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Chinese Company to Establish Electric Vehicle Plant In Pakistan
May 27, 2022 / By Zunair Tahir / Automotive News
The Chinese business 'Gauss Auto Group' has revealed plans to build an electric vehicle (EV) facility in Pakistan's special economic zone near Port Qasim in Karachi.
READ MORE: The First Online Antique Car Museum In Pakistan Has Opened
The corporation will form a joint venture (JV) with AKD Group Holdings (Pvt.) limited to build the facility near Port Qasim in Karachi, which would cover about 1000 acres.
The news comes after a team led by Mr. Chen Feng, CEO of Gauss Auto Group, and Mr. Nasir Rizwan, CEO of AKD Group Holding, visited the Board of Investment (BOI) and met with Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain and Secretary BOI Ms. Fareena Mazhar.
The group also stated their ambition to export Pakistani-made electric vehicles to other nations. The company gave a detailed presentation of their manufacturing facility and informed BOI leadership about the many variations of the cars they already produce.
2022 CAR PRICE LIST IN PAKISTAN
The team was informed by Secretary BOI on Pakistan's recently introduced Electric Vehicle Policy, which helps both existing and new manufacturers.
The leadership of the BOI encouraged Gauss Car Group to engage in Pakistan's auto sector and provided the firm with the best possible support and assistance.
It's worth noting that Gauss Auto is a company that focuses on vehicle invention and development, as well as resource integration. The corporation is based in Shanghai, China, and is registered in Silicon Valley, California.
It's worth noting that Pakistan's first Electric Vehicle Policy was adopted by the federal cabinet on December 22, 2021.
Tesla's India Entrance Strategy Would Be Put On Hold
According to three people familiar with the issue, Tesla has put plans to sell electric cars in India on hold, abandoned a search for showroom space, and moved members of its domestic staff after failing to negotiate reduced import taxes.
Tesla planned to gauge demand by offering lower taxes on electric cars (EVs) imported from production hubs in the United States and China, which resulted in a year of deadlock negotiations with government officials.
The Indian government, on the other hand, is urging Tesla to commit to local manufacturing before lowering import levies, which can be as high as 100%.
According to people familiar with Tesla's plan, the business set a deadline of February 1 to see if their lobbying paid off, the day India announces its budget and reveals tax revisions.
According to the persons who asked anonymity because the conversations were private, Tesla put its plans to import cars into India on hold when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government refused to compromise.
According to two sources, Tesla had been exploring for real estate options in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru for months, but that plan has also been put on hold.
Tesla did not reply to an email request for comment. The Indian government did not respond to a request for comment right away. Tesla's modest team in India has been handed additional responsibilities for other markets.
According to his LinkedIn page, Manuj Khurana, the company's India policy head, has been working in a new "product" function in San Francisco since March.
In January, Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed the business was still "working through a lot of challenges with the government" in terms of sales in India. Increased demand for Tesla automobiles in other countries, as well as a dispute over import levies, prompted the adjustment in strategy. Modi has attempted to woo businesses with a "Make in India" campaign, but his transport minister, Nitin Gadkari, claimed in April that Tesla importing vehicles from China would be a "bad suggestion."
New Delhi, on the other hand, won a triumph in January when Mercedes-Benz announced that it will begin manufacturing one of its electric cars in India.
Tesla had intended to gain a competitive advantage in India's small but growing electric car industry, which is now dominated by Tata Motors.
Tesla's starting price of $40,000 (about Rs. 31 lakh) would put it in the premium segment of the Indian market, where sales account just a small proportion of the country's almost 3 million annual automobile sales.
Lamborghini Confirms Electric Urus Will Debut Soon
Pakistan Exports Its First Locally Assembled Vehicle
Alsvin Bookings Resumed By Changan
Prince-DFSK Announces the Second Price Increase for 2022
Proton Announces a Price Increase for Only One Vehicle
Hyundai Elantra 1.6L Is Set To Debut In Pakistan This Month
Pakistan Is Now Proton's Largest Export Market
The Lamborghini Urus is presently one of the most powerful and costly SUVs on the market. This appears to be insufficient for some clients, since the Italian business is working on a more extreme version, which will be released later this year. We're afraid we'll have to disappoint you if you were expecting for a completely electric version. It will most likely happen, but not with this generation of Urus.
Drive recently got the opportunity to get down with Lamborghini design chief Mitja Borkert and discuss a variety of issues. A inquiry concerning a possible zero-emissions edition of the super-SUV was one of them, and Borkert originally affirmed the EV but then backed down a bit.
"Sooner or later, the Urus will become electric… to be honest, the world's legislation, as well as societal acceptability – the trend is definitely headed in this direction," the designer told the Australian outlet. "I'm not suggesting the Urus replacement will go electric right now, but electrification makes more sense for these sorts of automobiles."
Borkert's statements are tough to interpret, but we may deduce that the executives in Sant'Agata Bolognese are at least contemplating an electric Urus. It appears that it will not be ready with this model generation. Given that its successor won't come until 2028, we'll have to wait until the end of this decade to witness the Urus EV.
Borkert affirmed that, as far as the remainder of Lamborghini's portfolio is concerned, the business will supply combustion power for as long as it is legally possible. However, the transition to electric powertrains is unavoidable. "People are still taught that V10 is emotional, but I'm not sure if young children will be satisfied with this in forty years. I, too, am a fan of the internal combustion engine, but I have no reservations about making the switch to electric."
Apple Iphone 14 Pro Max Price and Specs In Pakistan
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 Will Resemble The Z Flip 3
Porsche Is Investing Heavily On Electric Vehicle Batteries
After 21 years, Apple Will Discontinue The iPod
January 19, 2022March 5, 2022
In Pakistan, a New Electric Car is Will Be Available for just PKR. 3 Per kilometer
January 19, 2022 / By Zunair Tahir / News Pakistan
Electric Cars EV
Good news for Pakistanis, Sitara and Tesla have introduced 'Multi Purpose Commercial Electric Vehicles' and 'EV Charger' and 'AC Charger' for charging them.
According to the report, these vehicles have been imported from China by Sitara Engineers Faisalabad and Tesla Industries Islamabad under joint ventures and they will start assembling in Pakistan by next year. It travels 250 km and has a maximum range of 300 km while the battery life is close to 1 million km. The company has also announced a local warranty of 1.5 million kilometers or five years to be completed first.
Pak Suzuki May Debut the New Swift Next Month
Those who buy electric vehicles get rid of petrol or diesel as well as mobile oil and filter replacement. Expenses on petrol and diesel can be said to be cost saving, but their real advantage is that their silencer does not emit any kind of smoke but it does not have silencer at all.
People can charge at home at night easily go to work tomorrow and it will be pollution free and it will be quite fast because electric cars deliver power at any rpm and they will be less maintenance then any petrol or diesel cars.
Amir Hussain, CEO of Gogo Motors, a subsidiary of Tesla Motors, has revealed that his company has completed the installation of electric chargers and now Pakistanis can travel on any electric car from Peshawar to Rahim Yar Khan. ۔
Charging stations have been installed in Islamabad, Peshawar, Bhairah, Pindi Bhattian, Abdul Hakim and Multan and a charger will be installed in Faisalabad in the same month.
January 5, 2022March 5, 2022
MERCEDES-BENZ PRESENTS THE EQXX ELECTRIC CONCEPT CAR, WHICH IS SPORTY AND ULTRA-LONG-RANGE.
January 5, 2022 / By Zunair Tahir / News
Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the Vision EQXX, a solar-powered concept car capable of travelling over 1,000 kilometres (648 miles) on a single charge.
According to the German carmaker, increased aerodynamics and battery efficiency allow for a range of 1,000 kilometer's.
On a single charge, the Vision EQXX can go from New York City to Cincinnati, Berlin to Paris, or Beijing to Nanjing. In comparison to other long-range EVs on the road today, such as the Lucid Air (520 miles) and Tesla Model S Long Range Plus, it's outstanding (402 miles). Unlike other cars, however, the Vision EQXX is only a concept with no intentions for mass manufacture. (For the time being.)
Mercedes-Benz eventually presented the automobile (virtually) at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, after weeks of teasing. (Due to an increase in COVID-19 instances, Mercedes, like most of the large firms, abandoned its intentions to attend CES in person.)
The Vision EQXX will most likely serve as the foundation for a production car that will compete with other premium electric vehicles such as the Porsche Taycan, Audi E-tron GT, and Tesla Roadster, thanks to its sporting goals and sleek, futuristic style.
The Vision EQXX, on the other hand, is said to be more based in reality. The business states that their range estimates were based on a simulation of real-world traffic circumstances, implying that it will burn energy at a rate of 10kWh every 100 kilometers, or more than 6 miles per kWh. In terms of fossil-fuel use, this equates to about 235 miles per gallon in the United States, or 1 liter of gasoline every 100 kilometers.
A range estimate is, after all, just that: a guess. Any EV range will be certified separately by the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States, as well as Europe's Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). The majority of electric vehicles on the market now have a range of 200-300 miles, with some older versions having less. The current generation of electric vehicles has a range of 250-300 kilometers.
EV range is, of course, quite subjective. Even the EPA's grading system is only intended to provide a snapshot of the agency's testing procedure under specified conditions. It usually ignores things like hard hill climbing and the impacts of cold weather, which may deplete a vehicle's battery far more quickly than driving on level roads or in warmer weather.
The 117 solar cells put in the vehicle's roof will assist the Vision EQXX. The solar roof, which was developed in partnership with Europe's leading solar energy research center, is designed to counteract the high-voltage system's energy drain while simultaneously extending its range. According to Mercedes, the solar cells may add up to 25 kilometers of range to long-distance trips in a single day under perfect conditions.
How Many Cars did Tesla Sell Worldwide in 2021?
Tesla, a company famous for making electric vehicles, has delivered about 1 million electric vehicles in 2021.
AFP news agency quoted a company statement as saying that the number of vehicles delivered in 2021 is almost double the number of vehicles delivered in 2020. And the Company is also going up in the value and crossing all companies that are making Electric cars.
Tesla, a company famous for making electric vehicles, has delivered about 1 million electric vehicles in 2021.A statement issued on Sunday added that the results have been good despite global supply challenges. It should be noted that this American company, which manufactures electric vehicles, had delivered more than 936,000 vehicles in 2021.
That's 87% more than the number of vehicles delivered in 2020, according to the company.
In January last year, Tesla management announced that the company intends to increase vehicle deliveries by 50% year on year in the coming years, and the results reported on Sunday are well ahead of this target.
In the fourth quarter of last year, Tesla delivered 308,600 vehicles.
People rent cars at a Hertz car rental counter in the Miami International Airport on October 25, 2021 in Miami, Florida. Hertz announced that it ordered 100,000 Teslas as the company is emerging from bankruptcy.
The company has managed to tackle the global problem of scarcity of resources facing the auto industry.
Elon Musk, head of Tesla, said he had partially solved the semiconductor shortage by modifying the newly designed chip and software.
However, Tesla was once again profitable in October when it received an order for 100,000 electric vehicles from Hertz, a car rental company, to be completed by 2022.
With this announcement, Tesla has entered the list of the few companies worth more than one trillion dollars in the stock market.
December 23, 2021March 7, 2022
New Auto Policy, Concessions on Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Announced
December 23, 2021 / By Zunair Tahir / News Pakistan
The federal government has decided to provide incentives on manufacturing and import of electric, hybrid vehicles and electric motorcycles under the new five-year auto policy.
In this regard, various types of taxes have been waived and after June 30, 2022, there will be restrictions on non-compliance with safety standards.
There will be customs duty. The sales tax on hybrid electric vehicles will be reduced by 8.5% and the regulatory duty on imports of hybrid CBUs will be reduced.
Under the auto policy, the regulatory duty on hybrid vehicles above 1800 cc will be reduced by 15% while the regulatory duty on hybrid vehicles below 1800 cc will be reduced to zero.
Under the auto policy, strict decisions have been taken to ensure safety measures. It has been decided to ban the import of vehicles for non-compliance with safety standards. It has also decided to ban the manufacture of local vehicles for non-compliance with safety standards.
After June 30, 2022, there will be restrictions on non-compliance with safety standards.
December 23, 2021May 17, 2022
When Will MG ZS Electric Car Launched in Pakistan
As we have heard news coming from the MG Pakistan that MG ZS EV will be launched in Pakistan and we have also seen the Photo shared by the Chairman of the MG Motors Pakistan Javed Afridi on Twitter with the MG ZS EV in very appealing color and Design of the Car.
A new wave of excitement ran through the hearts of consumers of the People of the Pakistan as they see the photo of the New MG ZS EV shared by the Chairman of the MG Motors Pakistan Javed Afridi on Twitter.
As we have seen the Twitter post by the Javed Afridi he Twitted that the Future is EV that is very thoughtful by the Chairman and this thought is going all over the world and the people are going from Petrol, Diesel to Electrical Vehicle(EV) as we all have seen the trend.
In the caption of the photo, Javed Afridi wrote that the future belongs to electric vehicles. It is to be mentioned that various predictions are being made by MG regarding the arrival of ZS Electric in Pakistan but no final date has been fixed yet.
2022 MG Price List In Pakistan
MG ZS EV SPEC
The MG ZS EV is a sophisticated electric vehicle available at 44.5 kWh with a Hour's water-cooled lithium-ion battery that is capable of producing 353 Nm of torque with 105 kWh of power. With a single charge, this vehicle will be able to cover a distance of 320 km.
MG ZS EV has Soft leather cool heated seats, 8-inch touch screen, 6 speakers with sound audio that can be adjusted with Apple Car Play and End Ride Auto. Multimedia steering control and 17-inch alloy wheels in Dutch classic windmill style. Panoramic sunroof with transparent glass and also removes completely. But the Official specifications that will be launched in Pakistan will be revealed later and a small amount of cars will be launched in Pakistan that will be bring form aboard as a full assembled units.
The Hyundai Elantra and Sonata Are Both Getting A Price Hike
July 10, 2021March 5, 2022
The Long Wait Is Over! Pakistan's Auto Policy for the Years 2021-2026 Is Here
July 7, 2021 / By Zunair Tahir / News Pakistan
Auto Policy 2021-2026
Auto Policy has finally been revealed by the federal government. Khusro Bakhtiar, the Federal Minister for Industries and Production, spoke during a news conference on the new strategy.
We've been hearing a lot of stories and speculations concerning automobile price increases in Pakistan. Despite repeated warnings, the situation for automobile users in the country remained uncertain. The wait, however, is now over. Pakistan's new Auto Policy 2021-2026 has been announced by the government. According to the information given, there is undoubtedly good news for automobile aficionados. Furthermore, the new Auto Policy is good news for automobile buyers in the lower middle and middle classes. Let's go straight into the specifics!
Impact On Cars
Vehicle Prices Have Dropped
The long-awaited decision has finally arrived. Vehicle costs have been decreased as a result of the new Auto Policy. Vehicles with engines up to 850cc would have their costs reduced to as low as PKR 105,000 under the new policy. When it comes to 1000cc vehicles, costs might drop as low as PKR 146,000. Furthermore, if we look at the Toyota Yaris and Honda City in particular, the costs will drop by up to PKR 125,000.
Here is the Auto Policy for the Years 2021-2026.
In the following 1-2 days, new car prices will be applied.
To put an end to the "ON Money" mentality, the buyer must register the vehicle in his or her own name.
3,75,000 new employment will be created in the auto industry.
The auto sector has a production capacity of 4,15,000 vehicles per year. Pakistan manufactured 1,64,000 cars last year.
Cars with engines up to 850cc will have their prices reduced by up to Rs. 105,000.
1000cc rates would be reduced by up to Rs140,000.
For one year, the import tariff on electric vehicles (EVs) would be cut from 25% to 10%.
If the automobile is delayed for more than 60 days (2 months), the firm will be charged KIBOR + 3%.
The automobile industry is taxed to the tune of Rs350 billion.
The government is working on a policy for auto development and export. Not only will the policy be focused on the domestic market.
June 24, 2021March 5, 2022
The number of vehicles imported by automakers has increased by 83%
June 23, 2021 / By Zunair Tahir / News Pakistan
According to the study, auto-industry imports totaled $2.624 billion in the first eleven months of FY 2020-21, compared to $1.431 billion in the first eleven months of FY 2019-20.
The value of CKD/SKD car imports in this year was $2.180 billion, up 86.72 percent from the previous year. CBU imports grew by 81.29 percent, with a value of $336.941 million compared to $185.861 million previous year.
Impact of Budge On Auto Sector 2021-22
According to industry observers, the recent flood of new cars may have caused such a huge spike in the value and volume of vehicle imports. In the previous year, almost two dozen new cars were released to the Pakistani market, the majority of which are SUVs, but virtually all of them cost more than PKR. 4 million.
The government is turning its attention to encouraging the sale and purchase of smaller, more environmentally friendly automobiles in order to decrease the high import bill.
The All Pakistan Motor Dealers Association (APMDA), on the other hand, is advocating for a change of the import rules to encourage car imports. H.M. Shehzad, the Chairman of the APMDA, wrote to the Ministry of Finance (MOF) around two weeks ago to suggest modifications to the new car policy that would take effect after the presentation of the 2021-22 budget.
14,000 Kia Sportage Cars have been recalled by Lucky Motor.
He went on to say that the newcomers are also raising costs, delaying car deliveries, and "fleecing the consumers in the form of Own-Money" for early deliveries of their automobiles.
Shehzad proposed that the government encourage the import of automobiles into Pakistan to promote healthy competition in the market and to raise the quality standards of current automakers.


In CQ 5.4, Adobe added the ability to translate tags through the Tag Manager. Unfortunately, due to the way this was implemented, it can cause issues when upgrading from CQ 5.3 or older.
After performing the upgrade and importing the existing tags, you may find there are no languages available to translate the tags. The Localization section will be visible, however no languages are available.


Elected parent leaders in Manhattan are asking the city to reverse multiple school decisions, including ones that the city has used to manage severe overcrowding in many neighborhood schools, because they say they should have been involved in making the decisions. The demand comes in a lawsuit filed yesterday, the second in three months against the Department of Education over its adherence to state law that requires parent groups to be consulted before some decisions are made.
Members of the Community Education Council for District 2, which includes the Upper East Side and most of Manhattan below Central Park, say the city violated the law by not consulting them when it made decisions about opening and closing schools and how students were assigned to district schools. With the city teachers union, they filed a lawsuit yesterday over about a dozen cases in recent years where the DOE failed to consult the CEC about major zoning changes (one case dates back to 2001).
The parent council learned about the closing of Bayard Rustin High School in Chelsea by looking at the DOE's Web site, parents allege.
This spring, the council found out that students zoned for two schools in Tribeca would be assigned to news schools in the basement of DOE headquarters next fall when parents got a letter informing them about the change.
The suit asks for a reversal of five decisions CEC members say the DOE made without first consulting them: To open the Quest To Learn middle school, to reassign children zoned for PS 41 to schools outside of their zone, to reassign other District 2 kindergartners to schools other than their zoned schools, to assign some children zoned for Tribeca's PS 234 and PS 89 to the Tweed basement schools, and to phase out the gifted and talented program at PS 116.
The lawsuit's central complaint is similar to that of a different suit filed against the Department of Education just two months ago by the union, a civil liberties group, and parent leaders from another Manhattan district. That suit was a quick success: The DOE promptly reversed its plan to replace three elementary schools with charter schools. But this suit, which makes more demands of the city, could face a longer battle.
Given the number of demands the suit presents, it would be difficult for the DOE to back down on them as it did to the demand made in the March lawsuit.
"Generally the courts will not put the genie back in the bottle and undo all of the school closures and reductions and openings that have taken place," said Brooklyn College professor David Bloomfield, who sits on the Citywide Council on High Schools, the high school parent council. He said the courts might tell the DOE to keep stronger records of consulting with CECs, but the DOE could continue to define "consult" loosely. "Consultation is often just a procedural hurdle for those who do not have good faith with the actual meaning of the word," he said.
A spokeswoman for the city's law office declined to comment on the suit, saying the city hasn't received formal legal papers yet. A DOE spokeswoman said it is department policy not to comment on ongoing litigation.
District 2 has been in the spotlight this spring after hundreds of incoming kindergartners were placed on wait lists for their zoned schools in part because of overcrowding that the DOE is still working to address. The lawsuit charges that the DOE violated the law by not setting forth a clear policy for how children would be assigned to wait lists at overenrolled schools.


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Stories Photos Everything
NEA Town Courier
Stories from Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Gosnell to purchase new vehicle (Local News ~ 07/15/15)
Tuesday night, the Gosnell City Council passed ordinance 289, which will allow the city to purchase a four wheel drive vehicle for emergency use by the police department, such as during snow storms when roads become inaccessible to cars. "I believe this will be a good investment for the police department, we can afford this purchase, so I'm glad we could make it happen and I appreciate everyone's support," said Mayor Don Marshall...
Archeological station closing (Local News ~ 07/15/15)
The Blytheville Archeological Station will close to the public at the end of this week. The weeks following will be used to move all of the artifacts in the building to Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. Michelle Rathgaber and Marion Haynes are the only employees of the station, with Rathgaber being the only full-time employee. Rathgaber will be leaving for grad school in the fall to pursue her doctorate in archeology...
Blytheville Police Reports, July 15 (Local News ~ 07/15/15)
The following are reports from the Blytheville Police Department. Monday, July 13 -- Police took a report of a stolen riding lawn mower in the 300 block of Industrial Road. Machine and Repair Services reported the missing mower. -- Police took a domestic battery report in the 900 block of Webster...
Thank you, Vietnam veterans (Column ~ 07/15/15)
There are numerous events being planned this year, in conjunction with the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. More accurately, these events do not celebrate the war, but rather the veterans that answered their nation's call to fight in it. One such event is planned for 2 p.m. this Sunday at the Blytheville Courthouse...
Constance Houston (Obituary ~ 07/15/15)
Ms. Constance Houston, 59, of Blytheville died Sunday, July 12, 2015 at her home. Ms. Houston leaves two daughters, Valencia Houston and Antionic Houston, both of Blytheville; Two sons, Tony Houston and Fabian Houston, both of Blytheville; One sister, Mary Ray of Chicago, Ill.;...
Donald Holt (Obituary ~ 07/15/15)
Donald Carl Holt, 61, of Blytheville, passed away Sunday, July 12, 2015 at Great River Medical Center. Donnie was born and raised in Humboldt, Tennessee and attended Memphis State University. Donnie loved Mustangs, science fiction books and movies, discussing his political views and collecting guns. Donnie was a Maintenance Manager of PACO Steel Corp for 15 years...
Mary Lee White Kelly (Obituary ~ 07/15/15)
Mrs. Mary Lee White Kelly, 52, of Osceola, died Monday, July 6, 2015 at her home. Mrs. Kelly leaves her husband James Kelly of Osceola; Two daughters, Evette White of Shreveport, La. and April Thomas of Osceola; Two sons, Zachary Ewing and Jeremy James White, both of Shreveport, La.;...
Georgia Hardin (Obituary ~ 07/15/15)
Mrs. Georgia Anna Hardin, 70, of Blytheville died Saturday, July 11, 2015, at Heritage Square Nursing Home in Blytheville. Born June 23, 1945, in Coldwater, Miss., to the late Weldon Hardin and the late May Newson Hardin, she was a retired R. V. worker and a member of the First Missionary Baptist Church in Blytheville...
Motor Appliance re-opened (Local News ~ 07/15/15)
Local Blytheville industry Motor Appliance Corp (MAC) suffered a devastating fire due to an explosion in March, which resulted in total loss of the building. Since then the company has leased a new building at 301 Industrial Drive across the street from the old building...
Methodist VBS kids do community service (Community News ~ 07/15/15)
Children went door to door Wednesday morning collecting canned goods for the local food pantry as part of a three day Community Mission Project through the First United Methodist Church. Monday, the children cleaned up the grounds of the Red Cross and Tuesday they painted fire hydrants as part of the project...
Armorel approves purchases (Local News ~ 07/15/15)
The Armorel School Board met Monday evening, and district reports were given indicating that the district is currently in the middle of conducting general upkeep, painting, carpet replacement and installation of new lockers. Other work mentioned was the addition of a new computer lab in the high school, supplementally funded by an earlier grant...
Hundreds still without power following Tuesday storm (Local News ~ 07/15/15)
Blytheville Chief of Police Ross Thompson told the CN that the severe thunderstorm that moved through the Blytheville area Tuesday afternoon blew a large tree and some power lines across portions of South Division in the vicinity of Rabin Tire. The massive downed tree and multiple power lines, as well as other damage around the area, caused power outages and traffic problems. Traffic lights were out at Chickasawba, Main, McHaney, and Byrum as they bisected Division...
George Smith (Obituary ~ 07/15/15)
George Richard Smith, age 79, of the Milligan Ridge community near Manila, died Monday July 13, 2015 at St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock. Born in the Shady Grove community, he was the son of the late Claud and Mary Edna Simpson Smith and had been a lifelong Manila area resident...
Hershel Lollar (Obituary ~ 07/15/15)
Hershel Lollar, 74, of Blytheville passed from this life on Tuesday, July 14, 2015 at the St. Bernards Regional Hospital in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Funeral arrangements are pending and will be announced when completed. Condolences to the family may be expressed at www.cobbfuneralhome.com...
Ova Bearden (Obituary ~ 07/15/15)
Ova Dean Meacham Bearden, age 84 of Blytheville, passed from this life on Monday, July 13, 2015 at her home. Born to William and Jessie Perry Vasser in Manila, Arkansas, she was a lifelong area resident, retired employee of Bush's Canning Company and of the Baptist Faith...
Alvin Bynum (Obituary ~ 07/15/15)
Mr. Alvin "Al" Merle Bynum, Sr., 77, of Hardy passed away at home. He was born on April 3, 1938 to Samuel Bennett Bynum and Eva Mae Glass Bynum. His usual occupation before becoming disabled was a sheet metal worker. He also served in the United States Army...
Isaac Covert (Obituary ~ 07/15/15)
Isaac Edgar Covert, age 74, of Vilonia, AR passed from this life Monday July 13, 2015 at St. Vincent Hospital in Little Rock. Born in New Brighton, PA he was the son of the late Isaac Herbert and Inez Swan Covert and was raised in the Georgetown, PA area...
County hit hard by layoffs in 2015 (Local News ~ 07/15/15)
The Blytheville/Mississippi County economy has taken a number of hits this year, with approximately 600 layoffs announced since January 1. Most of these layoffs are tied to the pipe industry. During the same time, approximately 600 new construction jobs have been created with the construction of Big River Steel in Osceola...
Mississippi County Sheriff's Department Intake, July 6-12 (Local News ~ 07/15/15)
Mississippi County Sheriff's Department Intake Report - 7/6 through 7/12 Johnathan L. Alexander, 23, of Osceola - petition to revoke; Shadondre Kejaun Black, 19, of Osceola - contempt of court-fines, engage in continuing crime gang or enterprise, terroristic act-shoots at to cause physical harm;...
Ida Tate (Obituary ~ 07/15/15)
Ida Lee Tate, 92, of Blytheville passed away on Tuesday, July 14th at Heritage Square Nursing Home. Funeral arrangements will be announced by McDonald-Home Funeral Home.
© 2019 NEA Town Courier · Blytheville, Arkansas

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Ministry Opportunities in Prayer and Worship
Please contact Laurie Polkus at [email protected] or (262) 691-1173 X1109 or fill out the form below for more information on these Ministries.
Prayer & Worship Committee: Oversees the communal worship of the parish and coordinates the various subcommittees and liturgical ministries. Meets on the second Monday of the month at 6:30pm for Common Leadership Night.
Minister of the Word/Lector: Proclaims the Word of God at liturgies. Confirmed, high school age and older are welcome. Training & resources are provided. Scheduled about once per month.
Schedule - May - July 2019
Minister of the Eucharist: Laity are privileged to share the Body and Blood of Christ with the faithful. Any confirmed member of the community is welcome. Training is provided. Scheduled about once per month.
Eucharistic Adoration: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. A personal, quiet, meditative time with Christ present in the Eucharist. Select an hour that you can commit to every week.
Schedule and additional information
Altar Server: Serve during Masses. Training is provided for adults and youth.
Altar Server Instructions
Altar Server Prayers
Top 10 Reasons to be an Altar Server
Altar Server Signup
Minister of Hospitality: Greets community members as they gather for worship, assists visitors, and provides information. Scheduled once every two to three months.
Schedules/Signup
Cross Bearer: High school and older carries the processional cross at Mass. Scheduled about once every two months.
Schedule - April - July 2019
Usher: High school and older, male/female, welcomes and assists parishioners and collects their gifts at Mass. Scheduled for two months during the year.
Offertory Gift Bearer: Individuals or families bring the gifts of bread and wine to the altar during the Mass.
Offertory Gift Bearer Signup
Church Art & Environment: Meets and plans church decorations for Advent, Christmas, Easter, and other feasts and season events in the church calendar. Talents include creating and sewing banners, wreaths, floral arrangements, shopping for
supplies, keeping plants and flowers watered, and installing and removing all decorations.
Altar Angel: Cleans the altar, church linens, and sacred vessels and replaces the candles. Assigned two months each year.
Prayer Line: We treasure the prayers of those who are not able to participate in other ways, except through this prayer network. You will be e-mailed on an "as needed for prayers" basis, and asked to pray at home for those on our prayer line.
Mission Planning Team: Meets to discuss the focus, organization and implementation of the Lenten Mission.
Childcare Helper: Cares for children during all Masses on an occasional basis. A one time Safe Environment class is required.
Childcare Helper Signup
Children's Liturgy of The Word Helper
Music Ministry - Visit our Music Ministry page for current schedules
Adult Choir: Rehearses Sept-May each Thursday at 7:00pm in the church, and occasional Saturday mornings during Advent and Lent. Usually sings at 9:00am Mass on Sundays, various events, and celebrations during the year.
Adult Cantor: Proclaims the psalm and leads the assembly in song at Mass. Rehearsal CDs are provided at regularly scheduled meetings. Must be a member of the adult choir.
Instrumentalist: Musicians of all kinds are encouraged to accompany at Mass. Rehearsals vary. Various styles of music welcome!
Resurrection Choir: Sings on an as-needed basis. Rehearses a few times a year, and prior to funerals.
Contemporary Praise Group: For anyone interested in a contemporary prayer and worship experience.
Handbell Choir: Practices on Saturdays prior to Christmas, Easter, and other major feasts and celebrations. Prior experience or ability to read music is appreciated, but not necessary.
I am interested in serving at St. Anthony on the Lake. Please contact me regarding:
Prayer and Worship Committee Minister of the Word/Lector Minister of the Eucharist Altar Server Minister of Hospitality Cross Bearer Usher Offertory Gift Bearer Church Art & Environment Altar Angel Mission Planning Team Child Care Helper 9:00 Mass Adult Choir Adult Cantor Instrumentalist Resurrection Choir Contemporary Praise Group Handbell Choir General
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Every month, we at AFAR receive hundreds of emails announcing hotel openings. And every day we're asked by friends and colleagues, "Where should I stay on my next trip to . . . ?" In this issue, we're answering that question with our first-ever Stay List, a compendium of the best new hotels in the world. These lodgings deliver more than just a place to rest our heads. They connect with their destinations and the people who live there. Each of these 27 extraordinary hotels has been personally vetted by our network of staffers and contributors. Read on for the best places worth booking.
On this jungle island off Panama's Pacific coast, you'll likely spot a monkey or a whale before you see another human. And now you can responsibly visit the pristine area, thanks to the arrival of the new ecofriendly Isla Palenque resort. The 400-acre property's sustainability efforts go far beyond the solar panels that heat the showers. Furniture is crafted out of fallen Santa Maria and white cedar trees, and cocktails are sipped out of straws made on-site from papaya tree leaves. Ninety-five percent of staff were hired from the nearby town of Boca Chica, and seafood such as crevalle jack, red snapper, sea bass, and lobster is sourced from community fisheries. The resort's green efforts do not sacrifice style or comfort: The eight spacious oceanfront casitas feature luxurious linens and local crafts, along with outdoor showers and expansive decks that look out over secluded Playa Palenque. From $780.


text:
Jimmy Garoppolo's NFL Career By the Numbers
Hours before the NFL trade deadline, New England Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo landed in the hands of the San Francisco 49ers. Just a mere 101 days later, San Francisco locked up the quarterback for the long haul, agreeing to a five-year contract extension on Thursday.
After breaking several franchise records and leading a five-game winning streak to close out the 2017 season, it's time to reflect on the 49ers franchise quarterback's NFL career by the numbers:
1 of 5 quarterbacks to win their first seven starts in the NFL since the merger in 1970.5* *game winning streak to finish the 2017 season.
7* *career starts between the 49ers and New England Patriots. Garoppolo remains undefeated as an NFL starter.
8.76 yards per attempt over his first five starts with the 49ers. His passing yards per attempt led the NFL during that time span.
11 different receivers connected with Garoppolo during the 49ers five-game win steak.
13* *total career touchdowns (12 passing, one rushing).
23* *total games played throughout his career.
28.3 points per game in Garoppolo's first seven starts, the most of any NFL quarterback during that time span.61* *yard pass to Garrett Celek in Week 14 against the Houston Texans marked the longest completion of his NFL career.62nd overall pick by the Patriots in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.67.3% completion percentage in the NFL, the fourth-highest percentage of any quarterback with a minimum of 240 attempts.
76 passing first downs, ranked second-best in the NFL during the 49ers five-game winning streak.99.7*quarterback rating through 23 games in the NFL.293 passing yards in his Week 13 win over the Chicago Bears. His 293 yards set the 49ers franchise record for most passing yards by a player in his first start with the team.690 passing yards as a member of the Patriots.2,689 *miles traveled from Foxborough, Mass. to Santa Clara, Calif.1,542 passing yards in first five starts with the 49ers, the most in franchise history.
2,038 passing yards through his first seven starts ranks fourth among all NFL quarterbacks since the merger in 1970.


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text:
Jean Miélot
An author portrait of Jean Miélot writing his compilation of the Miracles of Our Lady, one of his many popular works. The setting is probably the ducal library. Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris.
Jean Miélot, also Jehan, (born Gueschard, Picardy, died 1472) was an author, translator, manuscript illuminator, scribe and priest, who served as secretary to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy from 1449 to Philip's death in 1467, and then to his son Charles the Bold.[1] He also served as chaplain to Louis of Luxembourg, Count of St. Pol from 1468, after Philip's death.[2] He was mainly employed in the production of de luxe illuminated manuscripts for Philip's library. He translated many works, both religious and secular, from Latin or Italian into French, as well as writing or compiling books himself, and composing verse. Between his own writings and his translations he produced some twenty-two works whilst working for Philip,[3] which were widely disseminated, many being given printed editions in the years after his death, and influenced the development of French prose style.
Presentation miniature by Jean le Tavernier, 1454-7, Brussels. Jean Miélot giving Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, his translation of the Traité sur l'oraison dominicale. Bibliothèque Royale, Brussels.
Little is known of his early career. He was born at Gueschard, between Abbeville and Hesdin, in what is now the Somme department, but was then in Picardy, and from 1435 part of the Duchy of Burgundy.[4] He was recruited by the Duke after he translated and adapted the Speculum Humanae Salvationis into French in 1448, and as well as his court salary he was made a canon of Saint Peter's in Lille in 1453, serving until his death in 1472, when he was buried in the church. He was probably not usually resident.[5] As a priest and as an employee of the court he would have been exempt from guild regulations, which was probably an advantage to his career.[6] He seems to have had lodgings in the palace, which are perhaps realistically shown in a miniature in Brussels,[7] and also to have run a workshop of scribes in Lille. After the Feast of the Pheasant in 1454, an enthusiasm in the Court to revive the Crusades led to commissions to translate travel books about the Middle East.
Because of the particular Burgundian fashion for presentation miniatures, where the author is shown presenting the book (in which the miniature itself is contained) to the Duke or another patron, we have an unusually large number of portraits of Miélot for a non-royal person of the period, which mostly show consistent facial features - he would have been very well known to the artists, and may well have had influence in allocating commissions to them. These are in books he wrote - in both senses of the word, as he usually scribed Philip's copy himself.[8]
Philip the Good was the leading bibliophile of Northern Europe, and employed a number of scribes, copyists and artists, with Miélot holding a leading position among the former groups (see also David Aubert). His translations were first produced in draft form, called a "minute", with sketches of the images and illuminated letters. If this was approved by the Duke, after being examined and read aloud at court, then the final de luxe manuscript for the Duke's library would be produced on fine vellum, and with the sketches worked up by specialist artists. Miélot's minute for his Le Miroir de l'Humaine Salvation survives in the Bibliothèque Royale Albert I in Brussels, which includes two self-portraits of him richly dressed as a layman.[9] The presentation portrait to La controverse de noblesse, a year later, shows him with a clerical tonsure.[10] His illustrations are well composed, but not executed up to the standard of manuscripts for the court. His text, on the other hand, is usually in a very fine Burgundian bastarda blackletter script, and paleographers can recognise his hand.[citation needed]
WorksEdit
Another image of Miélot writing. Bibliothèque Royale, Brussels.[11]
A fuller list, in French, with partial details of surviving manuscripts and a bibliography, is on-line at Arlima.
Cicero's letter to his brother on the duties of a governor - Philip presented this to his son Charles the Rash
Romuléon of Benevento da Imola, a history of Ancient Rome,[12] surviving in six copies. Like other works below, this addressed issues of the correct conduct of rulers of great interest to the inner court circle.[13] Philip the Good's copy was scribed by Colard Mansion, who was shortly to become the first printer of books in French.
Vie et miracles de Saint Joss
La controverse de noblesse, a translation of De nobilitate (1429) by Buonaccorso da Montemagno (Buonaccorso da Pistoia), a precursor of Castiglione's Il Cortegiano, together with:
Le Débat d'honneur from the Italian of Giovanni Aurispa, a version of "Comparatio Hannibalis, Scipionis et Alexandri, Lucian's Twelfth Dialogue of the Dead. Both works survive in fourteen manuscript copies, and were printed together in about 1475 by Colard Mansion in Bruges.[14]
Traité sur l'Oraison Dominicale
Miroir de l'âme pécheresse, a translation of the Speculum aureum animae peccatricis.
Les quattres choses derrenieres, translation of Cordiale quattuor novissimorum, later printed in Bruges by William Caxton and Colard Mansion in about 1475. Caxton later printed an English translation from Miélot's French by Anthony Woodville, Earl Rivers.
Advis directif pour faire le passage doultre-mer - a traveller's guide to the Holy Land.
La Vie de sainte Catherine d'Alexandrie, later printed. The only two illuminated copies known are Philip's (BnF) and one illuminated by Simon Marmion for Margaret of York.[15]
Secret des secrets, by the Pseudo-Aristotle, supposedly advice given by Aristotle to Alexander the Great, originally a Middle-Eastern text, later translated into Latin.[16]
Folio 41r "Wheel of Fortune" from Epitre d'Othéa; Les Sept Sacrements de l'Eglise, c. 1455 at Waddesdon Manor
Own worksEdit
Folio 41r 'Wheel of Fortune' from Epitre d'Othéa; Les Sept Sacrements de l'Eglise, c. 1455 at Waddesdon Manor.
Mostly compilations or adaptations relying heavily on other writers.
Le Miroir de l'Humaine Salvation, one of four French versions of the Speculum Humanae Salvationis[17]
Miracles de Nostre Dame an important compilation.
A version of the Epître d'Othéa by Christine de Pisan, augmented with material from the Genealogia Deorum Gentilium of Boccaccio.
His commonplace book or workbook survives in the BnF (Ms. fr. 17001, apparently not originally bound up together), containing draft translations and drawings and initials, as well as verses, including some written for court occasions. They are more of more historical than literary interest. There is a "labyrinth" design containing the letters of MIELOT.[18]
^ Sometimes spelled "Miellot" in the 18th and 19th centuries.
^ Wilson & Wilson, p.59
^ It was ceded in the 1435 Treaty of Arras. Gueschard was a commune in 1854, but now appears to have been swallowed up by Abbeville.
^ Wilson & Wilson, p.59, though Arlima (external link) say he was made a canon in 1452.
^ T Kren & S McKendrick, 19
^ below and Brussels Royal Library, MS 9278, fol. 10r
^ Two further images of Miélot are shown here
^ Wilson & Wilson, pp.50-60. Self-portraits pp. 51 and 56
^ The Frontispiece to the Chroniques de Hainaut: An Introduction to Valois Burgundy drawing, near bottom
^ For full image see Brussels link below.
^ Craig Kallendorf, A Companion to the Classical Tradition, p. 24, 2007, Blackwell Publishing, ISBN 1-4051-2294-3
^ Humanism and Good Governance, article by Christine Raynaud, in Fifteenth-century Studies, 1998
^ Princes and Princely Culture, 1450-1650, pp.75-77 Arjo Vanderjagt, 2003, Brill
^ T Kren & S McKendrick, 116 and 182
^ T Kren & S McKendrick, 245
^ MS in Glasgow and Illuminated copy, with presentation miniature
^ Wilson & Wilson, pp. 66-71
T Kren & S McKendrick (eds), Illuminating the Renaissance: The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe, Getty Museum/Royal Academy of Arts, 2003, ISBN 1-903973-28-7
Wilson, Adrian, and Joyce Lancaster Wilson. A Medieval Mirror. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.
Modern recreation of Miélot's "scribal station", as shown in the Brussels portrait.
Jean Miélot at Waddesdon Manor
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jean Miélot.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jean_Miélot&oldid=876812753"


About 19 months ago, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order that was hailed by many advocates and elected officials as a bold and unprecedented step towards police accountability.
Cuomo made Attorney General Eric Schneiderman a special prosecutor in certain cases of civilian deaths involving police officers. At the time, much of the country was focused on several high-profile examples of police killings of unarmed people, including Eric Garner in New York City.
The order aimed to have the Office of the Attorney General -- which Cuomo himself held from 2007 through 2010 -- bypass what many came to see as an inherent conflict of interest faced by district attorneys who are assigned to investigate and, when warranted, prosecute the very police officers they work alongside on a regular basis. The impetus, Cuomo said, was to restore faith in the criminal justice system.
The December 2014 failure of a Staten Island grand jury to indict Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who had placed Garner in a deadly chokehold, had sparked a public outcry, and Black Lives Matter protests erupted across the country, including in New York City, accelerating a national conversation on race and policing. Following the grand jury decision, Schneiderman called on the governor to grant his office jurisdiction to investigate police killings of civilians, especially those unarmed when killed.
Cuomo's acquiescence to Schneiderman's request to be named special prosecutor for police-involved deaths of unarmed civilians was somewhat unexpected, coming after the governor agreed to meet with family members of unarmed men who died in confrontations with the police — including the mothers of Garner and Ramarley Graham, both killed by NYPD officers — to discuss criminal justice reform. Though the governor had initially prefered what he called a "more nuanced" approach, such as an office of "independent special counsel," which would review cases before referring them to a special prosecutor, he vowed to put Schneiderman in the role in the event that the Legislature failed to agree to a permanent bill.
Sitting next to Schneiderman on July 8, 2015, Cuomo was surrounded by leaders of both houses and other legislators of color from both the state Senate and Assembly, all of whom vociferously praised the governor for his bold action on a matter they had placed at or near the top of their priorities.
Over the course of the year-and-a-half since Cuomo signed the order, there have been more than a dozen police-involved deaths across New York State that have warranted examination by Schneiderman's office. Nine have been determined to fall under the attorney general's jurisdiction, with mixed results.
One case, a road rage-related incident in East New York, produced an indictment of the officer involved; three were thoroughly investigated and closed without an indictment (though in each case a detailed report, along with recommendations for reforms in procedure, was issued); and five cases -- two of them related to incidents in the Bronx -- are currently open, according to Schneiderman's office.
Now, advocates and victims' families are pushing for the executive order to be written into law — both for permanence and to broaden criteria for cases that fall under the attorney general's jurisdiction. As is being seen in Washington, D.C., any order signed by one executive can be rolled back by the next.
There remains fairly muted opposition to the order, though critics may become more vocal were there to be a more formal push to see a special prosecutor enshrined into law. Republicans who control the state Senate are unlikely to pass such a bill, part of the reason Cuomo issued the order, and in the absence of permanent legislation, has kept the executive order in place.
Insulted by the suggestion that they might be reluctant to prosecute anyone deserving, including police officers, prosecutors of both political parties, including the late Ken Thompson, a Democrat and Brooklyn's first black district attorney, criticized the order. "As the duly-elected district attorney of Brooklyn, I am more than able to thoroughly and fairly investigate any fatality of an unarmed civilian by a police officer," Thompson said, according to The Observer. In subsequent appearances, Thompson softened his position, calling Schneiderman an "outstanding public servant," but questioning whether it made sense to appoint one special prosecutor over all of New York's 62 counties.
Calling the order "gravely flawed," the state's District Attorneys Association instead proposed its own reforms to increase transparency, such as publicizing the instructions given to grand jurors, creating ways for grand jurors to issue reports on the nature of evidence, and creating an independent monitor to review proceedings where certain police-involved deaths are investigated.
At the time, Schneiderman assured critics that taking on these cases was a temporary solution necessary to restore the public's trust in law enforcement, a position his office has since reaffirmed. "We think the appointment of the attorney general as special prosecutor has been an important step, though we continue to urge the legislature to devise a permanent solution," said Amy Spitalnick, a Schneiderman spokesperson.
The ambiguous language of the executive order leaves open many questions about jurisdiction. In nearly all of the nine cases, the attorney general sought clarifying orders from the governor, authorizing the agency to move forward, and Schneiderman's office inevitably butted heads with local prosecutors over jurisdiction.
The bickering over jurisdiction has grown particularly heated in the 2016 case involving Edson Thevenin, who was fatally shot by a Troy police officer as he allegedly tried to pull away during a suspected DUI traffic stop. Schneiderman's office maintains that local prosecutors convened a grand jury without the attorney general's approval. The grand jury immunized the officer, who claimed he was being "pinned" by the car at the time of the shooting, according to reports. Schneiderman's office sued Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove for the documents involved in the case, though Abelove maintains he would have agreed to hand them over had the attorney general asked.
In a rare move, Cuomo issued an order granting Schneiderman's office the authority to investigate everything that happened in the case, including the actions of the Rensselaer County District Attorney's office -- another stinging rebuke to district attorneys, who maintain that they are capable of fairly prosecuting police officers.
Abelove's lawyer, John Bailey, says his client was told by a deputy attorney general at the crime scene that the case would not fall under the attorney general's jurisdiction, because the vehicle was considered a weapon, though he admitted there was no formal letter granting local prosecutors jurisdiction.
The attorney general's office mantains that it sent Abelove a written request asking for evidence in order to help make a jurisdictional determination.
The case, as well as others and the ongoing politics surrounding the order, is reason for some that a permanent solution is needed.
For the most part, civil rights experts say Cuomo's order is more comprehensive than any legislation proposed to date. A bill proposed by former Assemblymember Keith Wright, a Democrat from Harlem, passed the Assembly 82-47, but the Senate's version, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, had only two co-sponsors and died in committee. The Assembly recently passed a 2017 version of the bill, sponsored by Assemblymember Nick Perry, which drew criticism from several members of the Republican minority.
Among the nine cases that the attorney general has investigated, the September grand jury indictment of an off-duty NYPD officer who shot and killed Delrawn Small in front of his wife and children in an East New York road rage incident on July 4, 2016 seems to most strongly justify the position that an outside prosecutor is necessary to obtain an indictment in police brutality cases.
Wayne Isaacs was charged with second degree murder and manslaughter in the proceedings overseen by the attorney general's office after damning video evidence contradicted Isaacs' story. Isaacs, 37, has been suspended without pay from the NYPD.
Even when there wasn't an indictment, advocates say the attorney general issued a detailed report, communicated with the families, and issued recommendations. In one of the two cases that were closed, involving Raynette Turner -- the 42-year-old woman who died in a Mount Vernon jail cell after being arrested for multiple larcenies -- the attorney general's office made recommendations to change the processing and arraignment process for arrestees, some of which were adopted by the Legislature during the last legislative session.
Like other advocates and community leaders, Loyda Colon, co-director of the Justice Committee, a coalition of families who have lost loved ones to police violence, called the executive order "an incredibly important and historic" step towards accountability. "Since the establishment of the special prosecutor, we have seen an unprecedented level of transparency regarding the investigations of police killings in New York, in stark contrast to the handling of these cases by local district attorneys," she said.
However, in another high profile case, involving Deborah Danner -- a 66-year-old emotionally disturbed Bronx woman who was fatally shot in a confrontation with an NYPD officer in October 2016 -- the attorney general's office determined that the case did not fall under its jurisdiction, prompting some critics to decry the executive order's definitions as too narrow. At the time, investigators determined that Danner was armed because of the threatening manner in which she wielded a baseball bat during the confrontation.
This leaves the case to the Bronx District Attorney, Darcel Clark. Like Schneiderman, NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill quickly said that Danner should not have died in the incident. The matter remains under review.
By contrast, Ariel Galarza, a 48-year-old emotionally disturbed Bronx man, died of a cardiac arrest after an NYPD sergeant tasered him twice. Galarza reportedly threatened police with a glass hot sauce bottle prior to the incident. The case is under investigation by Schneiderman's office.
The similarities -- and distinctions -- between the Danner and Galarza cases appear to provide additional grounds for those who want a special prosecutor to have jurisdiction over all police-involved civilian deaths, whether the deceased was armed or not.
It remains to be seen whether the 2014-2015 momentum for a permanent special prosecutor bill can be recaptured in 2017. The power dynamics in the Legislature remain unchanged since the November election, with a heavily Democratic Assembly and Republicans maintaining a slight majority in the Senate. Some elements of criminal justice reform, including raising the age of adult criminal responsibility in New York -- the state is one of only two that tries 16- and 17-year-olds as adults -- remain at the forefront of policy debates in Albany.
One issue, raised by Upstate New York lawmakers during the 2015 legislative session, was whether one prosecutor, based in New York City, should be charged with handling Upstate cases. There were more disagreements. "There were questions about credentials; there were questions about conflict of interest; and at the end of the day we did not pass a law. We did agree mutually that we would come back next year and pass a permanent law," said Cuomo at the order signing.
At the 2015 signing of the executive order, Cuomo vowed to push aggressively for permanent legislation -- something his office says is still a priority in 2017.
Meanwhile, Cuomo's office of special counsel proposal has been criticized by criminal justice reformers and state legislators on both sides of the aisle, with critics saying it is redundant and would undermine the power of the special prosecutor.
"If you are going to have a special prosecutor, you should have it. You should not have a special person, with no resources to decide whether you should or should not send it to a special prosecutor," said Assemblymember Joe Lentol, a Democrat who represents North Brooklyn.
As with many controversial measures in the state capital, the future of special prosecutor legislation will depend in part on whether the Independent Democratic Conference -- an eight-member breakaway faction of Senate Democrats that conferences with Republicans -- decides to prioritize the issue.
The IDC did not include the special prosecutor bill in its legislative agenda for 2017. When asked if the IDC would back permanent legislation, IDC Leader Sen. Jeffrey Klein said the attorney general has performed well in the role. "Eric Schneiderman has done an outstanding job in looking into these cases in a timely and effective manner," said Klein, who represents parts of the Bronx.
Some criminal justice experts note that even if the executive order becomes law, it would not address larger systemic issues. For example, the reality that police are sent to address situations that should be handled by social service agencies, and that many deaths that seem problematic to the public are technically legal.
Alex Vitale, a sociologist and professor at Brooklyn College, says the criminal justice system relies too heavily on people with guns, and notes that the police regularly use lower levels of unjustified force with no repercussions or accountability. "The executive order only addresses a very small number of very extreme cases," said Vitale.
Vitale has argued at length that localities need to rethink how they respond to emergency situations, such as the Danner incident, by not sending police to deal with an emotionally distressed person.
Meanwhile, as the momentum for a permanent special prosecutor may have temporarily waned since 2015, advocates say, the climate is still ripe for serious criminal justice reform.
Indictment Secured – Brooklyn – Delrawn Small - Off-duty NYPD officer shot and killed Small late during a traffic dispute on July 4, 2016. There is video of the incident. The AG's office secured a grand jury indictment of the officer in September on charges of Murder 2 and Manslaughter 1.
Ongoing Investigation – Bronx – Richard Gonzalez – NYPD and EMTs took Gonzalez into custody after he brandished a weapon in front of police on March 17, 2016. Gonzalez was under the influence of multiple drugs at the time and was therefore put into an ambulance, rather than a police vehicle, when taken into custody. During the ride to the hospital, Gonzales suffered cardiac arrest and died.
Ongoing Investigation – Bronx– Ariel Galarza -- An emotionally disturbed man allegedly threatened officers with a hot sauce bottle when they arrived on the scene on November 3, 2016. An NYPD sergeant used a stun guy to subdue Galarza twice. He suffered a cardiac arrest and later died at the hospital.
Ongoing Investigation – Troy – Edson Thevenin (alleged DWI) – Thevenin was pulled over for a suspected DWI on April 17, 2016. Officers say that he tried to pull away after they approached his vehicle. An officer fired shots through Thevenin's windshield, killing him. Officer claimed he was being "pinned in" at the time. AG office began investigation, but Rensselaer County DA nevertheless convened a grand jury without AG office approval, immunized the officer in question, and exonerated the officer. Everything that happened in the case, including the DA's actions, is being investigated by the AG's office.
Ongoing Investigation – Washington/Dutchess County – Warren C. Corbitt - Corbitt was traveling by motorcycle October 14, 2016 when he fatally collided with the vehicle of a state trooper who was responding to an emergency situation at a nearby school. Police say the trooper had been driving with lights and sirens on. Corbit was pronounced dead on the scene.
Ongoing Investigation – Buffalo – Wardel Davis - Davis was stopped by two officers on February 7, 2017. Police said he tried to flee and fought with officers as he was arrested. As he was handcuffed, Davis, who was unarmed appeared to be in medical distress. Police officer administered CPR on Davis and he was transfered to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Closed – Report Issued / No indictment Mount Vernon - Raynette Turner - Turner died in a jail cell after being arrested for multiple larcenies in the area on Tuesday, July 28, 2015. She was taken to the hospital during her stay at the Mount Vernon police department. Shortly thereafter, she died. AG issued a detailed report and made recommendations to change the processing and arraignment process for arrestees. The Legislature adopted some of these recommendations.
Closed – Report Issued / No Indictment - Yonkers – Miguel Espinal – NYPD pursued Espinal in a high-speed chase on the Saw Mill Parkway December 8, 2015. Mr. Espinal pulled a U-turn on the parkway and drove several hundred feet against traffic. He then drove off the highway, crashed his car, and started running (there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest). An NYPD officer pursued Espinal into the woods. According to the police officer, there was a scuffle for the officer's gun, at which point the officer shot and killed Mr. Espinal. The officer was cleared of wrongdoing.
Closed – Report Issued / No indictment - Carmel (Putnam County) – Joseph Segiun (ie, Taser) – Seguin was beating his girlfriend when police arrived on November 30, 2015. He was reportedly under the influence of PCP at the time. He is said to have resisted arrest. Officers tased him several times in an attempt to restrain him. Seguin had a bad reaction and died.
Correction: An earlier version of this article mistated the number of police-involved deaths that have been investigated by the attorney general since Cuomo's executive order was issued. The article has been amended to reflect these changes.


Mrs. Roseline-Barbara Easmon, a PhD student of the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship defended her thesis on Thursday 13th December, 2018 at the School of Graduate Studies.
Mrs. Easmon presented on the topic, "Export Performance of SMEs In Ghana- The Role of Social Capital and Firm Capabilities". She was supervised by Dr. Adelaide Kastner, Prof. Charles Blankson and Dr. Mahmoud A. Mahmoud.
Her work sought to investigate the sources of social capital and their contribution to superior export performance of SMEs in Ghana, evaluate the impact of marketing and innovation capabilities on the export performance of SMEs in Ghana and examine the mediating role of marketing and innovation capabilities between the social capital and their export performance.
She stated that while evidence abounds about the varying contributions of social capital and firm-specific capabilities to the export performance of SMEs, their interaction and contribution to superior export performance within an emerging economy context was less understood. To this effect, she indicated that literature on internationalising SMEs, particularly from an emerging economy context, has focused on internationalisation paths and patterns with capability-related issues being relatively underexplored.
Mrs. Easmon further indicated that the review of literature also established the need for an examination of the complex interplays between determinants of export performance and their impact on mediating and moderating effects. Five hypotheses were formulated, illustrated in a conceptual framework that integrated the RBV, DC and SC theories, to examine the association between network-based resources (social capital), market-based capabilities (marketing and innovation) and export performance.
Her thesis employed a quantitative approach in gathering data from 297 SMEs within the Ghanaian export sector. A structural equation modelling analysis was undertaken, leading to the confirmation of 4 hypothesised relationships, two of which were mediating. Several conclusions were drawn from the findings, and the findings suggest that social networks may be necessary but not enough to contribute significantly to the success of SME export operations.
After a series of questions from examiners, she passed successfully but was asked to make corrections and was admonished not to use the title till it is officially conferred upon her as stipulated by the rules of the PhD programme.
Mrs. Roseline-Barbara Easmon expressed her appreciation to Almighty God, her supervisors and colleagues for their support.


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ATO brings 'worst kind of tax cheats' to justice
The ATO, along with the Commonwealth director of public prosecutions (DPP), has highlighted recent prison terms imposed on a number of individuals to warn tax offenders that the courts view tax crime very seriously.
Tax&Compliance	Staff Reporter 20 April 2015
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The tax office, with the DPP, has released a statement detailing some of the recent efforts to catch and prosecute some of the country's worst tax offenders in an attempt to deter others from committing similar crimes.
The ATO highlighted the recent case of John Wayne Massey in which Mr Massey received three and a half years' imprisonment after being found guilty of obtaining a financial advantage by deception and two years' imprisonment in relation to attempting to obtain a financial advantage by deception.
Mr Massey was found to have lodged 25 business activity statements (BASs) with the ATO over a period of six months, receiving a total of $141,048.22 in refunds while attempting to obtain an additional $257,655.45 in refunds.
The court found Mr Massey had sole control of seven companies, which never traded, and used two different tax agents to lodge the false BASs on behalf of these companies.
The ATO warned that the courts view tax crime seriously and, as evidenced by a number of recent cases, will impose lengthy jail sentences for the worst offenders.
According to the statement, sentences handed down this year have included an eight-year term of imprisonment (with five years to serve) for a man who falsely claimed significant diesel fuel rebates.
"These people are the worst kind of tax cheats," said ATO deputy commissioner Michael Cranston.
"They were calculated in their attempts to deliberately commit fraud and evade their tax obligations, ultimately stealing from the Australian public, and placing an unfair burden on others who are doing the right thing," he added.
Mr Cranston said the ATO, Australian Federal Police, the Australian Crime Commission and the DPP work closely together, along with other relevant agencies, as part of a whole-of-government approach to address tax crime and ensure serious offenders are caught and face the full force of the law.
"We have sophisticated systems in place to detect and catch those who do the wrong thing. Our current focus for prosecution referrals is on wealthy individuals who engage in serious evasion, as well as promoters and facilitators of tax fraud, including those in positions of trust such as accountants and lawyers," Mr Cranston said.
Deputy Commonwealth DPP James Carter said that as an independent prosecution service, the DPP works with partner agencies to advance their goals and priorities through prosecution in accordance with the orosecution Policy of the Commonwealth.
"Tax fraud prosecutions protect the revenue, ensuring that offenders are brought to justice and potential offenders are deterred," added deputy Commonwealth DPP, James Carter.
The ATO said that as of March 2015, it has prosecuted 692 individuals and 212 companies for failing to lodge returns or keep records, for making false and misleading statements or for not responding to ATO questions when required to do so.
Fines, costs and reparation orders totalling more than $7.3 million have been imposed.
Last Updated: 15 January 2016 Published: 20 April 2015


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Tag Archives: abhishek banerjee
TMC Leader Abhishek Targets Meghalaya Govt Over Violence on Assam Border
November 23, 2022 Newsabhishek banerjee, Assam, BJP, meghalaya, tmc
Voicing his anguish over the violence at a disputed Assam-Meghalaya border location that killed six people on Tuesday, Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said the incident showed the "ineptitude" of the Meghalaya government.
Six people, including a forest guard, were killed in the violence in the early hours after a truck allegedly laden with illegally felled timber was intercepted by forest guards from Assam.
Expressing shock over the incident, Banerjee tweeted, "I am shocked and deeply saddened by the extremely unfortunate firing incident at Mukroh, Meghalaya which took away lives of five innocent civilians and a forest guard from Assam."
"For how long will CM @SangmaConrad allow @himantabiswa to take Meghalaya for granted? For how long should Meghalayans live in fear and insecurity. For how long will this injustice go on," Banerjee, the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said.
"Today's incident exposes the ineptitude of the MDA (Meghalaya Democratic Alliance) Govt, failing its own people," he said in the microblogging site in a dig at the Conrad Sangma government in Meghalaya.
Senior TMC leader and former chief minister Mukul Sangma visited the survivors of the Mukroh firing incident at the Jowai Civil Hospital and the kin of the deceased, assuring them of his full support, the party said in another tweet.
In a tweet tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma, whose party is an ally of the BJP, complained that the Assam police and forest guards "entered Meghalaya and resorted to unprovoked firing".
Assam Police officials, however, asserted that the truck was intercepted in West Karbi Anglong district of the state by a forest department team and a mob from the Meghalaya side had later attacked the forest guards and policemen from the state, which led to firing by the Assam side to control the situation.
Five of the six killed in the violence were Meghalaya residents and one is an Assam Forest guard, Conrad Sangma said.
Read all the Latest Politics News here
If Comes to Power, Trinamool Will Not Control Meghalaya from Bengal: Abhishek Banerjee
November 19, 2022 Newsabhishek banerjee, meghalaya, tmc
Trinamool Congress' National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who led a massive rally in western Meghalaya's Tura on Friday, announced that if his party comes to power in the next assembly elections, the new government would not be controlled from Bengal.
Saying that "sons of the Meghalaya's soil" would run the state government after the assembly polls, Banerjee announced that former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma would be the party's chief ministerial face in the upcoming polls.
He said that people of Meghalaya can't bear the MDA (Meghalaya Democratic Alliance) government led by National People's Party (NPP) rule anymore and the Trinamool as a party "wants to give them (the people) a platform to raise their concerns".
"We are on a mission to ensure that welfare reaches to each and every person in our beautiful hill state," Banerjee said.
"… we promise to continue serving the people with utmost dedication. We won't be cowed down before the autocratic forces," he said.
"Why did the Centre fail to include Khasi and Garo languages in the eighth Schedule of the Constitution," the Trinamool leader asked and termed the ruling NPP, which is a constituent of the BJP led NDA, as "National Puppet Party".
"The double-engine government has everything at their disposal. Then, what's stopping them. Does MDA's internal conflicts supersede the interest of people," Banerjee asked.
He said that the Trinamool Congress' symbol has two flowers and three petals in each flower. "The three petals are for the three hills – Khasi, Garo and Jaintia and the TMC (abbreviation for Trinamool Congress) stands for Temple, Mosque and Church and we firmly believe in unity in diversity."
Banerjee claimed that the NPP has not even filed its 2018 election expenditure report and "we want to challenge them to sit in a face to face debate on the issues of Meghalaya and the nation".
"Four months back, we started the membership drive in Meghalaya with a few hundreds. Today, we are a big humongous family with one lakh active members," Banerjee said adding that the pictures of today's (Friday) rally will give sleepless nights to "National Puppet Party's conmen".
Sangma, a former Chief Minister of Meghalaya (2010-2018), along with 11 Congress MLAs joined the Trinamool Congress in November 2021, and now the party is the main opposition party in Meghalaya.


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Biosphere Expeditions: blogs from the wildlife conservation frontline
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Azores: Halfway headlines
From our volunteer vacation / conservation holiday protecting whales, dolphins and turtles around the Azores archipelago (www.biosphere-expeditions.org/azores)
We have reached the halfway point of this year's project. And the last two days at sea have seen us extend the species list for 2018, with a fleeting glimpse of striped dolphins. We were also fortunate to encounter a group of Risso's dolphins, whilst still spotting sperm, fin and blue whales.
While the striped dolphins may have been fleeting, the baleen whales provided the most frustration with both blue and fin whales constantly disappearing, and then reappearing minutes later behind the boat – or at '6 o'clock', as the team would shout. Our aft observers were kept busy. Never did I think that two of the biggest species could give us such the run-a-round!
Team 2 has managed to extend the species list to four dolphin species and five whale species now recorded in 2018, and a staggering 36 loggerhead turtles recorded in just the past week! More impressively, not only do we have matches for one of the humpbacks, but one (of the four) blue whales spotted has been matched to another Azores record in 2012, and some of the sperm whales have been matched to multiple years around the Azores, as far back as 2003. So that is confirmed matches for three species already!
However, perhaps as impressively, one of our citizen scientists (Thomas) brought a sperm whale fluke image he had taken in Norway, and Lisa was able to match that to another record just off Pico! Now that illustrates the power of citizen field science.
We say a huge thank you to Team 2, and their collective contribution and hard work at sea. Even down to the last hour on the boat, they were ever vigilant, with a final fin whale spotted, of course by our aft observer, at '6 o'clock!'. Nice work Veronika!
So as we bid Team 2 farewell, we wait to welcome Team 3, and hope they too bring the luck with the whales and the weather. And don't forget to look behind you!
I'll let the pictures and expeditioners speak for themselves, though…
Azores: Patience rewarded
It has been a busy past couple of days, 'having' to work over the weekend. And our patience has been rewarded.
Saturday started like many other days, with an initial encounter with common dolphins, but in low numbers. But the day also saw the species list for 2018 increase again, this time adding the fin whale to our records.
We had to work for it though, travelling several miles to the south of Faial and Pico in search of cetaceans, and not in great visibility. You still have to put the hard yards in and maintain concentration to find some of biggest species we know. This was rewarded with encounters with fin whales, the second largest species recorded in the Azores, and a possible sighting of a beaked whale.
Sunday brought better weather and better luck. Again we found the common dolphins and fin whales, but were also rewarded with our first encounters with blue whales – two to be precise. These are the largest beasts you find in these waters, and made the group extremely happy.
We also had a record-breaking day on the turtle surveys, recording eleven loggerhead turtles in one day. The calm seas definitely helped with spotting them.
With two survey days to go for this group, we hope our luck and the good conditions continue….
Azores: Whales, at last!
From our volunteer vacation / conservation holiday protecting whales, dolphins and turtles around the Azores archipelago
After our initial success at sea, we have been restricted to another day on shore due to the weather. But this presented us with an opportunity to work through some data, and begin to learn and look at the photo identification of our different target species.
Having observed an estimated group of 30 bottlenose dolphins the day before, Katharina and Corinna were able to work through several photos and assign identifications to every individual in the group. The final data total from the photos was 24 individuals and no doubt some weren't photographed. So a pretty good estimate by the team at the time of the encounter!
The next day saw us back at sea. This started like other days. Firstly an encounter with some 70 common dolphins, soon followed by a group of bottlenose dolphins, including some of the individuals we encountered only two days ago. The difference was the size of the pod. Now numbering some 150 individuals spread over several hundred metres. Those images will take some sorting….
Then we heard that word, which until now, had been missing from this year's expedition: 'blow!'. Our skipper (Jairo), had spotted what he thought was a sperm whale exhaling with a spray of water. Different whale species have different blows and can be identified by them.
But it had been so long since he had seen one, he was doubting his own eyes. We had faith. And sure enough, we closed in on our very first whale of this year's expedition and it was indeed a sperm whale.
Seemingly like the weather, our luck had changed as the team identified multiple blows in different directions. The challenge then was to follow and photograph the fluke of each individual. No easy task, as our nominated photographer for the day, Silke, can attest.
But our day was not done. Jairo had been busy on the radio talking to a very excited lookout on the north side of Pico. Humpback whales had been spotted, and we made haste. In less than 20 metres of water depth and no more than 300 metres from the coast, we encountered three humpbacks. These were duly observed and photographed.
Our day ended with an excellent talk by Rebecca Boys on how photo ID day can feed into population modelling of sperm whales, which will ultimately inform appropriate management and conservation of this species. And as for the humpbacks, well, by the next day (our rest day), one had already been matched to another sighting off Norway – result!
So our first whales, our first match of 2018 and clear illustration of the usefulness of the data. Let's hope our change of luck continues….
Azores: Team 2 has arrived, dolphins logged
It is great to back in the Azores. After an early start for the final pieces of preparation, we can finally say a big Azorean welcome to our next group of citizen scientists.
But before I go any further, let me first say a big thank you to the first group of expeditioners and their leader, Catherine. A great effort but all, under challenging conditions. Such is the joy of fieldwork!
Team 2 have all arrived safely. With initial introductions, risks assessments and briefings completed, stretching our legs we had a whistle–stop orientation around Horta. Whilst important for us to impart the initial project knowledge, it has been great to learn about our new team.
Day two saw the real work commence with equipment and science training, followed by the boat orientation. With that completed, we put to sea, with everyone nervously assuming their new job roles. The pressure was on for our lookouts Corinna, Silke and Lara.
They soon delivered in the form of common dolphins. A firm favourite of the expedition and this encounter was a very social group of up to 50 individuals. This was followed by an encounter with their larger 'cousins' – bottlenose dolphins. Individuals of this species are much larger, and can be recognised by markings on their dorsal fin. The trick is getting clear dorsal fin shots, and that challenge was Katharina's, as she was the designated photographer for the day.
So a solid start to the first day at sea, with data collected and noone getting seasick. The whales may have eluded us, but surely not for much longer…..
Group 1 of our 2018 Azores whales, dolphins and turtle expedition has finished.
The weather has thrown everything at us: high winds, rough seas and torrential rain. But the team has stayed strong in the face of adversity. The atmosphere on Physeter, our research vessel, has been positively buoyant even on the toughest of days and we managed to get all the work done. The weather has made it difficult for this group to work on all the species that we usually see on this expedition, but as our scientist Lisa says, the zeros are as important as the ones in science. Humankind still has much to learn about these creatures, which is why data collected on expeditions such as these is so important.
Over the course of last ten days we recorded 5 loggerhead turtles, 1 blue shark, 3 Risso's dolphins and today, 16 March, as a final farewell we documented a pod of 80 common dolphins, which swam beside us for 40 minutes. Their playful nature and agile forms were a sight to behold, and once we had taken our necessary ID shots, we relaxed and enjoyed their spirited freedom.
Thank you team for being an amazing group, and for finding the humour in every situation. I especially enjoyed our meal times together, and sharing your birthdays. I hope I have the pleasure of meeting you again on the high seas some day and I will let you and the pictures speak for themselves below.
I hand over the baton to Craig now, who will lead the next three groups.
Best wishes, Catherine
With training and trial sea day complete, we embarked on a full research day on 11 March. It began foggy, with the volcano on neighbouring Pico island completely obscured. Silvia spotted a fin half an hour into our first transect and we identified three Risso's dolphins exhibiting their unique white markings, originally caused during socialisation, never to fade.
By 11:00 our scientists Lisa decided to deploy the hydrophone, a microphone designed to be used underwater for recording or listening for the communication clicks of the sperm whale. She couldn't hear any whales, but was alerted to some dolphins nearby. Soon enough three common dolphins emerged in front of our catamaran, and spent 10 minutes bow-riding, giving us a delightful break from our on-board duties.
Heavy rain then cut our day short and we returned to base for hot showers, a good meal and a slice of birthday banana cake!
The weather played havoc with arrivals – planes were delayed, cancelled and diverted to neighbouring islands, and at the assembly time of 14:00 on 8 March only half of the team was present. Lisa Steiner, our scientist, and I decided to press on as we had no idea when or even if the others would eventually arrive. We were pleasantly surprised when ten minutes into our first briefing a taxi pulled up, and Donna leaped out, having just driven straight from the airport! Bex, Silvia and Anke missed the afternoon sessions, but arrived just in time for dinner. All in the same situation, they had gravitated towards each other at the airport and it didn't take long for everyone to form an enthusiastic team.
Unfortunately, high winds and torrential rain meant that we were not able to go out on the water for our training session on 9 March, but this did mean that we could get the whole team up to speed and make sure that everyone was kitted out in foul weather gear ready for tomorrow! We couldn't decide if Bex and Donna resembled fisherwomen or firefighters!
We also used the time to take some videos for the world to meet some of the team and learn about their motivations and aspirations:
Greetings from São Miguel!
Due to bad weather in the Azores yesterday my flight to Horta was cancelled and I was flown to a neighbouring island. I am currently in the airport waiting to hear if my flight this morning is going ahead. My preparation plans are now delayed somewhat, but I will do my utmost to have everything ready for your arrival tomorrow.
That said, this situation may also affect some of your travel plans as the weather forecast for the next couple of days is quite bad , so I just wanted to reassure you that if this is the case, please don't worry, we will adapt the programme accordingly.
That plane says "Breathe" on it. Indeed 😉
As I do not yet have access to my local phone, if you are experiencing difficulty and would like to contact me, please use my UK number +44 7816 134 364 or alternatively contact Lisa Steiner our scientist in Horta on +351 929 129 515.
As with all expeditions, there are elements that are completely out of our control, weather being a prime example. All we can do in these situations is go with the flow.
I wish you all safe travels and smooth connections. Oh, and if you get there before me, put the kettle on ; )
Seventh annual citizen science expedition to the DDCR impresses with rare findings
January 2018 saw Biosphere Expeditions' seventh annual citizen science expedition to and in collaboration with the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR). Participants from all over the world helped to collect ecological data on rare desert species. This will help DDCR management to define conservation management objectives in the future. Greg Simkins, the DDCR's manager, says that "Biosphere Expeditions not only provides us with an opportunity to engage with citizen scientists from a variety of countries to highlight our conservation work. Our joint annual survey expedition also enables us to make a rapid assessment of important species and their distribution within the DDCR each year".
Expeditioners assessed Arabian oryx, Arabian and sand gazelle populations, monitored the status of fox dens, mapped plant distribution, set live and camera traps, and recorded fauna by observation.
Camera traps took over 4.500 pictures including several of the cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus), a bird species that has only ever been recorded in the UAE on three occasions. In total over fifty species of birds, mammals, reptiles and plants were recorded by the expedition team.
Expedition leader Malika Fettak says that "this was a very successful expedition working with enthusiastic people that share a common goal. Everyone on the team put a lot into the project and was rewarded with fantastic results of two live captures of Arabian red fox and the exceptionally rare proof of cinereous vulture within the DDCR." Andy Trace, a citizen science participant from the UK, agrees: "I really felt like a scientist and I am certain our efforts are going to help the DDCR's conservation goals."
Early examination of the expedition results suggest that Arabian oryx and Arabian fox populations in the DDCR are healthy and continuing to expand. A detailed report of the expedition findings will be published in August 2018. Biosphere Expeditions and the DDCR look forward to many more annual survey expeditions to help wildlife and conservation in the unique place that is the DDCR.
The expedition was kindly supported by Platinum Heritage.
A selection of pictures and videos from the expedition is below:
Hello and welcome! My name is Catherine and I will be your expedition leader for this first Azores group in 2018.
The following three groups will be led by my colleague Craig Turner, the last one with assistance from expedition leader in training An Bollen. Details of all of us are on https://www.biosphere-expeditions.org/about#staff.
I was last in the Azores back in 2014, so am keen to meet up with our scientist Lisa Steiner and learn of the developments that have taken place over the last few years. Lisa has been collaborating with Biosphere expeditions since 2003, so the data tirelessly gathered by citizen scientists such as you is now really bearing fruit. Thank you for giving your time to deepen this important work.
I will be travelling out to Faial a couple of days in advance of group 1 to prepare for your arrival and I'm looking forward to meeting group 1 at Banana Manor, our assembly point, between 13:00 and 14:00 on 8 March. If you are whiling away a few hours in Horta before that time and would like to meet me for lunch, I will be at Peter's Café Sport on the quayside from 11:30. (Just ask any of the locals where it is – it's a very popular landmark!) My contact telephone number for emergency purposes only (such as missing assembly) will be +351 93 041 7877.
Please remember to bring all your completed paperwork, as we will launch straight into training and briefings promptly at 14:00.
The Azores are also currently experiencing a cold snap, so make sure you bring plenty of layers, including slippers or lined crocs as we leave our outdoor shoes at the door and the tiled floors of Banana Manor are chilly!
I will be in touch again once I have arrived in Horta. Happy packing and safe travels!
Catherine Edsell
Expedition Leader
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Item title reads - Admiral's farewell. Commodore of Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham, relinquishes his command.
L/S of sailors lined up on the parade ground. C/U of Rear Admiral R. C. Davenport making his farewell speech and complimenting his men on their standards. L/S as they all march past and he takes the salute. M/S of the Admiral saluting. L/S of band marching past.