text:
Harrison Connections
Tom Harrison's 'Desire to communicate'. A compelling and detailed account of multiple after death communications - a must read for anyone hoping to further understand this fascinating topic.
Harrison Connections: Tom Harrison's 'Desire to communicate'
By Ann Harrison
Harrison Connections is a compelling and detailed account of multiple after death communications - a must read for anyone hoping to further understand this fascinating topic. Ann Harrison has given a personal and sincere account of her husband, Tom Harrison's after-death efforts to communicate with her and with his many friends over the four years since his transition. For forty-three years, Tom enthralled many people with his accounts of his mother's physical mediumship and was dedicated to helping people understand that we continue living after death and that we can communicate with the departed. There can be no doubt that he is intent on continuing his lifelong work from his new perspective. He has communicated in almost every way possible within mediumship; from trainee mediums to stage professionals and through the mediumship of several different physical mediums, via Direct voice, transfiguration and materialisation, showing that he is still very much active in spreading the gospel of survival.
Publisher: Saturday Night Press Publications (23rd February 2015)
Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14 cm (5.5" x 8.5")
Throughout life's journey, we may if we are fortunate enough, meet with a fellow traveller who is destined to impact upon our lives in a most unique and singular way. It may be that he or she shares our understanding of and/or philosophy in respect of matters which we hold close to our heart. It may be that their personality and/or their intense interests match those of our own. There can be many reasons for such an immediate connection but to try and quantify and qualify such an attraction will ofttimes meet only with failure. We can only say that such events do occur – that such individuals can enter and touch our lives in a most wonderful positive and occasionally, in a dramatic enriching way.
During the spring of 1989 I purchased a booklet entitled; 'Visits by Our Friends from the Other Side', which was a séance room chronicle of a materialisation medium from the 1950's called Minnie Harrison. Written by her son Tom Harrison, from diary entries and recorded notes that he had meticulously made at the time, it described in some detail the extraordinary events that he had personally witnessed within his parents own séance room. But, as I began to read it, I could not possibly have imagined that soon its author would enter into and impact upon my own life in a quite wonderful way. Looking back now I can see clearly that he was the kind of person that I wrote of in my first paragraph. A rare individual who truly touched and enriched my own life.
Whilst the booklet introduced me to a physical medium of whom I had previously had no knowledge, it also resulted in my wish to learn more, and so, after reading its final page, I wrote to its author with a series of questions. Shortly afterwards I received a reply, in which Mr Harrison (as he then was to me) wrote, 'I was delighted to know that you enjoyed the book, but, as I said, it did not even scratch the surface of the eight years of remarkable and, as you say, tangible phenomena every Saturday evening'. And so began our frequent correspondence which culminated in our eventual meeting the following year. When it occurred, it was not like two people meeting for the first time as strangers – not at all. Rather, it was two people meeting as friends – relaxed and delighted to be in each other's company. In the years that followed that did not change and often I was to witness how, when meeting strangers, his very persona instantly created a relaxed atmosphere. Tom was a remarkable man, who gladly shared his knowledge and conviction regarding survival and communication with anyone interested in this most vital of questions with which man has wrestled since he first set foot upon this earth; 'Do we survive the grave'? Tom knew that we did and delivered a countless number of talks over many years around the world concerning his many past dramatic séance room experiences. Indeed, on a great many occasions he spoke at my own residential seminars and never failed to engross and fascinate his audience. His sincerity on such occasions spoke volumes. Never would there be any doubt that here was a man who spoke directly from the heart and, to be in his presence, was to be in the presence of a friend. It was my pleasure – it was my delight – it was my own privilege to have known him.
And finally – what follows is Ann Harrison's personal and sincere account and record of his after death efforts to communicate with her and with his many friends. There can be no doubt that he is intent on continuing his lifelong work from his new perspective.
Stewart Alexander
November 9th 2010:
This is a report published in Spirit of PN on the internet.
All tied up...
Sue Farrow on an exceedingly clever communication from the late Tom Harrison:
It's not often that spirit messages come all tied up in neat little packages, but it seems that's exactly what Tom Harrison managed to do just two-and-a-half weeks after his passing on October 23.
As medium Michael Bagan lay fast asleep on the night of November 8/9th, he became aware of Tom standing by his bed. Michael and Tom had met only once, about six months ago, but that was enough for Michael to know the identity of his nocturnal visitor.
He was smartly dressed in a suit,' said Michael 'and wearing a strange black tie. It was really narrow, not pointed at the bottom like ties normally are, it was square.'
Tom proceeded to give Michael a good deal of further evidence, some of it very detailed indeed, but Michael couldn't understand why Tom kept on pointing to the tie he was wearing.
Still puzzled by Tom's reasons for making such a big deal of the tie he was wearing, Michael, a London cabbie, set off for work in his taxi. A few hours later his mobile phone rang. It was another taxi driver, who knew that Michael sometimes went to churches and wore a suit. Someone had left a package in the back of his cab, he said, and he wondered if the tie it contained might be of any use to Michael.
'I went all hot and cold,' said Michael. 'I asked him what colour it was, and when he said 'black' I was stunned.' They arranged to meet in an hour so that Michael could have the tie. Opening the package, he was a whole lot more stunned when he saw that the tie it contained was not only black, it was also very narrow and square at the bottom.
'It was unreal,' Michael told me. 'The hairs stood up on the back of my neck. I couldn't believe it.'
Tom's wife Ann was delighted to hear the tale of the tie and the taxi drivers. She told me:
'Tom had a good collection of ties including a black one for funerals, but nothing like the one described and given to Michael. To show him something which had not entered Michael's life or mine was Tom's way of showing him it was not just a dream. The other pieces of evidence were accurate and very pertinent to me, and gave me a lift when I was about to start on the long journey back to our home in Spain, but this is particularly good for Michael and his mediumship.'
Those who knew Tom in this life will not be in the least surprised that he should have managed such an ingeniously evidential communication so soon after arriving in the spirit world. He was a stickler for the highest and best in evidence while he was here, and it seems he hasn't changed a bit.
"Only connect! Only connect!"
The whole of one afternoon, in late July 2011, this phrase was running through my head, and I could not explain it. It felt familiar but from where? I began my search – it was not in the Oxford book of quotations, but an internet search soon traced it.
But why was that constantly running through my head?
Two days later I received an email from Kate, a friend whose home circle we used to visit before we moved to Spain. She wrote:
.. a few days ago I came home feeling tired and sat on the settee (twilight) wondering whether to put the TV on or have an early night, when a swirl of mist came towards me, from the ground upwards – it was about 3 feet in height. "Oh!" I said "I can see that, well done." - The mist settled at the right side of me and I said "Thanks for dropping in, friend, you are very welcome." I then could hear in my mind – "It's Tom." – "Oh wow! Very well done, Tom." I then kept getting, "Ann book, Ann book." and I said, "Yes bless her she is very busy with her books." The visit was not long and off I went to bed – so pleased that I had seen the 'mist' and connected the 'mist' with a spirit person. The next day while cleaning up – back it [the voice] came again "Ann Book, Ann Book" and "Harrison connections." – "Yes," I said, "I will keep in contact with Ann don't worry." (thinking that this was what was meant). Later that day I went on the computer and oh my – the second line of your e-mail was 'there may be a book in it!'
My reply to Kate read: "Harrison Communications' that's a great title." But back came her email which told me that as she had read it, she sensed Tom saying – "NO! not 'communications' – Harrison Connections. …"
Tom materialises at Stewart's Circle (Hull) Sept 16th 2011
Katie Halliwell and I were sitting next to each other in the circle. We heard a materialised form moving out of the cabinet into the room, and Katie announced that two hands were tapping on her head. At the same time the fingers of two hands were tapping, as though playing the piano, on my head. When I told everyone that I also had someone in front of me, Dr Barnett, to my right, said "Ann, my dear, there is no purpose in me spelling out to you whose hands they are."
For the 'experiment' that evening they had two people out of the cabinet, some 5-6 feet distance from the medium. This was most unusual, and the second person was Tom. He played with my hair before moving his hand down my arm and tapping my knee. Then he picked up my left hand and cradling it between his two slim hands with their long fingers, I heard his familiar, emotional, "Oh, oh, oh," as he tried to speak to me. But he could not control the energy needed to hold the form together and the ectoplasm returned to the medium in the cabinet.
Instantly, I found larger hands were holding my outstretched hand. Hands I felt I recognised, Walter's hands.
As he took control, he spoke just one familiar word "Well."
The fact that Walter was also out in the room amazed us.
June: Is that you, Walter?
Walter: It is folks.
J: Hello, Walter.
W: Ann, I want you to know this ma'am. That it would have been expecting rather too much for Tom to speak in addition to forming into materialisation, OK.
A: He did very well.
W: Folks, but I tell you this, that I would much rather speak through Stewart. It is darned difficult.
Dr B: I would like to begin again.
W: OK. OK. Folks, I find this to be quite extraordinary.
Had we had three materialised forms or part forms there?!
So the experiment began again. Tom was not deterred; moments later the form built again, and we could hear the effort it was for him to walk out of the cabinet. He had always told us that spirit had said carrying ectoplasm on their etheric bodies was like climbing out of a swimming pool in a sodden overcoat...
Eastbourne seminar, September 2012
Scott Milligan has always said, it doesn't matter where you are sitting, if spirit want to get to you they will. His advice is – always to go into a sitting hoping that the person next to you will get a message – and that will create the harmony for a good séance. I have to admit though, I had said to Tom that I hoped he would make it through at some point. He has been so well-known that it would be a bonus for many people if he could connect with at least one medium. He did!
I have already written how, when Scott came to our 'home' centre in Spain, young Daniel had to pass on Tom's message to me as the voice box had dried-up. Now ten months later, at Eastbourne in September 2012, Tom was able to use the independent voice box. Quietly, but distinctly towards the end of the séance with Scott we could hear him say 'Annnn...' He then went on to say that he had come as I wished, but it was difficult.
Telling me I was his best girl, he then said he wanted to have the first dance with me – but not for some time! This was a reference to our 'village' Street Party in Spain that I had – rather emotionally – attended the previous Friday, just as he had asked me to (through the table movement).
He went on to say, "You know that dome...."
"Yes, was it you who cracked it?" (I should know better, I had jumped in too quickly.)
"That was what I wanted to say. You have no need of bells and whistles." ……
Tom then told me he had done something for me. He had written a message – "I didn't know I could do that. Catch my two kisses." We heard the lip-smacking sound of two kisses.
Tom couldn't hold the communication any longer and young Daniel continued for him. ……
When the lights were put on at the end of the séance, in the top corner of one of the three sheets of A4 paper, which Sue Farrow had initialled before the séance began, was written -
Tom..... With x alway x x.
And why two kisses blown? – this was the nineteenth Anniversary of the day he first kissed me, on the weekend that we met, and yes, that day, it was two kisses.
They don't forget the special moments.
Ann Harrison has gifted us with a soulful reminder that not only does consciousness survive bodily death, but that the love we have for one another is the bridge that allows us to traverse between worlds. Harrison Connections is a compelling and detailed account of multiple after death communications - a must read for anyone hoping to further understand this fascinating topic.'
Annette Childs, Ph.D – Counsellor/ Psychotherapist to the dying and bereaved.
It is a good read and should be helpful to others who have a loved one on the other side but feel they are no longer with them. Tom is working so hard to make the point that they are ... if only people can learn that they need to listen.
Tom Butler: Association of TransCommunication, USA
"What could possibly be better news than that provided by Tom Harrison, both before his death in 2010 and after? His book, Life After Death – Living Proof, occupies a special place in my library as it offers some of the most awesome evidence on record that consciousness survives death. Clearly, Tom was dedicated to helping people understand that we continue living after death and that we can communicate with the departed. And now, in this book, Ann Harrison, his wife, sets forth communication coming from Tom since his transition, showing that he is still very much active in spreading the gospel of survival.
Michael Tymn
Editor – Journal for Spiritual and Consciousness Studies
Tom was a remarkable man who gladly shared his knowledge and conviction regarding survival and communication with anyone interested in this most vital of questions with which man has wrestled since he first set foot upon this earth; 'Do we survive the grave'? Tom knew that we did …. And this book is Ann Harrison's personal and sincere account and record of his after-death efforts to communicate with her and with his many friends. There can be no doubt that he is intent on continuing his lifelong work from his new perspective.
Stewart Alexander – Physical Medium


text:
Norman Rockwell Museum Celebrates 70th Anniversary of The Four Freedoms
Stockbridge, MA– In his January 6, 1941 address to Congress, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt articulated his vision for a postwar world founded on four basic human freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. The groundbreaking speech, whose concepts would be incorporated into the preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, also caught the attention of illustrator Norman Rockwell, who was looking for a way to contribute his own talents for the ongoing war effort. Using his Arlington, Vermont neighbors as reference, Rockwell began working on a series of illustrations depicting each of the freedoms President Roosevelt had outlined in his speech, and his "Four Freedoms" paintings would rally Americans to purchase 133 million dollars in war bonds and stamps, following their publication in "The Saturday Evening Post" and inclusion in a national tour visited by millions.
"Freedom of Speech," Norman Rockwell. 1943. Oil on canvas, 45 3/4" x 35 1/2" Story illustration for "The Saturday Evening Post," February 20, 1943. Norman Rockwell Museum Collections. ©1943 SEPS: Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN
"Norman Rockwell's 'Four Freedoms' are some of the artist's most iconic and important works," says Museum Director/CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt. "We are truly blessed that he chose to donate the original paintings to Norman Rockwell Museum's permanent collection. These majestic works are displayed in their own dedicated gallery, where they have inspired visitors from around the world; they still find resonance in President Roosevelt's stated ideals and Rockwell's visual interpretations. The Museum is proud to pay tribute to the enduring legacy of these important human values during this anniversary year."
Gallery Talk: "The Four Freedoms"
Thursday, January 6, 2:30 p.m.
Celebrate the 70th anniversary of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Four Freedoms speech. Curator of Education Tom Daly will offer historical insights and discuss Norman Rockwell's "Four Freedoms" paintings, which were inspired by FDR's stirring words. Free with Museum admission.
Four Freedoms Day: A 70th Anniversary Celebration
Saturday, January 15, 12 to 4 p.m.
Explore the impact of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's pivotal 1941 speech to Congress during this afternoon of insightful presentations and performances that bring consideration to a significant moment in history. Featured presentations include:
*"Four Freedoms Today" with Gina Pollara, Director of Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island, New York
*"Roosevelt, Rockwell, and the Four Freedoms: How a Slip of the Tongue Inspired Artists and Changed the World" with Dr. James Kimble, Seton Hall University
*"Norman Rockwell's 'Four Freedoms': Images That Inspired a Nation" with author Stuart Murray
*Meet President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, portrayed by actor Johan Trebeiwesser, who will deliver his legendary Four Freedoms speech.
The afternoon event is free with regular Museum admission.
Four Freedoms Forums: Town Hall Meetings at Norman Rockwell Museum
Thursdays, January 27, February 17, March 24, 5:30 p.m.
Love Town Meeting Day? Tired of political shouting rants? Not sure what to think about the important issues of the day? Civil discourse founded on respectful listening is a cherished, democratic practice in New England. Share your thoughts on the most compelling issues of our day—this series of town hall conversations, inspired by Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms, will explore aspects of our democracy in a rapidly changing and increasingly global world. Noted commentators will offer observations and inspire moderated community discourse. Community conversation at Town Hall Meetings are free and open to the public.
Sickness, Wellness and Social Responsibility. A Community Dialogue
January 27, 5:30 p.m.
Is Berkshire County sick? Western Massachusetts has the worst health and wellness statistics in the Commonwealth, despite a sterling health care network and an abundance of alternative healing resources. What are the effects of rural living? Health insurance costs escalating? Is there access to affordable health care? Join us for conversation about one of the nation's most pressing topics–health care for all.
Freedom From Want: Food, Farmers and Families–A Community Dialogue
February 17, 5:30 p.m.
Food. We all need it; we all love it; can we all afford it? Do we know where our food comes from? From sustainable, locally sourced food to modern factory farming; empty food pantries and gourmet groceries–safe, affordable food for all is a complex subject. Join in community conversation about this basic human right.
Four Freedoms for All? A Community Dialogue About Immigration
March 24, 5:30 p.m.
We are all immigrants in America. The Statue of Liberty is inscribed: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door." Gain a better understanding of immigration policy and the changing demographics of the Berkshires through this enlightening community conversation.
Four Freedoms in Ethiopia
The Four Freedoms will also be celebrated internationally; on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech, and the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's founding of the Peace Corps, the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, Donald Booth, has invited Norman Rockwell Museum Director/CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt to travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, as a U.S. Speaker and Specialist of the Department of State's Bureau of International Programs. Ms. Norton Moffatt will present talks on Norman Rockwell's illustrations of "The Four Freedoms" and the Peace Corps (in 1964 Rockwell traveled to Ethiopia to paint Peace Corps volunteers at work for "Look" magazine).
JClowe2017-03-01T11:40:52-04:00

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


These pics are of a GTI Golf that's travelled less than 120,000kms. Presented to us for the first time with an engine light on and a light tapping from the engine. This is a very common fault of a Mk V GTi. Unfortunately someone has replaced the fuel pump (Tappet) plunger on this one but the damage was already done.. The unsuspecting new owner has picked up an expensive fix, requiring a new camshaft, fuel pump and associated parts to get things up and running again.
Other jobs on the go include failed cams on an RS4, Nil compression on a V6 A4 Audi, and another MK V Gti with Nil oil pressure at idle, maybe some future blogging to happen here once we open them up…..


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text:
using System;
using Gallio.Framework.Data;

namespace Gallio.Framework.Pattern
{
    /// <summary>
    /// A pattern test data context introduces a scope for data source declarations.
    /// </summary>
    /// <remarks>
    /// <para>
    /// Each <see cref="PatternTest" /> or <see cref="PatternTestParameter" /> has a <see cref="PatternTestDataContext" />.
    /// However, data contexts may also be nested.
    /// </para>
    /// <para>
    /// For example, the constructor of a test class typically augments its containing test with
    /// additional test parameters that represent its own constructor parameters.  If data binding
    /// attributes are applied to the constructor, they should operate within the scope of that
    /// constructor only.  To achieve this effect, the constructor declares a new <see cref="PatternTestDataContext" />
    /// within which its test parameters will be created.
    /// </para>
    /// </remarks>
    public class PatternTestDataContext : IDataSourceResolver
    {
        private readonly PatternTestDataContext parent;
        private int implicitDataBindingIndexOffset;
        private DataSourceTable dataSourceTable;

        /// <summary>
        /// Creates a new data context.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="parent">The containing data context, or null if none.</param>
        public PatternTestDataContext(PatternTestDataContext parent)
        {
            this.parent = parent;
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Gets the containing data context, or null if none.
        /// </summary>
        public PatternTestDataContext Parent
        {
            get { return parent; }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Gets or sets the offset to add to a test parameter's implicit data binding index to map it
        /// into the containing data context.
        /// </summary>
        /// <remarks>
        /// <para>
        /// This property is used to determine the data binding index of a test parameter that
        /// has not been explicitly bound.  The offsets are summed cumulatively to produce an implicit
        /// data binding index while traversing the chain of containing data contexts while locating the
        /// first anonymous data source.
        /// </para>
        /// <para>
        /// For example, suppose <c>Y</c> is the second parameter of a test method.  If <c>Y</c> does not
        /// have an explicit data binding, we will apply implicit data binding rules as follows.
        /// <list type="bullet">
        /// <item>If <c>Y</c>'s data context contains an anonymous data source, then the implicit data binding index will be 0.</item>
        /// <item>Otherwise, if <c>Y</c>'s containing data context contains an anonymous data source, then the implicit data
        /// binding index will equal the offset specified in <c>Y</c>'s data context: 1 (since it is the second parameter).</item>
        /// <item>Otherwise, we continue searching containing data contexts and summing their offsets until we find an
        /// anonymous data source.  If none is found, then data binding will fail.</item>
        /// </list>
        /// </para>
        /// </remarks>
        public int ImplicitDataBindingIndexOffset
        {
            get { return implicitDataBindingIndexOffset; }
            set { implicitDataBindingIndexOffset = value; }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Defines a new data source within this data context if one does not exist.
        /// Otherwise returns the existing one.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="name">The data source name.</param>
        /// <returns>The defined data source.</returns>
        /// <exception cref="ArgumentNullException">Thrown if <paramref name="name"/> is null.</exception>
        public DataSource DefineDataSource(string name)
        {
            if (dataSourceTable == null)
                dataSourceTable = new DataSourceTable();

            return dataSourceTable.DefineDataSource(name);
        }

        /// <inheritdoc />
        public DataSource ResolveDataSource(string name)
        {
            if (dataSourceTable != null)
            {
                DataSource source = dataSourceTable.ResolveDataSource(name);
                if (source != null)
                    return source;
            }

            if (parent != null)
                return parent.ResolveDataSource(name);
            return null;
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Returns the index that should be used to implicitly bind to the nearest
        /// anonymous data source that can be found.
        /// </summary>
        /// <remarks>
        /// <para>
        /// The index is computed as the sum of the <see cref="ImplicitDataBindingIndexOffset" /> of each data
        /// context traversed to find the data source excluding the data context
        /// that actually has the data source.
        /// </para>
        /// </remarks>
        /// <returns>The implicit data binding index, or null if no anonymous data sources were found.</returns>
        /// <seealso cref="ImplicitDataBindingIndexOffset"/>
        public int? ResolveImplicitDataBindingIndex()
        {
            int index = 0;

            for (PatternTestDataContext currentContext = this; currentContext != null; currentContext = currentContext.parent)
            {
                if (currentContext.dataSourceTable != null
                    && currentContext.dataSourceTable.ResolveDataSource("") != null)
                    return index;

                index += currentContext.implicitDataBindingIndexOffset;
            }

            return null;
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Creates a child data context.
        /// </summary>
        /// <returns>A handle for the child context.</returns>
        public virtual PatternTestDataContext CreateChild()
        {
            return new PatternTestDataContext(this);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Awareness, practice and commitment
to the Fillmore teachings
About TruthUnity
People (Gallery)
African Americans in Unity
Heritage/Historical Resources
Fillmore Fellowships
Ministry Resouces
Janet and Wayne Manning
Janet Manning Resources
Janet Bowser Manning Words and Music
Janet Bowser (Manning) and Wayne Manning were ordained Unity ministers in 1978.
Janet Manning graduated from Unity's School for Ministerial and Religious Studies and was ordained in 1978. Prior to this, she was licensed as a Unity teacher and was active in the Unity Church of Truth in Massillon, Ohio. Following her ordination, Janet was invited to join the education ministry of Unity School as a member of the retreat department and a faculty member of the Continuing Education Program. Here she helped plan and implement a new curriculum for the Unity School of Religious Studies, becoming the Chair of Communication Studies and Skills in 1981. In 1988 she pioneered the position of Chaplain for USRS, serving there until 1990.
Janet's educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Asbury College and a Master of Arts in Adult Education from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. In her early career life, she was a teacher of general music in public and private schools. Music, drama, and storytelling have been an important part of her life through the years. She also enjoys writing articles and poetry.
From 1990 until early 1995, Janet served as co-minister, with her husband Wayne, at Unity Church of Christianity in Columbus, Ohio. Janet and Wayne also served as associate ministers at Christ Unity Church in Sacramento, California from May, 1995 through August of 1999. They served as co-ministers at Unity of Auburn, California, from September 1, 1999 to September 30, 2004. At this time they retired from active Unity ministry. They were the founders of Free and Unlimited Ministries and sponsored the World Prayer Network, one of the first on-line prayer ministries.
Janet's other Unity accomplishments include serving on the advisory committee for Unity's hymnal, "Wings of Song," from 1978 to 1985, and contributing several of her own works. She also developed a drama ministry at Unity Village which culminated with the writing and producing of "Beautiful Dreamer," a dramatic presentation of Myrtle Fillmore's life. The play was performed throughout Unity's centennial year. At the annual Unity Conference in Kansas City in June, 1999, Janet received the prestigious "Light of God Expressing" award from the Association of Unity Churches.
Janet was the mother of two grown children: Lynn, who lives in southern Oregon and Wes, who lives in southern California.
Janet and Wayne moved to Grants Pass, Oregon in 2015 where she could receive the medical care and support she needed for Parkinson's and associated dementia. She died there, peacefully, on August 1, 2017, at age 84
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"We've all seen the lists, we've all thought, "I should really read that someday," but for all of us, there are still books on "The List" that we haven't actually gotten around to reading. Even though we know they're fabulous. Even though we know that we'll like them. Or that we'll learn from them. Or just that they're supposed to be worthy. We just … haven't gotten around to them yet.
I… don't know how to answer this question. Because, you know, I haven't read these books I haven't read. And previous "awesome books" I've tried to read (and even finished!) were just so awful to me that I couldn't believe anyone would recommend them! Twilight and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, I'm looking at you.
But there are those truly awesome books… In the last year I've read a lot of great books, like The Sparrow, In the Woods and The Likeness, everything Jasper Fforde's written, and Elantris, that I probably wouldn't have read except that someone told me they were worth a read. Oh, and The Book Thief, which I'm reading right now and which is wonderful.
So you tell me. What are the best books out there that I should have read already?
I felt just like you, I don't really keep track of books "I should probably read". I read mostly for entertainment. But I did come up with one! hope you'll visit.


text:
SINGAPORE (THE BUSINESS TIMES) - A year after lensmen from The Business Times put together a photo essay on "dark condos" to highlight the rising vacancies in the private housing market, they have gone in search of an update of the situation.
In May, they returned to the same 10 completed condo projects they photographed a year ago to capture these developments, as far as possible, from the same angles . They even went at around the same time - between 8 pm and 9.30 pm on a weekday, before the school holidays, when people could reasonably be expected to be home.
Their findings: Only one of the 10 developments was visibly more lit up than a year ago - The Interlace, a 1,040-unit condo along Depot Road; the other projects were, at best, just slightly brighter than 12 months ago.
This result is somewhat surprising, given that most of these projects have already been fully or substantially sold by their developers; it has been more than 18 months since they were completed and received their Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP). Moreover, leasing activity has been decent at these projects, going by the volume of lease commencements.
Property consultants and developers BT spoke to offered a few explanations for why the majority of BT's sample of dark condos have stayed relatively dark a year later.
One is the changing profile of expat tenants, in tandem with Singapore's rise as a regional business hub and a gateway city.
Jacqueline Wong, head of residential leasing and ad-hoc sales at Savills Singapore, said: "These days, Singapore attracts more foreigners who are based here but travel around the region for work. Such tenants may have leased apartments here but are out of the country for more than half of the lease period, so from the outside, the units look unoccupied, and this is especially obvious at night."
Another reason for the large number of units captured unlit, said consultants, would be that units in prime locations bought by well-heeled foreigners are among the several properties they own in the region or around the world. These may be holiday homes, occupied only a few times a year, and so are unlit the rest of the time.
Ong Kah Seng, director at R'ST Research, also points out that some local high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) may be holding off from renting out newly-completed properties, given the weak rentals. "They may be afraid that if they were to lower rents, they could end up with the wrong profile of tenants who could damage their apartments," he said.
Agreeing, CBRE executive director for residential properties Joseph Tan added that these investors may prefer to keep the unit empty for an easier sale to a buyer looking to occupy it.
BT's sample of 10 dark condos included two mass-market projects - NV Residences in Pasir Ris and Canberra Residences in Sembawang.
Agents said the unoccupied units in these developments could be the result of their HDB-upgrader owners having been caught by the cooling measures, which have weakened resale prices of public-housing flats; these upgraders could thus have decided to stay on in their HDB flats, in hopes of getting a higher price for their flats before moving to their private condo unit.
Roving expats and rich foreigners occupying condos only part of the time could be seen as contributing to the sub-optimal use of Singapore's real estate, said DTZ South-east Asia's chief executive Ong Choon Fah, but then again, this is "the price you pay for being a global city".
"It is a reflection of our economy and the status that Singapore has achieved as a hub for business. In gateway cities, you will have mobile, global workers who travel a lot of the time. This is true not just for expats who are based here, but also Singaporeans," she said.
As for rich foreign buyers, Mrs Ong said it could be argued that, beyond the direct investment these HNWIs make, they generate other economic spinoffs: "Once they are here for a visit, chances are they would meet their private banker, insurance advisor, seek medical consultation - or they could have other business dealings."
Still, these arguments do not diminish the gravity of the overall supply overhang in Singapore's housing market, given the ramp-up in private home completions that began last year. The number of units that obtained TOP surged 51.6 per cent from 13,150 units in 2013 to a record 19,941 units last year. This level of completions is set to persist; nearly 22,000 units are projected to obtain TOP this year, and a further 21,000 units next year, based on official data.
The vacancy rate for Singapore's private housing stock rose from 5 per cent at the end of 2010 to 7.8 per cent at end-2014. It eased to 7.2 per cent at end-Q1 2015 from a fall in the number of completions in the first quarter to 2,976 units, from 6,366 units in Q4 2014. That said, completions are expected to step up in the Q2-Q4 period this year, which will push up vacancy rates again.
Savills' Ms Wong predicted: "Single-digit vacancies will rise to double-digits by year-end or second quarter next year."
The sustained high level of new private home completions aside, she cited another trend - the ongoing slowdown in the hiring of foreign expats, core contributors to private residential leasing demand.
With rising completions and vacancies, rents have eased. The Urban Redevelopment Authority's overall rental index for private homes has fallen 5.1 per cent from the Q3 2013 peak to Q1 2015; the drop for landed homes was larger, at 7.3 per cent, than the 4.8 per cent for non-landed homes.
Savills' average monthly rental value of high-end non-landed residential properties stood at S$4.51 per sq ft (psf) in Q1 2015, down 1.3 per cent from the previous quarter and 17.4 per cent below the last peak of S$5.46 psf in Q2 2011.
The rental slide for mass-market condos could be even more severe, suggested Savills Singapore's research head Alan Cheong. "Based on recent anecdotal evidence, leases for suburban condo units are being renewed at rental rates around 15 per cent lower than leases two years ago."
Savills' Ms Wong cited actual rent declines among units in the high-end segment: at the recent peak in 2011/2012, apartments above Level 20 at Ardmore Park condo fetched monthly rentals of about S$20,000; they now attract rentals of S$17,000, a 15 per cent drop.
Mr Cheong said that in the high-end condo market generally, individual landlords have been more flexible in their rental expectations to secure tenants quickly, unlike institutional or corporate landlords.
In the landed segment, the hardest hit have been the "Category A" Good Class Bungalows (GCBs) sitting on large plots, said Ms Wong. For instance, GCBs in Holland Road which commanded rents of around S$50,000 a month in 2011/2012 are now fetching around S$30,000.
Private residential rents are expected to continue facing downward pressure as the supply of private residential properties completed this year is higher than the leasing demand can comfortably absorb, said Savills. On the whole, rents could fall 10 per cent to 15 per cent this year, Mr Cheong estimated.
"The mass market will be hit most because the bulk of new home completions are in the suburbs, given that this was the segment where the government had supplied the most land in the past few years."
The Straits Times/ Business Published on Thursday, 25 June 2015 'Dark Condos' point to supply overhang
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The Hulton Colliery, owned by Hulton Colliery Company, was situated close to Atherton, about eleven miles to the west of Manchester, consisting of four distinct collieries ; these included seven coal drawing shafts and, before the accident, about 2,400 tons of coal were raised each day. The total number of persons employed both on the surface and below ground was 2,400.
The Hulton colliery had all the latest electrical equipment, including an adequate ventilation system supplied by large electrical fans, placed in the Arley mine, the Three-quarters seam and the Yard seam. Men were appointed by the manager at this time to make checks on all the equipment used in the mine, all of which was recorded in a book. Firemen inspected the seams to check for gas before the seam was worked ; indeed, the No. 3 pit was checked on the morning of the explosion and no gas had been found. All therefore seemed well as the men descended the No. 3 shaft only a couple of days before Christmas.
The explosion occurred at 7-50 a.m. on the morning of 21st December 1910. It happened in the No. 3 shaft, affecting all three of the seams and killing 344 men and boys. The explosion could be heard miles away, the force of it had wrecked the casing round the shaft, and also jammed the cage used in that shaft. News that the Pretoria had fired soon got around and in no time anxious relatives of the miners had descended on the colliery from all directions. At first there was speculation as to which of the shafts had exploded. Some people thought both shafts had exploded — the lives of another 545 men were at stake. No attempts to enter the shaft were made until the general manager, Alfred Joseph Tonge, arrived on the scene, and it was not until 9-00 that the cage was repaired.
Mr. Tonge and five other men descended into the No. 4 shaft. They stopped the cage at the Trencherbone seam some 146 yards beneath the surface, where they found the under-manager Llewellyn Williams at the mouth of the seam. When Mr. Tonge asked him if his men were all right, he replied " Yes, but suffering from the fumes of the explosion." After Williams had joined them they all proceeded down the mine in the cage, but found the cage kept meeting with a variety of obstacles. It broke through these obstacles and when they managed to get to the Yard seam, they stopped there and entered the seam, finding the underground fan blown inwards, and much wreckage all around them. As they went further into the seam they picked up and sent to the surface a young boy whom they discovered. The mine was filled with afterdamp, extremely hot, but they pressed forward, finding another person, who was also sent back up the pit. He was the first of many to be found. They made their way back to the cage and descended to the Arley seam where they found men crying to come up because they were ill. They were told by Mr. Tonge to let the worst be taken up to the surface first, and they began to haul all the men up. After 3 hours all 545 men from the No. 4 shaft had been hauled to safety using only one cage. No-one at this point knew whether anyone was still alive in the No. 3 shaft ; they started the search in the Yard mine where they found a number of fires, which were left to be put out by a fireman called Turton, who unfortunately was overcome by fumes and died a short time after. Because of this they decided to return to the surface to put some fans into operation. Half an hour later they resumed the search but all 344 were presumed dead. Many of the bodies were very badly burned and mutilated ; the nearest body was sixty yards from the detonation point, such was the force of the explosion.
Men with breathing apparatus were given charge of getting the bodies out of the mine ; their job was hazardous as the roofs were unsafe and the supports unstable. So difficult was the operation that only on the 14th February was the last man pulled out. The rescuers worked all through the Christmas and New Year periods to clear up the terrible mess.
Dr Hatton (centre) and men of Westhoughton Ambulance Brigade in front of the No.3 shaft headgear and engine house. Note the white mufflers many are wearing – most probably to soak with eucalyptus oil and pull over the face when dealing with the decomposing bodies in the mortuary.
One person who remembers the accident well (the writer's grandmother) reports that on the morning of the explosion she and her mother were having their breakfast when there was a loud explosion which knocked their clock off the fireplace. Straight away her mother knew it was the Pretoria and ran into the street, frightened because her son worked there ; she rushed to the Pretoria, and only returned that night with her husband, still not knowing whether the son was dead or alive. For the next three days they went back and only on the 24th December did they know their son was dead. This ruined their Christmas as it did many other families ; but the worst thing was the presence of the coffin in the house for a week, so full were the churches with funerals. A neighbour lost her husband and two sons in the explosion. All that week coal trucks were pushed up the Chequerbent line near their house with bodies piled in them ; it was terrible ! That Christmas was the gloomiest they could remember — nobody celebrated Christmas in the usual way in Westhoughton.
The newspapers were full of grisly details — here are just three reports on the rescue attempts.
The rescue workers are now being hindered by heavy falls ; it is taking up to three hours to drag some of the bodies along the workings. The stench from the decomposing bodies is becoming unbearable, and the deadly firedamp and other gases is becoming worse.
In the North Plodder shaft the bodies are shockingly mutilated. One was found impaled the whole length of his body on a piece of timber, another was split almost in two. In another case only a pair of trousers was found.
Men are completing their hours of duty strangely affected. One poor fellow has been moving about on the pit-head almost frantic. Noxious fumes and ghostly sights have combined to make him delirious. Again a strong man has become weak before the horrors of the morgue.
The police have been working round the clock ; they are found at the doors of the mortuary and inside the identification rooms. It is their duty to lift the lids of the coffins when relatives are to identify loved ones. This they have done for days until the mutilated features weigh heavily on their minds.
Risen from the dead The curious case of William Lord indicates that even by the end of December when the official death toll had been set at 344, and the colliery company had a list of names, they were still unsure about exactly who had been killed. According to the BEN (2 Jan 1911), on Friday 30 Dec 1910, unknown body No.112 was identified as 44 years old William Lord by both Mrs Lord of Darcy Lever, and his brother Joshua. A burial certificate was authorised by the coroner, and common grave 3/N1/5&15 at Tonge Cemetery was ready to receive his coffin on 31 Dec 1910 (Tonge Cemetery Register No.80483). William Lord had left home in October and the family did not know where he was. It turned out he was alive and well, and mining coal in Barnsley, and on somehow hearing of his demise and imminent burial, telegraphed back to his wife the words "Alive Woman, Send to pit at once". The Coroner's response was "He evidently objects to being considered dead" (Wigan Observer). Body No.112 was buried in Westhoughton Cemetery as unknown.
It commenced the morning of February 20th 1911 at the Carnegie Hall, Westhoughton, at 10-30 a.m. It explored every possibility of what had caused the explosion, but it was obvious that the explosion had been caused by gas being ignited. How it was ignited is, however, not clear. In discussing types of lamps used, it was found that only one was in use, that of the Wolf Safety Lamp. These lamps burned naptha, a mineral oil with a low flash point, and were magnetically locked. Previously Davy lamps were used in the mine, but for two years the Wolf lamps had slowly replaced them, because they could be relit whilst testing for gas. The place where the lamps were kept, known as the lamp cabin, was situated at the surface where day and night lampmen were employed. The night lampmen had to clean, oil, examine, and give the lamps out to the morning shift, as well as to inspect the lamps at the bottom of the shaft. The head man in charge of the lamp station of the No. 3 shaft gave evidence that morning and was said to be far from well, having lost his sons in the disaster, thereby suffering a nervous breakdown. He was not present when the lamps were given out at the morning shift on the day of the explosion, having come to work at 6-15 a.m. Although no record was kept of damaged lamps the number of glasses broken over a period of months was known to be 1,200, during which time 148 lamps were known to have been damaged, of which 50 had been returned to the Wolf company in Leeds. When one of these lamps are damaged they usually overheat. There was a definite possibility of this being the cause of the ignition of gas, but one question remained ; how was gas present in the mine when it had an adequate ventilation system?
That on December 21st 1910 at the No. 3 shaft Bank pit commonly known as the No. 3 Pretoria Pit, Westhoughton, an accidental ignition of gas and coal dust occurred when a roof collapsed in the North Plodder Seam, probably due to weakness. The gas was probably ignited by a defective or overheated safety lamp and caused an explosion.
That upon such ignition and explosion there followed a large ignition and explosion of coal dust, affecting all three seams of the No. 3 shaft All 344 men came to their death by accident and not otherwise.
After the probable cause had been found, certain recommendations were made to try and prevent a similar accident.
1. There should be more men employed at the mine to deal with safety.
2. Two firemen should be employed instead of one for each shift, and the lamps should be inspected by the firemen who have just come to work on a shift, rather than the firemen who have been working on the shift.
3. A proper record of all the lamps used in the mine should be made, and the lamps mended or replaced if they are damaged.
4. There should be a stronger support for the roof.
Thirteen of the 344 bodies recovered from the Pretoria explosion could not be identified, so a tomb was made in Westhoughton Cemetery to contain them. Every year a service of remembrance takes place on the 21st December. In 1970 the 60th anniversary of the Pretoria Pit disaster took place : some 200 people attended the service.
Once all the bodies had been recovered and 344 men and boys had been declared dead, there were some 593 beneficiaries, all dependants of those who died in the pit. It was necessary for a disaster relief fund to be set up to help these people ; this was done by the Mayors of Manchester, Liverpool and Bolton, who appointed or asked for volunteers to collect money from the public. Their efforts raised a total of £138,000 including a gift of £650 from King George V and Queen Mary ; by careful management of these funds the trustees have been able to pay out more than £300,000 to the beneficiaries over the years. The last person to receive relief money died in 1973 at the age of 96, having received £250 in weekly allowances the year before.
In 1975 there is £11,000 left in the fund, and this is to be given to charities connected with the British Mining Industry.
To the present day the Pretoria Pit disaster is the third worst to have happened in the history of coal mining accidents in Britain. Prior to the disaster a Bill was passed by Parliament in 1881, which made an inquiry compulsory. That which followed the Pretoria disaster was long and detailed, over 13,435 questions being put and answered in nine days. Yet the horrors of that fateful day in December 1910 could never be erased by a logical analysis of all that went wrong. Nor could the regular payments out of the Fund disguise the absence of a father and sons in many families living locally.
To mark the 75th anniversary of the disaster in 1985 Radio Manchester commissioned a special programme entitled " No Carols this Christmas " which told the story through words and music with contributions from The North West sound Archive and local folk artists Bram Taylor and Calico. To listen to the programme click on the link below and press the play button.
Previous Who knocked up the Knocker Upper ?
My great-uncle was one of those who died. Fountain Byers, who was also a Wingates Band member, was brought out alive, but succumbed to his injuries and gas poisoning at Bolton Hospital. His brother George survived although affected by gas poisoning. Another brother James worked on the rescue team as a member of Westhoughton Ambulance Brigade, and was awarded a medal. My grandfather Ben Byers, aged only 14 at the time, later wrote his life story and recollection of the Pretoria tragedy – his voice is featured on Wingates Bands' recording 'Perspectives of Pretoria'.


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SUMMARY: NTM has envisioned a completely digital ad business by 2026. Here are five focuses that are moving the news media company toward that goal.
NTM reimagines its digital ad business for 2026
Advertising Initiative Blog | 29 November 2022
By Mark Challinor
Advertising Initiative Lead
INMA
After watching their ad revenue decline year after year, NTM Media in Sweden decided to stop this downward trend and start fighting back.
About a year ago, they decided to start reimagining their business.
The pandemic spurred a pivot in advertising priorities at NTM, Head of Operations and People Annie Lidjesjo told master class attendees.
The big thing for them was making sure they had every department filled with the right people. Head of Operations and People Annie Lidjesjo said they started to see the decline turn around.
The right people on the boat
"One big thing that is that we have the right people on the boat right now," Annie said. "We have the right competence and the right team that all wants to change this."
The pandemic, as we know, changed the share of the media pie. For Sweden, before the pandemic, they saw 54% of the ad revenue in the Internet business. And in two years, that has moved to 71%. Impressive.
NTM has built a long-term plan for growth in the digital ad business.
Selling owned media
"We had to have a big digital growth in our own channels. We needed to focus from selling Google, Facebook, TikTok or Instagram to selling our own digital display areas," Annie said.
On the digital side, NTM focuses on increasing the number of buying customers. That's not with a focus on the print side yet, even still they are seeing 10% growth in print.
Their goal is to have a completely digital business by 2026, which also includes the subscription business, Annie said.
NTM is committed to this plan even though they had seen the ad revenue curve going down and they still have so much money in print.
Focus, culture, and competence
"You need to change the focus, the culture, and the competence of the people that want to do the change because you need to do so much every year so everything is always in change mode," she said.
And to carry this all out, what about those sales team skill sets? NTM knows how important it is that the members of the entire team understand the business as a whole and not work in silos: "They can say, if we do this on the ad side, then we need to do this on the subscription side and on the technical side and with the journalists."
They also benefited from hiring a lot of new people on the tech side: "They're focusing on getting control of all the ad inventory, all the traffic, and they are always trying to see new things that they can sell together," Annie explained.
What are their learnings?
"I think we had been focusing a lot on how to fix the print business instead of focusing on the digital business. We need to change this focus and have people going that way."
It's not what got us here that takes us forward
Selling better ads to the customers is the imperative for NTM. They subscribe to this idea: "It's not what got us here that takes us forward. We need to focus on new things. We need to stop doing some of the old things. We need to have 100% customer experience focus. We need to understand and know what the customers need. We need to have speed in everything we do."
Future thinking looks different than past thinking at NTM.
NTM also encourages team members not to stop and think too much. They encourage the need to keep going, moving, and doing.
To grow, digital must be greater than the fear of losing print
It is viewed that all 150 people who work at NTM media understand and work in the ad business area no matter what their title. NTM has also put a lot of money in education for both sales reps and sales managers.
"To succeed, employees have to be engaged and there's a need to develop them. Above all, the mantra that drives NTM Media is: 'The will to grow digital must be greater than the fear of losing print.'"
I wonder if that is your view, too? Do let me know? mark.challinor@inma.org
Acknowledgement: Thanks to INMA's Paula Felps, Michelle Jones, Sarah Schmidt, and the whole journalistic team for their excellent reporting on the Ad Sales aaster class, part of which has been the referred to in this newsletter.
If you'd like to subscribe to my bi-weekly newsletter, INMA members can do so here.
About Mark Challinor
Mark Challinor is lead for INMA's Advertising Initiative, executive producer for INMA's Webinars, and a past INMA president. He is based in London, UK, and can be reached at inma.mark@gmail.com.
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How To Get A Job Referral?
How to get a job referral? The solution to this problem lies in the words of Milton Berle - "If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." Yes! Job referral is the key to get a hiring manager to consider your resume for the job you are applying for.
This blog will tell you 5 ways to get a job referral. Check them out!
As the expression goes - "If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain." First thing first, spread the word to your family, friends, and contacts. Simply call people in your social circle or drop them an email or text message. Most likely, you will find someone within your circle who will be able to connect you with their professional contacts.
Tip: Request the concerned person to share useful information about the company's recruitment process, interview pattern, salary, etc.
LinkedIn and other social media handles such as Facebook and Twitter are immensely beneficial for connecting with professionals from different fields.
Check out if there is a suitable person (a past co-worker, alumni, etc.) in your connections who can be reached out for a referral. Also, do not hesitate to connect with new and unknown connections.
In the search tab, type the name of the company you are interested in and select 'People'. You will see a list of people who work in that company.
Send them a request to connect with you, along with a message.
I am a (Profile) at (Company). I must say that I am very impressed by your work profile and recent social media campaigns. I would love to add you to my connections and learn more about your professional career.
Looking forward to your acceptance!
If you are looking to work for a particular company, type "people who work at XYZ" in the search section on Facebook. Select a person from the list that appears, and click on the 'About' section.
Not only will you see his/her work details but you will also be able to see his/her friends who work at the company. Thus, with a click, you have a list of multiple people to reach out to.
Online medium is a great way to expand your network but meeting people in person is a totally different experience. This brings you closer to your connections on not only on a professional but personal level as well.
In order to expand your horizons even further, you can attend networking events, workshops, conferences, alumni meetings, and career fairs. This will connect you with industry experts and influencers.
Furthermore, consider finding more opportunities via networks such as Meetup, Opportunity, etc.
Tip: Find useful events on Facebook by going to the 'Events' tab on Homepage.
If you are fresher, chances are you do not have a good professional network yet. If this is the case, then work for it. For instance, you can volunteer to work for an NGO or take up an internship. At the end of the term, you can request for a job referral.
If you believe in the power of good old email, then send out emails to people who work in the companies you are targetting. When writing an email, mention a line or two of appreciation about the employee or the company, focussing on their achievements and progress.
Tip: Tools such as FindThatLead, Voilanorbet, Hunter, etc. let you find out the work emails of people from any organization. Just type in some basic details such as name, last name, company, etc. and you are good to go.
Related: Connect with important recruiters and send them personalized messages via Recruiter Connection.
Subject line: Use an attention-grabbing, yet precise and short headline.
Salutation: Address the person by their name.
Introduction: Mentioning the mutual acquaintance will give you an edge over other applicants.
Tone: Sound polite in your mail and do things at their convenience such as arranging a meeting.
Below are some examples of how to ask for a job referral through different platforms.
Subject: Referred by (Name of the Referrer), (His/her Profile and Company).
My friend (Referrer Name) recommended I contact you for any recommendations regarding employment in the (Profile/Industry Name) domain in Noida. We worked together in (Company Name) on many projects.
She told me that you're dedicated, reliable and believe in giving practical guidance to professionals. It would be my pleasure to get the advice from an industry expert like you.
I've attached my resume for your kind reference. I would be grateful if you take some time out to review it and provide me with your valuable insights.
I would be more than happy if you would like to arrange a meeting at your convenience and have a discussion at length to ensure that I'm a right fit for the job.
I'm looking for a job at (Company Name) XYZ Ltd. for the vacant position of (Profile Name). I remember you telling me once that a close friend of yours works there. I was looking forward to having a chat with him and show him my portfolio.
Would it be possible for you to connect me with him so that I could explore further opportunities?
I'll be waiting for your reply.
Hope you are doing good! I noticed that you are currently working for (Company Name). I have been following the company for quite some time now. I truly appreciate their work culture and commitment to customer service.
After having finished my MBA in Marketing from (Institute Name), these days I am looking to work as a (Profile).
It would be great if you could refer my resume to the HR for the job opening of (Profile Name). For your reference, I have attached my resume and cover letter.
Let me know if you require any additional information.
I am pleased to connect with you. I noticed that you work for (Company Name). I am truly impressed by the company's product and services.
I would like to connect with you regarding the ongoing recruitment at the company and my interest in a vacant position. Let me know if you have a moment to talk about the same.
I am a huge fan of your tweets and blogs on Digital Marketing. I am a Digital Marketing graduate myself, looking to get associated with an esteemed organization like yours.
Would love to get in touch with you to speak about the same. Let me know if you would like to have a word.
Did you know about employee referral program?
Most of the organizations run employee referral programs. In this program, an employee of the company can refer his/her colleagues, friends, etc. for a vacant position in the organization. If the person referred gets selected, the employee receives benefits in form of cash, etc.
So, it is a win-win situation for all. Thus, the next time you feel that asking for a job referral is uncomfortable and awkward, think again. You might be just adding to someone's salary or company benefits.
Now that you know all about job referrals, it's time to start expanding your network and cultivate professional relationships in order to improve your chances of landing a good job.


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Take your kid to work day, Khmer stylie
In most places 'take your kid to work day' goes like this: Students spend the day at the workplace of a parent, relative, friend or volunteer host, witnessing first-hand the world of work, prompting early career planning, and enabling students to make informed decisions about their future goals and endeavours. The event also gives parents […]
"On every side, in fantastic over-scale, the trunks of the silk-cotton trees soar skywards under a shadowy green canopy, their long spreading skirts trailing the ground and their endless roots coiling more like reptiles than plants." — Maurice Glaize
Cambodia to attempt Guinness World Record for Long Boat, August 2018
Cambodia to attempt Guinness World Record for Long Boat, August 2018 Guinness World Records set to return to Cambodia in late August 2018 for Cambodia's longest boat. Nangbanal, Vice Chairman of the Long Boat Manufacturers Association, said that completion is about 90% and it should to be finished later this month. When the boat is […]
Ghosts of Phnom Penh
Ghosts of Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is a city with a lot of ghosts in its history and so this particular ghost is a common sight in the burgeoning capital. Subsequently, the old gives way to the modern multi-storied buildings and history falls to shopping malls and condos.
Another Angry Phnom Penh Sunrise.
Stunning Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Stunning Siem Reap, Cambodia. Fields en route to a friends village in Siem Reap. The scenery is almost as amazing as the people. — Nish Verma Nish's Twitter: @DocNish74
Cambodia's 1,149.8m Krama gains Guinness World Records
Cambodia won a place in the Guinness book of World Records Sunday for a 1,100-metre (3,600-foot) long version of the country's popular krama scarf. From Straits Times: PHNOM PENH – Cambodia's longest hand-woven scarf, or krama in Khmer language, was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest scarf in the world on Sunday […]
Another Dramatic Sky over Phnom Penh
The skies over Cambodia are never dull.
Laughing Fatman – Formerly Oh My Buddha
The Oh My Buddha restaurant had to change their name due to relocating close to Wat Ounalom. For the monks, using the name 'Buddha' in a business and on a sign was a no-no. Wanting to keep the custom they had built up from their previous location at Lakeside, they just added the 'Formerly Oh […]
Heavy Weather Day #2


NEW DELHI, July 3rd, 2017 - According to the latest IDC Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) Quarterly Server Tracker, Q1 2017 , the overall server market in India witnessed a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) increase of 14.2 percent in terms of revenue to reach $215.6 million in Q1 2017 as against $188.8 million in Q4 2016. The x86 server market accounted for 90.7 percent of the overall server revenue during Q1 2017 with growth being majorly driven by spending of public cloud service providers for their data centers.
The public cloud uptake and digital transformation across banking and government verticals are driving the server market in India. The x86 server market in terms of revenue witnessed a year-over-year (YoY) growth of 3.9 percent to reach $195.6 million in Q1 2017 up from $188.2 million during Q1 2016.
The enterprise migration to cloud and role of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, IoT and analytics are attracting the global public cloud providers to expand their footprints in India. Density optimized servers are mostly preferred for cloud workloads which are gaining traction, accounting for QoQ growth of 413.6 percent in terms of revenue for Q1 2017 over previous quarter.
The non x86 server market declined by 22.3 percent YoY in terms of revenue to reach $20.0 million in Q1 2017. In terms of revenue, IBM led the market, accounting for 50 percent of market share, while HPE remained the only vendor who grew its share to 17.8 percent during Q1 2017. In non x86 server market banking industry on its own contribute for 57.3 percent of the revenue, followed by manufacturing and professional services verticals.
In India x86 market, HPE increased its market share from 37.8 percent in Q4 2016 to 40.3 percent in Q1 2017 in terms of revenue, followed by Dell with a market share of 20.5 percent during Q1 2017.Though the market increased Y-o-Y in terms of revenue most of the major vendors failed to maintain their market share, while ODMs have been successful in growing their market share from 0.3 percent in Q1 2016 to 14.5 percent in Q1 2017 and Cisco increased its market share to 8.9 percent in Q1 2017, mainly driven by its blade revenue.
Digital transformation initiatives from Government towards smart cities, skill India, e-records, education, healthcare is likely to drive the market. Also, increased banking focus towards high compute to handle voluminous transaction, analytics, and CRM applications are vital factors leading towards the server market growth in the coming quarters. Professional services including IT, ITeS, third party datacentre and public cloud service providers would continue to fuel the server market growth in India.


Creator: Paquette, M.; Fortier, D.; Mueller, D.R.; Sarrazin, D.; Vincent, W.F.
Creator: White, A.; Copland, L.; Mueller, D.R.; Van Wychen, W.
Creator: White, A.; Mueller, D.R.; Copland, L.
Non enim ab hiis que sensus est iudicare sensum. Sensation and Thought in Theaetetus, Plotinus and Proclus.


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The role of the Board of Directors is to shape the strategic direction of Educate Together in the long term, to guide and support management performance and to monitor progress towards agreed objectives. It is fundamentally a governance role and is at a remove from the day-to-day running of the organisation.
Directors are elected by members and these elected members may co-opt two more. The term of office for elected members is three years and there is a system or rotation whereby a number of directors come to the end of their term of office each year. The Chairperson of the Board is also elected for a three-year term. Persons co-opted to the Board of Directors are co-opted until the following AGM, and usually have specific skills (e.g. financial, marketing, legal, social science, human resources, development/fundraising, etc).
The Dublin-based national office is responsible for carrying out Educate Together's role as a patron and a management body.
Find information on the work of the Educate Together national office here
Read about Educate Together's current Strategic Objectives here
Download Educate Together's annual reports, AGM decisions and audited accounts here
Emma Lane-Spollen
Acting chairperson
Emma Lane-Spollen joined the Board of Educate Together in April 2019. She became Treasurer in 2020, Vice Chair in 2021 and Acting Chair in 2022. Emma's youngest is in Ranelagh Multi-Denominational School, previously all three children went to Midleton ETNS (Cork). Emma is an independent consultant and has extensive experience in strategy, advocacy, organisational development, planning and finance. Currently, national coordinator for the Ukraine Civil Society Forum. Prior roles include CEO of the Tomar Trust and Deputy CEO of the One Foundation. Emma is a qualified management accountant and has extensive Board experience, currently also serving on the Board of Friends of the Earth.
Aidan Clifford
Aidan Clifford joined the Educate Together board in 2017 and sits on the education and governance sub-committees. He is also a board member of Encountering the Arts Ireland and A Partnership with Africa and a founding member of Irish Forum for Global Education and member of the Dublin City Council Culture Company Culture Advisory Panel. He represents the Department of Education and Skills (DES) on the Council of Europe Education Policy Advisors Network (EPAN) on competencies for a democratic culture and the Ethics, Transparency and Integrity in Education (ETINED) committee. He is a member of the DES committee on education for sustainable development (ESD), the DES science, technology engineering arts and maths (STEAM) committee and the DES Teacher Artist Partnership (TAP) design team under the Arts in Education Charter and Creative Ireland. Formerly director and now as associate represents the CDETB Curriculum Development Unit on the Irish Aid funded global citizenship/development education WorldWise Global Schools (WWGS) consortium.
Colm Ó Cuanacháin
Colm worked as a primary school teacher and as principal at Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn Educate Together in Cork for five years. He has a PhD in human rights education and initiated the establishment of the Irish Centre for Citizenship and Human Rights Education in St Patrick's College, DCU. Colm worked in human rights and development for almost twenty years. He was director of Comhlámh, the Irish Association for Returned Development Workers, and also served as Secretary General of Amnesty International in Dublin. Colm has wide experience in organisational development and governance, having served on a range of boards at international and national level.
Siobhan Mortell
Siobhan has many years of experience teaching German at University College Cork. She is passionate about education in general as well as language teaching & learning. Having seen first-hand over many years the type of learner that is created by the current manner of teaching, learning and examining at secondary level in Ireland, she is delighted to channel her creative energy and practical experience to contribute to changing this for the better. She joined the Educate Together Board of Directors in 2017.
Áine Clancy
Áine joined the Educate Together Board 2020. She has also taken up a role on the Educational Training Board partnership sub-committee of the Board, having been a member of the City of Dublin Educational Training Board for several years. Áine has extensive experience within the Educate Together network. She served on the inaugural board of Clonturk College, was chairperson of Cabra Community College and is currently on the board of Glasnevin ETNS. Áine has been an elected representative on Dublin City Council and is currently a director on the North West Area Partnership.
Richard Woulfe
A practicing solicitor until he retired in 2019, Dick set up a focused employment law department in his former firm which he lead for ten years and which became one of the two largest employment law teams in the country. For nearly ten years prior to retirement he headed up a team focused on intellectual property and social media litigation. Dick was for many years on the Board of Management of Griffith Barracks Educate Together National School. He joined the Educate Together Board as co-optee in 2017 and again in 2019. He was elected as director at the 2020 AGM and is also now the company secretary. Dick is chair of the Board's International Development Sub-committee.
Doris Abuchi-Ogbonda
Doris was an inaugural board member of Esker Educate Together National School, Lucan as parents' representative until 2011. She is on the board of St. Andrew's National School, Lucan as a community representative from 2015 to date; and a director on the board of The Rights Platform since 2014. She has cross sectoral experiences in Legal practice; Community Development and Youth work. She also worked in child protection. Culturally versatile, Doris coordinates the Migrant Access Programme-MAP. MAP provides support for the inclusion of, and access to the labour market by migrants.
Theresa Burke
Theresa became a director of Educate Together in November 2020, after joining the board's Finance Sub-committee in March of that year. Head of Governance and Finance with the Children Rights Alliance since 2018, Theresa qualified with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in 2005, becoming a fellow in 2010. She has worked as audit manager in accountancy practice, gaining extensive experience across many areas in the public and private sector dealing with small, medium and large organisations. Theresa also brings significant experience in the charity sector to the role, with up to date knowledge of the Charities Governance Code, and charity financial reporting requirements including Financial Reporting Standard 102 Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP).
Matt Wallen
Originally from Colorado, Matt graduated from St Olaf College in Minnesota with a degree in Fine Arts and Elementary Education. He taught in elementary and middle schools for 5 years before relocating to Ireland in 2002. He completed an MA in English Language Teaching and then began working at Limerick School Project. Over the course of 11 years working in the school, Matt took on roles as support teacher, SNA, class teacher, dance teacher and principal. During those years, he completed a PhD in Education and Applied Linguistics at University of Limerick. He has published in academic journals and lectured at conferences and teacher training colleges on the topics of multilingualism, intercultural education and continuing professional development for teachers. Matt became the principal of Knocknacarra Educate Together NS, a developing school in Galway City, in 2014.
Lesley Byrne
Lesley Byrne is principal of Clogher Road Community College which is a DEIS school in Crumlin under the patronage of CDETB and in partnership with Educate Together. Lesley also works with Maynooth University on the Turn to Teach programme, which aims to promote diversity in the teaching profession through a series of social-justice orientated widening participation initiatives. Prior to her current role, she was deputy principal in Belvedere College with special responsibility and a particular passion for the Social Diversity Programme. Lesley is currently a PHD candidate with Maynooth University and her particular area of research is how marginalised communities are represented in current and historic educational policy.
Miriam Hurley
Miriam Hurley has been principal of Dalkey School Project (DSP) for 13 years. She is a committed member of Educate Together network since joining the teaching staff of Monkstown ETNS in 1999. Miriam brings a broad range of educational knowledge and community building skills. Miriam was a founding and committee member of the first LGBT teachers' group in Ireland through the INTO from 2004-2011. She has delivered workshops at ethos and equality conferences. Promoting restorative practices and student voice is central to her vision for building strong communities who change the world in positive and inclusive ways.


Why does Citation Tracker only audit Name, Address, and Phone Number and why do these need to be consistent for local SEO?
Citations are mentions of your business' name, address and phone number (NAP) online.
Accuracy of the NAP is one of the most important factors when it comes to citations.
Search engines crawl business listings sites and online directories like Yelp and Yellowpages (also known as 'citation sites') to reconfirm the NAP data that it has about a business.
The more consistent this data is, the more confident search engines can be in the accuracy of business' data.
This consistency is therefore a key ranking factor in local SEO, which is why we help you to visualize this data in your Citation Tracker report so you can "see what the search engines see" about your business.


text:
Wheeler Baker may refer to:
 Wheeler L. Baker (born 1938), U.S. Marine and president of Hargrave Military Academy
 Wheeler R. Baker (born 1946), member of the Maryland House of Delegates

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
import * as React from 'react';
import { InjectedFormProps, reduxForm, SubmissionError } from 'redux-form';
import { ApplicationState } from '../../state/ApplicationState';
import { Button, Classes, Dialog, Intent } from '@blueprintjs/core';
import { TextField } from '../fields/TextField';
import { connect } from 'react-redux';
import { Dispatch } from 'redux';
import { AddPermissionDialogState } from '../../state/PermissionsState';
import { AddPermission } from '../../actions';
import { Validator } from '../../services/Validator';

type AddPermissionDialogData = {
  username: string;
};

type AddPermissionDialogDispatchProps = {
  readonly close: () => void;
  readonly confirm: (usern: string) => void;
};

type AddPermissionDialogStateProps = {
  readonly state: AddPermissionDialogState | null;
  readonly isDarkMode: boolean;
};

const AddPermissionDialogComponent: React.FunctionComponent<
  AddPermissionDialogStateProps &
    AddPermissionDialogDispatchProps &
    InjectedFormProps<AddPermissionDialogData, AddPermissionDialogStateProps & AddPermissionDialogDispatchProps>
> = ({ handleSubmit, submitting, invalid, close, state, isDarkMode }) => (
  <Dialog
    icon="add"
    isOpen={!!state}
    onClose={close}
    title={`Add '${state ? state.permission : 'NOT OPEN'}' role`}
    className={isDarkMode ? Classes.DARK : ''}
  >
    <div className={`${Classes.DIALOG_BODY} add-permission-body`}>
      <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
        <TextField name="username" label="Username" required disabled={submitting} className={Classes.FILL} />
      </form>

        <Button onClick={close} icon="arrow-left">
          Cancel
        </Button>
        <Button intent={Intent.SUCCESS} onClick={handleSubmit} disabled={invalid || submitting} icon="add">
          Add Permission
        </Button>

  </Dialog>
);

const validator = new Validator<AddPermissionDialogData>().withValidationFunction('username', username => {
  if (!username) return 'This field is required';

  if (username.length < 3) return 'Must be at least 3 characters long';

  if (username.length > 256) return 'Must be at most 256 characters long';

  return undefined;
});

const AddPermissionDialogForm: React.ComponentType<
  AddPermissionDialogStateProps & AddPermissionDialogDispatchProps
> = reduxForm<AddPermissionDialogData, AddPermissionDialogStateProps & AddPermissionDialogDispatchProps>({
  form: 'add-permission-form',
  validate: validator.validate,
  onSubmit: async (values, dispatch, props): Promise<void> => {
    try {
      await props.confirm(values.username);
      props.close();
    } catch (err) {
      throw new SubmissionError({ reason: 'Unexpected response from the server' });
    }
  },
})(AddPermissionDialogComponent);

const mapStateToProps = (state: ApplicationState): AddPermissionDialogStateProps => ({
  state: state.permissions.addDialog,
  isDarkMode: state.settings.isDarkMode,
});

const mapDispatchToProps = (dispatch: Dispatch): AddPermissionDialogDispatchProps => ({
  close: () => dispatch(AddPermission.closeDialog()),
  confirm: (username: string) => dispatch(AddPermission.start(username)),
});

export const AddPermissionDialog: React.ComponentType = connect<
  AddPermissionDialogStateProps,
  AddPermissionDialogDispatchProps,
  {}
>(
  mapStateToProps,
  mapDispatchToProps,
)(AddPermissionDialogForm);


Below please find the project update for the week of May 15 and anticipated traffic control for the week of May 22, 2017.
We support the businesses in the project area and encourage everyone to join us! To demonstrate this, the RTC project team will profile a neighborhood business within the corridor each month.
Sally and Michael Richards have been operating Scooper's Drive-In since 1980.
Scooper's Drive-In at 1356 Prater Way in Sparks is a local's favorite for milkshakes, burgers and fries. Sparks residents Sally Richards and her husband Michael have been serving their community since 1980. The biggest change they have seen in 37 years of business is the growth of Sparks and the surrounding area. They are excited for the transformation of the corridor and the improved traffic operations in front of their drive-in restaurant when the RTC 4th/Prater Bus Rapid Transit Project is completed.
Please support your neighborhood businesses in the project corridor. Greg R. from Sparks received a $25 gift card to Louis Basque Corner. Sign up to receive project updates at 4thPrater.com and you are eligible to receive a $25 gift card to a participating local business of your choice! One gift card distributed every week during construction.


text:
Q: How to disable LUKS encryption filesystem? Background
I have installed Pop!_OS distro on my local machine, and turned on the full-disk encryption layer, which means on each boot I'll have to enter the password in order to access it, lately, I'm facing some issues booting into the distro after entering the password to unlock the encrypted partition.
Now what I want to do is to remove the encryption layer completely, that is, decrypting the whole filesystem and keep the files as is.
Research
I have looked up on ways to remove this cryptsetup software and the suggestions were to unlock the drive using a live linux USB, copy the files, remove the encrypted layer, and copy back the files (and reconfigure some stuff that I didn't fully understand what they are), I can't go with this option as I don't have an external drive with enough storage to back up my data to it.
Others have suggested that cryptsetup does include an option to decrypt the drive, as mentioned in http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/cryptsetup-reencrypt.8.html, I'm supposed to run
cryptsetup reencrypt /dev/partition --decrypt --header header_file.img

where the header file can be obtained using (which I also backed up)
cryptsetup luksHeaderBackup /dev/partition --header-backup-file header_file.img

Reference: Replace LUKS partition with ext4 partition with same contents
What I tried
I downloaded arch linux live CD, boot it up, ran the above commands and waited for the decryption process to finish, all went well, however when I reboot the machine I'm still getting a prompt to insert my password, and even if I enter it now it doesn't boot and I'm in a busybox/initramfs shell, so I'm stuck here and have no idea what I'm supposed to do next, I tried searching in google and stack exchange but couldn't find similar situation that could help.
So... how can I fix this?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Sad news from one of our correspondents the passing of the man behind a voice that will be very familiar to our Benelux-based readers.
Last Saturday the racing and journalism communities lost one of our own as legendary Belgian commentator Peter Baert passed away, aged 52, after losing a lengthy battle against cancer.
Peter was one of the cornerstones of the Dutch Eurosport commentary team at Le Mans and many other endurance races worldwide while he also made his mark in Belgian online and printed media for the better part of three decades.
Peter fought against his disease for over a year and it is a testament to his sheer grit and determination that he managed to take on full commentary duties at Le Mans in 2015 while undergoing chemotherapy, something he was adamant on taking on.
In fact Peter remained on his post until a week before his passing, choosing to keep working and not giving in until he literally couldn't work anymore, the mark of a true endurance legend.


text:
Sach a nomination! But isn't it a no ball, Madam President?
As the nation celebrates a Rajya Sabha nomination for the master blaster, a kill-joy writes a letter to president Pratibha Patil, reminding her of the constitution. A post-script asks Sachin to get back and ask his friend Mukesh Ambani
Rohit Bansal | April 27, 2012
Dear Madam President:
Sorry to be a kill joy, but pray take a look at what the eligibility criteria for your nominated members to the Rajya Sabha says?
While you have the best legal brains available to you, we mere mortals only have Google! So, what pops up there is your election commission website. The FAQ seems instructive enough:
"Article 80 (3) of the constitution of India provides that the members to be nominated by the president to Rajya Sabha should have special knowledge or practical experience in matters like literature, science, art and social service."
So, where does the master qualify?
Background and the whole list of all nominated members so far: read here
Vote in Day's Debate: Does the constitution permit Tendulkar's nomination?
Have you granted him nomination for literature, the body of evidence being his one-off signed columns or even digital 'literature' such as sound bytes he gives to Ravi Shastri after yet another blitzkrieg?
Or does Sachin qualify for "special knowledge" and/or "practical experience" in the "science/art" of batting?
There are others who won't grudge him the Rajya Sabha nomination for the "social service" involved in lifting the morale of a nation reeling under your government.
But all said, it would be extremely instructive to know what went in your mind when you endorsed the recommendation from 10 Janpath.
Since it's Sachin, a disclaimer is warranted. Your humble writer is a fan of his batting like everyone else in the country. He is just as eminent (perhaps more) than many of the past and present alumni of the nominated club, say, Hema Malini, who was nominated under this category but rather than recede from active politics, freely attended BJP rallies for which she was rewarded with membership of the party's national executive.
I wouldn't even go near other examples like Dara Singh. "Science" and/or "practical experience" of kushti, right? It's a technicality that this column is pointing to. This is as much to Sachin, who remains a role of propriety and grace, the occasional Ferrari exemption notwithstanding.
We didn't expect him to nitpick about constitutional niceties. Or even lobby for a nomination. It was, perhaps, for elder statesmen, desperate as they are for credibility with younger India, to think whether they remain correct before the constitution. A simple way could have been to move an amendment, which you would have signed gladly. A process, no doubt less cumbersome than a change in the constitution, was followed regarding the criteria for Bharat Ratna. But if the treasury benches had moved a bill for inserting sports in Article 80(3) the cat would have been out of the bag, and the surprise factor forfeited.
Some would ask how actress Rekha is any better qualified than Sachin. So, if Rekha, why not Sachin? It's a pertinent point worth answering in 140 characters. Rekha and Sachin may pack just as little towards law making, she has at least your constitution by her side. That she conforms to the laid out criteria, it's really your discretion thereafter vis-à-vis, say, Zeenat Aman or any other heroines who worked with Mr Bachchan!
I hope an RTI application seeking to know how you satisfied yourself (or didn't) would tell us more. A cricket-baiter judge like Justice Katju may even admit a public interest litigation. Of course, by then the sound bite soldiers may have to trudge to your humble home coming up in Pune!
Note to Sachin: Sir, I agree that you are above the law. So, I can only point you towards your friend Mukesh Ambani. He may confirm that Dhirubhai, his father, was once asked why he didn't run for parliament. Legend has it that Dhirubhai smiled and his reply was, "Why be a member of a club you could own?" Despite this domain knowledge and earthy wisdom, Anil Ambani, unlike Mukesh, succumbed to the temptation of being MP. The resultant fall to being just one among 800 others doesn't bear repetition. Anil had Amar Singh to string him into this. Who strung you? Sad to see god and his proud wife driving down to thank Sonia-ji!
On a personal note: DIVINE
An underground rapper who grew up on Mumbai streets, Divine spins his music around his environment and poverty. His breakout single, 'Meri Gully Mein', along with fellow rapper Naezy caught Bollywood's attention. The Hindi film 'Gully Boy' is inspired by their lives and gr
The role model for an IAS officer
Anil Swarup, an IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre who retired in 2018, is a model bureaucrat who retained his optimism right till the end of service and exemplified dedication and commitment. His excitement at the opportunities that a job in the IAS provided is evident on every page of his new book publis
Reform of the civil services: At home and away
The question of reform of the civil services has been debated extensively at all levels at least over the last five to six decades after independence. Indeed, it was soon perceived that the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) may not be well equipped to deal with the problems of an emerging developing coun
The greatest challenge for any government
Shouting vengeance at all and sundry while wriggling out of holes of our own making seems to be our very special national characteristic. Some recent instances are illustrative of this attribute. A number of business tycoons with thousands of crores of unresolved debts have fled abroad with the government
The mysterious case of CBI's legality
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) came into existence, based on a Resolution of the home ministry, dated April 1, 1963 – a sheer coincidence that it also happens to be April Fool's day. Over the past few months, we have seen the CBI live up to its founding day with great zeal, being i
The Evolution of Modi
Gujarat was passing through a turbulent phase in the 1980s. The decade began middle class agitations against new reservation policies, and the caste friction turned communal under the watch of chief minister Madhavsinh Solanki, alienating majority of urban population on both counts. The ground was ripe for
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