text:
Concrete Coatings, Concrete Sealers, Concrete Overlays & Toppings, Vol. 18 No. 5 - July 2018
Concrete Coatings Offer Better Living Through Chemistry
Written by K. Schipper on July 2, 2018
More in Concrete Coatings:
Don't Get Burned: Safety While Using UV-Cured Concrete Coatings August 14, 2010
Lightweight Concrete Topping Provides Seamless Walls and Flooring October 12, 2015
Flashy Mica Flake Attracts Concrete Artisans October 8, 2013
When it comes to concrete, it isn't necessarily easy to define what a coating is. In its broadest sense it can be a general term for any chemical that's applied to a surface to seal or protect it.
In the decorative market, that includes a host of sealers that are typically acrylic-based and leave a clear thin film on the concrete's surface when the solvent- or water-based carrier evaporates. Whether it's flat or stamped, colored, stained or polished, the goal is to show the concrete to its best advantage.
However, there are many concrete uses where a coating is used for its durability — think garage floors, shopping malls, food-processing plants — and while builders and facilities operators don't mind showing a pretty face, their biggest concern is adding to that durability.
Enter epoxies, polyurethanes and polyaspartics.
A urethane coating on this brew pub floor ensures durability, despite the likelihood of heavy carts and hot water being used on it. Its good looks and the ability to include the company's logo are bonuses. Photo courtesy of Increte
Caution: Road blocks ahead
For Rich Cofoid, senior product manager for Increte Systems in Odessa, Florida, coatings are for commercial, retail and industrial applications.
"They're used anywhere you have a lot of traffic," he says. "They have high solids, and they're extremely chemical-resistant. Gasoline doesn't bother them, brake fluid isn't going to bubble them up, and they're FDA- (federal Food and Drug Administration) compliant. There are no microscopic pores for something like E. coli to grow."
However, choosing the right coating for a job often comes down to the same issue many other contractors and craftspeople find it hard to argue against, and that's money.
"Whenever we talk with a contractor who has a client who's looking for an application for their floor, wall, roof or whatever, it always comes down to three things," says Jeremy St. Clair, technical director of Orange, California-based Kretus Group. "One is performance, two is cost and three is aesthetics. Often, they're worried about the cost."
Scott Kummer, a contractor who owns Laguna Niguel, California-based Visions Below and also independently sells and consults on products, puts it a little more strongly.
"Everything we do seems to be predicated by price," Kummer says. "It depends on the contractor, and how they've been trained and their knowledge base. If they abide by the manufacturer's directions, they might not realize a job needs moisture mitigation or to save money they won't use a moisture-vapor primer."
For too many coatings contractors, the desire to get a job means they're willing to cut corners, and there are many ways to do it. Kummer says that includes using a less-expensive product, not applying it to specifications, as well as inadequate preparation.
"A lot of guys new to the industry who are using good quality products don't understand what the problems could be," he adds. "You always have to anticipate problems and stick to the biggest firing power you have at all times. Develop a regime, stick to it, and if anybody's asking you to vary that due to price, it's not worth doing the job."
Multiple answers
Simply choosing the best coating for a job isn't going to be easy. Most manufacturers offer a plethora of formulations, although Kretus' St. Clair says there's a good reason for that.
"It's easy for a manufacturer to go, 'This is good for a garage coating,'" he says. "However, a person's garage in southern California is different than a person's garage in northern Wisconsin. The concrete is different, the abuse of the floor is different, what's being picked up on the road is different and how hot the tires get is different. All those things go into the development of a coating."/>
It may look like a terrazzo floor, but it's really a high-performance epoxy option that utilizes embedded vinyl flakes for that high-end look. Photo courtesy of Increte
There are also differences in performance. Increte's Cofoid notes that epoxies — while a popular coating — are pretty much confined to indoor spaces.
"While there are some exceptions to this rule, most epoxies on the market today are not UV (ultraviolet) safe," he says. "Given enough UV exposure, they're going to go amber. By comparison, a polyaspartic or a water-based urethane is typically crystal clear."
Each has other issues, as well. Urethanes are often waterproof, which can be a positive or negative attribute, depending on the situation. Visions Below's Kummer says whenever the surface is retaining moisture, using a urethane can be like putting cellophane over your face.
"Ultimately, it's going to bubble," he says. "Due to osmotic pressure, it's going to fail on you."
Cofoid says one answer is to do either a moisture test or a relative-humidity test on the concrete. Fortunately, he says methods for testing both are less expensive than they have been in the past, and each product manufacturer should have guidelines for when the moisture is too high. Still another option is core sampling.
And, if the moisture is too high, then it's time to switch to another product — or find a manufacturer who has a moisture mitigation system.
"There are products that go down that help lock the pores of the concrete to lock the moisture in, so it doesn't travel up through the floor coating and create delamination problems," he says.
Although they're used primarily on interior applications, epoxies remain a favorite for residential use, although less so for commercial applications.
"If you need something that's chemical resistant or carts will be dragged over it, or it has to survive thermal shock, you'll need something like a urethane polymer concrete," says Kretus' St. Clair. "Even how they'll clean the floor plays a role."
It's those epoxy/urethane hybrids — typically two- or even three-part systems — that are taking coatings into the future.
An epoxy proved to be a good choice for this gym floor given its indoor location and foot traffic. Photos courtesy of Increte
A good product choice and a good application also make a world of difference between the before-and-after images.
"There are a lot of situations where you can't expect longevity out of a single coating," he says. "We need to step up the chemical chains or bonds that are created. With a triple-component product, we're combining three different types of chemicals to get longer bonds to strengthen it."
However, again that goes back to both the contractor and client understanding what's truly needed for a job.
"I'll get somebody who says they want an epoxy coating because they've heard of it, or they've seen pictures," St. Clair says. "And, they want a single coat application that will last 15 years."
Words to the wise
With coatings, it truly can be a matter of better living through chemistry, but specifiers and contractors must be aware of getting just the right product.
One that's catching the eyes of many is polyaspartic. Increte introduced a new polyaspartic at World of Concrete this year, and Cofoid says it's like an epoxy in that it's a two-part system. However, it's also crystal clear and UV safe.
Still, its biggest advantage is its extremely fast curing time.
"Say that you're doing a facility that can only be shut down one evening," he says. "You can go in at 10 p.m. and it has to be open at 8 the next morning. An epoxy will take eight to 10 hours before you can even walk on it. Nobody would suggest dragging furniture across it, but with a polyaspartic, you can put it down at 6 a.m. and if need be the business can open back at 8."
Its drawback: a very limited pot life.
There's also a segment of the market that's becoming more concerned about the environmental impacts of these products. Some of that is driven by state regulations, such as in California, and some by architects anxious to qualify for points under systems such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
It's possible to add a little extra shine to a project with metallic pigments. By choosing to mix the pigments with a little — or a lot of— clear epoxy, an installer can control the look and opacity. Photo courtesy of McKinnon Materials
One approach Glenn "Buster" Osteen, technical director for Tampa, Florida-based McKinnon Materials, cautions against is manufacturers who "concentrate" their products by removing the solvents to appear green.
Who says a floor has to have only one look? There's plenty out there, including chips, metallics and overlays for the installer willing to get creative for an appreciative customer. Photo courtesy of Advanced Epoxy
Ryan Stowell, a contractor who owns Advanced Epoxy in Wichita, Kansas, says he probably runs into two or three clients a year concerned about the environmental impacts of their coatings. Whether or not they are, he advises anyone in the industry to stay updated on what's available.
"I do my homework nightly, and I'm always looking for new options," he says. "I go to my mentors among the manufacturers, and they keep me up-to-date on what's new and what's going to be coming out. And, I do a lot of reading online."
www.prod.facebook.com/AdvancedEpoxy
www.increte.com
www.kretusgroup.com
www.mckinnonmaterials.com
www.visionsbelowcc.com
Nick Dancer Exhibits a Passion for Concrete
Metallic Epoxies Shine Bright in Car Dealership
Opaque Epoxy Coatings for Concrete Floors
K. Schipper
K. Schipper is a seasoned business-to-business writer, including current work with Concrete Decor, Stone Update and RV Pro magazines. She's written about concrete and hardscape since 2005, and served as managing editor of Architectural Stone & Landscape Design magazine.


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It's unclear when work will begin on a project to improve Junction 8 of the M25 and the road layout at the top of Reigate Hill, other than the official line of "Spring 2019".
Reigate.uk understands that work may not begin until after the Epsom Derby at the start of June, but a Highways England spokesperson confirmed last week that "Spring 2019" is all they can say for now.
The aim of the scheme is to improve the junction's operation and safety, and address the problem of traffic backing up on to the roundabout.
The A217 southbound will be widened at the top of Reigate Hill, with two lanes heading off the roundabout towards Reigate, merging shortly before the Wray Lane junction. A new slip lane will run to Gatton Bottom, starting after the bus stop, meaning there'll be three lanes at that point.
Enabling works – such as surveying – are currently taking place, with traffic cones recently set up at the roundabout.
The plans haven't been subject to public consultation. County and borough councillors have from time to time discussed the matter at quarterly meetings of Surrey County Council's Local Committee for Reigate & Banstead, although it didn't come up at the last meeting on 4 March other than a brief note in the meeting papers.
Councillors have however had fuller informal briefings from Highways England, most recently in January.
County Cllr Jeff Harris, who chairs the committee, said last week that members still have a number of unanswered questions about the scheme including timing and where the site depot will be located.
Previously the committee has raised concerns about the project's cost (borne by Highways England), which last year was said to be £4 million. The cost figure is currently listed as "TBC" on the Highways England webpage on the project.


You can now choose between Rich Text or Plain Text status updates clicking on the gear icon on the top right of the panel, so if you hate all the images, videos and formatting, feel free to turn it off.
You can now set the panel to auto update every 30 seconds with the latest status updates, also by clicking on the gear icon. This is a beta feature and might not work every time.
Status updates also now have paging! You can browse older updates via the sidebar by changing the page at the bottom of the panel.
The recent update broke some things. I'm still tracking down exactly what was broken so I can fix it.


text:
Scotland Yard's rape command, Sapphire, is to be merged with the child abuse unit as part of a larger overhaul within the Metropolitan police.
Sapphire had a troubled past before it came under centralised command, with detectives at a unit in Southwark found to have pressured victims to drop charges to boost performance figures.
An extra 100 officers are being brought in to tackle exploitation including paedophile rings and grooming gangs.
The head of the central Sapphire command, Detective Chief Superintendent Mick Duthie, said officer numbers dealing with sexual exploitation would be boosted: "It is in response to the children's commissioner's report that said significant numbers of young people are at risk of being exploited.
"I think [the risk] has always been there but we have not been as aware of it as we are now."
This follows a case in Rochdale where nine men were jailed in May last year for grooming and abusing vulnerable teenage girls.
The majority of the 100 extra officers will be of constable rank, and the unit will lose Duthie, who will become head of homicide next month, and one superintendent.
Duthie said officers would retain their specialisms in the types of crime they investigate. "We've made a conscious decision that this is a high-risk area, we need to have dedicated officers investigating dedicated types of crime.
"There will be separate rape teams and separate child abuse teams."
High-profile investigations such as Operation Yewtree, the inquiry triggered by abuse allegations against Jimmy Savile, will come under the new command.
Questions have been raised over whether the new unit should abandon the name Sapphire because of trouble in the past.
In February in its latest report on the Southwark rape unit the police watchdog found that women had been pressured to drop rape allegations.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said that these included a woman who had made a claim against Jean Say, who later went on to murder his two children.
The watchdog also found that Scotland Yard had failed to hold gross misconduct proceedings against three officers involved in the case of repeat sex offender Kirk Reid. Two of the officers had in fact been promoted.
Reid was found guilty of attacks on 25 women over a 12-year period in the Balham, Clapham and Tooting areas of south-west London.
It emerged during his trial that police did not arrest him until four years after he was first named as a suspect and a separate IPCC inquiry was carried out into apparent blunders and failings.
The Met said the officers had been dealt with as appropriate and that changes had been made to the way the force dealt with sex crime.
Duthie said: "We've certainly had our ups and downs and unfortunately it seems that the downs get reported.
"We've spoken to our partners about whether we will change the Sapphire name and some are saying get rid of it, some are saying a lot of people know what Sapphire does and if you lose that you will lose some victims' ability to contact police."
A Metropolitan police spokeswoman said that the name would not necessarily fit because it is associated only with rape investigations

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Goblin is finally coming to (Vi)you!
by: InqPOP!
South Korean fantasy-drama Guardian: The Lonely and Great God or popularly known as Goblin is finally coming to the Philippine shores.
For many months now, fans have been clamoring for it to be available for more Filipinos. Tagged as one of 2016's best dramas, Goblin is a combination of good drama with superb technical details and equally amazing story line.
Kim Shin played by Gong Yoo is an immortal goblin and a protector of souls who needs to find his bride to help him return to ashes. The goblin met the Grim Reaper played by Lee Dong-wook whose task is to take the souls of dead people. One day, the two met Ji Eun-tak played by Kim Go-eun who is known to many as the "Goblin's bride." She has the ability to see ghosts, and all her life, she was made to believe that she is destined to meet the goblin.
The drama was written by Kim Eun-sook, who also wrote the popular series Descendants of the Sun (2016), Secret Garden (2010), and The Heirs (2013). Eun-sook won the Grand Prize in the 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards for it while Gong-yoo won as the Best actor for his role as Kim Shin/Goblin.
Now, the talked-about series is coming to you via Viu! The video-on-demand app is about to put Goblin in its library together with hundreds of other popular K-dramas throughout the years.
Just a quick look back: Viu is the first service in the Philippines to offer fast, legal, free streaming and downloading of Korean variety shows, dramas and music programs with English subtitles. Its 10,000 content hours are provided by top Korean broadcasters KBS, SBS, MBC and CJ E&M. English subtitles are available as early as eight hours after the initial telecast and it also allows user to download videos for offline viewing.
As it reaches 1.5 million active users in the country, Viu is offering more services for its subscribers. Viu is now introducing its much-awaited premium service. The free service for registered users will always be available but they can also opt-in for this new offering for value-added features.
Just like the free service, the premium will also allow viewers to access their favorites and history. Syncing various devices are still in the feature. Yet, in this new offering, users can purchase upgrade to their viewing experience.
In premium pay, Viu app users can now catch their favorite shows and dramas without ads. Plus, the screen resolution is now available in 720p and 1080p. The biggest difference is the number of allowable downloads one can do in this new offering: from 1 video download per day, users can now download 5 videos for 1-day premium pay (Php10/day), 10 videos for weekly premium pay (Php30/weekly), and unlimited video downloads for long-term premium pay which can be bought for Php99/month, Php199/3 months, Php399/6 months and Php699/year. A good, legal, way to enjoy awesome dramas like Goblin without the hassle of slow internet connection in the country.
VIU Premium will be available to everyone soon! Stay updated by following Inquirer on various social media platforms and chat apps!
http://inq.news/Twitter
http://inq.news/FB
http://inq.news/chat
By: Clarisse Inao
Viu Philippines
ViuPH
Typecast, Set to Open American Football Show in Manila
2019 NU'EST Concert in Manila
Rico Blanco returns to Local Music in a Most Epic Fashion, Collaborating with IV of Spades


text:
using content::WebContents;
using content::ShellBrowserContext;
using content::Shell;

namespace api {

IDMap<Base, IDMapOwnPointer> api::DispatcherHost::objects_registry_;
int api::DispatcherHost::next_object_id_ = 1;
static std::map<content::RenderViewHost*, DispatcherHost*> g_dispatcher_host_map;

DispatcherHost::DispatcherHost(content::RenderViewHost* render_view_host)
    : content::RenderViewHostObserver(render_view_host) {
  g_dispatcher_host_map[render_view_host] = this;
}

DispatcherHost::~DispatcherHost() {
  g_dispatcher_host_map.erase(render_view_host());
}

DispatcherHost*
FindDispatcherHost(content::RenderViewHost* render_view_host) {
  std::map<content::RenderViewHost*, DispatcherHost*>::iterator it
    = g_dispatcher_host_map.find(render_view_host);
  if (it == g_dispatcher_host_map.end())
    return NULL;
  return it->second;
}

Base* DispatcherHost::GetApiObject(int id) {
  return objects_registry_.Lookup(id);
}

int DispatcherHost::AllocateId() {
  return next_object_id_++;
}

void DispatcherHost::SendEvent(Base* object,
                               const std::string& event,
                               const base::ListValue& arguments) {
  Send(new ShellViewMsg_Object_On_Event(
       routing_id(), object->id(), event, arguments));
}

bool DispatcherHost::Send(IPC::Message* message) {
  return content::RenderViewHostObserver::Send(message);
}

bool DispatcherHost::OnMessageReceived(const IPC::Message& message) {
  bool handled = true;
  base::ThreadRestrictions::ScopedAllowIO allow_io;
  base::ThreadRestrictions::ScopedAllowWait allow_wait;
  IPC_BEGIN_MESSAGE_MAP(DispatcherHost, message)
    IPC_MESSAGE_HANDLER(ShellViewHostMsg_Allocate_Object, OnAllocateObject)
    IPC_MESSAGE_HANDLER(ShellViewHostMsg_Deallocate_Object, OnDeallocateObject)
    IPC_MESSAGE_HANDLER(ShellViewHostMsg_Call_Object_Method, OnCallObjectMethod)
    IPC_MESSAGE_HANDLER(ShellViewHostMsg_Call_Object_Method_Sync,
                        OnCallObjectMethodSync)
    IPC_MESSAGE_HANDLER(ShellViewHostMsg_Call_Static_Method, OnCallStaticMethod)
    IPC_MESSAGE_HANDLER(ShellViewHostMsg_Call_Static_Method_Sync,
                        OnCallStaticMethodSync)
    IPC_MESSAGE_HANDLER(ShellViewHostMsg_UncaughtException,
                        OnUncaughtException);
    IPC_MESSAGE_HANDLER(ShellViewHostMsg_GetShellId, OnGetShellId);
    IPC_MESSAGE_HANDLER(ShellViewHostMsg_CreateShell, OnCreateShell);
    IPC_MESSAGE_HANDLER(ShellViewHostMsg_GrantUniversalPermissions, OnGrantUniversalPermissions);
    IPC_MESSAGE_HANDLER(ShellViewHostMsg_AllocateId, OnAllocateId);
    IPC_MESSAGE_UNHANDLED(handled = false)
  IPC_END_MESSAGE_MAP()

  return handled;
}

void DispatcherHost::OnAllocateObject(int object_id,
                                      const std::string& type,
                                      const base::DictionaryValue& option) {
  DVLOG(1) << "OnAllocateObject: object_id:" << object_id
             << " type:" << type
             << " option:" << option;

  if (type == "Menu") {
    objects_registry_.AddWithID(new Menu(object_id, this, option), object_id);
  } else if (type == "MenuItem") {
    objects_registry_.AddWithID(
        new MenuItem(object_id, this, option), object_id);
  } else if (type == "Tray") {
    objects_registry_.AddWithID(new Tray(object_id, this, option), object_id);
  } else if (type == "Clipboard") {
    objects_registry_.AddWithID(
        new Clipboard(object_id, this, option), object_id);
  } else if (type == "Window") {
    objects_registry_.AddWithID(new Window(object_id, this, option), object_id);
  } else {
    LOG(ERROR) << "Allocate an object of unknown type: " << type;
    objects_registry_.AddWithID(new Base(object_id, this, option), object_id);
  }
}

void DispatcherHost::OnDeallocateObject(int object_id) {
  DLOG(INFO) << "OnDeallocateObject: object_id:" << object_id;
  objects_registry_.Remove(object_id);
}

void DispatcherHost::OnCallObjectMethod(
    int object_id,
    const std::string& type,
    const std::string& method,
    const base::ListValue& arguments) {
  DLOG(INFO) << "OnCallObjectMethod: object_id:" << object_id
             << " type:" << type
             << " method:" << method
             << " arguments:" << arguments;

  Base* object = GetApiObject(object_id);
  DLOG(WARNING) << "Unknown object: " << object_id
             << " type:" << type
             << " method:" << method
             << " arguments:" << arguments;
  if (object)
    object->Call(method, arguments);
}

void DispatcherHost::OnCallObjectMethodSync(
    int object_id,
    const std::string& type,
    const std::string& method,
    const base::ListValue& arguments,
    base::ListValue* result) {
  DLOG(INFO) << "OnCallObjectMethodSync: object_id:" << object_id
             << " type:" << type
             << " method:" << method
             << " arguments:" << arguments;

  Base* object = GetApiObject(object_id);
  CHECK(object) << "Unknown object: " << object_id
             << " type:" << type
             << " method:" << method
             << " arguments:" << arguments;
  if (object)
    object->CallSync(method, arguments, result);
}

void DispatcherHost::OnCallStaticMethod(
    const std::string& type,
    const std::string& method,
    const base::ListValue& arguments) {
  DLOG(INFO) << "OnCallStaticMethod: "
             << " type:" << type
             << " method:" << method
             << " arguments:" << arguments;

  if (type == "Shell") {
    api::Shell::Call(method, arguments);
    return;
  } else if (type == "App") {
    api::App::Call(method, arguments);
    return;
  }

  NOTREACHED() << "Calling unknown method " << method << " of class " << type;
}

void DispatcherHost::OnCallStaticMethodSync(
    const std::string& type,
    const std::string& method,
    const base::ListValue& arguments,
    base::ListValue* result) {
  DLOG(INFO) << "OnCallStaticMethodSync: "
             << " type:" << type
             << " method:" << method
             << " arguments:" << arguments;

  if (type == "App") {
    content::Shell* shell =
        content::Shell::FromRenderViewHost(render_view_host());
    api::App::Call(shell, method, arguments, result);
    return;
  }

  NOTREACHED() << "Calling unknown method " << method << " of class " << type;
}

void DispatcherHost::OnUncaughtException(const std::string& err) {
  content::Shell* shell =
      content::Shell::FromRenderViewHost(render_view_host());
  shell->PrintCriticalError("Uncaught node.js Error", err);
}

void DispatcherHost::OnGetShellId(int* id) {
  content::Shell* shell =
      content::Shell::FromRenderViewHost(render_view_host());
  *id = shell->id();
}

void DispatcherHost::OnCreateShell(const std::string& url,
                                   const base::DictionaryValue& manifest,
                                   int* routing_id) {
  WebContents* base_web_contents =
      content::Shell::FromRenderViewHost(render_view_host())->web_contents();
  ShellBrowserContext* browser_context =
      static_cast<ShellBrowserContext*>(base_web_contents->GetBrowserContext());
  scoped_ptr<base::DictionaryValue> new_manifest(manifest.DeepCopy());
  bool new_renderer = false;
  if (new_manifest->GetBoolean(switches::kmNewInstance,
                               &new_renderer) && new_renderer)
    browser_context->set_pinning_renderer(false);

  WebContents::CreateParams create_params(browser_context,
                                          new_renderer ? NULL : base_web_contents->GetSiteInstance());

  WebContents* web_contents = content::WebContentsImpl::CreateWithOpener(
      create_params,
      static_cast<content::WebContentsImpl*>(base_web_contents));
  content::Shell::Create(base_web_contents,
                         GURL(url),
                         new_manifest.get(),
                         web_contents);

  if (new_renderer)
    browser_context->set_pinning_renderer(true);

  *routing_id = web_contents->GetRoutingID();

  int object_id = 0;
  if (new_manifest->GetInteger("object_id", &object_id)) {
    DispatcherHost* dhost = FindDispatcherHost(web_contents->GetRenderViewHost());
    dhost->OnAllocateObject(object_id, "Window", *new_manifest.get());
  }
}

void DispatcherHost::OnGrantUniversalPermissions(int *ret) {
  content::Shell* shell =
      content::Shell::FromRenderViewHost(render_view_host());
  if (shell->nodejs()) {
    content::ChildProcessSecurityPolicy::GetInstance()->GrantUniversalAccess(shell->web_contents()->GetRenderProcessHost()->GetID());
    *ret = 1;
  }else
    *ret = 0;
}

void DispatcherHost::OnAllocateId(int * ret) {
  *ret = AllocateId();
}

}  // namespace api

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Tencent debuts new business segment in push towards revenue diversification
Written by Robert Published on 15 May 2019 • 2 mins read
Payment and ad revenue grew significantly as Tencent reduces its dependency on games.
Tencent reported double-digit revenue and profit growth in Q1 2019 and gave observers a fresh view into its payments and cloud businesses by breaking out "Fintech and Business Services" revenue for the first time.
Overall, Tencent's total revenue reached nearly RMB 85.5 billion (USD 12.7 billion) in Q1 2019, up 16% year-on-year, with operating profit at RMB 36.7 billion (USD 5.5 billion), up 20% year-on-year. Profit for the period was RMB 27.9 billion (USD 4.1 billion), an increase of 16% year-on-year. Net margin was flat at 33%.
Aside from the new business segment, another thing to note was the growth in revenue across Tencent's payments, cloud, and advertising segments, while gaming revenue continued to sag.
Fintech and business services generated RMB 21.8 billion (USD 3.1 billion), a 44% increase from the year before, driven mostly by payments, as well as its lending business.
Ad revenue climbed 25% year-on-year to nearly RMB 13.4 billion (USD 1.9 billion), with social and "others" advertising raking in over RMB 9.9 billion (USD 1.4 billion), accounting for 34% of growth, thanks to revenue from WeChat Moments, WeChat Mini Programs, and QQ.
Combined monthly users on Weixin and WeChat reached 1,112 million, up 6.9% year-on-year, while QQ users surpassed 700 million, growing nearly 1% year-on-year, with monthly usage among younger users growing at a double-digit rate.
Meanwhile, gaming revenue, previously the focal point of Tencent's monetization, decreased 1% year-on-year to RMB 28.5 billion (USD 4.1 billion), with smartphone gaming revenue down 2% year-on-year to RMB 21.1 billion (USD 3.1 billion). Still, Tencent's cash receipts from in-game payments grew 10% year-on-year, while total daily users for its smartphone gamers also grew year-on-year.
Meanwhile, revenue from Tencent subscription services or value-added services (VAS) grew 4% to RMB 49 billion (USD 7.1 billion), up 4% year-on-year.
The disclosure of a new fintech and cloud business segment and the increased focus on growing advertising revenue comes after Tencent restructured its business lines in October 2018 following a half-year long slide in its stock price.
The company's gaming unit, its core revenue driver, was hit hard after the Chinese government suspended approvals on all new game releases for a nine-month period from March 2018 onwards.
Editor: Nadine Freischlad


text:
Oxysarcodexia orbitalis är en tvåvingeart som beskrevs av Carroll William Dodge 1966. Oxysarcodexia orbitalis ingår i släktet Oxysarcodexia och familjen köttflugor.

Artens utbredningsområde är Martinique. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Köttflugor
orbitalis

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
My Life of Sex, Drums, and Rock 'n' Roll
Carmine Appice und andere
Carmine Appice has enjoyed a jaw-dropping rock-and-roll life—and now he is telling his scarcely believable story. Appice ran with teenage gangs in Brooklyn before becoming a global rock star in the Summer of Love, managed by the Mob. He hung with Hendrix, unwittingly paid for an unknown Led Zeppelin to support him on tour, taught John Bonham to play drums (and helped Fred Astaire too), and took part in Zeppelin's infamous deflowering of a groupie with a mud shark. After enrolling in Rod Stewart's infamous Sex Police, he hung out with Kojak, accidentally shared a house with Prince, was blood brothers with Ozzy Osbourne and was fired by Sharon. He formed an all-blond hair-metal band, jammed with John McEnroe and Steven Seagal, got married five times, slept with 4,500 groupies—and, along the way, became a rock legend by single-handedly reinventing hard rock and heavy metal drumming. His memoir, Stick It!, is one of the most extraordinary and outrageous rock-and-roll books of the early twenty-first century.
Mehr Bücher von Carmine Appice, Ian Gittins & Rod Stewart
Ultimate Realistic Rock


Really basic: open the Start menu and click All Apps. Locate the program or app that you want to uninstall, right-click > Uninstall. As long as it's not a default app that comes with Windows, you will be able to click Uninstall, which will initiate a pop-up notice warning. If you're sure you want to get rid of it, click Uninstall.
You'll then be taken to the Programs and Features window, which you would ordinarily access through the Control Panel, where you'll find the app you want to Uninstall. Find it, select, and click uninstall. Another window prompt will ask if you're sure. Select Yes and you're done. Some programs have an uninstall wizard, which will get rid of the program upon completion, and probably will ask you to restart, or restart automatically.
Open the Settings menu by going to Start > Settings. Click Apps & Features, which will show you a list of all programs on your PC. You can either use the search bar to find the program you're looking for, or just sift through the names yourself.
Once you've located the undesired program, click on it and select Uninstall. You'll see a pop-up window warning that the app/program and all related information will be uninstalled. If you're sure that you want to do this, click on Uninstall.
You can even uninstall programs directly from the Control Panel, but keep in mind that this method only works for programs, not Windows 10 applications. Click on the Start menu > Control Panel > Programs and Features > Uninstall a Program. Select the program you want to get rid of, and click Uninstall. Once again, you'll be asked to confirm that you want to uninstall the program. Click yes, and you're done.
For more great tips and tricks on how to properly leverage your business's technology, subscribe to our blog and give us a call at (973) 882-4644.


text:
Siasat.com/News/Middle East/Ace leg spinner Rashid Khan joins New York Strikers in Abu Dhabi T10
Ace leg spinner Rashid Khan joins New York Strikers in Abu Dhabi T10
Rashid has picked over 600 wickets in T20 cricket and will look to make his mark at the Abu Dhabi T10 this season with the New York Strikers, who also have in their ranks the likes of Kieron Pollard and Eoin Morgan.
Indo-Asian News Service| Posted by P N Sree Harsha | Published: 1st December 2022 1:00 pm IST
Afghanistan Star Spinner Afghanistan
Abu Dhabi: The sixth season of Abu Dhabi T10 has attracted some of the most exciting talents in the game, and joining the bandwagon with the New York Strikers is Afghanistan's Rashid Khan.
The ace leg spinner is one of the most dangerous bowlers in the game of cricket and is considered to be a very potent weapon for any team. A talisman for the Afghanistan side, Rashid is a well versed with franchise cricket, having played across the globe and produced some scintillating performances.
Among the highlights of his illustrious career is a spell against Ireland when he bagged 5 wickets for just 3 runs for Afghanistan. The ace spinner who turns out for the defending IPL champions Gujarat Titans has picked 112 wickets in 92 games so far in the tournament and has an economy rate of under 7 runs per over.
The New York Strikers, so far, have played 5 games in the Abu Dhabi T10, losing only their opening game and going on to win the next four in grand style. The results have seen them move up to second spot on the points table, with the final days of the tournament set to begin.
Speaking on the occasion, Rashid Khan said, "I am delighted to join a strong side like the New York Strikers and look forward to ensuring that we win the remainder of our games. We want to win the Abu Dhabi T10 and on my part, I will try and produce the best deliveries to help my team in such a challenging format."
Team Owner Sagar Khanna said, "We have always been very clear on our vision that we want to dominate the Abu Dhabi T10. And bringing Rashid Khan into the side is another step towards increasing the firepower in our bowling department. We are confident that his experience and skills will benefit our side and pose more problems to the opposition batters at the Abu Dhabi T10. The New York Strikers are looking forward seeing the Afghanistan ace take part in the tournament and create some magical moments."
The New York Strikers' next game pits them against the Delhi Bulls on December 1, after which they take on Team Abu Dhabi in their next game on December 2.
Afghanistan Cricket New York Strikers Rashid Khan
Hindu activists storm theatres in Karnataka dist to stall screening of Pathaan
Vasavi Group's new residential complex to be tallest skyscraper
Gold rates hit all-time high in Hyderabad, other Indian cities
Has Mukarram Jah left any legacy? Or is it just the name of Seventh Nizam that evokes feelings
Hyderabad State: Tracing lineage of the Nizams


General Motors Co. (GM) extended rebates to more employee family members on purchases of its vehicles and boosted the discounts after the largest U.S. automaker's first monthly sales decline in more than a year.
The Employee Discount Program now extends to workers' aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, Mark Reuss, GM's president of North America, wrote in an e-mail to customers. The average rebate rose by $787 to $3,355 per vehicle that was included in a chart from the Detroit-based company. The changes have been in the works for months, said Jim Cain, a spokesman.
GM's U.S. sales fell 11 percent in September, missing analysts' estimates and dropping for the first time since July 2012. That compares with an industrywide 4.2 percent decrease, which snapped a more than two-year streak of gains. Concerns about GM's September sales are tempered by one of the company's biggest waves of new models in decades.
Eight GM models had the fewest problems reported within their segment in J.D. Power & Associates' annual initial-quality study that was released in June, the most in the industry. That carried GM to its first-ever leading performance as a corporation in the survey, which began in 1987.
Consumer Reports last month also awarded GM's new Chevrolet Silverado with the highest rating among all pickups after giving the Chevy Impala the best marks among all sedans in July.
Discounts for employees and their families now are as little as $327 for the 2014 Chevy Spark small car and as much as $7,348 for the 2014 Cadillac Escalade ESV, according to Reuss's e-mail. GM listed 28 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models that are eligible for the discount program and said the 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray is excluded.
The average percentage discount from the manufacturer's suggested retail price is now 6.8 percent, according to a calculation by Bloomberg News. The rebates are on average 2.2 percent more than what GM offered employees previously.
GM had about 80,000 U.S. employees and 509,000 hourly and salaried retirees and spouses as of the end of last year, according to its annual report.
GM was little changed at $35.94 at the close in New York. The shares have gained 25 percent this year, outpacing the 19 percent increase for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.


There are different types of touch panels such as capacitive, resistive, IR, etc.Futaba only develops/produces Capacitive Touch Panel which recognizes the touched coordinates by a change in the touch capacitance.
When you touch the screen of the touch panel, the position coordinates/operation information is processed by a microprocessor and related software.This provides an intuitive user interface by directly touching the screen without any input devices required such as a keyboard or mouse.
The adoption of a touch panel for home appliances, vehicles, smartphones, etc. has become widespread. Consequently, providing a touch panel on the display is essential.
The X and Y electrode is placed on one surface of a glass substrate and then wired out to provide signals through an FPC/COF and on to the system interface.
The capacitive touch panel consists of X and Y transparent electrodes.
Each sensor line is scanned sequentially.
The amount of change in the capacitance is sensed, position calculated, and provided to the system as the touch coordinates.


Dear diving friends and cruising friends, dear friends of the Indonesian Island world over and under water. Finally – after a year of complete modernization under German management is MARI at your disposal.
We offer you a Liveaboard with lots of space, comfort and reliable new technical equipment, along with Indonesian speaking German boot manager and technician on board.
MARI was built by traditional boat builders in South Sulawesi for their own use as diving live-aboard in all Indonesian waters – from Sumatra to Papua. For this reason, the boat builders used particularly strong ironwood.
Our concept: Low Guest Numbers – A lot of space.
MARI is on deck 32m long and can accommodate 14 guests in 7 cabins. Due to the large space available MARI is also for non-divers and families particularly suitable. MARI is ideal for special excursions as for filming for research missions in remote areas, because of her large action radius.
5% discount on bookings made by Mari Dive Cruise guests.


But in a state flanked by the ocean and mountains, autumn comes with a few creative twists. In wine country, for instance, the grapevines reveal their own colour palette, and the harvest season brings grape-stomping and wine-tasting adventures. In the mountains and the Shasta Cascade region, California's autumn leaves provide a colourful canopy for photographers and leaf-peepers. Seek out the turning colours in Gold Country, meanwhile, and you'll find plenty of sugar maples and American sweetgums—the majestic results of seeds planted by fortune-seeking pioneers in the 19th century. All along the way, California's scenic drives and hikes are dotted with charming places to eat pie, sip a pint, or just bask in the scenery.
Nature's autumnal fire burns bright on the eastern side of the Sierra, where glaciers have chiselled stream-fed canyons deep into the mountainsides. Starting in mid-September, drive any road heading west off U.S. 395 near June Lake and Mammoth Lakes to find dense groves of quaking aspens and willows. Each canyon has its own charms, but the blue-ribbon fall foliage drive is the June Lake Loop (Highway 158).
Try to keep your eyes on the road as you cruise past the flaming aspen extravaganza at Silver Lake, where leaves glow like stained-glass windows in the afternoon sun. Continue past 10,909-foot Carson Peak on your way to Gull Lake and June Lake's village. When you hit eye-candy overload, stop at the June Lake Brewing Company and sip a thirst-arresting double IPA. Or take a walk on the 6.4km round-trip Parker Lake Trail to see an emerald-blue lake framed by more quaking aspens and craggy peaks.
Mammoth Lakes also has its share of golden treasures. Near downtown, stroll or drive near Sherwin Creek Campground where aspen groves light up in tints of translucent reds, oranges, yellows, and lime greens. Or head south of town to drive aspen-lined McGee Creek Road or Rock Creek Road, then celebrate the stunning beauty with a slice of pie at Rock Creek Lakes Resort. In this high country, near 10,000 feet, autumn colours typically peak in late September, but in the lower canyons, colours linger until mid-October.
Autumn begins in the high country as early as mid-September when Tahoe's meadows and hillsides begin to flame in bright hues of gold. Willows are the first to turn, soon followed by aspens. See them on the lake's northwest shore as the foliage at Page Meadows lights up in a spectrum of yellow mixed with touches of ruby and amber. To get there, hike 2.4km north on the Tahoe Rim Trail from Ward Creek Boulevard. From the meadow's edge, Twin Peaks, Grouse Rock, and Ward Peak soar above the trees.
In South Lake Tahoe, drive the Fallen Leaf Lake Road to Fredrick's Meadow, a short distance from Fallen Leaf Lake Campground, where a vista of Mount Tallac is perfectly framed by a foreground of quaking aspens. For leafier colour, continue along the road to the Glen Alpine trailhead and walk a colourful mile along the cobbled trail to Glen Alpine Springs.
South of Lake Tahoe, Hope Valley's dense aspen groves offer nearly psychedelic displays of yellows and oranges. Drive south through Meyers on Highway 89 to its junction with Highway 88, then toss a coin and turn left or right. You win either way—a bounty of colour lines the road in both directions. To the west, especially showy aspen stands are found near Red Lake, in and around Carson Pass, and near Woods Lake. To the east lie the picturesque Norwegian-style cabins of Sorenson's Resort. Stop here or at neighbouring Hope Valley Resort for a hearty meal or to watch the aspens dance in the autumn sun.
Yosemite National Park is blessed with towering peaks, free-flowing rivers, iconic granite formations, and a more-than-generous helping of autumn colour. In Yosemite Valley's grassy meadows, the black oaks turn a soft, burnished gold, a subtle contrast to the scene-stealing school bus yellow of the cottonwoods. Walk the path through Stoneman Meadow on the Valley's east end to get a picture-perfect perspective of the leafy splendour.
Near Crane Flat and the Highway 120 park entrance, the burgundy leaves of dogwoods grab your attention amid the hunter green of sugar pines and white firs. Look closely among the red splashes and you'll find that some dogwood leaves are actually a flaming pink. On the park's south side, Highway 41 also has showy dogwoods and a colourful understory of low-growing shrubs, especially deer brush and bear clover.
Elevations are a bit lower in the northern Sierra, so Plumas County's autumn palette tends to last longer than in the mountains farther south. It's worth visiting the Lakes Basin Recreation Area for the flaming colour show alone, but the region also has alpine lakes, rock-bound peaks, waterfalls, and miles of trails to explore. Take a hike at Plumas-Eureka State Park in Johnsville, where $25 million in gold was mined in the late 1880s. Visit the five-story stamp mill and miners' boarding house then find your own gold rush in the exuberant show of oaks, dogwoods and cottonwoods.
For leaf-peeping from your car window, Gold Lake Road (off Highway 89 near Graeagle) offers a 32-km-long tour of aspens and willows, with showy stands found near Lakes Basin Campground.
The town of Quincy makes a perfect home base for leaf driving tours with its array of hotels and restaurants. Highways 70 and 89, between Quincy and Lake Almanor, show off a dazzling spectrum of autumn colours—watch for golden oak and chokecherry along the roadside, plus the flaming hot red of Indian rhubarb growing alongside the creek. Or travel the road to Bucks Lake for an eye-popping explosion of dogwood.
A steep, winding drive across the Middle Fork Feather River to the Gold Rush town of La Porte (population 26) rewards leaf-peepers with the yellow glow of big-leaf maples and the wine-red tones of dogwood. Quincy's colours can also be seen on foot by walking the Spanish Creek Trail where wild grape and Indian rhubarb are plentiful.
Starting in mid- to late-October, the grape harvest crush winds down as the leaf pageant begins its debut. Autumn colour in the wine country isn't limited to trees—the verdant grape leaves of summer transform into radiant foliage in autumn, with crisp coppers and ruby reds accentuating any grapes left on the vine. Witness the beauty by driving the Silverado Trail from Napa to Calistoga. Take your pick from dozens of wineries, including Frog's Leap, Rombauer Vineyards, and Reynolds Family Winery, all worth a stop for autumn scenery and wine tasting.
Many Napa vineyards have planted specimen trees like silver maples and liquidambars that dazzle in Technicolour. Make an appointment for a tour at Far Niente Winery in Oakville and you'll get to admire its 40,000-square-foot wine-aging caves, plus its stately double row of ginkgo biloba trees. Hailing from China, these autumn foliage kings are revered for their fan-shaped golden leaves that hang on long after oaks and maples have gone bare.
To see California's native trees in autumn regalia, head to Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, south of Calistoga, and take a walk on the Redwood Trail alongside Ritchey Creek. Black oaks and big-leaf maples form a canopy over the creek that runs year-round. The big-leaf maples bear massive leaves—many bigger than your head—that turn a brilliant yellow in fall. Ferns, wild grape, and spice bush add to the colour show. Climb to the top of Coyote Peak to get a birds-eye view of the entire forest.
It's called Oak Glen with good reason. With an elevation that's nearly a mile high, this town, 128 km east of Los Angeles, is home to extensive oak groves, plus apple farms, berry ranches, and plenty of old-fashioned country twang. The seasons may not seem to change elsewhere in L.A., but here, autumn is palpable in the brilliant oaks dotting the hillsides. Visit Oak Glen's historic schoolhouse museum, surrounded by bright red maple trees, then take a hike at the Wildlands Conservancy's Oak Glen Preserve. The preserve sits side-by-side with century-old Los Rios Rancho, Southern California's largest apple farm. A 3.8km family-friendly loop leads from the preserve headquarters downhill through the apple orchards and into Oak Knoll Park.


text:
Q: Can I pop up a help "speech bubble" over my Windows Form? I have a Windows Form with various controls on it, all positioned using TableLayoutPanel and the like.
When the user first uses my form, I'd like to pop up a speech-bubble type thing with information on how to use the form. I say speech-bubble because I want the "tail" to point at the part of the form I'm explaining. This would appear over part of the form (obscuring some controls).
Ideally, I'd like this speech-bubble to be oval/rounded, with transparent corners so that it looks more visually appealing, rather than being purely rectangular.
The popup should disappear after a short interval, or immediately if the user interacts with the controls on the form.
How can I do that?

A: Just to supply an answer so that the question doesn't remain "unanswered", the tooltip control  now has an IsBalloon property that makes it appear in the desired style.
See this link for a summary.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Instinox specializes in producing Nuts in many alloys like carbon steel or Hastelloy, especially high resistant ones like Titanium. This highly durable and robust alloy is manufactured in our factories according to the given specifications of the clientele. Once contacted for any product, any size, dimensions and finishing is provided by Instinox. As a huge exporter of nuts, Instinox has earned a respectable share in the market. The trade experience with Instinox is unmatched because of our superior quality products and exceptional customer care service.
Our products are one hundred percent tested for any manufacturing defects before they are actually shipped and also verified of their quality and specifications by our standard issuing authorities. Our quality program consists of a multi layered check by an autonomous R&D department for various factors including Dimensional Check, Visual Inspection, and Finishing, Breakage, Pressure Rating test, Chemical inspection and Mechanical properties verification. Two decades of experience follows us in the supply of metal and alloy products. As of 2015, we stocked more than 250 tons of Titanium Products. Satisfying our customers by providing them the best quality products and services is our ultimate goal and to achieve we make sure that our customers receive a world class buying experience at Instinox.
Fasteners are hardware devices that are used as mechanical tools to connect two or more objects together. They are usually threaded for joining purposes. There are innumerable types of fasteners available in the market in various standard alloys like titanium, carbon steel and alloy steel like Monel. There are various types of Titanium fasteners like Nuts, bolts, screws, studs, clamps, gaskets and washers. Nuts are one of the important fasteners provided by Instinox.
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Moreover, Titanium is the metal of the future. Because of the multi folded benefits, it is likely to find application in the upcoming projects like in the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Plants. Titanium 2 is used when corrosion resistance is needed. It also shows appreciable ductility. Titanium sheet has numerous applications. They are used in aerospace engineering and surgical implants. They are also used in chemical industries. They are used where good electrical conductivity is required.
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Titanium Nut at Instinox are available in different specifications and finish quality. Its pricing depends on the type of alloy our customer selects. We make Titanium Nut Suppliers according to the specification given by our client. The price of Titanium Nut vary depending upon the specifications. However, we always offer attractive seasonal discounts on bulk orders. The delivery destination also affects the total cost of the purchase.
In the matter of steel supplies from India, Instinox is a powerful emerging exporter of different steel and alloy products. Instinox is the perfect partner for any plumbing needs of the customer. We manufacture and deliver all kinds of Nut in Titanium in brand finishing. Each and every product is tested and verified of its quality and durability. We aim to deliver the best of the best in less time possible. We have always received 100% satisfaction feedback from our existing customers in manufacturing, finishing and delivery aspects. Instinox doesn't simply serve customers with solid goods but with irreplaceable customer service. Anytime call, messages, emails regarding purchases and products are welcomed and responded to immediately. We strive to solve all your steel needs. With Instinox, the customer doesn't have to worry about "no stock available" situation ever. We always maintain more than average stock compared to other suppliers. Currently we have more than 200 tons of only Titanium Nut in our storage unit. Our scientific knowledge about the products, precision in manufacturing, highest professional finish and sales services are endorsed by our customers itself. With 17 years in this industry, Instinox still yearns to optimize its services for our growing customer base.
Instinox ensures that every product that leaves our storage locker has complete marking detail and heat codes. All titanium Nuts by Instinox are offered with a NACE 3.1 Certification, Mill Test Certification and ISO 17025 Standards by a Government of India approved Laboratory. Positive Material Identification is done on all raw material procured at Vishal steel (India). As Titanium nuts manufacturers and suppliers, Instinox is backed by all world class certifications including ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004, OHSAS 18001:2007 & CE-PED 97/23/EC. We are also members of various renowned agencies and Chambers of Commerce including MASSMA, EEPC, FICCI, FIEO, Indian Merchants Chamber etc. We provide a 1 year product replacement warranty for all Titanium Pipe Fittings exported from our company. We guarantee the quality because 100% Titanium Pipe Fittings manufactured are checked in house for defects in quality and workmanship. Our quality program is a 3 layered independent department check for various factors including Dimensional Check, Visual Inspection, and Finishing, Burr level, Leakage Test, Pressure Rating test, Chemical inspection and Mechanical properties verification. We are running at full capacities and sometimes outsource our job due to increased work load. Our intelligent procurement module places a lot of emphasis on selection of raw material. As much as possible, we try to procure Japanese and European origin raw material domestically or from the international markets. Secondary preference is given to Indian and Chinese origin raw material from good quality mills.


text:
Out Today: Eric Clapton's 'The Lady In The Balcony: Lockdown Sessions'
https://audio.pulsewebcontent.com/MP3/2005/03_mar/Eric_Clapton_family_life_has_grounded_him.mp3
Out today (November 12th) is Eric Clapton's new studio set, The Lady In The Balcony: Lockdown Sessions. The 17-track collection was produced by Russ Titelman, and features scaled back, full-band renditions of country and blues standards along with such Clapton standards as "After Midnight," "Layla," "Bell Bottom Blues," "Tears In Heaven," "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out," and "Key To The Highway."
Backing Clapton are longtime sidemen Nathan East on bass and vocals, Steve Gadd on drums, and Chris Stainton and keyboards. The album was tracked at Cowdray House in West Sussex, England.
According to the album's press release:
The project was initiated as the result of the forced cancellation of Eric Clapton's concerts scheduled for May 2021 at the Royal Albert Hall due to the continued disruption caused by the pandemic. Looking for a viable alternative and hoping to keep his options open, he reconvened with his band to the English countryside and staged a concert in the presence of only the participants themselves while letting the cameras roll. Clapton's wife Melia, the sole outside observer inspired the Sessions title.
The mostly acoustic set was envisioned to be like an Eric Clapton Unplugged II, but not quite, as three songs are played with electric guitars. The result became far more than simply a sequence of greatest hits. Rather, it's one of the most intimate and authentic performances of Clapton's entire career, an offering flush with real insight into the make-up of his indelible catalogue.
Eric Clapton, who's now happily married with four daughters, said that having a stable family and home life keeps him grounded: "I'm hoping, maybe, that there's an evolution going on in my character, which makes it so that I'm just a little bit more accessible — a little bit more sane — about the reality of what I need to be, y'know, and what my life is composed of these days. I'm married and I have kids, and that, that home thing is actually there, and is actually waiting for me. So it's not so much anxiety about that anymore. Nothing has to be that drastic or dramatic as it used to be."
The tracklisting to Eric Clapton's 'The Lady In The Balcony: Lockdown Sessions' is: "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out," "Golden Ring," "Black Magic Woman," "Man Of The World," "Kerry," "After Midnight," "Bell Bottom Blues," "Key To The Highway," "River Of Tears," "Rock Me Baby," "Believe In Life," "Going Down Slow," "Layla," "Tears In Heaven," "Long Distance Call," "Bad Boy," and "Got My Mojo Working."


"Shabbat for Kids" is a special addition to our Shabbat Service. Including introductory prayer, interactive Torah games, and a "Kids Kiddush", this program is sure to give your child an opportunity and incentive to come to Synagogue on Shabbat.
Services at 10:00 am Kids program begins 10:45 am.
have a question - send us an email.


text:
Picturing sanity, in black and white
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0497-4166Bryan Mukandi
School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, Queensland, Australia
Correspondence to Dr Bryan Mukandi, School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; b.mukandi{at}uq.edu.au
This speculative work grapples with a riddle: if white supremacy is noxious, and if it is inescapable, is apparent black health, black sanity, in fact healthy? In order to help the reader appropriately appreciate the feat that is black sanity, I begin with a treatment of Fyodor Dostoevsky's literary character, Mr Golyadkin. I go on to extend my claim that Golyadkin's ill health or lack of sanity can be understood in terms of the violation of the norms of sociality, onto Antonin Artaud. Dostoevsky and Artaud therefore provide case studies with which it is possible to begin to develop an outline of the bounds and mechanics of white sanity. I juxtapose this outline to readings from a selection of works by African writers—Bessie Head, Véronique Tadjo and Dambudzo Marechera. This culminates in an interrogation of Franz Fanon's metaphorisation of disability. I grapple especially with the ethical and existential implications of his understanding of black amputation. The conclusion that I eventually reach is another riddle, which may or may not amount to a restatement of the riddle with which I begin.
comparative literature studies
medical ethics/bioethics
rhetoric of bioethics
There are no data in this work.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/medhum-2021-012146
Twitter @bryanmukandi
Contributors As sole author, BM has contributed all of the effort that has gone into conceptualising and writing this article.
Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research. Refer to the Methods section for further details.


Join us in praying for the prayer requests below. You may also share your own requests for others to pray for.
Please pray for my good working environment with my co-workers at the restaurant.
Our Prayer Room is available to anybody without reservation. This room, equipped with prayer altars around a wooden cross, is perfect for preparing your heart and mind to enter into a time of prayer. Whether you are by yourself, or in a group, our Prayer Room is a great place to pray and to let your requests be made known to God.
Our Prayer Room is also equipped with six individual prayer rooms. We are asking that our members commit to pray in one of these rooms for 30 minutes every week. If you are interested in signing up for one of these rooms, please register here.
This prayer guide is a great way to help you structure your prayer time. Use this resource to pray for Bellevue, Memphis, and the world.
L.I.F.R. Partner Ministry (L.I.F.R.—Life Investment First Responder), praying for a Fire Fighter, Rescue, Paramedic, or EMT.
How Much Time? Each Prayer Volunteer agrees to pray daily for a First Responder (Law Enforcement Officer or Fire/Rescue Official).
The extent of that prayer time is up to the individual. It can be a brief or extended time.
Several prayer helps are available in the "My Response"—Prayer Partner Guidelines material to help a Prayer Volunteer in his/her prayer time.
The Prayer Volunteer is matched to pray for a First Responder—either a Law Enforcement Officer or a Fire Fighter, Rescue, Paramedic, or EMT.
Each Prayer Volunteer will receive the Name and Department of a First Responder (Law Enforcement Officer OR Fire Fighter, Rescue, Paramedic, or EMT) AND receive the "My Response"—Prayer Partner Guidelines for his/her prayer time. This material gives specifics on how to pray for a First Responder and suggestions for different areas of prayer.


Damian "Furlan" Kisłowski (born December 29, 1994) is a Polish professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player. Best known for his plays as entry fragger for Team Kinguin, Vexed Gaming and AGO Gaming. He is currently playing the role of in-game leader for AGO Esports.
Last updated on 2019-01-21 (84 days ago).
This page was last edited on 21 January 2019, at 16:16.


1).Foreign Direct Investment Policy has been aligned with the upgraded National Industrial Classification_____?
2).What is the growth rate of Indian economy for the year 2015-16 and 2016-17 as per Nomura calculation?
3).Global Financial Services firm Nomura is from____?
4).Which of the following Pharma Company has got USFDA approval to sell generic drugs in US market?
5).RBI has allowed the FIIs to buy up to 49% paid-up capital of____?
6).In economic terms, 'PIS' stands for?
7).Where the Indian based Neutrino Observatory was yet to be opened?
8).Who is the new Governor of Meghalaya?
9).Who are the two full time members of NITI Aaog?
10).International Hindi Conference 2015 was hosted by which city?


Today we have continued our architectural tour of Paris in the 3rd and 4th arondissements. We have found Angels in stone and in wrought iron, Angels with lions and Angels with lyres, on walls and porticoes and on Notre Dame, feeding squirrels and holding shields. We have walked streets and lanes and discovered byways and parks we would never have found but for our angel hunt. Join us on our adventure. We have walked miles!
Notre Dame Cathedral from the rose bed.
These and another pair can be found on the pediment of the Hotel Soubrise. The little pile of wood that one Angel sits on, a fascine, is for making parapets. They date from 1708.
These two from 1914 are raising the coat of arms of Saintonge. The pair across the arch represent Bretagne. They are each a boy and girl pair which seems quite unusual.
These two lovely little boy Angels date from 1660 and were sculpted by Thomas Regnaudin, whose work can also be found in the fountains of Versailles.
Here is a sweet little figure feeding a squirrel and next a chubby little chap with curly hair representing Love.
On the way around we passed a spectacular macaron shop and, truly, we did pass and didn't go in!
Going through such little streets we came across lots of artisan shops – among them a music shop, a repairs shop and a prestidigitation store.
Lastly, near our hotel we found a basement allotment!
The following, while not conventionally beautiful, touched us both with the terrible story it tells and the appositeness in the political wind blowing through some parts of Western democracy.
Who knew there are so many angels in Paris? We saw macarons by the hundreds in St. Emilion this summer, but didn't really know what they were. We confused them with macaroons, which we don't much care for. We won't walk past another such shop without stopping in.
I am a long-time but silent follower from the states who loves, loves, loves your site. I've been to Europe but wonder what a prestidigitation site is?
Thank you so much for your lovely comments. It's a place where magicians hang out! I was very lucky as a very little girl to meet my 'Magic Uncle' He was a real magician who had been admitted to The Magic Circle and was, I think, my Mum's Uncle. Sadly I don't remember any of his tricks but found that word quite delicious and was so delighted to see it, in French, yesterday. If I can, I'll add another photo from the wall showing hands shuffling cards.
It's really lovely to meet you!
Thanks for sharing all these lovely photos Sally. Really enjoyed looking at them all.


Teen is quitting social media.
In a world where social media is everywhere and to many, everything, what this young lady is doing could be a game-changer. She has decided to quit using social media as before and to turn it around. Check out this article in TIME.
This entry was posted in Articles, Parents, Video, youth pastors and tagged instagram, quitting social media, social media, time magazine. Bookmark the permalink.


When it comes to keeping your clan together it can be hard enough when it comes to the divisions caused by varying game tastes, let alone the split created by different platforms.
The obvious solution for keeping them together is social networking, such as the networking capabilities readily available on our clan websites and guild websites, or through voice communication with the likes of TeamSpeak and Mumble.
But in reality these options don't always provide sustainable solutions to what will always be an ongoing problem; posing the question of how to create a feeling of togetherness amongst your troops when their time playing together is diminished by differing tastes.
Find a common ground for your members. Ordinarily, clans have solid foundations within a single game. This is especially true of the MMORPG market but less true of the FPS market, whose audiences can commonly find that the style of gameplay is ubiquitous amongst FPS releases. Whichever genre your clan belongs to, however, it is useful to focus on a specific game and organise weekly events for that game. Even just a weekly gathering of the guild's members will help people be continually familiar with the community and help remove marginalised sects.
Make sure ranking members are dynamic. It is important that no group or player in your guild goes neglected by the senior staff. This is for a multitude of reasons, but primarily it helps monitor guild's standards, maintains appropriate behaviour between members and, more importantly, maintains the relationship between member and guild that is vital for a healthy community. In addition, the dynamic element not only refers to the officer's amenable choice of games or their prolific gaming collection, but also to their social ability to bring together groups of the guild that feel as though they are on the outskirts.
Introduce your members to new multiplayer opportunities. Whilst it is true that different players will invariably prefer certain games to others, it is always useful to introduce less heard of games to your guild. Our clan hosting services enable you to release information about new and old games to all of your members, and this presents the community with new opportunities to game with members that they would not have otherwise. Retro games are a great example of this, such as the likes of Worms. Or in more recent years, even the most reluctant FPS player can have a blast on DayZ, providing endless hours of multiplayer entertainment and team building fun.
Each of these three is equally important to maintaining the collective communal spirit of your guild. Whichever route you opt for, our guild hosting services and guild websites provide you with a stage to make it all happen.


The following ASBIS entities: the United Arabic Emirates, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Romania, Latvia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Slovakia have made the greatest contribution to the achieved results.
"We observe rapid growth of video surveillance market, focus on it together with Seagate, the leading data storage solutions manufacturer," said Georgii Saprykin, Product and Marketing Director, ASBISc Enterprises.
ASBISc Enterprises PLC (WSE: ASB) has offices in 24 countries with headquarters in Cyprus, and specializes in the distribution of Information and Communications Technology products and solutions from global suppliers including Apple, AMD, Dell EMC, HPE, IBM, Infortrend, Intel, Lenovo, Mellanox, Microsoft, Netgear, Promise, Qlogic, Samsung, Seagate, Supermicro, Toshiba Western Digital and others. The company has its own subsidiaries all over the EMEA region, more than 1,300 employees and 30,000 active customers in over 60 countries around the globe. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.asbis.com.


text:
import picamera
import threading
import time
import subprocess
from rx import Observer

from modules import logger
from modules import utils

import config
import parameters

class CameraObserver(Observer):
    def __init__(self):
        camera = picamera.PiCamera()
        camera.vflip = True
        camera.hflip = True
        camera.led = False
        camera.rotation = parameters.camera_rotation
        self.camera = camera

    def upload_to_drive(self, picture_path):
        logger.logger.info('UPLOADING TO DRIVE...     ' + picture_path)
        bash_command = 'drive -c ' + config.gdrive_config_path + ' upload -p ' + config.drive_folder_id + ' -f ' + \
                       picture_path + ' 1>/dev/null && rm ' + picture_path
        process = subprocess.Popen(bash_command, shell=True)
        output = process.communicate()[0]
        logger.logger.info('DRIVE UPLOAD!             ' + picture_path)
        pass

    def on_next(self, x):
        logger.logger.info('CAMERA CAPTURE!')
        picture_path = config.tmp_data_path + '/' + utils.get_time() + '_' + str(time.time()) + '.jpg'
        self.camera.capture(picture_path)
        # TODO: is this thread useful. Maybe a simple function call is enough.
        new_upload_thread = threading.Thread(target=self.upload_to_drive, args=[picture_path])
        new_upload_thread.start()

    def on_error(self, error):
        pass

    def on_completed(self):
        pass


text:
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Invitation to the Premiere of "Въздухът Около Пеперудата / The Air Around The Butterfly"
November 29, 2009 by Dessislava Berndt · No comments
Publishing House Fakel Express invites you to the premiere of the poetry book Въздухът Около Пеперудата / The Air Around The Butterfly
by Katerina Stoykova
4 December (Friday) at 6:00PM, Rakursi Art Galley, Han Krum Street 4a (behind the City Library), Sofia, Bulgaria
Katerina Stoykova was born on June 4th, 1971 in Bourgas, Bulgaria, where she graduated from the Electronics and Electrotechnics program at the Free University of Bourgas in 1995. During the same year, she immigrated to the U.S., where she has worked as an engineer at IBM and Lexmark. She holds an MFA in poetry from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. Katerina is the founder and leader of poetry and prose groups in Lexington, Kentucky, where she currently resides. She serves as Deputy Editor in Chief of the English language edition of online magazine Public Republic and hosts Accents – a radio show for literature, art and culture. "The Air around the Butterfly" is her first book. It is bilingual, with each poem appearing side by side in both English and Bulgarian. Katerina's return to poetry and reemergence in her homeland took place in 2007, with a chapbook-length feature, "A Space for a Name" published in volume 4 of Fakel magazine.
About Katerina Stoykova's poetry
The change of the location from which a person observes himself and the world is also a change of the consciousness of the world and self. Bulgarian poetry, Bulgarian literature, Bulgarian consciousness need to take a look at themselves from a different place, from the viewpoint of pinecones fallen far away from the tree. Katerina Stoykova's American poetry is also Bulgarian, not only because it is translated by its author into Bulgarian, but also because it introduces us to the artistic self-awareness of a new breed of Bulgarians. Katerina Stoykova's "The Air around the Butterfly" is lapidary poetry, even ascetic, without excessive wordiness and stylization; poetry that intrinsically creates its own form, like an authentic confession peering into itself and into the world.
Prof. Svetlozar Igov
Katerina Stoykova's poems possess the restrained implacability of life towards its own transience. She doesn't sing, cry, dance around herself and for herself. She thinks with her feelings and makes us sensitive through her thoughts. Her works are sent from above; she is only the mad flute for their blowing into the white space around the Earth. She is capable of being silent, but her silence speaks and tells us everything necessary for us to feel like human beings for a few moments again.
Roumen Leonidov
Katerina Stoykova's poetics combine the North American poetry tradition of narrative, unadorned writing with the warmer Bulgarian figures of lineage and family. An especially good example is the strong poem, "The First Time I Tried to Leave Home." Here, we discover a very precise child's voice, which pierces most poems in this book. This schooling and familiarity with different poetry traditions makes her writing interesting and different and makes it stand out from contemporary Bulgarian poetry. The minimalism, lapidary style and utter clarity of the writing are strong aspects of this book, which is truly moving.
Georgi Gospodinov
Katerina Stoykova's poetry has the gift of dry, feverish, non-verbose precision. This is a rhetorically bare poetry of a person expecting the next blow.
"The Air around the Butterfly" (published by Fakel Express in Bulgarian and English, editor Georgi Borissov) introduces a life frozen with mourning, introduces a stupor, in which only the brain functions with mad clarity.
Pain… and all-encompassing mourning – actually everyone who has a sick loved one, knows how we constantly prepare ourselves for death, even through poems. How we live in the foreign country of death.
Katerina's world is fearlessly open towards the truth: "I pilot the helicopter / carrying my organs. / I advertise at different destinations."
And this is yet another proof that the most non-self-serving (young) Bulgarian poetry is written outside Bulgaria. In this case, the author, who lives in the U.S., has translated the poetry herself.
Marin Bodakov
"Culture," 18 September, 2009 (in Bulgarian)
"The Air around the Butterfly" can be found in bookstores in Bulgaria and America, and also on Amazon.com.
Tags: poetry, The Air around the Butterfly
North American Premiere of The Air around the Butterfly
"The Most" by Katerina Stoykova-Klemer coming up this Spring from Finishing Line Press
Coming up on Accents
The Season of Delicate Hunger


text:
/**
 * Provides a common process in the properties file.<br/>
 */
package tubame.knowhow.util.resource;


text:
Trump Fires FBI Director James Comey
View this article online at https://www.fedsmith.com/2017/05/09/trump-fires-fbi-director-james-comey/ and visit FedSmith.com to sign up for free news updates
By	Ian Smith	on	May 9, 2017	in	Agency News	with	0 Comments
Former FBI Director James Comey
President Trump has fired Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey.
The White House said in a statement, "Today, President Donald J. Trump informed FBI Director James Comey that he has been terminated and removed from office. President Trump acted based on the clear recommendations of both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions."
In his letter (included below), Trump said:
I have received the attached letters from the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General of the United States recommending your dismissal as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I have accepted their recommendation and you are hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately.
Comey's termination was announced shortly after the FBI confirmed that he provided inaccurate testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee about emails sent by Hillary Clinton's aide, Huma Abedin.
According to ABC News, Comey had told the panel that Abedin had "forwarded hundreds and thousands of emails" to her husband, former Congressman Anthony Weiner, "some of which contained classified information."
Comey also had stated, "[Abedin] appears to have had a regular practice of forwarding emails to him for him I think to print out for her."
The FBI disputed these assertions, taking issue with the notion that it was a "regular practice" and also stating that the number of emails cited was exaggerated, noting that only a small number of emails contained information that was later deemed classified.
The Trump administration disputes claims that Comey's firing was in some way related to the FBI's investigation into connections between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, despite reports saying that Trump was angry about the situation. White House deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders denied such claims, saying it was Comey's overall track record in his position with the agency that led to the decision.
President Trump said in some tweets that replacing Comey will bring somebody who will do a better job for the agency and that once things calm down, people in Washington will be thanking him:
James Comey will be replaced by someone who will do a far better job, bringing back the spirit and prestige of the FBI.
Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike. When things calm down, they will be thanking me!
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that the search for a new permanent FBI director will begin immediately. Several candidates are being interviewed:
Adam Lee, special agent in charge for the Richmond division
Michael Anderson, special agent in charge for the Chicago division
Paul Abbate, executive assistant director for the Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch
William Evanina, the national counterintelligence executive and head of counterintelligence in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence
In the interim, Andrew McCabe was named acting FBI director and sworn in Tuesday evening. McCabe has been at the agency since 1996.
DOJ officials also said that McCabe remains a candidate as well.
Trump Letter to FBI Director Comey
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Tags: Andrew McCabe • Donald Trump • FBI • White House
Ian Smith is one of the co-founders of FedSmith.com. He enjoys writing about current topics that affect the federal workforce.
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text:
Getting away with murder..there is a "substantial likelihood"
Posted on September 14, 2017 September 14, 2017 by Pete Cross
In October 2014, Theoren Gregory Poitras, 25 years old, was found dead in Richmond, B.C.. Poitras, chose to re-locate to Richmond British Columbia from Edmonton, Alberta in what sounds like the proverbial "get out of town" scenario. Allegedly he was involved in the drug world there.
It was then "alleged" that Sean Jacob Lee Jennings and David Nguyen also ended up in Richmond, also originally from the drug world of Edmonton, and in typical gang style killed Poitras, leaving him in his own blood, in front of an Elementary school.
The pair were charged with 1st degree murder. But in June 2017, three years later, Crown Counsel in British Columbia, very quietly, days before the trial, stayed all charges. They cited that "further evidence had been received…and there was no substantial likelihood of conviction".
There it is, the statement, which like the Damocles sword is held over the police for each and every case which has been forwarded for charge approval. The police submit the evidence, and the Crown decides whether there is a "substantial" chance of convicting the accused.
Over the past number of years, local scuttle butt amongst investigators )there is no measurement of this statistic to reference) ; say that fewer and fewer cases are making it to trial.
Judges have even lamented to me that it seems that no one is willing to take cases to the trial stage. Add in the affinity for plea bargains, and there seems to be little seeming to work its way through an incredibly slow moving court system and actually be decided at a trial.
Is the Crown office "trying" the cases in the reports, and not in front of the courts? Is the bureaucratic need to avoid public controversy, or god forbid, the fear of losing in court, and are exposed in the public eye, keeping them from pursuing charges, when in fact charges are warranted.
We will probably never know. Crown can make these decisions in private, out of the public eye, and so far never seem to be held accountable for these decisions, or more accurately these non-decisions.
The Poitras investigation was part of a large IHIT, CFSEU, Edmonton Police and the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team investigation. It seems Mr Jennings, upstanding citizen, was also allegedly involved in a murder in Alberta; where he has also been charged with 2nd degree murder in a street shooting death of Alor Deng in Edmonton in July 2014.
Millions of dollars were no doubt spent in this Project, and numerous resources employed. When Jennings was arrested for the Poitras murder, CFSEU and IHIT called a press conference to announce their successes. Now that the charge has been stayed in the Poitras murder there is now deafening silence from Crown, CFSEU and IHIT as to why this particular case has been dropped.
No one feels a need to explain.
The public will never know what "new evidence" was learned, new evidence which apparently was so significant that their case had been blown up. Did they charge the wrong guy? Did witnesses fall by the way side? Did the police contaminate evidence? Did the Crown drop the ball? This lack of openness helps no one. In fact it leads to greater distrust.
Which leads me back to this "substantial likelihood of conviction" phrase. It is used every day. Every police officer knows the phrase, from the earliest days on the job when they have been pursuing charges, submitting reports to the Crown, and awaiting their decisions. There is little questioning of the eventual decision, and more often than not there is no detailed rationale given.
All cases involve this process. As the more serious cases unfold; murder, extortion, or kidnapping for example, this same process is followed. The police meet with Crown but ultimately Crown decides with the ill-defined "substantial likelihood.." being the most significant criteria, and being their ultimate measure. I personally spent hours in Crown offices disagreeing with a lack of charge, arguing that the merits of the evidence warranted charges. Sometimes you were able to convince, but other times you were not. Sometimes you were wrong, and in my opinion sometimes they were wrong. I was fortunate to have a good relationship with most, and there were no ill-feelings even though sometimes these meetings would become quite heated. We would often leave frustrated, shaking our heads at the level of proof that was being demanded.
By way of example. Our team was investigating a shooting in Port Moody in the middle of the night between two groups of equally criminal gangsters. One was trying to "rip" the drugs of the other. It led to one group opening fire on the others, and a stray bullet went through a residence striking a lady who was laying on a couch watching television. The bullet entered her head through her eye. She awoke in a hospital with brain damage, with no idea how she got there. Many years later she is still recovering, but will never be the same.
The only witnesses in this case at this time of date were the gangsters themselves. There was no changing this fact. After months of investigation we managed to turn one of the "victim" gang members to assist us. He agreed to testify even as to who was the "shooter". This, now witness, did not want anything in exchange. No preferential treatment.
Crown refused to use his evidence, due to his lack of credibility since he was an admitted gangster. We argued in over three meetings that we met the threshold of charge approval, that they needed to put him on the stand and let the courts decide if he was credible. We lost all arguments, with the Crown wanting a credible witness which did not exist. The Crown and I remain friends and understand each others argument, but totally disagree with the not laying of charges. The "shooter" in this case went on to further criminal activities.
The problem of course is obvious. How do you define "substantial"? And because it is such a subjective measure, different Crown lawyers could give different answers. It seemed to me that the more experienced, the more willing they were to go to trial, and therefore the more willing to have less of a hurdle for the evidence to jump over. I have had certain Crown Counsel say that on a scale they want a 90 % success rate. This is high and therefore to maintain that level, the cases that are maybe a 60 % or 70 % probability are pushed to the bottom and not chanced.
Substantial is defined partially as "having a solid basis in reality or fact". Pretty general one would have to say, which whether planned or not has led Crown lawyers in to an obvious way to side step the difficult cases. And of course some of the more difficult cases are the gang style killings.
BC has developed a reputation of a place where gangsters can free wheel (we have not even been successful in having the Hells Angels designated as a criminal organization), and I believe part of that blame falls on a Crown Counsel not willing to push with the more difficult cases. There is no incentive for them to do so, but they are contributing to an endangered public. A safety issue because there is a lessened fear of prosecution.
It has also created an us versus them relationship between the police and the Crown. There is an element of distrust, and in many cases now, Crown will not even make a decision without full disclosure of the entire case, in other words not trusting the police to deliver what they say is in the Crown submission. This too is causing grief and public safety issues (but that is for another blog).
The police of course will not criticize the Crown. They still have to live with them on a daily basis, as many Crown reports are forwarded and any criticism may be met with even further intransigence.
The decisions of the Crown are done without any oversight and accountability, other than by their peers in their own offices, or a possible appeal up the chain into the Attorney Generals office. And like all government offices, when the bureaucracy decides to turtle, it is more difficult to dig down through the layers, or find someone willing to buck the system. Their future promotion or judge appointment is decided by these very same people.
The American system, of politically elected District Attorneys is quite the opposite. Those elected want to make a name for themselves, they want to take on the big cases, they are less worried about losing in exchange. Now, before I go further, this is not an ideal system where political gain can be a factor in deciding charges, but it does make one pause.
Preet Bharara, the recently fired District Attorney of New York (fired by Trump which may make him a martyr rather than a villain) led over 100 prosecutions of Wall Street executives for insider trading, he reached settlements with the four biggest banks, conducted public corruption investigations into both Democratic and Republican officials, and was known for its terrorism cases that reached around the world.
Do you think such prosecution is a possibility in any Province in Canada? Is it because we have no crime here, no white collar crime or terrorism cases? Of course not, quite the opposite, Canada is developing quite a reputation for harbouring white collar crime in fact.
In Canada, we are seeing some prosecutions which they do go forward with blown completely out of the water, and criticism being directed at Crown and the police. Look no further than the Duffy case where he was acquitted of all 31 charges, and now there is a lawsuit against all involved for $8 million.
The Supreme Court of Canada Jordan decision which put a time limit on trials getting to court is putting added pressure on the Crown across the country, and causing apoplectic fits.
Apparently 30 months, once the charges are layed, and Crown has all the evidential material, and now need to get it into court, is beyond their capabilities.
The Supreme Court called the current Crown system a "culture of complacency". High Judge speak for a slow and dull bureaucracy, and one apparently not that interested. I don't think anyone who has worked in any Federal or Provincial bureaucracy would be surprised by this description.
In this day and age, can we afford to have no accountability in such crucial matters. Maybe an independent oversight of Crown is necessary, we certainly don't seem to be reluctant to have oversight of the police. Remember the police are only half of the judicial process, maybe its time to demand some answers from the other half of the equation.
Our Crown system needs to be subjected to a complete managerial overhaul.
Is Solicitor General Jody Wilson-Raybould the one to lead us out of this morass? It seems unlikely.
She says that there is nothing gained by "appointing blame". and really it is a problem for the Provinces. Sounds like a statement from a bureaucrat who has been rolling in the clover of a Federal system. Someone willing to accept complacency.
The Jordan problems are now beginning to surface. It was recently announced that notorious, full patch Hells Angel Larry Amero has just been released by judicial authorities in Quebec, due to the time it has taken to get him into court. He was arrested in November 2012 under Project Loquace, one of 100 arrested, being one of the primary targets of the extensive investigation. He was released from organized crime charges and cocaine importation. You will remember him as being one of the victims of the shooting in Kelowna in 2011 where Jonathan Bacon was killed. Of course this was because of the Jordan decision.
He will probably come back to work on the Vancouver docks where he is a card carrying longshoreman, that is if he is not too busy with his other life.
Clearly five years was not enough time for the Quebec prosecutors.
But hey, there is no sense in appointing blame.
Image courtesy of the_whiteness via Creative Commons with some Rights Reserved
Posted in UncategorizedTagged "substantial likelihood of conviction", courts, Crown, hells angels, judges, lawyers, police, prosecutors, trials1 Comment
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One thought on "Getting away with murder..there is a "substantial likelihood""
Heather Poitras says:
You write about issues that are out of our hands. You write about people you have no connection to… you wrote about my son. A young man who was loved and remembered by his sisters and family members as an amazing spirit. Yes I'm angry, yes I'm frustrated with the system, a system that has never been favourable to my people. The loss I endure every day, the sleepless nights, the stress, the loneliness, the depression… this is what I live with. I will not have justice in this world for what happened to my son. I have faith that those who did this will have to pay someday. When they have to answer to the Creator (God) for what they've done. They, like all humans, will face their judgment day. All I can do now is strive to live each day to the fullest. Follow my Indigenous teachings of how I walk, how I talk, how I think and how I treat others. He was my son, a family member who was loved dearly… he was someone important in our world. Justice or no justice… cause or no cause … he was my son … Eagle Man, who is now in the spirit world.