Spruce Street Harbor Park, at the foot of Spruce Street on the Delaware River, is Philly's latest pop-up beer garden. A couple of months ago, this was an unused dock behind the highway; a couple of months from now, it will probably return to nothingness. But for the summer of 2014, thanks to landscaping and logistics from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, it's drawing crowds.
It's also drawn a lawsuit, from folks who would rather the crowds spend their money in established bars and restaurants. Plaintiffs claim that the "special event" loophole in the city's liquor laws was never intended to legalize semi-long-term operations like the Horticultural Society's beer gardens.
The idea behind the pop-up gardens was booster-ish. By demonstrating the potential of vacant lots around town, it was hoped that developers might invest in permanent improvements. Meanwhile, people could enjoy themselves under the stars.
But with the lawsuit looming, somehow, it just seems like we can't have nice things any more.
Not yet a king; he's still rocking that last little bump of a tadpole tail.
At the north end of Castlepoint sheep station is Castle Rock itself, noted and named in the eighteenth century by Captain Cook. The rock anchors one end of a limestone reef; on the headland at the other end is Castlepoint Lighthouse, built in 1913, originally fueled by oil but now wired into the grid and controlled from a switchboard in Wellington, a couple of hours away. Its light is visible 22 miles out at sea.
The postage stamp above dates from 1947. For almost a century beginning in the 1890s, the New Zealand government operated a life insurance company that had government franking privileges and printed its own stamps. Lighthouses were nineteenth-century symbols for insurance companies (as were big rocks, e.g., Mutual of Omaha). The government sold off its insurance operations in the 1980s, to a corporation doing business as Tower Life of Dunedin, New Zealand.
The reef at Castlepoint is not at all like the coral reefs growing placidly around tropical lagoons; geologically, it's a chunk of ancient seafloor millions of years old heaved up violently during seismic activity associated with the collision of the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates.
The limestone in the reef is richly fossiliferous, and directly underneath the lighthouse it's pocked with caves.
Inside the reef is a lagoon and a wide, hard-sand beach, crucial features in the development of a large sheep station here, back in the days before highways. Since the coast in this region has no natural harbors, sheepmen used to drive wagonloads of wool bales down the beach, to be loaded at water's edge into small boats that ventured out at high tide to meet up with cargo ships waiting offshore.
Today, shipping activity at Castlepoint is mostly recreational in nature, and the hard-packed beach now serves tractors and boat trailers. The blue tractor in the picture below is driverless and remote controlled from the boat, where the captain calls for it to push an empty trailer down into the surf and then pull the loaded trailer back up to high ground.
In the picture below, the tiny figure walking the beach near water's edge is my mother-in-law.
In the bluffs above the Pacific Ocean on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island is Castlepoint sheep station, a stretch of pastureland as long as Manhattan and half as wide, home to tens of thousands of sheep, a dozen or so sheep dogs, a few thousand head of cattle, a handful of horses, four shepherds with their families, and an American family from Westchester County, New York.
Until about twenty years ago, the Americans had been dairy farmers in Westchester, out in the fringes of suburban sprawl. Their small farm attracted the attention of developers, who eventually made them an offer they couldn't refuse; they took the money and headed off to New Zealand, where they bought one of the largest grazing operations in the country, which included beaches, a lighthouse, a big rock so iconic it is featured on the country's postage stamps, and pastures that had been maintained for over a century.
We visited on a difficult day, weaning day. All the little lambs had just been separated from their mothers and herded together into paddocks of their own. The babies were not happy about this, and some were so unhappy they disregarded the electric fences and wandered all alone around the station, looking for mama. The ewes weren't happy either.
A chain of gourmet pizza places in cities around New Zealand's South Island is called Filadelfio's, despite what its website claims as a "New York–inspired atmosphere."
Americans can't help but notice something a little different about the atmosphere, however. Our restaurants have a no-shoes-no-shirt rule, and Kiwi restaurants don't.


Kolkata: The West Bengal government has issued a blanket ban on importing seed potatoes, particularly from Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir owing to presence of potato Cyst Nernatode (globodera rostochinensis & G. Pallaid).
The notification from the department of agriculture ( Nabanna) was issued on November 2 last following a warning from the Union Agriculture and Farmers department on October 10 prohibiting movement of seed potato from the states of TN, Uttarakhand, HP and J & K to all other states and union territories due to the above mentioned disease.
" West Bengal being a major potato producing state and a potion of seed potato being brought in from outside the state boundaries, this is a serious cause of concern" ,the notification from Nabanna said.
The notification directed all seed inspectors of the state to strictly adhere to the restriction of prohibiting movement of seed potato from the said four states into Bengal territory.
" Local civil and police administration will extend their cooperation in implementing the restriction of movement of seed potato with special thrust on interstate check points across the state" UNI reported, .


In a recent High Court decision, Power v Creed,(1) Judge Baker dealt with a claim of professional negligence. The claim arose from the retainer by a couple (the plaintiffs) of a chartered engineering firm (the defendants) regarding the construction of their home in 2005. The defendants brought a strike-out claim for a significant delay in the progression of the proceedings. Baker considered the established principles of striking out a claim. The court considered whether the delay was inordinate and whether the plaintiffs provided a satisfactory excuse for the delay. Baker also noted that the court must exercise a judgment on whether the balance of justice is in favour of or against the case proceeding.
For further information on this topic please contact April McClements or Aisling Kavanagh at Matheson by telephone (+353 1 232 2000) or email (april.mcclements@matheson.com or aisling.kavanagh@matheson.com). The Matheson website can be accessed at www.matheson.com.


most importantly battery, video and audio clarity and ofcourse WI-FI.
Feature rich for the price. But the designs of Q5 and Q7 are unimpressive compared to the earlier ezpad versions. The Q1,2 and 3 had better appearance compared this handset.


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US Allows Poland to Buy 32 F-35 Demon Stealth Fighter Jets
WASHINGTON, - The United States Government (US) gave permission or approval to Poland to purchase 32 units of F-35 fifth generation stealth fighter jets.
The approval issued by the US State Department made Poland the 13th foreign military customer who bought up the most expensive fighter.
In its announcement on Wednesday, the US State Department said that Warsaw had been approved to receive 32 F-35A Lightning II aircraft made by Lockheed Martin with support and related equipment. The cost of purchasing dozens of advanced fighter aircraft is estimated at USD6.5 billion.
"The sale of the F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter to Poland will provide NATO's main ally with the most sophisticated fighter in the world, increase its ability to provide collective defense and self-defense, and reduce its dependence on Russia's legacy of equipment," the Department of State said in a release The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), a body that takes shelter in the US Department of Defense.
"The F-35 will contribute to Poland's goal of modernizing its military capabilities while continuing to increase interoperability with the United States, NATO members and other allies,"
Poland was officially asked to buy an F-35 in May. The following month, the F-35B Marine Corps flew over the White House when President Donald Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda watched.
The Washington agreement underlines the willingness of the United States to work with Poland to replace the Sukhoi Su-22 and MiG-29 fleets with American-made 5th generation warplanes.
"This is an important step in the acquisition process and to achieve Poland's goal of shipping their first aircraft in 2024," Lockheed Martin spokesman Mike Friedman said in a statement.
"The F-35 will bring the fifth generation (aircraft) capability to the Polish Air Force which provides unmatched levels of survival, survival and connectivity to the Polish Armed Forces and allows continued interoperability with other NATO F-35 operators," Friedman said.
In August, a group of Republican senators urged the Department of Defense to expand the US-led Joint Strike Fighter program with additional foreign sales to create a stronger allied coalition.
In a letter sent to Defense Secretary Mark Esper on August 6, Republican Senator Marco Rubio from Florida and Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania said the US would benefit from having more F-35s in flight routes around the world.
MPs' call for expansion came shortly after the Pentagon lost one of its NATO F-35 partner countries, Turkey.
The Ministry of Defense officially prevented Turkey from participating in the program in July because Ankara bought Russia's S-400 missile defense system.
Although Turkey was officially excluded from the F-35 program, the cancellation of the contract for the purchase of advanced aircraft was only decided in early 2020.
Hotels near united states military academy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Without TTF funds, municipalities would be forced to either cancel/postpone local infrastructure projects or look for alternative means of funding, including property taxes.
DISCLAIMER: This list is based on state data from 2014-2015. Some projects on this list may already be completed.
The importance of a modern and safe infrastructure to local communities cannot be understated. We all have a road or a bridge near us that was once old, poorly maintained, and unsafe and is now smooth, brighter, and safer thanks to the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund.
New Jersey's Transportation Trust Fund (#NJTTF) will go bankrupt on July 1, 2016 unless we exhort our elected officials to find a solution. If #NJTTF goes bankrupt, local projects like those above will be at risk. Please help get the word out and share this with your social network.


Wax tablets are unique among ancient writing materials because they can be easily erased and reused. They were formed by depositing a thin layer of wax on a flat piece of wood which usually had raised edges, in order that the tablets could be closed without damaging the content.
Although commonly used by schoolboys in Greece, wax tablets were also used for official documents, such as the birth certificate above.
You can view all wax tablets in our collection via APIS by clicking here.


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Rural America
Wendell Berry Defends Rural America Against an Attack by New York Review of Books Writer
John Collins May 10, 2017
An early photograph of Wendell Berry featured in the 2016 documentary Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry.
In the following letter to the editor, Wendell Berry — the 82-year-old Kentucky farmer, novelist, poet, humanitarian, environmentalist and all around agrarian icon — responds to a New York Review of Books essay that, in his view, exemplifies what big city liberals continue to get wrong about rural people, culture, politics and the economy.
The story that prompted Berry's well-mannered but caustic response was written by Nathaniel Rich, the 35-year-old son of former New York Times columnist Frank Rich, and originally published as the foreword to a new book by Joan Didion titled South and West—a collection of notes, interviews and observations spanning the legendary 83-year-old writer's early travels and career.
Not concerned with the book itself, Berry's critique takes issue with Rich's parroting of the now ubiquitous mainstream narrative: That the election of Donald Trump was primarily the result of a nostalgic, racist and sexist subculture that resides in a still-reeling-from-the-Civil-War, socially-backward and monochromatic "rural America."
This misguided conventional wisdom, Berry argues, conveniently ignores the decades of destructive economic forces rural communities have endured since the Eisenhower administration — a crony-capitalist-facilitated "plundering" of everything not tied down — and the absence of any effective political response from Democrats in Washington.
Sympathetic pandering? Yes. Results? Not so much.
Agreeing on one thing, Berry writes, "It is true that racism, sexism and nostalgia have counted significantly in the history of rural America until this moment. But to attribute the approximate victory of Mr. Trump only to those 'southern' faults, and to locate them only in rural America, is a driblet of self-righteous ignorance."
Here's Berry's full response, including links to Nathaniel Rich's reply and the foreword that kicked off the exchange:
To the Editors:
Since the 2016 election, urban liberals and Democrats have newly discovered "rural America," which is to say our country itself beyond the cities and the suburbs and a few scenic vacation spots. To its new discoverers, this is an unknown land inhabited by "white blue-collar workers" whom the discoverers fear but know nothing about. And so they are turning to experts, who actually have visited rural America or who previously have heard of it, to lift the mystery from it.
One such expert is Nathaniel Rich, whose essay "Joan Didion in the Deep South" offers an explanation surpassingly simple: over "the last four decades," while the enlightened citizens of "American cities with international airports" have thought things were getting better, the "southern frame of mind" has been "expanding across the Mason-Dixon line into the rest of rural America." As Mr. Rich trusts his readers to agree, the "southern frame of mind" is racist, sexist, and nostalgic for the time when "the men concentrated on hunting and fishing and the women on 'their cooking, their canning, their 'prettifying.'…"
This is provincial, uninformed, and irresponsible. Mr. Rich, who disdains all prejudices except those that are proper and just, supplies no experience or observation of his own and no factual and statistical proofs. He rests his judgment solely upon the testimony of Joan Didion in her notes from a tour of "the Gulf South for a month in the summer of 1970." Those notes contain portraits of southerners whom "readers today will recognize, with some dismay and even horror" because (as Mr. Rich seems vaguely to mean) southerners have not changed at all since 1970. The Didion testimony alone is entirely sufficient because she "saw her era more clearly than anyone else" and therefore "she was able to see the future."
What is remarkable about Mr. Rich's essay is that he attributes the southernization of rural America, and the consequent election of Mr. Trump, entirely to nostalgia "for a more orderly past," without so much as a glance at the economic history of our actual country. The liberals and Democrats of our enlightened cities, as Mr. Rich rightly says, have paid little or no attention to rural America "for more than half a century." But it has received plenty of attention from the conservatives and Republicans and their client corporations. Rural America is a colony, and its economy is a colonial economy.
The business of America has been largely and without apology the plundering of rural America, from which everything of value — minerals, timber, farm animals, farm crops, and "labor" — has been taken at the lowest possible price. As apparently none of the enlightened ones has seen in flying over or bypassing on the interstate highways, its too-large fields are toxic and eroding, its streams and rivers poisoned, its forests mangled, its towns dying or dead along with their locally owned small businesses, its children leaving after high school and not coming back. Too many of the children are not working at anything, too many are transfixed by the various screens, too many are on drugs, too many are dying.
In a New York Times Op-Ed, A. Hope Jahren writes: "Farm policy hasn't come up even once during a presidential debate for the past 16 years." But the problem goes back much farther than that. It goes back at least to Eisenhower's secretary of agriculture, Ezra Taft Benson, who instructed American farmers to "get big or get out." In effect that set the "farm policy" until now, and thus sealed the fate of the decent, small, independent livelihoods of rural America. To that brutally stated economic determinism I know that President Clinton gave his assent, calling it "inevitable," and so apparently did Mrs. Clinton. The rural small owners sentenced to dispensability in the 1950s are the grandparents of the "blue-collar workers" of rural America who now feel themselves to be under the same sentence, and with reason.
It is true that racism, sexism, and nostalgia have counted significantly in the history of rural America until this moment. But to attribute the approximate victory of Mr. Trump only to those "southern" faults, and to locate them only in rural America, is a driblet of self-righteous ignorance.
Port Royal, Kentucky
In Rich's defense, the United States has an undeniably racist origin story, one that continues to explain a lot about how we interact with each other. But if only to prevent it from ever happening again, both writers would probably agree it's important for our historical record to accurately diagnose Donald Trump's ascension. This requires acknowledging that, unlike Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton failed to make a compelling economic case to millions of Americans who are finding it harder and harder to get by. Lies or not, Trump did.
Identity politics aren't going away. We're grappling with a karma-guided hatchet that's nowhere close to being buried. Unfortunately, ignoring the pain associated with that reality lends itself perfectly to the president's (seriously stupid) #MakeAmericaGreatAgain hashtag. That said, blaming rural Americans for temporarily swooning over the off-the-cuff brilliance that was "Drain the Swamp" — essentially a promise to a serially ignored segment of the population that, this time for realsies, things will change — is not productive or progressive. We are, after all, dealing with a political establishment that has for decades been losing sight of what "We the People" means.
And none of this changes how fast Trump-the-candidate's "America First" rhetoric magically (freaking seamlessly) morphed into more foreign interventions, a cabinet stacked with "statesmen" courtesy of Goldman Sachs and a torrent of policy proposals that clearly favor the rich. On second thought, perhaps it's time for all Americans — the disappointed, the still-stoked and the terrified — to start focusing not on how this happened and who's to blame (the diagnosis) but on what comes next.
In other words, what's the prognosis?
To read Nathaniel Rich's reply to Wendell Berry's letter, click here.
January 3, 1968 — A futuristic cartoon published in the Arizona Republic. (Image: paleofuture.com)
John Collins is the editor of Rural America In These Times. He lives between Minneapolis and La Pointe, Wisconsin, a village on Madeline Island in Lake Superior.
More articles by John Collins
The Community Rights Movement to the New Hampshire House: Let the People Decide What's Best
Democrats Have Gone off the Rails in Rural America. Can a New Report Get Them Back on Track?
How Much Nitrate Is in Rural America's Water?
LaborRural America
After Yellowstone Floods, Tourism Workers Lose Their Jobs—And Their Housing
Many Yellowstone workers depend on their bosses for a place to live. When the flood washed away their jobs, they lost their housing, too.
Joseph Bullington
ViewpointRural America
The Time Has Come to Demolish Glen Canyon Dam
Amid a worsening drought in the Southwest, the controversial dam on the Colorado River is ceasing to serve its purpose. It's time to tear it down.
Gary Wockner
From Mad Cow Disease To a Failed Pandemic Response
Health officials did too little, too late to control an outbreak of mad cow disease in the 80s. Sound familiar?
Frank Carber


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Tag Archives: NEOs
Häupl holds off far-right threat in Vienna elections
Vienna's Social Democratic mayor, Michael Häupl, has held power since 1994. (Hans Punz/aPA)
Sometimes, what doesn't happen in an election matters more than what does happen.
So it was in Vienna on Sunday, when Michael Häupl, the longtime center-left mayor held onto power. That's not so surprising, because his Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs (SPÖ, Social Democratic Party of Austria) has controlled Vienna's state government in every election in the postwar era.
What's more, though polls showed that the far-right Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ, Freedom Party of Austria) was trailing the Social Democrats by just 1% in the week before Vienna's elections, the Freedom Party actually lost by nearly 10%. Though the Freedom Party's result marks a gain against its prior result in 2010, and its strength is growing amid the backdrop of Europe's migration and refugee crisis, its failure in Vienna is notable.
After an election campaign that pitted Häupl in competition directly with the Freedom Party's leader Heinz-Christian Strache, the far right's failure to break through should come as a relief to Austria's entire political mainstream, of both right and left. Had Strache won the election, it would have shaken the foundations of the grand coalition that governs Austria under Social Democratic chancellor Werner Faymann.
Vienna, aside from being Austria's capital, is also the country's largest state, with 1.8 million of Austria's 8.6 million people, so elections for the Landtag invariably influence the national political climate. Die Grünen (the Greens/Green Alternative), the third-placed party, won enough seats to give the SPÖ-led coalition a majority in the state assembly. Continue reading Häupl holds off far-right threat in Vienna elections →
austriaaustrian people's partyfaymannFPOfreedom partygreenshaiderhaupllandtagNEOsOVPrefugee crisissocial democratsSPOstrachevienna
Who is Sebastian Kurz? Meet Austria's new 27-year-old foreign minister.
December 19, 2013 Kevin Lees 1 Comment
While most of Europe was watching the birth of Germany's latest grand coalition government last week, Austria's grand coalition also finalized its government platform.
Austria, which has an even stronger tradition of cozy coalition politics between the center-left and the center right, will continue to a coalition that's comprised of its main center-left party, the Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs (SPÖ, Social Democratic Party of Austria) and its main center-right party, the Österreichische Volkspartei (ÖVP, Austrian People's Party).
There was very little unexpected news about the coalition deal, which will continue the broadly centrist course of center-left chancellor Werner Faymann's government.
But the decision to elevate the hunky 27-year-old Sebastian Kurz as Austria's new foreign minister was something of a shock. Michael Spindelegger, the ÖVP leader and deputy chancellor, who previously served as foreign minister between 2008 and 2013, will become the government's new finance minister.
The decision leaves Kurz (pictured above) as one of the world's youngest political leaders in such a high policymaking role.
So who is this whiz kid? Kurz became involved in politics at age 10, and by 2009, he was the leader of the youth wing of the Austrian People's Party. In 2010, he was elected to the city council of his native Vienna, running under the slogan, 'Schwarz macht geil' ('Black is cool,' referring to the color most associated with the People's Party) in a campaign Hummer that quickly gained the nickname as the 'Geilomobil' (which translates roughly to 'Horny-mobile'), befitting Kurz's growing reputation as somewhat of a party animal. Before you judge him too harshly, however, remember that it was part of a wider push to make the ÖVP more attractive to young voters. And just four months ago, two competing leaders of the Austrian far right both posed shirtless in public.
But by 2011 he was already serving as state secretary for integration, where he impressed skeptics by working to ease the path for the growing number of immigrants to Austria, including through the institution of an extra year of pre-school for immigrant children to learn German. He helped spearhead a new immigration law in May of this year that clears a path to citizenship for some immigrants within six years.
It was a controversial move on Spindelegger's part, but it paid off, and Kurz was elected to the Nationalrat (National Council), the chief house of the Austrian parliament, in the September 29 parliamentary elections with a higher number of votes than any other candidate.
His approach contrasts with that of the more xenophobic approach to immigration of Austria's far right. In September, the Social Democrats won 27.1% and the Austrian People's Party won 23.8%, but the anti-immigrant, anti-EU Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ, the Freedom Party of Austria) won 21.4%, a strong third-place finish. But a Dec. 12 Hajek poll showed that if the elections were held over today, the Freedom Party would emerge as the leading party with 26%, followed by the Social Democrats with 23% and the Austrian People's Party at 20%. A new free-market libertarian party, Das Neue Österreich (NEOS, The New Austria), which entered the National Council for the first time in September's elections, would win 11%.
The Freedom Party's relatively young and charismatic leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, wasted no time in criticizing Kurz for his inexperience:
"When Mr Kurz becomes foreign minister without any diplomatic experience, you have to be amazed. This is the continuation of Austria's farewell to foreign policy," right-wing leader Heinz Christian Strache told parliament on Tuesday.
Kurz… took the blows. "It's true, of course. Due to my age I have limited experience and of course hardly any diplomatic experience. But what I bring is lots of diligence, energy and the desire to contribute something," he told Reuters.
But Kurz emphasized the international nature of his previous role with respect to integration, and he argued that his relative youth and high media profile would allow him to make an immediate impact. Though Austria, with just 8.5 million people, has a less dominant voice on European matters than Germany, it plays a key role in the Balkans, where Serbia and other former Yugoslav countries are hoping to begin accession talks to the European Union early next year. (If your German skills are up for it, here's an interview with Kurz in Der Standard earlier this week).
Kurz's appointment also means that he will likely take a key role in the upcoming European Parliament elections by convincing Austrian voters not to turn to euroskeptic parties like the Freedom Party or Team Stronach, the conservative movement of Austro-Canadian businessman Frank Stronach. Spindelegger was criticized during his tenure at the ministry for being a 'half-time foreign minister' in light of his duties as the ÖVP leader and deputy chancellor. Continue reading Who is Sebastian Kurz? Meet Austria's new 27-year-old foreign minister. →
austriaaustrian people's partybalkansfabiusfaymannFPOfreedom partygeilomobilgreenshaguekerrylavrovliberalsmetternichnationalratNEOsOVPsocial democratsspindeleggerSPOsteinmeierstrachestronach
Austrian election results: grand coalition reelected, Freedom Party solidifies gains on far right
With nearly all of the votes counted in Austria's election today, it appears that the current grand coalition led by center-left chancellor Werner Faymann will continue — for up to another five years.
Just one week after Germans massively supported chancellor Angela Merkel and her center-right Christian Democrats for steering Germany largely unscathed through the worst of the economic crisis, Austrians appeared ready to do the same for Faymann, though his Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs (SPÖ, Social Democratic Party of Austria) did not score the kind of overwhelming victory that Merkel's Christian Democrats won last week — the SPÖ lost over 2% of the vote since the September 2008 election.
But their coalition partners, the center-right Österreichische Volkspartei (ÖVP, Austrian People's Party), also lost 2.2% of the vote from 2008. Together, however, the two parties won enough seats (99) to continue to hold an absolute majority in Austria's 183-member Nationalrat (National Council), the chief house of the Austrian parliament.
But the far-right, anti-EU, anti-immigrant Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ, the Freedom Party of Austria) won just four seats less than the People's Party and it won over 21% of the vote. That's largely because voters on the far right abandoned the Bündnis Zukunft Österreich (BZÖ, Alliance for the Future of Austria), the splinter group that former Freedom Party leader Jörg Haider founded in 2005.
Believe it or not, today's election was the first one without Haider in nearly two decades following his sensational death in October 2008, and the BZÖ lost over 7% from the 2008 election — and missed the 4% electoral hurdle required to hold seats in Austria's National Council. Given Haider's absence from the political scene, many BZÖ supporters turned back to the Freedom Party. In any event, it's certainly a huge victory for FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache (pictured above), whose party gained more support than any of the parties that contested the 2008 election. Strache is one of the big winners in today's election, and that will amplify his voice as the chief opposition leader in Austria.
Continue reading Austrian election results: grand coalition reelected, Freedom Party solidifies gains on far right →
austriaaustrian people's partyBZOfaymannFPOfreedom partygreenshaiderliberalsnationalratNEOsOVPsocial democratsspindeleggerSPOstrachestronach
Austria election tomorrow likely to result in grand coalition, reelection for Faymann
Austria goes to the polls tomorrow to select 183 members of the Nationalrat (National Council), the lower house of Austria's parliament — but by far the most important. What better musical selection than Johann Strauss II's Kaiserwaltzer?
Austria's elections are determined on the basis of proportional representation, so no matter who wins, Austria will have a coalition government.
The most likely result, according to polls, is the continuation of a 'red-black' or 'grand' coalition between the two dominant parties in Austrian politics, the center-left Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs (SPÖ, Social Democratic Party of Austria) and the center-right Österreichische Volkspartei (ÖVP, Austrian People's Party).
Polls also showed the anti-EU, anti-immigration, right-wing Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ, the Freedom Party of Austria) gaining ground, but still in third place.
Though Austria's chancellor Werner Faymann leads a consensus-driven government, he's in some ways the opposite of German chancellor Angela Merkel, whose own center-right party won a huge victory just last weekend. With an approach that's leaned away from the austerity budgets of much of the rest of Europe, Faymann has boosted Austrian spending over the past five years on stimulative measures, including a massive commitment to job training. That's left Austria with the lowest unemployment rate among the 28 member states of the European Union.
Even if the SPÖ and the ÖVP win the largest and second-largest shares of the vote, they may still not win enough seats to form a majority because up to seven parties could win seats today.
Austria's Die Grünen – Die Grüne Alternative (Green Party) will likely be the fourth-largest party in the National Council, but three smaller parties could also enter the parliament — the new eurosceptic Team Stronach, founded last year by Austrian-Canadian businessman Frank Stronach; the Bündnis Zukunft Österreich (BZÖ, Alliance for the Future of Austria), a liberal splinter group of the FPÖ; and Das Neue Österreich (NEOS, The New Austria), a new liberal party that formed last year as well.
austriaaustrian people's partyBZOfaymannFPOfreedom partygreensnationalratNEOsOVPsocial democratsSPOstronach
Austrian NEOS may win seats in Nationalrat in resurrection of liberal politics
September 25, 2013 Kevin Lees 1 Comment
While Germany's major liberal party suffered a historic defeat in last weekend's parliamentary elections, a new Austrian party may win enough seats to return a liberal voice to Austria's parliament for the first time in nearly 20 years in Austria's national elections this weekend.
If it can win 4% of the vote on Sunday, the Das Neue Österreich (NEOS, The New Austria) could enter the Nationalrat, the key 183-member chamber of Austria's parliament, which would mean that free-market and social liberals would have a voice in Austrian parliamentary politics for the first time since the Liberales Forum (Liberal Forum) lost all of its seats in the 1999 parliamentary elections. Polls in the lead-up to Austria's election show the NEOS gaining strength, but still hovering between 3% and the 4% electoral hurdle, and the NEOS continues to gain credibility and momentum in the final days of the campaign.
What's more, if the NEOS enter the parliament, and the two current governing parties, the center-left Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs (SPÖ, Social Democratic Party of Austria) of chancellor Werner Faymann and the center-right Österreichische Volkspartei (ÖVP, Austrian People's Party), fail to win an absolute majority of seats to continue a two-party grand coalition, the NEOS could conceivably enter government as well in Europe's first 'red-black-pink' coalition.
Given the coziness of Austria's political elite, and the fact that grand coalitions have dominated Austrian governance in the postwar era, there's much to recommend the return of a fresh and liberal voice to Austrian politics — or even Austrian government. Not too shabby for a party that didn't exist one year ago.
The NEOS were founded as a political party in October 2012, mainly as an alliance of what remains of the Liberal Forum and the Young Liberals, another small party, under the leadership of Matthias Strolz. Since September, the party's lead parliamentary candidate has been Hans-Peter Haselsteiner, the CEO of Austrian construction company Strabag and a Liberal deputy in the Nationalrat in the 1990s — it was a stunning reversal for Haselsteiner, who had previously remained somewhat aloof from the NEOS earlier this year. Not only does Haselsteiner have the deep pockets to finance a strong showing, he's also one of the most well-known liberals in the country. Austrians vote for parties through an open-list proportional representation system, so if the NEOS surpass the 4% threshold, the NEOS should count on at least seven seats in the Nationalrat.
Moreover, if the NEOS do enter the Nationalrat, they could lower the total number of seats that the SPÖ and ÖVP can hope to win, making it even more likely that the SPÖ and ÖVP will be forced to look for a third coalition partner to cobble together a governing majority.
In an ironic twist, the NEOS could well enter Austria's parliament just days after Germany's Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP, Free Democratic Party) narrowly failed to win 5% of the vote and, accordingly, Germany's liberal party failed to win a single seat in the Bundestag, the lower house of Germany's parliament, for the first time since 1949. Continue reading Austrian NEOS may win seats in Nationalrat in resurrection of liberal politics →
austriaBZOcarinthiaduverger's lawfaymannFDPFPOfree democratsfreedom partygermanygrand coalitionhaiderhaselsteinerliberalnationalratNEOsOVPpeople's partysocial democratsSPOstrolzstronachteam stronachvienna
In Germany's shadow, Austria also prepares for late September election
August 26, 2013 Kevin Lees 2 Comments
In central Europe, another German-speaking nation is heading to the polls next month in a race that will likely also result in a broad left/right 'grand coalition.'
Austria's parliamentary elections on September 29 will affect a population that's just two-thirds that of the German state of Bavaria, but the campaign features many of the same dynamics as Germany's federal elections that will be held exactly one week prior — a broad centrist consensus on economic policy, the likelihood of yet another 'grand coalition,' flush economic conditions relative to the rest of Europe and static polls all year long indicating a narrow center-left win.
But there are key differences as well — unlike in Germany, where Christian democratic chancellor Angela Merkel is favored for reelection, it's Austria's social democratic chancellor Werner Faymann who will likely return as chancellor. Moreover, there's a far-right component to Austrian politics that simply doesn't exist in Germany. While the far-right remains divided among three competing parties (and that makes it unlikely that they will form a government), the far-right parties could cumulative outpoll the center-left and the center-right.
Let's start with the fundamentals — Austria's economy grew by an estimated 0.6% last year and 2.7% in 2011, and though its growth this year has been virtually negligible, it dipped into negative growth (-0.1%) for just one quarter (Q4 2012), so it's difficult to say that Austria has even suffered a recession, at least in technical terms. Although the European Union's unemployment rate, as of June 2013, remains 10.9% and the eurozone's unemployment rate an even higher 12.3%, Austria has the absolute lowest unemployment of all 27 EU nations: at 4.6%, Austria's unemployment is nearly a percentage point lower than the second-lowest, Germany, which has a 5.4% unemployment rate.
That means that the anti-incumbent moods that pushed out French president Nicolas Sarkozy last year and has already weakened his leftist successor, François Hollande, and that upended governments in Greece, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria and elsewhere over the past year, doesn't have the same punch in Austria.
The latest Gallup poll from Austria dated August 22, is representative — it shows that Faymann's center-left Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs (SPÖ, Social Democratic Party of Austria) holds a narrow lead over its current coalition partner, the center-right Österreichische Volkspartei (ÖVP, Austrian People's Party):
The three far-right parties, taken together, however, attract the support of 29% of all Austrian voters — the largest, the Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ, the Freedom Party of Austria), is the longstanding anti-immigrant, anti-EU, extreme-right conservative party in Austria, and it was the party that the late Jörg Haider led controversially into a government coalition in 2000 with the ÖVP.
But Austro-Canadian businessman Frank Stronach, who returned to his homeland last year after decades as chief executive officer of his Ontario-based auto parts company, is leading an alternative populist, eurosceptic right-wing party — Team Stronach — that's attracting between 8% and 10% of the vote.
Finally, the Bündnis Zukunft Österreich (BZÖ, Alliance for the Future of Austria), which Haider founded in 2005 when he left the FPÖ, is in danger of losing all of its seats in Austria's parliament following Haider's sensational November 2008 death and Stronach's recent rise.
But most recently, Stronach and the FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache have made more headlines over shirtless photos than policy matters. Furthermore, in March's local elections in the southernmost state of Carinthia, where Haider had served as governor for nearly a decade, the Freedom Party's share of the vote dropped from about 45% to just 17%, and the Social Democrats swept to power under its leader Peter Kaiser in alliance with the Die Grünen – Die Grüne Alternative (Green Party). Nationally, the Greens are polling at around 15%, which would mark a 40% increase from their 2008 result.
Austrian voters also widely prefer Faymann to continue as chancellor over ÖVP leader and foreign minister Michael Spindelegger — Faymann took over just weeks after the global financial crisis in 2008, and he has pursued one of the most successful center-left policy agendas in Europe. Like in Germany, Austria pursued work-sharing policies (e.g., shorter working hours for everyone) in the immediate aftermath of the crisis to avoid massive layoffs. Faymann's government has also enacted some of the world's most successful job training legislation and other forward measures to assist workers remain competitive through Austria's Arbeitsmarktservice (AMS, Austrian Employment Service): Continue reading In Germany's shadow, Austria also prepares for late September election →
BZOcarinthiaCESEEfaymannFPOfreedom partygrand coalitionhaiderlower austrianationalratNEOsOVPpeople's partysocial democratsspindeleggerSPOstrachestronachteam stronachvienna


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Q: Нахождение размеров экрана Как узнать размеры экрана с помощью Python3 и PyQt5.

A: Вот несколько вариантов:
import sys
from PyQt5.QtCore    import *
from PyQt5.QtWidgets import *
from PyQt5.QtGui     import *

class Window(QWidget):

    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
        super(Window, self).__init__(*args, **kwargs)

        layout = QVBoxLayout(self)
        self.label = QLabel()
        layout.addWidget(self.label)
        layout.addWidget(QPushButton("Показать размер экрана", self, clicked=self.resizeWindow))
        self.setLayout(layout)

    def resizeWindow(self):

        self.label.setText(
        "Получить ширину и высоту экрана: \n\n"
        "QApplication.desktop() - `{}`, `{}`\n"
            "".format( QApplication.desktop().width(),
                       QApplication.desktop().height()) +
        "QApplication.instance().desktop() - `{}`, `{}`\n"
            "".format( QApplication.instance().desktop().width(),
                       QApplication.instance().desktop().height()) +
        "QApplication.instance().desktop().availableGeometry() - `{}`, `{}`\n"
            "".format( QApplication.instance().desktop().availableGeometry().width(),
                       QApplication.instance().desktop().availableGeometry().height()) +
        "app.desktop().screenGeometry() - `{}`, `{}`\n"
            "".format( app.desktop().screenGeometry().width(),
                       app.desktop().screenGeometry().height()) +
        "app.desktop().availableGeometry() - `{}`, `{}`\n"
            "".format( app.desktop().availableGeometry().width(),
                       app.desktop().availableGeometry().height()) +
        "QDesktopWidget().availableGeometry()) - `{}`, `{}`\n"
            "".format( QDesktopWidget().availableGeometry().width(),
                       QDesktopWidget().availableGeometry().height()) +
        "QDesktopWidget().screenGeometry()) - `{}`, `{}`\n"
            "".format( QDesktopWidget().screenGeometry().width(),
                       QDesktopWidget().screenGeometry().height())
        )

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app = QApplication(sys.argv)
    ex  = Window()
    ex.show()
    sys.exit(app.exec_())

A: import sys
from PyQt5 import Qt

def get_size_of_desktop():
    desktop = Qt.QApplication(sys.argv).desktop()
    return (desktop.width(), desktop.height())

print(get_size_of_desktop())

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Bill is a professor of architecture at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has a fantastic book called [Water in Buildings: An Architects Guide to managing Moisture and Mold](). It's well worth the read and deserves a spot on any shelter nerd's Christmas list.


text:
Rocky Long's Tenure As Head Coach At SDSU (or was he really that good? Hint, yes. Yes, he was).
Posted: May 12, 2020 in Uncategorized
Tags: Aztecs, MWC, Rocky Long, SDSU football
Candidly, Rocky ranks with Don Coryell. He was better than Claude Gilbert. Rocky's nine years at San Diego State produced an overall record of 81 – 38 (.681) and MWC record of 51 – 20 (.718). None of his Aztec teams finished with an overall .500 record or losing record. Only once in MWC play was .500 the result (4 – 4 during 2018). He won 10 games twice (2017 and 2019). He won 11 games twice (2015 and 2016). Over a three year period, his Aztec teams posted a total of 32 wins. Not bad for a head coach with the soul of a defensive coordinator.
Bowl game appearances became the norm rather than the exception during Rocky's tenure at San Diego State. Nine seasons produced nine bowls. Sure some games were as disappointing as a pair of socks on Christmas morning. Other games (the wins) were built for Aztecs fans' memories: Stomping Buffalo on a frigid night in Boise (49 – 24); ruining Cincinnati's Hawaiian vacation (42 – 7); my personal favorite was the complete dismantling of Houston (34 -10. In my not so humble opinion the best Aztec effort on both sides of the ball . . . ever) and the good-bye, Rocky game against Central Michigan (48 – 11).
Let's dive a bit deeper.
Rocky's defenses gave away a season average of 30+ points once (31.7 in 2013). 2011's defense was the next "worse": 25.8 points allowed per game. Two teams (2016 and 2017) allowed an identical 20.2. His best defenses were 2014 (19.8), 2015 (16.4) and an absolutely crushing 12.7 in 2019. His speciality was stuffing the run. Opponents averaged barely 72 rushing yards per game in 2019. Consider, that total is shy of 3/4s of a football field. 2018's defense allowed 94.5 rushing yards per game (still a tad shy of an entire field and definitely end-zone free). The SDSU defenses from 2015 – 2017 allowed 111.2, 111.9 and 110.4 rushing yards per game respectively. From 2015 to 2019, Aztec rushing defense was rated in the top 5 for three years (2015, 2018, 2019), top 10 for one year (2017) and 11th overall in 2016.
During Rocky's nine years, the offense wasn't reminiscent of past glory (Coryell and Gilbert), but the Aztecs put the ball in the end zone and between the uprights often enough to generate those win percentages of .681 and .718. Plus, we watched the impressive skill sets of Ronnie Hillman, Donnel Pumphrey and Rashaad Penny running this way and that way, over, under and through to great effect. Speaking of those fine running backs (and not mentioned other running backs, quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends), 7 of Rocky's 9 years featured offenses that scored between 25 points and 35 points. Sure his final two years I dare not use the word "featured" to describe the Aztec offense. Rather, "cringe worthy", "red zone reluctant" and "pathetic" best portray the SDSU offensive efforts of 2018 and 2019. Then again, who is perfect?
Rocky's worst finish in MWC play was his first year (2011) as head coach, a seemingly unpromising 4th. None of his Aztec teams finished 4th again. Rocky's teams finished first or tied for first five seasons including consecutive MWC championships in 2015 and 2016. SDSU finished second in 2013 and 2017. Third once in 2018.
Finally, his head coaching efforts against the infamous power-5 resulted in an overall record of 6-9. His 2011 squad knocked off Washington State in 2011, then promptly lost the next eight non-conference games against p-5 schools. However, from 2016 to 2019, his Aztec teams went 5-1 against the big boys. PAC-12 games, always of note given our California residency, resulted in a 6-5 record which included the aforementioned run of 5-1.
The days of his souring media demeanor as the season progressed will be missed. By mid-October, his press conferences (pre or post) featured a man who would rather be in his dentist's chair than speaking to a writer from any media outlet. His perpetual folded arms while roaming the sidelines represented a coach who simply wanted the last two minutes of the game to grind out another victory. His back turned to all things offense during timeouts was the sign of extreme confidence in not only his offensive coordinator, but also his entire offensive coaching staff. Much like a man lost in a kitchen who loves to eat.
Rocky Long returns to the University of New Mexico in 2020. How long he stays, who knows? He can always come back to the beach and offer an idea or two.


hd00:10Close up Hand holding Card player. Play card. Poker game.
4k00:28Close up of chief woman making salad healthy food and chopping carrot on cutting board in the kitchen.
hd00:19Cutting carrots into slices on chopping board in home kitchen. Slow Motion in 96 fps. Knife Cut Carrots. Cooking food at home. Home atmosphere in the kitchen.


The module aims to enable students to understand and evaluate the use of sociological research methods in the study of faith-based and religion-related education. Students will be taught the principles of sociological analysis and critically analyse the use of sociological methods in relation to a selected context(s) and in particular research projects.
At the end of this module, students should be able to: 1) Apply a systematic knowledge and critical understanding of selected areas in Religions, Society and Education to some contemporary issues, demonstrating knowledge of current/ research debate and methodological awareness in relation to the use of sociologically-based research methods and approaches; 2) Independently gather, organise and critique sociologically-based research data from a broad range of primary, secondary and scholarly sources, communicating concisely in writing using sophisticated concepts and vocabulary appropriate to Religions, Society and Education, and proposing new hypotheses where appropriate; 3) Critically relate research, theory and practice in a creative and reflective way, according to professional/vocational context where appropriate; 4) Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of using sociological research in the study of Religions, Society and Education; 5) Critically analyse and evaluate the application of specific sociological methodology to particular issues in the study of Religions, Society and Education.


text:
BitMEX and OKCoin award Bitcoin Core developer $150,000
The pair gave Amiti Uttarwar the cash to continue work on Bitcoin's peer-to-peer layer.
Bitcoin Core is an open-source version of the Bitcoin protocol. Image: Shutterstock.
OKCoin and BitMEX have awarded Amiti Uttarwar a grant to work on Bitcoin Core.
They've given her $150,000.
She focuses on improving its peer-to-peer protocol.
A Bitcoin Core developer has been awarded a grant of $150,000 to continue work on the open-source protocol.
Amiti Uttarwar, who currently works as a Bitcoin Core developer for Bitcoin wallet company Xapo, received the $150,000 grant from OKCoin and HDR Global Trading Limited, the company that runs crypto exchange BitMEX. Uttarwar used to be a software engineer at crypto exchange Coinbase.
Uttarwar's focus is on Bitcoin's peer-to-peer layer. She has reportedly improved Bitcoin by working out how individual Bitcoin nodes revealed sensitive information.
Her improvement, PR #18038, prevents the information from rebroadcasting transactions so often, increasing privacy for those using the network. A larger mission, #16698, seeks to remove the disclosure of such sensitive information altogether.
Bitcoin's consensus mechanism is what drew Uttarwar to Bitcoin. "Blockchain introduces a new trust model with an explicit set of rules that are open and available to everyone," she said in a statement.
"This can deeply change how we interact as humans by establishing a way for us to come to an agreement of what happened without having to trust one another. Once I realized the implications of that for the future of society and finance, I was hooked and committed to building this reality."
#bitcoinhalving part 2 !
learn how to interact with your node to observe chain height, block subsidies and rewards.
pages 1-4 👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/Vichn2STtR
— Amiti (@amizi) May 9, 2020
Uttarwar, who currently works out of San Francisco's Bay Area, is the first woman to receive an individual grant from BitMEX. Earlier this month, BitMEX awarded a $100,000 grant to Bitcoin Core researcher and contributor, Gleb Naumenko. Michael Ford, aka "Fanquake," has also received $150,000 from BitMEX; the first payment of $50,000 was awarded in July 2019.
Amiti explained that she is "deeply grateful that OKCoin and BitMEX are collaborating to sponsor my work. The collective commitment to open source Bitcoin development is inspiring."
https://decrypt.co/32704/crypto-blockchain-amiti-uttarwar-grant


Funeral services for Jesse Lennard Youngblood Sr. 72, of Conroe will be held on Thursday January 10, 2013, at 12:30 pm. in Cashner Colonial Chapel with Derwin Youngblood officiating. Interment will follow in Hagan Family Cemetery in Crockett, Texas. Visitation is scheduled for Wednesday, January 9 2013, from 5 to 9 p.m. in Cashner Funeral Home.
Mr. Youngblood was born July 23, 1940 in Timpson, Texas and passed away on January 7, 2013 in Conroe, Texas. He proudly served our country in the Marine Corp and served his community as a lifetime barber. Jesse was a loving husband, father and pawpaw. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Alice Youngblood, daughters, Frances King and husband James of Conroe, Texas and Rhonda Mora and husband Jason of Conroe, Texas, sons, Jesse L. Youngblood Jr. of Conroe, Texas and Derwin Youngblood and wife Darla of Conroe, Texas, sisters, Evelyn Draper of Kokomo, In and Donna Smith and husband Bob of New Caney, Texas, 7 grandchildren, T.J. King and wife Hatti, Chris King and wife Jessica, Colby Mora, Dylan Mora, Jonathan Wylie and wife Tamara, Jesalyn Youngblood and Jaelyn Youngblood, 6 great grandchildren, Kaidince King, Aiden King, Xander King, Garrett Wylie, Shaela Wylie and Braiden Wylie. Numerous other family and friends also survive. Pallbearers will be, T.J. King, Chris King, Robert Jackson Jr., Jesse L. Younghblood Jr., Douglas Youngblood, Jimmy Mason Jr., Walter Mason and Dylan Mora. Jesse will be loved and missed by all. You are invited to leave a written tribute for the family on our website at www.cashnerconroe.com.


Quick, easy and super fun Botton Sorting by the Hole idea for toddlers!
Great as a quick learning activity that will keep toddlers content, focused and busy. I've tested it and vouch for it! My son (2) loved this fun idea for buttons. He never knew that buttons have different number of holes in them so he was super excited to analyze each button, go through dozens of them, match them up and sort them. It was a great activity that literally took no effort or time prepping for me! Yay!
Dump all of your assorted buttons into a bowl or tray. Using 2 flashcards and permanent marker, draw a button on each, one having 4 dots in the middle, other 2 dots in the middle. Tape to the tray or seperate bowls for easy sorting.
Try this Button Sorting activity and share it with me so I can see your fun!


text:
O'Brien: "We have to put all our energy into the League"
Forward analyses Cup tie with Brighton and looks ahead to important Championship schedule
Aiden O'Brien says Millwall "battled well" in a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion at The Den in the Emirates FA Cup, and that Sky Bet Championship survival is the club's sole priority for the remainder of the season.
O'Brien netted on his 200th Lions appearance to put the side two goals ahead, before Brighton staged a late comeback to eventually win the tie on penalties.
"I thought we battled well and played some good football, and we scored two terrific goals," the forward says.
"To score two and then concede two so late is disappointing as it's happened to us several times this season. But everyone was terrific – the boys on the pitch, the subs, the staff, the fans – and it just wasn't meant to be. Everyone was doing their bit, working hard and covering every blade of grass as everyone saw.
"Maybe it's a blessing in disguise in some way – we can now solely focus on the League without worrying about the Cup. We have a nitty-gritty survival battle on our hands, and we just have to put all our energy into that."
The Irishman praised the impact of the top-flight visitors, and claims he cannot fault his teammates or supporters in any way after an emotional rollercoaster at The Den.
"Brighton are a great team. They pass it and go forward well, and they're a really good technical side who play in the Premier League week-in, week-out.
"They know how to score goals – [Jurgen] Locadia and [Solly] March came on and changed the game for them, giving them something different.
"I can't fault the boys out there and I can't fault the fans at all. We're all proud."
O'Brien finally says that with League survival becoming the final target for the season, all hands must be on deck to secure vital Championship status for The Lions.
"Every time we're at The Den now for the rest of the season, we need as many fans as possible to be there to push us on – because as you saw, we almost took a Premier League side to the cleaners and the fans played a massive part in that. We need that to battle to stay in this League.
"We have to dust ourselves down, the Cup is done with now. There are quite a few teams down there, fighting for the same thing we're fighting for.
"We can't lose anymore games at The Den now. This has to be a hostile place as our home form will be absolutely vital to us staying in the Championship next season."
Millwall vs Brighton and Hove Albion on 17 Mar 19
Aiden O'Brien


text:
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One of the biggest mysteries of the 20th Century was the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. In 2019, this story was brought to film by Martin Scorcese. It combined history's best screen talent, the biggest streaming service, and very expensive special effects. In this post, we share some thoughts on, and try not to spoil, The Irishman.
The Irishman tells the life story of Frank Sheeran, organized crime figure and close confidant of Teamsters President, Jimmy Hoffa. It's based on the book, I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt. It brings together the most iconic and prolific actors of our time, including: Robert De Niro (Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran), Joe Pesci (Russell Bufalino), Al Pacino (Jimmy Hoffa), and Harvey Keitel (Angelo Bruno). It also contains a strong supporting cast of some of my favorite actors, including Ray Romano (Paddleton, Get Shorty), Bobby Cannavale (Vinyl, The Station Agent), Stephen Graham (Boardwalk Empire, Snatch) and Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad, Game Night).
What's The Irishman about?
Frank Sheeran was as an average Philly truck driver. After being introduced to the Bufalino crime family, he ascended to national politics, gaining the confidence of Jimmy Hoffa. Hoffa, the second most powerful man in the United States at the time, famously disappeared in 1975. In a hurricane feud that involved the mob, Kennedy family, Castro, Nixon and a giant pension fund, The Irishman details Frank Sheeran's account of what allegedly happened.
The performances were fantastic all around. Unlike many of his other roles, De Niro doesn't play a menacing boss. He's quite demure as the family man turned house painter. He is a joy to watch, quietly moving from task to task as a mob ambassador of sorts. At the same time, he shines when he muscles people around. It's truly surprising that he didn't receive a Best Actor Golden Globe nom. (Fun Fact: of the five films nominated for Best Picture Globes, De Niro's in two of them.)
In Joe Pesci's words, Bob and Marty "pulled him out of the gutter" to work on The Irishman. And it was a good thing for all involved. As the powerful yet subdued mob boss, Russell Bufalino, Pesci somehow delivers authority, calm, fear and terror all at once. He earned a 2020 Golden Globe nod for his portrayal.
As did Al Pacino. Some said that Jimmy Hoffa was an easier role to play, since there was so much footage of him. But one could argue it made the role more difficult for the same reason. In addition to his Chicagoan accent, you get a classic Pacino performance: boisterous, kind, and unwavering.
Of course, Scorcese was as masterful as always. Not only did he reunite this amazing group, but coaxed incredible performances out of them. We were treated to classic Scorcese staples: the opening scene, reminiscent of the Goodfellas steadi-cam shot; quick camera reveals; first-person narration; and of course, that midcentury-flavored soundtrack.
Impressions of the "de-aging" technology
One of the first things you notice is the CGI effect that made the principal actors look young. Makeup also aged actors past their present-day appearances. This helped increase the impact of their youthful shots. As the central figure in the story, Frank Sheeran ages the most:
What I love about the effects is that they allow the actor to still express the emotions and subtext that they would normally. But of course, they aren't perfect. With well-known actors like De Niro, we may compare the altered appearance with how we remember the actor from earlier films. For example, here's a shot of De Niro as a young man in The Irishman, and an actual young man in 1976's Taxi Driver:
Observation #1: De Niro sure drives a lot. (Ronin, anyone?) But secondly, the CGI effect does not change face width, jawline, or other features that signal age. While it does change eye color, the blue hue in De Niro's eyes were artificial and distracting. But hey, whaddya gonna do. He's playing an Irishman.
There's also the matter of how an actor moves within a scene. De Niro walks, runs, and fights in this film, but the software can do nothing to mask his movements. In that sense, a scene may not look as authentic when, say, a 76-year-old beats the living daylight out of a handsy grocer. But the effect can be extremely successful within the boundaries of a single film, depending on the actor, scene, and his or her movements.
For some, like Joe Pesci, the effects worked well. This may be due to Pesci's face shape, or more spread out time periods, but overall his aging looked pretty darn good.
Even with its 209 runtime, this movie is a must see for fans of film. It's another phenomenal achievement by Netflix, who last year brought us the Best-Picture-nominated, critically acclaimed, Roma. Yes, there's been considerable blowback for even making The Irishman. (Some have called it Sheeran's desperate money grab, made of pure fiction.) In the 23-minute companion video, The Irishman in Conversation, Scorcese himself says, "Who knows what the real story is?"
So take it with a grain of salt, and enjoy a movie that wasn't made for children or China. With the principals' average age falling at 77, this may be the last time we see a collaboration like this again.
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text:
Daily PricesUpdated Jan 19, 2021
ANR SE: 0.015ANR SW: 0.010Agua Dulce: -0.010Algonquin Citygate: 2.185Alliance: 0.005CIG: 0.055Cheyenne Hub: 0.040Chicago Citygate: 0.010Dawn: 0.015Dominion Energy Cove Point: 0.100Dominion South: 0.030El Paso Permian: -0.010Henry Hub: 0.050Houston Ship Channel: -0.020Iroquois, Waddington: 0.240Katy: -0.010Malin: 0.025Michigan Consolidated: 0.025NOVA/AECO C: -0.005Northern Natural Ventura: 0.020Northwest Sumas: 0.020Opal: 0.025PG&E Citygate: -0.065Panhandle Eastern: 0.050REX Zone 3 Delivered: 0.025SoCal Border Avg.: 0.025SoCal Citygate: -0.125Tenn Zone 4 200L: 0.000Tenn Zone 6 200L: 1.940Tennessee Zn 4 313 Pool: 0.045Tennessee Zn 4 Marcellus: 0.085Texas Eastern M-2, 30 Receipt: 0.125Texas Eastern M-3, Delivery: 0.185Transco Zone 3: 0.005Transco Zone 5: 0.120Transco Zone 6 NY: 0.345Transco Zone 6 non-NY: 0.180Waha: -0.025Westcoast Station 2: -0.035
Daily GPI
Regulatory | NGI All News Access
Natural Gas Issues Get Airing in Congress
By NGI Staff Reports
The Republican-led House Wednesday voted out legislation that would provide producers more certainty in the leasing process for oil and gas projects on federal lands and began debating a bill to prohibit the federal government from regulating hydraulic fracturing (fracking). The House was poised to pass that measure as well, but both are expected to be hollow victories.
The House bill on expediting drilling permits (HR 1965), which was drafted by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), cleared the chamber by a 228-192 vote, with most Republicans supporting the bill.
However, President Obama has threatened to veto the legislation, as well as two other bills — HR 2728, which was drafted by Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX), to bar the Interior Department from enforcing federal fracking regulations in any states that already have regulations; and HR 1900, sponsored by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS), to establish a set deadline for federal and state agencies to approve pipeline applications.
The bills "are going nowhere in the Senate and the president has already issued veto [threats]," said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA). There are "six full days left in the session of 2013. Yet we fiddle here on bills that are going nowhere," agreed House Minority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD).
Lamborn's bill would require the Interior Department to approve or reject onshore drilling permits within 60 days. Permits would be deemed approved if Interior does not meet the deadline.
"The administration strongly opposes HR 1965," because it "would reverse administration oil and gas leasing reforms that have established orderly, open, efficient and environmentally sound processes for energy development on public lands," the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said in a statement.
The measure, which cleared the House Natural Resources Committee in late July, would reform the leasing process for onshore oil and natural gas projects on federal lands to eliminate unnecessary delays, reform the process for energy permitting, and ensure funds are available for efficient wind and solar permitting.
Specifically, the bill further would prohibit the Interior secretary from canceling or withdrawing any lease parcel after a competitive lease sale has occurred and a winning bidder has made the last payment for the parcel, and it directs the Interior Secretary to make nominated areas available for lease within 18 months after an area is designated as open under a current land use plan.
Flores' bill seeks to thwart federal oversight of fracking. It would bar Interior from enforcing federal fracking regulations in any state that already has regulations, and to recognize states' authority to regulate this type of activity.
With respect to fracking, "states are just as competent" as regulators in Washington, DC, said Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT). "There is no identifiable problems with what the states are doing with fracturing…Unfortunately the conventional wisdom is always only people in Washington, DC, have the broad view to make decisions for the entire nation. That is a ridiculous wisdom."
Fracking "is not what my constituents had in mind," said Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO). He noted that four of the top five communities in Colorado have imposed bans on fracking, and more are expected in the future.
State and local rules governing fracking are an important part of the equation, but there also is a need for rules at the federal level, Polis noted. Colorado is trying to update its oil and gas rules, but it hasn't done anything yet to protect homeowners. "I've been powerless to stop it [fracking]" from occurring near homes and schools.
Pompeo's bill, which cleared the House Energy and Commerce Committee in July, would establish a 12-month deadline for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve gas pipeline applications, and other federal permitting agencies would have 90 days (with a potential extension of 30 days) to complete a separate review of the project (see Daily GPI, May 13).
The clock for the other federal permitting agencies would begin to tick when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issues a final environmental impact statement. If the agencies fail to meet the deadlines, the permits would be automatically approved under the bill.
"The administration recognizes the need for additional energy infrastructure and supports the timely consideration of project applications. The administration, however, strongly opposes HR 1900, which would allow the automatic approval of natural gas pipeline projects if the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or other federal agencies do not issue the required permit, license or approval within rigid, unworkable time frames," according to a statement by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
"HR 1900 could create conflicts with existing statutory and regulatory requirements and practices related to agencies' programs, thereby causing confusing and increasing litigation risk. The bill's requirements could force agencies to make decisions based on incomplete information or information that may not be available within the stringent deadlines, and to deny applications that otherwise would have been approved, but for lack of sufficient review time.
"For these reasons, the bill may actually delay projects or lead to more project denials, undermining the intent of the legislation," the OMB said.
FERC has reported that since fiscal year 2009, it has completed action on 92% (504 out of 548) of all pipeline applications that it has received within one year of receipt. The small percent of decisions that took longer than one year involved complex proposals that merited additional review and consideration, the agency noted. "Further, FERC already has an existing framework to set reasonable timetables for the other federal agencies with permit, review or approval authority to act."
A change in the pipeline permitting process is needed because, notwithstanding the Energy Policy Act of 2005, it takes longer for applicants to receive permits and construct gas pipelines, said Donald Santa, president of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America. "This bill would provide a powerful incentive for agencies to act in a timely manner."
The Pompeo bill is a "meaningful piece of legislation" because approval of new pipeline infrastructure has not kept pace with the shale revolution brought on by fracking, said Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX).
Surprisingly, energy proponent Rep. Gene Green (R-TX) said he opposed Pompeo's bill. "I can't support this bill," he said, adding that the existing pipeline permitting process was not broken. "This bill is a solution in search of a problem."
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) called the trio of bills a "turkey." They will pass the House, but that will be the end of them, he noted.
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The LED500 Silver Series LED Light Kit from Dracast offers image makers a capable 3-point light solution that can be used in the studio or on the road.
This LED500 S-Series Bi-Colour 3-Light Kit with V-Mount Battery Plates from Dracast offers image makers a capable 3-point light solution that can be used in the studio or on the road. The kit features three S-Series Bi-Colour LED500 panels equipped with V-mount battery plates, each coming with a diffuser, a power adapter, and an individual soft case for each light. Complementing the panels are three 7.2′ (2.1 m) stands for support and a padded soft kit case that can safely transport all the included gear.
Featuring a slimmer and lighter design at just 2.0 lb, the LED500 Silver Series Bi-Colour LED Light from Dracast is an ideal choice for location work, interviews, and small sets where colour accuracy, control, and flicker-free output are of major importance. Variable colour temperature from 3200K-5600K or anywhere in between means that you can quickly match the prevailing ambient or artificial light balance with a simple twist of a knob while others are still applying filters. Dimming is equally convenient via another knob that adjusts the light intensity from 100-0% with negligible colour shift. The low electrical draw of just 30W means a timely return on your investment.
The durable anodised aluminium frame is supported by an oversized, U-shaped yoke with locking knobs on each side and a standard 5/8″ receiver. The LED500 can be used worldwide, powered by the included 100-240 VAC adapter in the studio, or by V-Mount batteries in the field. Four-way barndoors for contouring and control of the LED500's 45-degree beam angle are included. For protection during transport and storage, a carry case is included.


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News Displaying items by tag: Misr Beni Suef
Displaying items by tag: Misr Beni Suef
Misr Beni Suef's third-quarter sales rise by 24%
Egypt: Misr Beni Suef's sales over the three months to 30 September 2019 were US$29.6m, up by 24% from US$23.9m in the corresponding period of 2018. This growth failed to offset the challenges of profitability in a saturated market, with profit falling by 2.7% year-on-year to US$1.34m from US$1.37m.
Published in Global Cement News
Siemens presents digitalisation study to the Egyptian Ministry of Industry
Egypt: Siemens has submitted an integrated survey of the digitalisation potential of various industries in four zones to the Ministry of Industry (MoI) with a view to improving the competitiveness of the country's products. Daily News Egypt has reported that the Germany-based technology company has already signed contracts for the supply of digital efficiency solutions with El Ameria Cement and Lafarge Egypt. It is also negotiating with Misr Beni Suef for the installation of thermal emission measuring units at its 3.5Mt/yr integrated cement plant in Beni Suef, Maadi.
ASEC renews technical management contract with Misr Beni Suef Cement
Egypt: ASEC Engineering has renewed its technical management contract with Misr Beni Suef Cement until the end of 2023. ASEC originally worked on the first production line at the plant in 2001. It maintenance contract was renewed in 2007 with the addition of a new production line. The cement plant has a production capacity of 3.1Mt/yr.
Misr Beni Suef net profit slumps in first half
Egypt: Misr Beni Suef Cement made a net profit of US$3.13m in the first half of 2017, compared to a net profit of US$5.32m in the same period of 2016. This represents a 41% fall year-on-year.
Misr Beni Suef produces sulphate resistant cement for tunnel projects
Egypt: Misr Beni Suef Cement has started to produce sulphate resistant cement for use in tunnels and other special projects. The cement producer is aiming to boost sales by selling 200,000t of this new product in 2016, in addition to sales of ordinary Portland cement.
Misr Beni Suef profit up in first half
Egypt: Misr Beni Suef Cement has announced a net profit of US$6.9m for the first half of 2015, compared to a net profit of US$2.2m in the same period of 2014.
Egyptian companies into the red in the first quarter of 2015
Egypt: Sinai Cement has reported a net loss of US$1.43m for the first quarter of 2015, which ended on 31 March 2015. In the same period of 2014 it posted a net profit of US$4.67m. Meanwhile, Misr Beni Suef Cement has reported a net profit of US$4.59m for the first quarter of 2015, which ended on 31 March 2015. In the same quarter of 2014 it posted a net profit of US$6.67m.
Misr Beni Suef Cement to build coal mill
Egypt: Misr Beni Suef Cement has reached an agreement to build a coal mill worth US$27.9m in 12 months.
"The project will be funded through self-financing and loans," said Misr Beni Suef. The company expects the project to be completed by the end of 2015. Egypt is currently struggling with blackouts and the government has cut natural gas supplies to plants, which has prompted cement companies to switch to coal.
Egypt's natural gas production has been declining for years. Production in January 2014 was down by 10% from January 2013, according to the most recent government figures. In September 2014, the Egyptian government began to allow coal imports despite environmental concerns from the high pollution coal emits.
Egyptian cement producers face uncertainty over energy supplies
Egypt: Omar A Mohanna, Chairman of Suez Cement, has announced that the company intends to alter its energy mix to use 20% of its energy from waste recycling and 80% from coal during 2014. He added that the Ministry of Environmental affairs has not announced its position on the use of coal, according to AlAhram News. Previous energy supply shortages have reduced production at Suez Cement to 50%.
In related news, the CEO of the Misr Beni Suef Cement Company revealed that his company has received an official letter from the Egyptian government informing the company that the natural gas supply to their facilities will be completely cut in May 2014. The letter added that the government will supply enough Mazut to the company to operate one production line.
Misr Beni Suef writes to President over fuel
Egypt: Production at Misr Beni Suef's cement plants was stopped for the second time in two months on 6 December 2012 due to shortage in natural gas supply. The company has reported that the lack of fuel has led to a loss of approximately US$16.5m and that it may lead to the dismissal of some of its workforce if continued.
Misr Beni Suef's managing director Farouk Moustafa said that the company had sent a letter to the Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi seeking a solution to the gas supply cut but that no response had yet been received.
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1. What time does the Kern Regional Transit or TCaT bus come?
For more information on Kern Regional Transit, please visit http://www.co.kern.ca.us/roads/kernregionaltransit.asp, or call 1-800-560-1733.
For more information on TCaT, please visit http://www.co.tulare.ca.us/government/rma/trans/transit.asp, or call 1-800-431-9711.
2. How much is the fare for DART?
The DART fare is Adults 19-64 years old is $1.00. Children 0 - 5 are free, Students ages 6-18 years old are 75 cents and seniors over age 64, Medicare card holders, ADA eligible users and persons with disabilities are 50 cents.
3. What time does DART bus service begin?
BLAST service hours are 6:30 am - 5:26 pm, Monday through Friday (Last bus leaves Delano Station at 4:46 pm), and 8:57 am - 4:40 pm, Saturday (Last bus leaves Delano Station at 4:00 pm).
DART does not operate on Sundays or the following holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Saturday service operates on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President's Day, Cesar Chavez Day, Veterans Day, Day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.
4. Can DART bus passes be purchased through the mail ?
Yes, DART bus passes can be purchased through the mail. Forms can be accessed three ways: at our website, call(661)721-3333 and request a form to be mailed to you or ask DART bus driver for the form. DART bus passes can be ordered with a credit card by faxing the order form to (661) 721-2590 or calling (661) 721-2284. To check on the status of the pass order, please call Delano Station at (661) 721-2284.
5. My son, aged 16, needs to ride the bus to and from work, but it's the summer, can he still obtain a student I.D.?
He can use his past school year I.D. card until he receives a new school I.D. card. Once he turns 19, he will no longer be eligible for the youth/student fare.
6. My child is riding the bus to and from school, how safe is she?
Your child is in good hands. All DART routes are driven by professionally trained bus operators that are trained to handle certain emergency related tasks. Should problems occur on the bus, the bus operators will contact the local authorities for assistance. Our buses are also Safe Places. We assist youth ages 11 to 17 that are in trouble and refer them to the Fresno EOC Youth Santuary for assistance and counseling.
7. My child has after school activities, how often will buses run after normal school hours?
Consult a DART rider's guide for more details. Typically buses operate every 46 minutes until 5:26 pm. Last buses depart Delano Station at 4:46 pm.
8. Are DART Passes refundable, exchangeable or replaceable?
No, all sales are final. Once a pass is sold, no refunds are given, no exchanges can be made and no pass will be replaced if lost, destroyed or stolen.
9. How can I access Transit Information?
For DART, please call (661) 721-3333 or visit www.cityofdelano.org. Transit Information is available Monday-Friday between 6:30 am and 5:30 pm and Saturday between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm.
10. When are DART Passes available for purchase?
Anytime, Monday-Friday excluding holidays at Delano City Hall Finance Department, 1015 11th Avenue, Delano Station, 1120 Glenwood Street, Delano and Delano Municipal Airport, 1212 Airport Drive, Delano between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm.
11. Does DART sell tickets books?
DART has a 10-Ride CityPass punch pass. A general fare 10-Ride CityPass cost $10.00. A student 10-Ride CityPass cost $7.50 and a discount 10-Ride CityPass cost $5.00. For Delano Area Dial-A-Ride, a City 10-Ride Pass for general fare passengers cost $17.50, for seniors, persons with disabilities, ADA eligible users $12.50 and for all passengers traveling into the unincorporated County area, the cost is $25.00.
12. Where can I pick up bus schedules and other information for Dial-A-Ride and DART?
Bus schedules, fares and other pertinent transit information are provided online or at Delano Station, Delano Library, Delano City Hall, Delano Police Department, Delano Municipal Airport and many other popular destinations in Delano. You may also call us at (661) 721-3333 or email transportation@delano-ca.org to have information sent to you.
13. Where can I purchase Kern Regional Transit or TCaT tickets?
Kern Regional Transit bus passes and schedules are available by calling 1-800-560-1733 for location information.
TCaT bus passes and schedules are available by calling 1-800-431-9711 for location information.
You can also purchase TCaT and Kern Regional Transit passes and ticket books at Delano Station, 1120 Glenwood Street, Delano, Monday - Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
14. Can I use Delano Area Dial-A-Ride?
If you are a senior, have a disability, certified ADA or have a medicare card - you can go anywhere in the Dial-A-Ride service area. If you do not meet the requirements listed above, you can only ride in the service area where there is no DART bus service.
15. Where is Delano Station?
We are located at 1120 Glenwood Street at the corner of 11th Avenue and Glenwood Street next to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Look for a clock tower on a building with a green roof.


It's Recipe Redux time again, and this month's theme is "Start Smoking in the New Year". No, not actual smoking but the trendy smoking of food. We were challenged to show a healthy dish we're heating up with smoke and/or spiciness. Enter sriracha! These Spicy Gluten Free Chicken Tenders are flavorful and easy! The trick is using brown rice cereal instead of traditional bread crumbs. Get the kids involved and let them crush the rice cereal, it's simple and fun. Cut them into easy dipping strips for a party! Super Bowl anyone?
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rice cereal in a large zipper bag, seal and crush with a rolling pin or the back of a spoon. Pour onto a large, flat plate and set aside. In a bowl, combine yogurt and sriracha/hot sauce. Take each chicken breast, dip in yogurt mixture, dredge in rice cereal, and place on baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Spray tops of chicken lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Tips: You can increase or decrease the amount of sriracha to suit your taste, and even drizzle extra on the chicken or around the plate to serve. If spicy is not your preference, try brushing the chicken with mild barbecue sauce prior to breading with the rice cereal.
If you do not require a gluten free recipe, another option is to coat the tenders in 2/3 cup of whole wheat panko bread crumbs (unseasoned) The brand I use only contains 55mg of sodium per 1/3 cup. The end product will be crispier than the rice cereal.
Make sure to serve with veggies for dipping in yogurt or low fat sour cream mixed with a little more sriracha if you can take the heat. Otherwise, the traditional "light" blue cheese dressing will work as well.
What is your favorite recipe containing sriracha?
I have several moms I'm working with right now that are going to love this recipe! Smart idea to use the brown rice cereal as the crust.
Yay chicken tenders! Such a childhood fav of mine! Good thing these are healthy!!
My daughter will love this recipe! Rice cereal is a great idea for "breading".
I love your use of brown rice cereal. These sound really tasty!


Truth In Juice: Wine Education & Commentary - Articles & Commentary - Summertime Sipping and Wine "On-The-Go"
Summertime Sipping and Wine "On-The-Go"
If you're anything like me, you've looked at the calendar today, recognized that it's July 17th, that the summer is half-over, and while you've had a lot of fun, you're not sure exactly where all the time has gone. My summer has been marked by softball games, soccer, my five-year college reunion, moving, sailing, swimming, concerts, and more. However, I find that balancing an on-the-go lifestyle with culinary and wine appreciation can be difficult. While I have no wish to combine wine consumption with athletics, it is nice to be able to have a glass of wine during an evening sail, or at an outdoor concert, or even during a leisurely river tubing trip. To that end, I wanted to make everyone aware of my favorite device for enjoying wine outside the comfort of your home: the GoVino glass.
Since I was first introduced to GoVino while working at BRIX Wine Shop in the summer of 2008, it has been a trusted companion for many a sailing trip, picnic, Tanglewood concert, and river tubing excursion. These glasses are made of shatterproof plastic, but look like a classy, stemless wine glass. Trust me, it's far superior to drinking wine from a Solo Cup. Hopefully this adds to the rest of your summer wine enjoyment!


Blue Care, home of the beloved Blue Nurses, provides services that are based on a collaborative, friendly relationship, with a focus on best meeting your loved one's needs.
You've no doubt read about the valuable assistance available from the federal government to help your mum, dad or loved one continue to live independently in their own home – and that that assistance is in high demand.
The good news is that fresh funding has just been announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt in order to cut the waiting times for much-needed, subsidised home care services for Australians aged 65-plus (50-plus if you identify as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person).
So, the headlines sound promising, but what does it mean for your family? Penni Dring, an expert on aged care at iconic Queensland aged care provider Blue Care, has helped Starts at 60 lay out the key facts on home care, including what government funding covers and the best way to access that funding for your loved one.
There are two federal government subsidy schemes for home care services – the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) and the Home Care Package (HCP) system – but it can be difficult to know what scheme is most relevant to your family member.
Your first stop is My Aged Care, the government's website for all aged care-related information and services. If you've never used My Aged Care before, you can read up on what help is available here, before phoning 1800 200 422 between 8am-8pm Monday-Friday and 10am-2pm Saturday to register with the aged care system.
Registration requires a Medicare card number, so if you're registering for a family member, make sure you have their number. After a short assessment of their situation over the telephone with a My Aged Care consultant, you'll be directed to either the CHSP or the HCP avenue for funded home care.
The CHSP provides the entry level of funding for aged care in the home, designed to deliver a basic level of care or shorter-term care to older Australians. The care services offered by the CHSP are often used by older people who're recovering from an illness, injury or surgery and just need some help, for example, in shopping for groceries or cleaning the house over a shorter term.
Before that care can be provided, My Aged Care may send a Regional Assessment Service (RAS) assessor to your loved one's home to get more detail on their needs. Once that assessment is complete, My Aged Care will then refer your loved one to an approved home care service provider of your choice and subsidise the required home care services up to the value of about $8,000 a year.
CHSP services aren't means tested, which means your family member's income or assets have no impact on the subsidy your approved home care provider receives from the government toward the cost of their home care services. The CHSP requires just a small contribution from the care user toward those costs and, once funding is approved by My Aged Care, will organise the services directly with a home care provider such as Blue Care.
If your phone assessment indicates a more complex array of care is required, an assessor from the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) will visit your loved one's home instead, to assess which one of four Home Care Package (HCP) service levels is best matched to their needs.
If they are assessed as eligible, your family member will be placed on a waiting list for a subsidised HCP. If their needs are particularly urgent, the assessor may recommend to My Aged Care that they receive assistance through the CHSP while they wait for HCP funding.
This contribution, if required, is called an Income-Tested Fee (ITF). It's wise to discuss any financial obligations you may have with your chosen home care provider before you start using its services.
Blue Care's expert Penni Dring advises anyone considering home care to use My Aged Care's online income assessment tool, which asks just three questions to deliver an estimate of the fees a home care service provider is likely to charge on top of the government's subsidy for the services your family member requires.
The four HCP 'levels of need' start at Level 1, which covers the most basic types of care, up to a rough value of $8,250 per year. Level 2 is for people with low-care needs ($15,000), Level 3 covers intermediate care needs ($33,000) and Level 4 is for high-level care needs ($50,250).
Dring says a Level 1 HCP suits someone who simply needs a bit of help with household chores, using the example of a person who has back pain that makes it difficult for them to hang out the laundry or vacuum the floors.
Level 2 HCP recipients are usually still able to live reasonably independently, but with some additional support.
She says the support Blue Care can provide covers a huge range of needs, from assistance with reading and writing letters to purchasing white goods or home safety or mobility aids and even taking care of beloved pets. This is because the types of home care available aren't written in stone, but can develop through a conversation between the service provider and the person needing care.
"The government's booklet on home care services certainly doesn't say dog walking is included, but a lot of our clients do have little dogs that are their best friend in the world, that without them in the house for them to talk to and cuddle, it would just really be so distressing for them, so we have to try and keep that pet as healthy or alive for as long as possible," Dring notes.
Level 3 and 4 packages are assigned to older Australians who have more complex care needs. This might include personal care tasks such as bathing and dressing, which they may not be comfortable with family members doing, to assistance with medication, nursing or allied health services.
"It could be that they're still very well supported by their family, they still get their groceries done by the family, the family still cooks for them, but the things that the families can't do, because they go to work or for dignity reasons, we can do," Dring says.
On February 10, the Coalition government announced it would fund an additional 10,000 home care packages across all levels of need at a cost of $282.4 million, as as part of a $662 million investment in aged care across the board.
The prime minister said the additional funding was aimed at cutting wait times for home care packages, and comes on top of the announcement in late 2018 of funding for 10,000 high-level HCPs, designed to cater for Australians with the most complex home care needs.
Rollout of the initial 10,000 packages began in January 2019, and Ken Wyatt said at the time that they were expected to be delivered by the end of June 2019, also with the aim of cutting waiting lists. The latest round of funding is expected to roll out over the coming 18 months.
Patricia Sparrow, the chief executive of Aged & Community Services Australia, which represents non-profit aged care providers, says that the latest funding will help more people get the home care services they need.
"The 10,000 new home care packages will provide relief to thousands of older Australians and their families, keep people independent for longer and provide the kind of flexible care that allows people to remain part of the community," she says.
Blue Care's Dring says that although the initial 10,000 high-level funding packages were aimed at people eligible for Level 3 or Level 4 packages, some of the funding may be used to provide more care for existing home care clients who, for example, already have a Level 2 package but who are eligible for an upgrade.
It's not yet clear how the second tranche of 10,000 places that were announced on February 10 will be allocated in practice.
The amount your family member will need to pay, if anything, towards their home care services depends entirely on their individual circumstances; their income and assets (other than the family home) and their care needs.
Full Age Pensioners, for example, would usually not be required to make any contribution toward home care services, while the maximum an Australian can be asked to contribute toward the cost of their own care is of $10,920.80 per year. The government covers the rest of the costs of care, up to the maximum amount allowed by each level of needs.
But there is an additional cost, called the basic daily fee (BDF), that home care providers are permitted to charge. This is set at 17.5 percent of the single, full Age Pension, so is revised twice a year in line with the pension – it currently sits at $10.43 and is charged for every day a person has an active HCP (not every day they actually receive services).
The BDF is collected by the home care service provider and added to the pool of money available for the client to spend on their services. If an HCP is stopped, the service provider will calculate any unspent contributions by the client and government and return them to who provided it.
She urges people who feel a family member would benefit from home care to contact My Aged Care. Blue Care also offers no-cost, obligation-free guidance and advice for families navigating the aged care system.
"We often suggest people meet with us so we can show them on paper, face to face, [how the system works] because that makes it a lot easier to understand," she adds.
Have you accessed My Aged Care for yourself or a family member? Were you happy with the service level and funding you were assigned? What's been your experience of home care services so far?
As one of Queensland's leading in-home, retirement living and aged care providers Blue Care can deliver tailored support for you or your loved ones. With expert advice and over 65 years' experience, Blue Care will make things simpler, so you and your family can continue to live life your way.


text:
Ладислав Женишек (7. март 1904. — 14. мај 1985.) био је чешки фудбалски дефанзивац, а касније фудбалски тренер. За Чехословачку је одиграо 22 утакмице.

Био је учесник Светског првенства у фудбалу 1934, где је Чехословачка освојила сребрну медаљу.

У својој земљи је највише играо за Викторију Жижков и Славију из Прага.

Као фудбалски тренер, тренирао је неколико тимова, укључујући Викторију Жижков, као и репрезентацију Чехословачке.

Референце
 Ladislav Ženíšek at FAČR (на чешком)

Рођени 1904.
Умрли 1985.
Спортисти из Прага
Фудбалери на Светском првенству 1934.
Одбрамбени играчи у фудбалу
Чешки фудбалски тренери
Фудбалери Викторије Жижков
Фудбалери Славије (Праг)
Чехословачки фудбалери
Чешки фудбалери

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia