text:
<?php

namespace Google\Service\Contentwarehouse;

class NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProduct extends \Google\Model
{
  protected $authorType = NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue::class;
  protected $authorDataType = '';
  protected $genreType = NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue::class;
  protected $genreDataType = '';
  protected $mediaTitleType = NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue::class;
  protected $mediaTitleDataType = '';
  protected $orderInSeriesType = NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue::class;
  protected $orderInSeriesDataType = '';
  protected $topicType = NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue::class;
  protected $topicDataType = '';

  /**
   * @param NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue
   */
  public function setAuthor(NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue $author)
  {
    $this->author = $author;
  }
  /**
   * @return NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue
   */
  public function getAuthor()
  {
    return $this->author;
  }
  /**
   * @param NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue
   */
  public function setGenre(NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue $genre)
  {
    $this->genre = $genre;
  }
  /**
   * @return NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue
   */
  public function getGenre()
  {
    return $this->genre;
  }
  /**
   * @param NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue
   */
  public function setMediaTitle(NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue $mediaTitle)
  {
    $this->mediaTitle = $mediaTitle;
  }
  /**
   * @return NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue
   */
  public function getMediaTitle()
  {
    return $this->mediaTitle;
  }
  /**
   * @param NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue
   */
  public function setOrderInSeries(NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue $orderInSeries)
  {
    $this->orderInSeries = $orderInSeries;
  }
  /**
   * @return NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue
   */
  public function getOrderInSeries()
  {
    return $this->orderInSeries;
  }
  /**
   * @param NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue
   */
  public function setTopic(NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue $topic)
  {
    $this->topic = $topic;
  }
  /**
   * @return NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProductMediaAttributeValue
   */
  public function getTopic()
  {
    return $this->topic;
  }
}

// Adding a class alias for backwards compatibility with the previous class name.
class_alias(NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProduct::class, 'Google_Service_Contentwarehouse_NlpSemanticParsingModelsShoppingAssistantProductMediaProduct');

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Submit a Talent Request
What a Consultant's 'Big 3' Background Can Tell You About Fit
By Imtiaz Patel on December 14, 2015
Talent on-demand allows organizations to engage professionals who have the right background to tackle a narrow, specialized project – the kind of effort whose demands are so unique they'd rarely be the basis for a full-time hire. The challenge, obviously, is to identify the right person for the job, the consultant whose skills and experience align with the problem you're trying to solve.
Many independent consultants have spent years working at one of the Big Three management consulting firms: McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, and Bain & Company. Since each of these has its own areas of specialization as well as distinct approaches to examining, defining and solving business problems, studying a candidate's career with the Big Three can tell you a lot about how their approach might line up with your needs.
For example, companies confronting issues of management, operations and IT may favor McKinsey alumni. Challenges around corporate development and innovation may benefit from the expertise of a BCG veteran. Meanwhile, someone from Bain may be best-suited to advising on issues related to private equity, M&A or retail.
Studying a candidate's career with the Big Three can tell you a lot about how their approach might line up with your needs.
But that's just a top-line view. Here's a thumbnail of each firm and its approach.
McKinsey works at all levels of an organization, both providing strategic advice to the CEO and working with front-line personnel on ways to improve their performance and business results. Its consultants undertake rapid prototyping and enterprise-wide software implementations, develop data analytics solutions and work with flailing companies in need of turnaround help. Active in industries ranging from electronics to private equity and telecommunications, McKinsey sees itself as a leader in combining industry and functional expertise with the knowledge of technology and other tools necessary to implement "lasting change."
BCG calls itself the world's leading advisor on business strategy. It stresses its expertise in consumer insight and corporate development in a business environment that is increasingly global, digital and data-driven. The firm emphasizes process, offering services not only in areas like analytics and strategy, but in manufacturing, operations, pricing, procurement and post-merger integration. It operates in an interesting mix of industries including metals and mining, finance, retail, and healthcare payers and providers. Overall, its philosophy is as much about nuts-and-bolts as grand strategy,
Of all the Big Three, Bain puts the most emphasis on strategic advisory. Its practice emphasizes areas such as strategy, performance improvement, M&A, results delivery and "corporate renewal," which is Bain-speak for corporate restructuring. While the firm builds its approach around the chief executive's perspective, it touts its ability to deliver results that are "pragmatic and action-oriented, enduring and repeatable."
So, what does all this mean to the executive who needs help from an independent consultant? Understanding the way each of the Big Three approach their work provides insight into how their alumni are likely to tackle an assignment and where their expertise lies in terms of organizing and implementing strategies and solutions.
Someone from BCG is likely to think more about the front-line impact of their work and the details involved in getting something done, while a McKinsey or Bain veteran may be more suited to projects that require a high-level approach.
Of course, there's a lot more than pedigree to consider when you're hiring an independent executive.
Of course, every situation is different, and there's a lot more than pedigree to consider when you're hiring an independent executive. But understanding the strengths of the world's leading management consultants can help you determine whether a candidate who's worked among them can effectively address your needs.
Filling Analytics & Data Science Jobs Without Placement Fees
It's Not THAT Hard to Hire Data Scientists
Automation and the Future of Data Science
Press Release: Nihar Parikh Joins IQ Workforce as Managing Director, Analytics Recruiting
CAO and CDO Skills That Matter When Disruption Is the New Normal
Archives Select Month January 2019 July 2018 October 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 September 2014 July 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 June 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 October 2008 April 2008 February 2008 January 2008
© 2005 - 2017 IQ WorkForce Pvt, Ltd
P.O. Box 268, Roslyn, NY 11576
t. 516.802.7700 f. 516.977.3119

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (GLDD) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.14 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.01 per share. This compares to loss of $0.12 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 1,300%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this provider of dredging and dock-contracting services would post earnings of $0.03 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.18, delivering a surprise of 500%.
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, which belongs to the Zacks Building Products - Heavy Construction industry, posted revenues of $173.23 million for the quarter ended December 2018, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.03%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $191.74 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates just once over the last four quarters.
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock shares have added about 14.2% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 10.9%.
What's Next for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock?
While Great Lakes Dredge & Dock has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock was favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.02 on $180 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $0.45 on $790 million in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Building Products - Heavy Construction is currently in the bottom 30% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.


I am having fun playing with primitive rugged fabrics this week. Little coffee stained flag ornaments were made using ticking material and various calico. I added Paper Whimsy fabric faces and word art to the fronts.
The little blue jean toddler vest and dress (be still my heart – it is sooo cute in real life) has antique/vintage laces and mother of pearl buttons.
Getting ready for the official start of summer with Memorial Weekend.
I hope each one of you has a safe and Happy Memorial Day!
Nancy, my sweet pea friend, you rock! I want a little denim pretty dress, can you do one for me to wear in USA pride? All of these are just adorable! I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Weekend!
I love love love all of these. Makes me want to go get a pair of my hubby's worn out jeans and start cutting.
What a gorgeous idea Miss Nancy.
So so lovely little pieces. The dress is awesome.
Your denim and lace creations are simply the cutest!
And your Memorial Day contributions are so very appropriate – you never fail us with such beautiful creations.
Just "thank you" dear friend for sharing your wonders!
PS Thank you so very much also for adding my link to your inviting blog.
gorgeous projects Nancy!! I absolutely adore your ornaments!!!
I adore your fabric ornaments, Nancy! Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
Some very creative pieces Nancy.
Hope you have a lovely and restful weekend.
Really great fabric work, dear Nancy!
I`m always enjoying my journey around here so much!
Oh this is fantastic, love what you did what the jeans things.
your lovely creations put a wee lump in my throat dear Nancy…lovely Sugar Lump creations as always!
What adorable, sweet little banners. I need to make some!


Make it your business to enjoy life's little pleasures at the charming Centurion Lake Hotel. Due to its excellent location, tranquil setting, commitment to personal service and spectacular views of the peaceful lake below, the Centurion Lake Hotel has, for years, been a favourite destination for tourists and business executives.
The Centurion Lake Hotel has become well know as the place to do business in Centurion. With facilities for up to 200 delegates and the fabulous Brunos Restaurant, Bar and Deli on site, Centurion Lake Hotel is the percet location for all you conferencing and meeting needs.
Stay in the hotel and relax in the bar or next to the swimming pool or venture further afield. Close to Super Sports Park, at Centurion Lake Hotel you are never far from the action.
Set in the heart of Gauteng, the hotel is a short drive from a wide range of interesting places of interest – the perfect location to be both away from it all and in the swing of things. Centurion is situated in Pretoria, north of Johannesburg, in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Although Gauteng is the smallest of all the provinces in South Africa, it is highly urbanised and has the second-largest population of the nine provinces. The climate is mostly influenced by the high altitude of the region. Even though the province is at a subtropical latitude, the climate is comparatively cooler, especially in Johannesburg, which is 1700m above sea level (while Pretoria is at 1330m above sea level). Most precipitation occurs as brief afternoon thunderstorms; however relative humidity never becomes uncomfortable. Winters are crisp and dry with frost occurring often in the southern areas. Snow is very rare, but has occurred on some occasions in the Johannesburg metropolitan area. Gauteng is the commercial and industrial powerhouse of the country and indeed of southern Africa. Gauteng is a cosmopolitan, multicultural mix of people from all walks of life, from all corners of the world. Gauteng's main attraction is big business, but there is so much more … museums, galleries, historical battlefields. Gauteng is also an entertainment playground offering world-class restaurants, shebeens, shopping malls and music venues.
Perfectly located close to business and leisure attractions, and only 42kms from OR Tambo International Airport, Centurion is the perfect location from which to get the job done, or simply to take it easy and take in the sights.


Algerian Font is an elegant typeface and owns much popularity all over the globe. Stephenson, Blake and Co. took the charge for designing and publishing it for the first time during 1907. Another notable aspect of this font is that. It is been using in "International Typeface Corporation" (ITC) logo which is a world known Font foundry.
This serif decorative font comprises a shaded separate shadow layer a little similar to that of the Collegiate font family. Algerian comes into its present shape after many updations. One who analyzes the typeface deeply will get the idea about the dedications and experience of the designers working on it.
Having captivating glimpses and vast languages support this decorative typeface comes into the cognisances of some keen designers before arranging an artistic layout. Many designers look forward to it you might be one of them. This font family has got many styles and weights with every update and advanced values respectively.
We are providing Algerian Font family for free right here and you can download it by a simple single click. But before downloading it we suggest you check the images we attatched to have a guess for how your text will look like.
Intimating a profound flexibility and variety of kens this display font is ideal for making any kind of logo designs, printing purposes, books covers, brochure covers, banners designs and for other related projects. Using it for heading tracks will also be a rational approach.
I hope that it will assist you in making a suitable design. That will satisfy your clients and audiences at the same time. If you like this contribution make sure to leave a feedback about it in the comment section below.


text:
@implementation MKMapView (Utils)

- (void)centerMapToCoordinate:(CLLocationCoordinate2D)coordinate {

    MKCoordinateRegion region;
    MKCoordinateSpan span;

    span.latitudeDelta = 0.02;
    span.longitudeDelta = 0.02;

    region.span = span;
    region.center = coordinate;

    [self setRegion:region animated:YES];

}

- (void) zoomToFitMapAnnotations
{
    if([self.annotations count] == 0)
        return;

    CLLocationCoordinate2D topLeftCoord;
    topLeftCoord.latitude = -90;
    topLeftCoord.longitude = 180;

    CLLocationCoordinate2D bottomRightCoord;
    bottomRightCoord.latitude = 90;
    bottomRightCoord.longitude = -180;

    for(NSObject<MKAnnotation> *annotation in self.annotations){
        if (![annotation isKindOfClass:[MKUserLocation class]]){
            topLeftCoord.longitude = fmin(topLeftCoord.longitude, annotation.coordinate.longitude);
            topLeftCoord.latitude = fmax(topLeftCoord.latitude, annotation.coordinate.latitude);

            bottomRightCoord.longitude = fmax(bottomRightCoord.longitude, annotation.coordinate.longitude);
            bottomRightCoord.latitude = fmin(bottomRightCoord.latitude, annotation.coordinate.latitude);
        }
    }

    MKCoordinateRegion region;
    region.center.latitude = topLeftCoord.latitude - (topLeftCoord.latitude - bottomRightCoord.latitude) * 0.5;
    region.center.longitude = topLeftCoord.longitude + (bottomRightCoord.longitude - topLeftCoord.longitude) * 0.5;
    if ([self.annotations count] <= 2){
        region.span.latitudeDelta = 0.05f;
        region.span.longitudeDelta = 0.05f;
    } else {
        region.span.latitudeDelta = fabs(topLeftCoord.latitude - bottomRightCoord.latitude) * 1.8f; // Add a little extra space on the sides
        region.span.longitudeDelta = fabs(bottomRightCoord.longitude - topLeftCoord.longitude) * 1.6f; // Add a little extra space on the sides
    }

    region = [self regionThatFits:region];
    [self setRegion:region animated:YES];
}

@end


text:
(1919–90). Millionaire publisher Malcolm Forbes, editor in chief and owner of the business and finance magazine Forbes, became famous for his exuberant lifestyle. He applied his wealth to motorcycling, hot-air ballooning, lavish parties on his yacht (sometimes cohosted by actress Elizabeth Taylor), exotic real estate, and a magnificent art collection.
Malcolm Stevenson Forbes was born in New York, New York, on August 19, 1919. His father had moved from Scotland to South Africa and then to the United States, founding Forbes magazine in 1917. Malcolm, the third of five sons, grew up in Englewood, New Jersey, and graduated cum laude from The Lawrenceville School, New Jersey. He majored in political science at Princeton University, where he founded the undergraduate magazine Nassau Sovereign and graduated in 1941.
After college he became owner and publisher of the weekly Fairfield Times in Ohio; he founded a second weekly Ohio newspaper (Lancaster Tribune) the next year. Later in 1942 he was drafted into the U.S. Army to serve in World War II. Forbes rose from private to heavy-machine-gun sergeant, with service in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. A leg wound led to a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and ten months in the hospital before his honorable discharge from the army in August 1945.
He joined the staff of Forbes in 1946 as assistant to the publisher. The next year he became associate publisher and vice president of the parent company, Forbes, Inc., which was broadening its holdings beyond the magazine. He became publisher and editor after his father's death in 1954, editor in chief in 1957, and president in 1964 after the death of his older brother. Malcolm Forbes thereupon bought out the other family members' shares in the company to become sole owner.
Circulation increased sharply as Forbes brightened the magazine's style, especially with his lively column, "Fact and Opinion." He broadened the parent company's holdings to reflect his personal interests, adding not only the American Heritage and Egg magazines but more than 2,000 paintings, a renowned collection of Fabergé eggs, balloon and motorcycle companies, and real estate that included Pacific island properties in the Fiji Islands and Tahiti, a ranch in the western United States, a château in Normandy, France, and property in Tangier, Morocco.
His political career began on the Bernardsville, New Jersey, borough council in 1949 and continued in the New Jersey state senate, where he served from 1951 to 1957. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor in 1953; four years later he won the nomination but lost the election to a Democrat. He was a New Jersey delegate to the Republican national convention in 1960. Married to Roberta Remsen Laidlaw in 1946, Forbes had four sons and a daughter; his oldest son, Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Jr. (Steve Forbes), would unsuccessfully seek the Republican nomination for president in 1996 and 1999–2000.
Malcolm Forbes began motorcycling at age 48 and hot-air ballooning at 52. In 1973 he made the first coast-to-coast flight across the United States in a hot-air balloon, setting six world records en route. His book Around the World on Hot Air and Two Wheels (1985) described his goodwill trips to Russia, China, Pakistan, Egypt, and Europe. He also wrote More Than I Dreamed: A Lifetime of Collecting (1989) and other books.
Living on an estate in Far Hills, New Jersey, Forbes stayed at the helm of Forbes magazine until his death. His lavish lifestyle continued after his divorce in 1985. In 1989 he flew hundreds of guests to Tangier for a gala 70th birthday celebration, at a cost of $2 million. A few months later, on February 24, 1990, he died suddenly of a heart attack in Far Hills, New Jersey.


text:
Assistant Director Houston
AJC | Houston, TX, United States
Founded in 1906, AJC seeks to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel, and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. Among Jewish advocacy organizations, AJC is the leader in the global arena. We are known for our unparalleled access to diplomats, government officials, and faith leaders in more than 100 countries. In addition to our New York headquarters and Office of Policy and Diplomatic Affairs in Washington, D.C., AJC has offices across the U.S. and around the globe and maintains partnerships with Jewish communities worldwide.
The regional offices maintain the agency's nationwide presence, attract leaders and donors to AJC, enhance the agency's influence with key local, national, and international decision makers and stakeholders, implement advocacy initiatives at the state/local level, establish and nurture community relationships, and serve as AJC's eyes and ears on the ground.
The Assistant Director of AJC's Houston Regional Office plays a critical role in:
Working in close coordination with Regional Director to spear-head the development campaign and related endeavors, including corporate and individual outreach
Advocacy and community relations including diplomatic and political outreach;
Representing AJC and advancing organizational priorities when establishing and nurturing strategic relationships with ethnic and religious leaders and partners
Stewarding and soliciting lay leaders, prospects, and donors to ensure their maximum engagement with AJC including gifts of time and expertise; financial resources; and introductions to key civic, corporate, philanthropic, and other relevant decision-makers and leaders
The Assistant Director does all this while adhering to AJC's core values: Respect, Teamwork, Integrity, Excellence, and Accountability.
Primary responsibilities include:
Execution of educational and advocacy-related programs and events
Execution of development related programs and events
Supervision of administrative staff
Communications including website, Facebook, and newsletters.
Special projects as needed
Board engagement/leadership development including facilitating regular board and executive committee meetings
Bachelor's degree - Five or more years of experience or master's degree
Commitment to AJC's global mission and familiarity with the Jewish community
Excellent written and verbal communication skills including writing, editing, and proofreading
Excellent interpersonal skills, tact, and diplomacy
Well-developed organizational and time management skills
Respect for and adherence to confidentiality
Strong attention to detail and follow-through
Ability to solve problems creatively and practically
Ability to multi-task and work on multiple projects simultaneously
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with staff and lay leadership
Entrepreneurial creativity, resourcefulness, and strong problem-solving skills
Availability to work occasional evenings and weekends
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google applications
AJC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Please submit your application to: https://ajchr.wufoo.com/forms/s1xhfzc50qchjae/
Advocacy | Assistant Director
401(k) or 403(b) plans | dental | FSA | leave early for Shabbat | Life Insurance | medical | Paid Holidays | paid vacation | parental leave | sick leave | vision


The easiest way tohave images added to your slides is automatically.
In the Script section of Content Samurai, you'll find an option to let Content Samurai automatically select images for your based on the keywords on each slide.
On the left-hand side of the Slide section, you'll notice a search bar under the 'Media' tab with a few words that look like links.


text:
Q: url routing on checkbox is checked in angularjs can we change URL when radio button selected. I am using angularjs?
following is my code and I want to change url when input radiobox is selected

  <input type="radio" class="switch-input" name="view" value="week" id="week" checked>

    Automatically

  <input type="radio" class="switch-input" name="view" value="month" id="month">

    Manually

A: In AngularJS, you can use the $location service to change path as:
$location.path('/new-route');
On your input tag, you can then use the ng-change or the ng-click directives to call a function that will change the route. So, it can be something like this:
<input type="radio" ng-click="changeLocation('route-name')>

With your controller having the following code:
$scope.changeLocation = function (newRoute) {
    $location.path(newRoute);
};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Hair of the Dog is a multi-level corner pub known for its killer sidelong patio strung with vines.
As the name suggests, they do serve brunch, but Hair of the Dog is mainly reputed for having some of the best nachos in the city.
The decor is cutely dog-themed, the word BITE above one nook and dog portraits along one wall, the menu divided into categories like SIT and STAY.
Nachos ($16) start out with a base of flour tortillas deep-fried in house. Hair of the Dog isn't the only place to do this, but these chips somehow come out thicker, more bubbly and crispy than some other places, with a slightly flaky layering.
The best thing about these nachos aside from the house-fried chips is how customizable they are. All nachos start out vegetarian and halal, topped with diced tomato, green onion, black onions, jalapeno, and lots of melted cheese, served with a good amount of sour cream and mild salsa.
From there you can add tofu, steak, bacon, guac, chorizo, fried or grilled chicken, shrimp, pulled pork, or ground beef, like we do. If you're looking for some seriously epic DIY 'chos, this is the place to go.
A butter chicken grilled cheese ($16) is also halal, more soft than crispy and a little light on the cheese but decently browned and packed with pulled chicken, seasoned with a reasonable take on a butter chicken spice mix.
Fried chicken ($22), halal too, seems a tad overpriced for three chicken thighs, but they're big and juicy with a crispy coating and come on a bed of unexpectedly fluffy, light, garlicky mashed potatoes that I'd totally eat on their own. Veggies and a little corn cake come on the side.
This is a good place to find Belgian beers in Toronto as Hair of the Dog stocks around 20 bottles from that country alone, and a range of others from around the world.
A Dubuisson Peche Mel ($11.75) is a strong Belgian ale made with peach juice available in bottle form, the acidic tang of the fruit cutting nicely through the rich pub food.
They have Delirium Tremens ($8.75) on draught, a classic Belgian strong beer, most other taps devoted to local craft breweries.
An upper level area has a capacity of around 30 or so, where I imagine it gets packed during Pride with nacho orders flying out to every table.
This relaxed corner pub always stands out somehow in its understated way, the murmur of patio conversation beckoning to the widely mixed clientele drawn here.


text:
Google Maps UK Powered By Google
Google announced calling off the deal with their third-party maps data provider in the UK. The search engine is now planning to power these maps with its own data. This categorically applies for Finland, Germany, Sweden and the UK.
This has already been done in the United States of America.
How does one confirm whether it is really Google Data and not some third-party rendered information?
Google made the announcement below:
"You may notice many improvements to Google Maps in these countries, such as improved water bodies and more comprehensive local park coverage. Many of these and other changes are the result of us working directly with a variety of organizations, agencies and data providers.
For example, Germany's Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie) supplied us harmonized data from surveying and mapping agencies of all 16 federal states (Länder).
And in the case of Finland, we acquired water body data directly from the National Land Survey. We're thankful to these and other data providers for helping us ensure that our digital maps accurately reflect real life".
Google advised users to click on the "report a problem" link whenever confronted with an issue related with the map data of these 4 countries.
IDS Logic


text:
Global Policy Forum
About GPF
Support GPF
GPF Partners
Annual Reports and Statutes (GPF Europe)
Contact and Disclaimer
Publications in German
Events in Germany
General Information on Internships
Picture Credit: flickr.com/SF Brit
Offshore tax havens, spread by new computing and telecommunications, provide an unprecedented tax shelter, enabling rich citizens and corporations to escape the national tax system. Wealthy tax evaders save millions, while public services and infrastructure in their home countries, as well as on the small island havens, remain drastically underfunded.
2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 |2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | Archived Articles
OECD misses opportunity for genuine strike against tax havens (July 23, 2014)
Earlier than expected, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published comprehensive details on the common reporting standard for automatic exchange of financial information this week. The new reporting standard could actually mark a big step towards "a world in which tax cheats have nowhere left to hide" – as an OECD official puts it. In reality, it leaves enough loopholes to exclude developing countries from the benefits of such an agreement. Since the automatic exchange of information will be based on reciprocity, many developing countries that do not have the capacity to provide the required information will not be allowed to participate. However, precisely these countries lose billions every year through tax evasion channeled to anonymous bank accounts in tax havens and would be in dire need of their rightful tax revenues. (Christian Aid)
No Transparency among UK's leading companies (May 13, 2014)
"Secrecy is not the exception but the norm […]" is the major finding of a report published by Christian Aid analyzing the disclosure of economic and financial information of almost 30,000 subsidiaries of the 100 largest companies whose shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange (the FTSE100). More than 90% of these subsidiaries are based in secrecy jurisdictions, only a quarter of them fully reveal information on turnover, assets, shareholder funds and number of employees. Data that is vital for investors, tax authorities as well as civil society to hold companies accountable. Even though, in the last months, UK's Prime Minister David Cameron showed some willingness to finally tackle this issue the new evidence shows that current efforts are only scratching the service of company secrecy, says Christian Aid. (Christian Aid)
European Parliament puts pressure on member states to step up the fight for corporate transparency (February 21, 2014)
MPs of the European Parliament from the Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) and Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) Committees voted in favour of public registries which would provide information on the real, or 'beneficial', owners of companies. The long-awaited vote, which recommends significant improvements to the EU's Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD) and would make it much harder for criminals to launder their money using European companies. (Financial Transparency Coalition, Eurodad, Global Witness, Oxfam)
New OECD report on automatic information exchange: Will developing countries be left out? (February 13, 2014)
Today the OECD presented its report on a new global standard for countries and tax havens to exchange information with each other, a new tool for fighting the scourge of tax evasion. The report contains many positive elements but falls far short of what the world's citizens desperately need – especially citizens in poorer countries. (TJN)
Leaked Records Reveal Offshore Holdings of China's Elite (January 22, 2014)
Close relatives of China's top leaders have held secretive offshore companies in tax havens that helped shroud the Communist Party elite's wealth, a leaked cache of documents reveals. The confidential files include details of a real estate company co-owned by current President Xi Jinping's brother-in-law and British Virgin Islands companies set up by former Premier Wen Jiabao's son and also by his son-in-law. (ICIJ)
Illicit Financial Flows from Developing World Nearly $6 Trillion in last Decade (December 19, 2013)
Crime, corruption, and tax evasion drained US$946.7 billion from the developing world in 2011, up more than 13.7 percent from 2010. These findings by Washington based Think Tank Global Financial Integrity, which peg cumulative illicit financial outflows from developing countries at US$5.9 trillion between 2002 and 2011 are part of a new study. "As the world economy sputters along in the wake of the global financial crisis, the illicit underworld is thriving – siphoning more and more money from developing countries each year," says GFI President Raymond Baker. (Global Financial Integrity)
Europe's role in tax-related capital flight from developing countries 2013 (December 17, 2013)
European leaders should use their meeting this week to agree further action against tax dodging by multinationals, CSOs urge in a new report. The report: 'Giving with one hand and taking with the other: Europe's role in tax-related capital flight from developing countries 2013' reveals the state of money laundering, tax avoidance and tax evasion, and the extent of government action against them, across 13 EU Countries. (Eurodad)
Lawyers response to tax dodging (October 17, 2013)
In a feature South-African organization L4BB deals with the subject of growing anger at corporate tax dodging. Adrienne Margolis poses the question: How can commercial lawyers respond to demands for tax justice? In order to improve revenue raising from multinationals operating in developing countries, L4BB demands a legal aprroach that sidesteps technical distinctions between legitimate tax planning, tax avoidance and tax evasion and focuses instead on a more widely defined notion of 'tax abuse'. (L4BB)
Tax Havens and the Taxation of Transnational Corporations (June 21, 2013)
Tax avoidance and tax evasion by transnational companies and the role played by tax havens have recently received much media attention, when it transpired that prominent companies such as Starbucks and Apple pay virtually no income taxes on their massive international profits. The case of the world's largest commodity trader, Glencore, demonstrates that tax evasion by multinationals also affects developing countries. Tax issues and the detrimental role played by tax havens are now firmly on the international policy agenda, for example at the G20. (Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung)
EU's new accounting directives fall short of the goal (June 12, 2013)
On June 12, European Parliament adopted two new directives in a plenary session, which contain disclosure requirements for the extractive industry and forestry businesses. After the guidelines implementation in the EU member countries, these companies must disclose which payments they make to governments – in fact, disaggregated in terms of countries and projects. With this move, the European Parliament is pursuing similar guidelines as the ones adopted in the US in 2010 as part of the Dodd-Frank Act, which come into effect this year. Combined with US legislation the directives will cover around 70% of the value of the global extractive industries, creating the basis for a new global transparency standard. (Global Policy Forum)
How Kenya Could Become An African Tax Haven (June 7, 2013)
In a recent article for the Financial Transparency Coalition, an organization focusing on accountability and transparency, Gathoni Blessol and Mark Kirk explain how the City of London is planning to shape Kenya into what would be Africa's first mainland tax haven. According to the article, in its quest to expand its shadow economy, the City may look to transform Kenya into a so-called "International Financial Center". (Financial Transparency Coalition)
How Tax Havens Plunder the Poor, (May 24, 2013)
Almost half of all money invested in developing countries is channelled through tax havens, says a new report by ActionAid.
The report, How Tax Havens Plunder the Poor, shows how tax havens can often allow companies and investors to avoid tax on the resulting profits and gains and deprive the world's poorest countries of much-needed tax revenue. (ActionAid)
U.S. Firms Stash Tens of Billions in Tax Havens, Govt Says (January 30, 2013)
A report by the Congressional Research Service reveals that losses from corporate tax evasion are estimated at nearly $90 billion a year, while US corporate profits reported from Bermuda grew 5 times in the last decade, indicating its growing popularity with companies. Citizens for Tax Justice points out that businesses over-report billions in profits from countries like Bermuda, which blatantly lack the economic output to support such a claim. Tax reforms in the US and EU - including the Netherlands, which is a major hub for illicit financial flows - is nowhere close to seriously addressing the use of Tax Havens, as political support still remains weak. Today, countries in both the Global North and South are losing trillions in tax revenue as a result, reducing public funds available for essential services like infrastructure, health etc. To put things in perspective, while $32trillion is invested in tax havens globally, only $50.2 billion is needed to help combat global hunger. (IPA)
Swiss Bank Wegelin to Close after US Tax Evasion Fine (January 4, 2013)
Several Swiss banks have paid millions in charges following US crackdown on banks fostering tax evasion by US clients. First, it was the larger UBS that paid $780 million in tax evasion related charges and more recently, Wegelin, which pleaded guilty to tax evasion on $1.2bn from over 100 US citizens over the last decade. Wegelin paid US authorities $57.8m and has since shut down its operations by selling their Swiss and non-US businesses. It is evident of the US Justice Department's active pursuit of both large and small-sized Swiss banks involved in evading billions of dollars in tax revenue. UBS also agreed to disclose the names of US citizens involved to penalize account holders. Several other Swiss banks including the large Credit Suisse are now under investigation. US action if replicated in other countries can successfully curb the use of offshore accounts for tax evasion. (BBC)
Starbucks to 'Start Paying' UK Tax (December 3, 2012)
Reuters found that Starbucks reported 13 years of losses in the UK while it told investors that the unit was among the best performing of its overseas operations. Despite controlling almost one-third of the UK coffee-shop market, Starbucks paid tax only once in the past 15 years. The US-based global coffeehouse announced that it will make changes to its UK tax practices. Starbucks however is only one of many multinational companies that are avoiding taxes overseas while local businesses pay their fair share. (Aljazeera)
Treasury to Crack Down on UK's Offshore Tax Havens (November 24, 2012)
The UK government is planning to force tax havens to reveal the names of account holders, according to this Guardian report. Similar to the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, the new changes would push the UK's crown dependencies such as Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man and the Cayman Islands to give up what was previously secret information. There is skepticism about the implementation of the plan, but if taken up, the UK's tax transparency move could act as a stimulus for other governments restricting the billions in tax avoidance. (Observer)
UK and Germany Agree Crackdown on Tax Loopholes for Multinationals (November 5, 2012)
The UK and Germany are taking preparatory steps to tackle the issue of multinationals profiting from the legal loopholes that allow tax avoidance. The US based coffee company Starbucks is one of the many multinational corporations that are accused by the UK business secretary of "taking from the British economy and putting very little back." International tax laws have trouble keeping up with the practices of developing electronic commercial activity. To this regard, the steps taken by these two states will be useful for more states to tackle this evolving issue. (Guardian)
Overseas Cash and the Tax Games Multinationals Play (October 3, 2012)
This article shows how US corporations use foreign subsidiaries in low-tax jurisdictions to minimize tax on their global income. The subsidiaries hold their profits overseas indefinitely without being taxed in the US as repatriated income. US parent companies abuse this legal "grey area" when they organize buy-backs, acquisitions and deployment of their working capital. To avoid taxes, corporations are deliberately organizing their finances in a complex, wasteful and abusive way, which seriously decreases oversight and transparency as well as emptying the national treasury. (New York Times)
Global Super-Rich Hoarding "Up to £20tn" as HMRC Get Set to 'Name and Shame' Tax Dodgers (July 23, 2012)
A new report by Tax Justice Network titled "The Price of Offshore Revisited" reveals that financial assets worth at least $21 trillion are held offshore- belonging to fewer than 10 million people worldwide- with the help of private banking and the legal, accounting and investment industries. Depriving governments of tax revenues, the off shore financial wealth of the super-rich has increased inequality by unbalancing the distribution of tax burden. The UK government has announced the plan to "name and shame" tax avoiders in order to raise public awareness. (Left Foot Forward)
International Banking Laws Help African Elites Borrow Big, then Shift Funds to Personal Accounts (February 27, 2012)
In sub-Saharan Africa, more than 50% of foreign borrowed money illegally leaves the borrower country within the same year, demonstrate Boyce and Ndikumana, authors of Africa's Odious Debts: How Foreign Loans and Capital Flight Bled a Continent. The authors argue that the strong correlation between foreign borrowing and capital flight suggests an all but institutionalized "revolving door," facilitated by the international financial system. Bank-secrecy and lax rules allow, for instance, provision-hungry bankers to provide loans to African government officials whom they know will redirect funds to personal bank accounts outside their home countries, but leave the country's citizens responsible for servicing the debt. (YaleGlobal Online)
Swiss Bank Wegelin Charged With Helping US Tax Evasion (February 6, 2012)
The US crackdown against offshore tax evasions has led to criminal charges against many banks, bankers, advisers, attorneys and at least 40 US taxpayers. Wegelin & Co., the 270-year-old private bank, became the first Swiss institution to face criminal charges. Wegelin helped Americans hide more than $1.2 billion in assets and evade US taxes. Wegelin's case is symbolic in that it shows the US governments' willingness to indict a bank if it does not cooperate, thus pressuring other banks to disclose accounts. However, it remains to be seen whether Wegelin's indictment will lead to stricter regulation or whether "it's just a question of the US functionally pounding its chest." (Bloomberg Buisnessweek)
The Offshore Banking Nightmare (February 2012)
Tax evasion and the offshore jurisdictions that facilitate it, have come under increasing scrutiny of late as governments search for money to deal with the consequences of the world financial and economic crisis. The fact that governments have played key roles in establishing these "secrecy jurisdictions," however, clearly demonstrates their opportunism. In this article, journalist Bruce Livesey relates stories that show how difficult it is to retrieve "offshore funds," if at all. The cases make apparent that governments must work together to undo the deliberate incongruence of non-offshore and offshore laws. (Canadian Lawyer Magazine)
OECD: Tax Haven Crackdown Yields 14 Billion Euros (October 25, 2011)
At a summit in London in 2009, G-20 leaders agreed to bolster efforts against off-shore tax evasion through the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes. Two years later, this OECD-hosted forum that includes both OECD and non-OECD members, has collected nearly 14 billion euros from tax-evading individuals. According to OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria, the multilateral agreements used to track down tax-evaders can and should also be used to scrutinize the corporate sector. It is true that the forum's efforts make more citizens pay their share of taxes and enable governments to ease fiscal pressures on citizens affected by austerity measures. However, its initial achievements have been only modest at best, and point to the need for greater and more effective action. (Chicago Tribune/Reuters)
Tax Havens: Is the Tide Turning? (October 11, 2011)
Public opinion is now starting to focus on tax avoidance. When corporations avoid taxes, they simply try to pay as little of them as possible; whilst not necessarily illegal, doing so is often unfair. NGOs like Action Aid note that developing countries are the main victims, because they do not possess the know-how necessary to close tax loop-holes. According to the OECD, losses can be up to three times the amount received in aid. Despite many promises, world leaders have not acted to stop tax avoidance, even as they are willing to increase austerity measures. (BBC News)
Panama: Free-Trade Tax Haven (September 14, 2011)
The Obama administration is seeking to implement a US-Panama free trade agreement (FTA) that will effectively "normalize" Panama's function as a tax haven for American corporations. The FTA will make it easier for corporations to register the tax-heavy parts of their businesses in Panama, yet retain the benefits of being based in the US: access to a high-skilled workforce and courts that protect their (intellectual) property. The US government is paving the way for tax-dodging as it slashes benefits for the unemployed. (Foreign Policy in Focus)
Emerging Trend Towards Establishing Offshore Tax Havens (August 17, 2011)
African governments have been setting up offshore tax havens, following Western financial sector advice that liberal financial flows can improve development. States like Mauritius and Botswana have been considered tax havens for quite some time, but there now seems to be a widespread movement towards creating tax havens, partially out of a misguided belief that it would "modernize" African finance. Alvin Mosioma, of Tax Justice Network Africa, says the financial instability and corruption that come with tax havens would only increase the insecurity of the region. (IPS)
Tax Havens, Where the Rich ... Get Richer (April 10, 2011)
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), long held up as a panacea for world poverty, has been failed to create jobs in the poorest countries. Economists working for UNCTAD have issued a report that voices concern over the overall lack of integration in global "value chains" for the least developed countries (LDCs). FDI should aim to diversify economies and train skilled workers. Additionally, projects should focus on solving social and environmental issues, and not mere profit taking. (stuff.co.nz)
Is Icelandic Citizenship for Sale? (April 7, 2011)
The offer of $15bn in exchange for Icelandic citizenship made by ten Canadian and US investors has sent shockwaves throughout Iceland. Although an attractive offer, considering Iceland's debt to Europe, Icelandic citizens are voicing concerns over the concept of citizenship for sale- especially when many genuine citizenship applications are rejected. This article investigates the tax evasion behind such citizenship requests and the implications cash for citizenship has on national identity. (Guardian)
The State of Israel a Tax Haven? (March 1, 2011)
Israel has purposely relaxed its tax laws in an attempt to attract new residents and citizens. With new residents enjoying a ten year tax exemption amongst other fiscal perks, this article arguesIs Icelandic Citizenship for Sale? (April 7, 2011)
that Israel has turned itself into a limited tax haven and could see the rise of high net worth individuals transferring offshore funds into Israel. (Asset Protection and Offshore Living)
Egyptians Can Claim Mubarak's Stolen Billions (February 13, 2011)
Swiss bank accounts have often provided a haven for the funds of dictators. However, Europe will no longer offer security for the finances of leaders such as Zine el Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak, as new laws will reduce the historical secrecy of private Swiss accounts. This article highlights how increased transparency allows for dictators' ill-gotten gains to be returned to legitimate governments in their country of origin. Additionally, these new laws seek to prevent further corruption and embezzlement in developing countries. (Terraviva)
The Paradox of Corporate Taxes (February 1, 2011)
Corporations, using loopholes in the tax system, pay well below the 35 percent US corporate tax rate, which strains revenue at a time of massive budget shortfalls. President Obama and leading Republicans are calling for major reforms to the corporate tax code to eliminate murkiness. This article suggests that corporate interests will not back a reorganization of the tax code, because they stand to lose significantly if the current system is altered. (The New York Times)
The Truth about Tax Havens: Parts 1 and 2 (January 8-9, 2011)
Tax havens play a vital role in the global financial architecture, used by institutional investors and drug kingpins as a way to mask their assets and cheat the system. They also function as conduits to the large financial centers in New York, London, and Hong Kong. Despite the pivotal role they play in terms of managing money for the wealthy, surprisingly little is understood about how these areas function. (The Guardian)
Tax Avoidance: The Cayman Question (October 20, 2010)
The Cayman Islands charge no income tax, no corporation tax and no stamp duty, making them an offshore haven for large sums of money. The Caymans' political ties to Great Britain result in the UK losing between £7bn and £25bn each year, revenue which the UK can ill afford to ignore considering the struggling economic climate. This article analyses why, despite significant losses in public finances, the coalition government still has not addressed the issue of offshore funds, even though they lie within government jurisdiction. (Prospect)
Lord Ashcroft 'Avoided £3.4m in Tax' Ahead of Rule Change (September 27, 2010)
In 2010, revelations about Michael Ashcroft's tax status demonstrated how the wealthy undermine national tax systems through tax havens - and how government is often complicit. Lord Ashcroft is one of the UK's richest people and a dual citizen of the UK and Belize, a tax haven. He has held public office in both countries; in Belize as ambassador to the UN, and in the UK as a life-peer of the House of Lords. Yet, in March 2010, Lord Ashcroft admitted that he is non-domiciled in Britain for tax purposes. Income that he generates in Belize has been channeled into major donations to the UK Conservative party, as well as the conservative Australian Liberal party. (The Guardian)
Brazil Names Tax Havens - 74 of Them (June 9, 2010)
The Brazilian Ministry of Finance published a list of 74 secrecy jurisdictions, replacing a previous list of 52. Interestingly, many of the world's countries are acting as secrecy jurisdictions. The first part of the lists contains 65 jurisdictions that do not tax income or have a tax rate below 20% and the second part lists nine "privileged fiscal regimes." While many of the countries on the list are predictable, one of the notable omissions is the United Kingdom. (Tax Research UK)
Offshore Corporate Tax Havens: Why Are They Still Allowed? (June 1, 2010)
When it comes to taxes, there are two sets of rules - one for the wealthy and one for everyone else. Every year in the US, corporations evade around $100 billion through offshore tax havens while others must fill the gap of the missing tax money. Corporations in the United States paid a tax rate of only 2.3 percent in 2004. Subsidiaries in tax havens are a major means of corporate tax avoidance. (Huffington Post)
Ashcroft Violated our Sense of Justice (March 5, 2010)
The case of British Billionaire Lord Ashcroft who is registered "non-domiciled" for tax purposes, yet holds a seat in the House of Lords, has incited scrutiny over UK tax laws. Although the use of offshore tax havens is legal under UK law, Lord Ashcroft should not be able to cast ballots in a country where he is exempt from tax payments. This article argues that in order to restore public faith in the parliamentary system the law should be changed to forbid anyone from sitting in parliament who is not a full resident of the UK. (Guardian)
US Urges European Parliament to Back Data Deal (February 8, 2010)
Under the terms of the Lisbon Treaty, the European Parliament can decide whether or not to share EU bank transfer information with the US. US Treasury Department official, Adam Szubin, is pushing hard to convince the EU to go ahead with information sharing previously agreed. US National Security Advisor, James Jones, has also said that transparency in trans-Atlantic transfer data have prevented and will prevent terrorist attacks. (Der Spiegel)
Germany Says Stolen Tax Data Won't Harm "Stable" Swiss Ties (February 1, 2010)
Diplomatic relations between Germany and Switzerland soured up since last year, after German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck said that the Swiss tax regime encouraged tax evasion. The current German government is now trying to restore friendly relations with its neighbor, but recent information on approximately 1300 German account holders in Swiss banks may damage relations anew. (Business Week)
Global Tax Evasion: Tax Evasion Stifles Poorest Nations (January 26, 2010)
The finance and development ministers of OECD countries plan to reform the way multinational corporations present their accounts to tax authorities. One important proposal will require country-by-country financial reports rather than the aggregate reports that MNCs get away with now. This proposal is likely to meet stiff opposition from the corporate world, but the OECD ministers are confident that this step would lift a "veil of secrecy" that currently makes it very difficult for governments to trace how companies evade taxes. Tax evasion greatly exceeds the amount developing nations receive in aid each year. (The Nation)
Swiss Banker blows whistle on Tax Evasion (January 19, 2010)
"Offshore tax evasion is the biggest theft among societies and neighbor states in this world," says Rudolf Elmer, a former employee at Swiss bank Julius Baer. Elmer has disclosed internal bank and client documents to foreign tax authorities. Wealthy American, European, and South American clients use secret Swiss accounts to evade taxes. While this dispute unfolds like a modern spy thriller, the liberalized financial system that allows firms to aid their clients in this way remains unreformed. (The New York Times)
No Qualms Funding Tax Haven Tainted banks (December 11, 2009)
The European Investment Bank (EIB), despite officially recognizing the link between tax evasion and global poverty, continues to finance banks known to stash away money in tax havens. Recipients of EIB loans include BNP Paribas and ING, the French and Dutch Banks with the largest presence in tax havens. Further, most of the EIB's assistance to Africa's financial sector over the past five years has gone to one firm that concentrates its African activities in Mauritius - widely considered the continent's premier tax haven. (TerraViva)
Hong Kong is New Target of US Crackdown on Taxes (November 13, 2009)
The US is chasing tax evaders. After forcing Swiss banks to provide information about 4700 suspicious clients, US prosecutors are probing Hong Kong banks. Many tax evaders have used Hong Kong corporations as account holders so their personal names would not appear in Swiss bank records. Debriefings of tax evaders have brought to light other tax havens such as Liechtenstein, Mexico and Panama. (Bloomberg)
Secrecy Hit, Swiss Banks Are Losing Europeans (October 30, 2009)
Many US citizens used to keep their money in Swiss banks to evade taxes. But in August 2009, the US government asked Swiss banks to provide the names of suspected US tax dodgers. Afraid that European governments might do the same, European clients - a third of Switzerland's lucrative private-banking - are bringing their money back home. This could permanently change the secretive world of offshore banking. (The Wall Street Journal)
Christian Aid Unveils List of Most Selective Tax Havens (November 1, 2009)
Christian Aid and Tax Justice Network have compiled a global Financial Transparency Index. The most secretive tax havens are the US, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands and the UK, a result which dispels the stereotype of tax havens as consisting mainly of palm fringe islands. The researchers singled out the UK in particular, as half of the world's secrecy jurisdictions are in the commonwealth countries, Crown dependencies and British Overseas Territories. (Christian Today)
The Offensive Secrecy of Tax Havens (September 23, 2009)
Christian Aid estimates that the world's poorest countries lose $160 billion dollars every year due to tax havens. Yet laws targeting these offshore centers have only been helpful to rich states, as only they have the necessary leverage to force compliance. (The Guardian)
US Wealthy Opt to Surrender Their Citizenship (August 17, 2009)
Today, offshore tax havens have to comply with transparency rules, so a growing number of wealthy US citizens are handing in their passports. Under US tax law, the worldwide income of any US citizen or resident is subject to tax. The offshore centers have been a safe haven for the wealthy Americans trying to escape taxes, but now that's about to change. When giving up their citizenship, the US citizens expect to buy a passport elsewhere, where the tax rate is low. (Wealth Bulletin)
IRS Steps Up Scrutiny of Offshore Funds (July 26,2009)
Hedge fund assets in offshore tax havens such as the Cayman Islands and Bermuda represent more than two thirds of the roughly $ 1.3 trillion industry. The Internal Revenue Service is demanding that hedge funds and private equity investors disclose hundreds of billions of dollars they have invested offshore. Investors keep funds offshore for a variety of reasons including tax evasion. It's clear that new disclosure requirements will lead to additional taxation of these hidden funds.( The Wall Street Journal)
Tax Havens and Development (July 7, 2009)
Off shore tax havens are infamous for money laundering, secrecy and criminal activities of many kinds. A new report reveals the scale of illegal money flows to these havens from developing countries. Such transfers reduce tax revenues and hinder economic growth. The report argues that nations should strengthen international tax regimes to bring an end to these damaging effects.
Tax Havens and the Business Lobby (May 7, 2009)
The Obama administration's plan to crack down on US tax evasion not only targets corporations but also powerful lobbies that helped draft the legislation which made it easier for big businesses to evade taxation. Groups including the Business Roundtable, the US Chamber of Commerce, and the National Association of Manufacturers, formed a lobbying coalition called Protect America's Competitive Edge. This lobby aims to defeat the President's tax proposals, and openly threatens the government with outsourcing jobs if such legislation is enacted. Earlier, business lobbyists successfully ruined an important housing bill that could have "prevented 20 percent of foreclosures, at no cost to taxpayers." (Huffington Post)
Your Guide to the G20 Blitz on Tax Havens (April 5, 2009)
With the financial crisis and the bailout of banks, tax payers have realized that tax havens are a major cause of financial disruption. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has threatened countries with blacklisting unless they agree with its standards. Nevertheless, the agreement is not binding until a country signs a tax information sharing agreement (TIEA) which incorporates the OECD principles into domestic law. Nonetheless, account holders can either pay a withholding tax that allows them to remain anonymous or shift their account to countries, such as Panama and Samoa, which have not agreed to share any information with foreign authorities. (Times Online)
A Progress Report on an Internationally Agreed Tax Standard (April 2, 2009)
The OECD has released its report on countries that agreed on tax standards. The OECD blacklisted Costa Rica, Malaysia, the Philippines and Uruguay as uncooperative tax havens as they had refused to adopt new rules on financial openness. In addition, 39 jurisdictions have committed to the internationally agreed tax standard (some since 2000), but have not yet substantially implement those standards.
Of Gingerbread Havens and Cannibalised Economies (March 26, 2009)
The corruption perception index ranks Switzerland and the UK among the least corrupt nations in the world. Unfortunately, it does not show that the UK hosts one quarter of the tax havens and that Swiss bank secrecy policy prevents the tracking of laundering money. Developing countries, mainly in Africa, are deemed the worlds most corrupt countries. But the index only examines the 3 to 5 percent of total outflow emanating from the African political elite and fails to monitor the 60 percent of capital outflow that multinational corporations declare as profits in tax havens, instead of declaring this money as profit in the country where they make it. (Thought Leader)
Tax Havens in Spotlight at G20 Meet (March 29, 2009)
The OECD reported that multinational corporations have hidden some 5 to 7 trillion dollars offshore to avoid being taxed by their respective government. In order to discourage corporations from using those financial centers, a leaked French working paper proposed that G20 members punish "uncooperative� countries by breaking off state-to-state tax conventions and by reporting accounts of customers located in tax havens. Concerns remain about the US which promised to endorse the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act, but did not provide any details on key issues. Another ambiguous country is the UK with about a third of the world's tax havens being British dependences. (Inter Press Service)
No Safe Haven for Artful Tax Dodgers (March 18, 2009)
The OECD threat to blacklist tax havens has pushed Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Andorra to review their rules on identity secrecy. Although tax havens are not a direct cause of the financial crisis, they deprive countries from revenues needed of domestic investment and economic stimulus. The OECD estimates that tax havens hold assets between USD$1.7 and USD$11.5 trillion. An Oxfam study reveals that tax evasion also affects developing countries whose citizens hold more than USD$6.2 trillion abroad and whose governments are facing capital evasion amounting to USD$300 billion a year. (Reuters)
Firms Secret Tax Avoidance Schemes Cost UK Billions, (February, 2 2009)
This Guardian articles examines the secrecy surrounding the legal tax avoidance maneuvers of the largest UK companies. Think-tanks have estimated that the Exchequer will lose between £8.5bn and £12bn in taxes for the 2008 fiscal year. The majority of FTSE 100 companies registered their brand in virtually tax-free countries so as to be liable to their tax regulation and pay a little more than 2% of [their] overall profits. The National Audit Office points out that in 2006 more than 60% of Britain's 700 biggest companies paid less than £10m corporation tax, and 30% paid nothing.
Bailed-Out Firms Have Tax Havens, GAO Finds (January 17, 2009)
The Washington Post reports that eighty three of the biggest one hundred corporations in US operate multiple subsidiaries in offshore tax havens that allow them to evade their US tax bills. The Government Accountability Office report lists bail-out beneficiaries such as AIG, Bank of America, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs. Their fiscal operations are legal but unethical, given the economic crisis. The Treasury estimates that offshore tax havens cost the US government at least USD$100 billion annually in lost tax revenue.
Large US Corporations and Federal Contractors with Subsidiaries in Jurisdictions Listed as Tax Havens or Financial Privacy Jurisdictions (December 2008)
In December 2008,the United States Government Accountability Office released a report revealing that many bailed-out firms have tax havens. (GAO)
EU Considers Toughening Offensive on Tax Havens (May 14, 2008)
The EU has decided to extend its tax havens directive which impedes individuals from opening bank accounts abroad to avoid interest taxes to include legal entities. Only Luxemburg disagreed, claiming that it sees "no loopholes in the current rules." But every year, EU countries are loosing billions of euros through tax evasion. It took fourteen years of negotiations to implement the current rules and some fear that making amendments will also be a slow process. (International Herald Tribune)
Tax Havens of the World (March 4, 2008)
This article provides a list of countries labeled as tax havens by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), taxresearch.org and the US Stop Tax Havens Abuse Act. The OECD marked Andorra, Liechtenstein and Monaco as ncooperative because they lack tax transparency. Many of the off-shore tax havens are small countries and dependent territories of the UK, the US, New Zealand and the Netherlands. (Reuters)
Europe vs the Super-Rich (March 4, 2008)
The European Union wants to tackle tax havens by strengthening the 2005 savings tax directive. Skeptics say closing down these tax havens will not stop tax evaders from placing their money outside of Europe. Some estimate that tax havens around the world hold between $7 and $12 trillion. If this money was taxed, it would yield enough revenue to pay for many of the UN's Millennium Development Goals,the author states. Tax havens are the ideal means for criminals to launder money obtained by illegal practices such as drug trade and terrorism. (Independent)
A Journey From Haven to Hell (March 2, 2008)
Liechtenstein, one of Europe's most secretive tax havens, shelters £ 130b of other people's money. Heinrich Kiebel, employee of lucrative private bank LGT, sold to the German Authorities a CD-ROM containing the names of over 1,250 clients. European states are trying to crack down on tax havens such as Liechtenstein, where tax evasion is not a crime but merely an administrative issue. (Observer)
Jersey Presses the Self-Destruct Button (October-December, 2007)
In the 1970s and 80s, politicians in the island of Jersey turned the British Chanel territory into a center for offshore financial services. The financial services industry created impressive economic growth for the last three decades. But the dark sides of this growth are now starting to show. Locals live in poverty and tourism is decreasing. (Tax Justice Network)
A Hedge Haven Makes Its Rules Even Lighter (September 29, 2007)
The island of Jersey, located in the English Channel, has long been an offshore hedge fund haven, with funds totaling US$ 81 billion. But from January 2008 officials will introduce a "zero-regulation regime" on the island, removing all restrictions on financial transactions. According to the director at Jersey Finance, a legislative institution, demands from the hedge fund community directly resulted in the new deregulation. Offshore havens, which reached a total of US $1.17 trillion in July 2006, could see competition for deregulation result in widespread fraud, financial crises and monopolies. (The Wall Street Journal)
World Bank to Study Offshore (September 12, 2007)
Responding to pressure from the Norwegian government, the World Bank has agreed to publish a report on offshore financial centers as part of the Bank's anti-corruption work. Preceding the World Bank decision, the Tax Justice Network and other NGOs had actively campaigned Norway and other members of the "Leading Group on Solidarity Levies to Fund Development" to address the problem of tax evasion and offshore centers. The NGOs pointed out that every year, countries loose "hundreds of billions of dollars" through tax evasion and rich countries bear "at least as much [of] the responsibility" as poor countries do.
Offshore Tax Evasion (June 20, 2007)
The Bank of International Settlements, the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimate that a total of US$5-7 trillion is held offshore. This Globalist article warns of the threat that tax evasion has on sovereign governments and argues that offshore tax evasion has broader implications to the lost profits of the tax evaded.
Corporate Profits Take An Offshore Vacation (February 23, 2007)
This Inter Press Service article highlights the increasingly common practice by high technology and pharmaceutical industries of registering patents and licenses in tax havens to avoid paying high taxes while conducting the majority of their operations in other countries. The author states that countries are beginning to pursue corporations that engage in these practices, but governments such as the US have failed to adopt "tough measures to combat such royalty-shifting."
Closing the Floodgates (January 2007)
Tax Justice Network reviews the scale and extent of the problem of tax havens. This report assesses the damage caused by lost taxation revenues and criticizes governments for not taking appropriate steps to prevent such abuse. The report concludes that the amount diverted would be sufficient to finance the UN Millennium Development Goals.
Haemorrhaging Money (2007)
This Christian Aid report examines the scale, nature and problems of illicit capital flows. Capital flight reduce the funds available for health and other public services in several countries. Further, tax havens and tax evasions erode the rule of law and encourage corruption. The report estimates that every year international investors move US$500 billion from developing countries. In comparison, global aid flows amount to roughly US$100 billion per year.
How Tax Shelters Brought Trouble to Billionaire Clan (July 31, 2006)
This Wall Street Journal article calls attention to offshore tax-dodging US citizens. The article discusses the case of the Wyly brothers, who have parked large sums in trusts on the Isle of Man, a British tax haven in the English Channel. Lawmakers and US prosecutors see the base as an example of how rich individuals evade taxes and break securities laws through the use of offshore shell companies and compliant "trustees."
Swiss Fight against Tax Cheats Aids Singapore's Banking Quest (February 6, 2006)
The borderless world of international banking has facilitated Singapore's rise as an offshore tax haven for the world's rich. In response to pressure from the European Union, Switzerland, a longtime center of offshore assets, has agreed to stiffen laws against tax evasion. As a result, many banks have relocated their operations to Singapore, which has passed laws to strengthen account secrecy and attract foreign depositors, enabling the world's richest citizens to continue evading taxes. (The Wall Street Journal)
The Shirts Off Their Backs (September 2005)
Tax revenue is an important source of government funding for basic services like health and education. Yet competition over foreign investment, trade liberalization, and the establishment of off-shore tax havens have eroded the ability of states to perform these functions, contributing to their impoverishment and weakness. Along with aid and debt cancellation, Christian Aid argues, better tax strategies provide an effective way of alleviating poverty.
Bringing Business Back Ashore (April 4, 2005)
The Inspector General of Justice for Buenos Aires has banned offshore shell companies from doing business in Argentina's capital, in "a step that is the first of its kind, anywhere in the world." Shell companies, sometimes called "International Business Companies" or "mailbox" companies, conduct their business from the safety of tax havens where their beneficiaries can remain anonymous. In a country with a "huge history of tax evasion," the Buenos Aires ban helps prevent tax fraud and money laundering by not allowing owners of assets to hide their true identities by going offshore. (CorpWatch)
The Price of Offshore (March 2005)
Research by the Tax Justice Network suggests that "approximately US$11.5 trillion" in assets are held offshore by "high net-worth individuals." Furthermore, the taxes not paid as a result of these funds being held offshore "might exceed US$255 billion each year."
Corporate Influence
Global Policy Watch
UN Finance
World Food & Hunger
The Dark Side of Natural Resources
Global Taxes
Humanitarian Intervention?
Private Military and Security Companies
Iraq Conflict
NGO Working Group on UN-NGO Relations
Nations & States
More from GPF
FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Global Policy Forum205 E 42nd St. | 20th Floor | New York, NY 10017 | USAgpf[ät]globalpolicy.org
Copyright © 2005 - 2021 Global Policy Forum. Designed by JoomlArt.com


text:
SPC11: Rob Koplowitz Presents 'The Forrester Survey: Best Practices in SharePoint 2010 Adoption and Migration'
by John Anderson | Oct 5, 2011 | SharePoint 2010
Tuesday afternoon at the SPC, Rob Koplowitz, Vice President and Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, presented a session discussing the results of the Global SharePoint Usage Online Survey which was conducted in July. Invited to participate in the survey were Forrester clients, participants in previous SharePoint workshops, and Twitter users. Rob explained that Forrester had hoped for 100 respondents, but they shut it off just two days later, with over 500 respondents having already participated.
Rob said at the outset that "Success with SharePoint 2010 can be like defining the line between control and chaos but, ultimately, it's about functional need and organizational readiness." Getting straight to the survey data without further delay, Rob explained that SharePoint 2010 is gaining rapid adoption. While 65% of respondents were still using MOSS 2007, at 57%, over half were already on 2010. The option for application development was a big driver for respondents' speedy deployment of 2010, as was the strong desire to move in the direction of social that 2010 represents.
Survey findings revealed that SharePoint is popular across all company sizes. At 19%, the highest user base among respondents was companies between 1,000-4,999 employees, while 10% of respondents represented companies between 100-499 employees. At the extremes, 16% were companies with more than 100,000 employees, while 6% were companies with fewer than 100 employees.
Rob demonstrated that the "industry spread is also fairly even," with the surprise being that there were a number of industries very well represented which hadn't been anticipated. Among the industries represented by respondents were: financial services (21%), retail and wholesale (6%), government (9%), technology and telecom (19%), healthcare/pharmaceuticals (8%), and travel and tourism (2%).
Based on the survey results, the first best practice recommendation Rob shared was to "start with high value, low risk workloads." The survey revealed that not only were the benefits of collaboration, content management, and sites (portals and intranets) on SharePoint found to be the most useful to respondents, but they also provided the most satisfaction. As well, Rob stated that organizations "can roll these out with a great degree of confidence that it's going to work, and work as advertised."
Addressing the area of deployment pace and obstacles encountered, 41% of respondents said their deployment went slower than expected. Among that group, as expected, technical issues represented the largest percentage (at 59%) identified as being a barrier, and additional high-scoring results included: lack of governance slowed us (41%), functional issues with the product (36%), we can't find the skills/talent we need (28%), our users adopted more slowly (28%), and funding issues slowed us (25%).
Encouraging news for ISVs such as Bamboo, when asked, "Are you augmenting with third-party products?," while 43% of respondents said "no," over half (at 57%) of respondents said "yes." Furthermore, when asked if they had planned to use third-party products from the outset, 44% replied "yes." When asked how they were using third-party products, the highest percentage (at 8%) said they were using Nintex for workflow, and the next-highest placed company on the list was Bamboo with 6% of respondents identifying our Web Parts as being a part of their deployment. The next range of third-party provider usage that was shared was represented by four companies, including AvePoint, NewsGator, Axceler, and K2, all of whom were acknowledged as being used by 4% of respondents.
When asked if SharePoint was meeting IT's expectations, 79% of respondents said "yes," and 21% said "no." When asked if SharePoint was meeting business management's expectations, the numbers were very close to those of IT, with 27% saying "no," and 73% saying "yes." Rob noted that this represented a "very high level of satisfaction for both IT and business."
What about Office 365 and the cloud? 81% of respondents have SharePoint currently deployed on-premises, with 4% on BPOS, 3% on BPOS-D. A hybrid deployment of on-prem and cloud, or using hosting providers other than Microsoft representing the balance of respondents.
Rob said that "Only 17% said it was never a consideration" to deploy in the cloud. Of those respondents, 26% responded thusly due to requirements for security, privacy, compliance, or intellectual capital that precluded the option for them. Further questioning indicated, however, that most of the responding organizations that had responded in that manner were "simply incapable of assessing the viability of the cloud to meet those concerns."
Of the cloud experience, 28% of respondents said that their deployment to SharePoint Online was positive, and 13% said that it was harder than expected. Rob noted that the cloud and Office 365 is expected to become a "wholly more viable option with the next version of SharePoint."
In conclusion, Rob shared the Forrester-recommended best practices, or "your game plan to engage, innovate, and accelerate" as including the following:
In the short-term:
Assess SharePoint from a functional perspective;
Determine functional overlap with existing systems;
Develop a road map to deploy functionality based on need, risk, and readiness; and
Determine organizational readiness.
And in the longer term:
Deploy initial workloads and monitor;
Drive adoption, drive adoption, drive adoption; and
Expand to new workloads that may be riskier but offer significant new value.
Read our complete coverage of Microsoft SharePoint Conference 2011.
Greetings from Anaheim & SharePoint Conference 2011!
SPC 2011, Bamboo, and the Promise of Instant SharePoint Gratification
Jared Spataro Hosts the SPC 2011 Keynote on 'Productivity Delivered' … and Announces SPC 2012
SPC11 Keynote: Jeff Teper on the 3 Guiding Principles Shaping SharePoint
SPC11 Keynote: Kurt DelBene on the Future of Productivity & the Value of the Cloud
Bamboo Customer Appreciation Party: We've Come a Long Way
'Clearing Away the Clouds: What's Hype and What's Real in Cloud Adoption,' Presented by Gartner's Jeffrey Mann
Paul Javid & Dave Pae on 'SharePoint 2010: Improving Productivity with Social'
When Should You Consider an Add-On or Third Party Solution for SharePoint?
'More Than My: How Microsoft is Driving Social Adoption and Intranet Transformation' with Internal Enhancements to OOTB SharePoint Social Features
Rob Koplowitz Presents 'The Forrester Survey: Best Practices in SharePoint 2010 Adoption and Migration'
Day 2 Report from the Bamboo Booth
Community Central for SharePoint 2010 Receives Overwhelmingly Positive Response
SharePoint 2010 Solutions for the Public Sector
'Avanade: Unleashing Competitive Advantage through the use of Social Media and Collective Organizational Intelligence' in SharePoint
'We're Going Two-way, Baby!' How Vancity Took its Intranet from Static to Social with SharePoint 2010
A View from the Bamboo 'Complaint Department'
Out of the Sandbox and into the Cloud


John Pugh's workday starts when everyone else goes to sleep. The internationally recognized mural artist prefers to paint at night when, as he says, the creative juices run freely. "You start getting into the flow more," Pugh said. "And when I get into the flow, I want to take advantage of that." Perched on scaffolding in his Glenshire studio, a soundtrack of ambient or classical music filling the room, Pugh often paints the night away, stopping only when the first blush of pink dawn hits the morning sky.
Splitting his time between his two studios in Glenshire and the Santa Cruz Mountains, Pugh has painted murals for communities around the globe. His masterpieces can be found on walls, street corners, and water towers across California and beyond, from Honolulu to Alaska to New Zealand. Lately, however, Pugh has been working on his first project for the community of Truckee: A mural depicting the Virgin Mary rising to heaven that will stand behind the altar of the new Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church on Alder Drive.
"[This mural] will make our church stand out as a beautiful, sacred place," said Father Matt Blank, who heads the Assumption church. "When you walk into the church your eyes will be drawn towards this huge painting. [The Assumption of the Virgin Mary] is our namesake, the event of our namesake."
Measuring 15 feet high and 23 feet wide, Pugh's "Assumption of the Virgin Mary" is reminiscent of the religious works painted in Italian churches. Unfinished at this point, a red-cloaked Virgin Mary sits in the clouds, surrounded by chubby-cheeked cherubs, a sublime gaze on her face as she looks up to the heavens.
"The look on her face will be one of confidence and joy," Pugh said, "looking forward to being reunited with her son."
Where Pugh's piece will differ from the works of the Renaissance masters, however, lies in the message. For every mural he paints, Pugh weaves in cultural and historical elements to tell a story about that community. Expect to see Latino cherubs in the clouds next to the Virgin Mary, a detail to symbolize the diverse population in the Assumption church.
On why the Assumption church commissioned Pugh rather than a company that specializes in sacred art: "Maybe it's a little more of a risk," Father Blank said. "But it's worth it, because we may end up with something even more fantastic."
Pugh's work often dabbles in themes of spirituality and religion. But his "Assumption of the Virgin Mary" stands apart from most of his other work. While still bold in color and lifelike in detail, the Assumption is not considered a trompe l'oeil, French for "trick of the eye," a style of painting intended to fool the viewer. Pugh is known for his trompe l'oeil murals, which make up most, if not all, of his portfolio. A building at Chico State rips itself apart from the inside out, revealing a series of Greco-Roman columns; a wall inside a Victorville, Calif., library depicting a traditional Western scene peels away to reveal ancient petroglyphs of the Mojave and Chemeheuvi tribes; a massive tsunami curls out from a building in Hawaii. His murals make viewers stop in their tracks and take a second look.
"Trompe l'oeil is a language for public art," Pugh said. "It's something that has a universal appeal. Everyone likes being tricked."
In the book, "The Murals of John Pugh: Beyond Trompe L'Oeil," author Kevin Bruce argues that Pugh takes illusion a step further. "[Pugh's murals] are not merely ornamental or curiously clever," Bruce writes. "They are thought-provoking, substantial, and sometimes even philosophical or spiritual." It's true. Pugh's murals are not just illusions; they hold layers of meaning and powerful concepts that speak to the viewer and create a sense of place for that community. This aspect of storytelling is, by far, Pugh's favorite aspect of mural art.
"It's really getting into the backdoor of a culture and explaining it to people," he said. "What is the root? What is the seed that makes that place what it is?"
Pugh's murals not only speak to a place, they have also ignited discussion and debate. One of Pugh's most controversial murals is located in Bishop. The mural depicts a rusty pipe with the letters LADWP, for the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, sucking the paint out of a lush, Shangri-La scene. The piece of public art reignited discussions about the water wars between Los Angeles and the Owens Valley and received attention from media outlets across the nation including the New York Times and Los Angeles Times.
Mural art can be traced back to ancient times, before Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel, before the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, all the way to the symbols painted on cave walls. Today, murals are one of the most public forms of art. Rather than displayed on gallery walls for an exclusive audience, murals sit on the street and become a part of daily life.
"Working life size like that, out in the community, can make a difference," Pugh said. "Everyone from the homeless person to the mayor can enjoy it."
Back in his studio on the quiet Glenshire backroads, Pugh acknowledged the weight of being such a public artist. "It makes me feel very responsible," he said. "There is power behind that."
Pugh then turned back towards the uncompleted "Assumption of the Virgin Mary" and continued to push his brush in sharp, consistent motions, creating an ethereal effect on a group of soft clouds. Anne Le Mottais, a student from the Sorbonne and apprentice, painted quietly next to Pugh, as did his fiancé, Annie Canfield. Pugh relies on the support of apprentices and other artists to see his murals come to reality, and he's currently looking for more local artists to help him with his work.
The Assumption is one of several murals in Pugh's studio. Adjacent sits a piece featuring a quiet stream flowing next to a gigantic tree of life that was commissioned by a funeral home. Another in-progress mural for a Sacramento water tower — gnarled trees jutting out of a jagged hole — sits across the studio. The murals are painted in the studio and then taken to location, where Pugh attaches them to their final home. Pugh said he has painted some 250 murals throughout his career, and he's constantly commissioned for more projects. In between interviews for this article, Pugh landed another gig to paint a mural for Universal Studios in Japan.
After spending hours, days, weeks, and months on these life-size pieces of art, it's easy to see how Pugh develops a relationship with each of his paintings. Once a mural is completed and left for the world to enjoy, Pugh said he has to move on, almost like breaking up with the piece of art. He can't look at it for a while. He needs space. But then he'll delve into the next project, and that's where Pugh thrives.
"It's the process that's important to me," he said. From thinking of the initial concept and design, often in the shower, to walking away from the final project on the street, and everything in between: "When it's active — that's my favorite part."


Now it's on to the Woman Crush Monday #WCW! Today all of the women are hot famous directors who have made a name for themselves in the world. So crush away.
Vashtie Kola is also known as Va$htie. Not only is she a director, but she is also a filmmaker, designer, artist, and DJ. She's got it all going on! She is a beautiful black lady with a light brown complexion that goes extremely well with her different hair styles.
Next up is Audrey Cooke. This beautiful blonde bombshell changes her looks regularly and can also be seen sporting darker hair. Back in 1998 she had an affair with one of the hottest men on the planet, Hugh Laurie. If that doesn't tell you how crushable she is, then nothing can!
Below is the complete A-List of The Top 50 Hottest Female Film Directors for this Woman Crush Wednesday.
American actress of film and theatre, and director of several television series and made-for-TV movies.


text:
Soviet Intelligence
Home News Russia
Sanctions on Putin Would be Step Too Far, Kremlin Warns U.S.
by Soviet Journalist
The United States' plans to levy sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin would be an "extreme" step that would signify a complete breakdown in ties between the two countries, the Kremlin said Thursday.
U.S. senators, with support from the White House, unveiled a package of hard-hitting sanctions Wednesday evening intended to "devastate" the Russian economy should Moscow invade Ukraine.
U.S. Senators Ready Sanctions if Russia Invades Ukraine
Among the measures would be personal sanctions against Putin, as well as several other top officials including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Sanctioning a head of state and other leading officials would be a rare move, as the U.S. has previously restricted its sanctions packages to lower-level officials.
"Introducing sanctions against the head of the government or the head of Russia is an extreme measure which is comparable to a breakdown in relations," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a briefing, according to the state-run TASS news agency.
"What is Russia ready to do? Russia is always ready and will always do what is in the best interests of our country," he added.
Under the draft legislation, the U.S. government would also be required to investigate and publish a report into the personal wealth and assets of Putin, his family members and any other people the U.S. believes to hold assets on his behalf.
NATO-Russia Council — What Was Discussed
Due to the U.S.' leading role in the world economy, personal sanctions effectively prohibit individuals from traveling to or from accessing property and bank accounts held in most Western countries.
Talks between Moscow, Washington and NATO in Europe this week have so far failed to move the sides closer to a resolution of what Moscow has called "large and fundamental differences."
Moscow wants legal guarantees that NATO will never admit Ukraine as a member and has called for troop deployments across the alliance to be rolled back to 1997 positions, before the bloc expanded into eastern Europe.
The U.S. has branded the proposals a "non-starter," and high-level talks in Geneva and Brussels this week have not managed to bring the sides closer together.
Peskov on Thursday rejected NATO's calls for Russia to de-escalate the situation by pulling back the estimated 100,000 troops that have been deployed close to the Ukrainian border.
"It's hardly possible that NATO can dictate to Russia where it should move troops on its own territory," he said.
Tags: KremlinPutinSanctionsunited states
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi hailed bilateral ties during a meeting in Moscow Wednesday, as...
High-stakes talks between Russia and the West have so far failed to de-escalate a tense standoff between the sides, with...
Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has urged Western governments to ignore Russian President Vladimir Putin's security demands instead of "falling...
As the Dust Settles on Kazakhstan's Unrest, Reports of Torture and Violence Surface
ALMATY, Kazakhstan — When anti-government protests erupted across Kazakhstan, seasoned activist Kulbarshin Erezhepova didn't think twice about heading to the...
Blinken in Kyiv Urges Putin to Choose 'Peaceful Path' on Ukraine
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to choose the "peaceful path" on Ukraine,...
Russia-Led Peacekeeping Force Completes Pullout From Unrest-Hit Kazakhstan
A Russian-led regional military bloc has completed its withdrawal from Kazakhstan following violent unrest that rocked the ex-Soviet nation this...
HMONG TV: 12/16/2021 SOVIET UNION – RUSIA KEEB KWM Soviet Union
Russian military convoy in Syria Was Attacked!
Belarusian cargo plane crashes in Siberia, everyone on board confirmed dead
© 2021 Soviet Intelligence - Developed by Sawah Web.


text:
Blake Shelton walks through a dirt road memory in this new video
Dan + Shay are making some of the best videos in country music today
Dan + Shay's video for "Tequila" tells a love story between a woman and a deaf man playing out in a snowy, mountain town. Watch the beautiful clip now.
Hunter Kelly, March 2, 2018 2:52 pm
Scotty McCreery comes clean about rap-heavy dance parties with his buddies
Hunter Kelly, March 22, 2018 3:51 pm
This military vet found hope through music on the Grand Ole Opry stage
Chris Young looks forward to a very special hometown show
YouTube/DanandShay
Dan + Shay have been quietly building up one of the best catalogs of music videos in country music in the past few years. We're thinking especially of that gripping story of alcohol addiction and recovery they told in the video for "How Not To" just last year.
Now, the guys have dropped a beautiful, inventive and dramatic new video for their current single, "Tequila," starring model, defa activist and and 2016 "Dancing With the Stars" winner Nyle DiMarco. There are several times in the clip where you think there's going to be some big tragedy unfolding. At the start of the story, two women are out on a ski trail when they see a guy off by himself out in the snow. At first they think he might be dead, but he turns out to be a local who's just enjoying some downtime.
RELATED: A member of Dan + Shay reveals the surprising role his wife is now playing in their music
He didn't respond to their calls because he is deaf, but you instantly see a spark between the guy and one of the women. They then embark on a love affair fueled by their shared love of tequila. That love affair ends, and the guy eventually drives off on an icy road as he leaves the woman behind. Fortunately, there's no big wreck on the icy roads. They simply split up, but you'll want to keep watching for a surprise once the music ends.
RELATED: A baby gift given in memory of a country star's mom will have you in tears
As for the song, "Tequila" is not a party anthem like you might expect from the title.
Rare Country caught up with Dan + Shay earlier this year to talk about "Tequila," and Dan told us, "When you hear the song, tequila is just the trigger that takes somebody back to a certain relationship or a place that they were in their life. Alcohol. Your senses often do that. It's a smell or a taste, whatever it is, can take you back exactly to a certain place you were in your life. We told that story in this song, and Shay sang the heck out of it."
Shay certainly did sing the heck out of "Tequila," as he does every song Dan + Shay puts out. Seriously, that guy is a monster vocalist.
Congrats on a beautiful single and video, Dan + Shay!
About the author: Hunter	Kelly, Senior Country Correspondent
Hunter Kelly is a senior correspondent for Rare Country. Follow him on Twitter @Hunterkelly.