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text:
Senators from both parties express optimism that an immigration reform bill will clear Congress in 2013, and that it will include a path to citizenship for the undocumented
Sen. Richard Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, shown here alongside Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) during a debt ceiling press conference earlier this month, expressed optimism Sunday that Congress will pass immigration reform this year. He is a member of a bipartisan Senate panel that is due this week to present a proposal to fix the nation's broken immigration policy, a blueprint that is expected to include a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants now living in America. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers from both parties expressed cautious optimism Sunday that an overhaul of immigration policy that includes a pathway to citizenship for most undocumented immigrants in the U.S. will clear Congress this year.
The improved political expectations for the long-sought reform are the result of changes in the political landscape that became painfully obvious in November's election, when President Obama's victory was aided by overwhelming support from Latino voters.
"We are trying to work our way through some very difficult issues," said Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate. "But, we are committed to a comprehensive approach to finally in this country have an immigration law we can live with. We have virtually been going maybe 25 years without a clear statement about immigration policy. That's unacceptable in this nation of immigrants."
Sen. Robert Menendez, who is part of the six-member, bipartisan Senate group working on a framework for immigration legislation, said current politics requires that the proposals the panel will announce this week must include a pathway for citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S.
"Let's be very clear: having a pathway to earned legalization is an essential element. And I think that we are largely moving in that direction as an agreement," said Menendez, D-N.J., said.
The package "will have the enhancement of the border security," he added, nodding to Republicans' priority to tighten borders to prevent future illegal immigration.
He also said the package would have to crack down on employers hiring undocumented workers.
Arizona Republican McCain, also a member of the Senate panel, along with Durbin and Menendez, has returned to championing the issue after having led a failed push to fix the nation's broken immigration system ahead of his 2008 bid for the White House.
"What's changed is, honestly, is that there is a new, I think, appreciation on both sides of the aisle — including, maybe more importantly on the Republican side of the aisle — that we have to enact a comprehensive immigration reform bill," McCain said.
Despite making little progress on immigration in his first term, Obama won more than 70 percent of the Latino vote last fall, in part because of the conservative positions on immigration that Republican nominee Mitt Romney staked out during the GOP primary.
The improved prospects for immigration reform are in part the result of the November election. As Sen. John McCain of Arizona pointed out on Sunday, the election, specifically President Obama getting some 70% of the Latino vote, showed the GOP it had to address the issue or risk being frozen out by Latinos for decades to come. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Latino voters accounted for 10 percent of the electorate in November.
Obama is to press his case for immigration changes during a trip to Las Vegas on Tuesday. He wants the package to feature a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants that includes paying fines and back taxes; increased border security; mandatory penalties for businesses that employ unauthorized immigrants; and improvements to the legal immigration system, such as giving green cards to high-skilled workers and lifting caps on legal immigration for the immediate family members of U.S. citizens.
In an opinion piece published online Sunday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Sen. Marco Rubio, also a member of the bipartisan Senate group, laid out his proposal to address the issue. The Florida Republican, son of Cuban immigrants, wrote that "significant progress" on enforcing immigration laws must be certified before unauthorized immigrants now in the country are allowed to apply for residency and "get in the back of the line."
Rep. Paul Ryan, the 2012 Republican candidate for vice president, said he backs Rubio's proposal.
"Immigration is a good thing. We're here because of immigration. We need to make sure it works," Wisconsin's Ryan said.
If Republicans fail to act, they will pay the price in elections for generations, McCain warned.
"Well, I'll give you a little straight talk: Look at the last election... We are losing dramatically the Hispanic vote, which we think should be ours for a variety of reasons," he said.
McCain and Menendez spoke with ABC's "This Week," Durbin appeared on "Fox News Sunday" and Ryan was on NBC's "Meet the Press."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
R. v. South Cambridgeshire District Council exp. Salek
Transcript date:
Matter:
Salek
Judgement type:
Judge(s):
Richards J
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE CO/2028/99
QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION
(CROWN OFFICE LIST)
Royal Courts of Justice
Friday, 22nd October 1999
B e f o r e:
LORD JUSTICE RICHARDS
SOUTH CAMBRIDGESHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL
EX PARTE LILLIAN ADA SALEK
(Computer-aided Transcript of the Stenograph Notes of
Smith Bernal Reporting Limited
180 Fleet Street, London EC4A 2HD
Telephone No: 0171-421 4040/0171-404 1400
Fax No: 0171-831 8838
Official Shorthand Writers to the Court)
MR D EDWARDS (instructed by Richard Buxton, 40 Clarendon Street, Cambridge, CB1 1JX ) appeared on behalf of the Applicant.
THE RESPONDENT did not appear and was not represented.
J U D G M E N T
(Draft for Approval)
MR JUSTICE RICHARDS: This ia an application to challenge a conditional planning consent granted by the South Cambridgeshire District Council on 8th April 1999 pursuant to a resolution of the Council's Planning Committee on 7th April 1999.
The matter comes before me as an application for permission, but, for the reasons that
I will cover in this judgment, I have granted permission and I am dealing with it here and now as a substantive hearing and giving my decision on the substantive application.
The factual background is as follows: on 6th July 1998, conditional planning consent was granted by the Council in respect of the use of premises at 44 Station Road, Histon, as a restaurant. The consent was granted subject to the following conditions with reasons for those decisions set out immediately after each condition:
"1. The use hereby permitted shall be discontinued and the land restored to its former condition on or before 30th June 2001. (Reason - In order that the effect of the development upon the amenities enjoyed by neighbouring residents, highway safety and amenities to the neighbouring area can be assessed during this period so that any future application can be decided upon this assessment).
2. The restaurant shall only be open between the hours of 12.15 pm - 2.15 pm and 6.00 pm - 10.30 pm and all customers shall leave the premises prior to 2.45 pm or 11.00 pm. (Reason - In order that the effect of the development upon the amenities enjoyed by neighbouring residents, highway safety and the amenities of the neighbouring area can be assessed during this period so that any future application can be decided on this assessment).
3. This permission shall relate to
a maximum of 16 covers only and that area of the ground floor measuring 3.6m by 3.6m approved for restaurant use as shown on plan No.314/2 shall be clearly defined and separated from the remainder of the ground floor in accordance with details which shall have previously been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. Such details to be agreed shall be implemented prior to the restaurant use commencing and shall thereafter be retained at all times unless otherwise agreed to be varied in writing by the Council.
(Reason - To ensure that the scale of the restaurant is not excessive [bearing] in mind the other permitted uses of the site and the fact that the premises are situated on a busy road junction in a predominantly residential area)."
Those are the three relevant conditions.
On 1st April 1998 an application was submitted for a larger ground floor area than authorised by the permission that I have described. This was considered by the council to be unacceptable, owing to the intensification of use and its impact upon neighbouring properties. The application was apparently withdrawn before a formal decision was reached.
On 8th February 1999, however, an application was received by the Council for the removal of Condition 1 attached to the 1998 consent, that is to say, the temporary Condition and the modification of Conditions 2 and 3 so as to extend the opening hours of the restaurant and increase the number of covers that might be provided there.
The application was considered by the planning committee on 7th April 1999. But the committee had before it a report of the Planning Director which set out a description of the site, the relevant history, relevant policy, the result of consultations and representations and other relevant matters. I would refer in particular to the comments first of the Chief Environmental Health Officer who had recommended that the application be refused in so far as it related to an extension of opening hours. He said in relation to that:
"It is my opinion that the location is more residential than most of the other food premises which the agent has listed on page 5 of the explanatory letter dated 4th February 1999. There is a single commercial property more or less opposite number 44 in Station Road but the rest of the properties surrounding number 44 are residential dwellings. In addition, the first floor of number 44 is separately let as a flat which could be seriously affected by any increase in evening activities.
During the period of operation of the restaurant, there has not been a single deleterious impact on the neighbourhood but this may be due to the existing conditions regarding trading hours and the limit on table covers.
I am very nervous about extending the evening closing times because I would not wish to cause the premises to become a resort for people leaving public houses in the area at closing time. On balance, I consider that the existing time restrictions should remain in order to safeguard the amenity of the residential area. The requested increase in table covers from 16 to 24 in a slightly larger but still defined area of the premises should not cause a significant disturbance. I would therefore not oppose such a move but I consider that it would be reasonable for the proprietor to display notices within the premises adjacent to the main door, requesting guests to leave the premises quietly so as not to disturb the nearby residents."
He also observed that his suggestions were made with the intention of minimising the disturbance caused by allowing more business use of the premises.
The Director of Planning provided the Council with his own comments and recommendation. In his written report he recommended that Condition 1 be removed so as to render the development authorised by the 1998 consent permanent, but he recommended that the hours of operation of the restaurant should not be extended as requested and that the number of covers should not be increased.
He said this:
"The application proposes 3 changes: The first is to remove the temporary consent for the site. Government advice under Circ. 11/95 is that temporary consent should not be renewed. The level of activity arising from the restaurant has, as far as
I am aware, not caused regular problems to neighbouring properties. However, I believe this is due to the restricted seating (covers) and hours of operation which has led to alleged infrequent use of the restaurant. If the existing restrictions continued to apply I believe it would be reasonable to grant
a permanent permission. However, should members be of the opinion that the increase in numbers of covers and extended hours of opening is acceptable a temporary consent may be appropriate to assess the intensification of use of the site.
The second change proposes to relax the hours of use of the restaurant. Presently, the restaurant can take customers up to 10.30 pm but must close by 11.00 pm. The increase in hours of use has the potential to cause unacceptable noise and disturbance to the residential properties in such close proximity to the site (including the unrestricted flat above the premises). If customers are allowed to enter the site until 11.30 pm then they could leave anytime up until 12.30 - 1.00am. In summertime when nearby residents have their windows open this level of use will be likely to cause harm to neighbours amenity. Given the concern from the Chief Environmental Health Officer and Policy ES6 of the Deposit Draft Local Plan, the existing restrictions on hours of use are appropriate and should not be relaxed in this predominantly residential area.
The third change relates to the number of covers (seats) which is proposed to be changed from 16 to 24. The existing permission restricts the use of the restaurant to an area of no greater than 3.6 square metres. I have difficulty in seeing how additional seating can be accommodated without increasing the size of the restaurant. I have requested a plan from the agent identifying the seating arrangement. The restaurant presently is not the main use of the ground floor given the space used for A1 kitchen/store to rear (which is used for a delivery service). An increase in floor area to accommodate the extra seats could change the nature of the site giving an appearance of a restaurant, rather than an A1 shop with small restaurant area attached. This, I believe, would also result in an intensification of use of the site with potential undesirable consequences to neighbouring properties through increased noise and general disturbance. There may also be parking implications if the floor area for the restaurant is increased.
On the whole, I believe it would be unreasonable not to grant planning permission on a permanent basis for the restaurant as long as the conditions on numbers of covers and hours of operation remain. The increase in hours of use and seats as proposed will result in unacceptable noise and general disturbance to nearby residential properties. On this basis the application as submitted is unacceptable."
In a further written report (and it would seem in his oral reports to the Committee) the Director of Planning revised his position to a limited extent, in that he accepted that there was a sufficient case to justify an increase in the number of covers from 16 to 24 for a temporary period of one year, in order that its affects could be monitored and any extension into a permanent permission for a large number of covers should be dependent on the monitored impact.
He indicated that, nonetheless, a plan showing the area to be used needed to be agreed prior to the grant of such approval. He adhered to his view that the condition concerning opening hours should not be altered.
The Planning Committee, when reaching a decision on the application, rejected the advice of the Director of Planning and of the Chief Environmental Health Officer. The Committee resolved that there should be a permanent grant of permission for use of premises, on the basis of an extension in the number of covers provided and in the opening hours.
Planning consent was granted subject to two conditions:
"1. The restaurant use hereby permitted shall be limited to no more than 24 covers." (Reasons - To protect the amenities of adjoining residents).
2. The restaurant shall be closed and the restaurant area vacated by customers between 23.30 hours and 08.00 hours.
(Reason - The site is within a predominantly residential area. The use of the restaurant outside the permitted hours would be detrimental to the amenities of the neighbouring residents by reason of general noise and disturbance)."
It was that decision which was the subject of an application to this Court. The application was made promptly. It came before Mr Justice Ogdel for consideration on the papers. He pointed out that there was no indication that the Council had been given an opportunity to comment or to address the matters that now form the basis of the challenge and he adjourned the matter from oral hearing on notice to the Council to enable such comments to be provided.
The Council provided extensive comments in
a letter of 24th August 1999 from the Head of Legal Services -- I shall come back to the detail of those comments in a moment. Procedurally, however, the letter had made clear that the Council had no intention of appearing so as to make submissions to the Court at an oral hearing whether at the permission stage or at the substantive stage. There was an offer to swear an affidavit or provide a statement of truth to verify the matters set out in the Council's letter; that is unnecessary in the circumstances. The letter made clear that if the Court wished to treat the permission hearing as a substantive hearing of the application, the Council was content for that course to be adopted.
Full details concerning the proceedings and the stance taken by the Council have, I am told, been provided to the interested party, the owner or operator of the premises that are the subject of the planning permission. He has intimated no intention of appearing in order to make submissions to the Court. In all the circumstances, I have taken the view that if I am satisfied that permission should be granted in this case, as I am, then I should go on forthwith to consider the substantive application. That seems to me to be the most efficient means of dealing with the case. It affords with the position adopted by the Respondent. It will enable substantial reduction in overall costs and Court time, and, to my mind it will deal with the matter in a way that is proportionate to the nature of the case. This is not a case of any general importance. It falls to be decided on a very narrow basis and is a matter of very local interest, though I fully recognise the concerns of the Applicant which are set out in her own witness statement.
I therefore go on to consider the substantive issues in the case. For that purpose, I must examine in a little more detail the letter of 24th August 1999 from the Council. That letter sets out the planning history of the site, it recounts, in some detail, the objections that had been received at the time, it refers to the advice given to the committee both in the written report and in the oral report of the Director of Planning and it goes on to explain the Committee's decision. It states that members considered the matter very carefully. The debate lasted more than 10 minutes. Members had the report and the plans in front of them. The full plans were displayed outside the committee room. Passing over certain further details that are given, I quote in particular the following passage:
"Members noted that in addition to a Fish and Chip Shop/Chinese Take-away in Station Road which closed at 11.00 pm there were two other restaurants in Histon which were open until 11.30 pm as well as the four Public Houses which affectively closed at 11.30 pm. Members felt it was entirely appropriate to grant the application bearing in mind the previous three years' trial period. The Planning Committee decision was overwhelming."
In the next paragraph it is stated that even the Local Member supported the application for the modest expansion of the restaurant. Members
"... were fully aware of the neighbourhood, the nature of the application and of the past history, were informed about impact on local amenities by Officers of the Local Member, and had plenty of information upon which to base their decision. They used their common sense about potential impact on amenity and the potential effect of altering the restaurant restrictions previously imposed. In particular, they considered that the absence of any recent complaint was most significant and noted the absence of any substantive complaint about the restaurant business per se. They did not feel that
a longer trial period or temporary permission, even in respect of the extended hours or increased covers would be of any assistance in forming their decision, providing these conditions were imposed and the earlier relevant conditions rehearsed. They attached appropriate weight to all matters and their decision cannot be said to be perverse in any sense. They considered every aspect of this matter that was relevant to the decision and did not consider any aspect which was irrelevant."
The letter goes on to make clear that if the Council has to reconsider the application then the author of the letter cannot see how the Committee could come to any different decision than to grant the application subject to the same conditions.
Mr Edwards, on behalf of the applicant, recognises that it is for the members of the Committee to make the relevant planning judgment in a matter of this kind, and that they are not bound by the judgment made and recommendation made by the Planning Officer or Environmental Health Officer. He submits, however, that in the circumstances of this case, there simply was not enough evidence before the committee upon which they could properly have based a judgment different from that reached by the officers. He refers me to the decision in R v Newbury District Council, ex-parte Blackwell 1998, a journal of Planning Law, at 680 as an example of a case where a decision was quashed because the relevant authority did not have sufficient evidence to justify a decision reached contrary to the recommendations of its officers.
In this case, Mr Edwards points out (and as is plain from the material before me) there had been previous recognition of the sensitivity of the area surrounding the subject premises because of the residential nature of that area and the need to protect the amenity of the residential premises; but that had been an expressed reason for the imposition of the Conditions in 1998. The only information which the Committee had before it indicated, it is submitted, that the permanent increase in the hours of operation and increase in size of the restaurant would be unacceptable in terms of the impact on residential amenity, including matters of noise and traffic disturbance.
The basis upon which the Planning Officer, the Director of Planning and the Chief Environmental Health Officer have reached their views is apparent from the parts of the reports to which I have already referred.
Although there are some differences of detail between them, there is, self-evidently, an absence of uniform support on the part of those officers for permanent extension to opening hours and in the seating capacity of the restaurant.
It is submitted that the Committee simply lacked evidence upon which they could properly form the view that the permanent extension of opening hours and of the seating capacity of the restaurant would have no unacceptable impact upon the amenity of the residential premises in the neighbourhood.
It is said that although the letter of 24th August refers to the members as being fully aware of the neighbourhood, there was nothing to show that they were familiar with the full physical layout of the area or of the particular operation of the particular restaurant. They had not carried out a site inspection, they had not asked their officers to carry out any further inspection or monitoring; they apparently placed reliance, as the letter of 24th August shows, on the existence of similar premises in Histon with hours of opening corresponding to those which the Committee decided to apply in relation to the subject premises. However, that was a matter which had been specifically addressed by the Chief Environmental Health Officer in his comments where, as I have already indicated, he had taken the view that such premises were distinguishable because this was a "more residential" location.
I have given careful consideration to those submissions and to the contents of the letter of 24th August. That letter is very helpful to the Court, though, inevitably, not as helpful as oral submissions might have been in enabling the Court to test the details of the matters put forward on behalf of the council.
I have concluded that this is plainly an arguable case, but, as to the substance, it is only a marginal case. The Committee were plainly entitled to take the view on the evidence that permission could be made permanent for
a restaurant of the existing size, that is to say, the size permitted by the 1998 Permission in terms of seating and area and with existing opening hours. There was insufficient evidence of problems arising as to make that in any way an unreasonable view but the officer supported it and Mr Edwards, on behalf of the applicant, has not sought to take issue with that.
The only real question relates to the increase in the size of the seating capacity and the extension of opening hours. As to the former, the Director of Planning was recommending a temporary period in order to monitor the effects, the Chief Environmental Health Officer was not opposed to the extension but was still of the view that there should be a defined area before the grant of permission. As to the latter, both officers recommend against an extension because of the potential impact on the amenity of the residential area.
I fully accept that the final judgment must be that of the Committee, not of the officers, and that in addition to taking into account specific information placed before them, they were entitled to use their common sense and their knowledge of the area. But it does seem to me that there is force in the argument that they did not have sufficient information before them to justify
a departure from the more cautious recommendation of their officers. There is no evidence that they had specific knowledge of the site or of the operation of the restaurant; they had not carried out a site view. If account was to be taken, as it was in fact taken, of the other facilities in Histon with later closing times, then it was necessary at the same time to take careful account of the fact that the subject site was in a more residential location as the Chief Environmental Health Officer had pointed out.
There is no indication in the letter of 24th August that that countervailing consideration had been borne properly in mind. The absence of substantive complaints related of course to the existing size and opening hours and is not a necessary indicator of the position if either were to be extended. No evidence so far as I can see had been addressed to the question of all-day opening as was permitted by the Committee pursuant to Condition 2 of the Permission they granted.
There was, as it seems to me, only limited objective evidence before the Committee concerning the affect of noise, traffic disturbance and the like, that would result from the extensions in size and opening hours that the Committee permitted. The matter, as I have indicated, is finely balanced; but I have come down in favour of the view that the Committee did not have enough information and had not made sufficient inquiry to justify the grant of permanent permission for a restaurant larger in size, with no defined seating area and with longer opening hours than was permitted by the existing grant. I do not think that there was material before the Committee that would enable it to reach a reasonably informed judgment of the kind that would justify the grant that they made. I will therefore quash the decision which will fall to be reconsidered by the Committee.
The letter of 24th August indicates that the Committee will inevitably come to the same conclusion next time round. It will be for the Committee to reconsider the case in the light of this judgment and all the evidence before it at the time of reconsideration. I am sure that the Committee will approach the matter responsibly and with open minds, as is their duty, and that they will give particularly careful consideration to the question whether there is really enough evidence before them to justify the permanent grant of permission for restaurant use with the extended seating capacity and extended opening hours, or whether, for example, conditions should be framed that would enable the effect of such extensions to be monitored before a decision is made on whether to make the extensions permanent.
I will direct that a copy of the transcript of this judgment be obtained at public expense and with expedition and be provided both to the Council and to the third party, the owner or operator of the restaurant, since I have adopted an unusual course in proceeding in this way to deal with the matter substantively. I will give the third party liberty to apply within seven days if he wishes to seek to set aside the decision that I have made. I proceeded to deal with it substantively on the understanding that the third party had effectively indicated an absence of intention to appear. If that is a misapprehension on my part then the third party must have the opportunity to appear in order to seek to challenge the matter. He will, however, have to bear in mind the cost implications if he is unsuccessful in any such attempt.
MR EDWARDS: There are two points, my Lord, firstly, the matter of cost. I would ask that the Respondent Council pay the Applicant's cost of this matter. My Lord, I would also ask if your Lordship is minded to make that order for legal aid taxation.
MR JUSTICE RICHARDS: Yes. What I will do is I will make an order for cost in favour of the Applicant. Given that the Council is not here, in relation to that too I will give them seven days liberty to apply, in case they have anything to say on the question of costs. I find it difficult to see what they could say in the circumstances but just to make it clear that they are not being shut out from the opportunity to address the Court on that issue.
It seems to me that if there were an application by either the Council or the third party, the one in relation to cost, the other in relation to the substance, it would be desirable that the matter come back before me and I will direct that it should do so if at all possible.
MR EDWARDS: One other point which Mr Buxton my instructing solicitor raised, your Lordship indicated that the interested party should have seven days to apply, Mr Buxton suggests as the matter is of some importance should that be seven days from receipt of the transcript?
MR JUSTICE RICHARDS: That is what I intended, yes. It should be seven days in receipt of the transcript, likewise the Council in relation to application as regards the cost order because they must plainly have the opportunity to study my reason before they reach a decision.


text:
Zoning policy makes Bethesda, Md., a model walkable suburb
D.C.-area community has thriving downtown with mass transit options
In sharp contrast to most suburban communities in the Washington, D.C. area, Bethesda, Md. stands out as a fine exemplar of the new urbanism ethos.
Bethesda's downtown area has become a densely populated, walkable area with multiple mass transit options. The central core of the Montgomery County community is vibrant with retail spaces, offices, and restaurants nestled among apartment buildings and condominiums.
Over the last few decades, Montgomery County rezoned areas around major transit hubs to allow increased density, embraced a mix of uses, and removed minimum parking requirements in downtown Bethesda. One D.C. Metro light rail station serves the area, with another in the planning stages.
Like other D.C. suburbs, Bethesda had been built up in the standard sprawl fashion, and more recently has been retrofitted into a more sustainable community. In order to foster smarter development, the county offers a density bonus for developers who are allowed to build bigger and taller if they put their parking below ground.
(http://grist.org/cities/heres-the-right-way-to-make-transit-and-density-work-in-the-suburbs/)
Codes and Standards,Regulations


text:
Preference snub renders Greens 'a lost cause'
Updated November 15, 2010 14:00:00
Photo: The snub almost guarantees the Greens' candidates (pictured) will fail in their attempt to win seats in the Lower House. (Julian Smith: AAP)
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Video: Preference saga nears end (7pm TV News VIC)
Audio: Libs preference Labor over Greens in Vic election (AM)
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Map: Melbourne 3000
The ABC's election analyst, Antony Green, says the Coalition's decision to preference the Greens last in the Victorian election will virtually destroy the minor party's chances of winning seats in the Lower House and seizing the balance of power.
The Greens have accused the Coalition of "collapsing into the arms" of Labor.
They are still talking up their chances of picking up the inner-Melbourne seats, but Mr Green says it is a lost cause.
"The Liberal decision to preference against the Greens in all electorates is an in-principle decision which will deliver Labor the four inner-city seats where they are under challenge from the Greens," he said.
"Even if the Liberals don't campaign strongly there will be little flow of preferences to the Greens and certainly not enough to defeat Labor in those inner-city seats."
After Adam Bandt won the seat of Melbourne at the federal election with Liberal Party preferences, the momentum was such that the Greens in Victoria hoped they could win up to four seats in the Lower House at the state election and become the kingmakers of Victorian politics - but not anymore.
State director Tony Nutt issued a statement last night outlining the party's intentions.
"When the Coalition registers its legislative assembly how-to-vote cards with the Electoral Commission, it will put the Greens last in all 88 seats. The ALP will be second last," he said.
It means Labor is almost guaranteed to retain the four inner-city Melbourne seats that it feared it would lose to the Greens at the November 27 poll.
Nick Economou, a senior lecturer in politics at Monash University, says it is an "extraordinary outcome".
He agrees the Liberal preference deal will virtually bury the Greens.
"I think that this is a big blow against the Greens' aspirations for Lower House seats and if they don't get Liberal preferences, in my view they won't win any of those Lower House seats that they are hoping to win," he said.
He says he knows there is a belief that the Greens are on a roll.
"It's not quite the case. They're still not up into the 40s (per cent) yet and if you're not in the 40s yet you will require the preferences for one or the other major political parties to get over the line," he said.
Victoria's Coalition Leader, Ted Baillieu, has denied handing Labor an advantage by preferencing the Greens last.
"The nonsense that's gone on, from John Brumby, just demonstrates what a hypocrite he's been about this," he said.
"He's been out there for weeks demonising the Greens while at the very same time he's been out there giving preferences and doing a deal with the Greens, so Victorians will have a clear choice."
Fearing a hung parliament or even a narrow loss, Labor's state director, Nick Reece, is now begging the Greens to do a preference deal.
"I urge the Greens to reconsider its position and preference the ALP ahead of the conservative Liberal/National coalition in all Lower House seats," he said in a statement.
"This is the only way to ensure a progressive government for Victoria."
No major blow
The Greens are denying the party has been dealt a major blow.
Federal Greens leader Bob Brown says he remains confident the Greens can still poll strongly.
"There's an old saying, 'when the going gets tough, the tough get going', and that's the Greens," he said.
"We're going to campaign very strongly in those inner-Melbourne seats, and there's a very thoughtful public there that can see what is going on."
Greens Upper House MP Greg Barber would not rule out preference deals with Labor.
But he says the Greens are still hoping to win seats in their own right in two weeks' time.
"We have never gone to the voters saying it is okay to vote for somebody else but put us second," he said.
"We want people to vote '1 Green' and this is another good reason why they should do it.
"The election is not over when the parties register how-to-vote cards, OK? It is over on polling day. That is when the voters get to determine their future."
Parties have until midday Friday to submit their preference deals.
Topics: state-parliament, government-and-politics, elections, melbourne-3000, australia, vic
First posted November 15, 2010 07:35:00
More stories from Victoria


At Memorial Healthcare, we strive to serve the whole patient. Because it's their quality of life that is crucially important to their present and future, every decision we make about their care keeps this in mind. After all, compassion is at our core.
All diagnosis are rooted in emotion. From learning of a common cold or broken limb, there is often relief in simply "knowing." Cancer diagnosis is different, and one that our oncology department is best equipped to deliver.
Using the Oncology Department's Nurse Navigator, connect with our team. We'll discuss your patient concerns with the provider, and take a "whole person" or multi-disciplinary approach to their care.
Together, we'll determine the appropriate next steps for patient testing and diagnosis, and how this should be navigated.
Together, we'll transition into treatment discussions, and shepherd our patients through the process, inclusive of other work of the primary care physician.
In doing this, our patients are assured that they will receive the most compassionate care possible. As they transition to long-term treatments or surgical recommendations, the primary care physician is present and involved. We take a whole-person approach to our care, and look forward to working with you!


text:
package ru.j4j.mediation.core.annotations;

import java.lang.annotation.Retention;
import java.lang.annotation.RetentionPolicy;
import java.lang.annotation.Target;

import static java.lang.annotation.ElementType.METHOD;

/**
 * @author Artemiy.Shchekotov
 * @since 3/21/2017
 */
@Target(METHOD)
@Retention(RetentionPolicy.SOURCE)
public @interface FromContext {
    String value() default "";
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Do you like to learn? Do you like to write? Do you like to help authors? Want to know a few secrets that will make learning, writing and helping fun?
The first time that I did this I walked up to an author in her booth at a tradeshow. I asked, "Why should I write about you over your competitor?"
In order to learn topics written in books or at Websites, I'd approach authors in my former industry in that manner or online. Sometimes, once you wrote positive things about them, they'd give you more access to their material. While they wouldn't flat out teach you for free, some would offer teaching guidance at little or no cost. This works really well within individual industries!
Now unless you're a cat who has a million or so followers, this approach will not work for authors like Dan Pink and Seth Godin. They are popular and crazy busy. When it comes to authors of high notoriety, I suggest joining their communities, learning from their books and or online material and supporting them when they ask. I enjoyed a really cool learning opportunity when I joined an exclusive online community to help promote Dan's book To Sell is Human. And the value that I received by participating in a Seth Godin Kickstarter campaign for The Icarus Deception far exceeded my cost.
Do you think Dan and Seth said, "I'm going to be an author," and instantly gained fame? No. So get to know the next batch of Dan's and Seth's before they become Dan and Seth. I began supporting Penelope Trunk and Pam Slim a little over seven years ago and Rosa Say nearly nine years ago. While they might not be as popular as Dan and Seth, they have achieved that crazy busy status.
How do You Support Authors?
I recently began experimenting with a new way to help authors I dig. Here I review Kathy Hansen's A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way Into The Hidden Job Market. Because I want to one, promote Kathy's book and two, provide more value for my readers, I created a mind map that lists resources relative to this book in particular. The mind map link is located towards the end of that review.
The second thing that I'm doing in that review is to NOT provide a comment section on my blog. Instead I refer the readers to a Facebook Page. That way it's easier for readers to talk to their friends about the book.
A combination of an insatiable curosity, being a book junkie and having tremendous respect for those who write books has led me to a very fulfilling endeavor in helping authors I dig.


text:
Canadian School Counsellor Magazine
Industry Awareness Profiles
Red Seal Trades
Crossing Borders Magazine
EFE: CICan Magazine
Institution Profiles
Trevor H. Shirtliff Difference Maker Scholarship Winners
Trevor H. Shirtliff Difference-Makers Scholarship
Canada's Outstanding Counsellor Award
Institutional Profiles
Trevor H Shirtliff Difference-Maker Scholarship Summer 2020 Winners!
Canadian School Counsellor is proud to announce the difference-makers, nominated by their high school counsellors who are the two recent recipients of the Trevor H Shirtliff Difference-Maker Scholarships.
Veronika Copping
Counsellor: Carmen Meier
School: Surrey Christian School
City: Surrey, BC
Veronika has a very diverse academic record as she came to SCS from a distance learning (homeschool) program and as a fulltime student here, she has also maintained her online course involvement. This has resulted in a rich and diverse educational experience. Veronika is also the first student to take the initiative and add a college course to her transcript by applying last semester as a concurrent student to Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She took an intro political science class and finished as well with a solid A in the course.
In the two years that Veronika has been at our school, she has maintained a very high grade point average and is ranked at the top of her class. Her academic load consists of mostly arts and social science courses and she is keen to pursue either political science or psychology (or both!) at a post-secondary school in Canada. Veronika has achieved this academic success in spite of complex mental health complications including vision loss. Veronika has shared often about her struggles in an effort to encourage others to accomplish their goals as well.
What is particularly remarkable about Veronika is her extracurricular involvement for the City of Surrey. She is the most community minded student that I have advised and continues to involve herself in all kinds of leadership opportunities both on and off campus. She has vast experience with the youth leadership programing as well as 4H initiatives. As well, she is doing all that she can to be involved in service opportunities as a leadership student and on grad council.
Meghan Whynott
Counsellor: Darleen Kifiak
School: Walnut Grove Secondary
City: Langley, BC
It is with great pleasure and pride that I nominate Megan Whynott for the "Trevor H. Shirtliff Difference Maker" Scholarship. Megan has made as significant impact on both our school and on our school district. For the past four years, Megan has been the president of our school's Pride/GLA club. She has been a strong leader in this club, advocating for the emotional and physical needs of our LGBTQ+ community. She has hosted weekly meetings to provide a safe place for all students, she organized week-long Pride events, she has advocated for a progressive alliance culture in our school, and she has spoken at staff meetings to education staff on ways to make their classrooms safe and and inclusive. On a school level, Megan was a key part of the student team who encouraged our administration of the need for safe, gender neutral washrooms for students.
As word of Megan's impact on our school became known, our district administrators looked to her for guidance on making all schools in Langley safe and welcoming for LGBTQ+ students. She has given workshops to elementary and secondary school in Langley and in the Greater Vancouver Regional Area on ways to ensure that all youth are safe and welcome in our classrooms.
All of this Megan has accomplished while battling her own mental health issues. She is open about the depression and anxiety she has suffered. She shares her story about this with others in an effort to destigmatize mental health concerns with youth. There are few students in Langley, in BC and in Canada who have had such a strong, direct and lasting impact on a school and district as Megan Whynott have.
Megan is planning to attend university to become a high school teacher. The fact that her impact on schools could continue in the future makes me so proud and gives me so much hope for the future of BC schools.
Megan has accomplished all of these things while being a strong academic student. She has a GPA of over 95% and she is enrolled in Advanced Placement classes; she is also a French Immersion student. Outside of school, Megan is a commmitted soccer player and coach: she understands the importance of physical health to mental health.
Trevor H. Shirtliff Difference Maker Scholarship
Contact Stephanie Duprat for more information at
1-888-634-5556 x106 or stephanie@mzpinc.ca.


It's best to send an E-mail to confrim the correct postage before sending in your request.
The following products are offered as premium gifts in consideration of donations. The minimum donation requested is printed next to the premium gift item. For orders within the USA, please send your donation as a blank US postal money order (no other). If you send a money order from any other source, or send a check, I will have to return your donation and ask you to send a U.S. postal money order, so please save us both the time and annoyance- send only a blank U.S. postal money order. .
Leave all spaces BLANK on the U.S. postal money order you send as a donation. Do not write my name, your name, or any other information on the postal money order. Make a copy of the entire money order-with stub- and keep it in case of theft or loss. I immediately mark the amount of the donation as well as the premium gift items requested on your envelope when I first open the mail, so you can be sure that I have a record of the amount you sent. For your protection, I never enter names, addresses, E-mail addresses or telephone numbers into my computer. I only write your contact information on your envelope and nowhere else. As a backup, you can always stick a Post It note on the postal money order (or paper clip a piece of paper) with the your name, address, date, and amount sent as a secondary paper trail, but leave the money order itself BLANK. I am no longer in the banking business and now use U.S. postal money orders as a safe way to pay bills, etc. I hope you can understand.
It's a good idea to wrap your money order in a single layer of aluminum foil to make it invisible to X-ray machines or human eyes and place inside a folded sheet of paper, which can be your itemized list for premium gifts or the body of our e-mail exchange, etc. If you feel comfortable about it, include a phone number. If there's a problem, it's much faster to just call you on the phone rather than go through the e-mail rigamaroll. .
For orders outside of the USA, send me an e-mail ( Ken Adachi, Editor ) with your request and I can provide information for making donations.
If I have the item on the shelf and ready to go, I can usually send within a day of receipt. Please note that I mark the date on all mail when I pick it up from the post office. The "delivery clock" starts for me from the pick up date, not from the date that you sent the mail. On average, it takes 4-7 days for First Class mail to be delivered to my post office box from within the USA, and a little longer for overseas mail, unless it was sent by Express or Priority delivery.
If I have to construct or modify the item of interest, please allow 2-4 weeks on average to fill your request. Sometimes it takes longer due to the quantity of orders coming in for handmade items. I'm always interested in delivering as fast as possible as that makes everyone happy, but realize that many of these specialty items are custom made by hand and it takes time to do a proper job. I've received many complimentary letters over the years from people who, despite having to wait a while to receive their items, expressed genuine surprise and satisfaction with the level of craftsmanship invested. When making orgone devices, especially, the more time and attention you pay to meticulous detail, the better the device will work. The degree of conscientiousness that you invest in assembling and finishing the product will have a huge bearing on how well it will "work" in the field.
It takes far too much time to individually notify people by e-mail that I have picked up their mail, yet I realize that many people feel better knowing that I got their donation OK, so the easiest way to confirm receipt is to simply send your mail with a US Postal "Delivery Confirmation" form (within the USA). Using the tracking number on the Delivery Confirmation receipt, the post office web site will verify that your letter was delivered to my PO Box on such and such date (http://www.usps.com). Please realize that I may not pick up your mail on the same day that it was delivered to the PO Box. .
I reply to all orders and requests for premium gifts. It may take a few days to hear back from me because sometimes I'm forced to let e-mail go for a few days in order to get more work done. Answering e-mail can be an all-day job. If you don't get a reply in 3 or 4 days, send the e mail again and note in the subject box that this is the "second" or "third" attempt to obtain premium gifts. If I missed your first e-mail, I'll notice it on the second or third go around.
Sometimes, the sheer volume of mail causes me to miss important mail or orders. If you don't hear from me within 4 days (and as a backup), you can also forward your order to " pitari@allvantage.com "and/or call my voice mail number at 949-544-1375.
Do not send registered or certified mail unless I first pre-arrange it with you. Recently, whenever we attempt to pick up registered or certified mail at the post office, we have to wait 5-10 minutes while the counter clerk checks in with the Gestapo before we get our mail and I'm fed up with it. I realize that some people want to be sure that their letter or donation reaches me, but sending mail that requies a signature is no longer an option. If you live within the USA and send by Priority Mail with Delviery Confirmation or Express mail, there is a tracking number which tells you the status of delivery from the US postal service web site (http://usps.com). When you send a postal money order , you can receive a full refund if the money order is stolen or lost (but this has never happened to date). If you live outside of the USA and want a confirmation from me that I received your donation, include your e-mail address and ask me to e-mail you a note to confirm receipt. If you live inside the USA and want confirmation of receipt, use Delivery Confirmation.
Roscolene Color Filters are used with Dinshah Ghadiali's Spectro-Chrome Color Therapy system as described in the book, Let There Be Light. These eleven Roscolene filters are specially chosen for the Spectro-Chrome system and are identified by the numbers: 809, 810, 818, 826, 828, 832, 859, 861, 866, 871, and 877. (Click the above Roscolene Color Filters link for more details).
Dr. Babbitt's Color Therapy by Edwin D. Babbitt M.D.
Due to the FTC intimidation/crackdown on alternative items like colloidal silver and the FDA's attempt to assert that colloidal silver should be considered a drug under their jurisdiction, we have removed Colloidal Silver bottles and sprayers (but not colloidal silver generators) from our Products page. For the same reason, we are forced to remove all health claims and testimonials about colloidal silver. Regular visitors to this web site understand the game by now, I'm sure. E mail the Editor if you wish more information and further details about colloidal silver. Consider obtaining your own generator and save yourself all the hassle and expense of obtaining colloidal silver from others.
The DC Deluxe Model Colloidal Silver Generator This unit is available as a premium gift for a donation of $125.
The DC Deluxe Model Generator with AC adapter offers all the features of the DC Deluxe model with the addition of an internal conversion power supply, an AC input jack, and an AC transformer which allows for operation from a wall outlet. This option saves on batteries as well as offers you the opportunity to make colloidal silver even when you run out of battery power. A useful option to consider if finances permit. Offered as a premium gift for a donation of $155. (If obtaining three or more, it's only $140 per unit *).
* Any combination of three or more generators is OK to take advantage of reduced donation offer.
Replacement Silver Electrodes for Colloidal Silver Generators Our replacement electrodes are made of 99.9% pure silver (please see our section on the Purity of Silver Wire). These electrodes are bonded to a 3 foot.coax cable and are terminated with a 3.5mm plug. They are compatible with either generator. Some people wish to obtain silver electrodes for other makes of CS generators which only uses bare silver wire electrodes and alligator clips. If you have this type of generator, please specify you want bare silver wire electrodes.
Silver wire cost update (Feb. 29, 2008) The cost of pure silver wire has risen dramatically in the past week and I've adjusted these electrode figures to keep pace with the latest increases. It's probable that the cost of silver will continue to rise in 2008, so if you were planning on obtaining an extra set of electrodes, it would be wiser to order them now, rather than later in the year.
Larger diameter electrodes (12", 6 ga. shown on right with 12" thermometer) are used for higher capacity production of colloidal silver. Greater surface area means faster production. A great time saver. Click the link below for a complete description and photos.
Large volume production refers to making colloidal silver as a concentrate using a large 2 liter Erlenmeyer flask and then diluting the solution 10:1 or 20:1 to achieve the normal concentration range of 10-15 ppm. It takes a few hours to produce a concentrated batch of colloidal silver, but when diluted, you have a substantial amount of colloidal silver in the 10-15 ppm concentration. For example, 2 liters of CS concentrate (seen on right) = 20 liters of regular concentration (seen in glass above).
TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids. This meter is often used by the water industry to measure the level of minerals in water, however it gives a relatively accurate reading of colloidal silver ppm. No more guessing, you now can measure ppm concentration directly yourself with a high quality meter. Click on the above link for a full description, specifications and photo. This meter is extremely convenient. $55.
Go to this link to view all of the different styles and sizes of Orgone generators available in both Natural finish and the new Copper Patina finish.
Visit this link to read all about the fascinating world of the Succor Punches (SP) and how you can get one of your very own.
Visit this link to read our description and view all of the options available for the Mini Silver Terminator, a Hulda Clark style zapper cicuit which runs at 15 Hz and utilizes pure silver discs electrodes for contacting the skin which avoids the reddening and skin irritation commonly found with copper disc electrodes.
Phil Schneider was an extraordinarily brave man and a true American patriot. He spent 17 years in black budget projects working for the U.S. government building secret underground bases and cities. He knew he was going to be killed because of the information he was revealing to the American public in 1995. This was his last lecture given in Seattle, Washington on Sept. 24, 1995. No one has come forward with as much in-depth and accurate information as Phil Schneider on the secret government's treasonous plans and collusion with negative Extraterrestrials to enslave all of humanity. $18 plus shipping (Specify Video or DVD) . Read more at this link.
Al Bielek's life story encompasses the complete memories of two men, Ed Cameron and Al Bielek. The idea of a separate consciousness inhabiting , at least temporarily, someone else's body is a well known phenomena as seen when a channeler or a medium brings in a spirit to speak through him or a person is possessed by a demonic spirit. It is also possible for a spirit or consciousness to transfer into a different body during a 'single' life. This is essentially what occured to Al Bielek. when the consciouness of Ed Cameron was 'transferred' into the body of one year old Alfred Bielek in 1927. Al spent a week in April of 2000 staying with a a friend at his home in Denver, Colorado to video tape for posterity the amazing details of Ed Cameron's involvement in the government's most highly classified and secret projects, as well as the continuation of involvement in secret projects in the body of Al Bielek. These four tapes run to eight hours and contain a great volume of ancillary detail and new information not included in any of Al's previous lectures or interviews. Each tape of this series is a complete and distinct exposition and does not require owning the entire series to understand the material. The last tape of this series, Part 4 (Time Travel), was not originally intended to be viewed by the general public, but Al decided in 2003 to publicly release this tape as well. Al Bielek's story is one of the most astounding sagas of the 20th century. Highly recommended.
Eric Dollard is the only man known to be able to accurately reproduce many of Tesla's experiments with Radiant energy and wireless transmissions because he understands that conventional electrical theory only includes half of the story. The typical Hertizian, electro magnetic field of Transverse Waves is the gross by-product of a much more powerful, but hidden, energy envelope which is manifested as Longitudinal, standing waves in a scalar nodal matrix, not propagated in the up and down, ocean wave fashion as seen in transverse waves. Eric Dollard is the most knowledgeable authority on Tesla technology that I've ever encountered. Many egotistical, self-annointed authorities talk about Tesla, but Eric Dollard does Tesla; a big difference. These two tapes were made in 1988 and represent the only successful demonstration of Tesla's Longitudinal dielectricty ever made available to the public. These video tapes are phenomenal in what they reveal.
As far as I know, this is the only video lecture of Stanley Meyer explaining the details of his water fuel process which could be used to power cars, trucks, planes, rocket ships, trains, etc. with a simple retrofit kit. No extensive modifications or alternations were necessary to adapt his process to existing engines. Stanley had discovered how to disassociate water into a powerful fuel to be used in an internal combustion engine, but he also discovered a limitless supply of electrical energy from water by opening up "an aperture" in the etheric continuum. Stanley had already worked out most of the manufacturing bugs to manufacture retrofit kits for cars when he was poisoned on March 21, 1998 in an Ohio restaurant while toasting with NATO officials to his new 50 million research facility to be built. His twin brother Stephen reported that "sharks immediately moved in" and stole all of Stanley's water fuel cell component designs, prototypes, notes, computers, and water fuel parts from his modified dune buggy kept in his home/workshop. There is no question in my mind that the military and powerful corporate energy barons did not want Stanley Meyer's proven water fuel technilogy to be known or utilized by the public and saw to it that he was silenced.
The Confession of Helena Stoeckley (total, 1:20 mins) Filmed by a crew from 60 Minutes on May 21, 1982 but never shown on television.
Helena Stoeckley was 16 years old when she entered the Ft. Bragg, North Carolina home of Dr. Jeffrey R. MacDonald in the early morning hours of Feb. 17, 1970 along with seven other members of a local Satanic cult whom she had became involved. High on drugs, she witnessed the savage, ritualistic murder of MacDonald's wife, Colette, and their two young daughters, Kristen (2) and Kimberly (5). Dr. MacDonald was left for dead, but he survived the multiple stabbing and baseball bat beatings that he had endured that night. The first Army MP (Kenneth Mica) to respond at 3:30 am to a switchboard operator's call of possible trouble at the MacDonald residence, noticed a "girl in a white floppy hat" standing on the corner close to MacDonald's house. Ted Gunderson was later to discover that the girl in the "white floppy hat" was Helena Stoeckley. When the lead investigator, William Ivory, for the Army's Criminal Investigation Division (CID) arrived at MacDonald's house about an hour after Kenneth Mica and other MPs showed up, he decided "within the first fifteen minutes" of his investigation that Jeffrey MacDonald was guilty of the murders! In this raw, unedited footage shot by a film crew from 60 Minutes, Helena Stoeckley responds to questions from Ted Gunderson and former Fayetteville Police detective Prince Beasley, and explains exactly what happened on the night of the murders and why the Army was anxious to hang the murders on Jeffrey MacDonald, who turned out to be the perfect patsy to not only take the fall for the crime, but to enable the continued collusion in drug distribution between a number of individuals within the Army's Ft. Bragg CID and the satanic cult that committed the murders. The Big Cover-Up, however, goes much higher than protecting corrupt CID personnel involved with a local cult in drug dealing. An even greater concern of the CID and certain Ft. Bragg Army brass, the CIA, and other government agencies involved, was to prevent the investigation from going any further than Jeffrey MacDonald. The parties involved were intent on framing MacDonald in order to conceal the existence of a hugh CIA drug pipeline running between Vietnam and US bases (including Ft. Bragg and nearby Pope Air Force Base) using the body cavities of returning dead soldiers from Vietnam to conceal bags of drugs manufactured in the Golden Triangle of southeast Asia. Some members of the cult that killed the MacDonald family were involved in the distribution end of that pipeline, along with some individuals from the Ft. Bragg CID. Helena said that the CIA drug pipeline from Vietnam involved many high level officers at Ft. Bragg, up to the rank of general. Helena Stoeckley was found dead in early January of 1983 under suspicious circumstances Ted is convinced that Helena was murdered, as the scene of her death included many tell-tale satanic "calling cards". This recording has not been available to the public before now $24 plus shipping (Specify Video or DVD) (audio tape below ).
Dr. Robert Bitzer is one of the most inspiring speakers I've ever heard. I came upon an audio tape of Dr. Robert Bitzer in a most serrendipidous way at the Power of Thought School in Fayettesville, Arkansas in the Fall of 1998. It was sitting there alone in a bin with other odd lot items for clearance sale. .I had no idea who Robert Bitzer was at the time, or whether he had anything to say that I would be interested in, but I bought the tape anyway.
Larry James and Al Beilek (tape #1) on Montauk Time tunnel, visits to Mars, re-engineering history, and much, much more. Astounding revelations (90 mins.)... $8 plus shipping.
Al Bielek's 4 Part Autobiography on Audio Cassettes (2 hours each) ... $10 each or $35 for all four tapes plus shipping.
Stewart begins with a brief biographical background and then covers in great detail the makeup and character of the seven reptillian races invovled with the US government and the Montauk project. Much of this is new information which gives the listener a clearer understanding of the motivations and interests of negative reptillians who are behind the New World Order Illuminati. The Illuminati human/reptillian 'shapeshifters' reported by David Icke are covered as well. Very interesting. $8 plus shipping.
In the later half of the 1980's, an amazing radio show was heard from a mainstream radio station, ABC Radio out of Los Angeles. The name of the show was The Open Mind with Bill Jenkins. Bill Jenkins would regularly interview the cutting edge leaders in alternative medicine and suppressed sciences, letting many cats out of many hidden bags. It's astounding that he stayed on the air as long as he did. This interview with Bob Beck lays out the story of electronic healing of disease conditions and the repeated suppression of that information and its proponents. Aired on March 22, 1986. $10 plus shipping.
In order to properly inculcate the clear, but extensive information being presented in these demonstrations, you need to review often. I find that listening to audio tapes is the best way to concentrate on what the speaker is saying. The video completes the picture of course, but the visuals also detract your attention from what is being said. Listening to the audio alone while driving, etc. can be very helpful.
Implosion: Viktor Schauberger & The Path of Natural Energy Compiled by RH Crabb & TM Thompson.
All creative forces in Nature and throughout the universe, depend on the spiral motion of the vortex. Viktor Schauberger stumbled upon the implosive energy of the spiral vortex while observing fish on cold winter nights in the Austrian forest. Wilhelm Reich observed the spiral vortex of orgone energy within his orgone accumulators and called it the Kutrz-Weil or KW wave. We see this force in the spiral shape of galaxies and the spiral vortex of a tornado or water spout. Spiral reprint. $18 plus shipping.
For the past 45 years, alphabet agencies of the government of the United States have been secretly developing and refining a covert mind control project ("MK Ultra & Project Monarch") which uses hundreds of thousands (and possibly as many as 2 million) Americans -without their knowledge, will, or consent- to perform a multitude of tasks on behalf of those agencies, for top government officials, and for other highly-connected insiders. This "project" is the simply greatest abuse of human rights that has ever been perpetuated by mankind (read Uri Dowbenko's review of Brice's book, Mind Control, The Ultimate Terror). The magnitude and insideous nature of this diabolical agenda demands its fullest exposure and unrelenting public pressure to stop it.
The cost of postal shipping has risen dramatically since January 2001. To conceal these big increases from the general public, the Post Office only raised the cost of letter postage by one cent, but greatly increased all other classes of mail and eliminated certain classes of cheaper mailing, such as the book rate. It no longer exists. You pay full weight on books you are a commercial book dealer.
It's simpler if you first E mail me the entire order. Then I can weigh it and let you know the exact postage and handling cost. For items totaling more than $75, it's a good idea to insure it, since I can't replace uninsured packages not delivered or damaged by the Postal service. Be sure to tell me where the order is being shipped to. That's very important if figuing the shipping cost.
E mail me to find out shipping cost inside or outside the USA.


Dr. Park's educational and outreach activities are inseparably linked to her research activities. As a participant in the start of a new international research center, Dr. Park has an excellent opportunity to establish an outreach program on the global scale via collaborations with international universities and institutions, particularly those with students in need of a non-traditional role model. Dr. Park also participates in developing national-scale outreach programs for K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students as an appointed member of both the Societal Impact Operating Council (SIOC) of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). She has also been elected as an executive committee member of the Particle Technology Forum. The avenue for mentorship of local K-12 students is already in place and Dr. Park has hosted a 10th grade high school student working in her laboratory. As the first female faculty member in the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University, Dr. Park's enthusiasm and efforts to recruit women and minority students has already resulted in increase number of students from underrepresented groups in the department.
Mission: Increase interest, awareness, and excitement for science and engineering, and chemical engineering in particular, in K-12 students by utilizing web-based tools to enable local volunteers to focus on exciting students in K-12 about engineering and science by disseminating national best practices and making local connections between the ultimate customers (students and teachers) and the resources (volunteers, information, companies, and resources), while increasing awareness of AIChE activities to the general public.


Gamma rays and positrons from a decaying hidden gauge boson - High Energy Physics - Phenomenology - Download this document for free, or read online. Document in PDF available to download.
Abstract: We study a scenario that a hidden gauge boson constitutes the dominantcomponent of dark matter and decays into the standard model particles through agauge kinetic mixing. Interestingly, gamma rays and positrons produced from thedecay of hidden gauge boson can explain both the EGRET excess of diffuse gammarays and the HEAT anomaly in the positron fraction. The spectra of the gammarays and the positrons have distinctive features; the absence of line emissionof the gamma ray and a sharp peak in the positron fraction. Such features maybe observed by the GLAST and PAMELA satellites.


"your goal is to live the healthiest life you can enjoy, not the healthiest life you can tolerate." This statement reveals the guts of Freedhoff's plan. He runs a weight-loss practice with the catchy moniker of BMI (Bariatric Medical Institute). The author has studied what works for people who have overcome excess weight in their life and rejects the idea of a "diet," calling his solution a lifestyle. Like many such plans it sounds good when you say or read it real fast, but it does not appear to be nearly as simple as it seems at first. I suspect that it takes a particular personality type to be successful on his regime, but the approach is probably an excellent one for strong self-disciplinarians. His plan calls for strict record keeping and weighing of all food before it enters the mouth.
"Calories are still the currency of weight," Like Gibney, Freedhoff believes in calories. Everything in his lifestyle plan is measured in terms of calories and energy balance. All calories consumed must be accounted for in a food diary. Such accountability is what many "dieters" hate about diets, but Freedhoff assures us that the procedure becomes routine after a while. Unfortunately, participants are never released from this regimentation. I support his embrace of energy balance in accounting for weight up to the point that he declares that some calories (from processed food, for example) may be more equal than other calories. He obviously has biases against processed foods, and I can live with that. He ventures into shades of Animal Farm, however, when he starts making exceptions to the rules that are rigid elsewhere throughout the book.
"Capital F food is actual food." "Lowercase-f food is the heavily processed stuff. It is the stuff that has dozens of ingredients, many of which you can't pronounce." Although the Diet Fix allows us to eat anything we want, the author divides items into good-guy Foods and bad-guy foods. One would expect that someone with a name like Yoni Freedhoff would be wary of judging a word by how it's pronounced, but apparently not. Food writing using chemistry as a way to scare people not as a way to teach is not worthy of a serious professional. Tamar Haspel suggests that chemical additives are generally safe but are being used as a convenient proxy against processed foods. I can respect the author's concern about overeating foods with too much sugar, fat or calories, many of which are processed. By stooping to such language, however, he diminishes his credibility as a physician with a background in nutrition. Unfortunately, he doesn't stop there.
Which of the foods shown above are Capital F foods and which are lowercase f foods?
"She cut out processed food from her life, began carefully reading food labels and ingredient lists, and focused on a diet consisting of lean proteins and complex carbohydrates." Freedhoff is referring to Tosca Reno who is credited with starting the the "clean eating" movement. This statement is one of those that drives me nuts! Why is she reading labels if she is cutting out processed food from her life? If a food has an ingredient statement and Nutrition Facts label, it is a processed food in my mind. A fundamental principle behind my blog is that processed foods are widely condemned but poorly defined. The vagueness of such a description allows individual consumers to classify bad-for-them products as processed and not-so-bad-for-them foods as not processed. A study (1) actually developed definitions for highly and moderately processed foods, but these definitions probably do not coincide with the concept most Americans have with processed food products.
"To navigate this world's dietary indulgences, a person needs to switch gears from being blindly restrictive to being thoughtfully reductive." The author avoids rigorous guidelines on what we can and cannot eat, but we must be willing to take responsibility for our actions and their consequences. We are in control of what we eat, but if we eat too much food, particularly the wrong kinds of foods we are not going to lose the weight we want to lose and could even gain weight. It is back to the goal of living the "healthiest life you can enjoy." Thus, there are tradeoffs we need to be willing to make. We can treat ourselves and eat what we want, but we need to be conscious of how much we eat and be willing to impose limits on ourselves if we want to live a healthy life. Formal diets are necessarily restrictive, but in the long run such regimes do not work because we eventually become resentful. Once any "diet" is completed, then we are likely to return to old ways that will result in regaining the precious pounds we lost.
"The good news is that with a focus on increasing protein, and well-timed meals and snacks, hunger can be prevented with what I call 'preemptive eating' eating before you ever let yourself get hungry." One of the reasons Freedhoff gives for lack of success with diet plans is that such plans have no techniques to ward off hunger. A key component of his approach is the encouragement of planned, protein snacks. I have not come across such a prescription in reading other diet books. The reason for protein snacks is that they give the most filling action for the least calories. The problem with most diets is that we try to restrict ourselves too much leading to mini-binges throughout the day. Such a practice does not relieve us from restricting calories in the long run. Failure to watch calories will defeat our goal to lose weight or maintain the "healthiest life we can enjoy." These protein snacks are a unique, but tricky aspect to his Diet Fix.
"Eat out more than once or twice a week and losing weight that week's going to be a challenge." Here is the kicker, we can't expect to eat away from home on any consistent basis and maintain that healthiest life. To maintain that healthy fox image Gibney describes, Freedhoff suggests that we need to cook at home or find someone who will prepare our food for us who is just as concerned as we are about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. To Freedhoff, purchasing meals outside of home, restaurant or processed, is a primary cause of obesity. This advice could be perceived as just another man telling women that they need to cook more. My kitchen has been down now for nine weeks due to a home renovation with little hope to prepare real meals for several weeks ahead. I have been able to maintain my healthy life while subsisting on take-away or processed food and an occasional meal cooked in a toaster oven, but it is a very difficult proposition.
The Diet Fix does offer a unique set of guidelines on how to lose weight and keep it off. As one might expect, the practitioner in the field who deals with motivated, overweight individuals provides a different perspective from the academic view described last week. I have no doubt that a highly motivated person with a personality amenable to regimentation could find an answer to a weight problem following the guidelines presented in this book. Unfortunately, such an approach takes willpower to overcome the temptation of widely available processed and restaurant foods. In two weeks, I will compare and contrast the perspective of the fat fox with a diet fix and my take on the subject of diets and obesity.
if organic produce is really worth the price premium.
(1) Poti, J.M., M.A. Mendez, S.W. Ng and B.M. Popkin, 2015. Is the degree of food processing and convenience linked with the nutritional quality of foods purchased by US households? American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 101: 1251-1262.
Do you think exercise gets over or under emphasized when it comes to body weight control?
Hi Sam, I think exercise is important. Gibney in "Ever Seen a Fat Fox?" considers it very important; Freedhoff in "The Diet Fix" tends to discount the importance of exercise. As Freedhoff points out, the amount of exercise required to burn specific amounts of calories is very high suggesting that it is much more beneficial to losing weight or keeping it off is to cut back on the calories consumed rather than to try to work it off. Gibney, however, counters that an active person who exercises regularly keeps up the basal metabolic rate which helps burn calories. Many other popular food writers have almost written off the importance of an active lifestyle, but I think that it has to be part of the mix. I believe that food marketing efforts tend to overstress exercise and downplay the role of calories consumed. Exercise as part of an active lifestyle helps, but we still must watch what we eat. The big danger for someone who works out regularly is when they stop for whatever reason. If this person does not simultaneously cut back greatly on calories consumed, weight increases are likely to occur.
As far as eating out vs. cooking at home, it all depends on what and how much we eat. I know some people like you who don't cook and watch carefully what they eat at the local restaurant, dining hall etc. avoiding desserts and seconds. I also know people who prepare most of their meals at home and consume large quantities of food with rich desserts. The idea that home cooking is a panacea for America's dietary problems is a gross oversimplification.


text:
Carlow (Ceatharlach in irlandese che significa "luogo del bestiame") è una cittadina della Repubblica d'Irlanda, county town dell'omonima contea. Dista 84 km dalla capitale irlandese Dublino e ha una popolazione di oltre 23.000 persone, 3.000 dei quali sono studenti.

La cittadina si trova sulle rive del fiume Barrow.

Origine del nome
Il toponimo deriva dal gaelico Ceatharlach, in passato spesso traslitterato in inglese anche come Caherlagh, Caterlagh e Catherlagh. Il significato preciso del termine non è chiaro, essendo Ceathar- riferibile alle mandrie dei bovini e -lach agli stormi di anatre. Un'altra teoria vorrebbe che in realtà il termine irlandese derivi dalla parola Ceatharloch che significa invece "lago quadruplo".

Storia
L'area di Carlow è abitata da migliaia di anni. Il monastero di St Mullins si crede sia stato fondato nelle vicinanze nel VII secolo. Il 1180 vide invece la costruzione del Carlow Castle da parte di William the Marshall, II conte di Pembroke, a guardia dell'importantissimo guado sul fiume. Nei secoli successivi altri edifici storici furono eretti, come i castelli di Ballyloughan, Ballymoon, e Leighlinbridge e la Tower House, tutti del XIV secolo. La cattedrale cattolica dell'Assunzione, in stile neogotico, risale al 1833. Il Collegio di San Patrizio è del 1793, mentre il Tribunale del XVIII secolo. Ci sono ancora molte tenute antiche e case nell'area circostante, tra le quali, degne di nota, Duckett's Grove e Dunlecky Manor. St. Mullins oggi ospita un centro visitatori.

La cittadina è richiamata dalla nota folk song Follow Me up to Carlow (Seguimi fino a Carlow), e fu, durante la ribellione del 1798, la scena di un orribile massacro di 600 ribelli e civili seguito da un attacco al centro abitato senza successo.

Espansione
Carlow è situata sulla strada nazionale N9 da Dublino a Waterford, ma è anche connessa via ferroviaria al sistema nazionale. Questi trasporti hanno aiutato Carlow a diventare un'importante città-satellite della capitale irlandese negli anni recenti, ma allo stesso tempo un importante centro per l'educazione grazie all'Institute of Technology che ha incoraggiato molti studenti a non lasciare la propria città.

Economia
L'industria di Carlow comincia la sua lunga strada nel XX secolo, quando la cittadina diviene il centro del lento processo d'industrializzazione della nazione, con la creazione della Irish Sugar Company - allora il fiore all'occhiello dell'industria irlandese, lo zuccherificio aprì nel 1926 come impresa privata, fu nazionalizzato e poi ri-privatizzato. La storica fabbrica ha chiuso il 1º marzo 2005 su decisione del settore manageriale della Greencore a seguito della poca convenienza economica di mantenere in piedi ulteriormente la struttura, anche se alcuni hanno subito addotto motivazioni politiche.

La Braun è stata una delle principali imprese di Carlow fino al 2010, anno in cui chiuse lo stabilimento dove prodotti spazzolini elettrici,asciugacapelli e di altri piccoli elettrodomestici.

Altre imprese importanti sono la Läpple che produce componentistica per automobili e lo stesso Istituto Tecnologico impiega molto personale. A parte queste eccezioni già menzionate, Carlow soffre tuttavia dello stesso problema delle cittadine della zona, ovvero l'incapacità di attirare un numero maggiore di nuove industrie.

Note

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni
Coordinate dell'Irish grid: S724771

Capoluoghi irlandesi

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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text:
Cookin' in Selig's kitchen
(We're covering the Commish for a Day series. Yesterday was hockey. Today is baseball.)
Before I start in with Tom Verducci's SI.com article, just a note in passing: the Mets started Jose Lima last night. Just like those old Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom specials, "Sadly, there can be only one outcome." He gave up a grand slam to the opposing pitcher.
OK. My first act as baseball commish for the day: any pitcher who loses his only four starts, permits better than two baserunners and one run scored per inning, and surrenders a grand slam to a pitcher, must immediately become a beer vendor, for the good of the game. These numbers are not those of a professional-grade pitcher. (For that matter, the picture alone is grounds for demotion.)*
2. Kill the DH. It's ridiculous to have half your pro teams play under different rules. It would be like the AFC keeping the two-point conversion but the NFC outlawing it, or the Eastern conference keeping the 3-pointer while the West didn't. And I'm not inclined to add a DH to the NL. We may as well make the managers pretend to work for a living.
3. Kill the save. Wow, you got three outs with a three run lead. Let's give you $7 million a year for five years! Meanwhile, the guy who had the go-ahead run on base with no-one out and kept his team ahead? He gets a "hold" and $500K? What the hell is that? "He got the hold!" Yay, pop the bubbly.
No stat should sound like the manager gives you a cuddle when you reach the dugout. Simple rule - the closer gets a new stat called (duh) the close. The hold becomes the new save - it is considered a save situation, after all. If the set-up guy can't keep the lead he gets a blown save, so why not give him an actual save if he succeeds?
Notice that more than one save can be awarded, and that the closer can also get a save if the end of the game is a save situation. The key change, though, is "save situation" - the trailing team must be able to tie or take the lead during that at-bat. In other words, a two-run lead isn't a save situation unless someone's on base. A five-run lead is never a save situation, even if the bases are loaded with nobody out. And no save will be awarded if the reliever surrenders runs to create the save situation. (In other words, if it's 3-1 and the leadoff guy singles, but you strand him, it's a save - if the leadoff guy homers, you get nothing. You are not rewarded for making your teammates' jobs harder.)
4. Relocation. Baseball does not belong in Colorado. The Coors effect is ridiculous, and there's always one guy who winds up having a freak half-year on the home while being his normal less-than-average self on the road. (This year's Vinnie Castilla Award goes to this nondescript fellow - dig the home/road split. And geez, what's with these player photos?)
The solution? Well, as suggested in the comments here, Buffalo would be a neat place for baseball. I liked the idea of a natural rivalry with Boston, New York, and Toronto, and the symmetry of renaming the Rockies the Alleghanies. I came up with an entire realignment scheme that I'm too lazy to retype.
Then again, looking at it makes me think of something else - if you lose two teams anyway (Florida and Tampa), why not drop to four seven-team divisions?
AL East - Balt, Bos, Buff, Clv, Det, NY, Tor
AL West - Calif, Chisox, KC, Minny, Oak, Sea, Tex
NL East - Atl, Cincy, Cubs, NY, Phil, Pitt, Wash
NL West - Ariz, Hou, LA, Mil, SD, SF, St. L
5. Wild-card woes. First, get rid of the rule that says you can't face the wild-card team in the first round if they're in your division. Second, increase the field to six per league, or 12 of 28 total. In that first round, two best division winners (in the Judge Report alignment) or the two division winners (if we go with the plan above) get byes. The others play a best-of-three series in the better team's home park, on three straight days - as baseball was meant to be played. Then it's best of seven as we're used to the rest of the way.
That would really call up some interesting choices. Do you use one of your top pitchers in the short-series opener? If so, how do you match the rested rotation of your next opponent? It would really make the division win a reward, so teams would always be pushing to move up, even if they were sure of one of the four other playoff spots.
Of course, that's 24 possible playoff games, plus travel - another month. That has to come from somewhere because the Alleghanies can't host November games. SO:
6. Scheduling. First, at least two doubleheaders per stadium per year, by rule. Give the fans some love! Second, trim the number of games from 162 to 156. This would be done easily in the four-division system:
12 games each v. division opponents: 6*12 = 72
6 games each v. other division in league: 7*6 = 42
3 games each v. other league: 14*3 = 42
72+42+42 = 156 games
You'd rotate the interleague home games each year - AL East hosts NL West, visits NL East, and then vice-versa the next season. Every city would see all the stars at least once every two years, without spoiling rivalries in the division races.
With six fewer games and four doubleheaders (the two you host and the two you're visiting for), the season will fit in from April to September and we'll finish the Fall Classic before Halloween.
7. I'm with Tom. He's right, the World Series games have got to start earlier. These games have to be where the younger fans can see them.
8. Nobody loves the ump. The cards are already stacked against them. If they make every call correctly, they're only doing their job. If they screw up once and someone loses, nobody notices anything else. (The worst ref in the world is always the one who just finished calling your game.) So let's help them by giving them a replay system for limited calls - whether a fly left the field for a homer before bouncing back, for example, or a quick look from the centerfield camera to see if the third strike actually hit the ground?**
9. On the other hand... A tough job requires extra panache, and it's in short supply nowadays. These umps are way too touchy. A guy looks cross-eyed at an iffy strike, he gets tossed. This is stupid. I'd retrain every single major league umpire. (And I'd fire Angel Hernandez as an object example.) If an ump can't take a little jabber from a player, he's not major-league material. And the inconsistency is even worse. It's amazing how in some games an obvious beanball war will bust out because the umps didn't do anything, but then in others an accidental grazing after a warning results in ejections.
(The warning itself gets me going, btw. Let's wait for a Tiger to plug a Twin and then warn both benches. Why? What did the Twins do? I have no love for Juiced Cyber Barry, but really, why does he have to duck obvious beanball after obvious beanball before the ump uses his brain and runs the pitcher? Why wait until Bonds finally gets hit and THEN make a big showy deal of it?)
The umps have thin skins covering large egos, and that's a bad deal for all concerned. It hurts the way the game is called, and it hurts the way the game is played. By taking themselves less seriously, they could do a much better job and make everyone happier at the same time.
10. Comprehensive drug testing. The whole world knows it's needed. After the system is proved reliable, we can move to making the penalties more severe, so it's not worth the risk to juice.
11. The All-"Star" Game. No more "every team has to be there" crap. This isn't the Special Olympics, and if your horrible ballplayers don't merit the selection, they are OUT. (If Mark Redman's an All-Star, then Neptune is Club Med.) And to that end, I propose tweaks: first, the voting doesn't begin until June 1, to give people time to see who's off to a good start; second, the players get ten picks and the manager seven to fill the roster up to 25 players, just like the regular season; third, the commissioner gets up to three picks per league, if he chooses (but he must add equally for each league), and fourth, the commissioner may remove any one player from the squad (as long as he wasn't voted in by the fans). Mark Redman? Sorry. Travis Hafner? Come on down!
* During the writing of this post, Sports Center announced that Lima had been designated for assignment. Behold my power! Mua-hahahahaha!
** Yeah, I'm thinking of Pierzynski, that pantload. He was SO out. And in his case it's even worse, since the rule is "dropped third strike." Even if that pitch skipped in, it was caught cleanly, so tough on you, AJ. And you're not an All-Star either, no matter what this says.
filed under: baseball, sportswriting
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