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July 08, 2019 23rd General Assembly of the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD)
July 04, 2019 African Union will launch operational phase of the AfCFTA at Summit in Niger
July 04, 2019 to July 05, 2019 35th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council
July 15, 2019 AU holds Sustainable Forest Management Workshop
July 15, 2019 H.E Commissioner for Political Affairs assisting the Ambassador of Equatorial Guinea to present a cheque to UNHCR representative to the AU
July 13, 2019 Statement of the Chairperson following the terrorist attack in Kismayo
July 12, 2019 Call for nominations to recognize exceptional African women advancing peace and security in Africa.
July 12, 2019 Emergency Response Digest : An official publication of the Africa CDC Issue 1, Volume 2
July 11, 2019 Statement following the Meeting between Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat and Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-Wha
July 11, 2019 H.E Minata Samate Cessouma, Commissioner for Political Affairs (R) and H.E. Pedro Serrano, Deputy Secretary General for Common Security and Defence Policy and Crisis Response at the European External action Service
An Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa.
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Silencing the Guns by 2020
Remarks by Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard Second Annual U.S.-AU CVE Week African Union Commission, Addis Ababa Monday, October 29, 2018 9:00 a.m.
Remarks by Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard Second Annual U.S.-AU CVE Week African Union Commission
US MISSION TO THE AFRICAN UNION
For Immediate Release	October 29, 2017
Remarks by Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard
Second Annual U.S.-AU CVE Week
African Union Commission, Addis Ababa
(As prepared for delivery)
Thank you, [AU representative].
Welcome to Addis, Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism Alina Romanowski.
Good morning, everyone. What a fabulous crowd!
It is my distinct honor to be here today to open the Second Annual U.S.-AU Countering Violent Extremism Week. The multifaceted events of this year's CVE Week have blossomed from the seeds of the first discussion that the U.S. Mission to the African Union had with our partners at the AU to explore how we could work together to prevent and combat violent extremism in June 2017.
From that beginning, together we created our first-ever U.S.-AU CVE Week, which we co-hosted last October. USAU Deputy Chief of Mission Jessica Davis Ba said during her own opening remarks one year ago that she hoped this would become an annual event.
Well, so far, so good. Here we are!
Welcome to those of you who have travelled great distances to be here today. And I would like to extend special thanks to my staff at the U.S. Mission to the African Union, those at the African Union Commission, and our implementing partner this year, the Institute for Security Studies, for all of the hard work that they have put into organizing this year's events.
CVE Week 2018 has been designed around a simple idea: partnership. The United States shares the African Union's mission to support "an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena."
The scourge of terrorism and violent extremism threatens all of that – and all of us. Left unchecked, it has the power to divest Africa of the promise of its bright future.
Only through collaboration and partnership will we be able to triumph over this challenge.
It will take the collective effort of everyone here today:
	to dry up the pools of despair from which violent extremist organizations recruit;
	to amplify each other's efforts to reach vulnerable populations and to challenge the false narratives offered by terrorist recruiters;
	and to examine best practices and learn new and innovative tools that address the drivers of violent extremism.
It is in this spirit of partnership that we have all convened for CVE Week 2018. In this room is a dynamic and diverse community of policymakers, academia, media, and civil society organizations with the common purpose of countering violent extremism in Africa.
The drivers and root causes of violent extremism are complex and dynamic. They also vary from one context to another.
Take the issue of youth, for example. Between now and 2050, Africa's population will double to more than two billion. I believe that Africa's leaders understand that their most pressing task is creating the conditions necessary to attract trade and investment to create opportunities for their citizens.
We certainly do. As stated consistently by Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Tibor Nagy, one goal of our partnership with Africa is in "[h]arnessing the potential of Africa's tremendous youth bulge as a force for economic ingenuity and prosperity, which is a counter narrative to violent extremism and despair."
By strengthening democracy and fighting corruption, African governments can help build the type of business environments which will attract investment and foster economic growth.
Strengthening democracy and fighting corruption are also key to countering violent extremism.
They are interconnected.
Another driver of violent extremism is government repression. As recently observed by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, "In the battle for hearts and minds, nothing hardens hearts and poisons minds more than to have yourself or your family targeted as terrorists because they dared to disagree with the ruling regime – or you happen to be a member of a disfavored minority."
A 2017 United Nations Development Program study based upon hundreds of interviews noted that 71 percent of those who joined a violent extremist group in Africa did so because they were a victim or a witness to abuses by governments and their security forces. These events were the final "tipping point."
We continue to discourage governments from using terrorism as an excuse to stifle freedom of expression and other fundamental freedoms. We have seen that this type of repression makes countries less stable and less secure while fueling terrorism.
I would also like to highlight the vital role women play in conflict prevention. Deadly conflicts are more likely to be mitigated and resolved, and peace sustained over time, when women are fully and meaningfully involved, and consulted in efforts to build peace and security.
I am heartened to see so many women here today and applaud the AU's commitment to promoting and expanding the meaningful inclusion and participation of women in peace and security.
But we can and must do better.
I know you will discuss these and many other topics this week.
The United States approach toward CVE in Africa embraces collaboration, which includes contributions from the U.S. State Department, USAID, and the Department of Defense – the 3Ds – diplomacy, development and defense.
Some specific examples include:
	West Africa: The Community Cohesion Project in West Africa targets communities at greatest risk of recruitment in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad and Niger by increasing youth engagement, facilitating inclusive dialogue among groups in conflict, and addressing the grievances of marginalized groups.
	Horn of Africa: Activities in the Horn of Africa address key drivers of violent extremism by improving relationships between communities and local governments and promoting partnerships between cross-border local governments and other actors.
	Wildlife Trafficking: USAID is working to combat wildlife crime, as extremist groups like Al Shabaab have been known to profit from the illicit wildlife trade as well as organized criminal networks, further compromising the security and stability of the region.
But you do not need to look any further than at the person next to you today in this room for innovative examples in conflict prevention. CVE Week itself is evidence of our collaborative approach.
Many of you are alumni of an innovative exchange program that USAU developed this summer. This ground-breaking program sent nineteen CVE practitioners nominated by our embassies across Africa, including several from the AU, CAERT, and G5 Sahel. Participants travelled to Washington, D.C., South Carolina, and Las Vegas to share expertise with their American counterparts.
Aside from the formalized meetings, perhaps the most important aspect of the exchange was for the participants to meet and learn from each other.
Building upon that success, USAU secured funding from our Public Diplomacy Innovation Fund to help sponsor this event and its follow-on activities. I am thrilled that the U.S. Department of State through its Bureau for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy has provided the financial support to make CVE Week 2018 possible.
We support your commitment and are thrilled to see you building networks, breaking down barriers, and forming friendships and professional relationships across disciplinary and professional boundaries. We are confident these bonds will be the basis for a future filled with collaboration.
I also believe the communications workshop later in the week will help its participants better engage with their target audiences.
Our support advances the White House's recently released National Strategy for Counterterrorism, which stresses the importance of public communications and diplomacy to strengthen partnerships in civil society.
We are proud to partner with the African Union to convene this collaborative forum where we will engage in constructive dialogue. Together, we are bridging geographic and linguistic divides.
We are seeking to build bridges of collaboration between governments and civil society who too often view each other with distrust and work at cross purposes.
In this journey of preventing and countering violent extremism, we must all build and strengthen bridges to facilitate the flow of information between practitioners, academia, media, and other stakeholders.
In closing, I emphasize the commitment of the United States to stand with Africa.
While the road each of you took to arrive here varies greatly, we are all united in our commitment to preventing and countering violent extremism. After this event, we will return home empowered with new skills, new connections, and a renewed passion to transform Africa. My greatest hope for each one of you is that you seize the opportunity offered here this week to build lasting and collaborative partnerships.
We are thankful to have you as partners, and look forward to having many more productive conversations throughout the week.
And I am looking forward to welcoming you to my residence tonight and meeting you all.
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Statement of H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission at the Opening Ceremony of the 35th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council
Statement by H.E Kwesi Quartey Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission on the Occasion of the Celebration of the 63rd Africa Union Day
Statement by H.E Kwesi Quartey Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission on the Occasion Of the Inauguration of the Memorial Wall to Mark the Celebration of the 63rd Africa Day Celebration
The Speech of the Commissioner for Peace and Security at Unveiling of the African Union Memorial Wall in Honour of Heroes and Heroines From AU Member States Who Lost their Lives for the Peace and Stability in Africa in AU Peace Support Missions
AU Strategy for Gender Equality & Women's Empowerment 2018-2028
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Remarks by H.E Amira Elfadil, Commissioner for Social Affairs at the Opening of the 3rd Africa Anti-Doping Forum, 15-16 July 2019, Cape Town, South Africa
Statement by H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, AU Commission Chairperson, delivered at the African Regional High-Level Conference on Counter-Terrorism and the Prevention of Violent Extremism Conducive to Terrorism
Allocution de Son Excellence Monsieur ISSOUFOU MAHAMADOU, Président de la République du Niger, Chef de l'Etat, lors de la Première Réunion de Coordination Semestrielle de l'Union Africaine et des Communautés Economiques Régionales
Allocution de S.E. ISSOUFOU MAHAMADOU, Président de la République du Niger, lors du 12ème Sommet Extraordinaire sur ZLECAf
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HANSARD 1803–2005 → 1990s → 1992 → July 1992 → 16 July 1992 → Commons Sitting → PETITION
Occupational Pension Schemes
§ 2.1 pm
§ Mr. Michael Bates (Langbaurgh)
I am grateful for the opportunity to debate occupational pension schemes. The schemes have a membership of about 11 million people and are important in this country. Some 300,000 schemes are in operation. The debate on pensions over recent years is welcome. As our population ages and people can look forward to periods of retirment of 20 to 30 years, the need for properly funded retirement via occupational pensions and state pensions is increasingly important.
There has been a great deal of success in occupational pension schemes, and we should start on that basis. We should mention that, in 1979, 54 per cent. of pensioners had a second income from an occupational pension scheme. That figure has now risen to 69 per cent., which is very welcome. We should also recognise that, in addition to occupational pension schemes, the number of people who can supplement their income has doubled from savings during that period. That is most welcome. The number of people who own property as another asset has increased during the period. As the wealth of the nation grows, pensioners can participate in that wealth, which is to be approved of greatly.
I want to bring a number of points before the House. One of the first problems that the industry and Government may face in coming months is surpluses. The fact that surpluses have built up in pension funds over the past 12 to 14 years is a credit to the economic conditions that have existed for the principal part of that time. The key point is what to do with those surpluses.
Who owns the surpluses in pension funds? I suggest that ownership of pension funds must lie with the employees and with the members of the pension fund. That key point must be accepted. The argument is helped by recent judgments in the European Court. The case of Barber ν. Guardian Royal Exchange established that pensions are deferred pay. Deferred pay, by its nature, must belong to the person who has earned the salary. Ownership is very much in the hands of the employees.
I do not welcome the way in which, in recent years, the surpluses that have been built up in pension funds have been attacked by predators and over-enthusiastic companies. I approved of the Conservative social security legislation which was introduced with the principal objective of placing limitations on what such surpluses can be used for. That was an excellent initiative, but it has still to be applied. The sooner the new rules are applied the better.
Other tactics, perhaps not as overt as taking over company pension schemes and creaming off their assets or taking loans from them, also give rise to anxiety. I refer to certain subliminal activities which have come to my attention—for instance, the practice of placing directors in the membership of an employee pension fund and allowing them to take up and backdate their benefit entitlements in the fund, following which, six or nine months later, they are given a transfer out of the fund and into their own executive scheme, taking with them a high transfer value. This causes concern among members of pension schemes and it must be dealt with.
Some employers are over-enthusiastic about taking contribution holidays. Some of them take employer contribution holidays of between five and 10 years. Given 1280 the ever-lengthening period of retirement these days, there will be ever-increasing demands on pension funds, so they will require increased resources. That in turn will require increased contributions, so employers must not set a bad example by taking these contribution holidays.
The security of pension funds has been much on our minds, given the tragic circumstances surrounding the Maxwell pensioners, but we must be careful not to over-legislate and place too heavy a burden on the 300,000 pension schemes in this country which operate successfully and effectively on behalf of employees.
Much of the great debate, inside and outside this Chamber, surrounds schemes with large memberships—multinational pension fund schemes, for instance. However, as we know, the vast majority of occcupational pension schemes are run by small manufacturing companies and small chains of shops with 20 or 30 staff. It may be right to impose on larger schemes professional actuaries who have to attend board meetings and be subject to increased compliance with legal requirements—that may tighten up on the investment and management of the large funds. We do not want, however, to place an excessive burden on smaller schemes. After all, where would the money to comply with more legislation come from? It would have to come from the pension funds themselves, to the detriment of their members.
Much of the protection required is already in place. Trustees must be better educated to know their rights and what to look for as they attend trust meetings. They need to know more as they take on responsible positions in companies and in occupational pension schemes.
We also welcome the review by Professor Goode initiated by the Department of Social Security. Most of us were extremely impressed with the quality and expertise of that distinguished committee. We have a great deal of confidence in the quality, knowledge and expertise of those people to produce sensible solutions which will be for the benefit of pensioners.
We must also consider portability. The nature of employment has changed. In the 1930s and 1940s, it was normal to think that people would spend 30 or 40 years with one company in one job. That was particularly so in the north-east of England. People would work in a mine from the time that they left school until they retired, or they would stay with a shipyard for their entire working lives. However, the nature of employment has changed. People change the nature of their duties and their professions and jobs. They also change employment on many occasions.
Under current legislation and the operation of occupational pension schemes, people who are mobile and move between different pension schemes can be disadvantaged because benefits have to be left or frozen within a particular scheme or transfers must be taken from a scheme, but the transfers are not a full and accurate reflection of the true value of the contribution in that fund.
We must recognise that there is a greater need for portability and mobility in the work force. We must encourage that, because it is good for the economy and for business. We must make it as easy as possible for people to move between jobs and to secure and build up pension benefits. Some people might argue that that is the responsibility of the individual, that people should take that decision and on their heads be it. However, if people fail to make adequate pension provisions during their working lives, they will become the responsibility of the 1281 state, which the taxpayer has to fund. We can legitimately take an interest in ensuring that people make adequate contributions into pension schemes to secure adequate benefits in retirement.
One cannot mention portability without referring briefly to the position in the European Community. I should welcome comments from my hon. Friend the Minister about pension benefits in the European arena because it would be helpful to draw comparisons. As we head towards a single market, the picture that I drew earlier of increased mobility in this country will be increased many times over. People will take advantage of the tremendous opportunities available through a single market to move between different employers and to change their professions, not just within the United Kingdom, but within the European Community.
Such movement raises questions about the funding of those pensions. The original European communication issued in 1991 by the Commission contained a provision for portability of pension benefits and for securing pension benefits as people move between member states. That was very welcome, but that provision was not adopted in the final document and that was very disappointing.
One appreciates that there are problems with different tax structures and that it is difficult to allow tax benefits in different member states. It is difficut to achieve harmonisation in that area. However, if we want a true, single European market and true mobility of labour, we must address that problem. I should be grateful if my hon. Friend the Minister would comment on that.
Many other things can be done for pensioners which relate not directly to pension schemes, but to the economic conditions that surround pensioners. We often hear from the Opposition the accusation that inflation is not the most important economic indicator. It is all right for hon. Members who will secure index-linked pension benefits, hut, for the vast majority of people—11 million—who do not have index-linked pension benefits, inflation and the control of inflation are of dire importance and are vital to their security and to maintaining the value of their pension benefits. We must bear that point in mind. We must imagine what it would have done to an occupational pension scheme in 1977, when the rate of inflation was 23 per cent. and a pension fund was limited to an increase of 5 per cent. Clearly, the Government have a duty, and the control of inflation for the benefit of pensioners is paramount.
The maintenance of low rates of taxation is another way of assisting occupational pensioners. The introduction of the 20p band for pensioners was a great assistance, particularly for pensioners receiving state and occupational benefits. The welcome increase in income support for pensioners is also a great assistance. There are things that the Government can do and I am pleased to say that they are doing them successfully.
If we want increased pension benefits, an adequate standard of living for an aging population and a decade of retirement, which is an excellent idea, we must strive towards flexibility of retirement ages. It is nonsense to suggest that everybody reaches an appropriate retirement age at exactly the same time. Individuals have different approaches to when they would like to exercise their retirement benefits. The ability to fund them is the key.
1282 The individual must accept that it is his responsibility to fund pension benefits and pension schemes. Perhaps in the past we were used to getting our pension benefits on the cheap, certainly compared with other European Community states. Contributions by our employees are at the low end of the scale. The individual must say, "If I want to secure those benefits and to choose my date of retirement, those benefits need to be funded." That is the responsibility of the individual and the individual alone.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security (Miss Ann Widdecombe)
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Langbaurgh (Mr. Bates), first, on obtaining the debate and, secondly, on the extremely lucid way in which he has made a wide range of points. His speech follows well on his excellent and well-acclaimed maiden speech on housing. My hon. Friend will be able to bring a great measure of judgment and expertise in serving his constituents. It is a tremendous pleasure for me to answer such interesting and thought-provoking thoughts. Given the time constraints, it is unlikely that I shall be able to address each of my hon. Friend's points, but I hope to be able to to respond to the most important.
My hon. Friend is right to welcome the review of trust law which the Government have implemented under Professor Goode. I am particularly grateful to my hon. Friend for making it clear that a balance is to be struck between, on the one hand, protecting the members of pension funds and making sure that the law is sufficiently tight to protect their assets and future pensions and, as far as possible, to avoid the excesses that we have seen as a result of the Maxwell affair, and, on the other hand, not drawing the rules so tight that they make it impossible for small funds to function or that they provide a major disincentive for employers to set up occupational pension schemes. That is an important balance to be struck. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for pointing it out.
The Government have always been aware that the security of pensions is a major issue. It was addressed in the Social Security Act 1990. Several measures in that Act have been implemented and we are still considering others. That is a tribute to the Government and a refutation of the frequent claim that somehow we know that problems were brewing in occupational pensions two years ago, well before any knowledge of Mr. Maxwell's activities, but did nothing about it. We were already implementing measures or consulting on measures to strengthen the law.
We took cognisance of the balance that my hon. Friend discussed when we introduced the self-investment regulations, because we wanted to limit self-investment because we recognised that it was in the interests of members of pension funds to do so. However, we did not want to limit it in such a way that we would cause funds and employers to wind up prematurely or make it impossible for them to function sensibly within whatever limits we introduced. Therefore, there was a period of consultation before we introduced the 5 per cent. limit. I suggest to my hon. Friend that that is evidence of our great desire to maintain the balance to which he referred.
My hon. Friend was right to put occupational pensions in the overall context of pensioner incomes and to assess how far occupational pensions have contributed to the welfare of Britain's pensioners. He asked me to make clear what pension benefits exist in the rest of Europe. In many 1283 of our European competitor countries highly developed occupational pension schemes such as we have here do not exist. Even in countries that have large occupational pensions schemes such as Germany or Holland, the schemes are not all run on exactly the same principles.
There is a healthy mix between private and public provision in Britain. Perhaps a good demonstration of that is the fact that the average income from occupational pensions is almost exactly the same as the state pension. The state pension makes a significant contribution to a pensioner's income. It is precisely that healthy mix which enables us to sustain an increasing pensioner population and maintain services for our pensioners which are not readily available in the rest of Europe.
I shall take the request of my hon. Friend to draw some comparisons with Europe. In much of the rest of Europe people already have to work much longer for their pension. For example, in Denmark the retirement age is 67. In the Netherlands people must have 50 years of insurance before they even qualify for a pension. The pension received by people who live in France or Germany depends on how much they have earned. Low earners end up with extremely low pensions.
In Britain a basic state pension is available to all with a contributions record. In both France and Germany people pay health insurance out of their pension. In Britain national insurance contributions stop when people retire. They simply draw their pension. Only Britain provides a separate pension for a spouse who has not worked. As that represents some 60 per cent. of the basic pension, it makes an enormous difference in any European comparisons.
In other countries, assessments for income support or its equivalent take account of children's income as well as that of the pensioner. In this country, we consider solely the income of pensioners. As my hon. Friend pointed out, half our pensioners own their homes and those at the poorer end of the scale can receive help with rent of up to 100 per cent., whereas housing costs are a major drain on pensioners' incomes abroad.
In France, pensioners pay £4.50 a day for the first week in hospital. In this country pensioners have no deductions for the first six weeks. In Belgium, they pay up to 10 per cent. of the cost of their treatment and in some other countries there are no automatic free prescriptions for pensioners or there is a system, for example as in France, where pensioners are entitled to free medicine but have to pay and claim back the cost. In most other countries, the cost of living is higher. That puts into context the good deal that pensioners have, if we look outside the narrow provisions of the state pension.
In the past 13 years, there have been significant improvements in pensioners' average incomes. Our policy to encourage such improvements has been in two strands. First, we have pledged—and have succeeded in ensuring—that basic state pensions provide a secure foundation for retirement, by increasing them in line with the movement in prices. Secondly, we have encouraged private provision for retirement, both through personal and occupational pension schemes, and by aiming to create a stable economic environment in which savings and investments can grow and maintain their value.
It was important that my hon. Friend the Member for Langbaurgh drew attention to the role of the control of inflation in promoting pensioners' incomes. He was right 1284 not merely to rely on the automatic uprating of occupational pension schemes but instead to point to central economic policy.
As there is no Opposition Front-Bench spokesman in the Chamber it might be rather ungenerous to draw the obvious comparison with the 1970s, when many pensioners' savings were effectively wiped out and when few of them—or far fewer than today—enjoyed the comfort of an occupational pension in addition to their state pension. Since 1979, pensioners' incomes from savings have more than doubled, whereas under the last Labour Government they fell by 16 per cent., and average income from occupational pensions has nearly doubled over the same period. The number of recently retired pensioners receiving income from occupational pensions has increased from 54 per cent. in 1979 to 69 per cent. today.
§ Dr. Robert Spink (Castle Point)
Hear, hear.
§ Miss Widdecombe
That is a tribute to the success of our occupational pension strategy, and I am glad to have that sign of support from my hon. Friend the Member for Castle Point (Dr. Spink), whom I welcome to the Chamber.
While it is true that many pensioners rely on benefits for much of their income, during the past decade private incomes have become much more important. Social security now accounts for only about half of pensioners' average incomes, compared to three fifths at the end of the 1970s. That important shift in emphasis from state to private provision has given us much-needed flexibility in the way that we manage the wide range of pension provisions that my hon. Friend the Member for Langbaurgh referred to.
Real benefit expenditure on the elderly has risen by one third since 1979, but we have been able to target that towards poorer pensioners. My right hon. Friend the Leader of the House, the previous Secretary of State for Social Security, who is also in the Chamber in another guise, was firmly of the opinion and managed to carry through with great success the focusing of extra help on those pensioners who are generally regarded as being less well off. As a result of those measures, we have been able to reduce the proportion of pensioners among the poorest fifth of the population from 40 to 28 per cent. during the Government's term in office. Even among that group, the extra help that we have been able to give through increased income support pensioner premiums has contributed to a 15 per cent. real increase in their average incomes.
In the remaining minute of my time I shall turn from the general state of pensioners' incomes and European comparisons, on which my hon. Friend invited me to comment, and assure him on an issue on which he touched at the end of his speech when he called for a flexible decade of retirement. Contrary to speculation in the press and from the Opposition, the Government have not yet reached a view on how to equalise state pension ages. We are wholly committed to equalisation, but we have not decided on any one method. I can assure my hon. Friend that a flexible decade or flexible period of retirement in any one of a number of forms is under consideration. It is one of four principal options being considered by the Government. When we finally reach our conclusions we 1285 shall have taken into account the expert advice that we have received from him. I conclude by again thanking my hon. Friend for raising this important subject.
§ Mr. George Galloway (Glasgow, Hillhead)
On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. It is fortuitous that the Leader of the House is by your right hand, which is where he should be. Have you had any indication from the Government that there will be, even at this eleventh hour, a statement about the plan to confiscate Scottish water? I note from yesterday's proceedings that the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry did the decent thing and made an important statement to Parliament about the proposals to privatise Parcelforce. We learn from the newspapers that the Government plan to steal Scotland's water. It would be an outrage if Parliament were to break up for the longest recess in living memory without our knowing what the Government plan for that most precious of natural resources, Scottish water.
§ Mr. Deputy Speaker (Mr. Geoffrey Lofthouse)
I have received no information that any Minister intends to make a statement, and I think it highly unlikely.
§ Mr. Mike Watson (Glasgow, Central)
Further to that point of order—
§ Mr. Deputy Speaker
Is it on the same point of order?
§ Mr. Watson
It is, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
I am sorry, but I have ruled on that.
Back to Southern Africa (Drought)
Forward to Bolton General Hospital (Ward Closure)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Designer Learns to 'Go With the Flow'
By Kate RogersFOXBusiness
We're highlighting small businesses from around the country as nominated by you, our readers. If your favorite small business is using Twitter to communicate with customers, let us know about it @fbsmallbiz with the hashtag #mysbc, and it may be featured as an upcoming Small Business of the Day.
Small Business of the Day: DBK Design
Who: Deborah Block-Krol, 57, @deblockrol
What: Handmade art, jewelry and accessories
When: October 2010
How: Block-Krol has a degree in painting and has always loved art. She previously worked as an interior designer and also knitted home accessories. In 2010 she broke her knee, and turned again to knitting and designing while recovering.
"I set up a studio in my dining room and started with scarves, and branched out into jewelry," she said. "It's really important to have new challenges creatively."
She now sells her items in 20 galleries nationwide, as well as on the web.
Where: Millburn, NJ
Biggest lesson learned from a customer: "To listen to what they are saying and requesting," she said. "There are people who like my designs, but want modifications. You have to go with the flow."
To view more Small Businesses of the Day, click our interactive map


text:
Q: run customized version of third party assembly without strong name signature I want to make a change to an assembly (mysql connector net), I build the dlls successfully but when I try to run my web solution I get:
Could not load file or assembly 'MySql.Data' or one of its dependencies. Strong name signature could not be verified.  The assembly may have been tampered with, or it was delay signed but not fully signed with the correct private key.
of course, I don't have the strong name key file to sign when I build the dll.
How can I make my project recognize the dll without having to verify with the strong name signature?  or is there some other work around?

A: A few things could be going on here and they'll require a bit of work to get around.
MySql.Data is strong name signed.  To produce a MySql.Data.dll file that other, compiled, code can reference, you need to have access to the keypair used to sign the MySql.Data.dll file.  You don't have access to that, only the MySql folks do (we hope, anyway), because leaking that would allow someone to create a malicious MySql.Data.dll and have other components which reference it use that .dll.  Strong naming is designed to prevent that case.
My guess is that the MySql.Data project is configured to delay sign the .dll with the public portion of the keypair.  You don't have the private portion of that keypair so you can't finish the signing process, yourself.
The solution is to generate a new key.snk file, configure the project to use that key, disable delay signing on that project and rebuild.
The problem you're going to run into is that any other libraries that reference MySql.Data.dll are going to be doing so with the strong name used in the proper MySql.Data.dll.  So any other libraries that you're using which reference MySql.Data.dll will need to have their references modified with the strong name that your library now has.
You need to modify the references of these libraries (either by getting the source code or using ildasm.exe).  You then have to change the references to use your library with the new strong name and rebuild those libraries.  If these references are also strong name signed, you'll have to resign with a new key and repeat this same process with any libraries that reference that library.
You can imagine how this can spiral out of control pretty quickly.  A better option, if it's possible, would be to create a new library that references the MySql.Data.dll and extend the classes/components that you've customized without touching the MySql.Data.dll library's code.  This may, or may not, be possible depending on what behaviours you've changed with regard to that library.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


4-Star carrier Philippine Airlines is increasing flights between Manila and Melbourne amidst the surge of passenger traffic along the route. Beginning June 1 this year, the flag carrier will operate five weekly Manila-Melbourne frequencies from the current thrice weekly service. The additional flights form part of several operational enhancements being undertaken by PAL after receiving the coveted 4-Star certification from air transport rating organization Skytrax.
PR207 departs Manila every Wednesday and Friday at 4:45PM and arrives in Melbourne at 3:00AM local time the following day. PR208 leaves the Australian city every Thursday and Saturday at 5:40AM local time and touches down in Manila at 10:55AM on the same day.
On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, PR209 leaves Manila at 9:10PM and lands in Melbourne at 8:30AM local time the following day and on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, PR210 departs Melbourne at 10:15AM local time and reaches Manila at 3:30PM on the same day.
PAL Vice President for Sales Ryan Uy said, "The new frequency to Melbourne would enable Aussies to maximize the benefits of the domestic and international hub of PAL which currently offers a combined total of 77 destinations. Passengers will get to enjoy our newly reconfigured Airbus A330's with new lie-flat business class, new premium economy and new economy seats."
On March 28, PAL will shift to a thrice weekly non-stop service between Manila and Brisbane which will enable passengers to use the Airbus A340 with lie-flat business class seats. PR221 will operate every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday departing Manila at 11:30PM and arriving in Brisbane at 9:20AM local time the following day. PR222 will leave the AUS city every Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 11AM local time and arrive in Manila at 5PM on the same day.
Arriving passengers can enjoy Manila for a few days and hop on to one of PAL's domestic flights before connecting to the airline's international network especially to the UK and North Asia.
2. Check your eligibility by clicking the Upgrade Now button.
3. Make an offer at least 36 hours before your scheduled flight by choosing within the minimum and maximum amount you wish to offer, per person, for each flight segment.
4. Enter your credit card details and a valid email address. Note: You will receive an acknowledgement email containing the details of your offer. Should you change your mind, you can modify or cancel at least 36 hours before your departure.
5. Should you 'win' the bid and are successfully upgraded, PAL will charge your credit card with the offer amount and communicate with you via email. Make sure to check your email 24 hours before your flight to find out if your bid won.
Passengers can bid for a Premium Economy Class Upgrade for flights between Manila and Honolulu, Sydney, Melbourne, Haneda, Narita, Osaka. Upgrades from Economy to Economy Plus are available for flights between Manila and Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh, Doha, Kuwait. Upgrades from Economy to Economy Plus apply to select domestic routes.
Winning bidders will get to experience the perks of the upgrade such as premium seats inside an exclusive cabin, priority check-in and boarding, next-level entertainment on bigger screens and enhanced meal options.


石油の消費量を減らさなければならない. We've got to cut down (on) our consumption of petroleum.
予算が半分に減らされた. The budget has been cut (down) by half.
肉を減らして野菜をもっと食べなさい. I advise you to eat less meat and more vegetables.
The number has been decreased to thirty.
The number has been decreased by thirty.
I wish to be eased of some hours.
I wish to have my hours lessened to 12 hours a week.
I wish to have my hours lessened by six hours.
My salary has been reduced to 70 yen.
My salary has been reduced by 30 yen.
They put out their children to service in order to lessen the number of mouths to feed.
We want less reading and more grammar.
The parents would make any sacrifices in order to give their children an education.
The child is always hungry.
I want to decrease the tanks.


If you're watching the Olympics, you just saw Jason Lezak anchor an awesome come by behind victory for the men in the 4x100 Freestyle swimming event. Awe-some.
And they beat some French trashtalkers.
Don't people understand that the Gods of sport are not to be trifled with?


text:
Q: Sum up value of span elements with jQuery I have a bigger calculator, which simplified would be something like this:
$('input').keyup(function () { // run anytime the value changes
var firstValue = parseFloat($('#first').val()) || 0; // get value of field
var secondValue = parseFloat($('#second').val()) || 0; // convert it to a float
var thirdValue = parseFloat($('#third').val()) || 0;

$('#sum1').html(firstValue + thirdValue); // add them and output it
$('#sum2').html(secondValue + thirdValue); // add them and output it

});

How can I take the values of sum1 and sum2, and add them to a Sum?
They are spans which get populated after Input have been populated.
Thank you

A: "How can I take the values of sum1 and sum2, and add them to a Sum?".
Well...
var sum1 = parseFloat($('#sum1').text());
var sum2 = parseFloat($('#sum2').text());

$('#sum3').html(sum1 + sum2);

DEMO: http://jsfiddle.net/168zb1ez/3/


Recently, I haven't been around my blog for a long time.
I haven't been taken many photos in a way that I used to do. Personally, I have moved to a new home, and this hectic business of house hunting and moving had completely consumed me for a couple of months. After all the hard work, finally, I can have some sense of relaxation in the new place and am trying to bring my life back to normal again. At least I can confirm that the little passion I had for photography hasn't died out.
With or without the intention, slow shutter speed occasionally brings some unexpectedly fun photos. The emphasised blurred motion of time reveals even more of the nature of photography - capturing the time. Rather nostalgic images always make me think of the moment, and a short film like movie quickly plays in my mind. Happy snap continues.


Mobile homes, especially older ones, have walls that are not the traditional drywall construction found in stick built houses. This is a guide about painting walls in a mobile home.
Paneling & Planking at Menards? - Menards? - Dedicated to Service & Quality?


Image Title: SecurePal 96 LED Solar Outdoor Security Flood Light Lights With Prepare 1. Filename: securepal-96-led-solar-outdoor-security-flood-light-lights-with-prepare-1.jpg. Image Dimension: 500 x 500 pixels. Images Format: jpg/jpeg. Publisher/Author: Travon Moen. Uploaded Date: Saturday - May 05th. 2018 19:05:09 PM. Category: Architecture. Image Source: freshome.com.
Tap The Thumbnail Bellow to See Related Gallery of "SecurePal 96 LED Solar Outdoor Security Flood Light Lights With Prepare 1"


text:
Washington 1789. America's First President The Continental forces
Washington left behind him the most durable legacies. Washington
is dubbed the "Father of His Country," and his face is on our U.S. currency
today such as the quarter and dollar bill.
Washington returned to Mount Vernon and went back to his old
life, farming on his farms. On December 14, Washington died at the age of 67
due to a cold that got worse and worse. Washington was buried at Mount Vernon.
George Washington only served two terms as the president of
the U.S., he retired his duty as president because he wanted to go back home to
Mount Vernon.
Washington Retires to
The U.S. wasn't a big nation like it is today when
Washington took office, it only had 11 states. Washington toiled to set examples
of fairness, prudence and integrity even when the population had about 4
million citizens.
In 1783, a peace treaty was signed among America and Great
Britain, Washington retired his leadership of the military and came back home. His
remarkable leadership persuaded the ambassadors that he was the most competent
man to become the nation's first president. On January 7, 1789, the election
had initiated. Washington won conveniently. He was inaugurated on April 30,
America's First
The Continental forces were successfully able to seize
British hordes under their leader General Charles Cornwallis with the help of
the French military in Yorktown, Virginia. This put an end the war and
Washington was acclaimed.
His troops weren't highly trained and had no food,
ammunition and other supplies. Washington gave them the instructions and inspiration
to keep pushing forward.
Washington served as an ambassador to the First Continental
Congress. The American Revolution had initiated.
Washington extended Mount Vernon with five new farms he
Washington was a leader of the Virginia military in December
1752. In 1759, Washington had resigned his duty as leader and came back to
Mount Vernon. When he came back, he was chosen to be on the Virginia House of
Burgesses. Later, he married Martha Dandridge Custis, a rich widow with two
children on January 1759. Washington and Martha never had any kids of their
own.
An Officer and
Gentleman Farmer
In 1751, Washington made an excursion outside of his native country,
he travelled all the way to Barbados accompanied by his older half-brother
Lawrence, who was suffering from a disease called tuberculosis. Later, George caught
smallpox and he survived the disease, the disease left behind terrible facial
scars that were permanent. In 1752, Lawrence died. Washington passed down his
brother's land, Mount Vernon.
Washington had shown a connection for mathematics. He became
an effective surveyor. His trip into the wilderness made him money to start owning
land of his own in Virginia
On February 22, 1732, George Washington was born. George was
the oldest child. His dad died when he was just a boy at the age of 11. He
finished school at around the of age 15.
INTRODUCTION or a country. Throughout history, there were
The powers that each house of the branch
In was a war in which thirteen British
Mike Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The king believes


text:
Client Login (888) 711-9998
FACS Insider Blog
Key Considerations for Your COVID-19 Safety Plan: FACS Update #2
March 21, 2020 | Contributors: Ben Kollmeyer, MPH, CIH & Hung Cheung, MD, MPH, FACOEM
The COVID-19 pandemic is in full swing, and even with the current emergency public health measures to reduce the spread of the virus, it is expected to be of concern for an extended period of time. Organizations must prepare for the near-term impacts, but also for a "new normal" of how to include protecting their people and stakeholders while continuing to conduct business with this threat.
The environmental health and medical experts at FACS and Cogency have been continuously reviewing the latest data and providing guidance to clients as they develop infection prevention plans to address immediate challenges and to prepare for various scenarios that could play out in the coming weeks and months. What follows are some key considerations and issues that emerge when developing and implementing an infection prevention plan for COVID-19.
Your Team. Representation on the team, either directly or through outside partners, is recommended to address health & safety, medical, risk assessment and management, legal, human resources and operational issues. Coordination between the infection prevention team and the team managing business continuity is also recommended, as the issues are intertwined.
Information Management. There has been conflicting information about COVID-19 in the news media, social media, public health entities, and scientific sources. The team will need to sort through the noise to keep abreast of what is real and what may be misleading. This is not only for the benefit of the team to support informed decision-making, but also to know what stakeholders may be hearing and feel concern about. Primary information sources include the established public health infrastructure: World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), state and local (e.g., county) public health departments, as well as federal and state OSHA.
Tiered Action Plan. Making the plan dynamic, with the ability to ratchet controls up or down depending on circumstances on the ground (e.g., general prevention, community spread, emergency orders, incident response for on-site case or case exposure).
Work Modification. Evaluate if and how work operations must be modified to control exposures (e.g., social distancing, working from home, process changes, task prioritization, engineered exposure controls, use of protective equipment, halting non-essential activities).
Cleaning/Disinfection. Follow written protocols addressing best practices including what to clean, where to clean, when to clean, how to clean, who cleans, what products to use, and what protective equipment to wear. Reinforce protocols with employee training, as well as monitoring and documentation of cleaning efforts. Consider the availability of supplies and equipment in the face of increased demand.
Personal Hygiene & Protection. Follow written protocols addressing how and when to clean under different circumstances, along with common do's and don'ts. Use and maintain personal protective equipment per manufacturers recommendations. Continually educate to create habits of new behaviors (e.g., hand washing, social distancing).
Case/Incident Response. Assess situations where a known case exists or people have been exposed (e.g., where did they go, what did they do, who did they interact with). Then prepare a site-specific response action plan addressing cleaning/disinfection as well as risk communication and medical screening/monitoring of impacted persons.
Medical Screening. Identify and evaluate risk factors associated with the spread of disease and determine if medical screening is needed or necessary. Evaluate regulatory requirements, credentials, training and safety considerations for persons conducting the screening or collecting and reviewing the medical information. Consider legal implications of documenting any medical data. Incorporate review of screening programs by medical professionals.
Extended Building Closure. Potential negative environmental health impacts associated with opening buildings that have been shut down for an extended time (e.g., water quality, ventilation, moisture/mold concerns, food and chemical expirations) should be considered and addressed as needed.
Training, Education, & Risk Communication. Consider providing training to support implementation of infection prevention plans and to manage employee and stakeholder concerns. Hold recurrent townhall Q&A meetings. Ensure those communicating are able to respond to misleading or false information. Provide education regarding personal infection control practices, as poor practices at home can lead to impacts to other people and organizations.
We hope these considerations can help you and your organization put in place a plan to support the safety of your people and stakeholders during this challenging time. We will continue to provide updates with information and experiences we feel may help. Please contact us if you have any questions or if our experts can be of assistance in managing your response.
Ben Kollmeyer, MPH, CIH Hung Cheung, MD, MPH, FACOEM
Chief Science Officer President, Cogency Medical
Contact Us to Speak with an Environmental Health Expert Today
Have a unique problem?
Our team is skilled at understanding complex issues and providing effective solutions.
Contact FACS
Right People. Right Perspective. Right Now
Copyright © 2021 Forensic Analytical Consulting Services. All rights reserved.


text:
František Schmoranz starší (30. prosinec 1814 Bělá u Rychnova nad Kněžnou – 4. duben 1902 Slatiňany) byl architekt, stavitel a restaurátor druhé poloviny 19. století.

Život
V Kutné Hoře se vyučil zedníkem, poté studoval na vídeňské Akademii (1836). Od roku 1837 žil ve Slatiňanech. V letech v 1844–1871 působil jako městský stavitel v Chrudimi. Z titulu své funkce se výrazně podílel na obnově Chrudimi po zhoubném požáru v roce 1850. Od roku 1853 působil jako krajský konzervátor vídeňské ústřední komise pro ochranu památek. Dne 16. ledna 1889 se stal čestným občanem města Chrudimi.

Nejstarší syn František byl též architektem. Druhý syn Josef působil jako malíř, dekoratér a pedagog. Třetí syn Jan působil v Chrudimi a převzal otcovu firmu. Poslední syn Gustav byl ředitelem Národního divadla a působil i jako spisovatel, překladatel a malíř.

Dílo
Schmoranz patřil k představitelům novogotiky, v níž vytvořil některé novostavby, například hrobku rodiny Karla Chotka ve Valtířově u Ústí nad Labem , především se však výrazně podílel na řadě puristických rekonstrukcí. Neogoticky přestavěl zámek Žleby, postavil též řadu budov v Chrudimi. Restauroval zde kostel Nanebevzetí Panny Marie. V Poličce restauroval kostel svatého Jakuba, v Hradci Králové pak katedrálu svatého Ducha, ve Dvoře Králové regotizoval kostel svatého Jana Křtitele. V rámci rekonstrukcí navrhoval též nový, neogotický mobiliář. Podnětem u vídeňské centrální komise pro ochranu památek se mu podařilo zabránit připravované demolici pardubické Zelené brány. Roku 1895 podle jeho návrhu byla opět vystavěna věž kostela Nanebevzetí Panny Marie v Polné. V letech 1869–1870 krátkou dobu ve Slatiňanech u stavební firmy Františka Schmoranze staršího působil významný architekt Antonín Wiehl.

Odkazy

Reference

Literatura

Externí odkazy

 František Schmoranz starší na webu města Slatiňany
 Medailon na webu města Ústí nad Labem
 Biografický slovník památkářů  (web NPÚ)
 20230310 | Vysoké Mýto / V regionálním muzeu připravili výstavu o architektu a památkáři Františku Schmoranzovi (VIDEO; online: youtube.com) (verif.20230313)

Čeští architekti
Čeští památkáři
Narození v roce 1814
Narození 30. prosince
Úmrtí v roce 1902
Muži
Úmrtí 4. dubna
Úmrtí ve Slatiňanech
Pohřbení ve Slatiňanech
Čestní občané města Chrudimi
Narození v Liberku

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Exhibition Centre of Fine Arts, Photography (29 Hang Bai, Hanoi).
The children's paintings exhibition "Talent incubator" aims to raise money for children at K hospital with the latest artworks created by more than 100 students from AZDESIGN and ART TALENT classes, aged 5 to 15.
The exhibition provides a colorful art space for the public and share feelings and reflections on art to educate the youth about aesthetics and creativity.


text:
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Serial

peek()

Description

Returns the next byte (character) of incoming serial data without removing it from the internal serial buffer.  That is, successive calls to peek() will return the same character, as will the next call to read().

Syntax

Serial.peek()

Arduino Mega only:
Serial1.peek()
Serial2.peek()
Serial3.peek()

Parameters

None

Returns

the first byte of incoming serial data available (or -1 if no data is available)  - int

See also

Serial.available()

Serial.flush()

Serial.read()

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The condition is an information where is comparison two value.
2 == 3; // 2 is equal 3 ?
2 != 3 // 2 is different to 3 ?
2 > 3; // 2 is major to 3 ?
2 < 3; // 2 is less to 3 ?
2 >= 3; // 2 is major or equal to 3 ?
2 <= 3; // 2 is less or equal to 3 ?
((2!=3) && (2>1)) // 2 is different of 3 and 2 is major 1 ?
((2!=3) || (2>1)) // 2 is different of 3 or 2 is major 1 ?
((2!=3) ^ (2>1)) // 2 is different of 3 xor 2 is major 1 ?
To do this it uses the cycle for, this cycle start with index from zero to ten.


text:
Q: Charts overlapping py-script flask I have created sample Flask UI to display Bar and Pie chart using py-script. I noticed that when the bar chart py-script section is kept on top both bar and pie chart is visible but when pie chart py-script is kept on top it results in overlapping of the charts.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
      <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://pyscript.net/alpha/pyscript.css" />
      <script defer src="https://pyscript.net/alpha/pyscript.js"></script>

      <py-env>
        - pandas
        - numpy
        - matplotlib
      </py-env>
  </head>
  <body>
<py-script>

from matplotlib import pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

# Creating dataset

# Creating plot
fig = plt.figure(figsize =(10, 7))
plt.pie({{pt}}, labels = {{ct}})

# show plot
plt

</py-script>

<py-script>
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

y = list({{data}}.keys())
x = list({{data}}.values())

plt.barh(y, x, color=['red', 'green', 'blue', 'cyan'])

# setting label of y-axis
plt.ylabel("pen sold")

# setting label of x-axis
plt.xlabel("price")
plt.title("Horizontal bar graph")
plt

</py-script>

  </body>
</html>

Regards,
Rohan


Trial winners Ross Millington and Charlotte Arter lead the team of 40 athletes for Tilburg.
British Athletics has named a full team of 40 athletes for the 25th edition of the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Tilburg on December 9.
Ross Millington and Charlotte Arter will spearhead the senior teams having won the trials at the Liverpool Cross Challenge on Saturday (November 24).
The British team has enjoyed a rich vein of success at these championships, having topped the medal table in 11 of the previous 12 championships.
After taking senior men's victory at the trials, 2016 team gold and 2014 team bronze medallist Millington heads the men's selection, flanked by Andy Vernon, who has won 12 Euro Cross medals in his 10 team appearances.
Nick Goolab earns his first selection since 2012 after a stunning second-place finish in Liverpool, with Marc Scott, Charlie Hulson and Dewi Griffiths completing the team.
Joining Arter in senior women's team is seven-time Euro Cross medallist Kate Avery and 2016 team silver medallists Pippa Woolven.
2017 mixed relay gold medallist, Melissa Courtney and Verity Ockenden make their individual Euro Cross debuts, with Jess Piasecki returning to the British Euro Cross team for the first time since claiming individual gold and team silver in 2012 as an Under-23.
Four-time Euro Cross gold medallist Jess Judd leads the defending senior mixed relay team, hoping to add to her six medals in total from the Championships. Alex Bell, Philip Sesemann and Jamie Williamson, make up the strong quartet.
The Under-23s selections are headed by 2016 individual and three-time team bronze medallist Mahamed Mahamed and team gold medallist from Samorin, Slovakia, last year, Amy Griffiths.
Patrick Dever will be aiming for a third straight team medal at the Championships while Lydia Turner earns a first Euro Cross vest since 2014, when she claimed an individual bronze and a team gold medal in Samakov, Bulgaria.
Making their maiden appearances for the British team within the Under-23s are Emile Cairess, John Millar and Poppy Tank.
Welsh duo and trial winners Jake Heyward and Cari Hughes head the junior teams and are two of seven Welsh athletes selected. The latter claimed Under-20 team gold in Samorin last year alongside Khahisa Mhlanga, who finished third in Liverpool.
Amelia Quirk, who won team gold in Chia in 2016, earns her place after finishing second at the trials, while Jack Meijer, Tiffany Penfold and Grace Brock are handed their first British vests.
Meanwhile, Ireland named its team of 39 athletes on Monday, which includes newly crowned national champions Ciara Mageean and Kevin Dooney.


Offre limitée 2019 : Achetez IObit Protected Folder au meilleur prix, 25% de remise. Le coupon a peut-être une durée limitée, ne le manquez pas !
It's very easy to use and does exactly what it says. Good!
IObit Protected Foldercan perfectly hides sensitive data with a few very easy operations. In my case, I change the name of the desktop icon to another common one, so others who look at my computer even have no idea of the program's existence. Surely an experienced computer user can find it out, but I don't believe a hacker might be interested in digging out my programs.
Here are some defects. If I want to change a protected file, I need to first make it unprotected and then change it before protecting it again. During this process, an unprotected backup copy will be left on the computer. I need to remove the unprotected backup to the Recycle Bin and delete it thoroughly, then the information will be very safe. If the backup copy can be automatically protected, it will be even better. If the software can make some improvements on allowing to change a protected file directly, no need to unprotect it first, it will be perfect.
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Tag Archives: X-wings
Spotlight: Star Wars – Wedge Antilles
Forgive the numerous Star Wars posts, readers, but the franchise has been on my mind quite a bit lately. My posts about the forgotten heroines from a galaxy far, far away and subsequent interactions with the young ladies who run The Elven Padawan have re-ignited my hibernating interest in these stories. And once my interest in a story has been reawakened, it is hard for me to get it under control.
This is why I began thinking quite a bit about Wedge Antilles, the focus of today's Spotlight! article. In my early days as a Star Wars fan I was always impressed when, after Wedge's X-Wing is damaged during the trench run on the first Death Star, Luke told him to break off before he got killed. In marked contrast to his relationship with Biggs Darklighter, Luke barely knew Wedge before going out to attack the giant battle station. They hardly met before being thrust into combat together.
Still, despite their short acquaintance, a viewer can hear the genuine concern in Luke's voice when he tells Red Two to bail out of the trench run. That scene always stuck with me; in spite of the fact that they didn't really know one another, Luke Skywalker truly cared about protecting Wedge Antilles. Considering he lost his childhood friend not long afterward, that says a lot about the budding Jedi Knight's character.
My regard for Wedge in the films at the time was, clearly, less about him and more about Luke. Thinking back, this blogger really only "met" and came to like Wedge Antilles during her first read through of Timothy Zahn's novel Vision of the Future, from the Hand of Thrawn duology. During Vision, Antilles' character was on full display. His dry humor, his dislike of politics mixing with military matters, and his leadership and tactical abilities caught my attention at once. Through Zahn's writing this blogger also came to admire Wedge for his loyalty, his strong sense of right and wrong, and his genuine concern for those under his command.
I also appreciated the fact that Wedge hadn't lost his optimism. Despite everything he had been through, in the old EU Antilles still believed in and hoped for happy endings. He had far more depth and personality in the books than the films had suggested. Subsequently, he stopped being just a face in a cockpit when I watched the movies. In that strange way all good fictional characters have of endearing themselves to audiences, he became something close to a real person for me.
Obviously, this blogger has not lost any respect for his character over the years. Hearing that he would appear in Star Wars Rebels, I was glad to know that at least this old favorite, unlike several others, wasn't going to be completely forgotten in the new timeline. However, my enthusiasm for his presence in the new stories was tempered by the fact that so much from the first EU had been discarded. I sensed that the people running Disney/Lucasfilm weren't going to let Filoni and crew bring the Wedge I knew into the new Star Wars timeline.
That isn't to say that Wedge's appearances in Rebels weren't enjoyable. He sometimes came across as a bit foolish in certain scenes, but there were other times when some of the Antilles I knew shone through the changes. It was still Wedge being Wedge (for the most part), and this blogger could like his animated representation for that. The only thing I would have tweaked in Rebels was his brief career as an Imperial pilot. If the Rebels writers could have written Wedge as an undercover agent and recruiter who needed extraction, the episode would have made more sense to me.
The reason I say this is that, in the original stories, Wedge casually hated the Empire and wanted to keep off its radar. Due to the insurance payout he received after his parents' deaths aboard the family refueling station, he was able to do this by buying his own ship. For a couple of years following the loss of his parents, Wedge ran legal freight around the galaxy. But because of the Empire's economic stranglehold, finding legitimate, good paying jobs was hard work for independent freighters – especially young ones like him.
In the old timeline, Wedge would cite this economic hardship as his reason for joining the Rebel Alliance. The truth, however, was far different. While working as a cargo pilot Wedge fell in love with a girl named Mala Tinero. She supported the Alliance along with her father and, though Wedge agreed with their ideals, he wasn't inclined to join the fight against the Empire just yet. That only happened after Mala, her father, and the village where they lived were bombed to atoms when their link to the Rebellion was discovered.
Due to the fact that he was making his first delivery in months that week, Wedge wasn't with Mala and the others when this occurred. He got back in time to find the Imperials still swarming over what remained of the village. Infuriated and heartbroken, he shot down several TIEs before spending the next few days dodging patrols while trying to find Mala. But it soon became clear that his sweetheart was dead. Devastated, Wedge finally joined the Rebels on Yavin IV, becoming roommates and good friends with Jek Porkins and (drumroll, please) Biggs Darklighter.
From there, Wedge proved his capabilities as a pilot. Han Solo, Tycho Celchu, and Baron Soontir Fel, all legendary pilots in their own rights, recognized Wedge as a skilled flyer. One of his commanders even went so far as to say that Wedge flew "as crazy as Solo," a high compliment indeed. These combined skills earned him more and more responsibility, meaning that Wedge unintentionally climbed through the Rebellion's ranks faster than a man his age would have. This put him in position to found Rogue Squadron – a starfighter group that became the troubleshooters for the Rebellion and New Republic – later on with his new friend, Luke Skywalker. It also sharpened his skills as a leader and tactician.
After Luke left the military to restart the Jedi Order, Wedge remained a fighter pilot, refusing promotions in order to stay on the front lines so he could command the Rogues. This meant that most of his subordinates also refused to move up the ranks, since they wanted to stay with their commander. On one occasion, in order to avoid being promoted, Wedge actually engineered his own demotion so he could keep leading his squadron. That can't have been easy – or particularly safe. But he did it and got away with it. 😉
L to R: Wedge Antilles, two unidentified (to this blogger) Rogues, Corran Horn, and Tycho Celchu.
While the original Wedge Antilles was generally willing to obey orders, he wasn't afraid to break with the New Republic when he thought the leadership was being stupid. After Ysanne "Iceheart" Isard took over the bacta-producing world Thyferra, the New Republic hierarchy refused to move against her. Corran Horn, who flew under Wedge's command as Rogue Nine and had been a captive of Isard's, quit the military to go after her. This wasn't because he wanted revenge on her but because he had promised the other captives she was holding – one of whom was General Jan Dodonna – that he would come back to rescue them.
Seconds after Corran quit, Wedge resigned his commission as well. It's a mark of his character that all but one of the Rogues immediately followed him out of the military and into the fight for Thyferra. (The lone hold out wanted to join them but couldn't due to politics and family ties.) Appointing Wedge as their leader, the Rogues hooked up with the anti-Isard resistance on the planet and recruited other rebels to help them oust her from power. The campaign took some time – I'm not really sure whether it was an intense few months or a couple of years. In the end, though, the Rogues successfully freed Thyferra. Upon winning the "Bacta War," as Wedge had dubbed it, Antilles and the rest of the Squadron were allowed back into the New Republic military.
A couple of original Expanded Universe writers mentioned that Wedge's morality was something they liked about him, and I have to say that it impressed me, too. Though prone to explosive bursts of anger and inclined to take revenge on those who harmed him or his friends/family, Wedge didn't let pain, grief, and anger rule him completely. Yes, he chased down and killed the pirates who murdered his parents by disengaging prematurely from their fueling station. And, yes, he did kill the TIE pilots who murdered Mala in anger. There were other instances where he took similar actions against different villains, too. But in each case, Wedge didn't let his desire for vengeance completely control him, showing honor and mercy in his dealings with the enemy even when he didn't necessarily feel like offering either to them.
In many ways, Wedge had a sense of honor and morality that was in line with the Jedi code. As Wedge once explained it, he killed not because he enjoyed it, but because by "burn[ing] down" the Empire and other enemies, he ensured that innocent people got to "stay happy." This attitude made it very hard for him to accept unavoidable collateral damage caused during big battles. It also left him feeling guilty when he had to watch members of both Rogue and Wraith Squadrons fly to their deaths.
Looking at him now, I think that one of the reasons why I like the original Wedge Antilles so much is that he was a Jedi Knight at heart. The fact that he stood out to Force-sensitives like a torch only cements this idea for me; Wedge is said to have "projected a strong presence in the Force" which was indicative of "vitality and a focused mind." For a non-Force user to "glow" so brightly that even a Jedi has to reach for a set of sunglasses to look at him shows that Wedge was no pansy or push over.
This is why I have trouble reconciling "original Wedge" with the new timeline's treatment of the character. According to this video here, the broad strokes of Wedge's new history match up with the original – but that's in the broad strokes. In the new books, Antilles apparently tells someone that he joined the Rebellion because the Empire hurt his family and the girl he loved. This has led some to think that the crew of the Ghost is the family Wedge is talking about, and that the girl he loved is Sabine Wren.
There are several reasons why I am not comfortable with this idea. Although Wedge worked with the Ghost crew a fair bit in Rebels, there was no obvious indication during his appearances there that signaled he was specifically a member of "their" family. If there was, I either missed it or forgot it. And while one could argue that he and Sabine had chemistry, I can't see them actually clicking. They have incompatible personalities; she's too fierce and he's too steady. It's like expecting a firecracker and a hearth fire to get along well together. If this is what the new timeline actually did to these two characters…. I have to say that it is not going to work for me.
In the new timeline Wedge is also supposed to have founded Phantom Squadron, which is probably a callback to the original EU's Wraith Squadron and the new timeline's Ghost crew. Other than that, I think Wedge just sort of disappears in the new stories. Whether he vanishes quietly or in a blaze of glory (my money is on the latter), really doesn't matter; what matters is that this isn't the Wedge I know and like. This means that I have zero interest in "new Wedge" going forward.
While some might say that it is unfair for me to do this based on comparisons between the new and old Star Wars histories, the fact is that in my case, it was inevitable. Besides, when a franchise as popular and universal as Star Wars disowns forty odd years of canon stories to rebuild the franchise from scratch, they can't expect people not to weigh the two timelines against each other. Having done this, I must agree with the assessments made by many other fans; from my perspective, Disney/Lucasfilm is turning the vibrant, colorful worlds of Star Wars into a relatively bland and shallow universe. With the exception of Rebels and Rogue One, none of the new Star Wars material I've read or seen comes close to matching the original EU's depth and energy.
This isn't a spur of the moment decision. I have read some new timeline books, and I can point to certain problems I had with them. As detailed here, I ran into things in a couple of these novels which irked and disgusted me. While others might consider these to be minor problems or to be small, isolated changes in a bigger picture, they are nothing of the sort to me.
The reason these alterations are not insignificant to this blogger is that they illustrate a wider, bigger, and very disconcerting (to me and others) disparity between the two timelines. Up until the Yuuzhan Vong War, there was an animating spirit which enlivened the old EU – one that is missing from the New Timeline. The fact that it's missing isn't obvious at first; I got hooked by the writing in Lost Stars until the second sex scene occurred. Having found Star Wars books to be free of such things in the past, Claudia Gray's second "romantic interlude" in Lost Stars threw me out of the story fast and hard. I only finished the story because I was half-hoping it would get better.
All it did was get worse.
Now I will not say that the old EU was perfect. My dislike of and outright hatred for the original EU's Yuuzhan Vong War and following stories is well-documented. The only thing I find acceptable about the original timeline's Yuuzhan Vong War books and following media was the addition of Ben Skywalker, Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker's son, to the storyline. The rest of stories which followed the Yuuzhan Vong War are detestable trash. It is true, too, that I still like Rogue One and Star Wars Rebels (up to season four, anyway). The New Timeline didn't completely disappoint me in these areas; these stories were what gave me hope Disney/Lucasfilm could do honor to the franchise.
Unfortunately, the rest of the Disney/Lucasfilm's New Timeline has dashed that hope, and not simply through its lamentable handling of the Skywalker saga. I not only agree with others who believe that Luke, Leia, and Han have all been terribly abused by the new writers, I believe this disrespect has trickled down to their treatment of great secondary characters like Admiral Ackbar and Wedge Antilles. The excuse some Disney/Lucasfilm execs have probably used on fans like me who complain about these disheartening changes to the Star Wars brand is that the franchise is called "Star Wars." It's about a galaxy where war is a constant. "Of course people are going to die in Star Wars!" these execs shout at me and other fans, "You're all idiots for expecting your heroes to live forever. Everyone dies, especially in wars. That's real life!"
My answer to that multi-layered insult is yes and no. Yes, people die in wars. Yes, heroes cannot live forever – not here, anyway. They have to pass beyond the curtain of death to reach eternal peace, life, and happiness, the rewards for their long years of service to the Greater Good in the physical world. I recognize and understand this. In point of fact, I embrace it.
But since Disney/Lucasfilm wants to play the "perpetual war" card, allow me to lay out an Idiot's Array in answer: all of human life is a war. Every human being born into this world is engaged in a private war with himself or herself, with the world, and with the devil. To live is to go to war. And in order to get through these personal wars, which end only at our deaths, we need heroes to inspire us to keep fighting when everything seems hopeless and pointless. Fictional "people" who succeed despite the challenges facing them, who "could have turned back lots of times, only they didn't," to paraphrase Master Samwise Gamgee. Without the help of such fictional reminders, most of us would have cracked under the pressure to "take the quick and easy" path a long time ago.
The original EU writers recognized and understood this, at least prior to the Yuuzhan Vong War storyline (though some knew it even then, but were prevented by Lucasfilm's editors from doing what they knew was right). Human life, human history, is a battle – a continuous war – against the physical and interior manifestations of evil. While I am inclined to believe that Filoni and Zahn still understand this truth, I am convinced that the majority of the new writers have forsaken the truth and The Truth for another agenda entirely.
Wedge and Iella Antilles
I'm sorry if my opinion hurts your feelings, readers. But this is what my various encounters with both SW timelines has led me to believe. Reminiscing about and studying Wedge's original depiction in comparison to that of his new timeline counterpart is what put this difference between both universes into perspective for me. I know that plenty of people aren't going to agree with the opinion I have voiced here, but this is what I think. With a few notable exceptions the new Star Wars timeline is, to me, a weak imitation of the original.
That's not a fun thing for this writer to admit. However, as Kyle Katarn said, "The truth hurts, but lies are worse." It's time I stopped dancing around the point and stated my position clearly: I am officially done with the New Timeline. Disney/Lucasfilm is not supporting the truth; therefore, I cannot and will not support them.
This means that the new timeline's Wedge Antillies is not the one I am – or will ever be – looking for. The Wedge I am looking for is ensconced in an X-Wing cockpit, frying TIEs and leading the Rogues. He's happily married to Iella Wessiri, whom he finds more attractive as time passes. He is planning to tell his daughters to wear blasters when they reach dating age, just in case they run into a problem. He is also waiting to hear his friends Luke, Han, and/or Leia say, "Hey, I need a favor…" because whenever they call on him, things get interesting real fast.
If you want to "meet" the Wedge I like so much "in person," readers, you can start with his "Legends" Wookieepedia article here. If you would prefer to skip that, try Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy and Hand of Thrawn duology. (Neither set of books requires any kind of Warning for Younger Readers. Although he has his faults, Zahn writes squeaky clean stories.) Wedge's parts in the trilogy are brief but well rendered, and he shines very brightly in the Hand books. Jedi Search is another good place to "meet" Wedge, too.
Until I can read and review more books starring my favorite EU Rebel/New Republic pilot, these are my only recommendations for you, readers. So, 'til next time –
Best Friends Forever.
This entry was posted in Spotlight!, Star Wars Characters and Stories and tagged Biggs Darklighter, Chewie/Chewbacca, Claudia Gray, Dark Side, Disney Star Wars, Han Solo, Iella Wessiri Antilles, Jedi, Jedi Search, Jek Porkins, Kyle Katarn, Legacy of the Force, lightsabers, Luke Skywalker, Mala Tinero, Princess Leia, Princess Leia Organa Solo, Sabine Wren, Spotlight!, Star Wars, Star Wars Characters and Stories, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: Jedi Search, Syal Antilles, The Dark Side, The Hand of Thrawn Duology, The Thrawn Trilogy, Wedge Antilles, X-wings on November 2, 2018 by The Mithril Guardian.
[Guest Post] Rogue One: A Catholic Story — The Catholic Geeks
Robert Towne writes about Catholic parallels in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
via [Guest Post] Rogue One: A Catholic Story — The Catholic Geeks
This entry was posted in Star Wars Characters and Stories, Youth Books and tagged Catholic Geeks, Dark Side, Disney Star Wars, Jedi, light and dark, lightsabers, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars, Star Wars Characters and Stories, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars: Rogue One, X-wings on December 14, 2017 by The Mithril Guardian.
If you guessed that I have at last seen Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, readers, then you have good deduction skills. Yes, I saw Rogue One a day late and a dollar short. But after the less-than-exciting The Force Awakens, I was a little leery of any Star Wars fare.
I enjoyed the trailers for the film – I even reposted one from borg.com here at Thoughts on the Edge of Forever. I wanted to see Rogue One. I wanted to like it. But I did not want to spend money on a film I would later wish I had not paid good cash to see. So I waited and saw it on DVD.
It was a great movie, and it belongs right up there with the original Star Wars trilogy, in my opinion. Yes, there were a few small things about it that I did not like – Leia's CGI face was kind of scary, and I never got to see the Ghost escape the Battle of Scarif. But since Hera and Chopper have appeared in Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures, I guess our Rebel band got through the battle safe and sound.
On the whole, the film was a hit with this viewer. Cassian and Jyn came off as sullen more often than not, but their supporting cast more than made up for this. Chirrut Îmwe, Baze Malbus, K2-SO, and Bodhi Rook were great fun. I would have to say that Îmwe was my favorite. From his Force mantra to his, "Are you kidding me? I'm blind!", Îmwe was one lovable character. Yoda would have found him an apt pupil.
K2 would probably be my second favorite, partly because he is portrayed by actor Alan Tudyk, the pilot of Serenity in Joss Whedon's Firefly series. The other reason I liked him is because he came off perfectly as a sassy former Imperial droid you could not force to behave. Despite that tough shell, though, he also proved to have a soft side, such as when he apologized for smacking Cassian and when Jyn handed him a blaster in the Imperial base on Scarif. And watching him kill Stormtroopers was a scream – for them more so than for me!
Baze was my third favorite and the perfect counterpoint to Îmwe. Where Îmwe is the true believer despite all the evidence that calls for despair, Baze is the former believer who has become a cynic due to the heavy losses he has suffered since the Empire came to power. I have to admit, I really wish I could have his blaster mini-gun as well!
My fourth favorite would probably be Cassian. Raised in the Rebel Alliance, fighting the Empire from the (rather unbelievable) age of six, he is a Rebel assassin and spy. He also happens to hate most of his job. There is very little warmth in him at first; as I said above, he and Jyn tend to come off as grim for most of their time on screen. This is kind of irritating, which is why Îmwe and K2 are higher on my favorites' list.
But considering that Cassian and Jyn have dealt with the Empire's brutality and the often necessarily nasty tactics of rebelling against it, there is very little reason for either of them to smile or joke or be lighthearted. Îmwe and Baze have suffered losses at the Empire's hands, but they have never had to compromise their moral compasses when fighting it. K2 is a droid built to kill, much like the Knights of the Old Republic's HK-47, so he regards battle as just another day at the office. Bodhi is new to the Rebellion. He has also never stepped outside of the "law" prior to Galen Erso's urging to defect to the Rebellion. Cassian and Jyn did not have any of these luxuries.
Jyn was not a bad character, though after a while I did become a little bored with her. I enjoyed the scene where, after her father has been killed and her Rebel escort has returned to the ship, she raises her hand – only for Îmwe to catch and hold it in the manner of a friend. He was silently reminding her not to return death for death, and I thought it was a very touching gesture. Yes, Cassian was going to kill her father. Yes, the Rebel Alliance bombed the base in order to kill him. But killing Cassian would not undo any of that, which is why Îmwe took her hand to stop her from losing her temper.
Finally, we come to the Battle of Scarif. What a fight! I loved every minute of the X-Wings zooming around and zapping TIE fighters to atoms. I have not winced, jerked, and bucked in my seat while watching a Star Wars battle since I was young and viewing A New Hope for the millionth time.
Speaking of which, the reused footage of Red and Gold Leader from A New Hope was great. I almost squealed with delight as I recognized the actors. I could tell that the footage was original – I watched A New Hope almost as often as I watched 101 Dalmatians or Peter Pan when I was small. I made the trench run with Luke and the other Rebel fighters zillions of times, so I knew Red and Gold Leader very well by sight alone. Finding them in Rogue One was a treat!
The other wonderful – and amazing – thing about the Battle of Scarif was the land battle. As someone I know pointed out, the footage of the Rebels fighting in the jungle was reminiscent of the way American soldiers fought in the Vietnam War. The way the troop ships dropped Rebel fighters onto the beach was a parallel of the deployment of soldiers and Marines in the jungles of Vietnam, too. The Rebels charging across the beach resembled Marines running up the beach on Iwo Jima and the soldiers storming the beaches of France on D-Day, but the drops by the troop ships were unmistakably based on Vietnam deployments.
Some of the Rebels' gear, too, resembled the uniforms used by American soldiers during Vietnam. Several of the unnamed Rebels' helmets and jackets were the same style as Vietnam War helmets and uniforms used by American soldiers during that conflict. The door gunner shooting at the AT-AT Walkers was also a direct nod to Vietnam door gunners. I was proud to see these parallels. It is high time our Vietnam veterans were acknowledged like this and I think it is a compliment.
Finally, no review of Rogue One would be complete if I did not mention the winks and nods the writers added to let us know that the cast of Star Wars Rebels lives beyond their fourth season. At least, Chopper, Hera, and the Ghost survive the series' final season. When Cassian shows Jyn the force of Rebel assassins and spies he has collected to help her steal the Death Star's plans, someone can be heard paging "General Syndulla" over the PA system. Hera Syndulla, captain of the Ghost and Phoenix Sqaudron's fighters, is at some point raised to the rank of general during or after season four of the television series.
Chopper can also be seen by the keen-eyed when the Rebel radio operator charges out to speak to Senator Mon Mothma. This is after the Rogue One crew begins their attack on Scarif. I missed Chopper in the film, sadly, but I had already seen him on the Internet during one of the Rebels' Recon episodes. And I did hear him grumbling while watching the film. Huzzah!
Just like Chopper, I also could not keep track of the Ghost for most of the space battle above Scarif. This upset me because I could not see if the Ghost had escaped before Darth Vader's Star Destroyer arrived and began blasting the Mon Calamari carrier to bits. My friends went back to the battle scenes after we had finished the film and replayed them in slow motion so I could see the Ghost. (I have very kind, patient friends who put up with A LOT from me.) With the film slowed down I was able to see the Ghost in action for much of the fight. As in the television series, she was protecting the carrier in the fleet rather than swinging farther out into the battle with the star fighters.
However, we never get to see the Ghost jump to hyperspace before the Executor, Vader's flagship, arrives. I am still a little upset by that, I admit; I would have liked to see them fly away from Scarif safely. But c'est la vie!
I was also not as impressed by Darth Vader's "temper tantrum" aboard the Mon Cal cruiser, as others were. But I can just picture what some of the Rebel crewers had to say when the scene was over and the director called "Cut!": "Killed by Darth Vader. BEST DAY EVER!!"; or "This is so going on my resume!"; and the perennial, "I feel fulfilled!"
All in all, Rogue One was just as good as I hoped it would be. I was bummed that the main cast died, so I do not think I will be watching it as often as I once watched A New Hope. But I did enjoy the film, and I do wish I had gone to theaters to see it on the big screen. Those, however, are minor quibbles. This was a great movie, and I highly recommend it to you, readers! So remember –
The Force will be with you, always!
This entry was posted in Movie Reviews, Star Wars Characters and Stories and tagged Alan Tudyk, Anthony Daniels, Baze Malbus, Ben Mendelsohn, Bodhi Rook, borg.com, Chirrut Îmwe, Chopper, Dark Side, Darth Vader, David Ankrum, Diego Luna, Disney Star Wars, Donnie Yen, Dr. Evazan, droids, Felicity Jones, Firefly, Forest Whitaker, General Jan Dodonna, Genevieve O'Reilly, Hera Syndulla, HK-47, James Earl Jones, Jiang Wen, Jimmy Smits, Joss Whedon, Jyn Erso, K2-SO, Knights of the Old Republic, Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures, Mads Mikkelsen, Movie Reviews, Princess Leia, Princess Leia Organa Solo, Rebellion, rebels, Riz Ahmed, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Saw Gerrera, Serenity, Star Wars, Star Wars Characters and Stories, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: Rogue One, Stormtroopers, The Dark Side, The Force, The Ghost, Vanessa Marshall, Vietnam, Vietnam Vets, X-wings, Yoda on August 18, 2017 by The Mithril Guardian.