"The situation is fast limping back to normalcy...the mobile internet services were restored, while the curfew was relaxed from 12.00- 3 pm for the first time in the entire town," district development commissioner, Kishtwar, AS Rana told PTI.
The army continued to remain deployed and is assisting Central Reserve Police Force and police to maintain law and order, officials said. The mobile internet services were suspended in the entire Chenab Valley belt comprising Kishtwar, Doda and Rajouri districts Tuesday, but were restored in Doda and Ramban districts Friday night. With no untoward incident reported in Kishtwar, the internet services were also restored there this afternoon, the officials said.
Police had picked up several over ground workers (OGWs) for interrogation in connection with the killing of Sharma and his PSO by terrorists, while a massive hunt is on to nab the culprits. Police has also seized the car used in the attack and released a picture of its owner, Zahid Hussain, who had been absconding since the day of the attack.


text:
PwC | Canada
Tax Insights: IRS further delays the full implementation of the derivative taxation regime under section 871(m)
Issue 2018-32
On September 20, 2018, the Office of the Associate Chief Counsel (International) at the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2018-72: Extension of the Phase-in Period for the Enforcement and Administration of Section 871(m).
Notice 2018-72 (the Notice) provides relief for taxpayers and withholding agents still struggling to interpret and implement complex regulations issued by the IRS under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) section 871(m), which deals with the taxation of derivative products that reference a US security. The Notice:
further delays the full implementation and effective dates for the taxation of dividend equivalent amounts under IRC section 871(m) and maintains the current status quo for products issued through December 31, 2020
allows withholding agents to continue to rely on Notice 2010-46 until December 31, 2020, extending by one year the current Qualified Securities Lender (QSL) regime that had been targeted to sunset as of December 31, 2019
QSL regime established in Notice 2010-46 extended through calendar year 2020
Securities lending participants may continue to rely on the transitional guidance provided in Notice 2010-46 for securities lending payments made through December 31, 2020. Specifically, withholding agents may continue to rely on this transitional guidance, which does not require the agent to withhold on payments to qualified securities lenders, but gives the agent the ability to rely on a credit-forward withholding mechanism, thereby reducing the risk of cascading withholding on securities lending payments.
The IRS has repeatedly stated that it intends to sunset the QSL regime and replace it with the Qualified Derivatives Dealer (QDD) regime established under the section 871(m) regulations and the Qualified Intermediary Agreement. The IRS had previously extended the QSL regime in Notice 2016-76 and Notice 2018-5; this further extension is welcomed by the securities lending industry, which has advocated for the continuance of the QSL regime.
PwC observes
The Notice resolves an issue previously raised with the IRS in respect of entities engaged only in securities lending that had already obtained QDD status in anticipation of the end of the QSL regime. Absent the relief provided in the Notice, QDDs and QSLs engaged in securities lending would have been on uneven footing as of January 1, 2019, when withholding on dividend payments to QDDs was scheduled to take effect. The delay on withholding or taxation of dividend payments to QDDs means that QDDs and QSLs will continue to be treated similarly in securities lending transactions through calendar year 2020.
Changes to effective dates under the section 871(m) regulations
Changes to the effective dates under section 871(m) regulations will result in extending the current status quo through calendar year 2020, as discussed below.
Payments related to non-delta-one transactions (including potential combined transactions) will not be in scope under section 871(m) for transactions issued before January 1, 2021.
Delta-one transactions (i.e. transactions that replicate the performance of the referenced or underlying security) have been in scope under section 871(m) since January 1, 2017. The Notice does not change the identification, withholding or reporting requirements already in place for delta-one transactions.
The simplified standard for combining transactions (established in Notice 2016-76) remains in effect through calendar year 2020. Under this standard, withholding agents are required to combine transactions only if they are over-the-counter transactions that are priced, marketed or sold together. Withholding agents are not required to combine listed products, such as listed options, under the simplified standard.
The Notice reiterates that long parties may not rely on the simplified combination rule. Long parties remain subject to the "full" combination rules that are outlined in Treasury Regulation section 1.871-15(n), which includes applying the combination rules to listed options. Given that only minimal guidance has been issued, the operationalization of the combination rules continues to be a significant challenge for industry participants.
Custodians, qualified intermediaries (QIs) and other long party agents have been concerned that they might be expected to assume the responsibilities of their long party customers and account holders with respect to the combination rules. The Notice provides some clarification, referring only to withholding agents, rather than alternating between the terms "withholding agent" and "short party" as in prior guidance.
An entity that is a withholding agent should be able to rely on the relief provided in the Notice, even if the entity also acts as a long party agent for the same transaction. An entity that is a principal to a transaction, and is the long party, may not rely on the simplified combination rule, even if that entity acts as a withholding agent in other situations.
QDDs will not be subject either to tax or to withholding at source on dividend equivalent amounts or dividends (including deemed dividends) received in their capacity as a QDD until calendar year 2021.
QDDs will not be required to calculate their section 871(m) amount (one element of a QDD's self-assessed tax calculation) for calendar years beginning before January 1, 2021.
For purposes of conducting periodic reviews, QDDs will not be required to conduct a review of QDD activities for calendar years 2019 and 2020. Prior guidance had already excluded QDD activities from the scope of periodic reviews conducted before 2019.
Note that QIs must still conduct periodic reviews as required by the terms of the Qualified Intermediary Agreement, and these reviews encompass all reportable payments and reportable amounts. To the extent an entity acts as a QI for payments that include in scope dividend equivalent amounts (e.g. a forward contract held by a retail customer), that account and payment are in scope for the QI's periodic review covering the year in which the dividend equivalent amount is deemed paid to the QI account holder.
When enforcing compliance with section 871(m), the IRS is extending the period during which it will take into account "good faith efforts" by taxpayers and withholding agents. The good faith efforts period is extended through 2020 for delta-one transactions, and through 2021 for non-delta-one transactions.
The good faith efforts standard is an enforcement standard. QIs and other industry participants implementing section 871(m) should not rely on the good faith efforts standard as a line of defense. It should not be viewed as a practice period during which non-compliance is deemed acceptable. If section 871(m) compliance is later put under scrutiny, entities should be ready to provide documentation of their good faith efforts.
The Notice makes clear that the anti-abuse rule provided in Treasury Regulation section 1.871-15(o) will apply during the extended phase-in years. To the extent the IRS determines that a transaction is abusive, it may be treated as in scope even if it would not otherwise be covered during the extended implementation period.
This much needed relief gives industry participants more time to continue the difficult task of implementing these complex section 871(m) regulations; however, with delta-one products already in scope today, industry participants should take the following actions:
QIs, custodians and other withholding agents should continue to revise their current systems to incorporate delta-one derivative products into their existing processes.
Long party participants that cannot rely on the simplified combination rules should review their derivative transactions and combine them as necessary under the current rules.
Withholding agents and QDDs should continue to document their implementation efforts, keeping in mind the good faith efforts standard that the IRS may apply in the event of a review.
All industry participants impacted by the regulations must continue to coordinate and communicate with the IRS and US Treasury officials as they continue to evaluate the regulations and consider potential revisions.
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IRS further delays the full implementation of the derivative taxation regime under section 871(m)
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Nicole Lorenz
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Gregory Papinko
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Aamir Mahboob
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Мечеть Сінан Паша (, , )  — мечеть часів Османської імперії у місті Прізрені, Косово.

Мечеть збудував Софі Сінан Паша у 1615 році. У 1990 році внесено до списку пам'яток культури виняткової важливості у Сербії.

Історія
Софі Сінан Паша розпочав будівництво мечеті у 1600 чи 1608 році. Софі Сінан Паша, колишній бейлербей та каймакам у Боснії, якого не слід плутати з великим візиром Сінан Паша, який збудував мечеть Сінан Паша у місті Качанік, що неподалік.

Широко розповсюджена версія про те, що мечеть збудовано з каміння Монастиря Святих Архангелів. Насправді частини колишнього монастиря можна побачити з мечеті. Монастир, який був закинутий після приходу Османської імперії у XVI столітті, був зруйнований у XVII столітті. Албанський історик Хасан Калеші у 1972 році висловив припущення, що Софі Сінан Паша не міг наказати руйнувати монастир, так як на це потрібний був наказ султана, скоріше він наказав використовувати запасні камені.

Опис
Мечеть має довжину 14 м та ширину 14 м та має квадратну форму. Вона має один великий купол та один малий купол, що покриває міхраб, який розмальований та має сталактитову форму. Стіни мечеті мають товщину 1,65 м, а мінарет, що має форму конуса — 43,5 м заввишки.

Стіни та купол всередині мечеті Сінан Паша розмальовані у XIX столітті переважно квітковими візерунками та віршами з Корану. Мінбар розмальований квітковими візерунками. Великий та малий купол мечеті покриті свинцем. Кам'яна підлога та столярні вироби у мечеті оригінальні.

Проблема збереження
Дощ, який з часом почав потрапляти до мечеті через отвори в даху. Це викликало втрату деяких картин на стінах і призвело до псування штукатурки. Камені фасаду зіткнулись з вивітрюванням.

На початку 2000 року ЮНЕСКО оцінило витрати на відновлення у сумі приблизно 500 тис. євро.

Примітки

Джерела
 Cultural Heritage in Kosovo

Призрен
Мечеті
Культові споруди, побудовані 1615

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text:
Toronto Raptors are NBA Champions
metacanada and bad actors
My kind of town.
Squamish.
Airport train.
News making
Throne Speech and Fall Election
The Parliamentary break is effectively over as Ottawa Hillites are speculating about the future of the government, of Stephane Dion's career and, of course, about a future election which would significantly affect both.
The traffic levels at Blogging Tories shook off the relatively low summer numbers on the night of the Quebec by-elections and traffic patterns are back up to normal as they were prior to the break. While Parliament has not yet resumed, everyone is hungry for politics.
Everyone, that is, except for the Canadian electorate. Just as I laughed when the Liberals said it back when they had a minority government, the other day I had to chuckle when a heard a Conservative tell a reporter on TV that "Canadians don't want an election right now". For people that watch politics, an election is like the Olympics; an election only happens every two years and it's what the political junkie lives for, and what their "heroes" train for. Politicians and reporters can easily find themselves out of touch with the Canadian reality as they try and match Wellington st. with Main st. Do Canadians want an election right now? It's pure speculation.
However, we can be sure about a few things concerning this fall in politics. First, the Liberal leader Stephane Dion and the Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe came from quite a beating in those Quebec by-elections a couple of weeks ago. Despite this, Duceppe has released his demands for the throne speech including some particularly difficult requests for the government to meet including the withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan and the cessation of federal spending powers in Quebec. Some say that Duceppe is staking his priorities against Harper to show that the Bloc is the real champion of Quebec's interests when the Prime Minister inevitably turns him down.
As for Stephane Dion, it is pretty much assured that the professor doesn't want to fight the Prime Minister at the moment. The Liberal party lacks momentum, especially in Quebec, a traditional stronghold. Dion has also made some lofty demands of the Prime Minister including a similar demand for withdrawal from Afghanistan after February 2009, and a promise to keep the Liberals' controversial private members bill on Kyoto alive. If the Prime Minister balks at a clear position on both, the Liberals for their sake will at least have two wedge issues to run a campaign on.
Despite this, Dion must not be particularly excited about his prospects. If anyone around him is telling him privately that they are excited about an imminent election, he should fire them now. Dion still has a lot of building (and recovering) to do if he is to even crack Harper's incumbent seat total, not to mention score a weak minority. As opposition leader, Dion will not vote for the throne speech, but it will be difficult to abstain from it as well as such a move plays towards the "not a leader" narrative and the Conservatives will capitalize on this. Likely, the plan for Dion is to show up, make a symbolic vote against the government but ensure enough of his MPs "have the flu" as would be needed to allow the renewed mandate of the government to pass, but allow him to save face with Canadians. However, if we see too many Liberals show up to defeat the government's throne speech, it may be a sign of Ignatieff and Rae supporters showing up to eject Dion via election. Pundits will say that Dion couldn't count that day, however, it may be indicative of some Liberals ready to push Dion on their own sword.
We haven't been hearing too much from the NDP regarding their demands for the throne speech and I think that this is indicative of their intent to support the government. Layton may have realized that with newly acquired momentum from Outremont, there's more wedging to be done with the Conservatives to gut the ambiguous Liberal middle both left and right.
Posted on September 27, 2007 Categories OtherTags Afghanistan, Blogging Tories, by-elections, election timing, gilles duceppe, NDP, outremont, speech from the throne, stephane dionLeave a comment on Throne Speech and Fall Election
Don Newman's politics
Did anyone else catch this editorial by one of Ottawa's most respected news veterans?
This lambasting of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been featured on CBC's Politics website for most of this week. Let's take a look:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has gone out of his way to let the reporters in the Parliamentary Press Gallery who cover him know that he doesn't care very much about what they think.
Uh oh. PMO vs. Parliamentary Press Gallery politics was so early summer 2006, non? Don Newman seems to lament that Stephen Harper and Ottawa reporters were born in different pods. Besides, it's Stephen Harper's job to run the country. It's the PPG's job to care about what Stephen Harper thinks, not the other way around.
When he arrived in office with his minority government in 2006, Harper immediately had his communications staff tell the Gallery he would not hold news conferences in the theatre in the National Press Building.
He did, yes.
Never mind that every prime minister from Lester Pearson to Paul Martin had used the theatre to meet the press, along with a host of politicians, dignitaries and other notables. Even one of Harper's heroes, Margaret Thatcher, held a news conference in the National Press Theatre during an official visit to Canada in the early 1980s.
No, Harper wanted to meet reporters in the foyer of the House of Commons, with the Chamber doors open behind him and Canadian flags in the background. A better visual image on TV. And if it looked a bit like the White House, so be it.
Yep, it seems we're going there. As a veteran newsman, Newman knows that nothing appeals to his type of Canadians more than reductio ad americanum. What is Newman criticizing here? That the builders of Parliament made the foyer and House look like the White House from a certain angle, or that our Conservative cowboy Prime Minister chose it. From one angle, we see the House of Commons. From another (which bends around a few planes of reality), it's the White House.
But the change of venue wasn't the cause of friction between the Prime Minister and the people who cover him.
Really? (See above)
At Prime Ministerial news conferences in the Press Gallery Theatre, the President of the Press Gallery is the chairman of the event. The President is elected for a one year term by his or her peers.
And the Prime Minister's government was elected by the people of Canada. Who's authority are we appealing to here? The Parliamentary Press Gallery – and by extension, its President – are not elected by the people of Canada, does not exist by any law or statute written or ratified by the people's representatives in Ottawa (or any other jurisdiction). The PPG is a club, with limited and exclusive membership.
Questioners are selected on a first come basis as they identify themselves to the President.
This would seem fair, however, first and foremost it would seem that a press conference is a consensual affair entered into by two (or more) participating parties. Further, the President and the gallery doesn't recognize anyone outside of the club. The Gallery fashions itself as the gatekeeper to access to federal politicians in this Canadian Parliament. I remember reading of a time when freedom of the press was something that some journalists fought for. They used to fight for access, now they control it.
But in the new world order of Harper press conferences,
yeah, he went there. But let me take this opportunity to contrast the "old world order" that Newman is accustomed to with that which exists today. Twenty-four-hour cable news, blogs, gaffe-amplifying Youtube, the online social network, and even Peter C. Newman's hidden tape recorder are today's norm. The Prime Minister may wish to limit access because the demand for access has gone up as reporters try to score the next "Puffin" piece to wedge between commercials for sit-down showers and CHIP reverse mortgages.
a list of questioners is prepared by a member of the Prime Minister's staff, from the names of reporters who indicate they want to ask a question. With control of the list, the Prime Minister's staff can control who gets to ask a question. People the Prime Minister doesn't like, or who ask tough questions, can be ignored.
When the Toronto Blue Jays or General Motors holds a press conference, is it not generally run in the same way? There is a press secretary/liaison that calls upon journalists with their hands up. Oh, the lessons we learned in kindergarten. The teacher may not call upon the bratty kids, but knows that those kids/reporters will still act in a way or write what they like.
When the Harper regime
regime!
tried to install
install!
this system after taking office, it was claimed the new approach was needed to provide more decorum around the Prime Minister. But formal news conferences by Prime Ministers have never been impromtu scrums. Reporters sat in theatre seats and only got to ask a question when their name was called by the Press Gallery president.
It was clear immediately that control
control!
of the list, not decorum, was the issue. At first no one in the press gallery agreed to the new procedure. But after a couple of months, under pressure from the owners or managers of their companies, the solidarity of the gallery
solidarity! (but not forever, sorry). Isn't the press supposed to be in Ottawa to observe? It seems that they are participating in politics.
cracked and a number of reporters now go on the list of the Prime Minister's flack
Dimitri's a stand-up guy, I'll have you know.
and ask questions when he holds a news conference.
Privately, friends and supporters of the Prime Minister admitted Harper wanted to limit the press because he believes most reporters were not sympathetic to his political programs. And he didn't want to encourage any problems that might create.
In some circles we call that hearsay. We finally learn of the Prime Ministers real motives and it's backed up by private conversations?
And pushed around or shut out, you might think that members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery would be attacking Harper at every chance they got.
Pushed around, shut out, attacking! What an image of a violent struggle.
But a funny thing has happened.
Harper has received generally benign coverage. Why?
Because Harper has abandoned or paid only lip service to most of the progams considered either controversial or far to the right on the political spectrum.
Considered by whom? This is your opinion piece, Mr. Newman…
Instead he has adopted entirely new attitudes on climate change, Quebec, and a number of other issues.
Attitudes most in the Press Gallery think are more moderate, more mainstream, more "sensible" than his previous positions.
It's fantastic that our unelected, access-self-entitled, exclusive club of journalists in Ottawa have work-influencing and expressed opinions on policy matters and whether or not they are "sensible". Those private conversations, Mr. Newman? Do you get the sense that the Prime Minister may have a point that his coverage extends beyond dispassionate and unbiased analysis?
So it has fallen to Harper's former employee at the National Citizens Coalition, Gerry Nichols and others in the Conservative movement, to point out and criticize what are clearly major policy reversals. Policy reversals his former allies say are the "Flip Flops" of Harper the Prime Minister.
Harper just can't win! He's applauded for taking "sensible" mushy positions on one hand but on the other he's a flip flopper on conservative principles and still draws criticism from Newman via Nicholls!
For the most part, embattled as they are with Stephen Harper and his communications helpers, Parliamentary Press Gallery journalists have not raised the "Flip Flop" issue.
"Embattled" is a press term that we hear when journalists believe that a news figure is in trouble (usually with their political party or the electorate). Since "embattled" is a subjective term, what happens when the press uses it to describe the Prime Minister's relationship with itself?
The Prime Minister may have changed his mind but if he now agrees with most reporters, that kind of a "Flip Flop" is clearly enlightenment.
Don Newman's politics indeed.
Posted on September 21, 2007 Categories OtherTags CBC, dimitri soudas, don newman, lester b. pearson, margaret thatcher, msm, new media, parliamentary press gallery, paul martin, stephen harperLeave a comment on Don Newman's politics
Thoughts about the by-elections
Repeating my bit from Macleans.ca, just for the record:
"Earthquake in Quebec.
"Stephane Dion fails his first electoral test as Liberal leader as the Grits lose a safe Quebec seat.
"Stephen Harper becomes the buffer against separatism in Quebec, a role traditionally attributed to the Liberals. Where dominoes fall in Quebec, vote-rich Ontario takes notice.
"The NDP picks up only their second seat in Quebec history. Does this represent a realignment on federalism in Quebec along the lines of left and right as we saw in the Quebec provincial election?"
Further to that point, Jack Layton's leadership is secure for at least another two years. The man from Montreal promised to deliver seats in Quebec. He delivered one, but he's got momentum. This Mulcair fellow may however be the MP that replaces Layton as leader.
From most accounts, Stephane Dion is a nice guy. From the couple of times we've crossed paths and from what I've been able to observe, the man is a class act. However, if what is being reported in Outremont is true and there's a movement afoot to undermine his leadership, it's time to either bring down the hammer Chretien/Martin-style, fade away or, or… something. Unfortunately for him, with party unity still a real issue, and no easy option presents itself. Before the ballots were even counted, the truth came out last night: in the Quebec by-elections, this nice guy finished "last".
This certainly plays well for Stephen Harper and he is ahead on two majority elements today: Dion's failing leadership and the redefinition of federalism in Quebec. While Quebeckers are rejecting Mr. Dion's strong centralizing vision of the federation (even though he denied this characterization of Liberal federalism last night), nationals from la belle province are embracing Mr. Harper's respect for regional identity and power. Further indication of this can be seen in the falling Bloc numbers. As I stated above, we may see a reconfiguration of Quebec politics along left and right rather than federalist/separatist as in the past. Progressive-minded Quebeckers that voted for the left-wing Bloc are realizing a real option in Jack Layton's NDP, while the rest are electing to choose Conservative government MPs and a new respect for Quebec's place in a united Canada. The end-game of this in the rest of Canada is of course to cut the ballot left and right, between the policy-principled NDP and Conservative parties, wedging the Liberals out.
Posted on September 18, 2007 Categories OtherTags by-elections, jack layton, macleans, NDP, outremont, Quebec, stephane dion, thomas mulcairLeave a comment on Thoughts about the by-elections
And this is why we can't have nice things
Google street view may be illegal
Canada's privacy commissioner has been googling Google, and she's raising concerns over the search engine's new Street View web photo application.
Jennifer Stoddart says many of the street-level images Google is making available on the internet could break Canada's privacy laws.
Street View isn't yet available in Canada but has been expanding in the United States since being launched in May.
Stoddart has written to Google, and Calgary-based Immersive Media – which helped develop the imagery technology for Street View – asking both companies to respond to her concerns.
"I am concerned that, if the Street View application were deployed in Canada, it might not comply with our federal privacy legislation," Stoddart says in a letter to David Drummond, Google's senior vice-president of corporate development and chief legal officer.
In case you haven't seen Google's Street View, here it is. You can get a street-based view of many major US cities.
It's a good thing that in Canada, we have a fantastic bureaucracy that protects us from… innovation.
The commissioner's specific concern?
"Our Office considers images of individuals that are sufficiently clear to allow an individual to be identified to be personal information within the meaning of PIPEDA [the privacy act]"
I suppose they better shut down Flickr too. And… any newspaper or tv station that publishes or broadcasts images from public places.
This isn't surveillance, these are single images.
Of course, this topic brings up a good debate. Do we consensually sacrifice an element of our privacy when we go out in public? I've presented my view. What's yours?
Posted on September 12, 2007 Categories OtherTags david drummond, google, google street view, immersive media, jennifer stoddart, pipeda, privacy, privacy commissionerLeave a comment on And this is why we can't have nice things
Manufactured scandal
There is a faux controversy brewing in the media and among Liberal bloggers about Conservative ads that ran in the last election. As all parties do during elections, money was transfered between the national party and regional candidates. Conservatives ran their air war well and it was merely one piece of the strategy that paid off for the party that would form government after the contest on January 23rd 2006. Liberals allege that local campaigns funded "national" advertising and that the national campaign funded local ads which were national-like.
In the wake of this constructed controversy, Conservatives have responded by saying that "tag lines" in advertising attributed the ads to local candidates.
The Conservatives also claim that ads tag-lined with the names of local candidates ran locally. The Liberals, however, contest this local claim and also challenge the content of the ads and whether they are local in scope.
For all intents and purposes (but somehow is not approved under the Elections Act) a party could run 30 seconds of dead air and tag the ad to indicate that it was approved by the official agent for Jane or Joe Local, the Conservative/Liberal or NDP candidate. However, section 407 paragraph 1 of the Canada Elections Act states:
407. (1) An election expense includes any cost incurred, or non-monetary contribution received, by a registered party or a candidate, to the extent that the property or service for which the cost was incurred, or the non-monetary contribution received, is used to directly promote or oppose a registered party, its leader or a candidate during an election period.
Election expenses are incurred by local campaigns. Local campaigns bought local advertising to "promote or oppose a registered party, its leader or a candidate during an election period". So, 30 seconds of dead air wouldn't be allowed… but, a commercial promoting Stephen Harper and/or opposing Paul Martin is certainly allowed if it is paid for and tagged by the local campaign.
The Tories have kept their noses clean by purchasing separate ad buys for the national and local campaigns (national ads purchased by the national campaign and local ads purchased by the local candidates).
The Liberals may dispute the separate nature of the advertising purchases.
Here's a signed letter from the advertising company commissioned by the Tories during the 2005/2006 writ period.
In the letter, it states:
– Advertising buys for the national party were segregated from advertising buys for participating candidates. Retail Media was advised of which Conservative Candidates were interested in participating in additional regional media buys.
– Appropriate regional markets were identified for all participating candidates and specific media buys purchased in those markets.
– Appropriate tag lines were used in all advertisements identifying on whose behalf the advertisement was authorized.
– Appropriate invoices reflecting goods and services rendered were separately issued to participating Conservative Candidates and to the registered party based on the 4 segments identified.
and those 4 segments were:
– Media Buy – rest of Canada (excluding Quebec) – Registered Party
– Media Buy – Participating Candidates
– Media Buy – Quebec – Registered Party
– Media Buy – Quebec – Participating Candidates
So, the Conservative Party (national campaign) and the candidates (local campaign) were separately invoiced. It seems that all of the t's were crossed and i's dotted. Given that transfers of cash between local campaigns and the national campaign are perfectly legal, where's the scandal here? Can somebody cite a section of statute or law that has been broken here?
Posted on September 6, 2007 Categories OtherTags advertising, election financing, elections act, in-and-out, supporting documentsLeave a comment on Manufactured scandal
Decoding Harper's Political Strategy on Afghanistan
This article by Campbell Clark of the Globe and Mail describing Defense Minister Peter MacKay's comments on Afghanistan on CTV's Question Period this past Sunday, left me a bit unsettled and confused.
OTTAWA — Canada has made it clear to its NATO allies that they cannot count on our troops to fight on the deadly battlefields of southern Afghanistan after February of 2009, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said yesterday.
"The signal that has been sent already is that our current configuration will end in February, 2009," Mr. MacKay said in an interview on the CTV television program Question Period.
"Obviously the aid work and the diplomatic effort and presence will extend well beyond that. The Afghan compact itself goes until 2011," he said. "But the way the mission is currently configured, with respect to our presence in Kandahar, there is an expiration date that has been set."
This is a clear step forward from the Prime Minister's earlier assertion that a consensus in Parliament would be needed to extend the mission – in it's current state – past February 2009.
So, what is going on here? Is this what it seems? Is this surrender by the Conservative government on a key conservative principle?
The more I thought about it, the more I started to think about this announcement in a strategic way.
So, here's my prediction:
Afghanistan is going to be the wedge issue during the next election to take place when the government puts the mission to a vote in Parliament. The vote will fail, the opposition will indicate its majority intention to withdrawal from Kandahar and the government will fall, because Harper will make it a confidence vote.
Why? Numbers.
As it stands, 50% of Canadians support the current mission in Afghanistan while 50% of Canadians do not. Harper needs about 40% of the vote to get a majority government.
MacKay's announcement on Sunday does a few things. First of all, it indicates an utmost respect for Parliament as the mission and extension will still go to a vote (as indicated in Clark's article). Secondly, it makes the opposition put down their guns on the Afghanistan issue for a while (continuous shelling of the mission puts it in a weak position in the forum of Canadian opinion). The opposition looks foolish when continuing to whine about the issue when the government has indicated that the mission (in the current parliamentary climate) cannot continue past February 2009. Third, it allows the government to prepare behind the scenes to sell the mission. The governing party has an advantage over the opposition parties in that it has two forums to spread its message, the House and outside of it. By indicating that the government recognizes that it is unlikely to win the Afghanistan mission vote, this disarms the opposition from consistently bringing it up in the House. Meanwhile, the government (the Conservatives) aim to sell it as an issue campaign across the country.
While the government recognizes it is unlikely to win an extension in Afghanistan, the Conservative Party will still maintain the position that an extension is in Canada's interests and will advance that position up to the vote. There is a bit of a dichotomy here: Minister MacKay concedes the realities of the government's minority position on the policy, while the politics of Conservatives will continue to lobby for an extension. By playing government minister, MacKay disarms the House (because the House checks the government, not the Conservative Party).
The Afghanistan extension is a perfect wedge issue for Harper. Only the Conservatives and the NDP have a clear position on the issue and only one can form government. The Liberals are bitterly divided on the issue. Ignatieff supports the mission in Afghanistan and Rae has indicated a tough on terror position in the past. Dion's position is weak, somewhat against but certainly not for the mission. In fact, he has flip-flopped so many times in the past on the issue of Afghanistan. Of course, this plays into the Conservative narrative of weak leadership regarding Dion. Both Ignatieff and Rae are looking to topple Dion after an election, but concerning an extension as far away as 2009, this might be a wide enough window for both Rae and Ignatieff to act sooner rather than later. Harper's strategy is to both create both a stronger NDP and a Liberal Party bitterly divided.
What other issue creates these winning conditions?
Afghanistan is a perfect issue to rally the conservative base, a reluctant group that has become angry over income trusts and only came out to vote in their champions in the wake of the biggest corruption scandal in Canadian history.
Regarding Quebec, I'm starting to think that the media's read on Quebec voting intention regarding Afghanistan are overblown. I think that more Quebeckers would get out to vote for the mission than get out and vote against it come election day. Quebec remains a puzzle though despite Harper's continuous attention to that province.
Speaking of which, Harper has also taken hits among the base for increased spending. Where, however, has this government spent? Childcare cheques, the military and transfer payments (fiscal imbalance) have been the shifted spending priorities of Canada's New Government. The latter of which should help buffer some of that anti-military sentiment that the Toronto press believes that exists so pervasively in la belle province.
Back to leadership, this issue favours Harper in an electoral footing. Because he has a better control of the timing of an election, he will obviously define a ballot issue that favours his government and personal leadership. Afghanistan is a red meat issue while the environment is assorted mixed greens. Defining the election on Afghanistan favours Harper's strong grizzle-laden leadership style, while the weaker Dion will be left sitting in vinaigrette. Harper is not going to willingly contrast himself in an election on any other issue. The only thing green that the Conservative Prime Minister hopes to talk about during the election is Dion's leadership and that Dion "doesn't have what it takes", "isn't a leader" etc.
Conservatives will also ask, "If Dion is a weak leader with an ambiguous stance on Afghanistan, is he ready to be Prime Minister?"
I believe that Conservative strategists are counting on a majority coming from NDP gains (hoping to catch that unambiguous 50% against the mission) and the bottom falling out on the Liberal party on Afghanistan and Dion's leadership.
Posted on September 5, 2007 Categories OtherTags Afghanistan, bob rae, campbell clark, canada's new government, ctv, election strategy, globe and mail, liberal leadership, michael ignatieff, nato, not a leader, peter mackay, Quebec, question period, stephane dionLeave a comment on Decoding Harper's Political Strategy on Afghanistan
Having spent a number of years at a Canadian university, it can often feel that one's wandering through a parallel world when it comes to politics. Rational thought and reason are often be replaced by misinformed emotional appeal. Even though modern liberalism is generally the status quo in this country, some students still feel that they go against the grain of mainstream society when they buy local organic groceries, attend a Naomi Klein lecture on American "Imperialism", volunteer under the OPIRG umbrella of "activism" or have a "squat-in" to raise awareness about poverty as they huddle together in their MEC fleece warmed by their Venti Chai Tea Lattes from Starbucks.
Anyway, I almost missed this but I found it heartening to see this release from my Alma Mater. It's sure to ruffle a few progressive feathers and may inspire another student take-over of the principal's office.
Statement by Principal Karen Hitchcock on the academic boycott of Israeli universities being considered by Britain's University and College Union
Academic freedom is deeply enshrined in the culture of Queen's University. Its core tenets – freedom in research and publication, freedom of expression in the classroom and freedom from censorship for speaking out – are basic to the university's central purpose and ingrained in our history and traditions.
The academic boycott of Israeli universities being considered by Britain's University and College Union (UCU) is antithetical to the core value of academic freedom, which is cherished by Queen's and other universities around the world.
Freedom of inquiry and expression carries with it responsibilities – to encourage open debate and dialogue, and to listen to and learn from the views of others. We must defend these freedoms of speech and inquiry even as we engage with those whose views may differ greatly from our own. Contemporary society calls for leadership that respects but can also bridge social, cultural, economic and geopolitical divides. I therefore denounce the actions of the UCU and absolutely reject its approach.
Those of us who devote ourselves to the learning and discovery that characterizes the academy must defend the freedom of individuals to study, teach and carry out research without fear of harassment, intimidation or discrimination.
Accordingly, I join with many of my colleagues from universities around the world in stating that, if the British UCU pursues its ill-advised course, we will have no choice but to ask the British UCU to add our name to their boycott list. We are proud to align ourselves with those who deplore the UCU's unacceptable attack on the values and principles that define us.
As another school year starts, it's good to see that the adults are still in charge and that the children… only win at sandbox politics.
Posted on September 3, 2007 Categories OtherTags academic boycott, academic freedom, Israel, karen hitchcock, queen's, university and college unionLeave a comment on How refreshing!


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Pastoral Council and Trustees
Sacraments | Faith Formation
Mass | Reconciliation
TLC - Total Lifelong Catechesis
TLC Registration
8th Grade Breakaway
9th-12th Grade High School Discipleship Group
Summer Faith Programs
Christ Renews His Parish
Ministries | Organizations
Living in Freedom
Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist
Sacred Arts and Environment
Engel Haus Ministry
Sharing and Caring Hands
Funeral Lunch
Catholic United Financial
Catholic Watchmen
Divine Mercy Sunday
Blessing of Homes
Parish Festival
Church of St. Albert
The Catholic Church in the Heart of Albertville
11400 57th St NE, Albertville, MN 55301 | 763-497-2474
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Knights of Columbus Council #4174
Thanks to the efforts of Father Michael J. McGivney, assistant pastor of St. Mary's Church in New Haven and some of his parishioners, the Connecticut state legislature on March 29, 1882, officially chartered the Knights of Columbus as a fraternal benefit society. The Order is still true to its founding principles of charity, unity and fraternity.
The Knights was formed to render financial aid to members and their families. Mutual aid and assistance are offered to sick, disabled and needy members and their families. Social and intellectual fellowship is promoted among members and their families through educational, charitable, religious, social welfare, war relief and public relief works.
The history of the Order shows how the foresight of Father Michael J. McGivney, whose cause for sainthood is being investigated by the Vatican, brought about what has become the world's foremost Catholic fraternal benefit society. The Order has helped families obtain economic security and stability through its life insurance, annuity and long-term care programs, and has contributed time and energy worldwide to service in communities.
The Knights of Columbus has grown from several members in one council to more than 14,000 councils and 1.8 million members throughout the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, Poland, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Cuba, Guatemala, Guam and Saipan.
The local Knights of Columbus Council for St Albert and St Michael, meets on the first Thursday of the month at St Albert's Parish Center for more information or to contact them, go to:
KC Council 4174 Website, CLICK HERE


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Mike Tyson claims he 'died' the first time he tried toad venom to get high
By George Munro
Published: 18 Nov 2021, 15:51
Former world heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson explained the time when he tried deadly toad venom to experience an amazing high.
With several drugs and highs on the market these days it is easy to get hold of these stimulants, which can make you experience and sense many a thing that you wouldn't be able to feel otherwise.
Tyson spent some time at Wonderland, in Miami, he attended a press conference there specifically educating people on medicine and how to also use the correct doses for safe use.
Tyson spoke to the New York Post recently and gave his take on the experience he had whilst taking the hallucinogenic. He went on to say.
I passed away when I experienced the high for the first time
"In my time I've witnessed that death is amazing. Living and dying together both have the same importance, where as death usually is seen as a bad thing.
"The Toad has made me realise that one day I won't be here anymore. There will be a day when I'm gone."
"I thought I would attempt to try the toad venom. As I have used a large amount of drugs in the past such as cocaine, it's something different that I could experience compared to the drugs I've taken before."
"When I was thinking about using the venom. I wasn't in a good way. The hardest person I've ever faced is myself. Previously I've had a lack of confidence. When people see me they probably think I'm a confident guy but that's the complete opposite."
Tyson couldn't remember exactly how he 'passed away' as the drug is an hallucinogenic it is extremely likely that he experienced something known as 'ego death'. This is common when taking these types of highs and drugs.
Many others who have tried mushrooms, ayahuasca, and also LSD have explained it feeling like you've lost your 'identity' with this drug known for removing your ego.
Like the many others who have tried the venom, it has changed them in many ways, But showing them a different outlook on the way they think.
The former world heavyweight champion, has used the venom up to 50 times previously he suggests by using it, it has shown him a different path to help him with his life.
Tyson thinks that it has changed him, making him more productive, which in return is turning him into a better 'person'. The toad Tyson consumed is known as Bufo alvarius, but is also known as Sonoran Desert Toad.
The Ultimate Tyson Fury quiz: Where was Tyson Fury born?
The small animal which originated from Mexico, spends most of its time in hibernation, the toad only creates the venom when not in hibernation.
It is known that you can turn the venom into a powder so it can be smoked and inhaled. Tyson did disclose that he got the venom from his own nursery which is based and grown in Desert Hot Springs California.
The former boxer is also keen on promoting this style of medication for medical use as well as recreationally.
Tyson said "I am trying to get the use of psychedelics, to become a medicine you can obtain over the counter rather than needing a doctors prescription". He then went on to say "I am not done yet". "I want to achieve so much more and continue to be the best version on myself".
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George Munro
Interested in: Football, Boxing, England Football
I spend loads of time following sport, especially football. Football is my fundamental game but at the same time I am extremely, keen on boxing, along with many other sports.
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It is the key to finding the job that you want, that important promotion or career related introduction. Never before in human history have we been so connected, and yet so isolated. Sitting in front of our computers thinking that we are doing great things to advance our careers when in fact we are operating in a narrow alleyway and ignoring the adjoining doors of opportunity and possible intersections to prosperity.
Successful job searching is all about people; technology is handy but secondary. In the end, it is always another person who decides to give a candidate the job, not a computer.
The methods for human interaction may have changed, but the fundamentals haven't. People talk, recommend, have acquaintances, colleagues, and friends. Never underestimate the power of people you know and who they know.
Accept that fact that the job market really is only a group of people who need other people with a particular skill set…it is that simple.
Now imagine that you are invited to a party by one of your colleagues and by mistake you go to the wrong house next door that is also having a party. You walk in the door, and nobody there knows you, and you suddenly realise that you are at the wrong venue. So you leave and go next door walk into the room, and your colleague immediately greets you and starts introducing you to like-minded people.
You then spend the evening "moving around the room" talking and connecting with the right people and you have a fabulous night.
The job market in principle is no different from the two parties. If you go to the wrong area you will get nowhere, be rejected and waste your time. However, by targeting your efforts at "the right party" you have a much better chance of accessing that critical part of the job market, and have fun at the same time.
Your job search/hunt needs to concentrate on potential employers that would want your education, experience, and background. Once you define your target market and its various companies, you are at "the right party".
Now it is time to "move around the room", talk to people in these organisations, attend industry related events and professional development activities.
Develop your human profile directly with likely referrers or decision makers within these organisations. By all means connect with them on LinkedIn etc., but keep talking, asking for information, job opportunities and dare I say it HELP (it is not a four letter word).
Technology is great, but people are greater! Move around the job market as if it is a continuous circle because career opportunities abound for the brave.
Just as I am proof reading this article the attached email has just arrived from a current client (this validates all of the above).
"The mock interview was of great benefit, even though I consider myself to be an experienced interviewee, whilst your ability to focus my thoughts on the job search process was also of considerable assistance".


The residents of Hidden Hills enjoy the beautiful design of their apartments. With the proper blend of luxury and high standards, this place is a gorgeous place to live.
Have a friendly environment for your next home. Choose your apartment according to your style and comfort.


NGTC is proud to be industry provider to all Security, Stadiums Events &Hospitality providers for all their requirements.
Developing apprenticeship training programmes aimed at people of all ages.
Supporting unemployed young people through the transition from school into employment and beyond.
Working with large employers to ensure that standards are attained.


Swiftcover » Can you trust the services of this company?
Are you looking to insure your car or home? Or looking to buy an automobile some time in the future and want to be prepared with a reliable insurance company? With so many insurance companies available it can be difficult choosing one that is best suited to your requirements. Read on to learn about high value insurance company Swiftcover to learn of their services and hear of personal customer reviews so you can decide whether this is the company for you.
Founded in 2005, Swiftcover is an online, UK based insurance company that provides insurance for homes, cars, vans and breakdowns. Initially established by some former executives from Churchill Insurance, in 2007 the company was bought by AXA UK plc.
Swiftcover allows their consumers to manage policies online and contact the company with any questions or inquiries via email. They also own several call centers throughout England, in Tunbridge Wells, Kent and Teesside and the success of this call center based customer service is exemplified in their winning the European Call Center and Customer Service Award in 2014.
Due to being a solely online company, Swiftcover believe that they have the capacity to offer better online customer service than any other insurance company. They argue that this modern easy communication combined with the insurance policies of the largest insurance company worldwide is what makes them the most trustworthy insurance organisation today.
A 2012 Swiftcover car insurance commercial featuring Iggy Pop.
Swiftcover offers four different types of insurance. Firstly they offer car insurance which consists of a courtesy car, a lifetime guarantee of repairs and a 24 hour claims line. Their van insurance offers the same as the car insurance in addition to covers for electronic automobile accessories such as Sat-Navs and speakers, 24/7 window repairs and lock and key replacements.The Swiftcover home insurance has two packages, Swift MADE for buildings up to £500,000 and contents up to £50,000 with the flexible option of picking additional protection if the client would like. Swift MORE provides insurances for buildings up to £750,000 and contents up to £75,000. Both offers follow a "new for old" replacement scheme, provide alternative accomodation in the case of emergencies and offer 24 hour claim lines. Finally, the breakdown insurance has four categories: Swift Roadside, providing recovery within 10 miles of the scene, Swift Rescue, providing nationwide recovery as well as alternative transport and overnight accommodation. Thirdly, Swift Rescue and Home Assist provides the same as Swift Rescue, in addition to home assistance and finally Swift European offers the same as Rescue and Home Assist except that the coverage is offered throughout all of the UK and Europe.
Have you had any significantly positive or negative experiences with Swiftcover? Did you find them to offer a good deal and give you great value for your money? Would you recommend their services to a friend? Or were they unreliable or even a scam? Write a review of your experience to let other car-owners and customers know what they can expect from this company.
Share your opinion of Swiftcover. Read and write reviews about the insurance deals value for money and customer service experiences with this company!


All aboard the Nantucket Lightship, the beautifully restored luxury yacht with a unique past. The Nantucket Lightship sits at Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 6 and serves as an event space, charter yacht, and vacation rental. Although this ship now serves to entertain, it was originally a floating lighthouse that purpose was to protect those at sea. This particular lightship was on duty from 1950 to 1985. In 2000, the former Senator of Massachusetts Bill Golden and wife Kristen, bought and restored the ship, giving it a second life in the entertainment and hospitality business.
For over a hundred years, lightships served a crucial role in helping boats avoid shipwrecks. The Nantucket Lightship docked at Pier 6 comes from a series of Nantucket Lightships. The boat is named in honor of the Nantucket South Shoals Lightship Station, the first lightship station established by Congress in 1854. The lightship and station both get their names from the the Nantucket Shoals, one of the most dangerous oceanic regions in the North Atlantic. Lightships also played a somewhat significant yet unknown part in New York history as well. From 1854 to 1985, the beacons of light produced by the Nantucket Lightship was one of the first sights immigrants who came to Ellis Island saw. The Nantucket Lightship is nicknamed "The Beacon of Hope," because of this reason.
Aside from its incredible past, the Nantucket Lightship has a stunning interior that should not go unnoticed and we've got a sneak peek here. There are exotic hardwood floors, six bedrooms (including an originally restored servant's quarters) a library, dining, room, and a lower deck entertainment room, among other luxuries.
Check out how to see the boat on the Nantucket Lightship website.


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How does Golding use imagery in Lord of the Flies?
Ben Davis January 29, 2021
Why do you think Golding chose to include this section at this point in the book and to focus on Simon?
What imagery is used to describe the setting Lord of the Flies?
What are 2 examples of figurative language in used to describe the fire?
What is a metaphor in Lord of the Flies?
What is the Lord of the Flies a symbol of?
How is Simon's death ironic?
How does Simon lose his innocence?
What does Simon's death symbolize?
What is Piggy's real name?
Who did Piggy kill?
Who all dies in LOTF?
Who doesn't die in Lord of the Flies?
Where and how does Golding use natural imagery in Lord of the Flies? Images of nature, particularly animals, appear throughout the novel, forming a deliberate pattern. Golding generally uses similes for these comparisons as he wants to compare a specific aspect of the character to the animal in question.
Also, why do you think he chose to include this section at this point in the book, and to focus on Simon? Golding uses quite a bit of imagery throughout the end of the chapter. He uses the imagery to convey a deeper meaning in the surroundings and show the symbolism of seemingly mundane objects.
Golding uses various kinds of imagery to depict each significant place on the island, such as calling the place where the airplane sliced through the brush "the scar." One of the most vivid and haunting uses of imagery can be found in the description of the patch of island which the boys burn what they intended to be a …
For example: "smoke on the mountain" and "platform of forest" and "the grotesque dead thing" and "breeze was a river of sparks" and "beard of flame" and "tree of sparks" – all of these apply to the fire or the materials that they use to create the fire. There are other non-fire related metaphors, but these stand out.
The Beast or Lord of the Flies functions as a master or governing metaphor in the novel. In reality, there is no physical Beast to fear. Rather, the Beast is the dark side of human nature that is emerging in many of the boys. Only Simon realizes that the Beast is indeed a metaphor for what lurks within them.
The Lord of the Flies (This "fun" foreshadows Simon's death in the following chapter.) In this way, the Lord of the Flies becomes both a physical manifestation of the beast, a symbol of the power of evil, and a kind of Satan figure who evokes the beast within each human being.
In the novel Lord of the Flies, Simon's death is ironic because he was attempting to tell the other boys that the beast did not exist, but the boys mistook him for the beast. This is a classic example of dramatic irony because the audience is aware of Simon's knowledge, while the characters are not.
Simon is also brutally murdered by the other boys, who mistake him for the beast. Simon's death symbolically represents the end of innocence and hope for civility on the island. Simon is innocent in that although he does not have the gift of speech that both Ralph and Jack possess, he understands life more profoundly.
The death of Simon is a turning point in "Lord of the Flies". It represents the completion of their degeneration from civilization to savagery. Simon is kind, thoughtful, sensitive, introvert and helpful by nature; he has a friendly aura about him that is recognised by Ralf as soon as they meet.
Piggy's real name is Peterkin (or at least just Peter). Lord of the Flies is clearly based on The Coral Island in which the three main characters are Ralph, Jack and Peterkin.
Roger, the character least able to understand the civilizing impulse, crushes the conch shell as he looses the boulder and kills Piggy, the character least able to understand the savage impulse.
Although Jesus and Simon both die sacrificial deaths, Jesus was killed for his beliefs, whereas Simon is killed because of the other boys' delusions. Jesus died after conveying his message to the world, whereas Simon dies before he is able to speak to the boys.
At the end of Lord of the Flies, what three boys do not make it off the island? The boys who don't make it off the island at the end of Lord of the Flies are Simon, Piggy, and the boy with the mulberry-colored birthmark. The group of hunters kills Simon in their frenzied excitement over the hunt.
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You Don't Know What Tony Romo's Got Till He's Gone
Nov. 23, 2015 , at 6:05 PM
Filed under NFL
Tony Romo plays against the Miami Dolphins in his return after missing seven games.
Joe Robbins / Getty Images
UPDATE (Nov. 26, 10:30 p.m.): Tony Romo reinjured his collarbone on Thursday in a game against the Carolina Panthers. ESPN reported that he will be out for the rest of the season.
By beating the Miami Dolphins Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys preserved their undefeated record this season with quarterback Tony Romo under center. That's the good news for Cowboys fans; the bad news is that Romo has only played three games. Matt Cassel and Brandon Weeden were both winless when filling in at QB while Romo was out with a broken clavicle. At 3-7, the Cowboys have little chance of making the playoffs unless they go on a serious tear against what isn't an easy schedule down the stretch.
If nothing else, the Cowboys' season has reinforced just how completely essential Romo is. His absence has made it clear that he belongs in any discussion of the league's top signal-callers.
Romo ranks among the top QBs in the NFL over his career, whether you use data from the box score1 or more advanced, play-by-play metrics.2 But Romo also has a reputation, starting early in his career and growing with each passing year since the Cowboys' last Super Bowl win, for not being "a winner."
While it's possible Romo is a stat-stuffer whose great individual numbers overstate his true worth, there are other ways to detect a player's value. For instance, here at FiveThirtyEight we're oddly thankful when players miss time because it gives us a chance to quantify their influence on the performance of their teams. And few quarterbacks in NFL history have been associated with a better with-or-without-you (WOWY) ledger than Romo.
To help measure this WOWY effect, I used Elo ratings, FiveThirtyEight's pet power rating system. Elo gives us a snapshot of how good each team was expected to be at any given moment, as well as how much a team's strength estimate changes over time. By looking at those changes in conjunction with who the team's primary QB was during that game3, we can construct WOWY scores that measure how much having a given passer under center helps the team.
For instance, after Romo's Cowboys beat Philadelphia in Week 2 (the game in which Romo was lost to injury), they achieved a 1618 Elo rating. Seven games later, when he took the field again on Sunday, Dallas's rating had dropped to 1463, meaning it lost about 22 points of Elo per game in his absence. By comparison, the Cowboys gained about 19 points of rating per game when Romo does play, so his WOWY this season is +41: the team gains 41 more points of Elo per game when he plays than when he doesn't.
Gaining 41 points of WOWY is incredibly impressive by itself. In seasons where a QB both played and missed at least three games, only Dan Fouts' 1978 season ranks higher since 19704. But it's nothing new for Romo, who has consistently been good for the Cowboys. Over his career, his WOWY score of +16.7 ranks third among qualified5 passers since 1970:
WOWY ∆ ELO
Tom Brady 51 21 +23.3
Peyton Manning 72 23 21.7
Tony Romo 80 29 16.7
John Elway 151 36 13.9
Drew Brees 87 25 13.7
Rex Grossman 50 82 12.9
Boomer Esiason 104 55 12.7
Joey Harrington 55 25 12.4
David Woodley 50 47 12.3
Joe Ferguson 94 77 12.2
That Rex Grossman and Joey Harrington are anywhere near Tom Brady and Peyton Manning on that table shows that this isn't a completely foolproof method. (For one thing, WOWY can't factor in the quality of a QB's backups, beyond what Elo is able to detect from changes in a team's performance.) But it does suggest that, in terms of making his team more likely to win games, Romo has done an impressive job with the supporting cast the Cowboys have given him. Like Brady6 and Manning, Romo is associated with elevating his teams' chances of winning games in addition to gaudy stats.
That probably won't be enough to change anyone's mind in one of those endless arguments about Romo, but it does quantify what we've seen so far this season: The Cowboys are a very good team with Romo — and are totally lost without him.
Check out our NFL predictions for odds on every game.
He ranks fifth in adjusted net yards per attempt since taking over as a starter in 2006.
He ranks eighth in QBR.
Meaning the QB who attempted the most passes in a given game.
The year of the AFL-NFL merger.
Minimum 50 games as a team's primary passer in a career, and 20 games missed.
Don't let the 11-5 record against a weak schedule fool you; the Cassel-led 2008 Pats were significantly worse than they were in 2007 or would be in 2009.
Neil Paine is a senior writer for FiveThirtyEight. @Neil_Paine
NFL (777 posts) Dallas Cowboys (66) Tony Romo (14)


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Words of RasTafarI, Haile Selassie I
Select more words from RasTafarI
http://www.jah-rastafari.com/selassie-words/show-jah-word.asp?word_id=comm_dev
The Lion of Judah has prevailed
Haile Selassie I, Elect of God
King of Kings of Ethiopia
Realizing the great potentialities of co-operative community action in national progress and development, We established the Ministry of National Community Development as early as 1957. Our chief concern has been to improve the life and living conditions of Our people, especially the weaker section of Our society, like nomads, who live in under-developed regions of Our Empire.
In the world of today, community development is universally recognized as "a process designed to create conditions of economic and social progress for the whole community with active participation and largely upon the initiative of the community."
Accordingly when people have the ability and means, their partnership with the Government in development plans strengthens both the people and the Government. It is therefore with this belief that We have undertaken extensive educational plans throughout the nation.
Community development, thus, comprises two important elements (i) the participation of the people themselves in efforts to improve their level of living with as much reliance as possible on their own initiative, and (ii) the provision of technical and other related services in ways which encourage initiative, self-help and mutual aid and make these more effective.
Self help thus is the quintessence of community development programmes. It is, therefore, essential that initiative and desire for improvement should emanate from the people and not be superimposed from outside. It is of course the primary task of community development workers to motivate and stimulate the people to cross barriers of apathy and helplessness.
It is quite possible that weaker communities in outback areas display neither interest nor enthusiasm for their welfare, and may even expect an outright handout from the Government. On the other hand, more progressive and alert agricultural and pastoral communities may display keen determination to improve their lot, relying on their community's own genius and resources. While it is important to give attention to both these types of situations, it should be remembered that any help given to the first category of community should always aim at making them stand on their own feet, and supporting the self-help potential of the second group to accomplish higher objectives each time, thus serving as a model and inspiration to others.
Community development is a unique programme, differing from other governmental departments, in that it is in the truest sense a partnership between the Government and the people. It encourages the people to manage their own affairs making the best use of technical and other resources of the administration.
There are a number of essential public services which have to be managed entirely by the Government such as large scale and key industries, transport and communications, education, health, defence, public security, law and order and administration of justice and the like.
These nation building activities naturally claim a major portion of governmental resources both in terms of finance and personnel. In the eternal tussel for national priority small village problems often are relegated and are subjected to long delays before they are attended to. In Amharic there is a proverb saying "Fifty lemons can serve as decoration to fifty men but constitute a load for a single person." Similarly in our local communities, if people co-operate to undertake small improvements, it could make a vast difference in our level of living and also conserve national efforts and resources for other equally important purposes.
One can think of a vast and unending catalogue of self-help projects which can be tackled by energetic community action: feeder and link roads in the countryside, small bridges, improvement of water supply, housing, sanitation, construction of community institutions like schools, clinics, community centres, or undertaking economic improvement projects for better agriculture, handicraft, cattle breeding, poultry, fish culture and the like, on their own initiative on a co-operative basis.
We are deeply impressed and encouraged to see Our people assuming social responsibility and making substantial contributions towards community betterment through hundreds of self-help projects in all areas of life. All the same, in Our fight against poverty, disease, and ignorance, Our people will have to put in greater efforts and sacrifices so that we may attain Our cherished goal of a higher and more satisfying level of life and living. In this noble task each one of Our people, men and women, young and old, rich and poor, able and disabled, has a role to play and We are sure Our Empire will march ahead towards prosperity and progress through united efforts of all Our citizens. In order to hasten this process numerous projects have been launched both with local community support as well as with international assistance.
Let Us be very clear that the Ministry of National Community Development by itself cannot tackle this gigantic nation building task unless it is assured the fullest and most whole-hearted co-operation of all other Ministries of Our Government, especially the Ministries of Education, Agriculture, Public Health, Interior, etc.
These ministries ought to support community development projects by assigning their respective workers and also by making available adequate programme funds on a priority basis. The Ministry of Community Development is responsible for training and assigning district and village workers to guide and organize the people for their development. Similarly, the Ministry of Interior could instruct its officials to assist the project through their provincial and district administrators. As this co-ordination and team-work has already been established, it would avoid duplication of efforts and waste of time and money. These ministries should always assist all projects launched by the community in all possible ways, for example, through technical assistance as well as material aid. All Our fourteen provinces should therefore be thinking and working out their regional development plans. The sum total of these efforts and experiences would assure general improvement and progress of the whole Empire. The example of developed countries amply proves the truth of the proverb "Unity is strength." Today it is the duty of all Africans to preserve and strengthen the already established African Unity. Our best contribution to that ideal will be to work for and achieve co-operation and development within Our own country.
In this co-operative venture between the people and the government, voluntary organizations like the National Literacy campaign committee and other welfare agencies have a great role to play, and indeed they have been doing good work in the past and We hope they will continue to do so.
The success of community development to a large measure depends on the co-ordination and effective communication between various governmental agencies. While departmentalization of government function and parliamentary activity is inevitable in order to cater to specialised interests and problems, once We leave outskirts of towns and cities all these neat divisions vanish and the totality of the rural problem becomes a vast interrelated complex. When people express their felt needs, these have to be formalised into plans. The chief aim of training village level workers in this centre is to meet the problems of the community. The only way We can reach the villager is through a unified approach of community development workers at the village level. The various ministries can support the work of these multipurpose workers by assigning specialists at the district level for selected projects.
We have already established a National Board for Community Development which is composed of various developmental ministries, apart from the Agriculture, Education, Health, Public Works and Interior.
In this task the government officials, through their dedicated services, disciplined behaviour, humility, helpfulness and efficiency should show an image of selfless and devoted community workers. They should make every effort to integrate and preserve national culture and promote and strengthen traditional institutions like Shengo, Idir, Debo, Iqub, through administrative and other measures. These mutual-aid institutions can serve as a sure foundation of community development and progress in Ethiopia.
It is the duty of all government officials, religious leaders and local dignitaries who enjoy the trust and confidence of the public to promote, continue and improve all that is healthy in Our community life and discourage harmful practices and attitudes. They should guide, support, and assist the local community workers. Modern governmental activitv must transcend old ideas of Law and Order and embrace and extend welfare to all sections of the people. We hope and trust that Governors and community leaders will become friends, philosophers and guides of community development and eventually themselves become model social workers in the community.
In this task, We should not do full justice to Our responsibility if We did not use national and international resources duly imported to complement Our own hard labour.
Graduates of this training centre who graduated two years ago have already become pioneers in the field of community development and set new traditions and an image that "government servants" are "people's servants."' They have proved that the government has trained a new type of worker who can handle difficult community problems. Patience, courage and persistent effort alone can help our workers to bring about social change effectively. You, who have deliberately chosen this missionary vocation, therefore need to be congratulated. We should follow the example of this type of community service; even those who had the privilege of education abroad should be prepared to dedicate their service in rural surroundings even at the cost of personal inconveniences.
Our Nation, with 99% of people living in rural areas and serving the backbone of Our economy, is desperately looking to young men of your calibre and training to rise to the occasion.
While you were at this training centre, it is true that you have learnt many principles and techniques of community development. To learn these principles and techniques is one thing and to apply them is yet another.
Do you like to serve people? Are you happy to work with people? Are you doing your best? We hope you will ask yourselves these questions as often as you can while you are in this noble profession.
The community development worker's task is unique. We must be prepared to work late at night, on official holidays or any odd hour, if the need arises. A good community development worker is always as ready to learn as to teach. If you are guided by this principle you will always try to improve, which is good for your own self-improvement and for that of your work.
If you are open-minded and ready to learn, there are many things which you can learn not only from books and instructors but from the very life experience itself. There are definitely many things which you can learn from the people. If you are guided by this principle, you will be surprised how pleasant life can be even under trying conditions.
Finally, We would like to thank the staff members of the training centre and all those who have contributed in one way or another to the implementation of this important programme of training community development workers.
The government has many development programmes intended to raise the standard of living of Our people. The people on their part are keen to participate in these national development programmes, and it is your job to mobilize their human and natural resources in order to effectively tackle our developmental problems.
In this noble task, may the Almighty grant you faith, courage, tolerance and understanding to crown your efforts with His glory and success.
Words of Ras TafarI


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Q: What happens when working with variable length arguments in JAVA? I just tried the following programs.I am using netbeans.
public static void main(String[] arguments)
{
   int var = 24;
   method1(var);
}
//Overloaded methods are
public static void method1(int var)
{
  System.out.println(var+"hi");
}
public static void method1(long var)
{
  System.out.println(var+"bye");
}

When i execute it , there is an exact match for int. So it prints 24hi.
public static void method1(int... var)
{
  System.out.println(var+"hi");
}
public static void method1(long... var)
{
  System.out.println(var+"bye");
}

Now method overloading with variable length arguments. But it shows an error due to ambiguity. Why so?? My doubt is that there is an exact match here also. Why it falls into ambiguity here? Any suggestions?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Home Publishers Titan SDCC '19: Creating Thirteenth Doctor comics at Titan is so much fun
SDCC '19: Creating Thirteenth Doctor comics at Titan is so much fun
Jody Houser and Richard Dinnick also confess their favorite reincarnations
Beat Staff
By Ani Bundel
When the BBC introduced the Thirteenth Doctor, it sent a seismic shockwave throughout the Whovian fandom. Nevermind that the original canon claimed there were only 12 regenerations; now she was a played by a woman. But while a certain segment of the fandom kicked and screamed, for those who are part of the greater Whoniverse, this was a golden opportunity to go in a completely new direction. This was especially true in the comic universe, where a whole slew of new titles arrived after Jodie Whittaker was announced in the role.
At the Titan Comics panel, "Doctor Who: Creating Thirteenth Doctor Comics," authors Jody Houser and Richard Dinnick reflected on how fun writing the new Doctor was. When asked by moderator David Leach, the editor of Titan Comics, how they first imagined her, both admitted they weren't given much to go on. Houser had partial scripts to work from, while Dinnick said he latched onto those closing moments in the "Last Christmas" episode.
The positive vibes he'd gotten from Whittaker's performance carried him through: "That sort of sunny optimism just seemed like the thing to focus on. And I wasn't far wrong!"
Leach asked Houser how it was dealing with such a crowded house of a TARDIS with three companions, the most the Doctor's traveled with since the early 1980s. She responded that it gave the stories a whole new flavor. With so many residents in the TARDIS, it gave the entire thing a more "family-oriented" dynamic. The companions don't get in the Doctor's way, either, she reasoned.
"The Doctor loves explaining things. This just gives her a bigger audience," she said.
Dinnick and Houser are longtime fans of the show. Houser is firmly New Who. (Her first Doctor was Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor movie that aired in the states.) Dinnick, meanwhile, is far more old school, naming Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor as the first one he remembers watching. He called Doctor Who a "Saturday Tea-Time Ritual" when he was growing up. He apparently did watch it even earlier than Pertwee, with the Second Doctor Patrick Troughton, but he was too young to remember it.
Houser is still writing the ongoing Thirteenth Doctor comic series, which means she couldn't answer specific questions about classic or new monsters, lest she give away a spoiler. Dinnick, as author of The Many Lives of Doctor Who, was freer to talk about some of his favorites. His focus, though, was less about favoritism than representation. His goal with the comic was to condense nearly 55 years of fandom history into 70-odd pages, after all.
Hidden Human History from Titan Comics
Houser's titles And Introducing…, A New Beginning, and Hidden Human History were all for sale at the Titan Comics booth (#5537) at SDCC this year. As an exclusive, fans who visited the Titan booth also got an exclusive SDCC cover of Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #9 with art by Klebs Junior. Dinnick's The Many Lives of Doctor Who was also available.
At the panel's end, Houser added fuel to the ever-growing rumor that 2019 will see a Christmas special by hinting her next title is "Happy Christmas." So even if a new episode doesn't air this Dec. 25, fans will at least have an adventure to read.
ani bundel
david leach
klebs junior
richard dinnick
sdcc '19
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The Beat Staff is an elite group of trained ninjas.
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Joe Grunenwald - 01/16/2021 10:00 am


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Nephrops norvegicus (Linnaeus, 1758), conhecida pelos nomes comuns de lagosta-da-noruega ou lagostim (quando em preparações culinárias por vezes referido como , langostino ou scampi), é uma espécie de lagosta, caracterizada por um corpo esguio de coloração alaranjada a rosada, que pode atingir os 25 cm de comprimento. É objecto de importantes capturas, sendo considerada «o mais importante crustáceo alvo de exploração comercial na Europa». A espécie é a única remanescente do género Nephrops, já que várias espécies taxonomicamente próximas foram movidas para o género Metanephrops. A sua distribuição natural incluiu o nordeste do Oceano Atlântico e partes do Mediterrâneo, mas está ausente do Mar Báltico e do Mar Negro. Os adultos emergem dos seus abrigos escavados na vasa durante a noite para se alimentarem de vermes e peixes.

Descrição
A espécie Nephrops norvegicus apresenta a forma corporal típica das lagostas, apesar de mais esguia do que as espécies maiores do género Homarus. Em geral apresenta uma cor alaranjada pálida tendo os adultos tipicamente 18-20  de comprimento, atingindo excepcionalmente os 25 cm de comprimento, incluindo a cauda e as pinças. O cefalotórax é recoberto por uma carapaça, enquanto o abdómen é longo e segmentado, terminando numa cauda que se alarga em leque. Os primeiros três pares de patas têm garras, das quais o primeiro par são grandemente alongados e apresentam linhas de espinhos. Dos dois pares de antenas, o segundo é mais longo e fino. Há longo rostrum espinhoso e os olhos compostos são em forma de rim, característica que deu o nome ao género (do grego  nephros, "rim"; e ops, "olho").

Nephrops
Crustáceos descritos em 1758


Elise, queen of the elves, has grown tired of the elf-dragon war that has plagued Feldonia since its beginning. With the constant battles, Feldonia's famed Heartsong has disappeared, leaving the elf race with fading magical abilities. Uncertain what to do, Elise finds herself alone in the forest where she meets a stranger unlike anything she's ever seen and on the verge of death. Against her better judgment, she brings him back to her castle. And life becomes more complicated. She finds love in an impossible situation, backstabbing where she least expected it, and a desire to see a race she has always hated live.
Will Elise follow her heart and end a war that has raged on for as long as anyone can remember, or will she follow in her father's footsteps, creating a legacy for her family name?


I had so much fun doing this, and I'm pretty sure Hubs would be okay with extending it to the end of the month.
I encourage you and your partner to check out this quiz as well as the book by Gary Chapman. They are doing a #14Daysof Love Challenge that starts today.
All my printouts for this challenge came from their website, and they are a combo of love notes, surprises, and acts of service.
So yeah, it wasn't necessarily his favorite dessert, but it was a dessert nonetheless.
As fast as he ate it, I'm pretty sure these were a hit!
His love languages are quality time and acts of service. It's just an opportunity to spread some love and kindness; something we all need right about now. It's a site geared towards healthy and happy marriages (dating couples can benefit as well).
Someone with this love language always appreciates serving out of love. They offer tons of date ideas, as well as some great relationship advice.
I decided to switch it up just a little though, and make a healthier alternative.
I've been wanting to try these skinny frozen yogurt sandwiches I found on Pinterest. You use a little greek yogurt, low fat cool whip, and strawberries.
Last night we got dressed up for our fancy dinner at home. We had some chocolate chip cookies and ice cream for dessert, and a little bubbly to drink.
We had ribeye steaks with blue cheese crumbles and grilled onions on top, steak fries, and caesar salads. I'm not too good at cooking steaks so I always let him handle it. The night was topped off with a few gifts from each other. Day 12 was a love note listing 14 different things that I love about Hubs. It doesn't matter if you have no time to cook, or wash their car.


The Eco-Choice PS35 medium-sized pellet stove combines dependability and value in a simple design. Its large hopper holds plenty of fuel to deliver warmth and comfort to any room. Auto ignition, thermostats on and off. Heats up to 1450 sq. ft. depending on climate zone. Max BTU is 35,000 BTU's Hopper capacity is 45 lbs.
The Eco-Choice PS50 large pellet stove reduces your heating bill and lets you "live green" by utilizing renewable wood pellet fuel. Featuring a large hopper and ashpan with an easy-clean firepot, this stove delivers impressive heat with ease. Auto ignition thermostats on and off. Heats up to 2200 sq. ft. depending on climate zone. Max BTU is 50,000 BTU's. Hopper capacity of 83 lbs.


ULC in the United Kingdom - View topic - Fire in tower block.
I hate these terrible things that are happening in this country. Today I was met with another dreadful and tear jerking event. I could see the faces of the survivors and the Emergency services.
My thoughts are with those affected by today's horror. I cannot possible know what it is like to lose loved ones in such an inferno. I am left short of words and only tears and feelings for you.


text:
Tuesday, Mar 13, 2018 09:00 AM
A Look Back At Rams Free Agency in 2017
The new league year is just around the corner and with it comes the start of free agency. On Monday, the league's legal tampering period began as all 32 clubs were able to begin negotiating with agents on potential contracts.
But Wednesday at 1 p.m. PT will mark the official opening of free agency — with the expiration of all 2017 NFL contracts.
And with all the buzz surrounding the Rams upcoming free agency period, here's a look back at players Los Angeles signed last offseason and how they performed in 2017:
*— Connor Barwin *| Outside linebacker | Previous team: Eagles
Barwin reunited with former defensive coordinator Wade Phillips when he signed a one-year deal with the Rams last spring. The nine-year NFL veteran worked with Phillips as a member of the Texans front seven from 2011-2012. He appeared in 14 games for Los Angeles in 2017 — recording 43 tackles, nine quarterback hits, and 5.0 sacks.
PHOTOS: Best of 2017 Season
Check out the best photos of the Los Angeles Rams 2017 season.
— Lance Dunbar** | Running back | Previous team: Cowboys
Dunbar signed a one-year deal with L.A. with hopes of providing a versatile pass-catching running back. Although he opened up the season on the club's physically unable to perform list, Dunbar was active for four games during the 2017 season. He finished the year with 11 carries for 51 yards and one touchdown.
— Nickell Robey-Coleman *| Cornerback | Previous team: Bills *
Robey-Coleman signed a one-year deal with the Rams last spring after spending the first four years of his career with the Bills. Throughout the 2017 season, Robey-Coleman provided depth for the team's secondary and excelled in the slot. In 15 games, the corner recorded 50 tackles, nine passes defensed, and one interception.
*— John Sullivan *| Center | Previous team: Redskins
Los Angeles signed Sullivan to a one-year deal as its starting center, in part because he was familiar with head coach Sean McVay's offense from their shared time in Washington. Alongside Whitworth, Sullivan provided a significant boost up front and especially to Goff – helping him diagnose defenses at the line of scrimmage. Sullivan was able to fight through a few injuries to start the Rams' first 15 games of the regular season and the club's playoff game against Atlanta.
*— Kayvon Webster *| Cornerback | Previous team: Broncos
Webster was another of Phillips' former players signed to the Rams in 2017, signing a two-year deal with the club last spring. He became a key member of the club's secondary last season, recording 38 tackles, seven pass deflections and one interception in 11 games started. Webster's season was cut short when he suffered a torn
achilles in the Rams' Week 14 matchup with the Eagles.
*— Andrew Whitworth *| Left tackle | Previous team: Bengals
Whitworth was one of the Rams most important offseason acquisitions. The 12-year NFL veteran signed a three-year deal with L.A. and became one of the club's primary leaders in the locker room. Whitworth also played a significant role in the development of the offensive line. In 15 regular-season games, quarterback Jared Goff was sacked just 25 times — marking a huge improvement from his rookie season, when he was sacked 26 times in only seven games.
*— Robert Woods *| Wide receiver | Previous team: Bills
Woods returned to his hometown of Los Angeles and became one of the Rams most productive wide receivers. After signing a five-year deal with the franchise, the USC product made an immediate impact on field and in the receiver's room. He finished the 2017 season with a career high 781 yards on 56 receptions with five touchdowns.