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A Saunier Duval foi uma equipa ciclista espanhola que na sua última etapa contava com sede central em Hoznayo, Cantábria. O seu director geral era Mauro Gianetti. O director desportivo principal era Joxean Fernández "Matxín", auxiliado por Sabino Angoitia.

A partir de 2008 mudou de nome em diversas ocasiões (Scott-American Beef, Footon-Servetto e Fuji-Servetto), até chegar à denominação de Geox-TMC, com a que a equipa conseguiu a sua vitória mais destacada justo antes de desaparecer: o triunfo de Juanjo Cobo na classificação geral da Volta a Espanha de 2011.

História da equipa

Saunier Duval
A equipa fundou-se em 2004. Pelas suas fileiras têm passado grandes ciclistas como Leonardo Piepoli, Fabian Jeker, Andrea Tafi, José Ángel Gómez Marchante, Joseba Beloki, David Millar, Gilberto Simoni, Riccardo Riccò, Iban Mayo e inclusive individualmente ao paralímpico Javier Otxoa.

2006
No ano de 2006 participou no calendário do UCI ProTour, e que agrupa aos 20 melhores equipas do mundo, e as melhores competições. Ficou classificado em 9ª posição, com 268 pontos. Na classificação de corredores, o ciclista melhor classificado da equipa foi José Ángel Gómez Marchante no 23º posto, com 97 pontos.

Ademais, conseguiu um total de 15 vitórias, destacando as 2 de Leonardo Piepoli no Giro d'Italia, as de Francisco Ventoso e David Millar na Volta a Espanha.

Assim mesmo, as vitórias ProTour conseguidas no Tour da Suíça por Koldo Gil, a etapa e classificação geral da Volta ao País Basco de José Ángel Gómez Marchante e a vitória conseguida na Volta à Catalunha por David Cañada. Destacam também as duas etapas e classificação geral na Euskal Bizikleta de Koldo Gil e o campeonato nacional da Polónia na contrarrelógio de Peter Mazur.

2007
O principal contrato para a nova temporada foi o de Iban Mayo, procedente do Euskaltel-Euskadi.

No ano 2007 participou novamente no calendário do UCI ProTour. Ficou classificado em 6ª posição, com 306 pontos. Na classificação de corredores, o ciclista melhor classificado da equipa foi Riccardo Riccò no 15º posto, com 111 pontos.

Ademais, conseguiu um total de 29 vitórias, destacando as 4 no Giro d'Italia (Leonardo Piepoli, Riccardo Riccò, Gilberto Simoni e Iban Mayo), e a de Leonardo Piepoli na Volta a Espanha. Assim mesmo, cabe assinalar as vitórias ProTour conseguidas na Paris-Nice por David Millar, as 2 etapas da Tirreno-Adriático de Riccardo Riccò, as 2 etapas e a classificação geral da Volta ao País Basco de Juanjo Cobo e a etapa no BinckBank Tour de Luciano Pagliarini.

Destacam também as 3 etapas na Volta a Castela e Leão de Francisco Ventoso, a Subida ao Naranco de Koldo Gil, as etapas na Euskal Bizikleta e na Volta às Astúrias de Alberto Fernández e a classificação geral também da Volta às Astúrias de Koldo Gil, além dos campeonatos nacionais da Grã-Bretanha em contrarrelógio e em estrada de David Millar, e o de contrarrelógio da Letónia de Raivis Belohvoščiks.

Iban Mayo deu positivo por EPO no Tour de France.

2008

No ano de 2008 participou novamente no calendário do UCI ProTour. Ficou classificado em 5ª posição, com 177 pontos. Na classificação de corredores, o ciclista melhor classificado da equipa foi Josep Jufré no 42º posto, com 30 pontos.

Ademais, conseguiu um total de 14 vitórias, destacando as 2 no Giro d'Italia de Riccardo Riccò, antes de dar positivo. Assim mesmo, cabe assinalar as vitórias ProTour, a vitória de etapa no BinckBank Tour de Raivis Belohvoščiks e a etapa de David de la Fuente na Volta a Alemanha. Destacam também a vitória de etapa e da Classificação Geral da Euskal Bizikleta de Eros Capecchi, a etapa da Volta a Portugal de Juanjo Cobo, a etapa da Volta a Andaluzia de Denis Flahaut e a etapa da Volta a Burgos de Juanjo Cobo, além do campeonato nacional de contrarrelógio da Letónia de Raivis Belohvoščiks.

A campanha 2008 foi na que obteve seu melhor resultado na geral de uma das três grandes voltas de três semanas do calendário ciclista, graças ao segundo posto de Riccardo Riccò na classificação geral do Giro d'Italia, só por trás de Alberto Contador, corredor da Astana que vinha de ganhar o Tour de France de 2007.

No entanto, a temporada de 2008 da equipa esteve marcada pelo dobro positivo de Riccardo Riccò e Leonardo Piepoli no Tour de France de 2008, que motivou a mudança de nome a Scott-American Beef na segunda parte do ano, pondo assim mesmo em risco a continuidade da equipa.

Dopagem de Riccò e Piepoli no Tour
Durante as primeiras etapas do Tour, a equipa foi protagonista da carreira graças a três vitórias de etapa: Riccardo Riccò com duas etapas (a sexta etapa, finalizada em Super Besse e a nona etapa, finalizada em Bagnères-de-Bigorre, nesta última depois de um poderoso ataque no Col d´Aspin que lhe permitiu chegar à meta em solitário) e Leonardo Piepoli com uma (a décima etapa, finalizada em Hautacam), conseguindo um doblete junto a seu colega Cobo). No entanto, a 17 de julho conheceu-se que Riccò tinha dado positivo por CERA a sua amostra de urina no controle antidopagem que se lhe tinha realizado na quarta etapa, a contrarrelógio individual de Cholet. Por este motivo, Riccò, líder da equipa com duas vitórias de etapa e sétimo na geral (a 2:29 do líder), foi preso pela polícia francesa. A equipa Saunier Duval-Scott decidiu retirar-se em pleno do Tour, e ao dia seguinte Riccò foi despedido da esquadra, ao igual que o seu colega de habitação Leonardo Piepoli, ainda que este não tinha dado positivo.

Num primeiro momento, Riccò negou as acusações de dopagem, ainda que finalmente terminou admitindo que tinha tomado CERA sem conhecimento da sua equipa; ademais, renunciou à contra análise, ficando a partir de então à espera das possíveis sanções (desportivas e penais, sobre a base da nova legislação antidopagem vigente em França).

Piepoli foi expulso da equipa devido a uma "perda de confiança" e um "incumprimento do código ético da equipa", segundo palavras dos dirigentes da esquadra. No entanto, a razão de dito despedimento deveu-se a que o ciclista tinha confessado ao seu director Joxean Fernández "Matxín" que ele também se tinha dopado com o mesmo produto que Riccò; no entanto, seu director não o fez público, e ao não ser achada a CERA na análise de urina, Piepoli negou publicamente se ter dopado e se negou a declarar ante o Comité Olímpico Nacional Italiano (CONI) a 31 de julho, quando foi citado como testemunha no julgamento de dito organismo a seu colega Riccò.

Durante uns dias, a equipa correu risco de desaparecer devido às declarações de importantes executivos da empresa Saunier Duval (principal patrocinador da equipa desde a sua fundação), que desejavam rescindir o patrocínio da equipa depois do recente escândalo de dopagem protagonizado pelo líder da equipa ciclista. Apesar de que Riccò desculpou à formação da sua dopagem, finalmente a 23 de julho a empresa Saunier Duval decidiu separar da equipa, dando por terminado o seu patrocínio com efeitos imediatos (e ficando a esquadra por tanto sem patrocinador principal). No entanto, o segundo patrocinador até então, Scott (fabricante de bicicletas), decidiu ficar na equipa. Uns dias mais tarde, a esquadra anunciou que Scott e o novo patrocinador American Beef eram a partir de então os máximos patrocinadores da equipa, que passou a se chamar por tanto Scott-American Beef.

A 6 de outubro, graças a uma nova técnica antiCERA que permite detectar a CERA no sangue, se fez público que Piepoli tinha dado positivo por CERA em duas ocasiões no Tour de France de 2008, concretamente nas amostras sanguíneas que lhe foram tomadas em Brest (dantes do início da carreira) e na etapa com final em Toulouse (mal dois dias antes da sua vitória em Hautacam). Portanto, aumentava a dois (Riccò e Piepoli) o número de ciclistas do extinto Saunier Duval-Scott que tinham dado positivo por CERA no Tour de France de 2008.

Scott-American Beef

Depois de uma paragem obrigada por estes acontecimentos, e já como Scott-American Beef, a equipa voltou à competição no primeiro fim de semana de agosto: no sábado disputou a Clássica de San Sebastián, e no domingo a Subida a Urkiola (na que Cobo foi segundo).

A organização da Volta a Espanha excluiu à equipa Scott-American Beef de sua edição do ano 2008 pelo escândalo de dopagem de Riccò, anunciando também que não convidar-se-ia a outra equipa para suprir dita vaga.

Após que o patrocinador principal Scott decidisse não continuar na equipa (para passar ao Columbia em 2009), em outubro Mauro Gianetti anunciou, sem dizer o nome da companhia, a chegada de um patrocinador italiano face à temporada de 2009 que asseguraria a continuidade da equipa (conservando ademais a sua licença UCI ProTour) e a chegada de Álvaro Crespi como novo director geral, enquanto Matxín avançou a possível contratação do veterano ciclista italiano Davide Rebellin
(que ficava livre ao desaparecer a sua até então equipa, a Gerolsteiner) como novo líder da esquadra. Não obstante, dita empresa decidiu dar marcha atrás e Rebellin anunciou o seu contrato pela equipa Diquigiovanni, pelo que a sobrevivência da formação ficou suspensa às negociações para conseguir um novo patrocinador.

A 20 de novembro, último dia do prazo, a esquadra inscreveu-se como equipa UCI ProTour para 2009 com o nome GM Bikes (apresentando ademais os avais correspondentes) à espera de fechar um acordo de patrocínio. Pouco depois, anunciou-se que a equipa passava a se chamar Fuji-Servetto, ao ter conseguido um acordo de patrocínio com ditas empresas.

Fuji-Servetto

2009
Na temporada de 2009 participou novamente no calendário do UCI ProTour. A apresentação da equipa Fuji-Servetto para dita temporada realizou-se a 5 de fevereiro em Cecina Mare (Itália), com os ex-ciclistas Paolo Bettini e Davide Cassani como mestres de cerimónias.

A equipa não pode disputar em 2009 nenhuma carreira organizada pela ASO (como a Paris-Nice ou o Tour de France), devido ao veto imposto pela empresa organizadora depois dos escândalos de dopagem perpetrados por corredores da equipa nas edições anteriores: Mayo em 2007 e sobretudo Riccò e Piepoli em 2008. A ASO alegou como motivo que a equipa danificava a imagem da prova, e o veto foi avalado pelo TAS.ref>O TAS não permite ao Fuji correr a Paris-Nice</ref>

A equipa participou na Tirreno-Adriático e a Milão-Sanremo, após que o TAS negasse à organizadora RCS (responsável assim mesmo do Giro d'Italia) a possibilidade de vetar à equipa.

Footon-Servetto

2010
Mediante um comunicado, a 20 de outubro de 2009, a equipa Fuji-Servetto passou a chamar-se Footon-Servetto devido à entrada da companhia suíça Footon como novo patrocinador principal.

A 18 de dezembro de 2009 fez-se público que a AMPO, empresa que até a data copatrocinava a equipa Contentpolis-AMPO, passaria a patrocinar à equipa. Junto com o acordo produziu-se a chegada à equipa de Aitor Pérez Arrieta. Nessa mesma data anunciou-se a incorporação do australiano Johnnie Walker, chegado das filiais da Footon-Servetto, a Trasmiera-Fuji.

O plantel da formação teve numerosas mudanças no Inverno, com as baixas entre outros de Beñat Intxausti (apesar de que tinha um ano de contrato), David de la Fuente e Juanjo Cobo, ainda que conseguiu manter a nomes como Eros Capecchi, José Alberto Benítez e Arkaitz Durán. A maioria de incorporações produziu-se de modestas equipas de categoria Continental Profissional ou Continental, ainda que entre as jovens incorporações destacavam Noé Gianetti (filho do proprietário da equipa e ex ciclista Mauro Gianetti) e Johnnie Walker (da filial).

Manuel Antonio Cardoso ganhou uma etapa no Tour Down Under disputado em janeiro.

A equipa voltou ao Tour de France, onde apesar de não conseguir uma vitória de etapa teve presença em carreira graças a Rafael Valls.

Team Geox-TMC

2011

A empresa Geox passou a ser o patrocinador principal a partir de 2011. Segundo La Gazzetta dello Sport ambas partes assinariam um acordo por cinco temporadas e 50 milhões de euros ao todo, ainda que finalmente se assinou por três temporadas (até 2013). Uma das primeiras figuras que contratou foi ao ganhador do Tour de France de 2008 Carlos Sastre. Os responsáveis pela equipa mostraram-se confiantes nas suas possibilidades de atrair a algum outro ciclista de primeiro nível, como Denis Menchov ou Damiano Cunego. Menchov foi contratado, no entanto, Cunego preferiu seguir nas fileiras da Lampre-ISD.

Apesar da contratação de Sastre e Menchov, mais outros corredores como David de la Fuente e Juanjo Cobo, a equipa perdeu a categoria e deveu requalificar-se como Profissional Continental. Cinco equipas pugnaram pelas últimas três praças à máxima categoria para a temporada de 2011: Euskaltel-Euskadi, AG2R La Mondiale, QuickStep Cycling Team, Geox-TMC e Cofidis, le Crédit en Ligne sendo estes dois últimos os que ficaram fora. Seu director geral Joxean Fernández "Matxín" mostrou-se surpreso e decepcionado pela decisão da UCI e preocupado pelo futuro da equipa já que para participar das carreiras do principal calendário internacional (o UCI WorldTour), dependeria dos convites dos organizadores de ditas carreiras. Sobretudo pensando no Giro d'Italia e o Tour de France, pois a Volta a Espanha era praticamente um facto que a equipa seria convidada.

No ano não começou de boa maneira para a equipa, já que em janeiro se deu a conhecer os 4 equipas que ASO convidaria ao Tour de France de 2011. Os organizadores decidiram para essa edição da Grand Boucle, convidar as 4 equipas francesas da categoria Profissional Continental e apesar de contar em suas fileiras com o ganhador do Tour de France de 2008 (Carlos Sastre) e o terceiro em 2010 (Denis Menchov), estes não resultaram motivos suficientes para que fora convidado, recebendo a equipa um novo golpe depois da descida de categoria.ref>Os organizadores deixam fora ao Geox-TMC de Sastre e Menchov europapress.es</ref>

Depois foi convidada ao Giro d'Italia de 2011, já que RCS Sports recebeu autorização da UCI para convidar a 5 equipas com motivo da celebração dos 150 anos de independência de dito país. No Giro, o melhor resultado de etapas foi um 2º posto de Fabio Duarte na 5ª. Menchov foi o melhor localizado na classificação geral final no 8º lugar, enquanto por equipas culminou em 5ª posto.

Vitória de Cobo na Volta

A Volta a Espanha foi o grande momento da equipa na temporada, onde Juanjo Cobo foi o grande protagonista nas etapas 14ª e 15ª, com finais em La Farrapona (2º) e o Angliru (1º), destronando nessas etapas ao até esse momento líder, Bradley Wiggins e convertendo-se na nova Jersey vermelha da carreira que conseguiu manter até final com uma vantagem de 13" sobre Chris Froome. A classificação por equipas, também foi para o Geox-TMC com mais de 10 minutos de diferença sobre o Leopard Trek, segundo classificado.

Fim da equipa
A vitória na Volta a Espanha fizeram crescer as esperanças de que a equipa volta-se à máxima categoria. A 20 de outubro, vencia o prazo para apresentar ante a UCI os contratos dos ciclistas para a temporada de 2012 e a sociedade gestora da equipa, o Clube Desportivo Bike Live realizou dita tramitação. Mas a empresa Geox, não depositou os avais bancários correspondentes e emitindo um comunicado declarou que punha fim ao patrocínio da equipa já que não considerava estratégica a sua presença no ciclismo. O facto tomou por surpresa a todos, incluído ao mesmo ganhador da Volta a Espanha, Juan José Cobo que 3 dias antes tinha renovado o contrato a sociedade gestora. Em outro comunicado emitido por Bike Live, assegurou-se que levar-se-á o caso ante o TAS (Tribunal de Arbitragem Desportiva) e demandar-se-ia à empresa por incumprimento do contrato.

A partir desse momento, tanto Gianetti como Matxín, embarcaram-se numa carreira contra o relógio para salvar à equipa antes de que vencessem os prazos e conseguir permanecer pelo menos na categoria Continental Profissional. Contactaram-se com várias empresas, tanto da Espanha como de Itália mas sem resultados positivos. Inclusive chegaram a viajar à Venezuela e apresentaram o projecto de equipa ao governo de dito país, o qual foi visto com bons olhos e mediante uma carta do governo venezuelano conseguiram adiar a apresentação dos avais ante a UCI, mas finalmente o projecto fracassou.

A 5 de dezembro, a comissão de licenças da UCI, mediante uma carta comunicou à equipa que os prazos para apresentar os avais tinham vencido e não teria mais prorrogações, com o qual a estrutura de Gianetti e Matxín desapareceu em 2012.

Corredor melhor classificado nas Grandes Voltas

Equipas filiais

Profissionais
Durante os anos 2005-2007 teve dois filiais na última categoria do profissionalismo (categoria Continental) as equipas murcianas de a 3 Molinos Resort e Grupo Nicolás Mateos onde estiveram cedidos alguns dos corredores que anos depois passaram à equipa como foi o caso de Beñat Intxausti.

Amador
A esquadra de Matxín contava até convulse em 2008 com uma equipa filial no campo amador chamados com o mesmo nome que o maior: Saunier Duval e Scott-American Beef. Desde 2009, a equipa satélite da Fuji-Servetto passou a ser o também cántabro Trasmiera-Fuji, antigo Noja-Canalsa.

Em 2010, graças à entrada do novo patrocinador Footon na equipa UCI ProTour Footon-Servetto, a equipa filial passou a chamar-se Trasmiera-Footon-Fuji. Este conjunto esteve dirigido por Miguel Ángel e Francisco Baldor. Desde esta equipa têm dado o salto à esquadra profissional Pedro Merino e Johnnie Walker, enquanto Mario Gutiérrez esteve a prova no final do 2010. Ademais, os russos Dimitry Ignatiev e Stanislav Volkov foram profissionais com o Itera-Katusha, enquanto o israelita Niv Libner com o Amore & Vita.

Este em 2011 foi substituído por uma equipa filial belga mais internacional chamado Geox-Fuji Teste Team com 32 corredores.

Material ciclista

 Bicicletas: Fuji
 Componentes: TIME
 Travões: TRP
 Rodas: Reynolds
 Equipamento: Giordana
 Selins: Selle SMP
 Capacetes: Limar
 Sapatilhas: DMT
 Garafões: Elite
 Contaquilómetros: Polar Electro
 Roupa de rua: Legea
 Carros: Audi

Sede
A equipa tem a sua sede em Hoznayo, Entrambasaguas (Cantabria, Espanha).

Classificações UCI
A União Ciclista Internacional elaborava o Ranking UCI de classificação dos ciclistas e equipas profissionais.

A partir de 1999 e até 2004 a UCI estabeleceu uma classificação por equipas divididas em três categorias (primeira, segunda e terceira). A classificação da equipa e de sua ciclista mais destacado foi a seguinte:

A partir de 2005 a UCI instaurou o circuito profissional de máxima categoria, o UCI ProTour, onde a equipa está desde que se criou dita categoria. As classificações da equipa e do seu ciclista mais destacado são as seguintes:

Depois de discrepâncias entre a UCI e as Grandes Voltas, em 2009 teve-se que refundar o UCI ProTour numa nova estrutura chamada UCI World Ranking, formada por carreiras do UCI World Calendar; a equipa seguiu sendo de categoria UCI ProTour.

Com a requalificação da equipa como Profissional Continental na temporada de 2011, não teve acesso às classificações do UCI WorldTour, mas se à dos Circuitos Continentais onde as posições que obteve foram estas:

Palmarés destacado
Para o palmarés completo, veja-se Palmarés da Saunier Duval

Grandes Voltas
 Tour de France
 1 vitória de etapa
 2008: Juanjo Cobo (10ª)
 Giro d'Italia
 8 vitórias de etapa
 2006: Leonardo Piepoli (13ª e 17ª)
 2007: Leonardo Piepoli (10ª), Riccardo Riccò (15ª), Gilberto Simoni (17ª), Iban Mayo (19ª)
 2008: Riccardo Riccò (2ª e 8ª)
 Volta a Espanha
 5 vitórias de etapa
 2004: Leonardo Piepoli (9ª), Tino Zaballa (19ª)
 2006: Fran Ventoso (3ª), David Millar (14ª)
 2007: Leonardo Piepoli (9ª)

Outras carreiras
 Clássica de San Sebastián
 2004: Miguel Ángel Martín Perdiguero
 2005: Tino Zaballa
 Volta ao País Basco
 2006: José Ángel Gómez Marchante
 2007: Juanjo Cobo

 Nesta listagem encontram-se as vitórias de etapa e gerais em Grandes Voltas, carreiras da Copa do Mundo e carreiras do UCI ProTour (e suas posteriores denominações).

Principais ciclistas
Para os elencos da equipa, veja-se Elencos da Saunier Duval

Ver também

Referências

Ligações externas

 Página oficial da equipa
 Página oficial da equipa em Facebook

 Bicicletas Fuji
 Patrocinador Footon
 Patrocinador Servetto
 Patrocinador Cantabria Infinita
 Patrocinador AMPO

Equipas de ciclismo de Espanha
Ex equipas ciclistas UCI ProTeam
Equipas ciclistas extintas
Clubes esportivos fundados em 2004

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Hicks also explained that she had gone wedding dress shopping at a traditional boutique and found a dress she really loved. But when she saw the price tag, she wasn't exactly in love anymore. "It was like a thousand-dollar dress, and I was like, 'Hmm, I don't know,'" Hicks told ABC7. "It was a cute dress, but, I knew what I wanted and I wanted mermaid, I wanted lace."
With the perfect dress in mind, Hicks took to Amazon to see if she could find anything similar, and she did — from a Chinese dressmaker. She sent in her measurements and awaited the dress. "I paid $100," Hicks told ABC7. "Technically, it was $99, but I paid 100 and I think a few cents for tax. She was like, 'OK it will be here in two weeks.' It came, I put it on, and it fit perfectly."
With the dress, decorations, and even the groom's outfit handled by Amazon, Hicks and her husband were able to enjoy their wedding day knowing they didn't have a huge credit card bill coming their way. Just because you get married, doesn't mean it has to be a huge, fancy, expensive production if that's not what you want. Just like Hicks, a dream wedding on a budget is totally doable. Congrats to the sweet and frugal newlyweds!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
First Presidential debate: Much ado about nothing.
Luciano Zaccara
The next Iranian President: Rohani or… Ahmadinejad?
I participated in the January Revolution!
Bárbara Azaola
Nessma.tv
Le Bardo, Túnez: el porcentaje de participación civil en las elecciones municipales fue de 11.66%
Haratin: Hereditary Slavery Continues Despite Legislation
stepfeed
Lawyer and activist to become first gay man to run for president in Tunisia
Algerian interim president calls for dialogue without gov't, army
Mauritania constitutional council confirms election winner Ghazouani
Post-election analysis ISRAEL 2019: Third consecutive victory for Netanyahu and the Likud
Natalia Perez Velasco
Despite corruption charges, Netanyahu won elections for the fourth time and he will likely form a very similar government, although with slightly less support in the Knesset.
ISRAEL Legislative elections 2019: Netanyahu masters the political tempo
Israel is holding elections on April 9th, and it seems nothing will change. Although polls predict Likud's defeat, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will very likely lead again the next Government.
ISRAEL A discriminatory law, a slap in the face of minorities
In 1948, Israel tried to convince the world a western-like democracy had been born in the Middle East due to a decision approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations. Seventy years later,...
Who has won the Iranian elections?
Although 70 out of 290 seats of the Islamic Consultative Assembly are yet to decide, and the definitive data of the first round have still not been ratified by the Guardian Council, some conclusions...
IRAN Elections to the Islamic Consultative Assembly, February 2016
On February 26th the first round of the 10th legislative elections to designate the 290 members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles-e Shura-ye Eslami), which is convened every four years,...
Election Report: Albania Legislative elections 2013
Eva Estaún
Politics throughout Albania's most recent parliamentary term (2009-2013) was marred by discord between the ruling and opposition parties Indeed, constant blocking of the Democratic Party's decisions...
Election Report: Malaysia Legislative & Regional Elections 2013
These elections were keenly anticipated by the Malaysian public due to a generalised disaffection with the Barisan Nasional government headed by Datuk Seri Najib Razak. The prime minister was faced...
Electoral processes in the Gulf: overview of the past 10 years
Post-electoral Analysis: Iran Presidential Elections 14th June 2013
Background to the 2012 National Assembly Elections
Luciano Zaccara, Marta Saldaña
Parliamentary by-elections, 24 September-1 October 2011
Marc Valeri
An autumn of elections in the Gulf
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
Presidential Elections 12 June 2009
Highlighted Countries
Upcoming - date set
Bahrain - Legislative (Nov 24 2018)
Israel - Legislative (Apr 09 2019)
Observations: Early elections are called on April due to government inestability
Qatar - Legislative (Apr 16 2019)
Indonesia - Legislative (Apr 17 2019)
Observations: For the fist times, elections to elect the President and Parliament
Tweets por el @OPEMAM.


Agra is that one city that everybody who visits India has to pass through. Not because it has something special, but because it's very close to something extraordinary and famous in the entire world. A little bit like Alice Springs in Australia or Anaheim in California, Agra is a gateway to something else, something pretty incredible in fact, it is not exactly a city you would normally include in your itinerary if it didn't host the best, grandest, most beautiful monument on Earth – at least, in my humble opinion. Something that everybody in Europe, USA, South America, Australia and the rest of Asia has seen at least once in a postcard, TV or a magazine.
I'm obviously talking about the Taj Mahal, that one and only building I wanted to see since I was 5 or even younger as I found a postcard and fell in love with it straight away. 25 years later and having brought that card with me in 3 different cities across two countries where I lived in the past, the dream became real as I was standing in front of all its grand beauty.
The Taj Mahal, the white marble mausoleum on the southern bank of the Yamuna River is in fact a tomb that Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned for his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal. It took about thirty years and about 20,000 artisans to complete, but Shah Jahan didn't actually had time to enjoy the outstanding monument as his son quickly imprisoned him to take over the reign.
Anyhow, enough words for now, I let this white, huge, moving, perfect building speak for itself.
#1 Leave your tripod and big expensive lens at home. They might let you only take one camera/lens, definitely not a tripod or a gorillapod and you will be asked to leave it outside, no storage facility from the gate I entered, so I kindly had a shopkeeper looking after my stuff while I was inside.
#2 Enter from the southern gate, it's the least popular for some reasons, but the queue is also the faster one.
#3 If possible, go there in the morning as soon as it opens (normally at sunrise), to get some nice #empty shots, but stay there until people arrive to give some scale to the building. If you wish/can, you should go back around sunset to capture the changing colours of the marble. Ideally, find a place to set your camera on a stone or something for a long time-lapse.
#4 Boat trips are not longer available; the river's water is very polluted, therefore dangerous – however, local people keep having sacred baths by its shores.
#5 Tickets are 750Rs (about £7.50) for foreigners . It's worth going back if you have the time!
Stay tuned for my Indian adventures!


text:
Ian Page and The Mozartists explore Mozart's travels across Europe, making their début at Lichfield Festival and returning to Wigmore Hall
Mozart's Travels ¦ 8 July 2019, 7:30pm ¦ Wigmore Hall, London
Mozart's Travels ¦ 9 July 2019, 7:30pm ¦ Lichfield Festival, Lichfield
Ian Page and The Mozartists return to Wigmore Hall and make their début at Lichfield Festival with a programme exploring Mozart's travels across Europe. The repertoire comprises a mixture of concertos, symphonies and arias composed in London, The Hague, Paris, Munich, Vienna, Prague and Rome. The company's award-winning Associate Artist Louise Alder will perform three arias, including Ilia's "Se iI padre perdei" from Idomeneo, and principals from The Mozartists take centre stage to perform two of Mozart's most popular concertos: Mozart's Concerto in C major for Flute and Harp is performed by Katy Bircher and Oliver Wass, whilst Gavin Edwards performs the Horn Concerto No. 4 in E flat major.
Mozart travelled extensively during his short life, particularly in his early years – between his 7th and 15th birthdays he was away from home for a total of almost six years – and his final trip to Prague ended less than two months before his death. These travels played a crucial role in forging his artistic personality, enabling him to become acquainted with a wide range of music and musicians. In particular, his extended stays in London and Paris before he had turned ten and his year in Italy at the age of fourteen provided a unique education, exposing him to different styles, traditions and outlooks.
The featured works in this programme range from eight-year-old Mozart in London composing his first symphony to his horn concerto and "Bella mia fiamma… Resta, o cara", written in his thirties.
Conductor and Artistic Director Ian Page writes: "Mozart's career provides a supreme demonstration of the value and benefits of cultural exchange, and the time that he spent in such important musical cities as London, Paris, Milan and Naples provided him with a depth and breadth of education that he could never have received by remaining at home in Salzburg. This concert explores the range of subtly different musical cultures for which Mozart composed, and will I hope provide a varied and enjoyable cross-section of his extraordinary career. We're also delighted to have been invited to make our Lichfield Festival début with this programme."


Palate: Honeyed apricot, grapefruit, passionfruit and ripe apple, with flinty minerality and lively acidity. Great length and a lingering finish.
Food Match: Delicious as an aperitif, with herby salads, or fresh seafood.


Coconut palm sugar is extracted from the sap or flower of the coconut plant and evaporated to coconut palm sugar. The taste of pure coconut palm sugar is similar to brown sugar. For cooking purposes, it has a very low melt temperature and an extremely high burn temperature so it can be used baked products in place of sugar.
An ideal substitute for sugar in recipes for baked goods, cereals, coffee, tea and to sweeten any other drinks.


Should you Split your Study Abroad Semester between 2 Cities?
If other students are like me, they may have a difficult (let's be honest, near impossible) time making choices. It can be the simplest of decisions like choosing between tacos and burritos, or of the more influential sort like where to go to college. A choice can be a blessing and a burden all at the same time, especially in abroad game. Whether it's a degree requirement or a college bucket list item, studying abroad blesses students with giving the opportunity to live and learn in any great city of the world, while it burdens students with the dreaded task of choosing where on earth to go.
Pro 1: It's an extended answer to the call of adventure.
Flying across the world to an unfamiliar city is an adventure in itself. To take things to the next level, why not live in two unfamiliar cities while away? Choosing both locations allows opportunities for experiencing double the amount of fun. The student also sees more of the world whilst going to two cities.
Pro 2: Speaking of seeing more of the world, you'll go on more excursions.
Programs can provide weekend excursions to nearby towns with planned cultural activities and sightseeing tours. These weekends can include seeing painted masterpieces in museums, guided walking tours through market streets, and free time with peers to explore all the suggested must-see's and do's.
There are a number of options for term length, from 3 weeks to a year, making it doable to study in more than one city. It is vital, then, to plan time spent in each place wisely. Students want to see everything in each city; from tourist attractions to local, hidden gems. Travelers might feel the need to complete TripAdvisor lists, but ditching this to take suggestions from locals is sometimes the best way to go. The prepared study abroad student will be more aware of the forthcoming end dates and consequently will be more intentional with their days.
To truly immerse oneself in the cities will take some time, but if purposeful about it daily one can learn to live like a local in both. After a week of walking around, asking questions, and doing some research, the ebb and flow of the city will start to unfold. Local news will be discussed, the shortest walking routes will be discovered, the best time to visit a museum will be known, and the favorite cafes for a quiet coffee break will be differentiated from that for the hippest gelato shop.
It is arguable that shortening time in a city will diminish the student's ability of true immersion. Shorter programs can mean the student has to pick and choose their most anticipated activities without really getting to know the city. In turn, a longer period of time will allow one to step back and appreciate the city without being on the go. The depth of immersion is all relative based on each student's desires, though.
Pro 5: You'll learn the different cultures within the country.
One main reason students study abroad is to experience another culture. The uniqueness of living in two places during a student's time abroad will be evident from the habits, cuisine, accents, and even ways of living one will have adopted after experiencing each city's culture. A cool benefit from experiencing two different cultures while abroad is the real world knowledge gained that compares and contrasts different regions within a country. Most people can easily point out the differences in culture of their home city to their abroad city. To know intricate details of what makes multiple places within the same region abroad exactly what they are is something for the ever inquisitive and always searching, the person who will put in that extra effort.
The trouble with leaving the first city for the second is the possibility of preferring the former, thus comparing it to the latter. The saying "comparison is the thief of joy" is a helpful reminder if this occurs. On the plus side, if the cities are drastic opposites, it will be an incomparable self-learning experience about the types of cities one can or can't develop and flourish in (something very important to know before graduating college and moving on to a job).
Pro 6: You'll get to meet more new people.
Double the cities means double the friends, right? Understanding that the extent of this statement depends on your personality, it is still no less true if you are a shy introvert. Each program is full of students who will bond over presentations, weekend trips, and fun nights out on the town. These are the people who experience living a foreign life together. Forming lasting relationships with double the amount of directors, fellow students, host families, and locals is one of the most rewarding outcomes of going to two cities.
Con 3: You have to leave new people.
The only sad moment of study abroad is the last night because it entails goodbyes. However, if students' time is spent well getting to know their peers and enjoying the city together, the end will be less bitter and more sweet. One will find that flying away from one group of friends simply means flying towards another group of friends.
Pro 7: You'll learn how to adapt to change.
From experiencing two different programs in two different cities comes the realization of how one reacts and subsequently deals with change. It is possible to have a program end on one day and have the next program begin later that same day, or the two programs can be weeks apart. Getting from City #1 to #2 with varying lengths of time will teach the student real world skills such as working with change and adapting to one's environment. This discipline is necessary in all aspects of life, but is most fulfilled in travels.


text:
Home Corporate Amazon
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: Beyond Gender
by TheGistDay
in Corporate Amazon, Op-Ed
On March 1, a good working Monday, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Finance Minister and the first woman and African to be appointed as Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, resumed her first day of work as WTO chief. In welcoming her, the trade organisation said: "Welcome to Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on her first day as WTO Director-General! She makes history as the first woman and first African to take up this post."
She assumes office in an interesting time when glass ceilings are being shattered into some smithereens. The first interplanetary (Hope) mission of United Arab Emirates, UAE, landed on planet Mars on Tuesday February 9, 2021, first Arab nation to announce an ambition to be on the moon in 2024. A returnee from that historic mission to Mars, reading the global print media coverage of the election of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the seventh Director General of WTO would have rightly assumed the unprecedented feat was an affirmative global action that privileged a Nigerian-American mother: Ngozi Iweala! "New WTO Head Becomes First Woman and African to Lead Global Trade Body", reads most headlines!
Delta 2023 Governorship: Calculations, Miscalculations Over Ibori, Okowa's Choice
Why I Didn't Sign Electoral Act Amendment Bill Into Law – Buhari
Happily UAE's interplanetary (Hope) mission is unmanned. Thank God, no returnee would suffer foolery. The reportage of Ngozi's victory had inadvertently triggered a variant of what I call "Ellen-Johnson Sirleaf media syndrome" which often manifests in the male- dominated global media once a woman breaks the glass ceiling erected in the first place by the men! Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the 2011 Winner of Nobel Peace prize. In 2005, she won the historic Liberian presidential election to become the 24th President of Liberia. The headlines passed for some ecstasies, akin to some hysteria: "The Iron-Lady takes charge in Liberia", "Age of Women", "Women are coming", ad infinitum.
Of course Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a woman. A proud mother of four children and grandchildren. Certainly she is truly the first female democratically elected President in Africa. But notwithstanding the importance of gender, the obsession with gender dimension of Johnson's Presidency, (no less the global elevation of Dr. Okonjo-Iweala) pointed to our readiness to undervalue the participation of women in governance and belittle their achievements made in spite their gender. In a continent in which it is easier to transfer power and wealth to male child than to a wife and female child, female presidency/headship of a global trade clearing house understandably captures the gender imagination.
But, the point cannot be overemphasised: Ellen Sirleaf's democratic victory was a product of her direct political engagement of trial and error spanning decades, political contestation and cooperation, political adversities in forms of vicious harassments, imprisonments, missed assassinations and forced exile, national commitment and international exposure. She was declared the winner on November 23, 2005, as the candidate of the Unity Party. But that was after an acrimonious run-off with a professional footballer, George Weah, who she defeated by 59 per cent to vote 40 per cent vote counts.
It's been a challenging journey for Mrs Okonjo-Iweala also. The opposition of Donald Trump's administration against her candidacy was an open knowledge but she refused to be distracted by the antics of the administration of almost twice impeached America's "Commander-In-Diversions". Ngozi showed that when the going is tough only the determined remains as focused.
I agree with the Rights activist, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, that Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is "a dogged person". Other women and indeed men who are eager to follow their footsteps must realise that there is a long walk to victory. Mrs Okonjo-Iweala brings to the table 40 years of struggle and persistence to succeed and excel even when it seemed impossible until it is done as the late Nelson Mandela puts it. Of course gender is part of Iweala's success story.
Reaching the zenith is not a preserve of men as women can run a worthy campaign for elective offices better than some men. Indeed her success glamours this year's International Women's Day celebration on March 8. She also proudly dedicates the record achievement to women. However, her main strength is soft (knowledge) power. Okonjo-Iweala is a product of the best of public education, home and abroad. She is a multiple degree holder from branded universities: Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she bagged Ph.D in regional economics and development economics.
In 2012, she ran a controversial but audacious campaign for the presidency of the World Bank, insisting that the plumb job almost by design reserved for Americans (Americans alone! IMF for Europeans) be made open to competition(the mantra of global market economy even when observed in the breach in the global institutions). Two- term Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs under President Olusegun Obasanjo, she returned from the World Bank to take up an expanded position as Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance. She was de facto an unofficial "Prime Minister" in a presidential system! As a student of development and labour market economics, I marvel at how Madam Ngozi is "over-employed" with serial appointments and elective offices in a continent of open 50 percent youth unemployment!
Her relative ease of labour market entry and exit with tenacity of purpose still tasks imagination of labour market students. When she left the World Bank for Jonathan's cabinet, President Robert Zoellick then World Bank, said: "Her desire to serve her country is truly a big loss for the World Bank but a major gain for Nigeria as it works to craft its economic way forward." Very few have so many referees with good jobs in waiting, jobs in deferment, jobs in bid! But not without amazing stories of adversities of frightening dimensions too.
The "2020 African of the Year" told Africa Forbes magazine in November last year: "My mother was kidnapped and held for five days when I was Finance Minister. The kidnappers thought that killing me would be too merciful and wanted to paralyse me for the rest of my life. When you are fighting powerful people who are corrupt, they fight back in very dangerous ways". Ngozi truly dares to make a change with all the attendant risks in a country of elitist least resistance and petty grumblings.
But the critical question begging for answer is: what impact is she going to make in an organisation, under whose watch international trade has among others, deepened what UN Secretary-General dubbed "inequality pandemic"? Like the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the original name of the World Bank) established in 1944, WTO hitherto General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, GATT, commenced in 1948. That was almost two decades before Nigeria and most African countries got independence.
So what difference can an African leadership of an organisation formed in spite of, (without!) Africa make? It's gratifying listening to Dr. Ngozi unfolding her vision at the 2021 Lagos 'Ehingbeti' Economic Summit. "Majority of Africans are still exporting primary products like fossil fuels, minerals (diamonds, tin, copper) or agriculture products (cocoa and coffee). We have to get from a position of where we are exporting raw materials to a position where we are adding more value."
She spoke the mind of few African compatriots still standing. It's time that Africa and Africans got strategic with WTO to make sure that trade becomes a means of re-industrialisation of Africa and not under development. There must be alternative trade policies that would factor the needs of working people around the world, inclusive of economic growth and sustainable development.
The history of WTO in Africa in many respects fostered de-industrialisation and job losses through uncritical wholesale dismantling of protection for domestic industries. The emergence of Okonjo-Iweala was in the fullest of time in a pandemic when the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, AfCFTA, involving 54 African countries in one economic trading zone with a combined population of more than one billion people combined gross domestic product of more than US$3.4 trillion is new normal.
In her acceptance speech on Monday, Okonjo-Iweala said one of her top priorities would be to work with members "to quickly address the economic and health consequences brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic". She then added: "A strong WTO is vital if we are to recover fully and rapidly from the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic". WTO under the leadership of an African must make a difference by ensuring that trade serves the purpose of wider growth, as well industrialisation and mass jobs' creation on the basis of respect for workers and their rights.
It's good news that the new director-general of WTO is passionate about decent jobs for the youths of Africa. The best support Africans can give their own is a peaceful and productive continent that would facilitate international and continental trade for empowerment and value addition. Senseless banditry, proxy wars of attrition must give way to Partnership for Development (goal 17 of SDG 2030!) "My education was truncated by the Nigerian Biafra War. We were in the war for three years and this was something that really opened my eyes. It started when I was just entering my teens and finished when I was in my mid-teens. It was a harrowing time, two of the three years I didn't go to school."
How many "Ngozis" were lost to the avoidable conflicts in Africa are better imagined. And better too, how many female African "firsts" await the continent with sustainable peace and development?
By Issa Aremu
Tags: Issa AremuNgozi Okonjo-IwealaWorld Trade OrganisationWTO
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text:
Q: Kendo server export POST request headers I am using Kendo's server side export functionality to be able to export xlsx/pdfs from the server. This is my configuration
kendo.saveAs({
  dataURI: workbook.toDataURL(),
  fileName: "STRResult.xlsx",
  proxyURL:'/my/kendo/export/kendoServerExport',
  forceProxy:true,
  proxyTarget: "_blank"
});

The problem here is that I have a server (without code access) in Spring MCV and it has a global filter that checks for certain headers. I want to be able to set the required headers on this post request.
What configuration do I need to use to get it working?
TIA

A: I've provided a solution for this on the Kendo UI forum.
You can find it HERE
Solution as described on the forum:
I've build a solution for this based on some info found elsewhere on the internet.
I would like to share it with you, so perhaps Telerik might want to use is in some future version ;)
//#region -- Download file and save data to a local file --
    // Invoke call to webservice and save file
    // url - Url to get the file from
    // method - GET/POST method
    // defaultFilename - Default filename if none was given from the server
    , saveAs: function (url, method, defaultFilename)
    {
        var caller = this;

        Insad.ajaxMaskUI({
            url: url,
            type: method,
            headers: {
                'Authorization': Insad.GetBaseAuthenticationToken()
                // ... Put your headers in here ...
            },
            maskUI: Insad.defaultMaskUI
            , maskPageMsg: 'Downloading file'
        })
        .fail(function (xhr, textStatus, errorThrown) {
            //console.log('error:', textStatus, errorThrown, xhr.getAllResponseHeaders(), xhr);
            var msg = xhr.responseText;
            if (msg === undefined) {
                msg = 'Unknown error';
            }
            console.log('FileDownload failed -> Error handler. Errormessage: ', msg);
            ShowWarning(msg);

            caller.handleUIErrorDownload();
        })
        .done(function (data, textStatus, xhr) {
            caller.handleUISuccessDownload(xhr, defaultFilename);
        });
    }
    , handleUIErrorDownload: function ()
    {
        console.log('handleUIError');
        // TODO: Reset stuff / give user more info?
        // ... Put your code in here ...
    }
    , handleUISuccessDownload: function (xhr, defaultFilename)
    {
        console.log('handleUISuccess');

        // Save file
        var filename = Insad.GetFilenameFromContent(xhr);
        if (filename === '') {
            filename = defaultFilename;
        }
        Insad.SaveDataToFile(filename, xhr.responseText, xhr.getResponseHeader('Content-Type'));

        // TODO: Give user more info?
        // ... Put your code in here ...
    }
//#endregion

//#region -- Save data to a local file --
    // Get the filename from the Content-Disposition in the response xhr
    , GetFilenameFromContent: function (xhr)
    {
        var filename = '';
        var disposition = xhr.getResponseHeader('Content-Disposition');
        // Only when inline or attachment are supported at this moment
        if (disposition && (disposition.indexOf('attachment') !== -1 || disposition.indexOf('inline') !== -1)) {
            var filenameRegex = /filename[^;=\n]*=((['"]).*?\2|[^;\n]*)/;
            var matches = filenameRegex.exec(disposition);
            if (matches != null && matches[1]) {
                filename = matches[1].replace(/['"]/g, '');
            }
        }
        return filename;
    }

    // The function that will write the data to a file :)
    , SaveDataToFile: function (filename, data, mimeType)
    {
        var dataFileAsBlob = new Blob([data], {type:mimeType});
        var downloadLink = document.createElement("a");
        downloadLink.download = filename;
        downloadLink.innerHTML = "Download";
        if (window.webkitURL !== null) {                        // Is it Chrome based?
            // Chrome allows the link to be clicked
            // without actually adding it to the DOM.
            downloadLink.href = window.webkitURL.createObjectURL(dataFileAsBlob);
        }
        else {
            // Firefox requires the link to be added to the DOM
            // before it can be clicked.
            downloadLink.href = window.URL.createObjectURL(dataFileAsBlob);
            downloadLink.onclick = destroyClickedElement;       // --> TODO: ?? TEST ?? On Opera use: downloadLink.onclick = document.body.removeChild(event.target);
            downloadLink.style.display = "none";
            document.body.appendChild(downloadLink);
        }
        // Force download
        downloadLink.click();
    }
//#endregion

This is a part from our base library (Insad).
I think you get the idea. If you're missing something I would be happy to provide it to you :)
Instead of calling the 'old' saveAs like:
kendo.saveAs({
    dataURI: url,
    fileName: defaultFilename,
    forceProxy: false
});

You can now use:
Insad.saveAs({
    url: url,
    method: 'GET',  // or use 'POST' if you really must ;)
    defaultFilename: defaultFilename
});

I left out the animation part but that shouldn't be to hard I think :)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


small grains : in the face of crystal to Polish the skin and massaging the foot.
The design of the handle fits sarfaitement to the morphology of the hand and makes its use easy.
This stone, chemical use on wet feet, and non-porous that allows all consumers to use, including diabetics.
This grater is made up of grains of corundum and is water washable.


Tan to deeper skin tones with caramel or olive undertones.
Apply to your face using your fingers, sponge or a foundation brush until blended in. This method is great for those who like their foundation with a dewy finish.More helpful application tips here.And Here.


text:
Home Investigations BUSTED! San Bernadino shooters were three white men dressed in military...
BUSTED! San Bernadino shooters were three white men dressed in military attire
Watch the interview at Press TV
By Kevin Barrett, Veterans Today Editor, with Martin Hill
My frequent radio guest Martin Hill (listen to Friday's interview) has discovered another bombshell that blows the official story of the San Bernadino shooting to smithereens. In his new post Martin writes:
"Witness Sally Abdelmageed, who works at the Inland Regional Center and witnessed the shooting in San Bernardino, was interviewed live via telephone by CBS Evening News the day the massacre happened.
"The news anchor begins 'She saw the attackers enter the building, and we spoke to her by phone.'
'We saw three men dressed in military attire,' she says. 'I couldn't see his face, he had a black hat on… black cargo pants on, the kind with zippers on the side… He had a huge assault rifle a lot of ammo…
She continues, 'They opened up the door to building then he starts to, you know, shoot all over into the room – that's the room we have conferences in…
'I called 911 and I just hid under my desk..
'As I was talking to the dispatch, we went into my manager's office and locked the doors..'
'Mrs. Abdelmageed, can you describe to me in as much details as you can what did the gunman look like?' the CBS anchor asks.
'I couldn't see his face, he had a black hat on. All I could see was a black hat, black long-sleeved shirt… He had extra ammo. He was probably ready for something, to reload – I don't know know…
'I just saw three, dressed exactly the same. They looked like they were athletic build, and um, they appeared to be tall…'
'You're certain that you saw three men?' the news anchor asks.
'Yeah,' she replies, as she continues to describe the THREE WHITE MEN, their muscular build, etc.
After she leaves the line, the anchor insists 'and of course we've just learned that one of the suspects was actually a woman.'"
[Read Martin Hill's full report, Witness to San Bernardino Massacre Describes Shooters As Three White Men "Dressed In Military Attire"]
Watch the CBS News video of the interview with witness Sally Abdelmageed
Now don't get me wrong, folks. I'm a white man myself. And I am proud, not ashamed, of my Irish-Welsh-Scottish-German ancestry. But I'm sick of seeing paramilitary-type white guys committing massacres designed to be blamed on brown-skinned Muslims.
The same thing happened in Paris on November 13th. The shooters at La Belle Equipe restaurant were not brown-skinned Muslims; they were "white, clean shaven…They looked like soldiers or mercenaries and carried the whole thing out like a military operation."
The killers in the Charlie Hebdo offices last January were also white men with blue eyes – which rules out the brown-skinned brown-eyed patsies, the Kouachi brothers.
Likewise, the killers of French soldiers in the 2012 shootings falsely blamed on Mohammed Merah had tattoos worn only by white-power extremists, and therefore were almost certainly white paramilitaries employed by Operation Gladio B. (For details, read the chapter on the Merah case by Dr. Laurent Guyénot in We Are NOT Charlie Hebdo: Free Thinkers Question the French 9/11.)
Western governments and their lapdog corporate media, by refusing to investigate, discover and report the truth about these cases, are pumping out racist, Islamophobic hate propaganda in a manner that would shame Dr. Goebbels. That is the point I made in my latest Press TV interview:
'Muslim' shooters make it 'terrorism' for US media: Scholar
-Press TV
The US media characterizes a shooting attack as "terrorism" only when there is indication that the perpetrator might be a Muslim but refuses to use the word in other cases, American scholar Dr. Kevin Barrett says.
On Wednesday, Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 29, stormed a holiday party in San Bernardino, California, killing at least 14 people and injuring 21 in the deadliest mass shooting in the US in three years. Hours later, the couple died in a fire exchange with police. [According to dubious mainstream reports. -KB]
Only hours after news broke that suspects had Muslim names, American Muslims strongly condemned the incident, but this did not stop the US mainstream media from spewing hate and venom against Muslims and Islam.
Commenting to Press TV on Sunday, Dr. Barrett said, "We had another 'mass shooting' in the United States. This is nothing new; we had probably hundreds already in 2015."
"But this one is getting worldwide headlines because the alleged perpetrators are supposedly 'radical Muslims', and that's led to endless speculation among the media and politicians whether this is a case of 'terrorism,'" he added.
"The word terrorism apparently means when anybody who is ostensibly Muslim conducts a shooting, and if anybody else does it's not terrorism," the editor of Veterans Today noted. "Well, the problem though is that as with so many other similar cases, it appears that the link between the allegedly Muslim perpetrators and terrorism may have been fabricated."
See: San Bernardino shooting story full of holes
Dr. Barrett said, "We have some huge questions being raised about what really happened in San Bernardino, and one of the people raising the questions is the lawyer of the family of the two alleged perpetrators."
"This lawyer has questioned why the suspects were in handcuffs – they were dead in handcuffs. His name is David Chesley. And he should be commended. For once we have a lawyer for people who are being accused for this kind of crime who is actually standing up for his clients," he added.
"And he has pointed out that the handcuffed bodies could be interpreted as evidence that the people were executed, which is what we have seen in many other similar cases where alleged terrorist suspects – who one would think would be captured and interrogated, you would think that they would stop at nothing to capture these people alive so that they can take down their alleged terror networks – and yet case after case, bin Laden's supposed execution and throwing him in the ocean with no witnesses to all sorts of other cases where these terror suspects have just been hunted down and executed point-blank, the authorities really don't act as if they are really trying to stop terrorism; instead they act like they are trying to silence patsies who know too much.
"And we have other indications that that's what happened. The couple blamed for the San Bernardino shooting was apparently gunned down in cold blood in their car. The police claim that there was a gun battle initiated by the suspects, but the car windows were rolled up and then blown out. Nobody starts a gun battle by shooting through rolled-up car windows from inside of a car. It's pretty much physically impossible, it wouldn't work.
So it appears once again that these people may have just been gunned down and silenced.
"There are all sorts of other questions being raised about the shooting. The fact that the facility where the shooting happened, which is a handicapped facility – a very strange place for Muslims to attack! Why would radical Muslims be angry at handicapped people? I don't know."
Massive attacks on random civilians are virtually ALWAYS carried out by the government – in order to scare the people into running to the authorities for protection…and handing over their money and their liberty.
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text:
Maria Luisa Ucellini Riera (Barcelona, 1947) és una nedadora catalana, ja retirada.

Membre del CN Barcelona, va especialitzar en les proves de papallona. Va aconseguir dos campionats de Catalunya en 100 m papallona i tres d'Espanya en 100 m papallona i 4x100 m estils. Internacional amb la selecció espanyola de natació en disset ocasions, va participar en diverses tornejos internacionals.

Palmarès
 2 Campionat de Catalunya d'estiu en 100 m papallona: 1966, 1967
 1 Campionat d'Espanya d'estiu en 100 m papallona: 1965
 2 Campionat d'Espanya d'estiu en 4x100 m estils: 1965, 1966

Referències

Nedadores barcelonines
Nedadores del Club Natació Barcelona
Nedadores de papallona catalanes


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West Ham will retire the No6 shirt worn by former Upton Park and England captain Bobby Moore, the Premier League club announced yesterday.
Moore, who died in 1993, is one of the most celebrated names in English football, having lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in 1966 as captain of England's World Cup-winning team.
He was one of three West Ham players in Alf Ramsey's victorious England team, alongside striker Geoff Hurst and midfielder Martin Peters.
A statue of the three stands outside the club's stadium.
Moore, who was at West Ham from 1958-74, was the club's most successful captain, lifting the FA Cup in 1964 and European Cup Winners' Cup the following year.
He died from bowel cancer at the age of 51.
Moore made his first appearance for the club aged 17 against Manchester United in September 1958, and to mark the anniversary West Ham will play Spanish club Villarreal in a pre-season friendly on Saturday for the inaugural Bobby Moore Cup.
After leaving West Ham, Moore – who won 108 England caps – played for Fulham and American clubs San Antonio Thunder and Seattle Sounders.
Matthew Upson, the England defender who has been wearing the No6 for West Ham, will take the No15 shirt.
Meanwhile, West Ham will step up their search for another front man after Kieron Dyer suffered a hairline fracture of the leg he broke last season during training last week.
It is likely to sideline him for two more months, leaving the team short of cover.


text:
Janitor at Al Rabeeh School Abu Dhabi Sentenced to Death
Sunday, November 10th: An ISR Member has just made us aware of the following emergency situation. We ask you to review the following information and act as your conscience dictates.
The following is quoted from the Huffington Post:
Mr Ezhur Kalarikkal Gangadharan was, until this summer, a caretaker at Al Rabeeh school in Abu Dhabi (for 30 years). It was a school that had been set up by Brits, and has many British expat teachers working at it.
Mr Gangadharan had not seen his wife and three daughters, back in his home country of India, for two years. Each month, he sent most of his wage packet home. He volunteered at a local community centre, during what little spare time he had.
One day in April 2013, he was arrested, taken to a police station, and beaten for three days. Terrified and in agony – he signed a document thrust before him by the police. The words were in Arabic, a language he could not understand.
The crime he had supposedly committed – the rape of an Emirati schoolchild at Al Rabeeh school.
The South Asians working at the school that day, so-called "house boys," had also been arrested, tortured, told by police that only a confession would end the pain. Mr Gangadharan had simply been unlucky, he had broken first….
For whatever reason, nobody at the school is prepared to comment on the case. Many of their jobs rely on good will from the Emirati. The Royal Group are not returning calls from myself or from Human Rights Watch. Even the Indian Embassy, swamped with similar abuses and not wanting to upset their diplomatic relationship with the Emirati, simply commented "we have complete faith in the UAE legal system."
Read entire article on Huffington Post web site.
An appeal against Mr Gangadharan's rape conviction is happening this Monday 11th November. You can sign a petition calling for a fair re-trial of Mr Gangadharan. Click Here to Sign the Petition (To be delivered to: Ambassador of UAE to the UK, H.E. Abdulrahman Ghanem Almutaiwee & President of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan)
YOU CAN MAKE The DIFFERENCE!
If you wish to comment or discuss this incident,
please scroll down to post
This entry was posted on Sunday, November 10th, 2013 at 12:45 pm and is filed under Cultural Issues, Ethical & Legal Issues.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
18 Responses to Janitor at Al Rabeeh School Abu Dhabi Sentenced to Death
First of all I would like to tell those who have left comments either living in the UAE or abroad. in the courts of Abu Dhabi and Dubai there are special translators for few main languages that will translate to any foreigner any document he needs to sign or during the trial. and there was a program on MBC that showed that live . they have a Japanese, French, English, Persian, Filipnino, and Indian Translators. and I think that the language issue was an excuse that was used to gain some sympathy. for those who live abroad, you probably don't hear the true stories that we hear about the sex offender and most of them are indian and paki workers who rape children but their parents never report because they never get caught because these incidents usually happen in the parks or the elevators. I have attended a lecture about child abuse in one of the organizations and heard many stories from many parents who are suffering from the drawbacks on their children who grew up now with a bad memory of a rape by an indian or paki worker in particular. and I am not stereo typing the reason that this is happening is that those workers live alone away from their families for a long time so apparently they are not stable in many aspects but this is still not an excuse. this death sentence will scare everybody else to even think about doing it or dare to do it again. The united stated is full of Child molesters because they don't have a law of death sentence and consider them sick. but in our culture we consider them monster who deserve no second chance. because children deserve this type of protection and deserve a healthy environment, they want to play in a safe place, study in a safe place and so on. so instead of making a petition of some monster who was trying to defuse his lust on some innocent girl just because he is poor, there are billions of other poor people. there are children being imprisoned in Israel for no reason just because they are Palestinians. I am sure there many ppl in jail for unfair trials and they are poor too but they did not rape an innocent girl and killed her childhood.
I am not an Emarati, but I have been living in this country for four year, working in a school witnessing people treated as fair as possible better than many other countries. and by the way there is no such salary for workers as 250$ because there is a minimum wage. the least salary paid is for the nannies provided that they live with you in your house.
hope that was useful
1. It is Mr. Gangadharan's family's wish to have him home and what he wants. That presumes a fair appeal. PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION.
2. DNA tests that were done by the police would show his innocence but have not been presented as evidence in court. His family is asking for this evidence to be given to the appeal court.
3. The principal is a woman and not a man. She has not been taken as a witness or been interviewed by the police, so there is no basis for the prosecutor's statement that she said she didn't deny Mr Gangadharan could have done this. The prosecution style is very aggressive.
Thanks Liz for taking the time to set out the situation. I note that some people on this forum appear to not know much about the Middle East Justice system. A good start to inform themselves would be to read the Amnesty Internationals report on Qatar and the abuses that occur in that part of the world. Dubai has made a huge effort for their Labour Court to be fair and the courts are far different to other places but still all over the world people are charged who are innocent and evidence is not used or obtained. Before you just reply that you did not know the facts- Find out and at least support a person to get a fair trial with evidence to prove the charge/s.
I have seen abuses of civil rights across a broad spectrum of the population while living in Kuwait. Kuwaities are above the law we saw cases in which expat Indian and Filapino nannies were routinely abused. One of my students was late for class because he told me he had to "capture his escaped nannie." Many have turned their religion into a sham, their laws a mockery of human rights. The care taker in the UAE is being blamed for some perversion in the family or else where. They do it all the time…there is no honour…
Yes I agree. There has been a major case in Dubai which embarrassed the school and many of the attendants on the school bus. It made the papers for days and weeks and ended up being a sham. The parent who made the complaint did it as
pay back because the school would not employ her. One of the employees was charged and locked up and for months denied pay, legal advice etc. He had also been working faithfully for years as well.
Johina says:
Like Chris, I also wanted to sign the petition until I read that it was asking for him to be sent back to his family. He deserves a fair trial certainly, but freedom based upon an unfair and corrupt system isn't the answer.
Johina, I think the question being asked is "Did a person and a corrupt system put him in this position? To keep face someone has to be charged so think about it. Someone with no money or means and who has worked at the school for 30 years is a good start if you can get away with it? I am not saying anyone is trying to get a guilty person off the charge only What evidence is there that is permissible in a court of law and tested by a fair trial. If you are familiar with other cases heard recently and the outcome you would understand. I tried to have a look at the school's website to look at ownership but the site has been changed to French and Arabic and the person who makes the opening statement who started the school is nameless.
And execution is?
This is sad situation. They will never take the blame for their own- it is always someone else- just to get the whole thing over with. Human life and rights are not important. Teachers are at risk just working there. Any event like this can trigger blame on a foreigner.
after this, who the hell would work in the middle east? fair trial? what a load of crap!
I went to sign the petition but decided not to as the petition asks not for a fair trial but for asks for him to be set free. How can any of us know whether or not he is innocent without a fair trial? The petition is missing the point.
Have you ever worked in the Middle East? He's Indian and poor what do you think his chances of a fair trial are!!!,
I agree with Maria. It is a biased petition.
Yes you can ask for a translation. If you are never shown the documents and told that they have to be in Arabic for the Labor Court or for a Visa etc then asked to sign them without the opportunity to read them or take advice what do you do. The usual excuse is the PRO needs to leave the building and you are being unreasonable and there is nothing to worry about.
anon in UAE says:
Please sign this petition!!! https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Free_innocent_man_condemned_to_die_in_Abu_Dhabi/?dlpEkeb
We work in UAE. It is true they ask things to be signed in Arabic without representation. This poor man probably earned $250 a month! he would not be like most westerners and demand a proper translation!!
We are in the UAE teaching. This is horrible. I agree with Jim and would like to see a lie detector be an option. It is 100% accurate that people are asked to sign things i Arabic here and without fair representation. Here is a link to sign a petition asks for the Sheik to pardon this man. It is flying around the internet right now. If you think he should not be sentenced because we need more information please sign. This does not say he is not guilty 9we really do not know) but we should …need …..to make sure he is given a fair trial first and we have more information first!!
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Free_innocent_man_condemned_to_die_in_Abu_Dhabi/?dlpEkeb
Given that the sentence is death, the emirates would probably be willing to send the man for an MRI lie detector test. Last I heard, this new test has yet to be beaten.
You over estimate them if you think that. Guilty until innocent is the mantra here. He also has the misfortune of being poor.


text:
The Amazing Career of Officer Billy de Goat
Many RAF units during the war adopted animal mascots, but none of them gained such fame as the famous goat of No. 609 (West Riding) Squadron.
By Martin Waligorski | Posted on 2010-04-12 | Comments (3) | Category: Articles | Tags: 1941, 1944, history, Typhoon
Many – if not all – domestic RAF squadrons during the war adopted animal mascots, but none of them gained such fame and made so successful career within the ranks of the service as the famous goat of No. 609 (West Riding) Squadron.
Official photo of the 609 Squadron with William "Billy" de Goat (accompanied by his personal assistant) to the far right
[Crown Copyright]
No. 609 Squadron was formed at RAF Yeadon, now known as Leeds Bradford International Airport, on 10 February 1936 as one of the 20 squadrons of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force to be called during the RAF expansion programme. It was originally intended as a bomber unit. In June of that year it received Hawker Hart light bomber aircraft, later followed by Hawker Hinds. On the 8 December 1938, 609 Squadron was transferred to RAF Fighter Command, but was not equipped with fighters until the introduction of the Spitfire Mk. I in August 1939. At this point the squadron was still manned by part-time civilians. The pilots conducted their conversion training on Fairey Battles to get accustomed with flaps, variable pitch propellers, retractable undercarriage operation and other novelties of a modern metal monoplane. Then it was time for the Spitfires.
Following the outbreak of war the squadron was called up to full-time service. They initially served on defensive duties in the North of England, but the relative peace of that assignment soon changed. In May 1940, the squadron moved to RAF Northolt and flew over the Battle of Dunkirk during Operation Dynamo. During the fatal three days of this period, the squadron lots one third of its flying personnel.
During the Battle of Britain, No. 609 Squadron moved to Middle Wallop. During the intense aerial battles in August, it destroyed 46 enemy aircraft. In October 1940, the squadron became the first to achieve 100 confirmed aerial victories. Sadly, by then almost all of the pre-war auxiliary pilots were either dead or missing. Replacements came from Belgium, Poland, Canada, Australia, France, USA, and New Zealand in addition to those from Britain.
Billy de Goat photographed at Biggin Hill, soon after his arrival to the squadron .
In February 1941 the squadron was relocated to Biggin Hill. It was there that Billy de Goat was recruited to the unit. He was a kid given to one of the Belgian pilots, Vicki Ortmans by the landlady of Old Jail, the local pub in Biggin Hill (which still exists today). Christened William de Goat, he would remain with the squadron for four years, through all its various postings, firstly in the UK, then into France, the Low Countries, and finally into Germany and the victory in Europe. During that time, he patiently tolerated all Squadron members and their foibles, watched the new pilots come and go, spent long evenings at the bar with them, was cared for and spoiled, exercised his great appetite for Things Eatable and generally became essential to everyone's morale.
As soon as the goat appeared at the dispersal for the first time it was decided to enlist Billy within the ranks of the RAF. His career started in the rank of Flying Officer. The pilots soon decided that in service life, his milk diet should be replaced by quantities of non-rationed beer served to him in a baby's bottle. He also was appointed a personal assistant and was allowed in the mess.
Within a few weeks of his introduction into service Billy had shown the depth of his character. He was arrested and placed in custody for ignoring Kings Regulations and attacking a sentry. He also ate the station adjutant's files and records leaving the office in a state of utter chaos, consumed leave passes and ration cards in the Guardroom, nibbled the shoots of the Station Commander's prized ornamental trees and forced himself past an armed guard to create havoc in the East Anglian Air Defence Operations Room, where, as some members of the squadron claimed later, he vectored several Spitfires to Norway.
Pilots loved all this and did not hesitate to accept Billy as one of their own. Whenever someone was offering a round of cigarettes, Billy was included; he accepted them by chewing and swallowing each cigarette promptly but with dignity. Occasionally, they even took him flying. After some initial misunderstanding, he was later also admitted to the administrative rooms, when it was discovered that the comment "Billy must have eaten it" offers a perfect explanation for some document being missing.
However, Billy's general disdain for discipline almost cost him his life in spring 1942 when in the rank of Flight Lieutenant. As the squadron moved to Duxford to re-equip with the Spitfires Mk V, Billy detached from his unit, was kidnapped and only narrowly escaped the butcher's block. Fortunately, a kind soul rescued him and sent him by train back to his unit.
The squadron soon began to replace their Spitfires with the Hawker Typhoons, a type which was rushed into service in an attempt to counter the menace of the new German Fw-190 fighter. No. 609 was the first RAF squadron to receive the type, and was exposed to the full range of incidents and accidents – some of them fatal – caused by the aircraft. Despite this, they had become the top scoring squadron in the RAF for the period of early 1943. However, it had become apparent that the Typhoon was better suited for low level attacks against ground targets, and this kind of mission would become the squadron's speciality for the remainder of the war.
Billy with the rank of Wing Commander proudly carried on his horns
By 1943, Billy had matured and his rise through the ranks became a most impressive success. He celebrated his promotion to Wing Commander by consuming thirty cigarettes, two bowls of chrysanthemums and the Commanding Officer's mess bill. On 20 October 1943 he was promoted again to Group Captain, but this time the celebration was rather far from private. His promotion was announced at the squadron party at the Hotel Majestic in Folkestone in celebration of their 200th aerial victory.
Because Billy would not fit into a standard RAF uniform (or otherwise have eaten it), it became the personal assistant's practice to paint his rank directly onto his horns with blue paint. It happened to be the toxic blue dope used on the aircraft, but it didn't seem to matter as long as Billy couldn't reach it. One time, Billy discovered he could scrape the paint off with his forelegs and then lick it in. From then on, he considered it a delicacy. This, however, proved too heavy a burden even for his battle-hardened stomach and he eventually had to report to the Medical Officer. Removal of the paint soon assured the return to good health and the usual healthy diet of grass, paper, cigarettes and remains from the kitchen.
Billy was now the highest ranking officer in the squadron. It became the common practice for the unit's CO, Sqn/Ldr Wells, to salute him before taking off for operations.
Prior to the Allied invasion of Europe in 1944, No. 609 Squadron was involved with destroying German radar stations on the French coast. In support of the invasion, the Typhoons were deployed against tanks and other ground targets using RP-3 rockets.
On 1 July 1944, 'Billy' was among the first squadron personnel to land in France, together with the advance party arriving on a Dakota on the B.7 airfield at Rucqueville, Martragny.
Typhoons at B.7 within the Normandy bridgehead
Billy was very impressed with France. His vivid sexual exploits with local mademoiselle goats caused some concern, and taking the interest of local civilian population into account, the Group Captain was neutered.
William de Goat's fame was now far exceeding the bounds of his own unit. Other RAF squadrons (No. 486 Typhoon unit comes to mind) also had to have their goats. However, it must be fairly said that none of the followers had ever reached the same esteem and rank as Billy.
Following the squadron through France, Holland and Germany over the following year, William de Goat's service and moral fibre was recognised through his final promotion to the rank of Air Commodore. He was later demobbed with his fellow personnel.
The history of No. 609 Squadron wouldn't be the same without him.
To Live Among Heroes, by George A. Bell, Grub Street, 2001
William de Goat, by Brian Waite, Athena Press, 2008
The Story of 609 Squadron: Under the White Rose by Frank H. Ziegler, Crecy, 1993
Stories of the Battle of Britain 1940 – A Pilot's Career
Stories of the Battle of Britain 1940 – Burning Hurricanes
Stories of the Battle of Britain 1940 – Where are Replacements to be Found?
Amazing Battle of Britain Tribute by Local Farmer
By Mike Dunn | 2013-04-24 at 09:43 | permalink
I read Doc Bell's lovely book about his life with 609 Squadron, 'To live among heroes', 3 times! Great to be able to add this stuff to the book in my library!
By Kurt Plyson | 2014-12-29 at 07:22 | permalink
Billy DE Goat because DE is Flemish (Belgium) for THE. 🙂 And Billy came to Ursel B-67 in Belgium before going to Holland. Tally Ho!
By David Speakman | 2017-01-15 at 13:16 | permalink
Your site mentions that 609 Squadron relocated to Biggin Hill in February 1941. However I have my uncle's leave pass card for the year 1940 which clearly states that he was based at Biggin Hill during some of that year with 609 squadron.


text:
Return to the Office
89% of UK employees favour fully flexible return to work reveals IPA survey
The nationally representative survey was commissioned by the IPA and carried out by Opinium.
Eighty-nine per-cent of UK employees would be happiest with a fully flexible approach to returning to the office, where they could work as many days remotely or from the office as they wished. This is one of the key findings from a nationally representative survey commissioned by the IPA and carried out by Opinium among a sample of 1,000 UK adults (office-based workers) aged 18+.
The survey explores attitudes towards working models as the UK exits the third national lockdown, assessing what employees are looking forward to on returning to office life and conversely what they are not looking forward to, and their expectations of their employers. Additional qualitative work was undertaken among IPA members April-May 2021.
Key survey findings:
Following the preference for a fully flexible approach to return to the office (89%); the next favoured approach is a structured 3:2 working model, at 75%.
For all adults, the least favoured would be to work full time from the office, post Covid, at 31%, although this is significantly higher for those first jobbers (68%) and for those who have been furloughed at least one (59%).
Things people are most looking forward to on returning to the office include: seeing colleagues face-to-face (48%), getting out of the house (41%), and easier collaboration with colleagues (34%). With 1 in 5 saying 'feeling less lonely'.
A return to the commute (38%) is what most concerns people, followed by the office being COVID-secure (31%) and the financial costs involved (travel costs, lunch etc. – 29%). A quarter are anxious of feeling stressed on return.
4 in 5 office workers believe their employer should offer mental wellness initiatives on returning to the office.
More than two-thirds (68%) expect to see dedicated spaces and infrastructure for communicating with those working remotely at their office within the next 2-3 years.
Says Paul Bainsfair, Director General, IPA: "The world has changed in the last year. How we feel about work/life balance and the commute will influence not only the work we create and media we select but the nature of our own offices. This report provides a timely look at the public mood as the country resets and help guide all aspects of our planning.
How agencies can best open their doors to employees, subject to Government guidance, over the next few months and potentially change our workplaces in the long term is an interesting and complex debate – and there will be will a debate on this very issue at the June IPA Council meeting.
Says Jamie Britton, Insight Manager IPA: "With more than 39 million people having now received a first dose of the vaccine, a return to the office will hopefully be less fleeting than it was last year. But after more than a year of getting accustomed to the flexibility afforded by remote working, the flexible workplace is now writ large. As our survey suggests – and as reported in our qualitative work among agency members – a fully flexible model is what people want and expect, at least in the short-term as we feel ourselves back into the office environment.
The general optimism around returning to the office is heartening, and speaks to the resilience of adlanders and other office workers alike. Yet there is no one size fits all solution. Engaging employees and acknowledging the barriers that remain will be key.
Download the full survey report
Creative Culture and The Clerkenwell Brothers join IPA membership
Creative Culture and The Clerkenwell Brothers were elected into IPA membership at its quarterly council meeting on 2 December.
Why flexibility is the future of work
What can we learn from our 2018 CPD Gold agencies about the future of work?
Jenny Wood
IPA Training Forum: Ten tips on sourcing Gen Z talent
Non Members: N/A
Members: £0.00


text:
En 2005 se desató una severa tormenta en el sur de Uruguay, del 23 al 24 de agosto.

Hechos
El temporal se formó en el Río de la Plata, hizo entrada en territorio uruguayo en la zona de Kiyú (departamento de San José) y se desplazó hacia Juanicó (Canelones), donde se disipó.

Los vientos más fuertes alcanzaron una velocidad de 200 km/h. La destrucción fue grave en muchas áreas afectadas.
Fallecieron 10 personas, un número de víctimas muy alto para un país pequeño como Uruguay. Otras dos personas murieron en Buenos Aires por derrumbes ocasionados de los fuertes vientos.

Secuelas
Los meteorólogos calificaron a este fenómeno como un ciclón extratropical.

Entre los daños más destacables se enumeran la caída de las antenas de las emisoras radiales de Montevideo: Emisora del Sol 99.5 y Concierto FM 94.7. La primera, ubicada en el barrio del Cerrito de la Victoria, en su caída debilitó un muro que luego colapsara provocando uno de los accidentes fatales de esa noche. En tanto la antena de FM Concierto se ubicaba en La Blanqueada. En su caída, el pilón de la torre destrozó el techo de una vivienda de dos plantas. Afortunadamente al momento del accidente la familia se encontraba cenando en la planta baja.

Muchos años después, los uruguayos todavía recuerdan a esta tormenta como la peor que vivieron jamás en su país. La tormenta de 2005 es ampliamente considerada como el peor desastre ocurrido en Uruguay en los últimos años, lo que incluso provocó la intervención de las Naciones Unidas. La tormenta causó la mayor parte de sus daños graves en Canelones, Montevideo, San José, Colonia y Maldonado. Estas ciudades combinadas contienen alrededor del 70% de la población de todo el país. El restablecimiento de los servicios públicos fue lento debido a la falta de recursos, incluidas motosierras, refugio de emergencia y otros elementos esenciales como colchones, mantas, sábanas, kits de higiene y pañales.

Véase también
 Temporal de setiembre de 2012 en Uruguay

Referencias

Enlaces externos
 Informe oficial sobre la tormenta de 2005

Desastres naturales en Uruguay
Uruguay en 2005
Desastres naturales en 2005
Historia de San José
Historia de Montevideo
Historia de Canelones
Clima de Uruguay


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Apple TV delayed
Apple is set to delay the launch of its online TV service until at least next year after negotiations with major television networks stalled.
Apple's attempts to license content from US TV networks such as CBS and Fox are reported to be progressing slowly, leading to the delay. In addition, the company does not yet possess the network capacity to ensure good viewing experience for consumers.
Apple is also facing problems with regard to the pricing of its content. The company wants to offer a package of popular channels at $40 per month – about half the average cable bill in the US. The company earlier successfully convinced music labels to sell music at prices as low as 99 US cents through its online stores.
The company had been rumoured to be planning to launch the Apple TV network on September 9th when it will launch the next iPhone. It is also set to release an updated version of its Apple TV hardware at that event — that will still happen despite the problems with the TV service, according to Bloomberg.
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