text:
'Rowhouse' reality show rehabs on West Side
By John Kiesewetter
Forget what they say about a first impression.
"Rowhouse Showdown," Cincinnati's newest national reality TV series, is an engaging renovation competition set in East Price Hill – once you get past the inaccurate geography in the opening minutes.
Standing on the Covington riverfront, host Carter Oosterhouse ("Trading Spaces," "Carter Can") greets the three couples by saying: "Welcome to Price Hill, Cincinnati!"
The mistake wasn't repeated in the one-hour "Rowhouse" premiere to air 9 p.m. Wednesday on the new FYI lifestyle channel.
FYI (For Your Inspiration) debuts Tuesday after A&E does an extreme makeover to the old BIO channel.
Oosterhouse leads three couples – from Los Angeles, San Diego and Minnesota – rehabbing row houses at 775 and 783 Summit Ave., and a single-family home at 741 Hawthorne Ave., in the historic East Price Hill Incline District.
"We wanted to get three row houses, but we were unable to do that," says Oosterhouse, a master carpenter from Traverse City, Michigan.
Producers were attracted to Cincinnati for the 10-episode series this spring because FYI "is for a more urban city dweller, a young audience and up-and-coming neighborhoods. Over-the-Rhine has that. Price Hill has that," he said.
"I saw some beautiful homes from driving around up there, some amazing places with a gorgeous view. Other areas are kind of spotty," he said politely.
The contestants were much more candid. Krystal from Los Angeles gagged when they pulled up the urine-soaked carpet in her nuked-out Summit Avenue home, and shrieked when they found a dead cat.
Contestant Josh from San Diego called his Summit Avenue building "the biggest crap hole I've ever set foot in. This is nasty."
In the premiere, the teams were given four days, a carpenter and $10,000 to transform their trashed living rooms. Each week the couples will remodel a different room toward the goal of winning a $50,000 grand prize and a feature about their Cincinnati renovation on Dwell. Judging the competition are New York interior designer Kathy Kuo and Cincinnati rehabber Jim Bronzie.
"I've done 500 makeovers on TV alone, so I know what you are capable of doing in the allotted time," Oosterhouse said. "I scale back (the contestants) or push them forward, because I know what the other teams are doing."
National TV viewers will see them shopping at Value City Furniture and unloading lumber from J.B. Doppes Sons – plus several glamour shots of the skyline and Washington Park. In future episodes, cameras will show the six tired contestants living together in a Sixth Street loft.
"We had no days off. They were working on their places every single day, and all went back to the loft Downtown every night. They compared notes a little bit about me, and started to play off each other. We were able to shoot that dynamic," he said.
One show will follow contestants touring the Over-the-Rhine redevelopment.
"You still see a lot of the old architecture, and the modern updates that are taking place," he said. "The city has so much history, and there's such a turn-around thing going on. You pick up on that vibe."
So disregard that first impression.
Just FYI:
The FYI lineup includes "Married at First Sight" (9 p.m. Tuesday), "Tiny House Nation" (10 p.m. Wednesday), "World Food Championships" (10 p.m. Thursday), "The Feed" (9 p.m. Saturday), "B.O.R.N. to Style" (10 p.m. July 15) and "Epic Meal Empire" (10 p.m. July 26).
Get movies:
Great news for movie lovers without cable: WSTR-TV added Get TV network movies from the 1930s to 1970s on subchannel Channel 64.2.
Reality check:
Wilmington's Tyler Viars was eliminated on "Masterchef" last week for accidentally grabbing a competitor's dish from the refrigerator.
TV help:
A word of praise for TV station managers who set aside their hyper-competitive instincts last week when WLWT-TV (Channel 5) was off the air four days due to a faulty transmission line.
WCPO-TV aired WLWT-TV on subchannel 9.3, and provided a replacement cable from its Cleveland sister station. WCET-TV offered use of a noncommercial subchannel, which the FCC would not approve.
"We are deeply grateful for the very generous and responsive helping hands we received from our counterparts at Scripps, and every other Cincinnati broadcaster including WCET, during this critical outage. Every group demonstrated a spirit of cooperation that exemplifies our collective mission to serve Cincinnati viewers," said Richard Dyer, Channel 5 president. ■


Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017''.
Disaster Relief Monthly Report) as required by Public Law 114-4.
program, as authorized by section 319 of the Stafford Act.
Provided, That notwithstanding the FLAME Act of 2009 (43 U.S.C.
Deficit Control Act of 1985.
of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
unless expressly so provided herein.
division B of Public Law 115-56.
by this division and division B of Public Law 115-56.
internal control plans required by paragraph (1).
for purposes of the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (31 U.S.C.
3321 note), notwithstanding section 2(a) of such Act.
the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5302))''.
requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of such Act.
limitation on such total amount under such section 1309(a).
may be treated as public debt of the United States.
2208(l)(4) of title 10, United States Code.
Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act of 2017''.
(A) The district of Delaware.
(B) The southern district of Florida.
(C) The district of Maryland.
(D) The eastern district of Michigan.
(E) The district of Nevada.
(F) The eastern district of North Carolina.
(G) The district of Puerto Rico.
(H) The eastern district of Virginia.
office of bankruptcy judges referred to in paragraph (1).
SEC. 1003. TEMPORARY OFFICE OF BANKRUPTCY JUDGE AUTHORIZED.
be the lesser of 1 percent of such disbursements or $250,000.''.
``(4) shall be discharged in accordance with section 1228.
specified in subparagraph (A) or (B) of section 523(a)(1).
supporting the calculation of the claim.
the governmental unit may not amend the proof of claim.
the date of the filing of the petition.''.
property used in a farming operation.''.
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 115-130 (Comm. on the Judiciary).
May 17, considered and passed House.
Sept. 27, considered and passed Senate, amended.
amendment, pursuant to H. Res. 569.
Oct. 24, Senate concurred in House amendment.


text:
VoD holds little appeal, says study
Broadcasters and channel owners could be pursuing the wrong technologies to attract new customers, which may spell trouble for Freeview and IPTV companies.
Higher quality sound and pictures have been rated as being a more attractive proposition than video on demand (VoD) or digital video recorders (DVR) such as Sky+ or Tivo, according to a recent study by Jupiter Research.
Among those with no cable or satellite subscriptions, a quarter of the people questioned across Europe said that a service such as HDTV would make them switch to digital TV. Only 10% said VoD or DVR services would convert them.
While Sky is launching a high-def package next year, HDTV could be more of problem for IPTV and Freeview where the question will be whether it is possible to deliver high-definition sound and pictures on available bandwidth.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Standards, Patents & Competition 2022 Ashburn, VA
Event Session
The Enforcement of SEPs and the ITC
November 14, 2022 @ 3:45 PM EST
IPW Events
IPWatchdog.com
View Session Speakers
Without substantial investment by those who play the difficult role of innovator, there would be no standards. Of course, without technology implementers who roll out standards and cutting-edge technological advances to consumers, even the greatest advances would lay dormant and unused. But despite both implementers and innovators needing each other, perhaps because there is so much at stake, often negotiations are extremely difficult and ultimately break down without an agreement.
For a variety of reasons, in many disputes between standard essential patent holders and standard implementers the first battle is waged at the International Trade Commission (ITC). What actually transpires when litigating SEP cases in the United States at the ITC circa 2022? This session will focus on high-profile cases either recently concluded or currently ongoing at the ITC.
Add to Calendar 02/02/2023 3:47 AM America/New_York The Enforcement of SEPs and the ITC
Without substantial investment by those who play the difficult role of innovator, there would be no standards. Of course, without technology implementers who roll out standards and cutting-edge technological advances to consumers, even the greatest advances would lay dormant and unused. But despite both implementers and innovators needing each other, perhaps because there is so much at stake, often negotiations…
Session Speakers
Hon. Deanna Tanner Okun
Former ITC Commissioner, ITC Section 337 Litigation and Trade Remedies Chair
Polsinelli
Christina A. Ondrick
IP Litigator, Principal
McKool Smith
Paul Bartkowski
Bartkowski PLLC
IPWatchdog, Inc.


Karkala, Apr 16, 2016 : The silver jubilee celebrations of Christ King Institutions here culminated with a grand ceremony at Gandhi Maidan on Friday April 15 evening.
Bishop of Udupi diocese Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo presided over the stage programme. NRI entrepreneur Ronald Colaco and wife Jean, MP and former chief minister of Karnataka Veerappa Moily, minister for forest and ecology Ramanath Rai, managing trustee of Shree Kshetra Dharmasthala Harshendra Kumar Heggade, and Richard and Christine Lobo from London were the guests.
Ronald Colaco in his address said, "The Christian missionaries have strived hard to introduce education to the people not only of the coastal region alone, but to the entire nation. Sadly however, they have been subjected to insults and false allegations. Baseless accusations of conversion have been levelled against them. On this occasion I ask everyone gathered here, to respect them for their service. Do not criticize them falsely." In conclusion, he congratulated the school and its management.
Veerappa Moily said, "This institute has provided education to all the students irrespective of religion, caste and gender. The school has created a better platform for the children of Karkala. I am witness to the school's achievements and I stand guarantee for the education imparted to the children here.
Bishop Gerald, blessing the occasion said, "The school has achieved a lot right from its early stage. The contributions of the correspondents, trustees and the role of teachers and parents along with the people of Karkala are praiseworthy. Let the school grow to greater heights in the coming years and be a guiding light for all the students who come to study here."
Ramanath Rai, former MLA Gopal Bhandary and Harshendra Heggade complimented the management on their school's 25 years of completion.
Prof V Muralidharan, mathematics lecturer was felicitated for winning the Best Teacher Award in the district.
Former students Anil Kamath who is physically challenged, Sahana Bhat, Christina Jathanna and Royston Pinto were felicitated for their academic achievements.
Venetia Pais was felicitated for her feat in representing the school and district at a state-level badminton tournament. Sanvi Ballal, a third standard student was felicitated for representing the school at a state-level chess tournament.
The new cafeteria, stationery store, children's play area and new college block were inaugurated by Bishop Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo along with Oscar Fernandes, MP and other dignitaries prior to the stage programme.
Peter Fernandes welcomed the guests.


2033 NE Columbia BLVD used to mean nothing to us at Junkyard Revival. I must have passed this building by a 100 times before I ever took notice of it. We've been in negotiations with NAPA and the landlord for quite some time now, and we're finally moving in! 4 bays, and 3300 sqft. Its going to be amazing!
Here's what the outside of the shop looks like. With 4 bays and 4 lifts, we'll be able to crank out the service close to 6 times faster than the old shop. We now have ample working room, 220 Volt sockets for welding, and enough parking to store about 20 cars!
I never would have thought we were going to make it to the big leagues this quick. Les Schwab's is right across the street from us! LOOK AT ALL THE ROOM!!
REAL OFFICE SPACE! No grime covered desk in the middle of the work areas!
Picture of our new equipment getting installed.
New lifts look beautiful! Can't wait to move in!


NFU President Minette Batters, backed by the entire NFU Council, has today (19 June) called for immediate bridging payments for agri-environment agreement holders and a rollover option for scheme renewals.
"We are calling on Defra to make bridging payments to the value of 75% of the annual payment to those who have not received any payments and fortunate enough to be in an agri-environment agreement."
"Defra needs to be capitalising on the great appetite from farmers to continue the work under environmental schemes. At the moment there are no options for the hundreds whose CS applications were refused or proved too complex to apply for; there needs to be a functional scheme to enable farmer to renew efficiently and continue to deliver environmental enhancement.


The infographic above reveals chilling facts about mental disorders in the U.S. These numbers are hard to believe; nevertheless they are true. The real question is what could possibly cause this epidemic and what to do about it.
What Are Abandonment Issues Really?


text:
Q: Sanitize/Rewrite HTML on the Client Side I need to display external resources loaded via cross domain requests and make sure to only display "safe" content.
Could use Prototype's String#stripScripts to remove script blocks. But handlers such as onclick or onerror are still there.
Is there any library which can at least

*

*strip script blocks,

*kill DOM handlers,

*remove black listed tags (eg: embed or object).

So are any JavaScript related links and examples out there?

A: The Google Caja HTML sanitizer can be made "web-ready" by embedding it in a web worker. Any global variables introduced by the sanitizer will be contained within the worker, plus processing takes place in its own thread.
For browsers that do not support Web Workers, we can use an iframe as a separate environment for the sanitizer to work in. Timothy Chien has a polyfill that does just this, using iframes to simulate Web Workers, so that part is done for us.
The Caja project has a wiki page on how to use Caja as a standalone client-side sanitizer:

*

*Checkout the source, then build by running ant

*Include html-sanitizer-minified.js or html-css-sanitizer-minified.js in your page

*Call html_sanitize(...)
The worker script only needs to follow those instructions:
importScripts('html-css-sanitizer-minified.js'); // or 'html-sanitizer-minified.js'

var urlTransformer, nameIdClassTransformer;

// customize if you need to filter URLs and/or ids/names/classes
urlTransformer = nameIdClassTransformer = function(s) { return s; };

// when we receive some HTML
self.onmessage = function(event) {
    // sanitize, then send the result back
    postMessage(html_sanitize(event.data, urlTransformer, nameIdClassTransformer));
};

(A bit more code is needed to get the simworker library working, but it's not important to this discussion.)
Demo: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/291406/html-sanitize/demo.html

A: [Disclaimer: I'm one of the authors]
We wrote a "web-only" (i.e. "requires a browser") open source library for this, https://github.com/jitbit/HtmlSanitizer that removes all tags/attributes/styles except the "whitelisted" ones.
Usage:
var input = HtmlSanitizer.SanitizeHtml("[\\s\\S]*?</style\\s*'
    // Regular name
    + '|/?[a-z]'
    + tagBody
    + ')>',
    'gi');
function removeTags(html) {
  var oldHtml;
  do {
    oldHtml = html;
    html = html.replace(tagOrComment, '');
  } while (html !== oldHtml);
  return html.replace(/</g, '<');
}

People will tell you that you can create an element, and assign innerHTML and then get the innerText or textContent, and then escape entities in that.  Do not do that.  It is vulnerable to XSS injection since  will run the onerror handler even if the node is never attached to the DOM.

A: Instead of using regex,I thought of a way using native DOM stuff. This way you can parse the HTML to a doc, get that HTML and easily get all of a certain element and whitelist elements and attributes to remove. This uses a list of attributes as either an array of simple strings of attributes to allow, or it can use a regex to validate their values and only allow on certain tags.

const sanitize = (html, tags = undefined, attributes = undefined) => {
    var attributes = attributes || [
      { attribute: "src", tags: "*", regex: /^(?:https|http|\/\/):/ },
      { attribute: "href", tags: "*", regex: /^(?!javascript:).+/ },
      { attribute: "width", tags: "*", regex: /^[0-9]+$/ },
      { attribute: "height", tags: "*", regex: /^[0-9]+$/ },
      { attribute: "id", tags: "*", regex: /^[a-zA-Z]+$/ },
      { attribute: "class", tags: "*", regex: /^[a-zA-Z ]+$/ },
      { attribute: "value", tags: ["INPUT", "TEXTAREA"], regex: /^.+$/ },
      { attribute: "checked", tags: ["INPUT"], regex: /^(?:true|false)+$/ },
      {
        attribute: "placeholder",
        tags: ["INPUT", "TEXTAREA"],
        regex: /^.+$/,
      },
      {
        attribute: "alt",
        tags: ["IMG", "AREA", "INPUT"],
        //"^" and "$" match beggining and end
        regex: /^[0-9a-zA-Z]+$/,
      },
      { attribute: "autofocus", tags: ["INPUT"], regex: /^(?:true|false)+$/ },
      { attribute: "for", tags: ["LABEL", "OUTPUT"], regex: /^[a-zA-Z0-9]+$/ },
    ]
    var tags = tags || [
      "I",
      "P",
      "B",
      "BODY",
      "HTML",
      "DEL",
      "INS",
      "STRONG",
      "SMALL",
      "A",
      "IMG",
      "CITE",
      "FIGCAPTION",
      "ASIDE",
      "ARTICLE",
      "SUMMARY",
      "DETAILS",
      "NAV",
      "TD",
      "TH",
      "TABLE",
      "THEAD",
      "TBODY",
      "NAV",
      "SPAN",
      "BR",
      "CODE",
      "PRE",
      "BLOCKQUOTE",
      "EM",
      "HR",
      "H1",
      "H2",
      "H3",
      "H4",
      "H5",
      "H6",
      "DIV",
      "MAIN",
      "HEADER",
      "FOOTER",
      "SELECT",
      "COL",
      "AREA",
      "ADDRESS",
      "ABBR",
      "BDI",
      "BDO",
    ]

    attributes = attributes.map((el) => {
      if (typeof el === "string") {
        return { attribute: el, tags: "*", regex: /^.+$/ }
      }
      let output = el
      if (!el.hasOwnProperty("tags")) {
        output.tags = "*"
      }
      if (!el.hasOwnProperty("regex")) {
        output.regex = /^.+$/
      }
      return output
    })
    var el = new DOMParser().parseFromString(html, "text/html")
    var elements = el.querySelectorAll("*")
    for (let i = 0; i < elements.length; i++) {
      const current = elements[i]
      let attr_list = get_attributes(current)
      for (let j = 0; j < attr_list.length; j++) {
        const attribute = attr_list[j]
        if (!attribute_matches(current, attribute)) {
          current.removeAttribute(attr_list[j])
        }
      }
      if (!tags.includes(current.tagName)) {
        current.remove()
      }
    }
    return el.documentElement.innerHTML
    function attribute_matches(element, attribute) {
      let output = attributes.filter((attr) => {
        let returnval =
          attr.attribute === attribute &&
          (attr.tags === "*" || attr.tags.includes(element.tagName)) &&
          attr.regex.test(element.getAttribute(attribute))
        return returnval
      })

      return output.length > 0
    }
    function get_attributes(element) {
      for (
        var i = 0, atts = element.attributes, n = atts.length, arr = [];
        i < n;
        i++
      ) {
        arr.push(atts[i].nodeName)
      }
      return arr
    }
  }
* {
  font-family: sans-serif;
}
textarea {
  width: 49%;
  height: 300px;
  padding: 10px;
  box-sizing: border-box;
  resize: none;
}

Sanitize HTML client side

<textarea id='input' placeholder="Unsanitized HTML">
<!-- This removes both the src and onerror attributes because src is not a valid url. -->
<img src="error" onerror="alert('XSS')">
<div id="something_harmless" onload="alert('More XSS')">
   <b>Bold text!</b> and <em>Italic text!</em>, some more text. <del>Deleted text!</del>
</div>
 <script>
    alert("This would be XSS");
  </script>
</textarea>
<textarea id='output' placeholder="Sanitized HTML will appear here" readonly></textarea>

A: I recommend cutting frameworks out of your life, it would make things excessively easier for you in the long term.
cloneNode: Cloning a node copies all of its attributes and their values but does NOT copy event listeners.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en/DOM/Node.cloneNode
The following is not tested though I have using treewalkers for some time now and they are one of the most undervalued parts of JavaScript. Here is a list of the node types you can crawl, usually I use SHOW_ELEMENT or SHOW_TEXT.
http://www.w3.org/TR/DOM-Level-2-Traversal-Range/traversal.html#Traversal-NodeFilter
function xhtml_cleaner(id)
{
 var e = document.getElementById(id);
 var f = document.createDocumentFragment();
 f.appendChild(e.cloneNode(true));

 var walker = document.createTreeWalker(f,NodeFilter.SHOW_ELEMENT,null,false);

 while (walker.nextNode())
 {
  var c = walker.currentNode;
  if (c.hasAttribute('contentEditable')) {c.removeAttribute('contentEditable');}
  if (c.hasAttribute('style')) {c.removeAttribute('style');}

  if (c.nodeName.toLowerCase()=='script') {element_del(c);}
 }

 alert(new XMLSerializer().serializeToString(f));
 return f;
}

function element_del(element_id)
{
 if (document.getElementById(element_id))
 {
  document.getElementById(element_id).parentNode.removeChild(document.getElementById(element_id));
 }
 else if (element_id)
 {
  element_id.parentNode.removeChild(element_id);
 }
 else
 {
  alert('Error: the object or element \'' + element_id + '\' was not found and therefore could not be deleted.');
 }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A quick blogpost. It has been some week, we have had many different kinds of weather in the Netherlands this past week. Varying from stoms to normal december weather to ice cold frost bitten mornings to foggy and misty sunrises. All of which were wonderful to go out in and try to capture them.
Some are still works in progress and need a little more processing but hey I just really wanted to share!
Monday was a slow starter with the weather and all but in the end finally the sun peeked through and I was abeled to capture these two shots. Check out my iphone shot of the setup when I was taking shots of the Achthovense Molen. It almost looks like kinderdijk there, so many windmills in a very small area!
Finally Friday was totally fogged out, so i got up early and headed out to the Vlietlanden to capture the eeriness and loneliness of the foggy landscapes. Even though I've been to this spot several times the conditions keep changing so much that I keep finding new angles and shots.
anyway that was my busy week so how was yours?


The Perth Mint (perthmint.com) announced it is exhibiting some of the most incredible and valuable gold quartz rocks ever discovered in Australia.
The massive gold specimens, discovered underground at RNC Minerals' ('RNC') Beta Hunt mine in Kambalda, in Western Australia's Goldfields region, will be on display at the Mint for approximately three weeks from Oct. 6. Admission is free.
"These gold specimens are incredible to view up close and encapsulate all the magic of the gold mining industry, which has been a backbone of the Western Australian economy since the early prospectors kicked off the first of the State's gold rushes in the late 19th century," Perth Mint Chief Executive Officer Richard Hayes said.
This will be the first opportunity for the public to view up close these gold-bearing rocks, which were discovered and mined approximately 500 meters below the surface from the Father's Day Vein at Beta Hunt just five weeks ago.
"As Australia's largest precious metal refiner, The Perth Mint takes very seriously its commitment to celebrate the successes of our gold mining industry," Hayes added.
The Beta Hunt gold rocks are exhibited in the foyer of The Perth Mint shop.


text:
Home world Israel's first lunar lander successful launched into space from Florida
Israel's first lunar lander successful launched into space from Florida
Vastavam web: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Florida on Thursday night carrying Israel's first lunar lander on a mission that if successful will make the Jewish state only the fourth nation to ever to achieve a controlled touchdown on the moon's surface. The unmanned robotic lander dubbed Beresheet – Hebrew for the biblical phrase "in the beginning" – soared into space from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at about 8:45 p.m. EST (0145 GMT Friday) atop the 23-story-tall rocket.
The rocket's two other payloads were a telecommunications satellite for Indonesia and an experimental satellite for the U.S. Air Force. Beresheet was jettisoned into Earth orbit about 34 minutes after launch, followed 15 minutes later by the release of the two satellites, according to a SpaceX webcast of the event. In addition to a textbook launch and payload deployments, SpaceX scored yet another success in its pioneering technology for recycling its own rockets.
As seen from the launch site, the distant glow of the returning booster rocket was visible in the sky just as the moon appeared over the horizon. The spectacle drew cheers from mission control engineers. Beresheet is slated to reach its destination on the near-side of the moon in mid-April following a two-month journey through 4 million miles (6.5 million km) of space. A flight path directly from Earth to the moon would cover roughly 240,000 miles (386,242 km), but Beresheet will follow a more circuitous route.
So far, only three other nations have carried out controlled "soft" landings on the moon – the United States, the former Soviet Union and China. Spacecraft from several countries, including India's Moon Impact Probe, Japan's SELENE orbiter and a European Space Agency orbital probe called SMART 1, have intentionally crashed on the lunar surface. The U.S. Apollo program tallied six manned missions to the moon – the only ones yet achieved – between 1969 and 1972, with about a dozen more robotic landings combined by the Americans and Soviets. China made history in January with its Chang'e 4, the first to touch down on the dark side of the moon.
Beresheet is designed to spend just two to three days using on-board instruments to photograph its landing site and measure the moon's magnetic field. Data will be relayed via the U.S. space agency NASA's Deep Space Network to SpaceIL's Israel-based ground station Yehud.
Previous articleChinese coal ban does not signify souring ties: Australian PM
Next articleTwo Democratic U.S. senators urge FTC to act on Facebook 'friendly fraud' practices
Britain must accept responsibility for truck deaths: Chinese paper
Pak urges global community to work towards ending 'persistent clampdown' in Kashmir
European Parliament's chief backs 3-month Brexit extension
United States gave Philippines hundreds of machine guns, pistols
Donald Trump lifted US shipping restrictions on Puerto Rico


IMPROVED PRICE! BEACH LIVING AT ITS BEST! Absolutely the BEST DEAL in South Redondo W of PCH. One block from the beach and pier. 3bed/2.5bath, 1,933sf, rear end unit townhouse away from Catalina Ave. Restaurants and entertainments on & around Redondo Pier, morning coffee or peaceful sunset by the ocean, walking/jogging/biking along the water... Remodeled contemporary kitchen with center island opens to dining area and balcony. Living room has cozy fireplace and connected to another large entertaining balcony. All bedrooms on top floor with high ceiling. Master suite features walk-in closet, large tub, separate shower & dual sink vanity. Laundry closet also on top floor for easy access. Nice size bonus room by garage perfect for home office or hobby room. All bathrooms upgraded. Laminated floor throughout. Over-sized two car attached garage has ample space for storing your bikes, surfboards or kayak. Fabulous Redondo schools - Alta Vista Elem, Parras Middle, Redondo Union High. Come see it for yourself before it's GONE!
Directions: on PCH between Torrance Blvd. & Garnet St.


text:
The Multiregion is home to Cooperation Circles who have members in more than one region or whose concerns are global in scope, transcending geographic boundaries.
The Multiregion creates a supportive environment to build relationships and strengthen local identity as part of a global peacebuilding community. Together we offer opportunities for connection and in-depth dialogue, provide training, and enhance mutual exchange among groups pursuing common themes. Examples of peacebuilding work in the Multiregion includes mobilizing young adults for interfaith work, protecting rights of Indigenous peoples, bridging East and West through art, and support of women's projects around the world.
Samira Barucija, Regional Coordinator for URI Multiregion
Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons Cooperation Circle gathered dignitaries like the Honorable William J. Perry, former Secretary of Defense, the Honorable George P. Shultz, former Secretary of State, Dr. Sidney Drell, Professor Emeritus at the Stanford Linear Accelerator, Ambassador James E. Goodby, former Strategic Nuclear Arms Negotiator with the U.S.S.R., and Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr, former Senior U.S. Diplomat, to make a video speaking out against nuclear weapons and to call for the eradication of nuclear devices. It was the first time those voices, from opposing political parties and vastly different life experiences, were united and recorded in public prayer.
Search for Cooperation Circles (CCs) in the URI Multiregion
Featured Cooperation Circles for Multiregion
Tamera and Grace - Movement for a Free Earth
Raising awareness about the power of grace for reconciliation and openness
Environmental Network Cooperation Circle (ENCC)
Living in sacred relationship with the natural environment
Global Interfaith WASH Alliance
Bringing together the power of the world's faiths to save lives and enhance the public
Stories From URI Multiregion
Live Chat on Social Justice Transcript - March 1st, 2009
We had our first young leader live chat on March 1st, on the topic of social justice. With nine participants from eight countries, we had an informative and wide-ranging conversations.
URI and birds in flight
Dear friends, I had to stop in awe this morning as a flock of seagulls cavorted in a zig-zagging mass overhead. As I focused on individual gulls, I noticed each one was purposeful and directed, you..
Saturday's Sweet Serendipity - A Youth 4 Unity Action Project, by Sharon Danisha M. Vaswani
Saturday's Sweet SerendipityReflection by Sharon Danisha M. Vaswani Children naturally gravitate towards candies and will do almost anything to get hold of their favorite sweets.
Memoirs of the URI Young Leaders Program, Compiled by Sharon Danisha M. Vaswani
Also known as the spiritual capital of the world, Sri Mayapur Dham is where the Young Leaders Program of the United Religions Initiative was held from November 24-December 6, 2008.
Peace is Every Step...Be the Change You Wish to See
Dear URI community and friends, Here's what I am doing... I called and wrote this week to Senators Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein and Nancy Pelosi to ask them to contact the U.S. State Department and...SA
First page First


text:
FiveThirtyEight Regrets Discounting Taliban Endorsement
by Chrysanthemum Bloom
Photo 156712787 © LakshmiPrasad Lucky - Dreamstime.com
After a tense night of getting the polls disastrously wrong yet again, Nate Silver has publicly apologized for failing to count the Taliban's endorsement of Donald Trump as politically significant.
Although the political elites smugly dismissed the Taliban's statement in support of a second Trump presidential term, they clearly had a strong effect on voter turnout yesterday, as no other explanation could suffice for 55% of white women voting for Donald Trump.
"I was honestly going to vote for Biden" said Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. "But then I saw that this famously deeply misogynistic group of religious fundamentalists endorsed the President and I thought, wow they share my values to a T. So of course Trump got my vote."
Despite the Taliban's moral values being shared by Trump supporters across the country, poll workers remain steadfast in their belief that the election cannot be fully determined until all the votes are counted, and that there are a large number of Americans abroad who are firmly anti-Taliban. However, many of these single-issue voters are complaining that they never received their absentee ballots after having them posted to "Afghanistan, Kidnapping Bunker X."


New York, NY--Sage's sophomore Shannon Farrell (Indian Lake, NY/Indian Lake Central) was once again the top finisher for the Gators as she ran a time of 19:36 for the race and took home 8th place. After earning Skyline Conference Runner of the Week last week, she was named this week's Skyline Conference Rookie Runner of the Week.
She was the second top finisher in the race from the Skyline Conference and just missed being the first finisher in the race from the Skyline Conference by just one second.


text:
module IncomeTax
  module Countries
    class Greece < Models::Progressive
      register "Greece", "GR", "GRC"
      currency "EUR"

      level 25_000, "22%"
      level 42_000, "32%"
      remainder     "42%"
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


If you've been hunting for the perfect slim and simple crossbody- look no further. Crafted in a charming water resistant polyester front and oxford fabric back.
This multi-pocket crossbody bag is perfect for the organised minimalist whom loves to have their essentials such as your cell phone, wallet and make up organised in individual pockets .You'll know exactly where your personals are in this bag - it also features a long adjustable strap for comfort.
Wearable art is a hot new trend. With these designs created by artwork from Danita Lyn, you will be the talk of the town!
Carry your new versatile purse with a simple sweater and jeans or keep your hands free when travelling overseas.
9.88 Oz. Polyester fabric front and oxford fabric back.


Birmingham Northfield is located in the West Midlands. It was created in 1950 and has been held by Labour since 1992.
The current member of parliament is Labour's Richard Burden who has served since 1992.
I have been the Labour Member of Parliament for Birmingham Northfield since 1992, and Labour's Shadow Roads Minister since 2013. You can see more detail about my background and record here.I have lived in Birmingham for most of my adult life and fighting for local people to have more control over the decisions that affect them has always been central to my work and was a key reason why I first stood for Parliament. As an MP I have always seen my role as a strong community advocate.
For everyone to achieve their potential, however, society needs to give everyone a fair chance. Poverty and growing inequality restrict people's life chances, whether in Birmingham, across the UK or internationally. That is why a commitment to social justice is always a cornerstone of my politics. That is why I am Labour and it is why I will always fight to defend the National Health Service. A health service based on need, rather than ability to pay, is one of the clearest examples there is of the kind of principle that motivates me to keep fighting for a fairer society.
I also know that many people feel that the world of politics is out of touch with their lives. I have always tried to be a different kind of politician. I have genuinely lived in the constituency for many years and, with local my office team, I run regular surgeries and provide a casework service for constituents throughout the year. I have taken up around 5,000 individual cases since the last election. I want local people to have more control over the decisions that affect them. I have consistently pushed for more transparency and devolution by both City Council and Government. I am always involved in key local issues – from the response to the MG Rover collapse ten years ago, to future of local Libraries and leisure centres affected by Government cuts today. I publish regular reports, e-newsletters, surveys and public meetings – most recently on constituents' views on immigration.
First, my values. I believe that we can only prosper as a city and a country when everybody has a real stake, where people have equal opportunities to succeed and where we protect the vulnerable. These are Labour values.Second, my record. I have represented Northfield through thick and thin. I am independent-minded and not afraid speak up when things are wrong – from opposing the Bedroom Tax nationally to campaigning for clean streets locally.
Over half of people living in my constituency don't get a living wage. It's harder to see your GP and families are worried about the future of the NHS. Too many local young people can't get a good job or afford to buy a home. Our area needs an MP to speak up for them, not a cheerleader for a Tory Government which is out of touch with the lives of people here in Birmingham.
3. 2. What would you have liked to have done differently during your time in Parliament?
You would have to be a pretty arrogant kind of politician if you think you always get everything right. You never stop learning new ways of representing constituents effectively. It could be how to get the Council or a Government agency to listen when an individual constituent has hit a brick wall with them. It could be how to build a public campaign to win a vote in Parliament. You make mistakes along the way, but the important thing is to learn from them. Never stop learning. Ever.On policy issues, I'm comfortable with most of the decisions I have made on policy questions. I have big differences with the Tories so backing my own party against them is the easy bit. Voting against your Government is more difficult but I think I have generally made the right calls when I have done so – e.g. over Iraq.
Like other countries, Britain was hit hard by the world-wide banking crisis in 2008-09. But although the Conservatives would prefer you to forget it, the economy was already growing again by the time by the time Labour left office in 2010. The savagery of the Tories' austerity programme since 2010 threw that into reverse and it's only recently the economy has starting to grow again. It's the slowest recovery for a hundred years.That's why the Tories have failed on their promise to eliminate the deficit – because when people's earnings are squeezed, the tax the treasury received declines too. So the Government has ended up borrowing £219 billion more than they planned. A recovery based are low pay, insecurity and exploitative zero-hours contracts is a false economy.
Building a recovery that benefits everyone, not just those at top, is the right thing to do and it makes economic sense.
Both. Britain has benefited over many centuries from immigration, and it absolutely vital for our success in a modern and global economy. Birmingham's diversity should be a source of strength.But people are worried about immigration. That is clear from my recent public survey and public meeting. Behind people's concerns about immigration are often concern about other things – such as wages being undercut, or pressures on the NHS.
Immigration needs to be controlled and properly managed. The Government's arbitrary cap on numbers – is not working, and it is bad for our economy and universities too. Labour's plan is for fairer controls: stronger border checks and changes on when migrants qualify for benefits. But we must also tackle exploitation- e.g. enforce the minimum wage and ban employment agencies which only recruit from abroad.
We must base our approach on the facts, make changes which work and expose the myths.
With the prices of food, energy, transport and rent rising higher than wages in recent years, ordinary people just aren't feeling the economic recovery. Over 50% of employees living in my constituency are on less than the Living Wage and it's a scandal that so many families today have to turn to food banks. People working hard should not have to struggling to make ends meet at the end of the month. Our economy needs fundamental change so it works for working people again.
Labour will make work pay by raising the national minimum wage and enforcing it, promoting the living wage and banning exploitative zero hours contracts. We will also take on the energy firms, banks and rail companies to get a fairer deal for consumers and passengers.
And we will devolve powers and funding so places like Birmingham and the West Midlands can deliver local jobs and growth.
A&E waiting times are at dangerous levels, a quarter of people now wait more than a week to see their GP, and 300,000 fewer older people are receiving social care compared to 2009-10. The Tories have wasted £3bn on a top down reorganisation and privatisation is spreading. I don't believe that the NHS as we know it will survive another 5 years of this Government.Labour will rebuild an NHS with time to care. That means 8000 more doctors and 20,000 more nurses, GP appointments within 48 hours and cancer tests within a week. We'll fund it by tackling tax avoidance and a mansion tax on properties worth more than £2m.
To meet the challenges of the 21st Century we must also get social care and the NHS integrated together – so people can get the support they need to live independent lives and to stay healthy for longer.
Despite Tory claims that they have fixed unemployment, long term and youth unemployment in my constituency are a huge concern. In 2009 there were around 20 people under 24 who had been out of work for over a year – it's now in the hundreds. The longer you are out of the labour market, the harder it is to get back in.So Labour's job guarantee for young people out of work for over a year is important. It's why expanding free childcare will help parents get back to work. It's why our plans for more high quality apprenticeships are so crucial, to end prejudices against vocational education.
Creating more jobs that pay decent wages also means getting sustainable growth into our economy. I know from my work in the motor industry that this means supporting innovation and backing small business with reforms to the banking system and business rates.
It is not healthy for democracy when the make-up of Parliament is out of line with the make-up of the country – whether in respect of gender, ethnicity or the kind of backgrounds from which most MPs come.It is also bad for democracy when so many people feel that the world of politics is out of touch with their everyday lives.
Labour has done more than any other party to increase the number of women in Parliament and to promote diversity but there is more to do. We must also open up politics – by devolving power, making more imaginative use of social media and developing citizenship education alongside reducing the voting age to involve more young people.
We should also welcome the voice which community organisations and charities give to those outside political institutions. That is why Labour will repeal the notorious gagging law which David Cameron's Government brought in.
I would urge people to vote to stay in the European Union if there is a referendum. Over three million British jobs are linked to trade with the EU – over half of the UK's trade and foreign investment comes from Europe too. I know from my work with the motor industry that leaving the EU would be bad for British jobs and growth. The EU also helps safeguard rights such as paid holiday maternity and sick leave – which is another reason right wing parties such as UKIP are so hostile to it.Challenges such as climate change, multi-national tax avoidance, organised crime and terrorism do not respect national boundaries so we need international organisations tot deal with them . Britain must lead the way in reforming the EU so it works better for Britain – delivering jobs and growth, tackling international issues and builder a safer, more sustainable future.


Combine poaching liquid ingredients in a large enough pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer,covered for 20 minutes. Gently place pears in poaching liquid and simmer on low for one hour, partially covered, turning the pears every couple of minutes to make sure they absorb the color evenly. The pears should just be tender (test with skewer). Remove from poaching liquid and let cool.
Place drained cashews, orange juice, honey and water in a blender until completely smooth.
With a pairing knife cut both ends off the orange. Carefully slice downward making sure to follow the curve of the fruit to remove the rind and white layer. Working over a bowl carefully cut each segment from the fruit letting it fall into the bowl.
For chicer presentation when serving, serve in glass serving cups and fill with orange cashew cream and place pear on top standing up. Place cinnamon stick, mint, and supremes in cups as garnish.
Pomegranate may help slow aging and protect against heart disease and cancer. Pomegranate juice contains the highest antioxidant capacity compared to other juices like red wine and green tea.


text:
Revisions to MD-Sweet-16 Qualification Rules: 2018+
Click below for revisions to the MD-Sweet-16 Qualification Rules that apply to MD Sweet 16 2018. The revisions give strong players (typically rated 1800+) more opportunities to qualify by rating for the invitational tournament at UMBC. See the tournament-announcement page for further details.
MD-Sweet-16 Qualification Rules
Qualifiers must have competed in all scheduled rounds of at least 1 MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier (a Local Scholastic Tournament) during the qualifying season: September through February of a scholastic year. There are 4 exceptions to this rule:
1. If a player were to receive a 1-point bye in a round at a MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier (because the player's opponent forfeited the round, because there was an odd number of players in the section & the player was the lowest-rated player in the lowest score group, etc.), then MD Chess would consider the player to have competed in that round & the player would receive Varsity Points, as if the player had competed in that round.
2. In the event of an emergency, a player may be excused from competing in at most 1 round of a MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier. The emergency-exemption claim must be approved both on site by the Chief Tournament Director & subsequently by MD Chess's Scholastic Director. After the tournament, the player must submit to MD Chess's Scholastic Director documentation (such as a medical doctor's note, a relative's obituary, etc.) affirming the legitimacy of the emergency-exemption claim.
3. If a player were to have registered for only the final scheduled MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier in a qualifying season; & if that tournament were cancelled; or if that tournament were postponed to a new date after the MD Sweet 16; or if that tournament were postponed to a new date before the MD Sweet 16, but the player were unable to compete (or it would bee too much of a hardship to compete) on the rescheduled date; then the player would have fulfilled the MD-Sweet-16's tournament-participation requirement by virtue of being considered to have competed in the final MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier as originally scheduled. Of course, the player would be considered to have competed for qualification purposes only. That is, because the player would not receive any Varsity Points for merely being considered to have competed in the tournament, the player could qualify for the MD Sweet 16 only by rating.
4. If a player were not to register for a MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier during the qualifying season, then the player would need to compete in all scheduled rounds of at least 1 of MD Chess's championship scholastic tournaments (a Major Scholastic Tournament) during that qualifying season—such as Greater Baltimore Scholastic Championships, Mid-Atlantic Grade Championships, Greater Mid-Atlantic Scholastic Championships, Mid-Atlantic Team Scholastic Championships, etc. After the player has competed in the tournament, the player must communicate to MD Chess via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. the player's desire to qualify (only by rating) for the MD Sweet 16. It is not MD Chess's responsibility to search for such players in the crosstables of its championship scholastic tournaments.


text:
"""A representation of a server.

This may go away - it doesn't do anything other than what chassis does.

Don't add to this.
"""

from chassis import Chassis

__all__ = ['Server']

class Server:
    """A server is managed over IPMI"""

    def __init__(self, bmc):
        """
        Arguments:

        bmc -- the BMC that's managing this server
        """
        self.bmc = bmc
        self._chassis = Chassis(self.bmc.handle)

    def power_off(self):
        """Power off server if it's powered on"""
        if self._chassis.is_powered:
            self._chassis.power_off()

    def power_on(self):
        """Power on server if it's powered off"""
        if not self._chassis.is_powered:
            self._chassis.power_on()

    def power_cycle(self):
        """Power cycle server"""
        self._chassis.power_cycle()

    def hard_reset(self):
        """Warm reset server"""
        self._chassis.hard_reset()

    @property
    def is_powered(self):
        """True if server is powered, otherwise false"""
        return self._chassis.is_powered


text:
import ListUtil as ListUtil
import math

def mergeSort( list ):

    _mergeSort ( list, 0, len( list ) - 1 )

    pass
# end mergeSort

def _mergeSort ( list, start, end ):

    if start < end:
        midPoint = math.floor ( ( start + end ) / 2 )
        _mergeSort( list, start, midPoint )
        _mergeSort( list, midPoint + 1, end )
        _merge ( list, start, midPoint, end )
        #
        #ListUtil.printList(list, "List printed after merging %s to %s" % ( start, end ))
    pass

def _merge ( list, start, midPoint, end ):

    n1 = midPoint - start + 1
    n2 = end - midPoint
    L = []
    R = []

    # Split out the two sorted subarrays
    for i in range ( 0, n1 ):
        L.insert(i, list[ start + i ])
    for i in range ( 0, n2 ):
        R.insert(i, list[ midPoint + i + 1 ])

    L.insert(n1, float("inf") )
    R.insert(n2, float("inf") )

    # Merge
    leftIndex = 0
    rightIndex = 0

    #ListUtil.printList(L, "left")
    #ListUtil.printList(R, "right")
    for i in range ( start, end + 1 ):

        if ( L[leftIndex ] <= R[rightIndex ]):
            # print ( "  (L)Moving value %s to index %s " % ( L[leftIndex - 1], i - 1))
            list[ i ] = L[leftIndex]
            leftIndex = leftIndex + 1
        else:
            # print ( "  (R)Moving value %s to index %s " % ( R[rightIndex - 1], i - 1))
            list[ i ] = R[rightIndex]
            rightIndex = rightIndex + 1
    # print()
    pass

def testMergeSort ( ):

    list = ListUtil.getList()
    ListUtil.printList ( list, "Printing List Before Sort" )

    mergeSort( list )

    ListUtil.printList ( list, 'Printing List After Sort' )
    if not ListUtil.isOrdered( list ):
        print( ' Out of order! ' )

    pass


text:
Listening to Voices from the Four Directions: Indigenous Storytellers for Your Classrooms
By Donna Sabis-Burns, Rachel Skrlac Lo, and Casey O'Donnell on behalf of the CLA Breakfast Committee
Looking out the window we begin to see the slight change in color of the fall foliage, a brisker feel to the air, and school busses carrying students to their not-so-new-normal classrooms. Apples, pumpkins, and "Indian" corn are appearing in the grocery store aisles. The gift of autumn is here. One highlight of this time of year is the NCTE Annual Conference held in November. Under "normal" circumstances, the Children's Literature Assembly Breakfast is held in person as part of that gathering. While we will not be able to meet in person this year, the CLA Breakfast will be offered as a live event during the conference. In anticipation of our session, we are sharing about some of the most prolific, wonderful Indigenous multiple award-winning storytellers from across the Four Directions.
Cynthia Leitich-Smith (Muscogee Creek), Traci Sorell (Cherokee Nation), Michaela Goade (Tlingit), Carole Lindstrom (Metis), and Kevin Maillard (Seminole Nation) will make up this year's Breakfast speaker panel. They will offer insight into their creative writing process, share their newest work, and offer some candid thoughts on how being Indigenous has strengthened their entire literature experience.
These storytellers celebrate #OwnVoices in the here and now. They offer counter stories to highlight the dynamism of Native American and Alaska Native communities for all ages. During a conversation with them in February 2021, we discussed the joys of reading and storytelling and reflected on the importance of celebrating the rich legacy of Native experiences that influence contemporary society. Native American, American Indian, or Indigenous peoples (terms used interchangeably) make up the 575+ federally recognized tribes and 200+ state-recognized tribes, much diversity exists across this Indigenous landscape in the United States. To celebrate this diversity, in this post, we will share with you the newest works from these amazing storytellers, including samples of teacher guides, links to audio-books, artwork, and other storytelling materials to share both in and outside of the classroom.
Teachers strive to create an environment for children that is all-embracing because they know that when children feel accepted, they will be happy, healthy, and confident members of society. This spirit of inclusiveness should permeate not only the social dynamic of the classroom, but the teaching materials as well. Children's books that are endowed with social justice themes and multicultural issues provide a much richer reading experience than texts with homogeneous characters and unchallenging stories. The stories shared by these authors and illustrator offer many ways to enlighten students of all ages to the diverse books, cultural nuances, and traditions that Indigenous people bring to the table. Check out these teacher resources for a glimpse into the rich world of native storytelling.
Activity Kits and Teacher Guides
A Teacher's Guide to Indian No More (Lee & Low)
A Teacher's Guide to We Are Water Protectors (MacMillan)
Discussion Guide for Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer (Lerner)
A Teacher's Guide to Native Literature (including Ancestor Approved) produced by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins
A Teacher's Guide to Native Literature (including Sisters of the Neversea) produced by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins
A Teacher's Guide to Fry Bread (Read Across America)
When students encounter texts that feature characters with whom they can connect, they can see how others are like them and how literature can play a role in their lives. If students can feel connected to books, not only will they be more apt to obtain the intrinsic motivation to increase the amount of reading they do, but they will also begin to feel more accepted as strong and unique members of society and to become less vulnerable to negative stereotyping and feelings of oppression. It is the hope of our storytellers that these resources be shared with all students, to demonstrate not only resiliency and determination, but also joy and grace within the texts and illustrations to take them to places they have never seen or heard of before. Below are are some video and audio resources related to some of the works of our storytellers.
Video & Audio Resources
Traci Sorell on the writing process of
Indian No More
Traci Sorell on The Children's Book Podcast
Book Chat with Illustrator Michaela Goade
I Sang You Down from the Stars Video Introduction from the Author & Illustrator
Kevin Maillard reads Fry Bread Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian
We are obligated to educate our youth with a clear lens and to teach the richness of realistic, authentic, and contemporary literature for children and young adults. We need to promote books where Indigenous characters are up front and visible, not hidden or pushed aside. We want to highlight in a bold, distinguishable manner characters and stories that unveil and promote the beauty of diverse literature written/illustrated by and for Native Nations (also called Indigenous people and used interchangeably here when the specific Nation is not known), and all other marginalized groups. The storytellers highlighted here, and across the land, provide a glimpse of the wonderment and beauty that present-day and historical Indigenous culture and traditions bring to the literature landscape.
Come celebrate with us at 9 am (EST) on November 21, 2021 at the CLA Breakfast at NCTE! There will be great conversation and book giveaways!
Donna Sabis-Burns, Ph.D., an enrolled citizen of the Upper Mohawk-Turtle Clan, is a Group Leader in the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education* in Washington, D.C. She is a Board Member (2020-2022) with the Children's Literature Assembly, Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Committee, and Co-Chair of the 2021 CLA Breakfast meeting (NCTE).
Rachel Skrlac Lo is an Assistant Professor at Villanova University. She is a Board Member (2020-2022) with the Children's Literature Assembly, Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Committee, and Co-Chair of the 2021 CLA Breakfast meeting (NCTE).
Casey O'Donnell is a graduate student in the Masters Plus Teacher Certification Program at Villanova University.
*The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, service, or enterprise mentioned herein is intended or should be inferred.
Resources for Indigenous Representation in Children's Literature
BY DONNA SABIS-BURNS
We are obligated to educate our youth with a clear lens and to teach the richness of realistic, authentic, and contemporary literature for children and young adults. We need to promote books where Indigenous characters are up front and visible, not hidden or pushed aside. We want to highlight in a bold, distinguishable manner characters and stories that unveil and promote the beauty of diverse literature written/illustrated by and for Native Nations (also called Indigenous people and used interchangeably here when the specific Nation is not known), and all other marginalized groups.
The movements of #OwnVoices and #WeNeedDiverseBooks have elevated the bar by offering a deeper focus and expanded landscape for celebrating the intricacies that Native storytelling brings to the table. Much too often, books featuring Indigenous people are only pulled off the shelf in October (Columbus) and November (Thanksgiving/Native Heritage Month). Well, it is March/April and I am pleased to share with you some resources you may want to check out and bookmark this spring to break that cycle. This blog post features a few rich and informative web pages, the American Indian Literature Awards (AILA), a shout out to an award-winning #OwnVoices book, and other informative and fun resources that highlight the resilience, authenticity, and beauty in literature through a kaleidoscope of traditions representative of the vast diversity across Indian Country.
Native Cultural Links
Heartdrum
Heartdrum is a fun and informative resource offered through HarperCollins Publishers, which provides a range of genuine, innovative, and perhaps unforeseen stories by Indigenous creators for any age. Author-curated by the New York Times Best-Selling Author, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Heartdrum highlights contemporary, near histories and/or futuristic works, including realistic fiction and genre fiction.
What is impressive about this site is its refreshing approach to much-needed stories about Indigenous, contemporary young heroes and heroines. These heartfelt accounts are reflective of the many different Nations of a modern United States and Canada. This is a breath of fresh air because it does not perpetuate the notion that Indigenous peoples are not around anymore. Do not get me wrong, there is a definite need for authentic, truthful history stories of Native Nations, but it is truly wonderful to be able to share a good story about real time people in real time situations in a modern setting. This is a new resource that is just getting off the ground and it already has some exquisite stories to share with you.
Oyate
Oyate.org is a small but mighty Indigenous organization working to share the life and histories of Indigenous people with the utmost level of honesty and integrity. This is a resource that serves as a portal into the past and is reflective of today's society where diverse, #ownvoices books are most necessary. Oyate, appropriately named after the Dakota word for "people," believes that the world is a healthier place when there is a better understanding and respect for one another and when history is truthfully acknowledged. They aim to distribute literature and learning materials by Indigenous authors and illustrators, provide critical evaluation of books and curricula with Indigenous themes, and offer workshops "Teaching Respect for Native Peoples." They also have a small resource center and reference library that can be very useful for any educator or parent (or youth for that matter). Since the pandemic, the store portion of the site is temporarily not working at full capacity, but there are many other fine choices for you to peruse and enjoy.
American Indians in Children's Literature
We cannot mention websites about literature featuring Indigenous people without showcasing the American Indians in Literature (AICL) website. Established by Dr. Debbie Reese of Nambé Pueblo, and later joined by Dr. Jean Mendoza as co-editor, the AICL website provides a critical analysis of the presence of Indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books and so much more. This website is like walking into a bakery with so many wonderful choices it is hard to decide what to try first. It has been around for 15 years and is most certainly more than just a place to find a list of best books. You can discover Indigenous authors and illustrators in the Photo Gallery section, or maybe you'd rather learn tips for creating instructional materials featuring different Native nations. You can even research what books you should NOT be sharing out there. It is really a gem of a resource.
AILA Youth Literature Award
Did you know there is an award specifically for literature featuring Indigenous people? Since 2006, the American Indian Library Association (AILA) biennially considers the finest writing and illustrations by Indigenous peoples of North America for the AILA Youth Literature Award. AILA identifies and honors works that "present Indigenous North American peoples in the fullness of their humanity." Winners and Honor Books are selected in the categories: Best Picture Book, Best Middle Grade Book, and Best Young Adult Book. If you ever need a resource for choosing quality literature, make sure you visit the American Indian Youth Literature Award web page.
For those not familiar with this organization, AILA is an affiliate of the American Library Association and it is devoted to disseminating information about Indigenous cultures and languages to the library community and beyond.
Check out the video for the 2020 Award winners.
Caldecott Winner
Congratulations to illustrator Michaela Goade (Tlingit) for her 2021 Caldecott Award winning book, We are Water Protectors (2020), authored by Carole Lindstrom (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe). Goade is the very first Indigenous winner of this prestigious award. With Earth Day around the corner, this would be a fabulous book to share. There is even a We are Water Protectors Activity Kit!
Read Native 2021 Reading Challenge
The "American Indian Library Association invites you to participate in the inaugural reading challenge. With this challenge we support and recognize our Indigenous authors, scientists, legislators, storytellers, and creators throughout the year, not just during the national Native American Heritage month." Here is a fun reading challenge to engage readers of all ages.
Throughout the year, find and read books and publications by and about Native Americans; visit tribal websites; search peer reviewed scholarly journals; visit Native-owned bookstores; and check with Native librarians for the best sources for learning more about Native Nations and Indigenous people around the world.
Donna Sabis-Burns, Ph.D., an enrolled citizen of the Upper Mohawk-Turtle Clan, is a Group Leader in the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education* in Washington, D.C. She is a Board Member (2020-2022) with the Children's Literature Assembly, Co-Chair of the 2021 CLA Breakfast meeting (NCTE), and Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Committee at CLA.


text:
The Type 381 (NATO reporting name: Rice Screen) is a 3D G-band air search radar developed by the People's Republic of China. It was the first modern air search radar fitted to a People's Liberation Army Navy warship, the Type 053K frigate Yingtan.

Variants
Type 381A (NATO reporting name: Rice Screen)
Type 381C (NATO reporting name: Rice Shield)

References

Notes

Sources

Sea radars
Military radars of the People's Republic of China

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I recently just flew China Eastern First Class and let's just say the experience was 'interesting'. Upon arriving from the flight, I've been thinking about what the carrier could do to make their First Class a much better product.
What I was most impressed about was the hard product. With only 6 closed of suites, it's spacious and comfortable.
However, there are other aspects that could be majorly improved. In this post, I'll list 5 things that the airline could improve upon and it would ultimately make the product more worthwhile.
This I think Is the biggest part of the service that could do with an upgrade. The food was disappointing, that's already known but I'm also talking about how the service is performed. The variety is 'ok' but it's more the quality of the food that I'm referring to. Do they need to have a Michelin starred menu? No, but the quality could be improved ( an example is my 'salad' which consisted of just lettuce). The service is the next talking point. The carrier doesn't have an al la carte service which is something I'd love to see introduced as it's used by many carriers now. They also only serve 2 meals, 2 hours into the flight then somewhere around 8 hours in. There's no pre-landing meals or even decent sized snacks which was really disappointing.
This didn't affect me but I could definitely understand if passengers walked away disappointed. The carrier's First menu consisted of about 5 alcoholic drinks, with only 1 choice of Champagne and the one they offered isn't too amazing. Keep in mind, it's pretty difficult to redeem for the product and it's an expensive fare if you were to buy one. Wouldn't you think they could put nicer drinks onboard considering the people flying it would be limited? Hell, Singapore Airlines serve both Krug and Dom in First and it's easy to redeem for!
This is probably the thing that made me shake my head the most. Onboard there is a pair of suites and they can be made into a double bed, similar to Singapore Suites. I asked at check-in if they were taken and she told me they were unoccupied and If I wanted to switch seats I could mid-flight. However onboard was a totally different story. I asked if I could move to the middle seats and was then told I had to pay more for them, What?. I get that some airlines like Swiss charge for superior seat selection but when the seats are free you can't use them if you're in that cabin anyway?. I then asked how much they were and they couldn't understand what I was talking about. Quite a let down as it would have been great to get photos of it and try it.
Now the next things aren't directed just at First Class but they also need to improve as they are quite big matters.
Onboard wifi is a blessing to have, especially when you're wanting to write posts etc. If you want to be productive onboard China Eastern using wifi, forget about it. The speeds were that bad it couldn't load Google, and that's saying something. They advertise wifi on all of the suites but It doesn't always work. It wouldn't even connect to my phone, using my Mac worked but I didn't even bother after seeing the speeds.
In-flight entertainment is a massive part of a long-haul flight, It helps pass time and it's great to sit and relax and watch something. I always travel with my Mac which has movies and Tv shows on it but I decided to turn on the IFE and see what it was like. I'll give them credit for their movies, there was a decent selection of English movies and they were somewhat recent. As for TV shows, this is where they really lacked. There were probably 3 things to choose from If I remember correctly, for a carrier flying long-haul to western countries that's pretty damn poor.
I think these things could be done quite easily but I doubt the airline will improve on their First Class. These things may seem a little excessive but that's how I truly feel.
Do you think these are reasonable changes?
Dude, you're posts are fantastic and quite refreshing! I can definitely tell from your posts that you have a passion for flying. Keep up the great work!
I am a Chinese but I will not fly any of Chinese carriers other than short transit. Pardon my impatience, but the long haul in F & J are a waste of points and miles & mental torture. Not physical because the quality of hard product can be easily achieved, while the service/attitude/food is a notch below even the US big three. They can improve still in the years ahead, but I dont need to wait.
Taiwanese airlines, on the other hand, is totally different. Think of them as along the lines of CX, SQ, GA, TG, NH, JL, OZ…these "smaller" countries offers great airline experience because they don't fake service.
"Taiwanese airlines" as in BR and CI. Both are solid from what I read elsewhere, easily the match of CX/NH/JL.
No damn it couldn't load Google. You know the Great Firewall still applies on China Eastern planes, right?
Apart from that, nice review 🙂 Time to try business class now!
You're not their target customer. They couldn't care less about these issues that you have identified.


text:
Samsung Galaxy TabPro S Review
By Ben Radding
Slim and lightweight.
Polished metal and glass design.
Colorful Super AMOLED screen.
Best-in-class battery life.
Bundled keyboard cover.
Intel Core m3 processor can't match the performance Core m7 and Core i5 CPUs in competing systems.
One port, and it's USB-C with no Thunderbolt compatibility.
No bundled USB-C adapter.
Lacks a stylus and expansion slots.
The Samsung Galaxy TabPro S is an incredibly slim, eye-catching Windows 10 tablet with best-in-class battery life, but its features and overall performance don't quite justify the fairly steep price.
As the Windows tablets category continues to grow, new players want to make their mark. Samsung is the latest manufacturer to step in to the ring, with its Galaxy TabPro S ($899.99 as tested), and it certainly makes a lasting impression, with a thin and light build, bundled keyboard cover, colorful AMOLED screen, and compatibility with Samsung phones. The problem is that the tablet has just one USB-C port for both charging and data transfer, and an Intel Core M processor that translates to so-so performance overall. The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 ($609.00 at Amazon) impresses us with its higher-resolution screen, better connectivity options, powerful performance, and fantastic Type Cover, and remains our Editors' Choice for high-end Windows tablets. The Galaxy TabPro S ($309.95 at Amazon) is an attractive option, however, if you're firmly enmeshed in the Samsung ecosystem, or want one of the thinnest Windows tablets you can buy. Plus, it's $400 less than the Surface Pro 4.
It is difficult to overstate just how thin and light the Galaxy TabPro S is. At a positively svelte 0.25 by 11.43 by 7.83 inches (HWD) without the included keyboard cover, it's leaner than the HP Spectre x2 (0.31-inch thick) and the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (0.36-inch thick). It weighs a mere 1.52 pounds (the keyboard cover adds about 13 ounces). That makes the slate itself a little lighter than the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (1.73 pounds) and the Apple iPad Pro (1.59 pounds), both minus their cover. The Galaxy TabPro S has a magnesium-alloy frame with curved, metal edges and a glass display. The back is made of plastic, but doesn't feel at all cheap or flimsy. The Galaxy TabPro S resembles Samsung's design schemes for its phones, such as the Galaxy S7 ($199.99 at Samsung) , and its tablets, like the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 ($439.00 at Amazon) . It is available in both black or white.
Samsung packs a 12-inch (diagonal) display into the Galaxy TabPro S's 11-inch frame by giving it a very slim bezel. The screen is a standout feature; it's the first Super AMOLED display we've seen on a Windows tablet and has the ability to turn off pixels completely, making blacks deeper and other colors brighter and more vibrant. It also gives the system the ability to reserve battery power. The 2,160-by-1,440-resolution screen is not as sharp as the Microsoft Surface Pro 4, which has a 2,736-by-1,824 display. Regardless, videos in 1080p look fantastic, and photos appear crisp and vivid.
Apple iPad Pro (12.9-Inch, 2015)
$799.00 at Apple.com
Acer Aspire Switch 11 (SW5-171-325N)
Dell Venue 11 Pro 7000 Series (7140)
Dell Latitude 13 7000 Series 2-in-1 (7350)
$1,299.00 at Dell Small Business
Dell Venue 8 Pro 3000 Series
HP Pavilion x2 (10-n123dx)
Acer Aspire Switch 11 V (SW5-173-632W)
Because of its slim frame, there are only two ports on the tablet. One is a USB-C port on the right edge, and the other is a headphone jack right below it. The USB-C port is used for both charging the tablet and connecting USB-C-equipped peripherals, like on the Apple Macbook , so you'll have to make sure your battery is charged before plugging in anything else to the port. The Galaxy TabPro S doesn't currently include or sell an adapter for the USB-C port, unlike the HP Spectre x2 ($499.00 at Amazon) , so you'll have to purchase one separately from a third party. The USB-C port isn't Thunderbolt-compatible, and unlike the HP Spectre x2, there's no slot for expanded storage. The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 has many more connectivity options than the Galaxy TabPro S, including a full-size USB 3.0 port, a microSD slot, a mini DisplayPort, and a separate charging port. The Apple iPad Pro has a single Lightning port.
For wireless connectivity, you get 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.1, but no 4G/LTE support, which the HP Spectre x2 offers.
The power and volume buttons jut out slightly from the top edge of the the metal frame. On the back and front are 5-megapixel cameras. The rear camera takes clear, bright shots, and the front-facing camera is more than capable for selfies and video calls. A small speaker grid sits on the right edge right above the ports, and one other speaker grid is on the left edge of the tablet, along with a Windows button. Because the speaker grids are so small, they sound a little hollow and tinny, especially when turned up to full volume.
Unlike the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 or the Apple iPad Pro, the Galaxy TabPro S ships with a keyboard cover. The keyboard is full size and strongly resembles the Type Cover for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4, and feels rather cramped. The keys exhibit shallow travel, and it can be difficult to type quickly because of the constrained space. The touchpad on the keyboard cover is small, but very smooth, with integrated mouse buttons. The Apple iPad Pro's keyboard has no touchpad at all.
The keyboard cover attaches magnetically to the back of the Galaxy TabPro S. To connect the tablet to the keyboard, you open the cover and move the bottom of the tablet forward until it docks with the connector on the keyboard. There's no hinged stand that pops out of the back of the tablet, like on the Microsoft Surface Pro 4, so there are only two ways to position the tablet on the keyboard: straight up or leaning back slightly. The connection to the keyboard is sturdy; you can pick up the tablet in one hand with the keyboard attached, and the keyboard will not fall off.
The Galaxy TabPro S comes with Windows 10 Home. While the OS doesn't have the security features of Windows 10 Pro, such as Bitlocker, it will run full desktop programs. In contrast, the Apple iPad Pro runs iOS 9, Apple's mobile operating system, and favors designers with its excellent optional Apple Pencil to use in mobile apps like Adobe Draw. The Surface Pro 4 bundles in a stylus, making the Microsoft tablet a much more viable choice for artists and designers than the Galaxy ProTab S. Samsung says it will be releasing a stylus for the Galaxy TabPro S in the near future.
A marquee feature of the Galaxy TabPro S is Samsung Flow, a feature that creates a connection over a Wi-Fi hotspot between the Galaxy TabPro S with your Samsung Galaxy phone (Galaxy S6 ($100.00 at eBay) or Galaxy Note 5 ($491.31 at Amazon) or later). With Samsung Flow, you can unlock your Galaxy TabPro S using the fingerprint reader on your Samsung phone, as well as have notifications pushed from your phone to the tablet. It's a draw for Samsung devotees who would like to see the same compatibility and synchronicity that you get with Apple products. We tried out Flow at CES, and it worked seamlessly. The feature isn't yet available, but we will update this review once we've had the chance it on the TabPro S.
Our review unit has a 128GB solid state drive (SSD), with 119GB available out of the box. The Surface Pro 4 we reviewed comes with a larger 256GB SSD (albeit at a higher price), while the iPad Pro we tested comes with 128GB of storage. Samsung bundles a one-year limited warranty.
The Galaxy TabPro S runs on a 2.2GHz Intel Core m3-6Y30 processor and 4GB of RAM. The Intel Core M processor accounts for the system's mediocre productivity performance. Scoring 2,380 on the PCMark 8 Work Conventional test, it clocked behind the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (2,612), which uses an Intel Core i5 processor, and the HP Spectre x2 (2,841), with its Intel Core m7 chipset. The Galaxy TabPro S performs basic productivity tasks like working in Microsoft Office well enough, but will start to struggle and slow down when you're working in multiple browser windows or have several programs operating simultaneously.
Performance in our multimedia tests was average, with the Galaxy TabPro S finishing the Handbrake video-encoding test in 3 minutes 54 seconds, and scoring 189 on Cinebench. It didn't fare as well as the HP Spectre x2 which took 3:17 for Handbrake and scored 221 points on Cinebench. The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is still the best multimedia tablet among the competition, with a time of 2:20 in Handbrake and a score of 307 in Cinebench. The Galaxy TabPro S took 6:46 to complete the Photoshop CS6 test, behind both the HP Spectre x2 (4:36) and the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (3:10). The Galaxy TabPro S isn't quite as capable as a multimedia machine as other tablets, and will take longer to encode video and edit photos than the Microsoft Surface Pro 4.
See How We Test Tablets
With its integrated Intel HD Graphics 515, the Galaxy TabPro S scored a respectable 3,908 on the 3DMark Cloud Gate test and 263 in Fire Strike Extreme. The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (5,715 in Cloud Gate; 388 in Fire Strike Extreme) and the HP Spectre x2 (4,735 in Cloud Gate; 318 in Fire Strike Extreme) both beat out the Galaxy TabPro S soundly in these graphics tests.
In the gaming tests, the Galaxy TabPro S scored 12 frames per second (fps) in Heaven and 13fps in Valley, at Medium-quality settings. Again, the tablet was beaten by the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (21fps Heaven, 23fps Valley) and the HP Spectre x2 (16fps Heaven, 17fps Valley), its scores were on par with the Microsoft Surface Pro 3. The Galaxy TabPro S isn't not geared toward serious gamers, but is more than adequate for playing simpler titles.
The combination of the 5,200mAh battery and the energy-efficient Super AMOLED display help the Galaxy TabPro S achieve long battery life, scoring 11 hours 13 minutes in our rundown tests. The only Windows tablet that comes close is the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (10:19). The Galaxy TabPro S outlasted other Windows-based competitors like the Spectre x2 (9:38) and the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (8:55), and easily bested the Apple iPad Pro (3:51). It has better than all-day battery power, which will come in handy during long trips.
The Samsung Galaxy TabPro S is a thin and stylish slate tablet, with a vivid Super AMOLED screen (the first we've seen on a Windows tablet) and top-notch battery life. Like the HP Spectre x2, it comes with a keyboard, but lacks the HP tablet's 4G/LTE capability and expansion slots, and its Intel Core M processor doesn't yield top performance results. The lone USB-C port and lack of a bundled USB-C adapter is another negative. The similarly priced Apple iPad Pro also comes with a keyboard cover and has the same storage capacity, but it lacks the full Windows functionality of the Galaxy TabPro S, as it runs a mobile OS. The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 remains our Editors' Choice for Windows tablets, given its stronger performance, broader port selection, bundled stylus, and higher-resolution screen. Still, if you want a super-thin Windows slate with a great screen and excellent battery life, or if you're in the Samsung ecosystem and want a Windows tablet that will work in tandem with your Galaxy S7, the Galaxy TabPro S is an attractive choice.
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About Ben Radding
Raised in the Midwest, Ben considers himself a generally nice guy. He went to NYU to study journalism and comparative literature, and went on to captain the NYU Fencing Team. Sabre, since you asked. He came to PCMag after a stint at Men's Fitness magazine, where he tried to get totally jacked. He didn't. But he did find some time to review plenty of fitness trackers, tablets, and other cool gadgets. Outside of the office, you can find him at the last seat at the bar, where he'll be commenting anonymously on an Indianapolis Colts blog.
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This is based on Stewart's Utility Library datetime and datetimeformat.
It has been adapated to use Phobo's DateTime object instead of SUL's datetime, removing a dependency.
Notably missing in this version is the ability to have and utilize "collapsable" tags.


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Johannesburg 10 April 2019—The first ever Urban Law Day in the Global South was recently held in South Africa, an initiative of UN-Habitat and Wits University.
Wits School of Law's Chalsty Centre played host to the event which had the theme "Law, the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Cities".
"Urban law" is a broad term referring to laws impacting on urbanisation, urban governance and the urban form. It typically encompasses local government law, planning law, housing law and municipal finance law, and also touches on, for instance, public health law, tax law and environmental law.
The aim for the day was to reflect on the readiness of various aspects of domestic legal and constitutional systems in sub-Saharan Africa for the effective implementation of Sustainable Development Goal ('SDG') 11, which calls for safe, sustainable, resilient and inclusive cities and the associated commitments in the New Urban Agenda ('NUA').
Professor Anél du Plessis, SARCHi Chair in Cities, Law and Environmental Sustainability at the North-West University in Potchefstroom, shared her research on the readiness of South Africa's legal and policy framework for implementation of SDG11.
The South African overview was followed by assessments of the state of urban law in Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Justice Zione Ntaba from the High Court of Malawi bemoaned the poor alignment of bureaucratic structures and fiscal autonomy to the constitutional and legislative demarcation of local government responsibilities in Malawi, and also noted that the incongruence of Malawian urban law – with laws, policy frameworks and bylaws from different eras and with different purposes seemingly pulling in different directions – complicated the coherent pursuit of the NUA's aspirations.
According to Mr. Chibomba, president of the Zambian Institute of Planners and associate of the University of Zambia's Centre for Urban Research and Planning, an effective solution for some of the problems highlighted by Mr. Muzenda is to source planning, land use management and related urban governance powers in constitutionally ensconced autonomous local government. In Zambia, Mr. Chibomba showed, legal internalization of the SDGs and the NUA coincided with a process of constitutional amendment, leading to Zambian structures of government having been explicitly aligned to these instruments.
Mr. Chibomba's concerns over land law and public participation were echoed by other participants, many of whom also emphasized that the timeframe for achieving the goals of SDG11 and the NUA (which both envisage compliance by 2030) was too short.
The focus then shifted to municipal finance law, with Dr Matthew Glasser of the Centre for Urban Law and Finance in Africa commending the NUA for its commitment to ensuring that implementation of its substantive targets are appropriately resourced.
Many of Dr Glasser's warnings were borne out by Mr. Danga Mughogho, manager of the South African Cities Network ('SACN')'s Well-governed Cities Programme, who presented a synopsis of the SACN's recent 'State of City Finances' report. With the central message that both South African cities and their inhabitants are experiencing financial crisis, the report revealed a worrying regressive trend in South African urban municipal service tariff structures.
The Urban Legislation Unit of UN-Habitat presented the outcome of a Planning Law Survey it conducted for the Sub-Saharan Region of the UN Global Sample of Cities. The survey revealed that most of the cities sampled were sprawled beyond their urban development boundaries (which were already disproportionately large compared to need), and functioned at sub-optimum density levels.
Overall, the information-packed Urban Law Day succeeded in its aim to stimulate discussion over ways to address shortcomings in existing legal frameworks, as well as related challenges of 'localising', 'legalising' and implementing the commitments of SDG11 and the NUA.