CHICAGO – A federally funded phase III clinical trial shows that most women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative, axillary node-negative early-stage breast cancer and a mid-range score on a 21-tumor gene expression assay (Oncotype DX® Breast Recurrence Score) do not need chemotherapy after surgery. The study found no improvement in disease-free survival when chemotherapy was added to hormone therapy in this group, which accounts for about two-thirds of women who participated in the trial. The findings will have an immediate impact on clinical practice, sparing thousands of women the side effects of chemotherapy.
The study will be presented in ASCO's Plenary Session, which features four studies deemed to have the greatest potential to impact patient care, out of the more than 5,800 abstracts featured as part of the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. This is the largest breast cancer treatment trial ever conducted, and the first precision medicine trial ever done, according to the authors.
"Half of all breast cancers are hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative, and axillary node-negative. Our study shows that chemotherapy may be avoided in about 70 percent of these women when its use is guided by the test, thus limiting chemotherapy to the 30 percent who we can predict will benefit from it," said lead study author Joseph A. Sparano, MD, Associate Director for Clinical Research at the Albert Einstein Cancer Center and Montefiore Health System in New York, and Vice-Chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group.
"Before TAILORx, there was uncertainty about the best treatment for women with a mid-range score of 11-25 on the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test. The trial was designed to address this question, and provides a very definitive answer," said Dr. Sparano. "Any woman with early-stage breast cancer 75 years or younger should have the test and discuss the results of TAILORx with her doctor to guide her decision regarding chemotherapy after surgery to prevent recurrence," said Dr. Sparano.
Based on evidence from several prior studies, the 21-gene expression assay is widely used to provide prognostic information about the risk of breast cancer recurrence within 10 years, and to predict which patients are most likely to derive a large benefit from chemotherapy. The test is performed on a tumor biopsy sample. Women with a low score (0-10) typically receive only hormone therapy and those with a high score (26-100) receive hormone therapy and chemotherapy.
Side effects of chemotherapy for breast cancer can be significant. Short-term side effects that occur during chemotherapy include nausea, vomiting, hair loss, fatigue, and infection, and, in younger women, early menopause or infertility. Neuropathy is another common side effect, with symptoms including numbness, tingling, or pain in the hands and feet, which may sometimes be permanent. Certain delayed side effects that may occur months or years after chemotherapy are rare, but potentially serious, including heart failure and leukemia.
The Trial Assigning IndividuaLized Options for TReatment (TAILORx) (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00310180) enrolled 10,273 women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative, axillary node-negative breast cancer -- the most common type of breast cancer. Of those, 6,711 had a mid-range recurrence score of 11-25 and were randomly assigned to receive hormone therapy alone or hormone therapy and chemotherapy.
The primary endpoint was disease-free survival, defined as recurrence of cancer in the breast, regional lymph nodes and/or distant organs, a second primary cancer in the opposite breast or another organ, or death from any cause.
At a median follow-up of 7.5 years, the study met its primary pre-specified endpoint indicating that hormone therapy alone was not less effective than chemotherapy plus hormone therapy in women with a Breast Recurrence Score of 11-25. Nine-year rates were similar in the two treatment arms for disease-free survival (83.3% vs. 84.3%), distant recurrence (94.5% vs. 95.0%), and overall survival (93.9% vs. 93.8%), indicating no benefit from adding chemotherapy to hormone therapy. Another important finding was identification of the group that did have some chemotherapy benefit – women 50 years or younger who had a Breast Recurrence Score of 16-25.
The researchers also found that women with a recurrence score of 10 or less had very low recurrence rates with hormone therapy alone, irrespective of age or other clinical factors. In addition, those with a recurrence score of 26 or higher had a distant recurrence rate of 13% despite chemotherapy and hormone therapy, indicating the need to develop more effective therapies for this group.
This study received funding primarily from the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. Additional support was provided by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Komen Foundation, and the U.S. Postal Service Breast Cancer Stamp. The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group designed and conducted the study.


2d3 Sensing, a leading provider of imaging intelligence solutions for the Processing, Exploitation and Dissemination ("PED") of critical intelligence imagery, has been acquired by Insitu, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA). 2d3 Sensing specializes in motion imagery PED of critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data generated from aerial manned and unmanned platforms. Its software and services are used by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, UK MoD's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and other government and commercial customers. 2d3 Sensing's products can be found on the Insitu ScanEagle and Integrator UAV systems. The acquisition will allow further integration of 2d3 Sensing's video analysis and other capabilities into Insitu and other Boeing platforms.
2d3 Sensing is a wholly owned subsidiary of OMG plc (London: OMG.L) and is headquartered in Irvine, California with offices in San Mateo, California and the United Kingdom.
Philpott Ball & Werner, LLC served as the exclusive financial advisor to OMG plc and 2d3 Sensing. Please contact Nick Berry, PB&W Managing Director (nberry@pbandw.com) for more information about this transaction.


Just remember, this too shall pass:-) what consignment sale are you doing..email me!
Where is the consignment sale???
I have felt this way a lot this year. Sometimes I have no idea what to write about and wonder why anyone would want to read my blog and other times I have tons I want to write about but no time to get online. I find it hard enough keeping up with others and feel like such a bad blogger.
Recently Tim and I decided I should return to work and let him drop his hours if possible as I have better career prospects than him. And I wonder how I'll ever fit everything in when I barely manage it being a SAHM. And then I think being a SAHM with no family nearby means I rarely get an hour to myself. If I work at least my lunchbreak will be free... And I'm sure I'll have so much I want to blog about then.


text:
Q: rspec helper.stub doesn't work I'm developing Rails 3.1.1, Ruby 1.9.2 and testing with Rspec2.
Stubbing in helper doesn't work.
users_helper_spec.rb
require 'spec_helper'

describe UsersHelper do
  describe 'test' do
    before do
      helper.stub(:val).and_return('this is test')
    end

    it 'returns val' do
      test.should eql 'this is test'
    end
  end
end

user_helper.rb
module UsersHelper
  def test
    return val
  end
end

error
1) UsersHelper test test
   Failure/Error: test.should eql 'this is test'
   NameError:
     undefined local variable or method `val' for #<RSpec::Core::ExampleGroup::Nested_15::Nested_1:0x007f9ad5f42a50>
   # ./app/helpers/users_helper.rb:3:in `test'
   # ./spec/helpers/users_helper_spec.rb:10:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

Stubbing in controller and view works properly, but in helper it doesn't work.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.

A: I've solved.
require 'spec_helper'

describe UsersHelper do
  describe 'test' do
    before do
      helper.stub(:val).and_return('this is test')
    end

    it 'returns val' do
      helper.test.should eql 'this is test'
      # helper. is required.
    end
  end
end

helper.test works fine.
#199: Can't stub method calls in helpers - Issues - rspec/rspec-rails - GitHub

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
New Denon headphones offer improved sound and iPhone control
Remote control headphones give voice and music control of Apple iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 2G
Denon has introduced its first set of headphones with a remote control and microphone for use with Apple iPhones and iPods.
The new Denon AH-C560R (£99.99) and AH-C260R (£44.99) in-ear models have been designed with simple 'one-touch' iPhone/iPod compatiblity, providing users with voice and music control.
Both feature a three-button remote control/mic that is compatible with Apple Voice Control for the iPhone 3GS, iPod Touch 2G and the latest generation Shuffle. They also control the Apple iPad.
A newly developed hybrid (metal and plastic combined with Elastomer) housing ensures a "clean sound", says Denon, and a Radial Cascade Damper reduces noise and interference from touched cables.
Also included with both models are multiple sizes of ear tips, extension cables and ear clips to ensure a comfortable fit. The AH-C560R gets a soft-foam earpiece for extra comfort.
The AH-C560R and AH-C260R will be available in black from July. They will be joined by the non-remote control AH-C260, available in silver and black for £24.99.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Please don't follow this Mac, Veggie and Cheese Casserole recipe.
Well, sure, I'd like you to try to make a tasty casserole for your family too. But one key to budget friendly meals is to use everything. Casseroles are a great way to use up various veggies you have on hand. In this one, we give a starring role to leek tops, an item that often gets thrown out. But sautéed with onions, garlic and other veggies available, they can be pretty tasty!
Shrimp mac and cheese. Baked mac and cheese is one of my favourite winter treats. This isn't just because of the luxurious cheese-sauce, but because this basic dish is an amazing canvas for flavours. The classic noodle and cheese-sauce combination doesn't really maximize the nutritional potential of this dish, so I'm always mixing up different cheeses, vegetables, meats and grains.


text:
LifeInTheGrey PM
My Stories . Bio Fav: Stories . Authors
My Stories 13
Life Happens » Cassandra is Layla's foster sister and has been for several years. They are about to start high school together and their lives are about change forever as they start to become their heroes they were born to be.
Sky High, T, English, Adventure & Friendship, chapters: 2, words: 10k+, favs: 19, follows: 24, updated: 1/4/2018 published: 12/16/2017, Layla W., Magenta, Warren P., OC
Rain on the Soul Rangiku remembers a friend during a terrible rainstorm.
Bleach, T, English, Friendship & Hurt/Comfort, words: 2k+, favs: 2, follows: 2, 10/12/2017, G. Ichimaru, R. Matsumoto, OC
2 Rain Rangiku is missing an old friend.
Bleach, K+, English, Friendship & Hurt/Comfort, words: 1k+, favs: 1, follows: 2, 2/2/2017, G. Ichimaru, R. Matsumoto, OC
6Whole Heart » Kazu is a young girl born in the Soul Society, Her journey has just begun and she is completely unaware of choices she will have to make. Standing on the edge of two equally dangerous paths she must decide which one to take.
Bleach, T, English, Drama & Friendship, chapters: 3, words: 14k+, favs: 6, follows: 11, updated: 11/8/2016 published: 10/24/2016, G. Ichimaru, J. Ukitake, Shinji H., OC
5 Fly Away Home They always told her to stay way from Shinigami but never why. Maybe if she had known why she would have listened to them. Tonight she would not come home or maybe tonight she is finally going home.
Bleach, T, English, Tragedy & Hurt/Comfort, words: 6k+, favs: 4, follows: 5, 4/24/2016, K. Urahara, Yoruichi S., Shinji H., OC
3Family Is Forever » Eshima was just a girl from District 80. She knew only gore, loss and agony. They swoop her up into their lifestyle. Will she accept this new status she has been given or continue down the path that will lead her own demise?
Bleach, T, English, Family & Tragedy, chapters: 2, words: 5k+, favs: 5, follows: 4, updated: 3/29/2016 published: 3/24/2016, Kaien S., Ganju S., Kukaku S., OC
Pandora's Hope An article in the Daily Prophet gives Pandora hope. She finally had something she would risk everything for. She knew she had been right. She just had to prove it. She might be able to be with her family again.
Harry Potter, T, English, Family & Hurt/Comfort, words: 2k+, favs: 1, follows: 1, 12/16/2015, Luna L., OC, Xenophilius L., Mrs. Lovegood
8Changing Seas » Lily and James Potter were not immune to the war. With a possible divorce on the horizon, life for the Potters will never be the same. James never thought he would be a single parent of two kids and have his niece enter into the picture. The daughter of the sister he thought was dead. How much of this storm can James sail through alone? Is he really alone? See inside.
Harry Potter, T, English, Family & Drama, chapters: 5, words: 23k+, favs: 19, follows: 30, updated: 12/16/2015 published: 11/24/2015, Harry P., James P., Lily Evans P., OC
Sacrifices Marcus McKinnon let the wizarding world think he was dead. He ran to protect his daughter and change her fate. Leaving his daughter with her mother was the hardest choice he ever made. He regretted that choice more than any other choice he had ever made. He had to find her. She was all he had. One-shot. Mild swearing.
Harry Potter, T, English, Family & Hurt/Comfort, words: 1k+, 12/3/2015, OC
10Sunshine and Daises » Tom Riddle was captured and put in Azkaban after he killed his father. Harry Potter is just a normal wizard. However, nothing is ever that easy. Live always throws in a few lemons. Having the surprise of her sister dumping her daughter and son at Lily's doorstep was one of those moments but sometimes the most sudden forks in the road turn out to be the best possible. AU.
Harry Potter, T, English, Family & Adventure, chapters: 3, words: 10k+, favs: 26, follows: 40, updated: 5/13/2015 published: 5/10/2015, Harry P., James P., Lily Evans P., OC
1Where Is Home? Wizarding America is very different from Wizarding United Kingdom. Several young recruit aurors have to travel between the two trying to decide if another global wizarding war is necessary. Along the way the way they meet young wizards and witches fallowing the blind. But first is the American Wizarding Tournament. One man retells his story to his eldest daughter.
Harry Potter, T, English, Adventure & Suspense, words: 10k+, favs: 1, 1/17/2015, James P., Lily Evans P., OC, Amelia B.
2 The Potters and the Philosopher's Stone Harry lives with his father's older cousin, Timothy, Timothy's wife, Cynthia, and Timothy's daughter, Samantha. Harry and Samantha are going into their first year at Hogwarts. Is Hogwarts prepared for two Potters? What will happen during their first year at Hogwarts? Discontinued
Harry Potter, T, English, Adventure & Friendship, words: 8k+, favs: 1, follows: 1, 5/24/2014, Harry P., Remus L., OC
5Final Request » It has been five years since the First War ended. The Potters, the Longbottoms, the Blacks and Remus decide to take a trip to Salem, Massachusetts. The whole trip was so Lily, Marlene and Alice could find their friend Christina Chambers. Instead they find out disturbing news. The vacation turns into a quest to find out the truth. AU. Upper Teen rating at spots. ABANDONED.
Harry Potter, T, English, Adventure & Friendship, chapters: 3, words: 13k+, favs: 2, follows: 4, updated: 6/30/2013 published: 6/22/2013, Lily Evans P., Alice L., Frank L., Marauders
All CategoryBleach (5)Harry Potter (7)Sky High (1) Sort: Updated Sort: Pub Date Sort: Title Sort: Words Sort: Reviews


text:
A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow volume 3 - I'm still not sure about this series (Manga Review)
A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow vol. 3 - 5/10 (*see full scoring rubric below)
I'm still not sure about "A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow" as a series. Volume 3 (Viz) only added to that slight unease. I can't quite put my finger on why, but something about it just doesn't feel genuine to me. There are lots of types of yuri out there, I'm just still not sure what type this is and why it needs to be so hard to decipher.
There's a forced quality to the internal dialogue of the characters and there also seems to be a forced confusion about their feelings and what they want. It doesn't feel like the genuine confusion of whether they're gay or not, nor does it feel like the simpler confusion of "am I attracted to this person or not?"
I think if I had to sum it up, the whole thing feels like queer baiting, when there's no need for that. Just make it clear that the purpose of this series is that the girls realize they like girls and that they are in love with each other OR make it clear that the purpose is exploring deep friendship between girls and not about romantic feelings. Either is fine. But by not being clear which of those two paths the series will take, everything feels like baiting without sincerity. I don't have specific examples for that, it's just the general feeling I'm left with in each and every interaction in the three volumes, and volume 3 seems to really be that confused. I just feel like I'm being teased by this series. And not in a good way.
Looking at it, "A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow" is published by Viz and not the Shojo Beat imprint, so does that mean it's aimed more towards boys? It is serialized in a seinen magazine, so maybe that's part of it. Maybe it isn't meant to be an earnest look at the feelings of women for a female audience. Or maybe it is but the only place that would serialize it was a seinen magazine. So I don't know what the mangaka's intent was, but again, I feel slightly off-kilter while reading this series. That's not to say there aren't good points, but the good is tempered by that unease.
Anyway, volume 3 picks up at the festival when Konatsu asks Koyuki why she decided to talk to her in the first place before they were friends. Of course, there is no useful answer for Konatsu or the readers. Does Koyuki really not know or is she too shy to say or is this just a way of prolonging the series? Who knows?
Then we get a more-or-less filler chapter of Koyuki missing Konatsu while Konatsu is away on family business but there is no clarity on why or what type of "missing" Koyuki is feeling. The third chapter is about the sports festival and the theme is "friendship" and Konatsu trying to decide if that's how (or all) she sees Koyuki. The final chapter is preparations for the school festival and a whole lot of unnecessary lack of communication (which seems to be the thing most manga uses to make plot happen needlessly).
What can I say about this volume? Konatsu and Koyuki are friends. They seem to both have hints that they might see the other as more. They both seem to have hints that they want the other to be more. But they don't even think about that in any clear way. The writing of their internal dialogue is so oblique and nebulous as to be completely useless to the reader.
For example: "I'm scared of knowing more, but I can't help but wanting to know" or "She's wearing a pony tail?! She's wearing a pony tail...A pony tail..." (and we all know that pony tails on girls in manga means that the other person is attracted to them, right?!) or "We'll be together every day over summer vacation, won't we?"
Add to that the millions of facial expressions of nebulous emotions that could be interpreted in any number of ways and we just have no idea what they are ACTUALLY experiencing, only what we read into what we're given. That's where it feels like baiting, we're given such nebulous stuff that we can read anything we want into it rather than actually getting to know and understand these as real people with real feelings and experiences. Again, what type of story is this: a deep intimate friendship story or an eventual lovers story? Does it know, will it ever let us know, will it let the characters know, will it let the characters reveal it to me or will it just string us along until it ends without any clear resolution?
If I had my guess, the series will end with some sort of non-ending that doesn't really see them in an actual real intimate relationship but provides us "shippers" with plenty of bait to imagine what we want to imagine. If that's the case, then I say: "ptooey" (I felt old-timey today). Because so far it doesn't have nearly the deftness of skill at handling the deep intimate friendship connections of a series like Maria Watches Over Us, nor does it have the "trying to decide if I'm gay or not" of Akira's character in Sweet Blue Flowers, nor is it the overtly into girls of a "Girlfriends" or even "Nameless Asterism" (for all its other problems at least that series was clear that it was about girls who love other girls).
But there are good points.
1) The characters are nice to each other and kind. This isn't a story with antagonists. Also, the adults seem pretty well put together, so we don't get crazy psycho family drama. It's somewhere between slice of life, cute girls doing cute things cutely, and a romance drama. Of course, that "somewhere between" could be the problem. I think it needs to decide what it is. But at least everyone is nice.
2) There are some nice moments of writing in and amongst all the needlessly abstract internal dialogue. For example, Konatsu thinks to herself at one point after not hearing what she wants Koyuki to say that "maybe it's better not to know" - that if you ask directly, you may get an answer you don't like and living in hope can be better than being hurt with a definite answer. While I don't agree with that philosophy, it is exactly what many teenagers would think.
Another nice writing example is when Konatsu goes back to defend Koyuki to someone who sort of bad mouthed her. At first, Konatsu had let it happen and didn't speak up, but she felt guilty about that. Going back and saying something was a strong moment. And later, Koyuki is thinking about when she made up an excuse to leave Konatsu and Konatsu didn't stop her. Koyuki thinks to herself: "I wanted her to stop me from leaving." We all do that, we say one thing, say we're fine, but what we really want is for the other person to know what we need without actually telling them. Such a human thing to do, to want your partner to "just know" what you need even when you say the opposite.
3) The art is a bit cutesy for me, but it has some really interesting use of varied line thicknesses. Often the characters have thick lines around them, but even these aren't uniform width. It almost looks hand drawn, so even if done on computer, the mangaka is doing a nice job making sure that each line also varies in thickness internally as well as in comparison to other lines. There's also some very fine linework to complement the thicker lines. The linework overall helps the art be more interesting than it would otherwise. For example, the screentones are pretty restricted to just shades of gray. There are no sparkles. Much more like a seinen manga than a shoujo manga in that respect, bland really. Oh well, I'll have to get my sparkles elsewhere.
Basically, it's a wildly uneven volume for an uneven series. Volume three had four stories, each chapter being somewhat unrelated to the others, and they were fine, but nothing exciting. This is a series that should be about the complexity of the internal feelings exploration, but that just comes across as muddled. What are they working towards understanding? Even if they don't know, there is a lack of genuineness about it. It's almost as if (and I don't know anything about the mangaka) but it's almost as if the person writing this hasn't actually lived or felt any of the things they're writing about. It almost has the feeling of someone copying other types of yuri without genuinely understanding what makes the best yuri great (or honest).
A mixed bag is understating it. "A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow" (both the series and volume 3) still hasn't announced itself for what type of yuri it is. The emotions of the girls just don't feel genuine to me. There are small moments to like, but the whole is nebulous. Volume 3 gets a very mixed, so-so, and somewhat indecipherable 5/10.
*SCORING RUBRIC
BASIC SCORE:
Story interesting (0-10): 5 - not so much in this volume. We've seen fireworks festivals before, we've seen school festivals and sports meets too. And since those events aren't interesting, we need the character interactions to be too, but they aren't. They feel overly dramatic and under defined at the same time. It's just spinning to hook us, but only through tricks, not through real emotion.
Characters interesting (0-10): 5 - I still don't think we know them well and actually they seem to be drifting away from what made them unique in volume 1, they're getting more generic.
Quality prose/writing (0-10): 5 - there are some nice moments, including when Konatsu tricks Koyuki into a handshake and when Koyuki lets herself really feel how much she misses Konatsu while Konatsu is with her dad. BUT, most of the internal dialogue is so muddled and dithering as to be useless.
Emotionally plausible (0-10): 5 - who can say? It's not not plausible, but it isn't really anything to speak of either. We get that they're friends, that seems reasonable. We get that maybe they want to be more, but we're only given the smallest bread crumbs of that by reading between the lines - that's baiting.
BASIC SCORE (avg.): 5/10
BONUS POINTS:
Emotional insight/depth (0-5): 0 - nope, they're confused, we're confused about what they're confused about, the whole thing feels confused as to what type of yuri it even is.
True LGBTQ+ representation (0-5): 0 - nope, and I'm worried it won't be even as the story advances.
Female agency (0-5): 0 - everyone just goes about doing what they do in that slice of life way, not in any sort of taking the lead in their own life kind of way.
Character growth/change (0-5): 0 - only to the midline. They both seem to be getting blander and less unique as the series goes on.
Quality art (0-5): 1 - I do think the linework is pretty nice, but it's too cutesy for me, and very basic screentones just for grays, nothing awesome.
BONUS POINTS (sum/8): +0
PENALTY POINTS:
Homophobic/transphobic (0-5): 0
Misogynistic (0-5): 0 - but I'm tempted to say the whole series is because it doesn't feel genuinely like real girls/young women would think, feel, or behave. There's something off about it - it keeps making me feel like it's a man writing about women for men, but I think the mangaka is female, but the characters don't feel like real girls/young women.
Fan service (0-5): 0
Child/adult relationship (0-5): 0
Exploitative (0-5): 0 - only if you consider queer baiting to be exploitative. Wait, I do! I should take points away for it, but it's too early. Maybe the series will announce it's intentions eventually and then the baiting won't be baiting, but just foreshadowing - one can hope!
PENALTY POINTS (-sum/2): 0
FINAL SCORE: 5/10
Posted by Jaime at 5:01 PM
Labels: drama, manga, romance, seinen, yuri


THE LIFE OF MR. HUGH BINNING.
THE COMMON PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, CLEARLY PROVED, AND SINGULARLY IMPROVED; OR, A PRACTICAL CATECHISM.
THE SINNER'S SANCTUARY, OR, A DISCOVERY MADE OF THOSE GLORIOUS PRIVILEGES OFFERED UNTO THE PENITENT AND FAITHFUL UNDER THE GOSPEL: UNFOLDING THEIR FREEDOM FROM DEATH, CONDEMNATION, AND THE LAW, IN FORTY SERMONS ON THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.
A TREATISE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE.
SEVERAL SERMONS UPON THE MOST IMPORTANT SUBJECTS OF PRACTICAL RELIGION.
A treatise of the cohabitacyon of the faithfull with the vnfaithfull. Whereunto is added. A sermon made of the confessing of Christe and his gospell, and of the denyinge of the same.


Rollher United Conference presents pro inline skater Rosie O'Donoghue as she makes a quick trip through Texas. Met up with some of the local Las Cruces and El Paso skaters for a fun session. Thanks to Aarin for hosting in Dallas! Enjoyed being a tourist. Unfortunately this is where our car went through some issues making us reroute the tour to Arizona.


text:
Steve Conroy
JACKSONVILLE - Jimmy Johnson owns two Super Bowl rings and the Dallas Cowboys team he helped build from the ground up in the 1990s is in the pantheon of great clubs that includes the San Francisco 49ers of the '80s and Pittsburgh Steelers of the '70s.
So you'd think another coach would have to accomplish a few things to impress him, right? Well, listen to what the former coach and current Fox-TV analyst had to say about Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
``I think what Bill Belichick has done in the past four or five years may be the best coaching job of anybody in the history of the NFL," Johnson said this week at Alltel Stadium. ``I think it's so much more difficult to be this good in today's game because of the salary cap, free agency and player movement. You've got to get a team to play with new players every year. The dynasty teams you talk about - the Steelers, the Cowboys and 49ers - those teams were able to stay together for four or five years. Well, that doesn't happen in today's football. So that's why I think there's much more of a premium on coaching than there was years ago."
Johnson, who praised the guts it took for Belichick to release a popular player like Lawyer Milloy, got an up-close glimpse of the way Belichick works a few years ago when the Pats coach paid a visit to his South Florida home.
``He is on top of everything," Johnson said. ``He came down three years ago and he had some extra picks in the draft. So we fish and relax and had a couple of cold ones. Then after a while, he said, `Let's talk about this draft.' He said, `You had a great team back when,' and he named off a bunch of linemen, `but your team was so good you couldn't keep them. I don't want to get into that.'
``I got to thinking, he knew more about my drafts than I did. He had prepared himself so well to talk about this draft . . . then last year, he wanted to talk about contracts. He covers all the bases."
As much admiration as he has for Belichick, Johnson didn't fall into the trap of believing he's doing it all with mirrors.
``They've got a lot of good players. Extremely good players," Johnson said. ``You've got a great quarterback (Tom Brady) and a great running back (Corey Dillon), you've got outstanding players up and down the lineup. And it's not only the (starting) 22. One thing that Belichick and Scott Pioli have been able to do is get the players.
``Troy Aikman and Daryl Johnston used to laugh at me when I would say, `I want the guy that, when he's on the golf course, he'll make that 8-foot putt.' We all know them. And we all know guys that are going to miss it every time. And the Patriots have so many guys, clutch players like (Adam) Vinatieri, (Tedy) Bruschi, guys that maybe don't measure up in size and speed, but they make the great plays.
``Joe Montana had it. Joe Montana didn't have the great arm or the great speed, but he made the clutch plays. And New England has a lot of those players."


text:
BFP-7 declares fire out
By: Nestle Semilla January 08,2018 - 05:43 PM
CEBU CITY—The fire that gutted Metro department store in Ayala Center Cebu has finally been put out, more than two days after the blaze broke out on Friday night.
Senior Supt. Samuel Tadeo, Bureau of Fire Protection in Central Visayas (BFP-7) director, declared a fire out in Metro Ayala at 4:18 p.m. on Monday.
"It took time for us to declare a fire out because we wanted to make sure that even the smallest embers inside the building had been put out," said Tadeo.
He, however, said at least two fire trucks would be still be placed on stand by at Metro Ayala just in case the fire might rekindle.
Tadeo said the BFP investigators and personnel had also gone since the burnt structure and made an inspection.
He also talked to the management and tenants of Ayala Center Cebu that they could start the cleanup and then the operation since the fire had been put out in the adjacent Metro Ayala.
Fire broke out from the stockroom of the toys section on the 3rd floor of Metro Ayala at 9:48 p.m. on Friday. Since then, firefighters from as far as Danao City in the north and Carcar City in the south responded and worked nonstop to put out the fire.
Sto. Niño devotees urged to deepen spirituality


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This new twist on your favourite fritter is like a banana churro - delicious!
Put milk and butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and cook until boiling. Add flour and sugar. Cook, stirring, until mixture comes away from sides of pan.
2 minutes or until steam subsides. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating constantly until smooth. Fold in banana.
Spoon batter into a piping bag fitted with a large star-shaped nozzle. Heat vegetable oil in a large deep frying pan over a high heat until temperature reaches 180°C on a cook's thermometer. Pipe 15cm lengths of batter into oil and cook for 2 minutes or until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel, then dust with cinnamon sugar. Serve with lime wedges, berries and double cream.


The GLP focuses on developing pupil's knowledge and understanding of global challenges through subject-based learning in key curriculum areas. It helps pupils to think critically about the issues, and develop skills and values as they consider actions that they and others can take to overcome them.
As an Expert Centre, Torriano Primary School is acting as a hub to provide local, peer-led training and support for teachers in our partner schools. This will involve hosting half-termly support meetings to help them to identify each school's particular training priorities and access the most appropriate professional development through the GLP website to meet their needs.
The Global Learning Programme is funded by the Department for International Development and is managed by a consortium of leading global learning and educational organisations: Pearson (lead), Geographical Association, Institute of Education, Oxfam UK, Royal Geographical Society, SSAT and Think Global. The programme runs from 2013 to 2017.


text:
'Dr. Doom' sees correction risk, not crash for Canadian housing
Leah Schnurr
Reuters February 25, 2014
People work at a construction site in Vancouver, British Columbia June 20, 2011. REUTERS/Jason Lee
By Leah Schnurr
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's housing market is at risk of a meaningful correction, Nouriel Roubini said on Monday, though the economist known as "Dr. Doom" for his often gloomy forecasts said he was not predicting a crash.
Roubini also said the value of the Canadian dollar is too strong, noting the challenge that poses to the manufacturing sector, and suggested the Bank of Canada should use more aggressive monetary policy to weaken the loonie.
Roubini, who is credited with predicting the collapse of the housing market in the United States and the ensuing financial crisis, pointed to a number of housing markets that are showing signs of "frothiness, if not an outright bubble," including Canada, the United Kingdom and parts of China.
While he highlighted the high level of household debt as an area of concern in Canada, he acknowledged there are many differences between Canada's housing market and the one that collapsed south of the border, including the excessive use of subprime mortgages in the United States and stronger banks in Canada.
"I'm not predicting a crash, but certainly a meaningful correction could occur and that would be something that could of course dampen the economy that is already growing moderately," said Roubini, chairman of Roubini Global Economics and an economics professor at New York University's Stern School of Business.
The Bank of Canada faces the same dilemma as other central banks around the world, which is that policymakers are wary of raising interest rates too soon before economic growth has set in, Roubini said. However, low rates and extraordinarily accommodative monetary policies may eventually lead to asset bubbles, he said in a speech to a Toronto business group.
Roubini said that the Canadian economy overall was doing "OK, not exceptional" and forecast growth of around 2.3 percent to 2.4 percent this year, with a slightly higher pace next year.
"I would say if your currency was 10 percent weaker, that would help manufacturing," said Roubini.
To achieve that, he suggested the Bank of Canada could commit to keep rates low for longer or adopt an easing bias.
"It might not be conventional wisdom, but at the margin, I would say, keeping your currency weaker right now, it's important."
Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty shrugged off Roubini's prescription for a weaker currency.
"I think he's talking about monetary policy and the role of the Bank of Canada, and not fiscal policy. So I'm not going to get into that. I'll leave it to the governor (of the central bank)," Flaherty said in an interview with Reuters in Melbourne, Australia.
Asked if he would characterize the Canadian dollar as overvalued, Flaherty said: "I wouldn't characterize it in any way other than it's a market currency. The market decides where the dollar sits."
In the wide-ranging interview, Flaherty also indicated little immediate concern with the state of the housing market.
Canada's central bank has a mandate to target the inflation rate and officials have said it is up to the market to set the currency's level.
But the Canadian dollar has weakened since the Bank of Canada took a more dovish shift in policy, leaving the door open to a cut in interest rates.
(Additional reporting by Louise Egan in Melbourne; Editing by Jeffrey Hodgson, Jonathan Oatis and Eric Walsh)
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text:
Napa's new Aldea CEO comes from a "family of public service"
By MARIA SESTITO
Kerry Ahearn was always taught to help the less fortunate. In fact, she said, she comes from a family of public service.
Her father was a social worker and her mother was a superintendent. Ahearn, a mother of two and Boston-native, has been working in social services for more than 20 years, mostly working with children and families.
As of December, Ahearn has been doing this type of work in Napa and Solano counties as the CEO of Aldea Children & Family Services, which provides behavioral health services, substance abuse treatment programs and foster care to the community.
Ahearn most recently served as the director of children and family services for San Mateo County Human Services Agency, but previously was the regional director of Victor Community Support Services, a nonprofit similar to Aldea, for nearly five years. And, she says, she is excited to be working in nonprofit again, especially in Napa County, where agencies appear to collaborative and the community is supportive.
"I've heard of Aldea while working in the field," Ahearn said. "I heard it had a very good reputation."
Not much about Aldea needs changing, Ahearn said. Going forward, the nonprofit's leadership will focus on continuing its already successful programs while also trying to expand its community partnerships.
Aldea recently cancelled one of its Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Program, which provided personal assistant-like care and supportive services to 32 developmentally disabled adults, due to state funding cuts. The services that Aldea provided, though, will be replaced with other similar services by agencies who specialize in that kind of care, Ahearn said.
Despite the funding cuts, Ahearn is optimistic about the future of Aldea and its ongoing support from community partners like the Napa Valley Vintners.
The biggest challenge for nonprofits and in human services is supporting staff, Ahearn said.
"Many times, they are working with a very traumatized population, so there's a real need for them to be able to take care of themselves so that they're not experiencing burnout." The cost of living, especially in the Bay Area doesn't help, she said. "We can't pay as much as the county – we don't pay as much as Kaiser."
Ahearn said that Aldea tries to make up for the discrepancy in other ways by providing them with flexible schedules, providing training and opportunities for professional growth.
"There's a lot of things that Aldea does to make sure that people get what they need," Ahearn added.
Aldea provides mental health treatment and substance abuse treatment for youth and families, helps provide a safe space for youth survivors of sexual abuse, and provides foster care services as well as follow-up case management and transitional housing to formerly fostered youth.
"The SOAR program is really a feather in our cap," Ahearn said, adding that the program, Supportive Outreach & Access to Resources (SOAR), supports early detection and treatment of psychosis in young adults.
"The outcome and trajectory are amazing," Ahearn said.
By treating people early, she said, their ability to be positive community members and have a well-rounded life really increases.
Aldea is able to provide people with wrap-around services in addition to "state of the art" interventions, Ahearn said. Services can be catered to an individual's needs, she said, citing one case involving a very anxious teenager who had never been able to really play as a child and how drama therapy and improvisation helped him "learn to laugh again."
While the number of people their working with has declined, Ahearn said, the needs of these clients are much greater.
"I think the needs of our families have changed because our area has gotten so expensive," Ahearn said. "Families have gotten very stressed – they have multiple jobs, little or no access to healthcare, and are having a difficult time meeting their needs."
That's why, she says, Aldea and other community organizations are trying to make getting help easier on families.
"We're making it a priority to work with families within the community rather than having them come to us," she said. That means more outreach and education in schools, setting up home visits, being out in the community more and partnering with UpValley Family Centers.
"We want to make sure that they have access to our services," Ahearn said. "When they can't come to us, we'll come to them."
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Edwin M. Yamauchi, "The Archaeological Background of Esther," Bibliotheca Sacra 137 (April-June 1980), 101.
 Sandra Beth Berg, The Book of Esther: Motifs, Themes, and Structure, Society of Biblical Literature and Dissertation Series 44 (Missoula, MT: Scholars Press, 1979), 2.
 Karen H. Jobes, Esther, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), 37.


Everyday people can be found shopping or contemplating shopping. With the non-stop supply of new products coming to a store near you wouldn't it be nice to know what you're getting before you commit? That's where we come in. We are a group of moms who aim to help you make smart purchasing decisions before stepping into the store.
On Parent Palace you'll find reviews on new products as well as products that have been around for a while. We'll always give our honest opinions being sure to point out the negative along with the positive. In today's economy knowing what to spend your hard-earned money on and what to avoid is more important than ever.
We know there's more to life than shopping, that's why we also aim to give you tips and solutions to help you make it through this thing called parenthood. Along with these tips we also share our favorite recipes and craft ideas.
Send us an e-mail to say hi, or if you'd like to work with us!
Amber is a stay at home mom from Virginia. She can be found living each day to its fullest whether it's chasing kids around the house, on the beach or in a store. Her passions include shopping, cooking, photography and home decorating – in no particular order. She's a firm believer in taking time to smell the roses and that if your kids aren't driving you crazy something is wrong. Amber can also be found writing on her food blog.
Kecia is a WAHM, blogger, and writer from North Georgia. She is the mother of an almost three year old boy and is expecting her second (and final!) child in December 2013. She enjoys blogging, bowling, watching movies, and reading. A devoted mom and wife, family means a lot to Kecia, and she enjoys sharing her parenting experiences with the world at Southern Girl Ramblings!
Jessie is a newlywed mom of two, with a passion for photography, a love of baking, and a huge soft spot for all animals. She can be found blogging her way through parenthood and life in general on MomVantage.
Melissa has a husband named Mike and an 8 year old daughter named Melody. She has many pets and works as an animal care giver parttime outside of the home. She is also a part time teacher of 5th grade religious Education. Melissa loves blogging about great products, family life, pet care, diy ideas, and recipes. As you can see, she doesn't just enjoy a few things a little, She loves several things a lot!


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Home / courts / U.S. Supreme Court will consider Arizona redistricting appeal
U.S. Supreme Court will consider Arizona redistricting appeal
By: Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services	August 5, 2014
The U.S. Supreme Court could announce at its first public session of the year in October whether state lawmakers will get to redraw Arizona's congressional lines.
The justices have agreed to discuss on Sept. 29 a bid by the Legislature to void a provision of a 2000 voter-approved measure giving power to set the lines to the Independent Redistricting Commission. That is a closed-door conference.
That, however, sets the stage for a decision a week later when, according to tradition, the high court convenes on the first Monday in October. And attorney Mary O'Grady, who represents the commission, said the justices could simply decide at that time, without further discussion, to affirm – or void – a lower court ruling on who has authority to craft congressional districts for 2016 and beyond.
The implications of either are significant.
A ruling summarily overturning the lower court would pave the way for the Republican-controlled Legislature to re-divide the state, but this time in a manner more favorable to the GOP. And that likely would alter the current 5-4 split between Democrat and Republican members of the U.S. House.
But affirming the lower court leaves the decision in the hands of the commission – and leaves the lines where they are through at least the 2020 election.
And it all could turn on the question of exactly who in Arizona is the "Legislature."
Until 2000, state lawmakers had crafted the lines for both legislative and congressional races. That often resulted in districts designed to give the majority party and its candidates an advantage.
That year, voters gave both jobs to a newly created five-member commission amid arguments it would reduce the effect of politics.
As required by law, new districts were crafted following the 2010 census and the state got another seat in the U.S. House. But Republican legislative leaders did not express concern – or file suit – until the first congressional race after that, which resulted in Democrats getting five of those nine seats.
Their legal argument is centered on that question of legislative authority.
In legal briefs, House staff attorney Peter Gentala pointed out to the justices that the Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution spells out that "the times, places and manner of elections for senators and representatives shall be prescribed in each state by the Legislature thereof." He said that means the lawmakers elected by voters – and not the commission.
But a majority of a three-judge panel which heard the case in Phoenix concluded it's not that simple.
U.S. District Judge Murray Snow, who wrote that majority ruling, said the term "legislature" refers not to the 90 members but to the entire lawmaking process of the state.
"Since its inception, the Arizona Constitution has reserved the initiative power to its people," Snow wrote. That includes the power of voters to make their own laws and state constitutional provisions.
In this case, the judge wrote, voters used that power to create the Independent Redistricting Commission.
"In fulfilling its function of establishing congressional and legislative districts, the IRC is acting as a legislative body under Arizona law," Snow said.
Put simply, the judge said, the voters decided that, for purposes of redistricting, the commission is the legislature. And he said voters had the right to do that.
O'Grady said legal precedent is on the commission's side. She said federal courts, looking at the Elections Clause, has never ruled that only the elected legislators are empowered to draw boundaries.
Any ruling comes too late to help state House Speaker Andy Tobin who is hoping to become the Republican nominee for Congress from CD1. Whoever survives that race will face off against incumbent Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick.
Arizona congressional boundaries redistricting U.S. Supreme Court 5:37 pm Tue, August 5, 2014 Arizona Capitol Times
Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services
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Regents file bar complaint against Brnovich
By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services
Rep. David Cook's HB 2581 swaps incumbent petitions for $250
E-Qual updates flummoxing 2022 candidates
Kavanagh proposes bill banning HOA mandates for real grass
Legislators propose revisit, repeal of vacation rental regulation ban
IN THIS ARTICLE: Why she's running out of home district, appearance at Trump rally, election security and navigating Republican challengers An Apache Junction lawmaker who ...


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On Tuesday night, Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk finally revealed the long-anticipated Model X SUV to hundreds gathered in a Fremont warehouse. Only a lucky handful got their keys and drove the $132,000 electric vehicle away. But the longing for the rest of the 20,000 people on the waiting list for both models of the luxury crossover is not quite over. The company did not publicly release a delivery date for the next shipment. Musk touted the new vehicle's vast windshield, advanced air-filtering system and many safety features.
The Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash jackets (a $1,475 nubuck leather and a $375 blue twill baseball-style, respectively) re-create garments the two wore beside a piano at Sun Records with Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins on Dec, 4, 1956, the day the Million Dollar Quartet was born, There are a few other notable things that set the Phoenix Project apart from a traditional e-commerce kmart ballet shoes venture, One is the availability, Most garments are being offered in runs of 150 to 300, Pieces can only be purchased via pre-order, and customers are required to plunk down 50 percent upfront and then wait four to eight weeks for delivery..
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After last week's Cher extravaganza, this week was pared to the bone kmart ballet shoes with no opening number except for short dances by each of the couples — with viewers urged to vote for their favorite on Twitter, But I won't keep you waiting to find out who was sent packing — it was a huge shock and sets up an interesting semifinal next week, After Corbin Bleu and Karina Smirnoff, Jack Osbourne and Cheryl Burke, Amber Riley and Derek Hough, and Leah Remini and Tony Dovolani were declared safe to dance next week, host Tom Bergeron said Elizabeth Berkley Lauren and Val Chmerkovskiy, and Bill Engvall and Emma Slater were in jeopardy, Then, as Emma wiped tears from her cheeks and Bill put on a brave face, poof! Elizabeth and Val were eliminated from the competition and the audience booed its opinion..
Many of the school's 50 preschool and 90 elementary school students were on hand for the dedication. The ones who weren't missed Philip Laidlaw, a member of the Sheriff's Pipes and Drums band, wearing a kilt and playing the bagpipes. They didn't get the chance to dance around singing "The Time Warp," from "The Rocky Horror Show," a musical that'll be 65 years old the next time the capsule sees sunlight. It's worth mentioning that while Mulberry School has been around since 1963, it's been at its current campus only since 2004. So if the school moves again in the next quarter-century, I hope someone remembers to dig up the time capsule and put it in the moving truck.
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text:
Tariq Khan HI(M) September 14, 2021 September 16, 2021
"You can sway a thousand men by appealing to their prejudices quicker than you can convince one man by logic."
— Robert A Heinlein.
The United States decided to withdraw from Afghanistan against the backdrop of growing ground resistance. Frustrated with an environment not willing to be tamed, Washington finally lost patience. However, the decision was a political, not a military one. There is a lot of evidence to suggest this, but the perception now is that the United States has 'lost the war' and been defeated by the Taliban. As this perception of a US defeat builds up, another supporting one is also developing — that Pakistan is providing safe havens to the Taliban and alone is the basis of their successes. Pakistan can bend over backwards and deny such claims, but our own pseudo-intellectuals and armchair warriors themselves eagerly contradict the establishment's position. It is too difficult for them to understand that Pakistan does not have the resources — the capacity to fund and direct a proxy war at this scale. An odd incident brought on record involving some junior operator in some far-flung area, carried away by his importance, offering money or access to an individual Taliban, is quoted to lend strategic substance to this theory. In Pakistan, it has become the custom to take an exception and present it as the rule. Many of us do this to accrue two minutes of fame, or because in such contradictory and accusatory behaviour, there is some benefit. Conspiracies and rumours rule the moment, while any logic and reasoning are set aside to develop false perceptions to satisfy a predetermined position. These perceptions are then promptly quoted by the likes of Christine Fair and Hussain Haqqani with enthusiasm, authority and cross references to paint Pakistan as the devil.
Taliban fighters take control of the Afghan presidential palace in Kabul after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
The ground reality is, however, different. In almost every engagement, the Taliban were outnumbered by the Afghan National Army (ANA) by five to six times, which implies that normally about 200 militants would take on at least 1,000 soldiers. Two Afghan Army Chiefs were sacked. There must be some reason that they were served marching orders. Nevertheless, how does ANA's poor performance in the battlefield and eventual collapse involve Pakistan? Was Pakistan instrumental in motivating or influencing the ANA to lay down arms?
The Afghan Army and Police were organised as a force of 450,000 personnel, including police, which was backed by armoured vehicles, artillery and air force. This force was supposedly trained to combat terrorism and insurgency. Yet, a force not bigger than 85,000 militants at the most — carrying small arms, mortars and rocket launchers — swept across Afghanistan as if it was a cakewalk.
How does Pakistan fit into this equation or be held responsible for the ANA's dismal performance? With all that went on in Afghanistan, what became clear was that with all the reverses and downright failures, everyone was blamed except the United States, the ANA, the Afghan Police and Khad. No inquiry or investigation ever pointed a figure at the disappointment and catastrophe they caused, nor were any corrective measures suggested. It was always business as usual. The consequences of shifting blame elsewhere, shirking responsibility and failing to hold any accountability came full circle now — with the ground reality screaming accusations against the very accusers who were in search of scapegoats. However, since Pakistan is blamed for failures by others and having been intimately involved with this 'War against Terror,' I felt it my duty to highlight some of the reasons for the collapse of the US-backed Kabul regime and the Taliban successes:
Corruption. A report prepared by John F. Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction, titled 'The state of corruption in Afghanistan and the role of independent institutions,' was a webinar event held on June 24, 2020. According to the report, resources were misappropriated and misused, which involved American contractors as well. If corruption takes on a lead role, ownership, loyalty and integration of that institution or organisation is always questionable. Corruption destroyed governance and people suffered injustices and were often victims of parochialism, ethnic or tribal preferences. Hamid Karzai and his family were involved in corruption right from the top, and as such no organisation could ever take root.
Narcotics. Drug production grew under the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) watch, from zero production to a $ 2.2 billion Afghan share of the revenue. This in turn threw up a culture of its own that was highly decentralised and a law unto itself. In fact, many of the ISAF personnel were corrupted by this as well. This broke down the rule of law. Some people were more equal than others. Ashraf Ghani and his relatives posted people of their liking, and who were useful to them, and as such every post became questionable, designed to facilitate illicit trade and narcotics. Lucrative business has an appeal that commands loyalty of another kind.
Ghani and his relatives posted people of their liking and who were useful to them and as such every post became questionable, designed to facilitate illicit trade and narcotics. Lucrative business has an appeal that commands loyalty of another kind.
The Coalition refused to have its logistics contracted out to NLC, and instead used private contractors. Most of these haulage contractors were Taliban sympathisers. It was an indirect way to pay for the protection of goods along the lines of communication. The Taliban benefited by pocketing money as well as some military stores that they could pilferage. No wonder that Karkhano Bazar in Peshawar and Wesh in Chaman remained stocked with US military equipment for sale.
Some issues that ISAF could have handled better:
ISAF was a coalition of many countries that never really worked out how they could operate across the combat spectrum. Some of the issues that plagued cooperation were: Unified command was always an issue. Separate countries had separate caveats governing their operations. Logistics was a confusing activity, especially when no NATO country had individually signed any agreement with Pakistan for the passage.
ISAF resorted to garrisoning troops and thus controlled a town, village or a locality, but not the rural spaces. The Taliban enjoyed freedom of movement and liberty of action, which ISAF did not.
ISAF kept rotating troops every year and never really allowed their leadership to get acquainted with terrain, the resistance or the intelligence. This disrupted combat contiguity. They depended upon the Northern Alliance for such information who often misled them into attacking Pakistani troops and positions, as in Salala, rather than targeting the real threat.
The ANA. One cannot build an army in four years. It takes at least 12 to 15 years to make a commanding officer. Here some Einstein thought up this very silly notion that collecting a mob and arming them would do for an army. What's worse is that everyone believed this was possible. There were numerous times when we, during our interaction, warned the Americans that this was a no-go. That the arms and equipment would soon be in Taliban hands. No one would see reason; after all, we were the bad guys and were never to be believed. Here are some facts that need to be noted:
The recruitment of soldiers in the ANA was open-ended, and any drug addict or street criminal could enrol.
The ANA lacked leadership. This was because of accelerated promotions, poor selection, corruption and lack of merit.
Training was a missing factor, and the soldiers remained green. The ANA was incapable of operating without supervision.
Because of the overall environment and an unpopular government, the army lacked motivation. It had a low morale and was not supported by the people.
V. Finally, the ANA were quick to surrender or join the Taliban, swelling their ranks, even though they were not respected as fighters. This phenomenon has become a source of recruitment, fresh armaments and supplies for the Taliban. Besides, the freeing of prisoners by the Taliban made a huge resource available to them from among the grateful inmates.
The sudden Taliban sweep in military terms led to 'dilution of effort in space,' which is explained in plain terms as an overreach. For any professional army, it would not take too long to exploit such a dilution and conduct limited counter attacks in selected areas with overwhelming superiority in men and resources at selected critical points. This never happened because contrary to the common belief, the Taliban enjoy a degree of popularity among the common people, which the ANA did not. Thus movement, sustained presence and intelligence gathering became more and more difficult for the ANA as compared to the Taliban.
The situation shocked the United States, and its sidekick, the United Kingdom.
As the Taliban took over cities and towns without any real opposition, the US and its allies released a press statement that they were considering deploying 3,000 troops. So that turned out to be more of a thrasonical brag than a reality — a desperate hope that such an announcement would stem the Taliban Blitz, which eventually led them to takeover Kabul without a fight. After all, why would the evacuation of a few Americans and Britons need 3,000 troops when safe passage had already been agreed to and had been successfully negotiated at Doha? Was it visualised that this evacuation would be a product of a blazing exchange of gunfire and chaos? Or was the proposed deployment a ditch effort by the US and its allies to reverse the idea of withdrawal, sending in the 3,000 troops as an advanced body of more to come?
Taliban fighters patrol in Kabul.
If that had happened, it would have meant extending the foreign occupation of Afghanistan. But it was just a warning to the Taliban to convince them to negotiate. And as it turned out, a sort of negotiated outline was agreed upon, including the stepping down of Ashraf Ghani, and Abdullah ceasing to hold office, but being retained as a negotiator. But that deal never got implemented.
And as a result, the Taliban are back in the saddle in Afghanistan, but no one in their right mind would agree with their views on governance or their human rights record. However, that is for the people of Afghanistan to address and others must avoid getting involved in something that is Afghanistan's internal affair. Nevertheless, a Taliban Government in place, which, regardless of all their assurances to the contrary, will almost surely apply harsh laws, impacting negatively on the emancipation of women and forcing Afghan society to follow their obscurantist manner of life, will stand up as an example all over.
The general view will be argued that when divinity is on your side, success is around the corner. After all the argument goes, that is how a rag-tag army with the help of God Almighty defeated the world. Ergo, the conclusion: if they could, why can't we too do the same? It's a powerful argument and it will unfold in Pakistan before it unfolds anywhere else.
SSG Adam Sokolowski explains sight adjustments
to an Afghan National Army soldier on the firing
range at the Kabul Military Training Center.
Pakistan is a soft country where fundamentalism and extreme thinking comes into play. Society is already swayed by ideological rhetoric and is susceptible to mob influence. Governments lack the political will to enforce the law and the administration allows space to such extremists. Today, Islamabad is flooded with madrassas and Mullah Aziz Burqa remains free to pollute society. The street-power of religious-political groups is immense, and they can shut the national communication system and bring life to a standstill. This can happen as they raise their demand that we too follow in the Taliban's footsteps — effectively calling for the Talibanisation of Pakistan. This needs to be realised and safeguards must be taken now, failing which these groups can be funded, resourced and launched by external hostile agencies. It can cause a severe polarisation of society and create anarchic conditions. It needs to be noted that nothing from Afghanistan can affect Pakistan as much as our own tentative responses and weak governance. Some steps that must be put into place as soon as possible are recommended as follows:
Legislation must be passed to prevent anyone from disrupting regular lines of communication across the country. It is the constitutional right of citizens to enjoy liberty of movement and no one should be allowed to disrupt this. Disrupting the National Lines of Communication is tantamount to treason and must never be permitted.
Protests and political activity must be allowed only in specific venues, and day-to-day life must not be affected by it. Full media coverage should be given to these events. However, a proper panel of think tanks should proffer their opinions and views informing society of a moderated position on issues.
Society must be encouraged to mind their own business and must be prevented from interfering in the lives of other citizens. A law must be passed in this connection, complaint centres must be established at the mohalla-level, and monitored at a suitable level so as to contain strong-arm tactics and coercion.
Laws governing financial transactions must be further tightened and the informal economy must either not be allowed to remain functional, or steps should be taken to bring the informal economy into mainstream financial systems.
The intelligence agencies must present their respective hypotheses and responses as an annual practice. These presentations must be heard at an appropriate level. Pakistan is suffering mostly on account of intelligence failure. These agencies need to be hauled up and asked to explain.
Police and Law Enforcement need to define training parameters allowing them to contain mobilisation of society through an extremist oriented incentive. The police have to be depoliticised so that they are not influenced by political parties. This calls for an autonomous headquarter which is self-sustaining in every way.
Events to be encouraged to allow society to participate in nation-building through organised sports and other competitive events. Society needs to be liberated from closed-thinking obscurantist values.
Political parties and other national institutions must shed their respective mullah groups with which they blackmail each other. Negotiated settlement must never be adopted for those who break the law; instead, they must be punished according to the violations that they have committed. No petty official should be authorised to negotiate with groups that disrupt routine life.
Immigration procedures must be made stringent. The National Identity Card must be reviewed and it must be ensured that non-Pakistanis are not given such documents, including passports. There is no need to display one's religion on the passport. It must be done away with or should remain optional. What is one's religion is one's own business.
The justice system must be revamped in keeping with the situation. Judges must be protected and not openly exposed. Special courts may be set up to try people who deliberately disrupt-day-to-day routine. Trials must be time lined. The system to select judges needs to be reviewed. How one is elevated to higher office must have a defined route and qualification.
NACTA must be activated to function fully or then be deactivated and dissolved. Its present status is pathetic.
Pakistan has existed for 74 years and survived many upheavals. It is up to us now to take this bad situation, fluid moment and dynamic environment, and turn it into an opportunity. There are opportunities. Pakistan's geo-strategic location allows it to connect not just within the region, but to the world. There could be many stakeholders that could be facilitated by such a position through trade, communication and corporate synergy. Pakistan's wellbeing is directly proportional to the stakeholders it gathers. It is in Pakistan's interest to project inclusivity rather than exclusivity, and as such a lot will depend upon how we build our image in the comity of nations.
Tariq Khan HI(M)
The writer is a retired Lt. General of the Pakistan Army. He is noted for his services as the Commander of I Strike Corps at Mangla & Inspector General of the Frontier Corps.
Scenes from Kabul


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60MIN MAKEOVERS
Manchester United Football Club.
Approach: Follow the simplified crest trend.
60min Makeovers is an internal Truth project where we take a popular brand and refresh it in under an hour. It is just for fun and is undertaken with no insight or knowledge of the brand's future strategy. It is purely cosmetic and for our own pleasure.
What we did...
Over the last few year many clubs have evolved their crest in an attempt to simplify the motif for use in the digital age. One of the more recent and high profile changes was Juventus one of the all-time greats of Italian football. Closer to home clubs like Liverpool, Spurs and Aston Villa have all successfully simplified their badges to be simpler and more modern. Both Everton and Leeds also attempted the challenge but quickly backtracked after public outrage. Whilst Wolves have always had a logo ahead of its time.
What we have attempted to do here (in 60 mins remember), is to follow this trend for the world's greatest and most historic football club – Manchester United. We focussed on redrawing and bringing the Red Devil (the club nickname) to the fore. This is cleaner, more contemporary, more dynamic and if nothing else – cooler. We have also taken this minimal approach to the extreme by removing all typography and utilising a flat single colour approach.
PLEASE NOTE: As a season ticket holder myself I appreciate this is a passionate subject and everyone will have and opinion. However, it is has been attempted as a fun design exercise, not necessarily as a recommended direction.
60min Makeovers: Wikipedia
60min Makeovers: KLM


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Q: How do I make my own attributes (HTML5) I implemented a moveable div function in JS (moveableFunc). I used onclick="moveableFunc(event ,this)" for each div (or element) to move it. I prefer to use this function as a attribue and the code would be as follow:

    hello

How can I do it?

A: You could bind the click event in window.onload only for elements with that attribute, like:
window.onload = function () {
    var moves = document.querySelectorAll('[data-option="moveable"]');
    for (var i = 0; i < moves.length; i++) {
        moves[i].onclick = function (e) {
            e = e || window.event;
            moveableFunc(e, this);
        };
    }
};

You could even change the selector to be .querySelectorAll('div[data-option="moveable"]'); if you know this will only be targeting
s, so it will speed up the search.
Or if you were able to restructure your moveableFunc's parameters to be:
function moveableFunc(e) {
    // Use `this` to reference the element that was clicked
}

Then you could just use the following to bind the event in the loop:
moves[i].onclick = moveableFunc;

Of course, it could be preferable to use addEventListener instead of onclick to bind the events. Here's some information on that: addEventListener vs onclick
References:

*

*https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/DOM/Document.querySelectorAll

*https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/DOM/EventTarget.addEventListener
And just as an example, with jQuery, it could be done like:
$('[data-option="moveable"]').on("click", moveableFunc);

(where you modified the parameters of moveableFunc like I said before)


Strava unveils athlete posts, a way to create and share content on the social network for athletes.
36 Strava athletes from around the world will now have the ability to post stories, photos, questions, gear tips, race reports, recommendations and workouts – all kinds of content in addition to shared activities. They include some notable athletes in the Strava community such as Susie Chan and Rich Mitch known for telling great stories. It's another step towards Strava becoming the place where athletes can have everything they love about their sport in one app.
Known for going on big adventures and telling great stories, you can view the full list of athletes and follow each of them here.
Athlete posts will be available to the entire Strava community later this summer, giving athletes the freedom to share more about their active lives and, for the first time, enjoy a variety of athletic content from the people they follow. Athletes will soon have a comprehensive home for the content they love most: one place to learn more about other athletes, get inspired by each other's posts, share useful tips and articles and discuss relevant topics with other athletes.
Strava makes it easy to connect and engage with other athletes. Download Strava for iOS or Android and upgrade to Strava Premium to access advanced features. To learn more about Strava, visit www.strava.com.


Apollo Bay Aviation is seeking a suitably qualified Cessna 206 pilot with a great opportunity to be based in Apollo Bay, VIC only 2 hours South-West of Geelong along the Great Ocean Road.
The candidate will join the team at Apollo Bay Aviation and conduct scenic and charter flights over the Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles.
Please email Cover letter with resume and current photo attached.


a. From within to the outside of: got out of the car.
b. From a given condition: came out of her trance.
c. From an origin, source, or cause: made out of wood; did it out of spite.
d. In, especially intermittently in: works out of the main office.
a. In a position or situation beyond the range, boundaries, limits, or sphere of: The plane flew out of sight.
b. In a state or position away from the expected or usual: out of practice; out of touch with reality.
3. From among: five out of six votes.
4. In or into a condition of no longer having: We're out of coffee. We were tricked out of our savings.
1. Not aware of or participating in a particular group, pursuit, or trend.
Adv. 1. out of - motivated by; "idleness is the trait of being idle out of a reluctance to work"
One was that the chestnut trace horse, who had been unmistakably overworked on the previous day, was off his feed and out of sorts.
If I could take it and use the material for a book I feel certain I could make the novel of the year out of it.
She came up to me, claimed me as an acquaintance, stared me out of countenance; and talked and laughed till I did not know which way to look.
He realised that these walks amused neither of them, but he could not bear to leave her, and did all he could to lengthen them till she became tired and out of temper.


BACKGROUND: Survivors of stroke have long-term physical and psychological consequences that impact their quality of life. Few interventions are available in the community to address these problems. Yoga, a type of mindfulness-based intervention, is shown to be effective in people with other chronic illnesses and may have the potential to address many of the problems reported by survivors of stroke. OBJECTIVES: To date only narrative reviews have been published.


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Home General Risks posed by the IRS offshore crackdown and recent case law
Risks posed by the IRS offshore crackdown and recent case law
By Beckett Cantley
to international IRC § 831(b) captive insurance companies
It is no secret that the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of Justice have been conducting a nearly decade-long crackdown on tax avoidance activities of U.S. citizens doing business internationally.
The offshore crackdown began with hearings conducted by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, in which the Senate committee that controls IRS funding made it clear that it expected the IRS to get aggressive in international tax enforcement.
The IRS responded by making a big push to uncover undeclared foreign bank accounts of U.S. taxpayers, and punish the taxpayers, the foreign banks and the advisors who assisted their clients in setting up and maintaining the accounts. Congress also gave the IRS new enforcement tools, including Qualified Intermediary regime. While the IRS used its administrative powers to gather U.S. taxpayer information and collect tax and penalties, the DOJ made use of the information to bring civil and criminal tax cases. Some of these cases included international banks, including but not limited to UBS, Wegelin, Credit Suisse and HSBC.
The U.S. government has made extensive use of its broad enforcement powers overseas to seize an individual or entity's U.S. assets, sometimes through an offshore bank's U.S. correspondent accounts. For example, in its case against Wegelin, the U.S. government seized roughly $16 million from UBS clients' correspondent accounts operated out of the UBS Stanford, Connecticut branch. Such seizures have put an enormous amount of pressure on the target offshore entities and individuals to reach an agreement with U.S. authorities.
The Swiss bank UBS settled claims of aiding and abetting U.S. tax evasion, forcing them to disclose U.S. taxpayer bank accounts after threatening the seizure of UBS's U.S. held assets and banking licenses. Using the Wegelin and UBS cases as a precedent, the IRS and DOJ have extended the offshore crackdown into numerous other jurisdictions, with this trend showing no signs of slowing.
Of course, the IRS and DOJ have not limited their offshore enforcement actions to overseas jurisdictions. Over the last few years, the DOJ has brought criminal cases in the U.S. against both U.S. and non-U.S. participants in offshore tax avoidance schemes. While many of the early cases were brought against U.S. taxpayers with undisclosed offshore bank accounts, the more recent cases have expanded the target activity.
The IRS and DOJ won a civil case, and separately brought a criminal case against the promoters of an offshore captive insurance company program. The development of these cases may be illustrative of how the IRS and DOJ plan to proceed in other offshore tax avoidance schemes involving U.S. taxpayers.
Both the civil case (Salty Brine v. U.S.) and the criminal case (U.S. v Crithfield, Donaldson, et. al.) derive from the same transaction facts. The promoters marketed and implemented a purported offshore captive insurance company structure through a series of controlled companies. The premiums were taken as tax deductions by the taxpayer when paid to the captive insurance company for a Business Protection Plan (BPP) policy, then created a system for refunding 85 percent of these funds to the taxpayer the next year.
The initial law firm that had blessed the transactions with a legal opinion letter later withdrew the letter, and a new opinion letter was acquired from a second law firm. The promoters recruited outside attorneys, CPAs and financial advisors to sell the BPP and allegedly paid them commissions through an offshore shell company.
The civil case ended with the taxpayer having its deductions reversed based on the transactions lacking in economic substance. In particular, the court determined that the structure was "merely a conduit" used to funnel tax-deducted income to offshore entities and subsequently permit the taxpayers to borrow the funds back. The court found that the taxpayers "owned and controlled the assets at issue before the transactions and after the transactions." As in many captive cases, the absence of real risk shifting was an issue in the civil case. In addition, the court determined that the insurance coverage was driven by a "predetermined premium, not a premium driven by predetermined coverages."
Lastly, the court determined that the taxpayer's tax advisors had a financial conflict of interest, among other problematic issues, and thus upheld the assessment of very severe civil tax penalties.
In the criminal case, the DOJ alleges that the promoters told a prospective BPP client not to file a claim, so the client could get a larger amount of premiums refunded. In addition, it is alleged that the promoters told a particular client not to file a claim because that was not the "real purpose" of the BPP policy. One promoter told his attorneys that no claims had been made under any of the 75 BPP policies and that no reserves for insurance losses were ever established. The DOJ alleges that a promoter told a client that an owner can "retitle" a salary or bonus as a BPP deduction and a year later, receive 85 percent of the premium back tax-free. The DOJ has a specific client that they allege did this exact thing.
What lessons can we learn from these cases? First, it is clear that, as in other high profile tax shelter cases, the IRS/DOJ will continue to argue a transaction is unsustainable (and potentially criminal) where the intent of the transaction does not appear to match its form. Note that I used the word "intent" rather than "substance" because "intent" is what triggers criminality. Where a captive is a pretext for a tax deduction, especially if the funds are cycled back to the client, then the IRS/DOJ may consider it to be a fraudulent transaction.
This may be true even where the form may have been proper under local law (i.e., a licensed captive with an actuarially determined premium payment), if the intent was to create a circular cash flow for the client that does not follow a traditional dividend issuance by a captive. Of course, even if the IRS deems the transaction to fall short of fraud, it is possible that certain methods of returning captive funds to a policyholder (i.e., other than dividends) may result in the IRS investigating the issue for lack of true risk shifting/distribution.
In addition, where there is evidence that the coverages were driven by the tax deduction desired rather than the risks to be insured, the IRS/DOJ are going to investigate it. Thirdly, the presence of no claims for several policies over a few years is clearly a fact that gives the IRS/DOJ the impression that the intent was not to create real insurance. Finally, if the marketers for such a captive product make use of the typical hallmarks of a tax shelter to obtain clients, it appears to trigger a red flag to the IRS/DOJ.
Such triggers may include the use of (1) a significant network of professionals to market the product; (2) a marketed opinion letter; and (3) cookie cutter policy structures and coverage mixes. The perception that these types of professionals are abusing the client's trust can clearly be a contributing factor in any case being elevated to the criminal level.
The BPP cases are not the end of the IRS/DOJ inquiry into captives. There are currently captive-participant IRC 6700 promoter investigations being undertaken by IRS. These are often the first step before a broad based coordinated attack on a transaction. There are also additional criminal warrants that have been issued to captive professionals who have not been referenced in the BPP cases.
This indicates that the DOJ may already have more promoters in sight for additional criminal cases. Given the heightened scrutiny that the IRS/DOJ has placed on the offshore financial world, these risks may be even more elevated. It may be a good time for captive professionals to take a hard look at the way they are marketing and operating their programs, and take extraordinary steps to avoid even the appearance of an activity that creates an unintentional red flag to the IRS.
It is always better to spend some money beefing up compliance now, rather than spending vastly more time and money dealing with the IRS later.
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Beckett Cantley
Prof. Beckett G. Cantley is an Associate Professor of Law at Atlanta's John Marshall Law School where his teaching focuses on tax law courses. He also teaches international taxation at Northeastern University. He is widely published and consults on numerous issues in tax law, including international tax enforcement, and captive insurance company law.
Beckett G. Cantley
Associate Professor of Law
Atlanta's John Marshall Law School
1422 W. Peachtree St. NW
GA 30309-2954
T: +1 (404) 502 6716
W: cantleylaw.comSSRN: