State Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff will face questions from the Assembly Budget Committee next week about the Christie administration's decision to change the funding formula for the state's pension contribution in order to cancel $93.7 million in previously budgeted pension payments due in June and cut next year's pension bill by $150 million.
However, Anthony Wieners, president of New Jersey's largest police union, sharply criticized Christie's decision to reduce state and local government pension payments when public employees are paying more toward their pensions and retirees are going without cost-of-living increases as a result of the 2011 pension overhaul.
The pension changes were a hot topic in public employee union circles yesterday, and the New Jersey Education Association scheduled a meeting with its actuary this morning, recognizing that a return to the higher pension funding formula would require further cuts in a budget that was able to increase school aid by just $20 a child.
NJ Spotlight reported earlier this week that Christie's solution for this year's $800 million budget gap -- the third year in a row that revenue forecasts have failed to meet projections -- included a change in the state's pension contribution formula that enabled the governor to make a $93.7 million retroactive cut in the $1.676 billion pension payment due under the budget the governor signed into law last June.
The pension formula change also enabled Christie to lower the expected pension payment for the upcoming fiscal year from $2.4 billion to $2.25 billion, and would enable him to put $900 million less into the pension system over the next four years.
In his February 25 budget speech, Christie announced that the state's pension contribution would be a lower-than-expected $2.25 billion and that local governments would save $135 million on their pension payments, but he attributed the savings to higher-than-expected investment earnings and other initiatives.
The change in the pension formula was buried in the actuarial reports on the various state pension funds that were issued two days later, and it was not until Sidamon-Eristoff released his list of $694 million in current-year budget cuts that Democratic legislators and other fiscal experts realized that Christie was making a retroactive cut in the agreed-upon FY2014 pension payment.
"Did the administration ever come out and say, 'This is what we're doing?' No. Did we eventually put the pieces together? Yes," said a perturbed Schaer, who succeeded new Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson) as chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee. "Having served in the Legislature for the past eight years, and most especially the last five years, nothing surprises me. I can say with certainty that this issue will be brought up when the treasurer comes in to testify" on April 2.
The reason for the cuts in the expected pension contributions also came as a surprise to union leaders, who learned of them when they received the actuarial reports.
Christie had already included both the retroactive $93.7 million cut in his FY14 budget solution and the $150 million reduction in his FY15 budget when the actuarial reports went to the various state pension boards, which include union representatives, for acceptance earlier this month.
"The governor's spokesman's statement that the PBA "voted for" the change in pension methodology is yet another lie passed along from Trenton," said Wieners, president of the state PBA, whose union has two representatives on the Police and Fire Retirement System Board.
"The truth is that the PFRS Pension Board does not "vote" to approve any actuarial method. The Pension Board is given the report and only votes to acknowledge receipt of it. The PFRS Board of Trustees has no control over what assumptions the actuary uses," said Wieners, who is not a PFRS board member.
Perone, the Treasury Department spokesman, asserted, however, that union representatives "do have a choice. They could have decided not to accept it, but they chose not to." He noted that Marty Barrett, a PFRS retiree representative, spoke against the actuarial report and ultimately voted against it, but that the actuarial reports were "accepted" by the PFRS, Public Employees Retirement System, Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund, and State Police Retirement System boards.
The current pension funding controversy stems from the 2011 law that Christie and Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) teamed up to pass to bail out a state pension system that was in danger of collapse after 15 years of Democratic and Republican governors skipping billions of dollars in pension payments.
The new law gave the state seven years to ramp up to the full actuarially required pension contribution needed to make the system solvent -- a decision that meant that the state government's unfunded liability would continue to grow during that period. Christie projected it would hit $54 billion by FY2018, the year the phase-in would be complete.
Therefore, officials decided that its actuarial payment would be determined as if public employees were still contributing to their pensions at the old rate of 5.5 percent for teachers and state and local government workers and 8.5 percent for uniformed public safety personnel -- rather than the new employee contribution rates of 6.5 percent and 10 percent.
As Milliman, the actuarial firm for the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF), explained in its February 27 report, "When Chapter 78 was passed, it was our understanding that the additional member contributions in excess of 5.5 percent would serve to reduce the unfunded actuarial accrued liability rather than serve as a direct offset" to reduce the size of the state's pension contribution.
That understanding remained in effect as Milliman and the other pension funds' actuaries prepared their FY2012, FY2013, and FY2014 reports, but it changed this year.
Perone said the "change in methodology has a minor effect on the funded ratio over decades and we feel that the savings in payment for the state and locals is justified."
However, Milliman warned that over a 30-year period, the change in the pension formula would increase the state's unfunded pension ratio by 10 percent. The New Jersey state government's unfunded pension liability was $37 billion as of July 1, 2013, according to Treasury spokesman Christopher Santarelli, and the combined state and local government unfunded liability was $51 billion as of that date.
"The governor's office can spin their reduced contributions to the pension system however they like," said Wieners. "What is clear from a review of the facts and the numbers is that the state and local governments are not paying their fair share into the pension system once again. Reducing employer contributions by relying on increased employee costs is what got us into this mess in the first place.
"It is sad that after all of the Governor's boasting that he only wanted to save the pension system through Chapter 78 that it is becoming more plain that his underfunding is doing the exact opposite," the police union leader said.
Christie signaled in his January State of the State speech that he was looking for ways to reduce the projected $600 million annual increase in pension costs needed to ramp up to the full actuarially required level of at least $4.2 billion to $4.5 billion by FY2018, which would be the Republican governor's last budget. The change in the pension funding formula is expected to reduce that final-year figure by at least $260 million to $300 million.
However, Christie already had calculated in the new pension methodology when he threatened to take "extreme measures" if the Democratic-controlled Legislature did not come up with additional cost savings, presumably by requiring public employees to pay more toward their pensions. The governor warned that the rising cost of pensions, retiree health benefits, and debt service was eating up 94 percent of the revenue increase in the FY2015 budget, leaving little money for other budget priorities.
Fitch's noted that "New Jersey's debt levels are high for a U.S. state," equaling 7.6 percent of 2012 personal income – almost three times the 2.7 percent national average.
As of July 1, 2012, Fitch's said, the state's Public Employee Retirement System was 49.1 percent funded and the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund 59.3 percent funded.
"While pension and retiree health benefit reforms have been implemented and are expected to slow the growth in liabilities, the state's seven-year pension contribution phase-in will continue to delay funded ratio improvement in the near term and add stress to the state's operating budget," Fitch's warned.
"On a combined basis, New Jersey's net tax-supported debt and unfunded pension obligations attributable to the state, as adjusted for a 7 percent return assumption, total 16.2 percent of 2012 personal income, well above the 7 percent median for states rated by Fitch," the rating agency noted.


text:
Mrs Irene Harris
Home Titanic Survivor Mrs Irene Harris
Mrs René Harris (née Irene Wallach), 36, was born on 15 July 1876 in Washington, D.C., to Philip Wallach (born ca. 1831 in Prussia, d. 1888), who had worked at a loan office and Rachel Edith Hilzheim (born 28 July 1842 in Ohio; d. 21 September 1929 in New York City). Her parents had married 20 August 1862 in the District of Columbia, USA.
There were nine children born to the family. Her known brothers and sisters were Seligman 'Sol' Colfax, b. 22 May 1863 (d. 1953), Goldina, b. 1864, Eugenia 'Jennie,' b. June 1867, (Emily) Maud, b. 8 September 1871 (d. 1944 in New York City as Mrs. Samuel Jerome King), Samuel H., b. 4 November 1872 (d. 31 August 1935 in New York City), Edna Iola, b. 10 January 1874 (d. 1963 in New York), Herbert Philip, b. 25 September 1883 (d. 25 May 1952 in Florida), and Edgar Smith, b. 4 June 1884 (d. 10 September 1953 in New York City).
René married Henry ("Harry") Burkhardt Harris on 22 October 1899 in Manhattan, New York.
The couple boarded the Titanic at Southampton, they occupied cabin C-83 (ticket number 36973).
As Gregg Jasper and Randy Bigham have written in their biography of Renee Harris, Broadway Dame:
"Five days into the voyage, Sunday, April 14, the Harrises were still enjoying their shipboard routine. But a portent of the looming tragedy came when Renée suffered a freak injury that afternoon. She had been playing poker with her husband and six others in the B-Deck suite of millionaire Thomas Cardeza; Harry had asked her to 'sit in,' as she put it, in order to keep out a man suspected of being a cardsharp. When Harry pointed him out to her earlier, she was surprised he 'looked so virtuous.' Renée remembered "stakes were a dollar a chip" and that she was 'ahead by $90' when the summons for dinner was sounded: 'We played our game of poker on an enclosed deck just outside the main stairway. Heeding the bugle call for dressing, I was making my way to my stateroom when in descending the stairs I slipped, I believe, on a greasy spot left by a tea cake. I took a header down six or seven steps.' Incidentally, although it's been incorrectly stated that her accident occurred on Saturday, Renée was clear in various published accounts, as well as in a letter to Gregg Jasper, that she "fell down the stairs the afternoon of the tragedy."
René Harris was rescued in Collapsible D. When she boarded the Carpathia she was accommodated in a cabin vacated by the artist Colin Campbell Cooper and his wife Emma. Mr Campbell would later record the rescue in two paintings.
After Harry's death, René discovered to what extent he was in debt. After arranging with creditors to repay what her husband owed them, she continued his business as a producer and manager of the Hudson, Harris and Fulton theaters. She was the first woman theatrical producer and manager on Broadway as well as the only female theater owner in New York.
René Harris produced and managed some of the most successful plays on the American stage during her 20 year career, including Damaged Goods (1913), Twin Beds (1914) and Friendly Enemies (1918). In the 1920s, she launched the careers of Barbara Stanwyck, Judith Anderson and Moss Hart. The biggest musical hit at the Hudson Theatre during her ownership was Hot Chocolates (1929) in which Louis Armstrong made his Broadway debut.
She remarried three times but was always known professionally as Mrs. Henry B. Harris. She sold the Harris Theatre in 1920, her lease was up on the Fulton Theatre in 1921 and she lost the Hudson Theatre in foreclosure in 1932.
René, who changed the spelling of her first name to Renée by 1940, remained active throughout her life. She participated in the promotional campaign for the 1955 bestselling book A Night to Remember by Walter Lord as well as the 1958 film based on the book.
She died on 2 September 1969 at age 93.
New York Daily News (1962)
IRENE HARRIS IN 1962
Tampa Times (1959)
Daily News (NY) (1935)
RENE HARRIS IN 1928
RENE HARRIS BARBER PASSPORT 1923
Vancouver Daily World (1923)
RENE HARRIS 1922 PASSPORT
Washington Times (1912)
MRS HENRY B. HARRIS, FORMERLY MISS IRENE WALLACH, OF WASHINGTON
CRYPT ENGRAVING FOR RENE HARRIS, FERNCLIFF MAUSOLEUM, HARTSDALE, N.Y.
IRENE HARRIS
TITANIC SURVIVORS AT A NIGHT TO REMEMBER SCREENING
IRENE (RENEE) WALLACH HARRIS
Articles and Stories
Titanica! (2019)
A NIGHT TO FORGET : RENéE HARRIS AND THE TITANIC DISASTER
NEW BOOK FOCUSES ON THE FORGOTTEN CAREER OF MRS. HENRY B. HARRIS
TITANIC : THE LAST BOAT
COLLAPSIBLE LIFEBOAT D, THE LAST BOAT TO BE LOWERED.
THE DAY I MET A TITANIC SURVIVOR
LINER ENTHUSIAST RECOUNTS HIS 1968 MEETING WITH RENEE HARRIS
Variety (1969)
MRS. HENRY B. (RENEE) HARRIS DIES
New York Times (1969)
RENEE HARRIS, 93, FIRST WOMAN TO PRODUCE PLAYS HERE, IS DEAD
Boston Daily Globe (1922)
MRS. RENE W. HARRIS TO WED Z. C. BARBER
DEFICIT IN HARRIS ESTATE
Ballymena Observer (1913)
THREE WIDOWS TO VISIT SCENE
The Washington Post (1913)
TITANIC CLAIMS $10,000,000
LETTER TO MRS. HARRIS
Billboard Magazine (1912)
HENRY B. HARRIS (2)
Daily Home News (1912)
WRECK VICTIM KNOWN HERE
MRS. HARRIS GAINS STRENGTH
WOMEN REVEALED AS HEROINES BY WRECK (3)
NATION MAY RAISE GREAT MEMORIAL TO DISASTER'S HERO
ROEBLING WENT DOWN IN TITANIC
HOW THE HARRISES PARTED
Washington Herald (1912)
MRS. CANDEE LAUDS MAJ. BUTT'S HEROISM
MRS. HENRY B. HARRIS SAVED FROM WRECK
THE HARRISES
HENRY B. HARRIS
LIST OF WASHINGTONIANS ON FATED STEAMER GROWS
IRENE HARRIS GENERAL INFORMATION
WHY DO I SMILE?
Name: Mrs Irene Harris (née Wallach)
Born: Saturday 15th July 1876 in Washington DC, United States
Age: 35 years 9 months (Female)
Marital Status: Married to Henry Burkhardt Harris
Last Residence: in New York City, New York, United States
Embarked: Southampton on Wednesday 10th April 1912
Ticket No. 36973, £83 9s 6d
Cabin No.: C83
Rescued (boat D)
Died: Tuesday 2nd September 1969 aged 93 years
Buried: Ferncliff Cemetery, Westchester, New York, United States
Linked Biography
Mr Henry Burkhardt Harris
Mrs Irene Renee Harris (77 posts)
Henry Harris (33 posts)
Pellegrino re HarrisDuffGordons (15 posts)
Rene Harris (14 posts)
What caused Irene Harris broken arm (7 posts)
Mrs Renee Irene Harrisb strange encounter (5 posts)
Rene Harris and the Hudson Theater (4 posts)
Rene Harris (3 posts)
Did Irene Harris have any children? (3 posts)
HARRIS Mr Henry Birkhardt Shannon Noel Harris (1 post)
Rene Harris's Article in Liberty Magazine (1 post)
Looking for pictures of Rene Irene Harris (1 post)
Randy Bryan Bigham, USA
Peter Engberg, Sweden
Michael A. Findlay, USA
Gregg Jasper, USA
Arthur Merchant, USA
New York Times, September 3, 1969, Obituary
Randy Bryan Bigham & Gregg Jasper (2019) Broadway Dame: The Life & Times of Mrs. Henry B. Harris.
Encyclopedia Titanica (2020) Irene Harris (ref: #150, last updated: 9th June 2020, accessed 16th January 2021 08:53:20 AM)
URL : https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/irene-harris.html

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
India-made QRSAM achieves direct hit at target aircraft
By defence.capital on November 13, 2020 • ( Leave a comment )
Photo: An India-made QRSAM being test fired at ITR-Chandipur.
New Delhi: India-made Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile system today achieved a major milestone by a direct hit on a Banshee pilot-less target aircraft at medium range and medium altitude, displaying a key capability to hit small airborne targets.
The QRSAM was tested from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off Odisha coast this evening and the missile achieved the direct hit with terminal active homing by a RF seeker guidance after launch when the target was well within the kill zone, according to a Ministry of Defence statement.
The missile is propelled by a single-stage solid propellant rocket motor and uses all indigenous subsystems. The missile is canisterised for transportation and launch using a mobile launcher capable of carrying six canisterised missiles at at time.
All QRSAM weapon system elements like Battery Multi-Function Radar, Battery Surveillance Radar, Battery Command Post Vehicle and Mobile Launcher were deployed in the flight test.
The system is capable of detecting and tracking targets on the move and engaging target with short halts. The system is designed to give air defence coverage to the strike columns of the Indian Army.
"The radar tracked the Banshee target from farthest range and missile was launched when target was within kill zone and achieved the direct hit with terminal active homing by RF Seeker guidance," the statement said.
Various Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratories such as Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Research Centre Imarat, Electronics and Radar Development Establishment, Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), Instruments Research and Development Establishment, and Integrated Test Range have participated in the test.
The weapon system elements have been realised through Defence Public Sector Undertakings Bharat Electronics Limited and Bharat Dynamic Limited, and private industry Larsen and Toubro.
The missile system is fully indigenous with active RF Seekers, Electro Mechanical Actuation systems sourced from various industries. The radar is four-walled Active Phased Array Radar. All range tracking stations, radar, EOTs and Telemetry Stations monitored the flight parameters.
India's Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh and DRDO Chairman and Secretary Defence Research and Development Dr G. Satheesh Reddy congratulated the DRDO scientists for the achievement.
Categories: Indian Army, Industry, Modernisation, Technology
Tagged as: Active Phased Array Radar, Air Defence, Airborne, Aircraft, Army, Banshee, Battery Command Post Vehicle, Battery Multifunction Radar, Battery Surveillance Radar, BDL, BEL, Bharat Dynamics, Bharat Dynamics Limited, Bharat Dynamics Ltd, Bharat Electronics, Bharat Electronics Limited, Bharat Electronics Ltd., Canister, Canisterised, Canisterized, Central Public Sector Enterprises, Chairman, Chandipur, CPSE, CPSEs, DDR&D, Defence Minister, Defence Ministry, Defence Public Sector Undertakings, Defence R&D, Defence Research & Development, Defence Research & Development Organisation, Defence Research and Development, Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Defence Scientists, Department of Defence R&D, Department of Defence Research and Development, DPSU, DPSUs, Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Dr G. Satheesh Reddy, Dr Reddy, Dr Satheesh, Dr Satheesh Reddy, Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy, DRDL, DRDO, Electroc Mechanical Actuation, Electronics and Radar Development Establishment, Flight Test, India, Indian, Indian Army, Instruments Research and Development Establishment, Integrated Test Range, IRDE, ITR, L&T, Larsen & Toubro, Larsen and Toubro, LRDE, Medium Altitude, Medium Range, Minister of Defence, Ministry of Defence, Missile, Mobile Launcher, Odisha, Pilotless Target Aircraft, PSE, PSU, PSUs, PTA, Public Sector, Public Sector Enterprise, Public Sector Undertaking, Public Sector Undertakings, Public Sector Unit, QRSAM, Quick Reaction, Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile, R&D, RCI, Research & Development, Research and Development, Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), Research and Development Establishment - engineers, Research Centre Imarat, RF Seeker, rocket, Satheesh Reddy, Scientists, Secretary, Secretary (Defence R&D), Secretary Defence Research and Development, Secretary Department of Defence R&D, Secretary Department of Defence Research and Development, Solid Propellant, Surface-to-Air, Surface-to-Air Missile, Telemetry, Telemetry Stations
India launches fifth Scorpene submarine; Mazagon ready to bid for next submarines project
India Army selects OshoCorp among firms for $310 million battle tank ammunition project


Oregon City voters spoke loud and clear, with an overwhelming majority approving a $158 million school bond.
The bond will fund safety and security improvements, upgrades and updates to aging schools, added career/technical learning facilities, and relieve middle school overcrowding by rebuilding Gardiner and remodeling Ogden.
The bond funds will be matched by $7.7 from the Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching Program, funds that will enable the district to complete additional updates and upgrades to school buildings.
Safety projects will impact every Oregon City school, ranging from secure school entries, security technology upgrades and school access controls to parking lot flow and safety improvements and increased play area security.
The biggest investment will transform middle schools, which have been 140 percent over original capacity since 2013. Gardiner, built in 1954, will be rebuilt on the same site, eliminating 10 portable classrooms. Ogden, build in 1965, will be remodeled to expand common areas. Both schools will have upgraded security and expanded career-technical learning facilities.
All schools will receive upgrades to meet priorities at each site, from heating and ventilation improvements to energy-efficient lighting, updated plumbing, or new roofing.


text:
In probability and statistics, a random variate or simply variate is a particular outcome of a random variable: the random variates which are other outcomes of the same random variable might have different values (random numbers).
A random deviate or simply deviate is the difference of random variate with respect to the distribution central location (e.g., mean), often divided by the standard deviation of the distribution (i.e., as a standard score).

Random variates are used when simulating processes driven by random influences (stochastic processes). In modern applications, such simulations would derive random variates corresponding to any given probability distribution from computer procedures designed to create random variates corresponding to a uniform distribution, where these procedures would actually provide values chosen from a uniform distribution of pseudorandom numbers.

Procedures to generate random variates corresponding to a given distribution are known as procedures for (uniform) random number generation or non-uniform pseudo-random variate generation.

In probability theory, a random variable is a measurable function from a probability space to a measurable space of values that the variable can take on. In that context, those values are also known as random variates or random deviates, and this represents a wider meaning than just that associated with pseudorandom numbers.

Definition

Devroye defines a random variate generation algorithm (for real numbers) as follows:

Assume that
 Computers can manipulate real numbers.
 Computers have access to a source of random variates that are uniformly distributed on the closed interval [0,1].
Then a random variate generation algorithm is any program that halts almost surely and exits with a real number x. This x is called a random variate.

(Both assumptions are violated in most real computers. Computers necessarily lack the ability to manipulate real numbers, typically using floating point representations instead. Most computers lack a source of true randomness (like certain hardware random number generators), and instead use pseudorandom number sequences.)

The distinction between random variable and random variate is subtle and is not always made in the literature. It is useful when one wants to distinguish between a random variable itself with an associated probability distribution on the one hand, and random draws from that probability distribution on the other, in particular when those draws are ultimately derived by floating-point arithmetic from a pseudo-random sequence.

Practical aspects

For the generation of uniform random variates, see Random number generation.

For the generation of non-uniform random variates, see Pseudo-random number sampling.

See also
Deviation (statistics)
Raw score

References

Statistical randomness

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Our amigo, Art Pedroza, over at the Orange Juice Blog posted an entry yesterday entitled, "O.C. Human Relations Commission announces 2008 Award Winners". If you click on that title you will be linked directly to his entry, which describes the awards and the 2008 recipients. This is the 37th annual presentation of such awards. I "borrowed" the graphic above from Pedroza's post.
"The school's student-led Human Relations Council launched a campaign to promote student voices and unity by bringing diverse campus groups together to integrate a message of "Ubuntu" or the "spirit of community" into their programs and activities. The Council has made significant strides in institutionalizing an integration of human relations issues and student voices into many aspects of school wide policy."
Congratulations to the students of Corona Del Mar High School for their efforts, which demonstrate enlightenment and maturity uncommon today.
I post this entry today as a contrast to the Costa Mesa City Council's approach to human relations. Readers will recall that, not too long ago, the council led by then-mayor Allan Mansoor first de-funded, then disbanded without so much as a thank you the Costa Mesa Human Relations Commission. That organization served as a communications bridge between the city's diverse population segments for almost two decades.
Then, quite recently, Mansoor showed his attitude about this subject again. Following the annual presentation by a representative of the Orange County Human Relations Commission on incidences of intolerance within our city, Mansoor stated emphatically from the dais that he no longer was interested in hearing such reports. When he was reminded by the City Manager that such reports are provided as a matter of course each year Mansoor reaffirmed his unwillingness to hear them in the future.
Such is the sad state of affairs in our city - when the elected leader thumbs his nose at even the thought of improving human relations in our city you know we are dealing with a sadly unenlightened man with the power to enforce his will upon all of us. This is something to remember as the election grows near this year. Although Mansoor isn't running, his buddy, Mayor Eric Bever and possibly several other so-called "improver" candidates, may be on the ballot. Our city will not be well-served by perpetuating intolerance by electing people who share Mansoor's attitude and values.
So, tonight - appropriately, April Fools Day - as you watch the city council meeting, think about them as they spend your tax dollars and set policy that will govern your lives. Think about their motives and ask yourself if they coincide with yours.


If you're unfamiliar with who we are, PRAI stands for Pediatric Research and Advocacy Initiative. You might recognize us from our work in North Carolina and Virginia. But after raising $150k in 90 days last year, we made a major shift towards becoming a national non-profit organization with a laser focus on patient-centered research.
Our work involves bringing parents, scientists, legislators and clinicians together to address the crisis ailing our children by funding cutting edge research and advocating for quality care.
We started this effort just 2 years ago because we felt the number of scientists studying PANS was far too scant and the current diagnostic criteria did not cover a great majority of our children. It was time to broaden the scope.
Then, this year, after speaking candidly with a few of the best university labs in the world studying neuroimmunology, we were able to share some of the things parents on your boards were reporting (lyme, biofilms, mast cell activation, teeth crowding, odd gastro symptoms, strange bacteria, virus, and fungi in the blood, environmental allergies, food intolerances, EDS, gluten sensitives, joint and muscle pain in the mothers, mold sensitivity, blood clotting disorders etc), we found that those researchers REALLY wanted to hear from our families and our voice was welcomed. When often times it feels like we're yelling loudly at the top of our lungs and no one can hear us, we were thrilled when these top notch labs actually started following up with us with even more questions. As our leadership team Skyped with international scientists, we watched as they leaned in a bit, almost excited as if we had hit on something related to their own projects. We knew then…we were on the right track. Collaboration was key.
Ideally, families would walk together with other PANS parents in their hometown in a park or neighborhood on October 6th or host a similar easy breezy event like a restaurant fundraiser, golf tournament, wine tasting or bingo night etc. Or just raise money and walk solo and rock on with yo' bad selves.
4) Sponsorship package in the case someone wanted to engage local businesses.
6) FB group to encourage fundraisers towards reaching their goal with tips, tricks and support.
So we're reaching out to ask all the local FB admins to see if it's something they may feel comfortable supporting or sharing with their group. No pressure! We know everyone has initiatives and charities that they feel are the best fit for them. But if this was something you'd consider sharing and someone does have interest, you can direct them to our site at www.praikids.org and just click "Register" to walk in your hometown. OR "Fundraise" to Do something fun to raise money for research or "About PRAIfor500k" to learn more about what these dollars will go to support and the history of PRAI.
Thanks so much for considering passing this along to those in your group. We will be reaching out soon to follow up. Please let us know if you have any questions we can help answer about the campaign, our organization or anything else by contacting us on FB, or email contact@praikids.org or you can reach out through the website too!


Take the wheel of the classic series, from the Charger R / T from Dom to the Letty Corvette C2 in Fast & Furious 8, the new installment of the Fast & Furious saga.
Go behind the wheel and bet your car by challenging pilots from around the world. In Racing Rivals, you can challenge or challenge your opponents in game shows, with selected racing videos and live chat.
Build your team and dominate the Territory Wars! Participate in weekly races to take control of entire cities and earn gems and bonuses for your team!
Racing Rivals offers you an extensive collection of official cars, from the most exotic to the classical and muscular American. Available brands include McLaren, Subaru, Dodge, Mitsubishi, Ford, Chevrolet, RWB, Pagani, BMW, Honda, SRT and Ferrari, with new models added regularly!


text:
Alicia Keys to release new album Here in November
Pip Ellwood-Hughes October 8, 2016
Alicia Keys will release her sixth studio album Here on 4th November 2016 via RCA Records it has been announced.
To celebrate the release announcement, Alicia has made new song Blended Family (What You Do For Love) available to stream and download. The track features A$AP Rocky and was co-written by Alicia, who co-produced it with Mark Batson.
"My new song Blended Family (What You Do For Love) is inspired by my family's personal journey to cultivate deeper understanding, compassion, support and love," says Keys. "To me, family has no singular definition and the modern family is made up of all kinds of beautiful people willing to put love first."
The majority of Here was produced by ILLuminaries, comprised of Alicia; songwriter/producer Mark Batson; rapper/producer Swizz Beatz; and long-time Keys songwriting collaborator Harold Lilly.
Credit: RCA Records
Tags Alicia Keys
Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip is the Editor of Entertainment Focus and the Managing Director of agency Piñata Media.
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Jona Masiya holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education, Master of Music Education and Master of Science in Special Education. He is a distinguished teacher and player of the Djembe drum, Ngoma, Marimba and Nyunga Mbira. Jona taught World Music and led an African Ensemble at Shenandoah University. Currently, Jona is a Special education teacher at in Loudoun County. In 2004 he recorded an Mbira album in Zimbabwe, his home country. He recorded a Zimbabwean drumming album in 2013. He has performed on numerous public concerts including First Night Winchester and DC Africa Fest. He is featured in the official visitor's guide for Frederick County and Winchester City 2011-2012. Jona hosts an African drum circle, 1st Fridays at My Neighbor and Me store, Berryville VA and 3rd Fridays at Dharma Yoga Studios in Winchester Virginia. Jona grew up within a drumming family and likes to describe the drum as his favorite "toy". Currently, he directs his band known as Moto Moto Marimba band. Jona has engaged in motivational and interactive drumming with employees and students at various institutions including Shepherd University, Shenandoah University, Independent School of Winchester, and Lord Fair Fax Community College.


Top-tier suppliers of products in Walmart's US stores have 15 questions to answer by October 2009, running the gamut from energy and climate change, to material efficiency, natural resources, people and community. Those that are not tier one suppliers are considering these issues as well.
Sustainability Strategy – developing a vision and programs that support your business strategy and achieve your sustainability goals.
Life Cycle Management – using life cycle thinking to minimize the environmental and socioeconomic burdens of a product or service along its entire life cycle or value chain.
Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions – measuring, reporting and reducing energy use and greenhouse gases.
Resource Conservation – driving efficiencies in energy, water and material consumption.
Environmental Performance – minimizing waste generation, air emissions and wastewater discharges.
Supply Chain – providing systems and assurance of desired behaviors.
Information Systems – managing data around complex products and processes.
Sustainability Reporting – planning, writing, designing, benchmarking and providing third-party assurance for sustainability reports.
Developing a sustainability strategy for the US Tennis Open that minimizes costs and reduces the event's environmental footprint while encouraging fans to alter their behavior.
Cutting US$1million in costs for a well-known retailer by eliminating redundant packaging in its supply chain.
Increasing ticket sales 2 percent, worth more than US$18million, through our carbon footprinting work with a rail operator.
Reducing delays in multi-billion dollar capital projects by improving the sustainability strategy of a major oil and gas company.
Determining the carbon footprint of orange juice for a food and beverage manufacturer.


Moriar et oriatur ab igne cineres.
Wow… I guess if I'm going to be posting every other Friday I might want to find the pause button on life. Life being so busy can make things like this difficult but then again it gives me plenty to write about. Though seeing as I'm already late and I have too much to do tomorrow, I'm going to keep this one short and sweet.
It's said that there is a devil in every flame, and through the years I have seen many a flame and through my photographs I have seen many an apparition. It's funny what the camera will catch. In all the years I've been in this business I've probably only seen a "devil in the flame" maybe three times. Chalk it up to being busy or your mind playing tricks on you afterwards; but the only time I seem to see these things is in the pictures later. It's a cop-out on typing on my behalf, but I'm going to share a few of those with you.
This one doesn't have the obvious devil in it but it is one of the few situations that I saw one. This pic was taken just after me seeing it. The wire that is hanging down to the right looked just like a noose and still does kind of. It was hanging just below the ceiling and looked like there was someone in it. It was all just illusion but I could have sworn there was someone in it. Then it dropped to the floor like it was loaded. It was all an illusion but an interesting experience none the less.
This one is the namesake and inspiration to this post. One of my favorite and most unexpected pictures, I was astonished when I saw the skull in the upper right corner. Staring at this one for long enough, I've found a few more but it's probably just my over active imagination.
This picture was taken way back in '02 on a cheep camera through a dirty window and at night; so it's not the best quality. But even so, I've always enjoyed the pic. I'm one of the guys right below the tree. I love how it looks like the fire is getting ready to reach out and grab us.
This was an old trailer house that went up, from the same house as the first pic. A strong wind hit the other end of the trailer and caused this nice barrel roll of flame out the end. I thought it was interesting how it looked like a face screaming out of the end of the house.
I have several more to show but I feel this post has gone on long enough and I've probably lost my few readers due to boredom by now so I'll just quit while I'm behind and make an extra effort to make my next post on time.
When on the job, our image that we portray to ourselves and to the public is crucial. The public relies on us to provide stabilization to their lives when they're at their worst, and support to the community when we aren't on calls. When it comes down to it we as firefighters agree to put ourselves on display when we agree to be on the department.
There are many ways that this is done. First and most obvious is through our physical appearance. When we take pride in our equipment and our gear the public sees it and they take comfort in it. When our equipment looks broken down and our gear looks tattered it's difficult to have confidence in a department's ability to perform. It's seen when we are doing charitable events, by spectators when we are on scene and by the victims on scene. It can affect our funding and more importantly it's embarrassing. It's hard to hold your head up high and look the public in the eye when they don't think you can do the job you promised.
On the bright side, this is one of the easiest things to remedy. When I first got on my department, we didn't have state of the art equipment, heck we didn't even have new equipment. The apparatus that we had were used, and the gear was "hand downs". Even so we kept a good appearance. We cleaned and polished our trucks, washed the hoses down, and made sure everything was inventoried after every call. Even though our stuff was old we looked good.
This carried over into our confidence, which in turn brings me to the most important way that we put ourselves on display. The way we react isn't only important to the public but to ourselves. When on a scene the attitude is infectious. If a firefighter is unsure or panicky not only will it adversely affect the patients but it can have drastic effects on your fellow firefighters. This holds true for all firefighters but especially for the seasoned firefighters and officers. When you have a strong adverse reaction those that look up to you can question their ability to perform; and the people that rely on you to watch their back can start to question whether you'll be there or not. On the other hand, being able to show confidence in what you're doing and not over react to situations will instill confidence in your crew and everyone around you.
Sadly this isn't the easiest thing to deal with. There are a litany of things that can cause us to react adversely from how the people around you react to tragic things you might see. Your best ally will be experience, but even then you'll have to be careful. I remember a call many years back. There was a bad pile up on the interstate. It was a particularly bad winter storm and we had to put civilians in our command unit to get them out of the cold and off of the interstate as vehicles were continuing to add to the crash. The interstates were closed down, and I don't know how they were getting past the HP but that's aside from the point. I had just got the last individual into our command, an old suburban, when a car appeared out of the snow sliding sideways towards us. I jumped in and holding on to the spare told them to gun it. The car ended up bumping the car we were just helping and coming to a stop short of us. One of the newer guys on the department was reasonably scared and asked if we should go back and see if they needed help. I was embarrassed when the first thing for the civilians to hear was one of the other guys saying to hell with that.
It's an incident that still bothers me today. I keep looking back on it and wondering if there was a way we could have prevented it. When it comes down to it there wasn't really. It didn't stop us from doing our job, we were tired, and the individual said the first thing that came to mind. It was a simple over reaction to the circumstance. But the look in the civilian's eyes that was next to me was really hard for me to deal with. It's a prime example of what not to do and we put on classes on how to act in front of the public because of it. But when it comes down to it, I find that it's far more effective to instill confidence in my crew by showing confidence to them. It's not easy some times and it's an individual battle for each person, but one that needs to be undertaken.
Have you ever had one of those moments when you thought, "great… This is it."? I would love to say that that would be an understatement here but unfortunately it's exactly what I was thinking. I wasn't capable of anything more at the time. Let me set the situation up for you so you might be able to understand a little better. We got paged out to a methane compressor station fire. When we arrived on scene we found that it was one of the twenty seven compressor buildings on this particular facility. Each building contained four engines and each engine running over a cool mill. This particular facility ran 24/7 and was a major supply line so the company man on scene was eager to get the place back up and running. We had the gas to the facility shut down and began suppression operations. The crew was constantly getting in the way and putting themselves in danger in the process. We eventually had to have the police remove the crew to prevent them from being a further hindrance.
It must not have been that long that I paused because my team told me I tore out of there faster than they had ever seen me move and with murder in my eyes. It didn't take me any time to figure out what had happened and when I came out of that building I was ready to do things that are unbefitting of a firefighter, or most people for that matter. Luckily for the company man, our Chief was the one that got to him before any of us.
In this instance, the officers on scene just didn't have the manpower to fully secure the scene. The company man had wanted to get the facility back up and running so he grabbed a couple hands and turned it on; but when he had the gas turned back on, he failed to turn the bypass on to that building. Needless to say, the entire facility was shut down immediately and everyone that wasn't fire or police was removed from the facility. Up until this instance, scene security hadn't been a problem. We worked with the methane companies well and they always co-operated with us without question. So to this point there was no need for certain regulations to be made.
It was a bad situation that led to some serious meetings and thought being put into our policies. More importantly, it also gave me another perspective on situations. It's really hard to listen to a teacher telling you to be aware of the people surrounding a scene and implement it. You hear and understand the reasons but until you are put in a situation like this one, it doesn't really sink in. There's so much going on that it's easy to miss things. But then something like this happens and you start taking that extra time on the way to the call to think "what if", and the time after the calls to actually analyze what went good and what could have gone better. It's a personal experience that most of us will have to experience firsthand to get the benefit from but it's a good example of where panic can meet rational thought.
All emergency fields provide difficult challenges and I happily get to work closely with many of them. There's far more effort that goes into these professions than most people ever see. I've trained with multiple agencies and like many firefighters I'm also an EMT; but being on the fire department, it's the one I hold dear to my heart and the one I know about personally. I've been surprised to find that many people understand that a firefighter goes through rigorous training to join the department but think that it ends there. It's a sad misunderstanding. Training only begins in the class; the real lessons are learned in the field for the duration of their career. Beyond that, there are constant refresher courses, and discussions to help expand our knowledge and refine our skills. This combined with their jobs takes considerable time away from family and friends.
The dedication to training is only one kind of determination though. I've seen my brothers and sisters show determination that goes beyond just training. I've seen them demonstrate determination in going on and doing what needs done when their own minds and bodies wants to revolt against them. When they're sick, injured, facing problems in their personal lives, or having trouble dealing with things they've seen; it doesn't matter. When the call goes out, they will put all that behind them. They are so dedicated that they'll put the job above themselves, to the point that you have to stop them for their safety. It's that dedication that I feel and I take pride in every time I see this picture.
There's a quote that sums up that determination perfectly. Florian von Lorch was a General in the Roman army in charge of the fire brigades. When faced under threat of being burned at the stake, St. Florian declared "If you do, I will climb to heaven on the flames." Now I'm not going to get into some religious debate here and I'm not going to go into great history about St. Florian. The material on those subjects can be found with a simple search and since you're reading this I'm sure you have the ability to do that search in a matter of seconds. It's the determination behind the words that inspires me. It's the dedication that firefighters have given throughout their history, and one I am proud to continue on.
In the back of a desk drawer there's an old poster, it's been there for ages gone by. I was once told it comes from a time when fires raged and people sacrificed themselves for the lives of others. I finally decided it deserved to be framed and while there, the shop owner informed me that the bulky subject of the photo was called an "engine" though it looks like no engine I've ever seen. The primitive clothes in the background, used for protecting the individuals that sacrificed themselves. Oh what a life it would have been to live back in those days. The days of gallant actions and adventure around every corner.
Okay, so maybe it wasn't quite that way but looking into the past has that effect on people sometimes. And I'm no exception; there's always been an old poster on our department wall and it always gave me this feeling. I've always wondered in 100, 200, maybe 300 years, what are they going to think of the life and times we lived. Even looking back on the recent history of my department I find myself wanting to idealize it. It's kind of funny how fast one develops a sense of nostalgia. Not long after I got onto the department, I was sitting around the fire hall, listening to the stories of some of the more seasoned members; I was in awe of their stories. They had such great memories and a joy to their eyes as they retold them. I was dying to experience those memories, to make some of my own. It was something that I knew I would have to wait many years for… It's good to know from time to time that what you know can be wrong.
I've been working in fire for eleven years now and I had to pause a moment and chuckle when I found myself telling stories to the new rookies. I didn't, and still to a point don't, think they quite understood how good they have it. They tend to take some of the equipment for granted. It's easy to do when that's all you've experienced and it's probably how my mentors looked at me. Who knows, they may still, though I hope it's to a great degree less than they used to. I've seen a lot of changes and advances in our department and I try to take every little thing to heart.
When I first got on, our department was considerably smaller. We had way too much area to cover and far too little personnel and equipment to do the job effectively. We covered all of Johnson County except inside the town of Buffalo, giving us a total of about forty five hundred square miles. Our gear was old, outdated, and handed down from person to person. Our equipment was running but in constant need of repair. Even the hall was rented from the county. Our meetings were tailgate meetings and after a long fire, we all sat back cracked a beer and enjoyed a job well done. Those were the good times.
Don't get me wrong, times aren't so bad now. It's just that I've seen a lot of changes go by quickly. There were new additions, new equipment and now a new hall. I find myself saying things like "I remember when" and "when I first got on" and the people I'm telling it too are newer than me while a few of them are older than me. It's a feeling that I liked and I wanted to share with whoever might be going through the old department photos sometime in the future. I wanted to immortalize the last few moments of the old fire hall, so I took this picture just before we moved halls. It's my dedication to the old hall when our bunks were by the engines and we weren't above sharing gear. It was a time when the tailgate meeting was normal. In short, it's a dedication to the good ol' times.
It's late in the day and I sit here in my warm recliner, looking out over the storm going on outside, and I'm reminded of an early spring storm we had some years ago. The storm was raging on much as it is this winters day with only the time of year being different. It wasn't a peaceful night for long, as the call goes out for a single vehicle roll near the pass. If the storm here in town was bad then up at the pass it was nothing anyone should have been out in. At almost 10,000 feet the storm was pounding the pass and dropping snow faster than plows could hope to keep up with.
We look out at this weather and we think of how nice it is inside and how we dread going out in it. It's easy to think of it as an inconvenience and get irritated over it. Often times I find I have to take the trip out in the truck to put myself in the right frame of mind. It must have been terrifying for that lady, trapped in her vehicle, the cold blowing in through the broken window. She had no cell signal, no way of knowing if anyone even knew that she was in need of help. A passerby had saw the wreck and drove down to where they got signal to call it in; but she had no way of knowing that.
It was probably fifteen minutes before we got the call and another twenty for us to make it that far up. We use the time to our advantage. We all know our roles in this play but we talk them out anyhow. We discuss where to place the engine if the vehicle is still in the road, or what we'll do if it slid past the shoulder and off the edge. As new information comes in we update our strategy so by the time we arrive on scene we are as prepared as possible.
We arrive on scene just behind the ambulance. Our community is a small enough one that fire and ambulance are separate entities. We train together so we can work together but we have our separate jobs. And it's times like these that provide necessity for it. Our firefighters are EMT's as well so when we arrive on scene we can provide treatment but we need to send her down and get her where she can receive proper treatment.
Once she'd safely on her way down we finish securing the scene, directing traffic, and filling out the run report. It was an easy call when all said and done and everything went as planned. It may have been a cold afternoon but when all said and done that didn't really bother me. I come back to a warm recliner and enjoy another snowy evening.
As I sit here reminiscing, the pager goes off once again and I get to go out on another call. Another car wreck on slick roads…. I guess my reminiscing can wait for another time when I sit in my recliner looking out of a snowy night, thinking about a call I once had.
Ahhh spring time in Wyoming... sometimes you never know what you're going to get.
There are always certain things that you expect when you're on a fire; peace isn't one of them. It was probably the most surreal thing I have ever felt. It may sound cliché but when I was taking the picture it seemed as though the fire went silent. The heat of it radiated off of everything and made it feel like someone had wrapped me in a blanket but it was perfectly calm and everything around was peaceful, including the wildlife. There were birds chirping, even a deer lying down nearby. All the while a fire silently raging on… it was almost as if the day refused to acknowledge it happening.
It really strikes me as funny; I've spent some time trying to remember how loud it was but I just can't. All I can remember is the sound of the chickadee chirping in the background while somewhere off to my right a meadowlark sang its tune. Just about ten yards to the right of this picture a doe is laying in a grassy field watching everything unfold and piney creek babbles on behind me. Just the slightest breeze occasionally moves through, not even strong enough to really disturb the smoke, just lightly tussling the grass and the sun shines down in a cloudless sky. I've never seen a nicer day.
When I'm too old to work anymore and the night is closing down around me, this will be one of those memories I cherish as I sit on a cold winter's eve and sip coffee.


text:
Мармара или Селяни (, до 1927 година Σέλιανη, Селяни) е село в Република Гърция, разположено в Централна Гърция, област Фтиотида, дем Макракоми. Селото има население от 443 души.

Личности
 Родени в Мармара
  Василиос Папакостас, гръцки офицер, деец на Гръцката въоръжена пропаганда в Македония

Бележки

Села в дем Макракоми
Села на Велика Влахия


text:
How do I know my yeast infection is getting better?
First, you will notice that vaginal discharge has returned to a normal consistency and smell. Second, you will notice that itching has gone away, alleviating much of the discomfort associated with the infection. Third, you will notice that any rash, swelling, or redness has subsided.Mar 31, 2021
< How long does a yeast infection last for?
How do I know the yeast infection is gone? >
Why does my yeast infection get worse at night?
Also, when you lie down at night and start to relax, your senses may become heightened. A change in temperature or moisture levels at night can also make the itching worse. Sex can exacerbate the symptoms too. Vaginal tissue is very sensitive, and the friction caused by sex can cause further irritation.
What should I eat if I have a yeast infection?
Focus on incorporating these foods while on the candida diet:
Low-sugar fruits: Lemon, limes, berries (may be eaten in small amounts).
Non-starchy vegetables: Asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, kale, celery, cucumber, eggplant, onion, spinach, zucchini, tomatoes and rutabaga (best if eaten raw or steamed).
Can a yeast infection turn into a STD?
Yeast infections aren't an STD. They aren't contagious, and can't spread to another person during sex. But sexual contact sometimes leads to yeast infections — your body chemistry can have a bad reaction to another person's natural genital yeast and bacteria, which causes yeast to grow.
Can a yeast infection cause frequent urination?
They may cause a burning sensation when you urinate, or you may feel a need to urinate more frequently. Yeast infection symptoms may include pain when urinating, but you'll also experience pain and itchiness in the affected area.May 2, 2018
How do I know the yeast infection is gone?
How do you know if a yeast infection is mild or severe?
Yeast infection symptoms can range from mild to moderate, and include:
Itching and irritation in the vagina and vulva.
A burning sensation, especially during intercourse or while urinating.
Redness and swelling of the vulva.
Vaginal pain and soreness.
Vaginal rash.
Should I tell him I have a yeast infection?
"You should start by telling your partner that vaginal yeast infection is not a sexually transmitted disease," says Wiyatta Freeman, MD, a gynecologist at Baylor Medical Center in Irving, Texas. The yeast that causes vaginal yeast infection is a type of fungus called Candida albicans.Jul 31, 2014
Can you get a yeast infection from playing with yourself?
It's unlikely that you would get a vaginal infection from masturbating. It is possible to have "irritation" of your vagina if you have an allergic reaction to something that is placed in your vagina such as a lubricant or sex toy.Sep 6, 2016
How do I know if my yeast infection is severe?
You might have a complicated yeast infection if: You have severe signs and symptoms, such as extensive redness, swelling and itching that leads to tears, cracks or sores. You have four or more yeast infections in a year.Mar 17, 2021
Can doxycycline cause fungal infection?
In women, doxycycline can cause vaginal itching and discharge known as a yeast infection.
How long does a yeast infection last for?
This depends on two factors: how severe the infection is and how it's treated. Mild yeast infections may clear up in as few as three days. Sometimes, they don't even require treatment. But moderate to severe infections may take one to two weeks to clear.Oct 16, 2017
Can antibiotics make give you a yeast infection?
Factors that increase your risk of developing a yeast infection include: Antibiotic use. Yeast infections are common in women who take antibiotics. Broad-spectrum antibiotics, which kill a range of bacteria, also kill healthy bacteria in your vagina, leading to overgrowth of yeast.Mar 17, 2021
What cost yeast infection?
For patients not covered by health insurance, yeast infection treatment typically costs $7-$20 for an over-the-counter antifungal cream or suppository. Or, it costs less than $5 to more than $30 for a one-dose prescription antifungal pill.
What does yeast infection look like?
redness, swelling, or itching of the vulva (the folds of skin outside the vagina) a thick, white discharge that can look like cottage cheese and is usually odorless, although it might smell like bread or yeast. pain or burning when urinating (peeing) or during sex.


text:
Home Featured Article SA meets the standard for direct equine trade
SA meets the standard for direct equine trade
SOUTH African Equine Health & Protocols (SAEHP) remains confident that South Africa now fully meets or exceeds all of the international disease control standards needed to allow direct trade in equines with the EU and any racing or breeding jurisdiction in the world.
Adrian Todd, MD of SAEHP, said in a statement released on Monday: "I agree wholeheartedly with Mike de Kock's recent comments stating that South Africa's inability to compete on equal terms with other racing nations and to directly trade bi-laterally with said nations, is a huge contributing factor to the decline of the SA racing and breeding industry. Until this is resolved the industry will continue to decline."
To recap, South Africa ceased to trade directly with the EU in 2011 due to an outbreak of AHS within the surveillance zone which led to an automatic two-year ban which was compounded by South Africa subsequently failing an EU audit in 2013.
"It was an audit SA deserved to fail, our risk control measures were just not up to standard," stated Todd. "SA clearly needed to significantly improve communication, coordination and processes between state and industry to meet the failings outlined in the 2013 audit."
South Africa had recurring outbreaks of AHS within the surveillance zone in 2013 and 2016 and as such was unable, based on the existing protocols with the EU, to directly send horses out to compete and/or to trade with the EU and other racing nations who take a lead from the EU.
In effect, at no time from the 2011 outbreak to June 2018 would it have been possible for South Africa to trade directly with the world. Simply put, SA was under suspension due to disease outbreaks and sufficient risk control measures were not in place.
SAEHP was formed with a sole focus of working hand in hand with South African veterinary authorities and bringing South Africa's AHS control measures up to world standard and convincing the importing countries of South Africa's competence in implementing controls that ensure safe and sustainable exports.
Todd stated that it had been expected that an EU inspection would follow almost immediately after the two-year ban was up in June 2018 as had happened in previous years. However, given the time lag from 2013, a different process entails within the EU, and it is this process that is now being pursued.
Todd, however, feels that the delay was inadvertently to South Africa's advantage. "The delay, whilst a huge frustration, gave us valuable time to make 100% sure that everything was up to standard. Having waited so long, the importance of not tripping up at the final hurdle is paramount. A second failed audit would dash the hopes of direct exports for many a year," he said.
"SAEHP and DAFF are confident that the controls in place are world class, it was South Africa's inability to comply with international standards that led to us not being able to export, now we are ready! We are working hard with multiple government departments to lobby our cause and get the EU here to see what we have achieved. This is the first time that we have been really ready to trade directly without risk, and the final hurdle is the political push to secure an audit that validates this. We know too, that other racing and breeding jurisdictions are eager for SA's status with the EU to be resolved and have shown a willingness trade directly with South Africa once our EU status is clarified." Todd concluded.
Pic: Dan Kitwood/Getty.
Adrian Todd
EU horse exports
SAEHP
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Some news about settlement agreements, plenty of questions remain.
The UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has released a press briefing on its proposals regarding settlement agreements.
Other than highlighting that what the government appears to be considering - in very general terms - is a re-branding of the already widely used and - in our view well liked - compromise agreement, the release sheds little light on the question of whether the government will introduce the concept of "protected conversations" whereby employers can talk to employees frankly without fear that the contents of these conversations can be used as evidence against them by employees or ex-employees in subsequent Employment Tribunal claims.
What's to be protected and implications?
If the proposal is that employer "protection" is limited to the making of a settlement agreement offer itself, this would change the law slightly. The current position is that where an employer offers an employee a compromise agreement before any dispute has arisen between them, the employee can use this fact as evidence in any subsequent Tribunal claim. How useful that evidence actually is often depends on the context of the compromise agreement offer: in the 2004 Employment Appeal Tribunal case of BHP Paribas -v- Mezzotero, the company offered Ms Mezzotero a compromise agreement instead of hearing her grievance about her treatment after her return from maternity leave and in doing so the EAT held that the company were in effect saying "we've already made up our mind that you are leaving the company" entitling her to resign and claim constructive dismissal. However, as regards the situation where employers offer a compromise agreement after a dispute has arisen (such as allegations against the employee (which are communicated to them) of poor performance or misconduct which could lead to that employee's dismissal), the offer of the compromise agreement and any subsequent discussions forming a genuine attempt to settle a dispute are already protected, subject to certain exceptions for example where the employer's supposed "without prejudice"/"off the record" comments are unambiguously improper or are an attempt to blackmail the employee - in which case they are admissible at Tribunal, so such a proposal now would not move the law on here.
If the proposal is to extend protection beyond the fact and terms of an offer of settlement to include an initial conversation(s) prior to the offer of a settlement agreement this could potentially cause more problems than it attempts to solve. It could for example - unless the legislation was carefully drafted - risk undoing the current law (developed by case law) which, as mentioned above, enables an employee to use an employer's unambiguously improper conduct towards them during supposed "without prejudice" talks as justification for removing the legal privilege otherwise associated with "without prejudice" correspondence. This could allow unscrupulous employers to use a protected conversation as an opportunity to issue "sign this or you're sacked" ultimatums to employees without repercussion.
Settlement of unfair dismissal claims only?
We still don't know the intended scope of the settlement agreement waiver. If it is intended that settlement agreements will only settle unfair dismissal claims rather than all employment related claims including for example discrimination claims under the Equality Act 2010, there's the obvious concern from employers that this type of settlement agreement will - by and large - be pointless since employers want settlement agreement to give them a "clean break" with the employee/ex-employee not to be partial settlements.
Requirement to take independent legal advice?
We also don't know whether there will be a requirement (as there is with compromise agreements) that the employee must seek independent legal advice before signing his or her employment rights away. It would seem very unfair on employees if they were not required to take independent legal advice before signing their rights away particularly if a) the wider protected conversation idea was introduced and b) the model settlement agreement mirrored compromise agreements in facilitating a waiver by the employee of all its anticipated employment related claims, not just unfair dismissal.
Later in the summer we are to expect the publication of government consultation documentation on the principles of guidance for using settlement agreements, including draft letters and model templates for employers and employees to use so we'll report back once this is published. Hopefully we'll get answers to some of the questions above.
If you would like to discuss any of the above issues Neil Andrews can be contacted on 01202 338822 and he will be happy to discuss any questions you may have.


The world is a crazy place on a not so crazy Monday.
But, hold up. What a minute.
Yeah, hey now…a new Rustic Overtones' album.
The iconoclasts seasoned stalwarts of the Maine music scene recently released Let's Start a Cult, Part 2, a sequel of sorts to their 2012 album, Let's Start a Cult. All in all, it's the band's eighth album. And all in all in all, it sounds miles and miles away from (randomly picking) their fourth album, 2001's Viva Nueva. It even sounds a couple miles away from the first installment of the Cult series.
If Let's Start a Cult, Part One was a band rediscovering/reinventing itself- then this album is the product of that hard work- of that time spent in the wood shed hammering out new sounds and incorporating new members. This latest entry to the band's hallowed discography is more focused and more polished than the last album, an album that I'm still not that big of a fan of. It was too short and sounded too different than the Rustic Overtones I had grown up with. Change is good and all, unless that change is too jarring, which is what the kind of change Cult, Part One was.
In retrospect however, it seems that album was necessary- a needed rung in the ladder Rustic was aiming to keep climbing. In sports they talk about rebuilding years and/or bridge years. Let's Start a Cult, Part One was Rustic's bridge year. It was an album consisting of minor leaguers and past their prime vets bought on the cheap to keep the bus moving; to stay competitive enough to keep the people interested.
Disclaimer: Rustic Overtones did not kill anyone.
Disclaimer to the Disclaimer: I can't prove that.
Disclaimer to the Disclaimer of the Disclaimer: I also can't prove that.
Back to the album, which it should be noted, has it's merits; it has it's pros and cons.
The horns on this album are incredible. And they've always been incredible. But wisps of gray hair and roads traveled have done them well. In Rustic's formative years, the Rustic horns could always be counted on for the power lines, the strong accents and more often than not, that little somethin' somethin' that pushed Rustic's songs over the edge and into hot damn territory. On Cult, Part Two, they branch off into Paul Simon country. The horn lines are light, acrobatic and jubilant- still accenting, but doing so with less weight, more finesse. For the sports fans: they have shifted from a power running game to an intellectual aerial assault.
It seems that the days of songs like "Combustible," "Check," and even a song like "Iron Boots" are long gone, at least when it comes to albums. The Internet tells me that they're still part of the band's live show. But how? I'm left wondering how Rustic pulls together the various sounds they've toyed with over twenty years into a two hour set. I'm also left wondering how even after three Thanksgivings, I still think turkey sounds like a good idea for dinner. But that seems unrelated.
I lamented the loss of Tony MacNaboe, Rustic' former drummer, and at times, I still do. It's one of the few things I still lament (running out of milk is another.) But I have now come to terms with the new drummer, Gary Gemitti. Homeboy can drop a groove. It might not be one with a whip crack snare hit, but it's a groove. And his beats sync up perfectly with the bass lines played by Jon Roods. Afro beat, salsa, lounge funk- all there and all delightful. I know look upon you like a brother, Mr. Gemitti and no, I don't know what that means, but it felt like it made sense.
Let's Start a Cult, Part Two is a good album. That's it- a good album. It's not terrible, it's not amazing. It's not my least favorite Rustic album (that's Let's Start a Cult, Part One) and it's not my favorite (that's Rooms by the Hour.) In the end it's ultimately another solid entry in the catalog of a great band with a great career. "Martyrs," "High on Everything" and "You Should Be Worshipped" are great songs and the album's opener, "The Show Must Go On" is a perfect tune to usher in this new phase of Rustic Overtones' career.
What's next for Rustic Overtones and where do they go from here?
And I kind of think they don't either, which is something I find exciting.
The show must go on indeed.
To learn more about Rustic Overtones, check out their website.


If you like the idea of building your own PC this Christmas, the guys at Atomic have put together a handy digital magazine that runs down all the best components and hardware you should look at to build your own computer.
It's not just high-end gaming machines either. They've got a run down for home theatre PCs, Home servers, LAN PCs, ultra budget builds and more. Considering it's free online (although the web magazine format can be a little awkward to read specifics - good thing you can print it out though), this is a great resource for anyone with the motivation to build their own box.
Researchers from Yale have developed a system capable of restoring some functionality to the brains of decapitated pigs for at least 10 hours after death. The achievement has tremendous scientific potential, but it raises some serious ethical and philosophical concerns.


To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect and equal rights of the people.
To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems.
And the possibilities of all the above happening at this time seemed very slim.
This week, at the Bologna Symposium on Conflict Prevention, Resolution and Reconciliation, Mr. Álvaro de Soto, a Peruvian diplomat and renowned international mediator, spoke with us about the role the Central American struggles played, most notable the Contra war and El Salvadorian FMLN liberation front, in helping shape the UN's role today.
Internal vs. International Conflict – In an international conflict, resolution means each party to the conflict can go back to their own territory and go about their business. However in internal conflict, the two parties are in their own territory and "business as usual" is the conflict. So how do we help them heal and move forward side by side as one community after years of struggle?
Fixes vs. Solutions – the realization that in a world of increasingly internal struggles (within state) versus International conflict (across states) yielded a profound opportunity for the leaders to truly understand the need to tackle the underlying causes and find ways to solve issues in order to ensure conflict doesn't fly up again versus subdue it to smoldering levels of conflict which are sure to spark and rise up again.
The outcome of these two learnings was coined in the term "Post Conflict Peace Building" by UN secretary General Boutros-Ghali when he realized that the UN was going to have to start doing much more post conflict management going forward to ensure sustainability of post conflict peace accords.
Álvaro de Soto, a Peruvian diplomat and renowned international mediator, led the negotiations on behalf of the UN that brought an end to the war in El Salvador. He has held senior posts with the United Nations, including as a political advisor to former Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, UN Special Envoy in Myanmar, Special Advisor on Cyprus, and Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.


For 20 years Caring for God's Acre has been working in the field of burial ground conservation and during this time we have continued to highlight the importance of them as heritage hotspots. Found in every town, city and country parish across the UK, the estimated number of burial sites is more than 20,000, ranging in size from a small lawn to over 100 acres. These sites are more valuable to biodiversity than their size suggest, due to the longevity and continuity of existence and management. The oldest sites may have been enclosed for over a thousand years and all sites are unlikely to have been exposed to either intensive management or chemical use.
However, if someone asked for figures on the occurrence of meadow saxifrage in Shropshire churchyards, or the importance of burial grounds for reptiles we would have to say we didn't know. Because, despite burial grounds brimming with biodiversity, they are surprisingly under recorded. There is scant species data - individual naturalists or groups rarely record in these sites (see note below) and when they do, the records are not necessarily recognisable as being from a burial ground because database systems are not site-specific but based on grid references.
Nearly 500 biological recorders took part in our survey and over 50% said they had never recorded in a burial ground and of those who did, 22% didn't send their records anywhere.
Areas of high ecological importance would normally be regularly visited by naturalists and managed with ecologists' input. This is rarely the case for burial grounds where management is usually well-intentioned but often inappropriate and damaging. Tree planting in species- rich grassland, re-positioning or cleaning lichen-rich memorials and using the 2000 year old yew as a container for grass clippings are just a few of the regular occurrences. Another risky time for English churchyards occurs when they are 'full' and are then officially 'closed for burials'. At this point the management of the site is handed over to the local authority, almost always without an agreed management plan in place and certainly not one which is based on biodiversity and habitat. Subsequent management decisions are often detrimental. A further threat comes with the increase in sale of burial grounds; the absence of biological and historically records makes it much more difficult to make a case for their preservation, or know what we are losing to development.
Creating a platform within the NBN Atlas where individual burial sites can be mapped and the biodiversity records from them viewed and drawn together into a national burial ground dataset.
Links can be made to historical and cultural surveying or research as well, giving a full picture of the combined heritage value of these amazing sites.
Encouraging and supporting citizen science, social and historical recording and research to give a better picture of the whole range of heritage present.
Establishing partnerships in England and Wales, where people new to this type of recording are supported in a variety of ways.
At the moment we are recruiting, developing a new website and contacting partners to let them know we have the green light to deliver the project. We would love to hear from you if you would like to be involved or be kept up to date via e-newsletter as things progress.


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Huge changes for internet, Big Tech under US antitrust proposal
Technology Jun 20, 2021 0 608 Add to Reading List
The measures would stop tech giants from operating a platform for third parties.
The antitrust overhaul package unveiled in Congress targeting Big Tech, if enacted, could have far-reaching effects on how people use the internet and on America's biggest and most successful companies.
The five bills, due for a committee vote on Wednesday, could pave the way for a reorganization or breakup of giants such as Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon while reshaping the entire internet ecosystem.
The measures would stop tech giants from operating a platform for third parties while offering competing services on those platforms, dealing a major blow to the likes of Apple and Amazon.
Lawmakers also are seeking to ban tech firms from prioritizing their own products or services, with Google clearly in mind.
Another measure would require data "portability" and "interoperability," which could make it easier for people to quit Facebook, for example, while keeping their data and contacts.
The largest tech firms additionally would be barred from acquiring competitors under the package, which would also add funds for antitrust enforcement.
Fiona Scott Morton, a Yale University professor and former US official who has written extensively on Big Tech, said the legislation stems from the failure of antitrust enforcement in the US and elsewhere to make a dent in the dominance of major technology firms.
"This is regulation, it's not antitrust anymore," Morton said.
If the bills are enacted, she noted, Apple might have to sell or shut down its music service so that it doesn't discriminate against rivals such as Spotify.
"Apple would have to choose," she said.
An interoperability requirement "would be very profound for consumers because it would let people join social networks other than Facebook and (Facebook-owned) Instagram and stay in contact with their friends," Morton noted.
The package comes amid signs of a more aggressive posture by Washington against dominant tech firms, including President Joe Biden's nomination of Lina Khan — a prominent advocate of breaking up Big Tech — to head the Federal Trade Commission, one of the agencies charged with antitrust enforcement.
The House Judiciary Committee has scheduled a vote Wednesday on the package, which has some support from Republicans in addition to the Democratic leadership, signaling a likelihood of passage in the full House of Representatives. The fate in the Senate is less clear.
The measures come following a 16-month investigation in the House led by antitrust subcommittee chairman David Cicilline which concluded that tech giants were abusing their dominant positions and had too much power in the economy.
Christopher Sagers, a Cleveland State University professor specializing in antitrust law, said the package represents a radical approach to dealing with tech firms' growing power.
The bills "would make the platforms operate more like airlines or utility companies, which have to provide their services to anyone who wants them, and not give anyone (or themselves) discriminatory advantages," Sagers said.
"These laws also could bring an end to some products that are very popular," he added.
"I'm not sure how Apple could continue even selling its own mobile software, for example, if iOS devices or the App Store were denominated 'covered platforms,' and there could be consequences for products like Amazon Prime, Google Maps, books digitized in the Google Books project, and who knows what else."
But Sagers said the impact might not be bad in the long run because "markets rearrange themselves and new competitors turn up to replace them... But it is to say that these laws seem risky and I find their consequences hard to predict."
Other analysts offered stark warnings against unforeseen consequences of upending the massively successful firms on which many consumers rely in their daily lives.
Iain Murray, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said the measure might mean a firm such as Apple would need to shut its App Store, ship "blank phones" without any apps, or spin off its phone division.
"For the most part, the average consumer will see her user experience severely degraded," he said in a statement.
The legislation mirrors Europe's Digital Markets Act and is likely to "distort" competition, according to Aurelien Portuese of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a think tank which often reflects the industry's views.
Portuese said the legislation comes amid a wave of resentment toward Big Tech but may ultimately hurt consumers by allowing less efficient firms to gain in the marketplace.
"Consumers may no longer be able to benefit from large companies' economies of scale," Portuese said in a statement.
The legislative package "reveals a profound lack of practical understanding of how the tech industry operates, and needs to operate, in order to remain competitive, relevant, profitable and innovative," said analyst Olivier Blanchard at Futurum Research in a blog post.
"Do Big Tech companies hold too much power? You could argue that, sure.
"But if the objective is to keep very large, very powerful companies in check, Congress could approach the problem by establishing guardrails that protect consumers and competition without taking a wrecking ball to an entire system."
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The furrystyle.com -domain is now hosted on our web-servers (featuring a temporary page) and the iamges, shop-layout, CAD files,.. of Furrystyle will be transfered to us shortly.
The penultimate shipment of dildos from them is already in customs and will be picked up on Friday.
So our stock will be plenty to last for the transition.
First, early tests of our new production equipment show very good results.


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Training Calgary welcomes Sears Great Canadian Run
Calgary welcomes Sears Great Canadian Run
AttheRaces
Showing strength in numbers as teams cross the finish line.
A 100km team-based relay event is enough to spark the interest of runners from seasoned veterans to first-time racers and that's exactly what the Sears Great Canadian Run is all about. "We're open to anyone; if you're an elite runner or a beginner, it about celebrating each runner," explains Samantha Piercell communications manager for the Sears Great Canadian Run. With 12 to 14 exchange points ranging in distances from three to 12 kms, each team's journey is different, for example, one Ottawa-based team had all 20 members logging the full 100 kilometres.
Now in its fourth year, the Sears Great Canadian Run has expanded from Ontario event (Toronto on September 24 and Ottawa on October 4) to Alberta with Calgary (August 23) as the host city. It's a decision that puts significant support behind the Kids Cancer Care Foundation. As the title sponsor, Sears covers the administration costs of running such that teams are thinking more creatively about fundraising, organizing barbeques, community yoga and boot camps, something that helps to raising awareness about the cause and event."You don't have to look far to see someone who is affected by childhood cancer," says Piercell, "all our an event, which means that donors can be assured their money will support the charity, an important distinction as the fight for charity donor dollars remains on the rise.
Although the Ottawa and Toronto events divide the funds raised between local and national initiatives, 100 percent of donations will stay in Calgary. With a minimum of $500 raised per person, Piercell says teams are running for the cause, it's real life and their connected to it." With numerous charity events in the running, it has been that sense of community that Piercell believes has made the Sears Great Canadian Run a stand out success. "It's one team, one goal, it's happy and sad," she explains, "there's a huge sense of comradery, everyone is motivating each other and you open up a part of yourself that you may not have known you had in you." An emotional event, the Calgary race offers additional emotional impact as runners celebrate the end of their journey with a post-event celebration at Camp Kindle, an overnight camp for children and families affected by childhood cancer; a finish that will no doubt have a lasting impact.
Rally your crew of runners, and join in the fight to #EndKidsCancer as registration for the Great Canadian Run in Calgary, Toronto and Ottawa is now open.
Kids Cancer Care Foundation
Sears Great Canadian Run
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Home » NATO: A parasite that controls the minds of its hosts
NATO: A parasite that controls the minds of its hosts
Declan Hayes
We have to look first at what NATO is. It is a parasite, which need a host. The powers in the West need Iraq, Libya etc., just essentially to rob and use them. The arms industry is the biggest industry in the world. NATO countries and their proxies, which are about 88 in all, spent over 80% of all the money spent on arms in the world. The main exporters of arms are the United States, followed by Britain. The only state getting in the way of this in any way is Russia. It's a huge industry and it's a part of a complex.
In Great Britain, the so-called British Armed Forces are powerful as a political force. If we look at the British Parliament, here is a huge amount of British ex officers. The richest man in GB, the Duke of Westminster Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, who died recently, was a major general, top man in the British Reserve Forces.
Even video games industry for kids is sponsored by the arms industry and is connected to it because of the optoelectronics. Similarly with Japan. The smart bombs that the US uses from the time of Vietnam War, the real brain of them was made in Japan. The Japanese are the best at that, but the Americans cherry-picked all of that. Japan is very important, because it gave the two biggest navies in the world a very good run for their money in World War II. Japan can only develop a tree of weapons, America has a forest. The arms are always turned against anybody who opposes NATO's control.
In Ireland we are very pro-neutrality. Our history is against joining anybody like NATO. But they try to pull us into their web of Mordor, even a little country like Ireland. Most people don't want to go around murdering Syrians, Iranian and so on. But this huge military political complex draws in the media and people are told stupid lies. If you repeat lies over and over, people believe it. Just look at the Olympics, which are the part of a soft war against Russia. All these Russian athletes were banned after accusations of using illegal substances. Yes, but the Chinese, Irish, British, and American athletes have been already caught cheating. So why not ban them too? The message of the Olympics is to play fair. The West tells all this lies in a Hot War, where they cooperate with ISIS, right through a Soft War. Most people are so involved with their own problems; they don't pay any attention to this. They are told that Putin is the Devil. So, people are told such nonsense, that they actually believe it. This system includes the arms industry, the media, charities, NGO's and so on. The minority of people, who take interest, can see that these lies are really stupid, but the majority go along passively with it. That's the problem that has to be solved.
Dr. Declan Hayes
Catholic Thinker and Activist
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Giddyup! Your little cowgirl will love this dress! You can wear the bow in the front or the back. This little dress is cute on its own on hot summer days and layered over a tee when the days get cooler. Definitely can be worn year round! Match it up with a sweet pair of boots and she is ready to hit the rodeo circuit this summer too.
Can't tie a bow to save your life? You don't have to with this one! The bow pieces thread through a loop to give the look of a huge bow but without all the hassle!
Bodice is fully lined with long straps that tie at the shoulders for maximum adjustability. The skirt is super full and finished off with a coordinating hemline.
~~lining fabric may vary slightly by availability.
I will create this dress for you little one in custom size 0-24 Months and 2T-8. Please allow approximately 3-4 weeks for your dress to be completed and ready to ship. If you need this sooner, please contact me.