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Already Gone Podcast – True Crime
All posts by Nina
The Murder of Jane Bashara
January 15, 2020 Nina
In January of 2012, Grosse Pointe Park resident Jane Bashara was found dead in her Mercedes SUV, the vehicle abandoned in a Detroit alley miles from her home.
Bob Bashara is housed at the Ryan Correctional Facility in Detroit Michigan.
Special thanks to Miranda Micronaut for discussing the BDSM community and sharing her knowledge and experience. Any errors in the episode are mine.
Check out our sponsor – Better Help. Visit betterhelp.com/gone and use code gone for 10% off your first month.
Sources used in this episode –
https://www.scribd.com/document/359523555/Bashara-Appeals-Court-Opinion
https://www.scribd.com/document/254013151/Wayne-County-Prosecutor-News-Updates-November-9-December-31-2014
Page 1 of Joseph's affidavit https://www.scribd.com/doc/308226024/Joe-Gentz-affidavit-1-in-Bashara-case
https://web.archive.org/web/20120129115154/http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/wayne_county/police-investigating-apparent-murder-of-grosse-pointe-woman-found-in-back-seat-of-her-mercedes-benz
https://abcnews.go.com/US/grosse-pointe-murder-bob-bashara-denies-involvement-wifes/story?id=15517366
https://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/01/31/hundreds-say-goodbye-to-jane-bashara/
https://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/01/31/police-grosse-pointe-womans-murderer-may-have-had-accomplice/
http://www.thenewsherald.com/news/bashara-s-reputed-mistress-was-fired-after-walking-off-job/article_ef1cc4fa-f1ad-58c9-988d-10c9faf9eae7.html
https://abcnews.go.com/US/grosse-pointe-murder-mistresss-house-searched/story?id=15859455#.T4TxOqs7U1I
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/03/08/Police-had-dismissed-murder-confession/28271331228783/?spt=hs&or=tn&ur3=1
https://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/2012/03/report_jane_basharas_clothes_m.html
https://www.freep.com/story/news/2016/01/20/handyman-changes-his-story-bashara-murder—-again/79086154/
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2015/11/13/bob-bashara-trial-jane/75702044/
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2015/10/19/bob-bashara-returns-stand-afternoon/74213062/
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2015/10/16/bob-bashara-cross-examined/74051420/
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2015/10/15/bob-bashara-testify/73956260/
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2015/09/16/bashara-hearing-day2/32490101/
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2015/08/11/bob-bashara-murder-trial-grosse-pointe-businessman/31471317/
http://mdocweb.state.mi.us/OTIS2/otis2profile.aspx?mdocNumber=856261
https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/obituaries/obit/13C9C2F9D1073120-13C9C2F9D1073120?h=5&fname=jane&lname=bashara&fullname=&kwinc=&kwexc=&rgfromDate=2012&rgtoDate=2012&formDate=&formDateFlex=exact&dateType=range&processingtime=&addedFrom=&addedTo=
https://cmspublic.3rdcc.org/CaseDetail.aspx?CaseID=2173978
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/jane-bashara-obituary?pid=178748880
https://www.candgnews.com/news/county-medical-examiner-outlines-jane-bashara%E2%80%99s-brutal-murder-79854
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2015/01/14/timeline-jane-bashara-murder-case/
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2018/05/30/michigan-supreme-court-denies-bob-bashara-appeal/656119002/
https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Grosse-Pointe-Park-Privilege/dp/0425272427
https://www.amazon.com/Master-Betrayal-Conspiracy-Kill-Bashara/dp/1539676552
https://www.amazon.com/Sadist-Hitman-Murder-Jane-Bashara/dp/1476672709
https://www.macombdaily.com/news/nation-world-news/cop-admits-his-department-couldn-t-handle-bashara-murder-probe/article_083ae7a3-e772-50f9-8853-d070a57bcae5.html
https://www.macombdaily.com/news/gentz-pleads-guilty-to-nd-degree-murder-in-jane-bashara/article_ddaf6ea2-806f-5208-9949-54a6479e773b.html
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2016/05/24/gentz-testifies-bashara-hearing/84853406/
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2019/05/24/bob-bashara-turns-federal-courts-try-get-out-prison/1226174001/
https://truecrimedaily.com/2016/10/24/master-bob-bashara-gives-exclusive-prison-interview/
https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Women-claim-Bob-Bashara-ran-sex-dungeon-11550169.php
Research provided by Haley Gray
Missing in Georgia – aida Calfee
January 7, 2020 Nina
The first week of October, 1981, Aida Marie Calfee was traveling with her boyfriend and coworker, James Pruitt. Pruitt would tell authorities that they argued and she left his car, announcing she would "hitch a ride" back to her home.
Calfee would never be seen again. Oddly enough, her disappearance happened days before she was set to testify against Pruitt for a July 12, 1981 assault against her.
If you have information on her case, please contact The Lumpkin County Sheriff.
Have you seen Aida Marie Calfee? Missing since October, 1981
http://charleyproject.org/case/aida-ruth-calfee
https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/court-of-appeals/1982/64904.html
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/62274423/aida-ruth-calfee
Also the Atlanta Journal Constitution from 1981 and 1982.
Visit Missing in Georgia – Cold Cases on Facebook
#coldGeorgiaMissing
The Sunday Morning Slasher
December 15, 2019 Nina
Terrifying and prolific are two words used to describe American Serial Killer Coral Eugene Watts. Join us as we explore his life and many crimes.
This week's episode sponsored by Better Help. Visit Betterhelp.com/gone and use code GONE at check out for a discount on your first month.
If you are looking to expand your podcast queue, check out True Crime Island. Grab a beer, pull up a deck chair and listen to True Crime Island on your favorite podcatcher.
#SerialKiller #Michigan #Texas #murder #missing
SOURCES/ADDITIONAL READING
Ann Arbor District Library archives
Justia – Michigan V Watts
You Tube – Cold Case Files
Krauseneck and Holzbach
December 1, 2019 Nina
This episode looks at the 1982 murder of Cathleen Schlosser Krauseneck, a Mt Clemens native (and graduate of Mt Clemens HS, class of 1970) in Brighton, NY. In November of 2019, her husband, James Krauseneck Jr was arrested and charged in her death.
We also explore the as yet unsolved February 1991 murder of Jill Holzbach in the parking lot of the Jackson Ohio police department.
Both of these women were 29 years old at the time of their deaths. Each had one child, a daughter, and in each case, the husband was the prime suspect, although, in the murder of Jill Holzbach, there is more to consider.
Krauseneck – Democrat and Chronicle Story from 2019
Holzbach – Canton Rep story from 2011
Casetext Holzbach v Township
Please support the show by visiting our sponsor: Better Help
Shaylene Farrell
November 15, 2019 Nina
August 1994, Piqua Ohio. 18 year old Shaylene Farrell invites her siblings to come to the store with her for a quick errand. They decline so she heads out on her own, a trip from which she will never return. While there are a pair of suspects in her disappearance and presumed murder, no one was ever named publicly. In 25 years of searching and investigation, police have yet to make an arrest in her case.
Shaylene Farrell, forever 18 years old.
If you have information on the disappearance of Shaylene Farrell, please contact Piqua police. 937-778-2027
Also mentioned this episode, the unresolved disappearance of 26 year old George Gall. The unexplained death of Paul Barrett.
In this week's episode we feature the work of Private Investigations for the Missing. An organization founded by Bruce Maitland, his daughter, Brianna, vanished in 2004.
Missing in Michigan – Tonia Stiles
November 1, 2019 Nina
34 year old Tonia Stiles (also known as Renee Whitehill) was last seen in Grass Lake Michigan (near Jackson) on November 10, 2010.
Tonia had struggled with alcohol addiction in the past, but in late 2010, she was sober and getting her life in order. Tonia was a mother of two young children from her first marriage
At the time of her disappearance, Tonia was sharing a home with her boyfriend, Scott S Cassidy and a roommate.
The room mate told police that Scott and Tonia were arguing about finances the day she went missing.
On November 24, 2010, police arrested Scott Cassidy for auto theft. Because he had a record, including drug offenses and home invasion, he was jailed. On December 3, 2010, Cassidy died by suicide.
At the time of her disappearance, Tonia was about 5'5
with long brown hair, blue eyes and an average build.
her case is being handled by Michigan State Police Jackson Post
MLive Story
NAMUS Entry
Tonia Renee Stiles
who killed me? Akita Ervin
In the summer of 1992, 15 year old Akita Ervin lived in a mobile home in White Lake Township, Michigan with her mother and her mother's live in boyfriend. While Akita had a history of running away, there was more to the story, and that became terrifyingly clear when her decomposed remains were discovered in late June.
If you have information on her death, please contact White Lake Township Police
Check out our sponsor, Better Help, visit www.Betterhelp.com/gone for a special discount on your first month of service.
#Michigan#murder#unsolved
Missing in Michigan – lost girls
October 15, 2019 Nina
This is another Missing in Michigan episode, covering two cases that need more attention, but lack information to make them appropriate for a stand alone episode.
This young woman introduced herself as "Bill" less than 24 hours before she died in a Highland Park home.
Tammy Sue Clements is missing, details in her case are hard to find.
We're talking about the unidentified person known only as "Bill" who was found in Highland Park in March of 1976, and the unresolved disappearance of Tammy Sue Clements who vanished from….Michigan, or maybe Nebraska, or possibly California in 1980. Or was it 1981? 1982? We simply don't know, but we'd like to find out! #MISSING #DOE #UNRESOLVED #DETROIT #MICHIGAN #NEBRASKA #UNIDENTIFIED #DNA
Bill's NAMUS profile
Tammy Sue Clements – Charley Project
Southern True Crime Podcast Meet Up 10-26-19 Charleston SC
True Crime Podcast Festival, KCMO July 2020
The murder of Vicki Cozzy HARSHMAN
October 1, 2019 Nina
in 1991 Vicki Harshman was worked the overnight shift at the Holiday Inn (Holidome) in Lebanon Indiana. In the course of her shift, she would be robbed, attacked and murdered.
Her death bore several strange similarities to the Days Inn Murders of 1989, (I-65 killer) but her death was the work of an as yet unidentified killer.
If you have information on her death, please contact Det. DIckerson of the Lebanon Police 765-482-8879
Additional reading – American Crime Journal
Check out our sponsor! Better Help for 10% off your first month.
Victoria Cozzy Harshman
The Melvindale trio
September 15, 2019 Nina
This episode is a trip in the way back machine, because we're going way, way back to the late 1930's for a disappearance that baffles Detroiters to this day!
Artie Maybe, 42, Margaret Reddon, 35 and Thomas Lorimer, the 24 year old married father of a two year old girl, vanished after a night out at a local tavern.
Despite years of searches, offers of cash rewards and trips across the country to run down leads, no sight of the Melvindale Trio was ever found.
Sources/Additional Reading:
Downriver back in the Days
News Herald Story – 75th anniversary
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Jayme Bryant – Missing in Michigan
September 1, 2019 Nina
The last weekend of June, 2013, 25 year old Jayme Vaughn Bryant disappeared from downtown Kalamazoo. In the six years since he was last seen, there have been no sightings.
Jayme suffered injuries sustained in a fall, but his glasses were not broken. This is one of the last known pictures of Jayme V. Bryant
If you have information on his whereabouts, please contact Detective Rivard of the Kalamazoo Public Safety Dept. at (269) 337-8139
There is a Facebook group dedicated to Jayme's case. View it here.
Check out our sponsor, Better Help! Visit BetterHelp.com/Gone and use code GONE for 10% off your first month.
Hit & Run- the death of Greg Mcroberts
August 15, 2019 Nina
December 12, 1991 24 year old Greg McRoberts leaves home on his bicycle to repair a broken down car. When he doesn't return home, searches are organized to find him, but there is no sign of the young father.
24 year old Greg McRoberts
When his body is discovered a month later, there are more questions than answers.
In 2005 a letter arrives at the home of Greg's parents, written by the person who struck Greg with their car on a dark December evening.
Midland County Sheriff's Page – see photo of possible vehicle HERE
120 William Bradford Bishop
August 1, 2019 Nina
This is a special LIVE episode recorded at the True Crime Podcast Festival in Chicago Illinois on Saturday July 13, 2019
Already Gone and Trace Evidence podcasts bring you the horrifying story of William Bradford Bishop
Special thanks to our sponsor, Better Help. Use code GONE for 10% off your first month.
#murderFBILIVEMarylandMissing
Stories of the missing, the murdered, the mysterious and the lost.
Gail on 70 Serial Killer David A. Goodreau
Michael on Who killed us? Sally and Shane
Nina on Episode 8: James Cooper – Missing in Michigan
Paul Cummings on 71 Murder at Tody Lake


The Sharing Economy could be called the accidental revolution. When Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia started renting out a spare air-bed in their apartment to make ends meet in early 2007, little did they know that they would go on to create one of the biggest new companies in the world with over 425k guests-per-night and become the example par-excellence of the new 'alternative economy'. This economy has grown hand in hand with the internet revolution and thrived in the age of hyper-connectivity. Known by a plethora of different names (among others: collaborative consumption, shared ownership, upcycling, the circular/trust/peer-to-peer economy), the 'Sharing Economy' is now one of biggest and fastest growing economic trends in modern years and shows no signs of slowing down. In 2013, Forbes estimated rates of growth in this new peer-to-peer economy to be in excess 25% per year. Developed and fed through interactions between consumers, the Sharing Economy can be best described as an economic system grounded in the sharing of human, physical and intellectual resources. The companies riding this wave (Lyft, Snapgoods, TaskRabbit, Feastly, Blabla Car, Spotify, Earbits and Uber to name a few) are changing the world and the way we do business. In particular, the Sharing Economy has been lauded as a key to a sustainable future, and some have even concluded that it is the inherently sustainable characteristic of these services that drives their popularity. In the sharing economy, idle resources—a spare bed, an unused car, or even an unused power tool left in the garage—are re-allocated to those who need them. Defined by the notion that 'access is the new ownership' and powered by the connectivity of the Internet age, waste is reinvested and resources are maximised to their full potential. Things that would otherwise be wasted are shared, and the economy becomes a lot more circular. It's not hard to make the leap of logic that the Sharing Economy is a self-fulling model of sustainability to be celebrated and a bandwagon to be hopped on.
However, when we shift our notion of sustainability beyond a limited resource-utilisation definition to one that encompasses all areas of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) spectrum, the yellow brick road of the Sharing Economy loses some of its lustre. True sustainability encompasses far more than the efficient use of resources, but needs to incorporate important considerations of social and economic issues. When we take into account these elements such as human/worker rights or the need to meet regulatory requirements, how does the Sharing Economy hold up as a model of sustainability? It turns out that the Sharing Economy harbors as many problems as it holds potential.
Taking Uber—perhaps one of the most successful Sharing Economy ventures—as an example is particularly illuminating. The role Uber plays in moving towards a more resource-friendly future (the limited sense of sustainability) is clear and inherent to their business strategy. The company have made it a major marketing point that in 2015 they have contributed to taking over 1 million cars off the road in New York City as people lose the need for private vehicles. Yet the company has been plagued by scandals that seriously call into question its relationship with the other important aspects of sustainability. Uber has been highly criticised for its treatment of employee drivers after numerous protests were staged when drivers were dismissed with no warning due to low reviews or budget cuts. The drivers are not 'bona fide employees', says Uber, and thus do not need be given the same rights and working conditions as regular office employees. Accusations of anti-competitiveness have also been recurrent, with Germany and other countries banning Uber due to the unfair competition they pose to the local taxi industry. Institutions such as the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission have raised other issues such as lack of safety measures and regulations that are applied to Uber rides. These problems are not unique to Uber either, but occur across the wide spectrum of Sharing Economy companies. The restriction of methods for employees of the company TaskRabbit (the aptly named 'TaskRabbits') to contact each other has raised concerns over the denial of collective action amongst workers. In New York, the leftover sharing business Mealku has been subject to complaints by restaurants about the inherent lack of health or safety standards, and Airbnb has been embroiled in a legal battle over their refusal to pay taxes levied on hotels. This cursory list gives only the tip of the iceberg in difficulties being faced by the infant Sharing Economy in terms of their environmental, social and governance issues. What is becoming clear is that these are not random occurrences. These issues are a telling symptom of the inherent problems the Sharing Economy faces in managing the issues most intrinsic and vital to creating a truly sustainable economy.
So why are sustainability issues getting left behind as this new economy thrives? While the notion of sustainable business is a component of the sharing economy, it is clearly not its defining factor. In their discussion of the nature of the Sharing Economy, Hamari, Sjöklint and Ukkon have argued that sustainability is only a concern and motivation for a portion of those in the Sharing Economy, instead emphasising that most participants are choosing to participate due to its financial and social benefits, i.e. access to extra cash and new opportunities to meet people. It is also worth recognising that in this new peer-to-peer model, the Sharing Economy is directed by and for people. It is an economy where the consumers are often the decision makers; they make up the vendors, employers and the employees in this new set-up. The normal top-down rules that govern the traditional economy to aid environmental, social and governance risk such as regulations and reporting requirements have not yet gained any real traction. In the simplest terms, the Sharing Economy is only as interested in sustainability as its consumers are. Often—and especially in terms of wider social and governance issues—this is not at all. This is not a huge surprise. People trying to rent out their power tools on weekends or help confused neighbours set up their latest Ikea furniture for a few extra dollars are not generally considering their material issues in the process. Without a structural or regulatory system that has advanced itself to ensure that basic environmental, social and governance requirements are met in this new system, it is easy for companies in the Sharing Economy to remain out of the spotlight. Without these considerations being addressed, the Sharing Economy ends up looking a lot more like an obstacle than a key to a sustainable future.
It would be wrong to look at the Sharing Economy as a missed opportunity, a path to a sustainable future that took a wrong turn and ended up going back on itself. The potential for environmental sustainability in the Sharing Economy is a great asset and something that needs to be championed. However it is clear that in this new ecosystem upending aged business models, a guiding hand needs to come in to shape its direction for the better. It is up to sustainability experts and governments as much as the companies themselves to step-up to this new challenge and find ways to make sustainability in its widest sense applicable to the new models and modes of consumption which often leave these considerations as an afterthought. As systems evolve, so does the need to remain aware of their limitations and move to correct them where necessary. If we can do this, the future is bright and perhaps the Sharing Economy can provide an easier road to a sustainable future.
Farmer, A. (2012) Making reservations for leftovers. Available at: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/23/leftovers-made-to-share-with-strangers/ (Accessed: 13 October 2016).
Geron, T. (2013) Airbnb and the unstoppable rise of the share economy. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2013/01/23/airbnb-and-the-unstoppable-rise-of-the-share-economy/#46ee51506790 (Accessed: 13 October 2016).
Hamari, J., Sjöklint, M. and Ukkonen, A. (2015) 'The sharing economy: Why people participate in collaborative consumption', Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, , pp. 2047–2059. doi: 10.1002/asi.23552.
Huet, E. (2014) How Uber's shady firing policy could backfire on the company. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhuet/2014/10/30/uber-driver-firing-policy/#7ebaa37e8ef7 (Accessed: 13 October 2016).
Lieber, R. (2013) A $2,400 Fine for an Airbnb Host. Available at: http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/a-2400-fine-for-an-airbnb-host/ (Accessed: 13 October 2016).
Nath, J. (2014) PUC issues cease and desist orders for Uber, Lyft. Available at: http://wesa.fm/post/puc-issues-cease-and-desist-orders-uber-lyft#stream/0 (Accessed: 14 October 2016).
Prothero, A., Dobscha, S., Freund, J., Kilbourne, W.E., Luchs, M.G., Ozanne, L.K. and Thøgersen, J. (2011) 'Sustainable consumption: Opportunities for consumer research and public policy', Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 30(1), pp. 31–38. doi: 10.1509/jppm.30.1.31.
Sacks, D. (2015) The Sharing Economy. Available at: https://www.fastcompany.com/1747551/sharing-economy (Accessed: 13 October 2016).
Scott, M. and Eddy, M. (2014) German Court bans Uber service nationwide. Available at: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/uber-banned-across-germany-by-frankfurt-court/? php=true& type=blogs (Accessed: 13 October 2016).
 (Prothero et al., 2011), (Sacks 2011).
 (Hamari et al. 2015): 2047.
https://paiaconsulting.com.sg/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Paia-Strategy-Reporting-Assurance-Training.png 0 0 Paia Consulting https://paiaconsulting.com.sg/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Paia-Strategy-Reporting-Assurance-Training.png Paia Consulting2016-10-31 18:18:332016-11-02 10:57:48More Sharing than Caring? The problems and potential of sustainability in the Sharing Economy.
Interface is the global leader in the manufacture of modular carpets used in offices and homes. In the mid-1990s, the company started to embed sustainability in their business by implementing changes in the way they operate. This shift was driven right from the top, by the Founder and Chairman Ray Anderson.
Thanks to this change, Interface has achieved a great deal since 1996 – waste-to-landfill from carpet factories has gone down by over 91%, Greenhouse gas emissions per unit of product has been reduced by 92% and water intake intensity at manufacturing sites is down by 87%. And it makes business sense, with dramatic cost reductions for the company.
Designers at Interface look through a sustainability lens and come up with innovative and sustainable products. However, customers may not want to pay a premium for sustainability. It is possible to address customer's apathy towards sustainability by designing a good product that solves the customer's needs in the best possible way and that is a sustainable product at the same time.
Interface learned this lesson the hard way. They had a leasing service for clients, that turned out unsuccessful. It was a great idea, but the reason it didn't work was that it didn't make commercial sense for the customer. How do you value a carpet at the end of its life? It is important to be patient to change behaviour, and engagement is necessary.
How do you generate an economy that is circular? Starting small, Interface engaged with fishing communities in the Philippines, encouraging fishermen to collect discarded nylon fishing nets that are destroying the coastal habitats and selling it as raw material that are used in some of Interface's products.
Now, Interface is still breaking boundaries, and is changing their mindsets, from reducing the negative to have a positive impact. They are launching a new positive message with Mission Zero®. The aim is to become a restorative enterprise that gives back more than they take. One of the initiatives is to have zero negative impact on carbon, and even going beyond by having a positive impact on carbon. Admittedly, they have no idea how to do that, just as their people had no idea back in the 1990s how to do the things they have achieved for the last 23 years. It's a challenge many top people are keen to be part of solving, to the benefit of all.
https://paiaconsulting.com.sg/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Paia-Strategy-Reporting-Assurance-Training.png 0 0 Paia Consulting https://paiaconsulting.com.sg/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Paia-Strategy-Reporting-Assurance-Training.png Paia Consulting2016-05-25 11:19:112016-05-25 11:23:02Why would top graduates from Harvard work for a carpet company?
Gender equality is not just the right thing to do, it also makes good business sense: gender diversity improves the performance of organisations. For example, a study by McKinsey & Company in 2013 found that companies with higher representation of women on executive committees had 47 percent higher return on equity (ROE) on average.
One of the first steps towards gender equality should be gender reporting, for companies to get a clear picture of where they currently stand. Even for well-meaning companies, gender reporting uncovers unconscious biases in operating practices. Companies increasingly recognise the need for gender reporting, but they struggle to convert this into practice. The main challenge companies face in producing meaningful gender reports is deciding what, and how much, to report.
Ratio of basic salary and remuneration of women to men by employment category, by significant locations of operations (G4-LA13): since many countries, including Singapore, India and China have ratified the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (no 100).
Composition of governance bodies and breakdown of employees per employee category by gender (G4-38 and G4-LA12): to indicate whether women are adequately represented at all levels of the company, and are not just clustered at the junior levels.
Total number and rates of new employee hires and employee turnover by gender (G4-LA1): to demonstrate the company's commitment to recruiting women; and to assess if women drop out of the workforce in greater numbers than men as they face pressures to balance family with work.
Details of company provision of flexi-work arrangements: to display the employer's commitment to enable employees to balance work and family commitments.
Average hours of training per year per employee, by gender (G4-LA9): as lack of adequate training can prevent women entering senior management levels.
Gender equality issues can also extend beyond the workplace. For instance, for electronics manufacturing companies or financial companies with call centres located in developing countries, the majority of workers at the end of their supply chain are usually women. Companies are encouraged to report on how they promote gender equality in their supply chains, for example, through incorporating gender criteria into their procurement policies.
In presenting this information, companies, especially multinational companies (MNCs) must consider the impact of the context, sectoral and cultural in which they operate. It may be helpful for companies to supplement the numerical indicators with some explanatory context. For example, to explain the gender distribution of their employees, Marquard and Bahls note that the oil and energy sector is male-dominated. To take another example, a company in Japan may have few female employees, because of strong traditional views on women, reflected in the low female participation in the labour force in general. Similarly, in India, research shows that the under-representation of women in sales positions in banking was less due to discriminatory conduct by the bank, but because family constraints on travel and long hours prevented women from taking up such positions. Cultural expectations to prioritise family over career can also be used to explain the under-representation of women in senior management positions in Asia.
But, culture should not be used as an excuse for companies to avoid addressing gender issues in the workplace. As the world becomes increasingly globalised, companies can, through actively endorsing gender equality, change mindsets and challenge biases. Consistent and comprehensive gender reporting will serve as a continual reminder of the progress that still needs to be made.
This article provides a review of the basic elements of gender reporting. In the next article, we will discuss ways in which companies can manage unconscious bias in the workplace.
• Assess how gender may be relevant for each material aspect identified: even if gender is not explicitly mentioned, is there any way by which the company's policy affects men and women differently, as employees, clients, suppliers or consumers? For example, a real estate company that includes occupational health and safety among its material issues may focus on issues such as work-related injuries and fatalities. However, if the gender aspect is included, work-related safety will also include issues such as: are the factory/construction grounds adequately well-lit at night for female employees or visitors to safely walk around? Are there separate female and male toilets? Another example is when a marketing company may be advertising its products, it needs to consider how this influences its consumers. Does the advertising and marketing consider how women are portrayed? Is this done in a culturally sensitive manner?
• Analyse the context in which the company operates: Is the sector male or female dominated? Are there local cultural biases that hamper women's career advancement?
• Identify how the company is complying with gender-related national and international legislation: Does the country in which the company operates have legislation on parental leave or discrimination? What international conventions have been ratified by the country in which the company is based?
• For multi-country operations, decide how to report performance: does the company want to provide overall global data on gender, or a breakdown by region/country?
• Make a list of the agreements the company has signed, for example, the Women's Empowerment Principles, or the Employer's Pledge for the Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) in Singapore: what are the obligations under these agreements?
The Paia team attended the Responsible Business Forum for Sustainable Development 2015 (RBF) held at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre and Gardens by the Bay, 3 to 4 November 2015. The RBF saw over 600 business leaders, policy makers and NGOs from around the world gather to share innovative solutions for creating sustainable growth and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals.
2015 is indeed being hailed as a historic year for the world. The discussion at the RBF could not have been more timely, focusing on two major events this year. First, this year has seen the launch of the new post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to ensure prosperity and environmental protection for future generations. Second, this year will end with a new treaty to be agreed upon in Paris where the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 21 will take place. This is where the worlds nation states will decide to limit the greenhouse gas emissions and prevent global warming beyond the two degrees that is expected. In addition, the current haze situation in the region was a hot topic that raised a few questions for the policy makers from around the region. In the opening plenary address, Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan called it a 'man-made tragedy' and asserted that growing consumer awareness on sustainable business practices and companies' supply chains, means that businesses have to be more transparent in their operations and policies.
Day one of the conference saw business leaders, international government officials and sustainability experts across several sectors such as agriculture and forestry, palm oil, consumer goods, building and infrastructure, energy, mining and financial services hold pertinent discussions about how improvements in innovation and technology, mind-set shifts and transparency are necessary for businesses. In the face of an ever increasing population, a consumerist society, strain on the earth's natural capital coupled with rising carbon levels, businesses must embrace sustainability at all levels and restructure their conventional practices if they want to continue operating in this climate.
This paradigm shift has already occurred for some innovative companies such as Autodesk, April, and DSM – who have embraced transformational sustainability changes such as new closed-loop and circular business models and have become leaders in their own right. The various panels explored the possibility of transitioning to a low carbon economy, and the benefits and challenges of placing a monetary value on natural capital. Almost all agreed on the imperative need to integrate this valuation into future decision making. Organisations present were WWF, Ersnt & Young, South Pole Group, A*STAR, Rolls Royce, Aviva, Trucost, Autodesk, DHL, and NTU, to name a few.
The Sustainable Development Goals were discussed in great detail on day two by policymakers from around the region, business leaders and NGOs. The speakers ranged from businesses such as Levis Strauss & Co, Novartis, INDISKA, Sime Darby, Wilmar, HMP Family, policy makers from the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, and NGO's such as UN Women Singapore, WWF etc. The SDGs were combined into broad topics and the speakers shared their thoughts on approaches and programmes that will contribute to a transformative, inclusive, low-carbon economy where a dignified standard of living can be achieved by communities. NGOs had a special role to play on this day, as they shared their thoughts on forging effective, multi-stakeholder partnerships which are crucial for successful collaboration.
Look out for more on this page by the Paia team on Green Freight Asia (GFA) Forum: Bringing Green Freight Practices to Scale.
https://paiaconsulting.com.sg/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Paia-Strategy-Reporting-Assurance-Training.png 0 0 Paia Consulting https://paiaconsulting.com.sg/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Paia-Strategy-Reporting-Assurance-Training.png Paia Consulting2015-11-09 09:00:152016-05-04 11:34:152015 – The Tipping Point for Meaningful Change?
With the recent Singapore Exchange (SGX) consultation on its proposed "comply or explain" regulation to Sustainability Reporting, and an increasing number of companies locally producing Sustainability Reports, we felt there's a need to clarify the difference between Sustainability Reporting and Integrated Reporting.
Sustainability Reporting is about communicating the organisation's approach to managing its key environmental and social issues. It is about communicating publicly how the company assesses which environmental and social issues are most significant to the company ("materiality"), how these issues are managed and how the company is performing against each of these key issues (performance data). At Paia, we approach these issues as business risks, and opportunities. Climate change, talent retention and employee diversity, for example, can pose both risks and opportunities for companies, so it is about communicating how the organisation is identifying and managing these risks and opportunities.
Integrated reporting is one step further – about communicating, how the company manages its long term value creation by taking an integrated approach to both traditional risks and these wider sustainability risks. Instead of reporting on financial performance and sustainability performance separately, or even within the same AR, Integrated Reporting intends to show how the company integrates environmental & social thinking into its business.
So for example, an integrated report goes beyond financial, employee, environmental and social data, to also demonstrate how the company integrates these broader risks and opportunities into its long term strategy, into its risk management, into operating policies and procedures, and what the trade offs between these issues are.
This means Integrated reporting pulls together information that sits in separate reporting strands to explain how the firm creates value. In the Singapore context, these reporting strands will include the i) Corporate Governance Statement, ii) Operating and Financial Review, iii) Financial Statements and more recently, iv) Sustainability Reporting.
In Singapore, and the region, it is often the sustainability reporting which is the weakest link to integrated reporting. Many companies in this region are only just beginning to develop their sustainability reporting practices.
So should companies just leapfrog to Integrated Reporting, and bypass Sustainability Reporting? Companies don't necessarially need to publish sustainability reports, but they do need to put in place the sustainability fundamentals, for which GRI provides clear guidance. Paia's experience of having worked with over 25 companies in Southeast Asia on both their sustainability and/or integrated reporting programmes, has taught us that it is fundamental for companies starting out in their reporting journeys to firstly identify what their key environmental and social risks and opportunities are, create management programmes to manage these risks and maximise the opportunities and develop KPIs to track environmental and social performance. These are the fundamentals of sustainability reporting.
To embed these systems takes a couple of years. It takes time for companies to really grasp the business benefits of sustainability and develop appropriate systems to manage these risks in a way that is appropriate for the individual company. It is only then that companies are ready to embrace integrated thinking and integrated reporting in a meaningful way.
We are a great supporter of integrated thinking; that has always been our approach. We've had the please of working closely with many clients to integrate environmental and social risks into their ERMs, business strategy, policies, procedures and contract agreements, and this experience has taught us that it takes time to achieve this integration, as it requires some level of change management – for example to include environmental and social risks within business investment decisions.
Sustainability reporting tends to be the part of Integrated Reporting that Southeast Asian companies are weakest one, hence we recommend companies take time to embed sustainability, before proceeding to Integrated Reporting.
https://paiaconsulting.com.sg/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Paia-Strategy-Reporting-Assurance-Training.png 0 0 Paia Consulting https://paiaconsulting.com.sg/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Paia-Strategy-Reporting-Assurance-Training.png Paia Consulting2015-05-21 09:00:082016-08-12 07:51:12What is the difference between Sustainability Reporting & Integrated Reporting?
As of 12 May 2015, 50% of top 30 companies in Singapore by market capitalisation, which forms the Straits Times Index, produce sustainability reports in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). GRI is the most established sustainability reporting guideline internationally, and is cited as a recommended guideline in the Guide to Sustainability Reporting issued by Singapore Exchange (SGX).
There has been a steady rise in the number of organisations that produce GRI-level sustainability reports in Singapore, from only 3 in 2008 to 35 by 2014. New GRI reporters in 2014 include ST Engineering, Thai Beverage PLC and CapitaCommercial Trust. Numbers are expected to rise rapidly as SGX takes steps to implement a comply-or-explain sustainability reporting regime.
SGX is targeting implementation of comply-or-explain sustainability reporting for financial year 2017. SGX will be engaging listed companies, institutional investors, sustainability professionals and the public on legislating a comply-or-explain sustainability reporting regime in 2015 (see details in SGX's announcement).
Paia Consulting is a specialist sustainability consultancy based in Singapore.
Sustainability reporting, or corporate responsibility reporting, enables organisations to report on their environmental, social and governance information beyond the scope of traditional financial reporting. Parts of it will be familiar to organisations in Singapore and Malaysia already, such as reporting safety statistics, human resource practices and environmental management systems. Community investments are also included, but contrary to what some may think, form a small part of what sustainability or sustainability reporting is about.
Far from being a 'feel-good' portion of the report, these extra-financial (or sometimes referred to as non-financial) information are increasingly used by investors to assess externalities which will be reflected in stock performance in the long term. For example, a company which has strong environmental management practices is less likely to incur litigation risk and also continuously improve on operational efficiencies. A company with strong emphasis on safety and talent retention will likely incur lower hiring and training costs from lower turnover rates.
What the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) aims to do, is to establish a framework such that organisations may report on data which is comparable – much like IFRS equivalent for financial reporting. GRI guidelines are the most established framework used. More than 5000 companies adopt GRI guidelines (GRI, 2012), including 80% of Global Fortune 250 companies (KPMG, 2011).
The number of GRI reports in Singapore and Malaysia have grown steadily over the past 5 years, with more than 5 times the number of reports today than in 2008.
In 2008, the Malaysian Stock Exchange Bursa Malaysia made it mandatory for all listed firms to disclose corporate social responsibility (CSR) information.
In 2012, Singapore Exchange (SGX) has announced an intention to move towards a comply-or-explain approach for its listed firms, following its release of a Policy Statement and Guide to Sustainability Reporting in 2010 and 2011 respectively. SGX has also organised various initiatives, including revising the Singapore Code of Corporate Governance to explicitly mention environmental and social considerations for Board and releasing an Investor Guide to Reading Sustainability Reports. Read more about SGX's recent key initiatives here.
The following graphs aim to give a quick snapshot of the sustainability reporting scene in Singapore and Malaysia.
Below are the 23 GRI reports published in Singapore in 2012.
Below are the 17 GRI reports published in Malaysia in 2012.
Paia is the appointed GRI Data Partner for Malaysia. If your report is not reflected here or the GRI Database, please email us at reports@paiaconsulting.com.
Paia Consulting is a leading sustainability consultancy established since 2002. We helped produce Singapore's first GRI report and many award-winning reports. Beyond reporting, many of the companies leading sustainability locally are our clients.
Drop us a note at info@paiaconsulting.com to discuss how we may support your sustainability journey.


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also believes in giving you styling tips so that you don't miss in giving an outstanding appearance at any event or occasion. Bags are as important as much your clothes and shoes.
Handbags have become an identity of his owner nowadays. They enhance your dressing style. Nowadays one can witness a different kind of bags for each and every place. Whether is it a gym or at your office, whether you are going to a party or for holidays every bag has its own specific use according to the place.
The Satchel Bag – It is a vast solid purse with a wide level base, a primary pocket secured by a fold, two little handles, a shoulder tie and zippers and additionally cuts for fixing pockets. This kind of bag is carried by both men and ladies and taken as the strap of Satchel is worn on one shoulder and the bag at back. The use of this bag is in keeping stationery and gadgets, generally used in offices and schools.
Bucket Bag – As the name gives an impression the bag is in the form of bucket usually open from the top and with two shoulder strap. This bag has ample of space and utilized by women. Because of its spacious structure, women prefer to carry all their large essential items in the bag like cell phone, makeup, Tupperware or even bottle.
Clutch – This kind of bag is small in size and is carried in a fancy way. With a rectangular shape, it has buckles over it to close this small piece of a handbag. Clutch usually does not have straps and are carried in hands. As they more for a fancy look, therefore, such bags have lesser space and small items by owner can be carried like cards or money.
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As American Police Officers, we should never have to apologize for doing what we do. Show your pride with these screen printed tees.
Back the Blue! In the face of a growing anti-law enforcement movement in the country and around the world, let people know you are a supporter of the ones who keep watch and defend the line.
For the K9 Handler with a sense of humor!


Designing experiences for library users requires an understanding of the people, as well as the situations involved in those experiences. When developing library services, this understanding is important in order to consider how the services can fit within constituents' practices, how they can complement existing user workflows and learning strategies, and how they can reflect and build on their users' identities. A data-driven, evidence-based approach to librarianship is becoming increasingly important.
Additionally, libraries are increasingly tasked with demonstrating their impact and contributions towards institutional priorities in the wider higher education landscape. To that end, the presenters' institute created a unique position -- the Experience Design Librarian -- to take a targeted approach to designing, delivering and assessing meaningful user experiences. This position also explores connections between library usage and academic success measures such as retention, achievement and graduation rates, all in an attempt to deliver human-centered library experiences.
This interactive workshop will highlight three user experience research techniques that the presenters have begun to implement -- cognitive mapping, cultural probes, and observational studies. These approaches are all based in ethnographic research methodologies. A quick and interactive exercise, cognitive mapping involves asking users to draw mental representations of an environment to uncover their perceptions of it, as well as their habits and patterns of use and non-use in relation to the space. Cultural probes consist of a packet or kit given to participants to interact with the artifacts within as a method of data collection to understand their needs and behaviors. This method encourages participant engagement and explores unanticipated uses that the researcher may not have considered. Observational studies involve the researcher observing and recording the locations, movements and behaviors of people or items to uncover the usage habits and patterns within a space. These three techniques can be easily modified and incorporated in the libraries of conference attendees to help gather data around the experiences and practices of their users.
The presenters will explain the three techniques along with their experiences of them before facilitating attendees in practice and discussion of the techniques. Upon completion of this session, conference attendees can expect to be able to incorporate these techniques in their own libraries. We argue that libraries can and should consider implementing user-experience data collection techniques to inform decision-making and practice in order to help focus services around the actual needs of users.


text:
. /usr/lib64/nagios/plugins/functions

#
# Check on all gluenode
#

MAINT_FLAG="/home/glue/weihuzhong.txt"

# Backup sling dir now.
BACKUP_FLAG="/tmp/backup_sling_dir.flag"

if [ -f $MAINT_FLAG ]; then
  echo "Under maintainence."
  exit $RET_OK
fi

if [ -f $BACKUP_FLAG ]; then
  echo "Backup sling dir now."
  exit $RET_OK
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RET=$?

if [ $RET -eq 3 ]; then
  echo "CRITICAL - service is stopped."
  exit $RET_CR
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  exit $RET_OK
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


MADRID — About 720,000 investors outside the United States who lost money to the convicted swindler Bernard L. Madoff have settled with their banks, receiving about $15.5 billion in all, according to law firms representing those victims of the fraud.
The settlements cover about 80 percent of the clients represented by the firms, said Javier Cremades, founder of Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo, a Madrid law firm, who helped organize the global alliance of 60 firms a year ago.
The $15.5 billion figure represents, in theory, 100 percent of the amount clients had invested, Mr. Cremades said, but excludes in almost all cases the bogus paper gains that were listed on investor statements.
Looks like the oversea banks didn't want any discovery on their books!


text:
Get to know our Young Leaders: Gabriella Collins
City in the Community Melbourne 1606204814,1606205412
Since joining City in the Community's Young Leader program four years ago, inspiring mentor Gabriella Collins has played a significant role at our Club and in our local community.
Like most kids, Gabby grew up with a passion for sport and the outdoors. A promising basketballer, as a youngster she represented Victoria before three shoulder reconstructions forced her to step aside from the sport she loved.
Leadership has always been one of Gabby's strong suits, in primary school she took up several leadership opportunities which led to her becoming school captain before maintaining those leadership roles in various different sporting teams throughout secondary school.
A workplace learning opportunity while studying at SEDA first introduced Gabby to City in the Community and the wonderful work our team do with young children who need our support most. From there, Gabby has become one of our most valued team members and an inspiring young leader for children throughout our local community.
"Being a young leader has changed my life massively, I never thought that I would be here," Gabby said. "The academic side of school was never my strong suit – I was always out on the basketball court or playing music – I never thought I would end up at SEDA, so I'm very grateful for my move there and becoming involved in the Young Leaders program."
"I couldn't ever have imagined being in this position, having the opportunity to go to Manchester and knowing people from right across the world through our Young Leader programs - I find it so crazy and surreal and I'm still in awe every day."
Gabby has played a significant role in encouraging young females to get involved in City in the Community's local programs. Not only has she helped them grow in confidence and provided them with a safe environment to do so, but she has also been a mentor for many young children.
"For me, I feel that my biggest responsibility is being a mentor to young kids, and I don't take that responsibility lightly," she reflected. "Having seen a lot of the different backgrounds that these children come from and some of their home situations, I feel as though that is my most important role – to not only have a friendship with these kids but to also be able to use that to help them if they want to and being able to be that approachable person if it comes to that and they need to talk to me about something."
"Every week I see these kids grow more and more, it often starts from these shy little kids who don't want to talk to you and run off laughing and then each week they grow and grow and don't want to leave your side.
"It's so important to be approachable, the girls would often stand on the sidelines and watch the boys play so one day I went over and asked them if they wanted to join in and a lot of them seemed hesitant at the beginning so I just spoke to them about their concerns, in which they didn't feel entirely confident playing with the boys so we accommodated for them and ran their own session with female coaches which they love."
Being a young leader and building relationships with several children who are doing it tough can make the role very challenging at times.
"The most difficult aspect of being a young leader is seeing the hardships that these kids go through," Gabby said. "For example, I had a really close connection with one of the girls there and seeing her week in and week out and then she didn't return again – so dealing with that unknown if she's okay – knowing that these kids don't always come from the best situations and although we do all that we can when we are there, we're not always there to help them out if needed so that's the hardest aspect."
Gabby's mentoring role extends beyond our community clinics. In 2019, Young Leaders were faced with the challenge of developing their own social impact football programs. With five community grants up for grabs, the first was awarded to Gabby and her 'DARE to fight mental health' program.
"I was lucky enough to run a program in honour of one of my good friends Dane, he sadly took his own life at the beginning of last year," she said. "It was really important for me to make an impact where I could to something that's very close to me when given the opportunity to do so by Melbourne City."
"I think It's something that's really important for young kids to identify. It's really important that kids know how to deal with their mental health - so having coping mechanics and that's where my program came in," she added.
"I made it for primary schools, we spoke more about the importance of communication with each other, just talking about what's going on in your life and what's going on in your head. It's just about speaking about what you're going through and knowing that you're not alone.
"The program was mainly about running activities through football where children had to talk to each other. For example, one week we played blind soccer where the children would work in pairs and rely on their partner to tell them where they are going – it was really about encouraging communication and connecting with others in your class."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


NutraStart™ Chocolate: 960 g (2 lb 1.86 oz).
Sweetener: fructose, soy protein isolate, whey (milk) protein concentrate, ¬ avor: sun¬ ower oil creamer (sun¬ ower oil, corn syrup, sodium caseinate), thickening agent: polydextrose,¬ avor: cocoa powder, bulking agent: maltodextrin, soy ber, ¬ avor: chocolate ¬ avor, stabilizer: sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, tricalcium phosphate, magnesium oxide, sodium chloride, 4Life Transfer Factor™ (made from bovine colostrum (milk) and egg yolk), L-ascorbic acid, retinyl acetate, zinc gluconate, ferrous citrate, biotin, niacinamide, copper gluconate, calcium D-pantothenate, d-alpha tocopherol acetate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, cholecalciferol, ribo¬ avin, folic acid, and cyanocobalamin.
Would you like to add NutraStart™ Chocolate to your recurring Loyalty Program order?


It is with great pleasure that we announce the launch of the African Origins website. Please be sure to peruse the site and let us know what you think. Thanks!
Here are some pictures of logbooks showing African names from International Court registers created in Freetown, Sierra Leone and Havana, Cuba between 1819 and 1845. The registers were kept as a formal record of emancipation that helped protect the individual from subsequent re-enslavement. The images are reproduced courtesy of the British National Archives.
Elizabeth Milewicz, Kwesi Degraft-Hanson, and David Eltis examining the many Akan names within the African Origins Project database.
Thank you so very much for interest in the African Origins Project and website (www.african-origins.org). This project will not be possible without the awareness and contributions of you. Collectively your knowledge will help shed light on some of the individuals forced into one of history's great injustices, the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
The African Origins project seeks to discover the linguistic and ethnic origins of over 67,000 individuals who were sold into and later liberated from the Atlantic slave trade. To do so, we are asking you to visit the site, browse the records or search the modern version of an African name, and then contribute information about a particular name.
Daniel Domingues and Nafees Khan listening to the audio component of the Origins Project.
Your knowledge will help to personalize the millions of Africans sold into the Atlantic slave trade. I encourage you to share this project with your family, friends, and colleagues.
Please be sure to view our videos about the project and website under Multimedia!


But prison chaplains, and groups that minister to prisoners, say that an administration that put stock in religion-based approaches to social problems has effectively blocked prisoners' access to religious and spiritual materials -- all in the name of preventing terrorism.
"It's swatting a fly with a sledgehammer," said Mark Earley, president of Prison Fellowship, a Christian group. "There's no need to get rid of literally hundreds of thousands of books that are fine simply because you have a problem with an isolated book or piece of literature that presents extremism."
Good for the Times in quoting Earley, but was the organization's founder, Chuck Colson, unavailable for comment? With his close ties to the Bush administration, it would be interesting to know his thoughts. Obviously this is issue is several steps removed from the White House, but if I'm not mistaken each agency has a White House-designated official who reviews and approves all new agency regulations.
The identities of the bureau's experts have not been made public, Ms. Billingsley said, but they include chaplains and scholars in seminaries and at the American Academy of Religion. Academy staff members said their organization had met with prison chaplains in the past but was not consulted on this effort, though it is possible that scholars who are academy members were involved.
What's almost as interesting as the list are the book examples provided by the Times. I've complained about this before, by why in this era of the Internets can we not just publish the whole list on the Times site and provide a link? All we are given is a list of "http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/09/10/us/20070910_PRISON_CHART.html/">Some Excluded Works." It's a good thing the Times qualified that with "some," since there is no way to compile the list of all the excluded titles. It would be easier if the Times had just given us the list of approved books.
Nevertheless, the legal justification behind this policy sounds like something the government would try to put forward. The coming legal battle could end up being a defining case in determining the federal government's relationship with religion.
"Government does have a legitimate interest to screen out things that tend to incite violence in prisons," Mr. Laycock said. "But once they say, 'We're going to pick 150 good books for your religion, and that's all you get,' the criteria has become more than just inciting violence. They're picking out what is accessible religious teaching for prisoners, and the government can't do that without a compelling justification. Here the justification is, the government is too busy to look at all the books, so they're going to make their own preferred list to save a little time, a little money."
"There are some well-chosen things in here," Professor Larsen said. "I'm particularly glad that Dietrich Bonhoeffer is there. If I was in prison I would want to read Dietrich Bonhoeffer." But he continued, "There's a lot about it that's weird." The lists "show a bias toward evangelical popularism and Calvinism," he said, and lacked materials from early church fathers, liberal theologians and major Protestant denominations.
The Rev. Richard P. McBrien, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame (who edited "The HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism," which did make the list), said the Catholic list had some glaring omissions, few spiritual classics and many authors he had never heard of.
"I would be completely sympathetic with Catholic chaplains in federal prisons if they're complaining that this list is inhibiting," he said, "because I know they have useful books that are not on this list."
The next step for the journalist is to determine who was on the committee that put this list together. I certainly hope a Freedom of Information Act request has been filed.


250mm spark plug sockets ideal for deep-seated spark plugs. Each 3/8" square drive socket is attached with a magnetic end for easy and safe retrieval of spark plugs. The 12 point sockets are forged from chrome vanadium steel, hardened, tempered and chrome plated. Suitable for a range of models including Citroën, Peugeot, Renault, BMW and Mini.


AFTER A DIVORCE OR SEPARATION, IT IS COMMON TO HEAR PEOPLE DESCRIBE YOU HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR EX SPOUSE WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT?
WE BRING IN THOM LINEHAN FROM UNH CO-OPERATIVE EXTENSION.
WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT FOR PARENTS TO COMMUNICATE?
I THINK IT IS BECAUSE IT IS SO COMPLICATED. WHAT IT REALLY REPRESENTS IS A CHANGING RELATIONSHIP FROM WHAT WAS ROMANTIC INTO SOMETHING THAT IS MORE OF DOING RIGHT BY THE KID. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DO THAT. THERE IS A LOT OF HISTORY AND TENSION. SO MANY EMOTIONS.
HOW CAN PARENTS BUILD A CONSTRUCTIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH HER EX SPOUSE?
COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY. THIS TIME OF YEAR WHEN PARENTS ARE TRYING TO NEGOTIATE HOLIDAYS WITH THEIR EX-SPOUSE OR X PARTNER INVOLVES TRYING TO KEEP YOUR SELF IN THE PRESENT, TRY NOT TO LET THE PAST GET IN THERE. ALL OF THE DIFFICULTIES OF THE PAST AND THE TENSION, TIPPING FOCUSED ON THE PROBLEM, ATTACKING THE PROBLEM AND NOT THE PERSON, AND REALLY TRYING NOT TO MAKE ASSUMPTIONS, AND AGAIN KEEPING THAT RELATIONSHIP BUSINESSLIKE AND SIMPLE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
WHEN YOU FACTOR IN THE KIDS ARE OFTEN TIMES LIVING IN DIFFERENT HOUSEHOLDS, WHAT ARE THE RULE OF THUMB IS TRY TO KEEP CONFLICT IN FOR THE CHILDREN DOWN AND CONNECTION UP. THAT MEANS THAT KIDS REALLY NEED TO KNOW THAT THEIR PARENTS ARE GOING TO BE THERE FOR THEM IN BOTH HOUSEHOLDS AN THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO DIVIDE AND ARE NOT PUT IN THE MIDDLE.
FOR PARENTS GOING THROUGH THIS, WHAT CAN ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE THEM TO HELP MAKE THIS GO OR AVOID COMMON MISTAKES?


text:
Statins reduce heart disease risk
Statins safely reduce the risk of cardiovascular illness even years after treatment is stopped, according to a probe into the popular cholesterol-busters published.
Statins work by blocking a liver enzyme that makes fatty molecules which line arterial walls and boost the danger of heart disease and strokes.
With worldwide annual sales of more than R166 billion, the drugs have been dubbed the aspirin of the 21st century because of their benefit and wide use.
But lingering questions persist about their long-term safety for the heart, liver and cancer risk.
Researchers at the Heart Protection Study Collaborative Group in Oxford looked at 20,536 patients at risk of cardiovascular disease who were randomly allocated 40mg daily of simvastatins or a dummy look-alike over more than five years.
Statins show no health hazard
During this period, those who took the statins saw a reduction in bad LDL cholesterol and a 23% reduction in episodes of vascular ill-health compared to the placebo group.
The monitoring of the volunteers continued for a further six years after the trial ended.
The benefits persisted throughout this monitoring period among those volunteers who stopped taking the statins, the investigators found.
In addition, there was no emergence of any health hazard among those who had taken, or were continuing to take, the drugs.
A large number of cancers, nearly 3,500 developed during this follow-up period, but there was no difference in cancer incidence between the statin and placebo groups.
Persistent benefit
The persistence of benefit we observed among participants originally allocated simvastatin during the subsequent six-year post-trial period is remarkable, said one of the investigators, Richard Bulbulia.
In addition, the reliable evidence of safety, with no excess risk of cancer or other major illnesses during over 11 years follow-up, is very reassuring for doctors who prescribe statins and the increasingly large numbers of patients who take them long-term to reduce their risk of vascular disease.
A previous investigation in November 2010 found that long-term use of statins was less risky than thought for people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a common liver ailment.
(Sapa, November 2011)
Man's 'heart attack' caused by a battery - which he swallowed intentionally


When is Trongsa Festival? Answer: Trongsa Festival is on 4th January to 07th January, 2020.
Trongsa is situated in central Bhutan and it was once the seat of power over central and eastern regions. Both the first and second kings of Bhutan ruled the country from this ancient seat and it is customary for the crown prince to serve as the Trongsa Penlop / Choesi Penlop ("governor") prior to ascending the throne.
Of the many festivals held in various parts of Trongsa, the grandest is the three day annual Trongsa Tshechu. This festival bring together people from all walks of life and falls sometime in the month of December / January.
Witness sacred dances and rituals performed by Monks and local people of Trongsa with colourful costumes.
After breakfast visit Trongsa courtyard to experience the colorful, excitement and spectacular performances of the Trongsa Festival. It is the most divine and deeply symbolic of all the Buddhist festivals celebrated in Bhutan.
Spent whole day watching Trongsa Festival and interact with the local people of Trongsa.
Tour Cost for 3 people & above $1,736 (USD one thousand seven hundred and thirty six only ) No surcharges is applicable for 3 people and above.


text:
Blumhouse to adapt The Thing from long lost novel
Decades later, John W. Campbell Jr.'s Frozen Hell lives on to see the silver screen
The Thing (Universal)
January 27, 2020 | 5:24pm ET
Blumhouse and Universal are heading down to Antartica. According to Bloody Disgusting, the two studios are currently developing another adaptation of John W. Campbell Jr.'s Who Goes There?, aka the source material for both Howard Hawks' 1951 sci-fi classic The Thing from Another World and John Carpenter's 1982 re-imagining The Thing. But, there's a twist.
They're not just going to be pulling from Who Goes There?, but from the recently unearthed and expanded version of the novella, Frozen Hell. In 2018, John Betancourt announced the discovery of the long unpublished novel, which reportedly includes a number of chapters that were removed for publication in the August 1938 issue of Astounding Science Fiction.
Producer Alan Donnes first broke the news this past Friday on his Facebook, writing, "It's OFFICIAL! I received my signed contract and first check! I am Executive Producing a remake of THE THING but with additional chapters of John Campbell's groundbreaking novel, Frozen Hell, that had been lost for decades. Now, for the first time ever, Campbell's full vision will be realized on the big screen. The new film will include the very best of RKO's THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, John Carpenter's classic THE THING and both books, Frozen Hell and Who Goes There?"
Betancourt then confirmed Universal and Blumhouse's involvement to Bloody Disgusting, stating, "Everyone is super excited about it, and it's being fast-tracked." Given their commitment to the horror genre, and Blumhouse's penchant for digging into the roots of any franchise (see: 2018's Halloween), it's no surprise that they're just as excited to get this rolling as those involved.
Ranking John Carpenter: Every Movie from Worst to Best
Filmography: John Carpenter Battled Intergalactic Evil Across Four American Decades
Even so, one has to wonder what can truly be added into the mix. As we saw with 2011's prequel/remake, it's almost a fool's errand to try and emulate what Carpenter managed to do all those decades ago. Between its iconic score, its eclectic cast ranging from Kurt Russell to Keith David to Wilford Brimely, and all those beautiful practical effects by Rob Bottin, the bar is staggeringly high.
Having said that, this writer would gladly grab his Northface best for another shapeshifting go-around in the Arctic, especially if Blumhouse can find a way to give Campbell's tale a new modern twist. Considering the lack of trust in this world, particularly among us humans, there's arguably never been a better time than now for the icy, claustrophobic tale.
So, why don't we just wait here for a little while, see what happens? At the very least, you could revisit Carpenter's classic below with The Horror Virgin podcast. Just bring the J&B.
Horror Movie News


text:
Q: Is the number of occurrences of matching enough to verify the string matching algorithm? String matching is the problem of finding all occurrences of a given pattern
in a given text. There is a string matching tool that verifies algorithm(s) by the number of matched occurrence, not by the position-numbers of matched occurrence, see this post for an example.
SMART (String Matching Algorithms Research Tool) is an open source software which provides a standard framework for researchers in string matching. It helps users to test, design, evaluate and understand existing solutions for the exact string matching problem. In a paper (page 104) the author of the research article and the programmer of the tool wrote:

Algorithm verification
The tool verifies that all tested algorithms work properly. This
verification is done by counting the number of matches returned by the
procedure and testing whether the search stops properly at the end of
the text. Since all searched patterns are always randomly extracted
from the text, it is guaranteed that the number of occurrences is
always equal or greater than 1..

How one can prove or convince other, that the number of occurrence is enough to verify an algorithm works 100% or provide 100% correct solutions?
It could be the case that I am missing something about the tool and article related to this, but if not, what is the explanation that this tool is reliable? Note, article related to this tool is published in ACM and the author is a research academic.
Edit:
The following is found in this link:

If the algorithm does not run under particular conditions (for
instance when the length of the pattern is less than a given value),
please make it return the value -1.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
@interface DQPhoneFollowButton ()

@property (nonatomic, assign) DQFollowState followState;

@end

@implementation DQPhoneFollowButton

- (void)dealloc
{
    if (_username)
    {
        [[NSNotificationCenter defaultCenter] removeObserver:self
                                                        name:DQFollowStateChangedNotification
                                                      object:nil];
    }
}

- (id)initWithFrame:(CGRect)frame
{
    self = [super initWithFrame:frame];
    if (self)
    {
        _followState = DQFollowStateIndeterminate;
        self.layer.cornerRadius = 5.0f;
        self.backgroundColor = [UIColor dq_activityFollowButtonNotFollowingColor];
        self.tintColorForBackground = NO;
        [self addTarget:self action:@selector(followButtonTapped:) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];

    }
    return self;
}

- (void)prepareForReuse
{
    self.username = nil;
}

- (void)followButtonTapped:(DQPhoneFollowButton *)sender
{
    if ([self.username length])
    {
        DQFollowState nextState = (self.followState == DQFollowStateFollowing ?
                                   DQFollowStateNotFollowing :
                                   DQFollowStateFollowing);
        self.followState = nextState;
        DQRequestSetFollowState(self.username, nextState);
    }
}

- (void)setUsername:(NSString *)username
{
    if (!(_username ? [_username isEqualToString:username] : !username))
    {
        self.followState = DQFollowStateIndeterminate;
        // NSLog(@"button %p username changing from %@ to %@", self, _username, username);
        if (_username)
        {
            [[NSNotificationCenter defaultCenter] removeObserver:self
                                                            name:DQFollowStateChangedNotification
                                                          object:nil];
        }
        _username = [username copy];
        if (_username)
        {
            [[NSNotificationCenter defaultCenter] addObserver:self
                                                     selector:@selector(followStateChanged:)
                                                         name:DQFollowStateChangedNotification
                                                       object:nil];
        }
        if ([_username length])
        {
            __weak typeof(self) weakSelf = self;
            DQRequestFollowState(_username, ^(NSString *username, DQFollowState state) {
                typeof(self) _self = weakSelf;
                if (_self && [username length] && [username isEqualToString:_self.username])
                {
                    _self.followState = state;
                }
            });
        }
    }
}

- (void)followStateChanged:(NSNotification *)notification
{
    if (_username)
    {
        NSString *username = [notification object];
        if (username)
        {
            if ([_username isEqualToString:username])
            {
                DQFollowState state = [[notification userInfo][DQFollowStateNotificationStateUserInfoKey] integerValue];
                // NSLog(@"button %p for %@ changed state to: %ld", self, self.username, (long)state);
                self.followState = state;
            }
        }
        else
        {
            NSDictionary *states = [notification userInfo][DQFollowStateNotificationManyStatesUserInfoKey];
            NSNumber *stateNumber = states[_username];
            if (stateNumber)
            {
                DQFollowState state = [stateNumber integerValue];
                // NSLog(@"button %p for %@ changed state to: %ld", self, self.username, (long)state);
                self.followState = state;
            }
        }
    }
}

- (void)setFollowState:(DQFollowState)followState
{
    if (_followState != followState)
    {
        _followState = followState;
        self.tintColorForBackground = followState == DQFollowStateFollowing;
        if (followState == DQFollowStateFollowing)
        {
            // NSLog(@"button %p for %@ setting following image", self, self.username);
            [self setImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"activity_following"] forState:UIControlStateNormal];
        }
        else
        {
            // NSLog(@"button %p for %@ setting not-following image", self, self.username);
            [self setImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"activity_follow"] forState:UIControlStateNormal];
            self.backgroundColor = [UIColor dq_activityFollowButtonNotFollowingColor];
        }
    }
}

@end


Hello buddies, it is a new day. Wake up with a heart of gratitude to God, it is a privilege not a right to be alive today. And make your life count for good, remember Opportunities are never lost, they are always taken by people who are ready. Get ready to take the opportunities of today.
Good Morning, do have great day.
Get ready with right mental attitude to start a new day.


text:
from setuptools import setup

setup(name="numbers",
      version="0.0.1",
      install_requires=["quark==0.0.1"],
      py_modules=['numbers'],
      packages=['numbers', 'numbers_md'])


Following on the heals of Yom Hazikaron, we have Yom Ha'atzmaut - Israel's Independence Day. Although Yom Hazikaron is an important, somber day, klal Yisrael doesn't wallow in her sadness. As soon as Yom Hazikaron ends, the celebration of the existence of Medinat Yisrael, the State of Israel begins!
It was in the late afternoon of May 14, 1948, that David Ben Gurion announced the birth of Israel, just hours before the country was about to go into Shabbat. The 5th of Iyar in the Jewish calendar, has ever since been a holiday in Israel, and for Jews all over the world (although in the diaspora, many Jews celebrate the following Sunday, as most of the world has Sundays off. In Israel the 5th is a national holiday).
While there are of course the obligatory bar-b-ques, parades and other internationally-recognized symbols of celebration, Israel also celebrates this day in a uniquely Jewish way. Firstly, many national-religious affiliated Jews recite the prayer of Hallel (some with or without the bracha before it), which is said on many holidays. There is also the International Bible Competition - which any fact or story from throughout the 24 books of the TaNaCh are thrown at eager young students, all vying for the first place prize of a full scholarship to Bar Ilan University.
If you were concerned that with the passing of Nissan the time to experience miracles was over until next year, you shouldn't fret! Yom Ha'atzmaut isn't the only holiday in Iyar celebrating something out of the normal - the 27th of Iyar is Yom Yerusalayim - or the Jerusalem Unification Day. It celebrates the reunification of the Holy City after Israel recaptured it from the Jordanians in the Six Day War. These are all pretty miraculous events in Jewish history. May we all witness continued amazing events on a personal and national level this month.


The Global Products Group (GPG) is KLA's primary products and engineering solutions organization which consists of all wafer inspection tools (e.g. Broadband Plasma, Surfscan, CIRCL, etc.), metrology/patterning tools (e.g. SpectraShape, 5D, Archer, Aleris, WaferSight PWG, etc.), and reticle inspection (e.g. Teron, etc.).
GPG is made up of many of KLA's best and brightest engineering talent, and they continue to innovate and expand the boundaries of yield management solutions. In addition to the impressive portfolio of products mentioned above, other key engineering groups reside in GPG, including Artificial Intelligence, Central Engineering, Klarity, KT Analyzer, ICOS, SensArray, EBeam tools/technologies, LMS IPRO, and others.


text:
This Is Our First Look At The Marines' Loitering Munition-Armed Light Armored Vehicle
The 'suicide drones' will allow Marine light armored units to surveil the battlefield and strike targets with pinpoint precision from up above.
byJoseph Trevithick| UPDATED Oct 11, 2021 3:03 PM
Joseph TrevithickView joseph trevithick's Articles
FranticGoat
Israeli firm UVision has shown off the first pictures of a U.S. Marine Corps 8x8 LAV-25-series wheeled armored vehicle with a multi-round launcher for loitering munitions, which are often described as "suicide drones." The company had announced earlier this year that the Marines had selected this launch system, together with a variant of the Hero-120 loitering munition, as the winning entry for its Organic Precision Fires-Mounted program.
UVision released the photographs of the modified LAV-M, which is the mortar carrier variant of the LAV-25, as part of its official unveiling of the Multi-Canister Launcher (MCL) at the Association of the U.S. Army's main annual conference in Washington, D.C., which opened today. A lower resolution image of the MCL by itself on the ground during a live-fire test had previously emerged.
A US Marine Corps LAV-M mortar carrier vehicle fitted with UVision's Multi-Canister Launcher., UVision
"UVision was recently awarded a contract to supply the Hero-120 aerial loitering munition and multi-canister launchers to the United States Marine Corps for its 'Organic Precision Fire Mounted' (OPF-M) program," Jim Truxel, CEO of UVision USA, UVision's American subsidiary, said in a statement. "As part of this project, the MCLs will be installed on various platforms. We are proud that this latest development will be used in the field soon."
Though the Marines have selected a service-specific variant of the Hero-120, UVision says the eight-cell MCL is capable of launching any version of that loitering munition, as well as other members of the Hero series, such as the Hero-30 and Hero-400EC. All these weapons are fired from the MCL via preloaded launch canisters, making it easier to load the desired types based on the situation or reload the entire launcher.
"Giving field forces operational flexibility, the innovative capability enables them to choose and launch the most suitable system, depending on the nature of the mission and target — from the Hero-30 for smaller 'surgical' attacks, through the Hero-120 for medium-sized and armored targets, up to the Hero-400 for long-range and fortified targets," according to UVision.
The Hero-120 has a warhead weighing just under 10 pounds and a maximum range of just under 25 miles using a line-of-sight datalink. It can remain aloft for up to 60 minutes. It is not clear how the Marine Corps' Hero-120 OPF variant differs from the standard type. Earlier this year, UVision did say that it had developed a new multipurpose warhead with improved antitank capabilities for the Hero-120, as well as the Hero-400EC.
The smaller Hero-30, which has around 30 minutes of endurance and a warhead weighing just over 1 pound, and the larger Hero-400EC, with its nearly 90 pound warhead and 120 minutes of flying time, can both be configured with the same datalink, giving them the same maximum range. UVision says that Hero-400EC can also be configured in a way that extends its effective range out to 93 miles.
All three loitering munitions, as well as other types in the Hero family, have nose-mounted TV and infrared video cameras that allow the operator to see what the munitions "see" throughout their entire flight. It is that camera capability that separates loitering munitions, such as the Hero types, from more traditional missiles. It allows them to operate as small surveillance and reconnaissance drones and then strike any targets their find directly. UVision's designs can also be recovered and refurbished for reuse if they complete a mission without conducting a strike.
The operator-in-the-loop nature of most loitering munitions, a technology that Israeli companies pioneered and continue to lead in the further development of, allows the user the make very fine course corrections in flight, further improving the weapon's accuracy. It also provides an added margin of safety, since the operator can direct the munition away from the target area, if necessary, even very late in the terminal stage of a strike, should circumstances change, such as the sudden appearance of innocent bystanders. The onboard navigation systems on the Hero series mean they can be used to strike fixed targets at specific coordinates, beyond-line-of-sight, as well.
The Marine Corps sees loitering munitions, among other new weapon systems, as essential to enabling the new distributed and expeditionary concepts of operations the service is in the process of refining. These concepts, broadly referred to as expeditionary advanced base operations (EABO), are at the core of how the Marines expect to fight in the future, including in high-end conflicts against near-peer opponents such as Russia or China. This is also driving a dramatic force-wide restructuring that you can read more about here.
A weapon such as the Hero-120 certainly offers a new way for even relatively small Marine ground units to conduct precision strikes at extended ranges, while also expanding their overall situational awareness. It gives those same units this kind of capability in the absence of more traditional air or artillery strikes, as well. This could be extremely valuable in distributed operations across a broad front, such as in the Indo-Pacific region, where other types of indirect fire support may not be readily available.
The Marines are also planning on mounting MCLs loaded with Hero-120 OPFs on small unmanned boats, which would be capable of launching swarming attacks on enemy ships, as well as land-based threats near to the shore. The service has implied that its versions of the Hero-120 may have the ability to operate in networked swarms themselves. In a maritime context, while loitering munitions such as the Hero-120 would not be large enough to sink enemy warships or even smaller boats such as landing craft, they could be used to cause a mission kill by damaging key systems, such as radars or communication antennas. This, in turn, could effectively put those vessels out of commission for an extended period while repairs are made. Targeting the bridge on patrol boats, landing craft, or similarly sized vessels might be enough to take them out of the immediate fight, as well.
"These swarming aerial munitions, which employ automatic target recognition, have proven exceptionally lethal in recent global conflicts, most recently in Europe," General David Berger, Commandant of the Marine Corps, told members of Congress in June. "Our own tests have also demonstrated this technology to be effective, with five of five successful shots during testing. We plan to equip our infantry and reconnaissance Marines with this loitering capability, mounting those munitions on both ground vehicles and long-range unmanned surface vessels."
Marines, one of whom is carrying a Javelin antitank guided missile trainer, on a small rubber boat during a training exercise in Japan in 2021. The Marine Corps is exploring novel ways to employ these missiles, among other weapons, including in potential future high-end conflicts against near-peer adversaries. Loitering munitions will give even relatively small units additional capabilities to engage targets at extended ranges., USMC
Berger was almost certainly referring to Azerbaijan's heavy use of Israeli-made loitering munitions during its conflict with Armenia last year, which catapulted this category of weapons into the mainstream discourse like never before. That, in turn, has only prompted additional interest in these weapons and the capabilities they offer within the U.S. military, as a whole.
Previous reports have indicated that there is already another Hero-120 variant, the Hero-120SF, specifically designed for U.S. special operations forces. In March, Northrop Grumman announced it was working with UVision on an air-launched hybrid Hero-120/Hero-400 design to meet U.S. Army requirements.
UVision is planning to conduct a demonstration of at least some portion of its product line at the Army's Dugway Proving Ground in Utah sometime this month, with representatives from the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Command (SOCOM) also in attendance. The new MCL could certainly be of interest to the Army and Navy, as well as SOCOM, for ground-based and maritime applications. The Air Force might be interested in variants of Hero for air-launched use, too, having already demonstrated something of a similar capability in a test involving the launch of an ALTIUS 600 small drone from the internal bay of a larger XQ-58A Valkyrie unmanned aircraft.
As already noted, UVision's Hero series is already making significant inroads across the U.S. military and is part of a future that is getting ever closer, in which American forces will increasingly be armed with various tiers of loitering munitions.
Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com