text:
333. Memorandum From the Second Secretary of Embassy in Iran (Cuomo) to the First Secretary of Embassy in Iran (Melbourne)1
Suggested Program for Combatting Communism in Iran
To be effective, any program to combat communism in Iran must be based on the assumption that there is a sincere desire to do so. The events immediately preceding the August 19 uprising, the full-scale attack against the monarchy on the part of the communist organization, leave little doubt that the Shah, at least, is thoroughly aware of the danger and willing to cooperate in such effort.2 However, there is a constant danger in a country such as Iran that its governments sooner or later come to the conclusion that a little communism is a good thing in international affairs to help pry concessions from the Western powers. Mosadeq played this game and failed, and perhaps the policy is sufficiently discredited for it to remain so for some time to come.
On the assumption that there is a sincere desire at this time to institute and carry through a program designed to keep communism within manageable proportions, it seems logical to suggest that those in charge of such a program be familiar with the nature of the problem—the communist doctrine, its dynamics and its appeal. The education of the Government leadership, not excluding the Shah, might well be a first step. A program of this type in a setting such as Iran will require constant vigilance and prodding from above if it is not to be completely emasculated in administration. Consideration should be given to the strong likelihood that measures will be progressively weakened as action is taken on them by the lower echelons.
There is a tendency in this country to be unusually lenient towards acquaintances and relatives. Those who are to take action are entirely too prone to regard their acquaintances and relatives as merely "misguided" persons of no real danger. Since nearly everyone is related to everyone else, and it is easy to find "a friend of a friend" we find that although the authorities agree that communists generally are dangerous, individual communists find ready advocates to prove them little black sheep who, if given another chance, will return quickly to the fold. For this reason as well, the Government leadership must be firm in its decisions or any program with the most minute safeguards is doomed to failure.
With regard to economic aid and economic development upon which most Iranian authorities rely for the elimination of communism, the comments appearing in an Embassy despatch may be pertinent:
"On the basis of the available information on the Tudeh Party—or more specifically communism in Iran—the pattern seems to follow the lines of communism in most, if not all, countries still this side of the Iron Curtain. Communism apparently does not spring from poverty. [Although the leadership may come from frustrated middle-class intellectuals, numerically the communist party in Iran is predominately composed of workers.]3 The greatest incidence of communism seems to be found among city, employed workers, not among the unemployed, and usually among the highest paid, literate workers. If relationship there is between communism and poverty and communism and unemployment it is a highly indirect one, and it would appear to be dangerous to assume that the mere elimination of poverty would cause its disappearance. That might and probably would occur in the long run, but in the early stages of raising the standard of living it is not inconceivable that the communist potential would rise perhaps in greater proportion than the rise in living standards.
"There is no doubt that an attempt must be made to improve the economic condition of the masses of Iran for humanitarian, if for no other reason, yet the danger involved might be constantly borne in mind until those masses have gained such substantive advantages as to give them a vested interest in the then existing social and economic order. Until that time they will probably be increasingly vulnerable to the communist organization and its methods.
"Any program designed to eliminate communism in Iran might well be one based on long-range methods, on the frank assumption that there is probably no panacea to cause its disappearance in the immediate future. The middle-class intellectuals who provide the leadership [Page 801] could be the first target and consideration might be given to the necessity of suppression for some time to come on the same principle that a broken leg is placed in a cast to prevent harmful movement until the fracture has been healthily rejoined. The notion that communism feeds on suppression may be accepted to be communist inspired. The documents of communist parties abound in revealing their fears of firm police action and above all of illegality."4
The Judiciary
There is a law promulgated by Reza Shah which makes the advocacy of communism a criminal offense. This law is still in force and could easily be made into a spearhead of an anti-communist program.5 Arrangements could be made to have the law interpreted so as to render culpable "front" groups, as well as the underground communist party itself. If in prosecution the law is found to be weak, corrections could be made—if necessary even through legislation.
In countries under the shadow of the Soviet Union, tolerance of a communist party can be suicidal. It is elementary that communist parties or communist controlled parties be prohibited by law. Unfortunately this fact has been understood in the United States only during recent years. When governments of the countries of Eastern Europe before the second World War tried to save themselves by outlawing communist parties, they were almost unanimously condemned by the United States public press as "fascist." Similarly after the war, public sentiment in the United States appeared to favor tolerance of communist parties in Eastern Europe, China, etc. Fortunately the western world is becoming enlightened in this respect. For this reason an anti-communist law, properly worded, is essential. Consideration might be given to the possibility of passing a new law rather than dependence on the present one. A new law might contain certain provisions which would make it more effective than existing legislation and, more important, it should not include provisions relating to agitation against the monarchial form of government, etc. These provisions could remain in existing legislation.
A centralized agency should be formed to deal solely and exclusively with this problem. As it is now there are several agencies dealing with it, at times at cross purposes—the G–2, the Shah's office, the police [Page 802] and even the Prime Minister's office. When everyone is responsible, it is certain no one is responsible.
The centralized agency should maintain a centralized file containing all pertinent information. If necessary, technical assistance might be given in this regard. A security clearance program could be instituted in connection with present employees and workers, as well as applicants. This program need not be complex, given the lack of effective administrative control in the government bureaucracy, but the minimum of a check against this file would produce adequate results.
Until the central file has been set up, the individual Ministers and chiefs of other organizations may have to be prodded into taking action on whatever information is now in the possession of the various security agencies. This information is sufficient to hunt out the most flagrant offenders. In this connection select committees in each government agency might be formed to draw up lists and see to it that action is taken on them.
This is a very sensitive field and should be given the highest consideration. In view of communist penetration of most labor organizations suppression of such organizations might for the moment be the only solution, but steps should be taken without delay to employ other means. An attempt might be made to establish a national union, perhaps encouraged by pro-Western elements, but definitely not government-sponsored. It would seem in the early stages that the union leadership will require financial support, and arrangements could be made to obtain a success or two in the union's demands in order to gain the confidence of the rank-and-file, and to gain adherents. The union could carry the fight into the communist camp without, however, neglecting true union objectives.
Given communist methods in the field of labor and the head start the communists now have among organized labor in Iran, there seems to be no other way of diverting the small existing labor movement away from the communist groove except through some "encouraged" organization. There is no guaranty of success in such a delicate operation. It would seem dangerous, however, to let labor continue to drift in a northerly direction.6
The Intellectuals
The intellectuals of Iran are few and most of them are either in the Government service and in the educational system or in some way connected with that system. Communism as such has never been openly a subject of study. It has been in fact a surreptitious study, giving it thereby an attraction far greater than it intrinsically possesses. If brought out into the open, it would be a relatively simple matter to expose its fundamentally fallacious premises, illogical deductions, and at times ludicrous conclusions. There need not be single courses in Marxism if that is thought inadvisable. The desired material could be inserted in economics, philosophy and political science courses on a comparative basis or wherever it is determined to be most effective after consultation with appropriate educationalists. In this connection there should be made available in translation studies on this subject, as cheaply as possible and for the widest possible distribution. These might include the works of Max Eastman, Bertrand Russell, Benedetto Croce, Arthur Koestler. The possibilities of inserting pro-democratic material in these courses correspondingly should be encouraged.
Other minor programs could be found in the field of education to demonstrate the fallacy of communist doctrines. One such has been suggested by the Imam Jumeh of Tehran, who would encourage short story and fable writing slanted to prove the absurdity of these doctrines or in some way to leave a pro-democratic impression upon the readers.
The Clergy
The Shi'a clergy have proven inept in the past in dealing with this problem. Therefore, any program intending to utilize the Shi'a clergy or the Moslem religion would have to be cautious. It might be possible to have leading clergymen give effective sermons, particularly on religious holidays or during the months of Moharram and Ramazan. Such sermons would have to be carefully worded, however, to avoid the appearance of political haranguing. Among certain elements of the country the opinion is making headway that the temporal and spiritual spheres should be kept separate and distinct. Thus, strenuous political action by the clergy could run the risk of having the opposite effect from that desired, particularly among the religious minorities of the country which constitute the most vulnerable sectors of the population.
A Word of Caution
Whereas firm, direct methods are necessary, they should not take such a form as to arouse sympathy for their victims. While application of power frequently obtains results in Iran, care should be taken in using it not to arouse the strong Iranian tendency to sympathize with the underdog. Pro-communists, as contrasted with known communist activists and leaders, who are removed from the state bureaucracy, for [Page 804] example, could be given whatever may be their due on the basis of existing regulations with regard to pension and terminal pay. Persons proved to be leaders of the communist conspiracy, however, should be recognized as dangerous, virtually incurable criminals, and should be treated as such within the framework of law. The number in this latter category may not be found to be too numerous and, the example of treatment to them, coupled with stern treatment to Tudeh smallfry who may be arrested for selling newspapers or creating street disturbances, would act as a very strong deterrent to any spread of the Tudeh organization.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1950–1954, 788.00/10–2153. Secret; Security Information. Drafted by Cuomo. The memorandum is an enclosure to a letter from Henderson to Richards, October 21, which reads in part: "In the past few weeks it seemed advisable to us here to attempt to put down on paper for our private use, and not for general distribution, an outline program for combating Communism in Iran which we could use in our day-to-day operations and in conversations with Iranians in a position to do something about the question. Roy Melbourne suggested to Cuomo, in view of Communism being his field of reporting, that he evolve an outline draft. After some amendment and rewriting, the attached memorandum of October 19 is the result."↩
See Embassy Despatch No. 155, dated September 11, 1953, entitled "Comment Upon Tudeh Party Prospects." [Footnote is in the original. Despatch 155 from Tehran is ibid., 788.00/9–1153.]↩
Brackets are in the original.↩
Embassy Despatch 132, August 31, 1953, entitled "Estimate of Tudeh Party Numerical Strength", pp. 5–6. [Footnote is in the original. Despatch 132 from Tehran is in National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1950–1954, 788.00/8–3153.]↩
Text of law attached. [Footnote is in the original. Not printed.]↩
Embassy Despatch No. 145, dated August 19, 1952, entitled, "Case for Interference in Labor Affairs in Iran." [Footnote is in the original. Despatch 145 is in National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1950–1954, 888.062/8–1952.]↩
Cuomo, AnthonyHenderson, Loy W.Imam (Imami), Jumeh (Jamal)Melbourne, Roy M.Mosadeq (Mossadeq, Mossadegh), Dr. MohammadPahlavi, Reza ShahRichards, Arthur L.
G–2RG


One of the implied background themes of this state visit, from the U.S. side, was calmly reasserting that the U.S. has not, in fact, fallen completely apart or gone away. A year ago, during President Obama's visit to China, there was much hyperbolic moaning about America's desperate position as supplicant to its new Chinese paymasters. Since then, in various ways I won't belabor now, the U.S. has asserted some of its ability to recover (except of course in job-creation), its long-term commitment to Asia and the Pacific, and its diplomatic and institutional resilience. In this same year, the Chinese leadership has in many ways overstepped in military, economic, and diplomatic terms. Indications are that the Chinese leadership recognizes that it has overstepped, and realizes that these moves have made nearly all its neighbors warier of it, and closer to the US, then they have been in years. This doesn't mean the U.S. should launch some new bragging contest or doesn't have some serious problems. Rather it helps restore a situation better for all sides: a recognition that these are two powerful countries that will have ups and downs but will both be around for the long haul.
The other, complementary message - which ran through every statement by the President and his officials (and was even part of Henry Kissinger's essay just before the meeting) -- is that the United States is not trying to bottle up, contain, or thwart China. As Obama said again and again, China's getting richer doesn't make us poorer -- or shouldn't. It should make everyone better off. Because of sheer triteness, I don't like the term "win-win," but in whatever wording that was the message coming from every U.S. official. The logic here is that China will be the best version of itself if it doesn't feel hamstrung, constrained, disrespected, or resented, and recognizes that America's disagreements on human rights, or trade policies, are not attempts to block China's progress.
The program was nearly all jazz, by American performers of the first rank doing classic American numbers. To me the showstopper was the phenomenal singer Dianne Reeves --long famous in the jazz world and known more generally from her role as the 1950s singer in Good Night and Good Luck -- performing with pianist Peter Martin. And of course Herbie Hancock and DeeDee Bridgewater and Chris Botti and more. It was very good, very up-paced, very loud, and very lively jazz, performed with Hu Jintao and the rest of the Chinese delegation ten feet away in the front row. Obviously music does not prove national economic vitality. (Cf Buena Vista Social Club.) But if you wanted, well, theme music for an America that still had some zip, this would be an artful choice.
And for the "win-win" concept? There was this improbable bit of showmanship: Herbie Hancock and the young Chinese-born, US-trained pianist-phenom Lang Lang, doing a four-hands rendition of a piece by Ravel with a Chinoiserie theme. They enjoyed each other, and embraced when it was done. Again, it doesn't prove anything, but it was a good choice. Lang Lang on his own then played a Chinese song.
The photo: OK, it's blurry, but it was with a camera phone in the dark at short notice. If you click, it's bigger but still blurry. Facing the camera, from left to right, you can more or less make out: Lang Lang, Hu Jintao, Barack Obama, trumpeter Randy Brecker (standing back by the portrait), Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, DeeDee Bridgewater, bassist James Genus, Chris Botti holding trumpet, and Michelle Obama. That's the white-maned back of Bill Clinton's head you see in the front row on the right, and the back of Robert Gates's head in the very corner. While I'm at it, that's the back of John Kerry's head at the lower left -- and the baldish head in the center belongs to former SecState George Shultz. If you could see right through his head, you would detect Jimmy Carter, whose wife Rosalynn's head is visible immediately to Shultz's right. Joe and Jill Biden are standing directly in front of Obama. While I'm also at it, how incredibly small-minded was it of Harry Reid and John Boehner to decline invitations to this event?
Now you know, and I'll see you in a while.


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The Patriot Files Forums > Conflict posts > World War I
Not Very Good: Meet the Boys World War I Anti-Tank Rifle
By: Warfare History Network; 02-21-21
Re: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/re...k-rifle-178497
Photo link: https://nationalinterest.org/sites/d...?itok=RjV8chvq
This weapon was a desperate measure that did little to stop Axis armor.
Key Point: These rifles were meant to be decent anti-tank weapons but they did not serve well. In fact, they needed to be replaced.
When the first tanks appeared in World War I, they were relatively lightly armored and protected the crews only against small-arms fire. In addition, much of the armor was riveted. Projectiles striking the exterior of the armor could pop off rivet heads or flake armor from the internal surfaces, creating fragments that would fly around the vehicle interior, causing injuries or death. In fact, British tank crews had to wear protective goggles and chain-mail masks to guard against fragments made by bullets striking close to their open vision slits.
The Imperial German Army's first attempt to give the infantry a man-portable antitank weapon resulted in the company Waffenfabrik Mauser AG creating and manufacturing the first antitank rifle in 1917. This was the Mauser Tank-Gewehr Model 1918, essentially a standard Mauser bolt-action rifle on steroids, firing a huge 13.2mm round and equipped with a bipod. A very unpleasant brute to fire, the T-Gewehr's most impressive feat was that it was being fielded to frontline infantry within nine months of the tank's first appearance on the battlefield.
Setting the Stage for the Boys ATR
The Mauser set the stage and ushered in the age of the antitank rifle, or ATR. Most major combatants, with the notable exception of the United States, fielded these weapons during the interwar years and through the beginning of World War II. Countries such as Finland, Switzerland, and Japan went the big-bore route, utilizing 20mm weapons. The Germans and Poles used 7.92mm weapons firing steel- or tungsten-cored small projectiles at incredibly high velocities. To the tanks of the 1930s, these weapons were a potent threat. By 1942, they were hopelessly outclassed.
The British Mark 1, Mark 1*, and Mark 2 Boys Anti-tank rifles were typical of the breed. Originally to be dubbed the Stanchion Rifle, instead the weapon received its name from the designer, Captain H.C. Boys, the Assistant Superintendent of Design for the British Small Arms Committee. Captain Boys died only a few days before his weapon was adopted into British military service in 1937, and the antitank rifle was renamed in his honor. It was often misspelled as Boyes.
An Ox of a Rifle
The Boys had a three-foot-long barrel, was 631/2 inches long overall, and weighed 36 pounds. This particular weapon was a repeater, a bolt-action that was fed by a five-shot detachable box magazine mounted atop the weapon in a fashion similar to the famous Bren light machine gun. Empty cartridge cases were ejected from the bottom of the action rather than the top. Just the loaded magazine weighed some 2.6 pounds, and weight does not endear any weapon to the infantryman.
The Mark 1 Boys initially fired a .55-caliber (13.9x99mm) steel-cored AP (armor-piercing) projectile with a muzzle velocity of around 2,500 feet per second, which was changed to a lighter bullet with a velocity of 2,900 feet per second in the Mark 2 load. Later, an even more effective tungsten-cored APCR (armor-piercing composite rigid) was developed, which boasted a muzzle velocity of well in excess of 3,000 feet per second. This load proved capable of penetrating 20mm of armor plate at 300 yards.
"Charlie the Bastard"
The early production Boys Mark 1 had the circular muzzle brake, which vented gases in all directions. Fired from an otherwise good low-profile position, the rifle regularly kicked up a blast of dust and debris that could give the operator's position away. Later designs featured a flat harmonica-style muzzle brake, which vented all gases to the sides to correct this problem and had the added benefit of being easier to manufacture.
The harmonica-shaped (Mark 1*) muzzle brake or "recoil reducer" helped tame the weapon's massive kick. In addition, the barrel itself recoiled an inch against a heavy shock absorber mounted in the butt. The improved later version of the .55-caliber Boys Mark 1* not only had the flat muzzle brake, but also simpler fixed sights and a Bren gun bipod to simplify its manufacture. The butt plate itself was heavily padded with rubber. A front bipod and rear grip were also fitted. Still, recoil was quite significant, causing Australian troops who were issued the Boys to nickname it "Charlie the Bastard."
First Action in Finland
The first combat action for the Boys was actually with Finnish forces during the 1939-1940 Winter War against the Soviet Red Army. Great Britain sent 200 examples of the Boys to Finland. In the hands of the Finns, the Boys reportedly proved adequately effective against the early Soviet tank designs. Tanks such as the T-26 and BT-5 had thin armor and a distressing tendency to catch fire easily. The Finns were impressed enough with the Boys to later purchase another 200 of the weapons from the Germans, who had captured many of them during the campaign of spring 1941 that ended with the evacuation of Allied troops at Dunkirk. The Germans renamed them Panzerbuchse Boyes.
Later, the very first German tanks of World War II to be destroyed by British ground forces fell to a Boys. The 1st/5th Leicesters, who had been sent to aid in the defense of Norway after the German invasion of the neutral country, made a stand at the village of Tretten. Platoon Sergeant Major John Sheppard was commanding a small subunit guarding the right flank of a British position when he noticed German tanks approaching on the far side of the Laagen River. Taking up the unit's .55-caliber Boys, which he had never used before, Sheppard assumed a steady prone position and proceeded to precisely and methodically smack each tank with three AP rounds, knocking out two of them and making the rest back off out of sight.
"A Terrifying Weapon"
The success of the Boys, or lack thereof, was also noted during the German invasion of France in May 1940. Despite the fact that the vast majority of the German tanks in use at the time were small, lightly armored Mark I and Mark II panzers, the former originally intended as nothing more than a training vehicle, the Boys was not a decisive factor in the infantry's defense against armor.
Sergeant Edward Doe of the Kings Royal Rifle Corps was not impressed by the Boys: "The Germans had brought the tanks in and they were blasting … I actually fired the Boys anti-tank rifle for the first time in my life—a terrifying weapon. To even fire, you had to hang onto it like grim death because it would dislocate your shoulder if you didn't. I fired at a tank coming over the bridge that wasn't blown—and I couldn't miss it from about 50 yards away. An officer was right beside me, and I saw this hit the tank and all it had done was to just about knock the paintwork off. It made a noise like a ping-pong ball. The officer who was beside me said to me, 'Leave the blasted thing there, Doe—get the hell out of it.'"
Sergeant William J. Gilchrist of the Irish Guards had considerably better luck with the Boys. A later report confirmed, "France/Belgium 1940: Boulogne 23rd May 1940. Sgt. Gilchrist was in personal charge of an Anti-Tank Rifle which protected the rear of the Battalion during its withdrawal into Boulogne on the 23rd May. For two hours this NCO, with a few men, succeeded in holding their post at a street corner, thus enabling the remainder of the Battalion to move on unmolested. Although under extremely heavy machine-gun fire he showed the greatest contempt of danger and continued to keep his anti-tank gun in action. He was instrumental in hitting and setting on fire an enemy tank, thus blocking a street down which the enemy were trying to move. Later in the action he himself was wounded but refused to leave his Anti-Tank Rifle until it, and the Bren guns supporting it, became jammed through over firing. Throughout the whole action Sgt Gilchrist showed courage and bravery of a very high order and set the finest example to the remainder of his Platoon."
65,000 Manufactured During the Course of the War
After losing so much war material at Dunkirk and facing the possibility of a German amphibious invasion, the British were desperate to reequip their armed forces in the shortest time possible. New and improved weapon designs were neglected for the moment; industry concentrated on pouring out as many current weapons from existing assembly lines as possible. Thus, obsolete and obsolescent designs such as the Boys and the 2-pounder antitank gun continued to be produced in great numbers despite their disappointing performance. Approximately 65,000 Boys weapons were manufactured during the war.
The Boys was quickly rendered ineffective as an antitank weapon by rapid improvements in German tank armor. In North Africa, however, it still proved somewhat effective against lighter vehicles and some Italian tanks, such as the Fiat light tanks and the thin-skinned machine-gun-armed Carro Veloce L3/35 tankettes. In one single engagement in the desert, the 7th Hussars knocked out five of these CV tankettes in rapid order with their Boys antitank rifles.
In the North African campaigns the Boys also found use against bunkers, machine-gun nests, and against infantry at long range. In the stony Western Desert, where the ground was often too hard to yield up good foxholes, infantrymen were forced to make fighting positions of piled stones known as sangers. The impact of the large .55-caliber bullets striking these sangers often produced casualties among enemy infantrymen from splinters and rock fragments. This trick was used again to engage German paratroopers fighting amid the rubble of Monte Cassino during the Italian campaign.
"Noted For its Uselessness"
As in Western Europe, the ordinary Commonwealth desert infantryman did not give the Boys rave reviews as an antitank weapon, as attested by one Australian account. "The Italians counterattacked with nine tanks and hundreds of infantrymen. Private O.Z. Neall knocked out three Italian tanks with his Boyes anti-tank rifle, a feat that astounded everyone —the Boyes rifle was noted for its uselessness."
The British Universal or Bren Gun Carrier was a small, fully tracked, open-topped light armored vehicle that was mass produced during World War II and used by Commonwealth forces on all fronts. A total of some 113,000 of these carriers was manufactured, and they can be likened to an armored, tracked equivalent of the American jeep. In addition to the Bren gun, early models were also armed with a Boys ATR to provide some limited anti-armor defense.
In addition to the Universal Carrier, the Boys antitank rifle was also frequently used to supplement the machine-gun armament of numerous other light armored vehicles. These included the Morris CS9 Light Armored Car and Morris Light Reconnaissance Car, the Lanchester 4×2 and 6×4 armored cars, the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car, and the World War I-vintage Rolls Royce Armored Cars. As the war progressed, some attempts were made to improve the Boys. The Mark 2 was a shortened, lightweight version intended for use with airborne troops, but it was just as ballistically ineffective as its predecessors, and the recoil was even more brutal than the full-size model. A taper (or squeeze) bore barrel was tried to increase muzzle velocity in the same manner that the Littlejohn Adapter tried to extend the useful life of the 2-pounder gun, and experiments were also conducted with the .55-caliber cartridge casing necked down to fire a .303 bullet at extremely high velocity. However, by that time the Boys was already being retired.
Replaced by the PIAT
With the advent of improved infantry antitank weapons utilizing the very effective high- explosive shaped charge warhead, the Boys quickly disappeared. In English and Commonwealth service it was replaced by the PIAT, Projector Infantry Anti-Tank. Essentially a spring-loaded spigot mortar, the PIAT was also rather despised by its users owing to its nasty spring recoil and short range, but its powerful warhead could penetrate some four inches of tank armor.
Although the Boys antitank rifle rapidly became obsolete during World War II, it served its purpose as a stopgap defense against marauding Axis armor.
This article first appeared on the Warfare History Network.
Personal note: My Grandpa (also called Papa) was in WWI - he said it was a human slaughter on many fields of combat. He left it at that and said very little more about it.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Oh, this smoothie is a good one! It's full of iron, potassium, vitamin C and antioxidants, just to name a few. You can swap the orange juice for a navel orange (just peel it first!). We often add olive leaf extract, echinacea, and elderberry extract which are great all natural extracts to boost the immune system and fight off infection. Read the bottles for serving measurements and add to your smoothie before blending.
Blend spinach, orange juice and water until smooth. Next add the remaining fruits and blend again.
Tip: Thanks to the blueberries, this green smoothie is more like a purple smoothie, which is great for kids and those who are afraid of the "green" color.


text:
Photography by Steve Best
Steve Best is a comedian and a photographer, combining both these passions into a fascinating career. He is also a twin. "My twin brother is ten minutes older than me. Time, I'm told, for my mum to have a cup of tea in-between deliveries," says Steve. Growing up in Surrey in England, Steve now lives and works in London with his wife, son and daughter. Steve has been on the British comedy circuit since 1992 and in that time he has been lucky enough to work with and make friends with a lot of comedians. He is welcome in any green room, camera and all. "So me having a camera doesn't make me a photographer to them, but just a comedian with a camera," Steve explains. He has an extraordinary talent to capture those rare moments that tell a compelling story with sensitivity, realism and humour.
This ten year project has been close to Steve's heart and he has previously published two books 'Comedy Snapshot' and 'Joker Face' with over 1000 comedian portraits. Steve has just released his third book COMEDIANS, a high end coffee table book, and Steve shares with The Pictorial List some of those selected shots.
"I've been documenting my scene, the comedy scene, backstage and on stage, the highs and the lows, the camaraderie and the competition, the loneliness and the isolation, and the outright joy of being a stand-up comedian."
COMEDIANS is a limited first edition beautiful fine art photographic documentation of the United Kingdom comedy circuit.
Size: 230mm x 300mm portrait
Pages: 170 gsm silk stock
All copies signed by Steve. You can buy the book on his website - www.stevebest.com
We also had the pleasure of talking to Steve to find out more about his new book, himself, his comedy, and his photography.


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Die Goldman-Buschratte (Neotoma goldmani) ist ein Nagetier aus der Gattung der Amerikanischen Buschratten (Neotoma). Es kommt in Mexiko vor. Das Artepitheton ehrt Edward Alphonso Goldman, der 1902 gemeinsam mit Edward William Nelson den Holotypus sammelte.

Merkmale
Die Goldman-Buschratte ist eine kleine Buschratte, die eine Gesamtlänge von 265 bis 285 mm, eine Schwanzlänge von 113 bis 136 mm, eine Hinterfußlänge von 27 bis 31 mm und eine Ohrenlänge von 25 bis 29 mm erreicht. Die Oberseite ist grau-lederfarben, die Flanken ocker-lederfarben. Der Rücken ist mit schwarzspitzigen Haaren gesprenkelt, die vor allem am Hinterteil reichlich vorhanden sind. Kopf und Gesicht sind grau mit einer ocker-lederfarbenen Verwaschung an den Wangen. Die Unterseite und die Füße sind weiß. Der relativ kurze Schwanz kontrastiert durch eine dunkelbraune bis nahezu schwarze Oberseite und weiße Unterseite. Der Schädel ist klein, leicht und glatt abgerundet. Das Stirnbein ist interorbital abgeflacht, an der Vorderseite breit und nach hinten nicht erweitert. Das Nasenbein ist schmal keilförmig.

Verbreitung und Lebensraum
Die Goldman-Buschratte kommt im mexikanischen Zentralplateau vom südöstlichen Chihuahua bis zum nordöstlichen Querétaro vor. Die Art ist in Fels- und Wüstenhabitaten in Höhenlagen zwischen 1.160 und 2.320 m zu finden.

Lebensweise
Tragende Weibchen wurden im Spätmärz, im Juli und im August, säugende Weibchen im Juli und im August und juvenile Tiere im August, im September und im Oktober beobachtet. Die Nester werden aus Stöckchen und aus Gras in tiefen Spalten errichtet.

Literatur
 Sara K. Hrachovy, Robert D. Bradley, Clyde Jones: Neotoma goldmani. In: Mammalian Species. No. 545, 1996, S. 1–3, (PDF; 289 kB).
 C. Hart Merriam: Two New Wood Rats (Genus Neotoma) from State of Coahuila, Mexico. In: Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. Bd. 16, 1903, , S. 47–48.
 Guy G. Musser, Michael D. Carleton: Superfamily Muroidea. In: Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (Hrsg.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 Bände. 3. Auflage. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4, S. 894–1531.

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Q: how to access objects value by key name I have tried every combination of x.y, x['y'], x.y.z, x['y'].z that I can think of, but I cannot for the life of me access the value of an objects value in an array by the key name. Here is what is returned from the SQL query:
parseMissionData:  {record: Array(1), code: 1}
    code: 1
    record: Array(1)
        0: alt: 45
        attribute: Array(6)
            0: {name: "messageCode", value: "10"}
            1: {name: "gpsFix", value: "2"}
            2: {name: "autonomous", value: "0"}
            3: {name: "lowBattery", value: "1"}
            4: {name: "intervalChange", value: "30"}
            5: {name: "resetDetected", value: "0"}
            length: 6
        __proto__: Array(0)
        azimuth: 0
        datetime: "2018-03-24T20:10:00.000Z"
        devid: "300434060496300"
        lat: 37.335394620895386
        lon: -121.82005405426025
        speed: 0
        __proto__: Object
            length: 1
        __proto__: Array(0)
        __proto__: Object
....

I am not guaranteed that the attributes will always be returned in the same order, so I can't assume that attribute[0] will always be the messageCode attribute. What I'm trying to test the value of is the messageCode attribute so I can key off of its value. I've tried
response.record[i].attribute['messageCode']
response.record[i].attribute.message.value
response.record[i].attribute['messageCode'].value

and a bunch of other permutations. Is there a way to directly access the attribute with the name 'messageCode' or do I have to iterate through the array
attributes and look for a match to the name value?
Update. I have tried the suggestion from Mathias247 and the code now looks like this:
          function parseMissionData( response ) {
            console.log('parseMissionData: ', response);
            var codeAttribute;
            for ( var i=0; i < response.record.length; i++ )
              codeAttribute = response.record[i].attribute.find(elem => elem.name == "messageCode");
              console.log('messageCode: ', codeAttribute );
              //console.log('codeAttribute: ', codeAttribute);
              //console.log('imei via find: ', response.record[i].find(elem => elem.name == "devid"))
              console.log('imei direct: ', response.record[i].devid);
          }

With the updated code, I can now see the value of messageCode like I was hoping. But the bizarre thing is now my reference to imei (response.record[i].devid) is broken and returns an undefined! If I comment out the find(elem =>...) for messageCode, the response.record[i].devid reference works fine. I obviously don't understand how referencing something using find can break a reference that used to work. Can someone please help to understand the interworkings here?
    messageCode:  {name: "messageCode", value: "10"}
 jquery.min.js:2 jQuery.Deferred exception: Cannot read property 'devid' of undefined TypeError: Cannot read property 'devid' of undefined
     at parseMissionData (http://localhost:3000/js/controller.js:1036:67)
     at Object.<anonymous> (http://localhost:3000/js/controller.js:1021:17)
     at j (http://localhost:3000/js/jquery.min.js:2:29948)
     at k (http://localhost:3000/js/jquery.min.js:2:30262) undefined

Now it gets me more confused. If I order my console logs like this:
          function parseMissionData( response ) {
            console.log('parseMissionData: ', response);
            var codeAttribute;
            for ( var i=0; i < response.record.length; i++ )
            console.log('imei direct: ', response.record[i].devid);
            codeAttribute = response.record[i].attribute.find(elem => elem.name == "messageCode");
              console.log('messageCode: ', codeAttribute );
              //console.log('codeAttribute: ', codeAttribute);
              //console.log('imei via find: ', response.record[i].find(elem => elem.name == "devid"))
         }

If I log the response.record[i].imei first, it outputs fine, but codeAttribute now logs
jquery.min.js:2 jQuery.Deferred exception: Cannot read property 'attribute' of undefined TypeError: Cannot read property 'attribute' of undefined
    at parseMissionData (http://localhost:3000/js/controller.js:1033:52)
    at Object.<anonymous> (http://localhost:3000/js/controller.js:1021:17)
    at j (http://localhost:3000/js/jquery.min.js:2:29948)
    at k (http://localhost:3000/js/jquery.min.js:2:30262) undefined

If I reverse the order of the logs, attribute prints fine but now imei logs an undefined error.  I must be doing something wrong, but can't for the life of me figure out what it is.

A:
do I have to iterate through the array attributes and look for a match to the name value?

Yes, but you can use the array prototype function find to find the relevant entry easily. E.g.
let codeAttribute = response.record[i].attribute.find(elem => elem.name == "messageCode")
// codeAttribute.value === '10'

A: I tried to recreated ypur issue as below and was able to get the values of both "messageCode" and "devid". Can you let me know what exactly causes you the issue:
a= {name: "messageCode", value: "10"}
b ={name: "gpsFix", value: "2"}
c = {name: "autonomous", value: "0"}
d = {name: "lowBattery", value: "1"}
e = {name: "intervalChange", value: "30"}
f = {name: "resetDetected", value: "0"}

attribute = [a,b,c,d,e,f]

record = { attribute, azimuth: '0', datetime: "2018-03-24T20:10:00.000Z", devid: "300434060496300",lat: '37.335394620895386'}
parseMissionData =  {record, code: 1}

console.log(parseMissionData);

console.log(parseMissionData.record.attribute.find(o => o.name === 'messageCode').value);
console.log(parseMissionData.record.devid)

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Restaurant Warehouse owners: We moved because of Austin economy
By Daily Herald
Published 4:04 am Monday, March 25, 2013
The Restaurant Warehouse is shifting gears, and its owner says it's because of the Austin economy.
Bob and Lisa Nelson stand outside the Ole Barn BBQ restaurant in November 2011. The restaurant closed in October 2012, and the Nelsons moved their other business, The Kitchen Warehouse, to Albert Lea and renamed it the Copper Kitchen. Both moves were because of the Austin economy, they said.
Owner Bob Nelson said his business in Oak Park Mall now solely does business-to-business sales. The kitchen and restaurant supplier, in the former Sears location and across from the current Sears storefront, is no longer open to the public but accepts appointments by email at bob@ therestaurantwarehouse. com. Nelson's wife, Lisa Nelson, opened the Copper Kitchen in Albert Lea's Northbridge Mall in November 2012 as a home kitchenware retailer.
"There just isn't enough traffic to have a staff full-time at the Austin location," Bob told the Herald via email. "Retail in Austin has suffered a real blow it seems. Austin residents really like the big box products."
The Nelsons had five businesses in Oak Park Mall for a five-month span in 2012, but have since closed three and moved one. They moved The Restaurant Warehouse there in September 2011 after a fire destroyed their building at 608 10th St. NE, and soon opened the Kitchen Warehouse in the mall for retail customers.
They opened the Ole Barn BBQ restaurant in December 2011, and the Machine Shed arcade in January 2012. Lisa also opened Napoli Chocolates in April 2012, but closed that storefront in September 2012. Then, they opened Ole Barn Country Store — with chocolates and their homemade barbecue sauces — inside the restaurant, but that closed with the restaurant and arcade in October 2012. The Kitchen Warehouse later moved to Albert Lea and became the Copper Kitchen.
Bob said he likes Albert Lea because it's at the intersection of interstates 35 and 90, and because it's further from Rochester than Austin.
"[Albert Lea] tends to purchase more locally," he wrote. "Our Northbridge mall location's sales are 65 percent greater than the Austin store."
All about family
John, Alana and Dick Miller show one of their calves at the Miller dairy operation just north of Oakland. The... read more


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L'Armorial des familles de Franche-Comté rassemble les armoiries, sous forme de figures et de blasonnements, ainsi que les devises des familles nobles et notables ayant eu une présence significative en Franche-Comté sous l'Ancien Régime.

Familles comtales

Familles de Franche-Comté

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Notes et références

Bibliographie

Articles connexes

Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté
&


Located on a quiet drive in a prestigious southeast Pasadena neighborhood, this stunning and beautiful newly constructed home was designed by Carl Anders Troedsson and built by Premier General Contractors. Bordering San Marino, the two-story Spanish Revival masterpiece was entirely newly built with uncompromising attention to detail. With the finest of materials, craftsmanship and design the home exudes elegance and sophistication. Entering from a custom front door, one finds an inviting floor plan that offers hardwood floors, recessed lighting and decorative archways throughout. The formal Living Room features a high beamed ceiling, fireplace, built-in cabinetry, and French doors leading to the front gardens. The adjacent formal Dining Room offers great space for every kind of entertaining. The masterfully designed Kitchen, with all the amenities to please a top chef, includes the following stainless-steel appliances: a 48" Sub-Zero refrigerator, 48" Wolf range, Wolf range hood, Wolf microwave oven and Asko dishwasher. There are quartz countertops and a farm style sink plus a breakfast bar which provides a place for casual dining. The Kitchen opens into the Family Room which features a corner fireplace and French doors leading to a covered patio area with Spanish floor tiles, an ideal place for dining al fresco or relaxing in the fresh air. Completing the first level is a guest room with full guest bath, a room ideal for use as a den, office, study or library, and three-quarter outdoor bath.
The second level features three bedrooms, all en suite, one of which is a grand spacious Master Bedroom. The Master features a large bath with double sinks, soaking tub and a spacious shower. There is a walk-in closet, fireplace surrounded by built-in cabinetry and a high beamed ceiling. French doors lead to a private covered balcony area with Spanish floor tiles. The Laundry Room with ample cabinets plus a deep sink is conveniently located off the second floor Hall. Throughout the home, all finishes and appointments are masterfully done with beautiful plumbing and lighting fixtures, countertops and Moroccan style tile bathroom floors. The fully insulated finished garage features a custom all-wood door along with French doors opening to the private backyard and covered patio area. There is also a private bath and shower off the patio. Opportunities like this, to own a pristine and stately 100% newly constructed home from the ground up are rare, affording the discerning buyer the best in Pasadena living!
Buyer is advised to verify that information through personal inspection with the appropriate professionals. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Equal Housing Opportunity. ©2018 All rights reserved. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Phil Coombes Photography, 626.644.3227.


For eight terms, Representative Mary Bono Mack, the Republican incumbent, has won in this largely blue state, and redistricting seemed to favor another good outcome for her. But she found herself in a scrappy fight against the Democrat, Dr. Raul Ruiz, an emergency room physician. Latinos make up nearly a third of the district's voters, and Ms. Bono Mack, one of the most moderate Republicans in the House, may have boo-booed when she said on the campaign trail that she would reach out to Latinos "after the election." Twist: If she loses, and her husband, Representative Connie Mack of Florida, fails in his Senate bid, they will be a married Congressional couple out of work.
As goes this district, so likely goes the presidential candidate in this western bellwether state. Representative Mike Coffman, a favorite of the Tea Party movement, is known for his colorful statements, including calling into question President Obama's American-ness, and his path to a third term narrowed after political mapmakers redrew his overwhelmingly Republican district to include near-equal amounts of registered Republican, Democratic and independent voters. His Democratic rival, Joe Miklosi, a state lawmaker, has struggled to raise money for his own campaign and has had to rely on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to keep afloat.
Representative Allen B. West is one of the few nationally known freshman Republicans, a former Army officer who in 2010 became one of only two black Republicans to be elected to the House since Reconstruction. A Tea Party favorite who works the talk-show circuit and is a fund-raising powerhouse, he is in a too-close-to-call contest with a wealthy construction executive, Patrick Murphy, and Democrats would love to see Mr. West go. This race has also featured some of the nastiest , in a year with a high bar for that.
I think we are in for another four more years of the big O.
Most states should have a pretty good idea by late tonight.
However the so-called battlefield states, like Nevada, Colorado, Florida, Ohio, and Iowa, are expected to have such close races it may be weeks before they can officially declare who won that state, and therefore, the election.


text:
Search This Website Only Search Digital Archives Search All Collections
Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
Search Collections Database
Urbana-Champaign Local Music Preservation Initiative
Tours for Groups
Currently at Sousa
American Music Month 2018
Upcoming Lectures and Concerts
Other Regional Music Projects Across America
Local Music Home | Collections | Exhibits | Other Projects
Other Resources for Urbana-Champaign Music Research
Champaign County Historical Archives
at the Urbana Free Library
Holdings include many resources useful to researchers of the Urbana-Champaign music community, including sound recordings, newspaper clippings, regional publications, oral histories, and personal papers, many of them indexed by subject in their online database. Of particular interest are well-indexed collections of the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette and the Psychedelic Boneyard, searchable by music genre and artist name.
Jazz Threads website
A joint project of 40 North and the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Jazz Threads assembled documentation of the local jazz scene during 2002-2004, including material on artists and ensembles past and present. The website provides perpetual access to this content, through oral history interviews, photographs, and an extensive list of local music venues.
Nature's Table website
A site maintained by cujazz.org, documenting the Nature's Table restaurant and music venue located in Urbana, Illinois from 1979-1991. The site includes a menu, recipes, stories and interviews, and an extensive chronology of performances at the restaurant. Sound recordings of some performances are available at naturestable.net.
Josh Gottheil Collection, 1974-2009
at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives
A collection of correspondence, ephemera, sound recordings, publications, and other materials documenting the life, career, and legacy of Josh Gottheil as a drummer and promoter in Urbana-Champaign.
Documentation Programs in Other Scenes
University of North Carolina Southern Folklife Collection
Collections related to Merge Records and other significant aspects of the Chapel Hill, North Carolina alternative rock community.
Detroit Sound Conservancy
A group dedicated to the documentation and preservation of the musical heritage of Detroit, Michigan.
Louisville Underground Music Archive (LUMA)
Documentation of the history and culture of the Louisville, Kentucky rock music scene from the 1970s to the present.
NOLA HipHop Archive at Tulane University
Collection of video interviews with pioneering rap and bounce artists from New Orleans, Louisiana.
North Carolina Music Flier Archive (1978-2014)
A growing collection of digitized punk show flyers from all over North Carolina, arranged by city and venue.
Northeast Ohio Popular Music Archives (NEOPMA)
Collections relating to local and regional popular music in and around Cleveland, Ohio.
Golden Voice Recording Co., Peoria, Illinois
An online resource devoted to the impressive history of one of the first significant recording studios in central Illinois, featuring in-depth articles, photographs, and sound recordings. Curated by Golden Voice co-owner Mary Ann Milam.
DC Punk Archive
at the District of Columbia Public Library
Collecting, preserving, sharing, and engaging the public with materials documenting the punk rock community in Washington, DC.
Public Library Programs in Other Scenes
Volume at Denver Public Library
This service allows Denver Public Library card holders to download and stream music from the library's collection of Colorado bands and musicians.
Iowa City Public Library Local Music Project
The Iowa City Public Library licenses music from musicians in Johnson County, Iowa, and makes it available for their patrons to download.
Yahara Music Library at Madison Public Library
Streaming and download service for library cardholders featuring music from Madison, Wisconsin. Artist and album pages feature reviews, biographies, and information about upcoming shows, links to the musicians' websites, social media, and online stores. Technical elements of the Yahara Music Library have been released under an open source license.
E-mail: sousa@illinois.edu
Sousa Blog


Dear guest, Thank you so much for taking the time to write your experience in Tripadvisor. Our location is a great positive point for the hotel, you are in walking distance from practically everywhere, so we are happy to know that you enjoyed. However, we are very sorry for the inconveniences you had in your stay. In addition, for the next visit, we will can assist you to book other room types, with views on the patio where you feel more confortable. We hope to see you again. Best regards.


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The volcanic cluster green mask for sebum control and cica care. [Contains Jeju volcanic clusters and madecassoside]. The green mask provides cica care to refine multiple troubled skin areas. With its soft cream-type clay, it is mild enough for all skin types.
WATER,KAOLIN,PROPANEDIOL,GLYCERIN,CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE,SILICA,TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891),BENTONITE,POLYGLYCERIN-3,HYDROGENATED POLY(C6-14 OLEFIN),POLYVINYL ALCOHOL,CETEARYL ALCOHOL,1,2-HEXANEDIOL,MADECASSOSIDE,VOLCANIC ASH,OPUNTIA COCCINELLIFERA FRUIT EXTRACT,CAMELLIA JAPONICA LEAF EXTRACT,CITRUS UNSHIU PEEL EXTRACT,CAMELLIA SINENSIS LEAF EXTRACT,ORCHID EXTRACT,THEOBROMA CACAO (COCOA) EXTRACT,DEXTRIN,XANTHAN GUM,GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE,ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN,TETRASODIUM PYROPHOSPHATE,POLYSORBATE 20,POLYSORBATE 60,DISODIUM EDTA,CHROMIUM OXIDE GREENS (CI 77288).
After cleansing face, apply the mask avoiding eyes and lips. Leave 5-10 minutes and wash off with warm water. Use 1-2 times a week.


text:
Strengthening WASH businesses in Ethiopia – tariffs and taxes on sanitation products
servicios de saneamiento
transferencias de impuestos aranceles
higiene Menstrual
Tsegaye Yeshiwas
Publications and Knowledge Management Officer | IRC Ethiopia
Taxes and tariffs imposed on sanitation products significantly increase their consumer price, which reduces their affordability
updated and revised on 12/01/2022
SATO pans for sale in Amhara Region, Wore Illu Woreda - Photo by: Tsegaye Yeshiwas
In a series of posts, we will present the main challenges that businesses face when expanding the range of WASH products and services available to households in Ethiopia. After describing these challenges, we will recommend specific regulatory and/or policy actions to address those issues, and which also are intended to improve the overall business climate in the country – so that enterprises can more easily start, grow, and serve their communities sustainably.
This fourth of eight planned articles addresses taxes and tariffs on sanitation products and their impact on the market.
Currently, only nine percent of Ethiopians have access to basic sanitation services – a serious situation that affects public health, education, and many other aspects of the country's economic and social well-being (JMP, 2020). Achieving universal access to basic WASH facilities cannot be done by government or NGOs alone; it will require a strong contribution from the country's private sector. The Government of Ethiopia recognizes this and is working to strengthen private sector businesses that offer WASH products and services (including household sanitation) as a key element of its greater focus on hygiene and environmental health (FMoH, 2016). These measures are necessary because the cur-rent market only meets a small fraction of the country's enormous needs.
To gain insight into how these challenges can be addressed, and to do so in a manner that ensures the solutions are affordable to all, the USAID Transform WASH team spoke with a wide range of experts – including business owners, government officials, and technical specialists in Ethiopia and other East African countries – to get their advice and recommendations on how to develop and expand Ethiopia's WASH market. The post that follows is largely based on these experts' reflections.
To explore this topic in more depth, follow this link to the full Learning Note.
Overview of tariffs and taxes
One of the primary challenges that businesses face in Ethiopia is taxation, which significantly increases the cost of goods to customers, particularly for imports (levied taxes can comprise up to 50 percent of a product's retail price). To promote domestic manufacturing, the Ethiopian government follows an "import substitution" model, using import tariffs (duties) to raise the cost of imported finished goods and selectively reducing duties on imported raw materials to encourage manufacture of those goods domestically. In the price-sensitive WASH market, relatively low demand can prevent businesses from achieving profitability when introducing or expanding a WASH product and service portfolio. As both imports and domestically produced products are key components of building any emerging market, current levels of taxation should be considered a major impediment to market growth.
Goods imported into Ethiopia are subject to up to five different types of tariffs and taxes, including customs duties, value added tax (VAT), surtax, excise tax, and withholding tax – all of which generally are added into the retail sales price paid by consumers.
Customs duties are applied to imported goods and can range from zero to 35 percent, de-pending on how government classifies the item as a raw material which will be further developed locally or a finished product to be sold directly.
Excise tax is typically levied on items considered "luxuries" (e.g., perfumes) or goods that are hazardous to health (e.g., tobacco products and alcoholic beverages).
Value added tax (VAT) of 15 percent is levied on imported goods, as well as on all domestic sales transactions where products are sold and change hands.
Surtax is a flat 10 percent fee used to raise additional revenue on certain products. It is based upon the sum of customs value, customs duty, excise tax, and VAT. Some products have been exempted from surtax, including fertilizer and petroleum (Kebede, 2019).
Withholding tax is applied to a range of payments, including salaries, dividends, interest, royalties, and management fees. For domestic payments, a rate of 2 percent generally applies; for payments involving non-residents, rates of 5 to 10 percent may apply.
Tariff and tax relief and reform
An example of how taxes and tariffs affect the sanitation sector is provided by the SATO pan, a low-cost toilet improvement option, which is currently sourced from a manufacturer in Kenya and imported into Ethiopia at a unit cost of about 150 ETB (US$ 3.25). SATO pans are classified as "finished products" so they are subject to the following tariffs and taxes:
Customs duty of 30 percent
VAT of 15 percent
Surtax of 10 percent
• Withholding tax of 3 percent.
With all relevant tariffs and taxes applied to this product (and no credits applied for previous VAT payments), as well as profit margins, the pan's final retail price can rise to nearly 500 ETB (Kebede, 2019). This poses a significant challenge to SATO retailers – as many customers are unwilling or unable to purchase the product at that price level.
In the interest of keeping the price of SATO pans as affordable as possible and help establish them as a new market entry in Ethiopia, the government has permitted the first few rounds of bulk imports to be exempted from customs duties; however, a long-term solution is not yet in place.
The government also is engaged with interested parties regarding proposals to reduce or eliminate customs duties and taxes on a range of WASH products, such as low-cost sanitation items, menstrual pads, and household water treatment products. In early 2021, Ethiopia recognised menstrual hygiene management products as essential items and reduced custom duties from 30 percent to 10 percent (MoFEC, 2021).
A long-term solution to the issue of tariffs and taxes on WASH products will require that the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority (ERCA) and the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) get involved to re-classify certain products as "priority" items, and take any other steps needed to keep the cost of these products as low as possible.
VAT is another challenge due to its importance for government revenue as well as its complicated implementation procedure. VAT accounts for over 40 percent of total federal domestic revenue, and is applied on both goods and services, including imported products. It typically is applied at a product's initial sale, as well as in all subsequent transactions.
Some outlets and retailers may be exempt from charging VAT (e.g., when annual turnover is less than 1 million ETB), and instead pay a "turnover tax" (similar to a sales tax) of two to 10 percent. In principle, it should be possible to deduct VAT charges paid in previous transactions throughout the value chain. However, in practice, the detailed record-keeping and reporting required to implement this procedure are typically not followed. Also, many businesses lack a full understanding of how the VAT process is administered (Kebede, 2019). Ultimately, it is the consumer who must cover the cost of VAT and all other applied taxes.
Steep import tariffs and a range of domestic taxes can greatly increase the cost of sanitation and other critical WASH products. This lowers overall demand and places additional economic burdens on poor households. The following actions are recommended to help ensure these products remain as affordable as possible:
Complete ongoing research to understand the effects of lowering tariffs and taxes on sanitation products, including influence on consumer demand and government revenues.
Review and revise the classification of imported WASH products to ensure critical items can be readily imported.
Review import tariff and domestic taxes on critical WASH products and reduce the rates (or eliminate them entirely) wherever possible.
Provide training to WASH businesses and consumer advocacy groups on VAT accounting and reporting processes to help reduce any unnecessary applications of this tax.
About Transform WASH
USAID Transform WASH aims to improve water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) outcomes in Ethiopia by increasing market access to and sustained use of a broader spectrum of affordable WASH products and services, with a substantial focus on sanitation.
Transform WASH achieves this by transforming the market for low-cost quality WASH products and services: stimulating demand at the community level, strengthening supply chains, and improving the enabling environment for a vibrant private market.
USAID Transform WASH is a USAID-funded activity implemented by PSI in collaboration with SNV, Plan International, and IRC WASH. The consortium is working closely with government agencies, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Electricity, the One WASH National Program, and regional and sub-regional governments.
Strengthen WASH business in Ethiopia: access to foreign exchange
Strengthen WASH Businesses in Ethiopia - foreign business owners
Strengthening WASH businesses in Ethiopia - Intellectual property rights
Ethiopia's business environment and how it influences WASH market development
Authors: Bakker, E., Feldman, P.
Publicación: 09/2020
Páginas: iii, 18 p. : 1 tab.


text:
Sundance '16: Repairing the torn fabric of "Newtown"
Filmmaker Kim A. Snyder talks to realscreen about her Sundance film Newtown and the emotional challenges behind revealing a community in mourning.
Following the December 14, 2012 massacre that claimed the lives of 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, American filmmaker Kim A. Snyder (pictured, below) and producer Maria Cuomo Cole set out to chronicle a familiar thematic issue in her first film since 2009′s Welcome to Shelbyville: community.
In Newtown – which premiered Sunday (January 24) as part of Sundance's U.S. Documentary competition – Synder set out to reveal the experience of an entire community as it tried to come to terms with the tragedy.
While Snyder acknowledges that it's "nearly impossible" to discuss the tragedy at Newtown without delving into conversations about the current state of gun violence and gun reform, the main focus of the 83-minute film was to identify how a torn populace repairs its tattered social fabric.
As sorrow surged through the 28,000-person town, the director-producer looked to answer the existential questions behind the trauma placed upon the small and affluent region: Whose story is it to tell? Who claims it?
She began by canvassing and building trust within the town's interfaith community before connecting with Father Bob Weiss, who led the burial ceremonies of eight of the 20 children the week immediately following the massacre.
Kim A. Snyder
After eight months of conversation and research, Snyder would cultivate relationships with Mark Barden, father to seven-year-old victim Daniel; David Wheeler, who lost his six-year-old son Benjamin; and Nicole Hockley, who lost her six-year-old son Dylan. The film, which provides exclusive archive footage through home videos captured months before the school assault, follows these three primary characters on a three-year journey of recovery that includes a memorial race and concert, the birth of another child and traveling the country on a campaign of advocacy.
Newtown, which received a $20,000 grant from the Film Maker Fund and was one of eight selected doc projects for the Sundance Institute's Documentary Edit and Story Labs in June, served as the focal point of a Sundance panel moderated by Katie Couric on Monday (January 25) that explored the "policies, reforms and human experiences" around the frequency of gun violence in America. Stephanie Soechtig's Under the Gun was also a subject of discussion on the panel.
PBS documentary strand 'Independent Lens' came on board Newtown three years ago and will broadcast the documentary this fall.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
What narratives were you looking to explore with Newtown?
As a filmmaker, my own absolute passion was that we had to look at [the issue of gun violence] in a way we haven't seen, to break through the desensitization and really see what the tail end of this looks like every time this happens. There is a metaphor and a microcosm, so I did feel it was important to [present] this in a way that was experiential and emotional rather than factual, and in a way that would really be a gut punch for people to have some sense of what this community has lived with.
How were you able to to gain such intimate access to the victims' families? Were they open to recounting their stories and letting you in?
I always started out by explaining how long-form documentaries have different things they can bring to bear than the news. [Families] had been so inundated with the news cycle and how that works, so I started by explaining this was something that would happen over years and that my real intent was to break through desensitization I felt the country was understandably experiencing because [gun violence] just happens so often.
A lot of people felt compelled to participate because they needed to bear witness and felt the trust. Many of them felt through doing this maybe we could do something together to prevent this from happening again some how.
How difficult was it for you to listen to these countless stories of loss?
Devastating. But I also felt that I was giving voice to something that was so important for us to hear. I felt a very strong sense that the film became about community – community within Newtown and the nation – in the sense that we have to have their backs.
In Newtown, it's such an unusual thing because it was the worst mass shooting of school children in American history, so you have a tiny place with 26 deaths – 20 of them schoolchildren. There's no one who's not traumatized.
There is mention of 'the shooter' in your film of course, but his name has noticeably been omitted from the film. Was that a deliberate decision on your part?
It was very, very deliberate – I was like a control freak in the edit room over that particular issue. I felt strongly that I wanted to stand in solidarity with most of the survivors of Newtown itself and, from what I've been able to glean, survivor communities throughout the country to not say the shooter's name. I understand why it's important in journalism for that to happen, but I felt I had to stay true to that and not name him.
Newtown, as a whole, is an incredibly emotional story. Were there particular moments in the film that were difficult to capture?
When Nicole [Hockley] breaks down in the car finally and tells me her experience that day – I was not the same for many days. That was really hard because I felt a constant sense of protectiveness over their own limits [as the families] have had to navigate this themselves. I wanted to respect their own boundaries, and I was constantly making a conscious decision to try and fall short of the line of pushing it. If there was any pushing, it would be them with themselves.
Is it your hope that Newtown sparks the conversation on the current state of gun violence in the U.S.?
I think by looking at this universal story of grief and trauma through a collective community in the fallout of gun violence, that this could shift consciousness and take the larger issue out of a more polarized space and that we could start to open the dialogue and have a conversation about it in new ways.
Have you screened the film for the residents of Newtown?
I did feel compelled to share it with a few of the subjects who participated in the film last night [January 17] for the first time and it was one of the most unbelievably profound nights of my life – I'm still processing it. The trust that had been built, it felt like it had not been betrayed and that was incredibly important for me.
Newtown screens during the Sundance Film Festival tonight (January 28) at 8:30 p.m. MST at the Marc Theatre in Park City, Utah, and again between January 29 and 30. Visit the festival's website for complete screening info.
Kim A. Snyder, Maria Cuomo Cole, Newtown, PBS, PBS Independent Lens, Sundance '16
Sundance '16: Trevor Groth talks profile docs and picks
Sundance '16: Intrigue meets archive
SXSW '16: Dawn Porter on the challenges in making "Trapped"
PBS, Providence Pictures spotlight the tapestry of "Native America"


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United Kingdom's Leading Direct Order Shopping Company Trusts Palo Alto Networks to Protect Customer Transactions
Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 10:42:31 AM
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Mar. 7, 2011 – Palo Alto Networks™, the network security company, today announced that JD Williams & Company Limited has selected Palo Alto Networks to protect the millions of customer transactions it processes annually, and to consolidate its network and reduce costs. Founded in 1875, JD Williams is the most successful direct-to-consumer retailer in the United Kingdom. Through 20 print catalogue brands, and over 50 websites, it sells clothing and other products to over two million customers.
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When did you last turn to somebody for advice?
If you did, were you able to adhere to all of it?
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Did you even enjoy talking?
When confronted with tough situations, people look for 'understanding' more than 'advice.' Easy going, informal exchange or conversations have a deeper impact than discussions which focus on opinions.
Human instinct wants to identify things clearly in mind and to live powerfully and achieve extraordinary results.
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People have gradually come to realise that even if they have all the technical skills and knowledge, without soft skills they cannot accomplish their goals.
The best help almost always comes from within, but unleashing true potential often requires a catalyst – an outsider who can provide an unbiased and non-judgmental assessment of reality and push our focus back to what is important.
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Our team recognizes the need for career development and skill development in the present world scenario. Most of the world's top performers rely on a coach to assist in unleashing the potential within them. With the help of effective communication skills and career counselling we assist people gain confidence in themselves to achieve what they seek.
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text:
Twisted view of life and justice
Category: Paedophile Judges
Created: Friday, 04 April 2014 12:51
Written by Miranda Devine - The Daily Telegraph
Yet, as Patrick Lion reported in The Daily Telegraph yesterday this is the excuse a Victorian magistrate has accepted as a "mitigating factor" in the case of an Afghan man charged with the attempted kidnap of a four-year-old girl. Ali Jaffari, 35, had already been convicted last year of sexually molesting two boys, aged 12 and 13, at a Geelong beach. Despite the fact he showed no remorse and the prosecution wanted him jailed, Magistrate Ann McGarvie let him off with a two-year community corrections order, saying he had a low risk of reoffending.
Jaffari was back in Geelong Magistrate's Court after he allegedly snatched a four-year-old girl at a cricket oval in Geelong last year while her father and brother were distracted. But in February Magistrate Ron Saines threw out the child stealing charge and cited "cultural differences". In what culture is there any different view to ours, that preying on children is unacceptable? Child sexual abuse in Afghanistan might be "endemic", as a US State department report puts it. But that doesn't mean it is culturally acceptable, especially not to parents and children.
There is no culture on Earth in which it is normal or innocent for a stranger to molest little boys or allegedly kidnap a little girl. And, if there were, the last thing we should do is calibrate our justice system to accommodate such a despicable culture. Jaffari arrived in Australia by boat in 2010 and spent 15 months in a detention centre before being released into the community and granted a permanent protection visa at a time when the Gillard government had lost control of the borders. Immigration Minister Scott Morrison is now trying to find a way to strengthen his power to cancel visas on character grounds. But there is only so much he can do if courts are going to excuse child predators on cultural grounds.
Source : https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/miranda-devine/twisted-view-of-life-and-justice/news-story/45da33ea81701380484ffcc066209755
*** Editors note: Only a month prior the same magistrate, Ann McGarvie sentenced a serial child rapist to eight weeks jail - that being one day for each crime he was convicted of. See: Man to serve eight weeks jail for torment and sexual abuse of foster daughter
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Tamas Katai is the mind behind Thy Catafalque and he's the very definition of a musical explorer. This is a man who creates without regard for genre or convention. He just composes the kind of music he wants to hear. And in Katai's case, that covers a boundless territory.
On Geometria, Thy Catafalque delves a bit more into the world of electronic music than in the past. This ranges from soothing ambience to hard and heavy beats. By no means is this a purely electronic album, because Thy Catafalque is never purely anything…except itself. You will also find extreme metal, Hungarian folk music and cinematic prog here. As with all of this project's albums, it's a sonic voyage through unpredictable territory. Also as with all Thy Catafalque albums, the lyrics are entirely Hungarian.
Categorize this however you wish. If your definition of progressive music is music that breaks barriers and is unpredictable, this is as prog as it gets.
This cut begins with very mysterious and laid back synth tones laced with processed vocals speaking Hungarian. It's soothing yet ominous. Drums slowly add a jazz-like beat, and then a sweet and sad violin joins in and the song becomes more "active" but still melancholy. Like so many songs by this band, this is composed of layers that gradually become more complex. Female vocals and electric guitar swirl in and out, and finally heavy guitar riffs come rumbling in. This one starts as a whisper and ends with thunder.
This rushes in with a furious metallic bite and a kind of industrialized sound. Robotic vocals add to the mechanical feel, yet there's also a kind of folky touch to some of the instrumentation. It's a crazy mash-up of elements from Voi Vod, Ministry and Hungarian folk music and the most intense song on the disc.
The previous song ends with a blur of techno beats and spacy synth that bleeds directly into this cut, which is very techno influenced. Urgent female vocals in Hungarian croon over stormy synth tones and steady beats.
This tune is a kind of new wave meets prog rock jam that's pretty cool. Some parts are very heavily guitar influenced while others are dominated by keys. A smoky saxophone solo adds a jazz touch. Basically every instrument gets a chance to shine at some point during this song. The number ends rather abruptly when it felt like an extended jam was coming on.
Heavy metal comes thundering back in with this prog metal jam. Parts of this sound huge and majestic. The clean male vocals singing in Hungarian and the wildly weeping violin gives this a kind of folk sheen, as well. This is another song with a lot of sonic layers that can be peeled away like an onion, but the general feeling here is aggressive and kind of nervous.
This relatively brief song is a beautifully eerie synthesizer soundscape with a cold, glacial sound. Layers of synth beats and sound build on each other, and eventually clean male vocals chant Hungarian lyrics in a folkish kind of way. It's an example of a short tune put together with the same care used for longer epics.
Acting as a complete opposite to the prior track, this comes thundering in with some heavy and very doomy chords. The vocals are the tortured rasps of a black metal soul in torment. However, as is usual with most of Thy Catafalque's work, the song takes some peculiar detours into more atmospheric and restrained corners, with keys and acoustic ending the piece. The overall feeling is one of monolithic guitar heaviness, though.
A dark song, this starts with heavy but catchy riffs that have a kind of swing to them. Dissonant and crushing guitar sounds predominate with more harsh vocals. This one is compact and to the point.
Propelled by steady drum and bass, the guitar here has a lighter and more progressive feel. Female vocals return and are extremely appealing. The vocals dominate the song and sometimes come in choir-like layers on top of each other. Processed and auto-tuned vocals pop up, and it's to Katai's credit that even these sound perfect in context. Despite the lighter sound, there is still a darker undercurrent to the song. This is one of the most prog oriented pieces on the disc.
The sorrowful tones of a gypsy violin are heard by themselves for a while. The song proper then comes in with an electronic beat and some great acoustic guitar playing. The vocals revert to the clean male tones. The female vocals return for a duet, and the song takes a turn to cinematic music. This is a pretty mellow cut even though the steady beats give it some energy.
Heavy dissonant doom metal chords kick off the album ending epic. These riffs are as heavy as anything Cathedral or Electric Wizard could dish out. This is real funeral doom metal that lumbers along in menacing fashion. Spoken vocals and keyboards add atmosphere. As you might expect, though, there are some twists. An extremely restrained and mellow break enters the scene for a bit before the doom returns. The female vocals reappear and have some almost operatic moments. A long guitar solo leads to a very abrupt end.