Left protest march in Venezuela.
Prices double or triple monthly. The government's decision to pay more than 80 billion dollars of foreign debt during the last four years, cutting imports by more than 80% and national production by half, has had catastrophic effects. Although the government had been insisting that inflation was the result of a political conspiracy, Maduro finally acknowledged that the double digit fiscal deficit was covered for years by simply printing up money. "We had to play like that," he said, justifying the worst inflationary adjustment in our history.
The alleged intention to eliminate the fiscal deficit was undermined by subsidies and tax exemptions for entrepreneurs. The tax exemption for oil companies alone will result in a reduction for the state of more than a billion dollars this year. Businessmen linked to the Turkish autocrat, Erdogan, be given coal mines in the north-western part of the country; the Dutch transnational Shell receives gas deposits shared with Trinidad and Tobago; massive new debt is contracted with China for at least 5 billion dollars; private oil companies get operating agreements similar to the neoliberal oil agreements of the 90s.
While this package of measures was being carried out, cracks in the regime continued to open up. In the midst of great contradictions between power groups, the corporate party created by Chávez in 2007, the PSUV (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela or United Socialist Party of Venezuela, the ruling party) held its congress. The result was the marginalization and dismissal of the then Minister of Education, Elías Jaua. It's the most recent in a series of splits in the Chavista leadership. Between 2014 and 2016 a group of former ministers broke with the government of Maduro, one of whom has been imprisoned since the beginning of this year, former interior minister Rodríguez Torres. Since the end of 2017, the faction of former oil minister Rafael Ramírez was purged from PDVSA (the state oil company), when corruption suits were filed against a hundred senior executives of the company.
The alleged failed assassination attempt on Maduro by the use of drones of August 4, claimed by the military underground group "T-shirt soldiers", showed the vulnerability of the government. Maduro tried to minimize the impact of the images of hundreds of members of the Bolivarian National Guard breaking formation and dispersing in the Bolivar Avenue in Caracas. The government blamed the outgoing Colombian president, Santos, while expressing his "confidence" in the Trump government, even inviting the FBI to participate in the investigation. It would not be the only recent conspiracy involving the military sector. According to information leaked to the US press, diplomats from the Trump government met with Chavista military officers who were planning a coup, although at the last moment they did not endorse the project. Several conspirators were arrested by the government. It was also leaked that Trump had proposed an invasion of Venezuela, but his military advisors dismissed the proposal. There is no imperialist consensus regarding a possible military attack against Venezuela, but this is already openly proposed by the OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro, and by some spokesmen of the pro-Yankee opposition in exile.
In this context, the National Constituent Assembly with dictatorial powers, chaired by military strongman Diosdado Cabello, prepared a draft of the new constitution, in which the presidential term is increased to 7 years and the presidential re-election is limited to a single immediate period. Maduro gave absurd objectives for the new constitution last year, such as promoting "peace", a "new post-oil economic system", a "multipolar world" and a "new spirituality". [Oaklandsocialist comments: the terms "multi-polar world" and references to "spirituality" are terms used by the new fascist movement, especially as encouraged by the Putin regime.] In practice, this orientation has become imprinted into several articles that aim to strengthen the repressive legal apparatus of the dictatorship. For example, the scope of the crime of "treason to the fatherland" and the definition of "terrorism" is broadened.
Strikes and mobilizations of workers have taken place since the beginning of the year, with the public health sector at the forefront. From an average of 30 daily protests in the first semester of the year, most of them defending rights such as access to public services and wage increases, this rate jumped in July to more than 70 protests per day, according to the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict. This affected the government's decision to adjust the minimum wage from one dollar a month to one dollar a day in August, which reduced the protests for a few weeks. However, the imposition of salary tables that in fact liquidate collective agreements has exacerbated the workers' malaise, as well as the rapid evaporation of the wage increase and the persistent shortage of food.
At a time when there is a total crisis of the right wing opposition parties and internal conflicts in the regime are intensifying, the reconstruction of the workers' movement is critical. What is needed is the creation of new regional and national coordinating bodies for workers in struggle. These bodies would help unify the confrontation against the government. Some steps have already been taken in that direction. The incipient movement can put forward an alternative program like the one proposed by the Partido Socialismo y Libertad (Party of Socialism and Freedom) and other sectors of the left opposition against the adjustment and a government supine in the face of imperialist big business: to demand a minimum wage equal to the basic basket of goods and concrete measures that make such wage increase viable and real, such as the non-payment of the foreign debt, the nationalization of the oil industry, the repatriation of capital and confiscation of property and accounts of the corrupt politicians and businessmen, agrarian reform and rescuing the state metallurgical industries in the southeast of the country.
Below: But when oil prices crashed, the result was economic disaster. From empty store shelves to people forced to pick through garbage dumps for food. We were in Venezuela in 2005 and took the top photos. At that time, Chavez was immensely popular. How times have changed!
Oaklandsocialist comments: Trump, and US imperialism in general are using this crisis in Venezuela to attack "socialism." Trump has also considered ordering an invasion of Venezuela as well as supporting a coup. Also, the right-wing Colombian government has also been involved in these schemes. The working class in the US and in Venezuela have absolutely nothing to gain from any involvement of US imperialism in Venezuela. While supporting the struggles of the left in Venezuela, we should oppose all imperialist involvement as well as the role of the right wing in Venezuela. We were in Venezuela back in 2005. At that time, a right wing business man replied to the fact that poverty had been reduced (at that time) in Venezuela by saying, "I don't care about that. All I care about is my business." That is the attitude of the right wing opposition to Maduro.
For a further analysis of the Chavez/Maduro regime, see this article. We also published this article which contains a little more background to the present situation.


Visa, MasterCard … Discover Card?
Currently, if your business wanted to accept all four major credit cards you would go to a company that set up Visa and MasterCard together for you and then also help you set up a Discover Card account and an American Express account. Essentially you would have established three relationships. Although Visa and MasterCard are two separate companies the way they operate allows processing banks to wrap them up into one package with the same rate structures. The result of this is that you will be very hard pressed to find a merchant that accepts Visa but not MasterCard and vise versa.
What you won't be hard pressed to find is a merchant that accept Visa and MasterCard but doesn't accept Discover Card. This is because of Discover Card's low level of usage relative to Visa and MasterCard. Most merchants work under the assumption, and rightly so, that anyone with a Discover Card also has a Visa or MasterCard. So why bother dealing with another company with extra rates and fees when you can just have one relationship that takes care of your needs?
To combat this problem Discover is moving to a new business model. Starting in November Discover Card will allow the same processing banks that establish merchant accounts for Visa and MasterCard to include Discover Card. The processing bank will be able to set their own rates just like they do with Visa and MasterCard (currently Discover Card has a set fee program which means every merchant has the same rate structure to work from). This means that when you establish a new merchant account, you can get one quote that will cover three major credit cards. You also only have one relationship to manage and one monthly statement. It also means there is potential for Discover Card rates to be more attractive then they were in the past as now competition can cause the pricing to go down.
This new program will start in November with First Data and this will expand as other processors have already signed up and more are on the way. This should increase Discover Card's reach dramatically. Maybe in the not-too-distant future Discover Card will be as synonymous as Visa and MasterCard?
This entry was posted on Thursday, October 19th, 2018 at 10:57 pm	and is filed under Industry News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


Produced by national Grid each year to identify a range of credible scenarios for the next 30 years and beyond.  These consider how much energy the UK might need and where it could come from.
Energy UK recently reported that overall in 2016, some 4,822,885 UK consumers switched electricity supplier, an increase of 26% compared to 2015.
Ofgem is the Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets. Protecting consumers is Ofgem's first priority. We do this by promoting competition, wherever appropriate, and regulating the monopoly companies which run the gas and electricity networks.
Mojgan Djamarani looks at the role that nuclear power could play in the future energy balance, assessing the varying cost implications of nuclear versus other forms of electricity generation.


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[ July 6, 2019 ] Reyes Transfers to Nevada for Final Year of Eligibility Basketball
[ July 6, 2019 ] Ramirez: What Carrie Bradshaw Didn't Mention About the City Arts
[ July 4, 2019 ] The Other Side of Paradise: Field Reports From the Internship Hunt Column
[ July 2, 2019 ] Softball Hires Amy Kvilhaug as New Head Coach Softball
HomeArts'The House with a Clock in Its Walls' is a Waste of Time
'The House with a Clock in Its Walls' is a Waste of Time
September 23, 2018 Michael Troy Arts, Movies, Review
It's quite fitting that a movie with so many clocks in it feels like it drags on forever.
The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a new children's thriller fantasy film directed by Eli Roth and starring Jack Black and Cate Blanchett. It revolves around Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan who moves in with his uncle, a warlock named Jonathan Barnavelt (Jack Black), and his equally magical neighbor, a witch named Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett), following the death of his parents. Lewis is, of course, not initially aware of the fact that his new guardians are both magical beings, but it doesn't take him very long to figure it out. Unfortunately, the creators of this film clearly don't have a solid grasp of what it takes to write an interesting and engaging fantasy story.
There is no sense of mystery or intrigue in The House with a Clock in Its Walls, because the film shoves every last bit of expositional information down the audience's throat instead of using visuals, or even some sort of natural dialogue, to tell the story.
For example, when Lewis finds out that his uncle's house is magical and starts to freak out, Jonathan's genius method of introduction is simply saying "Do you know what a warlock is?" Lewis replies to this obvious exposition by saying "Yes, it's a boy-witch," and for some reason the film decided that there was no further explanation necessary about what warlocks are, because it's never addressed again for the remainder of the film. The only other even moderate tidbit of information about warlocks is that one must defeat an "evil spirit" by themselves in order to become one, which is the vaguest nonsense ever.
So naturally, Lewis becomes obnoxiously powerful within five minutes of screen time because Jonathan agrees to teach him how to harness magic, even though he specifically said moments beforehand that it would be physically impossible for someone to even come close to learning how to do that at Lewis' age. Magic is also apparently not some hereditary thing, but something that anyone can learn if they just read a couple random old books and "focus hard enough."
So at this point, the film is more than halfway over, and the audience will likely start to notice that literally zero conflict has happened yet. So, in the most insanely cliché plot device ever, Lewis decides to do literally the only thing that Jonathan forbade him from doing for the sake of impressing a kid at school, which unleashes his uncle's evil nemesis, Isaac Izard (Kyle MacLachlan). He could have legitimately used any other kind of magic that he knew, which was quite a bit, but instead he decided to do the single spell he was specifically told to never attempt. It makes no sense and is about the laziest plot device that a writer can think up.
Then the Izard, whose face utilizes some hilariously bad motion-tracking CGI, shows up at the house and has about eight minutes of screen time before the script decides that Lewis is suddenly the most powerful warlock on the face of the planet and lets him defeat this villain, who was repeatedly described as the most dangerous and formidable person in the world, in one blow. Seriously, he does one thing and it saves the whole world, and that particular thing was introduced once earlier in the film for about 10 seconds, and at that point Lewis hadn't even come close to learning how to do it, let alone using it to defeat the "greatest" warlock on Earth. Also, for some reason, Jack Black is turned into a baby in this scene, but his head remains regular-sized. On its own, that visual of Jack Black's actual head on a baby's body (which is, at most, half the size of the head itself) while the baby urinates uncontrollably, is reason enough to stay far, far away from this film.
The House with a Clock in Its Walls desperately wants to be the next Harry Potter, but despite its "best efforts", it came out more like the Potter Puppet Pals with 41,999,950 extra dollars in its budget. Yes, this film had a budget of $42 million, and this is somehow what that money went towards. The individual problems with this film are too numerous to describe in anything less than a small novel, so here are a few glaring ones.
Eli Roth, a well-known horror director with little more than torture-porn films under his belt, directed this for some ungodly reason. The entire cast (except for Cate Blanchett, bless her heart) looks like they want nothing to do with this film. The pacing is awful and every plot point comes about in a horribly unnatural way because none of the characters' decisions leading up to them are based in any sort of logical reality.
Simply put, this film is awful. Don't see it unless you have put some sort of substance into your body that distorts your reality, because an alternate universe is just about the only place where this film even has a chance of being enjoyable.
Featured Image by Dreamworks
the house with a clock on its walls
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Jack Black Polkas Through Ponzi Scheme in Netflix's 'Polka King'
January 28, 2018 Jack Goldman Arts, Movies, Review
Jack Black delivers a humorous performance as a Polish immigrant polka band leader who orchestrates a Ponzi scheme in the Netflix original movie 'The Polka King.' […]
'Goosebumps' Ghouls Are Resurrected From Obscurity By Jack Black
October 14, 2015 Chris Fuller Arts, Movies
R. L. Stine's monsters get a chance to spread their wings and show their fangs in kid's horror flick aptly starring Jack Black. […]
Warren and Sanders First Two Presidential Candidates to Propose Student Debt Relief

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Air Products AS-Norway launch their new Nitrogen Generator, Prism ® Pro-Line Nitrogen Generator GEN 1.
The new Nitrogen Generator is a pre-engineered membrane cabinet for smaller capacity that meets or exceed most engineering requirements for Marine, Offshore, and Oil & Gas landbased industry.
Air Products CO2 separation test-unit is being manufactured at Air Products work site in Kristiansand, Norway.
Six months ago Air Products Norway released the news of pursuing the technology of CO₂ separation through a development project directed by the cement plant Norcem in the city of Brevik, Norway.


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Q: While solving 2D Poisson's equation, how to apply floating boundary at two edges, and Dirichlet at other two? I have a square, at left and right edge of it; I exactly know the boundary values (Dirichlet boundary). But at top and bottom edge, I want to let the potential to float. That means I don't imply any fixed boundary value rather I want the potential to take any value depending on the source term (i.e. right hand side of the Poisson's equation) as well as on the boundaries imposed at left and right edge.
How can I do that? More specifically, How would my matrix look to do it?
[Note: When I discretize the Poisson's equation in finite difference scheme, I get the matrix equation $Au$=$h^2$$f$$-$$B$, where $B$ serves for the Dirichlet boundaries. In the figure I show how it looks when I apply Dirichlet boundary at left and right edge. Then how to put floating boundary at top and bottom edge?]

A: You can't let the values at the top and bottom totally float. It will leave the matrix system under-determined.
If you look at it from the discretized matrix perspective it's obvious: Total of $(m+1)(n+1)$ unknowns. $(m-1)(n-1)$ internal constraints enforcing the discretized form of the p.d.e. $2(m+1)$ Dirichlet constraints at the left and right boundaries. That leaves $2(n-1)$ unconstrained equations.
So you have to have boundary conditions on the top and bottom. The values can't "float". What specific boundary condition depends on the physics of your specific situation. Maybe you want to impose a Neumann boundary condition? That will allow the value itself to "float", but force the derivative (specifically, the normal of the gradient) to zero. This Computational Science.SE question talks about that implementation.
There's also Robin boundary conditions which more-or-less enforce a ratio between the Dirichlet and Neumann conditions. A form of these is often used in solutions of the Helmholtz equation to absorb waves that hit the boundaries.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


ZEGG Forum Coming October 27!
Please join us for another ZEGG Forum on October 27. As usual, we'll have a small potluck starting at 6:00 and the Forum will start promptly at 7:00. We end just as promptly at 8:15. Find all the details on our event page!


law of rational ratios of intercepts (law of rational indices, law of Haüy) Crystal faces cut the crystallographic axes in simple, whole-number ratios. These ratios may be measured with reference to a unit plane having a ratio of 1:1:1 for three crystallographic axes and 1:1:1:1 for four crystallographic axes.
"law of rational ratios of intercepts." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. . Encyclopedia.com. 20 Apr. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.


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Hamish Fulton
A Decision To Choose Only Walking
22 November 2019 – 8 February 2020
The gallery will be closed from 24 December – 4 January
Parafin is delighted to announce its first exhibition with the iconic British walking artist Hamish Fulton. The exhibition takes as its starting point the important walk the artist made over 47 days in 1973 from Duncansby Head to Land's End – here presented as a large-scale wall text. After this major walk Fulton made the radical decision to 'only make art resulting from the experience of individual walks'. Since then Fulton has rigorously maintained this focus, using walking as his medium and stating 'If I don't walk, I can't make art'. Although only Fulton experiences his solitary walks directly, the works he presents in exhibitions and books allow us to engage with them.
Fulton has consistently argued that walking can be considered an important artform in its own right, and has pushed for wider recognition of the aesthetic and conceptual possibilities of walking as art. Through his work he highlights not only the artistic possibilities of walking but its ongoing history and importance as a means of transport, a way of connecting communities and a spiritual tool. It is also a traditional means of protest and Fulton has made work that is vocal in its support of environmental issues as well as the plight of Australian Aborigines, Native American Indians and the people of Tibet.
The exhibition includes works made between 1973 and now and encompasses the range of media Fulton uses to communicate his experiences, including printed texts, photographs, wall paintings and what he calls 'walk texts on wood'. Using humble materials and adopting the wilderness ethos of 'leave no trace', Fulton's work attempts an alignment with nature without exploiting or altering it. Fulton's work, which directly addresses our relationship with nature, questions of environmental jeopardy and important causes such as the Chinese occupation of Tibet, has become more and more vital with every passing year.
Hamish Fulton (born London, 1946) is a walking artist. Fulton first came to international attention in the late 1960s and early 1970s as one of a key generation of British artists, including Richard Long, Gilbert & George, Bruce McLean, Keith Arnatt
and Art + Language, who were exploring new forms of art.
He was included in important early exhibitions of Conceptual Art, including 'Konzeption – Conception', Staadtisches Museum, Leverkusen (1969), 'Conceptual Art, Arte Povera, Land Art', Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna, Turin (1970), 'Information', Museum of Modern Art, New York (1970), Documenta V, Kassel (1972) and 'The New Art', Hayward Gallery, London (1972). Since then Fulton has exhibited extensively around the world. Major retrospectives have been presented at the Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven (1985), Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh (1985), Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Buffalo (1990), National Galley of Canada, Ottowa (1990),
Serpentine Gallery, London (1991), IVAM, Valencia (1992)
and Tate Britain (2002). Notable recent group exhibitions
include 'Ends of the Earth', Museum of Contemporary
Art, Los Angeles and Haus der Kunst Munich (2012) and
'Excitement', Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2016). Recent
solo exhibitions include Turner Contemporary, Margate
(2012), Ikon Gallery, Birmingham (2012) and Bombas Gens,
Valencia (2018).
His work is held in many major museum collections
including Tate, London, the Museum of Modern Art, New
York, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York,
Metropolitan Museum, Tokyo, Australian National Gallery,
Canberra, Kunstmuseum, Basel and the Stedelijk Museum,
Amsterdam.
Hamish Fulton: Artist page
18 Woodstock Street
London W1C 2AL
info@parafin.co.uk
Hamish Fulton, A Decision To Choose Only Walking, Installation view, Parafin, London, 2019.
Hamish Fulton, A Decision To Choose Only Walking, Installation view, Parafin, London, 2019.2
Hamish Fulton, World Within A World, Duncansby Head to Lands End, Scotland Wales England, 1973, 1973. Wall work. Dimensions variable.
Hamish Fulton, Revisiting The Boulders, Jotunheimen, Norway, 2018, 2018. Wall work. Dimensions variable.
Hamish Fulton, Cho Oyu, Tibet, 2000, 2000. Wall work. Dimensions variable.
Hamish Fulton, Antlers On The Track, Kent, England, 1970 & 1971, 1970-71. Photographs and text, 25.4 × 44 cm.
Hamish Fulton, Prayer Boulder, Nepal, 2009, 2009. Framed photograph and text, 111 × 135 cm.
Hamish Fulton, Footpath, Iceland, 2008, 2008. Framed photograph and text, 89 × 71 cm.
Hamish Fulton, Boulder, Iceland, 2008, 2008. Framed photograph and text, 73 × 85 cm.
Hamish Fulton, Tibetan Prayer Flags Cover The Drolma Stone, Tibet, 2011, 2011. Framed archival inkjet print, 36 × 52 cm.
Hamish Fulton, Google Champa Tenzin, Tibet, 2007, 2007. Framed archival inkjet print, 48 × 75 cm.
Hamish Fulton, A View From The Highest Point in North America/South America, 2003/2004, 2003-04.
Framed archival inkjet print, 62.5 × 50 cm.
Hamish Fulton, Chomolungma (The Tibetan National Flag), Nepal, 2009, 2009. Framed archival inkjet print, 59.5 × 75 cm.
Hamish Fulton, Boulder, Cairngorms, Scotland, 2016, 2016. Framed archival inkjet print, 60 × 50 cm.
Hamish Fulton, Mountain Skyline. 28 Pieces Of Wood For A 28 Day. Walking Expedition In Nepal, From Jomson To Hilsa, Autumn 2011, 2011
Walk text on wood, 50 × 343 cm.
Hamish Fulton, 21 Pieces of Wood For A 21 Day Walk Crossing 16 Passes, Mercantour, Alpes Maritimes, France 1-21 June 2011, 2011.
Hamish Fulton, Tea Ring, Tibet, 2007, 2007. Tea ring and pencil text, 22 × 22 cm.
Hamish Fulton, Seven Small Engadin Mountains, Switzerland, 2007, 2007. Painting and text on paper, 33 × 42 cm.
Hamish Fulton, Untitled (Counting 588 Coloured Dots), Planet Earth, 2010, 2010. Paint and text on paper, 36 × 41.5 cm.
Hamish Fulton, A 21 Day Walk Via The Tops Of Seven Small Engadin, Mountains, Switzerland, Summer 2007, 2007.
Walk text on wood, 8.5 × 29 cm.
Hamish Fulton, A Guided And Sherpa Assisted Climb of Mt. Everest, Nepal 2009, 2009. Walk text on wood, 10.5 × 24 cm.
Hamish Fulton, A 21 Day Walk Via The Tops Of Seven Small Mountains, 21 NIghts Camping, A Full Moon On The Seventh Night,
Wind River Range, Wyoming USA, Late Summer 2017, 2017. Walk text on wood, 8.5 × 51 cm.
© Parafin Ltd. 2016
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If I Could Tell You
Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale meets Anna Karenina , a vivid and captivating novel of love, war, and the resilience of one woman's spirit England, 1939: Julia Compton has a beautifully well-ordered life. Once a promising pianist, she now has a handsome husband, a young son she adores, and a housekeeper who takes care of her comfortable home. Then, on the eve of war, a film crew arrives in her coastal town. She falls in love. The consequences are devastating. Penniless, denied access to her son, and completely unequipped to fend for herself, she finds herself adrift in wartime London with her lover, documentary filmmaker Dougie Birdsall. While Dougie seeks truth wherever he can find it, Julia finds herself lost. As the German invasion looms and bombs rain down on the city, she faces a choice—succumb to her fate, or fight to forge a new identity in the heat of war. My Review I am so, so sadden by the outcome I had with this book. This book is right up my alley so I
Windy City Blues
The bestselling author of "White Collar Girl" and "What the Lady Wants" explores one woman's journey of self-discovery set against the backdrop of a musical and social revolution. In the middle of the twentieth century, the music of the Mississippi Delta arrived in Chicago, drawing the attention of entrepreneurs like the Chess brothers. Their label, Chess Records, helped shape that music into the Chicago Blues, the soundtrack for a transformative era in American History. But, for Leeba Groski, Chess Records was just where she worked... Leeba doesn't exactly fit in, but her passion for music and her talented piano playing captures the attention of her neighbor, Leonard Chess, who offers her a job at his new record company. What begins as answering phones and filing becomes much more as Leeba comes into her own as a songwriter and befriends performers like Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Chuck Berry, and Etta James. But she also finds love with a black blue
Sweet Lake
Linnie Wayfair knows just how many people are counting on her. But knowing doesn't make doing any easier. Everyone in Sweet Lake, Ohio, wants her to muster all her business sense and return the Wayfair Inn to its former glory. Her parents hope she'll forgive her scoundrel of a brother and reconcile the family. The eccentric Sweet Lake Sirens want her to open the inn—and her heart—to new possibilities. And her hilarious lifelong friends Jada and Cat are dropping none-too-subtle hints for her to ignite a romance with Daniel Kettering, the sexy attorney who's been pining for her for years… Now a shocking turn of events will open old wounds and upend the world Linnie has carefully built. She has to make changes quickly—and the results, though not entirely what she expected, might be what she's been yearning for all along. My Review I went into this book ready for a sweet read. The story started out fine, yet after a few chapters I found myself struggling to keep reading. My issue
His Cowboy Heart
Bound by honor and by love… That's a Montana Man Ford Kendrick has often dreamed of the day that Jamie Keller would come home to Montana. After high school, she needed to leave—and he, duty-bound to rescue his family's ranch, pushed her to go. The Army made Jamie a hero, but Ford still sees the gorgeous, loving woman who lit up his whole world. Every day since she left, Jamie has longed for Ford. One glimpse confirms it: the sexy, dangerous-looking cowboy left a hole in her heart that nothing else can fill. Yet the battle scars she bears—inside and out—won't let her trust anyone enough to get close. Ford wants to bring Jamie back to the life they dreamed of building. But locked somewhere in her memories is a dark truth that threatens her safety. It's a battle Ford won't let her fight alone, not when he's determined to keep her by his side, now and always. My Review I have read many books where the male lead is the one coming back from a war and suffering from PTSD. Yet, I rarely
What is the Deep End?
✮✮✮A delicious world of erotica, BDSM with alpha-subs and their Dommes, and a gripping love story…Welcome to The Bee's Honey! The first book in New York Times bestselling author Kristen Ashley's Honey Series , THE DEEP END is a seductive and rich love story releasing March 7, 2017! And check out the tantalizing excerpt below! ✮✮✮ Fall into THE DEEP END and preorder your copy today! About THE DEEP END (Erotic Romance Releasing March 7, 2017): Enter a decadent sensual world where gorgeous alpha males are committed to fulfilling a woman's every desire… Olivier isn't sure what he's gotten himself into when he joins the Honey Club, only that a dark part of him hungers for the lifestyle offered by this exclusive club. Here, no boundary will be left untested…and one's deepest fantasies will become an exquisite reality. When Amélie invites Olivier to surrender, she gives the alpha submissive what he craves. Soon they both find themselves falling harde
The Woman Behind the Waterfall
Heartbreak and transformation in the beauty of a Ukrainian village For seven-year old Angela, happiness is exploring the lush countryside around her home in western Ukraine. Her wild imagination takes her into birds and flowers, and into the waters of the river. All that changes when, one morning, she sees her mother crying. As she tries to find out why, she is drawn on an extraordinary journey into the secrets of her family, and her mother's fateful choices. Can Angela lead her mother back to happiness before her innocence is destroyed by the shadows of a dark past? Beautiful, poetic and richly sensory, this is a tale that will haunt and lift its readers. My Review I had mixed emotions while reading this book. It was an experience all of its own. On one hand I was memorized by the story as if it was part dream and part mystical. At the same time it was for these elements that I struggled at times to stay connected to the story. However, what kept me grounded was the character
Let's Try This Again + Giveaway
Book Description: One girl. Two guys. It's complicated. And hot. First there is Isaac, the ex-boyfriend who threatens her move to a sunny new life on the west coast when he suddenly comes back into the picture. The chemistry is intoxicating and Josie starts eating, breathing, and sleeping with him again until the move. Things are hard enough saying goodbye to her childhood home and very best friends, but when Isaac makes it seem like he might actually want her to stay, Josie wonders if she's giving up on him too quickly. Josie takes the plunge and moves to California. Then comes Carter. Sweet, doting - and, oh my god! - former boy band heartthrob, Carter. Josie's new life falls into place, with new friends and a job working as the personal assistant for Carter as he plans the re-launch of his career. When it seems like there might be something between Josie and her new boss, she can't help but hold back in fear of crossing a line and, worse yet, getting her
Squirrel Superhighway
About the Book: Title : SQUIRREL SUPERHIGHWAY: IT'S GOOD TO BE A DOG Author : Anna C. Morrison Publisher : Guardian Angel Publishing Pages : 16 Genre : Children's Picture Book Squirrel Superhighway features a dog on a self-discovery mission who is surrounded by many graceful squirrels. This is a vocabulary booster in a series of feel-good stories for children of all ages and those who read with and to them. The story includes squirrels, more squirrels, even more squirrels, and a dog who wants to be a squirrel! FOR MORE INFORMATION: Amazon | Barnes & Noble My Review This is a sweet, charming book for young readers. I read this book on my computer screen. Yet, the illustrations still displayed wonderfully. They helped tell the story. I liked all of the different types and colors of squirrels. I am such a dog lover so I enjoyed Duke a lot. He was so precious trying to communicate and be part of the squirrel superhighway. The lesson that readers
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text:
Revision as of 10:54, 5 November 2019 by Editor2017 (talk | contribs) (→Employees or Board Members: Past and Present)
2 Employees or Board Members: Past and Present
3 Affiliations
3.1 Memberships
3.2 Consultancies
3.3 Think Tanks
4 Controversial Marketing Strategies
4.1 Targeting Women and Girls
4.2 Pre-empting Plain Packaging Legislation in Australia
4.3 Complicity in Tobacco Smuggling
5 Tactics to Subvert Tobacco Control Campaigns and Policies
5.1 Discrediting Science and Scientists
5.2 Using Freedom of Information Requests to Counter Health Campaigns
5.3 Fabricating Support through Front Groups
5.4 Corporate Political Advertising
5.5 Hospitality for UK Politicians
5.6 Direct Lobbying of Decision Makers: Access to Confidential Information
5.7 Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives
5.8 Intimidating Governments with Litigation or Threat of Litigation
5.9 Interfering with democratic processes
6 Next Generation Products
7 TobaccoTactics Resources
8 Relevant Link
9 TCRG Research
Imperial Tobacco is a transnational tobacco company that is headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom (UK). It is the fourth largest tobacco company in the world, after Philip Morris (PMI), British American Tobacco (BAT), and Japan Tobacco International (JTI), and excluding the Chinese National Tobacco Corporation (CNTC).[1]
Its parent company, Imperial Tobacco Group was rebranded to Imperial Brands in February 2016, and consists of the following companies: Imperial Tobacco, ITG Brands, Logistic, Tabacalera, and Fontem Ventures (and within it e-liquids manufacturer Nerudia).[2][3]
The company has no relationship to Imperial Tobacco Canada, which is a subsidiary to BAT.
In 2016 Imperial Tobacco operated in 160 countries, selling cigarettes, Roll Your Own (RYO) tobacco, smokeless tobacco, cigarette paper, and cigars.[4] Its main brands are Davidoff, Gauloises Blondes, JPS, West, Fine, News, Winston, Bastos, Lambert & Butler and Parker & Simpson.
The company's key markets are the Unites States (US), Germany, Australia, Spain and the UK.[5] Imperial used to be the UK's cigarette market leader, but lost that position in 2015 to JTI.[6]
Employees or Board Members: Past and Present
A full list of the company's leadership team can be accessed at Imperial's website.
Over the course of 2019, Imperial Tobacco underwent significant changes in leadership. On 3 October 2019, it was announced that Alison Cooper, Imperial Tobacco's Chief Executive since May 2010, would step down "once a suitable successor is found".[7] The announcement came after the company issued a profit warning that reduced the company's anticipated revenue growth.[8]
At the start of the year, Imperial Tobacco had announced that it was seeking a new Chairman to replace Mark Williamson.[9] On 5 November 2019 the company announced that Williamson will be succeeded by Thérèse Esperdy, effective 1 January 2020.[10]
Other people that currently work for, or have previously been employed with, the company:
Roberto Ascoli | Drago Azinovic | Arthur van Benthem | Ken Burnett | Sue Clark | Helen Clatworthy | Fernando Domínguez | Robert Dyrbus | Gareth Davis | Louise Day | Kevin Freudenthal | Roberto Funari | David Haines | Michael Herlihy | Nikos Mertzanidis | Peter Middleton | Almos Molnar | Susan Murray | Iain Napier | Matthew Phillips | Walter Prinz | Michiel Reerink | Richard Ross | Berge Setrakian | Alessandro Tschirkov | Mark Williamson | Titus Wouda Kuipers | Colin Wragg | Malcolm Wyman | Waldemar Zegar
In 2017, Imperial Tobacco was a member or supporter of the following organisations:
Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA)[11][12] | Associate Parliamentary Corporate Responsibility Group | Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) | Confederation of European Community Cigarette Manufacturers | Euraffex/ European Affairs Expertise[13] | European Cigar Manufacturers Association (ECMA) | European Rolling Papers Association (ERPA)[13] | European Smoking Tobacco Association | European Travel Retail Confederation (ETRC) | Industry and Parliament Trust (see Rosemary Brook)[14] | Kangaroo Group | MARQUES | Public Affairs Council[13] | Tobacco Industry Platform | Tobacco Manufacturers' Association | Wirtschaftsrat[13]
The company was also a member of the Eliminating Child Labour in Tobacco Growing Foundation (ECLT).[15] The ECLT has a partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), a United Nations (UN) agency, focussed on issues related to labour such as international labour standards, social protection and unemployment.[16]
Imperial Tobacco used to be a member of:
British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium (in 2013/14) | BusinessEurope (in 2013/14) | European Smokeless Tobacco Council (appears defunct in March 2017) | Institute of Business Ethics (in 2011)[17]
Imperial Brands has worked with the following public relations companies:
Aspect Consulting lobbied for Fontem Ventures in the UK in 2017[18]
Bell Pottinger lobbied for Imperial in the UK and Brussels from 2010 to 2016[19][20][21][22][23][24]
FTI Consulting named Imperial Brands on its client list in 2016[25]
In May 2012, the Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG) at the University of Bath asked Imperial Tobacco to disclose which think tanks the company was funding, and had funded over the last few years. The company replied that it did "not wish to participate in your research".[26]
In response to a specific query made in 2014 in regards to Imperial Tobacco's engagement with the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a UK-based right-wing think tank, Imperial's Head of Regulatory Science, Steve Stotesbury, replied: "We [Imperial Tobacco] have been supporters of the IEA for many years, stretching back well over a decade".[27]
Imperial Tobacco also held historical links with the Democracy Institute, a think tank based in the UK and US. In 2006 the company funded a book published by the Democracy Institute, which argued there was no evidence that graphic health warnings on tobacco, food, and alcohol packaging would work.[28]
Controversial Marketing Strategies
Targeting Women and Girls
In 2011, the tobacco industry introduced cigarette packs to the market that were specifically designed to attract female consumers.
Imperial Tobacco launched its Richmond SuperSlims, promoted as "the first superslim brand in the value-price cigarette sector".[29] At the time, The Grocer retail magazine reported that the pack was embossed with a "stylish pink design", and that it was "clearly designed to appeal to female smokers".[29]
It is worth noting that plain packaging legislation introduced in Australia in late 2012, and in the UK in May 2016, does not address the size of the cigarette stick and its use as a marketing vehicle to target specific consumer demographics. The legislation bans slim cigarette packs, but not slim individual cigarette sticks.[30][31]
For more information on tobacco companies' efforts to market its product to female consumers, go to Targeting Women and Girls.
Image 1. Screen grab of Peter Stuyvesant packaging Australia September 2012. Screengrab from the Telegraph, http://www.webcitation.org/6Afiop1PT (archived webpage)
Pre-empting Plain Packaging Legislation in Australia
In September 2012, a few months before plain packaging legislation was introduced in Australia, Imperial Tobacco Australia changed the packaging of its Peter Stuyvesant cigarette pack to show a ripped pack exposing plain packaging underneath (see image 1).[32][33] The accompanying slogan said "it's what's on the inside that counts".
The Australian Health Minister criticised Imperial's marketing campaign, saying that "diseased lungs, hearts, and arteries are the reality of what is happening on the inside to a smoker".[32]
For more detail on Imperial's "it's what's on the inside that counts" campaign, go to Plain Packaging: Imperial Tobacco Australia Pre-empts Legislation
Complicity in Tobacco Smuggling
Imperial Tobacco has claimed that tobacco control legislation, in particular plain packaging, might lead to unprecedented levels of illicit tobacco trade. The company has made these claims in its Submission to the 2012 UK Consultation on standardised packaging and its Submission to the 2014 UK Consultation on standardised packaging. In 2016, ahead of the introduction of plain packaging in the UK, Imperial Brands launched a 'Suspect it? Report it!' anti-illicit trade campaign.
In January 2017, Imperial Tobacco collaborated with the National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN) to "educate independent retailers and UK smokers about the growing trade in illegal tobacco".[34] The collaboration saw 50,000 packs branded with Imperial's 'Suspect it? Report it!' campaign distributed to retailers, containing infographics, posters and stickers.
In contrast to Imperial's campaign, which portrays the tobacco company as the victim of illicit trade, there is strong historical evidence of Imperial Tobacco's complicity in facilitating the smuggling of their own cigarettes. For example, genuine Imperial Tobacco brands accounted for more than half of the 17 billion cigarettes smuggled into the UK in 2002.[35] The company claimed ignorance when it was questioned about over-supplying countries notorious for smuggling at the Commons Public Accounts Committee, to which Imperial Tobacco's chief executive was told: "One comes to the conclusion that you are either crooks or you are stupid, and you do not look very stupid."[36]
Internal documents from Gallaher (now part of JTI), released through litigation, refer to Imperial Tobacco's "highly aggressive" smuggling activities in the 1990s, blaming Imperial's smuggling for Gallaher's weakening position in the UK market.[37]
For more information on Imperial's involvement in smuggling, see Imperial and Gallaher Involvement in Tobacco Smuggling or read our article Tobacco industry rallies against illicit trade – but have we forgotten its complicity? published in The Conversation, 16 March 2015.
Tactics to Subvert Tobacco Control Campaigns and Policies
Imperial Tobacco has strongly opposed tobacco control legislation and regulations, including plain packaging in Australia and the UK, and the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) in the European Union (EU). The company has used a variety of strategies and tactics to influence tobacco control policies, and subvert existing regulations.
Discrediting Science and Scientists
The tobacco industry has long tried to undermine science and legitimate anti-tobacco messages from scientists to get around, weaken, or discredit tobacco control legislation. According to one tobacco executive, "doubt" was the best means "to compete with a body of fact and establish controversy".[38]
In 2011, Imperial Tobacco strongly criticised a study commissioned by the UK Department of Health,[39] which concluded that England's smoke-free 2007 legislation had positive benefits for public health. The study also concluded that the legislation had no obvious negative impacts on the hospitality industry, contrary to claims made by the tobacco industry.[40]
Imperial Tobacco criticised the three-year review as being "lazy and deliberately selective", and furthermore accused the study's author, Professor Linda Bauld, of having a conflict of interest due to her links to the charity Action for Smoking and Health (ASH).[41]
For further information on Imperial Tobacco's attempts to discredit Professor Bauld, and the subsequent hate campaign by others that followed, visit our page on Professor Linda Bauld.
Using Freedom of Information Requests to Counter Health Campaigns
In February and March 2011, acting on behalf of Imperial Tobacco, Bell Pottinger, persistently requested access to research data that supported an anti-RYO tobacco health campaign run by a regional charity.[42][43]
For more information on Imperial's vexacious Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, go to the FOI: SmokeFree South West page.
Fabricating Support through Front Groups
Imperial Tobacco has used front groups to oppose tobacco control legislation. Front Groups are organisations that purport to serve a public cause while actually serving the interests of a third party, and obscuring or concealing the connection between them.[38]
For example, Imperial Tobacco Australia (in collaboration with PMI and BAT) financed the Alliance of Australian Retailers (AAR) to oppose the introduction of plain packaging in Australia.[44] The AAR claimed to represent the owners of local corner stores, milk bars, newsagents and service stations, but did not reveal that it was financed by tobacco companies and run by tobacco company executives and a public relations company.[45] The purpose of the AAR was to argue that plain packaging would cause economic damage to small Australian retailers.
For more information on this front group, and Imperial Tobacco Australia's involvement, visit the Alliance of Australian Retailers page.
Image 2. Imperial Tobacco cover of The House magazine in plain packaging, June 2012
To promote the tobacco industry's tracking and tracing system, Codentify, Imperial Tobacco, BAT, PMI and JTI jointly set up the Digital Coding & Tracking Association (DCTA). For more information, visit the DCTA page.
Corporate Political Advertising
In June 2012, Imperial Tobacco attempted to influence UK Members of Parliaments' (MPs) views on the plain packaging debate by running an anti-plain packaging advertising campaign in The House magazine, a magazine designed for MPs (see image 2).[46] The company did not reveal itself as the funder anywhere on the front page advertisement.
For more information on Imperial Tobacco's ad, and the debate it sparked, see Imperial Tobacco Promotes Opposition to Plain Packaging.
Hospitality for UK Politicians
In 2014, Imperial Tobacco gifted Wimbledon tennis tickets to Members of Parliament (MPs) Aidan Burley, Mark Field, and Mark Pritchard.[47]
Imperial Tobacco also gifted Wimbledon tickets to Lord Pendry in 2005, 2008 and 2012.[48][49][50]
In the 1990s, the tobacco company provided the following hospitality to MPs:[51]
Jacqui Lait MP and her husband attended the 1999 Scotland v England rugby match courtesy of Imperial Tobacco
MPs attended a 1998 and 1999 Lords v Commons Clay Pigeon Shoot at Highclere Castle sponsored by Imperial Tobacco
Conservative MPs Ian Taylor and John Townsend attended the 1997 rugby international England v New Zealand at Twickenham, courtesy of Imperial.
In 1995, Imperial gifted a lunch and two tickets for the Men's Singles final at Wimbledon to Liam Fox, at the time the MP for North Somerset
Our page on Tobacco Industry Hospitality for UK Politicians provides more detail on gifts and hospitality provided to MPs and peers by Imperial Tobacco and other tobacco companies.
Direct Lobbying of Decision Makers: Access to Confidential Information
Political lobbying is legal in most countries, and an acknowledged part of the democratic process. In the financial year 2014-2015, Imperial Tobacco reported to have spent €400,000 - €499,000 lobbying EU institutions, employing five fulltime equivalent staff in its Brussels office.[13]
Lobbying disclosure records by Conservative Members of European Parliament (MEPs) show, that in 2011 and 2013 Imperial Tobacco met with UK MEPs Giles Chichester, Ashley Fox, Emma McClarkin, and Anthea McIntyre to discuss the revision of the TPD.[52][53][54]
Imperial Tobacco and other tobacco companies were given several opportunities to share their views on the TPD review with the European Commission's Health directorate, DG SANCO, and Health Commissioner John Dalli.[55][56] But Imperial Tobacco also lobbied other directorates on the TPD. In 2011, Bell Pottinger tried to broker access to officials in DG Trade and the Secretariat General on its behalf (for more details see Bell Pottinger and Tobias Ghersetti pages). In July and September 2012, Imperial Tobacco attended meetings with DG ENTR (Enterprise and Industry) as part of a delegation with CECCM,[57][58] and in October 2012 the company directly met with DG Trade.[59]
With the exception of DG SANCO, EU officials were not systematically transparent about their contact with Imperial Tobacco and other tobacco companies.[60] Some meetings only became public knowledge due to FOI requests. For more information on the lack of transparency around the TPD review process, go to our page on EU Tobacco Products Directive Revision.
Documents released by the UK Department of Health reveal that Imperial Tobacco had access to confidential information from the European Council concerning the TPD.[61] Despite the Department of Health asking the company to explain how it came into possession of this confidential information, Imperial refused to disclose its source.
More detail on the controversy surrounding Imperial's access to confidential government information, can be found on Imperial Receives Inside Information from the European Council.
Image 3. Love Where You Live website, April 2012
To help rehabilitate its image as a responsible business that "acts with integrity and lives its values"[62], Imperial Tobacco ran a number of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. These initiatives not only attempt to rehabilitate the company's image, but also make it easier for the company to gain access to decision makers.
To make it easier for smokers to smoke whilst travelling, yet be seen to comply with smoke-free legislation, Imperial Tobacco launched its Smoking Allowed campaign in 2011, aimed at providing smoking shelters across UK airports.[63] Apart from supporting smokers, Simon Clark, the director of Forest, suggested that the campaign also "challenges the Orwellian 'denormalisation' of smoking".[64]
In 2013, Imperial Tobacco co-founded the Love Where You Live campaign in the UK, aimed at encouraging individuals, companies and local groups to clean up after themselves (image 3).[65] The campaign gave Imperial Tobacco the opportunity to partner with government, who supported the project. More information on this CSR initiative can be found on the page CSR: Imperial and Love Where You Live.
Intimidating Governments with Litigation or Threat of Litigation
Imperial Tobacco has legally challenged tobacco control regulations in the UK, EU and Australia, including:
The Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) ACT 2010. The company argued that the ban on tobacco display and cigarette vending machines falls outside the legislative scope of the Scottish Parliament.[66] This challenge was dismissed by the Supreme Court in December 2012, but delayed the introduction of the display ban by 2 years.
The Tobacco Plain Packaging Act 2011 (Australia). Imperial Tobacco unsuccessfully challenged the legality of standardised packaging legislation in Australia. For more information, go to Australia: Challenging Legislation.
The Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015 (UK). Imperial first threatened with litigation against the UK Government in 2012, if the Government were to implement plain packaging legislation.[67] Following the passage of the legislation in March 2015, Imperial Tobacco and others launched a legal action, which it lost in May 2016 (the day before the legislation was due to come into force).[68][69]
The 2014 EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). Imperial Tobacco formally supported a legal challenge brought by PMI and BAT to invalidate the TPD as a whole, or various provisions within it. This legal challenge was dismissed in the European Court of Justice in May 2016.[70] More details can be found on the page TPD: Legal Challenges.
Interfering with democratic processes
As Next Generation Products: Imperial Tobacco have come onto the market, new tobacco industry tactics are emerging to challenge current tobacco control regulations around the world. In February 2019, a campaign was launched under the European Union Commission's "Citizen's Initiative" with the name "Let's demand smarter vaping regulation!". This campaign proposes removing article 20 of Tobacco Products Directive 2014/40/EU, which "requires EU Member States to introduce restrictions on the advertising of electronic cigarettes"[71] The European Citizens' Initiative is a democratic tool meant to benefit individuals, or groups of individuals, by bringing to the Commission's attention a proposal for legal acts. There are rules in place which prohibit companies or organisations from proposing this process. However, there are no specific rules against tobacco company employees using the initiative as individuals. [72] Sponsors of the 'smarter vaping regulations' initiative include Valerio Forconi, head of EU corporate affairs and registered lobbyist for Imperial Brands, and Dustin Dahlmann and Mosè Giacomello, members of German and Italian vaping industry/ trade associations. [73]
The "Let's demand smarter vaping regulation!" campaign seeks to
"replace with bespoke scientific, evidence-based legislation in line with the functioning of the internal market that distinguishes vaping products from tobacco & pharmaceutical products; (…)Vaping policy should (…)ensure smokers and vapers have clear information and access to tobacco-free less harmful alternatives." [73]
The first funding it received in October 2018 was €10,000 from the Brussels office of Imperial Brands[74] The website was launched in April 2019 with the intention of gathering one million signatures in one year, from at least 7 EU countries. This would then require the European Commission to consider the request to remove article 20.[73][72] The website, promoted by Imperial Brands, created a grassroots campaign to differentiate them from traditional tobacco products.[75] Furthermore, the website brings together different organizations across the world, lobbying for looser regulations for vaping products.
The following are organizations listed as supporters of the 'Let's demand smarter vaping regulation!' campaign which have also provided funding or are linked with tobacco companies:
France Vapotage : a vaping industry association, which lists Fontem Ventures and Nerudia (an Imperial brand) as members [76]
BfTG (2015), a German e-cigarette-business association that states to be '100 percent tobacco-free and independent of the tobacco industry!' [77] This organization has provided €8000 funding towards the website of the initiative and Dustin Dahlmann, president of BfTG is listed as the main representative of the Citizens' Committee of the initiative.[74]
Vapitaly(2015), a yearly event that gathers companies, consumers and vaping shops to network in a conference hall in Italy. This organization provided in April 2019, the biggest portion of the funding up to date, towards sustaining the website of the initiative: €16.000 [74] In addition, Mose Giacomello, president of Vapitaly, is another of the main representatives of Citizens' Committee of the campaign.[74]
Next Generation Products
For an overview of Imperial Tobacco's investment in Next Generation Products, including snus and e-cigarettes, go to Next Generation Products: Imperial Tobacco.
TobaccoTactics Resources
Next Generation Products: Imperial Tobacco
Cigarette Companies Investing in Snus
Fontem Ventures
E-cigarettes: At The Pharmacy
Plain Packaging: Imperial Tobacco Australia Pre-empts Legislation
Imperial and Gallaher Involvement in Tobacco Smuggling
Linda Bauld
FOI: SmokeFree South West
Alliance of Australian Retailers
Corporate Political Advertising on Plain Packaging
Tobacco Industry Hospitality for UK Politicians
Imperial Receives Inside Information from the European Council
CSR: Imperial and Love Where You Live.
Australia: Challenging Legislation.
TPD: Legal Challenges
Digital Coding & Tracking Association (DCTA)
Imperial Brands website
TCRG Research
The revision of the 2014 European tobacco products directive: an analysis of the tobacco industry's attempts to 'break the health silo', S. Peeters, H. Costa, D Stuckler, M. McKee, A. Gilmore, Tobacco Control, 2016,25(1):108-117
'It will harm business and increase illicit trade': an evaluation of the relevance, quality and transparency of evidence submitted by transnational tobacco companies to the UK consultation on standardised packaging 2012, K. Evans-Reeves, J. Hatchard, A. Gilmore, Tobacco Control, 2015,24(e2):e168-e177
Transnational tobacco company interests in smokeless tobacco in Europe: Analysis of internal industry documents and contemporary industry materials, S. Peeters, A. Gilmore, PLoS Medicine, 2013,10(9):1001506
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↑ C. Guibourg, Imperial Tobacco is rebranding to Imperial Brands, City A.M., 5 February 2016, accessed February 2017
↑ Nerudia, Who we are, undated, accessed February 2018
↑ Imperial Brands, Annual Report and Accounts 2016. Delivering Against Our Strategy, Imperial Brands website, accessed February 2017
↑ A. Cooper, Introduction Slides, Imperial Brands Investor Day 8 June 2016, Imperial Brands website, accessed February 2017
↑ Euromonitor International, Company Shares (Global-Historical Owner) Retail Volume % Breakdown, United Kingdom 2010-2015. Available from www.euromonitor.com (by subscription), accessed February 2017
↑ Imperial Brands, Imperial Brands Chief Executive Officer to Step Down, Imperials Brands website, 3 October 2019, accessed October 2019
↑ Imperial Brands, Pre-close Trading Update, Imperials Brands website, 26 September 2019, accessed October 2019
↑ Imperial Brands, Imperial Brands Chairman, Imperials Brands website, 11 February 2019, accessed October 2019
↑ Imperial Brands, Imperial Brands Announces New Chairman, 5 November 2019, accessed November 2019
↑ L. Barras-Hill, Imperial Tobacco's Cords joins APTRA board, Frontier Magazine, 24 November 2014, accessed February 2017
↑ Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association, Board Members, 2017, accessed February 2017
↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 European Commission Transparency Register, Transparency Register: Imperial Brands PLC, last updated 19 April 2016, accessed February 2017
↑ Industry and Parliament Trust, Supporting organisations, Industry and Parliament Trust website, undated, accessed January 2012 & February 2017
↑ The Eliminating Child Labour in Tobacco Growing Foundation, ECLT Foundation Governance, 2017, accessed November 2017
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Christina commends I, Daniel Blake
From award winning director Ken Loach, I, Daniel Blake "is blunt, dignified and brutally moving" according to a Guardian critic, Peter Bradshaw, when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival where it scooped the prestigious Palme d'Or award.
Daniel Blake is a middle-aged widower in the North East who can't work or get benefits after a near-fatal heart attack. He strikes up a friendship with young single mother, Katie, as the two try to work their way along the assault course that is the benefits system as approved by Westminster.
For Christina McKelvie, who features in the YouTube promotional video for the film, the circumstances are all too familiar and equally frustrating: "I see Daniel Blake every day of my life – in shops, in my surgeries, on the street – trying to steer through a system that seems unwilling to treat them with compassion, fairness or dignity."
"This is an incredibly personal yet universal account of one person's journey through the Conservative Government's welfare programme.
"The reality for many is that, as a result of the welfare reforms, the road back into work, even for those fit enough to follow it, is littered with degradation and humiliation.
"We have the power to be different. When the Scottish Government acquires the means to create our own social security system, we will do so with fairness, dignity and respect at its core.
"Once we have the ability to act for ourselves, this Scottish Government will build a system that features no more Daniel Blake's. Our mission will be to offer the care and support that people trying to get back to work really need. For those who are unable to work we can and will provide a benefits system that treats people with the care and compassion they deserve.
"I would encourage everyone in the Hamilton area to go and see this film and judge for themselves. Most of us will quickly recognise either ourselves or someone we know who is living the Westminster Tories' idea of 'welfare.' There are a number of present and past Cabinet Secretaries in London who would learn a lot from this film."
"I am not a client, a customer, nor a service user. I am not a shirker, a scrounger, a beggar nor a thief. I am not a national insurance number, nor a blip on the screen. I paid my dues, never a penny short and proud to do so. I don't tug the forelock but look my neighbour in the eye. I don't accept or seek charity.
"My name is Daniel Blake, I am a man, not a dog. As such, I demand my rights. I demand you treat me with respect.
"I, Daniel Blake, am a citizen, nothing more, nothing less.
If you would like to see Christina's promotional video, please click here


Chris McAleer's love of music led her to the Ontario/Chaffey Community Show Band 20 years ago.
McAleer, who plays first chair clarinet and sings, will perform in the band's upcoming Doo Wop Spectacular II on Monday, April 16, at the Ontario Town Square with Jim Bonner and Ron Ellington Shy.
The show band of 50 to 60 volunteers, whose ages range from teenage to those in their upper 80s, has been performing free concerts for the community for more than 30 years.
They hold a concert every month, except in August, at various locations in town while Chaffey High School's historic Gardiner W. Spring Auditorium is under renovation. Many performances are held in the Ontario Town Square and at Hill Auditorium on the corner of Euclid Avenue and Fifth Street.
"I think it's so wonderful that we put on these free shows, and we have quite a large following, that they're able to come for free, get coffee and cookies, and enjoy an evening," McAleer said.
The band's concerts attract anywhere from 600 to 1,000 attendees, said Gabe Petrocelli, band director.
The performance Monday will be the band's second focused on doo-wop classics.
After the popularity of its first doo-wop show in April 2017, the band decided to do another one.
"A lot of the people out in the audience, they haven't heard some of this stuff for many, many years," said Bonner, longtime band member and former singer with The Bonner Family, who produced several country music albums in the '80s.
"I know it will be a great show. Gabe is a great arranger," said Shy, who has performed with the band a few times.
"These guys do this stuff because they enjoy it," he said.
The band was founded in 1985 by the late Jack Mercer and a group of his former students from Chaffey High School, where he taught music for nearly 30 years.
When Mercer retired from the band in 2013, Petrocelli, who already had been working with the band, took over as director. He also writes all of the band's arrangements.
The show band holds weekly practices from 7 to 9 p.m. Mondays in the band room on campus named in honor of Mercer, who died in 2014. He was 91.
The Doo Wop Spectacular II will start at 7:30 p.m. April 16 at the Ontario Town Square, 224 N Euclid Ave.


1st Team lost to UEA in the Cup 2 – 4. Res 1st win in three with a 3 – 4 win away at Hembsy.
Bradenham win at home against Waveney 3 – 2 with goals from Burton, Childerhouse and Goble. Res suffer first loss of the season losing 9 – 0 away at top of the Table Heacham.
1st lost away to Scole in the Senior Cup. The reserves entertained Hembsy with a weakened side drawing 1 – 1 goal from Rae. An impressive debut from the subs bench saw Kyle Pease score but the goal was disallowed.


Second place among US BlueChip shares traded on Tradegate is Microsoft Corp. 31,166 stocks and 401 orders were transacted by end of day trading. Stocks are currently selling for €103.76, bids are at €103.45. The company's share price dropped by -2.0% from its closing price on previous day's trading.
Third place among US BlueChip shares traded on Tradegate is Boeing Co. By close of trading, 4,778 company stocks and 233 orders were transacted. Shares are currently being sold for €320.53 and bids are at €318.62. The company's shares are down by -2.8% compared to its closing price on previous day's trading.
Fourth place among US BlueChip shares traded on Tradegate is Nike Inc. By close of trading, 14,087 company shares and 217 orders were transacted. So far, shares are being sold for €72.98, bids are at €72.80. The corporation suffered a loss of -2.8% from its level at previous day's close of trading.
On today's trading, Coca-Cola stocks secure fifth spot among US BlueChip shares on Tradegate. End of trading saw 17,634 shares with a total of 108 orders traded. The current ask price is at €40.78, bidding is at €40.63. Since yesterday's close of trading, the company's share price has risen by 1.5%.


text:
Q: backup AWS Custom JSON I would like to backup a number of the AWS Stacks' Custom JSON files. I can't seem to find an API that will extract them for me. Is there an applicable API available? If so, what?

A: I Assume you are using CloudFormation:
http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSCloudFormation/latest/UserGuide/using-cfn-get-template.html