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A Career That Began in Vietnam
Profilers: Mohammed AlDahash, Andrea Christian, Rachel Steinberg
PREPARING FOR SERVICE
Us: How did you decide to join the Reserves? What stage in life were you at?
John: After graduating from high school, it was my dad's idea that he didn't feel that his kids
were mature enough to go on to a four-year school, so we went to school at Pasadena City
College. I got a summer job with the city of Pasadena, so I continued to work part-time while
I was in school, and I started taking classes at UCLA through their extension program. And
then I felt the draft breathing down my neck, so I asked some people who I was working with
at City Hall what they recommended. One of them was a commander in the Navy Reserves,
and he suggested I join the Navy Reserves. So I signed up, swore in, to serve my country,
and bought myself a year's extension while I continued going to school. But about ten months
into that was when they canceled all student deferments for all reservists…so they said, "Okay,
you're all going on active duty. We'll send you to Class A school – what school do you want to
go to?" I said "Engineering Aid." They said, "Sorry, that's closed, can't let you do that. What's
your second choice?" I said "Engineering Aid" – I wouldn't take "no" for an answer. I argued
for me and another friend of mine that I was in the Reserves with, and we both got into that
Engineering Aid school.
So I got to the class late…a lot of engineering, a lot of drafting, a lot of surveying, and soils –
basic engineering stuff, very valuable for me throughout my career. After graduating from the
Class A school, we were given a week's leave, and then we reported to Little Creek, Virginia,
for three types of training. We had a classroom teaching on the history of Vietnam, the history
of the counter-insurgency, communist theory…that kind of background of what to expect in the
Vietnamese culture. We also had intensive training in small arms, such that we were trained in
every weapon we might come across that's able to be hand-carried.
After that, we did what was called SERE training – which stood for survival, evasion, resistment,
and escape. They basically put us into elements of 9 men in a unit. They gave us one rabbit,
two potatoes, and I forget what else…not much food. We had to start off before they sent
us out into the swamp – this was in the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia. They sent us off
through the swamp, and during the three or four days in the swamp, we had to do survival and
concealment shelters as individuals, as well as in a unit. They gave us a head start, and they
had special forces chasing us through the swamp. We had code words and what we were
supposed to do…We did steal a few farmers' corn while we were there, and caught some wild
turtles and had turtle soup. So finally they stopped, and they said, "Okay, you guys have made
your last check-point, you've done good, you evaded everything." They put us in a truck, and
gave us one can of C-rations for all nine of us, and I'm not sure we were able to finish it.
Then they stormed the truck and "captured" us to put us into a simulated prisoner-of-war camp.
That was interesting. One of the first things they did with you when they brought you in – how
they decided, I don't know – was they were either going to treat you psychologically or treat
you physically, to try and get out of you what they wanted. Well, my hair was a little long, and
I hadn't had a haircut, so they were calling me a "gay from Hollywood". They'd throw me over
the head by my hair, and just harass me…they were just trying to stress you out in a lot of ways.
When we begged for food, one time they threw us an ammo box. We opened it up, and it had
a copperhead snake – a poisonous snake – in it. Just different things they did for a couple of
days…When we finished with that exercise, let me tell you, we did not want to go through that
training again. We were ready – to get on with it.
CITY LIFE IN DA NANG, VIETNAM
Us: How can you describe some of your daily experiences down in Vietnam?
John: Normal activity was just work, normally eight to six, and then back to the camp for
dinner (and breakfast before), so they were ten-twelve hour days, generally. We had Sunday
afternoons off, when we typically would go down to China Beach or do other things. I worked
at drafting and design work, or did preparation of charts for the admiral to use, and briefing of
General Westmoreland or any of the visiting brass from Congress.
After we no longer berthed on the ship in the harbor – on the APA's – and we were at camp
Tien Sha, we would usually just grab a bus down to the ferry landing, catch a little ferry across
the river, and then walk a couple of blocks to our office at 56 Doc Lap Street…and it was a hub
of activity. There was a local market, a theater next door, and lots of people going up and down
Being Navy guys, we were able to work out a good exchange rate where we could swap a case
of steaks for a case of booze with the army; yet in the navy, we could swap a bottle of booze
for a case of steaks. So once we did this, we always had booze and steaks. So if we wanted
to have a party in our compound in town, periodically, we'd start grilling steaks and have the
drinks. This is, again, after 6 o'clock, and with permission, when we were allowed to stay there
a little later… but…it takes the edge off.
On a few occasions, we would pick up food on the street at little places near where our office
was. And I liked to experiment. Obviously growing up in Southern California, you like food
that's got a little spice…So I tried different things. One I didn't know until after, was when I
tasted a little fried rice, wound up it was dog fried rice – I did not know before it…but it tasted
okay. They also have a sauce they make from decaying fish, called "nuoc mam", and the solids
I believe were called "nuoc minh" or something. But they were used to flavor food and put on
rice, and that adds something that's a little different.
One of the things that we did while we were there was they did a track meet in Da Nang for the
different units that were around that area. I had run track in high school, so I competed for that,
and I did a high jump. I cleared the bar – must have been six feet or something like that. And
as I'm about to get up, this guy standing next to the pit says "Nice jump son." I look up, and –
"Yes, sir!" – it was General Westmoreland. So that was an interesting experience.
Another atypical experience, I think, was one time, one of the chaplains for the Navy that was in
Da Nang asked to meet with me. We went up on the top of Monkey Mountain up above Camp
Tien Sha. This was on a Sunday…He was chatting about things, and wanted to get to know me,
because he had seen on my card that I had registered as an Episcopalian, so he wanted to find
another Episcopalian. I developed a friendship with him, and several times I'd go out and assist
him in serving communion to the troops outside of downtown Da Nang. You don't normally
think of religious service in a war zone, but that's a memory…it's an important memory.
Us: How did you feel about the media portrayals of what was going on in Vietnam?
John: The Vietnam war was the first of what I'd call a "living room war", where video images
are actually brought into your nightly news cast. It didn't happen in Korea, it didn't happen in
WWII, or any other military incursion because it was new technology at that time. My folks sent
me clippings in almost every letter they sent, typically from the Los Angeles Times. From my
reading of those and even sharing them with fellows in the same area with me, we could not
understand what stories they were trying to tell, because we didn't see any semblance of reality.
It was as if they were writing stories – writing fiction – at a bar in Saigon, and were nowhere
near Da Nang, because there were things they were reporting as going on that none of us had
ever heard about, even things in the city. So we wondered, what was the portrayal of the war
that was being presented through the media?
Us: How did you feel when you left Vietnam? Can you tell us about your experience then?
John: That was a very different experience. We took off from Da Nang on a stretch DC8 with no
intermediate cabins, so it was just one long plane, 6 seats wide. When we wheeled up off the
airbase in Da Nang, there was a slight cheer. When we cleared the coast, there was a slightly
louder cheer. I don't think there was another sound until we touched down in Norton Air Force
Base in San Bernardino. That was a strange flight, having going for so many hours. I think it
was 13, 14, or 15 hours, non-stop; and then nobody saying anything…Except when we landed,
when we got off, we all debarked based on rank; I'm a petty officer so I'm one of the last ones
off the plane. One of the first things I did was just knelt down and kissed the ground – I'm glad
to be home.
ADJUSTING BACK TO HOME LIFE
Us: Was it hard for you to transition zofran into life back at home?
John: Not difficult… though some aspects might have been a little more challenging. I got home
in September of '67, and then went back to work part-time for the Pasadena Water department
And knowing you're leaving one part of your life that you've spent (for most of us) 13 months,
and getting back to the life you knew when you grew up…The strange thing is when you're
going to live in a different culture in a different country, you expect your culture shock to be
when you go to that country. But you get so acclimated in whatever that is, like in Da Nang in
Vietnam, that the greater culture shock is when you come home. That's what you don't prepare
yourself for, because you really think you remember the way life was. But you're not the same,
and you don't view it the same, and you've got to watch saying the same words to your family
around the table versus what you would say in a mess hall.
Us: Can you explain how people's reactions were when you did come home?
John: I can't say I was welcomed. I can say I was sworn at, cussed at, spat upon – because
people so hated the war. I did not feel like a popular American…
On Good Friday the following spring, the church I grew up in, All Saints Episcopal in Pasadena,
had a Good Friday service. So I took a break from work, and walked across the street to
celebrate Good Friday. Our minister at that time, who was very much anti-war, in his sermon
was asking all of us to donate our blood to North Vietnam…and I felt that I had heard and seen
enough of that impacting people, that I said this isn't where I want to stay – and I got up and left.
It's not like it is today – when most Americans see troops in the airport, many of us will go over
and out of our way to say, "Thank you for your service". It wasn't that way in the sixties at all.
While we were doing what we had been asked to do by our government, it wasn't appreciated
by the American people – or by very few.
I had a tie that my wife had given me quite a few years ago. It was black, and it had regimental
stripes. But one of the stripes was the Vietnam campaign medal, and the other was the
Vietnamese service medal, and it alternated those stripes. So anytime I went to Washington
and called on the Halls of Congress, I would always wear that tie because I was very proud
of my service on behalf of my country. I wore that tie one time when I was at one of my
professional associations, and there was a conference in Washington D.C., and there was a
reception one evening. There were probably thirty to fifty people in the room, and there was
only one person that recognized the significance of what that tie stood for. He recognized it,
and he said, "Welcome home." This was 40 years after I had come back from Vietnam, and it
was the first time that anybody had said, "Welcome home." I so appreciated that, that when that
gentleman retired last year—he was the executive director of our organization—I gave him my
tie.
Us: Do you have any regrets from the Vietnam War? Would you serve again?
John: Absolutely. Aside from serving my county, I'd say that period was one of the most
valuable learning experiences for me as an individual. It helped me to grow up…to the extent
that I've grown up so far.
Us: Can you tell me how your experiences in Vietnam helped you in your career in the field?
John: Fortunately, one of the projects I was involved with while I was there was working on the
design of an aerated lagoon system, a wastewater treatment plant for Camp Tien Sha. And
I had always felt I wanted to be a civil engineer, working in water and the environment – so I
still do the same thing today, I do water and wastewater. It's made me more comfortable in my career with traveling internationally, working internationally – going into 3rd world countries
and helping improve their quality of life. If there's nothing else I have to look back on in my
career, it's the feeling that I've been able to help contribute to improving the quality of life for
literally hundreds of millions of people on this planet. And a lot of that is in 3rd world developing
countries – a lot in Asia – and Vietnam was kind of the beginning of that.
Us: Would you go back to Vietnam to see your work over there?
John: In a heartbeat. It's a little harder for me to get my wife to want to go to 3rd world countries.
But I know there is a cruise in southeast Asia that I've seen, and sometime I want to do that, as
long as one of its ports to call is Da Nang…So I can walk around and see if I can remember 56
Doc Lap Street, 7 Yen Bai, 151 Doc Lap, where the USO was, the White Elephant…my haunts.
Go up to Camp Tien Sha and go to China Beach, and see what's it like today, 40 years later…
This entry was posted in American, Da Nang, Reservist, US Navy and tagged culture shock, John Morris, William Westmoreland. Bookmark the permalink.
John Morris has been involved in the water industry for more than 45 years, continuing his family's long involvement in the industry. Some of the first water projects he worked on were during his 13-month tour in Vietnam, from August 1966 to September 1967. John was stationed at the Public Works Design Office in Danang, where he was involved with designing the barracks and a water treatment system at Camp Tienxia, among other projects. After returning home, he continued his education at USC in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Though he has lived in Pasadena all his life, his service in Vietnam has led him to pursue water projects in many other parts of the world during his professional career, including Africa, Saudi Arabia, and other parts of southeast Asia. John is a strong leader in the water industry in southern California, and has served numerous leadership roles in the civil engineering industry. Even past retirement, John continues to find ways to help others with his expertise in Civil and Environmental Engineering. He currently serves as a mentor for USC's chapter of Engineers Without Borders, and has traveled to Honduras for these projects. John currently lives in San Marino with his wife.
Mohammed AlDahash, Economics major & Business Administration minor. Rachel Steinberg, Double majoring in Neuroscience and Biology at the University of Southern California.


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Eva Cassidy
I'm probably late to the game with this one, since most of her recordings date from the late 1990's, and her album skyrocketed to number 1 in England around 2000, but I have just discovered an amazing musician.
Eva Cassidy grew up just outside Washington DC in Bowie, MD. She struggled with being extremely shy, and didn't like to be in the spotlight. She sang as a background singer for other musicians, and occasionally played at Blues Alley in DC. She recorded demos that she sent to labels, but her talents were too wide ranging. Record labels had a hard time imagining how to sell an artist that excelled a jazz, folk, pop/rock, R&B, and gospel.
In 1996, after some success collaborating with Chuck Brown on "The Other Side" and releasing a live album from some gigs she did at Blues Alley, she moved to Annapolis, MD and took a job painting murals at elementary schools. The summer of 1996 she was experiencing hip pain that she assumed was from using the stepladder at work. X-rays revealed she had cancer throughout her body. A few short months later, at the age of 33, she died.
Eva had a beautiful, clear voice, and for being extremely shy and afraid of the spotlight, she poured herself and her passion into her performances. Just search YouTube for videos, watch them, and you'll see what an amazing talent she had.
Her fame and success has come posthumously. When a DJ in England played her song on the radio, her album became a smash hit, and more and more people have been discovering her music. Perhaps part of the attention her music has gotten is because of her tragic story, but I believe her music stands on its own, and I'm glad to have discovered it.
Posted by paul at 1:40 PM

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


My journey in life is a partner dance with nature. Everyday she stuns me with her beauty and everyday I attempt to capture a glimpse of what I see. It is always only a glimpse, because I can look at the same image 50 times and see it differently. The depth of her beauty and what she has to say is so powerful, that I must keep trying. Sometimes I can slow down enough to feel like I really am her partner, if only for a few notes as her beauty comes across in my work. It is a life long dance a life long journey, one that I never get tired of. I am honored to be her partner.


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Press Briefing by Senior Administration Officials on Nonproliferation
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Good afternoon. Let me just start off with a few words, and then I'd be happy to answer your questions. The G8 leaders will be issuing an action plan on nonproliferation tomorrow. This will be the most significant statement on weapons of mass destruction that the G8 leaders have issued. It follows from the first extended discussion of weapons of mass destruction at the Kananaskis Summit, when the G8 leaders created the global partnership against the spread of WMD and WMD-related materials.
Last year at Evian the leaders issued the first statement on nonproliferation as such, including some significant comments on North Korea and Iran. This year, the action plan will ratify a substantial amount of progress on a number of initiatives that President Bush announced in his February speech to the National Defense University. We expect that the leaders will confirm the expansion of the activities of the Proliferation Security Initiative, which was launched by President Bush in May of last year.
Just last week in Krakow, Poland, the PSI countries agreed that Russia should join the core group. This is a very substantial addition to the PSI core group. With Canada's earlier addition, it now means that all eight G8 countries are part of the core group. And at the Krakow meeting, hosted by the Polish government, 62 countries were present to endorse PSI and the statement of interdiction principles.
In addition, we expect that the leaders will endorse the continued expansion of the global partnership that was created at Kananaskis. You may recall this was originally known as 10 plus 10 over 10, reflecting $10 billion from the United States over a 10-year period, plus $10 billion from other countries to secure or eliminate weapons of mass destruction and related materials in the states of the former Soviet Union.
Tomorrow the leaders will announce that seven new countries have joined the global partnership, those being Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland and the Czech Republic. And they will announce that the global partnership will coordinate activities in other states where there have been programs of weapons of mass destruction, such as the critically important programs to retrain WMD scientists and technicians in Libya and Iraq, the point of that being you don't want a nuclear weapons scientist to be hired off by Iran or North Korea, you want to find gainful employment for him in his home country.
The leaders will welcome the fact that the Security Council recently unanimously adopted resolution 1540, which President Bush had called for in his September speech to the General Assembly. This is a resolution that calls on states to make WMD activity criminal under their national laws, and to improve export control systems, as well as providing support for PSIs. It encourages U.N. members to take collective action against the international trafficking of weapons of mass destruction.
And finally, we expect and hope that the leaders will endorse substantial progress toward the objective that President Bush set in the February speech of closing loopholes in the Nuclear Nonproliferation regime. One of the things that we've seen is that under the guise of peaceful -- so-called peaceful nuclear programs, many states around the world have acquired very sensitive technologies that permit them, together with a clandestine weapons program, to draw very close to having a nuclear weapons capability without ever apparently violating the treaty. So one of the things that President Bush called for -- it's a very significant step, very controversial, has a lot of political and economic implications -- is to cut off the transfer of enrichment and reprocessing technology to any states that don't currently have it.
And we expect what the G8 leaders will endorse tomorrow is a one-year freeze on inaugurating any new initiatives to transfer such technology to additional states, and set a one-year target to the next G8 summit in the United Kingdom for the countries to come together on deciding what the final rules will be. Now, that's not quite to the point that the President had proposed, but it represents enormous movement in the direction of very substantial tightening on transfer of enrichment and reprocessing technology. It reflects, I think, the overwhelming agreement of the G8 leaders, that the loopholes that currently exist in the nonproliferation treat regime have to be closed.
So we're very encouraged by this, as we are by the companion step of the G8 leaders agreeing that tightening of the IAEA safeguards agreements through the implementation, what we call the additional protocol, now has to be a condition before all kinds of nuclear technologies can be imported, even for a legitimate civil nuclear power programs. This gives the IAEA and, therefore, all of its members more visibility in the nuclear programs. It's something we think is very significant. And that is -- hopefully will be endorsed by the leaders tomorrow.
And then, finally, the leaders, we hope, will endorse the President's suggestion to create a special committee of the IAEA to consider even further measures to tighten verification and safeguards measures, and a group, we hope, will endorse the idea that countries under investigation for violating their Nonproliferation Treaty commitments should recuse themselves from any decisions by the IAEA board in their own cases.
Finally, the -- and we've got a little chart here, I guess, I don't know, I suppose a chart can be on background, too -- but it's a comparison, a point-by-point comparison of the seven suggestions in the President's February speech with how we hope and expect the leaders will come out tomorrow, that I think will help show the very substantial progress towards the President's goals that we will have made.
In addition, the leaders will carry on as they did at Evian, talking about North Korea and Iran. We expect they will also talk about Libya, which is a very important success story for the Proliferation Security Initiative and for the idea that we're not simply trying to contain the spread of weapons of mass destruction, we're trying to roll back the spread of weapons of mass destruction. And I don't doubt that they will talk about other issues, such as the A.Q. Khan network, and some very important initiatives we have in the area of bioterrorism, to take more concrete steps at the national and international level to make all of our countries more secure against bioterrorism attacks.
So why don't I stop there, and I'd be pleased to answer any questions you have. And if you could identify yourselves, I'd sure appreciate it.
Yes, sir, right here.
Q I just have two quick questions on the plans for the global partnership. One is, I might be mistaken, but I thought the Czech Republic was already a member as a donor country. And I know that there had been discussion or proposals to expand the recipient countries to other former soviet states besides Russia. Will there be any talk or decision on that?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: The Czech Republic is a new country this year. Six joined last year -- Sweden, Finland, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. And the seven countries I name are seven new ones, so there's a total of 21.
In terms of recipient countries, no additional countries are formally admitted this year, but the United States and several other G8 members have long had programs in many of the other states of the former Soviet Union, and, in fact, it was agreed at Kananaskis that our programs in those countries count toward the $20 billion target. So that won't be -- it won't be affected. In fact, if anything, I think more countries are looking to expand their programs in the other states of the former Soviet Union.
Q Thank you. Could you be more elaborate on what
-- especially the United States, expects from Russia's participation in PSI? And don't you see contradiction, while the U.S. has arduous talks with the Russians over Iran and suspects Russian entities of proliferation, at the same time you invite Russia to join into this initiative? Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, I think on what we expect from Russia, as with all core group countries, we expect strong political support for the initiative. And I think that was, in part, already reflected in Russian support for Security Council Resolution 1540. We'd like additional operational support from Russia in terms of intelligence cooperation and cooperation among our militaries and law enforcement assets and the actual interdiction of WMD shipments.
And I think, as well, the decision by the Russian Federation to join the core group will send major political signals in other capitals that have not yet signaled their support for the statement of interdiction principles. Just geographically, Russia's joining cuts off major land, air, and sea routes between proliferators in the Far East and the Middle East, and I think that's extremely significant.
In terms of your second question, I think that, as we're seeing in New York, hopefully, in a couple of hours, in terms of the adoption of this resolution on Iraq, I think the issues that have divided many of the G8 countries on Iraq are fast being left in the past. And I think one of the things that was encouraging all the while, is that it did not interfere in our cooperation on nonproliferation policy. I think now with Iraq more and more a question of the past, we can enhance our cooperation further.
But one thing that I think we've seen over the past three years is the countries of European Union, Russia, Japan, and others have already been drawing closer to the very strong views that President Bush has articulated about the importance of stemming the proliferation of WMD. And I think the leaders will reaffirm what they said at Evian, that WMD proliferation, together with terrorism, is the preeminent threat to the national security of us all.
Q -- Iran, not Iraq.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I'm sorry, the -- I think the leaders will -- I think that the leader statement tomorrow, hopefully, will show that, in fact, they are united, unmistakably united in their determination that Iran not achieve nuclear weapons. Now, there have been a variety of disagreements about tactically how to achieve that, and that's no secret to anybody. But what is unmistakably clear is that there is no division among the G8 that a nuclear weapons-equipped Iran would be unacceptable.
Yes, sir, down here.
Q On Iraq and the search for WMD, while this is somewhat of an old story, would you comment on where that search remains? We are always apprised that it continues. Do you still expect that something will be found? And has the lack of finding affected the G8 nonproliferation talks? And could you comment on that, please, sir?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I don't think that the -- well, number one, the work of the Iraq Survey Group continues. I really don't have anything to add at this point, but their are forensic investigation, their interviews, their reviews of files continues at apace. I don't think the dispute has affected the gradual convergence of positions, I believe legitimately, towards that of the United States on proliferation issues. And, in fact, Iraq -- the current circumstances in Iraq show, I think very graphically, something that's come home to us in a significant way as part of our experiences growing out of the Soviet Union, that part of the problem of proliferation, a significant part, in fact, the hardest part, is not tubes for centrifuges or plastic jugs of chemical agent; it's the problem of intellectual capital. It's the knowledge that scientists and technicians have about how to put a WMD program together.
And Iraq is a very good example. For years, Saddam kept together a group of 1,000 nuclear weapons scientists and technicians that he called his nuclear Mujahadeen. These were the people who had the intellectual capability, with money, and free from U.N. sanctions, which is what Saddam's objective was, to recreate his nuclear weapons program. We've identified already 500 -- 400 to 500 of these scientists that we want to try and retrain and redirect, so that they can find legitimate work in Iraq, and not be hired off by another WMD aspirant. And that really signals to us why this problem is so difficult to resolve, because the intellectual capacity is something that's a lot harder to restrict and detract than the physical evidence of weapons programs.
Q On North Korea, I was wondering if there was an appraisal by the G8 of how they feel the six-party talks are going. The progress has been very slow. Is there any idea if in the next round there's not any progress, might we be looking at sending it to the United Nations or trying to send it to the United Nations?
And then, also on the PSI, is there more of an initiative to try to contain states like North Korea, with the PSI? There's been fairly good success so far. Was there any talk on how to take a step further with that?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, I think on Korea, I don't think there's going to be any disagreement among the G8 that we continue to believe there has to be complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear weapons programs. I think that's significant. I think that continues to show important unity that North Korea is not going to be able to break, despite one effort or another.
The Proliferation Security Initiative I think has played a major role and will continue to play a major role, given North Korea's long history of proliferation activities. It is the largest proliferator of ballistic missile technology in the world, and we fear very much that a country that depends on the hard currency it earns from the sales of weapons of mass destruction, drugs, illegal gambling activities in Japan, would be prepared to sell weapons grade uranium or plutonium or complete weapons, if it could, to other rogue states or to terrorist groups to earn additional hard currency.
So PSI we think has been playing and should continue to play a major role in not only in stopping North Korea from acquiring the critical materials and technology it needs to advance its own nuclear weapons program, but from financing that program through the sales of other things, like ballistic missiles and other weapons systems.
Q (Inaudible.)
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, they're going to be discussing it tomorrow, and I think that's been a view that we've had for quite some time, that if the six-party talks don't make progress, the Security Council is obviously the body charged with threats to international peace and security, the IAEA has already referred it there. For the moment, we're continuing to pursue, as the President has directed, the six-party talks. And the next round will take place in Beijing at the end of the month. We'll see how it goes.
Q I'm astonished on the argument that you used about the scientists in Iraq. You said that Saddam Hussein put together hundreds of scientists that are capable to build a weapon of mass destruction. Which country in the world has not this accumulation of scientists, because any country can be a threat?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, I think the issue is not whether a country has a lot of nuclear physicists, the country is whether a country has scientists and technicians who know how to build uranium enrichment systems, who know how to reprocess plutonium, who have the technical capabilities to go from raw uranium to weapons grade uranium or plutonium. And thankfully, not all countries have that capability. And what we want to try and do through a variety of means, such as those President Bush has proposed, is make sure that that number doesn't get any larger.
Q Following up on the question about North Korea, Prime Minister Koizumi the other day said that he has an understanding with the great leader that he will give up his weapons of mass destruction. Do you all see that as any change, any breakthrough? Is so, will that figure into the talks this week here?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, certainly we remain hopeful that North Korea will accept that it has to dismantle its nuclear weapons program. That's the absolute bottom line for us, for Japan and for our other partners in the negotiation. And so far, North Korea in the negotiations has not shown the slightest willingness to do that. Now it's possible in the meetings at the end of the month that we'll see a changed position. We're prepared to take advantage of that, to move these negotiations ahead. The President has been very clear he wants to see a peaceful diplomatic resolution to the outcome, and that's why we're prepared for the six-party talks to proceed at the end of the month.
Q There's no change in our position vis-a-vis what Mr. Koizumi said the other day?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, I think certainly the President will receive this information. It's important, it's important that we hear from the Prime Minister on the outcome of his trip. But the North Koreans themselves, if what the dear leader has said is accurate, now we need for them to follow up in the six-party talks, and we'll see the answer to that in a couple of weeks.
Q You mentioned that Australia was now a member of the new global partnership on nonproliferation. What specific contribution do you see countries like Australia making? Is it intelligence capability, is it retraining, or is it providing scientific experts?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, on the global partnership, what we're really looking for are two things: one, additional resources to bring to bear in a prudent and effective manner in the states of the Soviet Union, but also the growing political commitment that the enlargement of the global partnership represents. And I would expect that Australia and some of the other new members will probably start with relatively modest contributions. We understand that, that they won't want to duplicate work that's already been done. And we, and I know the other G8 members, are fully prepared to work with them. We've had informal meetings with many of these new members already.
But their participation, I think is very important in showing to the states of the former Soviet Union we are determined that these WMD materials are either going to be destroyed or secured, and that the growing number of countries participating I think underlines how important that we see this work. And I think it underlines the potential for these sorts of programs in other countries -- as I mentioned, Libya and Iraq -- that are also prepared to give up the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.
Q Of the $20 billion pledged at Kananaskis, how much has actually been spent on concrete projects, besides the bilateral American-Russian project which are underway? And it is also correct your report already said in April that of the $20 billion, you're still missing $3 billion to $4 billion?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: We have posted on the global partnership website, and I think on the Sea Island website the report to the G8 leaders from the global partnership working group that has a lot of specifics on a country by country basis as to what's actually being spent and how the programs are proceeding. Some of the countries that have just begun new programs, of course have not yet begun to spend very much. But we expect today or tomorrow, for example, Canada and Russia will announce they've signed their bilateral agreement, their framework agreement that allows the very substantial Canadian pledge of roughly equivalent to $750 million American dollars to begin to be expended.
And I think that that is a -- that is something that -- the commitments occur at the beginning, and the expenditures of the money flow a little bit later. In terms of the current amount toward the 10 plus 10 -- the original 10 plus 10 target of $20 billion, depending on what today's exchange rate turns out to be, we're somewhere just a little bit short of $17 billion U.S.
So there are some of the G7 -- the original G7 partners -- we're looking for additional contributions from. The European Commission has indicated it's going to have a very substantial addition by the end of this year. They're not quite ready to announce it, so I don't want to preempt them, but we're looking forward to that. And we are drawing closer to that target. That remains, for us, a very important part of the goal.
Q You mentioned that more or less the G8 are unified regarding Iran, at certain point. What is their attitude toward Syria and Libya. And in related to this question, the second part of the question, how Middle Eastern countries are cooperative, and if they are cooperative with the PSI regarding this Khan network and others?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, on Libya, I think there will be a recognition that Libya's decision to foreswear weapons of mass destruction is an important step forward. We've believed for some time it was an important victory for the Proliferation Security Initiative because the interdiction of the ship, the BBC China, which was carrying uranium centrifuge equipment to Libya, and was diverted to Italy, when that happened, we think that the government of Libya came to the realization that we knew a lot more about their nuclear weapons program than they thought, and that at that point, there wasn't any further utility in trying to conceal it. And so that -- that is exactly the kind of paradigm of a deterrent impact of an interdiction having that we think PSI can provide.
I think in terms of other cooperation with PSI activities, that we've had very good discussions with a number of countries in the Middle Eastern region, the broader Middle Eastern region, and we have also appealed to some of those countries over the past year that have had -- have purchased military equipment from North Korea in the past, not to do so in the future, to supply their legitimate defense needs from other sources so that they're not providing North Korea with that hard currency that I mentioned before that's so critical to the North Koreans' ability to continue their nuclear weapons program.
The leaders are going to be discussing a variety of regional issues, and, you know, Syria -- it is entirely possible that would come up.
Q Thank you. You said a little while ago that so far, North Korean leadership has shown not the slightest willingness to change its aspirations on nuclear -- nuclear weapons. Prime Minister Koizumi apparently saw some change between September and May, his two visits to Pyongyang, saw some movement, at least some perceived movement on the part of the North Korean leadership. And we were told earlier that he shared that view with the President in the bilat today.
Do you think the Prime Minister is misreading the signals out of Pyongyang?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: No, I'm sure he's accurately reporting what he saw. What I said a moment ago in response to an earlier question was now we have to see whether the North Koreans follow through on that in Beijing in the next round of six-party talks.
North Korea is a very successful propagandist, and it -- it has shifted its position on critical issues in this matter before. It, for example, admitted at one point that it had a uranium enrichment program, and then denied it. So tracking the North Koreans and the consistency of their statements over time is something that tells you a lot about the way they bargain and the way they behave.
We're prepared to go ahead with these talks. We want a peaceful diplomatic solution. We're going to pursue it vigorously. The ball is in North Korea's court. On that, there is no question, either.
Okay, well, thank you very much. I appreciate it.
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Former newspaper editor Chilla Johnston tells the story of Aboriginal warrior and freedom fighter Multuggerah. This week the Heritage Advisory Committee suggested the Toowoomba bypass be named after him.
WHILE one does not wish to enter into the debate over the naming of the Toowoomba bypass I am writing to straighten out a few facts in regards to what the passing of 173 years has turned into folklore under the banner of the Battle of One-Tree Hill.
The first question to ask is was it really a battle or just a significant skirmish?
In his report Commissioner Dr Stephen Simpson, the officer in charge of the region, said: "On September 12, 1843, the Aborigines stopped three bullock drays on the high road to the Darling Downs and carried away a large amount of property having driven off 14 men sent to protect it and speared one of the bullocks.
"A party of gentlemen having proceeded to the rescue of the drays, the blacks took up a strong position on a rocky hill in the vicinity of the road and actually repulsed them, two of the party being injured by masses of rocks rolled down the hill.
"By an intelligent Aborigine, named Toby of the Limestone tribe, lately attached to my party, I am informed that the range blacks have formed a plan of intercepting all communication by the road to the Darling Downs - for this purpose, upon going over the range, I found they had actually attempted to barricade the road by cutting down trees and throwing them across the road at a point where it traverses a scrub and is not above seven feet wide - here they lie in ambush and a shower of spears is the first indication of their presence."
The 14 ticket-of-leave men who had been conscripted literally took their "ticket-of-leave" and fled to seek help back to Helidon Station and the Halfway House, where Commissioner Simpson and a number of squatters were holding a meeting.
The conscripts managed to attract the help of two men on horseback to deliver their message when about two miles from the ambush scene.
Some reports in years past claimed Commissioner Simpson and the squatters arrived at the scene of the ambush in two hours.
When Simpson, the squatters and the ticket-of-leave men arrived some Aborigines were "butchering" a bullock while others had taken off with the supplies.
They tried to attack the Aborigines by climbing up the face of Mt Davidson (Mt Hay now Sugarloaf) but had to retreat as the Aborigines rolled boulders down injuring two men.
The Jagera Aborigines retreated around the spur while others (Giabal) retreated up the range.
Some historians refer to it as the last great stand when really it was arguably the first significant show of resistance in the area to the white man taking over Aboriginal land.
That was the Battle of One-Tree Hill.
The casualty list gleaned from Commissioner Simpson's files, reads: dead, one bullock; injured, two white men who were hit by boulders.
There was no prolonged battle on Table Top. Multuggerah was not killed there.
He was to lead his tribe in "guerrilla-type" skirmishes for another three years.
There is also another question as to number of Aborigines which some historians say were involved at the one time.
The idea of an "army" of 1200 men in the one area brings the question of how were they fed, even eating off the land.
The Aborigines lived in small family groups, not large communities, dotted across the valley.
While there may have been hundreds prepared to fight for their land their guerrilla-style warfare would hardly suggest 1200 men in the one area at the same time.
Within days of the ambush, Lt Patrick Johnson, a 20-year career soldier led 12 men of the 99th Regiment on a three-week campaign against the Aborigines as they retreated to Rosewood Scrub, harassing and sniping at them at every opportunity as they tried to emerge from the scrubs to hunt, depriving them of food and rest until finally attacking their camp in Rosewood Scrub.
There were no stated deaths.
Despite the formation of the Hellidon Military Post (name later changed), the army post at Monkey Waterholes Creek which served to protect the squatters, their families, servants and possessions, Multuggerah continued his move to stop the encroachment of his lands.
Sheep were stolen in great numbers and drays were ambushed much to the chagrin of the settlers, who were left without supplies.
Few white men ventured forth without a pistol at their hip and a musket in their gun-bucket.
Dr Simpson took a census of Europeans residents on the Lockyer runs in 1844. They totalled just 71.
However, the period was costly in life and limb for the small number of settlers. Between 1841 and 1844, 16 whites were killed and nine injured on the runs. The Stock Return of 1844 showed that 19,000 sheep, 2447 cattle and 29 horses were being depastured on Lockyer Valley runs.
By the middle of 1846 the population of the Jagera was now concentrated in Rosewood Scrub.
Black Campbell, as Multuggerah was now known to the white population, was among some 500 Aborigines living in Rosewood Scrub, close to the homestead.
For six weeks the large body of Aborigines harassed the men and the outstations at every opportunity, then on the afternoon of Saturday, August 29, 1846, they changed their focus.
They turned their attention to the main house, the Rosewood Scrub homestead (close to Glenore Grove).
Multuggerah and 20 of his men marched up to John Coutts and demanded "...big-fellow-white-money, four figs of tobacco for each of his companions, and some budgeree flour - baal rations flour..."
Coutts was fearful for his wife, Janet, and their children who were in the house at the time, but he firmly refused the demand, and stood his ground baring the 20 men from entering, demanding that the Aborigines leave his station.
Multuggerah's demands threatened to turn to violence.
Seemingly, just as the situation looked to be out of Coutts' control, three horsemen appeared along the Brisbane Road - totally changing the complexion of the confrontation.
As luck happened that afternoon, William Pitts, William Bonifant, with Bonifant's "boy", Wiggins were on their way back from Brisbane to their inn, The Halfway House.
Their timing could not have been better, possibly saving the white family from robbery and maybe a fate similar to John Uhr.
As the travellers rode in, Multuggerah made his retreat back to his camp in the scrub and planned his next move.
Pitts and Bonifant seeing the danger to Coutts - and to themselves if they rode on - decided on staying at Rosewood until it subsided.
No doubt they all spent a restless next few hours and night nursing their muskets and knowing that Multuggerah had far superior numbers and could overrun them at any time. They waited for the attack they knew must happen.
Then at first light on Sunday morning the Aborigines moved on Rosewood.
Just three or four volleys later, the fighting leader of the Lockyer Yuggera (Jagera) and two others went down. Multuggerah had led his final assault.
The Aborigines then retreated taking the three bodies with them back to their camp in the scrub.
The article in the Moreton Bay Courier goes on the say that Multuggerah and the two others to fall were the supposed murderers of the unfortunate John Uhr at Fairney Law near Fernvale on Christmas Day, 1845.
Seemingly in the years following Multuggerah's death resistance from the Aborigines quickly dissipated.
The sad irony of it all was that although the era of the sheep pastoralist lasted just 22 years or so (1862) it heralded the demise of a race that that had occupied the Lockyer for at least 22,000 years.


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Popular Old Spice campaign ready to kick off new round
Last year's advertising sensation will soon make its 2011 debut, as Old Spice's suave, shirtless star returns in Round 3.
By Dan SewellAssociated Press
Thu., Jan. 27, 2011timer2 min. read
CINCINNATI—Last year's advertising sensation will soon make its 2011 debut, as Old Spice's suave, shirtless star returns in Round 3 of his commercials for the Procter & Gamble Co. brand.
In an indicator of the campaign's popularity, there first is a 30-second "coming attractions"-type trailer which went online Wednesday which takes you beyond former football player Isaiah Mustafa's muscular torso — to his "striking brown eyes," if he does say so himself.
In another effort to keep the buzz going for the YouTube hit, a yet-to-be-named "superfan" will get to debut the commercial on his or her own social network page or feed, sometime before Super Bowl Sunday.
The first of three commercials in the new promotion will start running on television Feb. 7, the day after the Super Bowl.
"We felt like we could build some excitement behind this latest launch, letting people know we're bringing Isaiah back, and continue to reward our fans across social media," said James Moorhead, brand manager for Old Spice, promoting a new collection of body washes, sprays and deodorants as a "scent vacation" that evokes exotic locales such as Komodo and Fiji (think "grass skirt.")
The first commercial a year ago with Mustafa, towel-clad in a shower and urging women to "Look at your man, now back at me," has generated tens of millions of online views and a new catch-phrase: "I'm on a horse."
The second campaign last summer included 186 related videos in which Mustafa responded personally to digital queries from users including Ellen DeGeneres and Alyssa Milano.
For ABC's Good Morning America, he suggested that President Barack Obama could improve standing with female voters by wearing only a towel and beginning his State of the Union speeches with "Hello, Ladies!"
Obama didn't heed that advice Tuesday night. No matter, the "responses" campaign in its first week scored 21 million views, accounting for eight of the most popular 11 YouTube videos at the time.
The campaign and its ad agency, Portland, Ore.-based Wieden+Kennedy, won a shelf full of top advertising awards, while P&G said sales jumped by double digits for the seven-decade-old brand.
Can the new ad measure up to that success?
"Inherently, there's pressure when something has a lot of success and then you're trying to follow it up," said Wieden's Eric Kallman, who created the ad with Craig Allen.


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You are at:Home»Crime & Courts»Zimbabwean GP Dr Maxman Tembo escapes UK jail after double sexual assault conviction
Zimbabwean GP Dr Maxman Tembo escapes UK jail after double sexual assault conviction
By reporter263	 April 13, 2016 1 Comment
Judge tells Dr Maxman Tembo he caused victims 'untold psychological damage' before suspending prison sentence
A Merseyside doctor has escaped with a suspended jail sentence after being convicted of two counts of sexual assault.
Dr Maxman Tembo targeted his victims despite knowing they were vulnerable and one was suffering from depression.
Maxman Tembo pleaded not guilty to the charges, saying he was a "committed Christian."
But the married doctor, who is currently suspended from Everton Road Health Centre, was found guilty on both counts following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
Tembo, who previously worked in medical centres in Aintree and Newton-Le-Willows, was spared an immediate 15-month prison sentence in light of previous good behaviour, with the doctor, of Marigold Way, St Helens, instead given 12 months' supervision, 150 hours of unpaid work and a four-month home curfew.
In a scathing closing statement, Judge Clement Goldstone said the 49-year-old had caused one of his victims, a woman with depression, "untold psychological damage".
He added: "It seems to me you targeted both of them precisely because of their age.
"You had no thought whatsoever for their well-being. All you thought of was your own sexual gratification.
"Despite your denials, I'm quite sure you were attracted to those girls because of their young age."
"It's reasonable to assume I hope that this defendant will not be practising as a doctor again."
Mr Linskill said it was highly unlikely, certainly not in this country, adding: "That in itself is a very serious punishment."
Judge Goldstone said: "You have thrown away your career. You have thrown away your good character. You have thrown away your reputation."
Judge Goldstone said Tembo, an intelligent man who had been a kind and caring doctor, must sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.
He added: "You are entirely the author of your own misfortune."
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Mahon from Merseyside Police said: "The victims in this case have shown immense courage in coming forward and telling officers what happened. They have placed their trust in the police and other agencies who support victims and their information and evidence has been crucial in securing his conviction.
"Tembo was in a position of trust as a GP, but clearly abused and manipulated his position and continued to deny he had done anything wrong, showing no remorse for his actions throughout the trial.
"Time should never be a barrier to obtaining justice and I hope this case gives other victims of sexual assault out there, the courage to come forward and tell someone, so they can be helped. As we have shown today, we will take action and we hope that Tembo's victims have some sense of justice and closure.
"Merseyside Police takes every report of sexual offence seriously and anyone wishing to report a sexual offence should get in contact. Information can also be passed to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."
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Fatal Car Crash Sparks Bushfire in Hunter Region of New South Wales
Storyful 3 December 2019
A fatal car crash sparked a bushfire in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia, on Wednesday, December 3, local media reported.
The fire was burning more than 200 hectares (about 500 acres) near Pelaw Main in the Hunter region at the time of writing, according to an update from the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS).
The fire was initially under the highest emergency warning and then downgraded to the mid-range Watch and Act level. The blaze was most recently downgraded to the lowest warning level due to cooler temperatures and decreasing wind speeds, the NSW RFS said.
The fire was moving in a southeastern direction toward Richmond Vale, and firefighters were working to protect nearby homes, according to the NSW RFS. Homes on Richmond Vale Road were evacuated, while some other residents were urged to seek shelter as it was "too late" for them to leave, local media reported.
This video shows a large air tanker dropping fire retardant on the blaze as smoke fills the sky.
The NSW RFS said there were currently 111 fires burning in the region, 51 of which were not yet contained.
The Pelaw Main fire started when a vehicle drove off the road, hit a pole, and ignited, reports said. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Credit: NSW Rural Fire Service via Storyful
Ku Nan tells court 'very comfortable financially', didn't need RM2m bribe


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Everything we know about coronavirus deaths in the U.S.
by: Wes Wilson
Posted: Mar 9, 2020 / 11:18 PM CDT / Updated: Mar 18, 2020 / 03:08 PM CDT
Editor's Note: Due to the increasing cases around the United States and the difficulty tracking them, we will no longer be updating this post. Both the New York Times and Washington Post have updating maps.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As of 2:45 p.m. on March 17, the coronavirus disease has killed at least 91 people in the United States and more than 4,400 remain sick. So far, these deaths skew very old. At least 29 deaths have occurred from an outbreak at just one nursing home — the Life Care Center senior-living facility in Seattle.
RELATED: Latest coronavirus stories from KXAN
Even outside of Seattle, the elderly are the ones predominantly at risk. Based on a rough estimate using the range of ages given for the victims, we can tell that the average age of each victim is now 77.26 years old. It reached a peak average age of 79 years old but has started to fall. If you omit Washington state, the average age of death drops to 73.28 years old.
No one younger than 40 has died from the disease in the U.S. The one person in their 40s who did die had an underlying medical condition. Many of the elderly who have died also had underlying medical conditions. At least 28 of those who have died had an underlying medical condition.
Women dying much more often than men in Seattle
So far, in the U.S., out of the 91 people who have died, we know 40 are men and 39 are women. As more deaths come in each day, not all age and gender information is being released, especially in New York.
There is a big gender gap in the deaths in King County, Washington, where Seattle is located. Most of the people who have died there are women — 25 compared to just 15 men. Outside of King County, men are outpacing women in deaths.
Detailed deaths by state
Average age of those who died: 77.26 years old
Average age of men who died: 74.76 years old
Average age of women who died: 80.46 years old
Deaths State Avg Age of Death
48 Washington 79.92
12 New York 75.83
9 California 74.56
4 Florida 76.00
3 New Jersey 72.67
2 Indiana N/A
2 Louisiana 55.50
2 Virginia 74.50
1 Colorado 84.50
1 Georgia 67.00
1 Kansas 74.50
1 Kentucky 66.00
1 Nevada 64.50
1 Oregon 70.00
1 South Carolina N/A
1 South Dakota 65.00
1 Texas 94.50
91 U.S. Deaths 77.26
To get a rough average estimate, when a range was given for a person, i.e. a person in their 70s, we used 74.5 as that person's age, i.e. halfway between 70 and 79. The exception was for the man from Placer County, California. We were told he was in his "early 70s" so we assigned an age of 71.5 for him for averaging purposes.
CNN has also been charting the total number of coronavirus cases in each state. As has the New York Times, with a pretty detailed map if you have a subscription.
Passengers stand on balconies aboard the Princess Cruises Grand Princess cruise ship as it sits docked in the port in Oakland, CA on March 9, 2020. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
California (9 deaths)
Note – 1 of the California deaths was a Florida resident who died in Los Angeles after visiting South Korea. She never had the virus while in Florida, so we will continue to list her death in California instead of Florida.
Los Angeles County – 1 death
Placer County – 1 death
Sacramento County – 2 death
San Mateo County – 1 death
Santa Clara County – 4 deaths
March 16 – A substitute teacher in Sacramento died from the coronavirus, the school district announced and the Health Department confirmed.
March 16 – Santa Clara County announced two more deaths, bringing the total there to four.
March 15 – California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state's sixth coronavirus death on Sunday. This death was in San Mateo County but no other information was given about that person's age or gender.
March 13 – The Santa Clara County Public Health Department announced a new coronavirus death, its second. The person who died was a woman in her 80s. She died on March 13.
March 11 – A woman who was in her 60s and had underlying medical conditions died on March 11. She was not a resident of Los Angeles and had traveled extensively, including a long layover in South Korea. Her death is the first in Los Angeles County and the fourth in California. On March 14, we learned the woman was a Florida resident from Orlando.
March 10 – A woman in her 90s who lived in a Sacramento County nursing home died, the third COVID-19 death in California. This is the first known nursing home-related coronavirus case in California.
March 9 – A woman in her 60s who had been sick for weeks died in Santa Clara County. She had no travel history or contact with a known infected person, suggesting the illness is not contained in Santa Clara County.
March 4 – A man in his early 70s died on March 4 after contracting coronavirus. Last month, that man took a cruise aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship from California to Mexico. Since then, at least 21 people aboard a subsequent Grand Princess cruise have gotten COVID-19, and 90 people from the ship are being quarantined at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, including a Wimberley couple.
Colorado (1 death)
March 13 – A woman in her 80s with underlying health conditions became the first person to die from COVID-19 in Colorado. She lived in El Paso County. Tests after her death on March 14 confirmed she had the virus.
Florida (4 deaths)
Broward County – 2 deaths
Lee County – 1 death
Orange County – 1 death
March 16 – Florida announced a fourth death, a 79-year-old woman from Orange County.
March 14 – A third person died in Florida, the second in Lee County. This person was a man in his 70s.
March 6 – Florida announced its first two deaths from COVID-19. Both individuals were in their 70s and died after an international trip, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Georgia (1 death)
March 12 – Georgia announced its first coronavirus death. A 69-year-old man who had been hospitalized since March 7 died in Cobb County. "I urge Georgians to remain calm and support their neighbors and communities. We are in this fight together," said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
Indiana (2 deaths)
March 16 –
Kansas (1 death)
March 12 – Kansas announced its first coronavirus-related death, a man in his 70s who died shortly after arriving at the hospital. He was taken to the hospital on March 10 and died the morning of March 11. His testing was done post-mortem and came back positive for the disease.
Kentucky (1 death)
Louisiana (2 deaths)
March 15 – The second person to die from the coronavirus in New Orleans was a friend of Mayor LaToya Cantrell, she said. The victim was 53, but information about their gender was not immediately available.
March 14 – A 58-year-old New Orleans man became the first person to die from the coronavirus disease in Louisiana. "This is a tragic development, but not an unforeseen one," Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.
Nevada (1 death)
March 16 – The Southern Nevada Health District announced the state's first coronavirus death, a man in his 60s from Clark County.
New Jersey (3 deaths)
Bergen County – 2 deaths
Monmouth County – 1 death
March 16 – Gov. Phil Murphy announced the state's third coronavirus death.
March 15 – New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted that the state had its second confirmed COVID-19 death, a woman in her 50s who had died on March 12.
March 10 – New Jersey announced its first coronavirus death. The man was identified as 69-year-old John Brennan. He worked at Yonkers Raceway, a racetrack just north of New York City and had a history of underlying medical issues, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and emphysema, the New York Times reports. Friends say Brennan was tested on Saturday night, March 7 for coronavirus, but the results did not come back until March 10.
New York (7 deaths)
March 16 – The governor of New York announced that his state has seven deaths during a news conference Monday morning. That later increased to nine deaths. New York has chosen not to give details about the deaths becoming the first state to significantly limit that data.
March 15 – A 79-year-old woman has died from the coronavirus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a news conference. Cuomo said the woman, who died at an unnamed hospital in New York State, had "multiple major underlying health issues."
March 14 – New York announced its second death on Saturday, a 65-year-old man who had underlying health problems. He died on March 12, so he was the first person to die from the coronavirus disease in New York.
March 14 – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed the state's first death from the coronavirus disease, an 82-year-old Brooklyn woman. The woman had emphysema, an underlying medical condition, according to the governor. She died March 13.
Oregon (1 death)
March 14 – A 70-year-old man in Multnomah County is the first person to die from COVID-19 in Oregon. He was hospitalized at the Portland Veterans' Affairs Medical Center and succumbed to his symptoms on Saturday, March 14.
South Carolina (1 death)
March 16 – South Carolina announced its first coronavirus death. They did not give any details about the person's age or gender, only saying they were elderly. TheState.com said it was a Lexington County man who lived in a nursing home.
South Dakota (1 death)
March 10 – South Dakota announced its first coronavirus death, a man in his 60s who had underlying health problems. Gov. Kristi Noem confirmed the death at a news conference.
Texas (1 death)
March 16 – The first person in Texas died from the coronavirus. He was a man in his 90s near Matagorda County outside Houston.
Virginia (2 deaths)
March 14 – A man in his 70s became the first person to die of the coronavirus disease in Virginia.
Washington (48 deaths)
A patient is transferred into an ambulance at the Life Care Center on March 7, 2020 in Kirkland, Washington. (Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)
RELATED: Nursing homes face unique challenge with coronavirus
King County – 43 deaths
Snohomish County – 4 deaths
Grant County – 1 death
March 16 – Six more deaths in King County, including another person in their 50s.
March 15 – Another two deaths were reported in King County, both former Life Care Center residents.
March 14 – Three new cases are being reported, bringing the state's death toll to 40. Two of the new people killed were Life Care Center residents. So far, 27 of those killed were residents or visitors at the Life Care Center in Seattle.
March 13 – The state of Washington reached 37 deaths after the reported death of a woman living in Snohomish County. Four people have now died in the county.
March 13 – King County announced five new deaths. Three of the deaths were elderly women who lived at the Life Care Center, taking the total number of deaths at the center to 25. The other two deaths were men. In total, 32 people have now died from the coronavirus in King County.
March 12 – Snohomish County also reported a new coronavirus death, a woman in her 80s. It's the county's third death and the state's 31st.
March 12 – One new death in King County. This person was a man in his 80s. He was not a Life Care Center resident. That's 27 deaths in King County now.
March 11 – Four new deaths in King County. That's now 26 dead in King County alone. Three of the four people confirmed to have died were Life Care Center residents, upping the number of Life Care Center deaths to 22. Three of the people who died were also in their 90s, raising the overall average age of death to 78.
March 11 – A man in his 80s was confirmed to have died. He was connected to Josephine Caring Community.
March 10 – Two new deaths, but neither of these deaths were associated with Life Care Center. Both were elderly patients though who were residents of other nursing homes in King County. A total of 22 people have now died in King County and 24 in Washington. Of those deaths, 19 are associated with Life Care Center.
March 9 – Three new deaths, bringing the total to 20 in King County and 22 in Washington.
March 8 – The first confirmed death in Grant County was a person in their 80s. Grant County did not initially give this person's gender but later identified them as a man. The total coronavirus death toll in Washington is now 19.
March 8 – Two new deaths, bringing the total to 17 in King County and 18 in Washington.
March 7 – Four new deaths, bringing the total to 15 in King County and 16 in Washington. Each were Life Care Center residents in their 70s or 80s.
March 6 – One new death, bringing the total to 11 in King County and 12 in Washington. The man who died was not a resident of Life Care Center, but got the disease as a visitor to the facility.
March 5 – One new death, bringing the total to 10 in King County and 11 in Washington. Both of the last two deaths were women in their 90s.
March 4 – One new death, bringing total to 9 in King County and 10 in Washington.
March 3 – Three new deaths reported, bringing the total to 8 in King County and 9 in Washington. One of those people killed was never hospitalized. She was a woman in her 80s, a resident of Life Care Center, and she died at her family home.
March 2 – A man in his 40s from Snohomish County was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in King County and died of underlying medical conditions. This is the first death in Snohomish County
March 2 – Three new deaths reported in King County, all people above the age of 70, a man and two women.
March 1 – A man in his 70s was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth. He had underlying health conditions and died on Feb. 29 in King County.
Feb. 29 – The individual who died was a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions who had no history of travel or contact with a known COVID-19 case. He died on Feb. 28 in King County.


The Dayton Boat Dock Rigs have been the go to umbrella rig on Chickamauga since its inception. With a couple of styles to fit every angler, catch the trophy catch of a lifetime with this rig!
The Harvester Rig is made with high quality wire arms and heavy duty swivels. The Harvester has a two layer design that is unique to Hog Farmer. This gives the rig a layered bait fish school design. This rig creates a ton of flash coming through the water with its 7 spinning willow blades and has a lot of drawing power for big fish. The high quality components will not compromise on big fish. These rigs were designed and tested on the legendary Tennessee River by the best local anglers and deliver results around the country. The arms on the rig are designed to flex and move during the retreive to give your baits lifelike movement. These rigs are designed by fisherman for fisherman to help you put fish in your boat.
The Hog Farmer Umbrella Rig is made with high quality wire arms and heavy duty swivels. This rig creates flash coming through the water with its 4 spinning willow blades and has a lot of drawing power for big fish. The high quality components will not compromise on big fish. These rigs were designed and tested on the legendary Tennessee River by the best local anglers and deliver results around the country. The arms on the rig are designed to flex and move during the retreive to give your baits lifelike movement. These rigs are designed by fisherman for fisherman to help you put fish in your boat.
The Hog Farmer Umbrella Rig is made with high quality wire arms and heavy duty swivels. This rig creates a ton of flash coming through the water with its spinning willow blades and has a lot of drawing power for big fish. The high quality components will not compromise on big fish. These rigs were designed and tested on the legendary Tennessee River by the best local anglers and deliver results around the country. The arms on the rig are designed to flex and move during the retreive to give your baits lifelike movement. These rigs are designed by fisherman for fisherman to help you put fish in your boat.
The Hog Farmer Umbrella Rig is made with high quality wire arms and heavy duty swivels. This rig creates a ton of flash coming through the water with its 8 spinning willow blades and has a lot of drawing power for big fish. The high quality components will not compromise on big fish. These rigs were designed and tested on the legendary Tennessee River by the best local anglers and deliver results around the country. The arms on the rig are designed to flex and move during the retreive to give your baits lifelike movement. These rigs are designed by fisherman for fisherman to help you put fish in your boat.
The Hog Farmer Umbrella Rig is made with the same high quality wire arms and heavy duty swivels as the other Hog Farmer rigs, just in a more compact size. This rig creates a ton of flash coming through the water with its 8 spinning willow blades and has a lot of drawing power for big fish. The high quality components will not compromise on big fish. These rigs were designed and tested on the legendary Tennessee River by the best local anglers and deliver results around the country. The arms on the rig are designed to flex and move during the retreive to give your baits lifelike movement. These rigs are designed by fisherman for fisherman to help you put fish in your boat.
The BFL Rig is designed by Hog Farmer to meet FLW's rules on Umbrella Rigs so they can be thrown by tournament anglers. The rig is made with quality components like heavy duty camo wire, 80lb snap swivels, bright willow blades, heavy duty split rings, and bearing swivels. These rigs were designed and tested on the legendary Tennessee River by the best local anglers and deliver results around the country. The arms on the rig are designed to flex and move during the retrieve to give your baits lifelike movement. These rigs are designed by fisherman for fisherman to help you put fish in your boat.


text:
Elizabeth Warren Trashes Bitcoin, Dogecoin and Other Crypto in Senate Hearing
Crypto is "a lousy investment," and "a haven for illegal activity," says the U.S. Senator.
By Will Gottsegen
Jun 9, 2021 Jun 9, 2021
Elizabeth Warren. Image: Maverick Pictures/Shutterstock
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) levied serious criticisms against cryptocurrency during a hearing of the Senate Banking Committee.
She attacked its role in scams, hacks, and the climate crisis.
The hearing was focused on the development of a potential central bank digital currency (CBDC).
During a hearing on the development of a potential central bank digital currency, Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized cryptocurrencies for their role in facilitating scams, ransomware attacks, and pollution.
In her opening statement, Warren called crypto a "fourth-rate alternative to real currency," thanks to its being a "a lousy way to buy and sell things," "a lousy investment," and "a haven for illegal activity."
"Unlike the dollar," said Warren, "their value fluctuates wildly depending on the whims of speculative day traders. In just the last two months, the value of Dogecoin increased by more than tenfold, and then declined by 60%," she said. "That may work for speculators, and fly-by-night investors, but not for regular people looking for a regular source of value to get paid in and to use for day to day spending."
But Warren made clear that her criticisms weren't limited to just Bitcoin or Dogecoin. Most cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile, she reasoned, which makes them difficult to use as a medium of exchange. She also cited crypto's lack of consumer protection laws, which leave little legal recourse for victims of scams. As for how crypto facilitates some forms of illegal activity, Warren mentioned recent ransomware attacks on Colonial Pipeline and JBS, a meat supply company, both of which involved crypto payments.
"Every hack that is successfully paid off with a cryptocurrency becomes an advertisement for more hackers to try more cyberattacks," argued Warren.
When Bloomberg initially reported that Colonial Pipeline had paid a ransom to a Russian collective called DarkSide, it claimed the company executed the payment in an "untraceable cryptocurrency."
"Untraceable" doesn't typically refer to a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, which records transactions on a public ledger. Savvier criminals, as we reported at the time, tend to stick with privacy coins, such as Zcash and Monero.
It turned out that DarkSide did ask for Bitcoin—and just a few weeks later, the U.S. Department of Justice managed to recover part of the ransom. So some attacks, at least, aren't great advertisements for the benefits of crypto as a tool for criminal activity.
Warren's remarks were part of a broader point about the differences between the promise of crypto as articulated by its loudest proponents, and the reality of how these technologies are currently being used.
"Crypto's promises haven't come to pass," she said.
Warren also asked Columbia Law professor Lev Menand whether stablecoins—a type of cryptocurrency that's pegged to the value of a fiat currency, and so theoretically maintains a "stable" price—could be a reliable alternative to a digital currency controlled by a central bank.
"Certainly not," he said. "They're dangerous to both their users, and as they grow, to the broader financial system."
Part of this reasoning has to do with the idea that if people lose confidence in stablecoins, bagholders might just dump them en masse. "The people who are slow to get out could be left with significant losses," explained Menand.
This isn't a hypothetical—the value of Tether, the most valuable dollar-pegged stablecoin, fell to $0.95 during last month's market crash.
Warren also mentioned what's become the most common critique of cryptocurrency: that it incentivizes world-historic levels of energy consumption, much of which ends up coming from power grids reliant on fossil fuels.
Even still, Warren was open to the possibility of a central bank digital currency—something backed by the U.S. government, and subject to regulation.
"Legitimate digital public money could help drive out bogus digital private money," she said. "It could help improve financial inclusion, efficiency, and the safety of our financial system if that digital public money is well-designed and efficiently executed, which are two very big 'ifs.'"
https://decrypt.co/73191/elizabeth-warren-bitcoin-dogecoin-crypto-senate-hearing


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Q: Does the C11 keyword '_Atomic' count as type qualifier or specifier if followed by a whitespace and a left parenthesis? Reading the N1570 draft of the C11 standard, it says on p. 121 about the _Atomic keyword:

If the _Atomic keyword is immediately followed by a left parenthesis,
  it is interpreted as a type specifier (with a type name), not as a
  type qualifier.

Now I am wondering, what constitutes as 'immediate' in this context?
I find the wording quite ambiguous:
Are the two following lines of code guaranteed by the standard to always be identical?
Unambiguous:
static _Atomic(type) var;

Ambiguous:
static _Atomic (type) var;

Does the insertion of a whitespace destroy the immediacy of the left parenthesis?
While in the first case, the keyword is always a type specifier, in the second case I am not sure whether it is a type specifier or a type qualifier and whether that is a question of interpretation or firmly defined by the standard. I am also referring to cases where 'var' is a pointer.

A: Your two lines of code are identical; "immediately followed by" means the next phase 7 token, not the next character in the source file.
I don't believe this is ever stated explicitly anywhere, but it's instructive to compare the specification of the one place in C where the presence or absence of whitespace between an identifier and a left parenthesis does control which of two grammar rules applies:
#define foo(bar) ...  // defines function-like macro 'foo(bar)' with replacement '...'
#define foo (bar) ... // defines object-like macro 'foo' with replacement '(bar) ...'

That's 6.10.3, easiest understood by reading paragraphs 9, 10, and 3 in that order:

[9] A preprocessing directive of the form
# define identifier replacement-list new-line

defines an object-like macro ...
[10]   A preprocessing directive of the form[s]
# define identifier lparen identifier-listopt ) replacement-list new-line
[...two other forms...]

defines a function-like macro ...
[3] There shall be white-space between the identifier and the replacement list in the definition of an object-like macro.

The inference you can draw from this is that when the C standard means to give whitespace significance in the grammar, it says so explicitly.  When there is no such explicit statement, you can assume that the presence or absence of whitespace is only significant when it affects how the source text is divided into tokens.

A: _Atomic as a type specifier or type qualifier is shown in the grammar in clauses 6.7.2.4 and 6.7.3, respectively. The grammar is expressed in tokens (the terminal symbols of the grammar are the tokens defined by the C specification), and the grammar is analyzed in translation phase 7 (clause 5.1.1.2):

White-space characters separating tokens are no longer significant. Each preprocessing token is converted into a token. The resulting tokens are syntactically and semantically analyzed and translated as a translation unit.

Thus, white space is irrelevant.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The aim – to ensure that project implementation is achieved in timely manner with expected results.
WP2 – activation, adoption and upgrading of existing components of production line at BL facility as well as of GRP which are needed to produce the innovative product at certain market quality.
The aim – upgrading existing facilities of SMEs to establish modern, automatic and sustainable production concept capable of production of marketable RUCONBAR.
WP3- prototype optimisation and quality to achieve a product of certified and continuous quality.
The aim – to produce optimised and certificated noise production barrier RUCONBAR with international quality ready for market uptake in infrastructures and urban areas.
WP4 – develops a business and marketing strategy needed for commercialisation of the product in Croatia and transferability and replication of the RUCONBAR concept in other European countries.
WP6 – dissemination activities that are aimed towards target groups, key actors and scientific and expert community.


The newest nightlife experience in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego is found at The Oxford Social Club. Their motto is "Be Sophisticated, Or Don't", and they are bringing the focus back to the party being about the people who are there. Don't worry they have not forgotten fantastic music, local appeal, and club design that is stunning. Come experience what the next iteration is all about.


text:
Lady GaGa – The Fame (Polydor)
January 26, 2009 The Badger 0
Despite my best efforts, it's stupidly difficult to believe that Joanne Stefani Germanotta was ever in the position of being dropped from a record label. "It just wasn't working for them," 22-year-old Germanotta has explained of the brief period she spent at hip-hop label Def Jam, and for all I know her reasoning may be perfectly valid.
But even so, I can't help but toy with the possibility that executives may have made a terrible mistake by terminating her recording contract after three short months – because, as I write this, everyone seems to have gone a bit, err, gaga for the self-confessed fashionista (better known, of course, as Lady GaGa; a stage name derived from Queen's hit 'Radio Gaga').
And rightly so. For one, 'Just Dance' – the completely irresistible piece of pop currently basking in a second week of number-one shaped glory – invites one to do just as the track instructs. And while The Fame doesn't seem to be a showcase of thirteen instantly infectious and unforgettable tracks, it certainly doesn't disappoint either. Sure, the Gwen Stefani similarities are plentiful, but occasionally the New York-based solo star breaks out of the mould into her very own strain of pop-cum-dance, and it is this which proves most interesting. "I don't want to be one song," Lady GaGa has said of her career. "I want to be the next 25 years of pop music." A little ambitious, perhaps; The Fame definitely doesn't guarantee her this. But the debut record has its moments and has set her on the right path at least. Not bad at all.
Tags: Just Dance lady gaga Sunglasses The Fame
Categories: Music
Author: The Badger
Moral dilemmas that must be faced
Young people feel increasingly depressed
Live review: Live At Leeds 2017
Write them off at your peril
Review: Charli XCX's Charli
Review: A$AP Rocky Cosy Tapes Vol One, Friends


text:
PIB – 14 DECEMBER 2021
Home » PIB – 14 DECEMBER 2021
PIB, PIB Summaries - December 2021, Uncategorized
LOKPAL ONLINE
CHILDREN VULNERABLE TO INFECTIOUS DISEASES
NATIONAL HELPLINE AGAINST ATROCITIES
Focus: GS Paper – 2: Transparency & Accountability,Issues Arising Out of Design & Implementation of Policies, Statutory Bodies
Chairperson, Lokpal of India inaugurated' a digital Platform for Management of Complaints called 'LokpalOnline' here that can be accessed by all citizens of the country and complaints can be filed from anywhere, anytime at http://lokpalonline.gov.in.
It is an end-to-end digital solution for the management of complaints against public servants filed under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.
This web-based facility will quicken the disposal of complaints in an accountable, transparent and efficient manner with benefits to all stakeholders.
It facilitates handling of complaints during the complete lifecycle of the Complaint, right from its filing to the final disposal and this will bring more transparency and efficiency in the complaint handling mechanism.
The Portal, hosted on NIC Cloud, has been developed on an Open Source Technology.
Its security audit has been done by an agency empanelled by the CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Important features of this digital platform are following:
Convenience to complainants for filing complaint online from anywhere anytime
Information to the complainant about action on complaint at every stage through e-mails and SMS
Facility to complainant to ascertain status of complaint at anytime
Identity of the complaint is kept confidential
The CVC, CBI and other inquiry agencies can upload their reports directly on 'LokpalOnline' platform.
Reminders to inquiry agencies through e-mails and SMS
Generation of analytical reports as per requirement.
About Lokpal:
The Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013 provided for the establishment of Lokpal for the Union and Lokayukta for States.
These institutions are statutory bodies without any constitutional status.
It is an institution that will inquire into allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries.
Composition – The Lokpal shall consist of a chairperson and up to eight members.
The chairperson and at least half of the members have to be current or former judges of the Supreme Court or Chief Justices of High Courts.
Focus: GS Paper – 2: Government Policies & Interventions, GS Paper – 3: Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Growth & Development, Conservation
Bharat Petroleum collaborates with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre for Green Hydrogen production
It is a collaborationtoscale-up Alkaline Electrolyser technology for Green Hydrogen production.
Significance:
Presently, Electrolyser Plants are imported.
This is a first of its kind initiative to support the country's commitment to achieve renewable energy targets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Currently, Hydrogen is made at the Refinery via. Steam Reforming of Natural gas, but this results in high CO2 emission.
Refineries use large quantities of Hydrogen for de-sulfurization to make petrol, diesel and other chemicals.
Refiners are setting up large scale electrolysers to produce Green Hydrogen from water and thereby decarbonize Hydrogen production.
This is a significant step towards "Atmanirbhar Bharat" in the journey for achieving Net Zero Emissions by 2040."
About Green Hydrogen:
It is hydrogen that is generated entirely by renewable energy.
It has significantly lower carbon emissions than grey hydrogen, which is produced by steam reforming of natural gas and represents 95% of the market.
It can act as an energy storage option, which would be essential to meet intermittencies (of renewable energy) in the future.
Due to their high efficiency and zero-or near zero-emissions operation, hydrogen and fuel cells have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emission in many applications.
This energy is vital for India to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) Targets and ensure regional and national energy security, access and availability.
Focus: GS Paper – 2: Health, Issues Related to Children, Issues Related to Women
Scientists have found that climate parameters accounted for 9-18% of the total infectious disease cases in a study to probe the association between climate parameters and infectious diseases in children under 16-years-of-age in Varanasi-city in central Indo-Gangetic Plane.
A study was undertaken for the first time over the central Indo-Gangetic Plain region DST-Mahamana Center of Excellence in Climate Change Research, BHU, explored the association between climate parameters and infectious diseases in a three-year follow-up prospective cohort of 461 children under 16-years-of-age in Varanasi city.
Climate change driven by anthropogenic activities may challenge the gains in public health over the past many years, particularly in a country like India that ranks high in the list of climate-vulnerable countries in the world.
Globally, it is estimated that children are to bear most of the burden of disease due to climate change, with the poorest disproportionately affected.
The higher risk associated with children is due to the combination of physiological vulnerability as well as the risk of exposure.
Accounting for extensive socioeconomic household data and child anthropometric measurements, the researchers established that climate parameters like temperature, humidity, rainfall, solar radiation, and wind speed were significantly associated with the infectious diseases– gastrointestinal diseases, respiratory diseases, vector-borne diseases, and skin diseases, in children in Varanasi.
Findings from this study draw the attention of government and policymakers to prioritize effective measures for child health as the present association may increase disease burden in the future under climate-change scenarios in already malnourished pediatric population through multiple pathways.
The study further inspires and provides a background for more epidemiological studies to provide evidence for future burden of diseases associated with childhood malady.
NATIONAL HELPLINE AGAINST ATROCITIES (NHAA)
Focus: GS Paper – 2: Government Policies & Interventions, Issues Related to SCs & STs, Judiciary, Issues Arising Out of Design & Implementation of Policies
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar has launched a National Helpline Against Atrocities (NHAA) on December 13th, 2021
The Helpline is now available round the clock on toll-free number "14566" across the country in Hindi, English and regional language of the State/UTs.
Helpline number: It will ensure proper implementation of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) [PoA] Act, 1989
Web-portal: A web based self-service portal, the NHAA will generate informed awareness about the various provisions of the Prevention of Atrocities (PoA) Act, 1989 and the Protection of Civil Right (PCR) Act.
It will ensure that every complaint is registered as FIRs, relief is provided, all registered complaints are investigated and all chargesheets filed are prosecuted in the Courts for decision – all within the given timelines in the Act.
Tracking system: Status of the Grievance can be tracked by complainant/NGOs Online.
Auto compliance of the Acts: Every provision of the Acts related to victim shall be monitored and compliance shall be ensured by triggering communication/ reminders with State/UT implementing authorities in the form of sending messages / E-mails.
Generation of awareness: Any inquiry shall be replied by IVR or operators in Hindi, English and Regional languages.
Feedback system is available
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act:
The Act was enacted in 1989 with a prime objective view of preventing atrocities on members of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
The Act lists various offenses relating to various patterns or behaviors inflicting criminal offenses and breaking the self-respect and esteem of the scheduled castes and tribes community, which includes denial of economic, democratic, and social rights, discrimination, exploitation, and abuse of the legal process.
Under section 18 of the act, provision for anticipatory bail is not available to the offenders.
Any public servant, who deliberately neglects his duties under this act, is liable to punishment with imprisonment for up to 6 months.
Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2015 was introduced to make the act more stringent.
It recognized more instances of "atrocities" as crimes against SCs and STs.
It provided for the establishment of exclusive special courts and special public prosecutors to try offenses under the PoA Act.
Act defined the term 'willful negligence' in the context of public servants at all levels, starting from the registration of the complaint to dereliction of duty under this Act.


…each of these races was a battle of the elements! In New York we dealt with some fierce winds and then in Florida the skies decided to open up and downpour pretty much JUST during the few hours that we were running!
Although my NYCM recap was quite long, it really was only a recap of the actual race, I plan on writing another post with some of my overall thoughts and tips for the New York City Marathon, so if you have any questions you'd like me to address, please leave a comment and let me know!
Friday – fly to Disney World!
Sunday – Walking around Disney World!
Saturday – rest/ walk on the beach!
It may be cold out, but we still enjoyed a walk on the beach!
Please check out the Frontrunner Jacket from Athleta. It is amazing and I wore it not once, but twice during races yesterday,. First for my 8k and then with Christine during part of the marathon. I also have Meb's book on my list, Spirit of the Marathon 2 DVD, and the Thorlos gift pack of socks would be nice!
I love Athleta (and I miss having one right in my town since I moved!), I'll have to check that jacket out!
And Meb's book is great! I was fortunate to be able to buy a copy when I met him at the Falmouth Road Race and have him autograph it!
Hey Dani…. sorry to hear you were sick. Hope by the time you read this you are feeling better. Don't forget to take you zinc (E-Z)… it really works.


text:
Tarbert ist ein Ort auf der Kintyre-Halbinsel in der schottischen Council Area Argyll and Bute. Er liegt am Ufer von East Loch Tarbert, einer Bucht am Westufer von Loch Fyne. Tarbert ist 20 km von Lochgilphead entfernt. Im Jahr 2011 hatte es eine Bevölkerung von 1130 Einwohnern.

Geschichte
Der Name stammt aus dem Gälischen und bedeutet Isthmus. Im 6./7. Jahrhundert gehörte der Ort zum Königreich Dalriada der Skoten. In den Annalen von Ulster wird er im Jahr 731 unter dem Namen Tairpert zuerst erwähnt. 1098 ließ König Magnus Barfuß von Norwegen auf seinem ersten Schottland-Feldzug sein Langschiff von seinen Männern über den Isthmus ziehen.
Aus dem 13., 14. und vor allem 16. Jahrhundert stammen die Ruinen von Tarbert Castle.

Verkehr
In historischen Zeiten war die Verbindung über den Isthmus immer sehr wichtig, bot sie doch eine erhebliche Abkürzung auf dem Weg von Schottland zu den westlichen Inseln. Heute wird Tarpert von der A83 durchquert, welche die Halbinsel Kintyre an das Fernstraßennetz anbindet. In der Ortsmitte zweigt die A8015 nach Osten ab, die außer dem Fährhafen von Tarbert lediglich einige Siedlungen östlich des Ortes anbindet und am Ufer von Loch Fyne endet. Es gibt Fährverbindungen nach Portavadie am Ostufer von Loch Fyne auf der Halbinsel Cowal und nach Lochranza auf der Isle of Arran, letztere nur im Sommer.

Wirtschaft
Haupterwerbszweig war stets die (Herings-)Fischerei, die heute gefährdet ist. Aus dem Jahr 1840 stammt der Hafen. Heute spielt der Tourismus an der zerklüfteten Küste mit ihren muschelübersäten Stränden eine immer wichtigere Rolle. Auch die Tweed-Produktion ist bedeutend. Die Regatta von Tarbert ist die zweitgrößte des Vereinigten Königreichs.

Persönlichkeiten
 John MacDougall Hay (1879–1919), Pfarrer und Autor eines düsteren Romans (Gillespie, 1914) über einen fiktiven, für die damalige Zeit typischen Unternehmer in seiner (im Roman nicht genannten) Heimatstadt

Einzelnachweise

Weblinks
 Offizielle Website

Ort in Argyll and Bute
Kintyre
Ort mit Seehafen

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The ultimative "Flow" experience Freeriding is about the fascination of absolute freedom in breathtaking nature. If you are an expert on-piste already, this could be just what you are looking for. Improve your freeride off-piste skiing with the A - Z pros! Advanced powder technique and versatility are the keys to mastering the whole mountain. Your skiing will be pushed to the limit in a variety of conditions and terrain throughout the Arlberg Ski Area. We will develop your performance through strategically designed exercises and drills that really work. Equipment:helmet, freeride skis, VS-device, shovel, avalanche probe.Requirements:Expert on-piste carving, some experience in powder and terrain, good physical shape, no fear of heights and enthusiasm for freeriding.