After a little over ten years running the Nikon Imaging Center at UCSF, I've decided to take a job in industry. On March 6th, I will start work at Zymergen. DeLaine Larsen will take over as director of the NIC. At Zymergen, I won't be doing much, if any, microscopy. Instead, I'll be learning a lot and working to help them with their strain optimization efforts. It's bittersweet to be leaving – I've really enjoyed my time at UCSF and I love microscopy, but it's time to move on and to try something new. Here, I want to say a few words about why I've decided to leave UCSF, with the goal of hopefully shedding some light on the challenges of running a core facility that might be of interest to someone considering this career path.
Why am I leaving UCSF? In many ways I've been very successful: the NIC is financially stable, widely used by the UCSF community, and highly regarded both inside and outside UCSF. In 2014, I was awarded an R01, enabling me to start my own research group. Despite that, I'm leaving UCSF because I don't feel like I have a lot of room to grow here and because I think that if I don't leave now it will be very hard to find a non-microscopy, non-academic job – I'll be too old and too identified with microscopy.
Interestingly, one reason I'm not leaving UCSF is salary. While I'll make about 10-15% more at Zymergen, it's not wildly different than what I make now.
I'm moving away from microscopy because it's not clear that there are that many career opportunities for someone who is a microscopy expert. I spent a good chunk of the last year talking to people in industry about industry opportunities for someone with my expertise, and I didn't find many options. However, I did not want to leave the bay area, I didn't want a job that required much travel, and so I never considered working at one of the microscopy companies. That said, I don't think microscopy expertise is as valuable as say, expertise with antibody engineering, next-gen sequencing, or CRISPR.
For me to grow at UCSF would require either expanding my research group or for the NIC to keep adding new equipment and technologies. I don't think either is likely, primarily due to funding constraints. A key issue is that I am on a 100% soft money position. That means that UCSF doesn't provide any money to pay me – I have to raise the money necessary to pay my full salary plus the cost of all my benefits. I also don't have a startup package – my lab (two postdocs plus 25% of my salary) is funded solely by my R01. I wanted to write a 2nd R01 last year, but I was never able to find the time to collect the preliminary data required for it – my postdocs were working on the funded R01, and I was too busy to do it myself (I'm not willing to spend 60+ hours/week in lab – I want to spend nights and weekends with my family). So growing my research group didn't seem practical.
Growing the NIC is more likely; however UCSF doesn't provide any support for the NIC either, aside from internal grants that we have applied for and been awarded from time to time. For the last ten years, Nikon has provided financial support to the NIC that, in recent years, covered about 30% of our operating expenses. They also supplied the majority of the microscopes we have in the NIC. However, Nikon is parting ways with UCSF, and so neither of these sources of support will continue. That means that our primary way to acquire new microscopes will be writing shared instrumentation grants, but this is a slow process (total time from writing the grant to receiving the equipment can be 2 years, assuming a resubmission of the grant is required). Furthermore, the shared instrumentation grant mechanism primarily supports the purchase of commercial off-the-shelf instrumentation, making it very hard to develop new cutting edge instrumentation this way.
Finally, the way we fund the NIC is through a recharge, where users of the imaging center pay for scope time. With the Nikon gift ending, 75% of my salary would be funded by this recharge money. Personally, I found funding myself off of recharge to be psychologically corrosive – I feel like I should account, financially, for every hour of my time. This really conflicts with my desire to be collegial. For example, is it right to spend my time (paid for by users of our microscopes) to teach a graduate course that only benefits a small number of students? I now charge researchers at UCSF for help with their own microscopes and for help with image analysis. Should I also bill a colleague who asks me to read a draft of their paper?
Lest this be perceived as a rant, let me say that I have really enjoyed my ten years at UCSF. I've learned a tremendous amount and have had a lot of fun doing it. The faculty have been tremendously supportive of me and I've always felt like a valued member of the community. That said, I think there are real problems with soft money positions, and I would advise anyone taking a 100% soft money position to think hard about whether it is a good move. Also, if you want to specialize in being a microscopist, you may want to consider whether it will provide you with the career opportunities you may want later.
Thank you for your candor Kurt! It's never easy to reconcile the many facets of one's career and life trajectory. I just wanted to say that all of the scientists at UCSF that have used NIC resources are deeply indebted to you and your team.
That was a really nice posting and I would also like to say that I am grateful for the work you did at UCSF's NIC.
Good luck, Kurt! It sounds like it was a tough situation. I will always be grateful for the help you gave me with ChlamyTIRF and all the advice you provided (on microscopes and beyond) during my time at UCSF. I hope you keep making that awesome Burning Man art.
Thanks for all your hard work at UCSF and for sharing your reasoning here. To those of us in training, it's really useful to hear perspectives from those a bit further up the mountain, who can see a bit further out.
The NIC has been a really essential resource for many members of my lab. It's really hard to overstate the magnitude of well functioning cores run by experts as a force multiplier in our research. You and DeLaine both provide insight that would take a good deal of trial-mostly-error to derive on our own.
Best of luck at Zymergen — look forward to reading anything you're able to write about your new work!
I really enjoyed reading your blog and I am sorry to see you leaving. It is striking that in spite of the place that fluorescence imaging has taken in modern biology, there is not more institutional support for devoted microscopy expert like you. It reflects the perverse incentives created by the current research system, which favours direct and tangible research output (churned out by postdoc and graduate students) at the detriment of the invisible but invaluable support provided by research platform.
I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciated your blog. It's become a morning ritual for me to visit your page, checking for updates and getting excited whenever there are paper roundups + news in the field. Really sad to see you go (perhaps the blog will still survive in some form?) but I guess everyone moves on in life and it sounds like you found a better opportunity to realize your goals & passion while maintaining a healthy balance of family time.
Wishing you the best of luck in your new adventures!
Thanks so much for everything you did for us, Kurt, despite the endless financial struggles. I really appreciate the incredible support you've provided my lab members over the years, and I completely understand why you want to move on. Good luck in the new position!
Congratulations and best of luck Kurt!
I am sure many will miss you at UCSF but I applaud your bold move and I have no doubt you will be very successful.
Thanks for your words of wisdom. Good luck in your new adventure!
congratulations Kurt, certainly a good decision to try something new and interesting. I guess research institutions will have to make up their minds if they want to keep their top staff. Good luck at the new job.
I have done transition to industry after being in academia for over 15 years. I was in a secure position and productive. Felt the same way as you though. It was time to learn something new, completely new. It will be hard first. Your brain will rewire. Good luck and enjoy life.
Kurt – I have enjoyed reading your blog and being your colleague across the Bay. Best of luck with the new venture!
Hi, Kurt – Bummed you are moving on from the NIC, but understand the reasons all too well. Thank you for detailing them in your post. It is definitely UCSF's loss. Also, all of our losses if you give up your blog (non-subtle hint that you could keep doing it.. ;). Best of luck in your new adventures and hope to see you around some time.
Kurt — I've really enjoyed the blog. I'll be very sad when I don't see any updates anymore soon, but I am glad that you are moving on to bigger and better things.
Kurt, good luck in the future endeavours.
The world of microscopy will miss you dearly, you have done a lot for us all, and have become legendary to many generations of students and researchers.
Maybe you will have time to build more fire art?
Thanks Ethan! I have tried to keep this post neutral, but I will say that I find the disconnect between comments such as yours and the support I get from the university very frustrating. Being legendary and $3 will get you a cup of coffee.
As for fire art, I wish! I don't think I'll have time in the near future with two kids. Although I do debate the right age to bring them to Burning Man.
I have always looked up to you for the way you have so freely dessiminated your vast and useful microscopy knowledge.
As a microscopist who recently started a job where I also have to raise most of my salary, this really resonated. I haven't really explored the industry options but do get the feeling that the skill set we have doesn't translate very well outside academia (unless you want to live in Germany or Japan). I've always had great respect for the NIC and have pointed to it countless times since I left UCSF as a shining example of how awesome and useful a core facility could be. I hope you are proud of what you created.
Thanks Hesper! That means a lot coming from someone with your expertise in microscopy.
Thank you for the wonderful job you've done at the Center. You've enabled a number of my students to complete their Theses. Your advice was highly valuable- When I firts came to UCSF I maintained our own microscopy core but advances in the complexity, cost of the instrumentation, complexity and difficulty for a PI whose core interest was not micrscopy to stay up to date on technical developments. I'm sorry that there is not a viable way for sceitnists like your self to have a long term career at UCSF. You greatly enriched the resarch community and I wish you the best of success in your new career.
Good luck, Kurt! I was an early user of the imaging center (while a postdoc in John Rubenstein's lab around 2005), and it was extremely valuable resource that tackled our microscopy needs. I enjoyed interacting with you, and was grateful for your patience and advice!
I also recently transitioned from academia to industry. I spend way too much of my time seeking money in an exceedingly difficult funding environment, and not enough time doing the science that I loved. I am sure you'll thrive at Zymergen! Best of luck in your new endeavors!
Congrats on your exciting new position, Kurt, and thank you for your 10 years of wonderful contributions to the microscopy community. I'll miss your tweets and blog posts on all matters microscopic, but your decision to do something different is very much in the same style — well informed and well reasoned and thus obviously correct. Best of luck in your new career!
Just got a chance to read this Kurt, congratulations on the transition – I predict that it will be challenging at first but you will be fairly successful once you learn the industry framework. I transitioned from working in the CAT doing instrumentation and systems biology and every ounce of experience from my PhD and postdoc propelled me ahead in (aerospace) industry once I learned how to think big. You probably are underselling yourself by framing yourself as a microscopist, you know and will be effective in roles you have never imagined, particularly at the interface of optics and biomedical engineering. As for UCSF's and academia at large, it is much of a caste system – it blows my mind that, after what we have been through, PIs are OK knowing some of their colleagues are on soft money. I think it is totally OK to fund yourself to the salary level of a faculty (to account for the fact that you are on soft money) and make them work writing grants to pay you. That I would call collegiality.
good luck with your new position, I wish you that this turns out to be the right decision for you.
As for microscopy in general, your move is a loss that will hurt. I will miss your blog!
Understandable that you decided to move, hardly understandable that UCSF is not willing to provide a permanently funded position for such an important infrastructure. It should not be so difficult to understand that experience is important in cores, and that good people will hardly decide to stay if they don't have a certain job security, especially if they have family.
Good luck also for your successor. I almost feel sorry for him when I look at the shoes he has to fill.
Thank you so much for everything you have done for us over the past years. I completely understand your reasons for moving on. I'll miss you knowledge and collegiality. All the best in your new job.
I now understand your melancholy during our discussion late last year about life-science balance.
You'll be sorely missed- the news even hit here in Australia.
Yeah, hey, I know…Random comment from some dude you knew in high school, but I thought it was really cool to see colleagues thanking you for being so forthright with the reasons behind your decision. Mighty nice to see them have understanding and support the logic behind it, even as they realize they'll miss you and your contribution.
Best of luck in the new gig.
Very honest and insightful post for people who like microscope. Thank you very much and best luck.


Sister Mary Elizabeth knew when she was eight years old that she wanted to be a nun. That early focus eventually led her to create the AIDS Education Global Information System (AEGiS). In addition to providing a vast database, or "knowledgebase," of news and information about the history, treatment, and prevention of HIV/AIDS, AEGiS is also an online bulletin board system that enables people affected by HIV/AIDS to connect with each other.
AEGiS is first and foremost a library of current treatment information, changing daily to keep pace with medical and scientific advances. Searchable by keyword, AEGiS offers cutting-edge information from HIV/AIDS publications, news sources, and reference materials from around the world. AEGiS is also an archive documenting the history of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In addition, AEGiS utilizes an e-mail listserv to reach people who lack worldwide web access. This exchange of information is vital to a successful fight against the epidemic, according to AEGiS' mission statement: "We believe the answer will be found in the transformation of information into knowledge. For that to happen, information must be easily accessible and widely disseminated. It must be used." Prior to transitioning to the Internet, AEGiS was the cornerstone of a global electronic network of bulletin boards that linked more than 130 electronic bulletin boards in 40 countries.


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ERItrean-PRESS
Eritrea News
31/12/2018 - Eritrean Press 0 Comments
ABIY AHMED - Eritrean Press's Person of the Year 2018
Qeerroo ቄሮ - Group of the Year 2018
EP: "Hopefully, another promising year like 2018 awaits us as we turn the leaf for another eventful chapter of our life."
31 Dec 2018 – (EP) Eritrean Press is delighted to announce that Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed is EP's Person of the Year in 2018.
He is the person Eritrean Press followers think had the greatest influence on the events of the year. The Ethiopian reformist leader (pictured with his wife Zinash Tayachew) had dominated headlines in 2018 for the right reasons with his Eritrean counterpart Isaias Afwerki.
This year, the humble and likeable Abiy Ahmed won with a great majority out of the five nominees - the rest were Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Tiffany Haddish, Team John Bolton and Eritrean political prisoner Berhane Abrehe.
The runner-up for this year's Person of the Year is Isaias Afwerki.
EP's Group of the Year won by the peaceful Qeerroo, young Oromo activists in Ethiopia that drove the mass strike that helped topple the TPLF led corrupt government.
THE RISE OF ABIY AHMED IN 2018
Pressured from Qeerroo, on 15 February 2018 the former Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn's resignation triggered the first ever contested leadership election among EPRDF coalition members to replace him.
A lot of political observers made Lemma Megersa (the ODP Chairman) and Abiy Ahmed the front-runners to become the Leader of the ruling coalition and eventually Prime Minister of Ethiopia.
Despite being the clear favourite in the general public, Lemma Megersa was not a member of the national parliament, a pre-condition to becoming Prime Minister as requested by the Ethiopian constitution. Therefore, Lemma was excluded from the leadership race.
On 22 February 2018, Lemma's party, ODP, called for an emergency executive committee meeting and replaced Lemma by Abiy as Chairman of ODP. Abiy
had the advantage of being Member of Parliament in contrast to Lemma. A lot of observers saw that as a tactical move to promote Abiy to become Prime Minister.
On 1 March 2018, the 180 EPRDF executive committee members started their meeting to elect the Leader of the party. Each of the four parties sent in 45 members. The contest for the leadership was among Abiy Ahmed of ODP, Demeke Mekonnen, the Deputy Prime Minister and ADP leader, Shiferaw
Shigute as Chairman of SEPDM and Debretsion Gebremichael as the Leader of TPLF. Despite being the overwhelming favourite by the majority of Ethiopians, Abiy faced major opposition from TPLF and SEPDM members during the leadership discussions.
On 27 March 2018, a few hours before the beginning of the leadership elections, Demeke Mekonnen, who had been seen as the major opponent to Abiy, dropped out of the race. Many observers saw this as an endorsement of Abiy Ahmed. Demeke was then approved as Deputy Prime Minister and got another term in that post. Following Demeke's exit, Abiy received a presumably unanimous vote from both the ADP and ODP executive members, with 18 additional votes in a secret ballot coming from elsewhere. By midnight, Abiy Ahmed was declared Chairman of the ruling coalition in Ethiopia, the EPRDF, and was considered as the Prime Minister Designate of Ethiopia by receiving 108 votes while Shiferaw Shigute received 58 and Debretsion Gebremichael received 2 votes.
On 2 April 2018, Abiy was elected as Prime Minister of Ethiopia by the House of Representatives and sworn in and during his acceptance speech, he promised to reach out to the Eritrean government to resolve the ongoing Eritrean–Ethiopian border conflict after the Eritrean–Ethiopian War and to also reach out to the political opposition inside and outside of Ethiopia.
His acceptance speech sparked optimism and received an overwhelmingly positive reaction from the Ethiopian public including the opposition groups inside and outside Ethiopia. Following his speech, his popularity and support across the country reached a historical high and some political observers argued that Abiy was overwhelmingly more popular than the ruling party coalition, the EPRDF.
In June 2018 it was announced that the Ethiopian government had agreed to hand over the disputed border town of Badme to Eritrea, thereby complying with the terms of the 2000 Algiers Agreement to bring an end to the state of tension between Eritrea and Ethiopia that had persisted despite the end of hostilities during the Ethiopia-Eritrea War. Ethiopia had until then rejected the international boundary commission's ruling awarding Badme to Eritrea, resulting in a frozen conflict (popularly termed a policy of "no war, but no peace") between the two countries.
During the national celebration on 20 June 2018, the president of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki, accepted the peace initiative put forward by Abiy and suggested that he would send a delegation to Addis Ababa. On 26 June 2018, Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed visited Addis Ababa in the first Eritrean high-level delegation to Ethiopia in over two decades. Breaking protocol, PM Abiy received the Eritrean Foreign Minister at Bole International Airport.
In Asmara, on 8 July 2018, Abiy became the first Ethiopian leader to meet with an Eritrean counterpart in over two decades, in the 2018 Eritrea–Ethiopia summit. The very next day, the two signed a "Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship" declaring an end to tensions and agreeing, amongst other matters, to re-establish diplomatic relations; reopen direct telecommunication, road, and aviation links; and facilitate Ethiopian use of the ports of Massawa and Asseb.
Abiy met and married his wife, Zinash Tayachew, an Amhara woman from Gondar, while both were serving in the Ethiopian Defence Forces. They have three daughters together.
Abiy is multilingual and speaks Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Tigrinya, and English. He is a fitness aficionado and professes that physical health goes hand in hand with mental health and as such, he frequents physical and gym activities in Addis Ababa.
Abiy is a devout Pentecostal Christian of the Full Gospel Believers Church.
FINALLY, HAPPY 2019 TO OUR READERS!
21/12/2018 - EP 0 Comments
Asmara: The cleanest city in Africa
"Visit Eritrea"
This magnificent city which prides itself on a number of historic buildings of ancient neo-Romanesque, Victorian, architectural styles is mostly praised for its tranquil, crime-free atmosphere. It has also been lauded for being one of the cleanest cities of Africa for its wide-treed boulevards, political areas and districts, and space and scope for development.
Asmara was also known as "Little Rome," because Italian dictator and colonial leader of the city, Benito Mussolini, believed it would become the capital of the Second Roman Empire in Africa.
Charming colourful Asmara: A Modernist African UNESCO City
For Mussolini, Asmara was the nexus in his new Roman Empire – and the administrative centre of his Africa Orientale Italiana. He called the city "La Piccola Roma" – Africa's little Rome.
At night, the cafés and streets stay full. Especially on Harnet Avenue. Previously known as Mussolini Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue.
You appreciate the nature of Asmara when you go to other cities.
Contact our independent media website today for more world news stories.
Eritrean Press
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A new employee has said he was entitled to an employment contract from day one. Is he right?
Under the Employment Rights Act employees must be provided with a written statement of employment particulars (terms and conditions of employment). The Act sets out what must be included, but does allow some particulars to be in another document. Written employment contracts usually cover additional issues. The initial statement of employment particulars must be provided no later than two months after their employment begins.
We would recommend that all employment terms and conditions are issued before starting, and certainly no later than day one.
The current National Living Wage for 25 years & over is £7.83 an hour.
with the National Living Wage for 25 years & over increasing to £8.21 an hour.
Employers have discretion when designing their benefit plans and can make eligibility distinctions. These differences should only be based on a sound employment-based reason, decision-making authority and responsibility, and applied to all similar level/category of employee. Examples of employment-based reasons include length of service, or competitive market pressures.
Would an employer be entitled to make a deduction from an employee's pay for 15 minutes after they were late for work?
An Employer is under no obligation to make a payment for wages unless the Employee turns up at the contractual start time, save where there is a contractual entitlement to be paid in these circumstances. The terms of the contract would need to be reviewed carefully in such a case. This is the case irrespective of the reason for the Employee's lateness, perhaps because of public transport delays. Whether this is good for Employee Relations is another matter.
What do I have to pay someone on maternity leave?
Statutory maternity pay (SMP) is currently payable for a period of up to 39 weeks.
There are two rates of SMP. For the first six weeks, SMP is paid at the higher rate, i.e. 90% of the employee's normal weekly earnings. For the remaining 33 weeks, SMP is paid at the lower rate, now £145.18 (£148.68 from April 2019) a week or 90% of employee's weekly earnings if this is less than £145.18 (£148.68 from April 2019) per week.
SPP will be at the rate determined by the State £145.18 (£148.68 from April 2019) or 90% of weekly earnings (calculated at an average of the eight weeks preceding the Qualifying Week), whichever is the lower. It is either one week or two consecutive weeks' paternity leave (not odd days).
Do I have to pay holiday pay to someone working under contract?
Yes, the Working Time Regulations apply to 'workers' as well employees. A subcontractor can accrue holiday entitlement unless they are genuinely self employed.
How much Statutory Sick Pay do I have to pay?
Do I have to give paid time off work for Public Holidays?
It depends upon what is provided in the contract of employment. Time off for Public Holidays can be counted against a worker's annual holiday entitlement, or can be provided in addition depending upon what is agreed.
If a fit note states that an employee "may be fit" to return to work, what action should you take?
You need to discuss with the employee what adjustments may be temporarily required to help them back to work. If you can agree what they are, it is a good idea to formally record what they are and the timescale. Then review progress. If you cannot agree on possible temporary adjustments, then the employee remains off sick until they more fully recover.
An employee who is on long-term sickness absence may wish to book a period of annual leave in order to receive full pay for that period, for example if he or she has exhausted all entitlement to sick pay, or is receiving only statutory sick pay.
The law does not prevent employees from taking annual leave while on sickness absence. It may be in an employer's interests to agree to an employee's request to take annual leave, to avoid further accrual of significant amounts of leave while on sickness absence. If refused, the employer would have to allow the employee to take the accrued annual leave when they return to work (even if this means carrying it over to the next leave year), or pay the employee the accrued holiday pay on termination of employment. Sometimes holidays are part of the recovery process.
Whilst the employee is on holiday, their sick leave and pay is suspended for the duration. If they are only receiving SSP then under the rules of limited SSP, when they return from holiday the SSP resumes immediately.
The fact that an employee is working elsewhere while on sickness absence could be evidence that the sickness absence is not genuine, but this is not necessarily the case. It would depend on the reason for the employee's sickness absence and the differing nature of the two jobs.
The employee's illness may mean that they are unable to perform their normal work but they could perform a very different type of job. There is nothing to stop an employee claiming sick pay while medically unfit for one job, and carrying out work for another employer in a job that he or she is fit to do. The employer should fully investigate the facts, which includes talking to the employee before deciding whether or not to consider taking formal action against the employee.
Can an employee return to work during a period covered by a medical certificate?
Yes, it is a commonly held myth that people cannot work when signed off by their GP, when effectively all their doctor has done, is formally recorded that they have advised their patient to take a period of time off from work. An employee can take the advice in part, or in full, as can the employer.
A fit note recommends "light duties" – what does this mean?
It may mean very little in reality, however, it could mean a range of things from shorter hours, reduced duties, less pressurised work, less physically active work etc. It is up to the employer to discuss with the employee what can be agreed upon, and accommodated for an agreed duration. If there are no light duties that can be offered or agreed upon, then the employee remains of sick until they more fully recover.
If an employee returns to work after long-term sickness, and it is obvious early on that they are still unwell – what can you do?
Sit down with them and express your concerns. Discuss whether it is realistic for them to continue working that day. An employer has a duty of care to make sure that work does not make an employee's health worse. If it is genuinely thought that there are health, safety and/or welfare concerns, then send the person home on continued sick leave, and urge them to go back to their GP.
An employee on long-term sickness telephones to say that they do not think they can return to work but will not resign. What can you do?
Most employees will not resign in such circumstances, as they are well aware that they would lose out on receiving notice pay, and may have problems claiming state benefits. Pressurising an employee to resign could well be deemed to be constructive unfair dismissal, and if they have a recognised disability, your actions are likely to be deemed discriminatory as well. Go down an appropriate ill-health dismissal, having gained appropriate medical evidence regarding their future health prognosis.
Can you dismiss someone before their SSP entitlement runs out?
Yes, providing you follow a full and fair dismissal process.
On what grounds can you withhold SSP?
You don't have to pay Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for any qualifying days the employee was late providing relevant medical certification, after you have specified when they should have told you (unless there's a good reason for the delay).
You can also withhold SSP if the employee has recently drawn a state benefit, such as maternity allowance or Employment and Support Allowance, or, is being held in custody. A certificate may indicate a reason that does not equate with a justifiable absence from work, so an employer may refuse to accept the evidence as being appropriate.
However, HMRC guidance does state that "a doctor's statement is strong evidence of incapacity and should usually be accepted as conclusive, unless there is more compelling evidence to the contrary." In other words it is a low threshold.
Flexible working is any change in an employee's working pattern i.e. normal working hours or days. It can include, amongst other things, part-time work, reduced hours, later or earlier start or finish times, compressed hours or working from home.
An employee with more than 26 weeks' continuous service has the right to request a flexible working arrangement with their employer and the employer is under an obligation to properly consider that request fairly, and within a reasonable timescale, give reasons as to whether they accept or not the employee's request.
We have received a request for flexible working; do we have to agree to it?
1. The burden of additional costs.
2. Detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand.
3. Insufficiency of work during the periods the employee proposes to work.
4. The effect on other staff.
6. If the change would affect the quality currently provided.
7. If performance could be negatively affected.
To be eligible to apply, the employee must have a minimum of 26 weeks continuous employment, and must have not made an application for flexible working during the last 12 months.
The most important thing is to follow the proper procedure and to give the request serious consideration i.e. not 'going through the motions'. We would suggest that if you do agree, do it on a trial period initially as thereafter any flexible working change is otherwise permanent.
Can I refuse a request for Shared Parental Leave?
No, if the request is for a "continuous" period of Shared Parental Leave. If, however, the request is for "discontinuous" periods of Shared Parental Leave, then the employer can turn down such a request if it cannot be reasonably accommodated.
Do I have to agree to take someone back from maternity leave on a part-time basis if their previous role was full-time?
No, but you must consider their request following a proper procedure which includes the right to appeal, within a reasonable time period (usually no more than 3 months). You must provide at least one of eight sound business reasons why you are turning down their flexible working request.
Gross misconduct can be any conduct where an employee has behaved in a way that represents a fundamental breach of their contract, making any continuing relationship with the employer impossible. Examples of acts of "gross misconduct" can include theft, dishonesty, violence at work, intoxication from drink or drugs and serious breach of health and safety rules.
Can we instantly dismiss employees if we catch them committing an act of gross misconduct?
There is no such thing as instant dismissal. If you follow a full and fair disciplinary procedure and you conclude that dismissal is appropriate in the circumstances then you will be able to effect a summary dismissal i.e. without notice or pay in lieu of notice on the day that the decision to dismiss has been communicated.
I have invited an employee to a disciplinary meeting and told them they may be accompanied by a colleague or union representative. They want to bring a friend or relative, is this ok?
They only have a right to a colleague or union representative so you can refuse their request. If they are disabled and need to have someone to assist or they are under 18, you would, however, be wise to make this adjustment.
Do I have to allow my staff to be accompanied at a disciplinary hearing by a Union Representative even though we do not recognise a Trade Union?
Yes for all casual, temporary and part-time workers, indeed anyone who falls within the general definition of a worker. The right exists regardless of whether or not you recognise a Trade Union to any degree.
Do I have to give written reasons for the dismissal of an employee?
If employees have 2 years service, they are entitled to written reasons for dismissal, and they must be provided within 14 days when requested. It is however; always wise to put the reasons in writing in the dismissal letter regardless of service. We would always advise providing the reasons for dismissal clearly in writing.
Whatever their length of service, pregnant employees, or those on statutory maternity or adoption leave, are entitled to written reasons, without having to request it.
Are there other procedural requirements that must be followed in addition to the ACAS Discipline & Dismissal procedure?
In most cases of dismissal, i.e. in conduct and capability cases, an employer should also follow their own disciplinary procedure and be aware of all the 'rules' which case law has developed, so it is wise to seek professional HR advice. In other cases, such as redundancy, there will be an expectation for a sound audit trail showing a fair selection process and meaningful consultation & consideration of alternative work.
Our staff contracts say that they are on one month's notice but they are saying that long serving staff are entitled to more than this, which surely cannot be right if their contracts say one month from either party?
Contracts cannot take away from statutory legal entitlements. After one month of employment, employees are entitled to at least one week's notice. After two years it goes up to 2 weeks notice and then increases by one week for each completed year of continuous service up to a maximum entitlement of 12 weeks.
What is the minimum period of notice that employees are entitled to?
Employees are entitled to a statutory minimum period of 1 week's notice for every year worked up worked up to a maximum of 12 weeks. So someone with 8 years service would be entitled to a minimum of 8 weeks' notice, regardless of what their contract says.
The statutory notice applies after working for 1 month. Before this time, employees can be dismissed without any notice, unless the contract provides for more.
Contracts of employment may provide for a longer notice period than the statuary minimum, but it cannot be less.
A resignation can be either verbal or in writing, and is a clear statement by the employee to their employer that they are going to leave their job. Threatening to leave, or saying that they are looking for another job, is not the same as formally resigning. An employer cannot refuse to accept a resignation, but may try to discuss and influence the final outcome.
There is an ACAS Statutory Code on Settlement Agreements that needs to be complied with regarding the process.
A further benefit of using a Settlement Agreement is that the circumstances around termination and/or the terms and payment offered will remain confidential. It has to be signed by the employee's qualified legal advisor and it is normal for the employer to pay the legal advisor's fee.
I want to start a protected conversation with an employee we want to get rid of. How quickly can I do this?
What you are talking about is now called a Section 111A discussion or a pre-termination negotiation.
The ACAS Guide state that as a rule, a minimum period of 10 calendar days should be allowed to consider the proposed formal written terms of a settlement agreement and to receive independent advice, unless the parties agree otherwise.
In some circumstances, not allowing a reasonable time might mean that the settlement discussions can be referred to as evidence in a subsequent unfair dismissal claim.
NB: If the majority of the job activity still exists, then redundancy justification can be challenged.
We need to make a few redundancies; do we have to wait for 30 days before we can do so?
If the people potentially affected are 20 or more but less than 100 in number, then yes you should be consulting for at least 30 days before any redundancies take effect.
If it less than 20 people affected, then you need to consult for at the very least two weeks but consultation should not be about time or number of meetings; it is about the quality of those consultative meetings in considering selection, terms and alternatives to redundancy.
How easy is it for employees to challenge a redundancy selection pool?
It is not easy as the law recognises the employer's right to determine the selection pool but it is not impossible. There are no fixed rules and employers have wide discretion. An employer needs to show that consideration was given to whether each job in question is unique or should be part of a selection pool of similar jobs.
Employees can challenge whether they should have been included or excluded within a pool and if it happens, the employer needs to demonstrate the justification for their actions.
What is the limit on a week's pay for calculating redundancy and unfair dismissal basic awards?
What is the maximum statutory redundancy pay or basic award for unfair dismissal?
What is the maximum compensatory award for Unfair Dismissal?
How is compensation calculated in discrimination cases?
Compensation will be awarded for losses arising from act(s) of discrimination. An important part of this usually consists of lost earnings. A calculation is made of losses up to the date of the tribunal and may be projected into the future depending on how long the tribunal believes losses will continue. The assessment of losses will take into account earnings from a new position which will be deducted from the award. If the employee finds alternative work where the income level is the same or more, losses will stop from that point. There is no upper limit on the award of compensation in a case of unlawful discrimination.
In discrimination cases an award for injury to feelings will normally be made. This will fall into one of three 'Vento bands' depending on the severity and length of time of the suffering. Most cases will fall in the lower band of up to £8,000, but the most severe cases can go to £42,000.
What is the maximum working week under the Working Time Regulations?
What are the minimum daily and weekly rest periods under the Working Time Regulations and does an employer have to force their employees to take rest breaks?
an uninterrupted rest period of not less than 24 hours in each seven-day period during which they work for their employer.
Employers should ensure that workers can take their rest breaks but the law is not clear if an employer has to actually force them to do so.
What are the minimum break periods for employees?
What restrictions are there on employing under 18's?
work more than 12 hours a week, including weekend working.
There are more restrictions on children, including local bye-laws so it is worth checking with the Local Authority.
An employee has made a complaint about their manager. What should they do?
You should have a grievance procedure that complies with the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures. The Code sets out how you should deal with complaints. If you lose an Employment Tribunal claim the compensation awarded could be increased by up to 25% if you unreasonably fail to comply with it.
Establish with the employee how they wish their complaint to be resolved, as in many cases employees do not wish to make a formal grievance, they just wish that their Manager will listen and respond to their concerns, or, behave more positively towards them.
Whistleblowing is the phrase given to a situation whereby an employee makes a 'qualifying disclosure,' (reveals information or facts) which is normally to the detriment of the employer. If the disclosure qualifies as a protected disclosure, and the employee is dismissed for making it, they will be able to claim that their dismissal was automatically unfair. Workers are also protected from suffering any detriment as a result of making a qualifying disclosure out of the organisation to e.g. a statutory body or the media.
Is there a requirement to consult with employees when there is a TUPE transfer?
Yes, there is a requirement for the employer to inform employees of the legal, social and economic implications of a TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment regulations) transfer. If the employer intends to take any measures in respect of any employee, there must also be consultation, e.g. changing pay date, pension or working hours. The consultation must be with Employee representatives. But in their absence you have to consult with all the employees.
A TUPE transfer does not include a sale of the business by share transfer but it may still be worth full two-way communication to avoid Employee Relations problems.
When do I have to report an accident at work?
All incidents can be reported online (www.riddor.gov.uk) but a telephone (0845 300 9923) service remains for fatal accidents and specified injuries only.


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Volume 20, Issue 11, 19/Mar/2015
Research articles Open Access
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES2015.20.11.21063
Self-sampling for analysis of respiratory viruses in a large-scale epidemiological study in Sweden
A Plymoth1, M Rotzén-Östlund2,3, B Zweygberg-Wirgart2,3, C G Sundin4, A Ploner1, O Nyrén1, A Linde5
Affiliations: 1 Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden 2 Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden 3 Department of Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden 4 Department of Communicable Disease Control, Södermanland County, Mälarsjukhuset, Eskilstuna, Sweden 5 Public Health Agency of Sweden, Solna, Sweden
A Plymoth
amelie.plymoth ki.se
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Citation style for this article: Plymoth A, Rotzén-Östlund M, Zweygberg-Wirgart B, Sundin C G, Ploner A, Nyrén O, Linde A. Self-sampling for analysis of respiratory viruses in a large-scale epidemiological study in Sweden. Euro Surveill. 2015;20(11):pii=21063. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES2015.20.11.21063 Received: 21 Feb 2014
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Viral diagnosis of respiratory tract infections has so far required sampling by health professionals, hampering large-scale epidemiological studies of virus-specific disease outcomes. As part of a population-based, prospective study of work-related risk factors for transmission of viral infections (SWEDE-I), we developed a scheme for self-sampling with nasal swabs. Random selection from the gainfully employed population of a medium-sized town in central Sweden resulted in a study cohort of 2,237 men and women aged 25 to 63 years. From September 2011 through May 2012, the cohort reported all instances of respiratory tract infection or gastroenteritis and participants concomitantly sent self-sampled nasal swabs for analysis using regular mail. Diagnosis of 14 viruses was performed. A total of 1,843 samples were received. The week-wise average delay between disease onset and arrival of the specimens at the laboratory varied between four and six days, and the corresponding median delay was between 3.5 and six days. In line with previous community-based studies, picorna- and coronaviruses dominated in specimens obtained from the self-sampling scheme. The results of self-sampling were contrasted to those from contemporaneous routine clinical sampling, on the same age group, in the adjacent Stockholm county. Although higher proportions of positive samples for respiratory syncytial virus and influenza were observed in the clinical sampling scheme, estimations of seasonality for influenza A and picornaviruses derived from both schemes were similar. Our findings show that nasal self-sampling is feasible in large-scale surveillance of respiratory infections and opens new prospects for population-based, virologically verified research on virus spread, burden of disease, and effects of environmental factors or interventions.
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text:
Solidarity with the peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean, Balkans and the Middle East
We condemn the imperialist wars and interventions
in the Middle East and Northern Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans
We express our solidarity with the peoples of the region
The Communist and Workers' Parties participating in the 19th International Meeting of the Communist and Workers' Parties and who sign this resolution:
Note that the intra-imperialist contradictions and antagonisms for the control of gas, oil, energy pipelines, and more generally, resources and markets, are the basis of imperialist wars and are directed against the peoples.
We condemn the imperialist wars and interventions that have marked the developments in the Middle East, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans, under the responsibility of the US, NATO and the EU, in the context of intra-imperialist rivalries, as witnessed by the many years of warfare against Syria, Iraq, Libya, the presence of NATO forces in the Mediterranean, the Aegean Sea, and in the wider Balkan region.
We express our internationalist solidarity with the people of Syria, Iraq, Libya and the other peoples of the region.
We demand a just solution to the Cyprus issue, which remains unresolved 43 years after the invasion – occupation by the Turkish bourgeois state.
We support the just struggle of the Palestinian people to end the Israeli occupation.
We stand by the side of refugees and immigrants and at the same time we struggle against the causes that give rise to this phenomenon.
We condemn the involvement of the Greek government of SYRIZA-ANEL, as well as all other NATO and EU governments, which provide troops, bases and other military facilities as a base for imperialist designs in the region.
We call on the peoples to strengthen their struggle against imperialist wars, to eradicate the causes that give rise to them, to escalate the struggle against NATO and the EU, against imperialist alliances.
No involvement of our countries in imperialist plans, no involvement of our country's military forces in imperialist missions. We demand the removal of American-NATO and other foreign military bases from each country. NATO out of the Mediterranean, the Aegean, the Balkans, from every region of the globe.
Neither land nor water to the murderers of the peoples
PADS (Algeria)
Party of Labour of Austria
Communist Party of Bulgaria
Party of Bulgarian Communists
Communist Party of Ecuador
Communist Party of Esthonia
Hungarian Workers Party
Workers Party of Ireland
Communist Party (Italy)
Communist Party of Jordan
Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan
Communist Party of Mexico
Communist Party of Pakistan
Paraguayan Communist Party
Philippine Communist Party [PKP 1930]
Romanian Communist Party
Russian Communist Workers Party
Communists of Serbia
Communist Party of the People of Spain
Union of Communists of Ukraine
Labels: 19th International Meeting of the Communist and Workers Parties, Balkans, Cyprus, Iraq, Libya, NCPB, palestine, solidarity, world communist movement
Solidarity with Catalonia
The undersigned, Communist Parties and Workers gathered in St. Petersburg at the XIX Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties condemn the repression that the police of the Spanish State exercised on October 1 against the people of Catalonia in their struggle for the right to self-determination , the right of expression, assembly and demonstration. They express their rejection of the application of art. 155 of the Spanish Constitution in Catalunya made by the PP Government, which has led to the dissolution of the Catalan Parliament, the removal of the President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, his Vice-President and all his Government, as well as intervention in all areas of the political rights of Catalonia.
We request the dismissal of the case open to Joan Josep Nuet, Secretary General of Communists of Catalonia and other members of the Parliament's Board of Crimes of Sedition, Rebellion, and embezzlement of public funds.
St Petersburg 2nd November 2017
Los abajo firmantes, Partidos Comunistas y Obreros reunidos en Sant Petersburgo en el XIX Encuentro de Partidos Comunistas y Obreros condenan la represión que la policia del Estado espanyol ejercio el dia 1 de octubre contra el pueblo de Catalunya, en su lucha por el derecho de autodeterminación, el derecho de expresión, reunión y manifestación. Manifiestan su rechazo a la aplicación del art. 155 de la Constitución española en Catalunya que hace el Gobierno del PP, y que ha supuesto la disolución del Parlament catalán, la destitución del President de la Generalitat de Catalunya, su Vicepresidente y de todo su Gobierno, así como la intervención en todos los àmbitos de los derechos políticos de Catalunya.
Solicitamos el sobreseimiento de la causa abierta a Joan Josep Nuet, Secretario General de Comunistes de Catalunya y otros miembros de la Mesa del Parlamentde los delitos de Sedición, Rebeldia, i malversación de fondos públicos.
Romanian Socialist Party
Labels: 19th International Meeting of the Communist and Workers Parties, Catalonia, communist heritage, Great October Russian Revolution; 1917; world communist movement;, NCPB. joint statement, solidarity
Turkey must withdraw its troops from Syria!
A call from the Communist Party of Turkey endorsed at the annual 19th International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties in November 2017
Under the leadership of Erdoğan, Turkey has provided political and material support to terrorist groups in Syria, and has been an accomplice to all massacres perpetrated and humanitarian/economic devastation inflicted upon this country since the very beginning of imperialist intervention. Yet today, in defiance of all international agreements and rules, Turkey is carrying out military operations in Syria under the pretext of "counterterrorism".
We, the undersigned communist and workers' parties, hereby protest Turkey's military presence in Syria, and call for the immediate termination
of these military operations.
Erdoğan's foreign policy maneuvers, which solely aim to maintain his personal status and to satisfy the emerging pursuits of Turkish capitalist class, do not serve to the interests of the toiling masses of Turkey or the region by any means. As the undersigned communist and workers' parties, just as we do not sympathize with the pressure and blackmailing exercised by the US and other NATO countries against Erdoğan and oppose to any "color revolution" attempt to be staged in Turkey, we neither accept to label the reactionary and anti-people policies pursued by Turkish government as something positive or even anti-imperialist.
The workers will have the final word in Turkey, in Syria and all around the world. As the communist and workers' parties, we stand by this word and
we will do everything in our power to strengthen it.
Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism
Communist Party of Brasil (PCdoB)
Unified Communist Party of Georgia
Hungarian Workers' Party
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Communist Party (Italia)
Communist Party of Syria
Communist Party of Syria (Unified)
Communist Party USA
Labels: 19th International Meeting of the Communist and Workers Parties, communist heritage, NCPB, NCPB. joint statement, Turkey, world communist movement
Solidarity with Polish communists
The Communist Party of Poland, within the framework of the annual 19th International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties, circulated a Motion against the anticommunist persecutions at the expense of the CP of Poland
On March 31st, 2016 four cadres of the Communist Party of Poland were sentenced by the regional court of Dąbrowa Górnicza to 9 months of restricted freedom with obligatory social work and fines. The legal procedure at the expense of the CP of Poland and of its cadres that has been going on for two years will restart on the 27th of November with the charges of "dissemination of the communist ideology" in the Brzask newspaper and on the Party's website. If the court finds them guilty, the charges are up to two years of incarceration.
At the same time, the CP of Poland is facing a new offensive from the Polish capitalist class and from the government party of "Law and Justice" (PiS), which is trying to illegalize the CP of Poland on the context that "the Program of the CP of Poland does not abide by the Constitution".
The CP's that participate in the International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties condemn the attempts to outlaw the Communist ideology in Poland. We denounce the persecutions against our Polish comrades. These persecutions, as well as the persecutions in other EU member-states, go hand in hand with the intensification of the anti-popular offensive, aim at equating Communism with the fascist monster; they aim at erasing the achievements of Socialism from the collective memory of the peoples.
100 years after the October Revolution, the peoples can and must draw conclusions from the anti-communist political positions of the EU and of the bourgeois governments that are becoming more intense. They must trust the Communists and demand the satisfaction of their modern needs, organizing their struggle against the capitalist system, the monopolies and their power.
All charges against the CP of Poland and its cadres have to be dropped immediately.
Hands off the Communists of Poland, the Communist ideology and their unrestricted action.
Solidarity with the CP of Poland!
Anti-communism shall not pass!
Communist Party of Australia
Communist Party of Azerbaidjan
Progressive Tribune Bahrain
Brazilian Communist Party
Egyptian Communist Party
Communist Party of Kurdistan
Party of the Communists of Kyrgyzstan
Workers Party of Korea
Socialist Peoples' Front (Lithuania)
Party of the Congress for the Independence of Madagascar
Party of the Communists of Republic of Moldova
Communist Party of Nepal
Communist Party of Peru (Patria Roja)
Communists of Catalonia
Communist Party of Sri-Lanka
Syrian Communist Party (Unified)
Communist Party of Tadjikistan
Labels: 19th International Meeting of the Communist and Workers Parties, communist heritage, NCPB. joint statement, world communist movement
Communists celebrate 1917 in the homeland of the revolution
Opening of the first session of the conference
Communists and progressive forces marked the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution with two major conferences and a series of events in Russia that paid tribute to the 10 days that shook the world in 1917. It all began when the Bolsheviks led the revolution that overthrew the Kerensky regime in St Petersburg to build the world's first workers' and peasants' state. And in the hallowed hall of the Tavrichesky Palace, where the Czarist parliament met and where Lenin spoke when it was briefly home to the Provisional Government and the Petersburg Soviet, hundreds of communists gathered for the 19th International Meeting of the Communist and Workers' Parties of the World.
The conference was opened on 2nd November by Gennady Zyuganov, the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF). He reminded delegates that a new stage in history was heralded 100 years ago with the words of Lenin, the genius of the Revolution, from Red Petrograd to the whole world and added that now is the time for the third Russian revolution, which will ensure the ultimate victory of socialism.
Referring to the symbolic meaning of the salvo from the cruiser Aurora that sparked off the uprising and the unforgettable days of October in the capital of the Russian Empire, Zyuganov recalled the historical stages the city hosted from the struggle for Soviet power to the heroic resistance against the Nazis.
Zyuganov also commented on the development of the meetings of the communist and workers' parties, starting with the initiative of the Communist Party of Greece 20 years ago. He recalled that the main tasks of the meetings were the restoration of inter-party ties that had been interrupted after 1991 and exchange of information on their activities. Zyuganov stated that over the years, valuable experience in preparing and holding such meetings has been accumulated and the number of parties participating in them has been constantly growing.
Delegations from 103 parties, including the New Communist Party of Britain (NCP), took part in the conference. NCP leader Andy Brooks and Peter Hendy from the Central Committee joined 188 other comrades from all over the world, which included 60 Party leaders amongst the 188 delegates that filled the hall.
Andy Brooks joking with Rob Griffiths of the CPB
Conference agreed to add the Communist Party of China, the Workers Party of Korea and the Hungarian Workers Party to the Working Group, the steering committee of the international movement. Conference also unanimously adopted a statement calling upon all communist and workers' parties to intensify coordination and to take up joint actions. It was also decided to organise scientific research and exchange of opinions on the causes that led to the counter-revolution in the USSR and the dissolution of the socialist camp. It was decided that the 100th anniversary of the seminal work of Lenin, The State and Revolution, would be observed in a systematic manner. The communiqué noted that 2018 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx and there needs to be appropriate efforts to discuss the contributions of Karl Marx and the Communist Manifesto. It was agreed to build joint efforts to protect the rights and democratic freedoms of working people and to fight racism and fascism. The communiqué also called for focused activity targeting the youth because they are being misled by reactionary forces in every country, and expressed solidarity with the peoples of Cuba, Palestine, Syria, Venezuela and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The two-day conference closed with solemn singing of the Internationale. The delegations then proceeded to join 4,000 Russian communists at the vast October Concert Hall for a rapturous concert dedicated to the spirit of the revolution. The following day international delegations were taken to the historic Smolny Institute, the home of the Soviet government before it moved to Moscow, and to the Aurora and a 1917 exhibition in the Hermitage museum.
The delegations then travelled by high-speed train to Moscow to take part in the even bigger Left Forum, which also included delegations from the Syrian Arab Socialist Renaissance Party (Baath) and other progressive forces from the Third World.
Delegates paid tribute to Lenin at Lenin Mausoleum, and the ashes of Joseph Stalin and other leaders of the revolution, including the hundreds of unknown soldiers and martyrs honoured along the Kremlin wall.
With numerous events, rallies and parades, thousands of people of every age celebrated the 100 years since the Great October Socialist Revolution in Russia and other countries of the former USSR.
The centenary celebrations of the Great October Socialist Revolution concluded in Moscow with a rally on 7th November. It was attended by not only comrades from Moscow, but also leaders of over 100 communist and workers' parties from across the world.
Delegates joined demonstrators led by the CPRF leaders in a march from Pushkin Square to Revolution Square, waving the flags of the Lenin Komsomol, portraits of Lenin and Stalin, and chanting communist slogans. A rally was then held in front of statue of Karl Marx in Revolution Square.
Large rallies, organised by the CPRF and the Russian Communist Workers Party (RCWP), took place in Moscow, St Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Omsk and other smaller cities. The celebrations took place despite a deliberate effort by the Putin government to distract public opinion away from the great anniversary. Major communist concerts in Moscow and St Petersburg were ignored by the Russian media, which chose instead to mark the centenary with the start of an eight-part series on Leon Trotsky!
Although President Vladimir Putin did send greetings to the international communist conference, the Russian government refused to hold any events in honour of the October Revolution, apart from a pageant in Red Square that was partly dedicated to the 1941 Red Army parade before leaving to the front against the Nazis. But this simply reflects the reactionary and anti-communist orientation of the Putin government that serves the interests the national bourgeoisie.
But as Gennady Zyuganov said: "7th November will always remain a celebration for us. Today's Russia is a different place but they can't take away our whole lives from us."
Vesti News report on the Meeting
Vesti News report on the march through Moscow
Labels: 19th International Meeting of the Communist and Workers Parties, CPB, CPRF, Great October Russian Revolution; 1917; world communist movement;, Left Forum, NCPB, RCWP, Russian Federation
Solidarity with the peoples of the Eastern Mediter...
Communists celebrate 1917 in the homeland of the r...
Solidarity with the People of Cyprus
Pages of Irish History
Review: The Kingsman cycle


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text:
AI and ML in cybersecurity: Too much hype or not enough?
By: Howie Xu
It seems that every vendor in the cybersecurity universe is touting how their products have been enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities. While some of these claims are true and backed up by substantial engineering and great design, just as many are exaggerated and poorly implemented. This blog attempts to explain the real progress that AI and ML are making to help address the core tasks of cybersecurity. It will help to demystify AI and ML, as well as look at where these technologies are going. It will also touch on how Zscaler is improving detection accuracy and reducing the impact of advanced threats.
Why AI and ML have exciting applications in cybersecurity
AI and ML offer a new methodology for software development and have particular relevance for cybersecurity. At the same time, companies should recognize which use cases are best for applying AI and ML to their cybersecurity, rather than buying into claims that AI can be (or should be) used for anything and everything.
All software needs algorithms. In conventional programming, humans write algorithms explicitly. The best places to apply ML are where the traditional way to solve the problem by coming up with the algorithm is explicitly difficult for humans and where there is enough data available to enable the ML models to learn the algorithm. This is especially true when the problem involves some complex pattern recognition, where it is easier for a machine to learn the algorithm from the data than for a person to try to write an algorithm with a complete set of rules for identifying patterns. A great example is malware, where patterns of malicious behavior are hidden in the binary digits of the malware code. Identifying all permutations of ever-changing patterns is nearly impossible for people, but ML may help unravel such complex and obscure patterns quickly.
In addition to pattern recognition, there are two other main areas where AI and ML can be useful in cybersecurity. The first is with image recognition, where the AI is again being tasked with finding patterns in images that humans might not be able to detect by rules and heuristics fast enough. The other is content classification for websites. AI and ML can go beyond keywords, perhaps by looking at images, to offer a litany of classifications for sites.
Just as data is key to successful AI projects, data can sometimes cause AI projects to fail. For instance, at times, ML models don't have enough data to draw on to become as accurate as they need to be. Another potential problem is that ML models may be vulnerable to adversary attacks. Adversary attacks are carefully crafted examples designed to cause prediction errors for ML models. Let's take a stop sign for example. ML can be programmed to identify a standard stop sign. However, if that stop sign has some small variations on it (such as graffiti or stickers) or even just a pixel difference, it might be able to fool the program if the ML model has not been encoded with a robust mechanism for anti-adversary attacks or fed enough images of stop signs with these small variations. Also, when using AI, it's important to remember that there are no foolproof methods. Things can go wrong, and false positives can be returned.
How Zscaler is putting AI and ML to work
Despite the exaggerated claims of some vendors and the potential drawbacks if models lack efficacy due to insufficient data, the application of AI and ML to cybersecurity should excite companies. A year ago, Zscaler acquired TrustPath, a leading AI and ML technology startup, and Zscaler is already applying machine learning technology to showcase its larger potential.
One area is malware classifications, which were mentioned earlier. Using AI and ML expedites the ability to do analysis and identify patterns that signal possible threats. The traditional way of finding malware relies on sandboxing potential threats and waiting for illicit behavior to emerge, which leads to delays. Using AI and ML improves not only the accuracy of pinpointing malware but also the speed at which a threat can be identified. Conventional sandboxes still have their own powerful and unique benefits, but we are augmenting them with AI so that our customers can get the best of both technologies.
Another area where Zscaler is using AI and ML is content classification. A person can generally do at most 500 website classifications per day, whereas a machine can do near-infinite number in a day. One more example is phishing classification. The scale and number of potential phishing attacks are too large, but AI and ML offer a way to speed up detection.
In all cases, AI and ML are helping companies speed up their ability to make cybersecurity decisions while lessening the degree to which such protections inhibit the user experience with delays and latency issues.
As companies look ahead to how they will use AI and ML in the future, it's important to remember that these technologies are often not going to replace existing security solutions. Instead, AI and ML will make existing cybersecurity efforts better and faster and will add new realms of protection that are currently unimagined.
AI and ML work best in areas where there is a lot of data to help the models mature. In the future, the number and difficulty of the uses cases where AI and ML can be applied will continue to grow. AI and ML will improve over time by acquiring more domain-relevant content knowledge, which will then help the cybersecurity experts do their jobs more effectively. AI and ML will not be a panacea for all matters as some vendors proclaim, but rather a very interesting and powerful tool now available in the enterprise cybersecurity toolbox.
Howie Xu is the VP of Machine Learning and AI at Zscaler


text:
const CATEGORY = 'emojisearch/CATEGORY';

const DEFAULT_CATEGORY = '';

export default function reducer(state = DEFAULT_CATEGORY, action) {
    switch (action.type) {
        case CATEGORY:
            return action.category;
        default:
            return state;
    }
};

export function setCategory(category) {
    return { type: CATEGORY, category }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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The lessor known, but equally popular Travelmarvel, is the sister brand of APT. Positioned as a premium Operator, but a level down from APT with regards to pricing, inclusions and the age of it's river ships. Travelmarvel & APT share the same past passenger Rewards Scheme, and many of our clients like prefer to spend a little less, knowing they are still backed by one of Australasia's premier touring companies.
With it's roots in coach touring through Australia and New Zealand, Travelmarvel now offer river cruises in Europe & Asia, tours and cruises in Canada and trips around South & Central America. As Platinum Partners of APT & Travelmarvel, our consulting team have an in-depth knowledge and have personally experienced travelling with Travelmarvel and would relish the opportunity to help organise your next holiday.
4 Star Review from Marj & Robin Armitage.
5 Star Review from Julie & David.
4 Star Review from Trevor & Kaylene.
4 Star Review from Rob & Catherine.


After reviewing almost 200 books on 1776books, Hanya Yanagihara's debut novel, The People in the Trees, has proven to be the most difficult one to write. I try my absolute best to have an open mind and give every book a totally fair review. So while many reviewers on Goodreads have given this novel poor write-ups because of its dark, repulsive subject matter, I firmly believe that a reviewer should critique the book's writing and story as a whole, trying not to let their personal viewpoints affect them. So my beef with The People in the Trees isn't with the disgusting revelations per se but that they seemed so disjointed with the rest of the book; therefore, seeming to have no place in it.
Even though The People in the Trees is based loosely on a true story, Yanagihara tries hard to make the reader forget that this particular work is fiction. During a brief, biased introduction by Dr. Norton Perina's colleague/editor Ronald Kubodera, we find out that Perina has been sent to jail for child molestation. He is encouraged to write his memoirs as a world-renowned, Nobel Prize winning scientist behind bars, and so begins the reader's journey through his life story (with footnotes by Kubodera). As a young man out of medical school, Perina was asked to go to a far-away island to find inhabitants who were rumored to have eternal life. This, in itself, is fascinating, and the type of book I thought I was getting based on the synopsis. Perina ingrained himself with the island villagers, but his adventures also bring up many ethical questions (again, great for discussion). Throughout his many island visits throughout his life, he kept adopting children there and bringing them home. It's here where the book gets incredibly disturbing but also very disconnected from the rest of the narrative.
Yanagihara's writing style is filled with beautiful language, and if she had just stayed with the question of eternal life, that would have made for an enchanting read. Unfortunately, she chose to create something else entirely, and this repulsive part did not fit in with the rest of the book.


Because some immunoassays will show falsely decreased (TSH, CA 125, prolactin, F-PSA, NT-PBNP) while others falsely increased values (T3, FT4, cortisol, estradiol, folate) some interference combinations can mimic certain disease states that will not match the clinical picture, and consultation with the laboratory is recommended. T-messages explaining the possible interference will be attached to the results that could be affected.
patients who take biotin in an moderate amount but have kidney failure who having a delayed clearance of the vitamin.
Biotin, vitamin B7 or vitamin H is a water-soluble vitamin eliminated through the kidney with a half-life between 8 and 24 hours, variable from person to person and increased with kidney failure. Because biotin deficiency is considered extremely rare, no RDI exists. Suggested biotin intake for adults ranges from 30 – 100 mcg per day. Standard multivitamins contain usually 30-50 mcg/tablet, amount will not interfere with our testing, while the beauty products and the MS medication might produce interference.
We recommend asking the patient if he/she is taking treatment, multivitamins or beauty products containing biotin.
A 12 hour abstinence would ensure the clearance of biotin to a level that would not interfere with our results if the patient takes regular multivitamins or beauty supplements.
For patients taking doses exceeding 5,000 mcg/day (usually MS treatment) a longer period of abstinence as well as consultation with the laboratory is recommended.
The laboratory is able to identify biotin or any other interferences, communication with the laboratory is recommended whenever the results are discrepant with the clinical picture.
Clinical chemistry testing (electrolytes, glucose, creatinine, lipids, liver enzymes) based mainly on chemical and enzymatic reactions and immunoassays performed on ELISA platforms like lyme, measles, autoimmune assays, or urine pregnancy tests are not affected by biotin but can be influenced by other interferences.
Our immunoassays are very accurate and reliable but various interferences are possible and a complete list of medication, accurate clinical history as well as a good correlation between the clinical picture and the laboratory results is imperative for patient care.
The laboratory has methods to identify possible interferences and we are at your service to discuss and follow up on any results that do not have a good clinical explanation, as well as to listen to any questions or suggestions that you might have.
Please see below some examples of different patterns of thyroid function results and their possible causes.


KWTX is reporting that two people were dead after a fiery crash near Bartlett Sunday night.
The crash, according to the Williamson County Sheriff's Office, shut down both lanes of Sate Highway 95 for several hours.
The vehicles involved included a sedan and a pick-up, one of which was on fire.
The driver of the sedan died at the scene, along with a man in the pick-up. The three other occupants of the pick-up had non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to the hospital.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating.


text:
PCN Logo (2020) - Kiss-Cut Stickers
Sporting CP vs Inter Miami
League One Season 17 June 23, 20219:00 PM
Miami's stats https://gamerdvr.com/gamer/joah-nones/video/138675064
June 23, 2021 9:00 PM League One Season 17 90'
Sporting 3 Win
Miami 1 Loss
LiMiTLess HER0 Left Defensive Midfielder 0 0 0 0 0 25 21 0 84.0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
4 LargeMightyCow Center Back 1 1 1 100.0 0 11 10 0 90.9 0 0 3 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
7 Daningtonn Left Center Back 0 0 0 0 0 11 11 0 100.0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 chaboyl8l Right Center Back 0 0 0 0 0 13 12 0 92.3 0 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
10 xbulldog01x Right Defensive Midfielder 0 0 0 0 0 23 18 0 78.3 1 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
10 World Tails Central Attacking Midfielder 0 1 1 100.0 2 18 14 0 77.8 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
14 TWTCHJGOLAZO Right Midfielder 0 0 0 0 0 14 11 0 78.6 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
17 l vChino l Left Midfielder 1 1 1 100.0 0 9 7 0 77.8 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
19 Riooichi Goalkeeper 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 50.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
20 l RvP l Left Striker 0 0 0 0 1 15 13 0 86.7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
23 Evandavids Right Striker 1 1 1 100.0 0 5 3 0 60.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Total 3 4 4 100.0 3 148 122 0 82.4 1 11 18 0 8 0 0 0 0 28 38 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 6 11
CNovoa76 Right Attacking Midfielder 1 2 2 100.0 0 17 13 0 76.5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 2
pnunzii Right Fullback 0 0 0 0 0 13 12 0 92.3 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 Reedrix Goalkeeper 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 100.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Southsydpiratez Left Attacking Midfielder 0 0 0 0 0 12 8 0 66.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
6 Buddha l5l Right Defensive Midfielder 0 0 0 0 0 18 17 0 94.4 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
8 Joah Nones Left Defensive Midfielder 0 0 0 0 0 13 10 0 76.9 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
13 Stunnah T7 Central Attacking Midfielder 0 0 0 0 0 22 19 0 86.4 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
18 SeIIington x Left Center Back 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 33.3 0 2 6 1 2 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
19 Ao | Dilo Right Center Back 0 0 0 0 0 5 4 0 80.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
21 APen10 Left Fullback 0 0 0 0 0 7 7 0 100.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
90 jermenfeefa Striker 0 0 0 0 1 17 13 0 76.5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3
Total 1 2 2 100.0 1 129 106 0 82.2 0 7 16 1 2 0 0 0 0 30 38 0 1 0 0 0 1 5 3 12
League One Season 17
March 3, 20218:00 PM
January 31, 20219:00 PM
PCN Cup Season 15
November 4, 20209:00 PM
AnnouncementPartnershipImportant Dates


The small town of Westhill is the perfect base if you're looking to live close by the bustling city of Aberdeen, yet within a stone's throw of the magical Scottish countryside.
Situated just 8 miles from the Granite City, Westhill benefits from a variety of shops, restaurants and hotels, plus offers easy access into Aberdeen – just half an hour's drive. Schools are no problem either as there are three local primary schools in the town, a highly rated secondary school, plus selection of private schools in the nearby city.
For those fascinated by history there's plenty to see. Aberdeenshire boasts more than 300 castles, stately homes and ruins, plus as you'd expect from an area which has made its fortune from the sea, the region is rich in maritime history. You're just 20 minutes away from the spectacular Drum Castle and the start of the historic Victorian Heritage Trail, so there's definitely plenty to see and plenty to do.
This attractive site includes five high quality homes, which are sited in extensive grounds and are accessed directly from the quiet cul-de-sac of Loch View on the north side of Westhill.
All five houses benefit from an elevated position which offers stunning views over Westhill Golf Court, the hills and Loch Skene to the rear, and to the front over Westhill. An area of open gorseland lies to the front of the properties on the opposite side of the road and the centre of Westhill is just a 20 minute walk away or a few minutes in the car.
The second site features three high quality, five bedroom homes, located in good sized gardens on the quiet residential road of Kingswells View.
The site is on a gentle incline and benefits from views both east towards Aberdeen and west over the hills. The second hole of the golf course lies to the rear of the three properties and an established conifer belt also provides shelter. Despite the quiet location, the centre of Westhill is just 12 mintues walk away.
KITCHENS Kuhlmann contemporary designed kitchens with choice of door finishes and handles. Layout as per plan or equivalent no. of units.
Choice of Quartz stone worktops.
Choice of glass splash backs.
Kuhlmann units and laminate worktops.
Layout as per plan or equivalent no. of units.
White shower tray with Roman glass enclosure.
Choice of wet wall to shower enclosure.
Wall mirror with LED lights.
Tiled floor, 3 choice of tiles.
White sink mounted on unit, chrome tap.
White bath with chrome shower above and glass shower enclosure.
Wall around bath to be tiled, choice of 3 tiles.
Pelipal wall mounted sink c/w LED mirror, chrome tap.
Floors to be tiled, choice of 3 tiles.
Choice of oak or walnut doors.
Choice of oak or MDF white painted sills/facings/skirtings.
Wardrobes to be mirrored sliding doors.
Ample chrome double sockets throughout (3 per bedroom/4 per public room).
Telephone points to lounge and master bedroom.
SKY plus and Freeview pre wired to lounge and master bedroom.
Downlighters to kitchen, hall and bathrooms.
Mains gas boiler, radiator central heating and hot water system.
Timber slatted fences at the sides and rear.
Where possible, gardens will be graded using natural contours of the land and in some cases this may involve the creation of new slopes or the formation of retaining walls.
Topsoil redistributed around site and levelled ready for planting.


Also here in the free play spawn start, a brick in the open.
From where the race started, walk down. Instead of crossing the bridge to the right leading to the high tower building, climb up the structure to the left. Destroy the golden wall with Fire Spinjitzu and do the wild water race.
Go back to where the race started. Now we're crossing the bridge to the big tower building next to the big tree. Open the front door by using Spinjitzu at the two red panels.
Now go down to the base of the tower, where you can run up using the walls. Do so until you reach the area where you can use a spear.
Now go towards the swamp. But not the story path, stay on the right. You can climb down onto a little platform and jump across to the right, where the golden box is. Grapple the little house at the top first.
Now destroy the golden box with Fire Spinjitzu and build a catapult. Use it. On top of the tower, use Spinjitzu to open the door.
Now cross over to the left, balancing on the rope. Blow up the silver bars with Explosives.
Cross the swamp again, away from the tower, to the yellow wall. Run up and swing over to the right.
Leave the locked area and go down to where the pig red mushrooms are. Jump up on them.
At the central water side area, there is a square structure, which you climb up in the story. It's dripping with water. Freeze it with Ice Spinjitzu.


Scroll down the page to find older news items and community links. If you're involved in gardening in the Beaudesert area have news to share, please get in touch.
Buy POTTED ROSE PLANTS YEAR ROUND, direct from grower, at Bartons Rose Farm. 1000's of roses to choose from, 400 different varieties, including modern and heritage varieties; climbers, miniatures and standards. The STANDARD range feature 50 different varieties, and height from 60cm to 2m. 1000's to choose from.
Over 25 years experience growing roses commercially in SE Qld means great advice. You can also view a wide variety of roses in the extensive display gardens. The Farm is an ideal destination for a family day out, garden club or coach tour, Devonshire teas served all day.
Beechmont District Landcare Association Inc.
Gardening clubs, landcare groups etc send in your links! News items are also welcome.
Suburbs, towns and districts covered by this page include: Beaudesert, Boonah, Tamborine Mountain, Kalbar, Roadvale, Templin, Aratula, Fassifern Valley, Milford, Mount Alford, Tamrookum, Maroon, Rathdowney, Hillview, Tabooba, Laravale, Josephine, Canungra, Benoble, Wonglepong, Mt Tamborine, Tamborine Village, Jimboomba, Cedar Grove, Woodhill, Veresdale, Gleneagle, Bromelton.


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Page 16, 21 November 1952 — Fables of Today—II
Fables of Today—II
The Great Salmon.
By JACQUETTA HAWKES IN a certain country there was a famous salmon-river. Starting from one of those dark mountain tarns whose beds were torn out long since by the roots of glaciers, it followed the usual- course of such a river, • hurling itself down the mountain-side, sweeping through the foot-hills, then moving in stately fashion towards the sea. The salmon-run had begun, a gleaming host of fish forcing their way up against the torrent of the water—force against force. They swam steadily through the slow currents of the coastal plain, where the light was dimmed by particles of mud; then climbed a weir beside a ruined mill.
As they struggled through the shallow slide of the weir, the salmon seemed like flying fish, for the water rose on either side of them in flashing transparent wings. The current grew stronger and more rough, sometimes flowing taut and smooth over rocks, sometimes breaking into foam. Again and again the fish had to leap rocky barriers or flounder through the stony flurries of the river. Among the many small or moderately-sized salmon was one much greater than the rest, dark with the experience of many journeys through the oceans' So high was his cunning, so tremendous the power of his lith and finny tail, that when his companions had to make many little jumps, or even wriggle through the narrow places, this fish could always clear the obstacle with a single leap. Afte these feats, when the lesser kind at last caught up with him, they would find him hanging rapt and motionless, save for the slightest tremor of his fins, in the shadowy depths of a pool. The throng of advancing fish grew fewer as one pair after another decided they had gone far enough and chose their territory. There they would drop to the bottom, plough troughs in the sand and pebbles, and, floating side by side above the trough, the male and female would perform the strange violent ritual of egg-laying and fertilisation, the mingling of pearl-like eggs and swimming clouds of sperm that are the properties for this small underwater drama of creation. At last the vanguard of the fish reached a point where the river ran through the last' hard rock-stratum of the mountain mass in a deep ravine. At the 'upper end it formed a water• fall, for the greater part of its breadth plunging over a rock' face sheer and vertical save for a few sharp projections from which the spray streamed in white horsetails. The cascade, falling through the centuries, had worn a deep basin at its foot. Against the left bank the remaining part of the channel was less precipitous, the rock-stratum having split into a number of steps, each with its miniature waterfall and basin. Most of the fish found this barrier too formidable; some retreated and went up a tributary stream; some. took possession of the gloomy deeps in the ravine. Still, a few were determined to go on, knowing there would be good feeding-Founds in the tree-hung reaches above the fall. They tackled the ascent by the left bank, jumping from step to step, often swept back by the force of the torrent, but nearly all at last leaping triumphantly into the calm waters above. Only the great salmon did not attempt to navigate the stair' way; perhaps he was aware that he was too large to go that way, but it seemed rather that some reckless compulsion made him challenge the main waterfall, whose precipitous face Must be cleared in one leap or not at all. For one evening and night the salmon rested in the pool, balancing himself at the point where the falling column striking down into the depths gently stroked and rocked his splendid body. In the dusk and 'under the light of the moon cattle browsing along the bank heard the curious soft slap of a torn water surface, and saw rings spreading out with enough force to disturb the water- plants round all sides of the pool.
Soon after dawn the salmon came to the top of the water and made two or three powerful turns; then, with a bending of his body like a spring of steel, he leapt into the air, drops of water flashing about him like a cloak of sequins. The soft firm flesh struck the rock two feet below the sliding summit of the waterfall. There was a slight echoless sound of the impact of a yielding surface upon a hard one; then a silver shape a moment since proud and purposeful fell grotesquely back into the pool. Again and again these dreadful leaps were repeated; soon the perfect smoothness of the flanks was smudged with scars, and blood began to ooze between the silver scales. Sound and spectacle were alike horrible; it was anguish to think of a living body crushing itself upon eternal rock, The other fish shuddered a little, darted 'under rocks at every vain essay, their small souls filled with shame at the passion of their greater fellow. Yes, shame and awe came together inside their papery skulls.
The sun was well towards the south before the salmon sank to darkness of deeper water; his last leaps had missed the rim ,by two yards and more. At sunset it began again; the salmon `made two or three more leaps, then seemed to gather all his strength. He swept round the surface of the pool in savage rushes his tail forming little whirlpools at every stroke; then, with a most violent convulsion of his body, hurled himself 'upwards. He achieved the top of the fall; his eyes must have had a glimpse of the peaceful stretch of dark peat-stained ',water gently combed by hanging branches. With his fore fins working furiously against the water at the very point where it bent over the rock, edge, he hung there for several seconds with the water gouting up in a crest above his head. All the smaller fish floated motionless, a little wishing for their cham- pion to succeed, yet even more longing for him to fail—to be • defeated.
They had their way. The effort was too great. The salmon icould not gain any purchase for his tail, and at last the relent- Jess unchanging thrust of the water pushed him back; he slid !down the fall• struck one of the rocky projections and fell back into the pool. The body sank swinging from side to side on a zig-zag descent as though a giant had dropped a spoon into a basin. After a short time it rose to the surface again, floating on its side with the whole of one deep flank with its pale under- Parts exposed to the sky. Either the spike of rock had severed the spinal cord, or the effort had been so great that the heart had burst.
The body floated downstream once more. It caught on ;rocks, was moved on again, twisted round, turned over like the piece of dead wreckage it was. At a bend in the river it Was washed on to a spit of shingle, and in a few hours had been Picked clean by crows and starlings. A curving backbone like a coarse white feather lay on the stones.
Perhaps hardly more than a score of the other salmon had seen the struggles, the final fall of the floating corpse. Yet before long the story had spread up and down the river, and all the fish wondered at the epic. As years went by it spread far and wide among all the salmon-kind, and all the young fish were told it before they had two rings on their scales. The great fish that had challenged the waterfall became the source of awe,. the object of wonder. As generations went by he became gigantic and was credited with golden fins, with eyes that burnt red in the darkness, and the power of sweet singing. So the fish who died became the one immortal.


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Alwaleed Philanthropies supports and initiates projects around the world, regardless of gender, race or religion. We collaborate with a range of philanthropic, governmental and educational organizations to combat poverty, empower women and the youth, develop communities, provide disaster relief and create cultural understanding through education. Together, we can build bridges for a more compassionate, tolerant and accepting world.
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Alwaleed Philanthropies Dates Back 40 Years
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Alwaleed Philanthropies and ISESCO launched the first Medical, Educational and Socio-Cultural Caravan
Alwaleed Philanthropies (AP), chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz AlSaud, in partnership with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization "ISESCO", co-launch...
Alwaleed Philanthropies' HRH Princess Lamia Al Saud Attends International Forum Highlighting Role of Sport in Creating Peace
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 11, 2019 - HRH Princess Lamia Al Bint Saud, Secretary General of Alwaleed Philanthropies, chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz AlSaud, attended the Cha...
Alwaleed Philanthropies joins the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and partners with new commitment to eradicate polio
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Alwaleed Philanthropies shares its vision for tolerance and peace at the World Tolerance Summit
Today, HRH Princess Lamia Bint Majid Al Saud, Secretary General of Alwaleed Philanthropies (AP), chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz AlSaud, joined members of the international comm...
HRH PRINCESS LAMIA BINT MAJID AL SAUD RECIEVES INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS IN PHILANTHROPY'
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Alwaleed Philanthropies joins global Carter Center campaign to end the spread of Guinea worm disease
Alwaleed Philanthropies, chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz AlSaud, has invested $1 million to help complete the eradication of Guinea worm, a neglected tropical disease that remai...
The Musée du Louvre, Paris, opens new and expanded spaces for exploring Islamic Arts supported by Alwaleed Philanthropies
Today the world-renowned Musée du Louvre officially opened new and expanded spaces to explore Islamic art in the museum's Department of Islamic Art, with the support of Alwaleed Philanthropies, the...
Alwaleed Philanthropies invests $5 million with Gavi's INFUSE initiative to support the global fight for vaccines
Alwaleed Philanthropies, chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz AlSaud, the global philanthropic foundation, has made a fresh commitment to preventing the spread of disease by investin...
Alwaleed Philanthropies supports the first young female Saudi Scouts to attend 2019 World Scout Jamboree, USA
Alwaleed Philanthropies, the global foundation that empowers women and youth and invests in programs to support cross-cultural understanding, is participating in the 2019 World Scout Jamboree by suppo...
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