Bob and Gus rode out that Saturday afternoon in a dashing landau. James, who had insisted on accompanying them in his stubbornly humble way, was seated on the box beside the coachman. The air was hot and heavy with the promise of rain or worse in the gloom gathering on the horizon. But the installation of two smart and pretty Viennese girls in the carriage countered the threatening weather. The young men rode merrily - and not a little smugly - with their guests through the streets of Vienna to the gardens of the Hofburg, where they handed the girls down.
Bob took Kitzi Kálnoky on his arm, and Gus took Mimi Károlyi. The girls raised their parasols and the group set off, chattering in French with various degrees of facility. They passed under the trees towards the monument to the Emperor Franz, where the band of an infantry regiment was playing marches. They stood listening for some minutes. Gus was amused at the sprightly figure of the director, who was conducting while smiling over his shoulder at the hundreds of Viennese behind him. Gus hoped he would not fall off his rostrum.
That was daring, Gus thought. Am I about to get slapped down? But no, the lady flashed her white teeth and gave a little laugh. What an unsuspected flirt I am inside, he decided.
They walked on towards the Burg, and as they reached the palace terrace, swift steps sounded on the gravel behind them. The girls turned and gave delighted squeals.
A tall and striking young man had caught up with them. The gentlemen doffed their hats. The newcomer, perhaps a couple of years Gus's and Bob's senior, rested one gloved hand on a Malacca walking stick while holding his white Homburg in the other.
Gus stared. That this Oskar was a handsome fellow was only part of his attractiveness. He was dressed in a stylish suit of light blue, with a delicate orchid in his buttonhole. He had deep blue-green eyes and broad cheekbones, and his fair hair hung low in his eyes in a thick boyish fringe.
His smile, however, was his main attraction. It was knowing, open and quite fearless. This was a man who would say or do anything, the smile said; and would do it precisely as he pleased. It was even a little scary, the smile, but at least there was the reassurance that, whatever its owner did, he would do with without malice.
Count Oskar swept Gus with his eyes and gave a slight chuckle. 'It means that I am a younger son of the house. The count of Tarlenheim and current prince is my elder brother Rudolf, and I am count only by courtesy.' Oskar's eyes again flashed across Gus with something of appraisal in them. Gus felt slightly intimidated and as a result moved to assert himself a little more.
The count gave a slight bow to acknowledge the remark and then turned to the girls, putting himself between them, and inviting the Englishmen to take their disengaged arms. And in this way, they walked slowly up and down the terrace, the girls making a lively chatter about common acquaintances. They stopped from time to time to greet other friends, make further introductions and then talk about them as soon as they had turned away. From what Gus heard, Oskar seemed to have as lively a taste for spicy gossip as Kitzi and Mimi.
In the end, he began to find the count a little tiresome and was glad when Bob suggested after half an hour that they drive out to the Prater. They tipped hats and returned to their landau. The count accompanied them and stood bare-headed, a very striking figure, the sun golden on his bright hair, as the carriage drove off. Perhaps that was why James was giving the Ruritanian such a concentrated stare from the box as they pulled away.
Father Piotr, white mitre on head and silk gloves and ring on hand, turned and gave his prelatical blessing to the kneeling congregation from the high altar of Henry the Lion's palace chapel. One head, covered by a lace mantilla and bowed in unaffected humility, was that of her majesty the queen, on her prie-dieu immediately below him.
The procession formed, and Piotr followed the sanctuary party the length of the Chapel Royal. He smiled and dismissed them under the gallery, his colleagues in the chapel clapping him on the back or shaking his hand. An acolyte took his mitre, and he turned to face the queen. Palace staff and courtiers alike would keep their seats until she had left.
As the queen approached, Piotr gave the short bow customary in his country. When the queen took his hand, he scanned her face for any signs of the rumoured illness. For a woman in her mid-fifties, however, she looked well enough. She was perhaps a little drawn, but that was nothing new. She wore a sober, dark-green dress with long sleeves. It was the colour that had best matched her red hair before she turned grey. Now it merely emphasized her pallor. She wore no jewellery this Sunday, other than her wedding ring and the inevitable locket around her neck, which Piotr knew contained a miniature of her late husband, Rudolf V, dead now some eighteen years.
By the time the queen, the court and the domestic staff had left the chapel, it only remained for Piotr to unvest and join the dean for coffee in his room. As usual, the dean was surrounded by curling tobacco smoke, blue and dense. Piotr's nose shut down as soon as he entered the room.
'Very well, then. It is reasonably straightforward. As you will know, the late king her husband died at the hands of an anarchist in 1862, leaving her the last of the Elphbergs, for they were the only surviving Elphberg grandchildren of King Henry II. There are no children of the marriage, and there was never any possibility she would marry again. There is an heir apparent, however. He derives from the marriage of the queen's aunt, Maria Antonia, to Ernst Albert, duke of Thuringia in Germany; in other words, the heir is her majesty's cousin, Duke Leopold.
Piotr did. The Thuringians were stubborn Calvinists, whereas Ruritania was a pillar of the Catholic Church. There would be little enthusiasm for a king who did not share the fervent faith of the people. Ruritania remained a staunch ally of the pope, and had had no diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Italy since the Italians had seized Rome and the last fragments of the Papal States ten years before. Many Ruritanian households had on their walls imaginative prints showing the pope imprisoned in a bare cell by the Italian king, depicted like St Peter in Nero's dungeon before his martyrdom.
Gus and Bob had decided to make a cultural outing on Wednesday, and had got up early to take a light breakfast of rolls and coffee in a smart café in the Kohlmarkt. It was sunny again, though rain had fallen in the night, and the sky was clear and blue. Gus sighed and stretched. He had fallen deeply in love with Vienna and its pace of life, which so suited his own native disposition. He smiled at the aproned waiter who arrived with more milky coffee. The waiter smiled back.
They took a further half hour over breakfast, watching the city flow past the windows. Leaving a fifty-kreuzer tip for the waiter, they made their way through the bustling commercial streets of the city to the Stephans-platz. An enquiry of a sweeper and a small tip gained them the information that they should take an omnibus carrying the destination Südbahnhof. They waited under the south walls of the great cathedral until the correct carriage came along, then paid the standard fare to the conductor, who was perched on the back step, and settled into an inside seat. The horse-drawn vehicle took them at a leisurely pace south across the Ring and the little river Wien to where rose the white buildings of the Belvedere.
'I thought they were very good, talented even,' admitted Gus.
They got down from the carriage and entered the grand pavilion of the Lower Belvedere. Gus spent the next hour browsing antiquities, coins and armour, while Bob, notebook in hand, crossed the gardens to the upper pavilion and immersed himself in one of the world's great art collections. Gus exhausted the attractions of the place long before his friend had. He sought out an abstracted Bobby, excused himself and said he had decided to walk the gardens for a while.
Gus turned and found himself looking again in the knowing and smiling face of Oskar von Tarlenheim. 'Oh, hullo,' he said, trying his best to be his usual cheery self, but not at all pleased at having to make the effort.
The count was dressed this morning in an elegant white linen jacket, with a white satin cravat at his neck and a perfect red carnation in his buttonhole. His trousers were pale striped and his shoes a most unusual polychrome of black and white. Once more he was the picture of sophisticated charm. Gus decided that the count was very much a studied performance, and rather despised him for it.
Oskar looked so comical that Gus had to laugh, and then the count laughed, looking very mischievous and boyish. He took Gus's arm. This was not the English custom with mere acquaintances, but Gus went along with it as Oskar walked him down and back up the avenue.
'Thank you, but I think I will call you August, I cannot quite say "Gus" with any ease. The reason I am here is that the Tarlenheimgasse, where my family's house lies, is over there, beyond the Botanical Gardens.' He pointed with his stick. 'A less quiet neighbourhood since the Field Marshal's day. A railway runs along the bottom of my road, clickety-clack all day long. I think my brother plans to sell the place one day soon.
'Not especially. I don't have many interests really.' For some reason he could never account for later, Gus began confiding in Oskar. He talked of his lack of intellectual interests and total want of ambition.
So arm in arm they crossed the wide roadway. Gus was getting comfortable with his companion, who now seemed warm and sympathetic, quite unlike the gossipy, silly dandy of Saturday. Also there was a fragrance that hung around him, which had seduced Gus's nose. It was all he could do not to sniff deeply to get the full benefit of it.
The great station was echoing with crowds and the hoot and chuff of locomotives. This was the Staatsbahnhof, the point of departure for Budapest, the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire. A collection of all the peoples of the vast, multiracial Hapsburg Empire swarmed under the iron-vaulted roof. Livening up the sober bourgeois of Vienna was a mixture of Hungarians and Croats in national dress, gabardined Jews in outlandish hats, Orthodox priests, and fat Turks with their veiled wives.
Oskar led Gus to a large café built against the western wall of the station with an outlook on a small area of trees and gardens. They took a table that had a view in the other direction, showing the mass of drifting people on the platforms. Tea and cake arrived and Oskar refused to let Gus pay. He seemed well known to the waiters, who smiled and were accommodating. He had quite a way with servants, a talent for being intimate while at the same time never surrendering his social high ground. He drew heads, too, wherever he went. Gus felt rather privileged to be sitting with this unusual man.
They rose and pushed through the door on to the platform. It was as they were leaving through a tall arch on to the station forecourt that a hatless young man tugged Oskar's sleeve. He was about Gus's age, though slight in build, a dark-haired lad with an attractive urchin face. He had on a dark suit and a collarless shirt, quite clean, but he was obviously not from Oskar's social level or anywhere near it.
'Oskar! Hot day, yes?' he cried in German with a broad and somehow meaningful smile.
'Till then, Oskar.' The boy walked off with a backward glance at Gus.
'Who was that?' Gus could not resist asking.
Somehow, Gus realised that he had not heard the whole story. Oskar was becoming more fascinating by the moment, his merry green eyes, wit and ready smile making him quite the most interesting man Gus had ever met. His distaste for the count's affectations was already quite gone. As they reached the Upper Belvedere, Oskar tipped his straw hat to Gus, who responded in the same way. He wondered how he might continue the acquaintance, but could find no pretext. When he realised that Oskar had no intention of arranging another meeting, he felt strangely dashed, almost snubbed. But he smiled his goodbye, and watched the Ruritanian walk off briskly, stick under his arm.
Father Piotr had the privilege of accompanying the queen in her own landau, along with two ladies-in-waiting. The carriage bowled along under the trees of the eastern avenue of the great Rudolfs Platz that lay in front of the palace. A detachment of the Guard Cuirassiers trotted jingling ahead and behind them. Mounted police cantered before them to each corner to clear the road. As the carriage passed, men on the pavements doffed their hats and women bobbed, while children ran along the fringes of the watching crowd. Occasionally cries of 'God bless your majesty!' reached their ears. The queen was loved by her people.
At the Domstrasse, the landau turned and headed towards the towering mass of the cathedral, looming above the climbing houses of the Altstadt. The cathedral's provost was waiting at the west door for their arrival. He bowed and kissed his sovereign's hand. The organ and a choir of voices were already filling the great vaulted space with music as the queen was ushered to her accustomed stall. She signalled Piotr to sit beside her while she followed the evening devotion.
Piotr was still a titular member of the chapter of the cathedral of Ss Andrew and Vitalis of Strelsau, so he joined in the antiphons, responses and psalmody with the resident canons and vicars. The liturgical grandeur of the cathedral eclipsed that of the Chapel Royal and Piotr savoured it. For all that the royal household brought a priest into the centre of ecclesiastical and secular politics in Ruritania, there was a price to pay. Piotr had enjoyed his years in the chapter as vicar, before the bishop of Luchau had recommended him to the queen as an intelligent and accomplished priest, with an interest in educational reform.
When the candles had been ceremonially extinguished and the clergy left singing the Nunc Dimittis, the queen remained seated. After some minutes she gave her particularly sweet smile, and invited Piotr to walk with her around the cathedral ambulatory. They proceeded in silence, the ladies-in-waiting and the captain of the guard awaiting them at the crossing, talking quietly.
Piotr translated in his head: 'To Rudolf, who reigned lately in this city and reigns forever in her heart - Queen Flavia'. It had been eighteen years since the king's assassination, and still this beautiful woman, his widow, mourned. It had been one of the great royal romances of modern times.
Piotr hastened to disagree with his sovereign. He begged her remember the firm establishment of a representative parliament, the educational reforms, the opening of Rothenian schools, the great revival and flourishing of native Slavic culture, the seat for Ruritanian ministers at the great European statesmen's congresses. All had been carried out under her patronage and urging.


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Home Business Despite Flashes of Recovery, Nigerian Economy Remains in Distress
Despite Flashes of Recovery, Nigerian Economy Remains in Distress
ANALYSIS FOR TUESDAY
Two years on, a combination of factors including delayed response by the federal government to the structural adjustments needed to avert an economic crisis, policy inconsistencies, missteps and outright lack of political will to embrace whole-hearted reforms, pushed the economy on a negative trajectory. Ndubuisi Francis writes that in spite of recent reversals in some macroeconomic fundamentals, the economy is still on a long path to recovery
After nearly five years of stability, the price of oil in the global market took a plunge in the middle of 2014 and continued a precipitous journey south. Towards the end of that year, the price of the commodity had taken a slide by over 40 per cent from June when it was on a high of $115 per barrel to below $70 a barrel.
This was to trigger a lot of concerns and reactions by a motley crowd of state and non-state actors.
The administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan under whose watch the fall in oil price commenced came up with a cocktail of belt tightening measures to stave off a looming revenue squeeze.
On the heels of the global uncertainty occasioned by the fall in commodity prices, including oil, the International Monetary (IMF) and the World Bank had advised Nigeria and other emerging markets, low/middle income, commodity-dependent countries to evolve contingency plans to continue managing their economies.
As part of measures to ensure a more sustainable revenue profile in the 2015 budget, the then government unveiled a set of measures to tackle the huge revenue gap created by the falling oil price and massive decline in production occasioned by oil theft in the Niger Delta. Emphasis was placed on increasing non-oil revenue, including surcharges on luxury items.
Beyond raising additional revenues, the government said the implementation of the surcharges policy was designed to send a compelling message of addressing socio-economic inequalities in the country.
Luxury surcharges were therefore introduced on private jets with all local and foreign registered private jets operating in Nigeria to pay an annual surcharge of N3,200 per kilogramme based on the weight of each aircraft.
There was also a 50per cent import tax adjustment on Yachts, just as Champagnes, wines and spirits attracted an import adjustment tax of 50per cent. International travel surcharge also came into the mix.
All first and business Class foreign air travels tickets attracted a flat rate of N15,000 per ticket as foreign travel surcharge.
Besides surcharges, the Federal Ministry of Finance, in conjunction with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), as a short-term measure, also conducted a review of the implementation of the Pioneer Status incentive granted to some oil and gas companies. This was targeted at unlocking some additional tax revenues in 2015.
Consequently, 22 companies, which were granted Pioneer Status contrary to the provisions of the Industrial Development Act were identified.
The Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) was directed to restrict the Pioneer Status granted to the 22 companies to three years and the FIRS raised assessments on four of the companies that were liable to pay.
It was also in tandem with the belt tightening measures and efforts to address the huge revenue shortfall engendered by the fall in oil price that the National Assembly, for the first time in many years, acquiesced to a 25 per cent cut in its annual budget of N150 billion in 2015.
These were some of the fiscal measures the Jonathan administration embarked upon to address the plummeting oil price before leaving the stage for the then incoming Buhari government.
It is instructive that while the revenue squeeze set in, the then Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had repeatedly told Nigerians that tough times were ahead. She had also assured that there was no need for panic as the then government would address the challenges with appropriate measures.
When the Jonathan administration lost power, she had also admonished the incoming administration to muster the political consensus on how to build fiscal buffers, noting that had the Excess Crude Account (ECA) not been depleted, the unfolding economic difficulties occasioned by the fall in oil prices would have been mitigated.
She recalled that during her stint as finance minister under former president Olusegun Obasanjo, between 2003 and 2006, the need to build fiscal buffers was explored, culminating in the creation of the ECA.
According to her, with the $22 billion that administration left in the ECA, the country was able to weather the global financial meltdown between 2008 and 2009, when oil prices plummeted to about $40 per barrel from about $147 per barrel without borrowing. Okonjo-Iweala expressed regret that on her return as finance minister in August 2011 under the Jonathan administration, the ECA had plummeted to about $4billion, adding that it was on record that she had mounted a strident but futile campaign on the need to build the buffers again.
Her clamour for the rebuilding of the ECA, she said, was drowned by a cacophony of voices from the federating states to share everything. She stressed that with the revenue drop arising from the fall in oil price, many had wondered whether it was an act of irresponsibility on the part of the government not to have saved when oil prices were high, noting that it was that insistence to share accruals in the ECA that depleted the fiscal buffers.
How IMF perceived the previous govt's measures
Following the steps taken by the past government to address the price shock, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde had described them as 'excellent'.
Lagarde said both the monetary and fiscal policies were commendable, and urged the then incoming administration headed by Buhari to build on the legacies.
Lagarde, who observed that the right measures had been put in place to manage the price shock, said: "I will like to say that the economic policy that has been in place, especially in the last few months has been really excellent, whether it is the fiscal tightening of the exchange rate of depreciation, or general focus on keeping the economy afloat despite the major external shocks as a result of low oil prices.
"The right measures have been taken, the right policies have been put in place, and very clearly now, a lot of work should continue to be done by the next team. But the problems remain the same—the external shocks are the same, the prospects for the oil prices are reasonably low and the efforts to diversify the economy as has just been attempted by the current team will hopefully continue, for the benefit of Nigeria," she said.
State of the economy before Buhari assumed office
Although, the price of oil had dropped to about $46 per barrels at the time the last administration was leaving office, the economic fundamentals were still strong. Nigeria's real GDP grew by 3.96 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2015. The official exchange rate of the naira to the dollar was N198/$. The foreign reserves stood at about $32 billion and inflation rate was at a single digit of about 9 per cent.
The journey to recession
Among the wrong steps taken by the incumbent administration and which ultimately contributed to the current negative trend was to allow the economy rudderless for over six months after the president assumed office. Uncertainty pervaded the landscape as there was no cabinet in place, and no economic direction was provided. For a country that already lost half of its revenue to drop in oil prices, it was unfathomable. Foreign direct investment went to the nadir and existing foreign investors, divested billions of dollars from the economy while local ones were left in the lurch.
When the cabinet was finally constituted by president Buhari, a sucker Punch has already been dealt the economy. Even when the cabinet was in place, the problem of an economy bereft of direction persisted. There was no economic team to provide the much-desired economic roadmap. Fiscal measures were for a long time not forthcoming.
On the monetary side, when the Nigerian economy started to experience considerable slowdown in GDP, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) attempted to stem the tide, and in November 2015, introduced the asymmetric corridor to encourage banks to lend to businesses rather than deposit with the CBN.
This was counter-productive and rather increased excess liquidity instead.
In 2016, the CBN hiked its benchmark Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) to mop up excess liquidity and ease the pressure on the Naira as well as inflation.
Further effort to stabilise the naira continued in 2016, and CBN was compelled to peg the naira around N200/$ to N300/$ at the interbank segment.
This was expected to make the naira gain some stability. Rather, the interbank rate and the parallel rate widened as the apex bank managed to keep the interbank rate at around N300/$.
As oil revenue continued to nosedive, the naira went into a free fall against the dollar with dwindling oil revenue and depleting foreign reserves.
When the country slipped into recession in the second quarter of 2016, many analysts believed the worst economic contraction in 29 years would have been averted but for the delayed response by the Muhammadu Buhari administration to the structural adjustments needed to navigate through an economic crisis.
That failure, they posited, resulted in a contraction of the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 2.06 per cent in the second quarter of 2016.
But instead of admitting that it had taken a number of missteps that could have averted the worst economic contraction in 29 years, the presidency and Ministry of Budget and National Planning attempted to put a spin on the damning economic data released by the NBS and engaged in a game of one-upmanship with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), assuring Nigerians that the economy will beat the fund's gloomy forecast of -1.8 per cent for the year.
One other misstep of the Buhari administration was the way it managed the Niger Delta issue, a region from where the bulk of the nation's revenue is tapped.
This exacerbated the nation's woes as militants blew up oil installations, culminating in drastic revenue losses. The country bled from both price and quantity shocks.
Flowing from a cocktail of these factors and more,
Nigeria officially slipped into a recession based on NBS' GDP growth figures for Q2 2016, which showed that the economy contracted by 2.06 per cent, compared to the negative growth of 0.36 per cent recorded in Q1 2016.
Since then, the economy has recorded fifth consecutive contractions or negative growth.
Although most Nigerians and corporate entities have been buffetted by the negative impact of heavy loss in oil revenue, they had managed to stay afloat. However, the economy's slide into recession in the second quarter of 2016 has worsened the situation for individual and corporate Nigerians.
As at the second quarter of 2016, the NBS reported that 4.8 million Nigerian had lost their jobs. The banking sector was among the worst hit due to the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA).
The manufacturing sector also got a bitter pill of the economic downturn with capacity utilisation at very low ebb.
Cost of food has also hit the rooftops and most families can barely afford three square meals a day. Parents whose children and wards are studying abroad cannot afford the foreign exchange needs due to the scarcity and high exchange rate of the greenback.
Many are on a suicide binge as the economic monster bares its fangs. These economic adversities are still very much around although optimism is strong in the air that Nigeria will exit recession soon following positive signals on some economic fundamentals.
How the govt has managed the economy
In preparing the 2016 Budget, which was the first the Buhari administration put together by itself, the government opted for an expansionary budget.
The Buhari administration, in a bid to pull the country out of recession, decided that a potent way was to resort to huge spending and consequently embark on an expansionary budget of N6.06 trillion in 2016.
It also introduced the Social Intervention Programme (SIP) with a N500 billion allocation in 2016. Under the SIP, the national home school feeding programme was one of the four social investment programmes for poor and vulnerable Nigerians designed by the administration.
The other three programmes were: N-Power Volunteer Corps, which was designed to hire half a million unemployed graduates; Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), which provides soft loans ranging from N10,000 to N100,000 for artisans, traders, market women, amongst others; and the Conditional Cash Transfer, which provides a stipend to the most vulnerable and poorest Nigerians.
Similarly, the Budget 2017, which was recently passed the 2017 Appropriation Bill of N7.441 trillion by the National Assembly is retaining a budget of N500 billion for the SIP.
$30bn External Borrowing Plan
In the 2016 Budget, the federal government set out to borrow $29.96 billion from multilateral institutions to finance capital projects and budget deficit under the medium-term External Borrowing Plan. The approval of the borrowing was mired in controversy when it was presented to the National Assembly.
Eurobond Issue
Nigeria's $500 million notes under the $1.5 billion Global Medium Term Note programme was recently consolidated to form a single series with the existing $1 billion notes, which the country issued in February and will mature by 2032.
The federal government therefore announced that it priced its offering of the $500 million aggregate principal amount of notes at a yield of 7.5 per cent under the $1.5 billion (increased from US$1 billion) Global Medium Term Note Programme.
The N1 billion notes (Original Notes) were issued on February 16. The terms and conditions of the $500 million notes, said the statement, will be identical to those of the Original Notes, paying a coupon of 7.875 per cent per annum and maturing on February 16, 2032.
When the $500 million Eurobond was issued, it was eight times oversubscribed. The proceeds of the Eurobond are to be channeled into defraying domestic debts.
Bailout to states
By September 2015, about 27 states of the federation were broke and were unable to pay salaries. The governors, cap in hand, approached the federal government for a lifeline. Consequently, a bailout was arranged for the states. At the last count, N1.5 trillion has so far been given to the states as bailout. But there are allegations that some governors diverted the bailout.
However, the Federal Ministry of Finance has set up Financial Sustainability Plan to check abuses by states in the management of bailouts and states' finances.
Efficiency Unit
The federal government also last year set up an Efficiency Unit (E-Unit) to monitor its agencies and ensure all expenditures are necessary and represent the best possible value for money.
The E-Unit is domiciled at Federal Ministry of Finance and is expected to review all government overhead expenditure, to reduce wastage, promote efficiency and ensure quantifiable savings for the country.
It works across all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to identify and eliminate wasteful spending, duplication and other inefficiencies, and is expected to identify best practices in procurement and financial management and share such knowledge with the MDAs to ensure its adoption
Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP)
The medium-term ERGP (2017-2020) which was initiated by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, has among its broad strategic objectives, restoring sustainable, accelerated inclusive growth and development; investing in the people; and building a globally competitive economy.
It targets the growth of Nigeria's gross domestic product, GDP, by 2.19 per cent in 2017 and 7.0 per cent by the end of 2020.
It also envisages reducing inflation to single digit by 2020 and increasing federal government's revenues from N2.7 trillion in 2016 to N4.7 trillion in 2020. It prioritises key turnaround interventions and enablers to generate concrete, visible impact by 2017 and articulates medium term economic policies for implementation between 2017 and 2020.
It equally focusses on achieving macroeconomic stability; economic growth and diversification; competitiveness and business environment; and governance and security.
Tax Reforms
Nigeria's tax-to-GDP is considered about the lowest in Africa. In realisation of this and the quest to bolster the revenue base, a national tax policy review committee was consequently put in place by the government.
The committee has already turned in its report, but the present government says it seeks to raise taxes, not reform taxes.
The acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo recently approved the revised national tax policy to address low taxation in the country.
The Finance Minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun said: "What the (review) committee report has shown is that we should look at actually increasing VAT on some luxury items. At five per cent, we have lowest VAT. "And while we don't think VAT should be increased on basic items, if you are going to drink champagne, for instance, in the UK, you drink champagne, the VAT is 20 per cent. So why should it be 5 per cent in Nigeria. "So, they have made recommendations that we should pull out some luxury items and increase VAT on those items immediately. "And I think that is a very valid and sensible suggestion which we are going to take to the national assembly to see how we can implement it."
Budget performance
The federal government recently disclosed that N1.2 trillion of a capital budget of N1. 5trillion in the 2016 budget had been implemented. Although many feel the impact is not being felt. The good thing is that the administration has decided to give capital investment increased attention even in the 2017 Budget.
The Downsides
Despite some positive signals in the economy, the recent report by the NBS has been everything but positive in many fronts.
In its "Selected Banking Sector Data", the NBS said banks reduced their lending to the economy by N115billion in the first quarter of 2017, even as Nigerians withdrew N1.5trillion through automated teller machines (ATMs) during the quarter.
The NBS' report also disclosed that banks' lending to 17 sectors of the economy fell to N16 trillion in the first quarter of 2017 from N16.12trillion in the fourth quarter of 2016, indicating a decline of 0.71 per cent or N114.8 billion.
Yet in another report, the NBS, said the total value of capital imported into Nigeria in the first quarter of 2017 stood at $908.27 million, the lowest in ten years.
The Capital Importation Report, released by the bureau, when compared to the $1.55 billion that the economy attracted in the fourth quarter of 2016 represents a $640.61 million differential or 41.36 per cent decline.
The decline in investment inflow, the report said, was due to the fall in "other investment" and portfolio investments category made up of equity, which dropped from $176.44 million in the fourth quarter of 2016 to $101.99 million in the first quarter of 2017.
Loans also declined from $917 .01 million to $369.28 million while bonds, which stood at $25.4 million at the end of the last quarter of 2016, recorded nothing in the first quarter of the current fiscal year.
"Capital importation was particularly low in January, at $187.9 million; this was only the fourth month since 2007 in which capital importation was less than $200million," the NBS' report said.
Mounting Debts
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has stated that Nigeria's debt to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would hit 24.1 per cent by 2018.
At the end of 2015, the nation's debt to GDP was 12.1 per cent, which climbed to 18.6 per cent at the close of the 2016 fiscal year.
By the 24.1 per cent for 2018, this translates to a situation where the nation's debt to GDP ratio would have risen by 100 per cent within a space of three years-(from 12.1 per cent in 2015 to 24.1 per cent in 2018).
The IMF, in its World Economic and Financial Surveys, which was released last week equally made a projection that Nigeria's present level of indebtedness would have peaked at 23.3 per cent of GDP by the end of 2017.
The Debt Management Office (DMO) had put Nigeria's total debt profile as at December 31, 2016 at $57.39 billion (N17.36 trillion).
Of this amount, the external debt component stood at $11.41 billion (N3.48 trillion), while the domestic debt stock stood at $45.98 billion (N13.88 trillion).
Nigeria's debt consists of domestic and foreign debts, owed by the federal and sub-national governments.
While the nation's debt to GDP ratio is considered one of the lowest in Africa, there is growing apprehension occasioned by the spate of debt accumulation in recent years.
The World Bank had recently expressed concern over the ratio of debt payment to revenue.
The Bretton Wood institution argued that reduced revenue earnings might render the country's debt unsustainable.
A total of N1.84 trillion was provided for in the 2017 budget for debt servicing.
The 2017 Budget recently passed by the National Assembly has a projection of N2.35 trillion to be borrowed.
Similarly, the 2016 budget projected a borrowing of N1.84 trillion for deficit financing.
According to the Senior Economist at the World Bank office in Nigeria, Yue Man Lee, for the nation's interest payment to be sustainable, the country had to boost its revenue base or work towards balancing the debt profile.
"Nigeria's debt-to-GDP ratio is relatively low. What is of concern is the ratio of interest payment to revenue. That is what is concerning. This reflects the fact that there has been a massive drop in revenues because of drop in oil revenues.
"There are two main strategies to reduce this debt burden. One is to increase the revenues. Here, in order not to be vulnerable to the volatility of the oil sector, the critical thing is to increase the non-oil revenues – the VAT, the income taxes and the excises outside of oil. This is something we have been discussing with the government about," Lee said.
As the last two quarters saw negative economic growth decelerate, fuelling optimism that the country is well on its way out of recession, the journey seems far, nevertheless.
According to the latest GDP figures by the NBS, in its Q1 GDP report, the economy contracted by 0.52 per cent (year-on-year) in real terms. This was 0.15 per cent higher than the rate recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2016 (revised to –0.67 per cent from –0.36 per cent) and higher by 1.21 per cent points from the rate recorded in the preceding quarter (revised to –1.73 per cent from –1.30 per cent).
Inflation rate has also continued a downward trend.
From 18.55 per cent in December 2016, Nigeria's inflation rate increased to 18.72 per cent in January 2017, came down to 17.78 per cent in February, 17.26 per cent in March and 17.24 per cent in April.
The IMF had forecast a growth of 0.8 per cent in 2017 while the World Bank's forecast is 1 per cent.
However, the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, who spoke at the end of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of the central bank last week, reaffirmed his earlier projection that the nation's economy would exit recession in the third quarter of the year, predicating his optimism on emerging macroeconomic variables.
Emefiele said with negative growth decelerating, increased capacity utilisation, and consecutive decline in the inflation rate, among others, his earlier forecast that the nation would exit the recession was valid.
"My view is that with all the positive signs we see: inflation tending downwards, GDP improving to the extent that negative movement has decelerated greatly and we have seen foreign exchange going to the real sector and industrial capacity is beginning to improve, we've seen positive signs in various economic sectors.
"So I am very confident that at the end of the third quarter, we will be out of the recession," Emefiele declared.
He also stated that the central bank cannot determine what the convergence point of the various forex rates would be, adding however, that based on the indicators, the rates were already converging.
Emefiele recalled that about three months ago, the local currency was trading at above N500 to the dollar on the parallel market, but has appreciated to between N370 and N375/$.
IMF Outlook
Nigeria might be on its way out of recession, but the IMF predicted a 2.6 per cent growth for sub-Saharan Africa in 2017. However, the Fund put a caveat that Nigeria and others must embark on strong policy actions with a view to changing the dwindling economic fortunes of the region.
Putting in place a strong macroeconomic stability, tackling of structural weaknesses, and strengthening of social protection for the vulnerable are three key immediate measures the Fund recommended towards a robust economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa, the IMF said in its 2017 sub-Saharan Africa Regional Economic Outlook.
These are the areas the federal government should target for sustained growth beyond and not put every attention on how to exit recession.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


These would not be in the kit, so everyone should bring them along.
Paper scissors,fabric scissors- small with long blades best for felt.
An embroidery needle with a large eye.
A fine needle for sewing beads.
A pen/pencil for tracing templates.
3" x 6" and 6" x 12"
Green felt for the mistletoe 6" x 3"
Two colours of embroidery thread. Perle or similar works best, thickness 10/12.
Neutral cotton sewing thread for stitching the seed beads in place.
Felt ball approx 1" across, a couple of round glass beads and a heavy drop bead to act as weights, extra seed beads for decorating the felt ball, fourteen white beads of varying sizes for the berries, fourteen silver/lime green seed beads. 6" of ribbon, no wider than a half inch, 3" x 3" of interlining.
Two cut out festive shapes e.g snowflake/star approx 1" across.
1.5" felt star and a cut out snowflake to stitch onto each side of it.
Six small snowflake cut-outs approx half inch across for 'buttons' and six tiny glittery pompoms.


*No business opportunity fees! No franchise fees!
Why the best business opportunity?
How can we offer free locksmith training?
We created the best solution for customers. We have been expanding nationwide, and we need qualified trained technicians. As a service to the community, we offer free training to people all over the U.S., and we hope to pick up the best technicians, to contract with us.
Who can join the training?
Anyone, over the age of 18, from anywhere in the U.S., with legal residency in the U.S., with clean background, and with a driver license.
There is NO business opportunity fee! There is NO franchise fee! The training is FREE. You will not pay us a dime for training and support.
What expenses do I have while in training?
You may need to pay for traveling and accommodation expenses if we don't offer the training in your area.
Do I need to buy tools?
You do not need to buy tools initially, but clearly if you want to work as a locksmith after training, you will need to buy your own tools.
1st week: free basic locksmith training skills: car and house lockouts and basic residential locks.
Only successful graduates of the first week may be invited to contract with us and perform jobs for our customers.
*There is no business opportunity fee. There is no franchise fee. The training is free, but we reserve the rights to reject any candidate, and any trainee, at any time before and/or during the training, at our sole and absolute discretion. We are primarily looking for technicians that can provide quality service to our customers. Further, there is no guarantee of employment and there is no guarantee that we will contract with you after you complete the training.
Any training and business relationship may only be provided based on the terms and conditions of any written agreements between you and us.
Want to train as a locksmith technician?


There is nothing more timeless and classy than a super basic and exquisite sensitive necklace. These jewelry pieces are the ideal expansion to any kind of an outfit and they are simply a must-have in every girl jewelry box. Shipgig brings up an all-new collection of Imitation Jewellery for you.


Should the Twelve-Factor App now be Fifteen-Factor?
Dynatrace is proud to be sponsoring and offering a complimentary version of the O'Reilly eBook, "Beyond the Twelve-Factor App". The original Twelve-Factor App framework was created in 2012 by developers at early cloud pioneer Heroku as a set of rules and guidelines for organizations building modern web applications that run "as a service." The framework was inspired by Martin Fowler's work on application architecture and what he saw as suboptimal application development processes.
In the book, Solutions Architect Kevin Hoffman walks through each of the original 12 factors, recommends updates to some, and suggests three more. According to Kevin, "…technology has advanced since their original creation, and in some situations, it is necessary to elaborate on the initial guidelines as well as add new guidelines designed to meet modern standards for application development." The three additional factors he suggests are Telemetry, Security, and the idea of "API first".
To be clear, when I talk about modern applications, I am talking about cloud applications built using microservices and containers. These applications and supporting environments are composed of hundreds, if not thousands of microservices. They are highly dynamic, distributed and scale automatically to meet user's needs. Gartner, in their blog "Microservices: Building Services with the Guts on the Outside," note that while microservices simplify an application environment, their complexity makes monitoring core to an implementation's success.
Fast forward almost 6 years and all companies have applications that are mission critical. If these applications are not monitored and performance degrades, or crashes, revenue is at stake – and possibly bad press and call outs on social media. Earlier this year our VP of Marketing, Dave Anderson, wrote a blog about the UK train system failure, Trainmageddon: When the machines stop working, people get upset. The ticketing machines went down and chaos ensued. Even train companies are software companies now.
Modern software gives companies the ability to "have a feature idea in the morning and ship it by evening," (paraphrasing our friends at Pivotal). In this highly competitive world, this is great to have, but how do you know if your customers are happy with new features or the impact an added feature might have on performance? Only monitoring can give you the real-time feedback you need to quickly understand how customers are reacting to that new feature and if its performance is optimal.
What capabilities should a monitoring solution have to monitor modern applications?
A modern monitoring solution should include all three components of telemetry that Kevin lists in the book. It should allow you to "connect the dots" from the web click to the code level. All components of the stack should be monitored as if they are a single system – not separate pieces where each piece needs to be correlated against other pieces. Only when you monitor modern applications via a single view can you get true causation, not just correlation.
Modern apps are designed to scale as needed. Containers can live for seconds and be gone. The only effective way to monitor an environment like this is through automation. It must be easy to install and use. The monitoring solution should automatically install, discover, instrument and dynamically baseline all components. And, as the application scales, new components should automatically be discovered, instrumented and baselined. Manual configuration is not efficient in highly scalable, highly complex applications. The monitoring system needs to respond in real-time to the changing application environment.
We talked about the highly dynamic and distributed nature of modern applications and how these apps can have hundreds if not thousands of microservices. It is not humanly possible to manually manage and troubleshoot these application environments. AI allows you to automate the real-time inspection of all components and understand all the dependencies. The AI should learn the normal performance of your application and understand seasonal patterns. It should be able to recognize anomalies faster, perform root cause analysis, and send you a single alert with the source of the problem. It should also be able to help your application self-heal. If new code is committed that results in a performance problem, the AI should be able to identify the issue and roll-back the code to the previous stable version.
If you are wondering what a solution like this might look like, check out Dynatrace at Dynatrace.com or take it for a test drive. Download your Free Trial.
Get a complimentary version of Beyond the Twelve-Factor App.


Ewing Brothers' illustrated catalogue of choice vegetable and flower seeds also garden and farm implements, &c.
A descriptive catalogue of agricultural, garden and flower seeds for sale by John D. Roberts, King Street West, Cobourg, C.W.
Descriptive catalogue of flowering & ornamental trees, shrubs, bulbs, herbs, climbers, fruit trees, tree and vegetable seeds, agricultural implements & insecticides, etc.
By: Yokohama Ueki Kabushiki Kaisah.
The culture of vegetables and flowers from seeds and roots.
By: Sutton & Sons Ltd.
Descriptive catalogue of a choice collection of vegetable, agricultural and flower seeds.
131  p. : ill., fold. col. front ; 24 cm.


text:
Asura intrita är en fjärilsart som beskrevs av Swinhoe 1892. Asura intrita ingår i släktet Asura och familjen björnspinnare. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Björnspinnare
intrita

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
YALE DEFEATS PRINCETON.
The Debate Followed by a Banquet to the Visitors.
NO WRITER ATTRIBUTED
The second annual debate between Yale and Princeton was held at Princeton on Friday evening. Yale won the contest by a majority vote of the judges.
The presiding officer of the evening was George Gray, Princeton '59, United States Senator from Delaware.
The judges of the debate were Messrs. Charles C. Beaman, James C. Carter and Francis L. Stetson.
Mr. Beaman on behalf of his colleagues announced the decision, but added that the decision was not unanimous.
A large number of those present went to the Princeton Inn after the debate, where a banquet was given, the Yale speakers being the guests of the evening. Charles B. Alexander '70, Princeton, was toast-master, and introduced the speakers with appropriate remarks, President Patton responding to "Princeton," and Professor A. T. Hadley of Yale replying for his institution.


Goodwine homeowners can avoid this tedious task totally by employing a professional cleaning provider that specializes in move out cleaning services. Move out cleaning is specially developed to have homes ready for those moving in to settle in as soon as possible. Having your house cleaned thoroughly prior to you move out is a matter of common courtesy if nothing else, but sometimes it is a compulsory requirement, specifically if you're a former tenant.
Besides that there are lots of reasons why it impends for Goodwine tenants to hire an expert home cleaning service company when they are moving in or moving out. There is nothing basic about a move. A lot of jobs need to be achieved offered a short amount of time. The scope of the cleaning requirements that need to be done can be overwhelming undoubtedly, particularly if the tenant is strained with work and other responsibilities. Windows has to be wiped down, radiators must be cleaned, tiles need to be spotless, and kitchen area cupboards have to be cleared out. Existing home furnishings have to be cleaned and carpeting have to be completely cleaned.
The agreement signed by the homeowner and the occupant usually includes a provision that obligates the latter to leave the property as they had discovered it-empty, beautiful, and undamaged. In addition, for renters who have actually decided to move out, the landlord might include service charges against deposit funds if specific areas are not cleaned out.
Cleaning is definitely not the concern for somebody who is confronted with the powerful challenges of settling into a new location and beginning a new life. There are a lot of things that have to be accomplished in so little time, not the least which is finishing work and other requirements prior to the move. In order to fulfill their end of the arrangement, the more practical option for the tenant is to employ Goodwine expert cleaning company, rather than do the cleaning themselves.
The major advantage of hiring Goodwine professional cleaning provider is that they can do the job better and more effectively. This depends upon the caliber of the cleaning crew, but nowadays it is easy to discover a service company that is ensured to do an exceptional task. A cleaning company can work wonders, and recover a place that has been lived in for fairly some time into an area that is practically brand new. To ready the place for its next owner, a professional company has to eliminate grease, grime, cakes of dirt, and dust spheres from tough to reach areas. They know how to carry out these tasks efficiently. A person without adequate experience in using cleaning tools and cleaning solutions would not know what kind of chemical to make use of to remove a particular type of stain.
Moving into a new place in Goodwine can be exhausting. Professional cleaning service companies offer not just end-of-tenancy cleaning services.
Prior to you leave your home, check for damaged items and make sure you replace each one of them. In case you forget to change such items like lights or missing screws, it is most likely that your property owner would take a big chunk off your initial deposit for these minor items.
If your home has wall to wall carpeting, you will have to make a choice between working with a professional to clean it or turning to cleaning it on your own. This choice would be simple if you look at the existing condition of the carpeting and match it to the initial state. When you make this choice, bringing it to the initial condition need to be your aim.
You need to also examine the walls to see if there are spots on them. Walls with discolorations can be a big issue due to direct exposure. See to it you remove wall-stains with a light hand to prevent eroding the paint because if that takes place, you will lose a huge portion of your deposit funds.
After you have actually done all the cleaning, ensure that you check out the ovens and refrigerators. The seals of the refrigerators should be in correct condition, and the ovens should be clean enough for usage. When vacating in Goodwine, these checks will increase the chances of getting the deposit total in full.
Do your research! There are literally dozens of business that provide move out cleaning and steam carpet cleaning covering many properties as apartments, condos, town-homes, single family homes throughout where you live, and choosing the right one will imply a convenient, problem-free move-out experience and hundreds of dollars of cost savings. If you are on a tight schedule for moving out of your existing home, book as far in advance as possible. Reserving towards the last days of the month often indicates higher costs and less accessibility. Giving your prospective business two to three weeks notice will normally lead to a reduced price, and enable you to choose a consultation for the exact time and date that suits you.
This entry was posted in Illinois and tagged Apartment move out cleaning Goodwine, Move in cleaning companies Goodwine, Move out cleaning checklist Goodwine IL, Move out cleaning company Goodwine IL, Move out cleaning reviews Goodwine, Moving out cleaning cost Goodwine Illinois, Moving out cleaning prices Goodwine on April 21, 2019 by admin.


The Health and Fitness Program at the Faculty of Kinesiology is perfect for college kids interested by wellness, personal training, teaching, or being a health and health educator. My identify is Joey, and I am a Private Trainer with 30 years of experience. I record a weekly show, mostly solo, talking on to YOU as YOUR Eating regimen Coach and Private Trainer. Collectively we work on our Eating regimen, Weight-Loss and Health targets. With humor and candor, I provde the most trustworthy motivational info and a direct strategy to helping you to improve your Body and Thoughts. Aging is usually a fantastic, rewarding part of life. Let's share the enjoyment and talk about methods to be the very BEST we might be all through the many years of our lives.
I've acquired a blog, the place I write about my wholesome eating/way of life, provide advice and suggestions. I additionally put a twist on classic recipes. My intention has at all times been to maintain it real with out been preachy, I consider you can achieve your aim with a little bit of willpower, self control and most importantly help from loved ones or professionals.
Starbucks website, as of August 2012, has no assertion about use of milk from cows treated with rBST. For instance, its Animal Welfare coverage is silent on the difficulty. Nevertheless it introduced in January 2008 that it will no longer sell milk from cows handled with rBST in its shops in the US. The Organic Consumers Association, an advocacy group, claimed that Starbucks' change was as a result of their advocacy work.
5 For this very reason, make every effort so as to add to your religion goodness; and to goodness, data; 6 and to knowledge, self-management; and to self-management, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For in the event you possess these qualities in rising measure, they may keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Have you ever seen how an extra 5 lbs of muscle seems to be on a body? Nicely, now you've gotten, and when I say "5" I am in all probability undershooting that figure, because I actually assume Frederik appears leaner within the after-image. What kind of superior drug cocktail do it's good to make that happen? None whatsoever. What you need is 4 months, good eating regimen and a strong training program, break up into roughly equal components bulking and slicing.


Victoria Camp Designs 2013 Holiday Sale!
It's that time of year.. my holiday sale has begun!
This will be my only sale for the remainder of the year/winter, so if you had your eye on something, now is the time to get a deal!
Please note that I will not be taking any Rush Orders this season, and will only offer Express shipping on domestic orders of Ready-To-Ship items. I appreciate your understanding!
A Glimpse into my Product Packaging Process..
One of the perks about shopping handmade is that there is a real person behind the item you're purchasing. There is thought, love, care, and attention within each carefully crafted item, not to mention a unique product that you wouldn't find at a mass retailer.
For many of us that sell handmade goods, the fun doesn't stop as soon as we've finished creating the item – there's still the joy that arrives when the item is purchased and sent to a new home somewhere across the country – or globe!
As an independent designer and "one woman show," as its often referred to, I tend to get a little excited packaging my jewelry. I want my customers to be delighted, and think of each package as a gift (even if the customer is buying it for themselves!) My packaging has somewhat morphed from when I first began selling online, and I expect that it will continue to evolve as time goes on.
As the real person behind this business, I wanted to share with you a glimpse into my packaging routine.
My very first step is to set aside each item that is ready to ship. I keep my inventory well organized, so it's quick and easy to find the items that need to be mailed. If I am sending out custom orders, I also move them to the 'completion table' here when they are finished.
The next step is really a multiple step process. I put out the "care instruction" cards for each applicable item, and affix a little decoration to the box when available, (in this case, I attach a map cut-out for the map jewelry, and a constellation map cut-out for the constellation jewelry.) Once those materials are prepped, I package up the jewelry and put it into a bubble mailer with the recipient's name on it; this helps keep everything organized so that the customer does not receive the wrong item! Each box includes a business card with a quick note written on the back, and a satin ribbon tied around it.
This is my Floor Manager, Butters. (Get it? Har har..) His responsibilities include chasing after runaway beads (don't worry, he's not interested in eating them,) greeting the mailman, and making sure I remember to take scheduled breaks and pay him some attention. He gets paid in belly rubs and squeaky toys.
Once all of the boxes are tucked safely inside their respective bubble mailer (these ones are biodegradable!,) I print out all of the shipping labels and attach them to the packages. It's somewhat of a matching game, especially when I have a large shipment. When the labels are printed, each customer receives an email notification that their package has shipped.
And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed a little behind-the-scenes view of what's involved after you place your order.
Happy 2012! I've been using my new kiln for the past month, and wanted to share one of my new (sort of!) designs. "New," referring to the medium more-so than the design. If you've visited my website or Etsy storefront, you're probably familiar with my clay roses. I've recently returned to working with precious metal clay, and decided what better to use to start off with than the roses?
For those that aren't familiar with precious metal clay, let me give you a brief explanation: precious metal clay is composed of microscopic particles of precious metal, held together with an organic binder. Although the working properties of this clay are slightly different than other clays (for example, it dries out much faster) it can be cut/shaped/molded/carved in a similar fashion. The clay is then dried, fired (heated/cured,) then burnished (hardened,) polished and buffed. The organic binder is burned off in the firing process, leaving just the metal behind! Pretty neat, huh?
I thought I'd share a few photos from the process involved in making my fine silver rose earrings. It takes a long time to complete each rose (and earring) but the finished result is beautiful and well worth the effort.
First and foremost, I shape the clay. I make the fine silver roses by hand, petal by petal – the same process used in my polymer clay roses. (No molds are ever used for my roses – each one is unique!) I sand and smooth the clay, then let them dry.. sometimes overnight, sometimes in the kiln.
Once the roses are fired and have cooled down, I take them out of the kiln. They appear "white." This is a crystallized layer that must be burnished to remove. You can use a tumbler or a burnishing tool.
I use a hand burnishing tool for these, since I need to get in between all of the little creases and crevices of the petals. You can see on the top right petal, burnishing also makes it shiny! (It helps harden the metal, too.) The rose must be burnished on all sides, top to bottom, around every edge.
"Shiny" silver is nice, but I want a little more depth in this rose design. My next step is to oxidize the silver. Both fine silver and sterling silver will naturally oxidize over time (this happens with exposure to air, water, etc.) but I use a chemical solution to speed up the process. Here you can see that the roses have oxidized, and look dark gray/black. I actually like how these look oxidized, but will keep going..
After oxidizing, I polish the outer edges and petals of the roses (as well as the earring posts) to return certain areas to a pretty shine. I use a polishing pad and polish each rose by hand. You can see that I have left some of the oxidization on the inner portion of the petals, to create some texture and depth.
A close-up of the rose.. doesn't that look pretty? I definitely prefer the oxidized details over the previously completely shiny rose.
Here's a photo of the roses in various stages.. Starting from the left, the two light gray roses are fine silver clay that has been sculpted and dried. They are ready to go in the kiln, but haven't been fired yet. The shiny silver rose to the right of them has been fired and also burnished. The two small roses to the right of that have been fired, burnished, oxidized, and polished. The earring I am holding has also gone through the complete process as well, from creating to firing to finishing.


A coroner has ruled that Cilla Black died of a traumatic head injury sustained during a fall at her Spanish home.
The ruling was made at Liverpool Coroner's Court today (August 14) by Andre Rebello. He recorded a verdict of accidental death.
BBC News reports that Rebello addressed Black's three sons, Ben, Robert and Jack, during the 15-minute hearing.
Black's funeral will be held on August 20 at St Mary's Church in Woolton, Liverpool and will be officiated by the Right Reverend Thomas Williams, Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool and former parish priest of St Anthony's, Scotland Road.
After the funeral, Black's body will be buried at a private ceremony in Allerton Cemetery. Black's parents are also buried in the cemetery. Her late husband, Bobby Willis, was cremated in 1999.
A representative for Black asked for privacy and confirmed that further details would be released "once all the preparations have been finalised".
Black died of a stroke after falling in her Spanish home last month. The singer and TV presenter was sunbathing on the balcony at her villa in Estepona, Spain when she fell and hit her head. She was knocked unconscious by the fall and subsequently died of a stroke.
Prior to hosting hit TV dating show Blind Date, Liverpool-born Black made her name as a singer in the 1960s after being championed by The Beatles. She went on to achieve 11 Top 10 hits.
Black released 'Anyone Who Had A Heart' in 1964, where it spent three weeks at Number One and went on to become the biggest-selling single by a female of the 1960s.


"Flying. That's the one that I want." I blinked my eyes and nodded my head slightly to affirm my decision.
" Hmmm." He leaned on his elbows, interlaced his fingers and pressed them to his mouth. He seemed to consider something before he spoke. "We don't really do flying…we can teleport…it gives you that unlimited space time continuum ability. It's better than flying. " He smirked. Davidson scanned my face before he asked the next question. I felt a build- up in my gut that I tried to suppress, but I couldn't.
"Mr. Kanner," did you read the manual before you came today?" His eyes shifted to the red bound book in front of him. I felt my face flush hot.
"Of course I did… from cover to cover." Davidson made a half-attempt to try not to smile.
I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out the envelope of times and places of sacrifice.
Davidson took it gently, pulled out the dated sheets and flipped through them.
He mumbled as he scanned; "food diet; three weeks, media diet ; one month, decreased sexual activity; forty days. Dates…erasures and white –out corrections." He put the papers on the desk, folded his hands and closed his eyes. I waited.
Silence settled on us like a dark cloud. Five minutes and I had enough. He didn't open his eyes the whole time I spoke.
"No." His eyes popped open, they glowed fiery red. "Let me tell you, Mr. Kanner. The gifts are not parlor tricks. You can't just get what you want. The whole point is you get what He wants to give you. But you can't manipulate dad or His gifts. You want something more public. " I shook my head yes.
"We're done here." Davidson said. He picked up my times and places of sacrifice, placed them into the envelope and gave them back to me.
"Wait. Can't we work something out?" I asked.
I slid my hand across the desk to the book.
I slowly pulled the book to me and picked it up. "How much?" I went for my plastic.
"Free?" I flipped through the pages. Big bold print, His words in red.
The uneasiness in my gut rose up and then settled. "Yeah. I know," I said.
I picked up the book, got up and slowly walked away.
"No you don't," Davidson whispered. He shut the door behind me.


UAU project is a multidisciplinary design studio based in Warsaw, Poland. Founded in 2011 by Justyna Fałdzińska & Miłosz Dąbrowski, graduates from Industrial Design Faculty on Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. Currently our main interest is exploring and experimenting with consumer oriented 3D printing for use in home production. We want to show that 3D printing is the best way to make good design accessible. We develop our products with passion and commitment, with only the best quality materials. Our environment is of utmost importance to us, so most of the materials we use are either biodegradable or highly recyclable.


Plaza Research in San Francisco has some upcoming focus groups. I've done focus groups with them before - they're legit. If you're interested, click on the link or call 415-984-0400 to be screened (ask to speak to the recruiter for that study).
Requirements: Males and females who have been diagnosed and are currently treating for one of the following conditions: Multiple Sclerosis, Dry Eye Disease, Fibromyalgia, Macular Degeneration, Gout or Restless Leg Syndrome.


text:
Personal > Greek census 2011: We've been counted
Greek census 2011: We've been counted
May 23, 2011 at 08:30 ·
Red census questionnaire. — tanea.gr
The first census since 2001 took place in Greece from May 10 to May 24, 2011; but the census team encountered a range of difficulties and many neighborhoods were reportedly not covered. The ministry did not extend the deadline.
Results were published by ELSTAT in Greek and English in "Living Conditions in Greece" on September 6, 2013.
*Article last updated September 6, 2013
Initial stats released
Eurostat says the population of Greece is 11,329,600 as of January 1, 2011. The census, however, logged 10,787,690 permanent residents living in Greece, of which 5,303,690 (49.2 percent) are male and 5,484,000 (50.8 percent) are female. It confirms that the population is aging and shrinking.
Just over 3.8 million people, or 35.45 percent of the population, live in Athens. The most populous areas of Greece are Kallithea, Nea Smyrni, Athens (main), Thessaloniki and Nea Ionia. — Press Release via To Vima/Kathimerini
Enumerators or census takers hired for this period number between 50,000 to 68,000, depending on the news agency doing the reporting, and the official figure quoted by the Hellenic Statistics Agency (ELSTAT) on May 25 was 52,000.Several thousand quit before the census began due to confusion over whether they would lose unemployment benefits for taking a two-week assignment — first they said yes, then they said no — replacements were hired in haste, and more resigned after it started, citing difficulties in covering the designated territory and finding residents at home.
Odds in finding people at home could have been greatly increased by conducting the census between March 30 to April 13 as originally scheduled, not in mid May when people are out enjoying Spring weather. And with racist attacks, increased crime, language barriers and assaults on/by police, it's no surprise the elderly, women at home alone and foreign-born residents are afraid to answer the door.
You can verify the identity of the person at the door by asking to see their Apografi ID and folder of red questionnaires and/or call ELSTAT at +30 (213) 135 2138 to get confirmation.
No one should ask for your passport, ID, credit card, signature or Greek residence/work permit. All that matters is you participate and answer truthfully. Interpreters are supposed to be available, but migrant organizations say they were not taken up on their offer to assist, questionnaires are only in Greek, and there is no dedicated help line for non-Greek speakers.
The purpose of the census is to gather data to:
Develop relevant social, academic and economic EU, national and municipal policies
Address legal and administrative practices pertaining to elections, grants, programs
Disseminate accurate statistics on Greece and its residents.
Initial stats are due to be released in June, but Greece has until March 31, 2014 to published all compiled data. By this time the entire social and economic landscape will have changed with continued austerity, recession and exodus of Greek, EU and non-EU citizens seeking work elsewhere.
Where and when to fill out a census questionnaire
If you were not visited by an enumerator or census taker, ELSTAT opened its 94 local offices between May 25-27 to residents interested in filling out a questionnaire. (Option now closed).
Where: "Local census offices in Greece" (in Greek)
*I do not have time to translate them to English. But you can use an online translator or ask a Greek speaker to help.
Wednesday, May 25: 8:00-20:00
Thursday, May 26: 8:00-20:00
Friday, May 27: 8:00-15:00
Have questions? Call the office local to you or (213) 135-2138, (213)135-2139 or (213) 135 2140.
Census slip — Image may not be reused*
If you cannot read Greek, the paper says: How dare you go out on a nice sunny day to enjoy your life, do errands or exercise when we dropped by unannounced to ask you questions that invade your privacy. OK, it doesn't say that exactly but close enough.
News articles and the apografi website said a card would be left if no one was home, after which we could telephone for an appointment.
In reality it was a photocopied slip of paper giving the date/time the enumerator stopped by and the date he/she would come back, at which time one of us better be home or there would be hell to pay under law 3832/2010 (underlined portion at the bottom).
*Note that vital elements have been Photoshopped to protect privacy and prevent forgery.
Greek general census badge
One of us wagered badly and got stuck staying home. Late afternoon, a young man with a badge and a dour looking young woman without a badge, presumably his girlfriend, came to sit at the kitchen table and collect our details.
He was personable and asked questions from a six-sided questionnaire. She didn't crack a smile and looked bored and annoyed.
Square meters of your home
How many rooms excluding the kitchen and bathroom?
What month/year did you move to this location?
Do you rent/own or was it given to you by your family?
How many people live here?
Do you have a car? How many?
Do you have a parking space? How many? Where is it/are they?
Where did you live before moving here?
The questionnaire also asked about swimming pools, year the building was built, solar water heaters, natural gas/electric heating, double-glazed windows, recycling, etc. However, the enumerator previously interviewed our neighbors and already knew many of the answers, some answers were obvious (i.e., our AC was in the same room) and some questions didn't apply because we live in an apartment, so we were not asked everything.
Father and mother's names
Birthdate(s)
— If in Greece, where exactly. Athens, where exactly.
— If outside Greece, only the country, not asked for the city.
— If Greek, have you lived in other countries besides Greece? Why did you leave and/or come back to Greece?
— If foreign, what month/year did you come to Greece and from where? Did not ask about countries I lived in previously. Was told that "foreign is foreign."
*A friend told a different variation, saying the enumerator asked everyone, regardless of nationality: "Have you ever lived in a foreign country? If yes, when did you last (most recently) come to Greece (return permanently) and from which country?"
Where do you vote? (place of politika dikaiomata)
— How many?
— Birthdate(s)
— Country of birth
— Public or private school?
— *Questionnaire did not allow for dual citizenship, with the enumerator checking 'Greek' then 'Other' and writing in the other nationality.
— What level of education did you complete?
— If you went to university, which one? Where is it located?
— What subject did you study?
— Do you work in the public or private sector? (Neither of us works in the dimosio, so what follows pertains to the private sector)
— What type of business?
— Occupation and title
— Location of primary workplace
— How many colleagues/co-workers do you have?
— How many hours do you work per week? (Paid/unpaid) *Some people were told to only give the "official" number of hours (i.e., 20, 40) regardless of actual hours (i.e., 35, 60).
— Income
Second jobs are not counted, and working for an employer outside Greece is categorized as not working in Greece, aka 'unemployed,' which (in my opinion) is somewhat inaccurate. Accuracy of data being collected is also a contentious issue, and some variation could have been avoided if online surveys were used instead.
It's supposed to take 20-25 minutes, but ours only took 10 minutes. According to news articles, we were supposed to be given information about organ donation, but we had to ask. It was not automatically offered.
Every member of the family (including babies) gets a receipt that they participated even if they're not physically at home, and a warning at the bottom advises you to keep it for your protection for up to six months. It is said that we should carry this receipt in case police ask to see it.
Apografi receipt — Image may not be reused
Residents can be fined from 1,000 to 50,000 euros for not participating, and census takers from 10,000 to 200,000 euros for divulging confidential information.
*Image had vital details Photoshopped to protect privacy and prevent forgery.
Other people's experience
"2011 Greek census on Symi" — Symi Dream
"Census" — It's All Greek to Me
If you wrote about your census experience in Greece, leave a comment and a link if you would like to be added to the list.
— First-hand experience, ours and those of friends who agreed to answer questions, namely CEO, FA and DNK
"Στις 30 Μαρτίου ξεκινά η απογραφή πληθυσμού" — Ta Nea
"Greek census underway" — Kathimerini
"Στις 10 Μαΐου ξεκινά η απογραφή του πληθυσμού" — Ta Nea
"Την Τρίτη ξεκινά η απογραφή" — Ta Nea
"Ελάτε να (ξανά) µετρηθούµε" — Ta Nea
"Απογραφή αλά ελληνικά" — Eleftherotypia
"Απογραφή τύπου Greek statistiks" — Eleftherotypia
"Τελευταία ημέρα για την απογραφή" — SKAI
"Ολοκληρώθηκε η απογραφή" — Eleftherotypia
Shortlink: http://bit.ly/GRcensus
dwain wrote @ May 23rd, 2011 at 22:33
Yeah, this was a whole lot of fun to try to fill out. The spaces for writing in "Other" answers were like trying to write on grains of rice. My favorite question on it was "for females of household over 10" and it was about how many "babies you have born not counting dead-born babies." What a morose caveat!
Kat Reply:
Yes, I left that morbid question off the list, but now you've made it known. 😉
Alexandros wrote @ May 24th, 2011 at 00:37
I've been waiting since day one but no one has visited my neighborhood yet (!) so I guess today is their last chance. I believe though that a census conducted via mail -at least in the cities and towns- would be more effective.
The ministry said this morning that the census would not be extended, so if they don't get to you today, I guess you won't be counted or you can go to a local office and fill out a questionnaire. 🙁
Wendy wrote @ May 24th, 2011 at 11:53
Thanks for the mention of It's All Greek to Me. Sorry that my article didn't have anything to contribute. Love your article.
mylene wrote @ May 24th, 2011 at 15:54
hi! we didn't get census as well. we are waiting for them, but no one comes to our place 🙁 and is it true that we have to pay 1000 euros? (for those who didn't got the chance for census) thanks!
If you were not counted, see the new section called, "Where and when to fill out a census questionnaire." All best.
No worries, I will be included in the Greek population after all. This morning, a girl who was in a hurry came by and completed the paper in less than 10 minutes cause she "still has many people to count". 😉
Fofos wrote @ May 26th, 2011 at 13:07
Hey Kat what's your opinion on the greek protests?
I appreciate your question, but I only write commentaries for news agencies. All best.
KatB wrote @ May 27th, 2011 at 12:20
Someone came around to collect the info for the census, a young guy, but as I was just about to go out, he said he'd return the next day after 18:00 – but never did!
photene wrote @ May 29th, 2011 at 16:35
I'm confused, why would the police need to see it? I've obviously missed something but ummmmm..that seems weird…
Because under law 3832/2010, which I mention in the post, we are obligated to participate in the Greek census and therefore we broke the law and are subject to fines (also mentioned) if we didn't. I can't see police checking our papers, as they have better things to do. But this is GR, and you never know.
Jason M wrote @ June 2nd, 2011 at 18:52
A pity they didn't ask about what languages are spoken at home (as e.g. the US long form does), or other sociological data. Guess we still won't know officially how many people (still) speak Vlach, Arvanitika, Makedonski, Pontic, Turkish, etc, to say nothing of languages that aren't indigenous to the territory of Greece.
June 2nd, 2011 at 23:54
Hi Jason, nice to see you here again.
That's a good point. We were also not asked what other languages we speak, even though it is widely known that the majority of Greeks learn a second language.
It's possible the census will evolve with time.
aggelos wrote @ June 6th, 2011 at 22:16
γεια σας
ημουνα απογραφεας και ηθελα να ρωτυσω γιατι ουτε οι ιδιοι δεν ξερανε να μου πουμε μηπως ξερετε ποτε θα πληρωθουμε???εαν βεβαια τα παρουμε και ολασ αλλα ετσι συζητηση να γινεται!!!
sula wrote @ April 21st, 2012 at 19:31
I'm just curious as to where you can check out the status of one's greek citizenship? Thank you in advance!
April 21st, 2012 at 20:53
You didn't provide enough information, but I've already answered this question. See 'What happens next?' and 'Contact Information' at "Greek citizenship by Greek origin, descent or ancestry."


text:
Friday, September 23. 2016
Toddler survives three days alone in remote Siberia wood
Got Low T? Testosterone Drugs Probably Won't Help
Burmese pythons found in Key Largo, western Palm Beach County
Say good-bye to your cats and little yappy dogs. They eat babies too.
Wharton mentioned Wyndclyffe in her books, and it's said that others
were so awestruck by its grandeur that "keeping up with the Joneses" was
coined to refer to its owners.
Acela Fight Splits Hedge-Fund Connecticut and Old-Money Enclaves
California University Students Call Words 'Crazy' and 'Stupid' Hate
That is stupid and crazy
Northwestern president uses microaggressions against people who use microaggressions
Where do they find these morons?
University of Miami cancels Milo event due to 'security concerns'
A very dangerous faggot
Public Pensions Are Being Overly Optimistic
Weiner: The Final Collapse of a Liberal Democrat
Map of the day: Another way to visualize the enormity of America's $18 trillion economy
Most physicians report low morale, burden from new payment models
Coming soon to a doctor's office near you: Obamacare public option
Feminist Shrieks That Letting Babies Live Is #1 Cause of Global Warming
Mass immigration costs government $296 billion a year, depresses wages
Uh oh, climate change is threatening the world's coffee supplies
Sheesh, now really scarey
Email shows federal immigration bosses in OT push to swear in new citizens 'due to election'
"... neo-conservatism was always a Progressive heresy and never had roots in Anglo-Saxon conservatism."
"I can't believe I'm losing to this guy!"
Sorry, Chicago, but Peter Thiel is (mostly) right
Is Trump the Only Republican Who Can Handle the Media Onslaught?
I think so
Hillary's fashion
Trump the Only Republican Who Can Handle the Media Onslaught? - See
more at:
http://www.rollcall.com/news/opinion/onslaught-trump-media#sthash.2PvEMs0W.dpuf
Why Movement Conservatives Are Rooting for Hillary - Her victory is their only hope of preserving the status quo.
Wealthy Voters Abandon Republican Party for Hillary Clinton
Clinton proposes bumping up estate tax
Tax and spend is all she's got. But everybody knows that the wealthy pay no estate taxes. She will not, for sure
Joss Whedon Almost Got Me to Vote For Trump
Inside Hillary Clinton's Outrage Machine, Allies Push the Buttons
Hey, UN Corruptocrats: Spare Us Refugee Sanctimony
On the road with the Israeli ambulance drivers who save Palestinian lives
Palestinians: "The Mafia of Destruction"
France: Human Rights vs. The People
Netanyahu Lectures UN: "The UN Begun as a Moral Force Has Become a Moral Farce"
The UN is a total waste
Posted by Bird Dog in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 06:37 | Comments (34) | Trackback (1)
Trackback specific URI for this entry
Weblog: www.thepiratescove.us
Tracked: Sep 25, 09:31
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I'm not a huge Trump backer but I agree he's done better than any of the Democrat-lite GOPe pro-amnesty apologize-in-advance-for-my-isms don't-offend-the-religion-of-peace candidates (looking at you, !Jeb) would have done. Hillary wouldn't be 50 points ahead but she would be cruising to any easy victory as her opponent flailed away at the media doing her dirty work. The key is likely that there's really nothing that can be said against Trump that hasn't been said already a thousand times so he (in a pale imitation of Regan) has started letting it float off him, at least since Conway started putting her foot down. No way would any of the GOPe have pulled Trump's Birther announcement stunt, and it seem that may have been a turning point for him. I get the impression now that he's much less concerned with hitting back than he was in the primaries and when Manafort was in charge.
#1 Christopher B on 2016-09-23 08:27 (Reply)
I'm not in favor of the USA getting out of the UN. They're always good for a laugh or two. But I am in favor of getting the UN out of the USA.
Let's build them a building in Cuba, Venezuela or some other Socialist slum.
And make it look a little bigger than this:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Outhouse/
#2 oolioo (Link) on 2016-09-23 09:07 (Reply)
Put the headquarters on Gitmo...that's close to Cuba.
#2.1 indyjonesouthere on 2016-09-23 19:54 (Reply)
re cartoon
I remember that cartoon.
#3 feeblemind on 2016-09-23 09:33 (Reply)
Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO: "The heritage of Jerusalem is indivisible, and each of its communities have a right to the explicit recognition of their history and relationship with the city. To deny or conceal any of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim traditions undermines the integrity of the site, and runs counter to the reasons that justified its inscription in 1981 as a World Heritage site."
Bird Dog: The UN is a total waste
It's the worst form of government ... Winston Churchill
#4 Zachriel on 2016-09-23 09:56 (Reply)
Actually, Churchill said (or wrote):
Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…
That being said, Bibi is right. Any quasi governmental body that would have Cuba, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Bangladesh on their Human Rights Council is a sick joke. That that quasi governmental body would pass 77 resolutions condemning Israel and only one against Palestinians and in 2015 singled out Israel for 20 condemning resolutions and only three for the rest of the world , is a sick joke.
#4.1 mudbug on 2016-09-23 10:59 (Reply)
And yet Israel remains a dues-paying member of the United Nations.
#4.1.1 Zachriel on 2016-09-23 14:43 (Reply)
And so are we. It defies logic, doesn't it? Who would want to be a part of such a corrupt and stupid organization. The world realized the League of Nations was worthless pretty quickly. For some reason, there are enough people who still desire to attribute value to it when it clearly has very little.
#4.1.1.1 mudbug on 2016-09-23 15:41 (Reply)
mudbug: It defies logic, doesn't it? Who would want to be a part of such a corrupt and stupid organization.
Because it is the worst of form of government ... {fill in the blank à la Churchill}.
#4.1.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2016-09-23 16:21 (Reply)
Liberté, égalité, fraternité!
"If we want to protect our liberties, it might be interesting to take some liberties with the rule of law."
The Devil and the Law
Zach, good to see you back in your 9-5 job of politically-orrecting us on this site !! If you were in Charlotte supporting those who take liberties with the rule of law to secure their freedom to steal TVs, thank goodness you didn't get arrested:
"Confirming what many had suspected when viewing the sudden and intense collapse into anrchy that occurred in Charlotte this week, Todd Walther, spokesman for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police told CNN's Erin Burnett:
'This is not Charlotte that's out here. These are outside entities that are coming in and causing these problems. These are not protestors, these are criminals.'
'We've got the instigators that are coming in from the outside. They were coming in on buses from out of state. If you go back and look at some of the arrests that were made last night. I can about say probably 70% of those had out-of-state IDs. They're not coming from Charlotte.' "
#5.1 jaybird on 2016-09-23 10:30 (Reply)
Directed/coordinated from the White House and paid for by Democrat money sources.
#5.1.1 Jim on 2016-09-23 14:32 (Reply)
Jim: Directed/coordinated from the White House and paid for by Democrat money sources.
Do you have evidence that the unrest is being "directed/coordinated from the White House"? Or that 70% of those arrested had out-of-state IDs?
#5.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2016-09-23 14:47 (Reply)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jul/14/white-house-more-black-lives-matter-protests-good/
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/287593-prominent-black-lives-matter-activist-to-attend-obama-meeting
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/13/politics/obama-black-lives-matter-meeting/
http://www.ibtimes.com/deray-mckesson-meets-obama-black-lives-matter-meeting-white-house-2391342
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/02/21/obama-thanks-black-lives-matter-leaders-outstanding-work/
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/05/obama-invites-black-lives-matter-leaders-white-house-day-police/
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/blog/bal-after-white-house-meeting-president-obama-praises-mayoral-candidate-deray-mckesson-s-outstanding-wor-20160218-story.html
http://www.mediaite.com/online/white-house-responds-to-petition-demanding-black-lives-matter-be-designated-a-terror-group/
http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tim-graham/2016/07/14/washpost-hails-white-house-chat-where-sharpton-said-violent
#5.1.1.1.1 Jim on 2016-09-23 15:57 (Reply)
Not sure a Gish Gallop is persuasive. Let's take just the first:
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the Black Lives Matter protests — as long as they are peaceful — could help bring reforms in police departments.
So that directly contradicts your claim that the unrest is being directed from the White House.
#5.1.1.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2016-09-23 16:25 (Reply)
Zach, you silly goose. You believe Josh Earnest because his last name is "earnest"? His first name is "josh". Josh doesn't expect you to believe him when he just joshes around by saying that we have full employment, low inflation, and economic recovery, or that obamacare is doing great. Josh says the goofiest things. Its almost as if some fantasy writers at CNN write a script for him to see what they can get him to tell us rubes next.
Where do the buses full of agitators come from who want to loot stores, Josh? Who pays for them? They must be set up in advance, ready to go, don't you think? It was $15/hour for outsiders brought to Ferguson Missouri, which is now ruined. Outside rioters had to "burn the town in order to save it", a la Vietnam.
#5.1.1.1.1.1.1 jaybird on 2016-09-23 20:41 (Reply)
jaybird: Josh says the goofiest things.
It wasn't our citation. We merely read what it said.
#5.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Zachriel on 2016-09-24 08:56 (Reply)
Zach, maybe we have found the reason we can't trust whatever Josh says, even though his last name is "earnest". According to previously withheld FBI records, Obama used a pseudonym in email communications with Hillary Clinton. But Obama lied to the public by saying he learned about Clinton's unsecured server from news accounts. So the reason we can't tell when Josh is "just joshing" us, is because Josh is being lied to himself !! Zach, you know that Obama kept his $billions of hostage ransom payments in unmarked bills to Iran (for easy distribution to terrorist groups) from our military. So why would you expect Obama to tell the truth to Josh?
jaybird: According to previously withheld FBI records, Obama used a pseudonym in email communications with Hillary Clinton.
Good for him. So?
http://www.mediaite.com/online/cnns-burnett-share-that-most-arrested-nc-protesters-were-from-out-of-state/
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-09-22/who-behind-riots-charlotte-police-says-70-arrested-protesters-had-out-state-ids
http://ijr.com/2016/09/699413-charlotte-cop-offers-proof-that-riot-instigators-arent-local-70-of-arrested-had-out-of-state-ids/
Nearly all of your links reference the same source, a spokesperson for the Fraternal Order of Police. A look at the actual arrest records shows that most arrestees were local and without previous police records.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article103535612.html
jaybird: "We've got the instigators that are coming in from the outside. They were coming in on buses from out of state."
What we need is for the president to show sincerity in wanting peace, and get the outside agitators to leave us alone, and let us work out our problems locally.
Protesters handed out flowers, donuts and hugs
Zach, you spelled "rioters and looters and now murders" incorrectly.
#5.1.3.1 jaybird on 2016-09-23 15:34 (Reply)
The UN is UNcompetent. It's where the League of Nations was just prior to WW2.
#6 gman on 2016-09-23 10:24 (Reply)
Back in my UNPROFOR days (the UN Protection Force in the Former Yugoslavia) we used to greet "classified" UN reports with much hilarity for two reasons:
1. The security classification headers and footers were UN SECRET; we used to say the space between UN and SECRET should simply be removed.
2. The only countries in the world unauthorized to read a classified UN document were Taiwan and the Vatican City because they weren't members.
#6.1 JJM on 2016-09-23 12:20 (Reply)
I have always depended on the anonymity of strangers.
--- Anthony Weiner
#7 Freddie Sykes on 2016-09-23 10:50 (Reply)
Ha !
Re: Public Pensions Are Being Overly Optimistic
Not only pension funds, but also insurance companies. They are setup to require 7 - 8% appreciation and for a variety of reasons, a large portion of that appreciation is expected or required to come from bonds. Because of the geniuses in all the central banks, that's not possible. If interest rates don't start rising, there will be a lot of people in a world of hurt.
#8 mudbug on 2016-09-23 11:25 (Reply)
Who gets to vote on public pensions? Politicians. Who contributes to them? Public unions. Who negotiates with the unions on their pensions? Politicians. Who gets sucked down into the whirlpool? Taxpayers, who have no voice in this.
#8.1 Sam L. on 2016-09-23 12:16 (Reply)
Is Trump the only one who can beat the media? "So where does that leave us? No, I haven't become a Trumpkin. I still fear that if he is elected, he will do long-lasting damage to the Republican Party and, ultimately, to America." The Party is due more damage that the party leaders have already caused, America will be more damaged by Hillary and the media.
Joss Wheden: I recognized none of his "celebrities".
#9 Sam L. on 2016-09-23 12:56 (Reply)
"No, I haven't become a Trumpkin. I still fear that if he is elected, he will do long-lasting damage to the Republican Party and, ultimately, to America."
Those two things are mutually exclusive.
Burning the Republican Party to the ground is Step One in reforming the U.S.A.
#9.1 guy on 2016-09-23 18:04 (Reply)
Agree...and the ashes may help prepare the garden for what will grow after the GOP weeds quit smoking.
#9.1.1 indyjonesouthere on 2016-09-23 20:08 (Reply)
I submit that if Gloria Steinam and her ilk were to be forced to " leave this world early", the loss of hot air would go a long way in cooling this world. Babies indeed!
#10 pocono pam on 2016-09-24 04:07 (Reply)
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In reply to [ Top level ]#1: Christopher B on 2016-09-23 08:27 #2: oolioo on 2016-09-23 09:07 #2.1: indyjonesouthere on 2016-09-23 19:54 #3: feeblemind on 2016-09-23 09:33 #4: Zachriel on 2016-09-23 09:56 #4.1: mudbug on 2016-09-23 10:59 #4.1.1: Zachriel on 2016-09-23 14:43 #4.1.1.1: mudbug on 2016-09-23 15:41 #4.1.1.1.1: Zachriel on 2016-09-23 16:21 #5: Zachriel on 2016-09-23 10:03 #5.1: jaybird on 2016-09-23 10:30 #5.1.1: Jim on 2016-09-23 14:32 #5.1.1.1: Zachriel on 2016-09-23 14:47 #5.1.1.1.1: Jim on 2016-09-23 15:57 #5.1.1.1.1.1: Zachriel on 2016-09-23 16:25 #5.1.1.1.1.1.1: jaybird on 2016-09-23 20:41 #5.1.1.1.1.1.1.1: Zachriel on 2016-09-24 08:56 #5.1.1.1.1.1.2: jaybird on 2016-09-23 20:58 #5.1.1.1.1.1.2.1: Zachriel on 2016-09-24 09:03 #5.1.1.1.2: Jim on 2016-09-23 16:02 #5.1.1.1.2.1: Zachriel on 2016-09-23 16:50 #5.1.2: Zachriel on 2016-09-23 14:46 #5.1.3: Zachriel on 2016-09-23 14:55 #5.1.3.1: jaybird on 2016-09-23 15:34 #6: gman on 2016-09-23 10:24 #6.1: JJM on 2016-09-23 12:20 #7: Freddie Sykes on 2016-09-23 10:50 #7.1: jaybird on 2016-09-23 20:17 #8: mudbug on 2016-09-23 11:25 #8.1: Sam L. on 2016-09-23 12:16 #9: Sam L. on 2016-09-23 12:56 #9.1: guy on 2016-09-23 18:04 #9.1.1: indyjonesouthere on 2016-09-23 20:08 #10: pocono pam on 2016-09-24 04:07
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