Conducting an energy retrofit of our first home, a neglected 1852 Greek Revival, provided us with hands on experience and knowledge. We were looking for a new project and were alerted to a vacant historic 1830 farmhouse. The front of the home faces south and a bike path that leads to our town center is located on the north side of the property. After walking through the dilapidated building we could see the hidden value of the structure. We envisioned it powered 100% by the sun.
We set three goals for the project, to maintain the historic character, make the renovation sustainable and green and provide an energy efficient building.
We started demolition only to find substantial insect, water damage and other structural issues that greatly increased the scope of work. Our architect incorporated the newly found damage as well as other ideas from the Building Science Corporation book "Builders Guide to Cold Climates" by Lstiburek and ideas from the book "Prescriptions for a Healthy House" by Baker-Laporte, Elliott and Banta.
We built new partitions inside the existing exterior walls using offset studs, allowing us to increase the insulation, as well as provide a thermal break. The new wall cavities were filled with approximately 8" of closed cell foam. After replacing the second story roof structure (inadequate for the expected snow loads) we filled the rafter spaces with closed cell spray foam, covered the decking with a recycled rubber roof underlayment, 4 inches of Styrofoam insulation, and finally a standing seam metal roof.
The design required us to preserve the existing room layout and south facing facade of the building. We renovated the facade by reinstalling wood siding, rebuilding the porches, existing double hung windows and wooden storms. In addition, we installed magnetic interior storm windows over the existing windows to increase their energy efficiency.
Care was taken in choosing systems and products for energy reduction as well as local sourcing to reduce our construction and operating carbon footprint.
Renewable Energy System Description & Details: Photovoltaic - (40) 210 watt Evergreen panels on (5) pole mounted racks, 7000 SMA Sunny Boy Inverter (Engineer specified a 7.4 kW system to run house and charge future electric car. The PV contractor suggested 40, 200 watt panels to equally balance arrays across 5 poles but substituted 210 W panels at the time of installation which resulted in a 8.4 kW system.) Climate Master Tranquility TT038 Ground Source Heat Pump (Energy Star Rated) (6894 Heating degree days per designer) Solar Hot Water - Velux Model CLI-U12SKOW/L218EL, SRCC Rated SEF 3.6, 80 gallon Solar Hot water system with electric timer, interconnected with GSHP well to prevent overheating.
Marvin Integrity windows on the north, east and west sides of the building with Comfortex, Comfor-Track Plus cellular shades; on the south side Magnetic One Lite storm windows by Allied Windows interior of the rebuilt antique original windows and exterior wooden storm sashes. The Marvin casement windows have a U value of .29 and SHGC of.30.
The project met our three goals! We received the 2011 Town of Clifton Park Historic Preservation award and Town Conservation Easement, earned LEED Platinum and NAHB Certified Green Building Emerald awards and a NYS Energy Star rating. For the first year the local utility paid us for our excess electricity. We are now using the excess carbon free energy generated to power a 2012 Nissan Leaf and a 2012 Toyota plug-in Prius to help cover our transportation carbon footprint.


text:
Petersfield Orchestra
Committee and Management
Past repertoire
Local musical organisations
7 Jun 2018 5 Jun 2018 petersfieldorchestra1927
Upcoming concert: Buoyant Beethoven and Bruch
In the closing months of 1803, there was a good chance that Napoleon was going to invade Britain. He had 150,000 soldiers or more at the ready, assembled on the cliffs at Boulogne, and was only waiting for a fair wind to speed them across the Channel before the Royal Navy could stop him. Thankfully it was never 'mission accomplished' – his own fleet let Napoleon down. But this was a minor blip in Napoleon's relentless onward march through history. He had already carved up Italy and was even then eyeing Austria greedily. And this same year, just a decade after the last French king had been decapitated, Napoleon gave free rein to his monarchical ambitions and declared himself Emperor of the French.
Far from Paris, in Vienna (where Napoleon would sooner or later arrive), an ambitious, irascible and increasingly deaf composer who had once been sympathetic to the ideals of the French Revolution was outraged at this betrayal of egalitarian principle. And so Beethoven angrily ripped out the dedication to Napoleon of his latest symphony. A bold thing to do when this was only his third such work.
Fortunately, he left the music intact. It turned out to be a magnificent celebration of heroism and defiance, always known as the 'Eroica'. Petersfield Orchestra tackle this resplendent work in their imminent summer concert, and conductor Mark Biggins at the end of his first year in charge is relishing the challenge.
'I am trying to find a different tone colour for each of the three composers in the programme,' he says. 'Alongside the drama of Beethoven, there is Rossini, whose Thieving Magpie overture demands from us a quickfire and quicksilver brilliance. And we also have a gorgeous late-Romantic concerto by Max Bruch – not his famous violin concerto, but a Double Concerto for clarinet and viola. For that, we shall be searching out the right lyrical shades to match the artistry of our two talented local soloists, Rob Blanken and Malcolm Porter.'
Petersfield Orchestra's Summer Concert takes place on Thursday 14 June in Petersfield Festival Hall in Heath Road, starting at 7:30pm, with a free pre-performance talk in the Hall at 6:30pm.
Tickets are on sale now at One Tree Books in Lavant Street (T: 01730 261199), priced at £18 and £16, or just £1 for under-18s.
Changes to upcoming rehearsals
Concert review: 2018 summer concert
Tickets also available from One Tree Books.
Click to see our latest news
Latest concert review
Stuart Reed | Concert review: 2019 spring concert
― It's difficult to hold back on the superlatives when reviewing Petersfield Orchestra. Their concerts are never a disappointment. And their performance and contribution to the Petersfield Musical Festival 2019 was certainly no exception.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Around the Table is a complete resource guide for every leadership question you have. Based on a survey of nearly 200 women leaders, this book offers a wide variety of leadership principles specific to women and their unique leadership situations. The question-and-answer format makes the material easy to use and reference as your leadership context and challenges change. The content represents varying backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, and leadership experiences and is applicable to both professional and nonprofessional women.
Great resource for women leaders!  This is a unique and informative read.
A solid resource material, suited to any woman being asked to lead in any capacity.
This book immediately caught my attention. The title itself was so attractive...who doesn't love practical advice, and who doesn't want to be more effective as a female leader? I felt like this book would be a perfect fit for me.
There are great stories and good advice in the book, but I do have to admit that the structure caused me to struggle with it a bit. I am also not a big fan of "thought questions" (the kind in italics that come at the end of a story or chapter), so I often found myself skipping portions.
In the end,I wish that the book had been structured a little differently. Maybe more like the highly successful "Lean In", also a leadership book, where the stories were woven into advice instead of compiled into one long chapter. I also wished that Clark had laid out her resume for me a little more clearly. She was talking from the position of an expert, but I didn't have a full idea of what she had done to make her one up front.
This book is definitely worth a read if the subject appeals to you. I'm sure the author worked hard and lived through a lot of experiences to bring her to the point where she could write this book. It's always difficult to be honest when a book doesn't completely work for you personally, like this one didn't for me, but that doesn't mean it can't be a life changer for someone else!


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Q: Area of the circle So I created a .js file to calculate the area of a circle and calculateArea() needs to calculate it.
The only thing that it does is the prompt(). What am I doing wrong?
function calculateArea(myRadius){
  var area = (myRadius * myRadius * Math.PI);
  return area;

  function MyArea(){
    calculateArea(myRadius);
    alert("A circle with a " + myRadius +
          "centimeter radius has an area of " + area +
          "centimeters.
" + myRadius +
          "represents the number entered by the user
" + area +
          "represents circle area based on the user input.");
  }
}
var myRadius = parseFloat(prompt("Enter the radius of your circle in cm:",0));
calculateArea(myRadius);

A: You need to keep function MyArea outside calculateArea and call calculateArea from within MyArea.
Call MyArea function instead of calculateArea.
Example Snippet:

function calculateArea(myRadius) {
  return (myRadius * myRadius * Math.PI);
}

function MyArea() {
  var area = calculateArea(myRadius);
  alert("A circle with a " + myRadius + "centimeter radius has an area of " + area + "centimeters.
" + myRadius + "represents the number entered by the user
" + area + "represents circle area based on the user input.");

}

var myRadius = parseFloat(prompt("Enter the radius of your circle in cm:", 0));
MyArea(myRadius);

PS: There are better ways to do this. Comment in case of questions.

A: this is a way for calculate the circle area
let Area, Environment;
let Radius = prompt("Enter Radius ");

function calculate(Radius) {
  CalEnvironment(Radius);
  CalArea(Radius);
}
function CalEnvironment(Radius) {
  Environment = Radius * 3.14 * 2;
  console.log("Environment is : " + Environment);
}
function CalArea(Radius) {
  Area = Radius * Radius * 3.14;
  console.log("Area is : " + Area);
}
calculate(Radius);

A: You basically need to call MyArea outside of calculateArea but in this case, why not something like this?
function calculateArea(myRadius) {
    return myRadius * myRadius * Math.PI;
}

var myRadius = parseFloat(prompt("Enter the radius of your circle in cm:",0));
var area = calculateArea(myRadius);

alert("A circle with a " + myRadius + "centimeter radius has an area of " + area + "centimeters.
" + myRadius + "represents the number entered by the user
" + area + "represents circle area based on the user input.");

A: The following is a single function solution:

function MyArea(myRadius){

 var area = Math.pow(myRadius, 2) * Math.PI;

 alert(
     "A circle with a " + myRadius +
     "centimeter radius has an area of " +
     area + "centimeters. \n" + myRadius +
     "represents the number entered by the user \n" +
     area + "represents circle area based on the user input."
 );
}

var myRadius = parseFloat(prompt("Enter the radius of your circle in cm:", 0));

MyArea(myRadius);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The symposium 'Tot op het bot uitgezocht' ('Researched to the bone') was a collaboration between Laboratory for Human Osteoarchaeology and the Historic Society Beemster ( Historisch Genootschap Beemster). In 2011 the Laboratory for Human Osteoarchaeology was asked to excavate a (mostly) 19th century cemetery, located next to the church of Middenbeemster (Netherlands). This was done in cooperation with the archaeology company Hollandia Archeologen.
This was an extraordinary excavation. Not only were almost 500 individuals excavated, but with the valuable help of the Historic Society Beemster a great deal of archival data became available on some of these persons, such as name, age at death, occupation, marriage, children, etc. The remains were analyzed by students and staff of our lab and now, four years later, it was time to show the community of the Beemster the first results of this ongoing research. About 140 people, mostly from the Beemster area itself, attended the symposium at the Keyser church in Middenbeemster.
The symposium focused on the excavation and the archival research in the morning and on the osteoarchaeological research in the afternoon. Archaeologists Pieter Floore and Sander Hakvoort spoke about the excavation, why it was done, and the different finds like coffin lids and ornate handles. Kees de Groot, chairman of the Historic Society, talked about the reconstruction of the burial history of the cemetery and Klaas Visser, a Beemsterling himself, spoke about his efforts to research his own family tree.
After a well-deserved lunch featuring the world-famous 'Beemster kaas' (cheese), the afternoon started with a talk by Dr. Andrea Waters on the most curious cases found in the graveyard, such as a women with dwarfism who had seven children, and a women with very early dental prosthetics. The afternoon continued with PhD candidate Barbara Veselka and her research on vitamin D deficiency, PhD candidate Jessica Palmer on musculoskeletal markers to reconstruct activity, and Dr. Sarah Inskip on her research with Liam Zachary on tobacco, health and disease. The final talk was given by MSc students Abel Bosman and Willem Baetsen and Dr. Hayley Mickleburgh on their research using 3D scans and finally, the facial reconstruction of Dirk Olij, a prominent member of the Beemster community in the 19th century.
The day ended with a workshop on basic human osteology given by Research Master (RMSc) students Christine Erkelens and Anne-Marijn Snaaijer, and the aforementioned Abel and Willem. Several of the pathological skeletons were also laid out for the symposium guests to see, with explanations from our staff on the different diseases visible. Frank van Spelde is thanked for being our photographer and videographer for the day. Esther de Kok-'t Gilde is thanked for a great job organizing things for the lab. The symposium generated a tremendous amount of interest and a unique occasion for interaction between scholars and the society from which this skeletal collection stems. Therefore, we would like to extend our greatest thanks to the Historisch Genootschap Beemster for organizing this symposium with such dedication and attention to detail, especially Kees de Groot and Vincent Falger, the organizing committee of the symposium, the archival research group and chair of the day Ger Ernsting.


The IMC is pleased to partner with Fragomen to bring you up to date relevant information about the UK's historic decision to exit the European Union.
Fragomen, a leading immigration services provider and the IMC's regional representative office for Europe, has developed Brexit online resources to help you stay up-to-date with the immigration impacts of Brexit. Explore Fragomen's latest Brexit blogs, videos, events, webcasts , as well as helpful FAQs to answer your most common questions.


WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Employers have an easier task of retaining staff at companies that receive a "Best Places to Work" award, according to a new study to be published in the Academy of Management Journal. External recognition also is beneficial to staffing goals, the study suggests.
The study reviewed over 600 "Best Places to Work" participant surveys. The data, covering a three-year span between 2011-2013, was then used to test hypotheses on collective turnover rates and perceptions of applicant pool quality.
In the area of recruitment, the survey asked employers to rate the quality of employee applications. The study's authors then compared answers to "Best Places to Work" certification success. The results showed certifications not only have an impact on attracting job candidates, particularly in smaller companies, but also in retaining current employees.
"We recognize that companies use employment branding to attract talent, but we also consider that companies have at least equal interest in using branding to retain talent," Dineen said.
The study "Third Party Employment Branding: Human Capital Inflows and Outflows Following 'Best Places to Work' Certifications" will be published in the Academy of Management Journal and is available at amj.aom.org. The study was co-authored by David Allen of Rutgers University.
The study suggests future research could offer insights into the monetary value that such awards have on human resources recruitment and retention.
"Best Places to Work" (BPTW) and similar competitions are a proliferating form of third-party employment branding. Little is known, however, about how single, or repeated third-party employment branding occurrences relate to key human capital outcomes. Extending signaling theory by considering signal credibility and comparability, we use archival and survey data from 624 BPTW participants in sixteen competitions across a three-year period to develop and test hypotheses linking BPTW certifications to collective turnover rates and key informant perceptions of applicant pool quality. We find that certifications are associated with lower turnover rates and, in addition, propose competing crystallization and celebrity hypotheses that model turnover trajectories with repeated certifications, finding diminishing marginal turnover reductions across multiple certifications. We also examine company size and industry job opening moderators, finding that as certifications increase, applicant pool quality is (1) higher in smaller companies and (2) higher when job openings are scarcer. Finally, beyond being certified or not, we find supplemental evidence for effects of the specific certification level achieved (e.g., 2nd versus 15th). This investigation advances theory related to collective turnover, applicant pool quality, and employment branding, and is relevant to company decisions about seeking or re-seeking third party certifications.


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A thick, fragrant smudge stick of California White Sage, garden sage, rosemary, dill, thyme, mint + pink rose petals.
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text:
Home News World Witnesses Longest Eclipse Of The Moon, Spectacle In Abuja
World Witnesses Longest Eclipse Of The Moon, Spectacle In Abuja
The longest "blood moon" eclipse this century began on Friday, coinciding with Mars' closest approach in 15 years to treat skygazers across the globe to a thrilling celestial spectacle.
In Abuja, the Nigerian capital, the spectacle was witnessed at 8.18p.m.
Unlike with a solar eclipse, viewers do not need protective eye gear to observe the rare display.
"All you have to do is… go outside!" the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) in London said, adding that binoculars would be useful to observe the phenomenon.
For about half the world, the moon will be partly or fully in Earth's shadow from 1714 to 2328 GMT — six hours and 14 minutes in all.
The period of complete eclipse — known as "totality", when the moon appears darkest — will last from 1930 to 2113 GMT.
At the same time, Mars will hover near the moon in the night sky, easily visible to the naked eye.
Amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere will be best-placed to enjoy the spectacle, especially those in southern Africa, Australia, India and Madagascar, though it will also be partly visible in Europe and South America.
Beside Lake Magadi, 100 kilometres (60 miles) southwest of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, husband and wife team Susan Murabana and Chu Owen set up their high-powered telescope for the local community to watch the event.
The isolated lake is far from urban light pollution, making it the perfect spot for planet-spotting.
Young people — some in traditional Maasai outfits and armed with alem daggers — gathered around, laughing and pointing to the engorged, bright-white moon overhead.
"It's good to give people who wouldn't otherwise get to use a telescope like this an opportunity," said Murabana, 39.
Purity Sailepo, 16, said that she had been inspired by the telescope visit to become an astronomer
"Until today I thought Mars, Jupiter and the other planets were in the imagination of scientists," she told AFP.
"But now I've seen it I can believe it and I want to be an astronomer to tell other people."
The website www.timeanddate.com also offers the exact locations and timing of the eclipse as it moves from Friday into Saturday.
Longest Eclipse
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Thanks to Ms Yeo, I manage to improve my grades from a D to an A within a few months! She constantly encourage and motivates us in class!
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Assam Halmari is a new Assamese tea estate for Kent Tea. Situated in the district of Dibrugarh on the north bank of the Brahmaputra which flows through the heart of the Indian State of Assam. The estate produces some very fine orthodox loose leaf teas. This Halmari Tippy Golden Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe has a rough small leaf with golden tips. The infusion is dark in cup with a spicy robust and strong malty flavour.


text:
Spring Races
About The Races
Sponsor/Links
RACE TO GIVE
HELP US HONOR THE PAST AND
SUPPORT THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY
MOST IMPACTED BY COVID-19 Donate to the MSRA COVID RELIEF FUND
The global pandemic is nothing less than a 100-year flood and it has left very few untouched by its high waters. We feel we have a duty to respond in an exceptional manner: exceptional in that our response will be a one-time initiative and exceptional in that it will be notable in its scope.
Through much thoughtful consideration, the MSRA board has authorized a short-term sub-fund to be established that will be used to meet the area of greatest need for frontline workers in the Inova Health System. In addition, we will also send support to Seven Loaves Services, Inc., a pantry dedicated to providing nutritious food to those in need in Middleburg and the surrounding area.
Please consider a generous donation and join us in building a bulwark against the virus that has traveled so freely among us. Any donation made through Race Day on May 1st will be dedicated to the MSRA COVID RELIEF FUND.
All content © Middleburg Spring Races. All rights reserved.
All photos, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of Middleburg Photo.


In 1997, the Saône-et-Loire region launched the first ''Voie verte'' in France, which quickly became a benchmark across France and abroad. From Chalon-sur-Saône to the gateway of Mâcon, this route crosses the landscapes dominated by the Rocks of Solutré, Pouilly and Vergisson, labelled as ''Grands Sites de France''. It combines visits to Côte Chalonnaise vineyards and heritage sites testifying to the spiritual influence of Cluny and poetic reminiscences of the Val Lamartinien.
This route in particularly offers travelling through a tunnel: the Bois Clair tunnel.
linking Chalon-sur-Saône and Mâcon have the "Tourisme et Handicap" label.
Round-trip circuits starting from the "Voie Verte"


text:
Diogo Jota tipped to leave Liverpool by former teammate
'Not a priority': £17.1m Liverpool-linked player's father pours cold water on potential transfer
Billy Meyers
Photo by Angelo Blankespoor/Soccrates/Getty Images
Alf-Inge Håland, father of Liverpool-linked Erling Braut Håland, has been speaking to Sport1 about his son's chances of leaving Borussia Dortmund.
When asked about the striker's future, the ex-Manchester City man said: 'You never know what will happen. We haven't talked about such a step yet. I think he would like to win some trophies with Dortmund. That is his goal. Erling can still achieve a lot in Germany and make great progress. Abroad is not a priority for us.'
9 Teams You MUST Try On Football Manager 2021
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That doesn't offer much encouragement for Liverpool's hopes of signing him.
Håland – who cost Borussia Dortmund £17.1 million – was recently linked with the Premier League champions after RB Salzburg's sporting director Christoph Freund said the Norwegian 'will land' at Anfield.
When discussing Liverpool as a potential destination, Sky Sports (via Goal) quote the director of Håland's former side as saying: 'That's where he will land.'
Photo by LEON KUEGELER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Liverpool-linked 'goal machine' incredibly breaks £200k-a-week player's record with flying colours
'Phenomenal': Gary Lineker hails £66.9m-rated Liverpool-linked player
Despite those links, it very much seems like the Norway international is happy at the Signal Iduna Park. Håland's father adds that he thinks his son would like to win some silverware with Lucian Favre too, so it seems like his mind is far away from a transfer.
This news should come as a shame to Liverpool, as the 20-year-old is among Europe's best players right now and would be a truly unbelievable signing.
Håland has netted 11 goals in 11 games so far this season, and also has three assists to his name.
Even more impressively, the Leeds-born marksman scored 44 goals in 40 games last season, a campaign which he largely played as a teenager having only turned 20 in July.
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text:
Letter from John W. Sedat et. al. on the Dangers of TSA Backscatter Scanners
Dr. John P. Holdren
Assistant to the President for Science and Technology
Dear Dr. Holdren:
We, a number of University of California, San Francisco faculty, are writing — see the attached memo — to call your attention to our concerns about the potential serious health risks of the recently adopted whole body back scatter X-ray airport security scanners. This is an urgent situation as these X-ray scanners are rapidly being implemented as a primary screening step for all air travel passengers.
By way of introduction one of us (John Sedat) met you recently when he and his wife Dr. Elizabeth Blacckburn, a 2009 Nobel Laureate, talked with President Obama last ecemer. Dr. Sedat is Professor Emeritus in Biochemistry and Biophyisics at the University of California, San Francisco, with expertise in imagin. He is alo a member of the National Academy of Sciences. The other cosigner incluses Dr. Marc Shuman, an internatioally well known and respected cancer expert and UCSF profesor, as well as Drs. David Agard and Robert Stroud, who are UCSF Professors, X-ray crystallographers, imaging experts and NAS members.
John Sedat, Ph.D
David Agard, Ph.D
Marc Shuman, M.D.
Robert Stroud, Ph.D.
LETTER OF CONCERN
We are writing to call your attention to serious concerns about the potential health risksof the recently adopted whole body backscatter X-ray airport security scanners. This isan urgent situation as these X-ray scanners are rapidly being implemented as a primaryscreening step for all air travel passengers.
Our overriding concern is the extent to which the safety of this scanning device hasbeen adequately demonstrated. This can only be determined by a meeting of animpartial panel of experts that would include medical physicists and radiation biologistsat which all of the available relevant data is reviewed.
An important consideration is that a large fraction of the population will be subject tothe new X-ray scanners and be at potential risk, as discussed below. This raises anumber of 'red flags'. Can we have an urgent second independent evaluation?
The Red Flags
The physics of these X-rays is very telling: the X-rays are Compton-Scattering off outermolecule bonding electrons and thus inelastic (likely breaking bonds).
Unlike other scanners, these new devices operate at relatively low beam energies(28keV). The majority of their energy is delivered to the skin and the underlyingtissue. Thus, while the dose would be safe if it were distributed throughout the volumeof the entire body, the dose to the skin may be dangerously high.
The X-ray dose from these devices has often been compared in the media to the cosmicray exposure inherent to airplane travel or that of a chest X-ray. However, thiscomparison is very misleading: both the air travel cosmic ray exposure and chest Xrayshave much higher X-ray energies and the health consequences are appropriatelyunderstood in terms of the whole body volume dose. In contrast, these new airportscanners are largely depositing their energy into the skin and immediately adjacenttissue, and since this is such a small fraction of body weight/vol, possibly by one to twoorders of magnitude, the real dose to the skin is now high.
In addition, it appears that real independent safety data do not exist. A search,ultimately finding top FDA radiation physics staff, suggests that the relevant radiationquantity, the Flux [photons per unit area and time (because this is a scanning device)]has not been characterized. Instead an indirect test (Air Kerma) was made thatemphasized the whole body exposure value, and thus it appears that the danger is lowwhen compared to cosmic rays during airplane travel and a chest X-ray dose.
In summary, if the key data (flux-integrated photons per unit values) were available, itwould be straightforward to accurately model the dose being deposited in the skin and adjacent tissues using available computer codes, which would resolve the potentialconcerns over radiation damage.
Our colleagues at UCSF, dermatologists and cancer experts, raise specific important concerns:
A) The large population of older travelers, >65 years of age, is particularly at risk from the mutagenic effects of the X-rays based onthe known biology of melanocyte aging.
B) A fraction of the female population is especially sensitive to mutagenesis-provoking radiation leading to breast cancer. Notably, because these women, who have defects in DNA rempair mechanisms, are particularly prone to cance,r X-ray mamograms are not performed on them. The dose to breast tissue beneath the skin represents a similar risk.
C) Blood (white blood cells) perfusing the skin is also at risk.
D) The population of immunocoompromised individual — HIV and cancer patients (see above) is liekly to be at risk for cancer induction by the high skin dose.
E) The risk of radiation emmission to childern and adolescents does not appear to have been fully evaulated.
F) The policy towards pregnant women needs to be defined once the theoretical risks to the fetus are determined.
G) Because of the proximity of the testicles to the skin, this tissue is at risk for sperm mutagenesis.
H) Have the effects of the radiation on the cornea and thymus been determined?
Moreover, there are a number of 'red flags' related to the hardware itself. Because this device can scan a human in a few seconds, the X-ray beam is very intense. Any glitch in power at any point in the hardware (or more importantly in software) that stops the device could cause an intense radiation dose to a single spot on the skin. Who will oversee problems with overall dose after repair or software problems? The TSA is already complaining about resolution limitations; who will keep the manufacturers and/or TSA from just raising the dose, an easy way to improve signal-to-noise and get higher resolution? Lastly, given the recent incident (on December 25th), how do we know whether the manufacturer or TSA, seeking higher resolution, will scan the groin area more slowly leading to a much higher total dose?
After review of the available data we have already obtained, we suggest that additional critical information be obtained, with the goal to minimize the potential health risks of total body scanning. One can study the relevant X-ray dose effects with modern molecular tools. Once a small team of appropriate experts is assembled, an experimental plan can be designed and implemented with the objective of obtaining information relevant to our concerns expressed above, with attention paid to completing the information gathering and formulating recommendations in a timely fashion. We would like to put our current concerns into perspective. As longstanding UCSF scientists and physicians, we have witnessed critical errors in decisions that have seriously affected the health of thousands of people in the United States. These unfortunate errors were made because of the failure to recognize potential adverse outcomes of decisions made at the federal level. Crises create a sense of urgency that frequently leads to hasty decisions where unintended consequences are not recognized. Examples include the failure of the CDC to recognize the risk of blood transfusions in the early stages of the AIDS epidemic, approval of drugs and devices by the FDA without sufficient review, and improper standards set by the EPA, to name a few.
Similarly, there has not been sufficient review of the intermediate and long-term effects of radiation exposure associated with airport scanners. There is good reason to believ that these scanners will increase the risk of cancer to children and other vulnerable populations. We are unanimous in believing that the potential health consequences need to be rigorously studied before these scanners are adopted. Modifications that reduce radiation exposure need to be explored as soon as possible.
In summary we urge you to empower an impartial panel of experts to reevaluate the potential health issues we have raised before there are irrevocable long-term consequences to the health of our country. These negative effects may on balance far outweigh the potential benefit of increased detection of terrorists.
Original PDF here


It felt as if I was in a different timezone, a far off geography – definitely not present day Karachi.
There are many shrines around the city with their peculiar ways of celebrating words of Sufi saints. Qawwali is perhaps the most popular ritual but communal dhikr is not uncommon either. However you perhaps would not find many shrines in the city where dhikr is performed in Swahili. Abdullah Shah Ashabi Baba's shrine in Hawksbay town is one of few where you could find the ancient ritual performed in Swahili every evening. Not much is known about the saint but Shidis – who have sizable presence in the area – make most of the regular devotees.
Shidis – descendants of African slaves – which were brought to subcontinent centuries ago have a sizable presence in Karachi most notably in Lyari, Malir and Saeedabad. While there is a lack of conclusive research but Shidis have been connected with Karachi for centuries, perhaps arriving in lower Sindh with Muhammad Bin Qasim for the first time.
The Karachi Walla ended up at the shrine by chance. I was working with a team on a project and after several hours out in the sun, I dozed off in the car, only to find myself in front of the shrine a little later. There was a huge graveyard on one side of the shrine and vast empty ground beyond. One of the team members wanted to document it and with little luck we found the mutawwali of the shrine who agreed to perform the ritual for us.
The mutawwali took us inside the shrine and all of us performed fateha. Then he led us to adjacent hall where we all settled on the marble floor. Two boys from the neighborhood brought drums and politely sat in front of him. The stage was set for the ancient ritual.
The mutawwali started reciting verses in Swahili. The kids beat the drums gently and replied in the same tone. The other devotees slowly gathered and formed a circle listened to the ritual silently.
Later the mutawwali told me that very few people understand Swahili now but the verses in Swahili were still being transferred from one generation to another, one heart to another, and would continue to.


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text:
MoneyTrainers
Pensions Select Committee
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If you would like my Pension Review Document – template letter and notes you'll need this code Moneyt-Pension and this link Pension Review
Response to the
Pension Costs And Transparency Inquiry.
https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/work-and-pensions-committee/news-parliament-2017/pension-costs-17-19/
Richard Smith is the explainer in chief over at www.MoneyTrainers.co.uk and the resident specialist over at www.thefinancezone.co.uk you can contact him directly on 0774 007 6226 or via the website(s). Qualifications from the Chartered Insurance Institute and the Institute of Financial Services.
Pension providers are in a unique position in the UK.
The public perception is that Pension contracts are complicated with a number of moving parts, reality is, defined contribution pensions – personal pensions and the income options at retirement are expensive and complicated. Many consumers are forced to pay for advice that is often not up to standard.
Despite years of regulation, since 1988. The same topics keep arising, mis-selling is still going on, poor investment returns are a constant topic and product charges are a real problem.
If you are in your forties now, you can expect today's millennials to be at the peak of their careers when you draw your pension. Many of these will not want to be making contributions to a scheme that they are unlikely to benefit from.
There is little evidence to show that higher charging pension providers deliver higher performance. Many providers still don't produce adequate levels of administration and nor are the comparison tools available.
Every change in Government involves a tweak to to pension policy or arrangements, with the main focus on 'kicking the can down the road' – there are serious problems with pension provision in the UK and no Government in the last thirty years has wanted to deal with the problems.
As an introduction I have included for you some of my comments from the Great British Pension Swindle along with placing a link to the full version in the appendix. A copy of this which has been sent to Messrs Hammond, Opperman and Corbyn and I have included the responses from their respective offices.
Do higher-cost providers deliver higher performance, or simply eat into clients' savings?
There is no evidence to support that higher charging providers deliver more in the way of better performance or investment returns. Before considering this furter I feel an explanation of charges is required.
An Explanation Of Charges
A 1% charge equals ten percent of a pension fund every ten years. 2% charge equals twenty percent every ten years.
Pension contract terms run from 18 'til death, dependent on the options selected. This means the provider has access to the income via charges for 61 years based on present average (male) life expectancy and assuming some kind of pension freedom contract is considered into retirement.
Charges are never expressed honestly, like they could be below.
"Dear Bob, good news about your pension. So far you've paid in x, we've charged you y, and because we are so great at managing your money your pension fund is worth £zz.zzp"
There are also further questions that arise.
Why there is little comparison information available.
Why can't I find out who has the lowest charges?
Who has the best overall returns?
Who answers the phone fastest?
Who charges a penalty for early retirement?
The reason the industry doesn't want to publish the information – it thinks consumers are too stupid to understand and will end up buying on price – not so.
Having access to information is not advice, advice is going to your GP and after an initial consultation you are are advised you are dying and need urgent medical help. You can't find that out by looking it up on NHS.net, but you could get access to a review about your GP, or information on the prescribed drug. Just not a pension
A business that sells pensions is in a unique position. They have access to OPM – other people's money and levy a series of charges over a long period of time.
It's for that reason pensions are attractive products for businesses to sell.
Remember in addition to the fund fee there is a provider fee and adviser fee (both for normal pension and income drawdown products) these fees could be
Adviser fee .50% per annum
Fund fee 1.60%
Provider Fee .50%
Total charge of 2.60% per annum or 26% of the fund every ten years effectively wiping out any effect of tax relief.
Charges are not clearly shown within pension statements. It should be possible to to explain to a consumer… that under this contract your charges will be 1% fund charge, .50% pension manager charge and .5% adviser charge.
This totals an annual charge of 2%. If you have £72.000 invested, which is the average UK pension fund then the total costs of running your pension will be £1440 every year or £120 per month.
The concern is, that many people wouldn't invest in pensions if they understood the true cost of them – and that's a massive problem, it's also one reason they are not considered as a primary investment for the working classes, but are of course used by the wealthy as a tax planning tool.
Pop over to any of them and search for 'charges' or 'pension charges', there are few results and most certainly nothing there for you to use.
Providers tend to obfuscate costs and charges.
Since financial regulation in 1988 there have been various attempts at disclosure of charges and these have always been decided by the product providers. Financial regulators give guidelines and these are then interpreted by the advisers/provider.
This has not benefited the consumer. Yet with loan and mortgage contracts the regulations have been prescriptive and advised consumers exactly what these charges are.
So instead of using terms like RIY – reduction in yield or by 'cost comparisons based on projected returns' why not state the true cost in pound terms. This would then enable consumers to compare on a like for like basis.
Examples of pension charges if you pension fund is worth £500,000
Average UK Pension fund (source PensionBee) is £71342
Advisers are not clear about their initial charges or ongoing costs, sure there are some initial disclosure documents but the information tends to be buried in multi page documents, and normally within not on the front page or rear page.
Let's look at how one provider does it. A simple search on Aviva – UK for 'pension charges' shows
The answers to the question are on one page. https://www.aviva.co.uk/retirement/pensions/aviva-pension/
However that is not the full story. In order to work out what the charges are on your pension you'll need to do some digging.
What fund are you invested in? Each fund has a different level of charges.
What pension contract do you have? Aviva will have hundreds of different contracts each one with a different charging structure.
Obfuscation is everywhere.
Pension Providers Are A Business
Providers are businesses and are run with the sole objective of making a profit and will therefore charge the maximum they possibly can and despite the massive increase in the number of providers there is no evidence of true competition in the sector in that the costs of pension products have remained very consistent over the years, and there are no new firms coming into the market with different offers, just more of the same.
The cost of providing the pension wrapper should be very little, there is virtually no reporting (annual statements) and limited administration.
The levels of service from many providers has been slipping in recent years. – not helped by consolidation, businesses like Phoenix Life have taken over more than one hundred and forty seperate life assurance and pension providers in recent years.
Despite reviews and enquiries about pension charges various regulators, including the Financial Conduct Authority and the Association of British Insurers little has happened.
Five years after the OFT review, four years after the ABI review the FCA has decided to review pension charges and outcomes.
Non performance, high charges (that have contractual obligations that apply) and a difficulty in getting pension funds moved from one provider to another make them lucrative products for providers and awkward investments for consumers.
Investment Funds – important because this allows providers to further complicate the matter of pensions
Many pension funds have investment returns that can only be described as lacklustre, the underlying investments allow providers to further complicate matters and increase the overall level of charges.
With no downsides for non performance in relation to investments – there is little chance a complaint will be upheld over poor investment returns, and many pension funds don't outperform the market over the long term.
Let's Consider Pension Fund Performance Generally.
Morningstar.co.uk – a leading fund information provider show that there are a large number of pensions funds available.
Of these funds there are 680 that get a five star rating, just four and a half percent (4.51%) of all UK pension funds are rated as the very best.
Excellent fund performance tends to come from specialist areas, most consumers will only have a small part of their overall funds invested in these specialist funds.
The key to all of this as a consumer, how do you work out what to invest in when you have a range of different investment returns and 15000 odd choices. Advisers are only guessing and consumers are doing even worse than that.
Thousand of pension funds underperform, for which there is no basis for complaint or any protection against non performance. Perhaps the only consumer product where there is no comeback for being useless, moreover chances are you won't find out how crap the investment is until a lot closer to death.
Another reason why pension statements should show. "Dear Bob, good news about your pension. So far you've paid in x, we've charged you y, and because we are so great at managing your money your pension fund is worth £zz.zzp" perhaps this could add in 'which is an increase of £xx in the last twelve months'.
At the date this feedback was compiled there are 2176 shares listed on the UK (LSE) stock exchanges. Worldwide there are more opinions (fund managers) than shares to invest
Organisations like Money Advice Service and Pensions Advisory Service do not provide sufficient information in order for consumers to be able to make an information decision on charges.
Pension providers do not seem to behave like they are in a competitive market, no matter how many providers enter a market there is little different on offer.
Is the Government doing enough to ensure that workplace pension savers get value for money?
It would be easy to respond to this and say no, however the bigger problems seems to be in working out what is value for money.
Auto – Enrolment (AE) – no more than a gift to the industry. These newer style plans have started to replace personal style pensions and are the new standard for company pension plans. They are also mandatory for those earning over a certain amount, your employer is also forced to make contributions to the scheme on your behalf.
For many lower paid, multiple job workers they miss out on employer contributions and also tax relief which makes a completely mockery of the legislation – enforced savings.
Government is really saying, sure we want everybody to have a pension but not those working on a limited number of hours.
NEST is the Government's flagship AE scheme that was set up via a loan from Taxpayers and in conjunction with TATA Many employers use this scheme as a default option. At the moment is is some £400m in the red (latest accounts) and it's only source of income is charges deducted from members funds.
Again it seems that a Government created provider is no better than a private company at this whole pension thing – problem is, as a taxpayer investing in a NEST pension you pay twice, once in charges for your own fund and secondly for the taxpayer subsidy it's getting.
Further, TATA the specialised consultancy had agreed a £600m fee over the first ten years to cover the I.T within NEST (£60m per year buys a lot of I.T) given that TATA have been a supplier of I.T to the pensions industry for many years it would appear to be 'money for old rope' as they say outside of Government circles. As they had already developed the software required.
If you consider the situation with NEST, the organisation set up with taxpayer funding has continually failed to deliver, it has recently borrowed more money in order to cover its costs. These costs are borne by the policyholders, many of which have no individual choice under Auto Enrolment rules – mandatory pension contributions, deducted from gross pay.
Once a member works out that a) fund performance is poor or b) charges could have been lower with a different provider or c) NEST decides that it needs longer to set up and borrows yet more money and the members need to pay higher charges for a longer period – there is nothing the member can do. Save opt out and lose the employer contribution.
Forcing a consumer to pay for something and then not casting into statute a set of rules forcing the product to be better than best is not fair.
Someone making payments to a NEST AE scheme could also have credit card debt or personal loans in place. Credit card interest rates could be as high as 29% per annum and personal loans could be as high as 10% per annum in interest charges. Government should be doing it's best to inform and educate these people that putting money into a pension, instead of reducing debt could be doing them great financial harm in the short term.
Interestingly enough, the fund manager for NEST – State Street was expecting the funds under management within NEST to be in the region of £100bn and £200bn in total
Based on these figures, and, the fact that average charges for NEST are .50% per annum, there will be at least £500m of gross profit available per year at some stage in the future. It's good news for State Street, TATA and NEST – but as the figures are not published we can't tell.
Let me ask you this question. How would you like a business that makes half a billion a year, with profits tied in for fifty or sixty years of more and fully supported by law?
Government is being naive over NEST and Auto Enrolment more generally.
What is the relative importance of empowering consumers or regulating providers?
Consumers need to be fully aware of their options. If we continue to use taxpayer funds to subside an industry via pension tax relief I think they should be made fully aware of their options and a full explanation of the pros and cons of pensions.
Importantly, risk warnings about the importance of reviews, charges and investment performance along with the implications of investing in pension versus repaying short term debt.
Empowering consumers is the most important issue here, no more regulation for providers but more information and workshops held.
Simple and timely information should be provided and impartial information given.
NEST is soon going to have profits of half a billion – it can afford to run these. If pension tax relief is ended there will be a further £50b (odd) available. If we make Google and Amazon et al pay their may be a bit more to go around – sorry off topic.
4. How can savers be encouraged to engage with their savings?
Not so long ago there was an army of people offering local advice in the home. The home service providers, The Pearl, Pru, Liverpool Victoria etc. Offered low cost guidance and a range of savings and investment products.
Sure, you could say that these products were expensive or that the distribution costs were prohibitive. Yet, there was a class of citizen that could access a trusted adviser – every month as they called at the house. Sure, it seems an outmoded form of advice, but plenty of people benefited from this kind of service.
We also had milk delivered in reusable containers, and meat wrapped in paper, took our own bags to the greengrocer – some things look dangerously outmoded, but actually were the right model. We didn't need recycling then.
There is no reason why a number of online portals can't be created with some simple 'do this get this' examples. But, with further input from specialists. Sure the advice industry is going to hate it, but they hate anything that may take bread of their table, to alter the status quo.
There is a distinct lack of information around. Money is perceived to be boring or difficult – it's not properly taught in schools and there is limited information available from the Government/Industry supported portals – where it does exist, there are few positives.
There is not sufficient information showing/helping people become financially independent, just plenty of negative stories for when the proverbial is hitting the fan.
Organisations like MoneyAdvice are not proactive enough in their approach to make sure that everyone considers their personal financial situation.
There are no charge calculators or guide.
There are no risk profile/asset allocation tool.
The two things that decide how good or bad an investment is are, charges and asset allocation, little mention of this on Money Advice and certainly no practical help.
Advice on AE if you have debt's needs to be better structured on Money Advice, but at least it's mentioned.
How Can Poor People Save?
This conundrum has been considered carefully by Government after Government – and so far they have all missed the point.
Poor people can't save because they are poor.
Those just over the breadline are struggling because of low paid work, zero hours contracts and a constantly changing benefits system, oh and then there is the housing issues.
If you have a have a healthy and wealthy working population with money spare at the end of the week or month – they'd save, no problems.
Enforced savings via Auto Enrolment should be replaced with an adequately funded state pension – see The Great British Pension Swindle in the appendix.
Money Education
All Government portals should be focused on a financial education.
5.How important is investment transparency to savers?
It is vitally important.
The industry, both provider and adviser do their utmost to make sure that specific charges are hard to work out, they complicate fund choice by using Mirror Funds with no meaningful explanation and don't offer information in a straight forward enough way.
6. If customers are unhappy with their providers' costs and investment performance/strategy, are there barriers to them going elsewhere?
Of course they are. The one thing that providers hide behind and are fully supported by the regulator is the issue of barriers.
Government even helps by making advice mandatory in some instances.
There are no
Understanding the terms
No comparison of charges available
Simple table of charges laid out in an identical way from each provider
7.Are Independent Governance Committees effective in driving value for money?
This is not a complicated thing to we have a number of financial regulators who should be working to make sure that the industry they regulate does the right thing for the customer.
If the advice industry and the providers adopted the stance of a fiduciary there would no need for regulation or independent committees.
A fiduciary is someone who has undertaken to act for and on behalf of another in a particular matter in circumstances which give rise to a relationship of trust and confidence. — Lord Millett, Bristol and West Building Society v Mothew
8. Do pension customers get value for money from financial advisers?
Despite being heavily subsidised the advisory industry, along with the fund management and pension industry continues to charge considerably more than necessary.
Less than ninety four percent (94%) of UK consumers take advice.
Advisers are not interested in working with people that can't service their businesses long term. The advice industry is like a 'heroin addict' desperate for it's morning fix, but then makes sure that once it's had it – the abusive relationship with it's income source continues – ongoing advice fees allows it's desperate habit to continue.
There is no other professional service in the UK that would be allowed to operate like financial advice practices.
If adviser fees are deducted from the investment funds then no VAT is charged on this fee which does seem like a heavily tilted market for advice.
Based on some industry figures it seems that around six percent of the population use the services of a financial adviser, with ninety four percent not using them at all. It does seem a little unfair that there is a VAT charge on tampons, but not on financial advice, all because of an historic arrangement in relation to commissions.
This unequal treatment robs the taxpayer of the VAT.
Financial advice and product arrangement are clearly a service and should have VAT levied in the amount charged. Every other professional service provider works on this basis.
There would be questions asked if Accountants, Solicitors and Estate Agents could avoid VAT by the use of a different form of contract.
Contingent Charges
Since the commision ban came into force some years ago, advisers have been able to opt to have the fees charged for advice and product arrangement paid by the provider, taken from the amount of money invested or transferred.
This has made it very easy for advisers:
To get paid
To hide the true cost of advice
To benefit from no VAT on services (advice)
Commision has been replaced by a disclosed fee that is not paid paid by the client, but paid by the product provider – so much like a commission, but not.
Importantly, the level of fee charged is often disproportionate to the work done.
If we consider Final Salary Pension Transfers, where it is a legal requirement that members get advice if the transfer value is over £30,000.
Government decided that it should force consumers to take advice, which on the face of it seems fair. However it forgot to ensure that the costs of advice were also legislated for.
Now we see the costs of advice running from £2500 – £10,000 depending the size of the fund, advisers are leaning on the fact that 'because members don't have to write a cheque for the costs of advice' – in that it's taken from the final transfer figure – advisers can charge more.
At the same time we've seen the quality of that advice – which is mandatory called into question – I'll be honest the results ain't that great.
Given that the time taken to process and advise on a such a transfer is the same for a £30,000 pension pot and a £1,000,000 pot it doesn't make sense to have charging schemes on a percentage of fund basis.
One option here would be make advisers charge a set number of hours – let's say four hours and then prepare an actuarial assessment of the advice and the options for transfer. Cost of which could well be less than a thousand pounds, this will achieve several things.
Prevent the sale of a pension transfer
Ensure the advice has at least two heads looking at it
Prevent the 'bad guys' and 'scammers' from getting a look in
Funding could easily come from the scheme with an extension to the Pension Advice Allowance. Importantly it comes with a positive assurance that at least two suitably qualified people have considered the options and highlighted any potential problems.
Trustees can confirm the process has happened before releasing funds.
Pension mis-selling
Contingent charging – commission from a sale that is only paid if a client goes ahead with a pension transfer encourages miss-selling and should be banned with immediate effect.
If advice has any value it should be paid for directly. It works very well with the legal profession and accountancy.
The failed sales where advice has been provided are subsidised by the others that do end up paying. Most advisers are playing a numbers game, hoping to make a couple of sales per week. Rather than being truly independent professionals.
Can you imaging going to see your Oncologist, only to be told you won't need to write a cheque for your treatment, as they'll be paid a fee for the advice, from sale of the recommended treatment to the NHS?
Many consumers do not under the fact that there will be an ongoing charge levied on the products arranged. For many financial advice practices this is 'money for nothing' as little review work is really undertaken.
Ongoing advice fee's should be invoiced, have VAT charged on them and be used instead of 'ongoing commission'.
It is not always made clear what these fees are for and the basis for charging them – nearly always are ongoing fees charged as a percentage of fund value – yet the same amount of work is required to manage a portfolio of £50,000 and £250,000 yet the fees charged could be massively different.
We've had financial regulation since 1988. Little has changed, there have been plenty of reviews and lot's of talk – yet there is still mis-selling going on – e.g British Steel pensions – all created by regulated firms, still no ban on cold calling and still charges being levied on pension products that no one wants to address.
Why is that? Is it the same reason no one from RBS was sanctioned over it's restructuring unit, is it the same reason that every decade has seen problems of pensions, PPI, fraud. The same people doing the same old things, still no effective competition, still no serious considerations of the options.
The state needs to either state simply – 'buyer beware' over the entire thing and put it's resources into stopping the out and out fraud, or step up and start to use it's strength and buying power to solve the problems we are facing. The half-way house, in place at the moment is serving very few.
2018 – Where Are We Now With Pensions? State pension provision is collapsing unnecessarily, there are some options (more to come on that later) and despite mandatory pension contributions in the form of Auto Enrolment plus the recently announced Pensions Freedoms many consumers have no idea what is really happening – nor how they are being milked by providers and advisers to tune of billions of pounds per year, via pension charges. Along with being let down by Government policy.
Importantly these same consumers are accepting a promise of riches from their pension schemes when they retire.
These promises are unlikely to be realised and there is nothing the pension owner can do about it. Because of charges and dire investment returns these riches are unlikely to be realised.
For many, any penson reviews will be to late, and given that pensions don't pay out until you three quarters of your life has already past – it'll be far too late to do anything about it.
Worse still, many UK workers, peer through the window of local council offices and schools, to see those employees feasting at the table of a 'gold plated final salary pension' these Government staff, will enjoy a guaranteed pension that has to be topped up by taxpayers, who will never see such a thing.
Over the last twenty years state pensions have been altered and adjusted to the point where they are now no more than a giant Ponzi scheme. This weeks income to the system only covers this weeks cost with little or any left in reserve. Indeed any National Insurance fund the general public think there is, will be tiny if it exists.
Given that there are less people paying into the State Pension it is a reasonable expectation that any drawings from it are going to be under pressure.
It is the tax payers of today that are paying todays pension – there is no pot of money.
Future generations are being left with a liability – something they must pay for but are unlikely to receive any benefit from – mainly due to the overall reduction of the State Pension scheme but also because of the huge liabilities that are building up within public sector pensions.
No matter how this is fiddled with from a political standpoint it is not sustainable. Government keeps tweaking the system in the hope that no one notices but not telling the truth or informing the people properly. It would be wrong of me to accuse ministers and members of parliament of lying – more just not dealing with the problems that are obvious.
The #waspi campaign highlighted the lack of information provided by Government in relation to pensions. Extension to retirement ages under the state scheme were not well publicised and lots of women who expected to draw on pensions found they had to wait a further few years before getting it. We can expect these changes to continue.
Indeed since the changes made in 1988/1995 the whole area of state pensions has been under pressure. It is partly due to population growth and partly because of people living longer in retirement. All of these things have been known about and well documented since the 1980's.
Private (Personal) Pension Arrangements
All of us have been encouraged to make our own provision. Yet, after some thirty years of personal pensions most of these are not clearly understood nor effective. The pension providers and Government do as much as they can to complicate matters. With rules and regulations that change frequently.
The big problem with any conventional private arrangements is this – you'll never know how much the likely pension will be until you are at least halfway to retirement (at least a third dead) or maybe even longer, and
Charges have a massive impact on your final pension under any personal arrangements.
Investment performance is questionable in the main with average investment returns being bad to dire, with a handful being good.
Government Subsidy for The Pension Industry
Pensions tax relief costs us the taxpayer some £41bn per year and based on the present population (May 2018) that's £624 per person per year, and has done little to improve the lot of the pensioner. Importantly, treasury forecasts seem to indicate that the cost of tax relief will be at £50bn very shortly (see appendix).
Based on the current set up of most defined contribution pensions all of this relief is lost in charges and therefore is more of an immediate benefit to the providers/pension managers as they levy their charges on the pension contribution/fund once the tax relief has been added, thus increasing their take.
Importantly for the individual, pensions are broadly tax neutral over the long term. When you draw down on the benefits you can take some as a tax free cash amount and the balance is taxable, in fact dependent on the actual performance of the pension fund the Government may even make a small amount of money on it's tax relief loan to you.
What tax relief does do, is mask the level of charges levied on pensions and is an immediate gift to the large insurance companies in the UK.
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This product is a high strength retaining glue that is used to glue a flex cable into propeller shafts. This is thinner than Loctite 638, made for tighter fitting parts.
Begins to Harden: 10 min.
Fills Gaps Up To: 0.005"


Ready to revamp your retirement living plan?
Are you just not quite ready to retire yet?
Did you have a rude awaking when thinking about retirement time and budgets?
Unexpected debt in your later life?
Early retirement forced on you due to changes beyond your control?
Why will you be working after you reach retirement age?
The numbers are increasing for the retirees who are deciding to continue working after their normal retirement age. You will find yourself in good company should you remain in the workplace after reaching retirement age.
Seems we've let our view become stunted about our working life, explains Lisa Taylor, president of Challenge Factory and the Centre for Career Innovation in Toronto. This retirement age we have been using was set at 65 in the 1930s! Life expectancy was only 62 at that time, she explained.
Many people find themselves 'underfunded' for living a life with any kind of quality as they are looking forward to retirement for themselves.
Many workplaces value the contributions an older employee brings which usually includes better work habits, along with a wealth of know-how and skills.
Often the jobs that require the employee to be physically fit with heavy lifting, or other forms of labor aren't suitable for an older employee. At least in a full-time capacity. So, if you really need or want to work past your retirement age, a reduced workload may be a better choice.
There are many work situations where there will be the advantage of some adaptions to a different schedule as an option. However, overall there is a shortage of quality employment for a mature employee.
If you need, or just want to remain in the wage earner mode a while longer think about what you do. Is there some single part of the daily workload that would allow you to justify your being there? Can it be separated from the other parts of the day and performed more efficiently?
How can your boss or company or just your supervisor benefit from allowing you to tailor your work to suit you in retirement? The more you can help that person or business, the more willing they will be to work with what you can do.
Check out what your present employment offers is the suggestion from most experienced office managers. If you have been a great employee, of course, it is to the benefit of the business to keep you and your abilities employed. Ask around and see what is available.
Needing a paycheck for a while longer is different from building a business online.
The building of a business, even an online one takes some time and isn't suited for someone who needs income from a paycheck, immediately, every week.
Building a business online is easy, but not a get rich quick venture. It is fun and exciting. However, this does not fill an immediate paycheck need.
If you find yourself able to have some time before you must have a paycheck, join me here at Wealthy Affiliate. You can learn to build your online business from home.
Know that regardless of why you choose to remain in the workforce, time will eventually catch up with you and a reduction of the workload will be important.
How can you enjoy your life of extended employment and make sure this will be to your benefit?
Know why you are working longer.
Wanting to continue working because you love your working life? If this is possible for you at your present location, how fortunate you are. Continue to do so by all means.
Working is often a way of life. You identify with the work life and you are performing important work. You can continue to earn a paycheck.
You will also need a plan. Even though you have savings and retirement plans, you may choose to extend your work life a bit longer. Go ahead and do so, just do this with a plan. You will be living a bit longer than people did in the past. You will have time for leisure times later on in life.
One of the things that people do when they continue working is to think they can splurge on their spending. And you can now probably have a bit of leeway for controlled spending.
This is why a plan is so important. Know what extra debt you want to make. Debt that has to be repaid when your income is limited can have an unexpected effect on your quality of retirement.
If you have taken your social security benefits early, you are already set at that level. If not, delaying your benefits will increase the size of your monthly check. If you are working, paying social security employment taxes, you will be adding to your check in retirement. So, how do you know where you are in all this?
If you are just delaying retirement time because you want to, a plan can help enhance your retirement living quality. There is a difference in the attitude of someone who is working because they want to as opposed to those who are working because they need to.
Just be careful and don't get careless with your finances. Nor do you want to make mistakes with your purchases.
Having more spendable money after many years of being careful seems a good time to reward one's self. However, that same reason can easily become a stupid mistake if you don't plan.
Explore your options and find the solution for you in your retirement life. One that meets your life goals, and allows you some freedom in your retirement life.
Make your plan If you are entering this time in your life with no idea of how you want to live your retirement living time.
It is easier than you think to get things going your way. Even when you think you have very little control over how your day goes. This simple plan can act as a guideline to help you work through the process of getting a plan going for yourself.
One that is for you, by you. Click this link The Plan for an easy and free guideline for your new life. For the retirement time, you have been working for.


Boohoo is one of my favourite online retailers especially because they cater to petite women like me. Boohoo was launched in 2006 and it quickly grew to be one of the fastest growing online retailers in the world. It's amazing to see a Manchester born retailer be so successful globally, showcasing British fashion.
Most of my outfits for my Maldives holiday were from Boohoo. I was approached by Boohoo recently for their Style Swap campaign. Boohoo are hosting a style swap campaign where they are setting up UK bloggers with Parisian bloggers and asking them to swap their styles. I was quite excited about this campaign as I rarely wear clothes that are out of my comfort zone. This was a great way to experiment with different fashion trend from a different country.
I was paired up with French blogger Noemi from L'effet Noemie who selected an outfit for me. I was anxiously waiting for the Boohoo package to see what Noemi chose for me. I received a yellow floral printed pant, white crop top, a statement necklace and white clutch bag. The yellow pants and white crop top were definitely out of my comfort zone as I kind of stay away from those colours. Since I have put on some weight I don't normally wear crop tops. Noemi via the Boohoo style swap gave me this great opportunity to step out of my comfort zone which is great in terms of my personal style development.
I did alter the printed pants as it was not from the petite section plus I wore a cami top below the crop top to camouflage my tummy. Hope you guys liked the way I styled it.
Did you guys ever wear something out of your comfort zone?
Disclosure: The post was created in collaboration with Boohoo, all opinions are mine.
Such a cute outfit! Love those pants! And the location of your photo shoot is fab!
I love that outfit! Love it!


text:
Queen's death ignites debate over Africa's colonial past
From Kenya and Nigeria to South Africa and Uganda, Queen Elizabeth's death met with an outpouring of official condolences.
The queen and Ghana's first post-independence president, Kwame Nkrumah, wave to the crowd during a royal visit in 1961 - Copyright AFP CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN
From Kenya and Nigeria to South Africa and Uganda, Queen Elizabeth's death met with an outpouring of official condolences, mourning and memories of her frequent visits to Africa during her seven decades on the throne.
But the British monarch's passing also revived a sensitive debate over Africa's colonial past.
Her death came at a time when European countries are under pressure to reckon with their colonial histories, atoning for past crimes and returning stolen African artefacts held for years in museums from London and Paris.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta were among those expressing condolences for the loss of an "icon."
But many Africans reflected more on the tragedies from colonial times, including events that occurred in the first decade of her rule.
Kenya gained independence from Britain in 1963, after an eight-year-long rebellion that left at least 10,000 people dead.
Britain agreed in 2013 to compensate over 5,000 Kenyans who had suffered abuse during the Mau Mau revolt, in a deal worth nearly 20 million pounds ($23 million).
"The Queen leaves a mixed legacy of the brutal suppression of Kenyans in their own country and mutually beneficial relations," The Daily Nation, Kenya's biggest newspaper, wrote in a weekend editorial.
Elizabeth was visiting Kenya in 1952 when her father died and she became queen.
"What followed was a bloody chapter in Kenya's history, with atrocities committed against a people whose only sin was to demand independence."
"While the ties with Britain have been useful, it is difficult to forget those atrocities."
– Treasures, Biafra war –
As part of recent restorations for the past, Nigeria and neighbouring Benin have seen the return from Britain and France of the first of thousands of artefacts plundered during colonial times.
Nigeria's so-called Benin Bronzes — 16th to 18th century metal plaques and sculptures — were looted from the palace of the ancient Benin Kingdom and ended up in museums across the US and Europe.
Nigeria's Buhari said the country's history "will never be complete without a chapter on Queen Elizabeth II".
While some praised her role leading up to Nigeria's independence, others pointed out she was head of state when Britain supported Nigerian army during the country's civil war.
More than one million people died between 1967-1970, mostly from starvation and disease, during the conflict after ethnic Igbo officers declared independence in the southeast.
"If anyone expects me to express anything but disdain for the monarch who supervised a government sponsored genocide…you can keep wishing upon a star," Nigerian-born US-based professor Uju Anya said, in a Twitter reference to the Biafra war that triggered fierce debate on social media.
Similar mixed reactions were expressed in South Africa, where President Cyril Ramaphosa called her an "extraordinary" figure.
But the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters or EFF movement was more dismissive, recalling decades of apartheid, in which Britain, the former coloniser, was often passive.
"We do not mourn the death of Elizabeth, because to us her death is a reminder of a very tragic period in this country and Africa's history," EFF said in a statement.
– Ugandan legacy –
In Uganda, some went back further, recalling the Bunyoro Kingdom's ruler Omukama Kabalega, who resisted British rule in the late 1890s.
He was deposed and exiled to the Seychelles and the kingdom was then absorbed into the British empire.
"As much as the queen was able to maintain cohesion of the former British colonies, she had not addressed adequately the injustices meted out on some of the states including Uganda," said former intelligence director and now political analyst, Charles Rwomushana.
Last month, the Uganda Tourism Association called for a committee to lead the return of Ugandan artefacts from British and other foreign museums, including some 300 from Bunyoro, according to the parliament.
Charles Onyango-Obbo, writer and Uganda government critic, said on Twitter many long-ruling African leaders used Queen Elizabeth's 70-year reign to justify their own decades in power.
"Now that she has passed, they are scrambling to learn how to make their case convincingly in the past tense."
Mukoma Wa Ngugi, the son of Kenya's world renowned writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o and who is himself a novelist as well as an associate professor of English at Cornell University, also questioned the Queen's legacy in Africa.
"If the queen had apologised for slavery, colonialism and neocolonialism and urged the crown to offer reparations for the millions of lives taken in her/their names, then perhaps I would do the human thing and feel bad," he wrote on Tweeter.
"As a Kenyan, I feel nothing. This theater is absurd."
In this article:Africa, Britain, Queen, Royals
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The Refinery Chiropractic in Tyler, Texas emphasizes improving the overall health of its patients by reducing the risk of pain and illness in the first place. And when you do experience pain, injury, or illness, we'll be with you every step of the way.
Dr. Tanner Hays is Webster Certified to practice prenatal care and a member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). He graduated from UT Tyler for his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and received his Doctorate of Chiropractic from Parker University in Dallas, Texas. His wife, Elise, went to Baylor University and later attended OU to become a dietitian.
The Refinery Chiropractic is dedicated to diagnosing and addressing the specific concerns of each of our patients. The best method we have found to provide you the highest quality chiropractic care is to understand your needs as an individual by opening channels of communication that flow both ways.
At The Refinery Chiropractic, we greatly enjoy working with our friendly staff and our patients as we provide chiropractic care available in East Texas. If you have any questions regarding the benefits of the various therapies and treatments available at The Refinery Chiropractic in Tyler, Texas, contact us today to learn more and schedule an appointment!
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