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Human Rights Defenders and Activists
Protect Afghanistan's human rights defenders
Months of campaigning for better protection measures for Afghanistan's human rights defenders led to a Presidential decree in December 2020 establishing a protection mechanism. It was a welcome move, but threats and attacks on human rights defenders have continued.
Human rights defenders have bravely continued with their work despite the enormous challenges they face every day in Afghanistan. They have come under attack from different sides in the ongoing conflict, including state and non-state actors. For the last few months, threats, and attacks against them have spiked.
Amnesty International, in close collaboration with 32 human rights organizations, presented the "Afghanistan Human Rights Defenders Protection Strategy" in January 2020. In December 2020, the government issued a Presidential Decree establishing the Joint Commission for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders. Six months since, there has been very little visible progress to indicate the protection mechanism is effective and functional.
Since the issuance of the Presidential Decree health workers, humanitarians, human rights defenders, and journalists have been targeted in a wave of assassinations. At least 24 have been killed since January 2021, including 2 doctors in separate attacks in Parwan and Farah provinces, women polio workers and journalists in Nangarhar province, and women judges in Kabul province.
Ask the Government of Afghanistan to expedite the process in ensuring that the protection mechanism for human rights defenders is effective and functional, and to investigate the threats and attacks on human rights defenders promptly, thoroughly, impartially, and independently, and in full adherence to international standards on fair trials.
Change happens when people get together and demand it.
Sign the petition now. Ask the Vice President of Afghanistan, S. Danish to:
Ensure that the Joint Commission for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders is effective, functional, and immediately addresses the imminent and long-term security concerns faced by human rights defenders,
Investigate attacks and threats against human rights defenders and hold the perpetrators accountable in fair trials.
Establish a referral system for the protection of those at risk and provide them with psychosocial assistance.
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If you are talented and passionate about human rights then Amnesty International wants to hear from you.
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When Europol Director General Rob Wainwright addressed RUSI's Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies annual conference he noted recent cases of successful international cooperation against cybercrime. For example, Operation Avalanche was directed against a cybercrime syndicate of more than 20 organised criminal groups and required cooperation across 30 jurisdictions. At the same time, Wainwright noted that there was insufficient synergy between cybercrime and anti-money laundering (AML) units in many public and private institutions.
This raises a question as to how AML tools can be more effectively used to tackle the proceeds of cybercrime.
One potential response discussed during the subsequent panel at the RUSI gathering is the cyber financial intelligence unit recently established by Standard Chartered Bank. The unit uses cyber-related information to complement financial crime intelligence to better identify, disrupt and report illicit proceeds from cybercrime. This is in line with guidance issued by the US financial intelligence unit in October 2016, requesting financial institutions to include cyber-related information when filing suspicious activity reports (SARs).
It was noted that money laundering techniques relating to the proceeds of cybercrime often involved traditional methods such as 'money mules'. For example, this could mean that a fraudster might wire funds from a victim's account to that of a 'mule', who will withdraw the funds in cash and transfer them to the fraudster via a money service business. A recent investigation by the UK National Crime Agency uncovered the use of approximately 400 accounts to launder £6.9 million originating from cybercrime.
While cash is still king in the context of money laundering, Britain's Crown Prosecution Service has observed that virtual currencies are also gaining popularity due to the anonymity that some of them offer to users.
In order to support investigations involving virtual currencies such as Bitcoin, private companies have developed techniques to map out transactions and connect multiple Bitcoin addresses that are controlled by the same wallet.
According to data collected by Chainalysis, a New York-based forensic firm, 7.8% of Bitcoin transactions involve 'mixing', a process that bundles several transactions together and therefore considerably reduces the traceability of financial flows.
Discussions at the 'Financial Crime 2.0' conference addressed not only the risks associated with new technologies, however, but also the opportunities. Specifically, speakers discussed the potential of new technologies, including regulatory technologies (RegTech), to increase not only the efficiency of AML efforts, but also their effectiveness, which is likely to be a key objective for the national economic crime centre.
The representative of a UK bank, that has implemented an automated know-your-customer (KYC) system, explained that the new system had allowed the institution to increase the frequency of reviews and had enabled skilled staff to focus on high-risk situations. Designing the outputs of an automated system in a way that is close to the 'look and feel' of a manual system has helped to ensure that staff are comfortable working with digital systems.
As financial institutions harness the opportunities of new technologies, there was consensus that this effort should take place in tandem with an increase of the governments' analytical capacities. In addition, a RegTech representative expressed the view that governments should issue clearer guidance to financial institutions to clarify regulators' expectations regarding the use of technologies.
He pointed out that, while certain US remediation programmes generally provide useful details on good practices, this should be made available before an institution is fined.
Coordinating the use of technologies against financial crime across sectors will be critical to the mandate of the UK's new national economic crime centre (NECC), announced on 11 December by Home Secretary Amber Rudd. The NECC should also draw on the experience of other jurisdictions that have explored innovative approaches to data-driven financial crime supervision and enforcement.
While SARs can provide valuable information, they are often filed when the funds in question have already moved. Advanced data analytics therefore provide a critical addition to the SARs regime. Examples of data-driven supervisory efforts were presented by representatives of De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB, the Dutch financial supervisor) and the Italian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).
DNB receives information from money service businesses (MSBs) operating in the Netherlands on all money transfers they conduct to and from the country. DNB processes the collected data using advanced analytics and determines the risk level of MSBs and agents on that basis.
This new data-driven approach has led to supervisory action, with one MSB licence being revoked and 20 agents being closed, as well as to various criminal prosecutions. It has also raised awareness in the sector about the use of MSBs for criminal purposes and therefore contributed to stronger internal controls.
The Italian FIU analyses aggregate data on cash transactions and financial flows that financial institutions are required to submit monthly. Using quantitative methods, the FIU has been able to detect anomalies at the country- or province-level.
These anomalies may point to potential cases of trade-based money laundering, or – when compared with data on suspicious activity reports – cases of under-reporting. The findings inform not only the FIU's work, but provide critical input to law enforcement and the financial sector in their efforts to tackle financial crime.
To meet its objectives to address the financial crime risks facing the UK, the NECC will have to not only make the existing tools work more efficiently, but also to lead a wider discussion on innovative approaches that will increase the system's overall effectiveness.


As web designers, we always have something new to learn. Over the last decade our workflow has changed dramatically — it's become more sophisticated and highly diversified. Not only do we have a much larger variety of improved tools to use; there's also an endless stream of new techniques emerging and spreading within the web design community via social networks.
And this is where the opportunity to learn new useful, practical approaches and techniques comes in. We can learn by exploring the different design approaches other designers have taken, when solving their problems and apply these approaches to our work to become more productive and skilled. Therefore, our editorial team is permanently looking for interesting techniques, tools and tutorials, which we carefully select and present in round-ups on Smashing Magazine. You needn't love our lists, but they often will give you some useful ideas and advice.
Below you'll find an overview of new useful Adobe Photoshop techniques and tutorials that we've found and collected over the last months. We sincerely hope that at least some of the techniques presented there will help you improve your graphic design skills in Adobe Photoshop. And sincere thanks to all designers and developers whose articles are featured in this review. We respect and appreciate your contributions to the design community, folks!
In this tutorial, you will how to combine the power of the pen tool with some patterns and shapes to create an original and vivid illustration. You'll also learn some tips for workflow, along with a variety of design skills that you can apply in your own design works.
Michael Flarup recorded 6 hours of work with 1000+ layers in Photoshop and made a video speeding up the process. The illustration was designed for a Smashing Magazine's article How to Market Your App.
This tutorial shows you how easy with few basics steps you can create original typography poster in Photoshop. With this technique you can create interesting flyers for clubs or you can use it in advertisements.
In this tutorial you will learn how to create a design like the one you'll find see on the Adobe CS 5 Design Premium Box. Actually, it's fairly simple and you will be playing with pattern a lot. If you want to create the design of the Photoshop CS 5 box, for example, it will be pretty much the same process.
Learn how you can apply the Halftone filter in Photoshop and the Width Tool in Illustrator CS 5 to create an image inspired by Roy Lichtenstein's style.
In this tutorial, you'll learn to make a Wooden Box with a realistic touch. Along the way, you will be learning various tips such as using layer-sets for putting a group of layers together that you'd want to move/resize alt at a time. With layer-sets, the tedious work of selection of multiple layers for moving/resizing can be avoided.
This post is a case study or a brief process examination sent by Justin Maller, in which he explains how he created the original and abstract Ursus artwork.
In this Photoshop Tutorial, you'll learn how to design an old vintage radio using simple shapes, gradients, patterns and textures.
Developing Photoshop brush skills takes time, but it is well worth the effort. This article outlines the plethora of options that Photoshop affords, so that you can efficiently create and use brushes like the Old Masters.
In this tutorial you'll learn how to create a colorful illustration that includes the Earth, the Moon, a starry sky and some beautiful light effects.
In this long tutorial you will learn how to use vector masks and layer styles in Photoshop to create a slick looking ink printer reminiscent of some Canon and HP ink printers.
This review presents Photoshop brushes that will allow you to easily create realistic paint brush stroke effects. There are 18 free brush sets included, overall more than 500 brushes.
Ths tutorial explains how a repeating pattern can be created given that there are spaces around the original shape. In the process, you will get a grasp on creating repeating patterns in Photoshop.
In this detailed tutorial, you will learn some techniques used to create the possum (one of the possum brothers) from the animated cartoon-Ice Age.
This tutorial shows you how to create a underwater scene with bubbles and light effects.
This article demonstrates a powerful combination of vector shapes, layer styles, and manual drawing to create a photorealistic camera. In fact, the result is so realistic that you'd think it's just an ordinary photo.
This tutorial will show how to create a fantasy book scene. The designers will be using various advanced Photoshop techniques to make the composition as realistic as possible.
This tutorial shows you how to design a great looking poster to celebrate Adobe Photoshop's 20th Anniversary.
When it comes to creating patterns, the ability to duplicate a layer is one of Photoshop's greatest features.The trick is to pay attention more to how shapes interact than to how a shape looks on its own. This article explains this and other techniques for creating patterns in Photoshop.
In the right hands, Photoshop's pen tool can be a very powerful tool for creating incredible; even photo realistic images. This tutorial demonstrates exactly that, and shows how to draw a photo realistic USB cable in Photoshop.
With Photoshop manipulation tools, you can create and edit images for Web and print. Below you will find some tutorials on poster design from 2010.
Combine stock photos and design resources to create an attractive retro sci-fi themed game poster that is inspired by Atari games of the 80s.
Sometimes you need that extra Photoshop knowledge in order to achieve the look you need. In this step-by-step tutorial, Marko Prljić shows you how to create five killer effects for your site. You many want to check the second part of the article , too.
In this Photoshop tutorial, you will learn to create retro-looking text that seems like it's constructed using folded strips of paper.
An overview of professional creative step-by-step typography tutorials using Adobe Photoshop which can enrich your design skills and improve the quality of your work.
In this beginning-level design tutorial, you'll learn how to apply a beautiful and easy text treatment in Photoshop: the inset text effect.
This tutorial will show you how to create a text effect using a photo of a rope and the Puppet Warp tool.
In this tutorial you'll see how to create a water text effect with Photoshop. Even though it might look complex, it's a very simple effect. You will be using the new Repoussé tool and then some stock photos to create the effect.
Follow this step by step walkthrough of Chris Spooner's recent design process for the 'Spectrum' poster. Starting with custom made type in Illustrator, you'll move vector graphics into Photoshop for some serious distressing with Photoshop brushes and blending modes.
A step by step tutorial on how I take a digital photo and make it Lomoified. Don't forget to create an action script once you get this down, it will save you a lot of time.
Below are a list of the most famous toy cameras and some tutorials that can be used to recreate their famous effects.
Here are 50 excellent Photoshop actions that can add professional looking enhancements to your photos with the click of a button.
Have you ever seen photos in magazines or on the web and wondered how they achieved that look? This post presents over 100 Photoshop actions that will help you achieve some of these looks and save you some time in the process.
In this Photoshop Tutorial Cameron Rad will present us what he has found out over this last year of Photoshop experiments with skin retouching.
In this round-up, you'll look at 20 beautiful Photoshop montage tutorials that teach you step by step how to create these amazing photo composites.
Anyone can cobble together a few photos and textures and create a humdrum montage. To elevate yours beyond this it takes a few simple tricks using Photoshop's array of tools. This tutorial explains how to create a Photoshop montage in 19 steps.
This post round-ups over eighty Photoshop actions that will add vintage or retro effects to your photos.
After Effects is the go-to Adobe application for creating both simple and complex animations. However, for those users that either don't have the time to learn an entire new application or simply don't own a copy of After Effects, Photoshop has incorporated very similar, albeit scaled back, functionality.
In this tutorial, an illustrator Russel Tate teaches you how to draw with pixels. You'll learn how to create artwork in the style of eBoy and Army of Trolls.
In this tutorial, you'll learn how to create a camera lens icon using Photoshop. Duration of the screencast: 30 minutes.
This post is intended for designers or aspiring designers who either want to get started with Photoshop or have limited experience and are looking to improve. With this post you'll find links to plenty of resources to teach you all the basics and fundmentals of Photoshop.
In this tutorial you'll learn how to use the slice tool and show you some easy methods of slicing up your designs.
In this article, you'll explore the technical aspects and creative advantages of incorporating masks into your workflow.
This article presents a list of 12 common mistakes, misuses and various ways new users abuse Photoshop.
Collected here are some lesser known but extremely useful shortcuts. Many of these are not documented in the "Keyboard Shortcuts" menu, and some of them don't even have equivalent menu options.
Read on for more details about what Photoshop curves are, as well as how to use them properly for your designs.
This article outlines the differences between the layer mask and the clipping mask in Photoshop.
Photoshop Android GUI Set, Great freebie.
This design pieces are brought to you thanks to our design family at Iconshock, which is a quote of faith regarding the quality of the set. The package includes fully editable Photoshop files, original fonts and previews, everything that you may need in order to customize your set according to your preferences. Please let us know your opinions and feel free to share this amazing gift with your friends, remember that you will always find the best articles and resources only here, at Webdesignshock.
Photoshop .PSD file reveals the techniques used on a specific design, and it also tells us the style of the creator and most of the time there is something new we can learn from it. You'll get quite an overview of interesting techniques in this collection of PSD files.
A Facebook Fanpage mock-up with editable text, posting times etc. You may want to check the Free PSD Twitter Background Template, too.
In this round-up you'll find many current web design Photoshop tutorials that cover not only web page layouts, but also web app layouts, mobile UI and design elements such as buttons, search boxes, headers and footers.
This tutorial outlines how to create organized, designer and developer friendly PSD files. This is in no way the only solution, but hopefully it will encourage better practice in the web design world.
Designers can help their counterparts or clients before a design hand-off by taking 10 to 15 minutes to prepare files in a consistent and organized manner that can potentially save developers hours of production time. As an added bonus, an organized Photoshop file will save designers time by minimizing development questions after the file has been handed off for coding.
Photoshop Variables: How to Import External PSD Smartly?
Learn how to code up a complete mockup in HTML and CSS, ensuring the code is semantic and standards compliant. You'll then add some finishing touches with a spot of jQuery.
This article addresses the issues in trying to match colors in images to colors generated by HTML, CSS or code.
Divine creates websites from Photoshop to WordPress promptly. Basically, Divine is a plug-in that sits on top of Photoshop. Once you've finished designing in Photoshop, launch Divine plug-in in Photoshop, assign WordPress roles to the main elements (e.g. #footer, #header, etc.), and then the plug-in will prepare all the files you need. Once you set FTP access, the tool uploads the theme automatically to your server. The tool is free.
Open With Photoshop is a Firefox extension that allows you to send any image via right click context menu from the browser directly to the Photoshop.
Occasionally a potential client will ask you to give them Photoshop comps as the final deliverable, to be coded either by an internal implementation team or a technical partner. Some designers don't do that. Here's why.
This post presentes some of the top 10 most requested features that he believes would make Photoshop a more powerful and time saving tool.
You may want to check out this Photoshop CS6 wish list, too. Do you agree with the features mentioned there?
What does a top notch graphic designer have in common with an amateur photographer who uploads his weekend pictures on Facebook? They both love Photoshop! This infographics presents the evolution of Photoshop in a quite unusual, original way.


At the Leipzig plant BMW is working on the future of the car.
Just this week the House of Monaco is finalizing the preparation phase for the start of production (April) of one of the most advanced projects of these years in the automotive industry: the BMW i8 .
What perils does insurance of a vehicle cover?


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Alabaster moving closer to providing its own trash service
City councilors will vote Monday night on a contract for a new garbage pick up facility
Updated: 5:59 AM CDT Aug 28, 2017
WVTM 13 Digital
The city of Alabaster is moving closer with providing residents with city-run trash service. Monday night, the Alabaster City Council will vote on a contract to build a new facility for residential garbage pick up. The facility is expected to cost more than $1.2 million. Earlier this year, city leaders decided to end a current contract for trash pick up.City Manager Brian Binzer said officials felt the city could do a better job."We've been taking about it for quite some time," Binzer said. "We felt like maybe we could provide better customer service for all of our citizens. We work with our citizens now in terms of follow through if something doesn't get picked up."Alabaster is expected to take over trash pick up for residents beginning in 2018.
ALABASTER, Ala. —
The city of Alabaster is moving closer with providing residents with city-run trash service.
Monday night, the Alabaster City Council will vote on a contract to build a new facility for residential garbage pick up. The facility is expected to cost more than $1.2 million.
Earlier this year, city leaders decided to end a current contract for trash pick up.
City Manager Brian Binzer said officials felt the city could do a better job.
"We've been taking about it for quite some time," Binzer said. "We felt like maybe we could provide better customer service for all of our citizens. We work with our citizens now in terms of follow through if something doesn't get picked up."
Alabaster is expected to take over trash pick up for residents beginning in 2018.

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Our Plane
Demo Flight
Aviation Links
Palm Springs Aviators
We're look for new members
Message to Prospective Members
Thank you for your interest in aviation and for taking the time to seek us out. Palm Springs Aviators, Inc. is a not-for-profit California mutual benefit corporation that has been active since 2014. The only flying club in the Coachella Valley, we currently have 12 active equity members, several social members, and three club-approved CFIs.
We started out with a Piper Dakota and recently moved up to the A36 Bonanza. We have been growing fast since the Bonanza acquisition, and are considering acquiring a second airplane along the lines of a Cessna 172 or Piper Warrior/Archer to provide a wider range of flight options, especially for low-time private pilots and student pilots.?? After all, you don't need 285 HP and 170 knots to fly locally and practice landings (which, in the Bonanza, are full-stop only).
We are at a point now where we are taking a breath, planning some upgrades to the Bonanza to improve its efficiency and safety, and letting the dust settle for a bit, but not too long. If you love aviation as much as we do, you will fit right in. We are a good bunch of guys (and would welcome women members) from all walks of life who share the passion for flight. We meet on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the Atlantic Aviation conference room at KPSP (with rare changes in venue), and would love having you attend one of our meetings to see what we are all about. Our contemplated acquisition of another aircraft will not happen absent new members. Don't be shy, make the call.
Now, a little bit about the new (to us) airplane that we purchased in February 2019, an A36 Beechcraft Bonanza. This is a utility vehicle having six seats and double doors aft of the starboard wing providing a 12 ft.?? opening for cargo and people. The regular cabin door is forward over the right-wing.
The airplane is equipped with a Garmin panel with one of two navigation radios being the state-o-the-art touchscreen GTN750, as well as a Garmin 430. The navigation system is integrated with a KFC 200 autopilot flight director and the airplane is certified for IFR flight. The plane also has an under-wing turbine generator that will power the lights and avionics should the primary electrical system fail. We just voted to install Gami Injectors as well as a JPI 830 engine monitor during our August 2018 annual.
As are all Bonanzas,?? N1050T?? is a high-performance beauty with retractable landing gear and a top sea level speed of 178 kt. The Bonanza is powered by a 285 HP Continental six cylinder, fuel- injected I/O 520 engine with a three-blade prop. This airplane was produced in 1976 (serial number 881), 31 years after the original Bonanza model 35 flew in December 1945. The plane, although having been around for some time, has been well maintained and sports a total airframe time of approximately 3700 hours and engine time of approximately 675 hours. We keep it in a T-hangar on the east side of the airfield at Palm Springs.
Performance Data:
Empty weight: 2353
Fuel capacity: 74 gallons
Range: 875 miles at 75% power
Rate of climb: 1015 ft./min
Service ceiling: 17,000 feet
Top speed: 178 kt
Cruise speed: 167 kt
Stall speed: 56 kt
Gross wage: 3600 pounds
To obtain additional information about our club, please see our contact number on this website or email us.
Thank you for searching us out and we hope to hear from you!
Palm Springs Aviators, Inc.
Thank you for your interest in joining the Palm Springs Aviators. Here you can apply to become a member.
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By clicking Submit, I represent and warrant that (a) the information provided above is true and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief; (b) no material information has been withheld; and (c) I have never been convicted of a felony in any jurisdiction; OR if I have been convicted of a felony, for each such conviction I am accurately describing that conviction on the reverse side of this form by stating the name and location of the court, the case number, the date(s) of conviction, and crime(s) of which I was convicted. I acknowledge and agree that if I am accepted as a member and it is later discovered that I made any misrepresentations on this form, my membership may be summarily terminated.
Palm Springs Aviators, 145 N Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs, CA, 92262, United States8058969608info@palmspringsaviators.com


I logged a point two yesterday, my first twelve minutes getting paid (actually that's on the down-low until the license conversion goes through) to fly helicopters. We flew just a short distance to the home of a couple of ex-pats who plan to start a search and rescue business that will cover the whole of the Delta. She is a Trauma Doctor and our company will supply the pilot to fly her in and out of the sites in their JetRanger, currently getting retro-fitted with all the EMT-type bell and whistles.
Until I get the converted license, I go through security (at Maun International Airport. It's kind of torn up right now but they are working hard to get the expansion project completed in time for the 2010 World Cup, held in South Africa) with a hand-written ticket as if I were taking the tour. After going through security, I'm free to roam the tarmac unescorted. When I get to the helicopter, I change into the company shirt (that I carry through security) and start to pre-flight. Ya gots to love it.
Getting the medical and license conversion balls rolling serve another purpose as well: They get one used to Africa Time. The pace is pretty slow here and all the forms need to be filled out in triplicate. Then you get to the Doc's office or where ever and they make you fill out the same form again even though you just handed them the completed one.
In between standing in lines that invariably turn out to be the wrong one, I spend a fair bit of time with Sam. He hails from Kasane, in the Northeastern part of the country. He's better educated than most of his countrymen and even has a driver's license, a rarity here. Sam's duties include fueling and washing the helicopters, fetching lunch, and just about anything that needs doing. He always wears a smile and a ridiculous pair of over-sized red sunglasses straight out of 1978.
So, we're chatting yesterday and Sam asks where I learned to fly helicopters. So I say Hawaii and he says, "Hawaii, where is that? I thought it was a pizza."
Well Flying Spaghetti Monster speed to you sir. I'm looking forward to the book.


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The 12 Disasters of Christmas
Golden Ring Productions
TV Movie Action Science Fiction
86 min 3.5 2012 Canada
IMDb R. Tomatoes
Just in time for the joyous holiday season, this film connects the ancient Mayan prophecy of worldwide destruction at the end of 2012, and the iconic holiday song, The 12 Days of Christmas. But there is hope: a father learns that his daughter is really the "Chosen One" who, alone, can stop further catastrophe - if he can stave off the lunatic townspeople blaming her for the community's destruction.
Magda Apanowicz
Holly Dignard
Roark Critchlow
Greg Kean
Brenna O'Brien
Christine Willes
Ryan Grantham
Andrew Airlie
Kaj-Erik Eriksen
Donnelly Rhodes
As Christmas approaches, Elizabeth Bennett, a New York event planner is sent to a quaint, small town to organize a holiday festival. When she arrives, she finds William Darcy, a high-profile billionaire lacking in holiday spirit, in the process of selling the charming estate she hoped to use as a venue. Elizabeth persuades the reluctant Darcy to let her hold the festival on the historical estate and, before long, the unlikely pair begins falling for each other.
Christmas at Pemberley Manor
Scott Calvin is an ordinary man, who accidentally causes Santa Claus to fall from his roof on Christmas Eve and is knocked unconscious. When he and his young son finish Santa's trip and deliveries, they go to the North Pole, where Scott learns he must become the new Santa and convince those he loves that he is indeed, Father Christmas.
The Santa Clause
Fred Claus and Santa Claus have been estranged brothers for many years. Now Fred must reconcile his differences with his brother whom he believes overshadows him. When an efficiency expert assesses the workings at the North Pole and threatens to shut Santa down, Fred must help his brother to save Christmas.
Fred Claus
Having defeated the Joker, Batman now faces the Penguin—a warped and deformed individual who is intent on being accepted into Gotham society, with the help of Max Schreck, a crooked businessman, whom he coerces into helping him run for the position of Mayor of Gotham, while they both attempt to frame Batman in a different light. Batman must attempt to clear his name, all while also deciding just what must be done with the mysterious Catwoman slinking about.
In this modern take on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is a wildly successful television executive whose cold ambition and curmudgeonly nature has driven away the love of his life, Claire Phillips (Karen Allen). But after firing a staff member, Eliot Loudermilk (Bobcat Goldthwait), on Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by a series of ghosts who give him a chance to re-evaluate his actions and right the wrongs of his past.
Scrooged
A retelling of the classic Dickens tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, miser extraordinaire. He is held accountable for his dastardly ways during night-time visitations by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and future.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
When young Buddy falls into Santa's gift sack on Christmas Eve, he's transported back to the North Pole and raised as a toy-making elf by Santa's helpers. But as he grows into adulthood, he can't shake the nagging feeling that he doesn't belong. Buddy vows to visit Manhattan and find his real dad, a workaholic publisher.
Bitter and hateful, the Grinch is irritated at the thought of a nearby village having a happy time celebrating Christmas. Disguised as Santa Claus, with his dog made to look like a reindeer, he decides to raid the village to steal all the Christmas things.
Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans.
Howard Langston, a salesman for a mattress company, is constantly kept busy at his job, disappointing his son. After he misses his son's karate exposition, Howard vows to make it up to him by buying an action figure of his son's favorite television hero for Christmas. Unfortunately for Howard, it is Christmas Eve, and every store is sold out of Turbo Man. Now, Howard must travel all over town and compete with everybody else to find a Turbo Man action figure.
Better watch out! The big guy in red is coming to town once again. This time, Scott Calvin -- also known as Santa Claus -- finds out there's an obscure clause in his contract requiring him to take on a wife. He has to leave the North Pole to fulfill his obligations, or else he'll be forced to give up his Yuletide gig.
Inside a snowflake exists the magical land of Whoville. In Whoville, live the Whos, an almost mutated sort of Munchkin-like people. All the Whos love Christmas, yet just outside of their beloved Whoville lives the Grinch. The Grinch is a nasty creature that hates Christmas, and plots to steal it away from the Whos, whom he equally abhors. Yet a small child, Cindy Lou Who, decides to try befriending the Grinch.
Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold: death or redemption.
An old bitter miser who makes excuses for his uncaring nature learns real compassion when three ghosts visit him on Christmas Eve.
Maddie, a high-powered marketing executive, is on her way to a client's wedding but her plans are derailed by car trouble. When a fork in the road leads her to Christmas Valley, a town in love with Christmas, an unexpected encounter and a group of strangers that start to feel like family will have her questioning what she's really been missing in life.
A miserable conman and his partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid, and the security boss discovers the plot.
A horror comedy based on the ancient legend about a pagan creature who punishes children on Christmas.
Little Billy witnesses his parents being brutally murdered by Santa. Years later, when he has to fill in for an absent in-store Santa Claus, his childhood trauma materializes once again.
Determined to unseat Steve Finch's reign as the town's holiday season king, Buddy Hall plasters his house with so many decorative lights that it'll be visible from space! When their wives bond, and their kids follow suit, the two men only escalate their rivalry - and their decorating.
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Primabolics Nutrition is a sports and nutritional supplement company based out of Cessnock. It employs three staff in addition to the founder of the business and majority owner, Will Warren-Davey. But it all started as a hobby and a love of the gym!
A few years ago, Will Warren-Davey realised some over-the-counter supplements on the market were not clinically dosed. That is, they did not contain enough of the active ingredient to be effective.
"Going back several years the only options were mass produced, under dosed, non-scientifically validated formulas for products that relied on ignorance of the consumer and mass marketing to achieve sales" says Will.
Frustrated by this, he combined his love of learning and his science degree to develop the supplements now sold under the brand name Primabolics. He wanted to put every cent available for his start up into using the most premium quality raw ingredients money could buy at dosages used in clinical trials and studies.
"I have always valued a work ethic" says Will Warren-Davey. "This project has just been an embodiment of that work ethic applied to an area I love, which is fitness".
"I have an unrelenting desire to learn everything there is to know about the human body, biochemistry and endocrinology" says Will.
"It's what has motivated me to read the research studies, learn the efficiencies of the human body, trial the formulas, and test the products".
His is goal to make premium quality supplements validated by science, using the best available raw materials. "I really have a burning desire to have the best supplements on the market".
After extensive research he developed a product called Metabolyz, a thyroid, adrenal and fat loss support health tonic formulated to provide every vitamin and mineral required in the process of conversion and formation of the thyroid hormones. Recently, Will added a first of its kind fat burner and pre workout combination to his range. Warfare Ripped can be used as either a stand-alone pre workout, a stand-alone fat burner thermogenic or both!
He currently has four products on the market which are sold in supplement stores around the country. Primabolics is tracking to have a product range of 6 products by 2019 first quarter, total of 11 SKU's and to be stocked in approximatley 100 accounts nationwide. Not bad for a little supplement company hailing from Cessnock City!
Primabolics were nominated for new brand of the year by Australia's largest supplement retailer this year.
Meet Will on our small business leader's panel….


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Covid outbreaks declared in Délı̨nę, Stanton hospital
by Ethan Butterfield January 11, 2022 January 11, 2022
Stanton Territorial Hospital, along with the community of Délı̨nę, have been impacted by Covid transmission. Délı̨nę now has 30 active cases while the hospital has officially been declared an outbreak location, according to the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer. NNSL file photo
The Office of the Chief Public Health Officer (OCPHO) announced Jan. 10 that community spread of Covid-19 has taken place in Délı̨nę, where the number of active cases has soared to 30.
After a 9 a.m. cut off for the daily update on the Covid-19 Dashboard on Monday, 27 more infections were confirmed in the community.
Working from home, avoiding travel, and remote learning are some of the steps being taken to control the outbreak in Délı̨nę.
As well, the OCPHO has declared an outbreak at Stanton Territorial Hospital.
Outbreaks are the spread of the virus that leads to more than one case at a worksite.
The time frame of transmission at Stanton was from Jan. 4 to 6, from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., as well as Jan. 7, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
All fully vaccinated and non-fully vaccinated should self-monitor for symptoms if they visited Stanton during those specified periods.
Those that develop symptoms should isolate immediately and seek testing, if available.
All non-fully vaccinated individuals should seek a test on Day 4, whether symptomatic or not.
Tagged: Yellowknifer


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Carbon Environmental Awareness Society, MEWT team up in bid to raise awareness on global warming
According to data released by Global Footprint Network (GFN), an international sustainability think tank, humanity used up the annual Nature's Budget within 8 months, with carbon sequestration making up more than half of the demand on nature. GFN tracks humanity's demand on the planet (Ecological Footprint) against nature's ability to provide for this demand (biocapacity). GFN's Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity's annual demand on nature exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. Earth Overshoot Day fell from early October in 2000 to August 13th this year.
It is perhaps for reasons such as this that Carbon Environmental Awareness Society founder Reuben Ntuluki in conjunction with Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism (MEWT), will embark on an exciting yet tough undertaking to bring public awareness and education to the effect of Global warming and climate change. Ntuluki says he discovered his passion for conservation while studying Environmental Science at the University of Botswana. He says since Botswana is signatory to carbon footprint reduction strategies, he saw it fit to help ensure that the country walks the talk. He says it is also his way of giving back to the community.
Global warming is brought about mainly by uncontrolled carbon footprint arising from use or consumption of fossils and its derivatives. The initiative has been branded 'Carbon Walk' since that is the message that will be communicated through a 1000 km walk from Kasane to Gaborone during the month of October 2015. Ntoloki says he tries to walk as much as he can to prepare himself for the excursion. "The previous charity walks that I have undertaken recently have also helped to prepare me both mentally and physically for the walk," Ntuluki tells Lifestyle.
The Carbon walk initiative will be launched for the first time with the possibility to make it an annual event. The 1000km walk initiative was established by a group of youth who formed and registered Carbon Environmental Awareness Society in October 2014. Prior to registering the society, this youthful group was recruited from different tertiary institutions such as University of Botswana, Limkokwing university, Botswana College of Agriculture and Botswana Accountancy College by Y–care Charitable Trust and were enrolled for a two year Y-care Youth Leadership Program from 2007 to 2009. During this training, the group participated in long distance walks such as Makgadikgadi walk (60km), Domboshaba walk (70km), Tsodilo Hills walk (50km). Furthermore between 2010 and 2014, the group volunteered in organisations such as Cheshire Foundation in which they helped to organise and administer a 20 km sponsored walk for the foundation. In June 2014 the group engaged Cancer Association of Botswana and organised a cancer awareness walk which took place from Ramokgwebana to Bobonong. Ntuluki says the walk was organised as part of preparation for the Carbon Walk this year.
"Our aim and mandate with carbon walk in 2015 is to increase the visibility and impact of climate change and environmental sustainability education in the public, media and other relevant stakeholders," Ntuluki says. "We have selected the month of October as it is suitable for this initiative since the weather conditions during this time give the walkers endurance to cover more distance as per the experience gained from the previous walks." The Carbon Walk will take place in 30 days with 20 walking days and 10 resting days with an average of 50 km covered per day. The walk will run simultaneouslys with other events such as clean up campaigns on settlement along the walking route, road shows, and public education.
Other activities include camping along the walking route, radio and television coverage and live streaming of the walk on the internet as it occurs. "Upon completion of the carbon walk, a gala dinner will be hosted to acknowledge and invite more sponsors and other stakeholders to help raise funds that will be used by the society on a daily basis to adopt a holistic approach to environmental education so as to embed the idea of environmental sustainability on different sectors of the community through tools such as workshops, boot camps, conventions, school visits, television and radio programmes, and billboards advertising."
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2021 Procurement Agenda: Here's What Tops the List
The Hackett Group's 2021 Key Issues Study reveals some very interesting information as it relates to the thinking of top procurement executives. It should come as no surprise that after the challenging year all businesses witnessed in 2020, these procurement executives are more focused on what's really important to the future success of their businesses.
The study focused on four emerging enterprise themes including risk, people, cost and digital acceleration. Respondents to the survey indicated they believe stability will remain elusive. Nearly 41% believe conditions will stabilize by the second half of 2021, while 36% believe it will take longer. Of course, no one can truly predict when things will return to normal, and in fact, if we'll ever be able to define the word "normal" again.
The report highlights 10 key procurement issues:
1. Reduce spend cost
2. Reduce supply risk to ensure supply continuity
3. Act as a strategic advisor to the business
4. Accelerate procurement digital transformation
5. Improve procurement agility
6. Modernize procurement application platforms
7. Align skills and talent with changing business needs
8. Improve analytical and reporting capabilities
9. Enable corporate sustainability goals
10. Increase spend influence
Let's take a deeper dive into the Top 2 procurement issues predicted to have the most impact on businesses in 2021 and beyond.
Reduce spend cost
Reducing spend cost, especially in the supply chain and areas of transportation and logistics, should be an ongoing function of every procurement team, in full coordination with the company's logistics and supply chain teams. The real question however is, where does a company start to look at cost reductions? And, what metrics should it use to benchmark costs to ensure best-in-class pricing for all supply chain and logistics services offered?
One way to reduce costs is to reduce the service levels a company receives from its logistics service providers. Less service, less costs. However, is that really a cost reduction initiative a company should consider? Probably not. However, many companies do just that without even realizing they have made that commitment. So, the first step is to fully understand what service levels a company needs to fully support their operations as well as their customer's needs.
Having sad that, does the company fully understand what their service requirements are? Very often there is not a lot of corporate focus on measuring service levels as a way to control costs.
To give one example, an LTL shipper agrees to do business with a carrier whose rates are much lower than their current service provider. However, they really didn't do their homework and did not understand that not only was this carrier's on-time delivery performance well below industry standards, but also it's claims ratio was much higher than industry standards. Because of a lack of due diligence, the company moved forward with this new LTL carrier. And, while they did reduce their shipping costs, they sacrificed their customers in return.
The point here is that companies really need to look much deeper into their operations to see where cost reductions can have the most impact without sacrificing other parts of the business. Losing a customer's business is certainly a way to reduce shipping costs. It's just another example of not being customer-focused in every decision a company needs to make.
In another example, a subscription box company was preparing to re-negotiate their parcel carrier contract and needed to analyze the pricing agreement the carrier presented to ensure they weren't leaving "any money on the table." The company thought the deal they had negotiated with their parcel carrier was in fact a very good deal, but realized however that they were not able to benchmark the parcel carrier's offering to ensure they would actually receive "best-in-class" rates compared to other shippers with similar shipping characteristics and similar spends.
Analyses revealed that this company's annual parcel spend exceeded $58 million, and had they signed the agreement before the analyses, it was in fact leaving money on the table to the tune of over $7.7 million annually.
The message here is that when a company does not have the capability to comprehensively benchmark overall costs, it should seek out expert advice if the procurement group does not have access to the proper measurement tools to be able to determine a good deal from what could be a very bad deal.
Reduce supply risk to ensure supply continuity
If 2020 will be remembered for anything, it will certainly be remembered for the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic. It will also be remembered for making the term "supply chain" a household term.
Yes, in 2020, just about everyone's supply chain was challenged, to say the least. Many companies were for the first time in a state of disruption never seen before. Talk about risk, when China shut down their factories in early 2020, many companies lost access to their only supply of raw materials or finished products.
Then two new terms that really never had much of an impact on U.S. businesses until COVID-19 hit were nearshoring and reshoring. In the first quarter of 2020, companies were now forced to consider sourcing their raw materials and finished goods from suppliers closer to home, or reshoring, which means having suppliers right here in the United States.
For years, all types of companies continued to seek less expensive costs for their goods, and China certainly played a large role, if not the largest role, in that process. Today, more so than in the past three decades, the question is, should we cease doing business with Chinese suppliers? Can we really accomplish that?
There is the Catch-22 situation of having China, with its 350 million people, the likely target for U.S. businesses over the next 20 years and beyond. Bottom line is that reshoring and nearshoring, as a way to reduce supply risk and ensure supply continuity, may not be as simple as their terms imply.
Click here to view original web page at 2021 Procurement Agenda: Here's What Tops the List
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Daisie Hobson is a Director at the Reshoring Institute and an engineer with many years of experience in manufacturing and project management.
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Serie A's two form sides meet on Saturday (7.45pm GMT, live on ESPN) when Roma take on Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico.
Roma are sixth in the table and have won four of their last five matches. Fiorentina are fourth, three points better off than their hosts, and in the midst of a nine-match unbeaten run.
Roma triumphed 3-1 away to Siena last weekend, Matteo Destro adding to his goal in the win over Pescara with a double strike in Tuscany. He has proved to be an able deputy for Erik Lamela and is likely to start against Fiorentina with Lamela still struggling to overcome the ankle injury that has ruled him out since mid-November.
Destro is part of a Roma side that continues to outscore the rest of the division, having notched up 34 goals in their 15 matches to date (2.27 per match, on average). They have scored in every one of their matches, but on Saturday face one of the best defences in the division.
Fiorentina have conceded just less than a goal per match so far this season, keeping five clean sheets along the way.
The Viola have conceded the lowest number of shots on goal (8.8 per match, on average) of any team in Serie A. The possession-based approach favoured by coach Vicenzo Montella allows them to exert control over matches and cut down on chances gifted to opponents.
Uncharacteristic sloppiness has seen them concede twice in each of their last two matches, but Montella will be determined to cut out those errors for the trip to the capital.
This Preview's Betting Tip: Both teams are in good form and despite a few injury absences we believe Fiorentina are capable of keeping things tighter than most do against Roma and securing a point to take back to Florence. So back the draw @ best odds of 51/16 with Pinnacle or 31/10 (only a shade shorter odds) with BetVictor.


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Tagged: Laygate
South Shields would-be MP gets in touch with her roots by holding surgery at hair salon
A prospective MP touched up her grass roots at a South Tyneside hairdressers as part of her political campaign.
Independent candidate Lisa Nightingale, who is hoping to become South Shields MP in next month's general election, held a question and answer surgery at Jazz hairdressers in Frederick Street, Laygate, on Saturday.
The 34-year-old, who is new to the political scene, has spent her first week on her campaign trail visiting constituents at a number of places including Ocean Road Community Centre, Sight Service in Gordon Street, the People's Cafe at Central Library in St Georg Square, and the Friends of Patrick Cain House at Laygate.
Miss Nightingale, who grew up in Biddick Hall,said that the public's response to her campaign has been very encouraging.
She said: "Unlike the other parties, I am the only candidate that's independent – I'm not bound by a political party's agenda.
"It's been very interesting when I've been going out and meeting people.
"They've been telling me their concerns, and instead of me reeling back statistics and national figures, I have been agreeing with them, that yes, things should be changed, and improvements need to be made, so I think they've been quite surprised."
Miss Nightingale, who is taking a break from working as a Shields Gazette reporter to run for election, says one of the main concerns that voters have been raising with her is the future of the town.
She said: "People have been raising a lot of issues. For instance, they're asking what's happening to the regeneration projects.
"People, especially here in Frederick Street, are concerned that the process has been going on for years, yet things seem to have come to a standstill, and it's having a knock-on effect for traders.
"Residents want to speak to actual people for answers, they don't just want to keep getting letters – they want to know when the work is going to get started.
"That's why I wanted to hold a surgery like this, so I could find out what people think an MP should be doing for South Shields."
Sheena Carmichael, owner of Jazz, said:
"I invited Lisa to come along to the salon because I think she will be able to make a change to the town.
"When she says she is going to do something, she does it. She is filled with tenacity and integrity."
Miss Nightingale's campaign is now getting an unusual helping hand.
Mrs Carmichael added: "A lot of my clients use mobility scooters and a number of them wanted Lisa's campaign posters.
"I gave them out and they've attached them to their scooters, so as they drive around town they will be encouraging everyone to vote for Lisa."
Source – Shields Gazette, 13 Apr 2015
Written by untynewear Leave a comment Posted in General Election 2015	Tagged with All In It Together, £, benefit, benefit sanctions, benefits, Biddick Hall, capitialism, coalition Government., Conservative, County Durham, Department for Work & Pensions, dole, Durham, Durham City, DWP, Easington, employed, employment, foodbanks, forced work, Frederick Street, Friends of Patrick Cain House at Laygate, Gateshead, general election, government, hairdressers, Hebburn, Hetton-le-Hole, Houghton-le-Spring, independent candidate, Jarrow, Jazz, job, Job Centre, job seeker, Jobcentre, Jobcentre Plus, jobs, Jobseekers Allowance, JSA, Labour, Laygate, Lib Dems, Liberal Democrats, Lisa Nightingale, Low Pay, mobility scooters, National Minimum Wage, neo-liberal, neoliberal, neoliberalism, New Labour, Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, North East, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Ocean Road Community Centre, parliament, Peterlee, political campaign, politicians, politics, sanction, sanctions, Seaham, Sheena Carmichael, Sight Service in Gordon Street, slavery, Social Security, South Shields, South Tyneside, Sunderland, tax credits, the People's Cafe at Central Library in St Georg Square, Tory, Tyne, Tyne & Wear, Tyneside, unemployed, Unemployed In Tyne & Wear, unemployed north east, unemployed tyne&wear, unemployedintyne&wear, unemployment, unemployment benefits, Wallsend, Washington, Wear, Wearside, welfare-to-work, Whitley Bay, work, work for benefits, Work Programme, workfare, worklessness, WP
South Tyneside – Food banks and advice services feel brunt of welfare reforms
Rising rent arrears, increased use of food banks and soaring demands for advice services are revealed in a shock new report focusing on the impact welfare reforms are having in South Tyneside.
The Coalition Government's welfare reform programme represents the biggest change to the welfare state since the Second World War with a raft of changes to benefits and tax credits to help cut spending and streamline services.
A new report by Helen Watson, South Tyneside Council's corporate director for children, adults and families, outlines the human impact reforms are having in the borough.
It says that, within six months of the bedroom tax being introduced, rent arrears in the borough rose by 19 per cent – £81,000.
In total, South Tyneside Homes rent collection rates have fallen by 21 per cent over the last year, resulting in a loss of £331,000.
There has also been a 20 per cent increase in the demand for advice services since April last year.
Over the same period there has been a big rise in people using the borough's three food banks, with a 50 per cent hike in referrals over the last 12 months.
There are 2,770 residents affected by the bedroom tax, with Tyne Dock, Victoria Road and Laygate, all South Shields, and The Lakes and Lukes Lane estates, in Hebburn, most affected.
Meanwhile, the number of out-of-work benefits being paid in the borough has been reduced in recent months, with a 22 per cent fall in claims for Jobseekers Allowance since April – 1,556 claimants.
The report makes grim reading for Coun Jim Foreman, the lead member for housing and transport at South Tyneside Council.
Coun Foreman believes the welfare reforms are having a "tsunami effect" and says the Government is "burying its head in the sand" by denying any direct connection between rising rent arrears and food bank usage and the welfare reforms.
He said: "The Government says there is no correlation between benefit cuts and the rise in food banks but they are just burying their heads in the sand.
"People don't go to food banks out of choice. They go there because they are living in poverty. Having to use them is an attack on their pride and their resilience."
Coun Foreman also expressed admiration for the "phenomenal work" being done by borough Citizens Advice Bureau staff and the South Tyneside Homes' Welfare Reform team in a bid to minimise the impact of reforms.
He added: "It is not just a matter of the benefit cuts themselves but also the sanctions that are imposed if claimants turn up five minutes late for an appointment or don't fill in a form or don't make 15 applications for work in a week.
"All this is having a massive impact on the ability of people to provide for themselves and their families."
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith, the driving force behind the welfare reforms, has claimed increased publicity over food banks was the reason for their rising popularity.
He said: "Food banks do a good service, but they have been much in the news. People know they are free. They know about them and they will ask social workers to refer them. It would be wrong to pretend that the mass of publicity has not also been a driver in their increased use."
The welfare report is due to be presented to the council's Riverside Community Area Forum at South Shields Town Hall at 6pm on Thursday.
Source – Shields Gazette 22 April 2014
Written by untynewear Leave a comment Posted in Food / Clothing Banks	Tagged with adults, All In It Together, and, at, £, bedroom tax, benefit, benefit cuts, benefit sanctions, benefits, capitialism, changes to benefits and tax credits, children, Citizens Advice Bureau, coalition Government., Conservative, County Durham, Department for Work & Pensions, dole, Durham, Durham City, DWP, Easington, effect, employed, employment, food banks, foodbanks, forced work, Gateshead, government, Hebburn, Helen Watson, Hetton-le-Hole, Houghton-le-Spring, Iain Duncan Smith, Jarrow, Jim Foreman, job, Job Centre, job seeker, Jobcentre, Jobcentre Plus, jobs, Jobseekers Allowance, JSA, Labour, Laygate, Lib Dems, Liberal Democrats, Low Pay, Lukes Lane, National Minimum Wage, neo-liberal, neoliberal, neoliberalism, New Labour, Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, North East, North Tyneside, Northumberland, out-of-work benefits, parliament, People don't go to food banks out of choice, Peterlee, phenomenal, politicians, politics, poverty, rent arrears, Riverside Community Area Forum, sanction, sanctioned, sanctions, Seaham, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, slavery, Social Security, social workers, South Shields, South Shields Town Hall, South Tyneside, South Tyneside Council, South Tyneside Homes, South Tyneside Homes' Welfare Reform, Sunderland, tax credits, The Lakes, Tory, tsunami, Tyne, Tyne & Wear, Tyne Dock, Tyneside, unemployed, Unemployed In Tyne & Wear, unemployed north east, unemployed tyne&wear, unemployedintyne&wear, unemployment, unemployment benefits, Victoria Road, Wallsend, Washington, Wear, Wearside, welfare reform, welfare reform programme, welfare reforms, welfare-to-work, Whitley Bay, work, work for benefits, Work Programme, workfare, worklessness, WP


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It: Chapter Two (4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray Review)
December 7th, 2019 by Brandon Peters
Two years ago, the 2017 adaptation of the legendary Stephen King novel It became a complete phenomenon. Setting the film world on fire from the launch of its trailer, It (2017) opened to an absurd amount of money for an R-rated horror film and surged its way, with strong legs to become a complete box office champion. It wouldn't last too long, however, as another famous clown knocked off Pennywise from that pedestal this year. This same year that brought the follow up promised at the end credits of the first film, It: Chapter Two. The second film didn't fare as well the second time around and merely became just another "hit movie". The adult focused adventure seemed to come and go from the conversation before September was even over. Andy Muschietti's film does arrive on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray just in time be be a part of your Holiday conversation though, arriving on December 10th. You can add IT to your Stephen King collection by using the paid Amazon linkage below.
Twenty-seven years after the Losers Club defeated Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), he has returned to terrorize the town of Derry once more. Now adults, the Losers have long since gone their separate ways. However, people are disappearing again, so Mike (Isaiah Mustafa), the only one of the group to remain in their hometown, calls the others home. Damaged by the experiences of their past, they must each conquer their deepest fears to destroy Pennywise once and for all…putting them directly in the path of the shape-shifting clown that has become deadlier than ever.
It: Chapter Two is a bit of an overconfident victory lap following the huge success of the first film. I can't argue as that movie was a phenomenon and its totally earned. Regardless of my own self being merely "Okay"on it, I can step outside my own mind and realize I was in the slim minority as most people LOVED it. However, the second time around here, the Derry adventures contain some terrific horror sequences, outstanding performances with great cast chemistry but unlike the first it can't seem to string it all together or pace it accordingly to make the lengthy runtime not feel like the lengthy runtime it is.
The big attraction this time around was seeing the older iterations of the kids from the original and WHO they cast to play them. Jessica Chastain as Beverly was a thing even before the movie released. All the press hub bub during promotions and early reviews was about how damn good Bill Hader was in the movie. NEWSFLASH: He always fantastic in EVERYTHING. Sorry it took til seeing It: Chapter Two for people to be introduced to him. I don't want to take away from his performance here, as he's possibly the best thing in the film, but…watch Barry. Watch Trainwreck. Watch Superbad. Go back and watch his years on SNL. You've got some catching up to do.
Hader aside, the other members are pretty outstanding as well, truly feeling like they captured the spirit and essence of the children in the first film. Said children are back here too, via flashbacks, so firsthand you can see the films excellent casing in play. They did do some de-aging processing on the children as well as tinkered the pitch on their voices as those actors were two years older than when they shot the first film. This was mentioned prior to the film's release, which knowing that, you can really see how odd and obvious some of them look. And a lot of their dialogue sounds slightly sped up to sound younger. I wonder had they kepted hush about it, and just let it play, that my mind wouldn't have been aware and it wouldn't have been so obvious. But, alas, it is what it is.
I touched before, but this movie is pretty bloated. Yes, its long, but length is never a matter when you're a great movie (See recently, The Irishman). The film has a plot issue in the middle where each of our leads is left to wander of on their own sort of solo adventure. Now, I'm not against this, but we pretty much see all of them, and each adventure is pretty lonely, lengthy and then ends, only to restart and stop again. One of the strengths of It and the cast of this film as well, is when they are all together and sparring off or working together. By themselves, its less interesting and becomes pretty tedious.
Once again the "horror stuff" in this film I'm halvsies on like I was the first time. Bill Skarsgard is excellent again as Pennywise. What happens here is a sort of hybrid of effective, well produced things done mix with cheap modern horror movie tactics. In all honesty, I think the direction and editing of the horror elements work much better in this one on a technical level, but still suffer a lot of the issues I had with the first movie. It: Chapter Two also has a problem with being afraid to leave some tension or dread. Muschietti's film is constantly cutting it with bad jokes left and right. Its a real kick to the just and puts a viewer with an awkward feel and mindset. Not that humor isn't allowed in a horror, but the choices made with it in this one are quite odd.
It: Chapter Two earned its victory lap, but this time its just too much. "You'll bloat, too" was a common phrase heard regarding it, and its not wrong at all. And its probably not good for someone like me who only saw the first film as a 3 to 3.5 star film overall. BUT, I think the film does have some highs, its just buried within itself and its excessive runtime. On a case by case basis, there are some really good scenarios in play, but all together and topped on with a really long finale, It is a bit too much.
Encoding: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: 4K (2160p)
Layers: BD-100
Clarity/Detail: It: Chapter Two was shot at 2.8 K and 3.4K but arrives as a 4K upscale as it may have been finished with 2K intermediate. Either way, from the moment this thing starts, it looks frickin' INCREDIBLE. This might just be one of the best images I've seen on the format. I'm not typically impressed by modern movies looking good like they should, but It: Chapter Two really is a standout. The clarity, sharpness, three dimensional look that is ripe with detail is a real marvel of the format. Colors are full with a gorgeous palette to show off with a haunting beauty of natural blacks. This image really is something special and event the film's biggest detractors are going to be enjoying this once in a technical presentation aspect if anything else.
Depth: This film looks almost like you're watching something in a future three dimensional way with out the glasses. Characters are full well rounded and very loose in every environment. Camera movements and character movements are 360 degrees of smooth, natural moving wonder. Zero issues occur with motion distortion or blur or any of that sort of nonsense.
Black Levels: Blacks are very natural and extremely well saturated. The under the bleachers scene is a go-to, to get the gist and scope of how well they've done here. Details typically remain full intact and are not consumed by any dark shadows or darkened clothing/hair color/surfaces. No crushing witnessed.
Color Reproduction: The colors here are a thing of beauty, from natural to popping vibrant hues. Reds of course are the start but there are bright lights, flashes of interesting fabrics and more. The Chinese restaurant our characters dine at in the opening act is a thing of beauty and true standout to show the power of this presentation.
Flesh Tones: Skin tones are natural and consistent throughout the film. Skin looks quite full, flush and touchable. Facial features are distinct, and window like from most distances as you can pick out make-up strokes, stubble, bruising, wrinkles, lip texture and more with great clarity and ease.
Noise/Artifacts: Clean.
Format(s): English Dolby Atmos, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English Descriptive Audio (US & UK), French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Italian 5.1 DTS-HD MA, Spanish (Latin America) 5.1 Dolby Digital, Hindu 5.1 Dolby Digital, Tamil 5.1 Dolby Digital, Telugu 5.1 Dolby Digital, Thai 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Italian SDH, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin America), Portuguese, Thai, Chinese, Korean
Dynamics: It: Chapter Two comes with an oddly light Atmos mixture. Its not Disney AtMOUSE-like, but I feel like this one needed a little more power to it. The default volume is a bit lower of a setting that normal, so I did have to turn it up a bit. The mix is a pretty active one, with terrific layering and nuances throughout. Its loose, and plays around the room as it should and provides great environments with nice haunting atmospheres.
Height: Plenty to go on here, its very active anytime something naturally is occurring above and there are some terrific instances of the audio traveling above from another place in the room.
Low Frequency Extension: Its really likes to vibrate through with some solid strength in tow. In addition to obvious actionable sound effects, the score cheats by getting buzzy as well.
Surround Sound Presentation: This Atmos mix is quite playful with unique sounds, placements and spooking up a room as well as gracefully pulling off some naturally rolling moments to travel through the viewing space.
Dialogue Reproduction: Vocals are clear and crisp with pretty good attention to diction and mouth sounds. Pennywise voice proves plenty crazy and haunting when the mix wants to have some fun with it
It: Chapter Two is a 3-disc set containing the 2-Disc standard Blu-ray and a digital copy code (Movies Anywhere). Aside from the commentary, all bonus material is relegated to the standard Blu-ray Disc 2.
By Director Andy Muschietti
Blu-ray Disc 2
The Summers of IT – Led by Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti, along with some cast interviews (And Stephen King pops up, too), this is a pretty in depth and personal look at making the both It films. Each film receives its own segment. In addition to the background of the film, preparation, interviews and inspirations, we get some behind the scenes footage, conceptual art and screen tests.
Chapter One: You'll Float Too (HD, 35:38)
Chapter Two: It Ends (HD, 39:30)
Pennywise Lives Again (HD, 9:55) – This featurette focuses on Bill Skarsgard's work on the film, returning to the character having not played him in two years. This features video of mo-cap test effects and behind the scenes footage.
This Meeting of the Losers' Club Has Officially Begun (HD, 8:12) – Explores the casting process and wishlists of going from the kids to the adults and the relationships between the older actors and their younger counterparts through a letter.
Finding The Deadlights (HD, 6:18) – Stephen King discusses It being his desire to try and focus on adults trying to recapture childhood or never leaving aspects behind.
It: Chapter Two serves up some solid horror moments with a great cast, but overall its a long slog and totally bloated. But, lets push that to the side. This 4K Ultra-HD looks AMAZING! The picture quality ranks up there with some of the best I've ever had the pleasure of seeing with my own eyes on the format. The Atmos track is pretty loud and jumpy, perfect for the film. There are a nice wealth of worthwhile extras to complete this set and make it a worthwhile release for fans of the film and home theater enthusiasts.
Tags: Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Bill Hader, Bill Skarsgård, Chosen Jacobs, Finn Wolfhard, Isaiah Mustafa, Jack Dylan Grazer, Jaeden Martell, James McAvoy, James Ransone, Jay Ryan, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Jessica Chastain, Sophia Lillis, Stephen King, Wyatt Oleff.
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Whose plan: ours or God's?
He planned to divorce her quietly. What a good guy. He's been told his fiancé, Mary, is pregnant. But he's not the father. But the law provides him with an out. But rather than publicly humiliating Mary, Joseph decides to break it off quietly.
Based on my various readings, most men, at the time, would have called the engagement off. The only question was how best to do it.
http://ianacheson.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IanShieldLogo_03.png 0 0 Ian Acheson http://ianacheson.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IanShieldLogo_03.png Ian Acheson2013-12-24 02:34:012013-12-24 02:34:01Whose plan: ours or God's?
I learnt independence at an early age. I got myself around by walking and catching public transport (as early as 10 years old), and entertained myself in my own worlds of sports and stories.
My two brothers and sister similarly were very independent growing up. Even though we'd come together regularly, we all cherished our alone time.
I've found it interesting my two boys are very dependent on others for entertainment and activity. Now that isn't a bad thing at all. However, I've often struggled with their dependence and prided myself on my ability to get things done by myself.
I received this 100 page ebook as part of a giveaway as a result of buying Frank Viola's new book. Gee, I hope the other gifts I downloaded are as good as this one.
Pastor Giles takes us through the stories of key Biblical figures: Jesus, Solomon, Moses, Samson, David, Gideon to name a few. He demonstrates using Scripture how they only "succeeded" by emptying themselves to fully surrender their lives to God. Samson, for example, was only powerful because the Holy Spirit equipped him with incredible strength.
This book comes at an important time for the church where I believe we may have forgotten this critical aspect of faith. God can only use us when we let Him by depending on Him. All of these Biblical people were weak so they depended on the Father to provide the power.
Well written with strong Biblical references. My only suggestion for improvement would be if we saw some modern day examples of this phenomenon. I get the concept and want to do it, but I'm still not quite sure how to. What do I need to do when I wake up each day to be "weak" and therefore depend on Jesus?
I've had the good fortune of experiencing my first ever "Blog Tour" this past week. 30 readers with blogs requested a copy of Angelguard from Kregel on the premise they would commit to read it and write a review on their blog. I've enjoyed interacting with readers in providing additional information as well as reading their reviews.
In this review cycle it's hard not to get too "me focused". Last week I wrote about discouragement when reading reviews so that it doesn't create hardness in our heart. Recently, I've read a few articles from other authors about gaining their affirmation from sales figures, glowing reviews and such like.
So we're now at the fifth element of the Holy Spirit POWER acronym : Exalting the Father.
– To raise in rank, character, or status; elevate.
– To glorify, praise, or honour.
– To increase the effect or intensity of; heighten.
Jesus lived a life glorifying the Father.
http://ianacheson.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IanShieldLogo_03.png 0 0 Ian Acheson http://ianacheson.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IanShieldLogo_03.png Ian Acheson2012-11-19 04:42:382013-04-27 12:05:35He Shall Be Exalted!


the skunk tf almost looks like a tg too.
jcore7 Noticed that did you? Yeah he's based of Peter from that show. Something of a homeage to one of my fav childhood shows.
fohammer Monkey Ghost is my original series. Theres more art and junk on DA if u r interested.
What is monkey ghost? explains further. Even in your explanation the history gallery.
StealthFlame agreed, but I think the resemblance is caused by how he cut the picture off, not an actual tg.
Dragonkeeper I kind of figured it wasn't an actual tg. That's just the first thing that came to mind when I saw it.
Neat! I especially like the multiple transformations concept.


The Hoshidana Studio (Shack 1) offers a studio living/bedroom space with a full kitchen.
This studio is built under a historic rollaway roof platform known by its japanese name, hoshidana. Traditionally in Kona coffee processing, freshly pulped coffee beans are raked out on this platform to dry in the sun. An additional rollaway function covers and protects the beans from rain.
Further details and booking at Airbnb.


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In the shivers of a rainy, cold winter night, our doorbell rang. I could barely see thesilhouette of a young man standing at our outer, locked gate. I began towalk toward him, and he immediately began to tell me that he had a bad infection on his chest and needed some antibiotics. He had no money.
My immediate words to him were not words of compassion. Through the years I had heard the gamut of reasons why people were asking for money that simply were not true, and the money usually used for other purposes. When I spoke my harsh words, he quickly unzipped his thin, nylon windbreaker, the only garment he had on his upper body - revealing the most horrible infection on his chest that you could imagine. I was devastated and ashamed. I apologized to my friend for my harsh words and gave him more than enough money to buy his needed antibiotics.
Exactly one year later, the doorbell rang again and there stood the same young man to thank me for helping him in a desperate time of need. That unexpected expression of gratitude served to remind me that the Bibleshows us through Christ's example, we should always be willing to help othersin time of need. And through my friend, I was reminded of the importance of always expressing thanks.