When SLEEP NUMBER® offered me the opportunity to partner with them and try out a Sleep Number bed and then report back on how we were sleeping – I jumped for joy.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?! HECK YES YOU CAN SEND ME A BED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The exclamation points actually went on longer in my head, but Even Steven has been working with me on cutting back on the number of !! I'm using.
The bed arrived, and I – I mean WE – had so much fun playing with all of the new features. It goes up, it goes down, and there's a zero gravity feature that totally blows my mind.
And – probably best of all – it uses SleepIQ® technology to track our sleep – so I can actually see how restless I am at night.
And also how many times I'm out of bed to prove to Even Steven that it's actually HIS TURN to help the kids in the middle of the night because I've done it the last THREE times.
I have loved pretty much every second of sleeping in this bed.
But here's what I didn't expect.
I didn't expect to feel so much better when I woke up every morning.
I didn't expect to have more energy.
I didn't expect to be able to directly tie my nightly and morning routines to how I was sleeping.
Now that Even Steven and I have been sleeping in the bed for a few months, I can honestly say that we both feel better.
See all those green bars? That's the time that he was in DEEP sleep. Like – doesn't hear the dog barking or the kids coughing kind of deep sleep.
It was also funny to see that as opposite as Even Steven and I are – we have the same Sleep Number. I mean – what are the odds? Clearly we really were meant to be together.
With that said, here are a few things you can do to make your mornings great too!
Once I started using the SleepIQ® technology to track my sleep, it became really obvious that the earlier I got to bed, the less restless I was throughout the night – and the less likely I was to WAKE UP throughout the night. Now I shoot for a 10 pm bedtime every night – even if I don't feel tired. It works like a charm, and has made a huge difference in how I sleep.
Whether you buy a Sleep Number bed, invest in their Dual Temp layer (one of my FAVORITE things!) or treat yourself to comfortable sheets, make sure you're comfortable at night. Even Steven used to complain all the time about his neck and back aching. Guess how many times he's needed me to rub his neck after getting the Sleep Number bed? That would be ZERO!
I used to set an alarm for 6 am so that I would have 30 minutes of alone time before my kids woke up at 6:30 am. Now my body wakes itself up at 6 am, and I'm ready to start the day. Having even 15 minutes to wake up the way YOU want to wake up (rather than by a child staring at you or jumping on your face) can make a huge change in how your morning starts. And if you're going to bed earlier, that earlier wake up time won't be hard at all.
First thing in the morning, I drink a glass of warm water and lemon. The lemon helps get my digestive system ready for the day, and the water helps to re-hydrate after going eight hours without any liquids.
Before you eat or caffeine up, get moving – even if it's only for 10 minutes. You can do some stretches, some quick jumping jacks or meet friends for a walk. Just 10 minutes of movement makes a huge difference in my outlook for the day and energy level in the morning.
Rather than letting my mind run endlessly thinking about everything I need to accomplish in a day, I write down 3 – 5 things that HAVE to get accomplished. Then I force myself to focus on completing those tasks first. Anything else that I get finished is just a bonus. This daily list helps me stay focused and not stress (as much) about my day.
Whether you want to love your mornings or just get better sleep, click here to learn more about Sleep Number, and their SleepIQ® technology.
Your entire family will be sleeping better in no time!
This post is sponsored by Sleep Number. All opinions are my own.


Years of Service in the Local Roscoe, mn area, including: Roscoe, Paynesville, Richmond, Eden Valley.
- Floor to Ceiling Willmar in Willmar (Est. 1983 | 36 Years | 29 mi.); These local flooring stores didn't succeed and grow in the Roscoe, mn area unless they were satisfying client needs and adding value.
A flooring buying group is an organization of independent retailers who join together in order to share marketing expenses and obtain discounts from flooring manufacturers. You might want to check our these floor dealers near Roscoe for the best pricing and selection.
With the largest selection of beautiful, stylish carpet near Roscoe, plus brand-name hardwood flooring, laminate and tile, you'll find everything you need to make your home look its best - all at great low prices.
Shop For Flooring in Roscoe, minnesota Using Social Media.
While local word of mouth recommendations have always helped minnesota consumers buy products, social media shopping sites like FaceBook, Twitter and Google+ now allow flooring covering buyers in Roscoe, mn the ability to connect with other consumers in Roscoe. Increasingly customers are looking towards the recommendations of other shoppers over traditional advertising. These local flooring stores in Stearns County are using social media to keep in touch.


The Friday Harbor High School golf team faced Lopez on April 27 at the San Juan Golf Club. The final score was 248 for the Wolverines and 258 for Lopez.
Tobin Arden from Lopez scored a 40 on the San Juan course to lead all players as medalists. Dylan Posenjak, of Friday Harbor, and Reese Hamilton, Lopez, tied for second place with a pair of 44's. Freshman Ethan Havel had another personal best with a score of 48 and finished in fourth place. With the Lopez men finishing 1, 2 they won the bragging rights for the day with an 8 shot victory over the local squad.
The last time the team played Lopez, four of their top ladies all broke 50 and beat almost everyone on the Wolverines team. For this team match, six players were selected to go up against the Lopez squad. Friday Harbor pulled out a slim victory 248 to 258. A star golfer from Lopez, Nora Zapalac, got caught in one of San Juan's famous 6-foot deep sand traps and found out how hard it is to escape. If it hadn't been for that misfortune, the win would have been determined by the last putt.
When you're a beginner golfer, the big challenge is to break 50 for the first time on a nine-hole score. With a couple years experience, the next challenge is to break 40.
The following is the coach's evaluation of a few of the top players on the team.
Dylan Posenjak: shot 44 with two triples on 6 and 7. The coach watched him play the seventh hole and he drove the ball 40 yards from the green in one shot. He then shanked his second shot OB for a two-shot penalty. If Dylan had pared those two holes he would have shot a 38.
Sean Chevalier: shot 53 with a 7 on 3 and a 9 on 9; that's a triple and a quad. If he had bogeyed those two holes, he would be looking at a 47.
Ian Volk: shot a 53 with a 10 on 7 and a 9 on 8. He played seven great holes and let it slip away with two train wrecks. If he had bogeyed the last two holes, he would have finished with a 43.
Ethan Havel: shot 48, a personal best. He made 7 on 1 and 7 on 9 both par fives. Golfers look at par fives as birdie holes. If Ethan had pared those two he would have shot 44.
Alen Malic: shot 62 with a 14 on 2 and 9 on 5. If he had pared those two holes he would have carded a 48.
Levi Doenges: shot 50 with 7 on 1 and 7 on 9. Again, both par fives; they should have been birdie holes. If he just pars them he shoots 46.
Weston Swirtz: shot 50 with a 10 on 9. He threw away five shots on one hole. He had a nice 45 looking right at him.
Chase Wilson: shot 51 with an 8 on 3 and 7 on 7. Let's give Chase bogeys on those two holes and he shoots 46.
Peter Kulseth: shot 50 with a 6 on 6 and an 8 on 7. If he bogeys those two holes he shoots 45.
The pattern continues with the entire team.
So what does this tell us? Life and golf have a lot in common. When we make little mistakes, which we all do, it's pretty easy to recover from them. When you make big mistakes it has a tendency to ruin your day and wreck your golf score. The challenge is to figure out how to stop making big mistakes before the team heads into the district tournaments.
The six players with a * were the varsity for this match.


text:
<!doctype html>
<!--
@license
Copyright (c) 2015 Mono d.o.o. All rights reserved.
Code distributed by Google as part of the polymer project is also
subject to an additional IP rights grant found at http://polymer.github.io/PATENTS.txt
-->
<html>
<head>

  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">

  <script src="../webcomponentsjs/webcomponents-lite.js"></script>
  <link rel="import" href="../iron-component-page/iron-component-page.html">

</head>
<body>
  <!-- Note: if the main element for this repository doesn't
       match the folder name, add a src="<main-component>.html" attribute,
       where <main-component>.html" is a file that imports all of the
       components you want documented. -->
  <iron-component-page></iron-component-page>

</body>
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Welcome to Bedford Little League 2019!
Do you have a Bedford Little League account?
The Bedfordll.com website is a tremendous education and communication tool for our community of parents, players, coaches and board members. Unlike many sites, our site depends on your participation to bring out its full power. If you have not registered yet, please take a minute now to do so. By completing this form, you can register yourself and/or your children, giving you access to the full breadth of Bedfordll.com.
The benefits of registering are that Bedford Little League will build up our community network and that you will receive a more personalized experience. After registering, you'll be able to participate in the full on-line experience, receive notification emails from the league, receive notices when updates are made to bedfordll.com and access to team information in season.
Click on the MEMBER REGISTRATION button on the upper right of the home page to get started.


text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using Google.ProtocolBuffers.DescriptorProtos;

namespace Google.ProtocolBuffers.Descriptors
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Describes a service type.
    /// </summary>
    public sealed class ServiceDescriptor : IndexedDescriptorBase<ServiceDescriptorProto, ServiceOptions>
    {
        private readonly IList<MethodDescriptor> methods;

        public ServiceDescriptor(ServiceDescriptorProto proto, FileDescriptor file, int index)
            : base(proto, file, ComputeFullName(file, null, proto.Name), index)
        {
            methods = DescriptorUtil.ConvertAndMakeReadOnly(proto.MethodList,
                                                            (method, i) => new MethodDescriptor(method, file, this, i));

            file.DescriptorPool.AddSymbol(this);
        }

        /// <value>
        /// An unmodifiable list of methods in this service.
        /// </value>
        public IList<MethodDescriptor> Methods
        {
            get { return methods; }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Finds a method by name.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="name">The unqualified name of the method (e.g. "Foo").</param>
        /// <returns>The method's decsriptor, or null if not found.</returns>
        public MethodDescriptor FindMethodByName(String name)
        {
            return File.DescriptorPool.FindSymbol<MethodDescriptor>(FullName + "." + name);
        }

        internal void CrossLink()
        {
            foreach (MethodDescriptor method in methods)
            {
                method.CrossLink();
            }
        }

        internal override void ReplaceProto(ServiceDescriptorProto newProto)
        {
            base.ReplaceProto(newProto);
            for (int i = 0; i < methods.Count; i++)
            {
                methods[i].ReplaceProto(newProto.GetMethod(i));
            }
        }
    }
}


text:
Sheffield Buccaneers Fencing Club is a weekly fencing club held in Birkdale School in the Broomhill area of Sheffield, England. It was founded in 1998 by current coach Adam Blight and currently meets on Wednesday nights at 7pm.

The focus of the club is to train and improve members to fence at a competition level in foil. This includes the running of beginners courses.

Notable Fencers
Husayn Rosowsky  is an international standard fencer. He has won the 2011 British Foil Championships, and has also achieved in various other National and International championships including the Cadet world championships, where he won Bronze, and also winning the British under 10s in 2001. Husayn Rosowosky was invited to take part in the 2012 GB Olympic Fencing team. His brother, Ahmed Rosowsky is a high-national standard fencer.

External links
 Sheffield Buccaneers Fencing Club homepage

Fencing clubs
Fencing in the United Kingdom
Buccaneers
Sports clubs established in 1998
1998 establishments in England

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The first 20 years of the Dublin AM Rotary were remembered with laughter.
The local service organization began the yearlong celebration of its 20th anniversary last week, recalling projects, fundraisers, events and more during a Friday morning meeting.
The Rotary began in Dublin with about 25 members in 1990, said past president John Williamson. The club claims 1.2-million members worldwide, with the Dublin club accounting for about 140 of those.
The organization for local business members focuses on community service and is part of Rotary International, which carries the motto "service above self."
When the first Rotary Club was established in 1905 in Chicago, it was the world's first service organization, Williamson said.
Dublin has taken service to heart.
Since its 1990 founding the Dublin AM Rotary has contributed about $850,000 to more than 100 organizations locally, nationally and internationally, Williamson said, noting local benefactors including the Miracle League, Dublin Robotics Club and a cancer support group.
While 20 years of past presidents reflected upon such accomplishments last week, several noted the group has always been energetic, taking on several projects.
"I've never seen so few people do so much to help," said Debbie Lutz, president of the Dublin AM Rotary in 1995 and 1996.
During his year as president, William-son said the group started Dublin Robotics and a cancer support group; he also recalled serving at the Blarney Bash and community parades.
Ann Ralston, who served as president in 2003 and 2004, noted the passion for different projects that members bring to the Rotary.
"What I'm most proud of is people bring their passions in the doors with them," she said.
Cap Clegg, who followed Ralston as president, said Rotary members "follow up on that passion and ask 'How can I help with that?'"
Others focused on the camaraderie in the group.
"Without this group I wouldn't have the great friendships I have today," said Faye Herriott, who served as president in 1994 and 1995.
Bill Wahoff, club president in 1999 and 2000, said his time in Rotary even influenced family members.
The Rotary focused on helping the homeless and "my sons got into that with us. � The affect that has had on my family is somewhat dramatic," he said, adding that his son became an exchange student and is going into Foreign Service because he met so many international people through his father's membership in Rotary.
Margaret Butler said her time as president in 2006 and 2007 also helped her personally.
"The reason I accepted (the presidency) is because I couldn't do public speaking and now I can't shut up," Butler said.
Jim Burness, who soon will hand over the presidency to Dave Connelly, said being the president was "daunting" because of all the "major-league shoes" that he had to fill.
Among the projects the Dublin AM Rotary completed in the last year, Burness said one reminded him what the group was all about.
A free veterans flight to Washington, D.C., monuments was launched in the fall, the brainchild of Burness.
While waiting for the veterans to return to Don Scott Airport last fall with other members carrying patriotic signs, Burness said he was struck with a thought.
"It just hit me," he said. "I said, 'This is what Rotary is all about.'"


text:
Personal Loan srikakulam, 19 January 2021 from YES BANK
Premium Bike Loan from YES BANK in srikakulam
srikakulam is the district headquarter of the eponymous district in Andhra Pradesh. This municipal corporation functions as the headquarter of the Srikakulam revenue division as well as the Srikakulam Mandal. Srikakulam is believed to have been founded by Balarama. It was earlier known as Chicacole before the Indian independence. The city has nearly 1.5 lakh residents and Telugu is the most commonly used language in the area. The city has ample government schools to impart primary and secondary school education. The city has quite a few aided and private schools and colleges. The city has very good connectivity in terms of roads and railway. The city is known for the Arasavalli Sun temple which is believed to be the abode of the Sun God. Legend says that the great sage Kasyapa had installed the idol in the temple. It is one of the two sun temples in India and attracts a lot of devotees.
Low interest rate Premium Bike Loan in srikakulam, 19 January 2021 from YES BANK
The Yes Bank was founded in November 2003 by Mr.Rana Kapoor. It is one of the top and fastest growing bank as recognized by Prestigious media houses and Global Advisory Firms. It is a full-service commercial bank and built several business lines across India. The bank had 1050 branches and 1724 ATMs as of 31st December 2017, and it is the fourth largest private bank in India. It is emerging as the Professionals Bank of India. RBI has only awarded the Yes bank the Greenfield Bank license in the last two decades. The stocks of the Yes bank are listed on Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India in May 2005. Yes-International Banking was introduced in August 2007. In June 2008, the Yes Bank won the prestigious Emerging Markets Sustainable Bank of the Year award at the Finacial Times or IFC in Washington and Sustainable Banking Awards held in London. The aim of establishing YES bank was to cater to the "Sunrise Sectors of India." Its a Full-Service Commercial Bank offering a wide range of products to Corporates, MSME, and retail customers. In 2015, it was awarded as the Bank of the year-India by The Banker London.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


vidzbox.me 9 out of 10 based on 900 ratings. 300 user reviews.
TOYOTA 2003 RAV4 USER MANUAL Pdf Download.
View and Download Toyota 2003 RAV4 user manual online. 2003 RAV4. 2003 RAV4 Automobile pdf manual download.


Ever wonder why I keep calling Microsoft evil? Here's a classic example. Warning: The blog has some salty language since the man is obviously upset.
Rob was a beta tester for Microsoft and was an ardent supporter. WGA killed his Vista activation. When he griped about it they called him a thief and deleted his comments from the boards. Then they completely cut him off from all the boards. His passport account has been blocked. Classic Microsoft.
I'm really frustrated by this, and I can't believe MS is doing it. But this isn't a life quest for me – at least not until after the Cowboys game is over. Am I disappointed, disgusted, frustrated and even appalled? Yes I am. MS has really done more then let me down today. They've embarrassed me for supporting them. They've lost some trust I don't think they can ever regain. They have been evil. They have censored me. They have cut my voice off – ignored my opinions, and basically disposed of me. I won't forget that anytime soon. Mostly I am sorry for the time and energy I have spend over the last year supporting Vista. I am heart-broken that I spent that time fruitlessly for a company that obviously doesn't care, doesn't get it, and could care less if I was a happy customer. I am dismayed that they cut me off without consultation. I am freaked out that they delete my posts. Best one word description for my experience with MS today: disgust.
Look for this to be repeated over and over again when Vista gets to the masses. When WGA decides you are a THIEF, you will be locked out of your machine and you will have no recourse. Another great scam brought to you by the disgusting despicable morally and ethically bankrupt monopoly.
Hmmm – I left another comment before this that Blogger "ate".
Anyway, was just thanking you for the link.
I've converted many people thus far. I hope that Vista allows me to convert even more.


YOUR VERY OWN 16" x 20" Painted Canvas MASTERPIECE!
We have at least 2 instructors at each event so that we can ensure your success!
Reserve your spot quickly.... easels fill up fast!
Bring your friends, a bottle of wine (and snacks, if you like)... and leave the rest to us. No experience necessary!
Contact us if you would like to book a Private Event (we have kids' parties too!) at one of our locations or yours.
Painted wood board with dog collar strap!
This event will help support The Friends of White Hill Mansion. This organization is dedicated to the preservation of the historic home of the Field family. The home is currently undergoing immense restoration. Come learn about the work of the volunteers and the history of this significant landmark... you may even meet one of their famous ghosts!
Join Artist and Yogi, Sandra Holliday for a creative afternoon of mandala making, yoga and meditation. We will begin with a short yoga practice paired with meditation and then we will begin working on our mandalas. You will become immersed in the symmetry and flow of this circular meditation form as we work with a variety of glass gems, stained glass, mirrored glass, small pebbles, ceramic tiles and tin embellishments to create a 12" mosaic mandala.
Guests will also enjoy a 10% discount on all take-out food after the event. Bring home a delicious Piccolissimo meal to your family!
$46 pp: includes a delicious small plate buffet that will make it easy to munch and paint at the same time! What could be better? Oh yeah, drinks from the bar will be available for purchase!


text:
Q: Correspondence between linear and affine functions in higher dimensions How to demonstrate that the correspondence between an affine function in $\mathbb R^n\to\mathbb R^m$ and a linear function in $\mathbb R^{n+1}\to\mathbb R^m$ is well defined?
I know any affine function $f(x)$ can be defined as $f(x) = l(x) + c$, where $l(x)$ is a linear function. But I don't know how to demonstrate that another function $g$ in $\mathbb R^{n+1}$, $g(x,y) = l(x) + cy$ is correspondent to $f(x)$.
Any ideas?

A: Hint: Let $\mathbf x \in \Bbb R^n$, $y \in \Bbb R$.  Given a linear map $g:\Bbb R^{n+1} \to \Bbb R^m$, the function $f:\Bbb R^n \to \Bbb R^m$ defined by
$$
f(\mathbf x) = g(\mathbf x,1)
$$
is an affine transformation.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Derby Kingsway is one of the shops that belong to the Pets At Home network, situated at Unit 2 Kingsway Retail Park, Kingsway, Derby, DE22 3FA. The shop serves visitors coming from surrounding localities, such as Allestree, Darley Abbey, Mackworth Estate, Kedleston. In order to contact this location please telephone the number 0845 850 9622. Derby Kingsway is usually open on Monday: 09:00 - 20:00, Tuesday: 09:00 - 20:00, Wednesday: 09:00 - 20:00, Thursday: 09:00 - 20:00, Friday: 09:00 - 20:00, Saturday: 09:00 - 18:00. Its Sunday opening hours are: 10:30 - 16:30.
Other stores in the neighbourhood are Poundland in Derby Kingsway RP - only 0.01 miles away, Argos in Derby Kingsway Retail Park - about 0.01 miles away, Homebase in Derby Kingsway - at a distance of 0.01 miles, Costa Coffee in Derby - Kingsway Retail Park - only 0.01 miles away and TK Maxx in Derby - at a distance of 0.01 miles.


text:
Skokie hotel shooting
Murder Charge Filed in Skokie Hotel Shooting
An Evanston man faces a first-degree murder charge in a Jan. 19 shooting death
Published February 12, 2021 • Updated on February 12, 2021 at 2:10 pm
Skokie Police Dept.
A 24-year-old man was arrested in Milwaukee after he allegedly shot a man during an argument in Skokie hotel room.
Patrick Jenkins, of Evanston, faces a first-degree murder charge in the Jan. 19 shooting death of Dyrek Coleman, according to a statement from Skokie police.
The pair were at the Hampton Inn, at 5201 Old Orchard Road, when an argument between them escalated and Coleman was shot, police said. Coleman, 34, died in the hotel room.
Jenkins was arrested Feb. 1 in Milwaukee by the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, police said.
A Cook County judge denied Jenkins bail Thursday.
He was due in court again March 3.
Copyright CHIST - SunTimes
Skokie hotel shootingChicagoskokiehotel shootinghampton inn


GRAHAM � A Burlington woman stole $4,500 worth of jewelry from her boyfriend�s parents and sold it to an antique shop, she admitted in court last week.
Todd Watkins discovered his class ring missing one Sunday morning before church in December 2011. He called his ex-wife, Angela Satterfield, and she discovered nine rings and numerous other pieces of jewelry were missing from her home.
They both suspected Krystle Shanell Thompson, 25, of Hillford Drive, Burlington, had taken the items. She was dating their son at the time and they�d frowned on the relationship, said Alamance County Assistant District Attorney Gene Morris. Thompson and their son met online.
When Thompson was confronted by police, she admitted she�d stolen the rings and sold them to the Old Timey Place on Worth Street in downtown Burlington. Thompson attempted to get the jewelry back but management wouldn�t let her inside the store and told her the jewelry was gone, Morris said.
Morris said Satterfield and Watkins are concerned because they can�t get their property back. Morris asked for consecutive, suspended sentences to threaten lengthy prison time if Thompson fails to pay restitution while on probation.
Defense attorney Brad Buchanan asked for extended prosecution to give Thompson time to make the payments.
Superior Court Judge James E. Hardin Jr. issued two suspended six- to 17-month sentences and placed her on 36 months� probation. She was ordered to pay $4,500 in restitution, court costs, and attorney fees and not have contact with the victims or be at the Old Timey Place.
▪ Christopher Brian Johnson, 29, of Rogers Road, Graham, pleaded guilty to sell/deliver a schedule II controlled substance, felony possession of marijuana, possession with intent to sell/deliver marijuana, possession of a schedule I controlled substance and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Following a Feb. 16, 2010, search of his residence, Johnson was charged with possessing 100 grams of marijuana, marijuana baked into brownies and psilocybin mushrooms. He also sold 20 methadone pills to an undercover Alamance County deputy on Oct. 9, 2009. In exchange for the plea, the state dismissed a charge of maintaining a dwelling for a controlled substance and agreed to consolidate the remaining charges for sentencing.
Hardin issued two consecutive, suspended six- to eight-month sentences and placed him on 24 months� probation. Johnson was ordered to pay $140 restitution to the Alamance County Sheriff�s Office, court costs and complete a substance abuse evaluation.
▪ Angela Michelle Roten, 40, of Oxford Road, Roxboro, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon.
She originally was charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury after a fight outside the Clay Street Tavern in Mebane on Feb. 18, during which she hit a woman in the face with a beer bottle.
As part of the plea agreement, she must testify truthfully against Paul Harward, who Alamance County Assistant District Attorney Sean Boone said was the instigator in the fight. The woman assaulted was Harward�s ex-girlfriend, Boone said.
Roten was cooperative with investigators and is �necessary� and �valuable� in Harward�s prosecution, Boone said.
Defense attorney Clay Plunkett asked the judge to limit the amount of medical restitution to the victim to out-of-pocket expenses in case Harward goes to prison for the crime and won�t be required to pay restitution.
Hardin agreed and ordered her to pay the victim�s out-of-pocket expenses in $7,000 of medical bills. Roten was issued a 60-day suspended sentence and placed on 60 months� supervised probation. She will be required to testify against Harward if his case goes to trial.
▪ Kenneth Lynn Perry, 26, of Sandy Cross Road, Burlington, pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.
Perry was charged with hitting Ralph Taylor II with a beer bottle during a bar fight April 21 at the Fat Frogg in Elon.
Perry was issued a 13- to 25-month sentence and placed on 48 months� probation. Hardin ordered him to pay $5,775.78 in restitution, have no contact with Taylor and not be at the Fat Frogg.


As I look back a year ago today, I am in awe of all that has taken place. I'm amazed at the goodness of God; seeing His hand guiding me through the trials and bestowing unmeasurable blessings upon me.
A year ago today I was somewhat of a mess; awaiting a surgery to which I did not know the outcome. Coming out of it, too, with one of the better outcomes. It left me with a sizable scar as well as abdominal muscles that needed to knit themselves back together. Pain and discomfort were feelings I became very familiar with. I walked around for the first few weeks (very slowly) clutching a folded blanket to my belly because if I let go I felt as if my insides would come pouring out. Through all of this I learned, firsthand, just how good God is.
This is not meant to be a sad story, a woe-is-me-because-bad-things-happened story, nor a feel-sorry-for-me story.
You see, the story of last year was not about me being broken (though I admittedly am), but how God used that brokenness to make me stronger. Not just physically stronger, but spiritually stronger as well.
Highs and lows: God saw me through them all; He will see me through them all in the future as well.
Last year I was on leave from work, recovering from surgery, until February 18. This year, on February 18, I'm flying to Orlando. I'm spending a week there and going to have a grand time. I'm going with a great group of friends, my parents are joining us there, and so is my boyfriend. But wait – that's not all! I'm going to be running in the Disney Princess Half Marathon as well! This has been a goal of mine for a few years and the fact that it is only a month and a bit away is a little nerve-wracking. The thought that I can actually accomplish this seems crazy to me; even more so when I remember that I had to take a hiatus from running for 3 or so months. Or the fact that before last year the longest distance I ran was 3 miles.
Last Saturday I ran 7. This is nothing short of amazing. Amazing how God designed our bodies to put up with the craziness we put them through. Amazing how God has given me strength and endurance when I've wanted to give up. Amazing that He's brought me this far and will not fail to bring me the rest of the way.
So while today I might still be somewhat of a mess, I know God's not done with me yet. I know there are great amazing things ahead in this year. I know there are hard not-so-fun things ahead in this year. But I also know He will be with me, all along the way.
I pray that whatever God's brought you through in this past year has changed you for the better. That you see His hand in it all and know that He is working all things out for the good of those that love Him. That you give Him all the glory He so rightly deserves for seeing us through.


GB calf registrations for the first three months of 2015 have reached levels not seen since 2004. In total, calvings between January and March increased 6% from last year to approximately 360,000. Most of the increase occurred in February which saw 14% more registrations to reach over 130,000. Much of this is likely due to a larger herd, boosted by a 23% increase in imports in the first half of 2014. The higher calving numbers will lift milk production during the spring, although tight farm margins are likely to offset some of this, especially if farmers look to increase their culling rate.


I just wanted to update you on Jon Bone Jovi, who has been renamed Mowgli. Mowgli has adjusted wonderfully to his new home! He is happy, healthy, and adores his sister, Maddie. Mowgli has helped to make Maddie more active and social as well as provided her with a friend while my husband and I are at work. Thank you to everyone who helped in the adoption process of Mowgli, he has been a great addition to our family!


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did the real turn into the unreal, reality into reverie?
A book of sordid tales lay open on the desk, my gaze fixed on a photograph. The eyes stare from the page: holding my attention, groping my mind, fiddling with my senses.
I had seen this man before, and yet, I was not sure whether I recognized him; only that the feeling of déjà-vu wouldn't go away. It seemed he had a hold on me. I was mesmerized by his stare, hypnotized by the thin smile, engrossed by his rugged features. He was wizened and aged, and I sensed a deep evil in his eyes.
I think this man has a dark heart!
Slightly flustered, I walked away from the book, out through the door of the curiosity shop in which I'd been browsing, and across the few yards to where my car was parked. I got into the car, started her up, and drove the couple of miles to my house. Pulling into the drive, I noticed that my front door was ajar.


text:
Q: Update value of variable from Firebase query? I currently am trying to pull the value of an item from a firebase using once, and use this value to populate the var itemsList. However, although itemsList is correctly populated within the once call, it is logging as undefined outside the call. I think this may have something to do with the asynchronous nature of Firebase, but I'm not sure how to remedy this problem. Any suggestions?
submitAnswer: function() {
    var userRef = usersRef.child(key);

    //get items_list for user
    var itemsList;
    userRef.once('value', (snap) => {
        itemsList = snap.val().items_list;
        console.log('items list populated here' + itemsList);
    });

    console.log("items list not populated here" + itemsList);
},

A: You're correct about the Firebase call, it's asynchronous and the code isn't going to wait for it to complete before logging the unpopulated itemsList.
If you're only looking to do something simple with the data, just be sure to check that it exists before performing any action with it (and handle it like you would any async data).
if(itemsList){
  console.log('My items have arrived! ' + itemsList);
}

If that data is going to be propagated further down your app it is usually suggested to make a call to setState() with your response data from Firebase to trigger a re-render of your components with the new data you just fetched.
So something along the lines of:
userRef.once("value", (snap) => {
  itemsList = snap.val().items_list;

  this.setState({
    items: itemsList;
  });

}.bind(this));


text:
Q: When an object was added to Caffeine cache I'm using Spring Boot caching in a project and am using Caffiene. I've added some default configuration for Caffeine to the project, and I can get the most recent object from the cache using the following code:
private final CaffeineCache caffeineCache = (CaffeineCache) caffeineCacheManager.getCache("myCacheName");
Cache<Object, Object> cache = this.caffeineCache.getNativeCache();
cache.policy().eviction().get().hottest(1);

I don't actually want the object itself, but I'd want to know when it was added to the cache. Is there a way to find out when this object was added to the cache?

A: Thanks to Ben Maines comment, I found a solution to my problem. I calculated the cache time using the expiration timestamp:
CacheResponse cacheResponse = new CacheResponse();
    Cache<Object, Object> cache = this.caffeineCache.getNativeCache();
     if(cache.policy().eviction().get().hottest(1).keySet().iterator().hasNext()) {
        // Time in milliseconds since object was cached
        OptionalLong time = cache.policy().expireAfterWrite().get().ageOf(cache.policy().eviction().get().hottest(1).keySet().iterator().next(), TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
        LOGGER.info("Calculating last UTC cached date");
        // Calculate last cached time and set the object in the cache response
        cacheResponse.setTime(Instant.now().minusMillis(time.getAsLong()).atZone(ZoneOffset.UTC).toLocalDateTime());
    } else {
        LOGGER.info("Cache appears to be empty.");
    }
    cacheResponse.setNumCachedItems(cache.estimatedSize());
    return cacheResponse;


text:
Tag Archives: Westminster
Searching for silver linings in the Euro election's purple cloud
Posted by Mike Sivier in Business, Conservative Party, Democracy, Employment, European Union, Foreign Affairs, Health, Immigration, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, People, Politics, UK, UKIP, USA
BBC, business, Caroline Lucas, Catherine Bearder, company, Conservative, corporation, country, David Cameron, Democrat, Ed Miliband, election, Europe, European Parliament, Eurosceptic, far right, federal, firm, general, Green Party, immigrant, immigration, Investment Partnership, Labour, law, Lib Dem, Liberal, migrant, multinational, Natalie Bennett, nation, National Health Service, NHS, Nick Clegg, Nigel Farage, private, privatisation, privatise, ransom, referendum, right-wing, sovereign, state, Tories, Tory, Transatlantic Trade, TTIP, UK, UKIP, Westminster
No cause for celebration: This man is now the leader of the largest British political organisation in the European Parliament.
Could the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership be sunk off the coast of a new, anti-federalist Europe?
It seems like a natural consequence of the election victories enjoyed by Eurosceptic and far-right parties across the continent – and one of the few reasons to be optimistic about the result.
We don't have all the information yet, so it is impossible to be sure, but it does seem likely that people who won popular support by emphasising national sovereignty against that of the EU will be against a trade agreement that suppresses nations' rights to make their own laws, and puts multinational corporations above countries.
Unfortunately UKIP, the British Eurosceptic party that has won 23 seats (so far), seems more likely to support the agreement that would force British workers into lowest-common-denominator working conditions and pay deals, in a betrayal of the populist promises it made to get elected.
Nigel Farage's campaign took a leaf out of the Conservative Party's book by hiding some of UKIP's most unpalatable plans from the electorate; now that he has what he wants, will we see UKIP working to ensure, for example, that National Health Service privatisation is locked into British law? That would require support for TTIP.
If Farage's party doesn't support the controversial plan, they'll probably stay away from the vote (as they do in most matters; UKIP has one of the worst attendance records in the European Parliament).
Of course the European Parliament doesn't work the same way as the UK Parliament; UKIP may have won the most seats but this does not automatically hand it power – 23 UK seats is only one-third of those available, not a majority, and it will have to join a larger grouping in order to make its voice heard.
UKIP's choices over the next few days and weeks will be crucial, as they will allow us to form opinions about how the party's victory will affect life here in the UK.
The Eurosceptic party's victory – the first time in more than 100 years that an election has been won by someone other than Labour or the Conservatives – means the other British political parties have more soul-searching to do.
Labour came second, defying right-wing pundits on the BBC and elsewhere who were hoping to see "weird" Ed Miliband suffer. But his lead over the Tories is just 1.5 per cent – hardly a ringing endorsement.
Clearly the British people were not convinced by his offer and Labour must revise its position on Europe or prepare to lose the next general election.
A good starting-place for the Party of the Workers would be a promise to halt the flow of migrant workers from EU countries with weaker economies by pushing for a change to the rule allowing free movement between countries – ensuring that this only happens between states that have comparable economies.
This would put an end to the economic opportunism that has caused the perceived flood of migrants from the poorer countries of eastern Europe, and make it possible for British people to get better jobs, offering more working hours – and negotiate for higher pay.
It isn't rocket science, but Labour has failed to grasp this concept. One has to wonder why. Maybe Labour is still a bit too fond of Conservative-style neoliberalism. Is that it, Ed?
Labour's problems are nothing compared with those of the Conservative Party. David Cameron wagered that his promise of an in/out referendum on the EU, to take place in 2017, would win him the next UK general election – but this result has shown that the British people don't believe a word of it.
Rather than be held to ransom by an over-privileged nob, they have turned to an untried party of even more hard-line right-wingers who would probably create worse problems for working Britons than even the Tories, if they were ever elected into office in Westminster.
That is the message David Cameron has to swallow today: We don't believe him. We don't trust him. We don't want him.
Yet his party seems unrepentant. Prominent members have already rejected calls to strengthen the referendum offer, for example.
The loss will make Cameron more likely to seek a deal with UKIP – and one is already in the offing, if we are to believe the denials coming from other leading Tories. This would be to UKIP's disadvantage as Farage only needs to look at Nick Clegg to see what will happen.
Clegg should be a broken man. Not only have the Liberal Democrats haemorrhaged local councillors, but now he also has to face up to the fact that he has lost all but one of his party's MEPs.
The BBC said the survival of Catherine Bearder in the South East region prevented a "humiliating wipe-out" – but isn't the loss of no less than nine MEPs humiliating enough?
Clegg is already facing calls for his resignation amid claims that nobody wants to listen to him any more. This means the turnabout from "I agree with Nick" in 2010 is now complete. Anyone considering going into coalition with the Conservatives (Farage) should pay close attention. The British voter hates traitors.
There is one more matter arising from this result; a fact that you are not likely to hear on the mainstream media, but one that seems increasingly important, considering the demise of the Liberal Democrats.
The Green Party was fourth-placed in this election. Its 1,244,475 (so far) voters mean it had two-sevenths of UKIP's support, while the Conservative Party – the party in power here in the UK – had only three times as many supporters.
Expect Natalie Bennett and Caroline Lucas to capitalise on this for all they're worth.
Dire day for Tories – so why were the pundits hammering Labour?
Posted by Mike Sivier in Business, Democracy, Education, European Union, Housing, Immigration, People, Politics, UK
accommodation, Boris Johnson, borough, Coalition, Conservative, David Cameron, david dimbleby, Earls Court Project, elderly, Europe, expensive, flat, Free School, Fulham, government, Guardian, Hammersmith, home, homeless, housing, hung, immigration, Labour, Michael Gove, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, Parliament, people, politics, primary, purple peril, redevelopment, resident, school, Sulivan, Swindon, temporary, Tories, Tory, UK, UKIP, Vox Political, Westminster
[Image: BBC]
Own up: How many of you stayed up into the wee hours to watch TV coverage of the local council elections?
If you did, you would have witnessed a curious phenomenon. As the Conservative Party lost seat after seat (at the time of writing they have lost 113 seats altogether) and Labour won seat after seat (currently 125 seats better-off), the pundits sitting around David Dimbleby on BBC1 started telling us this put Labour in the poor position!
This, we were told, was because UKIP's performance heralded the arrival of "four-party politics" – but does anybody believe that? UKIP won protest votes against the UK Coalition government's policies at a time when elections to the European Parliament were also taking place. Anti-immigration feelings have been stirred up and people have been led to believe – wrongly – that a vote for UKIP will cut off the flow.
In fact, UKIP did damage Labour in areas like Swindon, where they took working-class votes and enabled the Conservatives to hold that council with a slightly increased majority.
But the 'Purple Peril' did far more damage to the Conservatives, with Essex Man and Woman voting very strongly for it.
What does this mean, translated to the Westminster Parliament?
The answer is, it's difficult to judge. Turnout was only around 36 per cent – half the number who take part in a general election – because faith in democracy is so low. This means any predictions are more likely to be wrong than right.
But if the results are replicated, then the Conservative Party will lose seats to UKIP and it is possible that Labour will become the majority party in a Hung Parliament, and then…
… UKIP will do a coalition deal with the Conservatives because Nigel Farage wants a taste of power, and we'll end up with five more years of David Cameron.
We know they're already talking about it because Michael Gove has denied it.
To avoid this, Labour will have to consolidate its gains and show that it can make a real difference where it wins.
A good start would be to cut the harmful social policies in Hammersmith and Fulham, which Labour took from the Tories last night. H&F was once dubbed David Cameron's favourite council. Why? Well, a recent Guardian article showed that the council was selling off its housing stock at an increasingly accelerated rate, while forcing homeless people into temporary accommodation outside the borough. Ending this wrong-headed nonsense would be a good start.
The new Labour administration could re-examine the planned closure of Sulivan Primary School in Fulham, which won an award from London Mayor Boris Johnson at the end of last year after it "succeeded against the odds in improving pupils' aspirations and achievements". According to The Guardian (again), campaigners fighting to save Sulivan say it has been targeted because there are plans to turn the site into a new Free School, part of Michael Gove's silly pet project that has been haemorrhaging money.
And Labour could halt the Earls Court Project redevelopment scheme, which will knock down elderly residents homes – buildings which are perfectly sound – in order to replace them with "impossibly expensive" flats.
The Guardian (yet again) states: "To the Tories of H&F, though, such things are of no value if there's more money to be made from tearing them up, clearing them out, knocking them down… The council and its friends do not see what they are doing as wrecking. They see themselves as grand creators. They see those they would push aside not as citizens to be considered but non-believers, blockages, impediments; as inefficiencies that have to be squeezed out."
Labour would score hugely if it took a stand against this merciless money-driven destruction of a neighbourhood that belongs to ordinary people. Elderly people, in fact. Not only are they vulnerable; they are also voters.
So let Hammersmith & Fulham become the example Labour holds up to the nation: "This is what we can do across the country, if you only give us the chance!"
One thing's for sure – whatever Labour does there, The Guardian will be watching!
Results are still incoming from the council elections, so undoubtedly the 'expert' opinions will change before the end – and then we have the European election results to come on Sunday.
A quick anecdote about that: Yesterday evening Yr Obdt Srvt was at a meeting on a completely different subject (a local festival here in Mid Wales – I'm the organising committee's secretary). Afterwards I was chatting with a friend about the election when a young man approached us in search of the nearest polling station.
My friend passed on the directions and the man thanked us and started on his way. "Don't vote UKIP!" shouted my friend.
"I won't!" was the response.
Tory Democrats on Europe: Confused and negative campaigning
Posted by Mike Sivier in Business, Conservative Party, Cost of living, Democracy, Economy, Employment, European Union, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Politics, Poverty, UK, UKIP
alliance, block graph, Brecon, broadband, campaign, Cardiff Bay, child poverty, Coalition, Conservative, Democrat, election, Enterprise, Europe, fund, Labour, Lib Dem, Liberal, medium, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, negative, Parliament, Plaid Cymru, quality of life, Radnorshire, Roger Williams, small, SME, Sunday Times rich list, Tories, Tory, tourism, toxic, UKIP, Vox Political, Westminster, work
Negative campaigning at its worst: It's what the Liberal – or is it Tory? – Democrats do best.
If you thought the Tory manifesto was a deceitful joke, or the row over UKIP's policies was damaging, have you seen what the Liberal (?) Democrats have been sending around?
Here's a letter sent to houses here in Brecon and Radnorshire. It starts with the famous Lib Dem block graph, which is a mainstay of all their election communications in places where they have won seats. Presumably they keep using it because it is effective but one has to doubt this example, as it does not feature a European election result, but that of the last UK general election in 2010.
They cannot use a block graph to show a favourable result in the last European election because they don't have any Welsh MEPs, and the result in the last Welsh Assembly election (in 2011) showed support was already eroding away as a result of their toxic alliance with the Conservative Party in Westminster, along with some spectacularly effective campaigning by the local Labour Party.
The result is a misleading graphic that shows a massive Liberal Democrat majority, coupled with the slogan, "Only the Lib Dems can beat the Tories here", where in fact we have two Labour MEPs, one Tory and one representing Plaid Cymru.
It hardly encourages confidence when a political letter – from one of the ruling parties in Westminster – begins with a filthy lie.
The text of the letter, by the constituency's Liberal Democrat MP Roger Williams, asks where the reader wants to be working in five or 10 years, and suggests we will be looking for more pay, promotions and a better quality of life. He states that it is important to protect the economic recovery, but "all that hard work could be undone" if Britain pulls out of the EU "as UKIP and many Conservatives want to do".
Thanks to the UK's Coalition government, ordinary hard-working people are receiving far less pay than before the 2010 election, with a corresponding drop in quality of life. Child poverty, for example, is rising fast. The economic recovery has helped nobody but the very top earners (like those in the Sunday Times 'rich list', published last weekend) – and besides, the Tory Democrats are not the only party keen to protect Britain's place in Europe. For that, your best bet is still Labour or (in Wales) Plaid Cymru.
The letter continues: "Across rural Wales the EU has invested £5.8 million into local businesses struggling to find funding to grow and create more jobs, this is on top of the £26 million invested in promoting tourism to Wales which is vital to our local economy." Yes indeed – but that money was negotiated by either a Labour government in Westminster or a Labour government in Cardiff Bay. It has little to do with the Tory Democrats!
The letter ends with an exhortation to vote for the Yellow Party's nonentity candidate, whose name is instantly forgettable.
Alongside this came a double-sided flier offering more of what the Tory Democrats do best – negative campaigning. "Don't gamble with Welsh jobs…" it states, "Stop UKIP and the Tories from risking Wales jobs". A box-out with a red background says, "Labour stay silent" – which is a blatant falsehood.
Flip the page and you've got the pro-Tory Democrat bit – but they can only say they have "helped deliver" funding for superfast broadband, funding for small-to-medium-sized enterprises, and cash to support tourism. And who did they help?
Labour!
It's a sad little screed from an organisation in its twilight days.
The saddest part is that someone will believe it.
The Tory Euro threat exposed
Posted by Mike Sivier in Benefits, Conservative Party, European Union, Human rights, Immigration, Justice, Politics
benefit, betray, Conservative, Council of Europe, ECHR, election, Europe, European Court, forced labour, general election, human rights, immigrant, Ioannina Compromise, legal aid, Lisbon Treaty, Mandatory Work Activity, MEP, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, Parliament, referendum, servitude, slave, Tories, Tory, tourism, trial, UK, union, Vox Political, Westminster, Winston Churchill, Work Programme, Workfare
Many a truth told in jest: This Labour advert was withdrawn after claims that it was in bad taste (although this could be said equally well of the television programme it references) – but it accurately summarises the Conservative approach to the European Union and our place in the world.
Here at Vox Political it has come to our notice that some of you are still thinking of voting 'Conservative' in the European Parliament elections. This would be a mistake.
The Conservative Party is trying to hoodwink you into thinking it has a host of great ideas dependent on having a large number of MEPs after May 22, but its own manifesto tells a different story.
Here are just three examples:
1. The lynchpin of the Conservative campaign is the pledge to hold an in/out referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union. The party's European manifesto states, "The British people now have a very clear choice: if you want a referendum on whether Britain should stay in the EU or leave, only the Conservative Party can and will hold one."
This has nothing to do with your vote on May 22. It is a General Election promise involving the UK Parliament, not the Parliament of Europe. It is Westminster MPs who would push through the Tory plans for a referendum during the next UK Parliament, not MEPs in Brussels.
The suggestion that the proposed referendum – which is heavily promoted in the manifesto – has anything to do with these elections is a flat-out lie.
Long-term readers should not be surprised that Conservatives are lying again, but this may come as a surprise to Tory adherents. To them, we should say: "Wake up!"
2. One of the "key changes we will fight for", listed on page seven of the manifesto, is "National parliaments able to work together to block unwanted European legislation". If this seems like a good idea to you, it may come as a surprise to learn that it is a key feature of the Lisbon Treaty, that was signed by the last Labour government in 2007. That's seven years ago!
It's called the Ioannina Compromise, and it means that, if Member States who are against a decision are significant in number but still insufficient to block it (1/3 of the Member States or 25 per cent of the population), all of the Member States must commit to seeking a solution.
It seems likely that the reason the Conservatives are even mentioning it is that this part of the Lisbon Treaty is only due to come into force this year – 2014.
Tories have 'form' in this kind of legerdemain, having recently convinced the British public that they had imposed new rules on benefits claimed by immigrants, when these were in fact already enshrined in UK law.
3. One change the Conservatives are determined to impose is the removal of your ability to defend your human rights.
The manifesto states that they will "Undertake radical reform of human rights laws and publish a detailed plan for reform that a Conservative government would implement immediately: we will scrap Labour's Human Rights Act, curtail the role of the European Court of Human Rights in the UK and make certain that the UK's Supreme Court is in Britain and not in Strasbourg."
Conservatives hate human rights laws because they forbid slavery, servitude and forced labour – such as the Tory-led government's 'mandatory work activity' schemes; they provide a right to a fair trial – currently being removed in the UK by the Tories' restrictions on Legal Aid; and most importantly they oblige nation states to "prevent foreseeable loss of life" such as that caused by the assessment regime for disability benefits, imposed by the current UK government.
You can read about these, and more, in a previous Vox Political article here.
The European Court of Human Rights is – as everyone should be aware – nothing to do with the European Union at all. It is part of the Council of Europe, which is composed of 47 European nations. The Conservative Party does not need a majority of MEPs to withdraw from it.
However, such a withdrawal would represent a betrayal of the Conservative Party's great Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the man who is considered most directly responsible for the creation of the Council of Europe and the court. Dedicated Conservatives should consider this point well. None of the people currently running the Conservative Party have anything approaching the stature of a Churchill, yet they are taking it upon themselves to cut Britain off from his legacy – and they are lying to the public about how they need to do it.
In fact, let's face it, the Tory European Manifesto for 2014 is a pack of lies.
The Conservatives currently have more MEPs than any other UK party, but any unbiased examination of their claims will lead to the conclusion that they deserve to have none at all.
Free's a crowd in Tory-run NHS hospitals
Posted by Mike Sivier in Health, People, Powys, Public services, UK
accident, ambulance, bed, block, care, Conservative, emergency, fund, health, long term, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, National Health Service, NHS, opeation, people, pit, politics, sick, snake, surgeon, Tories, Tory, Vox Political, Wales, Westminster
Free's a crowd (as far as your Tory government is concerned): Our hospital wards don't yet look like this (it's a ward in India during a Malaria outbreak) but it's just a matter of time.
Today, yr obdt srvt spent the morning at Breconshire War Memorial Hospital, where Mrs Mike underwent a few tests before being booked in for an operation at the end of the month.
We didn't wait long to be seen. The surgeon made his checks, asked "When would you like to have the operation?" and booked it for the very first opportunity available.
We get freedom of choice in the Welsh NHS, you see.
I couldn't help but comment: "NHS Wales is a mess, says Westminster."
Conversation ensued, with us all (including the nurse) agreeing that the Tories in government don't have a clue what they're talking about – and in any case they don't have a right to complain because they have withdrawn a disproportionate amount of funding from the NHS in Wales. The surgeon actually compared our politicians to a pit of snakes.
The conversation followed on very well from one I had with a friend last night, about those problems the service is known to be experiencing in Accident and Emergency. They aren't any different from those affecting the health service in England, and have less to do with the quality of care than they have to do with bed-blocking.
Put simply: Wards are full of people with long-term care needs who have nowhere to go, because they have no family or friends who are willing to take them in and look after them. This means people admitted to A&E cannot be moved into the wards, so their places cannot be taken by new admissions – and this means ambulances start backing up outside the hospitals. Then there are no ambulances available for new emergency calls, because they are still carrying the patients they picked up at the last call.
That's overly simplistic, but hopefully the point is made.
The Conservative-led Coalition government is perfectly content to let this go on because "Free's a crowd" in the Tory health system.
Back in the 1970s, when my own grandmother started to get too old and infirm to live on her own, my parents took her into our house. They got the benefit of an extra pair of eyes to look after myself and my brother (Beastrabban), and the household was boosted by the addition of her pension (or rather, the part of it that she agreed to pay for her keep).
It was a very good arrangement.
And it begs the question: Are people now so selfish – so determined to avoid the responsibilities incurred by looking after the people who once looked after them – that they are actively trying to avoid the benefits that can be gained from such an arrangement?
Or (to mess up a metaphor) are we a nation so schizoid that we think cutting off our nose will improve our face?
That's an attitude that started back in the Tory-dominated 1980s, if my memory serves me correctly.
It occurs to me that (and again, I am oversimplifying) the crisis in A&E is the price we all pay for that kind of behaviour.
It won't be solved with money.
Vox Political really needs your help.
Evictions begin as government starts grabbing your homes
22 Saturday Feb 2014
Posted by Mike Sivier in Bedroom Tax, Benefits, Conservative Party, Cost of living, council tax, Disability, Employment, Employment and Support Allowance, Housing, Liberal Democrats, Media, People, Politics, Poverty, Powys, Public services, Tax, UK, unemployment, Universal Credit
accommodation, adaptation, backdate, bedroom tax, benefit, benefits, British, Bulldog spirit, change, circumstance, Coalition, Conservative, Coronation Street, council, council tax reduction scheme, cut, Democrat, disability, disabled, evict, exempt, government, home, house, housing, Iceland, ignorance, inaction, Inclusion, Justice, landlord, Lib Dem, Liberal, local, Localism Act, Media, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, national, Parliament, penalise, people, Pickles Poll Tax, politics, Poll Tax, Reform, rent, right-wing, Shylock, social, social security, striver, tenancy, tenant, The X Factor, Torie, Tories, Universal Credit, vacate, Vox Political, welfare, Welfare Reform Act, Westminster, Winter Olympics
It is easy to get caught up in headlines and forget that the Coalition's benefit reforms mean people you know will lose their homes.
You know what happens then? PEOPLE YOU KNOW START LOSING THEIR HOMES.
Vox Political was warning the world about this back in 2012 – nearly two years ago – saying the bedroom tax would put people on the streets while homes go empty and warning about the 'Poll Tax revival plan to take away your home'. It gives me no pleasure at all to report that I was right.
This week I heard about two cases in my Mid Wales town. You may think that isn't many, but this is a town with a population of less than 5,000 – and I haven't heard about every case.
The first involves a family that has been living in the same council house for more than 30 years. Sadly the head of the household recently had a stroke and has been forced to move into a care home. In the past, the tenancy would have been handed down to the next generation of the family – two sons, one of whom has a family of his own. The other is a friend of mine, of excellent character. By day he works very hard at his job; after hours, he is a member of a popular local band (along with his brother, as it happens). They are what this government would call "strivers".
But they are being penalised because they have been told to vacate the only home they have had. Not only that, they are being asked to stump up a small fortune in backdated rent (as their father has been paying for his care, not the house) and another small fortune to dispose of carpets they cannot take with them, which the council does not want.
When I spoke to my friend yesterday, he told me that the council simply does not want him or his brother as tenants because "it is easier to process a large family who are on benefits". I queried this, and it seems likely that this is to do with the forthcoming Universal Credit system, and with the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (also known as the Pickles Poll Tax); it is easier to handle Universal Credit and council tax claims if the authorities have foreknowledge of a household's income.
We both agreed that there is a serious drawback to this thinking.
Large families do not want to move into vacant social accommodation because they fear what the government – national and local – will do to them if their circumstances change. Children grow up; adults move out – and that will make them vulnerable to the Bedroom Tax. Suddenly their benefits won't be enough to pay the rent and they, in turn, will be turfed out onto the streets. They know it is a trap; they will try to avoid it.
My friend agreed. "That house is going to stay empty for a very long time," he said.
This is madness. Here are two people who are perfectly willing and able to pay the council's rent, on time, for as long as they need the property but, because of the Welfare Reform Act and the Localism Act, the council is treating them abominably and the house will end up providing no income at all.
If you think that's bad, though, just wait until you learn about my other friend!
He is an older gentleman who has been disabled for many years. He had been living in a small, two-bedroomed house that had been adapted to accommodate his needs. We know precisely how much these adaptations cost to install at current rates: £5,000.
I believe he needed the extra bedroom to accommodate carer needs but I could be mistaken.
Along came the Bedroom Tax and suddenly he did not have enough income to cover the cost of living there. The council (or social landlord, I have to admit I'm not sure) sent him an eviction notice. He appealed.
Guess what? His appeal was set to be decided after the date he was ordered to be out of his home.
So he had to go. He was lucky enough to find another place to live, and all the equipment he needs to accommodate his disability moved along with him – at a cost of £5,000.
Then he received the judgement on his appeal: He was exempt from paying the Bedroom Tax; he should never have been forced to move.
Is this British justice?
This country was once the envy of the world because we were far more enlightened than any other nation in our policies of social justice and inclusion. Not any more! Now we are regressing into a new dark age in which the squalid Shylocks infesting Westminster manipulate local authorities into performing grubby property grabs for them.
Is the 'Bulldog Spirit' that made us famous for standing our ground during the Blitz now being turned to hounding the poor out of their homes?
Are you willing to put up with this?
In Iceland, they marched to their Parliament and set up camp outside until the government gave up and agreed to the demands of the people. Here, an unmandated government rides roughshod over democracy while you sit at home watching The X Factor, Coronation Street and the Winter Olympics.
Nothing will change until you change it – but you know this already. The simple fact is that, if you are reading this article, you probably sympathise with the sentiments it is expressing and are already active in opposing the heinous crimes being committed against our people.
There are not enough of you. People who need to read these words are being allowed to live in ignorance, lulled into inactivity by the right-wing mass media.
It's time to put an end to that. There can be no excuse for ignorance and inaction while people are being made homeless. Think of someone you know who needs to be shown the truth and make them read this article. Ask them what they think of it and explain the facts of what is happening around them.
Then tell them to pass it on to someone they know.
Spread the word – don't keep it to yourself. And don't sit on your thumbs and expect somebody else to do your bit for you. If you don't act, why should anybody else? What's the point of me writing these articles if you can't be bothered to do anything about it? Are you going to wait until someone tells you they want your home?
Then it will be too late.
I'll know if you succeed because it will be reflected in the number of times this article is viewed. I'll report the results of this experiment next week.
Don't let yourself down.
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Cameron's 'mission' is morally bankrupt
Posted by Mike Sivier in Benefits, Conservative Party, Cost of living, Disability, Employment, Employment and Support Allowance, People, Politics, Poverty, UK, unemployment, Universal Credit, Workfare
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When David Cameron stands up in all his hypocrisy and tells you that tearing apart the basic safety net that guaranteed people would not be left in hunger or destitution is part of his "moral mission", even die-hard Tories should agree that the country has taken a turn for the worse.
When he defends an administration that has become so punitive that applicants who don't get it right have to wait without food for months at a time, by claiming he is doing "what is right", even die-hard Tories should agree that the man who claims he is Prime Minister has diverged from reality.
That is precisely what he has done, and you can bet that the Tory diehards will quietly go along with it because they think it is far better for other people to lose their lives than it is for their government to lose face.
Cameron has been responding after the Catholic Bishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, delivered a vehement attack on the social security "reforms" being forced on the country's most vulnerable people by Iain Duncan Smith.
In the Daily Telegraph, Cameron smarmed: "Our long-term economic plan for Britain is not just about doing what we can afford, it is also about doing what is right… Nowhere is that more true than in welfare. For me the moral case for welfare reform is every bit as important as making the numbers add up.
"We are in the middle of a long and difficult journey turning our country around," Cameron said. "That means difficult decisions to get our deficit down, making sure that the debts of this generation are not our children's to inherit.
"But our welfare reforms go beyond that alone – they are about giving new purpose, new opportunity, new hope – and yes, new responsibility to people who had previously been written off with no chance.
"Seeing these reforms through is at the heart of our long-term economic plan – and it is at the heart too of our social and moral mission in politics today."
Drivel. Any evidence-based analysis will find the exact opposite. Where are the opportunities in Workfare schemes that pay only benefits, meaning travel expenses alone put claimants out of pocket, and then send jobseekers back to the dole queue so rich companies can profit further by taking on more claimants on the same terms?
How can anyone derive hope from taking responsibility for their job search, when DWP staff at Jobcentre Plus are ordered to ignore their own responsibilities in favour of harsh sanctions for invented infringements of the Jobseeker's Agreement?
And how is encouraging people to say they are self-employed, even though they have little chance of earning enough to support them and none of enjoying a holiday or a pension, different from writing them off with no chance?
Look at the new employment figures from the Office for National Statistics – the Coalition government has been making a song and dance about them ever since they came out. On the face of it, they seem reliable: In December 2013, 30.15 million people were in work of some kind, up by 396,000 from the same time the previous year; there were 2.34 million unemployed, down 161,000 from December 2012; and the Claimant Count (those on Jobseekers' Allowance) was 1.22 million in January, down 327,000 from a year earlier.
However, the number of people marked as self-employed has rocketed to a record level, totalling one in seven of the workforce. That's 4,370,000 – up 150,000 on the previous year. This is extremely suspicious, as the increase in the previous year totalled 25,000 – just one-sixth of this week's figure.
Some of these people might be genuinely self-employed and making their new business work – but all of them? In an economy where productivity hasn't increased since the Coalition took office? You'd have to be stupid to believe that.
Assuming the amount of real self-employment has increased in line with economic growth (at 1.9 per cent), that's an extra 25,475 in 2013, leaving 124,525 in limbo. Are these really self-employed? Or were they told by Jobcentre advisors to say so and claim working tax credits (as we've seen in the past), leading to a huge debt when HMRC tells them they have been claiming fraudulently and have been overpaid?
How many of the unemployed have been wiped off the books due to sanctions? We don't know, because we don't have figures up to December 2013. We do know that 897,690 sanctions were enforced in the year to September 2013. We don't know how many were for one month, how many for three months or how many for three years, but we do know that the rate was six per cent of jobseekers per month in the three months to the end of September 2013. Assuming that rate stayed solid, it suggests that 73,200 were off-benefit due to sanctions in December and should be added to the Claimant Count to give a more accurate figure.
How many of the unemployed have been wiped off the books due to Workfare? We don't know. How many are unemployed but on Universal Credit, which isn't included in the Claimant Count? We don't know – 3,610 were on it at the end of November last year, but the DWP has not divided them into those in work and those without.
David Cameron has access to all of this information, and he doesn't care. He also has access to the mortality figures for claimants of Incapacity Benefit/Employment and Support Allowance, that the DWP has been withholding from the rest of us, probably for fear of sparking an international outcry. He doesn't care about that either.
His comments are therefore doubly outrageous – not only is he claiming that his Coalition's changes are having a beneficial effect when the figures demonstrate the opposite, but he is also claiming the moral high ground when his actions are more appropriate to the populace of the Pit.
In terms of his morality, there can be only one description for him and his cronies:
Bankrupt.
Church v (Secretary-in-a-) State over social 'reform'
Posted by Mike Sivier in Benefits, Children, Conservative Party, Cost of living, Liberal Democrats, People, Politics, Poverty, Public services, UK, Universal Credit
archbishop, belief, benefit, benefits, budget, canterbury, cardinal, catholic, child, Coalition, Conservative, crisis, debt, Democrat, Department, designate, destitution, disgrace, DWP, families, family, fiscal, government, hunger, Iain Duncan Smith, IDS, IFS, Institute, joseph rowntree foundation, Justin Welby, Lib Dem, Liberal, messiah, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, Pensions, people, politics, poverty, punitive, safety net, secretary, social security, state, Studies, Tories, torn apart, Tory, transform, Universal Credit, Vincent Nichols, Vox Political, welfare, Westminster, work
Cardinal-designate Vincent Nichols, who has attacked fellow Catholic Iain Duncan Smith's benefit cuts as a "disgrace". [Image: Liverpool Echo]
Does anybody else have the feeling that Vincent Nichols, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, was only waiting for the Pope to name him a Cardinal-designate before sinking his teeth into the UK's Conservative-led Coalition government?
One gets the impression he feels secure that the new position means his words now carry sufficient weight – and they are weighty words indeed.
"People do understand that we do need to tighten our belts and be much more responsible and careful in public expenditure," said the Archbishop to the Telegraph.
"But I think what is happening is two things: one is that the basic safety net that was there to guarantee that people would not be left in hunger or in destitution has actually been torn apart.
"It no longer exists and that is a real, real dramatic crisis.
"And the second is that, in this context, the administration of social assistance, I am told, has become more and more punitive.
"So if applicants don't get it right then they have to wait for 10 days, for two weeks with nothing – with nothing.
"For a country of our affluence, that quite frankly is a disgrace."
"Hunger", "destitution", "crisis" – "a disgrace". You cannot accuse this man of mincing his words!
They come almost a year after the (Anglican) Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, together with the Archbishop of York and 43 bishops, launched their own attack on changes to social security, saying they would have a "deeply disproportionate" effect on children and families.
Mr Welby had himself only recently taken the Church of England's most senior office.
Speaking to the Telegraph on March 9 last year, 12 days before his enthronement, he said: "As a civilised society, we have a duty to support those among us who are vulnerable and in need. When times are hard, that duty should be felt more than ever, not disappear or diminish.
"It is essential that we have a welfare system that responds to need and recognises the rising costs of food, fuel and housing.
"These changes will mean it is children and families who will pay the price … rather than the Government."
The Department for Work and Pensions laughed off Mr Welby's concerns.
But Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of (or "in a") State for Work and Pensions, is – or is at least supposed to be – a devout Catholic. How could he ignore such harsh criticism from the most senior member of his Church in the United Kingdom?
Very easily, it seems.
Iain Duncan Smith has not deigned to respond. Perhaps he has a belief – he does seem to rely on them a lot, now, doesn't he? – that he is doing more for the people of this country than the Archbishops. There's a word for this condition that's slipping my mind for a moment… no – I've got it.
A 'Messiah' complex – a state of mind in which an individual holds a belief that they are, or are destined to become, a saviour.
'Messiah' trumps 'Archbishop' so IDS has chosen to ascend above the debate, leaving its resolution to his trusty DWP spokesperson, who came out with the usual lies.
"Our welfare reforms will transform the lives of some of the poorest families in our communities with Universal Credit making three million households better off and lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty," wittered the spokesperson.
To disprove these words, let's turn to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the social policy research charity that seeks to understand the causes of social problems, identify ways of overcoming them, and show how social needs can be met. This organisation has stated – repeatedly – that Universal Credit in its current form will create "increased risks of budgeting problems, debt, arrears and ultimately financial exclusion".
The same organisation quotes research from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) which states that, under current Coalition government policies, rather than hundreds of thousands of children being lifted out of poverty, by 2020 more than one million more children will be in poverty than when the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats slithered into office by the back door in 2010.
So who do you believe? Come to that, what does Iain Duncan Smith really believe?
The DWP spokesperson said: "It's wrong to talk of removing a safety net when we're spending 94bn a year on working age benefits and the welfare system supports millions of people who are on low incomes or unemployed so they can meet their basic needs."
But we know that Iain Duncan Smith has inflicted £28 billion of cuts on people receiving benefits from his Department for Work and Pensions. If another IFS statement – that this represents only two-fifths of the Coalition's cuts plan – is accurate, then the total amount he'll want to cut is a staggering £70 billion.
And he wants his people to talk about the money he's spending, rather than the effect he's having. So, what does he believe?
He believes in Mammon.
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Churches rely on collections from the faithful – and so does this site.
How national cuts are crippling local services
Posted by Mike Sivier in Benefits, Cost of living, Economy, Employment, Health, Housing, Immigration, Justice, Law, People, Politics, Poverty, Powys, Public services, UK
AEG, Aggregate External Grant, austerity, authority, benefit, CAB, Chancellor, change.org, Citizens Advice Bureau, Coalition, Conservative, consult, council, county, cut, debt, deficit, Democrat, employment, Exchequer, George Osborne, government, health, housing, Lib Dem, Liberal, local, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, national, National Health Service, NHS, people, petition, politics, Powys, public, puppet, subsidy, survey, Tories, Tory, unfair dismiss, Vox Political, Westminster
How many more underhanded ways can our underhanded Coalition government find to sneak crippling damage to public services in by the back door?
A particularly vile method has just been uncovered here in my own county of Powys, involving the collusion of councillors who are supposed to be independent (but you will see that their political colours are more blue than anything else).
The Coalition government has cut back its Aggregate External Grant to local authorities for next year – its subsidy to councils – by many millions of pounds. This means that councils need to cut huge sums of money from their budgets if they are to balance their books. In Powys, the total that must go is £20 million – around one-eleventh of the total budget.
The council launched a public consultation, asking residents for their views on which services should be cut and giving (in the broadest possible terms) examples of areas that could be changed. The total amount to be saved if constituents agreed to all the cuts was £16 million, with the rest to be taken from reserves – so there was no way to balance the books without making all the cuts listed in the document.
Hardly anybody was made aware of the survey in advance, and many have complained that they only found out about it after it had ended.
One of the "possible" cuts listed was to the Citizens Advice Bureau in Powys. The consultation document said all funding to advice services (£93,500 to the CAB, £36,500 to independent centres) would be cut, with alternative funding found from other budgets. This proved untrue.
As a trustee of the Powys CAB, I was told this week that the county council has no other budget that could be used, and that the intention is to cut the money no matter what the public consultation shows.
This means citizens advice services in Powys would be wiped out from the beginning of April.
You might think that's not the end of the world. After all, who takes advantage of the services provided by this charity anyway – a few people with benefit problems and a few more who are in debt?
Wrong! Thousands of people go to Citizens Advice every year – and the numbers are increasing exponentially because of Tory and Liberal Democrat "savings" that were inflicted without consideration of the true cost on real people in our communities.
Not only will those seeking help with benefit entitlement and debt have nowhere to go, but those seeking advice because they are unemployed, have been unfairly dismissed, have housing concerns and the full range of advice that CAB provides through its proven quality advice will also have to struggle on their own.
There is a proven benefit to individuals' health through the provision of advice; that's why advice in Powys is provided through a number of GP surgeries. But that too will end, putting a greater burden on the National Health Service here in Wales (which is already under attack from the Tories in Westminster).
CAB brings millions of pounds into the county through ensuring benefit entitlement; there is also a considerable sum gained through renegotiated debts – the total comes to more than £11 million per year. This money benefits everyone in the Powys economy as it has been shown that it is generally spent locally – so there is a fiscal multiplier that can be added to it, meaning the total boost to the Powys economy could be as much as £20 million.
That's the same amount as the county council wants to take out of the economy by cutting its budget. The total loss may therefore be said to be almost £40 million, just because a cut of less than £100,000 has been included in the council's plans – 1/200 of the total amount of cuts.
If there is a similar knock-on effect attached to all the other cuts, the effect will be devastating.
You may think that it would be easy to seek advice elsewhere, but the nearest alternative bureaux are around 100 miles from the centre of Powys, in any direction – and they are already overburdened with their own clients.
You might think that councillors should be able to provide the necessary advice (especially considering they want to cut off the current source). Could you provide the kind of specialist expertise necessary to deal with difficult legal issues? No? Then you should not expect your councillors to manage it – they are lay people like yourself; they don't have any training in these matters.
A petition has been launched to stop the county council from withdrawing its funding. If you are a Powys resident, I strongly urge you to sign it and ask your friends to sign as well. If you can't be bothered, just ask yourself who will help you when the Coalition turns the screw again and you are the victim of its attack.
If you are not a Powys resident, consider this to be a warning. Is your own council planning to cut services? Will it launch a public consultation on what will go? And will that be as much a sham as the survey in Powys seems to have been?
Here's the link: http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/powys-county-council-do-not-withdraw-any-grant-funding-to-powys-citizens-advice-bureau?share_id=annKPtMTpV&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition
Above all, remember: This would not be happening if not for the Coalition government's crippling programme of austerity-driven cuts which have had almost no effect in reducing the national deficit, even though we are told that is what it is for.
With its AEG, the government controls councils' spending. Your local authorities are being used as puppets by the Westminster government, who can then wash their hands of the whole affair by saying the decisions were made elsewhere. And for what?
The deficit has dropped by a total of seven billion pounds – from £118 billion to £111 billion – in the time George Osborne has been Chancellor of the Exchequer.
You are suffering all the pain for absolutely no gain at all.
Why are you putting up with it?
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