fresh
Hey everyone, a relic of barbarism is making a comeback! If the reference is lost on you, I am referring to an expression from the mid-1800s, when the Republican party was established to replace the Whigs on the platform of eradicating what party leaders such as Abraham Lincoln coined "the twin relics of barbarism." The first of those relics was polygamy, seen as a system that was fundamentally oppressive to one of the two sexes: women. Bigamy was formally abolished under the Lincoln's presidency.
And yet, 155 years later, the concept is creeping back into the mainstream, with popular culture blowing wind in its sails.
Just this week, People magazine informed readers that the popular bridal show, Say Yes to the Dress, would be featuring its first-ever polyamorous fitting. "Say Yes to the Dress Sneak Peek: Inside Kleinfeld's First Polygamous Bridal Fitting," read the headline. The article casually discusses the first "throuple" to be featured on the show and what it means to dress two women for a "polygamous wedding."
The whole thing is framed as edgy and fresh, but in fact it's just the latest bit of pop-culture news I've read treating polyamory like it isn't something backwards, straight out of the eighteenth century. We should have seen this all coming with the smash-hit "Big Love," but at least that show tried to show the moral complexities of the issue. Today we have cultural polyamory in abundance. Showtime has a series called Polyamory, a show called You Me Her is billed as the first-ever "polyromantic comedy," and TLC is still running episodes of Sister Wives.
Apart from television, I read almost weekly some sort of article about the rise of polyamory in the modern era. The Atlantic informs me that dating website "OkCupid Adds a Feature for the Polyamorous." Refinery29.com nonchalantly runs a story entitled, "My Boyfriend & I Got a Girlfriend – & This is What Happened." The opening paragraph says, "In the polyamorous world, there is a special term for the third person in a relationship. She (and it is usually a she) is called a 'unicorn.' She is rare, beautiful, and hard to track down. And if you can catch her, she will bring magic into your relationship." The BBC tells me, "Polyamorous relationships may be the future of love." "Love doesn't just come in pairs. Is it time that marriage laws come to recognise the fact?" the article asks.
You might be reading this and asking yourself, "What the what?"
What happens to women in a world where we scrap the 'binary axis' of monogamy? Women suffer, that's what.
But this has been coming down the pike for years. Plenty of us were mocked for asking questions about where it all stops if we start redefining marriage. And yet here we are in 2017, and polygamy is making a comeback. In the midst of a quick Facebook check while writing this piece, an article on the Institute for Family Studies blog analyzing a recent study on rising acceptance for non-monogamous marriages scrolled through my feed. I clicked over to the study itself, the abstract of which claims, "These data call out for greater attention to both the social mediation of Giddens's detraditionalization thesis and a more nuanced concept of marital fidelity than a simple binary axis of 'monogamous/nonmonogamous' permits."
But what happens to women in a world where we scrap the "binary axis" of monogamy? Women suffer, that's what. Nobody is asking for a show called "Brother Husbands." Nine of ten pictures for polyamory involve one man with multiple women. The other one in ten is usually just a crowd of people. Men may sleep around, but they don't tolerate the degradation of being a part of a modern male harem, nor have they ever, really. Polygamy uniquely subjugates one sex; it's like an institutionalized form of the hookup culture — with women on call for male pleasure, just with some boundaries and a relationship status. But that hasn't stopped Hollywood's big wigs from putting bigamy on the big screen like it's NBD, no big deal.
Hey 2017, 1850 called and wants its barbarism back.
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/447605/polyamory-polygamy-same-practice-now-presented-edgy-fresh
https://www.rt.com/viral/392304-three-men-marry-colombia/
'I do, I do, I do': Colombia recognizes 'polyamorous' marriage of 3 gay men
Published time: 14 Jun, 2017 20:01
A marriage between three gay men has been legally recognized in Colombia's first official "polyamorous" union.
The the union of actor Victor Hugo Prada, teacher John Alejandro Rodriguez and journalist Manuel Jose Bermudez was made official in Medellin on June 8.
READ MORE: Malaysia holds contest for 'homosexuality prevention' videos with up to $1,000 cash prizes
"We wanted to validate our household ... and our rights, because we had no solid legal basis establishing us as a family," Victor told Colombian radio station LAFM.
Speaking to Colombian magazine Semana, the men said the roots of their relationship started in 1999 when Manuel and John first met and began a relationship. That match then grew to include a third person, Alex Esneider Zabala, whom the couple met in 2004. It expanded still further when they met Victor, the youngest in the union, in 2012.
The men told Semana that they lived happily in the four person relationship for several years until Alex tragically fell victim to stomach cancer two years ago.
Three Men Get 'Married' in Colombia, and There Is No Slippery Slope
In 2016, same-sex "marriage" was legalized in Colombia. One year later, the courts have now recognized a polyamorous "family" of three men. And there is no slippery slope.
As reported by the Daily Mail, "Actor Victor Hugo Prada and his two partners, sports instructor John Alejandro Rodriguez and journalist Manuel Jose Bermudez, have signed legal papers with a solicitor in the city of Medellin, establishing them as a family unit with inheritance rights.
"'We wanted to validate our household ... and our rights, because we had no solid legal basis establishing us as a family,' said one of the men, Prada, in a video published by Colombian media on Monday."
Here in the States, the Associated Press notes that, "More courts [are] allowing three parents of one child." An example would be when a lesbian couple has a child with the help of another man, all three of whom become parents.
And there is no slippery slope.
When candidate Barack Obama ran for president in 2008, he knew he could not reveal his true sentiments about gay "marriage" —this according to David Axelrod—because it would hurt his election chances. And so, he clearly and decisively declared that marriage was the union of a man and a woman. And he said this was his Christian conviction.
Today, a Republican congressman is shot in cold blood and liberal news commentators suggest that we can't forget his record at a time like this. After all, he wanted to pass a Constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
It wasn't that long ago that the Human Rights Campaign felt the need to remove "transgender" from its campaign to pass ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Today, in New York City, you can be fined up to $250,000 for failing to accept the stated identity of a trans employee. And Canada has just passed Bill C-16, which requires it citizens to use whatever gender pronouns a person chooses, as in, "Refer to me as ze and zir rather than he or her."
As the National Post explains, "In other words, failure to use a person's pronoun of choice—'ze,' 'zir,' 'they' or any one of a multitude of other potential non-words—will land you in hot water with the commission. That, in turn, can lead to orders for correction, apology, Soviet-like "re-education," fines and, in cases of continued non-compliance, incarceration for contempt of court."
In recent years, the media has pushed polygamy, polyamory and even consensual adult incest, with public opinion gradually shifting towards more acceptance of these lifestyles and acts.
And there is no slippery slope. Or perhaps the slippery slope isn't so bad after all?
That was actually the conclusion of a number of liberal students who challenged a talk I gave at a local secular university: the slippery slope isn't so bad after all.
I was asked to speak on the subject of God and Sex, addressing the question, "Are biblical standards of sexual purity destructive or constructive, helpful or harmful, binding or liberating?" In the lecture, I explained how everything reproduces after its kind. I also explained that we have to look at the trajectory of an idea or action or behavior. Where will it ultimately lead?
When it was time for Q & A, several students began to challenge my talk, claiming that there was no such thing as a slippery slope.
I asked them if they believed in the concepts of "love is love" and "I have the right to marry the one I love." They all said yes, no matter how far it went. Three people? Four? Two adult brothers? And should the government be obligated to recognize all these relationships?
They answered in the affirmative to all my questions, concluding, "Well, I guess there is a slippery slope, but it's not wrong."
And that is where our society is heading. It's becoming increasingly difficult to deny the reality of the slippery slope. The logical next step is to affirm it.
http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/in-the-line-of-fire/65704-three-men-get-married-in-colombia-and-there-is-no-slippery-slope
Will Polygamy Be Legalized in the U.S.?
Acceptance of polygamy is at an all-time high, according to recent Gallup poll. The survey found 17 percent of Americans say the practice of having more than one spouse is "morally acceptable," up from 14 percent a year ago and more than double the 7 percent who found it acceptable when Gallup started polling in 2003.
This despite the fact that polygamy is still illegal in all 50 states.
Even though polygamy is practiced in some religious sects, Gallup found nonreligious people are much more accepting. Between 2011 and 2017, 32 percent of Americans who did not identify with a religion found the practice "morally acceptable."
The recent upward trend follows a prediction of many social commentators: Polygamy is a nearing eventuality in a country with an expanding definition of marriage.
"Polygamy is bobbing forward in social liberalism's wake," wrote The New York Times columnist Ross Douthat two years ago. "The now-ascendant model of marriage as a gender-neutral and easily dissolved romantic contract offers no compelling grounds for limiting the number of people who might wish to marry."
Legal scholars agree. Last month, a senior lecturer at Emory Law School published Legalizing Plural Marriages: The Next Frontier in Family Law. Mark Goldfeder begins the introduction to his book with this note: "This is the first book that explains not only why the legalization of plural marriage may be on the horizon in America but also why the idea is not really as radical as you might at first glance think; why the legal arguments against it are surprisingly weak; and how … it would not actually be that difficult to accommodate."
The book's forward is written by Alex Kozinski, a Reagan-appointed judge for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, who agreed, "By adding up the pieces, Goldfeder shows that polygamy is neither farfetched nor far off."
http://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/will-polygamy-be-legalized-in-the-u-s.html
http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/rapidly-growing-sexbot-industry-ready-launch-sorts-new-perversion-human-race/
Rapidly Growing Sexbot Industry Ready To Launch All Sorts Of New Perversion On Human Race
Saying there's evidence **** sexbots may significantly increase the chance of **** to real women, the law should "no longer stand by and blindly ignore a major potential problem by doing nothing," he said in an email to The College Fix. Sexbots, especially those which can be programmed to act as if they are being raped, and those which act and appear to be young children, are already here and in use, Banzhaf said.
As the sale and use of lifelike sex robots that allow people to simulate **** continues to gain steam, one famed law professor is sounding the alarm.
"Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things." Proverbs 23:33 (KJV)
EDITOR'S NOTE: As technology progresses at its current lightning pace, the end times convergence between humans and machines is also accelerating. For the past few years we have been trained to speak to machines as if they were real. "Hi, Siri, what time is it?" "Alexa, play Beethoven's Fifth". "Cortana, I need directions". Robots have become frighteningly realistic, and now we have sexbots. Humans having realistic sex with robots seem a little too sci-fi to believe? Believe it. Criminal perverts warming up on sexbots before going out and raping real women and children? Believe that too, and pray for the Rapture. It's time to leave.
John Banzhaf, a well-known activist professor of public interest law at George Washington University Law School, says experts disagree on the consequences of allowing people to engage in mock acts of **** with humanoid dolls, and lawmakers should vet this issue as soon as possible.
Saying there's evidence **** sexbots may significantly increase the chance of **** to real women, the law should "no longer stand by and blindly ignore a major potential problem by doing nothing," he said in an email to The College Fix.
Sexbots, especially those which can be programmed to act as if they are being raped, and those which act and appear to be young children, are already here and in use, Banzhaf said.
"The obvious first step would be to have hearings and do studies to determine just how serious the threat is, whether there are any real benefits to having sexbots programmed to simulate being raped, and then what if any new laws, regulations, etc. might be appropriate," he said.
Realistic-looking sexbot robot with soft skin, soothing voice:
Banzhaf is no stranger to successfully pushing for government regulation. He "helped drive cigarette commercials off the air" and was one of the masterminds behind lawsuits against the tobacco industry, his faculty bio states. More recently he used similar techniques to target the obesity epidemic. His legal activism course is also known as "Sue the Bastards," according to one report.
Now he's turned his critical legal eye to sexbots.
He said in a recent news release that the consequences of permitting the sale, distribution and use of sexbots to "perverts" and convicted or potential rapists should be reviewed.
nteb-gospel-tracts-kjv-1611-street-preaching-witnessing
NOW MORE THAN EVER – WITNESS TO THE LOST!
"So, as science fiction of the type depicted in HBO's Westworld is rapidly becoming reality, these are just some of the legal concerns regarding the brave new world of robot sex, where the law may well have to play catch up, just as it did with artificial insemination, host mothers, drones, and other developments," he wrote.
Banzhaf, in his email to The College Fix, acknowledged not all experts agree on the impact of the growing sexbots craze, and some have suggested sexbots programmed to act as if they are being raped might even help to reduce **** by permitting men with such inclinations to act out their fantasy desires in non-harmful ways.
"However, other experts have suggested that sexbots programmed to act like they are being raped may well lead to more not fewer rapes; that permitting men to act out their **** fantasies will only stoke their desires and provide a bridge from mere idea to acting out with a sexbot and then to actually engaging in a real **** with a real woman," he told The Fix.
Sexbots, already in use in European brothels, can be intentionally set to "frigid" mode in which the user must effectively **** the robot because it will resist advances. Some robots are also manufactured as "ultra-realistic" child-like figures, according to Banzhaf and a report published by the Foundation for Responsible Robotics.
As a New York Times op-ed noted: "we should no more be encouraging rapists to find a supposedly safe outlet for it than we should facilitate murderers by giving them realistic, blood-spurting dummies to stab…to make such a solution available is to risk normalizing **** by giving it a publicly acceptable face."
Banzhaf posits that Congress should investigate the risks and consequences that the unregulated sale of sexbots poses by examining the opinions of experts and holding hearings on the issue. Possible regulations include restricting sale of sexbots to law-abiding citizens 18 years or older, or attaching warnings about the potential consequences of use.
"If these sexbots do pose significant risks to women and/or to young children, but no action is taken now," Banzhaf concluded in his email to The Fix, "it may be too late if we wait until millions are already in the hands of actual or potential rapists, actual or potential child molesters, etc." source
Polygamists' lawsuit: 'If gay marriage is legal, then polygamy marriage should be legal'
PARRAMATTA, Australia, September 22, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – Two of the four dubia Cardinals seeking moral clarity from Pope Francis over his controversial teachings on marriage and family have died. But this will not stop the remaining two cardinals from continuing the "important work of resolving the dubia," said Cardinal Raymond Burke, one of the dubia signers, in a new interview.
In a wide-ranging interview with the Diocese of Parramatta's Catholic Outlook, Burke said the "urgency of a response to the dubia derives from the harm done to souls by the confusion and error, which result, as long as the fundamental questions raised are not answered in accord with the constant teaching and practice of the Church."
This urgency "weighs very heavily on my heart," he said.
Confusion about Amoris Laetitia has led to people "feeling that the Church is not a secure point of reference," said Burke.
"There isn't clarity about these matters," he said. "These people are in a very difficult state. It's demonstrable, it's a fact that we have conferences of Bishops which are contradicting one another with regard to Amoris Laetitia, Bishops contradicting one another; we have lay faithful who argue with one another over this; and so many priests are suffering in particular because the faithful come to them, expecting certain things that are not possible because they've received one of these erroneous interpretations of Amoris Laetitia. As a result, they don't understand the Church's teaching anymore."
"You know that in the Church, we have only one guide, the Magisterium, the teaching of the Church, but we now seem to be divided into so-called political camps," explained Burke. "Also, even the language that's used is very mundane and that concerns me a great deal."
Burke, one of the Church's staunchest defenders of Catholic orthodoxy, said the Church can offer "direction" and lead to cultural transformation "in terms of respect for human life and respect for the integrity of the family and respect for religious freedom."
Burke grieves loss of brother cardinals
He also expressed his grief over the loss of two of the four dubia signers, Cardinals Joachim Meisner and Carlo Caffarra. Of the four, only he and Cardinal Walter Brandmüller remain.
He said Caffarra "suffered profoundly" because "confusion and error in the Church has led to the grave harm of souls."
"Over the years, I was blessed by the friendship of Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, an outstanding priest and highly regarded scholar on the theology of marriage and family life," said Burke. "During the past three years, I have worked very closely with him in defending marriage and family life from a growing confusion and even error, which have also entered into the Church."
"In every encounter with Cardinal Caffarra, I was impressed with his purity of heart and with his totally priestly character," continued Burke. "He loved Christ and His Mystical Body, the Church, with all his heart. For that reason, he suffered profoundly from the fact that the present situation of confusion and error in the Church has led to the grave harm of souls."
But Caffarra "never questioned Our Lord's presence with us, according to His promise to the disciples, and he never questioned the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mother of Our Lord."
"While we are sad to have lost the earthly collaboration of these two great pastors and prelates, we are certain that they will continue to assist us with their prayers inspired by their enduring pastoral charity," said Burke.
Liberals in the Church 'make personal attacks' while clamoring for 'dialogue'
Burke explained that the media often misrepresents him and tries to portray him as fundamentally in opposition to the Pope.
"They depict Pope Francis as a wonderful, open person and there's nothing wrong with that, but they depict me as just the opposite," said Burke. "I believe that anyone who has had any experience with me as a priest or Bishop would say that I am very pastoral and in fact, I don't see any contradiction between being pastoral and being faithful in announcing the Church's teaching and following the Church's law."
"They're making a caricature of someone who's asking for clarity about certain matters, they're saying 'well, he's the enemy of the Pope' and he's trying to build up opposition to the Pope, which of course isn't the case at all," said Burke.
Burke decried the trend of progressives in the Church personally attacking anyone who disagrees with them while pretending that they support "dialogue."
"The thing that I find rather consistently is that so-called liberal people, the people who call for revolution in the Church and so forth are liberal and want dialogue as long as you agree with them," said Burke. "The minute you raise a question, they become very dismissive, make personal attacks, what we call ad hominem arguments, and so forth. That really isn't helpful. We're talking about truths, we're talking about facts and there's no place for these kinds of attacks."
"It's a very mundane way of approaching things, it has no place in the Church, but that's where we're at right now," he said. "People even making disparaging commentaries on other people, when they don't agree with them."
"Well, my point is this: 'What is it that I've said that isn't true?' And I'll address it," the cardinal continued. "If you simply accuse me of being 'out of tune', 'out of touch', or whatever, 'medieval', or deluded, there's no response to that."
Burke said he prays for cardinals and others in the Church who attack him.
"They are Cardinals of the Church" and in "positions of tremendous responsibility," he said. "Also I have a certain fraternity with them as members of the same College, the College of Cardinals, so that goes without saying" that I pray for them.
Hope in Our Lord
Burke encouraged Catholics to never give up hope "no matter what confusion or even divisions enter into the Church."
"We should cling all the more faithfully to what the Church has always taught and practiced," the cardinal said. "And that way we will really save our own souls, with the help of God's grace, which, of course, we must always be about."
"Our Lord always remains with us in the Church," he continued. "He is our chief priest and guide, and therefore we should have confidence in leading a Christian life. We should have hope in Him."
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/polygamists-lawsuit-if-gay-marriage-is-legal-then-polygamy-marriage-should
Was thinking about this today at lunch - was thinking the same thing as well.
Sexual Deviants now trying to Normalize Bestiality! – Exposing Satanism and Witchcraft
No, this is NOT Fake News nor Satire!
Sycophant's at leftist rags such as Tranny Loving, **** promoting Salon and Huffington post always try to see how far they can lower the Pervert bar.
They just about have society converted over to a Sodom and Gomorrah mindset!
Deuteronomy 27:21 "Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen."
Exodus 22:19 "Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death."
Leviticus 18:23 "Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion."
Leviticus 20:15-16 "And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast."
Now the Huffington Post is glorifying Bestiality! A man claims he has Sex with a Nymphomaniac Dolphin. Yes the Dolphin was aggressive and sexually abused the man, "forcing" him to have sex, according to this article in his own words. Sounds like Hellywood huh?
Daily Wire – On Friday, HuffPost's Ashley Feinberg took a stab at normalizing bestiality, posting a glowing interview with a man who considers himself a "heterosexual" who crosses "species lines" and infamously had sex with a dolphin.
That's right. He screwed a dolphin.
Malcolm Brenner was the feature of a documentary called "Dolphin Lover," wherein Brenner was "courted" by a dolphin named Dolly he eventually has sex with.
Better hide all animals named "Dolly" when this pervert is around!
"She would rub her genital slit against me," he says in the doc. "And if I tried to push her away, she would get very angry with me. One time, when she wanted to masturbate on my foot and I wouldn't let her, she threw herself on top of me and pushed me down to the 12-foot bottom of the pool."
Cat's and dogs come up, rub against you, or lean on you! I suppose they are saying to the owner "Hey let's have perverted sex!
Brenner has previously compared the taboo surrounding sex with an animal to interracial sex: "I'm hoping that in a more enlightened future, zoophilia will be no more regarded as controversial or harmful than interracial sex is today," he said in "Dolphin Lover."
Sounds like to me he wants to turn "The ZOO" into a brothel! I would advise those pondering the idea to look out for the male silver-backs when going into that part of the exhibit! Hey…….., and speaking of "interracial sex", I have seen SOME WOMEN who would qualify as Zoo Animals!
This is not new: Bestiality brothels are 'spreading through Germany' warns campaigner as abusers turn to sex with animals as 'lifestyle choice'
Feinberg had Brenner watch the award-winning film "The Shape of Water," which features a woman falling in love with and having relations with a fish-man, and asked him his thoughts.
Overall, the dolphin lover was unimpressed and thought the romance "developed much too quickly."
"It was a very stereotypical romance," he explained. "I thought it went more back to 'Splash' with Daryl Hannah and Tom Hanks, like a female version of 'Splash.'"
The bizarre interview goes on to frame bestiality as taboo or immoral because of society's dim view and closed-mindedness. In two separate questions, Feinberg searches for steps toward normalization of bestiality. Read the rest at the Daily Wire
Bestiality IS Legal in some states! Indy100.com
Woman spots her neighbor getting it on with a female goat
https://rare.us/rare-news/whats-wrong-with-people/woman-spots-her-neighbor-getting-it-on-with-a-female-goat-and-immediately-calls-911/
Former animal shelter employees caught getting it on with a dog in the workplace
https://rare.us/rare-news/former-animal-shelter-employees-caught-getting-it-on-with-a-dog-in-the-workplace/
Sick revellers at Oxford toff bash 'romped with a goat' during debauched uni party
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3923476/sick-revellers-at-oxford-toff-bash-romped-with-a-goat-during-debauched-uni-party/
What his girlfriend walked in on him doing, it's fair to say he really screwed the pooch on this one
https://rare.us/rare-news/whats-wrong-with-people/what-his-girlfriend-walked-in-on-him-doing-its-fair-to-say-he-really-screwed-the-pooch-on-this-one/
Arkansas woman hit with weapons charge for pulling gun on teen who was sexually abusing a dog
https://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/arkansas-woman-hit-with-weapons-charge-for-pulling-gun-on-teen-who-was-sexually-abusing-a-dog/
An Alabama man really screwed the pooch when he felt his wife was spending more time with the family dog
https://rare.us/rare-news/whats-wrong-with-people/an-alabama-man-really-screwed-the-pooch-when-he-felt-his-wife-was-spending-more-time-with-the-family-dog/
Why is depravity running rampant? It is because of reprobates like this: Homosexual Actor/Singer Ricky Martin: 'I Want to Normalize' Same-Sex, Open Relationships
http://christiannews.net/2018/03/09/homosexual-actorsinger-ricky-martin-i-want-to-normalize-same-sex-open-relationships/
This is not the only Sexual Perversion that is going on. There is a Perverted way of life where people LIVE as, or pretend to be Animals.
They are known as FURRY'S
I received an email sometime ago from a former Furry. He was searching the topic and read what I have written in the series "Send in the Clowns". What do Clowns have to do with Animal Sex you may be thinking? Well, go start at the beginning of the series and find out! Here is the link to that particular part of the series.
I ran across your article googling. I must say as someone that was a furry before finding the truth of Jesus. There is much more darkness in this community that what most people think. I've been involved for about 15 years before leaving. I would like to thank you for exposing this group.
When you mentioned Notice that the writer says "Americans who've gotten in touch with their inner". The inner what, is the question at hand? It is a demonic Spirit manifesting as a "raccoon, or wolf, or fox". Any animal they want to conjure up. Also note he says "It's sex; it's religion; it's a whole new way of life"
We developed personas called fursonas they usually are animals we feel a special connection to like spit animals. A sub group of furry is called Otherkin / Therian they truly feel are reincarnated animals or have ghost limes (You may not be shocked to know that most Otherkin / Therian are pagan). Pedophilia and bestiality are big in this community the media since around 2014 has slowly been trying to promote and push this group as normal.
I joined the community in the early 2000's when I first joined everyone seemed nice and it on the surface looked like people that enjoyed cartoon animals. Think of it like being a fan of a comic book and how people dress up as their favorite characters. That was the first impression I got from the group. I would use my fursona (furry persona) on different forums and sites as an avatar. I would get the occasional message from people asking if I was a furry and if I knew what furries did. I brushed this off as trolling.
The deeper I got the more devious it became. I noticed many furs talked about how they chose their fursona based on spiritual feelings and that a lot of furries feel as if they are not human, have ghost limbs, or were animals in a past life. (otherkin and therian) Many furs would engage in sick sexual acts with animals and underage kids which, if you think about it, adults wearing cute animals costumes does give a creepy pedoish vibe to it. Since parents will let children run up and hug them not knowing that those costumes have been used to lure children.
I used to attend Anthrocon since I lived near Pittsburgh and every year since 2006 the local media and city made a bigger and bigger deal. The Mayor Bill Peduto (Democrat of course) declared Anthrocon day in 2014 and Anthrocon week this year. The city promotes this as family friendly. A staff member named Philp Stallworth (one of the men arrested involved with the pedo ring) was a staff member at Anthrocon. The convention has not said a word on the matter nor do I get a response about it. The chairmen have admitted to controlling what the media sees when the convention comes to town they have a strict media policy and with no warning can and WILL ban you if you put the event in the wrong light.
Furries are known to be hostile to any negative press. But I feel the truth must be known to protect vulnerable youth from making the same mistakes I did especially since many new furs are younger. The community is growing rapidly and many new members are younger not knowing what this group is I've been trying to expose this for months but people ignore me since it seems like I'm making this up because the subject of furries seems laughable but they do present a real danger.
Thanks for all you do keep up the good work and God bless.
http://www.exposingsatanism.org/sexual-deviants-now-trying-to-normalize-bestiality/
New York Times Columnist Ross Douthat Predicts Sex Redistribution, Suggests Prostitutes and Sex Robots Could Meet a 'Right to Sex' Better Than Marriage
New York Times Op-Ed: Sex Robots, Prostitutes Could Meet a 'Right to Sex' Better Than Marriage
On Wednesday, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat addressed the idea that people might advocate for a "right to sex," and suggested that America might be more likely to look to prostitutes, sex robots, and to address sexual desire rather than the age-old wisdom of marriage. Douthat did not himself endorse this view, but he did predict that American society would favor a combination of leftist changes and sex robots.
"At a certain point, without anyone formally debating the idea of a right to sex, right-thinking people will simply come to agree that some such right exists, and that it makes sense to look for some combination of changed laws, new technologies and evolved mores to fulfill it," Douthat predicted.
The New York Times contributor addressed the idea of "incels," involuntary celibates — one of whom turned terrorist, seeking "retribution against women and society for denying him the fornication he felt that he deserved." Douthat paraphrased Robin Hanson, a George Mason economist, who suggested that "one might plausibly argue that those with much less access to sex suffer to a similar degree as those with low income, and might similarly hope to gain from organizing around this identity, to lobby for redistribution along this axis and to at least implicitly threaten violence if their demands are not met."
Amia Srinivasan, in The London Review of Books, wondered, "Does Anyone Have the Right to Sex?" Srinivasan suggested that the "right to sex" should extend, not just to less desirable angry young men, but to the overweight and disabled, minority groups considered unattractive, transgender people and more. She also argued that "who is desired and who isn't is a political question," one that feminist power politics should answer.
Douthat insisted that these arguments should not be dismissed as weird or crazy. As for the suggestion there might be a "right to sex," "the idea is entirely responsive to the logic of late-modern sexual life, and its pursuit would be entirely characteristic of a recurring pattern in liberal societies." He presented three reasons for this.
First, because like other forms of neoliberal deregulation the sexual revolution created new winners and losers, new hierarchies to replace the old ones, privileging the beautiful and rich and socially adept in new ways and relegating others to new forms of loneliness and frustration.
Second, because in this new landscape, and amid other economic and technological transformations, the sexes seem to be struggling generally to relate to one another, with social and political chasms opening between them and not only marriage and family but also sexual activity itself in recent decline.
Third, because the culture's dominant message about sex is still essentially Hefnerian, despite certain revisions attempted by feminists since the heyday of the Playboy philosophy — a message that frequency and variety in sexual experience is as close to a summum bonum as the human condition has to offer, that the greatest possible diversity in sexual desires and tastes and identities should be not only accepted but cultivated, and that virginity and celibacy are at best strange and at worst pitiable states.
Douthat argued that the "master narrative" established by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner "makes both the new inequalities and the decline of actual relationships that much more difficult to bear ... which in turn encourages people, as ever under modernity, to place their hope for escape from the costs of one revolution in a further one yet to come, be it political, social or technological, which will supply if not the promised utopia at least some form of redress for the many people that progress has obviously left behind."
This second sexual revolution, moving away from "free love" and toward a bureaucratic "right to sex," has arguably already started, but in a more negative way. President Barack Obama unleashed a "sex bureaucracy" on college campuses, emphasizing the value of consent and devaluing the right of due process for the accused. While President Trump has begun dismantling this sex bureaucracy, it arguably helped spur the #MeToo movement.
Douthat did acknowledge, however, that there is an "alternative, conservative response." He summarized the traditional sexual morality viewpoint "that our widespread isolation and unhappiness and sterility might be dealt with by reviving or adapting older ideas about the virtues of monogamy and chastity and permanence and the special respect owed to the celibate."
The New York Times columnist said America is not likely to return to the value of marriage, however. "This is not the natural response for a society like ours," he suggested. "Instead we tend to look for fixes that seem to build on previous revolutions, rather than reverse them."
To his credit, Douthat suggested that this budding sexual revolution 2.0 would not be a "utopian reimagining of sexual desire" like Srinivasan suggested, nor "anything quite so formal as the pro-redistribution political lobby of Hanson's thought experiment."
Instead of these ridiculous suggestions, the columnist promoted the idea that Americans would turn to sex robots and prostitution. Seriously.
"But I expect the logic of commerce and technology will be consciously harnessed, as already in pornography, to address the unhappiness of incels," Douthat wrote. "The left's increasing zeal to transform prostitution into legalized and regulated 'sex work' will have this end implicitly in mind, the libertarian (and general male) fascination with virtual-reality **** and sex robots will increase as those technologies improve."
Douthat acknowledged that "sex workers" and sex robots might not solve the pressures involved in the sexual revolution 2.0. "Whether sex workers and sex robots can actually deliver real fulfillment is another matter. But that they will eventually be asked to do it, in service to a redistributive goal that for now still seems creepy or misogynist or radical, feels pretty much inevitable," he concluded.
Douthat, a conservative Roman Catholic, clarified on Twitter that he did not actually endorse these likely movements. As for the return to conservative values, the Times columnist noted, "few people seem to want that, organized religion is in decline, public Christian leadership is captured by partisanship, social cons haven't figured out how to assimilate feminist insights. So odds of that response happening are low."
Instead, he predicted a "commercial-technical approach dressed in the language of social justice and libertarianism." To be clear, Douthat declared, in capital letters, "I THINK THIS APPROACH IS BAD. Worse than my own conservative ideas, worse than the feminist-egalitarian-utopian alternative. Frankly dystopian, in fact. But also the most likely near-future 'fix' eefor the problem of sexlessness."
Indeed, "sex workers" and sex robots are not nearly as unique and modern as some might suggest. Prostitution goes back thousands of years — at least as far as Judah, the son of the Bible Patriarch Jacob. As for sex robots, they may approximate the intimacy of sexual intercourse, but the lack of personality will not be easily brushed aside.
As Srinivasan noted, the human desire for sex is not just about the physical pleasure of coitus — it also involves a relational and emotional aspect that even the most effective sex robot will not be able to gratify. Theoretically, if such personality were created, it would pose serious problems as illustrated by the HBO show "Westworld."
Marriage, by contrast, satisfies a great deal of the injustice of free love. While the complementary values of celibacy outside of marriage and devoted love within marriage may seem quaint and result in long denials of sexual pleasure, they solve the culture's intense desire for clear consent and result in a more just distribution of sex, so to speak.
In marriage, the most attractive people only have sex with one other person, freeing up the pool for those who are less attractive to still find partners.
Furthermore, not only does marriage provide a powerful ground for consent, it also addresses the deep relational needs inherent in sexual desire. This gives marriage a powerful advantage over both sex workers and sex robots. Finally, marriage also provides a ready-made support system for children conceived from sexual intercourse.
Contrary to the technocratic suggestions presented in Douthat's article, there really is no replacement for marriage. People can fool about with sex robots and sex workers, but these will not end up satisfying them in the same way marriage can. Furthermore, raising children is one of the most meaningful experiences available to human beings, and marriage enables, prepares parents for, and sustains them during the long and meaningful process of child-rearing.
https://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/new-york-times-op-ed-sex-robots-prostitutes-could-meet-a-right-to-sex-better-than-marriage/


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LIRNEasia > Themes > AfterAccess > Cambodia
AfterAccess findings from Cambodia released in Phnom Penh today (Event Report)
Posted by Namali Premawardhana on November 7, 2018 / 0 Comments
The AfterAccess surveys have shown that 26% of Cambodia Internet users aged 15-65 have experienced online harassment.
Reports were higher among women (29% of women aged 15-65 who use the Internet, vs. 23% of men), with most of the harassment being experienced while using social media platforms. Cyberstalking was a concern among female social media users in Cambodia.
These findings were released in the report "AfterAccess: ICT access and use in Asia and the Global South" in Phnom Penh, today, at a sincere and encouraging panel discussion held at the Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh. Panelists included:
Kan Chanmetta, Secretary of State, Ministry of Posts and Telecom Cambodia
Jonathan Yap, Head of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, Smart Axiata
Suy Lan Channe, Managing Director, InSTEDD iLab Southeast Asia
Javier Sola, Founder and Program Director, Open Institute
Helani Galpaya, Chief Executive Officer, LIRNEasia
The panel was moderated by popular radio show-host "Dj Nana"
Panel discussion at AfterAccess release in Cambodia: Dj Nana (moderator), Suy Lan Channe, Helani Galpaya, Kan Chanmetta, Jonathan Yap and Javier Sola
Galpaya presented the Cambodia-specific findings from the research to the gathering of government, corporate, media and civil society representatives at the event.
"Government should be investing in areas that are also of interest to the private sector. ICT is one of those areas," she said, explaining the importance of AfterAccess and similar research to LIRNEasia's first formal meeting in the city.
Among the findings shared included data such as the fact that rural dwellers in Cambodia are 21% less likely to own a mobile phone than urban dwellers. The problem here is that much of the national population are rural dwellers.
Interestingly, 35% of the Cambodian population seemed to use the Internet, although only 11% said they knew what it was.
Affordability was the biggest barrier to smartphone adoption in the country, with 50% basic or feature-phone owners citing cost as the reason they did not own a smartphone. Only 13% of the same group said lack of need was a barrier – the lowest among all the survey countries – demonstrating a relatively good awareness of the use of smartphones.
The response from all stakeholders was encouraging.
"We may not trust operators or media, but we trust scientific data," said Kan Chanmetta, Secretary of State to Ministry of Posts and Telecom Cambodia.
"We may not trust operators or media, but we trust scientific data," said Kan Chanmetta, Secretary of State to Ministry of Posts and Telecom Cambodia commenting on AfterAccess Cambodia findings.
The panelists openly discussed issues to ICT access and use in Cambodia, starting with the fact that only one telecom operator in the country contributes to the universal service fund, leading to rural communities being at a disadvantage.
"Improving ICT is a lot to do with understanding the gaps and what people want," said Suy Lan Channe, Managing Director, InSTEDD iLab Southeast Asia, explaining the importance of surveys such as AfterAccess, to solving issues related to ICT access and use in the country.
The slideset presented at the event can be found here.
Media coverage of the launch and results can be found here.
Sri Lanka's mobile transmission tower coverage
The topic of transmission towers built to facilitate mobile phone service is well known and some people are of the opinion that mobile phone transmission towers are wreaking havoc on the country.
Infrastructural development needed for Sri Lanka's telecommunication sector
Data usage in Sri Lanka has exploded by a hundred percent between March 2020 and the beginning of July 2021, with increasing complaints against service providers over speeds, connection drops and bad quality.
LIRNEasia on access for all, women and work at the inaugural Sri Lanka Internet Day
LIRNEasia discussed policy challenges of ensuring access for all as well as the challenges of working from home during a pandemic for women at the the inaugural Sri Lanka Internet Day, organised by the Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka (FITIS) on 6-7 April 2021.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Navigating the Minefield: Meshing Tort, LTD and Employment Law Considerations
How many plaintiffs' lawyers have been faced with this situation? A potential client comes in to see you. She tells you how she was returning home from work after working the midnight shift at a local factory when she was broadsided by an impaired driver who had one too many to drink at a local watering hole. She has been trying to struggle through on her own, but now the Long Term Disability benefits carrier says she's recovered enough to return to work, and her employer is threatening to fire her if she doesn't show up to work on Monday. She insists she's not able to work, but a boatload of doctors hired by the LTD carrier and her own accident benefits insurer all tell her she's fine. Now at the eleventh hour, she comes to you for help.
Unfortunately, this fact scenario is all too common in our offices. These facts raise a host of considerations involving the interrelationship between tort, LTD, and employment law. It would take an entire book to fully consider these issues, and I will not attempt to do so here. However, I would like to at least touch on the types of issues that ought to be considered when developing cases of this nature.
II. Sorting out Initial Entitlement Issues
It is not uncommon for the employer to continue an accident victim's salary for a short period of time, but usually it does not take long before the employer realizes that the injured worker is not going to be able to return to work anytime soon and should be applying for benefits.
The fortunate worker will have access to a Long Term Disability policy. It is worth noting that a significant number of these policies are written and administered outside of the Province of Ontario and may contain terms that are at odds with the Ontario Insurance Act. For instance, we have encountered several situations where LTD insurers initially refuse to pay benefits based on a provision of the policy which requires to injured person to look first to auto insurance policies in cases where they were hurt in accidents involving a motor vehicle. In other cases, the LTD insurer has written to us asking that we advance a subrogated claim on their behalf against the tort defendant to recovery the money they are obliged to pay to the injured person. The problem with requests of this nature is that they are contrary to the Insurance Act, s.267(1)(c) which stipulates that,
267(1) The damages awarded to a person in a proceedings for loss or damage arising directly or indirectly from the use or operation of an automobile shall be reduced by, …
(c) all payments that the person has received or that were or are available … under the laws of any jurisdiction or under an income continuation benefit plan and by the present value of any such payments to which the person is entitled.
The impact of this section is that it is the auto insurance insurers that get the benefit of the LTD payments rather than the reverse. As an aside, I would strongly caution against agreeing to advance a subrogated claim for the LTD insurer even in non-motor vehicle situations. The law relating to subrogation obligations is complex and beyond the scope of this paper, but the general principle is that subrogation obligations do not arise until such time as the insured person has been fully compensated. The interests of the accident victim and the LTD insurer are, therefore, not identical. It is easy to envision the situation where the accident victim would accept a settlement proposal that sees her interests addressed but which fails to meet the needs of the LTD carrier. In such situations, conflicts are inevitable, and plaintiffs' lawyers would serve everyone's interests by avoiding this potential mine.
III. Employment Termination Issues
A common problem facing accident victims is dealing with the employer who terminates her employment based on either abandonment or frustration of contract. In my experience, the common response of injured individuals and their lawyers is to sue for wrongful dismissal. However, with respect, where there are active tort or LTD matters in dispute, advancing a traditional wrongful dismissal claim may be a tactical mistake.
The core of most tort or LTD lawsuits is the contention by the claimant that she is unable to work due to illness and/or injuries sustained in the motor vehicle accident. However, the basis of traditional wrongful dismissal lawsuits is the fundamental assumption that the worker is ready, willing and able to work1, but the employer has nevertheless wrongfully terminated the contract without wrongful notice.
These two positions are contradictory. Astute lawyers who are defending tort or LTD lawsuits would be well advised to obtain a copy of any wrongful dismissal file including pleadings. Injured workers who argue in one lawsuit that they are disabled from working while arguing in another lawsuit that they are capable of working, but were wrongfully dismissed are exposing themselves to credibility issues and potentially harmful cross-examinations.
The reality is that employers are allowed to terminate contracts due to frustration in the right circumstances. If an employee is not able to fulfill the core obligations of her employment (such as showing up for work), she cannot be accommodated without undue hardship, and there is no reasonable likelihood that she will be able to meet the requirements of her employment contract in the foreseeable future, termination due to frustration is appropriate. Rather than litigate for wrongful dismissal, injured workers might consider using the employer's position to bolster their tort/LTD claims. Get the employer to confirm in writing that they have considered the situation carefully and they do not believe that the worker is able to return to gainful employment. Make sure that the employer considers the medical evidence, the workplace, accommodation issues, and alternative employment possibilities. A letter from the employer confirming that it has done everything possible to return the employee to work without success is a powerful weapon in any disability litigation. Employers should be only too happy to support the workers disability rather than face costly wrongful disability litigation. Injured workers should consider this option to save litigation costs. Remember also that wrongful dismissal awards are taxable while tort damages are not. In addition, workers will likely be happy to avoid the risk and expense another lawsuit.2 The downside of being terminated is that the worker will lose access to group benefits, but claims related to same can be recovered through the tort claim and it makes sense, therefore, to have that aspect of the claim crystallize sooner rather than later.
While employers may terminate disabled workers due to frustration at common law, plaintiffs' lawyers should be aware of recent developments under the Employment Standards Act. Until recently, the ESA allowed employers to terminate for frustration without paying severance pay. However, the recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision of O.N.A. v. Mount Sinai Hospital3 held that notwithstanding the exemptions set out in the Ontario Employment Standards Act, an employer MUST pay severance to an employee when the contract of employment is frustrated. The Ontario Legislature recently amended the ESA to comply with the ONA decision. Regulation 288/1, section 9, now stipulates that a contract cannot be terminated due to impossibility or frustration, if
(a) the impossibility or frustration is the result of,
(i) a permanent discontinuance of all or part of the employer's business because of a fortuitous or unforeseen event,
(ii) the employer's death, or
(iii) the employee's death, if the employee received a notice of termination before his or her death; or
(b) the impossibility or frustration is the result of an illness or injury suffered by the employee. O. Reg. 288/01, s. 9 (2); O. Reg. 549/05, s. 2.
These amendments and the ONA case open the door for claimants to recover severance pay even when they are legitimately terminated for being disabled from returning to gainful employment in the foreseeable future. Severance pay entitlement is calculated under the Act as one weeks pay for every year of service to a maximum of twenty-six weeks pay. However, only employees with five or more years service working for employers with an active payroll of $2.5 Million dollars per year are entitled to severance.
IV. Treatment of Severance Payments by LTD Carriers
If you do proceed with a claim for wrongful dismissal damages or severance pay, you should be aware that most LTD contracts stipulate that they are entitled to deduct money paid by the employer to the employee by way of severance. Employers, on the other hand, have tried to claim a set off for LTD payments when paying out severance packages. It is very common for employers to terminate workers that have been off for an extended period of time, with or without a severance. Plaintiffs' lawyers running LTD actions will almost certainly be asked to provide advice on the inter-action between LTD payments and severance packages.
Employers have been trying to deduct LTD payments from severance package for a considerable period of time. The Supreme Court of Canada seemed to support their position in Sylvester v. British Columbia4 when the Supremes allowed the employer to take credit for disability payments and deduct those payments from damages for wrongful dismissal. Justice Major found that since the disability policy was entirely funded by the employer, there was no expectation that the employee could receive both benefits.
There was significant criticism to Sylvester as many felt that the Courts were making it all too easy for employers to terminate ill employees at reduced cost. The potential harm caused by Sylvester was greatly limited by the Ontario Court of Appeal in Sills v. Children's Aid Society of Belleville5 Simmons, J.A. relying on an earlier decision of the Supreme Court6 concluded,
Absent an express provision precluding double recovery, in my view, the principles in Cunningham assist in determining whether an intention that there would be double recovery in the event of a wrongful dismissal can be inferred. I consider it reasonable to assume that an employee would not willingly negotiate and pay for a benefit that would allow her employer to avoid responsibility for a wrongful act. I consider it reasonable to infer that parties would agree that an employee would retain disability benefits in addition to damages for wrongful dismissal where the employee has effectively paid for the benefits in question.7
The key here is to note that benefits can be paid for directly OR INDIRECTLY. Since most employees can argue that they take less to have their group benefits paid for by the employer, it can be said to be an indirect benefit. These principles have been followed repeatedly in Ontario. See for example the recent decision of Dowling v. TNT Logistics North America.8
What about the reverse? LTD insurers claim they are entitled to severance packages? Their contracts often state this specially. However, recent authority suggests that they may not be on solid ground. Consider, for example the closing statement of Speigel,J. in Dowling,
There is nothing in the employment contract that would indicate that Dowling cannot receive both employment benefits and LTD benefits. Further, the provisions of the Plan are contractual provisions with the insurer, not with TNT. There are the usual provisions that state that an employee on LTD has his or her benefits reduced if an employee is earning money elsewhere. I do not interpret these provisions to apply to an employee receiving damages for wrongful dismissal; an insurer under an LTD policy would be hard-pressed to deduct these damages.9
While the issue has not been definitively determined, Dowling supports that argument that LTD carriers should not be able to deduct severance payments from weekly benefits. While some might argue that this amounts to double recovery, my view is that an interpretation of this nature is perfectly consistent with the principles set out by the Supreme Court of Canada in Ratych v. Bloomer. 10 Further, from an equitable standpoint, it is difficult to understand why a long-term disability payment should be able to claim all of the benefit for a severance payment which is intended to compensate a worker for years of loyal service. Besides, the injured person is actually far from "whole". Not only has she lost access to secure employment, group benefits, and a possible pension, but she is also only receive part of the wages from her LTD carrier that she was earning when she was working.
V. Treatment of LTD Payments in Tort Cases
Another challenge that often faces accident victims is how to treat ongoing LTD payments when trying to resolve tort cases. The tort insurer is clearly entitled to a deduction for LTD payments that have been made to date. But what about future LTD benefits? In my experience, if a plaintiff is continuing to receive LTD benefits, the tort insurer simply assumes that those benefits will continue indefinitely into the future and takes a deduction equivalent to the present value of those benefits off of any future income loss calculation. While at first blush, this practice might seem reasonable, the fact is that the tort insurer is effectively off-loading the risk associated with the continuing LTD payment onto the Plaintiff.
It is no sure thing that LTD payments will continue indefinitely into the future. Why, therefore, should the Plaintiff bear all of the risk and cost associated with litigating against the LTD insurer if benefits are terminated? A quick review of the case law shows that it is the tort insurer, rather than the accident victim, that should bear the risk. Consider, for instance, the Court of Appeal decision of Coderre v. Lambert11 where Justice Austin argued that s.267(1)(c) of the Insurance Act should be interpreted so that a term of judgment was that Plaintiff assign to the paying defendants any interest he may have in the claim against the insurer for disability benefits, such assignment to include an agreement to co-operate in the prosecution of any such claim. The majority refused to go this far, primarily because no one appears to have made an issue as to whether there was any risk that the future benefits were at risk of not being paid.
The matter was squarely addressed by the Court of Appeal in Chrappa v. Ohm.12 In this case, the Court had to deal with how to deal with future LTD payments in valuing a tort case. There was considerable evidence led in this case establishing that the Plaintiff was currently receiving LTD benefits, but these benefits could possibly be terminated in the future. The Court found that the Defendant had not shown that the plaintiff was entitled to future payment of disability benefits. To avoid double recovery, the trial judge imposed a Cox v. Carter order requiring the plaintiff to hold in trust for the defendants the future long-term disability payments and pay them over to the insurer (to the extent of the judgment). The interesting thing about this approach is that the risk and cost associating with litigating a future termination of LTD benefits falls to the defendant insurer rather than the plaintiff. The Plaintiff gets the benefit of receiving the present value of her income loss claim immediately and no longer needs to worry about whether the LTD insurer will decide to terminate benefits at some point in the future for some unspecified or unknown reason.
Tort insurers will routinely attempt to pass this risk back to the plaintiff in mediations or during settlement negotiations. However, the cost associated with taking back this risk should be a negotiation item. It may be advantageous for the plaintiff to settle a tort action and give a deduction for all future LTD payments, but that deduction should not be 100%. Tort insurers want to close their files. The last thing they want to be forced to keep a case open for twenty or thirty years to administer a Cox v. Carter trust. Plaintiffs' counsel should consider these issues in settlement negotiations. It is also worth considering whether LTD payments will be taxable as received. There may be significant financial differences between the tax-free benefit of a tort settlement paid by way of a lumpsum settlement and the taxable benefits that your client will have to pay if she receives periodic payments for twenty years or more.
Practical strategies concerning these issues will vary depending on the unique facts of each case. At a minimum, good accounting advice is probably a must. In some cases, you may even want to consider inviting the LTD carrier to global settlement mediations. Having everyone at the table gives you your best chance and arriving at a final settlement for all parties. However, there are also risks involved in putting all the insurers in a room together where they can share information about the weaknesses of your client's case. Again, this strategy is not appropriate in all cases, but it is something that you should consider.
VI. CONCLUSION
The interaction between tort, LTD, and employment law is a minefield. The possible variations and sub-issues are simply too numerous to count. There are however some general considerations that lawyers should keep in mind when representing injured workers. Where is the best place to seek payment of a benefit? Is the benefit taxable in one forum and non-taxable in another? Would pursuing litigation in one area (like wrongful dismissal) by contrary to the theory of the plaintiff's case in another area (like the tort action)? Is the insurer REALLY entitled to the deduction that it is claiming? Rather than give a deduction, should you instead offer to give a Cox v. Carter trust? If you client is willing to take on a risk, what reward is she getting for it? Can your client resolve all of her issues in one law suit rather than multiple actions against the tortfeaser, LTD carrier and employer?
At the end of the day, the goal should be to resist giving the insurer improper deductions and expose your client to as little litigation as possible to ensure that she is not forced to assume risks that should properly remain with the insurer.
1 Perhaps with some accommodation required.
2 After the tort and Long Term Disability litigation
3 [2005] O.J. No. 1739 (C.A.)
4 (1997), 146 D.L.R. (4th) 207 (S.C.C.)
5 (2001), 53 O.R. (3d) 577 (C.A.)
6 Cunningham v. Wheeler, 1994 CanLII 120, [1994] 1 S.C.R. 359.
7 At para. 45.
8 (May 24, 2004, Justice G. Speigel, 2005 CanLII 18293 (Ont. S.C,)
9 Para 13 (emphasis mine).
10 [1990] 1 S.C.R. 940.
11 (1993), 14 O.R. (3d) 453.
12 (1998), 38 O.R. (3d) 651; see also Roycraft v.Kyte [1999] O.J. No. 296 where Regional Senior Justice Shaughnessy ordered a Cox v. Carter trust whereby the Plaintiff paid LTD benefits to the defendant as received.
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NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Maths Chapter 4 Exercise 4.1, Exercise 4.2, Exercise 4.3 and Exercise 4.4 Linear Equations in Two Variables View in Video Format in Hindi Medium and English Medium free download in PDF or use it as online digital contents. Download Class 9 Maths App for Offline use or Download कक्षा 9 गणित App for offline use.
These NCERT Solutions are updated for the CBSE Exams 2020 based on Latest CBSE Syllabus 2019-2020. These online contents are helpful for all the CBSE, MP Board, Gujrat Board & UP Board (High School) students who are following NCERT Books for their Examination.
NCERT Solutions for class 9 Maths chapter 4 Exercise 4.1 Linear equations in two variables English Medium free to use online or download. Move to Exercise 4.2 or Exercise 4.3 or Exercise 4.4 or Hindi Medium or View in Video Format Solutions. Download Class 9 Maths App for Offline use.
9 Maths Chapter 4 Exercise 4.2 in English medium for all the students of CBSE, MP Board, Gujrat Board and UP Board High School who are following NCERT Books. Move to Exercise 4.1 or Exercise 4.3 or Exercise 4.4 or Hindi Medium or View in Video Format Solutions. Download Class 9 Maths App for Offline use.
Exercise 4.3 of class 9 Maths solutions in English free for all users download or go for online study. All board using NCERT books. Move to Exercise 4.1 or Exercise 4.2 or Exercise 4.4 or Hindi Medium or View in Video Format Solutions. Download Class 9 Maths App for Offline use.
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Maths Chapter 4 Exercise 4.4 in English medium for download and for Study online. This exercise is based on plotting the linear equations in one and two variables. Move to Exercise 4.1 or Exercise 4.2 or Exercise 4.3 or Hindi Medium or View in Video Format Solutions.. Download Class 9 Maths App for Offline use.
NCERT Solutions for class 9 Maths chapter 4 Exercise 4.1 Linear equations in two variables in Hindi Medium free to use online or offline. Click here to see प्रश्नावली4.2 or प्रश्नावली 4.3 or प्रश्नावली 4.4 or English Medium or View in Video Format Solutions. Download कक्षा 9 गणित App for offline use.
9 Maths Chapter 4 Exercise 4.2 in Hindi Medium for CBSE and UP Board in new academic year 2019-20 using NCERT Textbooks. Click here to see प्रश्नावली4.1 or प्रश्नावली 4.3 or प्रश्नावली 4.4 or English Medium or View in Video Format Solutions. Download कक्षा 9 गणित App for offline use.
Solutions of Exercise 4.3 of Class 9 Maths in Hindi medium is available free to use or download in PDF. Free for all users without any Login or Password. Click here to see प्रश्नावली4.1 or प्रश्नावली 4.2 or प्रश्नावली 4.4 or English Medium or View in Video Format Solutions. Download कक्षा 9 गणित App for offline use.
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Maths Chapter 4 Exercise 4.4 in Hindi medium for all user whether they are from CBSE board or from UP Board High School. Click here to see प्रश्नावली4.1 or प्रश्नावली 4.2 or प्रश्नावली 4.3 or English Medium or View in Video Format Solutions. Download कक्षा 9 गणित App for offline use.
NCERT Solutions for class 9 Maths Exercise 4.1 in video format with complete description.
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An algebraic equation is a statement of equality of algebraic expression involving one or more variables.
An equation which can be put in the form ax + by + c = 0, where a, b and c are real numbers (a and b together cannot be zero) and x, y are variables, is called a liner equation in two variables.
A linear equation in one variable (say x) can be written as linear equation in two variables, by taking coefficient of other variable (say y) as zero.
The same number is added to (or subtracted from) both sides of the equation.
Both sides of the equation are multiplied (or divided) by the same non-zero number.
The graph of every linear equation in two variables is a straight line and every point on the graph (straight line) represents a solution of the linear equation.
Every solution of the linear equation cab be represented by a unique point on the graph of the equation.
x = 0 is the equation of the Y- axis and y = 0 is the equation of the X-axis.
The graph of x = a represents a straight line parallel to the Y-axis and the graph of y = a represent a straight line parallel to the X-axis.
An equation of the type y = mx represents a straight line through the origin.


text:
Serra Leoa deverá competir nos Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2020 em Tóquio. Originalmente programados para ocorrerem de 24 de julho a 9 de agosto de 2020, os Jogos foram adiados para 23 de julho a 8 de agosto de 2021, por causa da pandemia COVID-19. Será a 14ª aparição olímpica do país, que disputa desde 1968, tendo perdido apenas duas edições. Serra Leoa não enviou atletas aos Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 1972, em Munique, e se juntou ao restante das nações africanos no boicote aos Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 1976, em Montreal.

Competidores
Abaixo está a lista do número de competidores nos Jogos.

Atletismo

Serra Leoa recebeu uma vaga de Universalidade da World Athletics para enviar uma atleta feminina aos Jogos.

Eventos de pista e estrada

Judô

Serra Leoa recebeu um convite da Comissão Tripartite da International Judo Federation para enviar Frederick Harris na categoria meio-médio (81 kg) para as Olimpíadas, marcando a estreia da nação no esporte.

Masculino

Natação

Serra Leoa recebeu convites de universalidade da FINA para enviar seus nadadores melhor ranqueados (um por gênero) em seus respectivos eventos individuais para as Olimpíadas, baseado no Sistema de Pontos da FINA de 28 de junho de 2021.

Serra Leoa
2020
2021 na Serra Leoa

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Before this dinner at Matsusakagyu Yakiniku M, I've never had Wagyu or Kobe beef before. We knew we wanted to splurge one night and give Wagyu beef a try, but we sadly did not book reservations in advance.
We arrived at the Hozenji Hanare location near Namba station right when they opened (around 5pm). They told us they were fully booked but if we wanted to, we can dine at their sister restaurant that is just a block away. The menu and food options are all the same.
We learned that the Matsusaka beef they served was indeed wagyu beef. It's just not called Kobe beef because it is not from the Kobe region. Instead, it's from the Matsusaka region and their beef is even a slightly higher grade than Kobe! These black hair cows are fed a diet of beer and is massaged (you heard it right) often to induce the type of marbling you can't get anywhere else outside of Japan. They even showed us the certification to verify their legitimacy!
If you're a group of two, I would highly suggest getting the Premium Course (7,800 Yen/ $95 CAD) set menu which includes an assortment of appetizers, Matsusaka marbled beef sushi and lean beef sushi, Matsusaka short rib with leek/salt, house salad, 4 different types of Matsusaka beef, carb dish (you have to get their GARLIC RICE!), and choice of dessert.
Fresh wasabi for the meat and a chunk of animal fat to grease the grill. It was the first time I saw pure animal fat like this for greasing a barbeque pan.
While their selection of appetizers were nothing to write home about, it was a nice way to start the dinner and you can tell a lot of effort was put into crafting each item of food. Just look at the taro that was cut into a hexagon!
This is the short rib with leek and salt. Super yum.
If you get the garlic rice, you will thank me later. The garlic rice is flavoured with wagyu beef juices and little chunks of wagyu bacon.
I honestly could have ordered another one of these. It was honestly one of my favourite items from the set menu.
The Marbled Beef Sushi is slightly torched on the top and served with a dollop of fresh wasabi and white green onion. It was as melt-in-your-mouth as expected.
Now onto the main event! This may look like very little meat between two people, but it's definitely enough. As you can see from the photo, the marbling on these pieces of meat are second to none. Our favourite part was the Sirloin Steak so if you don't order the set menu, just individually order the Sirloin Steak!
For dessert, we chose the Brown Sugar Mochi and Shochu Pudding. If you like mochi or warabi mochi, you will absolutely adore this.
As for the Shochu pudding, it's made of Shochu which is an alcohol beverage (similar to Vodka). It packs quite a punch so it is not for those who do not like the alcoholic taste.
Overall, our experience at Matsusakagyu Yakiniku M was spectactular even though we were in their sister restaurant and didn't have the same ambiance as their fine dining restaurant. Our server, Katsunori Mizuno went above and beyond every course to make us feel special. Furthermore, he spoke fluent English (he studied in Canada for many years) and was able to educate us on the Matsusaka beef throughout the meal. Even though it's not customary to tip servers in Japan, we felt compelled to show our gratitude and it took a lot of back and forth before he was willing to accept it.
I'd absolutely recommend Matsusakagyu Yakiniku M to anyone looking for a spectacular Wagyu Beef experience while in Osaka, Japan! We paid $100 CAD total per person and I would gladly do it again next time I'm in Osaka.
Tsuta Michelin Starred Ramen – Worth the Hype?
after the first taste of wagyu….


text:
Two More Norwegian Ships Restart Operations
Two more ships of major cruise lines restarted service over the weekend. Both are now back sailing with guests after more than two years.
On April 23, 2022, Norwegian Bliss returned to service, kicking off the 2022 Alaska cruise season from the Port of Seattle. The Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) vessel will operate voyages from Seattle to the "Great Land" through October 2022.
NCL has a long history of cruising from Seattle to Alaska, having pioneered the route in 2001. In conjunction with Port of Seattle, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), NCL's parent company, recently invested $30 million to upgrade Seattle's Pier 66. Smoothing the cruise embarkation process, the update increased the cruise check-in area by 300 percent and also expanded two new passenger boarding bridges.
"We have nearly three decades of history cruising Alaska, pioneering voyages to 'The Last Frontier' from Seattle more than 22 years ago," said Harry Sommer, president and CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line, adding that Norwegian Bliss was christened in Seattle in 2018. Throughout the 2022 season, NCL will operate its most-ever Alaska sailings—five, seven-, nine- and 10-day itineraries on Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Sun, Norwegian Spirit and Norwegian Jewel.
"The Port of Seattle is excited to welcome cruise back to our region for the first full season since 2019," said Steve Metruck, the port's executive director. Cruise operations in Seattle provide nearly $900 million in economic benefit supporting 5,500 jobs.
Norwegian Sun will also restart sailing from Seattle on May 5, 2022, becoming NCL's 16th ship (in a 17-ship fleet) to return to cruise operations. For more information on Norwegian Cruise Line, visit www.ncl.com
Sailing to Alaska
Separately in South Florida, Holland America Line's Noordam returned to service on April 24, 2022 from Port Everglades (Greater Fort Lauderdale). The ship embarked passengers for a 21-day Panama Canal transit to Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
From Vancouver, Noordam will operate seven-day cruises to Alaska between Vancouver and Whittier, AK, as well as one 14-day "Great Alaska Explorer" itinerary roundtrip from Vancouver in September. The line will have four ships operating from Vancouver throughout the summer, and a fifth making one visit there in September.
To celebrate the ship's restart of cruises from Port Everglades, Holland America held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the terminal to open embarkation. The ship's captain and senior officers participated. Flag-waving crew members lined up to greet guests as they boarded the ship.
"We are excited to welcome guests aboard Noordam once again as we continue the pace of having all 11 of our ships back in service by June," said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. "With each relaunch we are able to bring more of our team members back on board and into the Holland America Line family. They have been waiting for this day to welcome our guests and get back to cruising."
Since Holland America Line restarted cruising in July 2021, Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Nieuw Statendam, Rotterdam, Zuiderdam and now Noordam have returned to service. They'll sail to Alaska, the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, the California coast and South Pacific.
Volendam currently is under charter by the government of the Netherlands, accommodating Ukrainian refugees while docked in Rotterdam.For more information on Holland America Line visit www.hollandamerica.com.
These Magnificent cruises sail to the Maldives this year
Royal Caribbean introduces 2024-2025 Caribbean Cruises
Inaugural Itineraries for Explora II Unveiled
A round-up of the latest Cruise news: AQV to Pay on NCFs, MSC, RCI Debut New Ships


We got up earlier than usual today. At 7.45 o'clock in the morning we gathered at the entrance of Cripps Court and waited for the coach that would bring us to the capital of the UK, London. Since the coach had some delay I could even have some coffee to get myself started.
After a journey of about an hour the bus dropped us at the Tower of London. There, we had the chance to take a look at this incredible piece of art at the walls of the tower, where 888,246 poppies out of ceramics are going be stuck in the grass. Each of these flowers represents a British military fatality during the First World War. I found it highly impressive how much work it must had been to produce the already existing poppies and to stick them into the ground. Additionally, the red colour of the donated flowers – 25 pounds each – reminded me of blood running down one of the major symbols of war in this country. What a message!
After our short visit at the Tower we started with our guided tour trough the financial centre of London, the so-called City. Although it was quite loud, since there was a lot of traffic and construction work going on, I was amazed by this mixture of ancient and modern architecture.
It was also interesting to experience the working life in the district, from where so much wealth is managed and generated. Of course, this was only possible at a limited scope, but we got a slight impression what working in the City could actually mean.
After the tour we got onto the coach again and drove to British Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as the BBC. As a fan of two particular BBC series – one dating back to the 1960s and the other quite recent – I was excited that we had the chance to see the place, where those series are, at least partially, produced.
During our tour we got a view behind the scenes of a worldwide news service. In the beginning we could watch the weather woman waiting for her appearance and ultimately presenting the forecasts for the next days. Afterwards we got a brief introduction on how the BBC acquires and distributes news. We were also given the opportunity to make our own news report. It was great fun to see some delegates sitting in the chairs of professional reporters and presenting news. But since the BBC is not only a TV station, we got a tour through the radio station as well. There, some of us did a short radio drama, where I spoke the part of a mad butler. That was quite exciting, especially since well known actors have performed in the same room for decades before me.
After the tour ended we got some coffee, got onto the bus and drove back to Cambridge. And it would not have been a trip to London if there had not been a congestion. But after three hours we finally arrived at Cripps Court, where we participated at the evening talk on the legal protection of foreign investment to finish off the day.
Well, actually we finished the day at a nearby pub, where we ate some burgers and had some good drinks.


Compassion It's somewhat easy, really, to respond with compassion. Empathy takes direction from whatever is asked of you. The circumstances tap your heart, and you open it in response.
You say you're sorry, you pledge prayers and thoughts, your heart goes out… You hurt for others, you feel their pain. You console and comfort.
But compassion is always, at best, slightly after-the-fact, a moment too late.
What do you call this energy when it's given in advance of need?
Generosity of Spirit Simple acknowledgment -- the little things that make others feel visible and heard, worthy and important.
It's holding doors for everyone. It's the stockpile of free smiles that you never run out of. It's complimenting a stranger on her style in the morning, before she could ever have a bad hair day. It's remembering to tell someone he's loved, before any doubts can creep in.
Noticing someone's efforts before he ever runs out of steam. Giving a push and a pat on the back when there is already great momentum. Encouraging someone to try while she still feels brave.
The personal rewards of handling light are warmth and illumination.
Compassion is reactive. Generosity of spirit is proactive.


The rapid rise of the emerging economies in the global trading system since the turn of the 21st century has generated significant uncertainty for the European Union (EU) Whilst questionsremain over the EU's capabilities and influence in other areas of foreign policy , on trade policy and within the global trading system, the EU is undoubtedly a great power. The geopolitical shift which has seen a growing assertiveness, and influence, of the emerging economies within both global markets and global governance, has however, had significant implications for the EU as a global actor and trader, and for its approach to global trade policy. Since 1999 the EU has subsequently, and pragmatically , altered its trade strategy, moving away from its previous managed globalisation strategy (1999 - 2006), to Global Europe (2006 - 2010), to the Trade, Growth and World Affairs (TGWA) s trategy, launched in 2010 as part of the Europe 2020 Strategy for Smart, Su stainable, and Inclusive Growth.
2015 marks the half-way juncture for the Europe 2020 Strategy to which the TGWA s trategy forms a core component. With a new Juncker Commission now in office 2015 further represents a crucial opportunity to re-evaluate the EU' s global trade policy, nd reconsider how the EU might pursue its trading interests, and develop its strategic outlook, to best adapt to a changing world. In this paper focus therefore given to the evolution of the EU's trade strategy, its implications for the EU's global trade policy – with particular reference to the ongoing TTIP negotiations with the United States and the WTO Doha Round – and with recommendations made for how the EU might adjust its strategic outlook for the period 2015 - 2020. Specifically it argues that the EU's new trade strategy should maintain the pragmatic outlook of its predecessors in the pursuit of a deep and ambitious TTIP agreement, but also crucially cast an eye forward to the governance and legitimacy challenges it represents for global trade rule-making and the future of the WTO particularly.