Rear Admiral Mintoro Yulianto, S.Sos, M.Si, Commander of the Second Fleet Command at Puslatkaprang (from the Indonesian Navy) along with H.E. Ambassador Pradeep Kumar Rawat, Ambassador of India to Indonesia and Rear Adm Alok Bhatnagar, NM, witnessed the opening ceremony at the Headquarters of the Second Fleet Command of the Indonesian Navy. Both sides underscored he importance of increased cooperation between two close maritime neighbours for ensuring maritime safety and security.
The commencement of this bilateral naval exercise marks a significant forward step in the operational engagement between the two navies following the Ind-Indo Corpat which have been ongoing since 2002. INS Rana ( a destroyer class vessel) commanded by Capt Arun Deswal, will be participating from the Indian Navy and from the Indonesian Navy the units participating would include KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda and Maritime Patrol Aircrafts.
The exercise would be held in two phases: the harbour phase and followed by the sea phase. During the harbour phase there will be course deck visits, and discussions between experts in areas of mutual interest including communication inter-operability. During the sea phase, the ships will conduct various activities pertaining to maritime safety and security, including Search and Rescue as well as procedures of investigating and engaging various types of hostile platforms at sea.
In addition to the exercises and operational level engagements, there are regular exchanges and discussion ongoing between experts of the two navies. The scope of training exchanges has also been expanded to include specialised training based on area of interest. The 6th edition of the bilateral army exercise Garuda Shakti was held in Indonesia earlier this year, and discussions are also ongoing for conduct of bilateral Air Force Exercise later next year. Hon'ble Raksha Mantri Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman had also visited Indonesia from 21-24 October and discusses steps to increase bilateral defence cooperation with Indonesia.
It may be noted that following Prime Minister's visit to Indonesia in end May, it was decided to upgrade the bilateral relationship to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and both sides had released a Shared Vision for the Indo Pacific Statement, which underscored deepening of maritime cooperation.
After an intense sea phase of SIMBEX, Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, ships of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) arrived Visakhapatnam on 16 November. In what could be termed an unprecedented level of interoperability between the two navies – ships, submarines and aircraft of India and Singapore - undertook multi-dimensional exercises at sea with perhaps very high degree of complexity. After the initial harbour phase at Port Blair, the exercises witnessed action at sea and have now shifted gears to the second harbour phase at Visakhapatnam which is home to the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) of the Indian Navy.
Few in 1994 would have predicted that the maiden basic Anti-Submarine Warfare exercises that were held that year between navies of India and Singapore would transform into one of the most high level maritime exercises in the years to come and sustain itself for quarter of a century – a milestone like no other. SIMBEX marked its 25th anniversary and is currently underway. This year, the exercises are being conducted in four phases, two each in harbour at Port Blair and Visakhapatnam and two sea phases in the Bay of Bengal.
Phase 1 of the 25th edition of SIMBEX has already witnessed over a dozen ships and submarines and a never seen before number of weapon firings at sea. The action now shifts to the harbour activities at Visakhapatnam before they kick off the intensive Second Phase of the exercise. In addition to the number of Operational Conferences towards planning and preparing for the final sea phase scheduled from 19 to 21 November, friendly Volleyball and Basketball matches would also be played between the two navies. The highlight of the sporting activity is the participation of personnel from RSN in the Vizag-Navy Marathon on 18 November off RK Beach. It is a signature event in the state of Andhra Pradesh and Visakhapatnam's largest community event with participants from armed forces, corporate sector, government sector, educational institutions including international participants. The event attracts a large scale tourist population for participation from various states and countries. Personnel from the RSN would be participating in the 10K Friendship Run. Personnel from Singapore Navy also savoured the local culture and cuisine during their stay at Visakhapatnam.
To mark the historic Silver Jubilee of SIMBEX, Naval Chiefs from both the participating countries would also be in Visakhapatnam. Admiral Sunil Lanba, the Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy would host Rear Admiral Lew Chuen Hong, the Chief of Navy of the RSN at the SIMBEX Silver Jubilee Dinner on 18 November.
On 19 November, the Silver Jubilee Commemoration Ceremony would be held at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam. In a symbol of growing trust and comfort levels between the two navies, the event will witness unveiling of the SIMBEX logo, and release of commemorative Indian Special Postage Cover and Singaporean Postage Stamp. The simultaneous release of Postal Cover and Stamp by Indian and Singaporean Postal department respectively also highlights the significance of this historic occasion between the two nations. Earlier, in June this year, the Prime Ministers of both – India and Singapore, on the sidelines of the Shangri La Dialogue held at Singapore had remarked that they looked forward to the 25th and enhanced edition of bilateral annual naval exercise SIMBEX.
The high intensity final sea phase of the exercises is scheduled to commence on 19 November and will be marked by the presence of Defence Ministers of both India and Singapore. This in fact would be the first such occasion, when such high level ministerial level presence from both countries would take place at sea.
Dr Tessy Thomas, Director General, Aero, DRDO was the chief guest and during her address she highlighted new developments and capabilities of our country in aerospace and defence related mechanisms. Guest of Honour Dr S Somnath, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), ISRO gave brief history about the design and development of aerospace and defence related mechanisms at ISRO. He also emphasised the objectives of INSARM and ARMS, a knowledge sharing platform for all scientists and engineers.
Key note address was delivered by Dr S. Somnath on 'Highly Reliable Aerospace Mechanism of ISRO'. More than 500 delegates participated in the Conference.
Vice Admiral Sandeep Naithani, VSM took over as the Director General Naval Projects, Mumbai, on 06 Nov 18, on promotion.
Vice Admiral Sandeep Naithani is an alumnus of the 65th course of NDA and was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 01 Jan 1985. The Admiral has done the 55th Defence Services Staff Course and the 54th course of the National Defence College. He holds a Masters Degree in Radar and Communications Engg (MTech) from IIT Delhi.
The Flag Officer has held various important Operational, Staff and Dockyard appointments in the Indian Navy. He has done three afloat tenures on the Aircraft Carrier Viraat and has commanded INS Valsura, the premier training establishment for the Electrical Branch of the Indian Navy. His other shore appointments include Director of Personnel and Director of Ship Production at IHQ MoD(Navy), AGM (Planning) at Naval Dockyard (Vishakhapatnam) and Manager, Electrical and Power Systems at Naval Dockyard (Mumbai).
The Admiral is a recipient of the Vishisht Seva Medal for his distinguished service. As a Flag Officer, he has served as the Assistant Chief of Materiel (Modernisation), IHQ MoD(N) and thereafter as Chief Staff Officer (Technical), HQWNC before taking over the reins of the Naval Dockyard Mumbai in January this year.
He takes over as Director General Naval Projects from Vice Admiral AK Saxena who is now the Controller Warship Production and Acquisition at IHQ MoD(N), New Delhi.
There are only a few militaries that can boast of continuity and cooperation in the field of maritime combat drills like the navies of India and Singapore and that too sustained for 25 years. When the frontline ships of the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy and those of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) made their entry into the azure waters of Port Blair in the pristine Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 10 November 2018, it was a treat for the on lookers. The ships arrived at Port Blair for the commencement of the 25th edition of the SIMBEX - Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise. Started as Basic ASW exercises in 1994, today these exercises have graduated to complex maritime combat drills including missile and torpedo firings and shore based intensive professional exchanges.
Home to India's only Tri-Services Command, the crew of the participating warships and the Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft and integral helicopters, would go through the last minute exercise coordination details with a fine comb at Port Blair. During the harbour phase, in addition to operational conferences towards preparation of the sea phase of the exercises in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, courtesy calls by both sides on the Senior Officers are also scheduled.
In addition, Subject Matter Expert Exchanges or SMEE as they are commonly known by militaries worldwide are also scheduled. The SMEEs, have over the years provided a platform to formally exchange best practices of respective navies so that learning and improvement never ceases. Cross deck visits by air crew towards deck familiarisation are also planned.
Over the next two days, Port Blair is playing host to Indian Naval Ships Ranvijay, Satpura, Sahyadri, Shakti, Kirch, Kadmatt, Sumedha and Sukanya along with the RSN Ships, Formidable, Steadfast, Unity, Valiant and Vigour. Maritime Patrol Aircraft of both countries – the versatile P8I of the Indian Navy and Fokker F50 from Singapore would also be based out of Port Blair. Local Flotilla ships based at Port Blair would be ensuring seafront security including in the exercise areas towards smooth conduct of the exercise.
Also participating in the exercises are RSS Swordsman, an Archer Class submarine and Swift Rescue, a Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV). While the Indian Navy recently inducted a DSRV on the western seaboard and is slated to induct another on its eastern seaboard, it continues to exercise with various navies and assimilate best practices as well as enhance interoperability.
The exercises at sea this year are unprecedented and largest of kind in terms of the complexity and weapon firings. The sea phase would be held under Commander Task Group of Joint Forces of SIMBEX-18, Rear Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet. Senior Lieutenant Colonel Ho Jee Kien, Commanding Officer of 188 Missile Corvette Squadron would be leading the Republic of Singapore Navy during the first sea phase and would also be the Deputy Task Group Commander.
The Ministry of Defence has delegated greater financial decision-making powers to Vice Chiefs of the three Services in order to expedite the decision making process involved in the revenue procurements of the Armed Forces. With the new delegation, the Vice Chiefs will be able to exercise financial powers upto five times more than the existing powers with an enhanced ceiling of Rs. 500 crores. This is likely to give another fillip to the capacity of the three Armed Forces.
Marking a major milestone towards capacity building and capability enhancement of the Indian Army, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, Honorable Defence Minister, today dedicated the globally combat proven M777 A2 Ultra Light Howitzers, K-9 Vajra-Tracked Self Propelled Guns and 6x6 Filed Artillery Tractors to the service of the Nation. Ceremony to dedicate was held at Devlali Field Firing Ranges and was attended by Honorable Raksha Rajya Mantri, Dr Subhash Ram Rao Bhamre, General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Army Staff, senior serving officers of the Indian Army & Ministry of Defence, representative of manufacturing industries as also dignitaries from the governments of USA and South Korea.
An indigenously developed 6x6 field artillery tractor by Ashok Leyland was also formally inducted to provide the much awaited replacement for the ageing fleet of Artillery Gun Towing Vehicles.
The 2018 edition marks the Silver Jubilee of SIMBEX. To mark the historical occasion, both navies are undertaking exercises over an extended geography. This year, the Indian Navy is being represented by the Ranvir class destroyer – INS Ranvijay, two Project 17 multirole stealth frigates – INS Satpura and INS Sahyadri, the Project 28 ASW corvette - INS Kadmatt the Project 25A missile corvettes, INS Kirch, the OPVs INS Sumedha and INS Sukanya, the Fleet Support Ship, INS Shakti, a Sindhughosh Class submarine, INS Sindhukirti, the P8I Long Range Maritime Patrol and ASW aircraft from INAS 312, Dornier 228 Maritime Patrol aircraft from INAS 311, Mk 132 Hawk AJTs from INAS 551 and integral helicopters such as the UH3H, Seaking 42 B, Seaking 42C and Chetak utility helicopters.
The Republic of Singapore Navy is being represented by two Formidable Class stealth frigates - RSS Formidable and RSS Steadfast, one Littoral Mission Vessel - RSS Unity, two Missile Corvettes, RSS Vigour and RSS Valiant, an Archer class Submarine, RSS Swordsman, 'Swift Rescue' a Deep Sea Rescue Vehicle (DSRV), a Fokker F50 maritime reconnaissance aircraft, embarked S70B helicopters and Scan Eagle unmanned aerial systems. Indian Navy has recently inducted its own DSRV and proved the capability at sea on the western seaboard.
Consultative Committee Meeting of Ministry of Defence on Indian Coast Guard chaired by Hon'ble Raksha Mantri Smt Nirmala Sitharaman reviewed the operational preparedness, Infrastructure development and coastal security mechanism of the Coast Guard. Hon'ble Raksha Rajya Mantri Dr Subhash Bhamre, Hon'ble MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Director General Indian Coast Guard Director General Rajendra Singh along with senior officials of MoD were also present.
Raksha Mantri and the delegation was briefed about the coastal security mechanism and preparedness of Coast Guard to tackle maritime emergencies. Coast Guard's initiative of making fishermen the Eyes and Ears of Coast Guard was appreciated.
Raksha Mantri Smt Nirmala Sitharaman reiterated that the ICG discharges a silent but invaluable service to the nation and lauded the efforts of all personnel of Coast Guard for its multiple successful search and rescue missions, humanitarian aid, assistance to fishermen and increased surveillance capability. Smt Sitharaman also laid emphasis on modernization of the ICG with the Definitive Action Program 2017 – 22 which envisages acquisition of 43 ships, 20 aircraft and other infrastructure. Raksha Mantri appreciated the Coast Guard for successfully implementing Minister's directions on use of local language speaking personnel onboard the ships and aircraft to alert the fishermen during emergencies and rescue operations. Raksha Mantri sought the support of all members of the house and their influence in their home states to spread awareness among the sea-faring community regarding utility of carrying emergency communication equipment which they tend to leave behind and face difficulty in communicating SOS messages in times of emergencies. Raksha Mantri declared that the next meeting of the Consultative Committee will be on Ordnance Depots.
A wreath laying ceremony was organised today at the Teen Murti Memorial by the Cavalry Officers' Association, to honour the sacrifices, valour, and splendid contribution of the Indian Cavalry since World War I. The Indian Cavalry has a long and awe-inspiring history of valour and sacrifice.
Teen Murti memorial was instituted in the memory of the cavalry officers, non commissioned officers and men of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade composed of cavalry regiments from the Indian states of Hyderabad, Mysore and Jodhpur, with detachments from Bhavnagar, Kashmir and Kathiawar who were martyred in the Great War of 1914-1919, in the Sinai, Palestine and Syria. The Armoured Corps, a successor and inheritor of the cavalry traditions has proven to be the spear of the Indian military might with its mighty T-72, Arjun and T-90 tanks.
The memorial service was a solemn ceremony of poise and grace wherein wreaths were placed by serving and retired officers of the cavalry fraternity.
Lt Gen Amit Sharma (Retd), President COA, highlighted the great contribution of the Indian Armoured Corps, in protecting the nation's sovereignty. This is aptly reflected by the 'Gallantry Awards' earned by the Corps since independence, which include two Param Vir Chakras, 16 Mahavir Chakras, Three Kirti Chakras, 57 Vir Chakras and 26 Shaurya Chakras.
The second edition of this years' bi-annual Naval Commanders' Conference concluded today after three days of fruitful deliberations. The Hon'ble RM addressed Naval Commanders today and complimented all personnel of the Indian Navy for maintaining a high operational tempo and ensuring maritime security of the country. The Hon'ble RM reiterated the need for the nation to be strong at sea and the Navy to be ready and vigilant to counter any challenge in the maritime domain. She appreciated Navy's efforts in the area of indigenisation, self-reliance and support to the 'Make in India' initiative of the Government. She expressed her satisfaction at Navy's initiatives to achieve 'Digital Navy' vision in line with the Government's initiative of 'Digital India Programme'. During the interaction the Hon'ble RM reviewed the combat readiness of the Navy, pace of modernisation and progress of various acquisition and infrastructure related cases. She extolled IN's diplomatic efforts to support the regional Navies that are in consonance with the Hon'ble Prime Minister's vision of SAGAR – Security and Growth for all in the Region. The Hon'ble Raksha Mantri also appreciated the efforts underway to improve the quality of life and welfare of personnel.
Opening her address to the senior echelons of Navy and Ministry of Defence, the Hon'ble Raksha Mantri Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman began by complimenting all naval personnel who continue to tirelessly and selflessly perform their duty of securing the maritime interests of the nation. She lauded the Navy for the outstanding and efficient HADR operations undertaken in the wake of the recent floods in Kerala wherein close to 17,000 personnel were rescued. The selfless dedication displayed by IN personnel during this national crisis and the ability of the Navy, as an organisation, to rise to the demand of the occasion to provide succor to our fellow countrymen in distress, has added yet another feather to the list of accomplishments of Indian Navy said the Hon'ble Raksha Mantri.
The Hon'ble Raksha Mantri also expressed her satisfaction with which both the Navy and the Ministry of Defence were performing their tasks in a constructive and a cohesive manner to ensure that the capability shortfalls are mitigated in the shortest possible time.
The Conference undertook a review of the Navy's modernisation plan including induction of aircraft carrier, ships, nuclear powered submarines, conventional submarines, re-vitalisation of the aviation and sub-surface assets and induction of certain state-of-the-art weapons, sensors and equipment. Further, development of technical and support infrastructure for maintenance of these assets were also discussed in consonance with the 'Indian Naval Indigenisation Plan 2015-30', which has formulated the requirements of the IN towards indigenous development of equipment and systems over the next 15 years.
Army Aviation Corps celebrated its 33rd Raising Day on 01 Nov 2018, and to mark this occasion, a Wreath Laying Ceremony was held at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate, New Delhi. The ceremonial wreath was laid by Lieutenant General Kanwal Kumar, Colonel Commandant and Director General of Army Aviation, along with a host of serving officers, soldiers and veterans in attendance.
Army Aviation Corps is the aerial manoeuvre arm of the Indian Army and has played a stellar role by providing vital air support to our soldiers safeguarding the borders in addition to providing relief to the common man during times of natural calamity. The Corps is undergoing a massive transformation effort and expanding its fleet to augment its combat, tactical lift and surveillance capabilities to act as a potent force multiplier.
A two-day seminar has been organised by Indian Institute of Bridge Engineers (IIBE) duly supported by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on the 'Planning, Design and Construction of Long-span bridges' beginning here today. It was inaugurated by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Prime Minister Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space Dr Jitendra Singh.
Dr. Singh in his inaugural address highlighted that in overall development of nation connectivity plays a vital role. He expressed his appreciation that IIBE and BRO have taken the initiative to organise this Seminar on such a vital and important topic. Director General Border Roads (DGBR) Lt Gen Harpal Singh highlighted that the topic of the Seminar is a vital subject in today's context to give due boost to the pace of development of infrastructure in the country.
Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen DevrajAnbu expressed the need for development of road infrastructure in North and North East of the nation for efficient and speedy mobilisation of strategic resources along the border. Therefore, the seminar on long span bridges is an apt theme to be deliberated by the fraternity of Bridge Engineers.
Construction of bridges across water bodies having widespread water ways, excessive depths of flow, high velocities of current and bouldery riverbed has always been a challenging task for the fraternity of Engineers. Long Span bridges have a significant role to play at such difficult locations especially to facilitate safe and sustainable connectivity with least disturbance to the natural settings of the area and ecology.
Engineer-in-Chief Lt Gen SK Shrivastava, MD NHIDCL Shri NN Sinha, MD, National High Speed Rail Corporation Shri AchalKhare and Chairman Technical Committee of Indian Institute of Bridge Engineers Shri Mahesh Tandon also shared the dais with Minister. The seminar is being attended by more than 400 delegates, all dealing with the specialised subject.
Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN - 2018, a joint military exercise between Indian & Japanese Armies, commenced at Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School, Vairengete, Mizoram, India on 01 November 2018. The Japanese contingent is being represented by 32nd Infantry Battalion, while the Indian side is being represented by 6/1 Gorkha Rifles. Approximately one platoon strength each of both the battalions is participating in this exercise. The opening ceremony was given a patriotic start by contingents of both the countries singing their respective national anthems.
Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well developed tactical drills for neutralization of likely threats that may be encountered in urban warfare scenario. The exercise will contribute immensely in developing mutual understanding and respect for each other's military.
India is a maritime nation and its growth is inexpricably linked to the seas. Under the overall vision of the Hon'ble PM of 'Security and Growth for All in the Region' (SAGAR), the Indian Navy has been at the forefront of providing an environment of stability and peace in the IOR. As the premier Navy in the region, the Indian Navy aspires to remain the 'Net Security Provider' in the Indian Ocean through collaboration and cooperation with like-minded and friendly nations.
The Indian Navy has witnessed an unprecedented growth in its operational tasking over the past decade in consonance with India's rising maritime interests. The Navy has adopted the 'Mission-based Deployment' philosophy and the 'Maintenance-to-Operations' transition cycle over the past year to address the need to be present and to respond to emerging situations in the IOR.
The conference would among other issues, deliberate upon combat readiness of units and optimisation of resources including manpower to meet the growing list of missions and tasks that the Navy is expected to perform. The conference would have dedicated 'Brain-storming' sessions to discuss and conceptualise new ideas and concepts, as well as critically examine organisational structures and processes to meet developing challenges and threats to maritime security. Commanders would also look at utilising emerging technologies such as Big-Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness.
The Hon'ble RM would also address the Navy Commanders, outlining the maritime vision of the Government and expectations of the nation and its citizens from the Navy. The conference would conclude on Friday after three days of intense and focussed deliberations.
Indian Air Force is organising a two day seminar on 'Emerging Trends in Aviation Engineering and Logistics' (AVIAMAT-2018) at Air Force Auditorium, Subroto Park, New Delhi from 31 Oct 18 – 01 Nov 18. Today morning the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa PVSM AVSM YSM VM ADC delivered the key note address. The focus of the seminar is usable emerging and futuristic innovative aviation technologies.
The Seminar is bringing together designers, producers and users of high-tech aviation equipment to discuss the potential of innovative indigenous technologies. Budding Innovators and start ups are having an opportunity to showcase their ideas, designs and products. Topics on wide range of subjects like Path Breaking Aviation Engineering Technologies, Indigenous Development of Innovative Technologies, Emerging Trends in Aviation Fuel Management, Emerging Trends in Aviation Training and Evolving Technologies in Military Aviation Sensors would be presented. A display of futuristic technology products is also being organized as part of the seminar.
The AVIAMAT Seminar will see participation of aviation experts from three services, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) and start ups from the private sector.
The contract was signed by Joint Secretary & Acquisition Manager (MS) Shri Ravi Kant on behalf of the Ministry and Director(Shipbuilding)Cmde S Nayyar IN (Retd) for GRSE, Kolkata. Request for Proposal was issued by Indian Navy to four PSU shipyards viz. GRSE, Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and two Indian Private Shipyards in April 2016, with GRSE emerging as the lowest & successful bidder. The order value for these four vessels is Rs. 2435.15 crore. The first ship is to be delivered within 36 months and remaining within an interval of six months for each vessel. The project completion time is 54 months from date of signing the contract. With this prestigious contract, GRSE's Order Book as on date stands at Rs. 22,604 crore. The GRSE is currently handling a major project to make three Stealth Frigates for Indian Navy under P17A Project.
The defence PSU has been a pioneer warship builder of the nation having delivered the highest number of warships till date since its inception in 1960. The 98 warships built by GRSE so far range from Advanced Frigates to Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvettes to Fleet Tankers, Fast Attack Crafts, etc. with the Shipyard having many firsts to its credit in terms of Innovation and Design. It has already delivered six Sandhayak Class Survey Vessels to Indian Navy between the period February 1981 to February 1993. The present project will further consolidate GRSE's position as a unique shipyard with all round capability to design and build Survey Vessels with state-of-the-art technology.
The sail training ship of Indian Navy, INS Tarangini based at Kochi, returned after a seven month long sailing across the world to a grand reception at naval base, Kochi on 30 Oct 18. The ship was received by Rear Admiral RJ Nadkarni, VSM, Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command. A welcoming ceremony was conducted by the Southern Naval Command at South Jetty of the naval base to mark the occasion. Captain Varun Singh, SC, Senior Officer First Training Squadron and a number of senior officers, families of the crew and other distinguished guests also attended the function.
The Voyage named "Lokayan 18" was flagged off on 10 Apr 18 from Kochi. During the voyage, the ship has proudly 'shown the flag' and highlighted the diverse culture of India across 15 ports in 13 countries. The ship sailed across the Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea, Strait of Gibraltar, North Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Biscay, English Channel and North Sea, right up to Norway before commencing her homeward passage back to Kochi. The ship also participated in the culminating event of the 'Three Festival Tall Ships Regatta' at Bordeaux, France. As well as the 'Tall Ships Races Europe 2018' which started at Sunderland, UK and touched Esbjerg, Denmark and Stavanger, Norway before finishing at Harlingen, Netherlands. During the tall ships regatta, the ship sailed along with hundreds of other sailing vessels, of which 200 were 'Tall Ships' like herself, besides taking part in the parade of sails, which was conducted at all these ports.
INS Tarangini is a three masted 'square rigged' barque which carries a total of 20 sails. She is the First Sail Training Ship in Indian Navy and was commissioned on 11 Nov 1997. In her 21 years of glorious service, she has sailed over 2,20,000 nautical miles to date across the world's oceans. The ship is under the command of Cdr Rahul Mehta. She has a crew of nine officers and 43 sailors and can also embark 30 Officer Sea Trainees. She is the first of two Sail Training Ships in the First Training Squadron, the other being INS Sudarshini. The primary role of these Sail Training Ships is to develop character and professionalism, as well as inculcate the qualities of initiative, courage, resilience and esprit-de-corps amongst the Sea Trainees and also impart practical training to them, primarily on navigation, sailing and seamanship. Over the years, INS Tarangini has been extensively deployed for long voyages away from her base port of Kochi, which includes one circumnavigation of the globe (2003-04) and three previous 'Lokayans' (2005, 2007 and 2015).


In his resignation letter, which he submitted to the APC chairman in Lagos State, Oluwo said his decision was based on the conduct of the party's primary election which resulted in the defeat of Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode.
Oluwo Olawale said he was not only resigning his position as a commissioner, but also leaving the APC.
Oluwo Olawale claimed to have submitted a similar letter to Ambode.
The letter to the chairman of the party, dated December 3, read in part, "My decision to resign is not unconnected with the events of the last few weeks which have created a heavy moral burden for me.
I have found it rather difficult to come to terms or rationalise the party's conduct of the October 2018 primary election which were largely characterised by massive voters' disenfranchisement, intimidation, violence, undue influence and non-compliance with all known principles of democracy.
It was learnt that Wasiu has joined the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Jimi Agbaje.


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Why are there no openly gay players in elite men's tennis?
The push for marriage equality and LGBT rights in Mexico has gathered pace since Mexico City became the first region to legalize same-sex marriage in 2009, with Sonora voting on Thursday to legalize same sex marriage
MEXICO CITY, Sept 23 (Reuters) - The congress of the Mexican state of Sonora voted on Thursday to legalize same-sex marriage, meaning that about three quarters of the country's regions have now made the practice legal.
Lawmakers in the legislature of Sonora, a large northern state that borders Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, approved the change in the law with 26 votes in favor and seven against.
On Wednesday, the central state of Queretaro, long regarded as one of the most conservative in the country, also approved same-sex marriage legislation in what Mexican media reported was the 23rd of 32 regions to do so.
The push for marriage equality and LGBT rights has gathered pace since Mexico City became the first region to legalize same-sex marriage in 2009.
Leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been at pains not to alienate socially conservative voters, but many activists in his National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) are staunch supporters of socially liberal causes.
(Writing by Dave Graham Editing by Robert Birsel)
Openly is an initiative of the Thomson Reuters Foundation dedicated to impartial coverage of LGBT+ issues from around the world.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


How Often To Rotate Your Tyres?
Most car makers recommend that the tyres be rotated on the same schedule as oil changes. In most cases that means every 12,000km or six months, though some have stretched the oil-change interval to 16,000km, such as on many Fords, Volkswagens and Toyotas. BMW allows up to 22,000km between oil changes, but that is too long to wait to rotate the tyres.
Unless you drive fewer than about 12,000km per year, you should probably rotate tyres every six months or so.
As mentioned before, the tyres mounted on the drive wheels of any vehicle perform extra duty because they apply the power to the asphalt. On front-wheel-drive vehicles that is amplified by the weight of the engine and transmission, and because the front tyres do most of the work in turns. Rotating the tyres between front and rear a couple of times a year spreads out the burden so they wear evenly.
Automakers that offer all-wheel-drive cars also recommend rotating tyres. Subaru, for example, says to do it every 12,000km or seven months, whichever comes first.
If you bought a pre-loved car or have swapped out tyres, you may not know your tyre rotation schedule. We suggest you follow the recommended schedule outlined in your owner's manual, but rotate the tires (and change the oil) at least once a year.
You do not need to return to your car dealer service centre to do this but allow your friendly neighbourhood Tayaria service centre to do a complete check and to give you all the details on your tyres.


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CFL - The Television Years
Figure Skating on Television
Hockey Night in Canada - The Television Years
Hockey Night in Canada
With the advent of television in Canada in November of 1952, televising football was a natural for the new medium. Football on television actually began on September 30, 1939 when the National Broadcasting Company's experimental TV station W2XBS televised the Fordham vs Waynesburg college football game at Randall's Island, New York. On October 22nd 1939, NBC became the first network in the U.S. to televise a professional football game when the Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 23-14. This telecast was seen over the experimental station W2XBS by an approximate number of 500 lucky owners of television sets as well as on monitors from the RCA pavilion at the New York's Worlds Fair. Allen (Skip) Walz, working in a crew of eight, did the play-by-play.
In Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) made plans to televise the Grey Cup game between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Toronto Argonauts on November 26, 1952 from Varsity Stadium in Toronto. The telecast would only be seen by those few with televisions who could access Toronto's CBLT. For their first television revenue, the Canadian Rugby Union (CRU, predecessor to the Canadian Football League) received $7,500 for the Grey Cup TV rights.
In preparation for this inaugural telecast, technical testing as well as the audition of play-by-play men took place at the preceding playoff game between Sarnia Imperials of the Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) and the Toronto Argonauts. A sportscaster from Hamilton's CHML's radio station, Norm Marshall, was the winner in the test run. Marshall was joined by Montreal broadcaster Larry O'Brien for this historic first televised football game in Canada. Marshall and O'Brien were each paid $250 for their work in this game.
CBLT's programming during weekdays started with a test pattern at 7pm and ended before midnight. Airtime was limited but the CBC placed ads in newspapers to advise viewers of the first Grey Cup related programs. On CBLT's 'Big Revue' show, Argo coach Frank Clair presented his views on the upcoming game. On another program, football personality Annis Stukus diagrammed plays and discussed strategy for the game.
For those football fans without television sets there were other methods of viewing the game. Westinghouse in Hamilton installed over 20 sets so that their 8,000 employees and friends could watch the game. The Paddock and the El Mocambo Taverns in downtown Toronto each advertised that their 'Giant TV Screen' would be showing the game. Pubs with televisions in the Toronto area were filled to capacity and those with televisions at home had plenty of company on Grey Cup day.
Well-known Canadian sportsmen Harry 'Red' Foster's advertising firm handled this first football telecast which was sponsored by the Northern Electric Company and Sweet Cap Cigarettes. The Grey Cup Cavalcade show hosted by Annis Stukus preceded the game itself at 12:30 pm. with the game starting 15 minutes later.
Newspaper reports declared that the first televised football game had been a success and had been the most watched program in the brief history of Canadian television. The television audience was estimated to be 700,000 viewers. Reviews indicated that the CBC "put a crisp, unclouded image on most screens within its 90 mile area and showed great skill in following the play." There was one problem however. There was a technical breakdown that prevented most of the 3rd and part of the 4th quarter from being viewed. Football fans were subjected to their first 'blackout' until a CBC technician managed to climb the CBC's steel tower to restore communication between Varsity Stadium and the TV tower. The microwave receiver at the 300 ft high tower had ceased functioning although the voice of the commentators continued to be picked up. The enthusiastic viewers quickly became dismayed as they missed Edmonton's Normie Kwong's second touchdown. The producer of the show, Sydney Newman, head of the CBLT mobile unit, later said that such a technical problem could have happened anytime but unfortunately it happened 'at our most conspicuous moment'.
CBLT presented football fans with a 'retelecast from films' later that night. Kinescopes of the game were shown the next day over CBFT in Montreal. And movie theatres in the Toronto area provided film or 'Grey Cup Pictures' in addition to their regular programs starting 2 days later.
By all accounts the televised Grey Cup game in 1953 from Varsity Stadium aired without any problems. Sweet Cap cigarettes had brought the 1953 Grey Cup game to the now growing TV audience. Three television stations carried the Grey Cup game live, and the CRU was paid $20,500 for the rights. Football on television in Canada was expanding with a select number of playoff games from 1953 being shown. From 1954 on, the CBC began televising regular season contests from the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU), also known as the East's 'Big Four'.
In order to ensure that television did not interfere with fans' attendance at home games, a 50-mile radius 'blackout' rule was implemented. However, when a game at Toronto's Varsity Stadium had a less than expected turnout, there was concern that the televising of the game by the local Hamilton station CHCH had had harmful effects on the attendance figures. In future television contracts, the 'blackout' rule would be amended to a 75-mile radius from the home city.
In 1954, the B.C. Lions joined the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU), and in the IRFU, the 'Big Four' games were televised on the National Broadcasting Company. By the 1954 season, coverage of the Grey Cup was expanding. Viewers in the 'Eastern Canada' network and also the NBC coast-to-coast network in the U.S viewed the contest between the Montreal Alouettes and the Edmonton Eskimos from Varsity Stadium. Fans witnessed the unfortunate Montreal's Chuck Hunsinger fumble and Edmonton's Jackie Parker running the ball back for the winning touchdown. The Canadian Rugby Union had sold the rights to the 1954 Grey Cup game for $45,000 - $30,000 from the CBC and $15,000 from NBC.
The Grey Cup was played out west for the first time in 1955. Vancouver hosted the game between the Alouettes and the Eskimos with Steve Douglas and Bob Moir calling the action. Hal Walker and Annis Stukus were also part of the TV crew on the Chrysler Corporation sponsored telecast from Empire Stadium. A coast-to-coast microwave hookup across Canada was not available until 1957 and the question at the time was how to bring the game live to the eastern part of the country where most of the television sets were located. TV listings in Toronto show the Grey Cup game starting at 4:15 pm on CBLT in Toronto and CHCH in Hamilton, with the Perry Como show following. The listing added that "some very special arrangements result in eastern Canada being able to see the game live from Vancouver". The feed from Vancouver was fed through the United States relay microwave system to Toronto and the Eastern Network. Other stations not on the CBC network had to await the kinescopes being flown to them.
In 1956, for the third year in a row, Montreal and Edmonton played for the Grey Cup. CBC commentators included Steve Douglas, Ted Reynolds, Doug Maxwell, Hal Walker and Larry O'Brien. The post game show had O'Brien conducting post game interviews with Canadian football luminaries such as Sam Etcheverry and Jackie Parker. This telecast aired across the country via the CBC's interconnected network from Quebec City to Winnipeg and to Vancouver via the United States circuit. Television rights were sold for $101,000.
The 1957 Grey Cup telecast from Toronto between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger Cats was the first Grey Cup aired coast to coast on the new Canadian microwave system. There was a pre-game show conducted by Larry O'Brien who interviewed various football celebrities on the field. Steve Douglas again did the play-by-play, which was brought to the viewers by Shell and Goodyear. This Grey Cup game was particularly memorable for the crowd at Varsity Stadium as well as television viewers who incredibly saw a spectator on the sidelines trip Ti-Cat 'Bibbles' Bawel who was running along the sidelines. The CRU sold the TV rights for this game for $125,000.
In 1958, The Canadian Football Council (CFC) that was established in 1957 withdrew from the CRU and became the 'Canadian Football League'. The 1958 Grey Cup game from Vancouver saw a rematch of the same two teams. In 1959, Hamilton and Winnipeg squared off yet again but this time at the new home of the Argonauts, CNE Stadium. The 1959 Grey Cup drew five million viewers; only the final game of the Stanley Cup playoffs had a larger audience in that year. Ottawa and Edmonton were the teams vying for the Grey Cup in Vancouver in 1960. The CBC paid $325,000 to the CFL for the broadcast rights to the 1960 season. That same year, the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (Big Four) changed its name to the Eastern Football Conference.
In February 1961, before the CTV Network had been licensed, John Bassett, Chairman of CFTO-TV, the newly licensed private station in Toronto, outbid the CBC with $375,000 a season for two years for the Eastern Conference regular season and playoff television rights, and a first refusal for the Grey Cup. He planned to apply to the Board of Broadcast Governors for a temporary network licence, so that both the French and English private stations in Montreal and Ottawa could broadcast the games.
Meanwhile, Spence Caldwell, who had lost out to Bassett with his own application for the Toronto licence, was trying to persuade the new private stations to sign affiliation agreements with him so that he could form a network. Bassett initially refused, but several stations had already given Caldwell signed letters of intent to become affiliates, and when Bassett failed to get a temporary network licence from the BBG, he too signed such a letter. Thus armed, Caldwell went to the BBG and was granted his network licence, which in turn gave Bassett access to a network on which to broadcast the CFL games for which he had paid such a high price.
In order to fill any gaps in their sports schedule due to the loss of televised 'Big Four' games, the CBC and Carling Breweries Ltd. obtained rights to show National Football League contests. At times, these NFL games would air opposite the football games televised on CTV. The CBC continued to buy the TV rights for Western Football Conference games. The Western teams, having to split the TV revenue from a smaller CBC contract 5 ways, each received less money that the Eastern clubs. This created a source of animosity between the East and West. The CTV affiliates, led by Chairman John Bassett of CFTO, also made it known that they would seek TV rights for the Grey Cup as part of their broadcasting plan. However, the Board of Broadcast Governors stated that the CBC, having the most coverage across the nation, would be the primary carrier of the Grey Cup games.
CFL regulations at the time included a TV 'blackout' rule where no home game could be televised locally within a 75 mile radius. In the proposed 27 game package, sponsored by the British-American Oil Company, Hamilton and Toronto fans would only see 5 games involving their teams. To partially satisfy the southern Ontario football fans, CFTO's Tim Ryan hosted late night repeats of Hamilton and Toronto home games. Johnny Esaw, the original CTV football announcer and later Vice-President of CTV Sports, originally hailed from Saskatchewan. Esaw maintained that the blackout rule for Saskatchewan actually enabled the club to survive. If the province wide blackout were lifted, many fans would not have traveled across the province to attend games. However, with the arrival of cable television in the late 1960's, taverns and homes with access to cable and out of town TV signals circumvented the blackout rules and allowed fans to stay home and watch the game for free.
In 1961, the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WICU) changed its name to the Western Football Conference. A partial interlocking schedule was then introduced between the Eastern and Western Conferences. The 1961 Grey Cup game was an exciting overtime thriller with Winnipeg quarterback Ken Ploen dashing into the Hamilton end zone for the Blue Bomber win. But it was in the 1962 Grey Cup game, again between the Ti-Cats and Blue Bombers, from CNE Stadium that was extraordinarily memorable. Due to heavy fog on the field, the Grey Cup game was stopped in the 4th quarter and the final 9 minutes and 29 seconds played the next day resulting in another Winnipeg victory. Steve Douglas, who had been calling play-by-play of Grey Cup games during the 1950's, was now situated in a studio with injured Hamilton quarterback Bernie Faloney providing game analysis. Johnny Esaw of CTV called the action in the game in his first Grey Cup appearance.
The production of the telecasts would now alternate each year between CBC and CTV. For a fee of $24,000, the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) televised the game on tape delay later that day. The remainder of the game was shown on the network the following week. The developments were a disappointment for the CFL as the league was hopeful that the telecast into the States would act as a promotional vehicle in the hopes of landing a lucrative U.S. television contract. The league's aim was also to display the CFL product to thousands of U.S. College football players to help in recruitment to Canada.
The 1963 Grey Cup game played in Vancouver between the hometown B.C. Lions and the Hamilton Ti-Cats was the first sponsored by Labatt's. Don Whitman called the play including the late hit on star Lion running back Willie Fleming by Hamilton's Angelo Mosca. The televised Grey Cup games of the early 60s now regularly included the official coin toss, ceremonial kickoffs, and on-field Grey Cup presentations by Commissioner Sydney Halter as well as post game interviews.
The same two teams contested the 1964 Grey Cup game from CNE Stadium, with Don Whitman calling the action of the Labatt's sponsored telecast. The same locale was the site of the 1965 championship game, aptly named the 'Wind Bowl' due to strong winds that played havoc with the passing and kicking game. Johnny Esaw called the game, which for the first time featured instant replays. Fred Sgambati carried the action of the 1966 Grey Cup game from Vancouver between Ottawa and Saskatchewan with continued sponsorship by Labatt's. The 1966 Grey Cup was notable for being the first football telecast in colour. While kinescopes of the 1952 and 1953 Grey Cup games are not available, all succeeding Grey Cup games from 1954 to 1970 have been preserved on the kinescope format, with the first Grey Cup game originally televised in colour also being saved on videotape.
Canada's Centennial year of 1967 appropriately had the Grey Cup game played in the nation's capital of Ottawa with Esaw calling the play-by-play for the Ti-Cats' win over the western Riders, with the grandson of Lord Grey presenting the Grey Cup to Hamilton coach Ralph Sazio. For the 1968 season, Canadian Pacific became a primary sponsor along with Labatt's. Johnny Esaw was in the booth calling the Grey Cup game that year between Calgary and Ottawa from Toronto. Montreal, for the first time since 1931, played host to the 1969 Grey Cup from the Autostade featuring Ottawa and Saskatchewan. This was the final game that Ottawa quarterback Russ Jackson would play in an illustrious career. Jackson not only was presented with the Grey Cup by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau but was also named the 'Outstanding Player'.
In 1970, Montreal beat Calgary in the championship game played on a muddy CNE field in Toronto. CTV's Pat Marsden was the television host of this game, his first of many appearances on Grey Cup games as a host or play-by-play man. For the past few seasons, both CBC and CTV football personalities had worked together on the telecasts. On a rainy day in Vancouver, the Calgary Stampeders defeated the Toronto Argonauts in the 1971 Grey Cup game. It was the Argos first Grey Cup appearance since the first televised Grey Cup in 1952. Argo fans remember this contest for Leon McQuay's fumble late in the game that clinched the Calgary victory. TV rights for the game sold for $265,000.
In 1972, the CFL received $1.14 million from CTV for the TV rights. CTV then sold some regular and playoff games to the CBC. The following season CBC outbid CTV with a $1.2 million offer. In 1974, the CBC again won the rights for $1,400,300. CTV would not bid in 1975 because some of their affiliates were apparently not showing enough interest in the CFL games. The CFL then signed a 3-year deal with the CBC totaling $4,508.863 for the next three seasons.
The 1970's Grey Cups continued to be co-produced by CBC and CTV staffers and by 1975, Don Chevrier of CBC and Pat Marsden of CTV would each call half of the Grey Cup game. Colour analysts during the regular season, playoff games and the Grey Cup were former CFL stars Russ Jackson, Dick Shatto, Mike Wadsworth and Frank Rigney. Hosts included Tom McKee, Ernie Afaganis, Bill Stephenson, John Wells and Don Whitman. Technical innovations on the telecasts included new camera placements and slo-motion, isolation cameras.
After accepting $2.1 million from the CBC for the 1980 rights, the CFL signed a record television contract with Carling-O'Keefe Breweries for $15.6 million to cover the three-year period from 1981 to 1983. A factor in the huge contract was Carling's competitor Labatt's Breweries sponsoring the popular Toronto Blue Jays telecasts. Carling sold the games off to CBC and CTV and by the 1983 season, all but three CFL games were televised. The Grey Cup game in 1981 attracted 6.2 viewers, 2 million more than Super Bowl. Only the Canadian premier of the movie 'Superman' drew a higher audience that year.
For the 1982 season, with the demise of the Alouettes, the CFL granted a new franchise in Montreal with the nickname 'Concordes.' The 1982 Grey Cup game attracted the largest television audience in the history of Canadian television. Edmonton won their record fifth consecutive Grey Cup before 7,862,000 viewers. The telecasts were becoming more sophisticated with the networks using 17 cameras in the Grey Cup, as opposed to 10 for a regular season game. In 1983, the CFL signed another lucrative television agreement with Carling O'Keefe Breweries for $33 million over a three-year period from 1984 to 1986. Television coverage on CBC, CTV and Radio-Canada of the 1983 Grey Cup attracted another record viewing audience as 8,118,000 people watched Toronto edge B.C. 18-17. Only the series finale for M.A.S.H topped the Grey Cup ratings. Viewing the Grey Cup game was a part of the Canadian identity made special by an East-West match up. But soon after, ratings for the Grey Cup games began to decline with 6,897,000 viewers in 1984 and down to 5,283,000 in 1985.
In September of 1984, The Sports Network (TSN) debuted and by 1986, with John Wells calling the play by play, the specialty network became a CFL broadcaster. The CFL became an eight-team league in the 1987 season as the Montreal franchise folded prior to the season. The 3-year deal with Carlings that ended in 1986 had guaranteed each CFL team more than $1 million in each of the three years. In 1986, the CFL rejected offers from Carlings, CBC and CTV because they included less money and demands for the lifting of some blackout restrictions.
The CFL then decided to produce its own games by creating the 'Canadian Football Network'. A syndicate of Canadian television stations was formed to produce and televise CFL games airing games on Friday evenings and Sundays after Labour Day. Games were also sold to CBC for Saturday and Sunday telecasts and TSN bought games that were mostly played on Thursday evenings. During this time, the CFL experimented with the TV blackout policy as four games (two in Hamilton and two in Toronto) were televised in the Hamilton-Toronto market. Undoubtedly, the signing of the exciting Raghib 'Rocket' Ismail by new Toronto owners Bruce McNall, Wayne Gretzky and John Candy played a part in that change of policy.
CFN lasted from 1987 to 1990 but after the CFL deemed CFN too expensive to operate, the league tried and failed to find a major rights-holder for 1991. Eventually, for the 1991 season, the CBC obtained rights to telecast 25 regular season games with exclusivity for playoff games and the Grey Cup. The CFL also sold rights to TSN for 28 regular season games. Various financial deals between the clubs and the networks enabled some blackouts to be lifted. One such rule had blackouts lifted if 90% of the seats were sold 48 hours prior to the game. Winnipeg played host to the Grey Cup game for the first time in 1991 with Toronto defeating Calgary, and the 3,531,000 viewers made the game the highest rated Canadian TV show that year.
When the 1993 season began, telecasts of CFL games originated from the United States, as the Sacramento Gold Miners became the CFL's ninth franchise. Sacramento was placed in the Western Division and the expansion team was the League's first addition since the B.C. Lions in 1954. The great American expansion continued in the 1994 CFL season as the Las Vegas Posse, Shreveport Pirates and Baltimore Football Club were added. The unsuccessful Las Vegas Posse franchise ceased operations after the 1994 season but in 1995, two more U.S.-based teams joined the CFL. The Memphis Mad Dogs and the Birmingham Barracudas brought to five the number of teams in the newly created "South Division", while the "North Division" was comprised of the eight Canadian-based teams. However, in February 1996, the CFL Board of Governors deemed the experimental expansion into the U.S. a failure, and the CFL reverted back to its original All-Canadian team format. The Baltimore Stallions relocated to Montreal to become the Alouettes after an absence of football of nine years from that city. The CFL was a 9-team league again for one season only as the Ottawa Rough Riders folded after the completion of the 1996 season.
In 1997, after a long absence, CTV became part of a bidding war for the CFL's TV rights. The CTV network was actually bidding for its new cable sports channel, 'Sportsnet'. The bidding heated up so much so that TSN offered the league a new 5-year, $35 million contract. The real motivation of TSN was to shut out the new competition. As in previous years, TSN as a cable network sold the playoffs and Grey Cup game to a conventional carrier, CBC. The 1998 Grey Cup game drew just over 3 million viewers, up 20.5% over the previous year.
In 1999, the CFL proudly announced increased attendance and higher television audiences. There was a 20 % increase in viewership for that season on TSN. Over two years the season ratings increased almost 50% on TSN and a large part of that was in the under age-18 age group. For the 2000 CFL season, television ratings rose considerably as TSN's audience grew by a 17.9% increase over the '98 season. A total of 8 million viewers tuned into the 2000 Grey Cup at some point – 1 in 3 Canadians. Ratings grew yet again in 2001, especially in the key 18-34 category where TSN saw a growth of 55%. In 2002, TSN reported a 27% increase in viewers over 50. The CBC drew a TV audience of more than 5.2 million viewers nationally for the 2002 Grey Cup game.
The controversial CFL 'blackout' rule made the news in 2002. The standard CFL blackout policy at the time was a 56 km radius from the stadium for cable television and 120 kms for conventional TV except in Saskatchewan where there were full provincial blackouts. The traditional Thanksgiving game in 2002 between bitter rivals Argonauts and Ti-Cats happened to be one of the most exciting CFL games of the season. However, over five million viewers in Southern Ontario were denied the opportunity to view a 29-28 thrilling overtime win by the Argos that had great playoff implications. Senior executives at CBC Sports and advertisers were also disappointed with the Hamilton owner's decision not to lift the blackout. The CFL was looking for the added exposure that television brings and the league was losing opportunities to promote their game because of the blackout rule. In that Labour Day classic, Ti-Cat slotback Darren Flutie became the most prolific receiver in CFL history. The game was halted for a brief ceremony, but because of the blackout, many viewers were prevented from sharing in the moment. It was evident that besides a loss of TV revenues, blackouts were also causing public relations nightmares for broadcasters. Since then, there has rarely been a blackout of a game originating from Hamilton or Toronto.
In 2003, a new 5-year television deal with TSN and CBC was announced with seventy-seven games broadcast on the two networks, the most in CFL history.
That season, TSN achieved the second highest viewership average in CFL history. The 2003 Grey Cup television audience reached 4.4 million Canadian homes.
Through the years, the CFL schedule included holiday weekends and rivalry games. Fans enjoyed these specialty weekends - Canada Day Bash, Labour Day Classic and Gridiron Thanksgiving. While the Canada Day and Thanksgiving games featured various matchups, the traditional Labour Day Classic always had Toronto visiting the not so friendly Ivor Wynn Stadium in Hamilton and Calgary hosting the Edmonton Eskimos. The heated rivalries were usually even more intense the following weekend as the Argos hosted the Ti-Cats and the Stampeders invaded Commonwealth Stadium to play the Esks.
The success of the NFL's 'Monday Night Football' encouraged the CFL to set aside a regular night for CFL telecasts. Under Keith Pelley, vice-president of Programming for TSN, who had worked on NFL telecasts for Fox, Friday Night Football, was introduced – later to be known as 'Wendy's Friday Night Football'. A studio panel concept that was introduced in 1996 on TSN was expanded to include all broadcasts. The number of cameras used by TSN in a game also expanded from six to nine. Doubleheaders were scheduled featuring a game in the east followed by a match from out west. A popular feature of the pre-game, half time and post game was the use of in-studio analysts who provided comprehensive game reporting.
Because of the steadily increasing ratings of CFL football over the previous few years, the CBC in 2003 decided to enhance their telecasts by announcing a weekly Saturday night game during the summer with Hockey Night in Canada taking over Saturday evenings in the fall. The CBC also decided to emulate the TSN's panel show at halftime. Brian Williams, the Gemini award-winning broadcaster, was the first host of the CBC panel. The original panel included Darren Flutie, Sean Millington and Greg Frers who all had retired that off-season. Ratings on the CBC football shows increased to the level of their post Labour Day telecasts.
In 2004, the CFL embarked on a new international broadcast agreement with Trajectory Sports & Media Group, which delivered Canadian football to more than 50 million households across 176 countries. U.S. television coverage resulted in the largest international broadcast distribution of the 2004 Grey Cup from Ottawa, available to more than 55 million television households.
New broadcasting features that have delighted viewers over the past few seasons include the virtual first-down marker which debuted on TSN on September 3, 2004 and a feature called Mic'd UP that gave fans a chance to experience the intensity and excitement of the game from a player's perspective. After an extensive testing program, the CFL Board of Governors approved the introduction of Instant Replay for the 2006 season where the officials would review plays in question.
TSN's CFL broadcasts continue to grow in popularity. TSN's most watched CFL game was the 2005 Toronto at Hamilton Labour Day Classic which had 791,000 viewers. In 2006, TSN's average audience was 356,000 viewers, the second-most watched CFL season on TSN. In 2005, TSN attracted record-setting audiences with an average of 395,000 viewers.
For 2007, TSN's CFL schedule featured 50 games, which were available for the first time ever on multiple distribution platforms – TSN, TSN HD and TSN Broadband. All 50 games were to air live on TSN and TSN Broadband, with a minimum of 35 broadcasts produced and televised in High Definition on TSN HD. The majority of HD telecasts aired Friday nights during the 11th season of the weekly staple 'Wendy's Friday Night Football'.
The host of TSN's Friday night show was Dave Randorf, a TSN hire since 1995. Randolf had also worked as a host and play-by-play commentator on the network's CFL shows. Chris Schultz, in his eighth year of CFL telecasts on TSN, had had 20 years of playing experience, including the CFL and NFL. Jock Climie, a 12-year CFL veteran and all-star slot back joined the CFL panel in 2002 after retiring the year before. Former star CFL quarterback Matt Dunigan returned to the TSN studio show after spending the 2004 season as the Calgary general manager and head coach. Dunigan's in-depth knowledge, outgoing personality and passion for the game made him a fan favourite with viewers. Veteran sportscaster Chris Cuthbert joined TSN after leaving the CBC to become the primary voice of the CFL on TSN, paired with longtime colour commentator Glen Suitor. The secondary commentating team had Rod Black and Danny McManus. In a role similar to TSN's hockey coverage, Danny McManus also worked from a sideline position on numerous occasions.
Elliotte Friedman hosted The CFL on CBC with a panel of former CFL stars running back Sean Millington, free safety Greg Frers, and quarterback Khari Jones. Mark Lee was the main play-by-play, along with colour commentator Chris Walby. The secondary broadcast team had Steve Armitage teamed up with Khari Jones. All-time great receiver Darren Flutie left CBC's studio panel but Jones and David Benefield shared that chair. CBC also used Khari Jones as a sideline reporter as part of a three-man team.
TSN had been televising CFL games since 1986, and the all-sports network, now owned by CTV, who had had to sell off Sportsnet as a condition of being allowed to acquire TSN, announced a new five-year exclusive broadcast partnership with the CFL beginning in 2008. The agreement provided TSN with broadcast and digital rights for the CFL's entire 77-game package annually, including regular season and playoff games and the Grey Cup. The 95th Grey Cup on November 25, 2007 from the Rogers Centre in Toronto would see the end of a 45-year run of Grey Cups to be televised by the CBC, the network that successfully produced the inaugural telecast from Varsity Stadium in Toronto on November 26, 1952.
Written by Paul Patskou - August, 2007


Hilda Solis assumed office as a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in December 2014. Solis previously served as the United States secretary of labor from 2009 to 2013, the first Hispanic to serve in the U.S. cabinet.
Solis was born October 20, 1957, in Los Angeles, California. In 1979, she completed a Bachelor of Arts in political science from California State Polytechnic University. In 1981, she received her master's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California.
Solis worked with the White House Office of Hispanic Affairs during the Jimmy Carter administration. She also worked as a management analyst in the civil rights division of the Equal Opportunity Program at the Office of Management and Budget. From 1982 to 1992, Solis served as the director of the California student opportunities and access programs of Whittier. In 1985, she was elected a trustee of Rio Hondo Community College, a position she served for 7 years. From 1994 to 2001, she served as the first Latina elected to the California State Assembly, representing the 57th District. While in the California State Assembly, in the upper chamber, Solis chaired the Industrial Relations Committee and led the fight to raise the California minimum wage standards. She was also the first woman honored with the distinction of the John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award.
Solis was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, representing California's 31st and then 32nd District until she became secretary of labor in February 2009. She resigned as secretary in January 2013. In November 2013, Solis became a scholar-in-residence at Cal Poly Pomona, her alma mater. On June 3, 2014, she won election to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor and was sworn in on December 1.
For information on Solis' policy subject areas, committee appointments and sponsored/co-sponsored legislation during her time in the U.S. House of Representatives, please visit her profile on https://www.congress.gov.


My high school was a closed campus, in order to get in or out you had to get past security at one of the three entrances or have the ability to climb a two story high fence. My friends who went to different schools could leave campus at lunch to get fast food or go have fun nearby, most the kids at my school had no way to even get to the local burger joint within smelling distance. In order to get out during school hours you needed a special note/pass/Holy Grail. I was constantly hearing about the drive by shootings that were going on just outside the walls. Every now and then you would see the bullet holes in the building. Although lots of kids would talk about how they heard or saw the shooting I never did. Also amazing enough no one in school was ever hurt. I don't doubt they happened but I was never scared or concerned with them, probably because no one was ever hurt. It never seemed that real. I know lots of kids who attended my school were killed in drive bys every year, the death page in our yearbook normally had at least seven names listed.
Now so many years later there was a drive by shooting just a block away from my work and it has me a little freaked out. I don't feel disconnected any more. Of course most of it was caused by the way I found out about the drive by. Our security guard is this fabulous little old lady. She's Rob Schnider's aunt and she'll tell you how he doesn't even get her tickets to see his movies or free DVDs whenever she gets a chance. I was returning from grabbing a sandwich and bopping along with my ipod when she says, "Can you believe all these murders?" I hadn't heard any news, so she filled me in on all the gory details. Of course they were also mixed up details that had me believing that there were multiple victims and it was spread over hours and that people were in fact dead. But in reality there was a drug overdose in the ally and one victim targeted who's recovery was promising. There wasn't a gun toting maniac waiting to gun down other people on the block.
Poor Adam V was just 40 feet from the shooting when it happened. He had to ask me to reset his password because he kept messing it up and locked himself out. I sure I would have locked myself too if I had seen bullets fly from a car!
Now when I first started working in this building they gave everyone whistles to wear around their necks and there were two security guards so one could walk you to your car if you felt it necessary. I thought it was incredibly silly, but also realize I am not a woman and grew up experiencing tougher neighborhoods than a lot of my dot.com coworkers. About once a year something will happen in this neighborhood that is truly frightening. We've had a drugging/kidnapping (she was found two day later in Berkley and OK considering what she went through). Then there was the drug deal gone bad in the expensive lofts on the corner that ended with four people dead in the apartment. There are constant homeless people and parking swindlers his neighborhood but they are not the kind that break into cars or cause problems. Despite the events that sometimes happen, the neighborhood is pretty safe and dirty and smelly.
(06-04) 14:24 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A man is in custody after he allegedly shot and injured another man in the South of Market neighborhood today, then led police on a short chase, police said.
Shortly before noon, a man in a silver sedan pulled up to the corner of Townsend Street and Lusk Alley, where another man was standing in the crosswalk, said police Sgt. Steve Mannina. As the pedestrian approached the car, Mannina said, the driver opened fire, hitting him.
Witnesses called police and gave a description of the vehicle and shooter, Mannina said. A short time later, police patrolling the area near the Embarcadero spotted the car, he said.
"They were involved in a pursuit, and the man stopped at Mission and Montgomery (streets) and took off on foot," Mannina said. "He was taken into custody at Jessie and Annie (streets)."
The victim is being treated for his injuries but is expected to survive, Mannina said. The suspect's name will be released once he is booked into custody, he added.


Well the countdown for Christmas is on…. An exciting time for getting together with family and friends and undoubtedly an opportunity to count our blessings!
All you need to do is secure your rider position in a Workshop, Clinic or Course in 2019 before Friday December 14th 5pm!
That means you have 4 weeks to schedule your 2019 horsemanship before we head into that season where family and friends become a priority! You name will go in the draw the same number of times as the number of days you book into!
To book your spots email us info@parelli.com.au or call us on 024630 9443 & we will email you an application form.
Thanks again, for the incredible support you have ALL shown us this year!


Mother's Day is almost upon us and it's time to start looking for that something special for the person to whom you owe your existence. Finding the right gift for Mom can be challenging but this is not due to a lack of ideas. These days, there are a ton of sites to recommend, design and customize gifts that are perfect for Mother's Day or any occasion, for that matter.
But sometimes you want to think beyond personalized tea towels and foot creams. And if Mom has just finished a round of spring cleaning, you may not want to add to her clutter with another vase or home accessory.
Thoughtful gifts based on memories or experiences, however, are special and stand out in the gifting milieu of our times.
Want to give Mom a gift she will truly cherish? How about a beautiful old print of the two of you enclosed in a vintage card? If you have the perfect image but it is faded or ripped, don't give up on it. A good photo restoration service can fix any blemishes and make your favorite photo look whole and new again. Go through your family archives for other priceless memories that could use a face lift. Mom will love receiving a set of expertly restored memories – backed up on a disk or printed out in a collage or scrapbook.
Another way to give print photos a new lease of life is to digitize them. Digitization frees photos from shoe boxes and old albums and gets them into a format that's easier to share and work with. If you know Mom has an outsize print photo collection that she has been wanting to do something about, she would definitely appreciate a gift card to a quality and reliable photo scanning service. That may be all it takes to unleash the family historian and digital scrapbooker in her.
Although digital frames have been around for a while, they have not always lived up to their promise as photo display devices. That seems to have changed now. As this article in the Wall Street Journal explains, many of the issues with the old generation of frames have been resolved in newer editions. Recent reviews, such as this one from the Wirecutter, rate the Nixplay Seed highly for ''people who want to display pictures uploaded wirelessly from their smartphones, hard drives, or social media and cloud storage accounts." What makes it ideal as a gift is a feature that allows others to share their pictures directly to it. So, the next time you want to make Mom smile, you can light up her digital frame with the latest pictures you just took – of her granddaughter digging for fossils in the park, or of that beautiful sunset from your new apartment.
And what about giving her the ability to easily print some of those photos? That's a wildly throwback idea today when we are awash in digital images. But the success of instant print cameras like the Fujimax Instax prove that there is still a market and need for retro magic in our world. Printing and holding a physical photo in our hands qualifies as one such experience.
A little portable photo printer like the Polaroid Zip is a great gift idea for Mother's Day. It will allow her to make small prints of her favorite photos to display on her fridge or pin onto a bulletin board. Don't worry that it might be too much of a geek gadget for Mom. The Zip actually comes in a couple of bright colors, apart from black and white. Give it to her with a colorful bouquet of flowers and a starter supply of Polaroid Zink printer paper. It's likely to be one of those little gadgets she'll really appreciate owning.
Subscriptions are a great way to introduce Mom to services and products she hasn't tried before.
This list from Techcrunch, although far from comprehensive and not entirely aimed at women, covers the main ones across a few categories. Apart from the ones that ship you physical goodies on a monthly basis, there are several digital subscription services worth checking out. Granted, a Dropbox account or Amazon Prime membership, useful though they may be, sound too pedestrian. But with a little bit of digging, you are sure to unearth something that's perfect for Mom. If she is a movie buff, for example, she may enjoy streaming her weekend movie fix through Filmstruck with its curated collection of Indie, foreign and cult films that can't be found anywhere else. If music is her jam, then help her stay on top of the latest artist releases with an Apple music subscription. Both of these currently cost around $10 for a one month subscription. On the other hand, if you think it would make her happier to get a pretty hamper filled with gourmet cooking sauces, fine teas or handmade stationery, there are again plenty of options here. With most of them, you can choose a plan and duration that fits the product and your budget.
There are many more ideas where these came from. The point is that it doesn't have to be too hard or expensive to find a gift that keeps giving and makes Mom happy – for months after Mother's Day.
We all know that if we could we would get the moon and stars for are mothers but since that's not possible we resort to sentimental and thoughtful gifts as you mentioned above in the blog. Very informative and useful.


The Book of Destiny – In Psalm 139 v. 13-24, David talked about us in the womb of our mothers. In v. 16, David mentioned that Elohim saw us in the womb and even though our "substance" was imperfect, in His book all are members are written. They were "fashioned to continuance." He is speaking here about our destiny. YAHweh knows our end from the beginning. He knows that we will make it if we let Him have His way. So, no matter how you feel today in the natural, YAHweh will enable you to achieve your destiny. Just trust in Him! Don't be fooled by the natural. His super will overtake the natural (supernatural)!
The Book of Life – If you are saved, your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life! In Rev. 3 v. 5, John says that the names of overcomers will not be blotted out of the Book of Life.
The Book of Works – In Rev. 20 v. 12-14, John talks about that the dead will be judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. People whose names are in the Book of Life will be judged for rewards and those who are going to hell will be judged too. There are different compartments of Hell, different levels of torture.
Book of Tears – In Psalm 56 v. 8-13, the psalmist says that YAHweh puts our tears in a bottle and in His book.
a.) Fear YAHweh- One has to fear YAHweh and His judgment. One has to think twice about committing a sin, because YAHweh will be displeased. To not obey Him, is something to be feared.
b.) Those that speak often to each other about YAHweh. YAHweh is so pleased when we praise Him to others; when we tell about His goodness. If two people are engaged and don't speak well of their fiancée to others they probably will never be married. If they criticize each other to others, it is a bad sign. How can we expect to go with Him in the Rapture and marry Him, if we don't sound like we love Him when talking to others? It also helps us to stay close to Him by sharing what He has done for us to others. It also helps us to stay delivered from our sinful habits by testifying about how He set us free!
c.) Think about His Name(YAHweh)- when we realize that all of YAHweh's power is in His Name and that His Name has been given to us as a weapon against the enemy, we should rejoice. We need to meditate on His Name. Our protection, health, purpose and destiny are all contained in His Name, YAHweh! Jump into His Name like a child would jump into their Daddy's arms!
In this chapter in v. 16, He says that those that exhibit these characteristics will be in the Book of Remembrance. In v. 17, He says that these people will be His when makes up His jewels. This term "make up jewels" really means to "take a journey." This is talking about the Rapture. He says in the same verse that He will "spare them." This is talking about being delivered from the Great Tribulation. Do you see how important it is to have your name written in the Book of Remembrance?
In Acts 10 v. 4, the angel that appeared to Cornelius said that his prayers and alms have come before YAHweh as a memorial. Here are some more requirements to having one's name written in the Book of Remembrance; in v. 2, we see that he feared YAHweh, again going back to Malachi. In v. 2, the word says that he was devout. We need to stand for holiness in every aspect of our lives. Any problems that we may be having in the flesh we need to turn over to Him. We, through the Spirit can mortify the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8 v. 13). We are powerless against sin without Him. We have to turn over our weaknesses to Him. Only He can make our weaknesses to be strengths! In order to maintain a walk of holiness, we need to go into the Epistles (Romans – Revelation) and apply scriptures to our lives verbally. We need to speak them into our lives. This is how we cleanse ourselves!
In Acts 10 v. 4, as I mentioned, the angel also says that His prayers and alms are come before YAHweh as a memorial. Our prayer life and giving, not only in terms of finances, but giving our time to Him are so important also in adding to the Book of Remembrance.
Everything we do for Jesus in the areas that I mentioned in this message will add to this Book of Remembrance. Just like with Mordecai; He had saved the king's life and this act was written the King's Chronicle Book. God kept the king awake one night and had him open the book to the page where it was recorded what Mordecai had done (Esther 6 v. 1-3). When Haman came the next day to the King to have Mordecai killed, he was too late! The King had already purposed to bless Mordecai (Esther 6 v. 4-11).
You can see in this message how important it is for our names and deeds to be written in the Book of Remembrance. So many think that that just because their names are written in the Book of Life, that they will go in the Rapture and be married to YAHshua. They are sadly mistaken! This life here is a courtship between YAHshua and us!
My prayer is that you will seek YAHweh on this message and that you will ask Him to help make sure that you and your deeds are in the Book of Remembrance. Remember, I am not talking about going to heaven; I am talking about the Rapture and being married to YAHshua! We will have a seven year wedding with Him, when the rest of the world is in the Great Tribulation! Even the saints that go through the Tribulation won't be included in the Marriage ceremony! I will summarize the requirements again: Fear YAHweh, speak often one to another about Him, think about His Name, continue a holy walk (with His help), have an active prayer life and give to God, not only in finances but also, time.


According to reports, the couple (pictured above) were forced to walk naked on Thursday 19th September at Orokam, Obadigbo Local Government area of Benue State.
The woman is said to be the wife of a popular school proprietor in the area -the porpietor passed on Tuesday and barely two days after she was caught with another man.
After being caught, they were taken to the town's oracle – oracle called "ALEKWU" which punishes married women who cheat on their husbands and also deters people from committing atrocities.
To punish the couple, the oracle instructed that them to walk the town naked to cleanse the land; after which the woman was sent back to her father's house and banned from attending her husband's funeral.