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Cass HR expert comments on the Taylor Review on workers' rights
Business & Finance Series: Expert Comment
Matthew Taylor's Review of Employment Practices and the Modern Economy is published today
First published Tuesday, 11th July, 2017 • by Amy Ripley (PR and Communications Manager)
Matthew Taylor's Review of Employment Practices and the Modern Economy calls for, amongst other things, for a radical overhaul of employment law with new guarantees on the minimum wage and a new category of worker called a "dependent contractor" who should receive benefits such as sick pay and holiday leave. This is likely to cover workers for firms like Deliveroo and Uber.
Professor Chris Rowley, Professor Emeritus of Human Resource Management, Cass Business School comments on the Review.
"To be clear, lest we forget, this review has happened not to 'celebrate' this development in the working world, but only because there was a perceived problem. And it is only 'new' due to the use of online platforms and apps and certainly not 'new' in the Dickensian exploitative working conditions that have ensued.
"This is because such firms have utilised the grey area between fully employed and self-employed. The traditional 'self-employed' worked for themselves and had the real flexibility of working for various clients of their choice and time. This new army of so-called self-employed are engaged in insecure work, unable to turn down work and often tied to one firm – and one that is for all intents and purposes an 'employer' which wants to control them - but simply avoid any of the costs of employment.
"Such firms seek the maximum numerical flexibility of zero hour contracts as well as avoiding tax - NI contributions - or benefits such as sick pay, holiday entitlement and pension provisions. As such firms clearly do not think they should pay for such things or be responsible for them, who do they think should be? Also, this is a retrograde development in that such benefits are what people have come to expect in a civilised society, let a developed economy and one that aims to invest in the long-term with skills to upgrade and add value and compete in a post-Brexit world rather than engage in a futile 'race to the bottom' in the employment of our fellow workers.
"What does this say about the short-term perspectives and ethical behaviour of such firms and their highly-remunerated executives?"
Tags gig economy, Taylor Review, workers' rights, employment law, HR
Join the conversation #CassExperts
Professor Chris Rowley
City academics respond to Prime Minister Theresa May's call for internet regulation


In 2015, H. Moser & Cie. is making a statement. Bold and irreverent, the Neuhausen Manufacture is proud to unveil a masterpiece, one which combines an unprecedented skeleton movement, a case made entirely from sapphire crystal and a strap created using 3D printing – a world first. The Venturer Tourbillon Dual Time Sapphire Skeleton, with a combination of three innovations, is a remarkably winning overture.
For its talking piece this year, H. Moser & Cie. has selected the Venturer collection, which boasts elegant and refined, sensual curves. The exception being that this version will have a case created entirely in sapphire crystal. The finish to the profile of the case with its unusual shapes, the exquisite bezel, the curve of the dial and the crystal, and the proportions which echo the convex forms of the 1960s: the beauty of all these features is amplified by the transparency of the sapphire crystal case. The solid sapphire case was created using a technique that very few people in the world have mastered: the Kyropoulos method. Starting with aluminium oxide, this revolutionary crystallisation process is used to create large ingots of sapphire crystal which are highly uniform and of an excellent quality. The sapphire crystal is then cut and worked with the greatest of care. To obtain such a result, H. Moser & Cie. has accomplished a feat of technical prowess. This transparent sapphire case highlights the beauty of the HMC 803 calibre, which is entirely skeletonised. The bidirectional rotor, made from 22-carat solid red gold, is also open-worked. Fascinating and hypnotic, its oscillations set off the various materials and surfaces. Playing with surprising contrasts, H. Moser & Cie. uses this setting to showcase a most traditional and exceptional watchmaking complication, the tourbillon, giving it a contemporary twist with both lightness and subtlety.
The Manufacture opted for a movement in nickel silver (or German silver, which is a brass alloy enriched with nickel), a choice dictated by history. Before the use of solid brass, all calibres were created from this alloy of copper, nickel and zinc. More complex and difficult to work, this alloy is, however, more beautiful and possesses a highly symbolic value. The alloy oxidises slightly before stabilising completely, ensuring the mechanism exudes an eternal beauty. H. Moser & Cie. takes this approach to its extreme with the superlative appeal of the Venturer Tourbillon Dual Time Sapphire Skeleton. The entire surface of the HMC 803 calibre is carved with a decoration that took almost 100 hours of work, and which further reinforces the unique nature of this exceptional watch. Finally, the Manufacture is equipping its masterpiece with a second time zone, indicated by a rhodium-plated hand, which can be easily distinguished from the blued steel hour and minute hands, and, of course, an Moser interchangeable minute tourbillon, boasting an original Straumann Double Hairspring®. This stroke of genius for a watch is intended to make watchmaking history and transcends the advantages of a simple tourbillon.
The strap fitted to the sapphire lugs of the Venturer Tourbillon Dual Time Sapphire Skeleton features a delicate structure, like interwoven lace; abstract, almost organic, forms appear and disappear amongst each other. Ethereal, playing with transparency, this strap is one-of-a-kind and was printed using 3D technology, a world-first in watchmaking. It would actually be impossible to produce this incredibly complex structure using traditional methods. Incredibly lightweight, with dimensions as compact as possible, this strap reveals new perspectives and hitherto unimagined possibilities of production with rubber. Its beauty complements this unconventional model with a bold, innovative and slightly provocative design. Never has a tourbillon been any less conventional!


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Brian Lokollo, Laura's lawyer argued: "She went dancing, but when she returned to the table after the first sip of her drink, she realized that she had been drugged. The young woman remembers nothing more until the following morning, when she woke up in a totally unfamiliar apartment and realized to her great horror that she had been raped." Laura finally learned her fate on Monday, as she was convicted by the Qatari court of "having sex out of wedlock." The court sentenced Laura with a one-year suspended sentence and deportation to the Netherlands, Al Jazeera reports.
A court official described the one-year suspended sentence as "lenient", adding "" As far as the man, identified as Omar Abdullah al-Hasan, he was also convicted of having sex outside of marriage, which is a serious offense in Qatar.
- A Dutch woman who alleged she was raped after being drugged in an upmarket nightclub in Doha was convicted of having sex out of wedlock by a Qatari court on Monday and given a one-year suspended sentence.
al-Hasan was sentenced to 100 lashes for illicit sex acts, and another 40 lashes as punishment for public drunkenness - he too will be deported. This is the best I could have wished for." * * * So the lesson here is twofold, one is if you're going out in Qatar, cover your drink, and the second is that if you get raped after a night out, you're going to be arrested and convicted of having sex outside of wedlock.
al-Hasan acknowledged having sex with Laura, but claims it was consensual. There's really not much else to say about that.
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If you're itching to go out clubbing in Qatar, make sure you keep your hand over your drink.A 22 year old Dutch woman said she was drugged by a Syrian man during a party in March at the Crystal Lounge nightclub at the W Doha Hotel, and woke up in an unfamiliar apartment.Video description : You are now watching qutar grilsexcom porn video from sex channel.Free maid fucks security guard 2 sex movie was added 19 hour ago together with more porno videos.
Upon waking up the woman known as "Laura" realized that she had been sexually assaulted, and subsequently reported the incident to the Qatari police.The police, in turn, arrested Laura on March 14 on charges of committing illicit sex acts, and have held her ever since.
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Civilisation will be mostlysolar-powered in future: Musk
NPN - August 19, 2022
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said that civilisation will be mostly solar-powered in the future. In a tweet, Musk said that almost all of Earth's energy comes from the Sun."We would be a dark iceball at near...
Solar-powered street lights to light up rural markets in Tripura
NPN - June 4, 2022
Tripura Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, who is also the power minister of the state, said the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency (TREDA) has taken up an ambitious project of installing solar-powered street lights in rural markets of...


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Choreography and Concert Dance
Hedwig Dances and "Vanishing Points"
April 19, 2012 Johnny Nevin362 views
Hedwig Dances' current presentation of "Vanishing Points", a full length program of four original choreographic works, is so imaginative and effective that you have a feeling of seeing something brand new, a Company full of innovation and forward-looking ideas. That's exactly what you're seeing, but you're also seeing a Company that is in its twenty-seventh successful year, so "Vanishing Points" is not only bright and surprising, it's also a carefully woven presentation of professionalism in every detail, and there are a lot of amazing details. Two of the four works feature original scores, and the evening includes unusually bold and effective set designs. Perhaps most surprising of all, even though the show is expansive and multi-faceted, it's actually only danced by six performers, but you're not even conscious of that unless you study the program.
Artistic Director Jan Bartoszek's "Dance of Forgotten Steps" opens the program in a sophisticated, successful integration of movement, music, set design and video. "It's Not About You", a new work by Cuban-born, Berlin-based choreographer Judith Sanchez Ruiz, is a focused, well-crafted duet, while Victor Alexander's "Line of Sighs" explores an intriguing interaction between another remarkably imaginative set design and three dancers. "Vanishing Points" closes with a new work by Michel Rodriguez (whose "Moi Aussi" was a finalist in the 2010 A.W.A.R.D. show), an intricate and driving ensemble piece entitled "Por Dentro".
"Vanishing Points" is a surprising experience in many, many ways. The original scores for "Dance of Forgotten Steps" (by Michael Caskey) and for "Line of Sighs" (by Arianna Brame and Petra Valoma) are musically and choreographically successful, the video in "Dance of Forgotten Steps" is so much a part of the movement it goes way beyond what the term "multi-media" usually suggests, and the performances by company members Victor Alexander, Michel Rodriguez, Maray Gutierrez, Edson Cabrera and Jessie Gutierrez, with Guest Artist Katie Graves, are consistently strong in four very different settings. "Vanishing Points" is at Theater 773 this Friday and Saturday (April 20-21) at 8PM and Sunday, April 22 at 3PM.
Hedwig Dances
Johnny Nevin
Johnny Nevin is an independent record producer, a composer, a writer, and a photographer.
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INSIDE: Hedwig Dances' "SEA LEVEL: Above and Below"
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Deswell Industries, Inc. manufactures and sells injection-molded plastic parts and components, electronic products and subassemblies, and metallic molds and accessory parts for original equipment manufacturers and contract manufacturers. The last earnings update was 153 days ago. More info.
DW2 outperformed the Electronic industry which returned -2.2% over the past year.
DW2 outperformed the Market in Germany which returned -7.2% over the past year.
Sorry, no analysis for Deswell Industries's competitors could be found in our database.
Is Deswell Industries undervalued based on future cash flows and its price relative to the stock market?
Here we compare the current share price of Deswell Industries to its discounted cash flow analysis.value.
Below are the data sources, inputs and calculation used to determine the intrinsic value for Deswell Industries.
The calculations below outline how an intrinsic value for Deswell Industries is arrived at by discounting future cash flows to their present value using the 2 stage method. We try to start with analysts estimates of free cash flow, however if these are not available we use the most recent financial results. In the 1st stage we continue to grow the free cash flow over a 10 year period, with the growth rate trending towards the perpetual growth rate used in the 2nd stage. The 2nd stage assumes the company grows at a stable rate into perpetuity.
The current share price of Deswell Industries is above its future cash flow value.
The amount the stock market is willing to pay for Deswell Industries's earnings, growth and assets is considered below, and whether this is a fair price.
Are Deswell Industries's earnings available for a low price, and how does this compare to other companies in the same industry?
** Primary Listing of Deswell Industries.
Deswell Industries is good value based on earnings compared to the DE Electronic industry average.
Deswell Industries is good value based on earnings compared to the Germany market.
Does Deswell Industries's expected growth come at a high price?
Unable to calculate PEG ratio for Deswell Industries, we can't assess if its growth is good value.
What value do investors place on Deswell Industries's assets?
* Primary Listing of Deswell Industries.
Deswell Industries is good value based on assets compared to the DE Electronic industry average.
Deswell Industries has a total score of 3/6, see the detailed checks below.
How is Deswell Industries expected to perform in the next 1 to 3 years based on estimates from 0 analysts?
No analysts cover Deswell Industries, future earnings growth has been estimated based on fundamentals.
Is Deswell Industries expected to grow at an attractive rate?
Deswell Industries's earnings growth is expected to exceed the low risk savings rate of 0.2%.
Deswell Industries's earnings growth is expected to exceed the Germany market average.
Unable to compare Deswell Industries's revenue growth to the Germany market average as no estimate data is available.
Deswell Industries's earnings are expected to grow by 19.3% yearly, however this is not considered high growth (20% yearly).
Unable to determine if Deswell Industries is high growth as no revenue estimate data is available.
All data from Deswell Industries Company Filings, last reported 6 months ago, and in Trailing twelve months (TTM) annual period rather than quarterly.
Unable to establish if Deswell Industries will efficiently use shareholders' funds in the future without estimates of Return on Equity.
Deswell Industries has a total score of 2/6, see the detailed checks below.
How has Deswell Industries performed over the past 5 years?
Below we compare Deswell Industries's growth in the last year to its industry (Electronic).
Deswell Industries has delivered over 20% year on year earnings growth in the past 5 years.
Deswell Industries's earnings growth has exceeded the DE Electronic industry average in the past year (21.8% vs 18.1%).
Deswell Industries's revenue and profit over the past 5 years is shown below, any years where they have experienced a loss will show up in red.
Deswell Industries has not efficiently used shareholders' funds last year (Return on Equity less than 20%).
Deswell Industries used its assets less efficiently than the DE Electronic industry average last year based on Return on Assets.
Deswell Industries has become profitable over the past 3 years. This is considered to be a significant improvement in its use of capital (Return on Capital Employed).
How is Deswell Industries's financial health and their level of debt?
The boxes below represent the relative size of what makes up Deswell Industries's finances.
Deswell Industries is able to meet its short term (1 year) commitments with its holdings of cash and other short term assets.
Deswell Industries's cash and other short term assets cover its long term commitments.
This treemap shows a more detailed breakdown of Deswell Industries's finances. If any of them are yellow this indicates they may be out of proportion and red means they relate to one of the checks below.
Deswell Industries has no debt, it does not need to be covered by short term assets.
All data from Deswell Industries Company Filings, last reported 6 months ago.
Deswell Industries has no debt.
Deswell Industries has not taken on any debt in the past 5 years.
Deswell Industries has no debt, it does not need to be covered by operating cash flow.
Deswell Industries has no debt, therefore coverage of interest payments is not a concern.
Deswell Industries has a total score of 6/6, see the detailed checks below.
What is Deswell Industries's current dividend yield, its reliability and sustainability?
Current annual income from Deswell Industries dividends.
If you bought €2,000 of Deswell Industries shares you are expected to receive €80 in your first year as a dividend.
Deswell Industries's pays a higher dividend yield than the bottom 25% of dividend payers in Germany (1.43%).
Deswell Industries's dividend is above the markets top 25% of dividend payers in Germany (3.71%).
What portion of Deswell Industries's earnings are paid to the shareholders as a dividend.
Dividends paid are well covered by earnings (3.3x coverage).
What is the CEO of Deswell Industries's salary, the management and board of directors tenure and is there insider trading?
Mr. Kin Chung So, also known as Edward has been the Chief Executive Officer at Deswell Industries, Inc. since December 2, 2013. Mr. So has been in the electronic manufacturing industry internationally and in China for more than 15 years and has been with Deswell for 8 years. He served as Managing Director of the electronics division at Deswell. Previously, Mr. So spent five years at Peavey Electronics in increasing roles of responsibility and was employed at HSBC. Mr. So holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Hong Kong, and a Master's in Business Administration from Royal Holloway, University of London.
Insufficient data for Edward to compare compensation growth.
Insufficient data for Edward to establish whether their remuneration is reasonable compared to companies of similar size in Germany.
The average tenure for the Deswell Industries board of directors is over 10 years, this suggests they are a seasoned and experienced board.
Deswell Industries has a total score of 0/6, this is not included on the snowflake, see the detailed checks below.
Deswell Industries, Inc. manufactures and sells injection-molded plastic parts and components, electronic products and subassemblies, and metallic molds and accessory parts for original equipment manufacturers and contract manufacturers. It produces a range of plastic parts and components that are used in the manufacture of consumer and industrial products, which include plastic components of electronic entertainment products; cases for flashlights, telephones, paging machines, projectors, and alarm clocks; toner cartridges and cases for photocopy and printer machines; and parts for electrical products, such as air-conditioning and ventilators, as well as parts for audio equipment and cases, and key tops for personal organizers and remote controls; double injection caps and baby products; parts for medical products comprising apparatus for blood tests; laser key caps; and automobile components. In addition, it provides electronic products that consist of audio equipment, including digital audio workstations, digital or analogue mixing consoles, instrument amplifiers, signal processors, firewire/USB audio interfaces, keyboard controllers, and speaker enclosures; home theatre audio products, such as 7.1-channel audio-visual Hi-Fi stereo receivers-amplifiers; printed circuit board assemblies; and telecommunication products comprising VoIP keysets for business communications. The company sells its products primarily in the People's Republic of China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway, Holland, Hong Kong, and Canada. Deswell Industries, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Macau.


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Apple Watch Series 6 - Quick Look
By Kim Jong - February 16th, 2021
The Apple Watch Series 6 is the latest smartwatch release from Apple (alongside the Apple Watch SE). Whether or not you're an Apple fan, there's no denying that the Apple Watch series is one of the standout options when it comes to smart watches. It's known for excellent performance, fantastic app selection, and ample health and tracking features.
Released in late 2020, the Apple Watch Series 6 saw many notable hardware improvements, including a faster S6 System in Package (SiP) and next-generation always-on altimeter, along with its most colourful lineup yet, complete with a beautiful palette of new case finishes and bands. Software improvements include some revolutionary new health and fitness features, making it even more indispensable by providing further insight into overall well-being.
First, let's take a closer look at some of the hardware improvements. The Apple Watch Series 6 uses a new dual-core processor based on A13 Bionic in iPhone 11; and the upgraded S6 SiP runs up to 20 percent faster, allowing apps to also launch 20 percent faster. Additionally, Series 6 features the U1 chip and Ultra-Wideband antennas, which will enable short-range wireless location to support new experiences, such as next-generation digital car keys. Apple Watch Series 6 also offers faster charging - completing a full charge in under 1.5 hours - and improved battery life for tracking certain workouts, such as indoor and outdoor runs.
It also has an enhanced Always-On Retina display that is up to 2.5 times brighter than Apple Watch Series 5 while your wrist is down, making it much easier to see a watch face in bright sunlight. With your wrist down, you can also now access Notification Centre and Control Centre, tap on complications, and swipe to change faces without having to wake the watch screen.
The remarkable new sensor and app in Apple Watch Series 6 allow you to take on demand readings of your blood oxygen as well as background readings, day and night.
Apple Watch Series 6 is capable of generating an ECG similar to a single lead electrocardiogram.
The Apple Watch Series 6 expands on the health capabilities of previous generations with a new feature that can conveniently measure the oxygen saturation of your blood. The remarkable new blood oxygen saturation sensor calculates SpO2 level on demand, and captures background readings day and night when you're sleeping and inactive. This can help you understand how well your body is absorbing oxygen, and the amount of oxygen delivered to your body - all important measurements of your overall health and wellness.
While the ECG feature has been available since Series 4, it only became available in NZ last year, and it's a momentous achievement worth mentioning. The Apple Watch Series 6 can take an electrocardiogram right from your wrist with the ECG app, and capture heart rhythm in a moment when you experience symptoms like a rapid or skipped heartbeat, and help to provide critical data to your doctor, and peace of mind for you. If you have a vulnerable loved one whose health is of concern, the Apple Watch Series 6 is one way you can keep tabs on their health too. If they're at risk of falling, you'll also appreciate the fall detection feature.
In addition to these features, the Apple Watch Series 6 also features a new Sleep app which can help to improve the quality of your sleep; and new fitness and tracking features that will help to push you even further.
The Apple Watch first hit the market five years ago with one of its key promises being to help monitor your health. Apple has continued to build upon this with each new generation and delivered some remarkable new health features with the Series 6. Let's not forget the other impressive upgrades in the Series 6 such as a faster processor, brighter always-on display, and a next-generation always-on altimeter. This is all on top of what the Apple Watch is already known and loved for such as advanced health and fitness tracking, safety and lifestyle features, and an amazing selection of apps.
Apple Watch Series 6 GPS, 44mm RED Aluminium Case with RED Sport Band - Regular
Apple Watch Series 6 GPS + Cellular 40mm Blue Aluminium Case with Deep Navy Sport Band - Regular...
Apple Watch Series 6 GPS + Cellular 40mm RED Aluminium Case with RED Sport Band - Regular,...
If you're considering upgrading from the Apple Watch Series 5 unless you just like to spend money, I would say it's only worth upgrading if you intend to use the new health features. It's without a doubt the best Apple Watch currently on the market but probably isn't worth upgrading from the previous generation if you don't have a need for any of the new features.
If the Apple Watch Series 6 is a bit out of your budget, you could consider the Apple Watch SE. It has many of the same features you get with the Series 6, only minus most of the key ones we've highlighted in this article!
These products will help you deal with COVID at home
By Mitchell Courtney
– December 10th, 2021
Top Fitness Trackers of 2021
– Updated June 24th, 2021
Top Smartwatches of 2021
– March 30th, 2021
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 - Quick Look
– March 2nd, 2021


This team will be traveling to the breathtaking Himalayan foothills of Northern India. This is a religiously sensitive area. You will have the opportunity to experience true Indian culture, learn about their religions, and share the love of Jesus through practical and relational outlets.
This trip is open to anyone.
- Workshops with local Indian pastors.
- Prayer walks through holy sites and cities.
- Trekking into the Himalaya's for the very fit.
- Tour of the famous Taj Mahal.


Many software based problems with large amounts of persistent data have already, or are currently, out growing the typical design of a single database for all persistence requirements. The need to build scalable software systems is becoming paramount as the amount of data that software applications deal with grows and as we move software applications to the cloud where the addition of more distributed computing power is only an API call away.
Ricky Ho has put together a comprehensive list of general principles and common techniques to use when designing scalable systems. It's a great list to reference while thinking about and designing new components for a software system that is required to scale.


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Richmond Mortty Bediakohttp://www.gbcghanaonline.com
The Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, has said the eyes of the world are fixated on Ghana because the December 7 elections hold immense importance to the continent.
He said the world held Ghana in high esteem as a beacon of peace and democracy in Africa, for which reason, in spite of the increased tension associated with the electoral process, it was important for all to guard against acts that could incite violence.
"This is another reason why we must assiduously support effort to consolidate democracy in this country and in this case, through a peaceful election," he said. Dr. Chambas said this in Kumasi last Thursday when he addressed a national forum to promote a peaceful general election in Ghana. It was organized by the National Peace Council (NPC) with support from the United Nations and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Dr. Chambas, who is also the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative, said the dialogue was meant to complement ongoing engagements by mobilizing all stakeholders at the regional level to commit to" a peaceful election, enhanced vigilance, strengthened mutual trust and confidence and ensure that any election-related disputes were resolved with utmost compliance to the rule of law and due process."
On that score, he commended the stakeholders for their participation at the event which he noted was a strong attachment to the tenets of democracy and sustainable peace, and development in Ghana. "Your leadership and engagement remain crucial during this electoral process," he told the gathering.
To other stakeholders, the UNOWAS head encouraged them to join the campaign being spearheaded by the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons to highlight the dangers small arms and light weapons posed to peace and security, and more specifically, to the holding of peaceful elections.
"At the regional level, we must also join this campaign and mitigate the potential impact of small arms on the election," he urged. Taking a look at acrimonious politics, Dr. Chambas observed that it could breed trouble for the country noted for its peace and oneness.
"We must desist from the politics of acrimony, bitterness and rancor that undermines peaceful conduct of elections. "Indeed, we should continue to engage political actors to ensure that we practice issue-based politics, which is a common attribute to Ghanaian electoral competition," he said.
Another area of concern to the UN senior official was political vigilantism, which had attracted immense discussions in the country. Describing the phenomenon as a threat to security, he entreated the political players to ensure that the canker did not raise its ugly head during the election period.
Dr. Chambas said in spite of the fact that the government and other stakeholders, including the two main political parties, the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party, had taken the issue seriously, leading to the passage of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, as well as the coming into being of the NPC facilitated roadmap and code of conduct to end political vigilantism, more still needed to be done.
He, therefore, called on leaders of political parties and other institutions to enhance their engagements with the youth, who were susceptible to foment violence during election. "Let's ensure that the youth of this region [Ashanti] continue to positively contribute to the peace and stability of Ghana," he added.
The Head of UNOWAS also urged the stakeholders to openly discuss the important role of women in politics. "Explore ways in improving their participation as well as the participation of the youth and persons with disability in the electoral process within an environment that is respectful of human rights and the rule of law," he said.
Dr. Chambas urged Ghanaians to honor the memory of the first President of the Fourth Republic, the late Jerry John Rawlings, with a peaceful election. "The greatest honor we can do him is to ensure the holding of peaceful, non-violent and credible elections on December 7," he said.
The ECOWAS Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Baba Gana Wakil, entreated Ghanaians to maintain their reputation as the beacon of democracy in the sub-region by going through the polls peacefully. He said Ghana had become a model of democracy on the continent and the world over by going through previous elections without any major incident and has, thus, become an inspiration to the region and, therefore, stressed the need to maintain that reputation.
"We need Ghana to continue to be the source of inspiration for other countries in the sub-region in terms of credible fair, transparent and peaceful elections. Ghana has been operating as a successful multiparty democracy since 1992, and it is now going into its eighth election," he said.
The ambassador said there was the need for the political parties and leaders of the country to moderate the behavior of the youth. "They [ youth] can make or mar an election and as technology improves, their behavior tends to be conditioned more by their smartphones and computers than what their parents or elders tell them," he stated.
In his view, even though the Anti-vigilantism and Related Offences Act has been passed, "to operationalize it needs the support of people like you (participants). He said contrary to the past few weeks where the political tension in the country was high, that appeared to have calmed down. "We are getting closer to the election, I am happy that I could see some calm environment emerging and this is very consoling," he said.
Welcome address, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPC, Rt. Rev. Christopher Nyarko Andam, said the forum was also an opportunity to get the stakeholders to commit to peace in the December general election. He said the council would organize another forum for the northern part of the country on December 1, 2020 in Tamale, all geared towards a peaceful election.
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Jan Cox has discovered the secret of the perfect old-fashioned Christmas – giving the gift of her time.
She's among the one in five adults in the UK who will be volunteering this festive season.
Royal Voluntary Service centre volunteer Jan, 69, said: "This will be the third year I have volunteered to help with the lunch on Christmas Day.
Helping older people at Christmas is the most popular choice for people aiming to volunteer their time, to research by the Royal Voluntary Service. And it's much-needed as last year the charity identified that almost 280,000 older people were spending Christmas alone.
Catherine Johnstone CBE, chief executive of Royal Voluntary Service, said: "It is heartwarming to hear that so many people are planning to gift their time to supporting others in their community.
"The festive period can be a very difficult time for many people, particularly those in later life, who, for whatever reason, find themselves alone this Christmas.
TV personality Phillip Schofield, an ambassador for the charity, urged people to look out for their older neighbours: " For most of us, the festive season is a time of celebration and a chance to spend time and catch up with friends and family.
"It's hard to imagine that for so many older people, Christmas is actually the loneliest time of the year.
"We urge everyone to think about their older neighbours and the small acts they can do to bring some Christmas cheer.
Jan, who volunteers in Banbury, is looking forward to her Christmas Day serving up lunch, organising a raffle and singing Christmas songs with an "extended family" of 40 who will spend the day at her local centre. "My role will be to get everything set up, but I will enjoy having chats with all the diners and will be spending most of the day there.
It's not just the elderly who big-hearted members of the community are keen to help at Christmas, according to the charity.
Some 54 per cent of volunteers are keen to help young people and children at what should be a special time of year for them.
The homeless and those with mental health problems are also high up on the list of people that more fortunate people want to help at Christmas.
Finally, extending the hand of friendship to refugees is something may of us are keen to do at Christmas.


Since September 2017, the Town of Bridgewater offers a public transit service that connects where people live to key destinations around Town. The 28-passenger bus is wheelchair accessible and travels the route once per hour.
Please note, this transit service is a new and evolving program of the Town and is subject to change and revisions; including the details on this website.
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Metamorphoses — Arden Theatre
For all that can be commended in Doug Hara's production of "Metamorphoses" for Arden Theatre, and there's plenty, the show ultimately suffers from lack of attention to its most important element, Ovid's stories as dramatized by Mary Zimmerman.
Style and form abound on the Arden stage. Brian Sidney Bembridge's set is stately and gorgeous, especially when it looks burnished under Thom Weaver's sensitive lighting or action focuses on the impressive pool that dominates downstage center.
Olivera Gajic's costumes are no less lovely, even when they are scant. Gajic blends beauty and wit in her creations. With the exception of the Bo-Peep dress Leigha Kato dons as Pomona, Gajic joins Bembridge, Weaver, and Hara in providing a world of shimmering elegance, one that seems to be in another place and time fit for gods and figures from myth.
In the case of "Metamorphoses," beauty is only skin deep. Admiring the designers' work, Hara's eye for composition, and his graceful choreography, you see how beautiful and transporting theater can be. Even in scenes involving beggars and crude characters, Hara's physical production has luster and a taste than transcends the ordinary and makes "Metamorphoses's" settings feel special and otherworldly. As far as creating mood and atmosphere is concerned, Hara succeeds superbly.
But Ovid was first and foremost a storyteller, just as the Arden prides itself on story telling. Ovid's medium was words. The words may be laden with imagery and spark imagination, but they primarily related moral tales of how a situation, be it enlightenment or a god's intervention, changed a character in a significant way, for better or worse.
These stories are the crux of "Metamorphoses," whether by Ovid or Zimmerman, and their lasting power as attention-getters need to be the first consideration.
If they were, you don't see it on the Arden stage where everything in Hara's "Metamorphoses" is gorgeous but sterile. Pageant replaces emotion. Physical traits and vocal tricks overshadow communication and sincere dialogue. Theater trumps drama. And most of "Metamorphoses" registers as dull and without purpose. The Arden production is cosmetic, handsomely so, but it lacks juices. Anything that needs to be acted in muted or lost in the graceful undulating of diaphanous fabric. With the exception of Brandon Pierce's Vertumnus, no character registers as compelling or worth watching. As much as I constantly say theater is more important than literature when you're doing a play, I know stories and themes provide the meat of a script. Hara became so formal and so in love with visual effect, he forgot to put enough emphasis on the main matter at hand, the mythological tales Ovid chose to tell and Zimmerman elected to include in "Metamorphoses." One revels in some of the loveliness of characters' movement, Lindsay Smiling, lifting and moving Clare O'Malley as if she was a choreographed game marker for instance, but not enough to make up for the feeling that you're watching nothing. The stories unfold more in their narration than in their miming, so you often have the feeling you're being read to instead of having something important take place before you.
Pierce is not alone in breaking through this virginal theatrical coldness. Christopher Patrick Mullen manages to give personality to more than one of his characters, and Steve Pacek supplies some infusions of humor, but in general, we are at the type of entertainment "The Music Man's" Eulalie McKechnie Shinn might devise, lots of grand and fine-looking posturing with little depth or entertainment value.
Like much that puts form ahead of content, Hara's "Metamorphoses" seems dull. Its weakness at making us care about Ovid's tales or the precepts they impart contrasts with the gleam of the set and lighting and adds to the dramatic austerity.
Still as the drama is, one of this "Metamorphoses's" attractive assets is its movement. The timing of several pieces is elegant. The actors move fluidly and take the small steps, arm motions, lifts, and other dancelike motion seriously. Perhaps too serious. More seems practiced and rehearsed than nonchalant.
Because of the motion and the various uses of the pool, including the ritualistic mopping of the handsome boarded deck to keep it safe after splashes have moistened it and made it slippery, are so meticulous or different, Hara's "Metamorphoses" gives you something to watch. It just doesn't have much heart.
In Sarah Ruhl's "Eurydice," performed at Villanova last month, the story of a woman, her longings, and the task of extracting her from Hades came vividly to light. At the Arden, you listened to the story with total neutrality. It was a tableau unfolding before you instead of romantic tale of ardent love, mutual risk, suspenseful possibilities.
That's the thing. Most of us know the Eurydice myth and all it entails. Orpheus goes to Hades to the Underworld and rescues her and restore her to temporal life on Earth. The gods dictate Orpheus can lead Eurydice from Hades but, as in the Biblical case of Lot, he may not look back to her as they proceed from the Stygian depths to terra firma. At some point, as they are tantalizingly near to their destination, Eurydice calls Orpheus's name, and he turns.
No matter how well you know that story and its inevitable outcome if you stick to the myth, you need to feel tension as Orpheus and Eurydice make their ascent. You have to feel some stake in their success and some fear that something will go awry.
At the Arden, nada. Clare O'Malley's Eurydice is born aloft. A careful distance is kept between her and Sean Bradley's Orpheus, but there's no feeling for Eurydice either way. You don't feel like Eliza Doolittle as Ascot or Young Patrick at Auntie Mame's fox hunt. You're excused from caring. The story is told, not acted. The danger has no emotional consequence.
Story after story, the same thing happens. Because of how brightly Alex Keiper is dressed as Pomona, and because Brandon Pierce gives character and substance to her thwarted suitor, Vertumnus, that tale causes a frisson of interest. You enjoy watching Pierce going through his anxiety and coming up with his next ploy to cleave Pomona to him. At last, someone is having fun with a part and succeeding. I noticed Pacek attempt in vain to create sparks of life. Mullen generated the right kind of attention and even humor on occasion. But Pierce, true to his name, broke through. There was a jauntiness to his Vertumnus. He made you care about each entreaty to Pomona and whether or not it broke the concentration she lavished on her orchard to notice a mere human.
Vertumnus succeeds by assuming a character for whom Pomona has concern to whom she wants to give the fruits and other produce she so lovingly nurtures. I was stunned and relieved to feel satisfaction about the outcome, to feel anything really, and I thank Pierce for that.
Pierce is emerging as one of the finest and versatile actors in the region. From nascent but potent takes in Azuka's "Dutch Masters" through to his natural, gentle turn in Simpatico's "Milk Like Sugar" and his breakthrough as a raft of well-played characters in Philadelphia Artists' Collective's "Fair Maid of the West," Pierce has not only shown quality but evolved. He can play anyone from the most elegant to the most down and dirty. His calling card is authenticity, and he demonstrated how well it serves him in this "Metamorphoses" in which only he gets past the inert nature of the staging and provides a character you can enjoy and in whom you can invest some feeling.
Pierce also does well in a scene with Lindsay Smiling in which the two are older and younger gods testing people to see if they will extend charity to them.
No one is "Metamorphoses" lets down the team or does anything that add to the show's barrenness of emotion.
All readings are good, although there is one actress whose voice was a tad grating in reading Zimmerman's classically composed lines. All movement is meticulous. Some is even precarious, and I did not see a false move or broken frame. I always liked it when characters found themselves in the water and was impressed with some of the swimming. I thought Krista Apple-Hodge was particularly regal is her robes and posture as Aphrodite. Impressed by much and admiring of all that went into setting up Ovid's tales, I sat as a static observer rather than an involved auditor. Christopher Colucci's music, beautiful and evocative, occupied me as much as the enactments. I found I could pay attention to both without feeling as if I was missing something on stage during instances when my ear dominated my eye. Most motions were, after all, repetitive, and if I missed a lift here and there, it was of no moment. Scenes in the water and in which an actor varied the monotone and steady rhythm of the production made me more rapt, which was why I kept rooting to Pacek to have a moment important enough for his livelier style of playing to take hold and kept looking for how Pierce was going to approach his parts.
With all of the positive elements gracing this production, I wish I could like it better. Alas, story should come first and unfortunately it rarely materialized in a palpable way.
"Metamorphoses" runs through Sunday, November 1, at the Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second Street, in Philadelphia. Showtimes are 7 p.m. Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. A 7 p.m. performance is scheduled for Sunday, October 18. Tickets range from $50 to $36 and can be obtained by calling 215-922-1122 or by visiting www.ardentheatre.org.
This entry was posted on October 14, 2015 by nzoren in Uncategorized and tagged Alex Keiper, Arden Theatre, Brandon Pierce, Brian Sidney Bembridge, Christopher Colucci, Christopher Patrick Mullen, Clare O'Malley, Classic Myths, Doug Hara, Krista Apple-Hodge, Leigha Kato, Lindsay Smiling, Mary Zimmerman, Metamorphoses, Olivera Gajic, Ovid', Philadelphia Theatre, Sean Bradley, Sharina Martin, Steve Pacek, Thom Weaver.
https://wp.me/p3S9A9-KyP


One exciting way to eat dates is to de-seed them and stuff some pieces of walnuts and almonds or any other dry fruit of your choice in them.
Adding chopped dates to a fruit salad or dessert is another great way to enjoy them.
You can also include dates in vegetables, rice dishes, couscous, etc.
A very common method of consuming dates is by adding them to milk.
You can add dates to yogurt, custard, chutney, dips, cakes, etc.
One of the most popular ways to consuming dates is by adding them to a glass of milk. In fact, the dates and milk diet was found to promote rapid weight loss in many dieters. So, if you want to lose 7 kg in 2 weeks, here's what you must do.
NOTE: Talk to your dietician or doctor before you follow this diet plan.
Dates are not only good for weight loss. They have other health benefits too, which makes them so very special. Let's take a look at the health benefits of dates.
Consuming dates can help boost your immunity as they are a good source of iron, which is essential for blood production . They are also loaded with vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and protein.
Dates contain organic sulfur that not only helps reduce allergic reactions but also protects you from falling prey to seasonal allergies.
Dates are rich in fiber, which helps promote bowel movement. If you are suffering from constipation, drink a cup of milk with dates and mashed banana to get relief within an hour or two.
When you consume dates as a snack, you will not add to the trans fats that are already there in your body. Which is great, as by reducing the amount of trans fats in your body, you will reduce your chances of gaining weight and putting your health at risk.
Dates can provide you with instant energy as they contain good amounts of glucose, fructose, and sucrose. They can keep you energetic for a whole good hour. So, if you feel lethargic or there's a drop in your blood glucose levels, have 2-4 dates.
Dates contain many different minerals that help reduce the levels of LDL cholesterol, thereby making them the ideal heart protectants.
The iron and sodium in dates help in balancing the fluids in the body. This, in turn, helps improve circulation, which is important when it comes to losing weight and improving health.
So, you see, by consuming dates, you will not only lose weight but also protect your body from various diseases. Great. But how to choose the best dates from the market and how to consume them? Here are a few tips.
Talking about food, let me tell you how to include dates in your daily food menu.


AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Cate Campbell was waiting for the question about Australia's swim team in the London Olympics.
And when it came the two-time Olympic medalist rattled off the litany of changes and successes over the past four years, from a leadership change to the successful 2014 Commonwealth Games to last year's 18 medals, including seven gold, at the world championships in Russia.
''You cannot compare where we are now to where we were in 2012,'' said Campbell, who set the 100-meter freestyle world record at the Brisbane Grand Prix in early July. ''I think that it is unfair and disrespectful to the athletes on this team to constantly be bringing up something that happened in 2012, and most of them were not a part of it. I had a great 2012, and I can look back on that with pride.
A strong medal tally in Rio would even more emphatically put the matter to rest. The team is training its final week at Auburn University before heading to the Olympics this weekend. Australian Brett Hawke is Auburn's head coach.
Australia's total of 35 medals for all sports in London was the country's lowest total in the Summer Olympics since 1992. The 10 swimming medals featured only one gold, by the women's 4x100m freestyle relay team that included Campbell.
The prospects certainly look better for this team, now led by coach Jacco Verhaeren and also with a new president and CEO.
Australians lead the world rankings in eight events, with Campbell in front in the 50 and 100 freestyle. Others ranked No. 1 heading to Rio include: Cameron McEvoy (100 free), Mack Horton (400 free), Belinda Hocking (200 backstroke), Emily Seebohm (100 back), Mitch Larkin (200 back) and Madeline Groves (200 back).
Plenty of others are ranked in the top three in various events, including Bronte Campbell, Cate's sister.
Former Australian Olympians wrote letters to the current team members and Ian Thorpe spoke to the team after the trials.
Hocking acknowledges that London is ''a bit of a sore spot'' for her. She failed to make the 200 back finals and was seventh in the 100.
''I think if everyone remembers that we're all human and humans do make mistakes - I think that there were mistakes that were made but I think we've definitely improved,'' she said. ''We've got a better system going now. I think genuinely the whole team is just different. We're all very close, and a really diverse group but getting along well.
Alicia Coutts heads to her third Olympics tired of hearing negative talk about London.
Something else they're not keen on talking about is the absence of Russians because of the country's doping scandal. That includes reigning world 100 breaststroke champion Yulia Efimova.


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Mormons believe Phil Keaggy is going to hell
Posted: August 24, 2008 in Denominational Fun, Good for a Giggle, IJS, Snap, Crackle and POP Culture
Tags: bible, cult, legalism, mormon, music, religion, worship
Huh?!
Phil Keaggy. You know, the same bible-believing, Jesus-loving cat that was referenced by the late, great Jimi Hendrix walking off stage at Woodstock after playing his historic version of the "Star Spangled Banner".
Really? Yeah, some news guy asked him, "Hey Jimi. How does it feel to be the world's greatest guitarist?" Hendrix replied, "I don't know. Ask Phil Keaggy."
Yes, WAY!
[If it's wrong, HiScrivener would rather be right. H/T: Jim below. But shoot, whether it was Jimi, Eddie or nobody, Phil Keaggy is still greatness. So there. Tee hee.]
Well, it's a good thing Phil Keaggy is very saved and sanctified, because folk in Utah think he's a tool of the devil. Check out this moronic (yes, pun intended for those in the LDS know) article from the Salt Lake City Tribune.
There's one thing we haven't changed [in the Mormon church], though. The electric guitar is still regarded as the scepter of Satan. You'll never hear one played (legitimately) in an LDS sacrament meeting… That doesn't mean Mormons couldn't loosen up a bit. Instruments currently banned in our worship meetings include the guitar (even unplugged), drums, saxophone, banjo, tuba, tambourine, didgeridoo, cymbals and bagpipes.
Not a pitchfork. No pentagrams. Not even the "helter skelter" sign seen chucked up in the air with lighters at rock concerts. None of that is as bad to a Mormon elder as a Gibson Les Paul Standard or a Fender American Stratocaster. Evil, I tell ya'. Just chilling.
You know, last time I visited a Guitar Center, I could have sworn that was a dimly-lit room with candles. Is that where the covens meet in Salt Lake? Well, while the Mormons jam out to Jesus listening to melodious tunes of the accordion, timpani and the recorder; I'll be kneeling at a sardonic altar on Halloween listening to the likes of Third Day, Switchfoot, Skillet and of course, the Antichrist himself, Mr. Phil Keaggy.
Take it away, Phil. Good thing that's a SIX (six, six) string guitar. Woohoo!
MOVE 2008: Evangelical has second thoughts on DNC's first night
Posted: August 24, 2008 in Above the Fold, Keep it real, Networking, Politics, Snap, Crackle and POP Culture, Spin Doctor
Tags: Barack Obama, Christianity, John McCain, Keep it real, Politics, public relations, religion, witness
Barack Obama's quest to become the most diverse tennis player in the world culminates in Denver this week with the Democratic National Convention.
Obama has "courted" (OK, that was a stretch) Hollywood notables, political demagogues and of course, the Church.
That rare ace serve of a Democratic presidential candidate considered as the "man of faith" over a Republican was going to kick off with Cameron Strang serving up the benedictory prayer.
So? This is a noteworthy 32-year old evangelical, publisher of Relevant and son of religious media magnate, Stephen Strang. That's so!
Well, not so fast because Cameron F-I-N-A-L-L-Y had a stark epiphany that the thoughts of the Church house may mean a little more to his bottom line… er, reputation than a possible White House.
Citing fears that his bridge-building gesture would be wrongly construed as an endorsement, Strang said he instead hopes to take a lower-profile role, participating in a convention caucus meeting on religion later in the week.
Gee. Ya' think? Tell me, Cameron. Was it your dad calling you on the phone letting you know this may get some press (and that he has publicly endorsed the other guy) or was it those boxes of nasty grams you have been receiving to "Letters to the Editor" calling for your faith on a platter?
In his blog post, [Cameron] Strang wrote that he initially accepted the benediction invitation, in part, so he could pray in a forum where faith isn't typically emphasized. He also wanted to provide tangible evidence that "this generation of values voters doesn't necessarily need to draw political battle lines the way previous generations have, and that we can work through areas of disagreement toward common goals."
Dude, you have read Ecclesiastes before, right? Maybe you have heard there is a "time and place for every thing under heaven"? To make a statement about faith, this place ain't it. Your discernment may have been deadened a little, but it's nice to know your hearing is doing well. That WHOOSH sound you hear was your circulation numbers going bye-bye down the toilet.
Welcome back, Cameron.


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North Korea rejects U.S. offer for talks, citing American hostility
The statement by the North's first vice foreign minister came hours before the U.S. and South Korean foreign and defense chiefs met in Seoul for their first joint talks in five years.
By HYUNG-JIN KIMAssociated Press
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong prior to the Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting between South Korea and the U.S. at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Thursday. Lee Jin-man/Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Thursday it will ignore a U.S. offer for talks unless it withdraws its hostile policy, after Washington reached out to Pyongyang in a bid to resume nuclear negotiations.
The statement by Choe Son Hui, the first vice foreign minister, came hours before the U.S. and South Korean foreign and defense chiefs met in Seoul for their first joint talks in five years to discuss North Korea's nuclear program.
"What has been heard from the U.S. since the emergence of the new regime is only a lunatic theory of 'threat from North Korea' and groundless rhetoric about 'complete denuclearization,'" Choe said, calling the offer for talks a "time-delaying trick."
She reiterated North Korea's position that no "dialogue of any kind" can be possible unless the United States rolls back its hostility. "Therefore, we will disregard such an attempt of the U.S. in the future, too."
U.S.-led diplomacy focusing on North Korea's nuclear weapons remains stalemated for about two years because of disputes over U.S.-led sanctions. Experts are debating whether the United States and its allies should settle for a deal that would freeze North Korea's nuclear activities in return for relaxing sanctions to prevent its arsenal from growing.
Earlier this week, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to abandon rapprochement with South Korea and warned the United States to "refrain from causing a stink," while criticizing regular U.S.-South Korean military drills that her government views as an invasion rehearsal.
Choe again took issue with this month's drills, saying that the United States "openly started aggression-minded joint military exercises targeting us."
Some experts say North Korea, which is eager to win sanctions relief, may further raise animosities with missile tests to boost its leverage in any negotiations with the United States. North Korea's moribund economy is under additional pressure because of the pandemic-related border closure that has significantly shrunk its external trade and a spate of natural disasters last summer.
Moon Hong-sik, a deputy spokesman at South Korea's Defense Ministry, told reporters Thursday there haven't been any unusual missile activities in North Korea. The drills with U.S. troops, largely command post exercises and computer simulations, were to end later Thursday, according to the ministry.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to Tokyo earlier this week that Washington had reached out to North Korea through several channels, including in New York, starting in mid-February, but it hasn't received any response. He said the Biden administration was looking forward to completing its policy review on North Korea in coming weeks and was looking both at possible "additional pressure measures" and "diplomatic paths."
When Blinken met South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Wednesday, he said the United States will work with allies to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea and criticized what he called North Korea's "systematic and widespread abuses against its own people." According to the State Department, Blinken and Chung also reaffirmed a shared commitment to address North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile issues that they said are "a priority for the alliance."
Choe said U.S. attempts to contact North Korea included emails and telephone messages via various channels. She said that even on the eve of its drills with South Korea, Washington sent a message "imploring us to respond to its request through a third country."
Choe said it will "only be a waste of time to sit with the U.S."
Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are on the first overseas trip by Cabinet-level officials since President Biden took office in January. Biden is pushing to restore alliances that were frayed under his predecessor Donald Trump's "America First" approach and bolster a U.S. leadership on the world stage in the face of growing challenges from China.
Other likely topics during Thursday's talks in Seoul include a U.S. desire to resolve historical disputes between Seoul and Tokyo and boost a U.S.-led trilateral cooperation, and South Korea possibly joining an expanded format of the Indo-Pacific group that involves the United States, Japan, Australia and India known as the Quad.
Asian Americans see shootings as culmination of a year of racism
U.S. jobless claims rise to 770,000 with layoffs still high
Friday's high school girls' roundup: Scarborough knocks off Cheverus
Friday's college roundup: Black Bears surge late for a 4-2 victory
Local roundup: Lisbon boys basketball too much for Winthrop
Maine Political Report
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Giant crane assembled to help build state's tallest building in downtown Portland
Portland police identify driver of vehicle killed in crash on Washington Avenue


Nepal is of roughly trapezoidal shape, 800 kilometres (497 mi) long and 200 kilometres (124 mi) wide, with an area of 147,181 km2 (56,827 sq mi). See List of territories by size for the comparative size of Nepal. It lies between latitudes 26° and 31°N, and longitudes 80° and 89°E.
Nepal is commonly divided into three physiographic areas: Mountain, Hill and Terai. These ecological belts run east-west and are vertically intersected by Nepal\'s major, north to south flowing river systems.
The southern lowland plains or Terai bordering India are part of the northern rim of the Indo-Gangetic plains. They were formed and are fed by three major Himalayan rivers: the Kosi, the Narayani, and the Karnali as well as smaller rivers rising below the permanent snowline. This region has a subtropical to tropical climate. The outermost range of foothills called Shiwalik or Churia Range cresting at 700 to 1,000 metres (2,297 to 3,281 ft) marks the limit of the Gangetic Plain, however broad, low valleys called Inner Tarai (Bhitri Tarai Uptyaka) lie north of these foothills in several places.
The Hill Region (Pahad) abuts the mountains and varies from 800 to 4,000 metres (2,625 to 13,123 ft) in altitude with progression from subtropical climates below 1,200 metres (3,937 ft) to alpine climates above 3,600 metres (11,811 ft). The Mahabharat Range reaching 1,500 to 3,000 metres (4,921 to 9,843 ft) is the southern limit of this region, with subtropical river valleys and \"hills\" alternating to the north of this range. Population density is high in valleys but notably less above 2,000 metres (6,562 ft) and very low above 2,500 metres (8,202 ft) where snow occasionally falls in winter.
The Mountain Region (Parbat), situated in the Great Himalayan Range, makes up the northern part of Nepal. It contains the highest elevations in the world including 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) height Mount Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali) on the border with China. Seven other of the world\'s eight thousand metre peaks are in Nepal or on its border with China: Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Kanchenjunga, Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu.
Nepal has five climatic zones, broadly corresponding to the altitudes. The tropical and subtropical zones lie below 1,200 metres (3,937 ft), the temperate zone 1,200 to 2,400 metres (3,937 to 7,874 ft), the cold zone 2,400 to 3,600 metres (7,874 to 11,811 ft), the subarctic zone 3,600 to 4,400 metres (11,811 to 14,436 ft), and the Arctic zone above 4,400 metres (14,436 ft).
Nepal experiences five seasons: summer, monsoon, autumn, winter and spring. The Himalaya blocks cold winds from Central Asia in the winter and forms the northern limit of the monsoon wind patterns. In a land once thickly forested, deforestation is a major problem in all regions, with resulting erosion and degradation of ecosystems.
Nepal is popular for mountaineering, containing some of the highest and most challenging mountains in the world, including Mount Everest. Technically, the south-east ridge on the Nepali side of the mountain is easier to climb; so, most climbers prefer to trek to Everest through Nepal.
The collision between the Indian subcontinent and the Eurasian continent, which started in Paleogene time and continues today, produced the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau, a spectacular modern example of the effects of plate tectonics. Nepal lies completely within this collision zone, occupying the central sector of the Himalayan arc, nearly one third of the 2,400 km (1,500 mi)-long Himalayas.
The Indian plate continues to move north relative to Asia at the rate of approximately 50 mm (2.0 in) per year. Given the great magnitudes of the blocks of the Earth\'s crust involved, this is remarkably fast, about twice the speed at which human fingernails grow. As the strong Indian continental crust subducts beneath the relatively weak Tibetan crust, it pushes up the Himalayan mountains. This collision zone has accommodated huge amounts of crustal shortening as the rock sequences slide one over another. As such Nepal is prone to frequent earthquakes, a major earthquake happening within every 100 years.
Erosion of the Himalayas is a very important source of sediment, which flows via several great rivers (the Indus to the Indian Ocean, and the Ganges and Brahmaputra river system) to the Bay of Bengal.
The dramatic differences in elevation found in Nepal result in a variety of biomes, from tropical savannas along the Indian border, to subtropical broadleaf and coniferous forests in the Hill Region, to temperate broadleaf and coniferous forests on the slopes of the Himalaya, to montane grasslands and shrublands and rock and ice at the highest elevations.
At the lowest elevations is the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion. These form a mosaic with the Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests, which occur from 500 to 1,000 metres (1,600 to 3,300 ft) and include the Inner Terai Valleys. Himalayan subtropical pine forests occur between 1,000 and 2,000 metres (3,300 and 6,600 ft).
Above these elevations, the biogeography of Nepal is generally divided from east to west by the Gandaki River. Ecoregions to the east tend to receive more precipitation and to be more species-rich. Those to the west are drier with fewer species.
From 1,500 to 3,000 metres (4,900 to 9,800 ft), are temperate broadleaf forests: the eastern and western Himalayan broadleaf forests. From 3,000 to 4,000 metres (9,800 to 13,000 ft) are the eastern and western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests. To 5,500 metres (18,000 ft) are the eastern and western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows.


Simply plug in the USB connector to your desktop or laptop system and youre on your way to developing stunning laser or cut materials. Our upgraded laser engraver makes even the most complex cutting jobs a breeze! This laser engraver is NOT compatible with IOS systems; USB port to computer. Shenzhouyike Software (Laser Draw&core-laser) included. Core-laser is fully compatible with coreDRAW.
Pre-drilled installation holes to accommodate many engraving tasks. Capable of engraving or cutting almost any non-metal materials. Can accommodate a cutting thickness of up to 3mm. Digital electric current display panel ensures simple operation & control.
Universal USB port ensures machine is compatible with most graphic design programs & Windows 7, 8, 10, (64/32 bit), XP, and 2000. 12 x 8in/300 x 200mm. CO2 Glass 40W rated an estimated 2000 hours(cuts up to 3mm wood / acrylic).
Organics / non-metal - can mark on treated metals: wood, stone, leather, crystal, paper, and film. 27.95"L X 19.7"W X 9.84H. Air Exhaust fan w/ vent pipe.
Windows 8, 7, 10 (64/32 bit), XP, 2000. 1 x CO2 Laser Engraver. 1 x USB Key & USB Cable. Shenzhouyike Software, which is fully compatible with Core Laser & Laser Draw. What software is this engraver compatible with? What systems is this engraver compatible with? Its perfectly compatible with Windows 8, 7 (64/32 bit), XP, 2000, but NOT compatible with iOS system.
What materials can this engraver work with? Organics / non-metal, wood, stone, leather, crystal, paper, and film. How much is the laser power? CO2 glass 40W rated an estimated 2000 hours. 8 hours work-time a day is recommended and youd better let the engraver rest for half an hour each 4 hours. How long is the laser tube? What picture format is it compatible with? It is compatible with TIF international standard fonts and BMP/JPG/JPEG/WMF/EMF/PLT. This machine supports most printers and scanners.
Is there any rotary attachment in it? Sorry but there is no rotary axis in it, no axis can be installed in the machine. Is there any red dot pointer in it? Sorry, no red dot pointer in it.
Does the engraver have any internal storage? No, the machine has no internal storage and has to be connected to computer. Is there an air compressor in the machine?
We do reserve the right to refuse and return any parts we find have been installed, are used or do not meet the above criteria. Return request need to be within 30 days of receipt. The item "USB Interface 40W CO2 Laser Engraver Cutting Machine with Water-Break Protection" is in sale since Tuesday, December 12, 2017. This item is in the category "Business & Industrial\Printing & Graphic Arts\Screen & Specialty Printing\Engraving".
The seller is "globalfreeshipping" and is located in Memphis, Tennessee. This item can be shipped to United States.


Must-Do Fall Activities North of TO!
Fall is the time to get out and about while it's easy to be mobile and Mother Nature is showing off. Road trips, day trips, and short family getaways are a great idea... Here are 6 must-do activities in resort and vacation areas north of Toronto.
On a warm Sunday afternoon we headed out on an adventure to Hamilton. About to see lions and elephants, giraffes and rhinos, zebras and cheetahs, we were on our way to African Lion Safari!
Marineland is one of Niagara Fall's popular family destination spots with a distinctive line up of attractions, marine mammal shows, amusement rides and interactive animal displays, delivering tons of excitement and pure fun for all.


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Brandee Branche, Class of 2021 speaker. She received her M.D. from the VCU School of Medicine this weekend. (Kevin Morley, University Marketing)
At spring commencement, a celebration of VCU's newest graduates and their 'undeniable courage'
By Mike Porter
Virginia Commonwealth University honored approximately 5,200 new graduates at a universitywide virtual commencement ceremony today.
The ceremony was accompanied by an assortment of in-person and virtual graduation events held this week at the department, school and college levels. During the ceremony, VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., praised graduates for their courage and patience in the face of the "unbelievable challenges" they have experienced over the past year since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"As we've experienced the unimaginable since last March, we've also encountered your undeniable courage," Rao said. "We're in awe of the depth of your care for each other as you experienced major world events during your time with VCU."
VCU Spring 2021 Commencement
Brandee Branche, who received her M.D. from the VCU School of Medicine, served as the Class of 2021 speaker. Branche said the day's milestone made her think about "all of the events we have endured since our time here."
"I am inspired by all those who gather here today, as we are unified by academic achievement that will forward our positions in this life to reach our greatest potential and impact others along the way," Branche said.
Rao told graduates to use their strong voices and the lessons they learned at VCU to advocate for humanity.
"Continue to engage and work with leaders to ensure voices are heard and needs are met," Rao said. "Don't stop asking thoughtful questions and using your professional skills to press for better. And remember that you also improve the world by the civil, respectful and professional way you engage with those around you — especially those with whom you disagree. That respect empowers inclusion, allowing diversity of thought and perspective to flourish."
The ceremony can be viewed at commencement.vcu.edu.
Scenes from spring commencement
Spring commencement by the numbers
Meet VCU's spring 2021 graduates


ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule confirmed that the party will push ahead with nationalising the bank.
The ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC) spent the past weekend discussing a variety of issues and future plans for the party and its governance. Amongst them – the issue of whether or not to continue the party's plans to nationalise the Reserve Bank.
According to the party, it will engage widely on the issue of nationalising the bank before moving forward with the implementation of policy around it.
Earlier this year, the party rushed into tabling a motion on the bank's nationalisation. Before it could be debated, the party withdrew it after an intervention from Finance Minister, Nhlanhla Nene.
What some ANC members don't seem to understand, though, is the fact that the bank is independent from the government and private shareholders have no say regarding monetary policy.


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NEWS OF THE WEIRD -- Unclear on the Concept
by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
Unclear on the Concept
WJAR reported that an unnamed substitute teacher was fired on Dec. 16 for smoking marijuana in a classroom at North Attleborough High School in North Attleborough, Massachusetts. Peter Haviland, principal at the school, said students reported the incident and the teacher was removed from the school premises. Haviland also said the teacher not only used the drug, but led a discussion in class about marijuana. Campuses in the district are drug-free. Well, they were.
Last year during the holiday season, former NASA engineer Mark Rober of Santa Clarita, California, created a glitter bomb exploding package in response to having a package stolen from his front porch. This year, Rober has a new and improved version: When it is touched, the BBC reported on Dec. 17, the box explodes in glitter and emits an unpleasant odor along with a soundtrack of police chatter. As a coup de grace, it also takes a video of the thief and uploads it to the cloud. One of the sponsors for Rober's project is "Home Alone" actor Macaulay Culkin. Rober calls it a labor of love: "I have literally spent the last 10 months designing, building and testing a new and improved design for 2019," he said.
It may not be the oldest fruitcake still (mostly) uneaten, but it could be the most beloved. The Detroit News reported that the Ford family of Tecumseh, Michigan, has been cherishing Fidelia Ford's fruitcake since 1878 — over five generations. Julie Ruttinger, great-great-granddaughter to Fidelia, inherited the confection from her father, Morgan Ford, who kept it in an antique glass compote dish in his china cabinet until his death in 2013. It doesn't much look, or smell, like a fruitcake anymore ("Smells like old people," Morgan once said), but Ruttinger is determined to keep Fidelia's legacy alive. Each year, Fidelia made a cake that was meant to age until the next Christmas season. But in 1878, she died before her cake could be enjoyed. When Morgan was buried, the family tucked a piece of the cake into his jacket pocket. "He took care of it to the day he left the Earth," Ruttinger said. "We knew it meant a lot to him."
Two workers with the Chicago Park District were spreading salt on an icy lakefront bike path on Dec. 11 when their pickup truck hit a slick spot and slipped into Lake Michigan, the Associated Press reported. It was halfway into the water before it got stuck on a breakwall. The workers were able to escape the truck and move to the shore uninjured. Park District spokesperson Michelle Lemons reminded Chicago residents that the path slopes toward the water and lake levels are high. "It might not look like it's dangerous, but it could still be a sheet of glass," she said.
Virginia Saavedra, 37, ran to a home in Sophia, North Carolina, on Dec. 11, telling the resident she had just escaped being kidnapped by a stranger. When the man let her sit in his truck to warm up while he called 911, Saavedra allegedly stole the truck, according to the Randolph County Sheriff's Office. Officers responding to the 911 call spotted the truck and engaged in a 26-mile high-speed chase before trapping the truck. The Associated Press reported Saavedra then rammed a patrol car before trying to flee on foot. She was eventually charged with more than a dozen crimes, including felony assault with a deadly weapon on a government official.
Around 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 18, an unnamed 17-year-old girl jumped a fence at Fresno Yosemite International Airport in Fresno, California, and climbed into the cockpit of a private airplane parked there. She put the pilot's headset on and was able to start one of the engines of the small plane, but instead of flying away, she steered the plane into a chain-link fence, causing substantial damage to the aircraft, the Fresno Bee reported. Airport officials said she appeared disoriented when officers reached the plane, but no others were endangered in the incident. She was booked into juvenile hall on charges of theft of an aircraft.
Government in Action
A sharp-eyed Twitter user spotted an unexpected country on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Tariff Tracker list: Wakanda. The fictional country from the "Black Panther" film made the list of free trade agreement partners. USDA spokesperson Mike Illenberg told NBC News on Dec. 18 the agency had used Wakanda to test the tracking system and had forgotten to remove it from the list. "The Wakanda information should have been removed after testing and has now been taken down."
Compelling Explanation
Police in Tooele, Utah, conducting a welfare check on 75-year-old Jeanne Souron-Mathers on Nov. 22, found the woman dead of natural causes in her apartment, but as they searched further, they came upon the body of her husband, Paul Edward Mathers, in a freezer chest. With his body was a notarized letter, signed by Mathers and dated Dec. 2, 2008, stating that his wife didn't kill him. "We believe he had a terminal illness," police Sgt. Jeremy Hansen told Fox13. Paul was last seen alive on Feb. 4, 2009, at a doctor's appointment at the Veterans Affairs hospital. Investigators are probing whether the couple made the plan so that Jeanne would continue to receive her husband's government benefits. A neighbor, Evan Kline, said: "The story ... was her husband walked out on her. ... It was probably the plan for her to keep the money because it was her only source of income." Officials believe she received at least $177,000 in benefits over 10 years.
A driver in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, caused an "enormous bang," according to witnesses, on Dec. 14 when he lighted a cigarette in his closed car after spraying air freshener. Nearby buildings shook from the impact, and the car's windshield was blown out, along with windows of nearby businesses, the Manchester Evening News reported. The driver sustained only minor injuries. West Yorkshire Police said the situation could have been worse and implored people to open their windows when using aerosol cans and open flames.
Holiday Shenanigans
— A group of Santas participating in SantaCon — a bar-hopping tradition in New York City — brought muscle along with Christmas cheer to a Long Island Railroad train on Dec. 14. According to the New York Daily News, two men were fighting on the train around 6 p.m. when one of them, a 45-year-old, stabbed the other, 22, in the leg. Neither of the men was dressed as Santa, but the Santas on the train subdued the suspect until the train reached Queens. The victim was taken to a hospital, and the MTA arrested the stabber.
— Security officers at Vilnius Airport in Lithuania got in the holiday spirit with confiscated items seized during the screening process, reported United Press International on Dec. 12. Apparently having a lot of time on their hands, the officers built a Christmas tree using items such as scissors, knives, lighters and other goods. Lithuanian Airports called the tree an "educational masterpiece" and warned: "If you don't want your personal, yet prohibited, belongings to land on our next year's Christmas tree — better check out the baggage requirements before you pack for your next flight."
Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.
Morgan Ford
Virginia Saavedra
Julie Ruttinger
Paul Edward Mathers


D.B. left this review using the Directory software: - Stayed overnight 05/10/2013. Found camp to be clean and friendly. Showers were hot and clean!! Did notice several TT's with enclosures around bottom that indicates staying permanence. Will use again on our trips to Michigan and return.


Practising Member to the South African Institute of Professional Accountants.
Estate Agencies, Life Insurers, Food Sector, Construction, Commercial and Residential developments, Transport and Heavy Freight, IT Industry, Security Services, Individual tax calc and completion of tax return.
Served three year audit training contract. Appointed as audit manager for a further year. Received certificate of Merit in 2001 for setting the example of high standards of values pursued by the audit firm to the benefit of the practice as well as their clients.
Employed as financial manager in the food industry. Employed by company who supplied Government Departments various perishable products.
Admitted to South African Institute of Professional Accountants on 15 September 2003.
Equilibro Solutions CC is comprised of a team of individuals with a broad base of experience between them to answer to our customer needs.
They understand that the aim is to ensure compliance with the vision and mission of Equilibro Solutions CC to benefit firstly the customer and secondly the practice.
Equilibro Solutions has a diverse range of clients it caters for. Clients range from individual tax payers to multi million rand companies with an average annual turnover of R 30 million rand.
Software Supported Pastel Partner, Pastel Payroll, Quickbooks, Caseware, MS Word, MS Exel.


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Melissa Artabane
Vice President, Global Diversity Programs, Boston
About Melissa
Melissa Artabane is the vice president of our Global Diversity & Inclusion Programs, which includes the Global Women's Leadership Council. She is based in the firm's Boston office.
Melissa spearheads our global talent diversity & inclusion efforts. In doing so, she partners with senior leadership to develop and implement strategies to develop, support and retain a diverse set of talent throughout all levels of the firm, as well as to ensure that Bain's culture, norms and processes are inclusive of all diversity.
She also conducts primary research that is used to inform both internal investments and support our clients in their own diversity & inclusion efforts.
Melissa joined Bain in 1999 and has held a number of roles at the firm. Immediately prior to her current role, she served as the practice manager for Bain's global Social Impact practice.
She holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she was an Arjay Miller Scholar. She also earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.
Chris Bierly
Naftali Israel
Bradley Davenport
Practice Director, Boston
Natasha Sommerfeld
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"Gender Parity: Inspiring Women to Reach for the C-Suite," Brief, March 2020
"A Letter To Our Daughters," Forbes.com , May 2017, Article
"Integrating Work and Life," Brief, October 2015
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