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IsThatLegal
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Line Fences (Ontario) Legal Guide
(01 April 2020)
Chapter 8 - Trespass
Trespass and Line Fences
Line Fences Act (LFA) Allowed Trespass
The LFA and Trees Falling Onto Line Fences
Civil Tort of Trespass
1. Trespass and Line Fences
Where "line" fences become involved with tort law, it is usually in trespass - or more specifically - the civil tort of trespass to property. Of course this gets a bit circular because if there is a legitimate trespass issue involving a line fence, then it is probably not a line fence at all, but a trespassing fence. As is discussed below, it is not within the authority of fence-viewers to resolve disputed boundaries.
For instance, if a fence is built not on the property line - but actually strays onto a neighbouring property (and does so without any other legal justification) then the neighbour may both sue for damages in trespass, and/or seek a court order removing the fence. A court order prohibiting a trespass effectively "criminalizes" it, for such orders may be enforced in civil courts by contempt of court proceedings.
Such actions may be further complicated if the owner of the "trespassing" fence alleges that the presence of the fence has been unchallenged for sufficiently long that they can now claim an ownership in the disputed land under the principle of "adverse possession". I do not discuss the law of adverse possession here.
Similarly, the situation where a tree overhangs or falls onto neighbouring property is a civil trespass problem. However, if the tree falls and damages a line fence, the LFA becomes involved (see below).
"Self-help" - ie. tearing the fence down or sawing the tree limb off - as a remedy to fence trespass may be available but is risky in terms of counter-liability and I will not discuss it here.
While the Ontario Trespass to Property Act deals with related issues, it is primarily involved with ("quasi-criminal") prosecution for direct trespass by a person, and the posting of trespass notices to warn persons away from lands. As such it has limited application to line fence trespass situations.
2. Line Fences Act (LFA) Allowed Trespass
Of course, the LFA does implicitly authorize some "trespass", at least to the extent of allowing the erection and maintenance of a line fence:
s.3
An owner of land may construct and maintain a fence to mark the boundary between the owner's land and adjoining lands.
Further, where land conditions make it difficult to run line fence exactly along the property line, the LFA permits authorized diversions from that line, even into neighbouring lands:
s.8(4)
Where, from the formation of the ground by reason of streams or other causes, it is, in the opinion of the fence-viewers, impracticable to locate the fence upon the line between the lands of the adjoining owners, they may locate it either wholly or partly on the land of either of the adjoining owners where it seems to be most convenient, but such location shall not in any way affect the title to the land.
When doing this, the fence-viewers may engage a surveyor to "have the location of the fence described by metes and bounds." [s.8(5)] The surveyor's fees may be added to the fence-viewer's expenses that we will be charged to the parties involved [s.8(6)].
The mention about "not in any way affect the title to the land" prevents the law of "adverse possession" from being used to claim a title interest in any lands enclosed by a diverted line fence.
There is also a limited right of trespass onto neighbouring lands related to removing trees that have fallen onto line fences (see s.3 below).
It is essential to recognize however that fence-viewers have no authority to resolve disputed issues of boundaries or adverse possession: Re Griffin v. Catfish Creek Conservation Authority (Ont County Ct, 1968). In reaching this decision, the court in Griffin quoted an earlier case on the same point, Delamatter v Brown (1908), 13 OWR 58 (pp.64-5), which appears to be sound law today:
I do not find here any power given the fence-viewers, in case of a dispute as to the true position on the ground, either themselves to determine the line or to have it determined by a surveyor. What they are to do is to take the line; if there is no dispute; and the position of the line is known, determine whether the fence is to be built on the line, or, if there are special circumstances, off it; if the latter, a land surveyor may be employed by them to describe by metes and bounds the locality which they have described or laid out or determined on the ground. But, if there is a dispute as to the position of the line, they cannot determine the line; it may be that it is plain that, no matter where the line may be, the fence should not be built upon it by reason of the special circumstances mentioned in sec. 7(3), and then the fence-viewers may perhaps proceed to locate the proper line for the fence, and have that described by metes and bounds by a surveyor. Even in cases in which a surveyor is employed, it is to be noticed that the true line is not determined at all, and the title is kept intact.
The reference in Delamatter to surveyors refers to those unusual cases countenanced by s.8(4) of the LFA where the condition of the ground bars erection of a fence exactly on the boundary line, and a surveyor must be engaged to map out the variation required by the fence-viewers.
3. The LFA and Trees Falling Onto Line Fences
When a tree falls onto a line fence, s. 22 of the LFA places a duty on a owner or occupant of the land where the tree is located to remove the tree and repair the line fence [s.22(1)].
If, after 24 hours written notice to comply with the duty under s.22(1), nothing is done, the neighbouring owner may:
.... may remove it in the most convenient and inexpensive manner, and may make good the fence so damaged, and may retain the tree to remunerate the adjoining land-owner for such removal.[s.22(2)]
In removing the tree, "the owner of the tree may enter into and upon the adjoining land doing no unnecessary spoil or waste" [s.22(4)]. Any unnecessary or malicious harm done in such an entry would invite counter-trespass claims and perhaps even prosecution.
The costs of fence repair by the neighbouring land owner may be recovered through LFA procedures [s.22(3)]. Disputes over such fallen trees may be resolved by fence-viwer arbitration [s.22(5)].
4. Civil Tort of Trespass
The law of civil trespass is quite extensive, and can easily become complicated by issues of implied permission or "licence". Broadly however, civil trespass provides civil remedies (damages or injunction) for physical encroachment onto another's real estate. In an charming fiction, property interests are generally considered to extend in a line drawn from the centre of the earth, through the property line on the ground, and out into space indefinitely. Usually this formulation catches overhanging trees - though I doubt it's effectiveness against satellites in orbit.
Recall as well from above that quasi-criminal prosecutions for trespass are directed primarily at trespass by an actual person. This discussion relates to other forms of trespass such as fence encroachments and overhanging trees.
An interesting case of trespass by way of cattle occured in Acker v Kerr (Ont County Court, 1974). There the landowner plaintiff (P) sued their neighbour landowner defendant (D) for trespass by way of D's cattle straying onto P's property, the cattle having damaged some of P's crops. D defended in part alleging that P had failed to keep the line fence in repair and thus contributed to the trespass. There was an earlier line fence award between the parties predecessors in title. The court found that both areas of fence were in some disrepair and that cattle probably strayed over fences which were the responsibility of both owners. Regardless, the court held that any default by the parties in maintaining the fence was irrelevant for purposes of the case, and held for P on the basis that the common law of trespass governed, it being the primary duty of the keeper of the animals to ensure that they did not stray. While the court cited as a legal trespass principle that any default by P's default contributing to a trespass might act as a defence, it also found that that respective fault for the fence disrepair between the parties was irrelevant. Part of the reason for this may be that the court found that prior line fence awards between predecessors in title were not binding on the present parties.
Damages may be available as a remedy for trespass, although a simple transitory trespass which involves no serious harm to the property owner may be compensated only with symbolic damages - and courts can take out any disapproval they have towards trivial proceedings against plaintiffs in negative cost awards if they are annoyed by a wasting of the court's time. Otherwise a damages claim should be based on serious and/or prolonged trespass or grounded in clear and quantifiable damages, provable before the court. Only very serious trespass claims will be compensated for with punitive damage awards.
There is no automatic entitlement to an injunction (court order prohibiting trespass) on simple proof of trespass, as injunctions are generally subjected to a weighing of harm and balance of convenience test by the courts. However injunctions are much more readily granted when land title interests are being infringed. In particular, an encroaching fence that has persisted enchallenged for a long time would be a stronger case for injunction as otherwise it may give rise to "adverse possession" property claim. That topic is not discussed in detail here.
Issues such as noise or other interference with use of property (short of direct physical encroachment) are the subject of public and private nuisance law, which also is not covered here.


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The Theatre at Solaire is Now Open
First Look: The Theatre at Solaire is Now Open
by ClickTheCity
Solaire Resort and Casino, a USD $1 Billion-worth integrated resort complex, is not only a premiere leisure and gaming destination in the Philippines. As of November 26, 2014, when The Theatre at Solaire was formally launched, Solaire complex is now also a state-of-the-art performance venue for theatre plays, musicals, dance performances, and concert events.
Here's a first-look photo essay of what to expect from the metro's newest theater.
The Theatre at Solaire is located at the newly opened Sky Tower. It has a separate drop-off entrance from the hotel's main building. Getting to the theatre's foyer is a bit tricky because some of the elevators are not yet operational and not all of the staff is briefed yet on where to usher guests. But once you're in this area, it should be easy for you to follow the signs that lead to the lobby.
The elegantly-designed Grand Foyer is surrounded by the box-office, the Theatre Cafe and Bar, and a gift shop.
Accessible through eight doors, The Theatre is a fan-shaped, two-storey lyric theatre with a seating capacity of 1,760. Though it seats less than CCP's Main Theater (which can accommodate 1,821 guests), The Theatre boasts of state-of-the-art and first-class light and sound equipment. The Theatre is the first in the country (and one of the firsts in Asia) to be equipped with the Constellation Acoustic System, created by Meyer Sound. On its grand launch, ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra's Gerard Salonga demonstrated how easy it is now to apply reverberation in one flick of a button, thanks to the Constellation Acoustic system.
To wow its first guests for the year and showcase its modern production technology, The Theatre at Solaire hosted a medley performance of the country's best stage actors, musicians, and singers. The program started with an opening musical featuring Entertainment Director Audie Gemora. The classical suite followed with performances of sopranos Karla Gutierrez, Myramae Meneses, Camille Lopez Molina, prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, and Philippine Opera Company.
Soprano Camille Lopez Molina
Lisa Macuja-Elizalde
Maestro Ryan Cayabyab introduced the second part, that featured The Ryan Cayabyab Singers together with the stars of contemporary Philippine musical theater: Robert Sena, Karylle, Myke Salomon, Isay Alvarez, and Aicelle Santos.
Karylle
Isay Alvarez
The Happy Suite, featuring Sam Concepcion, Regine Tolentino, Edna Ledesma, 38 Degrees, and Manoeuvres, pumped up the theatre's energy with their dance numbers.
Regine Tolentino
Pop stars Morisette Amon, Christian Bautista, Yeng Constantino, and internationally-acclaimed artists, Martin Nievera and Lea Salonga, ended the show with OPM and Broadway Classics.
Morisette Amon
Lea Salonga
The Theatre at Solaire opens its doors for the holidays with the first International Broadway show CHICAGO from December 2 to 21, 2014.
Labels: Theater, Theater Venue
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Executive Mosaic is honored to introduce Brad Antle, Salient Federal Solutions president and CEO, as the newest inductee into the Washington 100, the premier group of leaders who drive innovation and growth at the intersection of the public and private sectors.
A three-decade veteran of developing and delivering IT solutions, Antle formed Salient Federal Solutions in 2009 with the goal of forming a federal IT and engineering solutions business that "isn't just a 'me-too' services company,' but differentiates itself from the many GovCon service providers by fulfilling critical demands through a collaborative approach with its government clients.
Antle says his entrepreneurial spirit thrives on building companies and communities that are relevant not for just today, but to the needs of the future, and his career speaks to his reputation as a forward thinker.
The retired U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer told GovCon Exec that he places some of his highest personal and professional stock in the company's work in Agile development, IPv6 protection and detection, and secure mobility.
Salient works to leverage its Agile framework and its CMMI L3 certified Agile software development "to introduce just the right amount of Agile to meet our customers' expectations," such as quickly adjusting to budget pressures, new policies and implement mandates.
Antle said the Fairfax, Va.-based contractor's 'Voyager Mobility' product is currently used by 1,000s of government customers and works to simplify the development of applications that transfer secure government data.
Antle formed Salient after a close-to-ten-year stint with SI International, which he joined in 1999 and led as president from 2001 and CEO from 2005 to 2008. Serco Inc. acquired the company on the last day of 2008.
Antle helped lead SI's 2002 IPO after rising to the president role in 2001 and helped lead and integrate two secondary offerings and eight acquisitions over his time with the firm.
"Although I was early to the management team and was president long before the 2002 IPO, I was not there at the start," Antle said about his motivation to found Salient.
Prior to joining SI, Antle was named the first Director of Washington Technical Operations for Lockheed Martin and within 3 years grew the organization to more than 1,700 engineers supporting 70 programs at 21 sites.
He entered the private sector in 1985 with General Electric where he formed GE's Quality Engineering department, where 150 workers supported more than $400 million in development contracts.
Antle served eight years in the U.S. Navy, including as a Deputy Department Head for Systems Engineering at a software development facility for tactical embedded systems.
Following his release from active military service, he served in the Naval Reserve from which he retired with the rank of Captain.
Antle holds graduates degrees in engineering and business from Penn State University and the National University, respectively, and earned his undergraduate business degree from the University of Maryland.
He is the immediate past chair of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and serves on the board of the National Defense Industrial Association and the boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington. He also serves as director of the TechAmerica Public Services board and director of the Veterans Services Foundation.


First alt.surfer I met was Graham Harrop, aka Big-G, UK surf forecaster who I bumped into at the Oceanology '97 conference in Brighton. Since then we have surfed together in Cornwall and tripped in Ireland. Shortly after meeting Graham, and before we all went to Ireland, I met Ben, who wasn't an alt.surfer at the time, but posted a few times since then.
Gadget, a North Devon local and regular at some of my favorite breaks in the Bude area started posting regular surf reports while I was working near Blackpool, so next time I was in the area we made a point of meeting up and surfing. We've met quite often since then, especially now that I am back in the South West.
Not long afterwards I met Tim Summers, when we were both in South Wales. Although we've met often since then, including a get together in January 1998 when Bear was over here, we have yet to get a surf in.
The next big thing was meeting Robert Taylor when he and Shana were in Cornwall, September 1998 for their Excellent Adventure during the landfall of two good swells.
In October that year I made a trip to California where I met: Steve Hull, Tauras, surfed with: Gioni Pasquinelli, Jeff, John Airey, Will Borgeson, and tripped with Tim Maddux and again with Robert Taylor.
Shortly after I'd moved to Bristol, Napalm was in the country, so we made a dash to the surf.
Recently Andy MacLennan has moved to town from Edinburgh, and we have made some trips to North Devon for some good surf.


text:
Capstone Turbine (NASDAQ:CPST) To Announce Full Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2021 Results on Tuesday, February 9, 2021
Webcast Scheduled for 1:45 PM PT/4:45 PM ET That Day
VAN NUYS, CA / ACCESSWIRE / January 13, 2021 / Capstone Turbine Corporation (www.capstoneturbine.com) (NASDAQ:CPST), the world's leading clean technology manufacturer of microturbine energy systems, announced that on Tuesday, February 9, 2021, after market close, it expects to release full financial results for its third quarter fiscal year, ended December 31, 2020. Later that same day, at 1:45 p.m. Pacific Time (4:45 p.m. Eastern Time), Capstone will host a live webcast to discuss those results.
'I am looking forward to reviewing Capstone's fiscal 2021 third quarter highlights, as our previously announced preliminary results show that we delivered the largest quarterly revenue in over a year,' said Darren Jamison, Capstone's President and Chief Executive Officer. 'In addition, I look forward to discussing our results on expanding our geographic distribution network, our new direct sales organization, and our growing long-term Rental business; as well as discussing our recent hydrogen product development program,' concluded Mr. Jamison.
At the end of the conference call, Capstone will host a question-and-answer session to provide an opportunity for financial analysts to ask questions. Investors and interested individuals are invited to listen to the webcast by logging on to the Company's investor relations webpage at www.capstoneturbine.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the site for 30 days.
About Capstone Turbine Corporation
Capstone Turbine Corporation (www.capstoneturbine.com) (NASDAQ:CPST) is the world's leading producer of highly efficient, low-emission, resilient microturbine energy systems. Capstone microturbines serve multiple vertical markets worldwide, including natural resources, energy efficiency, renewable energy, critical power supply, transportation and microgrids. Capstone offers a comprehensive product lineup via our direct sales team, as well as our global distribution network. Capstone provides scalable solutions from 30 kWs to 10 MWs that operate on a variety of fuels and are the ideal solution for today's multi-technology distributed power generation projects.
For customers with limited capital or short-term needs, Capstone offers rental systems; for more information, contact: rentals@capstoneturbine.com. To date, Capstone has shipped nearly 10,000 units to 83 countries and in FY20, saved customers an estimated $219 million in annual energy costs and 368,000 tons of carbon.
For more information about the company, please visit www.capstoneturbine.com. Follow Capstone Turbine on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
This release and the scheduled earnings announcement webcast may contain forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding expectations, beliefs, plans, intentions, and strategies of the Company. The Company has tried to identify these forward-looking statements by using words such as 'expect,' 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'could,' 'should,' 'estimate,' 'intend,' 'may,' 'will,' 'plan,' 'goal' and similar terms and phrases, but such words, terms and phrases are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. Actual results, performance and achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, but not limited to, the following: the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; the availability of credit and compliance with the agreements governing the Company's indebtedness; the Company's ability to develop new products and enhance existing products; intense competition; financial performance of the oil and natural gas industry and other general business, industry and economic conditions; the Company's ability to adequately protect its intellectual property rights; and the impact of pending or threatened litigation. For a detailed discussion of factors that could affect the Company's future operating results, please see the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the disclosures under 'Risk Factors' in those filings. Except as expressly required by the federal securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, changed circumstances or future events or for any other reason.
'Capstone' and 'Capstone Microturbine' are registered trademarks of Capstone Turbine Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
Capstone Turbine Corporation
Investor and investment media inquiries:
ir@capstoneturbine.com
SOURCE: Capstone Turbine Corporation
https://www.accesswire.com/624092/Capstone-Turbine-NASDAQCPST-To-Announce-Full-Third-Quarter-Fiscal-Year-2021-Results-on-Tuesday-February-9-2021
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I've said it before and I'll say it again, what I would have done for the internet when I was living in England. I had almost no resources to find groups like this and they would have been a god send.
Well I learned something new tonight, I did not know there were bonfire societies in Britain. I wonder if its a "Southern Britain" thing, I'm from Northern Britain.
Smitten: Yes, it is nice to meet a friendly face, even if it's one you just know from the Internet. As much as I moan about having no friends here, I seem to be trotting off to meet people on a regular basis.
Gill: I don't know about the north, but there are loads of them down here in the south.
Bonfire is very much a Sussex tradition (there is one Bonfire Society just over the border in Kent), and is centred on Lewes because Lewes is the County Town of Sussex, and it was here that 17 martyrs were burned by Mary Tudor (not personally, you understand; somebody else struck the match) between 1555 and 1557. Lewes has always been a hotbed of nonconformism and radical thought - it was here that Tom Paine first learned to write about political matters - and when Lewes decides to have flaming torches, fireworks and hundreds of costumed people filling the streets, not even reading the Riot Act (which was once tried, and the smugglers' costumes originated as disguises so that participants could not be identified and arrested) can stop it happening.
But that's enough from me, or this comment will be longer than your blog!
Communication was fine, Molly! At one point we simulataneously worked out the solution to the problem of 'Life, the Universe and Everything', but unfortunately forgot to write the answer down.
> I wonder if its a "Southern Britain" thing, I'm from Northern Britain.
Gill, it's certainly a South-Eastern thing, as Molly says, though over in Ottery St Mary in the West Country they have a tradition of burning tar barrels like we do (and they also seem to wear striped jerseys. See http://www.otterytarbarrels.co.uk/ ). But I don't think they have Socieities like we do.
In the Lancashire of my boyhood Bonfire Night was celebrated by street parties, neighbours getting together to provide a small bonfire, fireworks and food (chestnuts, baked potatoes, meat-and-potato pie and parkin were the traditional fare).
I'm not sure about the extent Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated in Scotland. Although King James, whom the conspirators tried to assassinate was king of both England and Scotland, it was only the English parliament -- not the Scottish -- that they tried to blow up.
I never knew such groups excisted! I'd put money on the fact that many of them are single. And a bit sad. Imagine meeting the man of your dreams to find out that he was chairman of the bonfire society and dressed up like a smuggler on weekends.
Great Article Mike! You are becomming more limey-like every post I read!
Molly: Thanks for the info! I should have talked with you about it before things got hazy.
Pam: Thanks! Am I an honorary Limey now?
> I'd put money on the fact that many of them are single.
What a cool event! Great photos and information. Wish I'd been there.
For Howard: Sincere apologies. Sounds like you all had great fun.


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How one Indian company could be world's door to a COVID-19 vaccine
PUNE (Reuters) – If the world is to gain access to a vaccine for COVID-19, there's a good chance it will pass through the doors of Serum Institute of India.
Men ride on a motorbike past a supply truck of India's Serum Institute, the world's largest maker of vaccines, which is working on a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Pune, India, May 18, 2020. REUTERS/Euan Rocha
Serum Institute, the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines by volume, is working on several candidates for the novel coronavirus – including potentially mass-producing the AstraZeneca/Oxford university one that has garnered global headlines – as well as developing its own.
The efforts are partly being shepherded by Umesh Shaligram, the head of research and development. His employer is a private company but every day, shortly before midnight, he receives a WhatsApp message from the government asking for updates, and about any new hurdles he faces.
The message is usually from K. VijayRaghavan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's top scientific adviser – an indication of the critical, and even strategically important, nature of the race to develop the vaccines the whole world is waiting for.
Shaligram promptly responds with a progress report and details any bottlenecks.
"Any delays, you just tell them," said Shaligram, adding the government has been doing everything it can to fast-track clearances, and resolve import delays and other issues.
"We have begun to see approvals come through in days, even on a Sunday night, for trials and things like that," he said, noting some of these processes typically took 4 to 6 months.
While most of the attention regarding vaccines typically goes to the pharmaceutical developer, India quietly plays a key role in manufacturing 60%-70% of all vaccines sold globally with the Serum Institute playing a lead role, said the company's Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla.
At the company's sprawling, 150-acre campus in the western Indian city of Pune, Shaligram and his team are working flat-out. Dozens of buses ferry in hundreds of workers each day to the grounds, which are buzzing with activity even as the city around it remains largely under lockdown.
The push comes as the number of cases of COVID-19, both globally and domestically, continue to surge and world leaders look to vaccines as the only real way to restart their stalled economies, even though none have yet been proven to be effective against the coronavirus.
Poonawalla, whose family owns he vaccine maker, said scientists, drugmakers and manufacturers were collaborating at an unparalleled scale to spur development and availability.
"We are all in a race to battle the disease, there is no one-upmanship here," he told Reuters, sitting in his office beside his family's 74-year-old stud farm.
VACCINE CANDIDATES
Serum, founded in 1966 by Adar's father Cyrus Poonawalla, has partnered with U.S. biotech firm Codagenix, its U.S. rival Novavax (NVAX.O) and Austria's Themis to potentially manufacture three COVID-19 vaccine candidates that are still in development.
Another candidate in the works is the experimental vaccine developed by a team at the University of Oxford and now licensed to drugmaker AstraZeneca (AZN.L), with whom Serum are in talks to mass produce the vaccine, which is now in the clinical trial stage.
The United States has secured almost a third of the first 1 billion doses planned for the potential vaccine, initially known as ChAdOx1 and now as AZD1222, by pledging up to $1.2 billion.
Poonawalla aims to initially produce 4-5 million doses a month, beginning from June, and then gradually ramp up to 350-400 million doses a year.
"Hopefully we will build a stock of a few million doses to give to our country and other high-risk areas across the globe come October-November when the trials ought to be concluded," the 39-year-old said, while giving Reuters rare access to tour his facilities.
He added he had been given to understand by the development team that the trials had an 80% chance of success, given that the vaccine is based on a tried-and-tested platform.
Based on the information currently available, Poonawalla also said he anticipated AZD1222 would be a single-dose vaccine and not require a booster dose.
He sees AZD1222 potentially priced at about 1,000 rupees ($13) per dose in India, but expects it will be procured and distributed by governments without charge.
Serum is also working on developing its own in-house vaccine options to tackle the disease, Poonawalla said.
VIALS, TUBES, CHEMICALS
Even if a vaccine does succeed, a treatment to fight COVID-19 would still be required, said Poonawalla, noting some people do not get the desired immune response, even if vaccinated.
"You may get mild symptoms, you may get severe symptoms. It depends on your system, but there is a chance," he added. "Not all vaccines are fully effective."
The Serum Institute produces more than 1.5 billion doses of vaccines every year, for everything from polio to measles.
Poonawalla says that gave the company an edge in securing supplies of vials and high-quality chemicals required to make a vaccine in bulk once all approvals are in place.
"We have partnered with many of our suppliers to have one to two-year inventories of glass vials and tubing glass stocked in advance, so luckily for us that won't be an issue."
Any successful vaccine is however bound to be in short supply at first, he stressed.
India recorded more than 6,000 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday, bringing its total to over 118,000 cases with more than 3,500 deaths, even as it gradually begins to ease its nearly two-month long nationwide lockdown.
There have been more than 5 million infections and over 330,000 deaths reported worldwide.
The Indian government stands ready to cover the costs of trials of any vaccine in the country, said Poonawalla, adding that the government had also expressed interest in placing advance orders for a potential vaccine.
"We've reached out and they have been very positive," he added. "But we've said hold on … as we don't want to take government money until we are very confident we can deliver."
UNLOCKING VALUE IN THE 'HYPE'
Serum, one of the few companies ramping up hiring during the health crisis, is also designing a separate facility to make vaccines for pandemic-level diseases that could handle 90% of the current vaccine candidates being developed, beyond just the COVID-19 ones.
That facility, which will be ready in the next two to three years, would be able to potentially churn out 700-800 million doses a year, according to Poonawalla.
The CEO said he considered taking the company public some years ago to fund some large acquisitions, but changed course when the deals fell through.
Now he's considering a different approach. He is exploring creating a holding entity that will host the company's pandemic-level technologies, including manufacturing rights, intellectual property and the sale of all of Serum's COVID-19-related candidates, and selling a minority stake in the venture.
"That will unlock value in the main hype," he said.
Poonawalla said he had engaged bankers to test the waters on this, but stressed he would only consider selling a stake to ethical, long-term funds or sovereign funds that do not expect huge returns and want to "make a difference to the world".
"After getting them onboard, I don't want to be in a situation where I have to charge high prices to give them returns."
Reporting by Abhirup Roy and Euan Rocha; Editing by Pravin Char
White House adviser says U.S. employment to turn around soon, more stimulus on the way
FILE PHOTO: White House Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett addresses reporters during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. February 22, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst WASHINGTON (Reuters) – June could mark a turning point in massive joblessness caused by the coronavirus pandemic, White House adviser Kevin […]
Temperature checks, masks the new normal for air travel, says Dubai airport CEO
EasyJet founder fails to oust management, proxy votes show
Twitter tackles 5G COVID-19 conspiracy in the UK with warning prompt
Oil drops on worse than feared rise in U.S. fuel stocks
Virus-hit Madame Tussauds owner raises 500 million euros in bond sale


text:
(function() {

'use strict';

// detect node.js (vs. phantomJS)
var _nodejs = (typeof process !== 'undefined' &&
  process.versions && process.versions.node);

if(_nodejs) {
  var _jsdir = getEnv().JSDIR || 'js';
  var fs = require('fs');
  var path = require('path');
  var jsonld = require('../' + _jsdir + '/jsonld')();
  var assert = require('assert');
  var program = require('commander');
  program
    .option('--earl [filename]', 'Output an earl report')
    .option('--bail', 'Bail when a test fails')
    .parse(process.argv);
}
else {
  var fs = require('fs');
  var system = require('system');
  require('./setImmediate');
  var _jsdir = getEnv().JSDIR || 'js';
  require('../' + _jsdir + '/jsonld');
  jsonld = jsonldjs;
  window.Promise = require('es6-promise').Promise;
  var assert = require('chai').assert;
  require('mocha/mocha');
  require('mocha-phantomjs/lib/mocha-phantomjs/core_extensions');
  var program = {};
  for(var i = 0; i < system.args.length; ++i) {
    var arg = system.args[i];
    if(arg.indexOf('--') === 0) {
      var argname = arg.substr(2);
      switch(argname) {
      case 'earl':
        program[argname] = system.args[i + 1];
        ++i;
        break;
      default:
        program[argname] = true;
      }
    }
  }

  mocha.setup({
    reporter: 'spec',
    ui: 'bdd'
  });
}

var JSONLD_TEST_SUITE = '../json-ld.org/test-suite';
var ROOT_MANIFEST_DIR = resolvePath(
  getEnv().JSONLD_TEST_SUITE || JSONLD_TEST_SUITE);

var TEST_TYPES = {
  'jld:CompactTest': {
    fn: 'compact',
    params: [
      readTestUrl('input'),
      readTestJson('context'),
      createTestOptions()
    ],
    compare: compareExpectedJson
  },
  'jld:ExpandTest': {
    fn: 'expand',
    params: [
      readTestUrl('input'),
      createTestOptions()
    ],
    compare: compareExpectedJson
  },
  'jld:FlattenTest': {
    fn: 'flatten',
    params: [
      readTestUrl('input'),
      readTestJson('context'),
      createTestOptions()
    ],
    compare: compareExpectedJson
  },
  'jld:FrameTest': {
    fn: 'frame',
    params: [
      readTestUrl('input'),
      readTestJson('frame'),
      createTestOptions()
    ],
    compare: compareExpectedJson
  },
  'jld:FromRDFTest': {
    fn: 'fromRDF',
    params: [
      readTestNQuads('input'),
      createTestOptions({format: 'application/nquads'}),
    ],
    compare: compareExpectedJson
  },
  'jld:NormalizeTest': {
    fn: 'normalize',
    params: [
      readTestUrl('input'),
      createTestOptions({format: 'application/nquads'})
    ],
    compare: compareExpectedNQuads
  },
  'jld:ToRDFTest': {
    fn: 'toRDF',
    params: [
      readTestUrl('input'),
      createTestOptions({format: 'application/nquads'})
    ],
    compare: compareExpectedNQuads
  }
};

var SKIP_TESTS = [];

// create earl report
var earl = new EarlReport();

// run tests
describe('JSON-LD', function() {
  if(!program['webidl-only']) {
    var filename = joinPath(ROOT_MANIFEST_DIR, 'manifest.jsonld');
    var rootManifest = readJson(filename);
    rootManifest.filename = filename;
    addManifest(rootManifest);
  }

  // run Web IDL tests
  if(!_nodejs) {
    require('./webidl/testharness.js');
    require('./webidl/WebIDLParser.js');
    require('./webidl/idlharness.js');

    describe('Web IDL', function() {
      add_result_callback(function(test) {
        it(test.name, function(done) {
          // HACK: phantomJS can't set prototype to non-writable?
          var msg = test.message || '';
          if(msg.indexOf(
            'JsonLdProcessor.prototype is writable expected false') !== -1) {
            test.status = 0;
          }
          // HACK: phantomJS can't set window property to non-enumerable?
          if(msg.indexOf(
            '"JsonLdProcessor" is enumerable expected false') !== -1) {
            test.status = 0;
          }
          //earl.addAssertion({'@id': ?}, test.status === 0);
          assert.equal(test.status, 0, test.message);
          done();
        });
      });
      //add_completion_callback(function(tests, status) {});

      // ensure that stringification tests are passed
      var toString = Object.prototype.toString;
      Object.prototype.toString = function() {
        if(this === window.JsonLdProcessor.prototype) {
          return '[object JsonLdProcessorPrototype]';
        }
        else if(this && this.constructor === window.JsonLdProcessor) {
          return '[object JsonLdProcessor]';
        }
        return toString.apply(this, arguments);
      };

      window.processor = new JsonLdProcessor();

      var idl_array = new IdlArray();
      idl_array.add_idls(readFile('./tests/webidl/JsonLdProcessor.idl'));
      idl_array.add_objects({JsonLdProcessor: ['window.processor']});
      idl_array.test();
    });
  }

  if(program.earl) {
    var filename = resolvePath(program.earl);
    describe('Writing EARL report to: ' + filename, function() {
      it('should print the earl report', function(done) {
        earl.write(filename);
        done();
      });
    });
  }
});

if(!_nodejs) {
  mocha.run(function() {
    phantom.exit();
  });
}

/**
 * Adds the tests for all entries in the given manifest.
 *
 * @param manifest the manifest.
 */
function addManifest(manifest) {
  describe(manifest.name, function() {
    var sequence = getJsonLdValues(manifest, 'sequence');
    for(var i = 0; i < sequence.length; ++i) {
      var entry = readManifestEntry(manifest, sequence[i]);

      // entry is another manifest
      if(isJsonLdType(entry, 'mf:Manifest')) {
        addManifest(entry);
      }
      // assume entry is a test
      else {
        addTest(manifest, entry);
      }
    }
  });
}

function addTest(manifest, test) {
  // skip unknown and explicitly skipped test types
  var testTypes = Object.keys(TEST_TYPES);
  if(!isJsonLdType(test, testTypes) || isJsonLdType(test, SKIP_TESTS)) {
    console.log('Skipping test "' + test.name + '" of type: ' +
      getJsonLdValues(test, '@type'));
  }

  // expand @id and input base
  var number = test['@id'].substr(2);
  test['@id'] = manifest.baseIri + basename(manifest.filename) + test['@id'];
  test.base = manifest.baseIri + test.input;
  test.manifest = manifest;
  var description = number + ' ' + (test.purpose || test.name);

  // get appropriate API and run test
  var api = _nodejs ? jsonld : jsonld.promises();
  it(description, function(done) {
    this.timeout(5000);
    var testInfo = TEST_TYPES[getJsonLdTestType(test)];
    var fn = testInfo.fn;
    var params = testInfo.params;
    params = params.map(function(param) {return param(test);});
    var callback = function(err, result) {
      try {
        if(isPositiveTest(test)) {
          if(err) {
            throw err;
          }
          testInfo.compare(test, result);
        }
        else if(isNegativeTest(test)) {
          compareExpectedError(test, err);
        }
        earl.addAssertion(test, true);
        return done();
      }
      catch(ex) {
        if(program.bail) {
          if(_nodejs) {
            process.exit();
          }
          else {
            phantom.exit();
          }
        }
        earl.addAssertion(test, false);
        return done(ex);
      }
    };

    if(_nodejs) {
      params.push(callback);
    }

    // promise is undefined for node.js API
    var promise = api[fn].apply(api, params);

    if(!_nodejs) {
      promise.then(callback.bind(null, null), callback);
    }
  });
}

function isPositiveTest(test) {
  return isJsonLdType(test, 'jld:PositiveEvaluationTest');
}

function isNegativeTest(test) {
  return isJsonLdType(test, 'jld:NegativeEvaluationTest');
}

function getJsonLdTestType(test) {
  var types = Object.keys(TEST_TYPES);
  for(var i = 0; i < types.length; ++i) {
    if(isJsonLdType(test, types[i])) {
      return types[i];
    }
  }
  return null;
}

function readManifestEntry(manifest, entry) {
  var dir = dirname(manifest.filename);
  if(typeof entry === 'string') {
    var filename = joinPath(dir, entry);
    entry = readJson(filename);
    entry.filename = filename;
  }
  entry.dirname = dirname(entry.filename || manifest.filename);
  return entry;
}

function readTestUrl(property) {
  return function(test) {
    if(!test[property]) {
      return null;
    }
    return test.manifest.baseIri + test[property];
  };
}

function readTestJson(property) {
  return function(test) {
    if(!test[property]) {
      return null;
    }
    var filename = joinPath(test.dirname, test[property]);
    return readJson(filename);
  };
}

function readTestNQuads(property) {
  return function(test) {
    if(!test[property]) {
      return null;
    }
    var filename = joinPath(test.dirname, test[property]);
    return readFile(filename);
  };
}

function createTestOptions(opts) {
  return function(test) {
    var options = {
      documentLoader: createDocumentLoader(test)
    };
    var httpOptions = ['contentType', 'httpLink', 'httpStatus', 'redirectTo'];
    var testOptions = test.option || {};
    for(var key in testOptions) {
      if(httpOptions.indexOf(key) === -1) {
        options[key] = testOptions[key];
      }
    }
    if(opts) {
      // extend options
      for(var key in opts) {
        options[key] = opts[key];
      }
    }
    for(var key in options) {
      if(key === 'expandContext') {
        var filename = joinPath(test.dirname, options[key]);
        options[key] = readJson(filename);
      }
    }

    return options;
  };
}

function compareExpectedJson(test, result) {
  try {
    var expect = readTestJson('expect')(test);
    assert.deepEqual(result, expect);
  }
  catch(ex) {
    if(program.bail) {
      console.log('\nTEST FAILED\n');
      console.log('EXPECTED: ' + JSON.stringify(expect, null, 2));
      console.log('ACTUAL: ' + JSON.stringify(result, null, 2));
    }
    throw ex;
  }
}

function compareExpectedNQuads(test, result) {
  try {
    var expect = readTestNQuads('expect')(test);
    assert.equal(result, expect);
  }
  catch(ex) {
    if(program.bail) {
      console.log('\nTEST FAILED\n');
      console.log('EXPECTED:\n' + expect);
      console.log('ACTUAL:\n' + result);
    }
    throw ex;
  }
}

function compareExpectedError(test, err) {
  try {
    var expect = test.expect;
    var result = getJsonLdErrorCode(err);
    assert.ok(err);
    assert.equal(result, expect);
  }
  catch(ex) {
    if(program.bail) {
      console.log('\nTEST FAILED\n');
      console.log('EXPECTED: ' + expect);
      console.log('ACTUAL: ' + result);
    }
    throw ex;
  }
}

function isJsonLdType(node, type) {
  var nodeType = getJsonLdValues(node, '@type');
  type = Array.isArray(type) ? type : [type];
  for(var i = 0; i < type.length; ++i) {
    if(nodeType.indexOf(type[i]) !== -1) {
      return true;
    }
  }
  return false;
}

function getJsonLdValues(node, property) {
  var rval = null;
  if(property in node) {
    rval = node[property];
    if(!Array.isArray(rval)) {
      rval = [rval];
    }
  }
  return rval;
}

function getJsonLdErrorCode(err) {
  if(!err) {
    return null;
  }
  if(err.details) {
    if(err.details.code) {
      return err.details.code;
    }
    if(err.details.cause) {
      return getJsonLdErrorCode(err.details.cause);
    }
  }
  return err.name;
}

function readJson(filename) {
  return JSON.parse(readFile(filename));
}

function readFile(filename) {
  if(_nodejs) {
    return fs.readFileSync(filename, 'utf8');
  }
  return fs.read(filename);
}

function resolvePath(to) {
  if(_nodejs) {
    return path.resolve(to);
  }
  return fs.absolute(to);
}

function joinPath() {
  return (_nodejs ? path : fs).join.apply(
    null, Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments));
}

function dirname(filename) {
  if(_nodejs) {
    return path.dirname(filename);
  }
  var idx = filename.lastIndexOf(fs.separator);
  if(idx === -1) {
    return filename;
  }
  return filename.substr(0, idx);
}

function basename(filename) {
  if(_nodejs) {
    return path.basename(filename);
  }
  var idx = filename.lastIndexOf(fs.separator);
  if(idx === -1) {
    return filename;
  }
  return filename.substr(idx + 1);
}

function getEnv() {
  if(_nodejs) {
    return process.env;
  }
  return system.env;
}

/**
 * Creates a test remote document loader.
 *
 * @param test the test to use the document loader for.
 *
 * @return the document loader.
 */
function createDocumentLoader(test) {
  var base = 'http://json-ld.org/test-suite';
  var loader = jsonld.documentLoader;
  var localLoader = function(url, callback) {
    // always load remote-doc tests remotely in node
    if(_nodejs && test.manifest.name === 'Remote document') {
      return loader(url, callback);
    }

    // attempt to load locally
    var idx = url.indexOf(base);
    if(idx === 0) {
      try {
        callback(null, loadLocally(url));
      }
      catch(ex) {
        callback(ex);
      }
      return;
    }

    // load remotely
    return loader(url, callback);
  };

  return _nodejs ? localLoader : function(url) {
    return jsonld.promisify(localLoader, url);
  };

  function loadLocally(url) {
    var doc = {contextUrl: null, documentUrl: url, document: null};
    var options = test.option;
    if(options && url === test.base) {
      if('redirectTo' in options && parseInt(options.httpStatus, 10) >= 300) {
        doc.documentUrl = test.manifest.baseIri + options.redirectTo;
      }
      else if('httpLink' in options) {
        var contentType = options.contentType || null;
        if(!contentType && url.indexOf('.jsonld', url.length - 7) !== -1) {
          contentType = 'application/ld+json';
        }
        var linkHeader = options.httpLink;
        if(Array.isArray(linkHeader)) {
          linkHeader = linkHeader.join(',');
        }
        linkHeader = jsonld.parseLinkHeader(
          linkHeader)['http://www.w3.org/ns/json-ld#context'];
        if(linkHeader && contentType !== 'application/ld+json') {
          if(Array.isArray(linkHeader)) {
            throw {name: 'multiple context link headers'};
          }
          doc.contextUrl = linkHeader.target;
        }
      }
    }

    var filename = joinPath(
      ROOT_MANIFEST_DIR, doc.documentUrl.substr(base.length));
    try {
      doc.document = readJson(filename);
    }
    catch(ex) {
      throw {name: 'loading document failed'};
    }
    return doc;
  }
}

function EarlReport() {
  var today = new Date();
  today = today.getFullYear() + '-' +
    (today.getMonth() < 9 ?
      '0' + (today.getMonth() + 1) : today.getMonth() + 1) + '-' +
    (today.getDate() < 10 ? '0' + today.getDate() : today.getDate());
  this.report = {
    '@context': {
      'doap': 'http://usefulinc.com/ns/doap#',
      'foaf': 'http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/',
      'dc': 'http://purl.org/dc/terms/',
      'earl': 'http://www.w3.org/ns/earl#',
      'xsd': 'http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#',
      'doap:homepage': {'@type': '@id'},
      'doap:license': {'@type': '@id'},
      'dc:creator': {'@type': '@id'},
      'foaf:homepage': {'@type': '@id'},
      'subjectOf': {'@reverse': 'earl:subject'},
      'earl:assertedBy': {'@type': '@id'},
      'earl:mode': {'@type': '@id'},
      'earl:test': {'@type': '@id'},
      'earl:outcome': {'@type': '@id'},
      'dc:date': {'@type': 'xsd:date'}
    },
    '@id': 'https://github.com/digitalbazaar/jsonld.js',
    '@type': [
      'doap:Project',
      'earl:TestSubject',
      'earl:Software'
    ],
    'doap:name': 'jsonld.js',
    'dc:title': 'jsonld.js',
    'doap:homepage': 'https://github.com/digitalbazaar/jsonld.js',
    'doap:license':
      'https://github.com/digitalbazaar/jsonld.js/blob/master/LICENSE',
    'doap:description': 'A JSON-LD processor for JavaScript',
    'doap:programming-language': 'JavaScript',
    'dc:creator': 'https://github.com/dlongley',
    'doap:developer': {
      '@id': 'https://github.com/dlongley',
      '@type': [
        'foaf:Person',
        'earl:Assertor'
      ],
      'foaf:name': 'Dave Longley',
      'foaf:homepage': 'https://github.com/dlongley'
    },
    'dc:date': {
      '@value': today,
      '@type': 'xsd:date'
    },
    'subjectOf': []
  };
  if(_nodejs) {
    this.report['@id'] += '#node.js';
    this.report['doap:name'] += ' node.js';
    this.report['dc:title'] += ' node.js';
  }
  else {
    this.report['@id'] += '#browser';
    this.report['doap:name'] += ' browser';
    this.report['dc:title'] += ' browser';
  }
}

EarlReport.prototype.addAssertion = function(test, pass) {
  this.report.subjectOf.push({
    '@type': 'earl:Assertion',
    'earl:assertedBy': this.report['doap:developer']['@id'],
    'earl:mode': 'earl:automatic',
    'earl:test': test['@id'],
    'earl:result': {
      '@type': 'earl:TestResult',
      'dc:date': new Date().toISOString(),
      'earl:outcome': pass ? 'earl:passed' : 'earl:failed'
    }
  });
  return this;
};

EarlReport.prototype.write = function(filename) {
  var json = JSON.stringify(this.report, null, 2);
  if(_nodejs) {
    fs.writeFileSync(filename, json);
  }
  else {
    fs.write(filename, json, 'w');
  }
  return this;
};

})();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


CHARLOTTE – A three-judge panel will convene in Mecklenburg County today to hear the case of State vs. Israel Grant.
The Judicial Branch is an equal and distinctively separate branch and core function of government. More than 6,000 Judicial Branch employees statewide administer justice in courthouses in North Carolina's 100 counties. The Judicial Branch budget for FY 2017 – 2018 was $530.2M, 92% of which is used to pay salaries and the remaining 8% is used for operations. The Judicial Branch receives 2.25% only of the overall State budget. More than 47% of the Judicial Branch's appropriation is equivalent to revenues collected by the courts through imposed fines and fees that are deposited in the State General Fund.


text:
"A traffic study is already underway, which will help determine how many lanes will be required," Diekmann wrote in an email.
Before you lapse into an immediate vision of this slice of Tacoma as Uptown New Orleans on the Puget Sound, there are caveats.
First, those very tall towers, erected in 1926, will see their 90th birthdays before they come out. Second, the city has zero dollars allocated toward doing this work and doesn't have a plan yet of any more complexity than a few lines on a map.
"We're kind of a ways out," utilities spokeswoman Chris Gleason said. "We're just getting started."
But these are details, and this is a project looking to overhaul a central street of the city on a scale that brought the word "exciting" into use at the utilities board meeting Oct. 14.
Under Tacoma Power's $933,000 contract, the Virginia-based Leidos company is to remove the towers and replace them with yet-to-be-designed single poles for the high-voltage lines. Gleason said the idea of burying the lines was discarded because of the expense and complexity of putting power-transmission lines underground.
"The towers themselves are just in really bad shape," Gleason said. "They're getting rusty. They're not in good shape. We just need to upgrade them."
The removal is a piece of the utility's effort to improve its infrastructure enough to decommission nearby Cushman Substation, also built in 1926, and possibly even sell as surplus the three-story concrete building on North 19th Street next door whose monumental architecture looks out of place next to all the utility's machinery around it.
"It's such an ugly substation," Gleason said, "so we're going to be taking all the electrical equipment out that's there now."
The stately concrete building, though, will remain. It dates from an era when public-works projects were built with an eye toward permanence, even if it has outlived its usefulness for power-company purposes to such a degree that it's used as storage, including for the special utility wires that cross the Tacoma Narrows. At that October meeting where the contract was approved, TPU board president Bryan Flint speculated about turning it into condominiums.
"People around here have all kinds of ideas about what it could be," Gleason said.
The substation — including all 16 utility towers — were put on the National Register of Historic Places last year, which could complicate this redevelopment work. That aspect, like most of the work, is just now coming before officials for definitive plans.
Also to be sorted: what kind of poles will replace the towers, which Gleason said are 80 feet tall but are listed as 120 feet tall on the National Register of Historic Places paperwork, and where exactly they will be placed to carry the big power lines. TPU hopes to put them farther away from the intersections than the towers now stand, to allow drivers better views.
Flint said at the meeting that he wants the new poles to be more aesthetically pleasing than what the thoroughfare now features. With construction slated for early or mid 2017, even the design is still being figured out — given certain constraints, of course.
"You can imagine there's not a huge amount of variation when it comes to power poles," Gleason said.
If the design, the studies, community engagement and the money all come through, North 21st Street could look a lot more inviting in a few years.
Derrick Nunnally: 253-597-8693
derrick.nunnally@thenewstribune.com
@dcnunnally
Washington, B.C. want to make connection via high-speed rail
Retirement facility proposal concerns University Place residents
Puyallup Herald
State needs more participation in Mount Rainier lahar survey
By Josephine Peterson
To better prepare the public for lahars during an eruption of Mount Rainier, the state said it needs more responses in a preparedness survey. Information will help planners choose evacuation routes.
Wheel of Fortune tryouts in Tacoma this week. Our advice: Never buy a vowel!
Death notices for July 15, 2019
Puyallup to embrace becoming Seattle's 'bedroom community' with new development downtown


text:
Plane towing banner ad makes emergency landing in FW
A pilot walked away from an emergency landing in Northwest Forth Worth Sunday afternoon.
The Fixed Wing Single-Engine plane was towing an advertisement banner, we're told a Geico Insurance banner, when it lost oil pressure.
The pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in a field near 820 and Trinity Blvd around 1:25 p.m.
Officials say the issue may have been caused by a busted an oil pan.
The pilot was the only individual on board and walked away without injuries.
The FAA responded to the scene to investigate.
WWE's WrestleMania to return to AT&T Stadium in 2022


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PLN quoted in article regarding censorship in Texas prison system
Austin Statesman, Jan. 1, 2010. http://www.statesman.com/news/texas/banned-in-t...
PLN quoted in article regarding censorship in Texas prison system - Austin Statesman 2010
Banned in Texas prisons: books and magazines that many would consider classics
By Eric Dexheimer
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 8:28 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010
Ask the Texas Department of Criminal Justice how many book and magazine titles it has reviewed over the years to determine if the reading material is suitable for its inmates, and officials will give you a precise number: 89,795.
Ask how many authors are represented on the list, and they can tell you that, too: 40,285.
But ask how many of those books and magazines have been rejected because prison reviewers decided they contain inappropriate content, and prison officials will tell you that information is unavailable: "There's just no way to break that out," said Tammy Shelby, a program specialist for the prison agency's Mail System Coordinators Panel.
But after the Statesman reviewed five years' worth of publications — about 5,000 titles — whose rejections were appealed by inmates to the agency's headquarters in Huntsville and obtained through open records requests, one thing is clear: Texas prisoners are missing out on some fine reading.
Novels by National Book Award winners Pete Dexter, Joyce Carol Oates, Annie Proulx and William T. Vollmann have been banned in recent years. Award finalists Katherine Dunn and Barry Hannah are on the Texas no-read list, too, as are Pulitzer Prize winners Alice Walker, Robert Penn Warren and John Updike.
Prisoners can't peruse certain books by Pablo Neruda and Andre Gide, both Nobel laureates. "Krik? Krak!" by Haitian writer Edwidge Danticat, who last year won a MacArthur "genius" grant, is prohibited behind Lone Star bars. Books of paintings by some of the world's greatest artists — da Vinci, Picasso, Botticelli, Michelangelo — have been ordered out of state correctional facilities.
And just because a book is a best-seller in the free world doesn't mean it's available on the inside. Harold Robbins, Pat Conroy, Hunter S. Thompson, Dave Barry and James Patterson belong to the don't-read fraternity. Mystery writer Carl Hiaasen does, too, as do Kinky Friedman and Janet Fitch, whose "White Oleander" was an Oprah's Book Club selection.
John Grisham has had four blockbusters banned since 2005. And inmates will have to wait for parole before diving into "Precious," the book by Sapphire that last year was turned into a critically acclaimed movie.
Political connections don't seem to count for much, either. Her father may have been governor and president, but Jenna Bush's "Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope" made the banned list in November 2008.
While it's easy to laugh off the removal of some books (comedian Jon Stewart's "America; A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction" was censored for sexually explicit images), critics say the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's restrictions are a serious matter. Inmates who don't read, for example, have a harder time finding jobs, said Marc Levin, a criminal justice analyst for the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
"Literacy, or lack of it, is one of the biggest problems we have with respect to re-entry," Levin said. "Inmates who want to read should have that opportunity."
Texas prison officials said restrictions on reading material are for the good of both guards and inmates. "We have to protect the safety and security of our institution, but also aid in the rehabilitation of our offenders," said Jason Clark, an agency spokesman.
"And what may not be judged inflammatory in the public at large can be inflammatory in prison."
While prisons for years have restricted reading material available to their inmates, experts in correctional policy concede there is scant research demonstrating that racy literature, dirty photos of tattoos or comics showing naked women — all prohibited in Texas lockups — stunt a prisoner's rehabilitation or cause disruptions.
"There is no evidence concluding that exposure to obscene material affects the morals or attitudes of prisoners," said Robert Bastress, a professor at the West Virginia University College of Law, who in 2004 represented an inmate who sued when the prison library was cleansed of all materials considered "a turn-on."
How books are banned
Texas inmates can receive published material only from publishers or bookstores. Each year, family members, friends and nonprofit organizations arrange to send thousands of books and magazines to prisoners.
Common requests include dictionaries, pulp fiction — Westerns and Star Trek, in particular — and legal and health books, said Scott O'Dierno, who manages Austin-based Inside Books, which has been sending the written word to Texas prisoners for 11 years.
When a book arrives at a Texas prison mailroom, an employee first checks the database to see if the book is already prohibited. If not, said Shelby, "he'll flip it over and read the back." If that provides insufficient information to make a decision, "they scan through it looking for key words" or pictures that would disqualify the publication.
"You can pretty much tell by reading the first few pages," she said. "We rely on them to use their judgment."
If the book is denied by a unit's mailroom staff, an inmate can appeal to Huntsville headquarters. Prison officials say they don't know what percentage of inmates choose to press their cases.
Review decisions are officially made by the six-member Directors Review Committee, which also considers matters of correspondence and visitation. But the committee generally turns its publication appeals over to two program specialists, Shelby and Jennifer Smith, who reconsider the mailroom decision.
Because of the sheer volume of books and magazines they receive, Smith said she typically reviews only the pages cited by mailroom staff as inappropriate.
"We get too much up here to review every book" in its entirety, she said. If the women disagree with the mailroom, the book usually is redesignated as "approved." Otherwise, it goes on the banned list for good unless a policy change merits a review.
Even critics agree that, on paper, the system is as good as any. "I've looked at a lot of policies," said Paul Wright, editor of the Seattle-based Prison Legal News, which distributes the magazine and books to prisons nationwide. "And the Texas one, as written, isn't that bad."
But in practice, he added, many worthwhile books remain banned after a cursory exam simply because prisoners don't appeal.
Last July, a prison censor rejected "The Narrative of Sojourner Truth," a biography of the abolitionist, because of a racial reference. The decision was later reversed. But if the inmate hadn't appealed, the title would have been permanently banned.
Even with appeals, Wright said, "there doesn't seem to be any real review going on." In 2005, mailroom staffers flagged "Freakonomics," the best-selling popular economics book, for its use of a 50-year-old quote containing a racial epitaph in a chapter about the Ku Klux Klan. That decision was upheld.
Scott Medlock, an attorney for the Texas Civil Rights Project, said such rubber-stamping stems from a Catch-22: Because the book is banned, the inmate can't review its contents to prepare a rebuttal.
Federal prison policy, by contrast, states, "Where a publication is found unacceptable \u2026 the warden shall permit the inmate an opportunity to review this material for purposes of filing an appeal."
Sex and the Sistine Chapel
Perhaps the most common reason for diverting books from Texas prisoners is sex, portrayed in images and words, although prison officials have struggled to define what's permissible. Inmates could receive magazines like Playboy and Penthouse until 2004, when they were banned, Smith said.
A book or magazine also would be rejected if it "would encourage homosexual or deviant criminal sexual behavior."
In 2007, the "homosexual" reference was deleted, though not before it ensnared "Brokeback Mountain," Proulx's prize-winning love story about two cowboys. ("Homophobia: A History," on the other hand, was approved in 2006.) Written descriptions of other sexual practices — sadomasochism, rape and incest — remain grounds for summary rejection.
State prison administrators have taken an even harder line with images. While pictures of naked buttocks are permitted, depictions of genitalia and women's bare breasts are not.
That applies not just to magazines such as Hustler, but also to offending swimsuit catalogs, tattoo images — even cartoons. The February 2009 Esquire was rejected for a line drawing of a woman in bed, a single naked breast visible over her sheet.
In the past five years, volumes on massage, home health care, circumcision, vintage aircraft nose art, gardening, Dungeons & Dragons and a pictorial history of restaurant menus were rejected for displaying too much explicit material.
Inmates enrolled in sex offender treatment programs, often for pedophilia, cannot receive any reading material except newspapers, religious material, and legal or educational publications. But a ban on images of nude children applies to everyone, Smith said.
Thus, National Geographic magazines are turned away for photos of naked toddlers. Images of unclothed children have also led to censorship of "Anatomica: The Complete Home Medical Reference" and "A Child is Born," featuring primarily in-vitro photos.
Journalism is not immune, either. National Geographic's massive "Visual History of the World" was banned because it included the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of a naked girl fleeing a napalm attack in Vietnam. "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men," the photojournalistic account of U.S. sharecroppers, and "How the Other Half Lives," a grim chronicle of New York slums at the turn of the century, were turned away for their pictures of unclothed children.
Art has proved especially tricky to regulate. Shelby said she tries to educate mailroom workers to keep their hands off books of paintings featuring naked adults. Yet many great works also display naked children, and books featuring the work of some of the world's best-known artists, including Caravaggio and Rembrandt, have been blocked.
"Things that would be in the Vatican aren't allowed in TDCJ," said O'Dierno, who said his organization has used magic markers to obscure body parts before mailing some books to a Texas prison. In 2006, censors rejected "The Sistine Chapel Coloring Book."
In an effort to separate art from child porn, reviewers have come up with a test, Shelby said: If a naked child has clearly visible wings, it is a legitimate cherub and the book can stay. No wings? It must go.
"If he is naked, the Baby Jesus would be denied," she said.
Security bans and auto repair
Books that could lead to breaches of security and order also are denied entrance to state prisons. Publications considered too racially insensitive fall under a ban of "material that a reasonable person would construe as written solely for the purpose of communicating information designed to achieve the breakdown of prisons."
Many of the rejections — "Fun Under the Swastika" — seem reasonable: Race-related violence is a real concern in prisons. Yet the prohibition has been applied broadly: "Friday Night Lights," the best-selling book about Texas football, was prohibited because of its exploration of racial themes in Odessa.
In October 2007, censors rejected "Coming Through the Fire," which was reviewed on Amazon.com: "In this small but eloquent work, Duke University professor of religion and culture C. Eric Lincoln calls for a 'no-fault reconciliation' between the races." The following month, censors approved "The Hitler We Loved and Why," published by White Power Publications.
Security concerns also have kept educational books out of Texas lockups. "Basic Physics: A Self-Teaching Guide" and "Chemistry Concepts and Problems" were denied for fear inmates might glean potentially dangerous chemical formulas from them, according to rejection notes. Instructional books explaining electric motors, sheet metal fabrication, electrical codes, knot-tying, taxidermy and tanning, guard dog training, radio circuits, home inspections and organic chemistry were also deemed potential security threats, their contents apparently too volatile to risk releasing to Texas's convicted criminals.
In 2005, prison officials censored "Auto Repair for Dummies," and in 2007 they rejected "Residential Construction Academy — HVAC." Among the trades it teaches, Windham, the state's school district for prisoners, lists auto mechanics, diesel repair and HVAC repair.
By policy, censors also scour volumes for descriptions of weapon and drug manufacturing and "criminal schemes," categories that have prevented books such as the "Drugs From A to Z Dictionary" and Guns & Ammo magazine from prisoners' cells. But the restrictions have also led to banning the book "How to Get Off Drugs," magazines about paintball and a how-to manual on rifle engraving.
The potential for aiding escape is another security red flag, prohibiting not only publications with Texas maps but also Statesman humor columnist John Kelso's book of roadside oddities, for what the author describes as unhelpful depictions of Texas terrain.
"I suppose they could use it to run away to the Spamarama," Kelso said.
In 2005, Jim Willett, a retired warden of the agency's Huntsville unit, published a book about his experiences. Two years later, his former employer censored "Warden" because, the reviewers explained, "arial (sic) photos of prisons could facilitate an escape."
Censors also have taken an expansive view of publications that might give inmates a dangerous advantage over corrections officers. While it's easy to understand why a copy of "How to Be An Ass-Whipping Boxer" circulating among angry prisoners could cause unease, it is less clear why "Draw Fight Scenes Like a Pro" was rejected for revealing "fighting techniques."
In December, prison censors intercepted "The Elements of Persuasion: Use Storytelling to Pitch Better, Sell Faster and Win More Business," which, after reading, they turned away as a security concern.
The danger?
"Could be used to persuade others."


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Hundreds of Thousands of Floridians Disenfranchised Says Voting Rights Report
October 10, 2014 | Written by: Mike Cantone | Filed under: Florida	and tagged with: Charlie Crist, Civil Rights, Commission on Civil Rights, Commissioner, disenfranchised, ex-felon, Florida, Jeb Bush, National Commission on Federal Election Reform, Orlando, Regina Hill, restoration, Rick Scott, State Advisory Committee, vote, voting rights
The Florida State Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights released its report on ex-felon voting rights, independently estimating 600,000 to 1.2 million persons, or about 3 to 6 percent of the Florida voting population, are disenfranchised from voting. The disenfranchisement has a disproportionate impact on voting rights for minorities and males living in Florida, according to the report.
Addressing voting rights issues has been a central mission for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and its state advisory committees since its establishment in 1957. The Florida SAC report notes, "Historically, Florida's policy of criminal disenfranchisement dates back more than 150 years." In keeping with the Commission's historical attention to voting rights, in 2009 the Committee first released a report on ex-felon voting rights in Florida, after significant revisions were implemented by then-Governor Charlie Crist, following up on work by Jeb Bush's Ex-Offender Task Force.
The Florida Advisory Committee noted in its 2009 report that the revisions to the Rules of Executive Clemency that automatically granted restoration of civil and voting rights were a "significant policy change." The revised rules only granted automatic clemency to non-violent ex-offenders.
However, Rick Scott revoked revised clemency rules in 2011. With its updated report, the Florida SAC recommends that the Commission urge Governor Rick Scott and the Cabinet to re-consider their 2011 action and restore the revised rules of clemency to allow non-violent ex-felons who have completed all terms of their sentence to have their right to vote restored without undue delay.
The right to vote is fundamental to democracy. Orlando's newest City Commissioner, Regina Hill, is an ex-offender who knows about this issue personally. After having her rights restored, Hill remained active in the community and then was elected to the City Council. As Commissioner, she remains an outspoken advocate on the issue locally. Even Republicans like Jeb Bush – and then-Governor Charlie Crist – were concerned that without successful re-entry back into society, including voting, ex-offenders are likely to become re-offenders.
"Previously in 2009 the Florida State Advisory Committee issued a report in support of the revised Rules of Executive Clemency that automatically restored voting rights for most ex-felons," said Dr. Elena Flom, Chair of the Florida SAC. "In 2011 Governor Rick Scott, with the support of a majority of the Cabinet, revoked the revised clemency rules. As a result, all ex-felon voting rights restoration cases must be individually reviewed. Given the large number of persons disenfranchised in the state because of the state's ex-felon Constitutional provision, the original framers of the state's Constitution in 1845 could not have possibly envisioned a state population of 20 million persons and the disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of persons when they enacted the ex-felon voting ban and the procedures for executive clemency."
Florida is one of only eleven states with lifetime voting bans for ex-felons. In Florida, the only procedure is through executive clemency, an act of the Cabinet including the restoration of civil and voting rights. Under Rick Scott's 2011 rules, the new Clemency Board has also put in place additional paper work requirements for each individual case, regardless of the level of offense.
According to the National Commission on Federal Election Reform, one-third of the people presently denied the right to vote because of a felony conviction have completed their sentences.
According to the report: "Given the large number of persons disenfranchised in the state because of the state's ex-felon Constitutional provision, it is the considered opinion of the Florida Advisory Committee that former Governors Jeb Bush (R) and Charlie Crist (R) acted correctly to modify the rules for executive clemency."
The report concludes that Florida should return to automatic restoration of civil and voting rights and "believes doing so will allow for deserving persons who have made full and proper restitution to again have the privilege to vote and participate in the democratic processes as well as assist such persons to successfully integrate back into society."
One Response to "Hundreds of Thousands of Floridians Disenfranchised Says Voting Rights Report"
OrlandoChris says:
Cut to the chase. Vote Adrian Wyllie.


I am having kids immediately and forcing them to have kids as soon as they biologically can so that I can say this sentence to someone. Barnbarn is such a fun word omg. Why cant English be this fabulous?
i have been laughing so hard at this word because gammel means coloquially that is something rotting in german!! (vergammelt = rotten) swedish is a nice language, thanks for commenting this!
What in the world I live in Sweden and hear Swedish everyday trust me it's more fabulous in it's own ways.
So would great-grandchild be "barnbarnbarn"? That's a semi-serious question because of the other thread that talked about the word for "great-grandfather" (farfarfar, LOL).
You would need an 's' in between: barnbarnsbarn. Also farfarsfar and so on.
Barnbarn sounds like the Bulgarian- French word for candy: Bonbon... How appropriate and easy to remember :) Lots of grandparents would agree !
I can help but LOL every time I found a word like barnbarn or mormor or event farbror in the course. It just make soo much sense that you can help but laugh. I wonder... why we do not see something like this in more languages?
I never expected to find repetitive syllable in Germanic languages. They are very common in Bantu languages: "majimaji" means "watery", i.e. "A watery soup". "kichinichini" means "undercover" or "surreptitious". "motomoto" means the same as "moto" which is "hot", but when you say "motomoto" it is hyperbolic, exaggerated or insisted.
Are there specific words for grandson and granddaughter??
Barnbarn is entirely gender-neutral. If you wanted to be specific, you could use sonson, dotterdotter, sondotter or dotterson. Their uses are rare but perfectly normal.
Am I the only one who hears here "Det var mitt barnbarn"? Why the "v"?
if great grandchild is barnbarnsbarn then why isn't grandchild barnsbarn?
The little -s- will ususally show up between the second and third parts of a compound word with at least three words in it.
Correct. She's your father's mother's mother.
I love Swedish family compound words.
It's not always an s, but yes, that's correct.
If barnbarn is grandchild then what is grandson and granddaughter?
You can specify through sonson, sondotter, dotterdotter, dotterson, but it's usually clear through context. For instance, if you say "he's my grandchild" then it's obvious you're talking about a grandson, so there's no need to clarify.
"Du är mina barnbarn" would be "You are my grandchildren" or is there a special word for that?
It would be 'Ni är mina barnbarn' instead of 'du' because it's plural. 'Barnbarn' doesn't change because it's an ett-word.
Ahh, right right. Forgot about ni for a second there.
How is: "You are my grandchildren."?
No, mitt is the singular. It would be mina for the plural.
So Barnbarn refers to a single grandchild, grandchild (ren) being barbarnen?? I'd this correct?
Now, barnbarn works the exact same way but with an extra barn- in front.
Nej, björn, jag är din farfar!
I never really thought about it until now, but how come in English I have to say "You are my grandchild." over "You is my grandchild". It doesn't actually make any sense!
Because "to be" is "are" with "you"?
Trivia: "You" was originally used only as a plural pronoun. "Thou" and "thee" were the second-person singular pronouns in early modern English.
You can always do it in New Jersey or New York.
"YOU'S GOT A LOTTA NERVE!"
Yes, but the verb "to be" is conjugated for the subject "you." In English, the conjugation of "to be" in the present tense is I am, you are, he/she/it is, we are, they are.


Many people with a gambling addiction actually win to start with. They continue gambling in the hope of further gains. However, over a longer period the majority of people lose more money than they win. It is a bad strategy to continue gambling in the hope of winning back gambling losses.


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What is the Accredited Register
How can Hypnotherapy help me?
Hypnotherapy Courses
What you can expect from a hypnotherapy course
Training Provider Membership
Complaining about a therapist
Outcome of complaints
Complaints about our staff
Organisational Member Benefits
Accredited Register
The National Hypnotherapy Society is a Learned Society whose primary purpose is the advancement of the knowledge of hypnotherapy and the fostering of professional hypnotherapy expertise through training, accreditation and continued professional development of our members. The Society seeks to contribute to public wellbeing both through the use of hypnotherapy and by ensuring that hypnotherapists are safe, competent and ethical in practice.
The Society plays an important role within the profession of hypnotherapy in the UK and in 2013 the Society was the first (and to date the only) solely Hypnotherapy organisation to gain Accredited Register status with the Professional Standards Authority AR programme.
As an Accredited Register holder we meet the robust and exacting standards set by the Professional Standards Authority with particular emphasis on public safety and assuring that the best interests of the clients are protected.
The National Hypnotherapy Society believes that all Accredited Registers should be seen as equal. To this end, we were instrumental in gaining recognition within the NHS for all Accredited Registers. NHS Employers has added content encouraging the use and detailing the benefits of Accredited Registers.
We are a not for profit organisation and the high standards of our Accredited Register are externally verified by the Professional Standards Authority.
The organisation is bound by appropriate rules of governance including a constitution, codes of ethics, and a complaints procedure.
Our belief is that hypnotherapy is not a stand-alone therapy but one that fits within the wider community of 'talking therapies'. We support and promote hypnotherapy and hypnotherapists, offering a wide variety of benefits to our members and training providers. We also play a role in ensuring that the best interests of the clients of hypnotherapy are protected. We acknowledge that we have a duty of care to the public.
We acknowledge and encourage the diversity, creativity and range of training options that currently exist in our profession.
We seek to involve, encourage and work in partnership with our members at all levels – we believe this is the only appropriate way of running a hypnotherapy organisation.
The HS continues to play a significant role in all aspects of hypnotherapy and related therapies and to welcome members, trainers and members of the public seeking the services of an appropriate professional.
The National Hypnotherapy Society
19 Grafton Road, Worthing
West Sussex, BN11 1QT
© The National Hypnotherapy Society 2021.
Registered In England No. 3739912.


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Star Wars Weddings at Devon's Old Barn
Our quirky wedding venue is catching the attention of Star Wars fans.
On the face of it, The Old Barn is a beautifully rustic DIY venue, with oak beams, whitewashed walls and vine-covered conservatory. But it's also next door to family-run adventure park The Milky Way, which houses a vast private collection of Sci-Fi memorabilia ("From Darth Vader to Daleks"), as well as space-themed roller coasters and dodgems.
Star Wars fans who want to marry are loving the contrast between picture-perfect daytime ceremony and fun, quirky reception and after-party.
Visit our Something Old, Something New wedding fayre on January 28 2018
Some have even managed to time their big day with Star Wars events at The Milky Way, meaning they've had visits from characters including Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and troops of Stormtroopers – thanks to The UK Garrison and Rebel Legion, one of the foremost Star Wars costuming groups in the UK.
The Old Barn – pricing and availability
More photos of real weddings at The Old Barn
"We've had a few couples now who've incorporated Star Wars elements into their weddings," says Tara Stanbury, owner of both The Old Barn and The Milky Way. "Whether it's been posing with lightsabers, Jawas entertaining the kids, or Darth Vader joining the Guard of Honour, it's made for some fantastic and very unusual wedding photographs!"
"We're a DIY wedding venue, and while we don't offer any theme ourselves – part of the beauty of The Old Barn is that couples are encouraged to view it as a 'blank canvas', and build a day that's individual to them – it's great that people have felt inspired by the Sci-Fi exhibit and space theme at the Milky Way."
"The fact that The Old Barn also offers access to some of The Milky Way's attractions, such as the indoor dodgems and huge outdoor bouncing pillows, also tends to appeal to those who want a totally unique and fun wedding day that'll be talked about for years after!"
Since The Milky Way opened its Sci-Fi memorabilia exhibit in 2016, this award-winning family attraction has been attracting sci-fi fans from across the UK. Though just one man's vast private collection, his Sci-fi memorabilia includes full-size characters, collectables and fan art from film & TV, all on display together for the first time. From Darth Vader to Daleks and R2D2 to a police box, the scale of the collection is quite unbelievable.
The Milky Way also holds regular Star Wars events, when members of The UK Garrison and Rebel Legion dress as characters from the films and greet visitors around the adventure park – which is popular with both adults and children alike. The next event of this kind is on October 28 2017
About The Old Barn
The Old Barn is one of the most quirky, fun and unique wedding venues in North Devon. Our gorgeous 17th century barn's original oak beams and rustic stone walls make it a beautiful blank canvas, whatever a couples' dreams for their big day.
We're a family-owned barn reception and wedding venue in North Devon with exciting contrasts. Set in beautiful countryside and within sight of the stunning coast, our renovated barn is vintage, rustic and perfect for both small and large celebrations.
Added to this The Old Barn offers a wedding reception with a totally unexpected after-party surprise and unique photo opportunities. Being tucked away on the edge of The Milky Way Adventure Park means we can offer couples and their guests daytime access to the park's roller coaster and huge bouncing pillows to take stunning photos, and exclusive access to the indoor dodgems come the evening.
As The Old Barn is a flexible DIY wedding venue, couples have the freedom to put together the wedding day that's just what they hoped for – they can even do the finishing touches themselves if they're creative. Our beautiful conservatory, which for much of the year is covered in grape vines and wisteria, is licensed for weddings and civil ceremonies, and though there's room for 118 people, small weddings work well there too.


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Celebrated UK Retailer Tom Singh in Blockchain venture
Tom Singh, celebrated UK retail entrepreneur, leads first external funding round for blockchain launch by Finboot, pioneering software company
Finboot launches the first Blockchain — Distributed Ledger -Delivery Network
Finboot launches Marco — an Enterprise Blockchain Delivery Network — and its first Marco-powered app for petroleum supply chains
London: Finboot, a UK based-software development group that provides Blockchain solutions to enterprises in an easy-to-use fashion, has closed a major private investment led by Tom Singh, founder of UK fashion retailer New Look, with H-FARM and leading Angel investors.
The capital raised will allow Finboot, which is part of the UK International Trade Department's Global Entrepreneur Programme, to expand its product development plans and its team currently based in Barcelona, Spain and London.
Finboot's products will enable a business user to access and engage with Blockchain solutions through its unique platform, known as 'Marco'.
Marco, which means 'frame' in Spanish, will allow users to interact with decentralised applications (D'Apps), efficiently and clearly bringing these solutions to the desk of every employee.
Finboot has emerged as an important idea and now product just 12 months after being selected by the 6th Edition of the Entrepreneurs Fund of Fundación Repsol from a field of more than 350 proposals. Working with strategic partners such as the energy giant Repsol, Finboot's target was to deliver a D'App powered by Marco for improving petroleum supply chains.
In November 2017 Deutsche Bank and H-FARM, a top Italian innovation platform, selected Finboot from among 300 blockchain ventures to participate in the Blockchain Business Solutions Accelerator.
A critical new application delivered by Marco will enable compliance with the EU wide data protection regulation (GDPR), which came into force in May this year. Users will be able to manage their own data access to enterprises using the Blockchain infrastructure, ensuring each individual has the ability to store, update or simply deny companies to either keep or use their data at any time. Further, Marco will be used to manage Finboot's own shareholder documentation…leading by example!
Tom Singh OBE says: "Finboot provides a straightforward and accessible blockchain platform for every enterprise, no matter how big or small. Enabling access to distributed ledger architecture for anyone will drive blockchain interaction at every level. Specifically the benefits to supply chain's can be immediate by lowering cost through greater efficiency."
Juan M. Perez, Finboot Co-founder and CEO, comments: "We are delighted to welcome Tom Singh and look forward to benefitting from his experience as we move to bring our products to market and scale."
Nish Kotecha, Finboot Co-founder and Chairman, adds: "Finboot products are focused on making distributed ledger technology accessible for everyone. We are excited about the opportunity to apply Finboot's products to help bridge the chasm between the technology user and the business user."
Timothy O'Connell, H-FARM Head of Open Innovation, says: "We have enjoyed working with the Finboot team over the past 8 months. The Finboot platform has made important strides over this period and will bring important value to the Blockchain business solution market in the coming months."
Alpesh Patel, DIT Dealmaker adds: "This is an outstanding Blockchain company which caught our attention when we first met them in Spain and are delighted they have moved their Global HQ to the UK, showing how the UK is a world beating centre for Blockchain companies. We believe the exceptional founders will make this a global giant."
Finboot: About us:
Finboot is a dynamic and diverse company that develops and delivers innovative, enterprise level software based on blockchain infrastructure. Established in 2016, Finboot is the umbrella brand for MARCO with operations in London and Barcelona.
Blockchain is a digital ledger that records everything in a secure and transparent manner and was originally created to allow the transfer of currency through a decentralized environment eliminating the need for trusted third parties. The opportunity, however, to expand Blockchain technology beyond cryptocurrencies and financial transactions is immense, and MARCO will lead from the front.
Blockchain will change how businesses operate for years to come with exponential benefits to those businesses who adopt it. From its ability to minimize complexities, to providing exceptional privacy and security to users, MARCO reduces cost and accelerates interactions to help businesses grow faster and more efficiently. Within corporate structures, there are many examples of how Blockchain can be applied to dramatically improve financial operations. These are key areas MARCO is focussing on and include supply chain, healthcare, logistics, data protection and management, peer-to-peer trading, etc.
With the Blockchain market projected to be worth over $176 billion by 2025 and exceed US$3.1 trillion by 2030, MARCO aim to drive the growth of the global market and offer enterprises and companies of all sizes the opportunity to provide high-end solutions with minimal infrastructure and cost. Finboot is already the leading Blockchain company in Spain and intends to be the biggest in the UK as well as targeting the emerging Latin-American markets.
Tom Singh OBE:
Tom Singh OBE is the Founder of New Look, a leading UK entrepreneur and active private investor with family interests spanning: retail, technology, real estate, renewable energy sectors and private equity. He currently holds the position of Non-Executive Board Member for New Look with over 900 stores worldwide which he founded in 1969.
In addition to his responsibilities at New Look, Tom is a founding member of: the Social Investment Task Force and is a Trustee of the Pakhar Foundation. Tom is an active philanthropist and social investor and in recent years, has taken an increasing interest in the world of technology.
It is the innovation platform that supports the creation of new business models and the digital transformation and education of young people and Italian companies. Founded in January 2005, H-FARM was the first in the world to adopt a model that brought together education, investments, and business consultancy in one place. Since its founding until today, H-FARM has invested €26,2M to support the development of 116 innovative companies, has helped 200 of the most important international brands take advantage of the opportunities made possible by digital transformation and educates more than 1,000 students through an international and digital didactic path. Structured like a campus, it is destined to become the most important innovation hub in Europe and is currently undergoing an expansion that will grow its facilities from 14,000 mq of buildings with a 20-hectare park to 42,000 mq of buildings distributed over 51 hectares of land close to Venice.
H-Farm
H-FARM employs more than 550 people in 5 different locations in Italy and is considered a singularity at an international level. Since November 13, 2015, H-FARM has been listed on the AIM segment of the Italian stock exchange and is available for public trading.
Department of International Trade: Global Entrepreneur Programme:
The Programme seeks to establish the Global HQ of outstanding IP rich companies and their entrepreneurial founders in the UK. It does this through its Dealmakers who are experienced business people who assist the company make deals to grow and go global.
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Thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the mainstream media.
Tommy Robinson is about to release a documentary film that exposes the BBC's despicable methods of creating and distributing fake news.
"...the BBC working with a far left organisation who were blackmailing my ex employees to invent stories about me, BBC caught on camera telling an ex employee what questions they would ask her on the doc and then TELLING HER WHAT TO ANSWER. Oh and the face of panorama again on camera proposing to create fake news by telling Lucy they can clip and edit an arguement we had to make this 'a gender or sexual thing against tommy robinson'. BBC on camera inventing a fake #metoo story. Not to mention the disgraceful way the BBC spend our money on champagne lunches, BBC employees making racist, homophobic and anti working class comments. Clearly the press dont want to talk about all that so instead headline about us cancelling our TV licence....."
Fewer and fewer viewers trust the mainstream media.
Liberal news channels are doing everything in their power to push the anti-Republican, anti-conservative and anti-Trump agenda.