Opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president Peter Mutharika has pulled out of first-ever presidential debates to be held in vernacular Chichewa at Bingu International Conference Centre in Lilongwe Monday evening.
Mutharika becomes second presidential candidate to miss out on the first ever presidential debate after President Joyce Banda opted out last week, however unlike Banda the DPP torch-bearer is set to participate in other two remaining debates to be held in English set for Mzuzu and Blantyre.
DPP Secretary General, Jean Kalilani disclosed in an interview with Nyasa Times that Mutharika will not be attending the first debate citing "clash of programmes" as reason for the decision.
Kalilani said the organisers did not follow protocol in sending out their invitation, which collided with Mutharika's campaign program.
"We were more than willing to participate but the organisers have been giving out their information in bits and pieces. They met Professor Mutharika twice, and he even confirmed he will be available but they sent their program late, which makes it impossible for him (Mutharika) to make it tonight," explained Kalilani.
Kalilani said the organisers National Media Institute of Southern Africa (Malawi Chapter) and its partners, failed to use the party's secretariat to ensure Mutharika was informed in time, saying "They only sent us their program on Thursday while Professor Mutharika had already made other plans".
"He was in Zomba, then yesterday he was at Jamba; and today he is visiting his constituency. I don't think he can make it to the debate this evening. But be assured that he will be available in the other two sessions".
But Namisa Chairperson who is also heading the Presidential Debates Taskforce, Anthony Kasunda said they have not received any official communication from those pulling out of the debates.
"I don't know what they meant by saying they got the invitations late; what we know is that invitations were set out to every presidential candidate. However, there is no official communication that they (Mutharika and Banda) have pulled out," Kasunda said.
Kasunda maintained that the debates, in the event that one or two presidential candidates decide to withdraw, will still proceed, and that they expect all invited candidates to participate.
People's Party (PP) presidential candidate Joyce Banda pulled out last week, citing a "tight campaign schedule"as reason for the sunb.
Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) endorsed the presidential debates starting from today April 22nd in Lilongwe and 29th and May 6th, 2014 in other two regions.
Kasunda last week said the debates aim to motivate candidates to focus on real policy issues, and articulate their position on matters that are important to Malawians thereby providing a basis for holding the winning candidate accountable after the elections.
He said the presidential debates, to be conducted in both English and Chichewa, will also help to promote political tolerance among candidates.
The three presidential debates are being funded by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) with the National Democratic Institute providing technical support and comes a month after Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) organised a series of debate for presidential running.
The debate to start from 6:30pm will be broadcast live on radio, television and internet by Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), Times Television and Zodiak Broadcasting Station.
The second and third presidential debatesare scheduled for April 29 and May 6 in Lilongwe and Blantyre respectively.


text:
Expensive funeral joke
Paddy died. His will provided £40,000 for an elaborate funeral.
As the last guests departed the affair, his wife Colleen turned to her oldest and dearest friend.
"Ah well, Paddy would be pleased," she said.
"You're right," replied Mary, who lowered her voice and leaned in close.
"So go on, how much did this really cost?'"
"All of it," said Colleen. "Forty thousand."
"Aw No!" Mary exclaimed, "I mean, it was very grand, but £40,000?!!!"
Colleen answered, "The funeral was £6,500. I donated £500 to church. The whisky, wine and snacks were another £500.
The rest went for the Memorial Stone."
Mary computed quickly.
"For the love of Mike Colleen, £32,500 for a Memorial Stone?
How big is it?"
noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Muldowney)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This is a flashing guide for Samsung galaxy S7 & S7 edge if you are looking to restore your device software, upgrade, or downgrade the android version on your phone.
You can follow this tutorial to flash any model of the galaxy S7/S7 edge (Global, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, US Cellular, Canada, ...).
Charged Samsung galaxy S6 or S6 edge.
USB cable and Windows PC.
Download, install Samsung driver or Smart Switch.
Download, unzip firmware file and odin.
Double-click odin3 tool, click BL and navigate to BL_xx, AP and navigate to AP_xx, CP and navigate to CP_xx, and CSC and navigate to HOME_CSC_xx.
Go to settings, Lock screen, Protect encrypted data or secure startup and select require PIN.
Put your phone into download mode (Vol Down+Home+Power) then Vol Up.
Connect your device to the computer and wait until you get a sign in ID:COM section and "Added" in message box.
Click Start and wait few minutes until you see "PASS!" in odin.
If your phone stuck in bootloop, reboot your device into recovery mode then choose factory reset.
Do not disconnect the USB cable while flashing process is running.
Install Samsung Mobile Driver or Samsung Smart Switch if you don't see a sign in Odin.
Flash your device at your own risk.
Flashing official/stock firmware won't increase the binary flash nor KNOX WARRANTY VOID counter and won't cancel the device's warranty.


The Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement requires that a Regional Land Use Plan be developed to manage the use of land, water, and resources in the Labrador Inuit Settlement Area (LISA), including Labrador Inuit Lands.
A Regional Planning Authority (RPA) was established and developed a proposed Land Use Plan in accordance to the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement for the Beneficiaries of Nunatsiavut.
The draft Land Use Plan was developed through public consultations within all of the Inuit Communities, and Happy Valley-Goose Bay, North West River, Mudlake, and St. John's. The RPA than appointed a commissioner to conduct public hearings throughout the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and to make recommendations on the draft plan. The RPA considered the comments made by the commissioner and submitted a draft plan to both the Nunatsiavut Government and the provincial government for consideration.
The Land Use Plan was accepted in principle by the Nunatsiavut Executive Council. However, it has not yet been approved by the Nunatsiavut House of Assembly.
The Land Use Plan was submitted to provincial government in March 2011. To date, the proposed Land Use Plan has not yet been accepted by the province.


text:
911 services face an emergency of their own
By William Jackson
Since 911 was set aside in 1968 as a national emergency call number, the service has been upgraded to provide better information for dispatchers and remains the backbone of first responders.
But rapid advances in communications technology, while presenting opportunities for better service, also present a tough test for system, as adoption of consumer devices outpaces the ability of the 911 infrastructure to handle them. Telephones, once fixed in a certain place, are now mobile, and voice is becoming passé in a world where real-time text, images and video are at everyone's fingertips.
"The communications world is changing so very fast, and staying on top of it requires being very quick to address the new technologies," said Norman Shaw, executive director of government affairs at Polaris Wireless, a company that provides 911 location services.
FCC aims to add text, images, video to 911 services
Next-gen 911 app for Android includes video, audio and location with emergency calls
Location services have become increasingly important since telephones have been untethered and phone numbers no longer are tied to an address.
"Wireless 911 calls are about 80 percent of our volume," said David Lucas, director of Enhanced 911 services for Lexington, Ky.
Two interstate highways, I-64 and I-75, pass through the area, which also is home to the University of Kentucky, so the trend of mobile dialing might be higher in Lexington than the national average. But it is not only students and travelers who are calling from cell phones, Lucas said. Senior citizens are the heaviest users of 911 services, he said, and "I'm surprised how many of them are getting rid of landlines and going to cell phones."
Cell phone carriers are required to provide basic location information to Public Service Answering Point and to route 911 calls to the proper answering point based on the caller's location. But pinpointing the location of a cell phone caller can be hit or miss, Lucas said. It varies with the technology that the carrier is using — Global Positioning System-enabled or simple triangulation of the cell signal — the density of the cellular network and the local strength of radio-frequency signals.
"Sometimes it is dead on," he said of location information. "Some might be off by two blocks. About 20 percent of the time the calls don't have a location — it is just the cell tower."
On top of this challenge, 911 is a voice-centric system, and many users are replacing voice calls with texting. First responders would like also to be able to take advantage of the video and imaging capabilities now built into many mobile phones, which could provide valuable information. But most 911 systems are deaf, dumb and blind to texts, photos and videos.
The Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Plan encourages deployment of Next Generation 911 (NG911) networks and emergency alert systems that can take advantage of new technologies, and in September 2011 it issued a notice of proposed rule-making seeking comment on whether and how it should speed development and deployment of NG911 technology.
The FCC also is asking for comment on whether 911 calls should be prioritized when traffic is heavy during an emergency. When wireless or landline infrastructure has been damaged and many people reach for their phones at the same time, telephone systems can become overburdened, cutting users off from emergency services when they are most needed.
There are a number of technologies already in the field that are being integrated into 911 systems to provide additional information to public safety answering points.
Lexington-area PSAPs are using a hosted service called Smart911 to help deliver additional information. It goes beyond location data provided by landline and cellular carriers to offer personal and family information that could be helpful to police, fire and emergency medical departments.
"It allows citizens to go online and make any information available they want to in the event that they use 911," said Todd Piett, chief product officer for Rave Mobile Safety, which developed Smart911. "We integrate it into 911 call equipment at the answering points where the produce is licensed," and Smart911 makes the information available to the workstations taking the call.
The information is housed in a national database and can be associated with multiple telephone numbers. Because the service is national, information follows travelers away from home will be available to any PSAP using the service when contacted using either a landline or a mobile phone. Callers using cell phones with GPS capability can allow PSAPs to use it to provide location information for dispatchers.
Smart911 is free to individuals anywhere in the country. They can register online at www.smart911.com and provide information through the website. Information can include home and other addresses, medical conditions and disabilities of family members and others in a household, emergency contact numbers, information about pets, and building schematics and photos.
"People tend to put in things they know are risk factors for them," Piett said. This can include things such as excess weight for which rescuers would need to prepare, and the location of rooms where children or others might be found.
When a 911 call reaches the PBX or other server handling calls for an answering point using Smart911, the originating number is passed over a serial port connection to the Smart911 server, which is connected to the answering point's local-area network. The server queries the Smart911 database, and if the phone number has a file associated with it the data is returned to the server. The server routes the information to the workstation responding to the call, where it is displayed in a computer window. Only 911 calls initiate the connection, and PSAPs cannot initiate queries of the database.
One strength of the system is that the information is kept fresh because users must re-register and either confirm or update their information every six months, Lucas said.
Lexington, which has a regional 911 system serving five counties, implemented Smart911 in early 2011 after a three-month test period. Lucas said it is still early in the rollout and that penetration with local users still is small. "We don't get a lot of Smart911 calls. It's still a very low percentage."
Piett said about 80 call centers in 21 states are using the Smart911 service, covering about 7 million people. "In the first year we typically get about 10 percent" of the covered population signing up for the service after the local PSAP adopts it, he said. That increases to about 15 percent in the second or third years. Although anyone can sign up, the level of participation usually depends on the outreach efforts of the local agencies using the service.
Lexington had one public outreach program to encourage public enrollment during the 2011 holiday season, Lucas said. "Mostly we've been targeting our high-risk groups," such as the elderly and those with disabilities who might have difficulties using a phone or people who have special needs that responders could be alerted to in advance.
The city is planning a wider campaign, but that will have to wait for another month or so, Lucas said in March.
"It's basketball season here," he said. Not only were high school tournaments wrapping up, but the local University of Kentucky had made it to the NCAA finals (which it would eventually win). "If you're trying to get a little press time, it's hard to do."
Although Next Generation 911 is more concept than reality at this time, Kentucky already is looking toward multimedia NG911 capabilities. "We don't want to get caught behind the eight-ball like we were with wireless," Lucas said. Young people, especially, expect to be able to text or use other media for emergencies. "We don't have the infrastructure for that. Building that network is what we're working on right now."
That effort began three years ago with three central Kentucky counties and now has expanded to 12 counties on a shared regional Internet Protocol network built with the help of state matching funds. The new network help will not only support NG911 services but will also be a money-saver, Lucas said. "Once we got it up, we saw a 40 percent drop in our network costs."
A new network can help ready the call centers for new media, but the challenge remains of accurately locating calls made from mobile phones outside the home. Information provided by the cellular industry is becoming more accurate as networks become denser, allowing better triangulation, and as new technologies such as GPS are leveraged.
Many devices today are GPS-enabled and can provide detailed location information under ideal conditions. The problem is that conditions seldom are ideal. A technology called Assisted GPS can improve location data by providing stored satellite orbit data where satellite signals are not strong and by using an assistance server to help calculate cell phone location. This can help improve poor performance but does not ensure good performance.
Polaris offers a product to improve location data by combining multiple sources of information. OmniLocate uses information from existing location services and adds Wireless Location Signatures, which are RF profiles of an area. Algorithms compare the RF characteristics of a call with Wireless Location signatures in the area to locate the call's point of origin to within 50 meters.
Fifty meters is still a considerable margin of error, but "at this point it is the best you are going to get with any location technology on a consistent basis," Shaw said.
The FCC also wants to include vertical data in call location information, so that responders will be able to tell which floor with multistory building a call is coming from. But, Shaw says, "to think that elevation [location] is something that is achievable soon is a mistake."
That does not mean that technology will not improve. The big challenges to expanding and improving 911 capabilities are policy, politics and funding rather than technology.
"It's the requirement that different parties come together to share capabilities," Shaw said. "The answer is the use of collaborative bodies to bring together the carriers, vendors and public safety agencies and compel them to work together to evaluate the capabilities and methods for leveraging these new technologies."


text:
Prehistoric Salaries
Brendan Shanahan
NHL Fortune: $60,510,000
Brendan Shanahan's net worth / earnings / salary history. He made US $60,510,000 (US $89,937,532 in today's dollars), ranking #75 in NHL / hockey career earnings.
Season Salary
($US) In today's
$ NHL
Rank +/-
($) +/-
1989-90 $110,000 $226,831 450
Source: Canadian Press
1990-91 $130,000 $254,331 452 $20,000 18%
Two-way contract: $US 130,000 in the NHL and $US 45,000 in the minor leagues. He played in the NHL only, earning a full NHL salary.
Source: The Hockey News / Canadian Press
1991-92 $625,000 $1,173,366 46 $495,000 381%
1992-93 $1,390,000 $2,533,307 12 $765,000 122%
Amount includes salary and any signing bonus paid in 1992-93.
Source: The Hockey News
1993-94 $1,000,000 $1,769,550 53 -$390,000 -28%
1994-95 $2,000,000 $3,450,742 8 $1,000,000 100%
Lockout: NHL salary prorated for 48-game season.
Source: Guide Hockey 1995-1996
1995-96 $3,475,000 $5,830,430 13 $1,475,000 74%
Source: La Presse
1996-97 $3,600,000 $5,866,922 14 $125,000 4%
Source: Guide Hockey RDS (He made $US 3,975,000 according to La Presse)
1997-98 $3,600,000 $5,735,327 17
1998-99 $4,000,000 $6,274,847 27 $400,000 11%
Source: The Hockey News Ultimate Fantasy Guide 2000-01
2001-02 $6,000,000 $8,662,902 23 -$500,000 -8%
2004-05 NHL lockout year: Season cancelled - no NHL salary paid.
2005-06 $2,280,000 $3,086,268 118 -$4,220,000 -65%
Source: NHLPA
2008-09 $800,000 $950,116 492 -$1,700,000 -68%
2009-10 $1,000,000 $1,192,075 390 $200,000 25%
US $60,510,000
In today's dollars:
US $89,937,532 NHL Rank:
Search the Salary History Database
Search Salary Database
Similar Fortunes
Keith Yandle	$55,461,800
Steve Yzerman	$65,112,700
Daniel Alfredsson	$58,209,700
Jamie Benn	$57,274,100
Dan Boyle	$59,960,800
Daniel Briere	$64,303,600
Copyright © 1999-2020 HockeyZonePlus.com - All Rights Reserved.
HockeyZonePlus is not affiliated with the NHL, NHLPA or any NHL club and is maintained for research purposes only.