N900 designed for portrait? [N900 portrait screenshots – again] Poll: Do you still want portrait mode in your N900?
The N900 is infamous for its lack of portrait orientation. Sure you can get portrait in call mode, you can now get portrait very nicely in web browser and a "bug" can even induce the N900 to act entirely in portrait mode(demoed here with Gallery) but there is no official complete-portrait mode.
At certain times, it's essential to have portrait. When walking around on the street/offices/whatever, it's more convenient to just be using one hand. e.g. the music player or messaging. The other hand can then be free to hold your shopping/books/whatever. Surprisingly there's a lot of foundation for N900 to work in portrait.
It just seems it wasn't completely finished so we never got it.
Will a new firmware bring full portrait mode? Or will it be reserved for Maemo 6? Do you even want portrait mode?
In the screenshots below you'll see how some apps completely rescale for portrait, some even having special dedicated buttons to add additional options as it's cut off by being in portrait (i.e. in mail, back/forward).
It's not completely right in Music Player and nor is it completely right in other apps (video unusable – partially visible, as is calendar which becomes invisible).
Calculator – Buttons still work but they are extremely squashed. It's promising that there's so much of the N900 that works well in portrait mode. I love being able to browse in portrait (though it is limited to having no options of opening new window or going back etc) and making calls in portrait but I want more! Specifically music player and messaging. For messaging, S60 5th edition already offers a solution of text entry with T9 alphanumeric.
Should the N900 be given portrait mode?


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Koningsdam captain gets his senior officers
TAGS: people cruise lines ships crew/seafarers
Capt. Emiel de Vries, who will command Holland America Line's new Koningsdam, has been assigned a seasoned team of senior officers. They are hotel director Stan Kuppens, chief engineer Willem Zuidema, staff captain Kevin Beirnaert and safety, environmental and health officer Martijn van Dam.
Anne Kalosh | Nov 06, 2015
Since joining the line in 1990, Kuppens has sailed on 12 current ships and four that are no longer with the fleet. He was the hotel director for the introductions of Nieuw Amsterdam, Eurodam, Noordam and Westerdam, HAL's four newest ships. He also has worked aboard Amsterdam, Maasdam, Oosterdam, Rotterdam, Ryndam, Statendam, Zaandam and Zuiderdam.
A native of Nijmegen, Netherlands, Kuppens graduated from the University of Hotel Management and was selected to join HAL's management trainee program, a multiyear course that provides training in all aspects of the marine hotel department and leads to the hotel director job He lives in Seattle with his wife and son.
Staff captain Beirnaert joined HAL in 2006 and worked aboard Rotterdam, Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam prior to being named to the newbuild team. Hailing from Ghent, Belgium, he studied at the Hogere Zeevaart school in Antwerp and worked for freight company Ecuadorian Line and on dredging ships in Dubai for the Palm Jumeirah Project. Beirnaert lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chief engineer Zuidema came to HAL in 1991, first working aboard Rotterdam, after sailing on cargo ships with Nedlloyd. He has served on several HAL vessels and was involved in the building of Ryndam and Rotterdam. Prior to being named to the Koningsdam team he was Oosterdam's chief engineer.
A graduate of Marine Engineering College in Rotterdam, the Dutch native from The Hague began his seagoing career as a dual-purpose officer (deck and engine) before committing to the engineering side. Zuidema also holds a master's degree in international development. He and his wife live in Atibaia, Brazil, and when on leave he is involved in educational projects there.
Safety, environmental and health officer van Dam grew up in Aalsmeer, Netherlands, as the fifth generation in a family of shipbuilders, and sought a career at sea when he was 18. A graduate of Hogere Zeevaart School Amsterdam with degrees in navigation and engineering, van Dam joined HAL in 2000 on the previous Nieuw Amsterdam in the engineering department.
He has worked in several capacities on almost all of HAL's ships and has served as a safety and environmental trainer for the fleet. Van Dam lives in a small village at Costa Blanca, Spain, where he is restoring an old farm.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Possession of Cannabis
People v G.H. Charges: Possession of Cannabis 720 ILCS 550/4 Outcome: CASE DISMISSED Description: G.H. was charged with felony possession of cannabis. The police had found multiple pounds of cannabis in a south side home. Armed with a search warrant, officers from Chicago Police department and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) stormed into the residence in the early […]
People v G.H.
Charges: Possession of Cannabis 720 ILCS 550/4
Outcome: CASE DISMISSED
Description: G.H. was charged with felony possession of cannabis. The police had found multiple pounds of cannabis in a south side home. Armed with a search warrant, officers from Chicago Police department and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) stormed into the residence in the early morning hours. Police recovered multiple pounds of cannabis and proof of residence for the defendant. In court, attorney Bhatt forced police to admit that the defendant was not home during the search, multiple other individuals lived in the residence and other individuals lived in other units in the building. Additionally, attorney Bhatt got officers to admit that they could not establish that his client was the only individual who had access to the area where the marijuana was found. Furthermore, the proof of residency that police relied on to establish that the defendant lived at the property was months old and no other proof of residency was given. The judge dismissed all charges and said she found "no nexus" between the defendant an the drugs found.
By PuravB|2022-06-15T17:34:40+00:00November 8th, 2015|Recently Won Cases|


This neat and modern 4-layered watercolour cake class is packed with techniques that you will find very useful if you are looking to improve on your cake decorating skills. In this class, we will teach you a stabilizing technique and how to frost a really tall cake to achieve straight sides and sharp edges. Learn how to achieve a watercolour effect on your cake and even create your very own clean and smooth chocolate sail without any remnant brush strokes. This course is suitable for both professionals and hobbyists alike, as long as you have the basics of frosting a cake and the determination to learn.
*Note: Maximum of 6 pax in the class. This is to ensure that full attention is given to each student.


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WISCONSIN PRISON ART EXHIBITION
Purchase Catalog
Dominic Marak, Self Portrait with Tumors, 2021. Collaged paint samples on paper, 14 x 11 inches
Essays by Debra Brehmer, M. Winston,
Tonen O'Connor, Jessica Wolfendale
and Adam Procell
Artist bios and images
Designed by Jena Sher
Printed by The Marek Group
Edited by Diane Bacha and Kurt Chandler
Photography by Daniel McCullough
Perfect bound
6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, January 19, 2023
273 E. Erie Street, Milwaukee
Exhibition runs through March 11, 2023
Gallery hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Docent tours: 11:30 a.m. Wednesday and Saturdays, free
Art Against the Odds is a statewide prison art exhibition, organized and curated by Portrait Society Gallery of Contemporary Art, Milwaukee, WI through its related project On the Wing (supported by fiscal receiver Feast of Crispian). With approximately 60 artists participating, the exhibition looks at the many incarcerated individuals who turn to art to survive. The project generates visibility for this invisible population, bringing a sense of humanity to the carceral system. A first of its kind, this professionally mounted, museum-scaled project showcases several room-sized installations, an environment created out of hand-written or typed letters, and hundreds of works of art, including painting, sculpture, knitting and beadwork. The exhibition is divided into six thematic sections that look at different aspects of art that is made in confinement.
Master of Light
Tuesday, January 31 (6 p.m.) FREE
Oriental Theater, 2230 N. Farwell Avenue, Milwaukee
Presented in conjunction with The Community, Represent Justice, and Milwaukee Film.
Master of Light (2022) is a new documentary about George Anthony Morton, who spent 10 years in prison, and since
his release, "is doing everything he can to defy society's unlevel playing field and tackle the white-dominant art world."
This event is free but please reserve a spot here.
Thursday, February 2 (7 p.m.) FREE
Correcting the Narrative: Realities and Reform In Our Prison System
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, 273 E. Erie Street
Introductions: Peter Goldberg, former public defender
Moderator: Shannon Ross, The Community
Panelists: Bill Lipscomb, Adjunct Professor at Marquette and Former Federal Prosecutor; Claude Motley, Subject of the Emmy winning documentary "When Claude Got Shot," Founder of The Forgiveness Project, Crime survivor, and Victim Rights Advocate; Cecelia Klingele, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Wisconsin Madison Law School, Former Law Clerk to Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens; MIllie Lee, formerly incarcerated, public speaker.
The event is free but please reserve a spot here.
MIAD Student led panel
Wednesday, February 8 ( 6 to 7:30 p.m.) FREE
Narratives of Privilege: MIAD freshman class panel discussion
Professor Zoe Darling
This panel presents various community members who will be interviewed by students about how they see and experience privilege and discrimination.
Carceral Aesthetics: Making art in prison
A group of formerly incarcerated artists including John Tyson, Sarah Demerath (moderator), and Joshua Gresl will discuss their work.
FUNDING AND SUPPORT
Wisconsin Humanities
Bader Philanthropies
Brico Fund
Anonymous Fund of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation
Mary Nohl Fund of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation
Heil Family Foundation
Herzfeld Foundation
The Buck Family Foundation
Lisa Groskopf-Gleason
Marianne and Sheldon Lubar
Feast of Crispian (Fiscal receiver)
More than 150 individuals also supported this project!
"One of the most powerful and fundamental ways to challenge the disposability of people particularly people locked away behind walls, is to make their full humanity more visible to the broader public.
Our criminal system's ability to accomplish mass human caging to an extent never before recorded depends on ignoring and erasing the people and stories of the human beings upon whom we inflict unspeakable suffering"
JESSE KRIMES
formerly incarcerated artist
207 E Buffalo Street, Suite 526
Debra Brehmer, Director
portraitsocietygallery@gmail.com
©2022 by On The Wing.


Being part of a recovery fellowship on an ongoing basis will provide us with many opportunities to hear others tell about how they have suffered because of their addictions and what it has been like for them to find recovery. One of the most incredible and amazing things that we will ever experience in a meeting is when someone shares how he or she has become grateful for having had addictions. In recovery, it is possible for the pain of our addictions to become a great motivator in our lives. Pain keeps us moving forward, compelling us to keep reaching out to find answers for the pain and troubles of life. As we recover, we find a very simple but profound solution. The solution is for us is to want God, and what He has to give us, more than we want what we, or our addictions, can provide us. This new kind of God-given desire helps us to see that pain is not our enemy and we don't need to run from it anymore. As we become wiling to face the day-to-day pains of life our pain and difficulties are transformed into powerful assets of learning and growth. Embracing pain as a learning opportunity brings us face to face with God's work of redemption, a work that is only available to those who have the deep, pliable humility that soaks out of a desperate and dying pain.
Our addictions grow from a deep personal longing inside of us that silently cries out to be touched. When our deep longing goes untouched, we cry out all the more in ever deeper ways, craving with an ever-increasing intensity for more of the things that brought us relief in the past. This is how our addictions take hold of us. Deep-rooted painful feelings of uselessness, worthlessness and loneliness can be the triggers that send us back to our addictions time after time. With our longing unsatisfied, and after numerous and repeated attempts to do the right thing, invariably we fail, once again, falling ever deeper into our addictions. Desperate, over time, we become wholly and completely dissatisfied with who we are and with the way that we have lived our lives. Our good intentions and our failures have simmered together until, finally, with God's help, we become entirely ready to be recreated into a fundamentally different kind of person. We are sick and tired of being sick and tired. We are convinced that we will never satisfy our own innermost needs. Staying the same is no longer acceptable to us. We want to be different. Deep in our hearts we know that if we do not humbly make the choice to change, we will eventually die still wallowing in our addictions.
This profound misery and discontent is the birth point of a new healthier desire - a desire based not on our previous loves or lusts, but more on a healthy and compelling desire, to experience new life inside of us. The pain of our addictions helps us to understand that we really don't need things to change but it is the "I", the "ME", the "WE" that need to change. We are no longer satisfied with just being healed from our addictions. We want to have our complete and total self reformatted and changed by the perfect design of God.


Yeah, I know… I fell again and I didn't even realize it in time, so a post about the Rosia Montana was born… but I'm climbing back into my tower, studying about this new transit of Jupiter in my 9th house, while squaring Mars from the 11th house.
Now talking of houses, on Saturday I volunteered for a work-visit to an orphanage, in some city in the mountains, close to the border with Germany.. we did some gardening there and I liked it very much. The interesting part is that just when I got inside, in the hallway, in the middle of my chest hit me a very intense vibe of loneliness. And the emotion caught me that much that I was barely able to hold my tears while we ate the lunch that was prepared for us. Which was quite an interesting discovery about myself: the confirmation that I'm not a robot.
I was told that the place is there since right after the second world war and in the way back home it hit me: what if in a previous life I actually lived there? I was a German girl.. which could explain a lot.
This entry was posted in Writings in English on September 16, 2013 by Stefania.


text:
Manufacturing Intelligence & Industrial Information Management
Accessing Databases Using OPC
Seventh sense for fault analysis
In any industry, databases are the foundation of many automation applications. Databases are consistently used as a gateway to interface with the outside world, whether to a process optimization application, Computer Maintenance Management System (CMMS), composition analyzer, or a custom, in-house application. OLE for Process Control (OPC) has become the standard used by applications to poll devices for real-time data. This widespread industry acceptance has made it necessary for many organizations to convert archived data to real-time data and vice-versa. Some access methods already exist today, such as ODBC; however these methods are intended for relational data, rather than real-time transfers. To further complicate issues, products from Sybase, Oracle, and Microsoft all have their own Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that are used to optimize operations. OPC can take advantage of real-time values from what once was a relational database by using Generic Database Access (GDA) technology. This technology continues to reinforce why industry is turning to OPC as their connectivity standard.
What is OPC?
OPC standardizes the way that plant floor devices such as PLCs, DCSs, and analyzers share data with software applications such as HMIs, Process Historians, and Trenders. Regardless of the type of device, data is always shared in the same standardized format. Of course, OPC deals with one side of the interface. A database might reside on the other side, and so the communication must be properly managed.
OPC Generic Database Access (GDA)
OPC GDA technology deals with the translation of data from databases to standardized OPC values and back again. GDA can connect an application to any database, regardless of the table structure — even a poorly configured database. GDA is built with an OPC front end, and can therefore be effectively used to provide a host of database connectivity solutions. For example, OPC applications such as Human/Machine Interfaces (HMI), expert systems, and archivers/historians can easily use their existing OPC interfaces to quickly integrate a database as a real-time data source. In addition, since OPC GDA technology also enables a database to be used to store new information, GDA can be used to collect data from an OPC source and archive it in the database, such as the case in a CMMS.
Different Table Structures: No Problem
Databases from different vendors and programmers are likely to have different table structures. GDA enables the user to configure queries to access any structure imagined; a simple structure requires a simpler query.
GDA is supercharged when it is coupled with OPC. Because OPC for GDA standardizes the data access method, every point is guaranteed to have three attributes: a value, quality and timestamp, just like data from any other OPC source. It is irrelevant to OPC whether the application connects to a DCS, PLC, database, or other device, because the interface is always the same.
OPC Servers Run Efficiently
OPC GDA enables applications to interpret relational data as real-time data, and vice-versa. Databases are slow, and therefore data throughput bottlenecks often occur. Since OPC communication easily outperforms any GDA connection, adding an OPC server to the system will not add to a performance bottleneck. The OPC server can easily keep up with any database changes.
Generic Database Access enhances OPC's universal connectivity
To summarize, OPC for GDA enables applications to use any database as if it was a standard OPC data source. The interface remains consistent, whether inserting data in a database, or retrieving data for viewing, supervising, or analysis purposes.
This article was written by Randy Kondor, OPC Product Manager at Matrikon. Randy is responsible for Matrikon's OPC business unit which is comprised of over 50 full time employees. Since 1996, Randy has been vastly involved within the OPC industry and a strong supporter of the OPC Foundation. He continues to dedicate himself to spreading the OPC Foundation's message about system interoperability and inter-vendor cooperation. Randy has been instrumental in the vision, development, and distribution of several OPC products such as OPC Data Manager, OPC Redundancy Broker and OPC Genie. As of late, Randy has been the key driving force behind OPC Tunnelling technology - a new emerging trend.
MatrikonOPC is a charter member of the OPC Foundation and the world's largest developer of OPC servers, client, tools and utilities, with a collection of over 500 interfaces. Boasting more than 30,000 users and over 100,000 installations around the world, MatrikonOPC provides connectivity to every major control system and application on the market. These products and solutions are the culmination of Matrikon's experience since 1988 in the design and implementation of device-specific communication drivers. Our vendor interoperability and OPC compliance are guaranteed which helps make us the global leader in industrial connectivity.
OPC Tutorial: http://www.Automation.com/store/p1033details9254.php
Matrikon OPC: www.matrikon.com/opc


text:
Orlicko-kladský varhanní festival je každoročně v září a říjnu pořádán již od roku 1997.

O festivalu
Jedná se o přehlídku různorodých varhanních nástrojů v oblasti mezi městy Trutnov, Náchod, Kladsko (Kłodzko), Dobruška, Rychnov nad Kněžnou až po Králíky. Koncerty zejména českých a polských varhaníků se konají i v menších obcích v pohraničí.
Iniciátory festivalu byli Michal Novenko – varhaník a Václav Uhlíř – varhaník a hlavní organolog diecéze Hradec Králové.

Interpreti
Vystoupili zde varhaníci: Aleš Bárta, Michael Bártek, Václav Uhlíř, Pavel Kohout, Petr Čech, Pavel Svoboda, Petr Hostinský, Vlastimil Bičík, Michal Novenko, Martin Matyska, Martin Kubát, Radka Zdvihalová, František Vaníček, Lucie Žáková, Jiřina Marešová, Andrzej Chorosiński, Roman Perucki, Irena Chřibková, Adam Viktora, Kateřina Chroboková a další.

Externí odkazy
 Oficiální stránky (včetně programu)
 Článek o festivalu
 Festivalový koncert v Nekoři

Festivaly klasické hudby v Česku
Hudební festivaly v Polsku
Festivaly v Dolnoslezském vojvodství
Varhany
Hudební události v Královéhradeckém kraji
Festivaly založené roku 1997
Česko-polské vztahy
Kultura v okrese Ústí nad Orlicí

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


HOUSTON - A Houston area man has come forward to talk about his involvement with the global hacker group Anonymous and why he severed all ties with the elusive organization.
Mike Jones claims to be an original member of an organization that, over the years, been credited with cyber-attacks on government institutions, large corporations and terrorist groups.
"We were looking for new ways, new ways of thinking," Jones said.
Jones said the initial idea that led to the formation of the group was "injustice." Jones said many of the original members were spurred by a belief the federal government had become overly intrusive into the average citizen's life following the Sept. 11 attacks and unethical practices by corporate America.
"After 9-11 there was a swing of taking people's civil liberties. There was a knockdown of people's rights and there was a fight for gaining that back," Jones said. "We kind of got together, put our heads together and labeled ourselves, basically, freedom fighters. They were aimed at people and organizations that we felt were on the wrong side of the law to begin with."
"While you use the words 'freedom fighters,' others out there use the word, 'criminal.' Do you consider yourself a criminal?" Channel 2's Robert Arnold asked.
"No, I don't," Jones said.
"You have broken laws that are on the books. Is that not correct or do you disagree with that?" asked Arnold.
"I don't disagree, but at the time those laws weren't created. They used us as a way to form new laws," Jones said.
At this point in reading if your mental image of Jones is one of a rebel sitting in a dark room lurking on the Internet, consider that he is a husband, father and decorated veteran. Jones enlisted in the Navy during the first Iraq war and re-enlisted after the attacks on 9-11.
"I went into military intelligence after 9-11," said Jones. "There was definitely an intelligence gap, and that's where I wanted to be."
Jones said his work with Anonymous started after he left the Navy and while he would not share specific details of some the group's exploits, he said some of what he and the collective did was expose weaknesses in computer systems that can affect the general public.
"Looking at systems for vulnerabilities is something that helps all of us," Jones said.
"Why should you be allowed to, I guess, to just poke around in the dark and see if you can get in?" asked Arnold.
"The way I look at it is, either I can test it or the Chinese can. Would you rather me test it or someone from China or North Korea test it?" said Jones.
Jones said his reasons for distancing and ultimately leaving Anonymous were threefold. The first was seeing friends sent to prison under, what at the time, were newly created cyber-laws.
"They held us to almost a terrorist level. Matter of fact they called it cyber-terrorism," Jones said. "I think that made a lot of us feel like less than citizens. When I look at my kids, jail is not somewhere I want to be."
The second reason is Jones said he feels like the original intent of Anonymous has become diluted.
"The idea is disappearing. Guys are buying Anonymous masks at Party City, they're running through the streets and starting fires with the Anonymous mask on, that's not who we are," said Jones. "The idea was a pure idea and it was not physical or life-threatening."
The third reason was fear of jeopardizing what has become a successful career in the private sector: using skills honed in the underground to help shore up weaknesses in our country's cyber infrastructure, as well as the technology we use in our homes. Jones said after leaving the military, many private-sector companies were hiring people with his particular skill set.
"Hiring people like me to defend against what we know is out there. It's there, the threat is real," said Jones. "They only way really to know their vulnerabilities and the threat to their companies was to find people like me, that were already there, that were willing to work for an honest paycheck, but also keep their head in the underground."
"Why reveal yourself at this point?" asked Arnold.
"At this point it's not a coming out, it's a walking away," said Jones. "I'm walking away from Anonymous."
Jones said publicly talking about his past involvement with the group will also hopefully remove future questions about where his allegiances lie.
While KPRC could not concretely prove or disprove Jones' involvement with Anonymous, we were able to verify his Naval record and his work in the private sector. KPRC also reached out to Anonymous through a pair of Twitter accounts but did not receive a response.
KPRC also spoke with University of Houston cyber-security expert Dr. Chris Bronk.
"You know this is not an organization that gives out a membership card," Bronk said.
"Would it surprise you to see one of the original guys coming out and talking like this?" asked Arnold.
"I'm not surprised at all. I have a good friend who was part of the 'Cult of the Dead Cow' hacker group, which was very big in the 90s and he's very legit now," said Bronk. "Does anyone want to be a revolutionary forever? Probably not."
Bronk also echoed some of the points Jones made regarding a dilution of Anonymous' original message.
"Infringement on the Anonymous brand became a serious problem for the organization pretty quickly as it rose to power," Bronk said. "We had no way of knowing, 'Are these guys true Anonymous confederates, or are these guys who can put up a YouTube video with a good Guy Fawkes mask that you can buy at any party store?'"
Bronk added it is no longer uncommon for those who acquired skills in the digital sub-culture to later find legitimate work as penetration testers.
"It's a career where you can make a lot of money," Bronk said.
Bronk said part of our country's defense also now depends on finding people who can help safeguard against cyber-attacks and intrusions.
"Hacker power is real. It's part of the overall mix of power on the planet today," Bronk said.
This month the Department of Defense launched the "Hack the Pentagon" initiative. According to federal officials, the DoD is inviting vetted hackers to "test the department's cybersecurity" under a pilot program. A March 2 news release reads, "The bug bounty program is modeled after similar competitions conducted by some of the nation's biggest companies."
In February, President Barack Obama's proposed 2017 fiscal year budget called for spending $19 billion on cybersecurity.


HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Two men are sought by police after a man was shot in the hip during an attempted robbery last year in west Houston.
The attempted robbery happened on Sunday, August 30, 2015, around 10:10pm. Police say two Hispanic men with guns demanded money from a man and when he struggled with them, the victim was shot in the hip.
The suspects got away in a vehicle with an unknown make and model.
Police describe one of the suspects as heavy-set, approximately 20 to 25 years old, 5'08-5'10 tall, and wearing a black shirt and blue jeans. He carried a black pistol.
The second suspect who was armed with a shotgun is described as approximately 20-25 years old, 5'08-5'10 tall, wearing a black shirt and blue jeans.
If you have any information, contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477). You can submit tips online at www.crime-stoppers.org. Tips may also be sent via a text message by texting the following: TIP610 plus the information to CRIMES (274637).


text:
9/11 Accusations Fly Within CIA
August 26, 2005 / 11:26 AM / CBS/AP
CIA Director Porter Goss must decide whether to heed the recommendation of his top watchdog to hold disciplinary reviews for current and former officials who were involved in faulty intelligence efforts before the Sept. 11 attacks.
But CBS News has learned that all of the former top CIA officials singled out in the inspector general's report have already filed strong rebuttals to the agency.
The officials named in the report — including former CIA Director George Tenet — view the inspector general's report as "wrongheaded and wildly off the mark," a former intelligence official told CBS News correspondent Peter Maer.
Despite that, the official, who is close to Tenet, said the report will "send a chill" through the CIA, which he describes as already "devastated."
A CIA spokesman refuted the former official's sentiment.
"We are hardly beleaguered. We are focused on our mission," the spokesman told Maer. "We don't look back. We are looking to the future and fighting the war on terror."
The former officials are likely candidates for proceedings before an accountability board, which could take a number of actions, including letters of reprimand or dismissal. Alternatively, the proceedings could clear the former officials of wrongdoing.
The highly classified report, which spans hundreds of pages, was delivered to Congress on Tuesday night.
It contains censures of Tenet for allegedly failing to enact a plan to fight al Qaeda before 9/11, one of Tenet's former colleagues told CBS News, describing that as "particularly annoying," considering Tenet's testimony before the 9/11 commission covered plans that were used to pursue al Qaeda.
Following a two-year review into what went wrong before the suicide hijackings, Helgerson harshly criticizes a number of the agency's most senior officials, according to people familiar with the report. Among those singled out for criticism are George Tenet, former clandestine service chief Jim Pavitt and former counterterrorism center head Cofer Black.
Goss was among those who requested the inspector general's review as part of a 2002 congressional inquiry into the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York City and Washington that killed nearly 3,000 people.
At the time, Goss, a Florida Republican, chaired the House Intelligence Committee. A CIA officer himself in the 1960s, Goss now must decide whether the current and former agency personnel should be considered for sanctions.
Those who know Goss well question whether the director, who took over the agency last September, will commission the disciplinary reviews.
Despite public outcries for accountability, many in the intelligence community believe Goss would be loath to try to discipline popular former senior officials and cause unrest within the agency.
He may not want to go after less-senior people still in the CIA's employ. Intelligence veterans say these CIA employees are the government's mostly highly trained in counterterrorism and before the Sept. 11 attacks, devoted their time to trying to stop al Qaeda terrorists. The hearings would force them to defend their careers rather than working against extremist groups.
In addition, the numerous investigations after Sept. 11 determined that an intelligence overhaul was essential to attack Muslim extremism.
Some members of Congress, including California Rep. Jane Harman, the Intelligence Committee's senior Democrat, are pushing for the CIA to produce a declassified version of the report so the public can debate these and other issues. Some family members of 9/11 victims have also called for the report's immediate release.
"The findings in this report must be shared with all members of Congress and with the American public to ensure that the problems identified are addressed and corrected, thus moving to restore faith in this agency," a group called Sept. 11 Advocates said in a statement Thursday.
The final version comes after much internal debate at the CIA and new national intelligence director's office about whether to simply scrap the document because it looks backward and is so harsh, said one official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Beth Marple, spokeswoman for National Intelligence Director John Negroponte, said, "As expected, there has been discussion between Director Negroponte and Director Goss about this report. But there were absolutely no efforts to kill it."
The CIA declined to comment on the substance of the report.
Accountability boards are normally made up of top CIA officials. In the case of the most serious issues, it would not be unusual for the agency's No. 3, the executive director, to lead the proceedings.
People familiar with the inspector general's process said the document largely covers ground already plowed in the 9/11 commission's report and the House-Senate inquiry that issued its own report on the attacks in December 2002. Those 37 lawmakers, who included Goss, requested the inspector general's review to consider issues of accountability.
Among items that received significant attention in the past was the CIA's failure to put two known operatives, Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf Alhazmi, on government watchlists and to let the FBI know that the future Sept. 11 hijackers had entered the United States.
The new report, however, comes at the events from a different perspective, focusing more narrowly on the agency's performance.
First published on August 26, 2005 / 11:26 AM
© 2005 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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28 August 2018 by Jay Govender and Emma Dempster Energy Alert
The draft Integrated Resource Plan 2018: The roadmap for future generation capacity
The long overdue draft Integrated Resource Plan 2018 (IRP Update) was released on 27 August 2018 for public comment by the Minister of Energy, Jeff Radebe. Comments to the IRP Update are to be submitted by interested persons by no later than 26 October 2018.
Why is the IRP important?
The integrated resource plan (IRP) is an electricity capacity plan which aims to provide an indication of the country's electricity demand, how this demand will be supplied and what it will cost. On 6 May 2011, the Department of Energy (DoE) released the Integrated Resource Plan 2010-2030 (IRP 2010) in respect of South Africa's forecast energy demand for the 20-year period from 2010 to 2030. The IRP 2010 was intended to be a 'living plan' that would be periodically revised by the DoE. The IRP 2010 stated that at the very least the IRP should be revised by the DoE every two years but this was never done.
In terms of the Electricity Regulation Act, No 4 of 2006 (ERA), the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) is required to issue rules designed to implement the IRP. It is notable that NERSA has not issued any such rules since the IRP was first published. Instead, the DoE has to date implemented the IRP 2010 by issuing Ministerial Determinations in line with s34 of the ERA in order to give effect the procurement of new generation capacity.
What is the difference between the IRP and an IEP?
The National Energy Regulator Act, No 34 of 2008 places an obligation on the Minister of Energy to develop, and on an annual basis, review and publish the Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) in the Government Gazette. The IEP is meant to serve as the guide for energy infrastructure investments, take into account all viable energy supply options and guide the selection of the appropriate technology to meet energy demand. There has been no IEP published since the enactment of the National Energy Regulator Act, and the IRP Update gives no indication as to when such IEP will be published.
What assumptions have changed since the IRP 2010?
A number of assumptions utilised in the IRP 2010 have since changed which necessitated the review. The IRP Update states that the key input assumptions that have changed since the IRP 2010 was promulgated include, amongst others:
electricity demand projection that did not increase as previously envisaged;
existing Eskom plant performance that is significantly below the assumed 86% availability factor;
additional capacity committed to and commissioned; and
technology costs that have declined significantly relative to the assumed values in the IRP 2010.
"Least-cost plan" up to 2030
The IRP Update "least-cost plan" up to 2030 contains only a capacity allocation for solar photovoltaic (PV), onshore wind, embedded generation and gas and notably excludes nuclear, solar CSP and any new coal generation capacity.
Interestingly, the IRP Update results of the demand-growth scenario analysis reveals that the installed capacity and energy mix for the period up to 2030 between the different scenarios tested during the IRP Update process do not differ materially, notwithstanding the reduction in demand for this period. This is due mainly to the decommissioning of approximately 12 GW of Eskom coal plants in this period.
The findings of the scenario analysis are also that the committed Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (RE IPP Programme), including the recent 27 signed projects, and the Eskom capacity rollout ending in 2022 with the last unit of Kusile, will provide more than sufficient capacity to cover the projected demand and decommissioning of plants up to approximately 2025.
The projected unit cost of electricity by 2030 was also found to be similar except for market-linked gas prices.
The following new additional capacity by 2030 is included:
1,000 MW of coal,
2,500 MW of hydro,
5,670 MW of solar PV,
8,100 MW of wind, and
8,100 MW of gas/diesel.
Up to the end of 2030, the new capacity demand is primarily driven by the decommissioning of the existing coal-fired plants and the IRP Update contains a detailed decommissioning plan.
For the period post-2030, the decommissioning of coal plants (total 28 GW by 2040 and 35 GW by 2050), together with emission constraints imposed, imply that coal will contribute less than 30% of the energy supplied by 2040 and less than 20% by 2050.
Under the Eskom build programme, the coal capacity already commissioned is 2 172 MW from Medupi (out of the 4 800 MW planned) and 800 MW from Kusile (out of the 4 800 MW planned).
The IRP Update includes 1 000 MW of coal to power in 2023-2024 based on the already procured and announced two projects under the Coal Baseload IPP Programme.
The IRP 2010 contained capacity allocations for electricity generated from renewable technologies, and it is in line with these allocations that the Minister of Energy has made Ministerial Determinations for renewable energy, which included the technologies of solar PV, wind, solar CSP, landfill gas, biomass, biogas and shall hydro.
To date, four bidding rounds have been completed for renewable energy projects under the RE IPP Programme, and on 1 June 2018 the Minister of Energy announced that a new Bid Window 5 for the RE IPP Programme will be launched in November 2018 and is estimated to procure a capacity of 1 800MW.
The publication of the IRP Update, however, casts doubt on the scale and pace of any further bid windows under the RE IPP Programme, specifically as no provision is made for the commissioning of additional wind capacity during 2022 to 2024, or for solar PV in 2023 and 2024.
The study undertaken to compile the IRP Update states that it considered comments from stakeholders such as the CSIR on least cost scenarios, adjusted learning rates for PV and wind technology to reflect the steep decline in prices and took into account the transmission infrastructure costs incurred through solar PV and wind energy generation.
The IRP Update reaches the following important conclusions with regard to renewable energy after an analysis of the potential scenarios:
Ministerial Determinations for capacity beyond Bid Window 4 issued under the IRP 2010 must be reviewed and revised in line with the projected system requirements;
the least-cost electricity path to 2050 is the scenario without a renewable energy annual build limit; and
unless in the case of policy intervention, all technologies included in the IRP 2010 where prices have not declined cease to be deployed.
The IRP Update concludes by outlining the following recommended plan for renewable energy:
a detailed analysis of the appropriate level of penetration of renewable energy in the South African national grid needs to be undertaken to better understand the technical risks and mitigations required to ensure security of supply is maintained during the transition to a low-carbon future;
a least-cost plan with the retention of annual build limits (1 000 MW for solar PV and 1 600 MW for wind) for the period up to 2030 which will provide for a smooth roll out of renewable energy and help sustain the industry;
renewable energy technologies identified and endorsed for localisation and promotion will be enabled through Ministerial Determinations. Technologies reflected in the IRP Update are a proxy for technologies that provide similar technical characteristics at similar or less cost to the system; and
the timing of new capacity indicated in the IRP Update can be adjusted depending what occurs with projected electricity demand or Eskom's existing plant performance.
With gas projected to comprise 15.7% of the installed capacity mix by 2030, it is clear from the IRP Update that it is envisaged that gas will be a significant part of the energy mix in the future.
There is currently 3830 MW of installed capacity generated from gas while a further 8100 MW of new additional capacity is projected to be procured and generated from gas which will eventually contribute to a total of 11 930 MW by 2030. Gas is included in the plan from 2026.
The projected unit cost of electricity by 2030 was found to be similar for all scenarios analysed except for the scenario in which a market-linked increase in gas prices was assumed instead of an inflation-based increase. The analysis revealed that the risk associated with increasing gas volumes to support generation from renewable energy is real unless gas becomes available locally. It was therefore recommended that the impact of the importation of gas and the exposure of electricity prices to currency fluctuations must be assessed prior to any commitment.
The IRP Update further recommends that a detailed analysis of the gas supply options should be undertaken in order to better understand the technical and financial risks and required mitigations for an electricity generation mix that is dominated by gas and renewable energy post-2030.
Embedded Generation
The IRP Update allocates 200MW per annum for embedded generation-for-own-use of between 1MW to 10MW, starting in 2018. The activities that constitute embedded generation for own use are set out in Appendix E to the IRP Update and relate to the operation of a generation facility with an installed capacity between 1MW and 10MW, whether connected to the national grid or not, that is operated solely to supply electricity to a single customer or related customer (which includes different legal entities within the same group of companies). The allocation is not technology specific. In order to undertake the activities listed, an IPP will have to apply for and hold a generation licence administered by NERSA.
It is surprising that there is no MW allocation made available for embedded generation for-own-use below 1MW.
The IRP Update includes 2500MW of hydro power in 2030 to facilitate the RSA-DRC treaty on the Inga Hydro Power Project, in line with South Africa's commitments contained in the National Development Plan to partner with regional neighbours. The project is stated to have the potential to energise and unlock regional industrialisation.
The main risks associated with import hydro options, as noted in the IRP Update, relate to delays in the construction of both the necessary grid extension and the power plants themselves. There is also a cost risk in that the assumptions used in the IRP Update are based on a 'desktop study' and do not reflect any commitment on the part of potential developers.
New additional capacity arising from nuclear capacity has not been included in the period up to 2030.
It is also expected that the 1800 MW of nuclear power generation from the Eskom Koeberg plant will reach end of life between 2045 and 2047.
It would appear that despite the IRP Update study period being extended to the year 2050, the IRP Update only provides a firm plan for the period up to 2030. The IRP Update specifically recommends that the post-2030 path not be confirmed and that detailed studies be undertaken to inform the future update of the IRP.
The IRP Update acknowledges that the significant change in the energy mix post-2030 is highly impacted by the assumptions used and that a slight change concerning the assumptions can alter the path chosen. It is therefore critical that the IRP Update, when finalised, is approached as it was intended to be, as a living document that is regularly reviewed and updated.
The IRP Update states that the review and outcome implies that the pace and scale of new capacity developments needed up to 2030 must be curtailed compared with that in the IRP 2010. Effectively this means that the following IPP programmes will likely not continue: the Coal Baseload IPP programme (beyond the current two projects being procured), the Co-Generation IPP Programme and the Small Renewable Energy IPP Programme.
Importantly the IRP Update states that the Ministerial Determinations for capacity beyond Bid Window 4 issued under the IRP 2010 must be reviewed and revised. Ministerial Determinations are issued in terms of s34 of the ERA and require consultation with NERSA. Decisions of NERSA are regulated by the National Energy Regulator Act and require a public participation process. This will certainly impact the timing of the anticipated Bid Window 5 under the RE IPP Programme.
The introduction of a MW allocation for embedded generation in the IRP Update is a welcome development as it will facilitate the process of applying for and obtaining a generation licence and presumably stimulate market growth. It is, however, unclear at this stage as to how NERSA intends to deal with the current backlog of generation licence applications that have been made over the past year(s) and whether this will be dealt with on a 'first come first serve' basis or another method of adjudication.
The IRP Update unlocks momentum for energy generation and holds promise for the road ahead.
Jay Govender Director, Sector Head Johannesburg Full Profile
Emma Dempster Director Johannesburg Full Profile
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https://www.cliffedekkerhofmeyr.com/en/en/news/publications/2018/projects/energy-alert-28-august-the-draft-integrated-resource-plan-2018-the-roadmap-for-future-generation-capacity-.html


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The first South African pride parade was held towards the end of the apartheid era in Johannesburg on October 13, 1990, the first such event on the African continent. Section Nine of the country's 1996 constitution provides for equality and freedom from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation among other factors.[40][41] The Joburg Pride organising body disbanded in 2013 due to internal conflict about whether the event should continue to be used for political advocacy. A new committee was formed in May 2013 to organise a "People's Pride", which was "envisioned as an inclusive and explicitly political movement for social justice".[42][43][44] Other pride parades held in the Johannesburg area include Soweto Pride which takes place annually in Meadowlands, Soweto, and eKurhuleni Pride which takes place annually in KwaThema, a township on the East Rand. Pride parades held in other South African cities include the Cape Town Pride parade and Khumbulani Pride in Cape Town, Durban Pride in Durban, and Nelson Mandela Bay Pride in Port Elizabeth. Limpopo Pride is held in Polokwane, Limpopo.
For 2019, Pride Island will occupy Pier 97, in the heart of Hell's Kitchen, and as per usual you can expect top-notch performers. While the line-up is yet to be confirmed, Pride Island has a history of attracting the biggest performers of any pride in the world. Last year, Pride Island welcomed Aussie pop princess, Kylie Minogue, while previous years have seen Ariana Grande, Cher, and the late Whitney Houston take to the stage.
In August 2011, Sao Paulo city alderman Carlos Apolinário of the right-wing Democrats Party sponsored a bill to organize and sponsor "Heterosexual Pride Day" on the third Sunday of December. Apolinário, an Evangelical Protestant, stated that the intent of the parade was a "struggle ... against excesses and privileges". Members of Grupo Gay da Bahia and the Workers' Party opposed the bill as enhancing "the possibility of discrimination and prejudice".[54] The bill was nevertheless passed by the city council, but never received the signature of mayor Gilberto Kassab.
Gay pride or LGBT pride refers to a world wide movement and philosophy asserting that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Gay pride advocates work for equal "rights and benefits" for LGBT people. The movement has three main premises: that people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity, that sexual diversity is a gift, and that sexual orientation and gender identity are inherent and cannot be intentionally altered. In June of 2000, Bill Clinton deemed the month of June, "Gay and Lesbian Pride Month." The month was chosen to remember a riot in 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan that is thought to be the beginning of the gay liberation movement in the United States. June is now the month of acceptance and the month to welcome diversity in communities regardless of sexual orientation. Gay and lesbian groups celebrate this special time with pride parades, picnics, parties, memorials for those lost from HIV and AIDS, and other group gathering events that attract thousands upon thousands of individuals. This month is meant to recognize the impact Gay, Lesbian and Transgender individuals have had on the world.
The Dublin Pride Festival usually takes place in June. The Festival involves the Pride Parade, the route of which is from O'Connell Street to Merrion Square. However, the route was changed for the 2017 Parade due to Luas Cross City works. The parade attracts thousands of people who line the streets each year. It gained momentum after the 2015 Marriage Equality Referendum.
The initiative received government backing from the deputy DfES and Equalities Minister Jacqui Smith, although some sections of the press argued against its political correctness, and pointed out that the sexuality of some historical figures is more a matter of speculation than fact.[16] Supporters of the event countered that it is important to challenge heterosexist attitudes in society.
Tel Aviv hosts an annual pride parade,[59] attracting more than 260,000 people, making it the largest LGBT pride event in Asia.[citation needed] Three Pride parades took place in Tel Aviv on the week of June 11, 2010. The main parade, which is also partly funded by the city's municipality, was one of the largest ever to take place in Israel, with approximately 200,000 participants. The first Pride parade in Tel Aviv took place in 1993.
In August 2012, the first Ugandan pride parade was held in Entebbe to protest the government's treatment of its LGBT citizens and the attempts by the Ugandan Parliament to adopt harsher sodomy laws, colloquially named the Kill the Gays Bill, which would include life imprisonment for aggravated homosexuality.[45] A second pride parade was held in Entebbe in August 2013.[46] The law was promulgated in December 2013 and subsequently ruled invalid by the Constitutional Court of Uganda on August 1, 2014 on technical grounds. On August 9, 2014, Ugandans held a third pride parade in Entebbe despite indications that the ruling may be appealed and/or the law reintroduced in Parliament and homosexual acts still being illegal in the country.[47]
The oldest pride parade in Poland, the Warsaw Pride, has been organized since 2001. In 2005, the parade was forbidden by local authorities (including then-Mayor Lech Kaczyński) but occurred nevertheless. The ban was later declared a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights (Bączkowski and Others v. Poland). In 2008, more than 1,800 people joined the march. In 2010 EuroPride took place in Warsaw with approximately 8,000 participants. The last parade in Warsaw, in 2019, drew 80,000 people. Other Polish cities which host pride parades are Kraków, Łódź, Poznań, Gdańsk, Toruń, Wrocław, Lublin, Częstochowa, Rzeszów, Opole, Zielona Góra, Konin, Bydgoszcz, Szczecin, Kalisz, Koszalin, Olsztyn, Kielce, Gniezno.
Though the reality was that the Stonewall riots themselves, as well as the immediate and the ongoing political organizing that occurred following them, were events fully participated in by lesbian women, bisexual people, and transgender people, as well as by gay men of all races and backgrounds, historically these events were first named Gay, the word at that time being used in a more generic sense to cover the entire spectrum of what is now variously called the 'queer' or LGBT community.[37][38]


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Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Pay strikes at Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank and other German banks
A second round of strikes over pay at the nation's banks was called starting Wednesday in southern cities including Stuttgart, Karlsruhe and Mannheim.
The Verdi union is calling for a 6 percent wage increase, as well as other benefits such as better health care, after rejecting a 4.3 percent offer by the banks.
The dispute involves a potential 220,000 bank employees and workers from Germany's private and publicly owned banks. Among those directly affected are staff at Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, Wuestenrot Bausparkasse, LBBW and Bausparkasse Schwaebisch Hall.
Social assistance workers across Bulgaria on one-hour warning strike
Workers from 25 Directorates for Social Assistance across the country went on a one-hour warning strike May 18, according to the press centre of Podkrepa Confederation of Labor.
Six social assistance directorates in Sofia were affected and one from each of the cities of Sliven, Stara Zagora, Nova Zagora, Radomir, Berkovitsa, Tran, Plovdiv, Pazardzhik, Lom, Ruse, Vratsa, Sandanski, Dobrich, Targovishte, Kotel, Shumen, Kazanlak, Kozloduy and Rodopi.
Between 80 percent and 100 percent of the personnel in the directorates joined the strike.
"There is no information that the strike was supported by the trade unions of Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in the social assistance system, with some individual exceptions," reported the FOCUS News Agency.
Disneyland Paris staff strike over pay and a sexual harassment case
Staff at Disneyland Paris who dress up as Disney characters are withdrawing from "Meet and Greet" events an ongoing dispute over pay and a sexual harassment case.
According to media reports, there is widespread anger amongst staff at low wages, with strikes organised for pay increases.
"This week alone there have been cancellations of the Magic on Parade event, 'Meet and Greet' sessions in Cafe Mickey, the Cowboy Cookout Barbeque, and a number of other hugely popular events," reported the Daily Mail.
Daniel Dreux, Disneyland's human resources manager, said a "general increase of 1.5 percent" was on the table, and appealed for "realism and common sense" from striking workers.
Disneyland staff are also in dispute over the fact that a senior colleague who was accused of harassing women has been allowed back to work because of lack of evidence.
Disney said it also denies that staff have the right to "opt out" of their duties, and has pledged to impose harsh financial penalties on strikers.
Rail trade union declares massive vote for strike action on Tyne and Wear metro, England
On Wednesday, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) confirmed that workers had voted by a big margin in two separate ballots for industrial action in disputes over pay on the Tyne and Wear metro and the victimisation of a cleaner working for Churchills cleaning company.
"The ballots came after extensive talks with the operating company DB Regio failed to produce a realistic offer this year on pay and conditions and after Churchills refused to accept that they have taken unfair disciplinary action against an RMT member," said the statement on the RMT site.
Industrial action on Tyne and Wear metro during a pension dispute last autumn led to a full shutdown of the network.
Staff at BBC Wales strike over victimisation as Olympic Torch arrives
Journalists and technical staff at BBC Wales are to go on a 24-hour strike today as the Olympic Torch Relay arrives in Wales in preparation for the games.
The BBC staff are taking action over the dismissal of a member of staff, who they say was targeted due to union activity.
Strike at recycling sites in Sheffield, England
Workers at five recycling sites in Sheffield, England are set to strike May 26, 27 and 28 over the closure of five sites to the public and resultant job losses.
SOVA, a sub-contractor for Sheffield City Council and Veolia, plans to shut access to the five centres to the general public on weekdays. The job losses and pay cuts arise because neither Veolia nor the City Council are willing to pay the £900,000 per annum to keep these sites open.
Workers in dispute employed by SOVA are based on all five Sheffield City Council Household Recycle Centres. Talks failed to avert the imminent job losses and cuts to terms and conditions to be enacted in June.
Turkish public sector workers in nationwide strike
Turkish public sector workers staged a nationwide general strike on Wednesday in opposition to the government's pay offer of 3.5 percent for the first half of 2012. The government offer also included a 4 percent rise in the second half of the year, and a 3 percent increase for each half of 2013, and was only slightly better than its previous offer.
The strike began after negotiations between trade unions and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security ended without agreement. Strike action involved all three public sector trade union confederations. For the first time members of the three teachers trade unions all struck together.
The government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said its latest offer was final and reflected "the budget deficit, the current account deficit, the Medium-Term Financial Plan and public finance discipline."
Whilst the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK) and Kamu-Sen federations called on their members not to work, the strike was openly weakened by the Memur-Sen federation representing half a million workers. Memur-Sen left it up to the individual unions within its federation to decide whether to support the general strike or not.
Lebanese Electricite du Liban contract workers continue indefinite strike
Contract workers employed by the state-run Electricite du Liban (EDL) continued their ongoing strike this week. The strikers are demanding that EDL offer them permanent employment and full benefits.
The Committee of EDL Contract Workers and Collectors, representing the workers, have stated that some of the employees have been on temporary contracts for up to 17 years, and they have not received the benefits to which they were entitled during that period. The Committee also points out that 1,700 staff at EDL are employed full-time, yet more than 5,000 workers are required.
Last week EDL workers took over and occupied various floors of the company's headquarters in Mar Mikhail and then closed the gates of the building. The strikers have also blockaded roads and held sit-ins in a number of areas.
The government is creating an atmosphere of hostility against the strikers with Energy and Water Minister Gebran Bassil stating, "We can't hire all of these people and will not bow to pressure and intimidation."
According to the Daily Star, "He also criticized the security forces for allowing the protesters to storm EDL's building without taking any measures to evict them."
Almost 90 percent of Electricite du Liban's bill collectors and technicians are part-time workers.
Social workers strike in Israel
Social workers throughout Israel held a one-day strike Monday to protest a violent assault on a social worker's family in the village of Sakhnin. The workers are members of the Israel Association of Social Workers trade union.
On May 19 three men, all brothers, beat up the social worker's family, breaking the arm of her husband and injuring two others.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the union was demanding an "end to violence against social workers and was hoping to push new legislation on the issue through the Knesset Labor and Welfare Committee with the help of MKs Haim Katz and Rachel Adatto. They were also demanding protection for social workers, including adding guards at their offices, giving them greater powers and the ability to ban violent individuals."
Tunisian health workers issue strike notice
Health workers belonging to the National Union of Public Sector Doctors, Dentists and Pharmacists gave notice to strike May 30-31. The union is affiliated to the Tunisian General Labour Union. The proposed action follows a breakdown in talks with employers over wages and health service improvements.
Medical staff are seeking payment for instruction given to medical students along the lines of allowances paid to university professors.
Liberian academics strike
Academic staff at Cuttington University in Bong County, 120 miles north of Monrovia in Liberia, have gone on strike over salary arrears. They are also protesting the non-functioning of the on-site Internet café. The university is run by the Liberian Episcopal Church. The authorities blamed delays by the Finance Ministry for the delay in salary arrears.
Public transport strike in Swaziland
Public transport workers in the city of Manzini in central Swaziland are on strike over attempts by the municipal county's attempts to make the drivers use the Satellite bus rank. They are members of the Swaziland Transport and Allied Workers Union (STAWU) and are employed by the Swaziland Commercial Amadoda Road Transport Council (SCARTO).
The Ministry of Labour went to court to get the strike action deemed illegal. STAWU officials argued that they are not on strike but taking mass coordinated leave. The judge advised the Ministry of Labour and the union to return to negotiations.
South African postal workers dispute continues
Around 1,000 South African postal workers employed in the province of Gauteng, which includes Johannesburg, are continuing their strike. They are employed through labour brokers rather than directly by the post office. They are demanding to be employed on a permanent basis; some of them have been casually employed for more than 10 years.
Talks are ongoing between the Communications Workers Union and the employers. The action has led to the delays in bills and payments by municipal authorities.
Packaging workers strike in South Africa
Workers employed by Wrapsa Packaging and Manufacturing based in Centurion in Gauteng province, South Africa, went on strike Monday and held a protest march.
The workers are represented by the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers Union. The go-ahead for the strike was given by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.
Workers are seeking a pay increase, to R4500 (US$537) from the current R1800 ($215). According to one trade union steward, many pharmaceutical companies pay a minimum wage of R6000 ($716). The workers also accuse the company of discrimination against black workers by paying their white staff R8000 ($954).
One worker who had been at the company 11 years told the press, "The money I am getting (is) not enough to make a living. Most of us have lung problems because of the 'pain block' powder affecting our health … petrol has gone up and food has gone up … we will end up with nothing at the end of the month."
Rival union in South Africa declares strike at gold mine
Workers represented by the Professional Transport and Allied Workers Union (PTAWU) at Gold One owned Modder East gold mine in South Africa have given notice of a strike June 4. Their demands include a basic salary of R6500 ($776) and for an employer funded provident fund for underground workers.
Gold One states it only recognises the National Union of Mineworkers to represent miners, but PTAWU say that with 500 members out of 1,800 at the mine they have a right to be recognised.
Platinum miners in South Africa stop work
Beginning Monday night, miners belonging to the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) refused to go underground at the Impala Platinum (Implats) Rustenburg mine.
They did so in response to hearing that some of their colleagues had been arrested. The arrests followed clashes between AMCU members and National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) members at the mine complex last week.
Some 15,000 miners staged a march to the court where their colleagues were appearing on Tuesday. A violent battle ensued with police armed with tear gas and rubber bullets. Many miners were reportedly injured.
Friction between the two union bodies follows a bitter dispute earlier in the year when AMCU members, but not NUM members, were out on strike.
At the time, Impala Platinum refused to recognise AMCU. But according to reports, AMCU has seen an increase in numbers since the earlier dispute, with growing numbers of the miners perceiving the AMCU as a more militant organisation.
The mine currently produces around 940,000 ounces of platinum per annum; the rare metal is currently fetching around $1,470 an ounce.
France: Delevoye report prepares the slashing of pensions by Macron
Riot police attack Athens protest against Airbnb as housing costs soar
UK: Bed shortages cause increasing reliance on emergency beds in NHS hospitals
Hundreds protest over drowning of refugee schoolgirl in UK
Amazon call center worker in Rabat, Morocco speaks out against company harassment
Mass protests resume against Sudan's junta
Mass protests against police shooting of Ethiopian Israeli
Royal Marines seize Iranian tanker under orders from US
Trump imposes new sanctions amid continuing war threat against Iran
National strike against Ecuadorian government demands Assange's freedom
Wall Street Journal warns job threats might not prevent rebellion by autoworkers
British Columbia forestry workers strike enters third week
Walmart workers and teachers on strike in Chile speak out against unions, police-state repression
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
17,000 Walmart workers strike in Chile
Hong Kong protesters appeal to mainland Chinese for support
Australian retail giant to cut jobs, wages


I live in a weird headbubble as far as the Affiliate/Partner thing. About a third of my friends online have been putting a lot of work into streaming for a long time – some achieved Partnership ages ago, others are still working towards it. Another third are where I'm at, stumbling along building a community and seeing where it goes, thrilled to even reach Affiliate. And another third or so are folks who put in a lot of work on other platforms, like Youtube, and when they started streaming it didn't take long to be Partnered at all. (Uh…and probably a fourth third who just don't care either way at all…I did not think out these fractions very well. There may even be other thirds I'm forgetting.) The point is, I see Affiliate/Partner valued very differently between different friends.
I've always referred to streaming as my hobby. I enjoy doing it, I've had people I trust tell me I'm generally good at it, but I've never been super consistent with it. I was tired from work, or my equipment/internet was being derpish, or there were household reasons I was unable to stream during the free time I did have. Also, my day job is retail management so I literally can't promise an "every X day at Y time" sort of schedule. I was almost getting back to it last summer/fall….and then decided to move from MN to SC which also kinda stole all my freetime.
As I'm getting more settled here, I guess it shouldn't surprise me I'm finding it a little easier to stream more often. I don't have more freetime, but I live with someone else who streams. My mom was always super supportive of my streaming, to be clear, it just feels WEIRD taking hours of your time talking to your computer when you live with someone who doesn't do that. ^_^ Living here also means we can justify some pretty damn nice internet since he needs it for his work. Nash has also been amazing helping me out when I can't get a game or system to cooperate. I was legitimately ready to just give up on getting the Switch to work the way I wanted it to, bc it's just my hobby so I should stop beating my head against a wall, and he went ahead and got it going anyway.
I'm not trying to fangirl at my own bf, but it hadn't occurred to me that being in a streaming household would help me take my own a little more seriously. It should have, probably, but it didn't.
I'm not planning on leaving my job to stream fulltime bc I managed Affiliate, and I'm not planning on my channel suddenly being about the monies. And I don't think I'm magically a l33t pro streamer bc I finally managed to stream at least 7 days in a month.
My feelings here are kinda complicated, but it has more to do with the fact I took something I enjoy doing, and found a way to prioritize that enough to reach a goal that I wanted to reach. Not because it was practical or would make someone else happy, it was just a thing I wanted to push through and DO for a long time, and I finally did it. I'm…not always good at doing that.
Honestly, based on you folks I should have been an Affiliate ages ago. It's partly what bugged me so much – so many of you awesome folks have followed me over the years, and hung out in my streams that you cleared those requirements some time ago. It got down to just me not streaming often enough.
So…yeah. I'm super excite about this. I spent years streaming erratically and kinda wishing I could get more serious about it, but always feeling like there were more important things to focus on. (Sometimes this was accurate, sometimes not.) I finally sat down and tried to figure out how to commit better to a thing I legitimately love doing, and I got a nice little bit of external validation for it.
Outside of all the feels, I'm planning to continue streaming as much as I can. I'm considering trying to set up an updating weekly schedule based on work, though that'll take a little time to nail down. I'm thinking about all the games I've wanted to stream for ages and never got around to. I will never stop streaming Secret World unless I get abducted by the Orochi.


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HomeGenresDramaDOUBLE INDEMNITY [1973] [HCF REWIND]
DOUBLE INDEMNITY [1973] [HCF REWIND]
July 8, 2012 Dr Lenera Drama, HCF Reviews, Thriller 0
Double Indemnity (1973)
Directed by: Jack Smight
Written by: Billy Wilder, James M.Cain, Raymond Chandler, Steven Bochco
Starring: Lee J.Cobb, Richard Crenna, Robert Webber, Samantha Eggar
HCF may be one of the newest voices on the web for all things Horror and Cult, and while our aim is to bring you our best opinion of all the new and strange that hits the market, we still cannot forget about our old loves, the films that made us want to create the website to spread the word. So, now and again our official critics at the HCF headquarters have an urge to throw aside their new required copies of the week and dust down their old collection and bring them to the fore…. our aim, to make sure that you may have not missed the films that should be stood proud in your collection.
A few weeks ago Doc looked at the 1944 classic Double Indemnity and was still stunned by what a superb film it is. Yesterday, he dared to watch the 1973 TV movie remake and….well….read on!
HCF REWIND NO.64. DOUBLE INDEMNITY [1973]
AVAILABLE ON BLU RAY AND DVD
RUNNING TIME: 73 mins
REVIEWED BY: Dr Lenera, Official HCF Critic
Walter Neff, a successful insurance salesman for Pacific All Risk, returns to his office building in Los Angeles late one night. Clearly in pain, he he sits down at his desk and begins dictating a memo into a Dictaphone machine for colleague Barton Keys, a claims adjuster. We flashback to when Walter first meets the sultry Phyllis Dietrichson during a routine house call to renew an automobile insurance policy for her husband. A flirtation develops, at least until Phyllis asks how she could take out a policy on her husband's life without his knowing it. Neff realizes she is contemplating murder and leaves, but Phyllis pursues Neff to his own home, and Walter's gullibility and libido quickly overcome his caution. He agrees that the two of them, together, will kill her husband. Walter, knowing all the tricks of his trade, comes up with a plan in which the death will seem accidental and trigger the "double indemnity" clause of the policy, forcing Pacific All Risk to pay the widow twice the normal amount……..
There are several forms a remake can take. It can be a simple rehash with a few differences. It can be very different and maybe go back to the original source material if the original movie was based on a book, a play etc. It can be the same story but in a different genre. It can take advantage of the fact that censorship has relaxed and bring to the fore elements that the original film was unable to emphasise. Etc, etc, etc. The most pointless kind of remake to me are the ones that are either shot-by-shot or which use the same script. The 1998 Psycho comes to mind as a particularly stupid example of the former, while the 1955 version of The Four Feathers, Storm Over The Nile, seems to me a very poor example of the latter [and even uses some of the same battle and location footage!]. Very occasionally, it can work. Michael Haneke's American copy of his own Funny Games is at least partially excusable, while the 1952 version of The Prisoner Of Zenda really takes advantage of the fact that it is in colour and improves the action scenes, even if it still uses virtually the same script as the 1937 version. Nothing though prepared me for the unbelievable lazy travesty that is the 1973 TV movie remake of Billy Wilder's fantastic murder drama Double Indemnity [the first major film noir and probably the best ever made], a fiilm whose inclusion in Universal's R1 DVD set of the 1944 film I just cannot fathom.
Watching this version is an almost surreal experience, but not an enjoyable one. Realising they could not come up with a better script than Wilder and Raymond Chandler, the makers of the remake decided to use said script. The trouble is, dialogue which was at home in the 40's just does not work when moved to the 70's, while the 73 mid running time means that around half an hour has had to be removed. The result is like watching an incomplete assembly of the original film but with everything poorly done, as if nobody really had any real faith in the story. The scenes and dialogue are mostly the same but are often cut off in a way that might seem incomplete even to one who has not seen the '44 picture, and, what's more, the lines are often badly delivered by stars Richard Crenna and Samantha Eggar, who seem ill at ease throughout. Neff narrates again though many of the best bits of narration are missing, such as the "it was the walk of a dead man" monologue, helping to remove the incredible sense of fatalism the original movie had. In fact, despite it being exactly the same story, this 70's version just does not grip and actually seems to move slower despite it actually being considerably shorter!
Of course this being a TV movie, it doesn't even attempt the stylised, dark look of Wilder's film and which was so essential an ingredient in it, though every time I watch a 70's -set film like this I shudder at how awful the interior design is yet can't help thinking it's more interesting than the norm these days. The sets are blandly utilised though and, though the film attempts to ring the odd change such as staging the odd moment in outside or in broad daylight which originally took place inside and at night time, it's all so dull. Other minor alterations include Phyllis wearing a bracelet rather than an anklet, ever-so-slightly more sexual content including the addition of a line making it more obvious her and Walter had sex, and the removal of several scenes towards the end, making the important part of Lola, who acts as a possible redemption for Walter, much smaller. and even not showing us Walter's one decent act. The wonderful climactic scene is still recreated, but has the titles coming up during it so we can't feel any emotion.
Crenna and Eggar are simple awful, both acting with a "let's get it over with" feeling. They don't entirely copy their forebearers but don't create interesting characters of their own either. Nor do they have any chemistry whatsoever. Lee J. Cobb though does his best to save the day in Edward G.Robinson's part of Barton Keyes, successfully creating a totally different person, far more gruff and impassioned, and even making the incongruous lines sound like they could come out of his mouth. The music score by Billy Goldenberg is actually not too bad and has the odd interesting moment though of course it's no match for Miklos Rozsa's work. Overall though, this remake is horrid and misguided in almost every way. It also proves that a remake can be virtually exactly the same and totally different at the same time. If you're the type who doesn't like the idea of watching a black and white film much but wants to see a version of this story, you're far better off viewing Lawrence Kasdans's clever and moody 1981 semi-remake Body Heat.
Jack Smight
samantha eggar
About Dr Lenera	3122 Articles
I'm a huge film fan and will watch pretty much any type of film, from Martial Arts to Westerns, from Romances [though I don't really like Romcoms!]] to Historical Epics. Though I most certainly 'have a life', I tend to go to the cinema twice a week! However,ever since I was a kid, sneaking downstairs when my parents had gone to bed to watch old Universal and Hammer horror movies, I've always been especially fascinated by horror, and though I enjoy all types of horror films, those Golden Oldies with people like Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee probably remain my favourites. That's not to say I don't enjoy a bit of blood and gore every now and again though, and am also a huge fan of Italian horror, I just love the style.
THE BROOD [1979]
March 9, 2011 Dr Lenera HCF Reviews, Horror, Monster 0
AVAILABLE ON DVD RUNNING TIME: 92 mins REVIEWED BY: Dr Lenera At the Somafree Institute Of Psychoplasmics, Dr. Hal Raglan is treating rage-filled psychosis by allowing his patients to "go all the way" and […]
The Brood (1979) – Released the 8th July 2013 on Bluray and DVD
May 28, 2013 DAVID GILLESPIE HCF Reviews, Horror, Thriller 0
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tGwzi-mLfU[/youtube] Certification: 18 Running Time: 92 mins Reviewer: David Gillespie – HCF Official Artist They say that the journey through a divorce is one of the most frightening, stressful and hurtful experiences that you will encounter in […]
Cult TV
FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY [1973] [HCF REWIND]: on DVD 10th March
February 25, 2014 Dr Lenera Cult TV, HCF Reviews, Horror, Monster, Sci-Fi 0
HCF REWIND NO. 201: FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY [US TV 1973] ON DVD: March 10th RUNNING TIME: 175 min REVIEWED BY: Dr Lenera, Official HCF Critic In 1830's England, young medical student Victor […]


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Fast, Crass and In Your Face: INDECLINE Redefines Activist Art in the Trump Era
Azucena Rasilla
INDECLINE's altered billboard in Emeryville, 'We Make Kids Disappear,' June 2018. (Courtesy of the artists)
Early in the morning of June 21, commuters on Interstate 80 were greeted by an unusual sight. "We make kids disappear," read an altered billboard over Shellmound Street in Emeryville. The message was signed, "—I.C.E."
The billboard responded to President Trump's "zero-tolerance" immigration policy, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) enactment of that policy, which separated 2,800 or more children from their parents along the U.S.-Mexico border since last summer. Trump later reversed the mandate of family separations, and as of July 27, the federal government says it has met the court-ordered deadline for reuniting "eligible" parents and children. But 711 children deemed ineligible to reunify with their parents—the parents of 431 of those children were seemingly deported without them—remain in federal custody.
The message, which was removed by midday, struck a chord in the Bay Area, where many people are part of mixed immigration-status households and have personally witnessed or gone through the trauma of separation and deportation.31
The American activist collective INDECLINE claimed responsibility for the billboard, which originally read "We make junk disappear," next to the face of a shocked blond-haired child, an ad for 1-800-GOT-JUNK.
The collective, a group of filmmakers, graffiti artists and photographers, worked on the billboard overnight, and by the following day, it made the local media rounds. Even the mayor of Emeryville, John J. Bauters, tweeted about the billboard. Unsurprisingly, he didn't condemn it, instead saying the message "reflects our community's belief that #FamilesBelongTogether." (Mayor Bauters often uses his Twitter platform to support prison reform, and the need to protect the most vulnerable members of our community.)
Clear Channel Outdoor, the billboard's owner, sent INDECLINE a letter, asking the collective to "cease and desist from taking any further and future action to interfere with CCO property." An INDECLINE spokesperson (the collective maintains anonymity) says the billboard was their way of asking, "Where's your moral compass? How can Clear Channel care more about a billboard that can be easily painted over, rather than the countless families that have been separated." The letter was a first for INDECLINE.
Why did INDECLINE pick the Bay Area, and specifically Emeryville for their action? "We were in town working on a video for [the band] Rise Against," the spokesperson says, "and we saw this as an opportunity."
It wasn't the first Bay Area project for the collective. Last year, INDECLINE teamed up with graffiti writer PEMEX and writer NEKO of Madrid to work on A House in Oakland, a joint effort to bring awareness to the Bay Area's homeless crisis.
While the collective often uses existing billboards for their work (as they did last month in Emeryville), they took a different approach with this project. The team went on a dangerous and illegal hunt for plastic billboards that they cut down and stretched over PVC frames to create shelters. The collective then delivered the newly made tents to homeless encampments around Oakland.
INDECLINE might be best known for one of their most ambitious projects, unveiled on August 18, 2016 across five U.S. cities. Naked statues of then-Republican-presidential candidate Donald Trump appeared in public spaces in Seattle, New York, San Francisco, Cleveland and Los Angeles. The statues drew mixed reactions: some blissfully took selfies with the naked Trump, others were horrified, and many heavily criticized the project for the implicit body-shaming in Trump's sculptural physique.
The Emperor Has No Balls, as INDECLINE named the stunt, was a project six months in the making, and one that required the help and resources of not only the collective's core group of 12, but of fans and supporters of the protest work INDECLINE does. "You don't have to be working with the founding members in order to participate," the INDECLINE spokesperson says, "we work with all sorts of creatives."
The founding members of INDECLINE met as young adults in 2001. They were, the spokesperson says, "teenagers not entirely politically developed struggling to express their feelings."
Those feelings stemmed from the turbulent events of 2001: 9/11, President George W. Bush's refusal to sign the Kyoto Agreement on Climate Change, Enron's bankruptcy and a series of anthrax attacks across the United States.
The group gained notoriety for their 2002 video Bumfights: A Cause for Concern, depicting footage of high school fights and homeless men performing stunts and skits. The backlash was immediate. The U.S.-based National Coalition for the Homeless argued that the video dehumanized the homeless population. The video was banned in the U.K., Canada and New Zealand, the producers faced felony charges and jail time, and they were required to pay settlements to the homeless men depicted in the video. Indecline Films ceased to exist, and the group rebranded as INDECLINE, protest art collective.
Their self-admittedly misguided early work doesn't prevent INDECLINE from courting controversy nearly two decades later. As political turmoil increases under Trump's presidency, their protest art gets more and more confrontational. As if naked statues of Trump weren't enough to raise eyebrows, last year the collective put together an installation in Richmond, Virginia—a month after the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville left 32-year-old counterprotester Heather Heyer dead.
For this particular installation, the collective took over Joseph Bryan Park, where they hung dummies dressed as clowns wearing Ku Klux Klan robes from the branches of a large tree. One of the dummies carried a sign that read, "If attacked by a mob of clowns, go for the juggler."
But INDECLINE's projects can also involve heartfelt messages of support—particularly for the undocumented community. While the collective was still in the Bay Area last month, they worked on a mural in Downtown Oakland called Dear Immigrants, located off 15th Street and Franklin. Made by INDECLINE and ten other artists, the colorful piece simply reads, "Dear Immigrants: Without U there is no U.S." Monarch butterflies, a symbol often used to depict migration, decorate the mural.
"As we were working on the mural, Mexican construction workers who were working close by came by wanting to help," the spokesperson says. While the artists were hard at work, curious bystanders, local business owners and residents gathered around the mural until it turned into a block party-like gathering of people who shared the mural's sentiment.
INDECLINE's 'Dear Immigrants' mural, June 2018. (Courtesy of the artists)
INDECLINE isn't a non-profit collective; they aren't eligible for tax-deductible donations or grants. So in order to fund their projects, which often involve flying the group's members across the country, renting hotel rooms, paying fabrication costs and buying hundreds of gallons of paint, they rely heavily on merchandise sales (including "emperor" figurines).
Their notoriety, fed by controversial, high-profile stunts like The Emperor Has No Balls, also helps pay for their projects. And those projects, in turn, show a surprising amount of range—confronting governmental entities one week and offering up messages of support to those suffering at the hands of that government the next.
INDECLINE's focus isn't just political, they also care about bringing awareness to the social, economical and ecological injustices brought by corrupt government institutions, the damage done by greedy corporations and the abuse of power by law enforcement agencies.
"Being older, we've seen so much politically, it has helped to solidify our beliefs," the spokesperson says.
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