This is historic information. Thank you Kumar Bhatia "Bobbie"!
If Dr Smith lived in the U.S. and his son was quoted by the Des Moines Register, it is a strong possibility that his son was from Des Moines. One of the best osteopathic schools of medicine (essentially equal to the traditional schools of medicine these days and NOT focused only on musculo-skeletal medicine, but on holistic medicine and surgery) is in Des Moines: Des Moines University. It has been a leading school of medicine for DOs doe a very long time and it is entirely possible Dr Smith was a graduate and practiced early in his career in Des Moines or nearby. Buttons was (for many years) a resident of Des Moines and a patient of the university clinics in Des Moines and likes to recall the university neighborhood where our Watson model may have lived, worked and took his daily walks. Fascinating stuff!
I had not heard of William Smith, the Watson of Southsea, or Surgeon-Major Alexander Francis Preston before. So far, I had only heard of parallel's drawn between Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and our dear doctor, so it's fascinating to find out about William Smith. It's neat that his son wrote that newspaper article and it's very fortunate that the article has been rediscovered.
Unfortunately Dr Smith doesn't appear to be mentioned in any of the several biographies of Conan Doyle, nor can I find any reference to him in the author's own writings.
That doesn't rule him out as an inspiration for John H Watson, but the fact is that Conan Doyle himself gives no information on the subject. He may have been inspired by the story of Surgeon Major A F Preston, who really was attached to the Berkshire Regiment during the second Afghan War, and really did survive the battle of Maiwand.
Conan Doyle's original name for the character was Ormond Sacker. Later he said that he needed "a drab, quiet name for this unostentatious man. Watson would do." And that name may have come from Dr James Watson, a medical acquaintance in Southsea, where ACD was in practice when he wrote the first Sherlock Holmes story. Or it may have come from Dr Patrick Heron Watson – later Sir Patrick – a leading member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh when ACD was studying at the University Medical School. He was a colleague of Dr Joseph Bell, the acknowledged model for Sherlock Holmes, and, if I remember correctly, succeeded Bell as President of the RCSE.
In later years comparisons were drawn between Dr Watson and the author's secretary, Major Alfred Wood, but the principal influence upon the character, I am sure, was always Arthur Conan Doyle himself.
It's slightly difficult to site a source in which the title is in all-caps. Just saying.


Nut: 4140 or 8740 Alloy Steel per MIL-S-5626 or MIL-S-6049.
Clip: 302 CRES Steel per AMS 5688 or ARMCO 18-2MN* CRES.
Channel: Aged to T6 temp per MIL-H-6088.
Nut: Cadmium plated per QQ-P-416, Type I, Class 2, and dry film lube per MIL-L-46010.
Channel: Anodized per MIL-A-8625, Type II, Class 1.
*Note: "ARMCO 18-2MN" is a registered trademark of ARMCO Steel Corportaion, Middletown, Ohio.
Float, minimum total; "V" = 0.030; "W" = 0.060. Nut shall be capable of engagement with a bolt in the maximum misaligned position.
The assembly shall provide a bearing surface for the nut within the channel.
Minimum Assembly Height is not specified, limited only by strength requirements.
Shape within the envelope shown optional.
Locking torque: The nut element of these assemblies shall be capable of 250 seated, usable cycles when tested per the requirements of CAL-STD-0232.
of nuts shown in nut spacing table are required.) Prefix '0' if less than '10.' Example: FBL10050-( )( )-( )( )05.
Second Dash No. for nut spacing.
'Dash' signifies channel having cut-offs per dimension 'T' on both ends.
Insert letter 'L' in lieu of dash to signify a channel having cut-offs per dimension 'U' on both ends.
Insert letter 'F' in lieu of dash to signify a channel having cut-offs per dimension 'T' on on one end and cut-off per dimension 'U' on the opposite end.
Two digits shown as 1st dash number tabulated; first digit refers to thread size; second digit refers to counterbore depth.


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text:
Q: Como fazer webscrapping de um https usando o rvest? Eu gostaria de raspar uma página que está em https usando o pacote rvest. No entanto, trata-se de um site com problemas no certificado de segurança. Nesses casos, é preciso desligar a verificação de SSL -- mas eu não sei como fazer isso nesse pacote. No RCurl e no httr é bem simples. Dou alguns exemplos abaixo
Essa é a página que pretendo raspar:
sucupira = "https://sucupira.capes.gov.br/sucupira/public/consultas/coleta/producaoIntelectual/listaProducaoIntelectual.jsf"

Isso é o que eu estou querendo fazer:
library(rvest)
read_html(sucupira) #NAO FUNCIONA
 ##  Error in open.connection(x, "rb") :
 ##  Peer certificate cannot be authenticated with given CA certificates

Obviamente, apenas retirar o "s" do https não funciona:
sucupira2 = "http://sucupira.capes.gov.br/sucupira/public/consultas/coleta/producaoIntelectual/listaProducaoIntelectual.jsf"

read_html(sucupira2) #CONTINUA NAO FUNCIONANDO

No RCurl, uma tentativa bem sucedida seria assim:
library(RCurl)
getURL(sucupira) # NAO FUNCIONA

options(RCurlOptions =
      list(capath = system.file("CurlSSL",
                                "cacert.pem",
                                package = "RCurl"),
           ssl.verifypeer = FALSE))

getURL(sucupira) # AGORA FUNCIONA

No httr seria assim:
library(httr)
GET(sucupira) # NAO FUNCIONA

set_config( config( ssl_verifypeer = 0L ))
GET(sucupira) # AGORA FUNCIONA

Meu propósito é aprender a usar o rvest. Então eu não gostaria, se possível, de usar estratégias do tipo:
read_html(GET(sucupira)) # a resposta do comando GET do httr é
                         # passada para o read_html do rvest

A: Isso não parece ser possível usando o pacote rvest.
Lendo o código fonte, vemos que a função read_html é um wrapper da função read_xml. O código fonte está disponível neste link.
A função read_xml usa algum método dependendo do tipo de input, que pode ser character, raw ou connection.
Quando passamos uma URL, para a função read_xml, ela o converte para uma conexão e em seguida o lê como um raw.
Abaixo está o método para conexões da função read_xml
read_xml.connection <- function(x, encoding = "", n = 64 * 1024,
                                verbose = FALSE, ..., base_url = "",
                                as_html = FALSE) {
  if (!isOpen(x)) {
    open(x, "rb")
    on.exit(close(x))
  }

  raw <- read_connection_(x, n)
  read_xml.raw(raw, encoding = encoding, base_url = base_url, as_html = as_html)
}

Veja que ele usa a função open do base.
Do help do open lemos:

Note that the https:// URL scheme is not supported by the internal
  method except on Windows. There it is only supported if --internet2 or
  setInternet2(TRUE) was used (to make use of Windows internal
  functions), and then only if the certificate is considered to be
  valid. With that option only, the http://user:pass@site notation for
  sites requiring authentication is also accepted.

Ou seja, https só é suportado em windows, se setInternet2(TRUE) for usado antes. Neste caso, só funcionaria se o certificado fosse válido.
Tudo isso p/ explicar que não existe uma forma nativa, ou uma simples mudança de argumento no rvest que permita ler páginas https.
Acredito que o melhor método seja mesmo read_html(GET(sucupira))que nem vc mesmo sugeriu. Ou mais bonitinho:
GET(sucupira) %>% read_html()

Se no método da função read_xml.connection você trocasse a linha open(x, "rb") por url(x,"rb", method = "libcurl") é provável que funcionasse...

A: Olá,
Apesar de já ter se passado muito tempo, é possível desabilitar a verificação do certificado no httr com efeito também no rvest.
Fiz assim:
library(httr)

set_config( config( ssl_verifypeer = 0L ))

# agora acesso o site
url <- 'https://cei.b3.com.br/CEI_Responsivo/'
sessao <- html_session(url)

Desta forma o rvest não reclamou do certificado.
HTH,

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Mathoris procurata is een vlinder uit de familie van de venstervlekjes (Thyrididae). De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort is voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd in 1861 door Walker.

Venstervlekjes

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Building A Better Alignment System
Posted on January 22, 2019 January 20, 2019 by Chamomile Has A Blog
In Petals and Thorns, I have a knights and priests faction that's all about law and order, a carnival-themed faction called "the Lunatic Court" who believe in independence, a rangers and druids faction that wants to preserve the peace between the factions instead of going to war, and a vampires faction that's purely self-interested. Given this, I wouldn't be surprised if some people eventually started using that adventure or setting in general as an example of how to do alignment well, provided my whole endeavor doesn't collapse and fade into obscurity before my reach ever expands past a couple hundred readers. Setting aside the pessimistic scenario for now, I want to head off the whole "how to do alignment well" argument off at the pass as much as possible by getting it on record in advance that I don't think D&D's 3×3 alignment grid is particularly good for anything but memes. People like to make excuses for alignment, but the fact is everything the existing system does could be done better by another.
Let's start by looking at the two main factions of Petals and Thorns, that being the Lunatic Court and the Order of the Lion (the knights and priests faction). I anticipate some people will view this as a "Law vs. Chaos" conflict. These people are going to be disappointed by the sequel I'm writing. The Lunatic Court's disorganized nature is not tied to their ideology of independence and self-governance at all. The Lunatic Court is disorganized because they're war orphans who grew into criminals who grew into a guerilla army, and their leadership is still mostly making it up as they go along. They have no established traditions not out of opposition to the very concept but because they're the first generation of their organization and there are no preceding leaders to draw traditions from. Their leader's title is the Lunatic Queen, and while that was bestowed upon her from below rather than being self-appointed, it signifies that the Lunatic Court is perfectly happy to take orders from an absolute ruler.
Indeed, a major point of the sequel is that Harlequin has extensive control over a large group of violent people and no clear precedent for what the rules are for staying in her faction's good graces. She can establish whatever traditions and laws she wants (modulo the political maneuvering of intra-faction rivals), and if the party puts in the effort to win her trust, they can have significant input into that. Sure, the Lunatic Court's current situation is chaotic, but that's not because they're opposed to order, it's because they're bad at imposing order. It's a weakness, not a principle, of their faction.
The Order of the Wyrd are the rangers and druids faction, and their primary motivation is to prevent war between the different factions. The buzzwords they use to describe this are "balance" and "harmony." This is similar enough to a certain interpretation of True Neutral that I anticipate some people might try to use it as an example of that. The interpretation of True Neutral in question, however, is that of maintaining a "balance" between Good and Evil. The Order of the Wyrd does not care about maintaining a balance of power between cosmic forces or grand ideologies. The Order of the Wyrd just doesn't want a war. They want balance between the factions that exist such that none of them is ever certain enough of victory to risk attacking any of the others. If a war does break out, then the Order of the Wyrd picks whichever side they think is less likely to start another war if they're victorious, and then seeks the total annihilation of the opposing side. They would never even consider switching sides to help the losers to "maintain the balance," but would instead seek to defeat them so thoroughly that they will never rise up to make war again.
The vampires are pretty self-explanatory, but I'll mention that no, they weren't meant to be any particular flavor of "Evil," they were just meant to be a fairly murderhobo-friendly faction without being philosophically bankrupt because I like to support as wide a variety of playstyles and perspectives as possible without resorting to the kinds of dumb excuses that actual murderhobos usually resort to.
And while I'm at it, note that the Order of the Third Eye does not really fit into any particular alignment bin. They're an order of wizards who believe that knowledge is power and that seeking out greater understanding of the universe is the greatest good, and that from there, all problems will be solved. Pretty intuitive philosophy for a wizard faction to have, but it's not at all clear where on the alignment grid it's supposed to fall.
Which brings us to the main problem with alignment: It groups very different philosophies together while some other philosophies don't fit cleanly into any part of the grid, to the point where people from the same faction who get along just fine could be defined as opposite ends of the alignment grid. What's a Chaotic Good person's perspective on stealing? Robin Hood is the archetypal Chaotic Good character and believes in stealing from the rich to give to the poor, but Elan from Order of the Stick is probably the most popular and well-known character of all time who is ever explicitly given the alignment of Chaotic Good, and he feels really bad about stealing and won't do it except as a last resort. If Elan's not the most popular character explicitly stated to be Chaotic Good, then it's gotta be Drizz't, and while I haven't read all his books, so far as I can tell he considers stealing acceptable when the targets are Evil and not acceptable when they're not.
A Chaotic Good person's opinion on an ethical issue as simple as "is it okay to steal" can be anything from "stealing from tyrants to give to the poor is not just permitted, but heroic" to "stealing is conditionally acceptable depending on circumstances, but usually not" to "stealing is wrong and you shouldn't do it unless it's really, really important." I've talked before about how the Chaotic Good djinni are stated by 5e to own slaves. Sure, there's some lip service about how they're real nice about it, but if owning slaves isn't antithetical to being Chaotic Good, then Chaotic Good does not meaningfully describe someone's ideology or behavior in any way.
When people think that alignments are firmly defined, pretty much ubiquitously what that really means is that they think of some specific ideals when they hear phrases like "Lawful Neutral" or "Chaotic Good," but will then admit that radically different ideologies also count. So the ideologies aren't actually firmly defined, they're just evocative. This is what makes them good for memes. You don't need to find nine characters from your favorite anime who follow specific moral ideologies, you just need to find nine characters that evoke a certain mood.
But if alignment is to serve as a roleplaying prompt or as a method of identifying who gets along with who (if not between alignments, then at least within them, i.e. maybe the Orange alignment has no consistent alliance or enmity with the Purple alignment, but the Orange aligned characters are at least consistently allied to each other), then it needs to reliably specify which ideals a character believes in. Specific factions serve this purpose much better than the vague alignments. I stand by the Petals and Thorns factions as good examples to base a new set off of, but they weren't designed to be roleplay prompts and suffer a major flaw in that regard: They're very, very local. The Lunatic Court breaks down as a faction if you try to expand their scope past Vintaria, and you shouldn't try it. There's an additional major flaw, which is that if these are player options, then the Order of the Lion and the Lunatic Court can't be on the verge of or actually at open war with one another, because characters from each of those alignments might end up in the same party.
So, I'm not suggesting anyone actually use those five specific factions as alignments, but I do stand by those factions as a prototype of factions you could include in your game that would serve as much better roleplaying prompts than the 3×3 alignment grid. Some people are going to think that putting my own ideas forward in place of something so famous is really arrogant, but I'm not putting forward those ideas because they're the best but just because they're the most ready example. The alignment grid isn't some masterpiece of design, it's just the best idea that Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax could come up with in time for publication and then nobody bothered to update it for forty years. With that much hindsight, it shouldn't come as a surprise that random bloggers can improve on it while spitballing for a Tuesday article.
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European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was only joking when he said the English language was on the way out in Europe due to Brexit, he said on Friday.
"Slowly but surely English is losing importance in Europe," Juncker told a conference in Florence in May, speaking in English before then switching to French and drawing applause from his audience.
"I gave a speech in Florence in May and I was saying as English is slowly disappearing from Europe I will express myself in French. The French were happy. The British – I had a shitstorm coming from the other side of the Channel," he told students in his native Luxembourg.


text:
A five star show to start the Australian Ballet's year
The Australian Ballet delivered a triple treat on the opening night of the company's 2015 season.
Madeleine Eastoe, Kevin Jackson and Ako Kondo gave outstanding performances as Odette, Prince Siegfried and Baroness von Rothbart, (the evil mistress in a doomed love triangle) in Graeme Murphy's Swan Lake.
Eastoe's interpretation was ravishing. A decade ago when the Australian Ballet was on tour in the United Kingdom she drew praise from the doyen of English ballet critics, Clement Crisp.
It's not easy to please Mr Crisp who saw the company perform in Cardiff at the start of the tour. He wrote in The Financial Times: "Madeleine Eastoe as Odette is an outstanding artist of extraordinary range and unfailing power".
I was in the audience at Cardiff so I can confidently say that on opening night last Friday at Capitol Theatre, Sydney, she was even more heart wrenching and believable than she was in 2005.
It was her interpretation of the fragile heroine that resonated more powerfully than any other element of the performance in Sydney, one rewarded with a standing ovation, but not just for Eastoe but also for Jackson and Kondo and the entire cast.
Jackson's role is challenging on two levels, but he nailed it. The role calls for superhuman stamina in order to sustain the many lifts, but it also calls for subtle acting skills as this Siegfried must interpret the character of a man who blatantly cheats on his bride at his own wedding, but who is forced to confront his tragic mistake by the final act.
He shows his remorse in the manner of many conflicted anti-heroes of ballet who express anguish, sorrow and grief as the curtain falls, as we see in La Sylphide, Giselle, the traditional Swan Lake and Manon. Each has this standard mea culpa ending but each calls for finesse rather than melodrama.
Jackson was believable and empathetic even while dancing the difficult, introverted and sometimes overwrought solos in which he agonises over his choices.
Kondo was a compelling Baroness, so witty, pretty and charming that the Prince's desire for her was understandable. Kondo is known for her sparkling technique and charismatic manner but with this portrayal I believe Kondo has proved she has the artistry to take her to the next level.
Guest artists Shane Carroll, Matthew Donnelly, Colin Peasley, Andris Toppe and Frank Leo reprise their character roles with their usual flair and the always intriguing interpretation by Murphy of the pas de quatre for the Cygnets, danced on opening night by Brooke Lockett, Benedicte Bemet, Karen Nanesca and Heidi Martin was a pleasure to watch. Despite the intricacy of Murphy's choreography the women looked as though they were having fun.
The choreography for the work, created in 2002, represents contemporary ballet in every aspect of those two words.
Murphy blends somersaults with sissonnes, floor rolls with pas de chat. Classical ballet steps intermingle with his own brand of contemporary dance that encompasses contractions, open hands, one dancer walking on other dancers' backs, bodies held in fetal positions, a man holding a woman and swinging her in his arms, and arms wrapped around the chest to signify anguish.
(Alistair Macaulay, critic for The New York Times, tut-tutted when the Australian Ballet brought Murphy's work to New York in 2012.
"With this production as its calling card", he wrote, "the Australian Ballet…is not serious about wanting to be a serious ballet company".
So what does that make the company in his view? Perhaps frivolous, flippant, trivial?)
But esoteric detail about what's classical and what's not is not the most interesting issue when we look once again at Murphy's work.
The more intriguing question is, why do audiences from Shanghai to Paris to Sydney like it so much?
Steven Heathcote, the first principal to dance as Prince Siegfried in Murphy's ballet, believes it's because we all relate to unrequited love. On stage or on the page, the protagonist is in love, but the loved one loves someone else.
Murphy's Swan Lake has been ridiculed for being based on just such a triangle, Prince Charles, his wife, Diana and mistress, Camilla, and that unfortunate and long ago affair has dated the work and made it more vulnerable for criticism.
Thirteen years after the premiere of the ballet, we have to let go of the House of Windsor drama and see it for what it is, a story of betrayal that's the rock solid centre to so many ballet narratives, among them La Sylphide, Giselle, La Bayadere, Onegin, Manon and Mayerling.
Betrayal, revenge, despair and dying of a broken heart – yes, we still love this melodramatic quartet and when Tchaikovsky's music propels the story, so much the better.
It's not the choreography that captures the audience as it is the emotion. At the Australian Ballet's 185th performance of Murphy's Swan Lake on 20 February, seasoned members of the audience were telling one another that the story brought them to the brink of tears – again. And the curtain calls brought the audience to their feet – again.
The ballet looks better at the Capitol Theatre than it does at the Sydney Opera House. The stage is bigger and the dancers can move with more freedom.
The expanse of the stage also enhances the designs. Kristian Fredrikson's contribution to the ballet's success can't be overstated. With Murphy and Janet Vernon he created not only the beautiful costumes and décor, but also the entire concept of the ballet. Along with his great contribution to Murphy's Nutcracker, it was the pinnacle of his achievement as a designer.
He loved fabric, embellishment, ease of movement for the dancers, and glamour. Fredrikson's costume designs are at their best in Act I an Act III although the setting for Odette's imaginary journey from the confines of her room in a mental hospital to a lakeside is encapsulated powerfully by the backdrop of M.C Escher's artwork, Rippled Surface.
In Act 1, the dancers appear as if in an Edwardian painting touched by sunlight. The women celebrating the wedding of the Prince and Odette wear flattering ivory coloured costumes, hats, pearls, gloves and parasols and the men are elegant in dove grey suits with waistcoats, cravats and pocket handkerchiefs. No detail was too small for Fredrikson.
The wedding party's costumes are even more elegant with Odette's wedding dress the most beautiful of all with its train that goes on forever. Of all his costumes, this will probably be seen as Fredrikson's most memorable.
The evening gowns of Act III are just as stunning but as the story has taken a darker direction, the costumes of black and dark blue reflect the tragedy to come and within the darkness arrives a surprise guest, Odette, dressed in white.
From the first time I saw Murphy's Swan Lake more than a decade ago, the connection I made with the narrative was closer to Giselle than it was to the traditional Swan Lake. Both tell of an innocent young woman who is betrayed by an aristocrat. Both Giselle and Murphy's Odette lose their sanity when the truth is revealed and both are entrapped in a place where they are transformed into creatures in a supernatural world.
There's still a great deal to admire and interpret in Murphy's Swan Lake but I hope Australian Ballet can develop a new production that is just as fail safe in boosting the box office and demonstrating the artistry of the company.
Brooke Lockett, Benedicte Bemet, Karen Nanasca and Heidi Martin, photo © Branco Gaica
Madeleine Eastoe, the Australian Ballet, Swan Lake Act III, photo © Lisa Tomasetti
Kevin Jackson and Madeleine Eastoe in the Australian Ballet's Swan Lake, choreographed by Graeme Murphy, photo © Lisa Tomasetti
Rippled Surface, M.C. Escher


text:
Convert or Die (Analyzing a World of Total Islamic Faith)
Home Blog Post Convert or Di...
Would it be that bad if the whole world converted to Islam?
It depends on your perspective.
This blog post is simply my attempt to weigh the pros and cons of a world that embraced Islam. For one thing, there would be no need for jihadis to keep taking hostages and blowing things up…except that there are different factions of Islam and they hate each other and are actually at war with each other. We will presume for sake of this particular blog that all of Islam gets along and that there wouldn't be on going jihads to remove the 'pretender' from control of the world. We'll also presume that Mahdis (12th Imams) wouldn't keep popping up to cause trouble in the new Islamic world order.
Moderate Islam, if there is such a thing, is merely the gutless faithful realising that if they raise their voice against the totalitarian mullahs, they will be accused of being apostates and therefore fatwa-ed. They'd be weeded out in due time.
Captain T. E. Lawrence
(Lawrence of Arabia)
I selected this because my first name is his last…
Islam requires a theocratic form of dictatorship where most of the big rules are made through interpreting the Qur-an (in a world setting that would happen in Mecca or Qom depending on whether the place is run by the Suni or Shiia). The smaller rules are made by the local mullah, who is usually supported by a council of elders. In Afghanistan (the only Muslim country where I've spent any time – and an uncharitable soul shot me, ending my trip) it's called a jirga or circle of elders. Call it a City Council and you're in the ballpark.
Even though NASA's outreach (per President Obama's directive) is to make Muslims feel good about themselves, under Islam, there would be no space program, so satellite communications, and everything of that sort would quickly fall into disrepair and fade away.
In fact, the Wahhabist view of technology is that it's bad (unless in it's used against an infidel as in the case of a bomb). Essentially we'd all move back to the 14th Century where we would remain.
What was life like in the 14th Century in Islamic nations? The best word to describe it is "basic". (see below)
Electricity would likely be kept as a necessity simply because too many people benefit from lights to have it shut off completely. Some manufacturing would also remain, but there would have to be mullah supervision to insure that it was kept simplistic. I think that we'd eventually seen the end of basic things such as lightbulbs, but they'd exist for a while.
Since the only book you need is the Qur-an, there would likely be some printing for religious reading. Nothing much else is needed because most things that happen (such as medical problems) are solved with a shrug and insh-allah (the will of God).
Islam works better for men than it does for women. I'd have to grow a beard, pray or pretend to pray five times daily and that's about it. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited but I'm not much of a drinker, so no problem there.
Unruly Wives? Men are allowed up to 4 wives and an unlimited number of concubines, and divorce simply requires you to say, "I divorce you" three times to your wife in the presence of a male witness. No child support, no alimony, no community property, no problem. Unruly wife? You simply discipline her with a rod no bigger around than your thumb and you're not supposed to hit her in the head. If she ducks and the rod hits her in the head, it's not the man's problem. She simply needs to be better disciplined so that she can stand there and take it…
There are a LOT of rules for women. There are a lot more DON'Ts that there are DOs. I won't delve here, but suffice to say that cooking, child bearing and household chores, making clothing, and tending to crops are about all they're allowed to do. If women exceed those guidelines, they can be denounced as whores and executed. If your wife or daughters even glance at a man, you can deal with it as an honor killing rather than denouncing them as whores (the problem is solved far more immediately with less politics). Even though Islam doesn't refer to women as slaves and in fact prohibits enslaving fellow Muslims, the present Western definition of "slave" is a good definitive rule of thumb for the situation where women in Islam find themselves. Rape in Islam is all but impossible to prove. And since the culture is essentially misogynistic, women get the short end of the rope…unless you like dressing in a black tent in the middle of summer, in the desert.
Weapons are permissible in Islam (sort of a Super Second Amendment), but since manufacturing would suffer, eventually we'd be back to muskets (jazails) and swords (tulwars). Black powder is easily made from local materials and iron can be forged locally as well. I currently own both (flint and cap and ball) muskets and swords, so the transition would be minimal for me. Archery is another passion and with modern compound bows (that could be made with present knowledge and more primitive materials), I could keep the hobby. Other than praying five times daily, there's not all that much for the man to do besides honing martial skills, interpreting the word of God (see below) and 'expanding the population'.
The pastoral life of herding goats, for example, and shooting other Muslims who want to steal those goats comes to mind as I live in a tent with my tribe. I feel that if I was a Muslim that I'd be a mullah because you can interpret the Qur-an locally within some broad guidelines since the Qur-an is subject to a lot of interpretive leeway. The jirga/council would be comprised of my buddies, so we'd figure out how we wanted to roll and it would be ok. Guidance from Mecca would be slow in coming (carrier pigeon messages and wind powered ships would carry the word), so absent a directive from the other side of the planet, my word would be God's law. There are worse lives for a man like me who doesn't mind camping out, slaughtering the meat that he eats and bar-b-cueing it over a fire. Essentially true Islam as presently practiced (weeding out those moderates) would be like a long camping trip with a lot of female servants to do the heavy lifting. There are worse lives. I could get used to not having a cell phone, I like to ride horses and practice with weapons. I've never ridden a camel but why not? I'd have to learn falconry, but it would be an exciting challenge. Children can herd the domestic animals. I do the camping part now recreationally without the women part and it's not nearly as fun as it would be with women to gather firewood, cook the game that I killed and see to my every whim within the harem.
That's how it works in Yemen, Iran and Afghanistan and it's how it would work in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates if you took away the oil money.
Convert or Die
Islamic Women
Shiia
Total Islamic Faith
Wahhibism
World of Islam
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Opus #6 May 24, 2013 At 8:57 pm
LL, sometimes I think you LIKE to play Devil's Advocate.
LL May 24, 2013 At 10:07 pm
Who (looks around) me?
Do you think that the pastoral life of a goatherd would somehow diminish me as a mullah?
Paladin May 24, 2013 At 11:09 pm
I knew my aversion to shaving would pay off one day. I can't believe I'm finally ahead of the curve on something.
You were destined to be one of the faithful — you just didn't know it until now.
Old NFO May 25, 2013 At 1:06 am
Well done, and on the money… Talk to any old oil man that was ARAMCO in the early days…
WoFat May 25, 2013 At 2:29 am
I don't understand the "knee jerk" liberals and their defense of muslims. They are JUST WHO the hard line muslims want to kill.
LL May 25, 2013 At 6:24 am
Billy-the-Kid said that the dumber people are, the more surprised they are when you kill them.
It's simply the basis of who they are.
Jules May 26, 2013 At 3:07 pm
I would be denounced as a whore and executed. So, Im not for it 🙂
Good move, Juliette – you could simply be denounced as a whore for not having a good (appropriately submissive) attitude.
Understandin...
I don't think that many...


Thank you for your support and for your interest in the European Teams User Group!
Over the last several months, Adam (@deltanr1) and I have met so many great Teams contributors throughout the Microsoft Tech Community. They have certainly helped us in our journey with Teams! Whether it is about Governance, or the Graph, from Teams Adoption to diagnosing issues with endpoints. It has been amazing to discover so many experts so passionate about its success and helping others to do more.
Just search for European Teams User Group in YouTube! You can easily subscribe to the channel!
We will be looking to have live events as the group grows.
We are now calling for speakers for our next three UG meet ups. The idea is to have two or three speakers per meet up talking about Teams, or Teams in relation to another applications (I.e. Flow). This may be a specific functionality (I.e. Shifts), a solution (I.e. Creating new Teams via Graph), or a discussion point (I.e. Private Channels). These should be roughly 20 – 25 minutes in length. If you are interested to speak at the next meet up, please submit an overview of your session for us to review at euroteamsug@outlook.com. Submissions will be closed one week before the next meet up.
To note, we may have more submissions than speaking slots. If this is the case, we will try to arrange an alternate date with you. Where submissions are high we may not be able to accommodate your session for the next event. It is important to note that we will be open to extending the meet ups to accommodate more speakers as time goes on.
Q. Will there be face to face meet ups in the future?
A. This is something we are considering. Should everything go as planned then we would look to meet up at Ignite 2019. For the moment – as we get started – we will be holding all meet ups online.
Q. Do I have to be a certain level like an MVP to speak at a meet up?
A. No! This User Group is open to all members and everyone has an equal opportunity to present sessions at the meet ups.
Q. Will the Meet Ups take place in Teams? Isn't there a 250 user limit?
A. Yes! The meet ups will always be held in Teams and there is a 250 user limit. We have started out with regular teams meetings because we honestly have no idea in regards to how many will come to the initial meet ups. If we begin to look like hitting the limit then we will look at live events.
Q. How do I join those meetings?
Q. Will there be guest speakers?
Q. There isn't a meet up page or anything I have to sign up for. Am I actually a member of the group?
A. At present, you can class yourself as a member of the group if you follow the Twitter page (@EuroTeamsUG), subscribe to the YouTube channel above and attend the meet ups. Adam and I are open to looking at something more formalised, however we wanted to use existing applications and not charge anyone for being a member or participating.
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Background. Case fatality rates for childhood severe acute malnutrition (SAM) remain high in some resource-limited facilities in South Africa (SA), despite the widespread availability of the World Health Organization treatment guidelines. There is a need to develop reproducible interventions that reinforce the implementation of these guidelines and assess their effect and sustainability.
Objectives. To assess the short-term and sustained effects of a health system strengthening intervention on mortality attributable to SAM in two hospitals located in the Eastern Cape Province of SA.
Methods. This was a theory-driven evaluation conducted in two rural hospitals in SA over a 69-month period (2009 - 2014). In both facilities, a health system strengthening intervention was implemented within the first 32 months, and thereafter discontinued. Sixty-nine monthly data series were collected on: (i) monthly total SAM case fatality rate (CFR); (ii) monthly SAM CFR within 24 hours of admission; and (iii) monthly SAM CFR among HIV-positive cases, to determine the intervention's effect within the first 32 months and sustainability over the remaining 37 months. The data were analysed using Linden's method for analysing interrupted time series data.
Results. The study revealed that the intervention was associated with a statistically significant decrease of up to 0.4% in monthly total SAM CFR, a non-statistically significant decrease of up to 0.09% in monthly SAM CFR within 24 hours of admission and a non-statistically significant decrease of up to 0.11% in monthly SAM CFR among HIV-positive cases. The decrease in mortality trends for both outcomes was only slightly reversed upon the discontinuation of the intervention. No autocorrelation was detected in the regression models generated during data analyses.
Conclusion. The study findings suggest that although the intervention was designed to be self-sustaining, this may not have been the case. A qualitative enquiry into the moderating factors responsible for failure to sustain such an intervention, as well as the process of care, would add value to the findings presented in this study.


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Sending Stories Around the World - The Biggest Book Show on Earth
January 02, 2013 by Chuck Baker
World Book Day is a UNESCO-designated celebration of books and reading, observed in over 100 countries around the world. Founded 16 years ago, it is a fantastic vehicle that encourages children and young people to foster a lifetime love of reading by providing access to books through schools, libraries and book shops.
Last year the organization held a rather special event. 'The Biggest Book Show On Earth' webcast was hosted at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank in London, with leading children's authors and illustrators talking to an audience of children in situ, while also streaming live to thousands of children across the world.
StreamUK, a specialist streaming and webcasting company, provided the streaming technology for this historic event. The set-up included three Sony PMW-500 broadcast cameras, plus a Visualiser overhead camera set up above an illustrator's table to capture live drawings being done as an author told a story. These feeds and a separate audio feed were vision mixed on StreamUK's TriCaster XD850 live production system, and then sent to their on-site encoders where it was prepared and delivered to the web.
Mike Grimley, Production Manager, StreamUK, led the installation and oversaw the webcast. "It was a fairly straightforward set-up that only took around two hours – it doesn't take long to set up a production suite with TriCaster as it's all plug and play," he says.
Reaching thousands of children
The recording of the event itself was similarly simple. "There was no direction as such, we just followed what was going on and captured some fantastic footage of these kids getting wildly excited by their favorite authors," Mike recalls. Children watching in their classrooms, sports halls and gymnasiums could also get involved by asking live questions via the website – which proved to be a hugely popular part of the event.
"We're so delighted to have been involved," says Ben Darby, Communications Manager, Stream UK. "Last year's World Book Day was the biggest European children's webcast as well as one of the most watched live streaming events in the world aimed at children - it reached an estimated 750,000 nursery and primary school children globally."
StreamUK is currently planning this year's event which takes place on 7th March 2013. While the set-up is largely the same, it will also include an additional feed to a StreamUK truck that will then be beamed to 37 cinemas across the UK.
Cost-effective communication
StreamUK is well versed in sending stories around the world. The 12 year old company has a diverse client list for its streaming, webcasting and ingest services, developing its own products such as the Stream MP online video platform to host, manage and distribute multimedia content over the internet. It works with corporate clients including Orange and Barclaycard to broadcast internal messaging internationally - a much more cost effective and eco-friendly method of communication than flying staff around the world. Stream MP is also used by content owners in the sports market that want to broadcast internationally online, such as Liverpool FC and The British Association of Mixed Martial Arts that have many followers in Asia.
Portability is key
The company first purchased a TriCaster Pro around six years ago in response to a new client's production requirements. "We were asked to stream the Red Bull Bedroom Jam – an online competition that saw young bands performing in their bedrooms for a chance to win a Red Bull recording contract," explains Ben. "The show went live every week from a different UK location. We needed a live production system that was portable and easy to set up, and that offered excellent graphics together with the ability to stream up to five cameras live. The TriCaster Pro was ideal when we started the show; we then upgraded to a Tricaster 850 in the 2010 season which gave us more options and increased our capabilities."
StreamUK media platform statistics show that for each Red Bull Bedroom Jam (RBBJ) show, the content was watched by thousands of viewers, with the show's finale totaling around one terabyte of streaming data.
RBBJ relied heavily on social media and proved to be a big hit as fans and audiences all over the world voted to keep unsigned bands in the competition. The website also integrated a live chat function to encourage online viewers to engage with the bands and other fans online.
Mike Grimley adds: "The portability of the TriCaster 850 was a huge asset for this project and many others that we work on - it's like taking an entire studio in a box to any production. We throw different types of camera or audio formats at it, and it can cope with anything. We particularly like the overlay graphics, the green-screening and having two DDR players – these features are really helpful."
Audience interaction
The combination of StreamUK's own products and the TriCaster have proved unbeatable on many productions, and have enabled the company to work on many innovative projects. "We've worked for the band Florence + The Machine a few times, but the most recent was really exciting," Ben recalls. "We shot the band's Royal Albert Hall concert with four camera feeds to the TriCaster, and streamed all four feeds separately. The online audience watching on YouTube could then choose which camera to watch and even create their own 'director's cut' of the gig."
The market for webcasting is still relatively young, but StreamUK will testify to its rapid rate of growth and development. Ben lays out some statistics: "In 2010 we did 82 premium webcasts – we class 'premium' as those that require more than two cameras with some detailed production work. In 2012 that number had risen to 143, and we think we'll reach 150 or more this year. As costs come down and technological capabilities increase it's becoming a very popular and cost-effective way to communicate, and the creative possibilities of what you can do with the technology are still being explored. It's exciting to see our communications evolving, and to play a part in that evolution."
Learn more about Live Production and Streaming
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Broadcast - Web, Customer Stories, Education, TriCaster,
Live Production, Live Streaming, Multi Camera, TriCaster, Webcast,
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Often the most severe injuries are caused by explosions, which require lengthy post-treatment and a lot of stamina from the patient. Not infrequently, the cure progress and irreversible damage are difficult to foresee. Nevertheless, high quality treatment can shorten the cure progress significantly. Due to the very severe injuries and third degree burns as a result of a house explosion, last week our central ambulance flight unit team provided an ambulance jet with intensive-care medical equipment to transport our patient from the Libyan capital Tripoli to a clinic in Ludwigshafen.
With the injuries of this patient, only an extremely gentle transport could be considered, which we were able to organize within one day. In order to guarantee the smooth transportation to the processing clinic, we made use of our "Bed to Bed" service in this case, and also organized the corresponding ground departments for this service in Libya and in Germany. In addition to this, it was not least our rapid provision of an Arabic-speaking doctor which guaranteed perfect communication between all those involved.


Smiggle Australia's most colourful stationery is now open in our Central Mall opposite the Liverpool FC store.
This colourful store is filled to the brim with bright and bold stationery, bags, lunchboxes, accessories, gadgets and more. Everything you need for school, homework or fun can be found right here.


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Missouri StatePublic Affairs BOG Excellence in Public Affairs Award2021-22 Honoree - Caryn Saxon
Excellence in public affairs awards
Faculty Public Affairs Award
Staff Public Affairs Award
Excellence in Faculty & Staff Community Engagement Awards
Public Affairs Essay Contest, Dr. Michael Compton
At-A-Glance Calendar
American Democracy Project
Division of Public Affairs and Assessment
eJournal of Public Affairs
2021-22 Honoree - Caryn Saxon
Senior Instructor, Criminology Department
College of Humanities and Public Affairs
In 2012, Caryn started a class for incarcerated women at the Greene County Jail guided by the belief that cycles of offending can be broken, in part, through rehabilitation, support, and education. Her goal at the jail is to help women understand how relationship violence and trauma leads to criminal behavior and to give them concrete tools and skills to aid their healing and growth. Mackenzie Hutchison writes, "I can honestly say Professor Saxon is the single most important aspect of my education at Missouri State."
Ms. Saxon keeps students focused on public affairs issues by developing courses that fit relevant contemporary topics like Police Use of Force, Conflict and Stress in Criminal Justice, Restorative Justice, Inmate Justice, and the senior capstone, Diversity & Difference in Criminology.
Her department head, Dr. Brett Garland explained it best.
"She is the co-author of a monumental book on restorative justice. It's a colossal achievement in her own right, but even more impressive given that such publications from university instructors are uncommon. It's one of the first major publications to provide comprehensive coverage of restorative justice, and it's the most beneficial education resource on the subject."


As the winter starts to fade, our immune systems might be a bit weaker, leaving us susceptible to one last cold before the change of seasons. Here are foods packed with cold and flu -fighting nutrients.
Trillions of bacteria work to create a healthy balance in our digestive and immune systems. Yogurt and kefir products help fight off bad bacteria types while feeding good bacteria. Look for yogurts with a 'Live and Active Cultures' seal to know you're getting what you need. Some people add honey to yogurt, but good bacteria thrive when there's as little sugar as possible.
The USDA Agriculture Research Service and Cornell University have found that blueberries are the most powerful antioxidants out of all commonly eaten fresh fruit. This is due to their high amount of vitamin C and anthocyanins. Antioxidants help fight free radicals that can latch on to chemicals in the body and cause infections or disease.
Seeds and nuts offer antibacterial or antioxidant power to fight colds. Use anise seeds as a tea up to three times a day to ease coughing or congestion. Pumpkin seeds, high in vitamin E and zinc, can reduce the time you're sick with a cold. Antioxidants in sunflower seeds reduce phlegm, and protect cell walls from damage that can open them to infection. Lastly, only a few brazil nuts a day have enough selenium and cytokine proteins to battle bad bacteria.
Garlic contains an antimicrobial ingredient allicin, which helps fight against bad bacteria like yeast, rids the body of toxins, and promotes healthy gut flora. Studies have shown that garlic can not only help you recover from colds, but also ward them off. Although there are garlic supplements, garlic has its greatest impact raw or as aged garlic extract.
Coming out of spring, your body is naturally low in vitamin D which is a key cold fighter. Wild salmon, tuna, or sardines are high in Vitamin D, and pair well with citrus and a yogurt dressing - also beneficial for colds. These are likewise rich in zinc and omega 3s which reduce inflammation. This helps stimulate good blood flow to remove toxins.
Mushrooms may be a type of fungus, but they are great for increasing the antiviral proteins in your body. Viral infections are the ones for which you can't take medicine, so prevention is your best cure. Mushrooms also are a good source of potassium, B vitamins and fiber.
Sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene, that later turns into vitamin A, and is found in other bright orange veggies, such as carrots. This boosts T-cell function, which blocks or destroys harmful cold-causing bacteria. Vitamin A also strengthens mucosal surfaces such as your eyes, skin, nose and digestive system - all key targets for pesky colds.
Red peppers are similar to citrus fruits in that they are extremely high in vitamin C. One pepper has about 150 mg of the vitamin. While that's twice the daily recommended amount for women, you'll need four times as much a day if you have a cold. Nevertheless, peppers can be paired with yogurt dips and are an easy way to snack your way to better health.
Vitamin D doesn't just fight depression and build strong bones, but also helps combat our risk of catching a cold. Vitamin D in milk helps build up weakened immune defense from a lack of sun during winter months. Vitamin D milk can also help lower risk of respiratory infections, as well as thicken mucus and phlegm to help flush out respiratory bacteria.
While it isn't a food, it's one of the best things you can take with your food to make sure you get the nutrients you need to stay healthy. A multivitamin will fill in the gaps in nutrients you may miss from day to day. Multivitamins will also flush out excess nutrients, which individual supplements may not do.


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Q: Arguments from context returns empty list I'm trying to make a decorator that checks if the number of arguments given to a command is the right number. So I've done this so far.
def has_correct_number_arguments(minimum=None, maximum=None):
    def predicate(ctx):
        print(ctx.args) #returns []
        if minimum is None:
            if maximum is None:
                return False
            else:
                return len(ctx.args) == maximum
        else:
            if maximum is None:
                return minimum <= len(ctx.args)
            else:
                return minimum <= len(ctx.args) <= maximum
    return commands.check(predicate)

Yet when I'm using it and printing the value of args inside the context it returns an empty list. Does anyone know why or know an another way to do that ?
Thanks

A: The arguments are parsed after the checks, that's why ctx.args will always be empty.


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Squid Game season 2 premiere date: Any more specifics coming?
Squid Game January 12, 2023
Is there a chance that we'll get some specifics on a Squid Game season 2 as we inch ever closer to the big premiere? It may go without saying, but we absolutely want something to cling onto over the next year or so.
If you have been following this show's road to an eventual premiere, then you are aware of a couple of different things already. Take, for example, that the earliest you can expect it is a handful of months into 2024. There are a lot of ideas fully conjured-up at this point, but we've yet to hear a single bit of casting news or filming information.
SUBSCRIBE to Matt & Jess on YouTube for more Squid Game updates!
More than likely, these things are going to be coming throughout the year, and we would be shocked if there wasn't at least something shared about a premiere date or a premiere month. While Netflix doesn't always approximate dates in advance with all of their shows, they do it here and there with the big-ticket ones. Take, for example, The Witcher season 3, which has already been confirmed for a "summer" launch. Why wouldn't they at least consider something similar here? It's just one of those things that makes the most sense.
Ultimately, we tend to think that the best time to get some more information is going to be at least a few months after filming — a time when the streaming service can start to get comfortable with what they are seeing behind the scenes. We know that they aren't going to rush into it, since the last thing that they want to do is give people hope of an approximate return date and then change it. Just know that it's very unlikely that the streamer is quite on the Squid Game front all year — there are just too many things to be potentially shared!
Related – Be sure to get some additional news right now regarding Squid Game, including a few more details about the future
When do you think we will get some more specifics on a Squid Game season 2 courtesy of Netflix?
Be sure to let us know right away in the attached comments! Once you do just that, remember to come back around for some additional scoop. (Photo: Netflix.)
This article was written by Jessica BunBun. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.


We are an inclusive party and our events are open to all!
The venue operates a zero tolerance policy to all forms of harassment and discrimination.
Gender neutral toilets are available.
* price includes 10% booking fee.


Step 2: Watch for communication from Fanshawe College.
Step 3: If offered admission, confirm your acceptance to Fanshawe College through www.ontariocolleges.ca.
Step 5: Deliver Offer of Admission letter to Employment Ontario Assessment Centre.
Step 6: A fee invoice will be issued to you. Please pay your fees by the due date, or come to the Office of the Registrar to request a special fee extension. Note: a copy of the signed contract is necessary before a fee extension can be requested.
Step 7: Bring your signed Ministry funding contract to the Office of the Registrar prior to the fee extension deadline.
Step 8: Click here to learn even more about the admission process to Fanshawe College.
*Applicants with international transcripts will have to pay an additional fee for the assessment of their transcript.
Considering an Accelerated Career Training program through Continuing Education at Fanshawe College? Contact the Continuing Education office at 519-452-4287 or ce@fanshawec.ca to schedule a one-on-one appointment with a program consultant.


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Rest in peace, Skip Haynes: Aliotta, Haynes, and Jeremiah, "Lake Shore Drive" (1971)
October 6, 2017 October 6, 2017 / Len
(Above: AHJ around the time of LSD)
As if the music world hadn't suffered enough this week, the Chicago music scene took a specific hit as word spread that Skip Haynes passed away in Los Angeles on October 5 at the age of 71 after a long bout with cancer.
Skip was the Haynes in Aliotta, Haynes, and Jeremiah, a band not widely known outside of the Chicago area due to the fact that their signature song, "Lake Shore Drive," was essentially a love letter to one of the city's most famous thoroughfares. The song got wider exposure this past year after its inclusion in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, and Haynes was able to attend that film's premiere. Skip was performing as a solo artist in Old Town when he began working with Mitch Aliotta (of the Rotary Connection) and John Jeremiah, who had also worked with Minnie Riperton. The band got their break one night when the scheduled act at The Earl of Old Town failed to show up, and the club's manager enlisted the three to play.
"Lake Shore Drive" became a staple of Chicago FM radio stations. WDHF, which later became WMET, which later became WNUA, which is now country, I think, had a custom cut of the song that worked the call letters into the lyrics. I made sure to get it on to WJMK more than a few times when I was selecting the music there, and even got my hands on a copy to bring to Grand Rapids so that fellow expatriates like myself could enjoy the song every so often.
It's hard to picture a scenario where I'll live in Chicago again. But "Lake Shore Drive" helps to evoke a picture in the mind of driving into the city and seeing its magnificence appear before you. The driver in the song is coming in from the north side; I always came in from the south. There's a moment when you merge onto LSD from the Ryan where the entire skyline appears before you. As a kid sitting in my parents' backseat it was a glorious site to behold as it looked nothing like the treeless suburbs. Even as I close in on fifty, after a long ride on the Skyway, it's still pretty cool to get a look at – even if they made Soldier Field look silly.
See if you can smell the green. You can hear "Lake Shore Drive" by clicking here.
1970s, 1971, Chicago, WMET
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This is how workplace politics goes in most offices – "There are too much wrangling and maneuvering going on in this office – I just hate office politicking". "Tobi, well she's a smart political mover – knows exactly how to get what she wants and how to get on with the bosses." Have you found yourself uttering such words? Whether you hate it, admire it, practice it or avoid it, office politics is a fact of life in any organization and likely not to go away as long as there are human beings. And again, like it or not, it's something that you need to master or not master in order to guarantee your success or peril.
Workplace politics is the process and behaviour in human interactions involving power and authority. It is also a tool to assess the operational capacity and to balance diverse views of interested parties. It is also known as office politics and organizational politics. That's the fancy definition, however, if you have been a victim or the receiving end of office politics you know it is nowhere fanciful.
Key to winning workplace politics is becoming stronger – be formidable, be indispensable, be extremely good at your stuff – and you will thrive above onslaught of others. YOU WILL BECOME UNTOUCHABLE.
Workplace politics is the only thing capable of killing skills, talents or genius in any organisation – because performance no longer matters but the clique, caucus or circle you belong. The notion of the existence of the A-team or B-team is the equivalence of a civil war in an organisation.
Be the indispensable guy or gal in the room, the truly competent and effective is an attractive tool for all warring factions. They will be at your beck and call. Allow your works stand out, and the sharks will be afraid of preying – you might even become untouchable.
It's easy to stay friends with former colleagues and bosses. Do it. They will come in handy in the future. Drop wishes on their birthdays, important celebrations and whatnot and you would have given yourself a life-line handy during office wars. At least you would have touched their hearts where it is soft.
When you enter a new job, learn about that place before you start making changes. Understand the office culture, the history, what has been tried before. Take time to get to know your colleagues and direct reports. Be honest and open and see opportunities, not challenges. Be friendly to everyone first before singling weakling out for slaughter. Bring sweets, orbits for everybody.
Am sure you smiled at this idea. Yes – it always works – even during a fight. Give people something – especially sweet stuff and they will consider you an ally. It's like offering the olive branch – but don't do it often – you know people before they assume it is your duty to bring sweet stuff to work. Always make it a surprise.
We like to read from you on ideas you think worked for you in the comment box below.


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Hotel Villa Sonia
Sicily, Italy, Taormina
Hotel Villa Sonia, Swimming Pool & External View
Hotel Villa Sonia, Pool
Hotel Villa Sonia, Lounge
Hotel Villa Sonia, Bar
Hotel Villa Sonia, Standard Room
Hotel Villa Sonia, Superior Room
Hotel Villa Sonia is a delightful, family-run hotel. It's got a nice, peaceful location about a ten-minute walk from the centre of Castelmota, a lovely hilltop village that's about a 15 minute drive from Taormina. A free shuttle bus to Taormina's centre runs three times a day so it's easy to get out and about but it's worth spending some time in the village too. It's got charming cobbled streets, cafés for a morning cappuccino and wine bars and restaurants for the evenings that are authentic and relaxed. If you're planning to explore more of Sicily, we'd recommend hiring a car.
As the hotel's high up in the hills, you'll get amazing views. Each morning breakfast is served on the terrace (weather permitting) that looks out towards Mount Etna and the Bay of Naxos. The pool's a great little spot to recharge your batteries. Take a good book and grab a lounger to sunbathe. You'll feel away it from it all here. Inside has a traditional feel with cool tiled floors in the rooms and a cosy bar where you can get a glass of local wine at the end of the day.
Transfer time: approx. 1 hour 10 mins from Catania airport.
Early booking offer available for summer 2022 (ends 28 Feb 22)
Official rating: 4
Local Fees and Taxes
A tourist tax of €2 per person per night is payable locally.
Standard Rooms are about 18m² and sleep up to two people in double or twin beds. They're decorated in a traditional style with terracotta tiled floors and elegant furnishings. All rooms have air conditioning (July & Aug), TV, free Wi-Fi, minibar, safe, bath or shower and hairdryer. Cots are available on request.
Standard Etna View Rooms are about 18m² and sleep up to two people. They're decorated in warm tones with rustic wooden furnishings and cool tiled floors. They have a French balcony with views of Mount Etna.
Superior Rooms are about 20m² and sleep up to three people. These rooms have a balcony.
Deluxe Rooms are about 24m² and sleep up to three people. They have a terrace with views of Mount Etna and are available on request, please call to book.
Single Occupancy standard rooms are available on request, please call to book.
Lift accessible: No
Lift serves all floors: No
Access ramp: No
It's easy to understand why Taormina is one of Sicily's most popular resorts. It's position on the edge of the island means you get incredible views over the sea towards Mount Etna. Spend your days strolling through the historic streets, grabbing a coffee on a sea-view terrace or heading down for a day at the beach in Taormina Mare.
What to see on a holiday to Taormina
There's a lot of history to unpack here. The Greek Theatre is the town's most-known attraction - it also has some of the best Mount Etna views so bring your camera along. If you time your visit with the Taormina Film Festival you can even take in a show here. Just walking through the town is a great way to take in the sights. Head down Corso Umberto for the shops and restaurants, or take the cable car down to Taormina Mare and spend some time on Isola Bella.
Discover more things to see and do in Sicily.
Why book a holiday to Taormina with Inghams?
We've hand-picked some fantastic hotels in central Taormina so you won't have to go far to explore. We've also got a great selection of excursions so you can get all around the island's best sights. Your holiday is in safe hands with Inghams.
Pre-book your excursions online or give us a call
Valley of the Temples from £49 per person (full day)
Head to Sicily's most impressive Greek Temples on this excursion. You'll get to explore the archaeological site and discover the ruins, which are among the best preserved in the world. The journey continues towards Scala dei Turchi and its white cliff formations on the south coast of the Island. There are two sandy beaches surrounding the cliffs that you can make your way down to (comfortable shoes are highly recommended).
Departs: Tuesdays. Entrance fees and lunch are payable locally.
Mount Etna & Alcantara Gorges from £103 per person (full day)
This unmissable excursions gets you up close and personal with Europe's most active volcano. You'll drive up to 1,900 metres before taking the cable car to the summit where you can enjoy panoramic views (weather dependant). You'll have some time for lunch and there are some small souvenir shops too. On your way back to Taormina, you'll stop al Alcantara Gorges - black lava walls that have been formed above the Alcantara River.
Departs: Daily except Fridays. Entrance fees and lunch are payable locally.
Palermo from £49 per person (full day)
Head for Sicily's capital on this full-day excursion. See the magnificent Cathedral of Monreale, a mix of western, Byzantine and Islamic architecture. Its original building dates back to 1182. You'll have some free time to explore too - head for the markets and try some of the local food.
Departs: Wednesdays. Entrance fees and lunch are payable locally.
Syracuse & Noto from £50 per person (full day)
The beautiful baroque town of Syracuse is known for its ancient ruins and stunning architecture. You'll get to explore its thousand-year-old history on this excursion, starting with the incredible cathedral that dominates the piazza. After a short walk, you'll arrive on the seafront promenade before getting some free time for lunch. With Syracuse's daily market filled with fresh food and plenty of family-run trattorias and cafés, you'll be spoilt for choice. After lunch, you'll stop at the archaeological park before heading to Noto, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its maze of beautiful baroque buildings.
Departs: Mondays and Fridays. Entrance fees and lunch are payable locally.
Mini cruise to the Aeolian Islands - Lipari & Vulcano (full day)
This full-day excursion takes you north to the stunning Aeolian Islands. You'll stop in Lipari first where you can admire the charming landscape and the crystal-clear waters. Visit the old town and archaeological park before having some free time for lunch or a spot of shopping. Next on the agenda is Vulcano, an island known for its black sand beaches, hot springs and mud baths. Before heading back to mainland Sicily, you'll enjoy an hour and a half's sail around the islands to view the Faraglioni, Papa Giovanni rock, the Grotta degli Angeli and the Scoglio della Mummia.
Departs: Wednesdays and Fridays. Entrance fees and lunch are payable locally.
Mini cruise to the Aeolian Islands - Panarea & Stromboli (full day)
Panarea is one of the Aeolian Island's most fashionable islands where luxury yachts fill the tiny harbour and some of Italy's most elite sip prosseco in bustling cafés. You'll have two hours here to wander around - visit the picturesque village, take a swim in the crystal-clear waters or stop for a bite to eat. The afternoon takes you to Stromboli where the smoky volcano dominates the sky. You'll have time to explore before leaving at sun set when you can admire the 'sciara del fuoco', the stream of fire created when the lava flows down the active volcano.
Departs: Thursdays and Sundays. Entrance fees and lunch are payable locally.
We act at all times as a selling agent for the suppliers. All excursions require minimum numbers to run and are subject to change. Some excursions may not be available to pre-book in low season but may be available to book locally subject to numbers. Prices will be confirmed at the time of booking. Please see our terms & conditions.
Outdoor swimming pool with a panoramic terrace with views of Etna (normally open May to September, weather permitting).
Beach facilities with deckchairs and umbrellas can be hired locally for approximately €8 per day.
Free shuttle bus three times a day to Taormina
Small fitness area with sauna (payable locally)
Private parking approx. €7 per day (must be reserved, payable locally)
Buffet breakfast is served in the dining room or on the panoramic terrace with a choice of fresh pastries, bread, cereals, fruits, juices, tea and coffee. Guests upgrading to half board will dine in the Parco Reale Restaurant.
Restaurant Parco Reale is in an original part of the building that dates back to the 1600s where you can dine amidst antique furnishings whilst looking out across the beautiful Sicilian landscape, with views of Mount Etna. Enjoy fresh Sicilian dishes made using local produce accompanied by some of the best wines from the region. In the warmer months, the restaurant extends out onto the panoramic terrace.
Rural location above Taormina close to village of Castelmola
400 metres to Castelmola
Public bus stop opposite the hotel
5 kilometres to Taormina
Reviews of Hotel Villa Sonia
per person from £504
Includes £22pp discount
Taormina, Sicily,Bed & Breakfast
From London Gatwick
Hotel Villa Sonia,
Taormina,
London All --London Gatwick --London Luton North Of England --Manchester Int. South West England --Bristol
Due to the constantly changing nature of the COVID-19 crisis, we may need to change or withdraw at short notice some advertised accommodation facilities and resort services to help keep everyone safe.


Irrational Games' Ken Levine has said he's "experimenting" with multiplayer in BioShock Infinite at the moment. However, he's not sure it yet holds a candle to the single-player experience.
"We got a lot of questions with the original BioShock saying, 'You're not having multiplayer? It's a first-person shooter - are you out of your mind?'" Levine told The Big O and Duke Show.
"We stuck very firmly to our guns on that, that unless we had something - a multiplayer component that was as compelling as everything else we were doing in the game - we were not going to put the investment into it, because that wouldn't be a service to the product, it wouldn't be a service to the fans and it wouldn't be a service to us - it wouldn't be any good to anybody.
"It's not like people won't buy the game if it doesn't have a world-changing multiplayer element. Unless you're Call of Duty, unless you're Halo, unless you've got something new to say like Left 4 Dead, people are not going to care, so why do it?
"From where we're sitting on BioShock Infinite, we are experimenting with lots of things in single-player and with things in multiplayer all the time. And the question is - and we're incredibly confident now that we've got a single-player experience that is absolutely going to be incredibly impactful on people... We're not convinced of that on a multiplayer side at this point.
"And we're still thinking about it," he added, "but unless we're absolutely convinced, it's not something we would do, because I don't see who it serves."
BioShock Infinite takes place before the events of BioShock, in Columbia, a floating city in the sky. Like Rapture, Columbia was created as an alternate society - in this case a propaganda experiment to show the world how mighty the USA was. But despite the political undertones, Levine's adamant he's not commenting on current affairs.
"What we're interested in here is not a critique of the United States in any way, shape or form," he declared. "What we're interested in is how two different people can look at those founding documents, the same documents - the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence - and come away with entirely different perceptions of what they mean. Different enough that they will actually take up arms against one another.
"That was what was so interesting to us about this," Levine said. "Certainly not about making any statement about current politics or current situation. This is not in any way a representation of what is currently going on [or] a direct mirror of that. It's about a larger theme: what is the purpose of a country? What is the purpose of its documents? How do you have a country of millions and millions of people - are they on the same page about what that country is?"
Eurogamer explored the world of BioShock Infinite last month. The game's in development for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, and carries a release date of 2012.


How to Pass Pathophysiology in Nursing School | What is Pathophysiology?
Nursing students will take a nursing class in college called Pathophysiology to help them understand how to restore the body after it suffers from a number of possible abnormalities that lead to diseases. Many nursing students find pathophysiology difficult and that is takes good study habits to successfully pass the class.
Nurses ensure that patients remain healthy. When patients enter hospitals and clinics, nurses must identify their medical conditions and treat them accordingly. Some diseases can be prevented and those that cannot are managed by nursing professionals so that patients can be restored back to good health.
The area of pathophysiology refers to the scientific study of disease or abnormal processes. Any ailment of the body that disturbs its normal physiological processes is the study of pathophysiology. The process involves looking for specific malfunctions that cause or come from disease. Nurses use pathophysiology every time they come in contact with a patient. Nurses must have an exceptional level of skill in this area since what is considered a healthy function or structure in one patient may not necessarily be considered healthy in another patient.
Nursing students take a pathophysiology course in college to prepare them to identify these abnormalities. Courses are available from accredited colleges or universities, and students can take this course completely online or on campus. The course consists of cases studies, visual aids, assessment scales, simulations, tests, and other tools.
Compare and contrast the effects of culture, ethics, and genetics have on disease progression, treatment, health promotion, and disease prevention.
Nurses use pathophysiology to understand the progression of disease in order to identify the disease and implement treatment options for their patients. Nurses use the information that they find to identify the next course of the disease so that they can provide their patient's with the appropriate care they need. The medical procedures and medications that nurses administer to patients depend greatly on the nature of the disease.
Nurses also use pathophysiology to care for their terminally ill patients. Caring for patients as their lives near the end is just as important as caring for patients who are not terminally ill. Nurses have to be able to identify the signs that their patients display in their final days. Nurses have the responsibility to provide care that helps patients experience the upmost comfort as they reach their final days of life.
It is very important that nurses gain a significant amount of exposure to a diverse number of patients because diseases tend to manifest differently in every person. What is normal for one patient may not be normal for the next patient. Lack of exposure to diverse medical diseases may lead to erroneous or missed diagnosis.
As stated at the beginning of this article, Pathophysiology is one of the courses nursing students have trouble passing. This is due to the fact there is so much material to cover in such a short time as a single semester. Buying a good study guide is essential for passing Pathophysiology.
Pathophysiology is one of the hardest courses that nursing students will take in nursing school. Here are a few suggestions that can help nursing students meet success in this course.
Read and reread the material as much as possible. The best way to memorize the information for this course is to go over it repeatedly. Also, read the chapter summaries and introductions to help to get a better understanding of the content.
Utilize professors as needed. Use the professor as an expert resource to help clarify any information that is not clear. Ask questions immediately to prevent a halt in studying. Students should pay close attention during the lectures because the professor may provide extra information to help with the test.
Make flashcards. Nursing students can write information pertaining to drugs and their side effects, interactions, and uses on flashcards.
Pay close attention to wording on the test. Words like never, always, none, all, and should may help students identify the correct answers on the test. Read each question and answer carefully before making a selection.
Nurses have a wealth of information that they must know in order to help their patients. It is important to understand how a disease affects a specific individual before a specific treatment can be administered to help the patients prolong their lives. Exposure to an abundance of people and diseases is what makes the skills learned in the pathophysiology course so valuable.


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PUBG Mobile Raises The Stakes Even Higher In Partnership With Paramount Pictures'and Skydance Media's New Theatrical Film,"mission: Impossible – Fallout"
As part of an unprecedented month-long campaign for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Mobile (PUBG MOBILE), Tencent Games has partnered with the new movie, "Mission: Impossible – Fallout," which released in theaters on July 27, to deliver all-new in-game content inspired by the film. This latest update, available now, comes just in time for PUBG MOBILE players.
"Nothing is impossible for PUBG MOBILE, the world's most popular mobile battle royale game – not even a partnership with an iconic movie franchise such as "Mission: Impossible," said PUBG MOBILE team General Manager Vincent Wang. "After only a few months on the market, we continue to build our player base for PUBG MOBILE– now over 100 million strong – while growing our brand with innovative partnerships such as this special in-game event with to appeal to a broad range of gamers worldwide."
Also, PUBG MOBILE will feature a "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" in-game theme and several new in-game features with its latest update, including:
"Mission: Impossible – Fallout" Takeover – Players will experience all-new background music and customizable parachutes themed to the film;
Special In-Game Rewards – Players can exchange themed items for "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" avatars to use during the promotional campaign;
All-New Challenges – Players can compete in themed challenges for Team Rush, Survival and First-Person Perspective modes to earn various rewards.
Players can experience the world of "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" on their Android and iOS devices in PUBG MOBILE with new items, challenges and other recognizable content straight from the film.
Check out the new video trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS942Fwigas
PUBG MOBILE is available to download for free on the AppStore and Google Play.
PUBG MOBILE is developed by Tencent Games and PUBG Corp. and based on PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, the original PC and Xbox One gaming phenomenon that took the world of interactive entertainment by storm in 2017. Up to 100 players parachute onto a remote 8×8 km island to battle in a winner-takes-all showdown. Players must locate and scavenge their own weapons, vehicles and supplies, and defeat every player in a visually and tactically rich battleground that forces players into a shrinking play zone.
For more information, please visit the official PUBG MOBILE accounts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
About Paramount Pictures Corporation: Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.
About Skydance Media: Skydance is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create high quality, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The Company brings to life stories of immersive worlds across its feature film, television, and interactive platforms. Its feature films include Annihilation, LIFE, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Star Trek Beyond, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Terminator Genisys, World War Z, Star Trek Into Darkness, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Jack Reacher, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and True Grit. Skydance's next feature film Mission: Impossible – Fallout released on July 27, 2018. In 2017, Skydance formed an animation division to develop and produce a slate of high-end feature films and television series in partnership with Spain's Ilion Animation Studios. Skydance Television launched in 2013. Its current slate includes Emmy-nominated Grace and Frankie on Netflix, Altered Carbon on Netflix, Jack Ryan on Amazon, Condor on AT&T Audience Network, and Dietland on AMC. Skydance Interactive launched in 2016 to create and publish original and IP-based virtual reality experiences and video games. Skydance Interactive recently debuted its first original title – Archangel, a story-driven VR shooter.
About Tencent Games: Tencent Holdings Limited (SEHK 700) is a leading provider of Internet value added services, also the key shareholder of Riot, Supercell and Miniclip. Tencent Games, part of Tencent Holdings Limited, is a leading world-class online game developer and operator. Tencent Games is dedicated to creating a reliable, fun, and professional interactive entertainment experience for users through the creation of quality multi-segment online game products.
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The OPPO R-series has produced some of the best mid-range phones we here at EFTM have ever seen. I've been pushing them as some of the most exceptional android phones on a budget since first getting my hands on one. So it is with great pleasure we can announce that the OPPO R17 and it's big brother the R17 Pro are on their way to Australia in the coming days.
OPPO are pushing the new camera technology they've got as the sale point for the R17, boasting that it has been "enhanced with AI and a new Sony sensor allows for new flagship features like Ultra Night Mode and TOF 3D Photography in the R17 Pro." We'll be sure to put the Night Mode to the test when we get the chance. There's been a huge effort from Google and Huawei to optimize low light photography and it has ALWAYS been the thorn in the OPPO camera's side. It'll be interesting to see how the R17 changes the game.
We're also hearing that the R17 is equipped with SuperVOOC Flash Charging – which in plain English means you can charge up to 40% battery life in just 10 minutes. Both models will have 6GB RAM, 128GB of internal memory and a massive 6.4-inch display.
OPPO have always been exceptional at getting the "gimmicks" right. By that I mean they're very quick to market all of the latest and greatest from other brands relatively quickly. The R17 and R17 Pro will include a fingerprint sensor UNDERNEATH the screen, just like the brand new Huawei Mate 20 Pro. I will forever respect OPPO for what they do in this space.
This latest model in the R-series will be running ColorOS 5.2 which takes from Android 8.1 and while that software is quickly being lapped by phones such as the Pixel using Android P, the type of user buying the R17 couldn't care less (as I'm sure you couldn't care reading it). Previous iterations of ColorOS have proven incredibly frustrating – but ever since version 5, I've found it significantly more usable.
You'll be able to pick one up at just about every consumer tech store (JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, The Good Guys) from the 12th of November. The R17 will retail for $699 and the R17 Pro for $899.


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Independent governance of workplace pensions
Providers of workplace personal pension schemes are required to appoint an independent body to ensure governance of their schemes, providing members with greater protection. It acts solely in the interests of scheme members, operating independently to assess, and where necessary, challenge firms on the administration and value for money of the scheme for its members.
ReAssure established an Independent Governance Committee (IGC) to ensure this was addressed.
In summary the IGC has the following responsibilities:
Assess the value for money of ReAssure workplace personal pensions on an ongoing basis.
Review the design and execution of investment strategy.
Consider whether costs and charges are appropriate for the scheme and its investments.
Ensure appropriate assessment of the quality of service and governance standards.
Raise and escalate any concerns to the firm's board in the first instance, and ultimately our regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), if it's felt they have not responded to a particular concern.
The ReAssure IGC represents scheme members' interests and members can contact them directly to share their views. If you have any individual servicing queries or complaints you should raise these in the normal way.
Each year an Annual Report will be published on this page detailing their work over the previous twelve months.
IGC Terms of Reference
IGC Annual Report
Contact the IGC
If you would like your views directly represented, please email vfm@reassure.co.uk
ReAssure Independent Governance Committee Members:
Zahir Fazal, Bestrustees - Chairman
Zahir Fazal is a Chartered Accountant and a Director of BESTrustees plc. His current appointments cover a wide range of pension schemes and diverse industry sectors. He has several appointments as Chair of Trustees.
Zahir takes a particular interest in governance and investment issues. Zahir is also experienced in negotiating with employers on funding and other issues and with his background is quick to understand and appreciate a company's financial position and corporate objectives.
Prior to joining BESTrustees in June 2008, Zahir was a partner in a major accountancy practice, where he established their highly successful Pensions Group. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, he is currently Chairman of the Institute's Pensions Sub-Committee and immediate past Chairman of the Pensions Research Accountants Group where he remains on the Board. In these capacities he has regular contact with the DWP and the Pensions Regulator on regulatory developments.
Giles Payne - HR Trustees
Giles has over 25 years' experience in pensions, having worked for consultancies, an insurance company, an asset manager and now as an Independent Trustee.
Giles chairs 5 schemes and works with another four Investment Sub-committees.
Before joining HR Trustees, he worked for 10 years for Legal & General Investment Management as a client manager, looking after a range of schemes, covering various investment mandates including both defined benefits and defined contribution. He was involved in the design and implementation of strategies including liability driven investment solutions and multiple managers.
Before moving into investment management, Giles gained experience within pensions including administration, legal documentation, technical training and consultancy covering both defined benefit and defined contribution arrangements.
Venetia Trayhurn - Law Debenture Pension Trust
Venetia is an experienced professional trustee, with a broad portfolio of pension schemes ranging in asset size from £100m to £6bn, and covering occupational defined benefit, hybrid and defined contribution schemes. She also works with a master trust and two independent governance committees overseeing workplace personal pensions.
An experienced pensions lawyer and ombudsman before joining LawDeb, Venetia's particular areas of expertise are:
Working with trustees to improve board effectiveness and better use of advisers
Negotiating and project-managing complex transactions involving multiple parties and competing interests
All aspects of governance, and the legal, regulatory and tax framework for operating occupational and personal pension schemes
Member engagement and effective communication, to improve retirement outcomes
Dispute resolution, ombudsman processes, litigation and court procedures, involving members, trustees, employers and/or professional advisers
Paul Parsons – Head of Business Solutions ReAssure
Paul has worked in Management and Executive positions within the Operations (Customer Services and Information Technology) Division of ReAssure for the past 30 years. During that time he has contributed towards the implementation of the key business administration and system strategies of the Company and played a key operational role in all Business Acquisitions and Migrations. Within Business Solutions, the focus is to guide the development of future strategies, systems and processes to support growth within the business and provide strong Customer outcomes.
Paul has a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Accountancy from the University of Southampton.
Simon Thomlinson - Chief Actuary
Simon joined the company in 2006 with the acquisition of the GE Life group of companies, and was appointed Actuarial Function Holder of ReAssure in 2010.
Trustees of specific defined contribution (DC) occupational pension schemes, have to meet requirements on governance standards, charge controls and communications on pension flexibilities.
The requirements are detailed below:
Appointing a chair of trustees who will sign an annual Chair's statement
Meeting certain governance standards and explaining this in the Chair's statement, specifically:
That core financial transactions are processed promptly and accurately
That the value of charges and transaction costs borne by scheme members is reasonable
That any default arrangements are designed in members' interests and reviewed regularly
That the Trustee board has the necessary knowledge and understanding to run the scheme properly
Informing members about the increased range of options they have at retirement
ReAssure has two trustee boards, which you can read about below.
G Trustees Limited
G Trustees Limited was established in 1986 and has been acting as trustee to a number of pension schemes administered by ReAssure since then. There are two directors who act solely in the interests of members, with any potential conflicts of interest considered in accordance with the Conflict of Interest policy, to ensure they can act independently of ReAssure. They look after;
The ReAssure Number Three Executive Pension plan (with effect from 27 March 2018).
Email to request an annual report
Annual Governance Statement
Guide to the Internal Dispute Resolution Procedures (IDRP)
Trustees:
Paul Parsons - Head of Business Solutions ReAssure
Mike Woodcock - Chief Financial Officer
Mike Woodcock is the UK Chief Financial Officer of ReAssure. He joined the company on 30 July 2012.
Mike is a CIMA-qualified accountant, with over 26-years' experience in the financial services industry. His past experience includes financial consolidation, external/financial reporting, management accounting, business partnering, mergers and sales.
He was previously with Aviva plc holding a variety of senior roles, most recently Group Consolidation and Reporting Director responsible for leading the Financial Consolidation and Reporting Services team for the plc Group.
Mike has also held senior finance roles in India, Europe and the UK.
ReAssure Trustees Limited
ReAssure Trustees Limited no longer look after any active schemes. The below schemes have been wound up:
Windsor Life Directors' Investment Programme
National Pension Plan for Working Wives of General Practitioner Dentists
National Pension Plan for Working Wives of General Practitioner Dentists:
A guide to the Internal Dispute Resolution Procedures for ReAssure Trustees Limited
Annual Governance Statement 2017