text:
A.N.C.I.R
Mafia In Africa
How the Mafia Infiltrates the African Economy
Select Investigation
Kenya's Safe Haven
Kenya's Drug Barons
Cosa Nostra Diamonds
Cosa Nostra AG
Charter House Bank: A Money Laundering Machine
Africa: is Cosa Nostra
InvestigativeCenters.org
The Italian mafia has established a hidden but lethal presence in Africa. Its members own diamond mines, nightclubs and land, all with the complicity of corrupt regimes.
Italian anti-Mafia authorities estimate that organised crime groups earn €26 billion a year in Italy alone. But the figure only scratches the surface of its economic power. Mafia Inc. is more than ever a global business, infiltrating legitimate economies worldwide. And the extent of the empire is unknown.
An international team of reporters from the non-profit investigative journalism centres IRPI and ANCIR (with the Investigative Dashboard Africa) partnered with the data analysts of QUATTROGATTI and the production room of CORRECT!V to uncover for the first time the Italian Mafia's grip on Africa.
Supported by two working grants for independent journalism, the Innovative Journalism Grant of the EJC and Journalism Fund, the work took seven months, and included trips to Sicily, Calabria, Campania, Lazio, Lombardy, in Italy and South Africa, Namibia, Senegal and Kenya, in Africa.
Ten investigative reporters from six different countries, one data-journalist and a data-scientist, three editors, one cross-examiner and a bunch of lawyers joined the effort in producing in-depth research into the Mafia's involvement in 13 countries.
Mafia in Africa draws a bleak picture, and highlights the need for the international community to reforms its policies, to monitor and fight the economic infiltration by criminals and prevent the dire consequences on unstable African societies.
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Money laundering within Charter House Bank
There was a bank, in Kenya, that managed bank accounts as a cover-up. Its real purpose was a massive money laundering machine.
Called Charterhouse Bank, it was owned by John Harun Mwau, one of Kenya's hundred richest men. The United States Embassy in Nairobi regarded Mwau as among the most powerful drug traffickers in Kenya, and a man who knows how to move untracked. Between 2004 and 2006, Mwau funneled dirty money into bank accounts of two companies registered within Charter House. He would then regularly skim and divert payments to colluding entrepreneurs.
This is how capital was laundered to appear clean. Among the names listed as CHB money launderers was Paolo Sattanino, an Italian who denies any involvement in the scheme. This story began ten years ago, but has yet to have an ending. Perpetrators, despite the denounces of PricewaterhouseCopper, Central Bank of Kenya and the Kenyan media, have never been prosecuted by Kenyan authorities. IRPI reporters have travelled to Kenya to discover more.
Mario Mele, a fugitive in Kenya
For an Italian tourist in Malindi, on the coast of Kenya, catching a drink at the Pata Pata Beach Club is a must.
Pata Pata is one of Kenya's most important night-time spots. Its manager, Mario Mele, is an Italian entrepreneur coming from the beautiful island of Sardinia, where he directed similar clubs on the island's shores. Mele left Sardinia after an arrest warrant was issued for evading €17 million in Italian taxes. When the Fiscal Guard checked Mele's bank accounts, agents found an invoice issued by a company owned by the Sicilian mafia clan D'Agosta.
Which links do exist between Mele and D'Agosta?
Cosa Nostra, Vito Roberto Palazzolo
(Related countries: Germany, Switzerland, USA, Namibia, Angola, Russia, Hong Kong)
Vito Roberto Palazzolo, aka Robert Von Palace Kolbatshenko, currently sits in Milan's Opera Prison, condemned to a nine-year sentence for 'Mafia association' after evading justice since the mid 1980s.
South Africa, where he escaped to from Italy in 1986, refused to extradite him: Mafia association is not a crime there. Italian authorities only managed to snatch Palazzolo in March 2012 after Interpol apprehended him while he was passing through Thailand.
Organised crime experts regard Palazzolo as one of the most intelligent and powerful recent Cosa Nostra's members. Yet few are aware of the broader picture, and even fewer know the exact features of his own empire. Palazzolo is a modern Midas: all he touches turns into gold. Throughout his career Palazzolo provided Cosa Nostra with complex money laundering schemes, profitable investments and a safe haven for fugitives.
He facilitated joint diamond ventures for the corrupt oligarchies of South Africa, Angola and Namibia and opened the gates of Sub-Sahara to Italian industrialists. But just how big is Palazzolo's empire? And who manages it now that he is behind bars?
Drug Barons
June 2011. The United States President Barack Obama signs the Kingpin Act to stop the flows of assets towards the US coming from all those the White House considers international narcos.
Among the blacklisted was also John Harun Mwau, former MP in Kenya from 2008 until 2013, also involved in the Charter House Bank scandal. Mwau always denied his involvement. He claimed to be internationally persecuted, and strongly cried out for his innocence. But the Kingpin Act is only part of a larger picture, of which Mwau is a key character. What emerges is a Kenyan oligarch, fostered by votes and drug trafficking since the year 2000.
Despite a political twist in Kenya, Mwau enjoys complete impunity.
Cosa Nostra - Antonino Messicati Vitale
(Related countries: Zimbabwe, DRC, Angola, Ghana)
Harare, Zimbabwe, early January 2011. An Italian man buys one million carats of blood diamonds using rustling American dollars. It was a single transaction worth tens if not hundreds of millions. He is young, good-looking and incredibly rich and powerful. His name is Antonino Messicati Vitale, and he is a boss of the Sicilian mafia, Cosa Nostra.
A few weeks later, in Pretoria, South Africa, Antonino sits at a bargaining table with six other people. They are discussing a contract that will give rise to a new venture in the diamond trade. The agreement, 'Zimbabwe Diamond Opportunity',secured, processed and marketed 30,000 carats of uncut diamonds per month to wealthy European.
Diamonds are a perfect means for mafia money laundering. They don't have a fixed value. And if they are blood diamonds, banned ones, in the hands of the mafia they travel parallel paths and still end up on some unaware rich ladies' necks. What has the Cosa Nostra done over the last four years to obtain diamonds from Sub Saharan Africa?
Casalesi Clan of the Camorra
Between 2009 and 2010 the Casalesi clan of the Camorra, from the Campania region of Italy, tried to infiltrate the economy of the Central African Republic. Antonio Iovine, one of the most powerful Casalesi bosses, was on the run. He instructed his lawyer, Michele Santonastaso, to make him an honorary consul of the African country.
Santonastaso is well-known for an incident occured in 2008 when, representing two mafia clients in court, he read a 60-page defense which largely consisted of menacing threats to magistrates and journalists. A year later he approached Maurizio S., an entrepreneur from the North East Italian region of Veneto, who was active in humanitarian projects and supported by the NGO Fondazione Mondo Migliore.
Santonastaso promised Maurizio investments in the humanitarian project. He obtained a draft of the project and a list of all the local contacts including local priests, General Rivera Sancez of the American secret services, Elie Dote, a representative from the President of Central African Republic, and the very President Francois Bozize.
Maurizio was involved in rural agricultural projects in CAR, and asked to install radio antennas for phones and the Internet. Only later did he discover that Santonastaso' s real interest was in resources exploitation and a honorary consul title for his mafia client, when the lawyer was arrested in October 2010, two months before Iovine.
Maurizio told IRPI he abandoned his humanitarian projects in the country when civil war sparked again. He also told prosecutors that it is possible the Camorra used his contacts and achieved its aims in the country. In 2014, Santonastaso was convicted in first instance to 11 years of jail for mafia association.
'Ndrangheta of Piromalli-Alvaro
(Related countries: Tunisia, South Africa)
Alvaro and Piromalli clans of the 'Ndrangheta are two powerful families who control the Gioia Tauro area, close to Reggio Calabria, where it is located one of the most important ports in Italy.
In 2006, the clans decided to bring their investments to Tunisia, South Africa and DRC, thanks to the intermediation of a Roman entrepreneur, Pietro D'Ardes, owner of a large supermarket chain. D'Ardes was sentenced to 11 years following the 'Cent'anni di storia' 'a hundred years of history') investigation.
Plans for investments in Africa were discussed with Giuseppe Mancini, the lawyer of the Casamonica clan of the Roma mafia of Rome. The first step was the creation of a base of operations in Malta considered, in their own words, a 'free territory'. Giuseppe Mancini, also sentenced to nine years in jail for external participation in mafia type activity, was ready to invest Pietro D'Ardes's capital, especially in the DRC.
Police wire taps from 2006 recorded Mancini explaining to a business partner that although Tunisia offers nice profits, accessing the DRC's raw and precious mines would make the mafia 'money–a lot of money, real money'. So confident is the 'Ndrangheta clan of the returns, it is willing to fund the construction of a new port to serve the mines they will acquire.
Cosa Nostra, Di Gati Clan
Sometimes there is no master plan to the presence of mafia affiliates in Africa.
For Ignazio Gagliardo, a high ranking member of the Di Gati clan of the Sicilian mafia, South Africa was a place to evade justice, perhaps inspired by childhood fantasies. 'When I was a kid I was fond of adventure stories', he said in an interview. 'I loved when the television talked about the pyramids and I loved Africa.'
In 1999, Gagliardo was sentenced for murder and mafia association, and fled to South Africa. He arrived in Johannesburg before moving to Crystal Park, where he bought a toy shop and started a new life. The story of Ignazio Gagliardo shows how mafia not only destroys the lives of its victims, but also of its own members.
Son of a poor Italian miner, Ignazio had four brothers. Two of them entered the Carabinieri (the Italian military police) while the others, like Ignazio, became part of the Di Gati clan. The eldest, Salvatore, was killed in an internal mafia war. The remaining one, after serving a jail term for mafia association, killed himself and his parents in a murderous rampage in 2012. Ignazio, safe from extradition in South Africa, repented and delivered himself into the hands of prosecutors in 2006. His change of heart was an act of love: back in Italy his wife, recently diagnosed with leukemia, was in need of a bone marrow transplant. Ignazio sent a heartfelt letter to the Italian authorities, saying that he was ready to collaborate if he could live with his wife and son.
'Ndrangheta of Pelle-Vottari
After a three-year investigation, operation 'Annibale' brought down an international drug-trafficking ring shipping cocaine from Colombia to Italy through Ghana. The key player of the gang was a Peruvian national who managed logistics from a monastery based in Milan, Italy.
The cocaine cargos travelled from South America to the African country. Once in Spain, the narcotics travelled by truck through France, finally arriving in Italy where they were sold in the central and northern areas. Among the 33 people arrested in May 2015 there were two renown entrepreneurs from the city of Piacenza, Italy. They used their transportation company's logistics to safely deliver the drugs, police said. The businessmen relied on two 'Ndrangheta affiliates – belonging to the powerful family of the Pelle-Vottari – who were crucial in establishing a fruitful partnership between Colombian drug-cartels and the Italian ones.
'Ndrangheta is a Mafia-style crime syndicate originating in the region of Calabria, Italy. It is believed by many to be among the most powerful criminal organizations worldwide. Many reports indicate the 'Ndrangheta as the leading crime syndicate in transnational drug-trafficking. The Peruvian national worked as keeper of the Milan's monastery, which was used to allow drug-mules to travel freely between South America and Italy, under the pretence of pilgrimages, prosecutors say.
The gang was also found in the process of defrauding FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations), obtaining dubious funds for the development of facilities linked to the fishing industry in Ghana, that police believe was used as a crucial hub for the transportation of narcotics.
Cosa Nostra, Mandamento of Partinico
(Related countries: South Africa, Ivory Coast, Senegal)
In 1995 the Italian police discovered that mafia fugitive Mariano Tullio Troia was hiding in South Africa. Troia was considered the number three of Cosa Nostra and was also wanted for ordering the homicide of Palermo's mayor Salvo Lima and 39 other killings.
Local police discovered that Troia was at the Johannesburg's premises of the Sicilian coffee manufacturer, Salvatore Morettino, in the African country since the 60s. Attempts to arrest Troia failed due corruption in the local police force. The kingpin was arrested in Palermo only two years later, in 1998. Authorities believed Vito Roberto Palazzolo, another crucial member to the Cosa Nostra in South Africa, was also aiding Troia. In June of '96 police raided Palazzolo's La Terra de Luc farm in the Western Cape hoping to find Troia.
He was not there, but police did find traces that two other mafia fugitives, Giovanni Bonomo and Giuseppe Gelardi, had been recent guests. Both were close associates of Giovanni Brusca, a sadistic mafia crime boss, and Bonomo was the 'capo mandamento' (commission boss) of Partinico. Bonomo escaped Italian justice just in time. After entering South Africa he was hidden by Palazzolo at La Terra de Luc and then smuggled into Namibia, where he stayed for a while in another farm of Palazzolo's.
Bonomo spent several years in Namibia, exactly when the cocaine trafficking by Vito Bigione was taking place, later moving around Africa until he was apprehended in Senegal, in 2003. Palazzolo did admit hosting Bonomo and Gelardi, but he maintained he did so before any charges were brought against them. Troia and Bonomo weren't just hiding. They set up profitable businesses and laundered money locally, with the help of those associates who were already in Sub Saharan African like Palazzolo, police reported.
Cosa Nostra, Agate Clan; 'Ndrangheta of Macrì – Namibia
In the early 2000s Namibia was used as an hub for the cocaine trafficking by the Agate Clan of Mazara del Vallo, Sicily, as the Operation Igres uncovered. Cocaine was being shipped from the Colombian Narcos to Vito Bigione, aka 'the accountant'. He used large boats to transport it from Namibia to Sicily.
In 1999 Bigione opened a restaurant, 'La Marina Restaurant', on the beach of Swakopmunt using an old, converted oil train. Italians who tasted his spaghetti assure they were the best in Namibia. But Bigione was not a normal pasta maker. He was in fact a Cosa Nostra member using La Marina as a cover. Co-managed with his French wife, La Marina was attended by local VIPs and politicians. Igres heralded a change in the management of cocaine trafficking and the power balance between the different Italian mafias. Until mid 90s, the Sicilian mafia was the undisputed provider of Colombian cocaine to Europe: it had strong contacts with the local narcos and the American Gambino and Bonnano families.
By the end of the 90s the 'Ndrangheta from Calabria had quietly grown richer and stronger, becoming a major sponsor of the Agate's clan cocaine trafficking. Vito Bigione was in direct contact with the powerful 'Ndrangheta brokers Alessandro and Roberto Pannunzi, who even paid a ransom to save the Agate Clan's boss Salvatore Miceli from the Colombian Narcos. The economic supremacy and organisation of the 'Ndrangheta made Vito Bigione self-coordinating with the Pannunzi.
Yet Cosa Nostra did not want to lose the grip, and the Agate Clan sent various members to Namibia to assist Bigione in different occasions. Despite a request of extradition, Namibia never handed Bigione to Italy because the crime of 'mafia association' does not exist there and the drug trafficking charge, prosecutor Nico Horn explained to IRPI, could not be proved in court. Bigione was among the thirty most wanted criminals of the world, and was handcuffed in Caracas, Venezuela, in 2004. Roberto Pannunzi, being 'Europe's most wanted drugs trafficker', landed in jail only in 2013.
Camorra of Mondragone
In 2008, the Mondragone clan of the Camorra, the organised crime from the Campania Region, decided to invest in bread factories in the Ivory Coast. Clueless proxies were needed, and the Mondragone found them among the entrepreneurs of northern Italy. Using a reliable frontmen, Mr. Cesare Salomone, working as an official at the Supreme Court, the Mondragone clan hooked an engineer, Claudio T., for the drafting of the project and a group of entrepreneurs.
Salomone brought businessmen and credible investors together, with the help of the engineer Claudio and Sergio B., a known entrepreneur in alternative energy markets. Sergio B. was eager to aid Salomone's projects in the Ivory Coast because of a desire to install GPL gas plants and wind power turbines.
Sergio B. told IRPI he learned with shock Salomone was a frontman for the Camorra as he never suspected that. He also said projects for alternative energy did not go further because Salomone was not reliable.
Among those hooked by Salomone was a prominent doctor belonging to Berlusconi's The People of Freedom party (PDL) who introduced the Ivory Coast consul to the project, and intended to propose the venture to Claudio Scajola, who was, at the time, Minister of the Economic Development. Scajola was arrested in 2014 for aiding and abetting a fugitive, a shipowner from Calabria considered to be too close to the Ndrangheta mafia.
In December 2013 Mr.Salomone, the Camorra members and the engineer Claudio T. were arrested and jailed December 2013. Prosecutors considered the engineer aware of the fact the people he was drawing the projects for belonged to the Camorra, as meetings in Italy and trips to the Ivory Coast would prove. Charges against the engineer were dropped in March 2015.
The bread-baking plants were constructed, and it remains likely that were or are managed by frontmen for the Camorra's clan.
'Ndrangheta of De Stefano
(Related countries: Tanzania)
In July 2013, a large police operation known as 'Breakfast' broke down on the one of the city's most powerful 'Ndrangheta families, the De Stefano. The aim of the operation was to untangle their networks and friendships among politicians protecting their financial empire from seizure. The investigation revealed a web of brokers and intermediaries helping a politician close to the mafia clans redirect illicit capital into offshore havens. This is the case with Amedeo Matacena, a famous shipowner and politician sentenced in 2001 for the crime of complicity with the mafia.
Matacena owns two companies in Liberia, 'Amju International Tanker' and 'Athoschia International', which were both being assigned to proxies, as operation 'Breakfast' disclosed. Matacena's magic circle was composed mainly of his wife Chiara Rizzo and the politician Claudio Scajola, who together tried to sneak Matacena into Lebanon after Italian authorities asked Dubai, where he lives, to extradite him. According to prosecutors, Matacena's case provides strong evidence for the existence of a group of invisible brokers working for the most important clans of the Italian mafia.
One of these 'professionals' is lawyer Bruno Mafrici who appears to be linked to another scandal involving the bursar of the Lega Nord party, Francesco Belsito. The politician is accused of bagging 'Ndrangheta money and buying commodities, which would keep their value in time and be a secure investment for the Lega Nord. One of these commodities was diamonds, which he tried to acquire in Tanzania via a Cypriot bank using money donated to the party by entrepreneur Stefano Bonet. The financial intermediary in charge for this risky operation was Paolo Scala, a broker in Cipro, considered by the prosecutors a man of Bonet.
'Ndrangheta of Parrello
According to the investigations of the Italian Anti-Mafia authority, there is a decades-old relationship between the Italian mafias and the underworld of North Africa. In recent years this relationship has grown stronger, especially for drugs and toxic waste trafficking.
In March 2006 operation 'Ibisco' uncovered how the Parrello clan of the 'Ndrangheta (the organized crime syndicate of Calabria), in collaboration with specialists of the drug trade based in Rome, organised the trafficking of hundreds of tonnes of hashish from Morocco and cocaine from South America. The drugs coming from Colombia arrived via ship to logistic bases the criminals secured in Morocco and Cabo Verde, then they were transferred to Spanish and northern European ports.
The Italian police identified and seized some of these shipments, finding up to seventeen tonnes of hashish and over two tonnes of pure cocaine in a single cargo. According to Prosecutor Lucia Lotti 'It was a consortium of criminal interests. These people were really hard to identify: they move on private jets, from Montecarlo to South America, to buy parcels of drugs'. The Roman branch of the organization was also specialised in laundering the profits of the trade, using proxies and shell companies to buy real estate in Europe and Northern Africa.
'Ndrangheta of Pelle-Nirta
On 20 January, 2015, Italian police blasted a 'Ndrangheta cell in Rome linked to the Clans of Pelle-Nirta-Giorgi alias 'Cicero', which was particularly active in international drug trafficking. The drugs were arriving from Colombia and Marocco. In the North African country there was a broker living there and working for the syndicate called Marco Torello Rollero. He boasted in an police wiretap that after the arrest of Roberto Pannunzi, he was the last great drug broker.
Marco Rollero liked to be called 'Remo'. His affiliates would make sure that enormous amounts of cocaine would be loaded safely on ships in Colombia, and directed to Morocco. From there, where he had his operational base, Remo made sure that the hashish coming from inland and cocaine cargoes from South America reached Italy.
Supply was as great as the demand. The narcotics reached street markets in Rome, Florence, Genoa and Turin. In January 2015, the Fiscal Guard and the police of Rome put an end to a criminal organization based there which had significant ties with the powerful 'Ndrangheta clan of the Pelle-Nirta families. According to prosecutors, the gang wanted the monopoly of the drug trade in Rome, not only providing brokering services to the 'Ndrangheta but also to Naples-based Camorra. Marco Torello Rollero was arrested on 13 April 2014, after a chase that lasted for five years.
'Ndrangheta of Piromalli
The Piromalli clan of the 'Ndrangheta had an idea to make money. It intended to use NGOs to sell medicine donated by the Italian State to African countries. The plot was uncovered by the 'Cent'anni di storia' (100 years of history) investigation led by Antimafia prosecutor Roberto di Palma.
On 23 July 2012, Aldo Miccichè was arrested in Caracas, Venezuela, and subsequently sentenced to 11 years for acting as a middleman between the ruthless Piromalli clan and Senator Marcello Dell'Utri of the People of Freedom party.
Prosecutor Di Palma was following the traces left by a 'Ndrangheta member called Gioacchino Arcidiaco, when he stumbled into Miccichè and Dell'Utri. The investigation files show how in 2007 mafia boss Antonio Piromalli (whose father is detained under 41bis jail condition, designed for mobsters) told Aldo Miccichè about 'Operation Doro' in Africa.
The operation is believed to be named after a mafia clan-member in the United States, 'Doran Cat'. It was to be expanded to Latin America and Asia. Intercepted conversations reveal that its true purpose was to sell, via brokers, medicines donated by the Italian state and its taxpayers to NGOs in Africa.
Gioacchino Arcidiaco and Miccichè began by discussing a scam involving a man called Lima going to Nigeria to buy cement in a deal Arcidiaco described as 'a work of art'. It is not known whether the deal actually took place because, as Arcidiaco explains, Lima needed a 'mandate' – permission from 'Ndrangheta bosses – to operate, 'otherwise, how can he walk around?'.
Arcidiaco and Miccichè then turned to the topic of medicine. Arcidiaco proposed using an NGO to get free medicines from the Italian state, and then sell them to African countries. To back up his idea, Miccichè told Arcidiaco that brokers have already sold a lot of medicines in this way. It emerged later that Miccichè was also involved in the selling of oil, via American brokers, to China, United States and Africa, by falsely declaring Australia as its destination.
Aldo Micciché has been an important political character in Italy during the years of Democrazia Cristiana. He moved Venezuela in 1991, where he lived as a free man and respected entrepreneur. In reality, he was a broker for the 'Ndrangheta.
'Ndrangheta of Seregno
The 'Ndrangheta syndicate of Seregno, close to Milan, owned a fake bank in town. The boss of the clan of Seregno was Giuseppe Pensabene, who ruthlessly ruled over the Brianza area.
In 2015 prosecutors charged him with usury, extortion, abusive exercise of the credit, false registration of goods and companies, among which was the fake bank. Investigations uncovered how the crime syndicate laundered dirty money from illicit business in Switzerland and San Marino, attempting also to traffick counterfeit gold from Senegal to Switzerland. For the latter operation the clan needed a respectable frontman.
Marcel Astolfi, an Italian born in Denmark known by authorities for having committed various frauds, was considered the perfect proxy for the syndicate in Dakar. In order to sneak the gold to Italy, via Switzerland, Astolfi set up a company called 'Euro Africa Trade', but the import attempts failed twice.
Magna Charta – Senegal
With 30 people arrested and six tons of cocaine seized, the 2012 'Magna Charta' operation dismantled an international drug trafficking ring. Head of the criminal gang was a Bulgarian national, Emil Banev, aka 'Brendo', who is a well-known entrepreneur in Bulgaria according to Italian prosecutors.
Among those arrested were seven Italians, a small part of a group from Bulgaria, Spain, The Netherlands, Slovenia, Romania, Croatia, Finland and Georgia. The narcotics were destined to the region of Piedmont, Italy. Crucial to the smuggling were Italians Lucio and Fabio Castellan, two brothers in charge of finding skippers and ships suitable for the operations. Boats, according to Italian investigators, left from the port and airport in La Romana, Dominican Republic. Planes would land in Milan, Italy, or Amsterdam.
During the operation, Italian police also seized €30 million worth of assets, among which there were several bank accounts in Switzerland.
'Ndrangheta of Platì
Tunisia was chosen by the boss of the 'Ndrangheta in Platì as place of refuge and business. The powerful and ruthless 'Ndrangheta clan of Platì Salvatore Strangio, the boss, was put in charge of infiltrating, controlling and managing the economic activities of the Milan roadworks and excavating company Perego Strade. Strangio had to guarantee an equal division of tenders in roadworks among the 'Ndrangheta clans in Lombardy giving the 'Ndrangheta of Erba, led by Pasquale Varca, a good amount of business.
Along with Pasquale Varca, Strangio was invited to a summit at Giuseppe Pelle's house, one of the most powerful bosses of Calabrian organised crime. The meeting, held near Milan, was also attended by Michele Oppedisano, nephew of Domenico, who was 'capo crimine', namely the highest ranking member of the 'Ndrangheta.
Oppedisano was representing the interests of the 'Ndrangheta from the flatland of Gioia Tauro, where the strongest and bloodiest clans are located. Not long after the summit, in September-October 2009, the Italian press started to report on the 'Ndrangheta infiltration of the construction works for the International exhibition Expo 2015 in Milan, disclosing details about the excavating companies of both Strangio and Varca.
Strangio, alerted by Varca in person, feared an arrest and decided to leave Perego Strade and to flee to Tunisia. Ye, he always intended to return to Milan and work for Expo 2015 once the situation calmed. Wiretaps showed how Strangio was planning a subterranean electric system in Libya and the opening of a Tunisian company for the exporting of excavators from Italy. Salvatore Strangio was arrested in 2010 during operations Infinito and Tenecia, later sentenced to 12 years in jail.
'Ndrangheta of Erba
Although the 'Ndrangheta crime gang is native to Calabria, south of Italy, it built itself a new stronghold, or 'locale', in Erba, Lombardy. It is this small mafia enclave that the 'Ndrangheta tried to replicate in Tunisia. The Erba's boss was Pasquale Varca, one of the highest ranked members in the 'Ndrangheta system. Pasquale Varca was in fact representing the interests of the detached 'Ndrangheta clans in the excavation business in Lombardy – making him, theoretically, a competitor of the Platì clan. The Platì clan appointed Salvatore Strangio with the task of infiltrating the roadworks company Perego Strade.
Having numerous properties in the North African country, Varca also organised the hiding of 'Ndrangheta fugitives Paolo Lentini and Antonio Morelli, belonging to the Arena clan and both caught before leaving Italy for Tunisia. Varca was also managing the trafficking of old excavators exported from Italy to Tunisia.
Thanks to this revenue-making cover-up, Varca managed to organise the shipping of caterpillars and excavating machinery of unknown origin to Tunisia thanks to intermediaries. The 2010 police operation 'Infinito', one of the largest attacks against the 'Ndrangheta, saw Varca arrested and discovered that the excavators were obtained by Varca from Italian bankrupt or financially troubled Italian entrepreneurs. The machinery was shipped to Tunisia by Badri and the 'Ndrangheta from ports in Genoa, Naples and Marselle. It was discovered that the owners of the excavators were forced by the 'Ndrangheta to hand over the equipment – and after telling the police the machines were stolen, they were pressured into handing over the insurance money too. Varca was sentenced to 15 years in jail.
Journalists:
Giulio Rubino, Cecilia Anesi, Lorenzo Bodrero, Lorenzo Bagnoli from Italy; Khadija Sharife from South Africa; John Grobler from Namibia; Craig Shaw from the UK; Florian Bickmeyer from Germany; Atanas Tchobanov from Bulgaria;
ANCIR iLab
Heinrich Bohmke: Prosecutorial Editor (South Africa/Angola)
Alexander Yearsley: Investigative Analyst (South Africa/Angola)
Infographics:
Davide Mancino
Data-analysis and data-science:
Stefano Gurciullo
Text editing:
Craig Shaw (Centre for Investigative Journalism), Ariel Hauptmeier (CORRECT!V)
David Schraven
Stefan Wehrmeyer
Giulio Rubino, Cecilia Anesi, Lorenzo Bodrero, Lorenzo Bagnoli
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About A.N.C.I.R.
The African Network of Centers for Investigative Reporting (ANCIR) is an association of the continent's best investigative newsrooms, ranging from large traditional media to small specialist units.
ANCIR works to strengthen African investigative journalism by improving the techniques, expertise, the tools used in muckraking newsrooms. This includes providing member newsrooms with the world's best encryption and semantic analysis technologies, to forensic research support (through the Investigative Dashboard, legal services, and seed grants for cross-border collaboration.
ANCIR receives technical support from Code for Africa.


text:
Festschrift with firm principles
James Garrard on high-church essays
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth: Essays in honour of the Rt Revd David Thomas
Jeffrey Gainer and Andrew Holmes, editors
Credo Cymru £7 (978-0-9556735-0-4)
THESE ESSAYS are an act of pietas to a well-loved pastor. They traverse well-worn subjects of interest to Anglo-Catholics, such as the Oxford Movement without Newman, the to-do over the reintroduction of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in Eng-land in 1850, Gregory Dix, and so on. They are solid pieces, as far as they go; and rely on a bibliography that most of this volume's readers will have on their bookshelves.
I was fascinated by Jeffrey Gainer's chapter on the links between Brittany and Wales, know-ing little of them previously. I was intrigued by the image of the exchange of a Latin-Welsh diction-ary between a Breton scholar and the Baptist missionaries who went to evangelise Brittany at much the same time as Catholic missionaries arrived in Wales from Quimper. Gainer draws interesting parallels between popular and domestic piety, and tensions between state and religious education in both places. It seems that the diminishing of persecution leads inexorably to diminishing piety.
The book is intriguing as an endeavour in itself. The tribute to the Bishop could have been written in the 1950s. Most, but not all, of the chapters are high-church historical subjects redolent of the publications of the Church Historical Society of the same decade. In his chapter, Philip Wyn Jones comments that the Nonjurors wished "to preserve both their principles and their Church of England identity". If I rightly divide the message of this volume, it is to strike this note in its appreciation of Bishop Thomas.
The Revd Dr Garrard is Warden of Readers for the diocese of Blackburn.
The book is available from The Treasurer, Credo Cymru, 127 Saunders Way, Swansea SA2 8BJ, for £7 plus £1.15 p. & p.
The pious equivalent of an indoor swimming pool
Bible — handle with care!
Spurred into print by 'Gay Wednesday'
Focus of legends
This won't draw back the curtain
New titlesFaithRegulars
Six village churches near Shaftesbury, in beautiful South-West Wiltshire, are praying for a new parish priest to join and lead us.
As Tewkesbury Abbey enters its 900-year celebrations in 2021 we are seeking to appoint a commercial manager.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Krishna doll swing – Have more fun with Krishna dolls!
Set up a little jhula to place Radha & Krishna on.
This swing is delightfully crafted & will enthral little hearts, minds, hands. It is completely Unique- one swing only, no back orders or repeat creation of this one make swing for Krishna dolls. So if you love it, make it yours! Lined in red velvet, and auspiciously decorated Kalasha design, this auspicious ornamentation is traditional Indian style meenakari work most elaborately executed.
At Jhulanyatra or Jhanmashtami festival time, offer a sweet sitting place for the Lord! Radharani doll and Sri Krishna doll will both fit in this swing. With the open top to let in the charming cool breezes, and can also be lit up with tiny fairy lights and decorated with flowers and curtains.
You will receive x1 swing, Krishna and Radha dolls are pictured for illustrative purposes only, and can be purchased separately.
Gorgeously ornamental decorated swing for Radha Krsna – This swing is completely unique, with it's airy overhead ornamental canopy, and tulip bulb shaped sides, lavishly decorated with flowers and curlicues all brightly colored in red, golden yellow, regal blue, emerald green and pearly white.
The shape looks like an Kalasha offering pot, with Mango and Mango leafs nicely arranged, and the centre is a red wrapped auspicious coconut often called a "shira" facing the sky.
This auspicious Kalasha shaped Jhula is very sweet, and one of a kind.
Offer a cool swing for swinging at Jhulanyatra, the traditional swing festival.
This swing nicely fits your small Radha & Krishna dolls or Radha deity. It also nicely suits Laddhu Gopal.
Nicely ornamented sides, in Meenakari traditional Indian style, the frame is beautifully decorated in bright, pretty colors.
The seat of the swing is decoratively formed, with a swooping curved shape, befitting a regal resting place.
The whole of the interior of the swing is lined in royal red velvet.
Swing action is very smooth and playing.
Handle is made from gorgeous beaded tassel.
Most fun to be had in swinging the Lord of all our hearts. This swing is just the right size for sitting Radha and Krsna.


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Is a people of Canada. His shield umbrella all path has led to this days. Its area is about 96 km. 51% of tourists said that it is a charming city.
The service sector accounts for 66% of all jobs generated in Dauphin. Of this percentage, 67% are direct jobs, the rest are indirect jobs.
It has good transport that benefit their growth and business expansion. 11% of citizens recognize live very happy at Portage la Prairie.
Contains many services that demonstrate this population is totally habitable. At about 15km is found a large mall with all kinds of integrated services.
Steinbach city has 7 tourist attractions and its citizens recommend that tourists who come to the city or its surroundings, visit these tourist spots.
Have 6055 citizen. In The Pas, 78% are women and the unemployment rate is around 32% of the population.
55% of people working in the sector directly or indirectly car. Another vast majority of the citizens of Morden are unemployed.
It is one of the most important cities of the country. Winkler is within 40% of relevant cities in Canada. Has 11 baroque churches.
Is a people of Canada. His shield resume all path has travel to this days. Its area is about 6 km. 61% of tourists said that it is a charming city.
The service sector accounts for 96% of all jobs generated in Flin Flon. Of this percentage, 31% are direct jobs, the rest are indirect jobs.
It has a population of 632063 citizens. High compared with neighboring cities.
Franklin is a county of Canada. They belong to the Manitoba state. It has a population of 8 citizens. In 2007, 67% of people in the county living in the metropolitan area of the capital.
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Winnipeg has many colleges that its citizens can choose from.


text:
IndiCine: Cinemalaya 2011's I-Libings
A coming of age story about Isabel, a funeral videography intern's journey to the lessons and realizations on life and death.
Scarred by her family situation, Isabel is pretty much cynical and skeptical of everything that comes her way. When she enters the I-libings for her required college internship, she sees the I-libing as a company whose only purpose is to make a profit from those who lost a loved one. Later as she accumulates her required hours, she realizes that the company is not just a place where videographers make money out of other peoples misfortunes but is a place where the dead and the grieving receive special attention.
In the end when Isabel has to face a fate similar to the clients she served at the e-libings, She would realize that her internship might have been just 200 hours, but the lessons that the I-libings left her would last a lifetime.
I watched this film in support of my best friend who has a part in it. I'm not really a movie buff, though at times I take time to watch at the cinema. But I see to it to watch every film and almost every show where my best friend is and will be a part of. I can't say that I'm an Independent film fan because I can count the indi films that I've watched with my fingers (which consist of Kuya's films), but I know a good film when I see it. And I LOVE THE UNIQUENESS of I-LIBINGS!
There are only 2 things I can say with the film. First is that, I'm not a movie critic nor I don't write movie reviews but I wanna share what I learned, rather what I realized after I watched the film. And second is that, I really enjoyed every bit of it and that I think I want more? Bitin!
1. I loved how I-Libing's is Soooooo 2011. Perfectly fits our technology driven age. Well, coverage for events especially birthdays, christenings and most especially weddings were already available decades before. But what we have in this era, AVP's, pre-nup/pre-debut videos, music videos for the event and what not are what is "IN" now, but in a funeral, that's NEW!
My business is all about events (souvenirs and invitations) and I even added having souvenirs for funerals as a product line (but I haven't had any client yet for that except for my late grandma's bells when she had her burial here in Manila). At least i know, I'm not alone in this, and that it could be possible.
2. On Isabel: She doesn't like the idea of being an intern in a funeral videography company. Who would right? I don't really like the eerie and depressing feeling of funerals. She didn't like what she was capturing on her video cam, she doesn't like the fact that they only have low tech gadgets in the firm. Then an opportunity came for her to be part of a "project" that she liked better, and almost tried leaving I-Libings without a word. After overhearing her boss, Erwin (played by Earl Ignacio) being reprimanded by, maybe the owner of the firm because of the mishap of a certain project because she left, she realized that (in my own understanding), even if you don't like your work/job, there would always be this certain momentum that will make you understand why you are in that job, in that situation, in that moment. Make that, you are really needed in there, that's why you are there.
The weekend before watching this, I was in this crossroad. I got an invite in a huge company for a certain post that I really like, the thing is I really don't like its location. It's not that I'm sure that I could get that job. But just the thought of it, me in there, just gives me headache. Then came I-Libings. The next day, the day of the said interview, I woke up and then I backed out. Not that I don't like where I am now, I just feel that I think I could do more than this. But thinking of what I'm doing here, I think this is where I'm really supposed to be now. I'm enjoying what I'm doing and having fun while working. I like the people that surrounds me, just like how Isabel loved the people that surrounds her.
I guess, it just boils down to appreciating what you have now, you are there for a reason, because you need to be there. Of course, let's not forget the fact that we would then move on. Like Isabel's, she completed her internship and could possibly start making her own films, the future is bright for her, for me, for us, for everybody. But let us always remember to look back on our past, where we came from. It will always be a part of us, like the ending, when Boss Erwin called up Isabel and she smiled after they ended the call.
PS. This is what I did on my birthday. I celebrated it by watching a "funeral film".
No regrets.
Love, as per Mitch Albom in Have A Little Faith
Butterflies εїз
2 thoughts on "IndiCine: Cinemalaya 2011's I-Libings"
Joe Alandy says:
Hello! I just wanted to introduce myself, I'm Joe Alandy the creative producer of I-Libings.I just wanted to thank you for your blog about our film. We've been reading and hearing all week about what people thought of the film but to read about how the film resonates personally within someones life or situation in life is always something the strikes a chord with a filmmaker. We want to make great films that people will appreciate and enjoy but to be able to reach out to someone beyond the screen is why we love to do what we do.On behalf of team I-Libings we thank you for supporting our film and I'm sure you'll be where it is you want to be 🙂
Margx R says:
Hello Sir Joe.. thanks din po sa comment mo. Napangiti ako. hehe. Mukang natuwa kayo sa comment ko, kasi madami din akong nabasa na puro tungkol din sa details ng isang film, etc. I'd definitely watch your films again.just send me an invite! haha!


Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho! It's into your collection they go! From Disney's celebrated classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs comes this Pop! Vinyl Figure of a beloved character. The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Snow White Pop! Vinyl Figure #339 measures approximately 3 3/4-inches tall and comes packaged in a window display box. Ages 3 and up.


Abstract base class for all objects in the Gallery composite tree.
Container for all functionality and data common objects that Gallery can deal with. Each GalleryItem has the capacity to own other GalleryItems in a parent-child relationship. That capacity can be enabled or disabled by subclasses of GalleryItem.
GalleryItem Abstract base class for all objects in the Gallery composite tree.


text:
Q: Symfony2 ObjectNormalizer denormalize callbacks Is it possible to use setCallbacks on Symfony\Component\Serializer\Normalizer\ObjectNormalizer which are invoked when calling Symfony\Component\Serializer\Serializer.deserialize() to convert a  normalized value back to an object?
I know the reverse is possible in that a object can be normalized when calling Symfony\Component\Serializer\Serializer.serialize().  I just don't how to do the reverse normalization.
Example of serialization on entity with setCallbacks converting Foo to an Id:
    $encoder = new JsonEncoder();
    $normalizer = new ObjectNormalizer();
    $normalizer->setCallbacks(array(
        'foo' => function ($foo) {
            return $foo instanceof Foo
                ? $foo->getId()
                : null;
        },
    ));
    $serializer = new Serializer(array($normalizer), array($encoder));

    $json = $serializer->serialize($entity, 'json');

The reverse I would Like to do:
$em = static::getEntityManager();

    $encoder = new JsonEncoder();
    $normalizer = new ObjectNormalizer();
    $normalizer->setCallbacks(array(
        'foo' => function ($foo) use($em) {
            return !is_null($foo)
                ? $em->getReference('\Entity\Foo', $foo)
                : null;
        },
    ));
    $serializer = new Serializer(array($normalizer), array($encoder));

    return $serializer->deserialize($entity, $classname, 'json');

The error I get:
Catchable fatal error: Argument 1 passed to \Entity\Bar::setFoo() must be an instance of \Entity\Foo, integer given

Or is there a pre step that can be carried out before deserialize?

A: Please check here to see what do exact getReference.

There is no way to make getReference() check the database for the existence of the referenced object.

If you want to work your deserealize you must use $em->getRepository('\Entity\Foo')->find($foo)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Apparently, some 800,000 of us take a peek at my publication every week. Impressive. That probably reflects the attraction which the property has to most of us – either in terms of undertaking an actual search for somewhere to live or invest in, gauging what one's house might be worth in today's market, peeking inside nice places to get redecoration ideas, or simply for pawing over. A few weeks back I wrote an article comparing potential returns from keeping a property I have in Auckland or selling it and depositing the money and I thought Overview readers might find some interest in it. So here goes the same subject. One of my properties is a little studio in Auckland. At a stretch, it might sell for just under $300,000. Let's assume it did. I could bank a capital gain and feel clever. But what would I then do with the money as a conservative investor? If I put the $300k in the bank I could get 3.5% which after tax would deliver $7,000 in the hand each year. After ten years I would have saved up $70,000 plus some compounded interest. If I keep the apartment I also will get about $7k in the hand after expenses and tax adding up to $70,000 plus some compounded interest. Am I indifferent between the two options? No. After ten years my $300,000 term deposit will still be $300,000 plus the accumulated interest. My little apartment, however, is really, really unlikely to still be priced at $300,000 a decade from now. I would expect it to rise at a pace of at least 2% per annum. Therefore, attractive as the thought of getting $300k in the hand is at the moment, if the alternative is placing the capital on term deposit and watching inflation eat my capital away I opt to keep the property and rent it out.
alright. All your mind wants is to get rid of the uncertainty stress as quickly as possible. Advisors know this. This means that much as we have all heard the saying that if something looks too good to be true it probably is not, our minds in these times of stress actually seek out such things choosing to believe they are!


text:
Q: How to get url params while bootstrapping angular app I have an angular app that I am manually bootstrap so I can get config data from the server before the app starts up. The problem is I need an id param from the url to pass to the server in order to get the config data.
Is there a way to use angular to harvest some url params while I bootstrap the app? I need a param for the $http.get url.
fetchData().then(bootstrapApplication);

function fetchData() {
    var initInjector = angular.injector(["ng"]);
    var $http = initInjector.get("$http");

    return $http.get("/path/to/data.json").then(function (response) {
        angular.module('app').constant("config", response.data);
    }, function (errorResponse) {
        // Handle error case
    });
}

function bootstrapApplication() {

    // manually bootstrap the app
    angular.element(document).ready(function () {
        var reportingApp = document.getElementById('ClaimSummaryApp');
        angular.bootstrap(reportingApp, ['app']);

    });

}


I can help you develop your priorities, strategies, community engagement and partnership, with a particular focus on health and wellbeing. I can contribute strategic thinking, research, facilitating small groups and writing. My experience has been particularly with Healthwatch, Health and Wellbeing Boards, local authorities, health commissioners and providers and the voluntary sector.
Writing of strategies, plans, reports etc.
I am available to work on a freelance basis for the public and voluntary sector, social enterprises, co-operatives and others, such as local Healthwatch's, Health and Wellbeing Boards, Councils, CCGs, health trusts or regional and national support bodies.
I provide a facilitative and supportive function, helping organisations and individuals to think through the problems and issues and come to their own conclusions. As well as helping develop thinking I am also a practical resource – doing some of the research, engagement or writing – but it is important that issues are owned and driven by the host body to ensure the sustainability of solutions.


Agency & Affect. Spec. issue of Canadian Literature 223 (Winter 2014): 102-119.
ABSTRACT: This interview with Canadian writer Lawrence Hill addresses some of the difficulties faced by translators of his work, particularly when attempting to render period dialogue and Black idiom as authentically as possible. Much of the discussion focuses on his novel A Book of Negroes (also published under the title Someone Knows my Name, and, in French, as Aminata). The author is asked to reflect on what is lost−and gained−in translation.


A day after a 6-1 win at the TG Smith Centre on Friday, the Steinbach Pistons defeated the Flyers 6-4 on Saturday to wrap up two wins over the weekend.
Danton Belluk and Matt Lenz both split time in the Steinbach net again, and both put in solid performances for the Pistons with Belluk making 10 saves, and Lenz with 6 saves.
The Pistons started off with the first goal, as Carter Loney continued to impress with his 2nd goal of the preseason on a breakaway to make it 1-0 5:47 into the first period. Logan Danis picked up his 5th assist of the preseason, which leads all MJHL players.
Winkler scored two quick goals to take the lead, as Trent Halfdanson scored 40 seconds after Loney's goal from Colton Friesen. Kyle Lang gave Winkler the lead on the power play at the 11:11 mark from Garrett Kuklica and Carson McConnell, the brother of Pistons forward Tyson McConnell.
Loney would tie the game up, as his wrist shot from the left circle got through Flyers goaltender Aaron Brunn, with Tanner Mole providing the screen on the power play. It was Loney's second of the game (3rd of preseason) with 6:28 left in period 1, with Curtis Ireland picking up the helper. The Pistons would carry a 3-2 lead into the first intermission thanks to Troy Beauchemin's 2nd of the preseason with 22 seconds left, with Declan Graham and Max Neill getting the apples.
The Pistons would double their lead in the 2nd, as new Pistons forward Marcel Berube notched his first of the preseason unassisted at the 7:32 mark.
Winkler hit back on the scoreboard, as Colton Friesen responded for the Flyers with over 8 minutes to go in the second to make it 4-3. But then Berube struck again on the power play with under four to play, nabbing his 2nd of the game from Ireland to make it 5-3 Steinbach after 40.
Beauchemin got in on the two goal party, as Declan Graham threw a beauty cross ice pass for a tap-in goal past Flyers' backup Jack Faulkner on the power play to make it 6-3 for the Pistons. Connor Tyhy had the secondary assist on Beauchemin's 3rd goal of the preseason.
Winkler added their 4th of the game halfway through the final frame, as Matt Krawiec's cross ice pass found Corey Stormer for his 1st of the preseason to make it 6-4. That was all the scoring the Flyers would get, as the Pistons picked up their 3rd win of the exhibition schedule.
The Pistons power play proved to be the difference, going 3/6 with the man advantage. The Flyers went 1/3 on their power plays.
NEXT GAME: The Pistons head to the BellMTS Iceplex in Winnipeg to take on the Blues at 7:00 pm CDT on Tuesday, September 11th before concluding their exhibition schedule with a home and home series against the Selkirk Steelers on Friday and Saturday. You can watch all of these game live on HockeyTV.


The 2015 MDX's conservative, evolutionary design is why the MDX is instantly identifiable as an Acura. Up front we have standard full-LED headlamps which means the MDX is one of the few vehicles on the road of any description with standard LED beams. While Acura's signature "beak" remains up front, it has been toned down in this generation and I actually find the look pleasing to the eye.
The MDX is notable for being a mid-sized crossover with seven seats. This size difference is important to keep in mind because comparisons to the likes of the Infiniti QX56, Mercedes GL, and Lexus GX seem everywhere. The more appropriate cross-shops are the Infiniti JX35 (now the QX60), Buick Enclave, Volvo XC90 and maybe the Lincoln MKT.
In 2014 Acura swapped the 3.7L V6 for the new 3.5L "Earth Dreams" mill with direct-injection and "Variable Cylinder Management." (VCM allows the V6 to drop to a 3-cylinder mode on the highway.) To quell vibrations, the MDX gets unique active engine mounts which generate vibrations opposite to what the engine produces to cancel them out. (Think Bose noise cancelling headphones.) Despite the DI treatment, power is down from 300HP to 290 and torque takes a small drop from 270 to 267 lb-ft as well. To counter the power loss, Acura put the MDX on a diet and improved low-end torque which mean that performance is up, even with the power down.
Thanks to SH-AWD, the Acura is almost the X5′s dynamic dance partner, unfortunately you can't completely hide the MDX's extra nose weight. The MDX shines against the Infiniti QX60 with a more refined and better performing drivetrain. Encore shoppers looking for a more premium brand and some handling cred won't be appointed and Mercedes ML shoppers will find a better value in the MDX than the German. The MDX's fiercest competitor is likely to be the forthcoming 2016 Volvo XC90 with similar dynamics, a similar brand reputation but a fresh new product with a more fuel efficient and powerful engine line. Join me next year for that review.


text:
Travel Events News / Organisations & Operators
ITB Berlin 2018: UNWTO secretary general calls for sustainable growth
The role of the tourism sector in contributing to sustainable development on a global scale was the central message delivered by UNWTO secretary general Zurab Pololikashvili at the opening of ITB Berlin.
Speaking in the presence of German chancellor Angela Merkel, tourism ministers from around the world, and the leaders of the tourism sector, Pololikashvili stressed how tourism not only needs to consolidate current growth rates, but "to grow better".
In 2017, international tourist numbers grew a record seven per cent to reach 1.3 billion.
UNWTO's message underlines the need to turn these figures into benefits for all people and all communities.
"Leaving no one behind," is the benchmark for true sustainability, said Pololikashvili, a message which must also decouple growth from resource use and place climate change response at the heart of the tourism sector's agenda.
"Tourism's sustained growth brings immense opportunities for economic welfare and development," said the UNWTO secretary general, while warning at the same time that it also brings in many challenges.
"Adapting to the challenges of safety and security, constant market changes, digitalization and the limits of our natural resources should be priorities in our common action," he added.
The UNWTO Secretary-General stressed education and job creation, innovation and technology, safety and security; and sustainability and climate change as the priorities for the sector to consolidate its contribution to sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda, against the backdrop of its expansion in all world regions and the socio-economic impact this entails.
ITB Berlin 2018: Myanmar calls for European support in growing tourism sector
ITB Berlin 2018: High demand for space as show gets underway
unwto itb berlin
ITB Berlin 2018
Wednesday, 7th March 2018
The whole world meets at ITB Berlin: People, working in the travel industry and people, who want to catch up on the most beautiful travel destinations. The combination of trade exhibition, public exhibition and the biggest professional convention worldwide attracts tens of thousands of visitors, exhibitors and media representatives every…
Visitor numbers to Dubai increased 97 per cent y-on-y in 2022
ITB Berlin 2023 Announces Winners of Prestigious ITB BookAward
Authorities from Quito Turismo and the UNWTO met in Madrid with the aim of working together
ITB BERLIN 2023: TECHNOLOGY, TOURS & ACTIVITIES SEGMENT
Yucatán joins UNWTO's International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories
New International Standard for Accessibility in Tourism Unveiled at Madrid's FITUR
UNWTO, UN Women and German Partners Launch Free Online Gender Equality Training for Tourism Sector
UNWTO unveils 'Best Tourism Villages 2022'


Našli jsme další záznamy k osobě פיליפוב גנריך.
פיליפוב גנריך je pohřben(a) na hřbitově New Kiryat Shmona Cemetery v místě zobrazeném na níže uvedené mapě. Tyto informace o GPS jsou k dispozici POUZE na stránkách BillionGraves. Naše technologie vám pomůže najít umístění hrobu a také další členy rodiny, pohřbené poblíž.
פיליפוב גנריך was 10 years old when World War II: Nazi Germany invades the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa. Nazi Germany is the common English name for Germany between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party (NSDAP) controlled the country through a dictatorship. Under Hitler's rule, Germany was transformed into a totalitarian state that controlled nearly all aspects of life via the Gleichschaltung legal process. The official name of the state was Deutsches Reich until 1943 and Großdeutsches Reich from 1943 to 1945. Nazi Germany is also known as the Third Reich, from German Drittes Reich, meaning "Third Realm" or "Third Empire", the first two being the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire. The Nazi regime ended after the Allied Powers defeated Germany in May 1945, ending World War II in Europe.
פיליפוב גנריך was 24 years old when Disneyland Hotel opens to the public in Anaheim, California. The Disneyland Hotel is a resort hotel located at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, owned by the Walt Disney Company and operated through its Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products division. Opened on October 5, 1955, as a motor inn owned and operated by Jack Wrather under an agreement with Walt Disney, the hotel was the first to officially bear the Disney name. Under Wrather's ownership, the hotel underwent several expansions and renovations over the years before being acquired by Disney in 1988. The hotel was downsized to its present capacity in 1999 as part of the Disneyland Resort expansion.
פיליפוב גנריך was 32 years old when John F. Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas; hours later, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in aboard Air Force One as the 36th President of the United States. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, commonly referred to by his initials JFK, was an American politician who served as the 35th President of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. He served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his presidency dealt with managing relations with the Soviet Union. As a member of the Democratic Party, Kennedy represented the state of Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate prior to becoming president.
פיליפוב גנריך was 46 years old when Star Wars is released in theaters. Star Wars is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first film in the original Star Wars trilogy and the beginning of the Star Wars franchise. Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew, the film focuses on the Rebel Alliance, led by Princess Leia (Fisher), and its attempt to destroy the Galactic Empire's space station, the Death Star.
פיליפוב גנריך was 51 years old when Michael Jackson's Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, was released. Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he was one of the most popular entertainers in the world, and was the best-selling music artist during the year of his death. Jackson's contributions to music, dance, and fashion along with his publicized personal life made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.
פיליפוב גנריך was 60 years old when The World Wide Web is opened to the public. The World Wide Web (WWW), also called the Web, is an information space where documents and other web resources are identified by Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), interlinked by hypertext links, and accessible via the Internet. English scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989. He wrote the first web browser in 1990 while employed at CERN in Switzerland. The browser was released outside CERN in 1991, first to other research institutions starting in January 1991 and to the general public on the Internet in August 1991.
פיליפוב גנריך was 72 years old when Invasion of Iraq: In the early hours of the morning, the United States and three other countries (the UK, Australia and Poland) begin military operations in Iraq. The 2003 invasion of Iraq was the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 20 March 2003 and lasted just over one month, including 21 days of major combat operations, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq. This early stage of the war formally ended on 1 May 2003 when U.S. President George W. Bush declared the "end of major combat operations", after which the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) was established as the first of several successive transitional governments leading up to the first Iraqi parliamentary election in January 2005. U.S. military forces later remained in Iraq until the withdrawal in 2011.


What Are Your Response Times or SLAs?
If you are in contract with us, then it will have an SLA as part of the contract. If not, we will aim to come to your business within 4 hours.
We cover Herts, Beds, Northants and some small businesses in London. If you are in one of these counties, give us a call today.
We have three lengths of contract. 1 Year, 3 Years and 5 Years. We recommend that your first contract should be 1 Year. This gives you time to get to know us, and our way of working before committing to a longer contract should you wish.
What Kinds of Training and/or Education Do Your Technician Have?
All our technicians are educated to a minimum of a degree in Computer Studies/Science. They also undergo yearly refresher courses for various technologies, including software and networking.
ALL our staff are fully CRB checked. The safety and security of our clients is paramount.
Yes we provide both. Telephone support is 1st line and remote support would be 2nd line. Remote support is an excellent way of fixing an issue quickly and with minimal disruption to your business.
Yes. All new contracts have a 3-month trial period because we are that confident you will be happy with our service.
We offer two types of contract: Ad Hoc, so you call us when you want us and only pay for the time you use, or you can sign up to a set amount of hours per week so you can have a technician on-site at regular times.


November 22, 2015 Business, Community, Transportation.
intersection of Hibiscus Street and the Florida East Coast Railway for construction needed to introduce passenger rail service.
The crossing will close Monday, Nov. 23 at 7 a.m. through Wednesday, Nov. 25, 6 p.m.
For information on future road closures and a map of traffic detours in the area, visit http://www.AllAboardFlorida.com.


Few other places, unfortunately. The rivalry game used to define a high school season, underlined on the schedule as the "must-win" game.
It's still true in some parts of the region, including the Quarry Bowl in Placer County between Whitney and Rocklin that started seven years ago, and the Holy Bowl between Christian Brothers and Jesuit, a series dating to 1969. Those games were held last week in front of large crowds that included good sportsmanship before, during and after competition.
El Dorado went through some dark days. We couldn't compete with Ponderosa. I got rid of the series and people were upset with me, but we had to get our program on our feet, get the kids in the weight room, get them stronger.
But the widening competitive gap around the region has sacked most neighborhood rivalries.
"In the old days, and forever, the rivalry game was Week 10, the big game, and everyone would come out," Franklin coach Mike Johnson said. "But this area has gotten so big in high school football in every way, and the season is so long with the state playoffs that it's different now.
"Now there's a different strategy. Some teams are just looking to survive 10 weeks. Some are looking to win six games, which generally gets you into the playoffs. The big power programs – Folsom, Del Oro, Grant, Elk Grove – aren't looking for six wins. They're looking for ways to get to the NorCal and state finals and they put together a portfolio of games to do so, so it takes away from any rivalry for some.
Folsom has become too good for its own good. The Bulldogs have been ranked No. 1 by The Sacramento Bee since the start of the 2012 season and own a state-leading 48-game regular-season winning streak. Folsom has no rival, though games are generally sellouts, home and away.
A natural rivalry never materialized between Folsom and nearby Vista del Lago, which shares the Bulldogs' home field. Because Folsom is Division I and Vista del Lago is Division III, Folsom coach Kris Richardson said it presents a "no-win situation" for the Bulldogs, expected to win by an avalanche.
Second-ranked Del Oro is preparing for rivalry games against Granite Bay and Rocklin. No. 3 Elk Grove is gearing up for Grant, Franklin and the rest of the Delta League, where natural rivalries seem ripe to take off with the proximity of Elk Grove, Franklin, Monterey Trail and Sheldon.
But sometimes proximity presents problems. A natural rivalry would appear to be Franklin and nearby Cosumnes Oaks, both located just off Whitelock Parkway in Elk Grove. The schools share a stadium but stopped the nonleague series following the 2013 season.
Oak Ridge played Ponderosa from 1980 to 2013 up the Highway 50 corridor. But Ponderosa administrators pulled the plug, conceding Oak Ridge had become too dominant. Though Oak Ridge coach Eric Cavaliere misses the series, he said weekly Sierra Foothill League games have a feel of rivalries. The SFL includes Bee-ranked teams Folsom, Del Oro, No. 5 Rocklin, No. 6 Oak Ridge and No. 15 Granite Bay.
Volek, the El Dorado coach, halted the Gold Pan series with Ponderosa for much the same reasons Ponderosa waved the white flag with Oak Ridge. Ponderosa beat El Dorado in 18 of the previous 19 meetings before the series was paused in 2011. Ponderosa's enrollment had dwarfed that of El Dorado, meaning more football players to pick from.
There are two schools of thought. For us, Elk Grove is our rivalry game, and we look to beat them just to get into the playoffs. They look to beat us on their way to winning a section title.
Bad blood has also doomed rivalries. The Davis-Woodland series, which started in 1928, was halted after the 2007 season because of acrimony between the student sections. The series resumed in 2012, and Davis won 40-0 and 7-0 before it was stopped again.
On-field fights ended the Casa Roble-Del Campo series, which started in 1976. For a 10-year stretch, through 2011, the winner captured the league championship.
Ryan, a Bella Vista graduate, said the San Juan Unified School District has lost the rivalry feel. In the 1960s and '70s, El Camino-Mira Loma was the game, with crowds of 10,000 packing the stadium and the winning team throwing coaches into the pool.
The Bee's Davidson will be in Grass Valley on Friday for Bear River's game against Marysville.


(Cosmic Powers Unlimited#5/2) - Having confirmed a "Captain Universe" phenomenon by cross-referenced it against all other information on the Uni-Power, Alyssa notified Mr. Wyatt of the detection of an energy outburst matching a Uni-Power manifestation. Complementing Alyssa on her work, Wyatt instructed her to personally see to it that the Wraith Squad was dispatched at once so that the Uni-Power and its host would be in their possession within 24 hours. Despite Alyssa's objections, Wyatt insisted she take Coffin with her, as--despite being a loose cannon--his past possession of the Uni-Power might prove useful.
Shortly thereafter, Alyssa led the Wraith Squad to confront and subdue Captain Universe (Roland Taylor). However, Captain Universe overpowered them and escaped.
I wonder if these guys ever crossed paths with Gilbert Wiles?
Tracking coordinator and field leader of the Wraith Squad, she reported the detection of the Uni-Power to Wyatt and led the Wraith Squad to confront the new Captain Universe. She also tried to control Coffin, preventing him from using lethal force, which may have allowed Captain Universe to escape. With their defeat, she figured that Wyatt would be furious with her, though she promised herself that she would meet Captain Universe again.
The superior to Alyssa (and perhaps director of the project), he worked within the laboratory, giving orders.
Armored field agents of Divison U, they underwent intensive training to prepare them to do battle with Captain Universe. They were dispatched to capture the Uni-Power and its possessor. Alyssa led them to Manhattan to capture Captain Universe (Roland Taylor), but he knocked them back with an energy blast. When one of the Squad Taylor had blasted knocked his elderly neighbor Mrs. Salvalas down the stairs, Taylor paused to save her, allowing Coffin to get the drop on him. Coffin nailed Taylor with his energy-blaster and then demanded Taylor give him his powers back (Coffin having been a previous Captain Universe). Alyssa told Coffin he was out of line and commanded him to put the power dampener on Taylor, but as they argued, Taylor regained his wits, blasted the entire Wraith Squad out the through the wall out onto the alley below, and escaped.
The Wraith Squad wore armored uniforms, protecting them to some degree from impacts and energy blasts. They used energy rifles and swords.


If your garage door ever goes on the fritz, please, it's not a good idea to try to repair the garage door yourself! Fixing a garage door or hanging a new one - and making sure that every cable, wire, and track is installed properly, with the utmost precision and safety, is not a simple job. Torsion springs, found on many garage doors, can cause major injury, and even death, if not correctly dealt with.
If your garage door is out of order, there are a good number of reasons you are having trouble. There are some issues you might be able to handle yourself, but most others will require a professional garage door technician. Your garage door is a large part of your property's curb appeal and value, so it's essential that you hire a garage door expert you can count on. Choose a reliable professional who will be honest with you about your garage door - whether or not repairs are called for, and if so, what's actually needed; or, if you should purchase a new garage door instead.
Do It Yourself. Don't despair. There are definitely measures you can take before you have to call a professional to service your garage door.
Is your garage door staying shut? The transmitter batteries are likely low. Maybe all you have to do is replace them, and the garage door will open.
What if your garage door is staying open? The photo eyes may be out of alignment. The garage door has a photo eye on each side, and between them is an invisible beam, which keeps your garage door from shutting if it's broken. See if they're grimy or misaligned.
Does your garage door go all the way down, but then open again? The open-and-shut limit settings of your garage door opener are probably on the blink. The settings instruct the garage door opener how far to move before it's completely closed. If it's set too high, the garage door will touch the floor before the opener assumes it should, assuming that it's hitting an object in its path. If so, it will reverse so as not to smash the object. Your operator's manual will tell you how to set the open-and-shut limits yourself.
Does your garage door opener run, yet the garage door won't open? If a power failure occurs, then your garage door opener has a disconnect switch, which permits you to open or close your garage door manually. This switch, normally attached to a knob or rope, can come undone by mistake. Here's what to do: First, shut or open the garage door all the way. Then, securely reattach the hook. Finally, try closing or opening the garage door again using the transmitter. It should work just fine now.
Does the garage door opener run for several seconds, but then turn off? If the garage door won't move, this can happen while it's closed and the motor attempts to lift it, but it just won't budge. First, check the springs. Next, inspect the track for any tiny obstacles. Then, find out if perhaps your garage door has a built-in lock that's accidentally engaging. This often takes place with older garage doors.
Does the garage door open and close at random? If your garage door opens or shuts all by itself, even when you're out, this is both a security risk and a nuisance. Make sure the transmitters aren't stuck beneath an object that's inadvertently pressing down on the control mechanism. For instance, the transmitters might be under some forgotten items in your car, or something else close by. If this isn't the case, determine what the frequency of the transmitters is. A neighbor could actually have the exact same frequency.
Does your garage door slam down with a bang? Then it's time to hire a professional garage door technician.
If anything more serious is happening with your garage door, then call an expert garage door repair specialist. Here's how to find the right one for your needs.
Do your homework. Check your local phone book and surf the Web to explore garage door companies in your area. Note the addresses and phone numbers. Verify that the street address truly belongs to that company, so you know that it's really a local business. Using the Internet, match phone numbers with addresses. If the person who answers won't tell you the full business name and the physical address, cross that one off your list.
Ask family, friends, and colleagues for their recommendations. Word of mouth from a satisfied customer is always your best bet.
When you have your list of viable garage door companies, investigate each one. Ask people you trust whether they know anything about any of the companies on your list. The Website for each company alone provides helpful information along with a first impression. You can ask the Better Business Bureau whether there are complaints on file. You can also check with your local consumer protection agency and your state's attorney general.
Once you've narrowed it down to three, consult with each one, asking for specific advice about each of your garage door problems, and note what each one says. It's important that you feel comfortable with the individual you choose who's going to repair or replace your garage door and/or its components.
When you have three formal estimates, analyze all the details, check references, and get answers to all your questions. Compare prices. Remember that you get what you pay for. Follow your instincts, go with your gut, and you'll be choosing the one garage door company you can rely on.
It's beneficial if the garage door company you decide on offers a free consultation and free formal estimate before starting work. Additionally, the mobile garage door specialists on staff ought to possess exceptional experience and knowhow regarding current developments in the garage door industry, as well as in-depth skill, with the utmost integrity. For example, if you're in San Pedro, California, consider hiring a local reputable company such as San Pedro Garage Door Repair.


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Q: Why copy the same value to rax that he already has? can someone explain to me why we moved the value in rax to rdi in the main function @0x6f5, then copy the value at rdi to the stack of the  get_vand then moved it back to rax @0x6c8?. Perhaps it is a convention of x86-64, but I didn't understand its logic.
 main:
   0x00000000000006da <+0>:     push   rbp
   0x00000000000006db <+1>:     mov    rbp,rsp
   0x00000000000006de <+4>:     sub    rsp,0x10
   0x00000000000006e2 <+8>:     mov    rax,QWORD PTR fs:0x28
   0x00000000000006eb <+17>:    mov    QWORD PTR [rbp-0x8],rax
   0x00000000000006ef <+21>:    xor    eax,eax
   0x00000000000006f1 <+23>:    lea    rax,[rbp-0xc]
 =>0x00000000000006f5 <+27>:    mov    rdi,rax
   0x00000000000006f8 <+30>:    call   0x6c0 <get_v>
   0x00000000000006fd <+35>:    mov    eax,0x0
   0x0000000000000702 <+40>:    mov    rdx,QWORD PTR [rbp-0x8]
   0x0000000000000706 <+44>:    xor    rdx,QWORD PTR fs:0x28
   0x000000000000070f <+53>:    je     0x716 <main+60>
   0x0000000000000711 <+55>:    call   0x580
   0x0000000000000716 <+60>:    leave
   0x0000000000000717 <+61>:    ret

 get_v
   0x00000000000006c0 <+0>:     push   rbp
   0x00000000000006c1 <+1>:     mov    rbp,rsp
   0x00000000000006c4 <+4>:     mov    QWORD PTR [rbp-0x8],rdi
 =>0x00000000000006c8 <+8>:     mov    rax,QWORD PTR [rbp-0x8]
   0x00000000000006cc <+12>:    mov    DWORD PTR [rax],0x2
   0x00000000000006d2 <+18>:    mov    rax,QWORD PTR [rbp-0x8]
   0x00000000000006d6 <+22>:    mov    eax,DWORD PTR [rax]
   0x00000000000006d8 <+24>:    pop    rbp
   0x00000000000006d9 <+25>:    ret

A: This is unoptimized code. There are a lot of instructions here that are redundant and make very little sense, so I'm not sure why you've fixed on the particular indicated one. Consider the instructions immediately preceding it:
xor    eax,eax
lea    rax,[rbp-0xc]

First, RAX is cleared (instructions that operate on the lower 32-bits of a 64-bit register implicitly clear the upper bits, so xor reg32, reg32 is equivalent and slightly more optimal than xor reg64, reg64), then RAX is loaded with a value. There was absolutely no reason to clear RAX first, so the first instruction could have been altogether elided.
In this code:
lea    rax,[rbp-0xc]
mov    rdi,rax

RAX is loaded, and then its value is copied into RDI. This makes sense if you need the same value in both RAX and RDI, but you don't. The value just needs to be in RDI in preparation for the function call. (The System V AMD64 calling convention passes the first integer parameter in the RDI register.) So this could have simply been:
lea   rdi, [rbp-0xc]

but, again, this is unoptimized code. The compiler is prioritizing fast code generation and the ability to set breakpoints on individual (high-level language) statements over the generation of efficient code (which takes longer to produce and is harder to debug).
The cyclical spill-reload from the stack in get_v is another symptom of unoptimized code:
mov    QWORD PTR [rbp-0x8],rdi
mov    rax,QWORD PTR [rbp-0x8]

None of this is required. It's all just busy work, a common calling card of unoptimized code. In an optimized build, or hand-written assembly, it would have been written simply as a register-to-register move, e.g.:
mov    rax, rdi

You'll see that GCC always follows the pattern you've observed in unoptimized builds. Consider this function:
void SetParam(int& a)
{
    a = 0x2;
}

With -O0 (optimizations disabled), GCC emits the following:
SetParam(int&):
    push    rbp
    mov     rbp, rsp
    mov     QWORD PTR [rbp-8], rdi
    mov     rax, QWORD PTR [rbp-8]
    mov     DWORD PTR [rax], 2
    nop
    pop     rbp
    ret

Look familiar?
Now enable optimizations, and we get the more sensible:
SetParam(int&):
    mov     DWORD PTR [rdi], 2
    ret

Here, the store is done directly into the address passed in the RDI register. No stack frame needs to be set up or torn down. In fact, the stack is bypassed altogether. Not only is the code much simpler and easier to understand, it is also much faster.
Which serves as a lesson: when you are trying to analyze a compiler's object-code output, always enable optimization. Studying unoptimized builds is largely a waste of time, unless you are actually interested in how the compiler generates unoptimized code (e.g., because you're writing or reverse-engineering the compiler itself). Otherwise, what you care about is optimized code because it is simpler to understand and much more real-world.
Your entire get_v function could be simply:
mov   DWORD PTR [rdi], 0x2
mov   eax, DWORD PTR [rdi]
ret

There's no reason to use the stack, shuffling values back and forth. There's no reason to reload the data from the address RBP-8, since we already have that value loaded into RDI.
But actually, we can do even better than this, since we are moving a constant into the address stored in RDI:
mov   DWORD PTR [rdi], 0x2
mov   eax, 0x2
ret

In fact, this is exactly what GCC generates for what I imagine is your get_v function:
int get_v(int& a)
{
    a = 0x2;
    return a;
}

Unoptimized:
get_v(int&):
    push    rbp
    mov     rbp, rsp
    mov     QWORD PTR [rbp-8], rdi
    mov     rax, QWORD PTR [rbp-8]
    mov     DWORD PTR [rax], 2
    mov     rax, QWORD PTR [rbp-8]
    mov     eax, DWORD PTR [rax]
    pop     rbp
    ret

Optimized:
get_v(int&):
    mov     DWORD PTR [rdi], 2
    mov     eax, 2
    ret


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Home » Browse » Academic journals » Library and Information Science Journals » Library Philosophy and Practice » Article details, "The Role of Academic Libraries in the..."
Academic journal article Library Philosophy and Practice
The Role of Academic Libraries in the Accreditation of Undergraduate Programmes: A Case Study of Federal University of Technology Minna, Niger State
By Men, Joseph Manasseh; Isreal, Aliyu Abubakar
The accreditation of degree and other academic programs is an acknowledgement process in which standards, guidelines and procedures are evaluated to ascertain the quality of a particular program by accrediting authorities which are either government agencies or professional bodies. Okebukola (2006) opined that accreditation of undergraduate programs in Nigerian Universities is meant to ensure that the provision of Minimum Academic Standard documents is attained, maintained and enhanced. It is a process of examining the obtainability and adequacy of resources, merit rating of resources and programs in order to enhance the quality of output. Accreditation as a process ensures that the curriculum, personnel, infrastructure, learning materials as well as the learning environment satisfy the needs and relevance of a university to achieve their predefined objectives. It is the process of evaluating from time to time, the academic standards of various undergraduate programs in various higher institutions of learning. In Nigeria, accreditation function is administered by the National University Commission (NUC) for all universities (including Federal, State and Private Universities), whereas the National Board for Technical Education (NABTE) handles that of Polytechnics and Mono-technics and finally, the National Commission for Colleges of Education who are concerned with the accreditation of other higher educational institutions like colleges of education and other institute that are responsible for training teachers It is also important to know that some professional or specialized courses are assessed by separate body or agencies. Some of these professional/specialized courses include: law, medicine, engineering and accounting.
The role of the National University Commission is to ensure that accreditation of academic programs, is made evident with continuous monitoring of these programs and subsequently, the accreditation of universities all through Nigeria. It is in this regard that Akomolafe (2009) pointed out the various benchmarks for accreditation of academic programs such as; to examine adequacy of admission requirements; resource assessment at the inception; scrutinize the fitness of philosophy of the programs and academic status of academic personnel. She further identified adequacy of office accommodation and curriculum in line with National University Commission Bench mark; budget allocation to departments; examine external moderation of scripts; results; scores; reports of student's work capability and library facilities. Some of these facilities include: number of library staff members, number of collection, currency, physical structure of the library, budget allocation and etcetera. Librarians are actively involved in the accreditation for the reason that the provision and use of library resources and services contribute to the quality of the student's educational experience. The way academic library support and manages its library collections reveals the priorities of the institution, the educational goals and methods of faculty and the performance of students and graduates. This view was further shared by Adegbesan (2011), who opined that the future of accreditation exercise is also of great attention, since the criteria that are formulated and applied may affect the proportion of the institutional resources that are available to libraries and the prospects for their performance.
The academic library is an integral part of a university, which exists to meet the information needs of students, staff, researchers and other users in the community. Onwudinjo (2015) posited that the main function of academic library is to serve as an auxiliary to its parent institution in carrying out its objectives. He also noted that the library is an important intellectual resource of an academic community, as it helps the university to fulfill the curriculum requirements and promote studies and research. …
Publication: Library Philosophy and Practice
Men, Joseph Manasseh
Isreal, Aliyu Abubakar
Academic libraries--Case studies
Academic libraries--Services
Academic degrees--Case studies
Academic degrees--Licensing, certification and accreditation
Financing Information Services: Problems, Changing Approaches, and New Opportunities for Academic and Research Libraries By Peter Spyers-Duran; Thomas W. Mann Jr. Greenwood Press, 1985
Academic Library Outreach: Beyond the Campus Walls By Nancy Courtney Libraries Unlimited, 2009
Middle Management in Academic and Public Libraries By Tom Diamond Libraries Unlimited, 2011
Content Management Systems: Trends in Academic Libraries By Connell, Ruth Sara Information Technology and Libraries, Vol. 32, No. 2, June 2013
Educational Needs of Librarians in the Digital Environment: Case Studies of Selected Academic Libraries in Lagos State, Nigeria By Fadehan, Olukemi A. Ali, Hussaini Library Philosophy and Practice, December 2010
Case Studies: Academic Libraries By Library Technology Reports, Vol. 42, No. 5, September-October 2006
Reference and Instruction Services Go Virtual as a Form of Outreach: Case Studies from Academic Libraries: The New Virtual Environment By Williams, Clara R. Walters, Tyler O. Information Outlook, Vol. 7, No. 8, August 2003
Getting to Know the Factors That Influence Today's Academic Libraries By Gregory, Gwen M. Information Today, Vol. 26, No. 7, July/August 2009
Academic Libraries See Growth Potential in Publishing Services By Information Outlook, Vol. 15, No. 8, December 2011
Principal Slams 'Academic Play-Pens' By Walker, Jonathan The Birmingham Post (England), August 29, 2000
The Public Servant Par Excellence By Manila Bulletin, May 17, 2015
Technology Spurs Transformation of Academic Libraries By Long, Sarah Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL), July 2, 2002


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Back to all our experts
Rob Love
CEO Crowdfunder
Rob has a reputation for being a knowledgeable businessman and social entrepreneur. His pioneering career spans the inception of the ground-breaking TV show Big Brother's online platform through to River Cottage, the ethical food brand.
Crowdfunder, which he co-founded in 2013, has helped over 300,000 projects raise more than £250m for great causes. It is the UK's biggest crowdfunding platform and offers matched funding from partners for some projects.
Rob was named as one of top ten UK entrepreneurs under 30 by Barclays Mercantile and has been a finalist in Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year competition. He has also been a mentor and judge for Sir Richard Branson's Pitch-to-Rich (VOOM), Santander, Techstars, M&S, NatWest and many other competitions for entrepreneurs, seeing thousands of new business ideas at a time.
Apply to meet Rob
Rob has mentored
Chatting with Rob was very insightful as his experience with social enterprise and small business is rooted in social and environmental ethics. Coming away from the experience, he made me understand that we need to develop and define our value as a company to bolster our brand and tell our story.
Morgan Da Silva, Director, Yes Make
Want to meet with Rob?
Starting with one physical shop in 1987, Ruth co-founded what was to become Matchesfashion.com, a one-stop shop for designer clothing.
Ruth Chapman
The 'Jim' in Jimmy's Iced Coffee, Cregan has gone from delivering his own product to shops to being stocked in every major supermarket.
Jimmy's Iced Coffee
Once a celebrity hairstylist to the stars, John went on to create a range of hair care products that sold all around the world.
John Frieda Hair Care
Previously experienced in the banking and publishing worlds, Karen is the former CEO of one of the more successful social enterprise brands Belu water.
Belu Water Ltd


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Something the world needs right now.
March 16, 2020 Crystal AnnLeave a comment
Let's be hopeful this Monday morning.
Smithsonian Museum Day 2020: CANCELLED.
Welp, this is a bummer.
Step into the Temple of Doom
March 8, 2020 July 3, 2020 Crystal AnnLeave a comment
"The Picasso of Words", up and coming hip hop artist, DOOMZ DAY describes himself in our recent interview.
Doomz Day The Headless Horseman, is out to stimulate your brain cells. He released the controversial music video, "American Lie" in 2018 which exemplifies the unfairness and injustices of the system towards African-Americans. The video opens up with a slide show beginning with a photograph of 12 year old, Tamir Rice, who was shot and killed on November 22, 2014 by a police officer in Cleveland, Ohio. Afterwards is an image of 37 year-old Alton Sterling, who was also shot and killed by a police officer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The video presents previous footage related to police brutality and a variety of protests; subsequently ending with a powerful message, "Spread Love Not War."
I remember when I heard Doomz Day's music for the very first time close to two years ago. His voice reminded me of DMX with a dash of Method Man. As I turned up the volume on my JBL headphones, I was like, "YO, this guy is mad dope!" What struck me the most was the message in his lyrics — the ability to deliver a powerful statement in a song. His music is definitely not for the spineless yet it also gives you a deeper understanding of the issues concerning social and racial justice.
"Once I got my first Hip Hop Instrumental tape, it was a wrap" – Doomz Day
East Coast lyricist, songwriter, and promoter from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Stephen "Doomz Day" sure has his hands full. He first hit the studio with his family when he was about 15 years old. Stephen engaged himself in ciphers in New York and recorded his first track when he was 16 years old. His best known pieces are: "American Lie" feat. Deji, "House of Mirrors", "The Lion & the Wolf" feat. Head Ice, "Rhyme Over Matter" feat. Dom Pachino which are all out on digital platforms. He also manages DDay 100 Entertainment.
Now let's step into the Temple of Doom and get to know the Headless Horseman:
CRYS: How would you describe the music you typically create?
DD: My music is informative, makes people wanna research what I'm spitting about. Conscious and at the same time gutta, keeps it balanced.
CRYS: What artist would you compare yourself too?
DD: I wouldn't compare myself to any musician or emcee, but rather like the Picasso of words. A little abstract and different when I paint with my rhymes, but makes sense when looked at in an angle and certain perspective.
CRYS: What makes your music different from other artists?
DD: Not trying to sound the same as a majority of these artists out, I have a different format of flow and versatility. I can do something for the streets, clubs, ladies, or drop knowledge, able to come at all angles.
CRYS: Where is the farthest venue that you've ever performed?
DD: I performed down in the M.I.A. at an official spot called Miami Live, dope artists and good vibes down there.
CRYS: If you could collaborate with any artists, who would it be?
DD: Definitely would have to do a joint with Red Man, Meth, Busta, Immortal Technique, Joyner Lucas, and J Cole. I came up to them, well most of them. They're some great lyricists and would be marvel to put some epic jewels together.
CRYS: What was your favorite era in music and why?
DD: Each era has their classic songs but my favorite is the Golden Era 90's. Everybody has their own distinguishable sound and style.
CRYS: If you could change anything about the music industry, what would it be?
DD: The way these major labels rape the artist of their creativity. That's the reason why these rappers feel they all have to sound the same in order to sell.
CRYS: What advice would you give to other upcoming hip hop artists?
DD: To perfect their craft, be original, and teach through their music because the seeds and world are listening.
Doomz Day is currently setting up a blueprint for an East Coast tour. His newest single, "Sanitarium" will be dropping soon. DDAY100 gear is also in development. His hard work ethic, music and creativity, on top of being a father, speaks volumes. His lyrics will have you deeply immersed in thought, you will find yourself uncontrollably addicted and caught up in his lyrical labyrinth filled with the untainted truth. Just remind yourself that you can always do your research on Google.
Make sure to keep your eyes and ears open for Doomz Day!
Sneak peak of "Sanitarium"
Follow Doomz Day on Social Media:
Instagram: DoomzDay7
Don't forget to hit the SUBSCRIBE button on YouTube: DoomzDay100
I Miss Nothing About You
September 26, 2019 September 26, 2019 Crystal AnnLeave a comment
You said I couldn't wear tight jeans because it showed off my ass
You said I couldn't wear short skirts and reveal skin because it lacked class
You said that all my friends were hoes, well, there goes another night out with my ladies
So I stayed home and watched YouTube all night, meanwhile, "Have you seen Crystal lately?"
Little did I know that you were just controlling, but I was too naïve to see
At the time I was scared to be alone, so I put you first instead of me
All I wanted was for you to be happy, while my smile was disappearing
They said that love was blind, but I also lost my hearing
They told me to leave you, but my ears wouldn't listen
My heart even told me to leave you too, but my brain was in the kitchen
When you put your hands on me, I didn't know what to do, so I
stayed silent and kept myself at the bottom of the queue
Now here I am five years later and I miss nothing about you
I wish I could take back what I lost, but I'll just take the L
Lost a lot of people in the process too, oh well
Glad I left and if ever you find yourself alone, remind yourself
that you had it
I would never put myself in that position to lose myself again
Even if it was my last decision to make on this planet
I miss nothing about you.