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Politician and Professor: Pravin Gordhan's week at the Zondo commission of inquiry in focus
Ferial Haffajee
Ferial Haffajee (Gallo Images / City Press / Herman Verwey)
PODCAST: The EFF vs Gordhan battle with some sprinklings of Zuma
Friday Briefing: What's behind the attacks on Pravin Gordhan?
EFF attacks on Gordhan inspired by classic Zuma tactics
'EFF bullies' trying to 'hide their own shenanigans' - ANC chief whip Mthembu
On the day after former Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene was fired by then-President Jacob Zuma in December 2015, I went to interview Pravin Gordhan, who was then Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
I wanted an inside track about what on earth was going on, because it felt like Armageddon for South Africa as the markets tanked and billions were being wiped off the stock exchange (and therefore off pensions and savings) as the news sunk in.
Gordhan kept checking his Blackberry, looking very worried, as the currency went into freefall.
What he gave me was a list of books to read on state capture, including one called Why Nations Fail. I was looking at my notes from that meeting as I prepared this profile, and they taught me two things: firstly, that Gordhan is the consummate politician, for he revealed very little - certainly not that he was, by then, in talks with the ANC to return as finance minister a few days; and secondly, that he is professorial by bent.
Take this week's evidence to the judicial commission of inquiry into state capture chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, where Gordhan was the second sitting Cabinet minister to take the stand. He is now Public Enterprises minister. At 68 pages, his testimony was among the longest yet, and spanned the widest experience of what happened to South Africa in the past decade.
In it, Gordhan as politician and professor was again on display. He opening statement was an account of his history in the ANC and later, he provided the first public details of how close he and Zuma had been as comrades. Gordhan, a pharmacist and underground guerilla for the ANC, was part of the reception committee which provided transport and other services to Zuma when he came off Robben Island to return to active mobilisation in Durban. The testimony shed light on how that relationship had come apart.
READ: Ferial Haffajee: 'You will get a Gupta minister who will arrive with advisors'
Then, the professorial Gordhan used books and reports, including Betrayal of the Promise, edited by academics Ivor Chipkin and Mark Swilling, to place state capture within a rubric of how he understood capture. He would return to it again and again in his three-day testimony, like an academic refining a concept. By the end of his testimony, I had noted his references to at least two other books I needed to read as I studied state capture.
The Betrayal report defines mafia networks of capture with its constituent parts, and Gordhan had obviously made a close study of this as he explained often how the state-owned enterprises over which he now has political authority had been captured. He called Zuma the controller of the network and placed Cabinet ministers and others as elites or brokers using the report as reference.
But, later, asked by the commission's chairperson, Judge Raymond Zondo, to name ministers involved, he deflected from doing so – the professor gave way to the politician.
In President Cyril Ramaphosa's government, Gordhan is earning both opprobrium and kudos as the face of the fight against corruption. In this, he is becoming akin to Kenyan anti-graft campaigner John Githongo and his Nigerian counterpart Nuhu Ribadu. Githongo and Ribadu did what Gordhan is now attempting to do: to clear big post-colonial African democracies of patronage and corruption systems in order to stimulate broad development.
Gordhan has taken a scythe to several boards of public enterprises. As the commission sat on Thursday, news came through that the Labour Court had thrown out an appeal by former Transnet CEO Siyabonga Gama against his dismissal. At Eskom, Gordhan was instrumental in ensuring that the board was changed, and a new CEO installed even before he became Public Enterprises minister.
"We will not tolerate corruption. We will act forcefully," he said during his testimony this week.
READ: Five parting shots from Gordhan at the Zondo commission
Neither Githongo nor Ribadu lasted very long in their positions, as the patronage and mafia networks they were trying to investigate and prosecute turned out to be too strong. I wondered if that would be Gordhan's fate too. He is unsettling some in the ANC by taking out executives like Gama and cleaning out state-owned enterprise boards of cadres like Dudu Myeni, the Zuma aide who chaired (and some say, crashed) SAA.
A 1995 profile of Gordhan in the A to Z of South African Politics, published by the Mail & Guardian, notes that he is "highly talented" and sets out in detail the style he deployed as co-chairperson of the multiparty negotiations at the World Trade Centre in the 90s.
"He won widespread acclaim for his skilful and firm – and sometimes openly manipulative – handling of the talks, but also made enemies for what was seen by some as unprovoked jabs and sarcasm from the chair, aimed at those not in agreement with the ANC."
Gordhan deploys the same jabs and sarcasms with patronage networks and those with whom he disagrees today, and it can earn him enemies.
READ: No one told me I was being relieved of my duties, Gordhan tells Zondo Commission
Until the ANC came out in support of Gordhan on Friday, he seemed quite isolated early in the week.
For the entire week, he faced an unprecedented attack by the EFF, even by its own standards of politics as war. At a rally on Tuesday afternoon, EFF President Julius Malema capped a month of attacks on Gordhan by calling him a "dog".
"We must beat the dog," he said about Gordhan.
A day earlier, Malema's deputy, Floyd Shivambu, alleged that Gordhan had given Zuma the so-called spy tapes because he wanted the job of Finance Minister. On both days the sounds of "Phantsi, Pravin Gordhan, phantsi," filtered into the venue of the commission.
The party launched a social media attack on the Public Enterprises minister's daughter Anisha, zapping photographs of her into the ether, along with allegations that she was director of a number of companies that did business with the state.
By Wednesday, the strain was telling on him and on his family, who attended each of the long days of testimony. The commission of inquiry is a place of some vulnerability and intimacy, as people like ministers, directors-general and others - who are not accustomed to opening up processes in the ANC government to public scrutiny - do exactly that. As they complete their testimony, I detect in them both a catharsis and nervousness.
READ: From Bell Pottinger to street politics, here are 6 key quotes from Gordhan's testimony to Zondo
As he finished his testimony each day, Gordhan stepped over to his family: his two daughters and his wife Vani, among other family members. In testimony, he would reveal again and again how his political decisions are always taken in consultation with his family. When Zuma asked him to take, again, the mantle of Finance Minister, after the economy and country went into freefall on that fateful weekend in December 2015, Gordhan did not immediately say yes.
"I want to consult my family," Gordhan told Zuma.
He did so, he explained, and despite the family's reluctance, they opted to "give the commitment to serve" due to the country's position.
After the week's testimony, and seeing many of Gordhan's varied identities on display, it is this one - that of a family man - which lingered, and on which he ended his testimony.
His written testimony was going to end on a political note, but because his daughter had come under attack during the week, he ended by stating clearly that she had not done business with the state; neither did she own the string of companies the EFF had put into the ether all week long to create a deflecting narrative. "I am not a commodity for sale, and the Guptas learnt that too," he said, repeatedly, in his testimony. And, neither, he seemed to say, is my family for sale.
* Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson was published by Crown Publishing Group in 2012.
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Read more about: julius malema | pravin gordhan | ferial haffajee | gupta family | state capture | state capture commission
Ferial Haffajee: 5 lessons for business from Zuma's Zondo testimony

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Good to see Bayo on the bench hopefully get the game wrapped up early and see what he's got.
One a Bhoy I always want a English team in the cl probably only teams we stand a chance with.
That second half put into perspective how hard it is for us now they destroyed man united last night and look at the money theyv spent pogba etc.
Malky u could have a midfield 3 of Mgregor brown Ntcham to mix it up.
Lads short memories Ntcham will be a massive player for us when fit when he is on his game Ntcham is an absolute baller.
A think it will be more than a slog than people think tonight 2 0.


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Natalya Romanivna Pipa (; born 12 October 1983) is a Ukrainian politician currently serving as a People's Deputy of Ukraine representing Ukraine's 115th electoral district as a member of Holos. She is a member of the Ukrainian Galician Party. Prior to her election, she was a local leader of the Ukrainian Galician Party in the city of Lviv.

Early life and career
In 1997, Pipa joined Plast, Ukraine's national scouting organisation. She was a member of the AIESEC from 2000 to 2004.

In 2000, Pipa graduated from Lviv Specialized Secondary School No. 8, where she studied the German language extensively. In 2005, she obtained her higher education in "Economic cybernetics" at the University of Lviv. In 2018, she graduated from the Ukrainian Catholic University, completing programs of study including the "Management of non-profit organizations", "Effective governance", "Good governance for good leaders".

From 2004 to 2013, Pipa worked as an insurance broker at the "Expert" brokerage. Since 2013, she has been a manager of external relations (fundraiser) at the Dzherelo Centre for Children and Youth with Special Needs.

Political career
Pipa entered politics in 2014, as a member of the Better Sykhiv protests that led to the establishment of the  in Lviv's southern Sykhivskyi District. Pipa is also responsible for the creation of the Sykhivskyi Green Path, a urban green space near Lviv's Dovzhenko Theatre, a lecture series from the City Workshop and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, and a variety of eco-fairs and festivals with the intention of promoting environmental awareness in Lviv.

From 2015 to 2019, she was a member of the Ukrainian Galician Party, serving as the head of the Lviv city branch of the party from 2015 to 2016.

In the 2015 Ukrainian local elections, Pipa was an unsuccessful candidate for the Lviv Oblast Council and Lviv City Council in the Sykhivskyi District.

From November 2016, she was an assistant to Ihor Volodymyrovych Dyakovich, a deputy of the Lviv City Council.

During the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Pipa was the candidate of Holos in Ukraine's 115th electoral district. She was successfully elected.

People's Deputy of Ukraine
Pipa is currently a People's Deputy of Ukraine and a member of the Holos faction. She is secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science and Innovation. Among her projects are the development of a senior professional school, the promotion of the Ukrainian language in education, and the establishment of boundaries and protections for parks in Lviv.

In June 2021, she announced her participation in the newly-formed Justice parliamentary group, citing her lack of confidence in Kira Rudyk.

References

External links
 Natalya Pipa on Facebook
 Verkhovna Rada (in Ukrainian)
 Natalya Pipa website (in Ukrainian)

1983 births
Living people
Politicians from Lviv
Ukrainian Catholic University alumni
Ninth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada
Justice Party (Ukraine) politicians
Women members of the Verkhovna Rada

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Michael Davis' thoughts on theatre and the Arts.
May 20, 2017 May 20, 2017 Michael Davis
Metamorphoses, Bread and Roses Theatre – Review
Much of our knowledge of Graeco-Roman myths from antiquity stems from 'collected tales' such as Ovid's Metamorphosis. Tracing the history of the world through various myths, what unites all these fables are the changes that occur have lasting consequences. Based to various degrees on the original stories, Metamorphoses at Bread and Roses Theatre is comprised of five very different plays on the subject of change – all directed by Kasia Różycki, artistic director of Off The Cliff Theatre.
P assengers Or Whatever Happened To Icarus by Daniel Julian uses the original myth purely as a jumping-off point, though its impact on the evening is not in the least diminished. Set in present day London, four actors speak to the audience about how carefree and different Icarus' existence is from themselves. As they become more vocal about this disparity, it's impossible not to notice their agitation as they drag Icarus' 'highly-esteemed' reputation 'down to earth'. Bold in its concept, this leftfield approach to the Icarus myth and using it to begin a discourse on existentialism (and life in general) is unexpected and novel, leaving the audience guessing what to expect for the rest of the evening.
Matching the first play with a similar intensity, the monologue Until My Tears Turn To Stone by Heloise Thual takes a sojourn into African mythology. Performed by Elizabeth Uter, it touches on Nimba, the African goddess of fertility.
The first two plays are quite serious and intense, so when Io Restored (written by Christian Simonsen) appears, it feels like a breath of fresh air. Based on the original tale of the Titan incarcarated for giving mankind the gift of fire, Prometheus (Matthew Wade) here receives an unexpected visit from a Chorus of nymphs (Helen Jessica Liggat, Ann-Sophie Marie, Velenzia Spearpoint) and Io (Meg Lake), a 'mortal' who was the former lover of Zeus… There are many mythical references to the original source material, but you don't have to be versed in the Classics to enjoy this play, as there are satirical allusions to the 21st century too.
If this was my favourite 'comedic' play of the evening, then The Other Side by Christopher Moore was my favourite 'dramatic' piece – a clever reinvention of the Narcissus myth, with something to say about contemporary relationships. Brokenhearted from the end of a romance, Nick (Benedict Scarles) transfer his capacity to love from other people to himself, leaving those who genuinely care about him feeling even more estranged and isolated. However, his own reflection (Alex Dowding) has something to say on the matter. I won't say much more, but suffice to say that what it has to say about the myopic nature of a wounded heart is explored in an entertaining and provocative way.
The evening concludes with a segment of musical theatre (The Riddle Pond by Michael Lluberes and Jared Dembowski) – something that to my knowledge only the Pensive Federation attempt to do regularly for new writing nights. Fairy tale-esque in its conceit, The Riddle Pond also has a broken-hearted male lead (Vicente Carlos Luque) who learns about the true nature of love from a woman who provides riddles (Katherine Leyva). As a link between the two characters, Ashley Rose Kaplan admirably provides support as the Chorus.
It occured to me at the time that this is so different from what's often offered on the Fringe, except perhaps the few venues that offer opera in intimate surroundings. In any case, this particular festival of visual and physical theatre at the Bread and Roses Theatre is different and distinctive from other themed new writing nights – a rare feat in itself, given the number of scratch nights and talent that London's blessed with. Given the numerous ideas that 'metamorphosis' conjures, there's no reason why there shouldn't be subsequent festivals based on this theme.
© Michael Davis 2017
Metamorphoses runs at Bread and Roses Theatre until 20th May 2017.
https://www.breadandrosestheatre.co.uk/metamorphoses.html
Previous Richard III, Arcola Theatre – Review
Next Found In Translation, Blue Elephant Theatre – Review
Theatre companies interested in me reviewing their shows, I can be contacted via Twitter @Michael30517721
To guarantee I can make it to a show, a minimum of a month's notice should be given. Thanks.


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Regional Lifestyles
Local (current)
Housing crisis in P.E.I.
Prince Edward Island > News > Local
Professional golfer sentenced for driving drunk on P.E.I.
Terrence McEachern · Reporter | Posted: Nov. 29, 2021, 5:10 p.m. | Updated: Nov. 29, 2021, 5:52 p.m. | 3 Min Read
The provincial courthouse in Georgetown, P.E.I. - Terrence McEachern
A professional golfer who competed in the 2013 U.S. Open has avoided jail despite being caught drunk driving in P.E.I. with alcohol levels more than double the legal limit.
Ontario resident Jesse Stratton Smith, 42, pleaded guilty and was sentenced for impaired driving on Nov. 25 in provincial court in Georgetown.
Crown attorney Chad McQuaid told the court that on Aug. 29 in the early morning hours, police officers with the Montague RCMP were leaving for patrols when they noticed an SUV parked on the shoulder of the road near the detachment's driveway entrance. Officers followed the vehicle when it drove onto the road. At one point, the vehicle crossed the road's centre line, so the RCMP made a traffic stop. The driver – Smith – showed signs of impairment, such as slurred speech and delayed motor skills.
Smith was arrested and taken back to the Montague RCMP detachment where he provided two breathalyzer samples – both 190 milligrams (mg) of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80 mg. Smith was on the Island participating in a golf event in Brudenell.
McQuaid presented a joint recommendation with Smith's Halifax-based lawyer Laura McCarthy for a sentence of 12 months of probation, 200 hours of community service in his home province of Ontario and a $2,000 fine.
Smith spoke in court and apologized for his actions that morning, adding that he was filled with regret, shame and disgust about his "awful decision" and dangerous actions. He noted that this conviction could affect his role in the Six Nations community mentoring youth, but it could also provide a positive learning experience for members of the community. Smith explained that he was self-medicating because the day following the impaired driving incident would have been his sister's birthday, who died years earlier.
Judge Nancy Orr noted that even though Smith is an Indigenous person, he didn't grow up on a reserve. As a result, Smith didn't experience many of the negative systemic factors that contribute to an Indigenous offender's behaviour, such as high unemployment, domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse or the impact of residential schools on a family.
Instead, Smith grew up in the U.S. and graduated from Colgate University. He worked in finance for a while before deciding to focus on golf as a career. Smith moved to Ontario to be a part of the Six Nations reserve to reconnect with his community and identity.
Given the high blood-alcohol readings and the absence of a jail term, Orr scrutinized whether the proposed joint recommendation was in the public interest. The judge noted that for a first-time offender with aggravating blood-alcohol readings of 160 mg or higher, a jail term is normally imposed and the $2,000 fine is the mandatory minimum under the legislation.
But in the end, Orr accepted the joint recommendation. She explained that without the joint recommendation, the proposed sentence is not one she would have imposed.
Orr added that sentencing is an individualized process, and given Smith's circumstances and Indigenous status, other options besides jail needed to be considered. Smith did not have a prior criminal record.
In addition to the 12 months of probation and $2,000 fine, Smith was ordered to pay a $600 victim surcharge. He was also banned from driving for one year.
With the permission of a probation officer, instead of performing 200 hours of community service, Smith could convert that time into $10 for each hour payable to the Eastern Kings Health Foundation.
More Local Stories
UPEI student union councillors impeach president due to 'evidence of unprofessionalism'
P.E.I.'s legislature has paused proceedings due to COVID-19 cases amongst staff
Denying P.E.I. woman COVID test was an error says Health P.E.I.
Federal government, Epekwitk Mi'kmaq establish national park reserve along P.E.I.'s north shore
P.E.I. reports third COVID-related death, 304 new cases Jan. 19
P.E.I. man sentenced for leaving accident scene, thefts
First responders find missing person in Lower Freetown, P.E.I. during severe winter storm
Two P.E.I. organizations each receive $400K in funding to support veterans


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SNES Classic Mini Edition - Super Nintendo Entertainment System - USED
Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Brand New!
Super NES Classic Edition system has the original look and feel of the home console, only smaller. Plus, this one comes fully loaded with 21 games! Get your hands on some of the best 2-player games of the era, including Super Mario Kart and Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting. The Super NES Classic Edition is compatible with the Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro accessories. Just plug it in and play From your first ride on Yoshi to the final heart-pounding escape from Planet Zebes, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System is pure 16-bit retro gaming perfection.


Auto insurance coverage insurance policies usually cowl travel units, however not all do, so ask before you purchase. I've all the time wished to do this, however I worry it might be lame as a result of I'd desire a journey buddy. If in case you have the cash to spend, you can travel the nation in various alternative ways. Besides, I say there's loads to see on this planet, even in case you by no means travel more than a few hundred miles from home. If in case you have ever owned a large motorhome or journey trailer, you already know simply how onerous it is to find a place to park the car.
Travelers have little management over the ambient temperature in an airplane cabin, practice compartment, or bus, so frequent enterprise travelers undoubtedly will respect a gift of a nice-sized, tender, hygienic, private journey blanket and pillow of their very own to tuck into one in every of their carry-on bags. Business vacationers need to arrive at their travel destination rested, refreshed, and able to meet with clients, prospects, companies, etc.
It is a close to universal phenomenon we confer with as guitar acquisition syndrome, and so having a small journey measurement guitar to take locations is one thing all of us wind up fascinated about often. Journey sized lint rollers will guarantee you're dust and lint free on meeting/event day. Additionally, don't be shocked in case you see individuals going manner over the pace restrict and pissed off if you happen to travel the posted speed. With a flexible work life and a pre-schooler, we bought the van to renovate to be able to travel the country & go to household who winter in Florida. The Brookstone nap Travel Blanket is a travel blanket with a distinct texture on either side. It's worthwhile to check compatibility choices in international locations the place they typically journey or this may just be ineffective. Lovedoctor, I do know it takes about 2 1/2 hours roughly to journey from London to Paris.
Simply across the road, you will go to the previous Canadian Nationwide Practice Station and behind the main constructing, climb into the old caboose; to get the feeling of how it was to travel by prepare again then. The name Dalton was the street my Uncle Hap lived on in order that they known as them Dalton trailers. I started writing some lenses explaining the way to guide train tickets on numerous European web sites.


Dr. Khullar is a psychiatrist who specializes in the combined management of sleep, mood and anxiety disorders, as well as sleep apnea in non-traditional populations.
He graduated from medical school at the University of Alberta and completed a sleep and mood disorders fellowship at the University of Toronto, as well as additional sleep medicine training at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Khullar is board-certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine in both Canada and the United States. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta.
He consults at the Grey Nuns Hospital as well as MedSleep clinics across the country on a wide variety of topics related to the interactions between mood, anxiety and sleep.
Actively involved in research, Dr. Khullar has given more than 200 invited presentations to public and professional audiences worldwide. He also has provided sleep, anxiety and mood management strategies to organizations such as the Canadian Winter Olympic Team and the Edmonton Oilers.


Last week, #edchatters agreed that the first question that must be answered in educational reform is, What is the purpose or mission for education today? This week, #edchatters grappled with this question. Currently, I see a tug of war occurring between two notions – the notion of schooling vs. the notion learning.
I'm eager to hear more opinions on the difference between the two. For me, schooling summons images of standardized tests, busy work, rows of desks, conformity, A's and F's, whereas learning is something different entirely. Learning is organic, authentic, relevant, personal, and empowering.
What is the mission of education today?
The mission of education seems like it should be fairly obvious – to educate. But to what extent? While there is not yet an agreed upon goal of education, #edchatters shared their visions and hopes for what they believe the mission of education should be. Below is a wordle summarizing their contributions.
When I think of the mission of education as it is currently being rewritten, I see a large focus on creating college and career ready individuals. I think it should be more than this.
The mission of education should be to empower students to become passionate, self-directed, lifelong learners armed with the critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and collaboration skills needed to change and indeed save the world. Students must be prepared to be digital, networked, and global citizens. Students should have opportunities to create and contribute, not simply consume knowledge. Education should help students to become the best of themselves, not to do or to get.
Put Your Two Cents In It!
Please share your thoughts on the questions below. Thank you for your comments!
In your opinion, how do the notions of schooling and learning compare?
What does "learning" mean to you?
What would you add to the purpose or mission of education today?


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Full-Sized Autonamous Racing is Go.
Computers take the wheel
Starting from the third year of the all-electric FIA Formula E season, a companion championship will also be screaming away from the start/finish line. The thing here is, it will be a completely autonomous race driven by artificial intelligence! That's right: full scale electric autonomous racing is here.
The car's design has now been revealed to the public. A highly futuristic body shape which is 100% tailored for its practical attributes, it is the brainchild of Roborace Chief Design Officer Daniel Simon. Who is that you may wonder? Only the man behind the design on Hollywood blockbusters Oblivion and Tron: Legacy!
Daniel explains of the design, "My goal was to create a vehicle that takes full advantage of the unusual opportunities of having no driver without ever compromising on beauty," he said. "Racing engineers and aerodynamicists have worked with me from the beginning to strike that balance. The Roborace is as much about competition as it is entertainment. Therefore – and quite unusual in today's racing world – beauty was very high on our agenda and we work hard to merge the best performance with stunning styling.
"It was important to us that we generate substantial downforce without unnecessary parts cluttering the car to maintain a clean and iconic look. This is largely made possible by using the floor as the main aerodynamic device and we are currently developing active body parts that are more organic and seamless than solutions today."
The Roboraces will take place on the race days of the all-electric race series Formula E, and on the same city circuits as it too. Formula E travels to 10 iconic world cities each season, and highlights and progresses the technology involved with electric cars – a key weapon in the fight against global warming. It also shows people that electric car technology is fast, sexy and exciting.
Look forward to the fully-autonomous all-electric Roborace series from start of season three of Formula E, 2016/17. Dates to be announced.
Roborace car. Designed by Tron: Legacy's Daniel Simon
The design will keep this car glued to the road
The FIA Formula E cars of the 2015/2016 season
31st March 2016 by Chris Gibson


The season of prom and graduation photography has started early this year for us. In the past few years we have shot proms and graduations balls for The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Salford and UCLAN to name a few.
We shot our very first spring ball earlier this month for The University of Manchester at Principal Hotel on Oxford Road.
Our client's briefing was to capture posed images of the students upon arrival and more natural and candid photos during the evening. We handed out cards to the students with the instructions on how they can find their photos. Within 24 hours of the event, we delivered all of the hi-resolution edited images via a secure password protected gallery, in which the students could view and download any photographs free of charge.


Can I get my boiler repaired if my supplier for gas and electricity is not ScottishPower?
Yes, you do not need to be a ScottishPower energy customer to have your boiler repaired.
Will I get a ScottishPower engineer to repair my boiler?
We will send a ScottishPower appointed qualified engineer to carry out your boiler repair and service. All appointed engineers carry identification with them.
Do you cover my area for repairs?
Enter your postcode in the boiler repair and service postcode checker to confirm if we cover your area. Click here to enter your postcode.
Do you cover non-mains gas boilers?
No, we only offer repairs and services on mains gas boilers. Oil, lpg, solid fuel and electric boilers are excluded.
Do you cover all makes of boiler?
We offer repairs to the majority of popular boiler makes but there may be a few exceptions. Check when making an appointment that we cover your specific boiler.
Will you repair my radiator too?
Our boiler repair and service only covers the heating boiler. Any radiator repairs or other additional works will be charged separately and your appointed engineer will advise on additional costs.
Can I get my boiler repaired on a Saturday or Sunday?
No, we only offer boiler repairs and boiler services during the hours 09:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday in am or pm slots. If you contact us at the weekend you will be offered an appointment on the next available working day.
You will be charged for an initial one hour's labour covering the boiler assessment and repair if possible. The cost for a boiler assessment is from £78 (inclusive of VAT) and this will be charged up front when an appointment is made. The appointed engineer will advise you if the repair will take longer than this initial hour or your boiler needs parts and you will get a fixed quote to complete the repair. Additional labour (beyond the initial hour) is charged from £13.65 per 15 mins.
A boiler service is charged from £34.00 and is a separate additional charge to your Boiler Assessment. If you book a boiler service then, where possible, this will be completed at the same visit as the boiler assessment. If your boiler cannot be repaired or you choose not to proceed with any additional work quoted then the boiler service cost will be refunded to you.
When do I pay for my boiler repair?
You will be charged up front for your initial boiler assessment when an appointment is confirmed. Once at your home the appointed engineer will advise on any further costs to complete your repair. If you wish to proceed with this additional work which will also need to be paid for before additional work is carried out.
What if I can't afford the repair?
If you wish not to proceed with the quoted additional work to complete the repair then you will not be charged for any further work beyond your initial boiler assessment which you will already have paid for. However, you could ask our appointed engineer about a boiler replacement, which may work out to be more economical for you.
I have called and booked an appointment what happens next?
You will receive an email from us confirming your appointment, payment and your terms and conditions. This will include a copy of your T&Cs and specifically your right to cancel.
The ScottishPower appointed engineer will then contact you by phone or text with an estimated time of arrival then again 30 minutes before your appointment to confirm his arrival.
All labour and parts will carry a 12 month warranty from date of repair.


It's that time again! Time to gear up for the Appropriate Technology Course near Missoula, Montana. It follows right after the PDC for Scientists, Engineers, and Educators.
The Appropriate Technology Course is about getting hands on experience building solutions with safer and more sustainable materials. This course will also experiment with new ideas in appropriate technology.
This year's ATC will take place Monday July 1st Through Saturday July 12th, 2019.
Get experience building amazing structures.Learn about off-grid water systems.Get hands on experience with practical welding and woodworking skills.
Uncle Mud (aka Chris McClellan) raises free-range, organic children in the wilds of northeast Ohio. Between building things out of mud and junk he writes for Mother Earth News Magazine and teaches simple DIY skills at workshops and fairs.
James is an author and lecturer on topics such as self-reliance, true sustainability, building off-grid energy systems and mortgage-free housing. He has had numerous articles published, been a contributing author to several books and is presently working on a much expanded second edition of his book "The High Art and Subtle Science of Scrounging". He has been dubbed "The King of Scrounge". Jim spent much if his career as a high school and middle school shop teacher. He has also worked as a Community Energy Educator in 10 northern New York counties. He also brought skills to Kandahar, Afghanistan where he worked as a civilian contractor with the US Army's 10th Mountain Brigade teaching appropriate technologies to the US and Afghan armies as well as the local civilian population. Jim lives with his wife, Krista, in their round, cordwood and papercrete home on the property where they have established an off-grid intentional community. He is an EMT and an adjunct professor at SUNY Jefferson where he teachs the NABCEP Solar Installers course.
Go to the registration page to buy your ticket now!
Sweet! Trying to coordinate between time off at work and getting a dog sitter for 2 weeks, and if those line up I'll be sending in the cash and looking at plane tickets! Several items on the planned list are exactly what I'm wanting to learn for my own property, so I'm hoping to make it to these each year now and learn by doing!
I'm not quite a lumberjack, but that's OK, I sleep all night and I dream all day; I'll coppice trees, I'll grow my food, and compost poo and pee! With a well and off-grid solar, it's a permies life for me!
just for giggles .... for the stuff the students vote on, which stuff will you be voting on?
Hi. Just wondering how much of the time is spent on "this year's projects" as opposed to student choice projects/experiences? I'm only asking because I'm not very interested in the 3 glass-related projects; I'm just barely at the beginning of learning AT skills and right now it's much more valuable for me to learn the skills on the student choice list rather than what seems to be designated as the year's main events. Would I have the ability to not work on the glass ones in favor of more time on other projects?
Mud here. The top priority of the projects is to send folks home with skills and confidence to attack their own projects. There are some projects that we will strongly encourage folks to get into because they involve what we consider to be essential skillsets, like basic metalworking and cutting down a tree. We will expect everyone to participate in the safety trainings because we don't want anyone hurt including us. But the projects that will take most of our attention will be the ones that participants agree as a group are most relevant to them, and there will be time to focus on something that excites a few of us as a breakout group, and some projects we may just not get to depending on the size and inclinations and existing skillsets of the attendees. The lack of glass recycling in many areas is something that has been bothering Paul for a while so he keeps hoping someone will get excited about it and use the lab to come up with amazing solutions, and maybe we will, but first skills first.
This year's ATC will take place Sunday July 1st Through Saturday July 12th, 2019.
Did you mean Monday July 1st through Friday July 12th?
Good catch! Apple for you!
Some pictures from last year. What do y'all want to do this summer?
Come check out this YouTube Channel!


Best Western Hanse Hotel Warnem?nde is a comfortable hotel located directly at the dunes of Warnem?nde, overlooking the Baltic Sea. Double rooms with additional sitting room and cloakroom. We feature complimentary breakfast buffet, restaurant, bar and sun-terrace, sauna, massage, billiard, ping-pong, playground, children's room with playpen, meeting and banquet facilities and laundry/valet services. Our guest rooms have cable television, ISDN telephone, dataports, radio, hairdryer, coffee/tea maker, in-room safe, mini-bar and balcony.
? From: the east. Turn right at the second traffic light in Roevershagen direction Hinrichsdorf. Turn left at the first traffic light in Hinrichsdorf direction Markgrafenheide-Hohe Duehne. From Hohe Duehne take the ferry over the stream (ferry goes all night). This leads to the Best Western Hanse Hotel Warnumeun. ? From: the north. Highway A19 exit Rostock Sued. / B103 direction Warnemunde ? From: the south. Change from the A19 to the A20 direction Luebeck at Kreuz Kavelsdorf and take exit Rostock/West on the city motorway direction Warnemuende. In Warnemuende turn left at the traffic light crossroads (police station on the right). At the next traffic light crossroads follow the right of way street. After approximately 400 meters the Best Western Hanse Hotel Warnemuen is on the right hand side. ? From: the west. From A20 take exit Rostock/West on the city motorway direction Warnemuende. In Warnemuende turn left at the traffic light crossroads (police station on the right). At the next traffic light crossroads follow the right of way street. After approximately 400 meters the Best Western Hanse Hotel Warnemuen is on the right hand side.


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Q: How do you handle database errors in Go without getting coupled to the SQL driver? A common way to interact with a SQL database in Go is to use the built in database/sql interface. Many different third-party packages implement this interface in a way that is specific to some particular database without exposing that work to you as a consumer, e.g. Postgres driver, MySQL driver, etc.
However, database/sql doesn't provide any specific error types, leaving it up to the driver instead. This presents a problem: any error handling you do for these specific errors beyond nil checks now works off of the assumption of a particular driver. If you decide to change drivers later, all of the error handling code must be modified. If you want to support multiple drivers, you need to write additional checks for that driver too.
This seemingly undermines the primary benefit of using interfaces: portability with an agreed-upon contract.
Here's an example to illustrate this problem using the jackc/pgx/v4/stdlib driver and suite of helper packages:
import (
    "database/sql"
    "errors"
    "github.com/jackc/pgconn"
    "github.com/jackc/pgerrcode"
)

// Omitted code for the sake of simplification, err comes from database/sql

if err != nil {
    var pgerr *pgconn.PgError
    if errors.As(err, &pgerr) {
        if pgerrcode.IsIntegrityConstraintViolation(pgerr.SQLState()) {
            return nil, errors.New("related entity does not exist")
        }
    }
    // If we wanted to support another database driver, we'd have to include that here

    return nil, errors.New("failed to insert the thing")
}

If I already have to put driver-specific code into my package, why bother accepting the database/sql interface at all? I could instead require the specific driver, which is arguably safer since it prevents the consumer from trying to use some other unsupported driver that we don't have error handling for.
Is there better way to handle specific database/sql errors?

A: You don't need driver specific code to get SQLState. Example:
func getSQLState(err error) {
        type checker interface {
                SQLState() string
        }
        pe := err.(checker)
        log.Println("SQLState:", pe.SQLState())
}

But SQLState is a database specific anyway. If you switch to another database/driver in the future then you need to change all error codes manually. Compiler would not help to detect it.

A:
Package sql provides a generic interface around SQL (or SQL-like) databases.

There is a compromise between providing the minimal common set of features, and providing features that would not be available for all implementations. The sql package has prioritized the former, while maybe you prefer more of the latter.
You could argue that every possible implementation should be able to provide a specific error for your example. Maybe that's the case. Maybe not. I don't know.
Either way it is possible for you to wrap pgerrcode.IsIntegrityConstraintViolation inside a function that does this check for every driver that you support. Then it is up to you to decide how to deal with drivers that lacks support.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


For this photoshoot, Jane (a fashion student at Parsons) showed up "dressed to kill," in a short black leather skirt, high-heeled tall boots, a black top, a black Coach bag, and a white trench coat to show it all off. She had the great idea to use the pink backdrop of Sel Rose on Delancey Street for some of the shots. And we had fun working on a flatbed truck, the median of a busy street, and inside a Nolita deli.


The week before Easter we couldn't believe how generous the people of Walsall could be. We had been collecting Easter eggs for the Acorns Childrens Hospice. When Sally come to visit us we had managed to get 100 eggs.
The final days coming upto Easter more and more eggs kept on poring in thanks to the people of Walsall, our final count was a massive 160 eggs.


Use Autopilot to create journeys that use the Pipedrive, Pandadoc and Ejection integrations.
Marketing Automation ideas to integrate Pipedrive, Pandadoc and Ejection.
Using Triggers, Actions and Conditions included in the Pipedrive integration, Pandadoc integration and the Ejection integration.
Automate your marketing & grow your business. With Autopilot follow up new leads, nurture existing leads, send messages on every channel and automate your marketing with simple and visual customer journey marketing software. It's as easy as dragging and dropping Triggers, Actions and Conditions to automate your marketing. Best of all Autopilot integrates and automates the applications you're already using like Pipedrive, Pandadoc and Ejection.


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Click Here for More on SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS
THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL: LIVE ON STAGE is Now Streaming on Paramount Plus!
How to Stream the SpongeBob Musical
by Sarah Jae Leiber Jul. 14, 2021
It's the best day ever! The Spongebob Musical: Live On Stage is now available to stream on Paramount Plus. Here's how to tune in.
Sign up for a Paramount Plus account here, and see the tweeted announcement here:
F is for friends who watch the #SpongeBobMusicalLive together!
NOW streaming on @ParamountPlus ? pic.twitter.com/2EYPU9Ao1y
- SpongeBob Musical (@SpongeBobBway) July 14, 2021
SpongeBob and all of Bikini Bottom face catastrophe - until a most unexpected hero rises to take center stage to prove that the power of optimism really can save the world. Also featuring a special guest appearance by voice actor Tom Kenny as 'Patchy the Pirate,' this is one under-the-sea spectacular that you don't want to miss.
The SpongeBob Musical: Live On Stage! cast includes Ethan Slater as SpongeBob SquarePants, Gavin Lee as Squidward Q. Tentacles, Danny Skinner as Patrick Star, Brian Ray Norris as Eugene Krabs, Wesley Taylor as Sheldon Plankton, Christina Sajous as Sandy Cheeks and Tom Kenny as 'Patchy the Pirate.' The ensemble includes Kyle Hamilton, Katie Lee Hill, Curtis Holbrook, Jesse JP Johnson, L'ogan J'ones, Jai'len Josey, Kelvin Moon Loh, Lauralyn Mcclelland, Vasthy Mompoint, Bryonha Marie Parham, Oneika Phillips, Jon Rua, JC Schuster, Abby C. Smith, Robert Taylor Jr., and Allan Washington.
The SpongeBob Musical: Live On Stage! is a musical production conceived and directed for the stage by Tina Landau, book by Kyle Jarrow, orchestrations, arrangements & music supervision by Tom Kitt, with choreography by Christopher Gattelli, and directed by Glenn Weiss.
Producers include Rob Bagshaw, Eric Cornell, Kyle Jarrow, Paul J. Medford, Richard Owers, Austin Shaw, and Susan Vargo.
The production features original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper, Rob Hyman, John Legend, Panic! At The Disco, Plain White T's, They Might Be Giants, and T.I. (Clifford Harris, Jr.), Domani Harris, and Darwin Quinn, and additional songs by David Bowie, and by Tom Kenny and Andy Paley.
Listen to the soundtrack here:
Shop BroadwayWorld
Shop this season's new musicals! Get dressed up for a night at the theatre, or just a night at home, with merch from some of Broadway's biggest hits including SOME LIKE IT HOT, KIMBERLY AKIMBO, and more!
Exclusive: Gavin Lee Talks Squidward Costume on 'SpongeBob BingePants' Podcast
Gavin LeeGavin Lee and Danny Skinner joined Frankie Grande and Hector Navarro on a new episode of their SpongeBob BingePants podcast to discuss their time in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical. BroadwayWorld has an exclusive snippet of Lee discussing his fake Squidward legs that he wore in the production.
BWW Review: SPONGEBOB THE MUSICAL at Players By The Sea
"Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!" Spongebob the Musical opened at Players by the Sea on Friday night, and the crowd went wild. The musical follows Spongebob and the citizens of Bikini Bottom as they prepare for a natural disaster that could wipe out their town. Spongebob and his friends must find a way to save the town the love so much and battle various obstacles along the way. Audiences will recognize many of their favorite characters from the past 22 years of the popular television show.
THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL is Now Available For Licensing
The Spongebob Musical is now available for licensing through Concord Theatricals! The production is available for schools, colleges, universities, and other non-professional theatres.
VIDEO: On This Day, December 4- SPONGEBOB Opens On Broadway
On this day in 2017, Bikini Bottom came to Broadway with the musical adaptation of the beloved cartoon Spongebob Squarepants!
From This Author - Sarah Jae Leiber
Lin-Manuel Miranda To Return For HIS DARK MATERIALS Season 3 On HBO
HBO has confirmed that award-winning composer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda will return for the third season of the fantasy drama.
Development Halts On Disney+ BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Prequel Series
A planned Beauty and the Beast musical prequel series will not move forward at Disney+.
Tony & Grammy Winner Michael Cerveris' Loose Cattle to Stream Live Performance Tonight
Loose Cattle, fronted by two-time Tony Award & Grammy winner Michael Cerveris and Kimberly Kaye, will stream a performance live from New Orleans tonight!
Bertie Carvel Joins THE CROWN Season Five As Tony Blair
The acclaimed Netflix series, 'The Crown' has added Tony Award-winning actor Bertie Carvel to its cast in the role of British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
REVIEW ROUNDUP: What Do Critics Think of EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE?
Inspired by true events, Everybody's Talking About Jamie follows Jamie New (Harwood), a teenager from Sheffield, who dreams of life on stage.


text:
International Jessica Corbett
UN Envoy Warns 'Threat to Civilian Lives Is Increasing' in Yemen
4 Comments on UN Envoy Warns 'Threat to Civilian Lives Is Increasing' in Yemen
Yemeni children play in the rubble of buildings destroyed in a 2019 air raid. (EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid / Flickr)(CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
By Jessica Corbett / Common Dreams
A United Nations special envoy on Tuesday raised alarm about the safety of civilians in war-torn Yemen given escalating violence, including airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition.
"The escalation in recent weeks is among the worst we have seen in Yemen for years and the threat to civilian lives is increasing," said Hans Grundberg, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres' special envoy for Yemen, in a statement.
"Airstrikes on Sanaa have resulted in loss of civilian lives, and damaged civilian infrastructure and residential areas," he added. "The continued offensive on Marib and the continued missile attacks on the governorate are also resulting in civilian casualties, damage to civilian objects, and mass displacement."
The U.N. Development Program projected last month that the death toll for the war in Yemen—including victims of "indirect" causes such as disease and hunger—will reach 377,000 by the end of this year, and an estimated 70% of those killed would be under the age of five.
Grundberg—who also expressed concern about attacks that killed civilians and caused damage in Saudi Arabia—emphasized that "any targeting of civilians and civilian objects as well as indiscriminate attacks by any actor is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and must stop immediately. The parties must also preserve the civilian character of public infrastructure."
The special envoy stressed that he is ready "to work with the parties to find immediate solutions to de-escalate the violence, address urgent humanitarian needs, and enable a political process aimed at sustainably and comprehensively ending the conflict in Yemen."
U.N. officials in recent years have called Yemen the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Grundberg highlighted the conditions long faced by people across the country.
"2021 is ending on a tragic note for Yemenis, millions of whom are struggling with poverty, hunger, and severe restrictions on their freedom of movement," he said. "In this regard, I reiterate the United Nations' call for the opening of Sanaa airport and for removing obstacles hindering Yemenis' ability to move within or between governorates inside Yemen."
The threat to civilian lives is increasing in #Yemen, warned @OSE_Yemen. @AAzoulay from @UNESCO and @UNHumanRights chief @mbachelet are deeply concerned for the well-being of two UN staff members detained in Yemen last month. https://t.co/uYhsV4hxs1
— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) December 28, 2021
France 24 reported Tuesday that the Houthi movement said "they have allowed the temporary resumption of U.N. flights into the capital's Sanaa airport, a week after a halt due to Saudi-led coalition airstrikes."
Flights into Sanaa International Airport, which is controlled by the Houthis, "have been largely halted by a Saudi-led blockade since August 2016," the outlet noted, "but there have been exemptions for aid flights that are a key lifeline for the population."
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers earlier this month urged President Joe Biden to "exert diplomatic pressure to end the Saudi-led coalition's ongoing closure" of the airport.
"The continued restriction of commercial and humanitarian flights into the airport has exacerbated the ongoing crisis in Yemen and had a devastating impact on millions of innocent Yemenis," the lawmakers wrote, pointing out that restrictions on ports of entry "are a form of collective punishment in violation of international and U.S. law."
Biden was lauded early in his presidency for reversing the designation of the Houthis as a terrorist organization, claiming to cut off U.S. support for the coalition's "offensive operations," and temporarily halting arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
However, the Biden administration has come under fire recently for approving a $650 million arms sale to Saudi Arabia—which the U.S. Senate recently declined to block, sparking fierce criticism of the upper chamber's members across the political spectrum.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)—who, along with two Republicans, led a resolution to block the transfer—said at the time that "as the Saudi government continues to wage its devastating war in Yemen and repress its own people, we should not be rewarding them with more arms sales."
Tags: arms sales bernie sanders civilian humanitarian crisis joe biden saudi arabia united nations Yemen
William Sterr says:
Why are we incapable of taking effective action in support of human rights. We talk a good talk, but are enablers of inhuman brutality in the end. Is it in our DNA to be so hypocritical?
Merchants of Death, and so much more respect for guys like Pablo Escobar and El Chapo than the USA-Klanada-UK-"Israel" -EU murderers. Biden, Trump, Common Dreams? Sure! Propaganda 201.
Here, Mint Press — December 07th, 2021
By Ahmed Abdulkareem
Golden Bow's black rain of death
According to Saudi officials, the attacks are a part of a new operation dubbed "Golden Bow," which is being carried out in conjunction with the UAE and a number of Saudi Coalition-backed militant groups, including the notorious Giant's Brigade and Tariq Saleh Forces.
Dozens of civilians, including women and children, have been killed and injured since the operation began on November 19. Saudi officials say their objective is to "destroy military objectives like air defense systems," insisting that they attack only "legitimate" targets and ask civilians not to gather around or approach potential targets before they strafe the areas — though those targets are never announced in advance.
Warplanes, artillery, and shelling from warships stationed off of Yemen's Red Sea shores have turned parts of Hodeidah into veritable hellscapes, including strategic directorates in the southern province, just weeks after the Saudi Coalition announced it would be withdrawing military forces from the area. Instead, dozens of warplanes fly over Hodeidah's Heis, al-Tuheita, al-Khokhah, al-Dreihemi, and al-Jarahi districts on a daily basis, bombing farms and destroying infrastructure.
On the first day of Operation Golden Bow, at least 33 warplanes were recorded flying over the districts of al-Fazah, al-Jabaliyah, Heis, al-Jah and al-Tahita, and 39 spy planes over the airspace of al-Jah, al-Fazah, Heis, and al-Jabaliyah. So far, 300 airstrikes have been launched against some of Yemen's most densely-populated cities, including Hodeidah, the fourth-largest city in the country. In Sana'a, civilian homes, schools, wells, farms, roads, and hospitals have been targeted and destroyed, and a factory that produced plastic baskets was destroyed by Saudi airstrikes ostensibly targeting a nearby hospital. In the Dhale province, 10 students were injured when a Saudi drone targeted the Zaid Al-Sharji school.
https://www.mintpressnews.com/us-arms-saudi-arabia-yemen-people-operation-golden-bow/279171/
rosemerry says:
It is obvious that the "Western world" has no interest at all in the plight of anyone but the rich countries and only selected people even there. Millions of extra "booster" doses of profit-making vaccines, more weapons for the "independence and territorial integrity" of Ukraine and Taiwan to counter the rivals we demonise and refuse to treat as worthy of having rights. The deaths of 377000 poor people in Yemen, helped by weapons we supply, are ignored as we find methods to ensure cruel ways to sanction the populations of designated enemies who dare to run their nations in ways we claim are not democratic according to our "rules-based international order". International order is too restrictive for us.
Saudi Arabia's totally immoral mass murder in Yemen would not be possible if not for U.S. military aid. Anyone involved in that atrocity should be brought up on war- and human rights crimes. Saudi Arabia should be treated by the international community like Nazi Germany was, and the U.S. should be abolished and given back to the TRADITIONAL Natives.
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CCFE's parent organisation, the UK Atomic Energy Authority, has won the RoSPA Gold Medal for the fifth consecutive year.
RoSPA, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, present annual awards to business and organisations which have shown commitment to accident and ill-health prevention in the workplace. The Gold Medal is given to those that have won five RoSPA Gold Awards in a row.
Through the scheme, which is open to organisations of all types and sizes from across the UK and overseas, judges consider entrants' overarching occupational health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.


Home The Browning Letters [24 April 1846]. Browning, Robert to Browning, Elizabeth Barrett.
[24 April 1846]. Browning, Robert to Browning, Elizabeth Barrett.
How I sympathize with poor Cloten when he complains that "he is in the habit of saying daily many things fully as witty as those of Posthumus, men praise so-if men would but note them"!- I feel jealous of the success and "praise" of my Ba,-falling as they do on the mere asides and interjectional fits and starts of the play,-when its earnest soliloquy, the very soul and substance of it all, never reaches her ear, nor calls down her dear, dear words.
Yet do I say that I feel jealous? Rather, I acquiesce gladly in the ignorance .. because when the words, the golden words, are brought in to me by the inferior agents, and honestly transferred by them to the real moving powers .. they, even, find the reward too much, too much, till they ..
Title [24 April 1846]. Browning, Robert to Browning, Elizabeth Barrett.
Letter Text How I sympathize with poor Cloten when he complains that "he is in the habit of saying daily many things fully as witty as those of Posthumus, men praise so-if men would but note them"!- I feel jealous of the success and "praise" of my Ba,-falling as they do on the mere asides and interjectional fits and starts of the play,-when its earnest soliloquy, the very soul and substance of it all, never reaches her ear, nor calls down her dear, dear words. Yet do I say that I feel jealous? Rather, I acquiesce gladly in the ignorance .. because when the words, the golden words, are brought in to me by the inferior agents, and honestly transferred by them to the real moving powers .. they, even, find the reward too much, too much, till they ..


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Lake Chad Region – Climate-related security risk assessment
Janani Vivekananda and Camilla Born, adelphi
Lake Chad_Climate-related security risk assessment.png
In this report, the Expert Working Group on Climate-Related Security Risks provides a climate-related security risk assessment and options for climate risk management strategies in the Lake Chad region.
The Lake Chad region is currently facing multiple security risks, including livelihood insecurity, climate change and violent conflicts. These risks need to be understood as interlinked and affecting each other. Even though the current conflict in the Lake Chad region was triggered by violence linked to armed groups such as Jama'atu Ahlis Sunnah Lida'awati Wal Jihad (JAS, People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad), known as Boko Haram, and Wilayat al Islamiyya Gharb Afriqiyyah (Islamic State West Africa, ISWA), the crisis has deep roots in longstanding developmental challenges.
Widespread inequality and decades of political marginalisation have instilled an entrenched sense of exclusion and a lack of trust between communities and leaders in the region. These challenges are further exacerbated by climate change. The region has historically been highly vulnerable to significant environmental stress, today, unpredicted rainfall patterns induced by climate change are significantly impacting the resilience of communities around Lake Chad.
The Expert Working Group on Climate-related Security Risks aims to produce high-quality and policy-relevant assessments of climate-related security risks, which can strengthen decision-making and programming on those risks within the United Nations. In 2018, the expert working group – together with external researchers and the working group secretariat – will produce research on four geographies: Iraq, Lake Chad, Somalia and a further geography in Central Asia. The reports will build on research and insights from the field to provide integrated risk assessments of climate-related change and security—as well as other social, political and economic aspects.
Download the report here.
PublicationClimate Diplomacy


text:
Creativity Ad of the Day AdFreak Beer & Spirits Cannes Lions The Creative 100 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion PSAs
A Shoe Polish Brand Won Big at Cannes for One of the Most Delightful Campaigns of the Festival
A look at Ogilvy Chicago's 'Portraits Completed' for Kiwi
It's gotta be the shoes: Ogilvy playfully completed the bottom half of a number of famous paintings.
By Tim Nudd
CANNES, France—Fine art has been an inspiration for a lot of great advertising lately, including the Cannes Lions Grand Prix winners "Van Gogh Bnb" and "The Next Rembrandt" from 2016. Ogilvy Chicago continues that tradition in 2017 with a playful, irresistible campaign for Kiwi shoe polish in which the agency imagined, and then painted, the bottom half of famous artworks—to show the subject's shoes.
The "Portraits Completed" campaign won a gold Lion and a bronze Lion in Print & Publishing contest here at the Cannes festival on Monday.
Tim Nudd
@nudd
Tim Nudd is a former creative editor of Adweek.


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Davonte Lacy (Team Ehingen) Larry Bird Communicated To Me To Make The Most Of This Opportunity And Don't Take It For Granted
Davonte Lacy is a 24 year old 193cm guard from Tacoma, Washington that is going into his second professional season and first with German Pro A team Ehingen. Last season as a rookie he played with UBC Magnofit Gussing Knights (Austria-A Bundesliga) playing 11 FIBA Europe Cup:games averaging 7.4ppg, 2.4rpg, 3.1apg, 1.0spg, 2FGP: 37.8%, 3FGP: 20.0%, FT: 80.6%; and 21 Austrian A Bundesliga gamesaveraging 10.9ppg, 2.6rpg, 2.4apg, 2FGP: 49.4%, 3FGP: 32.9%, FT: 80.2%, left in Feb.'16, later that month moved to BC Hallmann Vienna (Austria-A Bundesliga) playing 15 games averaging 5.9ppg, 1.0rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 48.3%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT: 66.7%. He started his basketball career with Washington St. (NCAA) in 2011 playing a total of 110 NCAA games. His best season was his junior season where he played 23 games: averaging 19.4ppg, 4.2rpg, 1.4apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 42.9%, 3PT: 39%, FT: 83.5%. In his senior year he played 31 games averaging 16.9ppg, 2.6rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 49.2%, 3PT: 33.0%, FT: 77.0%. He spoke to German Hoopsearlier in the summer about basketball.
Thanks Davonte for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how has your summer been?
At the moment I am back home in the Tacoma/Seattle area just working on my game. And enjoying family before I leave.
Congrats on signing with German pro A team Ehingen. You didn´t play last season. How thankful are you that you will be able to continue your professional career?
I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to continue my career I know I can still play at a high level I just need the opportunity and thanks to coach and the management at Ehingen for believing in me.
How tough was it for you being away from the professional game for so long? What was toughest in this time for you to accept?
It was extremely tough but I needed to heal my body and make sure that I am 100% and ready to make a team better. The hardest to accept was the fact I had to wait and not have the chance to play.
The Ehingen team are very excited to have landed you, but are being patient not wanting to raise the expectations too much. After a up and down rookie season and break after that, do you feel pressure going into your second professional season to show what you really have on the court?
I don't believe there is any pressure I do believe from what I been told that we should have an opportunity to be competitive in the league so I would like to do my part and help the team be the best we can be.
You stressed in the Ehingen press release that the main reason you chose Ehingen was because it will give you many opportunities to develop further. What else convinced you about joining Team Ehingen?
The coach plays a good system and believes in player development. Also I believe in Germany it will give me competition to be better and advance my career further.
You played in Austria and lived next door to Germany. What do you know in general about the country Germany and it´s basketball? Do you have any friends playing in Germany?
I just know the culture between Germany and Austria are similar. I know a few German words like please and thank you. I know there is a lot of history here in Germany. And the basketball culture keeps on growing into one of the biggest markets in the world. My friend I grew up with is Abdul Gaddy and he just signed in Wurzburg (I believe that's how you spell it), so it will be both our first times over there.
Let´s talk about your game. Your shooting and scoring really stand out, but what other strengths do you have that prove that you aren´t a one dimensional player?
Well ever since I became a professional I have focused on being more of a playmaker, making my teammates better, and setting them up to succeed. Also my defense has took a major step since college, and I take as much pride in that now as I do my offense.
You grew up looking up to NBA superstars Allen Iverson and Tracy Mcgrady, but if you had to pick an NBA player that most resembles how you play who would you chose?
I believe that I tried to mold my game after Carmelo Anthony in the sense I try to be proficient at every level in scoring but I can see comparisons to Damien Lillard in the playmaking and explosiveness sense.
You're a guy that can flat out score, but what do you feel is a hidden strength in your game that doesn´t get noticed right away on the court?
I believe that my basketball IQ and passing ability has always been a strength of my game that has not always received a great amount of attention.
As a rookie you played in Austria for two teams UBC Magnofit Gussing Knights (Austria-A Bundesliga): FIBA Europe Cup: 11 games: 7.4ppg, 2.4rpg, 3.1apg, 1.0spg, 2FGP: 37.8%, 3FGP: 20.0%, FT: 80.6%; Austrian A Bundesliga: 21 games: 10.9ppg, 2.6rpg, 2.4apg, 2FGP: 49.4%, 3FGP: 32.9%, FT: 80.2%, left in Feb.'16, later that month moved to BC Hallmann Vienna (Austria-A Bundesliga): 15 games: 5.9ppg, 1.0rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 48.3%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT: 66.7%. What was your wake up call to being a rookie in Europe where you knew that you were far away from home in Tacoma?
I believe my wake up call was just being told I was a point guard and learning the position on the fly while learning how to play a different style of basketball. Because Europe plays a different way thea the states so learning a new position and new game was a little harder than expected.
Talk about your rookie season in Austria. After a stellar career in Washington State and taste of the NBA were your expectations a bit too high going into your rookie season? Were you expecting to put up huge numbers in Austria?
Well my rookie year I had huge expectations and in preseason it was going to plan. And then like I said previously my coach wanted me at the point guard and never playing that position before I struggled scoring like I used too because I was trying to get everyone involved. So I struggled finding balance between scoring and facilitating.
Before turning professional you played NBA Pro Summer League in Orlando (Indiana Pacers): 4 games: 3.0ppg, 2.0rpg, 1.3apg. What kind of experience was this for you? Larry Legend Bird was at every practice. Did you run into him and get some advice from him?
It was a great experience it showed me what I need to do basketball and body wise to compete at the highest level. Yea the few times we communicated was brief but he just expressed that I should make the most of this opportunity and don't take it for granted.
Your goal is still the NBA. What do you feel is still missing from your game? Defense has been a knock in your game. Is this something that you will continue to work on this season in Germany?
Just continuing to improve my all-around game is ideal for me to get back for another opportunity at the NBA. But like you said my defense is a huge key in my development. Along with just being a knock down shooter.
You played at Washington State finishing as the alltime leader in three pointers made and fifth all-time in scoring. How much does that three point record mean to you considering one of the worlds best shooters now Klay Thompson played there?
It means a lot because coming from where I was I wasn't known as a three point shooter. So to be known as one of the best ever after missing a lot of games my junior and sophomore yeasr means a lot. And to be mentioned with okay is an honor hopefully some day I can reach his level.
You played for head coach Ken Bone for three years and as a senior for Ernie Kent. How did these two guys groom and prepare you best for a professional basketball career?
I believe both coaches help me with just how to be a professional. Also they helped me understand how to be coachable.
How do you remember Abe Lodwick in your freshman year. Was he a guy that inspired you in your first year? Are you surprised that he recently already retired from the game?
Abe was a good leader for me as a freshman, I talked to him today to congratulate him on his new job.
You had so many great games and memories, but was playing your arch rival Washington the biggest game and experience for you at Washington State? As a senior you won by three and lost by three pouring in 23 and 25 points. Do you think you will ever witness an atmosphere again like you did in those games?
Yeah I believe the atmosphere will be the same at the higher level but the passion and just the dislike between the two teams I don't think can be matched.
Who won a one on one in practice you or Ike Iroegbu?
I beat Ike every time no question lol
Every night you played against the best in the NCAA. Who was the toughest player you battled in the NCAA that is in the NBA now?
I would have to say that Allen Crabbe was the best because he was a senior when I was freshman so that was difficult to guard.
Your from Tacoma the same city where Boston Celtic Isaiah Thomas comes from. How have you followed his career and does his story of how he elevated his game to a new level and put the Boston Celtics back on the map inspire you to take your game to the next level?
Yeah I followed his career a lot since we went to the same high school. Of course seeing him being successful makes me believe I can also be successful.
How does your summer workout plan look like on and off the court in 2017?
Summer workout plan is I workout every morning doing skill work then play either 4v4 or 5v5. Then at night try to either lift weights or do hot yoga. Then play in the Jamal Crawford pro-am every weekend.
If you had to construct your own NBA Rushmore which 4 heads would you chose?
My own Mount Rushmore would consist of Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, and Shaquille O'Neal (in that order) lol
Lebron James failed to win his fourth NBA title and is still three away from Michael Jordan. Where does Lebron stand right now in your opinion in the never ending debate of who is the best of all-time?
I believe right now Lebron is right behind Jordan and will surpass him when he becomes the all time leading scorers and top 5 in both rebounds and assists.
There has been criticism of Russell Westbrook to be focusing more on rebounding to help inflate his stats and possibilities of getting triple doubles instead of focusing on his defensive assignments. Do you feel that this is a fair assessment to the player Russell Westbrook?
I think he Does everything for his team to win and as long as they do that and get into the playoffs then I don't see anything wrong with it. Especially if his opponent is not an offensive threat.
How do you summarize the 2017 NBA Draft. What sleepers do you see playing a role in the NBA?
This draft could end up being as good as the 2003 draft. But the biggest sleeper I think is Dennis smith jr. I think he has a chance to be as good as Derrick Rose pre injury.
Where will the journey of the Houston Rockets go this season with Chris Paul and James Harden in the back court. Do they have enough to make a serious run at the title or is something missing?
As long as Golden State has their core nucleus (KD Steph Klay Draymond) it's going to be hard for anyone to be a serious title contender in my opinion.
I just seen guardians of the galaxy yesterday and I highly recommend it. It was very funny and had great graphics.
Thanks Davonte for the chat.
Posted in Interviews, ProA and tagged Davonte Lacy, Erdgas Ehingen on August 26, 2017 by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber. Leave a comment
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5 January 2019 : I wanted to use my SDR dongle at HF - but it doesn't work there. I built this SDR Up-Converter to check the spectrum at the WSPR-Pi transmitter output at 10, 14, 18 and 21MHz. A little project that promises to be a lot of help in the future..
4th July 2018: My involvement in operating on FT8 led me to the PSKReporter.info web site but I wanted a simple Windows application to see my signal reports rather than use the maps and then drill down for log info using that site. There wasn't an app that I could find so I wrote my 'PSKRepView' software. More details and a download link is on the page PSK Reporter Viewer.. Win32/64 and Win7-10.
15 June 2018: The earlier WSJT-X Viewer software has been revamped into LogView for WSJT-X, runs faster than the original while using the same support files plus has an optional mapping display. Requires WSJT-X 1.9.x or later to function. Win32/64 and Win7-10.
1st June 2018: The Squid Pole Wire Antenna Re-Visited - again... UN-UN heating issues during a recent portable operation forced a review of the squid pole as a portable antenna, particularly when operating on the FT8 mode. New UN-UN construction info plus a 'porcupine' style coil to help trim the impedances to get the auto-ATU to provide a better match to the radio.
21 April 2018 : PfxLookup is a utility that allows a quick lookup of country name plus approximate bearing and distance if the user's grid locator is provided. The article's full title is Quick Amateur Radio Prefix Lookup Software and it uses AD1C's (updateable) CTY.DAT for the prefix to country lookup source. Win7+, 32 or 64 bit.
12 April 2018 : GPS2Time - a means of sync-ing your computer clock using a GPS Receiver. Free software that will work under Windows 7+ and allows GPS data to set your computer's clock within 1 second - with an auto-update period option if wanted. Great while operating on digital modes while portable and where cellular coverage is not available.
27 March 2018: I recently started operating using FT8 but the not-readily-available list of who I had worked became an issue for me. I wrote a simple application to display the basic callsign details from the WSJT-X log file. My WSJTX Log File Viewer fits my needs - and it might help you too.
11 Aug 2017 : My Portable HF antenna options page shows a few ideas as to proceed when out and about with the caravan - or even just out portable - and wanting to put up some sort of HF antenna.
12 July 2017: Access restrictions for a number of countries is now in place. Countries rejected through IP Bans : hackers describes why.
10 July 2017: The Forum at Ozlogger.net has undergone a domain name change. The ozlogger name was a variant of the demised vklogger forum but now it is time to move forward. The new domain name is AHRDF.NET to reflect the content: the Australian Ham Radio Discussion Forum.
2 June 2017: 160/80/40 metre trapped dipole/V antenna construction details, great for contests like the Trans Tasman Low Bands Challenge.
22 Jan 2017: Ozlogger forum undergoing changes shortly with new forum software coming on line to replace PHPBB3 : www.ozlogger.net - it will function much the same but different face appeal.
29 November 2016 : 2016 Spring VHF/UHF Field Day report , a little bit further south this time around, near Byron Bay, and a brief operation while towing the caravan back north.
27 July 2016 : I recently modified my Cushcraft A3S triband yagi by interspacing two more trapped elements to provide coverage on the 18 and 24 MHz bands. Some details of the traps, dimensions and photos are available in my writeup about this project.
24 July 2016: The SARS 28MHz beacon sequencing has been updated, along with some of the hardware, but is still operating on 28.211.5 under the callsign VK4ADC/B for now. The beacon now does a fast CW ID followed by a number of downward power steps. Full sequence details are at the beacon project page.
7 June 2016: The batch of new 'blank' QSL cards arrived today from UX5UO print ( www.ux5uoqsl.com ) so I now have cards available to return. Unfortunately I have a lot of VK4ADC cards on hand (some years of them) that are a backlog so it will be a while before they are completed and sent out via the bureau.
17 May 2016: My holiday activation on Norfolk Island as VK9NU is now finished and I am back on the VK mainland. The website at VK9NU.NET is being updated as time permits and as QSL cards arrive. For other impending DX-peditioners, read the page at http://vk9nu.net/web/index.php/ni-op-summary for what went both right and wrong during the trip.
10 April 2016: Fake semiconductors - have you been caught yet ? I just found out that I had bought some fake RD16HHF1 devices out of China via eBay. Remember to always read others' negative feedback comments before placing your order.
3 April 2016 : Extending VKCL software for easy logging of microwave contacts -OR- a TOP16 Compatible Module: The VK4ADC Method.
31 March 2016 : Preparations are well under way for the forthcoming trip to Norfolk Island on the 23rd April as VK9NU, the antennas have been tested and are resonant close to the desired frequencies. The IC-7000 and the C-IV control module are working together with both the N1MM+ and VKCL logging software, the ATU and power supply are ready and tested. It is now mainly a matter of packing it up as small as possible to fit in the suitcase.
31 March 2016 : A lot of work (weeks!) has been involved in preparing this web site for transition to a new server so that the graphics all work (etc) under the revised structure. The actual cause was a major version upgrade of the Content Management System (CMS) on the new server and non-compatability with the earlier version. Those issues have now been resolved and, while the new site does not look exactly as previously, all of the relevant content has been transferred. It was made active on a local server on 31st March. If you find broken or incorrect links on web pages or menus, please email me the details of the error & page title using the Contact Me from the menu at left.. (I think I have found most of them but you never know....) Some of the links to web page content have changed under the re-worked data structure but eventually the search engines will catch up to the changes.
February/March/April 2016 : The 10 metre beacon operating from my home QTH under VK4ADC/B on 28.2115 will be off-air intermittently while changes are made to the hardware and software and then evaluated. This status message will be removed after the completion of the work.
27 January 2016: Summer VHF/UHF Field Day report - for the activity on 9 Jan 2016.
27 December 2015: This web site will be relocated to another web server on a date to be advised during 2016. Hopefully there not be any real loss of access during the changeover period. All content is expected to transfer so articles should be available into the future.
22 December 2015: I have a holiday trip to Norfolk Island coming up in April 2016 and have now received a licence to operate under the callsign VK9NU while there. Yes, I know that I could have done it under my normal VK4 call but why not add a little bit of excitement to the trip. It will not be a true DX-pedition but it should prove an interesting trip. The website VK9NU.NET has been created and will be updated with the trip dates closer to the time and will subsequently have the log files uploaded to it. Expected bands are 3.5, 7, 14, 21, 28 and maybe 50MHz. Operation is possible on 10, 18 and 24 MHz but unlikely.
There have been lots of projects and happenings during 2015 that have not been documented on this web site so far but I will endeavour to add the content as time becomes available to create it.
10 April 2015 : Squid Pole Use for HF Antennas - A Topic Revisited : a review of how the squid pole can be used for a vertical HF whip, measurements and suggestions.
18 September 2014 : Low Cost Antenna Traps - how to make low-cost LC traps for a 40m/80m dipole - with materials mainly readily available from a good hardware store and your junkbox - plus a few tools.
4 September 2014 : My Icom Memories Manager software is now available for download from this web site. It will allow you to load and save the memory contents in most Icom model radios from and to disk files. It allows you to cross-load the memory contents between models too eg IC7000 and IC7400, IC706 and IC718, IC7000 and IC706MK2G,... with some in-place editing available.
Supported includes: IC-7000, IC-7100, IC-7200, IC-7400/746Pro, IC-746, IC-756Pro, IC-7410, IC-7600, IC-7700, IC-7800, IC-9100, IC-706Mk2G, IC-706Mk1, IC-718, IC-910H, IC-970, IC-R7100 - or for Google's sake : IC7000, IC7100, IC7200, IC7400/746Pro, IC746, IC756Pro, IC7410, IC7600, IC7700, IC7800, IC9100, IC706Mk2G, IC706Mk1, IC718, IC910H, IC970, R7100. Basic memory support is available for virtually all Icom models having CI-V support and other models can be added as released. A few more like the 756Pro2/3 series just required to have details updated before they are fully supported.
It has been tested on the following models to date: IC-706Mk1, IC-706Mk2G, IC-718, IC-7400, IC-7000 and IC-R7100.
It is still a software project under development but I am at the stage where I need more people to trial it so I can find out what 'bugs' remain.
January 2014 : "Bug fix" update to my Bearing Info software that utilises a data grab from the VKLogger Op Info data. Download the new EXE or ZIP files from near the bottom of the article.
September 6 : Noise sources affecting the radio shack.
June 9 : The new home QTH is New Beith, Q'ld, 4124, grid locator is QG62LG51EV.
January 12 : 2013 Summer VHF/UHF Field Day.
Nov 24 2012 : 2012 Spring VHF/UHF Field Day.
Oct 27 : Brisbane Microwave Activity Day.
May 16 : A PICAXE-based Audio Tone Generator.
May 6 : Brisbane/SEQ Microwave Activity Day - May 2012.
November 29 : 2011 Spring VHF/UHF Field Day report.
October 25 : New format web site launched. Comments welcomed.
January 14 2011 : A Turnstile VHF/UHF Field Day Antenna.
January 10 2011 : Bearing Info Software added..