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Tag Archives: Theresa May
Data retention debate: The lies they tell to steal your rights
Posted by Mike Sivier in Conservative Party, Corruption, Crime, Defence, Democracy, Human rights, Justice, Law, People, Police, Politics, Terrorism, UK
Coalition, communication, Conservative, consultation, correspondence, criminal, Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Bill, European Court of Justice, freedom, government, intercept, internet, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, people, police, politics, privacy, private, restrict, security, service, snoopers charter, telephone, terrorist, Theresa May, Tories, Tory, Vox Political
Haggard: Theresa May looked distinctly ruffled as she responded to criticism of her government's undemocratic actions. Some of you may wish to abbreviate the first word in this caption to three letters.
It is ironically appropriate that an Act of Parliament guaranteeing government the right to invade the private communications of every single citizen in the UK, ostensibly in the interests of justice, should be justified by a web of dishonesty.
This is what an indecisive British electorate gets: A government that can lose every major debate in the chamber – and look shambolic while doing so – and still win the vote because all its members have been whipped into place.
We all knew the government's case for providing itself with a legal ability to snoop on your telephone and Internet communications was paper-thin, and by failing to produce any new justification, the government confirmed our suspicions.
Introducing the Data Retention and Investigatory Bill earlier today, Minister for Security and Immigration James Brokenshire said the three-month delay since the European Court of Justice judgement that allegedly necessitated the legislation was because the Coalition had "sought clarity" on it.
He went on to say that "There is a risk in relation to co-operation on the use of the powers; indeed, there may be legal challenge. The House must face up to the prospect that the powers we use—they are constantly used by our law enforcement agencies—are at potential risk, and we are seeking to address that risk."
Michael Meacher suggested a more persuasive reason for the three-month delay: "Panic or a deliberate attempt to blackmail the House into undiscriminating compliance."
He said the argument that foreign phone and Internet firms were about to refuse UK warrants, demanding the contents of individual communications, was another red herring: "It has been reported that communications service providers have said that they did not know of any companies that had warned the UK Government that they would start deleting data in the light of legal uncertainty. Indeed, the Home Office, according to the Financial Times, instructed companies to disregard the ECJ ruling and to carry on harvesting data while it put together a new legal framework."
So Brokenshire was lying to the House about the potential effect of inaction. That will be no surprise to anyone familiar with the workings of the Coalition government. At risk of boring you, dear reader, you will recall that the Health and Social Care Act was based on a tissue of lies; now your privacy has been compromised – perhaps irrevocably – on the basis of a lie.
MPs could not limit the extension of the government's powers until the autumn, Brokenshire said, because a review of the power to intercept communications had been commissioned and would not be ready by then.
According to Labour's David Hanson, the main Opposition party supported the Bill because "investigations into online child sex abuse, major investigations into terrorism and into organised crime, the prevention of young people from travelling to Syria and many issues relating to attempted terrorist activity have depended on and will continue to depend on the type of access that we need through the Bill".
Mr Hanson's colleague David Winnick disagreed. "I consider this to be an outright abuse of Parliamentary procedure… Even if one is in favour of what the Home Secretary intends to do, to do it in this manner—to pass all the stages in one day—surely makes a farce of our responsibilities as Members of Parliament."
He pointed out – rightly – that there has been no pre-legislative scrutiny by the select committees – a matter that could have been carried out while the government sought the clarification it said delayed the Bill. "This is the sort of issue that the Home Affairs Committee and other Select Committees that consider human rights should look at in detail," said Mr Winnick. "None of that has been done."
The Bill did not even have the support of all Conservative MPs. David Davis – a very senior backbencher – said: "Parliament has three roles: to scrutinise legislation, to prevent unintended consequences and to defend the freedom and liberty of our constituents. The motion undermines all three and we should oppose it."
Labour's Tom Watson, who broke the news last Thursday that the Coalition intended to rush through this invasive Bill, was more scathing still: "Parliament has been insulted by the cavalier way in which a secret deal has been used to ensure that elected representatives are curtailed in their ability to consider, scrutinise, debate and amend the Bill. It is democratic banditry, resonant of a rogue state. The people who put this shady deal together should be ashamed."
Plaid Cymru's Elfyn Llwyd said Parliament was being "ridden over roughshod".
Labour's Diane Abbott made two important points. Firstly, she called the Bill an insult to the intelligence of the House. "We have had a Session with a light legislative programme, and for Ministers to come to the House and say, 'We've only got a day to debate it', when weeks have passed when we could have given it ample time is, I repeat, an insult to the intelligence of MPs."
Then she turned on her own front bench: "I believe… that those on the Opposition Front Bench have been 'rolled' [one must presume she meant this in the sense of being drunken, sleeping or otherwise helpless people who were robbed]. All Ministers had to do was to raise in front of them the spectre of being an irresponsible Opposition, and that children will die if they do not vote for the Bill on this timetable, and they succumbed."
Despite this opposition – not just to the way the Bill had been tabled, but to its timetable and its content – MPs voted it through, after a derisory nine hours of debate, by a majority of 416.
So much for democracy.
So much for MPs being elected to protect their constituents.
When Hansard publishes details of the vote, I'll put them up here so that you can see which way your own MP voted and use that information to inform your actions during the general election next May.
Butler-Sloss quits child abuse inquiry – under pressure from SOCIAL media?
Posted by Mike Sivier in Children, Corruption, Crime, Justice, Media, People, Politics, UK
Attorney General, Baroness, blind eye, Butler-Sloss, child abuse, conflict of interest, David Cameron, delay, due diligence, Elizabeth, establishment, government, historical, inquiry, investigation, Jimmy Savile, Lady, Lord Tebbit, Margaret Thatcher, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, Nelson's Eye, people, politics, sex, Sir Michael Havers, social media, Theresa May, Vox Political
Resigned: Baroness Butler-Sloss.
Would anybody argue with the suggestion that the social media – including blogs like Vox Political – played the largest part in the removal of Baroness Butler-Sloss from the government's inquiry into historical child sex abuse investigations?
Until yesterday, Lady Butler-Sloss was adamant that there was no reason she could not head up the inquiry, even though her past associations with people she might have to investigate included her own brother, the late Sir Michael Havers, who was attorney general in the 1980s.
It was the social media that found this information and revealed it to the general public – who then complained bitterly to the government.
Do we believe Lady Butler-Sloss where she tells us she "did not sufficiently consider" whether her family links would throw the inquiry into question? It seems extremely out-of-character for a former judge, who would never – for example – have allowed a trial jury to include a relative of the defendant, to claim that she could be impartial about matters involving her own family. It was a clear conflict of interest.
One point that has been glossed-over is the fact that this woman is nearly 81 years of age and from the same privileged background as many of the people she would be asked to investigate. Did she even have the necessary sensibilities – or even the ability to open her mind to current thinking – required to head up an investigation such as this?
Of course, Lady Butler-Sloss was appointed by the Home Secretary, Theresa May. She has been accused of failure to carry out "due diligence" – the necessary checks to discover if a candidate can be relied upon to be impartial – but has defiantly claimed that her choice was good.
"I do not regret the decision I made. I continue to believe that Elizabeth Butler-Sloss would have done an excellent job as chair of this inquiry," she told the Home Affairs select committee. Really? Excellent by whose standards?
We know from Lord Tebbit that there was a 'hush-hush' culture in the Thatcher government of the 1980s. He said people thought the establishment "had to be protected".
Then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher – who herself spent a great deal of time with serial child abuser Jimmy Savile – is now seen to have turned 'Nelson's Eye' towards such accusations – the same eye with which he was able to make the claim, "I see no ships". The eyes of history are likely to take a dim view of such blindness.
And of course the attitude she held is likely to pervade government even now, 30 years later. Perhaps Theresa May wanted this inquiry – which she had resisted for a long time – to be headed by a person who could be trusted not to rock the boat. Perhaps she had been told to select such a person.
Now we must wait for an announcement on a new chairperson. This also plays into the hands of those with skeletons (or worse) in their closets as it creates a delay.
Not only that, but we must all remain vigilant against the possibility that May will appoint another dud. The BBC's report makes it clear that the requirement for a candidate to have a legal background and the security clearance necessary to be able to read confidential papers means it is hard to find anyone who is suitably qualified and is not part of the establishment.
We still do not know where this will lead and who will be implicated. People like Theresa May and David Cameron will want to protect members of their own Old Guard from retrospective vilification (if Lord Tebbit's words are to be trusted), and it seems likely they will do everything in their considerable power to fob us off.
It is our responsibility to make sure they don't.
See if YOUR objection is mentioned in the Surveillance Bill debate!
civil society, Coalition, communication, Conservative, consultation, correspondence, criminal, Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Bill, European Court of Justice, freedom, government, intercept, internet, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, people, police, politics, privacy, private, restrict, security, service, snoopers charter, telephone, terrorist, Theresa May, Tories, Tory, Vox Political
It seems Parliament's discussion of the Data Retention and Investigatory Bill, also known as the Surveillance Bill, will now take place tomorrow (Tuesday) rather than today (Monday).
This works better for Yr Obdt Srvt, who has carer-related business today and would not have been able to watch the debate.
Hopefully, many Vox Political readers – if not all – have emailed or tweeted MPs, calling on them to speak and vote against the Bill which, while only reinstating powers the government has already been using, is a totally unacceptable infringement of our freedom that is being imposed in a totally unacceptable timeframe.
As has been discussed here previously, the Bill enshrines in law Theresa May's 'Snooper's Charter', requiring telecommunications companies to keep a complete record of all your telephone and Internet communications for examination by politicians.
The information to be kept includes the location of people you call, the date and time of the call, and the telephone number called.
It seems the Bill is intended to be a response to a European ruling in April, making the valid point that the government's current behaviour is an invasion of citizens' privacy. Clearly, therefore, the Coalition government is determined to continue invading your privacy.
The judgement of the European Court of Justice is being overridden and the Conservative-led Coalition is making no attempt to find a reasonable compromise between the need for security and the right of privacy.
The fact that David Cameron has waited more than three months before putting this on the Parliamentary timetable, during a time when MPs have had very little to discuss, indicates that he wanted to offer no opportunity for civil society to be consulted on the proposed law or consider it in any way.
Cameron wanted to restrict our freedom to question this restriction of our freedoms.
Another reason given for the haste is that foreign-based Internet and phone companies were about to stop handing over the content of communications requested by British warrants – but service providers have confirmed that this was a lie. No companies had indicated they would delete data or reject a UK interception warrant.
Ignoring the fact that this does nothing to support your privacy, at least it does completely undermine Mr Cameron's case for rushing through the legislation.
He is offering concessions – but they are not convincing and nobody should be fooled into thinking that they make this Bill acceptable. However:
A possibility of restrictions on retention notices is not clarified in the text of the Bill, and is therefore meaningless; and
The 'sunset clause' for the Bill's provisions does not come into effect for two and a half years, by which time (we can assume) the government is hoping everybody will have forgotten about it and it can be renewed with a minimum of fuss. This is how your freedoms are taken away – behind your back.
If you have not yet contacted your MP, you are advised to do so.
If you lose your right to privacy – especially to this government – you won't get it back.
The security services are already snooping on us – why aren't we out in the streets about it?
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A Snooper: This woman has been allowing police and security services to monitor your phone and Internet communications – illegally. Now her government wants to rush through a law to make it legal, without proper scrutiny.
No matter what Nick Clegg might say, the Coalition government will be reintroducing – and rushing into effect – Theresa May's long-cherished Snooper's Charter on Monday.
This is her plan to ride roughshod over your right to privacy by requiring telecommunications companies to keep a complete record of all of your telephone and Internet communications. While the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Bill does not include the content of the calls or messages, it does include the location of the people called, the date and time of the call and the telephone number called.
Theresa May's Snooper's Charter would have called on telecoms firms to record the time, duration, originator and recipient of every communication and the location of the device from which it was made.
Anybody who cannot see the similarities between these two would have to be blind and stupid.
Apparently the move has been necessitated by a European Court of Justice ruling in April saying current laws invaded individual privacy.
This means that the government has been doing, already, what it proposes to enshrine in law now.
But hang on a moment – this court ruling was made in April. In April? And they're just getting round to dealing with it now?
Perhaps they were busy. But no! This is the Zombie Parliament, that has been criticised for muddling along with nothing to do, so it can't be that.
It seems far more likely that this Bill has been timed to be pushed through without any consideration by, or consultation with, civil society – in order to restrict our ability to question what is nothing less than an attack on our freedom.
Cameron is desperate to justify his government monitoring everything you do: "The ability to access information about communications and intercept the communications of dangerous individuals is essential to fight the threat from criminals and terrorists targeting the UK."
It isn't about fighting any threat from criminals or terrorists, though, is it? It's about threatening you.
Has anybody here forgotten the disabled lady who received a midnight visit from the police, at her home, in relation to comments she had posted on Facebook about the Department for Work and Pensions' cuts?
She told Pride's Purge: "They told me they had come to investigate criminal activity that I was involved in on Facebook… They said complaints had been made about posts I'd made on Facebook."
Facebook is an internet communication, not a telephone communication – so you know that the security services have already been overstepping their mark. This was in 2012.
There's always the good old postal service, embodied in the recently-privatised Royal Mail – which has been examining your correspondence for decades. You will, of course, have heard that all your correspondence with HM Revenue and Customs about taxes, and all your correspondence with the DWP about benefits, is opened and read by employees of a private company before it gets anywhere near a government employee who may (or may not) have signed the Official Secrets Act. No? Apparently some secrets are better-kept then others.
If you want proof about the monitoring of letters, I'll repeat my story about a young man who was enjoying a play-by-mail game with other like-minded people. A war game, as it happens. They all had codenames, and made their moves by writing letters and putting them in the post (this was, clearly, before the internet).
One day, this young fellow arrived home from work (or wherever) to find his street cordoned off and a ring of armed police around it.
"What's going on?" he asked a burly uniformed man who was armed to the teeth.
"Oh you can't come through," he was told. "We've identified a terrorist group in one of these houses and we have to get them out."
"But I live on this street," said our hero, innocently. "Which house is it?"
The constable told him.
"But that's my house!" he said.
And suddenly all the guns were pointing at him.
They had reacted to a message he had sent, innocently, as part of the game. They'd had no reason to open the letter, but had done it anyway and, despite the fact that it was perfectly clear that it was part of a game, over-reacted.
What was the message?
"Ajax to Achilles: Bomb Liverpool!"
Neither of these two incidents should have taken place but many more are inevitable if this legislation goes the distance and allows the government to legitimise its current – illegal – actions.
One last point: It should be remembered that this is a government composed mainly of a political party with one member, still active, who managed to lose (or should that be 'lose') no less than 114 files on child abuse – files that could have put hugely dangerous people behind bars 30 years ago. Instead, with the files lost, it seems these individuals were permitted to continue perpetrating these heinous crimes.
Now, this government is launching an inquiry into historic child abuse by high-profile people, headed by a woman who is herself tainted by association with some of the accused, and by some of the attitudes she has expressed.
It is a government that should put its own House in order before it asks us to give up our privacy and let it look inside ours.
Or, as Frankie Boyle tweeted:
Is it wise to combat Islamic extremism in schools by sending in Tory extremists Theresa May and Michael Gove?
Posted by Mike Sivier in Conservative Party, Education, Politics, Religion
advertising, advisor, assembly, assessment, association, benefit, Bible, Birmingham, Christianity, Conservative, correspondence, disability, expression, extremism, extremist, fair, family, forced labour, foreseeable, Free, government, grind down, home, human rights, Incapacity, Independent, Islam, legal aid, life, loss, Mandatory Work Activity, Michael Gove, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, morale, Muslim, overrule, people, politics, privacy, racist, replace, school, servitude, slavery, standards authority, stealth, suspicious death, take over, Theresa May, Tories, Tory, trade, trial, Trojan Horse, undermine, union, unlawful killing, van, Vox Political
Extremists: Theresa May (left) and Michael Gove. [Image: BBC.]
The alleged rift between Michael Gove and Theresa May over claims that Muslim extremists have taken over 25 Birmingham schools is bizarre.
These are government ministers who most closely share the extremist attitudes that the 'Trojan Horse' school governors are said to have; their methods are the same, even if their aims are different.
Consider this. The claims made about the Birmingham school are that:
A 'Trojan Horse' (stealth) takeover of schools in Birmingham, by Islamic extremists, has taken place.
Governors were installed who undermined and then replaced school leaders with staff who would be more sympathetic to their agenda.
Boys and girls have been separated.
Assemblies put forward extremist Islamic views.
Other religions are downgraded.
Now let's look at Theresa May, who:
Took part in a backdoor (stealth) takeover of the UK government after the Conservative Party failed to win a majority in the 2010 general election.
Wants to repeal the Human Rights Act as it protects UK citizens against some of her favourite policies:
The duty to refrain from unlawful killing, investigate suspicious deaths and prevent foreseeable loss of life runs against the results of the Coalition's changes to incapacity/disability benefit assessment which led to the unnecessary deaths of 73 people per week between January and November 2011.
The prohibition of slavery, servitude and forced labour is contrary to the government's mandatory work activity schemes.
The right to a fair trial contradicts the changes the government has been making to Legal Aid.
The right to respect for one's privacy, family life, home and correspondence runs against the "snooper's charter" that Mrs May wished to impose.
And so on. The Tories would dearly love to remove your rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and association, as that means they could outlaw this blog and abolish trade unions.
Authorised a plan to use a fleet of advertising vans telling illegal immigrants to "go home", which split the London communities in which they were used and led to false accusations against British citizens.
The phrase "go home" on the vans attracted criticism from the Advertising Standards Authority as it was a reminder of an extremist racist slogan.
And Michael Gove:
Took part in the backdoor (stealth) takeover of the UK government.
Has imposed an army of independent advisors on his education department, to overrule the opinions of expert civil servants, grind down their morale and force them out of their jobs.
Planned to give a Bible to every state school in the country, clearly implying an intention to assert the supremacy of Christianity over every other religion practised in the UK, with others downgraded.
They're all as bad as each other.
Tories and the police – it's like an acrimonious divorce
Posted by Mike Sivier in Conservative Party, Police, Politics
anti-social behaviour, beat, commissioner, community, community support, Conservative, crime, crime agency, Federation, first, government, Home Secretary, human rights, Labour, Michael Gove, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, national, neighbourhood, Normington Report, One, patrol car, pay, pension, people, police, political, politics, Reform, repression, revise, serious organised, Theresa May, Tories, Tory, union, Vox Political, weapon, World War
Confrontational: Theresa May has made an enemy of the police. They'll be taking solace from the thought that one day they might be asked to arrest her. [Image: Daily Telegraph]
Does anybody remember when the police were the Conservatives' best friends? This was back in the days of the Thatcher government, when she needed them as political weapons against the unions.
She gave them generous pay and pension deals, let them move out of the communities they policed (providing a certain amount of anonymity – people no longer knew their local Bobby personally), and put them in patrol cars rather than on the beat. In return, she was able to rely on their loyalty.
The same cannot be said today. Current Home Secretary Theresa May wants you to think the police service is out of control.
In fact, it isn't. The problem for Ms May, whose position on human rights makes it clear that she wants to be able to use the force as a tool of repression, is that our constables have found better ways of upholding the law.
This is why May's tough talk on reforming the police rings hollow. She wants to break the power of the Police Federation, our constabularies' trade union – but her attack is on terms which it is already working to reform.
She has demanded that the Federation must act on the 36 recommendations of the Normington Report on Police Federation Reform in what appears to be a bid to make it seem controversial.
But the report was commissioned by the Federation itself, not by the Home Office. It acknowledges problems with the organisation that may affect the wider role of the police and makes 36 recommendations for reform – whether the Home Secretary demands it or not.
One is left with the feeling that Ms May is desperate to make an impression. She has been very keen to point out that crime has fallen since she became Home Secretary – but this is part of a trend since Labour took office in the mid-1990s. Labour brought in neighbourhood policing, police community support officers, antisocial behaviour laws, improved technology and (more controversially) the DNA database. These resulted from Labour politicians working together with the police, not imposing ideas on them from above; they brought the police back into the community.
Theresa May's work includes her time-wasting vanity project to elect 'police and crime commissioners', and her time-wasting project to replace the Serious Organised Crime Agency with the almost-identical National Crime Agency.
She has taken a leaf from the Liberal Democrat book by claiming credit for changes that had nothing to do with her, suggesting that police reform only began when she became Home Secretary in 2010.
Is it this attitude to history that informs Michael Gove's attempts to revise our attitude towards the First World War, as was reported widely a few months ago? If so, it is an approach that is doomed to failure and derision, as Mr Gove learned to his cost. Ms May deserves no better.
There is much that is wrong with the police service – and most of that is due to interference from Conservative governments.
Thankfully, with the service and the Police Federation already working to resolve these issues, all Ms May can do is grumble from the sidelines where she belongs.
UKIP and the Conservatives – more similarities than differences?
Posted by Mike Sivier in Benefits, Conservative Party, Employment, Immigration, pensions, People, Politics, Race, Religion, Scotland referendum, UK, UKIP
all in this together, anti, BBC, benefit, campaign, Conservative, council, David Bishop, David Cameron, divide, divisive, election, Europe, gay, go home, Harry Perry, Islam, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, Nigel Farage, one nation, pension, people, politics, racism, scrounger, skiver, Theresa May, Tories, Tory, UKIP, Unite, Vox Political
No control: Nigel Farage in front of one of his party's anti-immigration posters. He says he doesn't hate foreigners; judge for yourself. [Image: BBC]
Isn't it interesting that the first of the large political organisations to descend into UKIP-style racism is the Conservative Party?
The BBC has reported that both have lost council candidates after they made anti-Islamic comments on the social media.
From UKIP, Harry Perry (candidate in the Offerton Ward, Stockport) was suspended after calling for Pakistan to be "nuked", saying David Cameron was a "gay-loving nutcase", Muslims were "devil's kids" and homosexuality an "abomination before God".
UKIP's official line is that it has started disciplinary proceedings against this man and did not condone his "crackpot" views.
Nigel Farage has admitted his party contains "some idiots", but added that the reporting of such problems within UKIP was "disproportionate".
Then along came David Bishop (candidate in Brentwood South, Essex) to prove that the Tories have these problems too.
This man has resigned from the party after passing messages including one that said Islam was "the religion of… rape" and another that read "How CAN a gay guy keep a straight face?"
In a statement, he said, "I recognise that someone standing for public office should show leadership and seek to unite communities, not divide them."
Isn't dividing communities what both the Conservatives and UKIP are best at?
Self-preservation society: The Tory "all in it together" attitude, clarified here by Conservative poster-boy Michael Caine.
The Conservatives want you to believe that "We are all in this together", but it seems clear that some of us are more "in this" than others – are we all "in this" with the "scroungers", or "skivers" (the Tory label for people their policies have forced out of work and onto the state benefits for which they have paid all their lives)? Are we all "in this" with our fellow citizens who were unfortunate enough not to "sound British" (like those who were stop-checked during Theresa May's 'Go Home' van campaign last summer)? They were encouraging people to accuse their neighbours; how divisive can they get?
What about the changes to pensions? Are the MPs who have "transitional" protection that will allow them to draw their extremely large, taxpayer-funded pensions at the same time as they always expected "in this" with those of us who are now having to work six years longer than we planned?
As for UKIP, try this comment from a UKIP supporter on the Vox Political Facebook page: "Britain is now full of multiregional people from other countries, by winning their vote he can sort out the rubbish later & give Britain back to the English!"
(English? I wonder how the Welsh, Northern Irish, and particularly the referendum-bound Scottish react to that.)
This person continued: "Not racist, just plain common sense!!!! The British want their Britain back."
I asked then – and I ask now: "Does that include the Afro-Caribbean British, the Indian-British, the Pakistani-British, the southeast-Asian-British, the Polish-British (including both recent arrivals and those who stayed after World War II), British people whose racial origins are from any other part of the former British Empire or current Commonwealth – or just white Anglo-Saxon Britons like you and me, who are in fact descended from people of French and German origin?"
(Even this omits another foreign-descended group – those with Viking blood.)
I could never use my vote to support anyone who put forward such vile opinions; they are not "common sense" and the people spouting them are those who have no place here.
It doesn't matter where our ancestors were born – we are all One Nation now.
The end of free speech and free protest in the UK
Posted by Mike Sivier in Conservative Party, Corruption, Democracy, Law, Liberal Democrats, People, Police, Politics, UK
@DeadParrotJCP, @Director_UKJCP, @IDS_MP, @Skip_Licker, @UKJCP, account, ACPO, agent provocateur, Andrew Lansley, Another Angry Voice, assault, association, austerity, BBC, bill, blacklist, Chief, close, co-operation, Commons, company, Conservative, contraction, control, corporate, corporation, crime, criminal, David Cameron, democracy, Democrat, democratic, development, drop, e-petition, economic, economy, expansionary, fall, fell, fiscal, France, Free, free speech, Funding For Lending, gagging, George Osborne, Germany, Glenda Jackson, government, Health and Social Care Act, Home Office, Home Secretary, House of, ideological, information, kettling, legal, Liam Fox, Lib Dem, Liberal, lobby, lobbyist, Lords, Media, member, Michael Meacher, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, mortgage guarantee, mouthpiece, news, OECD, organisation, paper, Parliament, parody, Patrick Mercer, people, Peter Cruddas, Police Officers, policy, political, politics, Pride's Purge, protest, protest group, real, recession, record, register, right-wing, riot, scandal, sheep, sheeple, spending limit, stimulus, student, television, Theresa May, Tories, Tory, trade, Transparency of Lobbying, Twitter, UK, unelected, union, US, violent, vote, Vox Political, wage, water cannon, website
It's farewell to your centuries-old right to free speech today, after your Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs won their bid to get the Gagging Bill passed by the House of Lords. It won't go back to the Commons because the Lords made no amendments.
While you, personally, will be allowed to continue complaining about anything you want, you will no longer have the ability to link up with others to protest government actions in any meaningful way as such action may breach Liberal Democrat and Tory government-imposed spending limits. Your personal complaints will be deemed unrepresentative of the people.
You will still be able to have your e-petition on the government's website – if you win enough signatures to have it debated in Parliament – ignored by the Tories and Liberal Democrats in the House of Commons.
The Liberal Democrats and Tories have even managed to rub salt into the wound by creating a register of all the corporate lackeys who will still be able to influence their policies – freelance lobbyists employed by large companies for the specific purpose of swaying government policy. Lobbyists who are company employees will not be listed as the government says their purposes for meeting MPs should be obvious.
This means the new law will do nothing to restrict the power of corporations to write government policy or prevent lobbying scandals such as those involving former Tory MP Patrick Mercer, along with Tories Peter Cruddas and Liam Fox.
The new law protects in-house corporate lobbying operations from official scrutiny, while preventing the public from enjoying the same privileges of access to the government. That is what your Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs have fought so assiduously to obtain, over the eight months or so that this legislation, "one of the worst… any government produce[d] in a very long time", has spent being digested by Parliament.
In a Commons debate in September, Glenda Jackson MP warned that her constituents "know that the Bill… would prevent democratic voices from being heard".
In response, Andrew Lansley – the Conservative who gave us the hated Health and Social Care Act 2012, another incredibly poor piece of legislation – said; "I look forward to the Honourable Lady having an opportunity… to go back to her constituents, to tell them that the things they are alarmed about will not happen."
They have happened already. Within 24 hours of the Lords agreeing the Bill in its current form, at least one parody account on Twitter, that was critical of Coalition policies, was closed down: @UKJCP – a satirical account parodying the DWP.
@UKJCP immediately resurrected itself as @DeadParrotJCP and @Director_UKJCP. We'll see how long they last.
Let us not forget, also, that the third part of this law cracks down on trade unions, enforcing strict rules on membership records to ensure, it seems, that it is possible to 'blacklist' any trade unionist who finds him- or herself seeking work.
With free speech flushed away, you may still resort to public protest – but the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has that covered.
ACPO, which is funded by the Home Office, is lobbying the government for permission to use water cannons on the streets of the UK. This would be of no use at all in quelling violent criminal activities like the riots in 2011 – the police chiefs have already admitted that water cannons would have been ineffective in halting the "fast, agile disorder" and "dynamic looting" that took place during August 2011.
ACPO is an organisation that has tried to put 'agent provocateurs' into legitimate protest groups and promoted 'kettling' to stop peaceful protests (as used in the student protests early in the current Parliament), among many other reprehensible activities.
Considering its track record, it seems clear that ACPO wants to use water cannons against legitimate political protests, on the assumption that the increasing imposition of ideologically-imposed austerity on the country by the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives will lead to more political protests, as people across the UK finally realise that the Tories and their corporate lobbyist friends are actually working against the wider population.
ACPO's report on water cannons makes it clear that "it would be fair to assume that the ongoing and potential future austerity measures are likely to lead to continued protest" and "the mere presence of water cannon can have a deterrent effect".
The Home Office response? "We are keen to ensure forces have the tools and powers they need to maintain order on our streets. We are currently providing advice to the police on the authorisation process as they build the case for the use of water cannon."
So there you have it. Take to the streets in peaceful protest and your police service will assault you with water cannons, with the blessing of your government.
There remains one option open to you – your vote. You could get rid of the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats at the next general election in 2015.
But that leads us to ask why the government has launched its attack on free speech and free protest.
Perhaps it wants to control the information you receive, on which you base your voting intentions?
We already know the unelected Conservative and Liberal Democrat government is using the predominantly right-wing media for this purpose. For example: George Osborne made a great deal of fuss earlier this week, alleging a huge resurgence in the British economy. With help from Tory mouthpiece the BBC, he was able to put out the headline figure that the economy grew by 1.9 per cent in 2013 – its strongest rate since 2007.
Osborne also claimed that Britain is doing better than all comparable economies in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and that the upturn is due to his imbecilic "expansionary fiscal contraction" policy, otherwise known as austerity.
All of these claims are false, or intended to create a false impression.
Firstly, his 1.9 per cent of growth started at a much lower level of output than would have been the case if Osborne had not imposed austerity on us all and stopped the 2010 recovery dead. GDP would now be 20 per cent higher than its current levels if not for this single act of stupidity from the stupidest Chancellor in British history.
Secondly: The US economy recovered from an eight per cent fall after 2008 to a five per cent rise above its previous peak by the third quarter of 2013. Germany is the only major European country to enjoy growth of two per cent or higher, after an initial recovery based on increased public expenditure – not austerity. Even France has nearly reached its pre-crisis peak. The UK remains two per cent below its previous economic peak.
Finally, Osborne did not even get to this miserable excuse for a recovery by imposing austerity. He quietly adopted a stimulus policy to avoid going back into recession. What do you think 'Funding for Lending' is? Or his mortgage guarantee scheme?
All this is clarified by Michael Meacher MP in his own blog.
If George Osborne, Home Secretary Theresa May, ACPO and the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition in Parliament had their way, you would not have access to any of these facts.
You would be led to believe that the governments policies are working, exactly the way the government says they are working.
You would not have any reason to believe that the government is lying to you on a daily basis.
You would be tranquillised.
Anaesthetised.
Compliant.
Would you vote against a government that tells you such wonderful things, even when your own circumstances might not reflect that story (real wages fell by seven per cent in the private sector and five per cent in the public sector between 2007-13)?
David Cameron is betting his career that you won't.
He wants you to be a good little sheep.
Is that what you are?
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Soon you will have to prove your nationality before receiving NHS treatment
Posted by Mike Sivier in Conservative Party, Democracy, Health, Immigration, Liberal Democrats, People, Politics, UK
Andrew Lansley, ausweis, benefit, benefits, Coalition, Conservative, David Cameron, deficit, Democrat, disability, disabled, doctor, fair, freedom, Germany, government, health, immigrant, immigration, jackboot, Liberal, long term, Michael Schumacher, migrant, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, national, National Health Service, nationality, Nazi, NHS, nurse, official, people, politics, prove, refuse, sick, tax break, Theresa May, top down reorganisation, Tories, Tory, totalitarian, treatment, UK Border Agency, Vox Political, wealthy
'Papiere, bitte!' An NHS nurse checks a patient's claim to be British in the 'fair' NHS of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition government.
Suppose Michael Schumacher had moved to Britain and had his accident here after new government plans for the NHS were put in place – would he have been refused treatment?
Admittedly, that is a bad example to use. Mr Schumacher is undoubtedly wealthy enough to buy any healthcare he needs, and we should not wish poor treatment on him in any case.
It does show up the poverty of the Conservative-led government's moral attitude, though. The fact that he is German adds another dimension, in that his people may have a particular aversion to any situation in which their papers are demanded by officials before they are allowed to do anything.
The proposals demonstrate the depths to which the UK is falling under the current despotic, unelected right-wing administration and the petty would-be tyrant at its head. We are drifting ever-closer to totalitarianism and comparisons with 1930s and 40s Germany are becoming ever more accurate.
They mean patients admitted to hospital in an emergency would have to be able to prove they are not immigrants, or be refused possibly life-saving treatment.
Ask yourself this: Before you leave your house, do you make sure you have papers on you that prove your nationality? If it isn't a part of your daily routine, then under our government of new totalitarians, it will be.
Is this so far from the Germany of 70 years ago, where the phrase "Ausweis, bitte" was not only a part of daily life but a hallmark of the Nazi government?
Do we really want that here? Are we really saying we will allow an unelected regime to impose it on us?
Never mind the pretext that it will save money that would otherwise be spent on people who do not deserve the care and will not pay their debt – this is about our freedom.
Do you want to trade your freedom for a saving that isn't even worth very much – around 1/240th of the yearly national deficit at the current level – and will not benefit you in any way at all?
The government says nobody will be denied medical care – but it also said it would not impose a top-down reorganisation of the NHS, and how long did that promise last? Andrew Lansley had been working on it for many years before that infamous campaign announcement was made, but was under orders not to speak about it until a Conservative-led government was firmly installed in office and nobody could do anything to stop it.
The government says the changes will ensure that the system is "fair" – but then, this government has a strange notion of fairness. According to David Cameron, it is fair to deny life-saving benefits to the disabled and long-term sick in the name of deficit reduction, while granting huge tax breaks to the spectacularly wealthy that ensure the deficit will not go down.
I don't even know what my NHS number is – but soon I will have to, in order to satisfy Britain's new immigration officials, otherwise known as doctors and nurses.
Perhaps the government is hoping to make a saving by scrapping the UK Border Agency that Theresa May has so hopelessly failed to reform into an effective force (but I doubt it). Perhaps she was wrong to criticise the previous Labour administration about it as harshly as she did.
Perhaps they will use the money they save to buy jackboots.
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'Papers, please!' Harsher laws for immigrants could mean Nazi-style ID checks for British citizens
Posted by Mike Sivier in Benefits, Conservative Party, Crime, Immigration, Law, Politics, Race, UK
account, appeal, bank, BBC, benefit, benefits, bill, bma, border, British Medical Association, bullying, bureaucrat, check, Coalition, Conservative, contribute, contribution, control, deport, Dominic Casciani, Don Flynn, Dr Richard Vautrey, expensive, forced labour, government, Habib Rahman, health, Home Office, Home Secretary, ID, identity, illegal, ILPA, immigrant, Immigrants, immigration, Immigration Law Practitioners Association, ineffective, intrusive, Joint Council, landlord, Mark Harper, Migrants Rights Network, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, minimum wage, NHS, officer, overseas, people, politics, racist, railway station, Residential Landlords Association, sick, social security, spot check, streamline, student, tenant, The Guardian, Theresa May, Tories, Tory, unworkable, Vox Political, welfare, work
Prove who you are: Theresa May and David Cameron check the credentials of two police officers, to ensure they aren't illegal immigrants. No, not really – but don't be surprised if police checkpoints start appearing everywhere with people in peaked caps demanding your papers, just like in Nazi Germany during the 1930s and 40s!
Theresa May has responded to criticism of her policies on immigrants by revealing her plans for the latest Immigration Bill – countering a threat that is perceived to be much worse than the reality.
Experts say this will require a system of identity checks for everyone, requiring British citizens or those with permanent residence to prove that their own presence in the UK is legal.
In a move that seems designed to appease the Daily Mail and its readers, she wants banks to check the immigration status of people applying to open accounts, and private landlords to make similar checks on their tenants.
You will notice that this means the government wants other people to carry out its responsibilities.
The Home Secretary also intends to "streamline" the appeals process in immigration cases. Under the current government, this word generally means "make less fair", and this is borne out by a passage stating the measures aim to "deport foreign criminals first and hear their appeal later". In such circumstances, how can we be sure they really are criminals?
There will also be a requirement for temporary migrants like overseas students to contribute towards NHS costs. This is not necessarily a bad thing – although it would be unfair if this money found its way to the private companies now infesting the NHS, rather than the public service itself.
But there will be no tightening of border controls, no "streamline" for bureaucratic deportation procedures, and no measures to tackle forced labour or lack of enforcement of the minimum wage.
Immigration Minister Mark Harper was quoted on the BBC website, saying: "The law must be on the side of people who respect it, not those who break it." Fine words from the man who was unable to say whether flak-jacketed immigration officers had discriminated against people of ethnic minorities when they carried out their spot-checks at railway stations in August.
The BBC article also quotes Don Flynn of Migrants' Rights Network, who reiterated that evidence contradicts the view that immigrants are attracted to the UK by benefits and free services; and Dr Richard Vautrey of the BMA, who said a system is already in place for hospitals to recover the cost of treating patients who are not eligible for NHS care – and introducing a system for GPs could be a "bureaucratic nightmare".
The Guardian tells us the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association (ILPA) has warned Theresa May her plan, for millions of private landlords to face "proportionate" fines of up to £3,000 if they fail to conduct checks on the immigration status of new tenants and other adults living in their properties, is unworkable.
"British citizens, European economic area nationals and third country nationals alike would be required to produce identity documents at many turns in a scheme that would be intrusive, bullying, ineffective and expensive and likely racist and unlawful to boot," said the ILPA response.
And the Residential Landlords Association said landlords would need to know about a potential 404 types of European ID documents, in order to operate the scheme – saying some landlords would refuse to house migrants, for fear of falling foul of the new rules – and isn't that the point of the exercise?
The Guardian quotes Habib Rahman, of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, who predicted that "these measures will divide society, creating a two-tier Britain, a return to the days of 'No dogs, no blacks, no Irish' and of ill people with no access to healthcare walking the streets of Britain. This bill is a travesty and must be stopped," he said.
BBC home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani tells us the ultimate goal is increased public confidence in the system.
But if we are doing all the work ourselves, why should this add up to increased confidence in the government?


Johannesburg Mayor, Herman Mashaba, has released yet another batch of properties for mixed use development.
The move is an effort to address the spatial inequality associated with apartheid era development.
Mashaba has released 70 more properties across several regions within the inner city as part of the R20 billion property investment project.
The aim is to establish affordable housing and students' accommodation.
Mashaba says they are fulfilling their promise to turn Johannesburg into an area which can create thousands of jobs.
"Today we are releasing another 70, all in all the city in the two and half years of our new administration we've released 154 buildings to the private sector. So today is the further release of the 70. It's really a moment where you can imagine in years to come this city in going to turn into a construction site," says Mashaba.
The post Mashaba releases more properties for mixed use development appeared first on SABC News – Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader..


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Texas Longhorns Basketball Live Stream
Texas Longhorns did not have a good run last season, and head coach Rick Barnes aims to have that corrected as soon as possible. Despite this, the Horns are looking good coming into the conference with Javan Felix and Jonathan Holmes being given the task of making most of the scores in the backcourt, and Connor Lammert and Cameron Ridley to add more scoring with every opportunity they get from the paint.
With the announcement of their non-conference schedule for the 2014-2015 season, fans are already expecting the game against Stanford to be the highlight of the non-conference coming this December, not to mention, the highly anticipated meeting of their basketball team against its greatest rivalries – Oklahoma Sooners and Kansas Jayhawks in January.
To keep track of every single one of their games, here are the top live streaming sites you can use to watch Texas Longhorns basketball online. These sites were graded according to design and ease of use, quality of the streams and best of all, for being free. (How much ad is displayed is excluded in the criteria.) All the sites featured are ad supported, which is a minor issue greatly offset by their functionalities.
Live TV (www.livetv.sx)
Live TV is a website that offers live sports streaming for free. It has a clean design, it's well-organized and the ads on the home page are kept at minimum. The website is also easy to navigate, which allows you to effortlessly find what you look for.
It also features a video archive where you can watch recorded highlights of almost any kind of sport, from hockey to basketball to football. You can also give comments and share your insights on a particular game with other fans all over the world in a forum. You only need to create your own account.
If you are searching for a specific channel, a link that redirects you to an Internet TV and Radio site is provided where you will see a full list of streams and channels. A How To Guide is also provided in case you encounter any difficulties and if you have specific questions, you can either contact its administrator or leave questions in the forum.
Longhorn Network
The longhorn network will undoubtedly broadcast a lot of Texas basketball games during the season. Many games including some NCAA tournament games will be streamed live on WatchESPN for free. Since ESPN has exclusive digital rights to the longhorn network, they can broadcast live games on their online streaming service, which fans can access by going to WatchESPN.com or ESPN3.com. Undoubtedly you are going to miss some games for whatever reason because the season is a long one. If you do miss a game or two don't fret because you can still reply the games in full by heading over to WatchESPN.com.
First Row Sports (www.gofirstrow.eu)
First Row Sports is a website that has a very simple design. You can see all the live streams on the home page. You simply need to click on the link to start streaming the sports matches you want to watch. It lets you watch live streaming videos online with P2P4U. The site also boasts of having the most complete list of football TV matches and schedules which you can watch at the comforts of your couch.
The only drawback against its simplicity and functionality is perhaps the number of ads you will have to jump over to get to the live streams. You will see these pop ups at least 3 to 5 times or even more. But after some time, you will learn how to dodge them and find those small buttons deceptively hidden before seeing the icon that allows you to maximize the screen for maximum viewing.
What this website also lacks is a forum where you can ask questions if you encounter specific issues with certain links. You won't have a platform where you can exchange opinions with other fans. But if you only care about how you can watch Texas Longhorns basketball online, then it won't be such a big deal for you.
Sport Lemon TV (sportlemon.tv)
This website may have the simplest and most straightforward design. You can find the links and time schedule of the different kind of sports hosted live on its home page. The ads are very minimal, but once you start visiting the links, there will be at least 2 to 3 pop ups before you can get to the streaming videos. At times, you will have to wait a few seconds before you can close the ads.
Despite this, the site offers a huge collection of live sports from all around the globe. It also does a great job at providing you good quality videos with clear audio, with a few exceptions of course. But that seems to be the norm for free streaming services.
Here's a quick tip. Sport Lemon TV or sportlemon.tv which redirects to www.fromhot.com lets you reach those live videos faster than www.sportlemontv.eu, and there are not too many ads to go through, as well.
WiziWig TV (www.wiziwig.tv)
Definitely one of the more popular sites for live online streaming, Wiziwig TV offers a very easy to use interface. The design is simple, clean and well-structured. You can quickly locate the games you want to watch, and schedules are also provided for any kind of sport games that happen from all around the world.
The most important feature of this website is an interactive forum which can provide useful information before downloading some of the software programs found on the site. Its users are extremely active at giving feedback on your questions – anything related to how safe and how well they perform. All this is very helpful to a new user.
To start watching, just choose a category and pick the match you like to watch. Click on "live" and you will re-directed to the next page where you will see more information on bitrate and signal strength. Go to the link of the software that provides the streams. On that page, you will find more information or a tutorial on how to download the software program. You can also go through the discussion in the forum or leave a message and or read the Beginner's Guide provided if you're extremely obsessive about learning everything first.
Enjoy! Now you can watch Texas Longhorns basketball online, and be updated with team and player standing, scores, and game insights which you can share with fans all over the world.
Espn2/WatchEspn
Sun Sports Florida
How to Watch Sports Without Cable
How to Watch Sports Online
Listen To Sports Radio Station
Yahoo! Sports Radio

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


These tips will ensure your little one's night of fun doesn't turn into a Halloween nightmare.
This is literally the most important tip if you want to have fun. Find an area where there is flat ground and lots of houses for trick or treating. Nobody wants to hike up (or down!) those inclines with littles in tow.
A wagon will be perfect for the flat sidewalks and roads you've found. It's inevitable that little ones are going to get tired or have a meltdown. Steering a wagon for them allows your child to stay with the whole group without their little legs giving out. They can also lay down for a little cat nap once the sugar high wears off.
Toting around sugary candy isn't a good look for a busy parent – wagons are handy for storing bags of candy when your kids get tired of carrying them.
If candy is burning a hole in your child's pockets and you're looking for a way to avoid the sugary excess, there are a couple of places where you can donate your extra loot. Giving candy to your local Ronald McDonald House chapter is a great way to pay it forward to families being served by the charity. There are also a few ways you can donate your candy to those serving in the Armed Forces – one organization, Operation Gratitude, will accept donations under their Halloween Candy For Heroes program.
Have a trick or treating party before you head out. Have healthy snacks at a little get together before. Try these pumpkin muffins for the win. Pinterest also has lots of ideas for fun, healthy snacks with Halloween flare. Have your guests each bring a bag of candy so you aren't the only one shelling out serious dough for those expensive bags, though. And if you don't have time for a gathering and fun foods, string cheese and an apple before the kids start will keep them from overloading on only sugar.
Lights are handy so you can always keep an eye on your kids when it's dark. I use glow sticks from the dollar store, which are the perfect low-cost investment for the big night. Kids love glow sticks, so you are already winning before a single piece of candy is in the bag.


text:
Q: What does this regular expression do? What is the regex checking for?
/[a-z0-9]{1,3}\|.+?\|\d+/i

A: Any character ( a to z and A to Z ) or digit occuring 1 to 3 time followed by a "|" followed by any symbol until the next "|" followed by any number of digits.
The ? in .+? is a lazy / greedy match and matches till the next |.
The i flag at end is for the entire match being case-insensitive.
Sample matches:
abc|1avb|123
AbC|$%#$|0

A: Any sequence consisting of 1, 2, or 3 letters in the range 'a' to 'z' (inclusive, and in either case) or decimal digits, followed by the character '|', followed by any number of characters of any kind, followed by a '|', followed by any number of decimal digits.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Questa voce raccoglie le informazioni riguardanti l'Arsenal Football Club nelle competizioni ufficiali della stagione 2015-2016.

Maglie e sponsor
Lo sponsor ufficiale rimane Fly Emirates, mentre lo sponsor tecnico è Puma.

Rosa

Calciomercato

Sessione estiva (dall'1/7 all'1/9)

Sessione invernale (dall'4/1 all'1/2)

Risultati

Premier League

FA Cup

Football League Cup

UEFA Champions League

Fase a gironi

Fase a eliminazione diretta

Community Shield

Statistiche

Statistiche di squadra

Andamento in campionato

Note

Collegamenti esterni

2015-2016

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


How to fix warp drive transports in Stellaris PC?
» Games » How to fix warp drive transports in Stellaris PC?
In this article, we will tell how to fix warp drive transports in Stellaris PC?
4. This change will allow you to update and design transports for getting latest tech on your own.
Actually, our team have no idea what changes will be made in other warp types and will they work in Ironman Mode.
How to fix the scourge bug in Stellaris PC?
How to fix multiplayer issues in Stellaris PC?
How to fix error 2-0x00000047 in Rainbow Six Siege?
How to change language in GTA 5 on PC?


A levy as it is also called, is one of the more onerous methods that the IRS can use to attempt to collect back taxes. Your employer has no choice but to cooperate with the IRS when served with a wage levy. There are rules that the IRS must follow to initiate a wage levy, but once it is in place, it can take a huge chunk out of your regular paycheck. Protecting your wages from IRS levy and getting an IRS levy removed once it has been established can be difficult tasks. We routinely work with individuals to help them resolve their levy issues and get back on track with the IRS.
There are a variety of different strategies that can be taken when dealing with an IRS wage levy, but they all have one thing in common – time. You must act promptly to protect your rights, whether it involves appealing the imposition of the levy or attempting to avoid it in the first place. An IRS levy is often preceded by multiple IRS attempts to collect the back taxes owed, including numerous demands for payments, and possibly – liens. You often have a limited amount of time to act with respect to a levy and if you miss the deadlines, the levy can become much harder to resolve. Contact us as soon as you receive any correspondence from the IRS that indicates an "Intent to Levy".


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Analysis |
Palestinian Infiltration From Gaza Reveals Cracks in Israel's Border Defenses
Ahead of Friday's anticipated mass Land Day demonstrations on the Israel-Gaza border, it's no secret that the fence around the Strip can hardly serve its purpose anymore
Amos Harel
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Israeli soldiers stand next to a security barrier near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, March 18, 2018.Credit: \ AMIR COHEN/ REUTERS
A series of tactical mishaps on Israel's border with the Gaza Strip has made the security establishment very uncomfortable over the past few days, at the height of preparations for Friday's anticipated challenge. This will be the Land Day march, which is expected to ratchet up tensions on the border in coming weeks.
To really understand Israel and the Palestinians - subscribe to Haaretz
The series of incidents on the border began with the detonation of an explosive device in mid-February. The device was concealed in a Palestinian flag that had been hung on the fence, and it injured four soldiers due to their disregard for orders. Since Saturday, two groups of Palestinians from Gaza infiltrated into Israel. Between these incidents, the Israel Defense Forces fired nearly 20 Iron Dome interceptor missiles in response to machine-gun fire from the Strip that had been mistakenly identified as rocket fire.
>>Iron Dome malfunction embarrasses Israel as Hamas seeks missile defense system's vulnerabilities | Analysis
On Tuesday morning, three young Palestinian men from Rafah crossed the border and walked about 20 kilometers through Israeli territory before IDF soldiers arrested them on the outskirts of the Tze'elim army base. They had three improvised hand grenades in their possession but it is unclear what their plan was.
>>This Friday, Israel's tear gas and tanks will confront Palestinian marchers. But brute force can't be Israel's only answer | Opinion
When terrorists breach the border fence, they usually want to strike soldiers or enter a civilian community as soon as possible (this has not happened since the disengagement from Gaza in 2005, although a few attempts have been made). Over the past few months it has become fairly common for young Palestinian men to try to enter Israel out of despair over the economic situation in Gaza. They are mainly seeking to get arrested, having heard that living conditions in Israeli prison are relatively good compared to life in Gaza. In some cases, they carry improvised weapons on the assumption that it is a serious enough charge to warrant an indictment and send them to jail, not back to Gaza and the Hamas government.
Israel gears up for large-scale clashes along Gaza border
Three Palestinians armed with grenades caught in Israel after infiltrating from Gaza
Iron Dome malfunction embarrasses Israel as Hamas seeks missile defense system's vulnerability
Such infiltrators usually give themselves up as soon as they cross the border. The three young men caught on Tuesday kept going for a few hours. They did not resist arrest when spotted by soldiers at Tze'elim, and did not attempt to enter any of the bases or communities they encountered along the way to commit a terror attack.
Even if the intent here was not to commit an attack, the infiltrations revealed serious gaps in army defenses near the border. It's no secret that the fence around the Gaza Strip, which was built after the disengagement and presented as the latest technology at the time, has become outmoded and can hardly serve its purpose anymore. It has been damaged during patrols or by IDF operations in the Strip. The completion of the new anti-tunnel barrier in about a year is expected to overcome this problem: The project also includes the construction of a new, high and modern fence above ground.
A preliminary investigation into Tuesday's incident shows that the infiltrators took advantage of weather conditions during the night. A slight disturbance of the fence was detected at dawn, but a patrol sent to the site found nothing and it was apparently chalked up to an animal. Only in the morning, when the area was swept again, did soldiers discover that the fence had been cut and saw the footprints leading from it. It was another couple of hours before the trio were apprehended near Tze'elim.
Preparations for Friday
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, who toured the Gaza Division on Tuesday afternoon, were given reports on the investigation of the breach and the troops' readiness for Friday. Preparations for Palestinian protest rallies and the possibility of a large-scale attempt to cross the fence are continuing, and commanders have been given instructions to prevent a mass crossing while making intelligent use of riot control, and if need be, snipers.
Still, the intention is to avoid mass casualties and it cannot be ruled out that the army will show restraint if a few people do cross a short distance in Israeli territory before they are apprehended. The IDF understands that the clashes will be filmed and that every casualty will stoke the fire of conflict in Gaza – as well as the hopes of sparking renewed international interest in the Palestinian struggle, which has waned in recent years.
The Israeli media has already increased the extent of its coverage of the Gaza Strip, as well as pessimistic predictions for the weekend. Still, past experience shows that when the army actively plans for events for a suitable amount of time, it usually does not lose control. Control is lost when the IDF is surprised and does not have time to prepare, as with the mass breach of the fence on the Syrian border in the Golan Heights in May 2011. Assuming that the lessons of those events have been learned, that the troops have been properly trained and coordination with the police is sufficient, it seems that the army will be able to contain the protests and prevent a mass-casualty clash.
Reports of various rallies and protests in Gaza over the next six weeks have also caused some tension in Israeli communities near the Strip. And yet, on Tuesday, three local council heads from the border area sent a letter to Lieberman and the coordinator of government activities in the territory, Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, asking to revisit the matter of entry permits for a few thousand Palestinians from Gaza to work as farm hands in Israel.
This proposal is not without its security risks, and the government will have difficulty approving it out of fear of political fallout. However, it reflects an understanding by the local leadership that troubles in Gaza will once again seep into Israel if immediate steps are not taken to ease the distress of the Palestinians there.


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RESOURCE: The State of Digital Preservation in 2018
1 Nov 2018 | dh+lib review · Resource
Oya Y. Rieger (Ithaka S+R) has released a new report detailing the challenges and gaps in library digital preservation strategies. The report highlights a number of areas of strength, including stronger communities of practice, shared infrastructure, and new systems and tools. Interviewees also, however, pointed to a number of difficulties: the cost of storage, the unclear role of research libraries in data management, and the lack of assessment metrics. Additionally, respondents pointed to the need to attend to cultural and social issues:
Interviewees also expressed the need to evaluate our archiving efforts to select and preserve content through the lens of inclusivity, diversity, and social justice. For instance, there were a couple of references to the importance of considering the history, criticism, and philosophy of digital culture and its impact on society. Several interviewees stressed the historic significance of documenting hate speeches, fake news, and unearthing and preserving government websites taken down due to politicized rhetoric, such as with climate change and energy.
dh+lib readers may find the report's future research directions useful for their own institutional contexts.
This post was produced through a cooperation among Jennifer Matthews, Valentina Vavassori, Christine Davidian, Joseph Grobelny, Patti McCall, Susanne Pichler, and Dale J. Correa (Editors-at-large for the week), Sarah Melton (Editor for the week), and Caitlin Christian-Lamb, Nickoal Eichmann-Kalwara, Roxanne Shirazi, and Patrick Williams (dh+lib Review Editors).


Digital transformation fuels the complexity of our environment and thus requires high levels of adaptability from organizations. This evokes the need for new organizational concepts and Holacracy promises to fill this void. Holacracy is a management system characterized by a special organizational structure to deal with the increasingly complex social and business environment. One way to address this complexity in holacratic organizations is done through so-called tensions. Tensions are associated with a potential for improvement that once processed initiate change within the organization. The main purpose of this article is to explore how holacratic organizations manage tension to achieve fast adaptability. The research is based on an interview study with members from different holacratic organizations. In this article, it is examined how tensions may play out in the field of digital transformation. First, five types of organizational tensions – strategic, structural, operational, interpersonal and Holacracy-specific tension – are identified that occur in the context of holacratic organizations. Second, it is found that specific triggering events as well as uncertainty and the individual's drive for improvement contribute to the emergence of tension. Third, a common pattern of coping mechanisms – corporate culture, awareness raising, channels, changes and reflection – is determined through which tensions are processed. These factors may need further elaboration on how they affect organizations that face the complexity of digital transformation.
Robertson, B. (2012). Holacracy's Formative Influences (Interview audio file). Retrieved from HolacracyOne Website: http://www.holacracy.org/backstory.


text:
Log in (employee) External link.
Log in (employee)
University of Gävle
Master programme in business administration attracts students from all over the world
In Sweden, the University of Gävle had the largest increase in the number of admitted students to master programmes in the spring. The increase was 98 percent, and the Master programme in business administration stood out.
Read in Swedish
Daniella Fjellström, programme director for the Master programme in business administration, tells us that the programme is highly appreciated by students who say that they become more sought-after internationally while being prepared for a research career.
"We have had a successful collaboration with higher education institutions in other countries and this fact, combined with the fact that we have satisfied students, has made us known as a good alternative. This is encouraging for us as we are continuously working to improve the programme. It is especially pleasing that so many international students have chosen our MBA programme, as we aim for a global dimension in our programmes and our research," Daniella Fjellström says.
Students from the MBA programme about their experiences of studying in Gävle:
Sandra Ebojoh, Nigeria
The Swedish way of teaching is very different from that in Nigeria. Here, lecturers encourage us to think independently and critically. I am very impressed, Sandra Ebojoh says.
Sandra Ebojoh has just started the MBA programme. She is from Nigeria and wants to acquire international experiences, and this is the first time she is abroad. She found the MBA programme in Gävle on the internet, applied and was admitted.
"The University of Gävle attracted me because the programme is more research-based here and I am very drawn to research. The Swedish way of teaching is very different from that in Nigeria. Here, lecturers encourage us to think independently and critically. I am very impressed," Sandra Ebojoh says.
She finds the lecturers and other members of staff very friendly and easy to reach when she has questions. It is a mixed class with students from all over the world, and Sandra is learning new things all the time and she says that that in itself is a wonderful experience.
"I appreciate the school and the idea behind this research-based MBA programme, and I would really like continue studying in Sweden," Sandra Ebojoh says.
Bakar Butt, Pakistan
The courses here relate to issues all businesses face, like the effects of globalisation and gender issues. I chose programme very carefully to prepare myself in the best way for my future professional life, Bakar Butt says.
Bakar comes from Pakistan, where he worked as market manager for a business for five years. After gaining this professional experience, he felt that he needed more education.
"I applied to universities in the US, Canada and Sweden. But I noticed that on the basis of their education system the Swedish universities were ranked more highly."
The courses in Gävle are attractive and clearly related to major issues businesses face today.
"I come from a family of entrepreneurs, and I am now fully focused on establishing our business on the international market," Bakar Butt says.
Melissa Goisa, Italy
I really appreciate the critical thinking we engage in and that we learn to work under pressure and with an international team, as students in my class come from all over the world, Melissa Goisa says.
Melissa, who comes from Italy, has always travelled a lot. She recently worked with international accounting in Canada, but decided that she wanted a master's degree in business administration and chose Gävle as this programme seemed to be the best one.
"I think the way they help you to think critically here at the University of Gävle is amazing. In Italy, we have to read and then repeat exactly what the book says. Here, everything is about critical thinking, something that will be useful for the rest of our lives."
Melissa says that she would like to work with global mobility and with different leadership cultures, which she says that she has learnt very much about.
"I will find out if my company has such a position for me, otherwise I will continue to look elsewhere."
Murat Halilovic, Sweden
Here, you acquire an analytical ability that you can transfer to other subjects, and I appreciate that very much, Murat Halilovic says.
Murat was born and raised in Växjo, Sweden. His parents were refugees from the war in Yugoslavia during the 1990s and ended up there. To experience new cultures and to develop as a person, Murat went to Shanghai, China, for his third year of his first-cycle programme.
"You do not only develop technically, but there are also soft skills, social ones, like how open you are to new ideas and so on, and I also learnt to speak Chinese."
Murat enjoys languages and he speaks Swedish, English, Chinese and the Bosnian language, which is his native one. In China and the US, you learn how to absorb facts, but here you acquire an analytical ability that you can transfer to other subjects, and I appreciate that very much," Murat Halilovic says.
"Suddenly, you become rather good at learning within other subject as well, and I appreciate that very much, because is such a valuable skill. Now, I am considering a PhD, preferably abroad. That is the plan," Murat Halilovic concludes.
MBA programme, University of Gävle
Voices from other international students:
Daniella Fjellström, Programme director for the MBA, University of Gävle
Phone: 026-64 82 14
E-mail: Daniella.Fjellstrom@hig.se
Text: Douglas Öhrbom
Photo Sandra Ebojoh and Melissa Goisa: Camilla Haglund
Photo: Anna Sällberg
Video: Marie Hägg
Published by: Douglas Öhrbom Page responsible: Anders Munck Updated: 2019-05-09
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Stationary VSI impact crushers are designed for higher capacity and lower power consumption. Customer feedback has played a vital role in the designs of these machines, CV200 VSI crusher series operational flexibility.
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text:
/**
 * parser of html-parser tc
 * @author yiminghe@gmail.com
 */
KISSY.add(function (S, HtmlParser) {
    var Parser = HtmlParser.Parser;
    describe("htmlparser_parser", function () {

        it("works for valid html", function () {
            // valid html is fine
            var html = "
1http://www.taobao.com
";

            var parser = new Parser(html),
                node;

            node = parser.parse().childNodes[0];

            expect(node.childNodes.length).toBe(2);

            var childNode1 = node.childNodes;

            expect(childNode1[0].nodeName).toBe("span");

            expect(childNode1[0].childNodes[0].toHTML()).toBe("1");

            expect(childNode1[1].nodeName).toBe("a");

            expect(childNode1[1].childNodes[0].toHTML()).toBe("http://www.taobao.com");
        });

        it("works for none-valid html", function () {

            // not valid html is fine too
            var html = "
1http://www.taobao.com
";

            var parser = new Parser(html),
                node;

            node = parser.parse().childNodes[0];

            expect(node.childNodes.length).toBe(1);

            var childNode1 = node.childNodes;

            expect(childNode1[0].nodeName).toBe("span");

            var childnode2 = childNode1[0].childNodes;

            expect(childnode2[0].toHTML()).toBe("1");

            expect(childnode2[1].nodeName).toBe("a");

            expect(childnode2[1].childNodes[0].toHTML()).toBe("http://www.taobao.com");
        });

        it('works for textarea',function(){

            var html='<textarea></textarea>';

            var parser = new Parser(html),
                node;

            node = parser.parse().childNodes[0];

            expect(node.childNodes.length).toBe(1);
            // cdata
            expect(node.childNodes[0].nodeType).toBe(4);
        });

        it("works for valid script", function () {

            // valid script ok
            var html = "

";

            var parser = new Parser(html),
                node;

            node = parser.parse().childNodes[0];

            var script = node.childNodes[0];

            expect(script.nodeName).toBe("script");

            expect(script.childNodes.length).toBe(1);

            expect(script.childNodes[0].toHTML()).toBe("var x='b';");

        });

        it("works for none-valid script", function () {

            // not valid script ok ,but truncated
            var html = "

";

            var parser = new Parser(html),
                node;

            node = parser.parse().childNodes[0];

            expect(node.childNodes.length).toBe(1);

            var script = node.childNodes[0];

            expect(script.nodeName).toBe("script");

            expect(script.childNodes.length).toBe(1);

            expect(script.childNodes[0].toHTML()).toBe("var x='b';test");

        });

        it("works for non-valid nest tag soup", function () {
            // encounter  1
2
3 , close  => 1
2
3 => 1
2
3
            // perfection is better and more complicated ?
            // 1
2
3 , move  inside => 1
2
3
            var html = "我
测试
一下";
            var parser = new Parser(html);
            var nodes = parser.parse().childNodes;
            expect(nodes.length).toBe(1);
            expect(nodes[0].nodeName).toBe("a");
            expect(nodes[0].childNodes[0].toHTML()).toBe("我");
        });

        it("adjust non-valid nest tag soup by dtd", function () {
            // encounter  1
2
3 , close  => 1
2
3 => 1
2
3
            // perfection is better and more complicated ?
            // 1
2
3 , move  inside => 1
2
3
            var html = "我
测试
一下",
                parser = new Parser(html, {
                    fixByDtd: 1
                }),
                node = parser.parse(),
                writer = new HtmlParser.BasicWriter();
            node.writeHTML(writer);
            expect(writer.getHTML()).toBe("我
测试
一下");
        });

        it("adjust non-valid nest tag soup by dtd and auto paragraph", function () {
            var html = "我
测试
一下",
                parser = new Parser(html, {
                    fixByDtd: 1,
                    autoParagraph: 1
                }),
                node = parser.parse(),
                writer = new HtmlParser.BasicWriter();
            node.writeHTML(writer);
            expect(writer.getHTML()).toBe("
我

测试

一下
");
        });

        it("filterChildren should works", function () {
            var html = "

1

2

",
                parser = new Parser(html),
                node = parser.parse(),
                writer = new HtmlParser.BasicWriter(),
                filter = new HtmlParser.Filter();

            filter.addRules({
                tags: {
                    $: function (el) {
                        if (el.getAttribute("class") == "li") {
                            el.nodeName = el.tagName = "li";
                            el.removeAttribute("class");
                        } else if (el.getAttribute("class") == "ul") {
                            // filter its children first, root node need children info after filtering
                            el.filterChildren();
                            var childNodes = el.childNodes;
                            for (var i = 0, c = childNodes[i]; i < childNodes.length; i++) {
                                if (c.nodeType == 1 && c.tagName != "li") {
                                    return;
                                }
                            }
                            el.nodeName = el.tagName = "ul";
                            el.removeAttribute("class");
                        }
                    }
                }
            });
            node.writeHTML(writer, filter);
            expect(writer.getHTML()).toBe("

1

2

");
        });

        it('can replace text', function () {

            var html = "
12

21
",
                parser = new Parser(html),
                node = parser.parse(),
                writer = new HtmlParser.BasicWriter(),
                filter = new HtmlParser.Filter();

            filter.addRules({
                text: function (value) {
                    return value.replace(/2/g, '3');
                }
            });
            node.writeHTML(writer, filter);
            expect(writer.getHTML()).toBe("
13

31
");

        });

        it("should parse nested li", function () {
            var html = "

";
            var n = HtmlParser.parse(html).childNodes[0];
            expect(HtmlParser.serialize(n)).toBe(html);
        });

        describe('writer', function () {

            it('works for empty attribute', function () {

                var html = "",
                    parser = new Parser(html),
                    node = parser.parse(),
                    writer = new HtmlParser.BasicWriter();
                node.writeHTML(writer);
                expect(writer.getHTML()).toBe('');

                var beatifyWriter = new HtmlParser.BeautifyWriter();
                node.writeHTML(beatifyWriter);
                expect(beatifyWriter.getHTML()).toBe('');

                var minifyWriter = new HtmlParser.MinifyWriter();
                node.writeHTML(minifyWriter);
                expect(minifyWriter.getHTML()).toBe('');
            });

            it("does not lower case", function () {
                // valid html is fine
                var html = '<param NAME="1" VALUE="2" />',
                    parser = new Parser(html),
                    node = parser.parse(),
                    writer = new HtmlParser.BasicWriter();

                node.writeHTML(writer);

                expect(writer.getHTML()).toBe(html);

                var beatifyWriter = new HtmlParser.BeautifyWriter();
                node.writeHTML(beatifyWriter);
                expect(beatifyWriter.getHTML()).toBe(html);
            });

        });

    });
},{
    requires:['html-parser','ua']
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
RCMP crest. (Black Press Media files)
'No evidence' to support viral abduction attempt rumours: Coquitlam RCMP
Social media sources not to be believed, Mounties say
Feb. 7, 2021 9:00 a.m.
There's "no evidence" to support rumours of abduction attempts in the Tri Cities area, Coquitlam RCMP said in a news release Saturday (Feb. 6).
Mounties said there have been a growing number of rumours gone viral on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and other social media platforms about a white van, or another suspicious vehicle, following a woman. The rumours then said that this meant the driver was trying to abduct the woman.
"We have an open mind, but so far there is no evidence to support that any abduction attempt has actually happened. If we see any real risk we will let the public know. In the meantime, we are asking you to stop spreading unproven rumours. Those rumours are scaring people," said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin.
"We've seen people drawing connections between situations and investigations that are completely unrelated and encouraging each other to carry weapons as a result/ Please don't carry weapons, and don't try to draw conclusions about crimes based on very basic information."
Mounties added that there can be any number of reasons why a car might drive slowly through a neighbourhood.
Individuals concerned about their personal safety can follow these guidelines from police:
Be alert and aware of your surroundings
Avoid distractions (like your phone and earbuds) while you are walking or driving
Avoid confrontations over driving behaviour or parking spots
Wear bright clothing and obey traffic safety laws
Walk with family or in pairs when in isolated areas
Call police immediately if you feel unsafe or see a crime in progress
Anyone who believes they have been the victim of an abduction attempt, or thinks they saw one, is asked to call their local police right away. Anyone who witnesses a crime in progress should call 911.
COLUMN: Women are scared, and maybe they have a right to be
'Jarring experience' in B.C. psych wards because of 'uniquely problematic' law
Greater Victoria firefighters team up with premier for fallen firefighters memorial


I Belong To You (+Mon Coeur S'Ouvre A Ta Voix) is the 8th track on Muse's 5th album The Resistance. The song is notable for a verse entirely in French.
Mon Coeur S'Ouvre A Ta Voix is a mezzo-soprano aria from the opera Samson and Delilah by Camille Saint-Saens, and literally translates to 'My heart opens itself to your voice'.


It's Tracey back to share my latest project featuring gorgeous Leaky Shed Studio Chipboard. I've always been inspired by the beauty of God's creation, particularly the vibrant colors and power of crashing waves during a sunset at the beach. This photo was taken on a family trip to Indian Rock Beach a few years back. I've featured the Leaky Shed Picket Fence and new release, Floral Pirouette (small) which are perfect for a beach layout.
I painted my chipboard to give a slightly weathered look, and highlighted and shadowed the edges to make it look like it was catching the final rays of light from the setting sun. I splattered the background for a seafoam effect, with some of the splatter touching the fence.
I've clustered a variety of flowers (mostly Prima) around the layout along with natural seashells. Here I've added a bit of fishnet as well. I've scattered Prima pebbles and Dew Drops around the page like pieces of polished sea glass.
Here's a side view showing more of the fence, flowers, vines, and berries. I've softened the vibrant flowers by dry brushing with a little white gesso.
This Floral Pirouette chipboard is a new release which will soon be available on Scrapbook.com. I painted and shaded the flowers with acrylic paint. I love how the laser carved design shows on the petals through the paint. I wanted the stems to look like gnarly seaweed, so painted brown, then covered with transparent Viva Crackle paint for texture. I allowed a bit of the white splatter to splash across the piece and dry brushed with white gesso along with the flowers.
Here's a side view. To break up the more vibrant colors, I've included some lighter blue flowers along with some in burlap.
Here's one final shot of the top corner cluster. My wheat stencil made for some nice looking "seagrass" on the background.


Our creative team comprises designers, UX experts, developers and projects managers. We work with the best available open source technologies to deliver websites, web & mobile applications and e-commerce platforms.
Sheer Digital is Named a Top 2019 UK Company on Clutch!


When planning out a party, it is important that attention be paid to details like décor, music, and drinks. But what is truly imperative is that utmost care is given to the food menu, especially the starters and appetisers. Not only do the snacks served before the meal get the party started but they can also make or break the mood of the party. And no one wants the latter! So here are some finger licking good appetiser recipes for the fish-loving guest list!
Salmon fans can sink their hooks into this tandoori salmon instead!


text:
Chinese historic perceptions of the South China Sea : Zheng He and his legacy
Hoskin, Mark
Chińskie historyczne postrzeganie Morza Południowochińskiego : Zheng He i jego dziedzictwo
He, Zeng ; South China Sea ; chinese maritime history
From the moment the period that now bears his name in China's history ended, Zheng He has been an enigma for politicians and historians alike. In the post Imperial period, Sun Yat-Sen referred to him as an example of China's maritime past, technical ingenuity, and therefore an enduring symbol of national pride. For China's Republican leader, reference to Zheng He in 1918 was a natural extension of his upbringing in Cuiheng, Guangdong, a village which for centuries was situated near a base of trade and fishing operations into the South China Sea, long known to Westerners as Canton, with its nearby islands of Macau and Hong Kong. As China emerged from civil war in 1949, national pride would be an enduring light after decades of internal turmoil [...] ; From the moment the period that now bears his name in China's history ended, Zheng He has been an enigma for politicians and historians alike. In the post Imperial period, Sun Yat-Sen referred to him as an example of China's maritime past, technical ingenuity, and therefore an enduring symbol of national pride. For China's Republican leader, reference to Zheng He in 1918 was a natural extension of his upbringing in Cuiheng, Guangdong, a village which for centuries was situated near a base of trade and fishing operations into the South China Sea, long known to Westerners as Canton, with its nearby islands of Macau and Hong Kong. As China emerged from civil war in 1949, national pride would be an enduring light after decades of internal turmoil