MONDAY, July 25, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Some people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias may often land in the hospital simply because of poor management of other health problems they have, a new study suggests.
One in 10 people with Alzheimer's disease or dementia had at least one hospital stay in 2013 that may have been preventable, the researchers reported.
"We found a lot of patients who go to the hospital for things that should not have happened, and this is costing a lot of money," said study first author Pei-Jung Lin, an assistant professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.
More than 369,000 potentially avoidable hospitalizations involving patients with Alzheimer's or other dementias were recorded, costing Medicare upwards of $2.5 billion in 2013, the report found.
The study doesn't pinpoint exactly what went wrong for these patients. Rather, the findings suggest that care for health conditions they suffer, such as diabetes and heart disease, is slipping through the cracks.
It's estimated that 75 percent of people with Alzheimer's have multiple health problems requiring ongoing treatment, the researchers said.
Yet, many patients may not be capable of taking care of themselves, said Lin, who also serves as project director of the Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health at Tufts Medical Center.
"Perhaps they forget to take medications, perhaps they are not able to understand what doctors said to them in terms of measuring their blood sugar, blood pressure, things like that," she explained.
Nina Silverberg is director of the Alzheimer's Disease Centers program at the U.S. National Institute on Aging. She said many dementia patients continue to live alone even after being diagnosed, and they may need more help managing other conditions.
Gaps in the coordination of care across the entire spectrum of health services that people with dementia receive also persist, she added.
Part of the problem, Lin explained, is that guidelines for managing chronic conditions fail to consider that patients may have multiple chronic conditions plus dementia.
The new study was funded by the Alzheimer's Association.
Using Medicare claims data, Lin and her colleagues from Boston and New York measured rates of potentially avoidable hospital stays for conditions that can be treated outside of the hospital. They also tallied what Medicare spent on those hospitalizations.
In all, they identified 2.7 million people, aged 65 and older, who were enrolled in the traditional "fee-for-service" Medicare program in 2013 and had a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or related dementias.
Of these questionable hospitalizations, stays for chronic conditions such as respiratory or heart problems accounted for 53 percent of the cost. The remainder of cost was linked to acute conditions, like pneumonia or urinary tract infections.
Half of patients with any potentially avoidable hospitalizations had late-stage dementia.
Even after adjusting for factors such as age, race, gender and region of the country, late-stage dementia and having multiple chronic conditions were significantly associated with potentially avoidable hospital stays, the authors noted.
"Not only are these hospitalizations expensive, but they can also be dangerous for Alzheimer's patients," Lin said.
"If you imagine someone who has no grasp of reality, if you put them in the hospital, they can get even more confused and even more disoriented," she said.
Plus, being hospitalized put patients at risk for hospital-acquired infections, Lin added.
The study authors concluded that case management programs for people with Alzheimer's and dementia should involve strategies to reduce avoidable hospitalizations, improve patient outcomes and lower costs.
Silverberg said there are steps dementia patients and caregivers can take to improve management of multiple health conditions.
At a minimum, she said, have health providers write down the patient's medicines and frequency of use. Local Agencies on Aging or social workers can help with getting a plan for managing dementia patients' health care needs. And technology-savvy caregivers may want to look into mobile apps that help with prescription management, Silverberg added.
The findings were to be presented Monday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference, in Toronto. Research presented at medical meetings is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.


text:
WATCH OR STREAM
I Am Not an Animal 2004
I Am Not An Animal is an animated comedy series about the only six talking animals in the world, whose cosseted existence in a vivisection unit is turned upside down when they are liberated by animal rights activists.
Animation | Comedy
Chernobyl 2019
The true story of one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history: the catastrophic nuclear accident at Chernobyl. A tale of the brave men and women who sacrificed to save Europe from unimaginable disaster.
Rick and Morty 2013
Rick is a mentally-unbalanced but scientifically-gifted old man who has recently reconnected with his family. He spends most of his time involving his young grandson Morty in dangerous, outlandish adventures throughout space and alternate universes. Compounded with Morty's already unstable family life, these events cause Morty much distress at home and school.
Animation | Comedy | Sci-Fi & Fantasy
When Walter White, a New Mexico chemistry teacher, is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of only two years left to live. He becomes filled with a sense of fearlessness and an unrelenting desire to secure his family's financial future at any cost as he enters the dangerous world of drugs and crime.
A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London.
Death Note 2006
Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects—and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But will Light succeed in his noble goal, or will the Death Note turn him into the very thing he fights against?
Animation | Mystery
Peaky Blinders 2013
A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.
Stranger Things 2016
When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one strange little girl.
Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Avatar: The Last Airbender 2005
Action | Adventure | Animation | Fantasy
The Twilight Zone 1959
A series of unrelated stories containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and/or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist.
Young Justice 2010
Teenage superheroes strive to prove themselves as members of the Justice League.
Animation | Action & Adventure
Gravity Falls 2012
Twin brother and sister Dipper and Mabel Pines are in for an unexpected adventure when they spend the summer helping their great uncle Stan run a tourist trap in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls, Oregon.
Animation | Comedy | Mystery | Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Chappelle's Show 2003
Chappelle's Show is an American sketch comedy television series created by comedians Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan, with Chappelle hosting the show as well as starring in various sketches. Chappelle, Brennan and Michele Armour were the show's executive producers. The series premiered on January 22, 2003, on the American cable television network Comedy Central. The show ran for two complete seasons and a third, truncated season. After numerous delays, production of the third season of the show was abruptly ended when Chappelle left the show. Three episodes were compiled from the completed work and these episodes aired from July 9 to July 23, 2006. Re-runs frequently air on Comedy Central and around the world on MTV in Germany, Comedy Central in Brazil, The Comedy Network in Canada, The Comedy Channel and 7mate in Australia and FX in the United Kingdom. Chappelle's Show was also shown on WGN America and was syndicated to various television stations across the U.S. including MyNetworkTV. TV Guide ranked it #31 on their list of "TV's Top 100 Shows".
Twelve-year-old Gon Freecss one day discovers that the father he had always been told was dead was alive and well. His Father, Ging, is a Hunter—a member of society's elite with a license to go anywhere or do almost anything. Gon, determined to follow in his father's footsteps, decides to take the Hunter Examination and eventually find his father to prove himself as a Hunter in his own right. But on the way, he learns that there is more to becoming a Hunter than previously thought, and the challenges that he must face are considered the toughest in the world.
Animation | Comedy | Drama | Action & Adventure
The Wire 2002
Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated.
Drama | Crime
Seinfeld 1989
A stand-up comedian and his three offbeat friends weather the pitfalls and payoffs of life in New York City in the '90s. It's a show about nothing.
David Attenborough travels to the end of the earth, taking viewers on an extraordinary journey across the polar regions of our planet.
The Sopranos 1999
The story of New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads. Those difficulties are often highlighted through his ongoing professional relationship with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. The show features Tony's family members and Mafia associates in prominent roles and story arcs, most notably his wife Carmela and his cousin and protégé Christopher Moltisanti.
Planet Earth 2006
David Attenborough celebrates the amazing variety of the natural world in this epic documentary series, filmed over four years across 64 different countries.
Burning Blue 1976 8 Seconds El Aracadas La Seductora Fraulein Doktor Selena Quintanilla Regards Coupables 2003 Pillow Talk Doris Day Amar Y Desear Tete Mais Amar Y Decear Alan And Naomi Sorge Mannerballett Turnier 2019 El Arracada Splinter Suspect X El Ica Velero Donde Esta El Piloto Film Gratis Passion Fish Amar Y Desear To Love And Lust 2016 La Casa Torcida Godzilla Veraz Shannen Doherty Khuda Gawah Cavalli Si Nasce 1978 Loves Luzt Alan Tete Naam Constantine 2 Paciente Cero
TV Popular

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
UHL Law • October 3, 2018
On the evening of October 16th, 2017, the police in Texas arrested two suspects for the criminal offense of aggravated theft. The target of theft was a Samsung S-7 mobile phone where the thieves were armed with knives. The police investigators on the raised suspicions and through the evidence that was provided did identify and arrest the named suspects through the help of a surveillance footage. They were grounded on the suspicions of the criminal offense. The prosecutor interviewed the procedures on the two suspects and imposed a police custody.
There are many cases of aggravated thief that are reported day in day out. At times we just call it theft, robbery or burglary. At the end of the end, this remains a felony.
How do you know it's a felony?
A theft of property is considered aggravated if accompanied by the following aggravating factors;
Use of a weapon in the commission of the crime and to be specific, deadly weapons.
Threats or intimidation relating to the crime.
If it is a gang or crime related theft.
Where it is a theft of a high-value asset or property or
It's a theft of police or government property
This kind of theft is very serious in the judicial system. It bears serious consequences. A defendant who is found guilty of aggravated theft is sentenced to at least one year in prison alongside fines and also a permanent felony record. Being convicted of aggravated theft affects permanently or even temporarily your individual legal rights. It affects your;
Voting rights,
Driving privileges,
Rights to serve on any jury and even
Gun ownership rights.
After you have been arrested on the grounds of Aggravated Theft, does it mean you can't do anything? This is the point where you immediately hire a criminal defense attorney. These have the experience and legal knowledge on how they will deal with such cases. They understand the seriousness of your cases and will know where to dispute and where not to.
Depending on other evidence presented before a court of law, the criminal defense attorney will advise you on how you are supposed to plead. It is a scenario where you can easily find yourself on the wrong side of the law. A criminal defense attorney is the only real friend that you can trust in such a time. They have won similar cases and you might be the lucky one this time especially where you defense attorney has good relations with the jury.
Depending on how the aggravated theft has been categorized, there are possible defenses. It is possible that the defendant was intoxicated or at the time of the crime he/she was not of sound mind. It is also possible that the defense of duress was used in the case where the defendant was forced or even threatened to commit the crime. You are likely to walk free or with minimal penalties if you happen to provide proof of intoxication or duress.
The type of defense which the criminal defense attorney will use will, however, depend on the crime itself. It will also depend on the circumstances that led the defendant into committing the crime. It is therefore very important to source for intelligent and qualified criminal defense lawyers who will understand every aspect of your case.
As much as the aggravated robbery has very serious consequences. It is also very difficult to defend in a court of law. You can only be sentenced after you plead guilty or when you have been identified as the robber. Most experienced criminal defense attorneys will attempt to challenge the identification process. They discredit the eyewitness testimony as inaccurate. Most other similar cases fail to succeed due to lack of enough evidence that ought to link the crime perpetrator to the crime itself. These cases also frequently get in the direction that the defendant believes they were the rightful owner of the property and theirs was simply an act of retrieving it. It is therefore very important to hire a criminal defense attorney lest you find yourself a victim.
Sara Johnson • March 2, 2018
Cases of domestic violence in Texas has been on the rise since 2011 (Texas Sees Increase in Domestic Violence Reports , 2017). The statistics in the state Department of Public Safety show that about 214000 people in Texas have been victims of domestic violence.
Domestic Violence: Misdemeanor or Felony Offense?
Misdemeanors and felonies are criminal offenses that are punished differently. A misdemeanor charge is sentenced up to a year, and the offender is not necessarily taken to a maximum security prison, while a felony is punishable by more than a year in prison. A felony is a more serious offense than a misdemeanor. If you're charged with a felony offense in Harris County, you'll need the best Houston criminal justice lawyer you can find to give you a fighting chance at avoiding what's sure to be a lengthy jail sentence. We recommend Attorney Mark W. Bennett of the Bennett & Bennett law firm. Their phone number is 713-224-1747.
With that being said, you might be wondering whether domestic violence is a misdemeanor or a felony offense. But first, you should understand what domestic violence entails to comprehend where domestic violence falls in entirely.
Domestic violence refers to any abuse inducted upon a family member or a spouse. Domestic violence can be characterized as both a misdemeanor or a felony; it depends on the extent of damage that results from the offense. A misdemeanor domestic violence typically comprises of verbal abuse and minor assault battery. Unfortunately, if you are convicted more than twice with a misdemeanor domestic violence, it can prelude to a felony domestic violence.
A felony domestic violence as mentioned above is more critical. This offense can result in possible do-time in prison, be fined heavily and even get a restraining order against you. The following is a short list of events or outcomes that can lead a domestic violence offense to be categorized as a felony:
The occurrence of serious violent altercations that can cause severe injuries or even ultimately death.
Battery inflicted to a minor or a child.
If a deadly weapon is involved; let's say a firearm, hunting knife or brass knuckles.
Inappropriate sexual acts
Acts involving conduct of an inappropriate sexual nature
You should note that a felony domestic violence charge is hard to expunge from your records. However, after many years of good behavior, it can get obsolete.
Also, whether it's a misdemeanor domestic violence or a felony domestic violence, you can never underestimate these charges. You should find yourself a good lawyer to get you through it.
Therefore, since there has been a drastic rise in domestic violence in Texas, the state take-on on the offense is very serious.
Top Causes of Houston Family Assaults & Domestic Violence Cases
The primary causes of domestic violence include:
Physical abuse – mostly start off with drug abuse and alcohol
Financial abuse – involves unemployment of one of the partners hence dependent on the other
iii. Psychological abuse – involves comments that lower self-esteem of your partner or family member.
Emotional abuse – involves anger, jealousy and envy
History of domestic violence in a family can be passed on. Young adults and children may get negative lessons from domestic abuse at home.
In case you sense any form of domestic abuse as aforementioned, you need to be careful so that you don't become just another number in the statistics of domestic violence in Texas.
When talking about lawsuits it generally refers to a dispute or rather a claim that is usually brought to a law court for the purpose of adjudication. Private investigators like Gradoni & Associates play a very crucial role when it comes to investigating the details, or lack thereof, of certain aspects of lawsuits. The core role of these private investigators is to obtain information about some specific activities or people so that the information can be used probably in a court of law. In the following discussion we are going to look at a news event that is related to lawsuit and private investors.
There has been rigorous talks in the Internet about lawsuits in Texas. Some news has hit the headlines of most people on claims of lawsuits in relation to the scientology church that spent millions of money over a span of 24 years spying one man. The whole story was initiated by a man by the name David Miscavige. David who was scientology leader allegedly paid some private investigators around $500,000 so that they can keep vigil about one man by the name Pal Broeker. According to the story told to the investigator's attorney general Pal Broeker was Miscavige's rival over the control of a certain church in Texas.
Additionally, payments that were being made of the investigators came to a standstill at the beginning of this year resulting to complains from the two involved investigators. The two were Greg Arnold and Paul Marrick. The two sued David Miscavige for going against their promises of permanently employing them and making the payments. The interesting thing about the whole story is that the scientology fraternity didn't give any response in as much the claims were concerned. This worshipping place is actually located in the city of Los Angeles, it claims to have millions of members. Information from one executive member of the church indicate that specific number of congregants were Forty thousand.
Struggle for Power
Davis Miscavige was born in the 1950's by a fiction writer in the field of science by the name Ron Hubbard. Ron went to seclusion for some time but unfortunately he died in the year 1986. Ron had specified the family- Annie Broeker and Pat- to be his successors but after his death Miscavige instead replaced them in act struggle for power. Moreover, according to lawsuit, David Miscavige was seriously concerned about the named successor Pal Broeker who was a great threat to him in as much as power struggle was concerned since he had been forcefully ousted out of it. For that matter, the scientology church hired a couple of investigators so that they can keep vigil of Broeker within the strictest measures of secrecy.
Other people monitored
According to trusted sources, it is said that there were more people who were being monitored. The two were executives in some pharmaceutical firm and they were Mitch Daniels and Mike Rinder. Mitch Daniels was actually a very senior person who went to be a governor in India according to lawsuit. On the other hand Mike Rinder was chiefs' spokesman who according to lawsuits abandoned the church in the year 2007. The two were part of the largely increasing number of congregants in the church although they seriously opposed Miscavige's leadership.
Furthermore, while disputes related to lawsuits in most cases come to settlements, the south Texas seriously need some two people who are greatly involved in the fight for power case. It was believed that Broeker had gone missing for a long time from the general public and he is one of the most witnesses required to report in the Texas law court. Consequently, this may result to the deposition of Miscavige. The information at hand is that, all the involved victims were professionals who carried themselves in the right manner and even paid taxes on their incomes until the year 2008 when they paid cash to the two investigators resulting to greenbacks in the church accounts. The contracting information is that it was said that the church cannot hire private investigators since they do not work directly for the church but instead the scientology hired private investigators. The conclusion of the matter is that the church scientology David Miscavige had no information about the job done with the investigators.
Top Rated Houston Law Firms
Houston Criminal Justice Attorney Jack B. Carroll


text:
Big Wednesday
70% - Critics
88% - Audience
The lives of some California surfers from the early 1960s to the 1970s.
Barbara Hale as Julia Lanning
Gary Busey as Grady Barnes
Patti D'Arbanville as Angie
William Katt as Indian Assassin
Reviewed by mijbril 10 / 10 / 10
I first saw this film in 1978, my father took me to see it with my brothers at the drive-in as a double feature with "Every Which Way But Loose." It's a movie that I have never forgotten. It combines brilliantly heart gripping surfing action, heart wrenching emotions, and heart uplifting humour, all set against the back-drop of the Vietnam War, teenagers growing up, the wisdom of elders (Bear) and of course, the surfing. I've never surfed a minute of my entire life (although whenever I watch this, I feel like I should), so don't think of this as a "surf movie". It simply is an excellent piece of cinematic history that you will feel you missed on if you never see it. Recommended with 2 thumbs way way way up.
Reviewed by Greg Gorelick 10 / 10 / 10
Classic beyond classic.
Down the street from my house is a restaurant/bar called RT's Longboard grill, which was opened by family as a tribute to a brother lost at sea. Adorning the bamboo laden walls, amongst yesteryear photos, boards, posters, and memorabilia, are TV screens which endlessly show classic surfing movies. The feeling one gets in this environment is similar to what one gets watching Big Wednesday. This isn't a surf movie in the sense of the word. You see, the trendy, infantile children that drunkenly roam the streets of Pacific Beach (where I live in San Diego)for the most part don't have souls, sadly, living in the very town in which many surf legends have been born. Hard pressed to find are the light hearted conversations over a good burger, malt, and a good set of waves. Big Wednesday contains such an epic story. OK... I seem bitter. It's because I am. I know the word "dude" and a nose covered in sunscreen is an easy stereotype... but the spiritual life altering experience behind surfing is most often misunderstood. What is your passion? Do you have one? It may be your children. It may be horses. It may be hockey. But no matter what goes wrong in your life, or who dies or what happens, at the core is your passion (translated : spirituality)... something pure. At the heart of this movie is this purity... and after the draft, relationships, addictions, and just plain adolescent insanity, the characters find that their friendship is still alive because of a common love. Don't try and make too much sense of this review. This isn't a restaurant review. I can't explain the feeling nor would I expect the 95% of America that doesn't live near a surf-able wave to get it...just watch the movie.
Reviewed by ZoeSharpe 10 / 10 / 10
This is a great film. I won't say that everyone would like it, because there is always someone who will hate it. But I love this movie and cannot imagine hating it. I watch it again and again, mostly for Jack who is wonderful in his personality and development. I can't rate this highly enough. The surfing scenes are spectacular, and watching the characters slowly mature and try to cope with life as an adult is always worth watching. Seeing Matt in particular struggle with his unwanted hero status and seeing his friends grow up, move away or die is really something to see. What he would have done without the capable, beautiful, indefatigable Peggy is anyone's guess. However, I must say that you either get it or you don't.


text:
AGS JH21C – samochód Formuły 1 zaprojektowany na sezon 1986 przez Automobiles Gonfaronnaises Sportives dla zespołu Jolly Club SpA. Kierowcą bolidu był Włoch Ivan Capelli.

Wyniki w Formule 1

Bibliografia

JH21C

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Modern Slavery Act 2015 will give law enforcement the tools to fight modern slavery, ensure perpetrators can receive suitably severe punishments for these appalling crimes and enhance support and protection for victims.
Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms, such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking, all of which have in common the deprivation of a person's liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain.
Khanjra International Foods Ltd has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and we are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships. We will not tolerate forced labor (including human trafficking) or child labor in our operations or Suppliers operations. We are also committed to ensuring there is transparency in our own business.
We expect the same high standards from all of our contractors, suppliers and other business partners, and as part of our contracting processes, and we expect that our suppliers will hold their own suppliers to the same high standards.
This policy applies to all persons working for us or on our behalf in any capacity, including employees at all levels, directors, contractors, external consultants, third- party representatives and business partners.
The Board of Directors has overall responsibility for ensuring this policy complies with our legal and ethical obligations, and that all those under our control comply with it. Management at all levels are responsible for ensuring those reporting to them understand and comply with this policy.
Staff are made aware of our Policy during the Induction process and reinforced during formal training.
You must ensure that you read, understand and comply with this policy. The prevention, detection and reporting of modern slavery in any part of our business or supply chains is the responsibility of all those working for us or under our control. You are required to avoid any activity that might lead to, or suggest, a breach of this policy.
You are encouraged to raise concerns about any issue or suspicion of modern slavery in any parts of our business or supply chains of any supplier tier at the earliest possible stage.
If you are unsure about whether a particular act, the treatment of workers more generally, or their working conditions within any tier of our supply chains constitutes any of the various forms of modern slavery, raise it with Management.
We aim to encourage openness and will support anyone who raises genuine concerns in good faith under this policy, even if they turn out to be mistaken. We are committed to ensuring no one suffers any detrimental treatment as a result of reporting in good faith their suspicion that modern slavery of whatever form is or may be taking place in any part of our own business or in any of our supply chains.
Detrimental treatment includes dismissal, disciplinary action, threats or other unfavorable treatment connected with raising a concern.
This statement has been approved by the Board of Directors of the Company, who will continue review and develop the Company's monitoring processes and training and update them as necessary.


text:
Past - Cities: Historical Legacy
Jerusalem has made one of the most important contributions to humanity for being the holy place where monotheism was shaped to become the core of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Istanbul has made one of the most important contributions to humanity, for it embodies the history of West and East in miniature, proudly caring for and displaying the monuments and treasures of its grand empires.
The city of Istanbul stands precisely between West and East: geographically, historically and
Rome has made one of the most important contributions to humanity for its jurisprudence, its language and the importance of its historical legacy, all of which have influenced civilization throughout the centuries.
The city of Rome has carried out numerous efforts to preserve and maintain its museums, its archaeological sites and historic monuments. In recent years, its projects have become of paramount importance and are based on the strict
Present - Leadership: Changing Our World
The 2004 Dan David Prize for the Present Time Dimension in the field of Leadership: Changing Our World is awarded to Dr. Klaus Schwab for his role in developing the World Economic Forum (WEF) into a major international organization and in particular, for harnessing it and numerous corporate leaders to projects of social responsibility and international peace and
Future - Brain Sciences
William T. Newsome III
Dr. William T. Newsome bridges the fields of neurophysiology and perceptual psychology. Through his outstanding research he has demonstrated the correlation between certain brain cells and the process of visual perception and how the brain interprets the signals arriving from the eye. If these links between nerve cell activity and perception can be clarified, researchers will be able to find the best ways of looking at the brain to determine
Amiram Grinvald
Dr. Amiram Grinvald of the Weizmann Institute's Neurobiology Department is considered the world leader in functional optical imaging. He was the first to use the term optical imaging in a paper published in 1984. Technical innovation developed by Dr. Grinvald has had a profound impact on neurosciences. Visualizing electrical activity in the living brain, in real time, has been realized through Dr. Amiram Grinvald's method of optical imaging
Robert Wurtz
Dr. Robert Wurtz
Dr. Robert H. Wurtz has made one of the most salient discoveries in cognitive neurosciences by understanding how the brain processes different aspects of the visual scene in different places, segregating color, and processing motion and form.
Robert Wurtz developed techniques for studying the activity of single visual neurons in an alert monkey trained to carry out behavioral tasks. His studies enabled careful analysis of


text:
L'intelligence territoriale consiste en de multiples approches dont la prise en compte systémique d'un territoire par la mise en réseau de ses acteurs pour son développement durable, l'amélioration de son attractivité humaine ou entrepreneuriale.

En pratique, cela se traduit, notamment, par des collectes de données complètes sur l'environnement, la confrontation des points de vue des acteurs locaux, la création de grappes d'entreprises, la définition d'une communication territoriale adaptée à l'ensemble du territoire. Elle consiste aussi en une meilleure compréhension du territoire, de ses enjeux, atouts et problèmes qu'ils soient sociaux, écologiques ou économiques.

L'intelligence territoriale est cependant un concept récent où les définitions peuvent varier selon que l'on est issu d'un domaine d'expertise de la géographie, de l'aménagement public, des sciences de l'information et de la communication, des sciences économiques ou de gestion.
Dans une perspective de développement économique, l'intelligence territoriale peut trouver ses origines dans les travaux d'Alfred Marshall à propos du développement du concept de district industriel.

Il semblerait qu'il y ait pas moins de sept visions différentes pour définir l'intelligence territoriale (IT):

 l'IT en tant qu'intelligence économique pilotée au niveau d'un territoire, qui consiste à sensibiliser des entreprises aux méthodes et outils de l'intelligence économique ou IE (opération collective, cluster d'entreprises, pôles de compétitivité) et à leur fournir tous les moyens pour qu'elles mettent en place une démarche d'IE en leur sein. cf. Intelligence économique territoriale.
 l'IT comme utilisation par un territoire (une collectivité ou un groupe de collectivités) des techniques utilisées par l'intelligence économique comme pourrait le faire une entreprise (stratégie, veille, influence,..) qui se traduit par une veille exogène et endogène, des opérations de marketing territorial, en quelque sorte une vision moderne du développement économique (ces deux premières formes ci-dessus de l'IT peuvent d'ailleurs être qualifiées d'intelligence économique territoriale);
 l'IT en tant qu'application conjuguée au niveau d'un territoire d'actions d'intelligence économique (veille, protection informationnelle, influence et lobbying et réseautage), de gestion des connaissances (capitalisation, cartographie, partage et création de connaissances) ou d'autres telles que la prospective, l'innovation ou le marketing. Cette combinaison est proposée par des groupements d'entreprises (grappes/cluster), systèmes productifs locaux, associations et pôles de compétitivité) à leur membres ou bien sert de stimulant à une institution associée à un territoire pour permettre aux entreprises de ce territoire d'être plus compétitives. L'IT peut alors être interprétée d'un point de vue tactique ou stratégique ou encore en termes de gestion bottom-up ou top-down.
 l'IT comme l'adaptation d'un territoire à de nouvelles formes de management dont l'intelligence économique et le management par projet.
 l'IT pour la conduite « intelligente d'un territoire » dans son développement par rapport à son contexte social, géographique, ses ressources et son organisation spatiale qui vient plutôt des experts en matière de gestion géographique des ressources (géographes, urbanistes,..) une vision qui se rapproche plutôt du développement économique durable.
 l'IT vue comme un processus informationnel et anthropologique, régulier et continu, initié par des acteurs locaux physiquement présents et/ou distants qui s'approprient les ressources d'un espace en mobilisant puis en transformant l'énergie du système territorial en capacité de projet. De ce fait, l'intelligence territoriale peut être assimilée à la territorialité qui résulte du phénomène d'appropriation des ressources d'un territoire puis aux transferts des compétences entre des catégories d'acteurs locaux de culture différente.
 l'IT à la fois comprise, d'une part, comme une démarche, des méthodes et des outils propres au monde des entreprises, que l'on « adapterait » au besoin du développement économique d'un territoire. Il serait plus précis de parler « d'intelligence économique territoriale » ; d'autre part en tant qu'un ensemble de savoirs et de compétences constitutifs d'un territoire, notion même d'intelligence collective, qui porterait l'avenir du territoire selon la démarche plus classique de développement local mais en lui apportant une culture de veille et de stratégie qui lui ont trop souvent fait défaut. »

Les acteurs économiques, entreprises et développeurs s'appuient sur des organisations économiques et sociales de proximité pour redonner un sens aigu au développement local. A l'heure actuelle, les collectivités territoriales irriguent le cœur du tissu économique national qui est composé à plus de 70 % de PME-PMI. En effet, c'est bien dans les territoires locaux que sont enracinés les savoir-faire scientifiques, techniques et d'organisation, constituant ainsi le cœur de la production locale et donc de la capacité collective à anticiper pour mieux affronter les mutations et les crises.

À partir de ce constat, des travaux sur les enjeux et perspectives sont apparus au niveau national, touchant aux métiers et formations en intelligence économique (IE) en France. Ces études sont devenues stratégiques et ont donné lieu à l'émergence de nouveaux axes de recherche en IE, tels que l'intelligence territoriale (IT) ou encore les compétences en IE. Cela a commencé par la mise en place d'initiatives régionales en faveur de l'IE à la fin des années 90. Ensuite, la première étude approfondie sur l'IT a été le Rapport Carayon publié en 2003, dont une large part a été consacrée à l'lE et au territoire, avec des propositions de mise en place de dispositifs d'IE en région. Ont été par la suite diffusés le référentiel de formations coordonné par A. Juillet (en 2005) et enfin une première ébauche de liste de métiers de l'IE commanditée également par A. Juillet (en 2006). Ces réflexions ont donné lieu à la mise en place de dispositifs régionaux d'IE (DRIE) (significativement fonctionnels depuis 2003) et des pôles de compétitivité (créés au deuxième semestre 2004 et fonctionnels depuis 2005). Enfin, la circulaire du  relative au dispositif d'intelligence économique mis en œuvre au sein des services du Ministère de l'Économie, des Finances et de l'Industrie est une des concrétisations de ces réflexions.

La région s'inscrit donc dans un rôle fédérateur de l'échelon régional tout en se coordonnant avec l'action de l'État pour favoriser le développement des échanges entre collectivités et territoires.

Liste non exhaustive de références

 ADIT. Dispositif opérationnel d'intelligence territoriale et de sécurité économique, Ministère de l'Intérieur, guide remis aux Préfets de Région
 Bertacchini Y. Entre information & processus de communication : L'intelligence territoriale, " rencontres TIC & Territoire : quels développements?", Lille, , revue ISDM, n°16.
 Besson, B. et Possin, J.C. Dix ans d'intelligence économique en France, paru dans : Intelligence économique et gouvernance compétitive, la documentation française, 2006
 Canepa, D. Le Ministère de l'Intérieur et l'intelligence territoriale, paru dans : Intelligence économique et gouvernance compétitive. La documentation française, 2006, p.52-58.
 Carayon, B. Intelligence économique et territoires. Intelligence économique, compétitivité et cohésion sociale, La documentation française, 2003
 Colletis, G. Entreprises et territoires : proximités et développement local, paru dans : Entreprises, réseaux et territoires, le
 Demazière C. et Faugouin P. Anticiper les mutations économiques des territoires : quelles implications pour l'action publique locale ? Paru dans : Actes colloque Atelier d'Intelligence Stratégique (ATELIS), Poitiers, , p. 387-395.
 Dupuy, C. et Burmeister, A. Entreprises et territoires : les nouveaux enjeux de la proximité, éditions La documentation française, 2003
 Francois, L. (dir.), Dossier Intelligence Territoriale, paru dans  : Revue Internationale d'Intelligence Économique, Vol. 1, n°1, Lavoisier, 2009.
 François, L.(dir.), Intelligence territoriale, Lavoisier, 2008
Girardot, J-J. Principes, Méthodes et Outils d'Intelligence Territoriale. Évaluation participative et Observation coopérative, in Conhecer melhor para agir melhor, Actes du séminaire européen de la Direction Générale de l'Action Sociale du Portugal, EVORA, 3-5 mai 2000, DGAS, Lisbonne, 2000, p. 7-17
 Goria, S. L'expression de problème et la médiation informationnelle : le cas posé par l'intelligence territoriale, VDM Verlag  Müller, 2007
 Guesnier, B. Gouvernance et performance des territoires, CRIEF, 2004
Herzhaft, C. et Hurard, F. Petite Histoire de la France des régions, le régionalisme du IIIème millénaire, éditions Les Milléniaux, 2016
 Knauf A. Les dispositifs d'intelligence économique : Compétences et fonctions utiles à leur pilotage, L'Harmattan, 2010
 Marshall A. Principes d'économie politique, (1890), livres IV, trad. franc. F. Sauvaire-Jourdan, 1906, p.119
 Pautrat, R. La politique publique d'intelligence territoriale : vers l'État stratège et partenaire, 2005
 Prax, J.Y. Le management territorial à l'heure des réseaux, éditions d'Organisation, 2002
 Voisin, C. et al. Les réseaux : dimensions stratégiques et organisationnelles, éditions Economica, 2004

Articles connexes
 Marketing territorial
 Veille territoriale
 Intelligence économique
 Intelligence économique territoriale

Liens externes
 Site de l'ENTI, Réseau Européen d'Intelligence Territoriale
 Blog sur l'intelligence territoriale et le développement durable, Scoop-It
 Site sur l'intelligence territoriale, intelligence-territoriale.fr
 Association Marocaine d'Intelligence et de Stratégies Territoriales; http://www.amist.ma

Aménagement du territoire
Intelligence économique


The Congregation of Prairie Street Mennonite Church is composed of many different, friendly people who enjoy worshiping together, good music and monthly potlucks. Many are involved in the local community and with local Mennonite organizations. The church itself has a long history and has been at the same address on Prairie Street since 1871. Prairie Street hosts a Mennonite Voluntary Service unit – the Jubilee House, and is a member of Mennonite Church USA and Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference.
Our Pastoral Team includes Carolyn Gardner Hunt, Frances Ringenberg, and Transitional Pastor Steve Thomas. They receive faithful support from Joy Detweiler our Administrative Assistant. Find out more about our staff.
Don't know much about Mennonites? You can learn more at thirdway.com.
Check back here and follow us on Facebook for the latest news.


text:
Game ReviewsKrinkle CrusherPS Vita
[PS4/Vita Double Review] Krinkle Krusher | PS4Blog.net
Ceidz, Owner
Krinkle Krusher is a tower defense game in which you must use your trusty glove (yep!) to prevent the evil Krinkle to reach your castle. This game is three-way cross-buy between the PS3, PS4 and Vita.
Krinkle Krusher is an action castle defense where you cast elemental spells to defend your kingdom from twisted and hungry creatures called Krinkles.
After several generations of peace, they happen to come back exactly when the Ancient Tree bears its first fruits in centuries, and of course a cake was made from it.
Purchasing this content entitles you to the PS3™, PS4™, and "PS Vita" versions!
Krinkle Krusher – Trailer
This is a double review for the PS4 and Vita versions of Krinkle Krusher. The PS4 version was played by EdEN and the Vita version was played by Ceidz. This review presents what they both had to say.
Krinkle Krusher is the first console release from Brazilian studio Ilusis Interactive Graphics, and they decided to go all-in on developing a tower defense game where players must quickly move a magic glove around the area to defend the castle from the nasty Krinkle who have decided to show up uninvited… and who want all the cake for themselves!
In order to defend the castle, the magic glove will gain access to magic rings that will grant it access to powerful spells that can damage the Krinkle. First up, you have an energy ring that will bring down the thunder on the unsuspecting Krinkle. A couple of levels later you are given a fire ring that can cast a firewall that will damage every enemy that goes through it. Another ring will allow you to cast tornados that will damage the Krinkle while also sending them back a few steps, which can be crucial when they're too close to your castle walls. There are other rings for you to use, but I don't want to spoil them for you!
If you want to complete the game you must pay attention to where every single Krinkle is located at all times because if they hit the castle even once you will receive a lot of damage while also losing your chance of securing a score bonus for a flawless victory. Why is this important? Because you're graded in every single level depending on your final score and killing one Krinkle after the next before the score multiplayer resets will bring you closer to obtaining three stars in order to obtain that level's diamond. Diamonds are first used to unlock the door to the Mage's Tower, and once you have entered this special area you'll be able to use diamonds to upgrade your magic rings, increasing their damage, area of effect, mana regen, mana pool and duration. Oh, and once you've powered up your rings it might be a good idea to replay previous levels to gain a flawless victory on each one.
I had a lot of fun with Krinkle Krusher, and I'm definitely aiming at getting all of the trophies for this fast-paced tower defense game!
As soon as the game starts you are given a little background story on the Krinkles and on why they're attacking the castle. I was pleasantly surprised to notice how easy the gameplay is but equally surprised by the difficulty as I didn't manage to complete the first level the first time I tried it! This game definitely fits in the "easy to learn, hard to master" category. At the start, your available powers are also extremely limited while the enemies are very tough.
You must be careful in each level because you can't just constantly hit one of the attack buttons to cast a spell, or else you'll run out of mana and break the elemental ring you're using, which will in turn temporarily keep you from using said ring for a few seconds. If you're not careful, a few seconds will be all that the Krinkle need to destroy the castle, so plan your strategy!
Since the Krinkle can easily outnumber you after the first set of levels, the game will allow players to use items to make it easier to develop a proper strategy. For example, the first item you will be given is a food cart that will lure all Krinkle to it, making it easy to attack them all at the same spot.
As for the Vita, which I reviewed, I liked how the controls were well thought: the left analog stick controls the field of view and touching the screen controls the Hand and drop the spells on the board. On the other hand, I noticed that the loading times on the Vita were considerably long, so do take that into consideration.
Cool (and hard!) tower defense game
Ilusis Interactive Graphics
Wanna Play SteamWorld Heist Before Everyone Else for FREE?
Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed Will Release on Vita This May!
PS+ Update for March- PS4 Edition March 1, 2016 | the_nmac
Next Up Hero Coming To PlayStation 4 July 10, 2017 | EdEN, Owner
[PS4 Review] Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones... April 23, 2015 | the_nmac
7 Days To Die Launch Trailer Is Here! July 1, 2016 | EdEN, Owner
New Trailer For Agents of Mayhem June 3, 2017 | EdEN, Owner
88 Heroes Now Available At Retail April 5, 2017 | EdEN, Owner


text:
Posts Tagged 'Franklin Square'
Street Church
Posted: July 12, 2016 in Churches, Events
Tags: Common Cathedral, D.C., Ecclesia Ministries, Franklin Square, Franklin Square Park, Street Church
A short time back during one of my lunchtime bike rides I found myself in Franklin Square Park (MAP) enjoying some take-out from a favorite downtown eatery located across the street from the park, Soho Café & Market. It was a particularly warm day and, as I was enjoying some cold pasta salad, I watched a group of people who were gathered near the fountain situated in the main plaza in the middle of the park. After watching them for a while I figured out what the gathering was. So I chose to join them.
The group of people turned out to be a congregation. And the gathering was a "Street Church" service, which is an outreach and social justice ministry of the Church of the Epiphany. I had previously visited and wrote about the church in this blog. And I even knew about the Street Church ministry. But attending the service that day was the first time I got to experience it for myself.
Street Church takes place in the park every Tuesday, from 1:00pm to 1:30pm. The service, which is part of the Ecclesia Ministries network which began with Common Cathedral in Boston, includes singing, prayer, participative preaching, and the administration of the Eucharist. The congregation usually includes approximately 30 to 50 downtown poor, as well as church volunteers and other various visitors and passersby, like me. The mission of Street Church is to build a diverse and inclusive community, worship as one, and give and receive the love of Christ.
Street Church's mission also includes feeding the hungry. So the service is followed by lunch in the park, consisting of sandwiches and lunches assembled by a group of volunteers in the church's kitchen. This seems particularly relevant to me because it reminds me of something one of my theology professors back in college used to say. I remember him saying, "It's more difficult to feed someone's soul when that person does not have enough food to feed their body."
Not only did I enjoy my first experience at Street Church, it also came at a very meaningful time for me. At the end of the service, the priest invited people to come forward to an area near one of the park's gigantic trees if they wished to receive a healing prayer. And it just so happened to be the area was where I already was standing. Then, as she very politely began to ask me to make room for those who were going to be coming forward, I told her that I was there to pray with her. I told her how I had been diagnosed with cancer last fall, and how I had been to my oncologist a few days prior for a follow up, and that I was a little anxious about the results I was scheduled to receive the next day. So we prayed together before I left. And I am now happy to be able to report that I remain cancer free.
I have gone back to Street Church a few times since that first encounter. And I plan to continue to attend when I am able to. Someday soon I would also like to join in with their regular volunteers in the Epiphany kitchen and help prepare the lunches brought to and served in the park. In addition to a core of volunteers who come on a regular basis, they welcome any volunteer who would like to participate in this ministry. They also offer the opportunity to volunteer in the park, spending time and being in relationship with the downtown poor through worship, lunch, and conversation.
Another meaningful volunteer experience at Street Church is becoming a Street Church Partner. By becoming a Street Church Partner, youth and adult groups are able to participate in social justice ministries with the downtown poor and to allow this experience to deepen their faith journeys. Street Church Partners participate in the full schedule of preparing lunch, participating and serving in the park, plus orientation beforehand and spiritual reflection afterward. Street Church Partners also contribute to the cost of the Street Church lunch on their day.
Since all are welcome, I feel confident speaking on behalf of Street Church in inviting everyone to participate, whether it's through attending, volunteering, or contributing financially to the cost of providing the food that accompanies the spiritual nourishment that Street Church provides. Or if you don't live in the D.C. area or are otherwise unable to be part of Street Church, I would encourage you to seek out something similar wherever you are.
NOTE: The service in the park and the downtown poor who attend remind me of a story about a church. However, the church in the story is nothing like Street Church. The story goes something like this.
One Sunday morning an old man entered a church just before services were to begin. Although the old man and his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore an old and faded pair of slacks, a plain shirt without a collar, and a pair of shoes that were appeared worn and ragged and had paper-thin soles. And in his hand he carried a worn out old hat, and a equally worn out Bible.
The church he entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was one of the oldest, largest and most beautiful churches the old man had ever seen. And the people of the congregation were all dressed in expensive clothes and accessories.
As he took a seat, the others moved away from him. No one greeted, spoke to or welcomed him. They were all appalled at his appearance and did not attempt to hide it.
After the service as he was leaving the church, the priest approached him and asked the man to do him a favor: "Before you come back in here again, have a talk with God and ask him what he thinks would be appropriate attire for worship." The old man assured the preacher he would.
But the next Sunday, he showed back up for the services wearing the same ragged clothes, shoes and and hat. Once again he was completely shunned and ignored. The priest approached the man and said, "I thought I asked you to speak to God before you came back to our church."
"I did," replied the old man.
"If you spoke to God, what did he tell you proper attire should be for worshiping in here?" asked the priest.
"Well, sir, God told me that He didn't have a clue what I should wear. He said He'd never been in here before."
Soho Café & Market
Posted: January 30, 2015 in Restaurants
Tags: bagels, biscuits, burgers, doughnuts, Franklin Square, fresh fruit, hot food bar, miso, pastries, pizza, salad bar, sandwiches, Soho, Soho Café & Market, sushi
Because of taking time off from work for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays at the end of November and December, I have not posted an end-of-the-month restaurant review since last October. So this month I'm getting back into my routine with this post about one of my favorite lunch on-the-go spots – the Soho Café & Market, which is located across the Street from Franklin Square at 1301 K Street (MAP) in northwest D.C.'s Downtown neighborhood.
Soho Café & Market is not a restaurant that focuses on one thing, like Horace and Dickie's does with fish, or We, The Pizza does with pizza. Rather, Soho goes to the other extreme. They offer so many choices that it can sometimes make it difficult to make a decision of what to have. Soho offers a variety of grilled and deli sandwiches, gourmet pizza, an expansive fresh salad and fruit bar, fresh-rolled sushi served with complementary miso, and a Mongolian wok station, an espresso bar, and an insane selection of various desserts and beverages.
Lastly, they also have my go-to favorite for lunch – several buffet-style hot food bars. Although there are a number of these types of places downtown, Soho has the widest selection I've seen. And because Soho is almost always quite busy, the food doesn't look or taste like it's been sitting out all day, which can be a big problem with some of the other places like this downtown. The only problem with the hot food bar is that everything looks so good that my eyes can tend to be bigger than my stomach. And since it is priced by weight, I have to remind myself to be careful when I am serving myself.
Soho also opens at 6:00am for breakfast, for which they offer breakfast foods at the hot food bar, or omelets, breakfast sandwiches and other dishes cooked to order. There is also fresh fruit, yogurts, oatmeal, and a variety of doughnuts, pastries, biscuits and bagels as well.
Soho is a solid choice for a quick lunch or breakfast downtown, but has limited "workday" hours, open only Monday through Friday for breakfast and lunch, and closed on evenings and weekends. But what it lacks in hours of operation it makes up for in always being impeccably clean, keeping enough cash registers open to ensure you can get in and out fairly quickly, and serving good food at a reasonable price.
If I had to identify my biggest criticism of Soho, I would say that its biggest drawback is that there is very little ambiance, often making it seem more like a cafeteria than a restaurant. The inside has plenty of seating and is great for groups, but is merely functional at best. That is why I usually like to take my meal across the street to Franklin Square, where I can people watch while I enjoy what I'm eating. I even have company when I share some of it with the local pigeons.
UPDATE: Sadly, as of September 1, 2017, Soho Café & Market closed.
Commodore John Barry Statue
Posted: August 21, 2014 in Historic Figures, Memorials, Military, Statues
Tags: American Revolution Statuary, Anacostia River, Ballysampson, Commander John Paul Jones, Commodore John Barry, County Wexford, D.C., Franklin Square, Ireland, John Barry, John Boyle, John Paul Jones, National Register of Historic Places, Oliver Cromwell, Our Lady's Island, President George Washington, Royal Navy, Tacumshin Parish, The Father of the American Navy, The USS Barry Museum Ship
On today's anniversary of his death in 1803 at the age of 58, I chose to write about my bike ride to Franklin Square, at 14th Street and K Street in northwest D.C., (MAP) to see the local monument commemorating Commodore John Barry. The monument consists of a statute of Barry standing on top of a base of pink marble with steps of pink granite. The base is adorned by the carved figure of a woman standing on the bow of a ship, with her raised right hand holding out an olive branch. Her lowered left hand holds a shield and sword steady at her side. To her right, an eagle standing on a branch of oak leaves gazes up at her.
The bronze statue by American sculpture John Boyle is near the western border of the square. It was dedicated on May 16, 1914, and is part of a group of fourteen statues in D.C. known collectively as the "American Revolution Statuary." These statues are scattered across the city, mainly in squares and traffic circles, and are listed as a group on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Commodore John Barry Statue is not the only attraction in D.C. with a connection to Barry. The USS Barry Museum Ship, which currently lies moored at Pier 2 in the Anacostia River at The Washington Navy Yard (MAP), was also named after Barry. It is one of four Navy vessels which were named for the commander.
John Barry was born on March 25, 1745, at Ballysampson on Our Lady's Island, which is part of Tacumshin Parish in County Wexford, Ireland. The place of his birth had two very strong influences on his life. First, Wexford, at the southeasternmost part of Ireland, has always had a strong maritime tradition. And this tradition was instilled in Barry. Also, Barry learned at a very young age of the massacre of some 3,000 Wexfordians under an invading English force led by Oliver Cromwell in 1649, which led to a lifelong opposition to both oppression in general and the British in particular.
Barrry was 10 years old when his family immigrated to the American colonies after they were forced out of their home and off their land by a British landlord. And his loyalty to his newfound adopted homeland became evident early on. Late in 1776, after the colonies had declared their independence from England, Barry was approached by an acquaintance who sympathized with the British, and offered a monetary bribe along with a commission in the Royal Navy and his own ship under Royal authority if he would turn his American ship over to the British. He indignantly refused because, in his own words, he "spurned the eyedee of being a treater."
Barry presented an imposing and commanding figure. He was a burly and in shape man of 6'4″, with a ruddy-complexion who spoke in a commanding tone. In an era when most men stood only about 5'5″, Barry's physical presence served him well throughout a career which took him from humble cabin boy to senior commander of the entire United States fleet after becoming America's first commissioned naval officer, at the rank of Commodore, receiving his commission from President George Washington in 1797.
Barry is widely credited as "The Father of the American Navy," although it is moniker which is shared with one of his contemporaries, Commander John Paul Jones. As most naval historians note, Barry can be classed on a par with Jones for nautical skill and daring, but he exceeds him in the length of service to his adopted country and his fidelity to the nurturing of a permanent American Navy. Although frequently obscured by his Commander Jones, Barry is an unsung hero of the young American Republic and is indeed deserving of the byname, "Father of the American Navy."
Posted: July 22, 2014 in Historic Sites, Parks
Tags: Alexander Graham Bell, American Red Cross, Benjamin Franklin, D.C., Downtown, food trucks, Franklin School, Franklin Square, Franklin Square Park, National Historic Landmark, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Photophone
Franklin Square Park
Franklin Square is a park in northwest D.C., which is bounded by K Street to the north, 13th Street on the east, I Street on the south, and 14th Street on the west (MAP). The downtown park slopes uphill from I Street to K Street, and is partially terraced. Franklin Square Park also contains sufficient old growth trees to provide ample shade to visitors, a geometric system of concrete pathways for traversing the park in almost any direction, and a flagstone plaza with a large fountain in its middle.
The 4.79-acre park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is maintained by the National Park Service. And while it is often assumed that it was named after Benjamin Franklin, there are no records or definitive proof to establish this. However, Franklin Square is surrounded by a rich history, regardless of the origin of its name. Across 13th Street on the east side of the square is the historic Franklin School, a National Historic Landmark, which was the scene of Alexander Graham Bell's first wireless message. On June 3, 1880, Bell sent a message over a beam of light to a window in a building at 1325 L Street using his newly invented Photophone. Also, Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross maintained a residence adjacent to the park at 1326 I Street, where she held the first official meeting of the relief organization in May of 1881.
Today the park is located in a lively and bustling area of downtown, and often hosts a nearly overflow crowd of employees taking a short break from their responsibilities, or enjoying a lunch obtained from one of the nearby eateries or the many food trucks that surround the park during the middle of the day. The eclectic crowd utilizing the park can also include anyone or anything, from tourists who have strayed off their usual path, to older people practicing tai chi, and even a service for the homeless and others by the Church of the Epiphany every Tuesday. There are also the many pigeons who will flock to anyone who purposefully, or sometimes unwillingly, feed them. The entertainment value of the park makes it a good destination for a bike ride, and an ideal location for a mid-day respite.


A Country Farmhouse is always Delicious with a hot pizza cooking on a cold day. Pizza dough recipe (makes two crusts): 1 package yeast 1 tablespoon honey 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 cup wrist temperature water 2 1/2 cups or so of flour (we use a combination of all-purpose and spelt) olive oil to drizzle on top Combine yeast, honey, and water in a large bowl. Once the yeast has activated, add salt. Then add flour in 1/2 cup increments and knead until dough is very slightly moist on the surface. Place dough in large bowl, drizzle with oil, and place in warm spot to rise for an hour or more. Roll out the crust onto cornmeal sprinkle pizza pan and bake at 425 until just slightly golden.


text:
The project will collect and analyse examples of how migrant pupils' home languages are evaluated in order to define criteria and produce materials for formative evaluation, taking into account evolving plurilingual repertoires. Particular attention will be paid to synergies between the learning of languages and the development of the language(s) of schooling. The overall aim is to support social and institutional recognition of home languages and to value pupils' plurilingual repertoires.
TEAM AND PARTNERS
Working languages of the project: French, English
Project term: 2020-2022
Shortcut: www.ecml.at/homelanguagecompetences
Main idea and objectives
The project will collect and analyse practices from several countries for assessing the language competences of migrant populations (home language competences) in order to define quality criteria for how they are evaluated. It will particularly focus on the ways in which plurilingual repertoires are taken into account, and on recommendations for the implementation of this type of formative evaluation, for example in terms of frameworks of test materials and level descriptions for specific languages.
The challenge is twofold:
to recognise the language skills and plurilingual repertoires of pupils - whether a pupil (or his or her family) has recently migrated or not, - as a pathway to greater social justice and a vehicle for acheiving educational success,
to promote, through formative evaluation, an inclusive approach that builds on existing language skills by integrating diverse methods of access to knowledge, skills and know-how (school curricula and "A framework of reference for pluralistic approaches to languages and cultures/FREPA").
The formative evaluation test frameworks developed through the project will recommend, in particular through a mediation activity, implementation in scenarios relating to language competences and their actual use and plurilingual response methods as well as links to the language of schooling and/or the languages of the school curriculum. Furthermore, by proposing level descriptions for specific languages, by collecting assessment practices in languages for which very few level test materials exist, this action, which is based on current assessment practices in different European contexts, questions the potential 'transferability' of the CEFR and related assessment practices, particularly in the work of mapping language reference levels which the project requires.
Analysis and working methods will be based on the exchanges / expertise of the project team members / network members in order to implement in a collaborative way a common understanding of criteria for formative assessment, and to compile a bank of materials or frameworks.
Article about the Recolang project
Source : Courriel européen des langues n° 44. https://www.france-education-international.fr/document/cel-decembre2020
The place of home languages at school: participate in a European survey!
The RECOLANG team (Resources for assessing the home language competences of migrant pupils) is carrying out a European survey on the place of home languages at school, particularly within different education programmes or curricula involving migrant adolescents aged 11-18.
This survey focuses on the practices of assessing home language skills and their role in different European education systems.
The survey is made up of two complementary sections aimed at two different target audiences:
A section aimed at pupils aged between 11 and 18 (or their families), who are from a migrant background and one or more home languages other than the language(s) of the school. This section is available in Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Persian (Dari/Farsi), Portuguese and Turkish: https://surveyforlearners.questionpro.com
A section for schools and educational institutions, teaching and supervisory staff in schools, reception centres and organisations involved in initial and further professional development of teachers working with this age group (11-18 years). This section is available in English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian and Portuguese: https://enqueteinstitutionseducatives.questionpro.com
The survey will be online until the end of 2022. We would be very grateful if you could participate in this survey and disseminate it as widely as possible through your professional networks to anyone who might be interested in this project.
The Recolang project team
Video available in French
Expected project results
Mapping of practices and contents of existing level tests for migrant audiences
Database of practices and experiences listing the criteria for achieving quality formative assessment
Training module with a guide for stakeholders
Individuals and institutions involved in the assessment of language competences
Decision makers/policy makers in language education
There are no events in this section yet.
Resources for assessing the home language competences of migrant pupils – an ECML workshop for all countries signatory to the European Cultural Convention
The online workshop, which took place on 2-3 December 2021, focused on the rationale, objectives and methods for the assessment of the home language competences of plurilingual students with the overall aim of enhancing professional support for young migrants' learning and for their educational pathways.
In collaboration with the project team, the workshop participants identified needs related to assessment practices and materials, drawing on initial results of the RECOLANG survey (open until December 2022) and testimonials from students and educational actors. The participants reviewed a range of different approaches and tools for assessing home language competences and discussed both their scope and their limitations, as well as the underlying values. In conclusion the team presented initial recommendations to support the professional development of the different educational actors involved.
36 countries nominated participants for this workshop. In addition to participants from ECML member states and partners from Canada, participants from Georgia, Italy, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Spain, Turkey, and Ukraine took part, thanks to the generous funding of this project through the Council of Europe's ordinary budget.
[www.ecml.at/homelanguagecompetences]
"Resources for assessing the home language competences of migrant pupils": Recolang network meeting (online, 15-16 June 2021)
The network meeting of the Recolang project "Resources for assessing the home language competences of migrant pupils" took place on 15-16 June 2021. The two-day meeting brought together professionals, stakeholders in education and researchers (language teaching, applied linguistics, language evaluation, allophone/plurilingual pupils schooling) from different countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland). It marked the first collaborative step of the project.
The meeting, which took place online, comprised presentations, group/pair work, exchange and feedback. Based on discussions on the objectives and role of the evaluation of home language competences and on an analysis of existing materials (representing different contexts), the meeting made it possible to identify initial common criteria and values for setting up this type of evaluation. The meeting allowed for collaborative progress on the modalities to be considered when implementing a formative and plurilingual assessment.
As a follow-up to this meeting and in preparation for the workshop (scheduled for December 2021) and the rest of the project, the network members are invited to disseminate the survey on the status of home languages at school in their networks and to take part in various (online) workshops on the presentation of existing systems (to complete the cartography currently being drawn up) or the conception of materials (for the establishment of the resources databank).
This survey focuses on the practices of assessing home language skills and their role in different European education systems. More detailed information on the survey can be found below.
A section aimed at pupils aged between 11 and 18 (or their families), who are from a migrant background and one or more home languages other than the language(s) of the school. This section is available in Arabic, English, French, German, Persian (Dari/Farsi), Portuguese and Turkish: https://surveyforlearners.questionpro.com
A section for schools and educational institutions, teaching and supervisory staff in schools, reception centres and organisations involved in initial and further professional development of teachers working with this age group (11-18 years). This section is available in English, French, German, Hungarian and Portuguese: https://enqueteinstitutionseducatives.questionpro.com
Further information :
This survey will provide a better understanding of:
whether and how pupils' languages and cultures are taken into account at school, and for what educational purpose (in relation to learner progress or to teacher professional development);
how all language skills and their uses can be recognised in relation to learner progress or to teacher professional development.
This survey is based on numerous research studies which show the importance of taking account of all the languages young people bring with them to school.
Research on plurilingual competence shows us that learning a language (the language of schooling, for example) builds on the other (varieties of) languages that an individual (child, adolescent, adult) has at his or her disposal, in his or her repertoire.
Your opinion on these issues is important. By giving your opinion and sharing your experience, you will be contributing to the debate on integration and education issues related to bi/multilingual audiences, particularly migrants.
Based on the results of this survey, a collaborative workshop with representatives of the European countries involved in the project will provide an opportunity to analyse whether and how home languages are taken into account in the different education systems. This analysis will enable us to reflect on the conditions to be taken into account for formative assessment (adapted to the audiences concerned) of pupils' home language skills.
The results of the survey and the collaborative workshop will make it possible to:
cooperate in formulating recommendations for European education policy;
contribute to improving the quality of European education systems and programmes for all pupils.
Finalisation of the survey on family language assessment practices, place of the survey in the construction of the Recolang project
The Recolang project has been organised as a remote team operation since March 2020. From March to July, the team prepared a first version of the two survey components (see the minutes of the meetings held last March). The survey was then disseminated in a "pre-test" format. Around thirty returns were received (on both parts) from contributors from Austria, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal and Switzerland.
The survey in its "pre-test" version was available for the "institutions" section in English, French and Hungarian, and for the "users" section in Arabic, English, French, Hungarian and Farsi.
The meeting on 6 and 7 October enabled the Recolang project team to prepare the final versions of the survey collectively, on the basis of the feedback received at the end of the test phase. The launch of the survey is scheduled for December 2020. The finalised survey will be available in different languages in the "institution" section (German, English, French, Hungarian, Portuguese) and in the "family" section (German, English, Arabic, French, Parsi, Portuguese, Turkish).
Together, the team is working on the preparation of the first elements for the presentation of assessment systems for family language skills known to the team (Hamburg, Le Mans, in particular). These presentation elements will be posted on the website.
The results of the survey and the elements of known systems will be discussed at the network meeting scheduled for June 2021 in Graz - if the health situation allows: what are the needs of users / which practices and systems have been collected / what are the recommendations for educational policies? This important stage will prepare the collaborative workshop with the various representatives of the member countries taking part in the project (November 21), whose discussions will focus on recommendations for criteria to be taken into account when setting up this type of evaluation adapted to the groups concerned.
Authors: Isabelle Audras, Carole-Anne Deschoux, Françoise Leclaire, Ildikó Lőrincz, Filomena Martins, Ana-Sofia Unkart
RECOLANG website "Resources for assessing the home language competences of migrant pupils" of the ECML (English - French): www.ecml.at/recolang
ECML programme of activities 2020-2023 "Inspiring innovation in language education: changing contexts, evolving competences": English - French
Launch of the RECOLANG project, 12-13 March 2020
The ECML project "Resources for assessing the home language competences of migrant pupils", RECOLANG for short, is the first ever ECML project to be funded through the Ordinary Budget of the Council of Europe and therefore open to all 50 countries signatory to the European Cultural Convention. Its purpose is to raise awareness across Europe of the importance of taking the plurilingual repertoires of all pupils in to account when developing education policies to ensure that together we create more equitable European education systems.
In order to do this, the following steps need to be taken: the collection and analysis of existing practices, programmes and materials for assessing skills in family languages, the formulation of criteria and the production of materials for tailored formative assessment. This assessment will consider the multilingual pathways and repertoires of the learners, thus promoting synergies between language learning and the development of competences in the language(s) of schooling.
The project will begin by undertaking bibliographical research and initiating a survey linked to these issues. The survey will be carried out at European level and will be divided into two parts (one for families and users of assessments and another for teaching and supervisory teams in schools, reception and vocational training centres for young people aged 11-18, including unaccompanied minors). The following data will be collected: the languages of the pupils and their varieties (written / oral), learning conditions (formal or informal; home languages, first, language (s) of schooling, languages learned during the migration path, etc.), as well as the practices / programmes of skills' assessment in these existing languages, possible links to curricula, as well as testimonials from users and other educational stakeholders.
The project team, which brings together 6 experts from 5 European countries, met for the first time on 12-13 March 2020 to launch the new project and start preparing the survey.
Author(s) : I. Audras, C.-A. Deschoux, F. Leclaire, I. Lorincz, F. Martins, A.-S. Unkart
RECOLANG website (English - French): www.ecml.at/recolang
This project is supported by countries signatory to the European Cultural Convention.


We understand that regular maintenance sweeping keeps your parking areas clean and free of debris... and much more.
Regular maintenance air sweeping also reduces track-in of grit onto your interior floors and decreases maintenance needs like striping and sealcoating on your parking areas.
Our high-powered air sweeping trucks sweep up litter and take it away. Our services include power sweeping parking areas and driveways. We also use backpack blowers to blow litter from sidewalks and walkways into the path of our sweepers in order to keep all those areas spotless. Many customers also have the Moonlight Sweeping professional operators replace their trash can liners.
If you are planning to host a large-scale commercial event, then you will definitely benefit from our help in clearing out all kinds of debris before, during or after the event. We have a specialized sweeper designed for maximum productivity in event cleanup situations. Our Tennant Green Machine allows event cleanup to be done in a focused manner; we can even do cleaning during the event without concern about event-goers.
At Moonlight Sweeping LLC we provide the exact level of ongoing services you need. We'll make sure the event grounds are sparkling prior to 'show time,' then handle maintenance throughout the event and clean up afterwards. Make your next event clean and safe by specifying Moonlight Sweeping to handle your cleaning details.
Keep your property clean and neat, all day – every day.
We offer day portering services at an agreed-upon schedule that is right for your property, on any and all days of the week you specify. Day portering is also perfect for outdoor events, tent sales, etc. We schedule in order to meet the unique requirements of our clients' day time operations. We can maintain the exterior of your buildings by removing trash and debris from sidewalks, turf, mulch beds or anywhere else it has accumulated. We also can replace trash liners throughout the day.
You will find that your customers will appreciate patronizing a facility that is neat and clean, with available garbage containers that aren't overflowing, whenever they visit.
Eliminate graffiti immediately with our power washing services.
We offer hot water pressure washing that can utilize steam cleaning up to 220 degrees. Our pressure cleaning system gets rid of gum spots, oil spots, paint on concrete and most any other types of stains! We also offer cold water power-washing, since some times all it takes is cold water to clean a dirty area. If you have any areas that need stains or graffiti removed, just give us a call for a no-charge professional assessment.
If you are located in the Greater Kansas City area, we urge you to see the difference we can make in your property's exterior maintenance 'look and feel.' The Moonlight Sweeping pros will provide you with a level of service that keeps all of our client properties looking at their very best. Use the information shown to the right to contact us today!


First it was private equity that aroused the wrath of politicians and then it was hedge funds that found themselves friendless, blamed and the target of regulation. Now it looks as though the mainstream asset management industry is about to pay the price for taking success for granted and not spending on comms in the good times.
The result is that it probably does not have enough media friends, sympathisers or people who understand what it is trying to do, who will stand by it and support it when markets collapse and the mood turns sour.
The problem faced by mainstream fund managers is threefold. First, the fall in asset values means most of their clients are showing losses, not just over the past 12 months but over the past 12 years. Share buying is supposed to be a long-term game, but clients who have lost money over a decade begin to question not just what is meant by the long term, but the competence of their fund managers.
Second, the business is barely profitable for many operators. Their main source of revenue is a charge on the funds under management, which is spiced up with additional initial charges when new investors join their funds. As markets fall, new investment dries up and with it the fees. Indeed money gets withdrawn. So just when it needs to be out there banging the drum, the industry finds it is having to retrench.
Third, there is fallout from the collapse earlier this year and subsequent rescue takeover of New Star, which had been one of the most successful and fastest-growing firms in the industry in the past decade.
Obviously it is bad for the industry's image, but more relevantly it has aroused the interest of the Financial Services Authority to the risks to the system that could follow the collapse of a fund management firm. So it is going to take a much closer interest, probably insist some firms are better capitalised, and encourage industry consolidation.
Change is coming fast to an industry where most PR has never got beyond product marketing. It badly needs to raise its game.
AIMA to form PR working group as hedge funds threaten to quit the UK.


What you see in pictures is dedicated to our troops in harms way. The cost is from $8 to $40. All proceeds go to support our troops. The money raised goes to pay for the high cost of shipping. We send packages all year around to let them know that they are in are hearts and on our minds.
We give for free "Yellow Wreathes", at the wife/husband's request, to put on their front door. We send Food, Snacks, and Toiletries. In addition to this, during parts of the year we send the troops home baked goodies.
Our troops are there all year and as such we feel that they deserve packages all year around. God Bless Our Soldiers.
Here where some of the items being prepared for the 2012 Craft Fairs. Everything shown below has been sold except for the Beaded Eagle Flag. Unfortunately, the cost of materials was close to the selling price of $35. We are in the process of making new items for the 2013 Craft Fair season. When pictures become available they will be posted.


Darcy Mayhew, a recently widowed young mother, relocates to New York City to pursue her career as an investigative journalist for the New York Times. On her first day on the job, she meets Joe Coffin, an ordinary young man who hails from her hometown of Martha's Vineyard, and agrees to accompany him to lunch. But one lunch with Joe quickly turns into a series of unwanted gifts, midnight phone calls, and even several break-ins.
Joe's fixation begins to threaten Darcy's job, her friendships, and even her family. She goes to the police, only to realize how powerless she is in the face of a stalker who hasn't officially done anything worthy of a night in jail. So when Joe attacks someone very close to Darcy, it's up to her alone to bring down the worst threat she has ever had to face.
If he can't have her, no one will.


text:
Afghanistan's refugees: forty years of dispossession
20 June 2019, 00:01 UTC
Forty years ago, Afghans began fleeing the violence in their country and seeking refuge across nearby borders. More than 400,000 people fled the violence of the Communist-led Taraki and Amin government, crossing over into Pakistan. The numbers progressively swelled after the Soviet invasion on Christmas Eve in 1979. By the end of 1980, there were more than four million Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Over the next four years, that number grew further still, with more than five million refugees in Pakistan and Iran.
Afghan refugees represent one of the world's largest protracted refugee population. Over the past four decades, many have been forced from their homes to never see them again. Some were able to return, for a while, but had their lives upended by a fresh eruption of conflict and violence – either to be displaced elsewhere in the country, or to become refugees yet again. There are refugee camps where successive Afghan generations have lived, long forming part of the local fabric of society, and yet they have been denied their rights, demonized and constantly threatened with deportation.
There are also those who have made successful journeys to faraway lands, like the United States of America and Europe, finally finding the peace and dignity that had long eluded them. And there are others, who were less fortunate, who were forcibly returned to a country that is now more dangerous than when they left it, or detained in inhumane conditions – where they still languish.
There are currently more than 2.6 million registered refugees in the world from Afghanistan – more than one in ten of all refugees, and the second highest number after Syria. There are many more who haven't been registered or who are currently asylum-seekers. And there are more than two million people who have been internally displaced by the ongoing conflict.
Afghan refugees represent one of the world's largest protracted refugee population. Over the past four decades, many have been forced from their homes to never see them again. Some were able to return, for a while, but had their lives upended by a fresh eruption of conflict and violence – either to be displaced elsewhere in the country, or to become refugees yet again
In 2018, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan documented the highest ever recorded civilian deaths, including the highest ever recorded number of children killed in the conflict. There were nearly 11,000 casualties which included 3,804 deaths and 7,189 injuries. Last year also saw more than 360,000 internally displaced by the conflict, according the United Nations Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
In a report published in June 2019, the Institute for Peace and Economics said that Afghanistan is the world's "least peaceful" country, replacing Syria.
Despite this dangerous situation, the international community continues to show a callous indifference towards Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers – who have been forcibly returned in large numbers from Europe, Iran, and Pakistan, or subject to cruel conditions in Australia's offshore detention camps on Manus Island and Nauru.
The forced returns from Europe, Pakistan and Iran add to instability in Afghanistan, according to Chaloka Beyani, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons. "These people cannot be absorbed into Afghan economic and social life. The government clearly says, 'Look, we don't have the capacity'", Chaloka Beyani warned in 2016.
Forced to leave home because it is unsafe.
Force to go back while it is still unsafe.
The E.U. must #HaltDeportationsNow. #WorldRefugeeDay pic.twitter.com/G2WGgBCUud
— Amnesty International South Asia (@amnestysasia) June 18, 2019
Just days before International Refugee Day 2019, Taibeh Abbasi, a student who lives in Trondheim, Norway and her two siblings were deported to Afghanistan – a country she has never known. Taibeh's family fled Afghanistan at the time of the Soviet invasion, and first settled in Iran, where Taibeh was born and the family suffered discrimination.
Eventually, they made a journey to Norway, where Taibeh grew up, was educated, made friends and dreamed of becoming a doctor. That dream was interrupted two years ago, when Taibeh's family received a letter from the Norwegian authorities, informing that they may be deported.
The move came as a shock to Taibeh's friends, who mounted a campaign called #AbbasiStays. "Taibeh has never been to Afghanistan, and it's not a safe country. Through demonstrations and concerts, we made our voices heard. People from all over Trondheim came together to support our campaign," wrote Ingjerd Jepsen Vegge, Taibeh's best friend.
"This is a principled fight. We are shedding light on Norway's dysfunctional policies. We have supported Taibeh and her family throughout this ordeal, but there are so many other stories just like Taibeh's that stay secret. The government's actions are sad, frustrating and disappointing."
Upon her arrival in Afghanistan, the authorities there said they would not accept Taibeh and her family. At the time of writing, she is on her way back to Norway, raising hopes that she will be allowed to continue her life there.
Taibeh's worst nightmare just came true—Norway is deporting her & her brothers alone to Afghanistan as we speak. Tell Norway's PM @Erna_Solberg to bring her home, now. pic.twitter.com/1h3nurFu6u
— Amnesty International (@amnesty) June 17, 2019
In recent years, along with Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Finland and Turkey have forcibly returned tens of thousands of Afghans whose asylum claims have been rejected. The returns are a clear breach of the principle of non-refoulement: the right not to be sent back to a country where one might be at risk of serious human rights violations and abuses.
According to official EU statistics, between 2015 and 2016, the number of Afghans returned by European countries to Afghanistan nearly tripled: from 3,290 to 9,460. The returns correspond to marked fall in recognition of asylum applications, from 68% in September 2015 to 33% in December 2016.
The people forcibly returned included unaccompanied children, young adults who were children when they arrived in Europe, people who have never lived in Afghanistan before. The people returned have included those who have been injured, committed suicide, killed in bomb attacks, or left to live in constant fear.
Far from being ignorant of the dangerous situation in Afghanistan, European governments recognized it when the European Union (EU) signed the "Joint Way Forward," an agreement to return Afghan asylum-seekers.
In a leaked document, EU agencies acknowledged Afghanistan's "worsening security situation and threats to which people are exposed," as well as the "record levels of terrorist attacks and civilian casualties". However, they callously insisted that "more than 80,000 persons could potentially need to be returned in the near future."
There is credible evidence that this "need" was expressed in the form of pressure on the Afghan government. Ekil Hakimi, Afghanistan's Finance Minister, told parliament: "If Afghanistan does not cooperate with EU countries on the refugee crisis, this will negatively impact the amount of aid allocated to Afghanistan."
Turkey has been responsible for some of the largest number of forced returns, with tens of thousands of Afghans detained and sent back over the past two years, in terrible conditions with no support once they return.
On #WorldRefugeeDay, we traveled to Afghanistan to see what happens when the refugees are forcibly returned to a country that remains even more dangerous than when they first escaped. pic.twitter.com/EMUdiUXlRu
Pakistan currently hosts more than 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees and another one million unregistered Afghans. They began arriving in 1979, in the months leading up to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. At the height, there were more than four million Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Over recent years, those numbers have dramatically fallen as the Pakistani government has coerced Afghans into returning, often leveraging their presence as a political tool in disputes with the Afghanistan government.
While they have been in Pakistan, Afghan refugees have been allowed to move freely, but have had few other rights. Pakistan is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention. As a result, Afghan refugees have not been able to access formal education opportunities, to open a bank account, to work, buy property and have even been denied access to healthcare.
After the December 2014 massacre of more than 100 schoolchildren in Peshawar, the Pakistani authorities began cracking down on refugee camps. Long subject to routine harassment, including the solicitation of bribes, the refugees were made a focus for reprisals after the armed group that attacked the school was traced to Afghanistan.
In 2016 alone, up to 365,000 refugees were forcibly returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan, in what Human Rights Watch described as "the world's largest unlawful mass forced return of refugees in recent times". One of the people deported that year was Sharbat Gula, the iconic "Afghan girl" who was featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine in June 1985. For decades, Sharbat Gula's blazing green eyes served as a reminder of the plight of Afghan refugees and Pakistan's status as a host of then the world's largest refugee population.
Several times, Pakistan has imposed arbitrarily and unfeasible deadlines. Each time, an extension has been granted reluctantly. Last year, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that Afghan refugees would finally be granted citizenship, ending their decades in legal limbo. For those born in Pakistan, the Nationality Act entitles them to citizenship – but they have never been granted this right on the spurious grounds that their parents were refugees. But the move was swiftly reversed, and the current "Proof of Registration" cards have been extended to June 2020.
An Afghan refugee boy in Pakistan (AFP/Getty)
Iran has been home to the second largest population of Afghan refugees, after Pakistan. In recent years, it has been the source of the highest number of returns to Afghanistan. According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates, there are 1.5 to two million "undocumented" Afghan refugees in Iran – many of whom have been in Iran for the past forty years. Last year saw 770,000 of them returned to Afghanistan, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). In 2017, the number of people returned to Afghanistan from Iran was 462,000.
The principal reason for this staggering rise, according to the IOM, was "driven by recent political and economic issues in Iran". Most Afghans are employed in informal sectors of the Iranian economy. The effect of USA sanctions on Iran is having a serious effect on Afghans trying to make a living there. IOM expects that there will be more than 570,000 returnees from Iran in 2019, a situation which will exacerbate Afghanistan's own economic and humanitarian situation.
Remittances from Afghanistan account for as much as six per cent of Afghanistan's total GDP.
In 2016, a joint UNHCR and World Bank report on the consequences for returnees warned: "Additional returns from Pakistan, Iran, or Europe are likely to result in further secondary displacement, unemployment and instability."
Afghan families protest outside the offices of UNHCR in Turkey (Photo by Piero Castellano/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Afghanistan: Authorities commit to protect human rights defenders


Heriz Persian carpets often come in large sizes. They are made from high-quality wool, making them hardwearing and ideal for public areas and dining areas which are subject to a higher degree of wear. These Oriental carpets are hand-knotted in north-eastern Iran, and often feature large, slightly geometric central medallions.