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Manchester United makes contact for RB Leipzig's defender Ibrahima Konate
By Idowu Oluwashola
Manchester United are said to have made contact with RB Leipzig's for the signing of their 20-year-old French defender Ibrahima Konate.
The Reds from Manchester were interested in Konate's team-mate Dayot Upamecano until last week and it seem like they are going for rather a cheap option with big potential amid revelation over the Frenchman's contract with Leipzig made earlier this week.
Though Konate is contracted to Leipzig until 2023, the Red Devils are reportedly working towards persuading the Bundesliga side to sell their young Frenchman. Konaté made his professional debut for Sochaux on 7 February 2017, at the age of seventeen. He went on to play 12 games in the second half of the season.
Ibrahima later signed for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on 12 June 2017 on a five-year contract.
"I'm particularly delighted with our coup in signing Ibrahima Konate. We got him on a free transfer from Sochaux. He's is so good that he could play for Real Madrid or Barcelona one day." – Then Leipzig coach Ralf Rangnick.
Konate is blessed with so much pace, which makes him more than capable of matching the pace of any attacker. His positioning, tackling, closing down a striker, interception and building from the back are attributes that comes along with his game and has earned him a lot of praises.
Standing at 6ft 4in, he has an excellent aerial prowess, which makes him comfortable at thwarting aerial threats.
This season, Ibrahima has had to deal with a serious muscle injury although in his 8 appearances for the club, he has averaged 89.8 pass success percentage, which tells how comfortable he's with the ball, hereby picking out passes to his teammate with calmness and precision.
He averages 3.5 clearances per game, 1.4 tackles per game and winning 1.8 aerial duals per game.
Though Manchester United chief Ed Woodward spoke carefully about a big money move in the summer. Speaking at a fans' forum, he said: 'We have always believed that our commercial model gives us greater resilience than most clubs and we are grateful for the enduring support of our commercial partners in helping us achieve that.
"However, nobody should be under any illusions about the scale of challenge facing everyone in football and it may not be 'business as usual' for any clubs, including ourselves, in the transfer market this summer.
"On this basis, I cannot help feeling that speculation around transfers of individual players for hundreds of millions of pounds this summer seems to ignore the realities that face the sport."
With United manager's plan to get a young quality defender, with less injury record to partner club record signing and captain Harry Maguire, the Red Devils might end up splashing the cash to tempt Konate away from Leipzig this summer despite the financial difficulties.
Related Items:Ibrahima Konate, Manchester United News Now | Get Latest Man Utd Football News, RB Leipzig
Who is Julian Alvarez & should Manchester United go for him?
Premier League linked Walter Benitez could leave for free
Will Smallbone: Another Southampton graduate with big potential


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Category: Commentary on Hadeeth
"When the wings of the night spread , keep your children in, for the devils come out at that time"
We have grown up being told that at Maghrib time children should not go out to play as this is the time the Jinn (spirits) and devils come out and that they will possess any children playing outside. Is there any basis to this?
It is mustahabb to close the doors of houses at night
Is there a hadeeth which forbids hanging out children's and infants' clothes (on a washing line) after the sun sets?
Yes, a number of saheeh ahaadeeth (Prophetic narrations) were narrated concerning this etiquette. For example, it is narrated from Jaabir ibn 'Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"When the wings of the night spread – or when evening comes – keep your children in, for the devils come out at that time. Then when part of the night has passed, let them go. And close the doors and mention the name of Allaah, for the shaytaan (devil) does not open a closed door. And tie up your waterskins and mention the name of Allaah, and cover your vessels and mention the name of Allaah, even if you only put something over them, and extinguish your lamps."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3280) and Muslim (2012).
Al-Nawawi included this in a chapter entitled Chapter on covering vessels, tying up waterskins, locking doors, mentioning the name of Allaah over them, extinguishing fires and lamps when going to sleep, and keeping children and livestock in after Maghrib.
Muslim (2013) also narrated from Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do not let your animals and children go out when the sun has set, until the first part of the night is over, for the devils come out when the sun sets, until the first part of the night is over."
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said concerning the first hadeeth:
"The wings of the night" refers to when night comes after the sun has set.
The words "then let them go" – Ibn al-Jawzi said: Rather there is fear for children at that hour, because the najaasah (impurity)that the shayaateen (devils) seek is usually present with them at that time, and the dhikr (remembrance of Allah) that would protect them is usually absent from children, and when the shayaateen spread out they hang on to whatever they can hang on to. Hence there is fear for children at that time.
The reason why they spread out at that time is that they are more able to move about at night than during the day, because darkness is more conducive to devil forces coming together than any other time. End quote.
This hadeeth includes a number of types of goodness and etiquette which combine the interests of both this world and the Hereafter. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined these etiquettes which are the cause of safety from the harm of the shaytaan (devil) , and Allaah has made all of these means causes of being safe from his harm. He is not able to uncover vessels or untie waterskins or open doors or harm children or others if these means are followed. This is like what it says in the saheeh hadeeth, (authentic narration) that if a person says Bismillah when entering his house, the shaytaan (devil) says "No place to stay" i.e., we have no authority to stay overnight with these people. And if a man says when having intercourse with his wife, "O Allaah, keep the shaytaan away from us and keep the shaytaan away from what You bestow upon us (of offspring)," that will be a cause of the child being kept safe from the harm of the shaytaan. This is similar to this hadeeth, which is well known among saheeh ahaadeeth.
This hadeeth encourages us to remember Allaah in these cases and other similar situations. Our companions said: It is mustahabb (preferred) to mention the name of Allaah over everything that matters, and to praise Allaah at the beginning of everything that matters, because of the well known hasan hadeeth (sound narrations).
The words "wings of the night" is a well known phrase that refers to the darkness of the night. And it was said that it refers to when the darkness of night comes.
The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) "Keep your children in" mean: prevent them from going out at that time.
The words "for the devils come out at that time" mean that there is the fear at this time that children may be subjected to the devils' harm because there are so many of them at that time. And Allaah knows best. End quote.
Sharh Muslim (13/185).
The Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas was asked the following question:
In the saheeh hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari, it says: "When the wings of the night spread, or when evening comes, keep your children in." Then it says: "And extinguish your lamps." Does this command mean that it is obligatory? If it is mustahabb, what is the evidence to show that it is not obligatory?
They replied: The commands mentioned in this hadeeth are to be understood as recommendations and advice, according to most scholars, as was stated by a number of scholars, such as Ibn Muflih in al-Furoo' (1/132), al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari (11/97). And Allaah knows best. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah (26/317)
How did the Sahaabah turn around during their prayer when news reached them that the qiblah had been changed?
What is the meaning of the hadeeth "Do not inveigh against time (waqt) for Allaah is time waqt)"?
Commentary on the hadith "People are like a hundred camels, among which you can hardly find one that is fit for riding"
Ways of Treating Magic
A Muslim woman is in love with a Christian man and wants to marry him
Ruling on committing suicide because of depression
Ruling on shortening the sides of the hair more than the middle
Number of sons and daughters of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


From breed standard to breed ring.
Is this cairn pure bred?
Performance, companion, and field events.
Of interest to Cairn owners but not specific to Cairns.
Help using the forums. Discussion about the forums. Bug reports.
Forum rules and important notices that supplement site guidelines. Required reading.
Important messages about the forum and web site.
One "chance-bred" champion may set the clock back several generations because of the hereditary taints behind him.
Welcome to Cairn Talk. You're welcome to browse as a guest although we encourage you to Sign Up and participate in the community. Members gain access to additional features and resources. Registration is fast and free.
We moved the chair by the window for pole weaves training, turns out Winston is a big fan of the new location.
Congratulations on getting the right chair. Katie looks very satisfied with it. She is such a pretty girl!


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Inorganic Oxide
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Home / NEWS / Industry news / Erbium Oxide Introduction
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Erbium Oxide Introduction
Author: xiguanya Time: 2018-02-11 09:57:52
Erbium Oxide is a highly insoluble thermally stable Erbium source suitable for glass, optical, and ceramic applications. Erbium oxide is a solid compound of erbium and is pink in color. Erbium oxide can be also used as a flammable neutron poison for nuclear fuel. Erbium Oxide is generally immediately available in most volumes. Ultra high purity and high purity compositions improve both optical quality and usefulness as scientific standards. Nanoscale elemental powders and suspensions, as alternative high surface area forms, may be considered. Erbium has applications in glass coloring, as an amplifier in fiber optics, and in lasers for medical and dental use. Rare Earth oxide compounds are basic anhydrides and can therefore react with acids and with strong reducing agents in redox reactions. They are compounds containing at least one oxygen anion and one metallic cation. They are typically insoluble in aqueous solutions (water) and extremely stable making them useful in ceramic structures as simple as producing clay bowls to advanced electronics and in light weight structural components in aerospace and electrochemical applications such as fuel cells in which they exhibit ionic conductivity. Erbium oxide is also available in pellets, pieces, powder, sputtering targets, tablets, and nanopowder (from American Elements' nanoscale production facilities). Additional technical, research and safety (SDS) information is available.
See more Erbium products. Erbium (atomic symbol: Er, atomic number: 68) is a Block F, Group 3, Period 6 element with an atomic radius of 167.259. he number of electrons in each of Erbium's shells is [2, 8, 18, 30, 8, 2] and its electron configuration is [Xe]4f12 6s2. The erbium atom has a radius of 176 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 235 pm. Erbium was discovered by Carl Mosander in 1843. Sources of Erbium include the mineral monazite and sand ores. Erbium is a member of the lanthanide or rare earth series of elements. In its elemental form, erbium is soft and malleable it is fairly stable in air and does not oxidize as rapidly as some of the other rare earth metals. Erbiums ions fluoresce in a bright pink color, making them highly useful for imaging and optical applications. It is named after the Swedish town, Ytterby where it was first discovered.
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You are here: Home / News / News / The Contact Website – Gary Driscoll – Combat Stress
Army, Health, Mental Health, Navy, RAF, Royal Air Force, Royal Marines, Royal Navy, Serving, Support, Veterans, Welfare
The Contact Website – Gary Driscoll – Combat Stress
Gary gives us an insight into his mental health journey. To follow the journeys of others and to find out more about getting military mental health support from our team and others.
Cobseo is proud to be a partner of Contact, a group of military charities and other entities working with the NHS and the MOD to simplify the way the military community can find support with their mental health and wellbeing. Contact has recently relaunched their website www.contactarmedforces.co.uk making online help seeking easier for those in need.
The relaunched Contact www.contactarmedforces.co.uk website has been designed to create a space where those seeking assistance are able to quickly access, easily navigate, and simply find the support they need. Through this simplified process we hope to have more members of the Armed Forces community come forward and seek out the help they need.
The partners involved in Contact include Help for Heroes, Combat Stress, Walking with the Wounded, Big White Wall, The Royal British Legion, Cobseo, King's College London, the Ministry of Defence, NHS England, Veterans NHS Wales, Veterans First Point and The Royal College of Psychiatrists.


I recently finished reading a book that has changed my life; Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. It's a timeless classic that's extremely well written, and nearly impossible to put down. The novel really makes you re-examine the way we perceive the history of mankind, and presents edgy and thought provoking concepts that will question the way you live your life. I have provided a quick summary of some of the key concepts in the novel to give you a little taste and refresh my own memory.
The knowledge of the gods: The knowledge of the gods is the knowledge of 'who should live and who should die.' This encompasses the control of food supply, agriculture, captivation of animals, and everything... basically everything the Taker society needs to sustain itself. Quinn implies that we have conjured up this knowledge ourselves and imposed it on the world around us.
Agricultural Revolution: This time in history (also known as the Neolithic Revolution) was the transition of early human societies from hunters and gatherers (who were Leavers) to agriculturalists. It started approximately in 8000 B.C. in the heart of the Fertile Crescent, and Quinn claims that it has never ended. The revolution was also the birth of Taker culture because agriculture was the first sign of humans taking "the knowledge of the gods" into their own hands.
I spent a long time pondering what I could do to make a difference, and implement something I've learned in this novel. Surely, Quinn is not suggesting that mankind completely back-track and return to hunter-gatherer societies...is he? Then I started looking at what others have done...Pearl Jam's entire "Yield" album was inspired by this novel, and the premise of that album was that mankind should give in to nature... interesting, but once again, what does that even mean? Surely the band hasn't given into nature, or they'd be living in a jungle somewhere. This is what is suggested by the movie "Instinct" that was also inspired by Ishmael. In this movie, the protagonist (played by Anthony Hopkins) is an anthropologist that ends up finding solace with a bunch of apes in and African jungle.
Aside from the lack of a solution, no piece of literature has ever made me realize how fucked up the world is, and how we really have no right to impose our culture and beliefs on anyone. Maybe one day I will be able to look at this novel in a different light, and suggest a new solution to the world's problems, but until then, I will continue to search.
Posted by Zakir Hemraj at 11:42 a.m.


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Fishing A Walleye River Spawn
Devastation Caused by Gizzard Shad
Sheridan WY Fisheries Crew Assists with Walleye Stocking
All About Sage Grouse
All About The Sage Grouse
Government bureaucracy is butting heads with Western Sportsmen over the acreage set aside for the Greater Sage Grouse. The fight is not about the well being of a species but rather a clash of ideology, reduction of our rights, reduced land access and management of public lands by restriction. Too many times explanations about Greater Sage Grouse are clouded with graphs, charts, scientific explanations that the average person doesn't understand to begin with when what is required is the straight talk defining the issue with Greater Sage Grouse. Several things need to be addressed which is part of the distraction from the envirolitigants, the left wingers and activists of the world that want to dictate how and where we live, how and what should be on the landscape and what constitutes their ideas of multi-use of our of public lands.
Are Greater Sage Grouse an Endangered Species?
Foremost is that the Greater Sage Grouse (GSG) is NOT an Endangered Species. The movement has been made by the left, based on their "science" and ideas that the Greater Sage Grouse is endangered and needs federal protection by virtue of and Endangered Species Act listing stating declines due to gas and oil energy developments, residential building, agriculture and livestock grazing and of course hunting pressure. Fact of the matter is current breeding populations exceed more than 500,000 birds. Like most all species, numbers increase and decline for various reasons. The largest single factor now is predation but the Greater Sage Grouse population is stable, healthy and reproducing.
Habitat Restrictions For The Greater Sage Grouse
Although the habitat for the Greater Sage Grouse is most commonly grasslands, sagebrush and desert shrub ecosystems, eleven western states covering approximately 165 to167 million acres of Greater Sage Grouse habitat are now under the microscope of government agencies for these restrictions. The states that are current targets for habitat restrictions are Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming Utah and Colorado. Two states in the fight that don't have current populations, only historic range, are Arizona and New Mexico. Both current and historic ranges move across our northern border into Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
What Happens If the Greater Sage Grouse are listed As Endangered?
In general terms if the Greater Sage Grouse were to be listed, the 165-167 million acres of habitat and public lands would be restricted. The term restricted means "we're off the landscape, no access and you can do nothing". Consider it an eleven state 165 million plus acre national monument, locked gates, closed roads, no hiking hunting fishing or anything else, want to pick flowers, nope forget it!
What Is The Impact Of Government Policy On Public Lands?
If the Greater Sage Grouse is listed, the Bureau of Land Management (BLW) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) regulations would impact seven military bases or reservations which serve as bombing, gunnery, testing and training ranges. Nellis-Nevada 13 + million acres, Mountain Home-Idaho 7+ million acres, UTTR-Utah 13.5+ millions acres, Fallon-Nevada 10.6+ million acres, Yakima-Washington 300+ hundred thousand acres, Ellsworth-Wyoming/South Dakota 3.8+ million acres, Malmstrom-Montana 8.8+ millions acres, over 57+ million acres of military base restrictions from February through May, no over flights, testing or training. These bases and ranges cannot be replicated anywhere else in the country.
Look earlier this year, the Department of the Navy solicited BLM to expand the Fallon range by some 300,000 acres, denied. Why? GSG in the expansion area. The same thing is happening at Nellis AFB.
The Equal Access to Justice Act
How Is Government Taking Control of Our Land?
The U.S. Government, BLM, USFS and USFWS, are being convinced of policy not yet proven through known science. Because there are two avenues of this science (the activist scientists and the scientists of State Game & Fish departments), the voice of the left are heard more frequently by politicians than the sportsmen. The idea of "Management by Restriction" became popular to soften the blow to the public. In other words "don't worry, you can still get on the land".
This method is not limited to the Greater Sage Grouse. The Apex Predators have been reintroduced; the Gray or Timber wolves in the northern and western states, Red Wolf in the east and south and in AZ and New Mexico, the Mexican Gray Wolf. The reintroduction of Wolves, for the most part, was done without proper management plans that have decimated the elk, moose, deer and small game populations.
What is the battle over the Greater Sage Grouse?
The battle is about failed government policy and those that want to dictate our lifestyle and the future use of our natural resource. The Equal Access to Justice Act has been used to shoot the public and sportsmen in the foot. Although the EAJA is under investigation by the DOJ for monies paid to the envirolitigants, they continue to operate unabated. The EPA has embarked on "Wetlands" mapping, the TRCP doing Sportsmen Value Mapping and the BLM 2.0 Planning Schemes target the same acreage.


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Published on PR Watch (https://www.prwatch.org)
Home > Convention of States Fires Up Base for Push to Rewrite U.S. Constitution
Convention of States Fires Up Base for Push to Rewrite U.S. Constitution [1]
Submitted by David Armiak [2] on August 23, 2019 - 1:37pm
Convention of States Action (COS) kicked off its first "Leadership Summit [3]" in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia today. COS [4], a project of Mark Meckler and Eric O'Keefe's Citizens for Self-Governance [5], claims that "hundreds" of activists, state directors, and coordinators from all 50 states will attend to get inspired and learn strategies for passing COS resolutions in the states calling for a constitutional convention to rewrite the U.S. Constitution.
Fifteen states have passed the group's applications so far, with 17 more states considering the resolution this year, according to COS. Wisconsin recently introduced a COS resolution [6], which would bump the number up to 18.
A constitutional convention has never been held since the Constitution was adopted, and COS will need 34 states to file applications in order for it to occur. If that happens, COS plans to move an array of sweeping amendments to redefine key parts of the Constitution and radically weaken the federal government.
COS has ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council [7] (ALEC), the National Rifle Association, the right-wing militia group Three Percenters, and the Christian nationalist group WallBuilders [8].
More than 200 civil rights and public interest groups, including the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), signed a letter [9] last year denouncing such constitutional convention calls as "a threat to every American's constitutional rights and civil liberties."
Right-Wing Extremists to Speak
Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth, from Trump's beloved Fox & Friends, addressed the crowd this morning, telling them that the Left hates the Constitution, the founding fathers understood that the word of "Jesus Christ our savior" is the guiding force for our country, and that there "is no other freedom-loving bastion in the world that values the individual with God-endowed rights."
And, referencing the Three Percenters likely in attendance, Hegseth said, "it has always been the one percent or two percent or three percent of people that get it, that are willing to buck the comfiness of their moment and the established norms that everyone is comfortable with, willing to be defiant, willing to stand -- be accused of being radical about things that are not radical at all."
Recently, Hegseth has made some radical comments himself, saying that Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-D) has a "Hamas agenda [10]," implying that she works with a U.S. designated terrorist organization.
Hegseth has also publicly defended [11] Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos's brother Erik Prince's Blackwater contractors, who were convicted of murdering Iraqi citizens, and has called [12] climate change a "religion" that Democrats use to "control" people.
David Barton warmed up the crowd with a history lecture on the Constitution's basis in fixed moral standards based on natural law and scripture, and drew applause with his claim that the federal government has "emasculated the states."
A Christian nationalist with strong anti-LGBT views. Barton once said [13],
"There's a passage that I love in Romans 1. ... [I]t talks about homosexuality and it says that they will receive in their bodies the penalties of their behavior. ... The Bible [is] right every time ... and that's why AIDS has been something they haven't discovered a cure for or a vaccine for. ... And that goes to what God says, 'Hey you're going to bear in your body the consequences of this homosexual behavior.'"
Barton founded the group WallBuilders, which has worked with Focus on the Family [14] and the Family Policy Alliance [15] to influence judicial elections and selection rules in states across the country, the Center for Media and Democracy detailed [16].
WallBuilders also works with the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation to push out Christian-Right model legislation in the mold of ALEC to state lawmakers under the name Project Blitz [17].
Also in line to speak at the Summit is one of the NRA's top attorneys, Charles Cooper. Cooper will speak on, "The Real Threat to Gun Rights." In an email to COS activists, Cooper is quoted as saying:
"The real threat to our constitutional rights today is posed not by an Article V Convention of States, but by an out-of-control federal government, exercising powers that it does not have and abusing powers that it does."
COS materials in recent years have argued that a constitutional convention could be used to rewrite the Second Amendment in order to make it Supreme-Court-proof.
Others on the agenda to speak include founding board member Eric O'Keefe [18], former professor Rob Natelson [19], former U.S. Senator and COS Senior Advisor Tom Coburn, and the right-wing author of Liberty Amendments Mark Levin.
But the stars of the summit are likely to be the actors COS will have play the founding fathers Patrick Henry, James Madison, and George Washington.
Stay tuned to ExposedbyCMD.org [20] for more on the right-wing's effort to rewrite the Constitution.
Democracy [21]
News [22]
David Armiak [2]
David Armiak is research director with the Center for Media and Democracy. David joined CMD in 2015, has conducted extensive investigations on dark money, corporate corruption, and right-wing networks, and is responsible for filing and analyzing hundreds of public records requests every year. David has a strong research interest in social movements and political power, and has delivered many talks on the subject.
Read more here. [23]
Source URL: https://www.prwatch.org/news/2019/08/13492/convention-states-fires-base-push-rewrite-us-constitution?qt-more=0
[1] https://www.prwatch.org/news/2019/08/13492/convention-states-fires-base-push-rewrite-us-constitution
[2] https://www.prwatch.org/users/35506/david-armiak
[3] https://www.cosleadershipsummit.com
[4] https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Convention_of_States_Action
[5] https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Citizens_for_Self-Governance
[6] https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2019/related/proposals/ajr77
[7] https://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed
[8] https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/WallBuilders
[9] https://www.commoncause.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ConCon-Opposition-Letter-Feb-2018.pdf
[10] https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-news-host-pete-hegseth-accuses-rep-rashida-tlaib-of-having-a-hamas-agenda
[11] https://www.mediamatters.org/pete-hegseth/foxs-pete-hegseth-defends-blackwater-contractors-convicted-murdering-iraqi-civilians
[12] https://www.salon.com/2019/08/13/fox-friends-co-host-climate-change-is-a-religion-that-allows-democrats-to-control-people/
[13] https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/david-barton
[14] https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Focus_on_the_Family
[15] https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Family_Policy_Alliance
[16] https://www.exposedbycmd.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Conquering_the_courts_report-FINAL-WEB05-10-18.pdf
[17] https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Project_Blitz
[18] https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Eric_O%27Keefe
[19] https://missoulian.com/news/local/former-um-law-professor-natelson-denied-emeritus-status-by-faculty/article_8e69e26c-97cb-11e0-9613-001cc4c002e0.html
[20] https://www.exposedbycmd.org
[21] https://www.prwatch.org/topics/democracy
[22] https://www.prwatch.org/news-types/news
[23] http://www.prwatch.org/news/35506


"The developing baby is completely reliant on the mother for its vitamin D levels, and what we have shown is that this might have an impact on the child's brain development," says A/Prof Andrew Whitehouse of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research.
Blood samples were taken from 740 pregnant women almost 20 years ago and tested for vitamin D levels. The Telethon Institute has since tracked the children, looking for signs of lasting effects.
Pediatrics has published Whitehouse's results, including the finding that children whose mothers were vitamin D-deficient are twice as likely to experience language difficulties. This is particularly concerning because vitamin D levels have dropped substantially among Australian women over the past 20 years, partially as a result of anti-skin cancer campaigns.
"The latest advice from the Cancer Council is that, while people shouldn't go out in the summer sun unprotected, they should get half an hour a day of sunlight in winter," Whitehouse says. However, he does not know if this message is getting through. At the time of the study the low vitamin D levels were overwhelmingly in winter.
Whitehouse says Prof John McGrath's discovery that vitamin D deficiency affects brain development in animals was important for his research, but there is also plenty of evidence of physical effects, such as a relationship with asthma and weak bones.
Epidemiological research has shown that children born during winter and spring at high latitudes are more vulnerable to schizophrenia, but Whitehouse says this is harder to measure for language, although he hopes to collaborate on studies of Scandinavian children born in different seasons.


The Stûv 30-compact H can be equipped with heat accumulating stones which store part of the heat produced by the combustion of wood. This accumulated energy will continue to dissipate for several hours after the fire has died out to prolong the sensation of heat and well-being.
An integrated turning plate allows the stove to be turned in order to direct the heat in the desired direction. The design allows a 360° rotation. The installer can limit the angle of rotation to 90°, 180° or 270°, as required.
The Stûv 30-compact is designed to draw the combustion air from outside; in this way, the stove does not use indoor air.
If you are unable to connect the external air intake underneath the unit, a rear external air intake kit is also available.
Stûv's accessories are designed to make your fireplace simpler and more enjoyable to use.
In case you do not have the opportunity to make the outside air connection on the stove, a rear connection is available.
Made out of charcoal grey steel, this option is the ideal way to protect floor coverings and enhance the overall design of your installation.
Enjoy your favorite grilled food over a wood fire all year long. Healthy, fast, clean cooking, without the smell!
Stûv fireplaces are designed to only burn wood with a level of humidity under 20%. We recommend this small but indispensable accessory to measure the level of humidity, so you can enjoy your fireplace to the full.
Length of logs in vertical position 40 cm | 16"
Length of logs in horizontal position 25 cm | 10"
Air intake (min.) Ø63 mm | Ø2.5"


This two-bed, two-bath penthouse with skyline views is on the market for $1,100,000.
When you think of Los Angeles, you don't typically think of a pedestrian-friendly locale, unless you enjoy walking along a road divider. But the city's downtown area is a far cry from its other neighborhoods dominated by strip malls and freeways. Thanks to revitalization efforts over the last few decades, much of Downtown LA is now a thriving cultural hub, boasting popular restaurants like Drago Centro and Guisados, lively hangouts like the Ace Hotel and Angel City Brewery, and a slew of stores. DTLA is home to the L.A. Life entertainment complex, which includes the large-capacity Staples Center, in addition to cultural touchstones like The Broad, and Little Tokyo, home to funky Japanese shops and the best sushi in the city.
It's also pretty newcomer-friendly—while Los Angeles is notoriously hard to navigate without a car, DTLA is accessible via the Metro bus and rail lines, and since the neighborhood itself is mostly walkable, it is especially inviting for New Yorkers who aren't prepared to get trapped in their cars. And, of course, the weather is...well, it's L.A., it's perfect almost all the time.
This 1,580-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath penthouse apartment, also pictured above, features stunning views of the city's high-rises, in addition to hardwood floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, a dining room, and an open concept kitchen with a breakfast bar and stainless steel appliances. Both bedrooms have walk-in closets and en suite bathrooms, and there's a separate laundry room with a washer and dryer in-unit. The condo is located in the high-end SkyLofts building, with property amenities including a 24-hour concierge, a fitness center, and a movie screening room. The unit is priced at $1,100,000.
This one-bedroom, one-bath corner unit in DTLA's Little Tokyo area runs a cozy 848 square feet. It's got big windows, an outdoor terrace, and space for indoor and outdoor dining, in addition to a separate kitchen, a wet bar, and a bedroom outfitted with large closets. Other highlights include central air-conditioning and in-unit laundry. Building amenities include 24-hour desk security, a fitness center, and a pool. The unit is priced at $460,000.
This two-bedroom, two-bath garden-level condo has a funky industrial feel, thanks to its 15-foot ceilings, sleek contemporary kitchen, tiled floors, and loft bedrooms (curtains help make the sleeping spaces a little more private, but the downstairs alcove probably works best as a guest room.) The condo also has what looks like a lovely outdoor terrace, and there is a washer/dryer in-unit. The condo is located in the Rowan Lofts building, with building amenities including 24-hour security, a lounge, and two spa pools. The unit is priced at $925,000.
If need space and you've got some extra cash in your budget, this three-bedroom, two-bath corner loft unit makes up 2,060 square feet, and has walk-in closets, a big balcony, a dining area, and what looks like an office space. Other highlights include floor-to-ceiling windows with skyline views, a gorgeous chef's kitchen with an island for casual dining, and an en-suite master bath with a glass shower and separate tub. There is also a washer/dryer in-unit. The unit is located in the Elleven building, with amenities including a 24-hour concierge, two deeded parking spaces, a pool, and a spa deck. The condo is priced at $1,469,999.
This newly remodeled two-bedroom, two-bath unit located close to The Broad features floor-to-ceiling windows, spacious bedrooms with lots of closet space, and an open-concept living room that pairs with a funky-looking chef's kitchen. The condo is located in Bunker Hill Tower complex, an older development with amenities like 24-hour concierge and security, an Olympic-sized pool, spas, tennis courts, and multiple fitness centers. The unit is priced at $788,000.


text:
Snow leopard dies after contracting COVID-19 at Miller Park Zoo in US
The United States reported evidence of transfer of coronavirus (COVID-19) from humans to wild white-tailed deer
A snow leopard has died at a zoo in Bloomington, Illinois after contracting coronavirus (COVID-19), the zoo informed in an Instagram post on Thursday (January 6).
In the post, the zoo stated that Rilu, an 11-year-old snow leopard has died at the Miller Park Zoo after struggling with Covid-induced pneumonia.
The zoo also informed that Rilu had arrived there in 2011 from the Oklahoma City Zoo and during his time here, he produced seven living offspring that are now part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP).
The Instagram post said that Rilu made the Miller Park Zoo one of the leading institutions in the world in producing Snow Leopard cubs. Rilu's personality and beauty will be missed but he will not be forgotten, the zoo said.
Rilu's pictures have been shown all over the world, including on the Empire State Building in New York. He is captured on film in Joel Sartore's project The Photo Ark.
"I love that the legacy of Rilu will live on in the Photo Ark. Rilu will engage and astonish the world for many years to come," zoo superintendent Jay Tetzloff said.
Semi-wild elephants undergo COVID-19 testing after 9 lions test positive in Indian zoo
A post shared by Miller Park Zoo (@millerparkzoo)
The United States reported evidence of transfer of coronavirus (COVID-19) from humans to wild white-tailed deer, with subsequent spread of the virus among deer. After the US, Canada also found confirmed cases of coronavirus in wildlife, in three white-tailed deer.
The spread of the COVID-19 virus in deer is not unique as reports have emerged that the virus has infected multiple species of animals globally, including farmed mink, companion animals such as cats and dogs and also some zoo animals.
Miller Park Zoo


text:
800 drivers are fined at Kirkintilloch shared space within three months
More than 800 motorists have been ticketed for "dangerous and unlawful" parking at a controversial town centre road layout within three months – with East Dunbartonshire Council raking in between £24,000 and £48,000.
In a joint statement on Twitter, East Dunbartonshire Council and Police Scotland said that the huge number of parking notices had been issued at Kirkintilloch town centre since January this year.
Motorists face fines of up to £60 (with a discount of £30 if paid within 14 days.)
The council and local police warned that "dangerous and unlawful parking" will continue to be punished with joint patrols of council community wardens and Police Scotland continuing this week.
But local people have hit back, blaming the divisive road layout and council car park fees, with one woman posting on the council Facebook page: "The most dangerous situation is the shared space created by the council!"
Another resident added: "Support free parking and put money in the pockets of tax paying shop owners you will make more money long term than short term fines and killing businesses.
"Not helped by that ridiculous free for all that is the "shared space ".
Another resident added: "Why not support free parking and put money in the pockets of tax paying shop owners. You will make more money long term than short term fines and killing businesses.
"Not helped by that ridiculous free for all that is the 'shared space '.
A fellow resident agreed and posted: "Get rid of the charge on the car parks and folks will start using them again."
Others hit out at the shared space layout, with one posting: "Doesn't help to revive a town centre when you make it inaccessible to visitors and workers...Nice pavements though, just a pity that they are now indistinguishable from the road."
Campaigners have been battling for the shared space to be scrapped for the past three years because of safety issues, particularly for blind and disabled people.
A new controlled crossing - with traffic lights - was installed recently at Cowgate, near Timpsons. But protestors said this was the "wrong priority". Instead, they said, the busy Catherine Street junction in the town should be made safe.
Milngavie and Bearsden commuters quiz Scotrail boss
Hundreds sign petition to save vital Bishopbriggs bus service
On Twitter, EDC and police stated: "Anyone caught parking on the new pedestrian crossing or the other two existing pedestrian crossings in the town centre could be fined £100 by the police and three penalty points."
As the Herald went to press on Monday, Thomas Glen, Council Depute Chief Executive said: "Wardens have a zero tolerance approach to vehicles parked illegally and will issue Penalty Charge Notices to vehicles parked on enforceable restrictions.
"Community Wardens have issued a total of 815 PCNs within the Kirkintilloch Town Centre area between January 1 and April 14 this year. The situation will continue to be monitored with appropriate enforcement action taken by Community Wardens and Police Scotland."
Investigation continues into death of eight-week-old baby boy at Kirkintilloch


text:
package org.kink_lang.jenkins.plugins.gce;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.logging.Logger;
import java.security.GeneralSecurityException;

import com.google.api.client.googleapis.auth.oauth2.GoogleCredential;
import com.google.api.client.googleapis.javanet.GoogleNetHttpTransport;
import com.google.api.client.http.GenericUrl;
import com.google.api.client.http.HttpResponse;
import com.google.api.client.http.HttpTransport;
import com.google.api.client.json.JsonFactory;
import com.google.api.client.json.jackson2.JacksonFactory;
import com.google.api.services.compute.Compute;
import com.google.api.services.compute.model.Instance;
import com.google.api.services.compute.model.Metadata;
import com.google.api.services.compute.model.Operation;

public class GceInstance {

    private static final Logger LOGGER = Logger.getLogger(GceInstance.class.getName());

    private final GoogleCredential credential;

    private final String project;

    private final String zone;

    private final String name;

    private final HttpTransport transport;

    private final JsonFactory jsonFactory;

    private final Compute compute;

    public GceInstance(
            GoogleCredential credential, String project, String zone, String name
            ) throws IOException, GeneralSecurityException {
        this.credential = credential;
        this.project = project;
        this.zone = zone;
        this.name = name;
        this.transport = GoogleNetHttpTransport.newTrustedTransport();
        this.jsonFactory = new JacksonFactory();
        this.compute = new Compute.Builder(transport, jsonFactory, credential)
            .setApplicationName("Jenkins")
            .build();
    }

    public boolean addMetadata(Map<String, String> addedMetadata) throws Exception {
        Instance instance = compute.instances().get(project, zone, name).execute();
        Metadata metadata = updateMetadata(instance.getMetadata(), addedMetadata);
        Operation op = compute.instances()
            .setMetadata(project, zone, name, metadata)
            .execute();
        return waitOperationResult(op);
    }

    private Metadata updateMetadata(Metadata metadata, Map<String, String> added) throws Exception {
        Map<String, String> map = new HashMap<String, String>();
        if (metadata.getItems() != null) {
            for (Metadata.Items item : metadata.getItems()) {
                map.put(item.getKey(), item.getValue());
            }
        }
        map.putAll(added);

        List<Metadata.Items> items = new ArrayList<Metadata.Items>();
        for (Map.Entry<String, String> entry : map.entrySet()) {
            String key = entry.getKey();
            String val = entry.getValue();
            items.add(new Metadata.Items().setKey(key).setValue(val));
        }
        metadata.setItems(items);
        return metadata;
    }

    public boolean start() throws Exception {
        Operation op = compute.instances()
            .start(project, zone, name)
            .execute();
        return waitOperationResult(op);
    }

    public boolean stop() throws IOException, InterruptedException {
        Operation op = compute.instances()
            .stop(project, zone, name)
            .execute();
        return waitOperationResult(op);
    }

    boolean waitOperationResult(Operation op) throws IOException, InterruptedException {
        while (true) {
            LOGGER.info("Operation result: " + op);
            if (op.getStatus().equals("DONE")) {
                return op.getError() == null
                    || op.getError().getErrors() == null
                    || op.getError().getErrors().isEmpty();
            }
            Thread.sleep(3000);

            String selfLink = op.getSelfLink();
            HttpResponse selfResp = transport.createRequestFactory(credential)
                .buildRequest("GET", new GenericUrl(selfLink), null)
                .execute();
            op = jsonFactory.fromInputStream(selfResp.getContent(),
                    StandardCharsets.UTF_8,
                    Operation.class);
        }
    }

}

// vim: et sw=4 sts=4 fdm=marker

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Business for Sale | Nevada, Iowa
Discover business opportunities, in or around Nevada, with well-established brands, who are looking for people like you to help them grow.
As of the 2010 United States Census, Nevada, located in the Hawkeye State, had a total population of 6,688 people.
City Statistics and Other Information About Nevada
From a total population of 6,688, Nevada has a median age of 36.8. The average age of males, in Nevada, is 34.9 while the average age of females is 39.8. When you compare this to median age of Iowa, Nevada is 1.2 years younger.
The median income of individuals, in Nevada, is $27,598 while the average household income is $55,654. When comparing the median income of people living in Nevada to the rest of Iowa, the average income in Nevada is $23 less.
County Name Story County
Explore Franchises For Sale in Iowa Now


Would you like to work with the world's best open source software and tools to deliver robust IT solutions?
In this high performing team, you will play a critical role in growing the company by modifying and evolving the on-line web based platforms. The client has a collaborative and tightly knit IT team with great culture and leadership.
- Lots of events! Pizza Thursday, Curry Wednesday, Happy Friday and more!


text:
>George Gershwin - HFSID 286059
GEORGE GERSHWIN - DOCUMENT SIGNED 09/30/1936 CO-SIGNED BY: IRA GERSHWIN - HFSID 286059
TAX DOCUMENT REVEALS THAT GEORGE GERSHWIN GOT 60% AND IRA GERSHWIN RECEIVED 40% FROM THEIR COLLABORATIONS GEORGE GERSHWIN and IRA GERSHWIN. Carbon Typed Document Signed: "George Gershwin" and "Ira Gershwin", 1p, 8½x13. Los Angeles, California, 1936 September 30.
Sale Price $15,300.00
Reg. $17,000.00
Condition: lightly creased
TAX DOCUMENT REVEALS THAT GEORGE GERSHWIN GOT 60% AND IRA GERSHWIN RECEIVED 40% FROM THEIR COLLABORATIONS
GEORGE GERSHWIN and IRA GERSHWIN. Carbon Typed Document Signed: "George Gershwin" and "Ira Gershwin", 1p, 8½x13. Los Angeles, California, 1936 September 30. In part: "GEORGE GERSHWIN and IRA GERSHWIN each, being first duly sworn, deposes and says: That he is one of the parties to the written agreement dated July 29, 1936, executed by and between RKO STUDIOS, INC. and GEORGE GERSHWIN and IRA GERSHWIN, under the terms and conditions of which the said George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin are employed by the said RKO Studios, Inc. and under the terms and conditions of which the compensation payable to the said George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin is paid to them jointly, without any allocation between them. That under the terms and conditions of an agreement existing between the said George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin all compensation received by them pursuant to the terms and conditions of said contract, has been and will be divided and allocated between them in the ratio of sixty per cent (60%) to the said George Gershwin and forty per cent (40%) to the said Ira Gershwin...That this affidavit is made and delivered to the said RKO Studios, Inc. in order that the said RKO Studios, Inc. may withhold the tax payable pursuant to said act, upon the basis of the allocation of the income payable to affiants pursuant to said contract as herein represented." Countersigned: "J.M. Hartke" as Notary Public. On May 7, 1937, RKO released Shall We Dance?, the seventh Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musical. GEORGE GERSHWIN, who died at 38 two months later, on July 11, 1937, of a brain tumor, received his only Academy Award nomination (posthumously) for the song "They Can't Take That Away From Me" from Shall We Dance? It was also the first nomination for his brother, IRA GERSHWIN. Ira was later nominated for collaborations with Jerome Kern in 1944 and Harold Arlen in 1954. On November 19, 1937, RKO released A Damsel in Distress, scored by George with lyrics by Ira, starring Fred Astaire, George Burns and Gracie Allen. Lightly creased. Staple holes at upper blank margin. Lightly worn at horizontal folds. Top line has been underlined with red ink and there is a red check mark (unknown hand). Overall, fine condition.
IRA GERSHWIN
GEORGE GERSHWIN - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 09/14/1931 - HFSID 347996
Reg Price $9,000.00
GEORGE GERSHWIN - COLLECTION WITH CO-SIGNERS - HFSID 265635
GEORGE GERSHWIN - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED CHECK 02/12/1934 - HFSID 167082
GEORGE GERSHWIN - AUTOGRAPH - HFSID 178330
IRA GERSHWIN - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 10/18/1959 - HFSID 252566
IRA GERSHWIN - FIRST DAY COVER SIGNED WITH CO-SIGNERS - HFSID 145028
IRA GERSHWIN - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 05/12/1942 - HFSID 67267
IRA GERSHWIN - SHOW BILL SIGNED CIRCA 1943 - HFSID 84391
IRA GERSHWIN - TYPED LYRIC(S) SIGNED 02/28/1973 - HFSID 42969
IRA GERSHWIN - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH - HFSID 48610
IRA GERSHWIN - INSCRIBED SIGNATURE 2/1951 - HFSID 252565
IRA GERSHWIN - COMMEMORATIVE COVER SIGNED - HFSID 28988
IRA GERSHWIN - FIRST DAY COVER SIGNED - HFSID 57188
IRA GERSHWIN - FIRST DAY COVER SIGNED - HFSID 155021
THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS - DOCUMENT SIGNED 09/20/1966 WITH CO-SIGNERS - HFSID 285878
DESI ARNAZ SR. - DOCUMENT SIGNED 12/12/1963 - HFSID 255244
BRANDON DE WILDE - DOCUMENT SIGNED 05/19/1962 - HFSID 253146
JERRY LEWIS - DOCUMENT SIGNED 10/10/1967 WITH CO-SIGNERS - HFSID 257402
SMILEY (LESTER) BURNETTE - DOCUMENT SIGNED 07/27/1946 - HFSID 288914


Review - Opera Bar - Does My Bomb Look Big In This?
As luck would have it, I chose to try the Opera Bar's new weekend breakfast menu on one of the only rainy days we've had this season. Though even in the rain, the panoramic view stretching from the Sydney Opera House to the Sydney Harbour Bridge is nothing to be shrugged at.
And, with NV Laurent-Perrier Brut ($20/glass) in your hand, everything looks better!
A brave couple even snaffle a table on the top deck; their golden flutes and vividly Orange Juice ($4.50) brighten up the backdrop of steel arches and dark grey skies.
For those who avoid booze until the sun passes the yardarm, Di Gabriel Vivace Coffee scrubs up well in a Latte ($4.50).
My pick of the compact breakfast menu, Chorizo, Egg and Manchego Quesadilla ($16) are tasty, and saved from being too dry by the accompanying heirloom tomato salad.
If you're hungry, an individual skillet of Baked Eggs, Tomato, Spinach and Sourdough ($18) affords plenty of opportunity to dip, scoop and scrape up runny eggs and tomato-based baked beans; however, a little chorizo in this dish wouldn't go astray.
Remember: this ain't an all-day affair; if you want to eat eggs at the Opera House, you'll need to order at the bar between 9am and 11.30am.


Good News! Atlantiss Netherwing gold is on hot sale at MmoGah. Welcome to place your orders. Atlantiss Netherwing is a new progressive TBC - The Burning Crusade fresh realm released by Atlantiss.eu on Jan 4, 2019. This is dedicated to the international community.


text:
European XFEL starts operation of second X-ray light source
Another important milestone achieved in the development of the facility
The second X-ray light source has successfully been taken into operation at European XFEL, the world's largest X-ray laser located in the Hamburg metropolitan region. The X-ray light source SASE3 successfully produced X-ray laser light flashes in one of the underground tunnels. SASE3 will serve two experiment stations scheduled to begin user operation at the end of the year. Since the start of operation in September 2017, 340 scientists from across the globe have already used the facility for their research. The successful start of operation of the new SASE 3 source will enable the facility to increase the number of users further.
European XFEL Managing Director Prof. Robert Feidenhans' said: "The construction and commissioning of the new light source are complex processes, for which we and our DESY colleagues have been preparing intensely for these last weeks and months. We are very happy that the commissioning of this second light source SASE 3 has also run so smoothly, and that both sources, SASE1 and SASE3, produce light simultaneously. For this I would like to thank all those involved, in particular the accelerator team from DESY. We continue to be on schedule to start operation at all four experiment stations currently under construction, beginning with the first two instruments in November. The remaining two will start operation at the beginning of 2019. This will increase our current capacity threefold by mid 2019."
>Read more on the European XFEL website
Image of the first X-ray laser beam in the tunnel from the European XFEL's SASE3 undulator. SASE3 generates X-rays with a wavelength similar to the width of an atom. Those X-rays will be used to study subjects such as the formation and breaking of chemical bonds and the emergence of special properties such as semiconductivity in materials.
European XFEL FEL, Latest-News
← The microstructure of a parrotfish tooth contributes to its toughness
From Antarctica to the beamline, #weekendusers →


text:
Tag: Record Label
How to Start an Independent Label
If you are in the business of making music, there are several ways that you can…
Helpful Tips on How to Start Your Own Record Label
Music Careers Industry Basics Image by Colleen Tighe © The Balance 2019 By Heather McDonald wrote…
Record Label: How To Start A Record Label In 2020
How to start a record label Starting a record label is one of the most rewarding…
How to Start Your Own Independent Record Label In 2020
What is a record label? The top question that visitors to this site ask is How…


text:
Neocon Nostalgia
Yearning for the 'good old days' at The Corner:
Where's Dad? Not the "fathers" of these unfortunate pre-borns, but the fathers of these pregnant girls. Where, in other words, is the shotgun?
Back in the day when birth control and abortion weren't readily available to high-school kids, fathers were pretty good deterrents to pregnancy. Boys knew they'd have kneecap problems if they got daddy's little girl pregnant. If they were lucky, they'd be married by the morning after.
Girls, meanwhile, were less likely to risk pregnancy because alternatives to motherhood were few, adoption being the most likely.
It wasn't a foolproof system, clearly, but the specter of lifelong consequences, combined with societal and parental disapproval, helped keep the illegitimate birthrate down.
Yup. Them sure was better times...
The scary question after District of Columbia v. Heller, however, is how many U.S. Supreme Court Justices might agree with that sentiment?
Visit our Toronto Law Firm website: www.wiselaw.net
EMPLOYMENT LAW • CIVIL LITIGATION • WILLS AND ESTATES • FAMILY LAW & DIVORCE
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT WISE LAW BLOG • SUBSCRIBE TO WISE LAW BLOG
Posted by @wiselaw on Saturday, June 28, 2008 0 comments
Labels: gun control, neocon nonsense
'Free at Last:' Canadian Human Rights Commission Dismisses Complaints Against Mark Steyn, Macleans Magazine
This Globe and Mail report will come as no surprise:
The Canadian Human Rights Commission has dismissed a complaint against Maclean's magazine over a controversial article on the future of Islam, magazine officials said yesterday.
Meanwhile, a decision from the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal over the same issue isn't expected for several months.
The Canadian Islamic Congress launched the dual complaints over an article by Maclean's journalist Mark Steyn. The article, The Future Belongs to Islam, came under fire by Muslim critics who claimed it spreads Islamophobia.
Earlier this month, closing arguments were made before B.C.'s Human Rights Tribunal over the article, which appeared in Maclean's in October, 2006.
In dismissing the complaint, the Commission stated:
Overall, the views expressed in the Steyn article, when considered as a whole and in context, are not of an extreme nature as defined by the Supreme Court in the Taylor decision. Considering the purpose and scope of section 13 (1), and taking into account that an interpretation of s 13(1) must be consistent with the minimal impairment of free speech, there is no reasonable basis in the evidence to warrant the appointment of a Tribunal.
For these reasons, the complaint is dismissed.
The full text of the CHRC decision is now online: Canadian Islamic Congress v. Rogers Media Inc.
For more discussion of the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in the John Ross Taylor case referenced in the CHRC ruling, see our December 17, 2007 post, Mark Steyn, Macleans and Canadian Human Rights.
We've written much previously on this complaint, and have little to add to our original commentary, also of December 17, 2007:
For the record, then, let me state the obvious:
These are merely complaints, and have not yet been adjudicated;
Allegations such as these will not necessarily be substantiated through the complaint processes or at a hearing;
Our press also has broad freedoms and protection in Canada - these will weigh heavily in the balance of any tribunal determination of these complaints.
If the complaints are weak or frivolous, they are not likely to have any success at all. The complainants nonetheless have the right to be heard. That is how our judicial processes work and that too, is a freedom worth protecting.
For additional commentary on the fallout of this dismissal, see:
Martyrdom denied, part deux - Dawg's Blog
Canadian Human Rights Commission denies Steyn martyrdom -The Galloping Beaver
Macleans Magazine Loses Its CHRC Complaint - Big City Lib
Maclean's responds to recent decision from the Canadian Human Rights Commission - CNW Press Release
Islamic Congress responds to Canadian Human Rights Commission's decision on human rights complaint filed against Maclean's - CNW Press Release
For what's it's worth, Mr Steyn assures his readers that victory notwithstanding, the campaign to restore free speech to Canada will continue, unabated.
Posted by @wiselaw on Friday, June 27, 2008 2 comments
Labels: Canada, Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, CHRC, free speech, human rights, Mark Steyn, media
Honda and Keays: Supreme Court of Canada Rules for Honda, Punitive Damages Awards Set Aside
The Supreme Court of Canada has today released its long-awaited decision in Honda and Keays.
By a 7-2 majority, the court ruled in favour of the employer, Honda. The trial court's award of punitive damages against Honda in the sum of $500,000, subsequently reduced to $100,000.00 by the Ontario Court of Appeal, has been set aside.
We'll have more on this decision later. In the meanwhile, this excerpt from the Court's headnote summary sets out the Court's conclusions quite succinctly:
Aggravated damages should not have been awarded in this case. The employer's conduct in dismissing K was in no way an egregious display of bad faith justifying an award of damages for conduct in dismissal. On this issue, the trial judge made overriding and palpable errors of fact. The employer's March 28 letter to K did not misrepresent the positions of its doctors and it should not have been faulted for relying on the advice of its medical experts. There is no evidence that B took a "hard‑ball" attitude towards workplace absences or that K was being set up when asked to meet B. The employer's request for a meeting between K and B was normal in the circumstances. The employer's decision to stop accepting doctor's notes was not reprisal for K's decision to retain legal counsel. Rather, the employer was simply seeking to confirm K's disability. Lastly, there is no evidence that K's disability subsequent to termination was caused by the manner of termination. [34‑35] [38] [40] [43] [46‑48]
Similarly, punitive damages should not have been awarded. Punitive damages are restricted to advertent wrongful acts that are so malicious and outrageous that they are deserving of punishment on their own. The facts of this case demonstrate no such conduct. Courts should only resort to punitive damages in exceptional cases and the employer's conduct here was not sufficiently egregious or outrageous to warrant such damages. Even if the facts had justified an award of punitive damages, both the trial judge and the Court of Appeal should have been alert to the fact that the compensatory damages already awarded carried, under the old test, an element of deterrence and they should have questioned whether punitive damages were necessary. This failure resulted in considerable and unnecessary duplication in the award of damages. [61‑62] [70]
Both the trial judge and the Court of Appeal also erred in concluding that the employer's "discriminatory conduct" amounted to an independent actionable wrong for the purposes of allocating punitive damages. The Ontario Human Rights Code provides a comprehensive scheme for the treatment of claims of discrimination. A breach of the Code cannot constitute an actionable wrong; therefore the legal requirement for the common law remedy of punitive damages is not met. Since there is no evidence of discrimination to support a claim of discrimination under the Code and no breach of human rights legislation serves as an actionable wrong, there is no need to deal with K's request for recognition of a distinct tort of discrimination. [55] [57] [60]
The full text of the Court's decision: Honda Canada Inc. v. Keays, 2008 SCC 39 (CanLII)
For additional background, our previous articles on this important case are compiled here.
Top court sides with Honda in landmark wrongful-dismissal case - CBC
Supreme Court erases punitive damages in dismissal case - Globe and Mail
SCOC quashes $100000 punitive award - Canada.com
Labels: employment law, Honda and Keays, punitive damages, Supreme Court of Canada
Montreal Gazette: SCC Bell Ruling a "Stinging Rebuke" to Quebec Court of Appeal
From a June 26 Gazette op-ed:
The rapidity with which the Supreme Court heard the Bell buyout case, and the unprecedented speed with which it overturned the Quebec Court of Appeal's ruling that would have derailed the deal, sends an unmistakeable message to the appeal bench to get its act together on commercial law.
The Supremes' unanimous 7-0 decision, with costs thrown in as well, is a stinging rebuke to the Quebec court... It's not the first time the Supremes have overturned the top Quebec court, but the magnitude of the Bell case, and the consequences of it, dramatize the message from on high. In fact, the Supreme Court has previously reversed seven out of nine commercial rulings from the Quebec court, including five out of five unanimous judgments, in the last five years.
...A unanimous judgment of the Quebec court was unanimously reversed within 72 hours of a hearing. You don't see that every day. The message to the Quebec court was a resounding rejection of its logic and interpretation of business law, with a slap upside the head - don't you guys understand the consequences of this?
Labels: Bell, SCC
US Supreme Court Strikes Down D.C. Gun Control Law
WSJ Law Blog:
In District of Columbia v. Heller, the hotly-anticipated case over the D.C. gun ban, a 5-4 majority affirmed the D.C. Circuit's ruling that the District of Columbia's ban on handguns violated the Second Amendment. The majority opinion was written by Justice Scalia. Justices Breyer and Stevens wrote dissents. (Here's the opinion.)
E.J. Dionne comments in A Court of Radicals:
In knocking down the District of Columbia's 32-year ban on handgun possession, the conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court have shown again their willingness to abandon precedent in order to do whatever is necessary to further the agenda of the contemporary political right.
The court's five most conservative members have demonstrated that for all of Justice Antonin Scalia's talk about "originalism" as a coherent constitutional doctrine, the judicial right regularly succumbs to the temptation to legislate from the bench. They fall in line behind whatever fashions political conservatism is promoting.
Conservative justices claim that they defer to local authority. Not in this case. They insist that political questions should be decided by elected officials. Not in this case. They argue that they pay careful attention to the precise words of the Constitution. Not in this case.
...In his intemperate dissent in the court's recent Guantanamo decision, Scalia said the defense of constitutional rights embodied in that ruling meant it "will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed." That consideration apparently does not apply to a law whose precise purpose was to reduce the number of murders in the District of Columbia.
Also see: Justices Rule for Individual Gun Rights - N.Y. Times
Labels: gun control, SCOTUS, Second Amendment, US Constitution
He's Just a Politician, After All
MSNBC Jonathan Alter, on Barack Obama's policy reversal and new-found support for the telecom immunity provisions of a FISA "compromise" bill that will shortly be debated in the US Senate:
It was only a matter of time before the left was disappointed in Barack Obama, at least in a limited way. No politician is ever going to do everything that somebody likes.
And I think some folks in the netroots in particular on this FISA bill who are, you know, pulling their hair out over this, they have to realize, he's always been a politician, he'll always be a politician, and politics is the art of the possible. And he's a legislator. He knows that you can't always get everything that you want in a bill, even if he personally believes that the immunity for Telcoms is a bad idea. The larger idea of the bill was important.
Posted by @wiselaw on Thursday, June 26, 2008 0 comments
Labels: 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, FISA, MSNBC
SCC: Honda and Keays Update
The Supreme Court of Canada will be handing down its ruling in Honda and Keays tomorrow, according to an online report.
Child Support Spies Down Under
An interesting update from The Australian describes aggressive enforcement measures to be adopted in Australia to secure payment of child support arrears from defaulting payors:
Private investigators will be used by the Child Support Agency (CSA) to spy on parents who are not meeting their child support payments.
The Federal Government says the new measures would help the CSA collect outstanding debts of $1 billion from the current financial year.
...The CSA will now be able to conduct optical surveillance, through private investigators in serious cases where parents have provided false or misleading information in relation to their child.
"What optical surveillance will do is provide visually compelling evidence that some people are not doing the right thing," Senator Ludwig said.
"We can use that visual evidence for court action. We can also use it to encourage parents to do the right thing and pay their debt in full.
"It can stretch from video surveillance, it can stretch to just observation, as well. A whole range of actions can be used."
(h/t - Sandra)
Posted by @wiselaw on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 0 comments
Labels: Australia, child support, family law
Manitoba Life Support Litigant, Samuel Golubchuck Passes Away
Samuel Golubchuck, the gravely ill Manitoba man whose family has waged a dramatic lawsuit against Winnipeg's Grace Hospital to require continuation of life support over the hospital's objection, has died.
Mr. Golubchuck who was 84, had been on life support since last fall.
Doctors argued that Mr Golubchuk's health had "virtually no chance of improving."
His family, comprised of devout, Orthodox Jews, argued that the hospital's intended cessation of life support would accelerate Mr. Golubchuk's death, contrary to his religious beliefs.
Justice Perry Schulman of the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench ruled in February, 2008 that Grace Hospital was required to maintain life support for Mr. Golubchuk pending trial.
Trial had originally been scheduled for December, 2008.
The trial date was advanced to September 2008, after an application earlier this month by the hospital, in which it argued "the task of caring for Golubchuk is taking a toll on staff, and one intensive-care specialist has already stopped working rotations at the facility in protest."
Labels: Golubchuck, life support, Manitoba Courts
Google Search Stats, Community Standards and Obscenity
ABA Journal Top Stories:
A lawyer for a pornographic website operator plans to use statistics from Google to establish community standards in Florida. Lawyer Lawrence Walters plans to introduce evidence that Pensacola residents are more likely to search Google for terms like "orgy" than for "apple pie" or "watermelon," the New York Times reports.
Also see: How to Define 'Obscenity'? Lawyer Looks to Google for Help -WSJ.com: Law Blog
Labels: Google, legal technology, technology, US Courts
Conflict of Interest: Judge Recuses Himself from Obscenity Trial
Alex Kozinski, Chief Judge of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Los Angeles, California, has recused himself from an obscenity trial after sexually explicit photographs on his own Web site became public.
The judge was presiding over a federal case against Los Angeles film maker Ira Isaacs, who is accused of selling and distributing obscene films of a highly extreme nature, when a newspaper published details of his Web site's content.
Read the full story here:
- Shashi K. Raina, Toronto
Posted by @wiselaw on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 0 comments
Labels: law
Workplace Thesaurus Update
Apparently, it's not called "downsizing" any more.
It's now known as resizing.
Posted by @wiselaw on Monday, June 23, 2008 0 comments
Labels: employment law
More Carlin
Modern Man:
Labels: George Carlin, obituaries
George Carlin - Seven Words
American comedian, George Carlin, has died of heart failure at age 71, according to the Associated Press.
The AP's report chronicles Mr. Carlin's brushes with legal notoriety and his legendary comedy routine, Seven Words You Can Never Say on TV:
Carlin's jokes constantly pushed accepted boundaries of comedy and language, particularly with his routine on the "Seven Words" — all of which are more or taboo on broadcast TV and radio to this day. When he uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested on charges of disturbing the peace, freed on $150 bail — and typically unapologetic on his release.
A Wisconsin judge dismissed the case, saying the language was indecent but citing free speech and the lack of any disturbance.
When the words were later played on a New York radio station, they resulted in a Supreme Court ruling in 1978 upholding the government's authority to sanction stations for broadcasting offensive language during hours when children might be listening.
"So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of," he told The Associated Press earlier this year.
Seven Words:
The Great American Underpants Suit
A Los Angeles traffic cop is suing Victoria's Secret for damages over eye injuries allegedly arising from defective underwear:
(h/t - Pseudo)
More from TSG:
As she was attempting to put on a Victoria's Secret thong, a Los Angeles woman claims that a decorative metallic piece flew off the garment and struck her in the eye, causing injuries and a new product liability lawsuit against the underwear giant. Macrida Patterson, 52, alleges that she was hurt last May by a defective "low-rise v-string" from the Victoria's Secret "Sexy Little Thing" line, according to a lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles Superior Court.
...Jason Buccat, told TSG that a "design problem" caused the decorative piece to come loose and strike Patterson in the eye, causing damage to her cornea. He added that the eye injury, which caused Patterson to miss a few days of work, will be "affecting her the rest of her life." Patterson is a traffic officer with L.A.'s Department of Transportation.
Posted by @wiselaw on Sunday, June 22, 2008 0 comments
Labels: oddities, US Courts
Quote of the Day: Greenwald on Obama, FISA
Glen Greenwald of Salon, on Barack Obama's support of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) "compromise," passed yesterday by the U.S. House of Representatives:
In the past 24 hours, specifically beginning with the moment Barack Obama announced that he now supports the Cheney/Rockefeller/Hoyer House bill, there have magically arisen -- in places where one would never have expected to find them -- all sorts of claims about why this FISA "compromise" isn't really so bad after all. People who spent the week railing against Steny Hoyer as an evil, craven enabler of the Bush administration -- or who spent the last several months identically railing against Jay Rockefeller -- suddenly changed their minds completely when Barack Obama announced that he would do the same thing as they did. What had been a vicious assault on our Constitution, and corrupt complicity to conceal Bush lawbreaking, magically and instantaneously transformed into a perfectly understandable position, even a shrewd and commendable decision, that we should not only accept, but be grateful for as undertaken by Obama for our Own Good.
Accompanying those claims are a whole array of factually false statements about the bill, deployed in service of defending Obama's indefensible -- and deeply unprincipled -- support for this "compromise." Numerous individuals stepped forward to assure us that there was only one small bad part of this bill -- the part which immunizes lawbreaking telecoms -- and since Obama says that he opposes that part, there is no basis for criticizing him for what he did. Besides, even if Obama decided to support an imperfect bill, it's our duty to refrain from voicing any criticism of him, because the Only Thing That Matters is that Barack Obama be put in the Oval Office, and we must do anything and everything -- including remain silent when he embraces a full-scale assault on the Fourth Amendment and the rule of law -- because every goal is now subordinate to electing Barack Obama our new Leader.
It is absolutely false that the only unconstitutional and destructive provision of this "compromise" bill is the telecom amnesty part. It's true that most people working to defeat the Cheney/Rockefeller bill viewed opposition to telecom amnesty as the most politically potent way to defeat the bill, but the bill's expansion of warrantless eavesdropping powers vested in the President, and its evisceration of safeguards against abuses of those powers, is at least as long-lasting and destructive as the telecom amnesty provisions. The bill legalizes many of the warrantless eavesdropping activities George Bush secretly and illegally ordered in 2001. Those warrantless eavesdropping powers violate core Fourth Amendment protections. And Barack Obama now supports all of it, and will vote it into law. Those are just facts.
...It's either that he "chickened out" or -- as Yale Law Professor Jack Balkin asserts and Digby wonders -- Obama believes he will be President and wants these extreme powers for himself, no doubt, he believes, because he'll exercise them magnanimously, for our Own Good. Whatever the motives -- and I don't know (or much care) what they are -- Obama has embraced a bill that is not only redolent of many of the excesses of Bush's executive power theories and surveillance state expansions, but worse, has done so by embracing the underlying rationale of "Be-scared-and-give-up-your-rights." Note that the very first line of Obama's statement warns us that we face what he calls "grave threats," and that therefore, we must accept that our Leader needs more unlimited power, and the best we can do is trust that he will use it for our Good.
It is Mr. Greenwald's conclusion, however, that hits it out of the park:
The excuse that we must sit by quietly and allow him to do these things with no opposition so that he can win is itself a corrupted and self-destructive mentality. That mindset has no end. Once he's elected, it will transform into: "It's vital that Obama keeps his majority in Congress so you have to keep quiet until after the 2010 midterms," after which it will be: "It's vital that Obama is re-elected so you have to keep quiet until after 2012," at which point the process will repeat itself from the first step. Quite plainly, those are excuses to justify mindless devotion, not genuine political strategies.
... no good comes from lending uncritical support to a political leader, or cheering them on when they do bad and destructive things, or using twisted rationalizations to justify their full-scale assault on your core political values. The overriding lesson of the last seven years is that political figures, more than they need anything else, need checks and limits. That is just as important to keep in mind -- probably more so -- when you love or revere a political leader as it is when you detest one.
Labels: 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, FISA, warrantless wiretapping
Top Ten Law Songs
Check out this "official" ranking of its all-time top ten law songs by U.S. law blog, Above the Law:
I Fought The Law - The Clash
Lawyers, Guns, and Money - Warren Zevon
99 Problems - Jay-Z
Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash
We're All Winners, as arranged by Nixon Peabody
Law and Order theme song
Hurricane - Bob Dylan
Alice's Restaurant - Arlo Guthrie
I Fought The Law - Bobby Fuller 4
The Road Goes on Forever - Robert Earl Keen
I'm wondering about the omission of the theme from Perry Mason, a golden-era TV offering which no doubt piqued the original interest of a whole generation of lawyers in pursuing careers in the field of real-life courtroom drama:
Back to the list....
We've previously featured numbers 1 and 9.
So, here is the late Warren Zevon with a rare, acoustic version of Lawyers Guns and Money from a 1994 BBC Christmas broadcast:
... and a more robust, full band version, from David Sanborn's Night Music in the late 80's:
And finally, our featured tune makes a cameo appearance as a theme song for a David Letterman bit, Celebrity Legal Troubles, with Mr. Zevon filling in for an absent Paul Schaeffer:
Labels: I Fought The Law, music, Warren Zevon
Supreme Court of Canada Rules in Favour of Bell (BCE Inc)
From Report on Business:
OTTAWA — BCE Inc.'s $35-billion sale to Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan can proceed after the Supreme Court of Canada threw out a lower court a decision that put the largest buyout in Canadian history in jeopardy.
The decision was unanimous, and costs are awarded to BCE. The reasons for the court's decision are to come later.
Also see CBC: Top court says BCE deal can go ahead
The text of the Court's endorsement, setting out its ruling, is as follows:
BCE Inc., et al. v. A Group of 1976 Debentureholders composed of: Aegon Capital Management Inc., Addenda Capital Inc., Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management Ltd., Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, CIBC Global Asset Management Inc.,, et al.
Judgment on the appeal rendered, CJ Ba Bi LeB De Abe Cha,
The appeals from the judgments of the Court of Appeal of Quebec (Montréal), Numbers 500-09-018525-089 and 500-09-018527-085, dated May 21, 2008, heard on June 17, 2008, are allowed with costs throughout.
The decision of the Court of Appeal is set aside and the trial judge's approval of the plan of arrangement is affirmed.
The cross-appeals from the judgments of the Court of Appeal of Quebec (Montréal), Numbers 500-09-018524-082 and 500-09-018526-087, dated May 21, 2008, heard on June 17, 2008, are dismissed with costs throughout.
Reasons to follow.
Allowed, with costs
Labels: Bell, Supreme Court of Canada
On Olbermann
From a fascinating and insightful profile of MSNBC's Keith Olbermann by Peter J. Boyer in the New Yorker:
The Olbermann-O'Reilly feud, which is wholly Olbermann's creation, began with a wisecrack in 2003, the first year of "Countdown." It evolved after Olbermann instituted a farcical segment called "The Worst Person in the World," in which O'Reilly, depicted as a pompous buffoon, was regularly cited. O'Reilly, the biggest draw of the highest-rated cable-news network, could only lose by engaging with Olbermann, but he could not resist. Refusing to mention Olbermann by name, he sponsored a petition drive to have him replaced, and eventually began to aim on-air broadsides against NBC's parent company, General Electric, and its chairman, Jeffrey Immelt. "If my child were killed in Iraq, I would blame the likes of Jeffrey Immelt," O'Reilly asserted in April, citing G.E.'s business relationship with Iran. (The company began phasing out its contracts there in 2005.) This only encouraged Olbermann, who subjected Bill-O (as Olbermann calls him) to near-daily barrages of acid caricature. Instead of using video clips of O'Reilly for his routines, Olbermann began voicing O'Reilly's words himself, in a demonic mimicry of the Ted Baxter character on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."
See: One Angry Man: Is Keith Olbermann changing TV news?
Labels: 2008 Presidential Election, Bill O'Reilly, Hillary Clinton, Keith Olbermann, media
Truism of the day:
Even supporters of the death penalty should agree that nobody should be sentenced to death by a judge who is sleeping with the prosecutor.
More on this from the New York Times.
Labels: Death Penalty, US Courts
US Supreme Court Restores Guantanamo Habeas Rights: "Stunning Blow" to Bush Administration
In Boumediene v. Bush, a decision of the United States Supreme Court released today, the Court ruled in favour of Guantanamo detainees, finding they "have the constitutional privilege of habeas corpus. They are not barred from seeking the writ or invoking the Suspension Clause's protections because they have been designated as enemy combatants or because of their presence at Guantanamo."
In affirming the entitlement of detainees to assert habeas challenges in U.S. courts, the Supreme Court dealt a historic blow to the wartime policies of the Bush administration.
The commentary that follows is from Robert Ambrogi's Legal Blog Watch:
The 5-4 ruling was, as Lyle Denniston wrote at SCOTUSblog, "a stunning blow to the Bush Administration." American Bar Association president William Neukom said the decision "reaffirms the vision of our founders, and helps restore the credibility of the United States as a leading advocate and model for the rule of law across the globe." Kathryn Kolbert, president of People for the American Way, described it as a rebuke of "President Bush's vision of the presidency as an office of limitless power." And here is what the court, itself, had to say, in the words of Justine Kennedy's majority opinion:
We hold that petitioners may invoke the fundamental procedural protections of habeas corpus. The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times. Liberty and security can be reconciled; and in our system they are reconciled within the framework of the law. The Framers decided that habeas corpus, a right of first importance, must be a part of that framework, a part of that law.
Mauro at The BLT writes that the U.S. District Court in Washington, which now has habeas jurisdiction over the detainees as a result of today's ruling, is already responding to the decision. As many as 200 detainees have filed habeas petitions, and many were being held pending the outcome of Boumediene.
Not surprisingly, President Bush disagreed with the ruling, according to an Associated Press report:
ROME - President Bush on Thursday strongly disagreed with a Supreme Court ruling that clears foreign terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay to challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts. Bush suggested new legislation may now be needed to keep the American people safe.
"We'll abide by the court's decision," Bush said during a news conference in Rome. "That doesn't mean I have to agree with it... It was a deeply divided court, and I strongly agree with those who dissented," Bush said. "And that dissent was based upon their serious concerns about U.S. national security."
Bush said his administration will study the ruling. "We'll do this with this in mind — to determine whether or not additional legislation might be appropriate so we can safely say to the American people, 'We're doing everything we can to protect you.'"
Labels: George Bush, Guantanamo, habeas corpus, SCOTUS
Land Transfer Tax – First Time Home Buyer Rebate extends to Resale Homes
On December 13, 2007 the Government of Ontario announced proposed amendments to the Land Transfer Tax Act to extend the Land Transfer Tax Refund Program for First-Time Homebuyers, thus far available only to purchasers of new homes, to purchasers of resale homes.
This important change to the Land Transfer Tax regime in Ontario became law on May 14th 2008, without much publicity, when Bill 44 received the Royal Assent.
The new rebate is applicable to transactions for which the agreements of purchase and sale was entered into after December 13, 2007.
For transactions closing after May 14th 2008, the rebate will be automatically applied upon completion of appropriate statements in the Electronic Land Registration system.
For transactions that closed prior to May 14th 2008, but the agreement of purchase and sale was entered into after December 13th 2007, the purchasers will have to apply to the Ministry of Revenue for a refund.
For eligibility and procedure for claiming a refund, read here.
Labels: land transfer tax, Real Estate
Leafs Welcome Ron Wilson as New Head Coach
Video from today's press conference introducing Ron Wilson as the next head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs:
Labels: NHL, Ron Wilson, Toronto Maple Leafs
Dylan on Obama
Bob Dylan, commenting on Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee, as reported by Associated Press:
In an interview with the Times of London, the musician is quoted as saying that Obama has changed politics in the United States, though Dylan does not specifically endorse the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee
"Well, you know right now America is in a state of upheaval. Poverty is demoralizing. You can't expect people to have the virtue of purity when they are poor," Dylan is quoted as saying.
"But we've got this guy out there now who is redefining the nature of politics from the ground up ... Barack Obama," he was quoted as saying. "He's redefining what a politician is, so we'll have to see how things play out. Am I hopeful? Yes, I'm hopeful that things might change. Some things are going to have to."
So, like all of us, I guess Bob Dylan is wondering if the times, they may be a-changing...?
And why not...
Let's add this version by Bruce Springsteen to the mix, from a 1997 Tribute to Dylan at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, as a tuxedo-laden Dylan watches from the audience, flanked by the Clintons...
Labels: 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Hillary Clinton
KFC Canada to Improve Welfare for Chickens
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) enlisted the help of Canadian and long time PETA member Pamela Anderson to generate attention to their ongoing, controversial "Kentucky Fried Cruelty" campaign. The campaign focused primarily on the poor conditions in which chickens used by the restaurant were maintained and slaughtered.
To stop the campaign from continuing in Canada, KFC Canada and PETA reached an agreement that promises "improved welfare for the chickens".
The Toronto Star reports:
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has agreed to call off its Canadian "Kentucky Fried Cruelty" campaign, featuring actress Pamela Anderson, following a signed agreement with the company. The campaign will continue in the U.S. and abroad, however, PETA said.
Among other things, the deal obliges KFC Canada to begin buying from suppliers who use gas to kill chickens painlessly, considered the least cruel method of slaughter.
The company is pledging to insist on other "animal-welfare friendly" measures, including a crowding maximum and phasing out growth hormones and other drugs.
KFC is also slated to add a vegan item to their menu... no word yet on whether it will be "Finger lickin' good".
- Annie Noa Kenet, Toronto
Employer Tells Waitress who Shaved Hair for Charity: Wear Wig or Go Home
After her father died of cancer, Stacey Fearnall, a waitress at Nathaniel's restaurant in Owen Sound, Ontario, decided to shave her head as part of a "Cops for Cancer" charity event. When she attended at work for her shift, her boss advised her to wear a wig or go home. In spite of some public outcry, the restaurant owner continues to defend his position.
CTV.ca reports:
Nathaniels owner and chef Dan Hilliard defended his decision, saying the restaurant has certain standards. He prohibits male staff from wearing earrings and requires employees keep their hair at a reasonable length.
Fearnall is still on the payroll and she can return to work once she grows her hair back, he said, adding she was offered the summer off to spend time with her kids.
Fearnall, who also works in a plant nursery and as a caterer, told The Owen Sound Sun Times she was shocked by what happened.
"I honestly can't believe this is happening,'' she said. "It's ridiculous that I would be punished for doing a good thing.''
Stacey Fearnall's husband has contacted the Ontario Labour Relations Board who informed her she should file an Ontario Human Rights Complaint.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper Goes to Ontario Superior Court
A pretty good cross-examination of Conservative M.P., James Moore, by CBC's Don Newman.
Mr. Moore comments on expert reports tabled at Ontario Superior Court by the Prime Minister, purportedly opining that the Cadscam tapes were "doctored:"
Tories ask court to stop Liberals' use of Harper tape - CBC News
Tories using Cadman to distract from Bernier: Grits - CTV News
Author categorically denies Harper tape doctored - CTV News
Tale of the Tape - Calgary Grit
"Doctored": The New Conservative Buzz Word - Peterborough Politics
Some questions for James Moore - Scott's Diatribe
Labels: Cadman Scandal, Cadscam, CBC, Stephen Harper
Hillary Clinton's Last Hurrah?
Video of Hillary Clinton's 'victory' speech after last evening's South Dakota primary win:
Labels: 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton
Barack Obama Makes History
Tuesday night's victory speech from Barack Obama, newly crowned as the Democratic Party's presumptive 2008 U.S. Presidential nominee:
Labels: 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama


Colgate is one of the best-known brands in the dental industry today. They are famous for their high quality of service, and the excellent whitening products they've provided over the long years of their existence. Like every company, Colgate have always been expanding into their own branch, exploring different areas of it and have recently, also introducing their own brand of teeth whitening kits.
Optic White is a visible advance in professional home whitening, providing fast, safe and effective whitening.
This product can only be bought under specific circumstances. If you are interested in purchasing or supplying this product, please contact us for further details and availability.
Due to the concentrated strength some users may experience an increase in sensitivity. Because of this we recommend this product not be used by those with sensitive teeth.


text:
Q: php, CodeIgniter- Amazon Product Advertising API, how to get ASIN from a product URL A text box in the page. User will paste a product url from Amazon.com and then click a button beside the text box. Then weight and dimension of the product needs to be received so that these can be utilized later.  pressing the  button  will invoke a jquery ajax call.
From the Amazon Product Advertising write-ups, it seems that  ASIN is necessary first to get any detail from the product. But how can I get the ASIN from the product URL?
A sample product url is: here.
I am using php CodeIgniter

A: In ruby on rails, I used the following method,so far it works well.
def parse_url
    url=self.url.match("/([A-Z0-9]{10})").to_s
    len = url.size
    url=url.slice!(1,len)
end

It should be very similar in PHP. Sorry I am not expert with PHP regex syntax.
But good luck! This is base on the ASIN is always 10 char long and start with capital letters, consist with letters and numbers only.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Throughout the Start Strong initiative, we always encouraged our 11 sites to share and learn—from both successes and failures—because we believed doing so was crucial to their growth. Six Start Strong site directors were kind enough to share the top five lessons they've each learned over the course of their work. It is our hope and theirs that sharing these insights will make the work of dedicated people like you even stronger and smarter in the future.


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Window mounted air conditioners from Frigidaire come in a variety of types and sizes. From compact to heavy duty, learn more about our window ACs today.
There are various types of air conditioners like window air conditioner, split air conditioner, packaged air conditioner and central air conditioning system.
Which are the best window air conditioners? Editors conduct extensive research to find the top performing AC units.
Consumer Reports tells you the best window air conditioners of 2019, grouping them from reliable brands by room size.
Air handling unit is an air system that performs functions such as circulating, cleaning, humidifying, heating, cooling or mixing of air.


text:
(Source: ZenusTech)
ZenusTech Wins Tens of Millions of Yuan in Angel Round Financing Led by Gaorong Capital
Apr 13, 2022, 19:13pm 2022/04/13 19:30:17 Pandaily
ZenusTech, a computer software startup based in Shenzhen, announced on Wednesday that it has completed an angel round of financing worth tens of millions of yuan. The funding was led by Gaorong Capital and followed by Qingsong Fund.
Established in September 2020, ZenusTech has independently developed "ZENO," the first full-process 3D content generation software in China, integrating physical simulation, biological simulation, programmed geometry, programmed materials and real-time rendering. At present, ZENO has started alpha testing for key customers.
Funds from the recent round will reportedly be used for upgrades to the ZENO system and for supporting the development and testing of 3D content generation software. The company will also invest in recruitment and product promotion.
ZENO has a built-in node editor, which provides a series of auxiliary tools to help build 3D subjects. Users can edit complex projects visually and efficiently simply by clicking and dragging components. Using ZFX scripting language and ZPC programming framework built into the system, users can realize undifferentiated and high computing operation of projects on CPUs and GPUs.
Up to now, ZENO has accumulated more than 400 nodes, and has obvious performance advantages in physical simulation, biological simulation, programmed geometry and materials and real-time rendering.
At present, ZenusTech is carrying out upgrades for ZENO 2.0, optimizing its performance. The company also continuously enriches open digital assets and builds channels for users to learn and communicate. According to the firm, a full-process 3D content generation software will be officially launched before the end of the year.
SEE ALSO: Report: 31 Metaverse-Related Companies Raised $475M in Q1
Bin Yue, Founding Partner of Gaorong Capital, added that ZenusTech has created convenient, efficient, open source and free tools for content producers through independent R&D of underlying technologies. The company has used technology to break through boundaries of imagination. The team brings together top technical experts in the fields of computer graphics and physical simulation computing software. Professionals with rich experience in Hollywood and the domestic special effects business have also joined the firm. ZenusTech is expected to further help creators and reconstruct the industry ecosystem in the future.
Tags financing | Gaorong Capital | Qingsong Fund | Technologies
Cloud Phone Firm Suancho to Receive Over $15M in Angel Round Financing
Shenzhen-based tech firm Suanchou Information (also known as Suancho) has announced that it will complete an angel round of financing totaling over 100 million yuan ($15.04 million) in the near future.
Startups Apr 29 April 29, 2022
eVTOL Startup WEFLY Secures Tens of Millions of Dollars in Angel Investment
Chinese electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) startup WEFLY has announced the completion of tens of millions of dollars in angel investment. The co-investors were Ince Capital and Linear Capital.
Startups May 05 May 5, 2022
DNA Synthesis Startup Atantares Secures Angel+ Round of Financing
Shanghai Xinsu Medical Technology Co., Ltd., also known as Atantares, has recently completed an angel+ round of financing totaling tens of millions of yuan, led by Qiming Venture Partners.
Wi-Fi Chip Firm Zunpai Completes Several Hundred Million Yuan in Pre-A Investment Round
Zunpai Communication Technology (Nanjing) Co., Ltd., a Chinese wireless communication chip company, announced on Monday that it has obtained several hundred million yuan in a pre-A round of financing.