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Team-BHP > BHP India > Vintage Cars & Classics in India > Pre-War
Cars of HH Nawab Sadiq M Abbasi V of Bahawalpur, Pakistan
25th November 2018, 22:22 #91
Re: Cars of HH Nawab Sadiq M Abbasi V of Bahawalpur, Pakistan
I recently purchased the Bentley Mk.VI B94KM.
It has a one-off H. J. Mulliner body, which is rather unusual for a Mk.VI in having a division and twin side-mount spare wheels.
There is a photograph of the car in Bernard King's Mk.VI book (page 336) which shows its original colour scheme of black over silver.
The car was later repainted a single colour (a shade of blue similar to that used on the Bluebird land speed record cars) but it still has its original grey leather.
The car was in California where it had been in storage for many years. Fortunately the climate over there is fairly kind to old cars and although it will need some recommissioning, the car is running and - apart from the paintwork - seems to be very original.
The RR records indicate that it was built with some export features including an oil bath air cleaner and 'colonial' suspension, but it seems to have been used by His Highness exclusively in the UK.
Possibly His Highness ordered his Bentley S1 (B16BA - delivered in May 1956), as a replacement for B94KM. The S1 was also fitted with a division, which was very unusual on a SWB S1. Incidentally, the only other S1 built to that particular Hooper design (with a division) was B10BA, which was bodied at the same time for HRH the Crown Prince of Iraq.
Last edited by MCW : 25th November 2018 at 22:40.
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shyml
BHPian
Location: Lahore
Originally Posted by MCW
Congratulations on your purchase. The years between 1947 and 1956 were critical in the life of HH the Nawab . He had had to merged his state with Pakistan (just like the states in India were merged early on with Indian state) and the Nawab had dissolved his state government and in 1955 ceded his state to become part of then West Pakistan. He had been living in UK more than in Bahawalpur and by this time he had locked up his garages in Bahawalpur and other Palaces. Incidentally he was guest at the coronation of King Feisal II of Iraq, (and the Queen Elizabeth II) in 1953 and the Iraqi king and crown prince had paid a return state visit to Bahawalpur and they had a correspondence etc. going on.
The Nawab, much older than the young king and crown prince had shown his formidable motorcars parked in Bahawalpur and there is more than a likely chance that his design and coach-maker choice had influenced the crown princes order of similar car. Both were muslim rulers and Purdah, privacy for women, remained a priority as was their own being driven around by drivers and ADC's and almost all his cars have partition glass. He had between these Bentleys also bought a Rolls Royce Silver Wraith CLW35 Hooper Empress line body. The later Bentley S1 design has design similarities to Empress design especially in hind quarters as was in vogue.
Coming back to your car, its very intriguing that the Nawab chose H.J Mulliner as he always took his custom to Barker and after its merger with Hooper, to Hooper.
Do send pictures of your car, and year of manufacture as I am concluding my book on the Nawab and his times and will like to include these.
As regards your opinion on HH replacing your Bentley with the S1, most interesting would be to find when the car was sold by HH. You see HH did not sell his cars and if his state had not merged, these cars would have ended up in Pakistan in the motorkhana (Garages) like all his previous cars. I have a strong hunch it would be in June 1966 when after his death in UK the Bahawalpur family sold his estate and all his UK cars, i.e the two Bentleys and Two RR ( Silver Wraith and Phantom V) in UK.
Do fill in details when you discover any info. I am hoping my friends Travencore, Sulaiman Abbasi and Omar Abbasi sahibs will help putting further pieces in the jigsaw puzzle. This is where we miss Sahibzada Falahuddin Abbasi again and again.
Amer Ahmad ( shyml).
Lahore Pakistan
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2nd December 2018, 22:45 #93
Hello Amer; I have now examined the copy history file from the RREC, which includes a large number of Hooper service documents from 1953 to 1959.
You asked about the year of manufacture; that is debatable, as the 'date of manufacture' is not officially recorded for cars in the UK, just the date of first registration.
The chassis was delivered to RR's London 'Lillie Hall' depot on 6/12/1950. From there it would normally have gone to the coachbuilders the next day. The finished car was delivered to the Nawab on 15/6/1951. So it would have been first registered in June 1951.
Normally it took about three months to construct the body for a coachbuilt car so I'm not sure why it took six months for this one. Perhaps it was because the design was a one-off, or because the Nawab requested a lot of changes.
The UK registration was changed from its original number to BWP 733 in June/July 1955, because the file includes a letter from Surrey Council and a Hooper memo about fitting the new plates. The Surrey Council letter also authorises the transfer of registration BWP 928 to the Nawab's Rolls-Royce (chassis CLW35) originally registered OYT 129.
But it seems the Nawab decided to sell the Bentley only a few months later, because there is another Hooper document dated 31/10/1955 stating that the car was to be washed and polished 'for showrooms'. Perhaps he visited the London Motor Show in October 1955, saw the new Hooper S1 design and was inspired to order one.
The next document is dated 15/3/56 when B94KM was at Hooper for a Schedule B service and gives the customer as a Mr. F.A. Dangerfield. By then the registration number had changed to YPH 331.
The S1's chassis was delivered to Lillie Hall on 9/12/1955, which would fit in with a customer order in late October. Incidentally, do you know where the S1 is now?
I understand the Nawab had a house in Windsor at some point, but Windsor is in Berkshire, not Surrey (as per the registation letter), so perhaps he lived in Surrey in the mid-50s. Probably he had less space to store cars in the UK than in Pakistan, which might be why he sold B94KM. According to RR records, he sold CLW35 in 1962.
Incidentally, I'm currently working on a book about Hooper.
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3rd December 2018, 08:49 #94
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I understand the Nawab had a house in Windsor at some point, but Windsor is in Berkshire, not Surrey (as per the registation letter), so perhaps he lived in Surrey in the mid-50s.
The Nawab had an estate near Farnham, Surrey from the 1930's until after WWII. It was given to the War Effort as a children's nursery. Later to Selham House ("Al-Hilal"), Petworth, Sussex, ca 1948. He passed away there in 1966. I am not aware of the Windsor home.
He likely wanted to keep the British "BWP" registration prefix on all his cars, which may explain the disconnect.
Some of the British "BWP" registrations on the Nawab's cars that I know of are:
BWP-318 on Bentley 3.5 Ltr; B32EF
BWP-733 on Bentley S1
BWP-733 transferred to Phantom V, 5BV-61
BWP-378 on Daimler DK400
BWP-378 transferred to the 1962 Cadillac Series 75 Fleetwood
Last edited by travancore : 3rd December 2018 at 09:19.
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13th December 2018, 07:08 #95
msabbasi
Location: Islamabad
To @travancore excellent post and investigative work, I'd like to add one more BWP number in the use of His Highness. This information came to me from communication with a Mr. David Bentley who brought to my notice a book being written by a Mr. John Elmgreen. Mr. Elmgreen observes that His Highness ordered a Jaguar XK 140 FHC, chassis number 804068 in primer without trim. The car was registered BWP 362.
It appears that this car came up for sale in 1969 (three years after the passing of His Highness most probably by his widow). Then again sold in 1971, again in 1978 and finally in 1996. It is reported to be in Germany in 1998. Here is a direct quote from Mr. Elmgreen:
"Chassis completed on 24 March 1955 and despatched on 22 April 1955 to the Maharaja of Bahawalpur, in primer with no trim - to be painted and trimmed after delivery. The factory therefore of course did not record the colours, but there was one later report that it was painted in "aquamarine blue" and another stating "pale blue with powder blue interior". The car is said to have been a gift for they Maharani and it was apparently finished by well known body builders Hoopers, and was said to have been garaged and serviced by them thereafter, apparently never having gone to India. The car appears to have remained in the same ownership until about 1969 when it was sold. In August 1971 it was advertised for sale by D. Wooley, claiming a recorded mileage of 13,300 and to have been a concours winner at Beaulieu in September 1970. In July 1978 it was again for sale, this time by Trojan Limited of Forest Row, Sussex, now with 28,000 recorded miles and said to be beautiful and a "dream to drive". In 1996 it apparently passed through Christies and in 1998 was in Germany with Monika Bettner of Hanau.
Original colours: Primer, Not Upholstered"
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Originally Posted by msabbasi
His Highness ordered a Jaguar XK 140 FHC, chassis number 804068 in primer without trim. The car was registered BWP 362.
"Chassis completed on 24 March 1955 and despatched on 22 April 1955 to the Maharaja of Bahawalpur, in primer with no trim - to be painted and trimmed after delivery. The factory therefore of course did not record the colours, but there was one later report that it was painted in "aquamarine blue" and another stating "pale blue with powder blue interior".
Quoting from the Hooper records (31st July, 1955):
H.H.The Ameer of Bahawalpur
"To special 2-Door Fixed Head Coupe on Jaguar XK-140. Engine No.G.2831-8,complete to manufacturers specification, painted Powder Blue and trimmed in Connollys Blue Vaumol leather:-
karlosdeville, KartikeyaL, KPS, shyml
17th February 2019, 00:35 #97
The H.J. Mulliner finishing sheet for B94KM includes 'supply and fit crests' to the car with a crown over a double 'A', in red.
This sounds like the crests were actually separate badges rather than just painted on. They were supplied by the heraldic artist Mr Francis, who did crests and monograms for various London coachbuilders including Hooper.
From the description, the design of the crest sounds like the one in the photograph below, which I cropped down from a larger picture. This crest can also be seen on the rear door of the Nawab's Bentley S1 in the picture above.
I would be interested to know what 'A.A.' stands for (Abass Abassi?), and to see a detailed drawing or picture of the crest, which I haven't been able to find anywhere.
karlosdeville, shyml, travancore
The double 'A' stands for Al-Aliya Al-Abbasiya.
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22nd February 2019, 03:33 #99
and to see a detailed drawing or picture of the crest, which I haven't been able to find anywhere.
Various iterations of the Bahawalpur monogram.
The last photo is as originally painted on shyml's Cadillac V16.
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23rd February 2019, 07:37 #100
The Amir of Bahawalpur had this monogram on most of his personal belongings such as pocket watches, cigarette cases, personal stationary etc. So much so that some cars had the monogram too as Shyml's V16 Cadillac.
For formal items, the State crest was used comprising of two pelican flanking a shield with a script in Urdu saying, "Sadiq Dost".
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6th March 2019, 17:13 #101
Thank you, msabbasi and travancore, for the information in your recent posts.
I have to confess, I'm a little confused as to the Nawab's correct full name. For example 'Al-Aliya Al-Abbasiya' isn't mentioned on the Wikipedia page about him: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadeq_Mohammad_Khan_V
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10th March 2019, 10:34 #102
To find more about 'AA' monogram, some further digging is required.
There are two connections to the Al-Abbsiya in the 'A-A' monogram with HH. HH was descendant of the Caliphs of the Abbasid Caliphate dating from the eighth century. Another ancient family name was Abbasiya or Al-Abbasiya ('Al' in Arabic language is article 'the').
The second connection is a bit loose but interesting all the same. It is the name of the capital city formed by the Aghlabids in Cordoba, the West most outpost of the Abbasid Caliphate. The Aghlabids were the representatives of Calipha Harun Al-Rashid (HH's ancestor) who was the Caliph at the time.
With regards to Al-Aliya there are two connections again. The first comes from one of the Arabic meaning of a derivative of the word Al-Aliya - Al-Aala meaning Top, Upper, Superior, Maximum, Supreme, Topmost. . You get the idea.
The second connection is a bit farfetched and in most part not relevant but quite interesting. There is mention of both terms Al-Aliya and Al-Abbasiya in a book called the Rise of the Fatamid Caliphate (which incidentally existed in the same time frame as the Abbasid Caliphate). You can read these pages here:
https://books.google.com.pk/books?id...basiya&f=false
Further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbasid_Caliphate
To sum up it can be said that 'A-A' monogram stands for "Abbasis the Supreme".
It is hoped that some light is shed on this mater.
BTW the full title of HH is: General H.H. Jalalat ul-Mulk, Hafiz ul-Mulk, Rukn ud-Daula, Saif ud-Daula, Mukhlis ud-Daula, wa Muin ud-Daula, Al-Haj Nawab Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi V Bahadur, Nusrat Jung, Amir of the God gifted kingdom of Bahawalpur, GCSI, KCSI, GCIE, KCVO.
KartikeyaL, travancore
9th April 2019, 13:37 #103
KartikeyaL
Location: Jaipur
Picture from the Instagram page of classiccarsPakistan
The caption says it all !
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10th April 2019, 19:47 #104
Thanks KartikeyaL.
We had extended good weather with very cool evenings, scented with flowers, in Lahore this year. Nawab Bahawalpur's RR 45WR Phantom I, was taken out regularly and these pics were taken end of March 2019, before commencement of pre summer maintenance ops, which means oiling endless points greasing and cleaning with oil changes etc. ( Takes a whole week for a single articulate person).
This small station near our residence is mainly a pass through for trains going to halt at Lahore's main railway station and was recently given a sympathetic makeover as a new train halt has been added. It is deserted most of the times with nary a passenger, coolie or vendor. Its a perfect time wrap with very efficient railway staff. These pics were taken by my daughter on the spur of the moment past mid night with a Samsung cell phone. I wish I had the Bahawalpuri fez cap.
So with a vivid imagination you can imagine its 1935, the car(s) having arrived ahead of HH's visit from Bahawalpur travelling in his two saloon carriages normally parked on his private railway sidings at Dera Nawab. HH would go to the sprawling Bahawalpur house in about 200+ acres near Mozang Chungi, Ferozepur road with other buildings on Lytton road. In the morning he would visit the Governor and the Chief Secretary and in the evening he would go to the Bahawalpur house within Aitchison College, where four of his ten sons are housed to see their progress.
At night he would visit the Princes Residence on the Mall road and canal crossing to meet his fellow princes and rulers staying there.
I could go on... but you take it up from there.
Amer Ahmad
Last edited by shyml : 10th April 2019 at 20:03.
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21st April 2019, 18:29 #105
Dear Amer sb. It is with great joy I read your reenactment of a possible scene for years gone by. With your permission I will upload a few pictures carrying on with this theme.
Pic 1: In the picture below unlike your quiet moment at the Lahore Cantt Station, here a crowd gathers at the station (most probably Dera Nawab).
Pic 2: The Door of his private Saloon opens and the crowd gets a glimpse of their beloved ruler. From his hand gesture, it seems he has singled out someone in the crown to ask, "how are you doing?"
Pic 3: This picture would be from the mid 1950's. HH is at the Dera Nawab Railway station receiving the Sahibzada Iskandar Ali Mirza, the President of Pakistan. Who can be seen getting out of the Presidential Saloon identified by the Presidential coat of arms on the side.
Pic 4: The scene is set in the mid 50s. Most likely 1956. HH's daughter was soon to marry Mir of Khairpur and in this picture at the Khairpur railway station. HH is alighting from a railway bogie or his own Saloon (hard to tell). Just behind him is The Mir of Khairpur. The Kairpur RR Silver Cloud awaits much like Amer Sb's reenactment where the Phantom I awaits HH .
Last edited by moralfibre : 4th May 2019 at 10:35. Reason: As requested.
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Views & Letters
News review – Wednesday 12 April 2017
Posted by Debbie | Apr 12, 2017 | News | 10 |
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NORTH Korea has threatened to nuke the US after Donald Trump said despot Kim Jong-un was "looking for trouble" in a series of provocative tweets. Kim's army is understood to have its "nuclear sights" on the US mainland as well as US bases in South Korea and the Pacific. North Korea's state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper said the country was prepared to hit back at any US aggression. "Our revolutionary strong army is keenly watching every move by enemy elements with our nuclear sight," the paper said. "We are focused on the U.S. invasionary bases not only in South Korea and the Pacific operation theatre but also in the U.S. mainland."
THE US naval fleet sent to deal with Kim Jong-un will be joined by Japanese warships as the ruthless leader faces annihilation. North Korea has enemies surrounding its borders after causing global terror with its nuclear weapons programme. Kim Jong-un has threatened to nuke many of his neighbours and the US as the dastardly dictator flexes his muscles. In response, Donald Trump has sent its naval fleet to the Korean peninsula over fears of North Korea's ICBM development. And it has now been revealed that Japanese warships will be joining the Carl Vinson as Kim's reign of terror faces collapse. A military source said: "Japan wants to dispatch several destroyers as the Carl Vinson enters the East China Sea."
Two in five GPs are planning to quit their jobs within five years in an exodus that could cripple the NHS, research published today suggests. A Government-funded study of the problem warned health bosses that the ability of the NHS to provide effective care was at risk. 'Acknowledgement of the magnitude of the problems is urgently required,' the researchers said in the BMJ Open medical journal. 'Failure to do so will risk serious adverse effects on the capacity and ability of the NHS to provide effective primary care.' They added that rock-bottom morale was contributing to the crisis – despite GPs still benefiting from an extraordinarily generous contract introduced barely a decade ago that saw their pay rocket and working hours plummet.
TEACHERS should be paid for time spent marking, conducting detentions and phoning parents, a teaching union said yesterday. Amid warnings of an ongoing crisis in teacher workload, delegates at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers conference called for "directed time" to be redefined as including all tasks necessary for the job. A motion overwhelmingly passed at the conference said there was huge variation in whether schools allowed teachers time for such duties. But it said such lenience was "on the fast-track road to extinction." The conference also heard stories of part-time teachers performing such tasks on their days off, and having to attend staff training days without pay. "Life is for living," Somerset delegate Emma Weetch told the hall. "Do not let your work consume it."
Ukip should "disband" and "go home" after achieving its primary objective of taking Britain out of the EU, the party's former MP has said. Douglas Carswell was the only Ukip MP to be elected at the 2015 general election but he quit at the end of March after a long-running feud with other elements within the party. Asked what he thought should happen to Ukip now, Mr Carswell joked about Nigel Farage's reported wish to be knighted and said that "if you've won a battle or a war you disband and you go home".
DOUGLAS CARSWELL has sparked a fresh row with his former party by suggesting Ukip should "disband" and "go home" following last summer's Brexit vote. The Clacton MP recently quit Ukip claiming it was "job done" now the UK had chosen to quit the EU. The one-time Tory defector has now advised Ukip as a whole to follow his example in the wake of the Prime Minister's triggering of Article 50 to formally notify Brussels of the UK's departure. Asked what should happen to his old party now that the Brexit process had officially begun, Mr Carswell told an Institute for Government event: "Job done. It's one of those really weird things … anyone who stuck a microphone under my chin for the last ten years will have heard me say we've got to leave the EU. "Theresa May then triggers Article 50 and I say 'job done' and everyone says 'what did you mean by that?'.
PRINCE Charles has been offered a royal title in another country after it was revealed he is related to its former ruler. Charles has been waiting for a few decades to become the king in Britain but he might be tempted to take up a new offer to become a Prince of Transylvania. A Romanian mayor offered the 68-year-old an honorary title because of the heir's love of the area. The Prince is also descended from Vlad The Impaler, the local ruler who put his enemies on wooden spikes and became the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Charles owns two 400-year-old holiday homes in the area and is said to be "bewitched" by Transylvania, its countryside and environment. The Mayor of the city of Alba Iulia, the former capital of Transylvania, has now extended a formal invitation to the Prince of Wales to receive the honorific title of Prince of Transylvania. In a letter to Prince Charles Mayor Mircea Hava, said: "We know how much you love Transylvania. "It has become your second home and you have been the region's most valuable ambassador.
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Panmelia	on April 12, 2017 at 3:43 pm
Re Prince Charles's 'other title': if he is still sticking to his promise to be 'Defender of All Faiths' (made in the 80s), I hope he goes off to Transylvania instead of being king here. We really can do without someone else in a high place sticking up for islam when we have gullible politicians doing it already against our national interests.
Dee	on April 12, 2017 at 5:36 pm
Panmelia, I have just read your wonderful answer of 9th April to David Turgoose. Thanks! Every line is a gem to be savoured. I enjoy all your postings, but that one was A***.
Point of info, I made much the same comment as yours above somewhere else re Prince Charles, and was linked to an article, the Telegraph I think, recently, where he has somewhat rowed back on Defender of All the Faiths, and now says that Christianity is the British Faith but we are all free and he would defend our right to worship as we please – something along those lines. Has Papa had a word in his ear, I wonder, or has Her Maj become increasingly alarmed at the course Europe is taking? We can only surmise.
Panmelia	on April 12, 2017 at 11:33 pm
Well, thanks, Dee; that's a compliment from someone who writes pointed and punchy posts herself.
I would love to know what the Queen thinks about the current situation and what she says to the PM week after week in their meetings. She must have heard the disgusting threats from ranting islamics about flying the black flag over Buckingham Palace and No.10; and perhaps her former chaplain confided his fears to her regarding the islamification of the country via growth of the muslim population.
One can only hope that there are some deep state secret contingency plans in place to ensure that those threats can never be carried out in London, or anywhere else in the UK. Churchill had his secret underground bunker from which he directed the war effort; perhaps there is a similar place today that no one will ever know about until the war is won and the danger has passed.
Just hoping …
SmokedKipper	on April 12, 2017 at 11:05 am
Carswell will only be remembered as the man who poisoned UKIP. He was nothing before he joined UKIP as a Judas, and he's next to nothing now. He'll only ever be in the public eye to talk trash about UKIP. It's unlikely to work out well or last for long. No-one likes a two-faced backstabber and no-one is going to respect him. No-one will take his ideas or his books seriously. His political career will end at the next election.
Talking of not being taken seriously, I see the UKIP leadership are continuing with their "forgettable" campaign by focussing on worthy but uninspiring issues that are in no way distinctive (*sigh*) while ignoring the issue of immigration control completely. God help us in the May elections.
Mike Newland	on April 12, 2017 at 1:27 pm
The sheer gall of claiming that Brexit is done so no need for anything like UKIP when May has plainly spelt out massive backtracking to neutralise it just takes the bloody biscuit. What a shameless rogue Carswell is.
JackT	on April 13, 2017 at 2:11 am
If Carswell were an honourable man then he would have stepped down so an election could be held.
Dee	on April 12, 2017 at 10:45 am
When Turkish President Erdogan assured us that sarin had been used, he must have added, but not been reported, and Allah saved our wonderful White Helmets from death since they bravely attended the wounded without protective gloves, and in some cases, wearing flip-flops, as pictures show.
It is so shameful that the West is continuing the Assad is guilty theme when there is no evidence, except, of course, that of Turkey, who, as we all know, is not impartial.
There are so many interesting videos I wish I could link to, where Syrians describe how they noticed newcomers moving into their towns, and eventually they turned out to be members of the Muslim Brotherhood – and it was they who started the uprising in what has been called the Arab Spring.
All that Trump has achieved with his bombing spree is the certainty that more people will die from chemical attacks if the Assad must Go cry tails off again – Why would something which worked so well not be repeated?
From everything I have seen, the Syrian people, especially but not only the Christians, are terrified that Assad will be deposed (I don't believe he will go willingly, as he loves his people) and I think we in the West need to ask ourselves, if Globalists are happy to cause huge mayhem and bloody death in Syria, in pursuit of their aims, what does that bode for our future, here, when all that is left to do is to Islamize Britain?
Boris Johnson is an embarrassment to Britain. Surely TPTB have told him that the Globalist agenda must be subtly put in place, but then, subtlety was never Boris's forte.
Syria:
Is there any real evidence that Assad was responsible for the gas attacks or is this just another wild assumption by those hell bent of regime change?
That worked out really well in Iraq and Libya did it not?
Mr Nuttall,
I hope that you read UKIP Daily from time to time. Your local focus is but one aspect of the war against our present government. The more important one at this time is national policy and ensuring our clean break from the EU.
May I suggest some focus on a manifesto to not only free us from the EU but reverse the Muslim invasion?
Well said, Jack T!
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Dedicated to bringing the highest calibre of musical & literary experience to Ireland
Chamber Music Festival Literary Festival Masters of Tradition Education Concert Series News
Travelling to Bantry
Donors, Friends & Other Individual Supporters
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Dining in Bantry
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"Concertgoers could watch the glorious sunlight fade to dusk through the library's huge windows while bathing in some of the best chamber-music playing I've heard this year." ~ Michael Roddy, Bachtrack
For 9 days & nights in July the seaside town of Bantry in West Cork, Ireland comes alive to the sound of music for the West Cork Chamber Music Festival.
With music from morning to midnight, the Festival repeatedly discovers unexpected repertoire and the programme blends challenging contemporary works with some of the best-loved works in the repertoire. World class musicians perform five concerts each day and young musician masterclasses run throughout the week, culminating in a dedicated concert featuring stars of the future on the final day. The Festival also hosts Ireland's only violin and bow making exhibition.
Bantry House, the ancestral home of the Earls of Bantry, is the main concert venue along with the small single-aisle St Brendan's Church.
All the venues have an intimacy that is vital for chamber music and Bantry House itself is renowned for the atmosphere created in the candle-lit Library and the House's extraordinarily beautiful setting with commanding views over Bantry Bay.
Getting to Bantry
Bantry Harbour
Located along the Wild Atlantic Way, Bantry is approximately 90 km west of Cork City.
If you are unsure of travel directions please get in touch – we are more than happy to help you to get to this beautiful part of Ireland.
GPS: Latitude : 51.680563 | Longitude : -9.448771
Bantry on Google Maps
Bantry is along the N71 between Glengariff and Ballydehob.
From Cork (via N71): Approx 90 km or 1 hr – 1 ¼ hr drive
From Dublin (via M7 & M8): Approx 285 km or 4 hr drive
From Limerick (via N20): Approx 180 km or 3 hr drive.
Direct flights from Munich and Dusseldorf
Cork Airport is located just outside Cork city centre, approx 90 km or 1 hr – 1 ¼ hr drive from Bantry.
Kerry Airport
Direct flights from Frankfurt Hahn
Kerry Airport is located just outside Killarney, approx 75km or 1 ¼ hr drive from Bantry
Shannon Airport
Direct flights from Berlin-Schönefeld
Shannon Airport is located in County Clare, approx 180 kms or 2 ¾ hr drive from Bantry
Direct flights from Berlin-Schönefeld, Berlin- Tegel, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt-Hahn, Frankfurt International, Hamburg Fuhlsbuttel, Munich and Stuttgart.
Dublin Airport is located just outside Dublin, approx 348 km, 3 ¾ hr drive from Bantry
Private Transport
Contact George Plant Minibus & Taxi Services who provides private transport services for the West Cork/South East Kerry Region.
Cork City is served by a mainline rail terminal (Kent Station), however, there is no train connection to Bantry.
Visit Irish Rail website for more information.
Bus Éireann offers a regular service from Cork (Bus Aras) at Parnell Square, with a special express service during the summer months, connecting to Kenmare and Killarney.
You can view timetables and buy tickets from their site.
Cork Harbour (1½ hr drive) is serviced by Brittany Ferries.
Find out all other ferry services to Ireland here.


text:
The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) is an independent research and campaigning charity founded and based in the United Kingdom.  It works to enable homes, places and communities in which everyone can thrive. Through its research, training, events, publications, and campaigns, it works to challenge, inspire and support people to create healthy, sustainable and resilient places that are fair for everyone. It does so informed by the Garden City Principles.

History

Founded by Sir Ebenezer Howard in 1899 to promote the idea of the Garden City, the TCPA is Britain's oldest charity concerned with planning, housing and the environment.

The association was first called the Garden City Association, and then the Garden Cities and Town Planning Association, broadening its scope to promote town planning as well as garden cities. It is the first pressure group for planning and predates the formation of the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Women played an active role in the TCPA. Sir Ebenezer Howard said in Garden Cities of To-morrow: "Woman's influence is too often ignored. When the Garden City is built, as it shortly will be, woman's share in the work will be found to have been a large one. Women are among our most active missionaries".  In 1903 the TCPA included a 'Women's League'. In 1920 a 'Women's Section' had been established. Two members of the 'Women's Section' founded the Women's Pioneer Housing, Etheldred Browning and Sydney Bushell.

Vision and values

The TCPA has been a reformist movement for over a hundred years – evidenced by its interest in fair shares in development and land value uplift; shared ownership of public open space; participative and entrepreneurial local governance; town and country planned together, and enhancement of the environment – and the need to achieve sustainable communities.

Informed by the Garden City Principles, the TCPA's strategic priorities are to:

 Work to secure a good home for everyone in inclusive, resilient and prosperous communities, which support people to live healthier lives.
 Empower people to have real influence over decisions about their environments and to secure social justice within and between communities.
 Support new and transform existing places to be adaptable to current and future challenges including the climate crisis.

Activities
As part of its educational remit, the TCPA arranges conferences and study tours. The association is not only confined to England but is also involved in a range of European projects.

Work Areas

Garden Cities and New Towns
Building on its legacy, the TCPA has been setting out a proactive agenda around garden cities, with a positive response from the government.
The association believes that a new generation of 21st century garden cities could help to solve a range of problems such as the acute shortage of housing in the UK and the need to respond to climate change
Recently, the Prime Minister has made a statement outlining his support of the garden principles and drafted a prospectus on locally led garden cities. Ebbsfleet has been proposed as a potential new garden city. However, although the site is well-connected it is difficult to see how it could meet all of the Garden City Principles but must genuinely offer affordable homes, according to the TCPA.

Climate Change
The TCPA undertakes research, policy formulation and political influence on climate adaptation and mitigation in the context of spatial planning. This is informed by both UK research and European-funded projects on adaptation, green infrastructure, human health and energy. European-funded projects on climate change adaptation led by the TCPA include Clim-Cap, GRaBs and PERFECT.

The Planning & Climate Change Coalition, which has been brought together by Friends of the Earth and the TCPA, includes over 60 cross-sector organisations and individuals. The Coalition has worked to ensure that the planning system makes a full contribution to meeting the climate change challenge. They have developed planning guidance and model policies on climate change for local authorities in England. The aim of the Coalition is to build a consensus amongst a wide range of stakeholders on the benefits of guidance on planning for climate change, working with local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships and communities. The Coalition has no core funding and no political or corporate affiliations.

Community Participation and Social Justice
The TCPA works with government and the private sector to campaign for meaningful public participation in the planning and development process. It also supports communities getting engaged in UK planning. This includes a partnership with planning advice charity Planning Aid for London (PAL).

Healthy Place-making
The Garden City movement sought to promote the fact that the way places are planned, designed, built and managed has a significant influence over whether communities are able to live healthy lives. Today, the TCPA continues to promote the creation of healthy places through the publication of research, reports and guidance on issues such as 20-minute neighbourhoods (sometimes referred to as the 15-minute city)

Parks and Green Infrastructure
The TCPA has been promoting the inclusion of green spaces in urban areas for over 100 years, as a core principle of the original Garden City movement. Today it manages the Green Infrastructure Partnership, a network of over, 2000 members which shares information about the latest green infrastructure policies and project across the UK. The GIP was launched by DEFRA in 2011 and was taken over by the TCPA in April 2014. The TCPA also works on a number of projects on green infrastructure including the EU funded PERFECT project which aims to improve green infrastructure policy across Europe by promoting the multiple benefits that green infrastructure can provide.

Publications

The monthly journal Town & Country Planning publishes a range of reports that highlights the range of their work.

References

Charities based in London
Interested parties in planning in England
Organisations based in the City of Westminster
Political and economic think tanks based in the United Kingdom
Town and country planning in England

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1934 5-Window Coupe Blown Hemi 1934 PLYMOUTH 5-WINDOW COUPE Hand-Built 392ci BLOWN HEMI *All Steel MASTERPIECE!
Please look closely at the undercarriage photos to see how beautifully everything was done. She has the perfect stance, sitting on Mickey Thompson wheels (20" on the rear & 18" up front) wrapped in Mickey Thompson Sportsman tires (33 x 22.00 R20LT on the rear & 24 x 5.
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The sad photo was posted on a Facebook page. Read below.
A place where our lives does not matter. Especially the poor masses look at what happened in lafia NASARAWA STATE.
Remember to join our people to sit at home on 14th of september we are using that medium to send message across to our politicians and government of the day, I am sick and tired of this suffering and smiling in this country.


text:
Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price on watch after maintaining half year dividend
The Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX:TLS) share price will be on watch on Thursday after the release of its half year results this morning…
James Mickleboro
James Mickleboro has been a Motley Fool contributor since late 2015. After studying economics at university back home in the United Kingdom, James came to live in Australia and managed to land a job at an Australian fund manager. This was the start of a love affair with Australian equities and he hasn't looked back since. James is part of the CFA Institute's Chartered Financial Analyst program and hopes it teaches him how to become an astute investor which allows him to help others with their own investing. Outside of reading and researching he spends many a late night watching the English Premier League and Seinfeld reruns.
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Nuix (ASX:NXL) share price crashes 11% amid another disappointing update - January 21, 2022 10:11am
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Published February 11, 2021 8:52am AEDT
| More on: TLSVTG
Source: Telstra presentation
The Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) share price will be one to watch on Thursday.
This follows the release of the telco giant's half year results this morning.
How did Telstra perform in the first half?
For the six months ended 31 December, Telstra reported a 10.4% decline in total income to $12 billion. This was driven largely by an 11% decline in consumer and small business revenue to $6.35 billion and an 8.1% decline in enterprise revenue to $3.47 billion.
Telstra's underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell 14.2% to $3.3 billion. This was due largely to an estimated in-year NBN headwind of $370 million and an estimated $170 million impact from COVID-19. Excluding these impacts, Telstra's underlying EBITDA would have been broadly flat compared with the prior corresponding period.
On the bottom line, the company revealed a 2.2% decline in net profit after tax compared to the same period last year to $1.1 billion.
Finally, the company reported cashflow after operating lease payments of $1.9 billion.
The Telstra dividend
One thing that has been weighing on the Telstra share price over the last 12 months has been concerns that it may cut its dividend.
Pleasingly, this morning the company has declared a fully franked 8 cents per share interim dividend, which is flat on the same period last year. This sees the company return approximately $950 million to shareholders.
Even better, though, is that the Telstra board confirmed that it also expects to pay a fully franked final dividend of 8 cents per share, bringing its total dividend for FY 2021 to 16 cents per share. This is in line with FY 2020's dividend.
What else could impact the Telstra share price today?
There were a few more positives in the announcement that could give the Telstra share price a lift today.
One was that the company has increased its T22 cost reduction target to $2.7 billion by FY 2022.
CEO Andy Penn commented: "Telstra continued to make progress on its productivity target, reducing underlying fixed costs by a further $201 million, or 7 per cent, during the half and increased its productivity targets to $450 million in FY21 and from $2.5 billion to $2.7 billion by the end of FY22. Around $2.0 billion has already been delivered under the program."
Mr Penn also provided an update on the establishment and proposed monetisation of InfraCo Towers, as well as the broader legal restructuring of the company.
"We plan to commence the process for external strategic investment into InfraCo Towers early in the first quarter of FY22, with binding offers to be submitted by the second quarter of FY22. We are undertaking significant verification and due diligence on our towers and property, appointed key members of the management team and advisors, and preparation work is well advanced to meet our timetable."
"Since we updated the market in November 2020, we have appointed external advisors and progressed consultations with stakeholders to obtain approvals and support for the restructure. This includes discussions with the ACCC, the ACMA and relevant Government Departments to ensure that Telstra's regulatory obligations will continue to apply as intended. We have also had constructive engagement with NBN Co on the restructure," he added.
Another development announced today is Telstra's plan to transition to full ownership for all of its branded retail stores across Australia.
This will be bad news for Vita Group Limited (ASX: VTG), which currently operates 104 of its stores. Telstra advised that Vita Group and individual licensees are being notified of the plan with discussions and transition arrangements expected to progress over the coming months.
Possibly holding back the Telstra share price a touch today is news that it has downgraded its guidance for FY 2021. Telstra is now expecting total income to come in at between $22.6 billion and $23.2 billion for the full year.
This is down from $23.2 billion to $25.1 billion previously. Management advised that this was due to low-margin hardware and other equipment sales.
The company has also narrowed its guidance range for underlying EBITDA. It now expects its operating earnings to be in the range of $6.6 billion to $6.9 billion (from $6.5 billion to $7 billion).
Positively, its guidance range for free cashflow after operating lease payments has increased by $450 million at the mid point to the range of $3.3 billion to $3.7 billion. This is due to working capital management and the impact of lower hardware revenue.
Telstra also expects to be at the low-end of the net NBN one-offs range due to factors including NBN Co's decision to pause HFC-based connections of new customers. Guidance for capital expenditure remains unchanged.
Looking further ahead, Mr Penn appears confident that the company is positioned to return to growth in FY 2022.
He said: "I am confident the many initiatives we have taken under our T22 program, particularly in simplifying the business and the digitisation program, will further improve customer experience."
"To get the real benefits from all the effort we've already made, Telstra needs to be bold. I've set an aspiration for mid to high single-digit growth in underlying EBITDA in FY22 and $7.5 to $8.5 billion of underlying EBITDA in FY23. I am confident we can deliver this if we remain focused," he added.
Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Telstra Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.
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text:
Q: Does this loop run in $\mathcal{O}(n^4)$ time? A double loop is given:
int sum = 0;
for (int i = 0; i < N*N; i++)
    for (int j = i; j < N; j++)
        sum++;

My analysis: The inner loop runs $n$ times the first iteration, then $n-1$, $n-2$, $n-3$, $n-4$ until it gets to $n-n$ which is zero. This is a series summation which is expressed as: $$\sum_{i=0}^n \frac{1}{2}(n(n+1))= \frac{1}{2}(n^2+n)= \frac{1}{2}n^2 + \frac{1}{2}n$$ Discarding lower terms and constants give $\mathcal{O}\left(\frac{1}{2}n^2\right) \rightarrow \mathcal{O}(n^2)$.
The outer loop is executed $n^2$ times. Multiplying by the inner loop gives $\mathcal{O}(n^4)$. Is this right?
Update: Now I think the actual answer is $\mathcal{O}(n^2)$ because the inner loop is only executed half the times of the outer loop.

A: By splitting the outer loop into $0\leq i\leq N-1$ and $N\leq i\leq N^2-1$ (because the code inside the inner loop isn't executed at all for $i\geq N$, but still costs $\mathcal{O}(1)$ time to do) we obtain:
$$\begin{align}
\sum_{i=0}^{N-1}\sum_{j=i}^{N-1}1+\sum_{i=N}^{N^2-1}1&=\sum_{i=0}^{N-1}(N-1-i+1)+N^2-1-N+1\\
&=\sum_{i=0}^{N-1}N-\sum_{i=0}^{N-1}i+N^2-N\\
&=N^2-\frac{(N-1)N}{2}+N^2-N\\
&=\mathcal{O}(N^2).
\end{align}$$

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It started in 2010, with one race and 1268 participants.
Now with 4 races, the event is the largest fun run in Tasmania and the richest 10km race in Australia.
The 2019 Bank of us Run The Bridge turns 10 on Sunday 17th February and entries are now officially open.
The iconic event takes in all the scenic elements of Hobart, with the main race the Bank of us 10km starting at Blundstone Arena and finishing at Salamanca. A course map video is available here.
For the 4th time, the Battle of the Sexes competition returns, which sees the elite women start in front of the elite men and battle it out for a bonus $2000. Following Lisa Weightman's crushing course record in 2018, the women's head start has been shaved back to 3minutes 44seconds, being the difference between the course records.
Hobart's Dejen Gebreselassie who placed second in the 2018 edition said it was his favourite race on the national calendar.
"It's my best race, I love running over the bridge and hopefully next year I can do even better," he said.
His form suggests it, following his stunning performance on Sunday in Cardiff, Wales. The Hobart athlete clocked 62:39 to smash the 37 year old state half marathon record, when he finished 8th in the Commonwealth Half Marathon Titles.
"It means a lot to break that record. It was very tough, now I'm back and excited for upcoming races in Australia, including the Bank of us Run The Bridge," he declared.


Barack Obama pressed the start button on the first new construction of nuclear reactors in a generation today, announcing US$8.3 billion in loan guarantees for the company building two.
Obama, in a visit to a job training centre in Maryland, said the loan guarantees to the energy giant, Southern Company, would help launch the first wave of construction of new reactors in nearly 30 years as well as advance his energy and climate agenda.
The loans would commit the US government to repaying Southern's loans if the company defaults. The guarantees cover some 70% of the estimated $8.8 billion cost of building the two new reactors at the company's Vogtle plant, which is east of Atlanta.
White House officials said today's announcement reinforced Obama's pledge in his state of the union address last month to expand America's use of nuclear energy and to open up offshore drilling.
Obama has also asked Congress in his budget request to triple loan guarantees for the nuclear industry to $54 billion from the current $18.5 billion.
Obama's pledge to the nuclear industry was seen as part of a strategy to win Republican support for a climate and energy bill that has stalled in the Senate. Expanding America's reliance on nuclear power – which currently supplies about 20% of electricity – is one of the few elements of Obama's energy and climate agenda to win broad-based support.
A number of Republican senators have demanded Obama help fund the construction of 100 new nuclear plants over the next decade.
Lindsey Graham, the Republican who is working closely with Democrats to draft a compromise cap and trade bill, is also on board with a greater role for nuclear power. His state, South Carolina, gets nearly half of its electricity from nuclear power.
The administration is also stuck on a solution for nuclear waste, after shutting down plans to bury the waste in the Yucca Mountain range in Nevada. The administration last month set up a panel to recommend new waste disposal solution.
The Southern projects must still win licensing approval.
White House officials said the new reactors could come on line by 2016 or 2017, and would generate 2.2GW. Construction alone would create 3,500 jobs, and the plant itself would create 800 operations jobs.
The loan guarantees announced today are the first of some $18.5bn in funding originally approved by Congress in 2005.
Steven Chu, the energy secretary, said the loans were the first of "at least half a dozen, probably more" loans for new nuclear reactor construction. "We have a lot of projects in the pipeline," he told reporters, but did not indicate a time for further announcements.
Chu also disputed a report from the Congressional Budget Office that put the risk of default on loans to the nuclear industry as high as 50%. "We are looking at ways to increase ways of building these projects on time and on budget," he said.
This article was originally published on guardian.co.uk on 16 February 2010.
I guess it depends on where you live, but with a half-life of a few thousand years, I don't think it matters where or how deep you bury it. A thousand years is a long time for borders to change, political upheaval, you name it…and I wouldn't count on anyone being able to guarantee the waste will stay where it's put. I'm from Chicago (http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/green/chi-nuclear-waste-11-mar11,0,971797.story), and Illinois has the greatest number of nuclear plants of any state (http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactor/) , some very close to our primary water source, Lake Michigan. Moving the waste anywhere would be dangerous, leaving it there is dangerous…seems like the only answer is wishing it weren't there at all. And making more of it is not going to help.
On top of this, to make nuclear the new standard, and then deny it to developing nations, akin to a global embargo, is completely unsustainable and a recipe for war. Either dedicate yourself to the prospect of every country going nuclear, with both energy and weapons capabilities, or find another solution. I don't want to fear-monger, but this is dangerous stuff and best not to put on the shoulders of future generations. The oil will run out and we'll either live on less or find an alternative.. This ain't it.
Uneasy is a good word to put my feelings about offshore drilling and nuclear waste. But the important comment Obama makes is that these decisions about energy and climate can't be stalled, and he needs Republican support. If this moves the energy bill, its a good political compromise.
In response to Jamie, I believe the technical waste problem is largely solved in the experts' opinions, its just having the public accept it that has been unsuccessful. Acceptability may change in the next 15 or 20 years when climate change costs become more tangible..
I'm uneasy about having a proliferation of nuclear power plants, but I'm even more unnerved by the continued reliance on fossil fuels in America and worldwide. The most critical need is to dramatically reduce consumption needs for energy, not only for things we plug in, but also for the "low power" devices relying on batteries, which require tremendous energy from the mining, of course, as well as the cleanup of used and oxidized batteries.
But before we can really find ways as a global society to reduce overall needs for energy, we need now stopgap solutions that provide for expanding energy requirements. I want to utilize renewable and natural energy to every extent possible, but I am not looking forward to having wind turbines next door, solar panels covering the surface area of everything in sight, or some orbiting solar farm beaming microwave energy to a harvesting station. Not only do I believe that these are inadequate to fuel our current addiction to power, but I find these "solutions" highly undesirable.
Nuclear power, for me, is a difficult, but unfortunate need. Unless a great many of us can unplug and live without much of what we think of as requirements for living, then energy requirements in our world will continue to grow for some time. I was extremely opposed to nuclear power in the past and continue to oppose nuclear weaponry. But the half life of nuclear material is immeasurably long in comparison to the limited time to critical point for CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions and the sustainability of the human species on this planet.
I don't believe any more in the threat of Armageddon in the sense I believed possible during the Cold War. Rather, I believe that the real Armageddon is a slow, deliberate, and paralytic process of denial, rather than action. People who do not think, see, believe, and take action to ensure greater quality of life for future generations of people, who choose not to see that unfairness, unjust practices, denial of productivity, and unsustainable lifestyles are polluting our God-given nature and ourselves are choosing to live in Armageddon.
Nuclear is not the answer. But it can buy us some time to develop real solutions.
I am also uneasy about nuclear but I don't know enough about the chance of risk to be strongly for or against it. Then again, I once had dinner with some nuclear and quantum physicists (through a random connection) and was intrigued to find that, they too, had mixed feelings about the merits of nuclear. My gut feeling is that the human race, on form, would not be capable of dealing with nuclear waste, unless there is a dollar to be made.
But what I find really intriguing is this: governments are willing to commit to long term and very costly investments in risky technologies like nuclear, but drag their feet endlessly when it comes to the idea of smaller, medium term and non-risky investments into solar, wind etc. The double standard is palpable.
I understand that initial uneasiness shouldn't preclude the passing of an important bill. If the bill had some safeguards requiring nuclear plants to invest a sizeable portion of profits into waste disposal (rather than requiring outside parties to do so), similar to cap-and-trade policies, it might be worth considering… but that's never gonna happen. The initial starting costs and seemingly easy, (CO2) waste-free energy pull of nuclear lobbyists is enough to provide a perfect political storm of endless subsidies. Furthermore, a bill with a cap-and-trade or polluter pays principle on nuclear waste wouldn't apply as well as it does to other companies, because quite simply, the science isn't there to deal with the waste. Darek, I'd be interested in reading any links that show how the "technical waste problem is largely solved in the experts' opinions" –on non-partisan sites if you could, and excluding any practices that (again, 50 year's later) are still in the R&D stages. In terms of transport, fail-safe options and anyone who can really predict what will happen on the global stage in the next 100 years, let alone the next millennia, there isn't much consensus on what to do with what's buried at our feet.
The nuclear lobby is powerful in the U.S., and to say nuclear would be a temporary stepping-stone leading to advances in renewable energies is disingenuous. The easy, initial benefits seen in nuclear power would effectively put a stop to the current push in creativity and funding for increases in efficacy of renewable energies. It would undermine those efforts, and though you may think govt. funded scientists can dust themselves off and pull themselves up by their own breaches, you'd be wrong. The private sector is not going to be able to pull off any real gains in renewables without public and federal support to give them a foot in the door…and nuclear will effectively close that door.
Endorsing nuclear, even uneasily, elevates the stance of its lobbyists to proclaim it as the new energy standard. If you are ok with its standard use everywhere, globally, no exclusions, and sincerely believe that some global body can police its safe use in the future, then I uneasily understand your position.


When it comes to a once-in-a-lifetime wedding, settling on the celebration sure does smart.
So don't. To get the feel of a luxurious, six-figure Charleston fête for less than $20,000, Beth Markham and her husband, Sean, put their heads together to think outside the box. Here's what the two did earlier this year to get their dream look for way less.
First, Beth and Sean invited 75 people. This ensured the budget could stretch far and allowed the couple to spend quality time with each guest.
Since there is less demand for wedding and reception locations on weekdays, holding the ceremony late on a Friday morning meant costs were considerably below what they would have been had the Markhams wed during prime time: Saturday. Also, thanks to their weekday date, the couple was easily able to hire an in-demand team of wedding professionals, many of whom were otherwise booked as much as two years in advance.
By saying their vows and raising their glasses at the same location, Beth and Sean saved money because they didn't have to book two venues (a church and an alternative reception space). Plus, keeping their guests in the same spot meant the Markhams didn't have to arrange for guest transportation from one place to another. Last, because their wedding and reception location came with tables and chairs, there was no need to rent such supplies from a vendor.
Beth and Sean opted for a post-ceremony brunch buffet rather than the traditional evening dinner reception—another money saver, as breakfast foods and buffets are typically less expensive than seated dinners and open bars. Their caterer worked with them to plan the event and set up stations for custom-made crêpes, omelets, and more so guests could create their own menu. As for beverages? Guests helped themselves to Bloody Marys, mimosas, and a create-your-own coffee bar with whipped cream, cinnamon, chocolate, and Bailey's Irish cream.
Beth and Sean chose a smaller cake that served 50, and supplemented it with trays of petite sweets, because they knew not everyone would opt for slices.
The ripple effect of a Friday wedding meant the rehearsal dinner was a less-than-average hassle to plan and less costly, too. Sean's parents hosted a barbecue and oyster roast that Thursday, again taking advantage of a less busy weeknight to book a highly sought-after location on a few month's notice.
Beth designed and printed save-the-date cards and rehearsal cookout invitations herself with the help of a local stationery store, and she worked with the pros there on a more formal wedding invitation.
Playing bargain-hunting bride, Beth lucked onto a designer who was getting out of the bridal gown market. By purchasing a sample dress directly off the rack, she got a custom creation at half its original price.
When it came to welcome "baskets," Beth hit the paper stores for plain white paper craft bags, then tagged each with a custom sticker bearing the wedding's date. She and Sean filled the bags with their own self-written guide to Charleston, maps of the area (free from the Convention and Visitors Bureau), and goodies from Boone Hall Farms (discounted because she bought in bulk) before giving them to out-of-towners. For wedding favors, Beth worked with a local manufacturer to festoon a wedding design on mugs and filled those with saltwater taffy from the Market downtown—bought in bulk at a discount, of course.


Another day, another series of legal challenges for the tobacco companies. Is their any industry other than the tobacco industry where the legal and regulatory environment has been more treacherous over the last several decades? While the big three, Altria (MO), Reynolds (RAI), Lorillard (LO), faced their biggest legal challenges in the 1990s, the onslaught of constant civil litigation against these companies has continued. While the S&P 500 (SPY) has outperfomred most tobacco and other consumer staple names this year, most major U.S. tobacco companies have outperformed major index funds by a large margin over the last several decades.
While big tobacco settled with 48 of the fifty states in what is known as a master settlement agreement, and the federal government recently lost their attempt to seek large financial damages against big tobacco, challenges remain. As an attorney who follows markets and companies in this industry closely, I think it is interesting to look at how these latest legal developments may affect big tobacco. The biggest regulatory challenge that big tobacco faces today is new and more intrusive regulation resulting from the 2009 Tobacco Control Act. The most significant final legal challenge that these companies face is small scale civil litigation from individual planitiffs seeking large punitive judgments. These cases have collectively been referred to as the "Engle cases." While it was not a big story in the press, big tobacco scored two huge wins on the regulatory and legal front over the past two weeks.
The first big victory big tobacco scored was winning the first Engle case at the federal level since the recent Florida ruling limiting pre-jury instructions on big tobacco's market and advertising policies. Over the last decades, individual plaintiffs have had an exceptionally easy time bringing and winning cases against big tobacco. Since the Florida courts had held several years that since big tobacco was found liable of false marketing and advertising, juries were to presume fraud on the part of these companies before the trial even begin. This very favorable pretrial instruction emboldened many plaintiffs and their attorneys to bring low-cost litigation against the tobacco companies seeking large punitive damages. However, recently, in 2006, a Florida court reversed this finding, and found that plaintiffs who were not a part of the original class action suit against big tobacco would have to prove their case individually.
Since this new, more industry-favorable ruling, big tobacco has won or had reversed about two thirds of the Engle cases that have been brought by plaintiffs. These legal developments also make the latest Engle case extra important. The latest Engle case brought against big tobacco, which was the first time plaintiffs tried a case in federal court since the 2010 ruling, resulted in a big win for big tobacco. What is important about this ruling is the big tobacco has already been winning at the state level since the recent industry favorable ruling occurred in 2010. The latest federal ruling shows that the final wave of litigation being brought by individual plaintiffs may be coming to an end. But what about regulation? Here, despite the legal successes big tobacco has had in recent years, there have been a number of setbacks. Under the recently passed Tobacco Control Act, the regulatory authority has been centralized with the FDA.
While the FDA has been slow to put new rules into effect, they have sought some potentially negative new regulations, like mandating graphic warnings on tobacco products. Here again, tough, big tobacco was able to win a big victory against the FDA at the federal level. Most federal and state regulation of tobacco companies and their products has been allowed by state and federal court because it has been seen as being done for the health and welfare of the general public. What is interesting about the recent big tobacco victory over the FDA on the question of graphic warnings is that it may signal a change in the way courts look at regulations of tobacco products.
Tobacco companies have always attracted a significant amount of attention from state and federal authorities because of the high number of health related illnesses related to the overuse of their products. Because of the health problems resulting from the use of tobacco products, state and federal authorities have sought to treat these companies specially. While all companies, including alcohol and other producers of potentially harmful products, have had to disclose health risks to their products, even producers of some of the most unhealthy products, like alcohol and fast food, are not required to put special labels on the their products. If big tobacco had been forced to put graphic labels on their products it would have signaled that a special set of rules applied to cigarette and tobacco products. The fact that the recent finding by federal courts that the FDA cannot compel speech by forcing the tobacco companies to put special labels on their products shows that courts will not allow the government to regulate the tobacco industry significantly different than other areas of the economy.
So, what does all this mean for investors and why is it bullish for the tobacco industry? If you look at the primary appeal of tobacco stocks, it is the company's dividends. While even the biggest of the big three tobacco companies, Altria, is growing its revenues, revenue growth has slowed to the single digits for all three of the these companies. With the U.S. tobacco market stabile but not growing, big tobacco has relied more on prices increases and cost cutting measure to continue to grow their revenue and raise their dividends.
These more favorable legal and regulatory findings for the industry have the potential to significantly lower the borrowing costs for the industry. While, obviously, big tobacco doesn't face the same legal and regulatory issues the industry faced in the nineties, the bonds of Altria, for example, are trading at 8-10% going out five years. A significant change in the legal and regulatory environment has the potential to moderately to significantly lower these costs. Altria's cost of capital to acquire UST just a couple years ago was nearly paid 8-10%. To conclude, while investors traditionally value a stock using PEs, REIT and tobacco stocks are primarily about cash flow since their payouts are the most important reason most investors choose these companies. If the cost of capital continues to come down, it should give these companies the ability to refinance at lower rates and make it easer to borrow cheaper for new acquisitions, continue buybacks, and potential future dividend raises. These companies still significant litigation costs should come down as well.
While no industry has faced bigger regulatory and legal challenges than big tobacco over the last several decades, these latest developments could signal that the tide is starting to turn towards big tobacco. With state governments cash strapped the federal government looking for new revenue, these latest developments may be welcomed by others as well.


The Sweet Nothings are a pop group from Sheffield, UK.
We are: Pete Green (singing and guitar), Vinnie Ransome (keyboard and more singing), Dan Hartley (bass), Rob Dean (drums, until he moves down south in September).
We'll put more on this site very soon – so keep watching, or better still, subscribe to the RSS feed. Um… that Entries RSS thing down there on the right is probably the link you need. Right. So. Thanks for being here!
Any songs about trains ?


The Jazzboat is a very nice way to see Prague's rivers of the Moldau by night. All historical buildings are beautifully illuminated and fine music and food get the mood going. We have enjoyed every minute on board.
It was an exciting and memorable experience. Music food and service were excellent. Will not hesitate to recommend Jazz Boat to anyone.
Thanks for a great night aboard the Jazz Boat.
The good, music service was great!
A beautiful way to see Prague by night.
Highly recommend the Jazz Boat.
My wife and I took an evening dinner cruise on the Jazz Boat during a recent visit to Prague.
I can recommend the experience.
The food was excellent, the drinks reasonably priced and the entertainment was first class.
The boat was very well kept and the crew looked after us very well.
An unexpected bonus was sharing a table with a delightful Mexican couple Alex and Teresa who helped to make the evening special. We got on so well we went for a quick nightcap eventually returning to our accommodation at 01.30!
For a truly magnificent time look no further than the Jazz Boat!
Concernant notre avis pour notre Dîner Croisière du 12 Septembre 2017 sur le JAZZ BOAT.
Tout d'abord , nous avons apprécié que le personnel nous accueillant à fait l'effort de parler en Français. Ensuite nous avons pris place à bord ou un apéritif nous a été servi. Le repas au Porc pour Madame et Poulet pour Monsieur était très bon. Le prix des boissons en supplément est très raisonnable. Il y a tous les ingrédients pour passer une bonne soirée. A conseiller vivement. Personnels agréables et un bon rapport qualité-prix.
Very happy to give feedback about this.
A friend recommended we booked and so came Friday 8th September.
We loved it; what a great night.
Many years ago I played bass in a dance band, I was delighted that the band leader let me sing 'Basin Street Blues' with the band on Friday. I've wanted to do that again for so long. What a great band, really great players.
We will definitely recommend other friends coming to Prague book this – and if we come again we'll book it too!
Great food, music and service. I took my Canadian family on a jazz and dinner cruise in August. From 20 year olds to 82 year olds, everyone had a wonderful time. It was a fantastic way to enjoy the lights of Prague and the Dixieland band was exceptional. We all danced, although the space was small. It was the highlight of their holiday in Prague.
We went on the jazz boat two nights ago to celebrate my daughter's 21 st birthday.
We LOVED it! Everything was great - friendly service from our waiter (table 13), lovely views, great music, clean toilet facilities (very important!) ...... the food was very tasty except my potatoes were a little cold.
Thank you Jazz boat people.
We loved our trip - the music was excellent and the food exceeded our expectations. We had the salmon menu. Service was good and the whole process went very smoothly. It would be lovely to have a somewhat earlier cruise - jazz at sunset!
A fabulous night. The food and music were both excellent. The evening was a treat for my daughters 21st. Her name is Georgia and when the singer sang Georgia on my mind it was really moving. The staff work incredibly hard and we really had the best night.


text:
Why Biden is hosting more than 100 countries to talk about democracy
By Scott Detrow
Chip Somodevilla
President Biden spoke to participants in the Summit for Democracy from a soundstage that the White House has set up for such virtual events.
When Joe Biden rolled out his foreign policy platform for the 2020 presidential campaign, he made a big promise: if elected, he would gather the world's democracies at a major summit, where they would show solidarity against a rising tide of authoritarianism.
Over the next two days, that promise will become a reality — sort of. The still-lingering, variant-driven COVID-19 pandemic means President Biden's democracy summit will be yet another virtual conference, unlikely to have the energy and impact of an in-person event.
White House officials insist the on-screen gathering of representatives from more than 100 countries will still have value. Participating countries are expected to announce new commitments to fighting corruption, standing up for human rights, and pushing back against authoritarian movements.
But in a sign that expectations for the gathering have perhaps shrunk since Biden made it a regular part of his campaign stump speech, a senior administration official told reporters during a preview call that a big outcome of the summit would be — simply having conversations about democracy.
"One of the main points of the summit is simply to put this issue on the front burner, in terms of the global conversation amongst governments and civil society," the official said.
Getty Images / Getty Images
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was invited to the democracy summit. Asked about his inclusion, a Biden administration official said that "democracy is about more than just a single leader."
There are some awkward guests at this summit
The summit happens to come during a week where Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against invading Ukraine. Russia was not invited to the summit.
China also didn't make the guest list — even though the country's ruling Communist Party is complaining that it's also a democracy — but Taiwan did. The White House says the engagement doesn't conflict with the "One China policy."
"We think that Taiwan can make meaningful commitments towards the summit's objectives of countering authoritarianism, fighting against corruption, and advancing respect for human rights at home and abroad," an administration official told reporters.
Another awkward guest: Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. Asked about his inclusion, an administration official told reporters that "democracy is about more than just a single leader or a single party or a single moment in time" but rather "entire societies."
Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images
Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 to try to stop Congress from certifying Biden's White House victory.
Democracy is under attack in the United States, too
The White House is also dealing with a much more pressing and existential hurdle than remote logistics and the guest list as it plans this summit, though: the fact that as the summit convenes, democracy seems to be more under more of a threat in the United States than at any time since the Civil War.
Steven Levitsky, a political scientist who co-wrote a 2018 bestseller on the issue that a Biden reportedly regularly referenced throughout his presidential campaign, says he has grown "more worried" about the fate of American democracy in the years since publishing How Democracies Die.
Former President Donald Trump's false denial that he lost last year's presidential election has taken hold among a majority of Republican voters. As next year's midterm elections draw closer, Trump has pushed to establish that lie as a central organizing principle for Republican candidates.
Republican legislatures across the country have responded to Trump's lies about 2020 by passing new voter restrictions and by giving partisans more power over certifying ballots and election results.
And, of course, a mob of pro-Trump extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol, a global symbol of democracy, on Jan. 6, in an unsuccessful attempt to block the certification of the Electoral College votes electing Biden as president.
"Democratic parties — small-d democratic parties — have to be able to accept defeat. That's the first criteria for making a modern democracy work," Levitsky told NPR. "If a party that's big enough to win elections cannot lose elections — cannot accept losing elections — democracy is in trouble."
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
Early during his run for office, during a speech in New York City in 2019, Biden pledged to hold a summit on democracy if elected. This week, he'll make good on that promise.
Biden is expected to say that no democracy is perfect
All this has led to many carefully-worded statements from White House officials about how much authority the U.S. has to push other countries to promote democracy and free and fair elections. "We, of course, realize that no democracy is perfect, ourselves included," an administration official told reporters ahead of the summit. "The president has been forthright and clear about the challenges facing democracy here at home throughout his presidency."
The fact that democracy seems in danger in the country that has been its global champion for more than a century doesn't undermine Biden's summit, Levitsky said. "I keep getting asked this question with the same framing by journalists," he said, arguing that problems in the United States underscore the critical importance of bringing together leader to talk about democracy.
"Joe Biden can't give the standard 20th century U.S. stump speech in which we portray ourselves as a shining city on the hill, and other countries should use us as a model. We can't do that anymore," Levitsky said.
"What Biden could do, though, is say that we, too, are struggling for democracy, we are very much like small-d democrats across the world who are struggling to save democracy, to strengthen democracy, to reconsolidate democracy."
Biden's remarks will come at the very beginning of the summit early Thursday.
Leaders will go into several sessions together. There will be smaller panels focused on topics like democratic resilience, and countering corruption, and a youth town hall. Vice President Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also are expected to represent the United States during the summit, which wraps up with a second Biden address on Friday afternoon.
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Scott Detrow
Scott Detrow is a White House correspondent for NPR and co-hosts the NPR Politics Podcast.
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