Posted March 26th, 2014 by Anthony Carbone, PC.
In November 2011, two of my daughters were involved in a car accident involving a drunk driver. The injuries were devastating. One of my daughters required multiple immediate surgeries. We had to choose an orthopedist and a plastic surgeon quickly. I often thought the same criteria I used to choose my daughters' surgeons is the same criteria clients should use to choose their lawyer.
So, what was it that prompted me to choose one surgeon over the other? Each one was capable of performing the procedure. Each one was well trained. Each one received honors of distinction. Likewise, when you are interviewing lawyers to handle your case, most will be well trained, capable, and have been bestowed various honors.
So how did I choose the right doctor for my daughters? The surgeons I eventually chose were recommended to me by people I trust. More than 70 percent of new clients that The Law Offices of Anthony Carbone accept are referred to us by past or present clients. We believe that the greatest compliment a client can give us is the referral of a friend or family member. Clearly, our motto of aggressive, relentless, successful lawyering is one echoed by the clients that we serve.
If you are in need of a lawyer, my team is ready to serve you. Contact us today for a free consultation.


text:
The University of Exeter declared an environment and climate emergency this week
Climate emergency debated at University of Exeter
Hundreds of people gathered to discuss climate and environmental issues at the University of Exeter last night (Thursday).
Following the university's declaration of an environment and climate emergency this week, researchers, activists, local politicians and the public debated what actions should be taken.
A packed auditorium at the university's Streatham Campus in Exeter – connected via video link to the Penryn Campus in Cornwall – heard suggestions ranging from cutting air travel and overhauling energy supply, to lowering the voting age and holding citizens' assemblies to involve the public in the process.
The event was organised by the university's Global Systems Institute, which aims to find "networked solutions" to the planet's problems.
"It was fantastic to see so many people and to hear such a diverse range of views on these critical issues," said Professor Patrick Devine-Wright, who led the debate.
"The passion in the rooms was obvious, and the tone of discussions was really positive."
As well as university researchers, the audience heard from Sophie Sleeman, of youth-led climate activist group Fridays 4 Future, who called for the voting age to be lowered to 16 and for a "green new deal" to de-carbonise the economy.
The audience voted on several questions.
Results included 88% of people supporting the view that it should be more expensive to buy things that contribute towards climate change, and 99% saying the government should move support from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
People were encouraged to tweet using the hashtag #ExeterClimate.
One audience member tweeted: "A packed house at the @GSI_Exeter @UniofExeter talk on declaring a climate emergency and what to do next. Incredible to see the engagement of not only staff and students but also local communities. Most definitely a step in the right direction #ExeterClimate."
Another wrote: "We're at @UniofExeter tonight to learn more about what we can do to address the #ClimateEmergency Spoiler alert: it's not going to be easy or painless but it is absolutely necessary for the future of our planet #exeterclimate."
Panel members put forward various suggestions, including giving local authorities more power to control the way land is used for new housing.
Professor Richard Betts, of the University of Exeter and the Met Office Hadley Centre, said one useful step would be to buy less "plastic tat" from overseas.
Following its declaration of an environment and climate emergency, the University of Exeter has established a team, led by Professor Juliet Osborne, to focus on the actions required based on evidence and science.
In response to the event, Professor Tim Lenton, Director of the Global Systems Institute, said: "I am excited by the potential to convene an Exeter Citizen's Assembly on Climate Change, which as experts on the subject we will commit to supporting and participating in."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home Archive Memories from the Archives – October 1998
Cllr Kevin Murphy (chairman Cork County Council), handing over the keys of the new £150,000 Fire Engine to John Dunlea, Chairman Fermoy UDC watched by Fr Donal Leahy (Administrator Fermoy), Teresa White (Assistant County Manager), Cllr Aileen Pyne, Michael and Coleman McCarthy of McCarthy Commercials, Gerard Malone (Chief Fire Officer, Cork County Council), Michael Cremin (Town Clerk Fermoy UDC) and Fire Crew - William Bane (SO), Eric Dahill (SS0), David Carey (DM), Patrick Oâ??Brien, Michael Daly and Thomas G Langford in October 1998.
Memories from the Archives – October 1998
The chairman of Cork County Council, Kevin Murphy was in Fermoy to hand over the keys of a new fire engine to the chairman of Fermoy UDC, Cllr John Dunlea in October 1998.
Equipped with the most modern fire fighting technology available, the new vehicle was a welcome addition to the Fermoy station and indeed, to the whole North Cork region. Costing £150,000, the Volvo FL6 had undergone a series of successful trials and according to fire brigade staff in Fermoy, the new machine was equipped to deal with any fire-related emergency.
Outright rejection
Moves to change the location of existing bus stops on Fermoy's MacCurtain Street to improve traffic flow, was met with outright rejection from business people on the street. Backed up by a petition of 50 names opposing the proposed moves, Frank Morgan, who operated a photographic business on MacCurtain Street, led a deputation of traders to a meeting of Fermoy UDC.
Explaining his opposition to the proposals, Mr Morgan said he, or the people he spoke for, did not want large numbers of students gathering outside their premises. He also disagreed with the notion that by changing the location of bus stops, the traffic situation would improve. Councillors agreed to postpone a decision on the matter until a future meeting.
The Cappoquin team who took part in the Ballyduff Festival of U10 hurling in October 1998.
Liam McGearailt Place, Fermoy who took part in the Street Leagues organised by Fermoy Gardaí in 1998 back row l-r: Pa White, Patrick Boyce, Leon Roche and David Noonan. Front row l-r: Shane Hogan, Alan Clancy, Sean McCarthy and M Maher.
The Millar family from Conna - William, John and Maisie seen here with Ben and Susan Buckley from Ballyhooly at the re-opening of the Presbyterian Church in Fermoy in October 1998.
Paddy McCarthy performing the unveiling at the official opening of Credit Union House in Patrick Street, Fermoy in October 1998. Also included are founder members of Fermoy Credit Union l-r: Matt Greehy, Joe Coughlan, Michael Mullen, Sean Hallinan and John O'Brien.
The Ballyduff team, mentors and young supports after their win over Lismore in the Michael Fitzgerald U13 hurling tournament final at Cappoquin holding the Michael Fitzgerald Cup is team captain, Conor Feeney.
CBS pupils, Mitchelstown, with teacher Deirdre O'Leary and King of the Galtees, Joe Crowley, preparing to clean up litter from 'Ryan's Path' in 1998 as their contribution to making Mitchelstown a tidier town.
The O'Keeffe family from Ballynoe who attended the Muintir na Tire Senior Citizen's jamboree in St Colman's Community College, Midleton in October 1998 - Linda and Eddie with their daughters Blaithín, Claragh, Maeve and Aisling.
James takes part in 6-month project
Nineteen year-old James Aherne from Glenseskin, Kilworth was full of excitement ahead of his trip to Northwest Spain where he would partake in a six-month experimental project, aimed at the rehabilitation of drug abusers, many of whom were suffering from AIDS.
James said he was under no illusions that the trip he was undertaking would be anything like a holiday. The project was set up near Guardo in the province of Palencia. James, a past pupil of Colaiste an Phiarsaigh, Glanmire and Gaelscoil de hÍde, Fermoy was the eldest son of Joe and Marianne Aherne.
Cockpit Lane greatly enhanced
Waterford County Council erected a 'most beautiful compact set' of houses in Cockpit Lane, Tallow. Exceptional care was taken in the planning of the houses and the resulting development was deemed a credit to the council by many, who said the scheme enhanced the traditional settings of the area.
The council originally purchased the land with a view to erecting a new fire station on it. A change of plan by the council ensued however and their decision to erect 7 new houses on the site met with great approval by the townspeople.
Castletownroche win Litter Free Roadside Competition
Castletownroche were announced as the winners of the North Cork Region Litter Free Roadside Competition organised by Cork County Federation of Muintir na Tíre in conjunction with Cork County Council. 53 communities participated in the competition which was in its 7th year.
The aim of the competition was to make more people conscious of their environment and to promote an awareness of litter free areas, particularly on roads.
Kilworth Pitch and Putt club members Stephen and Sean Kearney were part of the Coláiste an Chraoibhín, Fermoy team that won the Munster Secondary Schools pitch and putt competition at Castlelyons. Elsewhere, William Barry, another Kilworth club member, was in good form, capturing the Tommy Burns Cup.
Knockadea NS won the South Limerick Primary Schools football championship in Roinn C for the first time in the history of the school when they overcame Herbertstown on a 1-04 to 1-02 scoreline.
From the throw-in the Knockadea midfield partnership of Liam Martin and Kieran O'Callaghan dominated and the defensive duo of Patrick Hanley and Sean Kelly broke up many attacks, combining well with the Knockadea half-forward line of M O'Mahoney and Ronan Lane. After the game, the cup was presented to captain Liam Martin, who thanked all associated with the win, especially the team trainers, Diarmuid Coffey, Noel Martin and Gerry Kelly.
History was created in Shanballymore, when, on a splendidly prepared pitch, Kilworth minor footballers captured the North Cork title over a gallant Buttevant side on a scoreline of 1-09 to 0-05. Brian Tobin scored the only goal of the game, receiving a line ball before finishing calmly to the net.
The Richard Clancy Memorial Cup was presented to the winning captain, Alan Kenny by Kit Clancy, accompanied by her husband Dick. The victory meant that Kilworth minors had achieved a historic double, having previously won the hurling championship.
Avondhu Archives
Memories From The Archives
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Yes, the aura thing does indeed sound like a good match! These things can be very uncanny sometimes.
And speaking from my vast age ;-) I can say that 41 is no big deal, and that neither you nor James look your ages. That's the way it is with us August people - none of us look our ages, but rather much younger lol!


Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU) was recently featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education for its 2011 Education Department awarded funding totaling more than $6-million under its Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program.
EdTech: Focus on Higher Education, a top technology-focused resource for higher education IT professionals, has named Hanover Research's Higher Education Blog among its list of the Top 50 Must-Read Higher Education Technology Blogs.
Hanover Research's higher education Twitter account, @HanoverHigherEd, has been named as one of EdTech Magazine's 44 Higher Education Experts to Follow on Twitter.


text:
#import <Foundation/NSObject.h>

@interface NilParamA : NSObject {
 @public
  int x;
}
@end

@implementation NilParamA

- (NilParamA*)newObject {
  return [[NilParamA alloc] init];
}

- (NilParamA*)test:(NilParamA*)other {
  return [other newObject];
}

@end

// This test shows that when we call an Objective-C method with nil we don't
// call the method but we return nil instead.
int NilParamNpeBad() {
  NilParamA* a = [[NilParamA alloc] init];
  return [a test:nil]->x;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using Spark.FileSystem;

namespace Spark.Web.Mvc.Wrappers
{
    public class ViewFolderWrapper : IViewFolder
    {
        private readonly IViewFolderContainer _container;

        public ViewFolderWrapper(IViewFolderContainer container)
        {
            _container = container;
        }

        public IViewFile GetViewSource(string path)
        {
            return _container.ViewFolder.GetViewSource(path);
        }

        public IList<string> ListViews(string path)
        {
            return _container.ViewFolder.ListViews(path);
        }

        public bool HasView(string path)
        {
            return _container.ViewFolder.HasView(path);
        }
    }
}


David is a Private Client Advisor at Savva & Associates, and focuses primarily on all Spanish speaking markets around the world. He is responsible for identifying and engaging potential clients in South America and worldwide, and informing them of the key benefits of the Cyprus Investment Programme and the Cyprus Permanent Residency Programme, in addition to all other corporate services offered by Savva & Associates.
Previously, David worked for the Spanish government in the Security sector, from 2001-2018.
He holds a degree in History from the University of Barcelona, as well as studies in Public and Private Security from the Institut de Seguretat Publica of Catalunya, Spain, in addition to the title of Director of Security.
Apart from his native language which is Spanish, David is also an advanced Catalan speaker, and maintains moderate knowledge of the English language.


Situated in farmland south of Bristol near the village of Chew Stoke, the temple and its associated buildings (ST 557626) were excavated between 1949 and 1953 during fieldwork in advance of the flooding of the Chew valley to create a reservoir. The temple site itself lies over a kilometre from the reservoir lake. Further smaller scale excavation took place in 1986. The notes of an antiquarian who visited the site in the early 19th century also provide useful information. The striking name of the hill does not signify a surviving awareness of the temple's presence but is rather the most recent version of a personal name attested as Pagnes, Pegnes and Peynes in a 19th century manuscript. No curse tablets were found during the excavation of the site but a metal detectorist reportedly found three here. After being made available for study, the tablets were sold on the antiquities market.


text:
Q: Qwt simpleplot example I'm using qwt 6.1.3 for some Qt plotting work and just to test I created a new project, added the library, and pasted the simpleplot.cpp example code into Qtcreator.
A copy of the file can be view here: https://github.com/eiimage/qwt/blob/master/examples/simpleplot/simpleplot.cpp
The code has returned numerous errors.
curve->setSymbol(symbol);

The above code had to have a * put before symbol to prevent an error. Though I'm not sure if this is correct.
curve->setSamples(points);

Produces the error: 'class QwtPlotCurve' has no member named 'setSamples'. However, it's used in the example and also shows up in the document for that class. What might be causing this issue?
Thanks.

A: This problem was one of documentation. All online documentation and examples provided use the methods setSamples and setRawSamples to set the curve points. This is incorrect. The appropriate method is setData and setRawData.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Alyssa Alcaraz Died After Allegedly Being Misdiagnosed With The Flu & It's So Tragic
By Julia Guerra
Flu season is upon us, and this year's breakout is unlike any other we've seen. The fatality rate and countless hospitalizations are tragic, and in the midst of the epidemic, it has come to our attention that misdiagnosis may be something we need to be cautious of, as well. Twelve-year-old Alyssa Alcaraz died after allegedly being misdiagnosed with the flu. The preteen passed away on Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017 at the Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia, California.
According to The Washington Post, just 10 days before their daughter's death, Alcaraz's family watched her perform at her school's Christmas concert. The middle schooler had aspirations of pursuing the arts, but also expressed interest in someday becoming a police officer. She was, as her mother, Keila Lino, described to The Washington Post, a "tough little cookie" who was "responsible for her age." The young girl realized that she was unwell and needed to be sent home from school on Dec. 13, when she started to feel feverish and had thrown up earlier in the day.
On Dec. 14, Lino took her daughter to Kaweah Delta Urgent Care in Visalia, California to have Alcaraz's symptoms checked out. People reports it was here that the doctors allegedly misdiagnosed the young girl with the flu, prescribing her ibuprofen, cough syrup, nausea medication, and rest. By Sunday, Dec, 17, it was clear that these medications were not helping Alcaraz recover. Elite Daily has reached out to Kaweah Delta Urgent Care for comment on this story, but did not hear back by publication.
From there, Alcaraz's symptoms quickly grew worse, and she began experiencing shortness of breath. Lino brought her daughter back to urgent care, and it was found that her oxygen levels were dropping. After that, the young girl was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed, this time with meningitis. She died hours later due to cardiac arrest, as well as a strep blood infection, according to Cosmopolitan.
The 2018 flu epidemic has spread across the country, affecting people of all ages.
Most research on the subject suggests that preteens and young adults are generally less at risk of catching the flu than, say, the elderly or very small children. Twenty-one percent of all meningitis diagnoses, however, occur in preteens, teens, and young adults ages 11 to 24, according to the National Meningitis Association, and of the 600 to 1,000 people diagnosed with the disease every year, 10 to 15 percent lose their lives as a result.
There are overlapping symptoms that may lead to someone, even professionals, mistaking meningitis for the flu, such as high fever, muscle aches, and severe headaches. However, medical professionals should take extra precautions to ensure their diagnoses are accurate in order for their patients to receive the proper care they need to recover. This is especially necessary now, maybe more than ever, as the flu is spreading very quickly, causing not only hospitalizations, but death percentages to spike.
Unfortunately, Alcaraz is not the first young person to lose her life to severe illness this season. Over the last month or so, it was reported that a 21-year-old bodybuilder from Pennsylvania named Kyler Baughman passed away as a result of organ failure due to septic shock caused by influenza. A 20-year-old mother from Arizona by the name of Alani Murrieta reportedly died from heart failure in response to pneumonia contracted by the flu. Both of these tragic deaths are unusual and rare, but flu fatalities are on the rise, and it's vital that we all make it a point to become better acquainted with the disease, its symptoms, and the care and protection our bodies need to make it through the epidemic unscathed.
Apparently, flu misdiagnoses happen more often than you'd think.
As a patient, you wholeheartedly want to trust that your doctor has not only your best interest at heart, but pays extreme attention to detail and is knowledgeable enough in their profession to know the difference between one disease and the next. Unfortunately, flu misdiagnoses are not uncommon, and even the best-trained doctors can get it wrong.
Here's the thing: According to Right Diagnosis, doctors come to the conclusion that their patients have the flu based on factors such as health history, an assessment of the patient's symptoms, and a physical exam in correlation with whether or not it is flu season and if an outbreak has attacked the area. Testing is available, but oftentimes inaccurate.
This may sound unsettling, and it is, especially when you consider the fact that flu-like symptoms mimic other diseases as well, so distinguishing between the flu and the countless other diseases the patient could be coming down with can be tricky. For instance, it was reported in May of 2014 that a 10-year-old-girl died after allegedly being misdiagnosed with the flu instead of pneumonia. A year later, the Daily Mail reported Mark Sollis, age 54, was allegedly misdiagnosed with the flu and hospitalized for three months before doctors realized the man was actually battling sepsis, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a "life-threatening complication of infection."
It's terrifying to think there might be even the slightest chance that your doctor could misdiagnose your symptoms, but this is an example of just how important it is to really listen to your body. If you feel as though one doctor's opinion doesn't add up, get a second one. Though this is a valid concern, do not hesitate to seek medical attention if you start to feel sick. It truly might save your life.


text:
Q: Can gems have circular dependencies? I've developed a small gem ecosystem and certain features will result in them depending on each other.
Does RubyGems support circular dependencies? In other words, is it safe to push gems with these specifications?
Gem::Specification.new 'essentials' do |gem|
  gem.add_development_dependency 'development_tools'
end

Gem::Specification.new 'development_tools' do |gem|
  gem.add_runtime_dependency 'essentials'
end

A: That's not technically a circular dependency, since each dependency is of a different kind.  If it were a true circular dependency I would be recommending combining both into one gem, but your gem names illustrate the intent, which is sane.
It should work just fine.

A: Do not have circular runtime dependencies.
It should be OK, if weird, for one gem to have a development dependency on another gem which has a runtime dependency on the first.
Nevertheless, I would not recommend it. I would recommend ensuring that your dependencies graph is completely empty of cycles.


** That better be me you're talking about!
I do the opposite of you. I find the longest line, pick up the Star or Enquirer and just enjoy the time "catching up on the news" as I call it! I guess I'm the one who cares about Jennifer Aniston's engagement ring. This is a break from reality I give myself. You should try it! It's very relaxing!
What a fantastic approach. I must try it!


text:
UK's largest independent virtual production facility opens
By Max Miller2021-08-02T08:40:00+01:00
MARS Volume was designed and built from the ground up by Bild Studios.
The UK's largest independent virtual production facility, MARS Volume, has opened its doors today.
Bild Studios designed and built the performance stage from the ground up, combining video game engines, camera-tracking technology, graphics-servers and LED screens.
As well as film and TV productions, it is aimed at giving advertisers, games developers and other creative content producers access to virtual production space and talent. Co-founders of Bild Studios and MARS Volume, Rowan Pitts and David Bajt, explained the Broadcast Tech last week what the future of virtual production holds in the UK.
In the 1400m2 facility there is the option to create a 270-degree in-camera LED screen up to 38.5m x 5.5m, and a 176 m2 out-of-camera ceiling LED screen.
Bajt said: "Following our successful pilot of MARS 1 in 2020, it has become increasingly clear that the market appetite for Virtual Production has rapidly accelerated over the last year of the COVID-19 pandemic. MARS provides a full-service boutique solution for Virtual Productions, offering a competitive advantage to both traditional and disruptive content creators, across projects of all sizes and budgets.
"This new permanent facility offers the very latest game-changing real-time VFX production tools and technologies, with the option to create a 270-degree in-camera LED screen up to 38.5m x 5.5m, a 176 m2 out-of-camera ceiling LED screen and a 1400 m2 facility."
Pitts added: "Over the last two decades the team behind MARS has collectively worked on film, high-end TV, video and live experience productions for some of the world's leading filmmakers, musicians, artists and brands. These include film and TV productions such as Detective Pikachu, Brave New World, Avenue 5 and Infinity; large-scale productions for Cirque de Soleil, MTV EMAs, Dubai World Expo, Madison Square Garden, and Eurovision, as well as concerts and tours for Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Coldplay and many more.
"Bild recently announced a strategic partnership with Lux Machina, the global leaders in the VP space, known throughout the film and VFX industry for their pioneering work on The Mandalorian, Solo, Rogue One and many more cutting-edge productions, cementing our position as true VP pioneers.
"With today's filmmakers and content producers under increasing pressure to increase the content yield they receive from film shoots, the technology on MARS promotes environmentally sustainable filmmaking that is future proofed in service to carbon-neutral objectives. As filming in remote locations becomes increasingly expensive and inflexible, visual content can be produced on MARS without the need to travel to exotic locations and our work can be carried out while maintaining the social distancing practices that have become so important over the last 12 months."
The boom in film and television facilities is entering the final frontier
Josh Martin, Take 1 product manager, explains what it's like to volunteer at the Rise Up Academy
She joins from Evolutions where she was head of production
More TECH
Canon unveils EOS R5 C hybrid cinema camera
The 8K camera builds on the heritage of the classic Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Jason Elliott joins Evolutions as sales director
He has more than 30 years of industry experience and joins from The Farm Group where he was group sales director
What is the True Potential of 5G for Video Contribution?
Kieran Kunhya of Open Broadcast Systems, explains why 5G will have such an impact on live production


netRivals provides an accurate beauty retail industry analysis by tracking global prices, stock availability and promotions of millions of products in the market.
netRivals price intelligence platform ensures an accurate beauty retail industry analysis on a daily basis. The system monitors the prices, stock and promotions of the main categories in the beauty or cosmetics market: skincare, hair care, make-up, perfumes, toiletries and deodorants, and oral cosmetics.
The market leading companies and brands are l'Oréal, Unilever, Procter & Gamble Co., Estee Lauder, Shiseido Company, Lancôme, Maybelline, L'Oréal, Cover Girl and Anastasia Beverly Hills, among others. On the retail side, and more specifically in the United States, the main players are Ulta Beauty, Sephora and Amazon.
The leading categories in this industry are: skincare, the most profitable one with 36% of the global market, hair care products, with 23%, and make-up, with 18%. In the U.S., foundation, mascara, eyeliners, eyeshadows, eyebrow makeup, eye combos and lipsticks make the most profitable segments with the greater sales volume.
Competition in this industry is very high and that can be seen in the wide range of prices in the market, an scenario which has lead businesses in the sector to analyse their product performance. In this respect, netRivals can provide them with valuable data on the market to be used as the basis of better-informed decisions to maximize their profits.


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Your order comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. If you don't love it, ask for a refund within 30 days and it's yours no questions asked.
Boxes will ship at the beginning of the month following your order. Due to the new year the next shipment of boxes will ship on January 5th, 2019. Please allow 3-5 days for delivery.
Can I purchase these products on discount individually?
The Keto Snack Pack only comes as a bundle currently, but if there's anything you'd like to see us do. We're here to help you!
How can you offer these high quality products for so much less?
You can think of us like a Costco or Sam's Club. We order large quantities weekly so you can deliver to you for less, and because we're only online we don't have the cost of physical locations like your local super market does.
Can I give the Keto Snack Pack as a Gift?
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Unfortunately not. We currently only ship to the United States.


Secret Tower Defense Level in TFT, canon?
Didn't Garithos send a battalion of pandas to kill Kael'Thas?
Well, I'll be. There's a page on that. And it's kinda canon, too?
I'll also note, if I remember correctly, that we do not allow past interactions with Pandaren in profiles. So, don't be getting any ideas.
Take it with a grain of salt. There's a portal to Outland, there's Garithos trying to rekt the blood elves/naga, and there may or may not have been a legion of pandas and centaur involved.


Evan Bailyn is an Internet entrepreneur, speaker, and child advocate. He is best known for being an expert at search engine optimization, having used his ability to rank at the top of Google to build and sell five businesses, including one of the largest children's websites online. His Facebook page, which provides daily inspirational thoughts, has more than 100,000 "likes,"making it one of the most popular noncelebrity pages on Facebook.
Evan has been interviewed on ABC and Fox News and featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The International Business Times, and Crain's New York Business Daily. He is a frequent speaker and television guest.
In 2010, Evan established The Evan Bailyn Foundation, which awards grants to groups that promote emotional awareness in children.


DuPont expects to nearly triple its annual solar photovoltaic (PV) sales to more than US$1 billion in 2012 based on strong fundamentals for long term revenue growth in the solar PV energy market.
The US Department of the Interior (DoI) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) will work together to facilitate the permitting of renewable energy in offshore waters.
Chairman Henry A. Waxman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Chairman Edward J. Markey of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee have released a draft plan for US clean energy legislation, that they say will create jobs, help end "dangerous dependence on foreign oil", and combat global warming.
ENrG Inc in upstate New York, which specializes in the design, development and manufacture of ceramic components, is working with the University of South Carolina's college of engineering & computing and NASA's Glenn Research Center (GRC) on the fabrication, testing and analysis of new SOFC designs.
Updated European power grids would allow larger amounts of wind and other renewables onto the European energy system, according to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).
Wind measurement equipment manufacturer NRG Systems and Leosphere, which specialises in lidar (laser radar) for atmospheric observations, have formed a joint venture (JV) for the use of remote sensing with lidar in the wind energy industry.
Recurrent Energy has acquired a solar project pipeline of up to 350 MW from UPC Solar.
The US Department of Energy (DoE) Secretary Steven Chu has announced the release of two funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) for up to US$84 million to support the development of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS).
The wind energy industry is attracting new sources of investment compensating for banks' general reluctance to provide debt finance for projects, according to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).
A consortium led by Waste2Tricity Ltd has submitted an expression of interest to the London Waste & Recycling Board (LWRB) to convert the city's waste into energy.
Insufficient knowledge, funding issues, political will and general uncertainty trouble the wave energy market according to a survey conducted by Seaview Sensing, a UK company specialising in software providing real-time, met-ocean information on wave, wind and currents.
Norwegian Statkraft AS and Turkish Global Investment Holdings have signed an agreement to transfer hydropower projects to Statkraft.
In the UK, standby power systems provider UPS Systems has supplied fuel cells for two projects – a telemetry installation in the Elan Valley in Powys, Mid Wales, and a demonstration unit being run by Islington Borough Council in London.
Wind energy gives Europe a competitive advantage, according to the EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebagls speaking at the European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition (EWEC).
Concentrating solar photovoltaic (CPV) company GreenVolts has entered into a development relationship with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to commercialise an inverted metamorphic (IMM) advanced multi-junction solar cell design.
World solar photovoltaic (PV) market installations reached a record high of 5.95 GW in 2008, representing growth of 110% over the previous year, according to the annual PV market report from Solarbuzz LLC.
In the US, Rochester Institute of Technology and Delphi Corporation have secured $2.4 million in federal funding in fiscal 2009 appropriations for joint efforts to develop a cost-effective method to manufacture fuel cell auxiliary power units. With this initiative, project researchers believe Delphi's work may lead to the first commercially produced solid oxide fuel cell being launched as early as 2012.
Research at Imperial College in the UK is trying to map the inner workings of a fuel cell using sensors. The understanding and data being obtained by chemist Dr Anthony Kucernak could be used in the future to make these devices more efficient and last longer.
The UK's national postal service, the Royal Mail, has embarked on a project to pioneer the development of fuel cell postal vans.
The UK Crown Estate has received multiple bids for each of the nine Round 3 development zones for offshore windfarms in UK waters.
UPS Systems plc is supplying a methanol fuel cell to Islington Borough Council, London, UK, for use in its demonstration project promoting the benefits of clean energy technology.
Duke Energy plans to build a 99 MW wind power project consisting of 66 wind turbines in Wyoming, USA.
Double Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) will become available across the UK in April 2009.
Phoenix Solar has released preliminary figures for the financial year 2008. The solar company reported revenues of €402 million, up 55% from 2007.
Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies is introducing hands-on science experiment kits for educational purposes, including small wind-turbines, solar panels and zero emission vehicle construction sets.
HgCapital's Renewable Power Partners Fund has invested in three Spanish solar photovoltaic (PV) plants.
Five months after the opening of what is said to be North America's biggest solar manufacturing plant, SolarWorld says it will begin construction of a new, adjacent facility.
Solar-Fabrik AG is expanding it capacity with a new production facility for manufacturing solar power modules in Freiburg, Germany.
Ambitious plans to promote the use of electric and hydrogen powered cars have been published in Denmark by the country's Conservative People's Party and the Municipality of Copenhagen.
The northern German city of Hamburg has started a major project with Daimler, Shell, Total and Vattenfall Europe that aims to increase the use of emission-free vehicles, including ones powered by fuel cells, and to create a corresponding infrastructure of hydrogen fueling stations.
The California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) has released an action plan that details a strategy for deploying hydrogen fueling stations and fuel cell vehicles in California. The document, 'Hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and station deployment plan: A strategy for meeting the challenge ahead', specifies the steps needed to meet the fuel needs of 4300 passenger vehicles and 20 fuel cell buses in California by 2014, and prepares for even more growth though to 2017.
French oil company Total and energy company GDF SUEZ are considering investing in a silicium wafers plant serving the photovoltaic (PV) industry in the Moselle region of France.
Royal Dutch Shell has said it does not plan to invest further in renewable energies such as wind, solar and hydropower as these are deemed uneconomic.
Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd and solar project developer 3rd Rock Systems and Technologies Inc have established a strategic alliance in connection with the development of an initial 7.2 MW of solar energy systems in the USA.
Mainstream Renewable Power has signed a C$840 million joint venture (JV) deal with Canadian windfarm developer Alberta Wind Energy Corporation (AWEC) to build an initial portfolio of over 400 MW of wind energy plants in Alberta, Canada, by 2013.
Acciona has started work on its third concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in Spain, a 50 MW facility in Majadas de Tiétar, Cáceres province.
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in upstate New York have won a federal grant worth $1.6 million, to develop new and improved methods of manufacturing the key component of a fuel cell – the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA).
UK-based Ceres Power has secured a long leasehold on a facility in south-east England, which will be used for manufacturing its intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells.
Linde North America, a member of industrial gases and engineering company Linde Group, is introducing fueling technology for hydrogen-powered vehicles to the US and Canada which, it claims, is safe, fast and efficient.
German-based SFC Smart Fuel Cell, a major supplier of fuel cell products for mobile and off-grid power applications, has received a purchase order from automotive giant Volkswagen for more than 200 fuel cell systems. The contract, which is to be fulfilled during 2009, is worth around €630,000.
New York utility Con Edison is planning to generate 12 MW of solar electricity by 2011.
Orecon Ltd has joined the UK Wave Hub wave energy project to be built off the coast of South West England with completion scheduled for August 2010.
SolFocus and Samaras Group are increasing the size of their solar concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) project in Greece from 1.6 MWp to 10 MWp.
The Stream 2 support for photovoltaics (PV) under the UK Low carbon Building Programme (LCBP) is due to close, causing concern in the renewable energy industry.
Relight Enerji Üretim, the Turkish subsidiary of Italy's Relight Group has received authorisation for three windfarms in Balikesir, in the North of Turkey totalling 205 MW.
A controllable rubber trailing edge flap can reduce the loads on wind turbine blades, according to Risø Technical University Denmark (DTU).
The US Department of Energy (DoE) is publishing updates on its activities in relation to the American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009 on its website.
Industry analyst NanoMarkets has released the report Organic Photovoltaic Materials Markets: 2009 - 2016.
Monocrystalline wafer producer NorSun, has closed a NOK1.15 billion investment round to expand production of silicon ingots and wafers for high efficiency solar cells.
Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd, a manufacturer of photovoltaic (PV) modules, together with the City of Santa Barbara and Tioga Energy, a solar financing firm, have announced the activation of the Santa Barbara's first large-scale solar power system.
Work has started on the 11 wind turbines, 22 MW windfarm at North Rhins, near Stranraer, Scotland, by renewable energy company Wind Energy.
An ultralight aircraft that is propelled exclusively by hydrogen energy, without supplementary power supplied by batteries, was on show in Friedrichshafen, Germany at the recent 'e-Flight Expo 2009' – a new part of the annual AERO International Aviation Trade Show that is dedicated to environmentally friendly flight.
US-based Protonex Technology is to develop a robust, deployable pre-production fuel cell power system, designed for powering a small, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of extended flight duration and mission endurance.
Scientists at Brown University in Rhode Island, USA say they have overcome the challenges associated with using palladium catalysts in fuel cell reactions.
Dow Epoxy Systems (DES) has established a manufacturing facility in China and will start producing blends in a Dow Epoxy site in South Korea to serve composites, wind energy and infrastructure customers in the China and Asia Pacific region.
Vestas and Boeing plan to collaborate on joint research projects that further the development of environmentally progressive technologies for the wind energy and aerospace industries.
Photovoltaic (PV) installation in Korea reached 274 MW in 2008 having grown six-fold since 2007.
Siemens Energy Sector will supply up to 500 offshore wind turbines representing up to 1.8 GW to DONG Energy for deployment on DONG's coming offshore windfarms in Northern Europe.
ECOtality Inc has entered into a commitment with Nissan North America and Pima Association of Governments (PAG) to facilitate the establishment of electric vehicle (EV) charge infrastructure throughout Pima County, Arizona, USA.
The City Council of Austin, Texas, USA, has approved an agreement under which the municipally-owned electric utility, Austin Energy, will purchase all of the electricity produced by a 30 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project over at 25-year period.
The construction contract for the 102.85 MW La Venta III windfarm in Mexico has bee awarded to Iberdrola Renovables by the Mexican Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).
The UK Government launched its Low Carbon Strategy on 6 March mapping the UK's industrial priorities for taking advantage of the new global low carbon economy.
eSolar, a producer of solar thermal power plants, has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with the ACME Group to build up to 1 GW of solar thermal power plants over the next 10 years in India.
Solar Millennium LLC, NV Energy and MAN Ferrostaal Inc, the joint venture partner of Solar Millennium AG for the construction of solar thermal power plants in the USA, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the joint development of projects in the Amargosa Desert.
Mitsubishi Corporation has signed an agreement with Acciona S.A. to acquire a 34% equity interest in its subsidiary Amper Central Solar S.A, the developer and operator of the 45.8 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Amareleja, Portugal.
A spray-on material that could make solar panels cheaper is to be developed in a joint research effort by The Australian National University (ANU) and Spark Solar Australia.
Novozymes and Brazilian partner Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira (CTC) will develop enzymes enabling the production of bioethanol from sugarcane by-products such as bagasse with €1.6 million support from the European Commission.
Israel's Minister of National Infrastructures, Binyamin Ben Eliezer, has licensed AORA to provide solar electricity to the national grid at its solar thermal power plant in Israel's southern Arava region.
Investment worth up to £4.7 billion could be needed to upgrade the UK electricity grid network to accommodate new power generation including renewables by 2020, according to the Electricity Networks Strategy Group (ENSG).
wpd offshore GmbH and Clipper Windpower have submitted a bid in the UK offshore Round 3 tender to develop a 1350 MW offshore wind power project in the Hastings zone.
Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica and M.Torres Diseños Industriales will cooperate on R&D for a new concept for wind turbine blade design, as well as on an automated wind turbine blade manufacturing process.
First Solar Inc is acquiring OptiSolar's solar project pipeline, "significantly expanding" its penetration within the US utility solar power market in a deal worth around US$400 million.
DONG Energy, E.ON and Fred Olsen Renewables have formed a consortium to bid for exclusive rights on a number of zones as part of the UK Crown Estate's Round 3 Offshore Wind Farm programme.
Using biomimicry techniques, an artificial tree or plant structure can function as a passive solar and wind power harvester, according to SolarBotanic.
EurObserv'ER consortium's Wind Power Barometer shows that the total installed capacity of wind power in the European Union (EU) is 65 GW.
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) is calling on Senators and Representative in the US Senate and House of Representatives to pass a national renewable electricity standard (RES).
Moog Inc has acquired 70% of the stock of Insensys Ltd for US$15.7 million in cash.
Trina Solar has reported a 113.4% increase in total net revenues to $216.3 million for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2008 and a 140.9% jump in solar module shipments to 57.59 MW.
Senergy Alternative Energy and Par Equity LLP have formed an investment partnership to identify and pursue investment opportunities in companies operating in the alternative energy and clean technology sectors.
The creation of long platinum nanowires at the University of Rochester in upstate New York could lead to the development of nanowire-enhanced fuel cells to power vehicles, for example. The nanowires should provide significant increases in both longevity and efficiency of fuel cells.
German-based Baxi Innotech launched its Gamma 1.0 fuel cell heating unit at the recent ISH Trade Fair in Frankfurt. The European developer and manufacturer of fuel cell micro combined heat and power (mCHP) systems has also entered into a three-year supply agreement with Canada's Ballard Power Systems, which will supply the PEM fuel cells.
Michigan-based Adaptive Materials Inc (AMI) recently delivered five 25 W solid oxide fuel cell units to the Dominican Republic, for use in a medical readiness training exercise (MEDRETE). The AMI portable fuel cell systems provided reliable and critical power to infrastructure throughout the exercise.
Massachusetts-based Nuvera Fuel Cells has introduced the new PowerEdge™ line of hybrid fuel cell products, to replace standard lead-acid batteries in forklift trucks used in the materials handling industry.
New York-based fuel cell manufacturer Medis Technologies has announced that, consistent with its recent appointment of Tom Finn as executive vice president of operational restructuring, it has initiated a comprehensive cost rationalization plan designed to reduce operating costs and enhance operational efficiencies.
The UK Technology Strategy Board has pledged investment in 6 research projects for the development of materials and components that will reduce energy and water consumption.
Spanish solar power company Fotowatio, will purchase the core US solar power assets of MMA Renewable Ventures including the 14 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) installation at Nellis Air Force base, Nevada, USA.
Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is building a 25 MW photovoltaic (PV) solar facility called DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Florida, USA.
First Solar Inc has reduced its manufacturing cost for solar modules in the fourth quarter to US$0.98/W, breaking the US$1/W price barrier.
New York Governor David A. Paterson has announced that the 50 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) energy project in New York State is moving forward on Long Island, tripling the State's total solar energy production.
LM Glasfiber has inaugurated a composite wind turbine blade production facility in Goleniów, Poland, to serve the rapidly growing multi-megawatts wind turbine segment for onshore and offshore windfarms in the Northern, Central and Eastern parts of Europe.
A cooperation agreement between the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative (JTI), a public-private venture aimed at delivering commercially viable hydrogen energy and fuel cell technologies, has been approved by the JTI Governing Board.
Emerging Energy Research's (EER) 2008 Wind Turbine Market Share Update shows that banking on long-term growth, turbine manufacturers push capacity investments while bracing for slower 2009.
Telecoms backup fuel cell systems supplier IdaTech reports that its planned international expansion in the Asia-Pacific region is moving ahead apace. The firm has now opened a new regional sales office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to support the Asia-Pacific region. It has also signed two partnership agreements for marketing and distribution in the area, and completed a successful two-month installation trial in Malaysia with TIME dotCom.
Scientists in Japan have developed a small, high-power, intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC) module that is no larger than a sugar cube.
In the US, BNSF Railway Company is building an experimental shunting train locomotive powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The engine, which is being assembled at the company's workshop in Topeka, Kansas, will serve as a test bed for reducing diesel fuel used by North America's railway.
Bureau Veritas, a French organization that helps companies comply with standards and regulations, is developing a set of comprehensive guidelines covering the safe use of fuel cells on board ships.
Tokyo Electron (TEL), a supplier of semiconductor production equipment, has announced a strategic cooperation for the Asian solar market with thin-film silicon photovoltaic (PV) production equipment supplier Oerlikon Solar.
Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), through its renewables development division, Airtricity, has obtained consent for construction of the Breeveertieen II offshore windfarm in the Dutch sector of the North Sea.
REpower Systems AG will supply 250 REpower 5M/6M offshore wind turbines to RWE Innogy under a €2 billion offshore wind energy framework agreement.
NRG Energy Inc and eSolar will develop solar thermal power plants with a total generation capacity of up to 500 MW in California and the southwest of USA.
In his first address to the Joint Session of Congress on 24 February, US President Barack Obama called on the USA to take a lead on renewable and clean energy.
Massachusetts-based Protonex Technology has received confirmation of a contract award from the US Army, worth more than $1.4 million, to adapt its solid oxide fuel cell power systems so that they will run on alternative fuels.
The use of a carcinogenic material in solid oxide fuel cells could threaten the future development of this so-called clean technology, claim researchers at Loughborough University in the UK. Despite its potential to deliver power with near-zero emissions of some greenhouse gases, the rapidly developing SOFC business is threatened by the fact that the cells use anodes containing nickel oxide – a powerful carcinogen.
Australian manufacturer and exporter of densified biomass fuel (DBF) pellets, Plantation Energy Australia Pty Ltd, and Great Southern Export Company Pty Ltd have signed a 12-month agreement to supply plantation harvest residues.
ersol has released preliminary results for 2008 reporting an almost doubling (+93.3%) increase in revenue to €309.6 million.
Q-Cells has reported a 47% increase in the production of crystalline solar cells to 570.4 MWp and total thin-film production reached 15.4 MWp in 2008.
Mott MacDonald has been acting as engineering adviser to Honiton Energy, China, for two of its new windfarms located in Inner Mongolia.
Scheuten Solar and Aehlios, a specialist in the design, sale and installation of photovoltaic (PV) solar roofs, have signed a multi-year contract for the supply of solar modules in the Multisol® range.
Marine Current Turbines has won the Rosenblatt 2009 New Energy Rising Star Award.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) plans a five-year programme to develop up to 500 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) power in its northern and central California service area.
Siemens Energy has entered into a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to conduct atmospheric modelling research that is expected to help windfarms operators and owners increase operating efficiency and providing more power to power grids.
Wales has announced a Bioenergy Action Plan for Wales aiming to generate at least 5 TWh of electricity, about 20% of current needs, from renewable biomass by 2020.
Major climate change legislation may not go through the US Congress before 2010, the White House signalled on 23 February.
ACAL Energy Ltd has received investment from Japanese trading company Sumitomo Corporation, which together with a previous £3.3 million fundraising round will help fund the next stage of development of ACAL's low cost fuel cell systems, based on platinum-free cathode technology.
Voith Hydro and RWE Innogy are forming a joint venture (JV), Voith Hydro Ocean Current Technologies, to accelerate the development, manufacture and marketing of ocean current technologies.
ZeaChem Inc, a developer of biorefineries for biomass, has selected CH2M HILL as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for its first biorefinery.
A delegation from the Chinese Government has visited Peterborough Renewable Energy Ltd (PREL) in the UK to learn more about waste-to-energy.
Borrego Solar Systems is selling its residential solar division for an undisclosed sum to groSolar.
A study on the installed costs of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the USA shows that the average cost of these systems declined significantly from 1998 to 2007, but remained relatively flat during the last two years of this period.
Aquamarine has signed a development agreement with Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE)'s renewable energy division, Airtricity, aimed at developing sites capable of hosting 1 GW of marine energy in the form of wave and tidal power by 2020.
California-based Viaspace has completed a second development contract, under which it delivered a high-reliability, standard methanol cartridge to Korean consumer electronics and appliances giant Samsung.


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(Video) Sean Abbot becomes the all-time leading wicket-taker in BBL
Sean Abbott has become the BBL's all-time leading wicket-taker as Sydney Sixers sneaked home in the last over against Adelaide Strikers. The pacer moved past Ben Laughlin (111) as the most prolific bowler ever in the competition. Abbot, who now has 112 wickets in his 11 seasons in the BBL, also nabbed his 100th wicket for the Sixers as he became the second bowler to notch up the milestone for a single franchise after Andrew Tye achieved the feat for the Scorchers last night.
Reckon Sean Abbott is pretty happy about wicket No. 100 for the @SixersBBL?
Follow: https://t.co/5sd12kPqZn #BBL11 pic.twitter.com/MDCtVwA7aT


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UK Police told to use 'full force' of law against climate change protesters
Police have been given the green light by the home secretary to use the 'full force of the law' against climate change protesters who are planning to disrupt Heathrow airport. Extinction Rebellion has been holding demonstrations over several days in key parts of London in order to get the government to take action on the 'unprecedented global emergency'. After several 'non-violent civil disobedience'protests, the group announced it planned to 'raise the bar' at the UK's busiest airport over the Easter bank holiday weekend. About 247,000 people are estimated to be flying in or out of the airport on Good Friday and the airport is advising passengers to contact their individual airlines for information on their departures. Extinction Rebellion wants the government to declare a climate emergency and take action on its three main demands: that the government tells 'the truth'about how 'deadly our situation is', that it cuts carbon emissions to net zero by 2025 and creates a 'citizens' assembly' to oversee the changes.


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Latest News from Parmjeet Parmar
No plan to grow scientific community
Posted on Press Releases · July 13, 2019 12:43 PM
It's disappointing to see an opportunity to grow our scientific community lost due to the Government's decision to not commit to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope, National's Research, Science and Innovation spokesperson Parmjeet Parmar says.
"The Minister is concerned that New Zealand doesn't have a sufficiently large pool of world-class experts doing the type of work that would be advanced by using the SKA, but this merely emphasises the need for New Zealand to invest in and grow our scientific expertise.
"Innovation and technological development is central in supporting economic growth, but if we fail to attract and maintain experts we won't be able to see the full economic value.
"The Government needs to be supporting our scientific community and helping them grow, currently there is no evidence of a plan to do this.
"National believes in supporting New Zealand's wider scientific sector to develop more scientific and technological skills, which will allow us to keep up with international advances and provide opportunities to connect with the international scientific community."
Government should fund fire research
Posted on Press Releases · May 04, 2019 4:05 PM
The National Party is calling on the Government to fund potentially lifesaving research into preventing rural fires, National's Research, Science and Innovation spokesperson Parmjeet Parmar says.
"Crown Research Institute Scion, which specialises in forestry science, is involved in creating a new fire spread model and investigating new extreme fire prevention methods.
This includes developing new response technologies to prevent and suppress extreme fires," Dr Parmar says.
"I'm calling on the Government to give Scion the security it needs of $3 million a year so it can continue research and come up with new models to suppress wildfires. This research has previously come from contestable funds but there is no security with that funding.
"If Scion's new fire-spread theory holds true, it will replace an 80-year old fire-spread theory and will transform the way firefighters fight wildfires, the likes of those seen in Nelson and the Port Hills. The frequency and pattern of fires is changing, so this research is more important than ever.
"The annual average direct impact of rural fire on New Zealand's economy is estimated at $67 million a year, with indirect costs estimated to be at least two to three times this.
"Today is International Firefighters Day, so it's reasonable that the Government takes today to think about this serious issue which could ultimately save money, and lives."
Capital Gains Tax will deter R&D
Posted on Press Releases · March 01, 2019 10:54 AM
New figures released today by Statistics New Zealand show strong progress in Research and Development (R&D) spending under the National-led Government's R&D framework, while also showing what a Capital Gains Tax will put at risk, National's Research, Science and Innovation Spokesperson Parmjeet Parmar says.
"Between 2008 and 2018, R&D spending in New Zealand rose from $2.2 billion to $3.9 billion. These results are a reflection of the effective policies implemented by the previous National Government and pre-date any changes by the current Government such as the R&D tax credit," Dr Parmar says.
"However, the Government puts all that progress at risk with the proposed Capital Gains Tax.
"A Capital Gains Tax would punish start-ups, innovators and small business owners who are willing to take risks and turn their ideas into a commercial business venture.
"It will mean that when a Kiwi start-up, the next Xero or TradeMe, decides to sell their idea or product to the world, the Government would help themselves to a third of the return
"That is not fair.
"It is the entrepreneur and innovator who takes the risk, invests their own money and time and puts in the hard work to turn their idea into a success, not the Government.
"National believes we need to reward hard work, incentivise risk-taking and encourage New Zealanders to invest in new products and new ideas. A Capital Gains Tax would do the opposite."
Government must safeguard NZ's ability to innovate
Posted on Press Releases · January 28, 2019 12:20 PM
The Government claims to be committed to building a more innovative economy, so it should explain why New Zealand's innovation ranking is sliding, National's Research, Science and Innovation spokesperson Parmjeet Parmar says.
"New Zealand was ranked 28th on the Bloomberg Innovation Index in 2013, when the former National Government created Callaghan Innovation to help lift our performance. It did, and New Zealand's ranking improved to 18th within two years.
"Now the tide's going out again. New Zealand's innovation ranking has fallen two years in a row. The same trend may be emerging in the Global Innovation Index.
"One of the most consistent themes I hear from New Zealanders about what our economy needs is that we need to move up the value chain by supporting more innovation.
"New Zealand has had some great innovators and we need more of them to add value to our exports of goods and services and to improve our standard of living.
"This Government may be struggling to make progress because of the divergent views within the coalition but that's no excuse for inertia.
"As a country, New Zealand should back itself in its ability to add more capacity to innovate and add value to what we're good at and to find new things to be good at. But the performance of the Research, Science and Innovation Minister leaves me concerned as Government policy in this area is somewhat woolly.
"Across Minister Woods' portfolios, there has been a discernible lack of depth in her knowledge of the scientific principles that should guide policy decisions.
"These global indexes may be pointing to a slowdown in New Zealand's innovation value chain and shouldn't be shrugged off. It could make it harder for innovative businesses to attract investment and risk the loss of innovative work in New Zealand."
R&D plan leaves too many questions unanswered
Posted on Press Releases · October 03, 2018 11:15 AM
The Government's R&D Tax Incentive policy shows it has taken on board some of the concerns raised by submitters but today's release leaves too many unanswered questions, National's Research, Science and Innovation spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar says.
"The policy is short on details of compliance requirements and how Inland Revenue proposes to police the scheme. Without that information, businesses can only hope they comply and are keeping the right records. The scheme has to be more than just a bonanza for tax consultants.
"It is essential that businesses have certainty over the details, especially since the Government is determined to roll this out in 2019 while the Treasury had recommended a start in 2020 to allow proper policy implementation.
"Megan Woods has previously said some 3000 companies were expected to be eligible for the tax credit but seems to have retreated from that target today by saying it will be more than 2000.
"Those that are 'pre-profit' will be covered by temporary arrangements subject to review down the track because the issues were too complex to resolve now.
"The Government has lifted its incentive from 12.5 per cent to 15 per cent of eligible R&D spending but that's still below the 20 per cent rate that applies to Growth Grants under the existing programme.
"Changes in this version of the policy, including dropping the R&D spending threshold to $50,000 from $100,000 and what appears to be an expansion of eligible organisations, won't come without extra cost yet the Government still claims it will cost $1 billion over four years.
"Australia's comparable scheme ended up costing twice its original budget, so Ms Woods needs to explain how the Government will stay within budget.
"Small and unprofitable firms were able to find support under National's innovation ecosystem. We understood that the big companies of tomorrow emerge from the risk-taking entrepreneurs of today."
Govt can't restrict small firms' R&D credit access
Posted on Press Releases · September 24, 2018 4:04 PM
The Government has held onto submissions to its research and development tax credit proposal for three months and there's no sign yet that it has tackled the inequities, National's Research, Science and Innovation spokesperson Parmjeet Parmar says.
"In the current version of the Government's plan, firms currently spending less than $100,000 don't qualify for the same credit as larger companies. That effectively rules out the big companies of tomorrow because it puts a hurdle in front of small businesses today."
"It makes no sense to treat one dollar of R&D spending any differently to another dollar just because a business is small. If anything, they are the group with the most to gain because small businesses can be hand-to-mouth as they seek to stay afloat and grow.
"The Government needs to abolish the $100,000 threshold and also needs to find a way to deliver some form of assistance for start-ups that may undertake large amounts of R&D but are yet to record a positive cash flow. Currently, they're entitled to growth grants.
"Businesses, particularly start-ups, need certainty because they tend to be investing for the long term. Often they need to know what the business environment will be like for next 3-4 years to have the confidence to invest.
"Megan Woods pushed out the deadline for the Bill by a month but her officials will still be under pressure. It is now expected in October to be enacted by April 2019.
"Ms Woods is in a difficult position because the current design of the policy has already been costed in Budget 2018 at $1 billion over the next four years.
"Removing the $100,000 threshold and/or extending growth grants now will significantly increase the cost of the policy and put further strain on the Government's Budget Responsibility Rules, which it already looks like breaching.
No certainty for pre-profit start-ups
Posted on Press Releases · August 20, 2018 10:04 AM
Megan Woods appears to expect pre-profit start-up companies to hope and pray they won't be overlooked by the Government's proposed R&D tax incentive plan, National's Science and Innovation spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar says.
Dr Woods told Parliament that of the 300 businesses currently receiving a growth grant through Callaghan Innovation, some 200 aren't yet profitable. These 200 businesses will not be able to receive a tax credit under the Minister's proposal.
"This could be the tip of the iceberg because not all start-ups seek grants during their growth phase and the Minister has no numbers for the total proportion of NZ businesses undertaking R&D during their growth phase.
"They won't take any comfort from Dr Woods' assurance that she's 'committed to finding solutions' or that officials are still working on that bit of the plan. Assurances don't help New Zealand innovators when they're trying to project their cash flows.
"It also isn't clear that start-ups who have reached profit will be as well off under the Minister's plan since the growth grants are currently set at 20 per cent and the tax incentive put out for consultation was at a 12.5 per cent rate, a gap noted in MBIE's advice to Dr Woods last November.
"What a tragedy it would be for New Zealand if the next big thing ended up walking away or quitting because of this lack of certainty. They deserve better."
Govt won't support better health for newborns
Posted on Press Releases · July 26, 2018 8:27 AM
Last night the Government voted down my Members Bill that would improve health outcomes for mothers and their babies by ensuring that newborns are enrolled with a GP before they are six weeks old, National MP Parmjeet Parmar says.
"Despite the Government claiming that it wants to do more for the health and wellbeing of children and after the three Government parties unanimously supported this Bill in its first reading, they have now all voted down this Bill.
"In an attempt to pretend to address this issue the Government is planning to take a watered down approach by looking to implement an extremely low target for newborns to be enrolled with their GP before they are six weeks old.
"The Government members on the Health Select Committee have agreed to introduce two performance measures for newborn enrolments through DHB annual plans. These would aim to have 55 per cent of newborns enrolled with a GP by six weeks of age and 85 per cent of newborns enrolled by three months of age.
"Their suggested target of 55 per cent as a performance measure is far too low. Six weeks is a significant amount of time for a newborn to not be enrolled with a GP and for the health system to be unaware.
"My Member's Bill would introduce a very basic legislative framework to remove some barriers and implement the necessary systems to ensure that newborns are enrolled with a GP as early as possible and before six weeks of age.
"Having a system in place to track GP enrolments and encouraging earlier enrolment would immediately bring about better health outcomes for new babies.
"It would not only ensure that health and development checks were carried out early but would also provide a vital opportunity for GPs to inform and connect the family with a range of other support options including both health and social interventions.
"The improved health outcomes are compelling reasons for us to have a legislative framework to enrol newborns before they are six weeks old.
"The Government should adopt the principles of my Members' Bill that it has just voted down and start work to improve health outcomes for newborns."
Industry concerns prevalent in R&D tax credit submission
The only publically released submission so far on the proposed R&D tax credit scheme will worry the Government as it highlights some industry concerns about whether the tax credit system will boost R&D investment, National's Research, Science and Innovation Spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar says.
"The Government will be concerned that NZTech – an organisation that represents over 800 technology organisations in New Zealand – has raised a number of concerns it has with the Government's proposed tax credit scheme.
"Among NZTech's many concerns is R&D tax credits will not benefit high growth firms that run at losses during periods of rapid investment in R&D.
"Because tax credits do not offer any cash flow relief to start-ups who are yet to return a profit, there are serious questions as to whether R&D tax credits will do anything to lift R&D spending given the importance that start-up firms play in driving R&D spending in New Zealand.
"NZTech's submission raises further concerns on the high level of uncertainty during the transition period away from growth grants. Members also have issues around what will be classifiable as R&D expenditure and the fact that a tax credit rate of only 12.5 per cent will offer significantly less material benefit than growth grants which will therefore reduce the incentive to invest.
"In light of the concerns raised by NZTech in their submission on the Government's proposed R&D tax credit scheme – which is the only publically released submission to date – we encourage the Government to publically release all submissions.
"Without such transparency, the public will be left in the dark as to whether abolishing the growth grant scheme, which has a proven track record of lifting R&D spending, is actually supported by industry players that undertake R&D."
R&D tax credit policy built on Minister's guesswork
Posted on Press Releases · June 07, 2018 4:13 PM
The Research and Development (R&D) tax credits policy introduced by Megan Woods is still short on detail and long on generalities after today's estimates hearing, National's Research, Science and Innovation Spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar says.
"Today I asked the Minister several key questions on the policy, but she quite simply has not nutted out the finer details.
"She could not provide any information on the spending that will go into existing R&D in tax credits, any information on the estimated spending that will go into possible re-classification of work as research and development, and she could not give any assurances that she will be able to monitor rorting of the tax credit system to the fullest.
"When asked about the public investment increase required in research, science and innovation each year up to 2028 to increase R&D to 2 per cent of GDP, her answer was 'significant'.
"And the threshold set for businesses of $100,000 R&D expenditure during a tax year is now open for discussion according to the Minister, as she tries to win support from innovative smaller businesses.
"The sector deserves a Minister with a better grasp of the figures from than what she demonstrated today.
"The financial risk of R&D is being shifted onto the businesses themselves, leaving them with the burden to develop new, innovative products and technologies with no promise of support from the Government.
"It's simply not acceptable for New Zealand businesses that the Minister has done no homework on her flagship policy for the portfolio."


Like the best romantic entanglements a good chocolate fondant is hot and intense with a meltingly soft centre. How do you ensure success?
There's a reason why Valentine's Day menus always end with chocolate. You might know that the route to your beloved's heart is paved with pork belly or smelly cheese, but I'm willing to bet that even plasticine lothario Wallace doesn't romp around the bedroom smeared in Stinking Bishop. Cliche or not, chocolate still ticks all the right boxes where most of us are concerned and, like a bad rom-com after a few glasses of wine, it's peculiarly seductive.
It can't just be any old dish though; a hefty slice of mud cake or a slab of chocolate bread and butter pudding are more likely to send you both to sleep in front of Love Actually than in each other's arms – you want something a bit lighter, a little more sophisticated, and a lot more impressive. Cue the fondant.
When it comes to "naughty" food, one's mind automatically turns to Nigella. Every day must be Valentine's Day in Eaton Square, with the domestic goddess sucking her fingers seductively over the most mundane of meals. She probably makes tuna sandwiches in a silk wrap, so I'm surprised her molten chocolate babycakes don't come with an age-rating.
The "acceptable face of culinary cute", they start life much like any cake – butter and sugar creamed together, then combined with beaten eggs, vanilla and flour. So far, so village fete – until you fold the best part of four bars of dark chocolate into the batter. The mixture is divided between 6 pudding moulds, and then goes into a 200C oven for 10 minutes to cook.
The first babycake I invert on to a plate collapses in a muddy mess, as does the second, two minutes later, but after quarter of an hour in the heat, I finally have something to show for my efforts. Spongy and slightly crisp on top, oozy and sweet within, they're fluffier than I expected; more like the best chocolate pudding never to appear from the school kitchen than anything particularly sophisticated.
Perhaps, I muse, the fondant proper is a job for the French – babycakes seem to be an entirely different proposition, particularly if you ask Google. Despite having been in this country longer than I have, Raymond Blanc still has an accent you could cut with a knife and serve with ze crackers, so his recipe seems as good a place to start again as any.
According to Xanthe Clay in the Telegraph, it's based on his mother's chocolate mousse, which I've already dissed on these pages, but many months have passed since a mousse passed my lips, so I'm willing to give Maman Blanc another chance.
I whisk together egg whites and fructose (oh, Raymond, how I've missed your predilection for pricey fruit sugars) into soft peaks while melting chocolate in a bain marie. I then mix cornflour with a little water to make a paste, and whisk this into the chocolate – which, of course, immediately causes it to seize up in the manner of something you might struggle to scrape from your wellies. Thanks Ray.
With some difficulty, I fold in a third of the egg whites, and then the rest, and then put my slightly streaky mixture into the oven for 7 minutes. Again, the first one isn't set – perhaps my oven, despite the thermometer, is colder than it claims – but eventually I manage to catch one at exactly the right moment. It's weird - slightly dry and tough on the outside, and a bit underwhelming flavourwise within.
Almost undaunted, I turn to telly Frenchman #2, Michel Roux Jr, for advice. He and Raymond have the same number of stars, but Roux has munched on more overcooked fondants in the company of professional pudding-fancier Gregg Wallace, which might just give him the edge in this particular contest.
He gives his daughter's recipe, which "never fails to impress" – and having checked her out, and discovered she's a trainee chef rather than, say, a computer programmer or a midwife, I give it a whirl. Saying that, even if she had decided on an alternative career path, she wouldn't have had many problems with this recipe – whisk together the eggs, sugar and flour until just mixed ("don't worry about the odd lump or two!" Papa reassures me), pour in the melted chocolate and butter, fold together, and cook for 10 minutes. I have to give it to her, they're good – less cakey than Nigella's, and richer than Raymond's, I'd even dare to serve this to Michel's scary minion, Monica.
Someone else who's eaten their fair share of fondants over the past few years is John Torode, who takes Michel's place at MasterChef HQ when its ordinary folk, rather than culinary professionals, trying to CHANGE THEIR LIVES. His recipe, however, has something to prove about his abilities in the kitchen – as well as melting together butter and chocolate, I must whisk eggs and sugar together over the heat until thick pale and fluffy.
This is probably easier if you have the electric beaters specified by John, rather than just a hand whisk, but still, it's multi-tasking of the kind which would make great TV. I then stir in the flour, chocolate and butter, and cook for 9 minutes. The texture is moister than Emily Roux's pudding, and, although smooth, rather heavy. As I set to washing up that extra pan, I'm not convinced the extra effort has been worth it.
Tamasin Day-Lewis prefaces her hot chocolate pudding recipe in her book Simply the Best in with a story about eating chocolate with Roux Jr at Le Gavroche – with credentials like that, and over twice as many egg yolks, I have high hopes.
I beat together the eggs, yolks and sugar until pale (and thus also rather fluffy, although she doesn't mention this) and then beat in the melted butter and chocolate and fold in a negligible amount of flour. I must then refrigerate it for at least a couple of hours before cooking. There's no discernible benefit to this pause as far as I'm concerned – the texture is just the same – but I'm intrigued enough to freeze some of the mixture overnight, and then push it into the middle just before cooking. This tactic is used by Larousse Gastronomique in their rather involved recipe, but I'm unimpressed – a puck of cold mixture in the middle of a hot pudding spoils the moment. I like the lightness that whisking has given Tamasin's mixture but I find the flavour too rich – perhaps it's designed for sharing?
John Torode uses a mix of white and dark chocolate in his fondants, which I think makes them too sweet. I also experiment with cutting down the sugar, and using a proportion of milk chocolate to give a more rounded flavour, but it's still too sickly – I conclude the recipe needs the clean, slightly bitter flavour of dark chocolate to make it palatable.
Nigella lines her moulds with greaseproof paper to stop the puddings sticking, but I find coating them with butter and cocoa powder, as Gordon Ramsay does, is easier, and gives a nicer looking result.
If you're hoping to impress, I beg you to do a trial run first to see how long these will take in your oven. There comes a point in a relationship where serving up something that looks like a cow pat is funny – but in my experience, it's very rarely seductive.
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C if cooking immediately, and put a baking tray on the middle shelf. Butter the inside of 2 small ramekins or pudding moulds, and then put the cocoa in one and turn it to coat the inside, holding it over the second mould to catch any that escapes. Do the same with the other mould.
2. Put the butter and chocolate into a heatproof bowl set over, but not touching, a pan of simmering water and stir occasionally until melted. Allow to cool slightly.
3. Vigorously whisk together the egg, yolk, sugar and a pinch of salt until pale and fluffy. Gently fold in the melted chocolate and butter, and then the flour. Spoon into the prepared moulds, stopping just shy of the top – at this point the mixture can be refrigerated until needed, or even frozen, as the puddings will not wait around once cooked.
4. Put on to a hot baking tray and cook for 12 minutes (14 if from cold, 16 if frozen) until the tops are set and coming away from the sides of the moulds. Leave to rest for 30 seconds and then serve in the ramekins or turn out on to plates if you're feeling confident – they're great with clotted cream or plain ice cream.
Have you mastered the dish that's ended so many MasterChef dreams? What's your method?


I just got an email from a Chapter 13 client who has a confirmation hearing on 8/21. She told me that auction.com just came by her house and posted a sign that her house is up for auction on 8/14. There has been no relief from the automatic stay issued in this case, nor has a motion for relief from the automatic stay been filed. When we filed the case in March, we stopped a foreclosure action and the client was going to try to save her home so we put the arrears and some IRS tax debt in the plan. Her original confirmation hearing was on 6/21 but the Chapter 13 Trustee's office continued it to 8/21. In the interim she lost one of her jobs and decided that she would just surrender the home and pay the priority tax debt in the plan. We amended the plan indicating that she would be surrendering the home, but no arrangements have been made yet on the terms of the surrender.
Doesn't the bank still need relief from the automatic stay to auction the house?
I Just Received A 1099-C Cancellation Of Debt Form. What Should I Do?
Although I posted an article on this topic of tax debts after foreclosure on July 12, 2011, this question still comes up fairly frequently. Therefore, another blog post on it is in order. However, this one will not be a carbon copy of the July 12 post.
Bankruptcy filings should surge in 2012 because the foreclosure pace is picking up speed, and because the world and U.S. economies are not headed for improvement in the near future.
I haven't written about foreclosure in a while, but an article in the Thursday Los Angeles Times has given me the impetus to do so.
California and other states are likely to see an enormous wave of long-delayed foreclosure action in the coming year as banks deal more aggressively with 3.5 million seriously delinquent mortgages. And experts said that dealing with the foreclosure process, from issuing notices of default to selling repossessed homes, is likely to push housing prices lower this year before the real estate market has a chance to recover.
Wow! Three and a half million seriously delinquent mortgages. That's a lot of toxic real estate. If you're one of those 3.5 million people with a seriously delinquent mortgage, isn't it time you considered bankruptcy?
A recent corrupting trend in Chapter 13 bankruptcy is creating serious challenges for honest Chapter 13 debtors, their attorneys, mortgage companies, and Bankruptcy Courts. The problem is a new foreclosure scam called property dumping, and it illustrates the ingeniously evil thinking of some real estate crooks.
It is not news to say that today's real estate market is terrible. Many "homeowners" are quite literally hundreds of thousands of dollars underwater. I put homeowners in quotation marks because someone who is underwater does not really own a single molecule of the house.
This leads many to surrender their houses as part of the bankruptcy process. Surrender of the house can be very sensible if the debtor can't make the payments, and has negative equity. When the Bankruptcy Court grants the debtor a discharge, the personal liability on the mortgage is discharged. Moreover, since the debt is discharged in the bankruptcy, there is no cancellation of debt income, so there is no adverse tax consequence to the surrender. In addition, any prepetition homeowners association (HOA) dues are discharged because they were incurred prior to filing the bankruptcy papers.


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Pixel 3a and Honor 20 Pro might have some serious competition from the Meizu 16Xs
By Peter Phelps
Deputy Mobile Editor
May 31, 2019 3:16 pm BST
Meizu has just launched its latest 'junior' flagship, with some high-end specs that will turn the screws on mid-range competitors. Here's the full lowdown.
The Chinese brand's latest smartphone is priced at $245 (~£195), but if the specs are anything to go by, you'll get a lot of bang for those bucks: the Meizu 16Xs packs a giant 4000mAh battery, a 6.2-inch Samsung AMOLED screen, and a 48-megapixel triple lens camera.
It should offer plenty of power with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 chipset and 6GB RAM, while storage is limited to 64GB. Perhaps the most surprising feature at this price point is its in-screen fingerprint scanner, usually restricted to top-end devices like the OnePlus 7 Pro.
Related: Best Phones
These specifications compare very favourably to the Google Pixel 3a launched recently as a cut-price alternative to the costly flagships, and could well beat it at its own game.
In comparison, the Pixel 3a has a 5.6-inch OLED screen, a 3000mAh battery and a Snapdragon 670 chip with 4GB of RAM — all of which seems to put it comfortably behind the Meizu. But while its rear camera has a 12.2-megapixel resolution, we rate it as the 'budget camera champion', with performance comparable to a flagship phone. It just goes to show you can't rely on spec sheets alone — only our reviews will give you the expert advice you need for your next smartphone purchase.
Related: Best Camera Phones
Meizu isn't the only smartphone brand targeting the Pixel 3a with an aggressive pricing plan. The Realme 3 Pro packs a 4045mAh battery, 6.3-inch AMOLED screen, and a Snapdragon 710 chip; all for £175 (~$220).
Related: Best Android Phones
The Meizu 16Xs will launch on June 10 in China, and will become available in India and some European countries from July. We haven't received official confirmation whether it will be sold in the UK, so we'll keep you posted as we hear more about the launch plans for this intriguing device.
Peter is a mobile tech writer, covering the latest smartphones, tablets, and wearables in news stories, reviews, and features. Previously he worked as a business researcher for Which?, analysing the m…


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2017: A momentous year for Hull and Willerby
Hull has long been a uniquely proud city with a rich cultural heritage, and we're immensely proud of our Yorkshire roots. Here's a look back on Hull's incredible year as City of Culture and our highlights as a local business…
There's no doubt that Hull had a fabulous 2017. Tourism reached an all-time high, with a staggering 341,000 visitors journeying to Hull in the first week alone! Locals played a very active part in the celebrations too – in fact, in the first 3 months of the year, 90% of Hullensians had attended at least one cultural event. Here's a roundup of our favourite events…
Our handpicked highlights of our home city's celebrations:
Thousands of people stripped naked (yep, naked), painted themselves blue, and were photographed amongst the city's landmarks by famed artist Spencer Tunick creating the 'Sea of Hull' – celebrating Hull's relationship with the sea.
A 75-metre wind turbine blade made by Hull-based Siemens was placed in the middle of the city, requiring some pretty precise manoeuvring! 'The blade' was a real talking point in the city, with countless selfies taken next to it!
Thousands turned up to Hull's Pride celebrations to celebrate in style. It also coincided with the 50th anniversary of the legalisation of homosexuality in this country, which made it all the more momentous.
The Ferens art gallery was chosen to host the world-renowned Turner Prize, one of the most famous visual arts awards. Perhaps it's no surprise then that visits to the gallery increased by 500% over the year!
Hull's much-loved New Theatre reopened after a multi-million pound refurbishment with a specially-commissioned performance from the Royal Ballet, and also featured Hull-born and bred principal dancer Xander Parish.
Hull is fondly known within the leisure industry as the 'Caravan Capital of the World', with many holiday home manufacturers being based in and around the city. Willerby is the UK's largest manufacturer of holiday homes and lodges, and we are also one of Hull's biggest employers, with over 1100 staff employed at our 90-acre site. With a new CEO at the helm, a raft of new models, and a series of significant investments, the past year saw us propelled to new heights!
Willerby's 2017: What we're proud of:
Continued growth & investment – we're currently on track for a fifth consecutive year of growth, and last year saw a 12.7% increase in turnover to £165m. We invested in our manufacturing facilities and we now turn out over 30 holiday homes and lodges every working day!
On a winning streak – we climbed 45 places in the 2017 Sunday Times Grant Thornton Top Track 250 to 189, won the Business Enterprise Award in the Yorkshire Awards, and were finalists in the Large Business of the Year category of the Hull Daily Mail Business Awards!
New showgrounds – after the huge success of our first ever Willerby-owned showground in Scotland, we opened a second venue in Hull. It's already proved extremely popular, with visitors travelling from across the UK, and a line-up of events and open days scheduled for 2018.
Willerby's workforce – our passionate staff are the core of our business, and we've created over 200 new jobs this year, as well continuing our great apprentice scheme, and creating a brand-new graduate scheme. Getting social – we've invested in our online presence, launching a brand-new website and focusing on social media, meaning we have more direct contact and valuable feedback from our customers.
We got buzzy giving back – as part of our ongoing outreach program, we did our bit to help save the UK's dwindling bumblebee population by distributing 20,000 packets of wildflower seeds and 100 handcrafted bee houses across the UK, as well educating 34 local primary schools on the plight of the bee.
So, it's undeniable that 2017 has been a defining year for both Hull and for Willerby. We're determined to continue our successes and ensure that 2018 is even bigger and better – we hope you'll be part of it!
Image credit: Bondholders
Join us at The Scottish Caravan, Holiday Home & Motorhome Show in Glasgow!
Come and see us at the 2020 Spring shows!
Willerby Owners ahead of the game
The Sleep Geek's guide to getting a better night's sleep on holiday (or if you're not going away soon, try out these at home!)


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Home Marketing Madness Mobile Apps add Facebook Likes
Mobile Apps add Facebook Likes
One of the most familiar symbols in today's technological world is Facebook's Like button. The little thumbs up with a blue shirt cuff makes an appearance almost everywhere we look. Every advertisement we see gives the option to like on Facebook. It was one of the greatest innovations for brands and advertisers, as it became easy to get consumers involved with their advertisements instead of just looking at them. The Like button gave brands an opportunity to get their name out by way of the new word-of-mouth, and they could now put themselves in a place that has been the center of attention for a long time.
Needless to say, the Like button spread like wildfire after it was first put out as an opportunity for brands and advertisers. However, now the like button will be making an appearance in all of the world's favorite mobile apps. However, instead of a button, Facebook refers to it in their blog as the, "Like action," for you can now create a wide range of your own like buttons across apps to influence a large distribution across Facebook. This new feature tied in with the Like button will make for a more interactive experience that ties in the web and mobile devices with apps like foursquare and Instagram.
Instead of having to share a story on Facebook in order for somebody to Like it, they can now Like it directly from the separate app, and it will still appear as a notification on Facebook. Basically, what is happening is, just as they have done with the web on desktop computers, users can now Like things on Facebook, even if they aren't on Facebook.
This new feature may be a sign of an important advertising idea. There could be something to come with this new innovation in the Like button. For example, if a brand were to make an account on one of the social media sites that is less populated by business and advertisers, such as Instagram, they could then have an advantage and still use Facebook to advertise. It would be killing two birds with one stone, in a sense, because not only would the person that is Liking your post on Instagram learning more about your product, but all of the people they are friends with would see it as well.
The Like button was created for the purpose of helping people share what their interests are and see who else Likes the same things. "Unlike the Like Button, people must authorize your app to publish like stories," Andrew Rothbart writes on the Facebook Developer Blog. So, the Like action is exactly the same as the Like button, but it broadens the horizons of it. Facebook is continuing to take the Like button to high places, creating many great opportunities with it. Since it is now available for apps on mobile devices, though, it's hard to imaging what they could possibly do next. Although, Facebook never seizes to surprise it's users.
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The Fisher-Price Little People School Bus is switch adapted for young switch users to enjoy fun play time and a sing-along tune.
Connect and press a switch, such as a Smoothie switch, for fun sounds and flashing lights.
Encourage your chilf to press on the drivers seat-switch; they will hear a something different! Open the school bus door by pressing the big red button. There are lots of new words to learn as they play with the bus.
The bus comes with two Little People figures.
Switch activation of dialogue and music.


Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks about the new iPhone X during a media event at Apple's new headquarters in Cupertino, California, on Tuesday.
The phone features wireless charging, an infrared camera and special hardware for facial recognition, which will replace the fingerprint sensor for unlocking the phone. The home button found on previous iPhones is also gone, and users will instead tap the device to wake it up.
The phone, which is priced at US$999 and ships on November 3, as well as the holiday shopping season that will follow are the most important for Apple in years. The new phone's ship date raised questions about possible supply constraints ahead of the holidays.
"It's great to have a product but we'd have liked it sooner rather than later, more like the beginning of October or mid-October," said Kim Forrest, senior equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh.
The screen on the iPhone X is about the size of the current iPhone 7 plus, though the phone itself is smaller. It features richer colors thanks to a new technology called OLED that other vendors such as Samsung are also rolling out.
Philip Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple, introduces the new iPhone line-up during a media event at Apple's new headquarters in Cupertino, California, on Tuesday.
Apple also introduced the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus, which resemble the iPhone 7 line but have a glass back for wireless charging.
The cheapest phones have 64 gigabytes of memory, up from 32GB in previous models, and will sell for US$699 and US$799.
The company also introduced an upgraded Apple Watch, which can make phone calls and access the Internet without the user carrying an iPhone. The Series 3 watch will cost US$399.
The upgraded Apple TV will support the high resolution display known as 4K and will also feature more programing options as Apple steps up its efforts to cut content deals and produce its own shows.