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Bachatsky Pit. Photo: Vyacheslav Krechetov
How coal industry is destroying the indigenous peoples of Siberia
The Khakas, Shor, and Teleut peoples are indigenous residents of southern Siberia. The lands on which they live and practice traditional types of farming are rich with coal, which means that their territories have been rapidly developed by coal companies over the last decade. Here coal is mined using the surface method, that is, the cheapest and dirtiest method. Indigenous communities have to grapple with the illegal confiscation of their lands. They suffer from systematic environmental pollution and the irreparable harm caused to their habitats. In addition, their cultural and religious objects are being destroyed and activists and defenders of indigenous rights are being persecuted.
The coal industry is one of the most questionable industries in Russia's fuel and energy complex in terms of profitability and one of the most dangerous in terms of adverse impact on the environment and human health. Even though many countries have recently turned away from coal in favor of alternative energy sources, leading to a decline in demand for and value of this type of fuel, the Russian government still believes that coal has a future and is taking strategic measures to heighten production. According to environmentalists, Russia is already producing more coal than it can use or export – approximately 400 million tons a year, putting it in sixth place among world leaders in coal mining; if the Development Program for the Coal Industry through 2035 is to be believed, this volume will increase by a factor of 1.5 over the next 15 years.
"Coal Dragon," Mayrykhsky Mine. Photo: Vyacheslav Krechetov
While the benefits of coal to the Russian economy are unclear, the harm caused by the operations of most Russian coal companies is obvious. Coal mines and pits pollute the atmosphere and bodies of water, poison and forever destroy the soil's genetic profile, and are a source of tremendous amounts of hazardous waste and industrial refuse. The coal dust, soot, and suspended particles that enter the atmosphere during the mining and transport of coal can cause oncological and other illnesses of the heart and the respiratory tract and have caused the premature deaths of hundreds of people. Official statistics confirm that air, water, and soil pollution and morbidity and death rates are much higher in places where coal is mined than in areas that are far-removed from coal operations. In most cases, however, the authorities and regulatory bodies prefer not to speak about this openly.
A significant percentage of Russia's coal resources are concentrated in the Republic of Khakassia and Kemerovo Oblast. The enormous Beysky Coal Deposit, which includes seven open pits, is located in Khakassia. Of these, four – Arshanovksy, Vostochno-Beysky, Kirbinsky, and Mayrykhsky – operate on Koybalskaya Steppe – a place of traditional residence for the Khakas people. Kemerovo Oblast contains the Kuznetsk Basin, part of whose territory is located on Shor and Teleut lands. For many members of these peoples, their native lands serve not just as a place to live and practice their traditional economic and cultural activities, but also form the foundation of their identity and well-being. Nevertheless, the state plan to increase coal mining encourages local governments to give away as much territory as possible for exploitation, sometimes without even giving a thought to the value that this land has held for centuries for the people living on it.
Meanwhile, the special status and rights of indigenous peoples have been recognized by international treaties and customary law.
Meanwhile, the special status and rights of indigenous peoples have been recognized by international treaties and customary law. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ILO Convention No. 169 enshrine human rights norms and adapt them to the special needs and problems of indigenous peoples. These norms center on nondiscrimination obligations, the right of indigenous peoples to self-determination and development, and the right to the effective participation of indigenous peoples in all matters relating to them. According to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the principle of free, prior, and informed consent is a necessary condition for managing any activity relating to traditional lands, territories, and other resources.
Unlike international acts, Russian law does not regulate or enshrine the principle of free, prior, and informed consent and does not recognize the ownership rights of indigenous peoples in respect of traditional territories. In addition, Russian law does not contain stand-alone norms that protect the land and ownership rights of indigenous peoples. These categories of rights are generally protected as individual rights by the civil and land codes.
Federal Law No. 49-FZ "On Territories of Traditional Nature Use of Small Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East of the Russian Federation" creates certain, although limited, opportunities for enshrining the land rights of indigenous peoples, but they do not apply to ethnicities that are not on the list of small indigenous peoples, and the authorities use this law arbitrarily in the absence of a concrete mechanism for its application.
Some additional guarantees that are not related to the special status of indigenous peoples are granted by environmental protection laws.
В отличие от международных актов, российское законодательство не регулирует и не закрепляет принцип свободного предварительного и осознанного согласия и не признает право собственности коренных народов в отношении традиционных территорий. Российское законодательство также не содержит отдельных норм, защищающих земельные права и право собственности коренных народов. Эти категории прав защищены в общем порядке как индивидуальные права гражданским и земельным законодательством.
Определенные, хотя и ограниченные возможности для закрепления прав коренных народов на землю создает Федеральный закон № 49-ФЗ «О территориях традиционного природопользования коренных малочисленных народов Севера, Сибири и Дальнего Востока Российской Федерации», однако он не распространяется на этносы, не входящие в перечень коренных малочисленных народов, и в отсутствие конкретного механизма его применения власти действуют произвольно.
Некоторые дополнительные гарантии, не связанные с особым статусом коренных народов, предоставляются законодательством по охране окружающей среды.
In Khakassia, coal companies, acting with the full support of the authorities, are pushing for permits to conduct industrial activities and seizing agricultural land to build industrial sites. Indigenous peoples first encountered violation of the right to ownership and the right to land in 2013, when two large coal companies – Mayrykhsky Mine and Arshanovsky Mine – started exploiting coal on Koybalskaya Steppe in spite of the lack of permits and protests on the part of the local population. As a result, regulatory agencies opened criminal cases on illegal coal mining and violation of environmental laws against the management of Mayrykhsky and Arshanovsky mines, but these mines continued their work after paying small fines.
In 2018, Mayrykhsky Mine obtained a subsoil development license to a new plot, Beysky-Zapadny, where Arshanovsky Mine was already operating, but indigenous farms and irrigation canals supplying water to the lakes of Koybalskaya Steppe were already located there. For farmers, these lands represent their main means of earning of living – grazing and haymaking.
From October 2018 to March 2019, coal company representatives organized public hearings, as required by law, to clear the construction of new pits with the local population. Counting on the legal illiteracy of local residents, the coal companies did not prepare any project documentation or information about the environmental impact of coal mining. But residents voted almost unanimously against the construction.
In spite of this, the coal companies were able to obtain permits to start construction by falsifying votes with the support of the republic's leaders and in violation of the laws and regulations for holding public hearings. At the third hearing, inaccurate data was entered into the agenda and the conclusion according to which the majority of residents voted for the new pit, while in actuality most residents did not participate in the vote and those that did voted against the new mine. On the basis of this conclusion, amendments were made to the locality's general plan and representatives of Mayrykhsky and Arshanovsky mines filed a petition with the government of the Republic of Khakassia to transfer 17 privately-owned land plots from agricultural use to industrial use; this petition was later granted.
Thus, by falsifying the results of the public hearings, neither the coal company nor the regional authorities obtained the de facto consent of the local population to build the pit, and Mayrykhsky Mine did not have the right to start work on the seized territories. Later, The Subsoil Use Department for the Central Siberian District published 14 orders concerning the seizure of over 50 land plots from 44 owners in favor of the coal mines.
Farm. Photo: Yevgeniya Pruss
Some farmers who did not want to reconcile themselves to the arbitrary will of the coal companies and the government attempted to appeal these orders in the republic's courts, but most of the courts refused to uphold the claims. However, in the fall of 2019, activists from the regional environmental organization Rodnaya Step filed a claim with the Supreme Court of the Republic of Khakassia regarding the resolution of the Government of Khakassia to transfer 17 land plots located in Beysky District from the category of lands designated for agricultural use to the category of lands designated for industrial use. This claim was rejected on November 11, 2019. Rodnaya Step activists filed an appeal with the Fifth Appeals Court of General Jurisdiction, which cancelled the Supreme Court's decision on March 12, 2020 and found the Government of Khakassia's resolutions invalid. The court noted that both mines had committed multiple violations of land laws and regulations for appealing to government bodies when filing their petitions.
Despite this ruling, the coal companies continue to illegally conduct subsurface work on the plots, and local residents say that the Subsoil Use Department for Central Siberian District is preparing new orders concerning the seizure of privately-owned land for coal companies.
The southern districts of Kemerovo Oblast, which borders Khakassia, are home to close-knit communities of Shors and Teleuts, small Turkic-speaking indigenous peoples. Over the course of centuries, they have hunted, fished, gathered mushrooms and berries on the taiga, and maintained vegetable gardens. Their way of life changed dramatically after coal was found on their lands. Coal mining has caused irreparable harm to nature: The rivers have become shallower and fish have disappeared from them, while wild animals have left the taiga. In recent times, coal companies have started to receive permits to exploit coal near villages.
In order to legalize and protect places of traditional activities and traditional residence of indigenous peoples from the barbaric exploitation of mineral resources, members of indigenous peoples have been appealing to the leaders of Kemerovo Oblast on a regular basis since 2001 to form a territory of traditional nature use in the region. However, not one territory of this type has been created in Kemerovo Oblast to this day.
The absence of any territorial or administrative autonomy for the Shors or Teleuts was reflected in the adoption of decisions in favor of the coal companies. After winning a tender to develop the Uregolsky coal deposit, which is located on the territory of the Orlov rural settlement in the middle of traditional Shor lands, Kiyzassky Mine started preparing for construction in 2011. Public hearings on this project were held in the rural settlement's administrative center, which is located several kilometers from the industrial site. Four local residents were present at the hearings; they all voted in favor of the project. On the basis of the minutes of these public hearings, the administration adopted Resolution No. 18 "On the Consent of Residents of the Municipal Formation Orlov Rural Settlement to the Design and Construction of Kiyzassky Mine Sites on the Settlement's Territory" of December 24, 2012.
Rust colored clouds cover the village of Kazas following a pit explosion. Photo: Nelli Tokmagasheva
In order to adhere to the formal procedure for public hearings, in 2013 the company held a series of consultations in the Shor village of Chuvashka, during which the majority of residents spoke out categorically against this project's realization. Residents collected signatures and sent an appeal to the RF president and to the 7th Assembly of Small Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East, and Chuvashka residents held daily one-person pickets near the city administration building over the course of five months. This had no effect whatsoever on the authorities' decision: Kiyzassky Mine was brought online in November 2014 and began mining coal, causing irreparable harm to the environment.
Coal mining caused the destruction of the Shor village Kazas, where Beregovoy Mine, which is owned by the Yuzhnaya Coal Company, has been mining coal since 2012. A condition of the license issued by the Federal Agency for Subsoil Use for the development of the Beregovoy mine was the relocation of the residents of 28 homes. Without consulting or notifying village residents, the Myski mayor signed a relocation agreement with Yuzhnaya, which started to force residents to sell their homes and land plots, offering a price 10 times below their actual value. If residents refused, oil company staff threatened to set fire to their homes and raze them with bulldozers. These threats were realized: Between November 2013 and March 2014, the homes of people who did not agree with the sale were burned down by unidentified people. Criminal cases on the arson were opened, but the guilty parties were never found.
Violation of the rights of indigenous peoples to a healthy environment
The mining of coal has a colossal impact on the environment and human health. The systematic failure to comply with sanitary norms and rules regulating coal company activities is having a grave effect on the life and health of the population living near the mines. The mortality rate from cancer in Khakassia grew by 10.3 percent over five years and 14.2 percent over ten tears, with cancer of the lungs, trachea, and bronchial tubes ranked highest for the region. According to the Ministry of Health, in 2017 Khakassia ranked third among Russian regions for one-year mortality rate from cancerous diseases. Kemerovo Oblast has seen even harsher consequences from coal company operations. The environmental situation there is one of the worst in Russia.
Coal waste piles near the village of Shalginov. Photo by ADC Memorial
Indigenous peoples are particularly vulnerable to pollution and environmental destruction: They live in direct proximity to coal companies, and all aspects of their lives are inextricably connected with ecosystems and territories of traditional residence and nature use. Nevertheless, coal companies are most interested in the lands of the Khakas, Shor, and Teleut peoples because on many of their plots coal is located at a depth of less than 30 centimeters from the earth's surface, which means that it can be mined using a surface technique that employs pits, which are quarries under the open sky. This method is believed to be more productive and cheaper than shaft mining, but it is also the most harmful in terms of health conditions and environmental impact. Coal operations have an irreversible negative impact on traditional indigenous places of residence since they destroy its shallow fertile layer and fragile ecosystem forever.
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ILO Convention 169 envisage the right of indigenous peoples to preserve and protect the environment and the productive potential of their lands and to receive assistance and support from the government.
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ILO Convention 169 envisage the right of indigenous peoples to preserve and protect the environment and the productive potential of their lands and to receive assistance and support from the government. The state must ensure that no hazardous materials are stored on the lands of indigenous peoples without their free, prior, and informed consent.
The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (1992) recognizes the vital role of indigenous peoples in environmental management and development because of their knowledge and traditional practices and obligates states to recognize and support their identity, culture, and interests and enable their effective participation in the achievement of sustainable development.
The Convention on Biodiversity
calls on states to respect, preserve, and support the knowledge, innovations, and practices of indigenous peoples relevant to conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of its components.
The RF Constitution proclaims that everyone has the right to a favorable environment, accurate information about its condition, and compensation for damages inflicted on their health or property by environmental violations (Article 42).
The federal law "On Guarantees of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the Russian Federation" does not directly enshrine the right of indigenous peoples to a favorable environment, but it does envisage the right of small indigenous peoples to participate in monitoring compliance with federal and regional environmental protection laws when lands and natural resources are used for industrial purposes.
Pollution of the environment with coal dust and industrial waste
Freight train carrying coal. Photo: Yevgeniya Pruss
Unlike mines, pits spew a tremendous amount of dust into the air during the mining and transportation of coal, and also during its processing at coal preparation plants. This dust contains coal particles, unburned explosives, and mine dust that is toxic for animals and people and causes a whole range of oncological illnesses and other respiratory illnesses. During an explosion, about 500 tons of dust rises to a height of 1,500 meters; this dust disseminates within four to six hours within a radius of dozens of kilometers from the pit, falls on soil and vegetation consumed by animals, and pollutes water bodies.
In addition, the exploitation of coal leads to the formation of waste piles of overburden – artificial embankments consisting of coal production waste and the waste rock that covers coal deposits and is removed during open pit mining. The waste piles, like the pits themselves, are an active source of industrial dust and have forever destroyed the thin, fertile layer of Siberian soil. In Khakassia, many lands previously used for grazing, haymaking, and crop growing are becoming unsuitable for human life and activities. Waste piles surround many villages in both Khakassia and Kemerovo Oblast.
The industrial roads used to transport coal are also a major source of dust. For example, in 2012 Arshanovsky Mine built an industrial road for transporting coal along the territory of the Khakas village of Shalginov, right next to the homes and plots of local residents, even though all the rules state that industrial roads should be located outside of residential areas. Village residents get no rest from the never-ending rumble of trucks and feel short of breath from the dust, while the fruits and vegetables they plant in their gardens are poisoned by the coal dust that falls onto the soil and into the water.
Burning waste pile at Mayrykhsky Mine. Photo: Yevgeniya Pruss
The source of a tremendous amount of coal dust has been the "coal dragons," which is what local residents call the dry coal separators used at the pits. Mayrykhsky Mine's illegal commissioning of the Chinese-made FGX-48A separators in early 2019 caused the emission of a colossal amount of black coal dust containing phenol and other toxic substances. This dust settles on the land and nearby lakes and also falls on the territories of the Khakas villages of Arshanovo and Shalginov, which are located two kilometers from the separating plant. According to local residents, as soon as the separators start operating black soot fills the air and covers everything around, making it difficult to breathe. In the winter of 2020, the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Usage found that the mine had never received a comprehensive environmental permit for operating the separators. Violations were also noted in the operation of dust separators and the cleaning and drainage systems, and air pollution standards were significantly exceeded. In addition, information provided by the mine indicated that the separators were commissioned on January 27, 2020, when they actually started being used in early 2019.
According to official data from the Southern Siberian Interregional Department of the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Usage, in 2019 a total of 1.8 million tons of pollutants were released into the atmosphere of Kemerovo Oblast, which represents a jump of 13.1 percent over 2018. The bulk of emissions were released by coal production and processing companies. An egregious example of this is Kiyzassky Mine, which started shipping product in March 2014, but did not commission treatment facilities until 2018. Another example is a coal loading station located in the village of Borodino, where Shors and others live. This station has been operating for several years, but it has never been officially commissioned and does not have the sanitary protection zone stipulated by law. The environmental situation did not improve even after dust suppression equipment was installed at the station. In 2019, Borodino residents ordered an independent expert assessment of the snow, which they paid for themselves; the assessment found that the amount of suspended materials in the snow exceeded the norms thousands of times over.
Pollution of water, rivers, and reservoirs
Every year, hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of tainted effluent from coal pits is discharged into rivers and lakes that have traditionally been economically important to the indigenous peoples of Khakassia and Kemerovo Oblast. Environmentalists from Khakassia say that neither Mayrykhsky nor Arshanovsky mines, which mine for coal on Koybalskaya Steppe, have taken any water purification measures. As a result of numerous violations of environmental protection laws, a considerable volume of waste water containing remnants of explosive materials, petroleum products, heavy metals, and other hazardous alloys are discharged into drainage areas and water bodies without being treated, which causes sedimentation, salinization, and acidification, poisons flora and fauna in the water, and almost completely excludes future use of the water from these bodies for household or agricultural purposes. Local residents say that the water pumped from the pits is not treated and is not purified and is discharged directly into the Abakan River, which has not had any fish since 2019. On December 20, 2019, all of the fish in Lake Turpanye were poisoned and died.
Explosion on the bank of the Mrass River. Photo: Vyacheslav Krechetov
Water from the Bolshoy Kiyzas River. Photo: Vyacheslav Krechetov
The pollution of water bodies is a problem residents of Kemerovo Oblast have also experienced firsthand.The Kazas and Mrassu rivers, which flow through Shor villages and are formed from sources in the mountains, were pristine before the coal industry arrived. The Kazasik River used to be the main source of drinking water and a place for fishing. The fish started to disappear after the Mezhdurechensky and Krasnogorsky pits opened, and the water became unsuitable for drinking. Lake Tayezhnoye was turned into a sludge pit by the coal mine. In 2018, Shor activists and environmentalists announced that over 10 bodies of water on traditional Shor territories were completely ruined or severely polluted over the five years of Kiyzayssky Mine's operations and that some of these bodies of water were spawning grounds for red list species.
Violation of the right to self-determination and cultural development
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples enshrines the right of indigenous peoples to cultural development as one of the aspects of the right to self-determination and protects indigenous cultures from destruction.
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples enshrines the right of indigenous peoples to cultural development as one of the aspects of the right to self-determination and protects indigenous cultures from destruction. The Declaration obligates states to take effective measures to prevent and, in the case of violation, protect their rights from, any actions aimed at eroding their identity and cultural values.
The Declaration enshrines the rights of indigenous peoples to develop their culture and traditions, protect and develop the past, present, and future manifestations of their cultures, use and control their ceremonial objects, and preserve and use their cultural heritage (articles 11–15). Indigenous peoples also have the right to practice their spiritual and religious traditions, customs, and ceremonies, the right to protect their religious sites, the right to use ceremonial objects, and the right to repatriation of their human remains. Under Article 32, indigenous peoples have to right to determine and develop strategies for the development or use of their lands or territories and other resources, and states shall cooperate with the indigenous peoples concerned to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other resources.
ILO Convention 169 also obligates states to develop and protect indigenous cultures and the religious and cultural values, practices, and institutions of indigenous peoples (articles 2, 4, 5). The right to develop culture and preserve cultural heritage and freedom of religion are also enshrined in the core human rights instruments – the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (articles 18, 27), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (articles 18, 27), and the International Covenant on Social, Economic, and Cultural Rights (Article 15).
Russia's framework law on state protection of cultural heritage objects is Federal Law No. 73-FZ "On Cultural Heritage Objects (Historical and Cultural Monuments) of the Peoples of the Russian Federation." This law establishes the state's obligation and responsibility to preserve and develop cultural and ethnic identity, protect, restore and preserve cultural-historical living environments, and protect and preserve sources of information about the origins and development of indigenous cultures in the Russian Federation.
Article 10 of the federal law ""On Guarantees of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the Russian Federation," which was adopted in 1999, enshrines the right of members of indigenous peoples to observe their traditions and perform religious ceremonies that do not contravene Russian law.ву.
Mining operations in both Khakassia and Kemerovo Oblast have resulted in the destruction of natural objects and burial grounds and religious and cultural sites that today's population of these territories believes to be a part of its cultural heritage.
Burial ground on Koybalskaya Steppe, Khakassia. Photo: Yevgeniya Pruss
The law "On Cultural Heritage Objects (Historical and Cultural Monuments) of the Peoples of the Russian Federation" establishes the state's obligation and responsibility to preserve and develop cultural and ethnic identity, protect, restore and preserve cultural-historical living environments, and protect and preserve sources of information about the origins and development of indigenous cultures in the Russian Federation. This law, however, does not provide concrete mechanisms to protect indigenous cultural and religious objects, so state and coal business interests often prevail in matters concerning the preservation of the cultural and historical values of a given people.
Right now, over 150 cultural heritage objects and hundreds of natural monuments and objects of worship are located in the business zones of the large coal mining companies operating on Koybalskaya Steppe. The majority of these – 122 – are located on licensed plots of Mayrykhsky Mine. Many of them are currently facing the threat of destruction. For example, the ancient burial mound Kotozhekovsky chaatas, a burial ground from the VI-VII centuries, is located on a plot that was transferred to Mayrykhsky Mine for exploitation. In the spring of 2020, Mayrykhsky Mine used a coal waste pile to block access to the ancient ancestral burial ground from the late 2nd millennium BCE to the early 1st millennium BCE known as the Kotozhekov-5 burial site, which is a place of worship for indigenous peoples. These archaeological monuments may disappear in the near future, since, under Russian law, archaeological digs must be conducted at the location of such a monument when the monument prevents mining; then the monument is completely removed from the land and transferred to museum collections.
In March 2020, Mayrykhsky mine blocked a road leading to an active cemetery of the aul Khyzyl-Salda and Lake Turpanye with a mound of crushed rock and earth. Local activists assumed that this was an attempt to impede independent observations of a dry coal separator that was operating without any permits. Environmentalists and local residents took photographs and video recordings at short range of black clouds of coal dust, which later served as evidence of illegal activity on the part of the mine.
Steppe in Khakassia. Photo: Yevgeniya Pruss
In 2012, a coal company in Kemerovo Oblast blew up Karagay-Lyash, the sacred mountain of the Shor people where they held rituals in the belief that the spirit of the mountain would protect the nearby Shor village. A cemetery is located in the Shor village of Kazas, which was razed by the coal companies in 2013–2014, and the Shors do not have free access to the graves of their loved ones because a checkpoint and security were installed at the entry to the former village. The situation has not changed in spite of numerous complaints to Russian and international bodies.
The destruction of traditional places of residence and farming has forced members of indigenous communities to give up farming, leave their land, and move to the city. Unlike the Shors and Khakas, the Teleuts have almost completely lost their native environment because of coal activities. The villages of Bekovo, Shanda, Razrez 14km and rural areas of the Teleuts are in a state of environmental catastrophe and the question of their survival is more relevant than ever.
Persecution of activists and defenders of indigenous rights
The few members of indigenous communities who speak out against illegal coal mining and the activists and environmentalists who support them are subjected to pressure and persecution by the government, coal companies and associated criminal structures, the police, and other security agencies. They use various methods of pressure, including criminal prosecution, attempts to discredit the activities of certain activists in the media, anonymous threats online, and other methods.
Yana Tannagasheva. Kazas. Photo: Nelli Tokmagasheva
Protest in Cheremza against the construction of a coal loading complex. Photo: Vyacheslav Krechetov
In 2016, Yana and Vladislav Tanagashev, Shor activists from Kemerovo Oblast, reported on events in Kazas through UN mechanisms. They started receiving threats from the police and the FSB immediately after this. In 2017, after Yana and Vladislav traveled to Geneva, the threats only intensified and police started following their children. Yana, Vladislav, and their children were forced to flee Russia and request asylum in an EU country in 2018.
In Khakassia, indigenous activists, environmentalists, and independent journalists face persecution for participating in demonstrations, covering the illegal activities of coal mines, and even for merely supporting the victims of the coal industry.
Read more about the violation of the rights of indigenous peoples of southern Siberia in the report.
The Tenth Story: A different life…
Alluvial gold mining is destroying the environment of the Shorians, a Siberian indigenous people
Crimes and Identity
Alluvial Gold Mining is Destroying the Life of the Indigenous Peoples of the Taiga
I Won't Have Any Life Without This Land": Violations of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Resulting from Coal Mining
UN Special Rapporteur to Review the Problem of Access to Clean Water for Indigenous Peoples of Siberia
UNindigenous peoples
The documentary "The Gold of Shoria" by Vyacheslav Krechetov was awarded at the XV International Festival of Human Right Documentary Films "Bir Duino-2021"
human rightsindigenous peoples
A2 cultural Czech biweekly: Zlato nad zlato


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Literature and the Arts >
English Literature, 19th cent.: Biographies >
Dobson, Austin (Henry Austin Dobson), 1840–1921, English poet and essayist. From 1856 to 1901 he was employed in the Board of Trade. His volumes of light verse include Vignettes in Rhyme (1873), Proverbs in Porcelain (1877), and At the Sign of the Lyre (1885). Among his studies of 18th-century England are Eighteenth Century Vignettes (3 series, 1892–96) and his biographies of Fielding (1883), Steele (1886), Goldsmith (1888), Richardson (1902), and Fanny Burney (1903).
See study by A. Dobson (1928, repr. 1970).
See more Encyclopedia articles on: English Literature, 19th cent.: Biographies

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Key facts about the gender pay gap
by Esteban Ortiz-Ospina
The 'gender pay gap' comes up often in political debates, policy reports, and everyday news. But what is it? What does it tell us? Is it different from country to country? How does it change over time?
Here we try to answer these questions, providing an empirical overview of the gender pay gap across countries and over time.
The gender pay gap measures inequality but not necessarily discrimination
The gender pay gap (or the gender wage gap) is a metric that tells us the difference in pay (or wages, or income) between women and men. It's a measure of inequality and captures a concept that is broader than the concept of equal pay for equal work.
Differences in pay between men and women capture differences along many possible dimensions, including worker education, experience and occupation. When the gender pay gap is calculated by comparing all male workers to all female workers – irrespective of differences along these additional dimensions – the result is the 'raw' or 'unadjusted' pay gap. On the contrary, when the gap is calculated after accounting for underlying differences in education, experience, etc., then the result is the 'adjusted' pay gap.
Discrimination in hiring practices can exist in the absence of pay gaps – for example, if women know they will be treated unfairly and hence choose not to participate in the labor market. Similarly, it is possible to observe large pay gaps in the absences of discrimination in hiring practices – for example, if women get fair treatment but apply for lower-paid jobs.
The implication is that observing differences in pay between men and women is neither necessary nor sufficient to prove discrimination in the workplace. Both discrimination and inequality are important. But they are not one and the same. (You can read about discrimination and 'equal pay for equal work' in our post here).
In most countries there is a substantial gender pay gap
Cross-country data on the gender pay gap is patchy, but the most complete source in terms of coverage is the United Nation's International Labour Organization (ILO). The visualization here presents this data. You can add observations by clicking on the option ' Add country ' at the bottom of the chart.
The estimates shown here correspond to differences between average hourly earnings of men and women (expressed as a percentage of average hourly earnings of men), and cover all workers irrespective of whether they work full time or part time.1
As we can see: (i) in most countries the gap is positive – women earn less than men; and (ii) there are large differences in the size of this gap across countries.
(NB. By this measure the gender wage gap can be positive or negative. If it is negative, it means that, on an hourly basis, men earn on average less than women. This happens in some countries, such as Malaysia.)
Click to open interactive version
In most countries the gender pay gap has decreased in the last couple of decades
How is the gender pay gap changing over time? To answer this question, let's consider this chart showing available estimates from the OECD. These estimates include OECD member states, as well as some other non-member countries, and they are the longest available series of cross-country data on the gender pay gap that we are aware of.
Here we see that the gap is large in most OECD countries, but it has been going down in the last couple of decades. In some cases the reduction is remarkable. In the UK, for example, the gap went down from almost 50% in 1970 to about 17% in 2016.
These estimates are not directly comparable to those from the ILO, because the pay gap is measured slightly differently here: The OECD estimates refer to percent differences in median earnings (i.e. the gap here captures differences between men and women in the middle of the earnings distribution); and they cover only full-time employees and self-employed workers (i.e. the gap here excludes disparities that arise from differences in hourly wages for part-time and full-time workers).
However, the ILO data shows similar trends for the period 2000-2015.
The conclusion is that in most countries with available data, the gender pay gap has decreased in the last couple of decades.
The gender pay gap is larger for older workers
The United States Census Bureau defines the pay gap as the ratio between median wages – that is, they measure the gap by calculating the wages of men and women at the middle of the earnings distribution, and dividing them.
By this measure, the gender wage gap is expressed as a percent (median earnings of women as share of median earnings of men) and it is always positive. Here, values below 100% mean that women earn less than men, while values above 100% mean than women earn more. Values closer to 100% reflect a lower gap.
The next chart shows available estimates of this metric for full-time workers in the US, by age group.
First, we see that the series trends upwards, meaning the gap has been shrinking in the last couple of decades. Secondly, we see that there are important differences by age.
The second point is crucial to understand the gender pay gap: the gap is a statistic that changes during the life of a worker. In most rich countries, it's small when formal education ends and employment begins, and it increases with age. As we discuss in our analysis of the determinants, the gender pay gap tends to increase when women marry and when/if they have children.
The gender pay gap is smaller in middle-income countries – which tend to be countries with low labor force participation of women
The scatter plot here shows available ILO estimates on the gender pay gap (vertical axis) vs GDP per capita (on a logarithmic scale along the horizontal axis). As we can see there is a weak positive correlation between GDP per capita and the gender pay gap. However, the chart shows that the relationship is not really linear. Actually, middle-income countries tend to have the smallest pay gap.
The fact that middle-income countries have low gender wage gaps is, to a large extent, the result of selection of women into employment. Olivetti and Petrongolo (2008) explain it as follows: "if women who are employed tend to have relatively high‐wage characteristics, low female employment rates may become consistent with low gender wage gaps simply because low‐wage women would not feature in the observed wage distribution."2
Olivetti and Petrongolo (2008) show that this pattern holds in the data: unadjusted gender wage gaps across countries tend to be negatively correlated with gender employment gaps. That is, the gender pay gaps tend to be smaller where relatively fewer women participate in the labor force.
So, rather than reflect greater equality, the lower wage gaps observed in some countries could indicate that only women with certain characteristics – for instance, with no husband or children – are entering the workforce.
Our World in Data presents the empirical evidence on global development in entries dedicated to specific topics. This blog post is closely related to a companion article where we discuss the drivers of the gender pay gap. It is also related to our articles exploring female labor force participation trends and determinants. This blog post benefitted greatly from research contributions provided by Sandra Tzvetkova.
There are some exceptions to this definition. In particular, sometimes self-employed workers, or part-time workers are excluded. You can explore these exceptions using the documentation files containing all the relevant indicator notes.
Olivetti, C., & Petrongolo, B. (2008). Unequal pay or unequal employment? A cross-country analysis of gender gaps. Journal of Labor Economics, 26(4), 621-654.
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The data produced by third parties and made available by Our World in Data is subject to the license terms from the original third-party authors. We will always indicate the original source of the data in our documentation, so you should always check the license of any such third-party data before use and redistribution.
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This page displays sold house prices for Catsash Road in Newport.
Catsash Road in Christchurch, Newport consists predominantly of detached houses. Properties on Catsash Road typically have values around £700,000 - £1,000,000, ranging upwards of £1,000,000 for larger semi-detached houses.
Map showing Catsash Road in Newport.


text:
Q: Statsmodels operands could not be broadcast together in pandas series I am currently using the Statsmodels library for forecasting. I am trying to run triple exponential smoothing with seasonality, trend, and a smoothing factor, but keep getting errors. Here is a sample pandas series with the frequency already set:
2018-01-01 25
2018-02-01 30
2018-03-01 40
2018-04-01 38
2018-05-01 33
2018-06-01 36
2018-07-01 34
2018-08-01 35
2018-09-01 37
2018-10-01 41
2018-11-01 36
2018-12-01 32
2019-01-01 31
2019-02-01 29
2019-03-01 28
2019-04-01 29
2019-05-01 30
Freq: MS, dtype:float64

Here is my code:
import pandas as pd
from statsmodels.tsa.holtwinters import ExponentialSmoothing, SimpleExpSmoothing

def triple_expo(input_data_set, output_list1):
    data = input_data_set
    model1 = ExponentialSmoothing(data, trend='add', seasonal='mul', damped=False, seasonal_periods=12, freq='M').fit(smoothing_level=0.1, smoothing_slope=0.1, smoothing_seasonal=0.1, optimized=False)
    fcast1 = model1.forecast(12)
    fcast_list1 = list(fcast1)
    output_list1.append(fcast_list1)

for product in unique_products:
    product_slice = sorted_product_df["Product"] == product
    unique_slice = sorted_product_df[product_slice]
    amount = unique_slice["Amount"].tolist()
    index = unique_slice["Date"].tolist()
    unique_series = pd.Series(amount, index)
    unique_series.index = pd.DatetimeIndex(unique_series.index, freq=pd.infer_freq(unique_series.index))
    triple_expo(unique_series, triple_out_one)

I originally did not have a frequency argument at all because I was following the example on the statsmodels website which is here: http://www.statsmodels.org/stable/examples/notebooks/generated/exponential_smoothing.html
They did not pass a frequency argument at all as they inferred it using the DateTimeIndex in pandas. When I have no frequency argument, my error is "operands could not be broadcast together with shapes <5,><12,>". I have 17 months of data and pandas recognizes it as 'Ms'. The 5 and the 12 is referring to the 17. I then pass freq='M' like I have in the code sample, and I get "The given frequency argument is incompatible with the given index". I then try setting it to everything from len(data) to len(data)-1 and always get errors. I tried the len(data)-1 because I was originally referencing this stack post: seasonal_decompose: operands could not be broadcast together with shapes on a series
In that post, he said it would work if you set the frequency to one less than the length of the data set. It does not work for me though. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
EDIT: The comment below suggested I include more than one year's worth of data and it worked when I did that.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Competition.Archi
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EGYPT ON MARS
FUTURE PHARMACY
by competition.archi
Register: FEB/20/2019, Submit: FEB/20/2019, Eligibility: Designers, architects, students, creative talents, Fee: Free, Awards: Winner: 3,000 EUR; 2,000 EUR for the purchase of the license for the exploitation of the projects which are not rewarded
Th.Kohl and Desall invite you to suggest innovative concepts for the pharmacy of the future, meant as a "retail space" dedicated to the person, his/her wellbeing and to the relationships. Th.Kohl is the Italian leader in the design and realisation of interior architecture for pharmacies. The company, born as a branch of the home – founded in Germany in 1919 – is completely independent and has offices also in France and Spain, and some agent offices in Greece and Croatia, serving over 33,000 customers. The high quality of the proposed solutions is guaranteed by the decision of managing in-house all the phases needed for their realisation, from the design to the production and installation of the furnishing elements, ensuring maximum control and highest flexibility.
For the correct realisation of your proposals, keep into consideration the following guidelines:
The aim of the contest is the research of concepts for the pharmacy of the future meant as a "retail space", where the customer/patient may find a cosy and human-centred place, for an unforgettable customer experience. The pharmacy of the future shall constitute an innovative element compared to the current pharmacies.
The concept you propose shall be designed for an area of about 170 sqm (min 120 sqm, max 300 sqm), that you may dispose of as you prefer, inserting architectural elements, walls and other elements to create the various spaces described below.
Functions / spaces
In order to create a new cosy and human centred "retail space", the pharmacy of the future shall include several areas dedicated to the customer, his/her wellness and wellbeing, with dedicated cabins (private rooms to offer services such as blood pressure measurement, beautician cabin, advisory cabin, etc.).
You may even include other spaces such as bar, bio/nutritional bar, play area for children, etc. to give maximum importance to the relationship between people and to enable the chemist and his/her team to establish a direct contact with the customers. In addition, in order to allow the chemist to dedicate the proper amount of time to the customer without interruptions, the pharmacy shall provide for sales support elements (touch screens, tablet totems or similar, useful for example to retrieve information about the products) and other advisory items for customer use, or other elements able to entertain and inform the customer, avoiding any waiting times.
The pharmacy of the future will offer free Wi-Fi to all customers and may provide for the use of technologies and systems dedicated to making this new "retail space" human-centred and cosy, with possible plays of light, colours, scents or other automated systems that may contribute to turning the customer experience in an unforgettable moment. You are also invited to suggest technological solutions to support the furnishing elements – ledwall, touch screens and tablet totems, etc. will contribute to making the pharmacy "omnichannel" – and of the other dedicated spaces.
Furnishing items and other elements: the pharmacy of the future shall include some basic elements, needed for the normal operation of the pharmacy:
a counter: it shall not constitute the focus of the pharmacy, rather it shall be considered one of the various spaces available inside the venue. The counter will be used to sell medical prescription medicines and shall allow to the chemist an easy access to the backoffice where the medicines are stored and organised. In addition, include near the counter and in some other strategic areas of the pharmacy some automated points of delivery for medicines, for exclusive use by the personnel.
access to the backoffice: you are invited to specify where the backoffice should be placed (even if the backoffice is not object of the contest). Keep into consideration that it shall allow easy use by the chemist and his/her team, near the counter;
infopoints / totems / desks: you may include some informative and entertaining elements where the customers may learn more about some aspects related to wellbeing and wellness, including ledwall, touch screens and tablet totems or other elements;
the new retail space shall include also some corners dedicated to selling nutritional supplements and other medicines that do not require medical prescription. The chemist and his/her team will move around these dedicated spaces to facilitate the relationship and the direct contact with the customer, while avoiding any unnecessary waiting times. Do not suggest catalogue furnishing items, rather propose customised and tailored solutions.
Style and materials
The researched pharmacy of the future shall have a minimal, modern style that will also be reflected in the choice of materials, with a preference for hi-tech materials (steel / crystal) or natural materials (wood, etc.) in line with the wellness and wellbeing values.
The pharmacy concept you propose will be offered to different retailers (not branded by Th.Kohl), accordingly suggest solutions/supports dedicated to the pharmacy image to give maximum visibility to the identity of the chemist and of his/her team, conveying the story, values and identity that distinguish it.
The pharmacy of the future shall be a cosy and human centred place, addressing a very wide public, as it truly represents a "retail space" aimed at the customer experience. The concept shall not be created for a specific country but may be applied to various international contexts.
Website: desall.com
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text:
Bethnal Green, London. 8 March 2007. Baul Abdul Shohid
1. kande paran tomaro lagiya
Baul Abdul Shohid
Kari Amiruddin
Baul
From Ruhul Amin to Ahmed Moyez. From Ahmed Moyez to Noman's house in Bethnal Green in East London, where many of the people I had met about a year ago in Betar Bangla radio station had also come. It was our Bethnal Green Party, a communal celebration of Bangladeshi immigrants, with friends, food and music. The session reminded me of the meetings we used to have at home—middle class and urban, with a mix of poetry, politics and music—art song, protest songs, folk music, conversation and laughter. New rituals of new communities in a new 'homeland'. Some sans papiers among them. Noman, in whose council house we were having this party, ostensibly ran a small business in printing. In 2010, when we went back to London, we could not find him however. Nor Shahan, someone who worked very closely with us on this 2007 field trip; he had apparently got embroiled in some legal case.
The Ali sisters, Amina, Afroza and another younger one were present; they are all second generation immigrants and their parents live in Kent. However, they had been sent back 'home' to have part of their education in Bangladesh. So, they are still quite directly connected with life in Bangladesh. That evening Amina sang a song from the Bangladeshi film O Amar Desher Mati. Her fiancé Sayeem read a poem—he had only just arrived from Bangladesh and was working as a journalist for an East London newspaper. Then there was Tofael, another second generation immigrant, who was more 'Londoni' than the others. He ran a translation/interpretation agency in East London. He sang an old Mukesh hit from a 1971 Bollywood film, Anand—O maine tere liye hi saat rang ki sapna chune. Interesting how widespread the influence of Bollywood is. Tofael probably would not speak Hindi, yet these Bollywood songs have crossed barriers of language and become cultural markers of a ubiquitous South Asianness. There were other talks of Bollywood at the party. Amina said how she had learned not to feel so antagonistic towards Pakistanis (referring to Bangladesh's war of independence against Pakistan in 1971) after seeing a Shah Rukh Khan film.
Recording at Bethnal Green, London
Akash, who worked in the social service sector, was another second generation immigrant, who was more into art and protest songs of Bengal, obviously nurtured in a 'cultured ,middle class' environment. He sang the new Bengali 'anthem' Ami Banglay gaan gai (I sing in Bengali), a composition of the Kolkata singer-songwriter Pratul Mukherjee, also one of my more widely known songs, Ami shunechhi sedin.
The singer showcased here is Baul Abdul Shohid, not 'middle class' like the rest of the people who had come to the party. He was a cab driver, came to London from Sylhet as a young adult in search of work. Found something to make a living from as well as a physical and spiritual community to connect with. Here he sings a composition of Kaari Amir Uddin, a composer of mystical songs, who hails from Sylhet but has now made Essex his home and has many disciples in the community, Abdul Shohid among them.
After the party was over, Shohidbhai drove us back to where we were staying in South-West London, telling us stories of his own journeys as he drove through the deserted streets of a city gone to sleep.
Kari Amir Uddin


Enterprise Information Management (EIM) is finally getting increased attention from CIO's and other business leaders. Executives see the value of a shared partnership with the business and the importance of data stewardship and data governance. The field of information management is maturing, and many organizations are making remarkable progress towards managing information as an enterprise asset.
Many organizations have begun to explore the need for an enterprise data management strategy to leverage the value of the data and information they collect, store, use and propagate. In addition, executives have started to see the increased compliance and regulatory requirements as a call for more (or better understood) data within the organization.
Each EIMInsight Magazine provides you with critical information intended to assist you with your current and future EIM projects. Regardless of the size of your project, there are several elements that remain critical to your project's success and EIMInsight Magazine is a resource to identify those elements and to provide you with real world solutions.
We invite you to join EIMInstitute, its free and it will provide you with a wealth of research now and in the future. Articles are constantly added to the archives and resource portals, so join us now!
Also, please visit our Library where you will have access to current and past columns which will provide you with insight for current and future projects. To find an article written by one of our monthly columnists go to Meet The Experts, where we provide access to each columnist's contributed EIMInsight articles.
If you have any questions or comments about the magazine or the Institute, please contact Cindy Klima at cklima@EIMInstitute.org.


He trailed off, tears welling in his eyes. Bacha, 36, is a Pashtun, the Muslim ethnic group of the mountainous northwest of Pakistan and southeast Afghanistan, and at home he is a star, with dozens of albums, slick videos and regular television appearances. In a sweet high baritone, he sings of peace, tolerance and resistance to war.
Those liberal themes have endeared him to his war-weary Pashtun fans, he says, but made him a target of the local Taliban, which has been waging an escalating campaign against music and popular culture, calling it un-Islamic.
Two months ago, Bacha escaped from his home near Peshawar, in Pakistan, and came to New York, leaving behind his wife, two young children and an extended family. If he goes back, he said, he will be killed. With a sharply reduced audience in the United States, Bacha faces an uncertain career, but on Saturday he sang at a small but lively benefit concert in New York, organized by the Pashtun immigrants who have adopted him and held at an unlikely place: the Forest Hills Jewish Center in the borough of Queens.
"Anybody who is hated by the Taliban is starting out with a check in my column," said Rabbi Gerald Skolnik, the leader of the center, a Conservative synagogue. Skolnik said that an initial phone call from one of the organizers had "raised a red flag," but that after the groups were vetted to make sure none of the money raised would go to terrorist groups, he was happy to rent the space.
In the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, the Taliban has intimidated musicians and record store proprietors; recently dozens of music shops have been bombed, reportedly by pro-Taliban militants.
The soft-spoken Bacha, who has striking green eyes and short brown curls, is a slightly unusual figure as a Pashtun star; he has a university education and, unlike most Pashtun singers, he does not come from a family of musicians. He said he saw his role as helping to lead a broad cultural resistance to Islamic fundamentalism.
Before the concert, held in the Jewish Center's mirror-lined basement ballroom, Bacha led evening prayers, facing Mecca in the small lobby. And once the audience of 300 or so had taken its seats – the event was far from sold out – Bacha began performing, accompanied by two musicians and pumping a harmonium as he sang.
In the first songs of the night he declared his love for the Pashtuns' land and traditional lifestyle. But soon his lyrics, which are drawn from old and new Pashto poetry, turned to topical struggles. "This is not my gun/This is not our war," he sang, "They are bringing it to us." The small crowd roared and clapped along, as men danced and threw money on the stage, in a sign of praise and approval.
There is a historical precedent for the Taliban's cultural clampdown. After taking power in Afghanistan in the 1990s, it banned public performances of most forms of music – some religious chants were permitted – and symbolically hanged musical instruments in effigy. Many musicians went into exile in Pakistan, but since the American invasion of Afghanistan and establishment of a new government there, most have returned, said John Baily, an ethnomusicologist and Afghanistan specialist at Goldsmiths, University of London.
thats nice post. i really enjoyed it. was looking for information. thanks for posting.
wow! really nice post, i enjoyed it. great. keep posting, i always search stuff like that. thanks for such nice informative post. i am going to save this post url with me. i will visit again.


According to a new report North America Luxury Apparels Market, published by KBV Research, the North America Luxury Apparels Market is expected to register a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period (2017-2023).
The Offline market dominated the North America Luxury Apparel Market by Mode of Sale in 2016, and would continue to be a dominant market till 2023. The Online market is expected to witness a CAGR of 5.8% during (2017-2023).
The US market dominated the North America Women Luxury Apparel Market by Country in 2016, and would continue to be a dominant market till 2023; growing at a CAGR of 4.8 % during the forecast period. The Canada market is expected to witness a CAGR of 7.9% during (2017-2023). Additionally, The Mexico market is expected to witness a CAGR of 7% during (2017-2023).
The Cotton market dominated the Mexico Luxury Apparel Market by Material in 2016, and would continue to be a dominant market till 2023; growing at a CAGR of 6.4 % during the forecast period. The Silk market would attain a market value of $396.5 million by 2023. Additionally, The Leather market is expected to witness highest CAGR of 7.3% during (2017-2023).
The report has exhaustive quantitative insights providing a clear picture of the market potential in various segments across the countries in the region. The key influencing factors of the North America Luxury Apparels have been discussed in the report along with the elaborated company profiles of Ralph Lauren Corporation, LVMH, Burberry Group Plc, PVH (TOMMY HILFIGER USA INC.), Nike, Inc., Giorgio Armani S.P.A, Hermes International, Inc., Michael Kors Holdings Limited, Kering (Gucci), and Hugo Boss AG.


	Rumors for close to two years about an Apple tablet device.
	Little tidbits, like filings for obvious Apple-style names like iTablet, left sitting for reporters to pick up, but with no direct trace back to Apple, which increased curiosity and coverage.
	Rumors about which content companies were partnering with Apple started to arise, and such rumors are often a result of Apple's own planting.
	The press started finding details about a meeting location Apple had set up that sounded in line with a product announcement.
	Finally the announcement came to a packed house, with an amazing amount of coverage and hype.
Apple has struggled to keep the device in stock since it was released in April. Though production of the tablet device seems to have caught up to orders, with shipping times of "Within 24hrs" for all six models of the tablet device, holiday demand could easily outpace supply. Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner predicts Apple will sell as many as 6.5 million iPads from October to December.
•	Limited stock was provided to retailers in order to create more 'out of stock' Promos.


A terrific suggestion is to have employees talk with co-workers who've taken leave before. HR can give the technical aspects, but a parent who's actually put the company's policies into practice may offer employees unique insights.
Expectant parents and those waiting to adopt can often bank on their sick leave and vacation time to prepare for the new baby. Employer policies regarding this use of paid leave vary. New mothers should be able to use sick time for the final weeks of pregnancy and the days after giving birth because they may be physically incapable of working. Some firms are flexible in the use of sick leave, allowing it throughout the first months of the baby's life and after adoption. Vacation time is easier to access.
The Family Medical Leave Act requires some employers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for employees with serious health conditions or those welcoming a new child through birth or adoption. Workers don't have to worry about losing their job because of time away.
Finally, although parental leave is traditionally thought of as something for mothers, fathers may want to use vacation time and sick leave right after the child's birth — or even short-term disability, especially if caring for a spouse or a partner's recovery. The FMLA applies to men and women. In addition, if you offer maternity benefits to women above and beyond what the FMLA requires, you will likely have to offer equivalent paternity benefits as well. Also note that many employers allow leave for new adoptions too, and this may make sense for your business.


BLURB: In a not too distant future, people are split into either Citizens with rights or VOIDs with nothing. Forced to live in the former port, the VOIDs have adapted to the floods; the brutal nature of life outside of society however, is not so easy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eli Allison tells people at parties that she's a writer, but she mostly spends the day in her knickers swearing at the laptop. She has never written anything of any fame except for a jarringly bad poem which was read out loud at her secondary school assembly (the highlight of everyone else's school year, predictably not her own). She gave up poetry and switched to the hard stuff soon after. Writing stories about crushed dreams and balding men looking for love that you could buy by the hour. Those were her happier ones. She ping-ponged between one depressing job after another until her husband said, 'take a year and write your book'. Years later the book is done…There is a sneaking suspicion he would have kept quiet had he known quite how long it would have taken her.
This is a dystopian world and I have been a huge fan of this style. This went well beyond my expectations and was amazing to see just where the author was going with the story.
This brought a breath of fresh air to the stagnant pond that has emerged is dystopian fiction. I was so pleased with this as have found to many lackluster attempts.
You have rekindled my love of this genre.


text:
package net.yck.wkrdb.common.util;

import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.FileInputStream;
import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.nio.charset.Charset;
import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
import java.util.zip.GZIPInputStream;

import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;

import com.google.common.base.Preconditions;

public final class FileIO {

  private static String SUFFIX_GZIPPED = ".gz";

  public final static BufferedReader getBufferedReader(String file, Charset charset)
      throws FileNotFoundException, IOException {
    Preconditions.checkArgument(!StringUtils.isEmpty(file));
    InputStream fis = uncompressed(new FileInputStream(file), file);
    return new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(fis, charset));
  }

  public final static BufferedReader getBufferedReader(String file) throws FileNotFoundException, IOException {
    return getBufferedReader(file, StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
  }

  final static InputStream uncompressed(InputStream raw, String file) throws IOException {
    if (file.toLowerCase().endsWith(SUFFIX_GZIPPED)) {
      return new GZIPInputStream(raw);
    }
    return raw;
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Visit to the Bee Happy Vintage Market….
This Saturday was the Bee Happy Vintage Market in the Biltmore Village, located in Asheville, NC and the weather could not have been better with sunny blue skies. Mr. BRV and I decided to make a day of junkin and a stop off at the Bee Happy Vintage Market. This was a wonderful little market with about 25 vendors from many different areas such as Tennessee, South Carolina, and right at home here in North Carolina.
The host of the market was Bee Happy Wares & Whimsies and they had a very inviting booth with a little bit of everything for everyone. The vanity on right when you walk in just made me stop in my tracks…..it was a beauty. There were also aprons, pillows, and many other goodies to choose from. Lovin the burlap.


At Birth Power, we are like you. We know that every dollar earned is hard fought for.
We understand that when you spend it, you do so only if you are confident that you're going to get value for your hard earned money. That is why, if you are not 100% happy with your purchase you can return it within 30 days for a full refund (less delivery), a store credit or exchange, meaning you can buy risk free.
Our hassle-free 100% Satisfaction Guarantee is designed to give you peace of mind. If you aren't happy with your purchase, you can return it within 30 days and we will happily refund the purchase price (sorry any delivery charges are not refundable).
Log into your account, select the item or items you wish to return and select "Return Products" Follow the onscreen instructions to action your return.
Original delivery fees are refunded only if returns are for defective products or we have made an error with your order. You are responsible for shipping the products back to us.
We recommend using a trackable shipping method for all returns as we take no responsibility for items that are lost.
Items must be unopened, unused, with tags and still in original condition and packaging.
If you wish to exchange an item you will be charged the applicable delivery cost to ship the new item and required to pay any difference in price before dispatch.
We are committed to making sure our customers are completely statisfied. If you have any concerns please contact us.
Once we receive your returned item and it meets our requirements listed above, we will notify you via email. You can then select either a store credit, exchange or refund.
To prevent fraud when offering a refund, credit card refunds are only refunded to the card that was used to place the orginal order. For all other payment methods a cheque will be sent to the delivery address given when order was first placed - No Exceptions! This may take up to 10 working days.
If your order arrives to you with obvious shipping damage, please refuse the delivery. If you have accepted delivery and then find shipping damage, please notify us immediately and we will advise the next step of action. Please save all damaged items including packaging so that we can process a claim with the carrier involved. If you dispose of packaging material or attempt to return the merchandise without contacting us first, you jeopardise our chances of making a claim, and you may not receive credit for the damaged items.


If you've not heard of Love Beauty And Planet, I'll bring you up to speed.
Love Beauty And Planet is household giant Unilever's first personal care launch in twenty years; created by a group of people who believe that looking good, and doing good should go hand-in-hand. Unilever is a well-known Global brand with a portfolio of 400 brands from Bovril to Brylcream and many more big names used by 2.5 billion people every day.
Currently, Unilever claims only 26 of those are sustainable living brands but with more than half of discerning consumers choosing to buy sustainably and one third already doing so, demand for conscious beauty and personal care products is definitely there.
In 2010 Unilever created its sustainable living plan (USLP) with a vision of "building a business the world could be proud of". USLP has become the foundation on which trust is built across every aspect of its value chain. To find out more, Read Unilever's latest report. Determined to continue reducing its carbon footprint Unilever quantifies its CO2 emissions through every step of production and goals are set to reduce the footprint. A self-imposed carbon tax ensures that overstepping the goal means money will support third-party programs which help reduce landfill waste and overall carbon emissions. Let's hope Unilever's goal of becoming carbon positive by 2030 is realised.
Born out of the growing demand for conscious beauty, Love Beauty And Planet use ethically sourced, organic ingredients including French heirloom lavender and Bulgarian rose as the basis for its fragrances. The bottles are made from 100% recycled plastics and are 100% recyclable. (The lids and pumps are not currently recyclable), but rest assured, the team at LBAP are working on it. Committing to move all caps and pumps to use at least 50% recycled plastics going forward.
The package labels can be easily removed so remember to do so before tossing them in your recycling bin. Easy peel labels are just one of the "small acts of love" the brand prides itself on, making recycling faff free for us time-poor folk.
With the belief in the power of "small actions" Love Beauty And Planet is supporting the mission and vision of young environmental activists, enabling them to keep working on their goals towards the planet.
Early in January this year, I very gratefully received a bag full of personal-care products from Love Beauty And Planet, ranging from Coconut Oil & Ylang Ylang shower gel, hair and body care, plus, a Rapid Reset sheet mask. I've given them all a good try over the last four weeks and so I'm here to share my thoughts today.
Aside from the gorgeous, natural scent, the one thing that struck me is the gel-like consistency of not only this particular product but the entire LBAP range. This is a little different from your average shower product and definitely a different experience for me. Infused with organic virgin coconut oil to nourish and renew the skin, leaving a lingering scent to the skin for all-day freshness. Love Beauty And Planet incorporate some natural, (but, not certified) ingredients into their product range; however, the ingredient list does include Sodium Laureth Sulphate which is an artificial foaming agent (surfactant) and would explain why there's certainly no lack of lather. I imagine as the brand continues to develop there may be a suitable alternative found along the way.
LBAP say: Indulge your senses with a burst of ylang ylang freshness. Adored by perfumers for its lively, solar tones.
After blow-drying my hair, it feels soft and manageable and a definite improvement over time. For the first few shampoos, my hair felt a little on the lank side. However, after using the products for a longer period, my hair has adjusted and now there's no heaviness, just plenty of movement.
"You know what it's like when you try new hair care products, they don't always agree straight off the bat, but with continued use, things improve, I find".
I'm always a bit iffy when it comes to conditioner as I really need to feel it softening my wet hair, otherwise trying to get the comb through it is hopeless. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised at just how effective this conditioner is in cutting through the tangles.
Now, here's the best bit… When I read "fast-rinse conditioner technology," my eyes lit up! The secret is – the formula allows the conditioner to break down into smaller molecules which means it rinses clean away in much less time. What a breakthrough! Anything that saves water and cuts down on the laborious task of rinsing conditioner is a win-win.
Innovative Love Beauty And Planet have replaced the need for silicones in their products by using coconut oil instead. I was intrigued by this and keen to see the difference. As a general rule, products void of silicone/s lack the ability to smooth the hair and in some cases can leave you with straw-like locks. Not with this one! I apply the conditioner and gently work it through my wet hair. After allowing it to remain for a couple of minutes, I'll gently comb it through to the ends before rinsing. This works well for me and I've had no problems with knots and tangles.
In terms of faster rinsing – well, I found the majority of the conditioner does indeed rinse away quite quickly but I still needed to keep going until I could really feel it's all been removed. I do have very long hair so results will vary. I'm about to repurchase some Love Beauty And Planet hair products, so that speaks for itself.
As with all of the products I've been trying, the body Hydro Gel has the same consistency. I found it enjoyable to use and absorbs fairly quickly into the skin. It's an unusual product, and although I didn't feel lasting hydration after application it's easy to use leaving the skin with a subtle, natural scent. There's no residual tackiness once it's absorbed, so you'll not have trouble pulling on your skinny jeans afterwards!
I'm late to sheet mask party, but after finally jumping on the bandwagon late last year they've become my favourite way of bringing much-needed hydration to my dry skin. The mask is generously loaded with product and infused with purifying Tea Tree Oil to rid the skin of toxins, whilst vetiver delivers an earthy, yet citrusy scent. Apply the mask to clean skin and allow to stay in place for 10-20 minutes. Pat any remaining product into the skin.
Love Beauty And Planet products are cruelty-free, vegan-friendly and reasonably priced. Look out for it in Tesco, Ocado, Boots and Superdrug .
Are you already making conscious choices when it comes to personal care? I'd love to know your thoughts.
Image use: All content and imagery is the property of The Beauty Spyglass. If you would like to use any of the images, please email samantha@thebeautyspyglass with your request detail.
Next Post Is Luxury Skincare Really Worth Paying For?
These sound so nice! I love sound of the fast rinse conditioner.
Oh wow Love Beauty & Planet is definitely a brand I feel I can get behind after this description- thank you for introducing me to it! I've been really trying to find and use more planet friendly everything really so I'll definitely be searching for some of these bits- especially if you can just pick them up at Tesco- how handy! The hair products sound particularly good!


text:
title: PR Review checklist and pull request workflow
description: Discusses the quality criteria used during pull request review.
author: jasongroce
ms.author: jasgro
manager: jillfra
ms.date: 09/20/2017
ms.topic: contributor-guide
ms.prod: n.a
ms.service: n.a
ms.technology: n.a
---

# Pull request checklist and workflow
These criteria are for contributors to documentation on [docs.microsoft.com](http://docs.microsoft.com). These validation criteria will be applied to **all** pull requests coming from non-CX contributors and are assessed by the PR Review Team (PRRT).

## Affected repos
Currently, only pull requests from non-CX contributors to the following repos are reviewed by the PR Review team:
* UWP conceptual ([windows-uwp](https://cpubwin.visualstudio.com/DefaultCollection/windows-uwp/_git/windows-uwp))
* WinRT API ([winrt-api](https://cpubwin.visualstudio.com/DefaultCollection/windows-uwp/_git/winrt-api))
* WinRT API-related ([winrt-related](https://cpubwin.visualstudio.com/DefaultCollection/windows-uwp/_git/winrt-related))

> [!NOTE]
> PRs submitted through the public GitHub repos are also assessed using this checklist; see [GitHub workflow](#pull-request-workflow-github) below.

## Content quality criteria
The updates in the pull request must comply with the following criteria to be merged. In the case of any failure, the PR Review team will follow up with the opener and invite them to resubmit after addressing the violation(s).

| Category |Requirement |Followup |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Repo integrity |MSFT internal contributors must use the VSTS Git repo if available. Only public contributors should use the GitHub public repos. |PR Review closes PR. |
| Repo integrity |The PR must be opened against appropriate branches (not the live branch, for example). |PR Review closes PR. |
| Repo integrity |The PR must not contain any merge conflicts. |PR Review closes PR. |
| Repo integrity |The PR must not contain large swaths of changes and deletions that appear unintentional (i.e., are not called out by the PR comment) or files that are not associated with topics (such as configuration files). |PR Review closes PR. |
| Repo integrity |Any deleted topics must be redirected to appropriate new targets. |PR Review routes to CX owner. |
| Naming |New files or folders must follow established [naming conventions](../seo/file-naming-rules.md). |PR Review asks opener to update. |
| Metadata |Metadata section must be in the correct YAML format and contain all [required metadata](../seo/adding-metadata.md). |PR Review asks opener to update. |
| Metadata |The ms.date value must not be set more than five days in the future. |PR Review asks opener to update. |
| Content |The topic is a technical document and must not contain marketing content. |PR Review asks opener to update. |
| Content |Content must not contain any bylines. |PR Review asks opener to update. |
| Content |The topic must contain one and only one H1 heading. |PR Review asks opener to update. |
| Content |The topic must contain sufficient content to stand on its own. |PR Review asks opener to update. |
| Content |The PR must not override existing styles or design without prior approval. |PR Review routes to CX owner. |
| Content |Broken links must not be introduced. If a topic is being deleted, all crosslinks to that topic must be deleted. |PR Review asks opener to update. |
| Site functionality |The topic must rely on the autogenerated right-hand nav; no hand-generated on-page navigational elements are allowed. |PR Review asks owner to update. |
| Site functionality |When a new topic is added, the TOC must be updated at the same time. |PR Review routes to CX owner. |
| Markdown |Block-level HTML and HTML tables must be limited: use them only when necessary and with prior CX owner approval. |PR Review routes to CX owner. |
| Markdown |Markdown extensions must be used where appropriate and available. (For example, notes are coded using the [!NOTE] extension, not as plain text). |PR Review asks opener to update. |
| SEO |The H1 title must contain sufficient information to describe the content of the topic, to differentiate it from other topics, and to map to likely customer keywords. |PR Review asks opener to update. |
| Images |Images must have clear resolution, be free of misspelled words, and contain no private information. |PR Review asks opener to update. |
| Images |The opener must be able to affirm (and if necessary, provide documentation) that any new images are available for Microsoft use. |PR Review asks opener to update. |
| Localizability |Links to pages that do not require a locale code to render are coded as locale-agnostic (that is, do not contain "/en-us/" in the URL). |PR Review asks opener to update. |

## Pull request workflow (VSTS)
The PR Review team will review **all** pull requests coming from outside of WDG CX.

> [!NOTE]
> WDG CX writers are not required to go through the PR Review team, but they are expected to adhere to the content-health criteria above.
> The pull request quality criteria are not designed to take the place of an edit pass. Writers can continue to request editing at [aka.ms/edit-developer](http://aka.ms/edit-developer).

1. The pull request is initiated; the PR Review team reviews according to the criteria above. If necessary, PR Review works with the opener to make any necessary updates. (**Note:** The PR Review team currently seeks to do its initial assessment of each PR within *one business day* of opening; this may be adjusted based on volume.)
2. If the pull request is approved, the PR Review team determines if the change is sufficient to require CX owner review.
3. The PR Reviewer tags the CX owner(s) in the pull request and adds their approval in the description. If CX owner review is not needed, the editor merges the change.
4. The CX owner reviews the pull request and works directly with the opener as needed.
5. Once the CX owner has signed off, they approve and the pull request is merged automatically.

## Pull request workflow (GitHub)
The PR Review team will review all pull requests coming in through any public GitHub repos. Pull requests must adhere to the above criteria, but where possible the PR Review team will work with the CX owner to address the issues wherever possible.


text:
var pname='App_Deployer';
var nconf = require('nconf');
nconf.argv().env().file({ file: './config.json'});
var redis_host=nconf.get('REDIS_HOST');
var redis = require("redis"),
client = redis.createClient(6379,redis_host);

    // if you'd like to select database 3, instead of 0 (default), call
    // client.select(3, function() { /* ... */ });

    client.on("error", function (err) {
        console.log(pname+": Redis Error " + err);
    });

var mtopology = require('./models/topologymodel');
var mpool = require('./models/poolmodel');
var minstance = require('./models/instancemodel');
var mbuildstream = require('./models/buildstreammodel');
var mbuild = require('./models/buildmodel');
process.env['JAVA_HOME'] = '/root/ibm-java-x86_64-60/jre';
//process.env['JAVA_HOME'] = '/usr/java/jre1.7.0_60';
var api_password;
//setup properties file
var fs = require('fs');

var mprovider = require('./models/providermodel');
var https = require('https');
var request_json= require('request-json');
var topologyPort = nconf.get('PORT');
var options = {
  rejectUnauthorized: false,
  headers: {cookie:''}
};
var json_client = request_json.newClient('https://localhost:' + topologyPort, options);
console.log(pname+': App Deployer process is running! ');

var pool_provider;

var process_template,process_template_obj, process_template_updated;
var build_id;
var pool_id=0;

var user=require('./routes/user');

process.on('message', function(m) {
    console.log('step4:APP Deployer got message:');
    if(m.pool_id!=undefined){
      pool_id=m.pool_id;
      pname+='_for_pool_'+ pool_id;
      pname='[ '+pname+' ] ';
      console.log(pname+'pool_id:', pool_id);
      mpool.findById(pool_id ,function(err, pool){
        mpool.findById(pool.parentPool ,function(err, parentpool){
          mprovider.findById(parentpool.topologyRef.providerRef ,function(err, provider){
            pool_provider=provider;
            //console.log(pname+'pool_provider:', JSON.stringify(pool_provider));
          });
        }).populate('topologyRef');
      });
    }
    if(m.password!=undefined){
      api_password=m.password;
    }

});

var timer;
var timeoutcb= function(){

  if (pool_id==0 || pool_provider==undefined) {
  timer=setTimeout(timeoutcb, 2000);
  return;
  }
  console.log(pname+': deployer process is creating instance');

  console.log(pname+'get a new request:');
  client.rpoplpush(pool_id+'-app-request',pool_id+'-app-processing', function (err, request){
    if (err) {
      timer=setTimeout(timeoutcb, 60000);
      return console.error(err);
    }
    if (request==null){
      console.log("request queue is empty");
      timer=setTimeout(timeoutcb, 300000);
      return ;
    }
    console.log(pname+'request:');
    console.log(request);
    var request_obj=JSON.parse(request);
    console.log('pool id:' + request_obj.pool_id);
    mpool.findById(request_obj.pool_id ,function(err, pool){
      if (err) {
      timer=setTimeout(timeoutcb, 60000);
      return console.error(err);
      }

        console.log(pname+': pool to be checked:')
        console.log(pool)
        console.log('pool name:'+pool.name);
        console.log('parent pool:'+pool.parentPool);
        console.log('sttached stream:'+pool.attachedStream);

        mpool.findById(pool.parentPool, function(err, parent) {
          if(!parent){
            console.log('error: can not find parent pool!');
            timer=setTimeout(timeoutcb, 2000);
            return;
          }
          try{
                process_template=parent.topologyRef.appProcessTemplate;
                console.log(process_template);
                process_template_obj=JSON.parse(process_template);
          } catch (err){
                console.log(err);
                console.log('please check process template of pool:'+parent.name);
                console.log('process template:');
                console.log(process_template);
                timer=setTimeout(timeoutcb, 60000);
                return console.error(err);
          }
          console.log('lookup buildstream:'+pool.attachedStream);
          mbuild.find({buildStream:pool.attachedStream}, function( err, builds){
            if(err){
                  console.log('error get builds for build stream:'+pool.attachedStream);
                  timer=setTimeout(timeoutcb, 60000);
                  return;
            }
            console.log('builds available:'+builds);
            var latest_recommend='';
            builds.forEach(function(build){
              if(build.isRecommended && build.BUILDID>latest_recommend)
                   latest_recommend=build.BUILDID;
            });//forEach()
            console.log('latest recommended build:'+latest_recommend);
            if(latest_recommend==undefined){
                  console.log('latest recommended undefined, returning!');
                  timer=setTimeout(timeoutcb, 60000);
                  return;
            }
            json_client.setBasicAuth('apiuser@ibm.com', api_password);
            console.log('api user password:'+api_password);

            json_client.get('/api/v1/topology/pools/' + parent._id+'/instances', function(err, res, body) {
              var found=false;
              body.forEach(function(instance){
              if(!found && !instance.checkedout){
                var today = Date.now();
                found=true;
                instance.checkedout=true;
                instance.type='app';
                instance.buildid=latest_recommend;
                instance.checkoutUser='APP Pooler';
                instance.checkoutDate=today;
                instance.checkoutComment='reserved for app pool';
                instance.apppoolRef=pool._id;
                json_client.put('/api/v1/topology/pools/' + parent._id+'/instances/'+instance._id,instance, function(err, res, body) {
                if (res.statusCode!=200) {
                  console.log('checkout from parent pool failed!');
                  timer=setTimeout(timeoutcb, 60000);
                  return;
                }
                pool.available++;
                pool.save();
                client.lrem(pool_id+'-app-processing',1, request , function (err){
                  if (err) {
                  timer=setTimeout(timeoutcb, 60000);
                  return console.error(err);
                  }
                });
                process_template_obj.environment=instance.name;
                if(process_template_obj.versions!=undefined)
                  process_template_obj.versions[0].version=latest_recommend;
                //process_template_obj["post-deploy-put-url"]='http://liuzc-rh.rtp.raleigh.ibm.com:3001/api/v1/topology/pools/'+pool._id+'/instances/'+instance._id;
                process_template_updated=JSON.stringify(process_template_obj);
                var dir='/tmp/pool-'+pool._id;
                if(!fs.existsSync(dir))
                  fs.mkdirSync(dir );
                var stream=fs.createWriteStream(dir+'/'+instance.name+ '.json');
                   stream.end(process_template_updated, function(){
                     console.log(pname +'::fork background process for instance : '+instance.name);
                   });
                   var exec = require('child_process').exec, child;
                   child = exec('/root/requestProcess.py -v --udclient /root/udclient/udclient --weburl ' + pool_provider.UCD_webURL +
                   ' --authtoken ' + pool_provider.UCD_authtoken +' '+ dir +'/'+instance.name+ '.json',
                      function (error, stdout, stderr) {
                        console.log(pname +' instance creation callback:');
                        console.log('stdout: ' + stdout);
                        console.log('stderr: ' + stderr);
                        var bracket_index=stdout.indexOf('{');
                        var json_string=stdout.substring(bracket_index);
                        var request_json=JSON.parse(json_string);

                        minstance.findById(instance._id, function(err, instance_to_be_updated){
                          instance_to_be_updated.apprequestId=request_json.requestId;
                          instance_to_be_updated.save();
                        })//findById

                      });//child=exec
                timer=setTimeout(timeoutcb, 60000);
                });//jsonclient.put

            }//if(!found && !instance.checkedout)
          });//forEach
          if(!found){
            console.log('no available instance found in parent pool!');
            timer=setTimeout(timeoutcb, 2000);
            return;
          }
          });//json_client.get(
          });//mbuild.find
        }).populate('topologyRef');//mpool.findById(pool.parentPool

    });//mpool.find
});//client.rpoplpush
}//var timeoutcb=function

timer=setTimeout(timeoutcb, 60000); //every 60 seconds


A Doncaster Council business grant scheme has helped over 29 businesses by providing support for new and existing businesses to grow.
Run by Business Doncaster and now approaching its fourth anniversary, the scheme works by offering incentives to businesses looking to grow or move into the area. In return, the council benefits from increased economic investment, the creation of jobs and the increased business rates income brought in by successful business growth. Since its birth in 2015, the scheme has helped to create more than 800 new jobs in Doncaster. Doncaster Council has awarded £1.5 million worth of grants ranging from £12.2k to £283k to businesses who have invested significantly in Doncaster, but will see a return of over £5 million in new business rates.
Companies based across the whole borough have benefitted from the awards which have been used for a range of different projects from attracting new inward investors, creating and safeguarding jobs, regenerating parts of the town centre and supporting local companies to invest in new premises, plant and equipment.
To find out more about how Business Doncaster can support your business visit www.wearedoncaster.co.uk or call 01302 735555.


text:
Q: Time localized wrongly in Python Using python Im trying to localize a datetime value to timezone "America/Chicago" which is -06:00 currently.
I get the timezone the following way:
>>> import pytz
>>> tz = pytz.timezone("America/Chicago")
<DstTzInfo 'America/Chicago' CST-1 day, 18:00:00 STD>

when I localize a date:
>>> my_date = tz.localize(datetime.now())
datetime.datetime(2016, 9, 24, 17, 4, 43, 439824, tzinfo=<DstTzInfo 'America/Chicago' CDT-1 day, 19:00:00 DST>)

Notice it is the wrong timezone after localize:
<DstTzInfo 'America/Chicago' CDT-1 day, 19:00:00 DST>

And later when i ask for the offset, you can see it is confirmed it has the wrong offset:
>>> my_date.strftime("%z")
'-0500'

Exactly the same happend if I use astimezone instead:
>>>my_date
datetime.datetime(2016, 9, 24, 22, 15, 1, 620364, tzinfo=<UTC>)

>>>my_date.astimezone(tz)
datetime.datetime(2016, 9, 24, 17, 15, 1, 620364, tzinfo=<DstTzInfo 'America/Chicago' CDT-1 day, 19:00:00 DST>)

A: Btw Chicago is observing DST now. So -05.00 is the right offset. Pytz timezone by default has the standard time, but when localized can account for day light saving based on the date(as in your case).


The sport of rock climbing is quickly gaining popularity as an exciting and unique way to keep fit and have fun.
The Queen's Climbing Club provides climbing equipment, offers professional instruction and plans trips locally and across North America.
Toby Stier, ArtSci '06, is president of the Queen's Climbing Club, and has participated with the club for three years.
Stier said climbing is safe and tests your courage and perseverance. He also climbs because it's just plain fun.
"We're big kids who never grew out of climbing trees," he said. "Hanging out with friends in the Boiler Room and the Brew Pub is a big part of it, as are our hilarious road trips, campfires and parties.
"It's never how hard you climb that matters but how much fun you have," he said.
Rob Chisnall is the head instructor for the club, and a Queen's alumnus who was a founding member of the QCC 25 years ago. Stier says Chisnall is still one of the club's greatest supporters, donating hours of his time as a professional climbing instructor.
No previous climbing experience is necessary to become part of the QCC, Stier said.
Goal: To make climbing accessible to students at Queen's by providing professional instruction and opportunities to go on trips.


Syracuse, NY (November 3, 2011) The Near East Foundation (NEF) is making progress in its efforts to help break the cycle of unemployment and poverty in rural Armenian communities—where one in four people is without a job—by supporting entrepreneurs and new business creation.
Strong micro-enterprise growth continues throughout rural Armenia, where NEF and its partners have helped 35 businesses bring economic development to their struggling communities.
Two areas of focus, where the rural areas have a competitive advantage, are the dried fruit and fish farming industries.
The Rural Armenia Ministry of Finance recently approved project participant Vahan Safaryan, the owner of a fish farming business, to develop and build new basins that will allow him to grow production and fulfill expanding market demand.
With the developments made possible through this project, Vahan has become the biggest supplier of fresh fish for shops and restaurants in the Gegharkunik region. In turn he has extended his growth to others by supporting fellow Armenian fish farmers.
Construction of a new dried fruit production facility has finished in the Ptghavan village of the Tavush region, where franchisee and project participant Andranik Veranyan entered into an agreement with the Regional Employment Center of Tavush.
In August 2011, he produced his first batch, 5,000 kilograms of dried peaches, using fresh peaches purchased from community farmers. During this process, Andranik developed key technological insights that will enable him to solve minor manufacturing glitches before the next production phase and help inform other fruit processors. He is planning to install a new compartmentalized drying system, which will enable processing when there is less sunlight. Andranik's business has now grown to fifteen employees—all of whom he has personally trained.
The managers of Armenia's "STAR" and "Fresh" supermarkets rated his product quality as excellent, which surpassed expectations of the producer and resellers. A preliminary agreement has been signed between them to buy Andranik's entire crop of dried peaches for the month of November.
To learn more about how NEF-sponsored business development is changing lives in rural Armenia, find project resources, detailed progress reports, and photos onwww.ruralarmenia.com.