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Engineering & Technology /
Electromagnetic Compatibility Division /
Measuring Broadband America /
Mobile Broadband Information /
Measuring Mobile Broadband Methodology - Technical Summary
Mobile Broadband Information
Android FCC Speed Test App
iOS FCC Speed Test App
App Methodology - Technical Summary
Measuring Broadband America Program
Privacy Policy - Mobile
The Measuring Broadband America mobile measurement effort uses much of the existing fixed measurement infrastructure to test the performance of volunteers' Android and/or iPhone smartphone mobile broadband services. Most recent technical descriptions of the methodology and data processing approaches for fixed measurement efforts are available as part of the Measuring Broadband America Program.
In order to protect the privacy of volunteers participating in the mobile broadband performance measuring effort, the data collection approach, nature of data collected, and the data post-processing differ in significant ways from the fixed effort. Broadband performance data is collected via an Application running on a volunteer's Smartphone to measure the upload and download speed, latency of connections, packet loss and jitter, as well as, the wireless performance characteristics of the broadband connection and the kind of handsets and versions of operation systems tested. The application does not collect any unique or personal identifiers that could be directly linked to a particular handset. Collected data is uploaded to the cloud and then is available for post-processing, including a technical privacy analysis for any publicly released dataset.
Detailed technical descriptions of the kinds of data collected, sources of the data, and software data structures are available in the Mobile Data Dictionary.
Researchers and developers interested in the program are welcome at regular meetings and are encouraged to review the record of recent meetings by referencing the General Docket No. 12-264 using the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs), or past meetings beginning in 2010 by searching ECFS in related proceedings CG Docket No. 09-158, CC Docket No. 98-170, and WC Docket No. 04-36. For other inquires, contact Rajender Razdan.
What is the Mobile Testing Architecture?
The smartphone measurement application is designed to be installed on a user's smartphone either directly or via an app store, such as Google Play or iTunes. The application is free to download, but carrier charges may apply. The application will run continuously in the background, periodically performing measurements. This automated functionality is not available on iOS
How do I remove the application?
End users may uninstall the application at any time via their smartphone's normal application uninstallation procedure.
How does the app determine the best measurement server?
When starting a measurement cycle, the application runs a brief latency test to measurement servers in the application's configuration. The nearest measurement server with the lowest round-trip latency is selected as the target for all subsequent measurements (throughput, latency, packet loss and jitter).
Will it disrupt my using my phone, e.g. generate cross-traffic?
Prior to each measurement, the Application checks the volunteer's mobile broadband use, (e.g. cross-traffic within the local smartphone). The app will measure cross-traffic which will then be included in environmental data reported in the test results. There is a "test when idle" setting which prevents scheduled tests running when the phone is actively in use.
How does the app capture location, carrier and network data?
The approximate location of the phone is determined by using the smartphone's own internal capabilities. These typically use a combination of nearby cell towers, nearby WiFi access points and GPS (if available).
The carrier and other network characteristics, such as bearer, signal strength data, etc. are recorded from APIs available from the Android Operation System and iOS (though less information is available on the iOS). These metrics are recorded before and after every active measurement.
How does the app communicate data?
All communications between the software application and the Data Collection Service on the backend hosted infrastructure are initiated by the application and securely encrypted over SSL. The software application communicates with the measurement servers over a variety of TCP and UDP ports. ICMP is used to determine the server with the lowest round-trip latency.
How does the app know to configure and update tests?
For Android users the app will frequently download, when opened, updates from a central server to its configuration to maintain the most current schedule of automated tests that it should execute. For iOS users the app will update as long as automatic updates are enabled.
How does the app deal with my privacy?
The privacy of volunteers is our top priority. The mobile privacy policy and application were developed to protect the privacy of volunteers and are detailed in the Application Terms of Use and Privacy Notice. Data is collected in an anonymous manner and no personally identifiable information is collected by the application. Users are not required to register, sign up for, or install the app. No unique or persistent identifier is associated with any data collected, and datasets are processed to protect volunteers' privacy prior to public release.
What tests does the app run?
Active Performance Test Metrics - All active tests designed and developed for the program by the FCC's contractor (www.samknows.com), in collaboration with industry, academia and other stakeholders, adhere to relevant RFCs and are publicly disclosed as part of the open methodology. All times are measured in microseconds and all speeds in bytes per second. The tests include:
UDP Latency, Packet Loss and Jitter
This test uses a fixed-rate stream of UDP traffic, running between client and a test node. A bi-directional 64 kbps stream is used with the same characteristics and properties (i.e., packet sizes, delays and bitrate) as the G.711 codec.
The client initiates the connection, thus overcoming NAT issues, and informs the server of the rate and characteristics that it would like to receive the return stream with.
The standard configuration uses 500 packets upstream and 500 packets downstream.
The client records the number of packets it sent and received (thus providing a packet loss rate) and the jitter observed for packets it received from the server. The server does teh same but with the reverse traffic flow, thus providing bi-directional packet loss and jitter.
Jittere is calculated using the PDV approach described in section 4.2 of RFC5481. The 99th percentile will be recorded and used in all calculations when deriving the PDV.
Measures the download and upload speed of the given connection in bits per second by performing multi-connection GET and POST HTTP requests to a target test node. Binary non-zero content, herein referred to as the payload, is hosted on a web server on the target test node. The test operates for either a fixed duration (in seconds) or a fixed volume (in MB). It can also report the recorded average throughput at multiple intervals during the test (e.g. once every 5 seconds). The client will attempt to download as much of the payload as possible for the duration of the test. The payload and all other testing parameters are configurable and may be subject to change in the future.
Four separate tests are supported:
Single connection GET
Multi connection GET
Single connection POST
Multi connection POST
How many threads do the tests execute?
Tests are executed using three concurrent connections. Each connection used in the test counts the numbers of bytes of the target payload, transferred between two points in time, and calculates the speed of each thread as Bytes transferred/Time (seconds).
Factors such as TCP slow start and congestion are taken into account by repeatedly downloading small chunks (default 256KB) of the target payload before the real testing begins. This "warm up" period will complete when three consecutive chunks are downloaded at the same speed (or within a small tolerance -- default is 10% -- of one another). In a multi connection test, three individual connections are established (each on its own thread) and are confirmed as all having completed the warm up period before timing begins.
Content downloaded is copied to /dev/null or equivalent (i.e. it is discarded). Payload content for upload tests is generated and streamed on the fly from /dev/urandom (or equivalent).
The following is an example of the calculation performed for a multi connection test using three concurrent connections.
S = Speed (Bytes per second)
B = Bytes (Bytes transferred)
C = Time (Seconds) (between start time point and end time point)
S1 = B1 / C1 (speed for Thread 1 calculation)
Speed = S1 + S2 + S3
Example values from a 3MB payload:
B1 = 3077360 C1 = 15.583963
S1 = B1/C1 = 197469.668017
S1 + S2 + S3 = Total Throughput of the line = 197469.668017 + 156168.655454 + 161044.475879 = 514682 (Bps) * 0.000008 (Mbps/Bps) = 4.12 Mbps
What data is provided for the aspects of my broadband performance specific to the wireless radio connectivity provided by my carrier?
Availability of information about the wireless network will vary by operator, device support (smartphone/dongle) and territory. What is available under optimum conditions is detailed below:
Location inferred from cell tower triangulation, WiFi triangulation, or GPS
Is the device connected to a data network?
Active cell tower ID and signal strength (RSSI)
Visible neighboring cell towers, including cell IDs and RSSI
Active network operator ID ("MNC") and name
Active network country code ("MCC") and name
SIM's network operator ID and name
SIM's network country code and name
Bearer (CDMA, GPRS, EDGE, all of the 3G variants, LTE, etc)
Phone type (GSM, CDMA)
Is the device in a roaming state?
How often do tests run? What's the app test schedule?
The Android application will periodically download a predefined test schedule randomized to execute tests. This functionality is not available on iOS devices. For Android users, upon opening the app, the app tests will be scheduled to occur up to three times in a 24 hour period lasting a maximum of 8 seconds per test. There is no fixed timings for these tests. Data usage for these scheduled tests will vary depending on the connection (3G/4G/5G) but will not exceed the limit set under the cellular data limit.
How much data will the program use by default?
By default the app will limit the total monthly data traffic used for execution of scheduled tests to a maximum of 600 MB. Volunteers can adjust the data cap to suit their preference. The higher the configured data cap the more frequently the app will schedule automated tests to execute. Volunteers will also be able to set the date of the month when data caps should reset to align app usage with their mobile broadband service billing.


A few of these are new to me! This'll be a fun week because we get to see all these new books that people want to read!
I haven't read any of the books on your list but I have Virtually Yours, Bridal Boot Camp and Sherwood on my wishlist. So excited! Loved today's prompt!
GONE GIRL!! You already know this, but I am so excited to see what you think about this so many years later. Also, THE LAST HOUSE GUEST was totally on my list before I even had to cheat– pinky promise!!
Gone Girl is on my list too – I've had this book for 5 years and can't think why I haven't read it yet!
The Last House Guest made my list too!
I need to finally read Gone Girl at some point, and Sherwood looks amazing!
I loved Gone Girl, the movie was so-so, but the book was really entertaining.
I would love to get my hands on a copy of Virtually Yours. I loved Geek's Guide, and am very excited we have a new book from Tash. The new Cabot series looks fun too, though I heard they are novella length, and those are hit or miss for me. Going back to Cuba with Cleeton is a must. I was shocked by how much I loved the first book. The KWest was fun and cute. I enjoyed it.
OOh nice! Those are pretty much all new to me ones! I hope you get to read all of those this spring!!
The Odyssey + Cinderella?!? *flails* Clear my schedule! Holy crap, how have I not heard of this book before? Thanks for putting it on the radar!
The Beholder sounds awesome! I have never heard of that one before. Definitely going on my TBR.
Virtually Yours does sound like a good read.
I like the sound of a Cinderella/swashbuckling mash-up.
I'm looking forward to a few of these myself, especially Virtually Yours. I really liked Bridal Bootcamp and When We Left Cuba. The Megan Miranda book looks great too!
Great list! I'm really intrigued by Sherwood and I'd like to give Chanel Cleeton a try, too. Happy reading!
Gone Girl is a great book. The movie was great too. It's rare that that happens.
Great list! The Last House Guest should have been on my list as I've loved the other thrillers I've read of Megan Miranda's. And I hope you enjoy Gone Girl, I really liked it.
Ooh, yay for Gone Girl! It's been a while since I read that one, I hope you enjoy it!
Also, Fiona Hardingham is a narrator on Sherwood? That sounds like a great fit.
I really want to read more Kasie West books!
Ooooh, I love Robin Hood retellings! I'll have to keep my eye out for Sherwood.
I am glad to see a bunch of new and old releases on your TBR! I can't wait to see what you think of these.
I LOVE that cover on The Beholder! Sherwood is one I want to get to eventually, too.
The Beholder sounds interesting, and I almost put Sherwood on my list. And I enjoy Susan Mallery's Happily, Inc. series.
That'll be fun to buddy read Gone Girl. I think it's her best book but I've only read two but watched the Sharp Objects mini series which was fantastic.
I'm excited about THE LAST HOUSE GUEST as well. Sounds like an awesome thriller.
Sounds like a very good and fascinating plan! Enjoy!
Davida Chazan recently posted…Pulling a "Nellie Bly"!


It seems odd to be writing a wrap-up post of 2014, as it certainly doesn't feel like it's December, let alone the end of the year. Nick and I are sitting here in sunny little San Pancho on the west coast of Mexico, and we couldn't feel further away from the typical Christmas traditions of Canada. Sure, Mexicans are very religious and they love Christmas time, but without the snow, the bustling malls or the holiday carols, it just feels like another day in paradise…with the occasional poinsettia plant and santa statue on display.
2014 was a great year for us, and although we didn't travel to as many countries as we did in our past years, we still did some epic things and made some lasting memories.
For two weeks, we were still in Canada celebrating the holidays with friends and family. But come mid-January, we were off to Mexico! This was our first time strapping on our backpacks and heading south from Canada – apart from a couple of all-inclusive holidays when we were younger, all of Latin America was still left uncoloured on our travel map.
We started off in Cancun where we met up with an old travel buddy of ours, Bernie. Together we explored and enjoyed our time together for about a week before parting ways. We were off to travel around. We visited Holbox Island, Valladolid, Rio Lagartos, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Merida, Dzibilchaltun, Progresso, Izamal, Palenque, San Cristobal and finally, Chetumal.
After visiting numerous old colonial towns, exploring ancient ruins, sipping on fabulous local coffee, meeting incredible people and eating way too many delicious dishes to count, it was time to leave Mexico. We boarded a boat that would take us from Chetumal to Belize!
The second half of March was spent lazing on pristine beaches on the northern islands in Belize. We spent our time on Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye and loved them. We were invited to stay at Victoria House, which was a lovely, quaint resort on a quiet beach. Although we loved that luxury, we really loved chilling out on Caye Caulker more so than Ambergris Caye! We stayed in a couple of cute little bungalows, went on a boat trip to see manatees, saw some incredible sunsets and enjoyed the local restaurants.
Grenada was everything we hoped it would be and more. We accepted our first pet-sitting job here and found ourselves in a tropical paradise taking care of the sweetest dog ever. We stayed in a little cottage right by the ocean and enjoyed the peace & quiet of the property we were living on. Days were spent exploring the island's numerous beaches, waterfalls and hikes.
We then had 7 weeks when the owners were home and our services were no longer required. We still stayed in Grenada for part of the time, but for almost 3 weeks, we headed off on an island hopping journey!
The Osprey Ferry was our mode of transportation to take us from Grenada to the next island north, Carriacou. We were greeted by a gorgeous beach, interesting streets and friendly people. After 2 nights there, we were off on a cargo boat to our next island, Union (which is part of the island nation of St. Vincent & The Grenadines).
This rugged, unpretentious island was fabulous. We explored various beaches and lookout points and met some really cool local people. Our stay at King's Landing Hotel was awesome and we loved the staff members there. But, one of the most interesting things we did during our stay was to visit an island bar located just 100m off shore, made out of conch shells! Needless to say, the rum punch was flowing and it was a very Happy Island indeed.
From Union, we made our way further north to Palm Island for a day trip, Mayreau and the incredible Tobago Cays! Our day of sailing to all three of these islands was unforgettable. Weve never seen water so clear and sand so white! We sailed aboard the Yannis Catamaran and enjoyed a full day of eating, drinking, swimming, snorkelling and relaxing. It was a true highlight of all our travel adventures.
Our final destination on our 3 week island hopping trip was Bequia, the second biggest in the Grenadines chain. This was where we celebrated my 30th birthday in style! We wandered the beautiful seaside walkway at Admiralty Bay, ventured over to Princess Margaret Bay and strolled around Port Elizabeth. My actual 30th was spent at the beach with dinner at the lovely boutique Sugar Reef Hotel. The chef prepared a delicious meal for me and the staff all sang their version of Happy Birthday!
After 3 weeks, it was time to return to the Island of Spice.
We really enjoyed our second half of the pet-sitting job, even more so than the first half. We felt like we knew the island better, got involved in hashing, met some awesome friends and found some really great live music venues…plus, we loved the rainy season! Everything was so lush and green, much more picturesque than the dry season. My dad and his wife also came to visit us for a couple of weeks and we had such a jam-packed visit. We went sailing and snorkelling, watched crab racing, drove around the island, went hiking and swimming and ate lots of good food.
There are so many things to see and do in Grenada and even after living there for almost 7 months, we still didn't see it all. This island will always have a special place in our hearts and we'd love to return one day.
Back in Mexico! Our journey from Grenada to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico was long and freezing cold. The airports and the airplanes were some of the coldest we have ever experienced – either that or we were just so used to having no air-conditioning in Grenada that it felt colder than it actually was.
We explored Puerto Vallarta for a couple of days and actually really enjoyed the downtown and old town areas. From there, we made our way to the little town of San Pancho, where we currently are.
This surf town is where we will be staying until the beginning of January, and it's the base for our family members to come and visit us this year. Nick's mom came and celebrated his 30th birthday with us for a week, then my mom arrived and got her own place for 1.5 months, Nick's step-dad arrived this week, and after that, we'll be meeting up with Nick's dad and his brother/brother's family. Phew!
Even though San Pancho wasn't exactly what we were envisioning it to be, we're still having some great times here.
This year started and ended in Mexico, and our journey here will continue into the new year as well. We have "plans" to venture to the southern reaches of this country before crossing into Guatemala. But who knows what we'll actually get up to. Everything is up in the air and after such a great 2014, I'm sure 2015 will be just as amazing!
What did you get up to in 2014?! Share with us below.
I love the shot of you floating in the Tobago Cayes!
Everywhere looks Wonderful. Quite an Adventure packed 2014! Staying in one place a while and thoroughly exploring the culture and people seems to agree with you! Beautiful place for pet-sitting, with The perfect pet! What a Fabulous place San Pancho is for endings and beginnings! Looking forward to your 2015 Explorations and Discoveries!
You've come full circle – almost :-). It must have been great living in Grenada for 7 months – and getting to feel like you know some of its secret charms as a resident, not just as a breeze-in/breeze-out tourist.
Being able to house/pet sit and live like a local in Grenada was truly the highlight of the year for us. Such an amazing place with such fantastic friends made.
You guys really lived it up in the Western Tropics during 2014. We did the SE Asia and South Pacific bit, and will be heading back to Bali in February for another house sit. Excited!
Thanks guys for sharing and Happy Holidays!
Thanks for commenting. You've had an awesome year as well. So excited to see what you have to say about the house sit in Bali in February! Which city/town will you be in?
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Today William Price King shares the life and music of Charlie 'Bird' Parker. His name is very familiar to jazz lovers, but I had not idea that he was only thirty-four years old when he died. He certainly left an amazing legacy behind of unique and memorable music. I am sure that you will enjoy the music that William has selected to showcase this remarkable talent.
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), also known as Yardbird and Bird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was a highly influential jazz soloist and a leading figure in the development of bebop, a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique and advanced harmonies. Parker acquired the nickname "Yardbird" early in his career on the road with Jay McShann. This, and the shortened form "Bird", continued to be used for the rest of his life, inspiring the titles of a number of Parker compositions, such as "Yardbird Suite", "Ornithology", "Bird Gets the Worm", and "Bird of Paradise".
"Swingmatism", recorded in 1942 by Charlie Parker, was written by William Scott. This piece, composed in F minor and modulates to its parallel major, is noted for its implied 12 – bar blues in a 16 – bar form. This structural ambiguity is highlighted both by the composer and Parker because whatever he played, and however complex it was, he always managed to make it swing (as you will hear in this piece), illustrating how a good 'swing' rhythm section can play bebop and make it fit. Parker's tone on the alto sax was clipped, light, skittering – actually more like solo piano than other saxophone players of the time.
Charles Parker was born in Kansas City to Charles and Adelaide Parker, Her was raised there and then Westport. His father was a pianist, dancer and singer on the vaudeville circuit for African American performers in the 1920s and when home provided the early musical influence for Charlie.After a year in high school he left to join the local musicians' union and to pursue his music career full time. He had begun to play saxophone at the age of 11 and joined his high school band at 14, with an alto saxophone which was a gift from his mother. This led to Charlie meeting a young trombone player called Robert Simpson who taught him improvisation.
*Suite – In music a suite is a collection of short musical pieces which can be played one after another. The pieces are usually dance movements.
*AABA – The AABA song form (a thirty-two-bar form) is a song structure commonly found in Tin Pan Alley songs and other American popular music, especially in the first half of the 20th century.
Charlie was a dedicated musician despite being so young and in an interview he said he spent the first three to four years of his career practicing and mastering improvisation up to 15 hours a day. His other early influences included band leaders such as Count Basie and Bennie Moten. As he played with local bands around Kansas City, he continued to perfect his technique with the help of Buster Smith, whose dynamic transitions to double and triple time helped develop Charlie Parker's unique style.
In 1936 when on the road with a band to play in Missouri, the cars carrying the musicians were involved in a serious accident resulting in Charlie breaking three ribs and fracturing his spine. This led to a lifetime struggle with painkillers and opioids. Despite the accident, Charlie continued to play and in 1938 joined Jay McShann's band which toured nightclubs in the southwest including Chicago and New York and it led to Charlie's first recording.
Riff – a short rhythm phrase, an ostinato, a repeated chord progression or melody used in music that is often played when a soloist is performing or when chords and harmonies are changing.
In 1939 Charlie moved to New York City to pursue his career but also had to work other jobs to pay the rent. However, this was to be a pivotal moment in his musical career as he played with the established musicians in New York, and he returned to Kansas City in 1940 bringing this new sound with him. He would later state in an interview in the 1950s, how one night in 1939 he was playing "Cherokee" in a jam session with guitarist William "Biddy" Fleet when he hit upon a method for developing his solos that enabled one of his main musical innovations. He realized that the 12 semitones of the chromatic scale can lead melodically to any key, breaking some of the confines of simpler jazz soloing.
He rejoined Jay McShann's band and played some prominent gigs in the summer 1940 before embarking on a tour of the region. In 1942 Charlie left the band and played for a year with Earl Hines whose band also included Dizzy Gillespie, who would go on to play with Charlie as a duo. Few professional recordings were made during the musicians' strike of 1942-1943 by the American Federation of Musicians, but Charlie Parker joined other young musicians and played in after-hours clubs in Harlem. These included Dizzy Gillespie, pianist Thelonious Monk and drummer Kenny Clarke.
"Moose the Mooche" was, supposedly, named after Parker's drug dealer, Emry 'Moose the Mooche,' who dealt him drugs for years. This composition is in the key of B-flat, with a 32-bar AABA structure. The chord progression is based on the George Gershwin piece "I Got Rhythm". It was recorded in Los Angeles for Dial Records in 1946 as the Charlie Parker Septet with Miles Davis, Lucky Thompson, Dodo Marmarosa, Vic McMillan, Arvin Garrison and Roy Porter.
Because of the two-year Musicians' Union ban of all commercial recordings from 1942 to 1944, much of bebop's early development was not recorded. As a result, it gained limited radio exposure. It was not until 1945, when the recording ban was lifted, that Parker's collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Bud Powell and others had a substantial effect on the jazz world. Bebop soon gained wider appeal among musicians and fans alike.
A longstanding desire of Parker's was to perform with a string section. He was a keen student of classical music, and contemporaries reported he was most interested in the music and formal innovations of Igor Stravinsky and longed to engage in a project akin to what later became known as Third Stream, a new kind of music, incorporating both jazz and classical elements as opposed to merely incorporating a string section into performance of jazz standards. On November 30, 1949, Norman Granz arranged for Parker to record an album of ballads with a mixed group of jazz and chamber orchestra musicians. Six master takes from this session became the album Charlie Parker with Strings: "Just Friends", "Everything Happens to Me", "April in Paris", "Summertime", "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", and "If I Should Lose You".
Parker died on March 12, 1955. The official causes of death were lobar pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer, but Parker also had an advanced case of cirrhosis and had suffered a heart attack. The coroner who performed his autopsy mistakenly estimated Parker's 34-year-old body to be between 50 and 60 years of age.
"Ornithology" was composed by Charlie Parker and Benny Harris. The title of this piece is in reference to Parker's nickname 'Bird' – ornithology is the study of birds. This piece was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1989. "Ornithology" is a contrafact, a newly created melody written on the chord progression of another song, in this case from "How High The Moon". Back in those days, jazz musicians could create new pieces for performance by using pre-existing chord progressions on which they could improvise without seeking permission or pay publishers for copyright materials.
Posted on June 27, 2015 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.
William Price King picks up the story of the powerhouse of jazz that was Sir George Shearing. Blind from birth, he never let his lack of sight deter him from achieving his ambitions in music, and as we move into the war years and the rest of the 40s it is clear that George is definitely on the way up in the music world.
Still only 20 at the outbreak of the Second World War, George began to gain a huge amount of experience by performing with some of the exiled musicians from Europe and this included the incredible Stephane Grappelli. Stephane, originally Italian but a naturalised French citizen, learned to play classical violin, but was introduced to Jazz in his early teens. Jazz violinists were rare at that time and over the next 20 years Stephane along with his various bands developed a style that the young George Shearing naturally gravitated towards.
Through the war years he also played with the Vic Lewis and Carlo Krahmer Band on several recordings for the Days Rhythm Style and HMV and Harry Parry and his Radio Rhythm Club Sextet. Eventually in 1944 he released a recording for Decca with his own sextet with that included Kenny Baker, Harry Hayes, Aubrey Frank, Tommy Bromley, and Carlo Krahmer.
The BBC was the driving force behind the music industry and apart from the bands that toured the country and the cinema was the only national source of news and entertainment. The BBC had been combined into one channel which was the Home Service and it only offered informational programmes, news and music. This would later be expanded into the Forces service that was broadcast to the armed forces but it had a much larger entertainment content that included dramas, quiz programmes, comedies as well as a large musical component. It was accessible by the general public and it became increasingly more popular as the years of austerity took hold. The demand for music was therefore very high and for George Shearing this meant that he was never out of work.
His fan base grew and he became a star both at home with British listeners but also with the soldiers and sailors listening to the Forces radio. He won seven consecutive Melody Maker Polls which were the UK Grammys. In 1945 he was ranked 5 in the Best Soloist category, ironically ahead of Stephane Grappelli at No. 8! He did however come in behind Stephane and his Quintette at No. 7 when he was placed at No.11 with his sextet in the Small Combo category. He was however No. 1 that year for Piano.
By 1946 although still very popular in Britain, George was aware that he was becoming limited in his audience and his friend Jazz pianist, composer and journalist Leonard Feather, now established in the US invited George to join him for a visit in 1946. Whilst there for three months he recorded an album for the Savoy label, and delighted with the music scene and the opportunities that were open to him in the US he moved across permanently in 1947.
He was the first of the post-war British Jazz musicians to arrive in the US and build a successful career. George was now heavily into bebop. The birth of bebop in the 1940's is often considered to mark the beginning of modern jazz. This style grew directly out of the small swing groups, but placed a much higher emphasis on technique and on more complex harmonies rather than on singable melodies. Alto saxophonist Charlie 'Bird' Parker was the father of this movement, and trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie was his primary accomplice. Dizzy also led a big band, and helped introduce Afro-Cuban music, including rhythms such as the mambo through his work with Cuban percussionists. But it was the quintet and other small group recordings featuring Dizzy and 'Bird' that formed the foundation of bebop and most modern jazz.
George's reputation grew as he gained attention as the intermission pianist at the iconic jazz venue at the Hickory House on 52nd street and as Ella Fitzgerald's accompanist on her pianist's night off. Eventually he landed a regular quartet engagement with clarinetist Buddy De Franco. Just before recording an album Buddy had to drop out for contractual reasons and George's old friend Leonard Feather suggested that it was time for George to form his own group.
One of the musicians that he collaborated with was the pianist Marian McPartland and here they are with All the Things You Are. The original song was written in 1939 for the musical Very Warm for May by Jerome Kern.
In 1949 George formed the first and most famous of his quintets which included Marjorie 'Marjie' Hyams in the unusual inclusion of a female in the line-up. Marjie was a jazz vibraphonist, piano and arranger. For those of you unfamiliar with a vibraphone, it is similar to a xylophone. Each bar is paired with a resonator tube with a motor-driven butterfly valve mounted on a common shaft which produces a vibrato effect while spinning. It was commonly used in jazz and also in wind instrument ensembles. Marjie had played with Woody Herman, Mary Lou Williams and Charlie Ventura and was a great addition to the sextet. The group also included Chuck Wayne on guitar, John Levy on bass, and Denzil Best on drums.
From that point on George Shearing's success was guaranteed. With his unique quintet and later sextet 'Shearing Sound' he had found the formula that would bring him worldwide fans and huge record sales. His 1949 'September in the Rain' for MGM sold 900,000 copies and his reputation in the US was firmly established when he was booked into Birdland the legendary jazz venue in New York.
September in the Rain written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin in 1937 from the film Melody for Two by the George Shearing Quintet.
Part one of the George Shearing Story.
His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Torme. His debut jazz album is called 'Home,' a collection of contemporary songs and whilst clearly a homage to their wonderful legacy it brings a new and refreshing complexity to the vocals that is entrancing.
William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area. His album 'Home' is available to download from his website.
I hope you have enjoyed today's musical interlude and we welcome your feedback and sharing.. thank you.
Posted on April 29, 2015 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.
William Price King in concert – Lullaby of Birdland.


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Please Note: The Oven may have some marks and scratches inside the cavity, This does not effect the fuctionality.
The huge price reduction reflects this.


text:
Editorial Roundup: United States
By The Associated Press The Associated Press
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:
The Washington Post on the Federal Reserve
The Federal Reserve's greatest resource is its credibility. People have to believe the central bank will get inflation under control — or else inflationary psychology becomes entrenched and causes years of pain. Likewise, people need to trust that Fed leaders will prioritize what's best for the nation over any personal gain — otherwise the central bank won't survive.
This year has tested both aspects of Fed credibility. On inflation, there were early mistakes, but the central bank has largely restored trust that it will get the job done. It's a different story on the ethics side: Top Fed officials took a series of questionable actions, and the central bank's leadership has not satisfactorily reckoned with the increasingly glaring problem. In fact, Congress might have to force change; a bipartisan bill — the Financial Regulators Transparency Act — would help make this critical institution more transparent and accountable.
Fed Chair Jerome H. Powell and his fellow central bankers were regrettably slow to recognize the inflation threat, but since March they have acted decisively. Interest rates are now nearly 4.5%, a massive jump from January, when they were close to zero. The Fed has not hiked rates this swiftly in a single year since the early 1980s. There are encouraging signs that inflation is cooling; it hit 9.1% annually in June but dropped to 7.1% in November. The fight isn't over, but Americans believe price increases will continue to subside, and Mr. Powell has admitted his mistakes.
Where the Fed repeatedly fell short is in its leaders' conduct. Fed historian Peter Conti-Brown calls this an "unprecedented" era of ethical missteps by top officials. Numerous Fed leaders made sizable trades during the 2020 pandemic crisis when the central bank was taking extraordinary steps to save the economy and stabilize markets. They not only made the trades, but several officials failed to file the required disclosures about them on time. When the trading was exposed, those involved expressed little regret. Three of them — former Boston Fed president Eric Rosengren, former Dallas Fed president Robert Kaplan and former Fed vice chair Richard H. Clarida — retired early, but Kaplan was willing to say only that his trades risked "becoming a distraction." It doesn't help that the Fed's inspector general still has not released its review of what Mr. Kaplan and Mr. Rosengren did.
The red flags didn't end there. In October, Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic suddenly revised his disclosures to show multiple transactions in 2020 during the height of the crisis, as well as trades that took place during long-standing "blackout" periods before key policy-setting meetings. Mr. Bostic remains in his position. He says all transactions were done by his money manager and he had no knowledge of them.
On top of that, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard spoke in October at a private, invitation-only event for a top Wall Street firm where no media was present, raising concerns about bankers getting insider information. He also remains in his position.
Even if all these incidents didn't violate the letter of the law, they broke its spirit and pummeled Fed credibility.
Mr. Powell deserves some recognition for significantly tightening the rules on how Fed leaders can trade. Top officials are now prohibited from purchasing individual stocks, and they must provide 45 days' advance notice of any transactions. The presidents of the 12 regional Fed banks around the country — where many of the questionable acts took place — now have to publicly disclose trades within 30 days. These new rules are among the most stringent in government.
And rightly so. "The public's trust is really the Fed's and any central bank's most important asset," Mr. Powell said in November when a reporter asked for an update on the ethics problems. Mr. Powell added that all 19 top Fed leaders who help set interest rate policies had "recommitted" to "hold ourselves to the highest standards and avoid these problems."
But Mr. Powell needs to do more than talk about a recommitment. There should be clear rules for when top Fed officials can accept speaking engagements. Perhaps the Fed could create a centralized approval process or specify that any discussion with more than five people must be open to the media.
The Fed should also have more effective oversight. Progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and conservative Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.) rarely agree, but they have jointly written a bill that would make the central bank more transparent. It would make the 12 regional Fed banks subject to the Freedom of Information Act, require the Fed to respond to congressional ethics requests and make the Fed's inspector general a presidential appointee. (The Fed chair currently appoints the inspector general, so it's not truly independent.) Congress should pass this legislation soon, and Fed leaders should welcome it.
The Fed has confronted this year perhaps the greatest monetary policy problem in a generation, tackling inflation with painful interest rate hikes that only a central bank, insulated from political pressure and capable of taking the long view, could institute. To preserve its position at the controls of the world's largest economy, it should make restoring public trust as high a priority as fighting inflation.
ONLINE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/14/federal-reserve-credibility-inflation-trading-speeches/
The New York Times on Netanyahu and Democracy in Israel
Israeli elections can be dramatic, and its five elections within four years have been full of political surprises and firsts, including the first time an independent Israeli Arab party joined a governing coalition. This series of new governments and the sometimes tumultuous process of forming them are part of Israel's proud tradition as a boisterous and pluralistic democracy.
Yet the far-right government that will soon take power, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, marks a qualitative and alarming break with all the other governments in Israel's 75-year history. While Mr. Netanyahu clearly has the support of the Israeli electorate, his coalition's victory was narrow and cannot be seen as a broad mandate to make concessions to ultrareligious and ultranationalist parties that are putting the ideal of a democratic Jewish state in jeopardy.
This board has been a strong supporter of Israel and a two-state solution for many years, and we remain committed to that support. Antisemitism is on the rise around the globe, and at least some of the criticism of Israel is the result of such hatred.
Mr. Netanyahu's government, however, is a significant threat to the future of Israel — its direction, its security and even the idea of a Jewish homeland. For one, the government's posture could make it militarily and politically impossible for a two-state solution to ever emerge. Rather than accept this outcome, the Biden administration should do everything it can to express its support for a society governed by equal rights and the rule of law in Israel, as it does in countries all over the world. That would be an act of friendship, consistent with the deep bond between the two nations.
Mr. Netanyahu's comeback as prime minister, a year and a half after he was ousted from office, can't be divorced from the corruption allegations that have followed him. He is now doing everything he can to stay in power, by catering to the demands of the most extreme elements of Israeli politics. The new cabinet he is forming includes radical far-right parties that have called for, among other things, expanding and legalizing settlements in a way that would effectively render a Palestinian state in the West Bank impossible; changing the status quo on the Temple Mount, an action that risks provoking a new round of Arab-Israeli violence; and undermining the authority of the Israeli Supreme Court, thus freeing the Knesset, the Israeli legislature, to do whatever it wants, with little judicial restraint.
Ministers in the new government are set to include figures such as Itamar Ben-Gvir, who was convicted in Israel in 2007 for incitement to racism and supporting a Jewish terrorist organization. He will probably be minister of national security. Bezalel Smotrich, who has long supported outright annexation of the West Bank, is expected to be named the next finance minister, with additional authority over the administration of the West Bank. For the deputy in the prime minister's office in charge of Jewish identity, Mr. Netanyahu is expected to name Avi Maoz, who once described himself as a "proud homophobe."
These moves are troubling, and America's leaders should say so. The Biden administration's main response so far has been a cautious speech by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the liberal advocacy group J Street on Dec. 4, in which he declared that the United States would deal with Israeli policies, not individuals. The new government has yet to be formed, so it is not surprising that the State Department does not yet have a well-defined position, but the administration has already discussed, according to a report in Axios, how to manage its meetings with the most extreme members of the new cabinet and which core interests to focus on.
This approach understates the potential consequences of the shift in Israeli politics that this government represents. The cabinet about to take charge is not simply another iteration of the unstable, shifting alliances that followed the past four inconclusive elections. Those coalitions, like many before them, often included fringe religious or nationalist parties, but they were usually kept in check by more moderate political parties or even by Mr. Netanyahu over the 15 years he served as prime minister.
All that is now threatened. Right-wing parties have an absolute majority in the Knesset, and Mr. Netanyahu, hoping that the new government will save him from prosecution and potential prison time, is in their power. Among the targets of the new leaders is the Israeli Supreme Court, which, in the absence of a national constitution, has served to weigh government actions against international law and the Israeli state's own traditions and values. The nationalists would diminish this authority by voting to give themselves the power to override Supreme Court decisions. Not incidentally, they have also proposed eliminating the law under which Mr. Netanyahu faces a possible prison term.
As Thomas L. Friedman, a Times columnist who has closely followed Israeli affairs for four decades, wrote shortly after the election results were known, "We are truly entering a dark tunnel." While Mr. Netanyahu in the past used the "energy of this illiberal Israeli constituency to win office," Mr. Friedman wrote, until now, he had never given them this kind of ministerial authority over critical defense and economic portfolios.
This is not simply a disappointing turn in an old ally. The relationship between Israel and the United States has long been one that transcends traditional definitions of a military alliance or of diplomatic friendship. A body of deeply shared values has forged powerful and complex bonds. A commitment to Israel, both in its security and in its treatment by the world, has been an unquestioned principle of American foreign and domestic policy for decades, even when Mr. Netanyahu openly defied Barack Obama or embraced Donald Trump. As Mr. Blinken said in his speech, the United States will hold Israel "to the mutual standards we have established in our relationship over the past seven decades."
Israel has been moving steadily rightward in recent years. That is, in part, due to genuine concerns about crime and security, especially after violence between Israeli Arabs and Jews last year. Many Israelis also express fear that the peace process has failed because of a lack of interest in peace among Palestinian leaders, a fear heightened by Hamas control in Gaza since 2007 and a sense that Mahmoud Abbas's grip on the Palestinian Authority is coming to an end without a clear succession plan.
Demographic change in Israel has also shifted the country's politics. Religious families in Israel tend to have large families and to vote with the right. A recent analysis by the Israel Democracy Institute found that about 60 percent of Jewish Israelis identify as right wing today; among people ages 18 to 24, the number rises to 70 percent. In the Nov. 1 election, the old Labor Party, once the liberal face of Israel's founders, won only four seats, and the left-wing Meretz won none.
Moderating forces in Israeli politics and civil society are already planning energetic resistance to legislation that would curtail the powers of the Israeli Supreme Court or the rights of the Arab minority or the L.G.B.T.Q. community. They deserve support from the American public and from the Biden administration.
Whatever the contours of the new Israeli government, the United States will continue to be engaged with it on many issues of shared concern. Negotiations on a new nuclear deal with Iran are all but dead, a situation that poses a threat to security across the region. The Abraham Accords, while not a substitute for peace with the Palestinians, normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations. That is welcome progress, and the United States could play an important role in helping to expand them to include other countries, such as Saudi Arabia.
While Palestinian-Israeli negotiations have long been moribund, the principle of someday achieving two states remains the bedrock of American and Israeli cooperation. Hopes for a Palestinian state have dimmed under the combined pressure of Israeli resistance and Palestinian corruption, ineptitude and internal divisions. Anything that undermines Israel's democratic ideals — whether outright annexation of Jewish settlements or legalization of illegal settlements and outposts — would undermine the possibility of a two-state solution.
America's support for Israel reflects our two countries' respect for democratic ideals. President Biden and Mr. Netanyahu should do everything they can to reaffirm that commitment.
ONLINE: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/17/opinion/israel-netanyahu.html
The Wall Street Journal on the Jan. 6 committee's findings
The House Jan. 6 committee decided Monday that the best way to cap its 18 months of work would be a political gesture. It thus referred President Trump to the Justice Department for potential criminal prosecution for his efforts to reverse the 2020 election, which culminated in the Capitol riot.
What is this supposed to accomplish? A Congressional referral to the Justice Department has all the legal force of an interoffice memo. Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed special counsel Jack Smith to investigate Mr. Trump's schemes to stay in office. The Jan. 6 committee's loud public intervention makes his job more complicated, given the clear partisan context.
The House Jan. 6 inquiry has done useful work gathering documents and putting witnesses under oath. The wiser course was to let the established facts speak for themselves, while releasing full transcripts of its interviews to provide a complete public record.
The questions for Mr. Smith are whether Mr. Trump's reckless conduct was criminal and whether indicting him is prudent and good for the country. The House referral cites laws against insurrection, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and conspiracy to make a false statement to the government. But getting a conviction requires a unanimous jury, and the House theories of the case have serious problems based on the current public evidence.
The "insurrection" on Jan. 6 was a rally that turned into a riot. As far as we know, there isn't any allegation that Mr. Trump was secretly urging on instigators, such as the Oath Keepers or Proud Boys. There's been much loose talk about Jan. 6 as an attempted "coup," but Mr. Trump lacked support from the military, his own White House lawyers, most if not all of his cabinet, senior leaders at the Justice Department, senior legislative leaders in contested states, and his own Vice President.
When Mr. Trump pressured VP Mike Pence to reject Electoral College votes, he was following a crackpot legal theory that claimed to represent the true meaning of the Constitution. It was floated by John Eastman, a former law professor whom the committee also referred to the Justice Department.
But giving rotten legal advice isn't illegal. Mr. Trump's ultimate goal wasn't to obstruct the Congressional session on Jan. 6; he wanted it to go his way. This was nonsense, and it had no chance of success, but was it a crime to lobby Mr. Pence to try? Mr. Pence, who stood up to the browbeating, said Monday he doesn't think it was.
Also, what about the First Amendment? The 2020 election wasn't stolen, but Mr. Trump has a right to argue it was, even if he knows he's misleading his followers. Politicians dissemble all the time. The Justice Department's job isn't to police partisan deceit as criminal conspiracy.
The Justice Department has evidence that isn't public, and perhaps it has turned up proof of a broader conspiracy to take over the government with Mr. Trump as the mastermind. But we have a hard time believing such information wouldn't already have leaked to the press, since everything else involving Mr. Trump does.
Jan. 6 was a disgrace, and Mr. Trump's behavior on that day and since is a reason not to trust him with the Presidency ever again. But Justice must balance a decision to indict Mr. Trump with the risk of setting a momentous precedent: prosecuting a former President running against a current President.
The proof to support such a charge would have to be undeniable, with a legal theory straightforward enough to convince most of the country, including most Republicans. Otherwise it could cleave the country in two, and it might even help Mr. Trump in rallying supporters to his defense. Indicting a former President would also take the scourge of criminalizing political differences to new heights. Democrats would surely be future targets.
The House referral alone will give Mr. Trump an excuse to claim this is all another Democratic revenge campaign. And it comes as Republican voters finally seem ready to bang the gong on the Trump show. Voters in November rejected candidates who campaigned on Mr. Trump's stolen election theories.
In their crusade against Mr. Trump's norm-breaking, Democrats and the press have too often broken norms themselves. They have also had too little trust in U.S. institutions to hold up against abuses and in voters to self-correct. An indictment on the current evidence would be seen as political, and it wouldn't help the country get past Mr. Trump or Jan. 6. Instead it could plunge American democracy into a new and dangerous era.
ONLINE: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-jan-6-inquirys-not-so-grand-finale-donald-trump-criminal-referral-justice-department-11671488663
The Los Angeles Times says national crisis line needs federal funding
For all the convulsive court decisions, congressional hearings, price increases, invasions, mass killings and social media takeovers, 2022 should also be remembered as the year of 988 — the nationwide crisis line that went live in July. If the states and the federal government do their work, the number could become far more than just an easier-to-remember suicide prevention resource. It could be the foundation of a vastly improved mental health and emergency response system and an essential tool to defuse needless police violence.
Turnaround time was short, in government terms, between a 2019 proposal from the Federal Communications Commission and the system's debut five months ago. It's now possible to connect with a crisis center by calling 988 almost anywhere in the nation. But it's mostly up to states to provide for crisis call centers, mobile psychiatric response teams and specialized care centers — or as system proponents put it, someone to call, someone to come and somewhere to go.
Just under half the states passed legislation this year to fund 988 services. California, to its credit, is one of the states that has committed to building out a comprehensive system by passing AB 988, also known as the Miles Hall Lifeline Act. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill in September, creating enough funding to keep 13 call centers open, including the Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services center in Los Angeles County.
The missing piece is federal funding and technical assistance to ensure that the state systems are fully linked, continuously operated and coordinated with 911, the emergency response system that summons police and firefighters. Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Pacoima) sponsored HR 7116 to authorize five years of funding, boost Medicaid coverage for mental health counseling on the phone and in person, and require the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to set standards for behavioral health services. Because the system requires a well-trained workforce of clinicians, counselors and other mental health professionals, the bill assists states in providing training and scholarships.
The next few days are critical. The midterm elections will put the Republicans in control of the House and alter the political dynamic in Washington. Congress, in the midst of a particularly busy lame-duck session that could run through Christmas, is trying to pass a spending bill to keep the government running while providing funding for priorities like fighting COVID-19 and assisting Ukraine's resistance to the Russian invasion.
Members would be wise to include, in their sprint, the 988 funding and programs laid out in Cárdenas' bill.
The United States is in the midst of a mental health crisis, already apparent when the lifeline expansion was proposed. For example, suicide is the second-biggest cause of death for teenagers, after accidents, and is also a leading killer of veterans. Under-treated emotional or psychiatric conditions contribute to homelessness and have been linked to at least some mass shootings. The problem increased with the cataclysmic events of 2020 — the pandemic, the shutdowns and resulting isolation and economic and learning loss, and a death toll that is approaching 1.1 million. Political turmoil and anxiety make matters worse. Emergency rooms have struggled to keep up with waves of critical coronavirus cases and are struggling to concurrently deal with people suffering from serious mental illness or other behavioral health crises.
For many people, phone counseling is, in itself, an important treatment, even without a mobile response or transport to a crisis center. It is often the conversation that defuses the emergency. But to be of value the service must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in the language of the person in need, and with people who have the training and, ideally, the personal experience to help the caller.
When a mobile response is also needed, it's important to have an alternative to police, who are ill-equipped to deal with psychiatric emergencies. Miles Hall, the Walnut Creek man after whom the California bill was named, was killed by police who were responding to his family's call for help. There are too many other tragic cases, including David Ordaz Jr., shot dead by L.A. County sheriff's deputies responding, ironically, to a call for assistance when he was feeling suicidal. And Isaias Cervantes, an autistic man shot and critically injured by deputies when his family called for help. Alternative crisis response could be the key to addressing policing, equity and mental health challenges.
But first, the funding. Congress, don't blow the chance to keep 988 in service.
ONLINE: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-12-14/editorial-the-next-step-forward-for-988-federal-guidance-and-funding
The Guardian on Cop15 and national responsibilities to nature
The 23 targets in the Cop15 biodiversity agreement announced in Montreal on Monday are insufficient to prevent further irrecoverable losses, including among the many species threatened with extinction. The deal is not legally binding, leading to concerns about the prospects for implementation. The track record of global biodiversity plans is terrible. Every one of 20 targets set at Aichi in Japan in 2010 was missed.
The new agreement was finalized despite complaints from African countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), home to one of the world's largest rainforests, which is threatened by oil and gas exploration. The description of the U.S.'s role as "an interesting asterisk" by the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, was too mild. It is shaming and alarming that the U.S. was at the talks as an "influencer" and not a participant, because the Senate has refused to ratify the U.N. convention on biological diversity.
These are more than caveats. The Cop15 process and its outcomes are deeply flawed – arguably even more so than the U.N. climate negotiations. In both cases, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of present challenges and past failures. Many of the decisions and promises being made now would have been prescient had they been made decades ago. That said, international cooperation is so vital to ongoing efforts at limiting further damage that the signing of the agreement at a conference co-hosted by Canada and China must be welcomed as a positive development.
The target known as "30 by 30", which means a commitment to protect 30% of the planet – both land and sea – for nature by the end of the decade, is a good one and stands a decent chance of being taken on board by civil society in many countries, in the way that net zero has. The concept of national biodiversity plans, with a similar function to the nationally determined contributions in the U.N. climate process, is also sound. The U.N. has a key role to play as the steward of environmental politics, but governments take most of the decisions that determine whether commitments are fulfilled. The strong language around Indigenous rights is also welcome, and linked to recognition of the ecological harms, as well as the benefits, of "development".
The removal from the final draft of a target of a 5% increase in natural ecosystems by 2030 was a missed opportunity. Without specific goals, the danger is that fine intentions will fizzle out. Other problems include the lack of a commitment to tackle consumption patterns, above all in the rich west, which make huge demands on finite resources, as well as producing large amounts of carbon. Diets, in particular meat-rich western ones, will have to change if we are to have any chance of conserving habitats including the Amazon, where cattle farming leads to deforestation.
But the agreement is a step forward, and the hope must be that the orientation of politics will now shift – as it has done in regard to climate – to place more emphasis on the conservation and restoration of nature. African governments collectively played an important role in securing progress in Montreal, and the treatment of the DRC in the final session must not be glossed over. Justice is at stake in the nature crisis, as in the climate one. If the Cop biodiversity process is to work, the U.N. must ensure that all voices are heard.
ONLINE: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/dec/19/the-guardian-view-on-the-cop15-agreement-nations-must-do-more-for-nature

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Author: Lloyd Rees
New contemporary poet Lloyd Rees talks about Poetry
I began writing verse at the age of eight with a piece of derivative nonsense called 'The Olde Oak Tree'. I thought poetry ought to be arcane, though I didn't know the word at that time.
By 17 I'd had two poems published (in a school magazine). They were embarrassing but full of big words. By this time I thought poetry's main function was to baffle the reader.
After a couple of attempts at the Great Welsh novel (both published but neither great) I returned to poetry. Now I used simple language and a mix of conventional forms and free verse (though, as T S Eliot remarked, no verse is genuinely free for the poet who cares). People liked them. I started to get published in a range of magazines and in 1995 my first collection 'To Liu and all Mankind' – a collaboration with artist and poet Alan Perry – appeared. Liu and all Mankind was a book based on a verse drama I wrote with Alan Perry. The play was called Occupied Territories and was the first drama staged in the Dylan Thomas Centre during Swansea's Year of Literature festival in 1995. 'Mangoes on the Moon' and 'Swansea Poems' followed in the early 2000s. In 2009 'Simple Arithmetic' was published to some acclaim.
Writing poetry is a strange business. You see things in terms of other things. Thus you try to metaphorically represent experience and emotion. If you try too hard it is perhaps 'metaforcing', if I may be forgiven the pun. Sometimes I hear a line in my head and I know I could try to build something round it to craft a poem. Craft is a dangerous word though, because if you're too confident about your versification you can overlook what might be the poem's essential emptiness, or lack of true emotional power. At other times a scene (a magpie chasing a cat, say) demands to be described, and somehow it transforms itself into a thought, and then what might be a poem. Most often a memory is the starting point. The poems in 'The Two of Us' all emerged in this manner, and are probably all the better for it.
Currently I'm editing the final draft of a detective novel. I found it more difficult than I'd expected to write within the bounds of the genre but I'm very happy with the result. A new collection of poems? Who knows? If they come I will build them.


Adapt is going into its 5th year in business in 2019, and we think we can safely say we've enhanced many great kitchens over the last 4 years, so it's time to shout about it!
We guide customers towards their individual needs, updating without a great deal of upheaval, saving them money and taking the stress out of renovating the most important room in their home.
Take a look through the projects we have completed and how happy our customers are with their finished product.
Here we have a Gemini Handleless Super Matt Mussel – this kitchen made two very happy customers! – Mr & Mrs E, Kendal.
A before and after of an Odyssey Super Matt White kitchen for Mr & Mrs D, Kendal.
In our first year we adapted many kitchens, one being this holiday home in Bowness-on-Windermere!
Find us on the high street, 134 Stricklandgate, next door to Wakefield Arms!


Time for someone to write a new chapter with their ideas for this historic building in the heart of thriving Belfast! Prime downtown location opens the possibilities to a wide variety of uses. Retail/offices/cafe on first flr? second flr. office? Maybe modern apartments/Condos on third flr? Current owners have gutted the interior so it's ready to adapt to variety of plans. One of last vacant buildings where one can make a significant statement in downtown. Across from city Hall. Near proposed new Court House.


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North East, England
98 Retail properties to let in North East
B102, Trinity Square…
Trinity Square, Gateshead, NE8 1AG
1,000 sq ft(92.90 sq m)
Superb retail and leisure opportunities…Superb retail and leisure opportunities…
Over 750 car parking spaces on site…Over 750 car parking spaces on site…
100,000 footfall per week…100,000 footfall per week…
993 Student flats (above Tesco)…993 Student flats (above Tesco)…
1,000 sq ft (92.90 sq m)
Thorne Road, Doncaster, DN2 5DX
Ian Hare
Unit D, The Electric Press…
Great George Street, Leeds, LS1 3DW
Fantastic bar/restaurant/leisure opportunity…Fantastic bar/restaurant/leisure opportunity…
Extensive external seating area…Extensive external seating area…
A4 with premises licence extending to 2.30am…A4 with premises licence extending to 2.30am…
Other uses suitable subject to planning…Other uses suitable subject to planning…
Josh Howe
B104b, Trinity Square…
B100a, Trinity Square…
per year + Rent is exclusive of rates, insurance and VAT (if applicable).
New lettings include Sambuca, Indigo Sun, Dawson and Vype…New lettings include Sambuca, Indigo Sun, Dawson and Vype…
G131, Trinity Square…
G115/ G116/ G117, Trinity Square…
Potential to Split…Potential to Split…
Unit 4b, Pavilion Shopping Centre…
Pavilion Shopping Centre, Thornaby, TS17 9EW
Pavilion Shopping Centre has 315,000 sq ft of retail/leisure accommodation with 38 retail units…Pavilion Shopping Centre has 315,000 sq ft of retail/leisure accommodation with 38 retail units…
The centre is anchored by ASDA, Lidl and Wilko with other retailers including KFC, Card Factory and Boots…The centre is anchored by ASDA, Lidl and Wilko with other retailers including KFC, Card Factory and Boots…
Open air shopping centre - with 800 surface parking spaces…Open air shopping centre - with 800 surface parking spaces…
Catchment c. 52,000 (10 mins drive time) and c. 171,000 (20 minute drive time)…Catchment c. 52,000 (10 mins drive time) and c. 171,000 (20 minute drive time)…
Unit 4a, Pavilion Shopping Centre…
Unit 3, Pavilion Shopping Centre…
Pavilion Shopping Centre, Thornaby, TS17 9FF
Unit 4, Brunswick Shopping Centre…
Brunswick Pavilion, Westborough, Scarborough, YO11 1UE
540 sq ft(50 sq m)
Brunswick Shopping Centre is situated on Wesborough, Scarborough's prime pitch and main pedestrian thoroughfare…Brunswick Shopping Centre is situated on Wesborough, Scarborough's prime pitch and main pedestrian thoroughfare…
Brunswick Shopping Centre is Scarborough's only fully enclosed scheme and provides approximately 12,499 sq m of prime retail space…Brunswick Shopping Centre is Scarborough's only fully enclosed scheme and provides approximately 12,499 sq m of prime retail space…
The centre trades over two levels with a 350 space multi-storey car park…The centre trades over two levels with a 350 space multi-storey car park…
Retailers within the scheme include Next, Bodycare, Trespass and Holland & Barrett…Retailers within the scheme include Next, Bodycare, Trespass and Holland & Barrett…
Rent available upon application.
Unit G17, Trinity Walk…
Trinity Walk, Wakefield, WF1 1QS
Scheme benefits from 1000 space car park…Scheme benefits from 1000 space car park…
Prominent location in centre…Prominent location in centre…
Browse properties to let in: North East
Retail to let in North East
Development Land to let in North East
Industrial to let in North East
Office to let in North East
Leisure to let in North East
Hotel to let in North East
Investment to let in North East
Serviced office to let in North East


Brand new paved road as of fall 2010. No more gravel!
Heading south from Anchorage, turn left off the Sterling Highway onto Johnson Lake Road just past Tustumena Elementary School and straight across from the fire station. If you miss this turn you can also turn at the next left, Abram. After about 1/2 mile on Johnson Loop turn left onto Tustumena Lake Road, marked by a large yellow T. Drive past the entrance to Johnson Lake Campground and continue for 2 miles on Tustumena Lake Road up onto the ridge. Turn left at a steep uphill drive marked with a Tustumena Ridge sign and numbered 20494. Drive straight ahead for the Bear Cabin or left to the Main Cabin or Moose Cabin. Caribou Cabin is first right at top of hill.


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Summer Jobs for Students in Foster Care Open Up a World of Possibility
Too many young adults "aging out" of foster care struggle to find gainful employment and lift themselves out of poverty and instability. At the Alliance, we are doing something about it, with the help of our partners.
Kandice Lake, who is going into her junior year at The Master's University, really wants to work in the entertainment industry. This summer, a program created by the Alliance with the Television Academy gave Kandice the opportunity to join Disney ABC in its Corporate Citizenship and Social Responsibility group, headed by David Ambroz.
Like any young person just starting out, what Kandice needed was first-hand experience and exposure to a network of professionals to guide and invest in her. "I've learned a lot as a communications major in college, but it takes hands-on experience and a chance to be present in a workplace to get a real sense of what a career is about," she says. "This internship provided exactly that opportunity. I got to talk to people in different areas of the company, learn about what they do, and hear about careers I had never imagined."
In her internship, Kandice was invited to propose a project connected to one of Disney ABC's campaigns. Kandice was drawn to the company's annual Share the Joy holiday campaign for those in need. Coming from foster care, she says she knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of such generosity. "I wanted to turn the tables," she explains. "I wanted to create a way for kids in foster care to be the ones doing the giving." She proposed pairing young people in foster care a Disney ABC employee to create a holiday package for a patient at a local children's hospital. "It's a day of giving," Kandice says. "I'm working on a budget and an event plan now. It feels good to be able to give back."
Paid internships give young adults transitioning from foster care to independence a chance to gain new skills and build a professional network. If you and your employer are able to create paid internships for students in extended foster care, please contact Stephanie Lopez, at s.lopez@kids-alliance.org.
This entry was posted in L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative and tagged Internships, Television Academy. Bookmark the permalink.
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Overlooked Positive Events of 2020
Graham Colvin, Sports Editor|January 29, 2021
NASA launches SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Without a doubt, 2020 has been one of the most horrific years in recent history. However, contrary to popular belief, there actually were some good events that occured in 2020. Through all the bad in the world, it is vital to find the good. Every year, this can be extremely difficult to do, but 2020 was on a whole other level. With a global pandemic, controversial political movements, and many deaths of famous celebrities, it is safe to say 2020 was difficult for everyone. However, through all of the struggles, there was plenty of good that came out of 2020 that has been overlooked.
Of all of the good things that took place in 2020, one of the most notable is SpaceX launching its astronauts into space for the first time. May 30 was a day to remember for Americans as the SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket, designed and built by Elon Musk's company, was launched into outer space. This was the first launch to orbit from the United States in over a decade. Originally, the launch was set to take place on May 27, but was postponed due to poor weather. Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken were the astronauts launched, and it took approximately 19 hours to reach the International Space Station, which happens to be a little over 400 kilometers above the Earth. They stayed at the ISS for nearly eight months and returned back to Earth safely on Jan.12, 2021.
Other great news from 2020 was the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine. Led by scientists from Pfizer and Moderna, medical professionals and people at high risk are the first in line to get vaccinated. While over two million lives have been lost worldwide, the vaccine gives a tremendous amount of hope to citizens. Although the vaccine is currently only available to a select group of people, it will be offered to all citizens across the country soon.
While this past presidential election was a controversial one, it was certainly very memorable. The presidential election had a lot more to debate than most, with COVID-19 and climate change being the main points of focus. The election had the highest voter turnout since 1900, this may have been caused by the global pandemic, and how the people felt about which candidate would handle it best. Regardless of people's opinions on the outcome of the election, it is safe to say that it is great seeing more Americans getting involved in the world of politics and fighting for what they believe in.
Events like these need more recognition, as they can change so much about the world. Some people may look at these things for one second and forget about them the next, but it is crucial to realize that these are the type of things that will help continue improving the world as a whole.
Graham Colvin, Sports Editor
Hi everyone, my name is Graham Colvin, and I'm a senior, and this is my fourth year working with The Spectator, and also my fourth year as the Sports...


Since the implementation of 10% imports duty on populated PCB in April 2018, in a stride to boost CKD level manufacturing of mobile handsets in India, the Indian rupee has seen 10.2% decline in exchange value as against the US dollar.
As per techARC estimates, even after the CKD level manufacturing, the domestic value addition is in the range of 15-20% depending on the mobile handset category and the manufacturing capabilities of the handset OEM. This means handset industry is still dependent on imports of components amounting to 80-85% of the BOM of a handset.
Since the increase of US$ against IN₹, especially after April 2018, the net monetary advantage that an OEM was earning by manufacturing in India has offset against the declining rupee value. In fact, there is a negative equation by 2-5%, where OEMs are procuring components at average 10.2% increased price and only getting 5-8% monetary advantage of manufacturing in India even at the CKD level.
The OEMs are 'tight fisted' and cannot increase the price of handsets due to hyper-competitive market scene. On the contrary, the market pressure continues to act on the average selling prices, where there is a direct correlation between the age of the model and the selling price.
As an outcome to this market condition, it is being observed that many handset makers are fast forwarding their launches and there were launches even in otherwise 'dry' periods like August. The industry launches Smartphones either in May-June or Sep-Oct periods to prepare for two peak cycling trends in the sales - resultant of new university sessions (when youth join colleges and universities) and the festive season, where masses take advantage of the offers and discounts to buy a new Smartphone. Also, some of the new comers launched their next Smartphone within a quarter or less of their first launch, which used to be a gap of 6 months.
This trend is not only hurting the prospects of Making in India. The OEMs can decide to go low on the local production and import devices in completely built form to get a price correction window and manage profitability. This would take the prices of the mobile handsets upward, but then brands will be swift to respond to the rising dollar price. However, this is not the intent of the industry as they have seriously committed to Make in India and made investments in hundreds of crores to make manufacturing of mobiles in India a success.
The other alternative with OEMs is to 'kill' models very quickly and absorb the price hikes in subsequent launches. But, this would mean launches being driven by procurement and pricing rather than real value add for a consumer. This option would let consumers see handsets being made available frequently in the market by OEMs but without much of improvisations or addition to features. The just noticeable difference or what is known as JND, would be at its low.
In such market conditions, players like OnePlus whose genesis is to substantially enhance the experience of users with every launch; thus, keeping the number of launches limited to 1-2 models in a calendar year have to intelligently maneuver through without hurting the profitability. For other brands, it would be relatively easy to veil the price rise in components due to falling rupee value in the currency exchange markets.


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NJPR
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Complex High-Value Coding
HIM Operations
Four New Codes for Atrial Fibrillation, More Types Distinguished for FY2020 Assignment
Four new codes for atrial fibrillation were added to code category I48 Atrial fibrillation and flutter for FY2020 to enable data capture of additional specific types of atrial fibrillation (AF or A-fib). The four new codes resulted from an expansion of codes I48.1 and I18.2, (below) which are no longer valid:
1 Persistent atrial fibrillation, and
2 Chronic atrial fibrillation.
The new codes for atrial fibrillation are:
11 Longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation
19 Other persistent atrial fibrillation
20 Chronic atrial fibrillation, unspecified
21 Permanent atrial fibrillation
Here is the FY2020 Tabular for code category I48 Atrial fibrillation and flutter:
I48 Atrial fibrillation and flutter
I48.0 Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation
I48.1 Persistent atrial fibrillation
Excludes1: Permanent atrial fibrillation (I48.21)
I48.11 Longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation
I48.19 Other persistent atrial fibrillation
Chronic persistent atrial fibrillation
Persistent atrial fibrillation, NOS
I48.2 Chronic atrial fibrillation
I48.20 Chronic atrial fibrillation, unspecified
Excludes1: Chronic persistent atrial fibrillation (I48.19)
I48.21 Permanent atrial fibrillation
I48.3 Typical atrial flutter
Type I atrial flutter
I48.4 Atypical atrial flutter
Type II atrial flutter
I48.9 Unspecified atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter
I48.91 Unspecified atrial fibrillation
I48.92 Unspecified atrial flutter
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institute of Health, "Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common types of arrhythmias… Atrial fibrillation causes the heart to beat much faster than normal, and the upper and lower chambers of the heart do not work together…. Untreated fibrillation can lead to serious and even life-threatening complications."
"Atrial fibrillation is the most frequently encountered cardiac arrhythmia globally, affecting 2% of the general population and rising to 10% of those aged over 80 years. One in four individuals will experience AF in their lifetime. By 2050 the prevalence of AF is expected to increase by threefold and this poses a considerable public health concern. Despite these risks for stroke, it has been estimated that at least 20% of cases of AF remain undiagnosed and are not prescribed appropriate stroke prevention therapy."
It is estimated that at least 2.7 million Americans are living with A-Fib. It is, therefore, a relatively common diagnosis and likely coded on a regular basis.
What A Heart in Atrial Fibrillation Looks Like
The American Heart Association has an animation of a heart in atrial fibrillation.
What About Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) Results?
The different types of atrial fibrillation classified in category I48 are NOT distinguishable from each other based on an EKG/ECG result. However, subtypes and related arrhythmias may be identified, such as "Ashman's phenomenon" and right bundle branch block.
Atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response (RVR) can be seen on EKG because the patient's pulse rate/pace is included in the reading. "RVR" means that he heart is beating faster than 100 beats per minute (BPM). The pace can range from 100 to 120 to 145 and back again. RVR is not a type of atrial fibrillation.
The code for "atrial fibrillation with RVR" is 91 Unspecified atrial fibrillation
Be Familiar with the Types, Duration and Treatment Outlined in the Table below:
Duration and Treatment for Common Forms of Atrial Fibrillation
Type Duration Treatment
Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
More than 30 seconds, but less than a week Lifestyle changes
Medication to control your heart rate: beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, digoxin
Procedure to control your heart rate (if medication fails)
Pulmonary vein isolation
Anticoagulants to prevent clotting and stroke
Persistent Atrial Fibrillation Longer than a week, but less than a year. It could stop on its own, or you may need medicine or treatment to stop it. Lifestyle changes
Medicine to control your heart rhythm: antiarrhythmic
Procedure to control your heart rhythm (if medication fails)
Electrical cardioversion
Long-standing Persistent Atrial Fibrillation More than a year and doesn't go away
Permanent (Chronic) Atrial Fibrillation Ongoing You and your doctor will agree not to make any more efforts to restore a normal sinus rhythm.
WebMD Medical Reference Reviewed by Suzanne R. Steinbaum, MD on June 11, 2018
Sources © 2018 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
Duration a Key Factor in Recognizing the Type of Atrial Fibrillation
More than 30 seconds but less than one week = paroxysmal atrial fibrillation 0
"Paroxysmal" refers to a brief event, a "paroxysm." Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) may be due to stress or alcohol consumption. The only treatment prescribed may be lifestyle changes. See Section III. Reporting Additional Diagnoses of the Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting when documentation is present for subsequent encounters.
Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) is thought to constitute between 25 and 60% of cases of AF.
Longer than one week but less than one year = persistent atrial fibrillation 19
More than one year = long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation 1
Documentation: Duration Changes over Time and Encounters
A patient's type of A-Fib may change over time based on duration. The initial diagnosis, perhaps seen in the patient's History and Physical (H&P), may be different than the current diagnosis documented in the encounter being coded. Perhaps the Electronic Health Record (EHR), often notorious for "Cut and Paste" entries, has not been updated. If there is any doubt as to the specific type of A-Fib, a query is recommended.
Coding Example 1: A patient was admitted for non-elective surgery. The H&P notes "Past history of PAF, brought on by alcohol consumption at an office party two years ago." Patient was advised to avoid excess alcohol and has been compliant. No further treatment was necessary." A code for PAF is NOT reported.
Coding Example 2: A patient was diagnosed 10 months ago with "persistent atrial fibrillation" (I48.19) and prescribed beta blockers. Upon admission six months later for another disorder, the provider documents "persistent atrial fibrillation, continued on beta blockers." Since the duration of the A-Fib is more than one year, consider a query asking the provider to update the most recent encounter and document "long standing persistent atrial fibrillation (I48.1)."
Comorbidity and Complication (cc) Codes and Queries
Table 6J.‑‑Complete CC List, has been updated for FY202.
AF codes that ARE "cc's":
I48.11 Longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation (cc)
I48.19 Other persistent atrial fibrillation (cc)
I48.20 Chronic atrial fibrillation, unspecified (cc)
I48.21 Permanent atrial fibrillation (cc)
AF codes that are NOT "cc's":
Some facilities do not query if the code or codes in question are secondary diagnosis codes and the query response and resulting codes will not affect the MS-DRG assignment. Check your facility policy prior to issuing a query.
Code or Codes Assigned If More Than One Type of Atrial fibrillation is Documented
The American Hospital Association's Coding Clinic for ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS, Second Quarter 2019, Page 3 provided advice on what code or codes to report if the provider documents more than one type of atrial fibrillation. The advice preceded the new FY2020 codes for A-fib and the codes referenced in the first example are no longer valid. However, the overall advice to code only the type that is most specific remains.
When we have specific documentation regarding a diagnosis we expect that the ICD-10-CM "Alphabetic List" will lead us to the more specific code, if one is available and if we follow the terms and subterms. The FY2020 has specific types of A-fib listed at the same indentation level and subterm indentations, as follows:
– atrial or auricular (established) I48.91
– – chronic I48.20
– – – persistent I48.19
– – paroxysmal I48.0
– – permanent I48.21
– – persistent (chronic) (NOS) (other) I48.19
– – – longstanding I48.11
We never code just from the Index, correct? We know that it is important for accuracy to always go to the Tabular, review the code description(s), see the inclusion terms and follow any instructional notes.
Code category I48 Excludes 1 Instruction Notes
Notice that there are two helpful Excludes 1 instruction notes in code category I48:
The Excludes 1 note is here because these type of atrial fibrillation are mutually exclusive due to their respective differences in duration. Query for clarification if there is conflicting documentation.
This Excludes 1 note highlights the importance of reading and applying all of the terms documented in the provider's diagnosis, in this case "chronic" and "persistent."
Again, as you assign codes for atrial fibrillation, keep in mind and look for the documented duration of the Atrial-fib. If there are any conflicts in the documentation, consider a query to clarify.
Four new codes for atrial fibrillation were added to code category I48 Atrial fibrillation and flutter for FY2020.
It is estimated that at least 2.7 million Americans are living with A-Fib.
By 2050 the prevalence of AF is expected to increase threefold, posing a considerable public health concern.
The different types of atrial fibrillation classified in category I48 are NOT distinguishable from each other based on an EKG/ECG result.
The code for "atrial fibrillation with RVR" is I48.91 Unspecified atrial fibrillation. "RVR" is not a type or subtype of AF.
Duration a key factor in recognizing the type of atrial fibrillation. Become familiar with the durations that define the specific types if AF.
For FY2020, all AF codes are "cc's" except I48.0 and I48.91.
The most recent "Coding Clinic" that provides advice for assigning codes for AF, CC2Q19 pg 3, was published prior to the four new codes added for FY2020. Although that advice includes invalid codes, the advice to code to the greatest level of specificity available based on the documentation remains valid.
As always, when researching a diagnosis for code assignment, begin with the Index and follow all terms and subterms, then go to the Tabular and read all of the instruction notes and inclusion terms.
NJPR blogs are for educational purposes and are accurate at the time of publishing. Learn more.
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Home Metro TMOLF asks Obaseki to stop harassing, intimidating former CPS
TMOLF asks Obaseki to stop harassing, intimidating former CPS
The Moses Oisakede Leadership Foundation has asked the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, to stop harassing and intimidating with the police and other security agencies, his former Chief Press Secretary (CPS), John Mayaki.
It described as barbaric and condemnable, the police invasion of the Benin residence of Mayaki, which he earlier sold to a former Edo Commissioner for Education in the defunct Bendel State, Dr Nosa Omoregie.
The foundation, through its Executive Secretary, Kennedy Ifeh, yesterday in Benin, also declared that Wednesday's invasion of the house, located on Aiguokian Street, off Sapele Road, Oghoghobi in the Edo State capital was least expected and uncalled for.
Obaseki and his lawyer, in January this year, wrote petitions against Mayaki, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who hails from Igarra in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, alleging defamation.
The foundation said: "We do not understand what concerns the Nigeria police with a case of defamation. The case of defamation is a civil matter and cannot be criminalised. We can state without any fear that the addendum by the police on 'conduct likely to cause breach of the peace' is an invention intended for an evil agenda, especially to create a basis for the arrest of John Mayaki by the police, Edo State Command, as has been designed by their paymaster."
"Most Nigerians are aware that Mayaki is speaking truth to power in the current misdemeanour of Obaseki and his government. Police's letter of invitation is suspect, as it lacks details to guide Mayaki and his lawyers, on the real reasons for the invitation."
Obaseki's Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, through the telephone, stated that it was within the purview of the police to act on his boss' petition.
When Osagie was asked why Edo governor refused to go to court to sue Mayaki for defamation, rather than harassing him with policemen in Benin and his Igarra hometown, the media aide was no longer forthcoming.
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