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Volvo S90 - pre launch review
Think of Volvo and the first thing that comes to mind is buses – this is specially true for Indians. However, once you get over that and realize that Volvo has some truly good cars on Indian roads you think – safety, understated luxury, comfort. Volvo has been trying to make its mark in the Indian car market and its last product – XC90 was quite successful. However, standing against the German troika and Jaguar Land Rover is no mean feat. And with the upcoming launch of the S90, Volvo once again tries to make its mark.
The S90, which replaces the S80, is a luxury saloon and the pre-booking for this car has already begun. Deliveries are expected to start some time in November this year and so we thought to give you an idea about what to expect from this car(and what not to expect too)
To begin with the car is based on the SPA(Scalable Platform Architecture) architecture which is quite flexible. Meaning thereby, Volvo can use the same platform to make a lot of cars with varying wheelbase, rear and front overhangs and of course varying heights. So the SPA platform is the same one on which the XC90 SUV is based.
But that is what lies underneath. What greets the eye is simply stunning – if you are into classy, elegant cars and not sporty, flashy cars. The car is a beaut. Sophisticated, easy flowing lines which are very symmetrical and pleasing to the eye. Looks appealing from any angle it is viewed from. Somehow, I liked the exterior design of this car better than the all the cars pitted against it – Audi A5, BMW 5 series, Mercedes E Class and even the Jaguar XF. And it is a huge improvement on the S80.
In the front, the grille has concave vertical elements which is fitted with the 'Iron Mark' logo and is flanked by 'Thor Hammer' day time running LED lights. The roofline is sloping which makes you question the headroom for the rear passenger, but we will come to that later. The boot is quite short compared to the bonnet but still does not put the proportions off and is marked by the trademark stenciled brand name on the lip. The tail lamp design is a bit unconventional and takes some time getting used to.
On the inside, there are a lot of design cues lifted from the XC90. And true to its brand ethos the interior is plush, comfortable and makes you feel like you are in the lap of luxury.
The center console has a big infotainment system which is easy to navigate and helps you handle the music, telephony, car settings and the AC, doing away with the need for most of the buttons. The cabin space is also very good, especially for the rear passenger, where most of the car owners are likely to be. However, a thing I noticed is that since this car is quite low, ingress and egress will be difficult for older people and those who are extremely tall. But once inside, you definitely wouldn't want to step out.
Internationally, the car is available with a range of both petrol and diesel options. However, it is expected that at the time of the launch only the Diesel engine will be launched. The diesel machine is a 4 cylinder, 1969 cc turbo diesel which gives out 232 bhp@4000 rpm and 480 Nm@ 1750-2250 rpm. It is also expected that there will be a plug in hybrid option with 405 PS of power. The car will be mated with an eight speed Automatic gearbox.
Volvo engineers have developed a new system to reduce the turbo lag. They have been successful to a big extent but the lag does not vanish completely.
But the USP of this car is the semi-autonomous driving system which sadly, will not be available in India . Sigh! Internationally, the car is available with a bevy of sensors, radars and computers – requiring only a light hand on the steering wheel. Features such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure assist, auto parking abilities, pilot assist, City safety technology and hold your breath …. ' Large Animal Detection' with auto brake are available in the international markets. But now I think you know why these are not available in India. Apart from the fact that there are virtually no lanes on the road for you to require assistance from the computers, 'Large Animal Detection' will get activated every few minutes in many big cities in India.
So how is it to drive? Calm, composed and stately are the words that pop into my mind. You cannot expect sporty from Volvo. Power delivery is quite good. Handling can be a bit dull at times but if it is going to be handled by the chauffer most of the times that it nothing you need to worry about. Suspension and tyres for the Indian car will be capable of handling our roads. The cabin is extremely well insulated so that there is no exterior sound seeping in. And when it comes to safety, you have to look nowhere else. State of the art safety technology is what Volvo specializes in.
The car moves from 0-100 kph in 7 seconds and the top speed achieved is 240 kph.
Volvo is using the tagline 'relaxed confidence' and it really sums up the car. This car is for people who have the bank balance but do not want to flash it and are happy for the car to perform. This car is expected to be priced around the Rs. 60 lacs price band and keeping in mind the way it looks and performs, it will give a tough competition to its compatriots. Truly the best car from Volvo yet.
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VINTAGE IBM OPERATIONG SYSTEM/2 PROGRAMMING TOOLS AND INFORMATION. ACQUIRED THIS FROM AN IBM TECHNICIAN'S STATE RECENTLY. VERY RARE STUFF THAT YOU CAN'T FIND ANYWHERE NOWADAYS. BOOKS ARE IN GREAT CONDITION, INCLUDES SOFTWARE AND ALL BOOKLETS IN ORIGINAL BOX. ORIGINAL BOX DOES SHOW WEAR FROM STORAGE THOUGH, SEE PICTURES.
We are here to help! In August of 2013, we started a new venture and decided to share our special finds with the world through this account. All messages are guaranteed to receive a response within 24 hours.
The item "VINTAGE IBM OPERATING SYSTEM/2 PROGRAMMING TOOLS AND INFORMATION VERSION 1.2" is in sale since Monday, August 22, 2016. This item is in the category "Computers/Tablets & Networking\Vintage Computing\Vintage Manuals & Merchandise". The seller is "thrift_kings" and is located in Newburgh, New York. This item can be shipped worldwide.


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Dodgers Game Recaps
Zach McKinstry & Kenley Jansen keep it inside the park in a Dodgers' win at Coors Field
Another wild one in Denver, won by LA
By Eric Stephen@ericstephen Apr 3, 2021, 8:47pm PDT
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Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images
Every one of the first three Dodgers games has had something odd happen, and Saturday night was no different. This time it was Zach McKinstry, whose inside-the-park home run in the eighth inning was the go-ahead run in a 6-5 win over the Rockies at Coors Field.
The Dodgers, who lost a home run on Thursday thanks to a baserunning mishap, now have their seasonal home run total match the number of balls they hit over the fence.
McKinstry, who entered the game on a double switch in the seventh, drove a ball with two outs in the eighth against Mychal Givens. Just like Cody Bellinger's ball on Thursday, this one was hit in the direction of left fielder Raimel Tapia, who on Saturday got a glove on McKinstry's drive, and kept the ball in play, though he didn't seem to realize it until it was too late.
Inside-the-park home run alert! pic.twitter.com/hpTP2rAfBv
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 4, 2021
McKinstry scored standing up, giving the Dodgers a 5-4 advantage. He said his first high school home run, hit at Tincap Stadium in Fort Wayne, Indiana, was also an inside-the-park job.
"This one was definitely a little cooler. I think I hit this one a little harder, too," McKinstry said. "And my parents were here, so that was awesome."
McKinstry's parents made the trip to Denver in time for Friday's game, and will end up seeing the final three games at Coors Field, the first time they've seen him play in the majors in person. McKinstry is expected to start on Sunday.
Gavin Lux, batting leadoff on Saturday with Mookie Betts resting, followed McKinstry with a walk, stole second, and scored on a double by Chris Taylor.
After Victor Gonzalez, in the first back-to-back outing by a Dodgers reliever this season, struggled in the eighth, he left with two runners on and a run in with one out. Kenley Jansen was brought in with a one-run lead, and though C.J. Cron's drive sure sounded like a potential three-run homer off the bat, it died harmlessly into McKinstry's glove in deep left. Jansen then struck out Ryan McMahon to end the threat.
"I thought there was some good contact, and here if you just get the right trajectory, sometimes it just keeps going," Dave Roberts said. "There was a little bit of a sigh from me, for sure."
Jansen stayed in and, though he walked a batter in the ninth, he kept Colorado off the board, throwing 24 pitches for his five outs. It was Jansen's first save of longer than an inning since September 17, 2019, and his first five-out save since July 14 that year.
"When I'm at my best, I always come out, take it one day at a time, and give it all I got, so that's the mindset," Jansen said. "Today was a good day, now we'll worry about tomorrow, and try to get better each day."
A strong start
The Dodgers got exactly what they needed out of Walker Buehler, who allowed two runs in a start at Coors Field. After an RBI double by McMahon in the fourth inning gave Colorado a 2-0 advantage, Buehler stranded him and retired his final seven batters faced.
That Buehler lasted six innings wasn't necessarily a surprise, since he's done it in over half (34) of his 62 career starts. But that he did it so early in the season was notable. It took Buehler five starts until he completed six innings in 2020, four starts in 2019, and not until his third major league start in 2018.
He started out 2018 in Triple-A before getting called up to the majors three weeks into the season, and in 2019 he had a 5.22 ERA in six starts before May. Last year, after not throwing much during the shutdown, Buehler was methodically ramping up in the early part of the season and had a 5.21 ERA through four starts.
"Over the last two, three years, this is as good as he's looked finishing spring training," Roberts said before Saturday's game. "Early on he was figuring some things out mechanically, but the last couple of starts I thought he was throwing the baseball extremely well."
The game turned earlier on a pair of plays that weren't made.
Rockies reliever Yency Almonte got two quick outs in the sixth, but Max Muncy cashed in Seager with a ball off a shifted Josh Fuentes that was ruled a single, then after another single and a hit by pitch, Austin Barnes dumped a ball into shallow left for a two-run single, giving the Dodgers their first lead of the night.
Up 4-2 in the seventh, Blake Treinen issued a leadoff walk, then on a potential double play ball, second baseman Gavin Lux threw wide to Corey Seager, whose subsequent delayed turn helped McMahon beat the throw to first base. Two pitches later, Fuentes homered to right center, tying the game.
That the Dodgers had a lead at all was thanks in part to getting into the Rockies bullpen earlier than expected.
Jon Gray had the best start by any pitcher in this series, pitching five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. Corey Seager, as hot as any hitter in baseball at the moment, greeted Gray with a double to open the sixth inning, which ended Gray's night after a lengthy discussion on the mound with manager Bud Black and a team trainer. Seager later scored, the only run charged to Gray on the night.
The Rockies announced that Gray left the game with full body cramping.
McKinstry is the first Dodger to hit an inside-the-parker as his first major league home run since Duke Snider on May 2, 1948, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com. McKinstry was the first major leaguer to do it since Dansby Swanson on September 6, 2016, per Elias.
Corey Seager doubled, singled twice, and walked, becoming the first Dodger ever to reach base four times in each of the first three games of the season.
Lux scored twice from the leadoff spot, and hit his second triple in three games.
Saturday particulars
Home runs: Zach McKinstry (1); Raimel Tapia (1)
WP — Blake Treinen (1-0): 1 IP, 1 hit, 2 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
LP — Mychal Givens (0-1): 1 IP, 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 1 strikeout
Sv — Kenley Jansen (1): 1⅔ IP, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Julio Urías is on the mound as the Dodgers go for the series win on Sunday, facing left-hander Austin Gomber for the Rockies. Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger are expected to be out of the lineup.
April 3: Dodgers 6, Rockies 5
Dodgers at Coors Field: 'Expect the unexpected'
McKinstry & Jansen keep it inside the park in Dodgers' win at Coors
Dodgers plan out opening-weekend rest

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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AIX, WTCE, and PEC rescheduled for April 2021
Due to the escalation of COVID-19 globally, Reed Exhibitions today announced that the next edition of Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX), World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) and the Passenger Experience Conference (PEC) will now take place from 12-15 April 2021.
Speaking about the announcement, Katie Murphy, Portfolio Director at Reed Exhibitions, said: "Our thoughts are with all those affected by this crisis. After closely monitoring the evolving situation and having listened to our customers and carefully considered the options available to us, we are postponing AIX, WTCE and PEC to April 2021.
"We are in unprecedented times and we're witnessing first-hand the challenging impact of COVID-19 on airlines and the wider industry, from both a professional and personal perspective. Initially, we were optimistic that our events would run later this year, however, in light of the ongoing uncertainty in the industry and the immense pressure our customers are experiencing, we have concluded that the best option is to postpone AIX, WTCE and PEC until 2021.
"We understand how important it is for the industry to stay connected during this time. While we are disappointed we can't meet face-to-face this year, we are working with our partners to keep the AIX, WTCE and PEC community connected over the coming months. Details will be announced shortly.
"We once again thank all of our exhibitors, visitors and partners for their patience and support, and we look forward to returning to Hamburg next year."


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Social Issues | Women's News
Study: Reproductive Restrictions Damage Working Women, State Economies
WY Lawmakers Consider Extended Health Coverage for New Moms
Wyoming Bucks National Trend of Women Stopping Out of Higher Education
Minnesota Expands Postnatal Health Coverage
In addition to voter-suppression laws and anti-LGBTQ measures, laws to restrict women's reproductive health have being introduced in unprecedented numbers in 2021. (womenshealth.gov)
Nearly one in five new mothers participating in Wyoming's Medicaid Pregnant Women Program lose their health insurance 60 days after giving birth. (Adobe Stock)
In the fall of 2020, among four-year universities and community colleges nationwide, male freshmen enrollment declined 1.3%, while female freshmen enrollment fell 3.2%. (Adobe Stock)
The mortality rate among Black infants in Minnesota is nearly twice the rate for white infants. (Adobe Stock)
Eric Galatas, Producer
Mike Moen, Producer
AUSTIN, Texas - Access to birth control has been responsible for one third of women's wage gains since the 1960s, and restrictions on reproductive health could reverse those gains, according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research.
The group has launched a new tool to assess the financial impacts of state-level reproductive health restrictions.
Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said restricting access to comprehensive reproductive health care not only costs individual women wages, but can be expensive for state economies.
"We know at the national level," said Johnson, "the state-level abortion restrictions cost $105 billion per year by reducing labor-force participation and earnings."
Data from the new online tool shows that if all state-level abortion restrictions were eliminated, more than a half million women would enter the workforce. The estimated earnings increase for working women in Texas would be more than $14 billion.
More than 500 bills restricting or banning abortion have been introduced across 46 states so far this year.
In Lubbock, Texas, earlier this week, a federal district judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood to block a voter-approved abortion ban from taking effect. The ordinance was passed by voters in May, after the City Council there said it conflicted with state law and could be costly to defend.
Johnson said laws being implemented primarily in GOP-led states are not what voters say they want.
"All of this is happening against the majority of public opinion," said Johnson. "In every single state - not just national public opinion, but literally every single state - a majority of Americans believe that Roe should be the law of the land."
On May 17, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments challenging a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks.
It's a case Johnson said strikes at the heart of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that made abortion legal. She said a ruling upholding the Mississippi law would put the reproductive rights of 25 million women at risk in states where abortions could be banned.
The Costs of Reproductive Health Restrictions web tool The Institute for Women's Policy Research
New mothers in Wyoming enrolled in the Medicaid Pregnant Women Program lose their health insurance 60 days after giving birth, but a new bill making its way through the state's 67th Legislature would extend coverage for a full year.
Marissa Carpio, policy associate for the Wyoming Women's Foundation, said having health insurance is the number one determinant of good health, for mothers and newborns.
"Having health insurance means that you're more likely to seek preventive care, or get that odd symptom checked out that maybe arose during birth or after birth," Carpio observed. "And to not have to sacrifice the funds for your food or your rent to go figure out those health complications."
House Bill 4, sponsored by the Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Interim Committee, is now on General File and could get its first vote today.
Some critics have argued expanding coverage for new mothers is unnecessary because assistance is already available through Medicaid's Family Planning program. Newborns remain eligible for health insurance during their first year.
Carpio pointed out the family planning program is not comprehensive, it only covers gynecological exams and lab tests. It does not cover health issues including heart disease or stroke, which are leading causes of death for new mothers.
Working women of childbearing age are currently the largest group in Wyoming without insurance, largely because they are less likely to get coverage through their employer.
"They're more likely to be working part-time, low-paying jobs that don't offer insurance anyway," Carpio noted. "This type of program that is so specific to new mothers in our state is very important for the success of babies and communities."
According to the Wyoming Department of Health, nearly one in five new mothers participating in the Medicaid Pregnant Women Program currently end up losing health insurance.
Carpio believes healing after birth is a long and important process, and access to care will help women avoid financial and health-related stress, return to work and attain economic self-sufficiency.
"The biggest and most important thing is that continuous coverage after birth," Carpio emphasized. "When you're trying to raise a newborn child, trying to get back to work, the last thing you want to do is try to get your health insurance back to go see the doctor. You should be able to see the doctor when your family needs to."
House Bill 4 2023
Uninsured data Wyo. Dept. of Health 06/02/2022
Wyoming has managed to buck a national trend which has seen female students opting out of college at more than twice the rate of males since 2020.
Ben Moritz, deputy director of the Wyoming Community College Commission, said the percentage of women attending community college has been consistently on the rise, even during the pandemic. He believes one reason more women were able to continue their education is because the state took swift action to provide child care grants to student parents.
"Hundreds of students across the state were able to take advantage of this," Moritz explained. "Disproportionately female students, who perhaps otherwise would have had to drop out of school because they couldn't afford the child care while they were in class."
Federal CARES Act dollars were directed to Wyoming's Department of Family Services, which then partnered with community colleges to distribute child care grants. The state also directed funds to colleges to provide scholarships to students in financial need resulting from the pandemic.
Women are more likely to drop out to take care of children, parents or family members with health problems, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center report, and many do not return to complete a certificate or degree.
Moritz pointed out women who do stop out are at much greater risk of facing long-term economic disadvantages than men who can stay in school.
"There's a lot of statistics that show that a student who starts a program but does not finish it," Moritz noted. "The difference between a student who starts a program and actually finishes the program -- as far as the wage earnings they get -- is significant."
Overall enrollment in community colleges and four-year institutions has been on the decline in Wyoming and across the nation during the pandemic, but Moritz emphasized Wyoming's falloff has not been as severe as other states.
He added Wyoming's decentralized, independently managed community colleges and universities have been able to react quickly to the needs of communities.
"Wyoming, as the smallest state in the union by population, is well positioned to pivot quickly," Moritz argued. "If you're turning an ocean liner around, they can't turn on a dime because they're so big. A smaller boat can turn a little bit quicker."
Report Nat'l Student Clearinghouse Research Center 10/20/2022
Minnesota lawmakers are back at work for a new legislative session, and changes approved last year are now being implemented, including efforts to ensure new mothers get the health care they need.
Last Sunday, a new law expanded postnatal care by requiring public and private health plans to cover a series of care visits for up to 12 weeks after a baby is delivered. Two of those visits would have to involve comprehensive care.
Rep. Ruth Richardson, DFL-Mendota Heights, was the bill's sponsor and hopes it helps address the maternal mortality crisis.
"What we know about these deaths is that 80% of them are preventable," Richardson emphasized. "This is a step in the right direction to ensure that when people are in need of support that they can get it."
The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries. In states such as Minnesota, the rates are higher for women of color.
A recent state health department report noted Black Minnesotans represent 13% of the birthing population but make up 23% of pregnancy-associated deaths. The disparities also exist within the infant mortality rate.
Richardson argued by expanding access to coverage in the weeks after the delivery date, there's hope for a better outcome for both the mother and child.
"It's part of that comprehensive visit," Richardson explained. "It will include things related to the infant's care; their feeding and other things as well."
Richardson acknowledged there is more work to do to close existing gaps. She pointed out another solution should involve expanding the scope of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee, which could enhance prevention efforts.
Separately, Minnesota last year joined the list of states to extend postpartum coverage for 12 months to those enrolled in Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program. The option stemmed from provisions under the American Rescue Plan.
House File 4161 2022
State data Minn. Dept. of Health 08/04/2022
Over 37,000 abortions were performed in Georgia in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Trac1/Adobe Stock)
Women's Health Played Major Role in 2022 Midterms
A national advocacy group says three-quarters of women in the United States who are entering the workforce will be pregnant and employed at some point of their lives. (Adobe Stock)
Advocates: Clock Ticking on Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
Tamara Loertscher holds her son, Harmonious Ellner, weeks after his birth in 2015. Loertscher was detained and incarcerated in Taylor County, Wis., during her pregnancy after health officials alleged she was using drugs while pregnant, an allegation she denies. (Photo courtesy of Loertscher.)
Policing Pregnancy: WI 'Fetal Protection' Law Forces Treatment or Jail
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 50-year ruling that guaranteed the right to abortion, emboldened conservative groups now want the courts to impose further restrictions. (Inna/AdobeStock)
Anti-Abortion Groups Ask Texas Judge to Ban Mailing Abortion Pills
New data show in California, 2021-22 state testing scores are even lower than the state's historically low testing scores. (Rawpixel/Adobe Stock)
Scorecard CA Shows Kids Still Struggling, Post-Pandemic
Many of California's 13.5 million children and teens have not bounced back after the pandemic, especially children of color, according to the just-…
News Literacy Week: Up to News Outlets, Consumers to Improve Trust
Americans continue to report low trust in mainstream media, with many younger than 30 saying they trust information from social media nearly as much …
MN Navigates School Funding as Poll Shows Support for More Aid
A Minnesota House committee heard testimony Thursday about the governor's proposed spending plan for education. As these talks unfold, public polling …
From February 2020 to November 2021, the number of workers in nursing homes and other care facilities dropped by 410,000 nationally, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Adobe Stock)
Critical Number of Rural IA Nursing Homes Close
Health-care professionals say low pay and a worker shortage have led a dramatic number of nursing homes in rural Iowa to close their doors. They hope …
CT Groups, Unions Call for Public-Health Reforms
Health-care professionals and advocates in Connecticut have said it will take sweeping reforms to bolster the state's flailing public health system…
In a national survey, Michigan was ranked 27th among the 50 states for its cost, access and quality of long-term care supports and services. California was ranked first. (Flickr)
MI State of State: Whitmer Promises Seniors Tax Breaks, Better Care
In her fifth State of the State address this week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer emphasized policies designed to put more money in Michiganders' pockets…
TX Lawmakers Consider Bills to Restrict, Expand Voting in 2023 Session
By nearly every measure, voter fraud in U.S. elections is rare, but that isn't stopping the Texas Legislature from considering dozens of bills this …
Bill Would Ban Circulating Petitions at AR Polling Places
A Republican-sponsored bill in the Arkansas Legislature would make it illegal to circulate petitions at or near polling places during elections…


Booko: Comparing prices for Hitler's War: Germany's Key Strategic Decisions 1940-1945; Could Germany Have Won World War Two?
This is the book that answers the question: Could Germany have won World War Two? What if Germany?s key strategic decisions had been different ? what would have happened?


This is an amazing statement ring! At its center is a huge 3.63 carat natural Colombian Emerald with that fabled "glow" that has come to define Colombia's finest emeralds. The emerald, measuring approximately 9x9mm, is surrounded by .275 cts of high-grade diamond melee -- VS clarity, G-H color full-cut white diamonds.
And it's all set in a solid 18kt yellow gold setting, size 6.
This emerald has only been lightly oiled, and comes from an old-mine parcel tucked away in a dealer stash since the late 1970s to early 1980s.
This ring is a true one-of-a-kind.


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This Jacksonville Two-story Home Offers Stainless Steel Appliances, Granite Kitchen Countertops, Master Bathroom With Separate Tub And Shower, Covered Patio, And Two-car Garage. Upgraded Features Include A New Water Heater And Fresh Exterior Paint.
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cat · cas · eng
Dominique Tomasov Blinder
Born in New York, raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she trained as an architect.
Her architecture career began in New York in 1979 and in 1991 she relocated to Barcelona, where she joined Comunitat Jueva ATID de Catalunya at its formation, taking a very active role as a lay leader. She has also been a member of the Board of Directors.
In 1999 she founded Urban Cultours, a project to connect Jewish past and present in Barcelona through city visits. This project for the recovery and protection of Jewish heritage became a systematic action to ensure that Jewish communities have an active participation in the process.
She has collaborated with the municipal administration and local institutions in organizing Jewish cultural activities.
Dominique is a consultant to the Jewish Heritage Program of the World Monuments Fund and specializes in Jewish heritage and legacy.
David Stoleru
French - Israeli, architect, graduated at the Escola de Paris-La Seine, specializing in rehabilitation. Has previously studied at the 'Yeshiva Netiv Meir' in Jerusalem.
Living in Barcelona since 1997, he has been sharing his professional practice with a Jewish education.
For many years he has been working with the Jewish community of Barcelona to encourage contribution to the study of Jewish history in Sapin since the middle ages.
Stoleru coordinates the 'Bnei mitsvah' program for Comunitat Jueva ATID de Catalunya, where he performs as 'chazan' and has been a member of the Board of Directors.
He also created and coordinates a weekly 'Talmud Torah' group.
Carles Basteiro Bertolí
Licensed in Law from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, with post graduate studies in intellectual property law and information technologies, through ESADE, Ramon Llull University.
Member of the Il·lustre Col·legi d'Advocats de Barcelona, specializing in intellectual and industrial property law, new technologies and personal data protection.
Collaborates with firms, agencies and universities, and is an adjunct professor at La Salle - Ramon Llull University; Center of Financial Studies, and European Institut of Design.
He is a consultant to Zakhor since its inception.
The Committee contributes to the the scientific activities of the Center. Its members offer assistance in promoting research and furnishing expert advice.
The members of the Scientific Committee are individuals or institutions, public or private, whose activities and iniciatives are akin with the goals of the center.
ZAKHOR council
Council ZAKHOR is a consulting organ, a think tank, and a plataform, where different entities can meet for reflection and debate.
Members of Council ZAKHOR are individuals or entitites, public or private, whose activities and initiatives are consistant with the goals of the center, nurturing its actions for an effective protection of Jewish heritage.
Esther Redondo García, Barcelona
Camille Bendelac Levy, Barcelona
Laura Arias, Barcelona
Giacomo Floris, Sardenia
María José Surribas, Barcelona
Gail Sussman, heritage protection, Toronto
Atra Kadisha, cemeteries protection, Jerusalem
institutional cooperation
Institut Ramon Muntaner
Centre of Studies of Montjuïc, Barcelona
Lleonard Muntaner Publisher, Palma, Mallorca
Sefarad Editores, Madrid


In the following months, the companies reached an agreement that would credit the data center's energy usage with wind power generated in Tuscola County.
In a state that gets about 10 percent of its electricity from renewables, Switch's demand may have seemed strong. But the company is part of a growing trend of businesses looking to power their operations with renewables, often to meet corporate sustainability goals.
In early October, the Michigan Public Service Commission approved two "voluntary green pricing" programs allowing all types of Consumers Energy customers — residential, commercial and industrial — to invest in renewable energy.
While these programs have been in place in varying forms for years, Consumers officials say the latest tariffs will be able to meet the increased demand it's seeing from customers. In turn, the demand may drive more renewable projects than statewide mandates, utility officials say.
Michigan's RPS calls for utilities to get 15 percent of their energy from renewables by 2021.
"I'm getting calls every day almost from new customers asking how can they do this," Myrom added.
The MPSC's Oct. 5 order also requires Consumers to submit a plan within 60 days showing how it will add solar generation to accommodate more residential and commercial customers, which may include plans to repurpose contaminated brownfield properties with solar panels.
And as renewable costs decline, Myrom sees even more potential subscribers.
"I think we could have large growth just based on the decline in costs for renewable energy by 2021," he said.
Green pricing programs are required of all utilities under sweeping statewide energy laws passed in 2016. They allow all customer classes to voluntarily specify an amount of renewables they want to purchase on top of their standard rates.
The MPSC approved tariffs for Consumers' Solar Gardens Program for residential and commercial customers and the utility's Large Customer-Renewable Energy Program. The programs offer various rates, payment plans and bill credits that make the costs variable throughout the year rather than a fixed fee.
"We believe there is significant interest in the potential for utilities to partner with local communities and renewable energy developers to meet this customer demand," MPSC chairperson Sally Talberg said in a statement.
Consumers' Green Generation program — which was approved in 2004 and allows customers to pay a premium for renewables at roughly 1 cent per kilowatt-hour, or an additional $6 to $7 a month for the average household — will stop accepting subscribers in six months. The program, which has nearly 20,000 customers including the city of Grand Rapids, will be phased out in 2028.
Solar Gardens and the Large Customer-Renewable Energy Program function differently by requiring subscribers to pay the full cost of the generation but then receive credits.
For large customers with more than 1 MW of demand, subscribers pay 4.5 cents per kilowatt-hour on top of their normal rate and are credited for the energy sales and capacity value from the Cross Winds Energy Park II project. The net cost for subscribers is around 1.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, which varies throughout the year, Myrom said.
Solar Gardens reserves blocks at 500-watt increments and offers multiple payment options, including a $1,215 upfront cost. Each block produces a certain amount of kilowatt-hours per year, averaging out to an annual bill credit of roughly $60.
"There's a long-term payback — eventually you'll get your money back within 25 years, but it does require an upfront investment," Myrom said.
Until now, a majority of the power offered through the programs was from power purchase agreements with in-state wind projects. The Green Generation program would also pair subscribers' energy usage with renewable energy credits (RECs).
That includes the concept of "additionality," or adding renewable generation rather than trading credits from existing projects. Additionality came with Solar Gardens, which is supplied by 4 megawatts of power from projects at Western Michigan University and Grand Valley State University. The Cross Winds Energy Park II project in Tuscola County also is supplying subscribers like Switch and General Motors, which account for more than 100,000 megawatt-hours of power from the project.
Until now, advocates for corporate purchasers and environmental groups have said in MPSC filings that Consumers' and DTE Energy's offerings were inadequate.
Meanwhile, the MPSC withheld approval of DTE's proposed voluntary renewable energy program until the utility provides more information about program costs and expands options for large customers.
In April, the MPSC approved voluntary renewable energy programs for six other utilities, mostly in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.
When the MPSC began looking at ways to structure voluntary renewable energy programs last year, advocates said state policy was lacking to bolster corporate purchases.
The Michigan Corporate Purchasers group — which employs 92,207 people in Michigan with 2016 revenues of $689.8 billion — said in state filings that Michigan could use these programs as an economic development tool.
The purchasers group also notes that U.S. corporate procurement of renewables increased from 1.18 gigawatts of capacity in 2014 to 3.23 GW in 2015. The Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance aims to increase the market to 60 GW by 2025.
Companies in Michigan investing in renewable energy include General Motors, Switch, Whirlpool, Herman Miller, Steelcase and Amway.
As renewable energy costs continue to decline, utility officials say the voluntary programs may end up saving participants money.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to note that the Solar Gardens bill credit averages out to $60 annually, not monthly.


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San Diego Comic-Con Special Edition Seems... Weird
The in-person convention happening Thanksgiving weekend is heavy on gaming, light on Hollywood.
A pre-covid edition of SDCC.
Photo: Michael Buckner (Getty Images)
San Diego Comic-Con is about to hold its first in-person event since 2019. It's called Comic-Con Special Edition and it takes place November 26-28 in San Diego, CA—but if you were worried that by not attending you'd be missing on big exciting news, you can breathe easy.
It's no secret that in the past decade, San Diego Comic-Con has become less about comics and more about Hollywood. What started as a small gathering of like-minded fans has evolved into a mega event filled with studios and networks who spend millions to be there, and fans who spend a whole bunch too. Covid-19 changed that for the foreseeable future, but the existence of Comic-Con Special Edition suggests that SDCC's organizers are eager to get back to the way things were.
Except for this: the full programming schedule for the event has been released and there's barely a major movie or TV show on there, at least in an official capacity. The programming is heavy on cosplay, fan discussion, and table top gaming, and the few celebrities who'll be in attendance (Avatar and Hook's Dante Basco, Star Trek's Brent Spiner) are promoting personal work or podcasts, not major shows. Plus, arguably the "biggest" official panel being held, for NBC's La Brea, is virtual.
There's more. At a normal Comic-Con, Hall H is that near-mythic space where crowds of over 5,000 people can make or break a movie with their raucous response. Comic-Con Special Edition isn't even having panels in there, instead using the space for attendee registration. But, as the official site says, this is not the summer event. It's more of an experiment to see if SDCC can get the summer event back to its former glory.
"Our decision to hold an in-person event in 2021 was driven by several factors," says the official Comic-Con site. "Our primary hope was to finally be able to gather in person as a community, something we have not been able to do since 2019. Another was to try to determine how best to safely produce events in light of current health concerns with the least negative impact on attendees ... Reduced in attendance, shorter in the number of days, and purposefully smaller in scope, this convention is meant to be a more intimate gathering while still evoking the fun community feeling our conventions are known for, including great exhibits, programs, cosplay, gaming, and other event."
io9 will not be attending Comic-Con Special Edition, but maybe you will be? Sound off in the comments if so and let us know what you're expecting the vibe to be.
Wondering where our RSS feed went? You can pick the new up one here.


James Dashner was born and raised in Georgia but now lives and writes in the Rocky Mountains. The Fever Code is the fifth book in his #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series, which includes The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, The Kill Order, and The Fever Code. He is also the author of the bestselling Mortality Doctrine series: The Eye of Minds, The Rule of Thoughts, and The Game of Lives. To learn more about James and his books, visit jamesdashner.com, follow @jamesdashner on Twitter, and find him on Instagram at @dashnerjames.


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Q: Can I subclass class definition code in Coffeescript? Basically, I want to do something like:
class Animal
  @type: 'animal'
  console.log "#{ @type } type defined"

class Dog extends Animal
  @type: 'dog'
  ...???...

such that when these two classes are loaded, the console output looks like
animal type defined
dog type defined

FWIW, the first line is logged; the second is where I'm having issues.
I've tried playing with __super__ and whatnot but those reference the constructor.  I'm trying to get to the superclasses function definition itself...

A: Since you want your log message on class loading (function definition), you cannot use inheritance (with calling super constructor or something). Just write
class Animal
  @type: 'animal'
  console.log "#{ @type } type defined"

class Dog extends Animal
  @type: 'dog'
  console.log "#{ @type } type defined"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The associate laboratory CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, formerly CICECO-Centre for Research in Ceramics and Composite Materials, was created in March 2002 at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, with the mission of developing the scientific and technological knowledge necessary for the innovative production and transformation of ceramics and organic-inorganic hybrids and materials for a sustainable development.
CICECO is the largest Portuguese institute in the field of materials science and engineering, with over 480 people comprising 46 academic staff, 54 full-time researchers and, in December 2018, 111 post-doctoral associates, 166 PhD students and 88 other students. Activities are supported by 16 technicians and administrative personnel.
To develop the scientific and technological knowledge necessary for the innovative production and transformation of materials for a sustainable development and the benefit of society (from ceramics to soft matter and hybrids).
Stimulate innovation within the industrial sector.
we hosted one of the first and very few Portuguese Marie Curie Training sites, 'Advanced Ceramic Materials: Synthesis & Structure'.
CICECO is also committed to knowledge transfer to industry, through its Centre for Materials Design and Technology - CDTM.
In 2006, CICECO started a consortium with some 6 SME companies, IDPoR, 'Research and Development Platform on Polymers from Renewable Sources'.
CICECO is probably the best equipped institute in the country to perform research in materials science. In particular, we are the focal point of the Portuguese Electron Microscopy Network and also house the top solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance facilities. We are also one of the best equipped national centres for X-ray diffraction (single crystal, powders and films).


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Home Editorials The Kingdom Hearts 3 ending and how it could impact the future of the series
The Kingdom Hearts 3 ending and how it could impact the future of the series
One of the most anticipated games of the past decade could be setting up something huge and it's hard to tell whether that is a good thing
This article will contain spoilers about Kingdom Hearts 3 and its ending, please be aware of this before you continue
With the disclaimer out of the way, I have to say that I have very mixed feelings about the most recent entry in the Kingdom Hearts franchise. On one hand, the gameplay is amazingly fun, wonderfully customizable and as over the top and action packed as a kid that grew up with the franchise could hope for. On the other hand, this game was filled to the brim with story moments that made no sense, felt out of place and confused the hell out of even the most die-hard of KH fans. By the end of the game though, I had fallen back in love with the series that had always managed to bring a smile to my face and make me crave one more playthrough. Sadly though this isn't a full game review so let's skip right to the end shall we?
Image pulled from the official Kingdom Hearts 3 website
What I mean by the "end" is I am going to be talking about everything that takes place on the final world (even trying to qualify that is tough) of Kingdom Hearts 3 and the secret movie so if you haven't experience both of those things then I would suggest coming back when you do because as I said earlier, its a good one. So Sora finally did it, he beat the big bad Xehanort and stopped The World from being remade and saved all life from being destroyed. Wow………….. what's next? Well now Sora is apparently making the jump from world to world looking for Kairi who may or may not be on Destiny Islands just waiting for him like I said it gets confusing but that doesn't stop the secret movie from throwing another wrench in the gears. If you didn't know or just didn't remember the secret movie from Kingdom Hearts 2 essentially showed that there was much more to the KH story than just Sora and the half-pints, and the most recent secret movie appears to be attempting to do the same, showing a mysterious figure making the most ominous heart sign over the moon ever, but that is FAR from the weirdest part the whole thing. Easily the most shocking part of this clip is the fact that it shows both Sora and his childhood friend Riku waking up in what appears to be modern-day Japan, and this brings up so many questions that it honestly hurts my brain to even think about and that isn't even where the insanity stops. If you either played or watched a full playthrough of KH 3 one moment that must stick out like a sore thumb is the over the top and seemingly out of nowhere opening to the Toy Box world based off of the Toy Story franchise, which featured a very action-packed opening that looked more like the trailer to the next Final Fantasy game than anything else. Well, the main character from that opening sequence Yozora also appeared to have ended up in the same place as our two protagonists, but luckily had enough time to scope out the perfect brooding spot first.
Image pulled from the Kingdom Hearts official website
So the big question is, what does this mean for the future of the series? Honestly at this point we can only speculate, maybe the series is heading in a more realistic direction, a la Final Fantasy, maybe "Our World" will just be another feature on the ever-expanding roster for the KH series, maybe the director just really likes that particular area of Japan, which appears to be Shibuya Square or at the very least some kind of interpretation of it. There's only one thing that we can say for certain and that's that there will be more Kingdom Hearts games with Sora and Riku in them, everything else is up to speculation, and what really makes things more complicated is the lack of Final Fantasy characters in the most recent entry. In the previous games in the franchise, FF always had some characters featured like Squall or Leon as he's known in KH, was the first one to explain the story behind the keyblade to Sora so the decision not to include any of those types of characters in KH3 seems out of place and can mean a shift away from the people and places that we know and love. At this point, it is difficult to say but just knowing that there will be more Kingdom Hearts is comforting and all we can do is have faith that the next games won't change things too drastically, partly because of losing a beloved game franchise and partly because hell hath no fury like a gamer scorned.
EndingsKingdom HeartsKingdom Hearts 3Spoilers
Noah Jacobs
Noah is an all-around nerd that likes everything from video games to anime and fights every day to do nothing but sit on his couch and watch movies.
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The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will be speaking at Hamilton's Chamber of Commerce later this morning.
The Tiger-Cats comments today will be the first time they've publicly spoke about the stadium since the City Council meeting of October 12.
It is unknown what the Tiger-Cats will say at this point. I'll be at the event and will provide live updates throughout the morning.
I've recently started experimenting with Google Moderator. I used it in a lecture I delivered yesterday at Brock University to organize questions from the class.
Today, I'm going to embed it on my blog and invite you to suggest questions to ask of the Tiger-Cats. You can vote up the questions that you wish to see answered.
I'm a journalist that believes in collaboration at all stages of the news gathering process. I'm trusting you, my readers, to be responsible partners in the news gathering process. Let's work together to understand today's announcement.


A chair has gone from being a wooden frame with four legs to an ergonomic speciality on an aluminium frame sporting castors and, as each human frame is different, so are the ergonomic office chairs which are designed to support that human frame. A truly ergonomic chair will address weight, height, body frame, length of legs and arms and may also give head support.
Start by looking at the Ergohuman, an office chair which has the whole human frame in mind. A single lever allows the user to change the tilt of the chair for maximum comfort and there may be times when the user wants to be upright and extremely attentive, as opposed to laid back and deep in thought. One can also alter the height of the seat to agree with the length of the person's legs, alter the height and position of the armrests and apply a seat slide for perfect positioning.
A unique point about the Ergohuman is its flexible lumbar support system which, situated in the lower part of the chair back, adjusts itself to hug the lower back of its user. Once a chair has had all its adjustments made to match the user, thought might turn to fixing a head rest. This will not only support the head but give support to the neck a well.


This is a stadium in nice condition for your cool hot Spin Blade. Just call you friends up and fight for the Spin Blade battle!
NOTE: Not suitable for children under 3 years old. It is the third party product.
Trade was easy and product arrived in 4 days. Unfortunately the photos and title were misleading. Honestly I should have read specs more carefully but it arrived and is soooo small it is not really functional for its labeled purpose. It's a shame really, feeling ripped off.
Thanks for a great trade! I have a very happy 11 yr old son!!


Help save yourself — join CLT today!
"Homeowners, family-owned businesses and their employees could be negatively impacted by groups who manipulate or misuse the powers created under this bill that privatizes some of local government's management and expense of tax dollars, community development and community services functions," said Rep. Michelle DuBois (D-Brockton).
Property owners would be allowed to create special taxing districts to pay for neighborhood services and improvements under a proposal working its way through Beacon Hill, but fiscal watchdogs caution the move amounts to a cash grab by developers.
The bipartisan proposal, approved by the House last week, allows "community benefit districts" in which property owners create a nonprofit board to make neighborhood upgrades — like added security, beautification projects or cultural programs — funded through a property assessment.
"This would empower communities by giving them another way to improve their downtowns and Main Streets," said Sen. Brendan Crighton, a Lynn Democrat and primary sponsor of the Senate's version of the bill. "There are a lot of towns and cities — specifically gateway cities — that stand to benefit from this."
Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, has vetoed two similar proposals. He has called the assessments "the functional equivalent of new property taxes."
Some fiscal watchdogs oppose the proposal, arguing that it would lead to additional layers of local taxation and government in a state already overtaxed.
"Effectively it's an end-run around the restrictions of Proposition 2½ by dividing municipalities into 'community benefit districts' that can then additionally tax individual sub-divisions of cities and towns — a new neighborhood tax," said Chip Ford, executive director of Citizens for Limited Taxation.
The state Legislature is cooking up another piece of warm "money" pie — complete with a cherry on top — for its friends.
From the same group that voted themselves an 18-percent pay raise comes an end-of-the-budget-season "gift" to state and municipal retirees seeking to earn more taxpayer-funded income as "double-dippers." They want to cash their public pensions — plus be able to pad them with less restrictive rules on how may hours they can work in retirement doing their former jobs.
In our view, this issue deserves more study on its overall impact on state and local government operations — and taxpayers. If this proposal reaches Gov. Charlie Baker's desk, he should veto it until citizens are assured that lawmakers aren't introducing a public payroll abuse that will be the object of future reform.
Retailers in Massachusetts need help, a fact made abundantly clear in a report released on Beacon Hill last week.
State Sen. Michael Barrett, who served on the task force, told the State House News Service last month that the panel would not be making recommendations.
"The press will be frustrated," he said. "They'll want us to make the call on issues like the tax holiday, like the training wage, and if we're not prepared to make the call, we need to clarify that."
Fortunately, there are already a handful of initiatives before lawmakers that would help boost the retail industry. Reinstating the sales tax holiday would be a relatively easy first step. The late-summer reprieve from the 6.25 percent Massachusetts sales tax usually occurs over an August weekend. Retail business leaders have it positioned for a statewide vote on the November ballot, but lawmakers don't need to wait. They can make it happen now.
It would be distressing to see the work of the task force simply shelved alongside the dozens of similar reports compiled by, and then ignored by, the Legislature.
By the end of the day Thursday, the Massachusetts Legislature is expected to have approved more than $6 billion in borrowing in just more than two weeks.
The House and Senate have already approved a housing bond bill and action in the House on Wednesday left two more borrowing bills -- one dealing with capital needs and the other focused on the life sciences industry -- a Senate vote away from Gov. Charlie Baker's desk.
If Baker signs both Thursday, he and the Legislature will have OK'ed $6.14 billion in borrowing in about 15 days.
The two different versions of $41 billion spending plans for fiscal 2019 are now officially in the hands of six lawmakers, who voted Thursday morning to take their negotiations behind closed doors.
The Senate, on a 25-13 vote, also agreed to a Sen. Jamie Eldridge amendment prohibiting law enforcement officers from asking about immigration status and limiting local law enforcement's cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The House budget does not address immigration enforcement.
Jonathan Paz, a member of Progressive Massachusetts and the Safe Communities Coalition, dropped off a painting of the Statue of Liberty at Spilka's office Thursday morning. He said his goal was to highlight that the conferees were meeting in private, leaving observers with little insight into how they were discussing the immigration policy attached to the budget.
Spilka is expected to ascend to the Senate presidency later this session, a fact that appeared to be on her vice chair's mind Thursday morning.
"Madam president, I mean Madam President-elect, Madam Chair," Sen. Lovely said, addressing Spilka as she introduced a motion that the committee close its negotiations to the public.
Raise Up Massachusetts said Thursday it has reached an impasse in its negotiations with business lobbying groups over a $15-per-hour minimum wage, throwing the possibility of a "grand bargain" compromise on multiple ballot proposals into doubt.
Raise Up, a coalition of labor unions and their allies, has been in talks with lawmakers and organizations like the Retailers Association of Massachusetts and Associated Industries of Massachusetts to find middle ground on three ballot questions: a minimum wage increase, required paid family and medical leave, and a cut to the state sales tax. Raise Up supports the wage and paid-leave proposals, while the retailers group is pushing the sales tax measure. The two sides are seeking to reach a legislative compromise, rather than allow the proposals to go directly to voters in November.
The so-called millionaires' tax, which would raise income taxes on those who earn $1 million or more annually, is not on the table during the negotiations. Because the proposal is a constitutional amendment, the legislature cannot pass it into law. Instead, the proposal must be approved by voters.
However, the Supreme Judicial Court is considering whether the tax is constitutional. Its ruling, which is expected any day now, could affect the "grand bargain" negotiations, since it could change the leverage both sides believe they have.
The effective deadline for any legislative compromise in July 3, the date by which the sponsors of the ballot questions must submit their final round of signatures in support of the initiatives to the state.
Negotiators trying to assemble a "grand bargain" to settle sales tax reduction, paid family and medical leave benefits, and a minimum wage increase appear on the verge of receiving a piece of information that's potentially critical to their talks. The Supreme Judicial Court appears to be taking its full allotment of time to render a decision on whether a citizen-backed constitutional amendment imposing a 4 percent surtax on household income above $1 billion is properly certified for the November ballot, or should be discarded without a vote.
But just as negotiators on the three initiative petitions are looking at early July as their deadline for a deal, time is also running out on the high court, which aims to render decisions on cases it hears within 115 to 130 days of oral arguments. A standing order says that cases "should be decided within 130 days after argument" and both sides squared off in oral arguments on Feb. 6.
The 130-day mark falls on Saturday, June 16.
Opponents of the 4 percent surtax on incomes over $1 million, argue that the format of the amendment violates the state constitution by bundling multiple unrelated policies into one question. Supporters of the question say it could raise roughly $2 billion that would be directed to pay for transportation and education. The case filed by leaders of business groups is called Christopher Anderson & others v. Maura Healey & another.
At 8 a.m. through its Twitter feed, the Office of the Reporter of Decisions notifies the public of decisions that will be published two hours later at 10 a.m. every weekday.
The proposed sales tax cut is worth about $1.2 billion a year, and negotiators weighing multiple ballot proposals, each carrying significant fiscal and economic implications, are eagerly awaiting the SJC's ruling.
The supporters of the $15 minimum wage and paid leave ballot proposals plan a "week of action," starting with a 2 p.m. rally on Monday.
On April 11th we warned that The Takers would soon be assaulting CLT's Proposition 2½ again ("A calm before the storm?"), but this latest approach, I must admit, is novel. Instead of directly attacking the law itself, they've devised a scheme to run around it in a way so devious that nobody ever could have foreseen.
Instead of again attempting to change, weaken, and subvert our property tax-limitation law ― which CLT has managed to fend off in the past, most recently in 2013 and before that in 2010 ― this time they intend to simply create an entire new layer of government, with its own power to tax separately and additionally.
You've got to give them points for creativity, and persistence.
So should we don the armor and prepare for battle again ― or are you worn down, disinterested, and ready to stand down and let them have their way at last?
From the disappointing response to our last mailing, I suspect the fighting spirit, sufficient taxpayer resistance, has waned and for most must be over, gone.
Apparently sensing this apathy, the state is plowing ahead with more and more spending, bigger and more expansive government. This week the Governor and Legislature just borrowed another $6 Billion to spend, a huge sum (with accruing interest) which doesn't grow on trees. That $6 Billion plus interest will need to be repaid and, like everything else state government borrows and spends, it is us productive taxpayers who will pay the bill.
"The Senate voted 33-5 to enact the $473 million life sciences bill (H 4501), and voted 38-0 to enact $3.87 billion in borrowing and spending on state facility repairs and other capital needs (H 4549)."
$6.14 billion borrowed in 15 days.
What do you suppose your "fair share" will be of that $6.14 Billion now added to the state's debt?
"From the same group that voted themselves an 18-percent pay raise comes an end-of-the-budget-season 'gift' to state and municipal retirees seeking to earn more taxpayer-funded income as 'double-dippers.' They want to cash their public pensions — plus be able to pad them with less restrictive rules on how may hours they can work in retirement doing their former jobs."
This further assault on taxpayers is in the Senate's budget now in conference committee, an amendment (#5) by Sen. Michael Rodrigues, "Post-retirement earnings cap increase." It was adopted by the state Senate on May 22, right before the Senate offhandedly rejected rolling back the sales tax to 5 percent and the income tax to 5 percent. As has become the rule rather than the exception ― again there were no roll call votes. None of us will ever know how our senator voted on any of those. That's the way they want it, cultivating their constituents as mushrooms, kept in the dark and well fertilized until the fall harvest.
CLT members may recall the double-dipper amendment's sponsor, Michael J. Rodrigues of Westford, from 2009. He was a state representative then, when an alert CLT member caught and photographed him filling his trunk with liquor at a New Hampshire state liquor store ― right after he voted to increase the alcohol tax on the rest of us.
Any day now the state Supreme Judicial Court's decision will come down on the constitutionality of the sixth graduated income tax ballot question. Also known by its advocates as the "Millionaires Tax," or the "Fair Share Amendment," it directs how the new revenue raised would be spent, which clearly should be unconstitutional and prohibit the question from the ballot.
It would appear that the sales tax rollback will be on the ballot. The Retailer's Association has been using its threat as a negotiation lever while dealing with Raise Up Massachusetts, the latest incarnation of The Takers usual coalition. Raise Up Massachusetts is the sponsor of the graduated income tax ballot question, the $15-per-hour minimum wage ballot question, the required paid family leave ballot question, and the required paid medical leave ballot question. The Retailers Association is fighting tooth and nail to save its Massachusetts small business members from bankruptcy and extinction, but the only thing The Takers aren't taking is prisoners.
The Takers want it all, or nothing. Voters should give them the latter.
But this is, after all, Massachusetts and recent polls show The Takers walking away with their plunder, crushing small businesses. The best ray of hope is that those same polls show the sales tax rollback winning big too. But if small businesses are forced to close we'll still need to drive to New Hampshire, out-of-state, to buy anything. Either nothing will be available here, or anything that is will be too expensive.
And my friends are surprised that I'm looking at shutting down CLT soon and moving out-of-state while I still can?
My father, William "Woody" Ford, a WWII and Battle of the Bulge veteran, passed away at 99 years old on Wednesday ― appropriately on the 74th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. I've got to get back to our family's funeral arrangements but wanted to get this out to you.
The House 149-2, approved and sent to the Senate a local option bill allowing a city or town to authorize the creation of community benefit districts which would permit owners of contiguous property in a city or town to form a district and impose taxes to pay for additional services, improvements, events and other projects and activities within the district. The districts would be operated by a nonprofit board.
But Crighton and other supporters say the Baker administration is slowly warming to the idea as lawmakers have amended it over the years.
For one, Crighton said lawmakers have included an "opt-out" provision for churches, soup kitchens and other tax-exempt groups that don't want to participate, as well as exemptions for economically challenged businesses that can't afford to pay into the system.
"However, we believe that the nonprofits will want to be partners because of the benefits that they would receive as well," he said.
The idea's supporters, which include the Massachusetts Municipal Association and many regional chambers of commerce, say local governments would be required to hold public hearings before creating the districts and put a proposal before a city council or governing body for approval.
"This isn't something that can just be imposed on property owners," said Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, D-Gloucester. "There's a local approval process."
Ferrante said the added revenue would help many cash-strapped cities and towns afford improvements and services such as snowplowing.
"In these economic times, it's very difficult for communities to meet all the needs and requests of their residents," she said. "This would help with that."
Community development groups support the move, saying it would help business districts improve the quality of life for shoppers and residents.
"We think this is really important to the evolution and growth of our towns and cities that we have shopping districts that are vibrant, safe and clean," said Joseph Kriesberg, president of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations, a Boston-based advocacy group.
"The best analogy would be a condo association pooling its money to maintain common areas," he said. "It's a model that's worked well in other states."
You've read that right. Police officers, firefighters, teachers and others who chose to retire early from their jobs with public pensions want to work more and earn more on the public dole. It appears both the Democratic-controlled House and Senate are planning to oblige them.
Why are former state workers who chose to retire early now saying they can't make ends meet?
Except for state judges, there's no mandatory retirement age in public service. No one kicked the former employees out of their public jobs, so why are they returning to public service seeking more part-time hours?
At present, retirees — both state and local government — are limited to working 960 hours per year. A bill passed by the Senate would raise the cap to 1,200 hours; the House version would pack on a generous 56 percent increase to 1,500 hours. The bills were tucked into each chamber's proposed $41.5 billion state budget, and need to be reconciled to become law.
Currently, the retirees' workweek is capped at 18 hours on the public payroll. It would increase to 23 hours (Senate) and 29 hours (House) under the competing legislative schemes. Proponents say the higher cap would offer cities and towns the option of hiring a part-timer over a full-timer in order to save money. Opponents argue that the original double-dipping law was put on the books to prevent workers from exploiting the system — and this expansion of hours only exacerbates it.
The system's already lopsided and the expanded cap is no reform.
Few government retirees leave the job early unless they've maxed out their pension benefits or have something else in the works — most likely another decent-paying position. By raising the cap, lawmakers are creating a "double-dipping" statute plain and simple. It's no secret this is an election year. For lawmakers facing a competitive race, there are 120,000 state and teacher retirees — and thousands more on the municipal side — whose backs can be scratched with a double-dipping bonus. But what if it backfires? What if state agencies and municipalities start hiring more retirees to fill positions — thus eliminating full-time jobs — in order to cut salaries and benefit costs?
It would be the smart thing to do, so, conceivably, it could happen. Will it lead to better overall government? Your guess is as good as ours.
The report, compiled by a state Senate task force, did a fine job outlining the obstacles facing the Bay State retail industry. The question remains, however, whether the Democrat-dominated Legislature will do anything to lend a hand.
-- The online marketplace is making things difficult for traditional retailers. "E-commerce and the rise of technology, evolving consumer preferences and demographic factors are changing the Massachusetts retail sector," the task force wrote in its report. One only needs to look to the recent decision to close Sears, one of the longtime anchor stores at the Northshore Mall, for recent evidence of the shift to mobile shopping.
-- Brick-and-mortar retailers in Massachusetts have to charge a sales tax. In most cases, online retailers do not. Neither do businesses north of the border in New Hampshire. And Bay State legislators have consistently rejected calls for an August sales tax holiday.
-- Restrictive zoning has made it difficult for new business to grow in the state's downtowns, and the Legislature has kept a tight hold on liquor licenses, artificially stifling the growth of the hospitality industry.
-- The state's high cost of living — everything from health and child care to housing costs — is putting an increasing burden on retailers and their employees. State policy, the task force writes, isn't making things easier: "Existing and future mandates, including minimum wage, premium pay and health care assessments, are contributing to rising costs of operation for Massachusetts retailers."
-- While the number of mandates multiplies, the report notes, little is being done at the state level to help spur innovation because officials don't see it as "a strategic sector." A mere 3 percent of workplace training grants went to retail businesses, and the teen employment initiative YouthWorks placed about 3 percent of its participants in summer retail jobs in 2016, according to the report.
There's the rub. Retail is a bread-and-butter industry. It doesn't spark the imagination like green energy, financial services or biotech. It makes up a relatively modest 4 percent of the economic activity in the state. But it is a job-creator and a moneymaker. It deserves more attention from lawmakers. "Direct retail spending by travelers and tourists in Massachusetts totaled $1.7 billion in 2015, generating $220 million in payroll and 7,800 jobs," the task force notes in its report. "In 2016, the restaurant and food service industry accounted for over 330,000 jobs in Massachusetts, and 10 percent of the employment in the state."
We are left to wonder why the state Legislature has not done more to help boost the industry. Even the senators on the task force seem to be trying to lower expectations.
The borrowing blitz began when the House and Senate approved a housing bond bill on May 23, authorizing $1.8 billion over five years to finance affordable housing development and improvements at public housing facilities. Baker signed that into law May 31.
On Wednesday, the House and Senate each accepted a compromise bill (H 4549) that would approve $3.87 billion in borrowing and spending on state facility repairs and other capital needs. The House also enacted that bond bill, but the Senate adjourned Wednesday without enacting the bill and sending it to the governor.
The House also enacted a $473 million bond bill aimed at supporting the life sciences sector (H 4501) Wednesday. Similarly, the Senate adjourned without enacting that bill but the branch is back in a formal session on Thursday.
Thursday is the last day that lawmakers would be able to tout their action directly to attendees at the four-day Biotechnology Innovation Organization International Convention, which wraps up in Boston on Thursday.
After the Senate votes on the two outstanding bond bills, the legislation would need Baker's signature to become law. Baker had filed his own versions of life sciences and capital needs bond bills and is expected to sign both when they reach his desk.
Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair Karen Spilka, who helms the conference committee with House Ways and Means Chair Jeffrey Sánchez, said she hopes the negotiations on the budget for the fiscal year that starts in 24 days will be "very fruitful, productive and somewhat swift."
"I look forward to working with Chairman Sánchez and the whole conference committee to iron out the differences -- there are many more similarities, I believe, and some differences -- between our budgets to produce a fiscally responsible spending plan for fiscal year 2019," said Spilka, an Ashland Democrat.
Spilka briefly hosted Sánchez and fellow conferees Sens. Joan Lovely and Vinny deMacedo and Reps. Stephen Kulik and Todd Smola, along with several staffers, in a conference room in her office. The panel met in open session for less than 10 minutes before agreeing to continue their talks in private.
Sánchez, a Jamaica Plain Democrat, said each branch wrote a budget that is "focused on people where they're at."
"They're budgets that celebrate people's lives, and also recognizes what role that we have in making sure that everybody can benefit from the prosperity of this great commonwealth," he said.
Spilka said education and "regional empowerment" were among main priorities in the Senate's plan.
The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center on Wendesday flagged differences between the branches on health care, housing and education, noting that the House proposed larger investments in early education and care, while the Senate proposed greater funding for K-12 schools.
The House also added $5 million for a new program to help homeless individuals move into housing, and the Senate increased Registry of Deeds fees to bolster the Community Preservation Act Trust Fund, which supports affordable housing, open space and historic preservation.
On health care, the Senate included language allowing the state to negotiate drug prices directly with manufacturers, a proposal MassBudget said is similar to one introduced by Gov. Charlie Baker. The House, meanwhile, included more funding for pediatric hospitals, adult foster care, and adult day health rates than the Senate, according to MassBudget.
"This is a back-room meeting, and immigrant lives are being leveraged," he told the News Service.
Speaker Robert DeLeo elevated Sanchez to the Ways and Means chairmanship last July -- the same day Baker signed this year's budget into law -- following the resignation of former House budget chief Brian Dempsey, who left for a lobbying job.
The fiscal 2019 budget is likely the only annual spending plan that will be finalized with Spilka and Sanchez serving as lead negotiators.
On Thursday, Raise Up sent a letter to House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Harriette Chandler, saying that the minimum-wage talks had hit a "standstill." The retailers want a special minimum wage for teenagers, as well as the elimination of an existing requirement that businesses pay workers 1.5 times their normal wages on Sundays and holidays. But Raise Up said it wouldn't budge on those issues.
"Policies such as a sub-minimum wage for teens or the elimination of Sunday time-and-a-half pay would hurt some of our most vulnerable workers and their families, and we cannot support or accept them," the group said in its letter.
Raise Up criticized the tactics of RAM President Jon Hurst. "Clearly the Retailers Association is using its sales tax cut ballot question as a threat to gain concessions on regressive policies that would never pass in the legislature, or on the ballot, on their own," the coalition said.
Hurst said in an emailed statement that the retailers group is still working toward a middle ground.
"Although our ballot proposal has the support of almost 70 percent of voters in a recent public poll, we remain committed to working with legislators, other employer organizations, and other negotiators to see if a legislative solution can be reached," he said.
On the other hand, Raise Up believes a compromise is close on the paid-leave proposal, saying the two sides have mostly agreed on a new paid-leave program, with the remaining points of contention "very close" to being resolved. Two other sources familiar with the paid-leave talks, who wished to remain anonymous, have told the Business Journal that the two sides are close.
One source said that the two sides have discussed reducing the amount of time off given to workers as proposed in Raise Up's ballot initiative. The ballot proposal would give workers up to 26 weeks of medical leave, but negotiators are discussing whether to cut that to 20 weeks, according to the source. Similarly, the ballot proposal would give employees up to 16 weeks of family leave, but a compromise could reduce that to 12 weeks, the source said.
Negotiators have also discussed allowing companies to opt out of the state-run paid-leave program if they offer policies that meet a certain threshold, according to the source. There may also be a carve-out for small employers, the source said.


With exactly two months to go until the US election, today ProPublica launched Electionland, an initiative created to track and report the voter experience across America in real time.
First Draft joins ProPublica as part of a coalition of media partners working together to identify problems typically experienced in voting, such as long lines, malfunctioning machines, harassing election challengers, and unrequired requests for photo identification, as well as any evidence of in-person voter fraud. Other partners include Google News Lab, WNYC, the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, Univision News and the USA TODAY Network.
Over the next few months First Draft will be training a number of students based at 13 journalism schools across the US on social newsgathering and verification techniques. On election day, this network of student newsrooms will help monitor and flag reports that emerge on social media using Check, a collaborative verification platform built by First Draft partner Meedan.
Check will allow the students to share verified tips and information with a central newsroom of editors based at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism in New York, who will then contact professional reporters across the country to follow up on the ground.
Problems with some voters not being able to cast their vote has been a major issue in previous elections, according to Scott Klein, deputy managing editor at ProPublica, and this is one topic he hopes the Electionland project will be able to pick up on early.
Long wait times were a feature of the 2012 election, with "a disproportionate amount of long wait times" in areas with large African American or Hispanic communities, he said, but too often these stories were only reported on or after election day. With Electionland, he hopes to change that.
As well as these social signals, ProPublica reporters will be receiving data from Election Protection, a project from the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law which gives voters the chance to report any voting problems. These tips will also be distributed to newsrooms where appropriate, or form part of ProPublica's national reporting effort.
Local newsrooms from across the media spectrum have signed up to be involved in Electionland. But the project is also about training the next generation of journalists in the skills to find these stories early, said Claire Wardle, research director at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University and a founding member of First Draft.
Facebook is granting participating students access to their Signal platform to assist with the early detection of stories. The students, from the University of Alabama, Arizona State University, Columbia University, CUNY, University of Florida, University of Georgia, Louisiana State University, University of Memphis, University of Missouri, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ohio University, University of Oregon, and Texas State University, will be allocated specific states to monitor.
Electionland will also provide an opportunity to demonstrate how newsrooms can use sophisticated social newsgathering techniques to cover large planned events in future.
"Knowing how to search and monitor social media is absolutely essential for detecting stories as they emerge in real-time," said First Draft managing director, Jenni Sargent.
Electionland is supported by Google News Lab and Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist and craigconnects, who also supports Santa Clara University's Trust Project on ethics in journalism.
"The real issue we're trying to fix is there is a decent amount of coverage of voting problems," said Klein, "but not until after the election. And often you'll see these stories come out sometimes a week or two after the election, way too late.
To help journalists stay up to date, Electionland will send participants real-time alerts about potential voting trouble spots within their coverage area. To learn more about Electionland and to sign-up your newsroom, visit propublicnoa.org/electionland.


These micro-fiber towels are a great addition to any skate bag. $5.99 retail value. They are shipped rather stiff, but soften upon each washing. They provide superior drying, won't scratch blades like terrycloth can and last a very long time.
Free with any qualifying Riedell figure skate purchase. Please be advised that you MUST purchase a qualifying Riedell figure skate to receive this as a free gift. If you order it without a qualifying purchase, the order will go through, but the towel will not ship.
Towels generally are mailed separately from the skates.


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HomeNew ZealandHager's Hit and Run takes another direct hit from NZDF fire as NZSAS story takes new turn
Hager's Hit and Run takes another direct hit from NZDF fire as NZSAS story takes new turn
March 30, 2017 iwishart New Zealand, Wars & Rumours of Wars 2
By Ian Wishart
There's an old Arabic curse which loosely translates : 'May the fleas of a thousand camels invade the crotch of the person that ruins your day. And may their arms be too short to scratch'.
As "Hit and Run" authors Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson furiously scratch for evidence that their NZSAS story stacks up, they must be wondering at their bad run of luck. A week ago they were media darlings, having dumped a new book on the media in a carefully staged news circus at 5pm, meaning journalists effectively flooded the evening news cycle with nothing more than the contents of a self-aggrandising press release. It was, as the book's title honestly admitted, a hit and run – with the media and the public the unwitting victims.
Fast forward a week, and the news media are looking increasingly embarrassed at having fallen for Hager and Stephenson's story so uncritically.
The battle front shifted decidedly this week when Lt Gen Tim Keating, head of NZDF, put his neck on the chopping block and showed how Hager and Stephenson had named two villages – Naik and Khak Khuday Dad, that NZSAS had never actually been to and which were actually two kilometres north of the village the SAS hit, across a couple of mountain ranges. Ergo, whoever was killed in those villages, including three year old Fatima, it cannot have been the fault of NZSAS.
Hager spat the dummy, telling the NZ Herald he was "100% certain" that the info he had published in his book was correct, and that NZDF were wrong.
"It is actually impossible that the story is wrong."
Big words. Brave words. Wrong words. Luckily, there are still some journalists in the media capable of reading a map without the assistance of the nice woman from Google Navigate. Heather du Plessis Allan is one of those, and she dug out a previous documentary by Jon Stephenson where he never mentioned the two villages named in his book, and instead named the Tirgiran village that NZDF insist the raid took place in.
"Hang on," said du Plessis Allan and her husband Barry Soper, "what gives? Why are the names different?"
"I spoke to Jon Stephenson a couple of minutes ago," Soper told Newstalk ZB, "and he admitted that he might have been 'confused' about the villages."
Du Plessis Allan was even more blunt: "It is very, very sloppy journalism by Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson," she told ZB. "Very sloppy journalism".
And with that, Hager's "100% certain" boast started to fall apart and his crotch began to itch.
Not to be left out, Richard McLeod, one of the kiwi lawyers acting for the Taliban villagers released a letter from the villagers in an "Aha!" moment, accusing NZDF of getting the names of the two villages north of the target zone wrong:
"The NZDF has stated that Operation Burnham took place in 'Tirgiran Village', which it claims is located 2+ kilometres south of the villages of Naik and Khak Khuday Dad … We have provided the NZDF map to our clients, together with the NZDF media release of 26 March 2017. Our clients are locals and residents of this area, and of course they know the names of the villages in which they live.
"Tirgiran is not a village, and therefore 'Tirgiran Village' does not exist … Tirgiran is a valley area. Naik and Khak Khuday Dad villages are in fact located within the red retangular box in the NZDF map. The identified Objectives 1 and 2 are located in Naik village. The most northern village (incorrectly named Khak Khuday Dad in the NZDF map) is in fact a village named Khakandy. The north-western village (incorrectly named Naik Village in the NZDF map) is in fact a village named Beidak."
But hang on: NZDF's map was based on the map published in Hit and Run, which clearly names those two northern villages as Naik and Khak Khuday Dad. It was not NZDF who got the names wrong, it was Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson, investigative journalists.
So not only was the location of the attack in their book wrong, but the two villages they pinpointed "100% certain" as Naik and Khak Khuday Dad in their book instead turn out to be Beidak and Khakandy villages and apparently the authors now admit those villages had nothing to do with the raid.
Feeling confused? You should be.
These two media stars have single-handedly destroyed their credibility in my view by not only getting the location of the alleged crime wrong but the names of the alleged targets on their maps wrong as well.
Where does that leave us? With Hager and Stephenson wanting a million dollar taxpayer-funded independent inquiry into a shoddily-researched and shoddily written book of theirs as their last attempt to salvage their credibility.
That's a million dollars that could be spent on healthcare for children or international aid for starving kids in Africa. Instead, the political and media establishment want to give that money to needy lawyers in this country.
At best, we will be relying on the testimony of Afghan villagers living under Taliban control who – for all we know – may well be the insurgents by night and goat-herders by day that Afghanistan is famous for.
Former Defence Minister Wayne Mapp revealed himself as a numpty today on this issue, when he admitted his famous 'fiasco' quote used in the book actually came about after he had viewed Jon Stephenson's now-admitted "confused" documentary a couple of years ago. In other words, Stephenson's version of events scared him, causing him to remark, then Hager and Stephenson quote his reaction and the hand-wringing Left have used the "fiasco" quote all week as "proof" of the former Defence Minister's inside knowledge, when in fact it was just the Blind leading the Blind.
To be fair to Mapp, he puts it less aggressively:
"I knew that the operation had not achieved its stated aims of arresting or otherwise dealing with the people who had been identified as leading and organising Taliban operations against the PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team). I knew this because I was formally briefed on that fact at the time. I also knew that other people had been killed. As I have said in interviews, these people were acting as insurgents, in effect acting as enemy combatants.
"As in all guerrilla war, it is often a case of villagers by day and insurgents by night. It was a reasonable and appropriate decision to engage them as they looked to be attacking the New Zealand soldiers on the ground. In such a case we have an absolute right to defend ourselves.
"But it became clear later that it was also possible there were other casualties. In particular, the death of a three year-old girl.
"This emerged in a television documentary in 2014. Stephenson also told me enough about what had happened for it to be believable that this could have occurred, even if it was not fully proven.
"The law of armed conflict accepts that civilian casualties might occur in military operations, and in many cases there is no legal liability for them, particularly if they were accidental."
So again, Mapp didn't know for sure that Fatima had been killed in the operation, but he trusted Stephenson and believed him. Shame he didn't know in my view how geographically challenged Stephenson and Hager turned out to be. Mapp should have listened to his instincts…the insurgents were hiding among the villagers, who brought the risk of death upon themselves. The Middle East has a long history of insurgents deliberately hiding behind civilians.
The Taliban also have a long history of murdering villagers themselves.
Meanwhile, NZDF has hit back again, releasing further map comparisons between the actual target zone and the one portrayed in the now proven error-ridden book.
Download NZDF file here 343473829-OPERATION-BURNHAM
Somewhere, a camel is missing most of its fleas.
CERN announces Higgs boson particle discovery
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Reputations of Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson…
RuggedAustralia
Today's Newstalk ZB Special is here
Lobby group Family First launches push to save Easter break
Ian – good summation of how Hager and Stephenson fit their "facts" to suit their narrative. Here is another example that you might want to ask Hager about.
Hager's "Other People's Wars" cites the NZ PRT base in Bamyan as being a CIA base. He goes to great length (4 pages) to detail how CIA personnel lived and worked alongside NZ soldiers. Except they didn't – and Hager has admitted this to a small public audience.
He was addressing a academic class as part of the Massey University Masters of Intelligence and Security and had spoken about irresponsible journalism, when journalists endanger people through exposing a fact or simply being wrong. He cited the British Press endangering the lives of soldiers at Camp Bastion, Helmand, by revealing that HRH Prince Harry was there.
He then was asked how he knew the CIA were in Bamyan as he had claimed in 'Other People's Wars' and whether, by identifying the PRT as a CIA base, that he himself had endangered people's lives. He admitted he didn't know for sure – and then said that they probably were US military contractors. He didn't, however, acknowledge that his mistake had increased the risk to the NZ soldiers who worked there. No surprises there!
I did work at the PRT and know there were no CIA there. There were US servicemen as part of the communications team, US contractors as part of the US Army Corps of Engineers aid project, and a US civilian as part of the Justice Improvement programme. But no US intelligence folk, let alone CIA.
You should ask Hager about that "fact" and his underlying agenda to lament the fact that NZ went to Afghanistan in the first place. He has always opposed that decision and these books are simply his contrived way on criticizing those who made the decision and those who went there – unlike Hager himself.
Simon Kaiwai
An indepth and first hand account of NZ SAS actions over there. It's a bit surprising that you are choosing to attack the messenger where there is definite merit to the message http://www.noted.co.nz/currently/politics/eyes-wide-shut-the-governments-guilty-secrets-in-afghanistan/


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April registered unemployment falls to 4.8 percent ({{contentCtrl.commentsTotal}})
An Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund (Töötukassa) office on Vaksali Street in Tartu. Source: Aili Vahtla/ERR
As of the end of April, the number of registered unemployed in Estonia totaled 31,687, accounting for 4.8 percent of the total workforce between the ages of 16 and the retirement age.
Compared with April 2018, unemployment declined by 0.1 percent. The number of newly unemployed persons registered in April was 4,887, compared with 5,205 in March, it appears from figures published by the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund (Töötukassa).
At the end of April, the rate of registered unemployment was highest in Ida-Viru County at 8.9 percent, followed by Valga County at 8.2 percent and Põlva County at 6.6 percent. The lowest rates of unemployment were registered in Hiiu County at 2.9 percent, and Saare County at 3.5 percent.
Of the registered unemployed, 10,082 people, or nearly one third, were persons with reduced capacity for work.
As of the end of April, the total number of job offers available via Töötukassa was 10,674, and the number of positions yet to be filled stood at 5,907.
Statistics on registered unemployment reflect the number of unemployed persons who have registered as jobless with Töötukassa.
unemploymentestonian unemployment insurance fund
May registered unemployment steady on year at 4.6 percent
Research: Unemployment benefits disincentive both to work and not work
First quarter unemployment rate down to 4.7 percent on year
Registered unemployment 5.1%, unchanged year-on-year
November registered unemployment steady on year at 4.7%
Pool of unemployed workforce almost exhausted, says finance ministry
October registered unemployment increases slightly to 4.6%