text:
American video bloggers
Diamond and Silk (left to right) on InfoWars in 2018
Lynnette Hardaway ("Diamond")
Rochelle Richardson ("Silk")
Social media personalities, political activists
The Viewers View
Republican (2015-present)
Democratic (until 2015)
Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson, known as Diamond and Silk, are American live-stream video bloggers, social media personalities, political activists and Fox Nation hosts. They are known for their commentary in support of United States President Donald Trump.
The two women received media attention during the 2016 campaign and again in April 2018 when they alleged that Facebook had notified them they were "unsafe to the community."[1] In response, they accused Facebook of blocking and censoring their Facebook page. There is, however, no evidence that Facebook blocked or censored Diamond and Silk's Facebook page.[2][3][4] On April 26, 2018, at Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa)'s invitation they testified in front of Congress about their perceived censorship.[5][6] Subsequently, Republican members of Congress brought up the two women's censorship claims at Mark Zuckerberg's testimony before U.S. Congress.[7]
Since 2018, Diamond and Silk have traveled the country on their Chit Chat Tour.[8][9]
2.1 Racial views
2.2 2018 Congressional testimony
2.3 Diamond and Silk Act of 2019
3 Platforms
3.1 YouTube
Diamond and Silk with Louie Gohmert
Formerly lifelong Democrats,[10] they became Republicans in September 2015, soon after they saw Donald Trump announce his candidacy on television. According to Hardaway, "When he announced and we heard everything that he stood for, it was on and poppin', and we've been on the Trump train ever since."[11] They came to wider prominence in 2015 as Trump supporters after posting a video criticizing former Fox News host Megyn Kelly for asking what they considered irrelevant questions during the first Republican presidential debate.[12]
Although officially unaffiliated with the Trump campaign, they urged support for Trump via social media efforts and rallies and traveled to three states for the campaign.[13][14] The two women first joined Donald Trump as the "Stump for Trump Girls" on stage at his Raleigh, North Carolina, rally on December 4, 2015.[15] They later warmed up the crowd at the Trump rally on January 2, 2016, in Biloxi, Mississippi.[16] They initiated a "Ditch and Switch" campaign to encourage Democrats to register as Republicans[10] and created a website explaining to voters which states had closed primaries and when the deadlines were for changing party affiliations.[14]
On November 2, 2016, Diamond and Silk appeared with Lara Trump, wife of Eric Trump, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on behalf of the Trump campaign.[17] They were paid $1,274.94 for field consulting work by the Trump campaign.[18]
They regularly appear on Fox News shows including Hannity, Fox News Sunday, Watters' World, and The Ingraham Angle, and Fox & Friends.[9] In November 2018, Diamond and Silk were given a show on Fox Nation, the online Fox News streaming service.[19][20] They were covered on ABC's Nightline.[21] Hardaway is notably more talkative, while Richardson often just expresses agreement.[22]
A documentary film by Hardaway and Richardson titled Dummycrats premiered in October 2018 at the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C..[23][24]
In May 2019, during a Fox & Friends appearance, Diamond and Silk falsely claimed that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was a "non-functioning alcoholic" who "slurs her words." This was in reference to a doctored and slowed down video that appeared to show her slurring her words. Shortly thereafter, Fox & Friends had to clarify for its viewers that the video was manipulated.[25]
In 2019, Diamond and Silk appeared in a Trump 2020 re-election advertisement where they gave a pitch for his re-election. At the same time, Diamond and Silk had a weekly show on Fox News' streaming service.[26]
Diamond and Silk Official White House Photo
Politics[edit]
Racial views[edit]
Following the controversial Unite the Right rally held in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 11 and 12, 2017, Hardaway and Richardson, appearing on Fox & Friends, were critical of protesters on both sides in the event. Hardaway criticized Neo-Nazi groups and the Ku Klux Klan for "spewing hate and ... creating violence" declaring "all of them should be condemned and denounced. Period". In the same interview, she also said she does not "... like Black Lives Matter and Antifa." They further noted that they feel statues of Civil War Confederate soldiers should be kept in museums.[27]
Hardaway and Richardson, in December 2017, expressed support for Omarosa Manigault Newman following her controversial firing as White House liaison and assistant, faulting the treatment of her by African Americans and the media generally: "What I find appalling, to my brothers and sisters [is] how you ... can laugh at, pick at, gloat at somebody because they either left the White House or you listened to a salacious story that Miss Piggy went around, running around telling everybody." In the same live-stream, they criticized Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts for saying, "Bye, Felicia" to Newman during a segment on the ABC show which aired on December 14, 2017.[28][29] Addressing Roberts' remarks, Hardaway said, "How is it that you want the community to come up and then when a sister is sitting at the table, 'Well, she didn't represent us'? Are you crazy?"[28]
2018 Congressional testimony[edit]
On April 26, 2018, they appeared at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on alleged filtering practices of social media platforms. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee asked the two women if they had ever received money from the Trump campaign, to which Hardaway responded, "We have never been paid by the Trump campaign." Representative Hakeem Jeffries suggested that they could be committing perjury and showed them a Federal Election Commission filing which reported that the Trump campaign paid them $1,275 on November 22, 2016 for "field consulting".[30][31][6]
Diamond and Silk then stated that the payment was reimbursement for the cost of airplane tickets. Following their testimony, The Huffington Post reported that, according to Trump campaign treasurer Bradley Crate, the payment had been categorized incorrectly. Crate stated, "The Campaign's payment to Diamond and Silk for field consulting was based on an invoice they submitted reflecting their costs for air travel to a Campaign event. The invoice was not supported by accompanying receipts, so as a technical matter, could not be reported as a reimbursement even though its purpose was to make them whole for their out-of-pocket costs." In the same Huffington Post article, it was reported that following a $7,025 payment from the campaign of Paul Ryan primary election challenger Paul Nehlen, Hardaway and Richardson made a campaign video and endorsed Nehlen.[32]
Diamond and Silk Act of 2019[edit]
In June 2019, House Representative Steve King joined with Diamond and Silk to introduce the Diamond and Silk Act, an anti–sanctuary city bill.[33][34][35] When Diamond and Silk were asked what they thought of King retweeting white supremacists, Hardaway responded, "I'm tired of you all playing the race card."[35]
Platforms[edit]
YouTube[edit]
Hardaway and Richardson have asserted that YouTube has discriminated against them through demonetization of their channel because of their support for Trump.[27][36]
Facebook[edit]
In an April 2018 tweet and Facebook post, Hardaway and Richardson reproduced a message from Facebook stating that the Diamond and Silk Facebook page's content and brand were deemed to be "unsafe to the community." According to Hardaway and Richardson, the message sent from the Facebook policy team concluded with: "This decision is final and it is not appeal-able in any way." The pair stated that they believed that they had been victims of censorship by Facebook after receiving a communication from the social media website's policy team.
Both women stated they had started questioning Facebook via phone calls, emails, and chat sessions as to their alleged "bias censorship and discrimination against D&S brand page" in September 2017. Both women have stated a reduction in reactions to their posts and videos since that time period, and that followers no longer receive notifications about posts and videos. As of April 2018, their Facebook page states they have nearly 1.3 million followers.[37]
Diamond and Silk's censorship claims were uncritically repeated in right-wing media.[38] According to CNN, their claims likely influenced an April 2018 congressional hearing which involved Mark Zuckerberg after the Cambridge Analytica scandal.[38] Business Insider noted that Diamond and Silk were a "frequent topic" during that hearing.[39] Tennessee Republican Representative Marsha Blackburn finished her questioning of Zuckerberg by stating, "Let me tell you something right now, Diamond and Silk is not terrorism". Texas Republican Representative Joe Barton asked Zuckerberg, "Why is Facebook censoring conservative bloggers such as Diamond and Silk?" Zuckerberg responded that Facebook employees had made an error and they had contacted Hardaway and Richardson.[40][41]
While there is no evidence that Diamond and Silk were censored or that their page was blocked by Facebook, the pair continues to contend it was.[38][4][3][2] Facebook's own analytics firm showed that the Diamond and Silk page had not lost a significant amount of influence on the social network.[38] By the time that Diamond and Silk spoke at a congressional hearing about their censorship claims, news outlets such as CNN and Business Insider described their censorship claims as debunked.[4][39] At the hearing, experts testified that there was no evidence that Diamond and Silk had been targeted.[2] According to The Washington Post, "the numbers do not bear out the argument that the sisters have been repressed."[2]
Diamond and Silk stated that Facebook had not contacted them. Facebook said they attempted contact via email, Twitter, phone, and Facebook Messenger.[38][39][3] The pair later said that messages sent to them through email should not be expected to be read, because they receive many emails.[39]
Artist and activist Bree Newsome has described Hardaway and Richardson as "a modern-day minstrel show" and stated in an interview that the pair's presentation relies on "stereotypical images of black women".[42] Columbia University professor Keith Boykin argued that, "the way they speak, the way they talk and act and behave [... if they] were saying anything that was contradictory to Trump, the Trump supporters who defend them would be the first to attack them." Boykin argued that conservatives give attention to Hardaway and Richardson because they "only want to listen to the people who reaffirm their narrow, limited vision of what blackness is all about and how black people should perceive white people and specifically how they should perceive Donald Trump."[43]
^ "Diamond and Silk Testimony to House Judiciary Committee" (PDF). Judiciary Committee, US House of Representatives. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 21, 2018.
^ a b c d Hesse, Monica; Zak, Dan (April 26, 2018). "Who are Diamond and Silk? How two small-town ex-Democrats found fame as 'warriors' for Trump". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 28, 2018. experts testified in Congress that there's no evidence of targeting... The numbers do not bear out the argument that the sisters have been repressed.
^ a b c Bowden, John (April 27, 2018). "Chris Cuomo confronts GOP lawmaker over Diamond and Silk's claims of censorship". TheHill. Retrieved April 28, 2018. The two pro-Trump personalities allege that a number of social media platforms, including Facebook, censored their content using algorithms to prevent it from showing up on users' feeds. They have provided no evidence for they claim, which Facebook and other companies deny. In addition, the two were found to have erroneously claimed that Facebook did not contact them over their concerns, despite an investigation showing that Facebook reps attempted to reach out to the two over email.
^ a b c Darcy, Oliver. "The Diamond and Silk show goes to Washington". CNNMoney. Retrieved April 28, 2018. They had not been censored. Hardaway and Richardson's claims had been thoroughly debunked.
^ "Diamond and Silk UNCENSORED: Duo Accepts Steve King's Invitation to Testify". April 23, 2018.
^ a b "Pro-Trump social media stars Diamond and Silk testify under oath". Retrieved April 26, 2018.
^ Romm, Tony (July 17, 2018). "Republicans accused Facebook, Google and Twitter of bias. Democrats called the hearing 'dumb.'". The Washington Post.
^ Brian Murphy (April 10, 2018). "These black Trump-supporting sisters say Facebook considers them 'unsafe'". The News & Observer. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
^ a b Morris, Melinda (March 20, 2018). "Fox News darlings Diamond and Silk bringing 'Chit Chat Tour' to New Orleans". NOLA.com The Times Picayune. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
^ a b Tessa Stuart (September 28, 2016). "Meet the Black Women Defending Trump's Record on Race". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 28, 2018. Like Trump himself, Diamond and Silk are new to the Republican party. Lifelong Democrats, they switched parties so they could cast their votes for him in the North Carolina primary.
^ Foran, Clare (January 29, 2016). "Meet the YouTube Stars Trying to Convert Democrats to Team Trump". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
^ Former Democrats Stump For Trump. Fox Business, Varney and Co. January 8, 2016
^ Lanktree, Graham (August 10, 2017). "PRO-TRUMP YOUTUBERS DIAMOND AND SILK 'BUILD THEIR BRAND' WITH A HAND FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION". Newsweek. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
^ a b Supporters Seek to Persuade Democrats to 'Ditch and Switch' for Donald Trump, New York Times, January 7, 2016.
^ Donald Trump Supporters Diamond and Silk a Comedy Act?, Liberty Voice, December 9, 2015.
^ 'Stump for Trump' duo rock capacity crowd at MS rally, The American Mirror, January 3, 2016.
^ "Diamond and Silk, Lara Trump bring Women for Trump tour to Winston-Salem". Winston-Salem Journal. Winston-Salem, North Carolina. November 2, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
^ "FEC Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. Itemized Disbursements". Retrieved April 30, 2018.
^ Swanson, Ian (November 26, 2018). "Trump supporters Diamond & Silk awarded program on new Fox News streaming service". TheHill. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
^ "Diamond & Silk Get Their Own Weekly Fox Nation Series". TheWrap. November 26, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
^ Marjorie McAfee, Ashley Louszko, Byron Pitts (April 5, 2016). "A Look at Proud Donald Trump-Supporting Sister Act 'Diamond and Silk'". Retrieved April 9, 2018.
^ Gutierrez, Lisa (April 10, 2018). "Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook made 'enforcement error' with Trump fans Diamond and Silk". The Kansas City Star.
^ "Social Media Stars Diamond and Silk Go to Big Screen for the Midterms". The Epoch Times. October 18, 2018. The film premiered at the Trump International Hotel in Washington on Oct. 15 and screened in nearly 800 theaters across the country for a one-night event.
^ "Trump Super-Fans Diamond and Silk Announce Michael Moore-Style 'Dummycrats' Movie". San Francisco Chronicle. June 25, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
^ Messer, Olivia (May 24, 2019). "'Fox & Friends' Admit Diamond & Silk Mocked Doctored Video of 'Crazy Nancy'". Retrieved May 25, 2019.
^ "Diamond and Silk Host Fox News Streaming Show While Being "Volunteers" for Trump 2020 Campaign". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
^ a b "Diamond and Silk: We Don't Like White Nationalists or Antifa". Fox News Insider. August 13, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
^ a b Willis, Kiersten (December 29, 2017). "Omarosa Gets Defended by Diamond and Silk … and the Trump Supporters Get Dragged - You may not like Omarosa, but you don't have a right to laugh at her". Atlanta Black Star. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
^ Deerwester, Jayme (December 14, 2017). "'GMA' host Robin Roberts on Omarosa's White House exit: 'Bye, Felicia'". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
^ Did Diamond and Silk Actually Lie Under Oath?. Slate, April 26, 2018
^ Swanson, Ian (April 26, 2018). "Diamond and Silk say under oath they weren't paid by Trump campaign; FEC filings say otherwise". TheHill. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
^ Nelson, Eliot (April 26, 2018). "Diamond And Silk Appear To Lie Under Oath About Trump Payments". huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
^ Frazin, Rachel (June 13, 2019). "Steve King unveils 'Diamond and Silk Act' named for conservative YouTubers". TheHill. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
^ Perticone, Joe (June 12, 2019). "Disgraced Rep. Steve King introduces the 'Diamond and Silk Act' in a bizarre press conference that turned into a shouting match". Business Insider. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
^ a b Cheney-Rice, Zak (June 13, 2019). "Steve King, Diamond, and Silk Deflect Racism Charges by Unveiling Racist Bill". Intelligencer. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
^ Birnbaum, Ian (September 18, 2017). "YouTube is leaving its creators in the dark". The Outline. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
^ Silk, Diamond and (April 8, 2018). Diamond and Silk@DiamondandSilk (Social media).
^ a b c d e Darcy, Oliver. "Led by Fox News, pro-Trump media fuels false narrative to accuse Facebook of censorship". CNNMoney. Retrieved April 26, 2018. the Diamond & Silk page was never banned. It was never taken down. It was never censored... The tidal wave of media coverage didn't just mislead viewers; it likely influenced the Mark Zuckerberg hearings on Capitol Hill. Several lawmakers chose to use at least a portion of their time questioning the Facebook chief to ask him about the supposed censorship of Hardaway and Richardson. The hearings were scheduled to address Facebook's use and protection of user data in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
^ a b c d "Trump vloggers Diamond & Silk are sticking to their debunked claim about Facebook censorship". Business Insider. Retrieved April 28, 2018. Hardaway and Richardson said, as they have many times in appearances on Fox News, that they were not contacted by Facebook in any official capacity... But messages obtained by conservative commentator Erick Erickson show that Facebook reached out to Hardaway and Richardson several times through phone, Facebook Messenger, and multiple email addresses.
^ Ng, Alfred (April 11, 2018). "Who are Diamond and Silk, and what do they have to do with Facebook?". CNET.com. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
^ Kutner, Max (April 11, 2018). "DIAMOND AND SILK HIT BACK AT MARK ZUCKERBERG, FACEBOOK 'CENSORSHIP': 'WE ARE NOT TERRORISTS'". Retrieved April 11, 2018.
^ Liam Stack, New York Times, April 14, 2018
^ Stack, Liam (April 14, 2018). "Who Are Diamond and Silk? A Look at 2 Pro-Trump Social Media Stars". nytimes.com. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
YouTube channel "The Viewers View"
Official Twitter account
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diamond_and_Silk&oldid=935137121"
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Cârligele é uma comuna romena localizada no distrito de Vrancea, na região de Moldávia. A comuna possui uma área de 40.67 km² e sua população era de 2940 habitantes segundo o censo de 2007.

Comunas de Vrancea (distrito)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Darren Tucker focuses on antitrust and competition law. He represents clients before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, state attorneys general, the European Commission and other non-U.S. competition authorities. Darren also advises clients on issues arising under the Sherman and Clayton Acts, including joint ventures, pricing and distribution, and information exchanges, and has litigated a variety of antitrust issues in state and federal court. Prior to joining Bingham, Darren was an adviser to two FTC commissioners, which enables him to provide valuable insights to clients regarding regulatory enforcement issues.
REMS: The Next Pharmaceutical Enforcement Priority?


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Tag Archives: South Armagh Brigade
The Derryard Checkpoint Attack
The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) attacks a British Army permanent vehicle checkpoint complex manned by the King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSB) near the Northern Ireland–Republic of Ireland border at Derryard, north of Rosslea, County Fermanagh, on December 13, 1989.
According to journalist Ed Moloney, the IRA Army Council, suspecting a great deal of infiltration by double agents at the grassroots level of the IRA, decide to form an experimental flying column (rather than the usual active service unit) to mount a large-scale operation against a permanent vehicle checkpoint along the border. It hopes that this will prevent any information leak that might result in another fiasco like the Loughgall Ambush of 1987.
Moloney maintains that the planning is in the charge of Thomas Murphy, alleged leader of the South Armagh Brigade, and that the raid is to be led by East Tyrone Brigade member Michael "Pete" Ryan. Journalist Ian Bruce instead claims that the IRA unit is led by an Irish citizen who had served in the Parachute Regiment, citing intelligence sources. The column is made up of about 20 experienced IRA volunteers from throughout Northern Ireland, eleven of whom are to carry out the attack itself. Bruce reports that IRA members from County Monaghan, supported by local Fermanagh militants, carry out the raid.
The target is a permanent vehicle checkpoint at Derryard. Described as a "mini base," it includes an accommodation block and defensive sangars. It is manned by eight soldiers of the 1st Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers and a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer. The eleven IRA members are driven to the checkpoint in the back of a makeshift Bedford armoured dumper truck. They are armed with 7.62mm AK-47s, 5.56mm ArmaLite AR-18s, two 12.7mm DShK heavy machine-guns, RPG-7s, different kinds of grenades, and a LPO-50 flamethrower. The heavy machine guns and the flamethrower are mounted on a tripod on the lorry bed. To assure widespread destruction, the column plan to detonate a van bomb after the initial assault.
The attack takes place shortly after 4:00 PM. IRA members seal off roads leading to the checkpoint in an attempt to prevent civilians from getting caught up in the attack. The truck is driven from the border and halted at the checkpoint. As Private James Houston begins to check the back of the truck, the IRA open fire with assault rifles and throw grenades into the compound. Two RPG-7s are fired at the observation sangar while the flamethrower stream is directed at the command sangar. Heavy shooting continues as the truck reverses and smashes through the gates of the compound. At least three IRA volunteers dismount inside the checkpoint and spray the portacabins with gunfire and the flamethrower's fire stream, while throwing grenades and nail bombs. The defenders are forced to seek shelter in sangars, from where they fire into their own base. A farmer some distance away sees an orange ball of flames and hears gunfire 'raking the fields.' As the truck drives out of the now wrecked compound, a red transit van loaded with a 400-lb. (182 kg) bomb is driven inside and set to detonate once the IRA unit has made its escape. However, only the booster charge explodes.
The attack is finally repulsed by a four-men Borderers section from the checkpoint that is patrolling nearby, with the support of a Westland Wessex helicopter. The patrol fires more than 100 rounds at the IRA unit. The Wessex receives gunfire and is forced to take evasive action. The IRA column, at risk of being surrounded, flee toward the border in the armoured truck. It is found abandoned at the border with a 460-lb. (210 kg) bomb on board.
Two soldiers are killed in the attack: Private James Houston (22) from England and Lance-Corporal Michael Patterson (21) from Scotland. Corporal Whitelaw is badly wounded by shrapnel and later airlifted for treatment. Another soldier suffers minor injuries.
There is outrage in Westminster and among unionists, as a supposedly well-defended border post has been overrun by the IRA and two soldiers killed. On the other hand, according to Moloney, there is also some disappointment among republicans. Despite the positive propaganda effect, the quick and strong reaction from the outpost's defenders convince some high-ranking IRA members that the Army Council has been infiltrated by a mole.
KOSB officers and security sources believe that the IRA unit involved was not locally recruited, putting the blame instead on IRA members from Clogher, County Tyrone and South Monaghan in the Republic. The same sources say that the attack was executed "in true backside-or-bust Para style."
After the action of Derryard, the British Army in Northern ireland are issued the French designed Luchaire 40mm rifle grenade, fitted on the muzzle of the SA80 rifle. This gives the troops a lightweight armour piercing capability to deal with the threat imposed by improvised armoured vehicles. Permanent checkpoints along the border are also fitted with general-purpose machine guns. From 1990 until the end of the IRA campaign in 1997, there are a number of further bloodless, small-scale attacks against permanent vehicle checkpoints along this part of the border using automatic weapons, particularly in County Fermanagh and against a military outpost at Aughnacloy, County Tyrone.
Two soldiers, Corporal Robert Duncan and Lance Corporal Ian Harvey, are bestowed the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), while Lance-Corporal Patterson receives a posthumous mention in dispatches for his actions during the attack. The checkpoint is dismantled in March 1991, as part of a major border security re-arrangement codenamed Operation Mutilate.
(Pictured: Republican memorial at Carragunt bridge, on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, often crossed by Provisional IRA forces during the Troubles to attack British targets inside County Fermanagh)
Categories: Irish History, Irish Republican Army | Tags: Active Service Unit, AK-47, APAV40, ArmaLite AR-18, Aughnacloy, Bedford, British Army, Car Bomb, Clogher, County Fermanagh, County Monaghan, County Tyrone, Distinguished Conduct Medal, Double Agent, DShK, Ed Moloney, England, Flying Column, General-purpose Machine Gun, Grassroots, Grenade, IRA Army Council, Irish Republicanism, Journalist, King's Own Scottish Borderers, Loughgall Ambush, LPO-50 Flamethrower, Mentioned in Dispatches, Mole (espionage), Nail Bomb, Northern Ireland, Parachute Regiment, Portacabin, Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade, Provisional Irish Republican Army, Republic of Ireland, Rosslea, Royal Ulster Constabulary, RPG-7, SA80, Sangar, Scotland, Section (military unit), South Armagh Brigade, Thomas Murphy, Unionism in Ireland, Volunteer (Irish Republican), Westland Wessex, Westminster | Permalink.
The Maze Prison Escape
The Maze Prison escape, known to Irish republicans as the Great Escape, takes place on September 25, 1983 in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. HM Prison Maze, also known as Long Kesh, is a maximum security prison considered to be one of the most escape-proof prisons in Europe, and holds prisoners suspected of taking part in armed paramilitary campaigns during the Troubles. In the biggest prison escape in UK history, 38 Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoners escaped from H-Block 7 (H7) of the prison. One prison officer dies of a heart attack during the escape and twenty others are injured, including two who are shot with guns that had been smuggled into the prison. The escape is a propaganda coup for the IRA, and a British government minister faces calls to resign. The official inquiry into the escape places most of the blame onto prison staff, who in turn blame the escape on political interference in the running of the prison.
IRA volunteers regard themselves as prisoners of war with a duty to escape. During the Troubles, Irish republican prisoners escape from custody en masse on several occasions between 1971 and 1981.
Prisoners had been planning the 1983 escape for several months. Bobby Storey and Gerry Kelly start working as orderlies in H7, which allows them to identify weaknesses in the security systems. Six handguns are also smuggled into the prison. Shortly after 2:30 PM on September 25, prisoners seize control of H7 by simultaneously taking the prison officers hostage at gunpoint in order to prevent them from triggering an alarm. One officer is stabbed with a craft knife, and another is knocked down by a blow to the back of the head. One officer who attempts to prevent the escape is shot in the head by Gerry Kelly, but survives. By 2:50 PM the prisoners are in control of H7 without an alarm being raised. A dozen prisoners also take uniforms from the officers, and the officers are forced to hand over their car keys and details of where their cars are, for possible later use during the escape. A rearguard is left behind to watch over hostages and keep the alarm from being raised until they believe the escapees are clear of the prison, at which time they return to their cells. At 3:25 PM, a lorry delivering food supplies arrives at the entrance to H7, whereupon Brendan McFarlane and other prisoners take the occupants hostage at gunpoint and move them inside H7. The lorry driver is told the lorry is being used in the escape, and he is instructed what route to take and how to react if challenged.
At 3:50 PM the prisoners leave H7, and the driver and a prison orderly are taken back to the lorry. Thirty-seven prisoners climb into the back of the lorry, while Gerry Kelly lay on the floor of the cab with a gun pointed at the driver, who is also told the cab has been booby trapped with a hand grenade. At nearly 4:00 PM the lorry drives toward the main gate of the prison, where the prisoners intend to take over the gatehouse. Ten prisoners dressed in guards' uniforms and armed with guns and chisels dismount from the lorry and enter the gatehouse, where they take the officers hostage.
At 4:05 PM the officers begin to resist, and an officer presses an alarm button. When other staff respond via an intercom, a senior officer says while being held at gunpoint that the alarm had been triggered accidentally. By this time the prisoners are struggling to maintain control in the gatehouse due to the number of hostages. Officers arriving for work are entering the gatehouse from outside the prison, and each is ordered at gunpoint to join the other hostages. Officer James Ferris runs from the gatehouse toward the pedestrian gate attempting to raise the alarm, pursued by Dermot Finucane. Ferris had already been stabbed three times in the chest, and before he can raise the alarm he collapses.
Finucane continues to the pedestrian gate where he stabs the officer controlling the gate, and two officers who had just entered the prison. This incident is seen by a soldier on duty in a watchtower, who reports to the British Army operations room that he has seen prison officers fighting. The operations room telephones the prison's Emergency Control Room (ECR), which replies that everything is all right and that an alarm had been accidentally triggered earlier.
At 4:12 PM the alarm is raised when an officer in the gatehouse pushes the prisoner holding him hostage out of the room and telephones the ECR. However, this is not done soon enough to prevent the escape. After several attempts the prisoners open the main gate, and are waiting for the prisoners still in the gatehouse to rejoin them in the lorry. At this time two prison officers block the exit with their cars, forcing the prisoners to abandon the lorry and make their way to the outer fence which is 25 yards away.
Four prisoners attack one of the officers and hijack his car, which they drive toward the external gate. They crash into another car near the gate and abandon the car. Two escape through the gate, one is captured exiting the car, and another is captured after being chased by a soldier. At the main gate, a prison officer is shot in the leg while chasing the only two prisoners who have not yet reached the outer fence. The prisoner who fires the shot is captured after being shot and wounded by a soldier in a watch tower, and the other prisoner is captured after falling. The other prisoners escape over the fence, and by 4:18 PM the main gate is closed and the prison secured, after 35 prisoners had breached the prison perimeter. The escape is the biggest in British history, and the biggest in Europe since World War II.
Outside the prison the IRA has planned a logistical support operation involving 100 armed members, but due to a miscalculation of five minutes, the prisoners find no transport waiting for them and are forced to flee across fields or hijack vehicles. The British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary immediately activate a contingency plan and by 4:25 PM a cordon of vehicle checkpoints are in place around the prison, and others are later in place in strategic positions across Northern Ireland, resulting in the recapture of one prisoner at 11:00 PM. Twenty prison officers are injured during the escape, thirteen are kicked and beaten, four stabbed, and two shot. One prison officer, James Ferris, who had been stabbed, dies after suffering a heart attack during the escape.
The escape is a propaganda coup and morale boost for the IRA, with Irish republicans dubbing it the "Great Escape." Leading unionist politician Ian Paisley calls on Nicholas Scott, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to resign. The British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher makes a statement in Ottawa during a visit to Canada, saying "It is the gravest [breakout] in our present history, and there must be a very deep inquiry." The day after the escape, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland James Prior announces an inquiry to be headed by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, James Hennessy. The Hennessy Report is published on January 26, 1984 placing most of the blame for the escape on prison staff, and making a series of recommendations to improve security at the prison. The report also places blame with the designers of the prison, the Northern Ireland Office and successive prison governors who had failed to improve security. Prior announces that the prison's governor has resigned, and that there will be no ministerial resignations as a result of the report's findings. Four days after the Hennessy Report is published, the Minister for Prisons Nicholas Scott dismisses allegations from the Prison Governors Association and the Prison Officers Association that the escape is due to political interference in the running of the prison.
Fifteen escapees are captured on the day, including four who are discovered hiding underwater in a river near the prison using reeds to breathe. Four more escapees are captured over the next two days, including Hugh Corey and Patrick McIntyre who are captured following a two-hour siege at an isolated farmhouse. Out of the remaining 19 escapees, 18 end up in the republican stronghold of South Armagh where two members of the IRA's South Armagh Brigade are in charge of transporting them to safehouses, and given the option of either returning to active service in the IRA's armed campaign or a job and new identity in the United States.
On October 25, 1984, nineteen prisoners appear in court on charges relating to the death of prison officer James Ferris, sixteen charged with his murder. A pathologist determines that the stab wounds Ferris suffered would not have killed a healthy man. The judge acquits all sixteen as he cannot correlate the stabbing to the heart attack.
Categories: Irish History, Irish Republican Army, Northern Ireland | Tags: Bobby Storey, Booby Trap, Brendan McFarlane, British Army, Canada, Contingency Plan, County Antrim, County Armagh, Craft Knife, Europe, Gatehouse, Gerry Kelly, Grenade, Heart Attack, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, HM Prison Maze, Ian Paisley, Irish Republicanism, James Hennessy, Jim Prior, Lorry, Margaret Thatcher, Maze Prison Escape, Minister (government), Nicholas Scott, Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Office, Ottawa, Paramilitary, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Pathology, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Prison Escape, Prison Officers Association, Prisoner of War, Provisional Irish Republican Army, Royal Ulster Constabulary, Safe House, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Security Checkpoint, South Armagh Brigade, The Troubles, Unionism in Ireland, United Kingdom, United States, Watchtower, World War II | Permalink.
Thomas McMahon Sentenced to Life for Mountbatten's Assassination
Thomas McMahon, former volunteer in the South Armagh Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and one of the IRA's most experienced bomb-makers, is sentenced to life in prison on November 23, 1979 for the assassination of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, and three others (two children and an elderly lady) at Mullaghmore, County Sligo.
McMahon plants a bomb in Shadow V, a 27-foot fishing boat belonging to Mountbatten at Mullaghmore, near Donegal Bay. Lord Mountbatten and the others are killed on August 27, 1979 when the bomb detonates. The other victims are Doreen Knatchbull, Baroness Brabourne, Mountbatten's elder daughter's mother-in-law, his grandson Nicholas Knatchbull and 15-year-old crewmember Paul Maxwell.
McMahon is arrested by the Garda, the Republic of Ireland's police force, two hours before the bomb detonates at a Garda checkpoint between Longford and Granard on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle.
The IRA claims responsibility for the act in a statement released immediately afterwards. In the statement from the organisation they say, "This operation is one of the discriminate ways we can bring to the attention of the English people the continuing occupation of our country."
McMahon is tried for the assassinations in the Republic of Ireland, and convicted by forensic evidence supplied by Dr. James O'Donovan that shows flecks of paint from the boat and traces of nitroglycerine on his clothes. He is sentenced to life imprisonment for murder on November 23, 1979, but is released in 1998 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
Following his release, Toby Harnden in Bandit Country: The IRA & South Armagh (1999) reports that McMahon is holding a tricolour in the first rank of the IRA colour party at a 1998 IRA meeting in Cullyhanna. However, according to a BBC report, McMahon says that he left the IRA in 1990.
McMahon twice refuses to meet John Maxwell, the father of Paul Maxwell, who seeks him out to explain the reasons for his son's death. In a May 2011 interview for The Telegraph, Maxwell states that he had "made two approaches to McMahon, the first through a priest, who warned me in advance that he thought there wouldn't be any positive response. And there wasn't. I have some reservations about meeting him, obviously – it might work out in such a way that I would regret having made the contact. On the other hand, if we met and I could even begin to understand his motivation. If we could meet on some kind of a human level, a man to man level, it could help me come to terms with it. But that might be very optimistic. McMahon knows the door is open at this end."
McMahon likewise refuses requests from Nicholas Knatchbull's twin brother, who lost an eye in the same explosion. The latter, however, has forgiven McMahon and other members of the IRA who committed the act.
McMahon's wife has stated, "Tommy never talks about Mountbatten, only the boys who died. He does have genuine remorse. Oh God yes."
McMahon lives with his wife Rose in Lisanisk, Carrickmacross, County Monaghan. He has two grown sons. He helps with Martin McGuinness's presidential campaign in 2011, erecting posters for McGuinness around Carrickmacross.
Categories: Irish History, Irish Republican Army, Northern Ireland, Terrorism | Tags: 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Baroness Brabourne, BBC, Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, County Sligo, Cullyhanna, Donegal Bay, Doreen Knatchbull, English People, Forensic Evidence, Garda Síochána, Good Friday Agreement, Granard, Irish Tricolour, James O'Donovan, Longford, Louis Mountbatten, Martin McGuinness, Mullaghmore, Nitroglycerine, Provisional Irish Republican Army, Republic of Ireland, South Armagh Brigade, The Telegraph, Thomas McMahon, Toby Harnden, Volunteer | Permalink.
Assassination of Lord Louis Mountbatten
Lord Louis Mountbatten is killed on August 27, 1979 when Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) terrorists detonate a 50-pound bomb hidden on his fishing vessel, Shadow V. Mountbatten, a war hero, elder statesman, and second cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, is spending the day with his family in Donegal Bay off Ireland's northwest coast when the bomb explodes. Three others are killed in the attack, including Mountbatten's 14-year-old grandson, Nicholas. Later that day, an IRA bombing attack on land kills 18 British paratroopers in County Down, Northern Ireland in what becomes known as the Warrenpoint ambush.
The assassination of Mountbatten is the first blow struck against the British royal family by the IRA during its long terrorist campaign to drive the British out of Northern Ireland and unite it with the Republic of Ireland to the south. The attack hardens the hearts of many British against the IRA and convinces Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's government to take a hardline stance against the terrorist organization.
Mountbatten, the son of Prince Louis of Battenberg and a great-grandson of Queen Victoria I, enters the Royal Navy in 1913, when he is in his early teens. He sees service during World War I and at the outbreak of World War II is commander of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla. His destroyer, the HMS Kelly, is sunk during the Battle of Crete early in the war. In 1941, he commands an aircraft carrier, and in 1942 he is named Chief of Combined Operations Headquarters. From this position, he is appointed Supreme Allied Commander for South East Asia Command in 1943 and successfully conducts the campaign against Japan that leads to the recapture of Burma.
In 1947, Mountbatten is appointed the last Viceroy of India, and he conducts the negotiations that lead to independence for India and Pakistan later that year. He holds various high naval posts in the 1950s and serves as chief of the United Kingdom Defense Staff and chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. Meanwhile, he is made Viscount Mountbatten of Burma and a first earl. He is the uncle of Philip Mountbatten and introduces Philip to the future Queen Elizabeth. He later encourages the marriage of the two distant cousins and becomes godfather and mentor to their first born, Charles, Prince of Wales.
Made Governor and then Lord-Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight in his retirement, Mountbatten is a respected and beloved member of the royal family. His assassination is perhaps the most shocking of all horrors inflicted by the IRA against the United Kingdom. In addition to his grandson Nicholas, 15-year-old boat hand Paul Maxwell and the Dowager Lady Brabourne, Nicholas' grandmother, are also killed. Mountbatten's grandson Timothy, Nicholas' twin brother, is injured as is his daughter, Lady Brabourne, and the twins' father, Lord Brabourne.
The IRA immediately claims responsibility for the attack, saying it detonated the bomb by remote control from the coast. It also takes responsibility for the same-day bombing attack against British troops in County Down, which claims eighteen lives.
IRA member Thomas McMahon is later arrested and convicted of preparing and planting the bomb that destroyed Mountbatten's boat. A near-legend in the IRA, he is a leader of the IRA's notorious South Armagh Brigade, which kills more than 100 British soldiers. He is one of the first IRA members to be sent to Libya to train with detonators and timing devices and is an expert in explosives. Authorities believe the Mountbatten assassination is the work of many people, but McMahon is the only individual convicted. Sentenced to life in prison, he is released in 1998 along with other IRA and Unionist terrorists under a controversial provision of the Good Friday Agreement.
(From: This Day In History: Mountbatten killed by IRA, by the editors of History.com, July 21, 2010, http://www.history.com)
Categories: Irish History, Irish Republican Army, Northern Ireland, Terrorism | Tags: 5th Destroyer Flotilla, Aircraft Carrier, Baroness Brabourne, Battle of Crete, Burma, Charles Prince of Wales, Chiefs of Staff Committee, Combined Operations Headquarters, County Down, Detonator, Donegal Bay, Doreen Knatchbull, Good Friday Agreement, Governor of the Isle of Wight, HMS Kelly, India, Isle of Wight, Japan, Lady Brabourne, Libya, Lord Brabourne, Lord-Lieutenant, Louis Mountbatten, Margaret Thatcher, Northern Ireland, Pakistan, Philip Mountbatten, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Prince Louis of Battenberg, Provisional Irish Republican Army, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Victoria, Republic of Ireland, Royal Navy, South Armagh Brigade, South East Asia Command, Supreme Allied Commander, Thomas McMahon, Unionist, United Kingdom, Viceroy of India, Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, Warrenpoint Ambush, World War I, World War II | Permalink.
The 1979 Bessbrook Bombing
The Bessbrook bombing takes place on the April 17, 1979 when four Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers are killed when the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) explodes an estimated 1,000 pound roadside van bomb at Bessbrook, County Armagh.
The bombing occurs during a period of heightened IRA activity. The previous two years are some of the less active and less violent years during the Troubles. The British policy of criminalization seems to be working but the IRA is gearing up for a new offensive. In 1976, 295 people are killed compared with 111 in 1977 and 80 in 1978 but in 1979 the number increases to 120 with 76 being British security force members compared to just 34 in 1978. The entire IRA "battalion structure" has been reconstructed using more smaller, tight knit cells making the IRA more secretive, harder to infiltrate and makes them much more effective at carrying out larger operations. The only brigade area which does not go under this reconstruction is the South Armagh Brigade which is viewed by the IRA Army Council as an independent Republic. In fact, by the mid-1970s South Armagh has become so dangerous for the British security forces, who are snipped at and have bombs thrown at them whenever they enter the area on foot, they have to be airlifted into the area and ground patrols are stopped altogether effectively giving up the ground to the South Armagh PIRA.
While the four Protestant members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary are on an evening patrol, they are all killed when a Provisional IRA unit detonates a remote-controlled bomb hidden in a parked van. The IRA unit detonates the well hidden bomb at the exact second the RUC mobile patrol is passing giving the officers no chance of survival. The dead RUC men are, Paul Gray (25), Robert Lockhart (44), Richard Baird (28) and Noel Webb (30). The bomb is estimated at 1,000 lbs. and is believed to be the largest bomb used by the IRA up to that date.
In January 1981, Patrick Joseph Traynor (27) from Crossmaglen is found guilty of the four murders and a range of other charges. He is jailed for life on each of the four murder charges and is sentenced to 12 years for the related crimes.
The IRA continues to intensify their campaign. On August 29, 1979 the IRA carries out two separate attacks in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland that shock the world and give huge media coverage to their campaign. The first is the killing of Lord Mountbatten and his grandson when the boat they are on off the Sligo coast is blown up by a remote controlled bomb. The second is the Warrenpoint Ambush where the IRA kills 18 British soldiers in a double bomb attack, the highest loss of life for the British Army during the Troubles. The IRA carries out several of these type of large attacks against the British forces throughout the 1980s like the 1983 Ballygawley land mine attack which kills four soldiers, the 1988 Lisburn van bombing which kills six soldiers and the Ballygawley bus bombing also carried out in 1988 which kills eight soldiers and injures 28.
Categories: Irish History, Irish Republican Army, Northern Ireland, Terrorism | Tags: 1988 Lisburn Van Bombing, Ballygawley Bus Bombing, Ballygawley Land Mine Attack, Bessbrook, Bessbrook Bombing, British Army, County Armagh, Crossmaglen, IRA Army Council, Lord Mountbatten, Northern Ireland, Protestantism, Provisional Irish Republican Army, Republic of Ireland, Royal Ulster Constabulary, Sligo, Sniper, South Armagh Brigade, The Troubles, Warrenpoint Ambush | Permalink.
The Glasdrumman Ambush
The Glasdrumman ambush, an attack by the South Armagh Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) against a British Army observation post, takes place on July 17, 1981 at a scrapyard in Glasdrumman, County Armagh, southwest of Crossmaglen.
The crisis, triggered by the 1981 Irish hunger strike of Provisional IRA and Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) prisoners, leads to an increase in militant Irish republican activity in Northern Ireland. British intelligence reports unveil IRA intentions of mounting illegal checkpoints and hijacking vehicles on the IRA-controlled roads in South County Armagh, near the Irish border. To counter it, the British Army deploy the so-called COPs (close observation platoons), small infantry sections acting as undercover units, a tactic introduced by Major General Richard Trant in 1977.
On May 6, 1981, a day after the death of hunger-striker Bobby Sands, one IRA member from a three-man unit is arrested while trying to set up a roadblock east of the main Belfast-Dublin road by twelve members of the Royal Green Jackets, divided in three teams. A second volunteer crosses the border, only to be arrested by the Irish Army. The third IRA man escapes, apparently injured. A total of 689 rounds are fired by the soldiers.
After this initial success, the British Army continues these tactics. On July 16, another operation is carried out by eighteen Royal Green Jackets soldiers. That night, four concealed positions – Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta – are inserted into the Glassdrumman area, around a scrapyard along the border. The plan is that another unit, called the triggering team, would ambush any IRA unit on sight, while the other four would block the expected escape routes. On July 17, the commanders in charge of Alpha and Delta teams, suspecting that the operation has been compromised by the presence of local civilians, orders the withdrawal of their men. Shortly thereafter, Bravo team is suddenly engaged by automatic fire from an M60 machine gun and AR-15 rifles fired by six or seven IRA members. The concealed position, emplaced inside a derelict van, is riddled by more than 250 bullets. The team's leader, Lance Corporal Gavin Dean, is killed instantly and one of his men, Rifleman John Moore, is seriously wounded. Moore is later awarded the Military Medal. The IRA members fire their weapons from across the border, 160 yards away.
British army commanders conclude that "it was not worth risking the lives of soldiers to prevent an IRA roadblock being set up." The incident also exposes the difficulties of concealing operations from local civilians in South Armagh, whose sympathy with the IRA is manifest. Several years later, the IRA would repeat its success against undercover observation posts in the course of Operation Conservation in 1990.
Categories: Irish History, Irish Republican Army, Northern Ireland, Wars & Rebellions | Tags: 1981 Irish Hunger Strike, AR-15 Rifles, Bobby Sands, British Army, County Armagh, Crossmaglen, Glasdrumman Ambush, Irish Army, Irish National Liberation Army, Irish Republicanism, Lance Corporal, M60 Machine Gun, Major General, Military Medal, Northern Ireland, Observation Post, Operation Conservation, Provisional Irish Republican Army, Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom Border, Richard Trant, Royal Green Jackets, Scrapyard, Section, South Armagh Brigade | Permalink.
Death of Irish Hunger Striker Raymond McCreesh
Raymond McCreesh, volunteer in the South Armagh Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), dies on hunger strike at 2:11 AM on May 21, 1981 in the H Blocks of Long Kesh Prison. McCreesh is one of ten Irish republicans who died on hunger strike in Long Kesh Prison.
Raymond Peter McCreesh, the seventh in a family of eight children, is born in St. Malachy's Park, Camlough, on February 25, 1957. He is born into a strong Irish republican family, and is active in the republican movement from the age of sixteen. He attends the local primary school in Camlough, St. Malachy's, and later attends St. Colman's College, Newry.
McCreesh first joins Fianna Éireann, the IRA's youth wing, in 1973, and later that year he progresses to join the Provisional IRA South Armagh Brigade. He works for a short time as steelworker in a predominately Protestant factory in Lisburn. However, as sectarian threats and violence escalate, he switches professions to work as a milk roundsman in his local area of South Armagh, an occupation which greatly increases his knowledge of the surrounding countryside, as well as enables him to observe the movements of British Army patrols in the area.
On June 25, 1976, McCreesh and three other IRA volunteers attempt to ambush a British Army observation post in South Armagh. It lay opposite the Mountain House Inn, on the Newry–Newtonhamilton Road. As the armed, masked and uniformed IRA volunteers approached the observation post, they are spotted by British paratroopers on a hillside. The paratroopers open fire on the volunteers, who scatter. Two of them, McCreesh and Paddy Quinn, take cover in a nearby farmhouse. The paratroopers surround the house and fire a number of shots into the building. After some time, McCreesh and Quinn surrender and are taken to Bessbrook British Army base. Local Catholic priests facilitate their surrender. The third volunteer, Danny McGuinness, takes cover in a disused quarry outhouse but is captured the following day. The fourth member of the unit manages to escape despite being shot in the leg, arm and chest.
On March 2, 1977, McCreesh and Quinn are sentenced to fourteen years in prison for the attempted murder of British soldiers, possession of a rifle and ammunition, and a additional five years for IRA membership. The rifle that McCreesh has in his possession when captured is one of the rifles used in the Kingsmill massacre on January 5, 1976, when ten Protestant civilians are shot dead.
McCreesh is sent to the Maze Prison. He joins the blanket protest and takes part in the 1981 Irish hunger strike. He dies on 21 May, after 61 days on hunger strike.
Categories: Human Rights, Irish History, Irish Republican Army, Northern Ireland | Tags: 1981 Irish Hunger Strike, Bessbrook, Blanket Protest, British Army, Camlough, Catholic, Fianna Éireann, Hunger Strike, Irish Republicanism, Kingsmill Massacre, Lisburn, Long Kesh Prison, Newry, Observation Post, Paratroopers, Provisional Irish Republican Army, Raymond McCreesh, South Armagh Brigade, St. Colman's College, Volunteer | Permalink.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Tristan Wilson averaged 16 points per game this past season.
Wilson averaged 16 points and eight rebounds per game in the 2013-14 season, and recently led Skyline to the Michigan High School Athletic Association Class A quarterfinals.
In the tournament, Wilson averaged 22 points and ten rebounds.
The 6-foot-8-inch center and power forward's commitment to Eastern provides much-needed depth in the frontcourt with Da'Shonte Riley and Mo Hughley graduating.
Wilson is the son of EMU's all-time shot blocker Theron Wilson, Sr. (1992-1996).
Wilson is Eastern Michigan's second 2014 in-state commit following 6-foot-9-inch forward Jordan Nobles of Canton High School.


Duvall, WA. Today, the sun rises at 6:02 AM (12 minutes earlier than the week before), and it sets at 8:10 PM (9 minutes later than the week before). That is 14 hours and 8 minutes of daylight. A gain of 22 sunny minutes.


text:
Janne Kristiansenová (* 21. listopadu 1952 Oslo) je norská právnička, dřívější ředitelka úřadu pro dohled na kriminálními případy (2004 až 2009) a v letech 2009–20012 ředitelka norské tajné služby PST (). Po závažném politickém skandálu musela na tuto funkci 18. ledna 2012 rezignovat.

Kariéra
Narozena v Oslu, v roce 1979 absolvovala práva na Oselské univerzitě a mnoho let pracovala jako respektovaná obhájkyně. V letech 1985–1990 předsedala profesní organizaci obhájců podporující zásady právního státu a doktrínu rule of law (). Pracovala jako veřejný obhájce u soudů vyšší instance, od roku 1986 v Oslu a od roku 1990 v Mossu. Podílela se na vypracování několika úředních zpráv, např. NOU 2003.18 týkající se národní bezpečnosti a NOU 2003.21 "Boj s kriminalitou a soukromí - nakládání s informacemi státním zastupitelstvím a policií".

Odkazy

Reference

Externí odkazy

 4 Profil Janne Kristiansenové
 Osamělý vlk Breivik je ztělesněné zlo a uspěl, říká šéfka norské tajné policie
 Proč doopravdy rezignovala šéfka norské tajné služby
 Je to čisté zlo a vlk samotář
 Janne Kristiansenová
 Norská tajná služba se omluvila
 Breivik si podle kamarádů nechal udělat plastiku nosu

Norští právníci
Absolventi Univerzity v Oslu
Narození v roce 1952
Narození 21. listopadu
Narození v Oslu
Žijící lidé
Ženy


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text:
Sr. No Title Dates
1. Admission to various classes From 18th June, 2022
2 Regular teaching starts from 1st July, 2022
3 Principal's address to students 5th July, 2022
4 PTA Meeting 13th July, 2022
5 Commencement of Practical Classes 2nd week of July, 2022
6 Formation of various societies & clubs 2nd week of July, 2022
7 NSS/ NSS / Rovers & Rangers Enrolment 3rd week of July, 2022
8 CSCA Elections (Nomination) Date to be notified by HPU
9 Mid Term Test of V Sem. Last week of August, 2022
10 Teacher's Day Celebration of CSCA 5th September, 2022
11 Annual Athletic Meet 3rd Week of September, 2022
12 ESE of Vth Sem with practical 16th October, 2022 to 14th November, 2022(As per HPU Schedule)
13 Festival Break 25th October, 2022 to 30th October, 2022
14 Roll on Admission of VIth Sem. November, 2021
15 Regular teaching starts from 15th November, 2022 to 20th December, 2022 6th February, 2022 to 10th April, 2022
16 House Exam for Ist & IInd Year November / December, 2022
17 College Excursion / NSS Camp / Tour Last week of December, 2022
18 Last date of submission of articles for Last week of December,2022
19 College Magazine
20 Winter Break 1st January, 2022 to 5th February, 2022
21 Giri Sapandan 3rd Week of February, 2022
22 Annual prize distribution function 1st Week of March, 2022
23 Mid term test of VIth Sem. 2nd Week of March, 2022
24 Annual Examination Ist & IInd Year 15th March, 2022 to 10th April, 2022
25 ESE of VIth Sem. 11th April, 2022 to 10th May, 2022
26 Summer Break 22nd May, 2022 to 16th June, 2022


Summer is in full swing and many families are flying all around the world. Many of those families will be flying with baby or young children and their car seats. Here are 5 tips you should know about air travel with a car seat.
Never check your car seat.
If your child has a paid seat, you can bring your car seat on the plane with you.
If you must check your car seat, gate-check it.
When you check your car seat, make sure to have a waterproof cover on it.
Label all removable parts on your car seat.
These five tips for taking your car seat with you when flying with baby will help you keep your child safe, germ-free (well…as much as that is possible cause…kids) and lessen your stress.
Why? Because airline employees do not take special care with car seats.
How do I know? I've worked for a major airline for the past 11 years and I have seen car seats being tossed and thrown. Car seats have to be replaced after a car accident, and being thrown around can damage them in the same ways.
When you check a car seat, it travels on various conveyor belts (which are never cleaned), gets tossed in luggage bins with hundreds of other checked bags, and left on the ground outside. That's right, the same ground that airplanes and fuels trucks drive on, and the same ground employees spit on. Marinate on that one for a second. Click here for my product recommendations for traveling with children.
If your child has a paid seat, you can bring your car seat on the plane.
People often miss the fact that if you have paid for a seat for your child, you are allowed to put their car seat in their plane seat. It is safer for them to be in their car seat while flying. Plus, if you are using it, there would be no reason to check it.
Many children are also comforted by sitting in their car seat because they are used to it from traveling in the car. Staying seated and buckled in their car seat is second nature so doing the same on the plane seems natural to them.
You are allowed to take your car seat through security with you. If your child can't sit in the car seat while on the plane, you have the right to gate check it.
By gate checking it, you reduce the number of hands that will touch it, which will also greatly reduces the risk of it getting lost. You should also be able to get it back plane-side and not have to wait for it in baggage claim.
What would happen if you got to your destination and your car seat had been lost? Reduce as much stress as possible and gate check your car seat.
When you check your car seat, please make sure to have a waterproof cover on it.
When bags are checked, there is no guarantee they will be protected from the elements. If it's raining outside, your checked bags will often get rained on. Your car seat will too while it waits to be loaded in the belly of the plane. Reduce the amount of damage that will be done to your car seat and keep it dry with a waterproof cover.
Before you leave home, make sure to label all parts of the car seat. Even if you don't plan to check your car seat, it is better to be safe than sorry. Car Seats should have all removable parts attached to the seat when you hand it over. Better yet, take any removable parts and keep those with you.
Some car seats have several removable parts and those parts often get lost or damaged because they aren't attached firmly to the car seat. Using a waterproof car seat cover will make sure your car seat pieces and parts stay together and make it back to you at the end of your flight.
Are there any car seat travel tips you would add to this list?


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HTC U12+ knocks Huawei P20 out of second place in DxOMark Mobile rankings
The dual camera HTC U12+ has nothing on the three-lens Huawei P20 Pro, but the "regular" P20 loses its silver medal in the DxOMark Mobile photography and videography ratings.
Published 23 May 2018, 06:53 EDT
camera review,
dual camera,
dual camera smartphones,
DxO,
dxomark,
DxOMark Mobile,
P20,
P20 pro,
U12,
Not a lot of people remember this nowadays, but HTC tried its hand at dual camera smartphones way before it was cool, also attempting to make glasses-free 3D mobile technology happen with 2011's Evo 3D. 2014's One (M8) and 2015's One M9+ followed, toning down the gimmicks, which didn't help them start a trend or sell like hotcakes.
Of course, the trend quickly took off anyway, while HTC went back to refining the single rear-facing shooter. The HTC 10 and U11 did a fine job with their somewhat limited photography resources, but now it's time for the Taiwanese OEM to return to the big leagues.
Enter the U12+, DxOMark's new silver medalist for overall mobile camera performance. With an impressive score of 103 points, HTC's latest flagship handset squeezes between the Huawei P20 Pro and "regular" P20 on DxO's podium, narrowly beating the Chinese company's newest dual cam hero.
Obviously, a 12MP primary shooter with f/1.75 aperture and OIS, paired with a 16MP f/2.6 telephoto lens for 2x optical zoom, can't really hold a candle to the P20 Pro's groundbreaking triple-sensor setup sporting a grand total of 68 megapixels.
But the HTC U12+ leaves a number of very capable dual shooter handsets in the dust, including the aforementioned Huawei P20, Samsung Galaxy S9+, Apple iPhone X, Huawei Mate 10 Pro and Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S.
The no-notch 6-incher earns high marks for both still images and video recording skills, shining in autofocus accuracy and speed, as well as "outstanding performance for color", effective bokeh simulation and great video stabilization.
The hot new phone is by no means perfect, although we may have to wait until next year for HTC to take note of DxOMark's HDR and low-light criticism. All in all, the U12 Plus is deemed a "knockout", at least until the market gets flooded with P20 Pro-style three-lens flagships.
Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+ specs
Confused between the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+? Here's a breakdown of their specs to assess how they differ from each other.
Redmi Note 9T surfaces online, courtesy of Amazon Germany listing
The renders come from an Amazon Germany listing, which was deleted soon after going live.
Galaxy A32 makes its debut as the most affordable 5G phone from Samsung
Samsung Galaxy A32 5G has a quad rear camera setup highlighted by a 48MP snapper, and it starts at €279 (~340).


text:
GA-ASI Names Newest Predator B Variant
"SkyGuardian" Certifiable RPA Demonstrated Before an International Audience
SAN DIEGO – 27 January 2017 – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI), a leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems, tactical radars, and electro-optic and related mission system solutions, launched a "Type-Certifiable" (STANAG 4671) version of its Predator® B product line, called SkyGuardian™, this week before an audience of international dignitaries from nine nations including the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Australia, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and the United States.
SkyGuardian is the result of a five-year long company funded effort to deliver a RPA system that can operate under the stringent airworthiness requirements of non-military airspace. The aircraft leverages the legacy of the multi-mission Predator B fleet, which has amassed nearly two million flight hours. SkyGuardian can fly in excess of 35 hours with airspeeds up to 210 knots, and reach altitudes of more than 14000 meters.
"The SkyGuardian name reflects the system's role in protecting ground forces, as well as its performance of non-military missions like border-surveillance, maritime patrol, and relief over-watch in cases of natural disaster," said Linden Blue, CEO GA-ASI.
SkyGuardian will be fully compliant with NATO's UAV SYSTEM AIRWORTHINESS REQUIREMENTS (defined in STANAG 4671) and the UK DEFSTAN 00-970. GA-ASI also collaborated with the LufABw (German Military Aviation Authority) to define airworthiness requirements for German Airspace. To facilitate qualification testing, GA-ASI is building three company-owned aircraft, along with two airframes designed specifically for full-scale fatigue and static testing to satisfy type-certification requirements. It plans to deliver the first production aircraft in 2018.
The aircraft can host a variety of sensor and communications payloads and is capable of transmitting high-resolution video to manned aircraft and ground forces. The maritime patrol variant of this system, designated SeaGuardian™, is designed to support open ocean and littoral surface surveillance for border patrol, coast guard, and disaster relief missions.
Photos of SkyGuardian are available to qualified media outlets from the listed GA-ASI media contact.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., an affiliate of General Atomics, delivers situational awareness by providing remotely piloted aircraft systems, radar, and electro-optic and related mission systems solutions for military and commercial applications worldwide. The company's Aircraft Systems business unit is a leading designer and manufacturer of proven, reliable RPA systems, including Predator A, Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper® and Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper Extended Range (ER), Gray Eagle and Gray Eagle ER, Predator C Avenger® and Avenger ER, Predator XP, and SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian. It also manufactures a variety of solid-state digital Ground Control Stations (GCS), including the next-generation Advanced Cockpit GCS, and provides pilot training and support services for RPA field operations. The Mission Systems business unit designs, manufactures, and integrates the Lynx® Multi-mode Radar and sophisticated Claw® sensor control and image analysis software into both manned and remotely piloted aircraft. It also focuses on providing integrated sensor payloads and software for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft platforms and develops high energy lasers, electro-optic sensors, and meta-material antennas. For more information, please visit www.ga-asi.com.
Predator, Reaper, Avenger, Lynx, and Claw are registered trademarks and SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian are trademarks of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
Melissa Haynes


it's not as fast as stack consing!
This often quite exceeds the cost of dynamic windows.
Try doing 1(setf (sys:standard-value '*print-pretty*) nil)0.
to read the resulting output!
Well, it doesn't do mouse sensitivity during output, just input.
1tv:prepare-sheet0, but I can't detect the difference).
It doesn't do very much at definition time; it just queues it up for later.
until you're otherwise idle.  I do this in my init file.
temporary storage long enough to get it past the EGC.
interact with almost no degredation over an idle machine?
loop running in another window for hours at a time!
still; we want to make the things that got slower fast again.
as soon as you sit down at the machine.
users, to do that 99% of your job that is just "using" the machine.
just by pointing to it and doing c-m-sh-Left.
is easier than doing m-. and clicking!
3)  Supplying arguments to commands by clicking on what you want.
This can save a LOT of typing!
uniform as we make more use of this substrate.
will show the machine got faster!


A laminator can be a creative addition to a print room, enabling users to offer new styles of adding value to a printed product, including variable content foiling.
The purchase of a laminator has been one of the strongest trends across all sectors of the industry in recent years. The main driver has been that as runs have become shorter and turnaround times sharper, there is neither the value in a job to send it to a trade supplier, nor the time to do so. It makes sense to produce in-house.
While for very long jobs, the trade finisher will remain the first choice, digital printing and declining litho runs coupled with the increasing simplicity of the laminator itself, justify the investment in a machine which is easy to operate, can be wheeled into position when needed and can earn its keep on relatively few jobs.
The product list has been a steady combination of magazine or book covers, folders, some packaging or business cards and menus. The films used have in the main been gloss or matt, tactile for book covers and perhaps microbial for the aforementioned menus. Function has come first ahead of creativity and innovation.
Digital foiling has changed this. At one step the justification for investment becomes about value added opportunities, not merely cost saving or retaining margin.
The credit for discovering that the heated rollers of a laminator will soften toner and enable it act as a glue to attach foil to a previously laminated sheet is disputed. But many have since used the technique on social stationery, packaging, greetings cards and so on.
It has become a standard option on the Foliant laminators that IFS sells in the UK. It became easier to order machines with the foiling head in place rather than have them supplied separately and fitted by the IFS engineers.
Technical director Jason Seaber says: "It was introduced a couple of years ago and at first we brought the machine without this option. Then, as we started to get very positive comments back from digital printers who were using the foiling option, we realised it's not an expensive option and decided to order all machines with the option.
It is easier to foil when the job has been printed on a high quality digital press, though not all digitally printed sheets will work with all laminating films. Likewise the presence of excessive spray powder from a litho press will have an effect on the adhesion of the film as will the surface of the paper used. Apart from the smoothness of the finish from the higher quality digital presses, accurate registration can be an issue.
It means also that many companies starting with a smaller machine, and Vivid's Matrix is a favourite, move up as volumes of laminating work increase. Even within the Foliant range, a user can progress from an entry level Vega towards the Mercury and Taurus which can cope with B2 and B1 sheets.
Friedheim International has not yet had this degree of success with the Komfi laminator, manufactured only a few kilometres from Foliant in the Czech Republic. But it is coming. A recent installation at Imprint in Southampton was all about the creativity and flair that laminating and the application of foil can add to a printed sheet.
"The Amiga model is the most popular," says Tom Baker. "It is versatile and easy to set up and will handle a litho or digitally printed sheet." The Amiga 52 is positioned for the digital print market using controls to adjust settings for temperature and pressure according to the film, the substrate and the press technology used. "And within a few sheets the laminator well be up and running," he adds.
The foiling module is opening up more creative options. There are the foils themselves. Gold and silver are the most popular followed by coloured foils, white heading the popularity list here. Then there are hologram effect foils, glitters and so on which can add a touch of panache or kitsch to a job.
It also paves the way for more creative approaches. By running the black toner on a first pass through the digital press, an area for silver foil is created. Once the foil is in place, digital print can be layered on top for different coloured effects, something that Vivid Laminating is promoting through a tie up with ColorLogic which has developed the software for colour printing over foil.
A plug in allows a designer to understand how to achieve the desired effects when printing over a silver of gold foil. Using the Aqua Aura foils that Vivid can provide, 250 new colours are possible. The drawback is that this kind of work demands multiple passes through the laminator and press.
The image is printed and laminated for protection. Then the area to carry the foil is printed in a single colour and passed through the laminator for a second time. This time foil is pressed into position. Finally the job passes through the press for the fourth time. By its nature this means that the technique is suited to short run high value jobs. At the other end of the scale, a B1 press with a cold foil attachment is followed by printing and coating units at a cost of millions of pounds. It is horses for courses. And the printer must decide.
"It depends on how creative a customer wants to be," says Baker. "Laminators are currently our most popular products, attracting the most inquiries we receive. Users like the robustness of the construction." The range runs from the B3 Amiga to B1 machines for much higher volumes.
It is a case he explains that companies come to Komfi having outgrown a smaller machine that has been a first step into lamination, finding that they need to step up to higher speed machines. The Friedheim approach is built around an ROI model according to a user's work profile.
The Matrix laminators that Vivid Laminating produces are probably the most popular entry level machine, sold through a number of channels to a wide range of printers. They began as handfed machines, suited to very short runs only, acquired a feeder to provide a level of automation and can be supplied with a deep pile feeder to run without intervention for a much longer time.
Vivid undoubtedly popularised the concept of foiling, using the process as a demonstration during the many exhibitions the company attends as part of its marketing strategy. Since a first appearance at Duplo's London Calling event in 2015, the value added that over-laminate foiling can deliver has become a major plank of its marketing.
The technique suits short runs. For anything above a couple of hundred sheets it can be more cost effective and faster to procure a die and foil either on a dedicated machine or an adapted windmill platen.
This is why Autobond, the UK's leading producer of thermal laminators, is not promoting it. Its machines are industrial units whatever the format, cleverly positioning themselves alongside Heidelberg in terms of presentation. Each has a Heidelberg feeder, indicative of this approach.
Autobond has machines at book printers across the world handing covers for paperbacks or jackets for case bound books where the volumes dictate that conventional foiling be used. There is a digital model in the line up, but aimed at the higher volume users rather than printers producing a handful of book covers a week.
This does not mean that digital enhancement is not possible or not offered. It can add Xaar inkjet heads to offered a spot varnish, on top say of a matt laminate or a coloured film. It is even considering a four-colour inkjet array, says managing director John Gilmore.
"We have built a laminator for sheets coming off a KBA Rapida 205 for a customer in the US and we can go down for SRA3 sheets. It's about adding value through a high build spot varnish to give an embossed effect for greetings cards. We have also adapted a Weko spray powder unit and Meech static eliminator to apply glitter using the laminator.
Autobond used to supply its own films, but sold this operation last year to Graphic Imaging Films, the UK's leading supplier and the only one able to sell the soft touch materials made by Derprosa. These are increasingly popular in book publishing and now in luxury packaging. Soft touch offers a measure of tactile engagement as well as the protective layer desired of a laminate film.
Nevertheless the majority of the volume GIF supplies is gloss, matt, and silk films. There are also the foils for over lamination in metallic and solid colours.
Among the new materials are holographic films which have been available in polyester foil are now available in the BOPP films that thermal laminators prefer.
"It means that anyone can use these products," he says. There is also a section of anti scuff films for digitally printed sheets and a growing range of soft touch films in different metallic and solid colours. The appeal of these is in luxury packaging where laminating can be added to other high impact effects. "There's a lot more we can tap into," he says, "and quite a few more products that we can bring on board.
If GIF is the largest supplier, it is not the only one. D&K will offer films to users of its UK built laminators.
These include nylon films that are, it says, becoming popular for book covers where Europe is beginning to follow the example of the US, polyester films used on packaging and OPP films used for other specialist applications.
The latest film is scuff resistant, non reflective polyester film it sells as Diamond Hard Velvet Matt, replacing its Ultra Matt films with improved consistency to the coating layer. This is produced at D&K's US operation and is beginning to reach Europe in versions suited to different product and process types, including one with the super stick backing for laminating HP Indigo printed sheets.
Chinese company KDX was also at Ipex, giving most visitors their first sight of a range of films that is popular in Asia. In China the company produces films for 50% of the flat screen televisions made in that country, says Jonathan Collett. The automobile sector is another strong customer with demanding requirements.
"We are trying to offer something a little different," he says. "We know that the market is very price driven and we know we need to be competitive and we are doing so by ensuring that our films carry a little more adhesive and more coating than our competitors.
"This results in a choice of thicknesses across standard films to match the requirements of the laminators or products. The evenness of the film is a further attribute.
The tactile film is described as Silky Matt with the same characteristics and suited to both digital and litho printing. Other speciality films cover silver, gold and copper metallics, holographic, textured and white, one of the films that is intended to be printed on after lamination.
The company will also offer sample quantities of these materials to encourage companies to test them. "It creates an interest and give users wider knowledge that they can market to their customers," he says.
D&K, however, is not going to be a specialist film provider to supply the multitude of machines and applications available.
At Ipex the interest in laminating was equally addressed by D&K which launched a double-sided machine for the photobook sector, IFS did likewise with the Foliant Taurus 4x4, while Friedheim quickly sold the two Komfi laminators it had on show. Vivid demonstrated its portfolio with Watkiss showing two models.
Morgana used the show to preview the two models of the Laminator 450, one a handfed machine, the other the Pro version with an automatic feeder that, says marketing manager Wendy Baker, customers have been looking for.
These are now officially part of the portfolio and the first installed at Newprint in Newmarket.
It is produced to Morgana's specification by a company with long experience in producing laminators. "We had been selling another laminator, but we wanted one with a pile feeder because our customers have been asking for this," she says.
It can be supplied with an optional foiling kit as well as handling a full range of thermal films.
With a long sheet feeder, this technique is ideal for book jackets, something that was part of the Taking Print Further event with Kodak. Print was on the Nexpress, Morgana laminated, decorated and PUR bound it.
"We were concerned about the impact of fusing temperature with some digital presses, but this is not an issue with the Nexpress," says Baker.
Terry Cooper Services offers the Spanish built Bagel laminators where engineers work closely with the film producers at Derprosa. Various models are available from those aimed at digital print to the Falcon B1 sheet laminator.
The most popular model is the DigiFav, a B2 machine designed to cope with short run digital or litho print, yet robust enough for a trade house.
Watkiss supplies a number of laminators in the Mamo range from a table top model to one with a suction feed and automation to allow it to run unattended.
An important part of the appeal, says Jo Watkiss, is the simplicity of operation, from setting the feeder to threading the laminating film with automatic bursting to minimise further interventions.
"Most people we sell to are bringing lamination in house for the first time," she says. "This is because the costs of sending short runs out have become prohibitive.
Southampton printer Inprint Litho has taken delivery of the UK's first Komfi Amiga 52 with Over Toner Foiling, to open up new value add opportunities for customers using different styles of foiling on personalised and short run jobs.
The service will be offered to customers of the traditional litho business, to customers through its BetterPrint.com website and through a new website built to promote the capabilities of the thermal laminator.
The company saw the product on the Friedheim International stand at Ipex last year, leading to a deal and installation of the laminator in a factory alongside two five-colour Sakurai presses, Xerox and Konica Minolta digital and large format printers.
The technique, available on many laminators, is an increasingly popular offering as the cost of conventional foiling becomes out of kilter with demands for short runs or even personalised foiling which is impossible using conventional foiling die technology.
He reckons that longer run jobs, amounting to 50% of the volume is still sent out. The process not only increases the value of a sheet, it helps prevent cracking and marking that can occur on digitally printed sheets, particularly as the company has been able to crease and fold immediately following lamination to increase speed of turnaround.
As online printing becomes more important to the business, speed of turnaround will be an increasingly important factor.
Makin says that around half of sales are generated through the BetterPrint.com and MarketingBuilder.co.uk websites. It has created another, Strutcards.co.uk to promote the lamination and foiling service.
This shows the range of laminate films that can be used and effects that can be generated through application of spot UV effects, metallic and coloured foils to enhance the point of sale display products.
Swiftprint has a Matrix with the foiling option, after realising that it needed something more robust than its table top laminator. And managing director Phil Earle has not regretted the move. "It has opened a few doors for us," he says.
The company has found foiling very effective on wedding stationery sold through its Wedding Angels sister company. Many of its customers like the idea of foiling their invitations but are discouraged by the £150 set up charge, says Earle. With the digital application of foil, this is no longer an issue.
The machine was bought purely for its laminating capabilities. Now the creative opportunities have been to the fore. There is a learning curve says Earle, "and it still amazes us how it works.
And for Swiftprint it works on business cards, greetings cards on short print runs. Similarly short run packaging is an avenue for the business to explore. It has also attracted work that the company would previously have had to send away. More importantly it has allowed Swiftprint to retain work that might otherwise have been attracted away by the lower prices the online giants can offer. "We find that people will pay for very, very good quality at the end of the job," says Earle.
Central Foiling, a Birmingham trade house, has installed a straight laminator without additional foiling option.
The company has installed a Bagel DigiFav-B2 from Terry Cooper Services. "We have dealt with TCS for 30 years, so we know we will be looked after," says Boland. "We liked the DigiFav because it was a substantially built system with a compact footprint. It has been very positive so far. We have had no problems with it. In fact, we recently put a 1,000 run job on it which was then foiled. This took five hours whereas previously it would have taken at least three days.
The company has extended its factory will a mezzanine floor to cope with WIP as jobs can be stacked for some while as they undergoes the various processes on offer, from multiple foiling options, die cutting embossing and now lamination which saves on having to send work out.
IFS says that the Foliants it supplies will have the over foiling options.
Komfi's Amiga model is the most popular, says Friedheim.
Autobond says that its users are using different materials and looking for additional impacts.
Lamination can add a tactile result to packaging for a luxury product.
High impact effects can be produced for short runs, says Jo Watkiss.


Kanniyar Kali (Malayalam: കന്നിയാർ കളി) is a folk dance ritual performed in Temples of villages in Alathur and Chittur Taluk of Palakkad district of Kerala. The event is usually a part of Vishu celebrations of the village and usually succeeds the Vela ( Village Fair) and is usually performed during the months of April and May. It is an agricultural festival dance of Nair community. Kanniyar Kali, despite the name of the Virgin, does not have anything to do with the Kannaki cult.
The dance is performed at night and ends at dawn and is conducted for four consecutive nights .In certain villages it is conducted only for three consecutive nights.
The dances start every night with the men of the community gathering in the temples and performing a rhythmic circular dance called vattakali(vattakali literally means a circular dance). The vattakali is followed by several 'puraattu' , which literally means farce. The purattu does not have a standard format and each purattu lasts for an hour approximately. The purattu depicts the life and social customs of various castes and tribes of medieval Kerala and Tamil Nadu.Since the purattu depict various heterogeneous castes and tribes , the various purattus have different costumes,style of dancing and songs with different tempos.Certain purattu which depict fierce tribes or warrior tribes have performances resembling stick fights and martial movements whereas certain other purattus have slow and rhythmic movements. Certain purattus are laced with humor and depict a scenario wherein a long lost husband and wife have a reunion.
It is performed in a specially made square stage called as pandal. The pandal is located in front of the temple or its premises.It consists of a lighted lamp in the centre and consists of a roof supported by nine pillars.The singers occupy the central position of the stage and the dancers dance along the periphery of the pandal in a circular manner.
The songs are mostly in Malayalam and certain purattus have songs in which there is a heavy influence of Tamil.
The accompanying instruments are the Elatalam, Chenda and the chengalam. Maddalam is an accompaniment in vattakali.
The participants are solely men and women are represented by cross-dressing men who imitate the body language and way of speaking of women.
^ Malayalam Literary Survay, Volume 1, Issue 2-4. Kerala Sahithya Akademi, 1977. p. 185.
^ T. Madhava Menon. A Handbook of Kerala, Volume 2. International School of Dravidian Linguistics, 2002. p. 423.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kanyarkali.


Print maker, designer and Illustrator.
Fine art giclée reproductions of original works by Lewes Austen Cooper.
Lewes' work explores youth, beauty and their ineludible connection with death.
His technique involves photography, digital design and a print process called monoprinting to produce experimental works of art.


One-third to two-thirds of Earth's permafrost will disappear by 2200, unleashing vast quantities of carbon into the atmosphere, according to a study by the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
"The amount of carbon released is equivalent to half the amount of carbon that has been released into the atmosphere since the dawn of the industrial age," said NSIDC scientist Kevin Schaefer.
The carbon from permanently frozen ground, known as permafrost, will make its impact, not only on the climate, but also on international strategies to reduce climate change.
"If we want to hit a target carbon concentration, then we have to reduce fossil fuel emissions that much lower than previously calculated to account for this additional carbon from the permafrost," Schaefer said.
The carbon comes from plant material frozen in soil during the last ice age of the Pleistocene. The icy soil has trapped and preserved the biomass for more than 10,000 years.
Permafrost that took tens of thousands of years to form will melt in less than 200 years.
Now, permafrost is thawing in a warming climate, and the biomass will thaw and decay, releasing carbon into the atmosphere like any other decomposing plant material.
To predict how much carbon will enter the atmosphere, the thaw and decay of organic matter currently frozen in permafrost was modeled, under potential future warming conditions as predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
It was found that between 29 and 59 percent of the permafrost will disappear by 2200. That permafrost took tens of thousands of years to form, but will melt in less than 200.
It is estimated that an extra 190 gigatons plus or minus 64 gigatons of carbon will enter the atmosphere by 2200, which is about one-fifth the total amount of carbon currently in the atmosphere today.
Carbon emissions from thawing permafrost will require greater reductions in fossil fuel emissions, to limit the atmospheric carbon dioxide to some maximum value associated with a target climate.
1st image above: A satellite image of pingos and kettle lakes in Siberian permafrost terrain; 2nd image - patterned ground, Photo Olafur Ingolfsson; 3rd image - Patterned ground with ice wedge polygons. First 3 images NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
4th image: Bogs surrounding Hudson Bay, Canada, Photo Lee Klinger, Copyright © University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.
It is feared that Siberia's thawing lake region, which comprises 90 percent of the Russian permafrost zone, will release methane into the atmosphere at a rate that will overwhelm human actions to curtail carbon dioxide emissions.
As permafrost thaws as a result of global warming caused by more atmospheric carbon dioxide, large quantities of methane are released. This causes more warming in a vicious exacerbating cycle.
Permafrost then thaws at an even faster rate, dumping a greater volume of methane into the atmosphere. And so it carries on with global warming increasing exponentially. Scientists refer to this as a positive feedback loop.
Chris Field, director of global ecology at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, says "that's the thing that is scary about this whole thing. There are lots of mechanisms that tend to be self-perpetuating and relatively few that tend to shut it off."
Sergei Kirpotin of Tomsk State University describes permafrost melting as an "ecological landslide that is probably irreversible". He says the entire western Siberian sub-Arctic region began to melt in about 2002 or 2003.
Larry Smith of the University of California Los Angeles, has estimated that the western Siberian bog alone contains 70 billion tonnes of methane, which is 25 percent of all methane stored on the land surface worldwide.
When organic matter decomposes in air, the gas produced escapes as carbon dioxide. However much of the yedoma in Siberia lies at the bottom of thaw lakes, which produces methane when it decomposes under water.
The greenhouse gas methane, has a global warming potential 30 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period.
As methane (CH4), it has a shorter life of about a decade. Eventually it oxidizes to become carbon dioxide which then stays in the atmosphere for more than a hundred years.
Methane concentration in the atmosphere has increased from about 750 parts/billion (ppb) in the mid-18th century, to 1850 ppb in 2010.
Siberia is one of the fastest warming regions on Earth - average temperatures have increased 3°C during the last 40 years.
Siberian warming is believed to be a result of man-made climate change, a cyclical change in atmospheric circulation known as the Arctic oscillation, together with feedbacks caused by melting ice.
Exposure of darker bare ground and ocean absorb a greater amount of solar heat than white ice and snow.
Scientific findings on permafrost in Siberia are a strong reminder that it is evident that immediate, massive reductions in global warming gas emissions into the atmosphere are necessary to prevent runaway, irreversible climate change.
It has been known that feedbacks could exacerbate global warming, however, it was assumed that these changes would occur when warming was more advanced.
Permafrost thaw, polar ice reduction, and tropical rainforest drought are major climate change events that are occurring sooner, and at a greater pace than previously predicted. It is a strong indicator that the world is running out of time.
Copyright © 2011 TerraNature Trust. All rights reserved.