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Der Alte Flughafen Atzenhof war ein vielfältig genutztes Fluggelände und einer der beiden ehemaligen Flughäfen der kreisfreien Stadt Fürth beziehungsweise Nürnbergs. Das Gelände wurde 2016 zum Stadtteil.

Geografie
Der Standort gehörte ursprünglich zu Atzenhof. Seit der Gebietsreform in Bayern und dem Bau des Main-Donau-Kanales lag das Flurstück, auf dem sich der Flugplatz befand, im Gemeindeteil Unterfarrnbach. Der westliche Teil des Geländes ist mit dem heutigen Hafen Fürth überbaut. Im Zuge der Neuregelung der Ortsteilgrenzen im Jahr 2016 wurde der Alte Flughafen Fürth zum Ortsteil.

Fliegerschule 3 der Königlich Bayrischen Fliegertruppen
1915 begannen die Königlich Bayrischen Fliegertruppen (1912–1919) mit dem Bau einer Militärfliegerstation in Fürth. Die Bahnstrecke Nürnberg–Bamberg, die Mündungen von Pegnitz, Rednitz und Zenn in die Regnitz sowie markante Kirchtürme waren damals wichtige Landmarken, um den Platz im Sichtflug leicht zu finden. Bald darauf verlegte man im Oktober 1916 die Fliegerschule 3 von Lagerlechfeld nach Fürth, um den Ausbildungsbetrieb aufzunehmen. Da die Gebäude – mit Ausnahme einer Flugzeughalle – noch nicht fertiggestellt waren, mussten die ersten Flugschüler in Zelten am Rande des Flugfelds leben. Im August 1917 wurde die neu geschaffene zweite Flieger-Ersatz-Abteilung nach Atzenhof verlegt. Das Personal wurde ebenfalls zunächst in der Stadt einquartiert. 1917 wurde der Bau vorangetrieben und schließlich konnte die Fliegerstation im Sommer 1918 fertiggestellt werden. Es gab eine Großwerft, neun sogenannte "Normalflugzeughallen", zwei Behelfsflugzeugschuppen, eine Kraftfahrzeughalle, einen Motorenprüfstand, einen Schießstand sowie weitere Funktions- und Kasernengebäude. Die Flugwerft ist ein besonders repräsentatives Gebäude. Ein baugleiches Gebäude wurde auf der Fliegerstation Schleißheim errichtet und ist heute Bestandteil der Außenstelle des Deutschen Museums. Neben den deutschen Piloten und Beobachtern wurden auch Flieger des Osmanischen Reiches in Fürth ausgebildet.

Flughafen Fürth-Nürnberg

Unmittelbar nach dem Ende des Ersten Weltkrieges setzte der Übergang zur zivilen Luftfahrt ein. Zunächst wurden ausrangierte Militärflugzeuge genutzt, um Bedarfsflüge durchzuführen, ehe die ersten regelmäßigen Fluglinien aufkamen. Mit dem Versailler Vertrag drohte das Ende des aufkeimenden Luftverkehrs. Es gelang jedoch der Reichsregierung im August 1920, den Luftverkehrshafen Fürth in die Liste der internationalen Flughäfen aufnehmen zu lassen. Am 30. Dezember 1920 landete der erste Linienflug, im März 1921 folgte eine ständige Luftpostlinie von München nach Leipzig, ab Mai folgten erste Passagierflüge. In dieser Zeit entstand auch die Flugwetterwarte Fürth, die mit einer eigenen Fokker D.VII ausgerüstet war. Von 1923 bis 1927 hatte sich die Zahl der Starts und der beförderten Fluggäste mehr als verzehnfacht und 1926 war Fürth der achtgrößte Flughafen Deutschlands. 1927 erhielt der Flughafen schließlich eine Nachtbeleuchtung. Die Nordbayerische Verkehrsflug GmbH (ab 1930 Deutsche Verkehrsflug AG) hatte in Fürth-Atzenhof ihren Stammsitz. Die im Deutschen Museum in München ausgestellte Junkers A 50 trägt noch deren Insignien.

Junkers
Im Oktober 1922 konnte man mit den Junkers-Werken einen gewerblichen Nutzer finden. Die Junkers-Flugzeugwerke waren auf der Suche nach einem Stützpunkt für den Junkers-Luftverkehr. In der großen Werft richtete Junkers schließlich seine zentrale Wartungs- und Reparaturwerkstatt ein und schließlich wurde sogar die Endmontage der berühmten Ganzmetallflugzeuge Junkers F 13 und der G 24 nach Fürth verlegt. Die Einzelkomponenten der Flugzeuge wurden mittels der sogenannten Flugplatzbahn angeliefert. Weitere Arbeitsplätze entstanden durch die Fertigung von Schwimmern für die Wasserflugzeugvarianten der vorgenannten Muster. Die Junkersära sollte allerdings nicht lange anhalten, denn bereits im Jahr 1929 räumte das Dessauer Unternehmen die Fürther Werfthalle wieder.

Flughafen Nürnberg-Fürth
Jetzt übernahm die Stadt Nürnberg die Mehrheit der Anteile des Flughafens und es erfolgte die Umbenennung in Flughafen Nürnberg-Fürth. Am 20. August 1933 schließlich endete der zivile Flugbetrieb in Fürth-Atzenhof, denn an diesem Tag zogen die Fluggesellschaften auf den inzwischen fertig gestellten Flughafen Nürnberg-Marienberg um.

Militärische Nutzung im Dritten Reich

Nach dem Ende der Zivilluftfahrt wurde das Gelände wieder militärisch genutzt. Zunächst erfolgten paramilitärische Aktivität durch die Gründung von Fliegervereinen und Firmen. Die Sportflug GmbH und die Reklamestaffel Süddeutschland führten bereits vor 1935 die Ausbildung von Piloten für die künftige Luftwaffe durch. Die einzige erhaltene und im Deutschen Museum München ausgestellte Messerschmitt M17 trägt am Seitenleitwerk noch die Aufschrift Sportflug GmbH Fürth-Fliegerschule. Bald folgten auch weitere Bauarbeiten, um die Infrastruktur auf dem Fürther Fliegerhorst den modernen Erfordernissen anzupassen. In den Jahren 1934 und 1935 entstanden so zwei Flugzeughallen, eine neue Werft, Feuerwehr- und Befehlsgebäude sowie eine Vielzahl von Kasernengebäuden. Bauleiter war Regierungsbaurat Wilhelm Schulte II. Nach der Enttarnung der Luftwaffe entstand eine Flugzeugführerschule A/B, die mit theoretischer und praktischer Ausbildung ihren Betrieb aufnahm. Im April 1937 wurde diese Einheit zu einer Flugzeugführerschule C ausgebaut, die nun auch mit mehrmotorigen Flugzeugen ausbildete. Im Jahr 1940 hielt die Jagdfliegerschule 4, die am 19. März 1943 zum Jagdgeschwader (JG) 104 umbenannt wurde, ihren Einzug in Fürth. Von nun an lag der Ausbildungsschwerpunkt bei den Jagdpiloten. Nebenplätze waren Roth, Herzogenaurach, Buchschwabach, der Flugplatz Unterschlauersbach und Deiningen. Zwischenzeitlich wurde der Flugplatz immer wieder auch von aktiven Fliegerverbänden genutzt. So lag von November 1939 bis Februar 1940 die II. Gruppe des Kampfgeschwaders 2, von Juli bis September 1941 die 15. Staffel des Jagdgeschwaders 52 und in der Endphase des Krieges die I./KG 30 (Dezember 1944 bis Februar 1945) und die II./KG 51 (April 1945).

Militärische Nutzung durch die US-Army

Der Flugplatz Atzenhof überstand den Krieg im Gegensatz zum Industrieflughafen Fürth nahezu unbeschädigt. Dem Ungehorsam des Fliegerhorstkommandanten ist es zu verdanken, dass die Bausubstanz nicht – wie im Nerobefehl vorgesehen – gesprengt wurde, als er am 19. April 1945 an die Amerikaner übergeben wurde. Zunächst nutzte die US Air Force das Gelände und befestigte den Grasplatz mit Sandleitern. Die zahlreichen in Fürth vorgefundenen Flugzeuge – darunter Bf 109 G&K, Fw 190 A&D, Ju 87, Si 204 sowie diverse Schulflugzeuge – wurden mit Planierraupen in eine Sandgrube geschoben oder verschrottet. Dann übernahm die US-Army und nutzte das Areal bis zum 15. September 1993 als Airfield R-28 bzw. "Monteith Barracks". Erst die Army baute eine Asphaltbahn 670 m × 23 m mit Ausrichtung 10/28 für ihre Flächenflugzeuge. 1956 fand auf dem Flugplatz der "Flugtag der Nationen" statt, zu dem 100.000 Besucher kamen. Allerdings stellte die US-Army in den 1960er-Jahren das Fliegen mit Flächenflugzeugen ein und es waren nur noch Hubschrauber stationiert. Als die US-Army das Flugplatzgelände wieder an die Bundesrepublik zurückgab, wurde die historische Flugwerft unter Denkmalschutz gestellt. Die anderen Gebäude wurden einer neuen Nutzung zugeführt.

Literatur
 Winfried Roschmann, Udo Sponsel, Bernd Jesussek: Die Fürther Hardhöhe. Städtebilder Verlag, Fürth 1999.
 Renate Trautwein, Oliver Wittmann: Lernt Fliegen in Fürth-Atzenhof. emwe Verlag, Nürnberg 2011.
 Barbara Ohm u. a.: Fliegen, nur fliegen! Genniges Verlag, 1995.
 Carl Hildebrandt: Paperback-Reihe Broken Eagles. Volume 1–3, Fighter Pictorials, 1987–1989.

Weblinks

 Forgotten Airfields
 Bilder 1945 erbeuteter Flugzeuge in Fürth

Einzelnachweise

Stadtteil von Fürth
Atzenhof
Furth
Furth
Luftstreitkräfte (Deutsches Kaiserreich)
Fliegerhorst der Luftwaffe (Wehrmacht)
Bauwerk in Fürth
Luftverkehr (Nürnberg)
Verkehrsgeschichte (Nürnberg)


I experimented with this red Mac lipstick which has undertones of brown in it. It is kind of brick red.
Positives: It wears well. It stains the lips evenly. It is smooth. It stays long. It is not flaky. It is a kind of vintage color. It is creamy. It is not blood red. It is supposedly Gwen Stefani's favourite.
Negatives: Too shiny. It feathers a little. Hence a lip liner is a must. It gives kind of vampire look.
My personal opinion: I am not super fond of it. I might not repurchase it nor would I recommend it. This is certainly not the shade that will give you dewy fresh and young look, like my favourite Cosmo. In fact, it is something that can get you mean comments and reviews. My other gripe with it is that it makes you look older than you are and gives you a look that is too harsh. It certainly is not my favourite.


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Second Lieutenant George Henry Ramer (March 27, 1927 – September 12, 1951) was a United States Marine Corps officer who posthumously received the Medal of Honor – the United States' highest military decoration for heroism – for his actions in Korea on September 12, 1951, when he sacrificed his life during a fearless attack on an enemy position during the Battle of the Punchbowl. He was the 27th Marine to receive the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Korean War.

Second Lieutenant Ramer, who had been an enlisted U.S. Navy sailor during World War II, was cited after leading an attack by the third platoon of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. Although he and most of his men were wounded while fighting their way through vicious machine-gun, mortar and small-arms fire, he continued to lead the assault on the enemy-held hilltop, personally destroying an enemy bunker and directing his capture of the position.

When the enemy immediately began an overwhelming counter-attack, he ordered his men to withdraw and fought single-handedly to cover the withdrawal and the evacuation of three fatally wounded Marines. Wounded a second time, he refused aid, ordered his men to shelter and continued to fight until he was fatally wounded as the enemy overran his position.

Biography
George Henry Ramer was born on March 27, 1927, in Meyersdale, Pennsylvania. He attended elementary school in Salisbury, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Lewisburg High School in 1944 in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the navy on August 11, 1944, and served until June 5, 1946.

Upon his return to civilian life, he entered Bucknell University, where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.  He graduated in  February 1950, with a bachelor's degree in political science and history. While attending college, he enrolled in the Marine Corps Reserve Platoon Leader's program, completing summer training courses at Quantico, Virginia, in 1947 and 1948. He was commissioned in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1950 and taught high school civics, history and problems of democracy in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, before he was called to active duty at his own request on January 3, 1951.

Completing the Basic Course at Quantico, Virginia, in April 1951, 2ndLt Ramer embarked the following month for Korea. Before his death he saw action in the campaigns against the Chinese Communist Spring Offensive and in the United Nations Summer-Fall Offensive.

His remains were returned to the United States in December 1951 and interred in Lewisburg Cemetery, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

The Medal of Honor was presented to his widow on January 7, 1953, by Secretary of the Navy Daniel A. Kimball in Washington, D.C.

In addition to the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart awarded for his fatal wounds, 2ndLt Ramer's decorations include the Korean Service Medal with two bronze stars and the United Nations Service Medal.

Medal of Honor citation
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to

for service as set forth in the following CITATION:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Leader of the Third Platoon in Company I, Third Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division (Reinforced) in action against enemy aggressor forces in Korea on 12 September 1951. Ordered to attack and seize hostile positions atop a hill, vigorously defended by well entrenched enemy forces delivering massed small-arms, mortar and machine-gun fire, Second Lieutenant Ramer fearlessly led his men up the steep slopes and, although he and the majority of his unit were wounded during the ascent, boldly continued to spearhead the assault. With the terrain becoming more precipitous near the summit and the climb more perilous as the hostile forces added grenades to the devastating hail of fire, he staunchly carried the attack to the top, personally annihilated one enemy bunker with grenade and carbine fire and captured the objective with his remaining eight men. Unable to hold the position against an immediate, overwhelming hostile counterattack, he ordered his group to withdraw and single-handedly fought the enemy to furnish cover for his men and for the evacuation of three fatally wounded Marines. Severely wounded a second time, Second Lieutenant Ramer refused aid when his men returned to help him and, after ordering them to seek shelter, courageously manned his post until the hostile troops overran his position and he fell mortally wounded. His indomitable fighting spirit, inspiring leadership and unselfish concern for others in the face of death reflect the highest credit upon Second Lieutenant Ramer and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
/S/ HARRY S. TRUMAN

In honor
Ramer Hall, dedicated to 2ndLt Ramer, is a combat conditioning facility, at The Basic School, Quantico, Virginia, which was opened in 1963.

See also

List of Medal of Honor recipients
List of Korean War Medal of Honor recipients

References
Inline

General

External links

1927 births
1951 deaths
American military personnel killed in the Korean War
United States Navy personnel of World War II
United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipients
People from Somerset County, Pennsylvania
United States Marine Corps officers
United States Marine Corps reservists
United States Navy sailors
Korean War recipients of the Medal of Honor
United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War
Military personnel from Pennsylvania

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


In the age of smartphones, social media platforms are the new conduit to popular culture. The days of getting all your social media updates from in front of your computer are over. Interacting through social media on the go and around the clock has become the new standard. Snapchat helps capture the essence of a moment in ways you can't on any other platform, and that's why people share with it.
When you're on a trip halfway across the country, a nice mid-hike landscape shot and a seven-second video of your hotel room artfully geo-filtered with a 'Seattle' overlay makes for more compelling content than a blog entry about it on Facebook. Under more mundane circumstances, it's 1pm on a Tuesday and you just want to share a selfie with the infamous doggy ears and nose. In either case, your friends will watch it indiscriminately, the evidence becomes just a memory within 24 hours, and your feed readies for the next post. That is the quick and tidy essence of Snapchat that is indispensable to attention-deficient millennials.
Doggy ears, custom wedding photo filters, and exclusive pop-journalism articles à la Cosmopolitan and Teen Vogue are a few features of Snapchat that have helped it manifest its own hype. It's a unique platform because everything that exists within it has a very short shelf-life. Snapchat has perfected the "you are there now" first-person experience valuing nothing less than the freshest content. With a format like that, you can sell anything new every single day to your users.
Except they're not paying for any of it.
In fact, the free-to-use Snapchat app pulls in 98% of its revenue by selling space on their home screen to magazines, advertisers, and other blog sites. It may be a company recently valued anywhere between $17 and $22 billion, but within the last two years, their losses have increased — from $300 million in 2015 to a loss of over $500 million in 2016. Snapchat points most of the blame at the competition (Instagram 'stories', Facebook, etc.) and having already recruited the majority of their target market — there are only so many people under 25.
As of March 2017, Snapchat is going public on the New York Stock Exchange. What does this mean? It means that at a projected $14–16 dollars per share, the public will be able to invest in 200 million shares of Snapchat. That comes out to about $3 billion pumped into a service that is very likely not even used by a significant portion of its investors.
As a daily Snapchat user within their main demographic, I definitely see the value of Snapchat and have yet to bore of it. It takes a lot for me to sit through the Cosmo and BuzzFeed stories, and I generally rush through advertisements because I dislike being subjected to them. Regardless, I use it every day and I can't think of anything I'd replace it with; I love watching people's lives and I love sharing my own.
While I'm nowhere near an astute economist nor am I well versed in investing my time and money in stocks, I am still an important user that people are risking their money on and I don't think it's a good idea. Millennials are constantly typecast as flippant and unreliable consumers. I usually find that insulting, but I think it's very relevant when you have people willing to invest huge sums of money in what I decided was 'cool' at 19 years old.
On the other hand, my manager, a local restaurateur, has a Snapchat account. I can only imagine how useful it is for him to send short videos back and forth to investors and colleagues and handle business in real-time in such a concise format. Snapchat is a highly efficient communication tool, combining the instant-gratification and speed of text with the personalization a FaceTime or Skype video-chat would provide.
Young people choose Snapchat every day because there's nothing else like it. They have a perfect formula that continues to set them apart; even Instagram felt threatened enough to replicate what they have going on. However, when corporations sell a novelty people consider personal and part of their everyday lives, it cheapens how special or fun it is. It's icky to know that you're enjoying yourself for free while people who aren't the creators want to make money off of you logging in every day. Soon, changes to the interface begin to take the place of familiar features, in favor of what investors want. Usability and customer satisfaction begins to come second and eventually, the idea of using your favorite app becomes a turnoff.
In all, I acknowledge that Snapchat is a unique contender in holding the attention of a majority of the youth given their obvious staying power. If managed correctly, they could be around for a long time. However, as a dedicated user who still has an eye out for the next 'cool' platform, I wouldn't bet on it sticking around for the long-term unless it can evolve with its audience. I can only hope that Snapchat going public is a move that affirms their growth and credibility as a platform because I'd hate to see Snapchat lose what got them here.


text:
Q: Two Column Lookup with a cell value falling in with a prerequisite range I have a list of codes, that looks like this:
RF206
RT205
RG20
etc

And I have a list of code categories that looks like this:
Prefix Range start Range end Category
RF         1          52     Investment costs
RF        53          210     Building costs
RT        1           200     Salaries
RT       201          256     Bonuses
RG        1            19     Restaurant
RG       20            30     Transport

What I would like to do is be able to match codes to categories, like this:
RF206 Building costs
RT205 Bonuses
RG20 Transport

I appreciate that a VLOOKUP can't work, as there are multiple values for every prefix (RT, RF, etc), so I can't just lookup the codes prefix. I need a way to combine looking for an exact match for the prefix and to check if the numerical part falls between the two ends of the range, to bring back the corresponding category.

A: This is just a two-column-lookup (there are many examples on this site) with some LEFT and MID string function parsing thrown in.
In B2 as a standard formula,
=INDEX(Z:Z, AGGREGATE(14, 6, ROW(W$1:INDEX(W:W, MATCH("zzz",W:W )))/((W$1:INDEX(W:W, MATCH("zzz",W:W ))=LEFT(A2, 2))*(X$1:INDEX(X:X, MATCH("zzz",W:W ))<=VALUE(MID(A2, 3, 9)))), 1))

Fill down as necessary. The ranges look a little more complicated than normal because they are dynamic and do not have to be adjusted if additional entries are made (or removed).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Rihanna in Ray Ban Sunglasses
Home/Ray Ban sunglasses, Rihanna sunglasses/Rihanna in Ray Ban Sunglasses
Photo: Coolspotters.com
It's no secret that pop superstar Rihanna is besties with Katy Perry (RiRi even threw Katy a Vegas bachelorette bash for her ill-fated marriage to Russell brand back in September 2010), but the big question remains when will these gorgeous pals collaborate in the studio? "We have been working on this for years. We still are trying to make a song together, Katy Perry and I," Rihanna recently told Access Hollywood correspondent Jill Martin on the set of a photo shoot for Vita Coco's new flavor, Tropical Fruit by Rihanna. "She is one of my favorite musicians, as well as one of my favorite people in the industry." RiRi added that Katy's uncalculated and very sure of herself which are very rare traits in the music biz.
She assures fans that while a RiRi/Katy hit is definitely in the works, they'll have to be patient. "I won't say that it's happening right now, but it's going to happen." As for her own music, the 24-year-old Battleship star is taking her time to develop the style for her next album, while dabbling in fashion. "Actually, I have not started working on new music. I've started working on the new sound, but I haven't started really recording yet," she said, when asked when she'll return to the studio to record new music. "This year, we've kind of left a little room to play in other playing fields, like movies, acting [and] fashion. I'm getting into fashion a lot more, really spearheading it as a designer." We can't wait to see how the fashion endeavor plays out! In the meantime, RiRi continues to make big, bold style statements in thigh-high boots, denim cut-offs, a new longer blond 'do and retro-classic Ray Ban wayfarer shades. –rpuccia
Buy these now: Ray Ban RB2140 Original Wayfarer, $112
By seoport_dev_csw|2012-03-17T03:24:01+03:0017.03.2012|Ray Ban sunglasses, Rihanna sunglasses|0 Comments
About the Author: seoport_dev_csw
Look of the week: Taylor Swift's shirt dress & Wayfarer sunglasses
Kesha is out of rehab
Shakira and Rihanna join forces for sexy new music video
Kesha nearly died before entering rehab

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Atom spouts photons on demand
March 10/17, 2004
California Institute of Technology researchers have fashioned a single atom into a light source that generates single photons on demand.
The light source could eventually be used in quantum cryptography systems to guarantee perfectly secure cryptographic keys. It could also be used in quantum computers, which have the potential to solve certain types of very large problems many orders of magnitude faster than today's classical computers, including those that would render today's security codes obsolete.
A single atom can make a single photon -- the trick is isolating and controlling the atom. The researchers' system traps a cesium in a cavity formed by a pair of highly reflective mirrors.
The researchers have showed that it is possible to generate quantum entanglement between atoms and photons using the system, and then transfer that entanglement so that atoms in separate cavities can be entangled. The properties of entangled particles remain in lockstep regardless of the distance between them. Entanglement promises to make it possible to build quantum communications networks.
There's a lot to be done before the system can be used practically. Today the system takes up an entire room. In 10 to 20 years the technology may exist to integrate large numbers of atoms, each with its own minicavity onto a chip of some sort, according to the researchers. And the lasers and electronics would also have to be miniaturized.
It will be least two decades before the system could be used practically, according to the researchers. The work appeared in the February 26, 2004 issue of Sciencexpress.
Red wine mends solar cells
Search tool aids browsing
Tiny pumps drive liquid circuits
X-shape pulses hold together
Patterned fiber makes tiny scope
Channel shapes split microdrops
Chip controls neural connection
Atomic microscope spots viruses
Charges make micro whirlpools


text:
FG may prosecute CBN, NPA, PenCom, others over un-remitted N450bn surpluses
The federal government may prosecute some revenue generating agencies for unremitted N450 billion operating surpluses into the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) as required by law.
Heal by hair: Bluemind Foundation launches the second edition of the first movement of hairdresser ambassadors for mental health in africa
Libya: human rights abuses must be addressed, says UN probe
The government generated N272.03 billion in Independent Revenues between January and October 2016 but could prosecute the agencies for failing to remit the amount into the national coffers.
This is even as the Projected independent revenues is set to increase to N811.03 Billion as government recovers owed amounts and drive greater compliance going forward, according to Finance minister, Kemi Adeosun, speaking on Thursday.
Announcing the outcome of an audit process that uncovered those outstanding monies at a press conference in Abuja, Adeosun added that the agencies would be required to come up with a repayment plan.
"So far, we have identified N450 billion outstanding and recoverables as operating surpluses from various government agencies," she stated.
The agencies which these monies are due according to her include the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria Shippers Council, Nigeria Export Promotion Council, National Health Insurance Scheme, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Nigeria Communication Commission, Nigeria Postal Service, National Information Tech & Dev. Agency,
Nigeria Television Authority, Bureau for Public Enterprises, National Pensions Commission, Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, Raw Material Research & Dev. Council, Nigeria Ports Authority, Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria and Council for the Regulation of Engineering
in Nigeria.
She said so far, 33 agencies have been randomly audited and that the process found that actual compliance with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 (FRA) which was designed to provide guidelines and controls to elicit greater accountability and transparency in fiscal operations was grossly violated.
This has resulted in revenue leakages as confirmed by the audit findings including Non–remittance and under-remittance of operating surpluses due to the CRF; Operating without an approved budget; Overstating of budget and spending above budgeted amount; Underreporting of revenues; and Making payments without invoices and absence of payment receipts.
The audit also found gross Failure to retire cash advances; Loans and grants to parent companies without prior approval; Poor book keeping; Failure to reconcile accounts and existence of irreconcilable differences; Lack of a fixed asset register and sale of assets to staff; Fixed asset register not updated with all items purchased; Purchase of fixed assets directly from IGRs; Inadequate internal audit process and weak internal controls.
The remaining findings include; Failure to submit audited financial statements; Payroll fraud and exaggeration of payroll costs; Overpayment of staff salaries and abuse of personnel grants; Unapproved monetisation of medical and other allowances; Staff advances and Board Members allowances in excess of approved limits; Non-compliance with the Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2007; as well as Failure to convert to IPSAS accounting.
"We have issued demand notices to those agencies that are owing us operating surplus and we have invited them for a meeting here on the 6th of December asking them to come with their repayment plans or evidence that they have paid there operating surplus into CRF," Adeosun told reporters
Adeosun said that to control leakages and increase revenues, a Circular was issued on the approved template for the computation of operating surpluses and stated some non-allowable expenses in the computation of operating surpluses.
She also said a Recovery Committee chaired by the Accountant General of the Federation AGF has been set-up to recover the outstanding N450 Billion in a strategy that would involve Bilateral discussions. Quarterly revenue performance monitoring as well as Impromptu visits.
The minister announced that a new financing model will also be instituted for universities and hospitals taking into consideration their funding model and requirement for better controls and improved service delivery.
She disclosed that since the release of Circulars, some Agencies have started making remittances to the CRF and that up to N640 Million has so far been received from Nigeria Shippers Council.
She also said to ensure that all Government Agencies submit a budget to be approved by the National Assembly and to improve the quality of the budgeting process, a Circular was issued requesting that they submit Estimates of revenues and expenses for the next three financial years; Annual budget (IPSAS Compliant); and Projected operating surpluses.
A review team has been set-up to evaluate submitted estimates before budget submission to the National Assembly, and according to the minister, agencies which do not review and approve their budgets as advised will be restricted to payment of salaries until their budget is regularised.
Naira seen under pressure in tight market
Nigeria's Q3 trade rises by 16.3%
English News Releases
South Africa supports calls for global co-operation to boost trade and address economic challenges and climate change


text:
Joseph Farah's Birther Lie of the Day
Joseph Farah writes in his July 29 WorldNetDaily column regarding Barack Obama's birth: "Who are the two U.S. citizen parents to whom he was born – an absolute requirement to be a 'natural born citizen' circa 1961?"
In fact, it's not. As the Farah-founded Western Journalism Center detailed:
Orly Taitz asserts that "to be president there have to be two parents who are citizens." This is false. Here is Blackstone's classic exposition in 1765 of the legal meaning of the term from the Commentaries on the Laws of England.
William Blackstone, Commentaries 1: 354 361–62
Natural-born subjects are such as are born within the dominions of the crown of England, that is, within the ligeance, or as it is generally called, the allegiance of the king; and aliens, such as are born out of it…all children, born out of the king's ligeance [i.e on foreign soil], whose fatherswere natural-born subjects, are now natural-born subjects themselves, to all intents and purposes, without any exception; unless their said fathers were attainted, or banished beyond sea, for high treason; or were then in the service of a prince at enmity with Great Britain." [The italics are Blackstone's]
Blackstone explicitly grounds natural-born status on location (jus soli), not parentage, except when the child is born abroad. The notion that both parents have to be citizens is false. All children born on American soil are natural-born subjects or citizens.
Given that Farah has provided no credible evidence that Obama was not born in the U.S., this is not an issue.
Consider this to be just another birther lie from Farah and Co.
Farah adds: "But clearly, this is not a left-right issue. This is not a conservative-liberal issue. This is not a Democrat-Republican issue. This is not an ideological issue. This is a matter of what's true and what's not." We know how Farah and WND rate on that last statement.
Updated: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 11:45 AM EDT
Brent Baker's Obama Beer Smear
Brent Baker, in a July 28 NewsBusters post, complains about NBC's "cutesy take" on the upcoming mutual beer-drinking session with President Obama, Henry Louis Gates and the policeman who arrested Gates -- but gets too cute himself in baselessly portraying Obama as an effete.
AFter noting the beer preferences of Gates and the policeman, Baker adds: "Or maybe the President prefers wine over beer and is just agreeing to beer in a political effort to re-connect with blue-collar voters he offended."
In fact, Obama is on record as drinking Budweiser. But mentioning that didn't fit in with Baker's need to smear Obama.
Right-Wingers Defend Racial Profiling
Topic: Horowitz
Right-wingers are trying to score political points in the controversy over the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and President Obama's remarks on it: by seeking to justify racial profiling.
In a July 23 Newsmax column, Ronald Kessler wrote:
Then Obama cited the history of blacks and Hispanics "being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately . . . and even when there are honest misunderstandings, the fact that blacks and Hispanics are picked up more frequently, and often time for no cause, casts suspicion even when there is good cause."
In saying that, Obama ignored the unfortunate fact that blacks account for four times more violent crimes than people of other races.
Then, in a July 23 appearance on Glenn Beck's Fox News show, David Horowitz responded to complaints by Beck's black crew members about racial profiling by saying: "If he's on the New Jersey Turnpike or in that area, 70 percent of the drug dealers are black. And who do you think they're dealing the drugs to? Poor blacks in the -- in Newark, in the inner cities there. So the fact that they stopped him -- I mean, it's an inconvenience. I have an inconvenience. I get searched every single time every time I jump a plane -- take a plane because I have an artificial hip, but I put up with it."
David Swindle reiterated and sycophantically defended Horowitz's remarks in a July 25 post at the (Horowitz-operated) NewsReal blog:
In explaining why it might be appropriate to search an African-American man's truck when he gets pulled over Horowitz threw out something Media Matters doesn't want people to think about: a high percentage of drug dealers in the New York-New Jersey area were black and were making money addicting young blacks to drugs.
This isn't a "racist" point. He's not saying that blacks are ethnically inclined to be drug dealers. Horowitz has black family members and has been a civil rights activist for his entire life. He's primarily concerned with seeing that black children grow up in a safe environment so they too can participate in the American Dream. And part of that means confronting the criminals that are standing in the way of that pursuit.
Are Kessler, Horowitz and Swindle really claiming that racial profiling is not racist? And Horowitz having "black family members" somehow give him a free pass to advocate racial profiling? It appears so.
Corsi Still Can't Stop Peddling Bogus Obama Attacks
WorldNetDaily originally reported that the birth certificate released by Barack Obama's campaign is authentic. Even WND editor Joseph Farah, after months of lying about what WND originally reported, has finally conceded that he believes it's authentic.
So why is Jerome Corsi, in a July 28 WND article, referring to "Obama's purported short-form certificate"? He offers no evidence that is anything but authentic -- and any such evidence would contradict what his own news organization has reported.
The only possible conclusion is that Corsi cares nothing about reporting facts. But we already know that.
UPDATE: If WND and Farah (if not Corsi) have concluded that the certificate is authentic, why did it just post a video -- liftclaiming that it isn't? The video itself -- anonymously posted on YouTube-- contains a major factual error, claiming that "there's not even a hint of a [raised] seal" on the certificate released by the Obama campaign. In fact, it contains a raised seal.
Could it be that Farah was lying when he said he believed the certificate is authentic? It appears so -- just another lie he and WND have told.
Updated: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 1:18 AM EDT
Media Matters' Simon Maloy catches Clay Waters making the claim, in a July 27 NewsBusters post and TimesWatch item, that the New York Times had dismissed the birthers as conspiracy theorists, but couldn't bring themselves to do the same for the 9/11 Truthers, to whom the paper showed "respect," citing a 2006 Times article in which the writer "not once ... dismiss the 9-11 Truthers bizarre charge as a "conspiracy theory," as the Times article on the birthers did. Waters somehow overlooked the word "conspiracy" in the headline of that truther article, or that its overall tone was hardly "respectful."
UPDATE: Media Matters' Jamison Foser catches MRC director of communicaions Seton Motley, in a July 28 NewsBusters post, responding to New York Times columnist Paul Krugman's assertion that a new auto plant in Canada won't result in additional costs to the government under its nationalized health care system by asserting, "Really? Adding workers brought in from outside Canada to the government rolls won't increase government spending?" Yes, really, since nobody said anything about bringing in workers "from outside Canada."
Posted by Terry K. at 5:45 PM EDT
WND Letter to Obama Contains Falsehood
WorldNetDaily just can't stop lying about President Obama's birth certificate.
WND is now offering its readers the chance to send "personalized letters to Obama demanding the birth certificate and other pertinent documents" that WND will then send to the White House -- for the low, low price of just $6.95 (you didn't think that WND wouldn't try to shake down its readers again, did you?). But even the text of that letter contains a lie:
The problem with the short-form certification is that it could easily be obtained for a birth that took place out of the state or out of the country. All it would take is the word of one parent.
In fact, as the Joseph Farah-founded Western Journalism Center pointed out, there is no evidence that Hawaii issues birth certificates "for a birth that took place out of the state or out of the country" that claim the person was born in Hawaii.
If WND can't prove that this happens -- and it hasn't so far -- this issue is irrelevant, and the letter is irrelevant ... and this is just another lie from WorldNetDaily.
WJC Peddles More Birther Lies, Distortions
Topic: Western Journalism Center
A July 27 email by the Western Journalism Center, sent to the WorldNetDaily mailing list, contains a whole new crop of distortions and falsehoods.
The email asserts that "no amount of ridicule will change the fact that close a a half-million people have signed petitions calling on Barack Hussein Obama to release his birth certificate." Actually, the WJC has no way of knowing that this is a "fact." As we've detailed, WorldNetDaily -- whose petition the WJC is presumably referring to -- has never released the signatures of the signees, making it impossible to verify the number of valid signatures (WND's count at this writing, by the way, is a lot closer to 400,000 than "a half-million"). Further, WND has no apparent mechanism to prevent multiple signatures by the same person, making that count even more unreliable.
The email also claimed that "no amount of name-calling can change the fact that 58% of respondents to an AOL on-line poll said that Obama should produce his actual birth certificate." True, perhaps, but irrelevant -- online opt-in polls are not a reliable indicator of public opinion. The email adds that "49.3% of the respondents to a scientific Wenzel poll found the question to be legitimate." But as we've noted, WorldNetDaily commissioned that poll -- the questions for which were skewed to get the answers WND wanted -- and Wenzel Strategies, headed by a former conservative newspaper columnist who later worked for a Republican congresswoman, has a clear bias.
The email goes on to assert that "Obama's paternal grandmother said, she was present at Obama's birth, which took place in Mombasa in what is now Kenya." That's false -- WJC is relying on a translation error to make that claim.
The email also asserts, "Obama's mother was only 19-years old when Obama was born... she was much too young to bestow her citizenship on him for the purpose of satisfying Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution." Also false. As we've detailed, if Obama was born in Hawaii -- WJC offers no credible evidence to the contrary -- that's irrelevant. Further, according to the Chicago Tribune, the timetable at the time Obama was born for a parent to confer U.S. citizenship upon a child born outside of the U.S. (again, which WJC has not proven about Obama) was being a citizen for 10 years including five years past the age of 14; Stanley Ann Dunham was three months short of her 19th birthday when Obama was born (not exactly "much too young"). But federal law shortened that time period to two year after the age of 14 and made it retroactive to 1952. That makes Obama doubly covered.
The WJC also makes a big deal out of how "the State of Hawaii does not accept the Certification of Live Birth as singular proof that an individual was actually born in Hawaii" for the Home Lands program. Again, true but irrelevant. The Home Lands is exclusively for those of "native Hawaiian" ancestry, which Obama has never claimed to be, so it wouldn't matter if he failed to meet the birth requirement for that program.
Updated: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 1:04 PM EDT
Farah: WND The Only 'Free Press' Left In America
Joseph Farah howls in a July 27 WorldNetDaily column about the mainstream media coverage of the Obama birth certificate conspiracy:
We don't have a free press left in America – aside from the one you're reading. What we have is an official press – one that doesn't want any rogue journalists rocking the boat, challenging authority and watchdogging government at all levels.
This story isn't dead at all.
And that's what scares the management of CNN, the New York Times, the Associated Press and other Big Media who only recently were forced to cover this story at all through the sheer tenacity of WND, which has chronicled it tirelessly for 11 months.
So WND is the only "free press" left in America because it's promoting the birthers? Please.
Telling lies about Obama and portraying discredited claims as fact are not the same thing as "watchdogging government." Farah was never as concerned about George W. Bush's National Guard record as it is about the Obama birth certificate -- indeed, WND appears to care about government watchdogging only during Democratic administrations.
Hiding the truth from its readers because it conflicts with your political agenda is not the act of a "free press" -- it's an act of disrespect and dishonor to readers and dishonesty in journalism.
The only reason the story isn't "dead" in Farah's eyes is because he and WND peddle lies to keep it alive.
Farah also asserts of the "Big Media": "They're losing what little credibility they had left." But what credibility does WND have? None that we can tell, given that it's so determined to hound Obama from office that the truth no longer matters, if it ever did.
Farah concludes by whining: "It's not the story that's dead. Instead, what you're hearing is the sound of the Big Media watching their own funeral." Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Joe, as more of the public catches on to the lies you and WND have been spewing. Then we'll see which media outlet will be six feet under.
Hint: It won't be the "Big Media."
New Article: WorldNetDaily's Obama Birth Certificate Lies
Numerous claims have been discredited, but WND pretends they never were, deceiving its readers and making a mockery of journalism. Read more >>
Will WND Treat Coulter Like Gates?
Since the incident involving Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and local police -- and, specifically, after President Obama commented on it -- WorldNetDaily's Aaron Klein has engaged in a near-constant effort to smear and discredit Gates as an extremist and tie him around Obama's neck.
Klein has written no fewer than five articles on Gates, tying him to "radical black activists" and even denigrating pioneering black scholar W.E.B. Du Bois, whose namesake institute at Harvard Gates heads, as little more than "an avowed communist and also a socialist sympathizer." Klein even dredges up a 1996 speech in which Gates "uses the N-word."
Such smear jobs are what WorldNetDaily does to people who run afoul of its far-right, anti-Obama ideology.
By contrast, right-wing pundit (and WND columnist) Ann Coulter ran afoul of WND's ideology as well by declaring CNN's Lou Dobbs to be "wrong on this issue" on Obama's birth, pointed out "every conservative publication ... dealt with this" a year ago "and said there's nothing to it," and, even more shockingly, that the birth certificate conspiracy is an issue only to "a few cranks out there" -- and is not receiving the same treatment being meted out to Gates.
WND offers only an outside link to Coulter's comments, no transcription of them, and a poll that couches criticism of Coulter in an unsually (for WND) respectful way. The current top answer is "I usually agree with Coulter, but she is dead wrong on this issue."
Therefore, we call on Aaron Klein or anyone else at WND to start smearing Coulter like they are Gates. It's only fair, after all.
Obama Derangement Syndrome Watch
Even to allow Obama's socialist programs a mere toe in the water could prove to be too late. These programs are like flypaper or unspeakable social disease. The elevator to the hell of a Marxist society goes in only one direction – ever higher into costs taken from appropriations of individuals' earned incomes.
It won't be enough for Republicans just to be "the party of no" and stop there. They will also have to propose national alternatives that begin all over again where Barack Obama first seduced America into his leftward-spiraling, all-consuming maelstrom of latter-day Marxism.
If they fail, this nation will be down on its hands and knees for decades, scouring floors in an Augean stable where no one-time sluice will suffice to eradicate the bacilli of socialism from forever attempting a comeback.
-- John L. Perry, July 27 Newsmax column
Cliff Kincaid's Conspiracy Du Jour
The headline on Cliff Kincaid's July 23 Accuracy in Media column pretty much says it all: "The Chavez-Obama U.N. Plot Against Honduras."
Yep, Kincaid has found another consipracy to latch onto.
Kincaid claims there is an "Chavez-Obama axis" and suggests that "Obama Administration is, in effect, acting as an agent of Venezuela (and Iran) in Honduras." His main source for this conspiracy? Tom Hayden -- or, as Kincaid describes him, "former Marxist SDS radical Tom Hayden."
Kincaid has suddenly found a left-winger's words to be trustworthy. And we thought commies couldn't be trusted.
Newsmax Deletes Columnist's Criticism of Morris
In the Washington Times version of his column, Arnaud de Borchgrave criticizes wild attacks on President Obama:
President Obama is now a card-carrying socialist or borderline Marxist. He is the Manchurian Candidate. He was not born in the United States. He never produced a birth certificate. And now this closet neo-Marxist is plotting the revenge of those defeated in the Cold War. Therefore, he should be impeached and removed from office because his plan is to place America in a government-owned straitjacket.
It's vicious stuff. One of the vociferous voices is that of Dick Morris, who moved from the liberal camp under President Clinton to the hard right with his new book, "Catastrophe," which is what Mr. Obama has wrought for America.
In the version of de Borchgrave's column that appears at Newsmax -- a huge promoter of Morris that is currently giving away copies of "Catastrophe" with new subscriptions to its magazine -- that entire paragraph on Morris has been removed.
Newsmax did leave in a later statement by de Borchgrave quoting Morris. But it's not as explicitly judgmental as the one Newsmax excised.
WND's Klein Tries to Gin Up Non-Existent Obama Conspiracy
How desperate is Aaron Klein to smear Obama? The latest example: trying to create another bogus conspiracy.
In a July 26 WorldNetDaily article, Klein insists that "speculation abounds over the genesis of the press conference inquiry last week by Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times, whose question about Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. prompted a national race scandal involving President Obama." Despire asserting that "several blogs" Klein names only two -- something called "The Real Barack Obama," whose credibilty Klein does not establish, and right-wing radio host John Batchelor.
But this is an echo chamber: Batchelor cites "The Real Barack Obama." So really, "several" is more like one blog quoted by another blog. Further, Klein fails to disclose his relationship with Batchelor; not only has made numerous appearances on Batchelor's radio show enough so that he considers Batchelor a "friend," he tweeted that he was appearing on the show the very same day this article was published.
The Real Barack Obama has also promoted Klein and prominently touts Batchelor's show, so the echo chamber appears to be even smaller than we thought.
For all this mutual back-scratching, Klein presents no actual evidence that, as he claims, "the White House may have coordinated the question" with Sweet.Here's what he tries to pass off as evidence:
"This was the first time Sweet was granted a question from Obama at any of his presidential press conferences."
"Asking a question about Gates at an event focused on health care seems remote to some. "
"Her question was read from a piece of paper."
Apparently, Klein has never written down questions before asking them in a interview.
Klein couldn't be bothered to note Sweet's denial of the charge until the 16th paragraph, after getting some of that baseless speculation out of the way. But a flat denial was not enough for Klein:
Her explanation, however, has only generated more unanswered questions for the bloggers' speculation. If she had never written about the Gates incident, for example, why did she use her one question to Obama on the matter?
Klein then insisted: "In another twist in the plot, the White House's Gibbs refused an opportunity to deny Sweet's question was not preplanned with the White House." But the excerpt Klein provides shows that Gibbs was not asked whether Sweet's question was "preplanned with the White House"; he was asked whether the Gates matter was discussed in preparation for the press conference, which is not the same thing.
Klein, in trying to smear both Obama and Sweet, demonstrates himself to be as dishonest a reporter as ever. After all, he's still peddling the discredited lie that Obama could not have visited Pakistan on a U.S. passport.
The Week In Ellis Washington
What has our old friend Ellis Washington been up to this past week?
First, he arrogantly portrays himself as having the wisdom fo Socrates, pounding out another bizarre pseudo-Socratic dialectic, this time pitting himself -- er, Socrates against President Obama, Teddy Kennedy, "Sen. RINO" and "We the People (mute part)."
This provides the spectacle, convincing only to someone who knows nothing at all about Socratic dialogue, of "Socrates" berating "Obama" as "incapable of answering a simple historical question about socialism in light of your proposed health care system," attacking Kennedy for his "long, shameful legacy in America, the capstone of which is universal health care," making Nazi smears, and quoting Winston Churchill and "the words for the ages of that great conservative British parliamentarian Sir Edmund Burke."
For Washington to portray Socrates as engaging in right-wing screeds that are nothing more than Washington himself spouting off -- i.e., "We know that Democrats have long ago sold their souls to the devil on all issues of life" -- is not very, well, Socratic.
Speaking of right-wing screeds, Washington follows up with one against the NAACP, approvingly quoting Rush Limbaugh calling the group "NAALCP – National Association for the Advancement of LIBERAL Colored People."Washington denounces the group as "one of the most radical socialist organizations in America," thanks his lucky stars the the group declined to hire him as a young man ("Thank you, God, for shutting some doors in my life"), and concludes: "And that is why I wish you an UnHappy 100th birthday, NAALCP!"


Have you made Buttermilk Pound Cake?
1. Cream sugar, butter and eggs.
2. Mix together dry ingredients. Add buttermilk alternately with dry ingredients.
3. Beat well. Add vanilla. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan.


Yesterday and today, was buttermilk-pumpkin pancakes, bacon, and coffee. I think I've had enough pumpkin to last until TG.
The traditional sunday breakfast: bacon and champagne.
I'm what some CPS'ers have called, "Better than advertised".
Scrambled eggs with buttermilk, bacon, cantelope and crackers, with coffee. A shot of whiskey crossed my mind, but I didn't.
4 small free-range eggs over easy, with a slice of Jimmy Dean's Breakfast Sausage. Side of Fuji apple slices.
Potatoes O Brien with two fried eggs on top, toast. Completely decadent for me.
After a tough night last night, eggs over medium with asparagus, sausage, flat-bread toast, apple pie and coffee.
Pigs in blankets (with jalapenos, which I'll pay the price for later), a cranberry-orange muffin, and French roast coffee.
3 eggs with slice of swiss cheese, salsa, mushrooms, spinach. Protein shake with milk. McCaan's steel cut oats with raisins and cinnamon.
I'm really starting to fall in love with those oats done al dente.
Location: I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as soon as I could.
I made a scramble out of left over pot roast. Darned fine.
That was ours also for yesterday's. This mrng is bacon, eggs and toast, with coffee.
+1, except one egg and the rest were egg whites.
Waffles, of the Eggo frozen variety, fresh from the toaster, with fresh local honey. Which reminds me, what's the latest on Gabriel's honey?


11:30 a.m., for an educational program on current scams and fraudulent activity happening here in McHenry County.
The guest presenter will be from the Illinois Attorney General's Office and will speak about crimes of Identity Theft and Fraud.
Quarterly presentations are offered in partnership with Senior Services to provide information on current scams, fraud, and other crimes targeting seniors that arise during the fall and winter months.
Tips will be given on what to watch out for, how to protect yourself, and what to do if you become a victim.
This presentation is designed for all McHenry County residents.
Those who are caregivers to a senior or are a senior themselves are especially encouraged to participate because often seniors are the targeted victims.
Please reserve your spot for the presentation by contacting Claudia at Senior Services at (815)356-7457. A light lunch will be provided for attendees by Senior Services.


text:
English | Cymraeg
Inspirational learners, employers and dedicated learning providers were celebrated last night (Thursday) at this year's Apprenticeship Awards Cymru.
The awards brought together 34 finalists across a dozen categories, recognising their outstanding achievements in traineeship and apprenticeship programmes.
Jointly organised by the Welsh Government and the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW), this year's awards had Openreach, the UK's digital network business, as premier sponsor. The Apprenticeship Programme is funded by the Welsh Government with support from the European Social Fund.
Winners of the prestigious awards, which were held at the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport, came from across Wales to celebrate their achievements.
After hitting rock bottom following his father's death and a battle with addiction, Gavin Williams, 20, from Llandegfan, transformed his life thanks to an apprenticeship. Supported by Busnes@LlandrilloMenai, Gavin successfully completed a Foundation Apprenticeship in barbering.
Now self-employed, Gavin works from Rubens Male Grooming salon in Llanfair PG and is progressing to an Apprenticeship. He was awarded Foundation Apprentice of the Year.
The Apprentice of the Year Award went to engineer Shane Ash, 26, from Risca, who is using his training and skills to save his employer time and money.
The 26-year-old identified changes which saved employer Tata Steel more than £22,000, whilst managing a major project. He is now in the design phase of installing a robotic arm which will remove impurities from molten zinc, improving the speed and health and safety of the galvanising line.
Having completed a series of qualifications through Bridgend College, Coleg Gwent and the University of South Wales, Shane is now working towards a Higher Apprenticeship (Level 4) and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering.
Higher Apprentice of the Year winner, 59-year-old Lee Price from Rhayader, overcame a tough year to succeed as a Systems and Operations Management apprentice.
A Senior Quality and Environmental Standards Officer at Powys County Council, Lee was inspired by her late husband, Rob, to sign up to a Higher Apprenticeship with Cambrian Training. Rob passed away just a month after Lee's course began but she went on to complete the qualification nine months ahead of schedule.
A new award this year, Tomorrow's Talent, was won by 22-year-old history graduate Esta Lewis. Supported by Cardiff and Vale College, Esta is Rhondda Cynon Taff's first Heritage Outreach Apprentice and is passionate about making history accessible to all.
Inspired by her late grandfather, who was a miner, she runs and develops workshops for the Welsh Mining Experience at Rhondda Heritage Park. Her work with school visits helped her employer win the Sandford Award, a sector quality assurance for heritage education programmes, for the first time.
In the employers' section, Gwesty'r Harbourmaster Hotel, Aberaeron collected the Small Employer of the Year Award for its strong commitment to apprenticeships, maintaining a workforce of 40 highly trained and motivated staff.
Cambrian Training delivers apprenticeships to 11 apprentices at the hotel, which is overcoming a shortage of workers in the hospitality sector by growing its own skilled staff to deliver quality customer care and visitor experience.
ITV Cymru Wales was in the headlines itself for a change, as the company picked up the Medium Employer of the Year Award. All 11 of its apprentices have secured full-time employment within the creative industries since it launched an apprenticeship programme in 2015. Seven apprentices are currently working towards an Apprenticeship in Creative and Digital Media, supported by Sgil Cymru.
The Large Employer of the Year Award went to Aspire Blaenau Gwent, which is plugging the skills gap through a Shared Apprenticeship Programme that boasts an impressive 100% record of apprentices securing employment, with 64% retained by their initial host. Aspire, which works closely with the Welsh Government, Ebbw Vale Enterprise Zone Board and Blaenau Gwent Local Authority, has been developing its training programmes with Coleg y Cymoedd.
Macro Employer of the Year was Swansea Bay University Health Board which says its apprenticeship programme is developing a new, innovative and smart workplace for the future. Since creating its Apprentice Academy, supported by Skills Academy Wales, in late 2016, 193 apprentices from 12 learning frameworks have been appointed.
The Work-based Learning Tutor and Assessor Awards went to Lynn Mathews and Hayley Lewis respectively. Lynn, 57, from Gorseinon, works for PeoplePlus Cymru where she manages a caseload of up to 40 learners aged 16-19 with a broad range of learning needs.
Hayley, from Haverfordwest, is a respected member of the Health and Social Care team at training provider TSW Training in Bridgend. She brings the best out of her learners and engages with employers to ensure programmes are tailored to meet their needs.
The Traineeship Learner of the Year (Engagement) Award went to Carrie-Ann Anthony while Marcio Paixo collected the Level 1 award. Despite losing her confidence due to epilepsy, Carrie-Anne, from Aberdare, has blossomed working with training provider PeoplePlus and she hopes to find a job in childcare.
A Traineeship Level 1 with training provider PeoplePlus Cymru kick-started 17-year-old's Marcio's career as a placement with Lazarou Bros barbers in Merthyr Tydfil developed into a Foundation Apprenticeship. He now has a portfolio of advanced client cuts and a burgeoning modelling career.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said: "All the winners have set the standard for apprenticeships and traineeships throughout Wales. They are a fantastic showcase for our apprenticeship programme and I have been very impressed by the dedication shown by every one of tonight's nominees, many of whom have overcome personal adversity.
"The commitment by the employers must also be commended – all have shown how enthusiastic they are about apprenticeships and how important they are to developing a skilled workforce.
"Thanks to everyone here tonight and all the passionate, hard-working apprentices across Wales, the number of people gaining the skills and experiences which businesses across all sectors of our economy really need is increasing every day.
"We promised we would create 100,000 all-age apprenticeships this Assembly term and thanks to a remarkable effort from employers, learning providers and advice services, we are well on our way to reaching, and exceeding, this target. We will continue to work together to equip Wales with the talent to have a genuinely world class workforce."
Sarah John, NTfW chair, said the finalists were all "fantastic ambassadors" for the Welsh Government's successful Apprenticeship and Traineeship Programmes.
"Looking to the future, we shall need to equip employers and employees with the evolving skills needed to face the challenges of automation, artificial intelligence and digitalisation," she added. "Working closely with the Welsh Government and employers, I am confident that the NTfW will develop and deliver the quality solutions required."
Connie Dixon, Partnership Director for Openreach in Wales, said: "At Openreach we place a great value on recruiting new apprentices every year and are very proud of the fact that we hire more apprentices than any other private sector business in the UK.
"They make a huge contribution to our business – as they do to many other companies up and down the country – and it's only right that this is recognised.
"We're delighted to have been involved with this year's awards and would like to congratulate all the winners and finalists."
Compere for the awards ceremony was TV presenter Mai Davies and chefs from the Senior Culinary Team Wales and the Culinary ICC Wales Brigade cooked the dinner for 500 guests.
« Lloyds Banking Group's commitment to apprenticeships recognised — "My digital Apprenticeship has had a positive impact on my learners, myself and my colleagues." »


Note: The Tabata Interval was made "infamous" in the early days of the CrossFit program. The Tabata Interval consists of 20 seconds of maximum work capacity followed by 10 seconds rest, completed 8 times. Todays workout will be scored in the "every repetition counts" version to encourage Athletes to continually work the entire 20 seconds of allotted time. Notice the combination of exercises mimics the order of events for the workout "Jackie" (1000 Meter Row, 50 Thrusters, 30 Pull-ups.) On todays Tabata workout, Athletes can choose their start-station but must honor the order of rotation. Following the complete rotation through all 3 stations, the final evolution will be one 400 meter sprint for a record time.
Todays CAMP workout will be the same as our HQ session with the exception of Wallball instead of Thruster.


This summer, we're sharing prayers for and by Christian scholars in our network. We hope this is a chance for readers to connect with each other and with God, to be encouraged, and to pray together. May this series remind us of how the church is connected across time and space in the love of Jesus Christ our Lord. Today's prayer is by Johnny Wei-Bing Lin, a member of the Emerging Scholars Network and a Senior Lecturer of Computing and Software Systems (CSS) at U. of Washington Bothell.
Thank You so much for another academic year gone by and getting us past the finish line! And thanks so much for the Summer, for these months between last year's sprint and the sprint to come.
Thank You for the chance to rest, if only a little, during these months. Thank You the Summer months are calmer and less hectic on our campuses. Thank You for the chance to stand in shorter lines at the cafeteria or food court, for the chance to hear the wind blow and birds sing because there is less activity, for the chance to play volleyball games on the lawns or take walks through the gardens or arboretums or go out into the mountains on a field project. Thank You for the sounds of renewal and repair, whether those are made by nature or are made by our colleagues in facilities working on maintenance projects. Thank You for the chance to recover.
closely to our colleagues, our brothers and sisters in our churches, and our neighbors around us.
Finally, please help us to balance our rest with our responsibilities. Help us to focus when we need to focus, help us to be diligent when we need to be diligent, help us to write when we need to write, and help us to have courage and initiative to talk to people at conferences if we're introverted and would prefer to curl up with a book.
Thank You again for the rhythm of the academic year and for the time of Summer.
In Jesus' strong and restful Name, Amen.


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Audio · Concert announcements · Upcoming shows
Local Spins Wednesdays return to SpeakEZ in February with rousing Michigan lineup
After a hiatus of nearly three years due to COVID, the popular series will spotlight a wide spectrum of Michigan-based bands and solo artists twice a month. The schedule, plus listen to music from featured acts.
Ending a Long Hiatus: Live music is finally coming back to SpeakEZ Lounge next month. (Photos/Local Spins/Kate Hinote Trio)
SCROLL DOWN FOR A PLAYLIST OF SONGS BY FEATURED SPEAKEZ ARTISTS
When Local Spins Wednesdays hosted its pre-St. Patrick's Day show at SpeakEZ Lounge in March 2020 just as the COVID pandemic heated up, no one suspected it would be nearly three years before the series would officially return to the Grand Rapids venue.
But after enduring health restrictions, staff changes, financial setbacks and more, SpeakEZ once again will partner with Local Spins to showcase a wide array of Michigan bands for mid-week shows twice a month.
Starting with February tributes to David Bowie and Tom Petty, the 2023 Local Spins Wednesdays series will spotlight some of the state's most promising and compelling performers representing a diverse musical spectrum, including Nathan Walton & The Remedy, Brie Stoner, Kate Pillsbury (of The Crane Wives), Jake Kershaw, Conklin Ceili Band and Selkie (for a pre-St. Patrick's Day party and Conklin Ceili album-release show), Kate Hinote Trio and Organissimo.
"It's difficult to fully elucidate how tickled I am to bring live music back to the SpeakEZ stage. It means Local Spins can once again regularly showcase our region's incredible talent in a unique and intimate setting — talent that's only grown over the past three years," said Local Spins publisher John Sinkevics.
For SpeakEZ owner Eric "EZ" Albertson, it's been a lengthy, difficult haul to get to this point.
"We are very excited to bring live music back to Grand Rapids. But we need to do it in a way that is at least cost neutral as our cost of goods has skyrocketed along with inflation, and labor costs have gone higher still. I've never seen margins this slim in 32 years in the bar industry," said Albertson, who said SpeakEZ may have to consider cover charges for its live music in the future.
"I am really excited to 'get back to normal' after a three-year slog trying to survive a global pandemic and all the extra unforeseen headaches it produced like labor shortage, supply shortage and inflation. Let's play some jams. Yes, we have been getting a ton of calls and emails asking if we have live music, so the public seems to no longer be shy about gathering."
A TRADITION OF MID-WEEK CONCERTS, PLUS FEBRUARY'S 'TRIBUTE MONTH'
Challenges remain, especially for a small venue that had to struggle with capacity and social-distancing restrictions during COVID, followed by labor shortages.
"Finally, we have the staff, the capacity, the demand and the safety to bring live music back to SpeakEZ," Albertson said.
Playing Feb. 22: Jack Leaver leads American Heartbreakers' Tom Petty tribute. (Photo/Local Spins)
The series, curated by Local Spins for more than six years before the pandemic settled in, has highlighted Michigan bands exclusively as part Local Spins' mission to bolster the state's music scene. And February traditionally has rolled out as "Tribute Month" with regional artists paying homage to some of music's most influential acts.
Since March 2020, Local Spins has hosted just three one-off shows at SpeakEZ Lounge, including a jam-packed May 2022 co-headlining show with The Concussions and Earth Radio to help celebrate Local Spins' 10th anniversary.
The 2023 series — with sponsorship by NC1 Agency — will go on hiatus for the summer, with hopes of resuming in the fall, though a final decision on that hasn't been made. For now, there's just excitement about cranking up Wednesday shows again for the winter and spring, especially with a lineup that features some of the region's most popular emerging stars.
"It's been a long three years," Albertson said, "but as George (Harrison) wrote, 'Little darlin', it's been a long, cold, lonely winter. Little darlin', it feels like years since it's been here. Here comes the sun.' "
LOCAL SPINS WEDNESDAYS PLAYLIST
localspins · "Song For Ireland," Conklin Ceili Band (feat. Lexi Schaub)
VIDEO: The Concussions, Earth Radio at SpeakEZ Lounge
Tags: classic rockfolkindie-rockjazzpopsinger-songwriter


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