Dr Alan Punter has done his homework on the London market - and offers some answers on competitiveness, convergence and the future.
Question 1: The London insurance market's history has been built on a reputation for innovation. Will this be equally true for the future? Discuss.
The two key words here are "market" and "innovation". London is still unique in the world for the nature of the insurance business transacted - the key characteristic is that it is an international market. It is the pre-eminent centre for international business, as demonstrated by the non-UK insurance and reinsurance companies who have underwriting operations in London and have taken a financial stake and/or physical presence in the City.
London is also unlike any other international centre for insurance in that it is truly a market - with many providers of a wide range of products. Unlike many other centres around the world where insurance is transacted, it is not dominated by one or two domestic carriers. And it is well served by a diverse group of brokers; local, national, international and global - bringing both new clients and new products to market.
In addition to innovation, the London market has also displayed resilience. For instance, just take the 1990s. Looking back at the challenges and obstacles that had to be overcome, the success of the whole Lloyd's reconstruction and renewal (R&R) is almost beyond belief. Bermuda took advantage of the market conditions following Hurricane Andrew in 1992 to build a very significant presence in the property catastrophe market, but London is now increasing its market share, mostly at the expense of Bermuda.
However, the record on innovation has looked less impressive in recent times - perhaps precisely because of the other issues that the London market has had to address. London's record for innovation has been largely in developing and extending traditional insurance products. It has not been in the forefront of developments in so-called alternative risk financing or alternative risk transfer (ART) where ground has been lost to other centres, such as offshore centres like Bermuda. Bermuda has two primary benefits. First, it is a tax-friendly environment in which to domicile capital, and secondly, the definition of what can be included in a contract of insurance is less restrictive than in most onshore centres.
Lloyd's has begun to address this issue, with the establishment of an ART unit, and the development of "the capability to offer alternative risk transfer products and techniques" as one of the strategies adopted in Lloyd's recently published Priorities for Growth as part of broadening the franchise. This also supports the objective of the Lloyd's market board's for: "the London's market position to become even more firmly established as the world's leading centre for underwriting specialised risks" as part of a world market for risk solutions.
Part of the key here is to provide customised solutions and not just sell standard products. This raises the requirements and presents challenges, not just to underwriters, but also to capital providers and capital regulators. The London market shows signs that these lessons have been noted and are being addressed.
Question 2: There is much talk of convergence within the financial services sectors, in particular between the insurance and capital markets. What real evidence is there that this is actually happening?
Convergence has been most tangible in the personal lines sector, in particular with banks and building societies distributing household and motor covers. In the world of corporate property/casualty insurances, the capital markets and insurance industry have long worked together. However, these activities have covered traditional corporate finance and asset management functions. What has been a new development over the last five years or so has been capital market players and investors exposing their capital directly to underwriting risk, rather than indirectly through taking a shareholding in an insurance or reinsurance company.Over recent years the number and types of insurance-linked securitisation transactions have grown steadily. Completed deals include structures such as catastrophe bonds, where principle and/or interest payments are contingent upon the occurrence of a specified catastrophe insurance loss; contingent capital, such as catastrophe equity puts or CatEPuts; swaps and options. All these deals demonstrate innovation and creativity.
To date the underlying perils covered have been largely restricted to natural catastrophes and their impact on property exposures, and most deals have provided protection to insurance companies in place of, or in addition to, traditional reinsurance. However, the time periods vary from a few months to upwards of seven years. The basis of cover has also varied from deal to deal, ranging from a traditional ultimate net loss indemnity through to purely index-based covers.One of the most recent deals has been the structure placed for Allianz, which can be best described as an option on a catastrophe bond. In the event Allianz suffers a catastrophic loss, it has the option to issue a catastrophe bond, for which the terms and buyers have already been secured. The value to Allianz of having the option is that if conventional reinsurance is also available at the time on competitive terms, then Allianz can decide to purchase a traditional reinsurance programme instead. Therefore, Allianz has succeeded in setting a cap on its reinsurance programme costs, and given notice to the conventional market that it cannot react too strongly to any future catastrophe losses and still maintain its client base - the capital markets will be waiting on the sidelines ready to come on to the field of play.
This deal also illustrates one important consequence for the insurance industry of convergence with the capital markets. The insurance industry does not currently appear to have any shortage of capital, as evidenced by the continuing soft market conditions, acquisitions by insurers and reinsurers seeking premium to feed their capital base and the recent special dividend proposed by Royal & SunAlliance to give some capital back to its shareholders. Therefore, the need for risk capital from the capital markets is currently lower than it was back in 1992 and shortly thereafter.
However, the "technology" for bringing capital from non-traditional sources directly to bear on underwriting risk has now been proven and cannot be reversed. The capital markets, therefore, provide a sort of glass ceiling which will inhibit any significant hardening of rates in the traditional insurance market. Investors in catastrophe bonds include institutional investors such as pension funds, money managers and hedge funds, as well as life insurers adding to their bond portfolios.
The major area of development in alternative insurance products or corporates is the increasing availability of multi-line, multi-year policies, which are sometimes also referred to as blended or integrated risk coverages. Starting from the premise that it is more efficient to protect a combined portfolio of risks rather than to protect each risk separately, major insurers have developed programmes providing multi-line, multi-year coverage, usually on some form of aggregate basis. The truly non-traditional aspect of some of these programmes comes where one or more traditionally non-insurable risks have also been introduced into the portfolio. These new exposures can include financial risks, such as fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, interest rates and commodity prices.
A variant on integrated risk in a reinsurance context is a double-trigger approach. Two such deals are those on behalf of the CLM Insurance Fund and the California State Automobile Association (CSAA). The CLM policy responds if it suffers from both adverse underwriting results and a significant fall in the stockmarket index. Similarly the CSAA reinsurance protects against the occurrence of a major catastrophe and any fall in a specified equity index below the level pertaining at the start of the contract.
Advances in financial and statistical risk modelling that underpin the modelling of an insurance company's full operations, including underwriting and investment (often referred to as dynamic financial analysis models), greatly assist the development of such covers, which provide full balance sheet protection for assets and liabilities, These approaches demonstrate a very close and intimate convergence between insurance and capital markets.
Question 3: Will the insurance industry, during this process of convergence, lose out to the banks and other financial institutions?
Rather than being side-lined, the challenge for the insurance industry is to restructure and re-segment its activities. Outsourcing of non-core services is a growing trend across all industries. Insurance companies may have to decide what their core competencies really are - underwriting, claims handling or investment management - and specialise accordingly. We have already seen the growth of companies providing services to the insurance industry, and some of the larger insurance and reinsurance companies are giving priority to developing their asset management operations (an area where there seems to be potential for economies of scale).
The implication is that the two key words are focus and efficiency. Size assists, but a clear focus on areas of competency and specialisation and an efficiency in management of capital and quality delivery of service are all essential to survive and prosper in today's market.
Dr Alan Punter is the executive director of Aon Capital Markets.


The learner is motivated to learn ('you can take a horse to water…').
The learning medium (e.g. training course, book) suits the learner's preferences.
The environment (e.g. classroom, workplace) is conducive to learning.
People are, of course, motivated to learn for all kinds of reasons. Some people seek out learning opportunities because they want to gain a qualification, others because their job is changing and they need to learn new things, others simply because they get a buzz from the experience of learning itself.
If you or a colleague are struggling with the prospect of learning, consider what might make the effort worthwhile for you and try to building motivational rewards into your own learning programme. Some people find that producing a Personal Development Plan helps them to structure learning into busy working lives whilst others prefer a more spontaneous, ad hoc approach.
The learning medium has been the subject of much research and study and relates to what has become known as personal learning styles. It is worth having a glance through the four categories outlined below and to consider which you are able to identify with most easily.
groups or taking part in practical skills workshops.
observing, conducting research, taking a back seat in discussion groups or producing reports.
working on assignments that involve excitement, challenge and physical engagement.
Learning environments link to learning styles because different sorts of environment will appeal to people with different learning styles. This presents obvious challenges when designing a learning event for a group of people and the most common compromise is to try to create an environment that has different components (e.g. quiet places, activity spaces) and to allow maximum degree of freedom of choice.


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Is it unethical for an airline to transport dolphins?
HONG KONG -- Dolphins that are likely from "The Cove," that is. Protesters are warning of a boycott over one flight's controversial cargo.
By Vanessa Ko | February 25, 2012 -- 23:43 GMT (15:43 PST) | Topic: Innovation
HONG KONG — Hong Kong Airlines is facing an image problem after the company flew five live dolphins from Japan to Vietnam last month on a cargo flight.
The controversy started after the airline circulated a self-congratulatory internal memo that said the flight netted $109,000 in revenue and that the company wanted to further develop this kind of business. The email also included a photo of the dolphins being held in the vessel.
Just a few days after the memo became public via an investigative report by the Hong Kong edition of China Daily, thousands of people had signed an online protest and the company faced a deluge of complaint calls.
The 2009 Oscar-winning documentary The Cove brought to the world's attention the gruesome annual event of culling and killing thousands of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. The film revealed that some of the captured dolphins are sold to aquariums around the world.
The original news article said activists think there was a "strong possibility" that the Vietnam-bound dolphins were from Taiji, and it is suspected that they were headed to a resort area Halong Bay, Vietnam. The airline company has declined to identify its clients.
Hong Kong Airlines issued a statement saying that it wants to have "open dialogue" with the activist groups but defends itself as having broken no laws while following international regulations.
Tim Lam, a marine biologist at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, calls the outcry a "lost cause."
"Frankly speaking, someone will transport them," he said. "It is business. What can you do when it is free enterprise?"
Photo: Flickr/Benson Kua
More from Vanessa Ko
Where some see overpopulation, a plan to attract more people
How Hong Kong's high rents stifle innovation
Asia's heavy mobile usage helps dating sites thrive
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Stephens Inc. AR Reduces Stock Holdings in Wolfspeed, Inc. (NYSE:WOLF)
Posted by Defense World Staff on Jan 22nd, 2023
Stephens Inc. AR decreased its stake in Wolfspeed, Inc. (NYSE:WOLF – Get Rating) by 22.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,173 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,324 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Wolfspeed were worth $845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Wolfspeed by 206.4% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 78,304 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,094,000 after buying an additional 52,752 shares during the period. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC acquired a new position in Wolfspeed in the 3rd quarter worth about $3,826,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Wolfspeed by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 22,153 shares of the company's stock worth $2,290,000 after purchasing an additional 2,355 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Wolfspeed by 4,128.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 5,709 shares of the company's stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 5,574 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Wolfspeed by 137.9% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 45,227 shares of the company's stock worth $4,675,000 after purchasing an additional 26,218 shares during the period.
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A number of research firms recently weighed in on WOLF. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Wolfspeed from $130.00 to $110.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 27th. Susquehanna Bancshares began coverage on Wolfspeed in a report on Monday, December 12th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $90.00 price target for the company. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Wolfspeed from $130.00 to $100.00 in a report on Thursday, October 27th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Wolfspeed from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Wolfspeed to $115.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $102.67.
Wolfspeed Stock Up 4.7 %
Shares of NYSE:WOLF opened at $79.92 on Friday. Wolfspeed, Inc. has a one year low of $58.07 and a one year high of $125.48. The company has a 50 day moving average of $79.98 and a 200-day moving average of $93.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 4.61 and a quick ratio of 3.97. The stock has a market cap of $9.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -61.01 and a beta of 1.46.
Wolfspeed (NYSE:WOLF – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 26th. The company reported ($0.22) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.21) by ($0.01). Wolfspeed had a negative return on equity of 4.40% and a negative net margin of 18.90%. The business had revenue of $241.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.76 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Wolfspeed, Inc. will post -0.94 earnings per share for the current year.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, Director Duy Loan T. Le acquired 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $91.04 per share, with a total value of $182,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 29,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,700,428.48. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Duy Loan T. Le acquired 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $77.26 per share, with a total value of $77,260.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 25,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,982,646.12. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Duy Loan T. Le purchased 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $91.04 per share, with a total value of $182,080.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 29,662 shares in the company, valued at $2,700,428.48. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.
Wolfspeed Company Profile
Wolfspeed, Inc operates as a powerhouse semiconductor company focuses on silicon carbide and gallium nitride (GaN) technologies Europe, China, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and internationally. It offers silicon carbide and GaN materials, including silicon carbide bare wafers, epitaxial wafers, and GaN epitaxial layers on silicon carbide wafers to manufacture products for RF, power, and other applications.
Get a free copy of the StockNews.com research report on Wolfspeed (WOLF)
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Stephens Inc. AR Grows Position in The Gabelli Dividend & Income Trust (NYSE:GDV)
Stephens Inc. AR Purchases 1,943 Shares of General Motors (NYSE:GM)
Schlumberger Given New $75.00 Price Target at HSBC
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Creating Echo Hosts on the fly?
simple question. I'm using the subdomains example https://echo.labstack.com/cookbook/subdomains and it's working fine.
According to this recipe you need to declare routes and middleware for each different subdomains. Is there a way to make this more dynamic and smaller in size?
For example I want to swap out code lines for general echo instance creation (echo.New()) and let echo create a master host containing host specific necessary parts on the fly, depending on the request.host.
Anyone interested in how the solution looks like?
It's pretty exciting that echo offers me a nice way to level up my programming skills as well as getting in touch with all the different techniques and stuff. Making me very happy to watch every idea becoming reality. Stunning.
Thanks to all contributing to this project!


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Four bands, one night; The Parish hosts emo, rock, punk bands that kill it on stage
Bridget Henderson
On April 6, four emo/rock/punk/whatever-you-call-them bands took the stage at the Parish on Sixth Street.
New Jersey natives Pinegrove opened the show. It was only 7:30 p.m., yet the Parish was packed with people.
Arguably the most talented band, Pinegrove had everyone singing along to their folk-like indie rock music.
Lead singer Nandi Rose Plunkett's lyrics consisted of harrowing on past mistakes, losing friends and moving on. His distinct southern drawl only prominent when he's singing combined with the variety of volume and pitch in his voice blew the crowd away.
Personally, I was skeptical of why they were the opener and not closer to the headliner– they were the most engaging and genuine band.
Although Pinegrove has been an active band since 2010, they made their real come-up with their breakout album, "Cardinal," released in 2016.
The band interacted with the crowd, even making jokes about Plunkett's style choice for the night: short running shorts and a button down top. Not only are they musically talented and funny, but they have an air about them that feels like you're sitting down with an old friend, hearing stories from their past when they play their songs.
The next band to play was Ohio's own, The Sidekicks. This band came on stage full of energy and spunk, a stark contrast to Pinegrove.
Where the crowd interacted with Pinegrove and shouted honest lyrics along with them, they did not show up the same way for The Sidekicks. Maybe one or two people knew lyrics to a few songs, but otherwise it felt like the energy from the previous set was ruined by this band's bubbly and eccentric pop-punk songs.
This is not to say that The Sidekicks did not bring passion. The lead singer, Steve Ciolek, hugged his guitar ferociously while he played, and even fell to the ground at some points, finishing the set on his knees.
The third band, The World is a Beautiful Place and I am no Longer Afraid to Die (TWIABP), was just as dramatic as their name. They filled the stage with eight members of the band. David Bello, the band's frontman and singer, even sang into two microphones at once. Why the extra-extraness when they already had eight people squeezed up on the stage? Who knows?
On recording, this band has a unique sound that comes together nicely with deep lyrics, songs sounding like a personal catharsis. Live, they did not match up to their albums. They were not awful, but some songs were dragged out with unnecessary noise and echoes of one or more of their seven instruments.
Bello's voice could not always be heard over the music, which was disappointing, because his live talent matched the graceful yet raw voice on the albums.
If any band can contribute their fame to the "emo-revival" many people have claimed to happen in the last three or four years, TWIABP is it.
Their lyrics consisted of overcoming depression and heartbreak, as do most emo bands. The interesting part about this is TWIABP is far from a typical emo band. Besides their numerous members, they have an extremely unique sound with extended breakdowns and intense energy.
Unfortunately, all of the headbanging and array of noises from TWIABP gave me too much of a headache to stay for the indie-emo-acoustic headliner Into It. Over It.
I've seen Evan Weiss perform many times, and he never disappoints. With a lineup like this, I am sure the crowd adored his performance, soothing their minds with acoustic guitar and sincere lyrics after a night of intense bands.
Tags: cardinal, david bello, emo, emo pop, energy, evan weiss, intense energy, lead singer, leave a light on, music, nandi rose plunkett, new jersey, ohio, punk rock genres, singer, steve ciolek, subcultures, the world
Special Issue 2019: Relationships from Ana Flores on Vimeo.


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Home NBA Memphis Grizzlies – Making Kevin Durant Look Terrible When it Matters
Memphis Grizzlies – Making Kevin Durant Look Terrible When it Matters
Gregory Cameron
It came down to defense, and there doesn't seem to be any team that does it better at the moment than the Memphis Grizzlies, with Marc Gasol closing any lanes on their way to the rim, while Tony Allen simply did a perfect job on Kevin Durant during the fourth quarter and overtime, putting the Griz only one win away from reaching the conference final for the first time in franchise history.
It came down to stopping Durant in the final moments. After going 8-14 from the field during the first three quarters, Durant saw much more of Tony Allen in the closing moments of the game, leading to him missing his final five shots of the game (all in overtime) and turning the ball over twice during the fourth quarter with the game on the line.
The Thunder had the game in their hand during the early parts of it, taking a 46-29 lead in the second quarter after Reggie Jackson blocked Zach Randolph, but things went quite awry from there, all in the direction of the better team all throughout the series. Marc Gasol, somehow winning the DPOY award but not included in the all-defensive first team, finished with 6 blocks, four of them in the second half, and three of them on Serge Ibaka, who looked the best he has in the postseason, and it still wasn't enough.
Gasol was also huge offensively, scoring 23 points and adding 11 rebounds. The Grizzlies went on to outscore the Thunder 74-51 since the Thunder's biggest lead, eventually winning in overtime 103-97 to take the 3-1 lead, as Mike Conley (24 points) and Zach Randolph (23 points) enjoyed big nights offensively.
We are a team that just plays hard and doesn't quit. We scratch. We claw. They said grit and grind. I don't know what the heck that means, but we go out and we just battle. We compete. We're not the most talented team that's in the playoffs when we started out. We're not the most talented team that's left in the playoffs. But we go and compete.
This was sweet revenge for the Grizzlies, all fearing, just a little bit, a repeat of the 2011 events. After taking a 2-1 lead in the semifinal series against the Thunder, they dropped a 22 point lead in a triple overtime game to give the Thunder control of the series and eventually the ticket to the conference final. A lot of players are still on the team, and they knew this time it wasn't going to happen.
The Grizzlies went to work on what they're good at. They caused turnovers (forcing the Thunder to 15, compared with their 7), and to the postup. They were the number one post up team in the NBA in these playoffs, and almost 20% of their offense in the Game 4 win came through post up plays for Randolph and Gasol, scoring 1.1 points per possession on such plays. The rest was Mike Conley showing just how good he is right now, scoring most of their spot up points, making up 25% of their offense, including a huge floater with 2 minutes left in the fourth to give the Grizzlies a 92-91 lead.
Memphis are simply playing the right way, while the Thunder keep improvising, and waiting for Kevin Durant to come up with something. Excellent defense, and exhaustion, made it so the most talented player on the court, once again, didn't have left in the tank for the closing moments.
Images: Source
2012-2013 NBA Season
Zach Randolph
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Alexander Acosta; Jeffrey Epstein (AP/Carolyn Kaster/New York State Sex Offender Registry)
"Completely wrong": Former prosecutor says Alex Acosta is lying about Epstein plea deal
Acosta blamed Florida prosecutors for Epstein's deal. Former Palm Beach state attorney says he wasn't involved
Check out this article! https://www.salon.com/2019/07/11/completely-wrong-former-prosecutor-says-alex-acosta-is-lying-about-epstein-plea-deal/
Igor Derysh
July 11, 2019 7:15PM (UTC)
Former Palm Beach State Attorney Barry Krischer accused Labor Secretary Alex Acosta of trying to "rewrite history" by suggesting that state prosecutors in Florida went easy on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein when he got a lenient plea deal more than a decade ago.
Acosta was the U.S. attorney in Miami who oversaw the federal investigation into Epstein in 2008. Even though investigators identified 36 underage victims and issued a 53-page indictment that could have sent him to prison for life, Epstein was allowed to plead guilty to two state prostitution charges and serve just 13 months in county jail while continuing to work from his office six days a week. A federal judge later found the deal unconstitutional because Acosta had not conferred with the victims after negotiations with Epstein's lawyers.
Acosta held a press conference Wednesday to defend the plea deal. Acosta claimed that the deal was necessary to ensure that Epstein received jail time because a trial would have been "a roll of the dice."
"We've seen other cases where state prosecutors let folks go with no sentence and people shake their heads. In this case, the federal office intervened before the plea was taken and said, 'Stop,'" he said. "The Palm Beach state attorney's office was willing to let Epstein walk free. No jail time. Nothing. Prosecutors in my former office found this to be completely unacceptable, and we became involved."
Krischer, who served as the Palm Beach state attorney at the time, unequivocally rejected Acosta's claim, writing that state prosecutors were shut out of the process while Acosta held secret negotiations with Epstein's attorneys.
"I can emphatically state that Mr. Acosta's recollection of this matter is completely wrong," Krischer said in a statement. "The US Attorney's Office produced a 53-page indictment that was abandoned after secret negotiations between Mr. Epstein's lawyers and Mr. Acosta. The State Attorney's Office was not a party to those meetings or negotiations, and definitely had no part in the federal Non-Prosecution Agreement and the unusual confidentiality arrangement that kept everything hidden from the victims."
"If Mr. Acosta was truly concerned with the State's case and felt he had to rescue the matter, he would have moved forward with the 53-page indictment that his own office drafted. Instead, Mr. Acosta brokered a secret plea deal that resulted in a Non-Prosecution Agreement in violation of the Crime Victim's Rights act," he wrote, adding that Acosta "should not be allowed to rewrite history."
The details of the investigation and subsequent plea deal negotiations were revealed by the Miami Herald last year, months before Epstein was indicted on child sex trafficking charges in New York. Julie K. Brown, the Herald reporter who investigated the story, also called out Acosta for fudging the facts in his Wednesday news conference.
"He managed to present it in a way that sounds true if you really don't read the court records and understand the sequence of events," Brown told CNN.
"If this was such a great deal, and this was the best they could do, why didn't they tell the victims? Why didn't they answer the victims' phone calls?" she asked. "The part about not informing the victims wasn't written in that agreement."
During Acosta's nearly hour-long news conference, the labor secretary repeatedly declined to apologize to Epstein's victims and later appeared to blame Epstein's light sentence on victims for not speaking out.
"The message is you need to come forward," he said. "I heard this morning that another victim came forward and made horrendous, horrendous allegations, allegations that should never happen to any woman, much less a young girl. And as victims come forward, these cases can be brought and they can be brought by the federal government, they can be brought by state attorneys, and they will be brought."
Brown debunked the idea that victims were not prepared to speak out. "He had 36 girls who all told the same story, which is amazing," she told CNN. "I talked to only a handful of them and they all said what the M.O. was."
The New York Times detailed Brown's reporting on the case earlier this week, revealing the extent of the information Acosta had when he let Epstein off with a slap on the wrist.
"Early in the process, she received a heavily redacted police report that was more than 100 pages long," the Times reported, "and mentioned more than 100 Jane Does."
Igor Derysh is a New York-based political writer whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Herald and Baltimore Sun.
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How Russia manipulated Twitter in 2016


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Australia's first international Eco Fashion Week will be held in Perth the week commencing 20th November 2017. The week will feature informative discussions, workshops, exhibitions and stunning runway shows that showcase the best designs in organic, fair trade, handmade, and ethical fashion.
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Connally McDougall will exhibit in this year's Eco Fashion Week Australia.
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VFW 2017FW | "WILL TO WALK" collection – Finale from HIROAKI TANAKA of Studio Membrane.
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text:
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"Twitter Ye Not"
Reopened October 2019 - includes archived threads from pre-2019
by toucana on November 15th, 2018, 9:44 pm
Curiosity is growing about the unusual and ongoing radio silence of a number of high-profile Twitter accounts, some of which have now been silent for almost eight days since 8 November.
The list includes:
- Fox News
- Wikileaks
- Rudy Giuliani
- Brad Parscale
- Kimdotcom
The conservative Drudge Report site is also widely reported to have been deleting large numbers of its older Tweets. The National Enquirer feed which was down for a number of days has recently reappeared, as of 13 November but has been doing some house-cleaning as well.
According to a report by The Hill, the Fox News online silence is connected to a complaint by Fox News about Twitter's handling of antifa Tweets that circulated personal information about Tucker Carlson and his family who were recently harassed by protesters at a country club restaurant.
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/416184-fox-news-twitter-account-dark-for-days-due-to-tucker-carlson-home-threats
Opinion remains divided on reddit and other online discussion sites as to whether it's simply a coincidence that so many Twitter accounts connected to parties of potential interest to Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation have all gone off the air at once, or whether there are legal injunctions at work behind the scenes.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Keep_Track/comments/9wibya/foxnews_drudge_and_wikileaks_on_twitter_has_went/
There does seem to be some evidence that Fox News are currently rethinking the nature of their relationship to the Trump administration. Fox News have recently filed an amicus curiae brief in support of CNN's decision to sue the White House for violating CNN chief correspondent Jim Acosta's First Amendment rights by withdrawing his White House "hard pass".
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fox-news-other-news-outlets-file-amicus-briefs-in-support-of-cnn-lawsuit-against-trump-administration/
toucana
Chatroom Operator
Location: Bristol UK
Re: "Twitter Ye Not"
by toucana on November 16th, 2018, 10:29 am
The Washington Post is reporting that Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks has already been charged under a sealed indictment.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/julian-assange-has-been-charged-prosecutors-reveal-in-inadvertent-court-filing/2018/11/15/9902e6ba-98bd-48df-b447-3e2a4638f05a_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2aQNpRfpd_p8bUNqb6SyLzR3IkMuZ6HHryQvQefkoFIK0AG_2BCwT1NiI&utm_term=.e43a2a059abe
The information was apparently released unintentionally by prosecutors who were making a filing in another case before the Eastern District of Virginia Court.
Meanwhile, according to Bloomberg, another filing made at the Washington District Court by Special counsel Robert Mueller's team disclosed that they have asked the judge Amy Berman Jackson for another ten days of grace before referring Paul Manafort the former head of the Trump 2016 election campaign for sentencing.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-16/mueller-promises-judge-more-details-on-manafort-case-in-10-days
The timing is interesting. Paul Manafort is a co-operating witness who has already cut a plea deal with prosecutors. They could just as easily have asked for another month, or several. The oddly specific request for just ten more days suggests that Manafort's role will soon be over, and that fresh significant indictments are likely to be issued before Thanksgiving.
by SciameriKen on November 16th, 2018, 6:12 pm
toucana » Fri Nov 16, 2018 1:44 am wrote: Curiosity is growing about the unusual and ongoing radio silence of a number of high-profile Twitter accounts, some of which have now been silent for almost eight days since 8 November.
Wow that is very strange! I wish all of twitter would go silent for longer!
SciameriKen
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text:
class CreatePosts < ActiveRecord::Migration[5.0]
  def change
    create_table :posts do |t|
      t.string  :content
      t.integer :user_id
      t.string  :post_variety_id

      t.timestamps
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


(A) The woman on the right has just written something on a flip chart.
(B) The woman on the right is holding a blue felt tip pen.
(C) The woman on the left has both hands on the laptop keyboard.
(D) Both women are wearing yellow tops.


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text:
Un'espressione matematica è un insieme di numeri legati da segni di operazioni matematiche, detti operatori matematici.

Storia
Le espressioni e la loro valutazione furono formalizzate da Alonzo Church e Stephen Kleene negli anni 1930 nel loro lambda calcolo. Il calcolo lambda ha avuto importanti implicazioni nello sviluppo della matematica moderna e dei linguaggi di programmazione per computer.

Caratteristiche generali
Le espressioni possono essere valutate a valori, e si può dire che rappresentano quei valori. La determinazione del valore di un'espressione dipende dalla definizione degli operatori matematici e del sistema di valori che forma il suo contesto.

Le espressioni possono avere "variabili libere" che non sono definite nell'espressione, ma si ricavano dal contesto. Due espressioni si dicono equivalenti se, valutate, determinano lo stesso valore.

Uno dei risultati più interessanti del calcolo lambda è che l'equivalenza di due espressioni è in alcuni casi indecidibile. Ciò è vero anche per espressioni in qualunque sistema che ha potenza equivalente al calcolo lambda.

Regole delle espressioni
Nelle espressioni valgono alcune convenzioni da rispettare riguardo all'ordine delle operazioni:

 Si svolgono prima le operazioni tra le parentesi tonde, poi quelle tra le parentesi quadre, dopo quelle tra le parentesi graffe, infine quelle all'esterno delle parentesi.
 Si svolgono prima le potenze, poi le moltiplicazioni e le divisioni, infine le addizioni e le sottrazioni se si trovano nelle stesse parentesi.

Voci correlate
 Aritmetica
 Algebra
 Lambda calcolo
 Operatore (matematica)
 Variabile (matematica)

Altri progetti

Matematica

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


We now meet in a ground floor room for easier access.
A week in Politics is a long time - a semester in Political Thought has been so fast because of the pace of change in national politics and European changes including Catalan.
9 January - Religeous Education (Has it a place?).
16 January - War on Drugs.
23 January - Defence of the Nation (a constant war).
6 February - Monarch or President?.
We are always open to suggestions by group members even if they do not want to lead, so if you have a burning Political Thought, please feel free to suggest it.
We are a friendly discussion group with no political bias so we look forward to welcoming new members even if it is for only one week where you see a topic that you are interested in.
Last modified: February 15 2019 17:53:12.


text:
Q: Enlarging images with CSS (or jQuery) without moving everything else on the page I have a dynamically generated set of images (with a comment near every image). I want to display every image with max-width and max-height of 48 px, but when the user is hovering over an image it grows to max-width and max-height of 200px. But without moving everything else on the page. This is the code that generates the images:
$(function(){
        $.getJSON("inc/API.php",
        {command : "getUserComments", userid : getQueryStringValue("userid")},
        function(result)
        {
        for (var i = 0; i<6; i++){
            $("#divUserCommentsContent").append("

"+
            result[i].commentDateAndTime+"

       ****

Comment for "+result[i].imageHeader+
            "

"+result[i].comment+"

");
        }
    });
});

I marked the image with 2 **. This is the CSS:
.userpic, .commentpic
{
max-height:48px;
max-width:48px;
border-radius:5px;
z-index:1;
position:relative;
}
.commentpic:hover
{
max-width: 200px;
max-height: 200px;
position:relative;
z-index: 50;
}

It enlarges the image, but also moves everything else on the right of it and below the image.
How can I make the images larger, either with CSS (preferably) or with jQuery, without moving everything else here? Thank you!

A: You could try something like setting the position of .commentpic to absolute.
You can see an example here: http://jsfiddle.net/HkPCp/3/
I think this is the behavior you want, right?
EDIT : I updated the jsFiddle so that it won't move the other elements.
Is this the correct behavior?

A: Put each of your images in a container which has a set width and height. The overflow of your container will be visible.
Anything that flows outside will be visible, but won't effect the content.
http://jsfiddle.net/ck6MG/

A: It'd use jQuery here for this:

Basicly you have an absolute div which is hidden until you hover a img, then positions itself to where the img is and shows the same image, but bigger.
The image increases from the center and won't affect the rest of the structure since it's absolute.
I could add animation if you'd like.

A: https://jsfiddle.net/dafemtg1/
FYI, CSS using the transform property:
img{transition:all 0.2s;}
img:hover {transform:scale(1.4);transition:all 0.2s;}

A: Try css position:absolute for the elements you don't want to move
put z-index high for those elements you want to show on top

A: Add a class="userpic-container" to the parent div of the image and try this CSS:
.userpic-container {
    position: relative;
    height: 48px;
    width: 48px;
}

.userpic, .commentpic {
    border-radius: 5px;
    position: absolute;
    height: 48px;
    width: 48px;
    z-index: 1;
}
.commentpic:hover {
    height: 200px;
    width: 200px;
    z-index: 10;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Home » Blog » Electronic Gifts Are An Easy Find at Christmas Gifts.com!
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text:
Bush's War With America
You can tell that President Bush is not doing well in the war in Iraq when he has to send out Rummy, Cheney and Rove, the attack dogs, to snarl at their countrymen again.
The only war they seem to think that they can win when in trouble in Iraq is the "war against their fellow Americans." No one dare oppose or criticize Bush's illegal and inept incursion into Iraq or you are "swiftboated" by his illustrious cohorts as they did in 2004 when they scuttled Senator Kerry's presidential candidacy.
In his latest speech before the American Legion annual convention, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, and VP Cheney speaking before the VFW, treated their fellow Americans as if they were Nazis and Fascists. "Trust us or you're an appeaser of terror, similar to those in the 1930s who advocated appeasing Nazi Germany." Outrageous.
Terrorism is a noun not a country. The 19 terrorists who brought down the Twin Towers were not a nation, 15 of whom were Saudi Arabians. Their ringleader, Osma bin Laden, a Saudi Arabian, is supposedly hiding out in Afghanistan. Bush started out pursuing Osama's terrorists in Afghanistan then switched his bomb sights to Iraq, killing innocent people that had nothing to do with Twin Towers. To capture Al Capone the FBI didn't bomb Canada.
Osama bin Laden was no friend of Saddam Hussein anyway and I don't believe Saddam was hiding him in the basement of one of his palaces. So Bush and his aides have really got themselves and the US in a quagmire and they are having a hard time justifying the war and getting out of it victoriously.
If the war is so important for Bush and freedom loving countries to win, why didn't he and his generals fight it right in the first place with sufficient troops, armored vehicles, chest protectors, a large contingent of International troops et cetera instead of blaming their 3 1/2 years of failure on their opponents?
David A. Whelan
Forest Knolls, CA 94933
Bush The Weasel
Bush uses weasel words to conceal what he really means. When Bush talks about "The Program" he means secret torture camps. When he says that he doesn't understand what the Geneva Conventions mean, it mean he does understand them and that torture is illegal. When has asks for "clarification" he really means redefinition of the word torture so as to pretend that torture is somehow legal. He says that he doesn't want CIA professionals to be tried as international war criminals, but I think that he is the one who is worried about being tried as a war criminal because he clearly understands that secret torture camps violate international law.
Last time Bush tried to redefine torture it lead to Abu Ghraib prison where Americans were torturing people and got caught. As a result they started chopping people heads off. Now Bush wants us to make the same mistake again. Bush wants America to become barbarians. You don't defeat barbarians by becoming one yourself. But that's not who we are and I urge people to call their Republican representatives and tell them that Colin Powell and John McCain are right, torture camps are wrong.
I'm Marc Perkel - And I approved this message!
Caving In To Bush
John McCain has caved into Bush yet again on the only issue that people thought still had meaning for him. McCain who was a prisoner of war has now caved into Bush's plan to allow the CIA to torture prisoners in secret prisons in countries that allow torture.
The Republicans think that if you tamper with the definition of torture then it makes it not torture. However - if Bush doesn't intend to torture then why do you need secret prisons in countries that allow torture in order to do it?
I don't know about anyone else but I am more troubled by Americans lowering our standards to the same level as Islamic Terrorists. There is now no moral difference between us and them. We are both a society of barbarians who practice the methods of Hitler in the way we treat people. This isn't going to save any American lives. It's going to cost American lives because more people around the world will hate Americans for our barbarism. This is so outrageous that it will even cause Americans to hate Americans.
This is no longer my country anymore. The America I remember would never legalize torture.
Marc Perkel
Stop Cheney's Violating The Constitutional
It's true. Dick Cheney is pushing Congress to allow the government to access Americans' conversations and emails without getting an individualized warrant.
The ACLU has been fighting in the courts and on Capitol Hill to halt the Bush administration's secret program of warrantless domestic spying. Just last month, we won a tremendous victory when the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan declared the National Security Agency program unconstitutional and called for an immediate halt to this abuse of presidential power.
Stand with us today to protect your privacy and the rule of law. Visit http://www.alternet.org/aclu today! Even as this important civil liberties victory works its way through the courts, the White House is playing politics with our privacy to bolster their numbers and appear "tough on terrorism." And now the Bush administration's allies in Congress are scrambling to find ways to keep their illegal activities moving forward with two bills drafted under Dick Cheney's supervision.
The Cheney legislation is characterized by some as "surveillance we can live with," but if these bills pass, our homes, cell phone records and email inboxes will be vulnerable to new kinds of government spying that are currently completely illegal. But we have a chance to stop these bills this week, before White House pressure drives them to a speedy vote.
Now is the time to tell Congress to protect your privacy and the rule of law. Visit http://www.alternet.org/aclu now! The same dangerous pattern of sanctioning abuses of power is at work in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's Hamdan decision declaring illegal the Bush administration's military commissions, which were set up to try and convict detainees held indefinitely without basic due process protections.
The Cheney bills are worse than the powers ceded to the government by the Patriot Act, and would write into law what is now the administration's belief that the president can wiretap any American he wants without any check required by the Fourth Amendment or without any meaningful check to protect individual rights. If these bills pass, nothing will prevent government agents from unilaterally targeting Americans for indefinite secret surveillance without cause. That's not America; with your help, we will ensure these bills do not pass.
The Bush administration and its allies are actively using fear to undermine our fundamental freedoms, and the time to stop them is right now.
Please take action at http://www.alternet.org/aclu today to protect your privacy and the rule of law.
Anthony D. Romero
PS Don't be deceived by claims that these bills will protect your privacy and restore judicial review. To learn more, visit our website -- http://www.alternet.org/aclu -- today.
Correction On Dr. Amy Neustein
In your September, 2006, online edition of the Coastal Post, I erroneously stated that Dr. Amy Neustein was featured in the production of "Breaking the Silence". I stand corrected. I extend my apologies to Dr. Neustein for this oversight.
Robin Denison
http://www.parental-alienation-awareness.com
Danger, Danger!!!
Anthrax, anthrax! Everybody quake in your boots! Perhaps eighteen people died, of which maybe 13 were Democrats! Terrorism is on the rise: We'd better wage nuclear war with Iran and start WW III ! In fact, we're so tough on terrorism, that more than 800 of the Guantanamo detainees have been proven innocent, yet none are released! (www.aclu.org)
What's more is that, to show how serious we are about fighting terrorism, we forgot to send out fighter jets on 9/11! Oh yeah, the London plot...that was brilliant! We foiled it! Look at how many terrorists were caught! But shhhh....it's a secret. Not one of the London terrorists owned a plane ticket, and many didn't even own passports. See, the plot was announced in Afghanistan, and somehow no evidence turned up for a full year! Yet WE managed to foil the plot based on intelligence BEFORE it even existed! THAT's how brilliant we are!! ( Craig Murray August 14, 2006, "The UK Terror Plot: What's Really Going On?"
So please everybody, sit back and be comfy: We will be sure to fight it out to the death just for your sakes, with a war declared based on a lie. We will never turn back. We will always stay the course. We care sooo much about you and your safety, that we will even wiretap a country of innocent people and DUB them terrorists---you know, like the 800 innocent Guantanamo detainees----just to keep you safe! That's why we set up the Patriot Act and the wiretapping combined, didn't you know? Ohhhh yessssss....those poor Katrina victims. We are sooooo truly sorry that we abandoned them and left them to die.
DOES EVERYBODY FEEL REALLY SAFE NOW??? Please vote Charles Manson for president and put nuclear weapons into his hands. Have we learned the lesson of blind partisan loyalty yet? Vote Republican this November?? Better yet, how about lock 'em ALL up and throw away the key!
Drina Brooke
Don't Let the President Legalize Torture
The Bush Administration is pushing for legislation that will officially sanction the use of evidence obtained through torture. This is un-American -- and unacceptable.
The White House is currently pushing for a new law to allow torture of detainees in the "war on terror" -- a law that would violate the Geneva Conventions and contradict our United States Constitution.
The proposed law would allow evidence to be withheld from defendants in terrorism trials, and severely restrict the fundamental right of habeas corpus. It would apply retroactively to 2001 -- thus protecting Administration officials for illegal acts they may have committed. Most notably, it would allow the use of coerced testimony in military tribunals -- even though this information has been shown not to be reliable.
Tell your Senators NOT to let the President legalize torture.
,In contrast, Senators Graham, McCain and Warner have recently defied the White House and helped pass different legislation out of the Senate Armed Services Committee. This bill has very significant flaws - but is a great deal better than the Administration's proposal.
Their legislation would bar the US military from engaging in "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment" of detainees, from hiding prisoners from the Red Cross, and from using interrogation methods not authorized by a new Army field manual. These principles should be taken as a bare minimum for any detainee policy that Congress passes into law.
Tell the Senate -- the President's torture proposals are simply unacceptable, and must never pass the Senate.
It's vitally important that this administration not be allowed to wipe out our constitutional freedoms and protections under the guise of protecting us from terrorism. So take action today!
Want to increase your impact? Share this message with friends and family who are concerned about, or simply unaware of, the President's new proposals to legalize torture.
Thank you for working to build a better world.
Will Easton
Manager, ActForChange.com
Working Assets
Getting the flu shot each year is the single best way to protect yourself and the ones you love from influenza and its complications. If you have Medicare, a flu shot is one of the many preventive benefits you receive. Staying healthy means getting your annual flu shot. Enjoy life. Stay active. Get your flu shot as early as October or anytime through January or February.
Peter Bauer
US Department of Health and Human Services.
Falwell Spewing
Rev. Jerry Falwell has been spewing xenophobic, homophobic, and religiously zealous rants for decades -- all wrapped in the flag of patriotism from atop his "Liberty Mountain" in Virginia.
This week, he's taking on South Dakota in his crusade to ban abortion throughout America. And he's doing it to the tune of $4 million dollars.
We can't let Jerry Falwell decide the fate of South Dakota's abortion law. Please give what you can to stand up for South Dakota:
http://www.standupsd.com/falwell
Attached below is Falwell's latest call-to-action to his massive network of followers. In it, he warns of a multi-million dollar pro-choice "war chest," and commands people to open their checkbooks right away as an act of faith.
The truth is, there is no war-chest for South Dakota. We don't have millions of dollars for TV commercials or glossy direct mail appeals.
Every penny raised for this urgent fight is being spent in an intense voter-to-voter effort to tell the truth about this dangerous law.
So while Falwell talks of deep pockets and millions of dollars, the reality is that $250,000 raised this week could make the difference on Election Day:
According to Jerry Falwell, "What happens in South Dakota will literally affect the future of America."
We couldn't agree more.
The bottom line is -- upholding the abortion ban in South Dakota is the religious right's big chance to take on Roe vs. Wade. And it's our big chance to stop them.
Please act now:
This email is being sent to thousands of people. Together, by clicking to donate $20, $35, or $50 today, we can deliver the votes that will stop the extremists in South Dakota -- and protect the rights of women and families across the country. But it can't wait. Please join us today.
Sarah Stoesz
President, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South
Dakota Action Fund
StandUpSD.com
LOWE LETTERS
Whatever Happened To The Anthrax Perps
An anthrax scare shut down the Nevada County courthouse (CA). Made me think back to the unsolved anthrax mailings to Democrats and Senators Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy in 2001. Why no conclusion to this high profile crime?
No Democrats would try to off their own members. One can only wonder why Feds never pointed the investigation in the direction of radical Republicans and right-wingers. Seems like a logical conclusion seeing the sophistication of the crime.
Turns out the supposed anthrax in the Nevada City caper was talcum powder.
War Not Connected To Terrorism
Iraq 101: The war, invasion and occupation of Iraq is not connected with the larger war on terrorism. Only in the minds of the Bush administration and Republicans are the two related, and why not, they have a lot invested in this war.
Isn't it wonderful to see gas prices inching down as midterm elections approach, and to have two oil guys in the White House who are closely connected with the oil industry.
Immigrants have always struggled to assimilate within society; the newly arrived Latino immigrants are no different and are assimilating as all past immigrants have done.
Grave Mistake
The invasion and occupation of Iraq by Bush-Cheney neoconservatives was a grave mistake and has made Iraq a breeding ground for a new generation of terrorists. It's in the news everyday. The US military is bogged down in an unwinnable war, and yet, Bush and Cheney are talking up a new war in Iran. It boggles the mind.
The Bush administration strategy of bombs and bullets will not eliminate terrorists and end terrorism. The global war on terror needs to be won by dealing with the root cause of terrorism. The Bush contingent continues to deal in aftereffects.
What causes terrorism, creates terrorists? Massive inequality of wealth and resources around the world. Greed and selfishness stalk the world as the top one percent of the population has as much as the bottom 80%.
Immediate emphasis must be put on economic reform, sharing and distribution of goods for the billions without, if there is any hope of derailing terrorism around the world. Otherwise no one will be exempt from the onslaught.
Ron Lowe
Oh, Yeah!?
I'm a third generation native of Marin County who has been living in Sacramento for the past 15 years. I recently returned to Marin to do some consulting for the County and, despite the Eagle-strewn masthead, picked up a copy of your news monthly in the Civic Center lobby. I've been back about five months and
now I have found the Marin I left behind, a community of individuals in touch with what matters, not distracted by pop culture, rampant consumerism or spirit-free "spirituality". The Coastal Post is phenomenal. I learned more about what is going on in Marin by reading a single edition of your monthly than I have by reading the Independent Journal daily and the Pacific Sun weekly since my return. How refreshing to find an alternative newspaper that is honest, accurate, complete, and intelligent and that does not feel the need to fill its back pages with advertising that disrespects women and civility. My thanks to you and your staff. You are appreciated.
William Campagna
Ed. Note: Thank you!
Give Student Activists A Break On Election Day
Every year high schools students in California volunteer to work at the polls on election day. In order to work at the polls they have to miss a day of school. As a result the school's ADA (average daily attendance) drops and they loose hundreds and even thousands of dollars of funding.
Working at the polls on election day is a very unique experience. Students get to have a hands on participation in democracy, which is easily as valuable or more valuable than teacher's lecture or reading a chapter out of a text book. When their time comes to vote they are well prepared. Students in schools which cannot afford to loose any funding miss out on this important, educational experience.
In 2004 a group of students in Larry Freeman's government class at Acalanes high school in Lafayette took the initiative to write and advocate a bill (AB 1944 (Hancock) that would allow students to miss a day of school to work at the polls without the school's ADA being affected. The bill passed through senate and legislature and got to Governor Schwartzenegger's desk. The governor vetoed this bill with for the following reason:
"While civic and other volunteer activities can offer many educational opportunities to students, these activities should be in addition to, and not in place of, valuable classroom learning time with a teacher."
Volunteer opportunities, like working at the polls, are just as valuable as school sponsored field trips and independent study programs.
Last year some more students of Freeman's government class decided to give this bill another shot. They found a senator to write and fund it and got it all the way through senate and legislature, and now it is again on the governor's desk waiting for him to sign it into law or veto it.
We are running short on time and need to get as much support as we can as fast as possible. So far it has been a straight party line vote, i.e. every republican that has voted on it has voted no. We still believe we can get it passed because of the upcoming elections. In order to accomplish this we must make the bill as well known as possible to the CA population. If we get this publicized enough then vetoing it will cause the Governor to loose a lot of votes and if he passes it well then we succeeded.
Acalanes High School
Preemptive War
In my opinion, the war in Iraq was a monumental blunder. We are less safe today as a result of invading and occupying a Muslim nation. The war in Iraq became nothing but a recruitment poster for radical groups wishing to kill American soldiers.
We cannot as a nation tolerate preemptive war-a war of choice. The cost in lives lost is unacceptable. Our brave men and women in uniform deserve better from their leaders. An ill conceived war with no plan, no exit strategy and failure to adequately equip our soldiers was a monstrous crime.
The discussion over how to exit Iraq is crucial to our democracy. Our brave soldiers did everything asked of them. It is time to bring our soldiers home. The Republicans prefer as causations slogans over serious debate on a strategy for the war in Iraq.
Those who dare to speak out against this administrations' polices, in my mind, are true patriots who believe in a democracy and honest political discourse.
No more slogans! No more lies and obfuscation! Serious debate is needed on how we end this war in Iraq and strengthen our foundering democracy.
Fred Flanagan
www.USAjudges.com-PBS for judges.
Or, as one businessman quipped, "A Dun and Bradstreet on judges. I like it!"
USAjudges.com is the first public supported, data driven collection mechanism available to create and/or purchase reports on judges.
USAjudges.com is the answer to state officials protecting bad judges, and the public not knowing enough about Good ones; and functions as follows:
The public makes Two Types of Reports, and can purchase a Third.
1. Individuals make a short, free report on a particular judge. (For the financially devastated). These reports are not verified and as such, may or may not be included in later reports purchased on a judge.
2. Individuals make a Detailed report on a judge for a low $45.00 administrative fee. These reports will be verified and included in later reports available for purchase on a particular judge.
3. Purchase a report on a judge, commissioner, judge pro tem or magistrate. $150.00
USAjudges.com became necessary after state Commissions on Judicial Performance consistently failed to protect the public, (especially in elder abuse cases by court ordered care givers), answering a public need for accountability through transparency.
USAjudges.com bypasses state governing boards evolved to protect judges by insisting on "confidential" investigations and later, private "reprimands."
(While the occasion exists for some confidential investigations, USAjudges.com
does not support "private" reprimands for public servants.)
Transparency means the Public benefits.
Public participation, people who care enough about their government and others, now have a voice. People who care enough about their government are now act to protect it by making a public report on an officer of the court. Just like PBS, the public is what makes USAjudges.com great.
USAjudges.com believes public input and Transparency "is" the American way.
Act now, and thanks.
Most sincerely,
Bonnie Russell
www.1st-pick.com
Right To Protect Children
Ms. Zender did not breach national security, nor spill secrets to topple industrial empires. Annette Zender is a mother who has the right to tell readers what REALLY goes on in courts during custody cases that due to rampant corruption, Mother Theresa could never have kept custody of her children, if she had any.
The gag order placed on Ms Zender makes her case louder and clearer, Judge Waldeck has something to hide. Judges are no longer servants to the public but rather modern day arrogant, omnipotent Gods, that have immunity and answer to no one. Judge Waldeck seems to have become a dictator who has been enabled to violate anyone's rights in plain sight.
Our rights are being stripped from us randomly. Do we no longer have a right to protect our children? Have judges the power to make our constitutional rights disposable and frivolous?
Perhaps its time the Chief Judge of Illinois make it easier to take the job from an inferior judge, than it is for an inferior judge to take the rights of its citizens.
I hope to read more about this....unless Judge Waldeck rips away the rights from this newspaper.
Tracy Simmons
Mother/Advocate
San Anselmo's Huge Distraction
Former San Anselmo Town Council member Ian Roth is correct. The flood lawsuit is "a huge distraction."
Unfortunately, I can't give Ian Roth any gold star because of his lack of accomplishments while he was taking up space at the council dais for ten months. What was Ian doing at the SA council level while Fairfax was hiring and firing its Finance Manager? Was Ian just acting as a placeholder for the return of a former council member to be appointed by king-maker Peter Breen?
When Ian Roth was on the San Anselmo Fiscal and Advisory Committee he had access to the Town finance information and along with former council member Carla Overberger declared the Town's only recourse toward fiscal black was a tax.
In order to provide Ian Roth one more opportunity to gain a gold star, he can answer the following questions. It is not a complex or difficult assignment, but neither the San Anselmo Town Manager Debra Stutsman nor Mayor Barbara Thornton would accept the challenge.
Consider this a practice test: it is also applicable to Town Fairfax because both Town's have a 100% taxpayer-paid, defined benefit pension plan.
What is the amount, as of June 30, 2006, of the CalPers Unfunded Pension Liability for Town of San Anselmo?
The last reporting was as of June 30, 2003, which stated the Unfunded Liability: $1,753,655 Miscellaneous Plan $2,060,002 Safety Plan $no amount released Ross Valley Fire Service (excluding the amount repaid from SHFPD)
The 2005 OUM Audit Note states: The actuarial value of assets, liabilities and covered payroll are obtained from the Town of San Anselmo.
When will the Town be able to provide to the taxpayers the CalPERS Pension liability information?
If the Town is unable to increase from the existing 5.9 cents per $100 assessed valuation for the Pension Override Tax, how is the Town going to pay off its multi-million dollar deficit for its 100%-taxpayer paid defined benefit plan?
The CalPERS modification for new hires is not going to be able to reduce the impact of multiple senior level retirements that will occur in the next five years, or less.
Before Ian Roth joined the list of San Anselmo council members that abandoned their duties, he could have had the decency to advise the Town Manager to make pension reform of the existing defined benefit plan one of Town's three goals for 2006-2007 when the council approved the 2006-2007 Town Budget.
Ian Roth declared his abandonment the day after the Sept. council meeting. The San Anselmo council is now deciding if it wants to appoint a replacement or hold an election that it cannot afford.
The council members have an opportunity to appoint from the three candidates that ran for office in November 2005. Ford Green, Tom Fallon, and Luisa Mehling. All three received a vote of the people and that vote must not be neglected.
Contact Mayor Barbara Thornton, Vice Mayor Wayne Cooper and Council members Ted Freeman and Peter Breen and encourage them to work with the people's choice.
The council has repeatedly appointed like-minded and/or weak thinking persons to council. It is time for the voters to take back their council representation.
The repeated appointment of council cronies indicates an unhealthy local government.
The appointment pool should begin with the November 2005 council candidates. If other interested persons apply, then their credible appointment could follow; if all three of the voter's candidates choose not to be appointed.
San Anselmo taxpayers have an opportunity to begin to realize the potential of their Town. Sadly, that opportunity will only occur through council representation of strong-willed, ethical, and unbiased persons. Lack of integrity, need not apply.
Louise L. Mathews
Being Gagged
My name is Shari Andree & I live in Livonia, MI. My phone # is 734-516-1345. I am writing to you in response to Lake County Family Court, 19th Judicial District, Waukegan, IL, GAG order on Annette Zender in regards to her Custody Case involving her daughter. I firmly believe her First Amendment Rights to Freedom of Speech are being striped from her without tangible evidence or due cause to warrant such action being taken. The Lake County Courthouse is retaliating because she, thru numerous media sources, has shined a public spotlight on the many injustices occurring in the Lake County Courthouse.
I am one voice, but hopefully my "one" voice will be combined with Annette & many others who feel the same way about the freedom of speech.
Shari A. Andree
Prevailer's Thanks
Dear Don, thank you for the great article on the verdict and outcome of my trial in your September issue. I really appreciate it. The article did not include the writer's name. Please thank the person for me or if possible I'd like to send an e-mail thanking him/her. Your September issue is very enlightening, especially the articles on the Middle East. I read it from front to back! Please keep up the articles on the Family Courts.
Also, you should check out our new organization The Center For Judicial Excellence. Our website is www.centerforjudicialexcellence.org.
Jonea Rogers
"Another working day has ended,
only the Rush Hour Hell to face.
Packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes,
contestants in a suicidal race."
"Synchronicity II", The Police, 1983; lyrics by Sting
The proposed North Bay commuter train, SMART, sounds like a pleasant alternative to Sting's portrayal of the modern Rush Hour, unless the "lemmings" are committed to "going over the cliff en masse" in any number of fashions.
Keith Bramstedt


A veterinary doctor knows well how to behave with the animals by proper take care and good treatment. Their health related issues are well understood by them. Veterinary doctors carefully nurture the animals so that they can get well soon from any type of major or minor disease. It is not so easy to handle with their physical problems. Veterinary technician schools have taken form in the big cities to give the training for veterinary doctors. Through this training, they gradually become a trained doctor to cure the animals' health.
Why veterinary doctors are important in human life?
The veterinary schools give the training to make doctors understand better about the animal surgery.
People now can understand the value of a creature's life and importance of their existence. So, they are more concerned about their pet's health.
A well trained doctor is needed to provide good treatment for your favorite pet. Only he can focus on their physical illness.
He can realize your doggy's problem by his professional knowledge and experiences.
An animal body is quite more different than a human body and an animal specialist should know their bodily structure.
They know your pet's body parts and their functionalities quite well.
With the increasing demand of doctors, veterinary hospitals are also growing up in the cities.
Dealing with a human problem is easier than an animal's problem, because human being knows to express about their disabilities, but a dog or cat cannot do so.
A doctor must have to learn the way of interaction with them.
For having a great demand in market, young generation has started to take the course from veterinary colleges.
To become an animal doctor, you must have to hold a B.Tech degree which is given in these training schools.
If you are worried about your pet's health, then you can consult with a good veterinary doctor.
Animal treatment is impossible without veterinary doctors.
You can become aware about those doctors from online. Many websites provide their information so that you can get connected with them easily.
Those doctors are very much careful about your pet's physical troubles and quite dedicated to solve out all those bad conditions.
You are also facilitated with the surgical assistance of those doctors.
This training course deviates from other common courses. You can feel a great competition in the normal B.TECH or MBBS courses but comparatively there is more opportunity in the veterinary schools. So, you can take a chance for an admission in those schools to be a doctor. It is quite challenging and rare professional field to deal with the animals' behavior and their ways of living. Do not waste your time in thinking and take an admission form from your nearest veterinary school.


Cats are amazing creatures yet quite confusing at the same time. You need to pay enough attention to your cat's needs if you want to please him. Housing is definitely one of those things you can't do without when you own a cat. How many times has your cat woken you in the middle of your sleep while trying to sleep besides you? If you own a cat, then you understand that these feline friends can disturb your sleep if you don't have a special place for them sleep and relax. While the importance of having a proper shelter for your house cannot be debated. Choosing the right shelter for your cat can be quite challenging if you don't know the basics. The following article talks about some of the things you have to consider before making the actual purchase. Take a look at this link http://www.petsqueak.com/dog-houses for more information.
First and foremost, it is important to understand how cats behave. Cats love sheltering in hidden places, meaning you must choose a design that gives the cat a sense of hiding. Selecting such a shelter will generally make your cat rely secure and comfortable. So it's important to choose housing designs that factor this issue. Secondly, you have to ensure that your cat's house is safe from sharp edges or nails sticking out, as this can bring serious suffering to your cat. The thought of your cat being injured by nails or sharp edges is something that no person should entertain. As such, doing thorough checks to ensure that the shelter is comfortable is not negotiable. Safety simply comes first. Please view this site http://www.petsqueak.com/cat-trees for further details.
Thirdly, comfort is a very important thing to look at before purchasing shelter for your cat. You want to ensure that that the shelter has ample space so as not to restrict movements of your cat while inside the house. Your feline friend should be able to enjoy living in comfortable and safe place. A shelter that comfortable is also a must, especially when it comes to cleaning. As you'll find out, cats hate dirty surrounding and can become restless and troublesome. You cat could give you a hard time until the shelter it cleaned. So the ease of cleaning is something that you cannot overlook when choosing your cat's shelter.If you take the mentioned tips seriously, the you are likely to buy a good house that's going to make you comfortable and happy.


Exfoliating scrubs are one of my favorite weekly spa rituals. It's only fitting, then, that spas and tanning salons such as Los Angeles-based Chocolate Sun would create their own line of body care. Below is my review of their Flowers Revitalizing Body Scrub in cranberry and vanilla.
Flowers Revitalizing Body Scrub uses both dead sea salt and turbinado sugar to gently exfoliate. This combo is effective but slightly more gentle than I expected. The scent reminds me of cherry candies and leaves a nice, light fragrance. Vegans should note that this scrub claims to contain no animal products (glucono delta lactone is usually derived from corn). The rest of the formula is fairly gentle as well.
While Chocolate Sun expects to have online ordering available soon, this product can be purchased by calling the company directly at 800-350-0980. Unfortunately, I don't have access to pricing information at this time. Overall, it's a nice scrub with a pleasant scent and I enjoyed using it.