text:
(Redirected from Mount Isa railway station)
For the Queensland electoral division, see Electoral district of Mount Isa.
Mount Isa (/ˈaɪzə/ EYE-zə) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive single mines in world history, based on combined production of lead, silver, copper and zinc.[3]
20°44′0″S 139°30′0″E / 20.73333°S 139.50000°E / -20.73333; 139.50000Coordinates: 20°44′0″S 139°30′0″E / 20.73333°S 139.50000°E / -20.73333; 139.50000
18,588 (2018)[1]
295.99/km2 (766.6/sq mi)
Postcode(s)
62.8 km2 (24.2 sq mi)[2] (2011 urban)
AEST (UTC+10)
1,830 km (1,137 mi) NW of Brisbane
1,163 km (723 mi) SW of Cairns
661 km (411 mi) E of Tennant Creek
LGA(s)
City of Mount Isa
State electorate(s)
Federal Division(s)
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
89 °F 17.3 °C
63 °F 461.8 mm
With an estimated urban population of 18,588 as of June 2018,[1] Mount Isa is the administrative, commercial and industrial centre for the state's vast north-western region. Population has decreased moderately at an average annual rate of -2.66% year-on-year over the five years to 2018.[1] Although situated in an arid area, the artificial Lake Moondarra[4] 19 kilometres (12 mi) north of the city on the Leichhardt River provides both drinking water and an area for watersports, birdwatching and recreation. Locals often refer to Mount Isa as "The Isa".[5]
Due to the lead production in the city, Mount Isa has one of the most intensive air quality monitoring systems in Australia.[6] Concerns have been raised over childhood lead contamination and air pollution within the city.[7][8] The Mount Isa Mines (MIM) in particular are a source of significant lead pollution.[9]
2 Heritage listings
3 Governance
4 Local industry and business
7 Culture and sport
7.1 Mount Isa parkrun
8 Festivals and events
10 Suburbs
12 Water infrastructure
13 Education
14 Facilities
15.1 Radio
15.2 Television
15.3 Newspapers
16 Notable people
The Attorney General of Queensland, John Mullan, officially opened the railway line on 6 April 1929
Smelter interior, 1932
Township, 1932
Main street, ~1936
The land around the present day city of Mount Isa was home to the Kalkadoon aboriginal tribe. The Kalkadoon tribe led a subsistence lifestyle on this land that the white settlers looked at as nothing but poor grazing land, with the odd mineral deposit. As settlers and prospectors pressed further into their lands the Kalkadoon tribe members set out on one of Australia's most successful guerrilla wars in a fight for their lands. Their success continued until at Battle Mountain in 1884, with what some historians have called a rush of blood, the tribe attacked a fortified position in large numbers and suffered terrible losses. The weakened state of the tribe made their land more vulnerable to the settlers and soon much of the land was lost. Armed patrols chasing the surviving tribe members and poor grazing lands for the settlers made times hard in the area over the following decades.
A lone prospector, John Campbell Miles, stumbled upon one of the world's richest deposits of copper, silver and zinc during his 1923 expedition into the Northern Territory. When Miles inspected the yellow-black rocks in a nearby outcrop, they reminded him of the ore found in the Broken Hill mine that he had once worked at. Upon inspection these rocks were weighty and heavily mineralised. A sample sent away to the assayer in Cloncurry confirmed their value. Miles and four farmers staked out the first claims in the area. Taken with friend's stories of the Mount Ida gold mines in Western Australia, Miles decided upon Mount Isa as the name for his new claim.
Mount Isa Post Office opened on 1 August 1924.[10]
A location for the town's hospital was chosen in 1929, with a small building completed the following year.[11] In 1931, a larger structure was moved to the site from the closed mining town of Kuridala.[11]
The Mount Isa City Library opened in 1974.[12]
Heritage listingsEdit
Mount Isa has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Camooweal Street: Underground Hospital[13]
Camooweal Street: Tent House[14][15]
Mount Isa Mining District: Bower Bird Battery[16]
on Mount Isa Mine Lease: Mount Isa Mine Early Infrastructure[17]
Nettle Street: Casa Grande[18]
GovernanceEdit
Mount Isa at local level is part of the City of Mount Isa, at state level is part of the electoral district of Mount Isa in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, and at federal level is part of the Division of Kennedy in the Australian House of Representatives. The mayor of Mount Isa, after the 2016 Local Government Elections, is Joyce McCulloch.[19] The City of Mount Isa LGA jurisdiction, covering 43,188 km2[20] (2nd largest in Australia), is one of the largest in the world in terms of area[citation needed] and takes in the border town of Camooweal, 188 km (117 mi) to the north-west of Mount Isa and 12 km (7.5 mi) from the border of the Northern Territory.
Local industry and businessEdit
Mount Isa's industry is largely dependent on mining. Glencore operates the Mount Isa Mines lease adjacent to the city, which comprises the "Enterprise" underground copper mine, X41 underground copper mine, "Black Star Open Cut" silver-lead zinc mine, and metallurgical processing facilities. Silver-lead-zinc ore is also mined 20 km (12 mi) to the north at Hilton from the "George Fisher" underground mine, and the adjoining "Handlebar Hill" open cut, which is trucked back to Mount Isa for processing.
Mount Isa is in the top two of the largest copper mining and smelting operations in the country.[21] Copper and lead are smelted on site, with copper anodes and zinc concentrate being transported 900 km (560 mi) to the city and port of Townsville on the east coast. The lead ingots are transported to a refinery in Britain where the silver is extracted. The mine is the most significant landmark in the area, with the stack from the lead smelter (built 1978), standing 270 m tall, visible from all parts of the city and up to 40 km (25 mi) out.[citation needed]
In 2008 a Queensland Health report found that more than 10% of children in Mount Isa had blood lead levels above World Health Organization recommendations. The mining operator Glencore denied responsibility and stated that the town has naturally high levels of lead in the soil.[22] However, a more recent study led by Macquarie University environmental engineers has used lead isotope analysis to show conclusively that the lead ingested had originated from smelted ore and not surface deposits.[23][24]
TourismEdit
Underground hospital
Attractions include the Hard Times Mine at "Outback at Isa" and The Mount Isa Rodeo and Mardi Gras (held on the same weekend) has given Mount Isa the title of "Rodeo Capital of Australia". The occasion may well triple the city's population in these few days.[citation needed] A memorial has been made especially for the Rodeo, down Rodeo Drive; the sidewalks have special memorials embedded in the cement.
The burial place of John Campbell Miles, the founder of Mount Isa, is on the corner of Rodeo Drive and Miles Street. His ashes are buried underneath a large statue where each panel represents a significant part of Mount Isa. Miles' ashes used to be watched over by a large clock where the statue now stands.
The World War II-era Mount Isa Underground Hospital is an historical building that has been registered on the Register of the National Estate and the Queensland Heritage Register. It is an air-raid shelter which could function as a hospital. It was created as a precautionary measure after Darwin was bombed in 1942.[11] Local miners excavated the site which remains today as the only underground health facility in Queensland which was built during World War II.[11]
The Glencore Mount Isa Lake Moondarra Fishing Classic is held annually, and after 2011 will also be followed by a Fishing, Camping and 4x4 Expo. The Fishing Classic is the richest fresh water fishing event in Queensland.[25] Catching the tagged barramundi fetches the greatest prize money.
ClimateEdit
Mount Isa experiences a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh). The summer/wet season is very hot with highly variable rainfall and humidity owing to the erratic influence of the monsoon. This can be almost non-existent in years like 1985/1986, where as little as 83 millimetres (3.3 in) fell from December to March, or extremely intense as in 1973/1974 when 789 mm (31.1 in) of rain fell over the same period. A typical summer includes numerous hot windy days over 40 °C with clear skies and low humidity, a few weeks of 35-40 °C temperatures with higher humidity and spectacular thunderstorms and a few days with heavy monsoon rain and cooler conditions below 30 °C. Although Mount Isa lies within the tropics, its cool winter nights results in a temperature range similar to subtropical climates.
The winter or dry season is warm and almost completely rainless with median monthly rainfalls from April to September below 2 mm (0.08 in), though nights can be quite cool and about once every three years a minimum below 0 °C (32 °F) is recorded. On rare occasions winter rain-bearing systems may bring heavy rain for a day or two, such as in June 2007, when 111.8 mm (4.40 in) of rain was recorded; however, such occurrences happen only every 5 years or less. The lowest temperature recorded at Mount Isa is −2.9 °C (26.8 °F) on 7 July 1984 and the hottest is 45.9 °C (114.6 °F) on 29 January 1990. The wettest 24 hour period on record was 213.0 mm (8.39 in) on 15 January 2004.
Climate data for Mount Isa
(114.6) 43.5
(114.6)
Average rainfall mm (inches)
(3.97) 63.1
(0.49) 6.5
Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
7.9 7.1 4.0 1.4 1.2 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.9 2.3 4.0 6.0 36.7
Average afternoon relative humidity (%)
Mean daily sunshine hours
8.7 8.8 9.0 9.6 9.4 9.5 9.8 10.4 10.3 10.0 9.7 9.3 9.5
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology[26]
Culture and sportEdit
Athletics,[27] Gymnastics,[28] Rugby League, cricket, netball, soccer, field hockey, Rugby Union, Australian Rules Football and tennis are the most common sports but Shooting, Squash, Softball, Basketball, BMX racing, and Ten-Pin bowling are also present. Mount Isa has a Go Kart Club[29] situated off Duchess Road on the southern side of town.
Mount Isa also has a cinema complex, situated in the inner city on Rodeo Drive, that contains three air-conditioned cinemas, a skate park/aquatic centre and a multi-purpose sporting complex for basketball and other indoor sports. Mount Isa's events complex, Buchanan Park, opened in May 2007, can hold up to 6,000 people and is used for special events such as concerts and expos. It is also the home of the city's annual show and rodeo.
In 2008, plans were made to build a massive motor sports complex on the city's north-eastern outskirts, but as of 2016 it had not been built.[30]
The city is known for its annual Rodeo and Mardi Gras street parade every August. There is also an annual Multicultural Festival in early September.
The local theater group, the Mount Isa Theatrical Society, also known as MITS, often holds plays and musicals, at least once every few months.
In July 2015, Mt Isa formed its own Symphony Orchestra, acclaimed as the "most remote in the world".[31] Inaugurated on 23 July, the event attracted several stars of the music world, including world-famous jazz musician James Morrison. Morrison also figured in the premiere of Matthew Dewey's 'Symphony of the Inland Sea', composed for the occasion.[31]
On 5 March 2017, Mount Isa was chosen as a host city of the 2018 Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton Relay, along with Cloncurry, Hughenden, Winton and Birdsville. The baton will pass through the CBD and suburbs and regions en route before the opening ceremony on the Gold Coast.
Mount Isa parkrunEdit
The Mount Isa parkrun is a 5 km run in Mount Isa. It starts at 7am every Saturday and is free. The event started in 2018 and has attracted tourists from across Queensland and more. The event starts at Tharrapatha Way. As at April 2018, the largest attendance is 102. The event caters for all types of runners of all standards.[32]
Festivals and eventsEdit
The Mount Isa Rodeo has been held annually since 1959. In addition to the rodeo itself, there are associated street parties, music events, market stalls and family entertainment.[33] The Rodeo Queen Quest raises money for charities; the Rodeo Queen is crowned at the Rodeo Ball.[34] Rodeo school is available for aspiring bull riders.[35] It is the largest annual rodeo event in the Southern Hemisphere. It is organised by the combined Rotary clubs of Mount Isa.[36] The rodeo often features guest DJing from renowned global DJs including Ste Earley from Doncaster in England who adds to the global party atmosphere. In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, the Mount Isa Rodeo was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as an "event and festival".[37]
DemographicsEdit
Mount Isa had an estimated resident population of 18,588 people in 2018,[1] housed in 6,285 dwellings,[2] making the city the largest and most populous in Queensland's western interior, and one of the largest centres in outback Australia. The district population is 30,243 and incorporates the Cloncurry, Boulia, Burketown, Carpentaria, Doomadgee, Flinders, Mornington and Richmond shires.[citation needed]
The 2011 census found that 52.8% of residents were male and 47.2% were female.[38] However, a rumour has circulated that the ratio of males to females living in Mount Isa was five to one. Former Mayor John Molony drew international press attention in August 2008 when he told the Townsville Bulletin newspaper that Mount Isa's gender imbalance made it a good place for "not so attractive" women to live.[39][40]
Franchises such as McDonald's, KFC, Hungry Jack's, Pizza Hut, Subway, K-Mart, Best & Less, Donut King, Coffee Club, Blockbuster, Harvey Norman, Bunnings, Boating Camping and Fishing and EB Games have established stores in Mount Isa, as well as many smaller locally owned businesses, many in the Mount Isa Village Shopping Complex and Simpson Central Arcade in the Central Business District.
SuburbsEdit
Mining in 1951
Mt Isa Street, 1962
The Leichhardt River divides the city into areas known as "mineside" and "townside". Xstrata, the power station and the Airport are on the mineside, whilst the majority of the city, including the CBD and Base Hospital are on the townside. In recent years,[when?] population increases associated with the mining boom has increased demand for accommodation and land.[citation needed] The city had spread out, with new suburbs in the south-east and north of the city being planned or developed. Planned expansions can cater for more than 40,000 people.[41][permanent dead link]
Mineside
Happy Valley - includes Happy Valley State School, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, and Captain James Cook Park
Kalkadoon - includes Mount Isa Airport and Kalkadoon Park
Mica Creek – includes CS Energy Mica Creek Power Station
Miles End - includes Mount Isa train station
Parkside – Mount Isa's largest and oldest suburb. Contains the Irish Club, Parkside Flats complex, and Playway Park
Soldiers Hill – All streets and parks named after war locations and soldiers, such as Kokoda Road and Gallipoli Park
Hilton - More commonly known as Mineside, on the same side of the railway line as Mount Isa Mines and the Incitec Pivot Sulphuric Acid plant. Employee housing, particularly for managers and visiting staff from Xstrata, Casa Grande; a white brick mansion built for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II; now used for the annual Casa Grande Ball, and some mine operations.
Townside
Breakaway Estate - Semi-rural acreages
Healy - Residential suburb, site of Healy State School
Healy Heights - New suburb, development ongoing, with several houses finished.
Lanskey
Menzies – includes Buchanan Park events complex, Stables and Racecourse.
Mount Isa City - The Central Business District
Mount Isa East – has own post office and smaller shopping centres
Pioneer – includes a campus of TAFE Queensland North, Spinifex Senior Campus and Ten-Pin Bowling complex, St Kierans Catholic Primary School
Ryan – mostly industrial, includes army and State Emergency Service barracks, home to one company of the 51st Battalion, Far North Queensland Regiment[42]
Spreadborough - mostly bushland and light industry. The notable Spreadborough family still resides in the area.
Sunset - Home to Sunset State Primary School, and some shopping facilities
Townview - Home to Townview State Primary School
TransportEdit
Mount Isa city and surrounds are serviced by a 35 vehicle taxi service. A taxi service known as "Isa-Curry" express transports passengers to and from the neighbouring centre of Cloncurry to Mount Isa and back again, usually for shopping and medical requirements. Additionally, many of the city's clubs have courtesy buses to and from their establishments that run seven days a week and into the early hours of the morning. Mount Isa Coaches is a locally owned and operated coach company that provides tours and charter services to the local community as well as mining, sporting, school and airport transfers. Greyhound Australia has a depot in Mount Isa, with coach services to and from Townsville, Brisbane and Tennant Creek.
Mount Isa Airport has regular daily services to Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville, in addition to other services to remote Outback communities in western Queensland. The primary carriers which service Mount Isa and district are Qantas/QantasLink - Brisbane and Townsville; AirNorth - Darwin and Gold Coast; Regional Express - Townsville. In November 2009, it was announced that Skytrans and Westwing Aviation will commence flights in and out of Mount Isa to and from cities on the coast, commencing in February 2010. Regional Express (REX) also announced flights between Mount Isa and Townsville starting after December 2009. Virgin Australia (VA) began services in August 2012 and offers return services from Brisbane on weekdays.
The city is served by QR passenger train The Inlander, which travels overnight to Townsville twice a week in each direction.
Long distance rail services
Preceding station
Queensland Rail
Following station
toward Townsville
The Inlander Terminus
Water infrastructureEdit
Panorama of Lake Moondarra from lookout above Transport Bay. July 2014. Mount Isa, Queensland.
Mount Isa's water is supplied from Lake Moondarra, 13 km (8.1 mi) from Mount Isa, and from Lake Julius, 60 km (37 mi) from Mount Isa. As it costs approximately twice as much to supply water from Lake Julius, the water is normally drawn from Lake Moondarra. However, during periods of drought, it becomes necessary to draw water supplies from Lake Julius. The three major water users are the Mount Isa Mines, Incitec Pivot and the Mount Isa City Council (which in turn supplies residents and smaller businesses).[43]
Due to a prolonged drought, water levels in Lake Moondarra have become very low. In April 2013, it was forecast that Lake Moondarra would be reduced to 40% of capacity by July 2013, which would trigger the need to supply additional water from Lake Julius. The increased cost to the Mount Isa Council for water was estimated to be $800,000 per year ($114 each for 7000 households).[44] Water restrictions in the town were escalated in April 2013 to reduce water consumption.[45] Boating on Lake Moondarra would be restricted if water levels reduced to 20% for safety reasons as the lower water levels would reveal obstructions.[44] The fish in the lake will be at risk if Lake Moondarra falls to 10% capacity.[46]
Water has traditionally been processed using a natural filtration process involving reed beds in a large isolated lagoon, which, after disinfecting, produced water to acceptable standards under the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.[43] However, the prolonged drought has produced climatic conditions that have caused blooms of blue-green algae in Lake Moondarra, Lake Julius and the Clear Water Lagoon, necessitating the temporary introduction of a large filtration plant to remove the algae.[43]
On 22 January 2015, Lake Moondarra was at 85.3% capacity.[47]
Mount Isa State School, 1929
Mount Isa has eight public primary schools and three private primary schools:
Happy Valley State School
Healy State School
Townview State School
Barkly Highway State School
Central State School
Sunset State School
Mount Isa School of Distance Education
Mount Isa Special School
St Kieren's (private)
St Josephs (private)
And four high schools:
Good Shepherd Catholic College (private)
Mt Isa Flexible Learning Centre (private)
Mount Isa School of Distance Education (to grade 10)
Spinifex State College - Three campuses, Junior from grade 7 to grade 9, Senior from grade 10 to grade 12, and Residential; for students who don't have a high-school in their region and need to leave their place of residence to access years 7-12. Spinifex State College opened on 1 January 2003. The Junior campus is located at the former Mount Isa State High School. The Senior campus is located at the former Kalkadoon State High School. The Mount Isa Education and Training Precinct campus is an amalgamation of Kalkadoon State High School and Mount Isa State High School to form Spinifex State College Precinct.[48]
And Early Childhood Education:
CCM: Cherub Childminding Services Family Day Care Scheme
Mount Isa is also home to the School of the Air, a unique-to-Australia way of schooling isolated students in Australia's vast lightly populated country areas. The city also holds the main campus of the Mount Isa Institute of TAFE, offering courses in a wide range of fields, including mining, agriculture and trades. In addition, James Cook University has a presence, with the Mount Isa Centre for Rural and Remote Health in the Base Hospital complex.
The City of Mount Isa operates a public library in Mount Isa at 23 West Street.[49]
MediaEdit
RadioEdit
The following radio stations are available in the Mount Isa region:
AM 666 4LM (commercial)
FM 100.9 Mob FM (commercial-70% country)
FM 101.7 ABC Classic FM
FM 102.5 Hot FM (commercial)
FM 103.3 4TAB (horse racing)
FM 104.1 ABC Triple J
FM 104.9 ABC News Radio
FM 105.7 Radio Rhema (religious)
FM 106.5 ABC Local Radio
FM 107.1 ABC Radio National
TelevisionEdit
Five broadcast television services operate in Mount Isa — commercial stations Imparja Television and Southern Cross7 (formerly known as ITQ Channel 8, QQQ, QTV and QSTV- Queensland Satellite Regional Television), and the Government-owned ABC and SBS. Imparja has a programming affiliation agreement with the Nine Network. Aboriginal focused channel NITV (National Indigenous Television) broadcasts on UHF Channel 35.
Digital Television transmissions have commenced in Mount Isa. New channels provided by the ABC and SBS can be received with a digital set top box or digital television. Additional channels from the commercial broadcasters that are available in most other areas of Australia are expected to commence transmission in 2011-2012. Analogue television transmissions will be switched off by 31 December 2013.
NewspapersEdit
The North West Star is a local newspaper which is printed three times per week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The Courier-Mail, The Sunday Mail and the Townsville Bulletin are also available.
Notable peopleEdit
Simon Black, Australian rules footballer
Charlie Cameron, Australian rules footballer
Lindy Chamberlain, wrongly imprisoned for the murder of her baby, which was subsequently attributed to dingo attack. In the movie Evil Angels, made about the incident, Mount Isa appears at the beginning scenes of the movie as the hometown of the Chamberlain family
Altiyan Childs, winner of the second season of The X Factor
Peter Crawford, basketball player
Gerard Denton, cricketer
Nathan Fien, rugby league player
Karen Foxlee, novelist
Jamie Goddard, rugby league player
Pat Mackie, union leader (1964/5 dispute)
Simmone Jade Mackinnon, actress
Deborah Mailman, actress
Tony McGrady, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland and Mayor of Mount Isa
Gene Miles, rugby league player
Greg Norman, golfer
Scott Prince, rugby league player
Pat Rafter, tennis player
Bill Sweetenham, Olympic swimming coach[50]
Carl Webb, rugby league player
John White, squash player
Queensland portal
Mount Isa Mines
Mount Isa Murders
Riversleigh
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^ "Casa Grande (entry 601094)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
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^ "Xstrata mining emissions causing lead poisoning". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 June 2013. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Mount Isa.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mount Isa, Queensland.
Mount Isa City Council
University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Mount Isa
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mount_Isa&oldid=931809276"


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 * ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE
 * LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR
 * CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF
 * SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS
 * INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
 * CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE)
 * ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
 * POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
 */

#ifndef PLAT_ROCKCHIP_COMMON_H
#define PLAT_ROCKCHIP_COMMON_H

/* For SMP cpu bootup, they are common for rockchip platforms */
#define LOCK_TAG		0xDEADBEAF
#define LOCK_ADDR_OFFSET	4
#define BOOT_ADDR_OFFSET	8

/*
 * Some register has write-mask bits, it means if you want to set the bits,
 * you need set the write-mask bits at the same time, the write-mask bits is
 * in high 16-bits. The following macro definition helps you access register
 * efficiently.
 */
#define REG_MSK_SHIFT		16
#define WMSK_BIT(nr)		BIT((nr) + REG_MSK_SHIFT)
#define BIT_WITH_WMSK(nr)	(BIT(nr) | WMSK_BIT(nr))
#define BITS_WMSK(msk, shift)	SHIFT_U32(msk, (shift) + REG_MSK_SHIFT)
#define BITS_WITH_WMASK(bits, msk, shift) \
				(SHIFT_U32(bits, shift) | BITS_WMSK(msk, shift))

#endif

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
De Nikko zilverspar (Abies homolepis, in het Japans: ウラジロモミ, urajiro-momi) is een boom uit de dennenfamilie (Pinaceae) en het geslacht zilverspar (Abies). De boom komt van oorsprong voor in de bergen van de Japanse eilanden Honshū en Shikoku (tussen 36° en 38° noorderbreedte). Hij komt voor op hoogtes van 700 tot 2200 meter in gematigd regenwoud (samen met de Japanse lariks en de Japanse beuk) met een hoge luchtvochtigheid en koude winters met sneeuwval. Hij wordt weleens de nationale boom van Japan genoemd en kan een hoogte van 40 meter bereiken.

Deze zilverspar heeft een lange slanke stam die regelmatig vertakt is. In zijn jeugd vormt hij een nagenoeg perfecte kegelvormige kroon. Wanneer de boom tussen de 80 en 100 jaar oud is geraakt deze op een karakteristieke wijze afgeknot. In tegenstelling tot de meeste sparren heeft de Nikko zilverspar gegroefde jonge takken (waar deze bij de meeste sparren erg glad zijn). De harskoppen zijn ovaal en hebben de vorm van een cilinder. De bladeren (naalden), die een beetje scheef staan, meten 3 cm aan de randen en 1 à 2 cm in het midden. Aan de bovenzijde zijn ze glanzend donkergroen en aan de onderzijde hebben ze twee witte banden. De cilindrische kegels versmallen naar boven toe en zijn 30 cm breed en 10 cm lang. De schutbladeren, die eerst een paarse en later een bruine kleur hebben, zijn compact en de dekschubben verborgen en kort. De roodgekleurde zaden hebben vleugels die even lang zijn als de dekschubben.

De boom werd voor de eerste maal ingevoerd in Europa in 1854 en heeft zich goed aangepast aan het bestaan in Centraal- en West-Europa. Hij heeft er een regelmatige groei en kan goed tegen vorst.

Toepassingen
Het hout van de Nikko zilverspar wordt in Japan algemeen gebruikt als timmerhout. In Europa en Noord-Amerika wordt de boom vaak als sierboom aangeplant.

Plant uit het Palearctisch gebied
Dennenfamilie

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Kylie Robinett, Manager of Production Control & Logistics at Marine & Land Systems (MLS), spends most of her days being a part of the main line of the communication process interfacing with several departments, including quality control and manufacturing engineering to make sure that production has materials and tools needed.
Since beginning her career at Bell Helicopter as an intern, Robinett has held several roles within Textron as a Leadership Development Program participant before taking on a manager role at MLS. In her current role, she and her team continuously analyze processes to identify areas for improvement and manage and create schedules for the shop floors at the MLS facilities for vehicles and ships built there. Since becoming a leader, Kylie noticed that each day's responsibilities are different.
As manager of production control and logistics, Robinett is involved in creating production schedules to satisfy program delivery requirements, all while considering risks and challenges such as materials impacts, labor impacts, quality issues and new customer requests. "After becoming a leader, I've learned how to think more strategically and to prioritize what must be done now and what can be focused on later," says Robinett of juggling the different aspects of her role.
When asked about the challenges of taking on a new leadership role, Robinett says, "Know what you know and admit what you don't know so that you can learn. Also, be adaptable and ready for change." Robinett says that a great strength about the leadership at MLS is knowing she can go to anyone to ask a question.


text:
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Edward Snowden and Lindsay Mills announce pregnancy and application for Russian citizenship
Credit: Courtesy of Twitter
Whistleblower Edward Snowden and his wife Lindsay Mills have announced that the couple is pregnant with a child. In addition, Snowden has stated that "After years of separation from our parents, my wife and I have no desire to be separated from our son. That's why, in this era of pandemics and closed borders, we're applying for dual US-Russian citizenship".
He added that the child will be raised "with all the values of the America we love" and that he is looking forward to the day he can return to the United States.
Sources: Content Sources
Source: twitter.com/Snowden
Courtesy of Twitter
Pentributor:
Christoph Janke
@christoph
co-founder of Pendect. Trying to protect free speech and democracies by creating a global news platform that is built through expert contribution. In love with vinyl, psytrance and penguins.
Card reviewed by: @ericof
Categorization: Locations & Places
Public Figures & People
Snowden NSA

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
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You are here: Home / News / Hip Hop News / Rappers Act Quickly To Rail On Donald Ster...
Rappers Act Quickly To Rail On Donald Sterling
30 Apr 2014/in Hip Hop News /by inaiksbeats@gmail.com
There is nothing more the rap community likes than having the opportunity to use their skills in putting down people they dislike or who they think have stepped out of line. With social media sites offering an instant platform to respond and make feelings known, the rap and hip-hop community is one which is continually on the brink of arguments, fall-outs and repercussions. When you live life close to the edge, there are times when you'll fall off and sometimes many rappers and artists regret making a response in the heat of the moment.
There are some times though when this is the right thing to do and the rap community has not been slow in responding to the racial comments made by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. Anyone making racial comments should be shot down and held accountable for their actions but when the comments come from the head of a major company in a massive organisation that is loved and respected all over the world, action needs to be taken quickly.
NBA has acted swiftly
The NBA has acted quickly in condemning Sterling. They have banned Sterling for life, they have fined him $2.5m for his comments and they are exploring ways to force him to sell his shares in the basketball club. This has been fast and welcome action but even though the NBA have responded with the lightning pace you'd expect from a rapid breakaway move, rappers and the hip-hop community have acted even quicker.
Snoop Dogg was on Instagram straight away, providing a heartfelt expletive ridden diss towards Sterling and anyone that shares his beliefs. Snoop may have given the impression he leads a more laid-back lifestyle these days but it's good to see he still carries the fire and anger in him when the situation calls for it.
Meek Mill also took to twitter very quickly although he was of the opinion that very little punishment would come the way of Sterling for his comments. Hopefully the punishment handed out to Sterling will meet the approval of Meek, and act as a warning to anyone else who feels that this sort of opinion is welcome. There will be people who say that education is important, and hopefully there will be further steps taken to eradicate this sort of thinking in the NBA and the wider community but there was clearly a need to ensure Sterling was severely punished for his remarks.
As Killer Mike pointed out on Twitter, the banning of Sterling by itself is some form of justice but it shouldn't be considered as a victory or the end of the matter. The fact that there are people who still feel that making this sort of comment is okay in the modern world is the real issue and this is where there needs to be further exploration of the topic. You just know that there will be some people who feel that Sterling has been harshly dealt with and this is where the rap community would be best placing their focus in the weeks and months ahead.
"Trigger fingers turn to Twitter fingers" – Drake Vs. Meek
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Hot New Music – Drake – How About Now
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"Trigger fingers turn to Twitter fingers" – Drake Vs. MeekJuly 29, 2015 - 9:58 pm
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text:
John Morgan says he wants recreational marijuana legalized
Florida attorney John Morgan has said he will try to get recreational marijuana legalized.
Wednesday, June 27th 2018, 7:14 PM EDT
"I'm going to look at starting a fund where we all can donate to get full #marijuana legalization on the ballot in 2020," he posted on Facebook.
Gerald Frey is a medical marijuana patient. He supports legalizing marijuana for everyone and bringing tax dollars to Florida.
"I have diabetes and helped me so much and my numbers are all down. People don't realize what it does for you," said Frey. "People don't realize how good it is for you. It's a God natural plant. It's a lot of people out there that really need it and can't afford to go out and get a card from the doctors. People don't realize how many tourists we get here. If you don't have a card in Colorado and you're a tourist, like when I go, I have to pay 35%, it's a beautiful thing to help the state of Florida all the way."
But some Floridians are hesitant.
"I believe the body should be on it's own. Natural resources. Eating well, drinking well and without the outside influence that's going to change your personality," said one voter. "I just don't think it should be as free to obtain."
Morgan led the push to get medical marijuana legalized in Florida and has recently been speaking out about the state's ban on smokable medical marijuana.
Voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2016 allowing the use of medical marijuana through vaping and in food, oils, sprays and tinctures. The Legislature last year included a provision banning it from being smoked, and Gov. Rick Scott signed the measure into law in June.


Carp fishing in France needs turned out to be a little more really popular throughout usually the years and literally hordes of men and a lot of women are going to Germany in pursuit of her dream fish. France is always one of the favourite countries when it will come to Carp fishing to achieve a number of situations. France is actually a good solid beautiful country and the very landscape is truly remarkable, there's nothing like staying by the lake by your fishing rods out doors looking forward to it screaming run. The outstanding thing about carp outdoor in France is each fish typically are not even pressurised to the span that are in specific united kingdom and at any time when you pick the directly lake you can be prepared for to catch a fair amount of carp.
The carp are besides a lot bigger as compared you find in the uk and it is realistically easy to catch carp to , and lb, obviously there are perhaps bigger carp than which experts claim contained in these different types of lakes and a number of go to lb in addition they are not extremely easy to catch before it's doable if an individual are there for a real week and fishing concerned with the right lake. One specific lot more carp seas are now being announced in France and that they are generally being do by British people which will have moved to Europe and setup a small yet successful business. Villas for rent in Ayia Napa of action to select the pond you are going time for fish is simply by means of doing a little findings on the internet.
Go to Google along with type in carp small in France or carp fishing forum you is designed to then discover plenty of the people placing comments just about their visits to Italian and how they having on. I stubled by way of to an ideal lake Etang De Villaine by utilizing the exact method and / or booked up to choose in September last entire year. This is an acre lake and holds carp to lb and Wels Catfish to lb. Proprietor is English and is often an awfully nice guy, quality guy offer you tips so much advise as you might need. During my visit last year I will caught about fish in one week plus the biggest came lb, I lost multiple more.


I'm well into Murder in Grosvenor Square, and will announce a pub date soon (I'm thinking August). Also, the narrator for Hanover Square Affair has agreed to do more books, and is working on Regimental Murder even now. We progress!!
Anxious for the next book! I have thoroughly enjoyed you Captain Lacey series.
Fell in love with these books and characters…Can't wait for the next book!!!
So glad someone finally wrote about a protagonist with depression! I've deeply enjoyed watching Captain Lacey's character grow as your books progressed. Can't wait for "Murder in Grosvenor Square" to come out!
I discovered the series from your free book Hanover Square and read all the following books in 1 week. I cannot wait for the next book and the one after that. Please writer faster. Love the series.
Best historical mysteries I have found. I can only think of a couple that come close. Can't wait for the next one.
I just re-read a Disappearance in Drury Lane while sitting by the pool this afternoon. I hope the next installment is out before my summer schedule is over!
I LOVE this series. Am so disappointed I can't go directly to book 9!!! What will I do??? :-) I don't want to ready anything else.
Book 9 is coming! As is Book 10 after that, Book 11 . . .


See pricing info, deals and product reviews for Quill Brand® High-End Adjustable 3-Hole Punch at Quill.com. Order online today and get fast, free shipping for your business.
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Easily punch 1/4-inch holes to store documents in binders with this adjustable three-hole punch. This durable Quill Brand product is made of metal to hold up to heavy use, and the punch heads are adjustable for those times when you are dealing with non-standard paper. Punch up to 15 pages of 20-pound paper at a time without worry that the punch might start to slide away, thanks to its non-skid base.


FOMO is real. Stay up to date with our monthly Roundup series, which highlights some of the biggest and best freestyle, futsal and street football events both in the U.S. and overseas.
The heat is starting to die down, kids are starting to get ready to go back to school, and the fleeting summer is coming to an end. Though we are moving towards shorter days and lower temperatures, in no way does that mean that the competition is cooling off.
From multiple Adidas Tango events around the world to a new street football addition to the world-renowned Super Ball, the football world refuses to let the last days of summer pass it by.
The global phenomenon of the Adidas Tango league returns to Munich, the always-beautiful capital of Germany. For those unfamiliar with the Tango League format, the 4v4 tournament showcases ballers' skills not only on the pitch, but on social media as well. In addition to earning points for match victories and MVP awards, players also get rewarded for likes, comments, and retweets on Twitter and Instagram.
The event will be hosted at Zenith Die Kulturhalle, which is home to motorsports events and concerts. Munich has thunderstorms in its forecast next week, and the atmosphere on the pitch is sure to be electric as well.
You read that right. For the first time, the infamous Super Ball tournament is expanding past freestyle and venturing into the street football world. While it would be foolish to travel to Prague and skip the world's biggest freestyle championships, it's totally understandable that some would prefer to watch some crazy megs and akkas.
In addition to a panna tournament, Super Ball and World Street 3s will host a 3v3 tournament as well, and the world's best street ballers will share the spotlight with the freestyle elite.
A 3v3 world championship followed by a freestyle world championship the next day — how could you not be excited?
Hosted at The Base LA, the next U.S. Adidas Tango event bears its name from Adidas' latest "Ocean Storm" colorway release, which features vibrant blues and yellows on both street and traditional boots.
LA's finest ballers will compete at the same venue that hosted last month's U.S. vs. UK Tango showdown, in which the boys from across the pond reigned victorious.
Hosted by Guinness World Record Holder and former Indian freestyle champion Pradeep Ramesh, the inaugural Street Football and Freestyle Festival in Perungudi will feature 1v1 panna cage matches as well as freestyle battles.
Along with Ramesh, the freestyle judges include top Indian freestylers Rahul and Abdullah.
Long Beach Chrome, the social club of the all-new LAFC, will celebrate its first year of existence at Shannon's On Pine, located in the heart of Long Beach. Festivities include performances from street football crews, live DJ sets, and of course gear and swag from LAFC.
Looking to find a good place to kick the ball around? Check out UrbanFutsal LA's pickup futsal league at The Base LA for one of the best experiences around. From former pro ballers to pure lovers of the game trying to have a good time, this spot is the perfect place to connect and meet people that share the same love for the game. Good music, beautiful art, great people, and a ball, what more could you want?


Last weeks courageous testimony by Dr. Ford has inspired Yesenia to make a contribution that is deserving of the moment and that she has been waiting to make. Have you ever wondered if the way we parent can play a part in whether or not your child(ren) would disclose their abuse to you? Yesenia is here to offer her perspective on this question based on her own experience as someone who has experienced sexual abuse as a child and wondered why she never told anyone until she became an adult. Her answer may help you see parenting from yet another perspective.


Drew Howitt, CEO of NEP, enjoyed celebrating the Holidays with Placer County Deputy Sheriffs Association during their annual Christmas party at the Squaw Valley Resort in Lake Tahoe on December 14th. The Placer County DSA has been a client with NEP for over 10 years and recently renewed their contract with NEP and said, "they intend to be in business with NEP for years to come!" Pictured here is Drew Howitt, CEO of NEP, and Edward N. Bonner, Placer County Sheriff.


3D Printing Technology and Innovations Expo 3rd International Conference - eleventary!
"Conference series LLC Ltd cordially invites all participants across the globe to attend the 3rd International Conference on 3D Printing Technology and Innovations (3D Printing 2019) which is going to be held during March 25-26, 2019 Rome, Italy to share the Showcasing the future of 3D Printing in Engineering and Medicine.
For more details visit- https://3dprinting.insightconferences.com/"


text:
from __future__ import unicode_literals

from django.db import migrations, models

class Migration(migrations.Migration):

    dependencies = [
        ('Scholien', '0001_initial'),
    ]

    operations = [
        migrations.AddField(
            model_name='buechlein',
            name='arten_dicts',
            field=models.TextField(blank=True, default=''),
        ),
    ]


text:
Sunday, December 21st, 2014 | Posted by Ian Fraser
The dog that eats up debt
By Ian Fraser
Published: Sunday Herald
[Note this the unedited version of a business focus article published in the Sunday Herald on 21 December 2014]
Picture via Mitos e Lenda – Bruno
Banks including the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group have found a new way of freshening up their balance sheets and ridding themselves of business customers who have been vocal in their criticism of the banks' activities – they are selling multi-billion pound portfolios of corporate and commercial loans to so called "vulture funds" .
There has been a spate of such deals in recent days. Clydesdale Bank sold a £1.2bn portfolio of such loans, dubbed "Project Henrico" on Monday; and on Tuesday morning RBS announced it had cemented a deal to offload a £4.8bn portfolio of Irish loans originally issued by Ulster Bank, dubbed "Project Aran". The bundled up loans generally originated in a period of manic over-lending in the build up to the 2008 banking crisis, though most of the loans are likely to have been heavily restructured over the past six years.
The buyer of both 'Project Henrico' and 'Project Aran' is the New York based hedge fund/private equity firm hybrid, Cerberus Capital Management, which purchased the portfolios using special purpose vehicles registered in the Netherlands, Ireland or similar jurisdictions for tax avoidance purposes. These SPVs always contain the word Promontoria, sometimes followed by additional names, numbers and the initials B.V.
Other US-based private equity firms that are seeking to profit by taking on parcels of debt from troubled European banks include Apollo, Oaktree, Lone Star and Blackstone.
Deals along these lines are celebrated as a good thing by investment analysts, the UK government – which still owns 25% of Lloyds and 80% of RBS – and by banking regulators, not least because they are seen as boosting the government's chances of selling off tranches of its equity in the banks to private investors. In the case of Clydesdale, the recent 'Henrico' deal is also seen as boosting the chances that National Australia Bank might be able to offload Clydesdale either via a trade sale or an IPO within the coming months or years.
The deals also give the banks a greater chance of sailing through the increasingly onerous stress tests being set by the Prudential Regulation Authority of the Bank of England, in which they must prove their ability to survive a severe economic downturn without further recourse to taxpayer bailouts. Last week Lloyds and RBS only narrowly passed such tests, while Co-operative Bank, which has received no direct taxpayer support, failed.
The process of banks offloading unwanted customers in this way is gathering momentum. So far this year, European banks have offloaded €54.9bn worth of European commercial real estate loans in such ways, more than in 2012 and 2013 put together, according figures from property consultants Cushman & Wakefield.
But the deals, which see loan books being offloaded at discounts ranging from 30% to 75% of their nominal face value, are not all good news. The loans in Ulster Bank's "Project Aran" portfolio, which have a combined face value of £4.8bn, were sold to Cerberus for just £1.1bn. That means, in its desperation to offload them, the bank was willing to accept an offer that was 77% less than their face value. The deal represented just under 9% of Ulster Bank's pre-crash balance sheet.
If vulture funds believe they can handsomely profit from such deals, isn't someone else being short-changed? Would the banks not have been better to hang on to these loan books themselves? And what do such deals actually mean for customers – the end-borrowers whose loans are being traded like bags of flour, sometimes without their knowledge or consent?
The majority of the UK businesses that are having their loans reassigned to private equity owners are commercial real estate companies and property developers but there are also significant numbers of non-property SMEs and other borrowers bundled in as well. Many of the firms involved have been living in a state of financial purgatory since their crisis, having been forced to jump through challenging hoops set by bank managers who changed, around the time of RBS's 2008 collapse, from eager cheerleaders to vindictive Mafiosi seemingly intent of punishing and humiliating them (for example by forcing them to pay tens of thousands Independent Business Reviews or by ratcheting up rates and charges, and imposing often clueless consultants on their firms)
Stephen Rosen, partner at London based lawyers Collyer Bristow said that the sale by banks of customer loans to groups like Cerberus, without the customers' consent "is an extraordinarily serious development both for customers and customer-bank relationship."
"Customers, often small businesses, find themselves hamstrung by the legal documents that they have signed many years ago, which almost always places the power in the hands of the bank to transfer the debt to a third party without the customer's agreement and indeed without even informing them until the transfer has taken place." He added that in many cases the business people concerned will have been forced over the past six years to throw in extra cash at the bank's behest to keep projects and businesses afloat. "That investment may well be lost if their loan is purchased by a fund intent on enforcement action," which can include administrations and repossessions.
One ex RBS insider said "one thing you can be sure of is there will be no KYC [know your customer] policy at Cerberus".
Many of the businesses that are subjected to such transfers blame their banks for their financial plight.
This may be because the bank missold them an interest rate swap ahead of its own failure. In such instances, these complex derivatives may have crippled their businesses once UK rates fell to 0.5% in March 2009, forcing them into a default situation. In certain cases, the banks also "artificially" distressed business borrowers in ways described by government adviser Lawrence Tomlinson in his bombshell November 2013 report, for example by ascribing phoney valuations to their commercial property assets that put the customers in breach of loan-to-value agreements.
Calvin Chapman of Manchester-based law firm Berg said that "in cases we are aware of Cerberus has given business owners a month to provide a solution to repay 100% of the debt plus costs or face administration. We even had one client who found out that their hotel was actively going to be marketed before they had even been told about the administration. Their hotel was already online."
Affected businesses allege that vulture funds are even more brutal and uncaring with borrowers than the banks' notorious recovery and restructuring units – RBS's Global Restructuring Group and Lloyds's Business Support Unit. Rosen warns they have fewer scruples about repossessing properties.
"RBS is essentially throwing the customers involved to the wolves," said Janine Alexander, a partner at Collyer Bristow.
Another source with experience of the distressed debt market said: "The only people who are profiting are Cerberus. Everybody else loses. The real scandal here is an abuse of power. A lot of the distressed debt that's being handed over to these guys is only distressed thanks to the activities of the banks. It seems the bank's real motive is to clear out anyone who might complain."
John Glare, founder of the NAB Customer Action Group, which represent scores of businesses that alleged they have been abused by Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks, warned Cerberus that if it "starts to apply pressure on the customers whose loans it has taken over before any attempt by NAB to float Clydesdale and Yorkshire, this is going to erupt". He added: "At the very least, we will be seeking to ensure that the conditions that applied under Clydesdale's ownership carry through under Cerberus's ownership."
At least one sizeable Northern Irish business has slapped an injunction on Ulster Bank barring it from transferring its loans to Cerberus as part of "Project Achill", a smaller tranche of Ulster Bank loans that was acquired by Cerberus, via the High Court in Belfast. However, businesses that tried the same in the Irish Republic have been less successful. On 9 December, companies controlled by the brothers Michael and Richard Larkin failed in their bid to get an injunction preventing Ulster Bank from transferring some €89m of their companies' loans to any third party.
Taxpayers are also among those being short changed. According to Steve Middleton, director of Middleton Financial Solutions, an expert on banks' complex financial plumbing: "Almost every time a bailed out bank sells a portfolio of under performing loans to Cerberus, it is the tax payer who is being robbed."
Cerberus won the "Project Aran" portfolio in competition with rivals Lone Star and a consortium made up of CarVal Investors, Goldman Sachs' and Apollo. It topped a week that Cerberus will have seen as triumphant. Last week the firm also secured the €1bn takeover of a portfolio of Danish non-performing loans – dubbed "Project Mermaid" – from Finansiel Stabilitet, the country's "bad bank" as well as agreeing to pay Clydesdale £1.2bn for the "Henrico" assets.
In April, Cerberus acquired NAMA's loan book of Northern Irish property loans, dubbed "Project Eagle", paying around £1.2bn for the £4.5bn nominally-valued loan portfolio.
And in the course of some five transactions since 2011, Cerberus bought £2.6bn of distressed commercial property loans from Lloyds Banking Group. It paid a total of £1.8bn (implying an overall discount discount to the 'par' value of the loans concerned of 31%). Among these are loans issued by HBOS in its reckless and poorly-controlled heyday to Kevin McCabe's Scarborough Development Group, which subsequently had been restructured into a new group called Valad, as well as loans to the Fairmont St Andrews Bay Hotel.
Some Cerberus executives are candid about their approach to former bank customers. Ranald Coggle, who runs Cerberus's European operations, told the Cheshire-based hotelier Ross Finch, who appeared in a recent BBC Panorama documentary: "What you have to understand about me is I'm a prick". In the same programme, Stephen Pegge, director of SME markets at Lloyds, said: "We check to make sure that these organisations are doing the job that they're asked to do and that they do behave in a responsible way."
In a recent BBC Panorama programme [available to watch on iPlayer until October 2015] a spokesman for Cerberus said: "We stand by our two-decade record of socially responsible and professional management of our business. Over that time we have successfully worked out the overwhelming majority of the loans we have purchased to the mutual satisfaction of borrower and lender."
A spokesperson for Lloyds Banking Group said: "More than two-thirds of customers that go into our Business Support Unit are helped back onto a sounder financial footing and so far this year more than 1,000 business customers have been returned to our mainstream relationship teams. Where we have sold loans on to third parties, as part of the group's efforts to strengthen its balance sheet and focus on its core clients, this is done under the terms agreed with the customer and signed by them when taking on the original loan."
A spokeswoman for NAB said: "We understand that the announcement [of the Cerberus deal] may be unsettling for some borrowers. Our focus is on ensuring a smooth transition for our customers and we are working with the buyer on the legal and systems requirements to deliver this. The terms of the documents the customer has entered into with the bank will not change as part of this process."
A spokesman for Cerberus said: "Our operating philosophy focuses on working with our borrowers to restructure loans as that is the way we obtain the most favorable outcomes for both our investors and the borrowers in the loan portfolios that we own.
"There are extensive checks and balances as part of our agreements with the sellers of loan portfolios. We honor all aspects of the loan agreements, and our goal is always to work with our borrowers to restructure loans as that is the way we obtain the most favorable outcomes for both our investors and the borrowers in the loan portfolios that we own.
"The terms and conditions of the loans remain unchanged, and Cerberus is committed to having excellent relationships with borrowers and to achieving mutually beneficial outcomes."
Who are Cerberus Capital Management LLP?
Cerberus is a private equity firm founded by Stephen Feinberg (pictured left), 54, and other refugees from the New York-based junk bond outfit Drexel Burnham Lambert, which collapsed into bankruptcy in 1992. Named after the three-headed dog which guards the entrance to Hades, the underworld, in Greek myth – a connection Feinberg has since admitted he regrets – it has $25 billion under management.
Feinberg is obsessed with secrecy and does not brook egotists within the organisation. "We try to hide religiously," he told Cerberus shareholders at an event in 2007, "If anyone at Cerberus has his picture in the paper and a picture of his apartment, we will do more than fire that person. We will kill him. The jail sentence will be worth it."
Cerberus is so well connected with the United States Republican Party, it has the orthographically-challenged former US vice president Dan Quayle and former US Treasury secretary John Snow as co-chairmen. One of Cerberus's European heads is Pieter Kortewig, a former treasurer general at the Netherlands finance ministry. The son of the former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar, José María Aznar Botella, has since 2012 been an adviser to an affiliate of Cerberus.
Cerberus has, or has had, a curious ragbag of companies in its portfolio, including the carmaker Chrysler – which it has since sold to Italy's Fiat – GM's finance arm GMAC, Vanguard Car Rental (owner of Alamo and National), gunmaker Remington (formerly known as Freedom Group) and British gambling and bingo company Gala Coral.
The Remington deal has proved particularly controversial. Even though Cerberus has signalled its intention to sell the gun manufacturer, it has so far failed to do so. In September last year Rabbi Andy Bachman turned up at Cerberus's New York headquarters with a group of activists, and said "We ask you, Stephen Feinberg, we ask you today, what value do you really get from hundreds of millions in profits earned by the blood of innocents?" This followed the Sandy Hook massacre, in which 20 primary school children and six teaching staff were killed. Gunman Adam Lanza was firing one of Remington's products, a Bushmaster XM-15 automatic rifle.
Feinberg's enthusiasm for the distressed loan portfolios of British and European banks has been building since 2011. His firm sees value in so called "secondary" commercial properties such as shopping centres, hotels, pubs and industrial units based outside the main conurbations, in the belief such assets are due a major rebound in coming months and years.
What action can borrowers take?
Borrowers can take a number of steps to protect their position in circumstances where they are notified (or suspect) that their bank is intending to sell their loan to a third party. Lawyers Collyer Bristow provide six (full version here):-
1. Know your rights. Check your loan agreement/facility letter – can the bank sell the loan to a third party? Or are there restrictions/conditions the bank must comply with?
2. Can the benefit of any associated security or finance documents be transferred without the consent of the borrower or any guarantors?
3. Make sure that any ongoing disputes or agreements reached with the bank about amendments to terms on your facility, or waivers of the bank's rights are recorded in writing.
4. What confidential information about your business has the bank disclosed to potential purchasers with the sale memorandum or in the data room? Does the loan agreement allow the bank to disclose such information?
5. Be vigilant. A bank planning a loan sale in the short to medium term may check in advance for terms which restrict its ability to do so and try to achieve (in the course of other discussions/restructuring) amendments to your facility terms to remove any restrictions or other clauses which might present obstacles to selling the loan.
6. Apply to Court for an order restraining the bank from selling your loan…. Injunctions can be a useful tool in these circumstances and in certain cases might lead to a negotiated deal but they must be approached with caution so that you have a full understanding of their pros and cons and of the other options that may be available to you.
An edited version of this article was published as the business focus in the Sunday Herald of 18 December 2014
Short URL: https://www.ianfraser.org/?p=10969
Posted by Ian Fraser on Dec 21 2014. Filed under Article Library. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry


No early Christmas gift. With a loss to the Eagles, the Giants did NOT clinch a playoff berth. In a sloppy and pathetic Thursday Night Football poopfest, the Giants offense still cannot put significant points on the board. They could only score 19 points versus a struggling 5-8 Eagles team. Thanks to the Giants offense, the Eagles get a win and the Giants find themselves still looking for answers. When will this offense wake up? Will they every score more than 28 points in a game? Why did Ben McAdoo have a lackluster Eli Manning throw the ball 63 times? As we have stated here, the Giants running game has been showing slow improvement. Case in point last night, the Giants were able to gain 114 yards on the ground, however, they still lost the game. After 15 games, this Giants offense is averaging 17.5 points per game. So, what do we think is going on?
First, Eli Manning is having a horrendous season. For a veteran quarterback to throw THREE interceptions, this is inexcusable. One of his interceptions was a pick 6. So before you can grab refreshment, the Giants were losing 14-0. As a matter of fact, this is what happened when both teams met earlier this year. Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz threw 2 interceptions on consecutive possessions and as a result the Giants took an early 14 to zero lead. For the entire season with the exception of the Eagles game played at MetLife Stadium, the Giants have been slow starters. Their defense and the punting of Brad Wing have kept them in ball games. The only bright spot on the offense is OBJ. At 10-5 are they a good team? Well, we believe there are NO good teams in the NFL. Quite frankly, each week it has become a war of attrition. Unlike previous seasons, the NFL has become a cesspool of low quality football. Speaking of the low quality, the Giants had a total of 88 plays and 470 yards of offense, one would believe they would have won this game easily. This was far from the case. What happened to the Giants on offense? Eagles' defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz took a page out of Steve Spagnuolo's play book. In today's NFL, most pass attempts are short passes between five and 10 yards. Schwartz did what Spagnuolo has been doing which is flooding the short zones. If you take away, the short passing game, then you challenge an offense to take deep shots more often. Because the Giants offensive line has difficulty pass protecting, Eli does not have the luxury of taking deep drops. In this offense, Eli has to get rid of the ball quickly to avoid being crushed by opposing defenders. This scheme McAdoo implemented two years ago has worked up until now. Teams have figured out how to defend the Giants offense. A major factor contributing to the Giants demise on offense is Ben McAdoo. On the day of his hiring, Pete thought McAdoo was not ready to become a head coach. Besides still being in charge of the offense, he has so many other responsibilities. Pete thought McAdoo would be overwhelmed and the offense would suffer. Indeed, Pete was correct. We have to mention the Walkie-Talkie gate. During the Dallas game, unbelievably, McAdoo began using Walkie-Talkie radio to communicate with Eli Manning. As a result of his stupidity, the Giants and McAdoo were fined. In addition, the Giants fourth round draft pick will be the last of the round.
The clock is ticking. McAdoo has one more game left to figure out how to fix his broken offense. As mentioned, the good part is the running game is improving. We need McAdoo to get the ship going in the right direction.
Giants Defense: Although the Giants did NOT accumulate any sacks in this game. They held the Eagles to 3 points in the second half. Takeaway the two big plays: the 25 yard run by Sproles and the 40 yard TD to Agholor, the defense gave the offense a chance to win this game. Keep in mind, Giants DB Janoris Jenkins did not play. Despite having Jenkins out, the Giants allowed a long pass for a touchdown. If there is a chink in the Giants defense's armor, it is the secondary on deep throws. You saw it on Thursday Night and during times this season.
Trevin Wade- This guy played an outstanding game. He prevented two touchdowns and recovered Dwayne Harris' fumble. He was our Giants player of the game. To point out our theory on the Giants weakness on deep passes: on the Eagles last possession, with 1:42 left in the game, the Eagles had a 3rd and 5 on their 42 yard line. The play was a deep pass to Jordan Matthews. At the last moment, Wade swats the ball away. This play reinforces our belief opposing teams know how to attack the Giants defense. Throw deep. Again, the defense gave the offense a chance to win this game.
Penalties. We do not like to get on the officials. However, there were some borderline calls which went against the Giants. Giants DB Eli Apple slowing down so he does not tackle Eagles QB Carson Wentz as he was going to the ground. But the official threw a flag for roughing. Giants DE Olivier Vernon was called for roughing the passer when Wentz was out of the tackle box and threw the ball away with no receiver in sight. Instead of an intentional grounding call, Vernon was the culprit.
Paul Perkins- He is emerging as the Giants feature back. 15 carries 68 yards. We hope McAdoo utilizes him more against the Redskins. With Vereen out for the year, we would like Perkins to get more touches running and in the passing game. He had one catch for 9 yards against the Eagles.
Brad Wing- He had another punt inside an opponent's 20 yard line. He has 20 punts inside an opponent's 20 yard line. He leads the NFL. We believe Wing is All-Pro.
Playoffs- the Giants can make the playoffs today. If one of these teams loses today: Green Bay, Tampa Bay, or Atlanta, the Giants make the tournament. It will be the first time in the playoffs since 2011. Let us hope we get a Christmas present today.
Next Article It is the Defense, Stupid!


0.1 What Is The Best Cookware?
3.0.5 Who has the best deals?
5.0.3 Who has the best deals?
6.0.6 Who has the best deals?
It all looks great, the captions describe a great product and you really want to buy it, but how do you know what is the best cookware?
Our product comparisons and in-depth reviews whether they are stainless steel, nonstick, anodized aluminum or cast iron cookware, will help you decide what is the best cookware for you and how much you should spend. Find out about the most popular brands and why they are so popular.
Interior: Durable, satin finish stainless steel surface. Safe for use with all utensils.
It consists of three layers; stainless steel, a heavy-gauge aluminum core and an additional layer of stainless steel offer even, consistent heat conduction for excellent browning and enhanced control of the cooking process.
Nice long handle, enables easy tossing of the ingredients.
Handle not wide enough and not easy to hold when pans are full.
You won't be disappointed with this less expensive line of cookware by All-Clad. If you can't afford the real McCoy, this stainless steel cookware set will satisfy the inner chef in you. Despite the fact that it sells for a fraction of what a true All-Clad set will cost, this stainless steel set is both beautiful and practical.
It is heavy enough to distribute the heat evenly and generally, the food doesn't stick to its highly polished stainless steel interior.
The flared rim makes it easy to pour liquids and sauces and the heavy copper clad bottom retains heat like no other. For the less than price of a nonstick set, you can have stainless steel. And guess what? Teflon isn't necessary. Warm the pans before adding food, and the food will not stick as long as you add a little oil and allow it to get hot.
This Cuisinart Multiclad Pro stainless steel cookware set has more positive user reviews than any other stainless steel set on the Internet. Not to be confused with the Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless line, this set is so popular, you will have a hard time finding it.
The main reason is its 3 ply construction consisting of an all aluminum core, a brushed stainless steel exterior and a mirror finish interior, and most of all its price. If you can't afford the All-Clad, then this is an excellent choice.
8-quart covered stockpot steamer insert with lid.
Every cook needs some sort of bakeware whether it will be to cook a casserole dish, macaroni and cheese a lasagna or some gooey desert.
Le Creuset is one of the best stonewares you can get for the money. Le Creuset's 1-1/4Quart baker is the perfect size for lasagna sheets fresh pasta sold at most supermarkets.
This pottery is a champion in heating evenly and is attractive enough to be brought directly to the table. This stoneware is available in all the Le Creuset colors if you are looking to match any Le Creuset cast iron or if you just want to coordinate it with your dishes. They are also easy to wash and if something gets stuck it will easily release with a quick soak.
We found that some users have had problems with the stoneware cracking.
Apparently, it does not do well in a very hot oven. A way to avoid this is to purchase a separate thermometer for your oven. I have an electric oven and it gets very hot. In fact, when I turn the dial to 350 degrees, it usually heats up to 450! Because of this I always rely on a separate oven thermometer. The best and most accurate thermometer is the mercury type, as opposed to the coil thermometers that look like a dial. Those can be just as bad as your knob or electronic oven setting.
Compatible will all cooking surfaces including induction.
Le Creuset is having this cookware built in China which makes the price very attractive. The product is manufactured to their most strict specifications and the quality surpasses that of Calphalon stainless steel cookware. While the pots are somewhat heavy they are not at all hard to handle. The brushed stainless steel exterior is just beautiful. The easy pour rims and the beautiful stainless steel lids make this cookware exceptional. The quality is excellent, quite similar to All-Clad, with 3 ply layering which goes from the bottom up to the sides of the pan: a must for even heating and cooking. The pots come with measure marks, and that is something we loved.
Compared to All-Clad, this is a set of similar quality at a fraction of the price. You can expect to pay more than double for a similar All Clad set. So if you need quality but cannot afford All-Clad, Le Creuset stainless steel is the way to go.
We also liked the stainless steel lids. We definitely prefer those to the glass see-through ones that are so ever popular. The rims are designed in such a way that it makes pouring easy without spilling. They also have those measure marks that we loved! Comfortable handles and nice enough weight. Not too heavy, not too light.
It is hard to find what is not to like about this cookware. It rivals All-Clad although it is not made in the USA. It is really a fine piece of cookware, shall we say BETTER than Calphalon stainless steel and not necessarily better but almost equal to All-Clad (and that is the best compliment I could have for any piece of cookware) You need to check these prices too! This set, for its quality and beauty, is definitely affordable!
Bubbly TV personality Rachael Ray is endorsing this line of products ( I don't think she actually built it and designed it) and it has become very popular among consumers. Consequently, Rachael Ray cookware is now a bestseller. What makes this cookware stand out is the splash of color rendered by the silicone covered handles. A clever idea that helps the not so great looks of hard anodized aluminum.


It's time to toast the New Year and most of us are already thinking about gift ideas for family and friends. It is important not to forget our loved ones - no matter how near or far they are. Sending gifts is a way of wishing the best start to the New Year, as well as ending the past year on the best terms. Now that we are talking about New Year gifts, let's take a look at the top 10 New Year gift ideas you should consider while gifting your loved ones.
If you are planning on making your New Year gift special and memorable all year long, opt for a personalized New Year calendar. This way you can bring a smile on your loved ones face every day with your unique touch. There are varieties of wall calendars, desktop calendars and calendar posters available in the market where you can showcase favorite photos and highlight special dates.
New Year is the best time to plan and organize the year ahead. Hence, New Year Planner is a great gift idea for New Year. This gift will definitely make the New Year better and planned. After all, planning makes execution much easy, doesn't it?
Wine is a popular gift during the holiday season and engraved wine bottles make wine gifting all the more special. Consider gifting engraved wine bottles to celebrate New Year with your loved ones. This is a pinnacle of gifting for any wine lover.
The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page. If you know a travel addict, try gifting them vacation packages or travel related stuff. This will be very useful to them and also makes your gift all the more special.
Jewelry is not just the favorite of women but also men. The season of giving is right here and if you are on the lookout for jewelry, consider the taste of the person you are planning to gift and add your loving words if needed. Custom jewelry is definitely something your loved one will never want to take off.
Try something special: Get your items in Germany, a country rich of making jewelry history! To make your shopping simple, you can now register at myGermany.com, send them your shopping list, they will place your order, and forward your items. When you shop on German websites, enter your myGermany address as your free German delivery address at checkout.
When we gift anything, we always want to make sure the recipient is delighted on getting it. The safest and probably the most popular New Year gift is a beautifully decorated gift basket. Be it chocolate gift basket, gourmet gift basket, wine gift basket or spa gift basket - they do set the tone for a happy and prosperous year ahead.
New Year is the toughest time to choose gifts as there is a lot to do around this time of the year. And if you are buying for a music lover, you can show your appreciation of their art by giving them a gift related to music. Music lovers are surely going to love it!
Consider shopping at some of the best German online shops which offer great music collection. In cases where online shops do not accept international credit cards, Concierge Service Germany will help by taking care of the entire order, purchasing, pick up and payment processes.
For some people, reading is their favorite hobby. If the one you are planning to gift has a love affair with books, magazines, and nothing makes them happier, a year-long magazine subscription is an ideal gift. Also, if you are planning to gift children, story books subscription is a great choice.
The best way to surprise your family and friends is gifting them their own personalized coffee mug. You can add names and photographs to create personalized coffee mugs. This surely is a worthy gift for New Year.
Photographs are a beautiful way to cherish some wonderful times and great memories. When all such memorable pictures come together in the form of a photo collage, there is nothing like it. Consider this gift to make your family and friends happy this New Year!


Bluebonnet Trails' administrative offices are located in Round Rock, Texas.
Our Autism Program provides a family centered approach to teaching individuals from ages 3-15 skills needed to succeed at home, school and in the community.
Our qualified professional psychiatrists, counselors and skilled medical team provide medication management, individual, couple, family and group therapy and coping skills to assist individuals of all ages in reaching their desired wellness goals.
Our well trained staff are dedicated to assisting individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis. Our staff is available to talk with you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through our Crisis Hotline at 1-800-841-1255.
Bluebonnet Trails lead community-wide coordination efforts for disaster behavioral health services following catastrophic events, such as Hurricane Katrina, Rita, and Gustav.
Through the Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECI), Bluebonnet Trails offers services that help infants and toddlers (birth to 3 years of age) with disabilities or delays achieve their developmental milestones.
Our Supported Employment team works with individuals enrolled in our Mental Health and Intellectual Developmental Disability programs by providing Employment Assistance and Supported Employment services.
We recognize easy access to healthcare options is important. Our family health centers and practices offer access to a full array of healthcare services including medical, dental, mental health, developmental health and substance abuse services.
The focus of our Intellectual Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Program is to assist individuals and their families in choosing and accessing quality and cost-efficient services and supports that best meet their needs and requests.
Bluebonnet Trails provides many options to best suit the needs of individuals involved in the criminal justice system with a mental health diagnosis.
Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour training course designed to give members of the public key skills to help someone who is developing a mental health crisis.
Bluebonnet Trails is here to assist individuals in the process of recovery and working towards wellness. Our Peer Support Specialists will partner with you to help you have the life that you want on the other side of a diagnosis of mental illness.
Throughout Bluebonnet Trails, we have several options of care for Substance Use. We offer Outreach, Screening, Assessment and Referral services through our OSAR Program and Bluebonnet Trails Recovery Program to ensure continued support and to promote long-term recovery.
Bluebonnet Trails Supported Housing program provides a safe and supportive program for adults in transition from crisis to stability while the individual resides in the program.
Our Veterans Services partners with individuals to provide them with the tools needed to successfully integrate back into their community and transition from their military life to civil life again.


Meeting these two was awesome! I remember the first email from Lorna asking if we could meet to chat about wedding photos and then another email shortly after that saying – forget the meeting – we just know you will be brilliant. Gotta love my clients, right? Two of the kindest people very soon to get married at West Mill.
There is always the decision to make on where to have your engagement photos taken. I usually get excited about places I haven't been to yet and Calke Abbey was on my radar for a while. Lorna and Andy picked this location as Calke Abbey has a special place in their heart and I can totally see why! Gorgeous grounds, quite eclectic collection of stuff left by it's last owner, underground tunnels – it has it all!


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Would those who are 55 years and above continue to contribute 17.5% or 18.5%?
Contributors who are 55 years and above who opted to join the new scheme in its implementation will have to contribute 18.5%. Those still on the old scheme will continue to contribute at 17.5%.
Those who are due for pension this year, would they fall under the new scheme or the old scheme?
Those who are due for pension are presumed to be above age 55, and would therefore remain under the old scheme and receive both their lump sum and monthly pension from SSNIT.
Who would be the trustees under the new pension scheme, would the current trustees change or not?
The current trustees will have to conform and comply to the standards set in the law.
How is the Authority going to ensure that SSNIT expenses are not as high as presented to the public?
Under Section 55 (1) of the Pensions Act, the administrative expenses of SSNIT would be subject to a maximum limit. The Authority would effectively monitor SSNIT to ensure that its expenses are within the prescribed limit.
What are the criteria for choosing a fund manager?
How would the Authority asses the performance of a fund manager?
The National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) would set its benchmark for assessing a Pension Fund Manager.
What is the implication; should a worker use his/her 2nd tier contribution to secure mortgage and dies after 3 years?
The person would have taken a Life Insurance cover to secure the mortgage and this should leave untouched his benefits for his/her survivors.
Is the 4 years enough for the Unification of the pensions schemes in the country?
Yes. Work on this will begin immediately.
Would a pensioner who lives more than 75 years still be paid a monthly pension and how much?
Yes. He/she would be paid a monthly pension at the same level as he/she was receiving at age 75 and indexed annually according to the law till he/she dies.
What would happen to funds which are privately managed should there be a credit crunch?


ATTN: La Salle/RTC Master of Education (M.Ed.) students.
The online course Reflective Practice in Teaching is ready. The first offering is scheduled to begin October 17 and the next will be February 27, 2017. If you are nearing the end of your M.Ed. program and have taken the prerequisites Brain-Based Teaching and Learning and Differentiated Instruction you may want to enroll in one of these opportunities. To register or for info. please call 800-433-4740.