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Tunisia military court jails five MPs opposed to Kais Saied
Iran minister orders probe into sexual assault of teen footballers
Israeli fire kills another Palestinian in the West Bank
Human Rights on Trial
How Greece is putting refugee solidarity on trial
Why Azerbaijan is moving closer to Israel
Keenan Anderson: Is a change gonna come for black people?
Israel's new government is Zionism unveiled
The "death" of Arabic may come from where we least expect it
Maqam Bookshop: The future of Arabic literature in London
Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Touzani will not be censored
The commodification of electricity in cash-strapped Egypt
Tunisia military court jails five opposition MPs including Karama party leader
The Al Karama opposition party members, including party leader Seifeddine Makhlouf, were sentenced for their involvement in a stand-off with police at Tunis-Carthage Airport in 2021.
Seifeddine Makhouf, a lawyer and member of the Al Karama Coalition party, has criticised autocrat President Kais Saied on numerous occasions [Getty]
A military court in Tunisia sentenced five opposition members of parliament to prison on Friday, for their involvement in an incident at Tunis airport almost two years ago.
The sentencing was announced by lawyer and member of the defendants' defence committee, Ines Harrath, reported the Turkish Anadolu news agency reported.
The MPs, who belong to the Al Karama Coalition opposition party, were named as party chairman Seifeddine Makhlouf as well as Mohamed Afes, Abdellatif Aloui, Meher Zid and Nidal Saoudi. Lawyer Mehdi Zagrouba was sentenced along with them.
In March 2021, Makhlouf led the group of MPs and lawyers to the Tunis-Carthage International Airport in order to defend a woman who was under a travel ban and prohibited from leaving the country for "security reasons" under the controversial S17 directive.
They later became involved in a stand-off with airport security agents and were arrested and charged.
After being found guilty, Makhlouf was sentenced to one year and two months in prison, while Zagrouba was sentenced to 11 months in prison and was issued with a five-year ban on practicing law.
Makhlouf, who is a prominent critic of Tunisian president Kais Saied, was detained by plainclothes police officers on Saturday morning following a two-hour stand-off, according to AFP. According to his lawyer, he shouted "down with the coup" and "long live Tunisia" before being bundled into a car.
'Temporary' autocracy in Tunisia and wilful ignorance
Giorgio Cafiero
He was previously handed a one-year prison sentence for "attacking the dignity of the army", in June this year.
In a video posted on her Facebook account, Harrath said that "the verdicts are final and without appeal", describing them as "cruel and unjust, especially since they come from a military tribunal".
"We will continue our fight, and we will defend our fellow lawyers and representatives of the Al Karama Coalition, who reject [Kais Saied's] coup," she added.
Kais Saied who became Tunisian president in 2019 froze parliament and seized far-reaching executive powers in July 2021 in what critics have called a "coup" and an attack on the only democracy to have emerged from the Arab Spring uprisings more than a decade ago.
Saied later took control of the judiciary and pushed through a new constitution giving his office almost unlimited powers.
Agencies contributed to this report.
Kais Saied
China says Covid outbreak has infected 80% of population


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Derbyshire, Wingfield Station. (Image Credit: victoriansociety.org.uk)
Historic Derbyshire Railway Station to Be Renovated
Art Lindop
Community / News / Travel
Supporters are hoping it will soon be restored to its former glory
Interesting photographs have emerged of what a crumbling Derbyshire railway station, which is one of the world's oldest, used to look when it was open.
Plans to renovate Derbyshire's Wingfield Station – one of the UK's most at risk buildings – are gathering pace but the race is also on to pull together as much of the history, both in photographs and writing, of the building as possible.
Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust, with an initial National Lottery grant, has taken over renovating the 1839-40 building after Amber Valley Borough Council compulsorily purchased it.
The completed project will include interpretation boards telling the history of the station, near Alfreton, which is the sole survivor of architect Francis Thompson's creations and therefore the earliest station in the UK and world.
Quite a lot is already known about the historic site and, earlier this year, the South Wingfield Local History Group staged an exhibition as part of the drive to restore the building and to draw attention to the group's work.
It was the history group which claims to have broken "the nearly 40 year-long log-jam" of attempts to restore the building, by reminding English Heritage (now Historic England) of their own report called Midland Main Line Statement of History and Significance Consultation Version / August 2014, prepared by Alan Baxter Associates.
How the station used to look in its prime (Image credit: Midland Railway Study Centre, Derby)
Group chair Philip Smith said: "This report clearly recognised the historic and architectural value of the building and its need for immediate restoration. This resulted in a prompt re-listing of the buildings from Grade II to Grade II* – which triggered the involvement of Amber Valley Borough Council and led to the subsequent compulsory purchase order." Wingfield Station was built as part of the North Midland Railway which ran from Derby to Chesterfield and onwards towards Rotherham and Leeds. It was originally surveyed by railway pioneer George Stephenson in 1835 and Parliament gave its assent to the construction of the line by passing an Act the following year – 1836. But it was George's son, Robert, who saw the line through to completion in 1840 and who was responsible for engaging Francis Thompson to design the 24 stations earmarked for the line from Derby through to Leeds.
Wingfield Station as it is today ahead of restoration (Image credit: Derby Telegraph)
Thompson also designed Derby's Midland Hotel, together with the world's first railway complex in the town, which included the station, attached to a large three-bay glazed train-shed, together with workers' houses, and a locomotive roundhouse and workshop.
In keeping with the North Midland Railway's progression through mainly rural areas from Derby, the stations were designed as a series of picturesque buildings to reflect their location and included lodges and gate-keeper's lodges.
Wingfield is the only station to survive and curiously was built in the style of a Tuscan villa – particularly popular with anyone wealthy who had been on the Grand Tour to Europe and had seen them for themselves.
It originally consisted of the station building and the station master's house to the south and a small building was added to the north of the station, probably not long after it was originally built, to be used for parcels.
The North Midland Railway opened its line from Derby to Rotherham (Masborough) and Leeds in 1840. At Derby it connected with the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the Midlands Counties Railway but in 1844, the three companies merged to form the Midland Railway.
Earlier views in the 20th century (Image credit: Derbyshire Live)
The companies did not yield the expected profits, partly because of the fierce competition between them and it became the first large scale railway amalgamation.
The station was closed in 1967 and became privately owned. But concerns about its condition over the ensuing 50 years led to Amber Valley Borough Council stepping in and purchasing it and handing it over to DHBT.
Early drawing of Wingfield Station which first appeared in the Leeds Intelligencer in 1840 by Samuel Russell. (Image credit: Midland Railway Study Centre, Derby)
In 2012, the Victorian Society described the station as a "maimed beauty deserving better" and one of the ten most important buildings at risk in the country.
The Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust (DHBT) has been awarded a round one National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £137,000 to start the restoration project, which will save the building for future commercial and community use.
Detailed proposals are then considered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund at second round, where a final decision is made on the full funding award of £592,600.
Well-known Derby architect Derek Latham is chair of the DHBT which has restored about 90 buildings around the county previously.
Floor plan of Wingfield Station main building (Image credit: Bench Architects of Buxton.)
He said: "This building has been on the list of places needing restoration for a long time and the previous owner showed no sign of wanting to look after the place. In fact it took three days to empty the building when it was vacated finally.
"Initially, we are carrying out a health and safety survey of the building and then making sure it is weather-proof because currently the building is letting in the rain.
"Then we will start to get working parties involved in spring to clear some of the area around the building.
"After that we will be looking at a planning application and applying for the second phase of Lottery funding.
One of the old fireplaces inside the building (Image credit: Derby Telegraph)
"This is such a splendid building built in the style of an Italianate villa similar to a place you would see travelling in Tuscany. There was a passion for this style of architecture at the time it was built."
During the restoration of the nationally-significant buildings, DHBT will offer a host of activities, such as living history events detailing the story of the station and the North Midland Railway line, bursary placements for young people's training in traditional skills and open days for the public and local community.
The trust will also be recruiting volunteers to help with the project as well as collecting memories and experiences of those who used to work, or had families who worked at the station or on the local railway.
Credit for this article goes to Derbyshire Live.
We Are Derbyshire is a small and growing organisation that aims to become the hub for all Derbyshire goings on, we would love it if you visited our Homepage, which you can do by clicking HERE.
Derbyshire Doughnut Company are delivering Christmas doughnuts to your door
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Dying Light: The Following is getting some crazy car customization
Gamescom attendance higher than it's ever been
Nioh's first hours accomplish something Dark Souls never did
ReCore Review
The Last Guardian director didn't think it would be remembered
Freelance Editor
The Last Guardian director Fumito Ueda did not think audiences would remember his third game after remaining in 'development hell' for so long.
Viewers of the Playstation E3 conference earlier this week were treated to a variety of highlights, from the news of Shenmue III being Kickstarted to the exclusive team-up with Activision on the newest Call of Duty. However, for many the most exciting news was undoubtedly the re-reveal of The Last Guardian, initially teased for the PS3 way back in 2009.
In an interview with the Playstation Blog, Ueda said "From my point of view, it was very unpredictable how the audience would react. I wasn't sure if people would remember the title." However, it wasn't to be – coming from the pedigree of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, Sony fans certainly weren't giving up hope until they were definitively told that The Last Guardian was canned. Ueda went on to say how he felt following the reveal; "admittedly I was a bit nervous, but after the announce I saw the reaction, and the cheering… Afterwards, I was more relaxed and happy!"
Further questions sought to investigate the long, 6 year delay in information regarding the development. Ueda says there were obviously multiple reasons, but cites the transition to PS4 from PS3 as one of their biggest challenges. However, Fumito said they were more than capable of overcoming the hurdles, in order to "have finally – proudly – announced the game for PS4 during the E3 press conference."
This migration to new tech naturally comes with both troubles and benefits. Fumito added that "the migration to PS4 has enabled us to push the envelope on the technology side," which should mean we can expect some stellar environments in that seemingly signature style from the previous two Team Ico games.
Ultimately, we just have to hope that The Last Guardian doesn't slip into development troubles once more, and that we can hopefully explore the assuredly emotional adventure with mysterious beast Trico and the unnamed young boy sooner rather than later.
action-adventuresonythe last guardian


Museums use audio tours, docents, and interactive educational programs to enhance the learning experiences of visitors, but most often exhibit professionals rely on the tried and true method: the written word. While there are many theories and recipes for label and text panel writing, people who are "in the trenches" of exhibit creation often have to work out their own solutions. These solutions ideally are informed by thought, research and evaluation, but also are customized to fit the writers' own temperaments, their audience, and the particular nature of the exhibit concept. To help promote excellence in museum exhibition writing, museum professionals from around the country were invited to submit examples of their exhibit-related writing that was juried by a panel representing four AAM standing professional committees: CARE, EdCom, NAME, and CurCom. Winning entries were displayed at the Marketplace, along with books and articles on exhibit writing and related presentations by distinguished professionals.
In addition to the chair representing CurCom, the jurors for this year's competition were: (CARE) Beverly Serrell, director of Serrell & Associates; distinguished writer and exhibit specialist, and author of the widely used book Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach (AltaMira Press, 1996); (EdCom) Vas Prabhu, Deputy Director for Interpretation and Education at the Peabody Essex Museum and the 2002 recipient of the EdCom Award for Excellence in Practice; (NAME) Lynne Friman, President of Envisions Design; past president of NAME and former head of exhibition design and facility development at the Henry Ford Museum and the Detroit Historical Museum.
Does the headline set you up for the rest of the content, is it grabbing? Do you want to keep reading? Is the body copy clear, to the point, descriptive, using active words, engaging, compelling, moving, perhaps witty. Does it set an appropriate tone for the content? Does it offer clear instructions – what to do and look for? Do I want to "continue" looking at this exhibit? Is language matched to the intended audience? Did the language and the length put me off? Did it use "big scholarly museum" words? Was it repetitive or go on too long? If a design or format is included- did it add to the interpretive intent and ability?
What do I look for in a label? I appreciate exhibit labels that take risks and experiment with techniques. I look for a positive tone of voice, one that respects the reader; that uses culturally sensitive and up-to-date language. I like it when the label poses a question, to help me look closer. I appreciate quotes, and knowing who the writer is…. Labels that make one key point or give me one interesting fact that I can then use to guide my viewing experience of the exhibition are really appreciated. Labels that use a good size font and are well lit are much appreciated!
Having worked in a variety of museums (children's museum; university art museum, contemporary art museum, fine arts museum) and as a person that enjoys visiting any type of museum, I always wonder about the process of writing the labels I am reading. How was the exhibit conceived. Who is the intended audience? At what point were the labels conceived? Who wrote the labels? An individual? A team? What constraints did they have? What other "reading" is available within the exhibition? Within the museum? I observe visitors: do they read labels? For how long? Does it appear to help them view the exhibition? If only they knew how complex the task is to write one good label!
And then finally, I am constantly reminded, humbled and energized by the possibility that I can always write a better label, next time! Kudos to these Entries! I learned a lot.
"Notice that," and end with exclamation marks.
Pattern Wizardry is a tri-lingual (French, Spanish, English) 1,200 square foot interactive traveling exhibition designed to introduce children to the patterns that are the building blocks of our natural and manmade world. An introductory component invites children to become pattern wizard apprentices and select enchanted patterned capes so they are properly dressed for their initiation into the life-long study of patterns. Organized around five themes, four focus on the world's elemental patterns: spirals, branching, tessellations, and linear repetition, while the fifth area facilitates investigations of symmetry—a dominant characteristic of many patterns. A resource center with patterning activities and computer stations with software created for the project completes the exhibition. Featuring objects selected from the Museum's collection of 27,000 cultural and natural science materials, the exhibit supports national elementary curriculum standards by exploring the cultural meanings and mathematical and scientific concepts underlying patterns. Exhibit text is written at a third and fourth grade reading level and is in rhyme to evoke wizard spells and incantations and to extend the pattern theme. The exhibit was produced by Brooklyn Children's Museum for the Youth Museum Exhibit Collaborative (YMEC) with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). A User Manual, detailing educational programming, marketing and sponsorship strategies and exhibition installation; a Portable Museum Kit; and a website (www.brooklynkids.org/patternwizardry) support the core exhibition.
Since we were both quite little.
Coiling outward from the middle.
Building blocks with sides of six.
Their hive's alive with tessellation.
In a forest of golden kelp, a mother shark swims slowly out of sight. She's left behind a tiny new life, wrapped in a leathery case. Can you see the big, round yolk that feeds her growing pup? When the time is right, the case will open—and the newborn will glide away to begin life on its own.
Awe…fear…wonder…respect. Sharks and rays stir strong feelings and evoke powerful myths in cultures around the world. Nearly two dozen species of these magnificent animals—and the traditions they inspire—are united for the first time in Sharks: Myth and Mystery. The exhibit immerses visitors in strikingly different habitats, from colorful coral reefs with circling sharks to an Amazonian river full of freshwater rays. Visitors wind through seven galleries—from Africa to the Amazon—exploring how different cultures celebrate sharks and rays through art, dance, stories and other traditions. For example, the Pacific Islands gallery features a contemporary hula performance of a shark legend, while the Australia gallery displays Aboriginal bark paintings of sharks and rays. The Western Myths and Legends gallery highlights shark tales from the silly to the sublime, including a Saturday Night Live"Landshark" skit and a chilling World War II legend about shark attacks, as retold in the movie Jaws. Other highlights include a shark and ray touch pool, a space to try on Pacific Northwest tribal shark masks and a family activity room where visitors can make shark crafts. Live storytellers bring cultural shark myths to life, and other presenters share information on new threats facing sharks and how visitors can protect these magnificent animals for future generations. From its colorful, rich design to its fascinating stories, animals and artifacts, Sharks: Myth and Mystery helps visitors see sharks like they've never seen them before: through the eyes of world cultures.
Writers: Joe Torsella, President & CEO, National Constitution Center; Tami Koenig, Judy Rand & Associates.
The National Constitution Center tells the story of the Constitution's past and explains the principles of its present to help visitors see that they will write the story of its future – and to inspire them to do just that. The permanent exhibit at the National Constitution Center, The Story of We the People, includes a chronological history of the Constitution comprised of 13 sections telling constitutional stories from 1765 until today. These stories come as a surprise to most visitors. Expecting to learn only of a sacred text handed down by a few, they find that our Constitution has been a work in progress by many: from the Anti-federalists who successfully demanded a bill of rights, to the 620,000 soldiers killed in the Civil War, to the marchers of the civil rights movement. The unfolding narrative reveals that it has been millions of individual actions that have upheld and shaped our constitutional practices and freedoms. Exhibit techniques reflect that idea. Wherever possible, human stories have been chosen as entry points into the content. Stories are told using a reporter's voice, rather than an historian's: datelined, and in the present tense.
Pushing reforms for the "general welfare," TR makes another run for president.
Tonight in Milwaukee, tough-as-nails Teddy Roosevelt gave a campaign speech with a bullet lodged in his chest.
Shaking off an assassination attempt, he insisted on speaking to the crowd. "It would take more than that to kill a Bull Moose," he said. He spoke powerfully for nearly an hour before being rushed to the hospital.
Roosevelt redefined what it meant to be president, bringing boundless energy to the office. He brought 44 lawsuits against the big trusts, convinced Congress to create a new Department of Commerce and Labor, and set aside lands for public use.
Now he and his Bull Moose Party are calling for child labor reform, new workplace laws, an income tax, the direct election of senators—and they're ready to change the Constitution to do it.
His career makes us realize the Supreme Court isn't the only force that can shape our Constitution.
The exhibition, Across Time and Tundra, introduces visitors to the culture and history of the Inuvialuit- the Inuit of the western Canadian Arctic. Featuring 200 artifacts, 150 archival photographs and numerous hands-on/ interactive elements, it explores how the Inuvialuit traditionally lived and how their way-of-life has changed since the arrival of Europeans in the 19th century. The exhibition is targeted at visitors (particularly family groups) who have no or limited knowledge of the Inuvialuit.
From marriage to death, a woman was responsible for keeping her husband and children clothed.
about 30 HOURS of sewing.
This temporary exhibit exhibited memorabilia that had been borrowed from museums and collectors from throughout the western United States. The exhibit was intended to focus upon the current American "cult of celebrity" and the manner in which we approach relics from famous and infamous people of the West. Two months before the exhibit opened, the tragedies on September 11 sparked conversations all over America about heroism and villainy. We decided to change the direction of the exhibit and take part in that conversation.
The primary changes in the exhibit occurred at the title area and with label copy. The title panel at the entrance to the exhibit had a changing triad device that showed three different pictures of Sitting Bull in sequence with the words, "Hero?", "Villain?", and "Hero and Villain?" The visitor next passed a half wall with the statement in large letters: "Sometimes heroism and villainy are a matter of perspective." Case labels for each of the historical characters included biographic information as well as statements intended to provoke the reader into deciding whether or not that person was a hero or a villain. As visitors departed the exhibit, there was a large chalkboard where they were then invited to write the name of their own hero. This simple interactive conclusion to the exhibit was cleaned every morning and was covered with names by closing time.
Sometimes heroism and villainy are a matter of perspective.
Most of the characters in this exhibit were heroes. Jesse James and Pancho Villa robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. Kit Carson and Teddy Roosevelt performed heroic deeds in the West and transformed American culture. Sitting Bull and Geronimo defended their peoples. Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane were independent women during restrictive Victorian times.
Most of the characters in this exhibit were villains. Jesse James and Pancho Villa were killers. Kit Carson took part in the repression of the Indians and Teddy Roosevelt was a war-monger. Sitting Bull and Geronimo were responsible for the deaths of many white settlers. Calamity Jane was a drunken and loose woman; even Annie Oakley was falsely accused of being a drug addict and a thief.
During the spring and summer of 2003, Winterthur offered a thematic interactive exhibition for families. Kid Stuff: Growing Up at Winterthur combined historic photographs, child-friendly text and simple interactives to tell the story of Winterthur as a country estate during the late-Victorian childhood of museum founder Harry du Pont and his sister Louise. Visitors to the hands-on gallery explored the lives of the du Pont children and the children of Winterthur's workers at eight "stations" representing different places on the estate. Activities ranged from planting a pretend vegetable garden and setting the table for Sunday dinner to collecting eggs from stuffed hens and carrying "water" to the animals. Kid Stuff communicated its message while providing age-appropriate learning opportunities for all visitors. With wooden eggs, play food, and old-fashioned toys, the gallery was a safe and stimulating play space for toddlers and pre-schoolers. At the same time, older children and adults were engaged in Winterthur's history through historic photographs, board games, storybooks, and activities about collecting.
In the 1880s, there were at least ten servants who helped with the work inside the Winterthur house. One was the laundress, who worked in the basement laundry and drying rooms.
Doing laundry long ago was hard work: items needed to be soaked, scrubbed on a washboard, and rinsed. The items were then hung to dry and ironed until they were crisp and smooth.
Try washing, drying, and ironing the sheets used in the Winterthur house.
El Greco to Picasso from the Phillips Collection was a traveling exhibition of European paintings and sculptures culled from Washington, D.C.'s Phillips Collection. The show contained fifty-three artworks from collector Duncan Phillips's museum of "modern art and its sources," which focuses on art from the mid-1800s to the 1930s but also includes influential paintings from the 1600s onward. Expecting the show to be one of the best-attended in the Denver Art Museum's history, DAM exhibition planners focused on crowd control and kept interpretation to a minimum. About half of the artworks had brief object labels, and an introductory panel kicked off the show. In place of large-scale labels proclaiming the show's themes, most galleries of El Greco to Picasso contained a "provocative question" label instead.
Each year, thousands of Chicagoans and countless visitors delight in the city's sports. In that spirit, the Chicago Historical Society presented the exhibition Chicago Sports! You Shoulda Been There. Different sections featured stadiums from the city's sports history—Chicago Stadium, Comiskey Park, Soldier Field, and Wrigley Field—and the legendary events they hosted. Visitors also received a valuable look at the city's lesser-known sports stories, from DuSable High School's Wonder Five in the 1950s to the invention of sixteen-inch softball. Through powerful photographs and awe-inspiring artifacts from the original fields of play, Chicago Sports! went beyond the trophies and the scandals to explore how the city defines itself through sports.
Sports bring us together. We freeze at Soldier Field cheering on the Bears. We complain about the Sox or Cubs while watching from the bleachers. At neighborhood taverns, we relive the Bulls and Blackhawks glory years. In city parks and school gyms, we root for our neighborhood teams.
While sports unite us, divisive issues often simmer near the surface—funding for women's athletics, racial tensions, conflicts between players and owners. Still sports remain a powerful social glue. Our games help transform us from a city of strangers into fellow Chicagoans. As players and fans, sports help us forge communities and find our place in the city. Out of thousands of great Chicago sports stories, we can tell only a fraction of them here. We hope this sampling conveys the richness of the city's sports history.
The attached samples are two of eight interactive labels created to enhance visitors' experiences in the San Diego Museum of Art's Asian Sculpture Court. The Court is part of an on-going exhibition entitled Asian Crossroads that features Asian art works in the Museum's permanent collections and explores how cultural ideas and their visual manifestations travel across East Asian cultures. The exhibition already had a great deal of in-depth labeling about each of the ideas and objects displayed but Asian Art Senior Curator Carin Smith felt that the objects on display were still difficult for a western audience to decipher or relate to. Carin worked with the Museum's education department to come up with a unifying "entry point" that would transcend cultures, be familiar to audiences of all ages, and encourage people to look in-depth, and interact with, the artworks. The self-guided discovery tour, Body Language in Asian Art, was the result. The eight labels are made of extremely durable high density plastic affixed to wood and are each mounted on stands that are attached to object cases or platforms. The outlines of the illustrated objects are raised and visitors are encouraged to "touch" the art through these outline drawings. (In fact, visitors often make rubbings of the images, a use that the Museum didn't anticipate but doesn't discourage.) Cushions are available for viewers to use to facilitate their assuming the pose of the sculptures. The labels are used by visitors of all ages who are visiting the Museum on their own and have been very effective in encouraging people to spend more time looking at individual objects. In addition, interactive handouts were developed based on these labels so that the tour could be used with San Diego fifth graders who come the Museums in Balboa Park as part of a week-long study of culture and diversity.


Turkey's flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) on Thursday denied claims on social media that the airline has been sold to Qatar.
The Prime Ministry Privatization administrations has a 49.12 percent interest in THY, while 50.88 percent of shares are publicly traded.
THY press officer Yahya Üstün posted a message on Twitter saying that the claims are false amid growing rumors that Turkey has been considering the sale of a 49 percent stake in the company to the Qataris.
On Wednesday a Swiss-based pilot and aviation expert claimed on Twitter that Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker had announced the acquisition and a 49 percent stake in THY.


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The Transformers: The Movie 1986
The Autobots must stop a colossal planet-consuming robot who goes after the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. At the same time, they must defend themselves against an all-out attack from the Decepticons.
Genre: Animation, Science Fiction, Action, Adventure, Family
Stars: Judd Nelson, Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, Leonard Nimoy, Orson Welles
Director: Vince DiCola, Nelson Shin, Nelson Shin, Joe Bacal, Ron Friedman
The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Stardust (2007)
Bicentennial Man (1999)
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
Lost in Space (1998)
Help! I'm a Fish (2000)
Moonwalker (1988)
Barbie in The 12 Dancing Princesses (2006)
Barbie and the Diamond Castle (2008)
Adventures of Arsène Lupin (2004)
The Fly II (1989)
Spy Kids (2001)
The Witches (1990)
The Indian in the Cupboard (1995)
Transformers: Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising (2013)
Bondage Ecstasy (1989)
Girl In Captivity: Psycho Torture Chamber (2008)
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
Walk the Line (2005)
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000)
Airheads (1994)
Aloha Scooby-Doo! (2005)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Love Actually (2003)
Big Fish (2003)
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Pokémon: The First Movie (1998)
Spaceballs (1987)
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text:
Q: How to access a child of an object in JavaFX Let's say I have created an object which can have children and have getChildren() method, f.e. Group(). Then I created an another object which can 'store' children, too, f.e. VBox(). And then again I create yet an another object, f.e. Slider().
So now I add the Slider object to the list of VBox children by calling myVBox.getChildren().add(mySlider);, and then I add the VBox object to the list of Group object. Supose that everything is performed inside a function that returns myGroup object.
Now I'm outside of the function, I have no direct way to access Slider properties, I need to access Group children, get the VBox, then get the Slider from VBox children.
So as far as I understand, I should call myGroup.getChildren().get(0); to get the first child added (which in this case should be the VBox object). Now I need to go deeper, so I should call myGroup.getChildren().get(0).getChildren().get(0);, right?
Unfortunately the object returned by myGroup.getChildren().get(0); does not have a getChildren() method and it's type of Node class, while myGroup.getChildren().get(0).getClass(); returns info that that child is type of VBox.
I'm quite a freshmen in Java, so please, so please, point out my misconceptions.

A: Assuming you have a Slider inside a VBox with other nodes, and this box is inside a group, you can access the inner slider with getChildren() by casting the resulting node to its type. And before that, make sure you can do this casting by cheking if the node is instance of the specific class with instanceof.
This simple example will help you.
private final Group group = new Group();
private final VBox vbox = new VBox();
private final Button button = new Button("Click");
private final Label label = new Label("Slider Value: ");

@Override
public void start(Stage primaryStage) {
    vbox.getChildren().addAll(button, label, new Slider(0,10,4));
    vbox.setSpacing(20);
    group.getChildren().add(vbox);

    button.setOnAction(e->{
        Node nodeOut = group.getChildren().get(0);
        if(nodeOut instanceof VBox){
            for(Node nodeIn:((VBox)nodeOut).getChildren()){
                if(nodeIn instanceof Slider){
                    label.setText("Slider value: "+((Slider)nodeIn).getValue());
                }
            }

        }
    });
    Scene scene = new Scene(group, 300, 250);
    primaryStage.setScene(scene);
    primaryStage.show();
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Hi everybody, it's not a good time for me, my team has lost and I'm feeling very sad, depressed.
I could say "Che presa a male" = "How sad!", this is the way of saying we use when something goes wrong.
Till tomorrow, hoping for a better day.


text:
CEO Unveils Bold New Plan To Undo Damage From Last Year's Bold New Plan
NEW YORK—Saying it would mark a significant change in the company's direction, Paradigm Marketing CEO Paul Dannon announced Monday a bold new plan that was evidently intended to undo the havoc caused by last year's bold new plan. "It's time to make some major shifts in how we do things [in reaction to the disastrous major shifts I implemented last year]," said Dannon of the sweeping new initiative that amounted to a point-by-point retraction of his sweeping initiative from almost exactly one year ago. "We're all going to have to accept some changes [to salvage the resources wasted due to my last disastrous strategic move], but I'm confident this is going to be an important step [backward] for the company. And, who knows, maybe we'll even have [no] fun [whatsoever] in the process." At press time, Dannon was laying off several employees whose salaries amounted to the bonus he had received last year.
Breaking NewsNews In Brief


Cracked the Urbanspoon Top 20!
Just noticed the Urbanspoon badge on the front page of the website said IndyScan.com has moved up in the Indianapolis Food Blogger ranks to #19!
Looks like we're headed in the right direction with a goal of being in the top 10 by the end of 2012. Time to start eating more and telling everyone about it.
Next Next post: ¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!


text:
22 November A Framework for Junior Cycle: Motion
Hear Maureen speak on Junior Cycle
I have no doubt a great deal of work has gone into producing the framework. When I came to read it I took a little trip down memory lane, having been a teacher in a voluntary secondary school. I taught the old leaving certificate course, the old intermediate certificate course, the new leaving certificate course, the newer leaving certificate course and the current junior certificate course. I went though the various other curriculum changes that came in during the course of my 35 or so years as a teacher. My school bought into so many things the Department introduced. I go back to the late 1970s when psychologists brought in the idea of developmental group work, which was totally new at that time. We took part in all of the training sessions for that. Another programme called PACE lasted a certain length of time and disappeared. My school was a pilot school for On My Own Two Feet. My own and other schools were receptive to other initiatives and programmes that were introduced. A recent one which was introduced shortly before I was elected to the Dáil was the Cool School initiative. It is a very good programme that ran very well in my own school and still does.
Then we came to school planning and the myriad of policies and plans that consumed my last ten years of teaching, took up so much time at staff meetings and was so consuming of teachers' time and energy. We had plans and policies for everything. Who was that for? I think it was just to satisfy the inspectors. I have grave doubts as to the benefit of those policies or what they added to my ability and the ability of others to teach. No amount of paper, policy or planning can substitute for the role of the teacher in the classroom and the teacher's ability to teach and connect with students.
Schools and teachers coped with all those developments and changes. They also coped with inclusiveness, welcoming students with special needs into mainstream classes and bringing in individual lesson plans for differentiated learning. They coped with mixed ability teaching, new technologies, leaving certificate applied and the new junior certificate as well as extra curricular activities. At secondary level, they also coped with the influx of foreign national students, some of whom came in as teenagers with not a word of English. That created a strenuous demand on schools. Of course, whenever a social ill came to the fore in society it was left to schools to look after it.
Teachers have shown themselves to be extremely flexible and adaptable. They are now coping with the recent funding cuts and the loss of so many experienced teachers through early retirement.
I can understand the frustration and reluctance of some teachers to take up another change, positive though aspects of it are. There are misgivings and reservations about some aspects of the framework. Last week, we debated the Credit Union Bill 2012 and Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI. Both credit unions and the old third level grant application system had positive things in them. They were in need of change but the expression, "throwing the baby out with the bath water" came to mind. There is an element of that in the new junior certificate framework. I want us to maintain what is good and positive and strengthen it instead of eliminating it and bringing in something else.
I am annoyed by the suggestion that nothing was achieved in the current system of junior certificate and, by implication, leaving certificate, because people are also casting doubts on the leaving certificate. We are doing something right, and we have been, because our graduates are sought in so many walks of life and by so many companies and institutions. I am always struck when I meet past pupils, and I have many of them after 35 years, with how well they have done in a wide variety of careers. They are articulate and hard working. Our current system produced that.
I had a look at the foreword to the framework and some of what the Minister said today. He said the new curriculum will focus on improving students' learning experiences. No teacher would be against that, but that is what has been going on. Teachers are constantly striving to do that and to make the learning experience meaningful. The Minister mentioned that a significant number of students do not make progress in first year, particularly in English and mathematics. They will not make progress unless when they come from primary school they have a certain standard of literacy and numeracy. I greatly welcome what the Minister is doing for primary schools but it is unfair to blame the junior certificate for that aspect. There is disengagement at second year for some, but changing the whole junior certificate is extreme. Other things are happening to young people at the ages 13 and 14 that can also contribute to that disconnect. Third year is challenging, but that is positive. Life is challenging and schools are supposed to prepare young people for life. Teenagers must be exposed to challenge, pressure and stress. When it happens in a school environment a student can be supported by teachers and staff.
The junior certificate does dominate third year. The Minister mentioned that the focus on learning narrows in that year. I would say a different focus of learning comes in at that stage. It is about preparing for an examination and is a useful exercise. Students are focusing on the examination, which is positive, and learning how to answer questions and to give answers that are relevant to the questions asked. There is a positive outcome because there is a sense of achievement in completing the examination. Some do not do as well as they could and should, but there is support within the school to deal with that. Some do better than teachers might have expected. We can look at that.
There has been mention of the emphasis on rote learning. Some rote learning is very good for the brain. The dumbing down of rote learning does it a disservice. Some rote learning is necessary at all stages of schooling, primary, secondary and third level. What one does with what has been learnt by heart is the kernel. I taught English. I encouraged my students well, I made them learn certain lines from poems, from the drama they were studying and maybe a quote from a particular critic. They would use those lines in their answers to develop particular points. That was the value of rote learning.
I am from the time when children learned tables by heart. I can rattle them off now. Today, a young person who is asked to add seven and six will probably reach for a calculator. We have to look at that one again. I recently met my Irish teacher from secondary school, cainteoir ó dhúchas í ón Daingean, and we discussed learning Irish poems by heart. This gave us a sense of how the words were to be said and we became familiar with the sayings and phrases. I am sure this also applies to French poetry.
I hope medical students do some rote learning so they know a certain list of symptoms indicate a particular illness rather than another one. I am sure the Minister did some rote learning as a student of architecture and that students of engineering, science and accountancy do the same. There are areas where rote learning is needed.
All teachers want their students to enjoy the learning experience and to benefit from it. Teachers are constantly motivating and encouraging students. Students have always been at the core of this.
I taught history. The junior certificate history syllabus did need reform. Young people really enjoyed first year, when they went back to pre-history and archaeology, studied the evolution of man and then looked at early monastic settlements. Much creative learning and different methodologies were used. Second year was difficult, because of the topics chosen for that year. The students bought into the third year syllabus because it looked at the modern world, at how our country came to be where it is today and at fascism, communism and socialism, social history and colonialism.
Deputy Ruairí Quinn: Unfortunately, I must leave now. I appreciate the Deputy's contribution and those of other Deputies. I will be paying close attention to the rest of what she has to say.
Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan:We are coming to the decade of commemoration and it is vital we continue to give students a sense of their history. How can we know where we want to go unless we have a real understanding of where we have come from? History was taught in an innovative way in most schools with different methodologies. The examination needed to be looked at because there was such a wide divergence between pass and honours level examinations in history. The new course will be introduced to first years in 2017, and like others I hope it will be a core subject that goes into detail.
There are, however, two statements of learning in the new framework, statements 8 and 9. Reading them I can understand the fear on the part of history teachers that the framework document will undermine the role of history in the junior cycle. Geography teachers are also worried about their subject. Students could end up under those two statements of learning studying a short course on cultural studies and after a visit to a place of historic or cultural significance, that is the end. Those visits, however, currently form part of the history programme.
I taught the old intermediate certificate course in English. It was restrictive but it had one valuable aspect that we have since lost - grammar. It is a horrible word and people do not want to hear it but students have lost the sense of constructing sentences, knowing nouns and verbs are necessary and how to be able to put sentences and paragraphs together. The junior certificate course in English is flexible and adaptable; there is a wide range of poetry, novels and plays that young people can be exposed to and teachers have that choice. During my years as a teacher, the examinations were fair at the three levels, foundation, pass and honours.
There is a fear among teachers that the design of short courses places another strain on an already strained timetable. There are definite issues of resources and time. Teachers are overwhelmed with in-service training days at this stage and no doubt there will be more in-service days under the framework for the new junior cycle.
There is a lot of controversy about school books. The publishing companies have done great work in producing English books at junior certificate level, there was a great variety that opened up teachers' and students' ideas to other poets or writers they had not considered. I would now fear that a publishing company will produce a text on a particular short course and that will determine what short course will be taken up in schools.
The new focus will mean continuing professional development for principals and teachers. This comes at a time of cutbacks and there is a sense in schools that this is a cost cutting exercise for the Department. So much has been put into in-service training for the current system but we are now into another system. It is almost as if what has happened in previous years is irrelevant and we are about to start all over again to reinvent the wheel.
I agree with continuous assessment. Every teacher already participates in that; we give homework, correct it and keep records. Those records are very beneficial for discussions with students and parents at parent-teacher meetings. It is different, however, for teachers to be judge and jury on the terminal examination for the junior certificate. The current examination is corrected fairly and anonymously. No one correcting is subject to outside influence. I feel for those teachers in schools and communities where they might be subject to pressure from parents they know well. School-based certificates are also problematic. Will certificates from certain schools be more prestigious than other schools? The junior certificate as it is did not present those problems. There was a fair system of correcting and appealing marks.
Many teachers do not agree with the first main examination being held five or six years after students come into school, with nothing in the meantime to prepare them for it. The reduction in the number of subjects, however, is welcome. The second language may not be a core subject. Anything that will create a sense of Irish being a spoken language must be welcome, as the Minister of State is aware.
There is a range of courses for pupils with special needs. Will certain courses be of a higher status? That would have administrative implications. There is reference in the framework to guidance and we know that guidance hours are being cut in schools. How will that connection be made?
I spent my life as a teacher drawing up statements of learning. Teachers buy into statements of learning every single day but they do it through the current system. The Minister made a point in his speech about putting children in first year into an ordinary or higher level. That does not happen generally. I would hate to put a student in a box at 12 years of age and say he or she would do pass and not honours courses. Most schools are fair and allow for the fact that children develop.
Quality learning is currently taking place. We must look at reform but we must not throw away what is good and positive in the present system, making change for the sake of it. There is a feeling, however, that the Minister just wants to get rid of what is there at present. There are so many other areas of need in education, such as the inequality of access for and the lack of representation of those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds at third level. If the Minister is looking for something new, there are other areas he can reform. On the question of consultation, a random selection of teachers would be a fair way to proceed rather than sending out an invitation for people to take part.
20 Nov Supreme Court Ruling in the X Case: Private Members Motion
As the motion states, there is no doubt that successive governments have failed to legislate on this matter. We have had referenda, Supreme Court cases, papers and Oireachtas groups, but no decision. The dithering, procrastination and kicking to touch must come to an end because failure to legislate has been detrimental. That is not to take from the excellent maternity services, as has been acknowledged. In the majority of cases mothers and babies leave hospitals in good health.
I am basically reiterating what I said during the debate on Deputy Clare Daly's Bill, which I supported. In response to numerous e-mails I received on the topic, I say that I do not agree with abortion on demand. Some people do not like that term, but what I understand by it is an abortion clinic where a woman can go in and have an abortion at any stage in a pregnancy for any reason, and I do not agree with that. However, I am conscious that there are women who have left this jurisdiction to go to another one to have an abortion. I respect their decision while I do not agree with it.
In the real world we know that the intervention, abortion, termination or whatever one wants to call it, is needed. If a woman who has been raped or subjected to incest makes the decision that she does not want to continue with the pregnancy, she needs to be supported. Such women are in a sufficiently traumatic situation without having to travel outside this country for that.
There is a need for legal clarity and legal decisions on the case we are discussing where there is a direct threat to the life of the unborn or the mother so that everybody involved can be protected. I know of a case where a woman went ahead with the pregnancy when she knew she was going to lose her life. Equally that must be protected, as must the other situation. The same is true of the medical teams involved.
The report of the expert group must be published as soon as possible and we need a very frank and candid debate. Regarding the investigation in Galway, serious errors of judgment have been made and it is hard to believe, when there was so much goodwill to find out exactly what happened in a dignified way, that such mistakes were made before the investigation even began. A lovely young woman has lost her life and at the end of the day her husband, parents, family and friends will be without her company for the rest of their lives. We owe it to her and to other women in that situation not to allow that happen again.
14 November Education Funding: Motion
Click to hear Maureen's contribution
Ta cúpla rud le rá agam ar an ábhar seo. Having worked as a guidance counsellor and as a teacher, I have experience of the previous system, which involved a multiplicity of agencies. I have to say the local authority in my case - Dublin City Council - was very helpful. No student ever came back to me in September or October to say his or her grant had not gone through. When we try to introduce reform, there is always a danger that we will throw out what is good and positive as well as what is not needed. I think that is what has happened here. I appreciate that people in the education sector had called for the establishment of a centralised system. I think too much was taken on initially. The whole-country aspect of it has proved to be a disaster. A regional approach might have been much better.
Some of my friends who are guidance counsellors have told me that when this system started in May, they knew it was going to be a disaster. The promotional CD that was sent to them at that stage was very complicated. Their attempts to contact SUSI proved fruitless. Representatives of SUSI also declined an invitation to attend a guidance counsellors' exhibition, where there could have been more engagement on this matter. While I accept that extra staff are needed, they should have been deployed before now to avert this crisis rather than being brought in to deal with it at this stage. I know how difficult it is to get forms back from students, but I suggest that the inordinate number of students who were unable to send back these forms is indicative of something wrong with the system. It is too complex.
I would like to make a brief point on special needs assistants, who help with classroom mechanics and ensure students with special needs do not pose a danger to themselves or others due to their physical or psychological conditions. I think the system needs to be examined because I think many special needs assistants can do more. This form of assistance needs to be considered in conjunction with the whole area of learning support and learning resources.
The third aspect of the original motion relates to third level fees. One of the reasons for the introduction of the current system was that the Government of the time wanted to increase the third-level participation rate of lower socioeconomic groups. The system has to be examined because that did not happen. The registration fee is now being increased by stealth. I do not think that should be on the cards. A lack of money should not preclude anybody from going to third level education.
Those are the three aspects I wanted to raise.
14 November Overseas Development Aid Priority Question
Click to hear debate with Minister
Maureen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade: In view of Ireland's very positive reputation in relation to Development Aid, if he sees a role for Ireland, or for Ireland through the EU, in ensuring there is no financial loss to developing countries through tax evasion or tax avoidance on the part of businesses working in developing countries in view of the fact that there have been reports of very significant losses to developing countries.
Deputy Eamon Gilmore: Efficient and fair tax systems in developing countries are essential for sustainable growth, poverty reduction and the provision of basic services. They are also vital for the promotion of good governance. Tax avoidance and evasion, therefore, present a major issue for developing countries seeking to drive their own development. Ireland is playing a strong role at national level and in global efforts to increase revenue generation and tackle tax avoidance and evasion in developing countries.
Support for the strengthening of government systems is an essential element of Ireland's overseas aid programme. We also engage actively at the United Nations and in the OECD and the European Union on multilateral efforts to address tax evasion and avoidance. These include the promotion of the better exchange of information on tax matters between countries, the implementation of agreed standards on tax transparency and support for the capacity building of tax administrations in developing countries.
Deputy Eamon Gilmore: Work at EU level includes negotiation in Brussels on the current proposals for the revision of the EU transparency and accounting directives. The Government has been supportive of proposals to improve transparency among EU multinational companies involved in extractive and logging industries in developing countries. With Ireland's support, the European Union has adopted an action plan to support tax administration and reforms in developing countries. The Governments of developing countries increasingly want to take control of their own development and to end their reliance on aid. The uncertainty created by the global economic crisis has underpinned the realisation that fair and efficient taxation is chiefly the best means of meeting the revenue needs of developing countries. The formation of the African Taxation Administrators Forum by revenue authorities across Africa is playing an important role in advocating for reform and building capacity. Ireland is supporting this work through our aid programme. We will continue to support a more transparent global tax environment. Irish Aid, in co-operation with the Revenue Commissioners, will maintain our efforts to strengthen tax systems in developing countries so more resources can be made available for the fight to end extreme poverty and hunger.
Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan: I acknowledge the work done by the Tánaiste to help Ireland achieve a seat on the UN Human Rights Council and I congratulate him on his success in that regard. The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, under the chairmanship of Deputy Breen, also played a part in this respect.
Deputy Eamon Gilmore: Yes, it did.
Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan: When the committee met various ambassadors, the Chairman used the opportunity to look for their support. There is no doubt that our relationship with countries in Africa and other parts of the developing world has another dimension now that there is a trade element to it. While I accept what the Tánaiste said in his reply about the approach to illicit capital flight, I have to say it does not appear to be working. I have read reports suggesting that amounts between €116 billion and four or five times that amount have been lost as a result of illicit capital flight. I have read that the amount which has been lost is 20 times more than the amount which would be needed to meet all the millennium development goals in the countries of the developing world, which is a frightening statistic. Ireland could take a stronger stance on a number of points, for example by insisting on country-by-country auditing, scrutiny of double taxation agreements and the automatic sharing of tax information between countries. We could lead by example by insisting on the collection of the full rate of corporate tax in this country.
Deputy Eamon Gilmore: I thank the Deputy for her compliments in relation to Ireland's election to the UN Human Rights Council. When I attended yesterday's meeting of the Joint Committee on EU Affairs, I acknowledged the work of that committee, under the chairmanship of Deputy Hannigan, and the work of Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, under the chairmanship of Deputy Breen. The members of both committees lobbied in support of Ireland's candidacy for membership of the UN Human Rights Council.
Ireland has a strong record on the promotion of good governance in tax principles. We are fully compliant with the EU code of conduct on harmful tax competition and the OECD standards on exchange of information. Ireland's network of more than 60 double taxation treaties compares favourably with the records of larger OECD countries. We have also signed tax information exchange agreements with 17 jurisdictions that were not previously co-operative. Ireland is on the OECD G20 white list of countries that are fully compliant with the OECD standards on exchange of information. Ireland also participates in the global forum on transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes. A favourable peer review of Ireland was undertaken last year. I am aware of some reports of tax avoidance and tax evasion in Africa. I want to affirm this Government's commitment to the fight against poverty in developing countries, with a particular emphasis on Africa. I assure the Deputy that we will continue to work at EU level, with the OECD and with the United Nations to ensure there is transparency in tax matters and to make certain that the problems associated with tax evasion and tax avoidance are addressed.
Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan: The Tánaiste's remarks are very positive. However, I still think we can do far more. We can lead by example by dealing with this country's tax issues. The Tánaiste will be unable to attend an interesting conference in Malawi on the role of parliamentarians in stopping capital flight because it will coincide with budget day in this House, but perhaps he can look for the findings from that conference, which will deal with the specific issue I have raised today.
Deputy Eamon Gilmore: I will arrange to get a report on it. Obviously, we will not be represented at ministerial level at that conference because it is taking place on budget day. I will make it my business to get the papers from the conference.
13 November Credit Unions Bill
Click to hear Maureen speaking
I was a member of the ASTI credit union for many years and also come from a community, East Wall, where there has been a strong credit union since 1968. There was a great tradition of savings made by parents in the community. They saved and borrowed and passed that practice on to their children, who in turn kept the tradition going. In addition, there was a great voluntary effort in the community in regard to both the work of the credit union and the work of the board. There is merit in the proverb about throwing out the baby with the bathwater. When it comes to reform and change, it is vital that we hold on to what is good and positive, that we maintain and strengthen those features and that we do not lose good practice.
One of those strengths, as borne out by my experience, is in the area of loans. Unlike the banks in the Celtic tiger years, credit unions did not give out 100% loans. According to credit union standards and regulations, loans were related to savings and there had to be a certain amount in a member's savings account before he or she was allowed to borrow money. There is an irony in the attempt to apply standards from the banks, which have been a dismal failure, to an institution which was working efficiently and which, had there not been recession and unemployment, would now be doing extremely well. Credit unions did not over-extend or get involved in banking excesses, greed or irresponsibility. They were there for their communities and have done far more than banks to create a positive awareness of saving money, even at times when people did not have much money or surplus cash. They were there to give loans that were commensurate with people's ability to repay them, a central tenet of the credit union movement. They looked after expenses such as Christmas, weddings, the house extension, the car and the holiday.
Most of the time since the founding of the movement, all of this has all gone on in an ethical and responsible way. People in communities did not go in fear and trepidation to their credit union as they did to their bank manager. Credit unions were helpful and sympathetic. A point made to me in my local credit union was that people came along in a neighbourly and sympathetic way. Today, banks are trying to do away with that personal service. Branches are closing and there is a changeover in personnel. When one goes into a bank one is directed to a machine rather than a person. Credit unions have a personal touch which must be maintained. They have definite characteristics which I hope will not be lost in the Bill.
I understand credit unions are 90% in favour of the Bill, but there are some questions. Why are we applying so much in terms of banking regulation to an institution that has been working for more than 70 years? Why are we applying secondary legislation to the credit union, which has a different ethos? I refer to the issue of shared services. Why is this limited to sharing at member level? In electronic payments, where is the risk in a prepaid debit card? Why can credit unions not use the significant amount of cash they have on deposit in the banks? They may be propping up the banks for social benefit.
Credit unions were founded on the principle of voluntarism. They placed an advertisement in newspapers today that asks "Why would you bin your most valuable asset?". Their most valuable asset is the volunteers. I am all for preventing conflicts of interest, but where is the conflict if a person who is a member of one credit union wishes to serve on the board of another? That person is not allowed to do so.
Inner-city Dublin is plagued by moneylenders who charge huge rates of interest and trap families. There are credit institutions now that offer the same rates. Credit unions are vital, and I hope their ethos and status can be maintained.
9 November Tax Transparency Bill 2012: Second Stage
The Bill is interesting and contains some very practical suggestions, including the itemised statement of those paying tax along with VAT and excise, and where those taxes are to be spent. In the area of procurement it would be interesting to publish the Government purchase orders of more than €5,000 in value. The Title of the Bill includes the term tax transparency, which is almost contradictory. Once the word "tax" comes into the arena it is almost like a red rag to a bull. There seems to be a frenzy to see the steps one can take to avoid paying taxes by looking for loopholes and offshore accounts. We have many examples of the great ingenuity and innovation that goes into tax avoidance and tax evasion. Anything that adds to transparency in financial affairs is to be welcomed.
As we are coming into a budget that will be difficult, it is vital to know where taxes are going. When we talk about fairness, it is only fair that taxpayers see where their taxes are being used and this just might make the pain of paying taxes slightly more bearable. We know how problematic the household charge has been. One of the arguments has been its use by local authorities. People have a sense that if they knew this was actually going into essential local services, including roads, cleaning, public lighting, public parks and libraries, it might have an element of fairness to it. However, the belief is that it is being used to bail out our friends, the banks and the bondholders.
Nobody likes paying taxes but we know they are a necessary evil. The pain is eased when we know that those taxes are being put to good use and that good use can be seen. The same applies to VAT and excise but I am not sure of the practical aspects of that section on estimating the extent of the VAT and excise. I very much support identifying where the taxes go.
It is vital to have a reasoned debate about taxation and the best uses of our taxes. We know the central areas of health care, education and social services are paramount. For people to live decent lives we need to apply an appropriate system of taxation. If people go to any or great lengths to avoid paying taxes, then we will not be living decent lives. With tax breaks and non-standard tax reliefs there is an essential unfairness.
All of this is aided and abetted by specialised tax accountants, lawyers and private banks. There are many statistics on the cost to our economy and economies in the developing world as a result of tax dodging.
Another aspect of the Bill is that of cost and staff, issues which will need to be considered in greater detail. I heard what was said earlier about online and post services. However, I agree with Deputy Boyd Barrett that there are significant numbers of adults in this country - I met with one such person earlier today - who are computer illiterate or who, for their own reasons, do not want to use the online facility. There must be recognition of their right not to use the online facility. Many people have an essential objection to doing so or an inability to do so. It is important the Bill takes this into account.
I have raised the issue of corporate tax many times, including during the previous Dáil. I would like to know how many people actually pay this tax. In seeking to ensure transparency for the people on the ground, it is of the utmost importance we also ensure transparency on the part of those at the other end of the scale. If this Bill is to be successful for citizens, the same standards must be applied to the corporations. I agree on the need for transparency. However, it must apply across the board. For example, do we know how much the troika visits cost? There was a debate in this House this week on excessive pensions, salaries and bonuses.
There is also a need for transparency in regard to where our taxes are invested. There have been some dubious investments in the past. For example, do we have all the details on the cost of securing the Corib oil and Rossport sites, in respect of which our taxes are being spent but on which we do not have enough detail?
On procurement, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, published the report on this issue in September. It is estimated therein that approximately €9 billion annually is spent in this area by public bodies. The Minister made the point at that time that it is essential that maximum value for money and operational efficiency is achieved. What is provided for in the Bill will prove beneficial to small businesses in this country. While there is much talk about job creation, there is little emphasis on job retention. If this issue were addressed in the Bill, it would be very much welcomed.
We need to adopt a policy of positive discrimination towards Irish businesses, which may be anti-EU. However, this is our country and we must save it. Any steps taken to assist small businesses in this country would be welcomed.
During the two elections in which I was a candidate I was contacted by a number of printing companies who were concerned that despite that candidates had to include on their election literature where the printing had been done, members of various parties and individuals were getting around this by using a name in the 26 counties and having their printing done elsewhere. It is important these issues are considered in the context of procurement.
I support the tax transparency aspect of the Bill. However, it must be applied across the board.
06 November Pensions and Retirement Lump Sums: Motion
Click to hear Maureen speak
Tá sé tráthúil go bhfuil an t-ábhar seo á phlé againn inniu agus gabhaim buíochas don Teachta Mattie McGrath, a thosaigh an díospóireacht. It is very opportune because last week I, like many others, watched appalled the proceedings of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform. I saw what I can only describe as disdain on the part of bankers who had been called in to answer questions. Those questions were very probing and pertinent and were the kind of questions most people in society are asking. The impression I got was that their appearance at the committee was kind of an annoyance and a nuisance to get out of the way. Having deigned to come to the committee, they would leave and it would be business as usual afterwards. Of course, that business as usual means they continue on these highly inflated and, in this current climate, obscene salaries and pensions.
As we know, AIB used some of the €1.1 billion it got from the State to fund the estimated €0.5 million yearly pension to the former chief executive. The Taoiseach said today that it was also to cover the other voluntary retirements but the same point applies. A current chief executive will receive €300,000 per annum when he turns 65.
We have the list of these very inflated salaries and pensions which people are getting. They continue for State bodies, charitable organisations, bankers, members of the Judiciary, senior publics servants, the CEOs of semi-State bodies, former Cabinet Ministers, taoisigh, senior gardaí, Army officers, the President etc. Most unfair is that most of those who are getting these pensions are getting salaries and, in quite a number of cases, they are members of boards for which they are getting an array of expenses. It is all part of that same culture of unfairness.
I too read Stephen Collins's article in The Irish Times last Saturday. He looked at the cost of paying these pensions and he made the point that these pensions were well in excess of those paid to public figures in other European countries. So much has gone into the banks and yet they continue to call the shots. The recession and the cuts are hitting sections of society disproportionately and there appears to be little or no attempt to look across all sections of the society. Irish people are among the most generous and we see that in the way in which they donate to various causes. Our recovery could have been a co-operative and a collaborative effort and venture if there had been proportionate burden-sharing but it has not been proportionate.
I would be against these inflated salaries and pensions in good times because there is a limit which salaries and pensions should not exceed. To continue to pay these amounts in these straitened times is not only incredible but immoral. I do not think there has been any effort to address the pension issue and only a token gesture to cut the excessive salaries. I do not accept what the Minister for Finance said that he is powerless to reign in the salaries nor do I accept what the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform said that these people had a legitimate expectation that the pensions would continue regardless of the condition of the State's finances because surely that should apply to every member of society. This elite group will continue in the manner to which they have become accustomed regardless of the fact that this country is in dire financial straits.
The estimate in 2009 of the accrued liability to the State for public service pensions was €116 billion and that was before all of those voluntary retirements came following the February deadline. Another aspect to that deadline was the loss of experience and expertise in the public sector of those people who were almost pressured into retiring.
I would not agree with those inflated salaries and pensions even if somebody was doing a good job but we are giving them to people who are doing a disastrous job. It is like the bigger the mess they create, the bigger the salary, the bonus and the pension for those in charge of the banks. The banks have been bailed out for their mismanagement but those in mortgage arrears and negative equity must do their own bailing out with little or no resources and there is no debt forgiveness for those people.
I wonder about the psychological make up of the people on those salaries and pensions because obviously values like justice and fairness are not part of that make up nor is the aspect of social justice. Today the Taoiseach spoke about the former senior executives in banks being asked to make a voluntary decision to hand back the pensions but why are they not being told in the way communities are being told their community employment schemes are being cut and people with disabilities, schools and hospitals are being told they must take a cut? He mentioned the public interest directors but they are certainly not acting in the public interest. There is a challenge for the Government in the budget.
President Michael D. Higgins mentioned the need for a different set of values for our country which would bring about an ethical and inclusive society. What is happening with these salaries and pension is not contributing to that nor is the Government which allows it.


The Panthers won't be playing in the Super Bowl this year, but that won't stop Cam from appearing before millions during the big game.
Cam Newton was just spotted in Los Angeles filming a new 2017 Super Bowl commercial with 33-year-old supermodel Miranda Kerr for Buick.
The duo spent several hours earlier this month at the Los Angeles Zoo filming the ad. Miranda rocked an electric blue off-the-shoulder pencil dress and Cam suited up in an all-blue 'Sharks' uniform.
What do you think about the commercial?


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You are here: Home / News / Blog / Derry Tech For Good Company, Elemental Software Receives Investment
Derry Tech For Good Company, Elemental Software Receives Investment
Blog, Finance & Funding, Inward Investment, People
Leeann Monk and Jennifer Neff Co Founders Elemental Software
Derry Tech For Good Company, Elemental Software, which has developed an award winning social prescribing digital platform that connects patients, health and social care professionals and community health & wellness providers, announced today that it has raised £300,000 with the help of ClearlySo, Europe's leading impact investment bank. Elemental is using the capital to further develop its software that supports and empowers lifestyle change for communities most at risk, make key staff hires, and expand marketing reach.
Elemental's platform is the only comprehensive social prescribing solution developed by community development experts that measures the impact of social prescribing and the difference that non clinical solutions can make to the health and wellbeing of communities, which is a growing priority at the highest level in government and rapidly being adopted in the UK.
Elemental Software's platform was awarded the 'Best Tech in the 3rd Sector' of 2016 by Digital DNA and the best enterprise software at INVENT 2016. Leeann Monk and Jennifer Neff, co-founders of Elemental Software, said: "We are absolutely delighted that ClearlySo plugged into the Elemental vision for revolutionising the ability to socially prescribe across the health, social care and third sectors. The investment partnership, created by London based Clearly So, engages social impact investors who each bring a wealth of knowledge, expertise and resource to help us solve one of the most pressing health and social care challenges of our generation."
More than 80% of the world's chronic conditions can be avoided by lifestyle change alone. Despite this, chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, mental health related illness and heart disease are rising and so too are costs. In the UK alone, the NHS, which has a funding gap estimated at £22bn by 2020, is spending £7 out £10 in treatment of conditions while GPs capacity is strained.
The key aim of Elemental's Social Prescribing platform is to demonstrate the value and difference that referrals to local exercise, diet and nutrition and mental support can make to peoples' lives. Further commenting, Stefano Cappanari, investment manager at ClearlySo, said: "We were very pleased to play a role in helping Elemental scale the "more than medicine" approach to health. From grass-roots Jennifer and Leeann built a business around the patient, health and social professionals, community based providers and Commissioners and we are excited that the capital raise, which closed in record time, and capabilities from our network will allow them to take the next step in transforming our care system for better."
Mary McKenna, Director at Elemental Software, first introduced the company to ClearlySo, and concludes "I look for startups with that magic combination of knowledgeable and credible founders, a great product and a large and ready market opportunity. Elemental Software has all of that and more.
This investment round will allow Elemental Software to reach that huge social prescribing market at lightning speed.
June 20, 2017 /by Colm Begley
https://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpg 0 0 Colm Begley https://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpg Colm Begley2017-06-20 08:53:452017-06-20 08:53:45Derry Tech For Good Company, Elemental Software Receives Investment
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