text:
September 2012 Service Improvements/General Questions
Transit Talk with the General Manager will be live today from noon to 1 p.m. The system will accept questions now through the end of the chat. Thank you for your interest.
Good afternoon and welcome to today's chat.
Many of you are likely aware that on Sunday, September 2, 2012, RT will implement major service improvements and begin the first year of TransitRenewal - a comprehensive operational analysis of the RT bus and light rail system that will restore, restructure and "renew" transit service through 2017.
In September, RT will extend night service on light rail and nine major bus routes, increase frequency on highly-utilized bus routes, and restructure bus routes to better serve riders. In all, the changes will add nearly 21,000 revenue hours and 450,000 revenue miles a year to RT's current schedule.
These initial accomplishments are consistent with the goal of TransitRenewal to develop the most efficient and effective transit network possible over the next five years - contingent upon available funding.
The additions come on the heels of massive service reductions RT was forced to make in June 2010. Faced with a $25 million deficit, RT discontinued over 20 percent of bus and light rail service and reduced staffing by nearly 30 percent. Now, after a relatively short period of time, RT is beginning to surmount the challenges posed by the struggling economy, with a service increase of approximately 8 percent in September.
The September 2012 service improvements are also an indication of better things to come from RT. Construction has started on several bus and light rail projects, the Green Line to the River District has opened for service, and RT is building a significant fiscal reserve. RT ended Fiscal Year 2012 with approximately $5.5 million in reserve and recently adopted a Fiscal Year 2013 budget that forecasts an additional $4.5 million in reserve by July 2013.
RT will be conducting outreach throughout August in an effort to reach as many people as possible with information about the upcoming service improvements. A schedule of outreach events that will be held at bus stops and light rail stations this month can be found online at www.sacrt.com.
sacramento, CA: Saw that bus 11 has extended hours and will run Saturday's in September. Any plans to have Natomoas Light Rail also run Saturday's to connect with Bus 11 & 15?
Reply: I believe you are asking about running the Green Line to the River District on the weekends. Currently, there are no plans to do this. As the River District develops, we will reevaluate the need for weekend service, as well as greater frequency and night service.
Sacramento, CA: Are Yolobus Employees allowed to ride RT for free?
Reply: RT and Yolo County Transportation District (Yolobus or YCTD) executed a transfer agreement on July 1, 2009, that allows RT employees and dependents and YCTD employees, including the employees of the YCTD contract operator, to ride on either system provided a valid employee or dependent identification is presented upon each boarding.
sacramento, CA: Parking at Richards Blvd. Looks like you're building a parking lot at Natomas Light Rail? Have you considered raising rates to park there with extra money going towards future light rail expansion into Natomas? This is a prime parking area as it's a mile and a half from downtown where parking is $130-$150 a month average or $5 an hour. So pretty sure even if people have to pay double to park at Notomas Station way cheaper option than parking downtown. A lot of riders would gladly pay more to park if they knew funds would go to get a quicker Light Rail extension and to decrease overall completion time for Light rail to airport.
Reply: The area near the new station is being developed by the developer. This does not include a park and ride lot. The next extension of the Green Line will include park and ride lots on the other side of the river. We have had some discussion with the developer regarding the possibility of a temporary Park and Ride lot. We are still assessing that.
sacramento, CA: Checking parking lot stickers. I get off Light Rail train on way to work everyday close to 8:00 A.M. (by the way your Power Inn Shuttle is very good) and there are cars parked way in back of Power Inn parking lot. Since you have to walk all the way up to the platform to get a parking sticker (unless you have month parking pass) pretty easy to guess a lot of these cars are parked for "free" parking in RT lot rather than pay for parking at work. Do you partrol parking lots on regular basis?
Reply: The pay for parking lots are checked daily. Often we check more than once as time permits. Our goal of checking is to keep people honest at the RT pay lots (Park Pay and Ride). A person that is parking and paying for the day does not need to return to their car once they have paid. When they pay they enter the stall number that their car is parked in. Our system then knows that they have paid.
sacramento, CA: 3) Security. Have you considered having extra security on platform to check people's tickets at platforms AND when people get off Light Rail? From inside Light Rail you can see train platform and see RT Inspectors getting ready to board train. All people do who don't have tickets is get off. If you also have Inspector's on platform to check for tickets you can catch them when they get off. This would alleviate a lot of trouble makers and loiters who get on train or stand around Light Rail station without a current pass of ticket.
Reply: Thanks for the suggestions. We use a variety of approaches to check for tickets. Often we conduct blitzes where as the trains stops at a station, every door has an inspector checking departing passengers and a few transit officers board the train to check tickets of patrons on the train. More often, we have a pair of transit officers board trains and check tickets. With our current system we have approximately 2% of our customers that fall into the category of non-paying.
Sacramento, CA: If a lightrail car leaves Sacramento Valley Station at 9:23 AM heading west and another lightrail car leaves the Historic Folsom station at 9:30 AM heading east, what time and where will they meet?
Reply: This sounds like an SAT question. Light rail cars head west from Historic Folsom Station and from Sac Valley Station they head east. If your question was a trick question they would never meet going the directions you suggested, because the track doesn't go in those directions. In fact they would derail. Looking at only time points with the trains heading toward one another, they would meet west of the Mather Field/Mills station.
Sacramento, CA: Any chance the 62 line will be extended later any time soon to help students who have class late at Sac City? I appreciate the blue line running later, but it's never felt safe.
Reply: There are no plans to run Route 62 later at this point, however, there will be later service on the Blue Line, as you mentioned, as well as on Routes 56 and 81 serving Greenhaven and the Freeport Blvd. area.
Sacramento, CA: I'm happy to see that RT is adding back service later this year, but what's taking so long? Why will it take five years to bring all the service back that was cut?
Reply: The service restoration is being timed with our level of funding. The restoration timing is purely driven by funding. It is important to note that Regional Transit is one of the few public agencies actually expanding public service while others are still cutting service and laying off employees.
Rancho Cordova, CA: How does RT decide where to allocate resources? Take bus stops and train stations, for instance. Does RT spend more each year in Citrus Heights than in Rancho Cordova for maintenance in these areas? How do you set work priorities among the different areas for maintenance?
Reply: Maintenance is not allocated by area as a general practice. Separate teams maintain bus stops from those that maintain light rail stations. The staff has schedules for performing maintenance that are adjusted as we see problems. Some areas require a greater level of attention due to high use, while other locations require a greater level of attention because of the neighborhoods they are in. We attempt to make sure that the system is clean and comfortable throughout our service area.
Roseville, CA: How does TransitRenewal relate to TransitAction? I get confused reading the website on these. Does one of them start where the other ends? Do you think you will ever get light rail to Roseville, Rocklin or Auburn?
Reply: "TransitRenewal," is a comprehensive operational analysis of the entire RT bus and light rail system that resulted in recommendations for transit service improvements over the next five years. In June 2010, RT implemented major service reductions. TransitRenewal provides recommendations that will determine how to restore, restructure and essentially "renew" transit service from 2012 through 2017 within available funding. The service improvements being implemented on September 2 are a direct result of the TransitRenewal process. Recommendations from the study will be evaluated by the RT Board on a yearly basis moving forward. TransitAction is RT's transit master plan and sets an ambitious vision for an improved transit system for the Sacramento region looking forward 30 years in to the future. The Vision advocates greater partnership between agencies and with the public, and it lays out an 'Integrated Transit Solution' which focuses on a comprehensive approach to sustainable land use planning and complementary transportation demand management (TDM) measures. It is dependent on a significant increase in local, State, and Federal resources.
sacramento, CA: Shuttle down Richards Blvd. Have you considered a Richards Blvd shuttle to and from the Natomas Light Rail Station? This Shuttle could go to Bus Station, and there are resturant's along Burcut drive who I'm sure would put money in to have possible customers go to their establishments via shuttle, and motels further down Richards who'd also chip in to have their customers have shuttle access to Light Rail to and from their motel.
Reply: Customers at motels on Richards and Bercut or at the Greyhound bus station on Richards can already take Route 11 or Route 15, either of which will take them to the Green Line, or direct to downtown. Route 11 runs at least once an hour on weekdays. Route 15 runs seven days a week, with hourly service on weekends and service every 30 minutes during the day on weekdays. Of course, if the motels wanted to pay for a special shuttle, or additional service on Route 11 or 15, we are always open to setting up a cost-sharing agreement.
Sacramento, CA: When will RT have a universal fare card like the Bay area? Will I ever be able to use my Clipper Card on the RT system?
Reply: RT and seven of the other transit providers in the region are working with the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) to install a smart card system. INIT was awarded the contract for the regional smart card last year. The vendor is building the hardware and preparing to install system components. You might notice work at light rail stations underway currently setting up the stations for the new equipment. We hope to be in a pilot test phase this winter. The card we are installing is a non proprietary card. The Clipper Card is proprietary and will not work on our system.
Sacramento, CA: Since I don't have to go through a turnstile to get on the train, how does RT know how many riders are using it on a daily, weekly, or annual basis? Is it just a guess? Based on what? How do you use that kind of information?
Reply: Sampling is used to determine ridership. We have a small staff of Route Checkers that conduct physical counts. When the new smart card comes on line next year, we will have more information to determine ridership. We also have a project in our capital program to install automatic passenger counters on all of our light rail vehicles, just like we have on our buses. However, that project is not currently funded.
Folsom, CA: I'm a fan and use light rail almost every day and I've started noticing that some of the cars are starting to look worn out and rattle a lot especially between Folsom and Sacramento, so I was wondering if there are any plans to maybe buy new trains. I've seen some awesome trains in other cities that would look way cool in Sacramento.
Reply: You are probably writing about the Siemens vehicles which are up to 25 years old this year. The CAF cars are much newer. We currently are doing mid-life overhauls on the cars obtained from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). These 21 cars will begin service in the next two years. The Siemens cars are scheduled for replacement beginning in 2022.
Elk Grove, CA: Why are there so many different transit systems in the Sacramento area? Why isn't there just one big one that serves all areas? Wouldn't that be more efficient?
Reply: Elected officials of the cities and counties in the region decided different things for their areas. We do coordinate very closely with our transit partners in other jurisdictions.
Sacramento , CA: On a recent ride into the University/65th Street Station, some things concerned me, specifically "bus stacking" of Routes 26 & 87. Would RT be able to look into this, specifically with TransitRenewal Phase I approaching, that only one bus route be assigned a designated space? I would suggest that Route 26 utilize the space once used for Route 36, and the space currently used by Route 34 remain empty until Route 8 is reinstated. I would though like to see that Routes 26 & 87 not use the same parking space so as to eliminate "stacking" at this Light Rail & Transfer Facility.
Reply: Thanks for the suggestion. We'll take a look.
Rancho Cordova, CA: So what's up with fare enforcement on the trains? I have personally observed an enforcement person checking groups of people for fares and letting people go that do not have proof of payment. Shouldn't they be writing everyone up that they find that does not have any proof?
Reply: I am not able to speak to specific incidents because I am not fully aware of the details. However, while the police officers and transit officers are afforded some discretion in how they handle violations, in general, RT takes enforcement action against those in violation of applicable laws, including fare evasion. If you have specific instances you would like to bring to our attention you can contact our Customer Advocacy Department at 557-4545 or www.sacrt.com.
Sacramento , CA: Is Route 56 going to once every 15 minutes between CRC & Meadiwview Station this September, or did funding hold that improvement back at least one year and possibly two years?
Reply: For September the Route 56 hours are being extended to later in the evening. Next year the frequency will be improved.
Sacramento, CA: If I want a route that was cut restored but its not on the lists for TransitRenewal, how do I do that? Do I circulate a petition around the neighborhood or should we all just come to a Board meeting and ask for it? I'm specifically interested in getting the 51E back. Why was it cut anyway?
Reply: One of the main reasons Route 50E was originally created was to address reliability problems on Route 51. Since eliminating it, Route 51 has become even more overloaded. We looked at how many buses it would take to restore Route 50E and decided we'd get more benefit from putting those buses on Route 51 itself, improving frequency to every 12 minutes. We also were able to add a bus to Route 55 so that it will run every 30 minutes. We think this will do more to solve the problems with late buses, wheelchair pass-ups, etc. on Route 51. Each year of TransitRenewal we will conduct a new public hearing prior to Board action to approve a set of service improvements. You are encouraged to participate at that time.
Sacramento , CA: What is the rough timeline that RT is looking at in moving the North Sacramento transfer activity from Arden to Swanston Station? Is Capitol Corridor a partner in Swanston Station as well?
Reply: Capital funding drives the project schedule for this realignment This move is in our plan, but is currently unfunded. We have funding that we are waiting on from the State of California called TCRP that will help fund these improvements. Yes we have and will continue to coordinate closely with the Capital Corridor.
Roseville, CA: What did you do to all those pigeons that were at the Watt I80 station? They seem to be thinning out.
Reply: Thank you for asking. First we have a no kill policy. The station has been outfitted with netting and other devices to discourage roosting. We have also provided a feed product that has birth control added to the mix. We are pleased with the results. The Sac Airport Avian Control Staff has been very helpful in providing ideas and support with our pigeon problems.
Sacramento, CA: If the Governor's tax initiative does not pass in November, will RT's financial plan be affected? I know that RT receives funding from the state in some form or another.
Reply: You are correct that RT receives state funding, however, State Transit Assistance is not included in those segments of the State Budget that will be affected if the tax initiative does not pass in November.
Sacramento , CA: I heard that one goal of RT is to build a "reserve" account. How can riders like us help out in that cause so that there is enough future funding down the way so that future service cuts can be avoided altogether in the next fiscal crisis, which, by the way we all hope will never happen again? Nonetheless, it is always best to be prepared than not. Wouldn't you agree?
Reply: You are correct that RT is currently building a significant fiscal reserve. RT ended Fiscal Year 2012 with approximately $5.5 million in reserve and recently adopted a Fiscal Year 2013 budget that forecasts an additional $4.5 million in reserve by July 2013. The best way to support RT funding is to become involved in the local government process and advocate for public transit. Let your city council person or county supervisor know you support more transit options and would like them to do so as well. Also, using the system regularly and letting others know it works well for you helps to build ridership and awareness. Thank you for your patronage.
Carmichael, CA: Is there a timetable for implementation of the 'deferred' 2012 improvements(i.e.,the route 24 restructuring,extending Saturday evening service on the highest productivity routes)?
Reply: There were a number of improvements we originally proposed for September 2012 that we simply didn't have enough money for this year, but we anticipate being able to add next year, in September 2013. These include later service on selected bus routes on Saturdays, later service on light rail on Sundays and Holidays, direct downtown service for Route 103, improved headways on Route 56, and replacing Route 24 with a new route going all the way to the Historic Folsom light rail station. We originally were trying to push the Route 24 changes through in January 2013, but the only options that will really improve service there substantially are considerably more expensive, so we are holding off and looking at alternatives. We may add some earlier and later trips on Route 24 on its existing routing in January 2013.
South Sacramento, CA: Checked with the updated routes, particulary for 5, 54, and 55. I like the changes, particulary route 54. However, on the same route, is there going to be future Saturday service going to Gerber Road?
Reply: As you evidently noticed, Route 54 will be covering some new areas starting in September 2012. From its current terminal at Cosumnes River College, it will be extended across Highway 99 via Calvine Road, then go up Power Inn Road to Gerber Road. We had a number of requests from college students for direct service to this area. It will also serve an adult education center on Gerber Road. While Route 54 will also begin running on Saturdays, it will not do this new extension on Saturdays. If we get a lot of requests for it, we may consider it, but we have a lot of other areas that need weekend service as well.
Sacramento, CA: Will there be any service enhancements for the land park area?
Reply: We have a long-term plan to improve Route 61 from every 60 minutes to every 30 minutes on weekdays. We have been getting a lot of requests, however, for later evening and weekend service in Land Park, South Land Park, Greenhaven, etc., so we may revisit our plans for this area and what we're prioritizing.
Folsom, CA: Another needed service improvement is more maintenance staff. Trains need cleaning more often than once a week (or more?) - you can't keep people from making a mess but you can clean it up more often. Ditto the stations - empty trash more often than once a week or more? Then of course there are the breakdowns, which seem to be happening even when it's not really hot recently - cars & other stuff being used a little too hard/too long between service?
Reply: The stations have a light cleaning daily, heavy cleaning at least twice a week and daily at some stations, like Watt/I-80. The inside of the trains are cleaned each night and the exteriors are washed weekly. We try to deliver a highly reliable system that is safe and can be depended upon by riders. Statistically we are achieving very good reliability, but even a single disruption can be an inconvenience for our riders. We will continue to work on reliability, understanding the impact on you and the other riders who depend on RT.
Sacramento, CA: Thank you for the RT Tracker. Its very useful.
Reply: You are welcome, we are glad it is being put to good use!
Sacramento, CA: Does Sacramento RT have an iPhone app for bus and train times?
Reply: RT is testing an IPhone app right now and expect that it will be available sometime in September. Check back on the website and you will see it advertised when it becomes available. The RT App will also be available through the Apple App Store. The android version will be available through the RT website.
Kathi-N. Natomas, Sac, CA: Hi Mike. I see where the schedules are going to be changing in Sept - so are we finally going to get the .25 cents transfers back? Thanks.
Reply: Hi, Kathi. The upcoming changes in service will not include fare changes so transfers will not be coming back.
Sacramento , CA: When are the utdc light rail vehicles suppose to begin revenue service?
Reply: The contract was recently awarded for the work to setup the UTDC cars to operate on RT's light rail system. The first car is scheduled for completion in 10 months.
Sacramento , CA: I've read on your website that Light Rail will run later hours on weekdays and Saturday's this September. Will Sunday's/Holiday's be considered in one or two September's from now or is that thought not being considered at all in any of the TransitRenewal Phases?
Reply: We originally wanted to run light rail later on Sundays and Holidays this year. It is among our first priorities for September 2013.
Kathi-N. Natomas, Sac, CA: I want to express my thanks for you Transit Officers who get on the light rail and ride it for several stations. I love them being there as it helps stop a lot of the homeless and rif-raf from being loud and very abrasive. Might want to also have one or two on the 22 or 23 line - just to stop some of the noise. Thanks for having them on the light rail.
Reply: I appreciate your feedback. Thank you.
Kathi-N. Natomas, Sac, CA: Quick question - FAST the Fairfield-Suisun bus system gives you a voucher for when you don't have exact change right when you pay your bus fee. Do you think RT will ever go to something like this? The great thing with the voucher is that you can use it anytime you ride on another FAST bus plus cash to bring the total put into the box to the ride fee. Just curious.
Reply: Good question, Kathi. RT is moving toward a Connect Card system next year that will make it easier for passengers to pay for rides on bus and rail without having to have exact change as long as they have a balance on the card. No changes to the current fare structure or operating procedures will be made before then so to answer your question, RT will not be able to undertake a voucher system in the meantime.
Citrus Heights, CA: I had heard RT was going to introduce a new Route 195 Citrus Heights Dial a Ride. Do you know any more about that and when it will start. Will it be open to all residents of Citrus Heights or just certain areas.
Reply: You're correct that we're developing plans for a dial-a-ride service in the City of Citrus Heights. The details have yet to be worked out and agreed to, but we envision it being open to the general public.
Sacramento, CA: From my experience, bus drivers are very conscientious of bicycle riders in the center city grid. Is this part of driver's training, or is this a product of drivers becoming familiar with their routes?
Reply: Our training program for bus operators is very extensive. The training includes all aspects of sharing the road with other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Thank you for noticing the operators. Their job is often thankless. I think any driver will tell you that familiarity with routes is helpful in a number of ways. The fact that we are able to retain a staff of experienced drivers is probably a major contributing factor to our good safety record.
Sacramento, CA: Any chance the central city fare or transfers will ever come back? I ask because I've visited multiple cities recently and they all have amazing transit systems at low costs. One in particular was Portland, which had a FREE central city area, along with transfers good for a total of 2 hours of trips. They are facing budget issues just as Sac, but they seem to be able to make transit work.
Reply: The central city fare and transfers will not come back as they were because the fare structure will not change until after the Connect Card is fully implemented. However, RT is fully engaged in examining alternative fare structures that will be possible once the Connect Card is in place. Distance based fares may be a part of the future fares structure that will charge less for shorter distances, like the central city fare. Just a note on the Portland comparison, Tri-met has announced the discontinuation of its free central city zone effective September 2nd due to fiscal constraints, while RT is restoring service on the same date, so I would say RT seems to be able to make transit work pretty well.
Sacramento, CA: I want to see RT expand to cities/suburbs that currently do not provide funding. Implicitly or explicitly, some state they believe adding easy transit would somehow bring "undesirables" to their neighborhood. This is silly, but are you aware of any research by RT or others that shows that crime does not increase by increasing transit access?
Reply: As you noted, transit service does not increase crime. There are a number of studies that confirm this. If you think through the suggestion that it does, you would have to picture criminals escaping with TVs and other stolen goods on buses and trains. It just doesn't happen.
Citrus Heights, CA: How come the 80/84 line always operates with older 2300 series coaches. These buses are way too slow for such a busy route and have the worst air conditioning for Sacramento's Hot summers. I have only seen a 2800'series bus once and that was the holiday bus.
Reply: I'll have to check into it.
Sacramento, CA: When Folsom and Sunrise trains pass the crossover near the Watt/Manlove station overpass, they tend to sway side-to-side and sometimes knock passengers down who aren't holding on. Is there a reason this section of track causes the trains to do this? It has been happening for a few months now.
Reply: RT staff is working on correcting this problem. The issues causing this has to do with a transition from fixed to less rigidly fixed track. We have not yet determined a solution.
Sacramento, CA: Is there an ETA on a smartphone app that will allow tracking of buses, much like the RT Tracker web page? The current web page is pretty much unusable on anything smaller than a tablet.
Reply: RT is working on its smartphone app and it should be available next month. It will use schedules on trains at first until real time is available. For the current RT Tracker, try using the estimated arrival times tool when on your smart phone. This is easier to use than the map tool when on the smaller screen and with a 3G or less connection.
Sacramento, CA: Where will folks be able to buy/refill a Connect Card when it is available? I ask because I have noticed that many (all?) ticket machines at LRT stations are not taking credit cards and can't break larger bills. Credit cards acceptance would make life a lot easier.
Reply: We will be adding new machines for the smart card at stations that take credit cards. We will be adding a credit card feature to some of the current ticket machines as well. In addition, riders can add funds to their cards on the web, at the RT Customer Service Center and other locations. Riders can also set up to automatically increase the value on their cards from their personal account and not have to do anything.
Thank you for participating in today's chat and I hope to hear from all of you during the next session scheduled for Friday, September 7, at noon. I also encourage everyone to pass along information about service improvements to friends and family who use public transit in the Sacramento region.


text:
Orly Azoulay
Nahum Barnea
Ron Ben-Yishai
Ronen Bergman
Alex Fishman
Dr. Yaron Friedman
Eitan Haber
Yoaz Hendel
Sima Kadmon
Aviad Kleinberg
Noah Klieger
Yaron London
Smadar Perry
Sever Plocker
Shimon Shiffer
Yossi Yehoshua
Ben-Dror Yemini
IDF snipers on Gaza border
Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
Gilad Grossman
Photo: Yoram Lehman
Why rules of engagement on Gaza border must be revoked
Op-ed: The attempts to intimidate the Israeli public into believing that a murderous crowd is about to cross the border and destroy everything in its way have been revealed as a fiery rhetoric aimed at justifying indiscriminate shooting at thousands of Palestinians.
Gilad Grossman|Published: 05.01.18 , 13:45
Sdot Negev Regional Council head Tamir Idan is right. He and the residents of his council have the right to live in peace and security, just like any other person in Israel.
One might add that every person in Gaza is entitled to the same right. Idan has other rights too. He can, for example, go out and protest for that justified right. Unlike Gaza's residents, he knows that if he does that, he won't risk being killed by a sniper.
We, members of four human rights organizations—Yesh Din, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), Gisha and HaMoked—which petitioned the High Court of Justice against the rules of engagement, allowing the use of lethal weapon against unarmed protestors, want reality to change and want Idan, the residents of the Sdot Negev Regional Council and all the residents of the Gaza vicinity to live in peace.
Snipers facing the 'March of Return' on the Gaza border fence (Photo: Reuters)
We don't think and we have never claimed that the State of Israel isn't allowed to defend its border, or that sending burning kites to set fields on fire or planting explosive devices near the fence is justified. Furthermore, international law allows the use of lethal force and firearms against civilians by law enforcement officials—but only in a life-threatening situation.
Gaza's residents are allowed to protest against Israel. Some parts of the public may not like it, but they have a right to do so. Gaza's residents are also entitled to hold wild protests. It may be scary, but it doesn't justify using firearms against them. The protestors may also be Hamas members, but the fact that they are part of a terror organization is not an offense justifying death without a trial.
It is the State of Israel's duty to defend its citizens. The IDF soldiers standing in front of the fence were deployed there to prevent an infiltration. That's their job, and we're not saying that they should be prevented from doing so. International law and Israeli law do not contradict that duty; they reinforce it.
The issue can be emphasizes in military briefings held ahead of the Friday protests, and the soldiers can be given the tools to deal with the protests. But the attempts to intimidate the Israeli public into believing that a murderous crowd is about to cross the border and destroy everything in its way have been revealed in reality as a fiery rhetoric aimed at justifying indiscriminate shooting at thousands who do not pose a risk.
Gaza border protest (Photo: AFP)
The IDF, the Border Guard and the police have a variety of non-lethal means for dealing with protests, and these means can also be used to prevent damage to the fence or an infiltration into Israel. Firearms should only be used to defend soldiers' lives and civilians' lives. This is not only argued by human rights organizations and the law; it's the IDF's spirit as well. "IDF soldiers will not use their weapons and force to harm human beings who are not combatants… and will do all in their power to avoid causing harm to their lives, bodies, dignity and property," the IDF's Code of Ethics and Mission states.
Nevertheless, the defense minister and the senior military command have chosen to ignore the law and allow the soldiers to shoot anyone who approaches the fence or is perceived as a "main instigator," even if he is unarmed and poses no risk to anyone.
The result is that 39 people have been killed, including teenagers and journalists, and hundreds have been wounded from live fire. Did they all threaten the soldiers' lives? That must be investigated, but it's clear that the real problem is the illegal orders they were given, and those ordered must be revoked before they claim more lives.
Gilad Grossman is the spokesman of Yesh Din, one of the organizations that petitioned that High Court of Justice against the rules of engagement on the Israel-Gaza border.
See all talkbacks "Why rules of engagement on Gaza border must be revoked"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


These instructions are for canceling all types of Weight Watchers memberships. Weight Watchers is a diet program that uses a science-driven approach to help participants lose weight by forming helpful habits, eating smarter, getting more exercise and providing support.
To cancel your Weight Watchers membership, go to this website. Log into your account using your username and password. Click on "Cancel Your Subscription," and follow the prompts to complete the cancellation.
If you do not have login information for an online account, you can send an email request to cancel to CustomerService@WeightWatchers.com. You must include the member's full name, address and account number. You may also call customer service at 866-442-4810 to cancel. You will need to provide full member name, address and account number.
If sending an email request to cancel your membership, be sure to request a return email to confirm the cancellation.


text:
You are here: Home > News & Updates > Civility > #CivilityChat: How PILI is Expanding Accessible Justice in Illinois
2Civility | Civility	| November 21, 2019
#CivilityChat: How PILI is Expanding Accessible Justice in Illinois
Equal access to justice doesn't come easy. This is especially true for those facing civil legal challenges for which there's no constitutional right to legal representation. Fortunately, the Illinois legal community provides resources to help connect those in need with public interest aid or pro bono services across the state.
We recently spoke with Brent Page, Senior Managing Attorney at the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI), to better understand how PILI facilitates collaboration between organizations working to make the justice system more accessible in the Land of Lincoln.
Illinois has many legal aid service providers and supporters. What role does PILI have in assisting them?
At PILI, we see ourselves as a hub for pro bono and public interest law in the legal community across Illinois. Our mission is to engage, inspire and empower those advancing equal access to justice, and we do that in several different ways.
We have a Law Student Internship Program and a Graduate Fellowship program where law students and recent graduates provide tens of thousands of hours of support to legal aid providers across Illinois. Over the course of our 43-year history, over 4,000 PILI alums have gone through these programs, and we keep PILI alumni engaged in public interest and pro bono work through educational, networking, leadership and service programs.
Through our Pro Bono Program, we have several projects through which we work to increase the availability of pro bono legal help for those who cannot afford an attorney in Illinois. We believe the Illinois legal community should work together to provide these services, and that it's PILI's role to facilitate this collaboration.
What are some ways PILI promotes pro bono initiatives around Illinois?
Through PILI's Pro Bono Program, we develop innovative pro bono opportunities, offer pro bono programming and resources, cultivate best practices, and celebrate the life-changing pro bono performed throughout the state.
PILI's Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees consist of members of the judiciary as well as pro bono leaders from local law firms, corporations, bar associations, and public interest law organizations, and strive to increase equal access to justice by promoting and enhancing pro bono legal services within a specific circuit.
PILI provides a variety of pro bono opportunities for lawyers, law students and legal professionals across the state of Illinois including limited scope and full representation activities. Through our Pro Bono Initiative, we facilitate the sharing of best practices as well as pro bono resources and programming through our Pro Bono Roundtables and Forum. Last year, PILI engaged over 250 pro bono volunteers to serve over 400 clients statewide as well as supported over 400 CLE attendees with the skills they need to serve people who need legal help.
How can legal organizations better train attorneys to deliver pro bono services?
Training attorneys to deliver pro bono services is a key part of a ensuring a volunteer is able to sufficiently advocate for their client. Having a searchable outline or manual that volunteers can reference is helpful, as well as including checklists and the most common questions and answers.
In my own pro bono work, I've also felt more comfortable taking a pro bono case knowing I was able to phone a mentor and ask a question. PILI recently designed a statewide Pro Bono Mentorship Program, where volunteer attorneys who lack experience in a particular area of law are paired with a more experienced attorney for advice and counsel to ensure competent representation of pro bono clients. This way, not only do we increase the number of clients who receive pro bono assistance but also offer a unique and invaluable learning opportunity for attorneys. For more information, visit www.pili.org/pro-bono-mentorship.
How have you seen tech impact PILI's work? How do you see this impact evolving?
One recent technological feat is Illinois Free Legal Answers, which PILI began managing a few months ago. This is a virtual legal clinic where low-income Illinois residents can submit a question online via a secure website to ask a lawyer for help with a civil legal issue.
Whether on your lunch break or in your pajamas, [lawyers] can now provide brief advice and counsel someone through a legal problem. Overall, technology has made doing pro bono easier and more accessible for volunteers. Whether it's watching a CLE on your laptop, searching Illinois Legal Aid Online before interviewing a client, or even answering a client's question through an online portal, technology is a tool that helps us better serve our clients. I also hope future technology continues to lower barriers and help increase access to justice.
What other trends have you seen relative to pro bono?
One of the biggest recent trends related to pro bono is volunteers interested in short-term projects rather than larger commitments. With increased awareness around limited-scope representation, more and more attorneys are assisting clients with a segment of their case when having an attorney is most useful. Limited-scope opportunities should be crafted strategically to ensure that the time and effort invested by the agency, client and volunteer provides the most benefit.
Dozens of pro bono and legal aid programs are offering flexible opportunities, even including some that can be done remotely. PILI has had success with developing Legal Help Within Reach, where we recruit attorneys and law student volunteers from urban areas to volunteer at free one-day legal clinics for low-income Illinoisans living in rural and underserved communities. These clinics provide a bite-sized pro bono opportunity for volunteers and much needed and otherwise inaccessible legal assistance for individuals, families and communities in need.
Staying up to date on issues impacting the legal profession is vital to your success. Subscribe here to get the Commission's weekly news delivered to your inbox.


text:
Dr David Kerr MP
1978: Tom O'Carroll writes to Antony Grey at Defence of Literature & Arts Society re 'freedom of speech'
In 1978, during the passage of the Protection of Children bill through Parliament, and just as PIE were preparing to publish their Paedophilia: Some Questions & Answers and distribute the booklet to MPs pigeonholes in the House of Commons, Tom O'Carroll, Chairman of Paedophile Information Exchange and member of the NCCL Gay Rights Committee wrote to Antony Grey in his role on the Executive Committee of the Defence of Literature and Arts Society ('DLAS').
O'Carroll wanted to thank Grey for his support at the 1978 NCCL Annual General Meeting and "in relation to" the National Union for Public Employees. The NCCL AGM had taken place on 1-2 April at City University, a fortnight prior to O'Carroll's letter.
"Dear Antony, I was pleased to see you the other day, and only regret that I had to dash off without having a chance to talk to you after the meeting. Allow me, however, to thank you very much for your support at the NCCL AGM, and in relation to NUPE etc."
Motion. 39: Freedom of Discussion proposed by Nettie Pollard and Bill Forrester
At the 1978 AGM which O'Carroll and Grey had attended, PIE member Nettie Pollard had seconded a motion proposed by Bill Forrester to ask NCCL to condemn the protests against PIE's meeting in September 1977:
"This AGM re-affirms the right of free discussion and freedom to hold meetings for all organisations and individuals doing so within the law.
In particular this AGM condemns the physical and other attacks on those who have discussed or attempted to discuss paedophilia and re-affirms NCCL's condemnation of harassment and unlawful attacks on such persons." [Bill Forrester and Nettie Pollard]
Tom O'Carroll was responding to an approach made by DLAS to David Grove, PIE's Children Rights' Campaign leader and keeper of the PIE mailing list.
In June/July 1976 edition of Understanding Paedophilia (PIE's forerunner to Magpie) the 'Magnificent Six' had been announced, with the following people undertaking the following roles for PIE
'It's the Magnificent Six', p. 7
New EC:
Keith Hose – re-elected to serve as National Chairperson for the coming year
Warren Middleton – re-elected as National Vice Chairperson/PIE Magazine Editor
Tom O'Carroll – elected as PIE General Secretary/responsible for the formation of local groups/PIE members' contact service/Publicity [See further: Did NCCL's trawl of List 99 radicalise PIE's Tom O'Carroll? Palaver #6 October 1976]
David C Grove – elected as Director of PIE's forthcoming children's rights campaign/responsible for distribution of mail
Charles Napier – elected as Treasurer/responsible for recruitment of new members.
Peter Righton – elected as Organiser of prison-hospital visits/general correspondence and PIE befriending.
Want applicants for Legal adviser and Director of Research. [Ian Pace blog]
DLAS wanted an article from PIE on the ways in which their freedom of speech have been muzzled for the DLAS publication "Uncensored" Tom O'Carroll nominates Keith Hose to write this for Grey.
Three years later, in a letter to Tony Smythe, Grey wrote
" The drubbing which free speech, civil rights and common sense have taken over the PIE case is appalling. I always feared that Tom O'Carroll was hellbent on opening this particular Pandora's Box, and so it has proved." [See further: With compliments from Ian Dunn, and while you were out Tony Smythe called March 1981 ]
Seemingly, a fear precipitated by Grey's own invitation, adopting the role of a self-fulfilling prophet of doom while bearing in mind Grey's ego couldn't bear not to archive these writings publicly.
The Defence of Literature and the Arts Society (1968 – 1983)
The Defence of Literature and Arts Society attracted sponsors from "the great and good":
Lords, charity directors, MPs, former MPs, lawyers and even doctors such as Dr David Stafford-Clark and Lords who were also Doctors such as Lord Winstanley (apparently a staunch supporter of everyone else's freedom of speech bar Mary Whitehouse's when he commanded Antony Grey to pursue her to the end of the road if not further! [Dec 1976: See further blog post here]
Francis Bennion, Parliamentary Counsel and Civil Liberties Barrister
One member of the Executive Committee who served alongside Antony Grey and Eric Thompson was Francis Bennion, Barrister and Parliamentary counsel, who had drafted the constitutions of Pakistan and Ghana, the Consumer Credit Act, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, and the hugely successful reference book for lawyers on 'Statutory Interpretation'. In 1968 he founded the Professional Association of Teachers.
On Francis Bennion's website : http://www.francisbennion.com/pdfs/non-fb/1983/1983-007-nfb-dlas-pamphlet.pdf
In 1979 Bennion wrote a review of G Parker Rossman's book Sexual Experience between Men and Boys [Freethinker Vol.99 1979] [See further for Antony Grey's meeting with Parker Rossman on his July 1979 trip to UK from the states and Rossman's letter to Grey and more on George Parker Rossman's 1971 arrest in the Long Island New York ring with Dr Morris Fraser ]
In 1983 Antony Grey and his partner Eric Thompson were still serving on the Executive Committee of the DLAS along with Michael Rubinstein (the solicitor who Sir Harold Haywood was dismayed at charging for his advice on suing Mary Whitehouse due to his "special interest in the Trust").
Lord Beaumont of Whitley (former Albany Trust Chairman 1969-1972?) is also a sponsor.
Ben Whitaker (former Lab: Hampstead MP 1966-1970)
Ben Whitaker was the Chairman of the DLAS and had been Labour MP for Hampstead 1966-1970 during Wilson's first term, at the same time Dr David Kerr, a fellow DLAS sponsor, had been Labour MP for Wandsworth Central.
NCCL AGM Ballot Papers 1978: Biographies for candidates standing for NCCL Executive Committee
Brian Sedgemore MP (Lab: Hackney South)
Sponsors included Brian Sedgemore MP (Lab: Hackney South)
See further for Mark Trotter, the Hackney Labour agent whose abuse of children left some victims with AIDS with a history of abuse in Liverpool:
Poisonous regime that betrayed the children (07.01.98)
Hackney's tainted chiefs 'will be axed' (08.01.98)
The council officer told her friend: Don't use Trotter as your babysitter. But the public was never warned (21.01.98) [Evening Standard, Stewart Payne & Eileen Fairweather]
MP's attack on the man who helped expose Hackney abuser (04.02.98) [Evening Standard, Stewart Payne & Eileen Fairweather]
Ian Mikardo MP (Lab: East end, Bow, Poplar, Bethnal Green 1964-1987)
Ian Mikardo MP (Lab: Reading 1945–50, Reading South 1950–55, Reading 1955–59, Poplar 1964–74, Bethnal Green and Bow 1974–83 and Bow and Poplar 1983–87)
"… the progress of the Child Protection bill was threatened by MP Ian Mikardo, who blocked it to protest against tactics being used by the Conservative party to block Edward Fletcher's bill on employment protection, the Prime Minister, James Callaghan, stepped in to ensure that the Bill received the time required to become law.[1]" [Wikipedia: Child Protection Act 1978]
On 12 May 1978 Auberon Waugh wrote 'Save the Children' for The Spectator when Mikardo was MP for Bethnal Green and Bow:
"After all the recent hysteria about the Child Protection Bill, when Mr Ian Mikardo was practically accused of supporting the vile trade in child pornography, we have at last been given a chance to examine the Bill as it ambles its way through its second reading in the House of Lords. To judge from press reaction, and from statements by various opportunist MPs, one might have supposed that child pornography was a new and hideous development which somehow escaped existing legislation on obscene publication and protection of minors, while threatening to corrupt a whole generation of British schoolchildren for the unscrupulous gain of these merchants in human misery . . ."
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged Antony Grey, Ben Whitaker MP, Brian Sedgemore MP, Charles Napier, David Grove, Defence Literature Arts Society, Dr David Kerr MP, Eric J Thompson, Francis Bennion, Keith Hose, Michael Rubinstein, Nettie Pollard, Paedophile Information Exchange, Peter Righton, Tom O'Carroll, Tony Smythe on March 14, 2015 by cassandracogno. 3 Comments
November 1972: Ian Dunn, PIE founder joins Albany Society Ltd Council of Management
One year prior to the formation of the Paedophile Information Exchange [Sept/Oct 1974] by Ian Dunn and Michael Hanson of the Scottish Minorities Group (SMG), Dunn is invited to be admitted as an Ordinary member at the Society's third AGM.
Other familiar names are Albany Trustees – Rev. Michael Butler (Deputy Director Samaritans), Dr John Robinson (Dean of Trinity College, Cam), Mr Rodney Bennett-England (future Director of the National Council for the Training of Journalists), Mr Michael Schofield and Dr Charlotte Wolff and the Trust's Honorary Solicitor Ambrose Appelbe (who had guided Mandy Rice-Davis through the Profumo scandal, an odd coincidence considering it was Profumo as Warden who had secured Righton his premises for ACCESS at Toynbee Hall during his brief Chairmanship).
The Albany Society Ltd had first been established in 1968 as a fundraising arm and grant-making fund to keep finances separate from the Trust itself. This separation and use of an alternative legal entity also changed the nature of the duties the office holders have. Trustees have fiduciary duties to keep within Trust Deed and could not limit their liability whereas directors owe duties to shareholders and can limit liability. This decision of Antony Grey's to revive the Albany Society Ltd as a vehicle of control over the Albany Trust would prove significant over the course of the next few years.
Following the difficulties over Michael De La Noy's menacing Lord Beaumont and others for control of the counselling casework during 1971, Grey with Dr John Robinson seconding, swells the ranks of the Society's 'Council of Management' with 21 or 22 new 'Ordinary Members'.
Dr Charlotte Wolff proposed Dr David Kerr MP to be elected as Chairman of the Council of Management. Kerr had been Labour MP for Wandsworth Central 1964 – 1970, one of the surprise wins (from Conservative Deputy Chief Whip) for Labour allowing Harold Wilson a narrow majority. Antony Grey becomes Kerr's Honorary Secretary.
Lord Beaumont resigns as do Martin Ennals, financier Mr Thomas Frankland, journalist Mr Hitti Malik, Master Baker Mr Kenneth Stoneley and (later to be QC) Keith Wedmore
Grey explained that the Albany Trustees felt it was appropriate to 'activate Albany Society Ltd as the most effective vehicle for future work, and to appeal for all the Deeds of Covenant to be made with Albany Society Ltd.' The immediate priority for the Society was to assist other counselling and befriending organisations in the National Federation of Homophile Organisations (NFHO) with education and training on counselling.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged Albany Society Ltd, Albany Trust, Antony Grey, Bishop of Woolwich, Dr Charlotte Wolff, Dr David Kerr MP, Dr John Robinson, Ian Dunn, Lord Beaumont, Michael Butler, Paedophile Information Exchange on February 9, 2015 by cassandracogno. 4 Comments


Wow. And I completely forgot to post about this previously. A review of my book, Net Crimes & Misdemeanors 2nd edition appeared in the Seattle Times in November and was reprinted in the Chicago Tribune on December 4th!
I also received a nice review of the book from an unexpected source Network World Security Strategies. A column will be written about my book by Michael Kabay, based on an extra-credit essay submitted by Norwich University undergraduate student Matthew Magliozzi in the CJ341 course during the Fall semester.
Mr Magliozzi provided an excellent review of an excellent book by Jayne A.
Here's the gist of the review - if you want the full copy, email me.
The book begins with a detailed account of her personal experiences as the victim of a cyberstalker.< http://members.tripod.com/~cyberstalked/ > In "Cyberstalking Happened to Me," she describes the fraudulent offers from fraudsters initially calling themselves the "Woodside Literary Agency" and then goes on to recount the tale of the e-mail bombs, the forged newsgroup postings and the lawsuits filed against the perpetrators with the support of fellow writers. Hitchcock presents her experiences in an educational manner, not to garner sympathy. By explaining each step she took in the process of bringing Woodside to justice, she not only provides a guide for other victims to follow, but she also alerts the public to the difficulties one faces when reporting a computer crime to the authorities. This aspect alone makes the book worthwhile.
The hallmark of her style that hits home more than any other cybercrime text is her presentation of personal stories. Hitchcock provides accounts of the victim-experience on a personal level. She does not provide a full name for the victim: they are simply "Nina," "Andy," "Katrina," and so on. It is easy to become involved in these stories. Hitchcock addresses specific laws in relation to the specific cases and avoids legalistic details. Hitchcock closes out each chapter of her work with methods readers can take to protect themselves.
_Net Crimes_ would make an excellent supplement for an undergraduate course in cybercrime. Hitchcock addresses everything from spam to urban legends, eBay fraud, online dating fraud and phishing in terms of criminal acts. She also addresses steps law enforcement officials have taken both publicly in the community and on university campuses. Her work merits placement at the top of the college cybercrime literature list because her style resonates with students. I found that I could not put it down for long.


text:
RJ asks court to block government review of slain journalist's devices
The Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday asked a judge to block authorities from accessing the cellphone and computers of slain investigative journalist Jeff German, and instead allow the news agency to conduct a cooperative review that protects the identity of German's confidential sources.
German, 69, was found stabbed to death earlier this month outside his Las Vegas home, where he had produced much of his work over the past two and a half years, including stories about an official now charged with the murder.
Police seized personal electronic devices the news agency believes he used for his work, including a cellphone, computers and a hard drive. Prosecutors and the Public Defender's Office now want to search these devices for information that could be related to the criminal case.
Glenn Cook, the editor of the Review-Journal, wrote in an affidavit that the devices could contain drafts of unpublished articles, as well as emails, text messages and other communications the German had with sources that should be considered preferred.
Cook called police access to the devices "particularly dangerous", saying German relied on confidential sources within the justice system, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Clark County Prosecutor's Office and the Office of the Public Defender, which represents Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles. in the murder case.
"If Mr. German's sources are disclosed to anyone, but particularly to people within these same agencies, those people could face retaliation and lifelong career damage," Cook wrote. "The Review-Journal could also lose access to these important sources, as well as future sources who may not come forward due to the risk of their identities being revealed. The Review-Journal will be severely crippled in its ability to report newsworthy events, especially government misconduct, if it cannot guarantee the absolute confidentiality of its sources and unpublished information.
Cook said Monday that the Review-Journal was not trying to damage the prosecution's case or trample on Telles' constitutional rights.
"On the contrary, the RJ wants justice and wants to help," Cook said. "But the Review-Journal and Jeff German have important rights under the law that must also be protected, and the RJ must play a leading role in ensuring that the most sensitive information on these devices is not seen by authorities."
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said there are competing interests between the newspaper, prosecutors and defense attorneys, and that "the state and the defense are more interested in protecting the integrity of the criminal case".
"It is appropriate for a court to hear the parties' claims so that the court can hopefully fashion a remedy that is satisfactory to all parties involved," Wolfson said.
Edward Kane, Telles' court-appointed attorney, did not respond to a request for comment.
"Serious and urgent concerns"
Police arrested Telles in connection with German's death, and prosecutors later said the murder was "committed in the meantime".
The newspaper's lawyers, Ashley Kissinger, Joel Tasca and Kennison Lay, raised "serious and urgent concerns" about the protection of confidential sources and unpublished work, the disclosure of which is prohibited as a journalist's privilege, citing the first amendment, the State Protection Act, which provides the absolute privilege of the press to disclose newsgathering material, and the Federal Privacy Act.
The Review-Journal argued that German's devices should never have been seized by Metro, and the company is seeking a protective order from a judge who would establish a protocol and appoint a special handler from outside Las Vegas. to determine if any of the information about German's devices should be disclosed.
"No party's interest in reviewing information about seized devices outweighs the strong constitutional and statutory privilege of the press to maintain the confidentiality of such information," the attorneys wrote.
Earlier this month, Metro police told the newspaper in writing that "no search has begun" and "there is no intention to conduct a search until there is a protocol. will not have been approved by the judge". Prosecutors also agreed that they would not seek to review the information-gathering documents without a judge's permission.
German left his work computer at the newspaper's offices in March 2020 amid the pandemic shutdowns, and he used other electronic devices while working remotely, Cook said.
Prosecutors suggested the devices might contain threats directed at German by Telles, but "provided no factual basis for this speculation," the newspaper's attorneys wrote.
Speaking to reporters after one of Telles' first hearings, Wolfson called the evidence against the defendant "compelling".
Review-Journal's attorneys also argued that Telles couldn't show any information about the devices would help his defense.
Telles' lawyer suggested the devices may contain evidence of threats against German or evidence that others may have been motivated to harm him, according to Monday's filing.
"The state may point to Mr. German's detailed and unflattering reporting of the accused as providing a motive for the homicide," the attorneys for the Review-Journal wrote. "And the defendant can point to any other subjects of Mr. German's reporting during his career who might be upset by his reports of their misconduct and would have a similar motive to harm him."
Protection of confidential sources
Telles, 45, was arrested in connection with German's death after his killer was caught on CCTV approaching his home.
According to Telles' arrest report, German was found with seven stab wounds to his torso, as well as wounds to his arms and hands that appeared to be defensive. Telles' DNA matched DNA found under German's fingernails, officials said.
Earlier this year, German reported a series of investigative stories about Telles' conduct at work. German was working on a potential follow-up story in the weeks before his death.
After learning that the journalist's devices had been seized as part of the investigation, the newspaper informed police and prosecutors that information about them was subject to legal protections.
In a letter Friday to prosecutors, Metro and the public defender's office, the paper's lawyers asked to "amicably" settle the dispute over electronic devices before filing the motion.
Although the newspaper did not receive an immediate response to the letter, lawyers for the Review-Journal wrote that police and prosecutors are "engaged in a continuing, good faith effort to resolve these issues amicably. ".
Cook said German relied on confidential sources to back up his reporting.
"Given the alleged actions of the defendant in this case, a public official accused of having gone so far as to murder the author of negative reports about him, this concern for Review-Journal sources should not be under -estimated," the newspaper's lawyers said. wrote.
In a matching affidavit included in Monday's filing, attorney Brian Berman said information he provided to German for another story could be found on the devices.
Berman represents a Las Vegas junior high school teacher who said she suffered retaliation after reporting alleged strip searches of students.
German wrote two stories about the controversy.
Berman said he provided information to German that he "expressly agreed not to publish", although Berman observed the reporter taking notes on his computer.
"I fear that if the confidential information I provided to Mr. German is revealed to the government, it could result in further retaliation and harm to my client," Berman wrote. "I am afraid the information will fall into the hands of someone who has an ax to grind against the Review-Journal and who would expose it out of spite. … For these reasons, if I had known that my confidential communications with Mr. German would end up in the hands of others, I would have chosen not to do so.
Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0394. Follow @randompoker on Twitter. Review-Journal editor Katelyn Newberg contributed to this report.
#asks #court #block #government #review #slain #journalists #devices


Wondering where your jewelry is? Don't worry, you can keep track of the shipment status of all orders placed within the United States right here. International Orders will only be able to see the date of shipment.


CJ's Roofing and Repairs, LLC is a family owned and operated local business. We offer a complete range of roofing services including new roof installation and replacements, roof repairs, roof maintenance and emergency roofing services.
We are a Licensed, Bonded, and Insured Roofing Company and GAF Certified.
CJ's Roofing and Repairs, LLC has over twenty years of roofing experience serving San Antonio and all of Central and South Texas. More importantly, the owners meet every customer personally to ensure their needs and specifications are 100% met. Carlos has built his business on honesty, integrity and personal service and passes those same values along to his clients. Whether you need a roof repair, a new roof, a roof upgrade from a 3-tab to a dimensional roof, or a new flat roof, Carlos has the expertise you need. Emergency tarps offered within 24 hours.
CJ's Roofing and Repairs, LLC specializes in new roof installations for residential clients in San Antonio and all across Texas. With over 20 years of experience, you can be sure we deliver results that last.
We have completed over 2,000 roofs and repairs. Allow our extensive experience, knowledge and ongoing training serve you and your family.
Dimensional "lifetime" shingles help protect your home with a stronger wind resistance of 130 mph rating and offer a longer warranty. They also raise your property value and make your home look beautiful.
We have over 20 years of experience repairing roofs of all kinds and have yet to come across a roofing problem we couldn't solve.
When it hails, your roof gets damaged and will leak in time. We can help with a free roof inspection, help in the insurance process and replace your roof immediately.
We can see you immediately and in most cases, do a repair that same day. In emergency roofing situations, we can roof any roof in 3 days from a tarp to delivery to tear-down to a new roof.
Do you have TWIA? Need a WPI 8? We follow all TWIA guidelines to have your roof inspected and certified with an engineer. Get your roof Texas Strong and done right!
CJ's roofing came out and gave me an estimate within a day. They were very affordable. Carlos and Ruby were friendly and professional. They answered all my questions. The next week they started my roof. The roofers were on schedule every morning. It took two days to complete. I appreciate that they cleaned up well afterwards. I would recommend them.
Carlos is responsive and his team has re-done my roof twice in the past 2 years (hail). I have high standards and have roofed a few houses myself Overall, I have been pleased with their work. One minor oversight which could have happened to anyone was corrected in 2 days after contacting Carlos. Would highly recommend for your roofing needs.
CJ's roofing was a so easy to work with. Mr. Castañeda responded quickly and professionally throughout the process from giving an estimate to explaining to options to completing the job. His team was quick, getting the job done in about a day and a half and they left my property clean when they were finished. The roof looks great and I'm very satisfied with the experience from start to finish. Thank you CJ's roofing for a job well done!
Ruby and Carlos were great! They gave my roof a thorough inspection and were more than happy to answer any questions or concerns I had. I even called them after the estimate was given with more questions, which they were happy to address. They were able to fix my leak in about 2 hours within a week of the estimate. Great clean up also! Don't hesitate to give them a call.
I am very pleased w the work that CJ's men did. I got a whole new roof for my apartment and Carlos adjusted the price when he saw the decking didn't need replacing. Most companies would not have done that. This is the second time that I have used CJ's. They corrected a mistake that another company had made. This was another house. Again, I am VERY pleased!


text:
Q: if else wordpress php $date = date('H');

if($date >= 22 && $date <= 04){
    echo 'это ночь';
}
else if($date >= 05 && $date <= 11){
    echo 'это утро';
}
else if($date >= 12 && $date <= 16){
    echo 'это день';
}
else if($date >= 17 && $date <=21){
    echo 'это вечер';
}

Данный код не работает в wordpress, date() менял на current_time(), не помогло.
В чем моя ошибка?

A: Ну возможно проблема в том что число не может быть одноверемено больше 22 и меньше 4-х:
if($date >= 22 && $date <= 04){
Рекомендую использовать date('G') которая вернет час без нуля.
Ну и небольшой пример проверки:
function whatTheTime($date){
    if($date >= 22 || $date <= 4){
        return 'это ночь';
    }
    else if($date >= 5 && $date <= 11){
        return 'это утро';
    }
    else if($date >= 12 && $date <= 16){
        return 'это день';
    }
    else if($date >= 17 && $date <=21){
        return 'это вечер';
    }
}

foreach(range(0, 24) as $hour){
    echo $hour.' - ';
    echo whatTheTime($hour);
    echo "<br/>";
}

Пример

A: Самая обычная синтаксическая ошибка.
echo день'; => echo 'день';
Что бы их избежать установите редактор который знает синтаксис PHP.
Из бесплатных:

*

*Notepad ++

*Atom

*Microsoft Code

*Brackets

Для некоторых могут понадобиться плагины.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Protective effects of Gynostemma pentaphyllum polysaccharides on PC12 cells impaired by MPP(+).
The aim of the present study was to explore the neuroprotective effects of Gynostemma pentaphyllum polysaccharides (GP) in a 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridiniumion (MPP(+))-induced cellular model of Parkinson's disease (PD) and the underlying mechanisms. Our results indicated that exposure of PC12 cells to 1mM MPP(+) significantly decreased the cell viability when examined by MTT assay, LDH assay, and annexin-V-FITC and propidium iodide (PI) apoptosis detection assays. MPP(+)-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells was accompanied by an increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, release of mitochondrial cytochrome c into the cytosol, activation of caspase-3/9 and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). However, pretreatment of PC12 cells with 50μg/ml GP prior to MPP(+) exposure effectively attenuated the cytotoxicity and improved cell viability via inhibiting elevated Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, as well as the release of cytosolic cytochrome c. Furthermore, GP was effective in attenuating caspase-3/9 activation and cleavage of PARP in MPP(+)-exposedPC12 cells. These results suggest that the GP has protective effects against MPP(+)-induced neuronal apoptosis in PC12 cells by suppressing apoptosis-related protein, and therefore, might likely be a promising candidate for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD).


Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the origins and rise of Legalism in China, from the start of the Warring States Period (c475 - 221 BC) to the time of The First Emperor Qin Shi Huang (pictured), down to Chairman Mao and the present day. Advanced by the Qin statesman Shang Yang and later blended together by Han Fei, the three main aspects of Legalism were the firm implementation of laws, use of techniques such as responsibility and inscrutability, and taking advantage of the ruler's position. The Han dynasty that replaced the Qin discredited this philosophy for its apparent authoritarianism, but its influence continued, re-emerging throughout Chinese history. With Frances Wood Former Curator of the Chinese Collections at the British Library Hilde de Weerdt Professor of Chinese History at Leiden University And Roel Sterckx Joseph Needham Professor of Chinese History at the University of Cambridge. Producer: Simon Tillotson.


text:
/*
 * Author: Kim Min-Ho (ISKU)
 * Date: 2016.09.25
 * email: minho1a@hanmail.net
 *
 * https://github.com/ISKU/Algorithm
 * https://www.acmicpc.net/problem/5355
 */

import java.util.Scanner;

public class Main {
	public static void main(String[] args) {
		Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
		int testCase = Integer.parseInt(input.nextLine());

		while (testCase-- > 0) {
			String[] equation = input.nextLine().split(" ");
			float number = Float.parseFloat(equation[0]);

			for (int index = 1; index < equation.length; index++) {
				if (equation[index].equals("@"))
					number = number * 3;
				else if (equation[index].equals("%"))
					number = number + 5;
				else if (equation[index].equals("#"))
					number = number - 7;
			}

			System.out.printf("%.2f\n", number);
		}
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


As a Brand Elevation Enthusiast, Author and Speaker, I have been facilitating brand awareness consulting and training for over 14 years through my company, Brand Ascension. As a certified trainer, I get to use my skills to enlist, equip, and engage my clients and audiences to identify and define their brand so they can align to it and ultimate elevate it among their markets and internal employee teams.
'Fearless' is my favorite WRA brand attribute, because it encompasses so much of what we do as a non-profit in lifting up women and girls while creating the ability to become self-sustaining, confident and proud. Once you embody the fearless mindset, you can do and become anything!


text:
Inicio > Paul Smith and Richard Williams
Lista de Productos de este fabricante Paul Smith and Richard Williams
Paul Smith is one of the UK's preeminent menswear and fashion designer.
Richard Williams is a former chief sports writer for the Guardian newspaper. He was previously chief sports writer of the Independent, assistant editor of The Times,and editor of Time Out.
Paul Smith's Cycling Scrapbook
A visual celebration of cycling presented through the passions and personal memorabilia of beloved menswear fashion designer Paul Smith. .


text:
AnimeCons TV Hosts
AnimeCons.com Founder / Executive Producer
Patrick is perhaps best known as the creator of AnimeCons.com, the largest source for anime convention information on the Internet. He is also a producer and host for the AnimeCons TV podcast. In addition to this, Patrick was the founder and host of The Chibi Project, where, for over a decade, he was responsible for conducting horrible experiments on anime toys for no good reason.
Patrick is big fan of conventions. He has attended over 170 of them and is one of the founders of both Anime Boston and Providence Anime Conference. He has hosted his popular improv event, Anime Unscripted, more than 40 times at over a dozen different conventions in two countries and in five time zones.
Previously, Patrick was also the voice of the fighter pilots in the award-winning Macintosh game Escape Velocity and its sequel, EV: Override.
First Convention: A Star Trek convention in May 1991
Favorite Anime: Macross Plus
Favorite Manga: Dramacon by Svetlana Chmakova
Favorite Video Game: Portal 2
Favorite Thing To Do at a Con: Game shows
Panels Hosted: The Chibi Project, Anime Unscripted, Trivia For All, Hyakunin Kuizu, Anime Charades, All About Anime Cons, .hack//PANEL
View Patrick's Guest Bio
View Patrick's FanCons.com Profile
Elizabeth O'Malley
Podcast Host
Elizabeth's first exposure to anime was Sailor Moon on USA Network. She spent her high school years making excuses to go to homes of her friends and family who had satellite, because at the time it was the only way to watch Cartoon Network and Toonami. Then she went to college and became friends with people who had huge anime collections. After attending her first con, Otakon 2004, she wasn't able to attend another until Anime Boston 2006. After attending AB 2007, she became hooked, starting getting into cosplay, and attending as many conventions as her time and wallet allow.
Elizabeth is also a huge marching band nerd, loves fashion, and is a devoted New England Patriots and Boston Bruins fan. She dreams of being a famous novelist, but has had writers block for years and not enough free time to develop the dozens of stories in her head into words.
First Convention: Otakon 2004
Favorite Anime: Sailor Moon, Tenchi Universe
Favorite Video Game: Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger
Favorite Thing To Do at a Con: Cosplay with friends, judge cosplay contests
View Elizabeth's Guest Bio
View Elizabeth's FanCons.com Profile
Doug Wilder
Doug has been attending anime conventions for over a decade and been a fan of anime for even longer. He can often be found sitting on a panel or two at many of the conventions he attends, often talking about the mecha genre. Despite this, he still makes time to see as much as possible, tracking down assorted DVDs and manga in a dealers' room, watching AMVs, and practicing his buddy interest in photography.
Since joining the AnimeCons TV crew in 2009, Doug has been one of the podcast's chief interviewers, talking to many different people in fandom, eager to engage in chats about what people like about the convention culture.
When not at a con, Doug can often be found attending college hockey games, seeking out craft beers, or just causing general mischief in and around Boston.
Favorite Anime: Just about anything with giant robots
Favorite Manga: Saikano
Favorite Video Game: Chrono Trigger, Super Metroid, Valkyria Chronicles
Favorite Thing To Do at a Con: Host panels
Panels Hosted: All the Mecha You'll Ever Need, Mecha 101, The Aging Otaku, Everything You Wanted to Know About Gundam (But Were Afraid to Ask), Prozac and Ice Cream Not Included: The Best of Depressing Anime, Underrated Mecha
View Doug's FanCons.com Profile
Svetlana Chmakova
Podcast Host / Resident Artist
Svetlana Chmakova is an internationally published, award-winning manga/comics author with more than 10 published books and her work translated into over 13 languages. Born and raised in Russia, she moved to Canada at 16 years old to finish high school and then study Classical Animation at Sheridan College for 3 years. Becoming a full-time artist and writer after that, Svetlana has drawn and written for animation, how-to-draw books, toy designs, and most of all, comics and manga. In addition to her graphic novels work, she published a monthly manga strip with the CosmoGIRL! magazine for 2 years, was the featured artist for the 2011 "You Are Here" Collaborative Summer Library Program poster campaign, and contributed various short stories to many anthologies.
Her full-length manga/comics series include the fan-favorite romantic comedy "Dramacon", the award-winning urban fantasy "Nightschool: The Weirn Books", the manga adaptation of the NYT bestselling "Witch & Wizard" by James Patterson, as well as the award winning middle-grade comics "Awkward" and "Brave". Svetlana's latest book is titled "Crush" which will be published in 2018 by Yen Press, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company.
First Convention: Canadian National Comic Book Expo 1998
Favorite Anime: Sailor Moon & Cowboy Bebop
Favorite Manga: Mars by Fuyumi Soryo, Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi
Favorite Video Game: Portal
Favorite Thing To Do at a Con: Hide behind a sketchbook
Panels Hosted: Drawing Workshop, Meet the Author, Artist Roundtable
View Svetlana's Guest Bio
Robert "Sketch" Scholz
Sketch got into anime as a kid withouth quite realizing it as reruns of Speed Racer and Battle of the Planets found their way into the mix of his favorite '80s cartoons. He became more conscious of his anime habit in the early '90s, waking up early to catch Dragonball and Sailor Moon episodes before school (he also became more conscious of the implied naked chicks). By college, Sketch openly indulged in anime and manga and was finally dragged to his first anime con in 2003. He liked what he saw...until he saw his first bad cosplay. Determined he could do better, Sketch began cosplaying, and has since become a regular con personality in the Northeast, winning costume awards, hosting events, running panels, and selling his work in artists' alleys. After meeting PatrickD, Sketch now shares his experiences with fellow con goers as a host of AnimeCons TV.
Sketch earned his BFA in illustration in 2004 and is also a musician (or hopes to be again someday). He spends his days making flutes and loves tinkering, amateur cooking, and torturing his wife by covering the house in LEGO sets.
First Convention: Anime Boston 2003
Favorite Anime: FLCL
Favorite Manga: Trigun
Favorite Video Game: Final Fantasy series
Favorite Thing To Do at a Con: Cosplay events
Panels Hosted: Props n' $#!T
View Sketch's Guest Bio
View Sketch's FanCons.com Profile
Shiva grew up running around in costumes and conning friends into plays, dance recitals, and photoshoots...until college, when she discovered cosplay. She began attending conventions where she met PatrickD (who rescued her from a drunk voice actor by hiding her in a basement) and Sketch (who agreed to pick her up for a cosplay chess gag and has yet to put her down). Since then, she has been active on the convention circuit as a competitive cosplayer and AMV editor.
Shiva's background is in performance; she earned her BA in dance/theatrical performance and her MA in writing. As a grad student she served as editor-in-chief of a quarterly magazine promoting dance performance and arts education. Shiva also spent seven years dancing in a repertory company with which she embarked on several tours domestically and internationally before retiring in 2009. She currently works as a graduate school admissions coordinator, and enjoys traveling, playing outside, being a beach bum, and letting Sketch do all the cooking. She is also a lifetime Red Sox fan and hates Pink Hats with a bloody passion.
Favorite Anime: Sailor Moon, Kenshin, Madoka Magica, Fullmetal Alchemist
Favorite Manga: Chrono Crusade
Favorite Thing To Do at a Con: Cosplay, Perform, and Party (in that order)
View Shiva's FanCons.com Profile


....THIS GIRLS A REAL STUNNER!!!!
Purple Paralysis Feminized Cannabis Seeds by Cream of The Crop Seeds: These little shockers Power Plant genes will have a debilitating effect on even the most veteran of smokers! Enormous yields of deep amethyst purple/blue buds cause soaring, energetic high due to the massive T.H.C content. She exudes a spicy, hashy scent, with hints of sweet lavender and is also known as "Jellyfish bud" due to her amazing colouration and immobilizing effects…. ....THIS GIRLS A REAL STUNNER!!!!


I'm all up for remedies when I fall ill. Sure beats paying hard earned money to a doctor that tells you exactly what you've told him or her when asked "what brings you in today?". Natural remedies are cheaper and have been around for ages. These two remedies I'm about to share with you work provided you don't have a serious condition like the one that I experienced recently. I suffered from a fractured molar. So yes, this is for the common toothache.
Add sliced fresh garlic, two tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of oregano leaves to half a cup of hot water. Stir this mixture till the salt dilutes. Leave this mixture to cool down. Once it's of a temperature you are comfortably with, take a mouthful and swirl it around your mouth for a minute. Remember to concentrate on the area where the toothache is. Do ensure that you do not swallow and repeat till you finish this homemade mixture. Your mouth will smell of garlic but it'll bring you much needed relief.
This is so easy to do. Grab a small piece of bread (small enough to fit on your tooth) and pour vanilla essence onto it until it is soaked. Place the bread on your tooth and bite down. Try doing this for 3 minutes. Dispose of the bread when you are done. This remedy should give you immediate relief.


AnyDVD HD 7.4.0.0 comes with same functionality as AnyDVD, but with additional features for full Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD support, including decryption of Blu-ray (BD+ and AACS) and HD DVD (AACS) movies.
AnyDVD HD 7.4.0.0 is the "must have" utility for the serious home theater enthusiast using a media center / home theater PC.
Another amazing feature of AnyDVD HD 7.4.0.0 is "magic file replacement". Remaster any commercial movie disc using simple XML scripts. These scripts will "magically" replace the files on the physical disc. You can customize discs as you like without even making a copy to harddisk!
- Removes encryption (AACS) from Blu-ray Discs.
- Removes BD+ copy protection from Blu-ray Discs.
- Removes region codes from Blu-ray Discs.
- Watch movies over digital display connection, without HDCP-compliant graphics card and without HDCP-compliant display.
- Provides its own Universal Disk Format (UDF) reader, no need to install 3rd party filesystem. Discs which cannot be read by Windows can be copied using the AnyDVD ripper.
- Playback of discs on the PC with PowerDVD Ultra which otherwise do not run.
- Removes user prohibitions, you can select the language and subtitle track without going through the disc's menu.
- With "magic file replacement" you can remaster any commercial movie disc using simple XML scripts.


text:
Now You See Me
While most movies require viewers to agree to be fooled, few are as up front about it as Now You See Me. This is a cleverly constructed movie, which promises in the beginning to lie to us, proceeds to lie to us rather extravagantly, and does it in such an entertaining way that we like being lied to.
There are three groups of characters in the film. The Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco) are the magicians/con men whose actions drive the plot. Mark Ruffalo and Mélanie Laurent play the agents of law attempting to stop them. Morgan Freeman is an ex-magician who shows how tricks are done - sort of a cross between Penn and Teller's Fool Us and 60 Minutes.
The interactions between all of these characters are complex, but easy to follow. The acting varies from competent to quite good, with Eisenberg and Harrelson delivering the best performances. A caveat, however - I suspect that there are a number of people who will be irritated by Eisenberg's character's snobby arrogance, and the similarity to the role he played in The Social Network.
The cinematography was excellent in some parts of the film and terrible in others. The stage sets feature long, complicated shots with a moving camera that are very well executed. I'm a sucker for long takes. The chase sequences, however, are done in shaky-cam. Shaky-cam sucks.
The best feature of the movie is the plot. For the plot to work, there must first be a decent script, then a director who knows what to do with it, and an editor who can make it all come together. The screenwriters for this film include a guy whose credits include Bill and Ted and Men In Black, and another who wrote Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights and Prince of Persia. I'd be interested to see the screenplay for this movie, to see how much it resembles the final product, to understand who deserves credit for the whole thing working. And it does work. It's twisty enough to keep the audience guessing while still being easily understandable. It's complex without being confusing. It hides crucial information from the audience in a way that is intriguing rather than frustrating.
It's hard to say much more without spoilers. This is a movie that is best experienced with no more knowledge than what is in the trailer. Even knowing everything, though, this is a good movie. In fact, now that I know how the tricks are done, I would like to see it again.
It gets the top spot on my list for being smart, clever, and fun.
1. Now You See Me
2. Star Trek: Into Darkness
3. Oblivion
4. Iron Man 3
5. Jack the Giant Slayer
6. Beautiful Creatures
7. Oz the Great and Powerful
8. G.I. Joe: Retaliation
9. Hansel and Gretel, Witch Hunters
10. The Great Gatsby
Posted by Kean at 11:13 PM
Labels: 2013, 400 words


One of the nice features of Blogger (and probably other blog applications out there) is the fact that it automatically generates traffic information by the day, week, month, etc. You don't get to do a deep dive into the traffic database, unfortunately, but Blogger produces sufficiently many metrics for me to track what types of viewers are reading the blog, where my web traffic comes from, and what people tend to read.
I get a surprising amount of web traffic from the People's Republic of China, despite the fact that Google IPs (where this blog resides, given that it is a Blogger blog) are blocked in that country.
I get regular web traffic from Germany, Lithuania, India, and Bangladesh.
Most of my Ron Thal related web traffic comes from paises hispanohablantes.
A large percentage of my heavy-traffic hours occurs during what are "off-hours" for me, i.e. between the hours of 2am and 7am.
But what surprises me most of all is the fact that - setting aside outliers - most of my readers seem to prefer my economics posts more than my fitness or philosophy posts. That is, if the number of "hits" are a good proxy for reader preference, people seem to be drawn most to my economics articles.
Music posts are a strong second-place.
The reason this surprises me is because when I talk to some of my more faithful readers, they voice a preference for the exercise stuff. Yet, after a few consecutive days of fitness posting, my traffic invariably dies down. It warms up again once I publish something about politics or economics.
What are your own personal favorite SW topics? Leave a comment and let me know what you like best.
I have expressed a lot of interest to you personally in your fitness posts, but I also prefer the economic posts. Probably because the fitness posts are pretty much information. That is, you write, I read and for the most part concur. Where I don't concur, I simply don't and that's the end of it. In the eco-political posts I sometimes concur and where I don't there is a fair amount of work to do on my part to determine where you or I went wrong or why the 'solution set' is greater than 1. :) That, for me, is a lot of fun. Thanks for writing such a great blog.


text:
Changes to phlebotomy service at Goole and District Hospital
Lincolnshire audiologist sets up practice after withdrawal of NHS ear wax removal service.
More than £1bn of holiday refunds are still being withheld by travel companies
Customers are still waiting for more than £1 billion in refunds from travel firms for package holidays that have been cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic.
3rd Nov 2020, 4:51pm
Updated 3rd Nov 2020, 4:51pm
Estimates from a survey conducted by Which? have found that customers who asked for their money back are still owed partial or full refunds.
14 day legal limit for refunds
More than four in 10 holiday cancellations have ended in people waiting over a month to get their money back, according to Which?, despite a 14 day legal time limit to issue refunds.
The consumer watchdog surveyed more than 7,500 people who had a package holiday cancelled as a result of the pandemic, as well as population figures.
An estimated 9.4 million package holidays have been cancelled by providers since the UK first went into lockdown in March, with refunds for one in five (21 per cent) of holidays - where a cash refund was requested - still outstanding at the start of October.
For 43 per cent of the cancelled holidays reported to Which?, customers said they waited longer than a month to get their money back.
Research has suggested that the average cancelled holiday cost £1,784 and, under Package Travel Regulations 2018, if it is cancelled by the provider, customers are legally entitled to a full refund within 14 days.
However, the sheer volume of cancellations has meant customer service phone lines have been overwhelmed by people trying to get in touch about getting their money back.
The situation is now expected to get even worse following new restrictions that will come into force in England on 5 November, which will ban most international travel.
Travel guarantee fund
During the summer, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into package travel companies' handling of cancellations and refunds.
Which? is now calling for the government to introduce a travel guarantee fund to support package holiday providers who are struggling to fulfil their legal obligations to refund customers.
The watchdog has also suggested the government should conduct a review of passenger protections following the coronavirus outbreak.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said, "Without meaningful intervention from the government and the regulators in this space, many people will struggle to get their money back.
"The CMA must take firm action against any operators that are continuing to drag their feet on refunding holidaymakers and the government must urgently set out how it will support travel companies in fulfilling their legal obligations to passengers."


We have a variety of SceneWear Original® Blindfolds plain and decorated. We also have different sizes, shapes and styles for different faces. We also carry Mindfolds®.
We can use various colors and types of leather. We can put decorations on them to match other items we make for you.
You can have a velcro back, a roller buckle back, and even a locking buckle. If you have some other idea, ask us about it.


First, in "Knight of the Plains," a nasty crook who is selling fake land grants ignites a brutal land war. Once cowboy Fred Scott hears about what the varmints are up to, he steps in to save the day. Exciting oater co-stars Al St. John, Marion Weldon. Then, in "Songs and Bullets," Scott plays a singing cowpoke who is out to find his uncle's killer and stop some ruthless cattle rustlers. Is he up to the challenge? Do spurs jingle and jangle? With St. John, Charles King, Budd Buster. 117 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.


text:
//
//  NotificationMacro.h
//  xbsz
//
//  Created by lotus on 2017/2/19.
//  Copyright © 2017年 lotus. All rights reserved.
//

#ifndef NotificationMacro_h
#define NotificationMacro_h

#define NotificationThemeChanged       @"ThemeChangedNotificationName"          //系统主题更改了
#define NotificationCourseCommentSubmited           @"NotificationCourseCommentSubmitecd"            //发表了课程评论
#define NotificationCampusNotePublished           @"NotificationCampusNotePublished"            //发表了课程评论

#endif /* NotificationMacro_h */


text:
Archives for Rich, Jason
December 12, 2019 | by Mary Nelson
As has often been said, timing is everything. This was especially true in the case of Utah artist Jason Rich. As he'll tell you, the stars aligned, and his time as a career artist came quickly—before he had even finished his college education. But let's step back and follow the route that took Rich to his art career. His father, an elementary school teacher, owned a small horse farm in southern Idaho, where he raised and trained horses to sell. One of five siblings, Rich was the only one who worked alongside his father, growing not only to love—but to
The Evolution Continues
May 20, 2015 | by Sara Gilbert Frederick
A few years ago, Jason Rich was invited to visit some of the people who had started collecting his work early in his career. He hadn't seen the paintings in almost 20 years. and he admits that he was surprised when he looked at them again. "Day after day, as you're working at your easel, the changes in your work are so subtle that you don't even notice them," he says. "But when you look back at your early work, you see the evolution. You see the changes that you don't see day-to-day." Rich was in his mid twenties, when
It's Still Hard Work
January 27, 2011 | by Vicki Stavig
One of Jason Rich's earliest memories is of sitting in church, watching his father sketch horses "to keep me quiet," he says. Not only did those sketches keep the young boy quiet, they set the stage for what would become a driving force in his life. Today, Rich is a successful fine artist whose paintings of the cowboy lifestyle, along with some Native American scenes, have earned him spots in several prestigious shows and an impressive list of collectors. Jason Rich In The Morning Light Oil 24″ X 32″ Jason Rich Setting Sun Oil 24″ X 30″


Pet Dentistry Care - Gentle Care Animal Hospital at Tryon Rd. : Gentle Care Animal Hospital at Tryon Rd.
Maintaining a healthy mouth is just as important for our pets as it is for us. Unfortunately, most pets do not brush their own teeth! A proper at-home dental hygiene plan along with timely dental cleanings is essential to keeping your pet's teeth, gums and breath as clean as they can be.
At Gentle Care Animal Hospital we have the capability to perform dental cleanings and advanced dental procedures using the latest dental and aesthetic technology. Because anesthesia is an area of concern for most pet owners, we examine your pet and its medical history to develop a specific anesthetic protocol. We use state-of-the-art equipment to monitor your pet under anesthesia, including its heart rate, breathing rate, ECG, oxygen saturation of the blood, carbon dioxide levels, blood pressure and temperature. We also have a warm air-filled blanket and warm intravenous fluid line to maintain body temperature and keep your pet comfortable.
We use a human-grade, ultrasonic, piezo-electric dental scaler to clean teeth thoroughly and efficiently. The various ultrasonic tools allow for removal of large amounts of tartar as well as more delicate cleaning below the gum margin.
We utilize cutting-edge digital dental radiography to better visualize both the crown and the root(s) of the tooth. This allows us to better assess overall oral health and more accurately identify diseased teeth.
We try and keep as many teeth in your pet's mouth as possible. However, we do occasionally find teeth that are beyond repair. Our doctors possess the skills necessary to perform surgical extractions that result in less trauma and faster healing. We then close the tooth socket with absorbable sutures. We also use local anesthetic blocks to reduce pain and allow us to keep our general anesthesia level as low as possible during extractions.
Working together, we can ensure that your pet has the cleanest, healthiest mouth possible.


Kept in touch all through the process.
Informed me of the progress of the situation.
Available to contact and discuss the situation.
It's great to hear from you and thank you for taking the time to give Coopers Residential a review.
In particular thank you for giving feedback on Daniel, it's brilliant that the challenges of buying/selling a property were overcome by a high standard of customer service and support.
We wish you all the best in the future and once again thank you for your feedback.


14k Goldfill / 16" 14k Goldfill / 18" (Standard) 14k Goldfill / 20" Sterling Silver / 16" Sterling Silver / 18" (Standard) Sterling Silver / 20"
A beautiful gold bee charm and birthstone of your choice. Both are hung from a delicate 14k goldfill chain with spring ring clasp. Beautiful way to thank someone special for being by your side on your special day!
Unique thank you necklace gift for a special person who helped you to organized your wedding. Present this to your maid of honor, bridesmaid, wedding planner or caterer. Beautiful appreciation gift!
Bee charm measures 19mm across by 16mm - 3/4" by 5/8"