text:
Great Ideas That Were Around Long Before Karl Marx
Karl Marx was born May 5, 1818. His first major piece of writing was his doctoral thesis in 1841. Here are some great ideas that were around long before Marx began writing.
#1 Class Conflict
Gerrard Winstanley, born in 1609 and a leader of the English Diggers, wrote the "Declaration of the Poor Oppressed People of England" in which he said the following:
"And we look upon that freedom promised to be the inheritance of all, without respect of persons; And this cannot be, unless the Land of England be freely set at liberty from proprietors, and become a common Treasury to all her children."
"So long as the earth is intagled and appropriated into particular hands and kept there by the power of the sword……so long the creation lies under bondage."
"For though you and your Ancestors got your Propriety by murther and theft, and you keep it by the same power from us, that have an equal right to the Land with you, by the righteous Law of Creation, yet we shall have no occasion of quarrelling (as you do) about that disturbing devil, called Particular propriety: For the Earth, with all her Fruits of Corn, Cattle, and such like, was made to be a common Store-house of Livelihood to all Mankinde, friend, and foe, without exception."
Here is the "property is theft" idea, long before Karl Marx was born.
#2 From each according to ability, to each according to need
As early as 1775 in his Code de la Nature ou le Veritable esprit de Ses Lois a Frenchman named Morelly wrote that his aim was "To distribute work according to capacity; products according to needs." The same idea appears even earlier, in the Bible (Acts, 4:34-35): "Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostle's feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need."
Note that while Marx used the phrase, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" in his Critique of the Gotha Program, his point was that society could NOT be based on this principle until far FAR in the future. Here are his exact words:
In a higher phase of communist society, after the enslaving subordination of the individual to the division of labor, and therewith also the antithesis between mental and physical labor, has vanished; after labor has become not only a means of life but life's prime want; after the productive forces have also increased with the all-around development of the individual, and all the springs of co-operative wealth flow more abundantly -- only then can the narrow horizon of bourgeois right be crossed in its entirety and society inscribe on its banners: From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs!
#3 The need to abolish buying and selling and commodification of things
Gerrard Winstanley (born 1609) wrote:
"Money must not any longer....be the great god that hedges in some and hedges out others, for money is but part of the Earth; and after our work of the Earthly Community is advanced, we must make use of gold or silver as we do of other metals but not to buy or sell."
"Buying and Selling is an Art, whereby people endeavour to cheat one another of the Land.......and true Religion is, To let every one enjoy it."
#4 The need to abolish wage slavery
"This declares likewise to all Labourers, or such as are called Poor people, that they shall not dare to work for Hire, for any Landlord, or any that is lifted up above others; for by their labours, they have lifted up Tyrants and Tyranny; and by denying to labor for Hire, they shall pull them down again. He that works for another, either for Wages or to pay him Rent, works unrighteously, and still lifts up the Curse; but they that are resolved to work and eat together, making the Earth a Common Treasury, doth joyn hands with Christ, to lift up the Creation from Bondage, and restores all things from the Curse."
#5 International working class solidarity
In 1676 Bacon's Rebellion broke out in the Virginia Colony. During this rebellion bonded (indentured or slave) laborers--both Africans and British--united against the upper class large property owners and rulers of the Colony. A British naval ship captain, Thomas Grantham, in his report of how he fought the rebels, indicated the solidarity between the African and British laborers this way:
"I there met about four hundred English and Negroes in Arms who were much dissatisfied at the Surrender of the Point, saying I had betrayed them, and thereupon some were for shooting me and others were for cutting me in peeces: I told them I would willingly surrender myselfe to them, till they were satisfied from His Majestie, and did engage to the Negroes and Servants, that they were all pardoned and freed from their Slavery: And with faire promises and Rundletts of Brandy, I pacified them, giving them severall Noates under my hand that what I did was by the order of his Majestie and the Governor....Most of them I persuaded to goe to their Homes, which accordingnly they did, except about eighty Negroes and twenty English which would not deliver their Armes...."113 [reference: http://clogic.eserver.org/1-2/allen.html ]
Apparently these bonded laborers possessed the idea of international working class solidarity, in 1676.
Before this, in 1524-1525 peasants rose up in armed revolt against the European aristocracy in what is known as the Great Peasants War or Great Peasants Revolt. The uprising united peasants in what is now modern Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Alsace and the Czech Republic. These peasants seemed to grasp the idea of international working class solidarity.
Quite a bit earlier (73 BCE), the slave Spartacus famously led a slave revolt of tens of thousands of slaves against the slave owners of the Roman Empire. This slave revolt united slaves from Thrace and from Gaul (mentioned specifically in the limited historical record) and no doubt from other regions as well. This too reflected the presence of the idea of international working class solidarity, more than two thousand years ago.
#6 The point is not merely to understand the world but to change it
"..yet my mind was not at rest, because nothing was acted, and thoughts run in me that words and writings were all nothing, and must die, for action is the life of all, and if thou dost not act, thou dost nothing,"
#7 Communism, meaning a classless society with social wealth held in common
John Ball, who led the English Peasant Rebellion in 1381 preached that:
"things cannot go right in England...until goods are held in common and there are no more villeins and gentlefolk, but we are all one and the same."
A LETTER TO The Lord Fairfax, AND His Councell of War, WITH Divers Questions to the Lawyers, and Ministers: Proving it an undeniable Equity, That the common People ought to dig, plow, plant and dwell upon the Commons, with-out hiring them, or paying Rent to any
A Vindication of Those Whose Endeavors is Only to Make the Earth a Common Treasury, Called Diggers (March 4, 1650)
"That we may work in righteousness, and lay the Foundation of making the Earth a Common Treasury for All, both Rich and Poor, That every one that is born in the Land, may be fed by the Earth his Mother that brought him forth, according to the Reason that rules in the Creation. Not Inclosing any part into any particular hand, but all as one man, working together, and feeding together as Sons of one Father, members of one Family; not one Lording over another, but all looking upon each other, as equals in the Creation;" in The True Levellers Standard A D V A N C E D: or, The State of Community opened, and Presented to the Sons of Men
The idea that Karl Marx DID invent
Marx invented what he viewed as a "science" of social change. This featured the notion (called "materialism") that impersonal economic laws related to the nature of economic production caused--independently of the values and ideas of people, which were, he argued, merely an effect of these impersonal laws--changes in society that would lead to a classless society--communism. This "science" implied that in spite of ordinary working class people having no subjective desire to make a classless society, and in spite of working class people being dehumanized by capitalism and thinking only "with their belly," that society would progress to communism nonetheless.
This "science" gives hope to people who want a classless society but who also have very negative, elitist, views of ordinary flesh-and-blood working class people (as opposed to "the working class" in the abstract, which Marxists love.) The Marxist "science" is just flat out wrong. Contrary to Marx, the values of ordinary working class people are the values that, when they shape all of society, will create a classless society. Furthermore, it is only the subjective aims of ordinary working class people that can make society classless; impersonal economic laws will not do it.
The "science" of Marxism led Marx to defend, as "progressive," the notoriously oppressive British imperialist rule over India. Marx does so in this article by him, in which he concludes with the following:
"England, it is true, in causing a social revolution in Hindostan, was actuated only by the vilest interests, and was stupid in her manner of enforcing them. But that is not the question. The question is, can mankind fulfil its destiny without a fundamental revolution in the social state of Asia? If not, whatever may have been the crimes of England she was the unconscious tool of history in bringing about that revolution."
The "science" of Marxism leads to very anti-democratic practice and anti-democratic regimes. This is because Marxists believe that ordinary working class people's values are an obstacle to making society classless, and hence Communists must not let ordinary working class people have the real say in society, at least not until the Communists have changed people into what Che Guevara called "Socialist Man."
Read more about why Marxism leads to anti-democratic practice by Marxists in "Socialism and Communism? NO! Egalitarian Revolution*? Yes!"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
import os.path

from wptserve.utils import isomorphic_decode

def main(request, response):

    key = request.GET[b'id']
    alreadyServedRequest = False
    try:
      alreadyServedRequest = request.server.stash.take(key)
    except (KeyError, ValueError) as e:
      pass

    if alreadyServedRequest:
      body = open(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(isomorphic_decode(__file__)), u"../../../../images/red.png"), u"rb").read()
    else:
      request.server.stash.put(key, True);
      body = open(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(isomorphic_decode(__file__)), u"../../../../images/green.png"), u"rb").read()
      pass

    response.writer.write_status(200)
    response.writer.write_header(b"etag", b"abcdef")
    response.writer.write_header(b"content-length", len(body))
    response.writer.write_header(b"content-type", b"image/png")
    response.writer.write_header(b"cache-control", b"public, max-age=31536000, no-cache")
    response.writer.end_headers()

    response.writer.write(body)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


OPEN ONLY TO LEGAL UNITED STATES RESIDENTS, REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY RESIDE, 18 OR OLDER WHO ARE ACTIVE OR RETIRED MILITARY AND THEIR IMMEDIATE FAMILY.
1. SWEEPSTAKES PERIOD: Operation In Touch 2018 Holiday Sweepstakes (the "Sweepstakes") begins at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time ("ET") on November 15, 2018 and ends at 11:59 a.m. ET on December 27, 2018 (the "Sweepstakes Period").
2. ELIGIBILITY: Open to legal United States residents, regardless of where they reside, who are 18 years of age and older as of date of Entry who are active or retired military or members of their immediate family ("Entrant"). Employees of Conopco, Inc., d/b/a Unilever ("Sponsor") Don Jagoda Associates, Inc. ("Administrator"), their respective affiliates, parents, subsidiaries, divisions, suppliers, distributors and advertising, promotional and judging agencies (collectively "Sponsor and its Administrators") and their immediate family members and/or those living in the same household of each are not eligible to participate or win. Void where prohibited and subject to all federal, state and local laws.
3. HOW TO ENTER: During the Sweepstakes Period, visit https://operationintouch.com/Offers/Promotions/2018HolidayPromo and click where indicated to complete the online entry form and write a thank you note to a veteran (in 280 words or less) to receive one (1) entry ("Entry") into the corresponding weekly random drawing only. Entries will not carry forward for subsequent weekly random drawings, if any. For the purposes of this Sweepstakes, a "week" is defined as beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET each Thursday and ending at 11:59 a.m. ET the following Thursday. Limit one (1) Entry per person per week. Normal Internet/phone access and data/usage charges imposed by your on-line service will apply. Automated entries, or those generated by script or bot are not eligible. All Entries must be complete to be eligible. All Entries become property of the Sponsor.
4. Entry Requirements: By entering, you agree to waive any rights you may have to the Entry submitted. The Entry, or portion thereof, must not contain obscene, profane, lewd, defamatory or inappropriate content, or be disparaging to Sponsor, as determined in Sponsor's sole discretion. Entries must be in keeping with Sponsor's image and may not be offensive, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, nor can it defame or invade publicity rights or privacy rights of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any person's personal or proprietary rights. Entrants may not copy or otherwise plagiarize the Entry from any source. All Entries must be the sole, original work of the Entrants. Any Entry or portion thereof that is, in the Sponsor's sole discretion, obscene, profane, lewd, defamatory, inappropriate, disparaging, offensive or contains proprietary right of any person living or deceased (including but not limited to rights of privacy or publicity or portrayal in a false light) or entity, or is otherwise objectionable, will not be considered and may disqualify the Entrant. Entries should not contain any third-party materials, or otherwise violate or infringe (or possibly infringe) any copyright, trademark, logo, mark that identifies a brand (that is not Unilever-owned). Sponsor may blur or black out the infringing material, in their sole discretion. Entries become the property of the Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned. Entrants and winners acknowledge and agree that their Entries become the property of the Sponsor, which thereby has the right to edit, adapt, modify, reproduce, promote and otherwise use Entries in any way it sees fit. Automated, script, macro or robotic Entries submitted by individuals will be disqualified. Entries may be posted on the Sponsor's website, Sponsor's social media pages, and/or may be posted on other non-affiliated websites, in Sponsor's sole discretion. Any Entry not in compliance with the above and which does not meet the requirements of these Official Rules will be disqualified.
5.RANDOM DRAWING: One (1) Weekly Prize winner per week (6 total) will be selected in separate random drawings on or about January 3, 2019, from among all eligible Sweepstakes Entries received during that corresponding week only. The random drawings will be conducted by the Administrator; an independent judging organization whose decisions are final on all matters relating to the Sweepstakes. The odds of winning a prize will depend on the number of eligible Entries received each week.
6.PRIZE: Weekly Prize (6 total, 1 per week): A $100 commissary gift card. Limit one (1) prize per person. Prizes are awarded "as is" with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied by Sponsor. Prizes are nontransferable and no cash substitutions are allowed except by the Sponsor, who reserves the right to award a prize of equal or greater value if advertised prize is unavailable for any reason.
7.GENERAL RULES: Prize winners will be notified via email and will be required to confirm their mailing address and eligibility within three (3) days of notification attempt or prize will be forfeited and an alternate potential winner will be selected. Return of prize or prize notification as undeliverable may result in disqualification and alternate selection. Winners and all Entrants, as a condition of Entry into the Sweepstakes, agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor and its Administrators, each of their respective agencies, parents, subsidiaries, affiliates and each of their respective officers, directors, shareholders, members, employees, agents, assigns, and all others associated with the development and execution of the Sweepstakes (collectively the "Released Parties") from and against any and all liability, claims or actions of any kind whatsoever for injuries, damages, or losses to persons or property which may be sustained in connection with submitting an Entry or otherwise participating in any aspect of the Sweepstakes, the receipt, ownership or use of prize awarded or any typographical or other error in these Official Rules or the announcement or offering of the prizes. Winners assume all liability for any injury or damage caused, or claimed to be caused by participation in the Sweepstakes or use or redemption of any prize. Acceptance of prize constitutes permission to use winners' names, and likenesses for promotional purposes without further compensation except where prohibited by law. By entering, Entrant accepts and agrees to be bound by these Official Rules. Entries will be declared to be made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of Entry (or when setting up winner's account). "Authorized account holder" of an e-mail address is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet Access provider, Online Service provider, or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual that tampers or attempts to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Sweepstakes; violates the Official Rules; acts in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner; or acts with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. The Released Parties are not responsible for technical, hardware or software malfunctions, telephone failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete, garbled or delayed electronic communications, whether caused by the sender, by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes which may limit the ability to participate, or by any human error which may occur in the processing of the Entries in the Sweepstakes. Entries generated by script or bot are not eligible. Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, terminate or modify the Sweepstakes if it cannot be completed as planned for any reason, including but not limited to infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, technical failures or corruption of any sort. In such event, Sponsor will award the prizes as outlined above from all eligible Entries received each week prior to cancellation. Void where prohibited by law and subject to all federal, state and local laws. As a condition of entering the Sweepstakes, Entrant that: 1) under no circumstance will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and participant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental, consequential or any other damages, other than for out-of-pocket expenses; 2) all causes of action arising out of or connected with the Sweepstakes, or prizes awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; and 3) any and all claims, judgments, and award shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, but in no event will Entrant be entitled to receive attorneys' fees or other legal costs.
8.WINNERS: For the names of the winners, available after January 23, 2019, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope by February 23, 2019, to: Operation In Touch 2018 Holiday Sweepstakes Winners, 100 Marcus Drive, Dept. CG, Melville, NY 11747.
9.SPONSOR/ADMINISTRATOR: The Sponsor of the Sweepstakes is Conopco, Inc., d/b/a Unilever, 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632. The Administrator of the Sweepstakes is Don Jagoda Associates, Inc., 100 Marcus Drive, Melville, NY 11747.


text:
NOW is the Time for Obtaining a Competitive Advantage Through Cybersecurity
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I was in Washington on 9/11, the day the terrorists attacked the Pentagon. Seeing the events unfold and how the nation responded put a new face on our country and inspired a new mission for me. For the last two decades, I've worked with hundreds of US and international organizations in helping them obtain a true competitive advantage with cybersecurity, data privacy, and regulatory compliance.
I'm a frequent guest speaker to organizations all throughout North America, while also providing essential national security, cybersecurity and advisory services to some of the world's most recognized brands. I'm a founding member and senior partner in two consulting & compliance firms, along with the co-founder of an industry leading cloud-based, workflow management platform used by thousands of businesses around the world. I'm also co-founder of the National Cybersecurity Association (NCA), [set to launch in Q1, of 2021], North America's signature voice for today's current and emerging information security, cybersecurity, data privacy, and regulatory compliance laws & regulations.
I consult regularly with top political and business leaders throughout the world, including former vice presidents of the United States, White House chiefs of staff, secretaries of state, ambassadors, high-ranking intelligence officials, CEOs, entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and others. The time I've spent with these transformational figures and the insights they've shared has afforded me a front-row seat into many of the world's most consequential events of the past five decades, and what lies ahead.
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#LAYERS presents creations by 15 contemporary Italian artists, who reflect in their work on the influence of the Internet and the digitisation of our society.
Since the nineties technology has opened new avenues for creativity and democratized the creation and distribution of all kinds of digital media. This democratization poses new challenges to art. How do artists engage with the social and cultural transformations introduced by the web? How do they relate to big data, the cloud, the end of privacy, generative processes, the corruption of digital data, endless scrolling and everything that concerns our online lives?
The title of the exhibition, #LAYERS, refers to the different ways in which digital complexity manifests itself in the works presented: the distinction between code and interface in generative art and glitch art; the creative use of social media; the stratification of different timeframes in the archives of digital memory; the distinction between public and private, material and immaterial, visible and invisible.
#LAYERS was first presented in fall 2016 in the Spazio Contemporania in Brescia, Italy, as part of refresh, an ongoing investigation by curator Fabio Paris and producer Link Art Center of Italian contemporary art that tackles the themes, languages, and forms that have emerged during the digital turn of the last twenty years. In Brussels Link Art Center presents refresh 02, the second edition of a series of group exhibitions showing recent work by Italian artists of different generations.
During the renovation works at the Koolmijnenkaai 30 Quai des Charbonnages in preparation of the opening of a new centre in 2019, iMAL organises its activities at external locations. This exhibition will be presented in the Machines Room of La Raffinerie / Charleroi Danse, from 18 April to 26 May 2018.
The choice of La Raffinerie (Plan K), a mythical place of the 70's and 80's, is an homage to the first Belgian International Festival of Electronic Music, Video and Computer Art which happened there in 1981 (Didier Debril's pdf archive here).
Art Brussels debate "Ways beyond the post-Internet"
With Yves Bernard (BE, curator), Peter Beyls (BE, artist), Josephine Bosma (NL, net art theorist), Constant Dullaart (NL, artist), Valérie Hasson-Benillouche (FR, Gallery Charlot), Hampus Lindwall (SE/BE, art collector), Fabio Paris (IT, curator), Domenico Quaranta (IT, curator, art critic and theorist), Carlo Zanni (IT, artist).
With the support of the Flemish Government, Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles and the VFlemish Community Commission.


It was just over six months ago that we launched the OpenTok on WebRTC platform. Since that time we've been hard at work, constantly pushing the boundaries of OpenTok on WebRTC's functionality and performance. We launched the first iOS SDK for WebRTC, introduced cross-platform and device support, improved connectivity with cross-platform TURN support and more.
Why should you care about Mantis?
WebRTC inherently uses a peer-to-peer based communication model.
In reality, while this is useful, several real-world applications naturally lend themselves to a multi-party use-case: online classrooms, collaboration tools, the list goes on. The only way to enable a group video call using off-the-shelf WebRTC would be to create a mesh of PeerConnections between all participants in a call.
This mechanism doesn't scale the number of connections well (it scales quadratically with the number of participants), and it is bandwidth inefficient. Every publisher needs to pipe out one video stream per call participant, leading to a linear increase in the amount of upload bandwidth required.
Mantis is a cloud-based media routing server, which enables us to get around this mesh problem by providing a centralized relay authority.
Every browser/device end-point thinks it's connecting to a peer, but instead connects to one of our Mantis servers. Mantis can mediate multiple connections and then route streams from each publisher to any relevant end-point subscribing to that stream. Now OpenTok on WebRTC can scale subscribers effectively without constraints on publisher upload bandwidth, all while still leveraging standards-compliant WebRTC implementations under the covers.
Scale is just one piece of the puzzle.
Mantis also provides a call-control/signaling mechanism that works in lockstep with media routing. This means OpenTok on WebRTC uses some pretty sophisticated algorithms to dynamically adapt to various network conditions that the client endpoints may experience.
Let's say you were on your iPhone in a coffee shop with Wi-Fi, and then you step out into the street and switch to a much slower cellular connection. Mantis is aware of the change in network conditions and can adapt the bitrate of the encoded stream in order to adapt.
Supporting different devices endpoints is one of the core tenets we strive towards at TokBox. Mantis helps us work towards interoperability between WebRTC and other communications ecosystems.
We believe Mantis lays the foundation for not only a powerful routing technology, but also for other functionality that can be layered on top of it: stream mixing, recording of media, signaling/event-notification APIs, and more.
We're excited to show off our initial implementation of Mantis at the The Next Web '13 in Amsterdam. If you are going to be around, swing by our demo booth to see bandwidth-efficient multi-party WebRTC video in action, as well as a demo of dialing in to a WebRTC video call from your everyday mobile phone.
Mantis is now in external beta. If you are interested in taking it for a spin, please contact us.


As far as cultural adjustments go, it was the traffic jams in Bangalore that grabbed the attention of Boomer Collins. For Collins, born in the open spaces of Dallas, Bangalore took some getting used to: mini vans strapped with rucksacks on the roof; rickshaw operators walking their steel-framed bikes in between trucks; mopeds using the curbs of the sidewalk to maneuver around bottle necked intersections.
But Collins isn't on a religious pilgrimage or some backpacking adventure. The former minor leaguer is in India to do the unthinkable: woo cricket scouts and win a contract to play T20. Collins, who had never heard of the game before this year, is giving cricket his best shot.
Collins is in India with coach and mentor Julien Fountain, the founder of SwitchHit20, a project that would look at molding the skills of minor-league players into professional cricketers that could play in leagues around the world for sums up to $800,000. On his list are 150 potential cricketers from the minor leagues; Collins is the first to fully commit to the project and Fountain expects that more than 1,000 applicants will attend a combine once a date and venue has been set.
Ever since he can remember, Collins – who got his nickname Boomer after the 1989 tornado that ripped by the Texas hospital he was born in – dreamed about playing professional baseball. And he did. He played for the Dallas Baptist University Patriots, where the likes of Blue Jays shortstop Ryan Goins and newly signed Chicago Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist were drafted. In 2013, although he wasn't drafted, Collins signed with the Toronto Blue Jays as an undrafted free agent. He labored for four years with four different teams – the Gulf League Coast Blue Jays, the Vancouver Canadiens, the Dunedin Jays and the Lansing Lugnuts – as a right-handed designated hitter and outfielder, but never got the call up he was looking for.
He describes his time in the minors as "fortunate" and has no regrets. He would have loved more opportunities but as he says "it wasn't in the cards." But never did he imagine a trip to India to begin a cricket career at 26.
In 2014, 32 former minor league players filed a federal lawsuit against Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig and 17 major league teams. The lawsuit called for minor leaguers to be paid a salary that meets minimum wage requirements. This past October, US district court in San Francisco ruled that the lawsuit was approved as a class action, meaning it can add 10,000 former and current minor leaguers. It's understandable why these minor leaguers are seeking more pay: at $1,500, on average, per month, it's well below the poverty line.
Plus it's also feasible to think that minor leaguers would find cricket's T20 format hugely appealing, with the vast hitting of sixes that go out of the stands and fours that crash into the fence that replacing the exhilarating home runs and paychecks starting at an estimated $80,000. The American perception of cricket though is this: why play a game that lasts for two weeks and still draw?
Collins said one thing he's finding burdensome about his transition to cricket is the decision-making – and deciding which shot to play.
"With baseball you take your best swing whereas cricket you have to change your swing to the different balls that come in," he said.
There are other intricacies Collins has noticed, too. In baseball, you never try to hit a ball that is aimed at your body or head, but it's the opposite in cricket, where you use the bat to protect your body and wickets with a vertical approach. But as far as Collins is concerned, he's spent all his life hitting a round ball with a round bat, so he should be able to transfer his skills to hit a round ball with a square bat.
The first time Collins met Fountain was 11 months ago. Fountain had reached out to him and other minor league baseball players offering an off-season idea to earn extra money. After looking at YouTube clips of cricket and a few emails later, Collins was soon texting Fountain at least once a day with questions about the sport. What he saw in T20 cricket was a game that had action; a game he could adapt to.
As far as resumés go, the 45-year-old Fountain comes well versed to take Collins to the next level, but says funding for this project is one obstacle that could curtail the whole thing.
It's been a hectic six days in Bangalore, where Collins and Fountain have been busy with three workouts a day that include a two-hour one-on-one skills' session, batting practice for three hours and at night, Collins assists Fountain with a fielding clinic at the Karnataka Institute of Cricket, some 54 minutes south of Bangalore's Kempegowda International Airport.
Collins probably doesn't know he's working down the street from the world-famous M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which held a World Cup quarter-final in 1996 and three group matches in 2011. Yet even if Collins doesn't get offered a contract before Christmas, he's going to join a local league in Texas and continue to work with Fountain to hone his raw skills.


A Food Network cooking show called Chopped presents four competing chefs with three different mystery baskets of ingredients for them to prepare an appetizer, entrée and dessert respectively in a designated amount of time.
Today, on the episode I watched, one of the mystery ingredients for the appetizer was vegan hot dogs.
Amanda Freitag, one of the judges who has competed for Iron Chef, informed the world that the only reason vegans eat vegan hot dogs was so they wouldn't feel left out at a barbecue. She also claimed that they don't have much flavor.
Chris Santos piped in that he'd fry them up in bacon to give them more flavor.
Bacon was also a mystery ingredient.
I noted that when one of the competing chefs opened the package of vegan hot dogs, the package was intentionally placed label side down, so no one watching the show could see the brand. Food Network is not against showing brands, since Bobby Flay (another T.V. chef) on one of the previous shows used Lipton Ice Tea as a surprise ingredient in that show.
This is a vegan problem that Food Network is obviously having, and true to form of the slaughter industries, supported by the government, chose to force four chefs to pair the vegan product with bacon and then forced the judges to bad mouth the vegan hot dogs as an assault against all people vegan.
A good chef should have been able to take that easy to work with vegan hot dog ingredient and transform it into something spectacular.
Even the moderator of the show Ted Allen referred to the mystery ingredient vegan hot dogs as "that obnoxious ingredient". These are all chefs and/or food experts, who clearly know nothing about vegan foods or preparing any food absent any animal products. How easy is that? There's really no challenge to cooking with animals.
Frankly I was surprised at their ignorance. Their arrogance about their knowledge of food is what tricked me into thinking they were more knowledgeable than they actually are.
In the past, Food Network has presented high quality ingredients. Since I don't know the brand of vegan hot dog they used – and there are many – chances are they selected one that needed more flavor and handling – like most animal meats do.
The fact that they ignored the morality of the animal rights issue by trying to mix animal meat with plant meat by transforming both in the same dish, shows their insensitivity to the animals they enslave, torture and slaughter for nothing more than their own perverse pleasure.
They often speak about respecting the ingredients they work with in creating their dishes. Yet not one of them respected the plant meat ingredient. Transforming the ingredient is key to the show, yet they expected it to stand on its own.
And please don't think that after you enslave, torture and slaughter an animal, that you owe him/her respect by tearing it from limb to limb and cooking it for someone to perversely savor.
Would you want to be enslaved, tortured and slaughtered to please somebody else's palate? Or offer your children up for the same experience of pleasing somebody else, so your child can get respect in somebody's stomach?
The show was a disaster. Next time come more prepared. If you're going to call yourselves chefs and food experts then act the part. Animal-free foods, food preparation and cooking is here to stay. You all need to catch up.


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Animal Facts
Can Snakes Really Come Up a Toilet Pipe?
by Bambi Turner Mar 13, 2019
Some people love snakes, but no doubt anyone would be frightened by finding an unwelcome one in their toilet, or slithering over to the shower drain. Rhoberazzi/Getty Images
Snakes are often high on the list of things adults are most afraid of. So, imagine the reaction to a snake slithering its way up out of your toilet, particularly when you're about to sit down.
If even the thought of toilet snakes sends chills down your spine, take heart; while it's certainly possible for a snake to end up in your toilet, it's extraordinarily unlikely. The very reason that these stories make headlines is that they are so very rare, and so shiver-inducing [source: Wickman].
In 2010, newspapers devoted column space to the story of a 3-foot (0.9-meter) corn snake found in a 19th-floor toilet in New York City. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, herpetologist – that's a snake expert – Jack Conrad agreed that it was "within the realm of possibility" that the snake made its way up through the pipes. He cited the fact that snakes are good swimmers who can hold their breath for a long time, and are well capable of swimming upward and squeezing through tight spaces if needed [source: El-Ghobashy]. Comforting, right?
Fortunately, there's no guarantee that this snake traveled through the pipes at all. It may have gotten in some other way and simply curled up in the toilet to relax. In 2018, a North Carolina man found a snake in his toilet that he believed came out of a tree and into a ventilation pipe on the roof of his home [source: Inside Edition]. Not exactly a soothing thought, but better than imagining a snake entering through the pipes every time nature calls.
Many of the snakes found in toilets are simply not native to the areas where they were found. It's much more likely that they escaped or were liberated by owners who no longer wanted them then that a nest of nonnative snakes is setting up home in a sewer pipe [source: Vettel].
But what would it take for a snake to enter your home through the toilet? First, it'd have to get in to the sewer pipe, which almost surely means you have a close neighbor who doesn't keep a close eye on his scaly pet, sharing a sewer line with you. Then it'd have to choose to enter the toilet and head for the sewer line. Instead of proceeding straight out of the line and into the sewer main, he's have to randomly choose your sewer pipe to enter by crawling upward, where his journey would end inside your toilet.
If the snake were to skip your sewer pipe and continue into the sewer main, he'd likely die of exposure [source: Vettel]. Thanks to relatively low temperatures below the ground where these pipes are located, most snakes would be unable to survive for long periods, making it extremely unlikely that they could set up homes in the sewers as some alligators have managed to do.
Thought of toilet snakes giving you the heebie-jeebies? Invest in a multi-flap, which fits over your toilet pipe and allows water and waste to exit while keeping critters of all shapes and sizes from entering your space.
How Sewer and Septic Systems Work
What's the most expensive toilet in the world?
How Snakes Work
What's the largest snake that ever existed?
Brewer, Geoffrey. "Snakes Top List of Americans' Fears." Gallup, Inc. March 19, 2001. (Oct. 16, 2014). http://www.gallup.com/poll/1891/snakes-top-list-americans-fears.aspx
El-Ghobashy, Tamar. "Snake Pops Up in the Bronx." The Wall Street Journal." Sept. 22, 2010. (Oct. 16, 2014) http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703399404575506362658574270
Vettel, Phil "Just When You Thought It Was Safe – A Toilet Snake!" Chicago Tribune. Nov. 16, 1986. (Oct. 16, 2014) http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-11-16/features/8603260180_1_milk-snake-snake-in-the-toilet-python
Wickman, Forrest. "A Brief History of Toilet-Based Animal Attacks." Slate. July 16, 2013. (Oct. 16, 2014) http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/07/16/snake_bites_man_s_penis_from_toilet_bowl_a_brief_history_of_when_rats_snakes.html
Aromatherapy Shows Promise for Stressed Horses
Eco Engineers: 5 Animals That Can Reshape Earth's Waterways
World's Last Woolly Mammoths Were Killed by Thirst, Not Humans


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Phiona Mutesi reflects on life after "Queen of Katwe"
Mar 23rd, 2019 by Daaim Shabazz
About 14 years ago, a little girl in Katwe, Uganda followed her older brother who was increasingly occupied with an activity after school. After seeing him disappear inside of a building, she wandered inside and found the Sports Outreach Institute, a sports club where there was a chess club meeting being held. Little did she realize that this event would change her life for the better.
Phiona Mutesi at Northwest University.
Photo by Eilís O'Neill for WBUR
Fast forward to 2019, Phiona Mutesi has since traveled the world sharing her story to thousands and serving as an inspiration that one can find a beacon of light in the darkest of circumstances. Now a student at Northwest University outside of Seattle, Washington, her journey has come with many challenges. In addition, she ponders about unfulfilled expectations in chess. However, her story should be an example to us all.
The Queen of Katwe
On that fortuitous day, 9-year old Phiona found a new outlet and charted a new path in life. As fortunate would have it, her new obsession with chess took her on her first flight to Sudan and won her first official tournament. Tim Crothers got wind of the story and flew to Uganda to investigate. After being moved by Phiona's circumstances, he would later make the story into a book titled, "The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess and One Extraordinary Girl's Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster."
The book was released in 2012 and captured international acclaim despite the chess community being skittish. Chess purists seemed more interested in her FIDE rating than in the obstacles she overcame. Unfortunately, many chess players (especially from the west) cannot empathize with the type of abject poverty Phiona experienced and how difficult it was for her to survive in such conditions. On chess discussion groups, many boiled her story down to her rating, title and tournament activity. The moral of the story was completely missed or at least underappreciated.
Phiona embarked on a whirlwind tour of the U.S. In the same year, Walt Disney Pictures optioned the rights to make the book into a screen play. The film "Queen of Katwe" came out in 2016. The movie was directed by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, Mississippi Masala, Salaam Bombay) with the lead role going to Lupita Nyong'o whose parents are Kenyan.
Nyong'o gained acclaim in 12 Years a Slave and would play Phiona's mother, Harriett Mutesi. David Oyelowo (Selma, Red Tails, The Last King of Scotland) would play Robert Katende, Phiona's coach. There was tremendous optimism as many interviews leading up to the movie's release captured the details.
The movie did not gain traction in the media. It may have been due to the fact that the marketing crew handled this as someone would a story on Bobby Fischer. The idea of a chess champion is a common one, but by comparison, Phiona's feats had been rather modest.
In addition, it was billed as a rags to riches story of a "chess champion" instead of a story about triumph over the most depressing conditions. Crothers may have even contributed to the narrative with his pronouncements about her becoming a "Grandmaster," a very specific title in chess. There were many misleading characterizations about Phiona's abilities.
With this new-found fame, Phiona grappled with her champion image portrayed in the movie. During an interview with WBUR (Boston), she reflects…
"My name, like, went so high, and my chess — it was still so low," she says. "I wasn't even the best chess champion, like, in Uganda. It was so hard.
I was working hard, but the more I worked hard, I couldn't find my name. My name is there, but my chess is still here. I'm working so hard on it, and I felt like I was starting to forget about myself, my family."
The movie fizzled. Nevertheless, Phiona was able to secure admission to Northwest University in the fall of 2017. While ecstatic about the new opportunity and perhaps releasing some of the pressures at home, there were challenges. Despite her fame, there were plenty of struggles including financial.
Arriving at Northwest, Phiona had not used a computer before. Completing a single assignment was a tremendous task. Today, Phiona is completing her second year at Northwest and has played for their Pan-Am Intercollegiate chess team. While chess has provided some relief from the rigors of study, it was socially challenging in the beginning.
Phiona Mutesi at 2017 Pan-Am Intercollegiate Tournament.
Photo by Al Lawrence
She also noticed how different things were in the U.S., a decidedly more individualistic society. At home in Uganda, there was more of a community feeling that everyone is accountable for each other. "I never appreciated it until I came here," Phiona reflects during the aforementioned interview. Her scholarship covers tuition, but other living expenses are her responsibility. She has to fend for herself and has done motivational speeches to help cover costs of school. It leaves little time for chess. According to the WBUR interview, her zeal for chess may be subsiding.
"I don't feel like I really have love for chess like the way I used to have," she says. "Because, during that time, I felt like [chess was all] I had to use in my life. But, right now, I feel like there are a lot of stuff that I can do in my life. I feel like chess has opened the door for me.
"I'm so happy that I've made it this far."
There are so many similar stories coming out of Africa. The latest is of a Nigerian boy Tanitoluwa Adewumi whose family migrated to New York in 2017 only to spend the next 18 months in a homeless shelter. Tani won an age-group championship while living in the shelter and the story went viral. The family has raised (at last count) $217,236 worldwide in one week!
While the conditions were totally different for Phiona, I'm sure she could give some sage advice to the Adewumi family. Chess is part of a journey, not the destination. Phiona's life lessons will become much more impactful than any accomplishments could ever gain in chess. We would hope that this example will lead more boys in girls out of the "poverty of thinking" whether it is in Katwe, or any desolate ghetto anywhere on the planet.
WBUR 90.9 (Boston) Interview with Eilís O'Neill
Posted in Africa, Media Stories, Uganda | 7 Comments
7 Responses to "Phiona Mutesi reflects on life after "Queen of Katwe""
on 23 Mar 2019 at 10:42 am1 Harold
Well written and analysed article
on 24 Mar 2019 at 3:51 am2 Charles
True Harold (could it be harold wanyama the Ugandan chess player?), at least she gets a shot at life she couldn't have gotten without chess..
on 24 Mar 2019 at 9:00 am3 Daaim Shabazz
It is a story the chess community should take as a triumph, but the point was missed.
on 29 Mar 2019 at 11:22 pm4 Coach BE MUHAMMAD
Greetings ,
Where can we get a Movie Poster / Queen of Katwe for Chess Club!
on 21 Sep 2019 at 8:00 am5 Mohsen
Hi Dear Phiona, last night I saw some movie from you by Walt Disney Company and I became very sad for you but when to continuing to watching I become and believe you, because I find you are a strong lady and I was very happy to end of the movie about your life story and then I googled your name and I find you are perfect and deserve to famous than you are , GOD BLESS you and your family .???????
on 16 Feb 2020 at 7:52 pm6 Daaim Shabazz
Queen of Katwe actress Nikita Pearl Waligwa dies at 15
https://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2020/02/16/queen-of-katwe-actress-nikita-pearl-waligwa-dies-at-15/
on 04 Jun 2020 at 12:23 pm7 George Floyd and the Right to Thrive – Bruvschess
[…] data and offered that everyone has the same socioeconomic obstacles. They then demeaned the story of Uganda's Phiona Mutesi who grew up in abject poverty. Fortunately, their demoralizing tactics were […]


Working with our neighbours and the wider community is an important part of this job.
We keep people updated through our quarterly newsletters and regular letter drops and information flyers to residents about localised works happening in their area. We'll be out and about attending local community events, and you can visit our mobile visitor centre to find out more about the project.
The mobile visitor centre is currently in Tawa, next to New World, and is open to the public from 7.30am-4.30pm, Monday to Friday.
The project works with over 500 key stakeholders, including iwi, local authorities, and transport interest groups, schools, sporting clubs, local landowners, community groups, environmental groups, ecologists and neighbours.


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Sandra Jacqueline Denton (born 9 November 1964 or 1969), better known by her stage name Pepa or Pep, is a Jamaican-American rapper, best known for her work as a member of the female rap trio Salt-N-Pepa. Denton starred in The Salt-N-Pepa Show, a reality TV series focusing on reforming the group which aired on the VH1 network in 2008. Since January 2016, Denton has appeared as a supporting cast member on the music reality television show Growing Up Hip Hop which airs on We TV.

Early life
Sandra Jacqueline Denton was born in Kingston, Jamaica to Charles and Enid Denton (née Hyacinth), the youngest of eight children. Denton lived on a farm in Jamaica with her grandmother until she was six years old. Denton's family moved to Queens, New York, when she was three; and she later joined them. Denton has been a performer since childhood. Denton was molested as a child. Denton released a book about her life in 2008 entitled Let's Talk About Pep in which she talked about being molested, her many abusive relationships, and how Salt-N-Pepa formed.

In 1979, 15-year-old Denton was sent to live with her elder sister Patsy in Logan, Utah, when her family home in Queens caught fire and so she could have a better life. According to Denton, she was the only Black student attending Logan High School during that time. Denton became inspired by rock music; citing AC/DC and Led Zeppelin as her inspirations during her time in Utah. After a year in Utah, Denton returned to New York, later graduating from Springfield Gardens High School. After high school, Denton enrolled at Queensborough Community College to study nursing. While attending college, Denton met fellow nursing student Cheryl James.

Career
With the production by Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor whom she and James met while working as customer service representatives at Sears, James and Denton released a single called "The Showstopper" which became a moderate R&B hit in late 1985. They were joined with Latoya Hanson who was the original DJ of the group. Shortly after in 1986, Deidra "Spinderella" Roper joined as the group's DJ as a full-length debut album, Hot, Cool & Vicious, was being released. The trio released a total of five studio albums: Hot, Cool, and Vicious (1986), A Salt with a Deadly Pepa (1988), Blacks' Magic (1990), Very Necessary (1993), and Brand New (1997), plus several greatest hits albums. Salt-N-Pepa disbanded in 2002, several months after their Brand New album was released on Red Ant Records. Denton's co-group member Cheryl James had stated she was ready to leave the music industry. The trio reunited for a performance on VH1's Hip Hop Honors program on 22 September 2005. In 2005, Denton was a cast member of VH1's The Surreal Life (season 5).

Denton's acting credits also include the motion picture Joe's Apartment, an appearance in the HBO movie First Time Felon, and a stint as Officer Andrea Phelan on the HBO drama, Oz. She starred on The Surreal Life: Fame Games. Salt-N-Pepa reformed in 2008, and are still in the process of releasing an album since reforming as they work out past issues. Denton teamed up with James for VH1's The Salt-N-Pepa Show. She starred in her own reality show on the network entitled Let's Talk About Pep, word-play on the group's hit song "Let's Talk About Sex". She can be heard speaking Jamaican Patois in the song "Need U Bad" by Jazmine Sullivan. In August 2008, Denton released her autobiography, which was also entitled Let's Talk About Pep. It was co-written by Karen Hunter, and it offered a look behind the fame, family, failures, and successes of her life in one of hip-hop's most successful groups. It features an introduction by Queen Latifah, and an epilogue by Missy Elliott. To accommodate the book, Pepa launched her own social network for her fans. On 23 October 2008, Salt-N-Pepa performed at the BET Hip Hop Awards. In January 2011, Denton appeared in an episode of the TBS sitcom Are We There Yet? as Tammy, a woman who falls for the Terry Crews character of Nick. Denton joined the reality television show Growing Up Hip Hop as a supporting cast member in January 2016 along with her daughter Egypt (a main cast member) and niece Tahira Francis.

Personal life
Denton once dated and was engaged to rapper Prince Markie Dee sometime during the mid-1980s. On 6 July 1990, Denton gave birth to her first child, a son she had with New York rapper Tyran "Tah-Tah" Moore whom she named Tyran Jr. Denton. She made a guest appearance on Ricki Lake in 1994, teaching teenage girls the responsibilities of being a mother. Denton was the owner of HollyHood, a retail clothing store in the Buckhead section of Atlanta, Georgia, which opened in November 1995. On 2 April 1999, Denton married Treach (whose real name is Anthony Criss) of the rap group Naughty by Nature at a Kansas City tattoo parlor after dating on and off for seven years. Their wedding ceremony was held at their home in Morristown, New Jersey, on 24 July 1999. Denton and Treach had one daughter, Egypt Jahnari Criss (born 2 September 1998). After allegations of physical abuse inflicted by Treach, they divorced in 2001.

Discography

Studio albums
 Hot, Cool & Vicious (1986)
 A Salt with a Deadly Pepa (1988)
 Blacks' Magic (1990)
 Very Necessary (1993)
 Brand New (1997)

Filmography

References

External links
Official website

1960s births
Age controversies
American rappers of Jamaican descent
Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica
Jamaican rappers
People from Queens, New York
Jamaican emigrants to the United States
Living people
East Coast hip hop musicians
Rappers from New York City
Queensborough Community College alumni
American women rappers
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American women musicians
21st-century women rappers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Home › About IFAC › Publications & Resources › Proposed Revisions Pertaining to Safeguards in the Code—Phase 2 and Related Conforming Amendments
Exposure Drafts and Consultation Papers
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Proposed Revisions Pertaining to Safeguards in the Code—Phase 2 and Related Conforming Amendments
The proposals address safeguards-related provisions in the independence sections of the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants pertaining to non-assurance services provided to audit and other assurance clients.
The document also explains the rationale for the revisions to the non-assurance services section of the extant Code (Proposed Section 600, Provision of Non-assurance Services to an Audit Client and Section 950, Provision of Non-assurance Services to an Assurance Client); and the proposed conforming amendments arising from the Safeguards project as these relate to the text of Phase 1 of the Structure of the Code project ("Structure project"). Proposed conforming amendments as these relate to the text of Phase 2 of the Structure project are presented in gray text in the January 2017 Exposure Draft: Improving the Structure of the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants—Phase 2 (Structure ED-2).
See also Restructuring the Code.
Exposure Draft (PDF | 557K)
Submitted Comment Letters
1. Crowe Horwath International (CHI)
2. European Federation of Accountants and Auditors for SMEs (EFAA)
3. Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) (Malaysia)
4. Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) (Australia)
5. Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) (United Kingdom)
6. Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) (Singapore)
7. Grant Thornton International Ltd. (GTI) (United Kingdom)
8. Korean Institute of Certified Public Accountants (KICPA) (Korea, Republic of)
9. MNP LLP (MNP) (Canada)
10. New Zealand Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (NZAuASB) (New Zealand)
11. Financial Reporting Council (FRC UK) (United Kingdom)
12. National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) (United States)
13. American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) (United States)
14. Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) (United Kingdom)
15. BDO International Limited (BDO)
16. Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada) (Canada)
17. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTT)
18. Ernst & Young Global Limited (EYG)
19. FAR (Institute for the Accountancy Profession in Sweden) (FAR) (Sweden)
20. Foreningen af Statsautoriserede Revisorer (Danish Institute of Accountants)(FSR) (Denmark)
21. Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA) (Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China))
22. IFAC Small and Medium Practices Committee (SMPC)
23. Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) (United Kingdom)
24. Mexican Institute of Publiic Accountants (IMCP) (Mexico)
25. South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) (South Africa)
26. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) (Pakistan)
27. United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) (United States)
28. Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants (JICPA) (Japan)
29. Institut der Wirtschaftsprüfer in Deutschland e.V. (IDW) (Germany)
30. Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) (South Africa)
31. Wirtschaftsprueferkammer (WPK) (Germany)
32. Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) (United Kingdom)
33. PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited (PwC)
34. RSM International (RSM) (United Kingdom)
35. Office of the Auditor General of New Zealand (AGNZ) (New Zealand)
36. Compagnie Nationale des Commissaires aux Comptes (CNCC) (France)
37. Accounting Professional & Ethical Standards Board (APESB) (Australia)
38. CPA Australia Ltd (CPA Au) (Australia)
39. Accountancy Europe (AE) (Belgium)
40. Royal Netherlands Institute of Chartered Accountants (Netherlands)
41. International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) (Spain)
42. KPMG (KPMG) (United Kingdom)
43. The Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (Malaysia)
44. International Forum for Independent Audit Regulators (IFIAR) (Japan)
45. Instituto dos Auditores Independentes do Brasil (IBRACON) (Brazil)
46. Securities Commission of Malaysia (SCM) (Malaysia)
47. ASSIREVI Italy
2016 Handbook of the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants
2018 Roundtables
IESBA Webinar: The Revised and Restructured Code
Preparing for the IESBA eCode
Code of Ethics, IESBA


This phrase, or some version of it, has been attributed to a number of different sources going all the way back to renaissance mathematician and astronomer Rheticus. Whatever its true age and provenance, over the last few decades it has been memetically embedded into pretty much every organisation in one way or another. We have myriad ways of measuring and presenting data across countless parameters to allow us to 'manage' performance.
This is also true of safety. Key performance indicators are the way forward. We must measure. Only then can we understand how well we're doing. How many accidents have we had? What is our total recordable injury frequency rate? How do our numbers compare against others in our industry, or in other industries? And finally, how do we use this information to properly target our improvement actions.
This is not an article about what we're measuring, which is a well-worn path (although I would just like to paraphrase Peter Drucker when thinking about injury rate metrics and say that there is nothing quite so useless as measuring that which need not be measured at all). This is more about how we understand and interpret the data we are spending so much time an effort on collecting.
The data are collated, tabulated, charted and summarised with the level of detail inversely proportional to the level of management. Until, by the time it reaches the executive and the board, it is almost reduced to a sad face or a smiley face. While it is the reality of the situation that senior executives need summary data due to the sheer scale of what they are reviewing (at least in large organisations), if they cannot properly interpret it, it is worthless.
So how well do we navigate this sea of information? How well do we understand the numbers? How many safety professionals have any kind of higher level qualification that is strongly numerically based? Or, for that matter, how many of our management team genuinely understand numbers?
Unfortunately, a significant proportion of people are statistically illiterate. I highly recommend the book by Andrew Wilmot The Tiger That Isn't to see just how extensive this is.
Numbers can be hugely persuasive. They are presented and received as fact, often with little underlying analysis to support the veracity of the data. Conclusions are drawn based on small data sets and wildly extrapolated to apply in all sorts of irrelevant areas. This is then used by the company as the information with which to make its broadest policy decisions around safety.
One of the most popular (and useful) ways of presenting data is in the form of trends. It is no use knowing that we have injured seven people this month if there is no context around that – is seven better than last month, or worse, or the same? If different, is it significantly different, or only marginal? Is that difference part of an ongoing trend, or a single outlier? Providing trending data allows some of these questions to be more thoughtfully considered. This is frequently done using a '12 month rolling average'. This is primarily because we need a timeframe for the trend, but if we choose calendar years or financial years, the year is halfway through before we start to see the trends. A 12 month rolling average takes the average of the immediately preceding 12 months and plots it on a graph so that there is always sufficient data to see a trend. This is a perfectly legitimate process, but there is a trap in the detail.
Take the following data set for injuries.
This shows a clear downward trend. What we are doing appears to be working (subject to the problems of using lagging indicators). So we should continue to do more of the same and investigate other improvements (because we never stop looking for improvements). Shown on a graph, this should demonstrate our month on month improvement for all to see. Shouldn't it?
However, now imagine that the month before this data set, the previous December, we had a stellar month where we had no injuries. In last month's information, this zero was part of our rolling average, lowering it. This month, however, it has dropped off our data set, so we no longer have the benefit of it in the average. The rolling average graph looks like this.
Something is wrong here. We've had a sudden spike. Let's change everything.
Even if the graph above represented reality, it is a single data point that is inconsistent with a general trend. We should be very careful about knee jerk reactions to it, because next month we could revert to type. This is of particular concern at executive and board level where the information is packaged into short summary statements. If the safety manager cannot provide the interpretation, poor decisions will be made.
This lack of underlying information is replicated across a wide range of issues and topics – of ten reported injuries, how many of them had common causes? How many reached their full potential and how many could have resulted in something much worse but for luck? Is there a seasonal change that would only be revealed by a meta-analysis across a number of years' data? And so on.
How can we improve this situation?
Firstly, safety managers need to be far more capable in the statistical field. It is their responsibility to provide their executive team with appropriate conclusions and recommendations for sanction, not to simply hand over data and let them draw their own conclusions. Secondly, they need to be very careful on what they are measuring, how and why. Recognise the limitations on data and the quality of its collection and draw this into the discussion. Thirdly, executives need to treat headline metrics as a starting point for inquiry and discussion, not as an end point for decision making.
← Are we risky enough?
Enlightening. Very good article. You would enjoy http://www.safetyrisk.net/the-seduction-of-measurement-in-risk-and-safety/ by a Dr Rob Long. He takes a very interesting view on metrics.
Myself, I have visited too many sites with obvious safety failures that haven't turned into accidents yet, however the metrics have all been good.
What I have done is reexamine the concept of QSHE. – A construction company with a great safety record, turns over a project with 2500 quality failures or 'snags'. If the job is done correctly, this should reduce the snags. For the job to done correctly it follows training, compliance and auditing is carried out more rigorously.
If the snags reduce, then the job should have been conducted in a safer manner.
More to the point, safety failures can be hidden or ignored not to dispel the myth that the company is safe, but a quality failure cannot be ignored. If quality is given more prominence in risk assessment, the safety will follow.
It integrates the risks of safety and quality, if there is only one way to do the job. Add in environmental impact and we now have an integrated risk assessment that in theory is superior.
Just thinking out loud,, the picture you describe, explaining the time line if fantastic; but could we also put up the quality and environmental performance as well? Would it act as a truer indication of trend on site?
Yes – I have read a lot of Rob's work.


Attorneys Anne C. Martin and Stacey A. Garrett have been nominated for the 2013 Nashville Athena Award, to be announced at an event on March 21, 2013, at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Anne was nominated by the Lawyers' Association for Women, and Stacey was nominated by CABLE. Both women are involved in a number of leadership roles throughout the community and have been mentors for professional women, enabling them to build rewarding, satisfying careers. Congratulations, Anne and Stacey! You both serve as great examples of excellence professionally and personally.


Quality window coverings can be the subtle piece that pulls a room together, or they can be the defining feature of the entire room. The experienced, visionary design team at Designer Fabrics can help you select the precise window treatment to match your style and to meet your functional needs. Blinds, shades, and shutters do more than just add style and beauty to a room-they can also save energy for the homeowner by reducing temperature fluctuation in a room. High-quality window coverings can lower your energy bill while increasing the attractiveness and value of your home.
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text:
Jul 18, 2019	 Jul 18, 2019	 By	Los Angeles Times No. 1 Column: If a $5-billion fine won't shake Facebook, what can bring it to heel?
Let's talk about big numbers. Five billion dollars is a big number. If you spent it at the rate of $20 a second, it would take you about seven years and 11 months to spend it all. If you salted away ...
Jul 18, 2019	 Jul 18, 2019	 By	Los Angeles Times No. 2 Times Investigation: Trump administration has gutted programs aimed at detecting weapons of mass destruction
The Trump administration has quietly dismantled or cut back multiple programs that were created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to help detect and prevent terrorism involving weapons of mass ...
Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. Who will be the first woman?
Jul 18, 2019	 Jul 18, 2019	 By	Los Angeles Times No. 3 Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. Who will be the first woman?
Fifty years after a military test pilot made the first striated boot prints in the thick gray powder of the lunar surface, NASA has an ambitious plan to send humans back to the moon by 2024. But this ...
Jul 18, 2019	 Jul 18, 2019	 By	Los Angeles Times No. 4 Japan anime studio fire: Man shouting 'You die' kills 33 in suspected arson attack
A man screaming "You die!" burst into an animation studio in Kyoto, doused it with a flammable liquid and set it on fire Thursday, killing 33 people in an attack that shocked anime fans across Japan ...
Ebola outbreak in Congo is now a public health emergency, WHO declares
Jul 17, 2019	 Jul 17, 2019	 By	Los Angeles Times No. 5 Ebola outbreak in Congo is now a public health emergency, WHO declares
The Ebola outbreak ravaging the eastern region of Congo is now serious enough to be considered a public health emergency of international concern, the World Health Organization announced Wednesday. ...
Jul 18, 2019	 Jul 18, 2019	 By	Los Angeles Times No. 6 Op-Ed: Why don't Republicans talk about the federal debt anymore?
Here's a story from this week that you likely won't hear much about, what with the 24/7 cable news screamfest over the Trump-Squad wars: The White House announced that its 2019 federal deficit ...
Internet influencers seek Wall Street's help to manage newfound wealth
Jul 17, 2019	 Jul 17, 2019	 By	Los Angeles Times No. 7 Internet influencers seek Wall Street's help to manage newfound wealth
Jenn Im started making YouTube videos as a hobby nine years ago, a way to express her love for turning thrift-store finds into stylish outfits. Creating content for her channel soon became an ...
'Chatgate' scandal throws Puerto Rico's governor into crisis
Jul 16, 2019	 Jul 16, 2019	 By	Los Angeles Times No. 8 'Chatgate' scandal throws Puerto Rico's governor into crisis
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Sheriff's chief says she quit over 'highly unethical' demand to rehire deputy fired for abuse
Jul 18, 2019	 Jul 18, 2019	 By	Los Angeles Times No. 9 Sheriff's chief says she quit over 'highly unethical' demand to rehire deputy fired for abuse
A top official in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said she left the agency after 34 years rather than carry out what she said was a "highly unethical" and "unheard of" directive from ...
Op-Ed: Sex trafficking defendants have a new face — white, wealthy and well-connected
Jul 18, 2019	 Jul 18, 2019	 By	Los Angeles Times No. 10 Op-Ed: Sex trafficking defendants have a new face — white, wealthy and well-connected
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After having a spring clean of the forgotten folders in my laptop, I can across a beauty of a website I hadn't checked up on in a while.
Visiting her site now, I was amazed. It was packed with colourful, beautiful art as well as the classic 'Simpsonszu' piece, The Simpsons' characters drawn in a manga style, that had obviously aroused the attention of the media and fantastic job opportunities for this artist. Now she has her own full-length comic 'Yokaiden' out.
Space Coyote (Nina Matsumoto) displays a humorous take on popular American cartoons, often swpping their crude use of line and colour for her own more realist manga style. However, she does the opposite in one piece 'Dysfunctional Neighbour Totoro' where she takes a piece of classic Japanese Studio Ghibli art and draws it 'Simpson's style'. Her work really is a joy to see and just damn right funny. I'm actually envious of her talent. I enjoyed looking at her work so much and I believe you will too.


text:
package dumper

import (
	"errors"
	"fmt"
	"runtime"
	"strings"

	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
	"github.com/skeema/skeema/internal/fs"
	"github.com/skeema/skeema/internal/tengo"
)

// DumpSchema updates the *.sql files in dir to match the creation statements
// in schema. Any preexisting creation statements in the dir will be updated to
// match the canonical format from the live schema. Objects that no longer exist
// in the live schema will have their statements removed. A count of modified
// files is returned, along with any fatal write error. If opts.CountOnly is
// true, no actual filesystem writes occur, but a file count is still returned.
func DumpSchema(schema *tengo.Schema, dir *fs.Dir, opts Options) (int, error) {
	// Ensure that this dir does not reference any schemas by name, either via
	// USE commands or CREATEs with schema name qualifiers
	if namedSchemaStmts := dir.NamedSchemaStatements(); len(namedSchemaStmts) > 0 {
		if len(namedSchemaStmts) == 1 {
			log.Warnf("This directory contains a statement referencing a specific schema name at %s line %d.", namedSchemaStmts[0].File, namedSchemaStmts[0].LineNo)
		} else {
			log.Warnf("This directory contains %d statements referencing specific schema names, for example %s line %d.", len(namedSchemaStmts), namedSchemaStmts[0].File, namedSchemaStmts[0].LineNo)
		}
		log.Warn("Most Skeema commands do not support USE statements or schema-prefixed table names yet.")
		log.Warn("Please configure schema names only in .skeema files.")
		return 0, errors.New("unsupported format of .sql files")
	}

	filesWithDiffs := modifiedFiles(schema, dir, opts)
	for n, file := range filesWithDiffs {
		if opts.CountOnly {
			log.Infof("File %s requires formatting changes", file)
		} else if err := rewriteSQLFile(file); err != nil {
			return n, err
		}
	}
	return len(filesWithDiffs), nil
}

// rewriteSQLFile rewrites a TokenizedSQLFile.
func rewriteSQLFile(file *fs.TokenizedSQLFile) error {
	exists, _ := file.Exists()
	if bytesWritten, err := file.Rewrite(); err != nil {
		return err
	} else if bytesWritten == 0 {
		log.Infof("Deleted %s", file)
	} else if exists {
		log.Infof("Wrote %s (%d bytes)", file, bytesWritten)
	} else {
		log.Infof("Created %s (%d bytes)", file, bytesWritten)
	}
	return nil
}

// modifiedFiles returns TokenizedSQLFile pointers that require re-writing due
// to at least one statement in the file being added, modified, or removed as
// a result of the dump operation. The directory's parsed values are modified
// in-place by this function, but nothing is written to the filesystem yet.
func modifiedFiles(schema *tengo.Schema, dir *fs.Dir, opts Options) []*fs.TokenizedSQLFile {
	// TODO: handle dirs that contain multiple logical schemas by name
	var logicalSchema *fs.LogicalSchema
	if len(dir.LogicalSchemas) > 0 {
		logicalSchema = dir.LogicalSchemas[0]
	} else {
		logicalSchema = &fs.LogicalSchema{}
	}
	fm := newFileMap(logicalSchema)

	dbObjects := schema.Objects()
	for key, object := range dbObjects {
		if opts.shouldIgnore(object) {
			continue
		}
		canonicalCreate := object.Def()
		var fsCreate, fsDelimiter string
		stmt := logicalSchema.Creates[key]
		if stmt != nil {
			fsCreate, fsDelimiter = stmt.SplitTextBody()
		}

		// Include or strip auto_increment clause. (Note that if fs representation
		// already exists and explicitly had an autoinc value > 1, we keep and update
		// it regardless.)
		if key.Type == tengo.ObjectTypeTable && !opts.IncludeAutoInc {
			if _, fsAutoInc := tengo.ParseCreateAutoInc(fsCreate); fsAutoInc <= 1 {
				canonicalCreate, _ = tengo.ParseCreateAutoInc(canonicalCreate)
			}
		}

		// If requested, adjust the canonical create to add the partitioning clause
		// from the filesystem create, or remove it
		if key.Type == tengo.ObjectTypeTable && opts.Partitioning != tengo.PartitioningPermissive {
			dbCreateBase, _ := tengo.ParseCreatePartitioning(canonicalCreate)
			if opts.Partitioning == tengo.PartitioningKeep && fsCreate != "" {
				_, fsCreatePart := tengo.ParseCreatePartitioning(fsCreate)
				canonicalCreate = fmt.Sprintf("%s%s", dbCreateBase, fsCreatePart)
			} else if opts.Partitioning == tengo.PartitioningRemove {
				canonicalCreate = dbCreateBase
			}
		}

		if !verifyCanParse(key, canonicalCreate) {
			return nil
		}

		// If fs and db creates match, nothing to update
		canonicalCreate = AddDelimiter(key, canonicalCreate, fsDelimiter)
		if stmt != nil && canonicalCreate == stmt.Text {
			continue
		}

		// If we reach this point, we need to mark the statement's file as dirty, and
		// update/append its in-memory representation unless CountOnly was requested.
		// We "cheat" by potentially omitting some fs fields and potentially including
		// DELIMITER wrappers in a single Statement.Text, but this still works fine
		// for rewriting the file later.
		if stmt != nil { // statement already in fs
			fm.markDirty(stmt.FromFile)
			if !opts.CountOnly {
				stmt.Text = canonicalCreate
			}
		} else { // statement not in fs, needs to be appended to file
			f := fm.file(dir, object)
			fm.markDirty(f)
			if !opts.CountOnly {
				f.Statements = append(f.Statements, &fs.Statement{
					Type:       fs.StatementTypeCreate,
					ObjectType: key.Type,
					ObjectName: key.Name,
					FromFile:   f,
					Text:       canonicalCreate,
				})
			}
		}
	}

	// Handle create statements that are in FS but do not exist in DB
	for key, stmt := range logicalSchema.Creates {
		if _, inDB := dbObjects[key]; !inDB && !opts.shouldIgnore(key) {
			fm.markDirty(stmt.FromFile)
			if !opts.CountOnly {
				stmt.Remove()
			}
		}
	}

	return fm.dirtyFiles()
}

// AddDelimiter takes the supplied string and appends a delimiter to the end.
// If the supplied string is a multi-statement routine, delimiter commands will
// be prepended and appended to the string appropriately.
func AddDelimiter(key tengo.ObjectKey, statementBody, oldEnding string) string {
	if oldEnding == "" {
		oldEnding = ";\n"
	}
	if fs.NeedSpecialDelimiter(key, statementBody) {
		trimmedOldEnding := strings.TrimRight(oldEnding, "\n\r\t ")
		if trimmedOldEnding == ";" || trimmedOldEnding == "" {
			return fmt.Sprintf("DELIMITER //\n%s//\nDELIMITER ;\n", statementBody)
		}
	}
	return fmt.Sprintf("%s%s", statementBody, oldEnding)
}

func verifyCanParse(key tengo.ObjectKey, statementBody string) bool {
	ok, err := fs.CanParse(statementBody)
	if !ok {
		log.Errorf("%s is unexpectedly not able to be parsed by Skeema\nPlease file an issue report at https://github.com/skeema/skeema/issues with this information:\nError value=%v", key, err)
		log.Error("Unfortunately this error is fatal and prevents Skeema from being usable in your environment until this is resolved.")
	}
	return ok
}

// uniquePath converts its arg to lower-case on MacOS or Windows, or returns it
// unchanged on any other OS. This is useful for normalizing map keys to ensure
// correct dumper behavior on systems that typically have case-insensitive
// filesystems.
func uniquePath(p string) string {
	if runtime.GOOS == "darwin" || runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
		return strings.ToLower(p)
	}
	return p
}

type fileMap struct {
	all   map[string]*fs.TokenizedSQLFile // all files, normalized filePath string -> tokenized sql file
	dirty map[string]bool                 // dirty files, normalized filePath string -> bool
}

func newFileMap(logicalSchema *fs.LogicalSchema) *fileMap {
	fm := &fileMap{
		all:   make(map[string]*fs.TokenizedSQLFile, len(logicalSchema.Creates)),
		dirty: make(map[string]bool),
	}
	// track all unique files in the logical schema's CREATE statements
	for _, stmt := range logicalSchema.Creates {
		fm.all[uniquePath(stmt.FromFile.Path())] = stmt.FromFile
	}
	return fm
}

func (fm *fileMap) file(dir *fs.Dir, keyer tengo.ObjectKeyer) *fs.TokenizedSQLFile {
	objName := keyer.ObjectKey().Name
	filePath := fs.PathForObject(dir.Path, objName)

	// If the file at this path is already tracked, return it
	if f := fm.all[uniquePath(filePath)]; f != nil {
		return f
	}

	// Otherwise, instantiate a new file, track it, and return it
	f := &fs.TokenizedSQLFile{
		SQLFile: fs.SQLFile{
			Dir:      dir.Path,
			FileName: fs.FileNameForObject(objName),
		},
	}
	fm.all[uniquePath(filePath)] = f
	return f
}

func (fm *fileMap) markDirty(f *fs.TokenizedSQLFile) {
	fm.dirty[uniquePath(f.Path())] = true
}

func (fm *fileMap) dirtyFiles() (result []*fs.TokenizedSQLFile) {
	// contents of fm.dirty have already been run through uniquePath(); ditto for
	// keys of fm.all; so no need to re-run uniquePath() here
	for filePath := range fm.dirty {
		result = append(result, fm.all[filePath])
	}
	return result
}


text:
Morgan Minnesota
Artificial Meat
The way animals are raised in America needs to change.
Farm animals are not safe. Laws made 30+ years ago say that one can do anything to a farm animal legally. However, if someone were to treat a dog or cat the same way as they treat cows, pigs, or chickens they'd be in jail. The meat industry is raking in the money in America especially, with the average US citizen eating more than anyone in any other country. With the high demand of "Big Macs" and "Whoppers," we've run out of sustainable ways of raising animals and keeping the meat clean.
When I go to McDonalds, I spend under $10 every time. However, there are hidden costs within all of the meat I eat. I don't eat the meat from those kind of restaurants because I can't trust it, but if I were to I would have "hidden expenses." Having artificial chemicals and GMOs transferred into the body causes the hidden sicknesses. One Big Mac sold by McDonalds costs $5 on the spot, but really costs about $13 each with the illnesses to follow. About $414 billion go to the healthcare expenses and environmental damage that are coming from just fast food and artificial foods.
We've all seen the documentaries and the pictures and heard the rumors of foods being made out of random parts of animals, but why does it still happen? I hope that whoever the future president may be, that you can make laws that will protect us and watch over what we eat. We all live busy lives and it's harder when we have to monitor foods because there is such a risk in our country.
👏 Applauded
food meat animal abuse
Report a problem... When should you flag content? If the user is making personal attacks, using profanity or harassing someone, please flag this content as inappropriate. We encourage different opinions, respectfully presented, as an exercise in free speech.
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The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) recently released a draft statement on the provision of anaesthesia care of children. The draft broadens the scope and delineates the principles for the delivery of care to all children, in all locations, by all anaesthetists.
The RACGP is concerned that the requirements, especially around training and educations, in the guidelines may negatively affect general practitioner anaesthetists.


(2011-11-27, 06:39 PM)zacherymatthews Wrote: just wondering,am i zach ?
i hope one of those are ancient monsters..
dude i havent even posted in this thread.what are you on/>?
so where do i come into it>/?
SPECIFY WHAT YOU ARE REFERRING TO!!
can some make some stats for my monsters ?
im not sure if this is the right place for this zach.
You can create stats for your own monster.


text:
Partner Event: Global AI Summit
About the Global AI Summit
The Global AI Summit, organized by the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) and held in its inaugural edition virtually on October 21-22 2020, is the world's premier platform for dialogue that brings together stakeholders from public sector, academia and private sector, including technology companies, investors, entrepreneurs and startups to shape the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The Global AI Summit will be a unique global opportunity to explore what the new global era means to AI, how AI's transformational potential can be best used to create a better future for all, and what this means for policy and decision makers interested in leveraging the potential, for the good of humanity.
H.E. Eng. Abdullah Al-Swaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology
H.E. Dr. Abdullah Alghamdi, President, SDAIA
Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, Chairman and CEO – Sinovation Ventures
Mr. Masayoshi Son, Founder & CEO, SoftBank Group Corp
Mr. Thomas M Siebel, Chairman and CEO – C3.ai
Agenda, speakers, and registration are available at https://www.theglobalaisummit.com/
Find out more, here.
Sikorsky Awarded Multi-Million Dollar Contract
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USSABC Names Jacobs' CEO Steven Demetriou Co-Chairman
The U.S.‐Saudi Arabian Business Council (USSABC) is pleased to announce[...]
Saudi Arabia Creates Defense Manufacturing Company
Saudi Arabia launched Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) to manufacture[...]


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