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United Arab Emirates / Dubai / Dubai Silicon Oasis / GEMS Wellington Academy, Dubai Silicon Oasis
GEMS Wellington Academy, Dubai Silicon Oasis Review
GEMS Wellington Academy, Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) received its seventh KHDA report in 2019, and was rated Very Good for the fourth year in a row. Whilst the initial step up to Very Good came early in the school's career - on its fourth inspection - moving up to the highest KHDA rating of Outstanding is proving a little more difficult. None-the-less, many aspects of Wellington Academy DSO are highly rated by both the regulator and parents alike.
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Fees & Availability
Parents' Rating
School phase
All through
Inspection rating
Curricula taught
GCSE, IB, IB DP, BTEC, UK National Curriculum, EYFS, A Level, IB CP, IGCSE, AS Level
Availability 2021/22
hourglass_empty
Annual fee average
AED 37,296 - 82,511
Price band help
Co-educational
Opening year
Sep to Jul
Accreditation report
https://www.educationdevelopmenttrust.com/EducationDevelopmentTrust/files/31/31e20ed6-b28a-4ec8-9d63-8e0c704e32d6.pdf
Teacher turnover help
Sarah O'Regan
GEMS Education
Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai
Main teacher nationality
Nearby nurseries
Dubai Early Child Development Centre
0.4km	• Specialist SEN curriculum
Kensington Nursery Silicon Oasis
2.6km	• EYFS curriculum
Emirates British Nursery, Dubai Silicon Oasis
Does your child attend this school? Take our survey and help other parents.
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star star star star star_half Parents' rating: 4.1 out of 5 based on 147 reviews
About parents rating
GEMS Wellington Academy, Dubai Silicon Oasis (WSO) is a GEMS Education school. the first of several new schools opened by GEMS in the past 10 years alongside GEMS Wellington Academy Al Khail, GEMS Firstpoint and GEMS International School which followed. GEMS Wellington Academy DSO opened in September 2011 with approximately 1,000 students, and more than doubled in size after that first year to 2,930 students, taking students from ages three to 17. It currently has 3,200 students and teaches to Year 13. It is still one of the largest UK/IB curriculum schools in Dubai and has introduced some of the most innovative access routes to a range of subjects for students in its Sixth Form.
Whilst parents may be concerned about the size of WSO, and may even discount the school on this basis, it is undoubtedly the case that this scale has enabled GEMS to invest in educational pathways on a scale that is matched in very few schools, if any, in the region.
Comments from parents to WhichSchoolAdvisor.com are largely positive, though some concerns were raised about the size of the school, class sizes (28) and fee levels.
The following from June 2021 sum up many of the comments received:
"The school is great in enhancing students' confidence and self esteem. Remote learning was amazing notwithstanding the unprecedented circumstances of the pandemic. Children's happiness and well being is the school's top priority and this we have experienced through the past 3 years. Communication between teachers and parents is strong and teachers are very supportive."
"When we first went in to GEMS WSO, we immediately knew this was the right place for our child. The management have turned a very large school into a community with small, well-cared for houses - this gives it a small school feel and every child is known. Foundation and Primary have been wonderful. The core curriculum and extra curricula activities are engaging and memorable, with wonderful extras like outdoor learning. When the school went online, the children were really well cared for emotionally and their academic studies didn't get negatively affected too much. The teachers produced engaging lessons on zoom and offline. The teachers are amazing, loving, kind and very good at what they do. GEMS WSO has a superb support team from TAs to administration."
Find out more about parent feedback by reading the Buzz.
Unsurprisingly perhaps, given its record for innovative curriculum and delivery options, WSO is one of two schools that announced their intention, in 2018, to introduce A Levels in addition to the IB Diploma and Career-related Programmes, and BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) qualifications which it has offered for several years. Sunmarke School also announced similar intentions.
GEMS Wellington Academy DSO now offers what is known as a 'Fifth Strand' - a combination of A Level, BTEC and International Baccalaureate courses. This highly practical and customised approach provides students with a specialised programme of study that is widely recognised by employers and universities globally. BTEC students take core units that provide a broad foundation and understanding about the sector, and then choose from a range of optional units enabling them to focus on particular interests.
Whilst much of the curriculum focus has been on Secondary students, for the 2021-22 academic year, WSO announced the launch of a new Reggio Emilia nursery on the Silicon Oasis site.
Some 95+ nationalities are represented within the student body, with the largest single demographic noted as students from Arab countries. In total, 4% of the student population is Emirati, and just under 10% of students have been identified with some form of Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND). Provision for Students of Determination is said to be excellent and SEND students feel very well supported.
In April 2021, GEMS announced that the former Principal of GEMS Wellington Primary School (WPS), Sarah O'Regan, would assume the position of Principal of GEMS Wellington Academy DSO - a considerable step up for Ms. O'Regan who has been with GEMS Education for 11 years, but assumed the principalship of the now closed WPS only a year ago.
Introducing herself to the WSO community, Ms. O'Regan notes that "As a founding member of GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis (WSO), I have had the honour of leading WSO through nine KHDA inspections [the school is currently rated Very Good by the Dubai regulator] and two British Schools Overseas (BSO) inspections, which both led to an 'Outstanding' rating". Ms. O' Regan has taught and fulfilled leadership positions at all levels from Primary to Secondary during her career.
There are 329 teachers in total (the majority from the UK) and all are said to have appropriate teaching qualifications. In addition, there are a further 164 teaching assistants. Staff turnover at 16% is well below the average of 20-22% at international schools in the UAE, but still requires nearly 1 in 6 staff to be replaced - a significant number, given the overall number of teachers employed by the school.
The staff:student ratio of 1:12 is around what would be expected in a premium school and should ensure adequate individual attention. Most outcomes for students in the Foundation Stage, Primary or Secondary school are either Very Good or Outstanding, with the Sixth Form have regained its Outstanding and Very Good ratings for English and Maths respectively, following a drop back in 2017-18. Students' learning skills also very good in general, and outstanding in Foundation Stage and the Sixth Form.
What about the curriculum?
Wellington Academy DSO follows the National Curriculum for England from Foundation Stage to Year 11. Students in Key Stage 4 follow GCSE, IGCSE and BTEC examination pathways. Students in Key Stage 4 follow IGCSE and GCSE Examination Courses and students in the Sixth Form prepare for either the IB Diploma or the IB Career-related Programmes or alternatively the UK-based BTEC and, as of the 2019-20 academic year, A Levels.
The Academy says that it offers the widest range Post-16 pathways within the GCC, delivered through a combination of traditional face to face classes and blended learning options, combining the best of academic and digitally-enhanced learning. The addition of A Levels means that students will have four different pathways to choose post-16.
In the school's introduction, its states that "Innovation is central to our approach to education. We pride ourselves on offering a fully blended approach to learning and gaining the right balance between social interaction and use of technology which deepens and extends learning. At WSO, our key objective is to equip students for the 21st Century and enable them develop a skill-set to succeed in an uncertain future. We provide an education that meets our students' future needs, and not those of the past, and to make their learning experiences both inspiring and relevant. We use technology to move beyond the classroom, develop new e-skills, and promote a range of collaborative technologies.."
WSO offers both the IB Diploma Programme, regarded by many as the Gold Standard for university due to its broad and in-depth curriculum, together with the IB Career-related Programme.
IB Subject options which form the basis of both the Diploma and Career-related Programme) include:
English Language and Literature, French, Spanish, German, Arabic, French ab initio, Spanish ab initio, German ab initio, Italian ab initio, Business management, Economics, Geography, History, Psychology, ITGS, Biology, Chemistry, Computer science, Design technology, Environmental Systems and Society, Physics, Sports and Exercise Science, Maths: Analysis and Approaches, Maths: Applications and Interpretations, Biology, Business Management, Chemistry, Economics, Film, Music, Physics, Psychology, Theatre and Visual Arts.
Are you a parent, teacher or student at GEMS Wellington Academy, Dubai Silicon Oasis?
The IBCP (International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme) is based on extensive Level 3 BTEC options including: Applied Science, Business, Creative Media, Performing Arts, Music Production, Sports Coaching & Development and Travel & Tourism. The Core programme includes an introduction to a second language, an ethical study related to students' chosen career pathway, and service-led learning.
All IB courses are delivered through the Blended Learning approach – which, the school says, mirrors how most universities also now deliver their courses. Students on blended courses, whilst learning on-line in virtual environments, also have an Academic Tutor to guide and support them on a daily basis.
The school's now established digital "blended" IB Diploma (IBDP) is run in association with Pamoja Education a leader in the field. Blended, on-line learning is not for all children and requires self-discipline (but it lowers the costs of entry for the outstanding breadth of subject provision).
The blended courses are taught by experienced IB teachers and examiners through a mixture of synchronous (live) and asynchronous sessions (meaning students do not need to be in the digital class at a particular time) with all materials and resources available on the learning platform. Students interact with classmates in real time and have questions answered directly by their Digital teacher. The key advantage of this arrangement is that the Academy can offer a wide range of subject options, without having to directly source staff based at the school.
A Level students at WSO study four subjects, three at A-level and one at AS-level (sitting an AS-level exam at the end of Year 12). In addition to this, students may complete the EPQ (Extended Project) Qualification and participate in some service-learning to enrich their CVs and university applications. The EPQ is similar to the IBDP extended essay, which is part of the IB Core programme.
A Level options include:
English Literature, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Business, Computer science, Design technology, Economics, Further maths, History, Media, Photography, Psychology, Spanish and French.
A BTEC National qualification is a qualification focused largely on Business and Technology and can lead to employment, continuing study, or professional development programmes. It is a flexible qualification, and can be taken alongside A levels and IBDP subjects. WSO is now able to offer students a combination of options which include BTEC Performing Arts, IBDP Visual Arts and IBDP English; BTEC Sports with A-level Business; or BTEC Media with A-level Photography and IBDP Visual Arts.
BTECs are divided into units, which cover specific areas of knowledge, skills, and understanding required by the particular sector or industry. BTEC students take core units, which provide a broad foundation and understanding about the sector, and then choose from a range of optional units which enable the student to focus on particular interests.
In addition to the academic focus of the school, WSO claims to offer over 90 Extra- Curricular Activities where students can participate with both recreational and competitive objectives, including; Rugby, Basketball, Athletics, Science, Maths, Book Club, Choir, Strategy Games, Arabic, Debating, Cricket, Ball Skills and Band. Fixtures are played in a number of sports between other schools in Dubai. The school currently has inter-school squads in Football, Rugby, Netball, Swimming and Athletics.
WSO has gained a strong reputation for its Sports Academy, which aims to identify the UAE's most able athletes, and welcomes student athletes from around the world to study and professionally train at WSO, as well as having the opportunity to receive sports scholarships (mainly in the US). In addition, Wellington DSO sports squads are said to excel in identifying and developing talent and include a number of students who perform at both national and international level.
In addition to Sports provision for students across the school and of all abilities, GEMS Wellington Academy DSO has recently been recognised by Special Olympics UAE as the first 'Unified Champion School' in the UAE. The 'Unified Champion Schools Programme' was launched by Special Olympics UAE in 2019, and was designed to make sports and youth leadership in public and private schools more inclusive for all students. The programme aims to integrate students with intellectual and learning difficulties with their peers and other students in an inclusive, supportive school environment where all can thrive.
Performing Arts provision offers extended opportunities through the curriculum and Enrichment Programme. The Elite Performing Arts Academy aims to recognise and nurture exceptional talent from the earliest stages and supports students with elocution, drama and speech training through LAMDA.
The GEMS Music Academy is also based at the school, offering tuition for students from across the GEMS network. The Academy regularly offers musical theatre performances to concert recitals, musical instrument lessons, dance shows and plays.
Time will tell, but perhaps most significantly of all in this regard, WSO was the first GEMS Education school to announce a partnership with the UK's ArtsEd, a 100 year old London-based charity for the Performing Arts, currently under the leadership of Sir Andrew Lloyd-Weber. According to GEMS, ArtsEd supports WSO's "already enriched" Performing Arts curriculum through the delivery of "specific programmes" and "additional opportunities" that will enrich the curriculum accessed by all students.
What about the academic achievement?
Until recently, most GEMS schools had stopped publishing their individual exam results - something we at WhichSchoolAdvisor.com strongly regretted, since we feel that schools should be open about the results they are delivering.
In the past three academic years, there seems to have been something of a change of heart - and one which we very much welcome. The results are somewhat lacking in comparative data, and there is no information about the number of students who took the examinations, but there is a positive first step towards enabling parents and potential students to see the Academy's overall results .
2020 and 2021 results for i/GCSE and IB are based on assessed results due to the cancellation of examinations as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic.
In July 2021, WSO announced its IB Diploma results. With a student cohort of 88, and an pass rate of 97.7%, the average points score was 33.8. This compares to the UAE overall average score of 35.89 and a global average score of 32.99. The school did not break down the awards across the various point scales of 30+, 35+ and 40+. Although, the 2021 average is above that 2020, when the average was 32, and that of 2019, when it was 30, it should be borne in mind that Centre Assessed Grades (awarded by the teachers of the school), played a stronger role in the 2021 results.
There is general evidence of grade inflation - the global IB average score was raised from 31.34 in 2020 to 32.99 points in 2021, a further significant leap from the figure of 29.62 in 2019, when students took the IB examinations - we would anticipate that there will be a correction in 2022 when students are expected to sit exams in the usual way. This appears to be more marked in the UAE, where the average has grown from 2019, when it was 32.26, and 2020 when it was 34.41, to 35.89 in 2021.
In 2021, the Academy also published its I/GCSE results - which were, for the second year, based on Centre Assessed Grades (predictions from teachers). A cohort of 167 students were entered for a total of 1,340 examinations. Of these entries, 38.6% were awarded A*, 57.2% were awarded A*-A, 86.9% achieved A*-B and 95.7% A*-C.
For 2020 IB results:
The overall IB pass rate was 94% - this is 7% percent higher than last year's results;
The average IB point score was 32, a 2 point growth on previous results;
22% of Year 13 students scored more than 35 points.
WSO announced that for 2020 i/GCSE results:
5% of all grades awarded were 9-7 (A*-A) with 89% of all grades awarded Grade 5 (A*-C+) or above. (*note - Grade 5 is defined by the UK exam regulators as a high C grade; Grade 6 is directly comparable with a Grade B).
45% of students achieved 5 or more GCSEs at Grades 9-7 (A*-A) and 93% of them achieved 5 or more GCSE at grades 9-4 (including English and Mathematics).
100% of all entries for Triple Science were graded 7 or above
100% of Dance grades were graded 7 or above
51% of all results within English and Mathematics were at grades 9-7
100% of students achieved a 6 (B) or above in World Literature and Music.
No results for GCSE or IB were posted on the school's website for 2019, but based on Facebook posts, we know that:
91% of students passed the IB Diploma; an improvement on last year's rate of 89% (after re-marks; the original was 87%).
The average point score for the IB Diploma was 30 points. The global score was 29.6 which would be rounded up to 30 points.
Almost a quarter (24%) of students achieved 35+ points with the top score of 43 points being achieved by two students in the cohort.
The i/GCSE results for 2018 were:
96% of students gained five or more GCSEs with A*-C grades (9-4 grades)
37% of all entries were A* or A grades (9-7 grades)
9% of students gained A* or A grades (9-7 grades) in all subjects
We feel that it is a real shame that the school has not provided more information and direct comparisons, although on the face of it, the percentage of students achieving all A*- A (9-7) grades, and the percentage of students gaining 5 or more GCSEs at A*-C have improved. The KHDA report for 2018-19 does note that GCSE results for Maths and Science are Outstanding - what a pity that the school has not shared them widely.
In 2018, there was no breakdown between the IBDP and the IBCP, although based on the average world pass rate provided, these would appear to be for the Diploma:
87% of students passed the IB Diploma; this is 8 percent higher than the international pass rate, which is 79%.
The average point score for the IB Diploma was 30.5, whilst the international average point score is 29.8;
WSO published the 2017 GCSE/iGCSE results which were as follows:
35% of student entries obtained were A*/A or 7-9 grades
5% of our students gained straight A*/A or 7-9 grades in all subjects
90% of our students gained 5 A*/C or 4 to 9 pass grades
96% of all students achieved A*-C in English
95% of all students achieved the 4-9 pass grade in Maths
There is still less information in regard to the IB Results with no mention of individual student achievement or details of higher level results. The following are the IB results from 2017:
93% of students passed the IB Diploma
93% of students passed the IB Career Related Programme
The average points score for the Diploma was 30. (This is the world average).
More detailed information, particularly about the size of the cohort year on year, would make it easier to put students' achievements into context.
What about Facilities?
Facilities at Wellington DSO are pretty impressive, as you would probably expect of large purpose built facilities by GEMS. These include:
Good sized teaching areas with Interactive Whiteboards in every classroom
Science Labs and an ICT Suite
Visual Arts Suite including Art Rooms and Viewing Gallery
Performing Arts Suite, including Music Practice Rooms, Dance Studio & Drama Studio
a Media Suite, including Editing Rooms, Recording Studio & Mac Suite;
a 25m 6 lane metre pool, with diving platforms and a learner pool
Full Sized Sports Field (Astroturf)
Large multi-purpose indoor sports hall, with retractable auditorium seating and staging for large Academy events
Outdoor multi-purpose courts
a Junior Sports Hall
Indoor Foundation Stage Play Area
Outdoor Foundation Stage Play Area
a Parent's Cafe
a Student Cafeteria
GEMS in general does not disappoint in terms of the facilities it provides to its students, and it has not wasted the opportunity in the development of the purpose-built school to invest in future proofing its WSO offering. In fact, since opening, the school has already expanded significantly, with a second site opposite the original building, and a separate Foundation Stage building to the rear of it.
What the Inspectors Say 2019-20
In line with the KHDA's announcement in September 2019, as a school rated either Very Good or Outstanding, WSO will no longer be required to submit to a full annual inspection by the DSIB inspection team. Instead it will participate in a one day review visit, for which no new report will be issued unless there is a change in overall rating. Thus the 2018-19 report remains the most recent one.
Following its achievement, for the fourth time, of a Very Good rating, the latest KHDA inspection report describes the best features of GEMS Wellington Academy DSO as follows:
Excellent provision in the FS enables children to develop rapidly from their starting points to reach high levels of achievement;
Students' very good and outstanding academic and personal development ensure that they are very well prepared for their next stages in education;
The rich curriculum provides all students with an excellent range of achievement opportunities;
Leaders have successfully established a learning culture that promotes effective collaboration as well as individual development;
Leaders at all levels are effectively sustaining the high standards of performance and have the capacity and ambition to improve the school further.
Overall, this is a school that should be on the cusp of Outstanding, and whilst last year's report showed some slippage in relation to Students' Achievement, the latest report indicates that attainment and progress in English and Maths in the Secondary and post-16 sections have regained their Outstanding and Very Good ratings respectively.
There is without doubt more to be done; notably in the Primary, Secondary and post-16 sections in relation to Maths and Science (all largely rated Very Good), whilst the FS section is rated Outstanding across all three core subjects. Arabic and Islamic Education are largely rated Acceptable with only three of the 16 performance ratings achieving Good. This, again, will need to be a focus for the school, especially in relation to Arabic as a first language and Islamic education, given that the largest proportion of students at WSO is of Arabic extraction.
Where the school is exceptionally strong is in the key performance area of Students' Personal and Social Development and their innovation skills. Every measure is rated Outstanding across the school. The design and implementation of the curriculum, and its adaptation to meet the needs of individual students or groups was also again rated Outstanding across the school.
The protection, care, guidance and support of students also achieves Outstanding ratings across the board, with support for students of Determination also rated Outstanding, one of handful of schools to have achieved this.
Where the school falls down - or rather, needs to improve further - is with regard to Teaching and Assessment. Whilst this is rated Outstanding in the FS section, it is rated 'only' Very Good across the rest of the school. This appears to be driven by weaker performances in some subjects, and no doubt the school will address the areas identified - notably in Maths and Islamic Education which were picked out by the inspection team. Assessment was also found to be inconsistent in Arabic and Islamic Education. The use of both internal and external data to guide teaching and curriculum delivery has been a key focus of the KHDA as part of the UAE National Agenda.
This is a school driven by strong leadership with the inspection team noting that "Leaders at all levels continue to sustain and improve high levels of school performance...Parents are enabled to be active partners in their children's learning."
A year ago, it seemed that with the change of personnel at the top, some teething problems had occurred further down the management chain. These changes have not impacted the strong relationships between the school, parents and the community. Even with almost 4,000 students, there is a community feel and focus on an inclusive and innovative ethos.
In terms of Leadership and Management, whilst 3 of 5 key indicators remained rated at Outstanding, the measures for the Effectiveness of Leadership and School self-evaluation and improvement planning have remained at the lower rating from last year of Very Good. This is certain to have been a disappointment to the leadership team and seems to result from ongoing changes among leaders as a result of the staff changes from a year ago. Improvement planning also requires more measurable outcomes. No doubt, the Leadership team will be making strenuous efforts to address these concerns.
However, the fact that the inspectors comment more than once on the 'significant capacity' of the leadership to improve the school further suggests that the upgrade to Outstanding is not far away.
The key areas for improvement identified by the Inspection team focus on the need to:
Improve achievement in Arabic languages and Islamic Education by ensuring:
more accurate assessments of students' progress by teachers;
students have a better understanding of the progress they make in lessons;
evaluation procedures provide leaders with a more accurate picture of student performance.
Develop and implement an agreed vision of how digital technologies can be used to provide students with consistent and creative learning experiences.
Ensure that library facilities form a vibrant central part of the learning environment to fully support students' independent learning.
As we mentioned earlier, GEMS Wellington Academy DSO should be on the cusp of Outstanding. There is a need to improve academic performance in what is clearly a mixed-ability school and to make better use of the data available to inform this. As is so often the case, a specific focus on improvement for Arabic and Islamic Education will be key to the overall performance and rating of the school.
If you would like to read the full KHDA inspection report - and we strongly recommend that you do - you may find it here.
In addition to the KHDA inspection process, WSO has also twice been inspected by the BSO (British Schools' Overseas) teams who apply the same process and evaluation as the UK Government's OFSTED regulator. Inspections took place in 2013 and 2016, and on both occasions, DSO was rated Outstanding.
In 2019, WSO also applied for accreditation and membership of COBIS - the Council of British International Schools. COBIS does not directly mirror the inspection process of the KHDA, but seeks to ensure that members reflect the ethos, standards, facilities and resources which make the education provided fundamentally British at heart.
A copy of the inspection report can be found here.
Highlights, however, include the following summary:
"Leadership of the Academy is strong and experienced, such that a period of sustained stability is now possible. The Academy is in its ninth year of operation, and its building programme is complete. It is virtually at capacity in terms of student numbers in a challenging market place and the academic provision has been enhanced by the addition of BTEC and A Levels, running alongside the IBDP and the IBCP, so that retention in Years 12 and 13 is now improving and numbers are very healthy indeed.
Results at (I)GCSE and Post-16 are a fair reflection of the academic profiles of the students. The number going into Higher Education is buoyant and can be attributed not just to subject teachers, but also to the work of the Academy's HE and Careers advisors. The Academy's approach to Inclusion is admirable, and during the visit there were opportunities to witness small group and one-to-one work with those who benefit from such assistance. The results are humbling."
We would urge interested families to read the full report.
WhichSchoolAdvisor.com has received responses from a significant 150 parents to our Which School Advisor School Survey with an overall rating of 4.1/5 - a positivity rating of 82%. There is much positive feedback about children's enjoyment of the school and sense of belonging to it. There is strong satisfaction over academic performance with around two thirds wholly satisfied and a further 29% partially satisfied. However, despite this, 40% of respondents believe that their child requires additional external tuition.
Communication and the school's disciplinary policies are highly regarded as are the options for children to participate in Performing Arts and Sports and the inclusive approach of the school. 88% of respondents would definitely recommend the school to other parents though a further 8% were not sure and 8% would not. If there is disagreement between parents, it relates to the value for money of school fees. Just under a third (31%) agreed that they did present good value for money, a further 59% partially agreed, whilst 10% disagreed with this statement.
Whether this has driven some 35% of parents to consider moving their child to a different school is not clear, however, direct parent feedback to WhichSchoolAdvisor.com suggests that the significant increase in fees from Year 6 to Year 7 is a concern for parents. Almost all comments included the view that fees are too high.
If you are a parent, teacher or student at GEMS Wellington Academy Dubai Silicon Oasis, please share your experience with other potential members of your community by completing our survey here.
95% of the 675 parents who responded to the KHDA's pre-inspection survey stated that they were satisfied with the quality of education at the Academy. In fact, "Almost all the parents who responded to the survey are satisfied with the quality of education and agree their children are learning effectively across all phases. Parents are confident that staff listen to their concerns and believe the school has very effective arrangements of care and welfare. Inclusivity is highly regarded by parents. Students are supported in making the best possible progress."
We think that there is a lot to admire at GEMS Wellington Academy DSO! So much of what is happening at the school is innovative and very much designed to meet the needs of a diverse range of students in what is a very large school. We particularly like the approach to blended learning taken by WSO long before Covid 19 and Distance Learning was on anyone's tongue.
We also like the move to offering a three way route to post-18 education with A Levels now being added to IB and BTEC. And we very much welcome the clearly holistic approach that enables students to indulge their passions in Sports and Performing Arts as well as the academic elements of their education. All this in a school that is viewed as highly supportive and inclusive by both the KHDA and COBIS.
What about the Fees?
Fees for Wellington Academy, Dubai Silicon Oasis fall in the middle with other premium GEMS Education schools, ranging from AED 37,296 in FS1 to AED 82,511 per annum in year 13. There is a big jump in fees between Primary (FS2 to Year 6) at AED 46,319 and Secondary which starts at AED 73,080 from Year 7 to 9 inclusive.
Admission to WSO requires students (from Years 5 - 13) to sit an age related placement test "to ensure that he / she is prepared for the high quality education on offer". For all applications, the child's latest school report is used instead of an interview. For applications from overseas, Wellington DSO will contact the child's existing school to courier placement tests. Note: an offer of a place is not solely based on entrance test.
This school is in a Best School by parents ranking
GEMS Wellington Academy, Dubai Silicon Oasis is a Best of school, a ranking determined by parent surveys on the site. It can be found in the following Best of rankings:
#55 in Best Schools in the UAE
#28 in Best Premium Schools in Dubai
#21 in Best Premium British Schools in Dubai
#12 in Best IB Schools in Dubai
#16 in Best A Level Schools in Dubai
#27 in Best British Schools in Dubai
#13 in Best BTEC Schools in Dubai
#39 in Best Schools in Dubai
#11 in Best IB DP Schools in Dubai
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Sooooo I am going to switch it up on this post today.
You guys already know that I LOVEEEEE JESUS.
Yes. Yes. I am a foodie, Indeed. No shame in it either!
The other night I was scrolling on Pinterest and discovered this recipe for pinwheeled steaks. I couldn't help but to try it out.
A few "slabs" of flat iron skillet steak or steak that was cut very fine.
I couldn't find the flat iron skillet cuts at Kroger so I substituted for a different cut that wasn't too bulky. When I got home, I made sure to cut each slice in half to make it even finer (just in case). When it comes to stuffing anything, if it's too much… all of the goodies that you're trying to use will just fall right out.
They also call for you to use a certain type of string or toothpicks to hold the product together. I used my hemp wick. It is THC free, very natural and durable as well.
Posted in AscendersTouchTagged baking, chef, cook, cooking, foodie, Love, recipe, steakBookmark the permalink.


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Synchronicity es el primer álbum de estudio de la cantante japonesa/americana Olivia, lanzado al mercado el día 6 de diciembre del año 2000 bajo el sello avex trax.

Synchronicity (album de Olivia)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


(1) ORS 243.401 (Definitions for ORS 243.401 to 243.507) to 243.507 (Payment of deferred compensation to alternate payee under judgment or order) shall be implemented and administered by the Public Employees Retirement Board so that no expense is incurred by the State of Oregon or the Public Employees Retirement Fund and so that the State of Oregon and the Public Employees Retirement System incur no liabilities other than those liabilities that may be imposed under ORS 243.401 (Definitions for ORS 243.401 to 243.507) to 243.507 (Payment of deferred compensation to alternate payee under judgment or order) or other law. In addition to the amounts that may be deducted by the State Treasurer pursuant to ORS 293.718 (Payment of expenses of State Treasurer), the Public Employees Retirement System may assess a charge against the accounts of state plan participants in the Deferred Compensation Fund. The charge may not exceed two percent of the balances of those accounts. Funds collected pursuant to the charge are continuously appropriated for and shall be used only to cover the costs incurred by the system to administer the state deferred compensation plan, to issue refunds and to pay costs incurred in investing the plan assets.
(2) For the purpose of implementing and administering the provisions of ORS 243.401 (Definitions for ORS 243.401 to 243.507) to 243.507 (Payment of deferred compensation to alternate payee under judgment or order), including implementation and administration of service agreements entered into with local governments under ORS 243.478 (Plan administration agreements), the Public Employees Retirement Board may designate fiscal periods. The board may apportion extraordinary expenses incurred during any fiscal period, including but not limited to expenses for equipment and actuarial studies, to subsequent fiscal periods for purposes of equitably distributing the burden of the expenses. The board may carry forward unexpended fees collected in one fiscal period to a later fiscal period for the payment of future expenses.
(3) In the event the assessment provided for in subsection (1) of this section is inadequate to meet the administrative expenses incurred by the system for the state deferred compensation plan, and these expenses are not carried over to another fiscal period, the excess expenses may be paid by an additional one-time assessment against the account balances of state plan participants in the Deferred Compensation Fund. The additional assessment shall be in an amount determined by the Public Employees Retirement Board to be sufficient to pay the excess expenses in the fiscal period in which the assessment is made. The one-time assessment is in addition to the regular assessment provided for in subsection (1) of this section.


Below you will find 30 tutorials that combine both WordPress and jQuery.
When you download jQuery, put it on your server and link to it from your header.php file in the <head> section, this can cause you problems. Some plugins use the jQuery library, and they are going to load it as well and on top of that already has the jQuery library included. This can cause problems.
In this tutorial you will learn how to load up jQuery in your theme the smart (and intended) way, avoiding conflicts.
In this tutorial, you'll create an elegant featured content slider for WordPress based on The Coda Slider, a neat device used by Panic Software to display information about their "Coda" product on their website. This effect is beautiful, flexible, and often emulated.
In this tutorial you will create a jQuery menu using the Fadein and Fadeout effect. To develop the menu it requires a lot of CSS works, so roll up your sleeves.
A nice way to spice up your WordPress search page is to highlight search terms within your search results. In this tutorial you will learn to highlight both title and post content.
In this tut you'll be learning how to create a featured and "latest posts" section within WordPress, and animate it with jQuery. You will be using the jQuery Cycle plugin built for slideshows. To make it work you give it an element and it turns every child of that element into a slide.
In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a smooth sliding login/signup panel for your WordPress site using jQuery.
Grid and Magazine templates are becoming more and more popular in WordPress development, so, in this tutorial you will use jQuery to create a grid layout with size-degrading headers.
This tutorial is primarily for WordPress, but can easily be ported anywhere else. You will be creating a tabs section within the sidebar, a popular and useful feature in WordPress themes.
A lot of blogs display a list of their most recent or popular posts in their sidebar, more often than not just showing the title of each one. But how can you give your reader an idea of what that post is about by using the excerpt, without taking up too much room? Using a little jQuery, you can.
This tutorial will give you a quick run down of how to easily add a simple and easily customizable carousel with WordPress posts from a specified category, using the jQuery plugin jFlow.
When it comes to simpler user experience, having your form validation happen instantly on the same page is a lot cleaner than reloading pages and possibly losing some form content. In this tutorial you'll be shown how to use jQuery to do some instant checking on a comment form.
Using the jQuery principal "less is more…", in this tutorial you will learn a quick method of simplifying the clients login process using a jQuery lightbox.
In this tutorial you will learn how to allow site visitor to load posts from a certain category into the same part of the page via AJAX.
Some blogs have over 100 comments on every new posts, which makes the page extremely large. So lets say you want to shorten those pages by making the comments collapsable, well there is a easy solution for that, using jQuery. In this tut you are going to integrate jQuery into WordPress and make the comments collapsible.
Finding a good place to position a big table like a calendar within your WordPress template is always tough. In addition, the <table> tag itself is often quite difficult to style in a good way. What you will create in this tutorial is a compact calendar similar to the iPhone Calendar application.
In this easy to follow tutorial, you'll learn how to add a sliding content region to your WordPress site. You can download the source code for the tutorial, which contains everything you need to put this feature on your site in 5 minutes.
Apple have always been Gods in terms of the way they present themselves and their products. in this tutorial you will recreate the sidebar on the Apple Startpage, using a jQuery Accordion plugin to achieve this.
Have you ever had to manually code something that is sequential? Didn't you find it annonying? Well, here is a simple solution for you. This tutorial will show you how to use jQuery to add a sequent of CSS classes to create a graphical list.
Over the last few years, Twitter has become a very popular marketing tool, and more and more people are integrating their Twitter updates onto sites outside of Twitter. This tutorial will teach you how to display up to 20 of your latest Twitter updates in a fading news ticker on your WordPress blog. This is an elegant alternative to using a Twitter Badge and takes up little room on your site.
There are lots of WordPress plugins for contact forms, but wouldn't it be nice to have more control over the markup? In this tutorial, yo are going to be shown how to use a custom page template to create a contact form in WordPress without a plugin.
In this tut you are going to create a menu from an unordered list and using jQuery toggle for the accordian effect, and yo will learn how to hide/show the related page to the viewer.
In this tutorial, you will be shown how to add your Flickr Photostream to your WordPress blog using jSon and jQuery in five easy steps.
In this tutorial you will learn how to create a Feature Article slide show with thumbnails and indicator and integrate it easily into WordPress.
In this tut you will create a really cool News Slider that uses two scrollers to create a very slick effect. It uses scrollTo to scroll both description and image items and it comes with previous, next, play, stop and mouseover events.
In this tutorial you will create a featured slider section on your WP blog using the jQuery plugin s3Slider.
Learn how to create a show/hide sidebar widget using jQuery.


As a Langley REALTOR®, I know that selling your Walnut Grove home can be a stressful process, especially if you are looking to move quickly. That is why my team and I are dedicated to helping you properly prepare your home for sale. If you are thinking about selling your home, here are some home staging tips for selling your Walnut Grove home fast.
The most important things any homeowner can do when preparing their Walnut Grove home for sale is to get rid of the clutter. Since one of the major contributors to a cluttered space is having too much furniture, consider removing any oversized or extra pieces of furniture that are not necessary for staging the space. Doing so can help make a space look much bigger, while still providing potential buyers with a good idea of what can fit into the space.
Consider moving furniture, artwork, and accessories from one room to another, as well as trying out new furniture groupings. Repositioning sofas and chairs into cozy conversational groups can help create better traffic flow through a space. Rearranging furniture can help you create new visual appeals that you had not considered before, while also allowing for a more user-friendly space.
One of the best ways to make your Walnut Grove home look more inviting to potential buyers is to ensure that each space has the proper amount of lighting. To create a warmer, more welcoming space, consider increasing the wattage in lamps and fixture for a total of 100 watts per 50 square feet. Also, consider adding different types of lighting to a space for extra depth.
Repainting the interior of your Walnut Grove home with a fresh neutral colour pallet can help tone down any outdated furnishings you might have. Consider using a range of neutral colours, such as warm tans and honeys to soft blue-greens, to create a relaxing, larger-looking space. Toning down bold wall colours can also help increase the likelihood of receiving more offers on your home.
If you cannot afford to replace old items, such as kitchen cabinets, consider refurbishing them with a new paint job and hardware. Painting out old cabinets or furniture can be a simple and inexpensive way to breathe new life into a space.
If you are thinking about selling your home in Walnut Grove or if you are interested in more home staging tips, please contact me at 604-530-0231 or by filling out a contact form on my website. Whether you are looking to sell a condo, townhouse, or house, my professional team and I would love to help you move on to your next dream home.


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Trump-Kim creations on the menu as Singapore chefs mark summit
From "El Trumpo" and "Rocket Man" tacos to the "Bromance" cocktail, restaurants and bars in Singapore are rolling out weird and wonderful creations to mark the approaching US-North Korea summit.
AFP Relaxnews
Singapore prides itself on its buzzing culinary scene, and every type of outlet imaginable is jumping on the bandwagon ahead of tomorrow's meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
At Mexican restaurant Lucha Loco, customers can get stuck into an El Trumpo (pictured above), a version of a taco that includes a beef patty and pickles.
It is complemented by the Rocket Man (pictured above), a taco stuffed with Korean fried chicken and pickled radish – a nod to the derogatory term that Trump has used to refer to Kim.
The US leader famously loves burgers, and several restaurants have come up with fusion versions of the classic American fast-food.
These typically feature a beef patty topped with kimchi, a Korean staple of spicy and pickled cabbage.
Italian fine dining restaurant Sinfonia, where dinners start at $138 a head, has focused more on the refined tastes of luxury-loving Kim.
The eatery's special summit menu R.B.W. – which stands for red, blue and white, and refers to the colours of both the US and North Korean flags – features high-quality Japanese beef and caviar, both reportedly favourites of Kim.
Even local favourite nasi lemak, a chili-infused rice dish traditionally eaten at breakfast, is getting a summit makeover with one restaurant coming up with a version that features kimchi.
(Related: Marketing North Korea: A seasoned Singaporean traveller's first-hand account)
And in the home of the "Singapore Sling" cocktail, local bartenders are proving they can also rise to the occasion.
Hopheads, a bar near the famous Orchard Road shopping street, is offering the "Bromance", a mix of beer, tequila, diet Coke and Korean liquor soju.
The "Trump", a blue, bourbon-based cocktail, and the "Kim", a red, soju-based drink, are on sale at watering hole Escobar for $12.60 each, a reference to the summit's June 12 date.
Lucha Loco also has a special offer for those seeking to vent their frustration as Singapore goes into lock-down before the summit.
Customers who buy their special tacos this weekend will get a chance to batter Trump and Kim pinatas, a twist on the classic Mexican game where blindfolded children smash open decorated models filled with toys or sweets.
"We're just here to have a bit of fun, and to be a part of this historic summit in Singapore," restaurant co-owner Julian Tan said.
(Related: Going undercover in North Korea: Suki Kim's greatest fear was not for own safety)
el/sr/rma/amz – AFP
Photo: Roslan Rahman / AFP
DiningDonald Trumpkim jong unSingaporetrump-kim summit
Restaurants and bars to catch the National Day fireworks (2019)
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Luxury Homes: A spacious, light-filled house in Ang Mo Kio
Most decadent lobster dishes in Singapore
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Opus by Prudential: bespoke insurance plans for the wealthy
Take a look inside the world's first vegan suite
Exsto is the world's first Cognac created by a sommelier and a master blender

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The recent article entitled "Small-Business Guide: Do You Know What Your Business Is Worth? You Should" (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/business/smallbusiness/valuing-a-small-business-in-advance-with-cloud-software.html?_r=0) by the New York Times laid out many of the important reasons why Small Businesses need to start with knowing what their business is worth.
We believe the biggest challenge and opportunity for wealth creation for the small business owner, entrepreneur, economy, and GDP growth over the next 10 years will be in democratizing business valuation knowledge for the business owner.
But 75% of all business owners do not know what their business is worth.
The average acquisition multiple (that is the amount paid for a company based upon industry comparable multiple of earnings of a business) was over 11 times for a public company and less than 50% of the amount for the small business in America.
This is a problem for the small business owner. This is a function of access and money. Access because there was not an easy way and timely way to get business valuation knowledge. Money because the average price of a business valuation is $8,000.00.
Small business owners on Main Street are at a disadvantage. The larger companies acquiring these businesses know the value of what they are buying and have access to capital to do so. For the small business owner, this is their pensions and livelihoods. Baby boomers who are selling their business need to have knowledge of their business valuation democratized.
At BizEquity, we believe this is a right, not a privilege. After 4 years and millions of dollars, our mission to help democratize this knowledge is being accomplished. We have built the best team in the market with the former COO of the AICPA, Clarence Davis (the association who rights valuation standards) as our Chairman, and author and practitioner of over 2,000 valuations, Scott Gabehart, as our head of valuation support and services. Over 100,000 businesses have found and used our service.
We have built a platform and service with a free calculation of value based upon the real way small business owners run their businesses from a tax efficiency standpoint. We handle over 15,000 industry categories and aliases. We produce for just $365.00 per year for unlimited business valuation knowledge and comparable dashboard metrics about your business in real-time. We provide 4 valuations based upon what the business owner needs to do (Buy; Sell; Protect; or Optimize and raise capital) and we provide 40 key performance indicators of how their business compares to 17million other business in America.
For us at BizEquity, business valuation is core not a contextual feature to our service.
BizEquity, business valuation is a right, not a privilege. It is a platform and service, not a plug-in.
Business valuation is a serious business and is the on-ramp to all other questions business owners need to answer and need to know.


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Pudur (S) is een panchayatdorp in het district Tenkasi van de Indiase staat Tamil Nadu.

Demografie
Volgens de Indiase volkstelling van 2001 wonen er 11.095 mensen in Pudur (S), waarvan 49% mannelijk en 51% vrouwelijk is. De plaats heeft een alfabetiseringsgraad van 63%.

Plaats in Tenkasi


We have professionals to teach you the art of bartending. The local government allows person that is 18 years old and up to serve alcoholic beverages. Acquiring a license is not that hard. All you need is the correct skills and attitude. Local Bartending Schools (LBS) can help you on getting a Delaware Bartenders License and work in one of the bars in Delaware. Materials will be provided through the span of the training.
Lean from Basic up to advanced bartending skills.
Be proficient at wine service, tasting, and differentiate types of wines.
Learn cutting fruits and garnishing cocktails.
Identify and master wines, liquors, beers, and other drinks.
Preparing multiple drinks the best way.
Know your customers and give them the satisfaction.
bar work station set up bartender's tools familiarization.
In-class, in-person or online training may be conducted. A workbook with step by step process will be given during training. LBS will provide the training needs like bartending tools and drinks. After the training, a 30-minute certification exam will be given to test your learning.
Training is as low as $47.50 (hourly, in-home), $229 (bartending basics) and up for every student.
A home training or on location training will be done depending of the needs and schedule.


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NFL fines Cardinals' Ricky Lumpkin $21,000 for hit on Matt Leinart
Posted by Michael David Smith on August 25, 2012, 6:22 AM EDT
Cardinals defensive tackle Ricky Lumpkin spent last season on the practice squad and is just hoping to make the 53-man roster as a minimum-salary player this season. Which means $21,000 is a lot of money to Lumpkin.
So it's going to be painful for Lumpkin that he was fined $21,000 for roughing the passer in last week's preseason game against the Raiders. Lumpkin struck Raiders quarterback Matt Leinart in the head and neck area, and Leinart suffered a finger injury when he fell and had to leave the game.
The rules are the rules, and Lumpkin did commit a penalty, but the rules make player fines a lot more severe for players like Lumpkin than for the NFL's highest-paid players. A $21,000 fine will be the standard this season for roughing the passer, and it will be the same for every player, regardless of whether he makes the rookie minimum of $390,000 or whether he has a contract that guarantees him tens of millions of dollars.
Preseason fines aren't actually collected unless the player makes the regular-season roster. For Lumpkin, the collection of the $21,000 will come in installments, because if he makes the team his weekly paychecks will be less than $21,000 after taxes. Lumpkin also has the ability to appeal his fine as excessive because it represents more than 25 percent of his weekly pay. But it seems unfair to fine a guy even 25 percent of his weekly pay in the first place, especially when it's the preseason and he hasn't started earning that weekly pay yet. A $21,000 fine is pocket change to some NFL players, but it's a small fortune to Lumpkin.
18 responses to "NFL fines Cardinals' Ricky Lumpkin $21,000 for hit on Matt Leinart"
joetoronto says:
That's a well deserved fine, he let his team down with that one.
It was way too obvious and had to be called.
offthelows says:
There should be a progressive fine structure similar to tax rates. kam chancellor had the same issue last year, making about the minimum and getting multiple fines making it look at one point he might play a season for free. It's also positionally biased. Linebackers and safeties are the positions most likely to be in position to hit offensive players (who nearly never get fined) with hits that can draw a fine.
sepl12 says:
The nfl needs to change their fine system to a percentage of the players cap hit. this way guys like a man named sue will get a meaningful fine when he continues to crush qbs.
gmsalpha says:
Then fine players a percentage of their salary like taxes, complete with tiers. The more you make, the more you pay, unless you make more money than a small city, in which case you might not have to pay anything because that's the way this whole thing works. Am I right? Or am I right?
blackbug99 says:
Yeah, he only makes $390K a yr! Wow, he's a step away from welfare!! So, don't make the dumbass hit, dumbass! Installments are fine w/me. But, if anything I'd scale the fines up for the mega-stars. Take away some bling and stomping on heads, for instance, might get some forethought.
tubaplayingprof says:
The NFL should fine Leinart for his hit on the Cards.
elitekane says:
What about the guy who took that vicious hit? What if he got seriously hurt.
If he doesn't wanna get fined, then maybe he shouldn't be head hunting. That was a dirty play and he deserves it.
hendeeze says:
He should donate it to the "find a oline/qb fund"
oilman989 says:
One thing wrong with our correspondent's theory: if fringe players making the league minimum are only fined an amount proportionate to their salary, what's to say they don't unload on any player – at any time – and risk the "reduced" fine? Moreover, coaches could (would) make situational substitutions with lower salaried "hit men," if you will, and pay their fines if/when an illegal hit occurs.
As for Leinart: I lived in AZ during his so-called "franchise QB" era; he's more interested in being an NFL QB than playing quarterback in the NFL. With Pete Carroll in Seattle, the Seahawks' job was his too lose two years ago, but Leinart was more content holding a clipboard in Houston. He's soft, injury prone, and a flat-out loser.
billmead1976 says:
All you dang liberals are destroying my country. A fine is a fine. Can I have a discount on my parking ticket because Bill Gates makes a few billion more than me?
delusionalcardsfan says:
Billmead; keep the conservative/liberal crap in your man pleaser and out of PFT. I get enough from CNN! As for the fine, I'm out in Phoenix taking up a collection to help pay it! I believe that've fine money is donated to various NFL charities and watching Matt get lit up was well worth it. Everyone wins! 😀
thatyankeedude says:
I don't care if the guy just started to beat the crap out of the QB 21000 is a TON of money to be fined. Thats an excessive amount of money lost to a stupid game!
dubblelznhell says:
I'd say the difference between 390 000 and 369 000 is negligible.
randallflagg52 says:
I'm personally tired of seeing every player who get's flagged get fined later. What happened when they only fined the worst stuff, like Suh suplexing Delhomme or any of that mongoloid James Harrison's hits?
spkstruth2power says:
lumpkin will be playin for the saints before the week is out
terumiarai says:
Fine! It's not a tax, it's a fine. Pay the fine if you commit the crime; pay the tax later.
fringetastic says:
Is there any reason to not make fines a percentage of their cap number?
californiadon says:
It does make you wonder… did someone in the Cardinals locker room offer up a "bounty" to make sure Matt Leinart did not "light"up his ex-team the Cardinals?


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David Mas Masumoto
Photo Credit: Glenn Nakamichi
David Mas Masumoto is an organic peach and grape farmer who works with his wife, Marcy Masumoto, and their two children, Nikiko and Korio, on their 80-acre farm just outside Del Ray, 20 miles south of Fresno, CA. He has a bachelors degree in sociology from U.C. Berkeley and a masters degree in community development from U.C. Davis. He is a columnist for The Fresno Bee, has written for USA Today and The Los Angeles Times, and has been featured in Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine and New York Times. His farm has been featured Sunset, Country Living, and Glamour Magazines and on television as part of the California Heartland PBS series as well as the nationally aired program "Ripe for Change."
Masumoto has won numerous awards, including the James Clavell Japanese American National Literacy Award in 1986; the 1995 Julia Child Cookbook Award in the Literary Food Writing category, finalist for the 1996 James Beard Foundation Food Writing Award, and San Francisco Review of Books Critics' Choice Award 1995-96, all for Epitaph for a Peach; Commonwealth Club of California silver medal for the California Book Awards in 1999 and was a finalist for the Asian American Writers' Workshop award in New York for Harvest Son; and the University of California, Davis "Award of Distinction" from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in 2003. He has been the key note speaker at diverse conferences including International Association of Culinary Professionals, Culinary Institute of America, American Association of Museums, and many more. He also was awarded a Breadloaf Writers Conference fellowship in 1996.
Books by David Mas Masumoto
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Are you looking to expand your business activities,finance new activities or refinance your existing credit facilities? If so, there are various ways of meeting your financing needs, such as bonds and syndicated loans. Find out all about it here, so that you know what to do to keep the financial structure of your business healthy.
At first sight, bonds and syndicated loans have little in common. However, both can play a crucial role in providing long-term financing for a business. There is also a striking complementarity between bonds and loans.
A syndicated loan is a traditional form of bank financing, in which two or more credit institutions provide a loan on the same terms, based on common credit documents and managed by a facility agent. Since the onset of the financial crisis in 2009, however, we have seen a clear trend towards diversification of funding methods, enabling the bond market to do particularly well.
If you're interested in one of these funding methods for optimising the financial structure of your business, don't hesitate to contact your KBC relationship manager for more information.


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GE2020: Tanjong Pagar GRC sees contest between PAP and PSP; Lee Hsien Yang not contesting
People's Action Party candidates (top row) Chan Chun Sing, Indranee Rajah, Joan Pereira, Alvin Tan and Eric Chua will face off with Progress Singapore Party candidates Michael Chua, Harish Pillay, Wendy Low, Terence Soon and Abas Kasmani (bottom row) in Tanjong Pagar GRC. (Photos: People's Action Party/Progress Singapore Party)
Aqil Haziq Mahmud
@AqilHaziqCNA
Goh Chiew Tong
@ChiewTongCNA
Aqil Haziq Mahmud & Goh Chiew Tong
30 Jun 2020 02:54PM (Updated: 30 Jun 2020 11:55PM)
SINGAPORE: Progress Singapore Party (PSP) will challenge the People's Action Party (PAP) in Tanjong Pagar GRC, after both sides successfully filed their nomination papers on Tuesday (Jun 30).
The PAP's team comprises Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah, backbencher Joan Pereira, as well new candidates Mr Alvin Tan who is a LinkedIn senior executive and Mr Eric Chua, a former public servant.
PSP is fielding organising secretary Michael Chua, IT executive Harish Pillay, lawyer Wendy Low, pilot Terence Soon and workplace safety senior trainer Abas Kasmani.
In 2015, the PAP ran against the now-defunct Singaporeans First (SingFirst) in Tanjong Pagar and won with 78 per cent of the vote. SingFirst chief Tan Jee Say, a former presidential candidate, announced on Jun 25 that he will dissolve the party in the name of "opposition unity and cooperation".
GE2020 live updates: Nomination Day as it happens
PSP member Lee Hsien Yang, who is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's brother, is not part of the team for Tanjong Pagar, ending speculation that he could be fielded in the five-member GRC as a surprise candidate.
Mr Lee was, however, present with the team earlier in the morning as they gathered at a nearby coffee shop before heading to the nomination centre.
When asked about this, Mr Michael Chua said Mr Lee is a "very good friend" to Dr Tan and the party and has been an adviser to PSP's Tanjong Pagar team.
"He wants us to share and learn from him in terms of his political knowledge and understanding of the political process," Mr Chua said. "So he definitely wanted to be with us to give us the moral support. And he also wants to be the catalyst in the political process."
To do this, Mr Chua said Mr Lee has to be a member of a political party, but not necessarily a candidate.
"He can play a very important part to help us to effect some changes in the electorate, to change the mental model of voters so they look beyond people qualification," he added.
"We are looking for people with heart and hopefully our commitment and efforts can be recognised by the voters of Tanjong Pagar."
READ: GE2020: Lee Hsien Yang joins Tan Cheng Bock's Progress Singapore Party
Tanjong Pagar GRC is considered a PAP stronghold, with former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew running there in every election from 1955 to 2011.
More than 134,600 people are eligible to vote in the constituency.
Mr Chan Chun Sing said the PAP team will do its best to secure a mandate from residents, stating that they would have seen what his team had done for the constituency for many years.
"We really want to continue to this partnership with the residents of Tanjong Pagar," he said. "If you look at us, there's a very strong sense of passion and close relationship with residents. And the last thing we want to see is our residents not well taken care of."
READ: GE2020: PAP announces Tanjong Pagar, Radin Mas line-up; no Chia Shi-Lu, Sam Tan
READ: GE2020 - Possible changing of the guard in GRCs as newer ministers could step up to lead, observers say
But the PSP team had a last-minute hiccup when it emerged that they had forgotten to fill in the constituency name in their nomination paper.
Ms Indranee said the PAP team noticed this during the 12pm to 12.30pm window, when opposing parties scrutinise nomination papers and candidates are not allowed to make changes.
"So technically, there was a right to object, but we decided not to," she said.
PAP's Mr Chan said his team noticed the technical error and "immediately" informed PSP.
"We wanted to give Tanjong Pagar residents the chance to give us a strong mandate," he said. "So we don't want to not give that choice to residents just because of a technical error."
PSP's Mr Chua said the oversight came about when one of the team's assentors pulled out, requiring the submission of a new form.
When asked about Mr Chan's comments, Mr Chua said he spotted a potential error in one of the PAP's forms too, referring to how PAP's Tanjong Pagar candidate Eric Chua's occupation was listed as "retired SCDF officer".
READ: GE2020: Manpower Minister Josephine Teo to lead PAP team against Peoples Voice in Jalan Besar GRC
"That is not an occupation," he said. "If you really want to discuss, that will be retired or unemployed, depending on the age."
On Tuesday evening, a spokesperson for PAP's Tanjong Pagar team said it was surprised by these comments.
"No such issue was raised at the nomination centre, as should be done under the rules if there was indeed an issue," the spokesperson said.
Mr Michael Chua said in the spirit of competition, PSP wants to give Singapore and Tanjong Pagar residents a choice between two "very good teams".
"It's not about paperwork, because at the end of the day, it's a report card for the ruling party."
GE2020 Singapore General Election People's Action Party PAP Progress Singapore Party PSP


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August 31, 2022 by rgjones
Soviet-era obelisk in Latvia recently demolished
Where I live, Richmond, Virginia, has in the US been a center of the recent movement to remove public monuments to individuals or movements associated with causes on the wrong side of history. In the case of Richmond, the monuments were statues of figures representing the breakaway Confederate States, determined to maintain the slavery of Blacks. The impetus to examine the appropriateness of public monuments celebrating racism came from the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Now in the Baltic states public monuments associated with Russia or with the Soviet Union are coming under increasing scrutiny and in some cases being removed. It is a phenomenon based largely on the Russian war on Ukraine.
However, the situation in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania is complicated by language issues. While the majority of inhabitants of those countries support Ukraine in the war, each country has a sizable number of native Russian speakers. Many of those people, ethnic Russians, support Russia in the war and do not approve of the removal of Soviet-oriented monuments. In Latvia, one third of the population speak only or primarily Russian. Recently, the Latvian government dismantled a tall obelisk erected in 1985 as a memorial to Soviet soldiers killed in World War II. According to a story in the New York Times, that obelisk was important to the Russian minority, with Russian speakers gathering at the obelisk each May 9 to commemorate the Soviet victory over the Nazis. It's not just the ethnic Russians in Latvia who were upset over the demolition of the monument, the Kremlin accused European countries of attempting to rewrite history and disregarding Russia's role in World War II.
According to the NY Times piece,
Latvia is not alone in seeking to dismantle symbols of the Soviet era: Other nations critical of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including Poland, have said they will do the same. Estonia recently removed a Soviet-era tank from a World War II memorial, prompting a wave of cyberattacks from a Russian hacking group.
We can't know how the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine (and its possible outcome) will affect Russia's neighbors, especially the former states belonging to the Soviet Union. We do see now Russian citizens becoming less and less welcome in many parts of the world or in particular domains such as sports competitions. The European Union is currently debating whether to prevent Russian tourists from visiting EU countries.
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One thought on "Monuments, cultural identity, and language"
Gigi Jernigan | September 18, 2022 at 11:13 pm
I think that the obelisk should've remained to celebrate triumph over the Nazis. The Richmond monuments that were demolished were representative of a history of oppression, a fight against human rights and the monument was celebrating a racist figurehead that was actively oppressing African Americans. The Soviet soldiers were fighting for human rights, to free the Jews from oppression by the Nazis. Despite the unfortunate events occurring between Russia and Ukraine, the monument doesn't represent the current events happening, but a time when Russian soldiers were fighting for freedom of the oppressed.


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text:
Q: finding all combinations of a list of any count I am looking for a way to generate all combinations of items in a given list with an output of a given count. The inputs will be the list and the number of items in each returned combination. For example:
list = [a, b, c, d]
number of items in output: 2

returns:
[(a, b), (a, c), (a, d), (b, c), (b, d), (c, d)]

The same list with number of items in output: 3
returns:
[(a, b, c), (a, b, d), (a, c, d), (b, c, d)]

note that (a, b) == (b, a) etc.
Thanks!

A: You want itertools.combinations:
>>> list(itertools.combinations(['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'], 2))
[('a', 'b'), ('a', 'c'), ('a', 'd'), ('b', 'c'), ('b', 'd'), ('c', 'd')]
>>> list(itertools.combinations(['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'], 3))
[('a', 'b', 'c'), ('a', 'b', 'd'), ('a', 'c', 'd'), ('b', 'c', 'd')]

A: itertools has a permutations function as well as combinations.

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Helping resettled refugees find home in New Haven.
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Welcome! The Yale Refugee Project is an organization of undergraduate students passionately devoted to aiding refugees, immigrants, and other forced migrants. At its core, that means supporting resettled populations living in Greater New Haven. The city alone typically receives over 200 new refugees for resettlement each year, but in the wake of the Syrian refugee crisis, resettled over 500 refugees—more than New York or Los Angeles.
The challenges of resettlement are numerous, and vary from family to family. For years, YRP volunteers have been responding to issues of social isolation and have helped provide new refugees with critical support—whether that be as simple as tutoring English or as extraordinary as founding a food start-up to bolster one family's income. In partnership with Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS), the local resettlement agency, we are constantly searching for ways to better serve our local refugee population.
In addition to working with refugees, in recent years YRP has expanded its efforts to include immigrants and other migrant groups. Although these populations may not legally classify as refugees, we believe that the terms "refugee," "immigrant," and "asylum seeker" lack clear delineation and should not be seen as monoliths. Through our efforts as an organization, we hope to redefine Yale's relationship with migrancy and provide an example for how other undergraduates might engage with their own migrant communities.
A brief overview of our on-going projects.
Forging long-term friendships between Yale students and New Haven refugees through weekly support groups, frequent outings, sports games, dance classes, and more.
For more information, contact Michelle Phan at michelle.phan@yale.edu.
Bringing delicious treats made by refugees in our New Haven community to you — in Yale butteries and beyond.
For more information, visit havenlytreats.com.
Helping refugees find stable employment and long-term income.
For more information, contact Miho Carey at miho.carey@yale.edu.
Working to protect marginalized communities in spite of the current administration.
For more information, contact Laura Plata at laura.plata@yale.edu.
Keeping campus conversations critical, informed, and ongoing.
For more information, contact Morgan Hanna Ghattas at morgan.hannaghattas@yale.edu.
Ryan is a junior from Brick, New Jersey, studying Political Science and English. He is particularly interested in conceptions of migration and how they are sustained by neoliberal ideology. Within YRP, Ryan is a legal director of Havenly and works closely with the employment team. In the year ahead, he looks forward to expanding projects that support immigrants in New Haven. Around campus, Ryan can be found drinking boba, writing for Yale Daily News Weekend, or singing with his a cappella group, the Yale SOBs. You can reach him at ryan.gittler@yale.edu.
Marwan is a junior majoring in global affairs and comparative literature. He is an undergraduate fellow in the Yale Multidisciplinary Program on Human Rights. Marwan was born and raised in Damascus, Syria, and he received asylum in the United States in 2017. Outside the Yale Refugee Project, Marwan was involved in the Yale Arab Students Association, the Yale Arab Conference and the Yale Review on International Studies. He was an undergraduate teaching fellow in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations as well as a curriculum development coordinator for RISE (Refugee and Immigrant Student Education). You can reach him at marwan.safarjalani@yale.edu.
Michelle is a junior Applied Math major from Anaheim, California. She hopes to create a larger space for women refugees in New Haven. Her favorite part of YRP is getting to know the refugee community in New Haven and forming new relationships with the city's refugees. Apart from YRP, Michelle writes for the Yale Scientific Magazine and works in a computational biology lab on campus. You can reach her at michelle.phan@yale.edu.
Mauro is from Branford, Connecticut and is a sophomore at Yale University considering a major in Chemistry. Outside of the Yale Refugee Project, he is part of Yale Model Congress, an organization that creates a congressional simulation for high school students every year. He is also involved with residential college Intramural sports and is one of the Pauli Murray IM secretaries. In his free time, Mauro likes to cook, play piano and ride mountain bikes. You can reach him at mauro.aceves-acosta@yale.edu.
Shamsa is a junior Political Science and ER&M double major from New York City. She has studied Portuguese and Spanish and is interested in refugee and immigration policy as well as issues surrounding border conflict. Outside of YRP she is involved with the Yale Black Women's Coalition, Fair Haven Tutoring, Danceworks, and works as a College Aide. You can reach her at shamsa.derrick@yale.edu.
Miho is sophomore from Atlanta, Georgia interested in majoring in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration and Education Studies. She started working with YRP in her first week at Yale after speaking to her Arabic TA about how to get involved in the organization. She is in charge of the new Job Hunts Program and works with the Women's Youth Group, and loves all of the amazing, funny, and inspiring women she has met with the help from the Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) in New Haven. Outside of YRP, she hosts a weekly radio show as her alter ego DJ Hapa Homie, who can't wait for you to tune in! You can always reach her at miho.carey@yale.edu!
Yasamin is a senior in the Human Rights Program majoring in Environmental Studies. Yasamin translates for Afghan refugees in New Haven, and this past summer worked as a research assistant for the Yale Child Study Center on food security among Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Yasamin also is a member of the Equestrian Club and tutors Farsi! You can reach her at yasamin.sharifi@yale.edu.
Laura is a senior majoring in Ethics, Politics, and Economics with a particular focus on immigration and refugee studies. You can reach her at laura.plata@yale.edu.
Lizzie is undecided in major but strongly leaning towards Ethnicity, Race, and Migration, and she has loved being a part of Yale Refugee Project since winter of last semester! This year, she will be working even more closely with IRIS as an Urban Fellow, which she is extremely excited about. Lizzie loves the community and love all of the strong women she have met. Outside of YRP, Lizzie is on the WORD slam poetry team, is obsessed with her college (yay TD), and enjoys being a part of the Camp Kesem community as well. You can reach her at elizabeth.dolan@yale.edu.
Caterina is from Trieste, a small city in the North Eastern part of Italy. She majored in Ethics, Politics and Economics and Modern Middle Eastern Studies, with a particular focus on refugee policy, inter-religious issues and human rights, and graduated in May. She is particularly passionate about advocating for Arab and Middle Eastern refugees in Europe and the United States. In her free time, she does ballet and ballroom dancing. You can reach her at caterina.passoni@yale.edu.
Morgan is a sophomore from Tampa, Florida and is prospectively studying Political Science with a focus on the Middle East. After talking to her TA about ways to be involved in human rights advocacy on campus, she was introduced to YRP and is excited to work on new campus initiatives. Outside of YRP, Morgan has loved being a part of the Yale Students for Christ community and finding a Coptic Orthodox community as well, reaching out to prospective students as a Recruitment Coordinator at the Office of Admissions, and is working as a teaching assistant in the Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Department. You can reach her at morgan.hannaghattas@yale.edu.
A few sources that we recommend to help you learn more.
IRIS is New Haven's largest refugee resettlement agency and YRP's closest partner. In 2016, they welcomed 475 refugees from a variety of countries, including Sudan, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Their needs are significant and IRIS is their primary resource as they begin to rebuild their lives after years of persecution and displacement. IRIS helps refugees on the road to self-sufficiency by providing lifesaving support during their transition to life in the United States.
News about Refugees and Displaced People, including commentary and archival articles, published in The New York Times.
A summary of deportation procedures, created by Harper Loonsk, YRP Co-President (2016-2017), and Lauren Cueto. This is a great place to start if you want to learn more about the lived experiences of deported individuals and the often arbitrary methods that Immigration and Customs Enforcement employs.
The Refugee Project is a narrative, temporal map of refugee migrations since 1975. It uses UN data to visualize refugee volumes over time and added a layer of historical content to help explain the events that caused some of the largest refugee movements of the last four decades.
This book by Peter Nyers tells us that we somehow think that those who lack a nation-state, a paramount construct of our globalized world view, are somehow lesser humans than we are. Thus we can shuffle these people around in ways that both suit our political purposes and also enhance our own self-image as humanitarians taking care of victims. This works until the victims, showing less than subservient gratitude, find their own voices and follow their own agendas. This concept is being challenged more and more, politicians as well as society are recognizing a different reality. Refugees won't play the victim any longer.
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text:
BREAKING: US Warned Citizens of Possible Terror Attacks on Markets Like Berlin's, Just 4 Weeks Ago
Only 28 days ago, the State Department warned American travelers of the very kind of attacks that just took place in Berlin.
Berlin, Germany — Monday night, a tractor-trailer truck plowed into a bustling Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, killing at least nine people — possibly many more — and wounding scores of others.
UPDATE: Local police now confirm 12 people were killed and 48 others injured in the attack.
According to reports from local media, police believe the incident to be an attack, and are treating it as a terror incident.
"We can confirm nine fatalities & many injured. A lot of our colleagues are at #Breitscheidplatz to investigate the background," the official police account
Wir können 9 Tote & viele Verletzte bestätigen. Viele Kolleg. sind am #Breitscheidplatz im Einsatz um die Hintergründe zu ermitteln.
— Polizei Berlin (@polizeiberlin) December 19, 2016
">tweeted.
"It looked like [it was done] on purpose," a police officer who witnessed the incident told Berliner Zeitung.
"Lorry just ploughed through Christmas market in #berlin. There is no road nearby. People crushed. I am safe. I am safe,"
Lorry just ploughed through Christmas market in #berlin. There is no road nearby. People crushed. I am safe. I am safe pic.twitter.com/63iWMmdSKr
— Emma Rushton (@ERushton) December 19, 2016
">tweeted Emma Rushton with a picture from the chaotic scene. There is, indeed, a road nearby the market, so it is unclear what Rushton meant.
"We heard a loud bang," Rushton toldCNN. "We started to see the top of an articulated truck, a lorry ... just crashing through the stalls, through people."
She added, "There's no way it was an accident."
Another eyewitness described dozens of people unconscious on the ground.
"Local media reports suggested the vehicle ran into the market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church on Monday evening. They said police at the scene had said initial indications pointed to an attack," the Guardianreports.
A journalist from Berliner Morgenpost described the aftermath as a "gruesome scene."
Reports indicated the driver took no care to avoid hitting people and traveled at a high rate of speed through the open-air holiday market.
Interestingly, the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning last month cautioning Americans in Europe about attending Christmas holiday events — including, specifically, markets like this one — stating:
"The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens to the heightened risk of terrorist attacks throughout Europe, particularly during the holiday season. U.S. citizens should exercise caution at holiday festivals, events, and outdoor markets. This Travel Alert expires on February 20, 2017.
"Credible information indicates the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or Da'esh), al-Qa'ida, and their affiliates continue to plan terrorist attacks in Europe, with a focus on the upcoming holiday season and associated events. U.S. citizens should also be alert to the possibility that extremist sympathizers or self-radicalized extremists may conduct attacks during this period with little or no warning. Terrorists may employ a wide variety of tactics, using both conventional and non-conventional weapons and targeting both official and private interests."
In fact, the State Department specifically mentioned terror attacks that had taken place in Germany and other European nations, warning additional attacks might still occur:
"While extremists have carried out attacks in Belgium, France, Germany, and Turkey in the past year, the Department remains concerned about the potential for attacks throughout Europe."
Chaos unfolded after the truck drove headlong into the market around 8 p.m. — what would have been its busiest hour. According to Bild Berlin editor-in-chief Julian Reichelt, cited byReuters, a massive security operation is currently underway, and "The scene certainly looks like a reminder of what we have seen in Nice."
On Bastille Day in Nice, a truck driver drove through a massive crowd gathering for a parade, leaving at least 80 people dead and several hundred injured.
Police later detained the suspected driver of the truck nearby — and confirmed his putative accomplice, the passenger, died after being detained shortly after the vehicle crashed.
Police also asked people to stay away from the scene and not rush to conclusions until a thorough investigation concludes.


Today's crossword puzzle clue is a cryptic one: Pen end that's a bit nibbled. We will try to find the right answer to this particular crossword clue. Here are the possible solutions for "Pen end that's a bit nibbled" clue. It was last seen in British cryptic crossword. We have 1 possible answer in our database.
We provide the likeliest answers for every crossword clue. Undoubtedly, there may be other solutions for Pen end that's a bit nibbled. If you discover one of these, please send it to us, and we'll add it to our database of clues and answers, so others can benefit from your research.


To introduce your second grade class to Madeline activities you will need to share the book with the class and tell them a little about the author. The students will enjoy hearing how the book is connected with Ludwig Bemelmans' own life. His wife's name was Madeline. His mother attended a convent school similar to the one in the book. He was the smallest child in his class. When he was in hospital, as a young boy, he met a girl who pointed out the shape of a rabbit in the crack in the ceiling.
Discuss with your students the use of rhyming words throughout the book. Choose 12 words and make word families for each of them. e.g., lines–vines, wines, tines (of a fork), dines, fines, mines, nines, pines.
The little girls walked in straight lines, but there were winding vines. Can you find any other opposites in the story? Make a list of them.
Discuss the meanings of each of the following words. Ask students to use them in sentences.
disaster: what disasters have been in the news recently?
appendix: has anyone in the class had their appendix taken out?
crank: what other places may you have seen a crank (old-fashioned car, a music box handle)?
Teach your students to count to 12 in French (un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix, onze, douze).
Invite them to join in the songs "Alouette" and "Frère Jacques".
Introduce "hello" (bonjour) "good-bye" (au revoir) "thank you" (merci). In pairs, they could make up conversations using this limited vocabulary and miming. As each pair presents their "conversations" to the class, encourage the audience to guess what is being said.
Make a time-line showing the school day of Madeline and her classmates. Then make a time-line showing the school day of the students in second grade.
Provide manipulatives (blocks, counters, buttons and paper clips) and invite the students to take 12 objects at a time and make up as many combinations for the number 12 as possible.
What do you buy at the grocery store in 12's? (eggs) What is 1/2 of that number? What is another word for 12 (dozen)?
Make up three number problems using 12 or a dozen, e.g., Mom went to the store and bought a dozen eggs. Oh, I dropped the box on the way into the house and 3 of the eggs were broken. How many were still in good shape?
The little girls left the house at "half past nine." Show on a clock that time. Discuss what "half past" the hour is in minutes. What is another way of expressing this time?
Madeline is the main character in the story. Make a character web describing her. For a character web pattern click here.
To bring to a fine conclusion these second grade Madeline activities, consider having a French party. Push tables and chairs, or desks, into groups of 12. Festoon the classroom with red, white and blue streamers. Serve crackers with Brie or Camembert cheeses. If you are very ambitious, you may wish you make up a pot of French Onion Soup and serve with French baguettes. Drink grape juice. Sing "Alouette" with all the actions. Divide the children into two groups and sing "Frère Jacques" in a two-part harmony. Provide pictures of Madeline for coloring. Invite any students who would like to sing, play an instrument, or dance to put on a show. Play "Pin the Tail on l'ane (the donkey)." Ask the French teacher if they have a movie that you could show (The Red Balloon is a wonderful French movie).
This would be an ideal time to introduce the other Madeline books–Madeline and the Bad Hat, Madeline's Rescue, Madeline and the Gypsies, Madeline in London, and Madeline's Christmas. Many of the second grade Madeline activities from this article could be applied to these books too.


text:
Candidates for Madison mayor square off in debate
Mary Hawkins Butler faces challenger John Bell Crosby
Updated: 7:40 AM CDT Apr 30, 2013
There was a showdown Monday night in Madison between the candidates for mayor.Longtime Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler faced off against challenger John Bell Crosby during a debate held at Madison Central High School. The two candidates went back and forth over more than a dozen issues."You look at his record and you see what his track record is. And you ask yourself, 'Do I want that?'" Hawkins-Butler said."Folks, we need to get more fiscally secure in this town. We've got to get safer in this town," Crosby said.Hawkins Butler touted her record and said there's nothing wrong with Madison. Crosby argued that Madison must move forward.Crosby claimed that he's had trouble getting a campaign headquarters because of a home field advantage."My best answer to that is intimidation and humiliation. That force that's out there, an unseen force, I mean. The best way to put it is the headquarters that she has right now, I was turned down on," Crosby said."He says he hasn't been able to get a campaign headquarters because of intimidation. What do you say to that?" 16 WAPT's Erin Kelly asked the mayor."I have no answer. I just think it's ridiculous. I'm not going there," Hawkins Butler said.The candidates battled it out over issues like economic growth, the city's look and parks and recreation.Hawkins Butler is in her eighth consecutive four-year term as mayor.Crosby serves on the county Board of Supervisors and has managed a Madison Kroger.
MADISON, Miss. —
There was a showdown Monday night in Madison between the candidates for mayor.
Longtime Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler faced off against challenger John Bell Crosby during a debate held at Madison Central High School. The two candidates went back and forth over more than a dozen issues.
"You look at his record and you see what his track record is. And you ask yourself, 'Do I want that?'" Hawkins-Butler said.
"Folks, we need to get more fiscally secure in this town. We've got to get safer in this town," Crosby said.
Hawkins Butler touted her record and said there's nothing wrong with Madison. Crosby argued that Madison must move forward.
Crosby claimed that he's had trouble getting a campaign headquarters because of a home field advantage.
"My best answer to that is intimidation and humiliation. That force that's out there, an unseen force, I mean. The best way to put it is the headquarters that she has right now, I was turned down on," Crosby said.
"He says he hasn't been able to get a campaign headquarters because of intimidation. What do you say to that?" 16 WAPT's Erin Kelly asked the mayor.
"I have no answer. I just think it's ridiculous. I'm not going there," Hawkins Butler said.
The candidates battled it out over issues like economic growth, the city's look and parks and recreation.
Hawkins Butler is in her eighth consecutive four-year term as mayor.
Crosby serves on the county Board of Supervisors and has managed a Madison Kroger.