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Murray on Confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education: This is Not The End of the Story - I Will Keep Up the Fight
For the first time in history, a Cabinet nominee was confirmed with VP breaking 50-50 tie
Senators have received hundreds of thousands of calls, emails, and petitions opposing DeVos' nomination
Murray: "We may not have won this fight today, but people across the country have stood up and made their voices heard"
ICYMI—Senate Dems refused to yield floor in final 24-hour push—LINK
Murray: "Millions of people across the country who have been activated and energized by opposition to this nomination do not consider this to be the end of the story"
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, the Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education in a tie vote of 50-50, broken by Vice President Mike Pence. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led Senate Democrats in a 24-hour final debate prior to today's vote. Senator Murray released the following statement after DeVos' confirmation, ensuring that this is not the end of the story, and that the fight to defend strong public education will go on.
"We may not have won this fight today, but people across the country have stood up and made their voices heard on the importance of strong public education in America, and we are not going to stand down.
"Republicans ignored the pressure from their constituents and jammed this nomination through with a historic tie-breaking vote from Vice President Pence. But it was truly inspiring to see millions of people energized and making their voices heard. People wrote letters, called offices, posted on social media, and showed up to protest this nomination—many of whom had never done anything like that before.
"The reason that opposition to Betsy DeVos caught fire is clear. To so many of us, education hits so close to home—it's about our kids, our grandkids, and our communities. We believe that a commitment to strong public education for every student in our country is such a core part of the American promise, and we were proud to stand up and fight back against someone who threatened that.
"Betsy DeVos will be our next Secretary of Education, but it is clear that people across the country and Democrats and Republicans here in the Senate believe that we should work together to strengthen public education, not privatize or defund it. So I am hopeful that she enters her new role taking this to heart, and ready to adjust her views. I know that millions of people across the country who have been activated and energized by opposition to this nomination do not consider this to be the end of the story, and I plan to keep up the fight by their side to hold Betsy DeVos accountable and push her to do the right thing for parents and students."
This is the first time in history that a cabinet nominee was confirmed by a Vice President's tie-breaking vote. Senate Republicans rushed through the nomination of DeVos even though serious questions remain about her tangled finances and potential conflicts of interest, and her nomination has generated overwhelming public outcry across the country. Senate Democrats and Republicans have received hundreds of thousands of calls, emails, and petitions from constituents expressing their deep concern with DeVos' qualifications and positions.
Excerpts from Senator Murray's remarks as prepared for delivery prior to the final vote:
"I come to the floor today to make one final push before this vote. To make the case one last time. Because we are so, so close. Because this is so important. And because we have a real shot, right now, to show people across the country that the United States Senate can listen to them. That their voices matter. And that their Senators put them—their kids, their families, their futures—above loyalty to a Party or a President."
"Over the past few weeks, people have learned about Betsy DeVos' tangled finances and potential conflicts of interest. How she and her family have given hundreds of millions of dollars to Republicans and extreme conservative groups. They have learned about her failed record. How she has spent her career and her inherited fortune pushing anti-public school policies that have hurt so many students in her home state of Michigan and across the country. They have learned about the extreme right wing ideology that drives her. How she wants to bring her anti-government, free-market-above-all philosophy to an education system that she has called nothing more than "an industry" and "a dead end.""
"People across the country saw a nominee who was clearly ill-informed, and confused—and who gave a number of very concerning responses to serious and reasonable questions. In that hearing, Betsy DeVos refused to rule out slashing investments in, or privatizing, public schools. She was confused that federal law provides protections for students with disabilities."
"Over the past two weeks, we have seen unprecedented levels of engagement from people on this nomination. I've received tens of thousands of calls from people urging me to oppose Betsy DeVos. Almost fifty thousand letters. Hundreds of thousands of people across the country are calling and emailing their Senators—and joining protests in their communities. Millions are sharing information on social media. Many of these people have never been involved in anything political before—but felt the need to get engaged now. And—it has made a difference. Right now we have every single Democrat opposing this nomination. We have two Republicans who have listened to their constituents and joined us."
"We are dead even—and for the first time in history, the Vice President could be called on to cast the tie-breaking vote on a cabinet nominee. But—we just need one more one more Republican—just one more—to join us and prevent that from happening. We just need one more Republican—just one more—to help us show people across the country that their voice matters in this debate. We just need one more Republican—just one more—to stand with people across the country—and say no to Betsy DeVos."
"So I am here to finish this debate where we started. Standing with students. With parents. With teachers. With the people in my home state of Washington and across the country who support strong public schools and true education opportunities for all. And with the Democrats and Republicans across the country who have poured their heart and soul into opposing this nominee. I stand with you. And I urge just one more Republican to join us. Thank you."
Senator Murray's full remarks as prepared for delivery before the final vote:
Democrats have been here on the Senate floor for the past 24 hours straight. Talking about the importance of public education. Sharing stories from parents, students, and teachers in our home states. Highlighting all of the reasons for Senators to stand with us, stand with their constituents, stand with other Republicans who are doing the right thing and urging them to say no to Betsy DeVos and her plans to privatize public schools and destroy public education in America
But—I come to the floor today to make one final push before this vote. To make the case one last time. Because we are so, so close. Because this is so important. And because we have a real shot, right now, to show people across the country that the United States Senate can listen to them. That their voices matter. And that their Senators put them—their kids, their families, their futures—above loyalty to a Party or a President.
I've talked about my frustration at the fact that Republican leaders did everything they could to jam this nominee through the Senate—cutting corners and rushing into a hearing before her ethics paperwork was in; blocking Democrats from asking more than five minutes of questions; forcing a vote before all of our questions were answered about her tangled finances and potential conflicts of interest; and rushing straight from the Committee vote to the shortest possible floor debate they could manage.
So I won't spend any more time on that today. Because the truth is—despite Republicans' best efforts—people across the country have learned a whole lot about Betsy DeVos over the past few weeks. And the more they've learned about her, the less they've liked. And the more outraged they've become.
Over the past few weeks, people have learned about Betsy DeVos' tangled finances and potential conflicts of interest. How she and her family have given hundreds of millions of dollars to Republicans and extreme conservative groups. They have learned about her failed record. How she has spent her career and her inherited fortune pushing anti-public school policies that have hurt so many students in her home state of Michigan and across the country.
They have learned about the extreme right wing ideology that drives her. How she wants to bring her anti-government, free-market-above-all philosophy to an education system that she has called nothing more than "an industry" and "a dead end." And—when people saw her in her hearing—they learned even more.
When they watched Betsy DeVos in that hearing room. Whether they saw it live, on the evening news, on the Daily Show, the View, or one of the many other shows covering it—on one of the many clips that went viral on social media, or shared by a friend or family member a whole lot of people were introduced to Betsy DeVos for the first time in that hearing—and they were not impressed.
She didn't understand a basic issue in education policy—the debate surrounding whether students should be measured based on their proficiency, or their growth. She argued that guns needed to be allowed in schools across the country to "protect from grizzlies." Even though she was willing to say President Trump's behavior toward women should be considered sexual assault—she wouldn't commit to actually enforcing federal law protecting women and girls in our schools.
And—those were just a few moments in that hearing that made it clear why Betsy DeVos is not qualified to do this job—there were so many more. What people saw in that hearing wasn't just a nominee who didn't understand the issues. They saw a nominee for Secretary of Education who clearly didn't think about public education, and public schools, the way they did. For most people, public education hits close to home. It's part of who we are—our families, and our communities.
So many of us owe everything we have to public education. We've watched our kids, our grandkids, our neighbors get on the bus to their local public school. Many of us have taught in public schools—or have family or friends who walk into classrooms every single day to help our students learn. And so many of us believe a commitment to strong public schools, that offer an education and opportunities to every student—is such a core part of the American promise.
So when we saw someone nominated to this position who knows so little about public education, who clearly cares so little about public education, whose strongest connection to public schools is through her dedication to tearing them down, that really struck a chord with a whole lot of people. And they decided to make their voices heard.
Over the past two weeks, we have seen unprecedented levels of engagement from people on this nomination. I've received tens of thousands of calls from people urging me to oppose Betsy DeVos. Almost fifty thousand letters. Hundreds of thousands of people across the country are calling and emailing their Senators—and joining protests in their communities. Millions are sharing information on social media.
Many of these people have never been involved in anything political before—but felt the need to get engaged now. And—it has made a difference. Right now we have every single Democrat opposing this nomination. We have two Republicans who have listened to their constituents and joined us.
So we are dead even—and for the first time in history, the Vice President could be called on to cast the tie-breaking vote on a cabinet nominee. But—we just need one more one more Republican—just one more—to join us and prevent that from happening. We just need one more Republican—just one more—to help us show people across the country that their voice matters in this debate. We just need one more Republican—just one more—to stand with people across the country—and say no to Betsy DeVos.
So I am here to finish this debate where we started. Standing with students. With parents. With teachers. With the people in my home state of Washington and across the country who support strong public schools and true education opportunities for all. And with the Democrats and Republicans across the country who have poured their heart and soul into opposing this nominee.
I stand with you. And I urge just one more Republican to join us. Thank you.


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Talisman Pendant; set in Gun Metal Effect bezel.
This piece includes Millefiori Glass Beads, and an Integrated Bale. Finished with a high quality resin.
This individual piece is approximately 18mm wide, and 6.5mm deep (measurements exclude the bale).


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Ransomware, stolen data or malware: How do online crooks really make their money?
The cybercrime economy has "now become a kind of mirror image of contemporary capitalism", says paper.
By Danny Palmer | April 20, 2018 -- 11:59 GMT (04:59 PDT) | Topic: Security
Into the Web of Profit report: Cybercrime's global revenues hit $1.5 trillion The cybercrime economy has "now become a kind of mirror image of contemporary capitalism", says paper.
The cybercriminal economy has hit global revenues of $1.5 trillion a year, according to a study which shows the vast scale of cybercrime and how profits are acquired, laundered, spent and reinvested.
A nine-month long investigation into cybercriminal activity warns that actions by criminals on the dark web and beyond should be classed as an economy in its own right in order to account for the vast web of activity and actors involved.
"The metaphor of 'cybercrime as a business' is no longer adequate to capture its complexities." says the Into the Web of Profit report, commissioned by Bromium and conducted by the University of Surrey.
"A more appropriate metaphor is an economy, not a business; a structure functioning as a literal "Web of Profit" - a hyper-connected range of economic agents, economic relationships and other factors now capable of generating, supporting and maintaining criminal revenues at unprecedented scale."
Such is the extent of the economic model around cybercrime, the report suggests that it has "now become a kind of mirror image of contemporary capitalism" complete with disruptive business models.
"The main contribution of platforms is to connect individuals with a service or product - the platforms produce nothing themselves in this process, but the users provide platforms with the most precious of all commodities within an information-based economy - their data," said Dr. Michael McGuire, senior lecturer of criminality at the University of Surrey and lead researcher of the report.
The success of these platforms has helped the cybercriminal economy generate at least $1.5 trillion in revenue a year. Illegal online markets, selling items like drugs, illegal pharmaceuticals and counterfeit goods counting for about half of the total revenue - $860 billion.
Pilfering of trade secrets and IP theft is said to account for just over a third of cybercriminal revenue, with a value of $500 billion.
See also: Cyberwar: A guide to the frightening future of online conflict
However, there's still plenty of revenue being generated by lower level cybercrime - the use and sale of stolen data as an object of commerce is described as a "vibrant part of the cybercrime economy" and accounts for 11 percent - or $160 billion - of total revenues. While the revenues are lower than selling items or trade secrets, it's a lower risk activity and thus more attractive to some than original theft.
The likes of cybercrime-as-a-service and malware distribution bring in some of the lowest revenues of the criminal economy - accounting for $1.6 billion in revenue - but represent high yield options for individual cybercriminals.
Ransomware also falls into this model, accounting for $1 billion in revenue in its own right, and something individuals can easily profit from.
"Certainly, the claim that ransomware represents one of the most lucrative cybercrimes may hold in the case of individual attacks, but the overall revenues remain low in comparison to other categories," says the report.
See also: Ransomware: An executive guide to one of the biggest menaces on the web
As increasing profits are made from cybercrime, those operating in this sphere require ever-more complex ways of laundering the funds. The report suggests that, of the estimated £2 trillion of laundered money being circulated around the globe, $200 billion can be attributed to revenues derived from cybercrime.
Those operating in the online space are increasingly picking up practices from traditional crime gangs and deploying methods of laundering -- such as illicit uses of the legitimate banking system, money mules, shell companies, and wire transfers -- in order to hide activity.
While cryptocurreny is a popular means of trading on the dark web, the report suggests it doesn't have widespread use when it comes to laundering profits, with only four percent of money laundered in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
When it comes to spending illegal profits, cybercriminals are acting in much the same way as traditional gangs - using it to buy everything from household commodities, to luxury items, to sports cars and even property.
However, for some, this isn't the end of the road, with cybercriminals often choosing to invest in additional tools for further hacking, cyberattacks and online crime. Unfortunately, what all of this likely means for legitimate consumers and businesses is an increasing number of attacks in future.
"The platform criminality model is productizing malware and making cybercrime as easy as shopping online," said Gregory Webb, chief executive of Bromium.
"Not only is it easy to access cybercriminal services and expertise; it means business - both public and private - are going to see more attacks with increasing sophistication. We expect an onslaught of attacks as The Web of Profit gains momentum."
READ MORE ON CYBERCRIME
Cybercrime drains $600 billion a year from the global economy, says report
Here be monsters: A guide to the dark web [CNET]
Ransomware: Not dead, but evolving nasty new tricks
How cybercriminals take advantage of Black Friday on the Dark Web [TechRepublic]
Software code signing certificates worth more than guns on the Dark Web
Security TV Data Management CXO Data Centers
More from Danny Palmer
Travelex says some in-store systems are back up and running after ransomware attack
This giant botnet has just sprung back to life pushing a big phishing campaign

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Constellation Energy Projects and Services Group sought to build a 35,000 square foot central plant to furnish chilled and hot water to the energy transfer station located in the 17-story Canton Crossing office tower. The central plant provides service to several of the office buildings and restaurants within the complex.
(2) hot water 500 HP boilers, one hot water 80 HP boiler.
A 30,000 gallon fuel storage tank.
Our proactive coordination on this mechanical construction project was an intricate part in the prompt identification and resolution of potential design and installation issues. Vandalism occurred on the project during construction. This crime could have impeded the project schedule; however, Poole and Kent's project team worked closely with Constellation Energy and Hale Properties to ensure the timely recovery of materials and immediate repair to the project.
"Your project team demonstrated not only a clear understanding of the project requirements, but also their understanding of large central plant and district energy projects in general, which was an invaluable asset to our team."


World Hepatitis Day 2016 was celebrated on 28th July. People all over the world pledged to continue their efforts of putting an end to this disease, which affect millions of people across the globe, every year. Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver, which is caused by viruses, autoimmune disease and toxic materials.
World Health organization (WHO) has categorized Hepatitis into its categories, which are A, B, C, D and E. Hepatitis A and E are caused due to the consumption of contaminated food and liquids while Hepatitis B, C and D are caused due to the contact with infected body fluids. Hepatitis is also transferred from one person to another through the donation of contaminated blood or even through the use of unsterilized medical equipment during any medical treatment. Thus, a mother can also transfer Hepatitis B to her newly born baby at the time of birth and it can also be transferred through sexual contact.
Some of the common hepatitis symptoms are lethargy, poor diet, nausea, fewer and jaundice. Even when a person does not reveal any apparent symptoms, the liver is being damaged to a great extent if he has hepatitis. One of the biggest risks with hepatitis is this fact that a person may not even know that he is being infected.
On World Hepatitis Day 2016, awareness for hygienic conditions was spread to let hepatitis has minimum chances of spread and infection among people at their homes, as well as, outside.


The field of genetics and bioengineering is one of the fastest growing fields in science and technology. Our multidisciplinary MSc program at International Burch University is unique since it encompasses two of the confronting aspects of science and technology. Multidisciplinary and multiaspect approach within our MSc program enables students to develop a unique perspective and continue work and education in different fileds not only in Bosnia and Herzegovina but worldwide.


Josh Smith, a Gulfstream 550 and 450 pilot with a large corporate flight department, provides comprehensive feedback on his evaluation of the APS Integrated Jet Upset Prevention and Recovery Training program. Josh comments on the psychophysiology of the live on-aircraft upset training and the importance of addressing startle, surprise and uncommon aerodynamic characteristics of flight beyond certain specified limits. Please take a moment to review his insightful comments.


José Arellano-Galindo, Luz María Rocha-Ramírez, Sergio Zavala-Vega, Elva Jiménez-Hernández, Juan Xicotencatl-Cortés, Sara Ochoa-Pérez et al.
Childhood acute leukemias are one of the main causes of death in children aged 1 to 14 years in some countries; and unfortunately, we have been unable to prevent it. Certainly, a good parcel of it is due to the poor understanding about its etiology. This book aims to describe the most important theories and hypothesis regarding childhood acute leukemia. Written by the most outstanding researchers in the field, this book intends to contribute to a greater understanding of the etiology of this disease. It goes beyond the simple and common analysis of risk factors, which hardly allows us to draw definite conclusions. By addressing the etiology of the disease, discussing from molecular biology until epidemiology and clinical manifestations, this book will guide present and future approaches, contributing for a better clinical management of leukemia in children. The knowledge regarding etiology is a crucial step for a better evaluation, prevention and treatment of a disease. Thus, this book finally intends to provide such knowledge, allowing physicians and practitioners to a better manage of childhood acute leukemias.


Control and monitor your lights and appliances with your smartphone with the WiOn indoor switch. Set your lights to turn on at dusk or program your fan to turn off after a set amount of time, from anywhere.
Get Your WiOn Indoor Wi-Fi Light Switch Now!


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From scientific marvels like Isaac Newton, Nikola Tesla and Einstein to the unexplained artistic intellect of Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Leonardo DaVinci, all geniuses have one common trait.
No matter who you are, what you do, where you are from and what personal characteristics render you, if you are a genius you have a certain amount of aloneness.
Aloneness does not mean being lonely. It has nothing to do with how they feel but rather how they live inside their mind.
Take for example Isaac Newton and Richard Feynman. They were both scientific geniuses but very different on a first glance.
Isaac Newton was solitary, anti social, some even say unpleasant. He was alone most of his life and he had never even been with a woman or had a family.
Richard Feynman was gregarious, funny, even a great dancer. People describe him as a man who was outgoing and loved women.
However, both of them were the most genius people that ever lived on this planet. So you can't generalize a genius by some character trait.
That's why you have to look deeper into their minds and there really is one deeper trait that they all possessed. That's aloneness.
Both had this alone place inside their minds where they would go to think, work, create.
Not just them, all genius people preferred aloneness than being with others.
All genius people have this trait. All of them, no matter in what area they shine have been described as people who would rather work alone than with others.
Genius people have the ability to concentrate with a sort of intensity that's present only when they are alone.
Some of them might be portrayed as great teachers, but what they really are is great lecturers, great communicators.
They don't work well with others. Or we can say, they work unquestionably more effectively when they are alone.
That's why there is such variety of genius minds. They can invent and create in various fields because genius goes deeper than character, environment or circumstance. It cannot be reverse engineered from some character traits.
Movies, media and stories might have painted an image of a genius person, the crazy loner with messy hair that is incredibly good at physics and math.
But in reality a genius can be anyone, a painter, a singer, even a computer programmer. A genius can be any one of us and excel in whatever area that excites their heart.


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CA OC ES EN FR
Arenys de Mar Museum
Marès Lace Museum
Lace in Catalonia
Lace dress. Photo by Irene Masriera. Marès Lace Museum. Arenys de Mar Museum.
The historical centers of handmade lace in Catalonia
Catalonia is a country were handmade lace has had a long tradition of manufacturers. From the 17th century, handmade lace was produced in many areas, but we will only highlight three because of its higher importance:
The Maresme (the northern coast of Barcelona's province) from Malgrat, including some villages from La Selva to Montgat, since mid-17th century to the mid-20th century was an area dedicated to handmade lace production, specializing in fine white lace. The ret fi or Arenys lace was created in this area.
Barcelona and Baix Llobregat area. From mid-17th century to the end of the 19th century, the whole area was dedicated to the production of lace, especially the production of the black lace. Barcelona was the capital where the main manufacturers of handmade lace were situated, as well as where the first mechanical lace factories were set in Spain.
L'Arboç del Penedès is the most important center in the south of Barcelona. The lace business existed in this area since the 19th century.
The Catalan lace makers skillfully performed various techniques, some being simple and others more complex. Due to the proximity with France, various new French techniques were introduced, such as: Valenciennes lace, Lille lace, Le Puy lace and foremost, the blonde. Here you may touch these samples and appreciate the quality of the work.
The Catalan lace main types
The handmade lace is made with bobbin or needles. From these two basic techniques, evolved a varied terminology in order to describe the different styles. With regards the mechanical lace, the quality of the piece also depends on the machines used in the lace production: Leavers or Raschel.
Catalan point
Not exactly a lace, because it is made from tissue. It is done by removing the threads with a needle to create radial forms. The first works are from the 16th-17th century and are called Catalan lace. They resemble creations made in Castilla-León and Extremadura where they are called soles (suns).
The ret fi or the Arenys lace
In the Maresme country, in the late 18th century and early 19th century, a technique of white lace made of cotton or linen was developed, which was called ret fi or Arenys lace. This type of lace is characterized by geometric designs similar to other European techniques of the time like the Lille, the Melines or tonder. The ret fi was often used for ecclesiastical and domestic purposes as they were pieces that could be cleaned and ironed easily.
Blonde appeared in France in the 18th century and quickly arrived in Catalonia where major design houses used the handmade lace in mantillas, veils, shawls, scarves... The Catalan blonde was very popular throughout Europe and America. In the late 18th century lace makers from Mataró founded a lace company in Almagro (in the province of Ciudad Real), where the tradition is still maintained.
The Barcelona lace
The Barcelona lace was created in 1952 by Antonia and Montserrat Raventós, founders of the Barcelona School of Lace. The Archbishop of Barcelona commissioned them with the works of the tablecloth for the high altar of the Cathedral of Barcelona for the Episcopal Conference. The Barcelona lace is a technique that combines the work of the needle with the bobbin.
Arboç Blonde
The Arboç lace is also popularly known as the lace of l'Arboç. It is characterized by the tulle background and the decorative elements which tend to be inspired by nature.
Blonda bordana
Halfway between the mechanical laces and handmade laces is the blonda bordana. It is a mechanical embroidered tulle imitating the blonde lace. Its use was very popular among the bourgeoisie as the cost was inferior to the handmade lace. During the 19th century, in the Misericordia House in Barcelona many excellent pieces were produced in this technique.
Mechanical lace
The first machines for the mechanical lace were installed in Barcelona during the early 19th century. The Leavers machines and later on the Raschel machines produced laces of an excellent quality.
The Lace as a business
Although handmade lace was made in Catalonia since the 17th century, only from the second half of the 18th century in the Catalan coast, from Tossa de Mar to Barcelona, the surroundings of the capital and in l'Arboç del Penedès, lace business was developed, the majority of which were exported to America. Despite the fluctuations and the political and economical crises, these business dedicated to handmade laces remained active until the first half of the 20th century.
During the 19th century the renowned lace houses presented their work at major international exhibitions, inter alia Josep Margarit i Lleonart and Josep Fiter. This lace manufacturer produced an alb for the Pope Leo XIII in 1887 in cooperation with the Castells House from Arenys de Mar.
In the late 18th century the first machines produce a mechanical tulle, but it is only until 1808 when John Heathcoat invented the first mechanical lace machine. These machines come to Barcelona in 1827. In 1847 Volart i Campany founded the first mechanical lace factory, subsequently installed in l'Hospitalet de Llobregat, and became a company that got various prizes at the Universal exhibitions. From the second half of the 19th century, the mechanical lace took over the handmade one.
The Catalan companies dedicated to the mechanical lace making are grouped in the National Association of the Manufacturers of tulle, embroidery and lace. Currently, there are 6 companies producing the mechanical lace: Central Encajera, Encajes Laquidaín, Indesmalla, Industria de Encajes Mecánicos, IEMESA, Textil Padró and Tradeurop (heirs of the House Volart).
Bridal mantilla


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The Green Bay Massacre was a covert operation on 5 January 1978, in which five Jamaica Labour Party supporters were shot dead after being lured into an ambush at the Green Bay Firing Range by members of the Jamaica Defence Force.

Motivation
The victims all hailed from the Higholborn Street and Gold Street areas of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) stronghold of South Side community in downtown Kingston. They were identified as being too closely linked to the opposition JLP and were singled out as being prime targets for assassination by members of the leading Peoples National Party (then headed by the now deceased Michael Manley). The Military Intelligence Unit (M.I.U) was required by government members to take "all reasonable steps" to ensure removal either overtly or covertly of anyone who was deemed to be a threat to the island's security and to the smooth running of the PNP government.

The massacre
The operation was executed by undercover agents of the Military Intelligence Unit going into the Southside Community and infiltrating the Southside's' "POW Posse" which was a local gang operating in the area led by the now assassinated Franklyn Allen aka "Chubby Dread". There were fourteen men in this gang who were originally targeted for assassination. The men were promised jobs as drivers and bodyguards.

The men, needing the arms and funding, agreed; and in the early hours of 5 January 1978 an army ambulance driven by an MIU operative and a minivan picked them up at the intersection of Higholborn Street and Port Royal Street, then headed west towards Port Henderson, Saint Catherine where the Green Bay artillery range is located. On arrival at the Military Base, the men were led out to a section of the range where they were given strict instructions not to move as they would be picked up by other persons who would take care of their work requirements and supply them with arms to be transported into Kingston..

As soon as the MIU operatives drove off, a specially selected team of snipers from the JDF, led by Major Ian Robinson was lying in ambush in the nearby hills. The soldiers were armed with L8 General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG), L2A2 Self Loading Rifles and Sterling Sub-Machine Guns with Browning 9mm pistols as sidearms. On the receipt of a pre-arranged signal from one of the MIU operatives which was the firing of a single shot from his Browning 9mm pistol into the upper torso of Winston Hamilton aka "Saddle Head", the sniper team opened fire on the group of men from their nest in the hills. Five men fell dead under the hail of gunfire that erupted and the remainder fled into nearby bushes. At least one member, (Delroy Griffiths) entered the bay and was rescued by a passing fishing boat.

Those killed were all Labourites from South Side:
 Norman Thompson aka "Gutto", a former national footballer for SANTOS football team
 Glenroy Richards, an aspiring reggae singer
 Trevor Clarke
 Winston Hamilton aka "Saddle Head"
 Martin Hamilton.

Aftermath
The official report released by the Military was that the men were shot dead after they were surprised by a special Strike Force of soldiers doing target practice with guns smuggled into the country on the Jamaica Defence Force artillery firing range at Green Bay.

This report did not stick, as the people of South Side demonstrated to protest against the killings. An official inquiry and Coroners' Inquest was later held in the Spanish Town Coroner's Court where a jury found that persons had conspired to kill the men at Green Bay and that people in the JDF were criminally responsible for the massacre. The overwhelming evidence was that the men were lured to Green Bay and ambushed by soldiers led by Major Ian Robinson and Captain Karl Marsh.

In July 1978 warrants were issued by the Supreme Court for ten members of the JDF for First Degree Capital Murder and Conspiracy to Commit Murder. These included Major Ian Robinson, Captain Karl Marsh, Lieutenants Suzanne Haik, and Frederick Frazer, Sergeant LaFlamme Schooler, Privates Desmond Grant, Errol Grant, Everald King, Colin Reid and Joel Stainrod. Those charged for the conspiracy were all acquitted in June and July 1981 on no case submissions and those charged for the actual murders were acquitted on 8 February 1982 due to insufficient evidence.

The Jamaica Labour Party refused the verdict but could do nothing to bring the perpetrators to justice as they were already acquitted by the Courts. The Michael Manley led PNP has always disavowed knowledge of the covert action that took the lives of the men and said it was purely a military operation that was later justified. The incident is considered one of the worst acts of brutality in Jamaican history.

References

History of Jamaica
Organized crime events in Jamaica
Conflicts in 1978
Massacres in Jamaica
1978 in Jamaica
Riots and civil disorder in Jamaica
Political violence

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
«There are no black actors in Chernobyl» – resents the british screenwriter
4 of June 2019
HBO's Chernobyl miniseries is heading IMDB top now. But someone has noticed a few flaws. How justified are these remarks?
On her Twitter, the British screenwriter Karla Marie Sweet critiqued show because there are no black actors in Chernobyl. When followers noticed that there were no black people in Soviet Ukraine, she said, that actors don't speak with a Ukrainian accent too, so if there is no absolute realism, why not to add colored actors in the cast?
There are no black actors in Chernobyl, what a surprise!
Her naive posts collected a lot of negative, include Slav users' comments, so woman had to make her Twitter private.
Zoomboola.com wants to noticed: «Chernobyl» tells the story of the main technological catastrophe ever, which happened on April, 26, 1986. The USSR government was hiding the incident until the very last moment.
«Chernobyl» creators tried to show the ineptitude of the soviet authority and its atmosphere of total lie at first. However, regular citizens who cleaned up the explosion effects, are described as heroes. So there is no surprise that the miniseries was criticized by Russian officials.


text:
Spurring Alzheimer's Research
Maria Shriver's Women's Alzheimer's Movement Partners with UCI MIND to launch a new women-focused research initiative
By OCinSite Staff
A new partnership in Orange County, California is seeking answers to an essential question affecting global health: Why do more women get Alzheimer's disease than men?
UCI MIND, the University of California at Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, has announced a new research initiative in partnership with the Women's Alzheimer's Movement (WAM), a non-profit organization founded by former California First Lady Maria Shriver. The initiative, based on collaborative fundraising by both organizations, will make pilot funding available to UCI researchers for high caliber scientific proposals that investigate the role of sex and gender in Alzheimer's disease.
"Recent investigations indicate that genetics, hormones, and even lifestyle factors may affect women's risk for Alzheimer's disease differently than men," says Dr. Joshua Grill, Co-Director of UCI MIND.
Grill notes that time is of the essence in order to slow a growing epidemic. "The number of people living with Alzheimer's disease in the U.S. is expected to triple by 2050," Grill explains. "This is the 6 th leading cause of death in the United States, and until a treatment is found, the disease is on track to continue to disproportionately affect women."
Maria Shriver, founder of the Women's Alzheimer's Movement and a national advocate for Alzheimer's research, explains, "Two out of three Americans living with Alzheimer's disease today are women. By 2050, 16 million people in the U.S. and 135 million worldwide will have fallen victim to this disease, and millions more family members and friends will suffer alongside those diagnosed, mostly women."
Shriver points to this new initiative as a crucial starting point for researchers.
"Women are at the epicenter of the Alzheimer's crisis. That's why we must be at the heart of the solution," Shriver states.
"The new UCI MIND Women's Research Initiative is expected to enable investigators to collect essential preliminary data. This will enable larger federal grants over time," Grill says. "The long-term goal of the initiative is to substantially increase the focus of study on this critical topic in order to improve understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer's disease."
aging Alzheimer's dementia Irvine UCI Women's Alzheimer's Movement
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Assistance Needed for Alzheimer's Research


text:
package commands.viewCommands.turtleCommands;

import application.ViewHandler;

public abstract class Display extends TurtleCommands{

	protected ViewHandler myViewHandler;

	public Display(ViewHandler vh) {
		super(vh);
		super.setParams(super.getParams());
		myViewHandler = vh;
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
'use strict';

var should = require('should'),
    request = require('request'),
    expect = require('chai').expect,
    config = require('./../../../config/config');

var CorrectStatus, wrongStatus;

describe('Are API routes authentication protected:', function() {
    before(function(done) {
        done();
    });

    describe('Request to authenticated route should return 403', function() {
        it('should give Status 403', function(done) {
            request.get(config.baseUrl + '/api/users', function (err, res, body){
                expect(res.statusCode).to.equal(403);
                done();
            });
        });
    });

    after(function(done) {
        done();
    });
});


text:
January 11, 2020 Americans, John Mahama, and the plot to colonise Ghana – Akufo Addo says "NO"!
January 11, 2020 You're Criminals For Rejecting New Voters' Register — Odike Blasts His Party Executives
January 11, 2020 Pass Affirmative Action Bill by end of March – Otiko Djaba petitions Akufo-Addo
January 11, 2020 How the Obamas helped Harry and Meghan prepare for new life
January 11, 2020 Why is NDC afraid of a new voters register? – Kofi Akpaloo asks
January 11, 2020 National ID data should not be compromised – Akufo-Addo to stakeholders
January 11, 2020 Whatever you do, you can't win with Mahama in 2020' – Bagbin to NDC executives
January 11, 2020 JOSHUA AKAMBA and SAMMY GYAMFI IN NEAR BLOWS OVER GHc 300k DEMO CASH
January 11, 2020 We'll pump sense into Jean Mensah's head – Asiedu Nketia
January 11, 2020 Opposition parties hit streets of Tamale over new voters register
Ambulance Service to engage 900 additional staff
by Mr Kelly Brown
The National Ambulance Service (NAS) has received financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance to recruit 900 additional staff in 2020.
The recruitment will help augment the staff strength of the service and facilitate the operationalisation of the One-constituency, One-ambulance policy of the government.
The recruits will be made up of different professionals, such as drivers and paramedics, categorised under basic and advanced service providers.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NAS, Professor Ahmed Nuhu Zakariah, told the Daily Graphic in Accra on Thursday that the NAS required more hands to revamp emergency services delivery countrywide.
He said as part of efforts to ensure the effective use of the 307 ambulances the government had purchased, ambulance stations would be opened in all the constituencies, with each station requiring a minimum of 15 people for effective operation.
"We are starting with the 900 in 2020 to enable us to use the new ambulances in the short term," he said.
Prof. Zakariah said the NAS had completed the recruitment of drivers through a public advertisement and an online application system, adding that they were scheduled to begin their one-year training, which includes hands-on practicals, at the Fire Academy from January 14, 2020.
He said the processes to engage the other professionals would begin as soon as possible.
The CEO said new staff who would provide basic services would undergo a one-year training, while the advanced service providers would undergo a two-year training to be facilitated by the National Ambulance Training School.
Meanwhile, he said, a number of in-service training were currently ongoing for about 2,000 staff of the NAS to enhance their skills and ability to use the new ambulances.
Prof. Zakariah said since last Monday, drivers of the NAS had been having test drives of the ambulances to ascertain their performance and acquaint themselves with the features of the vehicles as part of the capacity-building efforts.
He said a special in-service training, to be facilitated by the manufacturer as part of the ambulance purchase contract, would start next week as part of measures to maintain and operate the fleet efficiently.
The NAS had cited the lack of requisite training and adequate human resource as one of the reasons for its appeal to the President to postpone the distribution of the 211 ambulances from January 6 to January 28, this year.
The CEO of NAS wrote to the Minister of Health to request for the postponement of the distribution of the ambulances, arguing that the lack of requisite training for staff and paramedics on the use of the ambulances and medical equipment was going to affect their effective use and operation.
In 2016, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), as part of its electioneering, promised to provide an ambulance for each constituency to revamp the NAS to improve health delivery.
In December 2018, the President announced that the government would deliver on its promise to procure the ambulances for every constituency in 2019.
The order was placed last year, after which a government delegation, led by the Minister of Special Development Initiatives, Ms Mavis Hawa Koomson, visited Turkey in June to inspect the progress of work on the manufacture of the ambulances.
Towards the end of September 2019, the Ministry of Special Initiatives took delivery of the first batch of 48 new ambulances out of the 307.
The second and third batches were delivered in October and December 2019.
Currently, the government has taken delivery of 211 out of the 307 ambulances and the last batch will be delivered by the close of this month.
At a Presidential media engagement in December last year, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, had assured the public that the ambulances would be distributed on January 6, 2020.
The Ministry of Special Development Initiatives, which is in charge of the project, later announced that it was unlikely the distribution would be done on January 6 because some key prerequisites, such as the embossment of constituency names, the fixing of tracking systems and the preparation of receiving points for a number of the ambulances, had to be completed.
About The Autor
Mr Kelly Brown
Breaking News Gh is one of the most renowned online news magazine in Africa and the world as a whole with over 1 million+ clicks per day. We only feed our readers with credible source of information educating both the learned and unlearned
Americans, John Mahama, and the plot to colonise Ghana –...
You're Criminals For Rejecting New Voters' Register — Odike Blasts...
Pass Affirmative Action Bill by end of March – Otiko...
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text:
Martin leads DePaul women past Illinois St
NORMAL, Ill. – Sophomore Jasmine Penny scored a career-high 20 points to help No. 21 DePaul beat Illinois State 73-54 on Monday night.
Anna Martin also scored 20 points while Megan Rogowski added 11 for DePaul (11-2), which played again without starting forward Keisha Hampton. The senior has been sidelined the last two games with a leg injury.
She also missed Friday's game against Arizona State, ending a run of 113 consecutive starts.
Marley Hall scored 14 points and Katie Broadway added 11 for Illinois State (5-5).
DePaul led 36-22 at the half after a lackluster start that saw ISU pull within five with 14:21 left. Two consecutive 3-pointers by Rogowski sparked a DePaul 8-0 run that helped seal the victory.
The Blue Demons will meet Southern Illinois at home on Thursday.


Not sure if you read that right? Read it and weep! It IS possible (and tasty) to put fresh herbs and other spices in your smoothie. Not only are you smoothies going to taste better, but you'll also reap in on a ton of nutritional benefits. If you're interested in making a green smoothie with herbs and spices but don't know where to start, keep reading for some awesome tips and recipes!
Extra nutrients–Chinese and other East Asian medicines have known for thousands of years about the medicinal benefits of certain herbs and spices. It is only now that Western medicine is starting to realize that you are what you eat and diet is huge factor in chronic disease. Did you know ginger helps with digestion? Or that Turmeric is an overall anti-inflammatory agent? Adding these ingredients to your smoothie will boost the nutritional value of your smoothie, leading to a longer, healthier life!
Start small–You don't need to put a million different herbs and spices in your smoothie. Start small with one or two different ingredients and work from there. Keep in mind that you don't need a lot of the ingredient either. A teaspoon is more than enough to begin with. Instead of making a smoothie overpowered with the flavor of parsley or ginger,use just enough to reap the benefits and add a subtle touch of flavor.
Here's a great recipe that makes use of three of my favorite herbs/spices: turmeric, ginger, and cilantro!
Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender. Enjoy!


text:
Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa and Elton John come out on high of Apple's high songs of 2022
'Keep', The Child Laroi and Justin Bieber's hit, topped the record Apple Music's world charts in 2022 as the enormous music streamer launched its year-end charts, giving listeners information on their very own most-listened-to songs.
"Keep," which topped the Billboard Sizzling 100 for seven weeks this summer time, charted at No. 1 Apple Music's Top 100 Global Songs List, Staying on high for 51 days in a row. Elton John and Dua Lipa's "Chilly Coronary heart (PNAU Remix)" was #1 on the streamer's Shazam chart and "We Do not Speak About Bruno" from the film musical "Encanto" was the music with the most read lyrics in 2022 on the platform.
On the high of the worldwide music charts, "Keep" additionally included "As It Was" by Harry Kinds, "Wait For U" by Future that includes Drake and Tems, "Tremendous Gremlin" by Kodak Black, "Simple on Me" by Adele, and "Warmth Wave" by Glass Animals. Hip-hop continued to steer the varied genres within the world high 100 with 32 tracks, adopted by pop with 23 tracks and R&B/soul in third place with 11 tracks.
The information reveals the rising presence of non-English-language tunes, with African songs rising on the Shazam chart and the worldwide day by day 100, whereas Japanese-language songs made massive positive factors on the most-read lyrics record.
"It truly is the emergence of what have been as soon as very area of interest genres creeping into the mainstream, which is an thrilling new improvement on the platform," mentioned Rachel Newman, world head of editorial.
Twenty-one non-English songs entered the worldwide Prime 100, greater than double the variety of songs final 12 months. Fifty-five Latin songs reached the International Day by day Prime 100 in 2022 – a 22% improve from 2021. In 2022, six of the 50 J-pop songs to succeed in the chart have been within the high 10; final 12 months nobody was within the high 10.
The streamer started notifying customers on Tuesday that Apple Music Replay was prepared. This function permits customers to see and listen to their favourite songs, albums, artists, and playlists from the previous 12 months, in addition to their complete minutes on the service. New is that superfans can discover out if they're within the high 100 listeners of their favourite artist or style.
Replay – Apple's different to Spotify's Wrapped playlist – has been redesigned with new, streamlined performance and optimized for social media sharing like TikTok or Instagram. The charts are dynamic all 12 months spherical, so listeners can examine how their music is rating at any time. Eligibility is predicated on a threshold of performs and listening time.
In November, Apple Music has named Puerto Rican reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny its Artist of the Year, thanks largely to his newest album, "Un Verano Sin Ti", which turned Apple Music's most-streamed album of 2022 and the most important Latin album of all time.
Apple Music itself had an enormous 2022, reaching a milestone in October again then it recorded its 100 millionth song on the streaming service. That is greater than YouTube Music from 80 million songs, Spotify's 82 million songs and podcasts, and Amazon Music is 90 million songs.
"100 million songs is de facto vital to us as a result of I believe it is such an amazing reflection of how various and large the music world is at present," mentioned Newman. "It is the most important and most various assortment of music in any format ever in music historical past, which is fairly wonderful."
Streaming service Pandora additionally introduced its high songs on Tuesday: "Wait For U" was its high music of 2022 and Dangerous Bunny had essentially the most songs on the highest 100 record with 5.
Our new weekly Impression Report e-newsletter will discover how ESG information and traits are shaping the roles and obligations of at present's executives – and the way greatest to handle these challenges. Subscribe here.
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1 To get rid of mould on walls with mould spray you may want to soak up some of our top tips!
1.3 Sometimes Trying to get rid of Mould on Walls with Mould Spray is Hopeless..
1.4 Tips and Tricks, so That you can get rid of Mould on Walls Without Spending a Penny.
To get rid of mould on walls with mould spray you may want to soak up some of our top tips!
The two that we have used the most, and can highly recommend come highly rated directly from Amazon. The 'Astonish Mould & Mildew Remover' and the 'HG Mould Spray'. The latter is listed as an Amazon 'Best Seller'. My view is that both work excellently.
The real problem areas that these products are trying to target are surfaces like glass, tiles and the rubber sealant that is starting to rot around your bath. However it can be effective on walls. Be careful with how much you use at a time. These substances contain very strong bleach that give off strong odours. These will likely make you nauseous and even give you a headache alongside perhaps worse side effects. So be sure to clear the room!
Just be sure to go careful as rubbing it on a painted surface is likely to ruin the paint work.
Wallpaper – Successful, on a dark coloured wallpaper.
Painted Wall – Unsuccessful, as you might imagine, the sprays would rub the paint away.
If you're feeling very brave and in your last resort (and you choose to ignore our advice), be sure to apply it in very small areas and begin with dabbing it on after spraying a cloth.
The question "Does bleach remove mould?" has often seemed to be misconceived as a myth. The answer though, is yes. It does kill mould and in a similar fashion to the two mould sprays listed above. You can obviously expect it to be slightly less effective though as it's lacking a couple of the crucial mould killing ingredients.
When large quantities of mould are found, you need to first consider two things. How much is there, in terms of how easily are the spores from the mould likely to spread once you disrupt the concentrated area. Then consider if it is a job that is best left to a professional.
If you have discovered Stachybotrys mould, then you should not under any circumstances try removing this yourself. This will most certainly give off a deadly amount of toxins.
One final thing to note. You should never be afraid to contact your landlord about the mould problems that persist in your home. It is a serious breach on your living conditions and should not be taken lightly. Be sure that they take the necessary measures to keep mould out of your home before the need to remove mould arrives.
Sometimes Trying to get rid of Mould on Walls with Mould Spray is Hopeless..
If humidity levels in your home are too high, and you have a situation where condensation is constantly building up on your windows. Then it could be time to call in the experts for a more long term solution.
Of course there are a number of excellent solutions right here on mouldremoving.com. One of our most highly reported solutions has been the Nuaire Drimaster PIV unit. And the cheaper, quicker to set-up alternative, the EcoAir DC12. But we want answers for what to do if the mould has already made it's way on to your bedroom walls, and we want to get rid of it now.
Tips and Tricks, so That you can get rid of Mould on Walls Without Spending a Penny.
So we've already covered the regular household bleach option, that you can use and this can be very effective.
Another item that you can use from finding laying around the house for your very own homemade mould spray is white distilled vinegar. Put this in to an empty bottle with a spray nozzle and you're ready to go! Just spray on the surface and leave for an hour before wiping with a cloth. Bare in mind that these sprays may only kill mould on the surface. But catch it early enough and you may have seen the back of it.
The next tip is more of a life tip. If you see some water streaming down the windows, or off of those pipes behind the toilet. Wipe it up. Every little helps when it comes to getting rid of mould, the trick is to stop it in it's tracks by killing it early enough.
We have now reviewed Astonish Mould & Mildew Remover.


The goal of the CPO Breakfast Round Table is to critically analyse the existing practices on talent building and recruitment from different and industries, while sharing best practices and managerial experiences.
CPO Breakfast Roundtable Series brings together a limited number of leading Procurement Leaders in a particular location, creating a network of professionals sharing the same values & the same enthusiastic approach to Procurement.
There will be a short presentation by a world class renowned expert who will moderate the discussion a well. CPOs will then voice out their own experience on the particular topic & other challenges faced. Other CPOs will share how they managed such challenges and the world class renowned expert will share best practices on managing and overcoming those challenges.
At the end of the breakfast roundtable, CPOs will suggest the agenda for the next session so that burning issues, concerns and success stories are covered in the next breakfast session.
Interested to participate in one of these sessions?
Purchasing & Procurement Center is the Resource Center providing training & educational materials that give individuals & teams practical ideas, knowledge & solutions to common and not-so-common procurement problems.
Trusted by 60,000 professionals globally who visit our website monthly, 17,000 plus active members, 6,000 plus Linkedin followers & over 1,000 paid learners from the corporate world, Purchasing & Procurement Center is the only resource our clients would ever need to build and train individual & team procurement skills to world class levels.
Our Experts provide strategies for almost everything related to procurement from cost management, strategic sourcing, negotiations up to category management, stakeholder engagement and much more so that to bring procurement to where it truly belongs - a respected & strategic unit that contributes to the bottom line.


Tina Fey is no stranger to making waves in roles where women are incredibly underrepresented: She was the first female head writer on Saturday Night Live. She was the creator of—and writer for—30 Rock and a co-creator and writer for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Most recently, she's shown off her talent by rewriting Mean Girls for Broadway (which racked up 12 Tony nominations on Thursday).
So you'd think she'd have a lot to talk about with David Letterman on his new Netflix show, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. And she did—although it might not have been what he was expecting. Fey's spoken about the importance of diversity in the writers' room before, recently in Variety's April "Power of Women" issue. Meanwhile, late-night comedy shows—like Letterman's old Late Show—still are notorious for being a boys club. Although women are beginning to pave the way for other aspiring female comedians and hosts like Samantha Bee and, most recently, Busy Philipps, gender inequality still prevails in the writers room and in front of the camera.
So when Letterman attempted to explain why he'd had few women employed as writers, Fey put him squarely in his place.
Thankfully, Fey didn't let that response slide: "Yeah, we did want to write on it, though," Fey said.
But Nell Scovell, who made history as the first female writer on the Late Show in the early '90s until leaving in 2009, pointed out on Twitter that things have remained mostly the same for Letterman.
You can watch Fey's appearance on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction here.


Sorry, Peter, too much stuff in my head at the moment. It's the Classic and Modern Sportscar Club that Richard formed earlier in the year. His first meeting at Mallory some weeks back was very successful.
Erm...(not meaning to sound pedantic) that meeting was run by 360MRC actually for the second year, this meeting at snett is being run by BRSCC.
Can't comment on Mallory as was just quoting Richard, but he certainly organised the Snetterton meeting even if under the BRSCC banner, and it was his own money, something which you would know about, Claire.


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text:
OBLONG MEDIA
Beyond the media networks, independent sources like us have evolved to report on events which escape attention or underlie the major stories. Published online since 2013, to take part in a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.
RESTRUCTURING, RECLAIMING AND REPOSITIONING ALAIGBO AND NDIGBO FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC RENAISSANCE.
Igbo Inteligentsia Forum
Nzuko Umunna
The Grand Illuminati
YOU LOST, NOT TRUMP! By Jimmy Gentle.
DR CHRIS ASOLUKA EXITS OHANAEZE PG RACE.
How I'll handle IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu as Ohanaeze PG – Asoluka
AJAOKUTA STEEL PLANT: An investment of more than $8b rotting in the African sun.
RE: OHANEZE NDIGBO GENERAL ELECTION!!
Beans on NIGERIAN MEN IN USA, KILLING T…
Toye Odeyemi on TAQIYYA IS HIS TRADE, EVIL IS…
UMAR MOHAMMAD on Boko Haram Is A CIA Covert Ope…
Gabby on Boko Haram Is A CIA Covert Ope…
Nniyi on Boko Haram Is A CIA Covert Ope…
NIGERIA DIVIDED AT 58, SITS ON A KEG OF GUNPOWDER – DICKSON
Posted on October 4, 2018 by Admin.
Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State says that Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gunpowder, as the country has become more divided due to leadership failure that has polarised the citizens along ethnic, religious and political lines.
Dickson made the assertion while speaking on the 58th independence of Nigeria and the 22nd anniversary of the creation of the state in a media chat at the Government House in Yenagoa on Monday evening.
The governor, who described the current state of affairs in the country as unfortunate, expressed regret that Nigeria was still contending with basic issues of unity, justice and leadership after 58 years of independence.
Dickson said that leadership was demonstrated by taking concrete steps and actions to engender equality, justice and creation of a sense of unity and not political sloganeering for selfish interest.
Dickson said that those at the position of leadership who should have taken deliberate steps to unite the country did not take the requisite steps to do so.
The governor said, "At the national level, Nigeria could have done better too. Nigeria at 58, we are still talking about elementary issues like the unity of our country, and the more people talk about unity, the more disunited we portray ourselves to be. These are some of the things we grapple with which are actually elementary issues.
"Unfortunately those at leadership level who ought to take concrete the steps are doing little or nothing about uniting the people. Unity should be shown by the steps or actions a leader takes and not platitudes and political slogans people pronounce when it is convenient.
"Leadership is measured by the decisions you take, appointments made by taking deliberate steps to treat everybody equally to create a sense of unity, equality and justice.
"Once you do those things, you will build bridges of unity and solidarity. That is one area our country clearly seems to be sitting on a keg of gunpowder. The country is more divided than ever before. However, our country has also made some progress at 58.
"Our democracy is taking roots because nation-building is not to be accomplished in four or eight years, or even in one's lifetime but from one generation to another. We have a lot of national challenges, to which all leaders should apply themselves."
On the progress made by the state at 22, Dickson said he was fulfilled by the achievements of his administration in virtually all sectors of the state's economy, particularly in critical infrastructure development, education, health, security and tourism.
The governor, who also spoke on the multibillion- naira Bayelsa International Airport, explained that the state government was putting finishing touches to the project and was awaiting regulatory approvals for formal inauguration.
Dickson also said arrangements were on to ensure that the airport operates local and international flights, adding that every facility, including the navigational facilities and the 3.5-kilometre runway, had been put in place.
The governor urged the people to use the period of the independence anniversary for sober reflection, given the magnitude of devastation caused by the rising floods which, he noted, had displaced thousands of people across the state.
On the question of the erratic power supply, Dickson blamed the situation on what he described as lopsided nature of the Nigerian federation where most critical issues promoting the development of the people were placed in the exclusive list.
The governor said that his administration had achieved much in its reforms of the public service, appreciating especially the Blessing Ikuru-led Bayelsa State Post-Primary Schools Board for saving millions of naira for the government through the verification of teachers' and pensioners.
The governor added, "The lopsided federation we have is the cause of the current poor power supply situation in the state. We don't have the freedom to do what we want to do because a lot of things are placed in the exclusive list. It is mainly a Federal Government failure and that is why we are fighting for restructuring and constitutional reforms in this country."
Dickson listed other achievements of his administration to include the reforms in the public sector and governance culture, which had brought about peace, political stability and a new dawn in Bayelsa.
Published by Admin.
Duruebube is an Intelligentsia who reports on events and stories that escape attention or underlie the major stories	View all posts by Admin.
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text:
Organized crime in Washington
It appears to have been a rough week for the Republican Party, with DeLay's indictment, Miller talking, Larry Franklin's plea bargain, the forcing of the release of the worst of the Abu Ghraib photos, more revelations on the Abramoff and Safavian scandals, continued fallout from the debacle of the non-response to Katrina, more problems in Iraq, and on and on. People are starting to notice a pattern. From Sam Smith:
"WITH the indictment of Tom DeLay there can no longer be any doubt that with the Bush regime we are observing not a variation on politics but chronically criminal and corrupt behavior parading as ideology. This is not a movement but a mob and a disservice as much to conservatives as to progressives and moderates. The whole purpose of the Bush machine is to line its own pockets, increase its own power, and suppress any who would complain about it. For the media to treat what is happening as just another political discussion merely makes it a tool of the biggest fraud ever perpetrated on the American public. It is time the press learned to distinguish clearly between a con and a concept."
and Josh Marshall (there are links in the original text):
"On paper, Jack Abramoff was a lobbyist. And he made a great deal of money for himself. But if you think of Jack Abramoff as just a crooked lobbyist most of the facts coming out about what he did don't make a great deal of sense. He was a key player in a very big political machine and he was managing a slush fund.
Look at the pattern.
Notice how all Abramoff's clients seemed to get 'bilked' out of large sums of money that ended up going to other conservative foundations, consulting firms, Ralph Reed, lobby shops, Grover Norquist, astroturf organizers, politicians, etc.? All of them part of Washington's Republican infrastructure?
In the case of Abramoff's work for Flanigan and Tyco, Abramoff ended up sending the greater part of their $2 million lobbying fee to an astroturf outfit called Grassroots Interactive - an outfit allegedly controlled by Abramoff and run by a guy who now works as the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor of Maryland.
The money ended up diverted to other purposes beside the honorable task of whipping up populist enthusiasm on behalf of corporations that relocate to PO boxes in Bermuda to avoid paying taxes. Tyco lawyer George Terwilliger claims the firm 'was a victim of a rip-off.'
So is that it? Another rip-off? Another corporation which hires a lawyer out of the White House only to get taken in by Jack Abramoff's wiles? Please. How many times can one operator pull off the same stunt? How many times do big chunks of these pay days get passed on to other operators and organizations without the operators and organizations getting wise to the game?
These odd diversions aren't the exception but the rule.
The Republican machine built by DeLay, Norquist, Abramoff, et al. and pulled into high gear after 2001, is a pay-for-play political machine. This is just another part of the operation, like the diktat for trade associations to hire only Republicans. Big political machines need their soldiers taken care of - jobs on K Street which also discipline the trade associations under Hill leadership. Just so, they need big sums of money to move around off the books. How does Rove keep the millions moving to Norquist? To Reed? To all the other operatives whose names you don't know about?
Indian tribes bursting with millions who need very focused sorts of legislative intervention - that's one good source of money. Corrupt Pacific Island governments who need similar help - another good source.
If Tyco wanted help, they had to pay in. That's what the $2 million was. Of course it got passed on to some other GOP outfit with Abramoff connections. That was the point!"
The Republicans like to talk about how the Bush Administration brought MBA management techniques to the American government, but what they really did was discover the method of applying the most advanced management techniques to using the government as a source of personal wealth. The Katrina reconstruction, where they salivated like a wolf watching a lamb as they awarded huge no-bid, no-limit contracts to the usual select group of cronies, just provided the final proof of what they are really up to. The only difference between this American government, and corrupt governments at other times or in other countries, is that the current Republicans are better at it. Strangely enough, the Republican Party reminds me most of old revolutionary organizations, like the IRA or the Palestinian Authority, or even the original mafia itself, that start out with ideological purpose and descend into groups which use their power as the monopolists of violence to live off the avails of organized crime. Dick Cheney is just like Tony Soprano with an MBA.
As the American public s-l-o-w-l-y wakes up to the fact that their government is being run solely for the purposes of thievery, there is not a damn thing they can do about it. That's because the first thing the Republicans stole was the voting system itself. It's telling that the only resistance to the thievery - not the media, not the 'moderate' Republicans, and certainly not the Democrats - is coming from what is left of the judicial system, and Bush is in the final stages of permanently fixing that final problem. Why do the Democrats not take the obvious anti-war stance supported by the majority of Americans? Because they know they can't possibly win an election on the basis of their policies, so they might as well continue to line their pockets with the money from the same military lobbyists who are paying the Republicans. The entire adversarial nature of the voting system has been toppled by the fact that only one party has any chance to win. The Republicans may act a little contrite about the most blatant corruption, but as long as Diebold and similar Republican cronies are running the computer voting system, there is no chance that the Republicans will lose control of Congress or the White House, no matter how much they steal, and no matter how much they are caught. As the legal system is slowly worn down, there will be absolutely no checks on the thievery whatsoever.
Rummy flu
Why was Mehlis picked?
Turkey, the EU and secular society
Joseph Massad on academic freedom
Unhappy Fitzmas
The NFW response
Ames outed Plame
Mossad passports
Pollari's Ledeenlessness
Comments on comments
I call 'regime change' on you
The ground war in Syria has begun
The other mole in the White House
The 2012 American election
The CIA set them up
Miller's June notes
Zionism and anti-Semitism
The tularemia attack
Plamegate and Watergate
Maxwell Smart in Iraq
Pen-for-hire and the real conspirators
Suicide 100 percent
Deep Plame
Civilwarland in Bad Decline
More aimless musings on Miller
He glows red
George Packer on Iraq
Stephen Hadley's memory
The war on pan-Arab nationalism
Iraqi pharmacists attack
The real insurgency, and the fake one
Peace march coincidences
King Dick and Cardinal Scooter
Why are Democrats so dumb?
Another advantage of September 11


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Using Social Insights to Measure the ROI of Event Sponsorships and Partnerships
For brands, more in-person events in 2022 means more lucrative opportunities for corporate sponsorships and partnerships. Major sporting and entertainment events like the Olympics, Super Bowl, recent GRAMMY Awards, or upcoming UEFA Champions League provide unique opportunities for brands to increase awareness, reach new audiences, and improve their public image. But proving the ROI of these investments is an age old problem. "We weren't able to get a true idea of our earned reach which made it difficult to prove the value to stakeholders and understand where we should make adjustments to future sponsorships and activations" said one Synthesio client. As more consumers turn to social platforms to engage with events (like live Tweeting, resharing pictures of celebrity appearances on Instagram, or reacting with peers in subreddits), social listening helps brands determine the real value of their investments by:
1. Providing a more complete picture of reach and engagement
As mentioned in our recent blog, text analytics aren't enough to get the full picture of brand mentions; advanced image analytics capabilities like logo recognition provide critical visual insights and unlock previously "invisible" data. Plus, BI-style reporting allows marketers to easily track and share event-related metrics with other stakeholders.
In 2021, one global financial services company and Synthesio client used logo recognition to assess the earned reach of their logo in coverage and discussions surrounding a major award show. During the campaign, the Synthesio platform captured all appearances of their logo on social media – even when partially obscured or captured in poor lighting thanks to machine learning algorithms. By adding logo recognition to their standard text analysis, they uncovered 40x more coverage than they were able to capture in previous events – totaling 400m impressions they would have otherwise missed. With a larger, more comprehensive dataset, then then applied AI analysis to find critical insights about their sponsorship like overall engagement, earned media value, top influencers, and most engaging channels.
Figure 1 Synthesio's image analytics technology uses state-of-the-art deep learning object detection models to spot brand logos, making your insights more complete and accurate
2. Benchmarking against past events and competitors
Social listening can track competitors' owned and earned reach and create a central hub for tracking key campaign and sponsorship KPIs. By comparing the ROI of sponsored events and understanding how they stack up against competitors, brands can make better, faster decisions about how and where to allocate their sponsorship budget.
Another Synthesio client, a major enterprise software company, recently announced its partnership with a world-renowned sports team. To kick off the partnership, they launched a marketing campaign surrounding a global sporting event. The team tracked all mentions related to the brand, event, and other sponsors – and analyzed owned and earned media across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc. to measure campaign performance and impact. Synthesio's analytics allowed them to quantify total volume of conversations, engagement, positive and negative sentiment, top earned influencers, and other KPIs. In this case, social insights revealed that this campaign garnered higher reach and engagement than their previous one – but they weren't the most talked about sponsor: one competitor generated nearly 3x the number of mentions in the weeks surrounding the event. By analyzing thousands of online conversations, they were able to identify key takeaways from both their own performance and competitors' about which content, channels, and approaches work best.
Figure 2 Pre-templated and customizable data visualizations allow you to compare against competitors and previous campaigns – and deep dive on channel or content performance
3. Giving a more nuanced view of consumers' perception and emotional response to sponsorship campaigns
Hard metrics about volume, reach, and engagement are useful for proving the ROI of sponsorships, but identifying the drivers of success (and getting actionable insights about what to improve next time) requires a deeper understanding of how consumers respond to a campaign, i.e. what they like and dislike, how it impacts their brand associations, who influenced their thinking, etc. Today's advanced AI capabilities like sentiment and semantic analysis and even Topic Modeling allow brands to tune into critical context about why sponsorships are successful – or not.
In the case of the enterprise software company, traditional social listening KPIs didn't tell the full story. Though competitor brands generated more conversation volume surrounding the event, they scored the highest percentage of positive sentiment. Tweets and Facebook comments revealed that consumers praised the campaign's social responsibility messaging, appreciated the use of humor, and loved the celebrity cameo. Comments associated with negative sentiment showed that some consumers questioned the authenticity of the campaign and were confused about its purpose. For the client, these types of insights are already evolving into new opportunities and helping redesign how sponsorships are activated: "the quality of data, depth of analysis that's possible, and customization of the tools lets us look at exactly what we want to see, feeling the pulse of the audience in real-time."
For marketers and brand health pros – and agency partners who design and activate campaigns – maximizing the ROI of sponsorships means tapping into digital channels to get the full picture of your impact. To learn more about how Synthesio's SaaS platform can help you make data-driven decisions, request a demo with our team here.
Thank you to Paul North, Head of Social and Content at Big Group for contributing to this blog post.
By Emma Huff|2022-05-24T20:57:25-04:0028 April 2022|
About the Author: Emma Huff
Emma is a Marketing Director at Synthesio.


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Trammell Crow to Build Medical Office Building
Trammell Crow Co. plans to build a 93,000-square-foot medical office building at National Harbor to be completed by the fall of 2018.
The company has about 1 acre under contract from National Harbor developer Peterson Cos., said Trammell Crow Senior Vice President Trevor Vietor. The Medical Pavilion at National Harbor will be located at the intersection of St. George and National Harbor boulevards, next to the The Esplanade apartment complex.
Please join the honorable Rushern L Baker, III for Piscataway Hills Day at Lot 39 -Waterfront Park. This event will happen on May 2nd at 1PM.
Guest Speaker: Congressmen Steny Hoyer
The event will include the Proclamation of Piscataway Hills Day, a Piscataway Drive re-opening ceremony, and the recondition of a reconnected, restored and unified community.
RSVP to Paulette Jones at (301) 883-5600 or pljones@co.pg.md.us.
Trail advocates push for bridge in Fort Washington
Walkers following the Piscataway Creek Trail to the Fort Washington Marina often get discouraged by a swath of wetlands that inhibits travel and trail use, residents say.
"It's divided," said Mark Holt, the co-founder of the coalition. "Without going all the way through it's much less usable by the public. It doesn't connect to anything."
To boost interest in the trail, members of the coalition are pushing for the construction of a wetland bridge, a project that's been funded since 2010, but has yet to get off the ground.
Read more "Trail advocates push for bridge in Fort Washington" →
Old Fort Road Casino Plan Raises Concern
Proposed Parx Casino
A proposal to build an $800 million casino-hotel-entertainment complex next to Livingston Square shopping center in Fort Washington has sparked considerable concern among Piscataway Hills residents.
The Parx Casino Hotel & Spa, proposed by Greenwood Racing in May 2013, would be constructed on 22 acres of mostly wooded land at the intersection of Indian Head Highway (MD 210) and Old Fort Road North (across from the Giant supermarket). According to the developer, the facility, if approved, would include 4,750 slot machines, 170 table games, a 250 room hotel and a 5,000-space parking garage.
The Parx proposal is one of three that are competing for the right to build and operate one casino in Prince George's County, as authorized by Maryland voters in 2012. The other two proposed casinos are at Rosecroft Raceway, sponsored by Penn National Gaming, and at National Harbor, sponsored by MGM Resorts.
At a community meeting held in Tantallon in response to the Parx plan, area residents, including several from Piscataway Hills, noted that the Old Fort Road location has the worst highway access of the three sites, with congested Indian Head Highway providing the primary access to the Beltway. Participants at the meeting also contended that the Parx casino would create unacceptable environmental damage, such as the destruction of woodland and heightened stormwater runoff in the Broad Creek Historic District.
Casino supporters cite jobs and tax benefits. "The proposed development is expected to create more than 5,000 jobs and $1 billion of annual economic benefit to the state upon completion, along with approximately 5,000 construction jobs and more than $600 million of economic benefit during the construction phase of the project," according to a press release from Greenwood Racing. "In addition, the casino operation is projected to generate more than $400 million of gaming tax rev- enue for the state and local communities."
A public hearing on the Parx proposal will be held Wednesday, October 23, at 6 p.m. at Friendly High School. (Hearings on the Rosecroft proposal will be October 21 and the MGM plan on October 25.) The hearings will be conducted by the Maryland Video Lottery Facility Location Commission (VLFLC), which will select the proposal to be constructed. Before each public hearing, the Commission will tour the proposed site at 2 p.m. and hear a presentation from the sponsor at 3:30 p.m.
"The purpose of each of the site visits and public hearings is for the Commissioners to view the proposed location, observe the surrounding community, get a sense of the size and scope of the proposed facilities, to hear directly from the applicants, and to listen to the public support and public concerns about the proposed project" said Commission Chairman Donald C. Fry.
For more information on the hearings and how to testify or submit a statement, see the Commission web site.
Long-Awaited Community Center Opens with Gym, Dance Studio, Computers
After years of construction delays, the Fort Washington Forest Community Center officially opened September 27.
New Fort Washington Forest Fitness Center
The new community center includes a full-sized gymnasium, a weight room, a dance studio, a computer lab, an arts and crafts room, multipurpose rooms, and a teen lounge. Attached to Fort Washington Forest Elementary School, the community center is within easy walking distance of Piscataway Hills, directly across Indian Head Highway (MD 210) at 1200 Fillmore Road.
Basketball players enjoy new gym after grand opening
Classes currently being offered at the center include basketball, zumba, sewing, jewelry, computers, senior fitness, tae kwon do, spin, and a wide variety of dance.
The center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Xtreme Teens only from 7-10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays) and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
For more information, call 301-292-4300 or see the center's web site.
By Ian Wilmoth
Boy Scout Troop 1572, located nearby in Clinton, is a very active organization. The Boy Scouts welcome boys from 11 to 17 years old to join in camping, hiking, biking, backpacking, serving the community, and becoming prepared for anything life can throw at them. Last year, Scouts from Troop 1572 went whitewater rafting, kayaking, and camping at Solomon's Island, placed luminaries at Antietam National Battlefield, and camped in the snow at Harper's Ferry! Very recently, many members of Troop 1572 who were 14 or older made the trip to the Philmont High Adventure Base in New Mexico for a week of backpacking in the Sangre de Cristo foothills. Past high adventure trips include canoeing in Maine, biking the C&O Canal towpath, and scuba diving at Florida Sea Base.
Cub Scout Pack 1572 is a very active Pack located in the same place as Troop 1572. Cub Scouting allows boys from 7 to 10 years old to participate in family camping, pinewood derby races, and learning about the outdoors. Each age group has its own Den. Recent pack activities include snow tubing at Liberty Mountain Resort, family camping at Solomon's Island Naval Recreation Center, and cleaning up the biking trail at National Harbor with the help of the Troop.
Boy Scouting and Cub Scouting hold plenty of adventure!
Come to one of Troop 1572's meetings! They are held every Wednesday from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., except the last one of the month, at St. Mary's Church Hall, 13407 Piscataway Road, Clinton, MD 20735
Troop 1572's website: http://bsatroop1572.scoutlander.com/
Come to one of Pack 1572's meetings! The entire Pack meets once a month at St. Mary's Church Hall, 13407 Piscataway Road, Clinton, MD 20735.
Each Cub Scout Den holds 2 additional meetings a month.
Pack 1572's website: http://pack1572.scoutlander.com/
New Manager at Fort Washington Describes Planned Improvements
Early 20th century view of Fort Washington (NPS photo)
After about a year on the job, the new manager of Fort Washington Park and other local units of the National Park Service described the status of the parks under her jurisdiction and plans for improvements at the PHCA quarterly meeting on September 25, 2012. PHCA mem- bers also reelected President Gwynn Roberson and other officers and board members, as well as approving a budget for the 2013 fiscal year.
The guest speaker at the meeting was Brandi Bradford, Southern District Manager for the National Capital Parks-East Region of the National Park Service. She explained that the Southern District includes Fort Foote, Harmony Hall, Fort Washington Park, and Piscataway Park.
Fort Washington Park is the primary unit in the Southern District. Dating back to 1809, the fort is located at the end of Fort Washington Road overlooking the Potomac. Bradford reported that the visitors center is being repainted, and fences and roads will also be repaired. Restoration of the Fort Washington structures is a continual project because of weather and shifting grounds. Restoration of the main fort is complete and the drawbridge is scheduled for restoration.
Fort Foote, constructed in 1863 as part of the Civil War defenses around Washington, is located along the Potomac River on Fort Foote Road. Bradford reported that the welcoming station is scheduled for repair.
The Harmony Hall red brick mansion was built in 1769 and is surrounded by 65 acres of land on Broad Creek. It is separate from the adjacent Harmony Hall Regional Center, which hosts local arts activities. Bradford noted that currently the Mansion is not open to the public and "historical documentation" is required before the site can be further developed.
Bradford provided business cards and urged PHCA members to contact her with question and comments at brandi_bradford@nps.gov or 301-763-4601.
In approving the fiscal year 2013 budget, PHCA members discussed the planned purchase of lia- bility insurance. Firm cost estimates had not yet been developed. President Roberson noted that liability insurance is a "safeguard" to protect association and board members from the liabil- ity of an accident at the Piscataway Hills Waterfront Park.
Several attendees expressed opinions on the moral and legal merits of purchasing liability insurance. Others expressed a concern that liability insurance would attract litigation. To pay for the added expense, Roberson proposed a $10 increase in annual dues. A motion was raised and seconded to omit liability insurance from the budget. By a show of hands the motion was not passed by meeting attendees.
Editor's note: Thanks to PHCA Secretary Deb- bie Kutzleb for the detailed minutes of this meeting.
Piscataway Hills Among First Affected by Huge Sewer Project
Sewer line replacement on Piscataway Drive
As residents have undoubtedly noticed, Piscataway Hills was among the first neighborhoods to be affected by a huge sewer life extension project now being implemented by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.
Called the Piscataway Creek Basin Sanitary Sewer Repair, Replacement, and Rehabilitation Program (or "SR3" in WSSC jargon), the project started at the beginning of 2013 and is to be completed by the end of 2015. The first phase will replace or repair sewer lines along public streets, such as the work recent- ly completed on Piscataway Drive. Sewer work in environmentally sensi- tive areas, such as in Piscataway Park between Piscataway Drive and Fort Washington Marina, is now in the planning stages and is expected to start this fall.
Several Piscataway Hills residents attended a public meeting about the sewer project with WSSC officials and contractors at the Surratts-Clinton Memorial Library on February 27. WSSC told the meeting that the project would repair, rehabilitate, or replace 16.5 miles of sewer lines and 476 manholes at 88 sites throughout the 44,000 acre Piscataway Creek basin. About 85% of the work is expected to be carried out without trenching or other excavation, with liners installed within existing pipes, sealing of joints, and other repair methods.
The sewer refurbishment is required by a 2005 consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other organizations to prevent sewage from leaking into local waterways. Not only can sewage leak from broken pipes and manholes, but a leaky system allows rainwater to infiltrate and overwhelm the entire system, causing large overflows during storms. WSSC officials noted that parts of the current system are more than 90 years old and need refurbishment. The refurbishment project is intended to extend the life of the system by at least 50 years.
One issue raised by meeting participants was the repair of streets and driveways after sewer work is completed. WSSC officials said that temporary surface repairs would be in place until all work on a street was finished, which may include water line replacement and other projects. Once everything is done, permanent street repairs, including complete repaving of the affected area, is supposed to be finished within 60 to 90 days.
Residents who are not satisfied with work done on or near their property were urged to contact the WSSC Customer Advocate for southern Prince George's County, Kevin Woolbright, at 240-205-3684, or kwoolbr@wsscwater.com. For dangerous situations, such as leaks or collapsing pavement, residents were told to call the WSSC 24-hour hotline at 301-206-4002.
Recent water and sewer rate increases of 7-9%, plus another planned increase next year, will pay for the sewer repair work, according to WSSC officials. Repair work is also underway on the water supply system, including water mains, meters, and water towers. However, water mains in Piscataway Hills were already completely replaced within the last seven years and so are not included in that project.
Fort Washington Community Center Nearly Ready To Open
Fort Washington Community Center
The Fort Washington Forest Community Center, which had sat unfinished for several years because of a contract dispute, is finally nearing completion. Prince George's County Parks and Recreation Department Senior Planner Don Herring wrote in a Sept. 6 email, "The contractor is in the process of completing interior finish work, and has minor landscaping items to address. We expect to start staff move-in and furniture installation on September 30th. Staff will announce a facility opening date, once this activity has been completed." The 22,000-square-foot facility is attached to Fort Washington Forest Elementary School, across Indian Head Highway from Piscataway Hills. It includes a gym, community meeting rooms, and other facilities.
Piscataway Hills residents are participating in a major initiative by the Prince George's County Department of Environmental Resources to protect and improve the Piscataway Creek watershed.
Citizens from throughout the watershed area, which at 43,000 acres is the third-largest in the county, provided their ideas at a public forum at the Accokeek Library July 18. The session followed up a May public forum, where PHCA Vice President Dave Lishin had described dumping along Old Fort Road that was polluting the watershed. The situation was investigatedby county officials, who then displayed pictures of the trash at the July meeting.
County officials said the water quality of Piscataway Creek is considered "impaired" and that major goals of the watershed improvement project are to remove pollutants that exceed allowed levels, to restore the stream to its natural state, and to reduce stormwater runoff. Excessive pollutants in the free-flowing section of the creek are fecal coliform and other biological contaminants. The tidal portion, which includes the section near Piscataway Hills, is polluted by suspended sediments, nitrogen, and phosphorus, according to the DER presentation.
Officials at the July meeting estimated that about a third of the fecal coliform in Piscataway Creek comes from wildlife, such as deer, and another third comes from domestic animals, including farm animals and pets. The remaining third is from human waste, either from sewage or septic systems. Suspended sediments come from soil erosion caused by excessive runoff, while nitrogen and phosphorus often come from fertilizers.
Potential solutions discussed at the meeting include improvements to existing stormwater management systems to reduce runoff, streambed repair, reforestation, wetlands restoration and creation, new controls on pollution sources, public education, and better enforcement against illegal dumping. Another meeting is planned for the fall but has not been scheduled yet.