The 'D'Oliveira Affair' was highlighted in an award-winning BBC documentary 'Not Cricket'. In 1968, my father, Basil D'Oliveira, became the centre of a row that rocked the political and sporting establishment.
Immediately after scoring a superb 158 in the final test against Australia he was excluded from the England team picked to tour apartheid South Africa - apparently because of his race.
It was a pivotal point in late 20th-century politics and led to the sporting boycott of South Africa, which in turn led, as much as any other thing, to the fall of apartheid. It's an amazing example of the connection between sport and politics. When you see the British Establishment pulling together to make the unthinkable happen, it's quite something. It's one of those lovely stories where exactly what we thought had gone on has now been proved to be the case with the opening of the archives in South Africa.
Everything was being run from Pretoria to exclude him. There is incontrovertible evidence of collusion between the South African cricket authorities and the South African government; whereas in England the MCC always said they were just cricket people and had nothing to do with the government. On the contrary, it's been proved that they worked totally together. It's also more than that. There was probably some collusion between the MCC and the South African government. As far as they were concerned, it was fine that my father was excluded.
The immediate significance of the D'Oliveira affair was to help show the outside world what apartheid really was. The National Party introduced racial segregation when they came to power in 1948 but South Africa continued to be part of the Commonwealth after that. Many people didn't really understand what was going on there until the D'Oliveira Affair. Here was a man who didn't look particularly dark-skinned, but the inequity of the South African system meant you were classified either white or non-white and since he was classified as non-white he could play no part in the national sporting life of his country.
Today my father is a much-loved figure, however he's extremely modest about his political achievement. One of the ironies of this story is that he obviously had a very significant political effect and the reason he was able to do that was that he always presented himself as an apolitical figure. He was really following Alec Douglas-Home's advice: "Keep out of politics, and if you continue to score runs then you'll be more effective". His public statements were always, "I am not saying anything, I am just trying to play cricket with the best in the world." That became a fantastically powerful message, though, because it was so patently absurd that he wasn't allowed to. His non-selection was a shameful betrayal of him.
My father is adamant that Colin Cowdrey, England's captain at the time, told him that he would be picked for the South Africa tour. However, according to Professor Bruce Murray, who spoke to Cowdrey about this shortly before he died. Cowdrey told him that you must remember that D'Oliveira was chosen as the first substitute. That was probably the compromise. So they chose Cartwright, someone who wasn't fit, announced the team, and then hoped to slip in D'Oliveira afterwards.
"I think he was one of the great all-rounders. Basil D'Oliveira didn't start playing test cricket until he was 34 - that's the same age that Gary Sobers retired at. Its phenomenal that he continued playing in his late 30s and early 40s. He was always battling, not just race, but age. It is one of the great human stories of sport. It's like a fairy tale."
In conclusion, I am constantly asked about how my father dealt with the whole affair and what he thinks today, so I know that the interest has never waned about him. We have a unique story to tell and over time we will reveal the effects it has had on him and how as a family we have coped.


This article appears in Spring 2019: Issue No. 56 of Edible Brooklyn of Edible Brooklyn.
In Crown Heights, Glady's beverage director Shannon Mustipher delivers a lively urban escape from the day to day. She's also shared with us her go-to's du jour.
Appearances are not deceiving at Glady's in Crown Heights. A block north of the Franklin Avenue stop at Eastern Parkway, the vibrant turquoise and highlighter-yellow facade promises a lively urban escape, and thanks to beverage director Shannon Mustipher, it delivers.
Mustipher is a rum expert and author of the upcoming book Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails out next month. The book includes over 90 drink recipes in a range of formats, all infused with her historical and mixology knowledge (see her Halekulani recipe for proof) . She's also a member of our Collective, or group of over 300 local food and drink pros working together to share ideas and enhance their skills.
Mustipher's selections range from an aromatic Jamaican rum and California brandy to an herbal liqueur, a Madeira and a highly botanical gin.
Mustipher is a rum expert and author of the upcoming book Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails out next month. The book includes over 90 drink recipes in a range of formats, all infused with her historical and mixology knowledge.
Sipsmith goes lighter on the juniper and focuses more on it's botanical elements, resulting in a softer, herbacious gin.


text:
module Azure::Web::Mgmt::V2016_09_01
  module Models
    #
    # Usage of the quota resource.
    #
    class Usage < ProxyOnlyResource

      include MsRestAzure

      # @return [String] Friendly name shown in the UI.
      attr_accessor :display_name

      # @return [String] Name of the quota.
      attr_accessor :usage_name

      # @return [String] Name of the quota resource.
      attr_accessor :resource_name

      # @return [String] Units of measurement for the quota resource.
      attr_accessor :unit

      # @return [Integer] The current value of the resource counter.
      attr_accessor :current_value

      # @return [Integer] The resource limit.
      attr_accessor :limit

      # @return [DateTime] Next reset time for the resource counter.
      attr_accessor :next_reset_time

      # @return [ComputeModeOptions] Compute mode used for this usage. Possible
      # values include: 'Shared', 'Dedicated', 'Dynamic'
      attr_accessor :compute_mode

      # @return [String] Site mode used for this usage.
      attr_accessor :site_mode

      #
      # Mapper for Usage class as Ruby Hash.
      # This will be used for serialization/deserialization.
      #
      def self.mapper()
        {
          client_side_validation: true,
          required: false,
          serialized_name: 'Usage',
          type: {
            name: 'Composite',
            class_name: 'Usage',
            model_properties: {
              id: {
                client_side_validation: true,
                required: false,
                read_only: true,
                serialized_name: 'id',
                type: {
                  name: 'String'
                }
              },
              name: {
                client_side_validation: true,
                required: false,
                read_only: true,
                serialized_name: 'name',
                type: {
                  name: 'String'
                }
              },
              kind: {
                client_side_validation: true,
                required: false,
                serialized_name: 'kind',
                type: {
                  name: 'String'
                }
              },
              type: {
                client_side_validation: true,
                required: false,
                read_only: true,
                serialized_name: 'type',
                type: {
                  name: 'String'
                }
              },
              display_name: {
                client_side_validation: true,
                required: false,
                read_only: true,
                serialized_name: 'properties.displayName',
                type: {
                  name: 'String'
                }
              },
              usage_name: {
                client_side_validation: true,
                required: false,
                read_only: true,
                serialized_name: 'properties.name',
                type: {
                  name: 'String'
                }
              },
              resource_name: {
                client_side_validation: true,
                required: false,
                read_only: true,
                serialized_name: 'properties.resourceName',
                type: {
                  name: 'String'
                }
              },
              unit: {
                client_side_validation: true,
                required: false,
                read_only: true,
                serialized_name: 'properties.unit',
                type: {
                  name: 'String'
                }
              },
              current_value: {
                client_side_validation: true,
                required: false,
                read_only: true,
                serialized_name: 'properties.currentValue',
                type: {
                  name: 'Number'
                }
              },
              limit: {
                client_side_validation: true,
                required: false,
                read_only: true,
                serialized_name: 'properties.limit',
                type: {
                  name: 'Number'
                }
              },
              next_reset_time: {
                client_side_validation: true,
                required: false,
                read_only: true,
                serialized_name: 'properties.nextResetTime',
                type: {
                  name: 'DateTime'
                }
              },
              compute_mode: {
                client_side_validation: true,
                required: false,
                read_only: true,
                serialized_name: 'properties.computeMode',
                type: {
                  name: 'Enum',
                  module: 'ComputeModeOptions'
                }
              },
              site_mode: {
                client_side_validation: true,
                required: false,
                read_only: true,
                serialized_name: 'properties.siteMode',
                type: {
                  name: 'String'
                }
              }
            }
          }
        }
      end
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
LCH Welcomes New Medical Director and Director of Development
New Executive Staff with Chester County Connections Join Leadership Team.
LCH Health and Community Services (LCH), a Federally Qualified Health Center in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, recently welcomed new staff to their executive leadership team: Joseph A. Greco, MD, Medical Director, and Kate Wickersham, CFRE, Director of Development.
Joseph A. Greco, MD, LCH Medical Director
As Medical Director, Dr. Greco oversees the providers at LCH's three locations: community health centers in Oxford and Kennett Square and a specialty care site in West Grove that houses pediatrics, women's health and prenatal, and dental care. Dr. Greco, who is Board Certified in Family Practice, holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine, is a Fellow at the American Academy of Family Physicians, and a Diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examiners. Dr. Greco received his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and his Doctor of Medicine from the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.
"We are thrilled to have Dr. Greco join our team," said Ronan W. Gannon, LCH's Chief Executive Officer. "He has broad experience as a Clinical Professor, Program Director, and Medical Director. His expertise and experience will bring such important leadership and management to our health care staff."
Kate Wickersham, CFRE, LCH Director of Development
As Director of Development, Kate focuses on spreading the word about LCH's mission of providing integrated health and community services to southern Chester County: connecting and building relationships with donors as well as managing grants and other funding opportunities. "Kate has so much heart for the work that we do as a community health center," said Gannon. "I can't wait for the community to get to know her and share her energy in our mission." Kate has a B.A. from Widener University and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).
Both Dr. Greco and Wickersham have close ties to Chester County. Dr. Greco resided in Phoenixville for over 20 years. He moved away from the area two years ago and was working in central California for Adventist Health. During the pandemic, he worked closely with an immigrant farming community in the Central Valley. "After two years away, I was ready to return to my roots here in Chester County at a community health center like LCH," said Dr. Greco. "This is a wonderful community, and I can't wait to reacquaint myself with the area." Click here to watch a short Meet the Team video from Dr. Greco.
Wickersham has lived in Chester County for most of her life, raising her family and growing in her profession. "I love this area", said Wickersham. "Our community is so connected and passionate about supporting one another. LCH's mission of providing quality, integrated health care to all in our community, and truly being patient centered is exciting. I look forward to serving Chester County with the amazing team at LCH Health and Community Services." Click here to watch a short Meet the Team video from Kate Wickersham.
Dr. Greco and Wickersham are a part of the executive leadership team at LCH, a group of seven staff that oversee ninety LCH staff members across its three locations. LCH provides care for over 8,000 patients each year.
Release also published by the Daily Local on January 18th

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Tsering Lama, now living with family in Kathmandu, is originally from Langtang Village. Tsering has taken an important role as a leader within the project. Recently, she has been involved in documenting an important festival in Langtang that marked a new beginning for the community as they continue to make efforts toward moving forward after the devastating earthquake in 2015. She is primarily interested in preserving the heritage of her hometown, emphasizing the forces that global economies, tourism, and disaster have had on Langtang.


text:
ControlNewsRecent Articles
With Everyone Focused on Ferguson, Obama Quietly Passed 3,400 New Regulations Before Thanksgiving
Alexander LightNovember 30, 2014
Although the government and mainstream media perfectly timed the Ferguson grand jury decision to go off right after President Obama passed executive amnesty (which, magically, no one in the mainstream media is talking about anymore), it also works out well for the White House that this event transpired right before the upcoming holiday.
Because the Obama administration has prepared, for the fifth time now, to oh-so-quietly release 3,415 brand spanking new regulations right before Thanksgiving while everyone just so happens to be totally distracted and focusing on the orchestrated civil disorder going on in Ferguson.
Via The Daily Caller:
The federal Unified Agenda is the Obama administration's regulatory road map, and it lays out thousands of regulations being finalized in the coming months. Under President Barack Obama, there has been a tradition of releasing the agenda late on Friday — and right before a major holiday.
"It's become an unfortunate tradition of this administration and others to drop these regulatory agendas late on a Friday and right before a holiday," Matt Shudtz, executive director of the Center for Progressive Reform, told The Hill newspaper.
The White House's regulatory agenda for spring 2014 was released on the eve of the Memorial Day weekend, when millions of people set out on weekend getaways or family vacations.
"It's unfortunate because it's an update on protections for Americans of all stripes," Shudtz told the Hill. "It lays out the administration's plan and it deserves more attention."
Nice, right? You can find a detailed list of the new regulations here.
Apparently, this release comes new and improved with even more regulations than last time, and it even comes complete with the added bonus of having 189 rules which come with a nice fat price tag of $100 million.
It's funny… Once upon a time, throwing out an amount like a hundred million would've made some people's eyeballs literally pop out of their heads.
I can use the word literally in a figurative sense now without being incorrect, because apparently we live in such an Idiocracy society that the official definition of the word "literally" has been updated to include "used for emphasis or to express strong feeling while not being literally true."
… I'm not even kidding.
Anyway, who knows what evil will be lurking in those 3,415 new regulations. No, really. Who knows? Hardly anyone knows, because these regs will be slipped in under cover of concocted protests in Ferguson, a plate full of turkey and stuffing, and a football game.
By Melissa Melton, Daily Sheeple;
Wi-Fi, A Deadly Serious Health Risk Previous post
NASA Probes Discover Invisible Force Shield Around Earth Next post
ConspiracyControl


Dr James Cuskelly is a celebrated music educator, lecturer, musician and mentor. He is internationally renowned for his knowledge of Kodály methodology and practice, choral conducting, his research into the importance of meaning in music and his deep involvement in community music. With his work as a music education lecturer and facilitator, James been influential in the lives and careers of thousands of school-aged to tertiary students and has mentored generations of music teachers, conductors, performers and lecturers. James' commitment to the teaching and practice of music, as well as his mentorship of his students has improved musicianship globally.
James is extremely active in the advancement of Kodály methodology as the President of the International Kodály Society (2015 – present). He is respected for his inspiring keynote presentations at international, national and local music and music education symposia. He not only lectures in Kodály philosophy and pedagogy at numerous universities around the globe, but also runs the Summer School Music Program, alongside his partner Michael Muller, in Brisbane every year since 2009. The Summer School attracts expert lecturers from Hungary, England, Scotland, Malaysia, New Zealand, and America and offers a range of courses that allow musicians, students, educators and community members to engage in high-quality music-making in Jazz, Choral, Musical Theatre, Education, Instrumental and Opera programs. James has been instrumental in the development of courses that allow students to gain accreditation in the Australian Kodály Certificate and these are offered across Australia and the Asia Pacific region.
James embodies Zoltan Kodaly's vision of allowing people of all abilities, ages and backgrounds to access the best quality music. His humbleness and ability to work with a diverse range of people is lauded, especially in the choral world. His work as the Director of the Queensland Kodály Choir, which is made up of members of the Brisbane community, is a testament of James' ability to bring communities together.
Dr James Cuskelly is highly regarded for his contribution and service to the teaching profession, music education and for inspiring and mentoring many students and musicians to achieve performance and pedagogical excellence. He has transformed music education both locally and globally. Through his dedication, vision and inspirational teaching, he has empowered a new generation of musicians, music educators and those from non-musical backgrounds to understand the immense value of music in our everyday lives.
James' conceptualisation of music education has had a profound impact both on music education practice and on teacher training. Demonstrating a rare nexus between theory and praxis, he has remained involved in all levels of teaching throughout his career. He remains abreast of current trends in education and is consistently able to incorporate such ideas into relevant and effective classroom practice. James has been able to formulate music education which honours the traditions of music and music education but which also ensures powerful discipline-specific learning for students. His approach to music education has retained the integrity of the art form through an insistence on rigour and artistry while clearly demonstrating highly engaging and stimulating pedagogical approaches. His teaching has been a significant inspiration for the development of Kodály-based music education throughout Australia and this influence is felt globally through his work in the International Kodály Society.


text:
Gujarat a role model of development for India: CM Vijay Rupani
With immense focus on uplifting the life of people, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said that the state has emerged as a role model of development for the country
ETGovernment
Updated: February 08, 2020, 10:37 IST
With immense focus on uplifting the life of people, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said that the state has emerged as a role model of development for the country. Speaking at the valedictory ceremony of the Urban Transformation and Governance Summit 2020 organised by ETGovernment in association with Ahmedabad Smart City, the chief minister emphasized that Gujarat will continue the pace of development with renewed efforts. He said all the development in smart cities and the state in general is always focused on making the common man's life better.
Rupani said by providing a platform to share knowledge and ideas on development of smart cities, ETGovernment has shown a direction for development. Ahmedabad municipal corporation mayor Bijalben Patel, Mukesh Puri, Addl. Chief Secretary, Urban Development, Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra, Ahmedabad Smart City CEO, Nitin Sangwan and officials from various states participated in a day long summit.
Chief Minister also launched AmdaPark, parking direction app and Smart Anganwadi portal on the occasion.
Earlier in the day, the conference was inaugurated by the mayor of Ahmedabad Bijalben Patel, Mayor. She said that the city has been in the forefront of urban development and vying for the number one position in the country. She explained various projects being implemented in the city with a vision to make it most liveable city for all sections of the society.
In his welcome address, Vijay Nehra, Municipal Commissioner, Ahmedabad, said the summit is the much needed platform to share ideas and learn from each other. We can do much better by sharing expertise and experiences. Every city needs to learn from all other cities. We have been improving in urban governance like never before but still we can learn and do even better if we learn from each other.
Applauding the efforts made by the ETGovernment in creating a platform to share ideas in the field of urban transformation, Keshav Varma, Chairman, Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation, in his keynote address said 'urbanism' can become a pillar and an engine of growth. Citing the example of China, he said that the country could alleviate rural poverty by aggressively taking up urbanisation of its cities in a short span of few decades.
"We have to think about environmental aspects to make urban transformation sustainable and make cities liveable. We are creating an integrated ecosystem and every city is an expression of its genius," Varma said. "River bodies have to be very clean, he said adding that Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation is going ahead with a mission to make the riverfront world class in each aspect," he added.
Emphasizing the need for a perfect city management, Varma said "With professionalism in urban planning and development we can create liveable cities. Ensure quality in each of the facilities provided to people in general and not just a particular section of society."
In a video message, Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, highlighted the large scale urban transformation that is taking place in the country and said the cities are the engines of growth. An amount of Rs 2.50 lakh crore is being spent on 100 smart cities across the country.
In her address on Urban Planning and Urban Finance Linkages, D. Thara, joint secretary, AMRUT, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, said Ahmedabad has a hundred years of tradition of city planning from the time of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel who served as the mayor of the city. Because of a detailed and comprehensive planning, the city with 60 lakh population has emerged as one of the best cities in the country.
Participating in the inaugural function, Senior Special Correspondent Mohd Ujaley explained about the importance of sharing best practices among smart cities and how ETGovernment.com has emerged as the platform that enable exchange of ideas and innovation. "Urban local bodies and smart cities need to ensure that they do not create anything in silos and efforts should be made to make the best practices available for everyone," said Ujaley.
CM Shri @vijayrupanibjp addressed 'Urban Transformation and Governance Summit-2020: ETGovernment' at the Sabarmati… https://t.co/O4GuGdeFGZ
— CMO Gujarat (@CMOGuj) 1581096607000
Sharing his views Vinayak Sharma of Japan Bank for International Cooperation explained about the projects that his organisation is funding in various cities in the country. He said they will partner with smart cities to work with various corporations to make cities greener and waste water management.
Wasim Mulla, co-founder of ShowMyParking, gave a presentation on the smart parking application. He said citizens no longer need to worry about a parking slot when they go out for shopping or recreation and will pay only for the time they used a slot. It will reduce pollution and wastage of fuel in search of parking slots. The app also beneficial to various government agencies like municipal corporation, police as it can help them identify vehicle thefts based on parking data.
Tapan Gosaliye, Director, Amnex Technologies, said the company specialises in providing smart solutions for solid waste management, street lights and other infrastructure areas and partnered with various smart cities across the country.
Vijay Rupani
Vijay Nehra
Mohd Ujaley
Wider access to digital infrastructure crucial for economic growth: Economic Survey 2022-23
Green Mobility Drive: Over 9 lakh govt vehicles older than 15 yrs to go off the road from Apr 1: Nitin Gadkari
Govt to invite EoI for International Transhipment Port at Galathea Bay in Great Nicobar Island
Andhra Pradesh deploys facial recognition, geofencing technologies across state; 1 crore faces recorded daily
Budget 2023: Govt's efforts since 2014 have ensured for all citizens a better quality of life and life of dignity, says FM


text:
Mutuality & you Fund prices Make a claim Log in
Log in Search Close Menu Close
Book an appointment Contact us Live chat Search Close
Financial advice overview Close
We offer advice to Doctors Dentists Teachers
Financial planning Pensions & retirement Investments & savings Estate planning Protection
Why Wesleyan? Benefits of financial advice
Tools & guidance Financial calculators Cost of financial advice Financial planning webinars Guide to inheritance tax
Get financial advice Book an appointment
Savings & investments overview Close
Achieving your goals Getting started with investing Saving for a house Investing for children Investing for retirement
Products ISAs Investment plans With profits fund Unit trusts Savings accounts
Investor information Fund prices and performance Key information documents
Why Wesleyan? Investing with Wesleyan Sustainable investing Our investment team Protecting you online Book an appointment
Tools & guidance Investment calculator Cost of delay calculator Inflation effect calculator Guide to investing Stocks & shares ISA guide
Pensions & retirement overview Close
Achieving your goals Starting a pension Approaching retirement Taking early retirement Taking a flexible retirement
Pension products Personal pensions Annuities Pension drawdown
NHS pension NHS pension scheme guide Retirement planning guide Leaving the NHS pension scheme All NHS pension guides
Teachers' pension Teachers' pension scheme guide Retirement planning guide Early retirement All teachers' pension guides
Get advice Book an appointment
Mortgages overview Close
Achieving your goals Buying your first home Remortgaging Refurbishing your home
Mortgage products Mortgages Mortgage protection insurance
Tools & guidance Mortgage calculators Mortgage guide for doctors Mortgage guide for dentists Mortgage guide for teachers
Get mortgage advice Book an appointment
Insurance overview Close
Home Home insurance High-value home insurance Home insurance with claims history Holiday home insurance Non-standard home insurance Subsidence insurance Renovation insurance Landlord insurance
Motor Motor insurance High-value motor insurance Gap insurance Travel Travel insurance Medical elective insurance
Life Life assurance Critical illness cover Mortgage protection Income protection
Students Income protection for medical students Income protection for dental students
Tools and guidance Health risk calculator Insurance discounts for members
Fund prices Mutuality & you Make a claim
NHS Pension Scheme guide
How the NHS pension works
The three different parts of the NHS Pension Scheme
Which section of the NHS Pension Scheme are you in?
The McCloud judgement
How NHS pension contributions work
How much your NHS pension might pay
When and how you can claim your NHS pension
The NHS Pension Scheme is a well-earned benefit for the hard workers of the health service. But with three different parts of the scheme in operation, it's not the easiest thing to understand.
In this guide, we'll break down exactly how membership of the NHS pension works, and what it might mean for your future retirement plans.
The guide focuses mainly on hospital doctors and dentists. GPs and GDPs can find a separate guide here.
The way in which your NHS pension works depends much on when you joined the scheme. That's because there are three parts to the NHS pension – the old scheme, which has a 1995 section and a 2008 section, and the 2015 scheme.
For hospital doctors and dentists (also known as officers), the 1995 and 2008 sections predominantly pay a final salary pension, whereas the 2015 scheme is a career average (CARE) scheme.
For GPs and General Dental Practitioners, all parts of the schemes are CARE schemes.
Both these types of pension are known as 'defined benefit' schemes, because they promise to pay a pre-agreed income in your retirement.
In the final salary sections of the scheme, that pre-agreed income is calculated based on how much you're earning when you finish work. In the career average scheme, it's based on average earnings across your NHS employment.
Knowing which part of the NHS Pension Scheme you are in is key to understanding your benefits and planning your retirement. There's some guidance below, but if you'd like personal advice on the matter, you can book an appointment with a Specialist Financial Adviser from Wesleyan Services – an expert in the medical sector and the NHS Pension Scheme.
The 1995 section of the NHS Pension Scheme applies to members who joined the scheme before 1st April 2008. The 2008 scheme covers members who joined the scheme after this date, but before the 1st April 2015 (unless you chose to move from the 1995 section to the 2008 section when it launched).
Anyone who joined the NHS Pension Scheme on or after 1st April 2015, or who decides to join in the future, will be enrolled in the 2015 scheme.
So far, so simple. But many people who were in the 1995 and 2008 sections have since been moved into the 2015 scheme – unless their pensions were protected due to them being close to pensionable age.
Members who were within 10 years of retirement as at 1st April 2012 received full protection and can remain in their current section until they retire or leave the scheme.
Members who were more than 10 years, but less than 13 years and 5 months from retirement on 1st April 2012 were entitled to tapered protection. This meant their move to the 2015 scheme was delayed to a later date.
Any members who were more than 13 years and 5 months from retirement on 1st April 2012 received no protection. They were therefore moved to the 2015 scheme as soon as it was launched.
Complicating matters further, a recent ruling known as the McCloud judgement deemed these protections to be discriminatory against younger members.
As a result, members who were in service before 31st March 2012 and on or after 1st April 2015 (including those who've taken their pension already) will get to choose which scheme (the legacy scheme or the reformed 2015 scheme), they wish to receive benefits from for the remedy period from April 2015 to April 2022.
The members covered by the consultation include those who have accessed benefits since April 2015 and deferred members who have not had a disqualifying break.
For many of the affected members who were moved into the 2015 scheme, moving back into the 1995 or 2008 section of the scheme may yield better benefits – but might also mean paying more tax. Members who didn't move, meanwhile, may now be able to move to the 2015 scheme.
Following consultation, it's been decided that members will be asked to make their choice when they access their benefits. This approach, known as 'Deferred Choice Underpin (DCU)', allows members to make a choice based on their actual career and a known retirement date.
For support on the McCloud judgement and DCU, book an appointment with a Specialist Financial Adviser from Wesleyan Financial Services.
When you start working for the NHS, you automatically gain membership to the NHS Pension Scheme. The scheme is voluntary though, so you can opt out at any time.
If you choose to remain in the scheme, you'll pay a set contribution to your pension each month, which is automatically taken from your salary. The amount you have to contribute is dictated by how much you earn, starting at 5% for the lowest-earning bracket (5.2% in Scotland), and rising to 14.5% for the highest earners (14.7% in Scotland).
Your employer contributes to your pension too. Currently they are obliged to contribute 20.68% of your salary (20.9% in Scotland) regardless of what salary bracket you're in, or which part of the pension scheme you're in.
The contribution rates, shown in full in the table below, have been fixed until 31st March 2022. They may be subject to change thereafter.
England and Wales NHS pension contributions
Your contribution (before tax relief)
Employer's contribution
£0 - £15,431.99
£111,377 +
Scotland NHS pension contributions
£0 - £18,936
£18,937 - 23,228
The NHS pension is a defined benefit scheme. That means regardless of how much you accrue, your pension income is guaranteed to a certain level, as calculated by a formula.
That formula is slightly different depending on which part of the pension scheme you're in, and what kind of role you hold.
Hospital doctors and dentists (officers) can see how their pensions are calculated in the information below. If you're a GP or GDP (practitioners), you can see how your pension works here.
1995 section
If you're an officer in the 1995 section, your pension is usually calculated as 1/80th of your final salary (the greater of your salary for the last 365 days or the best of your last 3 years' pensionable pay), multiplied by the number of years you've been in the scheme.
The table below shows how much a hospital doctor or dentist might receive each year, based on this calculation.
Pension a doctor might get when they retire (1995 section), based on final salary and years spent in scheme
£20k salary
£100k salary
In addition, you will also get a lump sum, equivalent to three times your annual pension. If you want, you can give up some of your pension in exchange for a higher lump sum up to 25% of the notional fund value. If the lump sum is within 25% of your remaining lifetime allowance, it will be paid tax free.
If you are in the 2008 section, you will receive a pension based on 1/60th of your 'reckonable pay' for each year you have been a member of the NHS Pension Scheme.
Reckonable pay is the average of the best three consecutive years' pensionable pay received over the last 10 years before retirement.
You can usually take up to 25% of the notional fund value as a lump sum, but you would receive a reduced pension if you did so. If the lump sum is within 25% of your remaining lifetime allowance, it will be paid tax free.
The table below shows how much annual pension a hospital doctor or dentist might get if retiring at the normal retirement age, without taking a lump sum.
Pension a doctor might get when they retire (2008 section), based on reckonable pay (RP) and years spent in scheme
£20k RP
£100k RP
2015 scheme
The 2015 scheme is a career average scheme, based on 1/54th of your pensionable earnings each year. It's calculated the same way for both hospital doctors and dentists, and GPs and GDPs.
Here's how it works. Let's say you earn £25,000 in your first year of service. Your pension for that year would be 1/54th of £25,000 = £463.
This 'year one pot' gets revalued each year in line with inflation - so by the time you come to retire, it could be worth considerably more.
Meanwhile, you effectively continue to earn a new pension pot each year. If your salary goes up to £30,000 in year two, you'll put aside a pension of £555 that year – which again will be revalued every year.
When the time comes for you to retire, all your revalued pots of money are added together to calculate your final pension.
There's no automatic lump sum entitlement, but you may be able to take one in exchange for some of your annual pension. Any benefits you built up in the previous sections, prior to the transition to the 2015 section, are preserved.
Want to discuss your NHS Pension with an expert? Specialist Financial Advisers from Wesleyan Financial Services offer dedicated advice and can help you make the most of your benefits.
At what age can I take my NHS pension?
There's a 'normal pension age' (NPA) at which you can take your pension without any loss or reduction in benefits. Unsurprisingly, the NPA is different depending on which section of the NHS pension you're in.
If you're in the 1995 section, the normal pension age is 60. In the 2008 section, normal pension age is 65. In the 2015 section, the NPA is the same as your state pension age (or 65 if your state pension age is lower).
There is an option to retire early and take your pension at 55 (the minimum pension age), but this usually means a reduction in benefits, as your pension would need to pay out over a longer period. There are exceptions though. Some members of the 1995 section (including nurses and mental health officers) can take benefits at 55 without penalty, and others can leave at 50 if they had membership between 31st March 2000 and 5th April 2006.
Whatever age you take your pension at, you'll need to complete and return an AW8 form to your employer, three months before your retirement date, to ensure your NHS pension benefits are paid on time.
Can I take my pension and keep on working?
Yes, you can – and there are a number of options in place to help you change the way you work for the NHS while starting to take some of your pension benefits. These initiatives include 'stepping down' (reducing your level of responsibility), 'winding down' (reducing the number of hours you work) and even the option to 'retire and return'.
Remember though, you can't access any pension benefits before the age of 55 – and the options available to you when you do approach that minimum pension age will depend on which section of the NHS scheme you belong to.
Note that if you take benefits from the 1995 section, you can't rejoin the scheme or continue to build benefits in the 2015 scheme. There are also restrictions on returning to work.
Members must have a clean 24-hour break to take full benefits. If the benefits are from the 1995 section, you can't work more than 16 hours a week for the first month - otherwise the pension will stop (this 16-hour rule was temporarily suspended due to COVID 19).
What happens if I leave the NHS and then re-join?
If you take a break in service, the scheme you fall under when you return will depend on the section of the scheme you left, how long you've been away and the level of protection you have.
If you leave the 1995 or 2008 scheme, you can return to the same section of the scheme if:
Your break in service was no longer than 5 years
You qualify for either full or tapered protection
If you're not entitled to any protection, your tapered protection has expired or your break lasted longer than 5 years, you'll rejoin the pension scheme in the 2015 section.
If you leave the 2015 scheme, but rejoin within 5 years, your old benefits will be linked to any you build up in the future. This means your benefits should rise each year to cover inflation, thanks to a process referred to as revaluation.
Your pensions won't get linked in this way if you return to the NHS after a break of more than 5 years.
If you're thinking of taking a break from service, you can find out how to go about it via the NHS Pension Members' Hub at www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/member-hub.
Can I opt out of the NHS Pension Scheme altogether?
Yes, the NHS Pension Scheme is entirely optional, and you can opt out at any time. There are various ways in which you can do this, but it's always worth thinking carefully about the benefits you might be giving up.
If you've already built up two or more years of benefits under the scheme before you choose to opt out, you'll be treated as a deferred member, the same as if you'd left the NHS altogether.
Deferred benefits will continue to increase each year in line with inflation, and will be paid from your normal pension age.
How can I increase my NHS pension benefits?
There are a number of ways you can increase your benefits, or at least change the way you receive them. In the 1995 and 2008 sections, you can buy Additional Pension in multiples of £250 up to a maximum of £5,000 and make Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs).
In the 2015 scheme, you can buy up to £6,500 (£6,750 in Scotland) in Additional Pension, and AVCs can again be made. In this scheme, you also have the option to buy out your early retirement reduction.
To learn more about Additional Pension and AVCs, take a look at our guide to NHS pension benefits. For more on early retirement reduction buy out (ERRBO), head to our piece on NHS pension and early retirement.
NHS pensions and early retirement
Keen on the idea of early retirement? This guide will help you assess the options open to you under the NHS Pension Scheme.
More on early retirement
NHS pensions and the annual allowance
The annual allowance limits how much you can save into a pension each year without paying tax. Find out how it impacts your NHS pension.
Retirement planning guide for medics
Thinking about retirement from the health service? In this guide, we'll look at some of the things you might want to consider before calling time on your career.
For your profession
Wesleyan Bank
Practice Plan
Medenta
Financial advice that's all about you
Specialist Financial Advisers from Wesleyan Financial Services help doctors, dentists and teachers achieve their goals.
'WESLEYAN' is a trading name of the Wesleyan Group of companies. Financial advice is provided by Wesleyan Financial Services Ltd.
Wesleyan Assurance Society and Wesleyan Bank Ltd are authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Wesleyan Financial Services Ltd, Wesleyan Unit Trust Managers Ltd, Practice Plan Ltd and DPAS Ltd are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Read more information about the Wesleyan group of companies.
© 2022 Wesleyan Assurance Society. All rights reserved, for UK use only.


If you head over to researchid.org, the wiki of the IDC community, you'll find nothing of interest. Check out their section on Researching Intelligent Design. The educational sections are totally blank. The section on Origins of Human Life is empty.
The Biology section suggests that ID will help identify bioterrorism, but the parts that would explain how, or would cite published examples are all blank.
After several million dollars and a couple decades of insisting that they've overturned modern science, this is still with "researching intelligent design" amounts to, empty rhetoric.


text:
Q: jquery popup display json I am new babie in jquery,I want display the json in jquery popup but it can not work.
here is my function:
$(document).ready(function(){
    $(".popup").click(function(){
         var value = $(this).attr("value");
         $.post("/news/index.php?r=news/detail&id="+value,function(data,status){
            if(data != null){
                $( "#dialog-message" ).dialog({
                     modal: true,
                     buttons: {
                     Ok: function() {
                         $( this ).dialog( "close" );
                         }
                     }
                });
            }
         });

    });
});

value data={'title':test,'description':description}
how can I display "test" and "description" on the popup.
thankyou very much

A: Try this out..   Also you would need to include jquery.ui lib in order to use .dialog function.
//html

//javascript
if(data != null){
$('#title').text(data.title);
$('#description').text(data.description);

                $( "#dialog-message" ).dialog({
                     modal: true,
                     buttons: {
                     Ok: function() {
                         $( this ).dialog( "close" );
                         }
                     }
                });
            }

A: Dialog is made in three parts, header, content and footer. You need to get the content element and append the JSON to some child element.
you can configure an open function and grab and element in the dialog/content part:
$("#dialog-message").dialog({
  open: function( event, ui ) {
    $(this).find('.ui-dialog-content').text(JSON.stringify(yourObject));
  }
});

In this exemple, '$(this)' represent the selector you've use to create the dialog, in this case, it represent the $('#dialog-message') element. So after that you can inspect your dialog and see what content child is and find the specific element you want to add place your JSON object.
see the doc of 'open' method or 'open' event right here http://api.jqueryui.com/1.9/dialog/#event-open

A: You can set the dialog title by setting the "title" property of the #dialog-message element. You can set the dialog content by placing text inside the #dialog-message element.
if (data != null) {
       $("#dialog-message").prop('title', data.title).text(data.description).dialog({
        modal: true,
        buttons: {
            Ok: function () {
                $(this).dialog("close");
            }
        }
    });
}

jsfiddle

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
/ About the Department of Medicine
About the Department of Medicine
The Department of Medicine consists of 45 research Divisions belonging to 12 different research units, as listed to the left on this page, representing a broad variety of medical entities.
The research groups are established at the Karolinska University Hospital campus in Solna, in association with their respective clinics, as well as localized within the Center for Molecular Medicine (CMM)
One strength of the department is the closeness to patients, with the possibility to obtain clinical samples and to relate these to clinical features of the patients, thus allowing studies in an integrated basic and clinical scientific environment.
There are approximately 420 employees, 550 associated and approximately 200 PhD Students at the department of medicine. In 2020, the department's turnover was around 455 million Swedish kronor, where 20% constituted governmental funding. The organization is centered around the research groups, where the group research leaders assume financial responsibility for their own groups and hence have a large degree of independence.
The Head of the Department is responsible for long-term strategic commitments such as recruitment of future leaders and excellent scientists who fit into the profile of the department.
Two important issues for the department of medicine are to further intensify alliances with pre-clinical researchers within the research profile of the department, and to enhance the opportunities for clinicians to perform active research.
Organization Department of Medicine Solna
Head of Department, Deputy Head of Department, Head of administration, Director of education, Director of doctoral studies
Central administration (K2)
Representatives and enviroment group at the department
Read more about work environment at KI on the Staff Portal
Computational Medicine
Dermatology and Venereology
Experimental Endocrinology
Microbial Pathogenesis
Centre for Pharmacoepidemiology
Centre for Gender Medicine
For staff and affiliated
The Staff Portal is the part of ki.se where you find information about your employment at or affiliation to Karolinska Institutet. You will be updated about what is happening at the university as well as finding the information and tools you need for your work. If you log in with your KI ID, you can find more info based on your organizational affiliation.
To the Staff Portal
Ann-Sofie Sten


Nothing living should ever be treated with contempt. Whatever it is that lives, a man, a tree, or a bird, should be touched gently, because the time is short. Civilization is another word for respect for life.


text:
Mustang Mach-E Stands up to Durability Testing
20 Posted: 20th Aug 2021
Ford has been putting its 118-years-worth of vehicle torture testing know-how to use as it aims to demonstrate how durable electric vehicles can be. From extreme car washes and power sprayers to robotic butts and sharp gravel roads, a team of Ford engineers put Mustang Mach-E through torture tests designed to stress it beyond typical consumer use.
"We have gone to great lengths to subject Mustang Mach-E to extreme tests – stressing it much more than a typical consumer would – to help ensure it is ready to face the rigor of the open road," said Donna Dickson, chief programme engineer, Mustang Mach-E.
Wash At Will
Around 13 per cent1 of Europeans are unsure if electric vehicles can get wet while being driven in the rain – much less be able to go through a full car wash. Ford subjected Mustang Mach-E to 60 passes through a brutal, suds-free automatic conveyor wash complete with sprayers, brushes, and dryers – the equivalent of a wash every two weeks for more than two years.
To help test against leaks and other exterior damage that could be caused by water, the team blasted the door frames, trim, cowling, badges, headlamps, taillamps and adhesives of the Mustang Mach-E with a high-pressure water sprayer. The sprayer is capable of pressures up to 1,700 PSI and a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius and is sprayed at a distance of about one foot away from the vehicle's exterior. That kind of pressure can remove oil stains from driveways when used with detergents.
Robot-tested
Ford tested for just about anything customers might subject their seats to – especially their derrieres. Ford engineers studied varying weight loads on the seats using a wide range of human body types. The team does this by programming a robotic "butt" form , or "robutt", to simulate a person getting in and out of their Mustang Mach-E – at least 25,000 times.
They also extensively tested the vehicle's ActiveX seating material to withstand daily use and abuse. This included chemical testing to help ensure products like hand sanitizer do not deteriorate the material, abrasion testing to ensure the finish stays put after simulating a 10-year use cycle, and flexing the seating material 100,000 times to assess its resistance to cracking.
Built Tough for Daily Use
A cracked phone screen is never fun, but a cracked touchscreen – especially one with as much functionality as the screen in the Mustang Mach-E — is unacceptable. The 15.5-inch touch screen in the 2021 Mustang Mach-E uses a special application of Dragontrail™ glass to ensure its durability. It sits on top of a high-strength magnesium mounting that is able to withstand being pulled or bumped.
"The screen in the Mustang Mach-E is so crucial to the driving experience. It's the centrepiece of the interior and people's eyes just naturally go right to it," said Dickson. "We knew we had to go above and beyond to make sure it is durable enough to withstand daily customer interactions — think purses and bags hitting it, pets bumping into it, children playing with it and so on. You need that deep customer understanding to identify the potential issues and work to prevent them."
Mustang Mach-E customers should be confident that they can drive their vehicle where the pavement ends and gravel roads begin, and not come back with a new "speckled" paint job.
To do this, Ford engineers subjected Mustang Mach-E to 300 miles of stone-chip testing on gravel roads to evaluate damage caused to body paint by small rocks and cinder. Ford used two different grades of gravel stones to test as professional drivers fishtailed Mustang Mach-E over a miles-long stretch of scattered gravel on pavement at 60 mph nearly 200 times.
Once the first test was completed, the team then swapped the gravel for an even sharper grade of stone and repeated the test all over again.
"Electric vehicles shouldn't be limited to nicely paved city streets and suburbia," said Dickson "We tested Mustang Mach-E so that customers can confidently live on or adventure down gravel roads and not worry about their paint easily chipping."
Notes to Editor:
1 survey conducted by global research and analytics consultancy, PSB in June 2019 covering 3,000 people across Europe, USA and China between June 6 and June 14.
Online ordering now open for Mustang Mach-E GT 14th Jul 2021
101-YEAR-OLD DRIVES FORD MUSTANG MACH-E 90 YEARS AFTER FIRST LEARNING TO DRIVE IN A MODEL T 25th Aug 2021
Join us for the All-Electric Mustang Mach-E Tour 17th Feb 2020
ECONOMY PERFORMANCE WORLD RECORD FOR NEW ALL-ELECTRIC FORD MUSTANG MACH-E 19th Jul 2021
Home Ford News Mustang Mach-E Stands up to Durability Testing


text:
Chapters, First Draft
Add Comments | Save to PDF
A Drac Virtue
The survivors of Sandridge were a motley lot: a handful of sailors, a washer woman, a fisherman and his fishwife and two of their children, one of them screaming and being pressed to the fishwife's breast, refusing to suck. There was a forlorn and quite rotund tradesman sitting atop a fire-scarred chest of valuables that he refused to move from, with a couple attendants standing nearby in case he needed anything, one of them absently fanning his sweating brow.
All of them were staring intently at Iorneste, Mourne, and the comatose dragonrider and her dragon.
One of their midst, a dusky-skinned man of medium height and built like a ship came swaggering towards them in the rolling gait of one who spends most of his life at sea, bare feet slapping on the planks of wood that comprised the wharf--all that remained of Sandridge. "Oy!" he called, his voice strong and used to calling over the sound of storms and waves.
Smoke billowed up into the skies atop the hill, and it filled the air with an acrid haze. The waterfront provided some respite, with seaborne winds thinning the haze somewhat, but not eliminating it.
Mourne's eyes reddened and watered in irritation, but Iorneste did not seem bothered by it at all. Iorneste remained in a crouch in the sand beside the fallen dragonrider, staring past the survivors to the tumultuous sea beyond, in a mute state which Mourne struggled to decipher.
Mourne muttered, "Wait here. Watch her," as he rose to his feet to meet the sailor who was approaching them before the fellow could ask questions that Iorneste was not mentally-prepared to answer.
His last word echoed in Iorneste's mind. Her. He hadn't been prepared for it to be a her.
From his youngest days, the females of Kaer Drac had always been bigger, had always been stronger, had always been so much beyond his station--and always would be. Servitude was the destiny of male Drac, and the thought of even attacking a female of his own species was so foreign and ingrained to his thinking that he struggled to encompass the idea of what he had just done. Humans were not Drac. He knew this, but he could not loosen the knot in his throat, the sense of foreboding horror that filled his chest, as if he had committed a horrible crime, a crime for which he would pay terribly.
Mourne left the troubled Drac alone with his thoughts and moved forward onto the wharf, inclining his head to the dark-skinned man that approached. "Oy yourself," he replied, extending his hand to the other man.
The man stopped, staring at him with beetled brow through squinted onyx eyes for a long, tense moment.
He then broke into a sudden grin, white teeth bared against his black skin like the teeth of some kind of jungle predator, and laughed, slapping his palm firmly against Mourne's and squeezing so hard, and pumping the hand so vigorously that Mourne heard his knuckles crack. "Well!" the sailor said, still laughing, "I never saw that coming!"
Mourne struggled to smile, withdrawing his hand quickly, pride preventing him from rubbing feeling back into his numb fingers in front of the man who had nearly broken his hand. "We weren't trying to make any kind of scene," Mourne said quietly.
The dark-skinned man tossed back his head, laughing even harder at this, drawing quick, furtive looks from the other survivors. He struggled to contain himself for a moment, but catching a look at Mourne's stony, bearded face, he broke into even deeper laughter, doubling over and resting his hands upon his knees. "Then...you...failed!" he chortled, still gasping for breath.
Mourne found the laughter disarming, but he couldn't bring himself to join in. There was nothing funny to him about what had just happened. The whole situation was out of control. Any map he'd had towards the future had been burned along with Sandridge, leaving him in uncharted waters.
Here there be dragons, thought Mourne sardonically.
Mourne coughed in the acrid air. "I suppose we did, at that."
Waving off his laughter, but not his smile, Oren gushed, "I've never seen anything like it! One minute we're all prepared to fry like eggs, the next thing we know blondie over there is facing down a dragon, and tossing the rider like a stone from the saddle!" He shook his head in disbelief, looking past Mourne to the two figures on the beach behind him, as if to reassure himself they were still there. His eyes then drifted over to the dragon, which had now laid itself prone on the beach, head resting upon its foreclaws, eyes turned towards Iorneste. "The name is Oren, by the way. Oren Castlewaith, but everyone just calls me Oren."
"Mourne," answered Mourne. "My companion is--"
"Yorn of Summersgard. I heard. We all heard. Don't think any of us will ever forget that name."
It hit Mourne right in the stomach. Great Winged Death, it's starting already. A selfish part of him wished right then that they had been too late to save anyone--it would have made things so much less complicated. But then again, he chastised himself. We wouldn't have any answers, either.
"What happened here?" asked Mourne. "What brought this dragon rider here, and why did she burn Sandridge?"
Oren's eyes glinted, and his mouth took on a hard cast. "She was after the Captain. He'd gone ahead to town to secure lodgings and do some business. Once she roasted him and the town along with him, she came back, started ordering us around, said she wanted something in the ship. Started asking which ship belonged to the Captain, and that if we cooperated, she'd let us live."
"Doesn't sound like you cooperated."
"I pretended to be just some dumb sailor whose crew left without him. But I figured if she wanted his ship, she wouldn't burn any of them, and that was my only way off of this rock."
"You were first mate?"
"Was. But I guess I'm Captain now. Hadn't expected to get promoted this way. Expected the usual, you know. A mutiny, or a bar fight, a knife in the gut from a wench. Something like that. Hell of a way to die, burning alive like that. Give me drowning any day. That was my plan, once that beast over there decided to start drenching everything in fire again. I was going to jump in the ocean."
"That your ship?" asked Mourne, indicating the caravel at the end of the wharf. It seemed the most likely candidate among the sad remainder of whatever fleet of merchant ships that had once moored itself at the Sandridge docks.
"That's her. The Maiden's Fancy."
"What did she want with the Captain?"
"Ahh," Oren nodded. "Well there's a story. If Cap hadn't confided in me before we docked, I'd have nothing to tell. But the Ganji used to say that sometimes a man can tell when his death was coming. Maybe Sorens knew it, too."
"Sorens? Captain Sorens?"
"Was. Now he's charcoal."
"Funny. His first name wouldn't have been Lamarke, would it?"
Oren's smile fell. "How did you know?"
Mourne sighed. "Lucky guess. Thanks, I think I know the story now."
Oren's right eyebrow shot skyward. "You knew him?"
Mourne turned halfway, preparing to rejoin Iorneste. "Knew of him. He was once general of the armies of Greatre Esturia."
Oren nodded in agreement. "Yeah, a deserter. Left his whole life behind, and took to the seas. Said it was over a woman."
Mourne felt a half-remembered pain, before immediately brushing it aside, burying it deep. "Isn't it always?"
The woman on the beach lay like one sleeping. Iorneste had turned his attention from the sea to look down at her, slumbering at his feet, a very nasty bruise already forming on the left side of her face where he'd struck her. It reminded him of his own wound, and he reached up to his right cheek, feeling the matted, throbbing mass of congealing blood and ravaged flesh where she'd sliced him with the wicked spurs of her boots.
It's different with humans, he told himself. The males are the ones who are bigger and stronger, the females weaker.
It was hard to reassure himself of this fact considering the strength of this particular woman, however. His nose felt tender and swollen, and there were a persistent throbbing in his skull that caused him to wince whenever he turned his head. For all her presumed weakness, she had delivered her share of pain to him. In repose, her features were calm, smooth, aesthetically pleasing even. While awake, however, her mouth had been a firm line, eyes fierce, and she was every bit what he would imagine the matriarchs of his kind would be if they took human guise. She certainly possessed the spirit of a matriarch.
The tattoo of a dragon upon her neck struck him as very appropriate, along with her flaming red hair, reminiscent of the flames in which the Drac were raised. Her green armor like hard dragon scales, and at closer inspection he began to realize that some of it was, in fact, not fashioned to look like it, but was actually made from dragon scales.
This realization sobered him and began putting his thoughts in the proper perspective.
Before any sort of grudging respect or admiration could set in, he reminded himself of what she had done. There was no word for her crime, no punishment that could ever suit the enormity of what she had done. Distantly, he felt the screaming of the trees, growing weaker and weaker as the fire continued to spread, and his dragon's ire began to return, clearing his head.
He took her sword from her, having too much respect for her ability to use it. Finding his pack nearby in the sand where Mourne had dropped it, he tossed the sword next to it, continuing his vigil. He did not trust her at all, and certainly was not going to make the mistake of giving her the first attack again.
So intent was Iorneste's expression upon the fallen dragonrider that Mourne approached slowly so as not to startle him, swinging wide so that Iorneste could see him approach in his peripheral vision.
He need not have bothered. "What did you find out?" asked Iorneste as Mourne opened his mouth to speak.
"She was dealing with a deserter, and apparently wanted something from one of those ships. Another question we'll be answering shortly. We don't know where she's from yet, but the saddle looks to be Esturian. There's a few hallmarks of their craftsmen upon it."
Not seeing the saddle on the drake, Iorneste turned and saw the saddle crumpled in the sand behind him. He wasn't even sure how it had ended up there. He was no expert in Esturian craftsmanship, so he took Mourne at his word.
"So why did she burn the Wyldlands?"
"I don't think her goal was to burn the Wyldlands, necessarily. I think it was an overreaction, or perhaps to set an example. We'll have to ask her when she wakes up."
"We could just kill her."
Mourne looked up in shock at Iorneste's cold words. "Surely you don't mean that."
"Why not? She has desecrated the ancient trees, has turned dracfaer on the Wyldlands, violating all of the ancient pacts."
"I doubt very much," Mourne said somberly, "That she even knows about the ancient pacts."
"She wears dragon skin. She rides a drake. Like a horse."
"Yes, she does," admitted Mourne. "I had not thought it possible."
"Nor I," seethed Iorneste. "Because no dragon would ever allow it. Not even a drake would allow that. Ever."
"And yet here she is. It is a question that deserves an answer. One we'll never have if you kill her now. To be honest," Mourne said, resting one hand upon Iorneste's shoulder, "I hadn't expected you to be so casual about killing."
Iorneste snapped his head towards Mourne, blue eyes flashing for a moment the dragon's natural red. "Why not? She is just a--" he began to protest, and then he snapped his mouth closed suddenly, eyes immediately apologetic.
It was Mourne's turn to grow angry. "Just a what, Iorn? Why don't you finish your thought?" He ground his teeth together, struggling to maintain his composure, seeking refuge in his father's mental exercises, struggling to separate emotion from reason.
"I am sorry, friend Mourne," Iorneste said, casting his head down in shame. "I did not mean....that is to say..."
"Yes?"
"You are different. You are kiin."
"I am also human. As human as she is."
"Not quite."
"Close enough!"
"She deserves it," Iorneste persisted doggedly, but still would not meet Mourne's eyes when he said it.
Mourne nodded, "If anyone does, she does. But she is now helpless. Let us not trade one sacrilege for another."
Iorneste's curiosity overcame his shame, and he looked to Mourne intently, head cocked to one side. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that killing an unarmed opponent, who lies helpless before you, this is not an honorable thing." He searched Iorneste's face, but was not satisfied with what he saw there, before he found an analog that the dragon could understand. "Among humans, such an act would cause you to lose face."
"Ahh," said Iorneste. "Then she is very lucky to be alive."
Mourne looked down to the woman on the ground, hard eyes boring through her with a fierceness that was a mirror of Iorneste's prior fury. "Let us not be so sure of that, yet. She has a great deal to answer for. But that is not our first problem. We have many problems now."
"Such as?"
Mourne's eyes met Iorneste's, and the hardness disappeared, replaced with terrible sadness. "Such as the drake."
"We must release him."
"Must we?" asked Mourne.
"Mustn't we?"
"Iorn..." Mourne's voice trailed off, and he searched for answers in the sea, his turn to be unwilling to meet his dragon ward's gaze, struggling with the words he would say next. "I told you before we left that this could be a problem. You are a dragonslayer now."
"Dragonslayers don't care about the lives of dragons. Even if they did, they certainly don't release them, not with an audience. We are not alone here."
Iorneste's breath drew inward in horror as the situation became clear to him, but Mourne drove the point home all the same:
"Dragonslayers kill dragons."
"I cannot!" protested Iorneste. "He would not even fight me! He is helpless, disarmed, completely harmless! It would be an act of such supreme cowardice."
"Keep your voice down," Mourne admonished him, acutely aware of the audience he had mentioned, but pointing at the woman beginning to stir fitfully on the ground. "So at last you understand what I meant about killing the helpless. But the irony is bitter today, Iorneste.
"Because today the dragon must die, and the human must live."
Iornese felt hollow, felt the touch of the drake upon his mind, felt its warmth and adoration, its complete trust. A wordless grief began to fill him, the sense of the inevitable, and the desperate desire for escape.
Unless he wanted to end his First Exile in failure and become a relarche, there was no escape.
For the first time, he wondered if he should have posed as a scribe instead.
Oren was all too happy to welcome them aboard his ship. "Don't even dare trying to pay me," he admonished them before they had a chance to offer, "I'd be insulted. You saved my life, and the lives of my crew. Well...most of 'em. You're more than welcome aboard."
At this, every one of the survivors began shouting, demanding that he take them aboard the ship as well. Oren shouted back, and his crew drew weapons, causing most of them to shrink back. All except the merchant who finally stood up from his perch on his chest of valuables to contemptuously offer a handful of gold to the Captain, who was not too proud to accept it, and welcome him on board. "Right this way," he offered, smiling and flashing his teeth. The merchant's two attendants picked up the chest, carrying it on board.
Mourne took a step closer to the captain, dropping his voice so that the rest could not hear him. "They have nothing. You all survived together, you should let them aboard."
Oren raised an eyebrow and turned to face Mourne. His jovial manner suddenly became brusque. "If they join, we all die. We don't have food to feed them. We were coming here to provision, and that's blown out of the water now. All the food we was gonna buy? Burned, along with everything else on this godsforsaken rock. We'll be eating fish until we reach harbor at this rate, and we aren't a fisher boat."
Inclining his head in the direction of the fisherman and his wife, Mourne said, "What about them? There are fishing boats here, and I'm sure they'd be willing to fish in exchange for passage to safe harbor."
Oren scratched his chin, nails rasping against the stubble. "Maybe...maybe so. I guess I could let them come." He gave Mourne a stubborn expression, crossing his arms over his chest. "But that's it!"
Mourne jingled his pack, and the sound of clinking coins came from within. "What if I paid for their passage?"
Iorneste, who had been quiet ever since leaving the beach and boarding the ship, suddenly spoke up. "Pay?"
"Not now, Iorn."
"How much are we talking here?" asked Oren, trying hard not to look interested, and certainly not acting at all insulted by the offer of money as he'd originally claimed he would be.
Iorneste walked away from the negotiations, leaning his arms on the gunwale and looking out to sea, shifting from one leg to the other. The realization that Mourne had treasure in his pack had garnered his attention at first, but he quickly realized that there was a very good reason why the human in this relationship had set out from Kaer Drac with gold in his pack, while the dragon had none in his.
That left the woman, the dragonrider, tied to the mast and glaring daggers at his back. She had given them nothing but her name, and her rank, "Knight-Marshal Selka Euphrane of the Greatre Esturian Dragon Corps." She'd then shared a few other words that Iorneste could only assume were obscenities because of the way she uttered them, even if he didn't quite understand what they meant.
On the beach behind them, the once great drake laid still and unmoving. Iorneste kept his back to him as well. He had walked over to the beast as Selka awakened and, before her widening eyes, had walked around to the far side of the dragon. He gently removed the harness, and the bit, and other riding trappings that girded him. With a blank expression he had thrust his great sword into the beast's hide, laying one hand upon its scaled body as the beast shuddered and then finally lay still.
Selka had cried out at the thrust, had strained and thrashed against the bonds that held her, but could do nothing, only try to communicate her bitter rage through her flinty grey eyes.
Iorneste had met her gaze, his face no longer expressionless, but darkening. The longer he stared at her, the more he hated her. This was all your fault, he said, and had to remember not to put the words in her mind. It felt good to channel his anger in her direction, as he no longer had to think about the drake, and what the poor dragon had gone through, had been forced to do, and what he had been forced to do to it.
When he walked back away from the dragon, with its blood dripping from his blade, there was a cheer from the survivors that were nesting on the quay, and he had given them a brief, wintry smile, swinging the sword in a powerful arc that sprayed the dragon's blood across Selka's face, and into her eyes. "Bastard!" she cried out, and he could see her eyes beginning to quaver, filling with water, the tendons pulsing in her neck while the muscles in her jaw flexed, biting down the tears.
He sheathed the blade slowly in front of her, before turning away from the mast and brooding into the harbor. The last remaining dragon on the beach of Sandridge did not trust himself any further to look at her and maintain his calm. When he heard Mourne mention money it had been a welcome distraction from his dark thoughts, but even the promise of gold could not seem to hold his attention.
Everything had gone horribly wrong. Most of the sailors on deck gave him a wide berth, sensing his mood, though a handful gave him a clap on the shoulder by way of thanks (which he ignored) before moving about their duties preparing the ship to cast off and head for the nearest safe port.
Mourne managed to negotiate all of the survivors onto the ship, and although it was crowded, Oren assured them they could reach the port of Lacrasse within a week if the winds held. The real problem was that their provisions would only last for another two days with the passengers on board unless they were able to start catching their supper. Luckily, the fisherman and his wife were more than willing to contribute to this cause, requisitioning one of the fishing boats, stocking it full of what fishing equipment they could scavenge, and mooring it to the caravel for the trip out to sea.
The black-bearded kiin paused, staring at Iorneste's back as well, but unlike Selka's stare, his was one of pity and remorse. He moved over to the gunwale beside Iorneste, resting his arms upon them in a matching fashion, staring out to sea in silence along with his dragonish ward.
There were no words to speak, but the patience of dragons could not be overcome. Mourne spoke first. "Iorne--I'm sorry," he said, not meeting the young dragon's eyes. "It was a hard thing you had to do."
"You could have no idea," Iorneste whispered, emotion thickening his words.
Feeling every unnatural year of his age, Mourne sighed heavily. "I-I should have done it."
"But you," said Iorneste, "Are not a dragonslayer. I am."
"We both know--"
"That this is exactly what I am."
Mourne could think of nothing else to say, and walked away with his own morose thoughts. He may very well have ruined the dragon forever this day, but could think of no other way they could have explained to the survivors a dragonslayer leaving the dragon to live; the very dragon that had burned their lives to the ground.
Perhaps he learned from this, Mourne thought, trying to find something positive in the day's events. Perhaps this was worth something. He then went to the cabin that had been provided for them, only having to duck slightly to go belowdecks. Sleep could be a kind friend to the troubled mind, if only you could find it. Mourne aimed to try.
Iorneste, and Selka, said nothing. The rest of the crew and the passengers went on about their business about the ship, and when they finally cast off and began their voyage out to sea, the dragon and the dragonrider remained in exactly the same position, nursing their own dark thoughts.
Later that night, after most of the crew and passengers had gone to sleep; while the ship drifted across a moonlit sea, Iorneste remained upon the deck, rigid and unmoving with the legendary patience of dragons. He felt the faintest brush of a mind against his own, and knew that it came from above.
He cast a surreptitious glance upward, catching the silhouette of a winged form against the backdrop of the moon before a passing patch of clouds obscured it from sight. He felt a familiar warmth and a caress against the edge of his aura.
You disobeyed me, he chastised the drake. I showed you where to go. You will be protected there.
The winged creature in the air above let out a loud trumpet, the unmistakeable call of a dragon. Behind him, he heard the dragonrider stir in her sleep. In his mind he felt a trill of the drake's freedom tickle his thoughts, and the thought he sent back in return was the emotional equivalent of the smile that was now on his face. He didn't even mind the pain it brought to his cheek, or how it had reopened the wound.
A dragon's anatomy was no mystery to him, and when he had pierced the drake on the beach and told it to lay still, he had only pierced the surface layer of flesh beneath one of the dragon's scales. The wound itself had been hidden from the view of the survivors, the dragon rider, and even of Mourne, and when he had shown the blade dripping with dragon's blood to them all, they believed what they wanted to see: The dragonslayer, killing the great beast who had destroyed their home, their friends, their family. To them, he was a hero.
When he had touched the creature's mind he had shown it the way to the outskirts of Kaer Drac, and had left a foreign memory of his own in its mind, so that when his people found the drake and searched its thoughts, they would know who sent it to their homeland, and why.
Yet despite his orders it had come back, and circled in the sky above, saying its farewell, and the warm feeling of gratitude it expressed to him buoyed his spirits, driving away the pain in his wounded face. They both exchanged their good-byes via the private communication afforded to all dragonkin, before the drake at last circled back, back towards the Wyldlands, headed to safety and Kaer Drac.
He felt a measure of guilt deceiving Mourne as well, and it even felt a bit disobedient, but Mourne had never actually ordered him to kill the drake. Iorneste had ceased objecting when it had threatened to reach the point of a direct order. If Mourne never actually ordered him to kill the drake, then he wasn't actually disobeying, and was still within the terms of the binding.
After all, guile was still very much a Drac virtue.
Artist Credit
Selka
by Secret Weapon Angel-soma
©2015 Angel-soma
Continue to Chapter Five
Shawn Grigson
Software developer, father, writer, fantasy enthusiast and all around nerd.
http://www.grigson.org
Iorneste


She Lighting - Simply sophisticated sums up the style of the Mini kirke Aluminium pendant light. The large inverted bowl shape is simple and stylish. It's ideal for residential interior decorations. For larger areas, line up multiple Mini Kirke's to create maximum impact.
Made using high quality metal the Mini kirke pendant lamp is available in a variety of colors.


text:
Huawei Partners NUS Business Analytics Centre to Nurture Digital Talents for Singapore
[Singapore, December 15, 2021] Huawei announced on Monday that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National University of Singapore Business Analytics Centre (NUS BAC) as part of its commitment to nurture talent and upskill students to help Singapore fill the talent gap in the technology sector.
Huawei and NUS BAC seek to deepen the understanding of big data, cloud computing, and business analytics technologies, and their applications to the digital transformation of enterprises. This collaboration aims to empower NUS students and researchers, giving them the opportunity to tap into Huawei's expertise in ICT technology, software development and resources.
Jointly formed by the NUS School of Computing and NUS Business School, NUS BAC offers the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) programme.
Huawei will be providing cloud and analytics training workshops for NUS MSBA students, as well as capstone internship opportunities with its partners, allowing students to gain deep insight and embark on highly sought-after hands-on experiences with industry leaders. The MSBA students will also benefit from cloud computing resources provided by Huawei.
In addition, NUS BAC will organise a Huawei-NUS Analytics Innovation Challenge for students and researchers in the developer community to create innovative solutions for problem statements based on realistic business challenges from Huawei and its partners.
Associate Professor James Pang Yan, Co-Director of the NUS BAC, said, "Big data, AI and cloud computing will be crucial for business analytics as we move into a highly connected, digital-first future. Our collaboration with Huawei is designed to provide NUS students and researchers with an immersive experience and the requisite skills which will pave the way for an exciting career in the field of ICT."
"We are proud to continue bolstering our long-standing relationship with NUS by supporting these outstanding local talents through trainings, resources and internship opportunities. Nurturing and cultivating the next generation of local digital talent is imperative as we head into the future," said Mr. Foo Fang Yong, CEO of Huawei International, "As we celebrate Huawei's 20th anniversary in Singapore this year, we will continue to work with top universities to further strengthen local partnerships as well as cultivate and grow local talent to become the leaders of our digital future."
Home /Newsroom


On behalf of the entire Kelly Generator & Equipment, Inc. team, we would like to extend our gratitude to all our customers, colleagues, partners, and friends for making our 25th Anniversary such a huge success!
It was a great day full of opportunities to reach out and meet with everyone. We had over 150 attendees who participated in product displays, factory tours, and speeches from our invited guests.
We trust everyone enjoyed the day and we look forward to seeing you soon. Most importantly, we would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to you for being a vital part of the success of our business over the years.


text:
Time to Choose: Democracy or Slavery
"Republicans will never lose another election in Wisconsin after I'm elected governor," Billionaire Religious Bigot Dictator Wannabe Tim Michels, who is running to be Governor of Wisconsin.
All across the Nation, Republicans are broadcasting their Authoritarian intentions, with the prime goal of establishing permanent oppressive, intolerant Republican Rule. The Corporate Media won't say anything about this; except to run their standard storylines of BothSidesDoIt and Democrats in Disarray. It's up to Us too slow, stop, and reverse the Vile and Murderous Actions of the Crypto-Fascist Republican Party.
And yes there are structural rules and undemocratic traditions deeply embedded in the Nation which makes this a heavy lift, besides the perfidious back-stabbing of the likes of Kyrsten Sinema.
And realize before you claim it's hyperbole or that's just what everyone says about the current election; understand that Republicans in numerous States, in the Federal Government, and all the way up to the Supreme Court have already begun to restrict rights, impose oppressive burdens, ensconce undemocratic methods, and are resolved to go further and further and further.
They've already begun with Abortion, which, if the GQP wins majorities, will quickly be made unlawful across the country. Along with a host of other medical procedures because the GQP are coming for Contraception. Bodily Autonomy. Same-Sex Marriage. Social Security. Medicare. Your very Right to Vote at all.
Everything is on line.
And yes when the Republicans underperform tomorrow November 8, 2022, they will scream and shout and cry Fraud, lie about their Stolen "Victories", and incite their Rightwing Domestic Terrorists to further actions which make Jan 6th seem like a picnic on the Capitol grounds because that's what Rightwing political thought is these days violence and lies.
So go and vote while you still can but, also get ready to fight for your very lives afterwards because Republicans and Rightwingers are coming for them.
Grung_e_Gene at 5:54 PM


Advanced materials are crucial in the human history. They have influenced large eras such as the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age so intense that they became eponymous. In each of these epochs, mankind has experienced a great evolutionary step by developing new materials, technologies, and applications. This is still the case today: 70% of all innovations are based on new and further developments in the field of advanced materials.
North-Rhine Westphalia is a classic material country. With a focus on metals as well as modern, functionalized multi-material solutions, the NRW-material sector with more than 720,000 employees, over 200 billion euros in turnover and over 6,000 companies and research facilities is a key pillar of the economy and prosperity. In the country of the time-honoured steel smelting furnaces today, high-strength steels are being developed for light-weight applications, which enable important innovations in all markets. For example, the multitude of innovative materials that have been developed by the companies and research institutes in North Rhine-Westphalia in recent years has opened up new potentials for all lead markets and the entire field of the supplier industry.
An example for the influence of new materials on the lead markets is the information and communication industry in NRW: the speed in which mobile phones, computers and network architectures would be unthinkable without using advanced materials. In the life science sector, the vitality and quality of life of the people is significantly increased by various new developments. Resource conservation and environmental protection – the entire e-mobility revolutionizes the area of mobility and logistics, and is mainly based on new materials and techniques, which are used, for example, in lightweight construction and battery technology.
Over 720.000 employees, over 200 200 billion euros in turnover and over 6.000 companies and research facilities are connected to advanced materials in NRW.
The Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia has created a competence map on materials research in NRW. The database provides an overview of the current research landscape and provides many contacts for all key markets along the entire value chain.
Click here to call up the map for materials research in NRW.
In addition, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research has created the "Materialkarte: Forschung und Innovation". To get to this map, please click here.
North Rhine-Westphalia occupies the top position in a nationwide comparison. Research focuses on the Aachen, Bochum and Paderborn areas, while entrepreneurial focus is on the Ruhr Metropolis (Bochum, Dortmund, Duisburg, Essen) and the Rhineland. As a result, North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the most important locations for advanced materials in Germany.


text:
Nets Sign Mike James To Second 10-Day Contract
May 3rd 2021 at 10:19am CST by JD Shaw
MAY 3: The Nets have made it official, announcing in a press release that they've signed James to his second 10-day contract.
MAY 2: The Nets plan to sign guard Mike James to a second 10-day contract, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.
James' initial 10-day deal with Brooklyn will expire on Sunday night, so he'll be able to sign his new deal on Monday. The 30-year-old's second 10-day would expire during the last week of the regular season, at which point he'd be eligible to sign a standard contract if the Nets want to keep him around for the playoffs.
James averaged 7.4 points, 4.2 assists and 19.6 minutes per game during his first 10-day deal, appearing in a total of five contests. He shot 36% from the floor and 27% from deep in those outings.
Brooklyn signed James to a 10-day deal last month after releasing veteran LaMarcus Aldridge, who retired after dealing with health concerns. The team owns the second-best record in the East at 43-22 and plays Milwaukee for a second straight game on Tuesday.
Mike James
4 thoughts on "Nets Sign Mike James To Second 10-Day Contract"
phenomenalajs • 9 months ago
His numbers above don't look great, but he had an amazing performance against the Raptors on Tuesday in the fourth quarter, so he earned his spot. You wouldn't know it from reading some of the comments on the fan site, though. It seemed like the same people who were saying that he was playing like Harden and that the Nets should buy out his contract with CSKA Moscow were saying he doesn't belong in the NBA during the game against the Bucks. He showed he belongs, but if and when Harden and, possibly, Dinwiddie return, he will probably fall out of the rotation.
GreenWood Porter • 9 months ago
Harden has never suffered an injury that has kept him out this long during his entire NBA career. It seems very unlikely that he will return before the playoffs begin. But the Nets should have little or no problem getting to the second round without him. Hopefully he will be back by the end of the month to help his team reach the ECF, and possibly the NBA Finals.
gtb1 • 9 months ago
Nope. He's still Harden.
The last time he and KD were teammates they reached the Finals.


text:
Q: Controls behind statusbar with ViewPager & fitsSystemWindow I have a ViewPager with Fragments which contain fullscreen images and some bottom aligned controls.
I want to make sure the controls do not disappear behind the translucent navigation bar with fitsSystemWindow but I can't seem to make it work...
It does work when I use the same xml without the ViewPager so it seems the ViewPager "breaks" the ability to use fitsSystemWindow.
Code I have for the activity:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<FrameLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent">

    <android.support.v4.view.ViewPager
        android:id="@+id/pager"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent"/>
</FrameLayout>

This is what I have for the fragment:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<FrameLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:background="#000"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent">

    <ImageView
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent"
        android:id="@+id/initial_background_image"
        android:scaleType="centerCrop"/>

    <RelativeLayout
        android:id="@+id/buttons_container"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_marginLeft="@dimen/button_icon_offset"
        android:layout_marginBottom="@dimen/button_icon_offset"
        android:layout_marginRight="@dimen/button_icon_offset"
        android:fitsSystemWindows="true"
        android:layout_gravity="bottom">

        <Button
            android:id="@+id/info_button"
            style="@style/button_icon"
            android:layout_gravity="left|bottom"
            android:background="@drawable/button_info"
            android:textAlignment="center"/>

        <Button
            android:id="@+id/share_button"
            style="@style/button_icon"
            android:layout_alignTop="@id/info_button"
            android:layout_marginRight="@dimen/button_icon_divider"
            android:layout_toLeftOf="@+id/like_button"
            android:background="@drawable/button_share"/>

        <Button
            android:id="@+id/like_button"
            style="@style/button_icon"
            android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
            android:background="@drawable/button_like"/>
    </RelativeLayout>
</FrameLayout>

So this is what I end up with... But I want the buttons to appear above the navigation bar.

A: First, see this answer concerning WindowInsets. Then you'll understand, that your root layout - FrameLayout, won't ever dispatch WindowInsets to ViewPager.
Use ViewCompat.setOnApplyWindowInsetsListener() API to dispatch WindowInsets to ViewPager and make your ViewPager fit window insets, i.e. apply android:fitsSystemWindows="true" to both ViewPager and it's parent.

A:
Just change/remove this in your style.xml

<style name="AppTheme" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light.NoActionBar">
    ...
    <item name="android:windowDrawsSystemBarBackgrounds">false</item>
    ...
</style>

if still not working? and you're using NestedScrollView then add "android:clipToPadding"

<android.support.v4.widget.NestedScrollView
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="match_parent"
            android:background="@color/light_green"
            android:clipToPadding="false" <--add this
            app:layout_behavior="@string/appbar_scrolling_view_behavior">

A: You could add margin bottom to the buttons to place them above the nav bar.
android:layout_marginBottom="?attr/actionBarSize"