Establishing your waste reduction team and team leader.
Getting the whole company on board by announcing the program and its goals to all employees.
The support of company management is essential for developing a lasting and successful waste reduction program. At the outset of a program, an endorsement from company management is needed to help establish your waste reduction team. Throughout the program, company management can support your team by endorsing program goals and implementation, communicating the importance of reducing waste within the company, guiding and sustaining the program, and encouraging and rewarding employee commitment and participation in the "effort. Stressing the range of benefits that can come from waste reduction, such as cost savings and enhanced company image, will help sell the program to management.
The waste reduction team is a group of employees who are responsible for many of the tasks involved in planning, designing, implementing, and maintaining the program, A team approach allows these tasks to be distributed among several employees and enables employees from all over the company to directly contribute to reducing waste.
Working with company management to set the preliminary and long-term goals of the waste reduction program.
Gathering and analyzing information relevant to the design and implementation of the program.
Promoting the program to employees and educating them about how they can participate in the effort.
Monitoring the progress of the program.
Periodically reporting to management about the status of the program.
The size of your team should relate to the size of your company and be representative of as many departments or operations as possible. For a modest waste reduction program, an effective team might consist of just one or two people. The ideal candidate for a one-person team would be an individual who wears many hats and is familiar with the overall operations of your company. A two-person team might consist of a company manager and an administrative or technical support person. Larger businesses might opt to create a team of employees from different departments to encourage widespread input and support. These individuals can include environmental managers, building supervisor, technical or operational staff, administrative staff, maintenance staff, and purchasing staff, or other employees interested in waste reduction.
Team members can be volunteers or appointed members. To increase the members' motivation and interest, it might be appropriate to make membership a sign of special recognition within the company, Whether volunteer or appointed, however, it is important that members be enthusiastic about the waste reduction program and able to commit time to the effort.
Company management or the team should appoint a knowledgeable and motivated team leader. Depending on the size of the company and the type of program being implemented, the position can require a significant amount of time and energy. The leader must be capable of directing team efforts; administering the planning, implementation, and operation of the waste reduction program; and acting as a liaison between management and the team. Likely candidates include a facilities manager, an environmental manager, or an employee who has championed waste reduction in your company. If possible, the task should be incorporated into the person's job description.
Once your team has been established, members should meet regularly to develop a plan and begin program implementation. The time needed to design and implement a waste reduction program will vary. Generally, large facilities incorporating many different options will need several months to start up a program. Department-specific or more modest programs might be implemented in less than a month. Some businesses might even be able to implement simple options within a matter of days.
In any case, the investment of time and resources at this stage will likely be returned by the savings realized through a successful waste reduction program.
While the general objective of any waste reduction program is to reduce the amount and/or toxicity of municipal solid waste being generated, your first task as a team will be to work with management to establish and record specific, preliminary goals for the program. These goals might include enhancing the company's corporate image or increasing operational efficiency. The goals should be based primarily on how much waste reduction is possible given the level of effort that the company is willing to dedicate to the task.
The goals set by the team will provide a framework for specific waste reduction efforts to follow. Keep in mind, however, that the preliminary goals set by the team should be flexible, as they might need to be reexamined and adjusted as specific waste reduction options are considered later on.
Introduce employees to waste reduction.
Explain how waste reduction can benefit both the company and the environment.
Outline the design and implementation stages of the program.
Offer the team leader's name and number and encourage employees to contact him or her with any ideas or suggestions.
Your program is more likely to succeed if you solicit suggestions from employees for reducing waste, To reduce paper, the announcement should be posted in a prominent place, circulated, or distributed through E-mail or voice mail, if available.
Throughout the duration of the program, periodic communications (in the form of centrally posted memos or announcements, for example) can help maintain employee support, Employees are likely to appreciate being asked to join in your company's waste reduction efforts, and such offers will encourage consistent participation.
Fact sheet, from EPA, is first of three part series on how businesses can develop and implement a waste reduction program.
This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.


During the period January-September 2012, a total number of 10816 VoAs were issued as compared to 8505 VoAs during corresponding period of 2011, registering a growth of 27.2%. The number of VOAs issued under this scheme during September 2012 for nationals of the eleven countries were Japan (541), New Zealand (256),The Philippines (236), Indonesia (175), Singapore (135), Finland (29), Myanmar (11), Vietnam (9), Cambodia (6),Luxembourg (4) and Laos (2). The number of VoAs issued under this scheme, during January-September 2012 were Japan (3106), New Zealand (2045), Indonesia (1689), The Philippines (1678), Singapore (1313), Finland (647), Vietnam (126), Myanmar (73), Cambodia (68), Luxembourg (62) and Laos (9). During the period January-September 2012, the highest number of VoAs were issued at Delhi airport (6380), followed by Mumbai (2247), Chennai (1528) and Kolkata (661).
As a facilitative measure to attract more foreign tourists to India, Government launched a Scheme of "Visa on Arrival" (VoA) in January 2010 for citizens of five countries, viz. Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore, visiting India for tourism purposes. This scheme was extended for the citizens of six more countries, namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos and Myanmar from January 2011.


Windows is on the verge of dropping below 90% market share, with smartphones and tablets posing an increasingly serious threat to Microsoft's dominance of the operating system market.
Is Linux really harder to use?
Not surprisingly, the misperception that Linux is harder to use than other operating systems is also one that competing vendors routinely use to scare potential new users away from Linux.


New Item: The Mini Menu Board is new is the shop this week. This cute little chalkboard is the perfect tool for meal planning and can be used 2 different ways.
create a chore system that works and keep it consistent.
Tis the time of year for making goals, but how many of us actually keep up on them? Any idea what your resolutions were last year were? Are you making the same goals again? It might be time for a new approach?
Sometimes talking the kids into helping out around the house is harder than just getting the chores done yourself, but the payoff is greater that you might think.
Kids are much better at doing chores if there is a list of things to do and a little reward for their efforts. This chart is designed as a fun way to help children complete everyday tasks and to track their progress and is the best selling chore chart on Etsy.
An over the door shoe organizer makes a simple, easy, and space saving way to store greeting cards and tags.


text:
The pain you go through in this country to start a new life ...
La Ciudad, written and directed by David Riker; Bolivia directed by Adrián Caetano, written by Adrián Caetano and Romina Lafranchini, released on DVD by New Yorker Video
Two films newly released on DVD by New Yorker Video treat the immense hardships immigrant workers face attempting to survive in their adopted countries. US filmmaker David Riker's critically well-received film, La Ciudad (The City), made between 1992 and 1998, presents four stories about immigrants in New York City. For the work, a fictional film with documentary overtones, Riker assembled a primarily nonprofessional cast drawn from neighborhoods with a strong Latin American immigrant presence.
The first of the stories, "Bricks," concerns day-laborers who wait on street corners each morning for work. Vehicles stop and contractors or others offer them low wages for back-breaking labor. The competition per job is fierce and the opportunities to work are few.
A truck arrives; a raspy-voiced contractor offers $50 for the day. Among the workers climbing into the truck is a father taking care of his young son. The boy is told to wait, presumably for hours, in a nearby store. Crammed into the back of the truck, the workers are kept in the dark as to where they'll be going and what they'll be doing. The camera pans the weary, battered faces of those 'lucky' enough to have been picked to earn a few dollars.
The workers are dumped in the middle of nowhere to clean bricks in a deserted industrial site for $0.15 per brick. ("I know I promised you $50, but if you work a little harder you can make twice that amount.") Hostilities among the members of the crew increase until a wall crumbles and pins one of the younger workers under the rubble. Without a vehicle, and with no phone booth in sight, the laborer's injuries prove fatal, causing the group to find solidarity in their grief and anger.
Next, in "Home," the teenage Francisco, newly arrived from Puebla, Mexico, gets lost looking for his uncle's address. Hearing music, he crashes a Quinceañera ('sweet fifteen' birthday party). Francisco is attracted to one of the partygoers, a girl who turns out to be from the same area. Lonely and homesick, she is not long resistant to his charms and offers him a place to stay with her and her uncle.
As they speak more intimately, she tells him of her Mexican relatives' dependence on the money she earns. "I hope you'll have good luck," she says when he describes his plans to make lots of money and have fun. In the early morning, Francisco leaves the apartment while the girl is asleep to get some breakfast for his new love. In an O. Henry-type twist, Francisco's good fortune vanishes when he can't find his way back to the girl in the maze of the public housing complex.
"The Puppeteer" vignette presents a few days in the life of a puppeteer and his daughter who live in a beat-up station wagon on the Brooklyn side of the East River. Not able to read English and suffering from tuberculosis, he supports the two of them by performing Punch and Judy shows in empty lots for street kids. After a cop harasses him for camping out on public property, the father tries to register his daughter for school—only to be told that he must provide a rent receipt. The bureaucratic callousness of the education system, which boasts of enabling every child to get an education, will cause this particular child to slip through the cracks.
The film's last segment, "Seamstress," is about a Mexican woman, Ana, who has been in New York for five years and works in a garment-making sweatshop. In need of $400 for emergency care for her baby daughter back home, Ana demands her unpaid wages from the factory's manager. "You have to produce," argues the supervisor as he physically tries to eject Ana from the shop floor. "You pay me so little and I work so hard," cries the distraught mother. The hitherto silent workforce stands up for Ana.
In La Ciudad's final moments, the screen is filled by a series of photographic portraits. The intimate collection of faces is intended to universalize the film's subject matter. In an interview with PBS, director David Riker described his film as an effort to create "a solidarity capable of opposing the anti-immigrant fervor that is so rampant."
In a featurette that accompanies the disc, Riker expands on his motives for making La Ciudad. His methods of work with the nonactors, he explains, sought to distill feelings and emotions from the real difficulties of their lives. During the six years of working on the project, Riker and his crew established a high degree of trust within the immigrant community.
He states his purpose is to explore "what it is to be an immigrant today. What it feels like to be uprooted—to leave behind your family, your children, your home, everything that's familiar and travel to a world of unknowns—a stranger searching for work.
"Already in 1992 when we began making the film, it was clear that the immigrant worker, far from being a marginal character, was becoming the central subject of our time—always spoken about, but never listened to. And my hope in making this film was to invite the immigrants themselves—in this case Latin American immigrants in New York City—to tell their own stories in their own language and in their own words."
Riker says that when he started the project in 1992, there were approximately 60,000 Mexican immigrants in New York. By the end of filming in 1997, there were between 300,000 and 500,000. Today, there are some 200 languages spoken in the New York metropolitan area.
Referring to the film's first story, Riker explains that the image of immigrants cleaning old bricks from collapsed industrial buildings, a part of New York's past, is "a metaphor for what this community was going through"—the "sub-economy of scavenging and recycling" that exists in the city. "I also wanted to make a film that denounced the return of sweatshops in New York City," says Riker. Another goal was to point out "the deeper pain of being a long-distance" parent.
In addition to struggling against economic insecurity, many immigrants find themselves suspended between two worlds—unable entirely to leave behind the old life in the old country or satisfyingly build a new life in the new one. Letters and phone calls from home rarely yield good news and the emergencies that arise can only be dealt with from great distances and with meager resources. All this La Cuidad thoughtfully brings to our attention.
The tabloids, in their crude right-wing populism; government bureaucracies, instinctively cruel to the outsider and the marginalized; trade union officials, with their reactionary-utopian defense of the national borders and national economy—all of these institutions seek to demonize the immigrant. Riker's film humanizes him or her. Against chauvinism and insensitivity, it's welcome.
Bolivia made in 2001 by Uruguayan-born, Argentine director Adrián Caetano focuses on the story of Freddy, an illegal Bolivian immigrant in Buenos Aires paid under the table working as a short-order cook in a greasy spoon. The establishment's down-and-out patrons are resentful that a dark-skinned interloper from another country works while they are either unemployed or barely scraping by.
As the film begins, with Freddy applying for the 15 peso-a-day job (about $4.75), a television broadcast announces the lineup for an Argentina-Bolivia soccer match. The sportscaster disparages the Bolivian team. His remark that "the Bolivian defense is weak" telegraphs in advance the film's storyline: there is not much future for a Bolivian underdog in a land of angry, chauvinist locals. The only person who treats Freddy decently is Rosa, another immigrant and waitress at the grubby eatery.
The disc's liner notes contain clues as to why the movie's characters are so distasteful in their utter lack of compassion. The director comments that "the film's main theme is the collision among people of the same social class, they are workers about to be left out of any class at all, and thus they are intolerant towards one another. Basically, they are trapped in a situation they can not escape."
While the scenario Caetano depicts is not entirely implausible, the director assumes the worst possible outcome. Why?
That Caetano chooses with a certain degree of malice to present the oppressed and disenfranchised layers of the Argentine and Bolivian working class in such a "Lord of the Flies" manner is revealing. It says more about the filmmaker's pessimism and limited understanding than it does about either population.
Both populations have demonstrated a willingness to make great sacrifices for a better world, and not in the distant past. If other moods prevail or weigh heavily on certain sections of the oppressed at a given moment, it would be better to look to the organizations and political tendencies that have left them in the soup. Caetano's film, perhaps a sincere effort to be hard-hitting and even self-critical, is simply strained and unappealing.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Solution for choppy video because of bit-rate too high? When I play a 1080p 10bit-depth video with VLC-player, the video goes choppy and even freezes.
I'm using Dell Inspiron 1525 and VLC 2.1.2.
Windows Vista Home Premium.
Mobile Intel(R) 965 Express Chipset Family.
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Due CPU T5750 @ 2.00GHz 2.00 GHz
Memory(RAM): 3.00GB
System Type: 32-bit Operating System

A: I had a similar problem with VLC not playing 4k videos on my pc (fx8350, 2x970 sli!). Simple fix was to turn off sharpen and now it works perfect. I was messing with codec settings, D3D and buffers and all that kind of stuff for ages and nothing was working..
I didn't think something like the sharpen option in effects and filters would have such an impact.. initially any 4k video would play for about 3 seconds and then freeze up with the audio still going in the background..
I know this is an old thread but it might save someone some hassle someday..

A: Increasing the file caching, disk caching, or network caching value (depending on from where you play your video) should do it.
Turning off hardware acceleration might also help, but that's most likely not the issue.

A: After 10 years of the same problem I have discovered that the problem cannot be solved by changing vlc settings but by simply uninstalling the audio driver and reinstalling it. I do not know what causes this issue or pretend to know what the problem actually is but this solution I have repeated on 3 different machines

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Pinsent Masons LLP
Pinsent Masons is a global 100 law firm, specialising particularly in the energy, infrastructure, financial services, real estate and advanced manufacturing and technology sectors. The firm employs over 2500 people in total, including over 1500 lawyers and more than 400 partners. The firm's international footprint encompasses six offices across Asia Pacific - including in Sydney and Melbourne - two offices in the Middle East and four offices in continental Europe. The firm also has comprehensive coverage across each of the UK's three legal jurisdictions. Pinsent Masons LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England & Wales (registered number: OC333653) authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and by the appropriate regulatory body in the other jurisdictions in which it operates. The word 'partner', used in relation to the LLP, refers to a member of the LLP or an employee or consultant of the LLP or any affiliated firm who is a lawyer with equivalent standing and qualifications. A list of the members of the LLP, and of those non-members who are designated as partners, is displayed at the LLP's registered office: 30 Crown Place, London EC2A 4ES, United Kingdom. We use 'Pinsent Masons' to refer to Pinsent Masons LLP and affiliated entities that practise under the name 'Pinsent Masons' or a name that incorporates those words. Reference to 'Pinsent Masons' is to Pinsent Masons LLP and/or one or more of those affiliated entities as the context requires. © Pinsent Masons LLP 2013. Pinsent Masons office network extends across the major international business centres of London, Munich, Paris, Brussels, Düsseldorf Istanbul, Doha, Dubai, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney and Melbourne - and the key commercial centres in the UK.
www.pinsentmasons.com


text:
Click here for best fare for New Zealand
Birmingham Intl Glasgow Intl London City London Gatwick London Heathrow Manchester Airport Newcastle Intl London Heathrow London Heathrow
New Zealand Overview
Despite being one of the furthest possible holiday destinations from the UK, New Zealand is so worth the long-haul flights to discover its natural beauty, laid-back lifestyle and exciting culinary experiences. Regarded by many as one of the world's genuine adventure capitals, if you're an adrenaline junkie or a thrill-seeker then you'll love the skydiving, hiking and bungee jumping opportunities on offer.
What's also great about New Zealand is that it also caters superbly to backpackers and those travelling on a budget, with affordable accommodation and attractions to suit all personal tastes.
The city of Auckland is on the North Island and is the most densely populated in the country. As New Zealand's biggest city it's unsurprising that Auckland offers much in the way of entertainment and nightlife as well as some spectacular scenery from its skyscrapers and at ground level across the harbour.
The capital city of Wellington is only the third biggest region of New Zealand, situated on the most southern point of the North Island. It's a city with immense character and heritage and many tourists flock to Wellington to enjoy the slower pace of life and amble around the city's architecture, exhibitions and museums.
Then there's Christchurch, on the South Island, which is warmly regarded as the "Garden City" of New Zealand. Since suffering a catastrophic earthquake a few years ago, Christchurch is an area that's slowly redeveloping around its wonderfully tranquil gardens and parks that are strikingly similar to Victorian England.
Flight Tickets to New Zealand
It's highly recommended that travellers planning to visit the country look to purchase their New Zealand flights at least three months in advance to secure the biggest savings. Prices remain pretty consistent all year round, although there is a slight drop in the price of flights to New Zealand during their winter months.
The airlines that operate the most regular choice of flights and tickets to New Zealand from the UK are Air New Zealand, British Airways and Singapore Airlines. Meanwhile the likes of Qatar Airways, Emirates and Thai Airways also offer regular services from the UK to New Zealand.
The majority of long-haul international flights from the UK to New Zealand will arrive at Auckland International Airport. In 2016, some 17.2 million passengers arrived in the country via Auckland. However, the international airports at Christchurch and Wellington are also well-used.
Flights to New Zealand from UK Airports
There are four different UK airports that fly regularly to New Zealand, three of which are in England. London Heathrow operates regular flights to Auckland, with Air New Zealand operating out of Terminal 2. The average flight time from Heathrow to New Zealand is just under a full day's travel at 23 hours and 55 minutes. Birmingham International Airport and Manchester Airport also operate indirect flights to New Zealand, many of which involve changes in south-east Asia. The average flight time from Birmingham and Manchester to New Zealand is approximately 26 hours and 30 minutes and 26 hours and 5 minutes respectively.
Across the border in Scotland, passengers can also board flights to New Zealand from Glasgow, which operates indirect flights including a stopover - normally in south-east Asia - in flight times of 27 hours and 40 minutes on average.
Don't forget, you can discover all of the best available cheap flights to New Zealand's leading holiday destinations from the UK online at Travel Trolley.
New Zealand - Quick Facts for Travellers
Time Zone: +12 or +13hrs
Currency: New Zealand dollar
Key holiday destinations: Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Bay of Islands, Queenstown, Rotorua
Popular airports: Auckland International Airport, Christchurch International Airport, Wellington International Airport
Popular airlines: Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, British Airways
Basic visa requirements for UK passport holders: You don't require a visa to visit New Zealand if you're a British citizen and can stay for up to six months.
UK High Commission in the capital of New Zealand: 44 Hill Street, Wellington
New Zealand's peak season is understandably during its warmest months of the year. During the UK's winter, it is New Zealand's high summer, so a holiday anytime between December and February is guaranteed to offer warm weather.
Spring time is also a comfortable time of the year to visit with moderate temperatures between September and November and slightly cheaper flights too.
July and August are regarded as New Zealand's wintry months, with average temperatures falling to around 10 degrees. UK flights to New Zealand tend to be at their lowest during this two-month window.
You can bag yourself an adventure holiday of a lifetime to New Zealand with a great-value flight from Travel Trolley. Browse our latest New Zealand flight deals and don't forget to join our mailing list to receive all of our best offers direct to your inbox.


The Blue Badge scheme helps you park nearer to your destination if you have a disability. It can take up to 8 weeks to process a Blue Badge application when we have the required documents.
You must include certain documents with your online application, otherwise we won't process it.
If your photos or scanned copies of documents do not meet the standards required, your application process will be delayed.
Photos need to be similar to passport pictures but don't need to be taken in a photo booth or by a professional. They can be taken with a digital camera or smartphone.
See examples of acceptable photos from the HM Passport Office.
If one of the following circumstances applies to you, you need to send the relevant documents to help us process your application quicker. If more than one of these circumstances applies to you, you only need to send the documents for one of them.
If none of these options apply to you, you may still be eligible, but we will need to assess your situation before we can make a decision. You can complete the online application as normal and we will be in touch.
your most recent annual up-rating letter, including the first page which must show your current name and address - if you have lost this letter you can contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on 0800 121 4600 for a replacement.
See an example entitlement letter for the information we need to check (PDF, 144.2 KB) If you are eligible for a Blue Badge, it will expire at the end of your current entitlement period shown on the letter you provide as evidence, or for 3 years from the date of issue, whichever is first.
We may confirm the information you give us with DWP.
If you get this supplement you must submit a copy of your award letter from the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) as proof. If you have lost this letter, contact the SPVA on the freephone enquiry number 0808 1914 218 to request a copy.
Your benefit needs to be within tariff levels 1 - 8 for you to be eligible for a Blue Badge . You must also be certified by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) as having a permanent and substantial disability, which causes an inability to walk or very considerable difficulty walking.
If this applies to you, you must submit a copy of your original letter from the SPVA to confirm your this. If you have lost this letter, contact the SPVA on the freephone enquiry number 0808 1914 218 to request a copy.
You need to have a score of 8 points or more under the 'moving around' section of the PIP to be eligible for a Blue Badge.
If this applies to you, you must submit a copy of your original letter of entitlement– including the front page and the page showing your score for the 'moving around' section.
If your letter was not issued within the last 12 months, you must also include a copy of your annual uprating letter showing your current name and address. See an example letter with the information we need (PDF, 283.2 KB).
We may confirm the information you give us with the DWP.
Your Blue Badge will expire at the end of your current entitlement shown on the letter you provide as evidence, or for 3 years from the date of issue, whichever is first.
You will still need to provide a photograph, proof of identity and proof of address and give us as much information as possible about your condition on your application. If you're applying by post, you will need to include a £10 cheque or an email address so that we can contact you to take payment.
your photos don't meet the standards above - you can still use a digital camera or smartphone, but the quality needs to be sharp.
You can apply for your first Blue Badge or renew your existing badge using the same form.
Before you apply or renew, you must check the required documents you need to submit with your application.
It can take up to 8 weeks to process a Blue Badge application when we have the required documents.
You can renew your badge if it expires in the next 8 to 12 weeks. Applications for badges expiring in over 12 weeks will be returned.
For all enquiries, contact us on 03000 41 62 62 or email bluebadgeteam@kent.gov.uk.
It can take 4 to 8 weeks to process your application. Please make sure your form is properly completed and you've sent us all the documents we need.
Complete the Blue Badge form (PDF, 329.6 KB) or email us at bluebadgeteam@kent.gov.uk to ask for a form.
You can also apply for an organisational Blue Badge (PDF, 161.5 KB) if your organisation has vehicles which transport people who would individually be eligible for Blue Badges. Organisations are currently unable to apply online.
You can apply in person at your local Gateway.
You will need to make an appointment, either by visiting directly or telephoning 03000 41 62 62. Please check which documents (PDF, 204.7 KB) you need to bring with you.
Blue Badges cost £10 whether it's your first one or you're renewing or replacing it.
Please be aware of Blue Badge scams where you may be charged more than £10 for an application. These websites are not associated with the Blue Badge service and the application form supplied by these websites is not accepted by local authorities. For more details please see our trading standards alert.
If you apply online and include an email address, we will email you to request payment once your badge has been approved. If you don't provide an email address, we will send you a letter instead which will delay your badge being issued.
If you apply by post you can pay by cheque or provide us with an email address to pay by card. We will email you to request payment once your badge has been approved.
Paying by card is quickest and easiest.
Make cheques payable to Kent County Council.
It can take up to 8 weeks to process a Blue Badge application once we have the required documents.
you saved your online application instead of fully submitting it.
If you applied online, check that you received an email confirming that your application was successfully submitted. Make sure you check your email's spam or junk folder.
If you've checked everything and you still haven't had a confirmation email after 24 hours, you can call us on 03000 41 62 62 to check whether or not we've received your application. If we haven't had your application, you will need to apply again.
If you haven't sent the correct documents, we will contact you and your application will be on hold for 28 days to allow you time to send them to us. After 28 days, if we haven't heard from you, your application will be closed.
If it's over 8 weeks since you submitted your application and you haven't heard from us, you can call us on 03000 41 62 62 to check the progress of your application. Please have the applicant's details ready when you call so that our advisors can help you more quickly.
If you have problems filling in the online form you can get help by making an appointment at your local Gateway and someone will go through the online form with you. Alternatively, you can call us on 03000 41 62 62 and someone will go through the online form over the phone with you.
you receive 8 points or more under the "moving around" activity of the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
or have a permanent and substantial disability which affects your mobility and means you have considerable difficulty in walking.
We may contact you by telephone to discuss your application with you. If we are unable to contact you we will write to you and ask you to provide some suitable times for us to contact you.
If you are receiving treatment from a hospice, they should use their official stamp on the address section of the form so we can prioritise the application.
Contact your hospice for more information.
Only you can use your Blue Badge. You are responsible for it.
Make sure it's displayed properly so people can see it.
It is illegal to use your badge after its expiry date.
You may be fined up to £1000 or lose your badge if you don't stick to the law.
Find out more about your rights and responsibilities when using your badge.
Report misuse of a Blue Badge.
Contact your district council to find local disabled car parking facilities.
You are always advised to check local restrictions before using your badge.
You can use your Blue Badge in all European countries and make use of the same parking concessions as the country's own citizens with disability.
If visiting a country outside of the European Union, you will need to check with the relevant embassy on local arrangements before using your Blue Badge.
Blue Badge holders and parking clocks all cost £2.50.
If you need to update your details with us, including change of address, contact details and vehicle registrations, please complete our online change of details form.
Fill in the replacement form (PDF, 173.5 KB) and send it back to us with the required documents. There's more detail on the application form about which documents to send.
Report it to the police, who'll give you a crime number.
Then fill in the replacement form (PDF, 173.5 KB) and send it back to us as above.
cut up and destroy your pass securely.
Fill in the replacement form (PDF, 173.5 KB) and send it back to us as above.
If a badge holder has relocated to another county, we will still be responsible for the Blue Badge until it expires. Therefore if you need a replacement before it expires, you would need to follow the guidance above. However, once the badge has or is due to expire, you will need to apply for a badge with the new local authority.
return it by post to The Blue Badge Service, Kent County Council Contact Centre, Invicta House, County Hall, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1XX.


The back half of 2001 was real rough. Just a few months after the 9/11 attacks, we lost a Beatle. My favorite Beatle, actually.
George passed on November 29 and the following day, hordes of fans gathered in Central Park, at John Lennon's Strawberry Fields to share grief in a communal way.
These images were taken on a Nikon E950.


text:
OPINION: Economic blues
by PK Vasudeva
NEW DELHI (The Statesman/ANN) - India's $ 2.7 trillion economy is headed for a slowdown ahead of the Lok Sabha elections due to be held by May.
A federal statistics entity has projected an overall economic growth rate of 7.2 per cent for the year ending 31 March. This is quite worrisome. With the economy already recording 7.6 per cent growth in the first half (April-September) of the fiscal, the finding implies that it will grow at around 6.8 per cent in the second half (October- March).
On 7 January, the Central Statistics Office released the first advance estimates for the current fiscal, mainly for the finance ministry to use as a base for calculations in the interim budget that was presented on 1 February. CSO's 7.2 per cent figure is slower than the Reserve Bank of India's estimate of 7.4 per cent growth in its latest monetary policy. However, it would still be faster than the 6.7 per cent growth clocked in 2017-18. What could drag down growth in the second half is the government's inability to boost growth because the fiscal deficit in the first eight months of the year (April-November) has crossed 112 per cent of the whole year's target.
Higher public expenditure, both by the states and the Centre, had buoyed growth in the first half of the year. Union finance minister Arun Jaitley has pledged to meet the fiscal deficit target of 3.3 per cent of GDP in 2018-19, despite a significant revenue shortfall and populist demands in an election year. While the shortfall in goods and services tax (GST) collections is expected to be partly met by the higher budgeted growth in direct tax collections, it is unlikely to make up for it.
Data released by the Finance Ministry on 7 January showed net direct tax collections till December had touched 64.7 per cent of the full year target of Rs 11.5 trillion, growing at the rate of 13.6 per cent. While the government has targeted Rs 1 trillion in GST collections every month, the figure was crossed only twice ~ in April and October ~ and during the first nine months of this fiscal. However, the CSO's estimate of nominal GDP growth at 12.3 per cent for 2018-19 against the finance ministry's assumption of 11.5 per cent for the same year will help the government meet the fiscal deficit target of 3.3 per cent of GDP despite the revenue shortfall.
Madan Sabnavis, the chief economist at Care Ratings Ltd, said these numbers must be read with caution as the methodology clearly says that these are extrapolations of existing data on various sectors, which could range from six to eight months. "Therefore, there is scope for change in these numbers when the actual numbers are reckoned. The Q3 results towards the end of February will throw more light on the final outcome. The positive feature of CSO's GDP advance estimates is the sharp acceleration projected in investment demand as represented by the gross fixed capital formation, which is estimated to grow to 12.2 per cent in 2018-19 from 7.6 per cent a year ago.
Sandip Somany, president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, has said that the investment cycle should start kicking in during this year. "Aggregate industry capacity utilisation has now reached 70-75 per cent. So, Indian industry without investment can service its customers now for one year or 18 months at most. Most industries will have to start putting in money and expand capacity; otherwise, they will run out of capacity," he has said.
While agriculture and manufacturing are set to be accelerated in 2018-19, CSO projected the services sector to decelerate during the year ending 31 March. Federal policy think-tank Niti Aayog has suggested several economic reforms with an aim to accelerate growth and boost the size of the economy to $4 trillion in the next five years. The blueprint, called the "Strategy for New India@75", released by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Niti vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar, proposes an increase in the share of taxes in national income to 22 per cent from 17 per cent, inclusion of fuel and electricity within the GST and privatising airports, as well as key railway assets such as freight terminals, engines and rolling stock. The objective is to take steps that will keep India's $2.7 trillion economies steadily expanding by about 8 per cent, which could quicken to 9-10 per cent by 2022-23, making India a $4 trillion economy.
"It is also necessary to ensure that growth is inclusive, sustained, clean and formalised," the blueprint states. The document, which covers the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) administration's prescription for future reforms and growth milestones, comes just months ahead of the national elections. Explaining the need for the blueprint, Mr Jaitley said sound policy measures would put the economy on track, lift people out of poverty and improve the quality of life. Although unlike its predecessor Planning Commission, Niti Aayog is not involved in the allocation of funds to various programmes, officials say ministries will heed its advice, given that Prime Minister Narendra Modi leads the think-tank.
Niti Aayog's chief executive officer, Amitabh Kant, has said that the think-tank has a monitoring and evaluation division, which prepares the outcome budget. "The entire focus of this government is on outcomes. Every resource spent is measured on the basis of outcomes delivered," said Kant.
The Prime Minister has reviewed the strategy document in detail. The strategy paper lays emphasis on completing major infrastructure projects such as the first phase of Bharatmala Pariyojana, laying roads in the north-eastern region and digitally connecting 250,000 gram panchayats through the Bharat Net programme by 2019. It aims at delivering all government services up to the gram panchayat level digitally by 2022-23. It also proposes using idle land available with state-owned companies for productive use, giving every family a pucca house and ensuring power for all. Production of minerals is another priority for which the blueprint proposes a revamped exploration policy and a regulator.
"Popular aspirations are growing, people are becoming impatient. They want things to happen faster," said Mr Jaitley. One key area of reform proposed by Niti Aayog is privatization of major government assets. The document advises that the government ought to exit from non-strategic sectors by divesting its stake, which will add to the exchequer.
Liberalising foreign ownership limits across industries, encouraging foreign investments in government securities and easing rupee bond limits are among the key suggestions. Niti Aayog has suggested that the investment rate be raised from 29 per cent of GDP in FY 18 to 36 per cent by FY 23. Doubling goods and services exports to $ 800 billion by FY23 from $ 478 billion in FY18, improving the business environment and working with states to relax land and labour rules are also part of the agenda.
(The writer is retired senior professor of International Trade. He may be reached at vasu022@gmail.com.)
Economic blues


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