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Saturday papers – 21 April 2018
Posted by Debbie | Apr 21, 2018 | News | 0 |
Northern Ireland is still a sticking point in the negotiations says the Telegraph.
Britain risks a "disorderly" Brexit after the EU comprehensively rejected proposals for avoiding a hard border in Northern Ireland, Michel Barnier has warned.
The EU's chief Brexit negotiator said that there is still no agreement on 25 per cent of Brexit negotiations, meaning there is a "risk of failure".
It comes after The Telegraph disclosed that Theresa May's plan for avoiding a hard border in Northern Ireland was subjected to a "forensic annihilation" at a meeting between senior EU officials and Olly Robbins, the UK's lead Brexit negotiator.
The Independent claims a solution is down to the British negotiators.
British Brexit negotiators have offered no new specific solution to the Northern Ireland border in the weeks of talks since last month's Brussels summit, The Independent understands.
Brussels sources with knowledge of the discussions said the UK had proposed no changes to the text of the draft withdrawal agreement relating to the border in the latest round of talks.
Instead, the UK team suggested eliminating the need for hard border with Ireland with a "customs partnership" between the EU and Britain that was immediately written off as a "non-starter" by European Commission officials.
The Telegraph claims EU negotiators are delighted with the talks so far.
European officials seem rather pleased with how sharply they rejected their British counterparts' proposals on how to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland, gloating to my colleague Peter Foster that they gave them a "systematic and forensic annihilation" this week.
At least Michel Barnier's team have been able to find something to puff themselves up about, after the deflating experience they had last August when – as we reported – a "young man from Whitehall" tore apart their demands for as much as €100bn in a divorce settlement. "There was total amazement," an EU source lamented at the time.
The Express reports a call on the EU to be a bit more flexible.
A NEW impasse in Brexit talks saw the UK yesterday urge the EU to copy Britain's "spirit of cooperation". It came after claims Brussels officials had delivered a "detailed and forensic rebuttal" of all the UK's proposals to keep the border open in Ireland.
The border issue has been a key sticking point in the Brexit talks.
There are fears that if Brussels refuses to budge the UK could be forced to choose between accepting the reinstatement of a "hard border" between Northern Ireland and Ireland, which it has insisted will not happen, or to stay in the EU customs union.
Reuters reports confidence of a good outcome.
Britain expressed confidence on Friday that no hard border with Ireland would return following Brexit, but European Union negotiators have dismissed a proposal by Britain on how to ensure goods would flow freely after it quits the EU.
At a negotiating session on Wednesday, Brussels officials and diplomats said the EU rejected proposals London first made last summer and introduced into the talks last month. That verdict reflected no change in the positions but put a more formal gloss on the impasse.
A British suggestion that it could form a "customs partnership" with the EU, collecting duties on behalf of the EU while pursuing its own tariff policy and refusing to be bound by EU courts and regulations, was dismissed last year in Brussels as impractical and a threat to the EU market.
The Mirror claims EU negotiators have 'annihilated' British plans.
The EU has reportedly "annihilated" Theresa May's plans for the Irish border after Brexit in a major blow.
Brussels officials delivered "a detailed and forensic rebuttal" that made clear "none of the UK customs options will work – none of them", a source told the Daily Telegraph.
According to the Telegraph, talks on future trade have now been put on hold while Theresa May's Brexit 'war cabinet' meets weekly to resolve the deadlock.
It raises fresh doubts over how Northern Ireland can leave the EU customs union after Brexit along with the rest of the UK.
And the Guardian says all is not cut and dried yet.
The EU's chief negotiator has warned there is still a "risk of failure" in the Brexit negotiations as Brussels continues to reject Britain's proposals on avoiding a hard border in Ireland.
Michel Barnier said on Friday that a quarter of the work needed to complete preparations for the UK to leave the EU next March remained to be done.
"In terms of what has been agreed so far, it's about 75%," he told France 2 television.
Even if Britain and the EU were working towards a British exit from the EU taking place in March 2019, this may not happen if outstanding topics such as Ireland were unresolved, he said.
And BBC News reports confidence as well.
No 10 says it is confident a deal can be done to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland after Brexit despite signs of an impasse over the issue.
The BBC understands UK plans to resolve the matter faced sustained criticism from the EU at a meeting on Wednesday.
The UK wants to use technology to help goods flow freely and avoid regulatory alignment between the North and South.
Downing Street said it did not recognise reports it had been told none of its proposed ideas would work.
The EU wants to present an agreed solution on the issue to a summit meeting of European leaders in June.
Several of the media claim the Prime Minister could face a leadership challenge if she doesn't get a good deal. The Times reports:
Brexiteers warned Theresa May that she could face a leadership challenge if she conceded that Britain should stay in a customs union with Europe.
Downing Street looks likely to duck a fight next week when the first of a series of votes is held. Julian Smith, the Tory chief whip, has declared Thursday's vote on a non-binding motion a one-line whip, meaning that attendance is not compulsory for the party's MPs.
Mrs May will have to overcome Brexit challenges on customs before the summer recess. There are warnings that MPs may start sending no-confidence letters to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench Conservative 1922 Committee. He must start a no confidence vote if he receives 48 letters.
The Mail also reports on Mrs May's problem.
Theresa May could face a challenge to her leadership of the Conservative Party if she allowed Britain to remain in a customs union with the EU after Brexit, it is reported.
The PM has been warned that a concession to keep Britain in the 28-member customs union could prompt a series of no-confidence letters to be sent to a backbench chairman and trigger a leadership contest.
One backbench Tory MP told the website ConservativeHome: 'If there's a cave-in on the customs union, I think there will be a leadership challenge'.
There's good news on post-Brexit trade. Westmonster says:
For all the people living in some kind of hysterical Remoaner bubble, telling themselves that Britain's on the brink of plummeting out of the EU's safety net and into a deep void of bankruptcy and, presumably, chaos, just step back and have a look at the facts…
The next time somebody asks you: "Where are all those trade deals then?" show them this:
Aussie Trade Minister Steven Ciobo said: "We share big ambitions on what the UK and Australia can do on global trade. We would like to commence negotiations at the start of the interim period, with a view to concluding it during the interim period and have it come into force on the 1st January, 2021."
But the country's Foreign Minister admits that the trade deal couldn't happen if Britain stayed in a Customs Union with the EU.
But the Sun reports a warning.
AUSTRALIA has warned Remainer MPs that staying in the EU customs union would kill an Oz trade deal.
It came as Singapore offered a rapid agreement with Britain to prevent a "hard stop" after Brexit.
Australia's foreign minister Julie Bishop said her government also sees "enormous opportunities for more trade and investment".
But she warned rebel MPs in Westminster not to blow the chances when they vote next week on whether to try to keep Britain shackled to Brussels tariff and customs rules.
She said that would mean "the opportunity for us to enter a free trade agreement with the UK standing alone would not be achievable".
The question of how much we'll have to pay Brussels in the 'divorce bill' is considered by Sky News.
A senior MP has claimed the final figure for the Brexit divorce bill is "shrouded in uncertainty", after a watchdog stressed the current estimate is based on a number of assumptions.
The Government has put forward £35-£39bn as the likely sum, an estimate the National Audit Office (NAO) has described as "reasonable".
But the financial watchdog has warned "relatively small changes to some assumptions about future events" could see that sum rise further.
And Breitbart.
The National Audit Office (NAO) has warned that the so-called 'divorce bill' the government has promised to pay the EU could be billions of pounds higher than estimated.
Prime Minister Theresa May had suggested British taxpayers will fork over £35-39 billion to the EU as the price of Brexit — despite having put tens of billions more into the bloc than it has received from it over four decades — based on an agreed formula.
But the NAO has warned that "the EU commission could skew future decisions" in order to significantly increase that sum, The Telegraph reports.
But it seems the EU is being torn apart by the negotitions, says Express.
BREXIT is quite literally dividing the entire European Union with leaders from across the bloc struggling to work out how to handle the UK's divorce and with MEPs getting a vote in the European Parliament they play a huge role in the split.
However, MEPs from across the political spectrum with eurosceptic and pro-European politicians have joined up to build a consensus that will ultimately protect the European Union as well as their own agendas.
Nigel Farage's EFDD group houses 45 MEPs who are critical of the EU in their own different ways, while Parliament's largest group the EPP has 219 representatives wholeheartedly behind the Brussels project – including two British Remainers who left their fellow Conservatives to rejoin the EPP in 2017.
In other news, the Mail reports on the suggested health tax.
A cabinet minister criticised Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt's idea of an NHS tax as a 'bad thing' last night.
Liz Truss, who is the deputy to Chancellor Philip Hammond, said health spending should be funded from general taxation like other public services.
Her remarks expose the splits at the top of Government over how to raise more money for the health service.
Theresa May wants to raise NHS spending – on top of funding increases already announced. But there is disagreement between ministers over how to provide the cash.
Mr Hunt is thought to back a so-called hypothecated tax covering NHS spending, meaning all revenue from a particular levy would be directed to the health service.
Modern slavery sometimes involves children, says the Times.
Children lured to Britain on the promise of trials at Premier League football clubs are among thousands of slaves whose captors are evading justice.
Only 6 per cent of crimes recorded by police forces under the Modern Slavery Act have led to charges since the legislation was introduced in 2015, figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show. Of the 5,145 suspected slaves referred to the national safeguarding programme last year, 2,118 or (41 per cent) were under 18. Exploitation of children and teenagers increased 66 per cent on the previous year, with total referrals up from 3,804.
Police forces were accused yesterday of failing to adequately investigate modern slavery.
The Times has the story of one child.
A young lad turned up alone at the reception desk at White Hart Lane a few years ago saying that he had come from overseas. He was expecting a trial at Tottenham Hotspur.
The boy, who seemed to be in his teens, claimed that he had already had a trial with one London team and the Premier League club would be his second. Alarm bells rang. There was no trial. The other London club was contacted and confirmed that there had been no trial for the youngster. Spurs' safeguarding procedures kicked in. The police and local authorities were contacted, as well as officials at the French embassy because the boy spoke the language.
And the Mail tells the story in one house.
Among the last remaining long-term residents of their inner-city street, the comings and goings at the rented mid-terrace Edwardian house raised an eyebrow or two.
First there were its inhabitants, hollow-eyed and gaunt, among them a shaven-headed youth so thin 'he looked like he was from The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas', the Holocaust movie set in a Nazi extermination camp.
Then there was the fact that the occupants never used the front door, preferring instead to come and go via a back gate secured with a heavy-duty lock.
Most strange of all was the behaviour of two people spotted at the rear of the property one day.
'They dragged a mattress out into the garden and used a hedge-cutter to chop it in two,' the neighbour said. 'I thought they were throwing it out, but they took the two halves back into the house.
The Times has a story of reduced schooling.
A primary school in Birmingham has announced plans to cut its week to just four and a half days in a bid to slash teaching costs by more than £100,000.
Bordesley Green Primary School is the latest school to reveal plans to allow pupils to take a half day on Fridays, amid wider calls from head teachers for a shorter school week to help them to cope with tight budgets. The school said it would save £100,000 in costs and free up extra time for teachers to plan lessons.
Carole Harris, the school's head teacher, told parents of the school's 744 pupils that teachers could do their planning and preparation on Friday afternoons without needing to bring in supply teachers to cover them.
Will we still have to allow EU residents into the country after Brexit? The Sun reports.
DOWNING Street sparked a bitter immigration row today by refusing to rule out preferential treatment for EU migrants post Brexit.
As the Commonwealth summit continued to be engulfed by the Windrush row, the PM's spokesman said any details "would be a matter for future immigration policy".
He added the Government would take the views of "different groups" including business organisations.
It came just hours after Brexit-backing Tories implored the PM to implement an immigration system that was "fair for all" when we leave the EU.
Some fear Home Secretary Amber Rudd is spearheading calls for the UK to offer a preferential deal on EU nationals to boost the chance of a trade agreement with Brussels.
Windrush generation
And in the other immigration story, it seems that records have not all been destroyed, says the Mail.
The arrival records for tens of thousands of immigrants from the Windrush generation have been found in the National Archives.
The find strengthen the cases for those trying to prove they are British citizens who were being told they had to leave the UK.
The ledger, found after an investigation by the Financial Times, shows arrivals at ports until 1960 with more than 85,000 people arriving from Caribbean countries.
These include citizens who arrived from the Caribbean on Empire Windrush in 1948 – it was the ship's name that would come to define the generation.
The information, compiled by the Board of Trade, could proof vital in helping those under threat claim UK citizenship.
But those who have suffered could be compensated, says the Independent.
Members of the Windrush generation wrongly hit by the scandal of the immigration crackdown will receive "compensation", Theresa May has announced.
The payments – which No 10 says will go further than the simple reimbursement of costs incurred – will "resolve the anxiety and problems" they have suffered, the prime minister said.
More than 280 people have so far contacted a Home Office helpline for members of the Windrush generation with concerns about their migration status, prompting speculation the bill could run to millions.
Closing the Commonwealth summit, Ms May acknowledged the scandal that has overshadowed the event – caused by her own tough immigration rules, critics say.
And BBC News also carries the story.
Theresa May has said that members of the Windrush generation who have been treated unfairly by the Home Office are to be compensated "where appropriate".
The PM said this will be offered to resolve the "anxieties and problems".
Some people who came to the UK from the Commonwealth decades ago have been threatened with deportation or refused jobs or healthcare.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that the National Archives hold arrival records for thousands of those people.
These records could help some of the Windrush generation who are struggling to prove they are in the UK legally.
The bastion of our democracy is crumbling away, says the Mail.
A football sized chunk of masonry has broken away from a stone angel on parliament's Victoria Tower and plummeted 230ft (70m) to the ground.
The chunk of stone missed pedestrians but police cordoned off an entrance to the Houses of Parliament and the garden beside it as a safety measure.
In October, an MP's car windscreen was smashed when a piece of masonry fell from a building.
The car belonged to Tory MP Michael Ellis but colleagues said accident showed why Parliament needs urgent repairs.
The Palace of Westminster is in line for a major renovation expected to cost up to £3.9billion, but so far MPs have failed to reach a consensus on whether they should move out while the work is done.
Enjoy the sunshine – it's not going to last, says the Sun.
FORECASTERS have warned of snow next week – after Brits bask in the 29C heatwave over the tropical weekend.
Following sunny days for the UK this week thunderstorms are predicted for Saturday and Sunday, as snow could return to Scottish highlands and northern parts of the UK.
After many delighted sunbathers put away their winter wear for good as the mercury soared this week, cooler air is predicted to return.
There is a risk of frost and wintry showers on the way, according to the Weather Channel, as higher parts of Scotland could see temperatures plummet to -3C.
Wales and parts of northern England may see some snowfall from the middle of next week – a staggering thought after Brits just experienced the hottest day of the year.
PreviousWHY ARE WE IN THE EU FOR TRADE?
NextThoughts on the April 2018 US UK French missile attack on Syria
Debbie has been a journalist for longer than she cares to admit! She has been freelance for the last 15 years and is deputy editor on INDEPENDENCE Daily, specialising in covering the morning press each day.
The EU: Intolerant of Tolerance
Daily News Brief – Friday 23rd January 2015
News review – Tuesday 29 January 2019
Courant Times – Tuesday 30th December 2014


Leo "The Lip" Durocher (1905-1991) became baseball's highest paid manager during his tenure with the Brooklyn Dodgers. His famous saying, "Nice Guys Finish Last," has been disproved by Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway. Read about Leo Durocher in Money Secrets of the Rich and Famous. A Leo Durocher autograph is a big hit for many collectors. This reproduction would look great in an album or display.


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#region license
// Copyright (c) 2007-2010 Mauricio Scheffer
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
//      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.
#endregion

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Globalization;

namespace SolrNet.Impl.FieldSerializers {
    /// <summary>
    /// Serializes datetime fields
    /// </summary>
    public class DateTimeFieldSerializer : AbstractFieldSerializer<DateTime> {
        public static readonly string DateTimeFormat = "yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss.FFF'Z'";

        public static string SerializeDate(DateTime dt) {
            return dt.ToString(DateTimeFormat, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);
        }

        public override IEnumerable<PropertyNode> Parse(DateTime obj) {
            yield return new PropertyNode {
                FieldValue = SerializeDate(obj),
            };
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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The Rotunda is fantastic at 50
Birmingham's landmark building, The Rotunda, celebrates its 50th birthday.
Justine Halifax
Birmingham's Grade II-listed Rotunda building celebrates 50 years
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BirminghamLive - Birmingham Weekly Nostalgia Email UpdatesInvalid EmailSomething went wrong, please try again later.
It is a landmark building in Birmingham that is half a century old this year.
Now a Grade II-listed building, the 266 feet-high Rotunda opened back in 1965 to become the most recognisable landmark on Birmingham's skyline.
Work to create the circular office block began in 1961 and by the time of its completion 50 years ago it had cost £1 million.
The innovative design, which was unique at the time, features a central, reinforced concrete core column with the weight of the floors supported by perimeter columns as well as the core.
It is a little known fact, but it was originally intended to look like a candle.
Planners had also envisaged having a cinema and a rotating restaurant on the top floor, but these ideas were later ditched after the shell was built.
The Rotunda's strong construction was hailed for saving it from collapse when in 1974 the IRA blew up the Mulberry Bush pub on the ground floor, as well as the Tavern in the Town around the corner, in a massacre that killed 21 people.
The top of the Rotunda was often used as a prominent position to advertise, with a huge Coca Cola sign one of the most memorable brands to adorn the top.
Although it was much derided, the suggestion that the Rotunda be demolished in the 1980s as part of the redevelopment of the whole Bull Ring area was met with fierce opposition.
By the time of its revival in 2004 it was in need of a little bit of loving care and its transformation was finally unveiled in 2008. Now the building houses l uxury and serviced apartments for residents and visitors .
Architect Glenn Howell, who redesigned the building, said: " The Rotunda is an extremely important project in that it has given us the opportunity to give the next lease of life to a building that has defined Birmingham for the last 50 years."
Birmingham Pub Bombings
Bullring
Remembering summers at 'Birmingham-on-Sea' - Weston-super-Mare
Summer HolidaysDonkey rides, the Grand Pier - and beach races on motorbikes
Chopstix noodles bar opens in Redditch's Kingfisher Centre - how to get free food there
Aston Villa FCAston Villa tipped to seal Liverpool transfer after Steven Gerrard commentsLatest Aston Villa transfer news from BirminghamLive brings what has been said about a potential move for Nathaniel Phillips by Steven Gerrard's Lions this month

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Posts Tagged 'lawsuits'
Indiana High Court Rules Against Track Worker
An Indiana court has ruled that the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District is a "political subdivision" of the state.
The Indiana Supreme Court made the finding in upholding a lower court ruling involving a case in which a track worker filed a claim for damages after he injured his shoulder while driving spikes.
NICTD operates the South Shore Line commuter service between Chicago and South Bend, Indiana.
The injury to the track worker occurred in Illinois and the injured worker, Clarence Lowe, of Hobart, Indiana, has originally sued NICTD in an Illinois court.
After that court dismissed the claim because NICTD did not give consent to being sued in Illinois, Lowe filed a notice of tort claim in Indiana in October 2018.
The issue in the case decided by the Indiana high court was whether NICTD was a "political subdivision" of the state.
If so, then claims against it must be filed within 180 days of the date of the injury. However, Lowe filed his notice of tort claim 263 days after he had been injured.
In his petition to the Indiana Supreme Court, Lowe argued that federal law enabled him to sue NICTD within 270 days of an injury.
That contention was rejected by the Indiana Court of Appeals, which dismissed Lowe's lawsuit against NICTD because it had not been filed within 180 days of his injury.
Tags:Indiana Supreme Court, lawsuits, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, railroad lawsuits, South Shore Line
Posted in Railroad News | Leave a Comment »
Court Consolidates Vaccine Rule Lawsuits
A federal court in Illinois has consolidated lawsuits involving Class 1 railroads and their unions over COVID-19 vaccine requirements.
The action was taken by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and involves Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, BNSF, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and two other unions.
The Class 1 railroads have cited a federal executive order in requiring their workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.
The unions argue that the vaccine edict by the carriers violates the collective bargaining process.
In a related development, unions representing Amtrak workers have filed suit over the passenger's carrier's vaccination requirement.
BLET and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) said they generally support vaccination but want Amtrak to engage in collective bargaining over the issue.
The unions claim Amtrak is negotiating directly with employees rather than talking with their unions.
The lawsuit against Amtrak raised many of the same issues as those in the litigation involving NS and UP.
Amtrak is requiring its workers to submit proof of vaccination before Dec. 8. Those workers who have received just dose of the vaccine have until Jan. 4, 2022, to show proof of being full vaccinated.
The carrier has threatened to fire workers who failed to comply with the rules.
Tags:Amtrak, BNSF, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, COVID-19 vaccine, lawsuits, litigation, Norfolk Southern, Railroad labor unions, railroad lawsuits, SMART Transportation Division, Union Pacific
Jury Sides With CSX in Civil Case
A Pennsylvania jury found CSX to be no negligent during a jury trial in a federal district court for injuries suffered by a pedestrian struck by a train in January 2013.
The case, which was heard in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, involved a lawsuit filed by Jonathan Lopex, 34, who suffered the loss of a leg below the knee and brain damage.
He had sought more than $2 million in damages in the civil action.
Attorneys for Lopez said the crew of the train failed to exercise reasonable care by allowing the train to travel in excess of the speed limit and failing to stop the train to avoid striking Lopez.
CSX countered that Lopez was primarily responsible for the accident because he was walking with his head down and listening to music.
The railroad's attorneys contended that had Lopez listened for the locomotive bell, horn and ambient noise he would have hear the train coming.
The accident occurred at a public grade crossing with warning lights. Evidence introduced at trial indicated the train was traveling between 11 and 14 mph on a segment of track where the top speed is 11 mph.
Tags:CSX, lawsuits, railroad lawsuits
Indiana High Court to Review NICTD Status
The legal status of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District will be reviewed by the Indiana Supreme Court.
The case stems from a lawsuit filed by a Hobart, Indiana, man who was injured while working on a South Shore Line track maintenance project.
NICTD oversee the South Shore, which operates commuter trains between Chicago and South Bend, Indiana.
A lower court had ruled that NICTD is an arm of the state for some matters but not for others. In the latter, NICTD is a political subdivision of the state just as is a city.
The lawsuit in question challenges NICTD holding both statuses at the same time.
The plaintiff had initially filed suit in Illinois then sought to file suit in Indiana but missed the filing deadline.
NICTD argues that the lower-court decision be upheld because its unique status has been recognized in Indiana and Illinois courts for decades.
Tags:Indiana Supreme Court, lawsuits, NICTD, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, South Shore Line
Union Sues CSX Over Payroll Errors
CSX has been sued by the union representing its maintenance-of-way workers over what the lawsuit alleges is the failure of the company to correct payroll errors that resulted from a new payment system.
The lawsuit was filed in a federal district court in Kentucky by the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division Allied Federation.
The union contends that CSX unilateral implemented its TimeTrax program in violation of a requirement to reach agreement with the union before making changes in rates, terms, and working conditions.
Other allegations in the lawsuit are that payroll errors are widespread and that some workers have seen their paychecks shorted by thousands of dollars.
CSX and the union had sought to reach an out-of-court agreement, but the union said settlement discussions have failed.
"We have asked that all the problems be resolved, but management still does not appear to recognize that TimeTrax is a serious problem, let alone one that should have been fixed already," said BMWED Allied Federal General Chairman Dennis Albers said in a statement.
Tags:Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division, CSX, lawsuits, Railroad labor unions, railroad lawsuits
Lawsuit Against NS on Hold During Talks
A lawsuit against Norfolk Southern by the City of Bluefield, West Virginia, is on hold after the two sides began talks to resolve a dispute over a bridge.
Bluefield said last month it would sue NS over the 2019 closing of the Grant Street Bridge. City officials said closing the bridge cut off a direct route between downtown and the city's east and north sides.
Mayor Ron Washington said there is no assurance that the talks will result in a satisfactory outcome but "we believe that they (NS) have approached us in good faith."
The city took steps to initiate litigation, saying NS had failed to meet its obligations to maintain the bridge.
Tags:Bluefield West Virginia, lawsuits, litigation, Norfolk Southern
W.Va. City Wants NS to Reopen Bridge
A West Virginia city is going to court to try to reverse Norfolk Southern's closure of a bridge in June 2019.
The city of Bluefield said it will sue the railroad over its closure of the Grant Street bridge, which city officials say connects the east end and north side of town with the central business district.
Bluefield's City Board of Directions authorized the lawsuit, citing a lack of communication from the railroad.
City officials plan to cite a 1940 agreement that requires the railroad to maintain the steel superstructure and masonry supports of the bridge.
Since the closure of the bridge, residents have been forced to use a narrow road, which has resulted in an increase in the response time for emergency vehicles.
Tags:Bluefield West Virginia, lawsuits, Norfolk Southern, West Virginia
States Sue to Stop LNG by Rail Rule
Fourteen states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit this week seeking to overturn a rule by the U.S. Department of Transportation allowing the bulk transport by rail of liquefied natural gas.
The suit, which was filed in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, cites health and safety concerns.
The rule, originally promulgated by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration would permit bulk transport by rail of LNG.
That agency worked in tandem with the Federal Railroad Administration to write the rule, which became final in June.
The states filing the lawsuit included California, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
They were joined by several environmental groups led by Earthjustice.
They are contending that PHMSA's failure to evaluate the environmental impacts of the rule is unlawful, and the rule lacks the necessary safety requirements to minimize the risk to public safety associated with transporting LNG by rail.
Most of the same states had during the rule making process opposed the rule.
The states said they will argue in court that the final rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act, National Environmental Policy Act and Hazardous Materials Transportation Act.
Tags:Federal Railroad Administration, lawsuits, liquefied natural gas by rail, LNG by rail, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, U.S. Department of Transportation
Agency Wants RR Conversations used in Court
Discussions among Class 1 railroads about fuel prices should not be excluded from being introduced during litigation involving alleged price fixing the U.S. Department of Justice argued recently in a court filing.
The agency filed a legal brief saying the broad application of law that the railroads are seeking the court to adopt "would exclude critical evidence of antitrust violations."
The litigation, which dates to 2007, involved dozens of lawsuits filed against BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific.
The lawsuits allege that the railroads coordinated the imposition of fuel surcharges and that conspiracy led to billions of dollars in profit.
The railroads have contended that an obscure federal law protects such conversations among carriers.
Tags:BNSF, class 1 railroads, CSX, lawsuits, litigation, Norfolk Southern, railroad fuel surcharges, U.S. Department of Justice, Union Pacific
Amtrak Seeks Dismissal of Arbitration Lawsuit
Amtrak is seeking to have a court dismiss a lawsuit that contends the passenger carrier violated the law when it included a mandatory arbitration clause in its condition of carriage contract.
Amtrak attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the suit, claiming the plaintiffs lack standing to sue and that the constitutional claims made in the lawsuit are invalid.
The lawsuit was filed by Public Citizen, an advocacy group on behalf of consumer rights.
In its motion, Amtrak said one of the two listed plaintiffs has not bought an Amtrak ticket and neither of the listed plaintiffs have been subjected to the arbitration clause.
As for the constitutional claims in the lawsuit, Amtrak said it "is not the government for purposes of implementing an arbitration agreement and so no constitutional claim can stand."
The passenger carrier argued that even if a court were to rule that it is considered the government, "it is well established that government arbitration poses no per se constitutional problem."
Amtrak lawyers have also argued that the lawsuits constitutional arguments are "so expansive in application that they could derail both public and private arbitration."
Tags:Amtrak, arbitration, binding arbitration, lawsuits


Premiere: Internationales Gitarrenfestival Hersbruck, 2016.
Note: Guitar 4 doubles electric guitar, ad lib.
Premiere: Jazz Festival am Bahnhof Salzburg, 2016.
Commission: Internationales Gitarrenfestival Passauer Saiten.
Premiere: Eröffnungskonzert, Kloster Niederburg, Aula (21.3.2016).
Flute: Vera Klug, Guitar: Yvonne Zehner.
Commission: Ensemble cross.art / Literary Summer Stuttgart in Homage to Johann Peter Hebel.
Premiere: Catholic Church Hausen im Wiesenthal (April 22, 2010).
Premiere: Republic – State of the Arts, Salzburg (May 17, 2008).
Electric guitar: Ronny Wiesauer, Classical guitar: Kostas Tosidis.
Commission: Otto Mauer Foundation, Vienna.
Premiere: Aula Magna Rectorado, Carlos III University, Madrid (April 16, 2008).
Premiere: Solitär Salzburg (October 20, 2007).
Instrumentation: Flute, clarinet, piano, violin, cello.
Commission: The Korean Society of the 21st Century Music.
Premiere: Chamber Music Today Festival, Seoul (March 28, 2007).
Instrumentation: Saxophone, violin, piano, percussion.
Premiere: Hamburger Klangwerktage – Festival for Contemporary Music, Hamburg (October 8, 2006).
Ensemble Modern – IEMA Frankfurt (Cond. Nacho de Paz).
Text: "Schwarze Milch" by Paul Celan.
Commission: Mauthausen Concentration Camp Memorial.
Premiere: Mauthausen Concentration Camp, Linz (May 11, 2005).
Bass clarinets: Theodor Burkali, Fritz Kronthaler.
Text: Impulses from "I used to always wear my watch on the left hand" by Marios Joannou Elia (in English).
Duration: 6′:30″ (Short version: 3′:30″).
Commission: Mozarteum Salzburg, Eliot Fisk's Guitar and Friends, Salzburg.
Electric Guitars: Günter Wiesauer, Ronald Wiesauer.
Text: "Moments of the Invasion" by Costas Montis, Quotations by Montis and Paracelsus (in English).
Commission: stART Festival aktueller Musik, Salzburg.
Premiere: Lutosławski Festival, Warsaw Philharmonic (February 14, 2005).
Premiere with amplification: Konzerthaus Berlin (June 18, 2006).
Ensemble Modern, Frankfurt (Cond. Titus Engel), Sound projection: Norbert Ommer.
Commission: Chamber Music Festival, Basel.
Premiere: Grosser Saal of Musik-Akademie Basel (June 28, 2004).
Ensemble Phoenix, Basel (Cond. Jürg Henneberger).
Text: Traditional folk song "Four and four" (in Cypriot Greek).
Commission: Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation.
Premiere: Orangerie Darmstadt, Internationale Ferienkurse (July 17, 2008).
Recorder: Lisa Kortleitner, Verena Wüsthoff, Double bass: Dario Danone, Margarethe Maierhofer-Lischka, Fernando Yakoto deos Santos, Conductor: Eduardo Strausser, Répétiteur: Uli Fussenegger, Jeremias Schwarzer.
Instrumentation: Clarinet, trombone, percussion, harp, viola, cello, double bass.
Premiere: Rachmaninov Hall of Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Moscow (May 11, 2010).
Studio for New Music Ensemble, Moscow (Cond. Roland Freisitzer).
Instrumentation: Bassoon, violin, guitar, accordion.
Commission: Carl Michael Ziehrer Foundation, Vienna.
Premiere: Orangerie Darmstadt, Internationale Ferienkurse (August 18, 2006).
Accordion: Davide Vendramin, Bassoon: Elise Jacoberger, Bassoon assistance: Yohann Deigers, Violin: Nataliya Demina, Guitar: Matthias Koole, Conductor: Daniel Carberg.
Commission: Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture.
Premiere: Royal Northern College of Music (September 19, 2003).
Instrumentation: Flute in A, bass clarinet, percussion, piano, cello.
Text: "Burning Words" by Marios Joannou Elia (in English).
Premiere: Dartington Festival, Devon (August 8, 2003).
Dartington Festival Ensemble, Répétiteur: David Bedford.
Premiere with electric guitars: Kettle's Yard Cambridge, Cambridge University New Music Ensemble (November 8, 2002).
Premiere with classical guitars: Vienna Guitar Festival, ORF Radiokulturhaus (April 1, 2005).
Violin: Amiram Ganz, Guitars: Maria Isabel Siewers.
Text: "The mad pomegranate tree" by Odysseas Elytis.
Premiere: Mozarteum Foundation Salzburg, Vienna Hall (March 21, 2002).
Horn: Traianos Eleftheriades, Tuba: Christian Penz.
Premiere of short version: Musica Viva, Munich (June 27, 2008).
Soloists of Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Horn: Ursula Kepser, Tuba: Stefan Tischler.
Commission: International Society for Polyaesthetic Education.
Premiere: International Symposium of the IGPE, Weinberg Castle – Knight's Hall, Upper Austria (as part of the homonymous children's music theatre) (July 4, 2002).
Cello: Michaela Schwarzbauer, Guitar: Marios Joannou Elia.
Note: There is also a version for solo guitar entitled ONTOLOGIE PARALLEL (PARALLEL ONTOLOGY).
Premiere: Savarez-Corelli Chamber Music Festival, Schloss Frohnburg Palace, Salzburg (June 21, 2005).
Guitar: Kostas Tosidis, Yorgos Nousis.
Premiere: Teatro di Villa Mazzacorati di Bologna (August 2, 2003) (see Solo Music).


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Chasing the sun in Marlborough
From Maruia Hot Springs I continued northward bound, having been invited to stay with my new friends from The Humpridge Track. Rick and Barb live next door to Marg in Renwick, in the middle of the wine growing Marlborough Region, and they hosted me in a little self contained cottage for a few days whilst I explored the area.
On my way to Renwick I popped in to the DOC visitor centre in St Arnaud to discuss tramping options in Nelson Lakes National Park, and the lady at the desk was very helpful. I had already mapped out an itinerary for a nine day tramp and she helped me with logistical advice regarding the various route options to Angelus Hut, which is best walked when the weather is fine and not blowing a veritable gale.
I continued on to Renwick, and my friends, and spent a pleasant couple of days going to the opera and having lunch at one of the nearby wineries.
Unfortunately, the weather window for walking my preferred route in Nelson Lakes closed, as cold fronts began to threaten significant snowfall to all the alpine regions of the Southern Alps. The only area that appeared to be in a rain shadow was the Mt Richmond Forest Park to the north of us. So I cobbled together a five day itinerary walking the Pelorus Track, and set off.
Part of the track is shared with the Te Araroa, the long distance pathway from Cape Reinga to Bluff. It is now very late in the walking season for TA walkers, so I was hopeful that none of the huts would be full, as I elected not to bring a tent. Most of the huts would only be 6-8 bunk occupancy, so there was always the risk of meeting a large party, particularly on Friday or Saturday night. The huts are on a first come basis, but usually people will squeeze up and share mattresses if need be, though I am yet to be in that situation. Many of the very popular huts now require bookings, and have resident wardens during the busy season, because overuse is becoming a big issue. But get away from the super popular walks, and huts are often empty.
I drove to Pelorus Bridge, turned left and followed the river road to the road end, where I parked my car, shouldered my backpack, and set off, around 10:45am. My walk was only to the first hut at Captains Creek, said to take 4 hours, so I took my time enjoying the walk high above the river, which was in flood following the previous two days of heavy rain. Numerous waterfalls were plunging into the river, and the track was a little slippery in places, but otherwise, was not a bad track at all. I met a school group walking out and chatted to their teacher, but met no other trampers.
At Captain's Creek Hut the river flowed in a huge crescent, and would make a lovely swimming spot in warmer weather. I got the fire going in the hut and spent a pleasant night reading my book, The Hidden Life of Trees, which was perfect subject matter for appreciating the beech forests I was walking through.
Day 2 dawned sunny again, so I continued upriver 2 hours to Middy Hut, then a further four hours to Roebuck Hut. The track deteriorated after the intersection with the track to Rocks Hut, as the route through to Roebuck Hut along the Pelorus is no longer part of Te Araroa, so gets considerably less foot traffic. It was mossy and very slippery, and an inevitable fall or two saw me sporting a few bruises by the end of the day. Roebuck Hut is situated on the other side of the river, necessitating a crossing by swing bridge, and careful sidling along a rock ledge to get to it. But an awesome location.
Overnight it rained heavily, but I was snug in my hut, and it dawned to another sunny day. The temperature was only around 6-10 degrees, which is perfect walking weather, especially in the beech forest which maintains its own humid microclimate. Back across the rock ledge and swing bridge, then the track leaves the river and climbs a ridge all day to meet back up with the Te Araroa track at Totara Saddle. With the rain overnight the track is again slippery, but not nearly as bad as yesterday's track.
At Totara Saddle I head downhill to Browning Hut. I was worried that the 8 bunk hut might be full, as it's Saturday night, and only a 2-3 hour walk in from a road end near Nelson. The track is steep and washed out, so it's quite a muddy scramble down to the Hut, which was empty! Yet another night by myself in a backcountry hut.
The next morning I met a young hunter on his way up the hill, and later a group of five on their way back from Rocks Hut, my destination for the day. From Totara Saddle the track heads up a ridge line and above the treeline for a while, allowing for expansive views in all directions. There are some impressive peaks within the Park, but I'm climbing none of them.
The track re-enters forest, there's a considerable amount of fallen trees to skirt around, and then a bit more tramping till I reach Rocks Hut. This is a big 16 bunk Hut and even has flush toilets, but again, I have it to myself. I drop my pack and head up to the nearby lookout above the treeline to survey the view and plan my next day's route.
My initial plan was to continue along the ridgeline, climbing Dun Mountain and then a further two peaks to arrive at Maungatapu Saddle, where a four wheel drive track returns to the road where I'd left my car. Some of the route is above the treeline, meaning it's exposed to the weather, but a considerable portion is back within beech forest, which may or may not have more fallen trees obscuring the route. This route is also not frequently used, so I have no notion of how hard the walk is, but the whole day's walk would be over 20km. I scope the route from the lookout, and begin to doubt my ability to complete it within daylight hours.
The Pelorus Track has been a harder track than those I've done recently, and I'm tired after 4 days of difficult tramping. I took longer than the advertised time to walk from Totara Saddle to Rocks Hut, along a well used route, so my feeling is that the Bryant Range walk will take at least 6 hours, and then the walk down the 4x4 track could take many hours more. I decide to get up early the next morning and make my decision then.
As it darkens I hear the piercingly shrill sound of something out there. Being of stern stuff I go outside to take a look and the noise gets even louder.
It's just a Weka, a harmless flightless bird that has a bit of a reputation for being an annoying scavenger. It turns out not to be an axe murderer after all, so I return inside the hut for a cosy night by the fire.
The wind is gusty, and it's overcast at first light, but that soon clears to a sunny day. I am still apprehensive about my ability to complete the ridge walk, so decide to err on the side of caution and return to my car via Middy Hut and Captain's Creek Hut. This means repeating a small section of track I walked in on, but will be considerably quicker, even though it too is close to 20km long.
The walk down from Rocks to Middy only takes 2 hours, and another 2 hours to Captain's Creek Hut, where I stop for lunch. I feel fatigued, particularly on the uphill sections, of which there aren't that many as I am heading downstream this time. I realise I made the right decision, as the ridge walk involved a fair amount of ascending. I take my time walking the final 3 hours out to my car, then drive back to my friends' place in Renwick to a hot shower, dinner and bed.
And check out that bruise!!
After a couple of days resting, and preparation for my next tramp, it's onwards to Nelson, and Abel Tasman National Park.
That's next...
Labels: Marlborough, Mt Richmond Forest Park, new zealand, Pelorus Track, Renwick, Te Araroa, tramping, tramps
5 Days walking the St James
Steampunk and heading north


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Home Create Nightclub THUR [12.31] – Oliver Heldens @ Create Nightclub
Filed Under: Create Nightclub Tagged With: Create, Create Nightclub, Insomniac, Insomniac Events, New Years Eve, Oliver Heldens, SBE
THUR [12.31] – Oliver Heldens @ Create Nightclub
Thursday [12.31] – Oliver Heldens @ Create Nightclub
Tickets – Click Here [Use code: NOGL for 20% off tickets!] | Guestlist – Not Available
Oliver Heldens – At the mere age of 17, Oliver Heldens was signed to Spinnin' Records, the most renowned label in dance music. With the release of his hit single "Gecko" in 2013 he reached the #1 spot in the UK chart, a #2 spot in Beatport's top 100 and it held the #1 spot on the Deep House chart for over a month. After the success of 'Gecko' Oliver hit the UK Charts again with 'Koala' followed by collaborations with Sander van Doorn, Zeds Dead and Shaun Frank to name a few. He has established residencies at two of the most prestigious nightclubs in the world – Omnia in Las Vegas and Ushuaïa in Ibiza. Now just a few years after his first record deal, Heldens who was already named 'Artist to Watch' by Rolling Stone launched his own record label Heldeep Records and revealed himself as HI-LO, who is responsible for the first release on Heldeep Records. We can reinsure you that this 20-year-old has a long music career ahead of him and he will continue to bring a unique, refreshing sound that bridges the gap between EDM and the underground.


It's time for another monthly grocery haul post! In fact, it's been a rather long time since the last one. Unless I skipped posting about it, it would appear the last one was in October. That's probably right. We went to Belize in November so I skipped that one. For December Lisa and I did a "fun" shopping trip rather than groceries. And then I did the No-Spend Challenge in January. So here we are in February, getting back to our usual routine.
Lisa (Retro Housewife Goes Green) and I headed out of town a little before 10 a.m. last Friday. Our first stop, as usual, was for lunch. This time we chose Tucker's, a small local chain with delicious onion burgers. They've recently added a chicken sandwich to the menu so I tried that this time. If you followed my Instagram Stories Friday you probably saw a picture of it. The thing was HUGE! And very messy. It was good but I think I like the burger better.
After we were fueled up, we made brief stops at Michael's and Target before starting the grocery shopping. I needed larger rings for my Happy Planner from Michael's and found some white plates at Target. I've been looking for some to use when photographing food for Life With Dee. I bought two different styles (one of each) which you'll see in upcoming photos.
We shopped at four stores – Sprouts, Natural Grocers, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. In that order.
Sprouts often has good sales and reasonable prices so we started there. We did experience a little excitement this time. A man stole a woman's wallet while we were in the store. She took off after him, racing through the store yelling at him to stop. He ended up dropping her wallet in the parking lot and someone got his license number. I walked her to her car and wished her a better day. She was actually quite calm about the whole thing. I made the comment that I hoped they caught him to which she replied, "Me, too. Although I do feel sorry for him because we don't know what drove him to do such a thing.". I thought that was a rather compassionate viewpoint and made me wish I would have had the opportunity to get acquainted with her.
There was no way I could open my car door (the picture is a bit deceiving and the truck was even closer than it looks here). And look how much room he had on the other side. Lisa went inside to ask someone to page the driver to move. Then as she walked back to the car she realized the man was sitting IN HIS TRUCK. She told him we couldn't get in the car and after about 4 tries he got it moved over enough for me to get in. People are weird sometimes.
Here's the picture of what I bought.
Yes, that's one of my grocery haul photos. A bit of a search showed this same hack using 4 or 5 different photos from my kitchen.
I also made a quick trip to Aldi last night for milk, a whole chicken for tonight's jambalaya (I am loving their "Not Any" brand!), and a few other items that I can get cheaper there.
Glad the woman got her wallet back, and you guys got the guy to move his truck (eventually).
Creepy about the photo thing.
Looks like a great haul. I saw Lisa's in her newsletter, and the two of you got some great stuff.
I have to wonder if the British style crumpets really are like the ones we have over here, since I know some of the Canadian or American style stuff we get isn't the same as what it's trying to immitate.
That's a good question. I'll take a photo…can you show Kelly? I'd be interested to know how "authentic" these are. In any case, they are quite tasty.
That truck was so much closer than it looks in the photo. It as a very interesting trip.
The picture really is deceiving. And yes, it was *interesting*. Ha!
Was this haul for a week or month ??
Gracious with all that excitement who needs to shop more than once a month?
Ahh!! You got a king cake. I love those. Did yours have the little baby in it?
It came with a little baby to insert but since we were just eating it ourselves we skipped that part. It was delicious, though!
My little girl was so excited when she found the baby in ours. My mother in law lives in Mississippi and she had one shipped to us. It was soo good.
Random question but does Trader Joes or one of the other stores sale dried flowers or herbs?
I am going to start making homemade soaps and was needing some ingredients.
As for the dried flowers and herbs, I don't know about the flowers but Whole Foods has herbs and spices in bulk. I have a friend with a small soap-making business. She grows a few things herself but buys the rest online (I think). Would you like me to ask her what source she uses?


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This BooHoo midi dress has fast become one of my 'go to' outfits. On cooler days I have worn statement or oversized t-shirts underneath to give it a completely different look.
I chose black so it could be teamed with anything time after time. I love the length and that it goes with different types of shoe whether they be heeled or flat.This is the kind of dress that will never really go out of fashion.
The shoes I have teamed it with are also my current wardrobe footwear fave. They are from River Island and are oh so comfortable to wear and surprisingly lightweight! Because they are a chunky heel I assumed they would be heavy but have been proved very wrong.


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