text:
News, info, live news - Radio France Internationale - RFI
RFI in 16 languages
RFI English
RFI World
Listen to RFI News
The Sound Kitchen
RFI's very own songbird
Listen Download Podcast
Paris Live PM 1300 - 1400 GMT
News bulletin 07/16 13h00 GMT
13h00 - 14h00 GMT
Latest broadcasts
7/16/19 International report
Blame it on the juice!
Sex education gets serious in Senegal
7/13/19 The Sound Kitchen
Life after death in Sutherland, Texas
For an optimal navigation, the RFI website requires JavaScript to be enabled in your browser.
To take full advantage of multimedia content, you must have the Flash plugin installed in your browser. To connect, you need to enable cookies in your browser settings. For an optimal navigation, the RFI site is compatible with the following browsers: Internet Explorer 8 and above, Firefox 10 and +, Safari 3+, Chrome 17 and + etc.
French minister resigns after luxury dinners scandal - official
US Japan Donald Trump Shinzo Abe
Trump meets first foreign leader, Japan's Abe
By Claire Rush Issued on 17-11-2016 Modified 17-11-2016 to 16:51
Donald Trump Reuters
The American president-elect was to host Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday at Trump Tower headquarters in New York. Security and trade were at the top of the meeting's agenda.
Abe's request to meet Trump before he takes office reflects growing concern over US foreign policy in Japan.
Some of Trump's campaign promises have called into question longstanding agreements between the two countries, such as the presence of US military bases in Japan.
Trump has also vowed to block the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a vast free trade deal involving Japan, the US and 10 other Pacific Rim countries.
"It's a smart move from the Japanese prime minister," says Barthélémy Courmont, researcher at the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs.
"We've seen over the past few days that Trump is hesitating and taking positions that are not as tough as what he said during his campaign. So Abe is trying to take advantage of this very particular period of time in between two presidencies in order to influence the newly elected US president about the necessity to keep the TPP."
Strategic alliance
The alliance between the US and Japan since the end of World War II has been crucial to the east Asian country's defense and economy.
It is significant that Abe is the first foreign leader meeting with Trump, according to Andrew Staples, Director for the Economist Corporate Network in south-east Asia.
"Japan is one of the United States' staunchest allies," he says.
Staples explains that Trump's call to withdraw American troops from Japan "has caused great concern in the region".
"America's commitment to the post-war order in east Asia seems to be questioned, so that's a major issue that Abe will want to get some reassurance on."
US security umbrella
The US has 85 military facilities and more than 50,000 troops in Japan, whose constitution forbids it from using force to settle international disputes.
This clause, imposed on Japan by the US after World War II, limits its armed forces to a strictly defensive role.
As China claims more territory in the East and South China Seas and North Korea tests more missiles, Japan is becoming more concerned about its security.
"The question around the US security umbrella is basically the most important partnership and strategic alliance across the Asia-Pacific region," says Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy.
According to Lee-Makiyama, Trump's questioning of the merits of the US security umbrella in the region amounts to "questioning the existence of Japan as a country".
Trade and the pivot to Asia
During his campaign Trump strongly opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement involving the US, Japan and 10 other Pacific Rim countries.
The deal, which has yet to be ratified, was championed by President Barack Obama as part of his "pivot to Asia" strategy.
China, however, is not included in the TPP, which is a big reason why Japan wants it ratified.
"The Japanese really believe in the possibility of the TPP to counter the rise of China," says Courmont.
"They believe that this agreement is the best guarantee for them to remain a significant power in east Asia."
Paris climate change treaty …
Sarkozy proposes carbon tax on US …
What Donald Trump's election could …
15/07/2019 Tour de France 2019
France's Alaphilippe extends Tour lead as Aert wins stage 10
15/07/2019 Soccer Neymar Football
Neymar finally shows up for PSG training - a week late
15/07/2019 Sport Football Senegal
Africa Cup of Nations: Five things we learned on Day 24
Bad sex and fake fur: Russians trash 'The Last Czars'
Trump says does not have 'racist bone' in his body
Qatar's Al-Attiyah dominates Silk Way rally
Thomas hoping to give favourite McIlroy 'a run' at Portrush
Mixed earnings at large US banks as Fed rate cut looms
American consumer spending marches higher in June
Europe's rights court rules against Russia in LGBT case
About RFI
Buy content
RFI store
Related productions
RFI in other languages
Listen to RFI
Become a partner radio
RFI is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites
Audience ratings certified by ACPM/OJD
Sorry but the period of time connection to the operation is exceeded.


Last month, Full House fans and Hallmark Christmas movie lovers like myself were dealt a crippling blow when it was revealed Lori Loughlin was one of more than 40 people who were arrested for their role in a massive college admissions scandal.
Loughlin was one of many parents who were caught on tape trying to figure out unscrupulous ways to game the system with the assistance of William Singer, who essentially served as a fixer who spent his days scheming up ways to get the children of rich people into schools they had no business attending from an academic standpoint.
The actress and her husband allegedly paid Singer $500,000 to get their daughter (and aspiring influencer) Olivia Jade into the University of Southern California even though she had no interest in attending the school in the first place (she promptly dropped out after news of the scandal broke so that money really went to good use).
Hallmark immediately cut ties with Loughlin and Netflix would ultimately follow suit but that was just the beginning of the end for her. After getting hit with a number of felony charges, she decided to reject a plea deal that would have required her to serve two years in prison because she assumed prosecutors were bluffing only to quickly discover they were most certainly not when she was indicted yet again.
Loughlin is currently looking at up to 40 years in prison if she's found guilty, and from the looks of things, she's going to have to come up with a pretty good excuse if she wants to wiggle her way out of this one. However, if a new report is to be believed, excuses are decidedly not her strong point.
The "I didn't know I couldn't do that" defense might have worked out well for Dave Chappelle's friend Chip but something tells me it's not going to fly in a court of law.
Good luck, Lori. You're probably going to need it.


Premium Android phones went off track in the second quarter. Photo by -Jeffrey- on Flickr.
It's late, yes. But all the results are now in for the second quarter (April-June) of the smartphone business.
The TL:DR: high-end Android OEMs had a terrible second quarter. The smartphone business generally grew less quickly than for a couple of years as China stagnated overall. But not for Apple; by contrast, it grew strongly. Samsung's Galaxy S6 did not impress the punters. LG's G4 sold less well than apparently the company hoped. Sony had a torrid time. HTC then redefined torrid. Premium Android has a real, immediate problem.
A year back, in the second quarter of 2014, the combination of Samsung, HTC, LG, Sony, Motorola and Lenovo together shipped a total of 129.4m smartphones. (Samsung shipped 74.9m of them, or 58% of them.) The whole smartphone market constituted 301.4m devices, so that group had 43% of it.
In the second quarter of 2015, the combination of that same group (with Motorola now owned by Lenovo) shipped a total of 114.7m devices. Samsung shipped (an estimated, as always) 73.2m, or 64% of them. The whole smartphone market was 337.2m, so that group had 34% of it.
• None of the Android OEMs shipped more handsets than in the year-ago period.
• None made more operating profit than in the year-ago period. Quite a few lost money, including Sony and HTC – in the latter's case, enough that its future as an independent company is in serious doubt.
HTC: all revenues from smartphones – zero from the Nexus 9 tablet (pretty certainly true), zero from the HTC Re camera (probably true). The shipment figure comes from IDC, so is definitive.
Sony: all revenues and profits from smartphones; zero from tablets – of which it shifted fewer than 1.6m, given IDC's numbers; and zero profit from tablets.
LG: $100 average selling price for the 1.6m tablets that IDC says it shifted in the quarter (and it seems to have a range of eight). Tablets assumed to have zero profit, though they might have made some loss that made everything else look worse.
Samsung: featurephones (it shipped 15.8m) sold for $15, zero profit; tablets (7.6m) sold for $175, zero profit. If the tablets or featurephones made any profit, then the profit from smartphones were lower.
Lenovo: assuming the 2.5m tablets it sold had an ASP of $100, and zero operating profit. If the tablet ASP was lower, Lenovo smartphone revenues were higher; if the tablets were profitable, per-smartphone loss was greater.
Microsoft Mobile: the figures here have to be backed out from the headline smartphone revenue ($1.23bn) and stated gross margin (-$104m). Microsoft shipped 19.4m featurephones; assume they had an ASP of $15 and made zero profit (same as with Samsung). The Lumia ASP has to be estimated, but seems reasonable.
Perhaps, although HTC's problem might be that the product is underwhelming. It's the same product it's been making for three years; nothing has changed. Meanwhile Sony can't get the distribution: carriers seems to be edging away from it, and you have to go back to Q1 2012 to find it shipping fewer phones. And LG – despite having a great camera in the G4, which is usually what sells a phone – doesn't seem to have broken through in a big way. And yes, that really is an operating profit of 1.6 cents per phone.
Samsung seems to have had the same problem: its Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge have sold below pretty much everyone's expectations (especially those who gave it an overheated welcome for its iPhone-alikeness – which I never thought would be a selling point; who wants faux for the same price as real?).
Note that the total number of handsets from the listed Android OEMs is down in 2015 compared to both previous years, despite the smartphone market being bigger than ever (figures from IDC). I've left out "Others", which are principally lower-end Android phones.
The only one that's doing better is Apple: not only is it selling more handsets, its average selling price (ASP) of $660 was one of its highest ever. It's clearly not chasing the low-end buyers (or if it is, it's not finding them).
A clearer way to see this is to graph the growth in revenues from smartphones for these companies.
Apple has seen 50%+ revenue growth from iPhones in the past three quarters; rivals have faded.
Note that they're all lower than the year-ago period. Add slowing revenues, and you get a picture of fewer top-end phones sold.
And now add Apple: note how its ASPs have risen.
There's a contrast with rivals.
This makes it pretty clear, I think, that Apple is cruising ahead, while the others are struggling recently. Lenovo/Motorola isn't included because its figures aren't comparable year-on-year.
And in the west, there isn't the same appetite for continued upgrades that there was; people are upgraded out. Does the Galaxy S6 really offer anything special over the S4 or S5? If anything, Samsung has pared back on both the software and hardware features – it doesn't have some of the weird things where you waved hands to scroll screens, nor the microSD card and removable battery that a number of previous Samsung buyers liked. As I said before, Samsung must know how many people actually use the removable battery. But maybe that's like buying a car with airbags: you don't expect to need them, you just want to know they're there in an emergency.
and that's just this year's models. The Galaxy S5 and Note 4 from last year are still on sale. Samsung seems to be trying to segment demand by not making the Edge Plus available in the same places as the Note 5.
I don't think the crash in premium Android sales is a one-off. The competition from low- and mid-priced devices is fierce now, and yet these companies don't seem to be putting any clear blue water between them; they're not offering anything better than they did a year ago.
Case in point: Samsung's Galaxy Note 5 has a smaller battery, also non-removable, than last year's Note 4; and no SD card – which has pissed off some former Note buyers. How does that compete against the Xiaomis and Oppos and OnePlus phones of this world, which are much the same spec for less? Or even the iPhone 6 Plus, which has a better-adapted app store, and costs less?
More than ever, the smartphone business is turning into one where only two companies make money from handsets – and increasingly, only one gets the top-end business. For the rest, they need something new to come along that they can get into and make some profit. Android Wear smartwatches don't seem to be setting the world alight; will VR be the next big thing? Or IoT? Or self-driving cars? At this point, anyone that isn't Apple or Samsung seems to be praying for a miracle.
Update: there's a discussion on this post at Hacker News.
This entry was posted in journalism by charlesarthur. Bookmark the permalink.
The words "premium" and "Android" go together like oil and water. Just saying the two together cracks me up!
High-end Android has meaningfully translated raw specs into better user experience until around 2013. After which increases in specs for the high end brought very little to the real world table, while the low end devices heavily caught up in to deliver "good enough" level of performance.
Absolutely correct – thank you.
Not an analyst … So not going to tell you what this means for next year … But Apple's big jump in ASP seems to be a function of the 16/64/128 GB configurations. Proportionately, sales of 16 and 128 GB machines were on glide path, but there was a big jump in 64 GB phones. Duh … folks who were on the fence about spending an extra $100 for a 32 obviously bit when it was a 64 GB device instead.
I'm not sure if this was subterfuge marketing from Apple, or if it was just a function of chip supplies. But it worked, and it's a stunt that they could pull off again, maybe with something other then just memory.
How does a company sell twice as many phones as Apple and still not make a profit? It makes no sense that Apple makes that much money on selling less devices than Samsung unless there are some other manufacturing/shipping and other logistics we are not seeing here.
1) Samsung sold (an estimated) 73.2m smartphones v 47.5m for Apple – so Apple sold a third fewer.
2) Fewer devices, not less. Less coffee, fewer coffee beans.
3) Samsung does make a profit – estimated here at $33.33 per handset, more than any other Android vendor we know of. It's less than Apple's because as the ASP implies, there are lots of cheaper phones. The cheaper ones generate less profit. There should actually be economies of scale from making/shipping more, but of course you have to get them to the right place. The figures here include marketing/shipping and other logistics costs (that's implied in the term "operating profit" supplied by Samsung).
Samsungs new devices are less capable than the previous generation in many respects (no SD, no removable battery, worse battery life than previous models), HTC devices are getting bigger and uglier, Sony when you can find devices are so fragile the glass is cracking on peoples nightstands, LG devices were expensive. And all of them where introducing a complicated mix of models and specs so brand loyalty was being punished. Apple meantime stuck to a predictable schedule and delivered solid features (even if their marketing hype pretends they invent a lot of things, as opposed to merely better marketing!) and they keep their OS clean – no OEM or carrier bloat/spyware eating battery and stealing storage. The fragmented nature of the Android market isn't helping them either… they add niche features like the Edge side notification area but apps don't use it so it's a waste. Then when folks like One Plus rock up and deliver the same (or better) specs for 3/5ths of the price the smarter segment of the early adopter crowd defect and the halo effect the big brands need goes out the window.
Isn't Motorola trying to get into this space of premium/useable feature set at cost conscious prices?
Yes, Motorola (under its newest owner, Lenovo) is certainly doing that. Indeed it was one of the first to head that way when owned by Google with the Moto E/X/G, and definitely succeeded in offering phones with good features at very attractive prices.
Motorola's constant problem though is that it can't make an operating profit. Since it was spun off from the Big Motorola in the first quarter of 2010, it has had (by my count) exactly two quarters when it made an operating profit – both of those in 2010.
I'd say, on balance, that other companies are doing the "premium features at cost-conscious prices" game better than Motorola.
Firstly, whilst I appreciate your angle is on the profit margins of large corporations which is important to some, surely there is a major achievement here which is not being celebrated?
Great phones in the hands of the masses, you can nitpick about the OS or the build quality but in many cases this is reaching near flagship levels on devices a third of the price of others.
Secondly, do you see some kind of doomsday scenario for the consumers of these devices, why are any of these companies still making android phones, why haven't they given up and moved onto other product lines which actually make them profit? Do you see that as the next logical step or is there some kind of Kingsman-style Valentine plot in the offing? Why should the general man in the street care about Apple or Samsung's profits?
Because they have huge investments in making smartphones: factories, contracts, shipping contracts, employees. These are not enterprises into which one enters with eyes closed, nor leaves lazily. Look at how BlackBerry is still clinging on to the rump of a handset business; look at how Microsoft continues despite losing a ton of money.
Also: because there isn't any obvious space at the moment to move into preferentially.
And: expertise in making smartphones should pay off for the internet of things – same technologies apply in many cases.
I doubt they do. But they see the effects of those profits in the form of phones that are cutting-edge in manufacturing expertise, features, software and distribution because those two companies make the profits that allow them to reinvest in those things. If you don't make a profit, or the relevant part of the business doesn't make a profit, you're not going to invest heavily in it.
Actually, Randy, it does. The second meaning in my dictionary for "torrid" is "full of difficulty". It's a British meaning, but then I'm British.
My first guess was that you were mashing "terrible" and "horrid" into "torrid". "Sony and HTC had a torrid time" sounds quite amusing in the U.S., suggesting that the two companies were making out in the back of the bus or something.
But if your usage is kosher over in the U.K., then so be it! I can now say I learned something today.
So, the dumb f—s simulaneously market on the basis of 'We're not Apple' and remove the main thing that was actually good and useful about their not being Apple– upgradable memory and replaceable batteries– and now they're wondering why their little bundles of hackable joy aren't just flying off the shelves.
Wonder if these organizations will ever be able to copy the spirit of Apple. Focus on creating few insanely great products; revenues and profits will take care of themselves.
The Achilles' Heel of the all high-end Android players is software. All of them are hopelessly dependent on Google to survive and whatever customization or bloatware they or the carriers put in their devices and spotty updates actually make the end user experience even worse regardless of the underlying hardware. Yet on the other hand, Motorola and Xiaomi proves that you don't spend astronomical amounts on bleeding edge hardware to enjoy a good enough Android experience.
It's the race to the bottom PC cycle again, v2.0.
Curious on your thoughts about the Nexus 5X and 6P announcements impact on the premium Android market. My layman's perspective is that further price pressure caused by the Nexus line will further hurt the premium market.
The Nexus lines tend to sell in small numbers – perhaps a million or so? – but they are likely to cream off the top-end buyers who really care about the software experience. Notable that they are pricier than in the past. But you're right that they contribute to downward price pressure on the premium makers.


text:
BC Farms & Food
News, Local Food and Farms in British Columbia
Farm Map
Open Source Seeds
Keeping Seeds in the Public Domain
by BC Farms & Food - Permalink
Even as local food movements bloom like flowers across North America, their initiatives for community control over food face a nearly invisible threat from multinational seed patent holders like Monsanto and DuPont—the loss of public domain seed. In response to this threat, a group of concerned scientists, plant breeders and seed growers have launched a new model, the Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI), to keep seeds as a common resource for humanity.
Since agriculture began, farmers have saved their seed for the following year. Over the last 10,000 years they improved food crops by selecting the seeds from the healthiest and most productive plants. These seeds were the shared common property of the farming communities that grew them and the basis of their survival and prosperity.
During the 19th century, governments in North America searched the world for new crop varieties to release into the public domain and thereby strengthen their agriculture. This tradition continued in the 20th century as almost all major new crop varieties were created and developed by publicly funded agricultural institutions. The private sector consisted of numerous small seed companies that acquired and repackaged seeds developed in the public domain.
Hybrids, Patents and a Changed Agriculture
This template changed in the 1930s with the development of hybrid seeds, the first major form of proprietary seed production. In some plant species such as corn, inbreeding allows the concentration of favourable genetic characteristics, although generally at a cost of plant vigour. When two inbred lines with desirable characteristics are crossed, the favourable characteristics show up in the first generation along with increased general vigour. These qualities disappear in succeeding generations. If you want to continue to grow the successful variety, you have to acquire the first generation (F1) seed from the hybrid grower.
The development of hybrids coincided with the industrialization, concentration, and standardization of agriculture after World War II. To increase yields, private companies bred plants to optimize them for machine harvesting and long-distance transport. As corporations took over family farms, they saturated North American agriculture with a limited group of profitable seed varieties, resulting in a major loss of genetic diversity. Seed prices rose and monoculture farming became increasingly dependent on fertilizers and insecticides, which pollute the environment.
In the 1950s, large agribusiness corporations began to privatize plant varieties. Thirty years later, the development of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) continued the trend toward limited genetic diversity, and today threatens to create a biologically unstable and nutritionally impoverished food system. In 2013, according Center for Food Safety (CFS), three transnational agrochemical corporations, DuPont, Monsanto and Syngenta dominated 53 percent of the global commercial seed market.
An Open Source Seed Alternative
Now a group of scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in collaboration with citizens, plant breeders, farmers, seed companies and gardeners, have borrowed the open source software model from the computer industry to protect seed diversity. The Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI) is a pledge printed on every seed packet developed under its provisions that guarantees the seeds enclosed can be grown, bred, or shared for replanting but never patented or privatized. When a user opens the seed packet they agree to abide by its provisions. The OSSI pledge states:
This Open Source Seed pledge is intended to ensure your freedom to use the seed contained herein in any way you choose, and to make sure those freedoms are enjoyed by all subsequent users. By opening this packet, you pledge that you will not restrict others' use of these seeds and their derivatives by patents, licenses, or any other means. You pledge that if you transfer these seeds or their derivatives they will also be accompanied by this pledge.
The Open Source Seed Initiative is not just a legal free seed pledge but also a new seed breeding collective. As part of the seed initiative introduction, the group released 29 new varieties of vegetables and grains, including carrots, lettuce, celery, kale, squash, peppers, barley, spelt, and quinoa from breeders at universities and seed companies like High Mowing Organic Seeds and Wild Garden Seed.
Plant growers in Wisconsin know the Open Source Seed Initiative is a good start, but they also know we need a dramatically expanded network of citizen and local organization public domain plant breeders to make it happen. As Michael Pollan wrote in Second Nature: A Gardener's Education, "Seeds have the power to preserve species, to enhance cultural as well as genetic diversity, to counter economic monopoly and to check the advance of conformity on all its many fronts."
More articles:
Marsha Goldberg: Protecting Heritage Seeds
The Seeds of Sustainability
The Flowers of Next Year's Vegetables
10 Tips for Year-Round Vegetable Gardens
from → Climate Change Resilience, Gardening, Sustainable Agriculture
tags: open source seed, Open Source Seed Initiative, OSSI, public domain seed, seed patents, seed saving rights
One Response leave one →
Josh Fuller permalink
Commercialization of hybrid seed technologies happened as early as the 1920's with cotton.
Note: Your email address will never be published.
Climate Change Resilience
Potato, Leek and Ham Soup
Best Ways to Cook Potatoes
School Gardens: Preparing Kids for Climate Change
Extend the Growing Season
How to Save Tomato Seeds
Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects
Protecting Mother Nature at the Ballot Box
Green Pea Dip with Parmesan
A Low-Carbon Citrus Greenhouse in Canada
Tests Reveal Benefits of Eating Organic
Copyright 2020 BC Farms & Food. All Rights Reserved.
About Us / Contact Terms of Use Privacy Policy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I suspect that, like everyone, I find new inspiration at every turn, usually through people and their response to events around them, but often through something quite small and seemingly insignificant. On a train I was struck by how people sitting face to face across a table spoke openly about personal issues, oblivious to the crowded carriage. Just like in a Frank Lloyd Wright house, the high-backed seats had created a room within a room and a perception of privacy around them. We used this concept in our design for First Choice Travel to replace rows of impersonal seats across a long counter, which was then the sector norm.
However, a constant source of inspiration for me are the paintings of Howard Hodgkin. Through the use of colour, scale, shape, energy, the pleasure of the medium and pure visual beauty, his work has the ability to engage and make you understand the message at an instinctive level, without the need for further analysis. For me this is the essence of communication.
Someone once said that successful design was like telling a joke. If you have to explain it, you've failed. Perhaps Hodgkin would agree.


It's already being called "the fight of the year"
Nigerian MMA fighter Israel Adesanya earned himself a major title on Saturday, when he won the UFC 236 co-main event. MMA Weekly has called it the possible Fight of The Year.
The 29-year-old athlete took home the title after winning a tough match against Kevin Gastelum, which lasted 25-minutes and a total of five rounds. After with the judges picked Adesanya as the winner by unanimous decision.
The athlete celebrated his win on Twitter. Quoting the late rapper Nipsey Hussle whose music he walked out to, writing, "Spoke some things into the universe, and they appear."
"I don't think about scorecards. All I need is one round. I kept on saying in my native tongue, heart of a lion," se said in a post-math interview. "I have a tattoo of Nigeria with a lion inside on my chest. I was willing to die," he said. "I knew I was willing to give it all and leave it all in there."
The win has solidified the champion's 16-0 record, and has further cemented his status as a force in the UFC world. Next, he'll face middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.
In March, Nigerian-American fighter Kamaru Usman made history by becoming the first African UFC champion, and Adesanya is joining him in bringing African representation to the MMA world. The fighter spoke about his desire to bring the title to the continent and to have Usman involved.
He shared a picture of himself and Usman holding their UFC heavyweight belts on Instagram following his win.
"Imagine that," he is quoted as saying in the New Zealand publication Stuff. "Two young Nigerian boys who uprooted from Africa to look for a better way of life and then to go back to show the success we've had. I think that would be massive and inspire a lot of people."
Going through adversity in another land and then going back to show the fruits of our labour... I think it would be powerful," he added.
Following the fight, fans—particularly Nigerians—expressed their enthusiasm over Adesanya's big win.


text:
Robert Callister
Professor Robert Callister
Brain & Mental Health
I am interested in how the nervous system controls movement and how sensory information from our environment is processed by the nervous system, particularly in the spinal cord and brain stem.
In the motor system we study how motor neurons, the large cells in the spinal cord that control our muscles, regulate their activity and how they respond to inputs from other nerve cells. We also study how nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord communicate with each other, or synaptic transmission, which is driven by glycine & GABAA receptors. Many drugs act on these receptors to essentially reduce 'excitability' in nerve cell pathways, for example drugs that control spasticity after spinal cord injury, pain, and epilepsy.
For our sensory systems, we are interested in how signals that relate to the sensation of pain, touch and balance are processed in the spinal cord and brainstem under normal and pathological conditions (eg, chronic pain and spinal cord injury). We study sensory information processing in the spinal cord because it is the first region in the central nervous system where signals can be modified by the action of drugs before they reach the brain.
I had very inspiring teacher during my undergraduate education. I subsequently studied with her in the United States and became an academic and researcher.
Ultimately we hope to understand the factors that control nerve cell excitability and communication between nerve cells so they can be manipulated by therapies that treat nervous system diseases and improve recovery from injury, including spinal cord injury and stroke.
Professor Robert Callister is an established researcher in the HMRI Brain and Mental Health program and an academic within the University of Newcastle. He has held several key teaching and administrative positions including head of anatomy, executive committee memberships, and teaching of Medicine, Biomedical Science, Speech Therapy, Physiotherapy and Medical Radiation students. He is currently Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor (Research) for the Faculty of Health and Medicine.
Since completing his PhD in zoology and biological sciences (neurobiology) in 1990 at the University of Ohio, Professor Callister has undertaken successful postdoctoral positions at the University of Arizona and then the University of Newcastle, before accepting an academic appointment, which he still holds today.
Professor Callister's research interests are focused around how nerve cells regulate their excitability and how they talk to each other (called synaptic transmission) in the pathways which relay sensory information about what we touch, how we feel pain and our sense of balance to our spinal cord and brain. Altered excitability and communication between nerve cells occurs in both brain injury and many diseases of the nervous system. Some examples include chronic pain, epilepsy, spasticity, stroke, dizziness, dementia, and Parkinson's disease.
Professor Callister uses specialised techniques to measure nerve cell excitability and synaptic transmission. Ultimately he hopes to understand the factors that control nerve cell excitability and communication so they can be manipulated by therapies and treat disease.
Professor Callister has published more than 80 peer-reviewed research publications and has presented at many prestigious national and international conferences.
Specialised / Technical Skills
patch clamp recording
in vitro (spinal cord or brainstem slices) and in vivo (deeply anaesthetized) preparations
nerve cell-labelling techniques
using transgenic techniques
optogenetics to understand nerve cell function
HMRI Brain and Mental Health Program
Priority Research Centre for Brain and Mental Health
Jennie Thomas Medical Research Travel Grant
Kelly Smith, Associate Professor Brett Graham, Professor Bob Callister
The spinal cord is a key area in pain research as it is the first point in the central nervous system to receive pain signals and is also thought to be a key site for the establishment of chronic pain. In this region, there are many different types of nerve cells that receive pain signals.
Development of a laboratory model to study adult motoneurons
Dr Melissa Tadros, Professor Robert Callister
Motoneuron disease (MND) is an incurable illness that affects one's ability to move and interact with the environment.
Dizzy and Deaf – restoring signals from the inner ear
Dr Rebecca Lim, Professor Alan Brichta, Professor Robert Callister, Dr Doug Smith
Hearing and balance problems arise due to ageing, environmental assaults, medications, disease, and genetic disorders.
Recovery of the balance system following injury
Associate Professor Alan Brichta, Professor RJ Callister, Associate Professor PS Bolton, Dr P Jobling, Dr Rebecca Lim
Novel spinal cord targets for pain management
Dr Robert Callister, Dr Alan Brichta
Efferent modulation of hearing and the sense of balance
Dr Alan Brichta, Dr R Callister
View Robert's University of Newcastle profile


text:
༚༚༚
Aqua Thirteen
Landry's Locker
Ray Jay's Cove
Red Sea Squall
The Devil's Fork
The Ditka Digest
Vegas Autumn Wind
Home Football
Iceland vs Croatia Preview | Group D
Rory Norris
In the final kick-off of Group D, the rampant Croatia face perpetual fan-favourites Iceland. This game holds a great deal of importance for the Scandinavians. Anything but a win will eliminate Iceland from the tournament.
It has been a tale of two very different games for Iceland. In their opening fixture against group favourites Argentina, the nation exceeded all expectations by holding the South Americans to a draw. Throughout this game, Iceland exhibited the lethal combination of solid defense and electric counter-attack. Ultimately, they looked like the better side in this game, with the real surprise being that Argentina was able to hold on for the draw.
Their second game against Nigeria, however, was a completely different story. The side were sluggish, and couldn't keep up with the pacey Nigerian attackers, resulting in a 2-0 loss for the Scandinavians. After such a bright start, for Iceland to exit the tournament now would be a massive shame. Qualification still remains a possibility, however, with an Icelandic win and a loss for Argentina. The Scandinavian Dream may still be alive.
Tiny Iceland will struggle against Croatia
Croatia have enjoyed a dominant World Cup campaign thus far. The side currently sit comfortably atop the group after two wins from both their opening games. This also confirmed their qualification to the next round of the tournament. Throughout both fixtures, Croatia clearly seemed to be the better side. Their incredible midfield corps ensured that they held more than their fair share of possession.
Luka Modric, in particular, has looked like one of the best players in the tournament so far. Their defensive corps have shown to be incredibly solid throughout the tournament, keeping two clean sheets from both games. I expect another brilliant showing here- despite rumours that the side will rest some key players to guarantee their fitness for the next round.
The result of this game wholly depends on the extent to which Croatia rest their key players. Iceland may be able to find victory if they face a Croatian side deprived of players such as Modric and Perisic. The fans, surely, will be pulling for an Iceland victory, as am I. However, nearly every single match prediction I have made so far has been false.
I also lie dead last in my Fantasy World Cup League. With this in mind, my predictions clearly often go the complete opposite way. Therefore, I am predicting a wonderful 6-0 loss for Iceland. Iceland definitely will not win this game and progress to the next round.
For more like this, visit our dedicated football page here. Meanwhile, follow us on Facebook for more opinions and analysis right to your timeline.
Previous articleNigeria vs Argentina Preview | Group D
Next articleEngland v Australia T20 Preview
Are Manchester City Back?
Football Andy Davies - 11th January 2021 0
Manchester City reached the League Cup final last week, after beating local rivals Manchester United 2-0 at Old Trafford in the semi-final. With 5 wins...
Why Pochettino's PSG Move Suits Both Parties
Football Andy Davies - 6th January 2021 0
Mauricio Pochettino was appointed Paris Saint-Germain manager last week, almost fourteen months after he was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur. Thomas Tuchel was let go by...
Seattle Show Cons Of Crowning MVP Early On
Andy Davies - 19th January 2021
The Seattle Seahawks started the 2020 season 6-1 and many predicted them as a...
A Review Of The NFL Divisional Round
The NFL Divisional Round is complete. In the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Kansas...
What's with the Bristol City injury crisis?
Sam Moores - 17th January 2021
Over the past few years, Bristol City have always seemed to pick up injuries...
Why Mesut Özil is an Arsenal Legend
Emily Clogg - 16th January 2021
After almost 8 years in North London, Mesut Özil has parted ways with Arsenal...
The NFL Divisional Round gets underway tomorrow evening. Four of the eight teams left will...
Danny Ings: A Heartwarming Story
Danny Ings has scored 7 goals in the Premier League this season. He was...
Super Wildcard Weekend Review
Super Wildcard Weekend is over. After six games across the past two days, we...
Rob Holding Signs a New Deal at Arsenal
Following rumours that a new contract for Rob Holding was imminent, The Athletic have...
Manchester City reached the League Cup final last week, after beating local rivals Manchester...
NFL Wildcard Round Preview
Andy Davies - 9th January 2021
The NFL playoffs are here. Just fourteen teams remain. For the first time in NFL...
The Sports Despatch
Landry's Locker
Ray Jay's Cove
The Devil's Fork
Blue Wave Rising
Wolfpack Attack


text:
You are at:Home»Car Show»Autosport International Show 2016
Autosport International Show 2016
By Chris Andrews on	 January 22, 2016
The annual motorsport opus that is Autosport International delivered it's usual array of car launches, big announcements and classic racing machinery.
Visitors to were able to enjoy a host of different stands, attractions and performances and witness several big hitters from the world of speed being interviewed on the Autosport Stage. Former World Rally Championship holder Ari Vatanen reminisced about his long career in the sport and discussed his son Max's campaign in the British Rally Championship this year, alongside Elfyn Evans in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta.
Three-time FIA World Champion Petter Solberg enthralled crowds with his view on the growth of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, his recent title win and bid to defend it in 2016.
Over at the Performance Car Show, the Peugeot 205 GTi was announced as the winner of a global poll to name the best hot hatch ever. The 205 GTi and the nine cars it beat to the title were on display for the duration of the show, under the umbrella of Hot Hatch Nirvana. This exhibit also chronicled the rise of small, fast car gathering together an unrivalled collection of iconic cars that have defined and developed the genre over decades, under the umbrella of 'Evolution of the Hot Hatch'.
The Coys auction featured a mouthwatering mix of road, race and rally cars going under the hammer. Highlights of the sale included a rare 1974 Ferrari 246 GT Dino, an ex-Ford works Escort RS Cosworth and a 1982 ex-Russell Brookes Vauxhall Chevette rally car. There was feverish bidding for an Aston Martin DB2/4 MkIII which sold for £160,000, over £45,000 more than the guide price.
Elsewhere at Autosport International fans flocked to get up close to a grid of F1 cars more commonly seen at the world's grand prix circuits. Whilst a duo of former "Stigs" – Perry McCarthy and Ben Collins – regaled visitors with their his exploits on Top Gear and stunt work in Hollywood.
Pictures courtesy of Comac O'Dowd
Car Show Circuit Racing Rallycross Rallying RX
Chris Andrews
Chris, known as Cess on the forums, is a long time RMS member. He is a fervent motorsports enthusiast and lover of all things automotive. He can be found on the ditches of most Irish rallies, at Mondello watching drifting or in front of the TV watching motorbike racing.
RMS Forum Comments
Log in or Register Here to Reply
Read More on the Forum: Show all 0 comments


An example of a parable where Jesusas speaks of his special relationship with God is the parable of the vineyard (Mark 12:1-9). It is argued that Jesusas speaks of himself here as a special son who was sent by God to the people, but they refused to accept him and killed him.
In a similar fashion, based on Matthew 11:27, Christians argue that Jesusas is the only one who knew God: "All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." All such examples seem to fall into the third category.
As far as the first and second categories are concerned, Josh McDowell and Bart Larson provide a list of references in their book, Jesus: A Biblical Defense of His Deity, where Jesus Christas is either quoted as using special titles for himself or other authors of the New Testament have used such titles for him.
At first glance, this list looks quite impressive as it seems to ascribe to Jesusas nearly every title of God in accordance with the language of the Old Testament. However, upon closer inspection, the first thing that is noticed is the missing fundamental statement of Jesusas himself saying, "I am God." The entire list does not have any recorded statement of Jesusas where he calls himself "God" in an unambiguous manner.
The second thing that can be noticed from this list is that it is mostly the zealous authors of the books of the Bible who are giving these titles to Jesusas. If anyone truly knew his status, it was Jesusas himself. However, most of the mentioned titles are such that Jesusas never used them for himself. It is the books written decades after the crucifixion by anonymous authors which ascribe such titles to Jesusas or it is Paul's letters where such titles are given to Jesusas, and the fact is that Paul never met Jesusas in person.
An excellent example of this can be seen in John which starts with the words, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1.) Later, the author of John says, "And the Word became flesh" (John 1:14) in an apparent reference to Jesusas. Most scholars believe that the author is alluding to the divinity of Jesusas in these passages, but the remarkable thing is that Jesusas is not reported to have said such things about himself.
The author here apparently mirrors these passages with the beginning of Genesis in order to zealously compare Jesusas with God or to portray him as God but Jesusas himself is not recorded to have done that regarding himself. It is the author of John – a Gospel that has high Christology – that attributes these things to Jesusas. These passages appear to show that their ancient authors felt no harm in exaggeration and in the embellishment of statements about Jesusas.
Another example from the same Gospel is found in John, 3:16 where it is assumed that Jesusas said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life". This quotation is also used sometimes to show that Jesusas is the "only" unique Son of God as compared with other sons of God.
The problem here is that it is not known for sure whether or not Jesusas did indeed make this statement. The koine Greek in which the Gospels were originally written did not have quotation marks. The context would then have to be used to know where the quotation begins and where it ends. In this case, Jesusas began speaking in John, 3:10 and some interpreters believe that his speech ended in John, 3:15, and that verse 16 marks the beginning of the words of John.
In other words, the statement, "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son" is actually made by the author of the Gospel of John, not by Jesusas himself. As is the case with the earlier example, the issue here is that the anonymous authors of these texts or even known authors like Paul have no authority to tell us who Jesusas really was or even to put words into the mouth of Jesusas. It is Jesusas alone who can tell us who he was.
Third, even if Jesusas did use such exalted titles for himself and it is assumed in good faith that the authors of the New Testament correctly ascribed those titles to him, this is still not enough evidence for the divinity of Jesusas considering Biblical usage of such titles for human beings of special status.
In other parts of the Bible, the works of prophets of God are called the works of God, without any indication of attributing divinity to those prophets. If the other prophets of God have been given such grand titles and are not believed to be God, why should such assumptions be made about Jesusas?
One clear example of this is where Mosesas is called God, as in Exodus, 7:1, "And the Lord said unto Moses, 'See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.'" The Greek Septuagint uses the word θεὸν [Theon (Genitive form of Theos)] here for Mosesas despite the fact that this term is used for God Himself as well.
Why is it that when Christian apologists see this same word for Jesusas in Hebrews, 1:8, it is used as an argument for Jesus'as divinity but when it is used for Mosesas, it is not assumed to be about Moses'as divinity? What is more is that this term is used for Satan as well in 2 Corinthians, 4:4 and no one equates Satan with God Almighty.
The reality is that since prophets of God are acting in accordance with God's will, their actions are the actions of God Himself in the metaphorical sense. Therefore, in light of Biblical idiom in the use of special titles and special phrases for Prophets of God, there is nothing uniquely stated by or about Jesusas. Prophets are in fact the manifestation of the Attributes of God Almighty and deserve such titles as they are agents of God.


Just a few days ago Bungie released the newest Hunter themed Destiny update and the reception from the Destiny community has been mixed. While sometimes the ire Bungie gets is justified, this update addresses some glaring issues for a variety of classes outside of just Hunters. Keeping balance in a game like Destiny is important. Whether it's a gun like Thorn running rampant in the Crucible, or a certain Guardian's super performing differently than the development team intended.
Sometimes updates can end up causing a ripple effect and making dormant problems far more known and worse. We saw this with the update to how special ammo dropped in the Elimination playlist, which pretty much caused Icebreaker and Invective to rise above all other choices.
The benefits of this update aren't necessarily clear when looking at the current state of Destiny. Instead, when considering the changes that can come out of it, it becomes clear that this may be one of the most integral updates in the game to date.


text:
Premier Kenny's letter to Trudeau expressing Alberta frustration and wants
Premier of Alberta
Editors note: This letter is useful to understand the areas of contention that have arisen between the Provincial Government of Alberta and the Federal Government of Canada. It further elucidates what specifically those areas are,and how to help rectify them.
Right Honourable Justin Trudeau Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister Langevin Building
80 Wellington Street OTTAWA, Ontario K1A 0A2
Dear Prime Minister Trudeau:
Congratulations on your party's recent electoral victory.
As you head into your second term as Prime Minister leading a minority government, 1 would like to take the opportunity to share my deep concerns about the state of the Canadian federation and Alberta's place within it.
Albertans joined their fellow Canadians from Saskatchewan and most of Western Canada in sending a very clear message to your government in yesterday's election. The Conservative Party of Canada won the largest electoral mandate of any party in Alberta electoral history. This reflects a deep frustration felt by Albertans of all regions and backgrounds: an understanding that we have contributed enormously to the rest of the federation, but that our province and its key industry has been under attack
Albertans cannot understand why they have been called on to contribute $20 billion more annually to the Government of Canada then they receive back in benefits, and yet our ability to develop that wealth is increasingly blocked through cancelled and killed pipelines and policies like Bill C-69. We cannot understand why we are expected to contribute massively to the rest of the federation, and yet you said in a televised debate that you will "stand up to" the oil industry that generates so much of that wealth and employs hundreds of thousands of Albertans and Canadians from across our country.
I am gravely concerned at the potential impact many of the platform commitments both you and your potential coalition partners made during the election campaign. Commitments that would make it even harder for Alberta to produce and export our natural resource products --- some in clear violation of our Constitution and rule of law by intruding into areas of provincial jurisdiction - and which would have dire consequences for this country.
Albertans are patriotic Canadians who want to see our great country succeed. But there is a very real threat to the fabric of our nation and a deep and abiding feeling of alienation felt across the west, not just in Alberta. A Liberal minority government that partners, formally or informally, with political leaders who want to see Alberta's industry falter, or be disbanded altogether, threatens the unity of our federation. I urge you to consider the consequences of implementing the more extreme of these commitments and to make decisions that are in the interests of all Canadians, not just Central and Eastern Canadians. In particular, Alberta is deeply concerned about the following policy areas:
Energy Market Access
The Government of Alberta is committed to expanding our markets and growing the Canadian economy. So are Canadians. Two thirds of Canadians voted for parties, including your Liberal Party, that support the completion of the Trans Mountain Expansion project (TMX). These parties elected 278 of 338 members of parliament. Public opinion polls consistently show overwhelming support for TMX, both nationally and in British Columbia. While we acknowledge the federal government's purchase and second approval of TMX, success of these actions will be measured by one thing and one thing only: the completion of the pipeline. Delays to the TMX expansion are costing the country tens of billions of dollars, as Canada is forced to sell our oil for much less than world market prices. The timely completion of the TMX and building additional pipeline capacity is critical to grow the national economy and create good jobs for all Canadians and to fulfill your election night commitment to "be there to support [us]."
Resource Corridors
On the subject of market access, at this summer's Council of the Federation meeting in Saskatoon, all thirteen provincial and territorial premiers supported the concept of
omic corridors to get our respective resources to markets across Canada and globally, with twelve of those premiers endorsing corridors to transport natural resources including oil and gas. We hope that your government hears that message and supports this policy using all of the federal political and constitutional powers available to it.
The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act (C-48) is a discriminatory bill whose sole purpose is shutting down one of the most important industries in Alberta. Further, the Impact Assessment Act (C-69) and Canadian Energy Regulator Act are an attack against Alberta's energy industry and pose a threat to Alberta's economy and provincial autonomy. These Acts will have devastating impacts on Alberta and Canada's economies and on our reputation as a good place to invest. We implore the federal government to listen to the Senate, including many independent Senators appointed by your government, who voted against C-48 and to overhaul C-69, and reconsider these bills. We also encourage you to engage with the provinces and territories, as equal orders of government, prior to implementing any future legislation that interferes with provincial autonomy.
Provinces and territories are best positioned to develop climate change approaches that work for our unique needs and circumstances. The Government of Alberta will continue with a realistic and effective approach to greenhouse gas reductions that puts the burden on large emitters to reduce emissions and which funds innovation and technology to further reduce emissions here in Alberta and around the world. This is a serious plan and should be recognized as such by the federal government. A minimum gesture of conciliation and productive climate change cooperation would be to give Alberta the credit it deserves for this work and exempt the province from the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act's federal backstop. Finally, the single most important contribution Alberta, and Canada, can make to fighting climate change is to build pipelines to get Canadian natural gas to markets in the developing world to displace higher emission energy sources there, and to get credit for those emission reductions as envisioned by Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
Fiscal Fairness
Federal fiscal transfers must be fair. The Government of Alberta is committed to working with the federal government, and all provinces and territories, in a review of the major federal transfers to ensure that these transfers do not discriminate against any one jurisdiction.
One example, among many, of this unfairness is the decades-old $60 per capita limit on Fiscal Stabilization Program (FSP) payments to provinces that suffer significant annual reductions in revenue. This outdated limit must be removed to ensure that Alberta is protected from major shocks and not penalized for the severity of these shocks. If the cap did not exist, Alberta would have received $1.6 billion in 2015-16 instead of the $250 million we did receive. Under other recent proposals to reform the FSP from University of Calgary economist Dr. Bev Dahlby, Alberta would have received between $2.1 billion and $3.2 billion. There is no cap on equalization, which is funded disproportionately by Albertans, so why should there be a cap on the FSP, which is designed to offset massive revenue declines in the "have" provinces who fund equalization?
In a similar vein, we request that the federal government reform Canada's Employment Insurance program so that Albertans who lose their jobs are not treated worse than employees in other provinces.
Our government reiterates our strong insistence that the federal government reform the current equalization formula by excluding non-renewable resources revenues from the calculation, which unfairly rewards provinces whose policies artificially reduce their fiscal capacity, and by imposing a hard cap on equalization transfers to stop the absurd situation of some provinces guaranteed almost constant increases, while refusing to develop their own resources.
CMHC Stress Test
I would like to repeat my request that the Canada Mortgage and Home Corporation (CMHC) stress tests be removed for Alberta residents. As I explained in our in-person meeting in Ottawa in May of this year, the CMHC stress tests were imposed to deal with housing issues in other provinces and make no sense in our province's struggling housing market.
Free flow of goods and services, as well as access to capital is critical to the Canadian economy. The Government of Alberta has led good work on reducing internal trade barriers, removing 80% of our exceptions to the Canada Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), but more work is needed on this file. The federal government must follow Alberta's leadership on this file by using its constitutional authority over trade and commerce to radically reduce and/or eliminate barriers to internal trade, including those imposed by the federal government.
Federal actions could include:
Removing federal exceptions to the CFTA;
Advancing direct-to-consumer alcohol sales across the country;
Removing federal prohibitions on the interprovincial movement of provincially inspected meat.
It is essential for the long-term prosperity and health of the Canadian economy that internal trade is increased and kept as free as possible.
New international markets are needed for Canadian products beyond the United States and China. The Government of Alberta supports the federal government's commitment to expand and diversify Canada's international trade partnerships. Alberta wants to be fully engaged in the negotiation, implementation and management of important international trade agreements where they affect provincial jurisdiction.
Health care costs are skyrocketing and provinces and territories are shouldering these expanding costs. Each province and territory faces unique health challenges, and as such, an equal distribution of federal health transfers is the only equitable way to address these health challenges.
We also implore you to immediately reverse the decision to unilaterally cuts for delivering health care to Canadian Armed Forces members in Alberta and across Canada. Cutting these rates puts quality healthcare for our veterans and service members at risk while straining already tight health care budgets. It is an insult to our veterans and to the provinces alike.
Indigenous Opportunity
Alberta believes our government must be a true partner in helping Indigenous peoples address economic and social issues and we have committed to be a true partner in pursuit of reconciliation, inclusion and opportunity.
As the federal government pursues a renewed relationship with Indigenous peoples, Alberta wants the federal government to respect our existing relationships with and commitments to the Indigenous groups in Alberta.
State of the Federation
There is a need for provinces, territories and the federal government to work collaboratively to guarantee the best possible outcomes for Canadians. A key part of a successful collaborative relationship stems from respecting the principles of federalism.
Alberta is committed to respecting the division of powers in the federation and acknowledging the equal relationship between the orders of government. We call on your government to join us in this commitment and move forward in creating a stronger federation for all Canadians.
Again, a strong Alberta ensures a stronger Canada. I look forward to working with your government on issues that affect Albertans and all Canadians.
Hon Jason Kenny PC
Minister of Intergovernmental Relations
Alberta Firewall Alberta Separation News Aggregate federal political Our Content


Hampshire RFU acknowledges its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children involved in rugby at our member clubs, and confirms that it adheres to all the RFU's Safeguarding Policies and procedures, recommended practices and guidelines and furthermore endorse and adopt the statements contained in those documents.
Under Child Protection laws and RFU policy, a "child" is anyone under the age of 18 engaged in any rugby union activity.
Hampshire RFU has appointed a Safeguarding Manager (CBSM) to co-ordinate their network of Club Safeguarding Officers (CSO).
place the physical and emotional well being of all young players above all other considerations, including the development of performance.
It is EVERYONE'S responsibility at a rugby club to report concerns.
Hampshire RFU is committed to working in partnership with parents/carers and statutory agencies in order to safeguard the young people at our clubs.
"NO UNAUTHORISED ADULTS ARE ALLOWED TO BE IN THE PLAYERS CORRIDOR, CHANGING ROOMS OR SHOWERS. "
We strongly recommend that club coaches DO NOT participate in communication with children on social networking sites or by personal or frequent text messaging. Contact with players should always be via (or copied to) their parent or carer. All social network groups should be CLOSED and participation should be ADULTS ONLY or PLAYERS ONLY by invitation. Player groups should be administered by a DBS cleared adult/s who is made known to all parents of participating players. The administrator should only act in a monitoring capacity to ensure no inappropriate content or bullying and should not be participating in the conversations of the group.
Hampshire RFU aims to ensure that all members irrespective of their age, gender, ability, race, religion, ethnic origin, colour, nationality, social status or sexual orientation have a genuine and equal opportunity to participate in rugby. This aim covers all players, coaches, administrative staff, match officials or spectators.
It is the aim of Hampshire RFU and its member clubs not to disadvantage any individual by imposing any conditions or requirements which cannot be justified.
Hampshire RFU and its member clubs aim to create a safe and secure learning environment where individuals treat each other with respect and understanding. Bullying will not be tolerated at all in our any of our Clubs. Bullying will be taken seriously, responded to promptly, and procedures followed to deal with the situation. It is the responsibility of every adult working in rugby union whether professional or volunteer, to ensure that all young people can enjoy the sport in a safe enjoyable environment. Bullying is deliberately hurtful behaviour which results in the victim feeling distressed. Bullying occurs when this behaviour is exercised through the use of power rather than an exchange between equals.
The most important aspect of our strategy to combat bullying is the creation of a positive and inclusive ethos in all our member clubs. This begins with how adults in clubs treat each other, parents, and players: with respect and understanding, even in difficult situations. Concerns expressed by players and parents are always listened to carefully and taken seriously.
We encourage children, parents and club personnel to report any suspected instances of bullying to a member of the coaching staff or to the Club's Safeguarding Officer.
We do not tolerate poor touchline behaviour at any of our member clubs, it will be addressed at every level. Spectators and coaches alike MUST NOT enter the field of play without the referees permission whilst a game of rugby is in progress unless there are exceptional circumstances. Poor behaviour on the touchline is no more acceptable than poor behaviour on the pitch.
Select "Safeguarding" from the first drop down menu, then select the course you want from the next box: apply the date of the course you are looking for or your post code to find your nearest course.


Buying a PC from any large manufacturer/retailer without a copy of Windows pre-installed is difficult. You have some companies that refuse to sell a machine if you want Windows removed, then there are others that will remove it and reduce the price. Dell offers certain confirgurations without Windows installed, but it's not clear from the website, and has to be requested either offline or over Live Chat.
Harish Pillay found this out by actually trying to buy a Dell laptop with Ubuntu installed. He had actually done this before, purchasing a Dell Vostro V13-N series laptop with Ubuntu. However, this time the N-series was nowhere to be seen and a Live Chat was required to get a Windows-less laptop.
What follows is a transcript of the chat he had with a Dell representative in case you ever want to do the same. What's interesting to note here is the difference in price including Windows makes. Without Microsoft's operating system the final laptop price is $887.15. With Windows that balloons up to $1,045.79.
And why do Dell not advertise Windows-less laptops? It seems this is simply a case os stopping customer confusion as many visitors to the Dell website search for the cheapest laptop. That will always end up being one without Windows installed, but the user doesn't realize the cheap laptop they selected has no operating system.
16:36:01 Dell Rep Welcome to Dell Sales Chat. My name is Dell Rep. I'll be your personal sales agent. How may I assist you. If you proceed to place your order online, please indicate my name, Dell Rep, as your sales representative so that I'll be able to track your order for you.
16:36:22 harish pillay Hi, Dell Rep. Can you point me to where I can get the n-series vostro v13?
16:36:33 harish pillay i do not want to buy windows for the machine.
16:37:24 harish pillay does microsoft restrict sales of n-series online?
16:38:23 harish pillay ok, so I would like to buy a v130 without an OS (I will settle for freedos).
16:38:36 harish pillay i prefer the n-series v-130 then.
16:40:50 harish pillay it does not matter if it has freedos or fedora (or even ubuntu). i want to buy the machine without any microsoft os.
16:41:07 Dell Rep any particular specifications on your mind?
16:41:47 harish pillay i will be running Fedora and/or Red Hat Enterprise Linux on them. I have the apps taken care of already.
16:42:51 harish pillay Why don't you focus on asking about the OS? the hardware is OK as it is.
16:43:25 harish pillay 64-bit, 8G would be nice, but 4G RAM is OK. USB (3.0 would be nice), bluetooth, wifi.
16:44:13 harish pillay not that you support windoze drivers anyway.
16:44:52 Dell Rep also is this purchase are for your company or personal?
16:45:05 harish pillay does it matter?
16:46:19 harish pillay is there a price difference if the quote was for corporate vs consumer?
16:47:40 harish pillay fair enough. give me the consumer quote first.
16:50:27 Dell Rep alright, let me work the quotation and emailed it to you?
16:52:22 harish pillay so are we done or what?
16:52:42 Dell Rep unless you've others to add.
16:53:04 harish pillay so the quote will be without windows?
16:55:26 harish pillay that's fine. can you provide me with the quote that shows with and without windows?
16:55:37 harish pillay i want to know the difference.
16:55:46 harish pillay not that i want windows.
16:56:50 harish pillay are you mailing the quote now?
16:57:56 harish pillay ok thanks. i will be keeping this chat transcript and blanking out your name.
16:58:57 harish pillay the reason for keeping the chat transcript is so that I can post this to my blog stating that there is a way to buy non-windows Dell machines but one has to ask for it.
16:59:26 harish pillay so, keeping your name off the transcript is key as it is not you but your organization that is at fault here.
17:00:33 harish pillay and I want to make it a permanent request and something that I can find from your online catalog. As long as it does not appear, I think Dell is doing the whole world a disservice and pandering to Microsoft's monopolistic heavyhand.
17:01:00 harish pillay and if you explain to people, they will understand.
17:01:39 harish pillay so long as dell hides the info (or makes it hard to find), these misunderstandings can happen.
17:23:28 Dell Rep Is there anything else I may assist you? If there's no further assistance required, you may email me at DELL REP @dell.com shall you need further assistance / clarifications.
17:32:49 System The session has ended!


text:
Apple Watch Series 6 has finally been announced
September 15, 2020 7:58 PM UTC by Samantha Wiley
Apple has finally announced the Apple Watch Series 6 at today's event. The new Apple Watch can now monitor your blood oxygen levels and comes in different colors such as Blue Aluminum, Red Aluminum, Space Black Titanium, new Gold Stainless Steel, and Silver Aluminum.
It also comes with the new Solo Loop band that has no clasp or buckle. It's available in two materials and nine custom sizes, tailored to the size of your wrist.
The Apple Watch Series 6 is now available to order from just $399. For more information about the watch, visit over to Apple's website.
iLounge > News > Apple Watch > Apple Watch Series 6 has finally been announced


text:
Faithful Guardian Training Center
On October 5, 2005, with Chavez's popularity at its peak, five Venezuelan "student leaders" arrived in Belgrade, Serbia to begin training for an insurrection. The goodwill was offered by the Center fo.
Belisle said the family members have been very faithful. in center and on trails at Fort King National Historic Landmark. (368-5517 or [email protected]) Guardian ad Litem: Advocate for abused a.
About: Faithful Guardian Training Center is a private post-secondary institution that provides Public Safety, Emergency Medical, Firefighter Technology and.
Faithful Guardian Training Center is located west of the metro Atlanta area. We are the largest producer of EMTs and Paramedics in the private sector in the Southeastern U.S.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest A soldier in training at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. but forward looking and preventive", that was enough to keep me faithful. Walzer h.
I am faithful to a proud heritage, A tradition of honor, and a legacy of valor. I am an American airman. Guardian of freedom and. From U.S. Air Force basic training to NASA's Johnson Space Center a.
Tamantha Cumbie. Program Director at Faithful Guardian Training Center. Location Greater Atlanta Area Industry Professional Training & Coaching
Thank you for Reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. You are the owner of this article.
See more information about Faithful Guardian Training Center, find and apply to jobs that match your skills, and connect with people to advance your career. We are West Georgia's largest.
Faithful Guardian Training Center – Southside Provides Training Classes for EMT, AEMT, Paramedic, and CPR to the South Metro Atlanta and surrounding areas. Classes are offered in the evening allowing students to maintain full time jobs while training.
Soldiers will be armed and provide tactical, operational and surveillance support while 800 of them are on their way now to take part in "Operation Faithful Patriot. from our National Guard's Opera.
House Of Prayer Thibodaux La She was a resident of Baton Rouge from 1950-2009 and was most recently a resident of the Guardian House in Lake Charles. Klaus and wife, Marlene Bergeron-Klaus of Thibodaux, and the Rev. Karl S. Kl. GRAND ISLE, La. — The Rev. Mike Tran has seen the tears and heard the. "I challenge you to live
It sounds more like the theology of Armageddon, or the ethics of end times — scary enough on the social fringe but, my God, here was the U.S. Air Force, guardian of the country's nuclear arsenal, pus.
This was to become the principal focus of her energies for the rest of her life; it was also a psychoanalytic training center, though its graduates. the last link to her father and the guardian of.
Photograph: Darren McCollester/Getty Images As Donald Trump entered the Rochester Community Center in Rochester. emphasized to the Guardian that the Republican frontrunner's answer was solely in re.
Registration is now open for our April EMT/AEMT Combo Course! This is a shift friendly evening course that will be held every third day from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Register early to se
Spiritualism And The Bible Welcome to The Haunted Museum, a Collection of Exhibits on the History of the Supernatural, Spiritualism & Ghost Research. Discover the Strange Story behind the Creation of the Museum and then Browse the Various Halls and Immerse yourself in the History of the Occult & the Supernatural. Marshall and Lulie Craig Professor of Bible. As
Forgot Password? Enter your Email and we'll send you a link to change your password.
Faithful Guardian Training Center is a private post-secondary institution that provides Public Safety, Emergency Medical, Firefighter Technology and Law Enforcement education. FGTC's primary service area is Georgia, West Alabama and numerous locations throughout the southeast.
Faith Fellowship Red Oak A project of People For the American Way. To our readers: Right Wing Watch, a project for People For the American Way, is run by a dedicated staff driven to shed light on the activities of right-wing political organizations. As a non-profit working hard every day to expose the Far-Right's extreme and intolerant agenda, our
What Year Was Prayer Removed From Public Schools Summer vacation (also called summer holiday or summer break) is a school holiday in summer between school years and the break in the school academic year. Students and teaching staff are typically off between eight and nine weeks, depending on the country and district. In the United States, summer break is approximately 2.5 to 3
Heaven Holds The Faithful Departed Deutsch. Wegen der Wahrheit, die du sagen wirst, wird Jesus dich niemals verlassen, weil Er selbst die Wahrheit ist. Er ist der treue Freund. Heaven holds the faithful departed Explore#7. February 2019. Altar in abandoned church. This building looks amazing, so sad it's abandoned. Abandoned Cities Abandoned Churches Abandoned Mansions Beautiful Architecture Beautiful Buildings Cathedral
What Is A Vision Quest Native Spirituality Vision Quest is a "rite of passage" in many Native American cultures. The ceremony of the Vision Quest is one of the most universal and ancient means to find spiritual. Vision Quest (released in the UK and Australia as Crazy for You) is a 1985 American coming-of-age drama film starring Matthew Modine, Linda Fiorentino, Michael
And I am familiar with it in Greek mythology, guardian angels and Catholic saints like St. John. but also free to hear its core message in very new and creative ways. When you are at the center of.
According to The Guardian, a Lagos daily, Bishop George Dodo of Zaria emphasized the importance of a Catholic's civic duty at an interreligious press conference at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Zari.
9.50am: As part of today's Gaza Live blog, young Gazans bloggers talk about. 10.16am: Emily Bell, the former director of digital content for Guardian News & Media now director of the Tow Center for.
Faithful Guardian Training Center. CPR Course Sign Up. NREMT Practical Exams. NREMT Psychomotor Exam- June 15th, 2019. NREMT Practical Exams. NREMT Psychomotor Exam- March 16, 2019. NREMT Practical Exams. NREMT Psychomotor Exam- May 18, 2019. NREMT Practical Exams. NREMT Psychomotor Exam- November 2nd, 2019.
I was furious with what happened but at the same time I've got to stay faithful to the players and give them a chance to remedy the situation." The night's timeline reads something like this: the quar.
112 Posts – See Instagram photos and videos taken at 'Faithful Guardian Training Center'
About: Faithful Guardian Training Center – Southside Provides Training Classes for EMT, AEMT, Paramedic, and CPR to the South Metro Atlanta and surrounding areas. Classes are offered in the evening allowing students.
January: The Guardian Council reviews the credentials of all candidates. who play an important role in mobilizing the faithful. The open power struggle among disparate conservative factions is like.
With an emphasis on real world training and current. We are West Georgia's largest occupational health, safety, fire and emergency services training facility. With an emphasis on real world.
This faithful Catholic resides in Bettendorf. tutoring students and at a fitness center. She trains her protection dog named Custos ("The Guardian" in Latin). The dog training is done in Latin, in.
Faithful Guardian Training Center, in partnership with Puckett EMS, is proud to offer a CAAHEP-approved EMT-Paramedic Course in Cobb County in 2019. The new, accredited 15-month hybrid course will involved online coursework, classroom instruction and clinical rotations.
All proceeds from the sale will assist the fire company with equipment, maintenance and training costs. tricky trays Saturday from 3 to 8 p.m. at St. Michael's Recreation Center in Freeland. Ticket.
Categories God
Previous Previous post: Full Gospel Church Livingston Nj
Next Next post: O Come All Ye Faithful Karaoke Free Download


This has been one of the worst summers for the country and Belgaum as well. Trees have been cut all over the city for road development works. Even tough there were some voices raised against it none of them were heard.
Now to top the icing on the cake towards deforestation and global warming, the state forest department has formulated a proposal to amend the Karnataka Tree Preservation Act, allowing expansion of a list of trees that are exempted from its purview. With 11 trees being exempted from the Act now, one would need no prior permission for felling them. The forest department now proposes to have 41 trees in the list.
Activists of various environmental organizations, under the aegis of Belgaum Active Citizens' Forum (BACF), will stage a protest demonstration in front of the Forest department today at 4 pm.
The amendment means giving license to civic authorities, infrastructure developers, timber contractors, miners and others to cut the enlisted trees at will.
Save Vaccine Institute (Belgaum), Paryawaran, Parivartan, Social Justice Forum, Belgaum Walkers' Club, Multiple Varsity Student Circle are supporting the protest.
Even state wide demonstrations have been planned by the various Green brigades today.


With over 1.9 million small businesses in Australia (1-4 employees), and a whopping 28 million in the USA, why is it that there are so many business coaches who are finding it challenging to crack into the 6-figure income bracket?
There are plenty of business owners who need your help, you just need to show up in their world and let them know how you can help them.
Many coaches talk about finding your niche, and I find the 'N' word freezes many coaches in fear as they feel like they're going to miss out on opportunities however, think about the value of a brain surgeon as opposed to a GP. They are not only higher in demand, but they also have a much higher earning capacity.
Start by brain-storming your unique values, experiences and zones of genius that you can tap into. If you have a deep depth of knowledge from working in a certain industry, maybe you can work solely within that same industry, or maybe you could transfer that skillset to another industry in a different way.
Once you understand your market, you need to identify your ideal client within that niche. Identify their frustrations and aspirations, and have your marketing speak directly to that person. You will gain their trust when they feel you understand, and know how to fix their problems.
People choose to do business with those they feel they know, like and trust, so it's important to ensure your personal profile and how you interact with your target market is genuine.
Ensure you're spending time on the platforms where you will be seen, and engage in a way that is in authentic alignment with your values and beliefs.
Position yourself as the 'authority' or the 'expert' in your field, and start to build your status so you stand out from the crowd. Give yourself permission to be in the spotlight, as no one is going to tap you on the shoulder and bestow that status upon you.
When you are seen as the expert in your field, you are more likely to sell your products and services, and at a premium price.
As an expert, you will have doors opened to new opportunities. Interviews, speaking engagements and guest workshops are a great way to leverage your time and reach new audiences and networks, as well as giving you the advantage of being positioned and featured next to industry peers.
Positioning yourself as an authority is not difficult, but it does require a solid plan and consistent action. Connect with the top associations and influencers in your chosen industry and share your expertise and willingness to add value to their communities.
Samantha Riley is an international business growth and marketing coach, speaker, #1 best-selling author, and host of the Unlimited Influence Podcast.
Over the past 25 years, she's built several successful businesses, and built her first 7 figure business from the ground up in her twenties.
She now works with coaches and consultants, helping them create profitable businesses that allow them to live the lifestyle of fulfilment and freedom they desire.
Coaching Tools is keen to support coaches and empower them to supply the best possible profiling tools to their clients.
Ever wanted to move into the lucrative world of business coaching?
Any target, left still long enough, can be hit.
Self Determination Theory has emerged as one of the more compelling, widely researched theories of human motivation.