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Sixty killed in Houthi attack on military camp in Yemen
Was The Queen's Tiara An Insult To Donald Trump?
by Wayne Curry | June 06, 2019 | 02:10
Ruiz suggested that "perhaps as a coping tactic in the face of this uncomfortable visit (notwithstanding Britain's own problematic colonial history, Kate Middleton should not have to talk to Steve Mnuchin in any setting), Internet theories swiftly emerged that Queen Elizabeth II was actually trolling Trump through her accessories, gift choices and words".
Donald Trump is now completing a state visit to the United Kingdom, where the Queen has graciously welcomed the president and first lady despite protests against his presence in London. The President called Meghan Markle "nasty" after hearing she called him "misogynistic".
One Twitter user said: "All kinds of subtle shade was cast, up to and including the Burmese ruby tiara worn by the Queen".
Trump is also not the first person to have broken the rule.
It is no secret that Donald Trump is not exactly a popular figure in the United Kingdom, with thousands taking to the streets to protest his visit.
In the evening, the royal family and Trump's family attended the state banquet, with the President as the guest of honour. But now, social media users have discovered yet another message hiding in plain sight, in the form of The Queen's tiara.
The Queen was very honest as she welcomed Donald Trump to the UK.
Ruiz doesn't say what alliances and global institutions Trump is working so hard to undermine and dismantle, but we can assume one is North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
At the state dinner, she said: "Mr President, I am delighted to welcome you and Mrs Trump to Buckingham Palace this evening, just 12 months after our first meeting at Windsor Castle". Trump finished his speech and seemed to put his hand on the Queen's shoulder for a brief second when she stood up for a toast. "The elaborate revenge fantasy is satisfying", Ruiz wrote.
Trump and his family are now in England, and were visiting the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
For her husband, Prince Philip, they brought a personalized Air Force One jacket and signed autobiography by American General and famed World War II air commander James Doolittle, "I Could Never Be So Lucky Again."
Camilla did not borrow her tiara.
President Trump fan hit by milkshake as protesters shout 'Nazi scum'
Is she saying she just knows? Trump has used his speeches to emphasize a longstanding bond between the USA and Britain. Also in Trafalgar Square: a 16-foot robotic likeness of Trump seated on a golden toilet.
Australia: Four dead after mass shooting in Darwin
Woolner is an upper middle class suburb of Darwin , about three miles from the central business district. An ABC reporter said she saw police tackle and taser the gunman at a busy intersection.
Patriots are releasing TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Seferian-Jenkins is taking a month off to work on "personal issues" and hopes to be ready to come back to football in July. The NFL suspended Seferian-Jenkins two games in 2017 for violating the league's substance abuse policy .
Homophobic abuse against Vox's Carlos Maza doesn't violate our harassment rules — YouTube
He didn't even lie about him. " YouTube's response gives a green light for racist and homophobic abuse", Maza said . He's also the host of his own show, Strikethrough , which is hosted on YouTube as well.
'Don't panic' Root tells England after loss to Pakistan
However, the hosts' score of 334 was better than the World Cup's record run chase, 329 by Ireland against England eight years ago. Root called for England not to overreact to the setback ahead of their next match against Bangladesh on Saturday.
Jose Antonio Reyes' funeral held in Utrera
A minute's silence was held for Reyes before Saturday's Champions League final in Madrid between Liverpool and Tottenham. His funeral is taking place on Monday morning at Santa Maria Church in Utrera after an overnight wake at the town hall.
India make a flawless start to sink South Africa
After Dhoni's dismissal, all-rounder Hardik Pandya (15 off 7 not out) smashed three fours as India won with 15 balls to spare. Shikhar Dhawan breaks his bat: The Indian opening batsman saw his bat breaking during the Indian chase against South Africa .
China's Huawei to sell stake in undersea-cable unit
Hengtong has its own projects based in South America, as well as a fibre-optic co-venture with a USA firm. President Trump signed a bill in 2018 banning both Huawei and ZTE's devices.
'Jurassic World' Animated Series Headed To Netflix In 2020
Those films were preceded by the original hits " Jurassic Park ", "The Lost World: Jurassic Park", and " Jurassic Park III". The showrunners are Scott Kreamer ( Pinky Malinky ) and Lane Lueras ( Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny ).
Alabama passes new bill to chemically castrate paedophiles
A handful of other states including Florida, Louisiana, California , Georgia and more have similar measures in place. Medroxyprogesterone acetate is a female hormone commonly used in treatment of menopause or in birth control.
Rafael Nadal to face Roger Federer in French Open semi-finals
He can play on clay, unfortunately", a smiling Federer joked to the crowd at Court Suzanne Lenglen. "What a pleasure, actually". Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a forehand during his mens singles quarter-final match against Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland.
Manchester United turn to Leicester City's James Maddison for attacking reinforcement
Maddison has attracted plenty of attention this season with his assured displays for Leicester City. Real Madrid are apparently keen on the Danish global .
Apple Announces New Mac Pro, 6K Display
With every update of iOS comes the promise that your existing phone is going to become an entirely new device at no extra cost. Apple's voice assistant, Siri, has been available on the Mac for a long time now - several macOS versions at least.
Afghanistan bowl against Sri Lanka in World Cup
The openers shared 92 for the first wicket, before being parted at the start of the 14th over. Relieved with the win, Karunaratne admitted that the batting department needs improvement.
Bangladesh undone by New Zealand pace at World Cup
They would have some problems with the performance, but at the Cricket World Cup , only results matter for the Black Caps. Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan did some early damage as New Zealand got the wobbles in their chase.
Shunned by America, China's Huawei signs 5G deal with Russia
Politically, the two countries seem consistently aligned and often vote in unison as permanent members of the UN Security Council. Mr Xi made the remarks to the TASS Russian News Agency and Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper ahead of his state visit to Russia .
Trump state visit: Americans thank Royal Family for 'babysitting [their] garbage'
The British government, sensitive about its relationship with Beijing, has been reluctant to go along with American restrictions. On Tuesday, he indicated Britain and the United States would be able to resolve any issues.
Priyanka Chopra Slams Criticism Against Meghan Markle, Says It's Based In 'Racism'
Meghan avoided an embarrassing meeting with Mr Trump as she only gave birth to her and Harry's first child Archie four weeks ago. He had not said Meghan was nasty herself , he claimed to Piers Morgan in a sit-down set to air Wednesday morning.
Djokovic breezes into French Open fourth round
She came through qualifying but should she go on and book an unlikely place in the final on Saturday, she will face a dilemma. The players who stunned top seed Naomi Osaka and 23-time major victor Serena Williams got a taste of their own medicine.
Golden State Warriors: 3 keys for Game 3 of 2019 NBA Finals
The Warriors are scheduled to practice Tuesday at Oracle Arena, so that could be Durant's opportunity to test the leg. If there's pain, that's a no go [because] this could be a longer series. "I knew we were locked in".
AMD and Samsung Announce Partnership in Ultra LowPower, High Perf Graphics Technologies
Partnering with AMD to license its Radeon graphics IP fits those agendas, and in a potentially big way. Samsung will be using the licensed technology in mobile devices such as smartphones and other products.
Rafael Nadal topples Juan Ignacio Londero for RG record — ATP Roland Garros
Next up for him is a clash with his friend and compatriot Federer , who stormed to a 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 win over Leonardo Mayer . But he hadn't been past the fourth round at a Slam since, in part because he missed time after knee surgery.
House Dems to outline case for removing Trump from office
China says New coronavirus is 'preventable and controllable'
Lev Parnas Has a 'Serious Credibility Problem — CNN's Jake Tapper
Sen. Sanders admits impeachment trial may hurt his presidential campaign
Dozens Killed As Avalanches Hit Pakistan-Controlled Kashmir
Top Iran leader: Trump is a 'clown' who will betray Iranians
US Supreme Court Chief Justice Swears In Senators For Trump Impeachment Trial
Germany to host Libya peace conference in Berlin on Sunday


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The Green Book Blog
Stigma Research Uncovers Need for Education
People who work in the alcohol and other drug sector say its time to make alcohol and other drug treatment more visible to the wider community, according to research commissioned by the WA Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies (WANADA).
Funded by the Drug and Alcohol Office and managed by Marketing for Change, the project will inform evidence based approaches to reducing stigma associated with alcohol and other drug-related problems.
"Alcohol and other drug problems are a serious health concern," says WANADA CEO Jill Rundle. "People need to be able to access health services and support without fear of stigma or discrmination."
WANADA commissioned Colmar Brunton Social Research to identify the types of stigma experienced by AOD users in the WA community. As part of the research, Colmar Brunton surveyed 427 community members about attitudes towards people who experience alcohol and other drug problems.
Alcohol and other Drug-Related Problems in the WA Community
The survey found that many Western Australians know someone with personal experience of problems related to alcohol and other drugs (AOD).
"Of the community members surveyed, 10% knew somebody who was currently experiencing problems with alcohol," reports WA Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies (WANADA) Organisation Development Manager Jane Harwood.
"Six percent of respondents knew somebody who was currently experiencing problems with drugs," says Jane.
"While many people know someone who is currently experiencing alcohol or other drug related problems, there are still many others who have little experience of this health condition," says Jill Rundle. "Their ideas are more likely to be based on what they've learnt from popular culture than on the facts."
What Are The Myths?
Alcohol and other drug service workers and consumers participated in focus groups as part of the research and believe that change is needed.
When asked to identify the issues, alcohol and other drug workers reported a need to debunk stereotypes. The research found that,
"Sector workers feel that they see a wide range of people, and there is no specific type of person who may have problems related to alcohol or other drug use."
Workers reported that greater visibility of the different types of people would undermine assumptions.
Education Needed
All focus group participants felt that the stigma surrounding problems associated with alcohol and other drug use is based on ignorance.
"Both workers and consumers felt that to reduce stigma, education is needed at all levels," says Luke van der Beeke, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Marketing for Change. "Consumers felt that efforts to address negative stigma should be informed by people who have direct experience."
Future Work
While the research shows that stigma associated with alcohol and other drug problems is high, it has also provided direction on what to do next. WANADA will continue to keep the sector and the community informed of its progress and welcomes your comments.
Labels: Reducing Stigma
Having former users stand up as visible Icons of recovery will go a long way to reducing stigma. Whilst there are many people who have recovered from problematic substance use, and I mean recovery on that persons terms, there is very little acceptance of those who stand up to tell their story. These people also are open to pejorative judgements and often find it difficult to enter the workforce. So what does this say to the people who are entering recovery? Ther is noone visible in the community who has recovered therefore recovery is not possible.
Thanks very much for your comment. We appreciate your considered perspective and we hope that, in the future, people will be able to talk about alcohol and other drug related problems without judgement.
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How to get to standard crew competences for arctic operations
by Mariska Buitendijk | Oct 1, 2020 | News | 0 comments
Sailing ice-covered waters is a risky business. The Polar Code covers many of the requirements for navigating these waters safely. However, with arctic shipping on the rise and many newcomers venturing out into these areas, there is a need to develop standards in relation to crew competences.
Over the last 5 years (2016-2020), several new international standards have been prepared and published by the ISO technical committee on arctic operations (ISO/TC 67/SC 8, oil and gas sector), see also www.iso.org/committee/652790.html. The Netherlands had several experts participating in the development of these six new standards which consist of:
ISO 35101 – Working environment;
ISO 35102 – Escape, evacuation and rescue from offshore installations;
ISO 35103 – Environmental monitoring;
ISO 35104 – Ice management;
ISO 35105 – Material requirements for arctic operations; and
ISO 35106 – Metocean, ice, and seabed data.
Recently, the wish has been expressed to develop standards in relation to "crew competences". The Polar Code [1, 2] is a very good start prescribing requirements for crew sailing in Arctic or Antarctic waters. The requirements are listed in Section 12.3 of this code, and are presented in the following 2 tables.
Open water means ice concentrations less than 1/10th. Other waters means ice concentrations more than 1/10th. There are however more functions and operations than tankers and passenger ships, which also require such types of standards as the ones in the tables, for instance:
mining;
infrastructure support (dredging and construction);
logistics/marine operations;
shore support teams;
transport (other than tankers); and
Thus, several industries other than oil and gas are affected by operations in ice covered waters, where the vessel crews supported by their onshore teams can provide safe operations. Especially when the arctic shows lower ice coverages and longer summer seasons, arctic operations tend to attract more vessels as also anticipated in several scenarios and policies by international, European and national bodies. As a result, risks tend to increase as well, from the point of view of both lower ice severity (faster vessel speed) and more newcomers entering this market.
Standards for all crew
A good example where standards are written to cover crew members other than the bridge crews concerns ISO 35104, Arctic Operations – Ice Management. This standard also addresses competency requirements for various personnel dedicated to offshore ice monitoring and surveillance and other personnel. The latter group includes offshore installation managers, ice masters and officers, marine engineers, client representatives, ice charting, shore support, logistics and operational support personnel and marine deck crew.
An example where many functions needed to have some ice related training and awareness to enable a successful tow in potentially hazardous ice conditions is shown in the picture below.
Drilling unit SSDC under tow by Canmar Kigoriak, North Slope Alaska (picture W.H. Jolles).
After a well-received presentation by consultancy Jolmar at the ISO/TC 67/SC 8 meeting in November 2019, NEN in cooperation with Jolmar prepared three draft new work item proposals (NWIPs) to support this desire. These proposals have already been circulated among the ISO/TC 67/SC 8 members to seek for comments and support to take part in the activities. The draft NWIPs are in the field of competence of personnel for operations in cold climate conditions. It is intended to develop one ISO standard consisting of three parts:
Part 1 Requirements;
Part 2 Training programmes; and
Part 3 Conformity assessment.
Personnel in arctic waters should be aware of the specific conditions that can impact their operations
Operations in arctic waters impose more risk to personnel than operations in "normal" conditions. Risks relate to occupational health and safety of personnel, which – in case of an incident – can result in an industry event affecting process safety and the environment due to human factors. Personnel active in arctic waters should be aware of the specific conditions that can impact their operations and should have the competence to act accordingly in order to prevent incidents, and in case incidents do occur, to mitigate their impact. All three parts of the NWIPs strive to achieve this.
By Dutch example
As stated in the draft NWIPs, we acknowledge that this topic is relevant for any kind of operation in arctic waters, not only for oil and gas operations. However, we have to respect the scope of ISO/TC 67/SC 8. We intend to engage other sectors to take part in the standards development as well, so that they can adopt similar requirements as providers might also be active in different sectors and would benefit from a single, harmonised set of competence requirements and training programmes and certificates that can be recognised for all kinds of operations.
There might be the possibility that a newly proposed ISO technical committee on sustainable development in the Arctic could take the work on board. For this reason, NEN and Jolmar sent the proposals to the secretariat of DAC, the Dutch Arctic Circle, to collect feedback and poll interest among the DAC members.
We believe that a good Dutch team can be formed to lead the proposed work and set the standard. This team should consist of vessel operators, simulation providers, training institutes, researchers, shipbuilders and various related industries, which can benefit from this development.
In this way, we can enhance the position of the specialised Dutch industry ("BV Nederland") for this important task. Various Dutch companies and other interested parties could support this effort, in cooperation with various players from other countries, like Canada and the Russian Federation.
We believe that a good Dutch team can be formed to lead the proposed work and set the standard
Part 1 of "Petroleum and natural gas industries – Arctic operations – Competence of personnel for operations in cold climate conditions" covers the requirements. This document describes the minimum competence requirements for personnel operating in arctic regions. This document applies to all personnel active in arctic regions and provides competence profiles depending on function and responsibilities of personnel. This document can also be applied to operations in such regions other than those related to the petroleum and natural gas industries.
Purpose of the document: Due to climate change, arctic regions become more easily accessible. Considering several policies related to the Arctic, an increase of economic activities is expected in the next decades. Because of the vulnerability of such areas, these activities should be sustainable from an environmental, social and economic perspective. This also means that personnel involved in operations should be well-equipped, concerning both occupational health and competency.
The petroleum and natural gas industries are already active in the Arctic and are improving their practices every day to prevent incidents. Other sectors can learn from these practices (and the other way around). Current arctic operations see many newcomers into the field and proper standards are therefore required to suit this variety of uses.
While training of personnel is addressed in some of the standards of the ISO 3510X series for arctic operations, the minimum competence requirements are not specified as such for all relevant personnel involved in such operations. Also, other reference documents, like the IMO Polar Code and industry guidance documents, address training, however not in detail for all offshore and onshore personnel involved in such operations and not aligned/harmonised.
The minimum competence requirements are not specified as such for all relevant personnel involved in such operations
The aim of the new series of standards is to ensure that all users are competent to ensure safe and sustainable operation in arctic waters. This will be achieved by analysing the existing training programmes to extract the competence requirements embedded in them. These requirements will vary depending on function and responsibilities, which also need to be established.
In addition, gaps will be identified to supplement the competence requirements for the established functions and responsibilities. This will result in competence profiles. Based on these profiles, training programmes can be developed and conformity assessment activities can be defined to demonstrate conformance to the minimum competence requirements.
This part of the NWIP will describe the competence profiles for several functions and responsibilities. The requirements for training programmes will be described in Part 2. The conformity assessment activities for both training bodies and personnel will be described in Part 3.
Part 2 is called "Petroleum and natural gas industries – Arctic operations – Competence of personnel for operations in cold climate conditions – Training programmes". This document describes the requirements for developing and implementing training programmes that support persons to meet the competence requirements as described in ISO 3510X-1.
This document also describes the minimum requirements for bodies that intend to offer this training programme.
Part 3 covers conformity assessment. This document establishes requirements for assessing that a person operating in arctic regions meets the competence requirements as described in ISO 3510X-1 taking into account the function and responsibilities of this person. It also establishes requirements for assessing a training body offering a training programme as described in ISO 3510X-2.
This part will describe the requirements for assessing the competence of persons and training bodies offering training programmes.
The document provides requirements about the assessment method, the assessment duration, the assessment frequency, the competence of assessors and the criteria for providing proof of competence in accordance with ISO 3510X-1 or proof of conformance to ISO 3510X-2. This part will describe the requirements for assessing the competence of persons and training bodies offering training programmes.
While the scope of ISO/TC 67/SC 8 is limited to the oil and gas sector, it is recognised that this standard and the proposed scopes under parts 1-3, can be applicable to all operations that involve humans in arctic regions and should be developed as such.
How will it work?
Proposal work group: A working group is formed from the countries participating in the ISO activities. Different experts within such countries can apply or be nominated through their national standards body, like NEN does in the Netherlands.
Working group activities: To implement the project proposals and to draft new standards in various stages. These are sent around for comments and feedback from all cooperating experts from different countries including some voting steps among the member bodies (countries) to formally proceed to the next stage. Finally, a new international standard will be published by ISO and can be adopted by the member bodies as national standard. Each country can nominate multiple experts. In all of the aforementioned projects for arctic operations, more than fifty experts were enrolled, with a dozen doing most of the work.
Possible participants: The working group can consist of representatives of training institutes, researchers, universities, performers (operators), ship owners, classification bodies, authorities, standards bodies, NGOs and other stakeholders.
Time investment: This depends on the projects and the distribution of the work among the experts. This can vary between 40 hours (advice and control) per person up to 100 or more hours for experts of the central team.
Budgets: All working group experts provide coverage for their own costs. A request will also be made among larger organisations for a budget to cover one-man companies and/or other experts.
Possible results: This will consist of a lot of cooperation between various parties at home and abroad. This not only increases awareness, but also the knowledge of the cooperating players. There is a lot of exchange between players of high expertise ("peers"), mainly virtually, but also by face-to-face at companies that offer hosting ISO project meetings.
Possible benefits: Increased knowledge of the various training programmes stimulates more business and thus more revenue by bringing in new customers. The "BV Nederland" already has a lot of expertise and the further development of this expertise compared to a number of other countries will certainly increase interest and thereby increase turnover.
After reading the above new crew competence proposals, will you endorse them? Are you interested to cooperate (expert, interested party or as "reviewer")? Are there other challenges that play a role? We would like to hear from you. Contact the author through the details below for more information.
Picture (top): Ever more cruise companies seek to explore arctic waters (by Robert van Kempen, courtesy of Experience Travel).
IMO Polar Code
This article was written by Wim Jolles and published in SWZ|Maritime's September 2020 issue.


I will check with my wife on the material we use but I am glad to see others who homeschooling on the forum. My home schooled 16 year old boy showed me this forum. As a libertarian minded christian I wish to see government schools done away with. Because our boy was home schooled and we chose curriculum, he read Narnia and fell in love with it. Soon he is making me read them as well lol.
Well we are here in Illinois and settled. We actually sent our kids to school, we were running out of time and wasnt sure what to do and really feel like we failed in this area. Two of them wanted to go and our oldest wanted home schooling. We may rethink this all after this summer. Thanks for all the insight. Life has been crazy!
I take no credit for my kids' natural ability with Phonics, it must be a God-given gift, but I had to order the next level tonight because they've almost finished this year's curriculum. I guess that's one of the often repeated biggest benefits of homeschool is that you can go along at your own pace, no matter how fast or slow it is.
I also bought a bunch of "slightly damaged" books for next year's curriculum because they were 50% off. I do not care at all about slightly damaged books, especially since I got them, I can barely even find any damage. Only one book was particularly beat up... the cover had been applied wrong when it was being made, so it was crooked and half of it had been torn off. *shrugs* It still reads fine. Maybe I'll print off another cover and glue it on.
We maybe talking in the near future. We keep going back and forth when it comes to HomeSchooling...just not sure. And we are not happy with how things are with them at school. So many things to learn and figure out!
Mainly because I have a couple questions, but, hey. Here I am.
A friend of mine is moving to Tennessee and will be homeschooling her sons starting next fall (jr high and high). She has never homeschooled before, nor have her sons experienced anything other than public school. She's turned to me for advise, and, well, basically all of my expertise has nothing to do with Tennessee. So, question 1: Does anyone have any familiarity with resources available there?
My friend is also the sort that needs everything planned out in a very detailed manner long before anything actually goes into motion. Besides the general observation that, well, homeschooling just doesn't work that way, does anyone have any book recommendations? I'm figuring if she can go on a grand book tour of the matter, it will probably help.
On an entirely different note, Fantasia, you had mentioned unit studies and the like, and I realized it doesn't appear that anyone here has mentioned Teachers Pay Teachers. While the site is designed for classroom teachers, there are a lot of good resources, and if you create an account, there are regular free downloads that get sent out. It can be quite helpful, for everything from seasonal science experiments to language building skills and book worksheets.
@fledge1, shoot me a PM any time. But I must recommend looking into FB groups in your area (if you're on FB that is). That's where I get all of my advice.
@Wren, thanks for the link. I took a quick glance through and it looked really interesting. I will try to keep it in mind! And no, I know nothing about Tennessee. But I'll give you the same advice I gave fledge1, check out HSLDA's website and they should give you direct links to the laws of the state and hopefully your friend can go from there (if she hasn't already found the same info).
I am nearing the bottom of my Google Sheets spreadsheet itinerary. Only 6 and a half more weeks to go and then we'll be done! Our co-op group ends in four weeks, my daughter's dance class ends in five weeks. The end of our first homeschool year is in sight! Wow!
I'm still trying to decide if I want to shift to a year-round homeschool curriculum for next year (six weeks on, one week off, month of December off) as my two older kids function SO MUCH BETTER on school days. My fear is burnout... burnout for me, burnout for them. And I haven't really found anyone that I can talk to about it in person because when I hear someone go "oh yeah, we homeschool year round" what they mean is that they do take summer vacation, but their kids still have to read and do math problems every day to keep from forgetting everything during the summer. Not quite what I'm looking for.
But regardless of what I decide, I'm amassing my curriculum for next year. It's not changing much as we've had great success this year. Sonlight for the bulk of the history, geography, reading, science. Shiller for math (halfway through book 2/3) and Logic of English for Phonics, Spelling, and additional Reading (starting level 3 next week)...those will just carry over.
I've also started gathering a pile of things to do in the interim so I don't go insane. All of our KiwiCrate and AtlasCrate boxes we haven't done, lots of games, some book lists, and (if I'm feeling REALLY crazy) my Rosetta Stone Spanish software.
After several weeks of working and reworking.... and reworking a few more times... I think I have finally come up with a schedule for next year that both my husband and I are happy with. Should be interesting! I'm going to take the plunge and try a six weeks on, one week off, with four weeks off around Christmas and four to five weeks off June.
The biggest negative is that I will miss a big block of time off during the nicest time of the year (April and on) but I think this will help with cleaning the house and giving the kids a much needed break on a consistent basis.
And if it doesn't work, we'll go back to the same schedule we used this year... start right after the fourth of July and finish up mid-April.
Speaking of finishing up... three and a half weeks left until we're done! Whaaaaat????
That actually sounds like an amazing schedule. We sadly are still torn about what to do school wise. They are in it now, but we HATE the schools here, one wants to stay in because she is a social butterfly, one doesnt care and one wants out. And then the age old question....are we even qualified to home school. This thread has been really helpful.
fledge1 wrote: ....one wants to stay in because she is a social butterfly, one doesnt care and one wants out.
One of my homeschool mom friends only homeschools her kids through approximately 6th to 10th grade. So she's got younger ones in grade school, one home right now, and three that she's homeschooled back in high school and now on to college.
I've heard of many other families mixing and matching public school vs homeschool and some even let their kids choose. You can always try homeschooling the one that wants out, and the one that is on the fence can observe and make a decision later. Perhaps you'll even convince the social butterfly.
And then the age old question....are we even qualified to home school.
First thing to do is find out the laws of your state. What do they require to homeschool?
Second (actually, this should probably be first) if I haven't mentioned it already, I HIGHLY recommend finding a homeschool group in your state on Facebook that has knowledgeable people and can answer your questions and point you to official websites to back up their answers. Fellow homeschool moms and dads have been my biggest help. One lady I barely knew (we met through a mutual friend) invited me over to her house to look through all of her curriculum so I could see samples of what was out there and what I might like. That's how I picked out two of my three programs.
I know for me when I first started I thought I'd have to write my own curriculum and I was like "I could probably handle that for Kindergarten at least...." but yeah, I'm a little more knowledgeable know as to the insane amount of stuff out there. It's a matter of finding the combined strong points of you (or your wife) and the kids you're teaching.
fledge1 wrote: And then the age old question....are we even qualified to home school.
One of the best things I heard at a homeschool convention was in a session by Dr. Jay Wile. I believe he was speaking to parents who were not sure if they could teach their children and make sure they would do well in college. What he said was that the most important thing is to teach your children how to learn. This is part of what gives homeschoolers an edge in college, because they know how to learn without someone prodding and pushing them. If they are a good learner and love doing it, they will be fine in college even if they have to do remedial work.
I don't know what all he covers in this video, but at the beginning he does a really good job of explaining homeschooling (high school in particular).
Also, The Apologia science textbooks he authored/co-authored are awesome!
Well I think for sure we will be homeschooling two of the three, however the oldest (12) is not saying maybe she wants to hm as well. We just bought a house, (close on the 29th woot woot) and there is an extra room that is already all set up for what would be a great schooling room.
Thanks for the words of encouragement and lots of information. I was actually kind of against it, until hearing more from Fantasia and Anfinwen. So thanks so much!
But my sister and I have experienced it all: public school, private school, homeschool. We have a big age gap, so the grades and reasons we would switch are completely different. IMO, each one has their pros and cons. There is not one right way, only what is right for each individual child.
@fledge1 I am not an expert or even a homeschooling parent, but I was homeschooled in Illinois. Not sure if I can help with anything, but I do know that in Illinois, homeschools are considered private schools. You are expected to at least keep up the public school educational standards at minimum. No testing is required, but personally I think it's a good idea to do it anyways. But it is up to you as the parent.
@fantasia - my sister was gifted, she graduated a few years early. She was no longer homeschooled for high school and instead did a combination of private school and dual credit classes at a community college, so she already had her Associate's Degree at age 17.
I was not gifted, but I was ahead in some subjects and behind in others. My parents allowed me to do self-guided curriculum and living books for my good subjects, and I received extra tutoring in my challenging subjects (this was all in high school).
mm1991 wrote: I'm late to the party!
Not sure if I can help with anything, but I do know that in Illinois, homeschools are considered private schools. You are expected to at least keep up the public school educational standards at minimum. No testing is required, but personally I think it's a good idea to do it anyways. But it is up to you as the parent.
Thanks so much. Yes we read that, and we want to keep up with Illinois, however I dont think that will be an issue right now. One of the reasons my daughters want to hm is because we just moved from Kansas and they are re-learning stuff they learned two years ago. We brought in their work from Kansas and the schools even said, oh they will learn that later. So we want them to stay where they are. And my youngest son has an IEP and the schools here do not have the man power to get everything he needs. They are great teachers, just so many students. So we are going to try to do it with him. Finding lots of support, and thanks again for your thoughts!!
fledge1 wrote: Thanks so much. Yes we read that, and we want to keep up with Illinois, however I dont think that will be an issue right now. One of the reasons my daughters want to hm is because we just moved from Kansas and they are re-learning stuff they learned two years ago. We brought in their work from Kansas and the schools even said, oh they will learn that later. So we want them to stay where they are. And my youngest son has an IEP and the schools here do not have the man power to get everything he needs. They are great teachers, just so many students. So we are going to try to do it with him. Finding lots of support, and thanks again for your thoughts!!
We had a similar experience! I switched to public school in 8th grade and all the work was very easy compared to what I had learned in private school. And my sister was diagnosed with a physical illness when she was in grade school and couldn't accommodate her.
Has anyone seen the latest Drive Thru History series Acts to Revelation? I'm requesting the public library get it and trying to decide if it would good to go ahead and purchase it regardless of the price. We've really enjoyed all of the previous DVDs, and have recently been rewatching The Gospels.
Late last night I wrote my final journal entry in my homeschool log book and wrapped up Kindergarten with my son!
We're going to take a complete break today and tomorrow and HOPEFULLY do some fun Easter related things. Then on Monday we'll at the very least do some reading and some projects that we just didn't get to (hey, I paid for them, might as well use them up!), and then the week after that we'll do a couple days a week of math and phonics review so the kiddos don't forget everything by the time we get to July.


Leo April 2016 Horoscope foretells that career and personal achievements are important which in turn will improve your family relationships. Your social contacts and your spouse will be encouraging your career efforts.
In April 2016, Leos will have to use their charm and grace for progressing in life.
Collaboration and conciliation are major necessities than personal initiative and independence.
The Solar eclipse of the 19th April will have a major impact on the personal outlook of the lions and the Leo personality will undergo a major transformation after proper assessment.
Leos, you have to review your priorities in career and pay attention to a couple of those. You will be showered with rewards and recognition accompanied by promotions and increments. Be prepared for career changes and organizational modifications after mid April 2016. Career progress depends on your social contacts when you face problems at the work place.
The April 2016 Leo astrology forecasts suggest that finances will become normal during the month. Your financial skills are excellent and money can be made while you are assisting others to flourish financially. You can use your surplus to clear pending loans. There is no problem raising money for your business activities in April2 016. Overseas ventures will give good returns during the second half of the month. The month is ideal for introducing vital changes in your fiscal strategies.
The 2016 love predictions for the Leos suggest that your emphasis on career may impact your love life during April 2016. Relationship with your spouse or partner will be pleasant. Your partner should learn to give you more freedom to follow your interests for a compatible marriage. Harmony between love, profession and spiritual areas of life is vital for a peaceful life. The arrival of a child will bring happiness in your lives.
The Leo health will be outstanding till the 20th April. But you need to be mentally and physically fit after that. You will be associated with important ventures in April 2016 and you must have the necessary energy to execute those activities. You should try out the health benefits of natural foods and habits. It is advisable to avoid foreign travel during the first and last weeks of the month.
To conclude, the April 2016 Leo horoscope predicts that this month will be a fulfilling month both on professional and personal fronts.


text:
Q: Page refresh takes to blank page in Backbone.js I have an application in backbone.js. If I refresh any page with the # tags, the content of the page disappears. Can anyone suggest any solution for this.
Here are the codes of my main.js and app.js
main.js
require.config({
        paths: {
        jquery:     'libs/jqm/jquery-1.9.1.min',
        async:      'libs/require/async',
        jqm:        'libs/jqm/jquery.mobile-1.4.0-alpha.2.min',
        iscroll:    'libs/iscroll/iscroll',
        underscore: 'libs/underscore/underscore_amd',
        backbone:   'libs/backbone/backbone_1.1.0_min',
        text:       'libs/require/text',
    }
});
require(['app', 'jqm-config'], function(app) {
        app.initialize();
});

app.js
define(['jquery', 'underscore', 'backbone', 'router'], function($, _, Backbone, Router) {
    'use strict';
    var init=function(){
        var router = new Router();
        Backbone.history.start();
    };
    return{
        initialize:init
    }
});

Any help is greatly appreciated.
May be it is a duplicate of this. But none of the suggestions worked for me.

A: I added async: false to each of the fetch method and it resolved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Dallas County Adds 358 COVID-19 Cases Wednesday, 323 New, Along With 7 Deaths
County adds 358 cases Wednesday, 323 cases are classified new and 207 are from the state backlog
By Frank Heinz	• Published September 2, 2020 • Updated on September 2, 2020 at 5:29 pm
The Dallas County Health Department is reporting seven new COVID-19 deaths Wednesday along with another 358 cases of the virus.
Of the 358 cases reported Wednesday, Dallas County officials said 207 are from the Texas Department of State Health Services backlog with 172 of them coming from August, 22 from July, 12 from June, and one from May.
The county is including the August cases in the 323 cases reported as new Wednesday.
"Today we're reporting 323 new COVID-19 cases and 35 old cases from May, June, and July for a total of 358 cases today," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. "According to the Public Health Committee, we have met the criteria to now move from the 'Red' high-risk level into the 'Orange' moderate-risk level. We had been in the 'Red' risk-level since we announced the color-coded risk chart in May, and as we saw record numbers of cases and hospitalizations over the summer."
NBC 5 News
Dallas County released their COVID-19 risk level chart on May 11, 2020. After nearly four months, the county lowered the level from red to orange on Sept. 2, 2020.
"I know the move to the 'Orange' level is because of the hard work of Dallas County residents who have worn their masks, maintained social distances and made sacrifices for the greater good. The Public Health Guidance document that shows what medical experts say you can safely do in the 'Orange' level can be found here.
Jenkins added that, with all activities, it's very important that everyone continues to wear their mask, maintain a six-foot distance, use good hand-washing, avoid unnecessary trips, and avoid any indoor activities where people are not wearing masks 100% of the time.
The county reported seven more deaths, one of whom is still probable, including:
A man in his 50s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and did not have underlying high-risk health conditions.
A man in his 60s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
A woman in her 60s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
A woman in her 70s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
A woman in her 70s who was a resident of the City of Lancaster. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and did not have underlying high-risk health conditions.
A man in his 80s who was a resident of the City of Richardson. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
A woman in her 90s who was a resident of the City of DeSoto. She had been hospitalized and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
coronavirus Aug 13, 2020
Tarrant County Reports 355 COVID-19 Cases Thursday, 8 More Deaths
The county has now accumulated 72,610 cases of the virus since testing began in March. With an estimated 61,519 recoveries being reported by the state through Wednesday, there are also an estimated 10,165 active cases in Dallas County. There have been 926 confirmed deaths attributed in the county to the virus, which, according to Dallas County Health and Human Services Director Dr. Philip Huang, is now the third leading cause of death in the county behind diseases of the heart and cancers. Since March 20, the date of the first reported COVID-19 related death in Dallas County, the county has averaged 5.5 deaths per day.
Data released by the county Tuesday shows COVID-19 patients at Dallas County hospitals down to just below 400. A month ago, in early August, that number was closer to 700. Updated hospitalization data will be released Friday.
Get the latest news on COVID-19 delivered to you. Click here to sign up for our coronavirus newsletter.
coronavirusDallasDallas CountyClay JenkinsDeSoto


Shared by MesaAz on September 5, 2017. updated 24 days ago.
This dataset provides information regarding the location of existing parcel areas, which are defined as Maricopa County Assessor taxable areas within the City of Mesa. This dataset also shows the floor the parcel occupies, when the parcel was created and the Maricopa County Assessor assigned parcel number (APN).


text:
Menü Aktuelles"
Ancient Egyptian Animal Skeletons Reveal Injuries From Beatings
Startseite / Aktuelles » Ancient Egyptian Anima ...
Reinout Verbeke
A team of Belgian archaeologists has found wild animals in ancient Egyptian graves, which show signs of punishment and tethering.
Zooarchaeologist Wim Van Neer and his team from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences have been making interesting discoveries in Egypt. He has learned that the elite Predynastic (c.3800-3100BC) cemetery in Hierakonpolis was not just a site for burying the human dead. Archaeologists have also found the remains of over a hundred domestic animals, like sheep and cattle, and 38 wild animals, including baboons, crocodiles, elephants, hippos and a leopard.
These wild animals represent an early menagerie, but it seems that ancient zookeepers were not as well equipped to manage them as their modern equivalents. Many of the animals show signs of being injured in captivity as a result of tethering or punishment.
One hippopotamus had a healed fracture on the fibula of its back leg, indicating that it had been tied to a tree and had injured itself whilst trying to escape. Meanwhile the baboons also have injuries that are the result of captivity and violent beatings. Common wounds include fractures to bones in the hands, feet and forearms that indicate that the animals often received 'violent blows' aimed at the head and extremities.
The fact that the fractures are healed, as well as the development of lesions resulting from inflammation seen in some of the specimens, show that the animals were held in captivity for several weeks, if not months.
"Much less violence-related pathologies is seen in later periods", says Wim Van Neer, "showing that the adequate methods for controlling wild animals had been developed."
Some of the animals are local species, but others, including a ten-year-old African elephant, were not native to the Egyptian Nile Valley, and were probably imported from nearby Sudan. Van Neer explains that animals seem to have had two different symbolic functions: the numerous domestic species indicated wealth and excess, whilst the wild animals were 'valuable creatures that contributed to the status of the elite inhabitants of Hierakonpolis'. It was not only a show of power to control and sacrifice the beasts, but it was also thought that the owners took on some of the animals' attributes.
The study was published in International Journal of Osteoarcheology. You can learn more about the discoveries in Hierakonpolis on the website hierakonpolis-online.org.
Click the picture above to see more picture
Text: Sarah Muir
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Electrical Installation Condition Reporting: Virgin Upper Class Wing, Heathrow.
We were instructed by Cofely on behalf of Virgin Atlantic to inspect the electrical installation within the Upper Class Wing within Terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport.
Circuit testing was performed on all circuits including baggage handling equipment, ticketing desks, security shutters and 1st class check in areas.


Husk is a down-to-earth survival-horror, about harm, pain and seeking forgiveness in Shivercliff, a town abandoned for unknown reasons. A tribute to classical thrillers like Silent Hill or Twin Peaks. It's 1995, you're Matthew Palmer and you've just woken up after a train crash. There's nobody around you. Especially, there's no trace of your wife and daughter. The only sign indicating where you are says: Welcome to Shivercliff.


Total tax assessed: 1 unchanged units (very small).
Taxable units: Taxable value 2 unchanged units. Taxed on 2.0.
Value: Value to lord in 1066 £5. Value to lord in 1086 £6.
Households: 6 villagers. 14 smallholders.
Ploughland: 2.5 lord's plough teams. 1 men's plough teams.
Lords in 1066: Alfred; Leofstan; Leofwin; Sired (of Chilham); men, two.
Places mentioned in this entry: Pineham; Pising.


text:
Create Your Campaign Website
Campaign of the Month: January 2012
Star Trek Late Night
DS-1 Death Star
transport/conveyance
Battle Station
The Death Stars, the Galactic Empire's ultimate terror weapons, were battle stations several hundred kilometers in diameter and mounting a directed energy superlaser capable of completely destroying a planet with a single shot along with 15000 lasers, ion, turbolasers batteries, and heavy turbolasers in all plus an additional 768 tractor beam emplacements. However, the first Death Star's defenses were not tight enough to stop starfighters from penetrating them.
The first Death Star was 160 kilometers in diameter, while the second Death Star was 900 kilometers in diameter. Much of its interior space was devoted to systems required to maintain its massive superlaser and power plant. At the heart of each Death Star was a gigantic hypermatter reactor, which possessed an output equal to that of several main-sequence stars. Within this chamber burned a reaction of prodigious proportions, fed by stellar fuel bottles lining its periphery.
Splitting the station into two equal hemispheres was a huge equatorial trench approximately 503 kilometers in length for the first Death Star and 2,827 kilometers for the second Death Star. This area of the station housed most of the major landing bays, drive thrusters, sensor arrays and tractor beam systems. Halfway between the equator and each pole were two supplementary trenches. The Death Star was divided into 24 zones, 12 per hemisphere, each controlled by a "bridge". To further organize the immense amount of activity aboard, there were specific "sectors" denoting function. These included the General, Command, Military, Security, Service, and Technical sectors.
A drydock on one of the Death Stars Since service onboard the Death Star was a long-term affair, the station maintained a number of civilian amenities to make the time aboard a deep space station more comfortable. Parks, shopping centers, recreation areas, and taverns such as the Hard Heart Cantina could be found in the general sectors of the station.
Facilitating the Death Star's realspace propulsion were a network of powerful ion engines that transformed reactor power into needed thrust. In order for the Death Star to be a deadly threat, it needed to be mobile. Using linked banks of 123 hyperdrive field generators tied into a single navigational matrix, the Death Star could travel across the Galaxy at superluminal velocities. The incredible energies harnessed by the station combined with its great mass gave the Death Star magnetic and artificial gravitational fields equal to those found on orbital bodies many times greater in size.
The Death Star's superlaser derived power directly from the hypermatter reactor. Its faceted amplification crystal combined the destructive power of eight separate tributary beams into one single blast with the intensity of a stellar core. After firing a blast, though, the Imperial engineers had to recharge the reactor, which took at least 24 standard hours. Though the energy output of this blast could be scaled to fire at smaller targets such as capital ships, as was the case during the Rebel assault on the second Death Star, the two major instances in which the superlaser was fired were at full power at planetary bodies.
The Death Star's interior followed two orientations. Those areas closest to the surface were built with concentric decks with gravity oriented towards the Death Star's core. Past this shell of surface "sprawls", the Death Star's interior had stacked decks with gravity pointing toward the station's southern pole.
Star Trek Late Night Baalshamon Baalshamon 2011-07-23T02:51:55Z 2011-09-22T03:51:09Z
Owner: Baalshamon
Last Update: September 22, 2011 03:51
by: Baalshamon
Ascendant campaigns can view previous versions of their pages, see what has changed (and who did it), and even restore old versions. It's like having a rewind button for your campaign.
We've already been saving your edits, so if you upgrade now you will have instant access to your previous versions. Plus, you have our no risk refund guarantee , so there's nothing to lose.
I'm ready to Ascend!


text:
<?php

namespace Pinq\Expressions;

/**
 * <code>
 * strlen($I)
 * </code>
 *
 * @author Elliot Levin <elliotlevin@hotmail.com>
 */
class FunctionCallExpression extends Expression
{
    /**
     * @var Expression
     */
    private $name;

    /**
     * @var ArgumentExpression[]
     */
    private $arguments;

    public function __construct(Expression $nameExpression, array $argumentExpressions = [])
    {
        $this->name      = $nameExpression;
        $this->arguments = self::verifyAll($argumentExpressions, ArgumentExpression::getType());
    }

    /**
     * @return Expression
     */
    public function getName()
    {
        return $this->name;
    }

    /**
     * @return ArgumentExpression[]
     */
    public function getArguments()
    {
        return $this->arguments;
    }

    public function traverse(ExpressionWalker $walker)
    {
        return $walker->walkFunctionCall($this);
    }

    /**
     * @param Expression           $name
     * @param ArgumentExpression[] $arguments
     *
     * @return self
     */
    public function update(Expression $name, array $arguments = [])
    {
        if ($this->name === $name
                && $this->arguments === $arguments
        ) {
            return $this;
        }

        return new self($name, $arguments);
    }

    protected function compileCode(&$code)
    {
        if ($this->name instanceof ValueExpression) {
            $code .= $this->name->getValue();
        } else {
            $this->name->compileCode($code);
        }

        $code .= '(';
        $code .= implode(',', self::compileAll($this->arguments));
        $code .= ')';
    }

    public function serialize()
    {
        return serialize([$this->name, $this->arguments]);
    }

    public function __serialize(): array
    {
        return [$this->name, $this->arguments];
    }

    public function unserialize($serialized)
    {
        list($this->name, $this->arguments) = unserialize($serialized);
    }

    public function __unserialize(array $data): void
    {
        list($this->name, $this->arguments) = $data;
    }

    public function __clone()
    {
        $this->name      = clone $this->name;
        $this->arguments = self::cloneAll($this->arguments);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This was the message relayed by Matt Prior during Wednesday's Bold Legal Modern Law Conveyancing Conference, discussing the Government response to the industry consultation.
Held in London's Royal College of Physicians, the Today's Conveyancer team were pleased to be in attendance of the event, providing the opportunity to hear from a wide range of speakers on current challenges affecting the profession. It was also the perfect platform to engage with professionals and organisations from across the sector, discussing the issues that they're experiencing, as well as exploring how the process could develop in future.
Getting the day off to an insightful start was Kate Faulkner, discussing the property sector at present as well as how it's likely to change. The well-respected property market analyst and commentator highlighted the current state of the market, stating that the growth of property value was subsiding, with people being less inclined to move. Prospective buyers are put off by conflicting media reports giving the impression that prices are continually growing, despite this only occurring on a specific regional, rather than national basis.
She then went on to discuss how she expects the market to change, with a particular focus on technology, professionalism and education. This included the view that introducing estate agent qualifications are a step in the right direction, as well as improving communication; both with consumers and with other parties to the transaction. Kate linked this to the need for change in terms of education, with the industry being the starting point. She made it clear that before consumers can improve their understanding of the house buying process, professionals that are part of the transaction need to build a better understanding of what the others do. It is at that point which better information and education can be delivered to the public at large, which should be provided at the earliest possible point.
During the following Question and Answer session, Kate was joined by Chief Executive of the HomeOwners Alliance, Paula Higgins. They both focussed on the difficulties conveyancers have in communicating the value of the service they provide, particularly in terms of the way their role is viewed by consumers. Comparing the sector to industries such as travel and finance, they suggested a need for more independent commentators, acting as a bridge between the public and the process itself. This, it was felt, would help to mitigate the view that conveyancers are there simply to delay the transaction process.
In the same vein as improving communication, a number of professionals made it clear that the extent of their role in the process was often not clearly defined; in turn, they were having to undertake assessments and additional checks that are outside the remit of their responsibility. With an aim to help alleviate this issue, Kate and Paula suggested a tick box system which would need to be applied across the industry, defining the responsibilities of each party involved in the process. Where a consumer requested a service or asked something which goes beyond the job of the conveyancer for example, they would be able to tell the consumer as such and pass their request on to the appropriate party.
Paula also highlighted the extent of the work currently being undertaken in regard to changing the housing process for the better; it seemed clear that this indicated greater traction as far as improvements are concerned.
Following this was a Cyber Awareness Training session from the NCSC's Lucy T and Graham Murphy, former CQS Product Manager at the Law Society and Current Bold Legal Group Consultant.
The 'cyber threats to UK business' report highlighted that there was no deceleration in tempo or volume of cyber attacks over the last year, with a particular focus on business email compromise – the third most common way criminals defraud a company.
Lucy then described the typical way fraudsters target a conveyancing firm, with the majority beginning with a phishing exploit, utilising the information staff have shared online. Graham warned of the dangers of this, explaining the clever methods that criminals use to intercept transactions by monitoring the social channels of firms. He stated that everyone from the senior team to the junior staff should be alert to what they're publishing online, and that content posted should be both relevant and specific.
After this, the focus shifted to recent case law, with Stephen Ferrie of Armstrong Watson exploring the recent Brabner's case. The decision concluded that search fees could not be treated as disbursements for VAT purposes even where a solicitor had not made use of the report when providing advice. Whilst the decision of the tribunal is no binding, it has since led to a great deal of uncertainty – both for search providers and professionals – on the VAT treatment of electronic property searches.
As well as commenting on the report issued by Armstrong Watson, he also emphasised that the Law Society are interested in hearing from professionals contacted by HMRC in regard to VAT searches.
Next to take to the stage was the Matt Prior of the Ministry for Communities, Housing and Local Government, discussing the Government's response to the Call for Evidence.
Whilst he made it clear that there is no silver bullet to improving the transaction process, he highlighted the key areas the Government were hoping to address; namely improving the consumer experience, reducing time from offer to completion and reducing failed transactions. Where consumer experience was concerned, Matt focussed on the currently homogeneous view that consumers have when trying to find a conveyancer, and the difficulties in identifying what to look for. Whilst stating that the Government could outline points to be actioned, he said that improving transparency was largely down to the industry, suggesting that conveyancers could provide metrics to enable consumers to make a more informed choice.
He also spoke about referral fees, and the proposal for transparency of the commercial arrangement to be made clear from the offset. This was suggested as a way to mitigate the potential hindrance the fees are having on consumer decision making, deterring them from actively looking around and comparing quotes. However, one criticism related to the impact of a ban or movement towards transparency, suggesting that bribes or alternative methods would instead be used to build business.
Drawing attention to the current lack of central information point, Matt also said that consumers would be likely to gain significant benefit from proposed 'How to Buy' and 'How to Sell' guides, stating that these would also include advice points of selecting a conveyancer. Whilst these were seen as an important stepping stone to improving education on the process, the distribution of these was a matter still being considered, with a number of professionals expressing doubt whether they would be read.
Looking at reducing the time between offer and completion, Matt outlined the Government's support for greater utilisation of technology, highlighting the steps already being made organisations such as HM Land Registry for example. Whilst there may be a number of innovators capable of improving the process, it is a question of bringing them together to align objectives and synchronise their contributions.
Also suggested as a way to potentially reduce delays, Matt outlined provision of information up front as a form of property passport, to be made available when it first goes on the market. However, concerns were raised as to whether this would be kept up to date and where the responsibility for updating this would lie.
A key point made related to consumer confidence; research of 2000 home buyers showed that two-thirds were concerned they wouldn't reach completion following the acceptance of an offer.
"We want to get to the point where we have serious buyers buying from serious sellers," Matt stressed, highlighting the predominant aim to reduce the number of failed transactions and improving the level of commitment between parties from the offset.
With an aim to achieve this, Matt discussed the piloting of reservation agreements, the idea of which received a positive response from the public. These will include financial consideration, though the specific amount has not yet been clarified.
The final speakers were Barrister Peter Dodge, Barrister and Jeremy Cousins, QC at Radcliffe Chambers. Both had been on the counsel representing Mischon de Reya on the Dreamvar case. Whilst the appeal judgment was unfortunately not handed down in time for the talk, the discussion focused on the key points of the case and the matters on which the decision could be made.
This included the breach of warranty of authority, the extent of the meaning of 'vendor' and whether this included someone purporting to be the vendor, as well as considering the previous case law commentary. Also discussed was the matter of insurers, and the availability of a product which would cover instances where no party is at fault; the general view was that in order to mitigate the cost of fraud should it occur, purchasers would be likely to pay. Of course, the real hope is that the position will be made clear when the appeal judgment is delivered.
If the day made us realise anything, it was that the challenges in the sector have never been more pressing, or less clear in how to fix. It will be interesting to see how the sector progresses and adapts to tackle the current problems, and whether the issues raised at this year's conference will still be issues in a decade's time.


text:
Iain Stirling
Laura kicks off her debut podcast with comedian Iain Stirling as her first guest. Together, Laura and Iain discuss their shared love of Kathy Burke, why Iain was a podcast fan before it was cool to listen to podcasts and the story behind Iain's podcast named after his book 'Not Ready to Adult Yet'. Podcasts referenced in the conversation includes: Not Ready To Adult Yet by Iain Stirling The Adam Buxton Podcast by Adam Buxton Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4 Elis James and John Robins on Radio X Podcast
We're wrapping up this season with an incredibly influential podcaster and author Dolly Alderton. Before announcing the end of the much-loved show The High Low, Laura had a chance to pick the brains of one of the most successful British podcast hosts about what podcasts she loves to listen to -...
In this week's episode of CASTaway, Laura welcomes Joss Stone - host of her debut podcast series A Cuppa Happy. Following a hugely successful music career and a world tour, Joss has now turned to podcasting interviewing the likes of Boy George and Wim Hof and unpicking what it is to be happy....
Emma Gannon
Today Laura is joined by OG podcaster, author and journalist - Emma Gannon. Emma started out the hugely popular Ctrl Alt Delete podcast back in 2016 and has been interviewing guests such as Elizabeth Gilbert, Ava DuVernay and Gillian Anderson on their careers and the choices they have made ever...
More from Laura Whitmore + Mags Creative
castaway.simplecast.com


We take about 2-7 business days to create apparel products (t-shirts etc.) and 2-5 business days for Accessories products. Then you should add shipping times on top of that. Speed and price depends on product type and destination.
Shipments outside of the USA may incur customs fees depending on the destination country. The fee may vary depending on your order value, country limits, and other factors based on the product itself. Your end customer is responsible for these fees. Any fees are paid to appropriate customs agency by the end customer.
With our live shipping rates, orders to Canada generate an Int'l Economy Duties paid with tracking option (4-8 business days after fulfillment). This method can be useful for tracking packages so that they're less likely to get lost in the mail.