Democratic development of Georgia is largely contingent upon effective performance of civil society organizations. A civil society organization represents a voluntary, self-organized, independent union, with the primary mission to create public good. CSOs, as development actors, participate in democratic decision-making processes. They contribute to implementation of positive, result-oriented social changes, which are aimed at eradication of poverty, inequality and marginalization in the country.
The present declaration embraces basic principles of those civil society organizations, which seek to increase contribution of CSOs to further development and full integration of the country into the European family. The declaration has been developed through extensive participation and by mutual agreement of civil society organizations; the document is based upon the Georgian legislation, internationally acknowledged standards, including the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the Istanbul principles for CSO Development Effectiveness. Declaration of basic principles is the output of common experience, gained by thousands of CSOs over decades of performance. Accordingly, the declaration fully relies on the previous experience. It incorporates the basic principles of the Code of Ethics, developed for CSOs in 2005 and the final results of the CSO National Consultation held in Bakuriani in 2010.
Declaration of key principles for civil society organizations is an important step taken towards self-regulation of civil society in Georgia. It envisages working out of specific mechanisms to ensure better compliance with each principle in future, as well as its effective implementation in organizational activities. A similar practice does already exist in Georgian reality. In 2016 Civil Society Organizations introduced a new mechanism, which is based on the principles of transparency and accountability.
With a view to developing the given declaration, a working group has been set up, bringing together various concerned organizations. Employment of a participatory process was one of the main tasks which the working group put on its agenda. To provide for extensive participatory process, working meetings were organized in November-December 2016 in Tbilisi and regional centers (Gori, Kutaisi, Batumi, Zugdidi, Ozurgeti, Akhaltsikhe, Marneuli, Telavi) with participation of local community organizations. The meetings entailed discussion of preliminary draft of the declaration. Overall, more than 200 CSOs took part in the discussions. Their comments and initiatives were reflected in the declaration. The final version, which aimed to harmonize opinions of all interested parties, was submitted to the civil society representatives for signature in March 2017.
A civil society organization promotes individual and collective human rights, including right to life, freedom, education, development, dignity, decent work, social justice and equality among human beings.
A civil society organization strives for establishment of democracy, fair state, rule of law, accountable and transparent governance and self-governance.
A civil society organization supports equality, fights against discrimination, endorses principles of equal treatment and thus ensures that all marginalized and vulnerable groups are able to realize their individual and shared rights. There are equal opportunities for all people, helping them to turn into full-fledged actors in development processes.
With economic, social and ecological interests of the public in mind, CSOs contribute to human well-being, better quality of life and care for future generations. Being important actors of development, they help the government to build public welfare, including access to education and health care for each individual.
A civil society organization represents needs and requirements of different interest groups and layers of the society. It supports capacity building and full engagement of citizens in the democratic process.
A civil society organization takes care of raising awareness and sharing experience, improving methods of learning; it collects and summarizes information on the activities and achievements made by different actors in the field of development with the aim of presenting new approaches and models to the general public.
A civil society organization focuses on impelentation of systemic changes; it facilitates achievement of sustainable, long-term, positive results to secure present and future generations with solid legacy.
A civil society organization shows courage and is intolerant of any form of violence and discrimination. It promotes civic responsibility and volunteerism in the public.
A civil society organization acknowledges its accountability towards its founders, members, supporters, stakeholders, donors and the general public. Information about the mission, members, activities and funding of the CSO is available in an easily understandable form. In its relations with stakeholders, CSO engages in open and clear communication, avoiding all forms of anonymity.
A civil society organization promotes an atmosphere of cooperation and joint efforts within the sector in order to achieve sustainable positive results and significant changes for the society. The cooperation is equal and voluntary, based on shared goals and values, mutual respect, trust, organizational autonomy, long-term partnership and solidarity. Competition among public organizations is sound and based on mutual respect.
A civil society organization recognizes the diversity of thinking, discrepancies existing among organizations and their goals; it is open to new and different ideas, views and opinions. It introduces innovative approaches and methods that are important for achievement of common objectives.
A civil society organization is independent in its activities. It defines goals, takes decisions and acts at its own discretion. The organization does not accept any form of informal control by political parties, public institutions and private companies, which could jeopardize its independence and autonomy. CSO is open while cooperating with other actors in the development process.
A civil society organization cooperates with the government in the process of establishing democratic principles, forming and implementing, monitoring and evaluating the public policy, raising public awareness. Meantime, it promotes transparent performance by state institutions, monitors activities of the government, and offers immediate and adequate response to any violation of law and democratic principles.
A civil society organization promotes establishment of peace and peaceful resolution of conflicts. It dissociates from and condemns any form of violence, terrorism and occupation. It recognizes and protects the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity; it does not cooperate with the occupant states.
A civil society organization supports the country's full integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic structures. It encourages fulfillment of contractual obligations under the EU Association Agreement and the full integration of Georgia into the European family.
A civil society organization has clearly defined goals. In its activities, the organization is guided by the principles of democracy, legislative framework of the country, organizational Charter and internal regulations. The CSO takes care of development of its staff members. It strives for establishment of a better civil society. It ensures direct involvement of stakeholders in its activities through application of participatory approaches. The CSO is efficient while using human, material, technical resources and professionalism for attaining set goals and objectives. It constantly evaluates its performance against efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability and orientation on results.
A civil society organization that endorses the above-mentioned principles, accedes to the Declaration. Information on the signatories to the Declaration is available to the public.
A civil society organization that does not share the above listed principles, may quit the declaration. Accordingly, it will be removed from the list of signatories to the declaration.


text:
Beliefs About Time Affect Savings
It is hard to save money, because we are wired to prefer to do things that are good for us in the short-term over those that are good for us in the long-term. No matter how much we believe that our future self might want to buy a nice car, send our kids to college, or eat after we retire, there are always shiny things that we would like to buy right now that seem to have a priority over our future.
So, how can we help people to save more money?
A fascinating paper by Leon Tam and Utpal Dholakia in the February, 2014 issue of Psychological Science suggests that people's beliefs about time may have a big impact on how much they save.
The dominant way that many people (particularly from Western cultures) tend to think about time is as a line. Individuals occupy a point on that line that is the present. Behind them is the past, and ahead of them is the future. Because the future is far away, many approaches to help people save more money are designed to make people feel like the future is nearer to the present than it seems. The idea is that when people realize that they have to help our future selves, they will be more likely to put away money to help them achieve their future goals.
These techniques often fail, however. People recognize that their future selves may need help, but they are also optimistic that they will be making more money in the future and so they will be in a better position to save money later than they are now.
Tam and Dholakia point out that people also think about time in terms of cycles. People know that the days of the week repeat, and that the seasons come each year. When people focus on these cycles, they may realize that their lives don't change much from cycle to cycle. Consequently, if people don't save money now, why should they believe that they will be in a different situation the next time this cycle happens? The researchers argue that getting people to focus on the cyclic nature of time may get people to increase the amount they save, because they realize that the future will not be that much different than the present.
In one study, adults between the ages of 19 and 55 were placed in one of three experimental conditions.
One group was told to think about time as a cycle and to recognize that life's cycles repeat themselves. They were told that if they do not save money now, they are unlikely to be in a different situation the next time this cycle came around.
A second group was told to think about time as a line. Their goal was to save money to put their future selves in a better position to achieve their goals.
A third group got no specific instructions about time.
Then, the participants predicted how much money they would save over the next two weeks. Participants were then contacted after two weeks and stated how much they had saved in that period.
Participants in the control condition predicted they would save $133, and actually saved $81. Those told to think about time as a line did not do much better. They predicted they would save $140, and actually saved $118. The group given instructions to think about time as a cycle did much better. They predicted they would save $233 and they actually saved $216.
Another study by these authors extended the work in two ways. First, participants were either told to think of time as a line or as a cycle. They made predictions both for how much they would save this month and also how much they would save a year from now. Participants told to think of time as a cycle predicted they would save more this month than those who were told to think of time as line. This replicates the previous study. However, those told to think of time as a line predicted they would save more money a year from now than those who were told to think of time as a cycle. That is, participants who thought of time as a line were more optimistic about their future ability to save money than those who thought of time as a cycle.
Finally, everyone was asked questions about their ability to make plans to save money. The participants asked to think about time as a cycle exhibited more confidence in their plan to save money than those asked to think about time as a line.
What does all of this mean?
We are often optimistic about what the future holds. In the future, we believe that we will make more money, be better at resisting temptation; we assume we will eat better and exercise more often. In reality, though, the future is typically much like the present. There are always temptations to spend money, eat too much and skip exercise.
Focusing on the cycles of life helps people to be more realistic that the future will be like the present. Achieving future goals requires acting now.
People Differ in Their Ability to Suppress Memories
Young Infants Learn By Doing
Are Infants Afraid of Heights?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


It took a while for my office to catch up to technology. Which is why I didn't realize the Retirement Acres police were on the other end of the line.
I'm really bad at math, which is why I answered after failing to calculate the odds they'd be waiting for me at the ranch.
"My brother is loose in Retirement Acres too?!" This was a nearly apocalyptic thought.
This is why he gets socks for Christmas.
Perfect. His favorite snack. He'd probably tell them about my speeding problem next.
It's true. Retirement Acres has some nice, wide streets down which it's possible to attain really stupid speeds in a car and also on four paws. Most of the residents keep their dogs inside or in a fence or on a really, really long cable so they can run without getting out in the street. Our Labrador didn't much care whether she ever went outside, while Tiller and 426 enjoyed watching people come and go. But my own grandmother was an insurance agent who didn't like dogs but also liked to calculate the claims made possible by letting one of them roam unaccompanied around the neighborhood. Did I say she liked calculating those claims? I lied: She LOVED calculating those claims. To maybe eight decimal places. It was just easier to keep them inside the Chez Auto territory.
That's as good an answer as any, but: no.
There was a long silence where I heard Officer Obie's pen scratch on his notepad.
"That's not why she called you," I offered.
"I never joke with people who carry handcuffs," I swore.
I reported the incident to my dad, who turned his staff (also retired and a little bored) loose on it. They determined that a barking dog is not, in fact, a crime, especially during the day. Even at night, the county (we are city residents, not county residents) has an ordinance about noise between midnight and 6 am that is only sporadically enforced. Daytime barking is generally considered more of a deterrent than anything.
We looked at the engine with expressions that ranged from dismayed to disgusted. Why he thought "be sure to take some oil on your trip" meant "go ahead and pour it in the crankcase" was a mystery that we weren't likely to solve. We had filled one eight-quart pan with oil, then continued to pour oil onto the driveway until we got another pan under it. Someone was about to be dispatched to buy another bag of Spag-sorb, because we used up an entire one on the spill. It was not looking good for the home team. By our later calculations, we drained nearly 10 quarts of oil out of a car that held 7.5. Frankly, the fact that he got the car up the hill to Retirement Acres was an achievement.
When I moved in for what I hoped would be a brief stint in Retirement Acres, I had brought Tiller with me. Dad loves German Shepherds; he'd had several as a child. But he was reluctant, at his age, to take on another one. Until the night some of my brother's idiot friends dropped in, and Tiller chased them all the way back to the car. He refused to let them in the house. One of them finally drove to the steakhouse and fetched back an uncooked steak to toss at Tiller to get him away from the back door. I bet you didn't know a Shepherd can wolf down a New York strip in less than 30 seconds. Neither did they. Once Dad realized the possibilities that having a 100 pound dog who loathed young men could have, he had welcomed Tiller with open arms. Tiller, a good boy, was too happy to help. Even then, he was laying on the grass with his nose between his paws, watching. "Sonic" was one of his words, so he hoped that someone would be kind enough to grace him with a chili dog, because that was the only way the friend was going to get his car back without me driving it up the block to meet him.
The officer pulled up with his lights off. Tiller perked up at the sight of his treat-bearing buddy.
"Anything you want to tell me?" Dad asked around his cigar.
"Ms Auto?" Office Obie asked.
I gestured to Tiller, who was now on his back, squirming with his paws in the air in the attempt to look like an adorable puppy. It's not easy for a one hundred pound dog to pull off this look, but darned if he wasn't trying.
"Did you bring the Milk Bones?" Tiller sat up, thumping his tail on the ground. In the absence of chili dogs, Milk Bones would do nicely.
"Call him on up," I said, leaning back down to reexamine the engine. The officer whistled for Tiller, who glared at me reproachfully, unable to get all the way to where we were, much less to Officer Milk Bone, who was ten feet beyond us. He gave a sharp bark of displeasure. Look, a dog with oil on his paws is a dog who's going to jump on the couch; that's just a fact of life. He had half an acre of back yard at his disposal, none of which was currently contaminated with used Pontiac 10w30.
"Can you excuse me for a moment?" Officer Obie asked, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. He made a quick, quiet call back to his office.
"Does anyone else on this street have a dog?" he asked.
It seemed like his move to cross himself was more of a reflex than anything.
"Does he bark in German?" the officer asked, more out of curiosity than anything.
By any standard, fifteen calls to law enforcement agencies from one house in Retirement Acres in a week is pretty impressive.
"Dogs bark during the day?" I ventured.
"It's time to cut her phone off?" Dad mumbled. He couldn't decide whether the car had stopped draining or not, and also harbored the suspicion that while it was not the reason he had been called out, Office Obie would be only too happy to issue a citation for this mess.
"Fair enough," I said. Mom chose that moment to appear in the driveway.
"I didn't realize we had company," she said. "Can I get you some tea? Or a sandwich? We have bacon." Tiller looked up expectantly. "We have some bacon," she amended.
Why couldn't it have been teens shoplifting at the Wal Mart, he thought. Something easy, with less possibility for physical violence. Little old ladies were the bane of the entire RAPD, mostly because there were so many of them, and they were so seldom ever wrong and also most of them were retired teachers who were not afraid to call down an officer in that voice. None of us envied them.
That night, Tiller felt completely justified in grabbing my tomato and bacon sandwich right out of my hand.
"I was eating that," I said. He returned my look with one that clearly said good dog should be rewarded for not getting arrested and also not getting paws goopy with oil.
Well played, Tiller. I can't hardly argue.
I cracked up at this. Also, my sister trained her dog to respond to commands in both French and English, so it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility.
Now I need a BLT.
This is just between us, right?


text:
Honduras competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's eleventh appearance at the Summer Olympics.

Honduran Olympic Committee () sent the nation's second-largest delegation to the Games, matching its roster size with Beijing 2008. A total of 26 athletes, 25 men and 1 woman, were selected to the Honduran team across eight sports, with the men's football squad returning for its third consecutive appearance at these Games. Among the Honduran athletes were weightlifter Cristopher Pavón, butterfly swimmer Allan Gutiérrez, taekwondo fighter Miguel Ferrera, and track sprinter Rolando Palacios, who led the squad as the nation's flag bearer in the opening ceremony.

Honduras narrowly missed out on its first ever Olympic medal in Rio de Janeiro, as the men's football team, led by captain Bryan Acosta, suffered a 2–3 defeat to the Nigerians for the bronze.

Athletics

Honduras received a universality slot from IAAF to send a male athlete to the Olympics.:

Track & road events

Boxing

Honduras entered one boxer to compete only in the men's lightweight division into the Olympic boxing tournament. Teofimo Lopéz had claimed his Olympic spot with a semifinal victory at the 2016 American Qualification Tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Football

Men's tournament

Honduras men's football team qualified for the Olympics by attaining a top two finish at the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship in the United States.

Team roster

Group play

Quarterfinal

Semifinal

Bronze medal match

Judo

Honduras qualified one judoka for the men's heavyweight category (+100 kg) at the Games. Cuban-born Ramón Pileta earned a continental quota spot from the Pan American region as Honduras' top-ranked judoka outside of direct qualifying position in the IJF World Ranking List of May 30, 2016.

Swimming

Honduras received a Universality invitation from FINA to send two swimmers (one male and one female) to the Olympics.

Taekwondo

Honduras received an invitation from the Tripartite Commission to send Beijing 2008 Olympian Miguel Ferrera in the men's welterweight category (80 kg) into the Olympic taekwondo competition.

Weightlifting

Honduras received an invitation from the Tripartite Commission to send London 2012 Olympian Cristopher Pavón in the men's middle-heavyweight category (94 kg) to the Olympics.

See also
Honduras at the 2015 Pan American Games

References

External links

Nations at the 2016 Summer Olympics
2016
2016 in Honduran sport

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


SEOUL, April 17 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets: ** South Korea's KOSPI stock index closed lower on Wednesday to snap a 13-session winning streak as investors shrugged off upbeat data from China. The Korean won saw modest gains, while the benchmark bond yield also climbed. ** The Seoul stock market's main KOSPI ended down 2.74 points, or 0.12 percent, at 2,245.89 points.
** As market consensus on Korean firms' profits are being cut sharply, KOSPI lacks internal power to drive its rebound, said Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst from Daishin Securities.
** China's economy grew at a steady 6.4 percent pace in the first quarter, defying expectations for a further slowdown, as industrial production jumped sharply and consumer demand showed signs of improvement. ** Foreigners were net buyers of 75.6 billion won ($66.61 million) worth of shares on the main board, while local institutions and individuals were net sellers of stocks worth 1.1 billion won and 59.6 billion won, respectively.
** The won was quoted at 1,134.8 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.08 percent higher than its previous close at 1,135.7.
** In offshore trading, the won was quoted at 1,134.8 per U.S. dollar, up 0.2 percent from the previous day, while in one-year non-deliverable forward trading its one-month contract was quoted at 1,133.7 per dollar.
** MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.10 percent after U.S. stocks ended higher. Japanese stocks rose 0.25 percent.
** The KOSPI rose 10.04 percent so far this year, and climbed 3.2 percent in the previous 30 trading sessions.
** The trading volume during the session on the KOSPI index was 445.95 million shares and, of the total traded issues of 895, the number of advancing shares was 470.
** The won lost 1.7 percent against the U.S dollar so far this year.
** In money and debt markets, June futures on three-year treasury bonds fell 0.05 points to 109.34, while the 3-month Certificate of Deposit rate was quoted at 1.86 percent.


text:
icon/64x64/climate Climate
India's net-zero dream: between diplomacy and reality
Pressure is ramping up on India to declare a target date for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, but many debate the merits of such long-term pledges
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Wind turbines are constructed in Tamil Nadu, India (Image: Joerg Boethling/Alamy)
Joydeep Gupta
The diplomatic pressure on India to set a cut-off date to reach net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has intensified, after US President Joe Biden invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a virtual "Leaders Summit on Climate". The invitation has triggered a public debate in India, with one politician from the ruling party criticising the country's official position that no target will be announced at present.
China, the US and the EU (which counts its emissions as a bloc) – the world's top three GHG polluters – are among 58 that have declared a year by which they will no longer add to heat-trapping emissions. India is fourth on the list of polluters.
Biden's special climate envoy John Kerry has indicated that he expects all 40 countries attending the April 22-23 summit to declare net-zero targets, as has the UK, which will host the next round of UN climate talks.
The pressure will grow further later in the year, when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) starts to release its next assessment report part by part. Scientists and policy analysts working on the drafts say climate change is intensifying and is already affecting people and economies around the world.
The UN Environment Programme has reported a major gap between countries' emission-control plans and their vow under the Paris Agreement to keep average global temperature rise "well below" two degrees Celsius. This has increased pressure on governments to raise their ambitions and declare a net-zero target year.
For and against
Despite these developments, most Indian policymakers and think tanks are still against the idea of a net-zero target for India, in line with the country's long-held negotiating position under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Just a few weeks ago, the environment minister Prakash Javadekar reiterated that India should focus on development as well as on its climate commitments, and former Indian climate negotiators echoed the same sentiment.
But Jayant Sinha, former minister and MP in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, has said that declaring 2050 as the net-zero year would make the country "hypercompetitive" in the coming decades.
The roadmaps
While the fast fossil fuel phasedown involved in meeting a net-zero target has many advantages for air pollution and public health among others, the downsides are considerable. Moving away from coal, which still accounts for most of India's energy mix, would put millions out of work and would risk bankrupting Indian Railways, which relies on coal transportation for a substantial share of its revenue. Few analysts think such a step can be achieved quickly.
Outside government, Navroz Dubash, professor at Indian think tank the Centre for Policy Research, has argued that a net-zero pledge would disrupt India's economy, and not for the better.
Speaking at an event, Dubash – who is a lead IPCC author – said India must announce and implement immediate climate actions rather than make net-zero declarations that may contain little substance. Long-term pledges should form the support rather than the centre of India's climate moves, he added.
Long-term pledges should form the support rather than the centre of India's climate moves
Many immediate actions are both doable and necessary. Energy and land-use change currently account for 88% of India's emissions. Stopping deforestation should be a priority now. In the energy sector, the problem today is not a lack of renewable capacity, but the inability of the distribution system to carry electricity. India is also failing to promote rooftop solar, which could be encouraged through a metering system allowing consumers to sell their excess energy back to the grid.
Still, some Indian think tanks believe that looking at roadmaps to a hypothetical net-zero target is a worthy exercise.
73% to 5%
Fall in share of coal, oil and gas in India's primary energy mix if it is to reach net-zero emissions by 2050
The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a think tank, has analysed various 'peaking' and 'net-zero' year combinations for India's GHG emissions, starting with 2030 as the peak year (when emissions reach their highest point before starting to decrease). It points out that for net-zero emissions to be achieved by 2050, the share of coal, oil and gas in India's primary energy mix will have to fall from 73% in 2015 to 5% in 2050. It still recommends early peaking and net zero year pledges, on the argument that leaving it late will cost more.
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), another think tank, has worked with oil major Shell on a set of prescriptions for India to reach net zero by 2050. They stress the importance of energy efficiency, assume a big role for hydrogen fuel from the 2030s and recommend artificial removal of GHG from the air through methods known generically as carbon capture and storage.
Such a quick transition would also mean some unpopular decisions. Vaibhav Chaturvedi, an economist and fellow at CEEW, cautioned that household electricity prices and railway fares would increase; coal-dependent states would face fiscal challenges; and half a million mining jobs would be lost. "There will be lots of assets built for the old [fossil fuel-based] economy that would be left stranded," he said.
Still, he added, "India should not wait until 2050 to peak its emissions. Postponing peaking and the consequent net-zero deadline will increase India's climate impact, which needs to be minimised."
Analysts believe that most big economies that have declared net-zero years have already worked out roadmaps, but have not made them public. Dave Elliott, who teaches technology policy at the Open University in the United Kingdom, thinks this is because rich nations want to use an emission accounting strategy known as carbon offset schemes, and are waiting to see if the market for this takes off.
Carbon offset schemes rely on developing countries reducing their emissions first, and then 'selling' part of such reductions in the form of carbon credits to developed countries. The efficacy of this plan will depend on the per-tonne price of carbon emissions traded on financial markets. The price is currently so low it leaves little incentive for developing countries to participate.
What price old promises?
While the net-zero debate goes on, Indian government negotiators are preparing to quiz rich nations on old promises – made since 1997, repeated often, and broken more often still. At the 2015 Paris climate summit, it was decided that the Paris Agreement would come into force in 2020, while all nations made pledges on what they would do before 2020.
The UN has scheduled a 'stocktake' of countries' Paris pledges for 2023, and India's environment and climate change ministry has now asked a think tank (which does not wish to be identified) to work out how many of these 'pre-2020 commitments' have been fulfilled.
An official in India's energy ministry said, "That will be the time to see how all countries have fared since they signed the Paris Agreement in 2015, and what more may be necessary, by whom."
It's very easy to make a promise you don't have to live up to.
Indian government negotiator
An interim report by the think tank showed the United Kingdom topping the list of countries that are fulfilling their commitments. The EU member countries come second. But no developed country outside Europe appears to be keeping its promises. An Indian government negotiator asked in response, "Why should we trust the developed countries when they keep breaking their word? Many of us think all these net-zero declarations are merely to push the goalposts back. Nobody in power today will be in charge of keeping these promises in 2050 or later. It's very easy to make a promise you don't have to live up to."
Joydeep Gupta is South Asia Director of The Third Pole
carbon emissionsclimate talksenergyfossil fuelsIndia Climate Changepolicy
Joyashree Roy ·
Very well balanced write up.
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Opinion: India must go green or perish
Countries come up short on carbon-cutting commitments
China's new carbon neutrality pledge: What next?
India pushes back against strengthening climate pledge


text:
How to prepare for another try at the bar exam
How law students who have failed the bar exam should go about preparing to retake it - without fear or anxiety.
ABA Journal: Asked and Answered
Jamie Kleppetsch
Jamie Kleppetsch is an Assistant Professor and the Associate Director of the Academic Achievement Program at The...
Stephanie Francis Ward
Stephanie Francis Ward, a legal affairs writer, joined the ABA Journal staff in 2001. Stephanie had worked...
It's not terribly unusual for a law grad to need to take the bar exam more than once to pass. But the experience of failing the bar can be crushing to one's confidence–and concentration. After failing the bar exam, many students have a hard time studying for a retake. This is not necessarily because they can't do the work, but because anxiety and fear of failure get in the way, Jamie Kleppetsch of John Marshall Law School tells the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward in this month's Asked and Answered.
Kleppetsch, who is president of the Association of Academic Support Educators as well as being an associate director of John Marshall's Academic Achievement Program, shares with listeners some tips for reapproaching the bar exam with a fresh mindset and more preparation.
Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney.
Podcast: ABA Journal: Asked and Answered
Category: Law School & Young Lawyers
Featuring top of the industry guests discussing various legal topics.
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Lawyer who moved from Ukraine to US now has opportunity to help others facing similar situations


in subjects: "Parapsychology -- Periodicals."
Description: This paper assesses the reliability of The Life, Death, and Transition Workshop conducted by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross with the Alexander Spirituality Change Survey. "Significant positive change in spirituality by attendees was reported and appeared to be sustained over time" (abstract).
Description: "The theoretical significance of out-of-body experiences in blind people is explored. In this context I report results of a survey of a small sample of blind adults. It is concluded that we have yet to locate a case of an out-of-body experience in the blind that has critical implications for the interpretation of the experience among the general population" (abstract).
Description: This paper discusses the out-of-body experience (OBE) as a common human experience that goes beyond psychopathology or mental imagery. The paper also discusses the possibility of OBE projectors being detectable outside of their body.


Jan O'Halloran is in her second year as an Ignatian Volunteer serving as Chicago Retreat Coordinator for the Ignatian Spirituality Project (ISP), an organization that provides spiritual retreats for men and women who are homeless, blending Ignatian spirituality and the 12-Step Recovery Program to give hope to retreatants.
one-day retreats in collaboration with Harmony, Hope and Healing, which uses music ministry with formerly homeless men and women in recovery.
Jan goes on many of the retreats, and when she doesn't go, she is fully involved in the planning and helps drive the women to retreat centers.
Thanks for the insights into the wonderful work you are doing.


text:
CityFibre extends full-fibre in Aberdeen
Granite City sees rock-solid gigabit connectivity in £19m expansion of full-fibre network to homes and businesses in the Aberdeen area
Joe O'Halloran, Computer Weekly
Published: 17 Jan 2022 16:20
Former altnet CityFibre, which is now the UK's largest independent full-fibre platform, has revealed plans to expand its network in Scotland by extending its £40m project to bring gigabit connectivity to homes and businesses across Aberdeen.
Representing an additional investment of £19m, the move is designed to enable thousands more homes beyond CityFibre's original build footprint to access its full-fibre network and reliable high-speed broadband services from a number of providers, including Vodafone, TalkTalk, Zen and GraniteGiG by Converged.
In October 2021, CityFibre claimed a major milestone when it passed 500km of fibre cabling laid across Aberdeen, three years after starting work on its network. Now, in response to what it says is huge demand for full-fibre services, more areas are being added to the roll-out. Build partner GCU is delivering the project on CityFibre's behalf.
Homes in Woodside, Garthdee, Ruthrieston, Mannofield, Kincorth, Broomhill, Cove, Kaimhill, Ferryhill, Northfield, Tillydrone, Rosehill, Hazlehead, Airyhall, Mannofield, Hilton, Seaton and Torry are now ready for service. Other areas yet to go live but set to benefit from the roll-out include Bridge of Don, Bucksburn, Stoneywood, Dyce, Rosemount, Mastrick, Sheddocksley, and some areas of Aberdeen city centre, with the extended project now expected to be largely complete by the end of this year.
In 2017, CityFibre connected schools, libraries and other public buildings in the city in partnership with Capita as part of the Scotland-Wide Area Network (SWAN) programme that was set up to establish a single shared network and common ICT infrastructure across Scotland's entire public sector. After the award of this project, which was funded via the Aberdeen City Region Deal, CityFibre committed £40m of private investment to deliver its full-fibre network to homes and businesses across the city.
Jenny Laing, vice-chair of the Aberdeen City Region Deal and leader of Aberdeen City Council, said: "In 2017, the Aberdeen City Region Deal invested in core digital infrastructure across the city. Roll forward to 2021 and thanks to that investment stimulating private investment from CityFibre, Aberdeen is now a gigabit city. This new announcement, committing additional investment into the city, will allow more residents and businesses to access better and faster speeds as well as competitive pricing."
Scottish government economy secretary Kate Forbes added: "This is a welcome boost for thousands of householders and was enabled by £2m funding from the Scottish government, as part of our £10m commitment to digital projects in the region. This is in addition to our commitments to fund digital infrastructure via the Aberdeen City Deal, delivering inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the North East.
"Accessing fast and reliable broadband has never been so important as we build a sustainable recovery from the pandemic. That is why the Scottish government is making substantial investments in digital infrastructure to ensure all of Scotland has access to high-speed internet."
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Aberdeen to get city-wide gigabit network – ComputerWeekly.com
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On the Smugglers' Radar
"On The Smugglers' Radar" is a feature for books that have caught our eye: books we have heard of via other bloggers, directly from publishers, and/or from our regular incursions into the Amazon jungle. Thus, the Smugglers' Radar was born. Because we want far more books than we can possibly buy or review (what else is new?), we thought we would make the Smugglers' Radar into a weekly feature – so YOU can tell us which books you have on your radar as well!
On Ana's Radar:
Continuing with the time travel vibe from last week's Radar, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone HAVE A TIME TRAVEL BOOK TOGETHER! <3
Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading.
Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.
Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There's still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war. That's how war works. Right?
Recursion by Blake Crouch sounds exactly like the type of mind-bending stuff I like:
What if someone could rewrite your entire life?
"My son has been erased." Those are the last words the woman tells Barry Sutton, before she leaps from the Manhattan rooftop.
Deeply unnerved, Barry begins to investigate her death, only to learn that this wasn't an isolated case. All across the country, people are waking up to lives different from the ones they fell asleep to. Are they suffering from False Memory Syndrome, a mysterious new disease that afflicts people with vivid memories of a life they never lived? Or is something far more sinister behind the fracturing of reality all around him?
Miles away, neuroscientist Helena Smith is developing a technology that allows us to preserve our most intense memories and relive them. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to reexperience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.
Barry's search for the truth leads him on an impossible, astonishing journey as he discovers that Helena's work has yielded a terrifying gift–the ability not just to preserve memories but to remake them . . . at the risk of destroying what it means to be human.
At once a relentless thriller and an intricate science fiction puzzle box, Recursion is a deeply felt exploration of the flashbulb moments that define us–and who we are without them.
Small town, BFFS and weird (aliens?) stuff happening:
The Serpent King meets Stranger Things in Emily Henry's gripping novel about a group of friends in a small town who find themselves dealing with unexpected powers after a cosmic event.
Almost everyone in the small town of Splendor, Ohio, was affected when the local steel mill exploded. If you weren't a casualty of the accident yourself, chances are a loved one was. That's the case for seventeen-year-old Franny, who, five years after the explosion, still has to stand by and do nothing as her brother lies in a coma.
In the wake of the tragedy, Franny found solace in a group of friends whose experiences mirrored her own. The group calls themselves The Ordinary, and they spend their free time investigating local ghost stories and legends, filming their exploits for their small following of YouTube fans. It's silly, it's fun, and it keeps them from dwelling on the sadness that surrounds them.
Until one evening, when the strange and dangerous thing they film isn't fiction—it's a bright light, something massive hurtling toward them from the sky. And when it crashes and the teens go to investigate…everything changes.
Melina Marchetta has a new book??? I am in:
When Rosie Gennaro first meets Jimmy Hailler, she has walked away from life in Sydney, leaving behind the place on Dalhousie that her father, Seb, painstakingly rebuilt for his family but never saw completed. Two years later, Rosie returns to the house and living there is Martha, whom Seb Gennaro married less than a year after the death of Rosie's mother. Martha is struggling to fulfil Seb's dream, while Rosie is coming to terms with new responsibilities. And so begins a stand-off between two women who refuse to move out of the home they both lay claim to.
As the battle lines are drawn, Jimmy Hailler re-enters Rosie's life. Having always watched other families from the perimeters, he's now grappling, heartbreakingly, with forming one of his own . . .
An unforgettable story about losing love and finding love; about the interconnectedness of lives and the true nature of belonging, from one of our most acclaimed writers.
This LGBT YA romance novel sounds super cute:
Sana Khan is a cheerleader and a straight A student. She's the classic (somewhat obnoxious) overachiever determined to win.
Rachel Recht is a wannabe director who's obsesssed with movies and ready to make her own masterpiece. As she's casting her senior film project, she knows she's found the perfect lead – Sana.
Told in alternative viewpoints and inspired by classic romantic comedies, this engaging and edgy YA novel follows two strongwilled young women falling for each other despite themselves.
On Thea's Radar:
First up on my radar this week, a book I almost bought this past week but then wavered, but now am regretting that choice:
I had a sister, once…
In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart.
I promised her the throne would not come between us.
Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old. After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister, Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders—even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks.
But it is a fact of life that one must kill or be killed. Rule or be ruled.
Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs, her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything. And meanwhile, the new empire has learned of the Riders' return and intends to destroy them once and for all.
Sometimes the title of queen is given. Sometimes it must be taken.
Next up, a reimagining of Robin Hood that sounds pretty good:
Robin of Locksley is dead.
Maid Marian doesn't know how she'll go on, but the people of Locksley town, persecuted by the Sheriff of Nottingham, need a protector. And the dreadful Guy of Gisborne, the Sheriff's right hand, wishes to step into Robin's shoes as Lord of Locksley andMarian's fiancé.
Who is there to stop them?
Marian never meant to tread in Robin's footsteps—never intended to stand as a beacon of hope to those awaiting his triumphant return. But with a sweep of his green cloak and the flash of her sword, Marian makes the choice to become her own hero: Robin Hood.
Then, there's book 2 in the Belles series (of which I've read book 1 and intend on continuing):
In this sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller, Camille, her sister Edel, and her guard and new love Remy must race against time to find Princess Charlotte. Sophia's Imperial forces will stop at nothing to keep the rebels from returning Charlotte to the castle and her rightful place as queen. With the help of an underground resistance movement called The Iron Ladies-a society that rejects beauty treatments entirely-and the backing of alternative newspaper The Spider's Web, Camille uses her powers, her connections and her cunning to outwit her greatest nemesis, Sophia, and restore peace to Orleans.
Next up, this amazing sounding Star Wars book that I need RIGHT NOW:
Written by the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Ahsoka!
When Padmé Naberrie, "Queen Amidala" of Naboo, steps down from her position, she is asked by the newly-elected queen to become Naboo's representative in the Galactic Senate. Padmé is unsure about taking on the new role, but cannot turn down the request to serve her people. Together with her most loyal handmaidens, Padmé must figure out how to navigate the treacherous waters of politics and forge a new identity beyond the queen's shadow.
Last but not least, this literary speculative fiction novel that sounds right up my alley:
Haunting and literary, Sarah Maria Griffin's sophomore novel follows twins Mae and Rossa as they discover a house full of witches, experience devastating first loves, and face a dark power beyond all imagining. Fans of Libba Bray's The Divinersand Maggie Stiefvater's All the Crooked Saints will devour this dark tale.
When the house at the end of the lane burned down, none of the townspeople knew what happened. A tragedy, they called it. Poor Rita Frost and her ward, Bevan, lost to the flames. Only Mae and Rossa, Rita's niece and nephew, know what happened that fateful summer. Only they know about the owl in the wall, the uncanny cat, the dark powers that devour love and fear. Only they know about the trials of loving someone who longs for power, for freedom, for magic. Only they know what brought the house tumbling down around them. And they'll never, ever breathe a word.
Captivating and atmospheric, Sarah Maria Griffin's second novel explores the balance between love and fear, youth and maturity, and good and evil. With an unusual structure spanning five summers, intriguing characters, and a dark mystery, this uncommon novel will appeal to readers of Rin Chupeco's The Bone Witch and Madeleine Roux's House of Furies.
That's it from us! What books do you have on YOUR radar?
By The Book Smugglers
The Book Smugglers are Ana Grilo and Thea James: a duo of awesomely badass book nerds. We specialize in speculative fiction and popgeekery for all ages since 2008, and have been publishing speculative fiction and nonfiction since 2014.