text:
Current market share of public sector banks is 70% which is reducing very rapidly i.e. approximately 4% a year. After 5 year, Estimated the market share of public and private sector bank will be in the ratio of 50:50.
Infosys chairman Nandan Nilekani said that market share of public sector bank may reduce to something like 10% in a period of about 10 years.At present public sector banks dominate the market share at 70% and it is good time to privatise public sector banks before their value is eroded by creeping privatisation. This has happened with telecom sector where private players are dominating the market and BSNL is a small player.This has also happened in Airlines and now government has decided to privatise Air India.
Rapid increase in the market share of private sector bank is driven by use of digital technology, Aadhaar based electronic KYC etc. Aadhaar is not just ID proof but it is future of financial transactions.
Currently there are 21 public sector banks in country, Government is planning to set up a holding company and all public sector banks will work as a subsidiary to it. But Government wants to stabilize public sector banks my resolving their bad loans before working on the plan of consolidation. In October 2017, Government announced bank recapitalization plan for introducing 2.1 lakh crore capital in 20 public sector banks out of which RS. 88139 crore were announced to be introduced in current fiscal. IDBI bank is the biggest beneficiary and will get RS. 10610 crore under Bank recapitalization plan.
Under Sebi norms, an entity whose shareholding in a listed company goes beyond a particular threshold, then it has to make an open offer. But Sebi exempted the central government from making an open offer in six PSBs.
Recapitalization will increase percentage of government holding in public sector banks. Hence it seems that government is not in the mood to privatise public sector banks in current situation.
As per news of Economic Times, public sector banks are said to have checked all outstanding letter of undertaking and not found any other fraudulent issued LOU except which was issued earlier. As per instructions of RBI, 30th April is the deadline for integrating SWIFT system with core banking system.
GST due dates for FY 2017-18
Important GST updates vide recent GST notifications dt. 28th March 2018


Of course since Anonymous is all of us, this beat that's been laid down is just one of many expressions of what's going on out there. There's a lot of things layered in this video and it's presentation, but I wanted to put it out on the wire.
The folks at Evolver Social Movement have put together an Ebook anthology about the Occupy movement. Coming from a variety of viewpoints. this 150 page ebook already promises to be an exciting read! A lot of folks who come to this blog like to download books, so here's one more!
When you set the eviction and police brutality to music, like this amazing person has. Enjoy!
Getting Arrested? Tell The World!
If you've been following the Occupy movement, you've seen people get arrested. Interactions with law enforcement can be confusing, and remembering everyone who needs to know is tough. Now, there's an app for that.
I'm Getting Arrested lets you enter a pre-written text message, designed to be sent to anyone in your world who needs to know. Once the information is entered, a giant bullseye comes up on your screen, ready to be pressed.
h/t to Rachel Maddow for the info!


PLEASE READ THIS SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT ("LICENSE") CAREFULLY BEFORE USING YOUR iOS DEVICE OR DOWNLOADING THE SOFTWARE UPDATE ACCOMPANYING THIS LICENSE. BY USING YOUR iOS DEVICE OR DOWNLOADING A SOFTWARE UPDATE, AS APPLICABLE, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE, DO NOT USE THE iOS DEVICE OR DOWNLOAD THE SOFTWARE UPDATE.
IF YOU HAVE RECENTLY PURCHASED AN iOS DEVICE AND YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THE LICENSE, YOU MAY RETURN THE iOS DEVICE WITHIN THE RETURN PERIOD TO THE APPLE STORE OR AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTOR WHERE YOU OBTAINED IT FOR A REFUND, SUBJECT TO APPLE'S RETURN POLICY FOUND AT http://www.apple.com/legal/sales_policies/.
(a) The software (including Boot ROM code, embedded software and third party software), documentation, interfaces, content, fonts and any data that came with your iOS Device ("Original iOS Software"), as may be updated or replaced by feature enhancements, software updates or system restore software provided by Apple ("iOS Software Updates"), whether in read only memory, on any other media or in any other form (the Original iOS Software and iOS Software Updates are collectively referred to as the "iOS Software") are licensed, not sold, to you by Apple Inc. ("Apple") for use only under the terms of this License. Apple and its licensors retain ownership of the iOS Software itself and reserve all rights not expressly granted to you. You agree that the terms of this License will apply to any Apple-branded app that may be pre-installed on your iOS Device, unless such app is accompanied by a separate license, in which case you agree that the terms of that license will govern your use of that app.
b) Apple, at its discretion, may make available future iOS Software Updates for your iOS Device. The iOS Software Updates, if any, may not necessarily include all existing software features or new features that Apple releases for newer or other models of iOS Devices. The terms of this License will govern any iOS Software Updates provided by Apple that replace or supplement the Original iOS Software product, unless such iOS Software Update is accompanied by a separate license in which case the terms of that license will govern.
(a) Subject to the terms and conditions of this License, you are granted a limited non-exclusive license to use the iOS Software on a single Apple-branded iOS Device. Except as permitted in Section 2(b) below, and unless as provided in a separate agreement between you and Apple, this License does not allow the iOS Software to exist on more than one Apple-branded iOS Device at a time, and you may not distribute or make the iOS Software available over a network where it could be used by multiple devices at the same time. This License does not grant you any rights to use Apple proprietary interfaces and other intellectual property in the design, development, manufacture, licensing or distribution of third party devices and accessories, or third party software applications, for use with iOS Devices. Some of those rights are available under separate licenses from Apple. For more information on developing third party devices and accessories for iOS Devices, please visit https://developer.apple.com/programs/mfi/. For more information on developing software applications for iOS Devices, please visit https://developer.apple.com.
(b) Subject to the terms and conditions of this License, you are granted a limited non-exclusive license to download iOS Software Updates that may be made available by Apple for your model of the iOS Device to update or restore the software on any such iOS Device that you own or control. This License does not allow you to update or restore any iOS Device that you do not control or own, and you may not distribute or make the iOS Software Updates available over a network where they could be used by multiple devices or multiple computers at the same time. If you download an iOS Software Update to your computer, you may make one copy of the iOS Software Updates stored on your computer in machine-readable form for backup purposes only, provided that the backup copy must include all copyright or other proprietary notices contained on the original.
(c) To the extent that Apple has preinstalled Apple-branded apps from the App Store on your iOS Device at the time of purchase ("Preinstalled Apps"), you will need to log into the App Store and associate these Preinstalled Apps with your App Store account in order to use them on your iOS Device. When you associate a Preinstalled App with your App Store account, you will at the same time be automatically associating all other Preinstalled Apps on your iOS Device. By choosing to associate the Preinstalled Apps with your App Store account, you agree that Apple may transmit, collect, maintain, process and use both the Apple ID used by your App Store account and a unique hardware identifier collected from your iOS Device, as unique account identifiers for the purpose of verifying the eligibility of your request and providing you access to the Preinstalled Apps through the App Store. If you do not wish to use a Preinstalled App, you can delete it from your iOS Device at any time.
(f) You agree to use the iOS Software and the Services (as defined in Section 5 below) in compliance with all applicable laws, including local laws of the country or region in which you reside or in which you download or use the iOS Software and Services. Features of the iOS Software and the Services may not be available in all languages or regions, some features may vary by region, and some may be restricted or unavailable from your service provider. A Wi-Fi or cellular data connection is required for some features of the iOS Software and Services.
(g) Use of the App Store requires a unique user name and password combination, known as an Apple ID. An Apple ID is also required to access app updates and certain features of the iOS Software and Services.
(h) You acknowledge that many features, built-in apps, and Services of the iOS Software transmit data and could impact charges to your data plan, and that you are responsible for any such charges. You can view and control which applications are permitted to use cellular data and view an estimate of how much data such applications have consumed under Cellular Data Settings. For more information, please consult the User Guide for your iOS Device.
(i) If you choose to allow automatic app updates, your iOS Device will periodically check with Apple for updates to the apps on your device and, if one is available, the update will automatically download and install onto your device. You can turn off the automatic app updates altogether at any time by going to Settings, tap iTunes & App Store, and under Automatic Downloads, turn off Updates.
(j) Using your iOS Device in some circumstances can distract you and may cause a dangerous situation (for example, avoid typing a text message while driving a car or using headphones while riding a bicycle). By using your iOS Device you agree that you are responsible for observing rules that prohibit or restrict the use of mobile phones or headphones (for example, the requirement to use hands-free options for making calls when driving).
You may not rent, lease, lend, sell, redistribute, or sublicense the iOS Software. You may, however, make a one-time permanent transfer of all of your license rights to the iOS Software to another party in connection with the transfer of ownership of your iOS Device, provided that: (a) the transfer must include your iOS Device and all of the iOS Software, including all its component parts, original media, printed materials and this License; (b) you do not retain any copies of the iOS Software, full or partial, including copies stored on a computer or other storage device; and (c) the party receiving the iOS Software reads and agrees to accept the terms and conditions of this License.
(a) The iOS Software may enable access to Apple's iTunes Store, App Store, iBooks Store, Game Center, iCloud, Maps and other Apple and third party services and web sites (collectively and individually, "Services"). Such Services may not be available in all languages or in all countries. Use of these Services requires Internet access and use of certain Services may require an Apple ID, may require you to accept additional terms and may be subject to additional fees. By using this software in connection with an Apple ID, or other Apple Service, you agree to the applicable terms of service for that Service, such as the latest iTunes Store Terms and Conditions, latest iBooks Store Terms and Conditions for the country in which you access such Store(s) or Game Center Terms and Conditions, which you may access and review at http://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/ww/, or the iCloud Terms and Conditions which can be found at http://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/icloud/ww/, respectively.
(b) If you sign up for iCloud, certain iCloud features like "iCloud Photo Library", "My Photo Stream", "iCloud Photo Sharing", "Back Up" and "Find My iPhone" may be accessed directly from the iOS Software. You acknowledge and agree that your use of iCloud and these features is subject to the latest terms and conditions of the iCloud service, which you may access and review at: http://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/icloud/ww/.
(c) News App Content. Your use of content accessed through the News application is limited solely to personal, noncommercial use, does not transfer any ownership interest to you in the content, and specifically excludes, without limitation, any commercial or promotional use rights in such content. Furthermore, you are prohibited from republishing, retransmitting and reproducing any images accessed through News as a stand-alone file.
(d) Maps. The maps service and features of the iOS Software ("Maps"), including map data coverage, may vary by region. When you use any location-based features within Maps, such as turn-by-turn navigation, traffic and local search, various location-related and usage information may be sent to Apple, including the real-time geographic location of your iOS Device, in order to process your request and help improve Maps. Such location and usage data is collected by Apple in a form that does not personally identify you. By using Maps, you agree and consent to Apple's and its subsidiaries' and agents' transmission, collection, maintenance, processing, and use of this information, to provide and improve the Maps features and service, and other Apple products and services. Apple may also provide such information, in either an aggregated or non personally identifiable form, to its partners and licensees to help improve their map and location-based products and services. You may disable the location-based functionality of Maps by going to the Location Services setting on your iOS Device and turning off the individual location setting for Maps. Certain Maps features will however be unavailable if you disable the Location Services setting, such as turn-by-turn navigation.
(e) iBooks; Podcasts. If you choose to use the sync feature of the iBooks and Podcasts apps to synchronize your bookmarks, notes, collections and podcast subscription data across your iOS Devices and computers, you acknowledge that such data will be sent to Apple and stored in conjunction with the Apple ID you use for the iBooks Store or iTunes Store, in order to sync such data to your other devices and computers that are authorized to access content through that Apple ID. You can turn off syncing at any time by going to Settings and changing the syncing options for the iBooks and Podcasts apps, respectively.
(f) You understand that by using any of the Services, you may encounter content that may be deemed offensive, indecent, or objectionable, which content may or may not be identified as having explicit language, and that the results of any search or entering of a particular URL may automatically and unintentionally generate links or references to objectionable material. Nevertheless, you agree to use the Services at your sole risk and that Apple, its affiliates, agents, principals, or licensors shall have no liability to you for content that may be found to be offensive, indecent, or objectionable.
(g) Certain Services may display, include or make available content, data, information, applications or materials from third parties ("Third Party Materials") or provide links to certain third party web sites. By using the Services, you acknowledge and agree that Apple is not responsible for examining or evaluating the content, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, validity, copyright compliance, legality, decency, quality or any other aspect of such Third Party Materials or web sites. Apple, its officers, affiliates and subsidiaries do not warrant or endorse and do not assume and will not have any liability or responsibility to you or any other person for any third-party Services, Third Party Materials or web sites, or for any other materials, products, or services of third parties. Third Party Materials and links to other web sites are provided solely as a convenience to you.
(h) Neither Apple nor any of its content providers guarantees the availability, accuracy, completeness, reliability, or timeliness of stock information, location data or any other data displayed by any Services. Financial information displayed by any Services is for general informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as investment advice. Before executing any securities transaction based upon information obtained through the Services, you should consult with a financial or securities professional who is legally qualified to give financial or securities advice in your country or region. Location data provided by any Services, including the Apple Maps service, is provided for basic navigational and planning purposes only and is not intended to be relied upon in situations where precise location information is needed or where erroneous, inaccurate, time-delayed or incomplete location data may lead to death, personal injury, property or environmental damage. You agree that, the results you receive from the Maps service may vary from actual road or terrain conditions due to factors that can affect the accuracy of the Maps data, such as, but not limited to, weather, road and traffic conditions, and geopolitical events. For your safety when using the navigation feature, always pay attention to posted road signs and current road conditions. Follow safe driving practices and traffic regulations, and note that walking directions may not include sidewalks or pedestrian paths.
(i) To the extent that you upload any content through the use of the Services, you represent that you own all rights in, or have authorization or are otherwise legally permitted to upload, such content and that such content does not violate any terms of service applicable to the Services. You agree that the Services contain proprietary content, information and material that is owned by Apple, the site owner or their licensors, and is protected by applicable intellectual property and other laws, including but not limited to copyright. You agree that you will not use such proprietary content, information or materials other than for permitted use of the Services or in any manner that is inconsistent with the terms of this License or that infringes any intellectual property rights of a third party or Apple. No portion of the Services may be reproduced in any form or by any means. You agree not to modify, rent, lease, loan, sell, distribute, or create derivative works based on the Services, in any manner, and you shall not exploit the Services in any unauthorized way whatsoever, including but not limited to, using the Services to transmit any computer viruses, worms, trojan horses or other malware, or by trespass or burdening network capacity. You further agree not to use the Services in any manner to harass, abuse, stalk, threaten, defame or otherwise infringe or violate the rights of any other party, and that Apple is not in any way responsible for any such use by you, nor for any harassing, threatening, defamatory, offensive, infringing or illegal messages or transmissions that you may receive as a result of using any of the Services.
(j) In addition, Services and Third Party Materials that may be accessed, linked to or displayed on the iOS Device are not available in all languages or in all countries or regions. Apple makes no representation that such Services and Third Party Materials are appropriate or available for use in any particular location. To the extent you choose to use or access such Services and Third Party Materials, you do so at your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with any applicable laws, including but not limited to applicable local laws and privacy and data collection laws. Sharing or syncing photos through your iOS Device may cause metadata, including photo location data, to be transmitted with the photos. Apple and its licensors reserve the right to change, suspend, remove, or disable access to any Services at any time without notice. In no event will Apple be liable for the removal of or disabling of access to any such Services. Apple may also impose limits on the use of or access to certain Services, in any case and without notice or liability.
6. Termination. This License is effective until terminated. Your rights under this License will terminate automatically or otherwise cease to be effective without notice from Apple if you fail to comply with any term(s) of this License. Upon the termination of this License, you shall cease all use of the iOS Software. Sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12 and 13 of this License shall survive any such termination.
7.1 If you are a customer who is a consumer (someone who uses the iOS Software outside of your trade, business or profession), you may have legal rights in your country of residence which would prohibit the following limitations from applying to you, and where prohibited they will not apply to you. To find out more about rights, you should contact a local consumer advice organization.
7.2 YOU EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, USE OF THE iOS SOFTWARE AND ANY SERVICES PERFORMED BY OR ACCESSED THROUGH THE iOS SOFTWARE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK AND THAT THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO SATISFACTORY QUALITY, PERFORMANCE, ACCURACY AND EFFORT IS WITH YOU.
7.3 TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE iOS SOFTWARE AND SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE", WITH ALL FAULTS AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, AND APPLE AND APPLE'S LICENSORS (COLLECTIVELY REFERRED TO AS "APPLE" FOR THE PURPOSES OF SECTIONS 7 AND 8) HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE iOS SOFTWARE AND SERVICES, EITHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND/OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, SATISFACTORY QUALITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, QUIET ENJOYMENT, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS.
7.4 APPLE DOES NOT WARRANT AGAINST INTERFERENCE WITH YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THE iOS SOFTWARE AND SERVICES, THAT THE FUNCTIONS CONTAINED IN, OR SERVICES PERFORMED OR PROVIDED BY, THE iOS SOFTWARE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, THAT THE OPERATION OF THE iOS SOFTWARE AND SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, THAT ANY SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO BE MADE AVAILABLE, THAT DEFECTS IN THE iOS SOFTWARE OR SERVICES WILL BE CORRECTED, OR THAT THE iOS SOFTWARE WILL BE COMPATIBLE OR WORK WITH ANY THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE, APPLICATIONS OR THIRD PARTY SERVICES. INSTALLATION OF THIS iOS SOFTWARE MAY AFFECT THE AVAILABILITY AND USABILITY OF THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE, APPLICATIONS OR THIRD PARTY SERVICES, AS WELL AS APPLE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.
7.5 YOU FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE iOS SOFTWARE AND SERVICES ARE NOT INTENDED OR SUITABLE FOR USE IN SITUATIONS OR ENVIRONMENTS WHERE THE FAILURE OR TIME DELAYS OF, OR ERRORS OR INACCURACIES IN, THE CONTENT, DATA OR INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE iOS SOFTWARE OR SERVICES COULD LEAD TO DEATH, PERSONAL INJURY, OR SEVERE PHYSICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE OPERATION OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES, AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION OR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL, LIFE SUPPORT OR WEAPONS SYSTEMS.
7.6 NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY APPLE OR AN APPLE AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY. SHOULD THE iOS SOFTWARE OR SERVICES PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR LIMITATIONS ON APPLICABLE STATUTORY RIGHTS OF A CONSUMER, SO THE ABOVE EXCLUSION AND LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
8. Limitation of Liability. TO THE EXTENT NOT PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL APPLE, ITS AFFILIATES, AGENTS OR PRINCIPALS BE LIABLE FOR PERSONAL INJURY, OR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, CORRUPTION OR LOSS OF DATA, FAILURE TO TRANSMIT OR RECEIVE ANY DATA (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION COURSE INSTRUCTIONS, ASSIGNMENTS AND MATERIALS), BUSINESS INTERRUPTION OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL DAMAGES OR LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE iOS SOFTWARE AND SERVICES OR ANY THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE OR APPLICATIONS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE iOS SOFTWARE OR SERVICES, HOWEVER CAUSED, REGARDLESS OF THE THEORY OF LIABILITY (CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE) AND EVEN IF APPLE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR PERSONAL INJURY, OR OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THIS LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. In no event shall Apple's total liability to you for all damages (other than as may be required by applicable law in cases involving personal injury) exceed the amount of two hundred and fifty dollars (U.S.$250.00). The foregoing limitations will apply even if the above stated remedy fails of its essential purpose.
9. Digital Certificates. The iOS Software contains functionality that allows it to accept digital certificates either issued from Apple or from third parties. YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT TO RELY ON A CERTIFICATE WHETHER ISSUED BY APPLE OR A THIRD PARTY. YOUR USE OF DIGITAL CERTIFICATES IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, APPLE MAKES NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, SECURITY, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO DIGITAL CERTIFICATES.
10. Export Control. You may not use or otherwise export or re-export the iOS Software except as authorized by United States law and the laws of the jurisdiction(s) in which the iOS Software was obtained. In particular, but without limitation, the iOS Software may not be exported or re-exported (a) into any U.S. embargoed countries or (b) to anyone on the U.S. Treasury Department's list of Specially Designated Nationals or the U.S. Department of Commerce Denied Person's List or Entity List or any other restricted party lists. By using the iOS Software, you represent and warrant that you are not located in any such country or on any such list. You also agree that you will not use the iOS Software for any purposes prohibited by United States law, including, without limitation, the development, design, manufacture or production of missiles, nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.
11. Government End Users. The iOS Software and related documentation are "Commercial Items", as that term is defined at 48 C.F.R. §2.101, consisting of "Commercial Computer Software" and "Commercial Computer Software Documentation", as such terms are used in 48 C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §227.7202, as applicable. Consistent with 48 C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §227.7202-1 through 227.7202-4, as applicable, the Commercial Computer Software and Commercial Computer Software Documentation are being licensed to U.S. Government end users (a) only as Commercial Items and (b) with only those rights as are granted to all other end users pursuant to the terms and conditions herein. Unpublished-rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States.
12. Controlling Law and Severability. This License will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, excluding its conflict of law principles. This License shall not be governed by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, the application of which is expressly excluded. If you are a consumer based in the United Kingdom, this License will be governed by the laws of the jurisdiction of your residence. If for any reason a court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision, or portion thereof, to be unenforceable, the remainder of this License shall continue in full force and effect.
13. Complete Agreement; Governing Language. This License constitutes the entire agreement between you and Apple relating to the iOS Software and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous understandings regarding such subject matter. No amendment to or modification of this License will be binding unless in writing and signed by Apple. Any translation of this License is done for local requirements and in the event of a dispute between the English and any non-English versions, the English version of this License shall govern, to the extent not prohibited by local law in your jurisdiction.
15. Use of MPEG-4; H.264/AVC Notice.
(a) The iOS Software is licensed under the MPEG-4 Systems Patent Portfolio License for encoding in compliance with the MPEG-4 Systems Standard, except that an additional license and payment of royalties are necessary for encoding in connection with (i) data stored or replicated in physical media which is paid for on a title by title basis and/or (ii) data which is paid for on a title by title basis and is transmitted to an end user for permanent storage and/or use. Such additional license may be obtained from MPEG LA, LLC. See http://www.mpegla.com for additional details.
(b) The iOS Software contains MPEG-4 video encoding and/or decoding functionality. The iOS Software is licensed under the MPEG-4 Visual Patent Portfolio License for the personal and non-commercial use of a consumer for (i) encoding video in compliance with the MPEG-4 Visual Standard ("MPEG-4 Video") and/or (ii) decoding MPEG-4 video that was encoded by a consumer engaged in a personal and non-commercial activity and/or was obtained from a video provider licensed by MPEG LA to provide MPEG-4 video. No license is granted or shall be implied for any other use. Additional information including that relating to promotional, internal and commercial uses and licensing may be obtained from MPEG LA, LLC. See http://www.mpegla.com.
(c) The iOS Software contains AVC encoding and/or decoding functionality, commercial use of H.264/AVC requires additional licensing and the following provision applies: THE AVC FUNCTIONALITY IN THE iOS SOFTWARE IS LICENSED HEREIN ONLY FOR THE PERSONAL AND NON-COMMERCIAL USE OF A CONSUMER TO (i) ENCODE VIDEO IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE AVC STANDARD ("AVC VIDEO") AND/OR (ii) DECODE AVC VIDEO THAT WAS ENCODED BY A CONSUMER ENGAGED IN A PERSONAL AND NON-COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY AND/OR AVC VIDEO THAT WAS OBTAINED FROM A VIDEO PROVIDER LICENSED TO PROVIDE AVC VIDEO. INFORMATION REGARDING OTHER USES AND LICENSES MAY BE OBTAINED FROM MPEG LA L.L.C. SEE HTTP://WWW.MPEGLA.COM.
16. Yahoo Search Service Restrictions. The Yahoo Search Service available through Safari is licensed for use only in the following countries and regions: Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, UK, Uruguay, US and Venezuela.
17. Microsoft Exchange Notice. The Microsoft Exchange mail setting in the iOS Software is licensed only for over-the-air synchronization of information, such as email, contacts, calendar and tasks, between your iOS and Microsoft Exchange Server or other server software licensed by Microsoft to implement the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol.
These Apple Pay Supplemental Terms and Conditions (the "Supplemental Terms") supplement the iOS Software License Agreement (the "License"); both the terms of the License and these Supplemental Terms govern your use of the Apple Pay feature, which shall be deemed a "Service" under the License. Capitalized terms used in these Supplemental Terms have the meanings set forth in the License.
Apple Pay allows you to store virtual representations of credit, debit and prepaid cards, including store credit, debit and prepaid cards, which are supported by the Apple Pay feature ("Supported Payment Cards") and use supported iOS Devices to make contactless payments in select locations, or within apps or websites. Apple Pay also allows you to use rewards and gift cards that are saved in Wallet ("Apple Pay-Enabled Cards", and together with Supported Payment Cards, "Supported Cards") to make contactless rewards and gift card transactions in select stores as part of a contactless payment using Apple Pay. The Apple Pay features of the iOS Software may only be available in select regions, with select card issuers, and with select merchants. Features may vary by region, issuer, and merchant.
In order to use Apple Pay, you must have a card supported by the Apple Pay feature. Supported Cards may change from time to time. Supported Payment Cards are associated with an active iCloud account in order to use this feature. Supported Cards are only available to individuals aged 13 years or older, and may be subject to additional age-based restrictions imposed by iCloud or the Supported Card which you are trying to provision.
You agree not to use Apple Pay for illegal or fraudulent purposes, or any other purposes which are prohibited by the License and these Supplemental Terms. You further agree to use Apple Pay in accordance with applicable law and regulation. You agree not to interfere with or disrupt the Apple Pay service (including accessing the service through any automated means), or any servers or networks connected to the service, or any policies, requirements or regulations of networks connected to the service (including any unauthorized access to, use or monitoring of data or traffic thereon).
Apple Pay enables you to create a virtual representation of your Supported Cards on your supported iOS Device, however Apple does not process payments or other non-payment card transactions (such as reward accrual and redemption), or have any other control over payments, returns, refunds, rewards, value, discounts or other commerce activity that may arise out of your use of this feature. The terms of cardholder agreements you may have in place with your card issuer will continue to govern your use of your Supported Payment Cards and their use in connection with Apple Pay. Similarly, your participation in any merchant rewards or gift card programs and your use of Apple Pay-Enabled Cards in connection with Apple Pay will be subject to such merchant's terms and conditions. Nothing in the License or these Supplemental Terms modifies the terms of any cardholder or merchant agreement, and such terms will govern your use of the applicable Supported Card and its virtual representation on your iOS Device.
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Parent Category: Papers & Articles
As a child, I grew up thinking that we Americans took for granted that the future would always be better for the next generation. I was taught to believe that the advance of knowledge and benefits of galloping technology would improve our lives. We were imbued with a faith that if we put enough smart people together in a room, we could solve most of life's problems and maybe eventually abolish inequality and poverty in the process. After all, people in the movies and on television managed to solve all problems in 30 to 120 minutes.
The hopeful programs of John F. Kennedy's New Frontier and Lyndon Johnson's Great Society clarified and reinforced this belief that the U. S. would continually become richer, safer, and happier for all of the American people. However, the Viet Nam War began undermining the belief in government infallibility and the conservative forces started mounting effective challenges to expansion of government power needed to bring about the transformation.
The New Frontier was designed "to get America moving again" after the sleepier Eisenhower years. The Great Society's mission was to "finish the unfinished business of the New Deal". Welfare was federalized and proved to be the most disastrous social experiment in the nation's history. Illegitimacy rates since 1965 have roughly tripled and nihilistic violence and despair blight vast urban zones.
During the Reagan years, the relatively unified perception of the future began diverging – faith in knowledge and technology was questioned as undermining traditional values and labeled as "secular humanism". Values clarification was attacked – traditionalists argued that there was only one traditional structure, no further clarification was necessary.
That ignored the common reality in countless cities and towns that the backbone of their life – a good economy built on high industrial wages – was dissolving. Unions were diminished as millions of good jobs were transferred to China. Formerly middle class workers lined up for unemployment assistance and food stamps. Many signed up for retraining programs to qualify for jobs that paid half their previous salaries. Traditional values became less comforting to people uncertain about what the future held for them.
Furthermore, millions of middle class people were trying on alternative lifestyles, tens of millions more were using drugs, and youth were listening to music that questioned all authority and related values.
In the process, a counter-culture formed and offered parallel structures of values that competed for people's interest and favor. Direct immigration from perhaps 200 countries further enriched and broadened the American belief system.
A person would have to be intolerant, perhaps even delusional, to insist that there is but a single slate of values to live by. American life is very complex and young people making their way in life are some times overwhelmed from the challenge to make the right choices for them. Young people need all available information from a range of sources to make wise decisions on their pathway to building their American Dream.
The future today has become so politicized that perceptions of it are totally fractured. The current, heated partisanship has produced parallel views of reality and the future and evidenced in the following five examples:
1. Burning fossil fuels causes CO2 emissions that are warming the globe and melting the arctic - Global warming is not caused by growing CO2 emissions and is a hoax. If we ignore global warming, how do we prepare for it in the future should it happen to prove true?
2. Local control of schools prevents government takeover of schools - Federal and state aid is needed because communities and counties are broke and U.S. public education is at risk. How do we improve the public schools if local systems lack necessary resources to prepare students for life but ideologically block any federal or state assistance?
3. Drugs are illegal and prohibited - Drugs are everywhere with two states having legalized marijuana and more are lining up to follow suit. The DEA war on drugs has failed yet new drugs keep appearing. So how do we help young people in the most rational, cost efficient manner deal with freely available drugs that saturate their society like sex?
4. Government should be minimal to govern best – Government must be expanded to improve services, fix crumbling infrastructure, combat terrorism. The infrastructure is crumbling and combating terrorism is expensive and intrusive. What is the most rational and efficient form of governance to assure America's security and stability in the future – less government or more?
5. Government is inherently corrupt, even evil – Government is benevolent and provides well being. It's my perception that American democracy is inherently committed to well being for the entire population. How do we continue to provide upward social mobility in what is becoming an increasingly stratified society? Will our future be torn apart by class warfare caused by a pernicious inequality? Twenty years ago, the top 1% of income earners owned 23% of the wealth. In 2013, the share of the top 1% earned 43% of the wealth or more than the poorest 150 million Americans
Those are just five examples of a conflicted view of reality and the future that are hotly debated by Americans. Between 1975 and 1980, I published three articles that reflected Americans search for authentic value structures to live by. Although obviously dated, these articles present simple truths and timeless information that make them still relevant and clear today.
In 1975; I published in the Georgia Social Science Journal, the article; "So You're a High School Social Studies Teacher Who Read FUTURE SHOCK and Would Like to Teach Your Students a Class About the Future?" It follows and I have interjected narrative when necessary to update the reader.
As part of the initial post World War II baby boom, I have been the first generation weaned on television; in fact, I was one of the first American children to start watching it. My family bought a TV set in 1947 when only people living in the New York metropolitan area could receive the signals.
My mother quickly learned that TV made for a great baby sitter. I can remember as early as age one my mother placing me on the couch, turning on the TV set, then cook dinner or do housework. I watched in awe as Kate Smith sang, Garry Moore bantered, and the stick figures in Uncle Fred's Comics ran over the horizon. Now 67 years old, I have thought for 66 years more in visual images than print words, perhaps longer than all but a handful of people.
As a teacher, I sensed that my mental processes – the way I learned and thought – would be more similar to my students than other teachers. I believed that my visual thinking enhanced my ability to shape for young people positive learning experiences, outcomes, and preparation for life. Now retired after having had the teaching career that I'd hoped for, I believe that more than ever.
There was an outpouring of future related materials in the early 1970's that made me want to teach a class on the future. Twice I tried to schedule one but was discouraged by administrative and departmental resistance - they claimed that students were unprepared, or that I did not understand the hierarchal leadership system that would inevitably block me.
During the summer of 1974, my late wife Sue, noting boredom in me from perpetually repeating tired curriculum, borrowed from the library, The Role of the Future in Education: Learning for Tomorrow, by Alvin Toffler. The opening quote stunned me; "All education springs from some image of the future. If the image of the future held by the society is grossly inaccurate, its system will betray its youth.
Toffler was right – the U.S. was not preparing its students for a future of rapidly accelerating change, especially the growing economic dislocation caused by changing technology. I researched the subject and learned that a teacher in Melbourne, Florida, assisted by N.A.S.A., had taught a successful Future Studies course. Alvin Toffler was brought in as a consultant and curriculum developer – this provided me with the a model to adapt to my Atlanta system classroom
I began the school year excited that I might finally provide my students with an innovative and relevant learning opportunity. The Fall and Winter Quarters flew by and I pressed the administration to schedule the course. I had occasionally sampled student interest and been rewarded with a chorus of positive reactions.
A random survey of the schools library magazine rack showed sufficient materials to at least get a course going. When course approval arrived in time to schedule a Spring Quarter course titled "Ideas of Mankind", I was cautioned to expect no financial assistance for curriculum or field trips and informed not to expect any. Still, I gratefully accepted the challenge of constructing my new course and recruited students and plunged ahead.
In all fairness, the Atlanta system was broke at the time – there was a real estate recession in Atlanta in 1975 that savaged school tax revenues. Ironically, the Atlanta system is coming out of the 2008 financial crisis that again greatly lowered real estate values and tax collections.
Regardless, I applied for a four hundred dollar grant from the Georgia Bicentennial Commission and my proposal, if funded, would have prescribed my course. The main goal was to teach the future in accordance with the celebration of the nation's two hundredth birthday and probe the future of American society. My students would be living well into the 21st Century and they would probably have to adapt to a couple of technological revolutions.
into a single package and present to invited community members, educational leaders, parents and fellow students their description of the future of Atlanta, Georgia, and American in a slightly premature celebration.
Without commission approval, the original curriculum would have to be scrapped, and I would have to scratch and beg to succeed. I began the class understanding that commission notification would come about three weeks into the course. That meant that I could be turned down and would have to design an entirely new format. That variable motivated me to create my own curriculum on a day by day basis from any available sources.
My students thankfully were intelligent, inquiring, flexible, and displayed very healthy interest levels. They liked innovative components such as no grades, total trust, and openness. They appreciated what I was doing for them and were determined to not let me down.
A semi-structured inquiring approach was employed to force students to confront the decision-making process. Since no text books on the future existed, we bought thirty copies of the Atlanta 2000 Magazine - most of the money was out of my pocket. My students were expected to read a selected magazine article at home, answer assigned questions, and be ready to discuss the subject in class the next day. Many of the students purchased the magazine upon course completion because they felt it contained invaluable insights into their future urban environment.
I divided the curriculum into five independent learning packages and a sixth that focused on Drug Education – the first packet was on values education. Since the class believed that values begin at home and are acted out in school, they decided to survey the values that their fellow students were displaying in class, the halls, lunchroom, and athletic fields.
The class investigated the Atlanta Public Schools Commission on Discipline report that identified rights and responsibilities of students, teachers, principals, area and central staff, community members and parents. The students collectively developed a new student constitution based on the results of their values survey and submitted it to the administration for approval. The new constitution was rejected immediately by the school administration without any discussion or negotiation.
After clarifying fundamental personal, career and educational goals, the class tackled a study by Ian Wilson that had been financed by the General Electric Company and published in the World Futurist Magazine (Feb. 1970). Ian Wilson had predicted the course of eighteen major social trends that would influence the nature of future life. By studying a profile of significant value system changes, 1969 – 1980, each youngster produced his / her individualized chart. Some examples of significant competing values identified by the Wilson study were:
war / military might private enterprise
nationalism internationalism
organization individualism
work leisure
economic efficiency social justice
In order to choose from competing value structures, and utilize personal decision-making effectively, one must know his own self in a deep and honest way. A short survey of fundamental theories and theoreticians began with learning the basic concepts of the psychoanalytical, behaviorist, and cognitive schools of psychology. Dr. Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs and self-actualization process and Dr. Laurence Kohlberg's moral reasoning development scales were covered along with insights into Piaget, Erikson, and Freud.
on a very large sheet of poster-board describing all student origins and unique personality traits. Other requirements were to project value development by answering five basic life questions:
· What constituted development of a healthy ego?
· What level of material and social needs were needed to satisfy them?
· What educational and career goals were they planning?
· What were their family development goals and intentions?
· What was the preferred lifestyle that they were primarily identifying with?
The students had to make scientific predictions for technological, sociological, political and geographical changes. They added a "news flash of the decade" based on the possibility that their prediction might actually occur.
In one culminating activity, the class drew posters of themselves in gradual stages of deterioration according to the usual aging patterns and incorporated potential future world problems such as natural catastrophes and wars. One female student predicted that by age 54, a pill would be developed that would permanently freeze aging.
Learning packages #3 and #4 consisted of many magazine articles, each with related sets of questions or other applications. A summary of the most helpful articles is provided at the article's conclusion.
Learning package #5 was a series of ten magazine articles that were visual in nature. The pictorial format that described present and future technological advancements was an excellent motivational tool for stimulating meaningful discussion.
A drug education packet was the sixth learning activity package. Many people might question the inclusion of drug education in to a curriculum on the future. Drugs will never be eliminated from our pressurized society and futurists forecast the use of wonder drugs designed to perk up IQ's and help students to conform to the classroom environment and cope with schooling (Ritalin).
Versions of Aldous Huxley's Soma have been developed in many forms – behavior altering drugs and Brave New World is not that far away. Some social planners contend that it is already here and has been for awhile.
Many experts cannot verify whether hard drug usage is declining or increasing. Drug violence is mostly local - witness Chicago's record body counts, the product of Southside drug distribution gangs competing for markets and resultant warfare. In the rest of the country, drug violence is rare and mostly random.
Whatever the situation is, temptations are always around and students will continue to be forced to choose, making it imperative that they be given useful data about all drugs.
New Zealand, on August 2, 2013, announced that it is considering decriminalizing synthetic party drugs because the designer's capacity to keep changing formulas has blunted the state's ability to regulate usage. As soon as the government declares a particular party drug to be illegal, the chemists issue a new formula that is legal and the sales explode. Prohibition encouraged innovation at a rate that the state was overwhelmed to effectively respond to.
Students read the introduction and followed the programmed instructions for the forty article series that included photos, cartoons and examples of government anti-drug use propaganda. Lists of songs with drug oriented lyrics and films with potent drug messages and themes were also included.
An important objective of this course was to teach the students how to think, research information, organize their thoughts and take notes. Each student compiled a massive, personal resource materials notebook for research purposes and utilization. Today, of course, we Google everything or consult the Wikipedia.
In retrospect, I believe that the course outcomes exceeded my expectation. It was the most rewarding and satisfying work experience of the first seven years of my career spent in three different, big city systems. The fact that it occurred at a high school with a 99% black population which rarely sent 30% of its students to college, where 50% of the students dropped out before graduating, and where reading levels lagged the national average by four years made it exceptional.
Innovative social studies instruction can also flourish in semi-segregated systems and schools if certain rules are followed:
Social Studies teachers of excellence should be recruited to redesign curriculum for greater local student relevancy
Block curriculum cannot satisfy all student needs nor should it
Homogenous grouping should be promoted to nurture positive results for novel educational experiments.
Principals, department chairs, and registrars should support innovative teachers and not resist or neglect their proposals
Funding should be sufficient to provide a high quality learning experience.
Futurism is best utilized as an interdisciplinary subject. Part of each school year's social studies curriculum should include future studies components. Adequate funding to create or acquire learning materials and computer tools is necessary to expand students' minds.
The Atlanta destinations and attractions listed below may appear mundane and even archaic compared to the Atlanta of today. Trust me – this list really represented "futuristic trends" in 1975.
Bibliographic lists:
Drug Education Curriculum – Elementary Level
Part 1: Introduction – Summary of Drug Problem in American:
Are these two children your brother or sister? Do they belong to a relative or friend? Do their parents know what they are doing? Is that their father in the background? Is he smoking pot too?
Drug users often have school aged children. As a teacher, could you identify the children of a famous rock musician who got high all day long in the house? How about the children in a predominately black elementary school whose father was the primary ghetto narcotics dealer?
How many teachers use drugs to get high? I viewed an APS administrator warn a Fall 1973 orientation class of new teachers that any personnel arrested for possession of illegal quantities or selling drugs might have to be fired. The administrator at that very moment was mulling over what to do about two male elementary school teachers that had just been arrested for selling twenty pounds of high grade pot, 1000 tabs of L. S. D., and 1,500 methamphetamine pills to an undercover policeman.
If your child's teacher was arrested for using or selling drugs, how would you react? I imagine that soon in Colorado and Washington steachers may legally be high while at work teaching school. I hope that those state's teachers will be professional and not teach in an altered state of consciousness. During my professional career, I was always disapproving of teachers who drank or did drugs on the job.
Drug education is a highly controversial subject:
Drug education is a highly controversial issue for the teacher and public. The majority of Americans believe that learning activities that deal with drugs and related sub-cultures have no place in the classroom. Negative attitudes are generally due to beliefs that teachers may be educating children who formally had no interest in - or knowledge of drug usage. Students, therefore, might actually be introduced to, or initially led into the problem by teaching about drugs.
For decades, amphetamine orders were collectively placed at exam time by fear-stricken dormitories, fraternities, or student cliques. Approximately 500 million amphetamines are legally prescribed each year, almost two per man, woman and child in the country.
Today's politicians are more likely to down power drinks all day long to keep their energy levels high and speech incessant. Friends of mine swore that Al Gore had consumed too many power drinks before his debate with George W. Bush in 2000 and that it undermined his performance.
Teachers who have gone through specialized drug training programs may be afraid of sounding too knowledgeable on the subject. They worry that they might be suspected of drug usage if they are able to authoritatively answer student's questions. Other teachers are afraid of alienating student trust by sounding like a narcotics detective or by mouthing simplistic slogans such as "stop drugs at the source".
Two states, Colorado and Washington, recently legalized marijuana and are trying to figure out how best to regulate consumption and distribution. Eleven states allow medical marijuana to be cultivated and sold to presumably ill people who present medical needs and rationales for their use.
As early as the 1970's, Eugene, Oregon, and Madison, Wisconsin were treating pot use as a minor offense with small fines. As university cities, they could not jail the whole campus and learned to live with the behavior.
Under Governor Nelson Rockefeller, New York experimented with the toughest drug laws in the nation – thousands of people, especially teens, were locked up for minor amounts. The laws proved to be a dismal failure and harmed countless peoples' lives.
America has been a drug and pill culture since the 1950's – big pharma used the spellbinding power of TV advertising to persuade us to take remedies for whatever ailed us. And we did and in the 1960's turned to nature for purer sources such as marijuana, mescaline, and cocaine. L. S. D., however, was a freak incident in a Swiss chemistry lab in 1939 when three chemicals mixed and the law of unanticipated consequences led to the C. I. A.'s using it in the 1950's as truth serum for spies. Ken Kesey later helped the C. I. A. understand what this drug really did to, and for people, with his famous bus trips.
A child is urged by TV commercials to consume alcohol and caffeine – nicotine is now relegated to secondary advertising channels. The child is barraged by slogans such as "Take Sominex and sleep" or "for a headache, take ____________ aspirin" or other brand name version. This same student may also watch their parents take a drink before or after dinner to de-stress. The child may deduce that it's permissible for them to smoke a joint and groove to some music.
Critics of drug legalization point to B. F. Skinner who believed; "Genuine reinforcers can be used in ways which have aversive consequences. A government may prevent defection by making life more interesting – by providing bread and circuses, encouraging mass sports, widespread gambling, ubiquitous alcohol and drugs distribution. Today we would add widespread access to pornography on the Internet.
The Goncourt brothers noted the rise of pornography in revolutionary France of their day. "Pornographic literature," they wrote, "serves as a Bas Empire…..one tames a people as one tames lions, by masturbation."
Waves of drug epidemics have swept the poor neighborhoods of American cities and towns for the past forty years. From heroin to cocaine to crack to crank to PCP to whatever drug cartels were finding most profitable at the time, they targeted urban markets to spill over into the suburbs and beyond.
In the 1960's, drugs became part of the mythology of the counter and youth cultures and undermined respect for authority.
Jane, aged 16, expressed her views:
It's possible that tens of millions of Americans each day who use drugs may lead productive, quiet, non-destructive lives in a fairly tolerant society. However, million more burn out, destroy or kill themselves, or wind up in jail because of excessive involvement. It is not my role to promote moderate drug use or to call for total prohibition. Logic demands that each individual will express free will and live as they wish.
I surveyed my 1975 Future Studies class – they were predominately black and of lower middle class economic status:
50% admitted to smoking pot regularly – some claimed the rate was higher
They smoke without guilt or sense of doing something wrong
10% admitted to sampling "harder drugs" but did not identify them
This concludes Values Clarification Part 1: American Perceptions of Futurism, Change, Technology and Politics. Please proceed to the next folder - Values Clarification 2: A Drug Education Curriculum for the Elementary Grades.
Yes, elementary grades three and four – four lessons focusing on value and drug education.
Lesson 1: The Growing Child and Search for Personal Values

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Property Investment Brisbane
The Top Brisbane Suburbs Primed for Growth
Latest, Property Investment, Property Investment Brisbane
Considering an investment into the Brisbane property market but don't know where to start?
Standby… I am open to open the vault and let out some of the secrets of my, close to two decades of experience buying property in Brisbane.
Whether you are looking to a higher-end purchase or a beginning investor, these are the suburbs that are set to take advantage of the changing face of Brisbane.
In addition, while growth is on the mind of every investor, importantly these locations are also recession-proof.
They are close to major employment hubs, incomes are rising where others are stagnant and they have bulletproof school catchments and public transport/infrastructure.
Inner City. Budget of $1mil plus…
New Farm / Teneriffe
When they said property is as safe as houses, they were probably thinking about this suburb.
Incredible inner-city suburb that has all the ingredients for a bulletproof investment.
Premium lifestyle precincts, high walkability, low commute times and great school catchments, all a stone's throw from our biggest employment hub, the rapidly expanding CBD.
Smack bang in the middle of our two largest (and rapidly expanding) employment hubs, the CBD and the Airport precinct.
While apartments have taken a back seat due to nearby oversupply issues, houses continue to go from strength to strength.
Another suburb with an iconic café strip, strong school catchment and an easy train or ferry ride into the CBD.
A few big announcements here involving infrastructure and the Cross River Rail, have this pocket primed for growth.
For more upside, ensure you understand the new boundary realignments to ensure you get into the catchment for the best State School in Brisbane and with elevated areas, sweeping views of the City are in high demand.
Middle Ring. Budget $700,000 – $1mil
Wilston
This suburb already has a real community spirit with a very strong school catchment and café strip that locals flock too.
This suburb has really gentrified over the last few years with old workers cottages, replaced with bigger, modern contemporary homes.
Include a railway stop and a new Northern Busway, it is primed to take advantage of the Brisbane Airport expansion.
Tarragindi
Another suburb with a strong family feel, bought on by the Wellers Hill school catchment.
The suburb also has excellent infrastructure with a swift commute to the CBD via Pacific Motorway or access via bus at the Holland Park Busway for professionals.
Future growth is assured as the City continues to develop.
A multi-generational suburb.
Perfect for young families where this demographic sets up camp, close to nearby iconic schools, public transform and entertainment precincts.
Also on the doorstep of Universities that set the next generation up to repeat the process again… and again. Very tightly held.
Has been an overlooked suburb in past years.
Younger families are starting to be priced out of nearby suburbs and are turning to Cannon Hill for what is has to offer.
Good schools, a train line, and gentrification of shopping centers and older homes. This offers the best value in Brisbane's middle ring.
Entry Level. $550,000 – $700,000
Chermside West
With Chermside itself starting to ramp up as a north side mini CBD, Chermside West offers families all the benefits without all the hustle and bustle.
Add to that two major Hospitals and a strong school catchment, you start to understand that it has strong investment credentials.
Stafford Heights
Just over the hill from big brother Stafford, this suburb is really starting to hit the radars of families and investors alike.
With a number of retirees moving on and government housing hitting the open market, professional couples and families are starting to take over and really put some money into the area, spending up big on their homes and transforming the area.
One of the most sought after pockets in the south-eastern suburbs of Brisbane thanks to good infrastructure and high demand school catchments.
Will also benefit greatly from the commercial and retail expansion of Mt Gravatt, but tucked away in a more family-friendly environment.
Arguably the most value of any Brisbane suburb, with a strong community feel and still very low key.
This suburb will soon awaken thanks to a number of train stations and the fact there will be close to 500,000 cars on Brisbane's roads over the next decade, demand will be rising sharply.
A great entry level suburb in Brisbane's north east.
With leading Economists tipping capital growth in Brisbane of up to 20% over the next 3 years, it is imperative you give yourself the best chance by selecting the right suburbs.
Brisbane does not have the urban sprawl of bigger capital like Sydney and Melbourne, so you should stick within selected suburbs out to 10km from the Brisbane CBD.
With some Economic turmoil still on the horizon, it would also be prudent to be prepared and lower your risks should a downturn occur.
Savvy investors understand it is more a case of "when, not if" there are is an Economic downturn and prepare accordingly.
They understand and are prepared to wait out 1 – 2 year market correction.
Unfortunately, it is the rookie investors that are caught out chasing hotspots and cashflow, where suburbs could easily lose 20 – 30% of their value.
Play it safe and listen to a professional, these are the suburbs that will fair best in Brisbane over the next few years.
About Brett Warren
Brett Warren is Director of Metropole Properties Brisbane and uses his 13 plus years property investment experience to advise clients how to grow, protect and pass on their build their wealth through property. Visit: Metropole Brisbane
Property development guide part 8 – Increasing your chance of success &…
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WACKELKONTAKT is a project conceived by the subversive Jerusalem-based collective OOMVABOREG, which is also part of an ephemeral 'conceptual-umbrella' organization named Excessive Productions. These and other names are part of the pseudo-cultural activity of a trio consisting of Tomer Damsky, Eyal Lally Bitton and Marco Milevski.
The group uses sound, light and space as raw materials in order to create objects that are rooted in spectatorship and self-critique. Aesthetically excessive, rooted in multiplicity, intensity and deconstruction, the trio employs physical energy as a driving force, testing its impact on the spectator experience.
WACKELKONTAKT is the culmination of OOMVABOREG's seven-day residency at the Center for Contemporary Art Tel Aviv. During this residency, the trio worked in the auditorium following their research and modus operandi. In WACKELKONTAKT, the audience confronts a brutal audiovisual flood that acts upon all senses, creating a situation in which the dilemma is whether to struggle or let the body be totally immersed in the show. The combination of light, image and smoke, on stage, are capturing the spectator's focus, creating a bodily experience based on infinite stimulations and fantasies.
Between 2014 and 2017 the group created multimedia installations for festivals and exhibitions such as Mediterranea 18 Young Artists Biennale in Tirana, Albania; Musrara Mix Festival in Jerusalem; Tectonics at Tmuna Theater in Tel Aviv; InDNegev Music Festival in Mitzpe Gvulot, Israel. In January and February 2018, WACKELKONTAKT toured in Slovakia, Czech Republic and Germany.


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Space Information Laboratories' multi-faceted leadership team has expert knowledge of aeronautics and aerospace technologies to support customers' mission success.
Mr. Burke served as an Air Force Project Director and Program Manager for 18 years prior to founding Space Information Laboratories. He was involved with over 75 instrumentation engineering projects (GPS, Radar, Telemetry, Optics and end-to-end Range Safety Display and processing equipment) from cradle to successful completion of DT&E/OT&E. He served as the Space Lift Range System, Metric Track lead for both Vandenberg AFB and Cape Canaveral, FL.
Mr. Burke is a master designer, inventor and small business development leader. He holds four USPTO utility patents that are IP behind the SIL product lines that include Li-Ion Polymer Intelli-Pack® Battery, Consolidated Avionics® and Intelli-Avionics®, VBITS GPS Tracking and Autonomous Flight Termination System, Space Based Range and Chameleon 12U to 27U OMSR Flexible Bus.
Mr. Burke has a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and a M.S. in Astronautical Engineering from West Coast Univ.
Denise Burke
CFO and Owner
Mrs. Burke is the Chief Financial Officer of SIL with over 25 years experience in small business management, strategic planning, marketing and law. She has served as a CFO and financial analyst with various companies complying with IRS, federal and state accounting regulations, and established a DCAA approved accounting system with forward pricing rates for SIL. She is a power user of multiple accounting and business enterprise systems including, Microsoft Nav, Sharepoint and Excel.
Mrs. Burke has a Bachelors of Science in Business and Finance from Virginia Tech, an Associate in Science in Engineering and Science from Virginia Western Community College, and is pursuing a Masters of Accountancy (MSA) from the University of Phoenix.
Business Operations Manager
Mr. Hogan joins Space Information Labs with over thirty years experience with Hughes Aircraft Co. and The Boeing Co. in a variety of electronics and microwave industries. These include satellite antennas, electro-optics, airborne and ground based radar, in both commercial and government programs. Educated, experienced and skilled in industry disciplines from concept through delivery, Mr. Hogan brings to bear his knowledge of Project and Operations Management, Project Engineering, Mechanical Design, Manufacturing Engineering and Quality Assurance. He has a successful track record with responsibilities for project execution, risk management, technical oversight and direction, as well as earned value in cost and schedule performance. Mr. Hogan possesses strong analytical, planning, process and organizational acumen and is effective in analyzing project requirements to determine, plan and implement optimum project execution.
Mr. Hogan has a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Pepperdine University.
Marty Waldman
Assistant to the President
Mr. Waldman brings over 33 years of DoD Navy and Air Force Program Management experience to SIL from his technical involvement with Cruise Missile, Space Shuttle, Titan IV, Minuteman, Peacekeeper and Eastern/Western Range Data Acquisition and Processing Systems. Mr. Waldman leverages his understanding of projected DoD and Commercial needs in conjunction with available technology to build beneficial business relationships for SIL and its partners. Having successfully prosecuted five U.S. patents, Mr. Waldman's insights and understanding of what is necessary to bring a product to market has been demonstrated over the years with SIL.
Mr. Waldman has a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University.
Mr. Hammond is Principal Engineer for SIL's Li-Ion Intelli-Pack® battery and avionics product lines. He leads the design, Range Safety Space Qualification and UN 38.3 testing of the Li-Ion Intelli-Pack® Battery, and VBITS AFTS and Space Based Range technology product lines for DoD, NASA and commercial aerospace customers. He is well-versed in statistical methods and process control. His experience includes electronics and mechanical design, simulation, test, production of automated test equipment, and novel flexible circuit interconnect systems. He has twenty plus years' experience leading engineering teams in diverse development and production environments.
Mr. Hammond has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
Wayne Pong
SIL Quality Manager
Mr. Pong is a quality assurance professional with over thirty years of experience in aerospace, medical device and general manufacturing industry. He has successfully implemented and obtained certify quality management systems at various facilities complaint to ISO9001, ISO13485, AS9100 and 21 CFR Part 820 QSR. His experience includes implementation of APQP, QRQC, 6's program, PFMEA, control plans, process validation/control, RCCA, 8D C/A. He is well-versed in quality improvement tools, methods, process and internal/external audits to drive continuous improvements.
Mr. Pong has an A.E.S degree from South Suburban College in South Holland Illinois, attended University of Illinois (Chicago) and is a certified AS9100D lead auditor and certified IPC specialist.
Don Kulp
SIL BD Director
Mr. Don Kulp is a leader in Business Development for Department of Defense companies and has successfully won tens of millions in lucrative contracts for companies like Northrop Grumman and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions as well for Small Businesses. From 2010 thru 2019 Mr. Kulp served as the Vice President of Business Development for JSL Technologies Inc. During that time has strategically won and identified key business opportunities, established contract teams, developed RFP responses which included, win strategies, trained teams, set ambitious goals and exceeded financial expectations.
Don Kulp has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from California Lutheran University and holds certificates in PMI, Lean Six Sigma, CMMI, SCRUM and ITIL.


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Showing posts with label pollution. Show all posts
Some Nations are Prepared for Climate Emergency
Some nations have been preparing sustainable, circular and resilient economies for decades now! A good example is Norway, who gained their independence in 1905, from Sweden. (Norway celebrates its Constitution Day May 22 each year, after its 400 year union with Denmark which ended in 1814). Not only did they manage their oil and gas efficiently (taking out 100% rather than 50% as in the UK) they built up a pension oil fund for Norwegians of one trillion. Norway has also built their towns beside waterfalls for green Hydro energy, so they only rely on Gas for a mere 5% of their energy supply. They also run their own Norwegian energy company, rather then being exploited by giant global oil companies.
Denmark focused on funding renewable innovations 20 years ago and now leads the way with the manufacture of wind turbines and wave power, worth 70 billion to their economy. While Germany has focused on well insulated homes and solar energy. Scotland is hosting the world's largest wind farm Aberdeen and testing the world's largest tidal farm Moray Firth, and offers ideal locations, but because of the UKs lack of investment Scotland is sadly missing out on the future of the Renewables industry.
Meanwhile Scotland also has poorly insulated homes, so there's no clear solution here in the UK at all. All the talk of heat pumps will not work for most homes, without an electric backup system. There's been no long term planning, for a greener, sustainable future by the UK government - but rather an ignorant recklessness, which results from the confrontational and divisive nature of UK politics.
And the richest 1% waste money on needless luxuries such as space rockets and avoid paying tax – have they no shame? While our world burns and floods….. have they no shame? Instead of selling weapons of war, the UK should focus on the future of our planet! The richest must be answerable for their careless, unthinking attitudes. This includes the uncaring Tories.
The richest nations, must give back and pay for the cost for the exploitation of the poorest nations. And what of China and India? The future will be renewables, not dirty, polluting fossil fuels. Where is any moral compass? I'd hope to see more women leaders who will promote a more rounded well being society – instead of nations at war. The UK is the biggest seller of arms.
While the world is better connected, globalization and the internet has led to a dark side, with dark money and dark forces lobbying, and corruption is undermining our democracy. Its essential we fight back. Dark money has led to extreme right wing, controlling populism (such as Brexit).
The arts and culture were excluded from COP26. Even while it's the arts that change hearts and minds, and not number crunchers! (SNP take note!). Change often does not happen because of number crunching or even "facts", but because we imagine better! There are two songs that speak volumes about humanity's reckless exploitations – one by the Bob Dylan who grew up who grew up under the threat of the bomb, and he wrote his haunting 'Masters of War' and the other by Robert Burns who grew up with the threat of war with France when he wrote 'Westlin Winds'.
music, gigs, reviews, photos, Climate, cOP26, crisis, denmark, emergency, floods, Germany, Norway, polluting, pollution, Prepared, renewables, resilience, scotland, snp, weather
March for Climate Action Day Glasgow COP26! - Scotland's motto is "Bairns not Bombs"
The Real Voices for Climate Justice speak out! - Scotland's motto is "Bairns not Bombs"
Over 100K, by far the biggest march during COP26 in Glasgow, took place Saturday 6th November 2021, as part of the Global day of Action for climate change. If the diversity, enthusiasm, belief and energy of those marching, and chanting for change to insistent drum beats could be bottled we'd have change immediately!
The march was good natured and fun with people of all ages and from all corners of the world who want their voices heard! They marched morally for a just transition. Many different activist groups took part – indigenous peoples group, Scottish green party, All Under One Banner (AUOB) for Scottish Independence, for a greener, sustainable, inclusive, well being Scotland free of nuclear weapons. And many more besides.
It seems that world leaders and democracy is failing us. Some might ask how urgent is the climate crisis, our planet now faces? We only have to look at the images of grey, dead coral reefs (once multi-vibrant colours), ice caps melting, violent storms and floods – to see we are reaping the devastating aftermath of careless Global "growth"
There are many voices calling for action now – later will be too late, telling us we have no time to loose now. Vague promises are of no use anymore. I see my grandchildren's faces and I hope there is a future for them.
How ironic that the UKs Trident nuclear subs are housed just up the road at Faslane naval base and peace camp. Scotland's motto is Bairns not Bombs and we don't want to store these disastrous weapons near our largest city.
A majority of Scots don't want Trident in our waters, we don't want Brexit, we want fairer welfare and pensions, investment in renewables and we don't want a Tory government. So why do Scots have to be the caterers and not have a seat at the table of the Climate Conference? Why are Scots alone in not wanting independence? Scots my once have been the engine of an empire but now we're not even partners.
Many now believe climate is the top of the agenda and cannot be ignored. its complex too. There are several issues to address - Biodiversity, forests, energy supplies, the oceans, reducing meat, using local, transport, and giving back to indigenous peoples. The Covid pandemic showed us that the world can act when it decides to – with all nations putting money into their pots to deal with the crisis. People are now not asking, but demanding change.
We must address our own actions, science and the land and oceans.
The question is how do we change?
We must develop Renewables much faster! Ban private jets, massive yachts,
And the indigenous peoples of the world, cannot be ignored. In the developing nations morally we know greed is a sin and we need to give back to save our planet. There is many lands under threat because of the industries of the developed world. Time to pay back.
Do we fight Big Business. Democracy is failing us…One way is for our politicians to stop fooling us and to stop talking about this growth.
Instead we need cleaner air, better quality of life. After this moving Glasgow march for social justice and part of the Day for Action to save our planet, on the train I passed the pristine white village of the COP26 climate conference, where the world leaders were in a ring of steel. And I thought our only hope is for People Assemblies for change, made up of civic groups, academics, scientists and the professionals – who can see the answers and understand the urgency.
Cop 26 Protesters include - Pacific climate warriors, Ocean Rebellion, Greenpeace, Green Party,
music, gigs, reviews, photos, action, AONB, Bairns, Bombs, change, Climate, cOP26, glasgow, greener, indigenous, Justice, march, motto, people, pollution, protests, scotland, transition, trident, voices
COP 26, Glasgow
COP 26 takes place in Glasgow, Scotland 31st Oct to 12 November 2021, at the SEC Glasgow. Many road closures start on 23sd October.
We are expecting great disruption to traffic, as well as demonstrations and all the extra security.
I remember a drive in the natural forests of Fall in Massachusetts when I was blown away by the beauty and range of colours. Sadly the contrast in Scotland couldn't be more stark, after depleting the natural forests to build trenches in the First World war, the UK Forestry Commission has built these squares of dark green conifers where there is dead undergrowth and no biodiversity can survive underneath. Some have burnt and nothing survives here.
Scotland has seen its resources depleted and destroyed over centuries. Like Ireland we suffered enforced emigration, particularly in the islands with the Highland and the Lowland clearances.
In recent centuries humans have been disturbing the world's natural habitats and wildlife – destroying forests, depleting fish stocks, burning fossil fuels, polluting our air. There are much fewer butterflies or insects and under many tress there is a dead undergrowth.
Wonderful fall colours New England
Empty Glencoe
We've disturbed the habitat of bats, which has led to several recent world pandemics – SARS, Mers, Ebola, Swine flu and now Covid-19. This will continue, unless we all change our attitudes to selfishness and growth.
There are signs of hope – more people are cycling, more are reducing meat intake, more work at home, more people want to buy local. Its great to see families cycling on our quiet roads – is this the way forward? Any drugs or vaccines are only short term fixes, we must cure the source of these serious threats. More people die from air pollution, asthma and allergies than ever before. If this virus has taught us anything, its that we depend on each other. We must urgently save our planet to save our own lives.
**The Earth Shot award to Costa Rica – rewards landowners to restore forests and plant fruit trees. Celebrates its bicentennial of independence , a country of 5m able to build a sustainable future with healthy eco-systems.
*Food waste. A third of food is wasted. We need to go back to local shops for fresh foods. 91% live in areas of air pollution, at lest 7m are killed each year by air pollution.
**When is COP and when do travel restrictions begin?
COP26 will be held over two weeks from 31 October - 12 November 2021 at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow. Road closures start a full week before on Saturday 23 October, and last until Monday 15 November.
Some roads within the SEC campus site are already closed.
Some days are expected to be busier than others, with the biggest disruption expected on Saturday 6 November which has been designated as the
Global Day For Climate Justice.
About 100,000 protesters are expected in Glasgow, with a march which begins at Kelvingrove Park at noon before making its way to Glasgow Green for about 15:00.
The hope is for Carbon Neutral by 2040.
**We all benefit from being in nature.
Scotland can join other world leading nations, with its vast natural resources, as a leader in renewables. We also need to urgently change our attitudes to the crisis – we all must change how we behave and take the climate crisis seriously."
"Every sovereign issuer in the world could agree to create up to 5% increase annual GDP in new money and ring fence it for a revolutionary investment in referable energy generation, in carbon capture, climate science and protection of the worlds vulnerable ecosystems. This wouldn't devalue the value of any single currency because if all nations act multilaterally the risk of an inflation crisis would be negligible. "
"Cop 26 means Glasgow can host the moment that the world changes direction and avert na environmental disaster and Scotland can be a leading light in helping realise the new global environmental zeitgeist." Gordon Macintyre Kemp
We must dare to dream we can build a better world – or we'll have no planet left to save.
Wildlife Photographer Peter Cairns
music, gigs, reviews, photos, Britain, British, COP 26, crisis, cycling, diversity, earth, emergency, environment, forests, glasgow, green, nature, pollution, renewables, Rewilding, scotland, trees, UK, Wildlife
Save our Planet to save Lives
In recent centuries humans have been disturbing the world's natural habitats and wildlife – destroying forests, depleting fish stocks, burning fossil fuels, polluting our air. There are much fewer butterflies or insects and under many tress there is a dead undergrowth. Now we've disturbed the habitat of bats, which has led to several recent world pandemics – SARS, Mers, Ebola, Swine flu and now Covid-19. And this will continue, unless we all change our attitudes to selfishness and growth.
The world has trillions (yes not billion, trillion!) wealth in secret offshore accounts – what purpose is this money achieving? Meanwhile we have children starving. Things are totally out of balance. There were signs of reform after the war, but since the 80s inequalities have soared to unprecedented levels.
We need more answers from the UK government. Is Boris Johnson and his Brexiteer, inexperienced team, putting their ideologies before saving lives? If so, is this not criminal? Its been reported they ignored an EU scheme to bulk buy ventilators and now also several opportunities to bulk buy PPE through the EU. Two of my children work in the health service and I worry for their safety in these perilous times. We would not send troops into battle without the proper protections or equipment (or would we?).
Most of our carers are women – nurses, doctors, mothers, care homes, childcare, cleaners – I hope this isn't part of the reason they are paid less then other jobs? Even our doctors UK are paid a lot less than doctors in other countries. Its time we valued their dedicated work by paying them better and not just by hand clapping.
Germany's president Frank Walter Steinmeir, urged solidarity both domestically and internationally. He said Germany will only be strong and healthy after this crisis if its neighbours also emerge well. "This crisis is not a war but rather a test of our humanity." By contrast the UK government uses war like language of a 'Dunkirik spirit' or 'fighting enemies'. England appears to believe as an island through the war we are somehow uniquely special and protected and many here appear to be in shock. We only won the war through co-operating with other nations and without American equipment we would have been defeated. Trump may provide a highly unwelcome narrative, but in the States, its at the local level people make most decisions. The federal government only decides on federal roads, foreign policy. Each state has separate laws, taxes Etc.
I read Mark Franklands open letter to Nicola Sturgeon on his blog suggesting that world leaders consider a 90% tax on this €30 trillion hidden money, to help pay for the economic cost of this coronavirus. He suggests it should not be the poor that have to pick up the tab for the cost of this virus with taxes and cuts to services. London is the world's capital of corruption, illegal money. Also UK government does nothing to protect indigenous business, as other countries do.
There are many debates on capitalism vs socialism – both are out-of-date with todays realities. We need both - as Sweden, Germany and other countries show. There is good and bad capitalism – it is good to base an economy on small businesses that manufacture or offer valuable services, that give an economy a solid base. What is not good, is to base an economy on the false roulette of financial markets and people sitting on London properties. I don't want any kind of socialism either, with its central and often incompetent control of an economy. But I would like to see well-being policies of decent childcare, health service, education and infrastructure to support a diverse and innovative business sector.
Just last year young people took to the streets to begin the fight to save our planet, led by Greta Thunberg. It's too late for empty words. I believe the only way forward is by small indy nations fighting back against the global elites! That's why Scottish Independence matters so much. Its not about some notion of Scottishness, it s about how we are best governed and how our voices can be heard. Reformers have been fighting for this since Burns wrote, a Mans a Man for A That, against those who sell their souls for a pot of gold. In their fights against greed and selfishness. He also wrote – Parcel of Rogues and Tree of Liberty.
There are signs of hope – more people are cycling, more are reducing meat intake, more work at home, more people want to buy local. Its great to see families cycling on our quiet roads – is this the way forward? Any drugs or vaccines are only short term fixes, we must cure the source of these serious threats. More people die from air pollution, asthma and allergies than ever before. If this virus has taught us anything, its that we depend on each other. We must urgently save our planet to save our own lives. I look at my grandchildren's young faces and I hope there will be signs of hope for their lives..
music, gigs, reviews, photos, coronavirus, england, Future, global warming, independence, pollution, PPE, Save our Planet to save Lives, scotland, UK, virus
We are killing our Eco System
I heard we'd have birdless skies. On my walks in the marshlands and moors near the Campsies in the summer sunshine, I noticed I cannot see any white butterflies. When I drove over on the M8 to Edinburgh my windscreen used to be covered in dead insects, but not anymore. What is going on? I read of sea lice in Scottish farmed salmon; disposable clothes; of the coral reef disappearing; of children dying of air pollution; and of the plastic choking our beaches and killing life in our oceans.
What are we doing? What are we thinking? Why aren't the manufacturers going sustainable, the way we used to be? Why are governments not enforcing Green laws? My instinct always told me that organic and free range was best: these pesticides get into breast milk.
My mother used to grow her own vegetables. When I was growing up we had strawberries in cardboard punnets; potatoes in dirt sacks (they lasted longer and were fresher this way); fish and meat in greaseproof paper; milk in glass bottles; fruit in brown paper bags. Yes there was life before plastic!
Now I am astonished at the amount of plastic myself and my husband generate each day. We are in an area that recycles, and I have cut down on my use of plastic bin bags – but it's really not enough. We've been a reckless, thoughtless society. I live in the suburbs of Glasgow and instead of having natural garden habitat or trees, some are concreting over their gardens. We are building houses here on marshland (with the threat of rising sea levels) with no sustainable infrastructure. Who is agreeing to all this? We've become a throw away, wasteful world.
I was so pleased to see our young people finally take to the streets in large numbers in Friday, to protest at our selfish carelessness. Scotland has been leading the way in renewables energy – while the UK government has been cutting the funding. We must all work together to save our planet, protect our wildlife and children in poverty.
Yet the news today is full of a foolhardy Brexit – which is about saving our out-dated, not fit for purpose UK political system. In the big scheme of things, what is really important for the future for our children and grandchildren - sustaining health and life as we know it – or saving the British Tory party? Let's go natural!
music, gigs, reviews, photos, crisis, eco system, green, killing, natural, plant, plastic, pollution, renewables, Save