text:
Full Throttle Remastered
Full Throttle Remastered Review (PS4)
Asphalt and trouble
review by Alex Stinton Fri, 21 Apr 2017 00:30:00 +0100
Never has the fallibility of memory been clearer than when revisiting video games from the past. It can be surprising just how big the gulf between recollection and reality can be, leaving you to wonder if your brain just might be responsible for some of the greatest video game remasters of all time. As with last year's re-release of Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle Remastered represents another chance to reconcile memory and reality, and if you're unfamiliar with this classic LucasArts point-and-click adventure, it also happens to be the best way to experience a title that holds up surprisingly well in an era where episodic Telltale adventures are king.
Taking on the role of Ben Throttle – leader of the Polecats biker gang – you'll find yourself embroiled in a noir story of murder and betrayal that could threaten the very future of motorbikes. The setting, plot, and characters in Full Throttle are perhaps its biggest strength, and the world it transports you to feels reminiscent of that in the very first Mad Max film, offering up a fascinating version of America that – while still clearly functioning – has a pervading feel of lawlessness to it. It also cleverly avoids explaining too many aspects of its world, never feeling the need to delve into lengthy exposition, and leaving your imagination to run wild while it concentrates on delivering its tightly paced story.
As you'd expect from a game designed and written by the Tim Schafer – the man behind titles such as Grim Fandango and Psychonauts – it's full of cleverly written, interesting characters, who in-turn are brought to life by a strong cast of top-notch voice-actors to deliver a tale that has managed to stand the test of time surprisingly well.
Despite these strengths, though, there were some LucasArts fans who were ultimately disappointed by Full Throttle when it originally came out. This was a time when you'd reasonably expect to be picking up dozens of items in an adventure game in order to solve obtuse puzzles that would stump you for hours, all because you struggled to make some bizarre leaps of logic. And in that light some felt Full Throttle focus on narrative was ultimately short changing the player.
Coming back to it now it's clear there was a cinematic drive to Full Throttle which manifested itself in a tightly paced story that just wasn't being offered by its peers. It doesn't want you to get bogged down working out that you need to use the monkey to turn off the water, and instead presents you with a convoy of focused, self-contained puzzles that have subtly signposted solutions that are fun to find – especially when it involves getting Ben to kick something really hard.
While this more streamlined approach to the puzzle design will help it resonate well with a modern audience, it does still stumble during a couple of poorly controlling vehicle combat sections that crop up during its four to five hour story. From a video game preservation point of view it's great that these sections return, warts and all, but given the number of quality of life improvements added to this remaster – such as being able to highlight interactive parts of each environment to avoid having to do too much pixel hunting – it would have been nice to see a more modern spin that could have made these parts of the experience more palatable as well.
After all, a lot of work's been put into this remaster to update pretty much anything that didn't involve messing around with the fundamental gameplay. Do you want fully remastered audio, including the songs provided for the game by obscure Californian rock outfit The Gone Jackals? You got it. Do you want a complete overhaul of the graphics, with the option to switch on the fly back to the original 4:3 pixel art? That's here as well, and boy do the jazzed up visuals look nice. In fact, anyone unfamiliar with the game could easily think this was a newly released title, if only it wasn't for the aforementioned vehicle sections, and the occasional visual mix of 3D vehicle models and 2D art that reveal its mid-nineties origins.
As was the case with developer Double Fine's previous remasters of both Grim Fandango and Day of the Tentacle, this release is also a treasure trove of Full Throttle history. Offering up a chance to see a raft of concept art, as well as listen to a commentary with select members of the development team, it provides a frequently fascinating insight into the creative process. It's all great stuff that'll be of interest to anyone curious about how Full Throttle came about, and helps elevate the quality of this remaster to a level far above the procession of pedestrian re-releases that have infested this console generation.
Whether you're looking to revisit a title from the heyday of the point-and-click adventure or coming to Full Throttle for the first time to see just why gamers of a certain age keep banging on about it, Full Throttle Remastered is the LucasArts adventure that feels most comfortable in the present day. With a focus on characters and story over complex puzzles, it feels like a premonition of the direction adventure games were to take over the next two decades, and it's a pleasure to see it get a new coat of paint and take to the road for one last ride.
Review copy provided by Double Fine
About Alex Stinton
A gamer since the 80s, Alex longs for a return to consoles with wood panels and games with manuals the size of phone books. When not working on his time machine he spends his time playing games like any normal person — with the controls inverted.
Tasuki
Fri 21st Apr 2017
@AlexStinton Great review. After I finish up Broken Age I will be looking to pick this one up. I never player this so I hope it's good like Broken Age.
That's a 9/10 to all three of these remastered Tim Schafer titles by the way. I wonder if they'll put out a triple pack at any point?
glassmusic
This is exactly what I was hoping to hear. Thanks for the great writeup!
@get2sammyb Already have other tim schafer adventure games on ps4 but if they release triple pack with steelcase and artbook I will buy it for collection's sake
This is one of my favourite old adventure games, finished this remaster in one sitting the other day.
Full Throttle also has one of the most awesome intros ever!
Now waiting for The Dig...if there's any chance for that ?
Fight_Sora_Fight
Hoping this is a future PS+ title .
GealachNua
Didn't play this first time around - tempted to give it a go now. Especially as I have a motorbike now too...
iv-tecman
Fantastic game back in 1995. And after just finishing it day i got this, as i still remember the solutions to all the puzzles as i played this game so many times when it was first released , it just brought back so many good memories...
Also this game is quick easy 100% platinum for trophy hunter's...
AlexStinton
@Tasuki Thanks! Full Throttle is one of my favourite adventure games of the era and it's well worth your time. It does make me sad we never saw any of the sequels that were in development though.
Also, as @iv-tecman points out this is a really easy platinum trophy.
I recall full throttle being too easy and paid £29.99 for the game at original release and felt ripped off!
@themcnoisy Ha! There's a paragraph in my review talking about people just like you. Thanks for proving my point.
@AlexStinton That resonated with me, I mean when Swos and Dungeon Master were cheaper with way more game play and £29.99 was a ton of money then I felt conned. Full throttle was over too quickly.
Shinobi1Kenoby
PS4..... land of the re-mastered/re-make/re-hash Playstation has always stood as the hub for everything is a sequel but this is getting ridiculous now.
Should probably expect The Last of Us re-re-mastered next year now.
naruball
@DESS-M-8 It's a real shame no new games are released theses days. Just remasters that we're forced to play.
@naruball what am I waiting for?
@AlexStinton How long did it take you to get the Plat Alex?
@DESS-M-8 to be fair it's been how many years since full throttle released? 20 years if not more, I'm pretty sure I was doing mock exams of some description in school when this originally released and I'm 36 now. So that's fair game imo. I'm all for remasters, especially classic legacy games, as long as we get new IP in between.
Can't wait to play this - as a console player back in the 90s this was one of those titles that my PC gaming friends always used to show off, and I absolutely loved watching them play through the opening hours. Very excited about playing this for myself at long last, even if it took me 22 years to get around to it...
@themcnoisy No more than 5-6 hours, though, some of the trophies can be missed so I'd recommend creating plenty of manual saves so you can easily rollback and get the ones you skipped.
@themcnoisy I'm not saying they're a bad idea. I'm saying when it is ALL the time it just shows the emerging "talent" are nowhere near as creative as the last generation of developers
Given that Broken Age, Grim Fandango and Day of the Tentacle quickly came to Plus, it's quite tempting to wait to play this one for free. No guarantees mind you.
@get2sammyb my thoughts exactly. I would love a triple pack on vita. Have just started full throttle for the first time. Enjoying so far. I missed this one during the golden age of point and click adventures (monkey island, day of the tentacle and discworld being my jams at the time) so looking forward to this
NintendoFan4Lyf
I loved this game on PC back in the day. I will definitely be buying this sometime soon! The voice acting in this is absolutely top notch - it even has Mark Hamill!
Bad-MuthaAdebisi
I absolutely love Grim Fandango but I thought Day of the Tentacle was a bit rubbish. This however I'm probably gonna buy now and smash straight through it.
KitsuneNight
Telltale king ?
Pfffftt !
In sales maybe, but that's it Their " games" are rather rubbish otherwise what with all that interactivity and choice.
Sat 22nd Apr 2017
@themcnoisy yeah totally agree. When I played the original I was shocked how quickly it was over. Will avoid.
Useyourname
I saw a live stream recently where Tim Schafer took a pre-release look at the game. I asked about a physical triple pack in the live chat and he said: "People want a physical release... Yeah, rights are tricky."
So I don't know if a PS4 collection is in the stars for us.
18th Apr 2017 (USA)
18th Apr 2017 (UK/EU)


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Web Design in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition
12.3. The  Tag and Its Attributes
The  tag inserts a graphic image into the document's text flow. Placing graphics inline with the text does not introduce any line breaks or extra space. By default, the bottom of an image aligns with the baseline of surrounding text (ways to alter this are discussed later).
There are over a dozen attributes that can be added within the  tag to affect its display, but the only required attribute is src, which provides the URL of the graphic. The HTML 4.01 specification has declared the alt attribute (for alternative text, see explanation below) to be required as well, but the graphic will display just fine without it. The minimal HTML tag for placing an image on the page looks like this:

Figure 12-1 shows an inline image and its HTML source.
Figure 12-1. A graphic placed within a line of text
The URL of the graphic can be absolute (including the protocol and domain name) or relative to the current document (using a relative pathname). The conventions for relative pathnames are described in detail in Chapter 4, "A Beginner's Guide to the Server".
12.3.1. Linked Graphics
To make a graphic a link, place anchor tags around the image tag just as you would around any string of text characters:

When a graphic is linked, the browser displays a two-pixel-wide border around the image in the same color as the text links on the page (bright blue by default). In most cases, this blue border is unacceptable, particularly around a graphic with transparent edges, but it is quite simple to turn it off using the border attribute.
The border attribute specifies the width of the border in number of pixels. Specifying a value of zero turns the borders off, as shown in the following example. Of course, if you are fond of the blue borders, you could just as easily make them really wide by setting a higher number value.

12.3.2. Alternative Text
If a graphic cannot be displayed (either because the file is corrupted or cannot be found), the browser displays a generic broken graphic icon in its place. The browser will also display a generic graphic icon when the user has chosen to turn graphics off for faster browsing (and a lot of users do). The alt attribute allows you to specify a string of alternative text to be displayed in place of the graphic when the graphic is unavailable, as shown in Figure 12-2. It is also what non-graphical browsers display in place of images.
Figure 12-2. Alternative text is displayed when graphics are unavailable
When alternative text is provided in the image tag, users at least know what they're missing. This is particularly important when graphics are links that make up the main navigation of the site. Readers can follow a link if they know where it goes, even if the graphic isn't visible. Without the alternative text, the page would be a big dead end.
Internet Explorer 4.0+ and Netscape 6 display alternative text as a pop-up "tool tip" when the mouse rests on the image area.
Taking the extra time to provide alternative text for your images is the simplest way to make your page accessible to the greatest number of readers. In fact, the HTML 4.01 specification has declared alt to be a required attribute within the  tag (although browsers are not currently enforcing this).
12.3.3. Specifying Width and Height
Although src is the only truly necessary attribute in the  tag, a few others come strongly recommended. The first is alt, discussed in the previous section. width and height are the others. The width and height attributes simply indicate the dimension of the graphic in pixels, such as:

With this information, the browser can lay out the page before the graphics download. Without width and height values, the page may be redrawn several times (first without graphics in place, and again each time new graphics arrive). It is worthwhile to take the time to include accurate width and height information in the image tag.
12.3.3.1. Resizing images
If the values specified in the width and height attributes are different than the actual dimensions of the graphic, the browser resizes the graphic to match the specified dimensions. If you specify a percentage value for width and height, some later browsers resize the image to the desired proportions.
Although this effect can certainly be used strategically, as for resizing a single pixel graphic to hold a certain amount of space, it usually just results in a pixelated, poor image quality, as shown in Figure 12-3. It is better to resize images in a graphics program than to leave it up to the browser.
Figure 12-3. Scaling an image with width and height attributes
12.3.3.2. Using width and height to preload images
Preloading images refers to methods used for downloading images and storing them in cache before they actually need to be displayed on the page. One trick for preloading is to place the graphic on a page that will be accessed first (such as a home page), but with the width and height attributes set to one pixel. This causes the image to download with the rest of the page, but the only thing that will be visible is a one-pixel dot (which can be tucked away in a inconspicuous place).

Ideally, the image finishes downloading quietly and is stored in the browser's cache while the user is still reading the first page. The graphic should then pop into view instantly when the user links to the page where the image is displayed at its full size.
12.3.4. Vertical Alignment
The align attribute is used to control how the graphic is positioned in relation to the flow of the text.
Vertical alignment controls the placement of the graphic in relation to points in the surrounding text (usually the baseline). The default alignment is bottom, which aligns the bottom of the image with the baseline of the surrounding text. Figure 12-4 shows the result for the following code with no vertical alignment settings:

Star light  Star bright.

Figure 12-4. Default (bottom) alignment of image with text
The universally supported values for vertical alignment are top, middle , and bottom . Netscape Navigator introduced another (somewhat more subtle) set, which was then picked up for support in Internet Explorer 4.0. These are absbottom, absmiddle, texttop, and baseline (the same as bottom ).
Figure 12-5 demonstrates the intended effects of each of these alignment values. The reality is slightly different. The absbottom value, for instance, seems to render the same as bottom , even in Navigator.
Figure 12-5. Vertical alignment values
12.3.5. Horizontal Alignment
The align attribute can be used to align a graphic on the left or right margin of the page by using the values left or right, respectively. What makes the left and right alignment special is that in addition to placing the graphic on a margin, it allows the text to flow around it.
Figure 12-6 shows how images are displayed when set to align to the left or right.
Figure 12-6. Text wraps around images when they are aligned to the left or right
Right Alignment Without Text Wrap
Using the align=right attribute to place a graphic against the right margin automatically results in text wrapping around the graphic. If you want to move it to the right without the wrap, put the image in a paragraph (
), then align the paragraph to the right, as shown here:

An Oak and a Reed were arguing...

12.3.5.1. Adding space around aligned images
When text flows around a graphic, it tends to bump up against the graphic's edge. Usually, it is preferable to have a little space between the graphic and the surrounding text. In HTML, this space is provided by using the vspace and hspace attributes within the  tag.
The vspace (vertical space) attribute holds a specified number of pixels space above and below an aligned graphic. Space to the left and the right is added with hspace (horizontal space). Note that space is always added symmetrically (both top and bottom, or on both sides), and it is not possible with these attributes to specify an amount of space along a particular side of the graphic (you can, however, do this with style sheets). Figure 12-7 shows an image aligned with the hspace attribute set to 12.
Figure 12-7. Image alignment with horizontal spacing
12.3.5.2. Stopping text wrap
Text automatically wraps to fill the space along the side of an aligned graphic (or other inline object). To stop the text from wrapping and start the next line against the margin (instead of against the image), insert a line break tag (
) with the clear attribute.
The clear attribute gives the browser directions on where to place the new line. It has three possible values: left , right, and all. If your graphic is aligned right, insert
 to begin the text below the graphic against the right margin. For left-aligned graphics, use
. The
 tag starts the text below the graphics on both margins (see Figure 12-8), so it may be the only value you'll ever need.
Figure 12-8. The CLEAR attribute starts the next line below an aligned graphic
12.3.6. Tips for Placing Graphics
These are a few tips for graphics use that may not be obvious from simply looking at HTML code.
12.3.6.1. Link to large images
Remember that when designing for the Web, you must always consider the time it takes to download files. Images are particularly bandwidth-hungry, so you should use them with care. One successful strategy for providing access to very large images (with correspondingly large file sizes) is to provide a postage-stamp-sized preview graphic that links to the full-size graphic.
The preview could be a reduction of the whole image or just an alluring fragment. Be sure to provide information necessary to help users decide whether they want to spend the time clicking the link, such as a description of what they're going to get and the file size of the image (so they can make an estimate of how long they'll need to wait).
12.3.6.2. Reuse images whenever possible
When a browser downloads a graphic, it stores it in the disk cache (a space for temporarily storing files on the hard disk). That way, if it needs to redisplay the page, it can just pull up a local copy of the HTML and graphics files without making a new trip out to the remote server.
When you use the same graphic repetitively in a page or a site, the browser only needs to download the graphic once. Every subsequent instance of the graphic is grabbed from the local cache, which means less traffic for the server and faster display for the end user.
The browser recognizes a graphic by its entire pathname, not just the file name, so if you want to take advantage of file caching, be sure that each instance of your graphic is pointing to the same graphic on the server (not multiple copies of the same graphic in different directories).
12.3.6.3. The lowsrc trick
Large graphics may take a long time to download via slow connection speeds, which means your viewers may spend moments staring at an empty space on the screen. The lowsrc attribute for the  tag (introduced by Netscape) provides one way to quickly give users some indication of the image to come while the "real" graphic is still downloading.
The lowsrc attribute provides the URL for an image file that the browser loads and displays when it first encounters the  tag. Then, once the document has completely loaded, the browser goes back and retrieves the image specified by the src attribute, as shown in Figure 12-9.
Figure 12-9. Code and images for using the lowsrc trick
To use this the way it was intended, the lowsrc image should contain the same image as the final graphic, but in a format that compresses to a much smaller file size. For instance, an image made up of only black and white pixels could stand in for a full-color JPEG.
With improving bandwidth speeds, this technique has grown a bit antiquated. When a page loads quickly, the initial image may appear as a brief flash or not be visible at all. The lowsrc attribute is not recognized in the HTML 4.01 specification and is supported only by Netscape Navigator.
12.2. Image Basics 12.4. Horizontal Rules

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Author Schneider, Georgia ; Stegman, Charles. ; Simkins, Mary Lou.
CORP Author Applied Science Associates.; United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Office of Drinking Water.
"EPA report number"--to be assigned. "February 1981." Title on technical report data page : Study of the cost and effectiveness of the public notification requirements of the Safe drinking water act of 1974. Sponsored by Office of Drinking Water, Environmental Protection Agency. Author and sponsor information from technical report data page. "EPA report number"--to be assigned. EPA contract 68-01-5803.


Your request is not binding! The cart is sent along with your request to SLV. Since SLV does not sell directly to end customers, we will forward your inquiry to the appropriate merchant on. The dealer will then get in touch with you.


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// Generated by xsd compiler for android/java
// DO NOT CHANGE!
package ebay.apis.eblbasecomponents;

import java.io.Serializable;
import com.leansoft.nano.annotation.*;

/**
 *
 * Indicates whether the category supports the use of a company name
 * when contacting the seller for Classified Ad format listings.
 * Added for the For Sale By Owner format.
 *
 */
public class ClassifiedAdCompanyNameEnabledDefinitionType implements Serializable {

    private static final long serialVersionUID = -1L;

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Chelsey and Erin will be expecting you! You'll be greeted with a warm and friendly welcome. We'll show you to our comfortable and relaxing waiting area. Make yourself at home and feel free to help yourself to coffee, tea, water or any beverage available.
We'll ask you to complete some paperwork! Next, we'll take you on a tour of our office. We will show you our rooms and the types of therapies we may offer during your care.
Your tour ends in the consultation room. Our office manager, Jackie will spend some time getting to know you. She will go over your health history and ask you to share any other concerns you might have.
Do you have specific questions about chiropractic adjustments, finances or the care you'll receive? Ask us, we want you to be comfortable and have all the answers!
Our doctors care about helping you get well and stay well!
We will bring you to the exam room where you will meet the doctor. After we discuss your health concerns and we review your health history a thorough exam is performed.
We will do a very extensive neurological exam, including muscle testing, digital X-rays and other tests. These tests will give us a clear picture of the structure of your spine. They also help us determine if you're a good candidate for chiropractic care.
During your second visit a video analysis and presentation is done. The actual test results are shown and explained to the patient. We educate you on your health issues and explain what we think will help. "No doctor has ever given me an examination like this before", is the opinion of most patients, following the second visit.
It is at this point that your journey towards feeling better begins!
Regular visits usually last for 15 minutes. When patients get adjusted on a regular basis, they usually feel great!
"Our patients are here because they want to be here", asserts Dr. Riecker.


text:
Prepared for governance?
Ahmed Bilal MehboobPublished October 7, 2019
The writer is President of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development And Transparency.
PRIME MINISTER Imran Khan has been widely praised for delivering a powerful and impressive speech at the UN General Assembly on Sept 27. Ironically, soon after his stellar performance at the UNGA and a grand reception in Islamabad upon his return, he faced some difficult and annoying questions about the quality of governance at the PTI parliamentary party meeting. It was an illustration of how powerful communication can't go very far if there are questions about performance.
Communication through speeches, pressers, TV talks and lately, social media including Twitter, forms almost three-fourths of all politics when one is not in government. The dynamics, however, drastically change once a politician and his or her party are in government; although communication still remains an important aspect of politics, it is not longer as dominant as it once was in their case. This is the change which the PTI and Imran Khan have to live with now when effective communication does not seem to be enough. This phenomenon is not peculiar to the PTI; it applies to almost all political parties.
The key obsession of politicians around the world is to win public approval in order to come to power. Courting the public for this purpose is important, and politicians and political parties spend almost all their time and energy doing just that. Coining and disseminating popular messages, gauging public opinion and adjusting public positions accordingly are all part of electioneering.
A political party aspiring to power often has no idea about the real challenges of ruling.
Sometimes enemies are identified and even conjured up by politicians to whip up public fear and hatred and to present themselves as potential saviours. The public is told in oversimplified terms of the nature of national ailments such as corruption and is promised that these will be eliminated as soon as the aspiring politicians come to power. Populism is a handy instrument of politics which is put to effective use if all else fails. But one can't only blame politicians; in recent times, we have seen the judiciary as well as the civil-military bureaucracy also getting sucked into the vortex of populism.
While politicians and political parties are almost totally consumed by electioneering, they hardly devote any time, at least in Pakistan, to prepare for the challenges of governance. The result is that a political party aspiring to power often has no idea about the real challenges of governance and how and where to find solutions once it is in a position to rule. Parties seldom make conscious efforts to attract and retain the talent needed to run the government.
Consequently, there is a scramble to search for experts outside the party, who are then pressed into service so that they can solve critical governance issues. Political parties hardly have any functional policy think tanks or even policy wings. If some policy wings do exist, they lack even the prerequisites such as researchers, working space and funding.
Public policies are seldom discussed at party forums. The only policy document which a political party produces once in about five years is the election manifesto with very few and diminishing exceptions like the founding documents of the PPP produced back in 1967. The manifestoes are generally wish lists rather than serious policy documents. While many flashy promises are made, the 'how' part is conspicuously missing. There is no discussion on how the party will finance its promises. Our parties should learn from the British Labour Party, which came up with a separate document called Funding Britain's Future, explaining how it plans to finance the pledges made in its manifesto in the last parliamentary election.
Read: 100-day roundup: Has the PTI government delivered on its promises?
Although the PTI prepared a detailed election manifesto and a 100 days' agenda for last year's national general polls, subsequent events indicated that the party had not fully comprehended the challenges of governance. In fact, the PTI's first 100 days in government, and an extended period thereafter, were consumed by the formation of more than 30 taskforces and committees which worked to understand the issues, and produce policy documents and action plans for the federal and two provincial governments. It was a 'learning on the job' exercise which was not only detrimental to the party image but also unhelpful for a country which could hardly wait for solutions to its pressing problems.
Currently, we have at least three national and six regional parties that are serious contenders for power at the federal or provincial level. None of these parties have a shadow cabinet or spokespersons for various sectors of governance. No serious work is undertaken by the parties on public policies which they have to pursue when in power. Political parties are probably under the mistaken impression that things will automatically work out when they come to power.
Isn't it time that parties seriously prepared themselves for governance? While they may continue to spend a major part of their energies and resources on efforts to come to power, if they want to spare themselves and the country the pain of learning on the job, they should start investing a part of their resources in putting together a team which can smoothly take over the levers of power once they are in the saddle.
The team and party officials in general should be groomed via a series of orientation and training courses on various aspects of governance on a continual basis, with a special focus on elected officials and ministers or potential ministers.
If appointing a shadow cabinet is considered too divisive, committees may be formed for each federal and provincial cabinet portfolio. Conveners of the committees can serve by rotation and act as sectoral spokespersons. These committees can collect information, critically review government policies, coordinate with their international counterparts and formulate policies and plans of their parties for their respective domain for implementation if and when they come to power. This exercise will not only prepare parties for the challenges of governance, public trust in their competence will also be enhanced as a result.
president@pildat.org
Twitter: @ABMPildat
Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2019
100-day roundup: Has the PTI government delivered on its promises?
Populism and its perils
Limits of populism
Excellent article that aspiring politicians should read.... Government 101 Gordon D. Walker Canada
Very commendable write up. But who is listening? The good old saying that power corrupts; more power corrupts more and absolute power corrupts absolutely, still holds ground.
Anas kang
Good advice. May the one party which has ruled us for the past 70 years pay heed.
@SM, Not one party but the mafias which ruled us since Independence !
Unfortunately this write up holds good for the whole world. But any takers?.
First you should elect people who are interested in governing, instead of giving speeches and organizing "jalsas". Governing is involves cool minds and deliberate decision making process. You need a vision to govern.
Inexperienced team? Most have them have more experience than Imran Khan. Been around since Musharaff days. They had plenty of time to do their homework and prepare a plan. Why a waste of a selection. I think it's time to change the captain. Misbah will be a good choice.
Samreen
Excellent recommendations!
Emotional speeches do not necessarily translate to good governance. IK is a good example.
A good roadmap for the political parties.
Ali asim
Excellent write up . However who is listening! Those who read articles of this standard are already aware of how good governace is done.
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Marketing is the lifeblood of your business, but it's a difficult subject to master, not to mention time-consuming and expensive. In order to survive a tough economy, however, it is vital to cut your marketing mistakes down to a minimum.
To help you get started, here are 10 mistakes most small businesses make and how you can start eliminating them from your marketing campaigns.
1. Failing To Test – Good marketers test some things. Great marketers test everything. Prices. Headlines. Offers. Different Media. Greetings. think about each and every step of your sales process and test a new version against your old ones to see if they can be improved. Then test them again. In fact, why ever stop?
Our Marketing: We've tested our tagline and offers continuously for nearly three years, upgraded and modified every single service we've ever offered and are already on our third website due to various testing. Each area has contributed to our growth.
2. Failing to run direct response ads – Nearly every business wastes money on their space ads because they are more focused on what they do instead of what their customers get out of it. Your logo may be pretty and your tagline witty, but they don't do much for the customer. Instead, use the space to announce a great offer and then make a call for action. Try it and see the difference.
Our Marketing: So far, we've been 100% advertising free, BUT we do send a lot of sales letters, each of which has been tested. Response rates have seen increases from 40% to 700%. Testing continues.
3. Failing to develop and implement a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) – What makes you different than all the other plumbers, electricians, shoe stores or restaurants? Figuring out what this is and letting people know about it transforms businesses overnight.
Our Marketing: Prevail was created to fill a niche in the marketing field that guarantees results in return for a client's business. Even so, our USP has changed from offering subscription services, to emphasizing partnership, to stating that we basically walk you down the path to marketing success, to now "Grow Your Business 10% Or More In The Next 12 Months…Guaranteed". It's hard to keep business cards up-to-date, but it's more than paid off in growth.
4. Failing to build backend products – Let's do some math. Acquiring new customers is expensive. Retaining those customers and selling them more quality products and services is profitable. Simple as that. Even if you think you only have one product or service to offer, you are wrong (and for the first time ever, you should be happy about it). Creativity is all that is required to build a backend for your business, even if it's selling someone else's wares.
Our Marketing: We successfully generate revenue from selling unsold leads, selling information products by mail and by building great websites that get results at a low price to open the door for our more expensive (and income-generating) ad writing and marketing services. We state this right up front in our sales letters and it works pretty good. We've also tested several other backend products, the most successful of which will be rolled out over the next few months. Some locally here in San Luis Obispo and some others as an extension of our online reach. Keep an eye out, we're sure you will enjoy them.
5. Failing to determine and address customer needs – Your customer's satisfaction dictates the success of your business. Why not give them exactly what they want? There are numerous free tools online to help you figure out what it is your customers want from you. Search for free polls, surveys and feedback forms for the ones most suitable for your needs.
Our Marketing: We've conducted dozens of surveys to find out what small business owners want from a marketing company, and as a result, our USP, offers, products and services have all consistently evolved over the last three years. We also conduct exit surveys with our clients and search for other polls and surveys available online. Remember, if you don't have the time or money to run your own, you can still gain a good share of insight from similar polls and surveys.
6. Failing to sell and educate out of business problems – Have a great product, but not the sales to match? Educate the marketplace and let them know exactly why your products or services are so good. Then educate them some more. And along each and every step of your sales process. A powerful USP does a lot of this work for you, the reason it's the first step in our "Step-By-Step Marketing" system.
Our Marketing: In addition to constantly crafting our USP, we've also tested four different front pages, all of which has been wordy, yet informative and educational. We also try our best to explain our services and guarantees in as much detail as possible, as well as provide transparency for the reasons why we do things. All these things erode buyer remorse and do most of the selling for us so we can eliminate expensive advertising from our marketing plan.
7. Failing to make doing business with your company easy and appealing – People are busy. The more they have to go out of their way to do business with you, the less likely you are going to close the sale. Go through your sales process as a customer and see for yourself what they experience. If there's something you don't like, fix it. This time, keep the customer in mind and they'll enjoy doing business with you more.
Our Marketing: We've made it possible for our customers to contact us by phone, mail, email and even instant messenger. We accept basically any form of payment (seriously, look into PayPal if you don't have your own merchant account), we have eliminated most customer inquiries by providing education, we answer the customer inquiries that do come in promptly, provide unlimited customer service and spend a lot of time networking and providing valuable free information to as many business owners as possible. We're also working on establishing mini-foundations to give back to the San Luis Obispo County community and developing networking opportunities for our clients and the local community at large.
8. Failing to explain to your customers why you are an expert – Even if you are offering a similar product or service to someone else, you can still stand out by explaining how or why you've personally come about being in your business or why it's so important to you to serve your customers. Perhaps you have gained elusive insight that expands the quality of your products or adds value to your service. You may even do the same exact thing as everyone else, but if the marketplace doesn't know, they are going to trust the first one to tell them about it the most.
Our Marketing: In addition to learning invaluable lessons from failing at two businesses, I've also bought books and attended workshops and seminars on marketing totaling more than $168,000 and spent more than 13,140 (give or take a few) hours over the last 12 years studying and honing my skills in journalism, public relations and a wide range of marketing functions that are now rolled into our core step-by-step marketing service. While I've failed to ever boast of this information previously, I've now successfully avoided Mistake #8 of our own list right before your eyes.
9. Failing to stick with campaigns that still work – You don't need to change for change's sake. In marketing, truly, if it's not broke, don't fix it. Instead, refer to Mistake #1 and continue to test. If your test doesn't beat your old campaign, don't change it. Something must be working if it's provided positive results over an extended period of time.
Our Marketing: Again, no advertising to speak of, but we've got some pretty solid data on our sales letter campaigns. Some of them stunk, some of them limped back and others are responsible for nearly 25% of our lead generation (the other 75% comes from referrals and organic search engine traffic). The losers were dumped and while we continue to test, the winners are sent out weekly and monthly like clockwork.
10. Failing to focus solely on your intended customer – Granted, this is the hardest mistake to avoid of them all, especially in economic slumps when you might be having days you are just happy the phone rings. Ironically, better defining your perfect customer and forgetting about everyone else will lead to higher profits. By figuring out exactly who best would gain from your products or services, you can better tailor your sales messages to them, thereby increasing your closing rates and decreasing your average cost per acquisition.
Our Marketing: Honestly, we've changed our business model several times in an attempt to best suit the marketplace, and until recently had an obtuse idea of our perfect client. The last 6 months or so we've been more focused on defining our perfect client and as a results our services have evolved more towards their needs than we originally set out to do. So who is our perfect client? It is the small business owner, with less than 10 employees, who has a current monthly marketing budget of at least $1000, who has overlooked some or many of the hidden assets in their business, is either unaware of or too busy to implement the testing necessary for marketing success, is either located in San Luis Obispo County or does business solely online, who desires growth and has the resources to handle it AND who provides a valuable and respectful product or service that we sincerely believe in.
Well, that's it. The economy is slowing down, but that doesn't mean that your business needs to. Economic downturns are the perfect time to invest more in your advertising, even if it's not money. Spend more time testing and building relationships with your customers. Find out what they want and offer it them. Figure out who you are exactly and who exactly it is you can help best. Learn from these mistakes, or they very well could be the last ones you make in your business.


The Razorland saga continues. Since the war ended, Tegan has dreamed of an epic journey, so when she has the opportunity to sign on as ship's doctor, she can't wait. It's past time to chart her course. Millie Faraday, the kindest girl in the free territories, also yearns to outrun her reputation, and warrior-poet James Morrow would follow Tegan to the ends of the earth.
Their company seems set, but fate brings one more to their number. Tegan will battle incredible odds while aiding Szarok, the Uroch vanguard, who has ventured forth to save his people. Szarok is strange and beautiful, like a flower that blooms only in the dark. She shouldn't allow him close, as such a relationship is both alien and forbidden. But through stormy seas and strange lands, she will become stronger than she ever knew.
This is a companion novel of the original trilogy. You don't have to have read the original books in order to enjoy this one, but it probably wouldn't hurt. You will have a deeper understanding of the characters and even the plot with the background of the trilogy in your head. I was happy to see Tegen and Morrow get their own book, they were two of my favorite characters from the original work and I wanted to know more about them and to hear the story from their points of view.
Tegen is a much more conflicted character than we are lead to believe in the trilogy. She has a lot of built anger and shame about her past, but she really keeps it under wraps and doesn't admit any of it to anyone. I'm not sure I liked the way she kept Morrow at arms length or how she treated him at times, but once I got to know her a little better I understood it more. I really wanted her to love him as much as he loved her. Tegen really comes into her own here and goes on much more than a physical journey as she learns to accept herself.
I have a thing for story tellers in books and I just loved the way that Morrow can enthrall an audience with his stories. His love of books is amazing, especially when you think about how little has been saved from the time before. But he made it his mission to save the books he could long before we meet him, how can you not like that in a man? I loved the scene in this book when he goes into a library in one of the settlements they pass through. He just gets books and libraries and I love it. He also comes into his own in this story and finally sees himself as more than the storyteller.
We don't get any of the story from Millie's point of view, but that was okay. It is nice to see her change through the eyes of Morrow and even Tegen. She is a stronger girl than either of them give her credit for. You often see her as a silly girl looking for adventure without knowing what the hardships she will face really mean. But she proves herself time and time again as a strong and capable young lady.
Szarok was the most fascinating of all. If you read the trilogy than you know what it means when I say that it was amazing to learn about the Uroch through him. Is till have a hard time picturing exactly what he looks like even though Tegen gives a very good description of him. I really loved reading the story from his point of view. It also gave a good inside look into what his people are thinking as well. You have to admire him and his people for wanting to find their own place in this world.
I don't want to say much about the plot of this story, but it is very different from the trilogy. Although there is adventure and survival at stake for all of the characters it is at the heart a romance story. It is also about finding yourself and being comfortable with making the hard choices in life. I really enjoyed it and even though I don't think there will be more stories set in this world, I kind of wish there would be.
A very enjoyable read that will keep you up at night turning the pages to see what happens next.


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Source: The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, February 24, 2013 posting
Proxy Voting Analytics (2008-2012)
Posted by Matteo Tonello, The Conference Board, on Sunday February 24, 2013 at 9:47 am
Editor's Note: Matteo Tonello is managing director of corporate leadership at the Conference Board. This post relates to a report released jointly by The Conference Board and FactSet and authored by Dr. Tonello, Melissa Aguilar, and Thomas Singer of the Conference Board. For details regarding how to obtain a copy, contact matteo.tonello@conference-board.org.
The effects of say on pay on shareholder engagement, the introduction of proxy access proposals, and the resurgence of board declassification resolutions were the principal themes of the last proxy season and are expected to continue to take center stage in 2013, according to a report issued today by The Conference Board in collaboration with FactSet Research Systems Inc.
Proxy Voting Analytics (2008-2012) analyzes data on voting by shareholders of U.S. companies that held their annual general meetings (AGMs) in the January 1-June 30 period during the last five years. Aggregate data on shareholder proposals, management proposals, and proxy contests is examined and segmented based on market index (whether the Russell 3000 or the S&P 500) and 20 business industry groups.
The report is supplemented with an appendix offering detailed recommendations from Conference Board experts for companies facing situations of shareholder activism.
Data analyzed in the report includes:
Volume, sponsors, and subjects of shareholder proposals.
Voted, omitted, and withdrawn shareholder proposals.
Voting results of shareholder proposals.
Shareholder proposals on executive compensation.
Shareholder proposals on corporate governance.
Shareholder proposals on social and environmental policy.
Volume and subjects of management proposals.
Failed say-on-pay proposals among Russell 3000 companies.
Say-on-pay proposals that received the support of less than 70 percent of votes cast.
Volume, dissident type, reasons for dissent, and outcomes of proxy contests.
List of most frequent dissidents.
Additional insights (including volume by index, industry, and sponsor, most frequent sponsors, and support levels) are offered with respect to key issues from the last few proxy seasons, including:
Majority voting.
Board declassification.
Supermajority vote requirements.
Independent board chairmen.
Proxy access.
Sustainability reporting.
Election of dissident's director nominee.
The annual general meetings of the last couple of years have been closely observed as a test on the effective implementation of the advisory vote of shareholders on executive compensation plans, now mandatory in the United States. Generally, year-over-year comparison of voting results proved that say on pay can function as a catalyst to greater company awareness of current compensation issues as well as to more engagement and transparent communication with investors.
Board declassification was by far the hot governance issue of 2012 shareholder meetings, as confirmed by the increased volume of this proposal type and the staggering average support level of 80 percent of votes cast recorded in the Russell 3000. Interest in this issue by activist investors had been shown for some time, and high levels of support were documented in the 2011 season as well. But the numbers of 2012 confirmed that shareholders are determined to question the rationale for not having all corporate directors face a confidence vote on an annual basis.
This year also marked the introduction of proposals on proxy access, two of which received the approval of a majority of shareholders and showed that there might be room for increasing levels of support if the formulation of the resolution is consistent with the SEC rules that were vacated by federal courts in 2011. Despite what could be described as an experimental year for proponents of proxy access as they fine-tune the language and terms under which shareholders would vote for their proposals, proxy access proposals actually generated more shareholder support than majority voting did in the first year it was proposed by shareholders. Majority vote standards to elect directors are now overwhelmingly supported by shareholders and have become a corporate governance best practice. If proxy access follows a similar trajectory it will have significant implications for shareholder activism and future proxy battles.
The following are the major findings.
In 2012, shareholders filed more proposals than in prior proxy seasons, marking the reversal of a declining trend observed since 2008. In the Russell 3000, shareholders filed a total of 719 proposals (averaging 0.30 proposals per company), compared to the 684 proposals (or 0.28 proposals per company) submitted in the same period in 2011. These figures document a reversal of a trend of declining shareholder proposal volume that had started in 2008, when the total number of shareholder proposals had reached a record high of 919 in the Russell 3000. Even though it is premature to project this change of direction into the future, the finding may be explained, among other things, for the new opportunities to implement an activist investment strategy resulting from improved market performance and broader access to liquidity as well as for the effects of say-on-pay regulation. Of the shareholder proposals filed in 2012, 677 were related to issues of executive compensation, corporate governance, or social and environmental policy.
The number of proposals introduced by hedge funds and religious groups declined sharply, while labor unions were the most prevalent proponent in unionized business sectors. In the examined 2012 period, hedge funds filed 2.2 percent of the total proposal volume, compared to 3.8 percent in 2011 and 4.9 percent in 2008. The number of proposals filed by religious groups declined by more than half during that last four years, from 75 proposals (8.2 percent of the total) in 2008 to 28 (or 3.9 percent) during the same period in 2012. On the contrary, pension funds have become more active, submitting 127 proposals (or 17.7 percent of the total) compared with 80 (or 8.7 percent) counted in 2008. Labor-affiliated shareholders were particularly active in unionized business sectors, such as energy minerals (where labor unions filed 31.8 percent of proposals received by companies in the industry) and health services (33.3 percent). Overall, labor unions—which typically exert their influence through the stock holdings of employee pension funds—focused their activism on issues of executive compensation, backing 40.2 percent of the proposals filed on this subject at Russell 3000 companies in 2012.
Voted shareholder proposals declined slightly amid increasing withdrawal levels, especially among proposals on executive compensation and by religious groups and pension funds. In the Russell 3000, 66.3 percent of submitted proposals were voted, down from 67 percent of the 2011 proxy season. Proposals omitted by management also declined, albeit marginally (from 24.9 to 24.3 percent of the total submissions). This softening trend was compensated by the growing number of proposals withdrawn before the meeting, an indication of the increased propensity of companies to establish a dialogue with their investors. The percentage of withdrawn proposals was 6 percent in the Russell 3000 (up from 5.4 percent in 2011) and 6.6 percent in the S&P 500 (up from 5.9 percent in 2011). In general, in 2012, withdrawals were more frequent among executive compensation proposals, an area where the initial demands of shareholders tend to exceed their realistic expectations and simply constitute a tactic to engage in negotiations with the company and obtain partial concessions.
Proposals on environmental and social policy consistently scored low levels of for votes and high levels of abstentions, while the percentage of executive compensation proposals receiving majority support declined sharply. Only 16.8 percent of votes cast on proposals related to social and environmental policy were for the proposed change; however, proposals on this subject also reported the highest levels of abstention from voting (10.8 percent, compared to an average of 1.3 percent for the other subjects). This finding indicates that U.S. shareholders, in general, continue to believe that the board of directors and senior management are better suited to determine the business viability of certain sustainability activities and that a one-size-fits-all policies may lead to inefficiencies or capital misallocations. The vote-for percentage was higher for proposals on executive compensation (25.4 percent) and highest for those on corporate governance (49.2 percent). The percentage of shareholder proposals on executive compensation that received majority support dropped to 1.6 percent of voted proposals from 4.3 percent in 2011 and 7.9 percent in 2008. These figures reflect the fact that the executive compensation category no longer includes proposals on say on pay, which are now routinely submitted to a vote by management in application of SEC rules. In addition, proposals on clawback and pay-for-performance were previously used to prompt business organizations to open a dialogue on compensation policies, a need somehow satisfied this year by means of the mandatory say-on-pay consultation. In those cases where the pay-for-performance equation is clearly broken, larger investors no longer feel that they need to introduce a resolution on the topic since they can make their voice heard through the say-on-pay vote.
Following the introduction of say on pay, the focus of shareholder proposals related to executive compensation has shifted to specific themes such as severance agreements and tax gross-ups. Investor focus shifted in 2012 from say on pay (which had dominated the last few proxy seasons, before its mandatory introduction by federal law in late 2010) to specific compensation-related themes such as the adoption of equity-retention requirements for senior executives (41.3 percent of the total number of proposals voted on executive compensation in 2012, up from 15.2 percent in 2011), the request for a policy where compensation elements are linked to the achievements of performance targets (14.3 percent in 2012, compared with 8.7 percent of the total executive compensation proposals voted in 2011), and the introduction of limitations on golden parachutes (19 percent in 2012, up from only 15.2 in 2011).
Despite an overall decline of average support levels for executive compensation proposals, shareholders confirmed their support for those to limit golden parachutes and golden coffins. Average support level for all proposals related to executive compensation submitted in 2012 was 22.3 percent, down from 24.2 percent in 2011 and 27.2 percent in 2008. Major drops in support levels affected proposals on clawbacks (15.7 percent of for votes, down 10.3 percent from 2011 support levels) and those on the pay-for-performance link (23 percent, down 11.6 percent also from 2011 levels of for votes). The only notable exceptions to the general downward trend observed for executive compensation proposals were the requests to limit or require a shareholder vote on SERPs (30.5 percent of for votes, up 1 percent over 2011 support levels), those to require equity retention (24.4 percent, up 0.6 percent from 2011) and proposals to limit (or require a binding shareholder vote on) golden coffins (for which for votes were 12 percentage points higher than in 2011, at 39.6 percent).
Shareholder proposals on the right to act by written consent lost traction in the 2012 proxy season, while the issue of board declassification received overwhelming investor support. The historical analysis of shareholder proposals on corporate governance highlights the resurgence of proposals and board declassification, which represented19.8 percent of the total number of proposals submitted on corporate governance in 2012, up from 17.1 percent in 2011. Average support levels for proposals on this topic was a staggering 80 percent of votes cast, 15.3 percentage points higher than those registered in 2008. Interest in this issue by activist investors had been observed for some time, and high levels of support were recorded in the 2011 season as well. But the numbers of 2012 confirm that shareholders are determined to question the rationale for not having all corporate directors face a confidence vote on an annual basis. However, three shareholder rights on which activist investors had shown increasing interest since the beginning of the financial crisis appeared to start to lose traction during the 2012 proxy season: cumulative voting (which represented 5.6 percent of the total volume of corporate governance proposals, down from 11.7 percent of 2011 and 9.2 percent in 2008), the right to act by written consent (8.6 percent, compared to 14.4 percent in 2011) and the right to call special meetings (6.5 percent, halved from the 13.1 percent level recorded both in 2011 and in 2008).
Proxy access proposals received solid average support by shareholders in 2012, but only two of the 14 filed passed. In 2012, in the Russell 3000, shareholders filed 14 proposals requesting the adoption of bylaws or organizational provisions on the inclusion in proxy materials of director candidate(s) nominated by shareholders. Of the 14 proposals filed on the topic in 2012, 7 (50 percent) went to a vote by June 30 and two passed. Both successful proposals were formulated to match the terms of now-vacated SEC Rule 14a-11, requiring 3 percent ownership for three consecutive years to qualify for proxy access rights.
Despite the surge of shareholder proposals on corporate political contributions and lobbying activities, support level remained low. The U.S. Supreme Court's controversial decision on Citizen United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) explains the increasing investor interest in political issues (43.8 percent of the total number of proposals submitted on social and environmental policy in 2012, up from 32.1 percent in 2011 and from 18.6 percent in 2008). However, these proposals have garnered an average backing from 18.5 percent of shareholders casting their votes, with none of them obtaining majority support in 2012.
One out of ten companies in the Russell 3000 is subject to increased scrutiny by proxy advisory firms as a result of their unsatisfactory say-on-pay vote in 2012. Of the 1,875 companies in the Russell 3000 reporting detailed say-on-pay vote results through June 30, 2012, 49 executive compensation plans (up from 39 in 2011) failed to receive the majority support of their shareholders. The list includes notable cases such as American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO), Best Buy (NYSE: BBY), Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK), Citigroup (NYSE: C), and Pitney Bowes (NYSE: PBI). Among companies that did not obtain a favorable majority in the advisory vote on their executive compensation, the average support level was 36 percent of votes cast, with one case (Sterling Bancorp (NYSE: STL) where the company received only 6.2 percent of for votes. In addition, 120 companies in the Russell 3000 (or approximately 9 percent of those requesting the advisory vote of shareholders) did pass the 2012 vote but had their executive compensation plans met with lukewarm enthusiasm, obtaining less than the 70 percent of for votes that many governance experts consider necessary to exclude further scrutiny into an organization's pay practices. In particular, that is the level below which proxy advisory firms are expected to take a harder look at a company to see if a future negative vote recommendation on its say-on-pay vote is warranted. Many of those boards will inevitably need to reopen the discussion on pay for performance, and either persuade investors that their compensation policies is sound and fits the company's strategic needs or revisit those policies.
Encouraging year-over-year comparison of voting results confirms that say-on-pay can be a catalyst to improved corporate-investor communication. In the second year of implementation of the SEC rules, say-on-pay generally proved to function as catalyst to greater company awareness of current compensation issues and more engagement and transparent communication with shareholders. A look at 2012 disclosure from companies that were on these lists in 2011 confirms the systematic effort subsequently made to engage with shareholders as well as the improvement of their say-on-pay voting performance when their executive compensation plans went again to a vote during this proxy season. In particular: (a) the 144 companies in the Russell 3000 that received less than 70 percent support levels in 2011 and held their 2012 AGM within the sample period saw such support level improve by an average of about 20 percentage points; and (b) only a handful of Russell 3000 companies (including Hercules Offshore (NASDAQ: HERO), Nabors Industries (NYSE: NBR), Kilroy Realty, and Tutor Perini (NYSE: TPC)) failed their say-on-pay vote for a second year in a row.
As say-on-pay resolutions were being voted on during the 2012 proxy season, management nominees to the board of directors faced less opposition by investors. In the last five years, the volume of shareholder proposals on the election of a dissident's director nominee that went to a vote at AGMs of Russell 3000 companies has been progressively reduced, from 40 proposals filed in 2008 to only 21 in 2012. In 2012, average support rate for this proposal type decreased to 17.7 percent of votes outstanding from the 34.9 percent reported in 2011 and the 27.6 percent of 2008, with only one proposal approved by shareholders. These findings may reveal that investors were often using this proposal type to manifest (and elevate to the level of a proxy fight) their dissatisfaction over issues of executive compensation, which they can now do by means of the periodic say-on-pay vote.
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(Jerusalem) - Two new Israeli laws affecting Israel's Palestinian Arab residents would promote discrimination and stifle free expression, Human Rights Watch said today. One would authorize rural, Jewish-majority communities to reject Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel and other "unsuitable" applicants for residency, and the other would chill expression regarding a key moment in the history of Palestinian citizens, Human Rights Watch said.
"These laws threaten Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel and others with yet more officially sanctioned discrimination," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Israeli parliamentarians should be working hard to end glaring inequality, not pushing through discriminatory laws to control who can live where and to create a single government-approved view of Israel's history."
The Knesset passed both laws on March 23, 2011. One officially authorizes "admissions committees" in about 300 Jewish-majority communities to reject applicants for residency who do not meet vague "social suitability" criteria. The measure anchors in law a practice that has been the basis for unjustly rejecting applications by Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel as well as members of socially marginalized groups such as Jews of non-European ancestry and single-parent families.
The second law would heavily fine any government-funded institution, including municipalities that provide health and education, for commemorating the "Nakba" - the Arabic term to describe the destruction of Palestinian villages and expulsion of their residents after Israel's declaration of independence - and for expression deemed to "negate the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state."
The "admissions committee" law requires anyone seeking to move to any community in the Negev and Galilee regions with fewer than 400 families to obtain approval from committees consisting of town residents, a member of the Jewish Agency or World Zionist Organization, and several others. The law empowers these committees to reject candidates who, among other things, "are ill-suited to the community's way of life" or "might harm the community's fabric."
There are more than 300 such small communities in the Negev and Galilee, either small cooperative "kibbutzes" with some shared property, farming communities called "moshavs," or small rural "community towns," on land leased by the state. These communities already have admissions committees established under regulations of the Israel Land Authority, the state agency that leases them their land. But the committees and screening procedures had not been specifically authorized under national laws.
Although Palestinian Arabs are in the majority in the Negev and Galilee, the state has never allocated lands to allow these Israeli citizens to establish small communities there. All of the towns and communities to which the new law applies were established for and have a majority of Jewish residents.
Parliamentary statements indicate that the law's sponsors intended it to allow majority-Jewish communities to maintain their current demographic makeup by excluding Palestinian Arab citizens, an act of discrimination on the basis of their race, ethnicity, and national origin.
One of the law's sponsors, David Rotem of the Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) party, told the Knesset in December 2009 that such a law would allow towns to be "established by people who want to live with other Jews." In a radio interview that month, Rotem said the law would codify screening procedures so that Jewish Israelis could "establish a place where everybody is an army veteran, a Yeshiva alumni, or something of that sort."
Another sponsor, Yisrael Hasson of the Kadima party, said in December 2010 that "the bill reflects the Knesset's commitment to work to preserve the ability to realize the Zionist dream in practice in the state of Israel" through "population dispersal," which the government had begun "thirty years ago ... [with] a string of small communities in the Galilee and Negev."
"Realization of these goals obliged us as legislators to ensure the existence of a screening mechanism for applicants to these communities," he said.
Late in negotiations over the law, legislators added a clause that nominally forbids committees to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, nationality, or disability. However, the law's exclusion criteria threaten to do exactly what is supposedly prohibited, allowing admissions committees to mask discrimination under the vague criteria that a candidate is "unsuitable" to the community's "social characteristics," Human Rights Watch said.
Israeli opponents of the law argued that it would effectively bolster the legal and political standing of admissions committees and allow them to bypass a previous Supreme Court ruling against discrimination in property rights. In the case that led to that ruling, a village rejected an Arab-Israeli couple because the village was established on land that Israel had leased to the Jewish Agency, which did not lease land to non-Jews. Most of the land in Israel is state-owned and leased for 49- or 98-year periods.
The couple petitioned the Supreme Court, which ruled in 2000 that allocating land to citizens solely on the basis of their religion constituted prohibited discrimination, including cases in which the state first leased land to third parties that would not then lease it to non-Jews. However, the court limited the ruling to the specific case and stated that it might not make the same ruling in unspecified "special circumstances." The village committee then rejected the couple because they "did not fit its character." After further legal action, the couple was able to lease the land in 2007.
The law states that each community's unique "characteristics" will be "codified," and that rejected candidates are entitled to an explanation. However, in a February 2011 Supreme Court hearing regarding two couples whom admission committees rejected, the petitioners argued that many small rural communities are not designed exclusively for particular social groups with unique ways of life, such as ultra-Orthodox religious communities. The chief justice stated that the town in question "does not have any unique characteristics," and called the screening process an "invasion of privacy." But the court has yet rule in this case.
In a petition to the Supreme Court against the new law that has yet to be ruled on, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, a nongovernmental group, cited court cases brought by Palestinian Arabs and other families whom village acceptance committees rejected because they did not "socially fit." In one case, a kibbutz justified its rejection of an Arab-Israeli couple because its admissions criteria required residents to be eligible for membership in the World Zionist Organization and to have served in the Israeli army. Few Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel perform military service.
Another village committee requires applicants to embrace the values in the village's charter, including "Zionism" and "Jewish tradition." Other communities rejected Jews of North African and Middle Eastern descent and a disabled veteran. In these cases, the parties compromised or the court ordered the committees to re-evaluate the application, with the result that the courts have not explicitly ruled the committees' actions to be discriminatory.
In an affidavit submitted by the civil rights group, the former chairperson of one acceptance committee stated that the committee often rejected applicants on the basis of committee members' personal preferences, and that in most cases the evaluation process merely rubber stamps a decision to reject applicants.
As originally drafted, the law would have applied to communities across Israel, but after a compromise, the final law, which passed after 2 a.m. on March 23 by 35 to 20, applies only to the Negev and Galilee regions. Longstanding Israeli policy seeks to "Judaize the Galilee," and Israeli officials have promoted plans to encourage large-scale Jewish immigration to the Negev. In 2010, several rabbis in the Galilee, who are government officials, campaigned for Jewish Israelis not to rent apartments or sell land to Arab-Israelis; and the Knesset gave preliminary approval to a parliamentary inquiry into alleged purchases of Israeli land by "foreign governments" for the benefit of Arab-Israeli citizens. Arab citizens of Israel have sought to move into Jewish communities in part because of a lack of housing for Palestinian Arab citizens. While Israeli planning authorities have established hundreds of Jewish towns and villages, Israel has not allowed Arab citizens to establish any new towns since 1948, except for seven communities that the state planned for Bedouins from the Negev, whom the government urged to relocate from their traditional lands or forcibly evicted from them.
Since the 1990s state planning bodies have approved "expansions" for Jewish towns, rezoning adjacent agricultural lands for residential construction. An Israel Lands Authority administrative decision from 1993 granted local residents and their children "preferred access" to the newly expanded residential areas, and authorized the towns to create admissions committees to review outside applicants. By contrast, Human Rights Watch has documented cases in which Israeli planning authorities consistently rejected the petitions of Arab-Israelis to rezone "agricultural" lands for residential purposes.
In 2007 the United Nations committee that oversees states' compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recommended that Israel examine the role of admissions committees, "ensure that state land is allocated without discrimination, direct or indirect," and "assess the significance and impact of the 'social suitability' criterion in this regard." Under the convention, Israel is obliged to prohibit and eliminate racial discrimination in all its forms and to guarantee the right of everyone, without distinction as to race or ethnic or national origin, to freedom of movement and residence, and to housing.
"Countries should seek to end the segregation and negative treatment of minority communities, yet Israel is moving in the other direction," Whitson said. "A state that deliberately promotes the residential rights and privileges of one ethnic group while diminishing those of another is practicing illegal discrimination, pure and simple."
The Knesset passed, 37 to 25, the law that allows the government to penalize any state-funded institution that commemorates the "Nakba," the Arabic term meaning "catastrophe" and referring to the historic episode in which hundreds of thousands of Palestinian residents of what is now Israel fled and hundreds of villages were destroyed during the conflict after Israel declared independence in 1948. The penalty could also be imposed on an institution that "denies the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state," an action the law does not define.
Palestinian Arab members of Israel's parliament, community leaders, and civil society groups have frequently stated their view that definitions of Israel as a "Jewish state" marginalize and exclude them.
The law, formally an amendment to the Budget Principles Law, enables the finance minister to cut government funding to such institutions by three times the amount that the institution spent on the "illegal" activities. The law does not distinguish cases in which institutions spent non-government funds on such activities. The finance minister would need the approval of other budgetary officials to cut the funds.
The law does not define "institution," but states that it applies to any state-funded entity. Entities at risk include not only municipalities, but also theaters and schools that stage plays or screen films about the Nakba or cultural organizations that hold "coexistence" activities for Jewish and Arab Israeli students to commemorate both Israel's independence day and the "Nakba" as a form of mutual learning.
"This effort to punish the peaceful expression of opinions by Israelis who receive state funding is an insult to Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel and a threat to freedom of expression," Whitson said. "Since when does the Israeli government have the right to tell Israeli citizens what they're not entitled to say about history?"
The Nakba law's threefold financial penalty threatens to harm the rights of citizens - for example, by cutting federal funds that municipalities need to provide health, housing, education, and other services, Human Rights Watch said. For example, according to an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report on Israel, local governments are responsible for providing basic social services but receive 75 percent financing from the central government to procure those services. The predictable result of the law's severe penalties and the vagueness of the acts and institutions that could be penalized is that it will broadly chill freedom of expression by preventing various institutions from commemorating the Nakba at all, Human Rights Watch said.
"The government is telling Arab-Israeli municipalities and other institutions that if they don't shut up about the Nakba and anything else that bureaucrats may deem anti-Israeli, they'll have to shut down programs and services for lack of funds," Whitson said. "Democracies shouldn't quash expression even if it's unpopular, and in this case, what's unpopular to some legislators is central to the historical narrative of a million and a half citizens."


Sydney, Australia - A special consultation on Aug. 28, 2010, on the proposal for an interreligious council at the UN which was first proposed by Rev. Moon in 2000 began with a reading from the historic speech where the idea was first proposed, followed by a review of the structure of the UN and discussion of the feasibility, obstacles, and potential scenarios for moving the idea forward.
Participants were interested in the work of the Focal Unit for interreligious dialogue at the UN and wanted to know more about it. One suggestion for overcoming obstacles to forming an interreligious council would be for an interreligious body to take up conflict in places such as the Middle East where conventional approaches have not brought resolution.
A Buddhist participant in the consultation proposed employing "soft power" rather than traditional "hard power" diplomacy, such as tea ceremonies, to develop rapport and break down barriers.


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Cistectomia è un termine medico per indicare la rimozione chirurgica di tutta o parte della vescica urinaria. Può anche essere usato raramente per riferirsi alla rimozione di una cisti. La condizione più comune che richiede la rimozione della vescica urinaria è il cancro alla vescica.

Possono essere eseguiti due tipi principali di cistectomie. Una cistectomia parziale (nota anche come cistectomia segmentaria) comporta la sola rimozione di una porzione della vescica. Una cistectomia radicale comporta, invece, la rimozione dell'intera vescica insieme ai linfonodi circostanti e ad altri organi vicini che contengono il cancro.

La valutazione del tessuto rimosso durante la cistectomia e la dissezione dei linfonodi aiutano a determinare la stadiazione del cancro patologico. Questo tipo di stadiazione può essere utilizzata per determinare ulteriori interventi, trattamenti e follow-up necessari insieme alla potenziale prognosi.

Dopo che la vescica è stata rimossa, è necessaria una diversione urinaria per consentire l'eliminazione delle urine.

Usi medici

Malignità
La cistectomia radicale è il trattamento raccomandato in caso di cancro alla vescica che ha invaso il muscolo detrusore vescicale. La cistectomia può anche essere raccomandata per le persone ad alto rischio di progressione del cancro o a seguito del fallimento di trattamenti meno invasivi.

Tipi
Nel determinare il tipo di cistectomia da eseguire vengono presi in considerazione molti fattori. Alcuni di questi includono: l'età, la salute generale, la funzione della vescica al basale, il tipo di tumore, la posizione, le dimensioni e lo stadio del tumore.

Cistectomia parziale
Una cistectomia parziale comporta la rimozione di solo una porzione della vescica e viene eseguita per alcuni tumori benigni e maligni localizzati nella stessa. Gli individui che possono essere candidati alla cistectomia parziale comprendono quelli con singoli tumori situati vicino alla cupola, o nella parte superiore della vescica, tumori che non invadono il muscolo della stessa, tumori situati all'interno del diverticolo vescicale o tumore che non sia un carcinoma in situ (CIS). Una cistectomia parziale può anche essere eseguita per la rimozione di tumori che hanno avuto origine e diffusione da organi vicini come il colon.

Cistectomia radicale
Una cistectomia radicale viene più comunemente eseguita in casi di cancro che ha invaso il muscolo della vescica. In questo caso la vescica viene rimossa insieme ai linfonodi circostanti (dissezione dei linfonodi) e altri organi che contengono il cancro. Negli uomini, questi potrebbero comprendere la prostata e le vescicole seminali. Nelle donne, una parte della vagina, dell'utero, delle tube di Falloppio e delle ovaie.

Tecnica

Aperta
In una cistectomia radicale aperta viene praticata una grande incisione nel mezzo dell'addome appena sopra o vicino all'ombelico fino alla sinfisi pubica. Le seguenti informazioni forniscono passaggi generali alla procedura e possono verificarsi in ordine variabile a seconda del chirurgo. Vengono localizzati gli ureteri e tagliati liberi dalla vescica. La vescica viene separata dalle strutture circostanti e rimossa. L'uretra, che drena l'urina dalla vescica, può anche essere rimossa a seconda del coinvolgimento del tumore. Negli uomini, la prostata può o meno essere rimossa durante questa procedura. Viene eseguita anche la dissezione del linfonodo pelvico (PLND). Viene quindi creata una diversione urinaria e le estremità libere degli ureteri vengono ricollegate alla diversione.

Minimamente invasiva
Una cistectomia radicale minimamente invasiva, più comunemente nota come cistectomia radicale laparoscopica assistita da robot (RARC), può essere un'opzione per gli individui a seconda di diversi fattori tra cui, ma non limitati a: la loro salute generale (con particolare attenzione alla salute dei polmoni), l'indice di massa corporea (BMI), numero e tipi di precedenti interventi chirurgici, insieme alla posizione e alle dimensioni del tumore alla vescica. In una RARC vengono praticate diverse piccole incisioni sull'addome per consentire il posizionamento di strumenti chirurgici. Questi strumenti vengono quindi collegati a un robot chirurgico che è controllato dal chirurgo. Viene utilizzata una posizione del paziente a testa in giù (posizione di Trendelenburg) e l'addome viene gonfiato con gas (insufflazione) per consentire uno spazio operativo e una visualizzazione migliori. Il resto della procedura viene eseguita in modo simile alla procedura aperta.

Controindicazioni
In generale, non ci sono controindicazioni specifiche per avere una cistectomia. Tuttavia, non deve essere eseguita in soggetti che non sono abbastanza sani da sottoporsi a una procedura chirurgica importante. Ciò include individui che non possono tollerare l'anestesia generale o quelli con comorbilità gravi o gestite in modo inadeguato come diabete, cardiopatie, problemi ai polmoni, ai reni o malattie del fegato. Ciò include anche soggetti gravemente malnutriti, con problemi di coagulazione del sangue o gravi anomalie di laboratorio. Inoltre, le persone con una malattia o infezione attiva dovrebbero ritardare l'intervento chirurgico fino al recupero.

La chirurgia robotica o laparoscopica è controindicata per le persone con malattie cardiache e polmonari gravi. Durante questo metodo di intervento chirurgico il posizionamento e l'insufflazione addominale mettono a dura prova la parete toracica compromettendo la funzionalità polmonare e la capacità di ossigenare il sangue.

Una cistectomia parziale è controindicata in una forma di cancro alla vescica chiamato carcinoma in situ (CIS). Altre controindicazioni comprendono la capacità della vescica gravemente ridotta o il cancro in prossimità del trigone della vescica, dove l'uretra e gli ureteri si collegano alla stessa.

Rischi e complicanze
La cistectomia radicale, con la creazione di una diversione urinaria, può essere associata a diversi rischi e complicanze a causa dell'entità e della complessità dell'intervento. Come per la maggior parte degli interventi chirurgici importanti, esiste il rischio dell'anestesia, nonché quello di sanguinamento, di coaguli di sangue, di infarto, di ictus e di polmonite o di altri problemi respiratori. Esiste anche il rischio di infezione che coinvolge il tratto urinario, l'addome e il tratto gastrointestinale. Dopo la chiusura delle incisioni chirurgiche esiste il rischio di infezione in questi siti.

Le complicanze sono simili tra le tecniche di cistectomia aperta e minimamente invasive e comprendono quanto segue:

Tratto gastrointestinale
Un ileo, in cui il movimento all'interno dell'intestino rallenta, è la complicazione più comune dopo la cistectomia. Ciò è dovuto a una varietà di fattori tra cui la manipolazione dell'intestino a causa della sua vicinanza alla vescica, l'operazione effettiva sull'intestino per creare una diversione urinaria o persino alcuni farmaci come i narcotici. Oltre al rallentamento del transito l'intestino tenue può anche essere ostruito. Dopo la creazione di una diversione urinaria, il contenuto intestinale può fuoriuscire nel sito in cui si riconnette l'intestino.

Tratto urinario
Con la creazione di una diversione urinaria è possibile che gli ureteri si ostruiscano impedendo il drenaggio dell'urina dai reni. In questo caso, potrebbe essere necessario un altro procedimento per inserire un tubo percutaneo per nefrostomia per consentire il drenaggio delle urine dal corpo. L'ostruzione dell'uretere si verifica più comunemente nel sito in cui gli ureteri sono ricollegati alla diversione urinaria creata. Un piccolo tubo flessibile, chiamato stent, può essere posizionato all'interno dell'uretere al momento dell'intervento chirurgico per aiutare il sito di riconnessione a guarire. Questo sito di riconnessione è anche a rischio di perdite di urina nell'addome.

Se viene eseguita una cistectomia parziale, può verificarsi un danno all'uretere a seconda della posizione del tumore rimosso. Ciò potrebbe richiedere una procedura aggiuntiva per la riparazione.

Lesione del nervo
A causa della posizione operatoria, durante la rimozione della vescica o dei linfonodi possono verificarsi danni ai nervi presenti nel bacino. I nervi in quest'area sono responsabili del movimento e della sensazione delle gambe e comprendono il nervo otturatorio, il nervo genitofemorale e il nervo femorale.

Una qualsiasi di queste complicanze può richiedere un'altra operazione o riammissione in ospedale.

Recupero

Dieta
Immediatamente dopo l'intervento chirurgico, non sono ammessi cibi o bevande a causa del coinvolgimento del tratto gastrointestinale durante l'intervento chirurgico. La dieta passerà quindi lentamente ai liquidi e quindi ai cibi solidi via via che vengono tollerati. Se si verificano complicanze gastrointestinali come nausea, vomito o gonfiore addominale, la dieta può essere interrotta o l'avanzamento rallentato a seconda della gravità.

Controllo del dolore
I farmaci endovenosi per il dolore come i narcotici sono in genere utilizzati immediatamente dopo l'intervento chirurgico. Quelli antidolorifici possono passare a una forma orale una volta che la dieta è ben tollerata.

Attività
Dopo l'intervento chirurgico viene incoraggiata l'attività precoce. Le persone possono essere in grado di camminare e sedersi su una sedia già lo stesso giorno dell'intervento e sono in grado di camminare nella loro stanza o nel reparto ospedaliero entro un giorno o due dopo l'intervento chirurgico. Alcuni soggetti potrebbero richiedere ulteriore assistenza o terapia fisica in ospedale o una volta dimessi a casa.

Prevenzione tromboembolia venosa
Gli approcci per prevenire la tromboembolia venosa (TEV) vengono eseguiti sia prima che dopo l'intervento chirurgico. Sono comunemente usati dispositivi di compressione posizionati attorno alle gambe (calze elastiche alla coscia o farmaci come eparina o eparina a basso peso molecolare (LMWH). La profilassi della TEV con LMWH può anche essere continuata dopo la dimissione ospedaliera in caso di necessità.

Follow-up chirurgico
Se viene eseguita una cistectomia aperta, le graffette che chiudono l'incisione vengono solitamente rimosse da 5 a 10 giorni dopo l'intervento chirurgico. Un ulteriore follow-up, con il chirurgo, è in genere programmato da 4 a 6 settimane dopo l'intervento chirurgico e può comportare studi di laboratorio o di imaging per valutare il recupero insieme a ulteriori cure e follow-up.

Note

Collegamenti esterni

Chirurgia
Urologia

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Clinical Research on medicinal plant Eclipta alba :E. Alba protected guinea pigs against mortality from carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage . In the control group there was a 77.7% mortality rate after 24 hours versus 22.3% in the E. alba-treated group. Serum transaminases were also significantly lower in the treated group. Histopathological examination of the liver revealed a reduction of parenchymal damage in the E. alba-treated animals. Similar hepatoprotective effects have also been reported in rabbits . Gupta, et.al. reported E. alba to possess myocardial depressant and hypotensive effects. There are also reports of clinical improvement in the treatment of infective hepatitis , . The alcoholic extract has shown antiviral activity against Ranikhet disease virus.
Traditional Uses: Bhringaraj is commonly used as a deobstruent to promote bile flow and to protect the liverparenchymal tissue in viral hepatitis and other conditions involving hepatic enlargement. The fresh juice of the leaves is given in the treatment of edema, fevers, liver disorders, and rheumatic joint pains; it is also used to improve the appetite and to stimulate digestion. The juice is given with honey to treat upper respiratory congestion in children. A hair oil prepared from boiling the fresh leaves with either coconut or sesame oil renders the hair black and lustrous. It is popularly used to enhance the memory and has a reputation as an antiaging agent in Ayurveda. An herbal poultice is made with sesame oil and used over glandular swellings and various skin conditions. The leaf juice is also effective when applied externally to treat minor cuts, abrasions, and burns.
Indications: viral hepatitis, hepatic enlargement with biliary stasis, hair hygiene, impaired memory, minor cuts, abrasions and burns.


Made in Denmark. This Little Brother Mouse is in his very own matchbox bed. Mouse made of 100% cotton, 10cm tall. Made in Denmark. This Little Sister Mouse comes with her very own matchbox bed. Mouse made of 100% cotton, 10cm tall.
Made and Designed in Denmark, this Big Sister Mouse is too cute! She comes with her very own matchbox bed, pillow and blanket. 100% cotton, 12cm tall. Outfits may vary. Made and Designed in Denmark, this Big Brother Mouse is too fun! He comes with his very own matchbox bed, pillow and blanket. 100% cotton, 12cm tall.


I came across this ad on CL, and while I don't know her or her owner, she apparently hasn't gotten much interest and could use a new home.
That little girl could definitely use a good home. Is she being housed in that sterilite container??


Gotha: Carl Wilhelm Ettinger, 1790.
First edition. vi,  - 86. With the bookplate of Elizabeth [von Arnim] the author of "Enchanted April" and with the ownership stamp of "August P[rin]z v[on] Pr[eussen]" (Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich August) stamped on the title page.
Octavo, rebacked to period, over yellow boards, gilt. Light dust soiling of boards, else fine.
Johan Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749 - 1832 was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long poem of modern European literature. His other well-known literary works include his numerous poems, the Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, and the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther.
"The Metamorphoses of Plants" is Goethe's first published scientific treatise in which he approached the processes of life and the origin of life, a forerunner to Darwin in some respects. Goethe sought a theory that would explain all living forms in botany and zoology, and this is a pioneering work on plant metamorphoses.
Goethe himself attributes the journey to Italy in 1786 - 1788 as being the most influential factor in his botanical and zoological interests and the idea of "an original plant". During his Italian journey, he formulated a theory of plant metamorphosis in which the archetypal form of the plant is to be found in the leaf – he writes, ""from top to bottom a plant is all leaf, united so inseparably with the future bud that one cannot be imagined without the other"". [Milestones of Science 86].