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INTERVIEW WITH FRANCES O'GRADY, TUC GENERAL SECRETARY
CONDUCTED BY MARK LANGHAMMER AND CHRIS WINCH, 26TH AUGUST 2014.
The conversation starts with ML inviting FO'G to talk about the publications that the TUC has recently produced about industrial democracy.
Very often when you have a conversation about workers' voice, somehow you always end up going back to Bullock or In Place of Strife. Today, we are actually in a very different environment, not just in terms of union membership, union density, industrial relations and so on, but we are also trying to crack a different problem. Now we know the shareholder supremacy model is completely bust. The counter-argument to Bullock – that shareholders own the company and they are therefore the best stewards of its long-term interests – has been left completely exposed by the massive shift in the profile of share ownership, the length of tenure of any one share, and most vividly of all by the 2008 crash.
So I think that part of our job is to pose a different question to that which Jack Jones, Hugh Scanlon and others posed previously. First and foremost, if the old model is bust and if we agree that it's bust, then what should take its place? Of course, one of the reasons that it's bust in the first place is the complete denial and waste of worker talent, intelligence and contribution to a firm. But there is also a bigger challenge about the kind of economy that we live in; not just whether it's just and fair, but whether we are going to repeat the mistakes that led up to the 2008 crash. The root cause of the crash was the growing concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a very few free-floating, promiscuous, global masters of the universe. That's important because I, and an increasing number of economists, buy the thesis that the worse inequality gets, the greater the chance that we'll get another crash, only next time it will be bigger and quicker.
The whole thing as you say, with In Place of Strife and even Heath and Bullock and attempts further back in 1946-47 with Bevin asking the TUC to take a role in running national insurance, is what 'traction' is there in the movement, and in society today, and are we as a movement incorrigibly adversarial or is there some sense of fight about let's help run this thing or shape this thing… ?
Yes, I think that there are clearly key constituencies that we have to influence and bring on board. First and foremost, the trade union movement. This is ultimately about tackling inequality and the flaws of the old economic model. We are still not clear whether it's going to be more of the same or whether we are going to build a very different model. My discussions with union leaders have sparked an interest, which if it was merely positioned as being about social partnership European style, it would not. So it's a very new dimension to the debate. Some people on the left see these sorts of proposals as being a threat to trade unionism and collective bargaining and others on the right see it as fanciful and assume that we ought to stick to bread and butter stuff and do what we do best. Then there were people like Jack Jones, who was a genuinely intelligent and far-sighted thinker and created a different sort of tradition for the left, one which James Larkin junior would have described as 'intelligent trade unionism'. Looking ahead, the task is to think bigger and come up with some quite ambitious thinking, not just about how our day to day work as trade unionists could be transformed, but what contribution we could make to transforming the country.
That makes a great deal of sense to us in terms of our own understanding of Jack Jones' importance.
I'm a big admirer of Jack and he was a very creative thinker. Telling the story in terms of his vision can appeal to people, some of whom otherwise would have been instinctively suspicious. The left has had to reflect on its own history and realise that there is more to this (proposals for corporate governance reform), it's not a threat to traditional collective bargaining. Or more to the point, some feared a euro-style social partnership would lead to co option, that muzzled trade unionism. We realised that there was another strand of our history to draw on. Unions 21, the union think tank, is also interested and doing important work on these sorts of issues.
We've issued a series of pamphlets. We are also writing blogs and using social media to generate interest and I've seen that others like Labour Research are starting to critique our work so that's generating a broader debate amongst activists. A lot of the public debate has focused on our proposals for workers on boards, something the person in the street can understand and the polls show has strong public support. There is a link between this and the High Pay Commission's proposals for workers representation on the committees that set top pay. Of course the TUC doesn't believe that having workers on these remuneration committees would in itself transform the world, but because it opens up decision making to a degree of accountability and democracy.
Why shouldn't a boss have to look their own workforce in the eye and explain why they're getting a big pay rise and why that's more than most workers are getting? As we know, the pay gap is growing massively. So arguing for worker representation on top pay committees is a way in to generate some excitement, a sense of justifiable outrage, about who takes decisions in whose interests, and why it is that workers are currently locked out of those decisions. There is a lot of discussion about the need for more diversity in boardrooms – and I'm a supporter, for sure, of more women in the boardroom. But if we are talking about women, why on earth aren't we also talking about better representation of the people whose lives depend on decisions taken in the boardroom, workers? If we are talking about diversity let's talk about it in its fullest sense. In Britain I think that there is an almost inherited kind of nervousness about this agenda. I think the public is way ahead of the political class on this.
Does it help that quite a lot of our industry is foreign owned, for example Nissan…?
I wonder whether that's going to come through and, if so, it will be interesting to see how that debate develops. There's so much obsession with free movement of people and hardly any attention given to free movement of capital. But I wonder whether that will begin to come through more sharply as people wonder why the majority of shares in British based firms are now owned overseas.
But even in terms of the practice, there are, for example, British workers on the boards of German companies in the UK…
F O'G
Exactly! There is a myth that British culture is not compatible with the approach to worker representation taken in the most of the rest of Europe, as if French and German unions somehow have a less confrontational approach. Well, since coming into this job I've developed close links with French and German trade unionists, and I can tell you that they are just as independent and just as determined to get a fair deal, as British trade unionists. But they can combine this with rights to works councils and Board representation.
The TUC publication, 'German Lessons' set out a useful direction of travel?
European unions are no pushovers, you know the idea that codetermination has somehow softened the German trade union movement– come on. The majority of European countries now have some form of worker representation at board level, and what's good enough for French or German workers is good enough here. We are not victims of our past. We can consciously choose to construct a culture that creates more fairness and gives people a voice. If you look at the number of days lost through strike action in Britain nowadays, they're way down. In some cases, that's good news because disputes have been resolved fairly. But in other cases, people are not even in a position to assert their rights.
I was surprised to see what an outlier we were in that respect.
That old idea that there is a link between not having workers on boards and having high levels of strike activity was broken long ago.
In your contact with the Labour Party, does any or much of this resonate?
The Attlee lecture I delivered last year got a very positive response from senior people in the Labour Party. We have a very clear set of campaign priorities. Beneath that we have a very worked up set of policies about how to support progress under each of those priorities, which are set out in TUC documents, responses to consultations, and so on. The TUC's policy on governance reform, and I would stress this, is about a lot more than just having workers on boards. Our call for workers on boards is high profile policy, an ambitious policy. But it's also only one element of what we want to see. We also want better information and consultation rights, stronger rights at work and better coverage of collective bargaining.
But I would say that there are members of the shadow front bench who are engaged. Of course, when the High Pay Commission report came out, Labour made a public commitment that when they got into office, they would put workers on remuneration committees. Now they have to answer the question, 'How?' We've made some detailed policy proposals on how that commitment could be delivered. And that immediately takes you to the core, fundamental changes needed to introduce democracy and democratic structures in the workplace.
Company Law? A company is a legal and political construct. You can change it.
Exactly. I'm not sure that everybody thought through, having made that commitment, how it would be delivered, because I pointed out that unless you do have some form of independent election with workers participating, the only worker representation that you'll get on a Remuneration Committee is actually a management rep., because they'll be hand-picked. You have to have some degree of democracy at work to deliver it. The policy answers are closely aligned with improving information and consultation rights, the development of works councils, and representation of workers, eventually up to and including board level. So it makes sense to address that wider package as a whole. So that's the dialogue that's happening now.
And how are you getting on with that?
The cause of more democracy at work is one that unions have been pressing for a very long time. Some might say we have high hopes, but realistic expectations, and it's worth putting out there. I think that we've made some progress putting it on the agenda.
Whereas it wasn't on the agenda at all, and now it is.
Exactly. We need to inoculate politicians against the idea that we need to get the CBI signed up to everything before we can make progress. As with the campaign for a national minimum wage, another key progressive demand, of course there will be outright opposition to change from some quarters of business. So get used to it, plan for it and have the courage of your convictions, because it's the right thing to do. Of course, part of my job is to encourage more sympathetic employers to speak in favour of corporate governance reform, and separate them from the anti-democrats, as I would see it. Informally, I've spoken to lots of employers, including those leading multinational companies who are required to provide for workers' voice in the other countries they operate in and do so without a problem. And through the crash, unions came to very sensible agreements with employers to protect jobs and keep plants open – exactly the sorts of agreements that the Germans and others made.
There are firms such as First Group who do have workers on boards, but they are pretty rare. In fact our current TUC President, Mohammad Taj, a bus worker, was a regional worker director for First Group. Some companies are willing to explore how we might boost workers' strategic voice on a voluntary basis and if that can 'normalise' the conversation, that's all to the good. Traditionally, if we can create voluntary agreements, even if we don't get the whole shebang, that's a positive start. If we can begin to break down that kind of oligarchy at work, and introduce the idea that worker's voice at a strategic level is the sensible thing to do, that's welcome. We issued another report on information and consultation recently, and some of the senior HR managers agree with us that the weakness of the current legal framework is bizarre. They genuinely believe that the workforce is their most important asset – in which case you'd be mad not to involve them at a strategic level and hear what the workers' concerns are and how you best address them. So the more mainstream the debate becomes the better, I think.
So that's really the phase 2 isn't it, how does one mainstream these discussions within the trade union movement, the Labour Party and also beyond.
Coming in when I did 18 months ago I had a very short amount of time until the next election to deliver on something in this area. I knew it was a long shot but I think that we've made some progress. So we have our traditional routes to stimulate debate through union magazines, trade union think tanks, and our education programme – we train over 50,000 stewards every year. We do online training too which enables us to reach people cheaply and on a mass basis.
This sort of thing is quite fundamental not just for workers' voice. It's actually to do with the legal construction of a company, patient finance, long term thinking, all of that. Just to come back to what you are doing, because I was one of the graduates of the 'Leading Change' programme, it was a good programme because you had quite a long term engagement with colleagues from different places and with different experiences. Is there scope for that kind of thing to "beef up" activists' capacity around worker voice, company construction, finance and economics, patient capital and worker economics?
Just an aside here, one of the lectures John Monks gave, he was talking about Belgian trade unionism and how visible it was. He put this down to Belgian trade unions being involved in their national insurance and the pension scheme.
Arguably, we made a big mistake in not taking up such opportunities when they were offered to us.
He mentioned that post-war, Ernest Bevin had suggested something like the Belgian insurance scheme.
John's written about it. I've gone back to source and it's interesting looking at the debates that people had back then….I thought we should have gone that extra mile, you should have grabbed it.
But we are at a juncture – post crisis – and there's all to play for now ….
Yes it is and sometimes I think we're not ambitious enough. It's certainly worth a go and there are times when you think you haven't got much to lose.
When you look back at the post-war period they had the comfort then of 4 or 5 trade union leaders in the Cabinet. It must have felt a much more intimate relationship and a common cause, a sense of co-determination at that level politically. Clearly again we are in a very different world now. Perhaps we are a bit hard because it is easy with the benefit of hindsight to look back and say, 'Why didn't you do more?'
And I think we mustn't go too far the other way in the sense of dismissing the reasons why people fear co-option of trade unions, because those are genuine fears. We have real experience of employers using very sophisticated union avoidance and dilution techniques. We've seen cases, albeit a very small number of cases of corruption, for example famously at VW in Germany. Now those are the exceptions not the rule, but that doesn't mean that we should let down our guard on some of those threats. We have to go in with our eyes open and when we're presented with those sorts of historic opportunities, my judgement is that we should take them. But we also have to make sure that we're fit to take full advantage of them without compromising what is our core responsibility to democracy and accountability. I do believe that very strongly. We are ultimately a democratic movement.
You'll know the CBI objections to workers on boards. On the one hand they say that board discussions are all too complicated for workers to understand, that we'd be lost in the boardroom. And on the other hand, they argue that worker directors would threaten the entire corporate governance system. So which is it? Are we too incapable and shy to make a contribution in the boardroom or are we going to tear down capitalism if we get there? But there are very practical issues about how do we train people so that they can play an effective role. I've never been keen on the idea of any of us on public bodies going in on our own. It's hard to be in on your own, which is why we want workers' representation, not just one. We also have to put support mechanisms in place, so worker directors are trained not just about knowledge but in the skills to operate in those environments, how you network outside of the room, how you make effective interventions. That's exactly what we're looking at now in very practical terms.
To go back to that point you just made about one not being enough, do you have any sense of what the minimum would look like in a decent industrial democracy…?
I think that the bottom line is at least two worker directors on a board – the TUC has produced detailed papers that set out the nuts and bolts of what we are asking for and how it would work. At a pragmatic level, we suggest starting with very large companies. You can bet your bottom dollar that the majority of these companies are multinationals that already have workers on boards in the other EU countries.
And there are different thresholds in different European companies for the size.
In terms of union leaderships and executives, national officers, how does it play with them in the medium term?
I think that people support it. They've been very supportive of the work that we've done, not just in our exec, but it runs all the way through the regions, so they see it as commonsense. A lot of them have mixed experiences of European Works Councils, and other kinds of mechanisms so they know that it's not the be all and end all. That's why it's important that we talk about it in terms of that broader package of improving workers' voice and rights.
The landscape has been changed dramatically by the fact that 80% of workers in the private sector aren't members of a union, so the balance of risk has changed. I've had these very straight conversations with people saying, 'look at the figures'. The real threat is that membership and collective bargaining coverage goes off the cliff American-style. What you saw in the States is that it goes down, down, down because you've got no power to help anyone anymore. We end up with little union fortresses that can help members inside a particular enterprise but can't help anybody else beyond it. They get good pay and conditions for themselves but it stops at the company door, and increasingly they become emasculated anyway, because workers know they can always be replaced by a non-union workforce. Let's ask about our performance as a movement over the last ten years
real wages down because membership is down. As an organiser I'm interested in the corporate governance reform agenda because I think it's our best shot at creating embryonic democratic structures within non-union Britain. All of us have a legitimate interest in having a democratic country and a healthy and thriving trade union movement is a key pillar of that.
What we can be really proud of is, despite all the battering that unions have taken, both in terms of industrial restructuring and in terms of the law, we have maintained membership around the six million mark. Although the latest figures show that because of the cull of jobs in the public sector we're down, private sector membership is up. Which is pretty amazing really. I think that a lot of our organisers and stewards should take credit for that. But what's happened to trade unions and collective values is much bigger than what's happened in any one country. This is about a set of ideas and a model of capitalism that has systematically reduced the power and dignity of working people. And, if we're going to push back on that, it will take more than what we're doing now. I could have a thousand more organisers and I still wouldn't be able to rebuild union membership sufficiently to reverse growing inequality. In my view we need an alliance between a sympathetic government, trade unions and civic society if we're going to push back on these extreme levels of inequality, wealth and power. The corporate governance reform agenda is just one part of that strategy, it is an important element in reforming the way in which our companies actually work, giving us the opportunity for every worker to have the right to a voice, but for us to have the opportunity to galvanise that voice into independent, democratic, trade unions. So again, it's a big challenge to be ready to take advantage of that.
So would it be a breakthrough if one of the big unions really owned this issue?
Yes. I think that there are senior individuals within UNITE for example who get it, who see that bigger picture. And it's very important, because this is the largest private sector trade union.
When I recently read a UNITE document from Northern Ireland ( I find that Irish trade unionism has a different orientation) but they were getting into the mechanics of company law and all the rest of what a good employer should look like, and how we should encourage that through carrot and stick. I was going to ask about two big associated issues. One of them is the rebalancing of the economy. The other is the relationship between wages and profits. Less of GDP goes on wages than ever before for the last 30 years, more goes on profits. How do we get Britain a pay rise? But on the other one, rebalancing the economy, how do we do that? Different company law, different interventions, industrial strategy, how are you tackling those issues at the moment?
It's part of our shared analysis of tackling the root causes of that inequality. How do you do that? We know that trade unions and collective bargaining is one part of the answer, with one international report suggesting that the decline of trade unions accounts for about one fifth of the growing inequality gap. Another is an industrial strategy to create better paid, better skilled jobs and the industries that will sustain them. Banking and finance reform is absolutely critical to encourage patient capital. Corporate governance is another vital strand because as long as top directors are allowed to behave like certain Premier League footballers, then they just take the money and run. And as long as shareholders remain the sole stewards of a company, then companies will remain hooked on pursuit of the quick buck. This isn't a moral judgement, it's how our system works. So we have to change the rules.
Unions have been engaging in solidarity bargaining for the last 30 years. And although we still have 5 million earning less than the living wage, it is the middle who have been hit hardest proportionately. Unions have been using our bargaining power in general to try and protect the worst paid. But it's middle incomes that have collapsed. And if the middle collapses then we won't be strong enough to help the working poor.
I think we're all clear about what needs to be done, but a lot of it requires political solutions. We can't do it all on our own. So I am encouraged by Ed Miliband. He does think seriously about these issues and though the language wouldn't be mine – predistribution, for example – he's absolutely right, that the state, on an ever reducing portion of the tax base, can't go on mopping up after the sins of the system. Labour now understands that you have to intervene in the market and that was an important break with New Labour thinking. This is not to say that everything New Labour did was bad but it fundamentally accommodated free market liberalism in a way that hadn't happened before. And it failed to understand that you need a whole range of strategies to provide some kind of protection against the worst failures of the market. For example, a degree of public ownership, a more democratic regime for companies, and a stronger tax base. Instead we got sold individual rights as an alternative to market intervention but individuals are never going to be strong enough to exercise them on their own.
I'm from Belfast, so I don't have a "dog in the race" in terms of British politics – but looking outside in, it looks like Labour is desperately tentative. He's saying some of the right things about predatory capitalism but you get the impression that opinion polls, triangulation, matter far too much to them. We've had an awful crash, we need to be bold. Polls tell you that bringing the railways back into public ownership would be popular. How should that go? How do the unions influence the Labour Party? Isn't it about time that performance related pay applied to the Labour Party? Pick a couple of big ticket issues and say 'come on guys we're not giving our money for nothing'?
Obviously for the affiliated unions, the policy forum, that route…
Or do you co-ordinate influence, that's what I'm trying to get at…
Obviously the TUC seeks to engage with all political parties, and a series of policy conversations have taken place with Labour. We're making progress in some key areas. We've made real progress with our proposal that the Low Pay Commission should have powers to bring unions and employers together in industries where we have the evidence that we ought to pay more, to set a higher statutory remuneration package. We've looked to build cross-party support and win support from some employers on that. And it's hard to believe but you couldn't even mention the term 'industrial policy' even five, ten years ago, it was a dirty word. So I'm happy that we've helped put industrial policy back on the map. Tax policy is a little trickier, spending policy is a little trickier.
The Tories have managed to hegemonise this issue of the social security budget, but a lot of it you could argue is socialism for the rich, for companies that don't want to pay their workers properly, greedy landlords and so on.
Exactly, subsidising tight fisted employers with tax credits and housing benefit.
Can we get the Labour Party to be a bit bolder on that issue?
Well, to be fair to Ed, he personally got this, he understood that point, that actually the problem here is not just low but unfair pay. Unions did a lot to make living standards a key issue that every politician now has to address, but we also had to come up with practical policies to solve the problem. So on the doorstep voters probably don't give a fig about what we're saying about giving the Low Pay Commission being given new powers, but in terms of delivering real improvements in people's living standards and reducing the welfare bill, that practical policy is key. I think we've seen a generation of politicians across the board, who have felt powerless in the face of a globalised economy and feel afraid of companies who can threaten to ship out and punish governments who try to rein them in. That does not mean that you have to give up. On the contrary, you have to be even more determined.
You've always been interested in Vocational Education and Training (VET) issues, and the TUC has done some great work. But the Labour Party does seem very timid on these issues and I know that the TUC has come up with some practical ideas to improve the situation. Do you think there's any scope for getting greater interest in VET, in both the unions and Labour? My sense is, it's a bit patchy and in the Labour Party there's a great deal of timidity.
Labour sometimes isn't alone in putting the cart before the horse here. Everybody gets so excited about structures, and sectors versus localism and everything in between, that they forget to work out what the purpose of any structures should be. One of the mistakes in the past was seeing skills policies over here and industrial policies over there (indicates that they were in separate places). Our argument is that skills policies needs to be positioned at the centre of an intelligent industrial strategy. I'm not keen on people wasting huge amounts of time and money moving the deck chairs around. We worked quite hard with Vince Cable to establish structures that have union representation built into them: the National Industrial Councils and the UKCES (UK Commission for Employment and Skills), as well as industrial skills partnerships. Of course, we'd like 50:50 representation for unions and employers and unions still have to fight on some structures even to get our foot in the door, but the principle is that they should be social partnership bodies.
And all roads end up returning to the need for corporate governance reform.
I went to see Cowley (the BMW-owned car plant). It was a fascinating example of a very sophisticated company with very mature industrial relations. The union have just negotiated not only a very decent pay rise, but to convert the agency workers onto permanent contracts. They're also bringing back in house apprenticeship and training programmes, recognising that they need to invest long term and develop plans jointly as a company. Why has that taken so long? What do you need to incentivise companies to see training as a key part of investment policy? How do you get companies to the stage where they are upping their investment and taking a long termist, rather than a short termist view? Skills are a natural part of that but it's not the whole story. If you've got a company like BMW investing heavily in robotics, they have to train people to use that technology – which is just what they are doing now with massive investment.
There is now genuine respect across the board for Unionlearn (the TUC led body involved in VET activities). It's taken a 20% cut but that's the same as every other government funded body, and the amazing thing is that they didn't get rid of us. We're still there and one of the reasons is that it's bloody good. Unionlearn has been independently assessed as delivering high-quality training opportunities, it works and it's got strong employer and union support – and that's why it's difficult to get rid of us. I think Labour is committed to giving us an even bigger job to do.
I would hope so, if you think about levies in some areas or specification in government contracts, including within the supply chain, do you think that there's any chance of getting movement there?
Oh yes, on procurement, they've already publicly made commitments on apprenticeships. But what about everybody else? Apprentices are important but there is also the great bulk of the workforce who need more skills and training too.
Yes, that's interesting, I remember Peter Mandelson said, apropos of levies, something like that the employers would just fiddle it, those were his words almost, and I guess you need corporate governance to make sure that doesn't happen.
Exactly, and you know, we've had levies in construction and broadcasting. In broadcasting actually, I think it's worked pretty well. In construction?
It's mainly managers who benefit
A couple of final questions. If the Conservatives remain in power, what would be your concerns about further restrictions on trade union activity?
Well, they've been very upfront about that, haven't they? And we've been upfront in our responses. I genuinely worry that this is about a deeper attack on democracy and dissent and civil liberties. Although, to set a threshold on ballots that no other democratic election would have to meet, means we're being singled out. But also it's the picket line stuff that interests me, potentially criminalising trade unionists on picket lines where local government workers, firefighters and so on have gathered. Quite often people are gathering together in numbers higher than the 6 that would be legally allowed and it's not a problem, the police know it's not a problem. The people gathering on the town hall steps, outside a fire station, that's what you would expect people to do. But of course as the seventh person visiting the picket line, I could find myself outside the law. I think what's more worrying is there is a read across to the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Bill and I suspect deliberately so. Criminalising certain behaviours in respect of industrial disputes, including being the seventh person on the picket line, would then allow snooping on mobile phones, and other forms of surveillance.
I think that has very profound implications for civil liberties in this country as it suggests we're going down a very authoritarian route. I'm absolutely certain that the public don't see trade unions as the problem. On the contrary, they see over mighty corporations as the problem. The public is worried about inequality and the very, very wealthy individuals who are distorting our democratic process, not trade unions which are made up of ordinary working men and women. So I'd be very interested in what you think their motivation is as I'm just writing my Congress speech (laughs). Some of this will be covered. It doesn't make any sense and there are elements within the Conservative Party, like Bright Blue, who also think it's an absolute mistake to demonise trade unions, and yet they seem intent on doing so.
I think there's still a very strong current within the Tory Party that thinks that trade unions are an obstacle to the working of the market and I don't think that's gone away.
Yes, that's what I've written more or less. I think there's also class prejudice and it's getting worse out in society, so I suppose when you look at who holds the reins in the Conservative Party, it's not surprising.
Just to finish off, when you get to the end of your term, hopefully your first term, where would you like to see the trade union movement?
I'd like it to be bigger, stronger. Although I've always known about Jim Larkin senior, Jim Larkin junior is someone I've only really begun learning about and I like that notion of intelligent trade unionism. I don't think that it's all just about ideas, sadly. If it was only about the strength of our argument, we would be in a hell of a lot stronger place than we are now as a movement. Ideas alone aren't sufficient, but I'd like us to be respected as a thinking, intelligent movement. I want Britain to become a more equal and democratic country and it's as simple as that really. I do feel very proud of the trade union movement. There have been times when I don't think that anyone else was fighting for ordinary working people as hard. We're never going to go away, but we can't take our future for granted. There's a lot we can do for ourselves.


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Books from Finland - A literary journal of writing from and about Finland.
23 June 2011 | This 'n' that
Naturally, here at Books from Finland, we're keen to use the internet for serious (or not so serious) reading, but at the other end of the scale Finns are garnering considerable success in the world of smartphone games.
We don't like to blow our collective trumpets, but it's a little-known fact that the phone game Angry Birds, with birds and pigs in the starring roles, is actually Finnish, developed in 2009 by a company called Rovio. As the Helsinki freesheet Metro (31 May) notes, Angry Birds has been downloaded more than 200 million times on different devices since its launch in December 2009.
What is the secret of Angry Birds' success? 'I like it because it doesn't really have any rules and you never know exactly what's going to happen next,' says our young reviewer Sophia, 9; her sister, Tia, 5, says 'I like it because you get to shoot in it.' To judge by the amount of time they spend playing Angry Birds, they like it a lot.
And how did Angry Birds come about? 'At the beginning of 2009 our design group went through a number of different options,' Rovio's communications director Ville Heijari tells Metro. 'One of them was angry-looking birds, and everyone fell in love with them right away.' And what does Heijari himself like best about the game? 'Definitely the fact that when you make a mistake, the pig laughs at you. That really makes you want to try again.'
In the pipeline is an Angry Birds movie, plus further development of the game itself. 'So far the world has only seen an glimpse of the birds' world,' says Heijari.
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The Editors: Tweet! Oink! Ow! (This 'n' that)
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Fiat Lux! - 31 December 2014
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Soila Lehtonen is a journalist and theatre critic, and currently Editor-in-Chief of Books from Finland. She has edited a collection of writings about the city of Helsinki together with Hildi Hawkins, Helsinki: a literary companion (The Finnish Literature Society, 2000). Hildi Hawkins is a writer and translator, and the London Editor of Books from Finland. She is also the co-editor of things, a journal of writings about objects, their pasts, presents and futures.
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By J Pope
In Gay Lesbian & Bisexual Health, Safer sex
Wongsomboon Val, Sietins Emils, Webster Gregory D. (2021) Sexual Health 18, 212-220. Abstract: Background: We examined links among face visibility on dating-profile pictures, self-perceived attractiveness, condom use self-efficacy, and unprotected receptive anal intercourse (URAI) in 223 young men who have sex with men (YMSM; ages 18–24 years) using online dating applications (e.g. Grindr)...
What to know about bipolar disorder and sex
In Mental health & sexual health, Sexual dysfunction
Medical News Today, Fri 1 March 2019 By Jon Johnson, Reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, CRNP Bipolar disorder causes a person to experience intense shifts in moods, sometimes from a manic state to a depressed state, for example. These shifts can occur with changes in sexual desire, confidence, or sexual function. Though the symptoms vary from person to person, bipolar disorder can disrupt several...
"Durban 2016: the changing narrative of HIV/AIDS" – free forum
In Crime and law, Gay Lesbian & Bisexual Health, HIV, LGBTIQ+ issues, Multicultural communities, Safer sex, Sex Work, Sexual Activity, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), SHINE SA news & events
SAMESH, 26/10/2016 Invites you to their upcoming forum, "Durban 2016: the changing narrative of HIV/AIDS". The forum is a fantastic opportunity to hear from guest speakers who attended the 21st International AIDS Forum 2016. They will discuss the current successes and challenges in their respective fields and their thoughts on the future of HIV/AIDS advocacy and research in Australia...
Forum and discussion: Drug use, chemsex, and supporting marginalised communities
In Aboriginal Health, Crime and law, Gay Lesbian & Bisexual Health, HIV, LGBTIQ+ issues, Multicultural communities, People Who Inject Drugs / AOD, Safer sex, Sexual Activity, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), SHINE SA news & events, Young people
SAMESH, October 2016 Join us at a forum and discussion featuring Dr Adam Bourne From the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine: Drug use, chemsex, and supporting marginalised communities When: Wednesday, 26 October at 3:00 pm Where: SAMESH, 57 Hyde Street Adelaide Helping people manage their drug and alcohol use poses a number of unique challenges. This is especially true for people who...
'Five days after' contraceptive pill launched by RU486 supplier
In Contraception, Gynaecology & andrology, Pregnancy choices, Reproductive health
Sydney Morning Herald, April 27, 2016 – 12:01AM
An emergency contraceptive that works up to five days after unprotected sex has been launched by Australia's sole supplier of medical abortion drug RU486.
The EllaOne pill, from non-profit pharmaceutical group MS Health, is available from Wednesday.
Australia's annual report card on HIV, hepatitis and STIs
In Aboriginal Health, Hepatitis, HIV, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
Guardian, 14 September 2015 Australia's HIV contraction stabilises but 1,000 a year still return positive tests: The number of Australians contracting HIV has stabilised but about a thousand people a year are still returning positive tests, and about a quarter of those people have had the virus for at least four years without realising it. The latest report card on the nation's sexual...


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Q: jpa concurrency CMT exception handling I use EntityManager to save/update my entities in database and Hibernate as jpa provider. My transactions are handled by container.
The problem: I need to add an entity that might have been already stored in database, so an exception will be thrown. In this case I need to repeat insertion but with another value. But as long as an exception is thrown the session has gone bad and I need to create a new session and rollback the transaction. How can I do this when I'm using CMT? Or if there is another way to do this?
Thank you.

A: You could use the TransactionAttribute(REQUIRES_NEW) for your persistence method. If the bean invoking your method will catch an exception, it might do some changes and invoke the method once again.
This will rollback just the persistence-method transaction - not the invoking bean one.
However, remember that if your Use Case doesn't require you to do EntityManager#persistence(-), you might be interested in EntityManager#merge(-) operation. It will persist the entity if it doesn't already exist or update it if it already exists (the existence is checked based on the PK).
HTH.

A: You might want to use EntityManager#find(Class, PK) to check for an already persisted entity. A null result means there's no such entity ( ----> persist(.) ), otherwise you update with the merge(.) method.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Federico Fabian Peña (born March 15, 1947) is an American politician who was the United States Secretary of Transportation from 1993 to 1997 and United States Secretary of Energy from 1997 to 1998, during the presidency of Bill Clinton.
Born in Laredo, Texas, Peña earned a B.A. (1969) and a J.D. (1972) from the University of Texas at Austin and The University of Texas School of Law, respectively.
Moving to Colorado, where he became a practicing attorney, Peña was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1979, where he rose to become Minority Leader. In 1983, Peña defeated William H. McNichols, Jr., a 74-year old incumbent, to become the first Hispanic Mayor of Denver, a post to which he was re-elected in 1987.
Peña advised Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton on transportation issues during Clinton's Presidential transition and thereafter Clinton chose Peña to head the United States Department of Transportation. At DOT, Peña led an organization of 110,000 employees with a budget of $37 billion. Peña also negotiated international aviation agreements with 41 nations during his term, pressing for increased freedom for airlines to serve markets. He cut the size of the Transportation Department by some 11,000 employees. He implemented the first international aviation policy for the U.S. since the Carter Administration. This strategy opened up aviation markets around the world, contributing to the revitalization of the aviation industry. He travelled extensively throughout the world to assist U.S. transportation companies access global markets.
As Secretary of Energy for 18 months, Peña led an organization of 16,000 direct employees with a budget of $18 Billion. He developed the Administration's Comprehensive National Energy Strategy and oversaw the largest privatizations in the history of the U.S Government—the $3.654 Billion sale of the Elk Hills Oil Field, formerly known as Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1. He crafted the Clinton Administration's strategy for oil and gas development in the Caspian Sea region and supported U.S. energy companies' investments around the world. Although he had intended to leave Clinton's cabinet after a single term, Peña also served as Secretary of Energy from 1997 to 1998. In 1995 the Justice Department conducted a preliminary investigation into a California transit agency's awarding of a pension management contract to Peña's former investment management firm. However, Peña had severed all ties to his former company both prior to the contract and prior to becoming Transportation Secretary. On March 17, 1995 Janet Reno ended the investigation.
During his time as mayor in the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was instrumental in bringing the Colorado Rockies to Denver in 1993.
Upon leaving the Clinton administration, Peña returned to Denver. In August 1998 he joined private equity firm Vestar Capital Partners where he is a Senior Advisor.
Peña Boulevard, a freeway in Denver and neighboring Aurora connecting Denver International Airport to Interstate 70, is named for him. As mayor of Denver, Peña led the effort to build the airport. In addition, Peña's vision ("Imagine a Great City") resulted in the revitalization of Denver economy with a new convention center, modernized Cherry Creek Shopping Center, neighborhood retail efforts, expanded library and performing arts center, and recruitment of the Colorado Rockies major league baseball team.
Peña is the father of three children: Nelia, Cristina, and Ryan Peña. The divorce of Federico Peña and his first wife, Ellen Hart Peña, became final on September 10, 2001. Federico Peña married Cindy Velasquez on September 2, 2006. Cindy Velasquez is a former broadcast executive for Channel 7, KMGH-TV, and Channel 9, KUSA-TV, in Denver, Colorado and has a daughter, Pilar.
Peña was a National Co-Chair of the Complete Coalition. Today he serves on several corporate boards and is involved in several philanthropic organizations.
On September 7, 2007, Peña announced that he would endorse Senator Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, and also serve as Obama's National Campaign Co-chair. The move was notable in that Peña did not endorse Senator Hillary Clinton, the wife of the president under whom he served. On November 5, 2008, he was named to the advisory board of the Obama-Biden Transition Project.
On October 26, 2011 Peña was elected to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of Wells Fargo. Pena was appointed to the University of Denver Board of Trustees in June 2015.


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Home/Chargers Draft
Five-round draft approach for the Los Angeles Chargers
By Tyler Schoon
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Greg Gaines #99 of the Washington Huskies attempts to intercept a pass by Dwayne Haskins #7 of the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second half in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2019 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
TEMPE, AZ – SEPTEMBER 26: Aca'Cedric Ware #28 of the Southern California Trojans is tackled by Salamo Fiso #58 and Renell Wren #95 of the Arizona State University Sun Devils during the second half at Sun Devil Stadium on September 26, 2015 in Tempe, Arizona. Trojans won 42-14. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /
The Chargers will look to the collegiate level to fill holes in their roster. What will their approach be heading into the 2019 NFL Draft?
The Los Angeles Chargers have opted to leave the 2019 NFL Draft to fill at least three holes in their roster, choosing to remain largely inactive in free agency. Fortunately, they have a general manager in Tom Telesco who has started to hit more home runs than strike out, finding three All-Pro's or Pro-Bowlers in the past three drafts. What will his draft strategy be heading into this year? Fans can expect some curve balls from the Chargers' GM, but for now, this should be their draft approach in 2019:
Pass on the interior of the defensive line
Having done five mock drafts (sure, not a lot) and intentionally picking an interior defensive linemen every time, I can tell you that the Chargers will almost always be reaching for a player at that position. Four of those five times, the player available was Notre Dame's Jerry Tillery, and the other time was Mississippi State's Jeffery Simmons, both players with potential red flags. Tillery has a history of personal misconduct, and Simmons is recovering from a torn ACL.
The most popular selection, if there, is likely Dexter Lawrence, the former Clemson Tiger. Lawrence is a massive prospect that would do well in stopping the run, but leaves much to be desired rushing the passer. For reference, Lawrence has just four sacks of the quarterback over the past two seasons. Christian Wilkins, his much more impressive running-mate, has 10.5.
If the team wants a pure run-stuffer, then why take one so high? There are plenty of later-round prospects that can do just that. Unless a defensive tackle without red flags who can also rush the passer falls to them at No. 28, pass on IDL for this round.
Take an offensive tackle, but remember guard is a weakness too
I am a firm believer that the Chargers need to take a "trench" selection in the first round, but have a strong preference for the offensive line. Philip Rivers cannot be pressured on 70 percent of his first-half snaps against the Patriots again. Changes need to be made on the offensive line.
The X-factor here is going to be Forrest Lamp, who is going to get a shot at the starting guard position and even a chance at tackle. Sam Tevi, the team's current starter at right tackle, is less likely to be replaced by Lamp. However, the team cannot wait for a late-round prospect to develop in order to protect Rivers. So it has to be early, and (in my opinion) Dalton Risner is the likely pick to do so.
Risner is an average athlete who relies on technique, tools, and tenacity to win battles. Look no further than his reps against Mississippi State's Montez Sweat, a likely Top-15 selection in this year's draft. Risner won with a great anchor and great strength, typically only "losing" to Sweat when the quarterback ran right into the pass rush.
As mentioned by Chargers Wire's Gavino Borquez, the team could also be looking at guard as a surprise selection in the first round. And why not? According to Pro Football Focus, starting guard Dan Feeney was the lowest-graded starting Chargers offensive lineman. The Patriots won a Super Bowl with a better interior of their offensive line than their guys on the outside at both tackle spots, perhaps the Chargers could look to give their truly immobile quarterback inside protection.


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Brand Tango Wins Best in Show at Ft. Lauderdale Advertising Awards Gala
March 8, 2017 –– Brand Tango, an award-winning branding, design and digital incubation agency, was named Best in Show in the local Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., competition of the American Advertising Awards, which were presented March 2. In addition, the South Florida firm took home three Gold and two Silver awards for work now eligible for recognition at the upcoming 4th district (Florida and the Caribbean) competition. A win there would position Brand Tango for national honors, which would be the fifth time the firm has been recognized on the national stage. The American Advertising Awards, formerly the ADDYs, is the advertising industry's largest competition, attracting over 40,000 entries every year. The mission of the American Advertising Awards is to recognize and reward the creative spirit of excellence in the art of advertising.
The Best in Show award recognized a sales kit produced for Grupo Questro's Ritz-Carlton Reserve Residences. This ultra-high-end project is located in the Pacific coast enclave of Puerto Los Cabos, Mexico, and residents, who hail from around the world and include Hollywood A-listers, have exclusive access to a world-class marina accommodating yachts up to 400 feet, private beach clubs, Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman signature golf courses, a private sculpture garden and a 12-acre cactus botanical park. Printed on watercolor paper, the luxuriously tactile pieces were carefully curated to evoke the heightened lifestyle these homeowners enjoy. The materials also won Gold in the Sales Kit or Product Information Sheets category, and Gold in both Sales & Marketing Brochure – Single Unit and Elements of Advertising – Copywriting categories.
Winning Silver Addys were the DAE Business Solutions Campaign in the Cross Platform, Integrated Advertising Campaigns B-to-B Campaign-National category and UVC's Life Unlimited Magazine for Unlimited Vacation Club by AMResorts in the Print Advertising – Magazine Self-Promotion – Single Unit category.
"After winning Best of Digital at last year's Addy awards, we're extremely excited to take home Best in Show for a printed project this year," says James Kluetz, Brand Tango's president and chief creative officer. "Although we have become leaders in digital expression, the awards demonstrate Brand Tango's ability to help our clients achieve success across multiple channels and media."
In addition to the American Advertising Awards, Brand Tango is a finalist for 10 ARDY awards from the American Resort Development Association, which will be presented on March 29 at their annual convention in New Orleans. The Brand Tango creative team is a finalist for an ARDY in the Graphic Design Professional or Team category. Also up for top honors is work for Brand Tango clients VIA Destination Club, Grupo Questro's Ritz-Carlton Reserve Residences, Sunset World, Unlimited Vacation Club by AMResorts, DAE, and Magic Development, along with Brand Tango's own website.
Brand Tango is the place where ideas, technology and brand expression are thoughtfully blended and served up daily. Brand Tango's client list spans a wide range of industries including hospitality, vacation ownership, food and beverage, consumer products, financial services, and health care. Relying on their decades of combined expertise, the agency's principals and staff help clients find solutions that deliver measurable results. Visit brandtango.com to learn more.
Danielle Barnes2017-03-08T11:44:50-05:00March 8th, 2017|Tags: American Advertising Awards, Brand Tango, DAE, Group Questro's Ritz-Carlton Reserve, James Kluetz, Unlimited Vacation Club|
Leena Patel Confirmed As X-TALK Speaker At GNEX 2020 Conference
GNEX 2020 Conference Confirms Peter Rona As X-TALK Speaker
Interval International Shares the Holiday Spirit During 26th Annual Toy Drive
CVOA Continues Membership Growth With Seven New Members
Disney's Riviera Resort Welcomes Guests With the Sights, Sounds and Flavors of Europe


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Charles Raymond Henwood  (15 January 1937 – 26 August 2019) was a Welsh-born New Zealand actor. He was married to district court judge Carolyn Henwood, and was the father of New Zealand comedian Dai Henwood.

Born in Swansea, Wales, on 15 January 1937, Henwood emigrated to New Zealand at the age of 25, and became a naturalised New Zealander in 1977. In 1962, Henwood was appointed to the staff of Mana College in Porirua, teaching science and mathematics there for four years. He then joined the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) as a toxicologist and helped to introduce the breathalyser. In 1971, he published a book on drug use in New Zealand, A Turned On World, that was critical of the Narcotics Act (1965), describing the Act as "using a cannon to kill flies"..

Henwood was one of the founding members of Circa Theatre and kept contributing to Circa until his death. In the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours, Henwood was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to film and the theatre.

Henwood died in Wellington on 26 August 2019, aged 82.

Selected filmography
 Opening Night (1977, TV Movie) – Clem Smith
 The John Sullivan Story (1979, TV Movie) – Colonel Smythe
 Should I Be Good? (1985) – Peter Chartwell
 Hot Target (1985) – Douglas Maxwell
 The End of the Golden Weather (1991) – Reverend Thirle
 Heavenly Creatures (1994) – Professor
 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) – Council Man (uncredited)
 Second Hand Wedding (2008) – Desmond Daney
 Separation City (2009) – Registrar
 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) – Old Fisherman

References

External links

1937 births
2019 deaths
Male actors from Swansea
Welsh male film actors
New Zealand male film actors
Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Welsh emigrants to New Zealand
New Zealand male television actors
New Zealand male stage actors
20th-century Welsh male actors
21st-century Welsh male actors
20th-century New Zealand male actors
21st-century New Zealand male actors
People associated with Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (New Zealand)
Toxicologists
New Zealand schoolteachers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Name: Pidgirtsy
Location: Lviv region
Now it's time for a gem of Lviv region-a castle in a village of Pidgirtsy, (3 km away from another beautiful castle, in a town of Olesko) The castle stands in the centre of the village and tourists can see it from the highway Kyiv-Lviv. The building is one of not very numerous examples of the late Renaissance in Ukraine. The project of the castle was created by French engineer Gijome de Boplan, the construction was made in 1635-1640 .The complex consists of the main building and 2 side pavilions. . A deep moat surrounds the castle from its 3 sides and there are high wall around the castle. The main entrance leads through the entrance gate made out of stone and decorated with columns. An inn and a "corchma" (a kind of a restaurant in the Middle Ages) for numerous guests and their servants were built near the stronghold-and these buildings survived all wars and Soviet period. Later the hetman kept his horses there.-in the houses decorated with columns , mansards and Baroque carving! In the second part of the 17th-first half of the 18th cc. Pidgirtsy was a fief of Koniecpolsky and Sobiesky families. The king of Poland Jan lll Sobiesky often lived in the castle,l iked to hunt in this area .In 1720 the castle was bought by Rzewusky magnat family. The balls went on for weeks -with fireworks, cannons shooting and military parades . Waclaw Rzewusky was a collector of antiques and the castle was home of a huge collection of ancient furniture, paintings, arms and books. Famous sculptors, artists and decorators took part in decoration of the castle's interiors. A big part of their work are today on display in Olssko castle. After the WWll there was a sanatorium in the castle, now it's a museum. The building was restored in 1956. The above information and pictures were provided by Sergey Gnap


AB 1110 (Burke D) – Requires, a pupil's eyes and vision to be examined by a physician, optometrist, or ophthalmologist during the kindergarten year or upon first enrollment or entry at an elementary school, including a charter school, in accordance with specified provisions, unless the pupil's parent or guardian submits a written waiver to the school or charter school. Two year bill.
August is Children's Eye & Safety Month. Vision impairments and eye disorders are the 3rd leading chronic condition among children; however, most common childhood eye disorders and vision impairments are easily treatable if caught early. Access to early detection and cost-effective treatments are critical in ensuring that a child's development and learning ability are not jeopardized due to an undetected vision impairment or eye disorder.
With the first total solar eclipse in the US in 37 years, millions of Americans were looking up at the sky. Viewing the sun directly, even for brief periods, can cause permanent damage to the retina, and in some cases, result in blindness. The optical system of the eye is about the same in terms of total concentration as that magnifying lens. And so if you stare straight at the sun, you're basically focusing that much energy right on the center of the retina—in the fovea—and it's enough that within a few seconds you start to cause photochemical damage to the retina and specifically to the areas around the fovea.
In May, National Prevent Blindness sent a letter, signed by 101 vision and eye health organizations, to the United States Senate asking that the Affordable Care Act (ACA)'s definition of "essential health benefits (EHBs)," which include coverage for children's vision services (including eye examinations and glasses) as well as preventive health services which includes vision screenings.
AB 746 (Gonzalez Fletcher, D-San Diego) – Requires all school districts to test their water for lead and fix or cap any contaminated water source. This is considered crucial because children are more susceptible to lead poisoning than adults.
August is National Water Quality Month. Half of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of a coastline where runoff flows quickly to the ocean. Individual household may not produce enough pollution to force a beach closing or cause a fish kill, but the combined output of all the homes in a community can be severe.
In the wake of toxic lead contamination of water in Flint, Michigan. California legislators are anxious that children exposed to lead may go undiagnosed. A free and new California Water Boards program—will test a school or school districts water. Less than 10 percent of schools have taken advantage of the free program; 507 out of 1,259 schools tested statewide have been in San Diego County. The new state mandate requires water agencies to test five drinking fountains or other water fixtures at each campus, but San Diego Unified decided last week that it will test all fixtures going forward and cover the added costs itself. The district also decided to raise the standard of what's considered a dangerous level of lead from 15 parts per billion to 5 parts per billion. That will make the district's standard the same as U.S. Food and Drug Administration's standard for lead in bottled drinking water.
AB 725 (Levine – D, San Rafael) SB 386 (Glazer – D, Orinda) – Creates an infraction for a person to smoke on a state coastal beach or in a unit of the state park system or to dispose of used cigar or cigarette waste on a state coastal beach or in a unit of the state park system; Department of Parks and Recreation post signs. FYI – It is already an infraction for a person to smoke within 25 feet of a playground or tot lot sandbox area.
AB 62 (Wood – D, Healdsburg) – Requires all public housing agencies to prohibit the smoking of tobacco products in public housing living units, interior areas, and outdoor areas within 25 feet of public housing and administrative buildings, except in designated smoking area Two year bill.
World Heart Day is September 29, and October is Healthy Lung Month.
Cigarette smoking causes about 1 in every 5 deaths in the United States each year. It's the main preventable cause of death and illness in the United States. Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body, including the heart, blood vessels, lungs, eyes, mouth, reproductive organs, bones, bladder, and digestive organs.
From The American Physiological Society August 2017: A new study suggests that a single exposure to e-cigarette (e-cig) vapor may be enough to impair vascular function. The researchers studied artery diameter, the blood vessels' ability to widen (vasodilation) and aortic stiffness after short- and long-term exposure to flavored e-cig vapor. Aortic stiffness can be an indicator of cardiovascular disease. They found that within an hour of the five-minute e-cig exposure, the short-term group's arteries narrowed by approximately 30 percent. Vasodilation decreased as well.
Long-term exposure to e-cig vapor (20 hours per week over a period of eight months) also produced negative effects of chronic e-cig use, including aortic stiffness, which was more than twice as high as control groups exposed to normal room air. "These data indicate that e-cigs should not be considered safe and that they induce significant deleterious effects" on blood vessel function, wrote the authors.
SB 277 and AB 2109 REVISITED re Immunization and the elimination of the Personal Belief Exemption.
September is National Immunization Awareness Month. Immunization plays an important role in keeping your family and community healthy. Vaccination helps prevent the spread of disease, especially to those who are most likely to suffer serious complications, such as infants and young children, elders, and those with chronic illness or weakened immune systems.
The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board on 8.17.17 entitled 'Kindergarten vaccinations scarily scarce at 57 San Diego County schools' reported "A state health officials' report last month that vaccination rates for California 7th graders had reached record highs was great to see, especially after an April report that vaccination rates for kindergartners had hit a 15-year high. A state law that took effect last year and ended the practice of allowing parents to cite personal beliefs and refuse to vaccinate their school-age children is paying off. It's crucial that nearly all children be vaccinated to build up "herd immunity" to communicable diseases. And now a Los Angeles Times analysis shows that kindergarten vaccination rates were 90 percent or less — an unsafe level — at nearly 750 California schools. The database shows San Diego County has 57 such schools …" Judi's note – actually only two public school within the 57 schools.
SB 384 (Wiener and Joel Anderson – R, San Diego) – Allows bars to stay open until 4 a.m. Public health advocates and MADD are concerned that 40 years of peer-reviewed evidence shows that increasing alcohol sales by two or more hours will increase vehicle crash injuries, emergency room admissions, and alcohol-related assault and injury, violence and suicide.
National Suicide Prevention Week (September 10-16). This year's theme is "Take a Minute, Save Life.," and will focus on raising awareness that suicide is a major preventable cause of premature death. In the United States, one person dies by suicide every 11.9 minutes, with 44,193 deaths by suicide in our country during 2015. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds, and is the 10th leading cause of death for people of all ages. Each person's death by suicide intimately affects at least six other people, with over 250,000 newly bereaved each year.


Wild Fact About Me I once could bench press 600 lbs. and deadlift 1000 lbs., until my discs went out.
My Philosophy "I wish I had several lives for all I'd like to do, but I only have one, so I'd rather live it as a blonde"
What Gives Me Hope Brains are being born every day, it's just a matter of using them.
If I were Mayor, I'd make the world a better place by Megamerge the U.S. and Mexico a la my plan on my Web site tlwinslow.weebly.com.
What/who changed my life and why The Wizard of Oz - it's the story of my life?
I call myself the Historyscoper, because I scope history.


At EXPLO, a large part of our focus is figuring out how can we broaden our reach and inspire even more students not only during the summer, but throughout the year as well. Our work with the Sunflower County Freedom Project is just one piece of that puzzle.
Four adults walk up to a wind tunnel, holding parachutes they've fashioned, cut, and shaped just moments before. When Dave [EXPLO's Creative Director] flips the switch, the whirring begins. One by one, they drop their parachutes in and wait to see which one rises, which one floats, and which one crashes straight down.
Beyond the fun (and challenges) of the experiment itself — figuring out how to engineer a working parachute out of the cardboard center of a toilet paper roll — Kate, Jeremiah, and Vaish are witnessing how a tube of cardboard and some wind can help bring abstract concepts like aerodynamics, gravity, and air velocity to life. They're here for a two-day workshop at the EXPLOration Center, and each moment is packed with experiments, projects, and lessons.
The hands-on approach makes it easy for me to envision how we could apply this with our students.
Vaish, Kate, and Jeremiah work for the Sunflower County Freedom Project (SCFP), an educational program dedicated to offering academic enrichment, cultural activities, and leadership development to the students of Sunflower County, Mississippi. Inspired by the "freedom schools" of the civil rights movement, the SCFP is helping to transform the lives and futures of children growing up in one of the most racially segregated and economically disadvantaged regions of the country.
At SCFP, both students and staff commit to upholding the four L.E.A.D. principles (Love, Education, Action, Discipline). The challenge for the teachers is figuring out how to frame lessons — whether on a novel, a historical event, or a scientific concept — in such a way that the students not only grasp the material, but actively want to engage with how they learn it.
Through project-based experiments such as building (and launching) balloon rockets, as well as more discussion-based activities, the SCFP team are able to fully delve into the importance of curriculum-mapping, developing learning objectives, and asking probing questions to facilitate higher order thinking. And by learning about backward design (a planning method), "EXPLOcizing" — brainstorming ways to make traditional lessons much more engaging and fun — and the EXPLO Collaborative Discussion Method (similar to the Harkness Method), Vaish, Kate, and Jeremiah can bring back tools that will help them (and their staff) empower students to fully participate and take ownership of their learning.
When former EXPLO staff member Caitlin Simon left EXPLO to join Teach for America (TFA), she found herself teaching a group of extremely bright and talented students whose educational and enrichment opportunities outside the classroom are quite limited. And very soon after, began thinking of how she could work with EXPLO to give some of those students a chance to attend EXPLO in the summer. Caitlin made a connection with The Sunflower County Freedom Project, and put Moira Kelly, EXPLO's Executive Director, in touch with Vaish Shantry, the Project's Executive Director.
With missions and visions that are so similar, working together across organizations became a given. Along with professional development, EXPLO is thrilled to be able to welcome a group of the Project's students to EXPLO at Yale. In 2014, a group of ninth-grade students attended EXPLO at Yale on full scholarships. This summer, another group will do the same.
As an after-school enrichment program, figuring out how to both impact students and extend the learning hours beyond the regular school day is a delicate balance to achieve. During workshops with Barb Trainor and Kristi Jacobi, EXPLO's Director and Assistant Director for Curriculum and Instruction, respectively, the SCFP team discover new methods to bring the magic of learning back into the classroom.
The trick is creating ways of approaching a subject that students haven't experienced before, which opens avenues of engagement and hands-on learning. And that comes through using three tools: brainstorming, idea generation, and debriefing.
What's important is creating an experience that stays with the student — lights the fire instead of filling the pail. At the end of the day, you want them to think that was one of the coolest things they've ever done.
The creative projects based around our novel have increased student engagement and excitement ten-fold... Already, a visiting teacher to the Freedom Project has expressed amazement and excitement about our creative lessons!
"We have already begun implementing EXPLO ideas in our Novel Studies curriculum and our Fitness curriculum," Jeremiah, SCFP's Director of Health and Communications, says, "and have also started messaging more intentionally our mission throughout the day, both with the staff and to students. The creative projects based around our novel have increased student engagement and excitement ten-fold. We have had mock editorial boards reviewing the work of our novel's author, we have held a full trial based on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and have written articles by adopting the biases of the Israelis and Palestinians."
Find out more about the Sunflower County Freedom Project and the incredible work it's doing with students in Mississippi.


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Q: The maximum of a real trigonometric polynomial Given the coefficients $a_0,\ldots,a_N$, $b_1,\ldots,b_N$ of a real trigonometric polynomial:
$ f(x) = a_0 + \sum_{n=1}^N a_n \cos(nx) + \sum_{n=1}^N b_n \sin(nx) $
is there any efficient way to approximately determine $\max_{x \in R} f(x)$? If so, what is the accuracy versus efficiency tradeoff?

A: It turns out that it is possible to achieve an arbitrarily small additive error using semidefinite programming. This is from the paper:
J.W. McLean, H.J. Woerdeman. Spectral factorizations and sums of squares representations via semidefinite programming. SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl., 23(3):646--655, 2001. (link)
The result can be rephrased as follows. Let $f(x)=F(e^{ix})$ where $F(z)= \sum_{n=-N}^N c_n z^n$, with $c_n=\frac{1}{2}(a_n-i\ b_n)$ and $c_{-n}=\bar{c}_n$. Then $\min_x f(x)$ is equal to $c_0$ minus the value of the following semidefinite program:
$ min_F\ tr(F) $
such that $F \succeq 0$, and $\sum_{p=k}^N F_{p,p-k} = c_k$ for $k=1,\ldots,N$.
Since semidefinite programming can achieve an arbitrarily small additive error, we can approximate the minimum (and thus, the maximum) of $f$ within the same bound.

A: This was just asked (modulo a minus sign):
Minimizing the modulus of a polynomial around a circle

A: Even in the special case where $f(x) \geq 0$ for all $x$, there can't be any simple answer involving the coefficients $(a_n)$, $(b_n)$. You're basically asking to estimate the $L^\infty$ norm of a trigonometric polynomial in terms of the Fourier coefficients, and it's well known that this can't be done in any good way (more generally, the relation between the $L^p$ norm and the coefficients is horribly intractable, for any $p \ne 2$).
EDIT: I suppose it depends what you mean by a "good" way to approximate; this is a bit subjective, but I think "for any reasonable purpose" (any general-purpose programme you would actually run on a computer) no simple theoretical formula exists (which is guaranteed to have good error bounds).
However, if you want a numerical scheme to approximate a specific polynomial, that's a totally different question! You need a good numerical analyst (which I am not, sorry).

A: With credits to J.J. Green, I found this paper on finding the maximum modulus of a polynomial on the disk; it might be of help in this case.

A: I stumbled upon this question and I think I have an interesting answer.
I will make use of the FFT, please remark that in this argument I do not deal with the numerical error of the FFT  but there are explicit error bounds on the FFT so they may be taken into account (you can find them in Higham, Accuracy and Stability...); moreover I will use the representation of Fourier Series with exponentials because it makes the argument easier.
I suppose we are on $[0,1]$ and I will work with the complex exponential basis. Let $\hat{f}(k)$ be the coefficients of the Fourier series with respect to the exponential basi.
Since $f$ is a trigonometric polynomial there exists a $K$ such that $\hat{f}(k)=0$ for $k>K$.
We observe now that $\hat{f'}(k)=2\pi i k \hat{f}(k)$. Therefore,
$$||f'||_{\infty}\leq 2\pi K \sum_{-K}^K |\hat{f}(k)|. $$
We now run the inverse FFT of size M bigger than K on the $\hat{f}(k)$.
The inverse Fast Fourier Transform using the Cooley-Tuckey algorithm is fast and numerically well behaved and gives us the value of the
trigonometric polynomial at $M$ equispaced points, call them $x_1, \ldots, x_M$.
Then
$$
\max_{i=1,\ldots, M} f(x_i)\leq \max f(x)\leq \max_{i=1,\ldots, M} f(x_i)+ 2\pi \frac{K}{M} \sum_{-K}^K |\hat{f}(k)|.
$$
There are some normalizations involved in the FFT, but the argument should work.

A: The basic approach could also be useful, and it should be compared with more advanced ones.
Note that $f$ is $2\pi$-periodic and Lipschitz of constant $L:=  \sum_{n=1}^N n\sqrt{a_n^2+b_n^2}$ because for any $x\in\mathbb{R}$
$$|f'(x)|\le  \sum_{n=1}^N n\big| a_n \sin(nx) -   b_n \cos(nx)\big|\le \sum_{n=1}^N n\sqrt{a_n^2+b_n^2}. $$
Therefore for all positive integer $m$
$$0\le \max_{x\in\mathbb{R}}f(x)- \max_{1\le k\le m} f\big(\frac{2k\pi}m\big)\le \frac{\pi L}m.$$


text:
Landscaping Services including Labor and Materials Needed for the Signage of the Center for Lake Sustainable Development Building
Los Baños Campus August 9, 2022 01:08:18 PM
Home/ Bids and Awards/ Landscaping Services including Labor and Materials Needed for the Signage of the Center for Lake Sustainable Development Building
LSPU attends CHEDRO IV 25th Anniv
The Laguna State Polytechnic University participated in the Commission on Higher Education Regional Office IV (CHEDRO) 25th Anniversary in the conference themed "Convergence Initiatives on Higher Education with CHEDRO IV Partners" at the El Cielito Hotel, City of Sta. Rosa, May 2. Dr. Eden C. Callo, Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), and Dr. Zenaida O. Vitasa, Director of the Curriculum Instruction Development and Quality Assurance (CIDQA) represented the university among participants from the...
LSPU validates 2019 office accomplishments
The Laguna State Polytechnic University (LSPU) administrative and academic officials convened for the deliberation and validation of 2019 Office Accomplishments at the College of Teacher Education (CTE) Hall, San Pablo City Campus, Feb. 4. University President, Vice Presidents, Campus Directors, Deans, Directors, and staff partook in the evaluation of performance among units/departments and across campuses. The evaluation was comprised of four areas, namely: 001: Higher Education; 002: Research and Development ...
LSPU holds University-Wide Welcoming and Orientation
In an effort to welcome the students and provide an overview of the campus, its policies, and the university's mission and vision, the Laguna State Polytechnic University (LSPU) leads Virtual Wide Welcoming and General Orientation today, September 6 at 1:00 o'clock in the afternoon via Facebook live: for new, old and transferees student of the campus. Jayson Olayta, director of Office of the Student Affairs and Services (OSAS) together with VP for Academic Affairs Dr. Eden C. Callo, VP for Research Dr. Ro...
An Improved R&D in Fisheries through LSPU-PCAARRD Partnership
Since its establishment in early 2014 as the Science Laboratory Annex Building of the College of Fisheries (COF), the Science Research Laboratory (SRL) of the Laguna State Polytechnic University Los Baños Campus (LSPU-LBC) is continually growing through expansion of its facilities and scope in research aspects. This was made possible by the proactive support from the University President, Dr. Nestor M. De Vera, the LSPU-LBC Campus Director, Dr. Daniel D. Bunal, the Director of Research and Development Services,...
LSPU holds Strategic Developmentt Plan Workshop 2019-2023
BAY, LAGUNA—The Laguna State Polytechnic University (LSPU) conducted its Strategic Development Planning for the Year 2019-2013 at the Kamayan Resort, Aug. 16-17. Aimed at aligning the university's path with the administration of the new University President, Dr. Mario R. Briones, the seminar-workshop focused on the creation of new LSPU Strategic Plan headed by Adriel Roman, Director of the Physical Plan and Site Development. Some of the regional partners who participated in the event were Dr. Tirso R...


What is Report ? How to Write a Report?
Actually a report is a clearly structured document that presents information as clearly and succinctly as possible. A report is written for a particular purpose and to a particular audience and the data is available.
According to Oxford English Dictionary " A Report is a statement of the result of given assignment on which definite information is required.
In the first report writing process title of the report clearly states the purpose of the report. Full detail of the person for whom the report was prepared with including the person, who made the report should be included. At the end of the title page mention the date of submission.
Table of content is the list of content in the main body of the report with a serial wised page numbers, Make sure the current page number are shown clearly and accordingly.
This is a short paragraph thinking any person, organization, or a institution which gave you support and help in collection data.
Executive summery or abstract is quiet different from that of an introduction.It provides a quick overview of the entire report, Including its purpose, context, method of work, major findings conclusion and recommendation.
Introduction provides a brief discussion on the background information with a context for the report. introduction states the purpose of the report.It outlines the issues that are to be discussed in the report.
The body, the literature review and methodology are the most important parts, that takes place in the report writing. Literature review is about different authors opinion and statement of the fact in the report.
Conclusion summaries the key findings from the discussion by analyzing the result. conclusion should not be detailed more than one page.
Looking for a challenging growth oriented position for professional experience and willing to work in sound an environment where there is an opportunity of self assessment and self improvement in both individual and team based work that will help for further improvement.
Internet Explorer, Google Advanced Search, E-Mail Operating & Internet Browsing.
v Survey on the project of data collection.
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v Creative and innovative thinker.
v Open minded in adapting to new and challenging situation.
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Internet Browsing, Traveling, Current Affairs, Music, Watching TV, Reading Book & Newspaper on Business etc.
I hereby declare that the above mentioned statements are true to the best of my knowledge. Thank you.


In the last two days, It's Showtime's "I Am Pogay" competition showed that it's not enough being good-looking to win the competition. The 'I Am Pogay' competition is more about talent and wit. The audience and possibly the judges forget how the contestant look after they show their talents and wit during the question and answer portion.
On Tuesday, February 18, Christian 'Tian' Lacsamana bested younger and better looking Jeremy 'King' Fajardo. Similarly on Wednesday, February 19, Joash Gelbert 'Josh' Lorenzo bested obviously more goodlooking Joel 'Jay' Angeles.
I Am Pogay Tuesday winner Christian 'TIAN' Lacsamana, 28 years old, stands 5'8", is from Pampanga. Christian love to read books, surf the internet and chat with friends in his free time.
I Am Pogay Wednesday winner Joash Gelbert 'Josh' Lorenzo, 23 years old, stands 5'6", is from Cotabato City. His hobbies include singing, dancing, internet surfing and bar hopping.
Eliminated last Tuesday is I Am PoGay Jeremy 'KING' Fajardo from Capaz, Tarlac. He is 21 years old, stands 5'7" and loves to collect barbie dolls. His other hobbies include fashion designing, facebooking and clubbing.
Eliminated las Wednesday is I Am PoGay Joel 'JAY' Angeles from Pasig City. Jay is 28 years old and stands 5'6". His hobbies include cooking, dancing and singing.
Christian 'Tian' Lacsamana and Joash Gelbert 'Josh' Lorenzo, together with Monday's winners will come back on Saturday, February 22, to compete in the weekly finals.
You have read this articleI Am Pogay with the title I AM POGAY WINNERS CHRISTIAN 'TIAN' LACSAMANA AND JOASH GELBERT 'JOSH' LORENZO. You can bookmark this page URL https://thehalflifeoflinoleum.blogspot.com/2014/02/i-am-pogay-winners-christian-lacsamana.html. Thanks!
Comments "I AM POGAY WINNERS CHRISTIAN 'TIAN' LACSAMANA AND JOASH GELBERT 'JOSH' LORENZO"


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
CONFERENCE SERIES
ARFMTS, Vol. 57, No. 1, P48-56
Evaluation of Kapok Fiber and Gypsum Mixture to Improve Fire Resistance
Journal of Advanced Research in Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences
Volume 57, No. 1, May 2019, Pages 48-56
Muhammad Arif Dandan1,*, Mohamad Nor Musa1, Syahrullail Samion1, Wan Mohamad Aiman Wan Yahaya1, Muhammad Akmal Issham1, Fazila Mohd Zawawi1, Mohd Kameil Abdul Hamid1
1School of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
*Corresponding author: arifdandan92@gmail.com
Muhammad Arif Dandan, et al. "Evaluation of Kapok Fiber and Gypsum Mixture to Improve Fire Resistance." Journal of Advanced Research in Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences 57.1 (2019): 48-56.
Muhammad Arif, D., Mohamad Nor, M., Syahrullail, S., Wan Mohamad Aiman, W. Y., Muhammad Akmal, I., Fazila, M. Z., & Mohd Kameil, A. H. (2019). Evaluation of Kapok Fiber and Gypsum Mixture to Improve Fire Resistance. Journal of Advanced Research in Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences, 57(1), 48-56.
Muhammad Arif Dandan, Mohamad Nor Musa, Syahrullail Samion, Wan Mohamad Aiman Wan Yahaya, Muhammad Akmal Issham, Fazila Mohd Zawawi, and Mohd Kameil Abdul Hamid."Evaluation of Kapok Fiber and Gypsum Mixture to Improve Fire Resistance." Journal of Advanced Research in Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences. 57, no. 1 (2019): 48-56.
Muhammad Arif, D., Mohamad Nor, M., Syahrullail, S., Wan Mohamad Aiman, W.Y., Muhammad Akmal, I., Fazila, M.Z., Mohd Kameil, A.H.., 2019. Evaluation of Kapok Fiber and Gypsum Mixture to Improve Fire Resistance. Journal of Advanced Research in Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences 57(1), pp. 48-56.
Muhammad Arif D, Mohamad Nor M, Syahrullail S, Wan Mohamad Aiman WY, Muhammad Akmal I, Fazila MZ, & Mohd Kameil, A. H.. Evaluation of Kapok Fiber and Gypsum Mixture to Improve Fire Resistance. Journal of Advanced Research in Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences. 2019;57(1): 48-56.
Kapok fiber; Gypsum; Fire door
Fire can be formed when these three elements, hot, oxygen, and combustible materials, are present. It produces heat and light through a chemical process of oxidation reactions that occur rapidly. It is widely known that a human's life on the earth cannot be separated from the fire. But we often hear a phrase about the fire: 'friendly when it is small, deadly when it is big'. Based on this expression, we can say that the fire is not only furnishing benefits to humans but it also can destroy property and killed many lives each year. Therefore, a fire protection should be given priority in our daily life, especially the use of fire resistant doors in commercial and office buildings. Kapok, a natural fiber, which has a low thermal conductivity has been selected and examined in this study as a fire-resistance material. The objective of this study was to find the resistance of gypsum when mixed with kapok fiber. The laboratory works involved the preparation and testing of composite samples of gypsum and kapok fiber, which were prepared with different thicknesses, namely 6.4mm, 9.5mm, and 12.7mm. Then composite samples of three different compositions, namely 1000g of gypsum: 10g of kapok, 1000g of gypsum: 20g of kapok, and 1000g of gypsum: 30g of kapok were prepared for each of those thicknesses. All the composite samples were burnt, in accordance to MS 1073 (1996), in a combustion chamber that had been designed and fabricated in Combustion Laboratory, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The experimental results revealed that the composite sample of 12.7 mm thickness gave the highest fire resistance for all the prescribed compositions while the composite sample of 30 g of kapok fiber produced the highest fire resistance compared to other two compositions. In short, a composite mixture of gypsum and kapok fiber has the potential to be used as a fire-resistance material in manufacturing of fire resistant doors, walls, and ceilings for the building construction sector.
[1]	Golshokouh, I., S. Syahrullail, F. N. Ani, and H. H. Masjuki. "Investigation of palm fatty acid distillate as an alternative lubricant of petrochemical based lubricants, tested at various speeds." Int. Rev. Mech. Eng 7, no. 1 (2013): 72-80.
[2]	Noorawzi, Nuraliza, and Syahrullail Samion. "Tribological effects of vegetable oil as alternative lubricant: a pin-on-disk tribometer and wear study." Tribology Transactions 59, no. 5 (2016): 831-837.
[3]	Syahrullail, Samion, Jazair Yahya Wira, W. B. Wan Nik, and W. N. Fawwaz. "Friction characteristics of RBD palm olein using four-ball tribotester." In Applied Mechanics and materials, vol. 315, pp. 936-940. Trans Tech Publications, 2013.
[4]	Sapawe, N., Syahrullail Samion, P. Zulhanafi, C. S. Nor Azwadi, and M. F. Hanafi. "Effect of addition of tertiary-butyl hydroquinone into palm oil to reduce wear and friction using four-ball tribotester." Tribology Transactions 59, no. 5 (2016): 883-888.
[5]	Hassan, Mohammed, Farid Nasir Ani, and S. Syahrullail. "Tribological performance of refined, bleached and deodorised palm olein blends bio-lubricants." Journal of Oil Palm Research 28, no. 4 (2016): 510-519.
[6]	Syahrullail Samion, Kenji Nakanishi, and Shunpei Kamitani. "Investigation of the effects of frictional constraint with application of palm olein oil lubricant and paraffin mineral oil lubricant on plastic deformation by plane strain extrusion." Japanese journal of tribology 50, no. 6 (2005): 727-738.
[7]	Razak, D. M., S. Syahrullail, N. Sapawe, Y. Azli, and N. Nuraliza. "A new approach using palm olein, palm kernel oil, and palm fatty acid distillate as alternative biolubricants: improving tribology in metal-on-metal contact." Tribology Transactions 58, no. 3 (2015): 511-517.
[8]	Afifah, A. N., S. Syahrullail, and N. A. C. Sidik. "Magnetoviscous effect and thermomagnetic convection of magnetic fluid: A review." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 55 (2016): 1030-1040.
[9]	Sidik, Nor Azwadi Che, Muhammad Noor Afiq Witri Muhammad Yazid, Syahrullail Samion, Mohamad Nor Musa, and Rizalman Mamat. "Latest development on computational approaches for nanofluid flow modeling: Navier–Stokes based multiphase models." International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer 74 (2016): 114-124.
[10]	Ghaderian, Javad, Nor Azwadi Che Sidik, Alibakhsh Kasaeian, Sepideh Ghaderian, Amir Okhovat, Amirabbas Pakzadeh, Syahrullail Samion, and Wira Jazair Yahya. "Performance of copper oxide/distilled water nanofluid in evacuated tube solar collector (ETSC) water heater with internal coil under thermosyphon system circulations." Applied Thermal Engineering 121 (2017): 520-536.
[11]	Sidik, Nor Azwadi Che, Muhammad Noor Afiq Witri Muhammad Yazid, and Syahrullail Samion. "A review on the use of carbon nanotubes nanofluid for energy harvesting system." International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 111 (2017): 782-794.
[12]	Bernhart, Daniela. "The effect of support conditions on the fire resistance of a reinforced concrete beam." (2004).
[13]	Menon, G. B., and J. N. Vakil. "Handbook on Building Fire Codes." Fire Adviser, Govt. of India, CED-22 Fire Fighting Sectional Committee, Bureau of Indian Standards (1988).
[14]	Statistics of fire breakouts in Malaysia. 2011, Department of Statistics Malaysia.
[15]	Prashant, T. "The essential aspect of fire safety management in high rise buildings." Faculty of Civil (2007).
[16]	Jackson, S., Development of Wireless Reproducts. 2006, Durham University.
[17]	Capote, J. A., D. Alvear, Orlando Abreu, M. Lazaro, Y. Boffill, A. Manzanares, and M. Maamar. "Assessment of physical phenomena associated to fire doors during standard tests." Fire technology 49, no. 2 (2013): 357-378.
[18]	Bengtsson, L.-G., Enclosure fires. 2001: Swedish Rescue Services Agency.
[19]	Biarnes, M., B. Freed, and J. Esteves. "Combustion, sl: E Instruments International LLC." (2013).
[20]	Doktan, M. "The long term stability of room and pillar workings in a gypsum mine." (1983).
[21]	Kartina, AK Siti, and MH Nor Suhaila. "Oil sorption capacity of kapok fiber." In 2012 IEEE Colloquium on Humanities, Science and Engineering (CHUSER), pp. 876-878. IEEE, 2012.
[21]	Hori, Keko, Maxima E. Flavier, Shigenori Kuga, Thi Bach Tuyet Lam, and Kenji Iiyama. "Excellent oil absorbent kapok [Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn.] fiber: fiber structure, chemical characteristics, and application." Journal of wood science 46, no. 5 (2000): 401.
[23]	Peng, C. and W. Fumei. "An investigation of heat flow through kapok insulating material." Journal of Textile & Apparel/Tekstil ve Konfeksiyon, no. 19(2) (2009).
[24]	SIRIM, Methods for Determination of the Fire Resistance-General Principle, in A Malaysian Standard. 1996, SIRIM: Shah Alam, Malaysia.
[25]	Blagojevic, Milan Dj, and Dusica J. Pesic. "A new curve for temperature-time relationship in compartment fire." Thermal science 15, no. 2 (2011): 339-352.
[26]	Cooper, Leonard Y., and Kenneth D. Steckler. Methodology for developing and implementing alternative temperature-time curves for testing the fire resistance of barriers for nuclear power plant applications. No. NUREG--1547. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 1996.
[27]	Baroudi, Djebar. Thermal models for fire safety: calculation of flame spread on surfaces and heating of structures. Helsinki University of Technology, 2007.
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okay, so i know my baby is cute.
but…there's always that nagging feeling that maybe, just maybe, people might be lying to me. because sometimes babies AREN'T cute. in fact, some babies are just ugly.
i know some people would smack me for even thinking it, but it's true.
today tested my faith in s's cuteness. passport photos, like license photos, are never attractive. unfortunately, hers weren't the exception to the rule.
so what if i have a baby passport that says i gave birth to jabba the hutt?!?! i know in my heart she's still adorable.
poor thing. she will never live this down.


text:
Freemasons Theatres
Day Oncology Unit
166 Clarendon Street, East Melbourne VIC 3002 Australia
Day procedure centre fax: 03 9418 8108
320 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne VIC 3002 Australia
Maternity booking fax: 03 9418 8388
Epworth Freemasons is located in East Melbourne and cares for patients across two sites — Clarendon Street and Victoria Parade. Our hospitals include 224 overnight beds, 44 post natal suites, nine fully-equipped delivery suites, a special care nursery, 10 operating theatres, a day procedure centre and an eight bed critical care unit.
Epworth Freemasons has a proud history as a leading maternity hospital in Victoria but is also well known for specialising in women's health services including breast and gynaecological treatment.
Men's health is also at the heart of what we do, with the EJ Whitten Prostate Cancer Research Centre based at Epworth Freemasons and robotic surgery available for those patients who require it.
Epworth Freemasons' comprehensive cancer care covers a full range of surgical services, chemotherapy, radiation oncology as well as support services including our wig salon –free to all Epworth patients.
A New Era in Boutique Healthcare
Epworth Freemasons will soon boast four new state-of-the-art theatres, clinical trials and simulation centre, new inpatient beds and consulting suites housed within our new Grey Street Building. This forms part of the $100 million dollar redevelopment of the historic Clarendon Street site that will also see a new hospital entrance open on Albert Street complete with an underground carpark for more than 300 vehicles.
This redevelopment is due for opening in early 2020.
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the agenda for discussion or noting.
neighbourhood development plan as appropriate.
13. REOLSVED: to adopt new standing orders.
14. RESOLVED: Clerk to attend to changes with regard to settings on the parish council website to enable all documentation etc can be seen with out people having to register on the website first.
Ditching work identified throughout the parish to be carried out and cutting of verges cutting of grass around grit bins and near road junctions as appropriate.
polling stations within Herefordshire Unitary Council area.


text:
Tory Woodbury @ Cologne Centurions
QB New York Jets
Tony Woodbury has 3 NFL seasons on his records, but he never saw any game action.
He had been with the New York Jets in 2000 and 2001 but without a single activity on the field.
In the first four weeks of the 2006 NFL Europe season he had not been involved in any game as well as later on at the Bills.
QB Tory Woodbury
Tory Woodbury 2006 videos
Tory Woodbury @ Cologne Centurions vs. Amsterdam Admirals
Tory Woodbury @ Cologne Centurions vs. Rhein Fire
Born on July 12 in 1978
College: Winston-Salem