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Dec. 26 celebrity birthdays
BIRTHDAYS OF THE PAST: Albert Gore, Sr., U.S. senator; born 1907, died 1998
CNN correspondent Candy Crowley is 63.
Actor Caroll Spinney (Big Bird on Sesame Street") is 78.
Actor Zach Mills ("Super 8") is 16.
Author Kitty Dukakis, the wife of former Massachusetts governor and presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, is 75.
Author and humorist David Sedaris is 55.
Actor Temuera Morrison ("Green Lantern," "Once Were Warriors") is 51.
Actress Kendra C. Johnson ("Phat Girlz," "The Game") is 35.
Former U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) is 56.
Singer-songwriter Jay Farrar (Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo) is 45.
Actress Roxanne Pallett is 29.
Actor John Lynch ("In the Name of the Father," "The Secret Garden") is 50.
Singer Duke Fakir of the Four Tops is 76.
Singer-songwriter James Mercer (The Shins, the Broken Bells) is 41.
Singer Chris Daughtry of Daughtry is 32.
TV personality and crime victims' rights advocate John Walsh ("America's Most Wanted") is 66.
Music producer Phil Spector is 72.
Actress Nadia Dajani ("Necessary Roughness," "The Big C") is 46.
Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith is 57.
Drummer Lars Ulrich of Metallica is 48.
Singer/actor Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars ("Mr. Nobody," "Girl, Interrupted") is 40.
Actress Tricia Leigh Fisher ("Til Death"), the daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Connie Stevens, the sister of actress Joely Fisher and half-sister of actress Carrie Fisher, is 43.
Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk is 64.
Former California governor Gray Davis is 69.
Actress Sandra Taylor ("New Year's Eve," "Keeping Up With the Steins") is 45.
By Orange County Register
See some of the people celebrating birthdays today. Notable personalities of the past who were born on this date can be found at the end of this slide show.
Also see notable deaths of 2011.
SEE BIRTHDAYS FOR A PREVIOUS DATE
Celebrities born Dec. 25
Celebrities born Dec. 9
Celebrities born Nov. 30
Celebrities born Nov. 9
Celebrities born Oct. 31
Celebrities born Oct. 9
Celebrities born Sept. 30
Celebrities born Sept. 9
Celebrities born Aug. 31
Celebrities born Aug. 9
Celebrities born July 31
Celebrities born July 9
Celebrities born June 30
Celebrites born June 23
Celebrities born June 9
Celebrities born May 31
Celebrities born May 9
Celebrities born April 30
Celebrities born April 9
Celebrities born March 31
Celebrities born March 9
Celebrities born Feb. 28-29
Celebrities born Feb. 27
Celebrities born Feb. 9
Celebrities born Jan. 31
Celebrities born Jan. 9
Orange County Register

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Tuesday, December 1st 2020 - 08:44 UTC
OPEC and allies postpone talks amid disagreements on how much oil to pump
OPEC and allies led by Russia postponed talks on oil output policy for 2021 to Thursday, sources said on Monday as key players still disagreed on how much oil they should pump amid weak demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Monday, November 30th 2020 - 09:34 UTC
Oil-rich Middle East and its inevitable declining power
By Gwynne Dyer – The only officials present were American and Saudi," tweeted the Saudi Arabian foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, but he was lying. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu really did fly in to Saudi Arabia to spend a few hours with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Friday, November 27th 2020 - 09:42 UTC
Venezuela resumes direct shipments of oil to China despite US sanctions
Venezuela has resumed direct shipments of oil to China after U.S. sanctions sent the trade underground for more than a year, according to Refinitiv Eikon vessel-tracking data and internal documents from state company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).
Tuesday, November 24th 2020 - 09:22 UTC
Chile expects a bull market for copper next year
Chile's copper production will likely rise by 0.6% to 5.82 million tons in 2020, state copper commission Cochilco said on Monday, and to 5.99 million tons in 2021. Cochilco estimated that the copper price will average US$ 2.75 per pound in 2020, before rising to US$ 2.90 per pound in 2021.
Saturday, November 21st 2020 - 09:21 UTC
Argentina presents incentives to attract investors for its "Gas Plan"
Companies that participate in Argentina's natural gas production plan will have free access to the official foreign exchange market, the central bank said this week, opening a loophole in tight capital controls that have been in place for more than a year.
Brazil is emerging as the world's leading offshore oil producer
By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com – Sharply weaker oil prices, the COVID-19 pandemic, and heightened geopolitical uncertainty have done little to blunt Brazil's epic offshore oil boom. By September 2020 Brazil had soared to be the third-largest supplier of crude oil to China, the world's second-largest economy.
US markets react strongly to president-elect Biden's announcement and Pfizer vaccines results
The S&P 500 ended higher but closed just shy of a record on Monday as investors bet that a full economic reopening was finally in sight following the first positive data from a late-stage Covid-19 vaccine trial.
Monday, November 9th 2020 - 09:21 UTC
Petrobras expects increased production from the pre-salt offshore basin
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com – Because of the increased production at the prolific pre-salt offshore basin, Petrobras expects its oil and gas production this year to exceed earlier guidance, Brazil's state oil firm said when it reported its production figures for Q3.
Saturday, November 7th 2020 - 08:40 UTC
Four days blackout in Brazilian Amapa state: full service restoration in ten days
A fire at an electricity substation has caused four days of blackouts in most of northern Brazil's Amapa state, disrupting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
Thursday, November 5th 2020 - 09:32 UTC
Chilean mining industry lobby cautions about the rewriting of the new constitution
Chile's world-leading copper industry will see investment lag for at least two years as the country rewrites a constitution that underpinned nearly three decades of mining growth in the South American nation.


The Lay Centre at Foyer Unitas, in collaboration with the new Pope John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue, planned a day trip to Assisi on 27 October 2011 to join Pope Benedict XVI and world religious leaders – and a few secular agnostics – in a day of pilgrimage toward peace.
Our group included seven from the Lay Centre, six Russell Berrie Fellows and alumni, and one who could count for both. Additionally, we were joined by Rev. Tom Ryan, CP, of the Paulist Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs; Anna Maria Kloss, wife of the Austrian Ambassador to the Holy See; and seven other pontifical university students, including two from the Gregoriana's late Interdisciplinary Center for the study of Religion and Culture.
We were 24 people representing 16 countries, including: Austria, Belarus, Bosnia i Herzegovina, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Rwanda, Turkey, the U.S., and Venezuela.
Our day began at 0500, enough time to get up and ready for an 0600 departure by tourbus, for the 3 hour drive to Assisi. At a coffee break on the way, we ran into the Turkish Ambassador to the Holy See. After arrival in Assisi we met up with our local guide and Lay Centre alumna, Lori King; Dr. Marian Diaz and staff of the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See.
The schedule of the day was relatively light. At 1030 the morning session at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, in the valley below Assisi proper, lasted for a little under two hours. We then made our way up the hill to a restaurant near the Basilica of Santa Chiara (St. Clare) for lunch. After lunch a leisurely stroll took us to the other end of town, to join a World Youth Day in miniature going on in the lower piazza before the delegates arrived. The closing event started at 1630, and was over in time for us to get a quick pizza and be on the road to Rome by 2000.
Assisi was, if anything, quieter than many of my visits. Expecting large crowds for the event, most who did not have tickets stayed away, so in fact there was just a right amount – those with tickets admitted into the venues, and then only locals from Assisi and nearby towns lining the roadways or in the piazza outside the church. It was a welcome change from the unruly hordes that accompany papal events in Rome. Inside the basilica in the morning, we were seated barely 15 meters from the platform, though at an obscure angle. In the afternoon, the lowere piazza was filled, but it is not very large, and we were seated at just the place where the pope, patriarch, and archbishop disembarked their shuttle.
At one point, just before the delegates arrived for the afternoon program, one of our company had gone looking for water. We wanted to find him before it was too late to re-enter the piazza, but were barred from exiting by security as the delegates who were coming on foot were about to arrive. As we watched the nearly 300 religious delegates enter the piazza, wondering where Muhammad had gone, there he comes in the middle of the delegates procession, engaged in deep conversation with a professor from Sarajevo! It looked so natural, that security did not even think to stop him. It was classic, and again, left me wishing I had had a working camera with me!
In the end, the trip came together wonderfully, especially in that most of it was put together in only a week. It is a once in a decade event, made well worth it with the companionship of friends and colleagues in dialogue.
For three days this week, the Angelicum, the Lay Centre, and the Russell Berrie Fellows hosted the board of trustees of the Russell Berrie Foundation, which grants the funding and direction for our Fellowship. It was the first time the full board had come to Rome to see first-hand how the program was progressing.
In addition to the 20 Fellows (Ten each year for two years) funded, the Foundation also provides for the John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue at the Angelicum, supplies visiting faculty for six intensive courses this year, and the annual lecture in Interfaith Dialogue featuring a world-renowned speaker.
The six trustees were friends, family, and colleagues of Russ Berrie, the successful New Jersey entrepreneur with interests ranging from Catholic-Jewish relations, to business leadership development, medical diabetes research, and fostering a Jewish renaissance. Angelica Berrie, his widow, is chair of the board.
Three of the trustees had come to Rome in early 2005 to meet with John Paul II, and at that time met with some of Rabbi Jack Bemporad's students. This encounter sparked the idea that became the Russell Berrie Fellowship in Interreligious Studies. Over lunch, one of the trustees told me that, as the son of two Holocaust survivors, he was completely surprised by his welcome in Rome on that visit and the attitude of these post-Vatican II Catholics. Not what he expected or had experienced in the past; he became a convert to the cause of dialogue.
I had shared with him and then with the entire group that, being raised not only post-Vatican II but by parents formed mostly after the Council themselves, nothing could be more antithetical to Catholicism than anti-Semitism. It was in fact fairly late, in college, that I first encountered a history of the Church with the Jews that was anything other than the very positive relations we now largely enjoy, and it was a shock. For the man with whom I was speaking, his surprise had been at discovering my generation's positive disposition.
Several events gave the Fellows and the trustees time to meet and mingle, along with officers of the Angelicum and then at the Lay Centre. A more formal presentation was offered by four of us representing the two cohorts of current Fellows: Myself, Paola Bernardini (Italy), John Bakeni (Nigeria), and Taras Dzyubanskyy (Ukraine).
My remarks focused on three sections: 1) Who am I and what is my background in interreligious dialogue, 2) Why Rome and the Angelicum, instead of somewhere like Boston College or Notre Dame – places with stronger academic reputations and established Jewish-Catholic studies and resources for dialogue? And 3) Where is the future of our dialogue, and my role in it as a Fellow?
Most people have heard my vocation story, or at least the early part of it. I distinctly remember where I was when, at the age of 7, I discovered that not all Christians shared the same Church. I was scandalized, even then, and vowed to spend my life working to heal the divisions. At about the same time I discovered that not everyone was Christian, but this delighted me and I determined to learn as much as I could about the world's religions.
But the question in the minds of several people is, Why Rome? Why Angelicum? There is the historical opportunity in the form of the personal connections between Russ Berrie, Rabbi Bemporad (who has been visiting professor at the Angelicum for over a decade) and Fr. Fred Bliss (former chair of the ecumenical section). It is not the only place where a Rabbi teaches on a Catholic theology faculty, nor the first. But it is where Karol Wojtyla got his doctorate in philosophy and where, for example, Cardinal-designate Archbishop Wuerl of Washington and Archbishop Dolan of New York did their studies while in Rome.
The Angelicum is the second oldest of the pontifical universities, after the Gregorian, and the only one which offers the specialization in ecumenism or an entire programme in English – making it more accessible to several of the countries where the growth of the church is strongest, in Africa, India, and southeast Asia. The program here offers exposure to a broader cross-section of the church and future episcopate than would be the case at even the best U.S. or northern European university. Just being part of such a diverse fellowship, often being one of only two or three North Americans or native Anglophones in a class offers insight to the dialogue within the church as well as dialogues ecumenical and interreligious. As I noted in my remarks, the Fellows represent the demographics of the Church better than the College of Cardinals does, though we need more from Latin and South America.
One of the most interesting comments for me came from our sole Latina, Claudia, from Chile. Leadership was a theme repeated by the trustees and staff of the Foundation during our orientation and meetings. As a lay person, she says, she had never considered what leadership in the Church would mean, for her. Obviously, she will not be bishop or a religious superior, and this is true of most of us. Even after having studied theology for several years, and having been invited to Trent for an international symposium in her field, she had never been asked by anyone within the Church to think about her leadership role. Remarkable.
The final full day of our Russell Berrie Fellowship Orientation program began with a trip to the Centro Pro Unione, the historic library and ecumenical center that sits above the Piazza Navona. Director Fr. James Puglisi, who also serves as director of the ecumenical section at the Angelicum and Minister General of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, lead a presentation on the academic responsibilities and processes of the section in addition to an introduction to the Centro.
This was followed by a roundtable discussion on Dignitatis Humane with our previous guests Thomas Casey, SJ and Miguel Ayuso Guixot, MCCJ and introducing Maltese Dominican Joseph Ellul, who is an expert on Islamic thought and its encounter with eastern Christianity. The rest of the day was spent in administrative issues and a group discussion around the praxis of interreligious dialogue, and a closing celebration of the Eucharist.
One of the interesting aspects of the week was the number of priests living in the house. Obviously, the Lay Centre only has one or two priests for Eucharist, whoever has been invited to preside. It is always a little strange to have as many concelebrants as other members of the assembly! This provided an interesting side discussion with one of my cohort, a presbyter. If a priest is celebrating the Eucharist, must he do so as presider or concelebrant, or may he do so as a member of the assembly – "in choir" in other words. And if so, does it "count" if the priest feels an obligation to celebrate mass daily?
There is clearly a movement that seems recent which indicates a priest should vest and actively concelebrate every time he is at mass. At the same time, one need look no further than papal liturgies at St. Peters to see that often, most priests and bishops are attending in choir only, not concelebrating. As at home, it seems some are asked to concelebrate for certain occasions, but it should not be assumed – and it certainly does not necessitate a private mass to be celebrated later!
I know it is not about interreligious dialogue, but, thoughts, anyone?
American Dominican Robert Christian joined us to begin the day with the Eucharist. One of my professors at the Angelicum, Fr. Christian and I share a ministry in common – for a few months at the beginning of our service to the church, we each served as campus ministers in the Archdiocese of Seattle. He, at the Newman Center at University of Washington for a few months in 1985 and me at the Shalom Center at Western Washington university for a few months in 2003. His specialty is St. Thomas and sacramental theology, and is an excellent preacher.
We spent the morning at the Great Mosque of Rome, lead by former Lay Centre resident Mustafa Cenap Aydin of Turkey, and co-founder of the Istituto Tevere Centre for Dialogue. Unlike the synagogue and the many churches of Rome, the mosque is well outside of the historic centre and difficult to get to without a car. The design incorporates colors of classical Rome, familiar Arabic elements, and modern adaptations, including pillars in five parts to recall the five pillars of the Islamic faith and call to mind palm trees that might be found in Mecca. Various nations contributed parts of the mosque, from the careful mosaic to the suras encircling the worship area. The use of hidden natural light and the local colors mix with the exotic elements to provide a meditative space that can handle 2500 worshipers.
Our afternoon brought us back to the centre and across the river to PISAI – the Pontifical Institute for the Study of Arabic and Islam, where president Fr. Miguel Ayuso-Guixot, a Spanish Comboni Missionary of the Heart of Jesus gave an historical and theological overview of the encounter between Christianity and Islam. One of the oft-repeated metaphors of the week was one that Padre Miguel spent a few moments on – we are not looking for a "melting-pot" so much as a "mixed salad" when it comes to interreligious dialogue.
After a meander through the streets of trastevere, we met with Dr. Paolo Mancinelli of the Sant'Egidio community, one of Church's best known lay movements, whose focus areas are direct work with the poor, peace and justice, dialogue and prayer. Paolo introduced us a little more to the work of the community, including Pope Benedict's recent lunch with the community at their soup kitchen near Sant'Egidio.
We concluded the evening with evening prayer with the community at the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, a 12th century church built atop the foundations of its 4th century former self. Around the corner was diner at Trattoria degli Amici, a now-familiar restaurant run by Sant'Egidio community and disabled friends. Good food and good company always make for an excellent discussion!


text:
Black Thoughts Guest Columnist
New Political Group Seeks Changes to Pollution Issues
Louisiana League of Smart Voters
llsv.org
Politicians Asked to Stop Genocidal Poisoning of Grandma and the Baby
That Challeges Earth Survival
A new advertising campaign to bring attention to the genocidal poisoning between New Orleans and Baton Rouge and climate change has raised the issues through billboard advertising.
Launched by the Louisiana League of Smart Voters (LLSV), the first billboard features the message "elected officals stop poisoning Grandma and the baby." The campaign launch during the election season features hip hop adds on radio, newspapers, cable and television. The first add was placed with Pelican Advertising and is shown to East Bank drivers on the Huey P. Long Bridge near Elmwood and on the Airport Road from Airline to Veterans.
The common thread throughout the campaign is political decisions created environmental injustice and rising consciousness of voters will be the driver that changes the actions of political leaders. What once seemed to be a threat to people of color and poor communities, chemical production and oil and gas activities are clearly threatening the earth with global warming and climate change. A little more than half of the carbon released into the environment in Louisiana is done by chemical and oil and gas manufacturers. Register and vote. Use the weapon so many people died to use. We have a responsibility to vote to save the planet.
The ad features a painting of an older African-American woman on the porch of a house sitting in a rocking chair holding a baby. In the background is a chemical company with what appears to be smoke or chemicals flowing over the house, Grandma and Baby. The image describes the situation of tens of thousands of families in "Death Alley" the area between Baton Rouge and New Orleans formerly called "Cancer Alley". Industry and government leaders for decades denied cancer rates in the area known internationally as a zone of national sacrifice. The artist, Shelia Phipp, is an internationally recognized painter, who resides in the New Orleans area.
Recently researchers released a peer reviewed study of Reserve, La communities near DuPont/Denka. The study, commissioned by the Concerned Citizens of St. John the Baptist Parish, and performed by Stanford University and the University Network for Human Rights found that people living closer to the plants show higher and, in some cases, epidemic levels of cancers and other diseases. That study is backed up by EPA risk estimates that the risk of cancer in zip codes where the plant is located are a hundred times the national average and the levels of one chemical substance, chloroprene, is hundreds of times more than the EPA says is safe. Governor John Bel Edwards convened the La Department of Environmental Quality and Health and Hospital to study the situation. Meanwhile, Governor Edwards has promised, Coalition Against Death Alley members for 9 months to meet with leaders of Reserve and other areas affected by chemical plants.
In St. James Parish the Coalition Against Death Alley called on Governor Edwards to close down Mosaic's St. James facility, long the center of controversy in Louisiana. Once owned by Jim Bob Moffett, the company has been stacking little mountains, 200 feet high, of radioactive gypsum. Denied permission to dump the gypsum in the Mississippi River in the 1980's, the company's disposal of the hazardous radioactive waste has taken several twists and turns. The operation settled out of court with the EPA to make changes which have not happened. The gypsum has been moving at least one inch a day toward waterways most of 2019 without Governor Edwards' intervention. Last week the company announced it would close down for 30 days.
Across the Mississippi River from Mosaic, CADA leaders support RISE St. James efforts to stop Formosa plastics $9.5 billion proposal to build the largest plastic facility in the world with 14 different operations in the middle of a Black community, Welcome, struggling to overcome more than 30 chemical plants already there. The operation would release tens of millions of cancer causing and hazardous substances in the air, land and water yearly.
In New Orleans radioactive waste mysteriously was being dug up in Gertown with the knowledge of federal, state and city officials, but with no knowledge the of community leaders. Community leaders have filed suit to obtain information about the radioactive wastes.
The Louisiana Governor's Race
More Rain More Frequently Requires New Ideas
WHITE PROTESTS IN OUR STREETS
Jan 6, 2021 Jeff Thomas
One thought on "New Political Group Seeks Changes to Pollution Issues"
Lbrc says:
'Guv has no money of its own!
LBRC- A "Certified and Tested" so- called "Gifted" Student (Trust us?) asked?
A. Define what you mean when you say "Politico"?
B. Why is "Politico and "Apostate Preacher" frequent "Companions" in commentary?
C. Is Evil and Insanity as compatible as "Sane and Righteous"? Speaking Intention?
We have stories, we respect "YOU"! YOU DECIDE:
"Truth" can be as simple as a "Yes or No"! But who explains "The Full Scope" of The Universe, Beginning to End without a "Long, Long, Story", except The 1 who knows?
Government, Politicos and Apostate Preachers- Again…
1. Government has no money of its own! Why they "Tax" you, then spend it! "You" get returns? Regan said (Pro or Con)? What do citizens fear most? Ans. "We're here from the Government, and we're here to help you"! Now say Hurricane Katrina! Examine how Lower 9 in NOLA, Majority Black, was used as a Poster Child to rake in Billions! Visit Lower today, 2019? Who was government, FEMA especially, proposing to help? Whose money was FEMA spending?
2. Codified Jim Crow "Forbade" Blacks to use certain "Public" facilities! "SCOTUS" said, 1954, theirs were "Separate and Unequal"! Where's the "Compensation? Repair!
a. Government has no money of its own! Politicians spend yours! Where does it go? Politicos don't spend their money like they do yours!!! Huh? NOLA Councilpersons Moreno, Banks and Williams, are spending money to "Appeal" what the courts have already ruled "Corrupt" aka The "Entergy Escapade"! The people who "Fund" government said? We don't want it!!! Politicos Moreno, Banks and Williams say? Yes you do! Who needs a Politico to tell them what's best for 'em? Civics says? Totalitarianism!
b. Election to office expands fixed IQ Ranges? We have and need mandatory "Public Comment" periods! Corrupted "Public Comment" doesn't matter? The Courts said, the "Entergy" public hearing was corrupted! Who done it? Why? Purpose? Why are Politicos refusing to "Re- Do" what was corrupted? "Brain Stem" minimum? Stevie saw it! Moreno, Banks and Williams say? Don't believe your lying eyes? Uh oh! Is 'Dis 'Thang on?
c. NOLA's Entergy "Monopoly" had, then it appeared they didn't, have its piece of your piece you provide in taxes! Which is more than likely the "Candidate" for Stupid? "A Fool and his money "shall" soon…? Politicos aren't spending their money, they have yours! (btw- You are paying to be flooded? Experts at what Mayor Cantrell? Who funds or will campaigns? The aforementioned Politicos are spending your money! How much grass could you cut in Lower 9 with "Court Cost"? Apostate Preachers? Uh oh again…, "Common Knowledge"?
3. Levites got "Alms"/ Charity! Why? They were busy with "The Things of The Most High"! Therefore, a "Tenth" of fields were allocated by the remaining 11! Somebody had to maintain The "Holy Order" and Processes aka "Decent"! In 2019, Apostate Preachers say- "Money is The Tithe"? Well…, Who feeds Monks? They own Jets and Luxurious commodities? "Comparisons and Contrast"-
a. Initially, there were 12! Christ met them where? Ans. "Working"!!! Uh oh!
b. Abraham was designated "The Father" of The 12 "Tribes", including Levites! Therefore, Levites came after "The Working" 12! Christ was "A Carpenter", Duh? "He Worked"! Know what you're thinking? But…, The Ministry of Christ aka "His Father's Business" began at 30 and He was murdered at 33! Lots retire after 20 yrs.! Wasn't Christ entitled to retire, though he didn't (Extrapolate Imhotep)! Yeah right!…
c. "Apostate Preachers" have theirs and more of "yours" aka money! Lots with Luxury 'Dis and 'Dat! Any questions? If so, ask Stevie! He told us he sees it aka "A Fool and His Money Shall Soon…"?
Truthfully? We'd rather run thru all 8 levels of "Dante's Hell" with "Gasoline Dollar General Bloomers ('Simps Luv Displaying, male/female) then to be judged a Corrupt and complicit Politico or an Apostate Preacher!!! Why? Apostates will be Judged 1st! Politicos? Don't know when, but it doesn't matter! Eternity is Eternity no matter where you begin! 'Dats our story and we're sticking to it!


Ever wanted a harness that turns into a backpack and then back into a harness again? Well now you can with the Saddle Bags add-on for the Convert Harness!
The Saddle Bags themselves feature both a large main compartment and a quick access front section for the items you need more regularly. All zip closures are waterproof and the bags are finished with reflective trim for safety on night-time walks.
"I bought these for my Great Dane and absolutely love them! He now carries my phone and keys, his treats, bags and ball. It's comfortable, doesn't rub and waterproof. Love love love this product! "
" i'll only buy ezydog products for my dog from now on"
"Love the saddle bags. They look so smart and stylish. I'm forever getting comments on how good they look and a lot have asked where to get them for there own pooch. Highly recommended."
"Have used them already with the convert harnesss, going to the markdets with the hound. The amount of commments and pats we got were astrounding as my girl carried her "stuff" that we bought.
They are well made fairly easy to fit (the tab is a bit stiff to fit through the loop but will expect that to loosen in time). They look good and have plenty of room to put stuff in them. Love the two pockets on it, the big one for everything and the smaller ones for keys ect."


The disproportionately large amounts of value created by those with most of the inspiration and perspiration in technology development are not reflected in simplistic and often-inflated metrics that are increasingly being used in patent-licensing rate apportionments, including by the courts in Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) licensing disputes. These metrics include the numbers of contributions to the standards and the numbers of patents declared-essential or cursorily judged to be essential to the standards. Thousands of negotiated and executed licensing agreements, including cross-licenses, with various terms in addition to royalty rates—all underpinned by billions of dollars paid annually over many years—much better reflect how patent-protected value is generated and exchanged.
Device manufacturers, network operators, over-the-top (OTT) service providers and end users derive enormous value from extensive and easily-available technologies in published standards from Standard-Setting Organizations (SSOs). That is evident from the huge success of cellular including an extensive market entry in supply and widespread adoption. With significant and increasing division of labor between the few who invent and develop Standard-Essential Patent (SEP) technologies and the many who implement these in manufactures, the formers are increasingly dependent on licensing income—based on their shares of value created and exchanged rather than on simplistic metrics such as numbers of contributions to SSOs or SEP counts—to make adequate financial returns and justify reinvestment in further technology R&D.
Standard setting—with numerous companies participating in technology evaluation and selection, most of whom do little or no standard-essential technology development work themselves outside the SSO.
Creating, developing and then incorporating innovative cellular communications technologies in standards is a massive endeavor that expands significantly as it proceeds. It involves increasing numbers of companies as it progresses from conception through to the adoption of new technologies in Technical Specifications at 3GPP and in the standards with its seven regional partners, most significantly including the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). Any assessment of how much value is contributed and by whom to standard-essential technologies, including 3G WCDMA or HSDPA, 4G LTE and 5G cellular, must consider the entire process including Stages 1 and 2, not only what is most visible and measurable in standard-setting activities, such as contributions or meeting attendance, at Stage 3.
The large R&D investments and resulting value generated in the first and second stages of innovation, identified above, are not always apparent because the work there is largely hidden from the public or might only be recognized by specialists. In contrast, the popular but simplistic use of publicly-available SSO activity metrics in Stage 3, such as counting the numbers of technical contributions to 3GPP Working Groups (WGs) as a proxy for a company's share of innovation in standards, can significantly understate the value provided by inventors and pioneers while inflating that of companies who join the bandwagon of an emerging success later on — for example, in the Study Item (SI) and Work Item (WI) phases of standard setting at 3GPP.
Most of the activities logged in the public records of 3GPP are the mere tip of the iceberg in terms of the total amount of development work undertaken, including that outside this SSO, with even more extensive other activities submerged from public view. Activities including in WGs and other meetings at 3GPP are publicly visible because "TDoc" technical contribution documents, meeting attendance records and other information are all available publicly online. But this represents only a small proportion of total effort and rather less still of technical effort or innovation, which most significantly also includes company R&D outside this SSO.
Whereas standard setting is nominally a matter of selecting the best from among various contributions, in practice the process is far more subtle, complex and multifaceted. For example, most technical contributions that are ultimately approved, are subject to multiple revisions and resubmissions before standardization is completed. Building the required consensus for technology selection among SSO participants also significantly involves consideration of non-technical issues, such as companies' business models and reputations, bilateral business agreements and nationality. Even the approval of purely technical contributions can significantly reflect these other factors in many cases. This distorts the accuracy of contribution counts as a purported indicator of patentable inventive and innovative technology developed and incorporated in the standards by one company versus another.
Neither patent counting nor contribution counting can account for significant differences among patents, and among licensors and licensees. Most declared-essential patents are not actually essential. Even adjusting counts of these with third-party standard-essentiality assessments is problematic because it introduces additional inaccuracies including bias. SEPs are not all of equal value. The same proviso applies to judged-essential patents and to SSO contributions. Bargaining strength is not proportional to any of these counts and depends on other significant factors including R&D pipeline and technology roadmap, position or absence thereof in downstream product markets.
Many patent-licenses established bilaterally with numerous licensees and underpinned by billions of dollars in payments over many years reflect all these complexities and subtleties. Formulae used to diagnose existing licenses and apportion royalty rates elsewhere simplistically misrepresent these dynamics.
Nevertheless, both parties in the TCL v. Ericsson FRAND royalty rate-setting dispute agreed to use a simple algebraic formula with inverse proportionality (i.e. using only +, −, x and ÷) to "unpack" various existing SEP cross-licenses in the derivation of one-way licensing rates (see Decision, page 62). Variables include licensed sales, royalty rates, relative patent strength and balancing payments.
Presiding Judge Selna expressed "some reservations" about top-down royalty-rate apportionment methodology based on patent-counting proportionality in this litigation (see Decision, page 50); but he used it there, regardless, as his primary means of determining FRAND rates in his declaratory judgement.
In a cellular marketplace worth trillions of dollars, with value and growth driven by recent technologies such as LTE Advanced, LTE-LAA and upcoming 5G, is it important to identify where and how much value is generated and exchanged in SEP technologies. Innovators' rewards should be commensurate with that—as exemplified in numerous executed licenses— not based on simplistic counts of contributions to SSOs or patents.
The example of taking cellular technology into unlicensed spectrum with LTE-LAA is a pertinent case study in how and where value is created in standard development because this major innovation significantly involved various regulatory and commercial issues as well as matters concerning the incorporation of already-standardized and new technologies. This case study and these related issues are discussed in my full article. It can be downloaded, here.
All the above was originally published in cellular industry trade publication RCR Wireless on 29th June 2018.
The U.S. Supreme Court (Justice Thomas) issued the opinion in WesternGenco v. Ion concerning the availability of foreign profits as part of damages under section 284 of the Patent Act. The U.S. Supreme Court basically holds that section 284 includes lost foreign profits—at least as a remedy to an infringement under 271(f)(2). Essentially, WesternGenco owns patents directed "to a system that it developed for surveying the ocean floor" and does not license the patents. ION "manufactured the components for [a] competing system and then shipped them to companies abroad." Western Genco sued for patent infringement under 271(f)(1) and (2). The jury "awarded WesternGenco damages of $12.5 million in royalties and $93.4 million in lost profits." ION asserted that the lost profits are unavailable to WesternGenco because "271(f) does not apply extraterritorially." The Federal Circuit reversed and "had previously held that 271(a), the general infringement provision, does not allow patent owners to recover for lost foreign sales." The U.S. Supreme Court reverses the Federal Circuit.
"If the conduct relevant to the statute's focus occurred in the United States, then the case involves a permissible domestic application" of the statute, "even if other conduct occurred abroad." RJR Nabisco, 579 U. S., at ___ (slip op., at 9). But if the relevant conduct occurred in another country, "then the case involves an impermissible extraterritorial application regardless of any other conduct that occurred in U. S. territory." Ibid.
Applying these principles here, we conclude that the conduct relevant to the statutory focus in this case is domestic. We begin with §284. It provides a general damages remedy for the various types of patent infringement identified in the Patent Act. The portion of §284 at issue here states that "the court shall award the claimant damages adequate to compensate for the infringement." We conclude that "the infringement" is the focus of this statute. As this Court has explained, the "overriding purpose" of §284 is to "affor[d] patent owners complete compensation" for infringements. General Motors Corp. v. Devex Corp., 461 U. S. 648, 655 (1983). "The question" posed by the statute is "'how much ha[s] the Patent Holder . . . suffered by the infringement.'" Aro Mfg. Co. v. Convertible Top Replacement Co., 377 U. S. 476, 507 (1964). Accordingly, the infringement is plainly the focus of §284. But that observation does not fully resolve this case, as the Patent Act identifies several ways that a patent can be infringed. See §271. To determine the focus of §284 in a given case, we must look to the type of infringement that occurred. We thus turn to §271(f)(2), which was the basis for WesternGeco's infringement claim and the lost-profits damages that it received.
Section 271(f)(2) focuses on domestic conduct. It provides that a company "shall be liable as an infringer" if it "supplies" certain components of a patented invention "in or from the United States" with the intent that they "will be combined outside of the United States in a manner that would infringe the patent if such combination occurred within the United States." The conduct that §271(f)(2) regulates—i.e., its focus—is the domestic act of "suppl[ying] in or from the United States." As this Court has acknowledged, §271(f) vindicates domestic interests: It "was a direct response to a gap in our patent law," Microsoft Corp., 550 U. S., at 457, and "reach[es] components that are manufactured in the United States but assembled overseas," Life Technologies, 580 U. S., at ___ (slip op., at 11). As the Federal Circuit explained, §271(f)(2) protects against "domestic entities who export components . . . from the United States." 791 F. 3d, at 1351.
In sum, the focus of §284, in a case involving infringement under §271(f)(2), is on the act of exporting components from the United States. In other words, the domestic infringement is "the objec[t] of the statute's solicitude" in this context. Morrison, 561 U. S., at 267. The conduct in this case that is relevant to that focus clearly occurred in the United States, as it was ION's domestic act of supplying the components that infringed WesternGeco's patents. Thus, the lost-profits damages that were awarded to WesternGeco were a domestic application of §284.
Two of our colleagues contend that the Patent Act does not permit damages awards for lost foreign profits. Post, at 1 (GORSUCH, J., joined by BREYER, J., dissenting). Their position wrongly conflates legal injury with the damages arising from that injury. See post, at 2–3. And it is not the better reading of "the plain text of the Patent Act." Post, at 9. Taken together, §271(f)(2) and §284 allow the patent owner to recover for lost foreign profits. Under §284, damages are "adequate" to compensate for infringement when they "plac[e] [the patent owner] in as good a position as he would have been in" if the patent had not been infringed. General Motors Corp., supra, at 655. Specifically, a patent owner is entitled to recover "'the difference between [its] pecuniary condition after the infringement, and what [its] condition would have been if the infringement had not occurred.'" Aro Mfg. Co., supra, at 507. This recovery can include lost profits. See Yale Lock Mfg. Co. v. Sargent, 117 U. S. 536, 552–553 (1886). And, as we hold today, it can include lost foreign profits when the patent owner proves infringement under §271(f)(2).
The opinion is available, here.
In 2012, Congress enacted the America Invents Act to fix a problem unrelated to drug/biologic innovation and drug/biologic affordability; it created the inter partes review ("IPR") and post-grant review ("PGR") processes to combat the growing problem of patent trolls.
Even though Congress did not intend to upset its drug/biologic-specific Hatch-Waxman and BPCIA procedures with the enactment of the IPR and PGR processes, generic drug and biosimilars manufacturers have increasingly used the IPR process to circumvent the Hatch-Waxman Act and BPCIA patent challenge processes while nonetheless taking advantage of their abbreviated processes for drug entry.1 Moreover, hedge funds with no interest in manufacturing or marketing drugs have filed IPR challenges against drug patents with the goal of profiting from stock market declines triggered by the IPR filings—a type of market manipulation.
The Hatch-Waxman Integrity Act of 2018 would close the loophole unintentionally created by the America Invents Act. To restore the careful balance of the Hatch-Waxman Act and the BPCIA, and to prevent the IPR or PGR processes from undercutting them, the FD&C Act and the PHS Act would be amended to prevent using IPR (or PGR) challenges to circumvent the specific patent challenge processes for drugs and biologics painstakingly created by Congress. In addition, the federal securities rules would be clarified to indicate that filing IPR patent challenges and profiting from resulting stock price changes is a form of prohibited market manipulation.
The case before us involves the abstract idea exception to the statute. Abstract ideas indeed should not be subject to patent. They are products of the mind, mental steps, not capable of being controlled by others, regardless what a statute or patent claim might say. Gottschalk v. Benson, 409 U.S. 63, 67 (1972) ("[M]ental processes, and abstract intellectual concepts are not patentable, as they are the basic tools of scientific and technological work."). No one should be inhibited from thinking by a patent. See Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Isaac McPherson (Aug. 13, 1813) ("[I]f nature has made any one thing less susceptible, than all others, of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an Idea."). Thus, many brilliant and unconventional ideas must be beyond patenting simply because they are "only" ideas, which cannot be monopolized. Moreover such a patent would be unenforceable. Who knows what people are thinking?
But why should there be a step two in an abstract idea analysis at all? If a method is entirely abstract, is it no less abstract because it contains an inventive step? And, if a claim recites "something more," an "inventive" physical or technological step, it is not an abstract idea, and can be examined under established patentability provisions such as §§ 102 and 103. Step two's prohibition on identifying the something more from "computer functions [that] are 'well-understood, routine, conventional activit[ies]' previously known to the industry," Alice Corp. Pty. Ltd. v. CLS Bank Int'l, 134 S. Ct. 2347, 2359 (2014) (alteration in original) (quoting Mayo, 566 U.S. at 73), is essentially a §§ 102 and 103 inquiry. Section 101 does not need a two-step analysis to determine whether an idea is abstract. I therefore believe that § 101 requires further authoritative treatment. Thinking further concerning § 101, but beyond these cases, steps that utilize natural processes, as all mechanical, chemical, and biological steps do, should be patent-eligible, provided they meet the other tests of the statute, including novelty, nonobviousness, and written description. A claim to a natural process itself should not be patentable, not least because it lacks novelty, but also because natural processes should be available to all. But claims to using such processes should not be barred at the threshold of a patentability analysis by being considered natural laws, as a method that utilizes a natural law is not itself a natural law.
[F]inding, isolating, and purifying such products are genuine acts of inventiveness, which should be incentivized and rewarded by patents. We are all aware of the need for new antibiotics because bacteria have become resistant to our existing products. Nature, including soil and plants, is a fertile possible source of new antibiotics, but there will be much scientific work to be done to find or discover, isolate, and purify any such products before they can be useful to us. Industry should not be deprived of the incentive to develop such products that a patent creates. But, while they are part of the same patent-eligibility problems we face, these specific issues are not in the cases before us. Accordingly, I concur in the decision of the court not to rehear this § 101 case en banc. Even if it was decided wrongly, which I doubt, it would not work us out of the current § 101 dilemma. In fact, it digs the hole deeper by further complicating the § 101 analysis. Resolution of patent-eligibility issues requires higher intervention, hopefully with ideas reflective of the best thinking that can be brought to bear on the subject.
There are numerous proposals for changing patent eligible subject matter before the U.S. Congress, for example, see the AIPLA proposal, here.
In a major ruling that underscores judicial independence, federal judge Richard J. Leon has just unconditionally approved the merger between AT&T and Time Warner, rebuffing the US government's effort to stop the $85.4 billion deal.
It is reassuring that even well-known and widely-cited economists are expected support their opinions with facts when testifying in court. Royalty-stacking theory peddlers should also beware because they are likewise devoid of supporting evidence while there is copious evidence and solid economic analysis to the contrary.
Economists need to take responsibility for what their own economic analysis relies upon. We need economists to publish, and as expert witnesses, but we need to flush out inapplicable theories, biases, and nonsense with more empirical testing, public debate including academic peer review, and rebuttal in litigation according to the applicable rules of evidence.
ESPN+ and the streaming of sports events--will it complement or cannibalize?
Already in the 19th century, the book industry had begun to experiment with publishing paperback versions. The question early on was whether paperbacks expanded the market, by reaching readers who would not otherwise have purchased the more expensive hardback, or whether it tended to cannibalize sales. The advent of paper books was perhaps the first example of the tension between complementing and cannibalizing a copyright-driven market.
A version of this arose in the recent announcement by Disney of ESPN+, which is meant to be a sports-streaming service that will be available for a (modest?) monthly subscription fee. Still, even die-hard sports fans who cannot get enough of televised sports may have missed the launch of the service on April 12th. Usually, when Disney does a launch, one can expect bells, whistles, and a lot more, the better to draw attention to the new offering. Add to that is the fact that ESPN is the most consistently lucrative part of the Disney empire. Still, all in all, the launch of ESPN+ was a modest affair. It is interesting to consider the reasons this was so, and why Disney is gingerly taking steps as it enters the sports streaming business.
According to The Economist ("ESPN starts a streaming service", April 19th), Disney's ultimate goal (bad sports pun, this ….) for ESPN+ is to create "a sort of mini [njw-at least for the moment] -Netflix for sports", namely a commercial streaming service, as opposed to pay-tv packages that offer all the coveted major (at least US) sports. While a cable company may offer hundreds of channels, it is primarily the live sports programming (together with perhaps news) that principally draw subscribers to its services. This is why ESPN is such a valuable channel, with a reported 86 million subscribers, for which ESPN receives $8.14 in fees per subscriber per month, the highest of any network.
Enter the streaming challenge, embodied by Netflix. For a fraction of the cost, viewers can in principle cut the cable cord and still enjoy a wide array [although how "wide" can still be debated] of contents for viewing. So what is Disney to do? ESPN is ever so lucrative as a cable channel, but streaming could disrupt and thereby threaten that industry, if the right business model can be found. For the moment, therefore, the solution is apparently for Disney/ESPN to take baby steps.
"… combat sports, college sports, cricket, rugby union, soccer (including out-of-market Major League Soccer matches), and tennis".
However, it is difficult to believe that ESPN+ will continue to limit itself to streaming only these kinds of live sporting events to the tails of the viewing population. Presumably, at some point, Disney will want to make real money from this. When crunch time comes, Disney will have to answer the question—how will it manage the clash between cable and internet streaming?
Hardback and softback books continue to co-exist (now joined by e-books as a third form of book product) on the basis that they are more complementary than cannibalizing of the book industry, taken as a whole. Whether that model will characterize the relationship between streaming and cable remains an open question. Will ESPN+ will be limited to being a niche form of live sports streaming, "a sort of mini-Netflix for sports". Or will it be something more; if so, how much more? Stay tuned.


Formulated with a limited list of premium protein and carbohydrate sources, this L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Dietså¨ formula is excellent when you are seeking alternative ingredients for your pet. L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Dietså¨ Lamb & Brown Rice Canned Dog Formula is also designed to maintain your dog‰۪s digestive health while supporting healthy skin and a shiny, luxurious coat. INGREDIENTS: Lamb, Lamb Broth, Lamb Liver, Brown Rice, Lamb Meal, Natural Hickory Smoke Flavor, Guar Gum, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Dried Kelp, Parsley Flakes, Carrageenan, Zinc Sulfate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Sodium Selenite, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement.


We are pleased to announce the Call for Papers for our 3rd Active Learning Conference, to be held on Tuesday 11th June 2019, at University of Sussex. Thanks to the sponsorship of Sony, we are again able to offer this as a free-to-attend conference.
a chance to try out a new initiative (CDIO) designed to close the gap between engineering education and the demands of real-world engineers.
We had representation from across a range of disciplines and from people interested in active learning for many different reasons. We are keen to continue this spirit of cross-disciplinary sharing of ideas and good practice in a friendly and supportive context.
The deadline for submitting your ideas is midnight on Friday 15th February (just after Valentine's Day!).


text:
Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to family members or associates rather than to the general public. These acts can also involve using threats of physical, mental or emotional harm, or of criminal prosecution, against the victim or someone close to the victim. It is normally carried out for personal gain, most commonly of position, money, or property.

Blackmail may also be considered a form of extortion. Although the two are generally synonymous, extortion is the taking of personal property by threat of future harm. Blackmail is the use of threat to prevent another from engaging in a lawful occupation and writing libelous letters or letters that provoke a breach of the peace, as well as use of intimidation for purposes of collecting an unpaid debt.

In many jurisdictions, blackmail is a statutory offense, often criminal, carrying punitive sanctions for convicted perpetrators. Blackmail is the name of a statutory offense in the United States, England and Wales, and Australia, and has been used as a convenient way of referring to certain other offenses, but was not a term used in English law until 1968.

Blackmail was originally a term from the Scottish Borders meaning payments rendered in exchange for protection from thieves and marauders. The "mail" part of blackmail derives from Middle English  meaning "rent or tribute". This tribute (male or reditus) was paid in goods or labour ("nigri"); hence reditus nigri, or "blackmail". Alternatively, it may be derived from two Scottish Gaelic words  - to protect; and  - tribute or payment.

Etymology

The word blackmail is variously derived from the word for tribute (in modern terms, protection racket) paid by English and Scottish border dwellers to Border Reivers in return for immunity from raids and other harassment. The "mail" part of blackmail derives from Middle English male, "rent, tribute". This tribute was paid in goods or labour (reditus nigri, or "blackmail"); the opposite is blanche firmes or reditus albi, or "white rent" (denoting payment by silver). An alternative version is that rents in the Scottish Borders were often paid in produce of the land, called "greenmail" ('green rent'), suggesting "blackmail" as a counterpart paid perforce to the reivers.  Alternatively, Mackay derives it from two Scottish Gaelic words blathaich pronounced (the th silent) bla-ich (to protect) and mal (tribute, payment), cf. buttock mail. He notes that the practice was common in the Scottish Highlands as well as the Borders. In the Irish language, the term cíos dubh, meaning "black rent", was used for similar exactions.

Objections to criminalization
Some scholars have argued that blackmail should not be a crime. Objections to the criminalization of blackmail often rest on what legal scholars call "the paradox of blackmail": it takes two separate actions that, in many cases, people are legally and morally entitled to do, and criminalizes them if done together. One American legal scholar uses the example of a person who threatens to expose a criminal act unless he is paid money. The person has committed the crime of blackmail, even though he separately has the legal right both to threaten to expose a crime and to request money from a person.

This observation has been rebutted by pointing out that while drinking alcohol and driving are both legal separately, their combinations are not.

Sextortion (webcam blackmail)
Sextortion has been linked and is popular among people who are considered to have power or a position of power (in any form) in any field such as politics, education, and the workplace. Sextortion, by definition, is a form of blackmail where power is abused and used to extort sexual favors or images from someone in exchange for something that the victim wants/needs like a job or grade. An example of this is Webcam Blackmail.

"Criminals might befriend victims online by using a fake identity and then persuade them to perform sexual acts in front of their webcam, often by using an attractive woman to entice the victim to participate. These women may have been coerced into these actions using financial incentives or threats." As reported by the NCA (National Crime Agency), both men and women can be victims of this crime. This crime can be carried out by either crime groups or individuals.

Cybercrime
Dubai Police in the UAE stated that there have been 2,606 crimes that involve blackmail in the past three years. The reason it is so easy to commit these crimes online is the anonymity the internet gives. It is far easier and encouraging to commit crimes whenever personal identity is hidden. People have the opportunity to give in to temptation since they are anonymous and possibly commit criminal acts such as blackmailing. The ability to be anonymous encourages antisocial tendencies and the ability to spread fake news.

See also

Abusive power and control
Blind item
Emotional blackmail
Espionage
FBI Files on Elvis Presley
Graymail
Greenmail
Loan shark
Nuclear blackmail
Pizzo (extortion)
Webcam blackmail
Whitemail

In film
Blackmail, (1920 film)
Blackmail, (1929 film)
Psychoville, British psychological horror-thriller black comedy mystery television series.

Notes

References
 Baker, Dennis J., Glanville Williams Textbook of Criminal Law. Sweet & Maxwell: London. (2005) .
 Criminal Law Revision Committee. 8th Report. Theft and Related Offences. Cmnd. 2977
 Griew, Edward. Theft Acts 1968 & 1978, Sweet & Maxwell: London.

 Ormerod, David. Smith and Hogan Criminal Law, LexisNexis: London. (2005)
 Smith, J. C. Law of Theft, LexisNexis: London. (1997)

External links

Border Reivers
Crimes
Illegal occupations
Middle English
Organized crime activity

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Q. Are the vehicles insured?
A. Yes, all our vehicles have comprehensive insurance with 'Vehicle Hire Insurance'.
Be aware that some multi national car rental companies do not insure their vehicles, but we do!
Q: What am I responsible for as a renter?
A. From the time you collect your vehicle you and your nominated driver (as per your rental agreement), are financially responsible for any loss or damage to the vehicle. This includes damage caused outside of your control including storm damage and hail.
Q. What does the Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) reduce my liability too?
A. The CDW reduces your liability from $5000 to $1000. Unfortunately our insurance policy doesn't allow the liability to be reduced any lower than $1000.
Q. Does the CDW cover me for all accidents?
A. There are a few instances that you may not be covered. Some examples include; water submersion, over head damage, major under body damage or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Our insurance company will deem what is and isn't covered as per our policy.
Q. Do we deliver vehicles?
A. We deliver to customers in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania (plus the ferry fee) and Perth for hires of 28 days or longer. Hires in the Northern Territory and all other parts of Western Australia are a minimum of 3 months hire.
Q. Can I have additional drivers?
A. Multiple drivers are allowed in accordance with our Terms and Conditions for business use only.
Q. I am under 21 years old. Can I drive the vehicle?
A. Unfortunately any person under the age of 21 is not covered by our insurance and cannot drive the vehicles.
Q. I'm over 21 but I am still on P plates. Can I drive the vehicle?
A. No, unfortunately all drivers must hold a Full Licence. No one with a Probationary Licence can drive our vehicles.
Q. What licence do I need too have to drive a mini bus?
A. It all depends on vehicle seating capacity. The 8 and 12 seater mini buses only require a normal drivers licence.
In Victoria, to drive any vehicle that seats more than 12 people including the driver, you must hold at least a Light Rigid endorsed licence. Please check your own states licencing laws.
Q. Can any of the vehicles tow? And what are their limits?
A. Most of our vehicles have towbars, including the 12 and 21 seater buses. The only vehicles that don't have towbars are the Toyota Kluger 7 Seaters, Kia Carnival 8 Seaters, Toyota Rav4's, and Furniture Trucks. The towing capacity for each vehicle is dependent on the towbar rating, and we can supply electric brake systems for a fee when asked.
Q. What type of fuel do the vehicles take?
A. Most of our vehicles are Diesel, but please check your vehicle before filling up.
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A. Yes all of our vehicles have air conditioners and CD player.
Q. Do the vehicles have seatbelts?
A. Yes all of our vehicles have seatbelts.
Q. Do all the vehicles have child restraints?
A. No. There are only 6 vehicles available with child restraints. The 78 series Land Cruiser Wagon, 7, 8 and 12 Seaters each have three restraints. The Toyota Rav4 has two restraints available. The 100 series Land Cruiser Wagon and Land Cruiser Troop Carrier are fitted with just one.
All other vehicles cannot be fitted with restraints.
Q. Can I smoke in a hire vehicle?
A. Government regulations do not permit smoking in any of the hire vehicles. A $200 fine if found smoking inside the vehicle applies. We also enforce a $100 cleaning fine.
Q. Do we need to bring back the vehicles clean?
A. We ask all customers to return the vehicles in a clean state free of any bottles and rubbish. Cleaning fees will apply if vehicle has been smoked in or has been returned in an unacceptable state. Vehicles do not have to be washed on the outside.


It was 31, actually — 155-124, not that it matters.
Both teams shot 55 percent. The difference was on 3s — the U.S. was 21 for 51, while the World was 16 for 52.
"I want us to share the ball and not one guy dribble it 20 times and hoist something up — like Luka does with the Mavs," Nowitzki said, laughing a bit at his own joke.
There was one foul called in the entire first half, Markkanen getting whistled for it with 4:13 remaining until halftime. The first half saw 25 dunks and 20 3-pointers in 20 minutes — the sides played 10-minute quarters. Late in the half, Collins flashed a crossover dribble, then underhand-tossed a pass off the backboard to himself for a dunk that had players on both sides reacting in mock disbelief.
All 10 players on the World team hailed from a different nation, and four different continents were represented. And eight of the players in this year's game were also in last year's event — Mitchell, Collins, Tatum, Kuzma and Fox for the U.S.; Markkanen, Simmons and 2018 game MVP Bogdan Bogdanovic were repeaters for the World side.
Nowitzki and the World coaching staff from the Denver Nuggets largely stayed seated the whole game, while Irving worked the sideline like an actual NBA coach would — even running time-outs, working alongside the Milwaukee Bucks' staff. Brooklyn's D'Angelo Russell, Phoenix's Devin Booker and San Antonio's Danny Green were at the game, and Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns was courtside in a World jersey to represent for his Okogie, his Timberwolves teammate.


After many years' experience with net meshes, Chris Brown Products now only supply fine black hex meshes.
All standard nets 32", 36", 42" and 52" are black fine mesh. The 52" net fit the Eel and Monster versions. The 52C net is much deeper and designed only for the Cat version.


text:
Home › Collections › Arizona Geological Survey Open File Reports ›
Preliminary Evaluation of Cenozoic Basins in Arizona for Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Potential
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), established a national program to evaluate the feasibility of separating carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial sources and pumping it underground for long-term storage or disposal. This program was established in response to concerns that CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel combustion, and from other industrial processes such as cement production from limestone, are increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration and solar-energy absorption, thereby causing global warming. Carbon dioxide removal from industrial sources and storage in geologic reservoirs is known as "geologic sequestration." A major aspect of the DOE program is to evaluate subsurface geology to determine the potential of underground rock formations for long-term CO2 sequestration. WESTCARB (West Coast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership) is a consortium of seven western U.S. States and one Canadian Province that is one of seven regional North American partnerships established to evaluate technical aspects of high-volume CO2 capture and sequestration. Collaborative WESTCARB research programs have included more than 90 public agencies, private companies, and non-profit organizations. The Arizona Geological Survey began work in 2010 on WESTCARB Phase III – Arizona Geological Characterization. This report represents an initial WESTCARB assessment of CO2 storage potential in Arizona's Cenozoic basins, and is part of Task 2 of Arizona WESTCARB Phase III (California Energy Commission Agreement Number 500-10-024). The focus of this study is Cenozoic basin volume and volume below 800m depth, with the purpose of reducing the number of basins subjected to further carbon-sequestration evaluation. Basin volume below 800m depth is important because CO2 will remain in a liquid state at pressures corresponding to rock overburden at such depths. Successful sequestration requires both adequate permeability and porosity for large-volume CO2 injection, and an impermeable cap rock that will prevent movement of CO2 to shallower depth and escape to the atmosphere. Basin stratigraphy and sediment characteristics are not the subject of this report, however, but will be evaluated for a subset of basins identified in this study that are both large and deep.
416 W. Congress, Ste 100
Preliminary Evaluation of Cenozoic Basins in Arizona for CO2 Sequestration Potential
Spencer, J.E., 2011, Preliminary Evaluation of Cenozoic Basins in Arizona for Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Potential. Arizona Geological Survey Open File Report, OFR-11-05, 14 p.
On 24 May 2011, the original document was replaced with version 1.1. Figure 2 was modified to show major cities and highways in Arizona. On 25 January 2012, version 1.2 was published with the correct name for the National Energy Technology Laboratory included.
416 W. Congress, Ste. 100
URI: /uri_gin/azgs/dlio/1080 | Metadata UUID: af5b1935-7bea-11e0-905b-d1ee394edb61 | Updated: 2013-07-02T11:43:10 | ISO 19139 | FGDC XML | CSW Record
Arizona Geological Survey Open File Reports
Arizona Geological Characterization
Arizona basins
Westcarb
atmospheric CO2
basin depth
basin volumes
depth to bedrock
fossil-fuels
geologic sequestration
Avra basin
Higley basin
Luke basin
Mohawk valley
Picacho Basin
Safford-San Simon
Transition Zone
Tucson Basin
Willcox Basin


The American multinational investment bank has decided to sell off tons of Venezuelan gold reserves after the countrys Central Bank (VCB) missed the March 11 instalment to purchase back the collateral deposited to the British unit of Citibank over three years ago, in exchange for a $1.6 billion loan, multiple sources told Reuters and Bloomberg.
The sale could fetch more than $1.35 billion under current market conditions, which is way more than the $1.1 tranche payment Citi was waiting to receive from Maduros government. Instead of returning the excess to Caracas, over $250 million in spare change will be deposited into a bank account in New York, where the US has already placed a giant claw over seized Venezuelan funds.
Earlier this month, self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido reportedly approached Citibank urging them to block any attempts by Caracas to repurchase gold in order to safeguard Venezuelan peoples riches until the opposition can get a hold of them. The US-backed politician also reportedly urged the Bank of England, which holds around $1.2 billion-worth of Venezuelan gold, not to transfer the reserves back to the Maduro government.


 The Official Trailer of Running Shaadi is out!
Running Shaadi starring Taapsee Pannu and Amit Sadh is all set for release on the 3rd of February 2017. The film, directed by Amit Roy and is a unique, endearing, romantic comedy from the heart of small town India, which unfolds as two young boys come up with one big idea. The trailer of the film will surely make you want to join the two stars on their colourful journey.


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Herosphere Announces HEROcoin ICO
Dariusz August 31, 2017 Press Releases
Herosphere has developed a popular online e-sports prediction platform and announced recently that the company will hold an initial coin offering for its cryptocurrency, HERO.
The company will issue its ethereum-based token, HEROcoin, on September 14th. These smart tokens can be used to place bets on the outcome of a variety of events and compete against other users. This smart token is decentralized, which means that it puts the power, profits, and winnings back in the hands of players, not some middleman.
Herosphere has gotten the attention of, and investments from, big names in cryptocurrency including Andreas Petersson, developer of the popular bitcoin wallet Mycelium and a lead blockchain developer. Another investor many will know is Michael Altrichter, business angel, HitBox investor, and co-founder of Paysafecard and Payolution. Another backer, Hubertus Thonhauser, former CEO of Casinos Austria International, may also ring a bell.
During the ICO, participants will be able to purchase HEROcoin in exchange for Ether. HEROcoin makes Herosphere's platform completely transparent and decentralized since it will live on the blockchain. Eventually, any gaming platform will be able to adopt HERO to improve its players' experience. Individuals will use Herosphere to predict the outcome of e-sports games, such as League of Legends, CounterStrike, and DOTA 2. However, as more platforms implement HERO, the coin will be used not just for e-sports, but for everything from sports competitions to outcomes of popular television shows. Contests can be created for the entire HEROcoin community or a specific group of friends, depending on pool settings. HERO holders will be able to liquidate their tokens by trading or selling them on exchanges as soon as they are listed.
One of the coin's unique features is that just by holding HERO, users will earn more coins passively. The way the company rewards holders is rather clever. Whenever users enter a contest, there is a pot. For example, if 5 people compete against each other with a buy-in of 20 HERO, then there is a pot of 100 coins. The smart contract behind HERO automatically takes a minimum of 1% of the initial pot and gives it to the community in a sort of modified proof-of-stake system. In this scenario, that 1% means that 1 HERO is spread across all HERO holders. The more HERO a user is holding, the higher share percentage from the 1% he or she will receive.
Unlike traditional gaming platforms where users compete against an unknown middleman, the implementation of HEROcoin on Herosphere allows the community itself to become "the house." Participants will compete only against themselves. This means if one user loses, another user wins, so the money stays within the community. Using smart contracts to enable secure and reliable processing, payouts will be processed by the ethereum blockchain, so transactions are publicly verifiable, viewable, resistant to counterfeit, and not subject to the risk of institutional processing. Payouts are based on the crowd size participating in a certain prediction contest, as well as initial pledges. Herosphere offers transparency and incentives, solving the fundamental problem of betting as we know it today.
Paul Polterauer, CEO and Co-Founder of herocoin.io, recently said:
"We are thrilled to announce our plans to launch HEROcoin on the blockchain as an ethereum based peer to peer coin… There are many fundamental problems in betting and gambling industry today. herosphere, a trustworthy, transparent, and initiative oriented platform, will use HERO to revolutionize the gambling world as we know it."
Hubertus Thonhauser, former CEO of Casinos Austria International, recently commented:
"I invested in herosphere because of its vision to solve a fundamental problem in the betting industry today, by cutting out middlemen and toll-takers like bookmakers, and giving more power to the customer… The company provides an online peer to peer prediction platform secured by the immutable ethereum blockchain technology."
This is a sponsored press release and does not necessarily reflect the views of any The Merkle employees. This is not investment or trading advice; always do your own independent research.
Dariusz is a Digital Anthropologist who has been closely following the world of cryptocurrencies since 2014. He has been somewhat of a crypto-evangelist, trying to educate more people on the exciting realm of cryptocurrency. During his time at University College London, his Master's dissertation focused on how communities inhabit, modify, and create virtual places via social media.


Originally Published: May 14, 2013 10:03 a.m.
TUBA CITY, Ariz. - Officials at Greyhills Academy High Shcool will award Navajo code talker Dan Akee, 92, with an honory high school diploma on May 17. It is 67 years overdue.
Akee, of the Kiyanni and Ashihii clans, was born in Coalmine Canyon in November 1922. He grew up in the Coalmine Mesa area. He started school in 1928 at an early age at the Tuba City Boarding School. Akee withdrew from school shortly after he started for medical reasons and went to a convalescence home in Kayenta, Ariz. to recover from tuberculosis. There he taught himself and reached a 10th grade level equivalent.
Akee enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1943, shortly after the outbreak of WWII. Akee trained as a code talker and was detailed to the 4th Marine Division, 25th Regiment. From 1943-45, Akee took part in some of the most ferocious fighting in the Pacific theater. He participated in the Marshall Islands, Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima campaigns.
As a code talker, Akee transmitted and received messages in coded Navajo, a code that was never broken.
A scene in "Windtalker," a movie about Navajo code talkers during the war, depicts a Navajo marine sending a message in coded Navajo during the Battle for Saipan. The Navajo directs an offshore ship to fire on an enemy position that was threatening an American position. That imaginary man in the movie could have been Akee because this was the very thing that Akee did during that battle.
After the war, Akee retired to civilian life with a rank of Sergeant Major, the highest rank for a non-commissioned Marine officer. He went back to high school at the Sherman Institute in Calif. but did not get a high school diploma, because of post war stress trauma. According to Akee, he recovered from the trauma with the help of Navajo Way and Christianity. He worked on the railroad and in a uranium ore processing plant. In 1967, he became an interpreter with Tuba City Hospital's mental health department where he retired in 1988 after 21 years of service.
School officials said the honorary high school diploma is long overdue and recognizes Akee's achievement as a code talker and his outstanding and tireless lifetime of service to the Navajo people and the United States.


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By train from the Czech Republic to abroad
Direct connections
By train to the sea
Praha hlavní nádraží is the largest railway station in Prague, Czech Republic.
It opened in 1871 as Franz Josef Station, after Franz Joseph I of Austria. During the First Republic and from 1945 to 1948 the station was called Wilson Station (Czech: Wilsonovo nádraží), after the former President of the United States Woodrow Wilson.
In 2014, the station served 224,505 trains (610 daily) and more than 53,000,000 passengers.
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Provat Chandra
Very nice place. Main Railway station and bus stop
Sasha Marko
Magic💕
Tyson Pierce
Yep, it's a train station
NATX Gaming
It is what it is. Recently, it has been relatively clean, but the navigation kinda suffers, especially if you can't read the Czech signs.
Dom Weekly
Busy and full of homeless people and over priced shopping
Monday: 0:00 - 0:45 & 3:15 - 23:59
Tuesday: 0:00 - 0:45 & 3:15 - 23:59
Wednesday: 0:00 - 0:45 & 3:15 - 23:59
Thursday: 0:00 - 0:45 & 3:15 - 23:59
Saturday: 0:00 - 23:59
Sunday: 0:00 - 23:59
Breathtaking journeys
Exhibitions / Museum
Railway Restaurant


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New Book "Office Optional" Helps Businesses Improve Company Culture While Adopting Remote Work
back to all News and Events
Centric Consulting's President, Larry English, tells the story of how his award-winning virtual consulting firm got started— and how other companies can follow suit with an office optional company culture.
COLUMBUS, OH – As cities tentatively relax their shelter-in-place orders, more companies are considering adding remote work to their permanent policies, but many don't know how to build an infrastructure or company culture based on a virtual workplace. Larry English's book, "Office Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture with Virtual Teams," offers a solution.
"Office Optional," which is available for purchase, describes how English's company, Centric Consulting, has been a virtual company since its inception 20 years ago and how he and his fellow cofounders crafted a company culture without physical offices.
"Coronavirus created a sudden experiment that has turned business leaders into believers with many now planning to permanently adopt remote work strategies," said English. "This book provides a guide for having a remote workforce and a great culture."
Paperback and hardcover copies will be released in early June, with a portion of the book's proceeds going to charities that support those affected by the pandemic.
"We were very early adopters of remote work, and quickly learned that a remote workforce leads to happier employees, a better culture and higher profits," said English.
Before Centric, English and his friends were working 80- to 100-hour weeks, sacrificing work-life balance for the firm they worked for together. They decided to build their own company instead. They wanted their organization to be different — one way was by foregoing the traditional office in favor of a flexible work environment, one that was mostly virtual.
Today, Centric has over 900 employees with locations all over the US and India. And, in the decades since its founding, it has won numerous awards for its company culture and consistently ranks high on Glassdoor reviews. Work-life balance and remote work are regularly spouted as pros for working at Centric.
"Office Optional" offers practical tips and poignant stories from Centric's team members about how other companies can create their own award-winning virtual culture. Readers will find chapters describing not only how to navigate setting up a company culture, but also what to do to when it comes to hiring virtually, keeping your culture top of mind and choosing the best connectivity tools. The end of each chapter also includes a "quick start guide" that recaps the most important tips.
"If there was ever a time to know how to build a virtual workforce, this is it," said Shep Hyken, customer service and experience expert and New York Times bestselling author. "Larry English gives you a step-by-step plan to build it out, create the right culture, and avoid costly mistakes."
Centric Consulting is a management consulting firm that guides you in the search for answers to complex digital, business and technology problems by asking tough questions, leading crucial conversations and blending our experts with yours. As you navigate what's next, we can help you conquer change, optimize processes, elevate your technology, and compete in a digital world.
Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, Centric has additional offices in Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Louisville, Miami, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa and Gurgaon, India. Centric was named one of America's Best Management Consulting Firms by Forbes in 2019 and 2020. Visit http://www.centricconsulting.com to learn more.
Misty Walsh
National Marketing Lead
[Podcast] Remote Work and the Virtual Community
In the News: Larry English Talks Transitioning to a Remote Work Culture in "Consult the Experts"
6 Ways CIOs Have Quickly Adapted to a Remote Work Model
As people and companies abandon the office, how can a business build and maintain a great virtual culture?
In "Office Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture With Virtual Teams," Centric Consulting President and Cofounder Larry English provides a roadmap for venturing into the remote-work world.


PBS NewsHour is seen by over four million weekly viewers and is also available online, via public radio in select markets, and via podcast. PBS NewsHour is a production of NewsHour Productions LLC, a wholly-owned non-profit subsidiary of WETA Washington, D.C., in association with WNET in New York.
Major funding for PBS NewsHour is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS and public television viewers. Major corporate funding is provided by BAE Systems, BNSF and Lincoln Financial Group with additional support from Carnegie Corporation of New York, the J. Paul Getty Trust, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Lemelson Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Friends of the NewsHour and others.
For more information, visit PBS NewsHour's website, on Facebook or follow @NewsHour on Twitter.
Whose words bring comfort when you need it most?
What Are the Options for In-Home Care?


This workshop focuses on how to improve feeling based communication skills when working with people with a dementia. How we need to adapt and change the way we communicate to meet the needs of the person with a dementia.
To have a better understanding of verbal and non-verbal communication and the factors that may affect a person when trying to communicate , including the environment and oise levels.


Place Command is one of the most beneficial commands you can teach your dog. If your dog is a counter surfer, a beggar at meal times, a door charger, constantly underfoot, jumps on the furniture or roams the house looking for things to get into, teaching a solid Place Command will take away ALL of those options and give your dog something else to focus his energy on. If your dog is stressed, anxious or nervous, teaching a solid Place Command will help your dog learn to cope with his surroundings. With practice, Place Command becomes a place of relaxation and self-calming for our dogs. They begin to understand that you, the human, their guardian, can handle things. All the dog needs to do is to take a deep breath and relax. With daily practice and slowly increasing the duration, your dogs' state of mind will begin to go from busy/intense/anxious to calm/relaxed/chill. The benefits of our dogs practicing daily Place time can be seen in other aspects of our dogs' life. As their minds slow down and their concern for what's going on around them fades, our dogs will begin to view their world from a calmer place. State of mind changes have a tremendous impact on how our dog processes and reacts to stimuli in their world.
Follow the how-to video at www.thegooddog.net. The video can be found under "Free Training Videos". The video is about 20 minutes long and will show step by step how to teach your dog the Place command.
Setting your dog up for Place: Place Command must be on something with a border or definite edge. Mats, rugs, dog beds, raised dog cots and when it's time to up the challenge, you can use buckets, tree stumps or plastic bins.
Once on Place: All four paws must be on the Place object. Your dog can stand, sit, move around, have a chew toy (once command is learned) and/or lay down. When their time on Place is over, YOU either leash them and say "let's go" or YOU use the release word "ok"/"break". Another important point: YOU put your dog on "Place", it doesn't count if your dog goes to his bed and lays down on his ownJ. It's important for our dogs to have us guide them onto place. This helps them learn to follow our lead and defer to us when they would rather be acting on impulses or reacting to stimuli in their environment.


Home | Follow My Challenge | Live GPS Tracking maps for challenges, events, races and more.
Live GPS Tracking maps for challenges, events, races and more.
Optimised for all devices: from smartphone and tablet to Full HD screens.
Live GPS Tracking is a great way to promote your event/activity, build out your fanbase and increase fundraising.
All of our detailed maps are mobile friendly, include many features and have an intuitive interface.
We will take care of the setup and tailor the map to suit your needs. We can even take care of participant registration and payments.
Tracking devices, with global coverage, will be shipped in solid flightcases, fully charged, labelled and ready to be handed out.
Like our live GPS tracking software we are flexible! We love to customise the GPS tracker to suit your challenge.
We believe that every challenge is unique and therefore deserves a unique map.
Do you have specific wishes or idea's? We implement them into your map.
I am extremely grateful to Tedde and Follow My Challenge as I embarked on Mt. Aconcagua in December 2015. My family located halfway around the world were able to track my every move and keep an eye on my progress. Tedde was kind enough to provide me with an amazing price to link the GPS tracking to my campaign page. The entire Climb Over Cancer team really appreciates the work Follow My Challenge does and cannot express how invaluable it is to have live GPS updates available for friends and family to know how you're doing. Keep up the great work Tedde!
I've been adventuring and setting world records for more than 10 years. I have always been looking for something better than the SPOT tracking page for people to follow my adventures. I was really impressed with Lee Fancourt's map he used for his ride across Europe and so got in touch with Tedde at followmychallenge. I've been really impressed with the result and even more impressed with Tedde's willingness to be open to his clients ideas and implement those. I wouldn't hesitate in getting in touch with Tedde if you're thinking of going on an adventure and require tracking software.
I used this tracker with a friend of mine as we took on the Land's End > John O'Groats World Record attempt on a tandem bike. At first we used the tracker simply to gather the data required for the application, but it turned out to be really useful to provide all of our friends and family with updates on our location, as well as helping supporters out on the road find out where we were and when to expect us! The support from FollowMyChallenge was exceptional - Tedde gave us fantastic, fast communication, coming back on all questions very quickly with clear and concise answers. He went the extra mile to sort everything out when we had to change some routes and I supplied the wrong kind of GPS files! Absolutely amazing. If you have a challenge coming up, don't hesitate - use FollowMyChallenge!


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You are here: Home › Oversight Report: ARB turned Blind Eye in Benghazi
Oversight Report: ARB turned Blind Eye in Benghazi
By Shoebat Foundation on September 16, 2013 in General
There's actually two stories here. One is that a 100-page draft report by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has identified the Accountability Review Board (ARB) tasked with investigating the breakdowns at the State Department which led to the deaths of four Americans. The other is who is (and how) it's being reported.
Issa: ARB protected State Department officials.
**UPDATE** Here is a link to the now-released report.
Somehow, when it comes to the ARB – as well as information about State Department employees and officials tied to it – the Daily Beast's Josh Rogin has gotten at least two scoops. The first was last month, when Rogin reported that the State Department had cleared the four employees who had been put on paid leave and that they would be returning to work.
The second appears to be yesterday, when Rogin was one of the first – if not the first – to report that the House Oversight Committee majority has compiled a 100-page draft report which charges that the ARB failed to hold senior administration officials accountable for the lax security at the consulate in Benghazi.
Fox News' Catherine Herridge reported on the story some hours later. One distinct difference between these two reporters is that Rogin appears to prefer the term "Administrative Review Board" while Herridge – like the authors of the ARB report itself – uses the "Accountability" word when identifying the group.
Via Rogin at the DB:
The Administrative Review Board, chosen by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, unfairly placed the blame for the terrorist attack on four mid-level officials while ignoring the role of very senior officials in Clinton's State Department for decisions about security in Benghazi, according to the new report led by Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA). Also, the structure of the ARB and the culture in Clinton's State Department raised questions about the independence and integrity of the review, according to Issa's committee.
Via Herridge at Fox:
The nearly 100-page report concludes that the State Department's internal review board — called the Accountability Review Board, or ARB — was flawed. The report by Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee alleges the board's probe was not comprehensive, its interviews were not thorough, and the investigation itself may have been damaged by conflicts of interest.
Why has Rogin decided to arbitrarily change the name of the ARB from what the ARB named itself?
In general, there wasn't a huge difference between the two reports but consider this excerpt from Herridge:
As for an alleged conflict of interest, the interim draft states that Kennedy, whom the interim report found to bear significant responsibility for the Benghazi policy, oversaw the selection of the ARB staff. Mullen told investigators he considered the staff's familiarity with the State Department to be useful. But in at least one instance, Cheryl Mills, who was Clinton's chief of staff, was given advance warning that her questioning before the ARB would be rough.
As mentioned previously, Rogin has often been the first to report on these kinds of developments relative to the ARB. Speaking of conflicts of interest, we continue to ask why Rogin was in attendance – with ARB chairman Pickering – at what amounts to be a Muslim Brotherhood conference in Doha, Qatar this past June?
Pickering and Rogin: Participants at Qatar Muslim Conference
We have been making the case that the Muslim Brotherhood was involved in the attack in Benghazi so why would the head of the ARB and a reporter both be rubbing elbows with Muslim Brotherhood members and sympathizers in Qatar?
Ok, so why would Rogin report on the findings of Issa's committee at all, if they're damaging to Pickering, the ARB, and State?
Is it because it's bad news that's going to get out anyway and it's better to be out in front of it than to be caught flat-footed?
One way for us to help answer that question is to learn more about why both Pickering and Rogin were listed as participants at the U.S.-Islamic World Forum this past June?
The full report from the Oversight Committee is supposed to be released to the public later today. We'll bring it to you.
ARB, Benghazi, Darrell Issa
America: An Empire Of Evil
O'Bagy fired Again? Syrian Task Force now Staff of One


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Showing posts with label Legitimacy. Show all posts
What's Behind The Iran Deal?
The U.S. is driving forward toward a looming deadline for a deal with Iran, so they don't go nuclear (on us).
But with this deal, Iran does go nuclear!
The question then is who is this non-deal of a deal for?
Usually one makes a deal that is good for you, your team, your allies, your friends, your community--that's why you're making the deal...otherwise why bother?
In this case, no one has more to lose with a (very) bad deal than Iran's neighbors in the Middle East, so they are actually very good judges as to whether this is a good deal or not, right?
If it's a good deal that safeguards them, the region, and us--wouldn't they all be jumping up and down doing the Horah?
But they're not--and far from it!
PM Netanyahu was extremely clear and got 23 standing ovations in just a 40 minute speech explaining how kicking the thermonuclear can down the road ten years does not a non-proliferation agreement make with a homicidal terrorist regime like Iran.
Similar, today again it is reported that "America's other key allies across the Middle East--such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates--are just as distraught."
And the same reason that they don't like this deal is why we shouldn't like this deal--because it doesn't accomplish the goal of safety and security for this region of the world or for us from dangerous Iran.
In this case, where a no-nuke Iran was what was committed to, instead we are getting, at best, a temporary deal with Iran that leaves them their nuke infrastructure and capabilities, as well as the legitimacy to ultimately have their nukes and make us eat it too!
So perhaps it is understandable why Netanyahu came here to speak to the U.S. Congress about what this dangerous deal is turning into and means to the very country that has been threatened by Iran with extermination.
And why a prominent Emirati political commentator said, "A lot of the Gulf countries [our traditional U.S. allies] feel they are being thrown under the bus."
Hmm, perhaps rather than playing right side/left side of the aisle politics, we should be asking some common sense questions:
1) Why would anyone and why would we in particular want a deal that doesn't accomplish the goal of stopping the terrorist Iranian regime from getting nuclear weapons of mass destruction?
2) Why would we desperately seek a deal that doesn't safeguard us, and our allies, and where the common refrain is that no deal is better than this deal?
3) Why would we be pushing to lift sanctions on Iran that has threatened us and our allies with everything from raping the President's daughter to sinking the U.S. Navy to annihilating Israel instead of clamping down on these terrorists?
You know the famous saying that when something smells fishy, it usually is.
This deal makes no sense--and our allies in the Middle East know it, Congress knows it, and if you don't let partisan politics get in the way, we all know it.
That means that as Iran is now aggressively spreading it's influence and forces across a contingent land sphere including Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, there is some ulterior motive at play here--should I draw you a map? ;-)
Labels: Allies, Annihilation, Caliphate, Dangerous, Deal, Extermination, Genocide, Iran, Kicking The Can Down The Road, Legacy, Legitimacy, Map, Missiles, Non-proliferation, Nukes, Photo, Power, Terrorism, Ulterior Motive, WMD