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Tag Archives: Liam Byrne
Autumn reshuffles – will Britain get the political players it needs?
Posted by Mike Sivier in Conservative Party, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Politics
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Rearranging the pack: Both the government and its opposition are having a reshuffle today – but will we get aces, or just another set of jokers?
Today's the day – doomsday for some, and a new dawn for others. Both the Coalition and Labour are reshuffling their top teams.
We already know some of the names that have stepped down. On the government side, Michael Moore has been sacked as Scottish Secretary, to make way for fellow Liberal Democrat Alistair Carmichael. Apparently Mr Carmichael, referring to the upcoming referendum on Scotland seceding from the Union, has said he is "up for it".
At least nobody tried to put a Tory in, to represent a country where that party has no MPs at all. It may seem beyond the realm of possibility but with the Government of Idiots (and I refer to the term in its classical sense) it would not be surprising.
Deputy Chief Whip John Randall and Cabinet Office Minister Chloe Smith (who was humiliated on the BBC's Newsnight last year when, as Exchequer Secretary, she struggled to answer questions about the government's decision to defer a rise in fuel duty. It seems she had been promoted because David Cameron mistakenly believed she was a trained accountant. This does not bode well for today's decisions) have both stepped down.
The BBC reported that Ms Smith's resignation letter stated she had been "only 27" when she became an MP and now wanted to "develop other ways of giving public service" – indicating possible disillusionment with the Coalition government and the way it conducts itself.
Transport Minister Simon Burns has also stepped down – but this is to run for the position of Deputy Speaker, which was left vacant by Nigel Evans after he stepped down to fight criminal charges for sexual assault.
All the pundits are saying the government reshuffle will concentrate on mid-level ministers, with every Cabinet-level Tory secure in their position. What a shame.
Meanwhile, over at Labour, the situation is not so clear. Ed Miliband's decisions have been unrestricted, and speculation has ranged from whether he will increase Shadow Cabinet representative for women, bring back members of Labour's old guard (unlikely – he would face criticism along predictable lines from the Tories and besides, this seems to be about bringing in new, more attractive faces), promote people who are loyal to him or (my preference) have a Shadow Cabinet Of All Talents – including critics who happen to be very good at their jobs.
Abraham Lincoln had a Cabinet Of All Talents, if I recall correctly. Some consider this to be part of what made him great.
One person who won't be a part of Labour's team is former Minister (and then Shadow Minister) for the Disabled, Anne McGuire. who quit last week after five years in the job.
The Stirling MP was praised by disability campaigners such as Sue Marsh who, in an email, described her as "the one true ally we had on Labour's front bench".
And blogger Sue Jones wrote: "Anne will always be remembered by our community for her very articulate attacks on the media's [mis]representation of disabled people and on the Government's welfare reforms, in parliamentary debate. I remember her account of private debate, too, on the same topic with Iain Duncan Smith, and such was her ferocity and anger at the profound unfairness of the media's sustained persecution of sick and disabled people, fanned by Iain Duncan Smith, as we know, that she pinned him against a wall on one occasion."
But the former Shadow Minister, who is herself disabled, ran into controversy when she agreed to host a fringe meeting at this year's Labour Party Conference, organised by the right-wing thinktank Reform, and sponsored by the Association of British Insurers.
Entitled 'New thinking on the welfare state', the event seems to have been a front for insurance companies to try to influence Labour's thinking on social security in the future. Similar events were arranged by Reform and staged at both the Liberal Democrat and Conservative conferences.
Discussions at the private, round-table policy seminar seem to have centred on ways in which insurance companies could become more involved with social security – what products they could sell to working-class people who fear the loss of income that follows loss of employment.
This is exactly the scenario that the American Unum corporation wanted to create when it was invited into the then-Department of Social Security by Peter Lilley – a weakened state system that either cannot or will not support people in genuine need, particularly the sick and disabled, forcing them to buy insurance policies in the hope that these will top-up their income.
Anne McGuire denied this was the intent of the exercise but it is significant that neoliberal New Labour did nothing to prevent the advance of this agenda during its years in power, including the period she spent as Minister for the Disabled.
People who have suffered under the current benefit regime are demanding – ever more stridently – that Labour should mount a strong attack on the practices of the Department for Work and Pensions, as run by Iain Duncan Smith and his cronies, Mark Hoban and Esther McVey.
Part of this demand is that private organisations such as Unum and Atos, which administers work capability assessments, should be kicked out, and a new, fairer system of determining disability benefits based on a claimant's medical condition and needs, rather than the greed of private enterprise, should be brought in.
There has been no hope of this with plastic Tory Liam Byrne as Shadow Work and Pensions spokesman, but rumour has it he could be shunted out and replaced by Rachel Reeves. Is this a good move?
The omens are not wonderful. She is yet another alumnus of the Politics, Philosophy and Economics course at Oxford (another notable example of that course's graduates is David Cameron). Her background is in business. She once interviewed for a job with tax avoiders Goldman Sachs (but turned down the job offer) and has been named by The Guardian as one of several MPs who use unpaid interns.
Here's why Labour needs to go a lot further to win back our trust
Posted by Mike Sivier in Benefits, Corruption, Disability, Employment, Health, Labour Party, People, Politics, Poverty, Public services, UK, unemployment
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Only days after Ed Miliband announced a Labour government would sack Atos, the party's conference is hosting an event part-funded by the architects of the 'work capability assessment' administered by that company – the criminal American insurance giant Unum.
'New thinking on the welfare state' is a fringe event taking place at the Labour conference on Monday, September 23, organised by the right-wing thinktank Reform (which has Unum as one of its funders) and sponsored by the Association of British Insurers (which includes Unum among its members). Does anybody doubt that it has been arranged in order to give Unum a chance to influence high-ranking party members? No?
Then consider: This is a private round-table policy seminar, staged by Anne McGuire MP. Rank and file Labour members aren't invited – attendance is by invitation only. Can you smell a rat? Still no?
The event has already been staged at the Liberal Democrat conference (by Steve Webb MP, whoever he is), and will also be a feature of the Conservative Party conference, courtesy of that turncoat floor-crossing slime Lord Freud. It shouldn't take a genius to work out that Unum wants to ensure that all three parties have the same social security/welfare policy, going into the next election – and that Unum continues to figure prominently in the formulation of that policy.
If you didn't smell a rat infestation before, by now you're probably wondering why pest control hasn't been called.
Ed Miliband knows that any change of the organisation administering work capability assessments is purely cosmetic; the Conservative-led Coalition itself is bringing in other companies to carry out the work, and Capita has already been taken on to carry it out in some areas.
It is the policy itself that must change.
Unum knows all about that policy. The company came up with it in the 1990s as a way to combat claims on its health insurance policies for 'subjective' illnesses such as 'chronic pain', 'chronic fatigue syndrome', fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Lyme disease and others – by aggressively disputing whether a claimant was ill.
It based its new test on the Biopsychosocial Model of illness developed by the psychiatrist George Engel, which is itself an unproved theory. Unum removed the bio- and -social aspects in order to concentrate on the 'psycho' – the claim that a person's illness is all in their mind; that they are imagining it.
This worked very well for the company until the American people realised that they were being diddled out of their insurance money and very large lawsuits were launched that ended with the company having a criminal record in several US states.
Undaunted by this, Unum branched into the UK and cosied up with then-social security minister Peter Lilley, who wanted to cut the number of people claiming disability benefits. Unum saw an opportunity here, with a long-term goal of making state disability benefits useless to the British citizen and forcing them to pay out for the companies duff health insurance policies – which had already fallen foul of the law in America.
That's why the work capability assessment takes precedence over any evidence your doctor might provide to support your claim, and it's also why doctors are being actively discouraged from providing any evidence at all; that's why UK law currently sees a glowing future for people who may be paralysed, but for one finger, as a button pusher; that's why people with Parkinson's Disease or other degenerative conditions are being told they will be able to work again in the future; and that's why thousands upon thousands of people have died as a result of the current policy – especially since the Conservative-led Coalition came into office in 2010.
Meanwhile, Unum has begun a mass-marketing campaign to encourage able-bodied British citizens to invest in 'Income Protection Insurance' and a scheme known as the 'Back-up Plan'. These are only available via the workplace, and it is understood that it has been designed to ensure that the company can resist paying out if anybody should be unlucky enough to have to make a claim.
So you see, the plan is to leave the sick and disabled of this country with no support whatsoever; they can either take out Unum's insurance policies, pay the company a fortune in premiums and get nothing in return – or they can throw themselves at the mercy of a state which has no mercy and be refused the benefits for which their taxes have been paying ever since they were old enough to pay taxes in the first place.
Either way, Unum wins. For younger readers, it's like the plot of the prequel trilogy in the Star Wars saga, where the character who becomes the Emperor engineers a war in which he controls both sides. So you see? Those films weren't as bad as we all thought.
But of course, any person or organisation that intentionally creates a parallel between itself and the most evil character in recent fiction should absolutely not be anywhere near the real-life political decision-makers of this or any other country.
That's why Mo Stewart, the retired healthcare professional and disability researcher who has spent four years examining the relationship between Unum and the UK government, has contacted Ms McGuire, demanding to know why she is having anything to do with the firm.
She wrote: "Given the amount of evidence against the practice of the dangerous corporate giant, Unum Insurance, and the fact that Labour MPs have exposed their influence with government during debate, the British disabled community are wondering why you would chose to host a fringe meeting by Unum at the conference on Monday?
"'New Thinking on the Welfare State' it seems is the title of the meeting, and they should know since Unum have been helping to systematically destroy the welfare state, as welcomed by various governments, since 1994.
"If you were planning to cause offence, you couldn't have done a better job.
"Keep betraying the British disabled people and you'll be waiting in the wings for a lot longer before Labour ever return to Government.
"I have spent the past 4 years exposing the links between the DWP, Atos Healthcare & UNUM Insurance. Some of your colleagues are very familiar with my work, which is to be considered by the UN within weeks, and I suggest that if you wish to be taken seriously as the Shadow Minister for Disabled People then you need to be familiar with this evidence."
This blog wholeheartedly supports Mo Stewart's position.
If you want to add your support, you can contact Anne McGuire by emailing anne.mcguire.mp@parliament.uk – and you might wish to include Ed Miliband and Liam Byrne (while he's still there): ed.miliband.mp@parliament.uk and byrnel@parliament.uk
If you'd like to do more, feel free to broadcast that facts about Unum as widely as you can. There seems to be a media blackout on mention of this criminal organisation's involvement with the state, so you cannot rely on the national news media. This means word of mouth – viral networking – is the only alternative.
Oh, and Ed? Mr Miliband? We'll all be waiting for you to make a slightly more solid commitment to the British people. You know what it is because we've made it perfectly clear already:
New policies on sickness, disability and incapacity benefits that are humane to claimants and rely on real medical evidence – not the opinions of an unqualified 'decision-maker' at the DWP.
Expel Unum from any position in which it may influence the government – including fringe events at party conferences. This may mean dismantling the DWP altogether as that organisation appears to have been terminally compromised.
End the work capability assessments. Find a different way to assess people's ability to work – perhaps one that involves knowledge of what jobs are available and whether employers have any intention to take on people with limited abilities… Something practical, rather than the dribble that masquerades as current government policy.
And, for goodness' sake, get rid of Byrne (and McGuire… and let's not forget Stephen Timms) and replace them with backbenchers who actually understand and sympathise with the plight of benefit claimants who have been made to suffer under a needlessly brutal system.
You don't dare betray the British people again.
If you do, you'll have more than eggs to dodge, whenever you dare show your face in public.
Labour and Atos – is it a distraction from the main issue?
Posted by Mike Sivier in Benefits, Corruption, Disability, Employment, Health, Labour Party, Law, People, Politics, Poverty, Public services, UK, unemployment
Atos, benefit, benefits, Department, Department for Work and Pensions, disability, Disability Living Allowance, disabled, DLA, DWP, Ed Miliband, Employment and Support Allowance, ESA, front bench, government, health, humane, Incapacity, Incapacity Benefit, Labour, Liam Byrne, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, neoliberal, New Labour, Pensions, people, policy, politics, shadow cabinet, sick, sickness, social security, unemployment, unum, Vox Political, WCA, welfare, work, work capability assessment
Real change required: Sacking Atos would be a cosmetic difference if DWP policy remains unchanged under a Labour government. Let's have an announcement about that! [Picture: Skwawkbox blog]
Having had time away to think about this, it has occurred to me that in discussing whether Labour is right to say it will fire Atos – or whether it will even fulfil that promise – we are barking up the wrong tree.
Atos does what the DWP tells it to do. We can all say it does this work very badly, but that would be splitting hairs. The orders come from the Department.
Getting rid of Atos won't make any difference if the policy stays the same – and Labour's record on social security has not been good since neoliberal 'New Labour' took office in 1997.
So I reckon more pressure needs to be exerted on Mr Miliband and his front bench, to expel all traces – not only of Atos, but of Unum, the real influence, and to put forward a new policy that is, above all, humane to claimants of disability/sickness/incapacity benefits.
What he says on this subject will be very interesting. But he must be pinned down.
New policy.
No Unum.
No Atos – or any other unqualified overseers of our medical health.
Humane treatment for benefit claimants.
(And sack Liam Byrne!)
The verdict: Universal Credit is a Governmental Disgrace
Posted by Mike Sivier in Benefits, Conservative Party, Politics, Public services, UK
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Can the DWP do anything right? Universal Credit joins the Work Programme and the murderous administration of Employment and Support Allowance on the list of Iain Duncan Smith's failures.
The National Audit Office has published its 'early progress' report on Iain Duncan Smith's flagship Universal Credit scheme – and it is damning.
The report states that, after years of development in which £425 million was spent on the scheme, the Department for Work and Pensions does not even have a detailed view of how Universal Credit is supposed to work.
I should just stop there and spend the rest of this article discussing that one piece of information. After months and years of listening to 'RTU' ranting about how Universal Credit was going to be a revolution in benefit claims, we now know that he does not know – and never bothered to work out – how his revolution was going to be delivered!
Nor does Howard Shiplee, the 'director general' who has been talking it up on the media over the last few days.
Universal Credit is an attempt to "simplify" six major areas of social security into one streamlined payment system. They are: Income Support, income-based Jobseekers Allowance, income-based Employment and Support Allowance, tax credits (child and working), housing benefit and budgeting loans.
However: "Poor control and decision-making undermined confidence in the programme and contributed to a lack of progress," the report states. This is directly attributable to the Secretary of State – it is his failure.
The report – and we should remember that this is from an organisation concerned with whether the government is spending our money wisely – concluded that the DWP has not achieved value for money.
The department was over-ambitious in both the timetable and scope of the programme, the report states. This is interesting in itself. How can its scope be "ambitious" if nobody even knew how it was supposed to work?
According to the NAO: "The Department took risks to try to meet the short timescale and used a new project management approach which it had never before used on a programme of this size and complexity. It was unable to explain how it originally decided on its ambitious plans or evaluated their feasibility." In other words, from its employees right up to its ministers and Secretary of State, the DWP could not justify the risks it took with taxpayers' money and never bothered to investigate the likelihood of failure.
"Given the tight timescale, unfamiliar project management approach and lack of a detailed plan, it was critical that the Department should have good progress information and effective controls. In practice the Department did not have any adequate measures of progress."
The report singles out for particularly strong criticism the computer system intended to run the new benefit. "The Department is not yet able to assess the value of the systems it spent over £300 million to develop… Over 70 per cent of the £425 million spent to date has been on IT systems," it states.
Then it says, "The Department, however, has already written off £34 million of its new IT systems and does not yet know if they will support national roll-out." So the systems are not – to use a favourite DWP phrase – "fit for work".
In fact, some parts don't work on any level at all: "For instance, the current IT system lacks a component to identify potentially fraudulent claims so that the Department has to rely on multiple manual checks on claims and payments." Meaning: In the single Job Centre where UC has been introduced, employees have been working out claims on paper.
"Such checks will not be feasible or adequate once the system is running nationally." It seems amazing, but Iain Duncan Smith probably needed to see that, written down in black and white, or he might never have considered the possibility.
Problems with the IT system have delayed the national roll-out of the programme (and for that, considering all of the above, we should all breathe a long-drawn-out sigh of relief). "In early 2013, the Department was forced to stop work on its plans for national roll-out and reassess its options for the future… The Department will not introduce Universal Credit for all new claims nationally in October 2013 as planned, and is now reconsidering its plans for full roll-out.
"Instead, it will extend the pilots to six more sites with these new sites taking on only the simplest claims. Delays to the roll-out will reduce the expected benefits of reform and – if the Department maintains a 2017 completion date – increase risks by requiring the rapid migration of a large volume of claimants."
The DWP intends to spend £2.4 billion on Universal Credit up to April 2023. To put that in perspective, that's twice as much as the government loses on all benefit fraud – not just those being bundled together here – every year. And this will "increase risks".
The spending watchdog found that the DWP took some action at the end of 2012 to resolve problems, but was unable to address the underlying issues effectively.
"The programme suffered from weak management, ineffective control and poor governance," said Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office.
Despite all this, the report incredibly states that "the programme still has potential to create significant benefits for society, but the Department must scale back its delivery ambition and set out realistic plans".
Liam Byrne will no doubt seize this as an opportunity, yet again, to offer Labour's help to find a way forward and bring Universal Credit back on track. He should be discouraged from doing so. This 'flagship' hasn't so much sailed as sunk.
Universal Credit is a FAILURE.
It should be SCRAPPED – before that idiot Smith wastes any more of our money on it.
Closet Tory Liam Byrne is cosying up to the Coalition – and will cost Labour the next election
Posted by Mike Sivier in Benefits, Conservative Party, Disability, Labour Party, Politics, Poverty, UK, unemployment, Workfare
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Liam Byrne wants Labour to adopt Conservative policies but carry them out in a different way. Why would anyone vote for that?
Now what's that creepy Liam Byrne up to?
First he warned the Coalition that plans for further, hugely damaging, cuts in social security spending will cost around £1.4 billion more than they save.
Then he offered to help Iain Duncan Smith, of all people, to save Universal Credit, of all things!
The Torygraph has claimed this is Labour's "strongest backing yet" for Universal Credit.
Is Ed Miliband, as Labour's leader, blind to the amount of damage this will do to his party?
It seems likely that Byrne is trying to improve his position ahead of a shadow cabinet reshuffle, but Miliband would have to be stupid to keep him on, after the shadow work and pensions secretary caused one disaster after another.
Look at the Guardian article. The lead paragraph declares: "The coalition's benefit cuts have descended into "chaos" that will cost an extra £1.4 billion because of delays, extra claimants, waste and complaints, Labour claims." [Italics mine]
What about the human cost, then? What about the huge damage that these Conservative-led policies will cause to hard-working people up and down the UK? We know that the benefit cap has already caused huge harm to working-class people, and the bedroom tax is doing the same – and these are only recent examples of stupid, cruel Tory policies (forget the Liberal Democrats – they're only around to rubber-stamp the plans of a Tory government).
This is telling us that Labour actually agrees with the ideology behind these schemes; it is in the execution of them that the parties differ. Here's proof of it in the Guardian article: "The focus of Byrne's speech will not be challenging the substance of reforms brought in by Iain Duncan Smith… but criticism of his failure to deliver them properly.
That is a terrible, terrible mistake for Labour to make and, as leader, Ed Miliband should be putting a stop to it at once.
The Guardian says, "he will pledge to 'bring social security spending under control'." That's what the Tories say! Labour should be promising to bring fairness back to social security. Labour should be promising the removal of Atos, Unum and any other profit-making concerns from the business of the Department for Work and Pensions and Labour should be pledging to bring in a new system that concentrates on the needs and abilities of each claimant, as determined by proper medical evidence and not some silly made-up tick-box computer questionnaire that was devised to make it easier to sell bogus insurance schemes.
Why is Byrne making such silly promises? Because, the Guardian says, Labour wants to "shake off Tory claims that it is too much on the side of benefit claimants over working people". In other words, he and they are worried about what the Tories say, and not about the torture through which they are putting ordinary people like you and me. They won't win any elections that way!
Attacking the Tories over the way they are doing things, rather than the things they are doing, has of course left Byrne wide open to any kind of attack the Tories wished to launch and, sure enough, an 'aide' to Iain 'Returned To Unit' Smith dismissed Byrne's claims as "laughable".
Quoted by the Guardian, she said this was "yet another disastrous speech, void of any ideas". It's a rare situation in which I am forced to agree with a Conservative!
"Same old Labour is in the wrong place on welfare," she continued. "They want people on benefits to make more money than the average hard-working family earns." Now that – of course – is utter nonsense, but it will stay in people's minds because the claim that the speech has no new ideas to offer, coupled with one that it is a "last-ditch attempt… to keep his job in the shadow cabinet" rings true.
The Telegraph article says Byrne has called for cross-party talks to clear up the "'mess' of delays and IT problems that he says have hit the policy." Again, no mention that the policy is wrong. In fact, the article later states, "The project… is a good idea but needs to be rescued from the 'disaster' that it has become under [Mr Returned To Unit], he will claim." A good idea? Universal Credit?
It's a shame that he has decided to support the principles of the Tory regressions (we can't call them reforms, and changes isn't strong enough), because he did come up with a decent comment, that is also a truism: "There is now a private joke in Whitehall – to err is human, but to really foul things up you need Iain Duncan Smith." But of course Byrne ruined it by saying it was Smith's fault his harmful reforms are in crisis, rather than pouncing on them as bad ideas in their own right.
The Guardian article says "Shadow cabinet members are under pressure from Labour grandees to start spelling out their policies more clearly." If this is Byrne's idea of a Labour policy he should be dumped – not only from the shadow cabinet, but from Parliament and the Party – with haste.
Byrne has always been a dangerous liability – remember the damage he caused with one silly note about there being no money left after the 2010 general election?
He persuaded hundreds of Labour MPs to abstain from voting against the Tories' hasty plan to legalise their robbery of millions of pounds from thousands of Jobseekers – the Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) Act – in March, claiming that he had secured "concessions" that would make it worthwhile.
The first was a guarantee of appeal rights – a safeguard that had always been in place and that the Conservatives had not suggested they would drop.
The second was an independent review of the sanctions regime, with an urgent report and recommendations to Parliament. It is now nearly six months since that concession was made. Has anybody – anywhere – heard any more about this "urgent report"?
Byrne was hoodwinked into giving way on a policy that is hugely damaging to the financial security of millions of people and receiving nothing at all in return. That's not even mentioning the damage caused to the Labour Party by this and other unnecessary concessions to the Conservatives.
The only sane choice for Ed Miliband is to sack Byrne on the spot and announce a reversal of Labour policy that will halt any support for regressive Conservative austerity measures that harm not only hard-working people and jobseekers who want to get onto the employment ladder but also the economy in general.
But Miliband seems weak – or at least indecisive. It seems he needs encouragement.
His email address is ed.miliband.mp@parliament.uk and he is on Twitter as well: @Ed_Miliband
If you feel strongly about this, give him a piece of your mind.
Iain Duncan Smith sent back to his novel(s)
Posted by Mike Sivier in Benefits, Disability, Employment, Politics, UK, unemployment
Atos, benefit, benefits, Daily Telegraph, Department, Department for Work and Pensions, disability, disabled, DWP, Employment and Support Allowance, ESA, fiddle, government, Iain Duncan Smith, Liam Byrne, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, novel, Pensions, politics, sick, social security, The Devil's Tune, unemployment, Universal Credit, Vox Political, WCA, welfare, work, work capability assessment, Work Programme, Youth Contract
Talent deficit: Iain Duncan Smith wrote a poorly-received novel called The Devil's Tune – and many may argue that his entire tenure at the DWP has been spent 'on the fiddle'.
Labour frontbencher, sadist and closet Tory Liam Byrne has been preparing to take over the Department for Work and Pensions – by practising his future policy on current incumbent Iain Duncan Smith.
That's right – instead of suggesting IBS should go back to the dole queue that he got married to escape, Byrne has told the Work and Pensions Secretary to "spend more time with his novels".
This is of course an act of hideous cruelty – not just on LieDS, who deserves it, but also on the general public, if Mr… Smith accepts the advice.
His one published work of fiction, The Devil's Tune, was released in 2003 and its uniformly negative reception may be taken as proof that publishers are more interested in who an author is than in whether they can write.
The stated reason for Mr Byrne to want to foist Iain Ducking-Out-Of-The-Dole-Queue's writing on an unwilling public is the failure of four key initiatives that were said to have been set up to help the unemployed.
The Work Programme, which pays companies to help find jobs for the unemployed but which is, according to the DWP's own figures and in Mr Byrne's words "worse than doing nothing".
The Youth Contract, which was set up 18 months ago to get 160,000 unemployed young people into work, and has managed to find placements for just 4,600 jobseekers aged 18-24.
Universal Credit, which was intended to use integrated computer systems to provide real-time updates to benefits. The problem is the software doesn't work. A pilot scheme opened in just one Job Centre, focusing on the simplest claims, with entitlements worked out on paper (according to some accounts).
The Work Capability Assessment, now put into 'special measures' because of the overwhelming number of mistakes which have swamped both the DWP and the appeal tribunal system with complaints.
A Telegraph report said representatives of the Secretary-in-a-State said Mr Byrne's remarks were a "compliment" as they suggest his welfare reforms are a threat to Labour.
This is correct in the literal sense; they are indeed a threat to labour. It seems that under the current regime, anyone lucky enough to get a job does so in spite of the system rather than with help from it.
Smith's spokesman (apparently he is no longer able to speak for himself; this does not bode well for his writing) said his reforms were "hugely popular", which is partially true. Unfortunately they are only popular with people who have not been subjected to them and who don't know what they mean.
Repeating one of the many falsehoods for which the DWP now has a well-deserved reputation, he added that the Labour Party opposes the benefit cap. In fact, Labour supports a cap – but not the unjustified level at which the government has set it for families.
I refer you to the review of The Devil's Tune by John Sutherland, Lord Northcliffe Professor of English Literature at University College London in November 2003, when his review was published in The Guardian: "Ask someone, said Tolstoy, 'Can you write a novel?' and – most likely – they will reply, 'I don't know; I've never tried'. They wouldn't say the same if you asked them if they could play the violin. IDS has tried fiction. And high-political office. He should have stuck to the fiddle."
Judging by his record since 2010, many may say he did.
No need for Ballsbornism, or: Who's afraid of the big bad spending review?
Posted by Mike Sivier in Benefits, Conservative Party, Crime, Economy, Justice, Labour Party, Law, Liberal Democrats, Media, Politics, Poverty, Public services, Tax, UK
alternative, Ballsbornism, BBC, benefit, benefits, bias, Britannia Unchained, Butskellism, Coalition, community service, consensus, Conservative, David Cameron, death penalty, Democrat, disability, disabled, economic, economy, Ed Balls, Ed Miliband, encourage, Free Enterprise Group, general election, George Osborne, Gideon, government, Hugh Gaitskell, human rights, Labour, lazy, Liam Byrne, Liberal, Margaret Thatcher, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, Parliament, Pensions, people, Peter Bone, policy, politics, poor, Prime Minister, private, privatise, privatising, Queen's speech, Rab Butler, sick, social security, spending review, Tories, Tory, unemploy, Vox Political, welfare, work
Don't be complacent: It may seem as though the Coalition government that has blighted the UK for the past three years is marching willingly to its own demise – but that is by no means certain. We must all be vigilant against the apathy that allows them to spread their poisonous views and convince impressionable people that they are speaking common sense ideas that are held by the majority, when we all know that this is a falsehood.
I'm not!
So Gideon George Osborne is announcing £11.5 billion of cuts to be implemented from April 2015 to the end of March 2016 – so what? There will be a general election the following month and he would be delusional if he thinks his party will win.
Ed Balls has said Labour would match the Coalition's spending totals for that financial year, but we should not be fooled into believing this means Labour would make exactly the same choices as a Conservative or Conservative-led government. It won't.
For example, Coalition welfare reform policies currently cost us all £19 billion per year. That's right – it costs us money to knock all those poor, sick and disabled people off-benefit, because we pay private companies to carry out the government's dirty work. Not only are they doing a very poor job, but they are also charging us a fortune for it.
Ed Balls could cancel the lot and, working with a decent Labour Work and Pensions secretary (not Liam Byrne), install a new system aimed at the causes of unemployment, sickness and disability, and still pay less than the current government.
You see, Tories aren't really about saving money for the taxpayer. They're about making poor people pay taxes to support rich people who don't need them.
That's just one – extremely oversimplified – example of why I don't think we have to live in a country dominated by 'Ballsbornism', even though I coined the expression earlier today in a response to a comment.
'Ballsbornism' implies a consensus economic policy, much like the 'Butskellism' of the 1950s that married the ideas of Tory Rab Butler and Labour's Hugh Gaitskell, and recent announcements by Ed Miliband and Ed Balls have stirred up fears that the Labour front bench has capitulated to the Tory economic viewpoint.
This blog has been part of that, and I make no apology for it. Like all political movements, Labour must be made to see that it cannot take the easy way out. People's lives – no, I'm not making this up – depend on their decisions and those lives will be on their conscience if they cock up the system (as Osborne has been doing) or make lazy decisions.
The Tory-led Coalition likes to say its policies on benefits "encourage" people to sign off (and goes on to suggest that they then get jobs, although the evidence is overwhelmingly that they end up with no form of income at all); if we want better for our future, then the people of this country must similarly "encourage" Labour into policies that will genuinely improve our situation.
I have outlined my opinion of what those policies should be, in a previous article, so need not rehash them here.
And let's remind ourselves of the absolute lunacy that could be foisted on us if the Conservatives come back into power: Tory backbencher Peter Bone, alongside similar-minded nutters, has compiled an alternative Queen's Speech (or is it an alternative to the alternative, as Labour already produced one?).
This suggests restoring the death penalty for criminals (we all know this leads to injustice); privatising the BBC (more money for rich Tories who don't deserve it, along with a diminished and politically-biased national broadcasting service), abolishing human rights legislation (to the huge detriment of all citizens and working people who rely on it, as discussed many times on this blog), and renaming the August Bank Holiday as 'Margaret Thatcher Day' (an insult to everybody whose lives were blighted by her policies).
Bone, whose bizarre pronouncements create semi-regular moments of comedy during Prime Minister's Questions, told the BBC he was "putting forward Conservative policies" that would be "very helpful" to David Cameron.
This is an elected Conservative member of Parliament, remember – one of several who have drafted these proposals. And let's not forget the Free Enterprise group of Tory right-wingers, whose book Britannia Unchained suggests (wrongly) that British workers are among the laziest in the world, and anyone unemployed for more than six months should do 30 hours' community service and lose 10 per cent of their benefits, as if being forced out of work by (Tory) employers was a crime!
So let Osborne have his moment, when he announces his review on Wednesday. Then reflect on where you'll be putting your vote in 2015 and enjoy the prospect that he will have wasted his breath.
Labour's latest welfare betrayal means the party could change name to 'Red Conservatives'
Posted by Mike Sivier in Benefits, Conservative Party, Disability, Economy, Labour Party, Media, People, Politics, UK, unemployment
BBC, bill, Blue, budget, cap, cause, Child Benefit, child poverty, Conservative, death, die, disability, disabled, dying, Ed Miliband, employers, George Osborne, health, help, industry, Jobseeker's Allowance, Labour, law, Liam Byrne, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, mislead, National Health Service, NHS, pay, Ralph Miliband, red, rent, safety, sick, social security, spending, Tony Benn, Tories, Tory, unemployment, univeral, Vox Political, wages, welfare, William Beveridge
Red Tory betrayal: He might as well have said, "We're going to grip the poor by the throat and push them down so far and so hard that they'll never be able to get on their feet again."
The Red Conservative Party has announced a new policy attack on people receiving benefits, in its latest bid to out-Tory the Blue Conservatives.
Ed Cameron announced that he would impose a three-year cap on any welfare spending not linked to the economic cycle, stealing an idea put forward by George Osborne of the original Conservative Party during the March budget.
He also vowed to make people work for two years before they qualify for a new, higher rate of Jobseekers' Allowance.*
Shadow work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Byrne said the cap would force a Labour government to engage in long-term reforms necessary to bring the welfare bill down.
Neither man actually spelled out which benefits would be affected by the cap.
But Ed Cameron tried to salvage his party's reputation in the eyes of left-wing supporters by promising to drive down rents and improve pay.
And in a contradictory move, he said he would not abandon the long-standing goal of abolishing child poverty by 2020, even though his new policies mean that, inevitably, more children will suffer poverty through no fault of their own.
Cut through the spin and the above is, pretty much, what has been announced. The Labour Party is becoming even more right-wing, rather than less, as the Tory tabloids claimed when Ed Miliband became the leader.
It seems that failing to reverse the abolition of universal child benefit was just the tip of the iceberg, Ed Miliband's father, Ralph Miliband, must be spinning in his grave… In fact, he's probably drilling his way through the Earth's crust towards countries unknown, in the same way I said William Beveridge must be, after Liam Byrne's Guardian article on the welfare state in 2012.
What we're seeing isn't really a conversion to Conservatism – although the retention of critically dangerous neoliberal elements at the top of the party structure means this will continue to be a threat. It's actually worse than that.
This is a Labour Party that goes any way the wind blows.
Does anybody remember the great Tony Benn's comments about politicians being either signposts or weathercocks? It has been mentioned previously, in this blog. He said some politicians are like signposts. They point in the direction they want to travel and say, "This is the way we must go!" And they are constant. Others are like weathercocks; they lick their fingers, find out which direction the political winds are blowing and follow.
The Guardian illustrates that Miliband has become a cock in its article, stating that the new announcement "is seen as critical to Labour being able to claw back its poll deficit on welfare and show its ability to take tough decisions".
It will do neither.
If Labour wanted to "claw back its poll deficit on welfare" it would be announcing new policies to tackle the causes of unemployment, sickness and disability, in order to ensure that unemployment was never again likely to rise as high as it has. This means helping industry; it means restoring the National Health Service; it means making sure employers – especially the really large ones who think they can get away with anything – conform strictly to health and safety laws and can't blame employees' work-based sicknesses on anything other than their own negligence.
It means setting the terms of a new debate on this issue – not meekly accepting the Conservatives' warped frame of reference.
Because, you see, that doesn't indicate an "ability to take tough decisions". Nor does copying an idea already mentioned by a Conservative. Tough decisions are those that the public might find hard to accept at first – about policies that might need to be explained before they are accepted. Labour isn't making any tough decisions. It is following the Conservative/Coalition example and that simply is not good enough.
The Guardian article says Labour hopes the electorate "will focus on the party's decision to take a credible and specific stance on the deficit, after three years of low growth, rather than punish Labour for its apparent volte face [about turn] by ending three years of criticism of welfare cuts".
There is no chance of that happening. The electorate is not stupid and I predict that those parts of it that have supported Labour as a force for working people, those who want to work but are unemployed through no fault of their own, and those who have been invalided out of work, again through no fault of their own, will desert the party en masse. Miliband and Byrne might pick up a few right-wing votes – but not enough to make a difference. They will lose far more than they will gain.
Note particularly that line about "ending three years of criticism of welfare cuts". They've stopped criticising the Conservatives/Coalition about cuts that are literally ending UK citizens' lives at an alarming rate. That is not – and will never be – justifiable on any level at all.
Let's not forget that an average of 73 people a week are dying as a result of Conservative/Coalition policies on benefits – possibly many more, as this figure is nearly a year old. A Labour government that would allow this to continue is not an electable Labour government.
This announcement marks the beginning of the Conservative victory in 2015.
Thanks for nothing, Ed Miliband. Thanks for nothing, Liam Byrne.
Shame on you, you sell-outs.
*Interestingly, the Blue Conservative mouthpiece BBC misleadingly reported that Labour believed "only people who pay into the system for more than two years should get Jobseekers' Allowance" at all! This seems to be an inaccuracy but it is damaging and more people will read it.
Don't blame the poor when the rich are bleeding you dry
Posted by Mike Sivier in Benefits, council tax, Disability, Labour Party, pensions, People, Politics, tax credits, UK, unemployment
abraham lincoln, andy burnham, benefit, cambridge, co-operation, Conservative, Daily Mail, Democrat, development, disability, douglas alexander, economic, Ed Balls, Ed Miliband, Goebbels, harvard, illness, joseph rowntree foundation, Labour, Liam Byrne, Liberal, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, national, neoliberal, OECD, office, ONS, organisation, oxford, poor, statistics, Sun, Tories, Tory, Tory Lite, unemployment, Vox Political, welfare, yvette cooper
You know that things have come to a pretty pass when Labour Party supporters turn against the poor.
This has happened at a time when the number of people with money to spare has dropped dramatically, meaning more of our people have become poor.
The change may reasonably be blamed on Labour's adherence to Liam Byrne's diabolical welfare policy, that aims to continue where the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats leave off – demonising people who have done nothing wrong, unless you count illness, disability and unemployment as a personal choice.
It suggests that people of good heart are leaving the party in large numbers, allowing those who are left to turn it into what its critics have claimed it to be for a considerable time now: Tory Lite.
The change is identified in a report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, that showed 47 per cent of Labour supporters surveyed in 2011 thought that, if benefits were less generous, people would learn to support themselves – up from 17 per cent in 1987.
The fact of the matter, of course, is that benefits are much less generous now than they were in the 1980s. In 1987, unemployment benefits totalled around 20 per cent of the average weekly wage; now they come to around 10 per cent – around half of what they were. But Labour supporters – Labour! – say they are too generous.
It looks like the Tories really are brainwashing people with their nonsense rhetoric, as repeated in newspapers that Labour supporters shouldn't be reading, like The Sun and the Daily Mail. That good friend of the Conservative Party, Joseph Goebbels, was right – "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it."
Of course, Goebbels added: "The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent."
So those of us who are interested in the facts may be looking forward to hard times. It's still better than being a fair-weather friend of social justice – only interested in the good of our fellows if it doesn't impact on us.
But it is already impacting on everybody!
The Office for National Statistics, using Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) figures, has reported that the UK has plummeted down the international league table of economic well-being, from fifth to 12th within the six years up to 2011.
On a separate labour-market ranking, the country fell even further, dropping 12 places. In the labour market league table it ranked 21st out of 34 countries. Top of the league was Norway, which has just three per cent unemployment and, as I understand it, a thriving welfare state. Think about that.
The ONS noted changes to taxes and benefits as key factors in the drop.
This morning, one of Vox's longest-serving commentators reported that there is a change among the people around him; that those who argued against his criticism of the Conservative-led government are now turning to the Left. If so, it seems they are not turning to Labour.
Recently we have witnessed a movement to form a new political movement, representing socialist views but untarnished by the memory of New Labour's 13 years of Neoliberal mistakes. Several contenders have cropped up but none of them will carry any weight at the next general election – instead, all they are likely to do is sap enough votes from Labour to let the Conservatives back into office again. That would be a calamity for the country.
No, the best thing to do is to take Labour back for the people it was meant to serve. First step in that direction must be to consign Liam Byrne and his vile mess of a welfare policy to the back benches, and design a new plan, attacking the causes of unemployment and workplace sickness and disability, rather than their symptoms. This is simple logic.
And we need to get people into the shadow cabinet who have actually held proper jobs. Look at Ed Miliband: Oxford graduate – short media career – Westminster job for Labour. Ed Balls: Oxford graduate (Politics, Philosophy and Economics) – short media career – Westminster job for Labour. Douglas Alexander: University graduate – six-month career as a solicitor – Westminster. Yvette Cooper: Oxford (Politics, Philosophy and Economics) – Westminster researcher job for Labour. Andy Burnham: Cambridge – researcher for Tessa Jowell. Many of these also went to Harvard.
Liam Byrne, the demon of the Labour Party: University (Politics and Modern History at Manchester) – Harvard – then work for a multinational consulting firm (Accenture) and then the Rothschild merchant bankers(!) before going to Labour to help lead its 'New Labour' business campaign. This man has nothing whatsoever to do with real working people.
When everybody in a particular group – in business, politics, socially, whatever – is from the same background, they tend to agree about key subjects. From the above group we can see that many of the Labour front bench have followed exactly the same career path. What do they know about working-class people? At least two of them – Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper, no less – graduated from the same Oxford degree course as David Cameron, the comedy Prime Minister.
No wonder people are having a hard time distinguishing between the two main parties and want a left-wing alternative.
It's time for Labour to grow up and realise it needs to change. It must come back to its voting base and start to represent the people of the UK once again – rather than Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard graduates. If Ed Miliband wants to keep his position, he needs to clear out his shadow cabinet and get some fresh thinkers in. Someone recently mentioned Abraham Lincoln's 'cabinet of enemies', and the fact that it was good for him to have opposing views at the heart of his government.
Until we get that in the Labour Party, maybe we should agree that the 'Tory Lite' criticisms are accurate.
What are you going to do about it, Labour?


text:
Oregon State running back Jermar Jefferson (6) runs 75-yards to score a touchdown on the first play of an NCAA college football game against California in Corvallis, Ore., Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)
The Washington Times editorial cartoonist won the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi award for editorial cartoons.
See the stealth aircraft that revolutionized air combat.
See the celebrities who were homeless before finding fame
See the US military's amazing anti-tank and anti-fortification arsenal
See the celebrities you didn't know served in the United States Marine Corps
See the United States military's close air support arsenal
See Hollywood's smartest female celebrities
See the fastest combat planes in the USAF's fleet
See the famous wives and girlfriends of famous athletes
See the most beautiful women of the 1990's - then and now
See the the most anticipated handguns set for release this year
See the list of weapons and small arms from the United States Air Force

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The "Titan Experience" Program is available to current 8th grade or high school students who are considering enrolling at Holy Trinity. There is limited availability for current 7th graders to shadow as well. It is a wonderful way to see what a typical school day is like at Holy Trinity.
Your son/daughter will be matched with a current student of the same gender that has similar interests and that has been selected to participate in this program as a student ambassador. Requests to shadow a specific student who is not part of this program will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The "Titan Experience" is available for current 8th graders during the Fall and for 7th graders during March/April.
You should plan on arriving at 7:45am and being picked up at 1:15pm. A voucher for a free lunch will be provided. Current Catholic elementary school/private school students should wear their school uniforms. All other students should be dressed appropriately. Girls may wear dress pants, khakis or dress/skirt of appropriate length. Boys should wear dress pants or khakis and either a polo or button-down shirt, ties are optional. No sneakers, leggings, jeggings, jeans or t-shirts.
Be sure to include all relevant contact information as well as at least two dates for your appointment. Please allow at least 2 school days prior to your requested day. We will follow up to confirm your appointment.


The Association of Pool and Spa Professionals (APSP) and NSF International (NSF), two members and accredited standards developers of the American National Standards Institute, have announced a joint agreement to pursue research and testing to advance health and safety in the recreational water industry.
Through this collaboration, NSF has agreed to provide research and testing services for the development and maintenance of APSP's standards. NSF will also perform general research on the prevention of injuries and illnesses related to recreational water activities.
"This agreement will enable APSP to ensure the test methods in APSP standards for pools, spas and components are robust, accurate, and repeatable," said Carvin DiGiovanni, APSP senior director, technical and standards.
For more information on the APSP-NSF agreement, visit www.APSP.org.


text:
France: Tom Leeb drops his new single "Run Away"
France's Eurovision 2020 representative, Tom Leeb, has dropped his new gentle ballad "Run Away" along with its official lyric video.
French Eurovision 2020 star Tom Leeb has released "Run Away", featuring musician Jérôme Queriaud. This is the second single from his new project "Silver Lining" which began with the release of "Si tu savais" last month.
"Run Away" is a gentle piano ballad written and composed by Leeb and Queriaud themselves. It's a natural progression from "If you knew" with the two tracks stripping away the production to focus on vocals, lyrics and instrumentation.
Tom Leeb in Eurovision
France 2 selected internally Tom Leeb to defend the French colors at Eurovision 2020 in Rotterdam . After two year's of national finals through the format of Destination Eurovision, the broadcaster returned this year to an internal selection.
Tom was set to perforn on Rotterdam Ahoy's stage his entry "The Best in me" but never had the chance to complete his Eurovision journey as the contest was cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic. The French act will not be returning next year as his heavy schedule ahead made his comeback not feasible for the next edition.
franceRun AwayTom Leeb


Carlisle is located about 20-miles north of the Lake District National Park and has a population of around 75,000 people. Key attractions include the Carlisle Castle, which is maintained by the English Heritage, the Carlisle Cathedral, and the city is also part of the 84-mile Hadrian's Wall route.
In terms of accommodation in Carlisle, there are a few great places that offer very reasonable prices within the city centre with the edge of the Lake District just a short 30-minute drive away.
Offering easy access to Carlisle, Penrith, the north-east Lake District, and the historic Scottish borders area, the Crown Hotel Wetheral is a great base for those who like to explore. Furthermore, once you have spent the day sightseeing, you can finish up by relaxing in the leisure club that boasts of a pool, gym, sauna, and beauty treatment rooms.
The Crown & Mitre Hotel in Carlisle has two unique selling points. Its location in the centre of Carlisle's main shopping promenade makes it ideal for those looking to be close to the shops and bars of the city, whilst its intricate Edwardian architecture will impress history buffs who delight in beautiful buildings. The hotel has a pool, restaurant, and bar.
The Halston is an aparthotel in the centre of Carlisle, just minutes from the train station. This former Edwardian post office was completely renovated at the start of the decade. It now houses 16 luxury apartments available for short stays, as well as a spa. Here you can opt for self catering in your apartment's kitchens, or dine in the hotel's restaurants.
Hotel ibis Carlisle is a fantastic hotel that sits at the centre of the historic city of Carlisle. Thanks to this wonderful location, the hotel is perfect for those wanting to enjoy the vibrant city centre scene, the spectacular Lake District, the beautiful Scottish Borders or visit the historic Hadrian's Wall. The hotel offers a good standard of accommodation and represents excellent value for money.
The Hallmark Hotel is a magnificent Victorian hotel in the centre of Carlisle next to the city's railway station. With period features throughout, the 70 en-suite rooms are the perfect combination of Victorian and modern designs colliding.
The hotel is a popular wedding and business venue and the hotel is well known for its fabulous brasserie and popular wine bar. Whether staying at the Hallmark Hotel for business or pleasure, it makes a great choice of accommodation.
The 54-room Cumbria Park Hotel sits on the northern edge of Carlisle city centre and is perfectly situated to enjoy the delights of this vibrant historic city, the stunning Lake District National Park, and the beautiful Scottish borders.
With fantastic luxury en-suite rooms, a recently refurbished gym, and a fabulous restaurant, the hotel is one of the most popular hotels in the Carlisle area.


Wild & Scenic Film Festival - Rivive!
Wild and Scenic Film Festival is a call to action where film-goes are transformed into a congregation of committed activists, dedicated to saving our increasingly threatened planet. This film festival is hosted by the Harpeth Conservancy at the Franklin Theatre in Franklin, TN.
Watch the 2019 Film Trailer HERE.
The event explores environmental issues through film and promotes community building, inspires stewardship and connects people with volunteerism locally. The goal of the festival is to reach more people and to increase community engagament to give middle Tennessee citizens a chance to make a change.


I've seen lots of comments about amps but what about if I'm just getting it to plug in to a stereo receiver to watch movies.. still need an amp? I don't much about amps besides the obvious.
The receiver will probably suffice, but we can't really tell you for sure without the make/model and specs.


text:
package test;

import interfaz.VentanaPrincipal;

public class Test {

	/**
	 * @param args
	 */
	public static void main(String[] args) {
		// TODO Auto-generated method stub
		VentanaPrincipal  ventanaPrincipal  = new VentanaPrincipal();
		ventanaPrincipal.setVisible(true);
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


There are some who visit Balaji in the 7 hills of Tirupati and say "Govinda Goooovinda".
There are some who visit the dizzying heights of Mount Kailash and experience the ground where Lord Shiva allegedly dances the Tandava.
And there are some who visit the hallowed spots where Govinda danced with Karishma for most of the 1990s.
I belong to category #3. I will be in Zürich for the next 3 days.
KA: Oi. What do you want from Switzerland?
VS: Nothing. Don't spend money unnecessarily on me. Spend it buying nice things for yourself.
KA: Dei, I'm going to Zürich. What do you want from there?
KR: Um. What do you get there?
KA: Toblerone, which one gets in Nilgiris and Spencers. Watches, which cost about half of Belgium's GDP apiece. Bank Accounts, of the Swiss type.
KR: Ok. Get me a few Bank Accounts.
KA: Ok. Will check and see if they open Zero-balance accounts.
Considered Tag Heuer or Tissot?
Switzerland a! Buy a cuckoo clock, what else.
Cuckoo clock is famous in South Germany and not in Switzerland.
Learn to yodel! Then serenade the wife with chocolates, perfume, a swatch and your new talent!
Dude. Swiss knifes. Get one for the bro and I'll borrow it from him permanently.
Pls tell me that conversation with wife was made-up??!
If it is, & I didnt get it kindly 'xcuse.
Real conversation. She told me not to buy anything. So Im buying.
Hey, how about some wholesome Swiss cheeze? They'll never beat the Dutch at it, but hey it's mucho bettero than anything you can get here!
go to the temple and offer prayers god will fulfill all your wishes.
Do sky-divin at Zurich…one of the best experiences you would ever have in life!! No, Seriously 🙂 And as for Lindt..ah! mouth-watering!! A definite buy!
Kindly sneeze, pay 100 USD to passers by and come back. Toblerone can be purchased at chennai airport.
Till you marry you need to learn and un-learn it so many times… phew!
Absolutely. Ive been gorging on Emmentaler and Gruyere.
You could shoot a nice song atop some hilltop, make a youtube video out of it, and send the link to the wife.


Any visit to Terme Day Spa is time spent in paradise.
Terme Day Spa is a private, serene place for people of all ages to relax, refresh and recharge. The word terme is derived from the Latin word thermae, which refers to ancient Roman centers for bathing and socializing. Like the ancient Romans, the Terme therapists utilize the natural healing methods of massage therapy, hydrotherapy and aromatherapy to rejuvenate the body and spirit.
You can enjoy sharing services with your friends and family by purchasing a gift certificate or making an appointment for a couples massage. We invite you to experience natural body therapy for an hour or the whole day.
Massage has many benefits; stress reduction, improved circulation and increased muscle flexibility. A good massage can melt away stress, but a great massage can also alleviate pain. Keep in mind our specialty is therapeutic massage. Our knowledgeable staff is trained in several modalities including, trigger point therapy, energy work , Shiatsu, Thai and sports massage. They combine these techniques to get results. Please communicate with your massage therapist if you have special needs. Our staff is insured.
At Terme Day Spa we have our own line of natural European style skin care formulations with wonderful ingredients including vitamin C, glycolic acid and cold processed plant extracts and botanicals.
We also represent a 60 year old skin care line - YonKa from Paris. This skin care line is known for being paraben free and non GMO, because all ingredients come from Europe or Morocco.
In order to represent this high end facial line, staff must be trained by nationally certified trainers -assuring that all products and protocols are followed to YonKa's strict specifications.
All our facials are customized to the individual and contain a massage. They not only exfoliate, detoxify, and moisturize but produce impressive anti-aging benefits..
care products and other accessories for beautiful hands and feet!
Our estheticians use a combination of hard and soft wax depending on area to be waxed and also to each individuals waxing sensitive. You should always advise your esthetician if you have changed the product you are using on your skin, have added pharmaceuticals. Most importantly you should always advise the esthetician if you have recently been tanning.
We offer several body treatments. For your comfort we have showers in our spa rooms making it convenient to get the best wrap or body polish and then to shower with privacy.
We use natural products when available using essential oils and natural exfoliants. Our wraps are nourishing to your skin. You can leave knowing your body is soft and feels luxurious.
Please call for more information, as we can email you what is required. A 50% deposit required at time of party reservation.
*Please turn off all cell phones upon entering the spa.
*Treatment time cannot be made up due to late arrivals.
*New clients should arrive 10 minutes early to fill out a health/new client questionnaire.
*For your comfort, wear loose fitting clothing to appointments.
*Please do not bring children to your appointment.


GTA Machines utilize the latest in CNC equipment providing, tuning and miling, drilling tapping, and inspection services. Materials processed include alummo plastics and alloys of all types. Tuning capacity includes processing up to 17" diameter and 34" long. High Speed Milling capacity includes up to 20" x 16". Gauging and inspections are accomplished in our air-conditioned inspection lab.


text:
Tapas is een religieus of spiritueel filosofisch concept voor brandende ijver en essentiële energie. Tapas combineert zuivering, zelf-discipline en soberheid. Tapas wordt al beschreven in de Rigveda en latere Veda's en in de Mahabharata, een omvangrijk religieus en filosofisch epos uit India, dat samen met de Ramayana een belangrijke culturele hoeksteen van het hindoeïsme vormt.

Tapas staat voor verschillende oefeningen om de lagere aard te zuiveren en te beteugelen, zodat de kosha's (voertuigen) van Jivatman (Purusa, Zelf, het individuele bewustzijn) onder de beheersing van een ijzeren wil worden gebracht. In orthodoxe zin is tapas een oefening voor de zuivering en beheersing van het fysieke lichaam en de ontwikkeling van wilskracht, zoals vasten en geboden naleven (als Pranayama). De bedoeling is het bewustzijn van het voertuig los te maken, omdat het voertuig deel uitmaakt van het niet-Zelf. Asmita (ik ben dit-besef) wordt zo afgezwakt en ten slotte teniet gedaan.

Tapas is verder door Patanjali beschreven in de Yogasoetra's (II, 32), als een van de vijf delen van Niyama:

De Nederlands yogi Saswitha schreef in 1976 over tapas.

Hindoeïstisch concept

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
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    >
    <RelativeLayout
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="match_parent">
        <View
            android:layout_alignParentLeft="true"
            android:layout_width="@dimen/control_dp2"
            android:layout_height="match_parent"
            android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
            android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
            android:background="#fc6b3f"
            android:layout_marginLeft="@dimen/dp_19"
            />

        <ImageView
            android:layout_width="@dimen/control_dp24"
            android:layout_height="@dimen/control_dp24"
            android:layout_marginLeft="@dimen/control_dp8"
            android:layout_centerVertical="true"
            android:src="@drawable/case_result_item_toggle"/>

    </RelativeLayout>

    <LinearLayout
        android:orientation="vertical"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_marginLeft="@dimen/minus_dp32"
        android:paddingRight="@dimen/control_dp8"
        android:id="@+id/layout_case_result_wrapper"
        android:paddingTop="@dimen/control_dp8">

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/text_case_result_step_title"
            android:layout_marginLeft="@dimen/control_dp40"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:textColor="@color/primaryText"
            android:textSize="@dimen/textsize_18"/>
        <TableLayout
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:orientation="vertical"
            android:layout_marginTop="@dimen/control_dp8"
            android:layout_marginLeft="@dimen/control_dp40"
            android:layout_marginBottom="@dimen/control_dp8"
            >
            <TableRow
                android:paddingTop="@dimen/control_dp2"
                android:paddingBottom="@dimen/control_dp2"
                android:id="@+id/row_case_result_step_param"
                >
                <TextView
                    android:text="@string/step_result__replay_param"
                    android:gravity="center"
                    android:layout_gravity="right|center_vertical"
                    android:textColor="@color/primaryText"
                    android:textSize="@dimen/textsize_14"
                    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
                <TextView
                    android:padding="@dimen/control_dp4"
                    android:layout_marginLeft="@dimen/control_dp8"
                    android:layout_weight="4"
                    android:id="@+id/text_case_result_step_param"
                    android:textColor="@color/secondaryText"
                    android:textSize="@dimen/textsize_14"
                    android:text=""
                    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
            </TableRow>
            <TableRow
                android:paddingTop="@dimen/control_dp2"
                android:paddingBottom="@dimen/control_dp2"
                android:id="@+id/row_case_result_step_capture"
                >
                <TextView
                    android:text="@string/step_result__screenshot"
                    android:gravity="center"
                    android:layout_gravity="right|center_vertical"
                    android:textColor="@color/primaryText"
                    android:textSize="@dimen/textsize_14"
                    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
                <LinearLayout
                    android:layout_weight="1"
                    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                    android:layout_height="@dimen/dp_50"
                    android:layout_marginLeft="@dimen/control_dp8"
                    android:orientation="horizontal">
                    <ImageView
                        android:layout_weight="1"
                        android:layout_width="0dp"
                        android:layout_height="@dimen/dp_50"
                        android:scaleType="fitCenter"
                        android:id="@+id/img_case_result_target"/>
                    <ImageView
                        android:layout_marginLeft="@dimen/control_dp8"
                        android:layout_weight="1"
                        android:id="@+id/img_case_result_find"
                        android:layout_width="0dp"
                        android:scaleType="fitCenter"
                        android:layout_height="@dimen/dp_50" />
                </LinearLayout>
            </TableRow>
            <TableRow
                android:paddingTop="@dimen/control_dp2"
                android:paddingBottom="@dimen/control_dp2"
                >
                <TextView
                    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                    android:textColor="@color/primaryText"
                    android:gravity="center"
                    android:layout_gravity="right|center_vertical"
                    android:textSize="@dimen/textsize_14"
                    android:text="@string/step_result__status"/>
                <TextView
                    android:layout_weight="4"
                    android:padding="@dimen/control_dp4"
                    android:layout_marginLeft="@dimen/control_dp8"
                    android:id="@+id/text_case_result_step_status"
                    android:textColor="@color/secondaryText"
                    android:textSize="@dimen/textsize_14"
                    android:text=""
                    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
            </TableRow>
            <TableRow
                android:id="@+id/row_case_result_step_prepare"
                android:paddingTop="@dimen/control_dp2"
                android:paddingBottom="@dimen/control_dp2"
                >
                <TextView
                    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                    android:textColor="@color/primaryText"
                    android:gravity="center"
                    android:layout_gravity="right|center_vertical"
                    android:textSize="@dimen/textsize_14"
                    android:text="@string/step_result__prepare_actions"/>
                <TextView
                    android:layout_weight="4"
                    android:padding="@dimen/control_dp4"
                    android:layout_marginLeft="@dimen/control_dp8"
                    android:id="@+id/text_case_result_step_prepare"
                    android:textColor="@color/secondaryText"
                    android:textSize="@dimen/textsize_14"
                    android:text=""
                    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
            </TableRow>
            <TableRow
                android:id="@+id/row_case_result_step_node"
                android:paddingTop="@dimen/control_dp2"
                android:paddingBottom="@dimen/control_dp2"
                >
                <TextView
                    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                    android:textColor="@color/primaryText"
                    android:layout_gravity="right|center_vertical"
                    android:gravity="center"
                    android:textSize="@dimen/textsize_14"
                    android:text="@string/step_result__node_info"/>

                <LinearLayout
                    android:layout_width="match_parent"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                    android:layout_weight="4"
                    android:layout_marginLeft="@dimen/control_dp8"
                    android:orientation="horizontal">

                    <RelativeLayout
                        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                        android:paddingTop="@dimen/control_dp4"
                        android:paddingBottom="@dimen/control_dp4"
                        android:paddingLeft="@dimen/control_dp8"
                        android:paddingRight="@dimen/control_dp8"
                        android:background="?android:attr/selectableItemBackground"
                        android:id="@+id/text_case_result_step_target_node"
                        android:layout_height="wrap_content">
                        <TextView
                            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                            android:text="@string/step_result__target_node"
                            android:textColor="@color/colorAccent"
                            android:textSize="@dimen/textsize_14" />
                    </RelativeLayout>

                    <RelativeLayout
                        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                        android:layout_marginLeft="@dimen/control_dp16"
                        android:paddingTop="@dimen/control_dp4"
                        android:paddingBottom="@dimen/control_dp4"
                        android:paddingLeft="@dimen/control_dp8"
                        android:paddingRight="@dimen/control_dp8"
                        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                        android:id="@+id/text_case_result_step_find_node"
                        android:background="?android:attr/selectableItemBackground">
                        <TextView
                            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                            android:text="@string/step_result__find_node"
                            android:textColor="@color/colorAccent"
                            android:textSize="@dimen/textsize_14" />
                    </RelativeLayout>
                </LinearLayout>
            </TableRow>
        </TableLayout>

        <View
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="1px"
            android:background="@color/divider_color"
            android:layout_alignParentBottom="true"
            android:layout_marginLeft="@dimen/dp_21"/>
    </LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>


text:
Tuesday, Apr 23, 2013
Chad Mendes Wants Shot At UFC Featherweight Champ Jose Aldo
Chad Mendes
By Timothy J. Gilbert
Chad Mendes has fought in 15 professional matches spanning five years and four organizations. But, through all of this, there has been only one man who was ever skilled enough to defeat him. That man is UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.
And that is precisely who Mendes has his eyes on.
"I've always wanted to be the one to beat Aldo," said Mendes in an interview with MMAJunkie.com.
Aldo (22-1) is undefeated in his last 15 matches and has not lost since getting submitted by Luciano Azevedo in 2005. The featherweight champion is scheduled to defend his belt against Anthony Pettis at UFC 163 in August.
The outcome of that fight may have an outstanding impact on Mendes' future.
A Pettis victory would eliminate Aldo, while possibly leaving room for a rematch, events that would bump Mendes out of tile contention even longer. That is, if the champion doesn't move up a weight class before then.
"I would definitely understand if he's needing to move up, but I want to be the one to take that title from him," Mendes said. "I know he cuts a ton of weight – the guy is huge for 145 pounds, and that's always going to be draining on the body. You can only do that for so long, and the older you get, the harder it's going to be."
Mendes (14-1) is coming off of three straight first round knockouts of Darrin Elkins, Yaotzin Meza and Cody McKenzie, all within one year. He is currently considered the top contender in many featherweight power rankings.


text:
/* ###
 * IP: GHIDRA
 *
 * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 * You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *
 *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 * limitations under the License.
 */
package ghidra.util.datastruct;

import java.util.Collection;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.stream.Stream;

class ThreadUnsafeWeakSet<T> extends WeakSet<T> {

	ThreadUnsafeWeakSet() {
		// restrict access; use factory method in base class
	}

	@Override
	public void add(T t) {
		maybeWarnAboutAnonymousValue(t);
		weakHashStorage.put(t, null);
	}

	@Override
	public void remove(T t) {
		weakHashStorage.remove(t);
	}

	@Override
	public void clear() {
		weakHashStorage.clear();
	}

	@Override
	public Iterator<T> iterator() {
		return weakHashStorage.keySet().iterator();
	}

	@Override
	public Collection<T> values() {
		return weakHashStorage.keySet();
	}

	@Override
	public boolean isEmpty() {
		return weakHashStorage.isEmpty();
	}

	@Override
	public int size() {
		return weakHashStorage.size();
	}

	@Override
	public boolean contains(T t) {
		return weakHashStorage.containsKey(t);
	}

	@Override
	public String toString() {
		return weakHashStorage.toString();
	}

	@Override
	public Stream<T> stream() {
		return values().stream();
	}

}


We always look ahead, searching for new prospects of market expansion and meeting the expectations of our business partners. Our primary goal, achieved through constant development, is to satisfy the needs of our customers and, in consequence, to build lasting business relations with them on the foundation of mutual trust and understanding. Achieved to the highest standards, these goals give us true satisfaction and serve as a basis for a joint success!
Working on a management strategy for the years to come, we always focus on such an approach that will promote a sustainable and multi-directional development of our company, with top-class quality delivered as a result. The high operational standards along with know-how and wide experience make us a logistics partner that you can trust.
The highest standard of our activities and development is confirmed by the certificates we were awarded.
In July 2003, we implemented the ISO 9001 Quality Management System, and in December of that year we were awarded a certificate for the provision of transport, shipment, logistics, loading/unloading services, and the transport of goods in Europe and Asia.
As our work is subject to annual verification by an external auditor, we have held the ISO 9001 certificate, currently in its 9001:2015 revision, for more than 15 years now.
The next step in the strengthening of our quality management system and building of the company's organisational culture was the devising and implementation of the AEO procedures. The AEO certificate, awarded in the European Community and known in Poland as Certyfikat Upoważnionego Przedsiębiorcy (Authorised Economic Operator), is aimed at improving trade security. At the same time, it lends credence to the company within the entire Community as regards customs operations.


text:
#ifndef __FILEBACKEDOBJECTSTREAM_H__
#define __FILEBACKEDOBJECTSTREAM_H__

#include "../io/ByteStream.h"

namespace oasys {

class FileBackedObject;

/*!
 * File backed object adaptors for streaming.
 */
class FileBackedObjectOutStream : public OutByteStream {
public:
    FileBackedObjectOutStream(FileBackedObject* obj,
                              size_t offset = 0);

    // virtual from OutByteStream
    int begin();
    int write(const u_char* buf, size_t len);
    int end();

private:
    FileBackedObject* object_;
    size_t offset_;
};

/*!
 * File backed object adaptors for streaming.
 */
class FileBackedObjectInStream : public InByteStream {
public:
    FileBackedObjectInStream(FileBackedObject* obj,
                             size_t offset = 0);

    // virtual from InByteStream
    int begin();
    int read(u_char* buf, size_t len) const;
    int end();

private:
    FileBackedObject* object_;
    mutable size_t offset_;
};

} // namespace oasys

#endif /* __FILEBACKEDOBJECTSTREAM_H__ */


In this way you can stimulate the viewer to visit other pages on a website or a different video, for example. Adding Images may also be an option and is especially interesting if you want to show product photos whilst still talking about it in your video. Adding Buy Now buttons. If you want to sell directly from the video you could also add image buttons and link these to a payment page. There... Link to a Video This method allows you to "point" to a video on another website. You could simply copy and paste the URL on the page you are designing, or type in a description or key works and use the Link button above and paste in the URL to the site of interest.
To add a YouTube link to your Instagram: Copy-paste the URL of your YouTube video to the website field. Tap Done; One significant thing to note here is that Instagram do not allow you to add multiple links in your bio. That means every time you to add a new youtube link to your Instagram, you have to delete the older link first. The hassle is REAL of going into your Instagram bio and... Final Thoughts� There are three ways that we can turn our videos into traffic-getting machines: a) Give a call to action in your videos, b) add a URL to your description box and c) add YouTube�s Call-to-Action Overlay function.
Step. Select "Existing File or Web Page" under "Link To" in the box that opens. Step. Right-click over the "Address" bar and select "Paste." Under "Text to display" type a name for the video or leave it blank if you want to display the entire link in the presentation.... Step. Select "Existing File or Web Page" under "Link To" in the box that opens. Step. Right-click over the "Address" bar and select "Paste." Under "Text to display" type a name for the video or leave it blank if you want to display the entire link in the presentation.
Adding support for an additional website depends on whether the site supports oEmbed. Adding Support For An oEmbed-Enabled Site If a site supports oEmbed, you'll want to call wp_oembed_add_provider() to add the site and URL format to the internal whitelist.
Linked Video (code) Paste Code: Add your Video Code to the HTML tab or HTML view on eBay's Description Editor. Click the HTML tab at the top of eBay's description editor, or, if you are using eBay's Quick Lister, locate the small HTML link on the right side of the editor toolbar. After pasting the code, you may switch back to the standard text editor to make sure it displays correctly.
To add video to an update, simply paste the YouTube, Vimeo, Ustream, or Brightcove link into your update. Note: I tested video links from Facebook and Periscope, but they didn�t import as video. Note: I tested video links from Facebook and Periscope, but they didn�t import as video.


Yumpin' yimminy! Can you believe it's the last day of August 2011? Fall is fast approaching, the weather is finally tolerable, and our favorite holiday will be here before you know it (oooooohhhh - SCARY!!!).
With that said, as always Pittsburgh Underground presents our eleventh (that's right kids, and we haven't missed a month yet) PU Pulp Poster! This month we bring you our crime thriller, The Scent of Shock - Issue One created by yours truly, Hot Toddy.
UPDATE: This PU Pulp Poster has been UPDATED as of August 3rd, 2012 to include revisions to our QR Code and Website Address - PUzine.com - Download and print this PU Freebie and hang it on your fridge, stick it to your skateboard, glue it to your little sister's head - THEN use your smartphone to scan the code to follow Pittsburgh Underground wherever you are!
The phrase first appeared in an O. Henry story in 1902: "So I looked around and found a proposition [a woman] that exactly cut the mustard.". Other references site that it might be a corruption of a military phrase to pass the muster (muster, from the Latin, monstrare or to show meaning to assemble the troops as for inspection). Still, other references state that it might be a literal translation of cutting the mustard as both a difficult task due to it being a relatively tough crop that grows close to the ground or an effortless task as mustard is easier to cut than table butter, thus the negative expression can't cut the mustard.
My definition of a mustard cutter is literally just as I've depicted in this month's poster - a villain of any shape, size, or occupation: a barber, a pizza chef, a day laborer, a surgeon, or even a maniacal trick-or-treater who not only uses a cutting implement for their ghastly crimes, but is also the jaundiced color of mustard (note the cowardly, yellow tint).
Still with me kids? Good - now let's turn our attentions to our heroine, Back Alley Sally. There are a few references to this term in pop-culture: Back in 1981, the rock band 38 Special produced the song, Back Alley Sally on their album, Wide-Eyed Southern Boys. The Urban Dictionary states that when one leaves some sort of engagement (a party, bar, wedding reception, etc) without saying a goodbye or having anyone notice until well after you are gone you are pulling a back alley Sally. The term back alley Sally (or Sally on the side) was also made famous by George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones referring to a loose girl you can do anything with in utter secrecy and never have it reach the light of day.
For my depiction, Back Alley Sally is ... well, lets just say our heroine is in the wrong place at the right time (do I seriously need to say more?).
From the torturous hell that's inside my brain to the page, I hope you've enjoyed this month's FREE PU Pulp Poster! Join us next month for the final, the last, the climactic, and conclusive PU Pulp Posters for Year One! See you next month!
and individually recommend to my friends. I'm confident they will be benefited from this website.


text:
There is no escape – YouTube to live-stream Royal Wedding, while Twitter hashtag spammed
As if you thought you could get away with switching off the TV, Google has announced that it will live stream the upcoming UK Royal Wedding between Prince William and Catherine Middleton via the Royal Household's official YouTube channel.
From 9am GMT on Friday, April 29, the stream will follow the whole wedding proceedings. There will also be a live commentary (it doesn;t say who will be doing the honours). The whole thing will be made available to watch on-demand.
Although Google says a video guestbook has been opened, try commenting on the preview video. Comments disabled, guys. I wonder why?
Google says search trends show that among the top ten countries searching for "royal wedding" include Singapore and the Philippines.
There will even be Google Earth 3D imagery to offer a "Royals'-eye" view of the entire wedding procession "complete with 3D images of iconic landmarks and five species of digital trees that can be seen along the route". They really are going to town.
Meanwhile the "official" Twitter hashtag #rw2011 is now currently the subject of a massive bun fight between royalists and republicans (we used to call then Cavaliers and Roundheads) and is also being used by Twitter spammers.
Er, congrats to Kate and William!