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Parse the Facts As You Wish…The Statute is Running!
By Andrew Lavoott Bluestone on October 24, 2016
Posted in Legal Malpractice Basics
Gerschel v Christensen 2016 NY Slip Op 06794 Decided on October 18, 2016 Appellate Division, First Department brings up the inexplicable question of why plaintiffs wait so long to bring an action. A trust dissolves, and plaintiffs don't get their money. They have either 3 or 6 years in which to sue. However, nine years go by. Why?
"The motion court providently exercised its discretion by accepting defense counsel's excuse that he failed to make a timely motion to dismiss the amended complaint on behalf of defendants.
Except as to the tenth cause of action, defendants "set forth facts sufficient to make out a prima facie showing of a meritorious defense" (Bergen v 791 Park Ave. Corp., 162 AD2d 330, 331 [1st Dept 1990]). Plaintiffs' claims for legal malpractice, negligence, conversion, unjust enrichment, and constructive trust accrued at the time of their injury; these claims are not subject to a discovery rule (see e.g. McCoy v Feinman, 99 NY2d 295, 301 [2002] [malpractice]; Playford v Phelps Mem. Hosp. Ctr., 254 AD2d 471, 471-472 [2d Dept 1998], lv denied 93 NY2d 806 [1999] [negligence]; Vigilant Ins. Co. of Am. v Housing Auth. of City of El Paso, Tex., 87 NY2d 36, 44 [1995] [conversion]; Kaufman v Cohen, 307 AD2d 113, 127 [1st Dept 2003] [unjust enrichment]; Knobel v Shaw, 90 AD3d 493, 496 [1st Dept 2011] [constructive trust]). The statute of limitations for malpractice, negligence, and conversion is three years (McCoy, 99 NY2d at 301; Playford, 254 AD2d at 471; Vigilant, 87 NY2d at 44); that for unjust enrichment and constructive trust is six years (Knobel, 90 AD3d at 495-496). Plaintiffs were injured in November 2001, when the Bella Meyer Trust and Francine Meyer de Camaret Trust were dissolved and plaintiffs failed to receive their share of the distributions therefrom. Thus, the statutes of limitation ran either in November 2004 or November 2007, depending on the cause of action. Plaintiffs did not sue until September 2010."
"Where "an allegation of fraud is essential to a breach of fiduciary duty claim" (IDT Corp. v Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co., 12 NY3d 132, 139 [2009]), the statute of limitations is six years (id.), and "[t]he discovery accrual rule … applies" (Kaufman, 307 AD2d at 122). Two of the plaintiffs submitted affidavits saying they did not know until early September 2008 that the trusts had been distributed in 2001. On the other hand, plaintiffs' father submitted an affidavit [*2]saying that his sons were aware that distributions had been made by or before 2003. Where, as here, "[i]ssues of fact are created in the affidavits submitted on behalf of the opposing parties" (Bishop v Galasso, 67 AD2d 753 [3d Dept 1979]), a defendant can establish a meritorious defense and is entitled to have a default judgment vacated (id.).
When a plaintiff alleges fraud or constructive fraud (cf. Colon v Banco Popular N. Am., 59 AD3d 300, 301 [1st Dept 2009]), "[a] cause of action for negligent misrepresentation accrues on the date of the alleged misrepresentation which is relied upon by the plaintiff" (Fandy Corp. v Lung-Fong Chen, 262 AD2d 352, 353 [2d Dept 1999]). The complaint does not allege that defendants made any misrepresentation on which plaintiffs relied."
Andrew Lavoott Bluestone
Andrew Lavoott Bluestone has been an attorney for 40 years, with a career that spans criminal prosecution, civil litigation and appellate litigation. Mr. Bluestone became an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County in 1978, entered private practice in 1984 and in 1989 opened…
Andrew Lavoott Bluestone has been an attorney for 40 years, with a career that spans criminal prosecution, civil litigation and appellate litigation. Mr. Bluestone became an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County in 1978, entered private practice in 1984 and in 1989 opened his private law office and took his first legal malpractice case.
Since 1989, Bluestone has become a leader in the New York Plaintiff's Legal Malpractice bar, handling a wide array of plaintiff's legal malpractice cases arising from catastrophic personal injury, contracts, patents, commercial litigation, securities, matrimonial and custody issues, medical malpractice, insurance, product liability, real estate, landlord-tenant, foreclosures and has defended attorneys in a limited number of legal malpractice cases.
Bluestone also took an academic role in field, publishing the New York Attorney Malpractice Report from 2002-2004. He started the "New York Attorney Malpractice Blog" in 2004, where he has published more than 4500 entries.
Mr. Bluestone has written 38 scholarly peer-reviewed articles concerning legal malpractice, many in the Outside Counsel column of the New York Law Journal. He has appeared as an Expert witness in multiple legal malpractice litigations.
Mr. Bluestone is an adjunct professor of law at St. John's University College of Law, teaching Legal Malpractice. Mr. Bluestone has argued legal malpractice cases in the Second Circuit, in the New York State Court of Appeals, each of the four New York Appellate Divisions, in all four of the U.S. District Courts of New York and in Supreme Courts all over the state. He has also been admitted pro haec vice in the states of Connecticut, New Jersey and Florida and was formally admitted to the US District Court of Connecticut and to its Bankruptcy Court all for legal malpractice matters. He has been retained by U.S. Trustees in legal malpractice cases from Bankruptcy Courts, and has represented municipalities, insurance companies, hedge funds, communications companies and international manufacturing firms. Mr. Bluestone regularly lectures in CLEs on legal malpractice.
Based upon his professional experience Bluestone was named a Diplomate and was Board Certified by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys in 2008 in Legal Malpractice. He remains Board Certified. He was admitted to The Best Lawyers in America from 2012-2019. He has been featured in Who's Who in Law since 1993.
In the last years, Mr. Bluestone has been featured for two particularly noteworthy legal malpractice cases. The first was a settlement of an $11.9 million dollar default legal malpractice case of Yeo v. Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman which was reported in the NYLJ on August 15, 2016. Most recently, Mr. Bluestone obtained a rare plaintiff's verdict in a legal malpractice case on behalf of the City of White Plains v. Joseph Maria, reported in the NYLJ on February 14, 2017. It was the sole legal malpractice jury verdict in the State of New York for 2017.
Bluestone has been at the forefront of the development of legal malpractice principles and has contributed case law decisions, writing and lecturing which have been recognized by his peers. He is regularly mentioned in academic writing, and his past cases are often cited in current legal malpractice decisions. He is recognized for his ample writings on Judiciary Law § 487, a 850 year old statute deriving from England which relates to attorney deceit.
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About Andrew Bluestone
I opened my own law office in 1989, The Law Firm of Andrew Lavoott Bluestone. During that period I have tried both plaintiff and defendant cases, in general negligence, commercial litigation, medical malpractice, attorney malpractice [both plaintiff's and uninsured defendants], as well as real estate matters, landlord-tenant matters. In 2015 I was appointed Adjunct Professor of Law at St. John's University, School of Law.
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The Law Office of Andrew Lavoott Bluestone
233 Broadway, 27th Floor
The law firm of Andrew Lavoott Bluestone represents litigants in Attorney Malpractice, Professional Malpractice and Civil Litigation.
Mr. Bluestone has achieved Diplomate status by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys and is Board Certified* in Legal Malpractice.
Established in 1989, this office has represented clients across New York State.
In 2015 Mr. Bluestone was appointed Adjunct Professor of Law at St. John's University, School of Law.
Copyright © 2020, Andrew L. Bluestone. All Rights Reserved.


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Moratorij (kasnolat.), vremensko je razdoblje u kojem se odgađa izvršavanje svih legalnih obveza i otplate duga.

To je mjera državnih vlasti kojom na određeno ili neodređeno vrijeme odgađa plaćanje svih dugova ili samo dugova određene vrste. Ova mogućnost katkad postoji i u sudskoj praksi da odgodi pojedinačna plaćanja.

Koristi se samo u određenim (teškim) vremenima kada je zbog objektivnih razloga otplata duga nemoguća većem broju dužnika, poput teških gospodarskih kriza, ratova i sl. U širem smislu odustanak od provedbe neke odluke i sl.

Izvori
 Opća i nacionalna enciklopedija

Pravo

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Amid the best tourist places in Kasauli, Gilbert Trail is one of the famous places in Kasauli famous as one of the most picturesque trails in the Kasauli region. It is one of the prime places near Kasauli to visit and take a short walk in the lap of the placid and lovely nature around. With other Kasauli attractions, this picturesque place lures millions of travelers who like go close to nature. With a better tourist environment around, this off-track destination is one of the most visiting places in Kasauli. People interested in discovering Kasauli sightseeing places and top Kasauli tourist attraction places will find this place that falls within the army area as one of the best sightseeing places in Kasauli. If you plan the best places in Kasauli to see, you should include this place on the top of your things to do list. When you think of visiting Kasauli, rest assured that your Kasauli sightseeing package has this bird watchers' destination as a part of sightseeing at Kasauli.
Kasauli tourist location has many incredible tourist places like Gilbert Trail and other places to visit in Kasauli. Gilbert Trail is also one of the famous places in Kasauli to visit for holidays with your family or friends. Kasauli weather and temperature in Kasauli both offers good and perfect cozy environment to travellers to travel best places to visit in Kasauli in the least amount of time. This helps tourist explore most of the places to visit near Kasauli and around in less time as compared to other climatic conditions.Gilbert Trail tourist place offers really some nice landscapes capturing live moments like Animals in The Forest, Water in The Mountains, and Fun in The Sun. Hotels in Kasauli provide good and comfortable stay to traveller. Gilbert Trail travellers can enjoy the SUN's scorching rays, water activities, nature's beauty, serendipity around etc. There are lots of Kasauli honeymoon places for newly married couples or those who got engaged recently can try for a Kasauli honeymoon package from ClearHolidays™ Travel App.
ClearHolidays help traveller explore and discover the most beautiful places around which are highly rated tourist spots in Kasauli. Find the best Kasauli holiday packages from that help you stay in top resorts in Kasauli. Gilbert Trail distance from Kasauli is short and travelers can step out from their Kasauli hotels to explore more and discover some of the most beautiful places near Jana Waterfall. There are so many places to visit near Kasauli like Gilbert Trail that will make your Kasauli trip a memorable one. Don't forget to check out the current temperature in Kasauli before booking a tour package to Kasauli. This tourist place is full of best Kasauli hotels offering really affordable tour	packages and holiday packages with good itineraries like sightseeing, including best nearby places, best restaurants, best outdoor activities, and best things to do in Kasauli. Download ClearHolidays™ travel app and book favorite tour packages or holiday packages within your travel budget. Enjoy affordable tour packages and cheap flights only on www.clearholidays.com.
Explore best and famous things to do in Gilbert Trail. Kasauli places to visit offers top and best things to see in Gilbert Trail,Kasauli. Gilbert Trail offers best outdoor activies Burma Bridge, Camping, Paragliding, Trekking, Zip-lining in Himachal Pradesh.


Rantings of a father of six as he tries to share life's lessons with his kids.
1. I will not live forever.
It's sort of like when my first car, a 1971 Buick Riviera, hit 100,000 miles it didn't instantly die but just slowly fell apart. I think the 100k mark in domesticated males may be 50 yrs, but after that they either become well cared for classics or rust buckets. I personally plan to be the former, but understand that replacement parts will be harder to find and much more expensive as the years go by.
I want to be clear on the onset of this blog, I intend to live forever.
But my intentions have sometimes been much different then my reality. I intended to be retired and enjoying a life of leisure and travel by 50, although my reality is much better, it is much different than I expected when I was 30. So in a very real way this blog represents an insurance policy against my expectation of immortality and whatever reality life extends to me.
The audience this blog is aimed at is my children.
I have a lot of them 6- ages 8 through 23 at this writing. Some of my blog entries will targeted at a particular child ( named or unnamed), some at the boys, some at the girls, and some generally at all of them. These blogs are written to them and for them, and if others either enjoy them or are offended by them it is an untended consequence of my main mission of sharing my life's lessons with my children.
My entries are Rules that I have learned about life. I've named the blog the "2 Cat Rule" after rule number # 37 , and a personal favorite. I don't know how many Rules there will be in tota. I am numbering them in importance from 1 to 1000. But reserve the right to use sub-parts (for example #42c) when I want to expand on a prior rule or just squeeze a rule in between #52 and #53. I am not going in number order because I rarely think in order of priority, rather my thoughts are more random muses on life's lessons as they are reveled to me or more accurately as I remember to write them down.
There will be a natural curiosity about what the # 1 rule is, and so not to over-promise I want to state right now I do not intend to release the # 1 rule till after my death ( should the immortality thing not work out). I know what that number rule is and have in fact written it. Hopefully it will be revealed through the many other rules, but for now I can only say that it is the guiding principal to my life and one which needs to be understood with the reflection my entire life.
I am one of the worst spellers and editors in the world. I have often found it possible to spell a word 2 or 3 different ways in a single project- I do not anticipate this project being different. You will get my points, and if an incorrect application of the English language annoys you I encourage you to make edits and submit your changes in triplicate to my blog email at Dad@2catrule.com. I intend to ignore them and make no edits, but if it brings you happiness please send your suggestions.
A couple final thoughts on this introduction.
I have been truly blessed by having children who make me proud everyday. I could not be more grateful for not only having great kids but having a loving partner in Bobbi with whom to share them. God has been very good to me- and I need you understand before I enter the first Rule that my love for you each individually and as a family is my defining life experience. It is the thing that makes me want to live forever.
I hope you laugh and learn from my thoughts and rules, but most of all I want you to understand how much you are loved.
And with that in mind…..
It's amazing something so simple can truly make an impact on someone's day! You rock!


We hear a lot about the TOP500 this time of year out of ISC Hamburg, but you may be wondering how the German supercomputing fared this time. It looks like MEGWARE out of Chemnitz is the leader with three projects in the TOP500: ABEL, MOGON and VSC-2.
The HPC-Cluster MOGON, which was installed at the University of Mainz in the past weeks, is in place #81 with 33,792 processor cores and 204.99 Tflop/s. It takes 8th place among the German HPC systems. The ABEL-Cluster at the University of Oslo, which MEGWARE also installed in the past weeks, is ranked #96 with its 10,080 cores and 178.6 Tflop/s. The third MEGWARE system is the VSC-2. Austriaís most powerful supercomputer has been in operation at the Technical University of Vienna since May 2011. Last year it got started in 56th place. Currently, it is in 117th place.


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Ross County Jail could now cost up to $9.4 million, almost double original price
Justin Reutter
CHILLICOTHE – Ross County Commissioners have received a guaranteed maximum price on the Ross County Jail project Monday, in the latest installment of a long running saga.
Columbus-based Elford Inc. has given Ross County a $9,369,039 guaranteed maximum price on the project.
The project includes work completed to the entry plaza, replacement work on the cement plaster, replacement of existing cell windows and detention doors, frames, hinges and locks, kitchen renovations, replacement of existing elevators and cell toilets, completion of the roof renovations, completion of the renovations to the exterior walkways, installation of flat roof edge components, metal flashing, replacing all of the metal roof and other renovations.
This represents an increase in price from the $5.5 million price tag presented in 2018, before Palmetto Construction withdrew its workforce and defaulted on the project.
"There's a lot of things that have to be redone, some things that have to be taken out and put back in, material costs have gone up considerably in the last couple years," said Commissioner Douglas Corcoran.
The commissioners also had to add in a generator replacement, which cost more than $360,000 by itself.
More on the Ross County Jail project
$5.5 million Ross County Jail project a year behind; contractor quits
Commissioners closing in on deal in law enforcement center project
Ross County Commissioners suing over jail project
Construction woes have led to overtime, leaks at Ross County Jail
The estimated final completion date of the project is Oct. 13, 2021. Work is slated to start on the outside of the jail in early September, according to Ross County Administrator Brad Cosenza.
While work will proceed with the new contractor, the commissioners are attempting to recover between $4 million and $5 million in a lawsuit against Palmetto and Ohio Farmers Insurance Company (OFIC), said Commissioner Steve Neil.
"We're trying to recover other damages other than just the additional cost, we've had to send prisoners to other counties to keep the population down ... some of those other costs added up to about $5 million," said Neil.
Palmetto Construction withdrew from the project in Feb. 2019, four months after the original completion date in October 2018. In Dec. of that year, Palmetto had submitted a proposal with $3.2 million in changes the commissioners rejected.
Palmetto had pushed the final starting date back several times, with the final date given being Nov. 2019.
At the time they defaulted, about $1.2 million had already been paid to Palmetto, and only about 25 percent of the necessary work had been completed, according to commissioners.
Palmetto also abandoned a $5.1 million project for a new visitors center at Hocking Hills and a $3.7 million firehouse project in Truro Township, Franklin County on the same day they left the jail project.

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History of genealogical study
Oral tradition and biblical sources
Early written records
Modern genealogy
With the invention of writing, the oral became the written tradition. This occurred in Greece and Rome, where genealogies were recorded in poems and in histories. But genealogy did not at this stage become a science, because when writers dealt with it, they did so either incidentally in their narrative or because they were concerned with the family relationships of their gods.
The historian Edward Gibbon's observation that "the proudest families are content to lose in the darkness of the middle ages, the tree of their pedigree" may be challenged in the light of recorded genealogies. The male line of Charlemagne has been traced to St. Arnulf, bishop of Metz, who died about 635. Several royal line descents are traceable to the 6th century, as, in England, is the tree of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten. The ancestry of Queen Elizabeth II goes to Egbert of Wessex (about 825), beyond him to Cerdic (c. 500), and, if another series of names is accepted, to Woden (an actual man later divinized by the Germans), in the 3rd century ce.
With the conversion of the peoples of Ireland, Wales, and England to Christianity, the recording of their regal traditions began. It was natural for the first chroniclers, who were mostly monks, to write down the oral pedigrees of the kings in whose realms they lived. Students of the Irish regal pedigrees are prepared to accept two or three generations before the time of St. Patrick (flourished 5th century ce) as genuine, and it is quite probable that name lists of the Irish kings are valid back to the 3rd century ce. Similarly, in Wales, the ancestry of the greatest Welsh families can be traced for a millennium. Among the Anglo-Saxons there were similar bardic pedigrees recorded by monastic scribes, and many of these might have survived but for the destruction of the Old English ruling class during the Norman Conquest. A regular feature of such old pedigrees recorded by monks was an attempt to link them with the genealogies of the Scriptures. In an Anglo-Saxon pedigree of great length—that of the kings of Wessex (the ancestors of Elizabeth II)—the line is thus traced to Sceaf, "a son of Noah born in the Ark." In the process of working out the connection between scriptural and regal genealogies, the monks adopted a reverse technique to that of the 4th-century-bce Greek mythographer Euhemerus; i.e., they downgraded the old gods to human status.
See an old manuscript representing the detailed family tree of Elizabeth I from Edward III
The family tree of English royalty from Edward III to Elizabeth I, as depicted in an old manuscript.
Courtesy of Folger Shakespeare Library; CC-BY-SA 4.0 (A Britannica Publishing Partner) See all videos for this article
From roughly 1100 to 1500, the emphasis of genealogists was on pedigrees of royal and noble lines. Claims to a throne, as with the dozen or so claimants to the Scottish crown after the death of Alexander III in 1286 and of his direct heir, Margaret the Maid of Norway in 1290, frequently involved genealogical trees. The truth was sometimes bent to suit some political end, but, on the whole, medieval European records are genealogically valid. This is because they were not primarily intended to supply genealogical information but to record land transactions, taxation, and lawsuits. The facts of family history are incidental and are therefore generally reliable. Exact dates of birth, marriage, and death are rarely given. A man is said to be of age "by Michaelmas 1330."
This period also saw the emergence of pedigrees of lesser folk. Land transactions involved claims in the local courts of the lords. Serfdom gave way to villenage; the latter involved so many days of labour on the lord's demesne and also the inability to move from the estate without the lord's consent. There was strong inducement for a man to prove that he was not a villein and for the bailiff to show that he was. In several parts of England, pedigrees of villeins or persons claimed as such have been worked out over periods of 100–150 years.
It was during the third period in European genealogical history that records that came to include everyone began. This period extends from 1500 to the present. As feudalism gradually gave way, new classes of citizens arose. In England the appearance of a powerful mercantile and business community was reflected in the growth of the middle classes, from which was continually recruited a new nobility and gentry. In turn, owing to the English rule of inheritance by primogeniture and the fact that unlike the continental nobility English nobility has never extended beyond the reigning peer and his wife, the middle classes themselves continually received the younger children of peers and gentry. Two other factors leading to the proliferation of records were the enormous changes caused by the Reformation and the great reemphasis on individual religion and the desire of Renaissance monarchs to have more exact information about all their subjects.


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Local nursery catering for all of your nursery needs for babies and children from 3 months to 5 years, located just off Wanstead high street.
They offer Indoor activities, arts and crafts, face painting, mask making, board games, team games, outdoor activities, nature trails picnics, outings, walks in the forest and much more.
Price includes breakfast, a cooked lunch and afternoon tea.


Solar Blankets are for summer use and very effectively warm the water and control evaporation. However, these covers are not intended to keep out leaves or debris. If you require a winter cover, you would be best to consider our Leaf & Debris Cover or Winter Shutdown Cover.
Not all solar blankets are created equal. We regularly receive calls and emails from people who were lured into buying cheap imported blankets. These blankets rapidly break down in the Australian sun and often require replacement after only 12 months of use.
The Australian manufactured Daisy 400 and Daisy 525 solar covers feature the Ultradome Bubble and are the best solar blankets that money can buy. They are respectively backed by 5 and 10 year warranties. Please choose your blanket carefully and avoid cheap imitations.
How do solar blankets work?
Solar blankets look like bubble wrap and float freely on the top of a pool without tie-downs or anchors to hold them in place. The sun's rays are collected through the translucent bubbles to heat the water during the day. The more light that enters the pool, the more heat that will be collected. Light colored covers are better solar collectors than dark colors!
Evaporation is not only a waste of precious water. It is the major cause of heat loss from your pool. Solar Blankets reduce evaporation by up to 95%, both saving water and warming your pool. Heat is also lost by radiation to the atmosphere, mostly by night. The sealed air bubbles in solar blankets act as an insulator to reduce radiation to the cold night air. The combined result is a 5 – 10 degree increase in your pool temperature and a water saving of up to 10 000 litres per year!
Solar Blankets are normally supplied with a roller system for ease of removal, easy storage and proper care of your cover. Rollers can either be stationary or supplied with casters so the cover can be simply wheeled out of the way when not in use.
Daisy is the largest wholesaler of Solar Blankets in Australia and offers a fully Australian manufactured, quality cover. The material comes in 400 and 525 micron thickness, which is pro-rata warranted for 5 years and 10 years respectively. The thickness of the material does not significantly alter the heat collection or heat retention of the cover, but the thicker material is more durable and will have a longer lifespan.
The Daisy 525 cover is recommended for most pools because of its long service life. However, on larger pools where the weight of the cover is a greater consideration, the Daisy 400 will be easier to manage. Some companies are now offering a 600 micron blanket. This product is not recommended because it is too stiff, heavy and difficult to roll.
The service life of a quality Australian made Daisy solar blanket will vary depending upon your situation but can certainly be in excess of 10 years. In comparison, cheap imported covers usually only last for 1 or 2 seasons.
A solar blanket is a relatively easy DIY task and many customers choose to save money by installing the cover themselves. The cover is supplied as an oversize rectangle or other basic shape. To install, simply lay it over the pool and cut to shape with a pair of scissors using the perimeter as a guide. Sharp scissors will easily glide through the material. The roller is then assembled and attached to the cover. Please see our self-installation video below. Instructions for obtaining the correct pool measurements are also provided at the bottom of this page.
We provide a full measure and installation service option within our service areas.
Daisy ST Roller spans a pool which has obstructions at each end.
It is important to realize that although any cover will reduce some of the leaves & debris from entering your pool, the purpose of a solar pool cover is not for pool cleanliness. Much of the leaves and dirt will still get into the pool with a solar cover fitted.
The purpose of the solar cover is to reduce evaporation and to keep your pool warm. If you require protection from leaves and debris, we suggest our Leaf & Debris Cover or Winter Shutdown Cover. In particular, the Leaf & Debris Cover is effective in conjunction with a solar blanket.
The Solar Blanket alone is not child safe and it is possible that a child falling into the pool will be trapped beneath the cover with disastrous results. The Solar Blanket can be installed in conjunction with Pool Safety Net to provide an effective safety barrier. See photo.
Daisy 525TC (Titanium Cool) is the premium product for indoor heated pools or outdoor pools in hot climates where solar heating is not desirable. A normal solar blanket is translucent to maximize solar collection from the sun. A non heating cover is not designed to collect heat, but rather, to retain it. The Daisy 525TC Cover is almost totally opaque to minimise algae growth in the heated water environment.
The Daisy 525TC Cover is silver grey on top so it's pleasing to the eye.and is warranted for a period of 10 years.
The Daisy Under Bench Seat Hidden Solar Roller combines practicality and style to transform your pool roller into useful seating. Simple yet stylish, the UBR is not just a roller, but a practical addition to your poolside furniture. Available in aluminium or a choice of wood look finishes, this roller will look stunning on your pool deck. Be sure to ask us to quote the UBR option when making your enquiry.
A stationary roller will generally be the best choice because it is more stable and lower profile. A stationary roller can easily be moved a short distance by picking up and "swinging" each end back from the pool. Except on a really large pool, the roller/cover combination will not be heavy when handled in this manner and the task can be quickly and easily achieved by one person. Prefer the roller out of sight? See our Under Bench Roller option below.
For most pools we recommend the Daisy ST or Daisy SQ Roller, both of which have a 10 year pro-rata warranty.
Boutique roller options are the Daisy Electric Power Pool Cover Roller or the 316 ST Stainless Steel Roller. The Electric Power Roller provides the ultimate easy off solution and is available with optional solar panel or as a retrofit kit for the standard ST model. Alternatively, the 316 ST Stainless Steel Roller will be a stunning feature in your pool area. Let us quote these boutique options for you.
We would be delighted to provide our expert advice to find the perfect pool cover solution for you. Please contact Just Covers to explore the possibilities and arrange for your free quotation.


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Democrats Debate How to Give "Free" Stuff to More People
The first night of this month's Democratic debates provided rapid-fire exchanges on health care, made more complicated by CNN debate moderators who rarely gave candidates time to explain their positions clearly. But the overall tenor of the debate seemed clear: Promising free stuff to voters.
Health care consumed a fair portion of the debate's first hour. Following lengthy exchanges in the first segment, another extended discussion on electability in the second segment revolved around health care—specifically the provision in Sen. Bernie Sanders' single-payer bill that would make private health coverage "unlawful."
Sanders and his fellow Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sparred with other, more moderate candidates—Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), Rep. John Delaney (D-MD), and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg—about the feasibility of banning the private coverage that most Americans currently have, and like. Warren won applause from the audience, and likely from the liberal base, with her (self-)righteous anger at these criticisms, decrying Democrats' use of "Republican talking points" about "taking away health care," and attacking Delaney for "talk[ing] about what we really can't do and shouldn't fight for."
But partisan attacks aside, the debates showed more similarities than differences, on two key fronts. First, even candidates like Buttigieg and former congressman Robert Francis O'Rourke (D-TX) said they want to move everyone onto a government-run health plan—they just want to do it in a slower and more subtle fashion than Sanders.
When Buttigieg argued that a government-run "public option" would get to single payer eventually, he meant that he would sabotage private coverage to force people into the government system over time. After all, Democrats wouldn't support the creation of such an "option" if they didn't think it would lead to huge enrollment, which they believe can become a self-fulfilling prophecy through policy bias.
Second, candidates to a person offered a virtually pain-free—and often fact-free—vision of health care, one that posed no tough choices to the American people. When Ryan challenged whether Sanders knew the medical benefits under single payer would meet those currently provided to union households, Sanders shot back that "I do know that—I wrote the d-mn bill."
Yet while Sanders sponsored the legislation, he obviously has not read it, calling his proposal "Medicare for All" even though it would explicitly abolish the current Medicare program. Sanders also claimed yet again that his proposal would make health care a human right, even though it would do no such thing. People would have the "right" to have their care paid for if they can find a doctor who will treat them, but they have no explicit "right" to care under his bill.
In a similar manner, Warren refused to admit, despite repeated questioning from the CNN anchors, that taxes on the middle class would go up to pay for everyone's "free" health care. She pledged that total costs would go down, an implicit acknowledgement of the obvious fact that wealthy individuals alone cannot fund a government-run health system costing trillions of dollars annually. But she, like her California Senate colleague Kamala Harris, somehow wants to keep up the fiction that middle-class families can consume all the health care they want without having to pay for any of it in taxes.
Ultimately, one key winner emerged from the debate: Donald Trump. Moderate candidates who have little shot at winning the nomination took multiple shots at the party's leftward lurch that the Trump campaign can easily exploit next summer and fall.
Ryan said "free" health care will encourage more illegal immigration—a position that puts him in agreement with Hillary Clinton. Meanwhile, Delaney (just prior to his smackdown from Warren) said the left proposes plans that are "dead on arrival" and "will never happen."
The more Democrats keep pushing farther and farther to the left—with the debate on outlawing private health insurance a prime example—the better the president's chances of winning re-election. Given the tenor of Tuesday's discussion, the Trump campaign should offer to host, and pay for, another debate for Democratic candidates, as soon as possible.
amy-klobuchar
bernie-sanders
government-run-plan
john-delaney
middle-class-taxes
pete-buttigieg
provider-access
robert-francis-orourke
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tax-increases
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17th Feb 2019 19th Oct 2019 loplopbunny2 Comments on Kingdom Hearts 3: For All Its Heart, Was It Worth The Wait?
Kingdom Hearts 3: For All Its Heart, Was It Worth The Wait?
Hey guys! Having reached the end of this week, it has now been just over two weeks since the release of Kingdom Hearts 3. After nearly 13 years of waiting between the second numbered entry and this most recent chapter, the question remains – how does Kingdom Hearts 3 stack up against its peers, both within its own franchise and when compared to other contemporary games? Well that's exactly what we'll be looking at this week. While I admit I have yet to finish the main campaign, I do currently have a total playtime of 33 hours invested in the game so far, and as such this will be less of a review, and more of a first impressions/ opinion piece on what I find good and not so good about this game so far. This is all my personal opinion and, before I go any further, I will also add a tiny disclaimer – I am a HUGE Kingdom Hearts fanboy. Any positive or negative opinions aside, I will always love this bizarre game franchise regardless, just as I have loved every game in the franchise so far, albeit in very different ways. I am going to try and avoid as many spoilers as possible but please be warned, from here on out there will be a minor spoiler warning, so if you want to experience this game with absolutely no information, then please leave now. With all of that out of the way, it's time to dive down the otaku rabbit hole once again to see what Kingdom Hearts 3 has in store.
The game opens with our hero, Sora, back at it again, only this time he has lost a portion of his powers following the events of Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance. Obviously, then, he needs to rediscover that power, the power of waking, in order for him to restore the 7 Warriors of Light ready for their final confrontation with the 13 Darknesses and the main antagonist of the series – Xehanort. Now, for those of you unfamiliar with the madness that is the Kingdom Hearts series, I can almost guarantee that what you just read made absolutely no sense. A BIG potential drawback for newcomers is the fact that this game takes for granted that its players have an in-depth understanding of the expansive lore surrounding this series, be that from having played the previous games or at least having read up on the Wikipedia summary. To circumvent the inevitable mass confusion that will come from jumping into Kingdom Hearts 3 unprepared, Square Enix have included the Memory Archives, short video summaries of the key events to have come from the previous games, which are incredibly helpful for newcomers while simultaneously providing series veterans with a trip down nostalgia lane. This is also an incredibly useful timesaver as, while this franchise is excellent and definitely worth a play through, there are very few people that have 100-200 hours of disposable time to spend catching up on what lead to this moment.
The Memory Archives
My first impression when I booted up Kingdom Hearts 3 and started my playthrough was, well… I was honestly underwhelmed. After waiting for what felt like an eternity for the newest numbered iteration of my favourite series, this just wasn't what I had been expecting. The opening world, Olympus, was an admittedly lush world filled with diverse vistas and brimming with life, showcasing some impressively mixed weather and, to top it off, added a sense of urgency. Although this world was graphically stunning, showcasing just what the new engine was capable of and what we could expect from this game, my issues came more from the limited character movement options and the world itself, or more specifically, what it lacked.
Mount Olympus, in all its splendour
To compare this opening to the now infamously long and drawn-out Roxas opening of Kingdom Hearts 2, the opening of Kingdom Hearts 3 goes relatively without a hitch, delivering the essential tutorials in a nice pretty package at a steady pace. However, my biggest issue is the fact that, when comparing worlds to Kingdom Hearts 2, there's little need to re-visit these worlds after the first visit – returning more to what we would expect to see from the first Kingdom Hearts. These worlds will receive one long visit from players where they will complete the story of that world, where it can then be discarded and forgotten (unless you want to return to grind experience or synthesis materials). Additionally, these return visits can reveal that the large, overly stuffed worlds are in fact far more linear and smaller in scale than you'd be led to believe. More often than I would care to admit, I would find myself approaching a ledge that I thought would lead to a new area, only to be met with an invisible wall blocking my progress which proved incredibly frustrating. This is made all the worse when you reach a ledge with a chest, make the jump only to discover there's an invisible wall preventing access, meaning you have to find the "correct route" to get there. Additionally, the slow, drip feed of movement abilities did irritate me at first as I found it difficult to traverse certain areas. However, that opinion has since changed. Gaining certain movement, flow-motion or jump abilities as you progress does make you feel as though you are learning through the adventure and is a slow but steady reward for your investment into the game.
Now while it may seem as though I'm being a little harsh, it's because my expectations were so incredibly high to begin with that, when being met with something good instead of great, it was a bit of a let-down. That is ultimately a very personal opinion, however, and shouldn't influence how you view this game.
The worlds of Kingdom Hearts 3 are a bit of a mixed bag for me. The Tangled-inspired world, Kingdom of Corona, which I had very little expectation for upon loading the game, proved to be one of the most well executed and fun worlds that I've played through, being both well developed, engaging and with a story that beautifully blended into Kingdom Hearts. I loved the way that the story we knew from the movie was still there in all its vibrant glory, having been only slightly tweaked to allow Sora, Donald and Goofy to fit better and provide some explanation as to why they would be there. With environments that would range from sprawling open fields filled with flowers and ponds, to dark and oppressive swamps with a feeling of foreboding, this world had it all. The final boss of this world in particular provided one of the real stand-out moments of the game so far for me, with the creation of a powerful Heartless really driving the message home of how these creatures are a by-product of the Darkness, and how terrifying the adversaries you will inevitably face can truly be.
Rapunzel's tower in the Kingdom of Corona – green and beautiful
Now, while I have praised how the developers have handled Tangled, I do feel as though this game's approach to its world-building falls broadly into one of two camps: 1) keep everything the same as the movie, then add Heartless and Sora for some wholesome Kingdom Hearts goodness; 2) have the events act as a sequel/ alternate universe to the original tale to more seamlessly integrate the Disney and Square Enix elements. My preference, for the record, favours the second of these, as it limits the sense that Sora does not belong in a given world. The worst offender I found for Sora feeling shoehorned into the world, was Arendelle, the world inspired by the 2013 smash hit, Frozen. Many people over the years have come to realise that, when considering the first Indiana Jones movie, if the events of that movie had taken place without Indiana Jones ever being present, the events would ultimately have been the same. This is the feeling I got with Arendelle. While the events taking place are relatively entertaining, the Disney characters never interact with Sora in a way that makes him feel important to saving the day. Instead, he runs around a boring snowscape killing Heartless and briefly meets the beloved Frozen cast, before fighting a few bosses that die easily enough and leaving for the next world, without ever leaving a lasting impression on the world. While this doesn't happen in every world, I found that the potential of some worlds was overshadowed by bad pacing or poor integration of Sora and friends into the adventure, making them feel inconsequential.
Sadly, it isn't just Arendelle that falls victim to poor world-building and design at times. As these worlds stand alongside some truly phenomenal worlds with well executed concepts and beautiful scenery, both within Kingdom Hearts 3 and the franchise as a whole, these poorly executed worlds then stand out even more, but for all the wrong reasons. As I've already touched upon, I feel that the worst offender in this game is Arendelle. It has some of the most boring environments, being simply an excuse for developers to make a generic snow world, playing on the success of the movie, with little signs of the imagination and passion vital to make this world into something truly spectacular.
Arendelle, otherwise known as generic snow world #355
The fact that the only environments you visit here are snow-covered mountains, or the inside of an icy labyrinth, plays testament to this fact. Had players been given the opportunity to visit the town of Arendelle and interact with some NPCs and important characters to the story, this may have helped circumvent the overwhelming sense of boredom this world offers and counter the feeling that all parts of Arendelle blended into an indistinguishable blur. The jarring incorporation of the hit songs "Let it Go" as well as "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" also further made this world feel like more of a cash grab rather than a passionately driven portion of the game. Worst of all, when these sections started, I became truly worried that I was about to play another sing-along level, like Kingdom Hearts 2's Atlantica. I'm truly sad to say that this world was ultimately the most disappointing moment for me so far in this game, not because it was bad, but because it was mediocre and much of its potential had been squandered.
Despite all of what I've said so far, this is not a bad game – not even in the slightest. As a result, I think it's time to shift focus away from the negative aspects and instead place some focus on the elements that I find truly fantastic.
Firstly, I must give the story some definite credit. Without giving anything away, I am really enjoying the story so far, and the way that the choice of worlds plays in to the re-discovery of Sora's power, and the importance of the Heart, be that of light or dark. The return of some of the series' most iconic villains from throughout its history, from the first game right through to Dream Drop Distance, is delightful and keeps you wondering who is going to pop up next and is another motive to keep steering you ever forward. While the story is as convoluted as ever, if you're a long-time Kingdom Hearts fan or even if you're just in the mood for something endearing, this complicated story is the furthest thing from a downside and instead plays to its own strength of being charming and full of heart.
The visuals are clean, crisp and run at a constant frame rate that I have never seen dip in my 33 hours of play. The movements of Sora and pals are fluid to the extreme, which really helps maximise the overall player experience. Even in hoard battles, where the screen is filled with enemies and dynamic, flashy attacks, the frame rate is stable. Undeniably, this graphical fidelity is top notch. While I must admit, the new character models can be a little unnerving at first for long-time fans, you quickly grow accustomed to the change and it soon feels like the Kingdom Hearts we all know and love.
One of the many cutscenes of Kingdom Hearts 3, showcasing some of the beautiful character models on offer
Now, on to my personal favourite aspect of the game – the combat and the sheer number of options that it has available. From the first world in the game, you are effectively shown just how dynamic the Kingdom Hearts 3 battle system is going to be. From having the ability to use magic and regular combos using the Keyblade alongside returning Summon abilities, you now have access to Keyblade transformations, flow motion and attraction flow. You will never be without some way to kill your enemy in style. Now, I'm aware that all those terms I just described will make absolutely no sense to the uninitiated, so here we go.
Keyblade Transformations
Sora can equip up to three Keyblades (the iconic weapon of choice) at any given time from his inventory, each of which can transform a set number of times. Similar to the form changes in previous games, only without the limiting form gauge, as you deal damage and rack up combos, a bar is filled which will result in the ability to perform either a super magic or a Keyblade transformation. These transformations do exactly that, changing the physical appearance of the Keyblade and therefore altering how they perform in battle. These transformations are incredibly diverse, ranging from long range arrow-guns, to hammers, magic staves and even yo-yo's.
One of the incredibly flashy and over-the-top Keyblade transformations, this time for the "Ever After"
These transformed states, however, do come with a time limit, having a meter that slowly drains over time. Now, while it is possible to expend this gauge and then continue executing combos to initiate it again, it is often better advised to switch between Keyblades when you activate a transformation, as any transformations remain stored while that specific transformed Keyblade is not in use. This is particularly useful when you come across a tough enemy, where you can switch into a transformation and unleash hell. A personal favourite of mine is the "Ever After" Keyblade from Tangled (surprising, I know), with its ability to become a magic staff with incredible DPS and magic. Some Keyblades will even have a second transformation, meaning that you will have to build the meter twice, but some of these are really worth it for the pay-off. When in their transformed states, Keyblades will have a finisher move that will immediately end the transformation. These moves, while powerful, can either miss entirely or hit hard for some incredible additional damage. How well a Keyblade finisher will work is very much dependent on the Keyblade, but some are certainly better than others.
The Finsher for the "Ever After" – over the top and devastating
Flow motion and shotlocks
A new addition to the game this time is that of the focus bar. This bar is used to execute Keyblade specific, multi-hit attacks known as shotlocks. By holding R1 (on PS4), Sora will enter into a focused state. Here it's possible to target an enemy multiple times or hit multiple enemies at once to unleash a devastating attack. These attacks can vary between Keyblades, and even within Keyblades, with approximately three variations of this attack for each Keyblade. While far from the best way to deal damage, this can help rack up the damage on bigger enemies and provide some well needed damage control in mob battles.
The one of the focus attacks for the "Ever After" – bright, colourful and with massive potential
Flow motion itself also makes a return from Dream Drop Distance, only in watered down form. Certain items in the environment, like poles and branches, allow Sora to swing or bounce off them and execute unique attacks. While not something that will play a role in every battle, they can allow you to bring the pain and change up the combat in some interesting ways. If you see the chance, I'd definitely say it's worth giving it a try to seeing if this style of combat is for you.
Attraction flow
Finally, the most extravagant addition to the combat roster this time around is that of the attraction flow, where you can summon iconic Disney Park rides to use in combat. These can range from the Pirate Ship to the Thunder Mountain Railroad to the Spinning Teacups. While many of these can deal incredible damage and provide Sora with a period of invaluable invincibility, I can't say that I ever willingly choose to switch into these, with them instead being activated by mistake. While not bad by any stretch of the imagination, they don't suit my personal style of playing, as I feel they can slow the action to a snail's pace. They do, however, provide some useful benefits depending on the options available, although, I wouldn't recommend the blaster unless you personally love it, with the FPS view and boring damage-dealing options becoming a real pain when surrounded by enemies, as Sora can still take damage in this mode.
The Blaster Attraction Flow. All are flashy, but maybe avoid using this one
The Keyblades in this game are, quite honestly, fantastic! Upon the completion of each world, you will receive a new Keyblade to play with, each themed around the completed world and that has its own set of transformations and stats. What's unique in this game, however, is that you could, generally speaking, use any three Keyblades acquired at any point that take your fancy, and complete the game with them. Unlike in previous games where earlier Keyblades quickly become outclassed by later Keyblades' stats, in Kingdom Hearts 3 you can upgrade every Keyblade with synthesis materials that you have gathered as you progress, offsetting this issue entirely. The choice of Keyblades used then falls to your personal preference and how you like to play. For example, my playstyle uses a large combination of magic and Keyblade combos, meaning that a relatively balanced setup works well for me. As such, my current setup uses the magically-inclined "Ever After" (Tangled) Keyblade, the physical-focused "Happy Gear" (Monsters Inc.) and the balanced "Hunny Spout" (Winnie the Pooh). I can then switch between them at will to suit whichever situation I find myself facing. It's the small quality of life improvements like this that truly make this game stand apart from others in the franchise. If I did have one complaint, it would be the fact that some Keyblades share some, if not all of their transformations with another Keyblade – the biggest offender being the Winnie the Pooh Keyblade and the Shooting Star Keyblade that have the same exact transformations. While not a huge issue, it is a little disappointing that every Keyblade doesn't have their own unique selling point, but that is a very minor issue in the grand scheme of things.
One of the many Keyblades to be gathered throughout your journey, showing how many forms this Keyblade has, and what playstyle it supports
Kingdom Hearts 3 has been a long time coming and honestly, it was worth the wait. A fun and immersive game, it gives long time fans the experience that they've been waiting for, but is likely to fall victim to its own hype, as 13 years is a long time for hype to build. While not a perfect game, providing a less than ideal jumping-in point for newcomers, there are many things for people to love here. From a personal perspective, I must say that Kingdom Hearts 3 has quickly risen to rank among my top 3 Kingdom Hearts games of all times. If for no other reason, this game is one to check out for its story, gameplay and sense of slightly darkened Disney fun. I for one cannot wat to jump back into the Disney magic and finally find out the conclusion to the Dark Seeker Saga. I have left out a lot of the joys and quirks that there are to be had in this game for spoiler reasons, but please believe me when I say that this review only scratches the surface of what's in store for you should you decide to check out this game. With that, guys, thanks once again for joining me on this journey down the otaku rabbit hole and until next time, keep it weeby!
Loplop x
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE IMAGES USED IN THIS REVIEW. ALL CREDIT FOR THE IMAGES GIVEN TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.
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Categories Gaming ReviewsTags All Things Otaku, console gaming, Disney, Donald Duck, Frozen, Game review, games, gaming review, Goofy, great games, handheld gaming, japanese, KH, KH3, kingdom hearts, kingdom hearts 3, kingdom hearts 3 review, Kingdom Hearts review, nerd, playstation, rayark games, review, reviews, Sora, Square Enix, Tangled
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The Engineering department is responsible for the design and inspection of the City's sales tax Capital Improvement Program for streets and drainage. This department also reviews plans for street and drainage issues to assure compliance with ordinances, code and policies. The major priority for this department is to prepare current year projects for design and construction within a reasonable time frame and manage construction of all street and drainage projects in process.
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This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced, forward-looking red teamer to build a world-class red teaming capability at a prominent global organization. The successful Strategic Red Team Director will lead the enterprise's efforts in adopting and maintaining a system-wide view of threat-driven risks, with the goal of working with senior management to control these risks.
Oversee the development of red teaming methods and activities within and across the enterprise, to include (but not limited to) the areas of business continuity, emergency management, supply chain security, information security, personnel security, operations security, and facilities security.
Develop and manage a threat intelligence program to address threats relevant to the areas listed above.
Build and maintain a comprehensive model of relevant, feasible threats to the enterprise.
Educate senior management regarding the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with strategic red teaming.
Provide regular threat/risk briefings to senior management regarding issues raised by the red team. Present findings within a context of overall risk to the enterprise. Adjust red team activities and agenda based on senior management input.
Work closely with existing infrastructure and security teams, both to receive input and to provide practical and actionable intelligence.
Act as an adversarial counterpoint to security strategy proposals.
Staff and manage a world-class red team (or teams). Taken as a whole, this team (or teams) should represent expertise across a complete range of the enterprise's functions.
At least 10 years of experience conducting red team assessments of high-consequence systems.
Cross-functional security experience in at least two of the areas listed above.
A bachelor's degree in a technical field (master's degree).
Thorough understanding of concepts and principles related to security, strategy, management, and intelligence analysis.
Ability to work productively with a variety of stakeholders (and their associated, sometimes conflicting) interests within the enterprise.
Ability to work with and against internal resistance, and, as necessary, build consensus for red teaming within the enterprise.
Ability to think and act both strategically and tactically, theoretically and pragmatically.
Ability to collaborate and share knowledge within a fast-moving, multifaceted enterprise environment.


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Florissant police say they'll seek new charges after death of teen rescued from house fire
Today in history: Jan. 13
Major events that happened around the world on this day in history.
1941: James Joyce
In 1941, novelist and poet James Joyce died in Zurich, Switzerland, less than a month before his 59th birthday.
1962: Ernie Kovacs
In 1962, comedian Ernie Kovacs died in a car crash in west Los Angeles 10 days before his 43rd birthday.
David F. Smith
1964: Archbishop of Krakow
In 1964, Roman Catholic Bishop Karol Wojtyla (voy-TEE'-wah) (the future Pope John Paul II) was appointed Archbishop of Krakow, Poland, by Pope Paul VI.
1978: Hubert H. Humphrey
In 1978, former Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey died in Waverly, Minnesota, at age 66.
1982: Air Florida Crash
In 1982, an Air Florida 737 crashed into Washington, D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge and fell into the Potomac River while trying to take off during a snowstorm, killing a total of 78 people, including four motorists on the bridge; four passengers and a flight attendant survived.
1992: Japan "Comfort women"
In 1992, Japan apologized for forcing tens of thousands of Korean women to serve as sex slaves for its soldiers during World War II, citing newly uncovered documents that showed the Japanese army had had a role in abducting the so-called "comfort women."
2000: Bill Gates
In 2000, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates stepped aside as chief executive and promoted company president Steve Ballmer to the position.
PETER COSGROVE
2003: Joseph Lieberman
In 2003, Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman jumped into the 2004 race for president.
DINO VOURNAS
2005: Major League Baseball
In 2005, Major League Baseball adopted a tougher steroid-testing program that would suspend first-time offenders for 10 days and randomly test players year-round.
ROY DABNER
2010: Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission
Ten years ago: During the first hearing of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, top Wall Street bankers apologized for risky behavior that led to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, but still declared it seemed appropriate at the time.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais
2010: Haiti Earthquake
Ten years ago: Haitians piled bodies along the devastated streets of their capital a day after a powerful earthquake, while in Washington, President Barack Obama pledged an all-out rescue and relief effort.
Jorge Cruz
2010: Teddy Pendergrass
Ten years ago: Rhythm-and-blues singer Teddy Pendergrass died in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, at age 59.
G. Paul Burnett
2012: Costa Concordia Aground
On Jan. 13, 2012, the Italian luxury liner Costa Concordia ran aground off the Tuscan island of Giglio and flipped onto its side; 32 people were killed.
Gregorio Borgia
2015: Charlie Hebdo
Five years ago: In an emotional act of defiance, Charlie Hebdo resurrected its irreverent and often provocative newspaper, featuring on the cover a caricature of a weeping Prophet Muhammad holding a sign reading "I am Charlie" with the words "All is forgiven" above him.
Christophe Ena
2015: Pope Francis
Five years ago: Pope Francis brought calls for reconciliation as well as justice as he arrived in Sri Lanka at the start of a weeklong Asian tour.
Saurabh Das
2018: Hawaii Mistaken Missile Alert
In 2018, a false alarm that warned of a ballistic missile headed for Hawaii sent the islands into a panic, with people abandoning cars on a highway and preparing to flee their homes; officials apologized and said the alert was sent when someone hit the wrong button during a shift change.
2019: Critics' Choice Awards
One year ago: "Roma" was the top winner at the Critics' Choice Awards, winning honors for best picture, foreign language film and a pair of individual awards for director Alfonso Cuaron.
Jordan Strauss
2019: Government Shutdown
One year ago: The number of no-shows among airport security screeners surged, two days after screeners failed to receive a paycheck for the first time since the partial government shutdown began.
David J. Phillip
Timegoggles
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Gita: A Timeless Guide for Our Time
by Isaac Bentwich
What is it about the Bhagavad Gita, a 700-verse Hindu Sanskrit scripture, that has captivated and inspired many of the world's most brilliant scientists, musicians, poets, thinkers, and spiritual teachers?
The Gita is beloved by so many. John Coltrane recorded it. George Harrison sang it. Philip Glass composed it. Leonard Cohen lived it. Emerson admired it at Walden Pond. And Beethoven scribbled one of its verses in his personal diary.
Celebrities from Julia Roberts and Jim Carrey to T.S. Elliot and J.D. Salinger are familiar with its verses. The minds of Eckhart Tolle, Schrodinger, and Oppenheimer were awed by its philosophical beauty. Thoreau said that in comparison to the Gita, "our Shakespeare seems sometimes youthfully green." And Mahatma Gandhi, one of the foremost leaders of modern times, attributed his political success to the Gita, saying that "nothing delights me so much as the music of the Gita."
The Gita (meaning Divine Song) has maintained its status as a revered spiritual text for over two and a half millennia. It is timeless in part because it eloquently captures the core of not only Indian philosophy, but also the spiritual essence of all religions and schools of inner development. Aldous Huxley fittingly called this common essence the "Perennial Philosophy." The Gita is further unique in that it manages to capture and convey these deepest truths
through a simple, direct dialogue,
in a melodious, poetic form that speaks to the heart and avoids over-intellectualization, and
while retaining a pragmatic, down-to-earth approach. The Gita is thus relevant to living in the modern world, here and now. Across centuries, across continents, and across cultures, these unique aspects of the Gita have made it an uplifting guide to happiness, meditation, and inner growth.
Alongside the Bible and Koran, the Bhagavad Gita (dated around 500 BCE) is one of the world's most printed and read books. Comprising merely 700 verses, in song format, it is recognized as capturing the essence of all of the voluminous scriptures of India—the Vedas, Upanishads, and Mahabarata (over 110,000 verses combined).
The Gita is a dialogue between a disciple and his master. The disciple, Indian prince Arjuna, is called to fight a defensive battle against vicious family members who aim to kill him. Shaken by this moral dilemma, Arjuna seeks the counsel of his teacher and friend, Krishna, who is also God incarnate. Set amidst this dramatic battlefield backdrop, Krishna leads the prince from his worldly starting point of despondency to a captivating, brilliantly clear account of the meaning of life, the source of suffering, and the paths to happiness and self-fulfillment. Countless musicians and artists have found inspiration in the Gita because it not only addresses life's most profound questions, but does so in a poetic style of mesmerizing melody.
Offering powerful antidotes for the rampant materialism and unethical business practices that plague our society today, the Gita teaches us to view our journey through life as one of spiritual growth. The "trick," according to the Gita, is to be active in the world while rooting ourselves in the knowledge that our happiness does not depend on any external achievement or gain. Our real "battle," the Gita reminds us, is not a conflict between ourselves and external challenges, but rather an internal struggle of the soul between our higher divine nature and our lower egotistical tendencies and desires.
Though obscure to many, the Gita has had a profound effect on social and civil rights movements around the world. Nelson Mandela credits its poetic verses of wisdom with helping him to survive prison, and Gandhi considered the Gita the very center of his civil rights movement. Martin Luther King in turn was profoundly affected by Gandhi's Gita-inspired nonviolence movement. "If we could change ourselves," said Gandhi, "the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him." Its poetic verses gradually bring about changes in the way we view and act in the world, empowering us to do good and to be transformed in the process. The Gita teaches us that to change the world around us, we must first change the world within.
A new translation of this work is available from Isaac Bentwich. Watch the book trailer, then enter to win a copy of Gita: A Timeless Guide to Our Time. Be one of the first 500 people to register and receive a FREE eBook! Register today!
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Isaac Bentwich M.D. is a medical doctor trained in Western and Ayurvedic medicine, a longtime teacher of yoga and meditation, and author of Gita: A Timeless Guide for Our Times (Harmonia, June 2019). Bentwich lives in Israel. For more information, visit: https://www.newgita.com/


Boasting more than 2,000 years of history, Germany shares borders with some nine neighbours. The country has a rich and varied cultural output, one which encompasses everything from traditional music and invigorating festivals, to cutting edge contemporary art and theatre.
Alongside all this, Germany is a simply stunning place to visit, with rugged mountain ranges, pristine stretches of coast and deep, thick forest landscapes.
You can really make the most of your experience in Germany by hiring a car. We have pick-up points located all across the country, in many of the major cities and airports.
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As well as being pioneers of the automobile industry, the Germans also give us their excellent autobahns - a road network that is extremely well-maintained, meticulously well-designed and, in parts, breathtakingly beautiful.
The country is home to a myriad of picturesque routes to try out and make the most of your car hire. The alpine road through the region of Bavaria is one stand-out stretch. Along its winding way, you'll see sleepy villages, icy-clear lakes, enchanting castles and meadows bursting with wildflowers.
Obviously, on this route the ultimate prize is the first glimpse of the snow-peaked Alps themselves. Sticking with Bavaria, how about the A7, also known as the 'romantic road', which covers the 200-mile distance between Wurzburg and Fussen? Along the way, look out for 1000-year-old castles and intriguing medieval and Roman towns.
On the western side of the country, the Black Forest is a tempting area in which to rack up some mileage. The A5 and A864 both pass through here, from north to south of the area, so you'll be able to enjoy dramatic views of the Rhine plain, as well as deep, craggy ravines and the sumptuous forest land itself.
You'll also find that many of the major cities are within a short drive of each other. If you take the A57 north from Cologne, you can reach the beautiful Dusseldorf in around 30 minutes. In the north of the country, you can get from Hamburg to Hanover via the A7 in around one hour and half.
You can read more about driving in and around Germany here.
Germany is a place of contrasts and colour - you'll find a thoroughly modern automobile industry taking its place alongside medieval castles, and iconic political monuments rubbing shoulders with scenery seemingly untouched by human hands. Every city has its own distinct personality, and each federal state has its own unique way of life and culture. However, there's a proud unity about Germany, where there's always something new to discover and a fresh perspective to be explored.
The enchanting Black Forest, the clean-aired northern coast, the rolling valleys and the snow-topped Alps… Germany is a strikingly beautiful country and one whose charms change with every unfurling mile.
The sheer scope of the natural world is one of the greatest things about Germany. Whichever city you call your base, you're never far from escaping urban life and getting out there to luxuriate in the coastal or rural landscapes. And, once you've arrived, there are loads of activities to try out. Whether it's an invigorating dip in the North Sea, mountain climbing in Rhine-Main, cycling through the Roman Limes route or going lakeside in Saxony, there's a wealth of fun to be had.
Germany's capital is Berlin, a city with some 17 centuries of intriguing history. From the stunning glass dome of the Reichstag Building in the heart of the country's governmental district, to the last remnants of the Berlin Wall, this is a capital city with real substance. It's all home to a captivating arts and music scenes which attracts creative people from all around the world.
Munich is another stand-out city for visitors to Germany with Gothic architecture and gorgeous green parks are the order of the day. The position of Germany's financial and business hub goes to Frankfurt, but despite this modern-day role, the city also has a softer, more charming side. Take lunch by the green banks of the River Main, or spend a day enjoying the city's impressive museums.
For many the northern port city of Hamburg is a firm favourite. Here, there's a cosmopolitan air as folk from around the world begin and end their German adventures. You'll find a fantastic mix of beautiful outdoor spaces, inspiring architecture and modern day attractions. Spend the day relaxing by the Aussenalster's waterfront or take in the botanical backdrop of Park Planten un Blomen, right in the heart of the city. If you've got a taste for all things alternative, head over to the borough of St Pauli too.
Food is central to the German way of life and you can't visit this country without sampling one or two of its most famous dishes. Vitamin-packed sauerkraut, irresistible frankfurters, and jam-filled Berliner donuts are all perennially popular with Germans and visitors alike. Seafood lovers will be best place in the north west of the country, with fresh fish from the Baltic and North Seas dominating the menus. In the heart of Rhineland, look out for potato pancakes, blutwurst, and sauerbraten, whereas Bavaria and Franconia are famed for wursts and pretzels, inspired by neighbouring Austria.
There is lots to explore and make the most of your car hire in Germany!


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Crisis in Syria, Eschatology, ISIS an Al Qaeda, Islam, Islamic Antichrist, Syrian War, The Next Great War in the Middle East, U.S. -- Russia Conflict, Uncategorized, World War III
THE U.S. MIDDLE EAST "BALANCING ACT" — DID RUSSIA HELP OBAMA?
April 15, 2016 devteam
THE U.S. MIDDLE EAST "BALANCING ACT" —
DID RUSSIA HELP OBAMA?
"The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes." (PROVERBS 21:1)
Political scientists are still trying to make sense of why Russia left Syria so suddenly and what to make of Barack Obama's "defense" in his March 10 interview in The Atlantic composed by Jeff Goldberg. Concludes Goldberg in what could be a good summary assessment, "Obama has found world leadership wanting: global partners who often lack the vision and the will to spend political capital in pursuit of broad, progressive goals, and adversaries who are not, in his mind, as rational as he is."
The Obama Doctrine, The Atlantic, March 10, 2016
David Frum in The Atlantic of the same date, provided his assessment of Obama's lament:
And when his understanding proved wrong, that only confirmed Obama's disdain for everybody else. Early on, Obama had pulsed with excitement over the so-called Arab Spring. But there too, as Goldberg observes, the president "grew disillusioned" as "brutality and dysfunction overwhelmed the Middle East"—a development that apparently caught the president entirely by surprise. Now, Obama wistfully says, "All I need in the Middle East is a few smart autocrats." "Smart" here is shorthand for "conforming to Obama's wishes." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has certainly ruled autocratically. Yet Obama is vexed, reports Goldberg, that Erdogan "refuses to use his enormous army to bring stability to Syria."
Obama seems to feel gathering disdain too for both sides of the Arab-Israeli dispute. On the one hand, Obama appears annoyed that Muslims worldwide did not heed his advice "to more closely examine the roots of their unhappiness." On the other hand, "According to [former Defense Secretary] Leon Panetta, [Obama] has questioned why the U.S. should maintain Israel's so-called qualitative military edge." [1]
Karan Bokhara wrote an article for Geopolitical Futures entitled, "Shaping a Presidential Legacy". Here is segment of Bokhara's perspective:
In an article published yesterday in The Atlantic titled "The Obama Doctrine," U.S. President Barack Obama called on Saudi Arabia and Iran to establish a form of "cold peace" in order to manage the growing chaos in the Middle East. In the extensive interview with Jeffrey Goldberg, Obama warned that the region cannot see an end to anarchy unless the Salafist kingdom and the Islamic republic can come to terms with one another on how to "share the neighborhood." The interview clearly shows that the president is more frustrated with traditional U.S. ally Saudi Arabia than with Iran, which for nearly two generations has been a foe of the United States. In the article, Obama criticized the Saudis for the kingdom's role in spreading violent extremism in the wider Muslim world and for oppressing women at home.
The phrase "The Obama Doctrine" is just a way of describing the decisions Obama had to make in the past seven years. [I disagree that Obama was forced to make these decisions questioning what was in fact driving his decisions.] The driving force behind the doctrine was ultimately not Obama's personal ambitions or ideals, but rather the U.S. moving toward a balance of power strategy. It's a retrospective designation, trying to make sense of eight years of decisions, rather than an orienting principle through which Obama directed U.S. policy. Policy is what someone wants to happen – geopolitics is what does. [2]
Saying that it is a "retrospective designation, trying to make sense of eight years of decisions" would be better stated as, "eight years of indecision and trying to justify what now is, based upon what we failed to do right"… Obama now is willing to admit that what transpired in Libya after Gaddafi was eliminated amounts to "the greatest mistake of his presidency". More specifically, "Probably failing to plan for, the day after, what I think was the right thing to do, in intervening in Libya," Mr Obama told Fox News.
Perhaps. But it was a consistent series of decisions to eliminate old-school autocrats and create disruption (intentionally or otherwise) in the Middle East. And where we had established some sense of order (like Iraq and Afghanistan), we elected to reduce our commitments and in Iraq's case, pull out altogether.
The "Obama Doctrine" in the Middle East (including the war in Iraq) may be comparable (in terms of achieving its objectives) to the famous military and political farce from exactly 100 years ago: Gallipoli. This campaign was an Allied plan to battle the Turks at there, a 8-month World War I campaign (1915) to win the Dardanelles in the south of Turkey that ended in a stalemate with almost 350,000 dead (180,000 Turks and 170,000 Allies). Gallipoli ended many military careers and nearly did Winston Churchill in for his role in overseeing what was judged a mismanaged and utterly humiliating campaign. Happily, the major difference between then and now is that U.S. losses in this series of wars in the Middle East (unlike Gallipoli) has cost the Allies only a fraction of the lives lost at Gallipoli. However, given that the ambiguous policy of the U.S. in the Middle East (from 2002 to today) has cost taxpayers billions and secured nothing for the country but more hatred of the West by Arabs, Palestinians, and Iraqis, the pointlessness of Gallipoli may be a most apt comparison.
Gallipoli Campaign 1915 – The Classic Middle East Stalemate
Nevertheless, somehow the U.S. and Barack Obama have stumbled its way into a semblance of a favorable outcome to the Syrian civil war — at least for the time being. How long the peace lasts is questionable as there are already retaliatory moves by rebels at Aleppo as this is written on April 16, 2016.
Pointing out the irony of what has transpired in the Middle East, George Friedman, the CEO of Geopolitical Futures, surmises that Russia has been asset to the U.S., and the U.S. to Russia, despite of the fact that neither administration started out intending to help to the other. Indeed, they likely intended to harm the other's position in the Middle East.
The Russians intervened in Syria in order to bail the United States out of a very difficult situation. The United States opposed the Assad regime and wanted it replaced by a coalition of opposition forces. It was increasingly obvious that this was not going to happen. Assad might fall but what would replace him was a fractious opposition as much at war with each other as with Assad. This might be preferable to Assad, but the Islamic State was deep into Syria and had already engaged and defeated some of Assad's armored forces – not to mention that IS controls far more territory than any other rebel group. If Assad fell, and if he was replaced by the opposition, it was conceivable they could in turn be replaced by IS. The U.S. was aware that it had constantly underestimated IS, and the possibility of IS in Damascus was both real and unacceptable to the United States.
The United States had a political problem. Not only had it opposed Assad, it had been deeply aligned with anti-Assad factions. It could not suddenly become the protector of the Assad regime. At the same time, the United States, at that moment, could not afford the fall of Assad. The Russian intervention solved the problem for the United States. Assad was saved. IS was blocked and a situation that was spiraling out of control was contained. [3]
To be clear, Putin has acted in his own self-interest. Likewise, the United States Executive Branch has been attempting to act in the self-interest of the U.S. too; however, as I have pointed out several times before, the U.S. has acted in duplicitous ways misleading its allies and U.S. citizens. The White House as even battled the Pentagon unbeknownst to Obama until last summer. At one point, our President stated we would degrade and destroy ISIS (in the summer of 2014) while secretly employing the CIA to run guns to the rebels and facilitate their financing through the sale of oil by ISIS to countries consuming that oil (as far as I now these remain undisclosed countries, but likely European). Turkey has been highly instrumental in helping get arms both to ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra (Al-Qaeda — among myriad other Syrian rebels fighting Assad). This gun running rests at the heart of the whole Benghazi affair. Furthermore, President Erdogan of Turkey and his son have personally benefitted from these oil shipments if Vladimir Putin is to be believed (charging that Erdogan knowingly helped the rebels including ISIS for personal profit). And these oil shipments were not down in the dark. They were caught on camera during Russia bombing strikes (filmed by the attacking Russian fighter-bombers). The U.S. has acted like it got caught with its hands in the cookie jar, but without comment officially, being complicit to an extent that likely will never be disclosed.
Russia Bombing ISIS Oil Tankers
What is the U.S. really trying to accomplish given the facts on the ground today? According to Jacob Shapiro:
The U.S. is playing a spoiling role in Iraq and Syria. It sees in the Islamic State the potential for a strong Sunni Arab power that could frustrate the balance of power the U.S. is attempting to construct in the region between Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Such a power would not be a direct threat to the U.S., but it would be a powerful anti-American force to be reckoned with in the heart of the Middle East. The U.S. cannot afford to occupy Iraq or Syria – but it is in the United States' interest to make sure that IS is prevented from growing, that local forces are built up sufficiently to at least contain IS and that regional powers take greater ownership over managing regional conflicts… [4]
The U.S., having failed to maintain a balance of power (by maintaining a strong presence in Iraq, having pulled out in 2011-12), seems to be attempting a mishmash of "power balancing" between the various Middle Eastern powers. This used to be called "playing both ends against the middle." But now it could be seen as "covert political detachment" as a means to disentangle itself entirely from the region. David Langler from the New York Times provides this commentary:
Mr. Obama's frustration with much of the Arab world is not new, but rarely has he been so blunt about it. He placed his comments in the context of his broader struggle to extract the United States from the bloody morass of the Middle East so that the nation can focus on more promising, faster-growing parts of the world, like Asia and Latin America.
"If we're not talking to them," he said, referring to young people in those places, "because the only thing we're doing is figuring out how to destroy or cordon off or control the malicious, nihilistic, violent parts of humanity, then we're missing the boat." [5]
It is curious indeed, as the U.S. still "hangs out" conducting bombing raids whenever it feels it has a clear target against a target it believes merits destruction. Exactly what that policy is, based upon prior actions over the past two years and Obama's disdain for the region and its leaders, is really anybody's guess. Additionally, the U.S. role in relationship to NATO member Turkey is at best puzzling, given that Turkey wants to establish itself as a caliphate and dominate the Middle East from its Sunni standpoint. The U.S. is walking a tightrope over a great chasm with no knowledge of its destination on the other end. Why?
Turkey now has been attacked multiple times by the Islamic State – most recently on March 19 by a suicide bomber in Istanbul. But the Iraqi Arabs don't trust the Turks – the presence of Turkish forces to train Kurdish peshmerga fighters in northern Iraq caused a diplomatic spat back in December 2015. The U.S. is cooperating with Iranian-backed troops on the ground in Iraq – the Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces have been some of the most effective anti-IS fighters and are supplied by both the U.S. and Iran. But while Iran has forces on the ground in Syria and Iraq, its intervention has not been enough to stop IS. Israel is too far away to offer any tangible support, and the Saudis cannot decide if they are more afraid of the Iranians or IS – so they continue to support radical jihadist militias in Syria to try and bring down Bashar al-Assad in the hope of scoring a blow against both. Amid the chaos, it's tempting for an American leader to think that the easiest thing to do is to simply knock out IS and to worry about building a balance among these disparate powers later. [6]
However, it is highly unlikely that IS can be knocked out by half-hearted attempts at its destruction. If ISIS is to be defeated, it is highly unlikely that Turkey will act in accordance to U.S. wishes as the rebels continue to fight against Assad who the Turks want to oust. It is likely that the whole story will repeat itself with Russia returning to aid the Syrian president, and ISIS continuing to thwart efforts to overwhelm it with air power alone. How the United States will play its cards in this confusing scene remains to be seen. Considering that Obama is in the last year of his presidency, and wanting not to be seen as a wartime president, but rather a leader who guided the country to peace in Iraq and Afghanistan, makes it seem most likely that matters will fester and the whole inextricable mess will be handed off to the next President to sort out.
#1 Best Seller in Theology – Amazon, March 2016
Meanwhile, look for Russia to continue to strengthen its role with the Shia countries and power groups throughout the "Shia Crescent" and for Turkey to establish itself as a power to be reckoned with, opposing Russia and Iran. Look for Saudi Arabia to weaken as "the Kingdom" falls into further disfavor globally (with a PR problem we couldn't wish on our worst enemy) and as the U.S. distances itself further from this primary source of Salafist terror in the world.
For additional study on this topic, please obtain a copy of my book, The Next Great War in the Middle East: Russia Prepares to Fulfill the Prophecy of Gog and Magog. One half of the book deals with the geopolitics of the Middle East leading up to the "next great war" which I believe is the war of Gog and Magog. You can read the introduction to the book for free here on my website under EXCERPTS. The book The Next Great War is on sale throughout this weekend for $6.49 on Kindle. I will be releasing a new book, a sequel to The Next Great War, entitled, Mistaken Identity: The Case Against the Islamic Antichrist. Expect this book to be available in paperback beginning this Sunday, April 17, and on Kindle within two weeks (by May 1st).
MISTAKEN IDENTITY: The Case Against the Islamic Antichrist
The next new book, Mistaken Identity: The Case Against the Islamic Antichrist, will pick up where The Next Great War leaves off, addressing many deeper issues with the popular view that the Antichrist of the last days will be Islamic.
As I will document, there is much more to the Islamic Antichrist Theory (IAT) than just whether the Antichrist has an Islamic background or was born in a land dominated by the Islamic religion. The topic is vital for students of Bible prophecy to understand.
This new book is presented as a Quick Study Book (TM), meaning it is in two-column oversized page format (8.5″ x 11″), intended for reading in 2-3 hour timeframe. I hope you will consider it also.
[1] David Frum, "The Disappointment of Barack Obama", The Atlantic, March 10, http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/03/obama-doctrine-goldberg-disappointment/473172/.
[2] Kamran Bokhari, "Shaping a Presidential Legacy", Geopolitical Futures, March 11, 2016.
[3] George Friedman, "Why Putin Went into Syria", Geopolitical Futures, March 15, 2016.
[4] Jacob L. Shapiro, "The Pitfalls of US Power", Geopolitical Futures, March 21, 2016.
[5] David Langler, "Obama Criticize the 'Free Riders' Among America's Allies", New York Times, March 10,http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/10/world/middleeast/obama-criticizes-the-free-riders-among-americas-allies.html?_r=0.
[6] Shapiro, op. cit.
ApocalypticBabylonChurch and StateDAUGHTER OF BABYLONDecline of AmericaGog and MagogHISTORICAL ANALYSISIslamIslamic AntichristNATO war with RussiaRussia vs. U.S.TurkeyWWIII
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