text:
Commons: 2 July 2014
Oral Answers to Questions
Volume 583: debated on Wednesday 2 July 2014
(Bristol North West) (Con)
Q1. If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 2 July. (904588)
(Mr David Cameron)
This morning, I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall have further such meetings later today.
A key driver of our welcome economic growth has been investment in new commercial enterprises. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the speedy completion of the Sainsbury's and Bristol Rovers deal is a key part of Britain's fight back to prosperity not only in achieving a new stadium for the south-west, but in unleashing hundreds of jobs, affordable housing, business growth and rail infrastructure plans? Will he do all he can to hasten the completion of this Sainsbury's deal, which is so vital for our economy?
Having visited my hon. Friend's constituency recently, I know how passionately she feels about this important development. I know that she will be delighted that the judge in question has dismissed the judicial review. We can now hope that this paves the way for the supermarket and the stadium to be built, and I hope that Sainsbury's will press ahead with that. Not only will this mean a new home for Bristol Rovers, but it will mean more jobs, more growth and better infrastructure for Bristol.
Edward Miliband
(Doncaster North) (Lab)
It is four years since the Prime Minister announced his top-down NHS reorganisation. Can he tell us whether, since then, the number of people having to wait more than the guaranteed two months for cancer treatment has got better or worse?
The number of people being treated for cancer has gone up by 15%, and we are meeting the key waiting time targets, particularly the waiting time target for accident and emergency, which we met for April, even though the right hon. Gentleman had once again predicted a crisis.
That was a very specific question about cancer treatment: I asked whether things had got better or worse. After all, the Prime Minister did this big reorganisation and said things would get better. Macmillan Cancer Support warns that more lives are being put at risk. Cancer Research UK says,
"This isn't just a missed target—some patients are being failed".
The NHS has missed the target on access to cancer treatment for the first time ever. Is he really telling two of the most respected cancer charities that they are wrong about the target and that things are getting better, not worse?
What I am saying is that we introduced for the first time ever a cancer drugs fund, which is treating 50,000 people. That is what is happening. The number of people being treated for cancer is up 15%. This is all in stark contrast to Wales, where Labour is in charge—[Interruption.] Labour Members all shake their heads, but the fact is that Labour is in charge of the NHS in Wales, and it has not met a cancer target there since 2009.
Actually, the Prime Minister is wrong about that. In Wales, more patients start cancer treatment within 62 days than in England. We know why he wants to talk about Wales—because he cannot defend his record in England. Was it not interesting that, on the cancer treatment target, he could not pretend things were getting better, but he could not admit things are getting worse? Let us try him on another one: in the four years since his reorganisation, has the number of people waiting more than the guaranteed four hours in A and E got better or worse?
We have met our waiting time target for accident and emergency. Let me tell the right hon. Gentleman exactly how long people are waiting. When the shadow Secretary of State was Secretary of State for Health, the average waiting time was 77 minutes; under this Government, it is 30 minutes. That is what is happening under this Government.
Let me admit to a mistake, Mr Speaker. I have just said that Labour has not met a cancer treatment target in Wales since 2009. I am afraid I was wrong: it has not met a cancer treatment target in Wales since 2008. Of course, in Wales there is no cancer drugs fund; there has been an 8% cut to the budget; people are dying on waiting lists—and Labour is responsible.
The right hon. Gentleman asked me to defend my record over the past four years; I will. There are 7,000 more doctors, 4,000 more nurses, over 1,000 more midwives, and we are treating over 1 million more patients a year. Whereas the NHS under Labour had the disgrace of Mid Staffs, we can now see the NHS being properly invested in and properly improving.
I will tell the Prime Minister about our record on the NHS: the shortest waiting times ever, more doctors and nurses than ever before and the highest patient satisfaction ever. That is Labour's record on the NHS. Now, it was a long time ago, but he did not answer the question. It was on a target that he set, on four-hour waits in A and E. Let me give him the figures for his target: before his reorganisation, the number of people waiting more than four hours was 353,000. After his reorganisation, that has risen to 939,000, an increase of 300%. Is that better or worse?
The average waiting time is down by more than half. That is better. But the right hon. Gentleman does not have to listen to me—he can listen to the shadow Health Secretary, who said that this is
"the best health service in the world."
That is what he said. He was quoting the report from the Commonwealth Fund, which is an independent organisation. It ranked the United Kingdom—for the first time, and under this Government—as having the best health service anywhere in the world. It is better than in America, better than in Germany, better than in France, better than in Australia. [Interruption.] He says that is his record, but it has happened only under this Government, and I can tell him why. Mixed-sex wards have been virtually abolished. Infection rates have been halved. A million more patients have been treated. There is a cancer drugs fund for the first time ever. There are more doctors, more nurses, more midwives, more people being treated, and it is official: the best NHS in the world.
It is this party that created the NHS, and every time we have to save it from that lot opposite. Once again, the Prime Minister did not answer the question. More people are waiting more than four hours in A and E. What about those people whose condition is so serious that they need a bed in hospital? Can he tell us, since his reorganisation has the number of people waiting more than four hours on trolleys—something he said he would get rid of—got better or worse?
People are waiting less time to get into accident and emergency than they were under the last Labour Government. We remember what that Government gave us: the disgrace of Mid Staffordshire, for which they have never properly apologised. As for what they said about our plans, we have put £12.7 billion extra into the NHS and their view was that that was irresponsible. They oppose reform of the NHS, and we can see the effect in Wales: no reform, no money, longer waiting lists, no targets met and people dying on waiting lists. That is under a Labour Government.
The Prime Minister cannot answer any of the basic questions about his own targets in the NHS. I can tell him that the number of people waiting on trolleys for more than four hours has gone up from 61,000 to 167,000 on his watch. He promised that the reorganisation of the NHS would make things better, but it has made them worse: worse on access to cancer treatment, worse on A and E waits, worse on GP access. The NHS is getting worse on his watch, and there is only one person to blame: him.
If the right hon. Gentleman cannot do better than that, even on the NHS, he really is in trouble. Under this Government, millions more patients have been treated. There is a cancer drugs fund for the first time ever. Our health service is ranked officially the best in the world. We know what he would do, because we have heard from the director of policy, who said that no interesting ideas will emerge from Labour's policy review—that is official—and his guru, Lord Glasman, has come out and said that he has "no vision." Yesterday he misquoted statistics and got them completely wrong, and the managing director of the factory he was speaking in said that Labour's policy would be a "bureaucratic nightmare". I say to the people looking glum behind him, cheer up, folks—it's only Wednesday.
(Rossendale and Darwen) (Con)
It is good to be back, Mr Speaker.
Cherylee Shennan, a 40-year-old mother, was murdered in Rossendale on 17 March by Paul O'Hara, who was out on licence after having murdered his former partner in 1998. The introduction of Clare's law or the right to know whether one's partner has a history of violence—Cherylee did know of her partner's history of violence—must be backed up by support from the police and the probation service, so that people in such situations know of the dangers that they face and so that we do not see another tragedy like the death of Cherylee.
It is good to see my hon. Friend back in his place. He makes an important point. The introduction of Clare's law has made a difference because it gives people the right to any information about the potential dangers from a partner. I am pleased that that has been rolled out across the country. He is absolutely right that we need to do more with the police, the probation service and the Prison Service to ensure that more warnings are given in more cases.
Ms Diane Abbott
(Hackney North and Stoke Newington) (Lab)
Q2. The Prime Minister will be aware of the housing crisis in London, but is he aware of the distinctive contribution of his colleague, the hon. Member for Newbury (Richard Benyon)? Through his £110 million family firm, he has bought up the New Era estate in Hackney. The firm intends to drive up—[Interruption.] (904589)
Mr Speaker
Order. The question will be heard. What people think of it is neither here nor there. This is supposed to be a bastion of free speech and the hon. Lady will be heard, however long it takes.
Ms Abbott
Families in Hackney face seeing their rents driven up, eviction and being put on the street. Are the activities of the firm of the hon. Member for Newbury the Prime Minister's idea of compassionate conservatism?
What I would say to the hon. Lady is that we all know that we need to see more houses being built. We have seen 41,000 affordable starts over the last year and more than a fifth of those have been in London. We need more house building and more houses being provided. We will then see more affordable rents in the social sector and in the private sector.
Mr John Baron
(Basildon and Billericay) (Con)
Q3. One in three of our nuclear test veterans' descendants has been born with a serious medical condition. Given that our cross-party campaign seeks recognition and not compensation, including an ex gratia payment by the Government into a charitable fund to help those in need, will the Prime Minister, following our last meeting in April, clear the logjam, recognise the veterans and finally resolve this shameful chapter in our nuclear history? (904590)
First, I pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who has campaigned consistently on this issue in the House and outside it. He and I have discussed the matter. I am happy to tell the House that the Government recognise and are extremely grateful to all the service personnel who participated in the nuclear testing programme. We should be in no doubt that their selfless contribution helped to equip the UK with the deterrent that it needs. Following our meeting, I asked my officials to look again at the specific points and arguments that he made. I will come back to him as soon as possible.
Andy McDonald
(Middlesbrough) (Lab)
Last Saturday, I spoke to my 93-year-old constituent, Keith Ludrecius, who served as a merchant seaman throughout the second world war. He told me that he never thought he would live to see the day in this country when people who are in work still do not have enough money to live on. What does the Prime Minister have to say to Keith? Is it simply that this Tory Government make the rich richer and everyone else poorer, or is it just the inevitable consequence of his long-term economic con?
First, I am very proud to lead a Government who have increased the basic state pension by £15 a week, which will have helped his constituent. On how we help people in work, what we need to do is to create more jobs. We have seen 2 million more private sector jobs under this Government. The second thing that we need to do is to cut people's taxes. Under this Government, people can earn more than £10,000 before they pay any income tax. That is at the heart of our long-term economic plan and it is working for Britain.
(Harlow) (Con)
Q4. The world has seen the tragic and brutal murders of three Israeli youngsters, most probably by Hamas. Will my right hon. Friend give the Israeli Government every possible support at this time? Does he agree that, far from showing restraint, Israel must do everything possible to take out Hamas terrorist networks, and will he give the Israeli Government support in that? (904591)
What I say to my hon. Friend, who I know is passionate about these issues, and to everyone in the House, is that this was an absolutely appalling and inexcusable act of terror, and one can only imagine the effect on the families and friends of those poor teenagers, and what happened to them. It is very important that Britain will stand with Israel as it seeks to bring to justice those who are responsible. We also welcome the fact that President Abbas has firmly condemned the abduction and tried to help find those people. As my hon. Friend said, it is important that all security operations are conducted with care so that further escalation is avoided. The people responsible for this should be found and brought to justice.
(Birmingham, Erdington) (Lab)
Q5. In 2011, the Prime Minister said that waiting lists "really matter". Why, then, are nearly 3 million people on ever-lengthening waiting lists—the highest number for six years? What does he have to say to Katherine Sinclair, a constituent of mine, who has been waiting in pain for 33 weeks for a hip operation? Does not she "really matter"? (904592)
I say to the hon. Gentleman that he needs to look at the figures. The figures show that the numbers of people waiting longer than 18 weeks, 26 weeks and 52 weeks to start treatment—[Interruption.] The shadow Chancellor says they are getting worse, but they are lower today than they ever were when he was sitting in government—lower than at any time. We have the record from yesterday of the Leader of the Opposition using dodgy statistics. Yesterday he claimed that three quarters of the jobs in our country were created in London. That is totally wrong. Have we heard an apology? Have we heard a correction? Does he want to correct the record? He will do anything to talk down the British economy.
(St Ives) (LD)
The Prime Minister is aware—I have raised this issue with him before—of my long-standing campaign for serious investment in rail services from Penzance, of the independent and Liberal Democrat Cornwall council proposal for a train upgrade and train care centre at Long Rock, and of my 3,000-name petition, which I recently delivered to this House in support of that campaign. Will he visit my constituency with his cheque book and a favourable announcement?
I intend to spend a lot of time in my hon. Friend's constituency between now and the next election, and I believe I will be bringing all sorts of good news for the people of St Ives.
Ian Austin
(Dudley North) (Lab)
Q6. Germany has three times as many apprentices as the UK, and the number of young apprentices has fallen. Long-term youth unemployment in Dudley is twice the national average, and we will attract secure and better-paid jobs only if we make education and skills our No. 1 priority. Will the Prime Minister make a start by ensuring that every public sector procurement contract provides apprenticeship places? (904593)
If the hon. Gentleman looks at the figures for Dudley North, he will find that the claimant count is down by 20% in the last year. He will find that the youth claimant count is down by 21%, and the long-term youth claimant count down by 28% in the last year. The fact is that in the west midlands things are getting better, with more people in work and more jobs being created. He should be celebrating Dudley rather than running it down.
Anne Marie Morris
(Newton Abbot) (Con)
The Prime Minister will be aware of the tragic death of my three-year-old constituent Sam Morrish from sepsis while under NHS care. Sam was failed by his GPs, out-of-hours services, the hospital, the primary care trust and the ombudsman. This must not happen again. Will the Prime Minister ensure that the ombudsman's recommendations are implemented in full and that the systems of review within the NHS, and by the ombudsman, are radically overhauled to deliver proper transparency and accountability in a timely way? That family waited two years for justice.
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise that tragic case, and all our thoughts should be with Sam's parents, who I know have had a meeting with the Health Secretary. It is shocking and saddening, as she says, to see how a whole succession of health services failed that family, and anyone who has lost a child, and lost a child that young, knows how harrowing and how dreadful that experience is. She is absolutely right: we must learn the lessons from that case, and make sure they are acted on and that they cannot happen again. Last week we launched a major safety campaign to prevent those sorts of tragic and—sadly—avoidable deaths.
Kerry McCarthy
(Bristol East) (Lab)
Q7. At the Tory billionaires' summer ball, the Defence Secretary was sat with the lobbyist for the Government of Bahrain. Can the Prime Minister tell us whether they discussed the fact that Bahrain is still not regarded by the Foreign Office as a human rights country of concern? (904594)
What I think will be discussed is the fact that the Labour party just has to get one trade union to write one cheque for £14 million. When you look at the Labour party candidates and take out of the mix the fact that they have got son of Blair, son of Straw, son of Prescott, son of Dromey—when you take out the red princes—you will find that 80% of the candidates are union-sponsored. They have bought the candidates, they have bought the policy, they have bought the leader. We must never let them near the country.
Mr Brian Binley
(Northampton South) (Con)
The number of NEETs in Northamptonshire has fallen from 4,580 in March 2012 to 2,645 now thanks to a joint project set up by the local enterprise partnership and the Northampton Alive organisation. Will the Prime Minister congratulate those responsible for that success, and urge more MPs to get involved with their local LEPs, thus recognising their great value if constituted correctly, led imaginatively and targeted wisely?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. There is interest in this right across the House. All parties are now committed to making local enterprise partnerships work and to not going back to the old regional development agencies. It is important that LEPs are business-led and it is important they are strong in every part of the country. Members of Parliament can play a real role in encouraging prominent businessmen and businesswomen to get involved with LEPs and in making sure they deliver for local areas.
(Islington North) (Lab)
Q8. May I take the Prime Minister back to the question of the private rented sector in Britain? Across London, there are thousands and thousands of families—people in work and on benefits—who are frightened of rent increases, frightened of short-term tenancies and frightened of the consequences, for themselves and their children, of being evicted or forced to move out of the area in which they live. What is happening in central London is social cleansing, and it is coming to the rest of the country. Will he give me an assurance that, in addition to any regulation of the agencies, serious consideration will be given to the need to bring back rent control to protect people and ensure they have somewhere secure and decent to live? (904595)
Where I would agree with the hon. Gentleman is on the need for greater transparency in the work of letting agents in terms of fees. There is a need for alternative options, which we have put forward, for longer-term tenancies, but in the end we must allow customers to choose what they want. Where I part company with him is on the idea of introducing full-on rent controls. Every time they have been tried, wherever they have been tried in the world, they have failed. That is not just my view; it is also the view of Labour's own shadow housing Minister, who is on the record as saying that she does not think rent controls will work in practice. Perhaps he might want to have a word with her before coming to me.
Sir Tony Baldry
(Banbury) (Con)
Q9. In the '83 general election, a 13-year-old boy delivered leaflets around my constituency pledging that Michael Foot would take Labour out of the European Union. Does my right hon. Friend find it strange that that same boy, now leader of the Labour party, is not willing either to support the renegotiation of Britain's terms of membership of the European Union or to pledge to trust the people of Britain in a referendum on our membership of the European Union? (904596)
I have always thought it terribly unfair to hold against people things they might have done in their youth. If that was the right hon. Gentleman's idea of fun as a 14-year-old, then, obviously, we have to make room for everybody. The point is this: it is in the interests of the British people to have a renegotiation. [Interruption.] What is my idea of fun? It is not hanging out with the shadow Chancellor—that is no idea of fun. I feel sorry for the Leader of the Opposition, because he has to hang out with him all the time. What a miserable existence it must be to have sitting next to you the person who wrecked the British economy, and to have to listen to him, day after day, as he says to the British people, "We're the people who crashed the car, give us the keys back."
(Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (Lab)
The uncertainty surrounding the future of Scotland and indeed the UK has resulted in many among the business community in Scotland withholding significant investments in that country. Does the Prime Minister therefore agree with me that there is a moral responsibility on employers to inform their employees about the consequences, if any, of the separation of Scotland from the UK so that they can make an informed choice prior to the referendum?
The hon. Gentleman makes a very important point—that a huge amount of pressure is being put on businesses by the Scottish Government with all sorts of threats and warnings against speaking out and saying what they believe is the truth. I come across business leader after business leader—large and small in Scotland—who wants to keep our United Kingdom together and thinks it would be crazy to have border controls, different currencies and split up our successful United Kingdom. Together with the hon. Gentleman, I urge them to speak out, talk with their work forces about the strength of our United Kingdom and then vote to keep it together.
Greg Mulholland
(Leeds North West) (LD)
Q10. This weekend, the cities, towns and villages of Yorkshire will be alive to cries of "Allez, allez" as the world's greatest annual sporting event passes through our county. Will the Prime Minister join in people's enthusiasm for le grand départ this weekend, and does he agree that this is a wonderful way to build a legacy for cycling and encourage more people to "get on their bikes"? (904597)
I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. It is brilliant that the Tour de France is starting in Yorkshire, and I think it will be a fantastic event for our country while also providing a great advertisement for Yorkshire and all that the county has to offer. I am greatly looking forward to going and seeing some of the race and some of the preparations. It is going to be a magnificent event, and I will do everything I can to promote it—apart from wearing lycra.
Susan Elan Jones
(Clwyd South) (Lab)
Q11. Will the Prime Minister make it illegal for recruitment agencies to advertise overseas for jobs in this country, unless they advertise them locally, too—yes or no? (904598)
The short answer is yes. That is exactly what we are doing—saying that employment agencies cannot do that; they cannot purely advertise jobs abroad, and we are doing everything we can to stop that.
Mr Adrian Sanders
(Torbay) (LD)
We have a £12 billion tourism deficit in this country—the deficit generated between people going overseas and people coming here. One reason for that is believed to be our high VAT rates on accommodation and attractions. Will the Prime Minister look at that and ensure that that is not what is driving up that deficit?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to promote the south-west as a holiday destination. We should do everything we can to help. Obviously, the restoration of the transport links has been vital. It is difficult to have differential rates of VAT on some of these things, but everything we can do to promote the UK as a holiday destination—including, for instance, the brilliant fact that the Tour de France is coming here this weekend—we should do.
Jim Shannon
(Strangford) (DUP)
Q12. Cancer Research UK has just launched its new strategy—a focus on tailoring treatment to individuals, which should prove more effective in combating cancer. How will the Prime Minister ensure that the NHS is in a position to enable access to radiotherapy and ensure that cancer drugs are available for all regions of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. (904599)
The cancer drugs fund has been a huge breakthrough not just in making available drugs but some important treatments, too. I hope that other parts of the United Kingdom will take up what we are doing with the cancer drugs fund. Another thing we can do is to make sure, by working with Genomics England, that we are sequencing genomes as fast as we can so that we can carry out the research necessary to see which cancer drugs will be effective on which patients in accordance with their DNA. This will be the modern way to do tailored medicine, and I am very pleased to say that Britain is well ahead of the pack when it comes to investing in our universities and science base as well as in our NHS.
Mark Pawsey
(Rugby) (Con)
Q13. Jack Gayton and Hannah Fountaine are two young constituents who now own one of the 108 properties in Rugby bought as a result of this Government's Help to Buy scheme. Does the Prime Minister agree that the fact that Jack and Hannah now enjoy their own home and have made a start on the housing ladder demonstrates this Government's support for those who want to work hard and get on? (904600)
I join my hon. Friend in congratulating his constituents. The Help to Buy scheme is working to get people on to the housing ladder. It is enabling people who do not have rich parents, and who cannot afford a big deposit but can afford a mortgage, to go out and buy the flat or house that they want. We have seen 30,000 people taking advantage of the scheme already, and it has also helped to kick-start investment in housing and raise the level of housing starts in our country.
Mr Dennis Skinner
(Bolsover) (Lab)
Q15. Is the Prime Minister aware that, as an out-patient, I have to visit a hospital on a regular basis, and hear from the front line about the problems in the health service? The nurses have lost a considerable amount of their real pay, and A and E services are bursting at the seams. Then there is the fact that nearly every hospital in Britain is running into financial difficulties. As a member of the Bullingdon club, is the Prime Minister proud to be surrounded by this wreckage? Remember, it is his legacy, not ours. Stop blaming the Opposition. Get it done, or get out. (904602)
I think the picture that the hon. Gentleman paints is completely wrong. Of course more people are going to A and E departments in our country—over a million more people—but we are meeting our targets, and waiting times are down by a half. The hon. Gentleman talks about nurses. There are 4,000 more nurses in our NHS than there were when I first stood at this Dispatch Box, and there are 7,000 more doctors.
What the hon. Gentleman ought to know is that we have cut the number of administrative staff, the bureaucrats with whom we were left by the Labour party. There are 19,000 fewer of those, which is why we are able to treat more patients with more clinical staff. That is a record of which we can all be proud.
(Northampton North) (Con)
Q14. It is thanks to our long-term economic plan that £200 million has been allocated to fighting potholes, including £3.3 million for Northamptonshire, much of which will be used in my constituency. Does not that infrastructure investment show that it is only the Conservatives who have a plan that puts Britain on the road to recovery, whereas the Labour party would drive the country's economy off a cliff? (904601)
I think my hon. Friend is fully justified in taking a lot of credit for the work that has been done on potholes. He has raised the issue in every forum, including the House, over and over again, which is partly why Northamptonshire received £3.3 million specifically to spend on repairing roads. He will be pleased to know that that is enough to fill in a staggering 62,000 potholes. This is important, because potholes damage people's cars, motorbikes and cycles when they are on their way to work, and mending them is good for hard-working families.
Chris Ruane
(Vale of Clwyd) (Lab)
Arthur Jones, a 73-year-old Army veteran from Denbigh in my constituency, went hill-walking in Crete. He has not been seen since 19 June, and his family are frantic with worry. Will the Prime Minister ensure that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues its excellent work, and co-operates with the Greek Government to ensure that Arthur is found?
I will certainly do everything I can to help the hon. Gentleman with his constituent. I will have discussions with the Foreign Office about all the consular assistance that is being given, and about anything else that it can do.


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Something I definitely miss out on as someone who can't eat gluten or dairy, is sandwiches. This pretty big setback makes lunch time really difficult. I almost miss the days of my childhood where I had a PB&J for lunch every single day.
Luckily for people like me, BFree Foods exists and is churning out some of the best gluten-free bread products I have ever tried. This is saying a lot since I of course have sampled nearly every brand under the sun. I also must say I was pretty loyal to a brand I shall leave unnamed, until BFree came along and stole my heart.
There are a million and a half things you can do with BFree Foods (literally, they make pita bread, wraps, sandwich bread, bagels, hot dog buns, and more), but I decided to whip up a good 'ol meatball sub, with a Mediterranean twist. If you are lucky enough to live near me, you know these lamb meatballs with tahini sauce are my go-to meal whenever I'm tryna do it up nice. Enjoy!
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with tinfoil or parchment paper.
Place your slices of BFree Foods sandwich bread in the toaster, and toast until golden brown.
Rip the toasted slices of bread in to pieces, and place in a food processor.
Pulse until the bread turns into semi-fine crumbs.
Place your lamb, egg, salt & pepper, dill, mint, and breadcrumbs in a large bowl.
Mix with your hands until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
Roll meatball mixture into 1-inch balls and place onto your baking sheet.
Put meatballs in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Using tongs, flip the meatballs over, and place back in the oven for about 10 minutes, allowing them to brown on the other side.
Once fully cooked, set aside for when you are ready to assemble the subs, but keep the oven on – you'll need to toast your hot dog buns later.
While your meatballs are cooking, gather ingredients for tomato cucumber salad.
Dice cucumbers and tomatoes, and place into a small bowl.
Add remaining ingredients – salt & pepper, dill, avocado oil, lemon juice – and mix to combine. Set aside for when you are ready to assemble the subs.
Add the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, water, and salt for the tahini sauce to a blender or Magic Bullet.
Blend for about 30 seconds to one minute, or until ingredients create a smooth sauce.
Place your hot dog buns on a baking sheet into the oven for about 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown and warm.
Once the hot dog buns are to your desired temperature, place three meatballs inside.
Garnish with tomato cucumber salad, and drizzle with tahini sauce.
I love meatball sandwiches and that one looks like a mighty fine one !!


text:
(9319) Hartzell est un astéroïde de la ceinture principale.

Description
(9319) Hartzell est un astéroïde de la ceinture principale. Il fut découvert le  au Cerro Tololo par Schelte J. Bus. Il présente une orbite caractérisée par un demi-grand axe de 2,25 UA, une excentricité de 0,15 et une inclinaison de 2,9° par rapport à l'écliptique.

Compléments

Articles connexes
 Liste des planètes mineures (9001-10000)
 Ceinture d'astéroïdes

Références

Planète mineure découverte en 1988
Astéroïde de la ceinture principale
Objet céleste découvert par Schelte J. Bus
Objet céleste découvert à l'observatoire du Cerro Tololo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
On Interpreting the Quran
by Mohammed Asghar ·
Ever since I began talking on the Internet about the Quran, I have often been told by many Muslims as well as by some non-Muslim readers that I needed to correctly interpret its contents before saying anything about them. A few Muslim scholars not only advised me not to follow its [literal meaning], they also abused me for not being able to "correctly interpret" what is written in their Holy Book.
But when I asked them to give me the non-literal meaning of a Quranic verse, all of them disappeared for good. As a result, my inquiry still remains unfulfilled.
Despite being abused and mistreated, I have steadfastly argued that it is not necessary for anyone to interpret the Quran in order to understand its messages. I have also argued that Muslims should act upon its messages on the basis of what they tell them, and not on the basis of what they think should be their interpretations.
On the allegorical messages that the Quran contains, I have maintained a distinct position and it was this: Muslims must not attempt to interpret the allegorical verses of the Quran in order to avoid discord among themselves and the punishment that they would be given by Allah in the world hereafter.
I wanted to give a recital on the word [interpretation] in this write up, but abandoned the idea after I came to the conclusion that no matter how strong a recital I give, Muslims would not accept it on account of their belligerent attitude towards those beings they consider, albeit unjustifiably, hostile to Islam. Instead, I decided to make my point by relying on what is stated in verse 3:7 of the Quran regarding the interpretation of its contents.
Three translations of this verse, done by Yusuf Ali, Pickthall and Shakir, read:
YUSUF ALI: [He it is Who has sent down to thee the Book: In it are verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book: others are allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking discord, and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Lord:" and none will grasp the Message except men of understanding.
PICKTHAL: He it is Who hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture wherein are clear revelations – they are the substance of the Book – and others (which are) allegorical. But those in whose hearts is doubt pursue, forsooth, that which is allegorical seeking (to cause) dissension by seeking to explain it. None knoweth its explanation save Allah. And those who are of sound instruction say: We believe therein; the whole is from our Lord; but only men of understanding really heed.
SHAKIR: He it is Who has revealed the Book to you; some of its verses are decisive, they are the basis of the Book, and others are allegorical; then as for those in whose hearts there is perversity they follow the part of it which is allegorical, seeking to mislead and seeking to give it (their own) interpretation, but none knows its interpretation except Allah, and those who are firmly rooted in knowledge say: We believe in it, it is all from our Lord; and none do mind except those having understanding.]
Since all the above three translations are a little bit confusing, I have another translation of it that is absolutely clear and leaves no scope for us to argue on its true message. It reads:
[He it is Who has revealed the Book to you; some of its verses are decisive, they are the basis of the Book, and others are allegorical; then as for those in whose hearts there is perversity they follow the part of it which is allegorical, seeking to mislead and seeking to give it (their own) interpretation, but none knows its interpretation except Allah, and those who are firmly rooted in knowledge say: We believe in it, it is all from our Lord; and none do mind except those having understanding].
Before one accuses me of being selective, or of harboring an ill will towards Islam, I hasten to emphasize that I have another translation of this verse that is as clear as the above. I am not quoting it here for the sake of keeping this write up short.
That said, we can now go back to the verse and try to understand what it really tells us.
I believe it tells us this: The Quran has two kinds of verses. Some of them are decisive, clear and fundamental. They need no interpretation, as they are clear and easy to understand. They should be taken to mean what we find stated in them.
There are, in the Quran, some allegorical verses as well. No one should try to interpret them in order to understand their true or close-to-true meaning. Attempting to interpret them is what Allah has called to be a perversity in the hearts of those who seek to do so, as their meaning is known only to Him. No matter how hard we humans try, we can never decipher their true import and meaning.
Instead of trying to understand what was, or still remains, within Allah's knowledge, those Muslims who are knowledgeable should contend themselves by saying: We believe in it [both the decisive and fundamental verses as well as the allegorical ones], it is all from Allah and that this belief is enough for us to retain our faith in Him and in what He has revealed to us through His Quran.
In other words, Allah has prohibited all the humans from interpreting the Quran. This restriction applies more stringently to the Muslims. They should never try to interpret anything that the Quran contains for, attempting to do so would prove that they are perverts and perverts Allah did not like in the past, nor is He going to like them in future.
Perverts and those who mislead the Muslims will become, on the Day of Judgment, the fire of Hell. The Quran is clear on this point. So the question is:
Should Muslims try to interpret the Quran even after knowing that they would be living, if they attempted in their earthly life, to do what is clearly forbidden, a most frightening and dreadful life in the world hereafter?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Much like platformers starring cavemen (RIP Chuck Rock, Bonk, Bignose the Caveman, Dino Riki, etc.) shooters starring witches seemed to undergo their own renaissance in the 16-bit era and would last up until the PlayStation 2's release. Gamers in America were completely oblivious to this as 90% of these games never came over with the rare exception such as Magical Chase and Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams. It's too bad as many of these games were simply fantastic such as Twinkle Tale, a Genesis shooter that was oddly never picked up for release. It's an amazing game in an underserved genre and one that definitely would have stood out had someone released it here.
Though it bears a strong resemblance to Phelios and Elemental Master Twinkle Tale has more in common with Mercs as an overhead shooter. Think of it as the Sega equivalent of Pocky & Rocky. This is not an auto scrolling shooter however and in fact you move at your own pace although there is no backwards movement. While the general gameplay is different the fantasy theme is the same as the aforementioned games, which was not typical of this genre. It definitely helps the game stand out from the likes of Red Zone and Skeleton Krew (whew, that's a lot of name dropping).
Saria is armed with 3 interchangeable spells that all have their uses throughout the game. The Diamond Arrow is your wide beam; the Shooting Star is the most powerful but only fires straight forward, and the Silver Comet is the weakest but homes in on enemies. Aside from the three spells are 2 bombs, a weaker homing projectile and a more powerful fire dragon that has gaps in its offense, ensuring that they aren't too overpowered. Even using a full stock of all three the bosses were still able to smile in my face (figuratively) and keep coming back for more.
Each spell can be leveled up three times and as an added bonus any potions collected while using a max level spell will go toward another one. Maxing out your spells can be done within minutes of starting any level but keeping them that way is the challenge. Any hits will knock them back a level which is terrifying in the most hectic moments. It's never a good idea to try and rely on just one particular spell as they all have their drawbacks. In fact I would even say the game is near impossible if you try to play it that way.
There's a great deal of variety from one level to the next as you explore a fantastical array of settings. You'll visit an icy temple, the inside of a living tree, ancient ruins and even the underworld, all while being accosted by magical beasts. The level design is never straightforward and makes the game feel like an adventure title as you'll explore the numerous rooms in a castle or stop to converse with the few locals. Later in the game there are a few shooting segments that are a nice change of pace and are well executed.
Speaking of, the pacing is perfect; for every large group of enemies you'll encounter there is usually a brief period of rest before the next set, allowing you time to pick up a few items if necessary to press on. Nearly every level has branching paths that ultimately lead to the same end goal but do provide a nice degree of choice as you plod along.
Twinkle Tale can be tough at times but above all else it is fair. Early on when you are limited by your three hit life bar any mistakes can be devastating. There are frequent life restoring potions at every turn early on to balance this out. But after the second level your hit points will increase by one after each stage up to an eventual max of 9. It is at this point that the difficulty curve gradually increases and the game holds your hand less. Still, one life and only three continues is a bit of a steep mountain to climb with extra credits through scoring being crucial. The game is so fun thought that it actually works.
Although it was released in 1992 Twinkle Tale still compares favorably to many late era Genesis titles based purely on its strong art direction. The entire world takes place on a floating island and the frequent outdoor areas give a beautiful glimpse at the world below. The darker color palette places a heavy emphasis on lighting and shadows and produces some pretty striking areas, most notably exploring the insides of the World Tree of stage four. It's a fantasy thrill ride that looks progressively better with every level right up until the game's final moments. The massive bosses are insanely detailed and are a joy to watch in motion as they are to fight. The music doesn't reach the same heights unfortunately but I found it unobtrusive in the grand scheme; that's about the only compliment I can give.
Unfortunately Twinkle Tale only had a small print run leaving it incredibly rare. It was never ported to any other system or re-released digitally so chances are you're going to pay out the nose for it. There is a little bit of story and the game has received a fan translation which is sadly the only way to play it in English. Despite its likely high price the game is truly fantastic and arguably the best overhead action game for the system.


text:
Милeна Лазарeвић Поповић (Крагујевац, 16. август 1988) српска јe вокална солисткиња Радио Тeлeвизијe Србијe и Радио Бeограда. Јeдна од вокалних солисткиња која јe снимала за трајни архив Радио Бeограда. Добитница је значајних признања и награда у домeну очувања националног музичког стваралаштва Србијe.

Биографија
Рођeна јe 16. августа 1988. годинe у Крагујeвцу. Завршила јe нижу и срeдњу музичку школу "Др Милојe Милојeвић" у Крагујeвцу, одсeк за соло пeвањe, нижу у класи профeсора Прeдрага Милановића, а срeдњу у класи профeсоркe Лидијe Јeврeмовић. Упорeдо јe завршила срeдњу eкономску школу, а након истe стекла звањe дипломираног eкономистe на Факултeту за пословнe студијe и право. Ипак, њeн пут ка музици сe одвијао сасвим спонтано, тe је током школовања постала вокална солисткиња Цeнтра за нeговањe традицијe и културe "Абрашeвић" у Крагујeвцу. Постала је члан хорова: "Кир Стeфан Србин", "Лицeум", "Инструмeнтариум", народног оркeстра "Крагујeвац Концeрт", ансамбла "Ђурђeви ступови". Годинe 2009. у просторијама Радио Бeограда полагала је аудицију за радио пeвача прeд стручним жиријeм чији јe прeдсeдник била Мeрима Њeгомир. Истог трeнутка постала је члан пeвачког студија који јe Мерима Њeгомир водила у оквиру музичкe продукцијe Радио Тeлeвизијe Србијe. Услeдили су бројни солистички наступи на концeртима Радио Бeограда, али и у eмисијама рeализованим од стране Радио Тeлeвизијe Србијe. Успeшно јe сарађивала, наступала и снимала са народним оркeстрима и ансамблима Љубишe Павковића, Владe Пановића, Бранимира Ђокића и Синишe Вићeнтијeвића, Мишe Мијатовића, Алeксандра Софронијeвића, Часлава Љубeновића. У умeтничкој каријeри, издваја сe и сарадња са војним оркeстром "Станислав Бинички" Министарства одбранe Рeпубликe Србијe под диригeнтском палицом Војкана Борисављeвића.

Прeдстављала јe забавну и народну пeсму Србијe у многим прeстижним концeртним дворанама, али и цeнтрима за науку и културу: У Коларчeвој задужбини, Опeри и Тeатру Мадленианум, бeоградском Цeнтру Сава, Дому синдиката на Тргу Николe Пашића, Цeнтру Руски дом, на бeоградском стадиону Ташмајдан, као и на бројним позоришним сцeнама и сцeнама осталих цeнтара за културу у градовима широм Србијe, Боснe и Хeрцeговинe, Макeдонијe, Црнe горe, Румунијe, Мађарскe. Много пута јe дала свој допринос у оквиру очувања нeматeријалнe културнe баштинe Србијe наступима у вeликим сeријалима Радио Тeлeвизијe Србијe: "Даровница", "Свирај оно нашe", "Идe милe", "60 најлeпших народних пeсама", "Пeсма и Бинго", "Жикина Шарeница", као и путујућим караванима Радио Тeлeвизијe Србијe. Сарађивала јe са тeлeвизијском музичком урeдницом Нeном Кунијeвић, тe јe вишe пута за потрeбe eмисија из њeног сeријала снимала најлeпшe одабранe пeсмe којe јe прeдстављала у eмисијама "Лeти, лeти пeсмо моја мила", "Сeти сe мојe пeсмe", "Златни гласови Радио Бeограда" снимљeних у част проминeнтних вокалних солиста Радмилe Димић, Марe Ђорђeвић, Ксeнијe Цицварић, Вeрe Ивковић. Стварала јe трајнe снимкe за архив Радио Бeограда, а нeки од објављeних су: Каранфилe цвeћe мојe, Запeвала Булбул птица, Шeтајући порeд Љубовића, Заљубљeна душа.

Награде
Од 2009. годинe до данас добила јe много истакнутих признања за најбољу интeрпрeтацију, али и очувањe народног изворног стваралаштва од заборава:
 Најбољи вокални солиста "Шумадијскe игрe"
 Златни глас фeстивала "Прођох Лeвач прођох Шумадију"
 Најбољи вокални солиста на фeстивалу "Sus pe arges la izvoare" Питешти, Румунија
 Најбољи вокални солиста на фeстивалу "Златни опанак"
 Прва награда на фeстивалу Јасeничко прeло
 Друга награда стручног жирија на фeстивалу народнe музикe "Драгиша Нeдовић"
 Спeцијална награда публикe на фeстивалу "Царeвчeви дани", Вeлико Градиштe
 Апсолутни побeдник фeстивала "Старe стазe" у Сарајeву са пeсмом Тамо гдe љубав чeка на нас двојe коју јe написала Станија Бркић, аранжирао Бобан Продановић, а компоновао Миша Мијатовић.

Милeна јe снимила и пeсмe:
 Два свeта
 Тeкст: Дeјан Вукајловић, музика и аранжман: Милос Матeјић Милтон
 И да тe нe волим
 Тeкст и музика: Зоран Дашић Даша, аранжман: Алeксандар Софронијeвић

Фeстивали
 "Драгиша Нeдовић", Крагујeвац, друга награда стручног жирија
 "Старe стазe", Сарајeво, прва награда стручног жирија

Референце

Спољашње везе

Рођени 1988.
Музичари из Крагујевца
Српске певачице


text:
Member Success Story
January 31, 2018 February 8, 2018 HealthTrust Clinical Performance, Healthcare Facility Management, Healthcare Innovation, Supply Chain	supply chain integration, Value Analysis
The Value of a Seamless Integration
How RWJBarnabas Health transformed its supply chain operations before, during and after a merger
On April 1, 2016, Barnabas Health merged with Robert Wood Johnson Health System to create RWJBarnabas Health, New Jersey's most comprehensive healthcare system with 11 acute care hospitals, one behavioral health hospital, and a medical staff of more than 9,000 physicians. The move to consolidate was driven by the shared goals of advancing the health status of residents of New Jersey, furthering the academic mission of the legacy organization and the need to become more operationally efficient. The newly formed system looked to its supply chain leadership to drive a significant amount of operational savings, but that couldn't happen without considerable work to unite the disparate supply chains, including four different enterprise resource management (ERP) systems, electronic data interchange platforms, multiple distributors and varying approaches to value analysis. One thing both legacy systems had in common was their membership in HealthTrust. RWJ Health System was a longtime member, and Barnabas Health had recently switched from a different GPO, in anticipation of the merger.
This shared experience allowed RWJBarnabas supply chain leadership to quickly utilize a variety of HealthTrust resources to help achieve supply chain integration. Some specific initiatives involved establishing a single item master and data governance process; adopting a new electronic data interchange platform, ERP system and tracking tool for strategic sourcing initiatives; moving some back-office functions to a common shared services center; and realigning staff while amplifying the physician voice in critical product standardization initiatives. "We wanted supply chain to function as an asset to the organization as opposed to a back-office service," says John Doll, chief integration officer during the merger. "The end goal is a highly functioning supply chain organization modeled after a mature HealthTrust structure, which not only has high compliance within the contract portfolio, but also a robust, value-add that includes the ability to analyze data, maximize contract performance and partner with clinicians."
While the transformation is not yet complete, RWJBarnabas Health has already achieved $53 million in supply chain savings—with the opportunity to save millions more while continuing to provide its clinicians and patients with the highest quality of medical supplies and devices.
Keys to a Successful Transformation
The Need for Better Data
1. Transitioning to one system. The first order of business toward achieving supply chain integration was collapsing the four disparate ERP systems, each with its own item and vendor masters, into one system. This process revealed thousands of incorrect, duplicative or missing item descriptions.
RESULT: An item master file a fraction of the original size with enhanced data elements.
2. Cleansing the data. The legacy systems didn't have a centralized data management team accountable for maintaining the data. Item numbers were often recycled so manufacturer data was not in sync with distributor data. Some physician preference items were purchased as non-file or free-text so determining what was actually purchased in order to build the new system was difficult. During a six-month data cleanse project, HealthTrust advisors traveled to all 11 hospitals, talking to as many clinical department heads and supply chain professionals as possible to discuss planned changes to item descriptions, the rationale for data accuracy, and to obtain their input and buy-in for the overall item-add process.
RESULT: Many items were updated to include correct descriptions, part numbers and UNSPSC classification.
3. Training staff in 11 sites. Educating staff across 11 sites and keeping the data clean was aided by a HealthTrust-developed playbook based on newly established business rules, including naming conventions for adding items to the ERP system going forward. A corporate office "command center" set up during the transition phase at each facility assisted in making sure products were ordered correctly using the new ERP system. Educational posters hung in areas of the hospitals where ordering takes place, and additional training occurs on an as-needed basis.
RESULTS: The benefits of having a consistent item master classification system include confidence in savings estimates, ability to quickly spot and valuate value analysis opportunities, and ease of use for end users
The merger also required a variety of other changes to achieve optimal operational efficiency, including consolidating purchasing and accounts payable at a single shared services center.
1. Move to GHX. Almost a year after the merger, RWJBarnabas Health switched electronic data interchange (EDI) platforms to GHX, allowing buyers to seamlessly exchange an increasing amount of data, including electronic purchase orders (POs) and invoices with suppliers, and get real-time acknowledgments to see where data was not aligned.
RESULT: Decrease in the number of invoice exceptions, earlier notification of those exceptions, and an increase in the number of automated transactions.
2. Establishing new key performance indicators. Beginning 18 months after the merger, staff performance has been measured against three key indicators—requisition turnaround time, PO confirmation adherence, and match exceptions—which are included in monthly operating reports. The initial target for PO confirmation adherence was 10 percent, but the group exceeded that—even reaching the 90 percent mark.
RESULT: A higher level of buyer output and accountability.
Unlocking More Savings
1. Savings from clinical supplies. The majority of the $53+ million in supply chain savings has come from med/surg supplies. In anticipation of the merger, Barnabas Health became a HealthTrust member in 2015, which allowed for consistency in contract terms and commodity items across the entire health system and paved the way for an effective value analysis function (See below.).
RESULT: The savings on core med/surg supplies and services were immediate, with the legacy system saving more than $9 million in year one with better pricing on many of the exact same products it was already using.
2. Standardizing distribution. The decision to standardize to a single med/surg distributor in April 2017 was driven by the potential for reducing distribution costs as well as continuing to build on the integrated platform through further standardization of par levels, distribution methods and product selection.
RESULT: An additional $3 million in annual savings with even greater enhancement in the ability to optimize supply spending across the entire health system.
3. Value analysis. Before the merger, Barnabas Health began a partnership with HealthTrust to enhance its value analysis program. This platform was created with the vision of accommodating the needs of the system post-merger and included the following elements:
Establishment of a multidisciplinary value analysis team composed of the chief financial officer, chief medical officers, chief nursing officers, and clinical and non-clinical department directors
.
Hiring hospital-level clinical resource directors to help identify facility-based opportunities to complement initiatives driven at the system level.
After the merger, standardization efforts and other initiatives designed to mature the value analysis process were implemented.
RESULT: 50 percent of savings is attributed to the enhanced value analysis program.
RWJBarnabas Health recently formed 11 physician-led integrated leadership groups allowing supply chain to directly engage clinicians on initiatives involving clinically sensitive products, primarily expensive and implantable medical devices. Value analysis has been introduced most actively to the cardiology leadership groups so far, as well as an ad hoc anesthesia group. The goal is to obtain physician support for standardization in three key categories.
"Physicians' perceptions of cost are driven largely by what medical device reps tell them," says Mary Twomey, vice president of clinical resource management. "Once we've established the clinical equivalence of two products and contrast their cost, it is often eye-opening for physicians—especially if a conversion means 20 percent savings for the organization."
Partnering with HealthTrust's inSight Advisory team helped RWJBarnabas Health mature its value analysis program. It is evolving toward a model that includes a high degree of physician and nurse integration with an open line of communication with supply chain. "When it comes to introducing new devices at the appropriate rate and being more thoughtful about how they're utilized, we're striving for a true partnership between supply chain and clinicians," says Bob Taylor, senior vice president of supply chain. "That gives us leverage over the suppliers and also helps us bring consistency in levels of services across our health system."
RESULT: Launch of these structured value analysis teams allowed for some "quick wins" on product standardization initiatives—for 8 percent, or more than $8.7 million, in projected supply expense savings—most immediately in 10 product categories ranging from hard surface wipes to contrast media. The deeper involvement of the system's physicians also led to significant savings in medical devices and other preference items.
Ultimately, the value analysis structure enabled more than $50 million in savings while ensuring patient care was maintained and, in some instances, enhanced.
Left to right: Paula Strollo, vice president of supply chain consolidated operations; Tracy Burrell-Hancock, vice president of supply chain facility operations; John Tomochek, vice president of data management and analytics; John Doll, chief financial officer, Bob Taylor, senior vice president of supply chain, Mary Twomey, RN, BSN, vice president of clinical resource management, and Phil Maneri, vice president of sourcing and contracts. Inset photo: Richard Hill, vice president of supply chain integration
A Value Analysis Toolkit
AHRMM Webcast: Developing a Clinically Integrated Supply Chain


A good wall insulation for the house and facade can save money - proper planning, implementation and the selection of appropriate thermal insulation provided.
Buildings lose heat through the outer shell, ie through roofs, walls, windows and floors. By thermal insulation measures, if an old building more than 50% energy can be saved. Even low energy or passive house standard is possible.
The air is critically dependent on good thermal insulation. Poorly insulated walls, ceilings and floors in the winter cool down rapidly on the inside of the building now and emit cold in the interior. It is uncomfortable and you feel it draws, it can even create condensation and mildew in the sequel.


text:
using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.UI;
using QFramework;

namespace QFramework.Example
{
	public class UIABCPanelData : UIPanelData
	{
	}
	public partial class UIABCPanel : UIPanel
	{
		protected override void ProcessMsg(int eventId, QMsg msg)
		{
			throw new System.NotImplementedException();
		}

		protected override void OnInit(IUIData uiData = null)
		{
			mData = uiData as UIABCPanelData ?? new UIABCPanelData();
			// please add init code here
		}

		protected override void OnOpen(IUIData uiData = null)
		{
		}

		protected override void OnShow()
		{
		}

		protected override void OnHide()
		{
		}

		protected override void OnClose()
		{
		}
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Sydney Hoffman: Splashing around in the puddles.
I decided to really test out my HUNTER boots with all of these puddles. I'm so happy the snow is finally gone, which means I can actually get back to taking spring shots. I was right in the middle of my spring groove, when this damn snow storm hit. I actually didn't take any photos for a week because I refused to take any with snow. Luckily I had many shots from my trip to post throughout my social media and blog, so it worked out best. I truly am a six year old when I have my rubber boots on. I will purposely run into puddles and mud...because I can. Must be the kid in me when I use to play outside for hours in the rain in my rubber boots and coat while singing "rain, rain go away." I still sing that, is that sad?


text:
Dalli on Egrant claim: 'Jonathan Ferris should be investigated for perjury'
Former EU commissioner takes aim at MaltaToday for reporting Ferris's claims in Egrant inquiry
19 December 2019, 8:07am
Former European Commissioner John Dalli
The former EU commissioner John Dalli has taken umbrage at MaltaToday's report from the Egrant magisterial inquiry, in which former FIAU officer Jonathan Ferris claims Dalli suggested to him that Labour owned a secret offshore company for its electoral funds.
Ferris told the magistrate investigating allegations that the secret Egrant company was owned by the spouse of prime minister Joseph Muscat, that none other than John Dalli had claimed with him that 'Egrant' stood for 'Election Grant'.
The story, as told by Ferris to Bugeja, was that before leaving the police corps, he had informed Dalli that the investigation into his role in a Ponzi scheme would be assigned to a superintendent. "Dalli took me aside and said: 'look here, and I am telling you this because I have never met someone like you in the corps – if you want to make some noise, if you want to know whose company Egrant is… Egrant is 'Election Grants'. It is Labour's company."
Dalli had denied the claim with the magistrate. But in a statement to this newspaper he berated MaltaToday for 'wedging' him in the Egrant affair and for "reproducing the perjury of Ferris", as well as for carrying his image in a quadriptych photo so redolent of Daphne Caruana Galizia's cryptic '17 Black the name of a company in Dubai' photo in which Dalli appeared alongside Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri, and Joseph Muscat. The link was then never explained.
Above, the photo illustrating a MaltaToday story on the Ferris claims. Below: the cryptic blog Daphne Caruana Galizia put up in February 2017, which was the first time that 17 Black was mentioned. "[MaltaToday] has been pushing Daphne's calumny of the 17 Black story by reproducing the pictures published by her without giving any basis for her perverse intuition. Now they even copied her style of a four-picture collage to try to imply that I was involved in the false story of a transfer of a million dollars."
Dalli gave his version of the events recounted by Ferris: "Ferris said he called me and my children to inform us that he was passing the investigation about the accusations created by [OLAF director] Giovanni Kessler in collaboration with Daphne Caruana Galizia. This is false," Dalli said of the investigation in which Dalli's daughters now stand charged of having collaborated in processing payments for a Ponzi scheme.
"This is false. My children and I were never called for a meeting by Ferris… It was I who asked the Commissioner of Police for a meeting after having received anonymous emails about corruption in Brussels. The Commissioner instructed Ferris through Ian Abdilla to fix an appointment with me, which he did for the 20th October 2016," Dalli said, providing emails of the communication.
The email pertains to an anonymous whistleblower who had requested €3,000 from Dalli for compromising information on former EC president José Barroso, but which never came through. Barroso led the Commission when Dalli resigned in October 2012 over an OLAF investigation's suggestion of "circumstantial evidence" that he may have been aware of a bribery attempt.
"During the meeting he did tell us that he asked to be transferred from the police department to the FIAU. He also told us that two other officials from the police and himself were called to Brussels by Giovanni Kessler who was pressuring them to take action against me. Ferris told me that he was amazed how Kessler was paranoid about me…"
Dalli said Ferris accompanied them on their way out, and as he walked alone with him, he spoke to him about certain people involved in the alleged Ponzi scheme.
"I was emphatic with the magistrate at the inquiry that I could not have made this statement to him as I did not have any information about Egrant," Dalli said of Ferris's claim that he suggested the secret Panamanian company stood for 'Election Grant'. "The first time I heard this name was when the perverse blogger wrote that I owned the company, basing herself on 'pure intuition'…
"I am amazed that Malta Today would simply be fascinated that the statement which Ferris was quoting – 'Election Grant' - to the court was precisely what Simon Busuttil had said. I would expect that a leading investigative journalist would delve deeper and ask: did John Dalli give such credibility to Simon Busuttil as to echo the latter's statements? I must state that I did not know about this statement by Dr Busuttil. Was this statement suggested to Ferris by someone very close to him to try and buttress the statement by Simon Busuttil? If this second assumption is true, then this is obstruction of justice and the police should investigate who this prompter was."


The European Parliament also mentioned Turkey's fractious relationships with neighboring states such as Cyprus and Greece regarding the Akkuyu nuclear plant, as well as lack of normalization of diplomatic relations with neighboring Armenia.
[W]hereas respect for the rule of law and fundamental rights, including the separation of powers, democracy, freedom of expression and the media, human rights, the rights of minorities and religious freedom, freedom of association and the right to peaceful protest, the fight against corruption and the fight against racism and discrimination against vulnerable groups are at the core of the negotiation process [regarding Turkey's accession into the European Union].
The EU body insists the relationship between EU and Turkey be based on the the "objective of protecting and promoting democratic values and principles, human rights and the rule of law; without prejudice to Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union." Article 49 requires EU member states to abide by its values. According to the resolution, it is the EU's position that Turkey cannot continue ascension into the EU without "respect for democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights."
From Jurist, March 15. Used with permission.


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Storage, 810-812 East 170th St., Bronx, NY, 2015
This is the rear of 810-812 East 170th St., the Bronx, where one can read STORAGE and little else. In 1916, however, 812 E. 170th St., was listed as Santi G & Co Inc - Storage & Warehouse in the New York telephone directory. G. Santis & Co. (also sometimes spelled Santi, without an "s" on the end) first appears in directory lists in 1910 when they were located at 1252 Southern Boulevard, the Bronx. In 1916 810-812 East 170th St. was their main office, and branches were listed at 1310 Southern Boulevard and 1749 Boston Road. These branch locations changed from time to time, but 810-812 E. 170th remained G. Santi (or Santis) from 1916 through 1929. Then in 1930 a new incorporation, the Globe Fireproof Storage Warehouse Co., was listed along with G. Santi & Co. at this address. This remained the case until 1936 when the name Santi/Santis disappeared, and only Globe was listed.
Next, in 1954, Globe Storage relocated to 1360 Webster Avenue, and 810-812 E. 170th became the home of Highbridge Storage Warehouses Inc. Highbridge Storage was located here from 1954 to 1982.
In 2015 a sign in front located Midtown Moving and Storage at this address. Partially visible beneath the Midtown sign are the words Fireproof and Storage with Warehouse further down the wall. This is probably a sign for Globe Fireproof Storage Warehouse.
The founder of G. Santi & Co. was Giovanni (John) Santi (1878-?), an immigrant from Italy who registered for the World War I draft in 1918 as Giovanni Santi, age 40, born 19 Nov, 1878, Italy. By 1918 Giovanni Santi was no longer in control of his storage business, and he gave his employment as "Automobile Factory employee, J. G. Johnson & Co., 255th St., New York, Bronx, NY."
Polk's New York City Copartnership Directory, 1918-19, listed the officers at G. Santis & Co., 810 E. 170th St., as Jos Nesi, Pres; Louis Cella, V-Pres; and Katerina Nesi, Sec. Joseph Nesi (1884-1945?) registered for the World War II draft in 1942 when he was 58 years old, born 2 Feb. 1884, Solaro, Italy. In the same draft Louis Cella (1888-1973) was 53 years old, born 14 June 1888, Genoa, Italy. Polk 1933-34 listed Louis Cella and his wife, Eleanor Cella, as officers at both G. Santis & Co. and Globe Fireproof Storage Warehouse at 810 E. 170th St. Louis Cella's older brother, John Lawrence Cella (1885-1969) was also involved in the moving and storage business. He was, for instance, president of Santis Moving & Express Co. located at 542 E. 180th St., the Bronx, in 1916. It is not clear, however, how this Santis it related to the Santi/Santis at 810-812 E. 170th St. Very possibly they were the same company under two slightly different names. Louis Cella was also an officer at Santis Moving & Express Co.
Joseph Nesi and the Cellas were close relatives of Anthony Cuneo, whose storage warehouse at 1571 Southern Boulevard is the subject of the next page in this series.


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Ex-Mets GM Sandy Alderson returns to Moneyball roots
By Mark Fischer
Cancer-free, Sandy Alderson is rounding the bases home to where it all began.
The former Mets general manager is rejoining the Athletics as a Senior Advisor to Baseball Operations, the ball club announced on Tuesday.
"[General Manager] David [Frost] and I couldn't be more excited to bring him back to Oakland," team executive Billy Beane said in a statement.
Alderson, the mastermind behind the Moneyball mentality that led to Beane's success with the A's in the early 2000s, stepped down from his Mets post during the summer, citing a recurrence of cancer, after eight years on the job.
Sandy Alderson. (Rich Schultz / Getty Images)
Related: Brodie Van Wagenen is baseball's first social media GM »
Now the 71-year-old will get another shot in a familar clubhouse, just days after announcing he's been cancer-free for four months.
A Harvard Law School grad, Alderson left his firm in the 1980s to join the Athletics as general counsel before being promoted to GM in 1983, a role he held through 1997.
The A's won the 1989 World Series under his tutelage, and when asked to slash payroll in the 90s, Alderson turned his attention to sabermetrics and began serving as a mentor to Beane.
"I am really excited to return to the A's and the Bay Area," Alderson said. "I look forward to being as helpful as I can to Billy, David, and the rest of the baseball operations staff."
Sandy Alderson
Latest Mets
Veteran managers could save Astros, Mets, Red Sox from their bad PR


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As 2023 begins, newly elected and reelected pro-worker leaders across the nation are being sworn in as members of Congress, state legislators, governors and local officials.
There's also a historic workers' rights law on the books in Illinois and the promise of similar, headway in Michigan and other states where union-friendly lawmakers gained seats in the 2022 midterm elections.
None of it would be happening without IBEW members and their brothers and sisters in America's union movement.
Turnout among union members and their allies, spurred by labor's get-out-the-vote efforts, was the difference between winning and losing on Nov. 8. The difference between building on the Biden administration's pro-worker agenda and watching it evaporate.
Pundits and pollsters may have underestimated the strength of the union vote when they predicted a red wave. Neither did the political party that is home to the anti-worker, rights-stripping caucuses in state capitals and Washington, D.C.
"Union turnout has too often been low in too many midterm elections, with devastating consequences for working people," retiring International President Lonnie R. Stephenson said. "This shows what is possible when union members exercise our power and vote in our best interests."
"In 2022, we turned that on its head. We didn't get everything we wanted, and we know the narrow GOP majority in the U.S. House will go out of its way to cause trouble for us," he said. "But we made tremendous strides that give us a bigger voice and more power to fight back."
Labor's ground game was something to behold. Under the AFL-CIO's umbrella, more than 100,000 volunteers hit the streets and the phones, including IBEW members in every state.
"Electricians and plumbers, grad students and service workers, entertainment workers and laborers, and so many others stood shoulder to shoulder day after day to ensure that every union voter in America knew how important this election was to our collective future," said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, a member of Portland, Ore., Local 125.
Collectively, Shuler said, union volunteers reached 7.7 million voters, contact that was critical to slender victories in many races:
In Michigan, union members accounted for an estimated 210,000 net votes for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, while electing enough pro-worker candidates to flip both houses of the legislature. With that trifecta, state leaders are poised to repeal "right-to-work." (See story below.)
Minnesota also gained a pro-worker trifecta. Union voters made up half the margin of victory for incumbent Gov. Tim Walz, of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, while holding on to the House and winning a majority in the Senate.
In Georgia, union voters twice over made the difference for U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, casting enough ballots to spur his run-off against Herschel Walker and electing him outright on Dec. 6.
In Nevada, a union army pushed Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto over the top, ensuring a pro-worker majority in the U.S. Senate once her race was called four days after Election Day.
Nationwide, not a single state legislature chamber held by Democrats flipped to the GOP — something no party in power has achieved in the midterm elections since 1934.
Candidates made frequent use of labor halls on the campaign trail, touting the ways the Biden administration's job-creating investments in infrastructure and manufacturing are helping their states already, with lots more to come — as long as voters stayed the course.
Another emphasis was the high stakes for workers' rights, which are at long last back at the forefront of the political conversation.
At a rally in Wisconsin supporting Gov. Tony Evers — another beneficiary of union turnout — an IBEW leader said it "scares the hell out of me" to hear the hostile rhetoric of anti-worker candidates like Evers' opponent.
"Those of you who know me are probably sick and tired of me telling you that every election is the most important of your lifetimes, but this one honestly is," said Jim Meyer, assistant business manager of Milwaukee Local 2150. "It's vital that we elect folks who will stand up for workers' rights, to elect the right folks to build and grow our movement."
Voters in neighboring Illinois took a giant step in that direction, passing the landmark Workers' Rights Amendment that adds language to the state constitution guaranteeing the right to organize and bargain collectively. (See below.)
Beyond the worker advocates elected Nov. 8, union voters sent many of their own to office, from local and state government all the way to Congress — in the IBEW's case, electing New Jersey Rep. Donald Norcross of Folsom Local 351 to a fifth term. Among scores of other IBEW victories around the country, two of the members elected to statehouses are featured on these pages.
Stephenson urged more members to think about throwing their hats into the ring for races coming up later this year and in the 2024 general election.
"You don't have to run for Congress or even your state legislature to make a difference. We need union voices at all levels of government, because every one of them is making decisions and setting policy that affect us," he said. "We're off to a great start in 2023. Let's keep the momentum going."
'Biggest Day in Illinois Labor History':
Voters Pass Massive Workers' Rights Law
In a resounding victory for workers' rights, Illinois voters enshrined the right to organize in the state's constitution in November 2022. A majority of voters approved adding language that guarantees the right to organize and collectively bargain, whether the person is in a union or not.
More than half the states have "right-to-work" laws, and nine have written it into in their constitutions. Illinois is the first to add a prohibition against right to work.
"This is the biggest day in Illinois labor history in my life. Ever, actually," said Chicago Local 134 Business Manager and Fifth District International Executive Council member Don Finn.
"If you have something better, let me know, but none of us can think of anything."
The amendment does more than simply outlaw right to work. First passed by the Illinois General Assembly in 2021, it states that all employees have a fundamental right to organize and bargain collectively "for the purpose of negotiating wages, hours and working conditions, and to protect their economic welfare and safety at work."
Starting Jan. 1, any individual in the state can file a complaint with the Illinois Department of Labor. Under current law, Finn said, at-will employees without a collective bargaining agreement cannot.
"I don't care if you are at Amazon, Starbucks or the cleaner down the street. You should have the rights to demand better safety, decent wages and a union," Finn said. "We have had people fired for speaking the word 'union.' Not anymore. Any person at any workplace has the right to explore joining a union."
In a state with about 900,000 union members, more than 2 million people voted for Amendment 1, otherwise known as the Workers' Rights Amendment.
It is the first and most important step by organized labor to transform unions' increasing popularity into permanent change, he said. And he urged every IBEW state conference to take a good hard look at the playbook built by Illinois organized labor to get Amendment 1 passed.
"We are at 79% in the city of Chicago — that is a high number for free-throws," Finn said. "It tells me there is desire for us, and we need to act on it right now."
Finn said Local 134 focused its own efforts in two directions — first to other trades, and then within the IBEW to align the state's many locals. The primary outreach tool was member-to-member canvassing that targeted thousands of doors and tens of thousands of phones.
"We have been on this for eight months. Every local played a part: manufacturing, telecom, railroad, utility, all of us, everyone — I mean everyone — stepped up. It's not one local did more, one local gave more. We collectively put this thing to bed," he said.
The message to his members was this was beyond party and wasn't about just passing a few new laws.
"This takes the power away from whoever is in power in the Capitol. We don't want legislators to poke their nose in when we negotiate for safety, tell us when, whether and how we have a right to organize. It's not their business," Finn said. "This is about us, working people, and we are sick of states around the country putting their thumbs on the scale for billionaires and corporations. If you aren't going to help us, at least stay out of our way."
Obviously, opposition was well-funded, but Finn said its message simply did not get traction. Not in a post-pandemic world where profits are skyrocketing, unemployment is low, inflation is high and workers know who was "essential" and who just pretended.
"They spent millions, but we way outworked them," Finn said. "In the last 30 years, we have been the punching bag for every type of legislator. Now we are on the offensive. We are getting things passed. It is a new day for labor in Illinois."
Workers in Illinois won an extraordinary victory on Election Day, writing the right to organize in the state constitution, a win Gov. J.B. Pritzker celebrated with the IBEW.
Wins in Michigan Could Mean Farewell to
State's Right-to-Work Law
The political adage "Elections have consequences" is about to be put on display in Michigan in ways that could benefit IBEW members and all working families, including a potential repeal of the state's so-called right-to-work law.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was reelected and Democrats won control of both the state House and Senate, giving the party total control of the governor's mansion and the legislature for the first time since 1984. They also held on to the attorney general and secretary of state positions.
"It's like asking Santa for a pony, and instead you get a Dodge Barracuda,'' said Michigan Political Director Joe Davis, a member of Lansing Local 352. "You wake up and it's there, and it's an amazing feeling. Everything came together for us."
The election puts Michigan in position to repeal the right-to-work law that went into effect in 2013. Right-to-work laws allow employees to enjoy the benefits and protections of a collectively bargained agreement by a union without paying fees.
"Right-to-work, the union-busting law, we'll repeal that," Dayna Polehanki, a state senator from Livonia, told Detroit television station WXYZ.
No one is sure how fast it may happen. The legislative session begins Jan. 12. But law makers have realistic chance to tackle right-to-work, as well as several other initiatives that would benefit the state's workers, such as making prevailing wage a permanent part of state law again.
"We have an opportunity to help all the residents of the state, whether they are organized and represented or not, and fix what has basically gone wrong for the last 40 years," Detroit Local 58 registrar Jeannette Bradshaw said.
Michigan wouldn't be the first state to repeal a right-to-work law, but it hasn't happened in generations. New Hampshire repealed its law in 1949, two years after it was passed, and attempts to reinstitute it have failed since.
Indiana passed and signed into law a right-to-work bill in 1957 that was repealed in 1965. The GOP-dominated legislature and governor's office passed and signed a new right-to-work law in 2012 that remains in effect.
Right-to-work advocates have made no secret that the laws are used to undermine the influence of unions and their ability to advocate on behalf of their members.
"The first thing I would like to see, in my opinion, would be a right-to-work repeal," said Geoff Yonkers, a business representative for Muskegon Local 275 who was one of the IBEW's leaders in the Michigan campaign.
Other issues the legislature is expected to address include:
The re-institution of project labor agreements, which ensure that highly skilled construction workers are paid a fair wage on the state's public projects. It also makes it harder for less-scrupulous employers to exploit workers by classifying them as subcontractors as opposed to full-time employees.
"Economically, they really are beneficial to labor, and they don't hurt nonunion contractors unless you're a contractor who doesn't follow the rules in the first place," Davis said.
The elimination of the so-called pension tax, part of a GOP tax overhaul in 2011 that scaled back or eliminated most exemptions taxpayers could take on their pensions.
Changing a law that requires public-sector union members in Michigan to fill out membership fees paperwork annually, another effort from the state's GOP-controlled era to weaken unions.
"We need to look out for everyone, not just ourselves," Bradshaw said. "If we do that, we can show the state we're not just in it for us and really leverage our political power."
The victories in Michigan took a lot of work by union members, including those in the IBEW. That included getting out a vote for a successful ballot initiative in 2018 that created more balanced legislative districts and took away some of the advantages that anti-union legislators had gerrymandered into the process.
Those new districts were in play for the first time in 2022.
"Having the ability to have competitive districts throughout the state allowed us to have the success we did," Davis said.
Yonkers noted that the five campaigns the IBEW prioritized and put additional resources behind all won. Those were four statehouse races and the U.S. congressional race to reelect Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who has been a labor advocate while in Washington.
"We obviously backed them with our money, but more importantly with our membership," Yonkers said.
Yonkers noted that polls showed that at least two-thirds of Michigan's union members voted for Whitmer.
"Voters here understand we need a government similar to what we have with President Biden, who doesn't have a problem talking about unions," he said. "I think we have that."
IBEW and other union members rally for Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Volunteers campaign for pro-worker candidates in the state.
IBEW members gather to knock on doors for state House and Senate candidates.
IBEW members in Michigan knocked on union doors to turn out the vote for Whitmer and other pro-worker candidates.
In Iowa, Local 405 President Cruises to House Seat
Not every election is a nailbiter.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Local 405 President Jeff Cooling didn't have to face an opponent in his Democratic primary or the general election for the District 77 Iowa State House of Representatives seat.
It is a sign of the respect Cooling has won since he topped out of his apprenticeship a decade ago. In addition to being president of Local 405, he is vice president of the Hawkeye Area Labor Council, which represents 26 counties in east-central Iowa, and the 11th District member of the RENEW Advisory Council.
When it came time to find a replacement for state Rep. Kirsten Running-Marquardt, who was retiring after 12 years, Cooling cleared the field clean.
"It has a lot to do with strength and solidarity of the labor movement in the area and the respect the IBEW has in Iowa politics," Cooling said.
The seat representing this area, even with a redistricting in 2022, has been held by union members for as far back as Cooling could remember. Running-Marquardt came from the SEIU, and before her it was held by a retired 405 member. Before him, it was an organizer from the meatpackers.
Because his election was so anticlimactic, Cooling spent much of the campaign season door-knocking for other people.
The recipe for winning in a red-leaning state isn't complicated, he said. "You have to outperform what is at the top of the ticket. It is not so difficult to knock on a few thousand doors. But it is what swings elections. Meeting people at their front door is the only place minds change," he said.
One candidate he walked with, Elizabeth Wilson, was running against an anti-labor Republican in the next district over. He canvassed for her, and she won by fewer than 500 votes.
The Iowa state House session only runs from January to April, and Cooling expects to return to the tools when the session ends. He said he is eager to push for legislation that will help working people, but most of his work will be stopping the Republican caucus's worst ideas for workers.
"We have been successful in the past, though last year we weren't as successful. We stopped some of the really bad language, but we only do that by working with the majority. What I learned throughout the campaign is if I didn't reach out to a group, someone else did. They will learn about us from [Republican Gov.] Kim Reynolds or from us. We have to go to them and give them our story."
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Local 405 President Jeff Cooling was one of many IBEW members who won elections this fall.
IBEW Member Elected to Idaho State House
Nate Roberts, a Pocatello Local 449 journeyman inside wireman and a first-time candidate, won his election to the Idaho state House of Representatives in a narrow vote.
Roberts will join a resolute, but small, opposition, determined to find ways to protect the working people of Idaho.
"We need to connect with those who will listen to us. And we need to support them to moderate the bills that come out of the House," Roberts said. "We will have some successes, but that comes through working with anyone who will work with us."
Roberts won his election by 112 votes out of more than 14,500 ballots cast.
"Those votes came from our get-out-the-vote operation, I'm convinced," he said about the door-knocking and canvassing operation he ran with huge help from his brothers and sisters in Local 449, the Firefighters Local 187, and the Idaho state labor federation.
Roberts said his opponent called him within a week and admitted he lost but wouldn't concede.
"There was no concession, no real congratulations from him, but that comes as no surprise, sadly, these days," he said.
Idaho is a glowing coal of red — Republicans have controlled both houses of the legislature and the governor's mansion for 28 years.
But Roberts, a Democrat, had a simple message at every door he knocked on: There should be more than just lawyers representing us.
Roberts topped out of the Los Angeles Local 11 inside apprenticeship in 1997 and has been a member of Local 449 since he moved to town in 2017.
He had never been much involved in politics until he was elected registrar of Local 449 in 2018, he said. As part of that position, he started attending Bannock County Democratic Party meetings.
"The party was run by a retired steelworker, and he just pulled me in deeper and deeper," Roberts said.
Roberts was appointed District 29 party chair in 2019 and started attending union days in the state capital, Boise, and meeting and connecting with the relatively small group of state Democratic leaders.
After the state House seat was lost in the tidal wave of Trump support, the Democratic caucus began to push Roberts to consider running.
What convinced him to say yes was three days he spent in the Capitol sitting in for his predecessor, a lawyer with a seat on the judiciary committee. Roberts was there during a debate about state executions.
"That was heavy. To sit in that room making decisions on how someone lives or dies — an electrician in a room of lawyers — was an amazing weight of a decision. Working people need to have a voice in that room," he said.
Roberts will have few allies when he gets to office. The Idaho Senate will have 28 Republicans and seven Democrats, while the House will have 58 Republicans and 11 Democrats.
Because of redistricting, though, there will be many new faces in the House, and Roberts is determined to stop the worst anti-worker legislation.
He will have at least one potential partner. Josh Wheeeler, from signatory contractor Wheeler Electric, won a House seat as a Republican.
Together, Roberts hopes, they might change the state's "lowest bidder" contracting system that benefits out-of-state contractors who cut corners and wages.
Idaho is due to get at least $500 million in federal funding for broadband and $30 million for electric vehicle infrastructure along the interstates, and Roberts thinks that might be a good place to start.
"Lowest bidder doesn't mean lowest cost. Could we shift that to a best-practice process instead? Add some local-hire language?" he said. "It will be good to have Josh in the Republican caucus. I hope we can work on that together. That is what it will take to get passed."
"We will have some successes … working with anyone who will work with us."
– Nate Roberts, newly elected to Idaho House
Pocatello Local 449 journeyman wireman Nate Roberts walks toward the Idaho state Capitol in Boise, where he won a House seat in November as a first-time candidate. Roberts, a Democrat in a Republican-dominated state, said he is determined to find common ground on workers' issues, such as ending the lowest-bid system that rewards shoddy contractors.
San Diego Votes to Remove Ban on PLAs
San Diego voters on Nov. 8 approved Measure D, which overturned a ban on project labor agreements in the city.
The measure passed by nearly 12 percentage points. The ban dates to 2012, when Republicans controlled city government. The city now has a Democratic mayor, and all nine seats on the city council are held by Democrats.
San Diego, with a population of nearly 1.4 million people, had been the largest city in the United States that banned PLAs. The measure's win will make the city competitive for state and federal projects, a high priority after the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act were passed by Congress and signed into law by Biden.
The IBEW's signatory contractors will be more competitive in bidding for contracts against nonunion competitors, who pay lower wages and offer less quality for taxpayers. That will be a major boost for San Diego Local 569, which plans to expand its apprenticeship classes.
"Make no mistake, this was a top priority for all our members," Local 569 Political Director Gretchen Newsom said. "They walked door to door every single Saturday and Sunday for more than two months. We phone-banked, we text-banked, we pulled out all the stops for a successful campaign while the other side was spending a lot of money against us."
There's also some symbolic value in the vote. San Diego will host the next International Convention in 2026.
San Diego Local 569 members prepare to canvas in support of Measure D, which repealed the city's ban on project labor agreements.
Ohio IBEW Bikers Rev Up Campaign Trail
The Toledo Local 8 motorcycle club proudly led the way during the final week of Rep. Tim Ryan's 2022 race for Senate, roaring into rally sites and revving up crowds just in front of his campaign bus. A champion for workers, Ryan personally invited the club to escort his bus, with fellow IBEW and building trades bikers joining in as they crisscrossed the state. "We were honored to do it," said Assistant Business Manager Bill Box, pictured far right with a mix of Local 8 members and steelworkers. He described it as a thrill from start to finish, from the cheering crowds to the fun of tossing around a football with the candidate and his son on road breaks. While the Ohio Senate race outcome was a "kick in the gut," he said, he felt privileged to be in the front row when Ryan conceded late on election night, a speech that drew national praise for its graciousness and respect for democracy. "It was hard on us, but he made us proud," Box said. "We'd absolutely do it again for another worthy candidate who puts workers first."


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Here's how Amar'e Stoudemire is preparing for his NBA comeback attempt
Blake Schuster
Yahoo Sports July 7, 2019, 2:40 PM UTC
Now that all of the biggest stars have swapped teams, it's time for the NBA offseason to get really weird.
Like Amar'e Stoudemire working out for the Los Angeles Lakers weird.
Yes, the former six-time All-Star is working out for a few teams in Las Vegas with LeBron James' squad reportedly attending. This doesn't sound like some type of gimmick by Stoudemire either. Fresh off recording 22 points and nine rebounds in a Big 3 game on Saturday, he explained why he's feeling equipped to return to the NBA — namely that he's dropped ten pounds and reworked his conditioning routine.
Amar'e Stoudemire talks with @ROSGO21 about his conditioning & says he hopes to be back in the NBA.
(Via @CBSSportsNet, @TheBIG3)
pic.twitter.com/2uPIoGzPV5
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) July 6, 2019
Stoudemire isn't the first former NBAer to attempt a comeback after a few years removed from the league, and he certainly won't be the last, but even in his peak form it's hard to imagine his skillset fitting in with today's style of play.
The big man has never been considered a defensive wizard even with most of his work coming around the rim. His game is mostly limited to playing in the paint though his career free throw percentage hovered around 76 percent. Perhaps it would've made sense to see him join the Lakers had they signed Kawhi Leonard and needed cheaper options to fill out the roster, but the additions of Danny Green and DeMarcus Cousins — along with the return of JaVale McGee — have probably pushed that option out of his grasp unless he goes all Calvin Cambridge in his workout.
Aside from the Lakers, the Nets, Knicks and Rockets are among the teams linked to Stoudemire's workout.
A reunion with New York would be fitting for the way their offseason has gone, but given the Knicks' reputation for how they treat former stars, it's hard to imagine that would end well.
TriState player Amar'e Stoudemire during a BIG3 basketball game vs. Power on June 30, 2019 at Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. (Getty Images)
Blake Schuster is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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