This project examined the current formula for playground design and redefined how we view spaces for play. It exemplified that a playground can become more than simply the overused scene of manufactured elements grouped together atop a bed of mulch. Though playground design has evolved over the years from being a place for only the elite to a common element of public parks, little has changed since the early twentieth century. By recognizing that there are still great opportunities to take hold of in terms of designing for play, we can create more suitable spaces for the children of today. Signifi- cantly changing the way we approach playground design allows for better spaces that enhance creativity and spark imagination in children of all ages. The project exemplified this concept through the design of a park in New Bremen, Ohio. It took a previously underutilized space, located in the heart of the village, and transformed it into an imaginative playspace for all to enjoy. As children slide, swing, run, climb, explore, and laugh amidst the redesigned green space, businesses and nearby properties relish in the economic benefits it brings to the community. The designer's knowledge of the psychology of play and its importance in children's lives was evident as play elements and spaces directly cater to its young users. Furthermore, as New Bremen's dynamic history and rich culture was incorporated into the design, visitors undoubtedly recognize that this unique playspace was designed solely for them. New Bremen's new playspace serves as the frontrunner for the new wave of innovative playground design. Not only does it provide others with an example of the limitless possibilities we have yet to discover in terms of designing for play, but it also provides the New Bremen community with a valuable, one-of-a¬kind asset that fosters community and creates identity.


text:
Stéphane Weller, né le  à Juvisy-sur-Orge, est un joueur de rugby à XV, qui a joué avec l'équipe de France et le FC Grenoble, évoluant au poste de trois quart aile.

Biographie
Il est un ancien élève du lycée militaire de Saint-Cyr et de l'école d'application de l'infanterie à Montpellier où il découvre le rugby en universitaire.

Puis, il signe au FC Grenoble où ses débuts se font en nationale B, avant qu'il rejoigne l'équipe première en 1987-1988.

Il disputera un premier quart de finale en 1989 contre Narbonne puis un second contre le Racing en 1990, se voyant refuser à tort l'essai de la victoire et une finale de Du Manoir contre Narbonne la même année.

Fin octobre 1989, il fait partie d'une sélection alpine avec 8 joueurs du FC Grenoble dans le XV de départ qui réussit l'exploit de battre l'Australie, future championne du monde à Grenoble dans un match où deux pénalités et un drop du Grenoblois Frédéric Vélo suffiront à mettre en échec les joueurs de Nick Farr-Jones et Michael Lynagh 9-7.
Stéphane Weller dispute ensuite son premier test match le , contre cette même équipe d'Australie , et le dernier test match contre l'équipe de Nouvelle-Zélande, le .

Il connaît les saisons suivantes bien des désagréments avec des blessures graves de 1991 à 1994 qui le privent des demi-finales de 1992 et 1994 et de la finale 1993, perdue dans des conditions rocambolesques 11-14 contre le Castres olympique dans une finale polémique avec notamment un essai non valable du castrais Gary Whetton et un autre refusé au Grenoblois Olivier Brouzet.

Plus tard, il effectue une petite saison à Vinay en  division groupe B avec Gilles Claret, Charl Snyman, Martial Servantes, tous anciens grenoblois, puis à l'US Vizille en 1997-1998 en seconde division.

Palmarès

En club
 Championnat de France de première division :
 Vice-champion (1) : 1993
 Demi-finaliste (2) : 1992 et 1994
 Challenge Yves du Manoir :
 Finaliste (1) : 1990
 Demi-finaliste (2) : 1988 et 1992

En équipe nationale
 Sélections en équipe nationale : 4
 Sélections par année : 2 en 1989 et 2 en 1990

Notes et références

Annexes

Bibliographie

Liens externes

Joueur international français de rugby à XV
Joueur du FC Grenoble
Ailier (rugby à XV)
Naissance en juin 1966
Naissance à Juvisy-sur-Orge
Naissance en Seine-et-Oise

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Women's History Month, March 2021: Children of the Adobes
March 13, 2021 By dobriant
Women's History Month: Jan 1987- The Californians, Children of the Adobes by Rev. Walter Colton:
"Monday, August 10, 1846: The fecundity of the Californians is remarkable and must be attributed in no small degree to the climate. It is no uncommon sight to find 14-18 children at the same table with the mother at their head. There is a lady of some note in Monterey, who is the mother of 22 living children.
The youngest at breast, and must soon, it is said, relinquish his place to a newcomer, who will, in all probability, be allowed only the same brevity of bliss.
There is a lady in the department below who has 28 children, all living, in fine health, and who may share the 'envied kiss' with others yet to come. What a family- what a wife- what a mother! I have more respect for the shadow of that woman than for the mincing being who raises a whole village if she has one child and then puts it to death with sugar-plums. A woman with one child is like a hen with one chicken; there is an eternal scratch about nothing."
From the California Diary by Rev Walter Colton…this excerpt from the diary and picture of the children were a featured exhibit in the 1983 Monterey Adobe Tour.
An interesting excerpt from Walter Colton and a prime example of how far our society has come in the way women are treated and thought of. Posted in honor of Women's History Month, March 2021.
Check out savingplaces.org to learn more about where women made history because every place has a women's story to tell.
Where Women Made History: María Paula Rosalía Vallejo de Leese
March 8, 2021 By dobriant
Where Women Made History: Cooper Molera Adobe
María Paula Rosalía Vallejo de Leese (1811-1889)
"Those hated men inspired me with such a large dose of hate against their race that though twenty-eight years have elapsed since that time, I have not forgotten the insults heaped upon me and not being desirous of coming in contact with them I have abstained from learning their language."
Born into one of the richest landholding families in Alta CA, Rosalia exemplified the life of elite young women of the ranchero class. Expected to follow the traditions, the strong-minded Rosalia stunned society when she secretly married Jacob Primer Leese, an American Trader.
Her family, particularly her brother, the politically influential Mariano Guadalupe de Vallejo, who had chosen another marriage partner for her, never forgave her. Remaining in limited good graces with the family, the couple purchased land and raised a family of their own.
Although she had married an American, the occupation of Alta CA by the US exposed Rosalia to American opportunism, depravity, and disregard for native Californian inhabitants.
In one incident, Captain John Fremont threatened to burn down the buildings with women inside, forcing Rosalia to write a letter rejecting Mexican support for Sonoma. In 1865 she abandoned the family following a failed land venture and moved her family to her brother's estate in Sonoma, Lachryma Montis.
Rosalia died on July 31, 1889, and was buried at Mission San Carlos de Monterey, the same place she was baptized. Born a Californio elite, Rosalia died a reluctant American.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home > News and Issuances > Bulletins > 2006
OCC BULLETIN 2006-19
Subject: Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering
To: Chief Executive Officers and Compliance Officers of All National Banks, Federal Branches and Agencies, Department and Division Heads, and All Examining Personnel
Description: Final Rule: Imposition of Special Measures Against the Commercial Bank of Syria including its subsidiary, the Syrian Lebanese Commercial Bank as a Financial Institution of Primary Money Laundering Concern
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a final rule on March 9, 2006, that imposes special measures against Commercial Bank of Syria (CBS), including its subsidiary, Syrian Lebanese Commercial Bank. The rule follows the Secretary of the Treasury's May 11, 2004, designation, under section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act, of CBS, along with its subsidiary, Syrian Lebanese Commercial Bank, as a financial institution of primary money laundering concern (see OCC Bulletin 2004-27). A copy of the Federal Register notice, dated March 15, 2006, is attached.
Effective April 14, 2006, national banks must terminate any correspondent account that is established, maintained, or payable-through in the United States for, or on behalf of, CBS. Also, national banks are required to apply due diligence to correspondent accounts that is reasonably designed to guard against indirect use by CBS. At a minimum, that due diligence must include notifying correspondent account holders that the correspondent account may not be used to provide CBS with access to the correspondent account; taking reasonable steps to identify any indirect access and appropriate steps to prevent such indirect access; and documenting compliance with the notice requirement to correspondent account holders.
For further information, please contact your examiner-in-charge, your OCC supervisory office, or the Compliance Department at (202) 649-5740.
Ann F. Jaedicke
Deputy Comptroller for Compliance Policy


Are you ready to buy a home? I'd love to guide you along the way and serve as your agent and personal consultant during this exciting time.
Today's home buying search is driven by technology. Clients often conduct their own online research prior to initiating contact with an agent. However, buyers still need an intelligent, informative approach to their home search.
Please contact me today to help you find your dream home.
Will you need to sell you present home?


text:
// This file is automatically generated.

package adila.db;

/*
 * Hisense E10
 *
 * DEVICE: HS8909QC
 * MODEL: E10
 */
final class hs8909qc_e10 {
    public static final String DATA = "Hisense|E10|";
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Challenge: Combine emotional storytelling with educational asides in this package of four editorial animations.
Process: I loved working with the Beth Kobliner Company on the launch of the new Conversations section on their website. We began with a quick branding phase to establish a direction for the motion design. Working with gorgeous illustrations by James Yang and surprisingly affecting audio interviews, I established some basic conventions for text, backgrounds, and transitions that could be used across all four videos. Then we dove into a fairly intense production schedule. I particularly enjoyed the challenge of working within the constraints of a limited package of illustration assets, and it was so fun finding ways to bring James' drawings to life in ways that supported the narrative. See it live!
Capabilities: Web design, motion design, icon illustration, animation direction, Photoshop slicing and dicing, After Effects production, editing in Premiere.


Well, with the upcoming Breath of the Wild arriving in LESS THAN A MONTH, we�ve decided to gather up some of our favorite recent Zelda-inspired sketch tutorial videos to gawk at and learn from. Grab those pencils (or drawing tablets) and enjoy!... 1/07/2018�� Learn two ways on how to draw Link from the Legend of Zelda franchise! You can do this by following these simple steps. Draw a medium circle for the head at the center of the page. You can do this by following these simple steps.
How to Draw Link from The Legend of Zelda step by step, learn drawing by this tutorial for kids and adults.... 26/07/2017�� The Choi boys are so addicted to �Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild� video game on Nintendo Switch now. As we would be going to San Diego Comic Con this year for the first time, we came up with the idea of Zelda Cosplay at comic con.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was meant to be the game that defined the Wii U. But in reality, it has arrived as the Wii U�s last hurrah and the dawn for its successor, the Nintendo Switch.


text:
Leeches
Of Bloodletting and Leeches
Laurie Kelley July 14, 2008
Blood has held a fascination for humans, at once revered and feared. One of the earliest known medical treatments has been phlebotomy, or bloodletting, believed to originate in ancient Egypt and Greece, and lasting through second Industrial Revolution. Think about this: the germ theory is only 130 years old; transfusing blood is only 75 years old; but blood letting is 25000 years old! In ancient Greece, Hippocrates passed the technique on to Aristotle, who then passed it on to Alexander the Great, who then spread it throughout Asia. The second medical text ever printed on Gutenberg's press? A bloodletting calendar in 1462. In the Middle Ages the Church had great authority and the Pope prohibited the clergy from blood letting, and physicians were afraid to do it. So it moved into hands of barbers, who then cut hair and veins. They used a tool called a lancet, and customers would even bring their own bowls. Some were decorated and some even became heirlooms! Leeches also used. "Leech" derives from the Anglo-Saxon word loece,"to heal" (medieval doctor called themselves leeches). Leeches were often used to bleed patients in hard to reach places–you can use your imagination on that one.
In 1883, French doctors alone imported 41.5 million leeches for bleeding!
The foremost American bleeder (not meaning person with hemophilia here) was Dr. Benjamin Rush, called the "Prince of Bleeders." He was a scholar, humanist, social reformer, and signer of Declaration of Independence. He spoke out against slavery, capital punishment, and cruelty to children, and wrote the first American textbook on mentally ill. He served as a surgeon general to the Continental Army, was supervisor of US Mint, founded the Society for Protection of Free Negroes. Rush believed all disease arose from the excitation of blood vessels, which bleeding would resolve. He taught that body had about 25 pounds of blood, 20 of which could be safely drained. But the body actually holds less than half that! In 1793, an outbreak of Yellow Fever in Philadelphia killed patients at a rate of more than 100 a day. Many people fled in panic, but Rush stayed to care for the sick. He treated them by bleeding them, and bled more than 100 patients a day. While totally selfless, he actually did more harm than good. During this time, even George Washington was bled, and later died of blood loss.
Eventually phlebotomy was abandoned. A typhus epidemic in England in the 1830s, showed that even removing a little blood caused fainting, and the practice was eventually suspended. The rise of the germ theory also helped put an end to the questionable practice of bleeding.
Adapted from Blood, by Douglas Starr
Photos: Lancet used for bloodletting (http://www.medicalantiques.com/medical/Scarifications_and_Bleeder_Medical_Antiques.htm); an illustration of a bloodletting, circa 1675. WELLCOME LIBRARY, (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/bloodletting-is-still-happening-despite-centuries-of-harm)


text:
Attribution: United States Department of State
The problems that we have had in holding Israel's leaders to personal accountability is not new. The notion that politicians are above the law and not subject to the same rules as everybody else is unfortunately one that pervades Israel's political system. This has reached the highest echelons in the hierarchy with a former president and a former prime minister having already served jail time for criminal offences committed. The current list of charges levelled against Prime Minister Netanyahu do not help in any way to restore our faith in politicians and their behaviour.
Against this backdrop, little should surprise me in the way of politicians and leaders misbehaving. And yet, some things over the past few weeks have surprised me into giving this matter some further thought. My disgust has finally reached levels that have compelled me to air my thoughts in public.
Attribution: Kobi Gideon / GPO Israel
I was absolutely horrified at the inaction of the ultra-Orthodox leadership on the issue of the Coronavirus, both in Israel and around the world. While doctors, scientists and international leaders were pronouncing the necessity of social distancing as a way to avoid the spread of the virus and to save lives, the leaders of the ultra-Orthodox community were imploring their followers to continue life as usual. Their communities were advised to continue to attend wedding parties, brit celebrations, attend shiurim and study classes and to pray in a minyan, a quorum of at least ten men. This extended even to Israel's Minister of Health, Yaakov Litzman, himself a follower of the ultra-Orthodox Ger Hasidic dynasty. Soon after appearing live on the news laying down legal restrictions on the number of people allowed to gather in any place, he was attending wedding functions that hosted many more than the permitted maximum that he had earlier been responsible for imposing upon the nation.
By the same token, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, one of the senior leaders of the Israeli Haredi community, refused to consider the pleas of the civilian authorities for social distancing. Instead, he instructed his followers to continue to pray in a minyan. A number of weeks after the social distancing rules had been implemented in Israel, he was finally convinced to instruct his followers not to pray in a minyan. In spite of this, he was seen praying in a minyan himself at his home in Bnei Brak not long after that. These life-threatening actions not only violated laws of the land that he lives in, they also directly contradicted his own instructions. Perhaps, more tellingly, the act of endangering humans and taking action that could threaten human life goes against the highest-ranking principle in the religion of preserving human life at any price.
Prime Minster Netanyahu appeared on prime time TV on two separate occasions to prepare Israelis for the Pesach (Passover) holiday. He told the nation that the government had taken decisions that would not allow Pesach to be Purim. It was believed that Purim parties were attended by many carriers or sufferers of the Coronavirus, perhaps unknowingly, and were a source of many secondary infections. The Pesach Seder is usually a time when friends and family gather together to celebrate the start of the holiday. But not this year, said the prime minister. "A small Seder is a healthy Seder", were his words on TV to convince people that they would be allowed only to celebrate the Seder at their registered place of residence and in the attendance of their nuclear family. A full lock-down and curfew was imposed on the whole country to prevent anybody from venturing more than 100 metres from their residence on Seder night. Police were deployed across the country to enforce the lock-down in the most determined manner possible. Apparently, that applied to everybody except for members of the families of the prime minister himself and the president of Israel, who both hosted family members who were not part of their immediate household for Seder night. Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman was also apparently exempt from the restrictions after it was alleged that he hosted members of his family at his Seder who do not live in his household.
Health Minister Yaakov Litzman was forced to pay the price for his indiscretion having contracted the Coronavirus and passed it onto his wife. He also succeeded in sending many members of the Ministry of Health into self-isolation to prevent them from the possibility of passing his virus onto other unsuspecting and innocent people. Just at a time when the Ministry of Health needs all of its team at their healthiest, most available and strongest to fight the greatest health crisis in living memory. And, while we wish the Netanyahu, Rivlin and Lieberman families good health in spite of their indiscretions, their actions are clearly unforgivable under the circumstances that we find ourselves. Gushing apologies and excuses were naturally forthcoming, but this falls well short of the behaviour that we expect from our leaders. We particularly expect more from those who stand in front of the TV cameras advising what people will be forced to do, at risk of fines or even prison sentences, then go about doing exactly the opposite themselves. Leaders in earlier times were forced to resign and vacate their office for infringements far less serious than these. I do miss the days of leaders who are held accountable and responsible for their words and actions.
This sorry episode demonstrates a two-tier system that spells future disaster for any country. If the leaders are unable to adhere to the rules, how can they expect other citizens to do so? The simple answer is that they cannot. The leaders set the tone for how others will behave. Actions speak louder than words, and it is impossible to expect that ordinary citizens will not follow suit in their actions too. This ultimately creates an environment where the unacceptable will become acceptable by virtue of common infringement of the laws. Time has come for a return to leaders who not only set the rules, but adhere to them as well. If not, our society will unavoidably fall into decline.
Posted by Anthony Reich at 11:00 No comments:
Labels: Avigdor Lieberman, Behaviour, Corona, Jewish Dilemmas, Jewish Leaders, Netanyahu, Rivlin
A New Modern-Day Plague
Image from calcalist.co.il
We are entering the Pesach (Passover) holiday in the midst of the greatest health challenge that the world has had to confront in living memory. The Coronavirus epidemic has changed the world that we know in so many different ways. It is almost difficult to see how things can ever go back to the way that they were a few months ago.
In Israel, in spite of having gone into lock-down at a relatively early stage of the outbreak of the virus, we are now having to deal with an infection rate in some ultra-Orthodox areas which is threatening to infect as many as one third of the citizens living there. The government has already placed the city of Bnei Brak into a quasi-military rule in attempt to stem the further spread of the infection, and other neighbourhoods and towns are set to follow suit. Much has been written about how it has transpired that the ultra-Orthodox neighbourhoods in Israel, and indeed in other parts of the world, have become disproportionately infected by the Coronavirus. Most of the theories range from the fact that this element of the population is disconnected from much of what surrounds them, including news media and online information. These theories also discuss the fact that instructions are only respected when they come from the community's Rabbis, rather than from secular or governmental authorities. And the fact that the Rabbis are generally reluctant to quickly assimilate the assessment of the civilian authorities, when they prefer to allow their religious-based responses to take effect. In this case, the Rabbis ruled to keep schools, yeshivas and places of learning open when the government ordered them closed. The Rabbis insisted upon praying in the presence of a minyan (a quorum of ten men) when the laws of social distancing implemented by the government prevented this. Additionally, functions to celebrate weddings and other family events were ruled to continue when the civilian authorities decided that these presented a risk to life and limb. One of the most recognised leaders of the ultra-Orthodox community in Israel, 92 year-old Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, was found to be praying with a minyan at his home as recently as last week in spite of having finally publicly ordered his followers not to do so.
As a result of these actions and inactions, Israel heads into the Pesach holiday period with great uncertainty. It seems as though the huge number of people who were recently diagnosed as suffering from the Coronavirus from the ultra-Orthodox community have set us on an irreversable track to a medical catastrophe that will result in tens, possibly hundreds of deaths from the virus in the coming weeks. It is ironic that this is set to coincide with the first few weeks of the counting of the Omer (the 7 week period that links Pesach to Shavuot) during which it is traditional to observe rituals of mourning. The reason for the observation of these mourning rituals is because of the events that took place in the first century AD when 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died in a plague. It is believed that they stopped dying on Lag B'Omer, the 33rd day of the Omer. In a strange but very sad and unfortunate déjà vus, we are on a path to relive this to some degree, although hopefully not nearly to the same extent. The reason that is commonly given and widely believed for the death of Rabbi Akiva's students is lashon hara, the speaking of negative things behind people's backs, whether true or not. Lashon hara is one of the reasons being used as a way to explain why the world is having to endure the effects of the Coronavirus.
There can be little doubt that lashon hara is prevalent in all communities, is undesirable and is a problem in our society. It is a problem that has been in evidence over the centuries, and seems very difficult to control or reduce. It has been used to explain the occurrence of many disasters in Jewish history over the centuries, including the destruction of the Temples. To me, on this occasion, it seems too easy to use this as an excuse for the current pandemic that we are suffering, and to explain the deaths of those who are suffering from it. It is simply not acceptable to explain this as being because of lashon hara, and not to take a deep introspective view about the community's general lack of adherance to the orders of the civilian authorities.
There can be little doubt that the leaders of the community chose not to take note of the deliberate and highly-justified restrictions that were quickly imposed on our society to retard the spread of the virus. They decided, in direct contradiction, to command their followers to continue to behave as before. Word went out to keep shuls operating when others in Israel were closed, to keep schools open when others in the country were closed, and to keep operating as usual without consideration of the instructions by which everybody else was living. This indicates that the leadership knew exactly what the civilian authorities were ordering, and they took their own independent decision to ignore these orders. The Israeli minister of health, himself a follower and Rabbi from an ultra-Orthodox sect, should have brought the government's message to the ultra-Orthodox leadership and ensured that they followed the instructions in the same way as all other citizens in the country were required to do. Instead, he stands accused of ignoring these instructions himself, and attending public events at a time when this was expressly forbidden by the government that he is a minister of. The fact that he is also now inflicted by the virus cannot necessarily be inferred from this, but it is certainly shameful that he did not take heed of his own government's instructions. More than that, the fact that he did not take it upon himself to bring this critical message to all leaders within the ultra-Orthodox community will surely hang as a black cloud over his head when the final death toll is tallied. This is equally true of all senior leaders within the ultra-Orthodox community, who simply chose to ignore and contradict the expert opinions that are unanimous in their views that staying home saves lives.
When the dust settles on this set of tragic events and things revert back to some semblance of what we knew before, it is my sincere hope that lessons will be learned. It is difficult for me to believe that the ultra-Orthodox community will not be affected by what is happening in their neighbourhoods now, and the disastrous mistake in ignoring civilian warnings and instructions. The tension between them and the democratically-elected government in Israel has been one of the enduring stories of the State of Israel from its founding moments, and the current evens have the possibility of changing all of that. In spite of the tolerance that has been shown to the ultra-Orthodox community by successive Israeli governments, including exemption from military service, government funding in a significantly disproportionate manner, incorporation of ultra-Orthodox parties in government coalitions and many other leniencies and concessions shown over the years, the ultra-Orthodox community has incessantly battled against governments and civilian authorities. There are many within the ultra-Orthodox community who do not recognise the existence of the State of Israel and its government, while still being willing to accept social benefits from the state. The sight of members of the ultra-Orthodox community screaming insults at Israeli police and accusing them of being Nazis, while police were instructing them to maintain social distancing in order to protect their own lives, is part of this tense and unacceptable relationship. If the events surrounding the Coronavirus cannot change that, it seems that nothing will. It is my hope that one of the most important outcomes of the virus and its effects, is a change in the relationship between government and ultra-Orthodox. And a general change in the relationship between the ultra-Orthodox and other sectors of the population. There is enough space for all of us to live with mutual respect. Are my dreams unrealistic? I hope not.
The leaders of the ultra-Orthodox community have been exposed and shown up during the course of this pandemic. Their refusal to take heed of the advice of scientists and civilian authorities has cost some of them their lives, and has cost the lives of many of their followers. It raises a real question regarding the direction in which their leadership is taking their community. Their advice on many real-world issues must surely now be in doubt. I hope that the new generation of leaders that rise up following this episode will never forget the failures of their predecessors, and will find a way to do things differently going forward.
Chag sameach.
Posted by Anthony Reich at 11:00 1 comment:
Labels: Corona, Haredi Jews, Israeli Society, Jewish Leaders, Ultra Orthodox
Why Does Iran Wish to Destroy Israel?
Part of the paradigm of accepted international diplomacy as it is presented today, is that Iran wishes to destroy the State of Israel and her people. This is reinforced by the Iranian regime threatening to do so at every opportunity. It has become a given fact, and everybody knows and accepts this situation. It seems strange that there is no significant attempt to question the right of a nation to threaten to destroy another sovereign nation. But more than this, there appears to be no attempt to understand what drives Iran to wish to destroy Israel. The desire to conquer another nation, or the land belonging to another nation, is relatively common and can be explained in a number of understandable ways. The wish to destroy a nation is entirely different, and I cannot recall another case in history where a country has been singled out for destruction in the way that Israel has been in recent times. The fact that the world seems to allow this, and the fact that there would appear to be no logical reason for it, troubles me a great deal.
It is said that, in order to present the most effective defence against enemies, it is important to understand your enemies, their thoughts and what drives and motivates them. With that in mind, I have been wondering why it is that Iran wishes to destroy Israel. Given how common it is to hear Iran's threats of destruction, I expected to find much written and said about this in the literature and the press. It turns out that it is exactly the opposite, and that there is very little written on the subject. And I could find no convincing argument that explains why the Iranian regime has the obsession to destroy Israel So, I have tried to formulate my own views and theories that I am sharing here now.
Many believe that Iran's hatred for Israel forms part of the Arab-Israeli conflict that has typified relations between Israel and the Arab world since the State of Israel was declared in 1948. Nothing could be further from the truth. In spite of Iran being a Muslim country in common with the rest of the Arab world, it is certainly not an Arab country. As opposed to the Arab world that immediately launched a war when Israel declared independence, Iran recognised the State of Israel immediately in 1948, and was the second Muslim country after Turkey to do so. Iran and Israel maintained close diplomatic ties until the revolution in Iran and the fall of the Shah in 1979.
Diplomatic relations were immediately broken off by the Islamist regime of Ayatollah Khomeini after the revolution, and Israel was labelled as the "Little Satan" following in the footsteps of the "Great Satan" which was the USA. This seems to be the point at which the hatred for Israel really began. Ironically, and in spite of the hateful rhetoric that emanated from the regime at that time, behind the scenes there was a great deal of close cooperation between Iran and Israel. Much of this was driven by the 8 year-long war between Iran and Iraq. Iraq was a common enemy of both Israel and Iran, and this created unlikely ties and reasons to cooperate. Israel sold Iran vast quantities of arms and ammunition, in return for which Israel received Iranian oil. It is believed that the Iranian air force continued to operate, after it was initially attacked by Iraq, only because of the assistance received from Israel. Iran was also delighted when Israel audaciously succeeded in destroying Iraq's nuclear reactor at Osirak in 1981 after the Iranians failed in their attempt to do the same. The weekly insults and denunciations of Israel at Friday prayers by the Iranian leadership served conveniently to conceal the fact that there were no fewer than 100 carefully hidden Israeli advisers and technicians in Iran throughout the period of the war.
Since that time, Iran's leaders have continued to criticise, insult and threaten Israel at every opportunity. And nobody has questioned for a moment why this is the case, and what justifies this vilification and extreme sentiment. It has become a situation that simply forms part of the diplomatic landscape. Can it be explained by Iran's hatred towards the USA, and the fact that the Israel is seen to be very close to the US? It is difficult for me to accept that this explains all the public threats and the acts of terror that have been undertaken (and continue to be undertaken) against Israel. Israel is not the USA's only close ally. Why have other allies not been threatened for destruction in the halls of the United Nations in the way that Israel has been forced to endure? And, while sentiment towards the US has wavered with different Iranian regimes (while always maintaining its negative bias), the hatred towards Israel seems unwavering no matter which Iranian president has been in power. The threats against Israel have been the one pillar of consistency in Iranian foreign policy. So I find it difficult to believe that this is purely driven by Israel's relationship and friendship with the USA.
The only explanation that I can offer to this extreme situation is the resurfacing of plain, old-fashioned anti-Semitism. I use the term "resurfacing" because the Iranians/Persians do not have a long or consistent history of anti-Semitism. The story of Purim that took place in Persia is a good representation of the relations that Jews and Iranians have enjoyed over the centuries. While the king of Persia married a Jewess (Esther) and was prepared to take action to destroy Haman and his evil band for their anti-Semitism expressed against Mordechai, the fact was that anti-Semitism was clearly a common thing at that time. In more recent times the Nazis declared Iranians immune to the Nuremburg Laws as they were considered to be pure Aryans. In spite of this, the Shah and the Iranian government did not support the anti-Semitism of the Nazis. With the rise to power of the Islamic extremists in Iran in 1979, we saw the rise to power of extreme anti-Semitism at a regime level. Ironically, this anti-Semitism was not directed at Jews living in Iran as much as it was directed at Israel. When Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile in Paris to take up the leadership role immediately after the revolution, he declared, "We recognize our Jews as separate from those godless, bloodsucking Zionists" and he issued a fatwa decreeing that the Jews in Iran were to be protected. This did not stop Iranian Jews from leaving Iran in large numbers. The population of Iranian Jewry shrunk from around100,000 at the time of the revolution to around 50,000 in the mid-1980s, to around 25,000 in the mid-1990s. Less than 10,000 Jews are left in Iran today. Because of the "protection" afforded to Jews living in Iran, there are those who believe that the hatred that we see coming from Iran is not anti-Semitism, but anti-Zionism. The problem is that the basis for this anti-Zionism is still unexplained.
In spite of the Iranians not being Arabs, they have enjoyed some ideals in common with the Arabs since the revolution in Iran. The premise for the Arab-Israeli conflict is pure anti-Semitism. The Arab world could not accept the notion of Jews living in the Middle East on their doorstep, and resolved to do all to destroy them and their state. The holy city of Jerusalem has become embroiled in this war as a tool, rather than an end. It is noticeable that no attempt was made to claim Jerusalem (and its Muslim holy sites) by the Arabs in the period prior to the establishment of Israel. When the Jews took control of Jerusalem, and even in spite of granting control of the Muslim holy sites to the Waqf Council under the chairmanship of the King of Jordan, the Arab world and the Muslim world rose up to object. Was their objection in favour of the Muslim holy sites, or was the objection against the presence of the Jews? Everybody will reach their own conclusion. What is clear is that Iran has firmly jumped on this anti-Semitic bandwagon.
Iran's brand of Shia Islam has been a huge source of conflict with the Sunni Islam practised by most of the Arab world. In spite of this fundamental source of disagreement, they have found a common cause to fight against the Jews in Israel, to fight against the existence of the State of Israel and to use the claim of the holy city of Jerusalem for Islam as a means to their end. The city of Jerusalem seems to be almost the only cause and rallying point that unites all different streams of Muslims around the world. And, by extension, the fight against Israel, the Jews and the current regime in Jerusalem is equally a common point of agreement between them all. Although distinct cracks are starting to show in this quest as individual Arab countries come to the realisation that Israel is going nowhere, and understand that cooperation with Israel may be a better option for them than fighting the futile battle of trying to destroy her.
The Iranians are, however, unwavering and unashamed in their battle against Israel and her people. They continue to sponsor Hamas and Hezbollah, amongst other terrorist groups, that act as proxies for Iran to destroy Israel. Iran is also responsible for numerous terror attacks orchestrated against Israeli and Jewish targets outside of Israel. It's quest to build a nuclear weapon that could potentially be used against Israel is clearly a cause that any Israeli government will consider to be of highest priority. So Iran has clearly not changed its mind, nor given up its desire to destroy Israel in any way.
My problem is that I am still not entirely clear why Iran wants to destroy Israel.
Labels: Anti-Semitism, Arab World, Arab-Israeli Conflict, Diplomacy, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Iraq, Muslims, Nuclear Weapons, Purim, Terrorism, Zionism
Netanyahu Breaks the Record
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Netanyahu officially became Israel's longest-serving prime minister since the state was created in 1948. And he could not have reached this historical milestone under stranger circumstances.
Netanyahu has achieved this notable record while currently governing the country without a mandate. In spite of having been democratically elected to continue to rule the country in the elections in 2015, the most recent round of elections earlier this year did not produce any winners who could secure a mandate to rule. A such, Netanyahu has remained in office as a caretaker prime minister until the next round of elections take place in September. Without the support of the majority as required by our democracy. And it is in this role as caretaker prime minister that he has overtaken David Ben Gurion's previous record of having ruled over Israel for 13 years and 127 days, in spite of the heavy cloud that hangs over his head. He also holds the record as the prime minister to have the longest uninterrupted term as prime minister (10 years and 110 days and counting).
There can be no doubt or argument that Netanyahu has devoted much of his life in the service of the State of Israel. Nor can there be any doubt about some of his significant achievements during this period. Credit needs to be given for this. As can be anticipated with any leader and public official, he has had his notable failures too. And, as much as he would like to achieve the legacy of having been the protector of Israel during his term in office, it seems that he is likely to be remembered for the scandal that currently surrounds him, irrespective of how it ultimately turns out. This is a real pity for the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history.
Along with this record, come many unwelcome and undesirable effects of the length of time that Netanyahu has been in office. "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." This quotation by Lord Acton from 1887 seems as relevant now as it was then, and can easily be applied to Netanyahu in recent years. He has behaved in a manner that indicates his sense of invincibility, that has only been strengthened by success that he has enjoyed at the polls. The people gave him the power, but it seems as though this has been taken for granted as a result of it lasting for too long. The feeling that he will have enough public support to rule irrespective of how he behaves, has led him to really test this out with behaviour by him and members of his family that is way beyond what could reasonably be tolerated from an elected leader. It is no coincidence that other democracies, such as the USA, put a limit on how long the elected leader is allowed to be in office for. I believe that such a limit is healthy and much-needed in Israel.
In addition to the promotion of unlawful behaviour, the lack of limit on time in office promotes another unwelcome consequence. This is the lack of incentive to groom new young leaders to assume the senior positions. In Netanyahu's case, he has done everything in his power to ensure that there are no pretenders to the throne who could possibly cause a threat to his continued rule. He has no interest at all to ensure that a new generation of leaders is prepared to take over from him when he finally leaves office. There is a huge chasm in his party and in the country at the moment between the current prime minister and those who may take over from him. This is surely undesirable and unhealthy.
As a result of his extended term in office and the anti feeling that this has generated against Netanyahu, the upcoming election will ignore the main issues of the day that face Israel. Instead of focusing on security, economy, education or health care, the election will be all about how to keep Netanyahu in office or, more likely, how to remove him. The country is currently divided into three camps; those who support Netanyahu at any price, those who would vote for Mickey Mouse if he was a candidate only to remove Netanyahu, and those who feel forced to vote for Netanyahu simply because there is no alternative credible candidate. This is surely not what our democracy is about.
Now that the record has been achieved and past, and Prime Minister Netanyahu has become Israel's longest- ruling prime minister, the time has come to change the laws to prevent anybody else from surpassing this record. Democracy is not only about holding elections, it is also about ensuring that the best quality candidates are encouraged to come forward and have an equal chance of being elected on merit. Our democracy is sorely missing this right now.
Labels: Behaviour, Democracy, Elections, Israeli Society, Jewish Dilemmas, Netanyahu, Politics, Prime Minister
Crash But Not Burn
It felt a little like déjà vu on Thursday night. My mind was transported back to February 2003 when the whole of Israel waited with baited breath as the Space Shuttle Columbia re-entered the earth's atmosphere with the very first ever Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon on board. Despite feeling immense pride at the amazing achievements made by a tiny country and its first astronaut, the day was not to end well. The space shuttle burned up during its re-entry to the atmosphere killing all on board in the process. Ilan Ramon's memory remains a folk legend in Israel. And so, too, there was disaster last night as Beresheet, Israel's first ever lunar craft, made its final approach to the Sea of Serenity. Unfortunately another failure along Israel's route to becoming a superstar country in the area of space travel and exploration. The quest to become only the world's fourth country to safely land a craft on the moon was not achieved yesterday by the Israeli lunar lander.
In spite of another setback for Israel in the field of space exploration, there were so many positive things that came out of Beresheet's trip to the moon that it is really difficult to see it as a failure at all. Coming at the end of a week that also saw a general election that proved to be very divisive in many respects, it was heart-warming to see how the country and the Jewish world united in support of Beresheet. Willing it to safely land on the surface of the moon. Willing Israel to take up an important place as one of the handful of nations to achieve this. This unified support was in such contrast to the previous few days over the period of the election, and would have seemed impossible only two or three days earlier. This extended not only to those in Israel, but to Jews around the world. We could feel a real sense of support from Jews around the world during the time of this project, something that is not taken for granted at all.
The fact that Israel became only the seventh nation on earth to send a spacecraft into orbit around the moon, is a huge achievement in itself. And this was the very first project not sponsored by a national government, making the achievement quite unique. This is a great response to those who use every opportunity to criticise Israel and to those who wish to destroy her. This is the way to answer those who accuse Israel of being an apartheid state, and to demonstrate to BDS and its supporters that there is tremendous depth to Israeli ingenuity and huge desire to develop, to build and to make a real difference in science, technology and other fields. This is the way to show that the Israel that is seen on BBC and CNN and that is castigated at the UNHRC, is not the real face of Israel. Beresheet is a much truer face and a fairer reflection of what Israel really stands for and what she is truly about. This shows Israel to be a nation that builds rather than destroying, and this stands in stark contrast to the lack of any positive achievements by many of Israel's enemies.
The attention that this project has drawn to the field of space travel and space exploration in Israel is almost on the scale of the attention drawn to it by Ilan Ramon and his exploits. Surely, the interest of the next generation is almost assured in the process. In spite of the slip-up at the final hurdle, young Israelis have been excited by this story sufficiently to ensure that they will be seeking ways of succeeding where Beresheet failed. In the same way that we did not hear the last of Ilan Ramon when Columbia disintegrated and he went on to become a household name and a legend, I am sure that we have not heard the end of an Israeli lunar landing. It seems not to be coincidental that the name chosen for the spacecraft was Beresheet, the first word in the Torah with the meaning of "in the beginning". Just as the name signifies, this seems to be just the beginning of great things to come.
Huge credit needs to go to the SpaceIL team, to sponsor and president Morris Kahn and to all those involved in the project. They gave Israel and Israelis a dream and something around which to unite and feel proud. And they gave thousands of Israeli children the little flame to ignite their interest and their desire and determination to ultimately succeed in the quest to have Israel successfully land on the moon. This is a huge achievement and a very positive island in a huge sea of negativity that often surrounds Israel.
The Israeli flag and the Torah are on the moon. They landed there with a crash rather than in the elegant way that we would have preferred. But they are there to stay. They may have crashed, but they did not burn. A marker has been established, and this is certainly not the last that we will hear of Israeli ventures in space. It is just the beginning.
Posted by Anthony Reich at 22:00 2 comments:
Labels: BBC, BDS, Diaspora, Elections, Engineering, Ilan Ramon, Israeli Society, National Heroes, Technology
State Sponsored Anti-Semitism is Rife
Norwegian Attorney General Tor Aksel Busch last week decided that a comment cursing Jews, that was made by Norwegian Muslim rapper Kaveh Kholardi during a concert last year, is not anti-Semitic hate speech but rather legitimate criticism of Israel. Kholardi made the comment "f*cking Jews" at a family-friendly concert in June 2018 to promote diversity. It was not bad enough that Iranian-born Kholardi thought it was acceptable to make this comment at his concert. This has been exacerbated by the fact that two different public officials in Norway have ruled that this comment does not constitute hate speech. State Prosecutor Trude Antonsen found that,while derogatory and offensive, the remark did not constitute a criminal act. This may well be the case under the laws of Norway, in which case the laws need some adjustment. But the fact that the attorney general decided that this constitutes legitimate criticism of Israel, is perhaps more offensive than the original comment.
I am enraged by this decision for a number of reasons. When a performing artist stands up at a public concert and says "f*cking Jews", it seems to me that his comment is clear and speaks for itself. The fact that he may say afterwards that he was only joking does not unring the bell or make his statement any more acceptable. Surely there can be no clearer example of anti-Semitic speech than this statement. There is no interpretation required, and there can be no accusation that the statement was taken out of context. Such a statement is anti-Semitic no matter what the context. It is offensive, unacceptable and illegal in many countries around the world.
Why would anybody believe that this statement translates into criticism of Israel in any way? Aside from the fact that Israel happens to be a Jewish state, and that many of the Jews there would be extremely offended by the statement, there is no link between this curse of Jews and criticism of Israel. In my view, criticism of Israel may refer to particular policies of the government or actions of those acting on behalf of the state. A blanket curse of all Jews in this way has surely nothing to do with legitimate criticism of Israel. If, for one fleeting moment, I was to accept the fact that this curse was an act of criticism of Israel, could it in any way be considered to be legitimate? I have my sincere doubts. Just because I feel that the Norwegian attorney general has acted to embarrass his country and insult me and my people, I would not be justified to say "f*cking Norwegians" as a response. And I would not do so. Instead, I would be happier and more justified to say "f*ck Tor Aksel Busch for being an anti-Semite".
The notion that anti-Semitism can be justified and made politically correct by dressing it up as legitimate criticism of Israel needs to be opposed as strongly as possible. It is becoming more and more accepted that anti-Jewish rhetoric and actions are OK because Israel is deserving of criticism. It is equally common-place that anti-Semitism is expressed as criticism of Israel. This legitmisation is reinforced when international bodies and representatives of national governments confirm its acceptability. It should be clear that this is not acceptable, and that Jews and Israel will not tolerate it. The fact that Israel gets involved in the protection of Jews and Jewish rights around the world, does not justify anti-Semitism being disguised as legitimate criticism of Israel.
Mr. Busch should be ashamed of his position and his statement on this matter. He is clearly part of the problem, and not part of the solution. It is shameful that people like him are left to be the guardians and judges of what is hate speech and what is acceptable. This act requires the Norwegian government to fire him from his position without delay, and condemn him in the strongest possible terms. The Norwegian government and Norwegian people should be embarrassed of this decision, and they become complicit by not acting to reverse it.
As Jews, we have come to expect anti-Semitic rhetoric from the general public, particularly those who come from backgrounds that typically hold an entrenched and natural hate towards Jews. In recent years, laws have been enacted to protect us from having to tolerate hate speech, laws that also serve to protect other minority groups. These laws become a joke if they are left under the auspices of people like Tor Aksel Busch to interpret and implement. This effectively reinforces anti-Semitism at an institutional and governmental level. The last time that this happened was in the lead-up to the annihilation of 6 million Jews as part of an anti-Semitic genocide sponsored by states and governments, This will never be allowed to happen again, in spite of haters like Tor Aksel Busch.
Labels: Anti-Semitism, Israel, Norway, Racism
The Polish Dilemma
The recent diplomatic spat between Israel and Poland unfortunately raises a long, ongoing issue about Holocaust denial, and the denial by certain groups of their involvement n the perpetration of acts of genocide against Jews during the Shoah. The Polish denial is already not new. Israel finds it has something of a dilemma about how to respond to the unacceptable Polish position.
In early 2018, Poland passed a law that criminalised any reference to Poland or Poles being involved or complicit in crimes committed during the Shoah. In particular, the law criminalised use of the term "Polish death camps". In essence, the Poles have denied that crimes committed on Polish soil during the Shoah were anything to do with Poland or Polish people. Instead, the blame is being laid squarely at the door of the Nazis and the Third Reich, which occupied Poland at that time. While the acts and influences by the Nazis is undeniable, there is also little doubt that Poles were complicit in some terrible crimes that were perpetrated in the Shoah against Jews. This is true both in the death camps and ghettos that were on Polish soil, and in individual events that took place elsewhere. Former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, whose father was killed during the Shoah by Poles, adamantly claimed that "Poles suckle antisemitism with their mothers' milk". This statement is considered to have significantly delayed the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Poland, but also shows the strength of his hatred towards the antisemitism shown by Poles.
The official Polish position on all that took place during the Shoah in Poland is that it was either perpetrated by the Nazis, or was perpetrated at the instigation of the Nazis. This effectively absolves Poland and Polish people of any crimes committed against Jews, as the Nazis are blamed even for the crimes committed by Poles. Why does Israel care about what Poland says now about acts that were committed more than 70 years ago? Why does Israel feel that it has a dilemma about how to respond to Poland's position on Shoah-era actions?
Antisemitism is increasingly visible and rife around the world. Much of it is dressed up as anti-Israel activity in an attempt to make it politically acceptable to express in public. But the age-old antisemitism that was so prevalent in the years leading up to the Shoah and during the Shoah, is very visible again today. And it is being too easily and broadly tolerated. Poland is not exempt from this phenomenon, with highly visible signs of antisemitism evident all around Poland. It is incumbent upon the Polish government to acknowledge and accept the actions of Poles during the Shoah as a platform to oppose it in the current day. If Israel was to simply smooth over the role of the Poles during the Shoah, this would serve not only to insult the memories of numerous Jews and non-Jews who were killed or abused at the hands of Poles or where Poles were complicit or indifferent, but it would also serve to dilute the fight against antisemitism in Poland in the current day.
In spite of this, we cannot forget that there are more Poles who have been declared "Righteous Among the Nations" by Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, than any other nation. This is a title bestowed upon those who helped Jews in spite of the overwhelming social pressures that influenced them to be antisemitic. There is no attempt to paint the Polish people as universally antisemitic. It is important to recognise both right and wrong. The real dilemma for Israel presents itself in the form of the opposition to this by the Polish government that has an impact on diplomatic relations between the two countries. Cordial diplomatic relations with Poland have helped Israel to educate many of its younger generation and young leadership by sending them to Poland to witness first-hand the atrocities that were committed at the death camps on Polish soil. This education process culminates each year in the annual "March of the Living" during which Jews return to Auschwitz-Birkenau with Israeli Air Force planes flying overhead to proclaim "never again". If this is all that Israel manages to get out of its diplomatic relations with Poland, it is a great deal. And probably enough to justify maintaining diplomatic relations almost at any price.
The law in Poland has now been changed such that it is no longer a criminal offence to implicate Poland in the Shoah, but now "only" a civil offence. The denial has been diluted in its severity rather than being cancelled, which is surely not enough. This denial is unwelcome, and is supporting the resurgence of antisemitism in Poland, Europe and around the world. The Polish government stands accused, once again, of being complicit to antisemitism. And, while the Israeli government and officials will continue to speak out on this matter, this opposition is unlikely to be allowed to derail the diplomatic relations between the two countries. With some justification.
Under current circumstances, I would forego diplomatic relations with Poland to protest their denial. I would make a statement that requires Poland to recognise the role played by Poles in persecuting Jews, even if this comes at the expense of diplomatic relations with Poland. I support Prime Minister Netanyahu in his insistence on taking the difficult decision to talk about this during his recent trip to Poland. Anything less would be a statement condoning antisemitism. Even though more than 70 years have passed since the Shoah, Poland should be forced to acknowledge the role played by Polish forefathers in this black period in Poland's history.


Newport Area Career and Technical Center and Electric Boat are joining together in a partnership to fill employment vacancies in Electric Boat.
November 21, 2018. Newport, RI. The Newport Area Career and Technical Center (NACTC) is proud to announce our partnership with Electric Boat in North Kingstown, with the help of the van Beuren Charitable Foundation and the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training. Newport Area Career and Technical Center students will have the opportunity to pursue a career at Electric Boat in Maritime Electrical or Maritime Pipefitting. Both of the programs have vacancies which can lead to immediate hiring upon graduation from Rogers High School/NACTC.
Employers in Rhode Island are looking to continue to build a future talent pipeline in manufacturing. The Newport Area Career and Technical Center aims to reimage the high school experience to prepare students with the skills they need for these high-wage, high-growth jobs. NACTC hopes to build on the success of its current CTE programs to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed in the 21st-century workforce. NACTC aims to improve the Rhode Island economy through strengthening workforce development and meeting the talent needs of employers and keeping that talent here in Rhode Island.
Our families are eager for schools, curriculum, and career and technical education programs that will prepare their children for a futuristic workforce. Electric Boat is looking for 365 students per year to come out of high school and into one of their trades. NACTC creates education and employer partnerships for all of our students to create a clear pathway from high school to a career.
The Newport Public School District is well-positioned to take full advantage of its selection as an Electric Boat Partnership school. A robust career pathway, developed in partnership with Electric Boat will transform the trajectory for Newport County students and provide them with the necessary skills to continue needs of the manufacturing industry. Funding for this program is being provided by grants awarded by vBCF, Department of Labor, Perkins Funding and the Governor's efforts in career pathways.


text:
Fraser Health registered nurse Kai Kayibadi draws a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe at a walk-up vaccination clinic at Bear Creek Park, in Surrey, B.C., on Monday, May 17, 2021. British Columbia has avoided a drop-off in vaccination uptakes in younger age groups, leading to optimism about its COVID-19 efforts, the head of a group representing thousands of B.C. doctors says. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Booster doses for Surrey's 70-plus population sees 50% jump since last week
First doses for 5-to-11 age group sees slow start
Lauren Collins
Dec. 4, 2021 11:57 a.m.
New this week in the B.C. Centre for Disease Control's regional COVID-19 surveillance dashboard is vaccination rates for five- to 11-year-olds, with about 1.7 per cent received their first dose as of this week.
The BCCDC breaks Surrey into nine communities: North Surrey, Whalley, Guildford, West Newton, East Newton, Fleetwood, Cloverdale, Panorama and South Surrey.
Rates for first doses for the five-to-11 age group ase of Dec. 2 are: North Surrey (two per cent), Whalley (two per cent), Guildford (two per cent), West Newton (one per cent), East Newton (one per cent), Fleetwood (one per cent), Cloverdale (two per cent), Panorama (two per cent) and South Surrey (two per cent).
That's about 1.7 per cent receiving their first dose. Vaccine rollout for the five-to-11 age group started Monday (Nov. 29).
Meanwhile, rates for fully vaccinated Surrey residents (aged 12 and up) have increased by about one per cent since last week, according to the latest data from the BCCDC's regional surveillance dashboard.
Rates for second doses for 12-plus as of Dec. 2 are: North Surrey (90 per cent), Whalley (93 per cent), Guildford (87 per cent), West Newton (95 per cent), East Newton (94 per cent), Fleetwood (92 per cent), Cloverdale (90 per cent), Panorama (94 per cent) and South Surrey (89 per cent).
That's about 91.6 per cent of those aged 12 and up who are fully vaccinated, which is up nearly one per cent (90.8 per cent) from Nov. 22. First doses are at 94.9 per cent, which is 0.1 per cent (94.8 per cent) from Nov. 22.
Provincewide as of Dec. 2, it was slightly lower with 87.9 per cent of those aged 12 and up having received both doses, while 91.2 per cent have received one dose.
However, in the 12-17 age group by Dec. 2, 85.8 per cent have received both doses (up from 83.1 per cent by Nov. 18) and 89.2 per cent have had a single dose (up from 89 per cent).
Rates for those fully vaccinated for 18-plus as of Dec. 2 are: North Surrey (91 per cent), Whalley (94 per cent), Guildford (88 per cent), West Newton (96 per cent), East Newton (95 per cent), Fleetwood (92 per cent), Cloverdale (90 per cent), Panorama (94 per cent) and South Surrey (89 per cent).
That's about 92.2 per cent of those who are 18-plus who are fully vaccinated, which is up about 0.6 per cent (91.6 per cent) from Nov. 22. About 95.7 per cent of people aged 18 and over have had one dose, which is up about 0.4 per cent (95.3 per cent) from Nov. 22.
West and East Newton continue to lead in single doses in the age category with 100 per cent and 99 per cent, respectively, but Whalley isn't far behind with 98 per cent.
Provincewide, second doses for adults were slightly lower at 88.5 per cent by Dec. 2, and first doses are at 91.6 per cent.
For those aged 18-49, 96.1 per cent have had one dose (up from 96 per cent) – with Whalley and West and East Newton hitting 100 per cent – and 92.3 have received both doses (up from 91.4 per cent).
When it comes to those who are aged 50-plus and fully vaccinated, the rates are: North Surrey (87 per cent), Whalley (92 per cent), Guildford (88 per cent), West Newton (94 per cent) East Newton (94 per cent), Fleetwood (92 per cent), Cloverdale (92 per cent), Panorama (94 percent) and South Surrey (91 per cent).
That's about 91.6 per cent of those aged 50 and older who are fully vaccinated, which is up about 0.2 per cent (91.4 per cent) from Nov. 22. First doses are at 93.7 per cent, which is up 0.1 (93.6 per cent) from the previous reporting period.
In the last few weeks, third doses for those 70-plus started rolling out.
READ ALSO: B.C. ahead of schedule on COVID-19 booster campaign: health minister, Dec. 4, 2021
Broken down between the nine communities it is: North Surrey (37 per cent), Whalley (32 per cent), Guildford (42 per cent), West Newton (29 per cent), East Newton (34 per cent), Fleetwood (46 per cent), Cloverdale (52 per cent), Panorama (41 per cent) and South Surrey (58 per cent).
That's about 41.2 per cent of Surrey's over-70 population receiving a booster dose, which is up more than four per cent (27.9 per cent) from Nov. 22. That's about a 50-per-cent jump from the previous reporting period.
Surrey COVID cases – by month, week
Meantime, weekly cases in Surrey have increased slightly from the previous reporting period.
For the week of Nov. 21 to 27, the BCCDC reported 151 cases. For Nov. 14 to 20, there were 159 cases.
Surrey's daily average rate of cases remains between one and five cases per 100,000 people, which decreased for the first time last week after months. It's not the highest daily average rate of cases in the Lower Mainland during this fourth wave, parts of the eastern Fraser Valley are seeing the highest rates of cases at more than 20 per 100,000.
Surrey was surpassed by Vancouver for the number of cases reported during that week, with 192 cases.
Surrey was followed by Abbotsford (144 cases), Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows (85), Langley (74), Mission (73), Burnaby (57), Tri-Cities (52), Richmond (35), South Surrey/White Rock (33), New Westminster (21), North Vancouver (20), Delta (14) and West Vancouver (10).
CoronavirusFraser Health
COVID-19 cases in the Lower Mainland for the week of Nov. 21 to 27, 2021. (Map: BCCDC)
B.C. reports 405 new cases of COVID-19
VIDEO: House fire claims the life of a Langley man


For aftermarket front strut nuts from Bilstein, Koni, etc, a 22mm strut socket (Stahlwille 1051),17mm box end for aftermarket rear upper strut nuts.
One alternate for a 21mm strut socket is a 13/16th spark plug socket, put the long end of a standard length Allen wrench through the top.
Lift the Vehicle and place on stands, remove the wheels, pull the front brake lines and ABS/pad sensor wire off the strut, and disconnect the stock drop link from the strut using a 16mm socket for the nut and a 17mm open end wrench to hold the bolt from behind the mount. The drop links shown during the spring install procedure are aftermarket that require a 14mm socket and 13mm open end wrench. The Cooper install was performed by Justin Davis (justintime).
Remove the pinch bolt with an 18mm socket, using a breaker bar or long handle ratchet.
R56 models have a flare nut on the end of the pinch bolt (left pic), loosen the bolt end only on the R56 (right pic).
Apply lubricant to the lower end of the front strut where it enters the steering knuckle.
Place a stick on the jack's lift pad and use as leverage under the lower spring perch to compress the spring and push the strut out of the steering knuckle. A few taps with a dead blow hammer may be needed to break it free. An alternate approach is to remove the two 13mm bolts from the outer ball joint bracket, disconnect from the steering knuckle, support the brake rotor with a jack and lower; some maneuvering of the knuckle will be needed. Exercise cautions if a hand is needed to stabilize the strut, do not place the hand or fingers between the strut & stick or any place where it could be trapped if the strut shifts abruptly.
R56 front struts will pull free without compressing the spring.
Unscrew the guide support nuts with a 13mm socket untill they are loose, then while grasping the strut, unscrew the nuts the rest of the way by hand and lower it carefully feeding past the brake line & wire then remove outward and upward from the wheel well.
Remove the bearing dust cap and place the strut on its side. Use a block of wood to leverage the Allen wrench and body weight to leverage the strut shaft nut using the special 21mm (22mm for aftermarket) strut socket on a long breaker bar. This can be performed with the strut upright but it requires much upper body strength. Unscrew the top nut until the nylon lock has cleared the shaft threads.
The quick way is to use a thin wall deep socket on an impact wrench with the strut on its side.
Without a spring compressor the nut can be removed safely using the "buddy method". As a partner applies weight on the guide support, unscrew the last remaining threads, the partner releases pressure smoothly, and off comes the upper mount. justintime and an associate demonstrate how it's done.
A spring compressor will provide stability and facilitate removal if the install is performed solo.
R56 Guide supports have a nylon stud which can be removed to allow the support to shift providing more negative camber.
After the replacement spring has been installed and the strut shaft nut tightened to 47 ft-lb, feed the strut into the strut tower, guiding the bolts through their mounting holes, while still grasping the strut, screw on the guide support nuts by hand to hold the strut in place then complete the fastening with a ratchet and torque to 25 ft-lb. On R56 models with the nylon stud removed, push the strut towards the engine to increase negative camber before tightening the nuts.
Clean the pinch bolt threads with brake cleaner and a wire brush; afterwards apply a small amount of anti-seize. The pinch bolts are exposed to oxidizing elements; anti-seize will help prevent a frozen bolt that could shear when attempting to extract.
Place a block of wood on the jack lift pad and raise the steering knuckle from under the outer ball joint nut. Install and torque the pinch bolt to 60 ft-lb.
The R56 outer ball joint is attached differently, the lift point will be under the ball joint bracket's control arm bolt.
Torque the drop link to strut body at 41 ft-lb.
Be sure to place the drop link behind the strut to avoid making this mistake; oops.
Return the brake line and ABS wire to their strut body mounts and replace the bearing dust cover cap to declare the front strut has been completed; yippee!
Moving to the rear strut, remove the anti-sway bar drop link.
Pull the brake line & ABS sensor wire from the strut body.
Unscrew the bolts on the strut's upper mount using a 13mm socket.
Loosen the lower strut bolt with a 21mm socket, breaker bar, or long handle ratchet, unscrew, grasp the strut before removing the bolt completely to keep it from dropping and remove the strut.
Remove the strut shaft nut with a 16mm box end wrench and long 5mm Allen wrench. A spring compressor can be used on the stock springs but the Koni springs had to be installed using the "buddy method".
Torque the shaft to 22 ft-lb using a 5mm Allen socket on a torque wrench in the reverse position while holding the nut with a 16mm box end wrench.
As with the front pinch bolt, clean the rear strut lower mount bolt and apply a small amount of anti-seize. Lift the strut into place under the vehicle and guide the lower mount bolt into place. Screw the bolt in until tight but don't apply complete torque at this time.
Clean the upper mount bolt threads and apply a small amount of anti-seize. Raise the trailing arm with a jack and position the top of the strut within the chassis recess, line-up the upper mount holes and install the bolts, torque to 41 ft-lb.
Torque the lower strut mount on R50-53 models to 103 ft-lb.
For R56 models torque to 121 ft-lb.
Put the brake line and wire in their strut brackets, replace the lower bolt dust cover if your model has them, remount the wheels, torque the lug bolts at 89-92 ft-lb for R50-53, or 103 ft-lb for the R56 models, lower the vehicle.


text:
Diane (seated) showing her art in 1973.
A life-long love of birds and art...
Diane Jacky is an American artist specializing in the illustration of domesticated birds. Since selling an illustration at the age of 16 in 1970, Diane Jacky has sold and licensed thousands of images world-wide. Among her most famous works, the "American Standard of Perfection" is an authoritative description of recognized breeds and varieties of domestic poultry, published by the American Poultry Association, Inc.
See the Catalog pages for more examples.
DIANE JACKY
mail@dianejacky.com
Art by Diane Jacky
Baldwin Park, CA 91706-1601
Over 40 years of illustrating domestic birds for publication.
DIRECT FROM ARTIST
A bio and the above photo was published in GRIT Magazine. See an excerpt from the article.
©2013 Art by DianeJacky


A pulsating 2-2 draw which saw Jesse Lingard's quick equaliser halt an Arsenal win at Old Trafford.
Unai Emery's Arsenal came into the game in top form having just beaten Tottenham 4-2 in an emphatic victory at the Emirates stadium. Manchester United, on the other hand, drew their previous game 2-2 away at Southampton. They managed to claw back a 2-0 deficit in 30 minutes courtesy of goals from Romelu Lukaku and Ander Herrera.
An unusual day for a match of this stature – on a Wednesday night – and it was a game with a lot on the line for both clubs. Arsenal continued their fine form in recent months and are now 20 games unbeaten in all competitions. Jose Mourinho is still under high scrutiny and now United sit 8th in the Premier League. They find themselves a long way off even getting a spot in the top 4.
Arsenal were without Mesut Ozil and Alex Lacazette was only on the bench. For United, Lukaku and Pogba were on the bench and Chris Smalling was captaining the side.
Arsenal took the lead from a corner which saw central defender, Shkodran Mustafi rise above his opponent to head a powerful header into the ground. The ball bounced up at David De Gea, and there were questions over his save. He fumbled the ball into the net and Ander Herrera on the line was not able to stop the ball from going over the line. United responded well but Arsenal still had control of the game.
A free kick was given outside of the area, Marcos Rojo stepped up and forced a good save out of Leno. Herrera was on hand to feed Anthony Martial who had an easy finish from less than 6 yards out. The run by Herrera is up for debate as to whether it was offside or not. Officials have a tough task of trying to keep up with the speed of attacking play, but nonetheless, the goal stood.
Before half-time, Lichsteiner came on for Rob Holding who went down with a knee injury – we are waiting to hear the extent of this injury. At half time, Unai Emery substituted Aaron Ramsey for former United player, Mkhitaryan. This was because Ramsey was suffering with a slight injury.
Arsenal took the lead when Alex Lacazette got tackled from behind and the ball slowly trickled in past De Gea. Literally, as soon as the restart happened from kick off, the ball was now in the back of the Arsenal net. It was Jesse Lingard who capitalised on a mishap and a lack of communication between Leno and Kolasinac. Indeed, he was there to pounce on the opportunity and level the game for the Red Devils.
Lingard celebrates the equaliser, just after Arsenal took the lead through a Rojo OG.
After the scores were level, United brought on Fellaini and Lukaku to try and turn the game in favour of United. Arsenal's defence, however, managed to stand firm. Their backline withstood all pressure and shots that they were faced with.
Arsenal had a few chances themselves to win the game, at the end. Mkhitaryan snuck in at the near post but his effort was only able to clear the crossbar. Aubameyang had a finesse shot from 25 yards saved by De Gea and Mkhitaryan scored a goal but it was judged to be offside.
There were many fouls, especailly from United on Guendouzi to try and halt Arsenal gaining an advantage in the game. Fellaini even pulled Guendouzi to the ground by holding his hair so he is unable to move, but the referee didn't even give the United midfielder a card.
A fiesty encounter saw a thrilling, end to end game and Arsenal will be looking to get the better of United when they turn up to the Emirates in March.


The having a baby situation has set into motion a quick little transformation of our lives and our thinking about life in general. As soon as we started seriously considering the hope that Esther's pregnancy will result in a new member of our family, we realized that our current studio loft isn't quite big enough to house all 3 of us. There's not a single wall between rooms unless you count the bathroom as a room.
So, we considered a few options. Renting our loft and renting another bigger place somewhere. Selling our loft and renting a bigger place somewhere. Selling our loft and buying a bigger place somewhere. Etc. Right now, it would be difficult to get enough rent for our space to cover the mortgage, so that option was out. Not to mention that being landlords seemed to be one responsibility too many in the next couple years. Due to the bad seller's market right now, it also didn't make sense to sell low and then buy later on when, most likely, the market has rebounded. So, the only option that made sense was to both sell and buy a new place at the same time. The only problem being that we're now doing three high-stress activities at once (according to the Holmes Rahe stress scale, pregnancy is 40 points, a new major mortgage is 32 points, and changing residences is 20 points = 92 points).
Now, as previously noted, shortly before Esther got pregnant, I left my nicely-paying job to strike out on my own. As soon as I started talking with brokers about potential pre-approval on a new loan, I realized that self-employed people aren't able to get loans anymore unless they've got 2+ years of tax returns showing that their self-employment is up to par.
Damn. And it almost ruined all of our plans.
But then I simply asked the primary client of the product we're working on to change me from a contract employee to a full-time employee and they, kindly, agreed. One of them had recently had a similar situation cause problems for them when buying a house, and so he understood what I was going through. So, now, on paper, I have a full-time job, even though in reality it's not like that at all. All to get a house, to make a safe place for the new potential baby.
The chain of logic from baby to house to job is making it all seem like we live quite regular domestic lives, in fact. Luckily, there's enough wiggle room in this scenario to still do things in our own quirky way. The fact that we're trying to sell a house right when the market is at its bottom, for example.
After a couple weeks of intensive searching, we lucked out and found a place that we really like, in a neighborhood that we think has a lot of promise, and which isn't too far from downtown. It'll be a great change. The offer we made is contingent on the sale of our current house, so now the chain is linking back on itself. It's more of a web, really. Everything is becoming dependent on everything else. As long as all prongs of our plan step forward at the same time, there should be no problem, right?


text:
Clemson, Notre Dame fans enjoy Texas hospitality in Arlington
Posted Dec 28 2018 09:04PM CST
Video Posted Dec 28 2018 09:18PM CST
Updated Dec 28 2018 09:21PM CST
ARLINGTON, Texas - Thousands of fans are getting ready to see the Clemson Tigers take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 83rd annual Cotton Bowl.
The festivities for Saturday's semi-final playoff game kicked off Friday afternoon outside Texas Live! in Arlington.
Thousands of Tigers and Fighting Irish fans have come from out of town and the DFW area to see who will win a spot to play in the national championship.
The 83rd annual Cotton Bowl is bringing die-hard Clemson and Notre Dame fans to the Metroplex.
"I'm just a staunch Notre Dame fan. I grew up over in Ireland," said Tom Hernon. "I listened to Notre Dame games on the Armed Forces Network when I was a young boy, and then I emigrated to America and started going to their games."
Fans on both sides are pretty confident their team will pull out a win and get a spot to play for the national championship.
"Notre Dame's gonna be a formidable opponent," said Clemson fan Kurt Waldhauer. "But I think it's gonna be a great game. Tigers will come out on top!"
"Notre Dame's going to crush them," said fan Roger Larson. "Everyone is underestimating Notre Dame."
But just in case, fans have brought their lucky game day gear to give the team that extra boost to victory.
Parking lots open at 10 a.m. at AT&T Stadium for the game Saturday, and there's plenty of pregame festivities going on near the stadium.
The Cotton Bowl kicks off at 3 p.m.
Avowed white supremacist gets 2nd life sentence in Charlottesville car attack
(AP) -- An avowed white supremacist was sentenced to life plus 419 years on federal hate crime charges Monday for deliberately driving his car into anti-racism protesters during a white nationalist rally in Virginia.
James Alex Fields Jr., 22, received the sentence for killing one person and injuring dozens during the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017.
Last month, Fields received a life sentence on 29 federal hate crime charges.


We love our ships here at DFDS, so we decided to invite world-class freerunners Ryan Doyle and Will Sutton to explore King Seaways and Princess Seaways in a new and exciting way.
We gave the 2 athletes the run of the ships and strapped them up with GoPro cameras to record a short film for us, complete with all the flips, tricks, rolls and leaps you'll expect from experienced and skilled freerunners.
Check out the flippin' brilliant video below.


Allan sings this one from our Slippin' Away CD. We did a slow blues version on our first album. This features Danny Krieger playing that screamin' guitar. Yeah, I'd like to claim it but anyone from Tucson would know. Enjoy!
Bare feet may be more discreet but what you gonna do when it's cold?


Last week, more specifically last Thursday, the Diversity Committee had the event we had worked for throughout the year. Things went very well and we had a very good dialogue throughout the day. You can read about it here. It was really meaningful. Someone in the dialogue said that we should all watch Zootopia. Since my students and my kids had told me that I should see it, I decided to take some time and go. I have to say that it was really, really good. There was a scene in particular that caught my attention. For those of who have not seen the movie and don't want spoilers, suffice it to say that the script in the press conference hits home for me in many ways. It is the type of discriminatory speech used in many cases and passes as polite, nice, rational and logical at times. But Hopps, the bunny cop, hurts her friend deeply. Later on, she realizes what she's done but it takes a reality check to sink in. It is the type of hurt that people do not realize they cause on others. It was, in my opinion, the best part of the movie. I tried to google it to paste it here but I could not find it. I think everybody should watch the movie if anything just to see what soft and systematic prejudice sounds like.
http://hostingperformance.guru/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=http://hostingperformance.guru/2014/03/add-expires-headers/ http://habitationlacombe.com/wp-content/cache/et/1915/et-core-unified-15428062542967.min.css I am grateful to God because the event went better than what I could have imagined. I am still in awe of it.
I am grateful because I was able to go and watch Zootopia with my daughter. We had a good time.
I am grateful because the semester is coming to an end.
I am grateful because the annual reports my students did were really, really good. I was very impressed with them.


One of only six smartly designed three bedroom, this 1,592 foot L-line residence features and spectacular views of downtown New York's iconic architecture and of New York Harbor. Brilliant light pours in through the expansive double-glazed windows with southern and eastern exposures.
The flowing layout begins with a large Entry Foyer that opens to a spacious Living/Dining Room with a wall of windows facing east. The open chef's kitchen boasts a large island with breakfast bar, custom designed white lacquer and stainless steel cabinetry, Caesarstone counters and backsplash and Blanco stainless steel sink with Vola satin nickel faucets. The high-end appliances include fully-integrated Sub-Zero 700 series refrigerator/freezer and Miele Incognito dishwasher, as well as Miele gas cook top and convection oven. Additional features include integrated stainless steel hood, dimmable cabinet lighting as well as garbage disposal.
The large sun-drenched Master Bedroom Suite offers shimmering water views plus the luxury of a dressing room/walk-in closet. Indulge in the well-appointed Master Bath with exquisitely crafted custom Corian vanity with mirror surround, generous double medicine cabinet with integrated lighting, oversized deep soaking tub, and a separate rain shower and Toto Carolina water closet enclosure. The Second and Third Bedrooms (one with en-suite Bathroom) also feature over-sized windows, large efficiently designed closets and beautiful water views.
This sleek, contemporary residence features 9.8" ceiling heights, warm Burmese Teak flooring throughout, a built-in home office, Asko washer/dryer, multi-zone climate control system providing heat and air conditioning all-year- round, high-speed internet, cable television and abundant storage and closet space.
Unrivaled amenities include a stunning residents' penthouse lounge with wraparound landscaped terrace, private children's playground, professional screening room, covered dog run, onsite valet parking and Abigail Michael's concierge services. Nearly 18,000 square feet of space is devoted to fitness and exercise including a natural-light- filled fitness center with state-of-the-art strength and cardio equipment, indoor 50' heated salt water lap pool, outdoor hot tub, sauna and steam rooms, outdoor half-court basketball, indoor squash court and yoga studio.
Perfectly situated, 15 William Street is a ground-up 320-unit, 47-story luxury high-rise in the heart of the Financial District, surrounded by architectural jewels of the past centuries, chic shopping destinations, sumptuous dining, and all that Downtown's most exciting neighborhood has to offer. Residents also enjoy quick access to many transit options: 2,3,4,5,6,R subways, bus routes, PATH, Citi Bike stations and NY Water Taxi.


The Concise Health Risk Tracking (CHRT, Trivedi et al, 2011) instrument is designed to monitor suicide-related factors to identify suicidal ideation and related symptoms, and to be used as a repeated measure to detect changes in these factors over time. These measures include questions about hopelessness, self-worth, pessimism about future, perception of social support, and active suicidal plans. It includes both a self-report scale (CHRT-SR) and a clinician rating scale (CHRT-C).


text:
Geoffrey Leonard Simmons (born 27 December 1974) is an economist and former leader of The Opportunities Party (TOP), a political party in New Zealand. He stood for TOP in the February 2017 Mount Albert by-election, in the Wellington Central electorate in the 2017 general election, and in the Rongotai electorate in the 2020 general election.

Early life
Simmons grew up in Ōkaihau (Far North) and West Auckland, the son of two teachers. He graduated in economics from the University of Auckland. He worked as an economic analyst for the New Zealand Treasury from 1999 to 2003. He worked as an economic advisor for the UK Home Office in 2003–05 and then for the East Midlands Development Agency in 2005–08. He was the general manager and an economist for the Morgan Foundation (founded by Gareth Morgan) in Wellington from 2009 to 2016. He has co-authored four books with Morgan, on health (Health Cheque: The Truth We Should All Know about New Zealand's Public Health System), fishing (Hook, Line and Blinkers: Everything Kiwis Never Wanted to Know about Fishing), Antarctica (Ice, Mice and Men: the Issues Facing our Far South) and food (Appetite for Destruction: Food – the Good, the Bad and the Fatal). He is a Lancet Commission on Obesity Fellow.

Simmons has done acting, including improvisational theatre, since he was at secondary school. He has performed with the Improv Bandits, a professional troupe in Auckland, Best on Tap in Wellington, and Stagecraft at the Gryphon Theatre in Wellington. He teaches with the Wellington Improv Troupe.

Political career

2017 general election

In the February 2017 Mount Albert by-election, Simmons stood as a candidate for the Opportunities Party (TOP), founded by Gareth Morgan. He came third, with 623 votes, 4.56% of 13,649 valid votes.

On 24 May 2017, Gareth Morgan announced that Simmons as the deputy leader of TOP and their candidate in the Wellington Central electorate in the 2017 New Zealand general election. During the 2017 election for Wellington Central held on 23 September, Simmons came fourth place with 2,892 votes.

TOP revamp and leadership

In December 2017, three months after the election, Morgan resigned as leader and Simmons and two candidates also stepped down from their roles. In August 2018, TOP appointed Simmons as interim leader until an election of party members could be held to determine a replacement to Morgan. In the ensuing internal leadership election, Simmons contested the position with four other candidates. On 8 December 2018, the party board announced Simmons had been successful.

During the TOP's party relaunch held in October 2019, Simmons delivered a speech advocating a universal basic income and "breaking the Labour / National duopoly".

2020 election

In July 2020, Simmons announced that he would contest the Rongotai electorate during the 2020 New Zealand general election. At the beginning of his campaign for the seat Simmons spelled the name of the electorate incorrectly in his advertising as "Rongatai".

During the 2020 election held on 17 October, Simmons came fourth place in Rongotai with 2,794 votes. Based on full results published on 6 November, the TOP party won 43,449 party votes (1.5% of the popular vote). Following the election results, Simmons and deputy leader Shai Navot emailed members, supporters, and donors, thanking them for their support.

During the party's first annual general meeting held on 3 November, Simmons resigned as leader of TOP.

Electoral history

2017 Mount Albert by-election

2017 Wellington Central general election

2020 Rongotai general election

Leadership elections

2018 Opportunities Party leadership election

References

1974 births
Living people
People from Auckland
21st-century New Zealand politicians
University of Auckland alumni
The Opportunities Party politicians
Unsuccessful candidates in the 2017 New Zealand general election
Unsuccessful candidates in the 2020 New Zealand general election
New Zealand economists
The Opportunities Party leaders


text:
Archaeology by Period or Region
European Archaeology
European Archaeology Products
The Archaeology of the Spanish Civil War
By Alfredo González-Ruibal
The Archaeology of the Spanish Civil War offers the first comprehensive account of the Spanish Civil War from an archaeological perspective, providing an alternative narrative on one of the most important conflicts of the twentieth century, widely seen as a prelude to the Second World War.Between…
The Cycladic and Aegean Islands in Prehistory
By Ina Berg
This textbook offers an up-to-date academic synthesis of the Aegean islands from the earliest Palaeolithic period through to the demise of the Mycenaean civilization in the Late Bronze III period. The book integrates new findings and theoretical approaches whilst, at the same time, allowing readers…
The Neolithic of Britain and Ireland
By Vicki Cummings
The Neolithic of Britain and Ireland provides a synthesis of this dynamic period of prehistory from the end of the Mesolithic through to the early Beaker period. Drawing on new excavations and the application of new scientific approaches to data from this period, this book considers both life and…
Routledge Archaeology of Northern Europe
The Celts
Bronze Age to New Age, 1st Edition
By John Haywood
This dramatic history traces the mysterious Celts from their dark origins, including Druids and King Arthur, right across Britain and Europe and looking at their beliefs, cultures and arts as well as their warring and expansion. The resurgence of Celtic identity in Britain and Europe has…
Balkan Prehistory
Exclusion, Incorporation and Identity, 1st Edition
By Douglass W. Bailey
Douglass Bailey's volume fills the huge gap that existed for a comprehensive synthesis, in English, of the archaeology of the Balkans between 6,500 and 2,000 BC; much research on the prehistory of Eastern Europe was inaccessible to a western audience before now, because of linguistic barriers.…
An Archaeology of Natural Places
By Richard Bradley
This volume explores why natural places such as caves, mountains, springs and rivers assumed a sacred character in European prehistory, and how the evidence for this can be analysed in the field. It shows how established research on votive deposits, rock art and production sites can contribute to a…
The Significance of Monuments
On the Shaping of Human Experience in Neolithic and Bronze Age Europe, 1st Edition
The Neolithic period, when agriculture began and many monuments - including Stonehenge - were constructed, is an era fraught with paradoxes and ambiguities. Starting in the Mesolithic and carrying his analysis through to the Late Bronze Age, Richard Bradley sheds light on this complex period and…
Ancient Boats in North-West Europe
The Archaeology of Water Transport to AD 1500, 1st Edition
By Sean Mcgrail
At last a paperback edition of this standard work on marine archaeology. Séan McGrail's study received exceptional critical acclaim when it was first published in hardback in 1987 and it is now revised and published in paperback for the first time. Professor McGrail provides an authoritative…
Longman Archaeology Series
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
By Peter A Clayton, Peter Clayton, Martin Price
Sets each of the seven wonders in their historical context, bringing together materials from ancient sources and the results of modern excavations to suggest why particular places and objects have been seen as the touchstone for human achievement.…
The European Iron Age
By John Collis
This ambitious study documents the underlying features which link the civilizations of the Mediterranean - Phoenician, Greek, Etruscan and Roman - and the Iron Age cultures of central Europe, traditionally associated with the Celts. It deals with the social, economic and cultural interaction in the…
1Series in European Archaeology


At the end of 1986 Fabrique Nationale (a Belgium arms factory) realised it was time for a replacement of the 9mmx19 cartridge and its firearm in the military. The 'non-frontline' soldiers (drivers, medical personel etc..) were at that time equipped with 9mm handguns, which were unable to penetrate modern body-armour. FN started their project of the 90's.
The new weapon produced by FN was the P90 submachine gun. The associated ammunition was the SS90.
The P90 is completely ambi-dextrous, and eject the fired cases downwards.
The 50 round magazine is made of transparent plastic and placed on top of the submachine gun. The cartridges are placed in the magazine in a 90 degrees angle compared with the firing direction and are rotated just before entering the chamber.
The P90 is compact, handy in close quarters, and provides rapid target aquisition and outstanding hit probability out to 150m.
To complete the project in a real weapon system, FN also designed a pistol, called the Five-seveN.
The cartridge (SS90) was adjusted and modified to fit in the handgun. The bullet was reduced in length, resulting in a round with a reduced total length. The round was adopted as SS190.
The pistol is for the greater part designed from composite materials, resulting in a very light handgun.
The operating principle is a delayed blowback system, a single action trigger and a 20 rounds magazine capacity.
The weapon system was designed for military use, but representatives of the law enforcement (police, SWAT teams etc) were really impressed by the performance of these weapons. They included these weapons in there range of armament.
The sale of these weapons and ammunition to civilians is for safety reasons restricted.