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Study assesses effect of 'Top 10 Percent' law on entering freshman classes at UT Austin
The "Top Ten Percent" legislation (HB588) enacted into law by the Texas Legislature in 1997 has helped ensure that the diversity of the state of Texas is reflected at UT Austin, according to Dr. David Montejano, an associate professor of history and sociology who led research efforts that yielded the "Top 10 Percent" policy.
AUSTIN, Texas—The "Top Ten Percent" legislation (HB588) enacted into law by the Texas Legislature in 1997 has helped ensure that the diversity of the state of Texas is reflected at UT Austin, according to Dr. David Montejano, an associate professor of history and sociology who led research efforts that yielded the "Top 10 Percent" policy.
He said his research looks closely at the high schools that have just begun sending graduating seniors to UT Austin.
In a document released this week titled, "Access to The University of Texas at Austin and the Ten Percent Plan: A Three-Year Assessment," Montejano said after three years, the Top 10 Percent law "appears to have broadened, in a modest way, the high school 'sending' or 'feeding' pattern to UT Austin." He said the law has accomplished this in a way that benefits all regions of the state.
"The real winners of the Top 10 Percent plan are the inner city minority high schools and the rural white high schools," said Montejano.
"This preliminary look at the 'new senders' suggests that the law has made the state flagship university more accessible to the best high school students, regardless of race, economic standing or residence. In so doing, the Ten Percent law has helped ensure that the diversity of the state is reflected at UT Austin," Montejano said.
Looking at UT Austin only for the period between 1996 and 2000, the study finds that the "new sender" high schools come from 71 counties across Texas. He said there are two principal clusters, comprised on the one hand of inner-city minority high schools in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, and on the other of rural white high schools, located mainly in East and Northeast Texas. There is a third grouping consisting of minority and "mixed" rural schools in West Texas and South Texas.
Montejano said the change in high school sending patterns since 1996 is modest, but it points in the direction of increased access to UT Austin for all areas of the state.
"The key to greater access lies in the fact that the Top 10 Percent law assures the very best of each high school admission to the state university of their choice. Because high schools generally reflect local communities and environments, this is also the key to creating a diverse student body that roughly reflects the makeup of the state," Montejano said. "As should be clear by now, this diversity is more than a matter of race: the new high school senders clearly point to a diversity of region, economic class and social background. In essence, HB 588 is helping The University of Texas at Austin achieve its motto, 'We're Texas.' "


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Aussie mum's trick to spending just $50 a week to feed family of four
She's now written a book on how you can do it too.
By Practical Parenting
A Queensland mum has explained how she was able to cut her weekly grocery bill to just $50 while providing for a family of four.
After Jody Allen was let go from her office job amidst caring for two new babies and building her dream home, she knew she was going to have to get creative to make her food budget stretch.
Now, eight years later the 41-year-old's thriftiness has become a way of life and she's sharing her experience with others in her new book, The $50 Weekly Shop.
"We were in the middle of building our dream home from scratch, we only had one wage and two babies born just 12 months apart," Allen told the Daily Mail.
"We did everything we possibly could to make end meet – we got rid of our phones and all sorts – but we realised that we would have to cut our grocery bill if we were to have any hope of keeping our home."
Allen explains that after the initial shock of the situation her and her husband found themselves in, which left her "falling to the floor in a heap of desperation," the first thing she did was crunch the numbers.
She took a "stock take" of everything that was in her kitchen and made sure she used all of it up with her family meals.
"Next up, I put a plastic container into the fridge which became the 'use by container' and threw all of the vegetables into it that were approaching their use by date."
"I made sure we ate those first, so nothing went to waste," she explained.
"It's easy to buy and waste so much when you're working and have a disposable income, but that all went out of the window on the $50 budget."
"No wine. No Tim Tams. Just food," she added.
Following her pantry cull, Allen dug up some old fundraiser cookbooks to find simple, delicious – and more importantly – inexpensive recipes.
Then, she began shopping as her grandmother had done, embracing alternative methods such as sourcing meet from lay-bys.
"I would buy half a beef from a lay-by because my husband is a big meat eater and I would cook some of it and freeze the rest," she said.
"You can buy meat on a small budget, you just need to think outside the traditional square."
Allen also got more in touch with the idea of eating from the land, growing her own fruit and veg from seedlings.
But her biggest tip for saving money? Avoid the supermarket as much as you can, and only buy there what you can't get elsewhere.
"It involves more running around and you have to be organised, but it's much better for your wallet," she said.
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Nick Jonas Hangs With His Niece, Miley Cyrus & Fam Rock Ugly Sweaters, Plus More Celeb Christmas Celebrations!
It's a very merry Christmas in Hollywood!
Celebs are enjoying some downtime this holiday season, spending time with loved ones and rocking festive outfits to bring tons of festive cheer.
Nick Jonas bonded with his 1-year-old niece, Valentina, sharing a black-and-white shot with his little buddy to Twitter on Christmas.
"My everything. ," he captioned the pic with his brother Kevin's youngest daughter (he's also dad to 3-year-old Alena). "I hope you're all having an amazing Christmas."
Nick's ex, Miley Cyrus, spent Christmas Eve with her family. She and big sis Brandi Cyrus rocked matching ugly sweaters, and The Voice coach also snagged selfies with her brother, Trace, her grandmother and one of her many pups.
The entire Cyrus crew, including dad Billy Ray and mom Tish, also posed for a family pic.
And Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson shared holiday photos with both of his daughters -- 16-year-old Simone, whom he shares with his ex, Dany Garcia, and 2-year-old Jasmine, who's about to become a big sister, as the Jumanji star's girlfriend, Lauren Hashian, is pregnant with their second child.
Best Christmas Eve ever. @simonegjohnson From talkin' about one of our fav humans @gal_gadot to important stuff like who's IPhone is better 😂. Love my #1.
Plus, Cash Warren shared his and Jessica Alba's Christmas card, which marks their last one as a family of four.
"This years holiday card ... last one where I'll be the only dude in the photo ... I'm having a moment. Merry Christmas Eve!!" the third-time dad-to-be wrote on Instagram.
This years holiday card ... last one where I'll be the only dude in the photo ... I'm having a moment. Merry Christmas Eve!! Tried to convince Haven that today was Christmas and santa forgot about her but she saw right through it. Smart kid.
3 years ago I got all I ever wanted for xmass!!!🎄🎄🎄🍾💍 love u so much!!❤ feliz Navidad to every one!!
Gwen Stefani Gives Blake Shelton a Big Kiss Under the Mistletoe -- See the Sweet Moment!


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New Face-Sized Tarantula Discovered in Sri Lanka
These spiders have a leg span of up to 12 inches – or 1.5 faces.
It's time to add Sri Lanka to the list of places I probably won't ever go, because a new species has been discovered there that's both face-sized and features far too many legs.
The new tarantula is named Poecilotheria rajaeia, belongs to the colorful, venomous tiger spider group, and was discovered lairing in an old hospital. Which in my book turns the creep factor up to 11.
The find was published in the British Tarantula Society's journal. Editor Peter Kirk told Wired:
"This species has enough significant differences to separate it from the other species. I absolutely would love to see DNA sampling done — on all the species of Poecilotheria."
That's right, the genus is Poecilotheria, which arachnologists called "Pokies" for short. By all means, give them a cutsey name, because God knows that's just what a spider with an eight-inch leg span needs.
Writer Nadia Drake describes the tree-dwelling Poecilotheria rajaei as "about the size of your face" – the human face apparently being a standard metric for tarantula sizes – and notes that it has a pink band on its underside.
Look, I know that tarantulas aren't very deadly to humans, as spiders go — they just look scary. If you set aside for a moment that they are horrific giant spiders, though, these creatures are actually kind of beautiful. The Poecilotheria rajaeia has a pink abdominal band, and unique, geometric-patterned leg markings. As a tiger spider, it's related to South American tarantulas, and also to what is generally considered the world's largest spider, the Goliath birdeater — so named because it is enormous and has been known to eat birds. A little on the nose as far as naming conventions go, but it also ensures that you will stay far, far away from creatures with that name, which we're willing to call a great idea.
Interestingly, the arachnologist team who discovered the new species, led by Ranil Nanayakkara, co-founder of the group Biodiversity Education and Research in Sri Lanka, named the spider after someone other than themselves. Smart! Way to redirect the spiders' attention to its namesake, police inspector Michael Rajakumar Purajah, who led the the team safely through the semi-evergreen forests of northern Sri Lanka shortly after a civil war in their quest to discover new species.
Nanayakkara offered a few choice facts about the ecology of the new find, as well:
"They are quite rare. They prefer well-established old trees, but due to deforestation the number have dwindled and due to lack of suitable habitat they enter old buildings."
All right, so we can't blame them for seeking out buildings and creepy old hospitals, but this is still one step closer to the giant spiders who accosted Radagast the Brown, and we can't be alone in being really, really not OK with those being things that are real.
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Tips on retaining and attracting talent
Employees want competitive pay, regular feedback. Firms must work to be top employers.
Eleanor Becker / 9 May 2017 13:00
Employee engagement is becoming increasingly important, not only to attract and retain good talent, but to get the most out of a workforce. Employees want competitive pay, regular feedback, dynamic and current leadership and flexibility.
In its 2017 Global Human Capital Trends survey, Deloitte found that organisational culture, engagement, and employee brand proposition are top priorities this year. Nearly 80% of executives rated employee experience very important or important; but only 22% said their companies were excellent at building a differentiated employee experience.
The survey states that a strong employee experience will in turn drive a strong customer experience.
Engagement is about how employees think, act and feel; how attracted they are to the organisation and how activated (high performing) they are, says Leslie Yuill, Deloitte actuarial, rewards and analytics lead.
The "holy grail" of engagement is the high-flyer employees. Highly activated and attractive to the organisation, they build good relations with employees and perform well.
Grumpy Gen X
In the 2017 Deloitte Best Company Survey, Generation X employees shocked reviewers in having the highest dissatisfaction levels with their employers or companies they work for, as compared to millennials.
"Gen X didn't seem able to be pleased," said Yuill. The highest levels of dissatisfaction were around pay.
The Deloitte sample was spread out age-wise, with 37% Gen X, 45% millennials and 18% baby boomers. Apart from the finding mentioned above, engagement and disengagement cut across organisations, and wasn't defined by gender, race or generation.
Employees in surveyed organisations were particularly irked by competitive pay and benefits; equal pay and opportunity; trust; leadership; open and honest communication; feedback without fear of consequences; genuine care and concern; and delivering on promises.
Positively, about 68% of this year's participants felt engaged.
A new order
But spare a thought for employers trying to keep up with an ever-changing world.
Trevor Page, Deloitte organisation transformation and talent leader, says the pace of digital change is moving faster than anyone can adapt to.
A challenge in employing technology is that younger talent is more savvy than those in leadership roles, who determine how much tech is used and tend to be baby boomers and Gen Xers. They don't adapt as quickly as the younger talent you want to attract and retain, Ndivhu Nepfumbada, PPC cement group human resources executive, says.
Younger generations prefer to use tech rather than do things manually, and want to be able to work remotely. Organisations will need to attract and retain them.
"The human capital game has changed. The playing field has shifted. In this digital age there are new rules for everything," says Yuill.
Getting the most from employees
Create an encouraging environment. To motivate top employees, give them a sense of purpose; create an environment where they feel empowered to work and can perform and innovate… "where people are without fear of backlash [and know] it's ok to fail, but try," says Nepfumbada.
Old dogs, learn new tricks. "A leader should not be the star of the show, but make sure it's a great show. It's no longer about you as a leader driving performance; it's about building and leading teams constructively.
Traditional models assume leaders know best. When these leaders got negative feedback from employees, they were offended, unhappy with the messenger and didn't deal with underlying issues. "We need a new breed of leader who isn't offended by ongoing feedback," he says.
Give employees feedback. Dan Schawbel on Forbes here, says more employees want continuous feedback on their performance. Annual performance reviews may phase out, in favour of more regular interactions.
Measure. Deloitte's global trends survey suggests firms use candidate, stay and exit interviews, as well as ongoing performance conversations "to build a complete, real-time understanding of the issues your employees face".
Stand up HR. Nepfumbada advises HR managers to be bold enough to challenge the status quo in their organisations.
Set them free. With apologies to a popular saying, if you invest in your employees, [don't be afraid to] set them free. "High performers tend to want to change frequently – sometimes organisations don't have room for growth for them. Sometimes what the organisation may see as the future in terms of their careers may not fit in with the [employee's] aspirations," she says, adding that these people could come back with a different outlook after having worked elsewhere.
"Millennials get bored very quickly and have a three-year career outlook," said Aon South Africa head of employee engagement Zanele Dintwa, at a Gibs forum in February. Rather than see this as a threat, she advised organisations to create opportunities within which these employees can move and learn, as well as stay and contribute.
Then there are those who – no matter what you do – were not meant to be in your organisation, but end up there and are unhappy. "Ensure those people don't become overwhelming in your organisation," says Page.
Fix it. "Find out where your problem is – and do something about it."
Much disengagement starts with dissonance in personal and the organisation's values. In different areas in the organisation – whose culture may be empowering and enabling – leaders may create a subculture that doesn't engender the organisation's values, explains Nepfumbada. "People don't leave organisations; they leave managers."
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Lesotho government called on to quit
22 January 2020 / Antony Sguazzin, Bloomberg
Oil is poised to slip below the 2019 average.
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Jujutsu and Taijutsu:
by Meik Skoss
Japanese unarmed grappling arts have been around for a very long time. The first references to such unarmed combat arts or systems can be found in the earliest so-called historical records of Japan, the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan), which relate the mythological creation of the country and the establishment of the Imperial family. Other glimpses can be found in the older records and pictures depicting sumai (or sumo) no sechie, a rite of the Imperial Court in Nara and Kyoto performed for purposes of divination and to help ensure a bountiful harvest. These systems of unarmed combat began to be known as jujutsu, among other related terms, during the Muromachi period (1333-1568), according to densho (transmission scrolls) of the various ryu-ha (martial traditions, "schools") and historical records.
Some define jujutsu and similar arts rather narrowly as "unarmed" close combat systems used to defeat or control an enemy who is similarly unarmed. Basic methods of attack include hitting or striking, thrusting or punching, kicking, throwing, pinning or immobilizing, strangling, and joint-locking. Great pains were also taken by the bushi (classic warriors) to develop effective methods of defense, including parrying or blocking strikes, thrusts and kicks, receiving throws or joint-locking techniques (i.e., falling safely and knowing how to "blend" to neutralize a technique's effect), releasing oneself from an enemy's grasp, and changing or shifting one's position to evade or neutralize an attack.
From a broader point of view, based on the curricula of many of the classical Japanese arts themselves, however, these arts may perhaps be more accurately defined as unarmed methods of dealing with an enemy who was armed, together with methods of using minor weapons such as the jutte (truncheon), tanto (knife), or kakushi buki (hidden weapons), such as the ryofundo kusari (weighted chain) or the bankokuchoki (a type of knuckle-duster), to defeat both armed or unarmed opponents. Furthermore, the term jujutsu was also sometimes used to refer to tactics for infighting used with the warrior's major weapons: ken or tachi (sword), yari (spear), naginata (glaive), and bo (staff).
These close combat methods were an important part of the different martial systems that were developed for use on the battlefield. They can be generally characterized as either Sengoku Jidai (Warring States period, 1467-1568) katchu bujutsu or yoroi kumiuchi (fighting with weapons or grappling while clad in armor), or Edo Jidai (Edo period, 1600-1868) suhada bujutsu (fighting while dressed in the normal street clothing of the period, kimono and hakama).
The Names of Unarmed and Close Combat Systems
Although these arts are most commonly referred to under the general rubric of "jujutsu," there were many different names for these types of techniques and tactics, varying from ryu to ryu. Hade, hakuda, jujutsu, kempo (Sekiguchi-ryu, Araki-ryu, Seigo-ryu), koppo, kogusoku, and koshi no mawari (Takenouchi-ryu and Yagyu Shingan-ryu), kowami, kumiuchi, shubaku, tode, torite, yawara[jutsu] (Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu, Tatsumi-ryu and Shosho-ryu), and yoroi kumiuchi (Yagyu Shingan-ryu) are a few of the words that were used over the years. In some traditions, such as the Takenouchi-ryu and Yagyu Shingan-ryu, more than one term was used to refer to separate parts of their curricula. Each of these words denotes systems with different contents or slightly varied technical characteristics.
The Development of Unarmed and Close Combat Systems
Regardless of where they live, people spend a great deal of time developing and perfecting methods of using weapons for hunting and fighting. If successful, personal experiences and insights (often gained on the battlefield) help individuals to establish particular "styles," "schools," or "traditions"--in Japanese, the bujutsu ryu-ha.
Compared with the empty-handed fighting arts of neighboring China and Korea, Japanese jujutsu systems place more emphasis on throwing, immobilizing and/or pinning, joint-locking, and strangling techniques. Atemiwaza (striking techniques) are of secondary importance in most Japanese systems, whereas the Chinese ch'uan-fa (J.: kempo) emphasize punching, striking, and kicking. It is generally felt that the Japanese systems of hakuda, kempo, and shubaku display some degree of Chinese influence in their particular emphasis on atemiwaza, while systems that are derived from a more purely Japanese source do not show any special preference for such techniques, but will use them as and when appropriate.
There are several reasons why Japanese arts developed in this way. First, there was a major change in the conduct of warfare during the Sengoku Jidai compared with that of earlier times. Fighting was typified by large-scale engagements on the battlefield. Bushi, dressed in armor, fought all over the place in a melee situation--not the sort of conditions where striking an enemy with one's fists or feet would be effective. The close quarters tactics of the day called for closing with the enemy, throwing him down, and taking his head.
Another reason for the secondary emphasis on atemiwaza in Japanese systems is the fact that, even when one's opponent is not wearing any sort of protective equipment, it is difficult to defeat (by killing or incapacitating) a trained fighter with one blow; under these circumstances, failure is more likely than success. If your attempt fails, the enemy will use the weapon he carries to cut you down. The most important thing, then, is not to allow him to use his weapon. If it is a sword, then you must be able to control his right hand and prevent him from drawing it, or, if he manages to draw it, you must be able to stop him from using it against you. Commonly seen examples of these kinds of techniques can be seen in Kime no Kata (Forms of Decision) in nukikake (Sword Unsheathing), and kirioroshi (Downward Cut), judo techniques based on the older jujutsu forms of the Tenjin Shinyo-ryu. On the other hand, if you are the one with the sword (or other weapon), you must be able to free yourself from your enemy's grasp, open the distance, and bring an effective counterattack to bear, a tactic that occurs in a number of the techniques in Yagyu Shingan-ryu.
Thus, close quarters grappling skills were essential for both the shogunate law enforcement officers and for warriors, to enable them to overcome an opponent when unarmed or armed only with a "minor" weapon. In fact, there were times when using one's own weapons was either difficult or impossible. A bushi would generally resort to his sword when threatened, but there were some situations in which he was not permitted to use it. One example was in a lord's castle. This was the cause of the events recounted in "Chushingura" (The Story of the 47 Ronin), where Lord Asano draws his short sword within Edo Castle and attempts to cut down Lord Kira for having insulted him. This was a major offense, punishable by death, and his life and domain were therefore forfeit, leading to the famous vendetta.
Another typical use of jujutsu by warriors was when a high-ranking warrior was attacked by one of lower status. In such a case, even if the low-ranked warrior, an ashigaru (foot soldier, the lowest level of bushi) for example, were to attack, say, a general, with a drawn sword, it would have been unseemly for the higher officer to use a weapon against such a common person; thus warriors also needed to be able to control and subdue such opponents in a manner befitting their status.
In future columns, I will discuss several jujutsu ryu, both those developed for use on the battlefield during the Sengoku Jidai (Takenouchi-ryu, Yagyu Shingan-ryu, and others) and ones that were created during the 250-odd years of peace under the Tokugawa bakufu (military government), such as the Yoshin-ryu and Tenjin Shinyo-ryu. There are a number of very important differences between them and they're worth exploring.
Copyright ©1995 Meik Skoss. All rights reserved.
This article first appeared in Aikido Journal #103, vol. 22, no. 2, 1995. For more information on this magazine, check out AJ Online.
URL: https://koryu.com /library/mskoss8.html


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Mr. Uttar Kumar Shrestha
Mr. Uttar Kumar Shrestha is responsible for overall Operation and Management of the Company. Prior to joining BPC, he was the Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). He served NEA for more than 20 years in different capacities. Mr. Shrestha holds a sound knowledge on Financing, Taxation, Audits, Management, Hydropower Development and PPA negotiation and extensive experience in negotiation with different bilateral and multilateral donor agencies, local financial institutions for financing and implementation of various projects. Mr. Shrestha has attended various Executive Management Development training programs and has participated as an expert in various national and international forums related to hydropower development. He had also served various hydropower companies as a Board Member during his service period at NEA.
Mr. Shrestha is a certified Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and holds MBA from Tribhuvan University, Nepal.
Hari Budhathoki
Company Secretary & Legal Counsel
Mr. Budhathoki holds LL.M. in Commercial Law from Tribhuwan University. He is an Advocate accredited by Nepal Bar Council, and a Member of Nepal Bar Association, High Court Bar Association, Patan. He has more than 17 years of experience as consulting and practicing lawyer in Nepal in the field of hydropower, infrastructure development, investment, employment, taxation, contracts, corporate governance, securities, procurement laws. He is providing legal services to Nyadi Hydropower Limited and Hydro-Consult Engineering Limited on retainer basis and to various infrastructure companies including Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Limited on as and when required basis.
Mr. Tika Ram Bhatta
Vice President - Corporate Management
Mr. Tika Ram Bhatta leads the Corporate Management Function of the Company. He is a retired Brigadier General of Nepal Army, where he served for 38 years in various capacities. He has commanded Company, Battalion, Training Centre and Brigade within Nepal and has served on international peace-keeping missions. He has vast experience of working in Operations, Procurement, Peace-keeping and Logistics Departments in the Army Headquarters in a senior management positions. He has been honored with several awards including Gorkha Dakshin Bahu IV & III in recognition of his commitment and dedication towards work.
Mr. Bhatta holds Masters' Degree in Political Science from Tribhuvan University, Nepal and Masters' in Management Studies from Osmania University, India. He has completed Command and Staff Course in the Army, Management Trainings from Civil Staff College, Nepal and Crane Field University, UK. In addition, he has also completed the Military and Management trainings in India and USA. He has served in United Nations' Peace-keeping Missions in Lebanon, F ormer Yugoslavia and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mr. Pratik Man Singh Pradhan
Vice President - Business Development & Projects
Mr. Pradhan is the Vice President and leads the Business Development and Project Function at BPC. Mr. Pradhan is responsible for the business, development and implementation of new hydropower projects, like Kabeli A Hydroelectric Project, Nyadi Hydropower Project, Lower Manang Marsyangdi Hydropower Project and Chino Hydropower Project.
Mr. Pradhan is a hydropower development expert with over 25 years of experience in the planning, preparation, development and implementation of the hydropower projects. His key experiences include providing technical and managerial oversight of implementing and upgrading of hydropower projects, preparing of the projects for implementation, and working on environmental hydraulics issues. Mr. Pradhan has provided leadership in a hydraulics research laboratory which focused on solving hydraulic related problems in the design of headworks in sediment loaded rivers in Nepal and the South Asia region. He has also had extensive experience in the construction of dams, intakes, and tunnels from a number of hydropower projects in Nepal.
Mr. Pradhan has a Graduate Degree in Civil Engineering from NIT India and a Master's in Science in Hydropower Planning and Development from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway, as well as a second Master's degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan, USA.
Mr. Radheshyam Shrestha
Vice President - Finance
As Vice President - Finance, Mr. Shrestha is responsible for BPCs financial operations, and investor and stakeholder relations. Mr. Shrestha has served 30 years in different positions in Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) the Central Bank of Nepal. He had held the position of Directors of Financial Management Department and Bank and FI Regulation Department at NRB. Prior to BPC he had worked as professional Chartered Accountant in CSC & Company and R. Bajrachayra & Co. in Kathmandu.
A certified Chartered Accountant (CA) from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Mr. Shrestha also holds a Master's Degree in Commerce from Tribuvan University.
Mr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha
Vice President - Operations
Mr. Shrestha is the Vice President of Operation Function at BPC. Mr. Shrestha is with BPC for the past 27 years in different senior positions. He has wide range of both technical and managerial experience in hydropower sector. His major responsibilities include overall management of two major power plants and distribution systems of the Company in Pyuthan, Arghkhachi, Syangja and Palpa Districts.
Mr. Shrestha's leadership and technological insight in the domain of his expertise has strengthened BPC's generation capacity with record breaking generation trend. He has also been working as a CEO of BPC Services Limited (BPCSL), another subsidiary company of BPC, which provides Operation and Maintenance Service to the power plants.
Mr. Shrestha holds a Bachelor degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from National Institute of Technology India, Master of Science (Electrical Power System) from Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and an MBA from Kathmandu University.


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GIRLS BASKETBALL | New-look St. Thomas Aquinas defeats Alliance decisively
By Mike Keating mkeating@the-review.com
Dec 9, 2019 at 9:45 PM Dec 9, 2019 at 10:03 PM
After their first five games, the Alliance Aviators were trending upward on the hardwood.
In that brief stretch, Alliance snared a road win at Canton Central Catholic and were competitive in a loss to reigning Eastern Buckeye Conference champion Salem.
On Monday night, however, St. Thomas Aquinas, featuring three senior transfers from Division I state semifinalist GlenOak, exploited its size and experience from the start, recording a 58-15 win in Harry Fails Gymnasium.
St. Thomas (2-0) was paced by 6-foot-1 senior Hayley Smith with 18 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots; 5-3 senior point guard Addison Mucci with 18 points, seven steals and four assists and 5-10 senior forward Erica Warren with 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Smith, Mucci and Warren started as juniors on the GlenOak team which lost 55-37 to eventual state champion Mount Notre Dame and finished 23-3.
"We came out flat and I was disappointed,," Alliance coach Rod Smith said. "We didn't have any energy on offense or defense and you can't come out and play like that against a team with players who have had state tournament experience."
Alliance (1-5), which lost 33-19 to St. Thomas on the Lady Knights' home floor last season, was minus Mackenzie Fletcher, one of two returning starters. Fletcher scored seven points in last year's game that was close until midway through the fourth quarter.
Smith, Mucci and Warren join sophomores Avery Bussey, a 5-10 forward, and Haley Overdorf, a 5-6 point guard, in the starting lineup. Bussey and Overdorf were returning starters from last year's team headed by senior forward Cassie Duplin.
"Those three girls give us experience," St. Thomas head coach Ryan Hill said. "Our most experienced returning starters after last year were Bussey and Overdorf, who were coming off their freshman year. These girls not only have experience, but they're good leaders."
Smith helped St. Thomas seize a 13-0 lead with three putbacks. Mucci also contributed a 3-point field goal and a floater in the lane.
Alliance, conversely, turned the ball six times during that time period and also went 0-of-6 from the foul line, offsetting a rebounding edge due to the hustle of Raelynn Thomas, Leah Cameron and Kylie Davis.
"We were turning the ball over and missing shots, but we did a nice job rebounding and getting fouled," Smith said. "We just struggled at the foul line and we needed those points."
Davis, who scored four points, converted two free throws after the Lady Aviators misfired on eight of their nine previous attempts at the 4:01 mark of the second quarter, cutting the Lady Knights' lead to 21-7.
More importantly, Alliance played St. Thomas nearly even for more than five minutes. The Lady Knights only outscored the Lady Aviators 8-7 during that segment.
St. Thomas' press and crisp passing from Mucci, Smith and Warren led to a 26-2 run by the visitors over the next nine minutes.
During that spurt, Smith fed the left-handed Warren for an easy two-pointer, increasing the St. Thomas lead to 38-9 with 4:28 remaining in the third quarter.
Four seconds later, Rod Smith went to his bench, rotating seven younger and less experienced players the rest of the way. Freshman guard Kassidy Jordan, who is listed at 4-9, swished a mid-range shot to give Alliance 11 points, freshman guard Brooklyn Fletcher added three points, freshman post Bridgette Runion netted one point, freshman guard Mianna Ford recorded three steals and sophomore forward Valencia Davis grabbed six rebounds to place second on the team behind Thomas, who had seven boards.
"I wanted to give those girls a chance to get experience playing against older and more experienced players to get used to the speed of varsity basketball," Rod Smith explained. "I thought they showed spunk and competed. My goal is to develop a deep team and they showed they could compete."
Alliance led 27-14 in turnovers. St. Thomas finished with a 36-31 rebounding advantage in its first game since defeating Parma Heights Notre Dame 49-32 on November 23.
"I stayed with the press a little longer, because we hadn't played in a long tiem and we need to work on it," said Hill, who added. "Alliance looks like a much improved team. They box out better and rebound better, and they also space better."


Jan. 25, 2019 3:55 p.m.
The federal government knowingly short-changed hundreds of thousands of disabled veterans and RCMP members about $165 million in benefits, a proposed class action filed in Federal Court on Friday asserts.
The unproven claim, which seeks $600 million in damages, accuses the government of negligence and breach of contract among other things. It also wants the court to order the government to pay the owed benefits with interest.
The lawsuit, which has yet to be certified as a class action, follows a calculation error the government admits making in 2002. As a result, as many as 270,000 veterans and others receiving a disability pension or benefits were shortchanged until 2010, when the mistake was discovered.
However, according to the statement of claim, Ottawa allegedly hid the error until this past November — disclosing it only after veterans ombudsman Guy Parent said his team had stumbled upon the problem while looking at another issue and flagged it to the government.
In a statement, Veterans Affairs Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said she was committed to ensuring those affected would receive their rightful entitlement.
"When the ombudsman brought this to our attention in 2018, we did a detailed review and worked to secure up to $165 million for those retroactive payments," Wilson-Raybould said Friday. She said she could not comment further given the legal action.
As many as 120,000 people affected may have died without receiving any of the owed money. The government has said their estates would be entitled to the backpay.
The proposed representative plaintiff is Jean-Francois Pelletier, of Dartmouth, N.S., who served with the navy from 1986 to 2005 and was deployed to the Gulf region in 2002, according to the court filing. Pelletier had injured his foot early in his career and he was ultimately given a monthly, indexed disability pension of about $2,000.
Last week, a Calgary-based law firm filed a similar claim in Federal Court on behalf of another former soldier, CBC News reported.


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A book review on Mervyn Frost's Constituting Human Rights: Global Civil Society and the Society of Democratic States
Book Review; Mervyn Frost, 'Constituting Human Rights: Global Civil Society and the Society of Democratic States'. London and New York: Routledge, 2002. 161 pp. ISBN: 0-415-27227-0
'[H]ow are we to think about the clash between our civilian rights and our citizenship rights?' This is the fundamental ethical question that Mervyn Frost's book examines in light of a previously articulated 'constitutive theory.'[i] Professor Frost argues for the centrality of human rights discourse in global politics in which ethical dilemmas of these types are unavoidable. The arguments are constructed based on the two fundamental practices that most of us are participants, as members of the global civil society and as members of democratic and democratising states. Then he takes on an extensive investigation of various ethical conundrums we found ourselves in because of our membership in these 'apparently' conflicting practices. The central problem that the book intends to address is the indifference within the practice of international relations to take human rights seriously. Accordingly, through the instrumentalities of constitutive theory, Frost propounds the urgency of bringing human rights back in to reconcile these conundrums.
In the introductory chapter, the author examines the two major global practices within which almost all members of the global community participate in one way or another. These are the global civil society in which we claim first generation human rights and the society of democratic and democratising states in which we are privileged with citizenship rights. And further the chapter examines how we are, as participants, being pulled to opposite directions by these two practices because of the ethical questions that we encounter in our everyday lives, both as civilians and citizens. No doubt that the circumstances of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are some of the hard cases that test our ethical standards to the limit and the book provides in its subsequent chapters how we should respond to these problems both as civilians and as members of democratic and democratising states.
Chapter two analyses how human rights have been marginalised in world politics. It raises a number of ethical problems pertinent in our dealings as players in international relations and how we address them. The dominance of realism, understanding human rights as valid only where they are being enforced and the dominance of legal positivism are but some of the reasons why human rights have not assumed a position they legitimately deserve within the global politics. This critical discourse on the reasons for sidelining human rights is given to argue for the impossibility of any satisfactory understanding of the two major practices of contemporary world politics and thus the impropriety of responses to the ethical dilemmas without a proper understanding of the place of individual human rights within them.
In chapter three a discussion is made on the features of the two foundational practices that the book has introduced in chapter one. It is in this chapter that a fundamental assertion is made to distinguish practices in the global civil society and within democratic and democratising states from that of purposive associations. While associations are formed with a set purpose-like profit generation-and operate externally from the members participating in them, Frost explains that the practice we engage in as civilians and citizens, which he calls foundational practices, are distinct because by participating in such practices we create for one another values which could not be achieved in any other way. These practices trump those of all the other associations in case a conflict emerges. He sums up the chapter by saying that these two foundational practices are fundamentally constitutive of who we take ourselves to be. The thrust of the chapter is then we, as members of the global civil society and the society of democratic states, practice individual human rights and citizenship rights in these respective practices which are both authoritative and ethically foundational.
In chapter four a normative analysis is made to show how the rights we claim as civilians within the global civil society on the one hand and the citizenship rights we claim within the democratic and democratising states relate to one another. Frost draws the conception of rights within a family, civil society and democratic and democratising states first by looking into the Hegelian model of civil society and by showing the enormous changes that occurred after 'philosophy of right' by Hegel. He rather focuses the importance of society for rights-claims and dismisses the conception of rights as natural and to be wrong-headed. We can only perceive ourselves as what we are and the practices we engage in the civil society and democratic and democratising states if the rights-conferring aspects are recognised and seriously upheld. Otherwise, Frost concludes, the practices would have been something different and we, the participants would have also been something else than who we are.
Chapter five is central to the overall content of the book (together with chapter six) in the sense that in it the author reclaims a space within the global politics for rights-discourse by using the constitutive theory. Its being global in the sense of not knowing any territorial limits, treatment of non-participants as participants as a means of bringing them back in to the play-ground of global practices of civil society, absence of such thing called 'you are in or out' approach because participation in it is an incremental/transformational process than conversional/domination are some of the distinctive features of global civil society expounded in this chapter. These features, it is argued, make civil society an exceptionally important practice within which we claim for ourselves first generation rights.
The sixth chapter examines the second level of practice where citizenship rights-claims are made within democratic and democratising states. The need for this level of practice is justified because of a number of shortcomings that the civil society has when looked at in light of ethical standards. Some of the pertinent shortcomings discussed in this chapter are alienation, competition and absence of community within the global civil society. The author then systematically brings in citizenship rights claims as constitutive practices to bridge those gaps that prevail within the other authoritative practice, namely the civil society.
The seventh chapter is in order as a concluding section to the discussions made so far by claming that rights that we claim as civilians and citizens are irrefutably compatible than contradictory, exist in parallel than being mutually exclusive. What we are expected to do when faced with ethical questions both as civilians and as citizens must be in line with what we are constituted of as such. And in both levels of responses there cannot be an inherent contradiction, rather there is coherence.
The book, as a normative theory on international relations and the role human rights play, is a fundamental contribution to the dilemmas that prevail in world politics in the past, present and presumably in the future. The claim that there exists a global civil society where every participant must be presumed to enjoy first generation rights might appear too optimistic within the prevailing factual circumstances where views of universality are highly contested. Moreover, the book takes the socio-economic conditions that define a country's level of development and thus the dissimilarities in the level of standard of living amongst citizens very lightly. Where living standards are polarised and so long as we admit the prevailing differences in democratic maturity amongst civil societies, the tension between sovereignty claims and individual rights remains a challenge that we encounter in dealing with issues of migration, refugees and the others that are presented in this book as 'hard cases.'
In one of the footnotes, the author explains 'right to life' as second generation right in contrast to what he calls 'negative liberties.' The latter term is used to denote first generation rights of individuals such as freedom of speech, movement, contract, conscience, the right to own property and the right not to be killed and assaulted.[ii] Even if the right to life has components in terms of both negative and positive liberties, it is hardly possible to classify the positive liberty aspect of it as second generation right, except describing those specific rights constituting the right to life like health, food, livelihood, etc. Therefore, the direct reference to right to life as second generation right appears to be a relegation of this fundamental right that is often referred to as the 'mother of all rights.'
[i] This is a theory that Frost had discussed at length in his book 'Ethics in international relations' as a theory that aims 'to bring to light the internal connections between being an individual rights holder of a particular kind and being a member of a certain kind of social institution.' Mervyn Frost, 'Ethics in International Relations: A Constitutive Theory', Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1996, p 140.
[ii] Foote note 10, in chapter 1, page 140
Filed in Human Rights, Working Thoughts
Tags: book review, Civil and political rights, Civil society, human rights, international law
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Meeting of the Waitangi Catchment Group held at the Okaihau Golf Club, Thursday 30 April 2015 commencing at 6.30pm.
Jon Hampson (Landcare Trust) providing a short presentation on what the Landcare Trust group "Farmers for the future" have been doing over the last 3 years in the Waitangi Catchment and outcomes of the project.
Andrew Swales and Max Gibbs (NIWA): Sediment Source Tracking within Bay of Islands and Waitangi Catchment.
Objectives process: matching freshwater values to attributes and desired attributes states (numeric or narrative).


Compte will enforce the law in the upcoming crime series.
Sabotage actor Maurice Compte has joined the new Netflix series Narcos.
The actor has been cast as a series regular, in the role of a cop that is centered around former Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, Variety reports.
The drama was given a 10-episode order back in April.
Robocop's Jose Padilha is set to direct with Wagner Moura in the role of Escobar.
The series comes from executive producers Chris Brancato, Eric Newman and Carlo Bernard.
Narco is slated to debut sometime in 2015.
Netflix recently signed a four-picture movie deal with comedian and actor Adam Sandler.


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FDA Warns Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Can Cause Your Immune System To Attack Your Nervous System
Well we did try to warn you - Editor
from Great Game India - 13 July 2021
The US Food and Drug Administration has warned that Johnson & Johnson's single-dose Covid-19 vaccine can cause Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder where the immune system attacks the nervous system and can result in paralysis.
Guillain-Barre has been detected (read fact-sheet below) in about 100 people who had recently received Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 jabs, and the FDA said on Monday that 95 of those cases required hospitalization.
One vaccine recipient died from the disorder, the agency said, without providing details.
Many of the patients were men aged 50 and older, and symptoms developed in most of the cases within six weeks after they were vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the CDC.
The drugmaker issued a statement saying it strongly supports "raising awareness" of the "signs and symptoms of rare events" to ensure they can be quickly identified and properly treated. ... Continue reading >>>
Evidence-based medicine consultancy issues "yellow card" warning about dangers of covid vaccines
A "community interest company" that says it conducts research on behalf of the general public with no conflicts of interest has issued a "yellow card" warning against Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) "vaccines," which "may require further investigation" to "identify issues which might not have been previously known about" concerning their safety.
Covid Vaccine Project? Invasion of The Body Snatchers meets The Milgram Experiments
Boris Johnson is on a collision course with elected representatives of his own party today, as the Prime Minister prepares to abandon every promise he made to end lockdown on June 21st, and announce a four week delat delay to the pan to lift pandemic restrictions. The much-heralded 'freedom day' scheduled for June 21 is now due to be pushed back until July 19, with health minister Edward Argar telling the BBC this would allow authorities time to "close the gap" in the number of adults who have had their second jab
The Truth Behind COVID-19 Vaccines (4)–Why High Incidence of Myocarditis in Young Vaccinated People
Vaccines causing myocarditis in young vaccinated people are finally getting the attention of health authorities and the media. However, keep in mind many more people die from all kinds of unpredictable side effects or suffer lifelong disabilities besides myocarditis, and no one knows about the impact of vaccines on fertility and other unpredictable consequences.
There have been numerous adverse reactions reported following mass vaccination worldwide. Myocarditis is currently attracting more and more attention due to its high incidence rate among young people who are vaccinated.
SHOCKING JUMP in Vaccine Deaths Reported This Week at CDC-Linked VAERS Tracking Website
There are more US deaths related to vaccines in 2021 in less than 5 months than there were the entire past decade.
The number of deaths linked to vaccines this year has absolutely skyrocketed. According to the CDC's own data, in 2021 n the first 3 months, the VAERS website recorded over 1,750 deaths due to vaccines in the US. That number is now at 5,997.
10,570 DEAD 405,259 Injuries: European Database of Adverse Drug Reactions for COVID-19 "Vaccines"14 May 2021 - The European database of suspected drug reaction reports is EudraVigilance, which also tracks reports of injuries and deaths following the experimental COVID-19 "vaccines."Here is what EudraVigilance states about their database:
This website was launched by the European Medicines Agency in 2012 to provide public access to reports of suspected side effects (also known as suspected adverse drug reactions). These reports are submitted electronically to EudraVigilance by national medicines regulatory authorities and by pharmaceutical companies that hold marketing authorisations (licences) for the medicines.
Vaccine Adverse Reactions – Not Reported By Mainstream Media
The UK Government's COVID-19 vaccination programme is now in full swing and the general public is being bombarded with the official line that to stop the COVID-19 pandemic and regain their freedom, people must be vaccinated. In fact they are told they must be vaccinated twice. …
Vaccine: More cases of rare blood clots, but regulator says benefits still outweigh risk
Reported cases of rare blood clots occuring in people soon after they received a shot of the AZ COVID-19 vaccine has risen to 168. The UK's medicines regulator said the overall case fatality rate was 19%, with 32 deaths up to April 14. Note the dishonesty in the style of reporting again. Nowhere does the official press release make clear that the figures apply only to adverse reactions of blood clots, both non fatal and fatal. People are still suffering and dying from allergic reactions, heart attacks, organ failure and respiratory failure soon after being vaccinated.
Study Reveals mRNA COVID Vaccines Link To Prion Disease & Brain Degeneration
from Great Game India A shocking study has revealed the terrifying dangers of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines inducing prion-based disease causing your brain to degenerate progressively. The mRNA vaccine induced prions may cause neurodegenerative diseases because long-term memories are maintained by prion-like proteins. The study concluded that mRNA based vaccine may also cause ALS, front temporal …
Backflipping Boris Says Vaccine Passports for Will Be 'Feature of Our Life in the Future' March 11, 2021 Contrary to what other ministers in his government have been saying recently, Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted earlier this week it is highly probable that vaccine passports for international travel will be a feature of Britons' lives in the future. Speaking at a Downing Street press event on Monday evening, the Prime Minister Johnson acknowledged … Continue reading
Twitter Thought Police Will Ban Anyone Who Repeatedly Tells Truth About COVID Vaccine In future anyone who "repeatedly posts misleading information" about SARS-COV2 (Covid-19) vaccines on Twitter will be put on a watch list and given five chances to chaine their opinion or self – censor their comments and opinions before being permanently banned from the social media platform, the company recently announced. A True to form however, … Continue reading
Council of Europe Decrees Vaccines Must Not be Mandatory and Non-Vaccinated Must Not be Discriminated Against The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe – the international body of which Britain remains a member) – has passed a resolution that recommending that governments refrain from enacting laws that make any vaccines mandatory and stated that nobody should suffer discrimination on account of not having been vaccinated. The resolution obviously refers to … Continue reading
Why Is There A Correlation Between The Vaccine Rollout And Increased COVID–19 Mortality? from UK Column Since the UK government began its rollout of the COVID vaccine regular reports of unusual death events occuring shortly after the deceased had received a shot of the vaccine have been reported in care homes and by doctors' surgeries across the country. The Official line has been that the vaccine shot and … Continue reading
Pfizer COVID vaccine killed 40 times more old people than the virus itself would have – Report March 4, 2021
posted by The Defender The experimental Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines from Pfizer that were rushed into production and distribution via Donald Trump's "Operation Warp Speed" program are killing far more elderly people than the so-called "virus" itself would have. A re-analysis of data provided by the Israeli Health Ministry concluded that Pfizer and BioNTech's messenger … Continue reading
Bill 'Psycho' Gates Wants To Release Genetically Modified Mosquitoes To Inject Us With Vaccines The latest luncacy to flow from the megalomaniacal mind of the world's richest madman and wannabe Galactic Emperor Palpatine, Bill Gates is the latest iteration of a plan this vaccine – obsessed world domination freak has nurtured for a long time. He wants to release genetically midified mosquitos to inject us with vaccine.Apart from the … Continue reading
Wanted to Know the Truth About Carbs. Here It Is
re carbohydrates responsible for fat gain? Yes and no. That's the complexity of the matter. Let's stop with the false assumptions and shortcuts. The reality is not so difficult to understand. It's actually quite simple. We make nutritional choices based on what we're told, without ever making the effort to understand how these foods affect our body. Yet, food is our fuel.
For a long time, I just ate what I wanted to eat. I was told that fruits and vegetables were better for my health than hamburgers and pastries, so I tried to eat more of the former than the latter.
US John Hopkins University Prof Says Don't Believe Corona Virus Numbers
The number of confirmed cases outside of China roughly tripled once again this week, and if this outbreak continues to escalate at this pace there will be more than a million confirmed cases in less than a month. But as bad as the official numbers are, the truth is that there are a whole lot more people walking around out there that have caught the virus but have not been tested.
UK To Ask Citizens Over 70 To Self - Isolatate For 4 MONTHS As Coronavirus Fails To Kill Zillions UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock today confirmed the government plans to ask people aged over 70 to isolate themselves for up to four months amid a coronavirus pandemic. The goal is to protect them. It's quite obvious to us, experienced bloggers that we are, that the government, civil service, law encorgement and national security agencies and all the assorted experts and talking heads have forgotten the lesson our generation learned from The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy ...
EU States Rebel Against Brussels As Van Leyen Demands Borders Stay Open
The cracks in European solidarity are growing deeper by the day as the coronavirus crisis threatens to split the bloc. The response of European leaders has varied from panic, as several member-states have takeen unilateral action including severe border closures, to a laissez - fair attidude, notably from France's idiot president Emmanuel Macron who favours total inaction, having said complacently that viruses don't recognise borders.
University free speech society told free speech a 'red risk', external speakers must be vetted
Sheffield University's recently formed Free Speech Society has been warned that free speech is a "red risk" and all external speakers at events it organises will have to be vetted by the University Thought Police squad and the topics they intend to talk about shown to be in line with ideas and opinions the titty - sucking babies who run the Student Union are not frightened by. Coninue Reading
A deadly sickness is sweeping across Ethiopia – and no one knows how or why it came to be
For most of this month the news has been full of the coronavirus outbreak in China, and the possibility this will turn into a pandemic like the Spanish flu' outbreak in 1919 which killed millions of people worldwide. First we need to allay freas spread by scaremongering propaganda aimed at diverting public scrutiny for several very unpleasant and undemocratic agendas currently being implemented by the ruling elites ...
Simple Tips for Boosting Immunity Everyone Should be Doing To Improve Resistance Against Diseases Like Cancer.
While medical science, funded by research grants from Big Pharma and corporate health care pushes to find ever more costly (i.e. profitable) therapies for the diseses that threaten us, the body is its own best doctor, as our ancestors knew. All we need do in many cases is give it the right support.
Labour planned to privatise 40% of NHS as hypocrite Corbyn takes aim at Johnson
One quickly tires of Labour Party candidates and their supporters claiming the "The Wicked Conservatiovs plan to sell the NHS to private enterprise. They've been at it again throughout the current election cycle, and of course there is no more truth in the claims than there ever was before. But the lefties forget, as they glefully point at any conservatives whose heads appears over the parapet, yelling "Witches, burn them," that the Labour government, between 1997 and 2010 under the traitor and war criminal Tony Blair privatised much of the NHS.
Coronavirus Contains "HIV Insertions": Claim Stokes Fears Over Genetically Modified Bioweapon
The theory that China obtained the coronavirus via a Canadian research program, and started molding it into a bioweapon at the Institute of Virology in Wuhan before it somehow escaped could be an attempt by the establishment (the Davosocracy,) to spread fear and panic as they see resurgent nationalism across the developed world and growing scepticism about
Mother jailed for child cruelty after rejecting NHS care to seek treatment at foreign clinic for teenager's hormone therapy
from: The Ledbury Reporter:
"A MOTHER took her daughter for medical tests for conditions she didn't have and gave her medication that would not have been prescribed by doctors in the UK, a jury has been told. Health professionals, police and social services became involved after an article written by the girl's mother was seen by her father, Worcester Crown Court heard.
NHS Money Wasting Machine And The One Budget That Is Never Cut
After the usual empty promises made at the annual conferences of the three main political parties - all three party leaders swore that only their party can save the National Heath Service (NHS) eternally a key isue in UK politics, we decided it was time our we too a close look at why NHS finances are always in a mess. We assigned the task to our team of old gits with a vast store of business experience behind them and no fears of suffering career damage as the Politically Correct Thought Police exact retribution for the crime of being 'off message'.
Evil Labour Government Helped Private Companies Profit From NHS
If you live in Heywood and Middleton and were thinking of voting for the greedy, paedophile loving, elitists' party, Labour because you have been taken in by the lies peddled at the Labour conference that the wicked Tories plan to privatize the NHS, think again.
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Pub History: Field Work in West London
After spending an afternoon reading about pubs in the National Archives at Kew we were keen to actually visit some and so decided on a crawl through the West London heartland of Fuller's.
We started, as the sun began to set, at The Tap on the Line which is, handily, right on the platform at Kew station. A converted railway buffet bar inspired we guess by the Sheffield Tap, it's also a bit like a mini version of the Parcel Yard at King's Cross with which it shares a tendency to vintage tiling and scrubbed wood. There was lots of eating, not much seating, and a row of keg taps on the back wall. The ubiquitous Edison bulbs were also present and correct. It's easy to admire the good taste with which it's been put together, and pubs at stations are A Good Thing, but it did feel, frankly, a bit like drinking in the kitchen department of John Lewis.
On the tube to Gunnersbury we pondered what we did like in a Fuller's pub and, rather to our own surprise, found ourselves thinking, wistfully, that we hoped the next one would be one of the mid-2000s refurbs with shiny orange wood and the full range of cask ales. With that in mind, The Old Pack Horse on Chiswick High Road was a sight for sore eyes: a grand, vaguely-art-nouveau exterior from 1905 with frosted windows full of gleaming light, advertising Public and Saloon bars. Though the interior was spacious there seemed to be lots of corners, cubby-holes and screens making it feel quite intimate. An antique metal sign advertising The Empire Bar lurked in the shadows above the bar evoking the period of pomp when the pub was built. The beer offer was cask-led… just — a new craft beer menu (mostly in bottles) was in the process of being rolled out, and was being pushed fairly hard by staff. The Thai restaurant at the back was a genuinely pleasing reminder of a decade ago when every pub in London seemed to have the same.
A little further along the busy main road was the George IV — just the kind of between-the-wars Improved Public House we'd been reading about for the preceding few days. Palatial in scale but plain in appearance, it was the first pub on our crawl where Saturday night really seemed to be kicking off. People were in party clothes, beards oiled and nails painted, and the bar was a three-deep scrum. It seemed a bit of a barn with its one big, echoing space but we reckon that's original — the work of frock-coated pre-WWII licensing magistrates insistent on full supervision, with the central bar a kind of panopticon from where the publican could play the part of policeman to make sure no-one was having too much fun.
After this we cut into the back streets where we stumbled upon the Duke of York. It couldn't have felt more different to the George despite being of a similar vintage. Another 00s refurb of a between-the-wars pub, The Duke retains two bars, public and saloon — and not just the suggestion of two bars, mind you, but an apparently genuine segregation, with solo gents seated at their crosswords in the latter while the former was standing only, football on the telly and pool underway. Snatches of conversation in various accents rose above the chatter now and then: 'Now, you know I'm a patient sort of bloke, but I told him…'; 'After you, dear boy, after you, ha ha, jolly good!' We were conscious of being strangers — a couple of curious glances came our way — and yet also felt the most comfortable we had all evening. Whatever magic makes a pub feel right, this seemed to have it.
With some sadness we pushed on heading through a spotlessly clean underpass beneath the Westway and into the shadow of Fuller's Griffin Brewery. There we found The George & Devonshire, another big, smart, bright pub that open but almost empty. A couple on a date fed each other pasta while an elderly regular sat at the bar making conversation with the friendly woman behind the bar, who was puzzled about where everyone was. (At the George IV, apparently.) It wasn't unpleasant by any means but was a bit of a comedown after the warm buzz of the Duke of York.
After a wander along the riverside and a failed attempt to get through the door of The Dove, full to bursting with singing rugby fans, we ended up at one of the most beautiful pubs in London: the extravagantly purple Salutation in Hammersmith, a last gasp of peacockish Victorian gin palace extravagance before brewers began to tone it down in a search for respectability. The interior suffers from a corporate makeover with boutique-hotel-style wallpaper and nowhere to sit which isn't exposed. As on a previous visit, we were struck by the cheery good humour of the bar staff, which made us think that it must be a pleasant place to work.
After six pubs covering various stages of architectural history, as well as several phases in Fuller's attempts to stay With It, we left with a faint anxiety. We're not sure this particular brewery need be so obsessed with getting involved in Craft Beer, especially if it's at the expense of what they do best, and what makes them almost unique in London: brilliant cask-conditioned bitter, best bitter and strong bitter, served in great old pubs. Yes, it's good to see the odd guest beer; it doesn't do much harm to have bottles behind the bar; and a keg IPA is no bad idea. But, still, it's worrying that we only had one really great pint of cask Fuller's beer all evening — Bengal Lancer IPA at the Duke of York — and, in one case (The George IV) were served London Pride that was almost headless, completely lifeless and even a bit hazy.
This news, which landed while we were finishing on passable but un-exciting glasses of ESB, only compounded our gloom:
A snippet in February's What's Brewing about Chiswick becoming a seasonal. The tastes they are a changing… pic.twitter.com/TvrmpNIW48
— Simon James (@Gueuzel) January 31, 2016
But, then again, the pub with the worst beer was heaving, even if everyone was drinking wine and lager, and the pub with the best beer was kind of quiet for a weekend evening. So what do we know about anything?
Author Boak & BaileyPosted on 2nd February 2016 23rd May 2016 Categories Generalisations about beer culture, london, pubsTags fuller's, west london
16 thoughts on "Pub History: Field Work in West London"
Bryan the Beerviking says:
2nd February 2016 at 11:37 am
You should have said – my office is just around the corner from the George IV (which was closed for a full refurb not long ago, by the way), and I'd have welcomed an excuse for a pint!
It's a shame you didn't find the Mawson's Arms open – I've never had less then good beer in there. Not too surprisingly, given that the brewers drink there. Another good one I found recently by chance was the Cross Keys on Black Lion Lane – Chiswick/Hammersmith borders, I guess.
3rd February 2016 at 9:40 am
We were sort of heading towards the Mawson Arms when it occurred to us to check the opening times. We'll get there one day, maybe when we finally get round to doing the brewery tour.
Finding pubs by chance is our favourite way, to be honest — a bit of a gamble, the slight thrill on walking through the door, etc.
Matthew Curtis (@totalcurtis) says:
Sounds like a good crawl! I do find Fullers pubs to be really hit and miss, especially in the West End where they pander to tourists. However I think that in terms of embracing a craft offering Fuller's seem to be doing a lot better than a lot of other regional/family brewers. I love that the Parcel Yard stocks Orval for example – not just focusing on the pale and hoppy end of the spectrum. Not a lot of other regionals are making this much considered thought over their range.
My absolute favourite Fuller's Pub is The Holly Bush in Hampstead Village. All polished wood and leather upholstery and hidden away down a little back street. Have you been? You really should the next time you're in town.
Adrian Tierney-Jones says:
Chiswick has been on the endangered list for a few years despite being one of the favourite tipples of John Keeling; I recall being told 2008 perhaps that they were considering axing it. I also recall a similar conversation in 2000 with the then Adnams head brewer who was going to axe their mild — he said it was all very good mild types wailing and ripping their hairshirts in anguish but if the beer wasn't selling there was no point in brewing it. I always enjoyed Chiswick and am glad it is at least a seasonal. Walked past the Salutation several times last year when visiting the brewery never had time to go in; the Dove is marvellous and I have fond memories from 1990 of the Hollybush when it sold Benskins and had gaslights, me and my mate watched Crystal Palace vs Liverpool in the FA Cup semis there, good match I seem to recall. I think Fuller's do a great job and ESB is one of my favourite beers, but then I might be seen as biased, so I'll say no more.
I guess it also ties in with Fuller's realisation that these days, variety sells. Pride's there for the many who want "a pint of the usual", but for the rest, it's "what's new on this week?"
I wonder how Seafarers is doing? I must admit I prefer it to Chiswick myself.
Pretty well – and better than Chiswick, the last I heard.
It's not really been on our radar. We'll give it a go with open minds next time we see it.
Generally speaking we are Fuller's fans which I guess is why we watch them all the more closely. In the last year or two we've had some pints of Chiswick, Pride and ESB that have really knocked our socks off — most often at the Jugged Hare on Vauxhall Bridge Road and the Mad Bishop at Paddington, perhaps surprisingly — which is why it's so disappointing to find their cask ale in lacklustre condition in their own pubs, only miles from the brewery.
Shame about Chiswick, it's a far better beer than Pride, IMO.
Paul Bailey says:
There are quite a few terms to describe a pub crawl, but "field work" is a new one on me! I'm not sure how it would go down at Bailey Towers if I was to tell my nearest and dearest that I'm off for a spot of "field work", the next time embark on a CAMRA outing!
Some nice looking, and nice sounding, pubs, and regrettably I've only been in a few of them. Shame about Chiswick being relegated to a seasonal ale; I much preferred it to Seafarers.
We were genuinely looking at the pub architecture although less carefully by the end of the crawl than at the start…
"Study tour" is the phrase preferred by the trade …
'Study tour' is the preferred expression in the trade.
AleingPaul says:
Nice piece, I really need to make it over to the Salutation one day soon. I'd also recommend most if not all of the Fuller's pubs in Ealing should you want to try a similar field visit again. And yes it's a shame about Chiswick Bitter, a really good thirst quencher to start the evening on, I much prefer it to Seafarers.
Also just a small geographical point, that spotlessly clean underpass goes under the A4 and not the Westway which is the A40.
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Canadian #1 Genie Bouchard defeated Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 6-1 7-6(2) in 78 minutes in first round action today at Roland Garros. The victory was the first win at a major tournament for Bouchard, who fell in the second round of qualifying at this year's Australian Open.
Nineteen year-old Genie Bouchard has rapidly risen in the WTA rankings since early April, as a quarterfinal result in Charleston elevated her into the top 100 for the first time in her career at world #95. Despite losing in the quarters to eventual finalist and former world #1 Jelena Jankovic, Bouchard entered the tournament as a qualifier and defeated world #42 Laura Robson of Great Britain in the round of 32 and 2011 US Open Champion and world #9 Sam Stosur in the round of 16.
Just last week in Strasbourg, Bouchard won 3 main draw matches before falling in the semifinals to eventual Champion Alize Cornet of France 5-7 7-6(7) 6-3. The march to the semis lifted Bouchard's ranking to world #77.
Last November at the $75K Goldwater Women's Tennis Classic in Phoenix, I had an opportunity to speak with Genie Bouchard, a doubles Finalist at the event. Just four months earlier, Bouchard won the Junior Wimbledon Championship. Nathalie Tauziat, a former Wimbledon Finalist, works with Bouchard on a part-time basis. Bouchard elaborated that having Tauziat in her corner helped in her efforts at Wimbledon "She's been there before as a Wimbledon Finalist, she's helped me: to come to the net, to be able to reinforce my game, to take it to opponents and to be able to hit like her."
When I asked about what mental aspects of the game that Tauziat helps her with, Bouchard specifically mentioned: not getting too emotional, to keep fighting, to stay positive, and to not to show anything to her opponent, as well as helping her to work on tactics and being able to better see the game of her opponent. Bouchard is also appreciative of the fact that the WTA allows on-court coaching on changeovers during the match.
Genie Bouchard did not hesitate when I asked her about her goals for 2013: "To get to the top 100 as soon as possible." At the time when we spoke in mid-November, Bouchard was ranked #144. She has nearly cut that number in half (currently #77) in a little over 6 months and will rise even higher with today's victory.
Genie Bouchard's fovorite shot on the court is her serve. So it should come as no surprise that her favorite player on the ATP tour is Roger Federer, whom she had the opportunity to meet at last year's Wimbledon Champion's Ball. Maria Sharapova's overall game is appreciated by Bouchard for: her fight, the way she takes it to her opponents and the manner in which she strikes the ball. Bouchard and Sharapova met earlier this year in Miami, with Sharapova winning 6-2 6-0 in a 2nd round match. Ironically, they will meet again in the 2nd round later this week. Sharapova is the defending Roland Garros Champion and completed the career Grand Slam in Paris last year.
When asked about her favorite music, Genie Bouchard mentioned Taylor Swift, then smiled as she also added the Jonas Brothers. Meanwhile, the destinations on the tennis tour that Bouchard looks forward to visiting are Italy, for the food and nice cities as well as Australia, since the people are calm and laid back.
With her success on clay in Charleston and Strasbourg, as well as her first win at a major at Roland Garros, Genie Bouchard may quickly add Paris to the list of her favorite places on tour.
Benoit Paire, the lanky, big-serving Frenchman faced Roger Federer in today's semifinals in Rome at the Internazionali BNL D'Italia Masters 1000. It was the 3rd matchup against Federer since last October and this time Paire had prime opportunities to stake himself to a lead in the match. Serving at 5-4 in the opening set tiebreaker, Paire lost both points on his serve, as well as the following point and Federer would win the opening set and cruise to a 7-6(5) 6-4 victory.
Earlier in the week, Paire recorded impressive victories over Juan Monaco and Juan Martin del Potro in the first and third rounds respectively. Paire came into the tournament ranked 36th in the world and is expected to jump to #25 following his run to the Rome semifinals. With his march to the semis, Benoit Paire has become yet another surprise player in the field to reach a Masters 1000 semifinal.
Just last week in Madrid, Spaniard and then world #113 Pablo Andujar stormed into the semifinals, only to lose to eventual Champion Rafael Nadal in straight sets. For Andujar, he plans to use his success to propel his game going forward: "I've been able to beat three top 20 players this week. Well, you know, the next time that I go there and play against a top 20 I can tell myself I can do it, I can beat them....I'm going to be confident and I'm going to believe that this level is going to be regular. I will look forward to everything....this is going to give me a lot of confidence. Looking forward to play many matches against players that are up there in the ranking that have a good ranking and a good level. I can tell myself, Hey, you can win."
Last month at the Rolex Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo, flashy Italian Fabio Fognini defeated top ten players Tomas Berdych and Richard Gasquet en route to his semifinal match against world #1 Novak Djokovic. Following his victory over Gasquet, Fognini confirmed that it was the best moment in his career: "Yeah, for sure, this is one of the best performance ever for me. I'm happy. I have another opportunity to play with agreat player here in the center court in front of too many people, special friend and family."
Though Fognini managed to win only 3 games against Djokovic, who would go on to end Rafael Nadal's 8-year winning reign in Monte-Carlo, Fognini improved his ranking from world #32 to #24. This improbable run to the semis practically guarantees Fognini a seed at Roland Garros.
The Masters 1000 clay court season concludes tomorrow as Roger Federer, appearing in his 3rd Rome final, faces 6-time Champion Rafael Nadal. Nadal owns a 19-10 career record over Federer as well as a slight 23-21 edge in Masters 1000 titles.