text:
package it.caffeina.gcm;

import android.content.Context;

public class GCMBroadcastReceiver extends com.google.android.gcm.GCMBroadcastReceiver {

	@Override
	protected String getGCMIntentServiceClassName(Context context) {
		return GCMIntentService.class.getName();
	}

}


text:
More surfaces, angles and corners
These are valued contributions that show us the many and varied movements of time and change.
Those participants invited and willing from the project's inception have an arts stake in their community, have offered historical memoirs, provided nostalgic reflections through elaborated memories, imagined connections, interviews and conversations, have made observations that mirror everyday life on Queen Street, of people from the local community, of place and business that track the past to the here-and-now.
A story such as Gabrielle Moran's As Time Goes By seems to be a personal matter, here is a concern for an individual, and it is in the course of engaging with this person we begin to discover that there is a ripple effect. We are exposed to a quality of narrative that sweeps a reader along into a shared public domain on Queen Street. We may speak of the unfolding declarative statements of Richard List, whose authentic micro episodes of personal thoughts lay passionate and raw on the page. There for the tapping is Michael Stoneburner's poem 69-71, where embedded meaning collapses great stretches of time and re-textualises the movement of time and places along Queen Street. Ann Babinard has further intertextualised the poem and sprinkled it with allusion to the visible evidence of human endeavours in her effected stop-motion photography in the video-poem, in which Michael also reads.
Historical lineages are used in Anita Faulkner's art works in her response to Michael Stoneburner's poem Lethbridge and again in a work that we were not able to feature within the printed confines of these pages: a mixed media sculpture, which is a representation of Queen Street and through the visual qualities of mapping; objects found and sourced positioned like jewels along the expanse of the work. The work draws together a particular structural statement which expresses an inquiring artist's curiosity and tenacity. The work can be described as a representation of a number of lines moving in different directions, all connected to a main stem by a series of joints or burfications. It is form made up of those surfaces we can see on Queen Street, St Marys.This is also present in Lynne Forde's contribution that seamlessly tracks both sides of Queen Street's retail past. Adel Farag's entry shifts our focus towards the future while Jacqueline Tasik adds whispering notes that resonate the absence of the majestic trees that lined both sides of Queen Street in Liquid Amber Trees. All submissions offer a vicarious experience with the capacity to transport the reader/hearer beyond boundaries of time, space, language, ethnicity, class or gender. There have been some exceptional concepts stylised and realised by the project creative team in particular Sarah Emerson, Anita Faulkner, Ann Babinard and Amber Bolton. The landmark project is largely the visionary persuasion of Adnan Begic who combines directness and simplicity, sensitivity and warmth to present a diversity of contemporary discourse along many lines.
If we are publishing the work of great writers and great artists then we need to publish these works in the best possible package we can. The design and philosophical considerations of the book in both form and attitude are to celebrate the written words that emphasise the visual in addition to the material elements of letters.Traditional typography settings have been used that have been typeset to a contemporary square page. This practice implies a robust appreciation for writing and of books and a willingness to dismantle, cut, dissect and deconstruct a book. The use of the international military alphabet is to give weight to the words; stretch the boundaries to each of the three partitions, to provide an overlaying voiced rhythm to the gallery on the printed page. There are two sides to the street and there are two sides to view and experience the words lining up like soldiers across the page sharing equal weight in the development of a work.
Surfaces, Angles and Corners: Queen Street St Marys is a documented record that constitutes an accumulative, open-ended, multi-directional in time and space, immediate, historical and in the zone of maximal contact with the present.
In this social environment there is room for more and more books to appear which in one way or another respond to changing practical orientations. I hope that the conditions which have made this book possible continue to exist in ways which make more interesting and challenging work emerge from the St Marys creative arts community.
Angela Stretch, September 2016
Back to QSRT 2016 - Surfaces, Angles, Corners Project
Nepean Potters Society visits China
Jindezhen Journey - A Journal from Nepean Potters Society trip to China in 2015 by Bronwyn Campbell, a member of Nepean Potters Society.
Read more: Nepean Potters...
Funky Functional
Funky Functional; an exhibition by the Nepean Potters Society at St Marys Corner in April 2014.
Read more: Funky Functional
There is Something Fishy at St Marys
There is Something Fishy at St Marys is a creative community engagement program featuring creative ceramics workshops for adults and children.
Read more: There is...
Dragons and Friends
Dragons and Friends is a dynamic program of free creative workshops for children and adults with art demonstrations and an exhibition of hand crafted pottery featuring works by members of the Nepean Potters Society.
Read more: Dragons and...
The Nepean Potters Society
Formed in 1976, The Nepean Potters Society Inc., provides a support network for potters in the local area. They meet for a general workshop every Tuesday in the Art and Craft Studio at St Marys Corner.
Read more: The Nepean...
Inaugural Clay at the Corner Exhibition
Finely ground rock particles sound pretty dull, but add water and the result is clay, an infinitely more exciting prospect especially to a potter.
Read more: Inaugural Clay...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Minutes of the meeting held on 16.04.2015 at 11:00...
Full Pension on 20 Years Service for Pre 2006 Pens...
Retired officials have no right for promotion
Relief of Five Years Age Limit
Income Tax Exemption / Deduction on Interest paid ...
Reservation in Promotion in Public Sector Banks
GST rate will be much more diluted than 27%: Jaitl...
More than 50000 Central Government employees assem...
Depending on the weightage fitment formula may ran...
25% retirement till 2020: Recruitment process in P...
Minutes of the meeting held on 16.04.2015 at 11:00 AM to review the progress of implementation of the guidelines on prevention of sexual harassment of women at the workplace
Posted by Government Staff on 10:26 PM. Central Government Employees News,Dopt Orders 2015,Government of India,LATEST-DOPT- ORDERS,prevention of sexual harassment,Sexual Harassment of Women - No comments
F. No. 11013/2/2014-Estt.A-III
Ministry of Personnel, PG & Pension
Establishment A-III Desk
North Block, New Delhi
Dated 5 May, 2015
Subject: Meeting held on 16.04.2015 to review the progress of implementation of the guidelines on prevention of sexual harassment of women at the workplace- forwarding of minutes – regarding.
The undersigned is directed to forward herewith a copy of the Minutes of the above meeting held on 16.4.2015 for information and action as appropriate.
(Mukesh Chaturvedi)
Director (E)
Encl: as above
A meeting was convened under the chairmanship of Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training, to review the progress of implementation of the guidelines on prevention of sexual harassment of women at the workplace. The Chairpersons of the Complaint Committees set up in the Ministries / Departments had been invited. The list of participants is annexed.
2. Joint Secretary (Establishment) [JS(E)] in DOPT welcomed the participants from various Ministries / Departments located in Delhi and outside. She explained that the purpose of the meeting was that ever since setting up the Complaints Committees in the wake of the historic Vishakha judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in a matter relating to sexual harassment of women at the workplace, the issue had not been adequately discussed. The meeting sought to review the progress of implementation of the guidelines issued by the Apex Court. JS(E) referred to the various guidelines issued from time to time. The Sexual Harassment of Women at workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 [SHWW(PPR) Act] had been promulgated on 22.4.2013 and the rules framed thereunder were notified in December, 2013. The amendments since made in the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964 and the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control & Appeal) Rules, 1965 to align them with the provisions of the Act were also flagged.
3. A presentation on all the applicable guidelines and rules on the issue was made by Director (Establishment) in the Department. The presentation covered the guidelines of Apex Court in the Vishakha case, the earlier provisions of the Conduct Rules and the amendments made in November, 2014. During the presentation, the attention of the participants was also drawn to the DOPT's guidelines issued vide Office Memorandum dated 27.11.2014 and 02.02.2015, which summarized the extant provisions relating to setting up and functioning of Internal Complaint Committees.
4. Upon conclusion of the presentation, JS(E) invited the participants to share their experiences as the Chairpersons of the Committees and also to seek clarifications, if any, on the issue. The participants were very appreciative of the initiative of Secretary(Personnel) in calling this meeting. They found the discussion of the salient features of the Act, such as the requirement to refer the complaints to the Disciplinary Authorities so as to avoid instances of non-compliance of the procedure for inquiry laid down in the rules, and the provision calling for action if a compliant is found false, as very helpful. The participants desired to know if the mandate of the Committees could be increased so as to address the general concerns of the women employees as well.
5. At this point the Chairman shared his experience of his involvement in a Conference called by Public Sector Undertaking on Women's Participation in Public Sector. He mentioned that the available data indicates that efforts need to be intensified so that the various welfare measures introduced from time to time actually reach women employees. He mentioned that the women employees were not represented in adequate numbers in various training programmes. He said that while results of most examinations at various academic levels show exceptional achievement of girl students, the percentage of representation of women in work force remains dismally low. He stressed the need for making the working environment more conducive to the women as their percentage of representation, though low at this stage, is likely to rise in the coming years. On the general observation made by the participants regarding increasing the ambit of the Internal Complaint Committees, Secretary (P) mentioned that the Committees which are supposed to meet on regular basis should also invite the women workers for general consultations. He suggested that the Committees could play an active role in making the working environment more conducive by looking into some general issues such as grant of child care leave, increasing the representation in training for women, looking at the status of availability of basic facilities such as toilets, crèche, women staff room, etc. He said that it is time that the Chairpersons of the Committees realized that he Compliant Committees headed by them are fairly empowered and much can be done by them.
6. During the discussion, Director(DoPT), Chairperson of the Committee in DOPT, shared her experience as the Head of the Committee during the last few years. She mentioned that the Committee in DOPT is called as the Women Welfare Committee as it embraces and addresses concerns and complaints of all kinds from the women employees, including welfare. She mentioned that for the last three years the Committee has been holding half-day workshops on International Women's Day, which have been well received by the women employees, as it had provided a platform where all issues that may cross the minds of women employees are attempted to be addressed.
7. On the issue of crèches, some participants requested Secretary (P) to direct DoPT officials to play an active role in setting up of crèches in more buildings. Secretary(P) assured that the needful could be done, but proactive role has to be played by concerned departments. He advised them to explore the possibility of ear-marking spaces in their buildings, so that crèches could come up at more places.
8. The participants also stressed the need to increase awareness amongst the male employees on how the rules had been amended to prevent instances of harassment of women employees. The participants favoured inclusion of this subject in training programmes run by ISTM and other training institutes and that more and more male employees need to be put through gender sensitization programmes. JS(E) mentioned that gender sensitization was already a part of the training programmes and modules being conducted by ISTM and other training academies. She mentioned that the Committees should do their best to increase awareness by having regular interactions with the women employees, particularly new entrants in service, so that a feeling of confidence could be developed in them. She mentioned that only through regular interaction could it be ascertained as to what the problems being faced by them were. She mentioned that the Compliant Committees could issue guidelines and even instructions at their end to the administration of the Ministry / Department, if they are found wanting in their duties towards the women employees. Some other general issues which were raised by many participants related to admissibility of travelling allowance, dearness allowance to the Members of the Committees and also to the Members from NGOs / other authorities, which were also clarified.
9. Secretary (P) suggested to the participants that they could write to DOPT officials on any other matter of their concern and seek their response and guidance. He suggested that such meetings could be held on regular basis, so that the participants could benefit from each other's experience as functionaries of the Compliant Committees. He mentioned that he Government is committed to asserting its role as an ideal employer and providing a safer and conducive workplace to the women employees was part of the resolve. He summed up by stating that the Committees need to expand their role, so that we could reach the ideal situation where there is no instance of harassment of women employees.
10. The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the Chair.
Source - http://ccis.nic.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D2/D02est/11013_2_2014-Estt.A-III-05052015.pdf
Full Pension on 20 Years Service for Pre 2006 Pensioners – CAT Judgement
Posted by Government Staff on 10:22 PM. CAT Judgement,Decision of Government,Full Pension,Pension,pensioners - No comments
CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL PRINCIPAL BENCH
OA 1165/2011 with
OA 2165/2011
OA 246/2012
New Delhi this the 21st day of April, 2015
Honble Mr. P.K. Basu, Member (A) Honble Mr. Raj Vir Sharma, Member (J) OA 1165/2011
1. Pratap Narayan, Executive Director (Retired). FICC, Min. of Fertilizers, R/o C-47, Friends Colony East New Delhi-110065
Union of India through
1. Secretary,
Ministry of Personnel, P.G. & Pensions, Deptt. of Pensions & Pensioners Welfare Lok Nayak Bhawan, New Delhi-110003
Deptt. of Expenditure Ministry of Finance,
Central Secretariat North Block, New Delhi-110001 Respondents
(Through Sh.Rajesh Katyal and Sh. D.S. Mahendru, Advocates)
Judgement of CAT PB New Delhi dated 21st day of April, 2015
OA 1165/2011 with OA 1165/2011 & OA 246/2012
Pratap Narayan & Others – Vs- Union of India
Mr. P.K. Basu, Member (A)
1. OA 1165/2011, OA 2165/2011 and OA 247/2012, all deal with the same issue and, therefore, are being disposed off through this common order.
2. The prayer of the applicants arises from a clarification issued by the Department of Pension and PensionersWelfare dated 3.10.2008, in specific challenging the following provision:
"The pension will be reduced pro-rata, where the pensioner has less than the maximum required service for full pension as per rule 49 of the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 as applicable on 01.01.2006 and in no case it will be less than Rs.3500/- p.m."
3. The background of the case is that after the VI Pay Commission submitted its report, the government issued OM dated 1.09.2008 relating to revision of pension of pre- 2006 pensioners/ family pensioners etc. Para 4.2 of the OM provides as follows:
4.2 The fixation of pension will be subject to the provision that the revised pension, in no case, shall be lower than fifty percent of the minimum of the pay in the pay band plus the grade pay corresponding to the pre-revised pay scale from which the pensioner had retired. In the case of HAG + and above scales, this will be fifty percent of the minimum of the revised pay scale.
4. Thereafter, the respondents issued the above mentioned OM dated 3.10.2008 in which the clarification was issued that pension will be reduced pro-rata where the pensioner had less than the maximum required service for full pension of 33 years. The Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare vide resolution dated 29.08.2008 introduced the revised pension structure with effect from 1.01.2006. In this, the recommendation of the Pay Commission and the decision of the government were elaborated. The paragraphs relevant to this case are quoted below:
S. No Recommendation Decision of
2. Linkage of full pension with 33 years of qualifying service should be dispensed with. Once an employee renders the minimum pensionable service of 20 years, pension should be paid at 50% of the average emoluments received during the past 10 months or the pay last drawn, whichever is more beneficial to the retiring employee. Simultaneously, the extant benefit of adding years of qualifying service for purposes of computing pension/related benefits should be withdrawn as it would no longer be relevant (5.1.33) Accepted
3. The recommendation regarding payment of full pension on completion of 20 years of qualifying service will take effect only prospectively for all Government employees other than PBORs in Defence Forces from the date it is accepted by the Government (6.5.3.) Accepted
12. All past pensioners should be allowed fitment benefit equal to 40% of the pension excluding the effect of merger of 50% dearness allowance/dearness relief as pension (in respect of pensioners retiring on or after 1/4/2004) and dearness pension (for other pensioners) respectively. The increase will be allowed by subsuming the effect of conversion of 50% of dearness relief/dearness allowance as dearness pension/dearness pay. Consequently, dearness relief at the rate of 74% on pension (excluding the effect of merger) has been taken for the purposes of computing revised pension as on 1/1/2006. This is consistent with the fitment benefit being allowed in case of the existing employees. The fixation of pension will be subject to the provision that the revised pension, in no case, shall be lower than fifty percent of the sum of the minimum of the pay in the pay band and the grade pay thereon corresponding to the pre- revised pay scale from which the pensioner had retired. (5.1.47). Accepted with the modification that fixation of pension shall be based on a multiplication factor of 1.86, i.e. basic pension + Dearness Pension (wherever applicable) + dearness relief of 24% as on 1.1.2006, instead of 1.74.
The respondents further issued an OM dated 19.03.2010, which is reproduced below:
The undersigned is directed to say that orders for revision of pension/family pension of pre-2006 pensioners were issued vide this Departments OM of even number dated 01.09.2008. Para 4.1 of that OM lays down the manner in which the pension/family pension of pre-2006 pensioners is to be consolidated w.e.f.1.1.2006. In accordance with these instructions, a fitment weightage @ 40% of the pre-2006 basic pension/family pension (excluding the merged dearness relief of 50%) is to be given for revision of the pension of pre-2006 pensioners/family pensioners.
2. Para 4.2 of the aforesaid OM further provides that fixation of pension will be subject to the provision that the revised pension, in no case, shall be lower than fifty percent of the minimum of the pay in the pay band plus the grade pay corresponding to the pre-revised pay scale from which the pensioner had retired. In the case of HAG+ and above scales, this will be fifty percent of the minimum of the revised pay scale . It was clarified in the OM dated 3.10.2008 that the pension calculated at 50% of the minimum of pay in the pay band plus grade pay would be calculated at the minimum of the pay in the pay band (irrespective of the pre-revised scale of pay) plus the grade pay corresponding to the pre-revised pay scale. The pension will be reduced pro-rata, where the pensioner had less than the maximum required service for full pension as per rule 49 of the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 as applicable before 1.1.2006 and in no case it will be less than Rs.3500/- p.m. The fixation of family pension will be subject to the provision that the revised family pension, in no case, shall be lower than thirty percent of the sum of the minimum of the pay in the pay band and the grade pay thereon corresponding to the pre- revised pay scale from which the pensioner had retired. A Table indicating the revised pension based on revised pay bands and grade pay was also annexed with this Departments OM dated 14.10.2008.
3. A large number of representations/references were received in the Department in regard to the provisions of para 4.2 of the OM dated 1.9.2008 and it was clarified in this Departments OM of even number dated 11.2.2009 that the instructions/clarifications issued in this regard were in consonance with the decision of the Government on the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission and no change was required to be made in this respect.
4. In spite of the above clarifications, representations are still being received from pre-2006 pensioners (including those who retired from the pre-revised S-29 pay scale i.e. Rs.18400-22400) for higher revised pension in terms of para 4.2 of the OM dated 1.9.2008. Representations have also been received demanding a higher fitment weightage to the pre-2006 pensioners in revision of pension in terms of Para 4.1 of the said OM.
5. These representations have been examined in consultation with Ministry of Finance. It is reiterated that orders relating to revision of pension of pre-2006 pensioners/family pensioners have been correctly issued as per the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission and no change is required to be made in this respect.
6. All references/representations received in this Department on the above issues stand disposed off accordingly.
5. The above OM basically reiterated the OM dated 3.10.2008 namely that there will be pro-rata reduction. In all the three OAs, the applicants have challenged the OM dated 3.10.2008 claiming that it is violative of the law laid down by the Honble Supreme Court in D.S. Nakara Vs. Union of India, 1983 SCC (L&S) 145. The prayer made is that their pension should be fixed in accordance with para 4.2 quoted above ensuring parity between pensioners who have retired pre-1.01.2006 and post-1.01.2006. The question before us is, therefore, whether the date of retirement is a relevant consideration for eligibility when a revised formula for computation of pension is ushered in and made effective from a specified date. This was precisely the point which was before the Hon'ble Supreme Court in D.S. Nakara (supra). The question that was raised by their Lordships of the Hon 'ble Supreme Court in para 2 of the judgment reads as follows:
"2. Do pensioners entitled to receive superannuation or retiring pension under Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 ('1972 Rules' for short) form a class as a whole'? Is the date of retirement a relevant consideration for eligibility when a revised formula for computation of pension is ushered in and made effective from a specified date? Would differential treatment to pensioners related to the date of retirement qua the revised formula for computation of pension attract Article 14 of the Constitution and the element of discrimination liable to be declared unconstitutional as being violative of Article 14? These and the related questions debated in this group of petitions call for an answer in the backdrop of a welfare State and bearing in mind that pension is a socio-economic justice measure providing relief when advancing age gradually but irrevocably impairs capacity to stand on one's own feet."
And the Hon 'ble Supreme Court answered the questions as follows:
"(1) Pension is neither a bounty not a matter of grace depending upon the sweet will of the employer, nor an ex gratia payment. It is a payment for the past service rendered. It is a social welfare measure rendering socio-economic justice to those who in the hey-day of their life ceaselessly toiled for the employer on an assurance that in their old age they would not be left in lurch. Pension as a retirement benefit is in consonance with and furtherance of the goals of the Constitution. The most practical raison detre for pension is the inability to provide for oneself due to old age. It creates a vested right and is governed by the statutory rules such as the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules which are enacted in exercise of power conferred by Article 309 and 148 (5) of the Constitution."
xxxx xxxx xxxx
In the present case Article 14 is wholly violated inasmuch as the pension rules being statutory in character, the amended rules, since the specified date, accord differential and discriminatory treatment to equals in the matter of commutation of pension. It would have a traumatic effect on those who retired just before that date. This division which classified pensioners into two classes is artificial and arbitrary, is not based on any rational principle and whatever principle, if there be any, has not only no nexus to the objects sought to be achieved by liberalizing the pension rules, but is counter-productive and runs counter to the whole gamut of the pension scheme. Further, there is not a single acceptable or persuasive reason for this division. Therefore, the classification does not stand the test of Article 14.
Date of retirement cannot form a valid criterion for classification, for if that be the criterion those who retire at the end of every month shall form a class by themselves. This is too microscopic a classification to be upheld for any valid purpose.
The basic principle which informs both Articles 14 and 16 is equality and inhibition against discrimination. Article 14 strikes at arbitrariness because any action that is arbitrary must necessarily involve negation of equality. Article 14 forbids class legislation but permits reasonable classification for the purpose of legislation which classification must satisfy the twin tests of classification being founded on an intelligible differentia which distinguishes persons or things that are grouped together from those that are left out of the group and that differentia must have a rational nexus to the object sought to be achieved by the statute in question.
6. Learned counsel for the applicants also cited V. Kasturi Vs. Managing Director, State Bank of India, Bombay and another, (1998) 8 SCC 30 in which the Honble Supreme Court held as follows:
"If the person retiring is eligible for pension at the time of his retirement and if he survives till the time of subsequent amendment of the relevant pension scheme,he would become eligible to get enhanced pension or would become eligible to get more pension as per the new formula of computation of pension. He would be entitled to get the benefit of the amended pension provision from the date of such order as he would be a member of the very same class of pensioners when the additional benefit is being conferred on all of them. In such a situation, the additional benefit available to the same class of pensioners cannot be denied to him on the ground that he had retired prior to the date on which the aforesaid additional benefit was conferred."
Similarly, the learned counsel for the applicants also relied on the judgment of the Honble Supreme Court in T.S. Thiruvengadam Vs. Secretary to Government of India, Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure, New Delhi and others, (1993) 2 SCC 174 in which it was held as follows:
"The object of bringing into existence the revised terms and conditions in the memorandum dated June 16, 1967 was to protect the pensionary benefits which the Central Government servants had earned before their absorption into the public undertakings. Restricting the applicability of the revised memorandum only to those who are absorbed after the coming into force of the said memorandum, would be defeating the very object and purpose of the revised memorandum and contrary to fair play and justice."
There is no substance in the contention that the revised benefits being new it could only be prospective in operation and cannot be extended to employees who were absorbed earlier. The memorandum dated June 16, 1967 is prospective which only means that the benefits therein can be claimed only after June 16, 1967. The memorandum, however, takes into consideration the past event that is the period of service under the Central Government for the purposes of giving pro rata pension. Whoever has rendered pensionable service prior to coming into force of the memorandum would be entitled to claim the benefits under the said memorandum. Restricting the benefits only to those who were absorbed in public undertakings after June 16, 1967 is arbitrary and hit by Article 14 & 16. The appellant was permitted to be absorbed in the Central Government public undertaking in public interest. The appellant, as such, shall be deemed to have retired from Government service from the date of his absorption and is eligible to receive the retirement benefits. Though the retirement benefits envisaged under Rule 37 are to be determined in accordance with the Government orders but the plain language of the rule does not permit any discrimination while granting the retirement benefits. Appeal allowed.
7. This Tribunal (full Bench) had also examined a similar issue in OA 937/2010 decided along with OA 2101/2010. In those cases, the prayer made was to remove discrimination between pre-2006 and post-2006 retirees as regards their pension, who were in the pay scale S-30 i.e. Rs.22400-525-24500. The matter was examined in depth considering the judgments of the Honble Supreme Court in D.S. Nakara (supra), Union of India Vs. S.P.S. Vains, (2008) 9 SCC 125, Union of India Vs. P.N. Menon, JT 1994 (3) SC 26, State of Punjab and others Vs. Amar Nath Goyal and others, 2005 SCC (L&S) 910, Union of India Vs. S.R. Dhingra and others, (2008) 2 SCC 229, Government of Andhra Pradesh and ors. Vs. N. Subbarayudu and others, 2008 (4) SLR 136 and Bank of India and another Vs. K. Mohandas and others, 2009 (5) SCC 313. The OAs were allowed vide order dated 20.11.2014 and the Tribunal gave the following directions:
"We direct the respondents to consider the revised pay of the applicants corresponding to the pay at which the concerned pensioner had in fact retired, instead of considering the minimum of the said pay scale, thereby determining pension/ family pension to pre-2006 retirees.
8. The learned counsel for the respondents has filed detailed reply primarily explaining how pension of pre-2006 and post-2006 retirees has to be fixed. It is reiterated that the government had accepted the recommendation regarding payment of full pension on completion of twenty years service, prospectively. Therefore, this cannot be given retrospective effect now. It is further stated that in the order dated 6.03.2012 (Annexure A-7), disposing of the OAs No. 937/2010 and 2101/2010, this Tribunal (Full Bench) made the following observations/directions in regard to the prayer of the applicants seeking complete parity with post-2006 retirees:-
One of the reliefs sought for by the applicants in those OAs is that pre-2006 pensioners may be allowed a total parity with post 1.1.2006 pensioners by notionally revising their pay as on 1.1.2006 and then fixing pension at 50% of that notional pay.
At the outset, it may be stated here that the issue regarding admissibility of pension/family pension to the pre 1.1.2006 retiree officers belonging to S-29 scale and also whether the 2006 pensioners are entitled to the pension/family pension at par with post 2006 retiree officers has been considered and decided by the Full Bench of the Tribunal in Central Government SAG (S-29) Pensioners Association and another Vs Union of India and another (OA 655/2010 with connected matters) decided on 1.11.2011 after taking into consideration the decisions of Apex Court in D.S. Nakara Vs. S.P.S. Vains (2008)9 SCC 125) and the said relief has been rejected. The Full Bench of this Tribunal in the aforesaid judgment has held that pre-2006 retirees cannot claim benefit at par with post-2006 retirees, who are governed by the separate set of scheme and also that the judgment in the case of S.P.S.Vains (supra) was rendered in the different facts and circumstances of the case and relates to the Army personnel and based on the premise of one rank one pension. However, regarding admissibility of pension based on modified parity, as recommended by the Pay Commission and accepted by resolution dated 29.8.2008, direction was given to the respondents to re-fix the pension and pay the arrears to all pre-2006 retirees belonging to S-29 scale of pay, within a period of three months from the date of receipt of a copy of the order. Thus, the aforesaid issue stands decided of in the light of the reasoning given by the Full Bench of this Tribunal for parity of reasoning given therein.
9. The respondents further argue that in its order dated 1.11.2011 in the OA No. 655/2010 referred to in the aforesaid order dated 6.3.2012 in the OAs No.937/2010 and 2101/2010, this Tribunal (full bench) decided that the challenge made by the applicants based upon the judgment in D.S. Nakara that pre-2006 retirees should be extended the same pensionary benefits as that of post-2006 retirees cannot be accepted. It is stated that in para 9 of the judgment, this Tribunal also rejected the prayer for grant of full pension on completion of 20 years of qualifying service at par with post-2006 retirees and observed that the pre-2006 retirees cannot claim benefit at par with post-2006 retirees, who are governed by the separate set of scheme.
10. It is further added on behalf of the respondents that the applicants in the above mentioned OAs No.937/2010 and 2101/2010 filed writ petitions being WP No. 4572/2012
and WP 7342/2012 in the High Court of Delhi. Honble High Court of Delhi in its order dated 19.8.2013 (Annexure A-9) passed the following order:
8. Keeping in view the aforesaid facts, none of which are disputed by learned counsel for the respondents, with consent of learned counsel for the parties we set aside the impugned decision(s) dated March 06,2012 and simultaneously we restore OA No.937/2010 and OA No.2101/2010 for fresh adjudication on merits by the Tribunal on the claim of the petitioners for full parity. The decision shall be rendered after giving full opportunity of hearing to the petitioners and the decision dated November 01, 2011 passed by the Tribunal in the case of S-29 scale retirees shall not be treated as binding upon it by the Tribunal for the reasons on the subject of full parity the said decision was pronounced notwithstanding said retirees giving up the claim for full parity.
Thus Honble High Court remanded back the OA No.937/2010 and OA No.No.2101/2010 for fresh adjudication on merits by this Honble Tribunal on the claim of the petitioners for full parity. As stated earlier, these OAs were accordingly heard by this Tribunal (Full Bench) and order dated 20.11.2014 passed.
11. We have gone through various judgments of the Honble Supreme Court in various cases and also this Tribunals order dated 20.11.2014 in OA 937/2010 with OA 2101/2010. The law has by now been well settled by the Honble Supreme Court that the date of retirement cannot form a valid criterion for classification. It is held by their Lordships that any clarification has to be founded on an intelligible differentia which distinguishes persons or things that are grouped together from those that are left out of the group and that differentia must have a rational nexus to the object sought to be achieved by the statute in question.
13. In view of the judgments of the Honble Supreme Court in D.S. Nakara (supra), V. Kasturi (supra), T.S. Thiruvengadam (supra) and order of the Full Bench of the Tribunal in OA 937/2010 with OA 2101/2010 dated 20.11.2014, we are of the opinion that the prayer in the OAs is fully justified. We, therefore, quash and set aside the impugned orders dated 3.10.2008 and 19.03.2010 being violative of law laid down by the Honble Supreme Court and direct the respondents that the qualifying service for earning full pension will be treated as twenty years also for those who retired from the Central Government service on or before 31.12.2005 and were alive on that day. The respondents are also directed to modify/amend all relevant government orders/ letters/ notifications in accordance with the above decision. It is made clear that this parity of pension between pre and post-1.01.2006 pensioners (on the question of eligibility of minimum pensionable service of twenty years) would apply both as regards pension and family pension. The respondents are granted three months time from the date of receipt of this order for implementation of directions contained in this order.
(Raj Vir Sharma) Member (J)
( P.K. Basu) Member (A)
Posted by Government Staff on 10:12 PM. Central Government Employees,DOP&T ORDERS,DOPT order 2015,LATEST DOPT ORDERS,Post Retirement Benefits,Retired officials have no right for promotion - No comments
Post Retirement Benefits
Department of Personnel & Training has not made any change in instructions contained in OM No. 22011/4/1998-Estt.(D) dated 12.10.1998 and reiterated vide OM No. 22011/1/2014-Estt.(D) dated 14.11.2014. These instructions provide for consideration of retired employees, who are within the zone of consideration in the relevant year(s) while preparing year-wise panel(s) for promotion. Such retired officials, however, have no right for promotion as they are not available to assume charge of the higher post.
This was stated by the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question by Dr. Udit Raj in the Lok Sabha today.
SEE THE DOPT ORDER : DOPT OM No. 22011/1/2014-Estt.(D) dated 14.11.2014
Posted by Government Staff on 10:10 PM. Central Government Employees,CG News,Relief of Five Years Age Limit - No comments
There is no proposal to give relief of five years in age limit to the candidates of all categories to apply for Government and semi-Government services. Instructions allowing relaxation in upper age limit for recruitment of the candidates of different categories to various posts under the Central Government already exist.
Further, instructions issued by the Central Government are not suo-moto applicable to autonomous bodies, statutory organizations, public sector enterprises, trusts, banks, semi-Government services, etc. which are governed by their respective regulations/instructions issued under Statute/Act of the Parliament by which they are created or came into existence.
This was stated by the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question by Shri Gopal Shetty in the Lok Sabha today.
Income Tax Exemption / Deduction on Interest paid on Education Loan under Section 80E of Income Tax Act 1961
Posted by Government Staff on 9:54 PM. Education Loan. Income Tax Exemption,Income Tax,INCOME TAX 2015-16,Income Tax Deduction,Interest on Education Loan,IT exemption,section 80E - No comments
Income Tax Exemption / Deduction on Interest paid on Education Loan under Section 80E of Income Tax Act 1961.
Finance Minister Mr.Arun Jaitley recently informed in the Parliament that Section 80E of Income Tax 1961, allows deduction of interest paid in respect of Education Loan availed for completing higher education of self, spouse, children or a student for which the income tax assessee is a guardian, from the income of assessee. This provision therefore provides income tax exemption on the Education Loan Interest for 7 years.
Text of press release issued by Finance Ministry in this regard and extract of Section 80E of Income Tax 1961 are given below
Tax Concession on Interest Paid on Education Loan
05-May, 2015
Section 80E of the Income-tax Act, 1961 provides that in computing the total income of an individual, their shall be allowed a deduction of the amount paid by way of interest on loan taken by him from any financial institution or approved charitable institution for the purpose of pursuing his own higher education or higher education of his spouse, or children, or the student for whom he is the legal guardian. The deduction is available for eight assessment years beginning with the assessment year in which the payment of interest on such loan is first made or until the interest is paid in full, whichever is earlier. This deduction is available to every individual who is liable to income-tax. No specific funds are earmarked for the purposes of extending tax concession against interest paid on education loan.
This was stated by Shri Arun Jaitley, Union Finance Minister in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.
Extract of Section 80E of Income Tax Act 1961
Under Section 80E of the Act a deduction will be allowed in respect of repayment of interest on loan taken for higher education, subject to the following conditions:
(i)In computing the total income of an assessee, being an individual, there shall be deducted, in accordance with and subject to the provisions of this section, any amount paid by him in the previous year, out of his income chargeable to tax, by way of interest on loan, taken by him from any financial institution or any approved charitable institution for the purpose of pursuing his higher education or for the purpose of higher education of his spouse or children.
(ii) The deduction specified above shall be allowed in computing the total income in respect of the initial assessment year and seven assessment years immediately succeeding the initial assessment year or until the interest referred to above is paid in full by the assessee , whichever is earlier. For this purpose –
(a) "approved charitable institution" means an institution established for charitable purposes and approved by the prescribed authority under clause (2C) of section 10, or, an institution referred to in clause (a) of sub-section (2) of Section 80G. Section 80E 35
(b) "financial institution" means a banking company to which the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949) applies (including any bank or banking institution referred to in section 51 of that Act); or any other financial institution which the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify in this behalf;
(c) "higher education" means any course of study pursued after passing the Senior Secondary Examination or its equivalent from any school, board or university recognised by the Central Government or State Government or local authority or by any other authority authorised by the Central Government or State Government or local authority to do so;
(d) "initial assessment year" means the assessment year relevant to the previous year, in which the assessee starts paying the interest on the loan.
(e) relative", in relation to an individual, means the spouse and children of that individual or the student for whom the individual is the legal guardian
Posted by Government Staff on 9:49 PM. Bank,Promotions,PSBs,Public Sector Banks,RAJYA SABHA,Reservation - No comments
UNSTARRED ADMITTED QUESTION NO. 2161
TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 17TH MARCH, 2015
(TUESDAY) PHALGUNA 26, 1936 (SAKA)
RESERVATION IN PROMOTION IN PSBs.
QUESTION 2161. SHRI BALWINDER SINGH BHUNDER:
Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:-
(a): whether it is a fact that Public Sector Banks (PSBs) give reservation in promotion up to DGM level and there is hardly any SC/ST officer above DGM level;
(b): if so, the details, thereof, bank-wise and the details of SC/ST Officers above DGM level, bank-wise;
(c): whether any training is provided to SC/ST Officers at DGM level so that they can share higher responsibility and be promoted to next level; and
(d): the overall plan for growth of persons from SC/ST category in PSBs bank-wise?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI JAYANT SINHA)
(a)&(b): No, Sir. At present Public Sector Banks (PSBs) give reservation in promotion up to Scale-I only. There is no reservation in promotion within the officers cadre. A statement of SC/ST officers above DGM level in at annexed.
(c)&(d): Banks are periodically providing in-house /external training to all officers including SC/ST officers above DGM level to shoulder higher responsibilities. Department of Financial Services has been advising all PSBs to provide effective pre-promotion and in-service training to SC/ST employees. Instructions have also been issued to nominate a suitable number of SC/ST officers for foreign training programmes.
Annexure
Bank wise deatails of SC/ST Officers above DGM level as on 31.12.2014
S.NO. Name of the PSBs. SC ST
1 Allahabad Bank Nil Nil
2 Andhra Bank Nil Nil
3 Bank of Baroda 3 Nil
4 Bank of India 1 2
5 Bank of Maharashtra 2 Nil
6 Canara Bank 2 1
7 Central Bank of India 1 Nil
8 Corporation Bank Nil Nil
9 Dena Bank Nil 1
10 Indian Bank 1 Nil
11 Indian Overseas Bank Nil 3
12 Oriental Bank of Commerce Nil Nil
13 Punjab National Bank 2 1
14 Punjab & Sind Bank Nil Nil
15 Syndicate Bank 3 Nil
16 Union Bank of India 1 Nil
17 United Bank of India Nil Nil
18 UCO Bank 1 Nil
19 Vijaya Bank Nil Nil
20 State Bank of India 4 Nil
21 State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur Nil Nil
22 State Bank of Patiala 1 1
23 State Bank of Hyderabad 3 Nil
24 State Bank of Mysore 1 Nil
25 State Bank of Travancore Nil Nil
26 IDBI Bank 1 Nil
27 BharatiyaMahila Bank Nil Nil
Grand Total 27 9
Source: ENGLISH VERSION HINDI_VERSION
GST rate will be much more diluted than 27%: Jaitley
Posted by Government Staff on 9:45 PM. Finance Minister,GST,GST rate,Jaitley,LOK SABHA,PTI News - No comments
New Delhi: The GST rate will be "much more diluted" than the speculated 27 per cent and the final rate will be worked out by the GST Council, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today.
"I straightaway concede that 27 per cent would be very high…after this 27 per cent (Revenue Neutral Rate) was born, the states and the Centre have decided to keep alcohol out," he said in a reply to GST Bill debate in the Lok Sabha.
"We have decided to keep petroleum out and every state finance minister is not interested in imposing higher taxes on its own people, and neither the central government. Therefore, this figure (RNR) is going to much more diluted compared to the figure (27 per cent) which has been mentioned," he said.
Revenue Neutral Rate (RNR) is the rate at which there will be no revenue loss to the states after GST implementation.
"These are the figures which would be decided by GST Council," he added.
The GST Council will have Jaitley as its Chairman and comprise two-third of members from states and one-third from the Centre.
GST is termed as the biggest indirect tax reform since 1947. A single rate GST will replace central excise, state VAT, entertainment tax, octroi, entry tax, luxury tax and purchase tax on goods and services to ensure seamless transfer of goods and services.
Allaying concerns raised by some of Lok Sabha members regarding the 27 per cent RNR speculation, Jaitley said "it is going to be too high and therefore the cost and prices itself will go up".
He clarified to the House that the number was not given by the government or the GST Council but by a particular organisation in its own internal assessment.
"It got leaked out and somebody said it is 26.8. so that is how this figure of 27 per cent was born," he said.
However, without hazarding a guess as to what the final GST rate would be, Jaitley said, the 13th Finance Commission had suggested 18 per cent as a possible figure.
More than 50000 Central Government employees assembled at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on 28th November 2015 – All India Audit Association
Posted by Government Staff on 11:20 AM. 7CPC,Central Government Employees,Central Government Employees News,GDS,Indefinite Strike,Jantar Mantar,NFPE,Parliament March 2015 - No comments
CIRCULAR – 12/2015
ALL INDIA AUDIT & ACCOUNTS ASSOCIATION
CSV WARRIER BHAWAN
15/1089-90, VASUNDHARA, VASUNDHARA (P.O.), Dt. GHAZIABAD (U.P), PIN-201012
Ph: 0120-2881727/0 – 98681 45667
E-mail: auditflag@gmail.com
Website: www.auditflag.blogspot.com
Reference: AIA/Circular- 12/2015
Dated: 3rd May 2015
Unit Secretaries,
Members & Spl. Invitees – NE &
Members of Women's Committee
Dear Comrades,
MASSIVE RALLY ON 28TH APRIL 2015 BY CG EMPLOYEES IN FRONT OF PARLIAMENT; INDEFINITE STRIKE TO COMMENCE FROM 23RD NOVEMBER 2015
More than 50000 Central Government employees assembled at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on 28th November 2015 declared in one voice that if the 10 point charter of demands that includes statutory pension for all and revival of all forums under JCM are not negotiated and settled in a time bound manner, the 30-lakh strong central government employees – including Railway and Defence workers – would be compelled to commence indefinite strike from 23rd November 2015.
The rally adopted a resolution moved by Com KKN Kutty, President of Confederation on behalf of the National Joint Council of Action listing the grievances of the employees and also pointing out the disastrous policies accelerated by the present day government.
Every speaker from each of the constituent organisation spoke about perilous impact of the policies of the government in their sector and committed their resolve to ensure the success of the indefinite strike from 23rd November 2015. (Railway and Defence Federations have to conduct strike ballot before embarking upon any industrial action, as per the Industrial dispute act under which they are recognised.)
The resolution adopted by the rally is enclosed with this Circular.
SUBMISSION OF MASS SIGNATURE TO CAG ON 29TH APRIL 2015
Delhi police refused permission to us to hold demonstration before CAG office citing the ongoing Parliament session and proposed that we hold the programme at Jantar Mantar. Instead we chose to hold the demonstration at the DGACR premises on 29th April 2015.
More than 200 comrades from stations participated in the demonstration on 29th April and more than 10000 (ten thousand) signatures were collected from the personnel of IA&AD across the country. The demonstration at DGACR was addressed by Com M Duraipandian, President, V Nageswara Rao and KL Gautam, both Addl Secretary General, Com Subhash Pandey, Vice President in addition to the Secretary General. Com Anilkumar, Asstt Secretary General and Gen. Secretary, Civil Audit Association, Delhi welcomed all the comrades while Com Veer Singh, President, CAA, Delhi offered vote of thanks.
A delegation comprising of Coms M Duraipandian, MS Raja, Subhash Pandey, KL Gautam, Nageswara Rao, V Sreekumar and Anilkumar met DG/Personnel and submitted the petition addressed to the CAG. There was a detailed discussion following the submission of the petition and we insisted that the grievances listed therein be addressed. The issue of vicitmisations at various units was also taken up. DG/P assured to attend to the pressing issues and do her best to resolve them.
MANIFEST SOLIDARITY WITH POSTAL STRIKE FROM 6TH MAY 2015
More than 5 lakhs postal workers would be going on indefinite strike from 6th May 2015 under the banner of Postal JCA, comprising of NFPE and FNPO, demanding roll back of the move to corporatise and privatise postal services, bringing GDS under the ambit of 7CPC, implementation of cadre restructuring agreement etc. Confederation Sectt that met on 28th April 2015 decided to manifest solidarity with the strike of postal comrades.
Our units are requested to hold lunch hour demonstration and take out rally to the post offices in support of the strike. All the units may also implement the decisions of the local COC in this regard.
With greetings,
Yours fraternally
(M.S.Raja)
Source: auditflag.blogspot.in
Depending on the weightage fitment formula may range from 2.72 times to 3.72 in 7th Pay Commission
Posted by Government Staff on 10:24 AM. 2.72 times to 3.72,7th Central Pay Commission,7th CPC News,7th CPC Projected Pay Scale,7th CPC Report,7th Pay Commission,Fitment Formula - No comments
"Depending on the weightage fitment formula may range from 2.72 times to 3.72"
"The Sixth Central Pay Commission has recommended a minimum wage of Rs 6600/- per month against the demand of Rs 10,000/- per month as worked out by Staff side of JCM, Today the minimum need based wage works out to Rs 26,000/ per month."
Minimum Wage of Rs 26,000/- Justified and Fitment formula
Comrade,
The DIRECTORATE OF ECONONMICS & STATISTICS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & COOPERATION MINISTRY OF AGRILCULTURE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA NEW DELHI has published the RETAIL PRICES OF FOOD AND NON FOOD ITEMS VIDE http://rpms.dacnet.nic.in/ PLEASE GO THROUGH THIS IMPORTANT LINK . which contains district wise price report.
http://rpms.dacnet.nic.in/Bulletin.aspx
You can get any price of any article using the Query option.
http://rpms.dacnet.nic.in/QueryReport.aspx
The prices of many items provided by the Staff side JCM are lower than the retail prices provided by the Government agency . Hence the Minimum wage of Rs 20,000/- is justified for the erstwhile Group "D" with effect from 1/1/15 using Dr Aykroyd formula . After weightage of 25% for Group "C" it works out to Rs 26,000/- .
Please click here for Prices of Food items as on 1/1/15
Please click here for Prices of Non Food items as on 1/1/15
Please click here for Minimum Wage Caluation Sheet
The fitment formula may range from 2.72 times to 3.72 depending upon the weightage.
(P.S. Prasad)
Source: www.karnatakacoc.blogspot.in
25% retirement till 2020: Recruitment process in Public Sector Banks
Posted by Government Staff on 10:15 AM. 25% retirement,Bank,PSBs,Public Sector Banks,RAJYA SABHA,Recruitment Rules - No comments
QUESTION NO 896
ANSWERED ON 03.03.2015
Recruitment process in PSBs
896 Shri Balwinder Singh Bhunder
Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to satate :-
(a) whether it is a fact that by 2020 around 35 percent of Officers/employees of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) would retire from service;
(b) if so, what preparations have been done by Bank; bank-wise to timely notify the vacancies and by IBPS to speed up recruitment process with a view to timely fill the vacancies;
(c) whether the Department of Financial Services (DFS) has issued any direction in this regards; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
(a) The percentage of officers/employees that would retire by the year 2020 differ in Public Sector Banks (PSBs). On an average, about 25% of officers and employees would retire by the year 2020 in PSBs.
(b) PSBs assess/anticipate vacancies including retirements annually and take necessary action to fill the same including intimating their requirement to Institute of Banking Personnel Selection(IBPS) for making allotment well in advance.
(c) & (d): Yes, Sir. Government has granted managerial autonomy to the PSBs in the matters related to Human Resource (HR) including recruitment. Government has also advised all PSBs to prepare a succession plan.


In 2001, Mayor Wellington Webb decided to build a project as his legacy to the City of Denver. A new Denver Public Library branch located in Five Points, the historic heart of Denver's African-American community, would honor the history of African-Americans in the Rocky Mountain West. This historic commission had several goals: create a culturally important building that would be of its time, fit comfortably yet respectfully into a historic context, serve as a gateway to the redeveloping Five Points neighborhood, and integrate art seamlessly into its design. The result: a nationally recognized, award-winning building that has become an icon for the region's African-American community and a highly popular event venue, generating much-needed funds for the Denver Public Library.
This Library's unique service model combines a public library, a research library with space for a visiting Fellow, art gallery, museum and event/community center. The galleries, used for display as well as circulation, lead to a dramatic staircase ascending three stories with beautiful views of downtown Denver, signifying the achievements of African-Americans in the Denver community and beyond.
The Blair-Caldwell Library has quickly become a recognized landmark in Five Points, anchoring an urban renaissance in the surrounding neighborhood. Mayor Webb's legacy recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.
The building that you have designed is a beautiful, useful structure...Perhaps even more praiseworthy than the building's design is your diligent navigation of the waters of an astonishingly complex project.


With English containing a lot of homophones (words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings), even people proficient in the language can often slip up and mistake a 'there' for a 'their', or a 'your' for a 'you're'. It's just the sort of thing that grammarians pounce on though, particularly if such errors are made on a business website or social media page.
A slightly less common, but still prevalent, occurrence in English is the heteronym. This is in many ways the opposite of the homophone, as it's two words with the same spelling, but different pronunciation, and sometimes very contrasting meanings.
Perhaps the most common of these is 'read'. Depending on its pronunciation, it can be either present or past tense. This means that a simple sentence like "I read comics" can have two very different meanings, if written rather than spoken.
If any of these confused you, try reading them out loud and applying different pronunciations to any repeated words.
Unlike homophones, heteronyms rarely cause too much trouble for writers. For the sake of clarity though, the above examples show that there are times when alternative wording can help us to avoid confusion in written form.


Simon Says Stamp Happy Happy Birthday!
Sorry for the long absence. Things have been kind of crazy here with the start of our homeschool year. Regardless, I'm here today to share a card I made using the fun Zig Zag Dots Stencil from Simon Says Stamp.
Can you believe I only used 3 ink colors to create this rainbow background?! I love how well the Distress Inks blend. After mounting some patterned paper and my stenciled background to my card base, I die cut some speech bubbles using the Simon Says Stamp Talk Bubbles Dies. I white heat embossed the sentiments from Simon's 'Happy' and 'Be Sentiments' stamp sets and inked up the edges of the word bubbles with white pigment ink. I used foam adhesive to mount the top die to add a little dimension and finished things off with some My Mind's Eye Enamel Dots.
Simon Says Stamp October Card Kit Winner!
I'm stopping by real quick to announce the winner of the Simon Says Stamp October Card Kit.
Super cute!!! I love how you made a little bag filled with coffee goodies!!
I'm back with another card using the fun Simon Says Stamp October Card Kit.
For this card I used the glassine bag that the Coffee Cup die came in to hold some of the coffee-themed wood veneer pieces and a coffee shop gift card. The heart was die cut using the Coffee Cup die and Glossy Accents was added on top. The white paper is just the back side of one the patterned papers from the kit that I didn't see myself using otherwise.
Just a reminder that you can pick up the October 2014 card kit HERE for just $24.95 + shipping. Or if you'd like to receive this kit and future kits for only $19.95 + shipping per month, you can SUBSCRIBE HERE.
I also have an extra Simon Says Stamp October 2014 Card Kit to give away thanks to sweet Heidi, owner of Simon Says Stamp! Just leave a comment on any of my October 2014 Card Kit posts by the end of today (September 19th) and I'll announce a winner tomorrow (on the 20th).


POLITICAL AND GEOPOLITICAL COMMENT FROM RUSSIA: original (unauthorized) translations of N. Starikov's blog, selected writings and video clips.
This blog is no longer functional.
Nikolai Viktorovich Starikov (Russian: Никола́й Ви́кторович Ста́риков) is a Russian writer, opinion journalist, social activist and a co-chairman of Great Fatherland Party (Russian: Партия Великое Отечество) and its subsidiary social NGO, Union of Russian Citizens (Russian: Профсоюз Граждан России).
Starikov is the organizer of the "Goebbels' Award", which is awarded to "people who lie about, slander and vilify Russia", following the results of vote among readers of the resources nstarikov.ru and nstarikov.lj.ru.
Starikov is the leader of several political organizations, including the Union of Russian Citizens (Russian: Профсоюз Граждан России), founded on 25 April 2011, and the conservative Great Fatherland Party (Russian: Партия Великое Отечество), registered on 10 April 2013. He has championed a revisionist view of Joseph Stalin, portraying him as an effective leader and bulwark against western expansion.
"Rouble Nationalization: The Way to Russia's Freedom", St. Petersburg, Piter, 2011. (in Russian/English).
"Crisis: How is it done? (+ audio CD, read the author)", St. Petersburg, Piter, 2011. (in Russian).
"Chaos and Revolution – Weapons Of US Dollar.", St. Petersburg, Piter, 2011. (in Russian).
"Ukraine – Chaos and Revolution – Weapons Of US Dollar.", St. Petersburg, Piter, 2014. (in Russian).
This blog contains unauthorized translations from the Russian of selected writings and video clips of Nikolai Starikov by J. v. Kopenhagen.
Readers are encouraged to use the materials of this blog in their own publications provided that full credit is given.
I would like to contact Mr Starikov. I can tell from what I have seen by him that we have similar political views and similar views about Central Banking and State Sovereignty.. I want to visit Russia and next to Vladimir Putin Nicolay is the person I would I would most like to meet.
Mr. Starikov's email address is mail@nstarikov.ru. Sorry for the delay. I have been away and could not tend to the blog. Mr. Starikov has a great talent to simplify and connect. He may have a fine future in politics, and Russia – a strong leader. Who knows?
I am afraid I promised myself and NS more than i can keep. I have too little time to keep this blog alive. Thanks Angelica.


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Rising Junior Is UNC's 16th Udall Scholar
Elayna Locklear, a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and a rising junior at Carolina, has been awarded the Udall Scholarship to help her pursue a career in osteopathic medicine to treat native...
Junior Earns Goldwater Scholarship
Andrew Pendergast, a rising senior at Carolina, has been selected for the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. Pendergast, who is pursuing a major in chemistry, hopes to earn a doctorate in analytical chemistry and ultimately establish a...
GAA Honors Folt, Roper and Crisp for Service
The General Alumni Association on Saturday honored a chancellor and the longtime leaders of UNC's health care system and its student affairs for their service. The GAA presented its 2019 Distinguished Service Medals to Carol...
10th Annual Dance Marathon to Benefit Children's Hospital
Posted on Feb. 19, 2008
More than 1,100 Carolina students have committed to stand on their feet for a full 24 hours at the 10th annual UNC Dance Marathon, which begins Friday. The event celebrates the conclusion of the student participants' yearlong fundraising efforts in support of the patients and families of N.C. Children's Hospital.
The UNC Dance Marathon, held at Fetzer Gym, will feature around-the-clock entertainment from campus and community performance groups, varsity athletes, professional bands and guest speakers. The event kicks off at 7 p.m. on Feb. 22, with festivities culminating in a grand total fundraising announcement at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23.
The UNC Dance Marathon has raised more than $1.3 million for N.C. Children's Hospital during the past nine years, each year superseding the previous year's fundraising total. Last year's UNC Dance Marathon was the most successful to date, raising more than $236,000 for the Marathon's "For the Kids" fund.
The fund enables the UNC Dance Marathon to give directly to N.C. Children's Hospital's families to help with extra costs not associated with health care expenses that they may not otherwise be able to afford — expenses such as gas and car repairs so parents can visit their sick children, parking and meal vouchers, utility bills that might otherwise go unpaid because of looming medical bills, gift certificates to local retailers, clothing and toys for kids, etc. N.C. Children's Hospital social workers have discretion to disperse "For the Kids" funds to families on an as-needed basis throughout the year.
In addition to helping cover families' essential expenses, the UNC Dance Marathon has extended the reach of its fundraising efforts in recent years by funding divisional grants with specific clinical divisions within N.C. Children's Hospital. In 2007, grant recipients included the Newborn Critical Care Center within the hospital's division of neonatal-perinatal medicine, which received funding to buy two NICU Knowledge kiosks.
The kiosks are freestanding, interactive touch-screen computers containing educational modules designed to increase parents' comfort level within the NICU environment and enable them to become confident participants in their child's care. Modules range from an introduction to equipment and explanation of medical terms to recognition of infant signals.
"Our parents and staff love the new NICU Knowledge units," said Dr. Kate Veness-Meehan, director of the Newborn Critical Care Center, which admits an average of 700 infants each year. "They have furthered our ability to deliver family-centered care and caregiver education, particularly with our Hispanic families, who often times struggle with language and cultural barriers. We are extremely grateful to the UNC Dance Marathon for this gift, which continues to make a tremendous and very positive impact."
The public is encouraged to attend the marathon and lend their support throughout the 24-hour event and particularly during the kick-off at 7 p.m. on Friday and during the closing ceremony beginning at 5 p.m. on Saturday. The closing ceremony will feature presentations by patients and families and close with a celebratory announcement of the overall fundraising total.
Donations can be made in-person or online at the UNC Dance Marathon's Web site, which will offer a 24-hour online Web cast of the event. The 2008 UNC Dance Marathon also features an online auction, accessible via the Web site and offering a variety of items ranging from gift certificates donated by area vendors, restaurants and attractions to gift items such as jewelry and accessory packages. Auction items are open to bidding the week leading up to the event and close at 6 p.m. on Saturday, with proceeds contributing to the overall fundraising total.
Related coverage is available online:
Dance Marathon Sets New Record
News report from March 2007
For Eighth Year, Students to Stay Standing For 24 Hours
News report from February 2006
News report February 2005


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Q: How to make the StringExpression not occur in my case? Why is there a StringExpression in the following code?
f["a b c"] //. x_String :>
    StringReplace[x, (StartOfString ~~ x1__ ~~ "b" ~~ x2__ ~~ EndOfString) :> f["BBB"]]
(*
    f[StringExpression[f[BBB]]]
*)

Though I can remove it, I'd rather it not appear in the first place, because I'm not sure this method is safe:
f["a b c"] //. x_String :>
    StringReplace[x, (StartOfString ~~ x1__ ~~ "b" ~~ x2__ ~~ EndOfString) :> f["BBB"]] /.
    StringExpression -> Sequence
(*
    f[f[BBB]]
*)

A: As R.M. described this behavior is documented:

If the spi in the replacements si -> spi do not evaluate to strings, StringReplace will yield a StringExpression rather than an ordinary string.

I recommend stripping StringExpression as part of the right-hand side of the primary replacement, so that the main expression never has StringExpression substituted into it.  A shorter replacement form, e.g. _[x_] :> x may be used as the return from StringReplace should be either a String or a StringExpression object, or you could simply Apply Sequence:
f["a b c"] //.
 x_String :>
  Sequence @@
   StringReplace[x, (StartOfString ~~ x1__ ~~ "b" ~~ x2__ ~~ EndOfString) :> f["BBB"]]

This works because Sequence @@ "string" returns "string".

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
News and Tips Travel News
62-Year-Old Florida Man Found Clinging To Boat In Atlantic Ocean Returns To Shore Today
Jordan Palmer
Dec.1.2020
DVIDS
A 62-year-old Florida man was rescued after being found clinging to his capsized boat in the Atlantic Ocean.
According to Florida Today, the harrowing tale of the boater Stuart Bee began Friday afternoon when he sailed his 32-foot Sea Ray from Cape Marina at Port Canaveral alone. Bee was reported missing on Saturday when he did not return.
The U.S. Coast Guard sent out a C-130 Hercules rescue plane to search for Bee and issued a call to all boats and ships in the area to keep a lookout for the missing vessel.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard said mechanical issues disabled Bee's boat. Bee told them that he was awakened just after midnight Saturday to find his boat was taking on water and sinking.
As his boat capsized, Bee was able to hold onto a small portion of the hull that remained above the waves. At sunrise on Saturday, Bee said he saw a ship and took off his shirt and waved to attract its attention. Luckily, the crew of the container ship, Angeles, was alert to the search for Bee, spotted him, and rescued him shortly after.
"Saving lives at sea is our highest calling. This is a truly incredible outcome that demonstrates the bond among all mariners and our community," said Captain Mark Vlaun, commanding officer of Sector Jacksonville. "Thank you to our mission partners that launch into action and to all who got the word out to find and rescue Mr. Bee."
The New York Times reports that Bee refused the Coast Guard's offer to pick him up, and "decided to stay onboard the Angles, which is scheduled to arrive in Wilmington, Delaware on Tuesday."
For the latest news, you can read up on travel news here.
Jordan Palmer View Full Profile
Jordan worked at KSDK from 1995 to 2020 and has produced every show from news to specials during his tenure, including creating Show Me St. Louis, The Cardinal Nation Show, and the Rams Tailgate Show. Jordan has won four regional Emmy awards and two Edward R. Murrow awards for journalistic excellence. Additionally, Jordan runs a local blog focusing on the responsible drinking community of St. Louis, called Drink314.
Jordan has been married for 23 years and is the father of two children. He is an avid biker and snowboarder. He collects baseball cards, old toys, and tacky salt n' pepper shakers. He has an incredible and vast knowledge of useless information and is the grandson of a former Cleveland bootlegger.
Health Tips CBD Oil: The Expert Answers To All Your Questions
Inspire My Stay In An 18th-Century Chateau And Why You Should Add It To Your Travel List
Florida 9 Quaint Beach Towns In Florida
Travel News U.S. Triples Daily Permits To The Wave Starting Next Month
Travel News Live Safaris Every Day: The Best FREE Virtual Experience You've Been Missing
Travel News Having A 'Ruff' Day? These Adorable TSA Pups Will Put A Smile To Your Face
Travel News All Travelers Arriving In The U.S. Will Need A Negative COVID Test Starting This Month


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text:
Q: File download from Artifactory breaks randomly with Jfrog CLI I have a few scripts which uses the Jfrog CLI to download files from artifactory. These scripts are on RHEL7. There are few download commands (jfrog rt dl) which download software packages from Artifactory.
Randomly one of these package will fail with following error messages:
04:12:24 [Info] [Thread 2] [1]: 206 Partial Content...
panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference
[signal SIGSEGV: segmentation violation code=0x1 addr=0x40 pc=0x9d2bfb]

goroutine 86 [running]:
github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go/http/httpclient.(*HttpClient).doDownloadFileRange.func2()
    /root/go/pkg/mod/github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go@v1.8.0/http/httpclient/client.go:659 +0x1b
github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go/http/httpclient.(*HttpClient).doDownloadFileRange(0x64, {{0xc00003aa80, 0x25}, {0xc000354c40, 0x68}, {0xc000436320, 0x47}, {0x7ffecb4afe1c, 0x25}, {0xc000036168, ...}, ...}, ...)
    /root/go/pkg/mod/github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go@v1.8.0/http/httpclient/client.go:685 +0x619
github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go/http/httpclient.(*HttpClient).downloadFileRange.func1()
    /root/go/pkg/mod/github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go@v1.8.0/http/httpclient/client.go:614 +0x16b
github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go/utils.(*RetryExecutor).Execute(0xc000521d60)
    /root/go/pkg/mod/github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go@v1.8.0/utils/retryexecutor.go:33 +0x57
github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go/http/httpclient.(*HttpClient).downloadFileRange(0xc00036e900, {{0xc00003aa80, 0x25}, {0xc000354c40, 0x68}, {0xc000436320, 0x47}, {0x7ffecb4afe1c, 0x25}, {0xc000036168, ...}, ...}, ...)
    /root/go/pkg/mod/github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go@v1.8.0/http/httpclient/client.go:632 +0x48d
github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go/http/httpclient.(*HttpClient).downloadChunksConcurrently.func1(0x0, 0x0, 0x1)
    /root/go/pkg/mod/github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go@v1.8.0/http/httpclient/client.go:544 +0x229
created by github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go/http/httpclient.(*HttpClient).downloadChunksConcurrently
    /root/go/pkg/mod/github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go@v1.8.0/http/httpclient/client.go:543 +0x151

The commands i use are like these(from different scripts):

TMPDIR="/app/install/temp" jfrog rt dl artifactory-project/Backup_file.rep.gz  $REPO_FILE

jfrog rt dl artifactory-project/second_file.tar.gz /app/software/second_file.tar.gz

I am using Jfrog CLI jf version 2.12.0
Initially when it failed with segmentation error messages i added TMPDIR, but that did not sort out the issue.
I took a look at a similar post Artifactory Crash due to Segmentation Violation
but it does not seem to the exact error as i get.
Anyone faced similar issues? Any ideas to fix this issue?
Also I did not face this issue on CentOS. Is there some incompatibility with RHEL7?

A: This commit of jfrog-client-go fixes the issue.
jfrog-client-go v1.8.1 was released with this fix.
JFrog CLI 2.12.1 was also released and includes this fix.
It appears that the scenario which exposed this bug is a nil response or a response without a body. If this is caused by some instability in your network, there's a chance that jfrog-client-go's HTTP retry mechanism will mitigate and resolve the issue, now that it no longer crashes beicase of it.
It is worth upgrading JFrog CLI to version 2.12.1 (which is currently the latest) and seeing if the issue is completely resolved, or there are other issues, which may or may not be related to the code of JFrog CLI, which still need to be handled.


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Six Degrees Of Managerial Seperation As We Gear Up For A Summer Of Moves
by Back Of The Net April 22, 2013 April 21, 2013
2 Comments on Six Degrees Of Managerial Seperation As We Gear Up For A Summer Of Moves
All aboard the managerial merry go round once more as speculation of this summer's biggest moves reaches fever pitch. Josep Guardiola was the first coach to nail his flag to the mast and declare where he will be taking up this summer. The new Bayern Munich coach ended months of rumours and Chelsea whispers by signing on with the Bundesliga Champions in November of last year. The Spanish coach is unlikely to be the only high profile coach to switch jobs this summer in what is gearing up to be an intensive few months of change. It starts and ends with Madrid, with their high profile coach Jose Mourinho starting the ball rolling in what looks to be six degrees of managerial separation.
Chelsea Bound – Jose Mourinho
(Image from Getty)
Mourinho to Chelsea
It's no secret that Benetiz is leaving Chelsea in the summer and an even bigger secret that Mourinho is on his way back. Talk of other coaches like Borussia Dortmund's Jurgen Klopp and Malaga's Manuel Pellegrini are nothing more than smoke and mirrors, strategically placed so that when the former Portuguese coach makes his entrance at Stamford Bridge, it is as dramatic as possible. Jose the great, the special one is back at the bridge which calls an end to Benetiz time, much to the delight of a large section of the home support. Whilst Mourinho hasn't taken the formal step to announce his return, he has been publically saying his goodbyes in Spain. Roma looks to have gotten his man, after the two made up following their very public spat which lead to Mourinho leaving England in 2007. PSG could throw a spanner in the works by offering Mourinho a more lucrative offer but whilst it would be appealing to the Portuguese maestro who wants to win the league in as many countries as possible, he has unfinished business at Chelsea that will draw him back. He wants to deliver the Champions League title which he promised Abramovich several years ago and despite the Russian billionaire getting his hands on the trophy last year thanks to Roberto Di Matteo, another one courteously of Mourinho would be welcomed.
Benetiz would be welcomed back at Liverpool
Benetiz to Liverpool
Benetiz deserves more praise for what he has done at Chelsea than he is given. Sitting third in the league, hot on the heels of a faltering Manchester City, and in the semi finals of a very winnable Europa League competition, Benetiz has done well under harsh conditions. With the home fans breathing down his neck with distain due to his previous history with Liverpool, Benetiz has kept his composure and managed to steer a wayward Chelsea ship towards port. Additionally he has done what most Chelsea bosses have failed to do, by reigniting the fire of Fernando Torres. Still half the player he was at Liverpool, Torres is at least now firing in the goals with 17 goals in all competitions, much to the delight of his biggest fan, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich. Benetiz will step aside in the summer for the returning Mourinho but he may not go that far with a trip up the M4 and back to Anfield on the cards. A legend in the north with Liverpool fans, due to delivering the Champions League trophy against all odds in 2004, Benetiz return to the red side of the city would be much welcomed. After a poor season under Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool fans just want to get back to winning ways and competing for the major honours once more, which is exactly what Benetiz can give them.
Rodgers return to Swansea?
Rodgers to Swansea
Rodgers to be fair hasn't done a bad job at Liverpool, but unfortunately his idea of time versus the clubs owners is likely to be different. Rodgers would love to have five to ten years to restructure the club and breed a new batch of talented youngsters much in the way that Arsenal have but investors won't hang around to see this. The Fenway Group which has the controlling stake in Liverpool, need quick results and trophies to boot as success brings new money and expansion opportunities for the club. Rodgers has brought through some youngsters this year as part of his plan but his poor tactical calls and inability to bring in silverware will see the coach depart in favour of a manager who knows every blade of grass at Anfield and is a crowd favourite. It comes hardly as a surprise given that Rodgers wasn't Liverpool's first choice (Roberto Martinez holds that honour) but will be bitter sweet for the Northern Irishman. After picking himself back up, he is likely to look for an opportunity in the same division to prove he is not a failure and that chance may come in the form of an old friend, especially if Laudrup departs Swansea for a bigger club. Rodgers would relish the chance to restart where he left off a year or so ago, even if it's seen as a backward step in his career.
Rising Star – Michael Laudrup
Laudrup to Man City
Laudrup's stock has risen considerably after an impressive debut season in the Premiership with Swansea. The former Danish international led the unfancied welsh outfit to their first major trophy in their 101 year history with victory in the League Cup and it hasn't gone unnoticed by England's top four. City, much frustrated with the lack of silverware this season, look to have lost patience with Roberto Mancini, despite the Italian coach thinking otherwise. If he is to go, City have options of who they can turn to including Ajax's Frank De Boer and Malaga's Manuel Pellegrini but the smart money would be on a somewhat surprise move for Laudrup. Working on a limited budget, Laudrup has built an impressive team and bought wisely which to big spending City, who have repeatedly paid over the odds for players in the past, may be appealing. His style of attacking football and ability to mix up the formation of his team with little disruption would also interest city's owners who have watched in wonder as Mancini tinkered badly and lost vital games and ground this year. They could face a fight with Madrid, who could turn to their former player as Mourinho's replacement but Laudrup is likely to want to remain in the UK after two spells as a manager in Spain.
Not a successful season for Mancini
(Image from Reuters)
Roberto Mancini to PSG
Mancini knows that this season was not good enough and probably knows that he will not be coaching Manchester City next year if he is truthful. So where next for the pragmatic Italian? Heading back to Italy is an option and with former clubs Sampdoria and Lazio a likely destination, especially after somewhat disappointing seasons. But having already won Serie A with Inter and with both clubs unlikely to be challenging next year for honours, Mancini looks destined to go to another league. That league may be just across the water in France to take on another multimillion dollar rebuilding operation in PSG. Despite a quarter final appearances in the Champions League and the French title on its way, it's not been a great year for current coach Carlo Ancelotti. The former Chelsea boss has watched in horror as his team of superstars crashed out of two domestic cup competitions this year, most recently to lowly Evian in the Coupe de France. Whilst these cups meant little to the owners, it was expected that PSG would storm to the domestic treble this year which has not happened. Rumours of a rift between Ancelotti and Technical Director Leonardo have risen recently although the club vehemently denies it. If the rumours are true, PSG are unlikely to favour anyone but the Brazilian who is seen as the focal point of the PSG forward movement. Ancelotti is smart enough to know when to leave than to fight a battle he will never win.
Off to Real for Ancelotti?
Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid
Ancelotti's reputation as a winner (titles in Italy, England and now France) make him a compelling option for many clubs. But for one in particular, Ancelotti's managerial style could be seen as a refreshing change to their last coach. Madrid would welcome Ancelotti with open arms and embrace his low key style, which will be in harsh contrast to the style of the exiting Mourinho. Ancelotti would welcome the challenge as well of adding the Spanish title to his resume and at a time when Barcelona look considerably shaky, it may be the perfect time for the 53 year old coach. Only an ailing father back home in Italy would potentially block the deal from happening but if Madrid owner Florentino Pérez sees Ancelotti as the coach he wants, we are sure a Real owned private jet will be made available at all times if the Italian needs to head home quickly.
Whilst the above is not an exact science and requires only one owner to offer a curveball into the mix to throw the whole thing off, it's a calculated risk that the coaches involved will be moving on to new clubs starting at the end of May. Other coaches like David Moyes (rumored to be off to Schalke), Neil Lennon (to Everton as Moyes replacement) and potentially Barcelona looking for a new manager with Tito Vilanova rumoured to be stepping down again as he continues his fight against cancer, it could be one of the busiest summers for managerial moves in recent history. Over to you Jose to get the ball rolling.
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Tags: 6 degrees of seperation Barcelona Bayern Munich Borussia Dortmund Carlo Ancelotti Celtic Chelsea David Moyes Everton Fernando Torres Florentino Pérez Frank De Boer Jose Mourinho Josep Guardiola Jurgen Klopp Liverpool Malaga Manchester City Manuel Pellegrini Michael Laudrup Neil Lennon PSG Rafa Benetiz Real Madrid Roberto Di Matteo Roman Abramovich Schalke Swansea Tito Vilanova
Scotstino says:
Thanks for the comment. I agree that Rodgers may be given more time by the Liverpool owners but with Rafa making public his ambition to go back and the supporters backing the move, it may be hard for them to resist.
richwaterhouse says:
Great piece on the managerial roundabout! Only move I will disagree with is the Rogers move as I think that the owners knew that assigning him would invovle taking time but nonetheless I totally agree with the other possible moves and it will exciting to see Mourinho back in the Prem! 🙂
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text:
Republican Tax Plan May Be Disastrous to Non-Profits
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — passed yesterday by the House of Representatives —could deliver a devastating blow to non-profits nationwide, including arts organizations.
The bill repeals and reduces most itemized tax deductions, and doubles the standard deduction. According to the Tax Policy Center, those provisions will cut the number of people who choose to itemize deductions from 46 million to 13 million, eliminating the tax incentive for many to give to charitable organizations. The center estimates charitable giving will reduce by between $12 billion and $20 billion in 2018. A repeal of the estate tax could cut it by another $4 billion.
The Senate's version of the bill is in process, with plans for a vote after the Thanksgiving holiday.
House Theatre Cancels "Ellen Bond"
Brian Posen Steps Down at Stage 773
Jason Epperson
Jason is a producer, manager, and designer with 17 years of experience in Chicago, New York, and in the touring market. In 2015, he founded Lotus Theatricals - the publisher of Performink, and an independent commercial producing company - with Abigail Trabue.


Mrs. Lee's Kindergarten: It's a Giveaway!!
I'm sure you're already following Jamie Mayas at Mrs. Mayas' Kinders, but if you aren't you MUST! She has just opened her very own TpT store and has already added some cute things! I am giving away her brand new "Snow Much Fun" winter pack!
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text:
Through the Eyes of the Leopard Cat
Singapore's last wild cat
Leopard cats in the news: human-wildlife conflict and poaching/pet trade
January 15, 2014 marcus One comment
Leopard cats appeared on my news radar twice during the last fortnight and both for rather unfortunate reasons. While the leopard cat is considered by the IUCN as a species of least concern with regards to the risk of extinction, their apparent preference for open forest and human-modified habitats often puts them in the harms way of people. Both reports are fairly common examples of what I have read about, heard or seen in the Southeast Asian region:
Human-wildlife conflict
The first, Cat-ching farmer by surprise, reported by The Star on 31 Dec 2013, was a human-wildlife conflict issue where, Malaysian poultry farmer, Mohd Izham Hussin, found many of his chickens going missing until he set a trap and caught a leopard cat in it. The farmer was said to have lost about 70 chickens over a period of two months before the leopard cat was caught. He eventually handed the animal over to the Wildlife Department, saying that it "would have been cruel to kill the cat just for eating about 70 of his chickens".
Leopard cat caught by Mohd Izham Hussin in Peninsular Malaysia. Photo: The Star.
As leopard cats are able to live in some types of human-modified habitat with vegetation cover, their proximity to humans can often lead to conflict if poultry or small livestock and pets become part of the leopard cat's diet. Personally, I have been told of how a villager's chickens and rabbits were killed and eaten by a leopard cat in Singapore in the old days. Indeed, Harrison in his book An Introduction to Mammals of Singapore and Malaya (1966) noted that the species can be a "notorious chicken-thief".
Most people's perception of human-wildlife conflicts often involve big animals like elephants or tigers, but small carnivores such as small wild cats, civets and otters have their share as well. In many cases, these animals end up being persecuted by people.
Even though leopard cats in Singapore may not get into similar conflicts these days with people, I think this incident is a lesson worth learning from – that Mohd Izham Hussin spared the animal despite the threat it had on his livelihood. I am trying to contact Mr Mohd Izham Hussin through the journalist so see if there is a way to help.
Poaching and leopard cats in the pet trade
The second report on Rare leopard cats sold for $2,000 on social media appeared on the Borneo Bulletin, 14 Jan 2014. It was stated that leopard cats have been sold as pets online in Brunei, and are a target for poachers for their pelt.
Quite similar to the songbird's curse of its beautiful song, leopard cats, owing to their attractive appearance, are prized as exotic pets and for the fur industry. They are also used to breed a domestic cat hybrid called the Bengal. For these reasons, some pet stores and markets in the region, such as Indonesia and Myanmar, stock them rather openly. As most of these animals are likely to be sourced from the wild, hunting could eventually be an issue for the species in some areas.
It is important to note that the leopard cat is listed as a CITES Appendix II species in most countries, meaning that international trade in leopard cats is illegal. Also, most wild animals do not make good pets as they may be untameable and have strict diets that cannot be fulfilled in captive conditions, i.e., they belong to the wild.
Although it is not clear if the leopard cat that was reportedly put on sale for $2,000 was rescued, it appears that the Universiti Brunei Darussalam wildlife club, 1stopbrunei Wildlife, has rescued and returned leopard cats and other wild animal back to wild. In addition, the club also conducts talks and field trips for school to spread awareness for wildlife protection.
A leopard cat rescued by Universiti Brunei Darussalam wildlife club, 1stopbrunei Wildlife. Photo: M Shavez Cheema.
In the end, although both news articles have rather unfortunate beginnings, both also have silver linings: one with a poultry farmer who decided not to kill the trapped leopard cat, and the other, a wildlife club doing good work to rescue wild animals and spread awareness for wildlife protection. I think we can certainly be heartened that there are many in the wildlife conservation movement out there.
Camera trap
Leopard cat ecology and conservation – WAZA Conservation Project listing
Life of a common palm civet in Singapore
Otters in Singapore
Wildlife Reserves Singapore Conservation Fund