Dawn couldn't sleep it had been 10 days sense she'd been out to the forest. They had the camp on lock down, so to speak. After Milady Master had been taken the camp was more strict on them leaving, and the time away from the forest was killing her.
She slid out of bed quietly and put on one of the leather outfits she'd made. She pulled her hooded shrug over her hair it no longer glowed but just hung lifeless down her back. Dawn knew her life energy was fading. Quietly she swung her quiver and bow over her back. She slid her skinning knife on her boot and a sharper dagger in her sleeved cuffs she wore on her wrists. Pack with her hunting gear she slipped quietly out of her room.
Dawn reached the edge of the camp taking a deep breath she blocked out any distracting sounds and let herself connect to the forest. She felt the life energy of the trees, of flowers, and leaves. She felt the insects crawling on the ground on the ground and the dear sleeping in its bedding. She felt the waters powerful energy as it ran it's way down a river. The forest was alive. Dawn welcomed it's energy. it wasn't much, not from this distance, but it was more than she'd had in awhile.
Dawn let out a breath of relief everything in her screamed for her to get closer. Dawn started closer to the forest.
A Shadow passed by her, the short Mint hair gave Shadowstep away.
She raised her hands in defense, "I'm not going to stop you if you won't stop me!"
Shadow smiled and took off into the forest, "I escape to~! I like to hunt and get herbs for Vate~!"
Dawn smiled and hurriedly followed Shadow, "How often do you go out?"
"As often as I can without being noticed."
"Well, do you think I could start coming with you?" Dawn paused, she hadn't really opened to anyone here, "I need to come out here. It's killing me not too."
Shadow smiled, "Figures. Anyway, Yes. Yes you can. I just get so bored in there!!" Shadow pulled the bow off her back and an arrow. "So what are you going to do out here?"
Dawn shrugged, "I don't know. I haven't been out here in forever. . ."
"Well then, let me show you something. . ." Shadow took off to the right, Dawn following closely. Soon, they came upon a area surrounded in green and in the midde a large pond with an Island and a rather large Oak tree on the Island.
"This is my favorite place to go~!" Flowers of all colors shifted in the breeze.
"It's beautiful," Dawn said staring at the water. Her skin ached for it.
Dawn walked towards the pond, "How about a swim?"
Shadow smiled mischeviously, "Why not?" Shadow walked behind a tree, and came out in a swim swit a few minutes later. "I like to Shadow Travel but sometimes. . .hiding is just as fun~!" She ran and jumped into the pond, the crystal-clear water shimmered as the unrest when she jumped in. The moon beams bounceng off the water.
Dawn sighed, "Oh How I have missed the forest." Once she had changed, she also jumped into the water. The warmth of it surrounding her.
"It alway's feels better around now, the sun had been on the water all day. . .Si it's warmer." Shadow dived into the water.
Dawn smiled and dipped her hair in the water. She looked at Shadow once she came up out of the water. "Want to see something magical?"
Dawn hadn't participated in a circus yet so Shadow had yet to see her abilities.
Shadow tilted her head sideways. "Magical?"
Dawn nodded, "Yea, I see you perform you alchemy."
"Oh~! That kind of magic! Sure why not?" Shadow seemd excited to see and stayed afloat on the water.
Dawn took a moment to become the water. She reached out and the water became apart of her, it's life and hers one. It's movement was now her movement, her control.
The water started to shimmer and it began to dance it took on different figures, and began to walk and move, a young princess banished. Thousands of years of wondering... Dawn realized she'd started to tell her story and freaked, the water shifter from people into a wave it crashed over the two girls.
Dawn summoned her abilities to put a pocket of air around the to girls as the surface to the top, "Opsie. Sorry, my emotions got away from meee."
Shadow coughed up water at the same time she was smileing.
"That was awesome! Was that a fairy tale you were told as a kid?"
"Uhhh. . .Yea! A Fairy tale. . . ."
She leaned against the bubble, "My Step-mom. . .she would always tell us story's of princesses. . .I guess she didn't kow that one!"
"So. . .your not mad i almost drowned you?"
"How could I be? That was the coolest talent I have seen in awhile!"
"Yeah, that was a very small part of the story, if I told it all I'm sure you'd find it very...familiar.." Dawn looked down a moment. The bubble drifted to the top and popped leaving the girls to stay above by there own means.
An idea came to her, "I can do almost anything with water," she flicked her wrist and the water began to glow, "but I also have slight gifts with the other elements," The water still glowing a tree began to bloom it's flowers and the wind rustled the girls hair, "I don't like fire much, I use it to start my camp fires but I dislike it."In the middle of a he pond a small fire started from nothing.
Dawn put the fire out quickly the tree returned to normal the air became stagnate once more, and the water's glow dimmed to a sparkle and then to nothing.
Shadow opened her mouth then closed it, "My powers compared to yours are seeds!"
" I don't like curse words. . .let's put it at that. . ."
"Anyway. . . what's your powers?" Dawn said tilting her head.
"Well, I have power over Shadow a small amout to Light because of this here wound." Shadow stated pointing out her shoulder where a bright white scar shaped like lightning was.
"Umm Well. . .I know that my Alchemy powers seem quite strange and my mechanics is awesome. . . oh yea! If I say a Curse in Italian, 'said person' is now cursed~!"
Dawn smiled lightly, "Only in Italian?"
Shadow relaxed and floated on her back, "Yup~!"
Dawn smiled, "Well you powers seem pretty cool...will you show me some of you shadow and light powers? I'm curious on what these are. I've been alone for a very long time and I don't know much about many things, including people."
Shadow smiled, "That is why I am in the fright show~!" She got out of he water and walked behind a tree. Dawn was staring at the tree forever.
"What are you looking over there for? I am over here?" Shadow called from the big oak tree.
"Get up here? Shadow travel, Go in one and Out another~!"
Shadow continued to move Shadow's over Dawn, chilling her. Then moving the Light of the moon to around her. Shadow seemed to be able to do anything with the Shadows. . .but less with the light. She played with the shape of Shadow's giving Tree's the Shadow of a dog and Dawn was given the Shadow of a Flower.
A musical sounding laugh escaped Dawns lips. Her eyes got really wide and her had came over her mouth she mumble a few words before taking her hand off her mouth, "I didn't mean to make that sound!"
"Your kidding right? That was the coolest sound ever!!!!"
"I didn't mean to do it though!"
"I can do a really really low laugh." Shadow filled her lungs with air then continued to laugh and low as possible, sounding lower then a man's voice when she stopped she cracked up laughing.
"Wow?" Dawn looked at her smiling.
"Yea . . .but yours is really pretty!!"
"Oh I just remembered something!" Dawn smiled at Shadow.
"Come down here I want to show you some more of my "Magic" " Dawn said laughing again.
Shadow stepped into one shadow and appeared in one at the edge of the water.
Shadow waded closer, "What is it?"
Dawn began to sing, it wasn't English or Russian or any language Shadow had heard before. It was Dawns native tong. Her voice was sweet, enticing, and luring. As she sang the wind began to blow softly and brought the smell of what ever the listener felt most comforted by, the flowers began to to grow brighter and shown more brilliantly, but most fantastic was the water, it started moving and swirling. It cam up and formed shapes and changed subtly in color it glowed and dimmed, sparkled and shinned.
When the song finished, it was like being pulled out of a dream, it left the listener feeling like they were missing something, like they lost apart of them self. When in reality all that changed was the music.
No matter how she tried Shadow couldn't remember the words to the song, nor the melody be repeated. It played in her head but couldn't be grasped bye her conscious thoughts.
Dawn had sparkling tears in her eyes from the song, "What'd you think?"
Shadow re-surfaced, "That. . .It was. . .," she hit her head on the ground, "What's the word I'm looking for!?!?"
"Extremely!" She flopped back into the water.
"I don't know what I should do for my at though. Singing is easier but it plays with the emotions of people, especially if I do a song with more emotion..but just working the elements with my hands and mind are a lot harder and I have to keep my emotions in control at the same time.." She looked at Shadow, "What do you think?"
Shadow slunk into the water, "I don't know. . . ."
"I have to do something. . ." Dawn sighed heavily, she hoped being outside would help.
"How come you have a hard time controling your emotions? . . .If I may ask. . ." Shadow looked at Dawn curiously.
"It's only hard when I connect to nature..because, well to be able to connect it I have to open up all the doors to my mind and become one with my surroundings. Everything sits on the edge of your mind ready to be remembered to be re-lived and to feel like it's just happened a moment go, and when you're as old as me that's a lot to hold back."
Dawn played with her hair, which had started to get it's life back. "I've used it to help me remember things, I'd long forgotten. It helps me finding peace when I am emotional but it's best when I'm alone.
Shadow looked at her wondering weather or not to ask what she meant bye "As old as I am." She didn't look any older than 16 or 17 but she spoke like it had been an eternity.
She started to open her mouth, then decided it was best not to ask. Shadow got up and sat ont he ledge by Dawn, kicking her feet in the water she looked at her.
"Did. . .you have some bad past experiences?"
"A few. . .Why did you?"
She sighed heavily, "Yea. . .my dad is kinda the King of the Shadow realm and he wanted a son instead of a daughter to take his place, so i was abused. . .beaten. . He even hired somebody to. . .kill me. . .he tried everything in his power. . ."
She looked at shadow, "I guess that makes me lucky, for as much as my mother hated me..she loved me."
Dawn climbed up next Shadow,"I can show you my story if you'd like." I flower floated down from the tree and landed in Shadows lap it was pink bu it shifted to a mint green with black tips on it's pedals. Dawn smiled at her.
She smiled and played with the flower's petals.
"My step-mother. . .The Shadow Queen. . .she was the only one nice to me and my brother. . ."
"If. . .wait. . .who's your real mom?"
"Oh. . .just some Italian," she starting getting quiter, "that my father picked off the streets. . ."
"Oh. . .I'm sorry. . ."
"It's fine. I just. . .," she picked a bay leaf out of her wooden box, "My step-mother loved me. . .she taught me most of what i know. . ."
"So. . .would you like to see?"
Shadow smiled, "Sure, why not?"
Dawn took a deep breath, the water formed the figures two figures, an elf and a Nymph queen.
It showed the elf being lured in by the Nymph.
It jumped to a seen a few years later the nymph queen and a little girl, this time detailed enough to see it was Dawn.
The little girl was banished for being only half, it was a rare thing in her world. Nymph normally reproduced as without any outside help.
The girl about 1 in appearance wondered through the woods until she stumbled upon a group of dark Fae. They took the girl in they took care of the youngster when she looked to be only five the sent her off. She was either ready to live on her own or she wasn't it didn't matter they didn't want her.
The girl starved many nights but she became one with her surroundings. She found unlike her mother she could wonder from nature she wasn't tied to a particular tree or water sources but she still required a connection to it.
She learned how to hunt better and skin. Usage of plants and animal bones/skins became more sufficient. While she only aged 11 years-Dawn wandered 1,100 years alone and banished.
Dawn released the water she looked at Shadow, "You should know the rest of the story. That's when I ran into Ice." Dawns lip had a slight quiver to it.


This past week, the Senate decided to override a line-item veto from Governor John de Jongh of the decriminalization provision for the US Virgin Islands, which had been included in the territory's 2015 fiscal year budget. Due to this veto, the Islands will no longer prosecute those found to be in possession of one ounce or less of cannabis.
While those holding cannabis will no longer face jail time, they will still have to pay a fine of between $100 and $200 as it will still be considered a civil offense. Those under 18 caught with cannabis will have to face the fine as well as enroll in a drug awareness program. Previously, minor marijuana possession could land you in jail for up to a year, and offenses were punishable with fines up to $5,000.
While this decriminalization of cannabis is positive, along with the reduction of fines, the remaining law ignorantly punishes those who might need to use cannabis for medical purposes.
By and large, Federal laws pertaining to marijuana also pertain to the Virgin Islands, but the main focus of the prohibition is cocaine because it is the drug of choice in this part of the Caribbean. FURA, DEA, Blue Lightning Strike Force, USCS, and the ATF are just a few agencies actively cracking down on both marijuana and cocaine use in the U.S. Virgin Islands, using tax dollars and police force energy.
The two substances have no business being thought of in the same breathe because cocaine cannot cure cancer, or alleviate pain for Multiple Sclerosis patients.


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Industrial relations in the public sector – Ireland
Observatory: EurWORK
Published on: 10 Diciembre 2008
Back to working life country profiles
Disclaimer: This information is made available as a service to the public but has not been edited by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. The content is the responsibility of the authors.
This report presents an overview of industrial relations in the central government and public sector in Ireland.
1. Structure of the public sector in your country
The definition of the public sector commonly accepted and used in your country. What are the different sectors covered (e.g. central government, local government, health sector, education, others)?
The public sector is defined as the whole of the activities, organisations, institutions or services, for which the state or its representatives can be regarded as the employer, and whereby the organisation, the goals and the operation thereof are determined by public authorities and underpinned by public funding.
As in most industrialised countries, there are a number of core areas which can be regarded as comprising the integral parts of the public sector in Ireland. These include the civil service, the health services, local authorities, the education services, the security services of the police and defence forces, the prison service, and finally non-commercial state sponsored bodies, which may be developmental, advisory or regulatory in nature. In addition to these bodies, which together are termed the public service, the public sector also encompasses commercial public enterprises. These companies are owned by the state but governed by government appointed independent boards, and operate within a framework that is essentially established and controlled by a government Minister.
The definition of the central government sector commonly accepted and used in your country.
What are the different sectors covered?
Central government comprises government departments, the civil service, prison service. Under the Civil Service Regulation Act 1956, civil servant means a person holding a position in the Civil Service, and the Civil Service means the Civil Service of the Government and the Civil Service of the State.
The following data:
Table 1. Employment and population
Total Employees (all economy)
1,946.164 (2002)
No gender breakdown was available for some of the data in table 1 above. The last accurate population census was for the year 2002.
Table 2. Central government employment
of which part-time
Fixed-term
Please clarify whether central government employment includes: a) school teachers; b) NHS employees; c) armed forces and police; other non-ministerial employees. If data include these groups of employees, please indicate their numbers (or estimated share).
There is no data on the proportion of central government employees on part-time and fixed-term contracts.
Please indicate whether fixed-term employment and part-time work are typical of certain organisational areas in the central government sector (for instance, top job positions rather than lower-level occupations) or group of workers (such as employees approaching retirement, new recruits, women, technicians, and the like)
Fixed-term employment and part-time work tend to be found in lower-level jobs in central government, with women occupying most of these positions. Job sharing is also fairly common in central government departments.
Please indicate the presence and quantitative relevance of non-standard employment relationships in the central government sector, and especially of temporary agency work and service contracts with individuals or other non-standard contractual relationships that are important in your country.
There is no quantitative data on the extent of non-standard employment relationships in central government, but it is fair to say they remain the exception rather than the norm. However, in recent years, such arrangements have become more common and, indeed, more controversial.
Successive national agreements have provided for the employment of temporary and part-time staff 'in certain limited circumstances'. More recently, the outsourcing of public sector work to private sector agencies has become a highly controversial issue.
The new national pact, 'Towards 2016', contains various provisions on public sector outsourcing, in that previous restrictions on the outsourcing of 'core work' agreed under the previous national agreement, Sustaining Progress, have been jettisoned. Clause 2.9 in the new deal – service delivery options – affords the Government and public service employers greater scope than hitherto to farm out public sector work, as follows:It is accepted that there can be situations where, without affecting the essential ethos of the public service, work can be carried out or services delivered more effectively or efficiently, or both, by the employment of temporary staff, contracting out of work to the private sector or outsourcing it to other public service bodies or a combination thereof.
2. Employment regulation
Public sector vs. private sector.
Do (certain) public sector employees enjoy special status compared with private sector employees?Do all public sector employees have the same status or are there differences between different groups of employees, as, for instance, between civil servants, clerical employees and workers?
If public sector employees enjoy special status(es), please specify:
The distinctive features of (each) public sector employment status, highlighting the main differences with the status of private sector employees (and, if relevant, among the various public sector statuses). In particular, indicate whether such differences involve the rights: i) of association; ii) to bargaining collectively; iii) to strike.The requirements that must be fulfilled to gain (each) such special status(es): i) pass a public examination; ii) achieve a certain tenure in the position; c) in terms of nationality; d) other specific conditions.
Central government. Please indicate whether and how this special employment status regulation applies to central government employees.
Yes civil servants enjoy what can be termed a special status. Civil servants still tend to enjoy a higher level of employment security than private sector employees, and, notably, greater protection from dismissal. However, this changed somewhat in 2004, and the traditional perception that civil servants 'never get fired' may change before long, because recent legislation takes the dismissal of most civil servants out of the political realm.The Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) legislation, published in 2004, allows Secretaries-General of Government Departments and Heads of Offices to dismiss and apply disciplinary sanctions to all civil servants below the rank of Principal Officer. Up to that time, the dismissal of any civil servant effectively needed a Ministerial order, which made it difficult in practical terms, except for very serious offences. The granting of this power to the Secretary-General/Head of Office – effectively the chief executive – means that this sanction may be used more often than it has been in the past.However, civil servants at or above the general service grade of Principal – or its equivalent – come under a different system. Instead of Ministerial dismissal only, they can be dismissed by the Minister on the written recommendation of the Secretary General/Head of Office. This provides a safeguard in that they cannot be dismissed by the Secretary General alone or the Minister alone, in the event of personal difficulties with either. Secretaries General and Heads of Offices can still only be dismissed by the Government as a whole, effectively requiring a Cabinet decision. It is interesting to note that this was the only method of dismissal for all civil servants before 1997. The converse of these new powers for top civil servants is that all of those who were not appointed by the Government (i.e. anyone below Secretary General/Head of Office, including those Principal Officers and above who still have some Ministerial protection) now will have access to the Unfair Dismissals Acts for the first time. This in itself is a major culture change for the traditionally secretive civil service, as it will mean the opening of difficult situations to public scrutiny at the Employment Appeals Tribunal.
3. Please fill in the following table:
Table 3. Status of central government employees
Status A (please replace by the name of the status)
Status B (please replace by the name of the status)
Status C (please replace by the name of the status)
N.B.: add further columns if required
Not applicable (see above).
Please indicate the elements of the employment relationship of central government employees which are regulated by:
Specific legislation.Collective bargaining.
In your answer, please refer specifically to elements such as recruitment procedures, pay (see also below), working time, work organisation, job security and employment protections, social security.
The employment relationship of central government employees is regulated by a mixture of legislation and collective bargaining. Some of the legislation, such as provisions regulating working time and minimum wages, is general in that it covers all employees, but some is also specific to the civil service.
For instance, the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments Act 2004 reforms the recruitment processes within the Civil Service and other public service bodies under its remit, the primary intention being to facilitate more open recruitment practices. The Act is a major piece of legislation which will enable Civil Service Departments and Offices to recruit staff directly. It will provide greater flexibility and enable Departments and Offices to manage their organisations more effectively. The Act provides among other things for the dissolution of the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commission (CSLAC) and the establishment of 2 new bodies: the Public Appointments Service (PAS) and the Commissioners for Public Service Appointments (CPSA). The establishment of the Commissioners for Public Service Appointments (CPSA) marks the beginning of a new era in public service recruitment by offering Civil Service Departments and Offices an option to be licensed to recruit staff. The new Commission will have the important role of regulating recruitment under the Act and ensuring that high standards of probity are maintained in the system. The Public Appointments Service (PAS), also established under the Act, will act as the centralised recruitment, assessment and selection body for Government Departments and other public service bodies within its remit.
The Civil Service Regulation Act 1956 regulates the tenure, certain aspects of pay, retirement, discipline, of civil servants.
A scheme of Conciliation and Arbitration for the civil service was introduced back in 1950, and the Civil Service also has its own third party dispute resolution institution, the Civil Service Arbitration Board. Conciliation consists of joint councils of management and employee representatives which consider claims before them and issue an agreed report. The vast majority of issues are resolved at conciliation but where they are not they may proceed to arbitration, provided they are arbitrable under the terms of the appropriate C&A Scheme. At arbitration, management make their presentations in rebuttal of union submissions and both sides must then await the finding of the arbitrator. The findings of the Arbitration Board are sent to the Minister for Finance and the other appropriate Minister, whom have one month to approve the report or submit it to the Government. The government is not obliged to accept the Arbitration Board's findings but under most of the schemes – the local authority scheme is an exception – it is required to move a motion in the Dail (Irish Parliament) if it wants to vary a finding. The rejection or amendment of a finding is quite rare.
In the C&A schemes for civil servants, officials from the Finance Department work closely with officials from the Departments of Education, Justice and Defence. The personal involvement of Ministers in these sensitive areas is not unusual, either to sort out differences at official level or, on rare occasions, to negotiate directly on claims. A unique feature of the civil service scheme is that a network of staff panels evaluate any claims from recognised unions or staff associations before they are forwarded to conciliation.
National pacts also regulate the employment relationship of central government employees – notably pay. For instance, the new national agreement, 'Towards 2016', sets the pay rates of civil servants, and also sets out a modernisation and change agenda – which civil servants are expected to cooperate with. This modernisation agenda encompasses more open recruitment, more competitive merit-based promotion procedures, performance management measures, attendance management pension reform.
The pay of civil servants is also regulated by the Public Service Benchmarking Body (PSBB), whose task is to benchmark the pay of public servants with private sector comparators. The first public service benchmarking review awarded public servants average pay increases of 8.9% overall. For civil servants, top civil servants were awarded almost 14%, while some of their lower-ranking colleagues received just over 6%. A second benchmarking review is now underway, and it is to issue its findings in 2007.
A separate pay body, the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Service, sets the pay of senior civil servants, as well as other top public servants.
Please, briefly illustrate whether and how reform of employment regulation in the central government sector since the 1990s has affected:
The status of workers.
The main change affecting the status of civil servants has emanated from the Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) legislation, published in 2004, (altering the Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) legislation), which allows Secretaries-General of Government Departments and Heads of Offices to dismiss and apply disciplinary sanctions to all civil servants below the rank of Principal Officer. Also, the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004 (see above) changes the status of civil servants, in terms of enforcing more competitive recruitment and promotion procedures.
The balance between legislation and collective bargaining in regulating the various dimensions of the employment relationships.
In recent years, the employment relationship has increasingly been regulated by legislation, much of it emanating from EU directives, and, accordingly, the balance has swung towards the legalisation of employment relations. Despite this, collective bargaining plays a significant role in regulating employment relations – particularly through national social partnership agreements.
Other relevant industrial relations dimensions, such as representation, conflict and its regulation.
Since the 1990s, it is clearly the case that conflict has become increasingly institutionalised and proceduralised. In view of this, the dispute resolution role of third party dispute resolution agencies has become increasingly prominent.
Please, briefly illustrate whether and how reorganisation and restructuring in the central government sector since the 1990s, for instance through the establishment of special agencies or the separation of specific bodies and offices, has affected:
The status of significant groups of workers.The balance between legislation and collective bargaining in regulating the various dimensions of the employment relationships.Other relevant industrial relations dimensions, such as representation, conflict and its regulation.
The most significant, and controversial, issue in relation to restructuring has been the Government's decentralisation plan. By way of background, back in 2002, the then Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy, introduced plans to relocate almost entire Government Departments, offices and - for the first time - non-commercial State-sponsored bodies, to provincial towns and cities. At the time, the intention was that some 14,000 civil servants would be located outside Dublin, or about 47 per cent of the service. However, a number of public service trade unions have raised issue with the government concerning this drive towards decentralisation, and progress has been slow. At the current juncture then, a longer time-scale is envisaged than originally thought. In view of this, a target has been set in relation to 2,130 civil servants scheduled to move in the first phase, in what amounts to a strategy, at least in part, of going for easy wins. The new target dates set for these first moves are between the end of 2006 and the end of 2008. It is expected, on the official side, the process can be completed by 2010.
3. Pay levels and determination
Please indicate:
The presence and relevance of collective bargaining on pay in the central government sector.
See above. The pay of central government staff is set by national agreements and the Public Sector Benchmarking Body (PSBB) – which makes pay comparisons with the private sector.
The number and scope of bargaining units on pay within the central government sector.
Pay is set at national level.
Do minimum wage levels vary across the different bargaining units within the central government sector? Are there common minimum wage levels in the whole public sector?
Minimum wage levels are regulated by a statutory national minimum wage, which covers all employees (is common to all), and is currently €7.65 per hour.
Is there a single job classification system for the whole central government sector?
Not sure about this question.
Wage levels and wage increases in the central government and private sectors since 2000 (table 4). If there are great variations across bargaining units within the central government sector, please briefly illustrate such variations.
Table 4. Central government and private sector: wage levels and increases since 2000 (average)
Private sector (industrial earnings)
Level €
Annual increase %
The figures for the private sector above consist of the earnings of industrial workers in all industries. They do not cover the whole private sector.
The presence and relevance of variable performance-related pay in the central government sector. Please indicate whether variable pay is particularly relevant in certain bargaining units or organisational areas (for instance, top job positions, officers, or other occupations).
In recent years, performance-related pay has become a more common feature of public sector pay determination, particularly in the higher civil service positions. Subject to the total awards not exceeding the 10% pool limit, individual participants can receive performance-related awards of up to 20% of basic pay. Decisions on the awards are reached by a new 'Committee for Performance Awards,' made up of two top civil servants and three representatives from the private sector. The decisions are made on the recommendations of the Secretaries General in each department concerned. The PRP Scheme was established on foot of recommendations by the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector in a report dated September 2000.
Another major development in the area of PRP, but covering the whole public service, including the civil service, was the decision to create a Performance Verification Group (PVG) process under the last national agreement, Sustaining Progress, in 2003. This PVG process is to continue in the new national agreement, Towards 2016. The establishment of these five PVGs, which have the power to formally sanction – or withhold sanction – of both the pay element in national wage deals and separate public sector benchmarking payments, marked a major new development across the public sector. In essence, cooperation with the public service modernisation and change agenda contained in national agreements, and industrial peace, is expected in exchange for sanction of wage increases. Therefore, it constitutes a carrot and stick approach. In addition to the independent chair, each PVG has equal trade union, employer and independent members representing customers/service users. Indicating how significant these groups are, the PVG for the civil service covers 30,000 workers.
Are there any form of "benchmarking" of wage dynamics in the central government sector with other public sectors or with the private sector? If yes, are industrial relations actors involved in such benchmarking activity?
Yes. See above. The Public Sector Benchmarking Body (PSBB) was established to compare public service pay with comparators in the private sector. The first benchmarking report was issued in 2001 (recommending average increases of 8.9%), and the next is due in 2007. Industrial relations actors are involved in the PSBB, including former union leaders.
4. Union Presence and density
Please provide information on:
Trade unions which are present in the various bargaining units of the central government sector, their number, affiliation, representational domain, membership, and the sectoral union density (data by gender). Please fill in the following table:
Table 5. Trade unions
Representational domain (group of workers represented)
Bargaining units where the trade union is present
ICTU
AHCPS
Higher civil servants
CPSU
Lower ranking civil servants
PSEU
Middle civil servants
E (specify name)
F (specify name)
Sectoral union density
N.B.: add further rows if required
The main civil service unions are outlined above. There is no breakdown for male and female members. The figure given is total membership. All the unions are affiliated to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), which is the peak association.
Please provide information on the diffusion within the central government sector of craft unions, professional unions, or unions which are not affiliated to peak associations.
The central government sector has traditionally consisted of specific civil service unions, though this has changed in recent years, given that IMPACT has become a general public service union. IMPACT and the CPSU are currently in merger discussions. The PSEU was also initially involved in merger discussions, but dropped out some time ago.
Are there any formal procedures or rules which aim to assess the representativeness of the various unions? If yes, please, briefly illustrate the content of such procedures or rules. Do these procedures or rules affect the access of the various unions to trade union prerogatives or to the bargaining table? If yes, please specify such effects and any possible limitations.
There is an unwritten rule that in the civil service only unions composed of civil servants will be recognised. However, this policy was relaxed somewhat when IMPACT retained civil service recognition, though its membership is no longer composed solely of civil servants, due to membership expansion and mergers.
5. Employer representation
Who does represent the central government at the bargaining table? Are there specific independent bodies, such as agencies, or negotiations are carried out under the responsibility of political actors, such as ministers?
When national deals are being negotiated, Central Government is represented at the bargaining table by the Taoiseach (Prime Minister), and various Ministers, as well as senior civil servants. The Secretary General in the Department of the Taoiseach plays a major role in the negotiations.
If negotiations are carried out by specific independent bodies, please indicate how they are organised. In particular, specify whether there are guidelines or other directives set by political actors and how the tasks of the independent bodies are carried out. For instance, negotiations have to follow specific stages?If negotiations are carried under the direct responsibility of political actors, please indicate how they are organised. For instance, do negotiations take place under the responsibility of a single ministry, for instance the Finance Ministry, or are they carried out by a delegation or in a different way?
are carried out by a delegation of Ministers and senior civil servants, rather than a single Ministry.
Do collective agreements in the central government sector have to pass an ex-post "validation" procedure, for instance to certify their compliance with budget constraints? If present, please briefly illustrate such procedure and the consequences of failure to pass it.
6. Collective bargaining and conflict in central government
The structure of collective bargaining and, in particular, the number and scope of bargaining units, both at central (national) and decentralised (workplace and territorial) levels.
Collective bargaining in the central government sector in Ireland predominantly takes place at national (peak) level.
The duration of agreements and the presence and content of peace obligations.
National agreements have tended to span a three-year period. The new national agreement, Towards 2016, is for 27 months. It contains industrial peace provisions under the heading stable industrial relations climate.
The key paragraphs on industrial peace in the national deal are as follows:
The parties recognise the importance of stable industrial relations and are committed to maintaining a well-managed industrial relations environment to minimise disputes affecting the level of service to the public. A stable industrial relations climate has important benefits for the general public and the public service itself. These benefits include the provision of uninterrupted services, improved productivity and staff morale, increased public confidence and the maintenance of Ireland as a desirable location for foreign direct investment.
Many public services differ from services which are provided by the private sector in that they are essential services which the public cannot obtain from alternative sources. Providers of essential services and their staff, therefore, have a special responsibility to ensure that they have well developed communication channels and to seek to resolve problems before they escalate into industrial disputes. If the problem cannot be resolved then it is agreed by all parties to take up all available dispute resolution mechanisms (both statutory and non-statutory).
The parties are agreed on the importance of confidence in regard to wage developments. Specifically, employers expect unions to adhere to the terms agreed and unions expect the terms agreed to be applied to their members.
This Agreement:
Provides that no cost-increasing claims by trade unions or employees for improvements in pay or conditions of employment, other than those provided for in Sections 27.17 and 27.20, will be made or processed during the currency of the Agreement;
Commits employers, trade unions and employees to promoting industrial harmony; and precludes strikes or other forms of industrial action by trade unions, employees or employers in respect of any matters covered by this Agreement, where the employer or trade union concerned is acting in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
The main issues of collective bargaining by referring to the latest renewals.
The main issues of collective bargaining in the central government sector are also contained in Towards 2016. They relate to pay, commitment to modernisation and change, improvements in recruitment and promotion systems, staff deployment, and attendance management.
Levels and recent trends in conflict.
Like most sectors of the Irish economy – public and private sector – industrial action in the civil service has been rare in recent years. However, one exception stands out. The longest running strike in the history of the civil service took place in 2003, when over 200 clerical staff employed in local offices of the Department of Agriculture in the west of Ireland engaged in a strike lasting nearly 13 weeks in pursuit of improved promotional structures.
The presence and main features of forms of regulation of labour conflict and collective dispute resolution procedures. Please indicate whether such rules are specific to the central government sector, or apply to the whole public sector, or are general and cover both public and private sectors.
The main forms of regulation of labour conflict in central government have been referred to under question 2(3) above. The Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme applies specifically to the civil service (and also the Prison Service). The industrial peace provisions referred to in 6(2) above also apply.
7. Commentary by the NC
The main IR issues in the central government sector in Ireland at the moment are: the roll-out of the Government's scheme to decentralise a number of civil service jobs from Dublin to the regions; the degree of modernisation and performance enhancement expected over the next few years; and the second Public Service Benchmarking Body (PSBB) report, due out in the second half of 2007. These would seem to be three of the crunch industrial relations issues.
Perhaps the biggest challenge in central government going forward will be to facilitate more competitive open recruitment to civil service posts. The roll-out of the decentralisation programme is also presenting a major challenge.
Tony Dobbins, Industrial Relations News
Ireland: Latest working life developments – Q4 2017
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Pity the Fool
From a fool and a pack of puppets, two offbeat takes on Lear.
Senioritis
21 May, 2011 by Sam Hurwitt Theater No comments
It's hard to imagine the Bay Area theater scene without Geoff Hoyle, who's been a tremendous comedic presence on local stages from the early days of the Pickle Family Circus down to frequent shows at Berkeley Rep and ACT today (not to mention notable side trips such as the original cast of Broadway's The Lion King). From the start his work has been so rooted in his marvelous facility for physical comedy that it's especially striking that his new, sold-out solo show is about the body falling apart. An often hilarious reflection on aging, Geezer was developed with and directed by David Ford at the latter's frequent stomping ground the Marsh, where Hoyle's son Dan has enjoyed long runs in his solo shows Tings Dey Happen and The Real Americans (the latter is still running after a hiatus to recover from a leg injury).
Stall, Interrogate, Repeat
26 December, 2010 by Sam Hurwitt Theater No comments
In one sense, The Composer Is Dead has been around for a while. Originally commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony, it debuted at Davies Symphony Hall in 2006 as an orchestral piece with music by local composer Nathaniel Stookey and text and narration by Lemony Snicket, the fiendish children's author of A Series of Unfortunate Events who lives in San Francisco under the ludicrous alias of Daniel Handler. It has since made the rounds of various symphonies around the country as a humorous Peter and the Wolf-style piece designed to familiarize children with the various instruments in an orchestra, and has also been released as a book and CD.


The kingdom is cursed! The evil witch interrupted your wedding and turned your beloved princess into stone. The castle became a prison for all of those who dare to come to your wedding. Moreover the witch banished you from the kingdom...forever! You know there is only one place where you can seek for the help. You must travel very deep into the mountain where the dragons dwell. Maybe they can help you find a way how to defeat the evil witch?


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Sun, 20 Sep, 2020 - 08:19
In Pictures: Elderly protesters defy Belarus' strongman
An elderly woman reacts as police officers detain women during an opposition rally in Minsk, Belarus (AP/TUT.by)
Thousands of protesters who have flooded Belarusian cities for six weeks of demonstrations to demand an end to the 26-year rule of the country's authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko include people of all ages, professions and social groups.
While younger people make up the bulk of the protests pushing for Mr Lukashenko's resignation after the August 9 vote that the opposition sees as rigged, many retirees also have joined the daily demonstrations. Here they share their motives and hopes.
Nina Bahinskaya
The 73-year-old former geologist has become one of the most recognisable faces of Belarus protests, fearlessly waving a huge red-and-white opposition flag in front of riot police.
On more than 100 occasions, the police seized the flag from her, but every time she would make a new one.
When police told her that she was violating a ban on unauthorised demonstrations, she responded by saying "I'm taking a walk" – the snappy reply now chanted by thousands of participants in daily protests.
She said "I noticed that the riot police more rarely beat protesters when they see elderly people among them. So I come out to protest as a defender, an observer and a witness. I'm psychologically and intellectually stronger than the police. Even among those who detained me, there were people who respected me."
Mikhail Batsyan
The 69-year-old former diplomat took part in opposition protests long before last month's vote. His daughter fled the country to Ukraine with her boyfriend after they were beaten by police in the first days after the election, but Mr Batsyan continued to attend demonstrations together with his wife.
He said: "Now we attend the marches together. Our dream is to live in a free Belarus at least for a while. I have seen a lot in my life, I don't fear anything any more and I can't look at what's going on with indifference."
The opposition has adopted the red-and-white flag that was the state flag of Belarus in the first years after the Soviet collapse until it was replaced with a modified version of its Soviet-era flag in 1995. Mr Batsyan proudly takes the red-and-white flag that flew over the Belarusian Embassy in Vienna when he worked there in the early 1990s to protests.
Tamara Ruzhenkova
Ms Ruzhenkova, a 66-year-old former cello teacher at a musical school, sees the regular protests as a "breath of fresh air".
She denounced Mr Lukashenko's description of protesters as "drug addicts," noting that his speeches demonstrate a "complete lack of culture".
"I don't want that president. I have no respect for him and feel shame" for what he says and how he says it, she said.
Ms Ruzhenkova said Mr Lukashenko's cavalier dismissal of the coronavirus outbreak, which he advised people to ward off by riding a tractor, having a regular shot of vodka and visiting saunas, angered Belarusians and helped fuel the protests.
Vital Ravinski
Mr Ravinski, a 75-year-old pathologist, attended some protests with his daughter and a granddaughter.
"I come out to protest so that my children and grandchildren have a good life," he said. "By joining the protests, I show that everyone can do it without any fear."
Mr Ravinski has become widely popular on social networks when he faced a phalanx of police in full riot gear at a protest shortly after the vote and said: "I can't keep watching this madness, and that's why I came here. And I will keep coming until I get killed."
Larisa Koval
The 68-year-old former sales expert said she had little interest in politics before signing up to work as an observer during the August 9 election and witnessing vote-rigging.
"The way election officials treated us was disgusting and it made me angry," she said. "I can't accept such massive lies. Lukashenko has lost his mind, dignity and conscience, he's trying to cheat the entire nation."
Early during the protests, she sheltered a young protester when he was hunted by police during a post-election raid in the Belarusian capital. Ms Koval said she attends opposition demonstrations despite having heart problems.
"I can't allow the thought that Lukashenko will not step down," she said. "And I will fight to end his desperate clinging onto power."
Ales Marachkin
Mr Marachkin, an 80-year-old painter, denounces the Belarusian leader who frequently admired the Soviet Union as a "Soviet holdover".
The authorities have barred Mr Marachkin from having personal exhibitions and removed his paintings from the national art museum.
"Taking part in protests is a therapy for me," Mr Marachkin said. "Otherwise, I would have stayed in bed and would have died long ago. The opposition marches fill me with energy."
Halina Lahatskaya
The 60-year-old Ms Lahatskaya, who worked in the construction sector, said she tries to speak to riot police when she attends protests, which she has been doing almost every day for a month.
"I'm trying to find something humane in them," she said.
She argued that the Belarusian leader has lost public support, noting that even her 94-year-old father who always voted for Mr Lukashenko cast his ballot in August for opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
She would like to personally speak to the Belarusian leader to persuade him to step down.
"I want to talk to Lukashenko. I think he will listen to me," she said.
Yan Hryb
The 85-year-old Mr Hryb, a former teacher, said he hopes to live to the day when Mr Lukashenko steps down, adding that it should be declared a national holiday.
"It will become the country's main holiday," he said.
Mr Hryb lamented that the Belarusians have been patient with Mr Lukashenko for too long.
"I join protests to make Belarus a democratic and economically developed European country," he said. "I have been struggling for it for my entire life."
Natalya Kachanouskaya
Ms Kachanouskaya, a 72-year-old English teacher, said she has participated in protests against Mr Lukashenko's rule ever since he took the helm in 1994.
"It's necessary to learn how to control natural fear," she said. "Why should I fear – I do everything right!"
She said she has instructed her 16-year-old grandson how to avoid being detained by police, adding that he was rounded up once because he failed to follow her advice.
"I'm very proud of him!" she said.
protestselderlyplace: international


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Delhi High Court recently reiterated the long-established principle that a concept is not entitled to copyright protection. The definition of "a work" under section 2(y) of the Copyright Act, 1957, and the list of protected subject matter under section 14 is conclusive that copyright protection extends only to a concrete expression of a concept, and not to the underlying concept or idea itself.
In Sanjay Kumar Gupta & Anr v Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt Ltd, the appellants registered a copyright for a concept called Jeeto Unlimited, where the television audience was able to participate in the quiz show in real time and answer the same questions that are put before the contestants in the show. Depending on the value of the question, the viewers were rewarded for the correct answer.
The appellants presented the concept to Sony Entertainment Network, which broadcasts the famous show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), in the form of a concept note. They were requested to sign a consent letter to the effect that Sony would have the freedom to use the concept without incurring any liability.
Through the JIO KBC Play Along television show format, the appellants alleged that the respondent had infringed their copyright and brought the matter before the district court in Delhi. They also claimed that Sony misappropriated their concept and breached the confidentiality of the information contained in the concept note. The respondents contended that the appellants had no copyright in the concept and their show was substantially different from Jeeto Unlimited.
The district court dismissed the case, prompting the appellants to approach Delhi High Court. The high court too rejected the appeal and noted that the concept of home viewer participation in a quiz show was not the product of the appellants' intellect but rather an idea that has existed in the public domain for a substantial period and therefore not entitled to copyright protection.
The court further observed that since the underlying idea was to enable the home audience's participation in a quiz show, similarities between the appellants' concept and KBC were bound to occur, such as the mode of communication used and the provision for a monetary reward for a correct answer. However, the crucial differences between the concepts of the appellants and the respondent could not be overlooked.


UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA—There is significant variation in how different cultures over time have dealt with the dead. Yet, at a very basic level, funerals in the Sonoran Desert thousands of years ago were similar to what they are today. Bodies of the deceased were buried respectfully, while families and mourners followed certain customs to honor lives lost.
So-called atypical burials often are associated with victims of "bad deaths"—deaths described as unnatural, unplanned or "evil" in nature, Watson said. A common theory in the geographical area where Watson works is that the bodies belong to those accused of witchcraft. Yet, given that the corpses were not dismembered in the way suspected witches' historically were, Watson offers an alternative explanation.
Watson suggests that violent killings followed by disrespectful burials similarly send a strong signal—one asserting power and dominance. This signal has the potential benefit of attracting prestige, and the wives and children that come with it, but it also comes with significant risk of retaliation by the victim's family.
"By creating these atypical burials—where they're basically desecrating the bodies of the people killed — they're signaling their prowess to gain status, but it's at a very significant potential cost, and that is either their life or lives in their community or family," Watson said.


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A doorjamb, door jamb (also sometimes doorpost) is the vertical portion of the door frame onto which a door is secured. The jamb bears the weight of the door through its hinges, and most types of door latches and deadbolts extend into a recess in the doorjamb when engaged, making the accuracy of the plumb (i.e. true vertical) and strength of the doorjambs vitally important to the overall operational durability and security of the door.


With Chandan Cinema Gone, Is This the End of Mumbai's Single-Screens?
Last Day, Last Show: With Chandan Cinema Gone, Is This the End of Mumbai's Affair With Single-Screens?
or most young people of this generation, surge pricing is something you pay for an Uber during rush hour, but there was a time when the term meant picking up tickets to a sold-out movie at the rate of "dus ka tees" from a scalper. The year was 2001, and my friends and I had paid a 3X surge price to get tickets to watch Lagaan at Chandan Cinema.
When the Champaner XI won the match against the hated angrez, the entire theatre erupted. Suddenly, there was no class, language or religious divide. We all were dancing in a celebratory frenzy. That's when it hit me – literally. Something whacked the back of my head and I realised that people from the balcony were throwing coins at the screen, to celebrate the success and victory. Back home, my dad told me it was an old custom, forgotten over time, when viewers threw coins to express their joy at the screen.
While I won't miss the feeling of having loose change chucked at my head, it's impossible not to feel wistful about hearing that the same Chandan Cinema I saw Lagaan and countless other movies at, is downing its shutters. It will soon give way for a shopping mall and a multiplex, going the route of so many other single-screen theatres in Mumbai, with their decades-old history and unique stories lost to time.
Chandan is – was – in Juhu, or as my mother used to say, "Amitabh ke bangle ke paas". The theatre of choice for any movie buff living in and around Andheri. Sure, the Parla crowd had Shaan, but they never had the A1 samosa, which Chandan offered. Over its 50 years of existence, Chandan has screened everything from golden oldies, to Lagaan, to last month's Gully Boy. Now, if you're the type that goes "Shhh!" at others in the theatre, Chandan or any single-screen is not the place for you. Seetis, gaalis, and exclamations accompany the entire runtime of a film. I watched Avengers: Infinity War in Chandan, and when Thor reached Wakanda, there was an uproar of close to three minutes, with shouts of "Ab dangal hoga!" and "Chandan main aaya bhoot, Thanos ki maa ki…" I guess you know where that sentence is going.
No longer will the board outside the ticket booth greet regulars with a sign proclaiming "180 Balcony / 90 Stall".
Simply put, if you truly want to know what a Mumbai crowd is like there are only a few places you should go to: Wankhede Stadium, Gaiety-Galaxy, and Chandan.
But single-screens like Chandan are fast losing ground to multiplexes. The model has been in decline for years now. As far back as 2010, a BBC report quoted Sameer Joshi, the owner of Chandan, as saying that the cinema had been sliding downwards since the 1980s. That 2010 report states that the owners of Chandan had managed to buy some time and stall the cinema's demise by carrying out renovations and refurbishments. Nine years on, Chandan's time has finally run out.
Even as the beloved cinema plays its final show, there are still those who remember a time when it was one of the premier theatres in the city. Gopi Nair, a senior teacher of production at Whistling Woods International, recalls when Sooraj Barjatya's superhit Hum Aapke Hain Koun…! released. Barjatya issued a diktat of sorts, which said that if the theatre didn't have AC, he wouldn't exhibit his film. Chandan was one of the first to comply and duly set an air-conditioning system, which then allowed them to run Hum Aapke Hain Koun…! successfully for 50 weeks straight. The theatre was one of the first to switch to Dolby Digital sound, when 1942: A Love Story released.
With the closing of Chandan, a chapter of Mumbai's cultural history has reached its coda. No longer will the board outside the ticket booth greet regulars with a sign proclaiming "180 Balcony / 90 Stall". There will be no more whistles when the hero makes his entrance, no "oohs and aahs" for the villain's machinations, and no more celebrations when good finally triumphs over evil. What will remain however, is the memory of the moments when the magic of celluloid mixed with the madness of reality to create something that couldn't exist anywhere else except here, right here at Chandan Cinema.


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(9009) Tirso ist ein Asteroid des Hauptgürtels. Er wurde am 23. April 1984 vom italienischen Astronomen Vincenzo Zappalà  am La-Silla-Observatorium der Europäischen Südsternwarte in Chile (IAU-Code 809) entdeckt.

Benannt wurde der Asteroid am 20. Mai 2008 nach dem Thyrsos, einem Attribut des Dionysos in Form eines Stabes.

Siehe auch
 Liste der Asteroiden

Weblinks

 (9009) Tirso in der Small-Body Database des Jet Propulsion Laboratory der NASA am California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, Kalifornien (englisch)
 Discovery Circumstances von (9009) Tirso gemäß dem Minor Planet Center der Internationalen Astronomischen Union beim Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts (englisch)

Hauptgürtelasteroid unter 50 km Durchmesser

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Home Arts & Culture College of Music and Performing Arts Commercial Music Showcase Features Best of School of Music
Commercial Music Showcase Features Best of School of Music
The Belmont University School of Music presented its 14th Annual Commercial Music Showcase Monday night, featuring the best solo performers, arrangers, instrumentalists, background vocalists and crew in the school's Commercial Music Program, chosen via auditions last September.
The five performers were :
Jack Young, a Senior Commercial Vocal Major from Palacios, Texas.
Lindsey Jones, a Senior Commercial Voice Major from Overland Park, Kansas.
Ricky Braddy, a Junior Commercial Major from Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
Alvin Love, a Junior Commercial Music Major from Nashville.
Sarah Silva, a Junior Commercial Vocal Major from Fort Smith, Arkansas.
The Commercial Music program is designed for students who wish to study contemporary/non-classical styles of music. The solo performer's in the Commercial Music Showcase are indicative of the broad range of Belmont's Commercial Music program. Each student will perform two songs, and several of the selections are original compositions. The concert also features the best of the School of Music's background vocalists, instrumentalists and crew. All of the music charts for the concert have been arranged by the students of Belmont's composition and arranging classes.
Belmont University School of Music offers a comprehensive curriculum in diverse musical styles for students of all ages, including bachelor's and master's degree programs, and preparatory study.
Klefstad Discusses her Book on Southern Festival of Books Panel
Hope Buckner - November 14, 2018
Associate Professor in the School of Music Dr. Terry Klefstad recently released the biography "Crooked RIver City: The Musical Life of Nashville's William Pursell." In...


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Memorable Manitobans: Joseph Saundry (1893-1974)
Editor and publisher.
Born at Port Isaac, Cornwall, England on 1 October 1893, he came to Canada in 1911. He was the editor and publisher of the Stonewall Argus, later in co-ownership with his nephew Bill Saundry, until retirement in 1960. On 15 November 1922, he married Agnes Winnifred Laing (1898-1989) at Stonewall and they had four daughters. He was a member of Stonewall United Church, Stonewall School Board (Chairman), Stonewall Curling Club, and Masons (Stonewall Lodge No. 12). He died at Stonewall on 25 June 1974 and was buried in the Stonewall Cemetery.
Marriage registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 26 June 1974, page 43.
Burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
Page revised: 7 October 2017


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Dispatches • Eating Out
Fair Game
Whiskey maker Jameson's guest chefs take aim at Britain's seasonal food...
The Jameson Works – launched by the famed Irish whiskey distiller – is a project that's digging deep into modern craft, unearthing the stories behind the country's most spirited and passionate makers and commissioning new work in order to reveal the creative process in rarely-seen detail. The Jameson Works x GAME is running to coincide with every pheasant's least favourite time of year, as tradition decrees it open season on the countryside's best game.
Three top chefs – James Lowe (Lyle's), Brad McDonald (The Lockhart) and Junya Yamasaki (Koya) – have been asked to apply their considerable skills in a series of how-to films that will prove a revelation to amateur cooks keen on mastering the effective preparation, cooking and serving of game dishes. In the first film, James talks us through the flavours of grouse and its handling prior to cooking. The second sees Brad explain how to work magic with hare, while in the third Junya tackles the very-British venison in a very Japanese way. The final film sees James introduce some ideas for the unusual game bird snipe. To find out more about these projects, and everything else going on at The Jameson Works, head to the website or join the conversation on Twitter via @Jameson_UK and #thejamesonworks. If you're a creative looking for financial support, submit your ideas to the Works' bursary for a chance of up to £4,000 in funding. Take a shot and get into the game!
@Jameson_UK
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At the beginning of the new millennium, young hipsters across the developed world started to shun the big names in beer production in favour of a more artisan approach to brewing. New flavours, techniques, and renewed passions saw a wealth of pale...
From unusual rules to the most impeccable quality, how to navigate the simplicity and sophistication of Japanese cuisine...
The simplicity and sophistication of oriental cuisine, and Japanese cuisine in particular, make it among the world's most recognisable international styles of cooking and eating. Even if you are a totally clueless diner, you can still derive...
Caña is a new online magazine dedicated to unearthing offbeat stories from the world of craft beer and its surrounding culture...
They say that good things come to those who wait. And in this case it's true. Two years after a failed Kickstarter attempt to launch Caña as an independent print magazine, our beer-swilling sister project returns this week as a new online magazine...
Creative uses of matcha and avocados are showing that being green and indulgent no longer need to be mutually exclusive...
It's easier than ever to be green, as healthier alternatives have finally found the acclaim they deserve. Matcha tea has become a commonplace flavour in the dessert world, including those of famed Belgian chocolatier Godiva. And this is a trend that...


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The Incredible Story Of The Hidden Mural Of Siqueiros In Buenos Aires
The Incredible Story Of The…
The case of David Alfaro Siqueiros' Plastic Exercise mural is an example of how art opens up space with unusual events in the news. Created in an atmosphere of controversy, in collaboration with prominent artists and using iconoclastic techniques that included film projections on the walls, this iconic work of Mexican muralism, otherwise valued at several million dollars, has suffered all kinds of setbacks. We can even say that he returned from oblivion to stay. It can be seen in all its splendor in the Plaza Colon of Buenos Aires.
The story of finding the plastic exercise mural, by David Alfaro Siqueiros, in a dark basement of an abandoned house in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, begins with a gloomy scene: "When you reach the basement, slowly and lit by the dim light of a candle, we began to try to interpret that bustle of shapeless figures, of harmonic colors, where only some foreshortenings put some order on the whole." That is the story of Héctor Mendizábal, author of the book "El mural de Siqueiros," in Argentina, which he co-wrote with Daniel Schavelzon. The story continues: "It seemed that things were not as figurative as the dim light, the dirt, the water that flowed through the broken windows, the graffiti on the paintings and the ashes of some occasional 'linyera' suggested."
Photo: Walter Raymond.
The Argentine adventure
The history of the mural is a story of forgetting and decades of failed efforts to bring it out of the shadows. David Alfaro Siqueiros came from Mexico, where mural art had reached great heights with artists such as Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco. He arrived in Buenos Aires in 1933, and although he spent only a few months in Argentina, he looked for walls in streets, even in squares and parks, because he considered that interior spaces limited mural painting. However, paradoxically, he ended up painting on one of the walls of the mansion of an Argentine magnate, more precisely, in the basement.
The Mexican artist received the commission to intervene a space reserved for playing poker. It was a complex place to paint, small, with curved walls and poor lighting. There he displayed Plastic Exercise: absolutely naked female figures, all with their legs crossed except for one girl, who experts later identified as Blanca Luz Brum, his wife, from whom he was separated. In contrast, the few male figures chastely hide their sex. Siqueiros's assistants were the artists Juan Carlos Castagnino, Antonio Berni and Lino Eneas Spilimbergo, later quoted masters of Argentine painting.
The mural lived a brief time of splendor, but then fell into oblivion. The residence was sold and its new owner – who perhaps did not know what she had at home – closed the basement. Years later, the property was sold to a new owner, who understood the value of the work in his basement, but could not do anything to salvage it.
Detail of the mural Plastic exercise.
As a result, tangled rumors of a superb mural by David Alfaro Siqueiros, hidden, in a basement spread across Mexico. In 1973, Jaime del Palacio, cultural attaché of Mexico, traveled to the rumored basement to verify the existence of the mural. As soon as he verified that the work was real, he decided to process his purchase, by the Mexican State, and transfer it to Mexico, but the bureaucracy did not allow the purchase.
Years later, the house was abandoned and became a refuge for vagabonds, who damaged the work, ignorant of its enormous value. However, in 1988, the house was part of a judicial auction, where those who knew of the mural renewed their energies to try to save it once more. This time, at last, they were successful.
The recuperation
The first attempts to save the mural included a meticulous cleaning and drying of the walls. Subsequently, they proceeded to demolish part of the house and dig around the enclosure to extract the walls, ceiling and floor where the mural was painted. The pieces were stored in a warehouse, awaiting display. But chance, again, put the work to sleep, for almost 20 years, wrapped in a tangle of disagreements, procedures and interventions of the Mexican and Argentinian governments.
Finally, in 2008, 75 years after its creation, the mysterious Siqueiros mural in Argentina was moved in boxes to the Casa Rosada Museum in Buenos Aires, and in 2009 it was restored to its original form, just as the artist had conceived it.
Plastic Exercise display entrance. / Photo: Walter Raymond.
Mexican muralism
Muralism was born in Mexico as an art sponsored by the State. Between 1923 and 1926, different artists painted 24 murals in official buildings. Siqueiros signed four of them: "The elements," "The call of freedom," "The burial of the worker" and "Myths." Later, the Mexican artist, known for having a difficult and conflicting personality, settled down in the city of Montevideo, to then go to Buenos Aires, where the long history of his plastic Exercise began.
The next time you visit Buenos Aires, take time to visit the Siqueiros mural, a piece of Mexican art, culture, and history, in Argentina. ■
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Your career is your responsibility and taking good care of it yields long-lasting and fruitful results. Your manager and company do not own your career and expecting them to babysit you is a far-fetched dream.
Your career growth plan will provide a touchstone for measuring the desired outcomes to which you and your manager have agreed to. The career growth plan is not limited to providing structure to the growth process and more about solidifying a shared vision among you and your manager about what your relationship hopes to accomplish and the methods for attaining these goals. A growth plan is a collaboration tool between you and your manager. The career growth plan is a facilitator for discussions about how to get from the present to a more desired future.
What type of work would you like to do?
Where would you want to be in the organization?
What is important to you in the career?
Start by identifying career and personal opportunities and select the ones that interest you. Once you are done with the possibilities, identify developmental needs by comparing skills and strengths with those needed for the career choice you have selected. Don't try to boil the ocean, prioritize tour developmental area to prepare for a discussion with your manager.
Identify learning needs and knowledge gaps needed to attain the milestones and methods to address these needs or close the knowledge gap.
Once you are done with documenting your career growth plan, it can be laid out as a matrix of Areas of development, Activities, and methods used to perform them, Frequency of activities performed and desired learning outcomes. Last but not the least the plan must include the ownership matrix, i.e., to be completed by and review dates and the person responsible for it (you or your manager).
With the advent of Artificial Intelligence and quantum computing, lifelong learning is the only way to survive and thrive in this impending transition. Hopefully, you will use these tools to grow and cement your career.


The city of Lagos will take center stage at theToronto International Film Festival [TIFF] Thursday.
The commercial capital of Nigeria has been chosen as part of the 'City to City' programme. Each year a city is selected and filmmakers living and working there are showcased. Previous featured cities include; London, Mumbai and Seoul, this year eight Nigerian films will be screened.
"Lagos is entirely unique," said Cameron Bailey the programme curator in a statement. "The city of Fela Kuti's music has also given birth to one of the world's most vibrant film industries."
"The 1,000 low-budget features 'Nollywood' produces each year generate about $1 billion in box office. Now, from that commercial hotbed, a new generation of filmmakers is emerging to both advance and challenge Nollywood."
For TIFF International Rising Star Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama, global recognition of the world's second largest film industry has been a long time coming.
"It's about time for Nollywood to start getting the right attention," the actress told CNN.
"I know our movies get exported, but it almost seemed like it's because we have [Nigerian] immigrants in different parts of the world. It was still our audience demanding for it. But now a huge film festival like TIFF, this isn't just Africans in Canada. Now we've gotten attention from a major film festival. "
In addition to the recognition, Iyamah-Idhalama hopes the films will showcase the wide range of Nigerian storytelling and change perceptions about Nigerians.
"A movie like 93 days is talking about Ebola and heroism in Nigeria. It's almost an oxymoron; Nigeria and heroes," she said. "We're now beginning to tell stories that will motivate the average person to make a difference."
Iyamah-Idhalama, who stars in three of the films featured at TIFF, including '93 Days' and 'The Wedding Party,' started acting in 2012, a time she says the industry started to shift.
"People were beginning to see hope," she explained. "People were beginning to take the arts more seriously...a lot of things were happening. You could see there was a major shift that was beginning to happen."
Nollywood generates an estimated $600 million a year and is extremely popular at home, but the industry still faces challenges.
"We have grown tremendously," she continued. " [But] we still have a long way to go. There's still a structure that needs to be put in place, we still need to build an ecosystem but we've come a long way."
One of the major challenges facing the industry is piracy, rampant due to weak copyright laws and enforcement. According to the World Bank for every legitimate copy of a movie sold, nine are pirated, costing the industry billions in revenue.
At a time where the Nigerian economy continues to stall, Nollywood has been touted as a lifeline but only if these challenges are tackled head on by the government.
"Let's be honest our economy is not the best right now, but we are a people that push through tribulation," she said.
"Entertainment is always our fallback, if we get the support that we need from the government trying to curb piracy and put certain laws in place we can do better work," she continued. "We can export [that] and get the box office numbers without having to go through oil or agriculture."
Despite the challenges, Iyamah-Idhalama is hopeful and excited about the opportunities TIFF will bring the industry. "I'm just excited to have the opportunity to tell African stories as an African."
The Toronto International Film Festival has been celebrating the best of international and Canadian cinema for over 40 years, they introduced the City to City programme eight years ago. The 41st Toronto International Film Festival runs September 8 to 18, 2016.


KJAM Kids Choir is a great place for children 4 years old (by 9/1/2018) through 5th grade to learn about worship and how to praise the Lord in their everyday lives. Kids in both of our programs (PreK-1st grade and 2nd-5th grade) also get the opportunity to lead worship each semester.
KJAM meets on Sundays from 5-6pm in the Childrens' Theater. Register online and join us next Sunday!
For more information, contact Jane York in the Worship Office, kjam@fbcba.org.
If your child is interested in being a part of KJAM please fill out the form below. After you have submitted your info, we will contact you with all the information you need to know to get started.


SciLor's Open Source Forums • View topic - SciLor's grooveshark™.com Downloader v0.4.12 released!
SciLor's grooveshark™.com Downloader v0.4.12 released!
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Palestinians want Israeli citizenship
By Jackson Diehl | January 12, 2011
By Jackson Diehl
One of the givens of the Middle East peace process is that Palestinians are eager to be free of rule by Israel and to live in a state of their own. That's why a new poll of the Arabs of East Jerusalem is striking: It shows that more of those people actually would prefer to be citizens of Israel than of a Palestinian state.
The poll, conducted in November, may be something of an embarrassment to Palestinian political leaders, who lately have been insisting that Israel should stop expanding settlements in the eastern half of Jerusalem -- in effect giving up any claim to it -- as a precondition for the resumption of peace negotiations. This week the demolition of a hotel in an Arab neighborhood in preparation for the construction of Jewish housing prompted fresh criticism of Israel from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, while a leaked memo from European Union diplomats stationed in the city proposed that EU governments recognizeEast Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state.
The awkward fact is that the 270,000 Arabs who live in East Jerusalem may not be very enthusiastic about joining Palestine. The survey, which was designed and supervised by former State Department Middle East researcher David Pollock, found that only 30 percent said they would prefer to be citizens of Palestine in a two-state solution, while 35 percent said they would choose Israeli citizenship. (The rest said they didn't know or refused to answer.) Forty percent said they would consider moving to another neighborhood in order to become a citizen of Israel rather than Palestine, and 54 percent said that if their neighborhood were assigned to Israel, they would not move to Palestine.
The reasons for these attitudes are pretty understandable, even healthy. Arabs say they prefer Israel's jobs, schools, health care and welfare benefits to those of a Palestinian state -- and their nationalism is not strong enough for them to set aside these advantages in order to live in an Arab country. The East Jerusalemites don't much love Israel -- they say they suffer from discrimination. But they seem to like what it has to offer. Remarkably, 56 percent said they traveled inside Israel at least once a week; 60 percent said access to its Mediterranean beaches was "very important" or "moderately important" to them.
"Quite clearly there is a discrepancy between people's attitudes and the assumption that Palestinian neighborhoods should be part of Palestine," said Pollock, whose work was sponsored by Pechter Middle East polls and the Council on Foreign Relations. "That's not actually what the people want."
It's important to note that East Jerusalem Palestinians are different from West Bank or Gaza Palestinians -- they live on Israel's side of its West Bank barrier and hold "blue cards" that allow them access to Israeli jobs, health care, and welfare payments. Many are middle class by Middle Eastern standards -- 44 percent of those surveyed had household incomes of more than $1,300 per month. Broadly, they resemble Israel's Arab citizens, who have also been shown in polls to prefer remaining in Israel to joining a Palestinian state.
The East Jerusalemites do have one thing in common with other Palestinians, as well as Israelis: They are pessimistic about the current peace process. More than 40 percent said that even if Israelis and Palestinians signed a peace deal and East Jerusalem became the capital of a new state, some Palestinian militants would certainly or probably continue an armed struggle against Israel. And fully 64 percent said it was very likely or somewhat likely that if the current negotiations collapse, there will be a new intifada, or uprising by Palestinians, including those in Jerusalem.
The bottom line messages seem to be that peace talks are essential to prevent violence, but that even success won't lead to total peace; and that a lot of Palestinians would prefer to live near, but not in, a Palestinian state.


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🎧 Letters On England by Voltaire
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Francois-Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire, was born in Paris in 1694, dying there in 1778 aged 83. A celebrated philosopher, poet, and writer, he was arrested in 1726 as part of a feud with Guy Auguste de Rohan-Chabot. Imprisoned in the Bastille, he requested exile in Great Britain rather than prolonged incarceration. Voltaire spent two and a half years in England, during which he wrote a series of letters home on his observations of eighteenth century Britain.
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_FIXTURES
_POINTS TABLE
STATE LEAGUES
_GOA PRO LEAGUE
_CALCUTTA FOOTBALL LEAGUE
_MIZORAM PREMIER LEAGUE
HomeSAFF Cup gets Title Sponsor
SAFF Cup gets Title Sponsor
Unknown 23:09:00
South Asian Football Federation has announced Suzuki Motor Corp as the title sponsor of 2015 SAFF Cup, the Bi-annual Football Championship of South Asia. The tournament this would be called SAFF Suzuki Cup. The Championship will start from 23rd December and played in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Afghanistan is the defending Champions having won the title in 2013, held in Nepal. Afghanistan will participate as Guest nation as they migrated to Central Asian Football Federation in 2014.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Kazi Mohd. Sallahuddin, President, SAFF said, "Today, football In South Asia is growing rapidly and we are proud that the SAFF Championship is South Asia's Top football event.This year we announce Suzuki as our title sponsor. We look forward to Suzuki's support in building the profile of SAFF Suzuki Cup and elevating its stature Across Asia."
"We are Honoured to become the title sponsors of SAFF Suzuki Cup 2015. With SAFF Sponsorship, we Hope to contribute To the growing popularity of football In Asia. Also, we would appreciate if more people get to know our brand through this oppurtunity." said Kinji Saito, MD, Suzuki Motor Corporation.
Apart from the host INDIA and defending Champions Afghanistan, the tournament will feature Pakistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. India is the most successful team in the competition, having won the Championship 6 times, 2011 being the last time the Blue Tigers had their hands over the Silverware.
UTTARAKHAND SUPER LEAGUE TO START FROM JULY 10
I-League: Prize Money & Subsidies Increase, Fed Cup To Be Back.
AIZAWL FC INAUGURATES MERCHANDISE STORE
AFC Champions League 1
AFC Cup 5
AIFF 11
Calcutta Football League 8
Goa Pro League 5
I-League 167
Indian Super League 41
Indian Women's League 9
Manipur State League 4
Mizoram Premier League 21
IF ITS INDIAN FOOTBALL, ITS HERE!!!
HERO I-LEAGUE SCHEDULE RELEASED. TO KICK OFF FROM NOV 4.
MARINERS STEAL A POINT AT DEFENDING CHAMPIONS FORTRESS
BISHORJIT'S HEROIC UNDER WOODWORK REIGNITES NEROCA'S TITLE DREAM


Ms Zombra Maimouna (with bicycle) and members of the Pagou women farmers group in Burkina Faso. Photo. A. Diama, ICRISAT.
Ms Bambara Alizeta, one of the pioneer seed producers, says, "I used to grow a local variety which yielded very little. With SH 470P, I harvested two bags (200 kg) in over a quarter of a hectare, where I could barely harvest a bag. The seeds of the local variety were also too small and difficult to decorticate." Alizeta attributes the increased yields to both improved varieties and good agronomic practices. "I have adopted row planting and many other improved practices that I have been trained in. I even applied fertilizer to my groundnut field!" she says. Fertilizer is a scarce commodity in these regions.
Madam Clarisse, a pioneer community groundnut seed producer of QH 243C from To in the Western Centre Region, earned about US$ 300 from her production during that year. She had shared the seed with three new members and introduced them to community seed production in 2016. In return, these women will share their produce with three other women.
"The project has involved not only women but our entire community in the production of quality declared seeds. There are many others who can't wait to start groundnut production," says Alizeta.
Following the success of the women participating in community seed production, men in the community have also started showing an interest in the practice. "When I saw the quantity of harvest that my wife got from her improved groundnut seed production plot in 2016, it was far better compared to what we get from our local variety. I said to myself, why is this project investing in just women? If only I could get this improved variety, I could compete with my wife," says Biyen Gaston, whose wife is a community seed producer in To, Burkina Faso.
The community seed system is effective not just for groundnut but is being used by women for other crops such as cowpea.
Groundnut and cowpea are important food-and-feed crops in Africa and also an important source of income for producers, especially women. Several efforts to introduce improved varieties and increase adoption of these varieties have been made under the Tropical Legumes project, with the intent of helping smallholder farmers improve yields and ensure better incomes with varieties that are drought tolerant and resistant to leaf spot diseases and aflatoxin contamination.
Within innovation platforms, researchers from several partner organizations are responsible for the introduction and dissemination of new high-yielding groundnut and cowpea varieties. The platforms allow farmers to access best varieties that are suitable for their use, thus facilitating better adoption and success of these interventions. The role of local partners such as INERA and extension workers who are constantly in touch with producers is crucial for selection of varieties adapted to the socio-economic condition of producers.
This work was carried out as part of the Tropical Legumes III project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation under the CGIAR Research Program (CRP) Grain Legumes till 2016 and CRP Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals from 2018 onwards.