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Western Asia >> Western Asia >> تیتر یک اقتصادی
Publish Date : 25 April 2019 - 23:05 ,
Executed Saudi student had 'bright future' ahead of him
TEHRAN(Basirat): Mutjaba al-Sweikat was only 17 when Saudi Arabian authorities arrested him for participating in an anti-government protest. Instead of attending university in the Midwestern US state of Michigan, he spent his late teens and early 20s in jail before being executed by beheading.
This pictures obtained from social media shows executed Saudi teenager Mutjaba al-Sweikat
Sweikat had been accepted into Western Michigan University (WMU), but Saudi authorities arrested him in 2013 at the airport before boarding the plane to start his university education to study finance.
Michigan officials and activists, who had been pushing to stop the execution, have condemned the killing, calling on the US government to hold Saudi Arabia accountable.
"We learned the news yesterday along with all others. It's certainly distressing and tragic news. It's hard to fathom," Paula M Davis, a spokeswoman for WMU, told Middle East Eye.
Sweikat was killed along with 36 others -- mostly activists from the country's Shia minority -- after being convicted on "terror" charges stemming from anti-government demonstrations.
According to the London-based human rights group Reprieve, Sweikat endured torture at the hands of his captors before his execution.
"He was severely beaten all over his body, including the soles of his feet, and convicted on the basis of a confession extracted through torture," Reprieve said in a statement.
The executions mark the latest round of increasing human rights abuses by Saudi Arabia under the leadership of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
One of the 37 victims of the executions had his beheaded corpse put on public display on Tuesday, according to Human Rights Watch.
"Saudi authorities will inevitably characterize those executed as terrorists and dangerous criminals, but the reality is that Saudi courts are largely devoid of any due process and many of those executed were condemned based solely on confessions they credibly say were coerced," Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at HRW, said in a statement.
Still, despite the growing scrutiny of Saudi Arabia's rights violations, US President Donald Trump has rarely criticized Riyadh, even as outrage grows in the US over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the detention and execution of dozens of activists.
'Surprised and stunned'
Ali Tinai, the head of WMU College Democrats, a student group on campus, said Trump has failed Sweikat and other victims of the Saudi government.
"By being silent and not taking action to prevent incidents like this from happening, this administration is showing that it does not care about human rights," Tinai told MEE.
Both Democrats and Republicans in Michigan expressed outrage over the execution.
Democratic Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell also condemned the "disturbing" killing of Sweikat.
"Mutjaba had a bright future ahead of him and Michigan was prepared to welcome him as a student. Instead, he faced inhumane torture and pain ultimately leading to his execution," Dingell said in a statement, vowing to promote free speech around the world.
Dingell serves a district with a large Arab population on the east side of the state.
Fred Upton, the Republican congressman who represents the city of Kalamazoo where the university is located, revealed that he had addressed Sweikat's case with Saudi officials.
"I was most surprised and stunned to hear the news about Mujtaba'a al-Sweikat, a young man that could have had a promising future ahead of him," Upton told MEE in an emailed statement.
"Rep. Debbie Dingell and I met early on with Saudi officials to voice our humanitarian concerns with his arrest. He was only 17 when he was arrested, and to suffer such a barbaric act is tragic. Our prayers are with his family and friends."
Campaign against execution
Local lawmakers and rights advocates also decried the execution.
Abdullah Hammoud, a Michigan state representative, urged Congress to impose sanctions against the Saudi government, saying that the increased pressure on Riyadh that occurred after Khashoggi's murder must be maintained to hold Saudi rulers accountable.
Hammoud called the torture and killing of Sweikat "egregious."
"He was a student who had a whole future ahead of him, who was coming here to excel, to further a life for himself and for a future family that he could have started," Hammoud told MEE. "It's saddening to hear."
For his part, Jon Hoadley, a Kalamazoo-based Democratic State representative, also said he was "saddened and disgusted" by the news of the execution.
"We had previously advocated for justice for Mujtaba al-Sweikat," Hoadley wrote in a Facebook post.
"He was a young man seeking an education at Western Michigan University. However, since he protested his government, he was detained, isolated, subjected to a sham trial, and ultimately - if the reports are true - beheaded."
Hoadley and other officials led a campaign to lobby Trump to intervene and halt the execution after news of the death sentence against him emerged two years ago.
"I request that you contact Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as soon as possible and urge him to stop the executions and commute the death sentences," Hoadley wrote in a letter to Trump in July 2017.
"Any government that stands idly by while a young man loses his life in such a barbaric way, for no real crime, is complicit in his death."
The letter was co-signed by Michigan's entire Congressional delegation - 14 members of the House of Representatives and two senators.
Hearing and death sentence
In August 2015, Mujtaba was brought before the Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh. Mujtaba was not given prior notice of the hearing and was not given access to a lawyer. He was convicted solely based on a "confession" extracted under torture, Reprieve said in a statement.
In June 2016, the Riyadh court sentenced Mujtaba and 13 other co-accused to death, rejecting the Bureau of Prosecution and Investigation's submission for a mandatory death sentence, instead issuing its decision under the court's discretionary powers.
Despite his raising his torture and ill treatment at trial, and the United Nations' frequent communications on his behalf, the kingdom did not provide him with an effective way to complain, did not conduct an investigation in line with the Istanbul Protocol, and did not commute his death sentence for running counter to the prohibition against execution for juveniles, Reprieve said.
The government eventually responded to the UN Special Procedures in January 2018, denying all allegations made in the complaints and stating that the evidence provided by the United Nations was false.
100 executions this year
The kingdom has executed more than 100 people in the first four months of 2019, and is on track to kill more than 300 this year, Reprieve posted on Twitter on Tuesday.
"This is another egregious display of brutality by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman," Reprieve Director Maya Foa said in a statement. "At least three of the people executed today were arrested as teenagers and tortured into false confessions. Many were convicted of non-lethal crimes, such as attending protests.
"That the Saudi regime believes it has impunity to carry out such patently illegal executions, without notice, should shock its international partners into action. The US and the UK, in particular, must ensure there are consequences, and that no one else is unlawfully executed for exercising their right to freedom of expression."
As news of al-Sweikat's imprisonment was publicized in 2017, faculty at Western Michigan issued an open letter calling for his release.
Source:PressTV


Jeffrey Nemshin, Co-founder and Partner of Paragon Group, LLC, has specialized in Tenant Representation since commencing his career in the corporate real estate business in 1988. Jeff has represented many large corporations, law and accounting firms, and not for profit entities in a wide array of real estate transactions. He has extensive knowledge of the financial and non-financial aspects of these processes.
Represented North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System since 1995 on sixty five (65) transactions totaling over 830,000 sq. ft.
Brokered the sale of Pall Corporation's 300,000 square foot headquarters on 18 Acres in East Hills, New York to Lowes Home Centers.
Astoria Federal Savings Bank's purchase of 107,000 sq. ft.
The Law firm of Meyer, Suozzi, English and Klein, P.C. on multiple transactions including the relocation of their corporate office to 37,500 sq. ft. in Garden City, New York.
Queens Long Island Medical Group (Emblem Health) for its corporate headquarters of 29,000 sq. ft. in Garden City and a 20,000 sq. ft. clinical space in Rochdale Village, Queens.
St. Francis Hospital on three (3) transactions totaling 107,707 sq. ft.
Garfunkel Wild, P.C. Attorneys At Law for 36,331 sq. ft. in Great Neck.
Represented WeiserMazars Accounting firm in 52,000 square feet of transactions including their 42,000 square feet Long Island Headquarters.
© Copyright 2015 Paragon Group, LLC.


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UKnowledge > College of Arts & Sciences > Sociology > Faculty Publications > 12
Sociology Faculty Publications
Understanding the Influence of Stigma and Discrimination for the Functional Limitation Severity - Psychological Distress Relationship: A Stress and Coping Perspective
Robyn Lewis Brown, University of KentuckyFollow
Notes/Citation Information
Published in Social Science Research, v. 62, p. 150-160.
© 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This manuscript version is made available under the CC‐BY‐NC‐ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
The document available for download is the author's post-peer-review final draft of the article.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2016.08.002
This research is supported by a dissertation research grant from Florida State University awarded to Robyn Lewis Brown (2009–2010) and grants RO1 DA13292 and RO1 DA016429 from the National Institute of Drug Abuse to R. Jay Turner (r.jay.turner@vanderbilt.edu).
Brown, Robyn Lewis, "Understanding the Influence of Stigma and Discrimination for the Functional Limitation Severity - Psychological Distress Relationship: A Stress and Coping Perspective" (2017). Sociology Faculty Publications. 12.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/sociology_facpub/12
Mental and Social Health Commons, Sociology Commons

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Hancock Church Chancel Choir to present virtual Christmas concert
The Chancel Choir of Hancock Church in Lexington will present a virtual Christmas concert, "A Wreath of Carols," at 7 p.m. Dec. 13.
The show will premiere on the church's Youtube channel at https://youtube.com/hancockchurch and Facebook page at https://facebook.com/hancockchurch, and the concert will be broadcast on LexMedia. The YouTube broadcast will have a live chat for viewers to engage with.
"Like everyone else, our music this year has had to go digital," said Director of Music Mark Morgan. "Fortunately, we have a terrific catalogue of recordings of our choir from our many TV broadcasts to draw from."
The concert will feature Christmas music from around the world ranging from Handel's "Messiah" and carols set by contemporary composer Stephen Paulus, to sprightly Renaissance carols, settings with brass and more. The choir is accompanied by brass, the Lyricum Wind Quintet, the 7 Hills Renaissance Band, harp, guitar and more.
A new recording of the choir singing the English song "Sussex Carol" will be premiered. The choir recorded this in one of their "parking lot" sessions this fall. In order to sing safely together, each singer was singing in their own car with a microphone, hearing everyone else over their radio. The organ was recorded separately, and the whole mixed together for the show.
"It was such a great experience after all these long months to actually sing together," said Morgan. "Zoom doesn't work for singing at all, so this was a huge boost for all of us to make music together."
The premiere of the concert can be viewed by going to http://hancockchurch.org and clicking on "Watch Live". It will also be available on YouTube throughout the holidays.


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is one of the six wards of the city of Chiba in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of April 2012, the ward has an estimated population of 179,770 and a population density of 5,250 persons per km². The total area is 34.24 km².

Geography
Hanamigawa Ward is located inland in the northernmost part of the city of Chiba. The ward takes its name from the Hanami River, which flows through the ward.

Places
 Amadocho
 Asahigaoka
 Asahigaokacho
 Chigusacho
 Dainichicho
 Hanamigawa
 Hanashimacho
 Hanazono
 Hanazonocho
 Hatamachi
 Kashiwai
 Kashiwaicho
 Kemigawacho
 Kotehashicho
 Kotehashidai
 Makuharicho
 Makuharihongo
 Miharuno
 Minami-Hanazono
 Miyanogidai
 Mizuho
 Nagasakucho
 Nagasakudai
 Naniwacho
 Nishi-Konakadai
 Sakushindai
 Sankakucho
 Satsukigaoka
 Takeishicho
 Uchiyamacho
 Unayacho
 Yokodocho
 Yokododai

Transportation

Railroads
JR East – Sōbu Line
  -  -
Keisei Electric Railway – Chiba Line
  -  -

Education

Municipal elementary and junior high schools are operated by the Chiba City Board of Education (千葉市教育委員会).

Municipal junior high schools:

 Amado (天戸中学校)
 Asahigaoka (朝日ケ丘中学校)
 Hanamigawa (花見川中学校)
 Hanazono (花園中学校)
 Kotehashi (犢橋中学校)
 Kotehashidai (こてはし台中学校)
 Makuhari (幕張中学校)
 Makuhari Hongo (幕張本郷中学校)
 Midorigaoka (緑が丘中学校)
 Satsukigaoka (さつきが丘中学校)

Former junior high schools

 Hamamigawa No. 1 (花見川第一中学校)
 Hamamigawa No. 2 (花見川第二中学校)

Municipal elementary schools:

 Asahigaoka (朝日ケ丘小学校)
 Hanamigawa (花見川小学校)
 Hanamigawa No. 3 (花見川第三小学校)
 Hanashima (花島小学校)
 Hanazono (花園小学校)
 Hata (畑小学校)
 Kashiwai (柏井小学校)
 Kemigawa (検見川小学校)
 Kotehashi (犢橋小学校)
 Kotehashidai (こてはし台小学校)
 Makuhari (幕張小学校)
 Makuhari Higashi (幕張東小学校)
 Makuhari Minami (幕張南小学校)
 Mizuho (瑞穂小学校)
 Nagasaku (長作小学校)
 Nishikonakadai (西小中台小学校)
 Nishinoya (西の谷小学校)
 Sakushin (作新小学校)
 Satsukigaoka Higashi (さつきが丘東小学校)
 Satsukigaoka Nishi (さつきが丘西小学校)
 Uenodai (上の台小学校)
 Yokodo (横戸小学校)

Former elementary schools:

 Hanamigawa No. 1 (花見川第一小学校)
 Hanamigawa No. 2 (花見川第二小学校)
 Hanamigawa No. 4 (花見川第四小学校)
 Hanamigawa No. 5 (花見川第五小学校)

The Chiba Korean Primary and Junior High School, a North Korea-aligned Korean international school, is located in Hamamigawa-ku.

Noted people from Hanamigawa Ward
Masaki Aiba – singer, actor
Hitori Gekidan - comedian, actor
Matsuko Deluxe - TV personality
Yasuyuki Kataoka - professional baseball player
Akira Narahashi – professional soccer player
Akinori Otsuka - professional baseball player
Fuminori Yokogawa - professional baseball player
Kotofuji Takaya - sumo wrestler

References

Greater Tokyo Area
Wards of Chiba (city)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A God-fearing friend had his doubts, which he shared with me on my day of silence. 'What has set you on this adventure,' he asked. 'Writing an autobiography is a practice peculiar to the West. I know of nobody in the East having written one, except amongst those who have come under Western influence. And what will you write? Supposing you reject tomorrow the things you hold as principles today, or supposing you revise in the future your plans of today, is it not likely that the men who shape their conduct on the authority of your word, spoken or written, may be misled? Don't you think it would be better not to write anything like an autobiography, at any rate just yet?' This argument had some effect on me. But it is not my purpose to attempt a real autobiography. I simply want to tell the story of my numerous experiments with truth, and as my life consists of nothing but those experiments, it is true that the story will take the shape of an autobiography. But I shall not mind, if every page of it speaks only of my experiments I believe, or at any rate flatter myself with the belief, that a connected account of all these experiments will not be without benefit to the reader. My experiments in the political field are now known, not only in India, but to a certain extent to the 'civilized' world. For me, they have not much value; and the title of Mahatma that they have won for me has, therefore, even less. Often the title has deeply pained me; and there is not a moment I can recall when it may be said to have tickled me. But I should certainly like to narrate my experiments in the spiritual field which are known only to myself; and from which I have derived such power as I possess for working in the political field. If the experiments are really spiritual, then there can be no room for self-praise. They can only add to my humility. The more I reflect and look back on the past, the more vividly do I feel my limitations.
What I want to achieve — what I have been striving and pining to achieve these thirty years — is self-realization, to see God face to face, to attain Moksha. I live and move and have my being in pursuit of this goal. All that I do by way of speaking and writing, and all my ventures in the political field, are directed to this same end. But as I have all along believed that what is possible for one is possible for all, my experiments have not been conducted in the closet, but in the open; and I do not think that this fact detracts from their spiritual value. There are some things which are known only to oneself and one's Maker. These are clearly incommunicable. The experiments I am about to relate are not such. But they are spiritual, or rather moral; for the essence of religion is morality.
Only those matters of religion that can be comprehended as much by children, as by older people, will be included in this story. If I can narrate them in a dispassionate and humble spirit, many other experimenters will find in them provision for their onward march. Far be it for me to claim any degree of perfection for these experiments. I claim for them nothing more than does a scientist who, though he conducts his experiments with the utmost accuracy, forethought and minuteness, never claims any finality about his conclusions, but keeps an open mind regarding them. I have gone through deep self-introspection, searched myself through and through, and examined and analysed every psychological situation. Yet I am far from claiming any finality or infallibility about my conclusions. One claim I do indeed make and it is this. For me they appear to be absolutely correct, and seem for the time being to be final. For if they were not, I should base no action on them. But at every step I have carried out the process of acceptance or rejection and acted accordingly. And so long as my acts satisfy my reason and my heart, I must firmly adhere to my original conclusions.
If I had only to discuss academic principles, I should clearly not attempt an autobiography. But my purpose being to give an account of various practical applications of these principles, I have given the chapters I propose to write the title of The Story of My Experiments with Truth. These will of course include experiments with non-violence, celibacy and other principles of conduct believed to be distinct from truth. But for me, truth is the sovereign principle, which includes numerous other principles. This truth is not only truthfulness in word but truthfulness in thought also, and not only the relative truth of our conception, but the Absolute Truth, the Eternal Principle, that is God. There are innumerable definitions of God, because His manifestations are innumerable. They overwhelm me with wonder and awe and for a moment stun me. But I worship God as Truth only. I have not yet found Him, but I am seeking after Him. I am prepared to sacrifice the things dearest to me in pursuit of this quest. Even if the sacrifice demanded be my very life, I hope I may be prepared to give it. But as long as I have not realized this Absolute Truth, so long must I hold by the relative truth as I have conceived it. That relative truth must, meanwhile, be my beacon, my shield and buckler. Though this path is strait and narrow and sharp as the razor's edge, for me it has been the quickest and easiest. Even my Himalayan blunders have seemed trifling to me because I have kept strictly to this path. For the path has saved me from coming to grief; and I have gone forward according to my light.
If anything that I write in these pages should strike the reader as being touched with pride, then he must take it that there is something wrong with my quest, and that my glimpses are no more than a mirage. Let hundreds like me perish, but let truth prevail. Let us not reduce the standards of truth even by a hair's breadth for judging erring mortals like myself.
I hope and pray that no one will regard the advice interspersed in the following chapters as authoritative. The experiments narrated should be regarded as illustrations, in the light of which everyone may carry on his own experiments according to his own inclination and capacity. I trust that to this limited extent the illustrations will be really helpful; because I am not going either to conceal or understate any ugly things that must be told. I hope to acquaint the reader fully with all my faults and errors. My purpose is to describe experiments in the science of Satyagraha, not to say how good I am. In judging myself, I shall try to be as harsh as truth, as I want others also to be.


Home Movies – Putting the "hip" in "ships" since 2002!
For me, the best way to experience the great liners of the past is through the eyes of those who sailed them. To that end, I love collecting other people's photos, slides, and especially home movies. While I'm building my new site, please visit my YouTube channel to see (currently) 72 videos including first-hand footage of the Queens Mary & Elizabeth, Normandie (that's her first class cinema in the photo above), France, and the SS United States (to name a few). To visit my channel, click on the image above. Bon voyage!


I have been trying to get to these tags for a while so I have two more after this one!
1- pick an unpopular OTP that you ship.
An unpopular OTP that I ship? well, this is actually really hard, because I have to choose WHO and WHAT book . . . OKAY I GOT IT!
In the novel, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, everyone obviously wants Cinder and Prince Kai together.
But I, want Cinder and Thorne together.
2- Pick an OTP that you didn't ship at first but now you do.
Malec (Alex + Magnus). I didn't ship them at first (I am talking about the show shadowhunters) but they are starting to grow on me . . .
That would have to be . . .
Okay, I got this. I have never liked Jeb, not since the beginning of the series (Splintered by A. G. Howard). So, Alyssa and Jeb. I'm a Morpheus shipper.
Mina and Jared/Teague. Seriously, took years, and maybe not 'years' but a long time. But it was all kind of worth it . . . even though I need more. I need to know what happens next.
Mina has been my favorite character through three years now? she is awkward and is like how I picture myself in her situation . . . kind of. I would most likely have died in book one . . .
wow, I actually had to look this one up. P.S. Canon means fan fic--right?
VHALLA YARL and Prince ALDRIK!
Wow, the easiest question turns into the hardest. I'm trying to think of a book with two good guy friendships . . . my mind is blanking!
well, this is another 'The Mortal Instruments' reference but my answer is Alec and Jace.
Besides Alec being in love with Jace and all, they are a great team.
7- Pick an OTP you adored in the books but not as much in the movie or TV adaptation.
I think . . . The Hunger Games. I really LOVED Peeta and he just doesn't seem as Peeta-y in the movies. But he still wins over Gale.
I will NEVER be a Gale and Katniss kind of girl. Peeta wins.
8- Pick a popular OTP that no matter how hard you tried you just can't ship it.
seriously, hardest question. I don't think I have one at the moment . . . If I thought about it long enough I could probably think of something.
But right now I GOT NOTHING.
Now that I think of it, not many books I've read are LGBT . . . but I know Carry on is and I've been really wanting to read that . . .
but since I haven't read it I'll just go with the only one I know of.
It will definitely be, my go to couple, Mina Grimm and Jared--I mean Teague.
Little Meague babies. Still need to do some re-reading of Unenchanted by Chanda Hahn.
Thank you SJ for tagging me!
I've had so much fun and I'm tagging only two people.


For older swimmers with little or no swimming experience. Class will be divided into groups of six to maximize learning.
No class will be held on July 4.
Instructions will be provided by Cumberland Pool Lifeguards.
Monday to Thursday | 12:15 to 12:45 p.m.
Classes are held at Cumberland Outdoor Pool.
For more information, please call 216-691-7390.


At Curro Foreshore in the Cape Town CBD, pupils are taught via digital learning, and the focus is on technology and science.
The learners had been complaining of stomach aches after drinking contaminated water.
TEACHERS and kids were met by smoke coming out of the staff room windows when they arrived at Tholulwazi High School in Kameelrivier, Mpumalanga on Monday.
With her eldest daughter starting high school this year, Nicola Davies-Laubscher looks back at some of the lessons learned over the first few weeks.
New hope for the Springboks with South Africa's top rugby schools.
The long and short of what you need to know, so you can help guide your teens through career-determining decisions.
In 2015 Woolworths set a target: to go on a journey with their customers and make a difference to education in South Africa. The aim: To raise R100 million.
How do we even begin to decolonise our institutions?
Many parents dread their "little" babies going to high school Cath Jenkin gives you some pointers on what to expect.
Footage of a classroom fight, filmed by an agitator who spurs on the attacker, has gone viral.
We know it's easier said than done, but surviving the first few days of high school is all about adopting a growth mindset – knowing that things may be tough but I can learn and grow – and trusting that change is good.
"MY TALENT was discovered when I was at school. That is why I support sporting activities with all my heart.".
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella went to Hyderabad Public School, a private school in southern India. So did the CEOs of Adobe and Mastercard.
For the first time in South Africa, 600 learners across the country will be able to explore robotics as a viable career option.
Here's how to get the kids ready for the third term of school.
Matriculants at Fish Hoek High in Cape Town have left their shoes behind.
Science teaching needs to engage all pupils, whether they're future scientists or not.
Students at a Pretoria high school have demonstrated over its dress code.


TOURISM in ISRAEL is BOOMING! Go NOW Before the Prices Go Up!!!
Tourism in ISRAEL is on an incredible upswing! Hundreds of thousands of travelers who for years have put off vacationing in the region have decided NOW IS THE TIME! Travelers are drawn to the region not only because of the powerful mystique of the three great Western religions ... Judaism, Christianity and Islam ... But also because of the sheer beauty, variety and magnificence to be encountered. After years without much momentum, the tourism infrastructure in Israel is revamping and expanding to deal with the thousands more visitors.


The recent report stating Chatham-Kent's ice usage has declined is missing much needed information.
When is the ice time NOT being used? This question was raised by several readers. Is it prime time ice in the evenings or weekends sitting open, or is it daytime ice not being used?
Why is ice declining? The report lists several ideas, but it doesn't give conclusive answers. Are people not renting due to the excessive cost of ice? Maybe, but let's be honest, private rentals (not by organizations or regular groups) can't be a large percentage. Is it because of our outdated facilities? Potentially a little, as many tournaments hosted in Chatham-Kent have stopped running because of poor facilities, coupled with a lack of accommodations in town.
Does this mean no new arena? It shouldn't. These facilities are at the end of their life cycles. A new arena should lower maintenance costs, and allow us to attract additional events, which could help fill some open voids.
What are Wallaceburg and Dresden doing? Not all arenas saw a decline, two saw an increase. Why? If we're trying to increase use, let's take a closer look at numbers in Wallaceburg and Dresden, see what these communities are doing, and try to copy cat the model in other communities.
Is it time to close a facility? Bothwell or Ridgetown should likely see their time end. These are the two least used facilities, both are old, and their use can be swallowed by Dresden and Blenheim. If someone in Toronto, or even London said they had to drive 15-20 minutes to get to an arena for practice or a game, people would smile happily. That said, the community of Bothwell has worked their tails off to keep their arena open, and have found many non-ice uses for the rink, which should 100% be considered. Kudos to them.
What would the numbers look like without Municipal programs? The Municipality runs free skates, shinny, senior skates, and tiny tot skates, to name a few. What is the usage of these events like? Are they well attended? Are other groups unable to book additional daytime hours because these poorly attended bookings interfere?
Is there a solution here? Absolutely.
The one true fact in the report points to demographics. Population decline, decreased enrolment in minor ice sports, and an aging population are undoubtedly contributors. But not so much if question #1 regarding when ice is going unused comes back as primarily daytime.
There are likely answers to some, or most, or perhaps all of these questions, and I'd love for Council or Municipal staff in the know to help us clarify what was a speculative and incomplete report.
Tim you make some very good points and I would like more info as well and I hope to be getting some of these answers. Here is a question for you. As Tilbury has the second newest arena in C-K and Erickson is probably one of the worst shape arena. Do you think people would be okay with driving 15 mins to Tilbury to rent ice? I know I was asked why people would be upset if we closed Tilbury and they drove to Chatham. With Tilbury being newer we would have to build a twin pad arena we could just build one new arena in Chatham. I would love to hear your thoughts.
paid whether his facility does good or in our case, poorly.
New arenas?? My last thought is resurrecting community fund raising which brings puts pride and ownership back in the Communities hands. If CK could blanket insurance costs for these fund raisers for it's communities, perhaps lower costs for arena ice time and for it's community youth and restore pride and ownership again which Amalgamation took from us.


Who is Australia vs Peru ref Sergei Karasev and how many World Cups has he officiated at?
RUSSIA are preparing to host their first World Cup - and there will be plenty of focus on the officials.
This tournament will feature the VAR system for the first time, whilst referees will be conscious that their every move will be scrutinised.
And in the middle for Australia vs Peru is Sergei Karasev.
A MOSCOW-NATIVE, Karasev knows the Russian leagues well after eight years as a referee.
He's risen quickly through the Fifa-approved ranks and took charge of his first European game in 2011.
Only a year later he was reffing Champions League games, before another move up the ladder to the international scene.
Celtic fans will recognise him from their 3-0 defeat at Bayern Munich earlier this term.
THIS is Karasev's first appearance at a World Cup.
He's taken charge of games in the U20 World Cup as well as matches at Euro 2016.
A well known disciplinarian, Karasev has dished out four or more cards in each of his last five international games.


We can accomodate any type of groups upon our occupancie.
Also we can arrange any shuttel for over 8+ people and can make service for any excursion in Istra and all over the Croatia.
Services: Bar, lounge bar, Shuttle service (surcharge), Airport shuttle (surcharge), Express check-in/check-out, Tour desk and Luggage storage. In our breakfast area we can offer you breakfast upon your requests.
Pula City Center Accommodation offers a tour desk on site where you can ask for tips on excursions and day trips. The Archaeological Museum is about 450 m away, while the famous Pula Arena is some 10 min walking. The nearest airport is Pula Airport, 9 km from the property. Shuttle service and airport shuttle can be organised at an additional cost.
Each room in this 4* rooms BB is air conditioned and equipped with a flat-screen TV with both cable and satellite channels. Fitted with a shower, the bathroom in each room also includes a shower and free toiletries.
With our 17 rooms we can also accommodate groups. We have moder equiped rooms with standard, superior and premium category.
Taxes not included - Tourist tax: 4,50 kn (XI-II) 5,50 kn (III-V/X) 7,00 kn (VI-IX); registration fee of 15.00 HRK per person on the first night.
Reception: Our reception desk is open 07:00-22:00.
Child friendly. There is no age restriction for the children.


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text:
Streaming in a Connected World
Netflix Is Releasing Season 2 of Making a Murderer Next Month
The 10-episode follow-up will begin streaming Oct. 19
Making a Murderer's first season won 4 Emmys, including outstanding documentary or nonfiction series.
Almost three years after Making a Murderer became one of Netflix's most celebrated documentary series, the streaming service is preparing to release a follow-up season.
Making a Murderer Part 2, a 10-episode season that follows Steven Avery and his co-defendant and nephew Brendan Dassey through the post-conviction process, will begin streaming on Oct. 19, Netflix said today.
.@MakingAMurderer Part 2 premieres October 19 pic.twitter.com/dL1Ob8eD5E
— Netflix US (@netflix) September 25, 2018
Avery is serving a life sentence for the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach, which occurred two years after he was released from prison, where he had served 18 years for a crime he didn't commit.
Filmmakers Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos return for the second season, which follows Avery's post-conviction lawyer Kathleen Zellner, who works to try and prove that Avery was wrongly convicted and win his freedom. Meanwhile, Dassey's post-conviction lawyers, Laura Nirider and Steven Drizin with Northwestern University's Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth, fight in federal court to prove their client's confession was involuntary.
"Steven and Brendan, their families and their legal and investigative teams have once again graciously granted us access, giving us a window into the complex web of American criminal justice," said Ricciardi and Demos in a statement. "Building on Part 1, which documented the experience of the accused, in Part 2, we have chronicled the experience of the convicted and imprisoned, two men each serving life sentences for crimes they maintain they did not commit. We are thrilled to be able to share this new phase of the journey with viewers."
Season 1 of the docuseries, which was released in December 2015, won four Emmys, including outstanding documentary or nonfiction series.
Ricciardi and Demos first talked about a potential followup back in January 2016, and Netflix confirmed that a second season was on the way that summer.
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Jason Lynch is Adweek's TV/Media Editor, overseeing trends, technology, personalities and programming across broadcast, cable and streaming video. Formerly TV Editor for People magazine, he has been covering the TV and movie industries for two decades.
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1. Make a signed, written complaint to a school official describing the basis of the complaint in sufficient detail to allow the faculty/Campus Director to begin an investigation. Academic concerns should be directed to the Chancellor, while administrative concerns should be directed to the Campus Director.
2. The Chancellor or Campus Director will schedule an appointment with the student within three working days to discuss the complaint.
3. The Campus Director will confirm the completion of the investigation with a written report of the disposition of the compliant mailed to the student within five working days of the meeting with the student.
4. If the student is not satisfied with the Chancellor, Campus Director or designee's report of disposition of the complaint, the student may appeal this result in writing to the CEO within 10 working days of receipt. The appeal letter must include a copy of the written disposition report and an explanation why the student is not satisfied with that outcome.
5. The CEO will review the written disposition report and the student's appeal letter and will conduct any further investigation necessary, including requesting additional information from the student or dean.
6. The CEO will provide both the student and the faculty with a written appeal finding mailed within 10 working days of the receipt of the appeal letter. This written decision is the final disposition of the complaint.
7. If the student is not satisfied with the CEO's report of the appeal, he or she may appeal to the Board of the Wright Foundation for the Realization of Human Potential.
No reprisal of any kind shall be taken against any participant involved in a grievance procedure.
Any student who has a complaint that is not successfully resolved through the procedures outlined in this document may contact the Wisconsin Educational Approval Board, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and/ or ACICS.


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Al Rifai Mosque
Home » wiki » Egypt Landmarks » Cairo Monuments » Al Rifai Mosque
Overview About Al-Rifai Mosque
Al-Rifai Mosque is one of the most majestic constructions in Egypt. It's located in "Midan al-Qal'a" in Cairo next to the Cairo Citadel and opposite the Mosque of Sultan Hassan. It's known in English as the Royal Mosque as the mosque was constructed by an order from Queen Khushyar Hanim, the mother of Khedive Isma'il Pasha in 1869 A.D, to replace the zawiya of al-Rifai (small mosque) with massive mosque resembling the mosque of Sultan Hassan in magnitude and height. It was designed to become a prayer house and a mausoleum for the royal family "The Descents of Mohammad Ali".
History of Al-Rifai Mosque
Al-Rifai Mosque was built on a 6,500 square meters and began construction in 1868, but it stopped from 1880 to 1905 until khedive Abbas Hilmi II resumed the work once again in 1905, So he entrusted Max Herz Bey, the Hungarian architect in charge of the Committee for the Conservation of Arab Monuments in Cairo, to complete the construction of the mosque. Herz was aided by the Italian architect Carlo Virgilio Silvagni and advised by 'Ali Pasha Mubarak, the Minister of Public Works under Khedive Isma'il, And as a result of this impressive collaboration, Al-Rifai Mosque was completed in 1912 and considered one of the best mosques of Egypt that can't be missed during your Egypt tour packages.
The Constructions of Al-Rifai Mosque
Al-Rifai Mosque consists of two sections, the first section is the house of worship which consists of the Quibla iwan which was designed based on a basilican style and contains three Riwaqs circled by four marble piers supporting the pointed arches while the ceiling was made from golden colored wood decorations. The Mihrab used to be cased with colored marble and golden stalactites and is located in the center in the Qibla wall, as, for the Minbar, it was made of wood and decorated with ebony and ivory and located in the right side of the mihrab. The second section is the tombs of the royal family as the mosque holds three domes the tombs of Khedive Ismail, his mother, his wives, and his sons and daughters. The mosque also holds the remains of Ismail, King Fouad, Farouk "The Last King of Egypt", and the last Shah of Iran, who was married to one of Farouk's sisters, the mosque also contains two mausoleums for Sheik Yehia Al-Ansary and Ali Abu-Shebak. The outer side of the Mosque is decorated with two beautiful minarets on both sides of the main entrance.
Witness the beauty of the Great Cairo
If you are in Cairo and prefer to visit this amazing attraction, then you can check our Cairo day tours and book your amazing trip. or you can enjoy one of our Egypt private tours to discover best tourist attractions around Egypt.
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Waging War on Poverty: Historical Trends in Poverty Using the Supplemental Poverty Measure, by Liana Fox, Irv Garfinkel, Neeraj Kaushal, Jane Waldfogel, and Christopher Wimer, Columbia University, was presented at the 2013 Fall Research Conference during the session Understanding the Effects of Social Policy on Poverty. It is a featured paper in APPAM's Online Paper Collection.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the War on Poverty, which is an appropriate time to look at historical trends in poverty and the role government has played in combating it. While much has been written on this topic, the authors provide the first estimates of historical trends in poverty and the role of government anti-poverty policies using an improved measure of poverty known as the supplemental poverty measure (SPM). The authors' analyses cover the period between 1967-2011.
Read the full paper [PDF].


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Master Chief plays an "integral" role in Halo 5, says Microsoft
There was an almighty kerfuffle on the internet this week, after an interview with actor Mike Colter from X-ONE magazine was posted on Reddit. Colter plays the mysterious character of Agent Locke in the upcoming Halo: Nightfall live action series, and will reprise the role in Halo 5.
"I'm a playable character in Halo 5," he said in the interview. "Once Halo: The Master Chief Collection is released, and then Halo 5 comes out shortly thereafter, you're basically going to be playing a game with me as the primary character."
It's the last part that got fans in a lather, as it suggested that Master Chief – the series' iconic hero who had only just returned in Halo 4 after sitting out Halo ODST and Halo Reach – wouldn't be the star of his own game.
Eurogamer then reached out to Microsoft, which responded with the following clarification: "As we've said before, Locke plays a primary role in Halo 5: Guardians. The Master Chief remains an integral part of the game's story and as a playable character."
What does it all mean? We'll have to wait until late in 2015 for Halo 5: Guardians for the answer to that question. In the meantime, we can catch up on Master Chief's original adventures in the generous Master Chief Collection, which compiles the first three Halo games, remastered for Xbox One, with all their bonus maps and DLC included.
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Eucalyptus oil for pharmaceutical use.
Eucalyptus oils in the trade are categorized into three broad types according to their composition and main end-use: medicinal, perfumery and industrial. The most prevalent is the standard cineole-based "oil of eucalyptus", a colourless mobile liquid (yellow with age) with a penetrating, camphoraceous, woody-sweet scent.
China produces about 75% of the world trade, but most of this is derived from the cineole fractions of camphor laurel rather than being true eucalyptus oil. Significant producers of true eucalyptus oil include South Africa, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Australia, Chile, and Swaziland.
Global production is dominated by Eucalyptus globulus. However, Eucalyptus kochii and Eucalyptus polybractea have the highest cineole content, ranging from 80-95%. The British Pharmacopoeia states that the oil must have a minimum cineole content of 70% if it is pharmaceutical grade. Rectification is used to bring lower grade oils up to the high cineole standard required. In 1991, global annual production was estimated at 3,000 tonnes for the medicinal eucalyptus oil with another 1500 tonnes for the main perfumery oil (produced from Eucalyptus citriodora). The eucalyptus genus also produces non-cineole oils, including piperitone, phellandrene, citral, methyl cinnamate and geranyl acetate.
The cineole-based oil is used as component in pharmaceutical preparations to relieve the symptoms of influenza and colds, in products like cough sweets, lozenges, ointments and inhalants. Eucalyptus oil may have antibacterial effects on pathogenic bacteria in the respiratory tract. Inhaled eucalyptus oil vapor may be a decongestant and treatment for bronchitis. Cineole may control airway mucus hypersecretion and asthma via anti-inflammatory cytokine inhibition although there is insufficient evidence. Pre-clinical results also show that eucalyptus oil stimulates innate cell-mediated immune response by effects on the phagocytic ability of human monocyte derived macrophages.
The main chemical components of Eucalyptus oil, eucalyptol and alpha-terpineol, give the essential oil a soothing, cooling vapor. This makes Eucalyptus oil useful for massage.
Early research has shown Eucalyptus oil may have anti-inflammatory and analgesic qualities as a topically applied liniment ingredient.
Eucalyptus oil is also used in personal hygiene products for antimicrobial properties in dental care and soaps. It can also be applied to wounds to prevent infection.
Cineole-based eucalyptus oil is used as an insect repellent and biopesticide. In the U.S., eucalyptus oil was first registered in 1948 as an insecticide and miticide.
Eucalyptus oil is used in flavouring. Cineole-based eucalyptus oil is used as a flavouring at low levels (0.002%) in various products, including baked goods, confectionery, meat products and beverages. Eucalyptus oil has antimicrobial activity against a broad range of foodborne human pathogens and food spoilage microorganisms. Non-cineole peppermint gum, strawberry gum and lemon ironbark are also used as flavouring. Eucalyptus oil is also used as a fragrance component to impart a fresh and clean aroma in soaps, detergents, lotions, and perfumes. It is known for its pungent, intoxicating scent. Due to its cleansing properties, Eucalyptus oil is found in mouthrinses to freshen breath.
Research shows that cineole-based eucalyptus oil (5% of mixture) prevents the separation problem with ethanol and petrol fuel blends. Eucalyptus oil also has a respectable octane rating and can be used as a fuel in its own right. However, production costs are currently too high for the oil to be economically viable as a fuel.
Phellandrene- and piperitone-based eucalyptus oils have been used in mining to separate sulfide minerals via flotation.
If consumed internally at low dosage as a flavouring component or in pharmaceutical products at the recommended rate, cineole-based 'oil of eucalyptus' is safe for adults. However, systemic toxicity can result from ingestion or topical application at higher than recommended doses.
The probable lethal dose of pure eucalyptus oil for an adult is in the range of 0.05 mL to 0.5 mL/per kg of body weight. Because of their high body-surface-area-to-mass ratio, children are more vulnerable to poisons absorbed transdermally. Severe poisoning has occurred in children after ingestion of 4 mL to 5 mL of eucalyptus oil.
Eucalyptus oil has also been shown to be dangerous to domestic cats, causing an unstable gait, excessive drooling, and other symptoms of ill health.
Australian Aboriginals use eucalyptus leaf infusions (which contain eucalyptus oil) as a traditional medicine for treating body pains, sinus congestion, fever, and colds.
Dennis Considen and John White, surgeons on the First Fleet, distilled eucalyptus oil from Eucalyptus piperita found growing on the shores of Port Jackson in 1788 to treat convicts and marines. Eucalyptus oil was subsequently extracted by early colonists, but was not commercially exploited for some time.
Baron Ferdinand von Mueller, Victorian botanist, promoted the qualities of Eucalyptus as a disinfectant in "fever districts", and also encouraged Joseph Bosisto, a Melbourne pharmacist, to investigate the commercial potential of the oil. Bosisto started the commercial eucalyptus oil industry in 1852 near Dandenong, Victoria, Australia, when he set up a distillation plant and extracted the essential oil from the cineole chemotype of Eucalyptus radiata. This resulted in the cineole chemotype becoming the generic 'oil of eucalyptus', and "Bosisto's Eucalyptus Oil" still survives as a brand.
French chemist, F. S. Cloez, identified and ascribed the name eucalyptol — also known as cineole — to the dominant portion of E. globulus oil. By the 1870s oil from Eucalyptus globulus, Tasmanian blue gum, was being exported worldwide and eventually dominated world trade, while other higher quality species were also being distilled to a lesser extent. Surgeons were using eucalyptus oil as an antiseptic during surgery by the 1880s.
Eucalyptus oil became an important industry in the box-ironbark forests of Victoria during the post gold-rush era of the 1870s. The oil was often described as Australia's natural wonder and was exported to a growing international market, mostly for medicinal purposes. Eucalyptus oil was in particularly big demand during the global influenza pandemic of 1918-19. A distillation plant was established by the Forests Commission Victoria at Wellsford State Forest near Bendigo in 1926. The Principal of the Victorian School of Forestry, Edwin James Semmens, undertook much of the pioneering chemistry into the composition of eucalyptus oil. His steam extraction kilns are in the museum at the school.
The Australian eucalyptus oil industry peaked in the 1940s, the main area of production being the central goldfields region of Victoria, particularly Inglewood; then the global establishment of eucalyptus plantations for timber resulted in increased volumes of eucalyptus oil as a plantation by-product. By the 1950s the cost of producing eucalyptus oil in Australia had increased so much that it could not compete against cheaper Spanish and Portuguese oils (closer to European Market therefore less costs). Non-Australian sources now dominate commercial eucalyptus oil supply, although Australia continues to produce high grade oils, mainly from blue mallee (E. polybractea) stands.
The former lemon eucalyptus species Eucalyptus citriodora is now classified as Corymbia citriodora, which produces a citronellal-based oil.
^ William M. Ciesla. "Types of oil and uses". Non-wood Forest Products from Temperate Broad-leaved Trees. Food & Agriculture Org (2002). p. 30.
^ Ashurst, P. R (31 July 1999). Food Flavorings. ISBN 9780834216211.
^ Salari, M. H.; Amine, G.; Shirazi, M. H.; Hafezi, R.; Mohammadypour, M. (2006). "Antibacterial effects of Eucalyptus globulus leaf extract on pathogenic bacteria isolated from specimens of patients with respiratory tract disorders". Clinical Microbiology and Infection. 12 (2): 194–6. doi:10.1111/j.1469-0691.2005.01284.x. PMID 16441463.
^ Lu, XQ; Tang, FD; Wang, Y; Zhao, T; Bian, RL (2004). "Effect of Eucalyptus globulus oil on lipopolysaccharide-induced chronic bronchitis and mucin hypersecretion in rats". Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica. 29 (2): 168–71. PMID 15719688.
^ Juergens, U.R; Dethlefsen, U; Steinkamp, G; Gillissen, A; Repges, R; Vetter, H (2003). "Anti-inflammatory activity of 1.8-cineol (eucalyptol) in bronchial asthma: A double-blind placebo-controlled trial". Respiratory Medicine. 97 (3): 250–6. doi:10.1053/rmed.2003.1432. PMID 12645832.
^ Juergens, Uwe R.; Engelen, Tanja; Racké, Kurt; Stöber, Meinolf; Gillissen, Adrian; Vetter, Hans (2004). "Inhibitory activity of 1,8-cineol (eucalyptol) on cytokine production in cultured human lymphocytes and monocytes". Pulmonary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 17 (5): 281–7. doi:10.1016/j.pupt.2004.06.002. PMID 15477123.
^ Serafino, A; Sinibaldi Vallebona, PS; Andreola, F; Zonfrillo, M; Mercuri, L; Federici, M; Rasi, G; Garaci, E; Pierimarchi, P (2008). "Stimulatory effect of Eucalyptus essential oil on innate cell-mediated immune response". BMC Immunology. 9: 17. doi:10.1186/1471-2172-9-17. PMC 2374764. PMID 18423004.
^ "Eucalyptus Oil Uses and Benefits: Essential Oil Spotlight".
^ Göbel, H; Schmidt, G; Soyka, D (1994). "Effect of peppermint and eucalyptus oil preparations on neurophysiological and experimental algesimetric headache parameters". Cephalalgia: An International Journal of Headache. 14 (3): 228–34, discussion 182. doi:10.1046/j.1468-2982.1994.014003228.x. PMID 7954745.
^ Hong, CZ; Shellock, FG (1991). "Effects of a topically applied counterirritant (Eucalyptamint) on cutaneous blood flow and on skin and muscle temperatures. A placebo-controlled study". American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. 70 (1): 29–33. doi:10.1097/00002060-199102000-00006. PMID 1994967.
^ Nagata, Hideki; Inagaki, Yoshika; Tanaka, Muneo; Ojima, Miki; Kataoka, Kosuke; Kuboniwa, Masae; Nishida, Nobuko; Shimizu, Katsumasa; Osawa, Kenji; Shizukuishi, Satoshi (2008). "Effect of Eucalyptus Extract Chewing Gum on Periodontal Health: A Double-Masked, Randomized Trial". Journal of Periodontology. 79 (8): 1378–85. doi:10.1902/jop.2008.070622. PMID 18672986.
^ Batish, Daizy R.; Singh, Harminder Pal; Kohli, Ravinder Kumar; Kaur, Shalinder (10 December 2008). "Eucalyptus essential oil as a natural pesticide". Forest Ecology and Management. 256 (12): 2166–2174. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2008.08.008.
^ Darben, T; Cominos, B; Lee, CT (1998). "Topical eucalyptus oil poisoning". The Australasian Journal of Dermatology. 39 (4): 265–7. doi:10.1111/j.1440-0960.1998.tb01488.x. PMID 9838728.
^ Hindle, R.C. (1994). "Eucalyptus oil ingestion". New Zealand Medical Journal: 185–186.
^ Foggie, WE (1911). "Eucalyptus Oil Poisoning". British Medical Journal. 1 (2616): 359–360. doi:10.1136/bmj.1.2616.359. PMC 2332914. PMID 20765463.
^ Low, T., Bush Medicine, A Pharmacopeia of Natural Remedies, Angus & Robertson, p. 85, 1990.
^ Maiden, J.H., The Forest Flora of New South Wales, vol. 4, Government Printer, Sydney, 1922.
^ Copy of letter received by Dr Anthony Hamiltion, from Dennis Considen, 18 November 1788, and sent onto Joseph Banks.
^ Lassak, E.V., & McCarthy, T., Australian Medicinal Plants, Methuen Australia, 1983, p. 15, ISBN 0-454-00438-9.
^ Grieve, M.,(author) & Leyel, C.F., (ed), A Modern Herbal, Jonathon Cape, 1931, p. 287.
^ Amy Groch (2015). "Wellsford State Forest" (PDF).
^ Moulds, F. R. (1991). The Dynamic Forest – A History of Forestry and Forest Industries in Victoria. Lynedoch Publications. Richmond, Australia. pp. 232pp. ISBN 0646062654.
^ The British Pharmacopoeia Secretariat (2009). "Index, BP 2009" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2009.


One of South Florida's most popular annual food and wine charity events, the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction, will return for its 14th year on Thursday, October 6, 2011, featuring signature chefs from dozens of Miami's most popular restaurants. The event, presented by Goya Foods, begins at 6:30 p.m.at The Westin Colonnade in Coral Gables. Celebrity Emcee Jackie Nespral of NBC 6 will host the evening and Dr. Deise Granado-Villar of Miami Children's Hospital will be honored for her continuous support of the March of Dimes.
This year's extravaganza will feature some of Miami's top chefs, including event Chef Chair Paula DaSilva 1500° at the Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach, Host Chef Thomas Russo of the Westin Colonnade, Coral Gables as well as Chef Tim Andriola of Timō Restaurant; Chef Tom Azar of City Hall – the Restaurant; Chef Timon Balloo of Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill; Chef Sean Bernal of Blue Door Fish; Chef Andre Bienvenu of Joe's Stone Crab; Chef Michael Bloise of SUSHISAMBA dromo Restaurant; Chef Alberto Cabrera of The Local; Chef Jamie DeRosa of Geoffrey Zakarian's Tudor House; Chef Fernando Desa of Goya Foods; Chef Alexander Feher of InterContinental Miami; Chef Daniel Ganem of Kane Steakhouse; Chef Jouvens Jean of Sawa; Chef Jonathan McCaan of Atrio Restaurant & Wine Room at the Conrad; Chef Jorge Montes of Chef George Catering; Chef Makoto Okuwa of Makoto Restaurant; Chef Ralph Pagano of STK at the Gansevoort; Chef Didier Pouzier of Azul Restaurant at the Mandarin; Chef Luis Quant of Por Fin; Chef E. Michael Reidt of Area 31 Restaurant & Bar; Chef Patricio Sandoval of Mercadito Midtown Miami. Other participants to date include Ms. Edda Martinez of Edda's Cake Designs and Ghirardelli Chocolate.
In addition to a stellar roster of local celebrity chefs and amazing food, guests will enjoy wines and champagnes from the world's finest vineyards and distilleries, courtesy of Southern Wine and Spirits. Aside from a who's who of attendees, this year's event promises exciting entertainment as well as live and silent auctions featuring an array of items including dining packages, fine wine and champagnes, travel and hotel stays in exotic locations, fine art pieces, and other specialty items, with all proceeds benefiting the March of Dimes. This year's event image, "Untitled Wine" was created by renowned pop artist and philanthropist Romero Britto. In addition to Presenting Sponsor Goya Foods, sponsors of note include Perry Ellis International, Future Energy Solutions, Marjorie D. Raines, Miami Children's Hospital, TD Bank and Publix Super Markets, Inc. Media sponsors to date include WTVJ NBC 6, WSCV Telemundo 51, WMXJ Majic 102.7, The Miami Herald, Miami.com and Dining Out magazine.
VIP Tickets for the event are $250 per person, which includes admission to the exclusive VIP Champagne Reception at 6:30 p.m. General Admission (7:30) tickets are $150 per person. All proceeds from the event benefit the March of Dimes. The Westin Colonnade is located at 180 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, FL 33134. For more event information and sponsorship opportunities, call 305-477-1192 or visit marchofdimes.com/florida.


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Albin Alexander Provosty (July 17, 1865 – April 9, 1932) was a lawyer from New Roads, Louisiana, who represented Avoyelles and his native Pointe Coupee parishes in the Louisiana State Senate from 1912 to 1920 in what is now the geographically large District 17 covering all or parts of seven parishes. He was also a district attorney and for several years the publisher of The Pointe Coupee Banner. He lived in a classic home in New Roads with his wife, the former Marie Adele LeDoux (1870-1967).

References

1865 births
1932 deaths
People from New Roads, Louisiana
Democratic Party Louisiana state senators
District attorneys in Louisiana
American newspaper publishers (people)
Journalists from Louisiana


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Go Ahead Launches Norway Train Service
The Go-Ahead Group has launched Norway's first privately-operated train service.
Go-Ahead Nordic's inaugural service departed from Stavanger to Oslo at 06.47 on 15th December, representing the first journey of the new Norway South rail franchise.
The Norway South contract was awarded by the Norwegian authorities in October 2018. Go-Ahead – the owner of Southeastern and GTR in the UK - won the eight-year award with an optional two-year extension.
Go-Ahead's offer was priced 21% below that of its nearest competitor.
Go-Ahead will be paid around NKr 1.5bn ($US 183m) over the 10-year duration of the contract, with the remuneration profile skewed towards the early years of the term.
Go-Ahead will receive around NKr 250m in 2020, compared with the NKr 486m being paid to Norwegian State Railways (NSB) for the operation of these services.
The new service covers three historic lines in Norway including the Jæren line, which dates back to 1878, as well as the Sørlandet and Arendal routes, covering a mixture of long-distance and suburban services across 5.5 million train kilometres.
David Brown, Chief Executive Officer at Go-Ahead said, "We are delighted to be given this opportunity to deliver Norway's first contracted rail services.
"Working with the Norwegian authorities to bring our international rail expertise and our customer focus together to deliver Norway's first contracted rail service is another step forward for Go-Ahead."
The Norwegian contract further builds on Go-Ahead's international footprint, which has already seen the FTSE-250 listed transport operator launch services in Ireland, Germany and Singapore.
Nelaug Station, located at the village of Nelaug in Åmli
municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. The station functions as a meeting station of the Sørlandsbanen and Arendalsbanen railway lines.
Passengers from Oslo to Arendal must change trains at Nelaug.
Magnus Hedin, Managing Director of Go-Ahead Nordic commented: "Our focus is on customer satisfaction, reliability and local decisions taken with our partners.
"We will be a local operator who understands Norwegian transport needs and the local Norwegian customers, while benefiting from extensive experience in the UK."
Go -Ahead Nordic is expecting to carry more new passengers on the Jaerbanen and Sörlandsbanen routes during the period 2020-2025.
Since its creation a year ago, Go-Ahead Nordic has recruited 244 conductors, drivers and administrators. Staff who were currently employed on the routes have transferred to Go-Ahead with their existing pay and working conditions. Go-Ahead will also offer a pension scheme similar to the previously negotiated agreement for operational personnel.
New York Volvo Prevost Order for 330 Coaches
New York State's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has awarded Prevost, subsidiary of Volvo Buses in the USA, two contracts for in total 330 coaches. It is the largest order ever in terms of value for Prevost.
Between 2020 and 2022 Prevost is to deliver 307 coaches and MTA has taken an option for 23 additional buses to be delivered at a later date.
"We are sincerely proud and grateful for the continued trust that MTA is putting in the Volvo team by awarding Prevost the largest order ever in the history of the company. MTA has the largest bus and coach fleet in North America and we want to make a difference for the citizens of New York", said Håkan Agnevall, President of Volvo Buses.
The order is also important for employment and it allows Volvo Buses to double its production of buses at the Prevost factory in Plattsburgh.
"This is great news for Prevost to obtain these new contracts from the North America's largest transportation network, which will continue to reinforce Prevost's leadership position in the North American coach market", added François Tremblay, General Manager at Prevost.
TfL 5 year Plan
Transport for London (TfL) has set out how transport will support sustainable growth in its draft business plan covering the period from 2020/21 to 2024/25.
TfL says it essential for there to be long-term certainty around Government investment in existing and new transport assets to ensure that services support the growing city.
Since last year's plan, Crossrail has been delayed further, with more time required to complete software development for the railway's signalling and train systems, and for overall safety approvals on the line.
As a result, the opening of the central section of the Elizabeth line will not occur in 2020 but as soon as "practically possible" in 2021, it says.
As announced at its Board meeting in November, between £500 million and £750m in lost revenue needs to be absorbed in addition to the £600m highlighted in last year's plan.
This revenue shortfall is spread across the next four financial years and will be managed through further savings and by encouraging more people to use public transport.
TfL says it has reduced the net annual cost of operations by more than £1 billion since 2015/16 and it remains on track to generate an operating surplus by 2022/23.
Investment plans include:
Completing the signalling upgrade and increasing capacity by 33% on the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and District lines. Delivering refurbished trains on the Central line and new, spacious state-of-the-art trains on the Piccadilly line.
The Hammersmith & City Line
TfL will also continue to make the case for Government investment to replace the life-expired signalling system on the Piccadilly line, which it had to pause last year owing to a lack of certainty around Government funding. It remains TfL's intention to press ahead with this essential work as soon as funding is confirmed.
Continuing the electrification of London buses, already the largest electric fleet in Europe, with more than 2,000 zero-emission buses by end of 2024/25.
TfL will also work with bus operators to implement its Bus Safety Standard, including all new buses purchased from August 2019 having Intelligent Speed Assistance as standard.
Reducing TfL's environmental impact through installing new solar panels on selected London Underground, DLR and tram depots to deliver more than 1.1 megawatts of power, and the continued retrofitting of lighting across the network to energy-efficient LEDs.
TfL will also be increasing the amount of low-carbon energy supplied to its infrastructure which comes from renewable energy sources with an aim for its rail services to be 100 per cent carbon-free by 2030.
Maintaining and upgrading existing core assets across the transport network to provide safe and reliable journeys. This includes replacing rails to offer customers a smoother, quieter ride, and maintaining lifts and escalators.
CAF has won the Transport for London contract
to supply 43 trains for Docklands Light Railway.
New walk-through trains on the DLR will be delivered, increasing capacity on the lines and providing more frequent, direct services. Following a two-year pause, proactive renewal of roads and paving will also recommence with a focus on improving the experience for those walking, cycling or taking public transport.
Supporting Crossrail in the remaining and complex technical work necessary to allow the Elizabeth line to open. From Sunday (December 15), TfL Rail will began running services to Reading from Paddington, with direct services between Heathrow from Paddington beginning in spring 2020.
Construction continues around the clock in stations and tunnels on the rest of the Elizabeth line, with safety-critical systems now being installed and tested. The central section of the Elizabeth line will in 2020 undergo extensive trial running and testing to ensure it is safe and reliable and will open as soon as practically possible in 2021.
Helping further to clean up London's toxic air by tightening the Low Emission Zone standards in October 2020 and, in October 2021, expanding the successful central London ULEZ - the toughest air quality standard of any city in the world - to cover the area within the North and South Circular Roads.
Working with boroughs, investing in new high-quality cycle routes across London and working with local communities to improve high streets, making them safer and accessible to everyone.
Delivering these schemes forms part of TfL's commitment to Vision Zero, which aims to eliminate death and serious injury from London's roads by 2041.
Delivering 10,000 homes and two million sq. ft of commercial floor space across London, with 50 per cent of the homes being affordable.
Introducing new services on the Northern line extension to Battersea and the Barking Riverside extension on the London Overground.
TfL will also continue to make the case for future transport infrastructure to support the growth of London and support the wider South East region and the UK overall, such as Crossrail 2 and the Bakerloo line extension, it says.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "I am hugely proud of what we have achieved improving transport across London – this is despite the ongoing economic uncertainty and the average reduction of £700m per year in TfL's funding from central Government.
"Alongside our continuing modernisation of the Tube, TfL fares will be frozen again this January, and we continue to take some of the boldest action of any city in the world greening up our transport network and improving air quality across the capital.
"But London also needs a Government that recognises the importance of continued investment in new infrastructure for the future of our economy, and it is essential the new Government commits to working with us to deliver vital projects such as Crossrail 2 and the Bakerloo Line extension."
London's Transport Commissioner, Mike Brown, added: "Since our formation in 2000, there has been enormous commitment and sustained investment to revitalise our transport network, supporting our city's economic growth.
"In this time of uncertainty, this Business Plan is focused on running safe and reliable services while investing to improve travel. But cities can only thrive if they benefit from steady, sustained funding in existing and new infrastructure.
"We are working urgently to secure this, and I will be writing to the Government to seek this investment to keep London and the country moving."
A copy of the draft TfL Business Plan will be available to download here: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/finance-committee
Riviera Sleeper Sleeper at Hayle
Further to the posting of pictures in Hayle by Ken Jones here are pictures of the sleeper service that runs to and from Penzance and Paddington. The train is known as the Night Riviera Sleeper and is operated by GWR.
It passes Hayle eastbound Mon - Fri at around 10 pm but calls at Hayle station westbound at 7.40 am, this being the first train passengers at Hayle can use to get to St Erth and Penzance by using one of the non sleeper carriages.
Ken Jones found motive power alternating between 57602 and 57605 during his stay at Hayle.
The westbound train was running late every morning, normally in the order of 15 mins.
On 18th October on departing Plymouth the Class 57/6 locomotive No. 57605 'Totnes Castle' failed near Hemerdon with the train unable to proceed it was declared a failure.
The train was rescued by the DB Cargo/ Network Rail Rail Head Treatment Train (which happened to be at Plymouth at the time of the failure). The sleeper service was hauled back to Plymouth station. Passengers on board the train were then asked to vacate their beds and transfer onto a Class 802 IET No.802021 for their onward journey to London.
Such is the lack of capacity on the network GWR had no choice but to split a ten car Class 802 set, which would also leave them short with another short formed set for 1A77 later that morning.
No.802021 finally reached Taunton at 05:13 (197 minutes late) and rolled into London Paddington at 07:20 (134 minutes late).
The Class 57/6 was later hauled to Reading Depot by a pair of GWR powercars, passing Taunton in daylight at just after 12:00.
All pictures © Ken Jones
Airbus A350-1000 Selected by Qantas
Qantas has selected Airbus' A350-1000 to develop its plans for the world's longest commercial flights.
It has been picked as the preferred aircraft for its ultra long-haul non-stop research flight programme, dubbed Project Sunrise, after making a "detailed evaluation" against the Boeing 777X.
The Australian flag carrier wants to be able to operate regular, non-stop commercial flights from the east coast of Australia to London and New York.The 17,000km flights take around 21 hours.
It said today that it will now make a "final go/no go decision" in March 2020 on whether to operate the flights.
The A350-1000 uses the Rolls Royce Trent XWB engine, which is used exclusively on the A350 and, according to the airline, has a "strong reliability record" after being in service with airlines for more than two years.
The airline added that Airbus will add an additional fuel tank and slightly increase the maximum takeoff weight to "deliver the performance required for Sunrise routes".
Qantas said no orders have been placed so far, but it would work closely with Airbus to prepare contract terms for up to 12 aircraft ahead of a final decision by the Qantas board.
Airbus has agreed to extend the deadline to confirm delivery slots from February 2020 to March 2020. This provides additional time to negotiate an industrial agreement without impacting the planned start date of Project Sunrise flights in the first half of calendar 2023.
The last of three Project Sunrise research flights (New York to Sydney) will be conducted on December 17. Once complete, Qantas will have almost 60 hours of 'Sunrise flying' experience and thousands of data points on crew and passenger wellbeing.
The data for crew will be used as part of final discussions with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to approve an extension to current operating limits required for these ultra long haul services. Based on detailed information already provided by Qantas on its fatigue risk management system, CASA has provisionally advised that it sees no regulatory obstacles to the Sunrise flights.
New Sound for Electric & Hybrid London Buses
An innovative new bus sound is set to be trialled on the capital's latest electric bus route from January.
Transport for London has developed the sound, which is played through special speakers inside the front of the bus, to ensure that all road users are aware of electric and hybrid buses when they are moving at slow speeds.
Without this sound, these vehicles are almost silent which could pose a safety risk, particularly for people who are blind or are partially sighted.
The trial on the 100 bus route comes ahead of an artificial sound becoming a regulatory requirement for all new 'quiet' running vehicles in 2021.
The sound has been developed with input from Guide Dogs for the Blind, London Travelwatch and other key accessibility, walking and cycling groups. This has helped ensure that it accommodates the needs of all road users including pedestrians and cyclists, children and disabled people. Bus drivers, operators and union representatives have also provided input.
The sound will play until the bus reaches 12mph, or when it is reversing or stationary at bus stops.
When travelling above 12mph, the bus will make enough noise that an alert is unnecessary. The pitch of the sound will vary with the speed of the vehicle, helping people know where the bus is and which direction it is going.
The sound will be trialled first at varying volumes on the 100 bus route – which runs between St Paul's Cathedral and Shadwell – over a six-month period from January. It will also be trialled on other routes – including the C10 route between Canada Water and Victoria from March, and the P5 route between Elephant and Castle and Newington Causeway from May – as new zero-emission vehicles are introduced.
Feedback from road users, residents, passengers and drivers across all routes will be collected to help develop the most effective system for all road users.
The artificial bus sound is one aspect of TfL's world-leading Bus Safety Standard, which works towards the Mayor's Vision Zero of no deaths or serious injuries on London's roads by 2041. The Bus Safety Standard is already improving safety on London's roads by requiring technology that automatically limits the speed of buses and increased use of mirrors and cameras.
Claire Mann, Director of Bus Operations at TfL, said: "We are committed to ensuring the safest buses are driven on London's roads and pleased to announce this latest development with the Bus Safety Standard as we work towards Vision Zero.
"Working with a broad range of stakeholders and trialling AVAS on the 100 bus route and other routes in the following months will ensure the system is best equipped to alert all road users to the presence of quiet running buses, preventing collisions and making deaths and serious injuries on our roads a thing of the past."
Kirsty Hoyle, CEO at Transport for All, said: "Understanding the lived-experience of navigating London's streets with a visual or sensory impairment, and designing services with this in mind, is a fundamental part of inclusive design; our disabled members have been delighted to work with Transport for London to find a solution that can now be live tested. We are excited and interested to see the results."
The new artificial bus sound is part of an acoustic vehicle alerting system (AVAS) that will mandatory for all new 'quiet' running vehicles to use a system after September 2021.
AVAS will be consistent across all London bus operators and will be available to transport providers across the UK to ensure that people can detect and recognise a bus regardless of where they are in the UK.
Best Wishes for Christmas and The New Year to all our Readers and Contributors.
Focus Transport had planned to take a short break over the Christmas holiday period. However! There seems to be a surplus of interesting news items hitting our screens, so we will try and find time to write up some of these and schedule them to appear over the holiday period. Whatever happens, we plan to re-commence our normal routine postings on January 2nd.
In the meantime we hope you have an enjoyable Christmas and New Year and we look forward to you joining us in 2020.
May we also suggest that you use the 'Search this Blog' facility on the right hand side of this page. By typing in key words you can look back as far as our original postings in 2011. Try it, it works well!
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LNER Bids Final Farewell to HST
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has given a fond farewell to the iconic InterCity 125 High-Speed Train (HST) on the special tour for its last journey on the East Coast route.
Having broken speed records and transformed rail travel since they were first introduced in the 1970's, LNER has marked the retirement of the InterCity 125 with a four-day farewell tour. The first leg of the journey to Inverness via Aberdeen set off on 18th December from Edinburgh Waverley at 09.46.
To make the final trip extra special for those on board and people keen to see the train, both power cars and carriages were painted in the original British Rail InterCity 125 livery.
David Horne, Managing Director of LNER, said: "After four decades of service, it's brilliant to be recognising the contribution of the InterCity 125 trains with one last trip along the East Coast.
"These trains had a huge impact when they were first introduced, no more so than in Scotland where it reduced journey times between Edinburgh and London King's Cross by up to an hour. Launching our farewell tour at Edinburgh is therefore a perfect way to begin our goodbye to these iconic machines.
"With the full train in its original livery, the tour will give people along the route a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the train in all its glory as it travels by world famous landmarks and landscapes."
Following the first day to Inverness via Aberdeen, the train then returned from Inverness to Edinburgh via Stirling on day two before heading southbound on day three. The tour culminated with the final journey from Leeds to London King's Cross on Saturday 21 December.
Nicknamed 'The Journey Shrinker' for the reduction in journey times it brought about, the very first High-Speed-Train made its public debut in October 1976. In 1978 they were officially introduced onto the East Coast route.
Money raised from the tour will go towards LNER partner charity, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). The charity works to prevent male suicide and has already benefited from more than £100,000 in donations from LNER customers donating 'Delay Repay' claims to help support the campaign.
The farewell tour followed the last scheduled InterCity 125 passenger service on the East Coast which was the 19.35 London King's Cross to Leeds on the 15 December.
Excellent Video here
Friends of King Alfred
THE Winchester-based Friends of King Alfred Buses (FoKAB) has confirmed details of its services for New Year's Day.
Whilst in keeping with the policy of recent years, the main Running Day will be in the spring on Sunday May 3, a smaller operation involving several King Alfred Buses vehicles will again take place on Wednesday January 1. This will maintain a long-established tradition and provide a service for the many supporters who would still like to travel on these historic buses from one of the last independently-owned companies that closed in 1973.
The services will be again be centred on the Broadway with the first departure at 9.15am and the last at 4.20pm.
A feature this year is the planned use of the two King Alfred 1964 AEC Renowns, 595 LCG and 596 LCG. 595 has seen a complete internal re-trim using specially-commissioned authentic material whilst 596 has been repainted in National Bus poppy red, recalling the 1970s after King Alfred operations and vehicles had passed to National Bus (Hants & Dorset).
Also envisaged is a free vintage bus service to/from Southampton via the former Hants &
Dorset route 47, departing at 9.45am and 2.45pm from the Broadway to Southampton Civic Centre Road, returning at 10.45am and 3.45pm. Appropriately, this is planned to use 596 LCG in its current guise as Hants & Dorset No. 2212.
A full timetable may be obtained in advance by post from: David Morgan, 34 High Street, Nutfield, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 4HQ, 01737 823436. Price: £2 (Cheques payable to 'Friends of King Alfred Buses).
West Midlands Bus Travel Increases
Bus travel in Birmingham is booming - with millions more people using it for local journeys this year.
Some 267.1 million bus trips were taken across the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority in the financial year 2018/19, according to figures released by the Department for Transport this week
That is up from 259.3 million in 2017/18. The huge increase reverses years of decline.
The number of trips had previously dropped for four years in a row from a high of 279.1 million bus trips in 2013/14.
Across England as a whole, use of local bus services fell in 2018/19 to 4.32 billion trips taken during the financial year.
That was down from 4.35 billion in 2017/18, and as many as 4.61 billion at the start of the decade.
London remains responsible for nearly half the local bus journeys taken across the country.
There were 2.20 billion journeys in the capital, down slightly from 2.22 million in 2017/18.
Separate DfT figures show that the bus remains the most important form of public transport for commuters in the West Midlands.
Some six per cent of people usually take the bus to work, compared to three per cent who use rail.
Eight per cent walk and two per cent use the bike - but 90 per cent commute by car.
Across England as a whole only 67 per cent of people use the car to get to work.
That figure is, however, skewed by London: the capital's layout and efficient public transport options mean only 28 per cent of people there use the car to get to work.
ADL Supply Reading Buses for Thames Valley Services
Alexander Dennis Limited ("ADL"), has again supplied Enviro200 vehicles from stock to meet demand. This time ADL have supplied three stock-built Enviro200 buses to Reading Buses for its newly relaunched Thames Valley Buses network in Slough and Windsor.
Council-owned Reading Buses took the decision to consolidate its network in Slough and Windsor after the purchase of Courtney Buses added routes to the operator's existing operation. Thames Valley Buses now runs six services in the towns, extending to Maidenhead and Heathrow Airport.
The operator turned to ADL to meet their vehicle requirements in time for the launch of the new network. Chief Executive Officer Robert Williams explains: "ADL had some vehicles to the right specification, and they were available quickly, which was the thing that decided it for us."
The 10.8m long single deckers have latest generation Euro 6 engines, ensuring low emissions. Passengers enjoy a light, airy interior with 41 comfortable ADL SmartSeats.
Robert Williams confirms the buses have been well received on the new Thames Valley Buses network: "They are bright and reliable. Customers love them and we are really pleased with them. In the future, if there is another short-term need for a piece of work to be done quite quickly, we would look at buying from stock again."
Abellio ScotRail Franchise to End Three Years Early
THE Scottish Government has cut short the contract for running Scotland's railways after years of complaints about the service provided to passengers.
The 10-year ScotRail franchise with Dutch-owned firm Abellio will now end three years early in March 2022 instead of 2025.
Transport Secretary Michael Matheson told MSPs his officials considered continuing the franchise to its full term would not deliver value for money.
Services will continue with Abellio working to its existing franchise conditions until 2022.
Mr Matheson said: "Our rail network is of significant social, economic and environmental value to the people of Scotland, and Ministers must ensure that the services we secure are high performing, financially sustainable and offer value for money.
"We currently provide around two thirds of the running costs for our railway and it is essential that this is sustainable going forward. Our record investment in rail is already delivering more seats, more trains and more stations.
"Any changes to the level of subsidy paid by the government must deliver new benefits for passengers and taxpayers and whilst there have been improvements in recent years, the proposed changes were not sufficient to justify additional subsidy.
"Of course, the Scottish Government must plan for the future of our rail services, beyond 2022 and work is already underway to examine the options open to us in this regard.
"Longer term, this Government has already made clear its position that the current franchising regime, which is a matter reserved to the UK
The current franchise agreement requires Scottish Ministers and Abellio to revisit the level of government subsidy provided for the remaining five years of the contract to determine whether additional subsidy should be paid, a process known as "rebasing".
Mr Matheson said that after careful analysis of the information provided by Abellio ScotRail, Ministers had decided that a significant increase in Government subsidy proposed would not secure delivery of commensurate benefits to passengers, communities and the economy.
Ministers had therefore served a "No Rebasing Notice" on Abellio ScotRail, informing them the contract was coming to an early halt.
ScotRail operates about 2,400 train services a day, and covers all services in Scotland except those run by other operators which cross the border.
It is not responsible for the maintenance of the track, which falls under Network Rail nor the operation of the main rail routes from Glasgow and Edinburgh to London.
Name the Stagecoach West Enviro200's
To celebrate the launch of 14 brand new buses in Cheltenham, Stagecoach West are giving people the chance to name a bus!
After all, people name boats, so why not buses?
Until the 31st December, they will be accepting suggestions for names through the form below and via Twitter using the hashtag #14newbuses.
The most popular names will be shortlisted in January, ready for the final vote on which names should make it onto the 14 new buses.
So whether it's your own name, or the name of someone important to you, or just a name you think would be perfect for a bus, submit your nomination below for a chance to see your suggestion on a bus!
The 14 new ADL Enviro200 buses in Cheltenham will come with the following features:
USB charging points
Next stop announcements
Better for the environment - Euro 6 engines on the new buses produce 95% less emissions than the previous Euro 5 engine so catching the bus is even better for the environment!
Enter the competition here
arriva Click Watford
A new on-demand bus service will operate in Watford from March next year.
Watford Borough Council is striving to make the town more sustainable and less congested, and alongside a bike hire scheme, mayor Peter Taylor is introducing a flexible minibus service.
It won't work like your normal bus service - in fact there will be no bus stops at all.
Instead, passengers can call for a minibus at the touch of a button and like a taxi, you will be taken to your doorstep or destination.
There is a catch though.
Fellow passengers may not be going the same way as you, so although the minibus takes you exactly where you want to go, they may be ahead of you in the queue, therefore making your journey a little bit longer.
But you'll only ever pay for the length of your requested journey.
Seven 15-seater minibuses will run around the whole borough, as well as Croxley Park and Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden.
Each bus will have seating, tables, free wifi, USB charges, and air conditioning.
The buses, which will be delivered by ArrivaClick, are fully accessible, with front kerbside double door access and a low-level fold-out wheelchair ramp. Passengers can pre-register as a wheelchair user. There will also be space for pushchairs.
Journey prices will range from £1 to £2.50 per mile, while weekly passes will also be available.
The service, which will come into force in March 2020, will run Monday to Thursday 6am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 6am to 11pm and on Sundays from 8am to 9pm.
Journeys can be booked via the ArrivaClick smartphone app but there will also be an online and telephone service.
The council says the minibus service will provide an "effective and carbon efficient way" for people to get around town without using a car.
Asiya Jelani, business development director for ArrivaClick, said: "We're delighted to bring truly flexible, demand responsive shared transport to residents and visitors in Watford, which will provide improved connectivity between main transport hubs such as Watford Junction and local points of interest."
The contract will last four years, with the option of a two-year extension. Residents and visitors will benefit from a new and easier way to get around, that will reduce the need for private car ownership and provide a more environmentally friendly way to travel.
Alistair Hands, Commercial Director, said: "We're delighted to be working with Watford, who should be applauded for their forward-looking approach to addressing connectivity issues. We're in conversation with a number of other local authorities and interested third parties to explore the role that DRT can play as part of the mix in encouraging uptake of public transport."
This is the fourth DRT service Arriva has introduced in the UK since 2017 and builds on existing operations in Liverpool and Leicester. It'll form part of Watford council's wider strategy to develop an integrated approach to improving sustainable transport options throughout the town, which also includes a bike hire scheme.
The new service will mean improved connectivity between Watford Junction, only 20 minutes away from London Euston, and local points of interest including Watford town centre, Croxley business park and the major tourist attraction of Warner Brother Studios, home of the Harry Potter studio tour.
Seven buses, that can seat up to 15 people, will be introduced within a defined operating zone.
The group ended the launch pilot in Sittingbourne, Kent on 16th November, while overall it continues to see strong growth by attracting customers from private cars and taxis.
Sheffield Tram-Train Service Cancelled Until Further Notice
Stagecoach Supertram has announced that the entire fleet of Stadler Supertrams being used in Sheffield has been withdrawn.
Stagecoach is unable to run any Tram-Train services until further notice.
This is because the manufacturer, Stadler, has told Stagecoach Supertram that they need to temporarily withdraw the fleet.
In April the service was suspended because a of a fault on the underside of one of the vehicles.
A further update will be provided as soon as Stagecoach has been updated by Stadler.
Due to suspension of the tram-train service between the Cathedral and Rotherham-Parkgate, tickets are now being accepted on Northern trains between Rotherham Central / Meadowhall and Sheffield.
Tickets are also being accepted on the following Stagecoach / First bus services: Meadowhall / Rotherham X1, X10, X78 Rotherham Interchange / Parkgate 8, 8a, 9, 22x*, 218, 218a, 221 22a, 22c
Battery Powered Trams Start Service in Birmingham
Ken Jones has visited Birmingham city centre to travel on and photograph the trams now running between Grand Central and Centenary Square.
In a UK first, all of the trams serving Centenary Square will all run on battery power from Grand Central which preserves the visual aesthetics of this part of the city centre and also has saved on the cost of erecting the catenary.
There will be be no overhead cables obscuring the views of landmarks including the 1879 Council House and 1834 Birmingham Town Hall.
There has been no fanfare of an opening ceremony although it is thought there will be an official opening in the New Year.
The Town Hall stop also serves Victoria Square
The Library stop seems to have several names. The actual tram stop is physically labelled Library Centenary Square - the moving LED display on the trams says Library for Centenary Square, the display at Grand Central shows Library - although one tram terminated here and went back to Wednesbury Parkway whilst the display on the monitors inside the trams read Library Centenary Square.
In addition the information on the westbound platform at Grand Central still reads 'use this platform for Wolverhampton', confusing many people, but they were not charged by conductors for their extra ride. Trams currently have about 4 min at Library Centenary Square
The pantographs are raised and lowered at Grand Central platforms
Tram 28 descending Pinfold Street - this tram was recently named Jasper Carrott
Tram 37 at Grand Central having lowered its pantograph before heading for the Town Hall
Tram 28 approaching Grand Central
Trams 20 and 37 in Pinfold Street
Tram 25 leaving Town Hall heading West towards Library Centenary Square
Tram 20 approaching Town Hall stop heading for Wolverhampton
Above & below, Trams at Centenary Square
Platform at Library Centenary Square - showing the
different layout to previous metro stations
Battery Powered Trams for other UK Cities - See below
The battery-powered trackless tram, or ART, in operation in Zhuzhou, showing the trackless autonomous guidance system.
An impressive start to battery running in Birmingham rather than depending on overhead power.
When trams are being considered by other UK cities maybe the idea of battery running will allow the system to run totally on battery power, dispensing with overhead lines completely.
We could even move to the idea of tram like guided vehicles on tyres avoiding the upset of laying rails through city streets. Something to think about!
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