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Water – not an infinite resource in Kenya
Everyone takes water for granted and this begets complacency. Water may seem like a limitless resource, considering that most of the planet is covered in it. But freshwater, the kind that we need for drinking, farming and to sustain life itself, isn't infinite.
The United Nations Environment Program has predicted that half the globe's population could face severe water stress by 2030 with Africa – which already suffers from greater levels of water stress than other regions – likely to bear the greatest brunt.
The UN believes that more than 2 billion people are living in countries that are already experiencing high water stress, climate change, a rising global population, increased demands from agriculture and the expansion of urban areas are all contributing factors that will only heighten that stress in the coming years.
The World Wildlife Fund on the other hand estimates that by 2025, two-thirds of the world's population may face water shortages.
The economic impact of the shortfall in water infrastructure and supply is already severe. Sub-Saharan Africa currently loses an estimated 5 percent of its annual gross domestic product (GDP) due to poor access to clean drinking water and sanitation, 5 to 25 percent of its GDP to droughts and floods in affected countries, and 40 billion hours of otherwise productive time annually, collecting water.
The situation is not any better in Kenya where approximately half of the population in the major urban centers do not have constant access to running water while in the rural areas, it is an even grimmer picture.
With a population of 50 million, 32 percent of Kenyans rely on unimproved water sources, such as ponds, shallow wells and rivers, while 48 percent of Kenyans lack access to basic sanitation solutions. These challenges are especially evident in rural areas and urban slums where people are often unable to connect to piped water infrastructure.
It is therefore vital that we come up with a Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Policy which promotes sustainable infrastructure within the water sector.
Kenya's water politics are unique. There has been a divide between areas that have been privatised. At a time when water privatisation is seen as a negative in developing countries because of the high costs that are passed along to the impoverished, lack of development here means a lack of basic supply, sanitation and a reliance on tanker services. Rural areas of Kenya are left without water and urban areas aren't much better due to lack of funds to run pumping stations and existing piping systems are often pirated or in disrepair.
In simple terms, the water infrastructure in Kenya needs serious improvement.
In Kenya today, to ensure there is water security, investments are needed not only in new infrastructure but also in the maintenance and operations of the existing assets in order to improve their efficiency and reduce water losses.
Infrastructure initiatives must be government-driven because that's where the agenda is set, and major decisions are made. Governments must work collaboratively and also develop strategies that entice the private sector into engaging in projects aimed at promoting water security.
Investing in the health of people, ecosystems and more efficient water use is an investment that not only provides immediate economic benefits, but it also safeguards future economic gains. It leads to more business, better adaptive capacities to climate variability and improved ecosystem services.
According to the World Health Organisation, for every USD 1 invested in water and sanitation, there are direct and indirect economic returns to individuals and households, the health sector, and agricultural and industrial sectors, ranging from USD 3 to 34. The value is there to be seen, with wiser and sustainable investment, the returns would be much greater.
It is therefore important that central and county governments are encouraged to raise the importance of water on the political agenda to the level of climate protection, invest in fit for purpose water supply and sanitation (WSS) infrastructure and services that will most quickly achieve universal access at least cost.
At the same time, they should plan and sequence water-related investments along strategic pathways that maximise benefits and provide the best for society; these investments should benefit sectors that affect water demand or supply, or mitigate current and future water-related risks, and can be assessed in a standardised way
It is also vital that investment in projects should include requirements for identification of ongoing revenue sources for operations and maintenance, preferably from water users, sufficient to ensure that infrastructure remains fully functional well beyond the commissioning stages.
This way, we can attempt to save the country from its projected water stress.
Kenyan factory to develop local skills and manufacture WASH solution products
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Africities 2022 offers an opportunity to examine water issues
Water is the Foundation of the Big Four Agenda


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Home > International News > After Kanak surge, French Prime Minister calls for meeting in Paris
After Kanak surge, French Prime Minister calls for meeting in Paris
Tuesday, November 06, 2018 International News
By Nic Maclellan in Noumea, New Caledonia
At the end of a day-long visit to New Caledonia, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has invited independence leaders and anti-independence politicians to travel to Paris in December, to "collectively draw together our conclusions about the referendum."
Accompanied by Overseas Minister Annick Girardin, Prime Minister Philippe flew to the French Pacific dependency on 5 November, the day after New Caledonia's referendum on self-determination. This vote was the culmination of a twenty-year transition established by the 1998 Noumea Accord: 56.4 per cent of registered voters decided to remain within the French Republic, while 43.6 per cent voted Yes for independence.
Out of 141,099 ballots lodged, there were 138,933 valid votes (with 2,166 blank or void votes). As announced by Francis Lamy, head of the referendum Control Commission, "there were 78,360 voting No to accession to full sovereignty and 60,573 voting Yes."
The French Prime Minister welcomed the decision of New Caledonians to stay with France, noting that the referendum debate had "been divisive but not heartbreaking."
Philippe spent the day in a series of separate meetings with each of the five political groupings that contested the official referendum campaign. He also met French High Commission staff, the Control Commission that administered the referendum as well as members of the "Committee of the Wise" (a body he established last December to help moderate the tone of the debate about New Caledonia's future).
In the afternoon, Philippe made a flying visit by military helicopter to meet the leaders of New Caledonia's largest independence parties, Daniel Goa of Union Calédonienne (UC) and Paul Neaoutyine of the Parti de Libération Kanak (Palika). The media pool that accompanied the Prime Minister all the way to the provincial capital of Koohne (including this correspondent) was disappointed when none of the three would appear for a post-meeting photo or interview (the loudest groan seemed to come from the French security officers monitoring the press pack, who had to accompany us back to the capital with little to show for the afternoon's adventure).
In a brief public address that evening at the French High Commission, Philippe noted that his day of meetings had continued the necessary dialogue between contending parties: "I recall from these meetings that everyone recognised the legitimacy of the vote and that no one would contest its outcome. All my interlocutors wished to further analyse the results of the vote in greater depth and to measure all the implications."
The French Prime Minister announced that a meeting of the Committee of Signatories would be held in December in Paris. This monitoring body, which links signatories to the 1998 Noumea Accord, New Caledonia's representatives in the French parliament and key political leaders, has been a crucial venue for the French State to push the contending parties towards consensus.
Kanak support for independence
While acknowledging and welcoming the decision of New Caledonians to remain within the French Republic, Prime Minister Philippe also recognised the overwhelming support for independence amongst the indigenous Kanak people.
Over many months, a slow-building groundswell of grassroots campaigning brought forward a major mobilisation on "Jour-J' (D-Day), as thousands of Kanaks turned out, many of whom had never voted before.
The No campaign clearly won the referendum and the bald figures suggest a setback for the independence coalition Front de Libération Nationale Kanak et Socialiste (FLNKS).
However as the votes were counted on Sunday night, TV viewers could see growing concern on the faces of anti-independence leaders, as they commented on the count. Early in the night, with the Yes vote hovering at 25-30 per cent, there was an air of triumphalism and a belief that the Right had smashed, not just defeated, the FLNKS vision of independence. As the night wore on and the Yes vote rose to 30 per cent, 40 per cent and beyond, the faces of anti-independence leaders fell further and their comments become more conciliatory.
The final victory is little comfort for the anti-independence Right. Successive opinion polls had suggested the Yes vote would be between 27 and 35 per cent. Conservative politicians had publicly threatened that an overwhelming No vote would open the way to roll back many achievements made by the Kanak people since the Noumea Accord was signed, including restrictions on the electoral roll for local political institutions, funding for the rural provinces and ongoing scrutiny by the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation.
In reality, the size of the Yes vote gives the independence movement the dynamism to continue to a further referendum after next May's provincial elections. The Noumea Accord makes provision for a second referendum in 2020 in case of a No vote. This second vote, and even a third in 2022, can be called by a third of the members of Congress (18 out of 54). With pro-independence parties holding 25 seats in the current Congress, they clearly have the numbers to proceed to another referendum, building on this week's massive turnout.
Thanking their supporters in the Yes campaign, the FLNKS Political Bureau stated: "The massive participation of the First People has confirmed, before the United Nations and the whole world, the desire to accede their only country to independence. In the discussions on the future of the country, the anti-independence political parties cannot pretend to ignore this and the French government has the responsibility to take account of this desire for accession to full sovereignty."
The statement noted: "Through its dynamism and fighting spirit, the FLNKS has drawn support beyond its traditional constituency to convince a good number of non-Kanaks of the legitimacy of their cause."
The FLNKS will hold a press conference next Friday, to discuss the outcome of the vote. Behind doors, they'll also be looking at some of the weaknesses of the independence push, including a low turnout in the outlying Loyalty Islands and complications with proxy voting. There will also be extensive debate over calls for "non-participation" by the Parti Travailliste (Labour Party) and the trade union confederation Union Syndicale des Travailleurs Kanak et Exploités (USTKE), who saw the referendum as "fraudulent" and a diversion from "the right of the colonised Kanak people alone to determine its political status."
The need for dialogue
After the 4 November referendum, the largest anti-independence party Calédonie ensemble (CE) welcomed the No victory, saying it reflected "the maturity and the remarkable sense of responsibility that New Caledonians have shown during the electoral campaign and the conduct of the actual vote. This has allowed us to make this decision an exemplary democratic process."
In coming weeks, the Right will clearly push the FLNKS to respect the democratically expressed views of the New Caledonian people. In turn, however, the FLNKS will call on the French State and its New Caledonian partners to uphold the full provisions of the Noumea Accord, which are entrenched in law in the French Constitution.
Roch Wamytan leads the UC-FLNKS parliamentary group in New Caledonia's Congress. Together with fellow UC politician Caroline Machoro-Reignier, he met with Prime Minister Philippe to discuss the results of the vote.
Speaking after the meeting, Wamytan said: "We told the Prime Minister we would follow, with all serenity, the path established by the Noumea Accord. He himself raised the point that the French State was a signatory to the Accord and would exercise all responsibilities under the law, given that France is the administering power for New Caledonia as a non-self-governing territory."
"We look at the Noumea Accord differently to some of our political partners," Wamytan added. "It's not an à la carte menu, where you can choose which things you'd like to order. No, it's a whole package that we signed onto in May 1998. It starts at point A and goes to point Z. Between now and point Z, there are two potential referendums, so we'll head that way."
The Yes vote on 4 November was drawn mainly from the Kanak electorate, with a majority of non-Kanaks – of European, Wallisian, Tahitian or Asian heritage – voting to remain with France. But even without a strategic breakthrough to draw mass support from other communities, Wamytan believed that many would see the way the tide was turning.
"The FLNKS political project – the independence of New Caledonia and its accession to full sovereignty – has become possible as an alternative for the non-Kanak," he said. "The Kanak electorate has spoken, the young have spoken, and they are following us. Now the other communities can speak. Our project has become credible and they can find their place in the sun."
"For us, we've passed an important step that was set out twenty years ago," he added. "Now, we have to look at all the things that need to be done for a second referendum and if needed, a third."
During the referendum campaign, conservative politicians like Sonia Backes and Philippe Blaise argued that a majority No vote should open the way for the removal of New Caledonia from the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories. Long reliant on international scrutiny and support, the FLNKS is firmly opposed to this idea.
Wamytan indicated the FLNKS will seek to mobilise allies in the Melanesian Spearhead Group and other international organisations, to persuade the French government to reject this idea: "We are still colonised, and we'll only be decolonised when we exit from this colonial system, with a new relationship with France and with Europe. That's why, for some years to come, we have need for support from our Pacific brothers, from the Pacific Islands Forum, the Melanesian Spearhead Group, the Non Aligned Movement and our friends from Corsica, the Basque country, Catalonia and beyond."
Youth mobilisation
The vote for independence was strongest in the two regions where the majority of the population is indigenous Kanak: the Northern Province (75.8 per cent voting Yes) and the Loyalty Islands Province (82.1 per cent Yes). There was 86 per cent voter participation in the North, but only 58.8 per cent in the outlying Loyalty Islands, and FLNKS leaders will study the reasons for such a low turnout in the islands, especially as Loyalty Islanders living in Noumea turned out in vast numbers at special voting booths in the capital.
In contrast, the Southern Province, with a majority non-Kanak electorate, voted strongly 73.71 per cent to stay with France, with only 26.29 per cent of southern voters opting for independence.
The more populous south and the capital Noumea remain a bastion of anti-independence sentiment, but the FLNKS were encouraged by their increased support. In 2014, Roch Wamytan headed a united Arc-en-Ciel (Rainbow) electoral list for the Southern provincial elections, gaining 18.1 per cent of the vote in a region dominated by conservative parties. In this light, the 26 per cent referendum tally in the South was a welcome increase.
This progress was acknowledged in a post-referendum statement from the anti-independence Calédonie ensemble (CE) party, which recognised the significant mobilisation of the Kanak people in the Southern Province: "This progression, equivalent to a doubling of the independence vote, was apparent especially in the working class suburbs of Noumea and of the towns of greater Noumea. This exceptional mobilisation was at the heart of the balance of forces in the referendum, which was more favourable to the independence movement that it was in the 2014 provincial elections."
This evolving balance of forces led Philippe Gomes' CE party to reaffirm its platform of dialogue between the contending parties.
"This reality means that electoral mathematics alone cannot create a political solution for New Caledonia. We are obliged, more than ever, to nourish a deeper dialogue between supporters and opponents of independence. All those who want to 'purge' the question of independence by suppressing the right to a second and third referendum, as foreseen in the Noumea Accord (the proposition of Pierre Frogier) or by trying to restrict the right to self-determination (the proposal of the Backes / Blaise group) are mistaken about the era."
Two weeks ago, I interviewed Gomes about CE's referendum projections of a 70/30 victory. I suggested that he might amend his early predictions, given the dynamism of the independence movement's campaign. Gomes was dismissive, reaffirming his 70/30 prediction.
"The dynamic of the referendum campaign is against them, because they don't believe!" he said. "You can feel it in their meetings. I have pity for them. I'd love to be in their place to sell 'Kanaky'! You don't feel that the great day is coming - they're locked in the past, the poor Kanaks who've suffered under colonisation, but incapable of looking forward, of responding to the concrete questions that are put to them."
Gomes confidence was clearly misplaced. The day after the referendum, Roch Wamytan pointedly commented on the Right's triumphalism, telling me: "We are waiting for them to make a mea culpa about all their grand declarations about the results – 80/20 or 70/30 against independence. They wrote it, they crowed about it everywhere. The real results? We gained nearly 44 per cent."
Following the vote, the French press welcomed the significant No victory, but highlighted the strategic surge in the independence vote. A headline in New Caledonia's daily newspaper Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes says: "A large victory for No, but the Yes surprises." The paper reported: "After a vote notable for the participation rate of 80.6 per cent, the No vote comes out on top – but with a gap much smaller than expected. The North and the Islands have massively voted Yes."
The France 24 TV network headlined: "The dream of Kanaky is not dead in New Caledonia", noting that "much closer than predicted in the opinion polls, the referendum result in New Caledonia gives comfort to the independence movement, who can hope for a victory in 2020."
Union of Loyalists
The day after the vote, Sonia Backes put on a brave face: "It wasn't a setback, just different figures to those given by the opinion polls."
As leader of the Right-wing party Les Républicains calédoniens (LRC), Backes is a fierce partisan of New Caledonia remaining within France. Backes hailed the victory of the No campaign, saying that New Caledonia should not wait until further referendums in 2020 and 2022 to forge a new political agreement.
"The result is such that the Yes did not carry the day," she said. "So we can't wait four more years that might destabilise the politics and economy of New Caledonia – we need to start discussions now. The independence movement no doubt feels reinforced by this result and wants to proceed to the second or third referendum. We need instead to talk to them. In order for us to join the discussions from a position of firmness, it's important that the loyalist camp comes together."
Backes called for a "Union of Loyalists", uniting those who want to remain within the French Republic. But over the last decade, there have been similar failed attempts to forge a solid conservative bloc, including the "Pact of Governance" and the "Platform of Loyalists." Each time, a united platform has come together to block an FLNKS advance or carve up key positions in the government, Congress and Southern Province. Each time, however, the competing agendas of the anti-independence parties have pushed them apart, creating new bad blood.
Elected as President of New Caledonia in 2009, CE's Philippe Gomes lost office after two years, following a series of no confidence motions. In 2015, New Caledonia was without a president for more than three months, after the collapse of the government led by President Cynthia Ligeard of the Rassemblement party. Other Right wing representatives in the government refused to back CE's Philippe Germain as her replacement. After months of indecision, it took a change of heart from FLNKS ministers in the government to break the deadlock (they had stood aside to let the Right chose one of their own as President, but finally stepped in after months of paralysis, to supply the necessary votes for Germain).
Today, CE leaders may not find similar sympathy from key independence leaders in Noumea, even with their pledge of dialogue. The day after the referendum, UC's Roch Wamytan said that Philippe Gomes' program was based on "fear, lies, manipulation and falsified history." Welcome to the post-referendum dialogue!
CE and Rassemblement-LR face a further challenge on their right flank from the LRC, led by Sonia Backes and Philippe Blaise. With the May provincial elections next on the political calendar, Backes can't wait to go to war with her allies.
Even as she calls for the main conservative parties to unite, she condemns key leaders like Senator Pierre Frogier for their goodwill gestures towards the Kanak people (such as Frogier's 2010 proposal that the flag of Kanaky should fly alongside the French tricolour outside town halls, schools and all other public buildings in New Caledonia).
Speaking the day after the referendum, Backes called on the Right to renew its leadership: "We have need of a renewed team to defend New Caledonia within France."
"For us, this new Union of Loyalists must involve renewal of the political class," she told me. "All the concessions made by the loyalists have not drawn the independence movement towards France, so I think it can be said that this policy has not been a success. Those who have promoted this policy have come to the end of their time."
Are you talking about Pierre Frogier? "I'm thinking of certain personalities who have been players on the political field for 35 years" (an unmistakable reference to the Rassemblement – Les Républicains leader).
Backes is ever sharper about Philippe Gomes and Calédonie ensemble: "There are people in our camp who, without ambiguity, called for a No vote. But there are others in the loyalist camp who called for a 'little no', who didn't want an overwhelming victory for the No camp. Today, for us, Calédonie ensemble promotes shared sovereignty and the transfer of some of the sovereign powers, so we don't see them as part of the loyalist camp. We want to unite the loyalist camp, not the nationalists, that's clear."
So there's going to be a Union of Loyalists but without Philippe Gomes and Pierre Frogier! It seems there will be six months of trench warfare before next May's elections, as the contending parties on the Right argue over the best way to staunch the surge of independence sentiment.
Currently, CE holds the most seats in New Caledonia's Congress, both of New Caledonia's seats in the French National Assembly, one of two seats in the French Senate and also the Presidency of the Southern Province. CE's Philippe Germain serves as President of the Government of New Caledonia.
In an interview before the referendum, I asked CE President Philippe Gomes whether this made his party a big target in next May's provincial elections, with Frogier's LR/MPC and Backes' LRC seeking to reduce his majority.
"In principle, I'd rather lose an election than lose my soul," he said. "I know who I am. I have a vision for the country. We talk of the Caledonian people, the reduction of social inequality, an education program, recognition of Kanak identity. We have a true plan and we won't prostitute ourselves to win votes."
In the meantime, other forces will continue to give the Germain government a hard time. Last week, striking firefighters held a powerful rally outside the government headquarters, and were only persuaded to postpone a wider stoppage because of the referendum. The unions will soon be back in action.
The employers' federation will also launch a massive, well-funded campaign against the Germain government's signature tax reform, the Taxe Générale à la Consommation (TGC). Introduced on 1 October, this new goods and services tax replaces seven other outdated taxes. However the TGC is opposed by many importers and local businesses, who will campaign for the next six months to neuter the tax reform that upsets the comfortable regime of perks, privileges and rorts that Noumea's elite has come to expect.
Calming angry youth
On referendum eve, angry young Kanaks from the Saint Louis tribe burnt tires on the main road linking Noumea to Mont Dore. The tribe, on the outskirts of Noumea, has long served as a symbol of "Kanak delinquency" and chaos for the Right, damaging the reputation of UC politician Roch Wamytan, who is a high chief from Saint Louis. Residents of Mont Dore are regularly frustrated that the road is unsafe, with youth stoning their cars, incidents of crime in the neighbourhood and even armed clashes with the gendarmerie that occasionally move in to assert control.
Clashes escalated in the 48 hours after the referendum vote, as police using armoured cars and a helicopter moved in to clear the road. Wamytan argued that the clashes would die down soon: "Many young Kanaks, at Saint Louis and other places, could not exercise their right to self-determination. It's the Kanak people alone who have the right to self-determination, but it's our elders who opened the way to share this right with others. Yesterday, in many places, people couldn't participate. The mechanisms that we put in place with the High Commissioner didn't function correctly, as people came to vote but couldn't do so."
This social conflict is evidence of the vast cultural and economic gulf between many Kanaks and the well-off residents of Noumea's southern suburbs, who voted overwhelmingly against independence. But for the French authorities celebrating the serenity and success of referendum day, the Saint Louis clashes and other acts of arson in the Southern Province were a sideshow to the main game.
For French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, his flying visit achieved a key purpose, which is to keep everyone talking.
But in the aftermath of the referendum, everyone realises that the Kanak independence movement has new wind in its sails. They lost on referendum day, but defied all predictions and made their mark. The dream of independence lives on in the hearts of a new generation.
SOURCE: ISLANDS BUSINESS/PACNEWS

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A Bolivian tribe living between Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Cochabamba in the wooded regions and plains adjoining the mountains, on the Eastern slopes of the Andes, close to the Río Beni and Rio Marmoré. They are tall, and the women are very handsome. They have oval countenances, aquiline noses, very dark eyes, while their skin is almost as white as that of the Spaniards. The Yuracaré are excellent hunters and make good warriors; they were of a roving disposition, but the Jesuits of the Paraguayan Reductions succeeded in establishing a mission among them, which flourished until the suppression of the Society. The standard of morality among the Yuracaré was very low. The marriage bond was readily dissolved, but polygamy was not practised. They were distributed in families, living without any form of government. Men and women were separated at meals, but there was no subordination between husband and wife or relatives, though the parents were generally treated as slaves by the children.
They were an extremely superstitious race, but they adored neither nature nor a superior being. They believed in the immortality of the soul but had no idea of future rewards or punishments. The dead, who were mourned for a long period, were buried with their bows and arrows, as they were supposed to have gone to a delightful region under the earth, where the woods abounded with peccaries and the hunting never failed. The Yuracaré live entirely by hunting; they consider it lawful to commit suicide, and practice duelling, which is carried out according to rules laid down by public authority. They make it a rule never to advise their children, leaving them to form their own standard of conduct.
RECLUS, Universal Geography ed. KEANE, XVIII (London, 378-9).
MLA citation. MacErlean, Andrew. "Yuracaré Indians." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15738c.htm>.


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Q: HashLoginService and Jetty9 I am trying to set a username/password combination programatically:
    HashLoginService loginService = new HashLoginService();
    loginService.setName("myrealm");

    Credential credential = new Password("password");

    AbstractLoginService.UserPrincipal principal =
            new AbstractLoginService.UserPrincipal("username",credential);

    Subject subject = new Subject();
    subject.getPrincipals().add(principal);
    subject.getPrivateCredentials().add(credential);

    loginService.getIdentityService().newUserIdentity(
            subject,
            principal,
            new String[]{"users"});

Yet I am getting 401. What do I miss here?
Used to be able to do simple
  loginService.putUser("username",
            new Password("password"),
            new String[]{"users"});

but not with jetty 9.
Would appreciate some guidance. Thank you!

A: Use the following code to resolve the issue you have, tested against jetty version 9.4.8:
HashLoginService loginService = new HashLoginService("MyRealm");

UserStore userStore = new UserStore();
userStore.addUser(userName, new Password("password"), new String[] { "users"});

loginService.setUserStore(userStore);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Tenley A. Carp
E-mail: tenley.carp@agg.com
BiographyExperienceCredentialsRecognitionNews & InsightsCOVID-19 Updates Jump to
Tenley, a partner and leader of the Government Contracts practice, is an indispensable resource for AGG's government contracts clients. She negotiates government contracts, provides astute counseling, oversees audits and investigations, handles bid protest litigation and claims, and performs due diligence in mergers and acquisitions. Building on 30 years of experience in connection with more than 100 litigation matters alone, Tenley thoughtfully advises clients with respect to the intricacies and nuances in the bid protest and claims processes before the U.S. Government Accountability Office, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Hearings and Appeals, United States District Courts, the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Dispute Resolution, U.S. Department of Navy's Suspension and Debarment Official, and the U.S. Postal Service's Supplier Disagreement Resolution Official.
Prior to joining AGG, Tenley served as a former Assistant General Counsel at the U.S. General Services Administration and worked as a government contracts attorney in the private sector. She is a forward-thinking, productive entrepreneur who actively drives businesses towards successful outcomes. In addition to practicing law, she launched a business early on in her career which involved designing a web-based software program allowing citizens to respond to jury duty online or by phone. She obtained a U.S. Patent on the Automated System and Process for Conducting Jury Voir Dire in connection with her software program.
False Claims Act Defense
Successfully represented contractor in a claim filed before the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals. The certified claim alleged that the U.S. Small Business Administration over-deployed software beyond the contract terms of a contract modification. After a two-day hearing, the Board granted the claim, concluding in a legal precedent-setting written opinion that SBA's over-deployed software entitled the contractor to damages in the amount of more than $1M plus interest.
Recovered more than $2M from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in satisfaction of two certified claims filed at the agency. Several weeks prior to a hearing at the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, the agency agreed to an informal settlement of both claims.
Successful representation in a protest filed at U.S. Court of Federal Claims alleging the U.S. General Services Administration erred by not selecting it from among 493 offerors as an awardee in connection with its Alliant 2 Small Business contract valued at $15B. The Court sustained the protest on the merits and granted protester's motion for permanent injunctive relief which resulted in rescission of contract awards to 81 companies and issuance of an amended solicitation. Recovered protesters' attorneys' fees.
Successful representation of a Fortune 50 company in a bid protest before the Government Accountability Office in a multi-party bid protest challenging the award by the Department of Justice of a contract valued at approximately $500 million to another bidder.
Represented federal government contractor investigated by US Government for potential civil and criminal violations of the False Claims Act and False Statements Act.
Successfully represented a $1 billion technology company in three successive claims against the Government, avoiding time-consuming and expensive litigation by negotiating settlements favorable to the client in each case.
Successfully represented client before the U.S. Department of Navy's Suspension and Debarment Official, saving client's business from remaining in the General Services Administration's "Excluded Parties List System" database for three years and putting the company out of business. After explaining all extenuating circumstances pertaining to the failed deliveries of furniture, the SDO agreed to remove the Parties from the EPLS database.
Successfully represented client in a protest at GAO challenging the improper award of a contract by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to a competitor. The filing of the protest triggered the automatic suspension of the competitor's contract. Twelve days after the protest was filed, CFPB took corrective action which (1) gave the client another chance to win the award; and (2) extended the incumbent's contract by nearly six months.
Successfully represented federal government contractor in the process of submitting a Novation Agreement to the General Services Administration resulting in the novation of the company's GSA Schedule from one corporate entity to another.
Representation of a small radiopharmaceutical business in a post-award protest at GAO. The client challenged the award of a multiyear contract by VA to a subsidiary of a large business. After the client was forced to litigate for months, VA finally took corrective action. Recovered attorneys' fees since GAO determined that the agency unduly delayed taking corrective action in response to several clearly meritorious challenges to the evaluation of the client's quotation.
Successfully represented client by filing a pre-award bid protest filed at the Government Accountability Office. The protest alleged, among other things, that the solicitation issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in West Palm Beach, Florida violated the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984 because the solicitation called for several proprietary products which only one large healthcare company in the United States could provide. CICA expressly requires agencies to promote competition to the maximum extent possible. Within one week of receipt of the bid protest, the Agency agreed to take corrective action by revising the solicitation in a manner designed to achieve competition.
Successfully represented her client in an agency-level protest filed with the Department of Veterans Affairs. In less than a month after the protest was filed, VA agreed to terminate the contract awarded to her client's competitor and re-issue the solicitation. In agreeing to take corrective action, VA admitted that it failed to follow its own internal requirements, applicable procurement regulations and national security priorities with respect to procuring radiopharmaceuticals.
Successfully represented her client in the third of three pre-award protests filed at the U.S. Government Accountability Office challenging the terms of a solicitation issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs. On the day before the Agency Report was due, VA notified GAO that VA would immediately take corrective action exactly as it was requested in her client's pre-award protest and requested that GAO dismiss the protest.
Successfully represented her client in the filing of two claims at the Defense Logistics Agency. The client had a very weak case on the issue of legal entitlement since the client had worked for DLA "at risk" (without signed modifications to its task orders). On the day before the Alternative Dispute Resolution, the judge from the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, DLA refused to put a dime on this case, and planned to sue the client for a significant sum in overpayments. DLA attended ADR only to "educate the client." After more than 8 hours of negotiations, DLA agreed to pay the client 67% of the claimed amount.
Successfully represented her client in a dispute with the US Postal Service. After award of a contract for PBX maintenance support services to the client, the client began to incur additional costs due to unexpected changes to the contract added by USPS. The client filed a request for equitable adjustment, which was denied. The denial was appealed to the Postal Service Board of Contract Appeals. Soon thereafter, the parties engaged in meaningful settlement discussions, the result of which was that USPS has agreed to pay the client for all unexpected changes.
Successfully represented her client in a dispute with the Defense Contract Management Agency regarding questioned costs in the overhead pool, overhead base, G&A pool, G&A base and Material/Subcontract Handling base as well as direct costs on cost-type and time-and-material type contracts. DCMA's incurred cost audit of her client revealed nearly $500K in proposed unallowable costs. The appeal was filed at the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals. After several lengthy conference calls and one in person meeting among counsel only, the parties were able to resolve the entire case informally without mediation or ASBCA involvement. The client's nearly $500K in proposed unallowable costs were ultimately deemed allowable.
Counseled technology company with regard to the numerous compliance obligations imposed on federal government contractors and described the penalty associated with the failure to comply with or blatant misconduct of each of the listed compliance obligations.
Counseled the US subsidiary of a $1 billion company based in the United Kingdom with regard to the compliance obligations of the Buy American Act and Trade Agreements Act imposed on the US subsidiary due to sales of its services to the federal government both on and off its GSA Schedule.
Drafted Code of Business Ethics and Conduct for $1 billion company and created an "Ethics Training" PowerPoint presentation for the company's executive level officers and all salespersons who interacted with federal government personnel.
Drafted and edited numerous teaming agreement and subcontract agreements for a technology company serving as a subcontractor to multiple large systems integrators which hold prime contracts with various federal agencies.
Performed due diligence focused specifically on a Target Company's multiple government contracts on behalf of my client, the purchaser of such Target Company.
Represented client in successful price negotiations involving cost or pricing data for a $250 million follow-on subcontract to provide materials to a large prime contractor managing and operating a US national security site.
Successfully represented a small technology company in obtaining a 20-year contract with the General Services Administration; such contract is referred to as a "GSA Schedule." Drafted Memorandum of Law for the company outlining compliance obligations imposed on federal government contractors holding GSA Schedules.
Successfully represented client in a bid protest filed at the Government Accountability Office involving a contract for the delivery of radiopharmaceuticals to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Durham, NC. The protest alleged, inter alia, that the Agency failed to properly evaluate the prospective awardee and that the Agency erred in seeking a waiver to the Non-Manufacturer Rule. For more than two months after the protest was filed, the Agency attempted to justify its actions. When the contractor threatened to file a size protest at the SBA, the Agency relented. One day after such threat, the Agency informed GAO that it had erred in seeking a waiver to the NMR and would take corrective action by re-soliciting the requirement.
Successfully represented client in a pre-award protest challenging the terms of the solicitation for a five-year procurement of radiopharmaceuticals for all VA Medical Centers in Florida. After the VA agreed to take corrective action, the client expressed his appreciation in an email stating, "It was your expertise, skills and passion that gave us this win. If it wasn't for you, we would have been pushed to the side, which is what our competitors planned. I feel the real winner will be the VA, the taxpayer, and most important the patient. Now we can bid. Thank you."
AGG's Successful Claim on Behalf of a Large Government Contractor IT Reseller Serves as Case of First Impression at CBCA
FlexDecks, Inc. – Government Contractor Resumes Work After Successful GAO Protest
Focused Management Inc. - Client Keeps Work After Successful Protest of Government Contract Award
The George Washington University Law School, Juris Doctor
Tulane University, Bachelor of Arts - International Relations, International Relations
State of Maryland – 1991
United States District Court for the District of Maryland – 2019
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit – 2014
United States Court of Federal Claims – 2002
United States District Court for the District of Columbia – 1995
District of Columbia Court of Appeals – 1992
Maryland Court of Appeals – 1991
Crohn's & Colitis Foundation (CCF), Greater Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia Chapter, Board Member and Past President
Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce, Board Member and Golf Committee Chair
FBA Government Contracts Section, Small Business Committee Chair
Springboard Enterprises, Inc. Member, Board of Trustees
Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Pro Bono Mediator, Multi-Door Dispute Resolution Division
French ( Proficient )
Distinguished Service Award recipient, The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation (CCF), Greater Washington, DC/Virginia Chapter, 2017
First place recipient of a $50,000 cash prize in the Council for Excellence in Government's "Imagine E-Government Competition," a competition announced by President Bill Clinton during the first live White House webcast. The 130 entries were judged on originality, feasibility and public value.
Springboard Venture Forum held at AOL Headquarters, one of 40 women (out of 350 who applied) selected to present business idea.
Crohn's & Colitis Foundation (CCF) "20/20 Club Member" for raising more than $20,000 for the charity.
Awarded a U.S. Patent on the Automated System and Process for Conducting Jury Voir Dire.
"SBA Gives Reprieve for Small Business Owners Appealing PPP Loan Forgiveness Decisions," The Business Journal – July 29, 2021
"SBA's PPP Loan Forgiveness Deadline is Fast Approaching. Don't Be Left on the Hook.," Washington Business Journal – June 30, 2021
"Events D.C. Scores PPP Loan As It Looks to Replenish Its Reserves Hit by COVID," Washington Business Journal – June 22, 2021
"SBA's Restaurant Fund Lost in Court. The Targeted EIDL Advance Grant Program Could Be Next'," Washington Business Journal – June 16, 2021
"She Applied for SBA PPP Loan Forgiveness. A Typo Cost her $12,000.," Washington Business Journal – June 9, 2021
"PPP Loan Forgiveness Process Could Drag Out for 'Six to Eight Years,'" Washington Business Journal – May 10, 2021
"SBA's Second PPP Loan Round Is Running Out of Money. Here's How Much Is Left," Washington Business Journal – May 4, 2021
"Experts Talk Small Business Funding as COVID-19 Recovery Enters Second Year," Washington Business Journal – March 11, 2021
"Despite Many PPP Changes, This Type of Small Business Fell Through the Cracks," Washington Business Journal – March 9, 2021
"Biden Administration's PPP Loan Fixes Mean More Money for These Small Businesses," Cleveland Business Journal – February 23, 2021
"Drive-Thrus and PPE – See the COVID Costs Now Covered Under the SBA's PPP Loans," Washington Business Journal – January 26, 2021
"Two PPP Loans in the Same Round? Experts Say It's Possible," Washington Business Journal – January 20, 2021
"SBA Readies Next Round of PPP Loans. Here's Who Gets to Go First," Milwaukee Business Journal – January 7, 2021
"Millions of Small Business on Deck for Simplified PPP Loan Forgiveness," Washington Business Journal – December 23, 2020
"Some Howard Theatre Entities Were Approved for PPP Loans. Their Money Troubles Started Long Before the Pandemic," Washington Business Journal – December 14, 2020
"SBA Ordered to Release PPP Loan Details – and That Could Help Deter Fraud in a Second PPP Round," Washington Business Journal – November 10, 2020
"SBA's New PPP Loan Forgiveness Forms Raise Red Flags with Experts," Washington Business Journal – November 4, 2020
"SBA Just Made PPP Forgiveness Easier for Smaller Loans. What About Everyone Else?," Washington Business Journal – October 12, 2020
"SBA Allows Lenders to Approve Some PPP M&A Deals. Here's What You Need to Know," Washington Business Journal – October 5, 2020
"Small Business May Face PPP Loan-Forgiveness Hurdles, Interest Payments," Washington Business Journal – September 24, 2020
"Process Begins for HVAC Contractors Seeking PPP Loan Forgiveness," ACHR News – September 11, 2020
"Buying or Selling a Business? PPP Loans Will Complicate the Deal," Washington Business Journal – September 1, 2020
"Ready for PPP Forgiveness? Here's What to Know About Owner, Employee Pay," Washington Business Journal – August 19, 2020
"SBA Has Opened Its PPP Forgiveness Portal. Here's Why Many Small Businesses Will Have to Wait," Washington Business Journal – August 10, 2020
"SBA's Paycheck Protection Program Set to Expire Aug. 8," Washington Business Journal – August 6, 2020
"A PPP 'Double Dip:' Some of D.C.'s Biggest Developers Scored Multiple Loans to Weather Coronavirus Crisis," Washington Business Journal – August 6, 2020
"Feature Comment: The FAR Ban on Human Trafficking – A 20-Year Journey from Mere Rhetoric to Meaningful Enforcement," The Government Contractor (Thomson Reuters) – August 5, 2020
"A Here Are 7 Things to Know Before Applying for PPP Loan Forgiveness," Atlanta Business Chronicle – August 4, 2020
"Potential Stimulus Bill Could Allow Companies in Bankruptcy to Pursue PPP Loans," Washington Business Journal – August 4, 2020
"Tiered PPP Loan Forgiveness is Emerging in Republican Stimulus Bill," Washington Business Journal – July 30, 2020
"PPP Loan Insurance? Yes, It Exists. But Some Experts Are Wary," Chicago Business Journal – July 9, 2020
"Hundreds of Millions Go to COVID-19 Firms Accused of Fraud," USA Today – July 7, 2020
"Congress Gets Full PPP Data, While Groups Push to Make More Public," Washington Business Journal – July 6, 2020
"Will There Be A Second Stimulus Check? What is the HEROES Act?," Business.com – June 19, 2020
"More Money for Owner and Employee Pay? Experts Weigh in on New PPP Law," Washington Business Journal – June 12, 2020
"Small Businesses Could Be Caught in PPP Loan Forgiveness Process into 2022 – and Beyond," Washington Business Journal – June 12, 2020
"New PPP Law Changes the Importance of Bonuses. Here's Why," Washington Business Journal – June 8, 2020
"A Math Error May Explain Why Many PPP Loans Will Fall Short of Forgiveness. But There Are Fixes," Washington Business Journal – May 28, 2020
"SBA Officially Weighs In on Using PPP for Bonuses. Here's What It Says," Washington Business Journal – May 26, 2020
"Can Independent Contractors Take Both PPP And Unemployment? Well, Maybe," Travel Agent Central – May 2020
"Small Businesses Note Another Flaw in SBA's PPP as Reopening Costs Mount," Washington Business Journal – May 15, 2020
"Shifting SBA Guidance Could Create 'Legal Mess' for PPP Recipients," Washington Business Journal – May 13, 2020
"European Investors Struggle to Access Pandemic Relief in U.S.," Global Atlanta – May 7, 2020
"The Clock is Ticking, Yet Widespread Confusion Remains on PPP Spending Deadlines," Washington Business Journal – May 6, 2020
"Big Brother is Eyeing Some PPP Loans. Here's Why It Might be Time to Give the Money Back," Washington Business Journal – May 5, 2020
"PPP Loan or No, Many Small Businesses Will Still Face Bankruptcy. Here's What That Means," Washington Business Journal – May 1, 2020
"SBA's PPP Loan Forgiveness Might Be Difficult. Bonuses Could Help," The Business Journal – Pacific Business News – April 28, 2020
"SBA's PPP Loan Portal Opens Again – But These Business Groups are Still Shut Out," The Business Journal – Pacific Business News – April 27, 2020
"Some Private Equity-Backed Breweries Could Be Eligible for PPP Loans," Brewhound – April 2020
"Here are 7 Things Small Businesses Should Know about PPP Loans," Atlanta Business Chronicle – April 2020
"Big Atlanta Companies Withdraw Billions from Bank Credit Lines," The Atlanta Journal Constitution – March 2020
Supreme Court Issues Split Decisions on Federal Vaccine Mandates
January 19, 2022 | Articles | Arnall Golden Gregory LLP
Tenley Carp Quoted in the Washington Business Journal on the Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Appeals Process by SBA
December 22, 2021 | Washington Business Journal
Georgia Judge Enjoins Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate in Every State in U.S.
December 7, 2021 | Alerts | Arnall Golden Gregory LLP
SBA's "October Surprise" Forces PPP Borrowers and Lenders to Complete Loan Forgiveness and Establish Escrow Accounts to Circumvent SBA Prior Approval for Most "Change of Ownership" Deals
Top 10 Things to Know About SBA PPP Loan Review Decision Appeals to OHA
PPP Update: SBA's Loan Forgiveness Portal May be Coming Online, but Uncertainty Continues
The Main Street Lending Program: Which Small and Mid-Sized Businesses Are Eligible?
Congress Gives Borrowers More Flexibility with Amendments to Paycheck Protection Program
The SBA Expands the Safe Harbor for PPP Loans and Extends The Repayment Deadline to May 18, 2020
New Guidance Resolves Confusion over Counting Foreign Employees for PPP Loan Eligibility
SBA Extends PPP Repayment Date for Safe Harbor to May 14, 2020
You Have a PPP Loan: Now What? Loan Forgiveness, Audit Risk and Pressure to Give the Money Back
Foreign Affiliates and the Small Business Size Standards for PPP Loan Eligibility: Avoiding FCA Liability for False Certifications
The Main Street Lending Program: Questions and Answers about the $600 Billion Lending Program for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses
A Conversation with an SBA Regional Administrator on PPP Loans: What Businesses Need to Know Now
Despite Contrary Reports, Many PE and VC-Backed Companies May Be Eligible for Forgivable PPP Loans During the COVID-19 Crisis
Questions and Answers Regarding the CARES Act PPP Loan
Ed Marshall and Tenley Carp Participate in ETA Webinar: "How Small Business Can Secure Financing from the CARES Act"
Small Businesses Can Start Applying for Forgivable Paycheck Protection Program Loans from SBA-Approved Lenders on April 3, 2020
What Every Small Business Needs to Know About the CARES Act
The Defense Production Act's Impact on Government Contractors and Commercial Companies
OMB Guidance to Federal Contractors for Performance Issues Associated with COVID-19
Government Contractors Are Still Waiting for an Executive Order Mandating Telework


text:
East Bay high school notebook: Bishop O'Dowd…
East Bay high school notebook: Bishop O'Dowd senior Eugene Hamilton III focuses on 1,600
By Phil Jensen | Bay Area News Group
Bishop O'Dowd High's Eugene Hamilton III was seriously contemplating dropping one of his two events for the rest of the postseason after competing in the 800 meters last Saturday at the North Coast Section Bay Shore Area Track & Field Championships.
But the Arizona-bound senior wasn't totally sure which of his events he would drop. Hamilton had a state-leading time of 1 minute, 50.19 seconds, in the 800 at press time, according to PrepCalTrack.com, and he said at last Saturday's meet that it was likely that he would drop the 1,600 meters.
Hamilton had a change of heart.
"(Bishop O'Dowd distance coach Andrew Cheng) and I discussed it, and we sort of decided that it would be a nice change of pace to go after the 1,600," Hamilton said. "Ultimately, it was my decision.
"I felt like I wanted to give the 1,600 a try. I felt like it was a natural event for me. I felt like I wanted to pursue it. I felt more energized to pursue it."
The NCS Meet of Champions, at Cal's Edwards Stadium, starts Friday, with finals in certain field events and track trials.
Field events start at 9:30 a.m. and track events begin at 1 p.m. Saturday's field event finals start at 9 a.m. and track finals begin at 1:30 p.m.
Hamilton won the boys mile at this year's Stanford Invitational in 4:12.74, which converts to 4:11.27 for 1,600 meters. Only three athletes in the state had faster 1,600 times at press time, according to PrepCalTrack.com.
"It is sort of a fresh race for me," said Hamilton, who has raced the mile or 1,600 meters just four times in his life.
Hamilton said he thought about the trials-finals process of the next two meets
"I thought about what I've done in the 800 previously. I was thinking I would have to go trials, finals, trials, finals the next two weeks," he said. "I was really thinking about what race I would prefer to run like that. The 1,600 really came up."
Hamilton had the fastest time in the 1,600 (4:20.01) and 800 (1:54.40) at the NCS Bay Shore Area Championships.
In a discussion about the top boys volleyball league in the East Bay, you might want to start with the Mission Valley Athletic League.
The 2013 season had many great stories, but the best might have been the MVAL, as all six teams in the league qualified for the North Coast Section playoffs.
Not bad for a league that was hardly recognized about a decade ago.
"Ten years ago, nobody knew about the MVAL," Washington coach Eva Choy said. "Today all the teams in the league qualified for the playoffs and the MVAL is finally getting the recognition it deserves."
Washington reached the NCS Division II finals, while John F. Kennedy reached the Division II semifinals. Moreau Catholic reached the semifinals in Division III, while American, James Logan and Mission San Jose all made the Division I playoffs, with Logan winning its first-round game.
"A league can't get any more competitive than the MVAL," Logan coach Matt Guzman said. "All the teams qualifying for the playoffs shows how much our league is developing and advancing as serious future playoff contenders."
— Matt Smith, correspondent
Phil Jensen | Reporter
Phil Jensen is a reporter for the Bay Area News Group.
Follow Phil Jensen @JensenPhil


text:
Repertoire & Reviews
Saxophonist ANNA MARIE WYTKO is Assistant Professor of Music at Kansas State University and Artist-Clinician for the Yamaha Corporation. She has performed as soloist throughout the United States and in France, Poland, England, Scotland, Germany, Belgium, Canada and Mexico. Dr. Wytko, who has performed as soloist with such orchestras as the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, the Topeka Symphony, the Tempe Symphony Orchestra, and the West Valley Symphony (AZ), has also performed as orchestral saxophonist with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Orquesta Sinfonica UANL in Mexico, the Phoenix Symphony and Phoenix Symphony Pops Orchestra, and the Arizona Musicfest Orchestra. Recent guest performances include those at the National Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique de Paris, the 2012 World Saxophone Congress in Scotland, California State University at L.A., University of North Texas, University of Georgia, Baylor University, Valparaiso University, Chapman Conservatory of Music, VanderCook College of Music, and the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and in Colorado, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Kansas. She has recorded on the Jeanné Digital Recording label and recently released a new solo CD titled "When night came…" on TimeGrabber Digital.
www.AnnaMarieWytko.com
Saxophonist JOSEPH WYTKO, Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University and Artist-Clinician with Selmer Paris and Conn-Selmer USA, has performed as soloist with such orchestras as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the World Saxophone Congress Orchestra, and orchestras in Europe and Mexico. He has served as orchestral saxophonist with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra since 1976, and has performed as saxophonist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Grant Park Orchestra of Chicago, and the Arizona Musicfest Orchestra. He was Visiting Professor of Saxophone at the University of Georgia in 2010-11. A past recipient of the prestigious Solo Recitalist Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Senior Scholar Grant from the International Research and Exchanges Board, he has performed in Carnegie Recital Hall, San Francisco's Herbst Theatre, and in the East Room of the White House and throughout the U.S., Europe, Mexico, and Canada. His CD recordings have been featured on "in flight" audio entertainment programs for United Airlines and U. S. Airways. The subject of an article in the 2nd edition of the New Grove Dictionary of American Music, Dr. Wytko recently contributed five articles to this publication (Oxford University Press).
www.JosephWytkoSaxophone.com
CAMERON HOFMANN is a collaborative pianist, organist, and vocal coach who has performed throughout the United States and in such countries as Italy, Spain, and Slovenia. Currently Lecturer in Collaborative Piano at Baylor University, Dr. Hofmann has held previous staff position at the University of Minnesota and Yuba College. He has frequently collaborated with members of the Minnesota Orchestra, the Minnesota Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera. Dr. Hofmann has performed for numerous national and international conferences and competitions, including, for example, the World Saxophone Congress, conferences presented by the North American Saxophone Alliance, the Adolphe Sax Competition, the National Association for the Teachers of Singing, the Music Teachers National Association, and the WAMSO-Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist Competition. He earned degrees at California State University- Stanislaus (BA) and the University of Minnesota (MM, DMA). Principal teachers include Margo Garrett, Timothy Lovelace, and Karl Paulnack.
Cameron_Hofmann@baylor.edu


text:
Agoma elegantula är en fjärilsart som beskrevs av Paul Mabille 1893. Agoma elegantula ingår i släktet Agoma och familjen nattflyn. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Nattflyn
elegantula

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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WVPE News
RSV still straining children's hospitals, but may be on the decline
The recent "unprecedented" surge of kids being hospitalized for RSV is still putting a strain on hospital resources. But in some areas of the state, it looks like cases may starting to slow.
Hospital leaders urge precautions as children's hospitals reach capacity with RSV surge
Dustin Dwyer
Doctors say parents who bring their children to the hospital will endure longer wait times as they cope with a surge in cases of the virus.
Hoosiers can help reduce hospital strain by avoiding the ER when possible
Christine Herman
Hospital capacity is strained in much of Indiana due to the early arrival of RSV and influenza, coupled with ongoing COVID-19 cases and critical health care worker shortages.
Pediatric hospitals face rapid increases in respiratory virus
Emily Blumberg
Almost all children will be infected with RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, by their second birthday. But this year, cases are rising more rapidly than usual.
Kids are at risk for RSV. Here's how health experts say to protect them
Darian Benson
Pediatricians are seeing an increase in children infected with respiratory illnesses, including respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
RSV vaccine trials start at the South Bend Clinic
Gemma DiCarlo
COVID-19 is the respiratory virus that has dominated the news cycle for the last couple of years. But the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is the…


Hey, where I can have the song Six we can hear on Potato Jet's video ?
lovely song<3 I want to download !!
@candlmusic: Top stuff! Can't wait!
MRJWW brought me here!! ..Damn yes James!!
@chrisholmmusic: Ever thought about getting it on Spotify?
Your music is so good man!


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Stellar Science
New Radio Burst Deepens Mystery
By: Shannon Hall July 18, 2014 1
A newly discovered radio burst places these ultrafast, ultrabright pulses on the cosmic map of unknown phenomena.
An optical sky image of the area in the constellation Auriga where the fast radio burst FRB 121102 (green circle) has been detected.
Rogelio Bernal Andreo (DeepSkyColors.com)
Every so often things go bump in the quiet cosmic night, releasing a rush of energy in a few thousandths of a second and leaving astronomers mystified. One of these bumps came to light last year, when astronomers announced the discovery of four brief but bright bursts of radio waves.
All four bursts were discovered over the course of a year at the 64-meter Parkes radio telescope in Australia. Before that, two others were spotted with the Parkes scope, one in 2007 and a weaker candidate in 2012.
The lack of any similar findings by other facilities led to speculation that these bursts might have been signals originating from sources on or near Earth.
But a new detection of one of the so-called fast radio bursts with the Arecibo Observatory helps "eliminate any doubt that these radio bursts are truly of cosmic origin," said coauthor Victoria Kaspi (McGill University, Canada) in a press release. It also sheds light on the mysterious phenomena that may be behind these exotic bursts.
Extragalactic Origins?
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) have a distinct look to them. Besides only lasting a few thousandths of a second and releasing as much energy as the Sun will take 10,000 years to emit, their lower frequencies arrive noticeably later than their higher ones. This delay is due to plasma dispersion: through any medium, longer-wavelength radiation moves slightly slower than its shorter counterpart.
Light from extragalactic objects travels through intergalactic space, which is teeming with electrons in clouds of cold plasma. The farther the light travels, the more electrons it will have to travel through, and the greater the time delay between the arriving wavelengths. By the time the light reaches Earth, it has been dispersed by an amount that is directly correlated with distance.
Using the spread in the FRBs' signals, astronomers calculated that the bursts likely originated anywhere from 5 to 10 billion light-years away.
The Arecibo 305-meter radio telescope in Puerto Rico.
The latest burst was detected on November 2, 2012, at the Arecibo Observatory, which boasts the world's largest radio telescope, with a dish spanning 305 meters. The burst was spread out three times wider than would be expected from a source within our galaxy. So the team thinks this set of radio waves came from a cosmological distance.
But just what is releasing the radiation remains a mystery. "The origin of these bursts is still highly uncertain, and it could turn out to be some new, exotic object no one has imagined before," says lead author Laura Spitler (Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, Germany).
Coauthor Jim Cordes (Cornell) fantasizes that FRBs could be evaporating black holes or even cosmic strings. "However, my bet is that they have something to do with neutron stars, which have provided us [with other] well known (but not completely understood) bright pulses," he says. "I hope I lose that bet."
Neutron stars might be able to produce the pulses when they merge with each other. In the final milliseconds before the merger, the stars' rotation periods and magnetic fields synchronize. Energetic charged particles would spiral along the strong magnetic field lines and emit a beam of radio radiation that would only persist for the few milliseconds remaining before the collision. Such a burst would be detectable across intergalactic space and explain both the duration and strength of these enigmatic signals.
Or do they originate a little closer to home?
Other astronomers think these bursts need not be exotic events at cosmological distances. Several months ago Abraham Loeb (Harvard) and his colleagues suggested that FRBs might instead be eruptions from flare-prone stars in the Milky Way.
If a thick envelope of plasma encased the stars, the electrons in these stellar coronas would be tightly packed enough to create the same observable effect as passing through billions of light-years of intergalactic medium, the team argues.
But neither Spitler nor the team who reported the four FRBs last year finds this argument convincing.
"I can't say that for certain our burst isn't from a galactic source, such as from a stellar corona," says Spitler. But she thinks an extragalactic origin is sounder: if FRBs come from within the Milky Way, they should be concentrated along the galactic plane, yet most have appeared far from it.
But Loeb argues that if the flaring stars are located within a distance smaller than the thickness of the galactic disk, it makes the above argument meaningless.
"When you look at the brightest Sun-like stars in the night sky, you see that they cover the sky uniformly," says Loeb. "The reason is simple: in our galactic neighborhood the distribution of stars is roughly uniform around us. Only when you look at sufficiently faint stars (which are located at distances larger than the height of the disk), you find that they reside in a preferred strip across the sky."
Cordes also argues that although the spread in FRBs' signals might look similar whether they originate at cosmological distances or within stellar corona, the latter would add other effects that are not seen.
So whether or not these signals originate from cosmological distances or within our own Milky Way depends on whom you ask. The study of other astrophysical phenomena, namely gamma-ray bursts and neutron stars, has also played out in this pattern.
While astronomers have only detected a handful of FRBs, they estimate that they might occur roughly 10,000 times a day over the whole sky. Efforts are now under way to detect radio bursts at other facilities. And future observations should settle the debate, helping us to better understand these enigmatic pulses.
L. G. Spitler et al. "Fast Radio Burst Discovered in the Arecibo Pulsar ALFA Survey" The Astrophysical Journal, July 10, 2014
Abraham Loeb et al. "Fast Radio Bursts May Originate From Nearby Flaring Stars" Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, January 2, 2014
T. Totani " Cosmological Fast Radio Bursts From Binary Neutron Star Mergers" Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan, October 25, 2013
D. Thornton et al. "A Population of Fast Radio Bursts at Cosmological Distances" Science, July 5, 2013
Learn more about the mysteries of our universe with our special issue, Astronomy's 60 Greatest Mysteries!
Gregg-Weber
Are they from the same direction?
Is there a time step, where some of these only occure at an equal length of time from eachother as caused by rotation and/or revolution?
Would it be feasible to have other Arecibo telescopes north & south to cover those areas outside the sight of Arecibo?
If a beam, if the width can be found then there is a clue as to how many there are in every direction.
Also are they all equally (sort of) far distant away from us and not of random distances (equal volumn) then this could be something associated with the primitive (and not ours) universe.
As far as galactic source, are these near the galactic plane? Just read on to the answer. If far from galactic plane then would the galactic material jam or block any signal making it hard for a galactic source to be heard?
Can these signals pass through the ionization wall from some further point associated with another Big Bang elsewhere and before ours?
As you can tell, I am typing as I read.
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The PLA always has been a favored subject in propaganda posters. This can be partly explained because the Army itself was a prolific poster producer. When looking at the posters as they have been produced over the years, we can see how the organization saw itself, both as a fighting force and as part of the People's Republic as it was taking shape.


Have you ever wanted to become a K-pop girl group idol? These seven trainees have dreamed of launching their careers in the music and entertainment business, and they now have a chance to compete in this new reality series to win a spot as the newest member of KARA.
The former five-member girl group lost two of its members recently, when Nicole and Ji Young left the group for personal reasons. The remaining three members – Ha Ra, Gyu Ri and Seung Yeon – will star in the new reality series and help pick a new member to join them. Tune in to see who makes the final cut!


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Home Business Newmont Ghana to explore viable economic opportunities for Ahafo community as revised...
Newmont Ghana to explore viable economic opportunities for Ahafo community as revised social responsibility agreement is signed
Vice President, Sustainability and External Relations of Newmont Ghana Gold Mines, Adiki Ayitivie says the Ahafo mines will be working to explore viable economic opportunities in the coming years, intending to generate more employment for the community members.
Speaking at the signing of the revised Ahafo Social Responsibility Agreements, Ms. Ayitivie stressed the need for stakeholders to adopt a new approach to solve the problems of the Ahafo community.
The Agreement, first signed in 2008 through the work of the Ahafo Social Responsibility Forum, covered three thematic areas – Employment, which spells out guidelines for employing locals within the host communities, Foundation, which sets out the terms and conditions under which Newmont Ghana (Ahafo Mine) shall fund the operations of Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation (NADEF), and Relationship, which sets out the understanding reached between the company and the community to advance the sustainable and economic development of the communities.
Adiki Ayitivie, Vice President, Sustainability and External Relations, Newmont Ghana
Obligations under the agreement continue to be funded with a contribution of US$1 per ounce of gold sold and 1 percent of the company's net profit.
This, according to the General Manager of the Ahafo Mine, Okyere Ntrama, runs into US$34.1 Million (106.6M GHS) so far, out of which many developmental projects have been executed to the benefit of the people in Ahafo.
But a reviewed agreement, after much deliberations, was signed on November 22, 2021, at the Ntortroso College of Nursing, between Newmont Ghana, and the host community chiefs and youth leadership, and Directors of NADEF.
Some Newmont Ghana staff
It was witnessed by the Ahafo Regional Minister, George Yaw Boakye, District Chief Executives, Senior staff of the Ahafo Mine, and other stakeholders.
Kenyasi No1 chief, Nana Osei Kofi Abiri l, speaking on behalf of the host community chiefs, said their desire for an increment could not go through for now, except an annual payment of US$300,000 the company offered them for a cross-community project which could focus on sustainable job creation.
"We have agreed to this with our youths for now because we want development. But we will return after 5 years to insist on an upward adjustment of our benefits from the company", he stated.
Some youth leaders
The Vice President, Sustainability and External Relations of Newmont Ghana, Adiki Ayitivie, said after the achievements in the past 13 years, "It is time to build a new Ahafo that reflects the twentieth century and provides more hope for young people within our host communities".
She said this will require "the need to do things differently to address the increasing unemployment challenges and stakeholder desire for modern infrastructure in our towns and villages", explaining her excitement about the provisions in the new Agreement.
Ms. Ayitivie revealed that "through our employment agreement, we are working towards improving our previous commitment of 35% local-local employment by Newmont and its contractors to 40% and progressively improving to 53% by the next Agreement revision".
Despite what she described as a significant step to increase the number of local-local employees at the mines, she added that there is still the need to look at alternative employment opportunities because direct opportunities at Newmont are finite and cannot meet all the demands.
"Over the next couple of years, we will be working with consultants and other social investors to explore viable economic opportunities that will generate more employment for community members", Ms. Ayitivie said.
As they move into the implementation phase of the new agreement, she urged members of the Ahafo Social Responsibility Forum to join hands so that together, they can make the Ahafo aspirations a reality.
Meanwhile, Abdul Karim Yeboah, the youth leader for Kenyasi No1, said they are not entirely happy with the content of the agreement, especially with the profit margins that come to the communities.
Abdul Karim Yeboah, youth leader for Kenyasi No1
"That is why we held on to the signing but, we could also not keep it like that, so we had to allow the process to continue. We hope that subsequent agreements would be far better than this one so that our people would get jobs and live decent lives", he said.
Newmont
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Just when you thought nothing could beat the Bernie side-eye from the last Democratic showdown, here are all the Bernie Sanders finger-waving tweets and memes that give new meaning to being the boss.
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I have a confession. I am trying to lose weight. I seem to have gained about 100 and some odd pounds without noticing it. Well, O.K. I did sort of take a hint when I had to hold my breath to put my pants on. Everyone I met that day told me I was looking red in the face. I just smiled. Couldn't say anything without taking a breath and exploding.
I looked down and couldn't seem to see my feet. Felt a bit of vertigo because, you know, if you can't see your feet, how do you know they are there? Fortunately I took a step forward and one foot emerged at the end of my leg stretched forward. What a relief.
Well this was an eye-opener. I became obsessed. Did anyone else notice? Hmm, perhaps that is what my wife meant when, on seeing me lying on the couch, she commented that I looked like a beached whale. Maybe my daughter was hinting at something similar when she started to call me "Fatty Lumpkin" as a term of endearment.
But when I got out of breath when trying to reach the bread on the top shelf, that was the last straw, or the wheat that broke the camel's back. Actually, I think I was sitting on the camel at the time. Very disconcerting. Yet it was a call to action.
No more bread for dessert. No more bread for snack. No more bread as an appetizer. Did I mention that I ate a lot of bread? As a Polish Jew, this was a habit worse than heroin. I have been shooting up on bread dough and pasta since I was a little boy.
But it wasn't just the bread. I had to eat enough food to make sure there was nothing left.
"They are starving in India and you don't want to eat?" I did my bit to help the people in India and ate my food – and everybody else's. "Look at all the leftovers. It's a sin to throw out good food. Are you sure you couldn't eat more?" I have a compulsion not to leave food on a plate and not to throw it out. In our family, it has become known that if someone doesn't finish a meal, "maybe Daddy will eat it." When I went to all you can eat buffets I tended to bankrupt the restaurant.
I recalled that when I was swimming, running, playing basketball, folk dancing and biking, my size was not too excessive. Now that my activities have changed to watching T.V., lying on the couch, sitting at the computer and singing, I seem to have gained all that weight. Could there be a connection?
So here's my plan. The existence of uneaten food in the world will no longer be my personal responsibility. I will eat less bread. I will consume less food. I will exercise more.
So far, I have lost 20 pounds. According to one of the basic laws of nature, one which I discovered, this weight is not really lost. When I was younger I noticed that every time I gained weight, my friend in Toronto would lose it and every time I lost weight he would gain. This led to my revolutionary discovery of the law of conservation of weight. There is someone in the world who has gained the twenty pounds that I lost. The main thing is not to get distracted from my goal.
By the way, are you going to eat the rest of your muffin? I have a coffee and it seems a tragedy to let good food go to waste. So do me a favour. Don't give it to me. Eat it yourself and gain some pounds that I can then lose.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 13th, 2007 at 3:22 am and is filed under Amusing Observations and humor. Tagged: weightloss. You can feed this entry. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


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Supermac's agreed to cover costs of campaign in forgery row
Fast food firm disowns faked submissions backing its planned service area near Ennis
Fri, Aug 24, 2018, 01:00
Peter Murtagh
Pat McDonagh of Supermac's. Photograph: Joe O'Shaughnessy
Supermac's, the fast food franchise behind a proposal to build a large motorway service station near Ennis, Co Clare, agreed to underwrite the cost of a campaign of submissions to the local authority in support of its plan.
Some 180 submissions were made to Clare County Council, each commanding a fee of €20, suggesting a total cost, which the company says it has not yet paid, of €3,600.
The acknowledgement was made in response to questions from The Irish Times after it emerged that many submissions were forged.
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Asked if Supermac's or its founder, Pat McDonagh, were "aware of any person professionally connected with the planning application being involved in the delivery of the 180 or so submissions", a spokesman for the company responded: "We were offered support for our application by locals. Those offering the support appear to have decided that the support would be better expressed by individual observations on file. Up to that point we believed that the support was by way of a petition, where people would sign a single letter of support.
"It would appear that whoever organised the petition only realised later that there was a fee payable of €20 for each observation and Supermac's was contacted and asked if the company would refund that fee.
"Believing at the time that the submissions would be fully legitimate, the company agreed to pay the local authority fee. No money has been paid by the company to date."
The company said it was "horrified" to learn from the media "that this exercise was not conducted legitimately and disowns the actions taken and wants to distance itself completely from them".
Of the 187 supposedly supportive submissions, 40 people contacted the council on receipt of acknowledgements to say that they had not made any submission and 14 have since made written withdrawals.
Pat Mcdonagh
Clare County Council
Supermac's
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