text:
Important facts about black bear conservation in Florida
TO: USF & NRA Members and Friends
FROM: Marion P. Hammer
USF Executive Director
NRA Past President
The following is a fact sheet on the black bear issue that is outstanding. If you have any questions about the issue, they will probably be answered in this release.
(Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.)
For immediate release: June 22, 2015
Media contact: Susan Smith, 850-528-1755
Important facts you need to know about black bear conservation in Florida
By Nick Wiley
Certified Wildlife Biologist and Executive Director
Numerous recent articles and editorials have addressed the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC's) bear management program. Much of the writing has focused on the proposal to reinstate limited bear hunting in Florida. FWC staff and Commissioners welcome and respect the diversity of opinions, questions and input regarding this proposal, but some of the writing has including false or misleading information. I offer this document to provide a factual perspective on FWC's comprehensive approach to bear management and the proposed bear hunting season.
Some articles have suggested there is a lack of sufficient scientific information to support a limited bear hunt or that the hunt would be too soon after removing black bears from the state threatened species list. FWC biologists have been researching and monitoring Florida black bears for decades. Bear populations declined to low levels through the 1970s and early '80s but then began a strong recovery. In 2002, FWC conducted a scientific population survey estimating the statewide population at approximately 3,000 bears. The scientific data from this survey provided sufficient basis for removing the black bear from the state threatened species list back in 2002. Instead of pursuing reclassification at that time, the FWC initiated a multiyear process of developing and fully vetting a comprehensive Bear Management Plan with partners and stakeholders.
Ultimately in 2010, FWC Commissioners adopted a much-improved imperiled species listing and biological status review process, incorporating robust biological and scientific standards from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and rigorous independent scientific peer review by species experts. FWC's listing program is considered to be an exceptional national model and is highly respected by the conservation community across our nation. The Florida black bear was one of the first species evaluated through this new process, including scientific peer review by bear experts outside FWC. A cornerstone of our new listing program is development and adoption of species management plans, including full involvement of stakeholders and conservation partners, before recommending removal of any species from the state threatened list.
So, yes, in 2012, after taking all of these precautions, considering the strong scientific baseline of bear population recovery and approval of a landmark bear management plan, FWC removed the black bear from the state's threatened species list. Black bears were clearly on a strong recovery trend for many years and well before they were removed from the state threatened list. To suggest the FWC does not have good scientific information about bear populations would be ignoring the science and other factual information associated with black bear conservation.
Contrary to many inaccurate reports suggesting bear hunting is being proposed in direct response to recent bear attacks and escalating human-bear conflicts, hunting was incorporated into the bear management plan from the very beginning as a population management method. The scientific surveys conducted in 2002 serve as a sound scientific foundation for determining which bear management units (BMUs) are most appropriate for hunting and for establishing responsible harvest objectives. Actually, a number of bear population indicators provide additional points of information to confirm bear populations are continuing to grow beyond the 2002 survey baseline. These indicators include citizen calls/complaints about bears and records of bears killed by vehicles on roads. Even though these indicators suggest population growth, the FWC is taking a conservative approach to recommending harvest objectives by using the 2002 survey data until more recent survey data is available.
FWC is in the process of completing a new statewide bear population survey. In fact, this survey is the most ambitious, extensive and scientifically rigorous bear population survey ever undertaken in Florida. The first phase of this survey project was recently completed, and we now have updated population estimates for two BMUs. In the North BMU anchored by the Osceola National Forest, the black bear population now exceeds 500 bears, more than doubling the estimate from 2002. In the Central BMU anchored by the Ocala National Forest, the population estimate surpasses 1,200 bears, increasing nearly 30 percent over the previous estimate. Updated population information for three additional BMUs is expected next year and will be used to guide management efforts in subsequent years.
There is a misconception circulating that suggests the reinstated bear hunt would be nothing more than a "trophy" hunt. The primary purpose of a limited bear harvest is to manage the bear population while providing carefully regulated hunting opportunities, and the proposed hunt has been aligned accordingly. The term "trophy hunt" is being used to question, if not impugn, the motives of individuals who may choose to participate in a bear hunt. This term is being used erroneously in an attempt to influence public opinion against bear hunting and hunters because polling suggests many Floridians support legal and ethical hunting while the term "trophy hunt" can be used to exploit or confuse the views of the uninformed.
Throughout the history of our nation, hunters have been first and foremost when it comes to supporting and funding wildlife conservation and restoration. This is a well-established fact. Many species of game and non-game wildlife and their habitats have been recovered and are thriving now, thanks to the strong support and leadership from hunters. The term "trophy hunt" is used to suggest hunters are only hunting for a large "trophy" animal to display. Some hunters may wish to display their successful harvest and this is a widely accepted tradition. The vast majority of hunters make every effort to utilize the meat for the table just as they do with harvested deer or wild turkey. In fact, the value of wild game as the original organic food is a culinary trend currently sweeping our nation. It is highly misleading and unfair to mischaracterize the term "trophy hunt" to suggest the proposed bear hunt is anything but legal, ethical, carefully regulated, fair-chase hunting, which has been an honorable part of our national conservation heritage for many generations.
Additionally, proposed FWC rules for bear hunting provide a strong measure of accountability by requiring that every harvested bear must be removed from the field and checked at an FWC staffed check station. Moreover, FWC rules prohibit wanton waste of any harvested game, and any fees derived from bear hunting permits will help fund bear conservation efforts.
It has been reported in some forums that the FWC should not move forward with a limited bear hunting season when a majority of the comments from the public express opposition and concern. The FWC respects everyone's right to express their views on this issue. In fact we actively seek out and welcome public input and carefully consider all opinions and comments. On the issue of bear hunting, the FWC has actively sought and received input from a large number of people through emails, telephone calls, social media, and public comment on our website, webinars and at two Commission meetings, which included several hours of public testimony.
It is true that a majority of individual comments reflects opposition to bear hunting. While public opinion is an important consideration, we also have a responsibility to weigh the scientific information, professional experience, cost effectiveness and practical feasibility when choosing the most appropriate means to manage sustainable, healthy bear populations with priority concern for human safety and other public interests. Although there is a large amount of opposition to bear hunting, those comments do not offer any viable or effective alternatives to hunting that would help address the real challenge of keeping growing bear populations in proper balance. It is no longer feasible or safe to relocate any significant number of bears.
Additionally, wild bears do not survive well in captivity, and there are very few captive facilities willing to take wild bears and house them for many years.
Reports in the media continue to suggest that bear hunting is being proposed to directly reduce human-bear conflicts although there is no scientific evidence to support the notion that hunting bears in the deep woods will help resolve conflicts. FWC has been very clear from the beginning of the discussion about bear hunting that the primary purpose is to control increasing bear populations, and hunting is one tool in our comprehensive approach to overall bear conservation efforts. The FWC has openly and repeatedly acknowledged that we are not certain how much bear hunting may help minimize conflicts. There are few scientific studies on this matter and none actually have been done in Florida looking at our unique situation. In fact, the studies that are generally referenced were done in northern states or Canada where bear management dynamics are much different from our situation in Florida. Some of these studies have found no link between hunting and reduced conflicts. The state of New Jersey, however, has clearly documented reductions in human-bear conflicts in response to hunting pressure and bear harvest, provided the appropriate level of harvest is sustained.
The notion that bear hunts will only target bears in the "deep woods" that would never cause conflicts is not an accurate characterization of the situation in Florida. Florida is the third most populous state in the nation, approaching 20 million people. There are few areas in Florida where bears are unlikely to encounter people, and bears can range widely over large areas. Many bears that get into conflicts with people live in wooded areas that would be open for hunting but venture for long distances into communities or residential areas when they smell food or garbage and then become conflict bears.
The FWC has made it clear that the most effective measure for minimizing human-bear conflicts is effective management of garbage and food attractants. Once a bear becomes a conflict bear and loses a natural fear of people, the most effective measures are direct hazing or ultimately trapping and euthanasia. We are not certain how many bears may be conditioned to avoid people through hunting pressure or how many current or potential conflict bears may be removed during the hunts. If the proposed hunt is implemented, we should be able to gain insights into the impacts hunting may have on conflict bears.
Bear populations have undoubtedly increased and expanded considerably in large portions of Florida. We have in past years invested and continue today to invest much staff time and resources in working with communities to help people understand what they can do to reduce or avoid bear conflicts, primarily by securing garbage and removing food attractants. We have seen good success in communities that adopt such measures, and these efforts are a major priority in our comprehensive bear management program.
As important as it is to work with communities to address bear related conflicts, this effort does not help us manage growing bear populations. Across the nation in the vast majority of states where black bears are found, hunting has proved to be the most effective and responsible method for managing the growth of bear populations. In fact, most states (32 of 41) that have resident black bear populations allow hunting, including most New England and all Pacific Coast states. Florida is the only state with a population of more than 600 bears that does not utilize bear hunting as a population management tool. It is a scientifically proven fact that bear hunting is biologically sustainable and the most effective tool for maintaining proper balance of bear populations relative to available habitat.
FWC is in full agreement with comments suggesting everyone who cares about black bears in Florida should be increasing bear-wise efforts and working in neighborhoods and communities to achieve sustainable coexistence among people and black bears. The FWC has stressed for many years that these are the highest priorities for addressing human-bear conflicts, and ironically the bear hunting debate has brought more attention and support to this issue than we could have ever generated otherwise. We agree that properly managing garbage, removing food attractants in neighborhoods and blocking bear access to food sources are the best means to minimize conflicts with bears. FWC has focused primarily on this aspect of bear conservation for many years, and we continue to take strong steps in this regard. We are strengthening our rules that prohibit feeding bears, and new legislation was recently adopted to create an improved penalty structure for associated rule violations. Additionally, we have partnered with 12 counties that now offer bear-resistant garbage cans to residents in high human-bear conflict areas, and we are working closely with the waste and recycling industry. We are also empowering private citizens and local landowners to help prevent future bear problems by hazing or scaring bears away through approved methods before they become food conditioned.
It can be a struggle to get our arms around the fact that the Florida black bear represents a great conservation success story in Florida, and we need to transition from saving bears to managing bears. Major challenges come with this kind of success involving such a magnificent wild creature. The level of care, commitment and even respectful disagreement I see from my fellow Floridians tells me that we are up to the challenge, and we will certainly have thriving bear populations well into the future.
Nick Wiley
Certified Wildlife Biologist
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What is the common defining element of extremism, polarization, either or, anything but, and my way or high way? The answer is that they are all binary or digital (zero/one) in nature since they define things in terms of two disjoint and inherently adversarial alternatives. This is what I refer to as the binary mindset. My thesis is that the binary mindset is the boson (God Particle) of intolerance.
Intolerance is much like the corner solution of economic theory where, for example, a consumer chooses either to buy as much food as she can afford or rent the biggest possible residence, meaning that either she does not have a place to live or she goes hungry. Intriguingly, such extreme consumption choices are optimal when the consumer is obsessed with a commodity and never gets tired of consuming more and more of it. In real life, rarely we observe such extreme consumption preference and behavior. Instead we find interior solutions to be prevalent meaning that most consumers spend their income on food as well as housing. The powerful message is that amalgams, mixtures, combinations, unions, and diversity represent moderate and balanced outcomes, and very importantly they result from mindsets that are not binary, and are tolerant or inclusive of alternatives.
Let us consider the thorniest and most divisive matter in the known history of mankind, namely religion. By definition, each religion/faith starts with the blind belief that only their version of the Creator and Creation is the "truth". By implication or divine instruction then, the followers of a given religion are to view all other religions as wrong and their followers as being misguided. This binary mindset of a believer irreconcilably bifurcates the humanity into fellow believers of the same "true" faith and the astray or the believers of other faiths and the people of no faith. This is precisely where religious intolerance is rooted and the process of blinding vision starts. This is because it is nearly impossible to accept or even see any merit in the view of another person believing that person to be absolutely wrong at the core. Importantly, it is not belief in the Creator, it is rather the imputed claim of exclusivity of a specific faith being the truth that procreates blinding vision and breeds intolerance.
Everyday thousands of children are born worldwide into families practicing numerous religions. And this has been going on for millions of years now. Clearly, to a believer, it is solely the Creator's decision as to what parental religion, if there is any, a child is born into. Then, it does not seem reasonable for the compassionate Creator to make truth seeking more burdensome for the newborns born into supposedly misguided parents. Stepping out of the binary mindset, however, leads to a more tenable and clearly harmonious premise that the divine messages to all religions at all times are, have always been and will always remain the same. The self-inculcated binary mindset of those believers who are "religious" about their religion prevents them from seeing this necessary logical commonality in all divine messages. What else could explain as to why the more "religious" people become about their faith, the more they litigate the untruth about others?
Arguably, the binary mindset with respect to religion has proven to be one of the most controversial influences in the governance of modern nation states. While a blanketing influence of religion is observed in some states, e.g., Saudi Arabia, Iran and Israel (de facto), the role of religion in state governance is primarily reflected in the ideological lenience of the political parties in most democracies. While occasionally parties with strong religious ideology do come to power (e.g., most recently in Egypt), the governance ideologies of mainstream parties in most democracies effectively differ in terms of the extent of secularism.
In practical terms, secularism as a state principle (enshrined in constitution or not) avoids legislating, implementing or adjudicating state policies that seek rationalization from or promote a specific religion or belief system including atheism. It is interesting to note that the ultra-secular people and parties (that subscribe to the highest degree of secularism) share an important characteristic with the religious right at the opposite end of the spectrum, namely a binary mindset. The binary mindset of the ultra-seculars views any accommodation of religion in public domain as an undesirable infiltration, meaning that religious guidance for governance can only be bad for the society. While the intolerant views of the religious right are overt, it is seldom recognized that often the ultra-seculars are quite intolerant of expression of religion in public sphere. For example, in USA and Canada, the ultra-seculars vigorously protest and sometimes litigate even the exhibition of religious replicas (like a Cross) or greetings (like Merry Christmas) in government buildings and venues. The intolerance of the ultra-seculars can and did (historically) reach extremes. Turkey once banned the wearing of hijab, and Egypt's religious right party, the Muslim Brotherhood, was banned as a political party for many years. In Bangladesh, even very recently, the ultra-seculars demanded banning of the parties with religious ideologies. In other words, while the religious right is "religious" about religion, the ultra-seculars are "religious" about non-religion, both being intolerant of each other.
The truth of the matter is that religion is an integral part of the life and values of many citizens, practicing or not. Hence a democratic society cannot afford to totally de-legitimize religion (of the majority) as a source of guidance for laws and public policies for too long without creating alienation, a sense of reverse discrimination and ultimately a backlash that might set back the secular progress over many decades. Similarly, it cannot also afford to govern its citizens into believing and practicing the divine codes of the majority without weakening the belief itself. This is because belief is a very personal voyage of our mind to explore divinity, ungoverned by human codes and unencumbered even by our own physique. Further, since belief is not observable and verifiable, enforcing the observable practices by way of governance risks increasing the incidence of fake observance that can degenerate into loss of belief altogether. Therefore, the key to simultaneously preserving the apparently competing but inherently congruous religious belief systems and the secular democratic societies that permit maximum attainable and most tolerant freedom of choice is to motivate the religious right and the ultra-seculars to break out of their binary mindsets. It is hoped that the above discussion is a small step toward convincing them that their respective corner solutions are too intolerant to be long term tenable and would ultimately sentence them to politically desolate corners.
While the impact of binary mindset is illustrated here using religion and secularism, the intolerance effect of a binary mindset arises in numerous other circumstances and dimensions of our lives. The more "religious" we are about anything, the more blinded and intolerant we become of competing views. Gradually but surely we, as individuals or as a collection, enter a phase of endless conflict with the "not-me" and "not-us" compartments of our fellow human beings. Life being a collection of countably finite moments, isn't it worthwhile to use those precious ticks to seek union instead?
Media reports have identified a number of individuals involved in the murder of Biswajit on December 09, 2012. The incident is inescapably egregious, but what is outright detestable is that the alleged murderers are supposedly activists of a fabled student organization, and their violent act was motivated by the presumption that Biswajit belonged to the opposition camp. This commentary critically explores the making of such nefarious political activism in today's Bangladesh.
Let us start with the demography of the alleged activists, the suppliers of murderous activism that claimed the life of Biswajit. All of these activists are likely in their early 20's, and hail from low to middle income families living in small localities far away from the capital. The non-descript parents of these non-metropolitan boys are shell-shocked by the incident as there was nothing in their upbringing that would prognosticate anything even close to their December 09, 2012 barbarism. Their inauspicious transformation likely started with their entry into the glitzy world of campus politics in the central theatre of the country, Dhaka. And their regimentation into campus turf wars perhaps commenced during the last few years of escalating antagonism between the major political alliances.
It is not yet exactly known why the Biswajit killers chose the career path of violent activism that culminated in the murder of Biswajit. Admittedly speculative, a likely scenario may nonetheless facilitate understanding of the dynamics of violent activism. It stands to reason that the lucrative and fast pace career in the business of politics lured the Biswajit killers into violent activism. The alternative world of normal studentship appeared to these young fellows as one of life long economic despair and stagnation in the social gutter of nobodies since they were at best mediocre students and could only enter public university programs with weak employment prospect (private university option beyond their means). Discarding this unpalatable choice, the Biswajit killers may have considered the non-violent career track of student politics, only to find that lacking charisma, with no established political connections and pedigree, and with no financial resources to sustain them for long in studentship, the odds of making it big are rather slim.
The Biswajit killers having now made the career choice of a violent activist, the choice of the party was rather rational. They quickly and correctly recognized that it is a matter of survival of the fittest in the political arena of today's Bangladesh as it is in a jungle. Given that the ruling party's influence peddling controls the entrance to and exits from all doors in Bangladesh, including the doors of justice and law enforcement, the fittest are those who pledge loyalty to the ruling party of the time and/or have ample resources (financial means, business and family connections) to purchase their favours. The young perpetrators had none of it, and the mere pledge of political loyalty would surely go unnoticed by the party hierarchy. Hence, the path of violent activism for the current or imminently prospective ruling party might have made most sense to these small-locale boys given their fervent desire to break through the glass ceiling with the fastest possible ascend.
The above explanation of the supply of violent activism is, however, incomplete and inadequate in explaining why the frequency and severity of violent activism was rather low compared to now during prior periods of political turbulence dating back to the mid 1970s. The answer lies in the evolution of demand for violent activism and the rapid rise in the financial dividends from influence peddling. Without a doubt, the clients of violent activism are the very political parties that are entrusted with the security of ordinary citizens through the democratic process. Quite ironically, it is largely the periods of more competitive democracy that have seen the frequency and severity of violent activism shooting up. In periods of no democracy, dictatorial democracy, or democracy dominated by a single party, the all powerful single camp controls the entire turf of winning elections if there is any, remaining in power, gaining and distributing financial and political resources, and sentencing any opposition at will. On the other hand, as democratic competition heats up, the margin of electoral (popular vote) victory becomes thinner, and any marginal edge in the control of the turfs becomes ever so consequential. With a long term upward trend in democratic processes and institutions, albeit with troughs and valleys, the intensifying political competition has increasingly drawn the political parties toward developing, nurturing and growing their own shadow armies of violent activists, popularly known as the cadres. When in power, cadres are used to thwart competition by terror and when in opposition they are used to instigate and enact violent protests. It is also worth noting that the emergence of two dominant political alliances in the new millennium has polarized and intensified the political competition even further and in the process has also elevated the demand for the services of violent activists.
The process of paying for the services of violent activists is well illustrated by the recent satirical commentary of Shahdin Malik in a local Bangla daily. Essentially the violent activists are rewarded by status upgrade within the party in an accelerated manner and by permission and protection to seek rents from ordinary citizens and businesses while in power. In time, violent activists often graduate from the street alleys to the hallways of the parliament, manage and lead the new crop of young cadres, and of course peddle influence, while in power, to reap handsome financial rewards. Further, the political parties provide a vigorous defence and/or cover-up of their misdeeds, most recently illustrated by the denial of the ruling party affiliation of the Biswajit killers (bdnews24.com, December 10, 2012).
While supply and demand are necessary to explain violent activism, ultimately it is the financial dividend from governance power that makes the end to end business of politics a viable phenomenon in Bangladesh. This unholy business has taken a toll on the composition of the Parliament as well, tending to degenerate it into a "rich man's club" (p. 60, Rounaq Jahan and Inge Amendsen, 2012, The Parliament of Bangladesh: Representation and Accountability, CPD-CMI Working Paper 2). As incredible as it may sound, it is the miraculous pace of economic growth in Bangladesh that continues to boost the financial gains from governance power, the increasing gains also becoming necessary to sustain in opposition if and when needed. Alas, the ordinary citizens of Bangladesh, the Biswajits, have become unsuspecting victims of their collective economic success. Sadly, Biswajit's own hard work ended up powering the dynamics of violent activism that obliterated him.
To be sure, the people of Bangladesh are duly proud of a democratic and prosperous Bangladesh. But the fundamental building block of a civil and humane society is not its riches, it is not democracy either. Instead it is the rule of law that translates a hell of the survival of the fittest into a heaven of security for the weakest. The major political alliances, on their own, are not expected to become the protectors of law anytime soon. But if the history of Bangladesh repeats itself, both alliances have much to worry about in travelling along their law-as-we-like trajectories.
The recent tragic incident of factory fire in Ashulia has elevated long and widely held concerns about workplace safety in the RMG sector of Bangladesh. The purpose of this commentary is to explore the risks of such fatal events and how best to manage those risks.
Ashulia-like factory fires belong to the class of low frequency and high severity (LF-HS) operational risk events like earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorist attacks that can cause severe loss of life and damage to physical assets. They do not occur that commonly, but the consequences are fatal if and when they occur. In contrast, events such as mechanical failures, power outages, and work related injuries for individual workers are more commonplace but the consequences are not as severe.
Businesses typically manage operational risk in two principal manners. First, an operational risk control system is established to lower the chances of these events occurring in the first place and to reduce their potential severity. An operational risk committee oversees this process of measuring the risk on an ongoing basis, instituting physical measures and managerial action plans and controls, and monitoring the readiness and effectiveness of the overall risk control system. Second, since LF-HS events may still take place, businesses also purchase operational risk insurance to withstand such losses. Additionally, they often allocate and maintain operational risk capital as a buffer. The operational risk insurance and capital are funded solely by the business, and are different from work related compensation plans that cover contingencies (like accidental death or dismemberment) that are more commonplace, limited to one or at most a few employees in any one such event, and the employees typically contribute to such a plan.
Let us now review the Ashulia factory fire (AFF) from the above operational risk management perspective.
With more than 110 lives lost, the AFF is clearly one of the highest severity events in the worldwide RMG industry. According to Nilratan Halder (Financial Express, December 1, 2012), more than 200 people died over the last six years in Bangladesh and there were about 1,300 incidents in RMG factory fires. J. Ahmed and T. Hossain (Sri Lankan Journal of Management 14(1)) say that 263 people died in 9 RMG factory fires during 2001-2006. In contrast, factory fires are virtually non-existent in the RMG factories elsewhere including Vietnam and Nepal. Thus, the Bangladesh experience presents a lethal and uncommon combination of high frequency and high severity RMG factory fires. There is little doubt that this is primarily due to the lack of proper safety measures at the factories and the lax nature of enforcement of the mandatory safety standards by the government. In other words, prudent risk control, physical as well as managerial (RMG owners and related government agencies), is grossly inadequate.
While the nation and the families of the perished AFF workers grapple with the tragedy, the need for a national policy on operational risk control at RMG factories can hardly be overemphasised. A national policy should start with creating a National Operational Risk Board (NORB) with representation from the Parliament, related government ministries/agencies, RMG owners, foreign RMG clients, the RMG workforce, and home and foreign experts on operational risk management.
In addition to revisiting and resetting the proper safety standards, the NORB should set up the requirements of a mandatory operational risk control system at each RMG firm as well as at each factory that should be externally audited semi-annually if not quarterly by domestic and/or foreign firms qualified to do so. Much like the auditing of financial statements, no RMG firm or factory should be allowed to operate without due clearance from the external auditors as well as the NORB. NORB should also have a sub-committee responsible for developing and overseeing a plan of coordination and integration of the role and responsibilities of the pertinent government agencies including the areas of power, fire, water, labour, civil construction, roads and highways, health and medical services, and law enforcement.
While comprehensive and effective operational risk control is imperative in reducing the frequency and potential severity of factory fires, a fatal event like the AFF may still occur despite the best efforts. A principal concern in the aftermath of events like the AFF is adequate and immediate compensation for the families of the workers lost or injured. This purpose can be served well by the mandatory purchase of operational risk insurance and maintenance of a minimum amount of operational risk capital at the owner firms, both funded by the owner firm. To address moral hazard on the part of the owners, such operational risk insurance should have claim payout only to the families of workers (and not to the firm or its shareholders, creditors or clients) and the speedy disbursements of such funds should be overseen by the NORB.
To ensure compliance in this regard, forced reserving may be useful, whereby the Bangladesh Bank will withhold a sufficient amount of export revenue of an owner firm to pay for its operational risk insurance and to maintain the minimum operational risk capital. Since export revenues may be realised in creative ways, Bangladesh Bank should readily communicate to the NORB about any shortfall of required funds, and the NORB should then suspend the operations of a factory if the owner remains delinquent.
To conclude, as the nation grapples with the tragedy in the garment factory, it is important that a comprehensive national operational risk control policy and an operational risk insurance/capital programme are put in place as promptly as possible. This should lessen the exposure of the all important RMG sector to the high frequency high severity factory fires that continue to claim the lives of many workers, and could also materially hurt the vital export revenue due to client concerns about working conditions at the factories.
Errata: "GB could sell part or most of the 60 per cent remaining (after the GoB's 40 per cent) ownership stake .."
It should be: "GB could sell part or most of the 40 per cent remaining (after the GoB's 60 per cent) ownership stake .."
A recent ordinance of the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) to gain more control over the appointment of the Managing Director of the Grameen Bank (GB) has set off a furious worldwide debate about the legitimacy and the implications of the move for the future of the Nobel winning institution. The control move has assumed much importance since it is preceded by the removal of GB's Nobel-winning founder and long time Managing Director Dr Muhammad Yunus using a retirement rule that existed for long but was not applied until now. At the heart of the debate is the unique organisational form of GB and the role this uniqueness played in its widely admired achievements. A short digression in this regard is therefore very useful.
Is GB a government institution (not seeking profit) like the Bangladesh Bank (BB)? Is it a government-owned corporation (not seeking profit) like the Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB)? Is it a public enterprise (government owned but profit seeking) like the nationalised banks? Is it a shareholder-owned (seeking profit, shares may or may not be listed for trading) corporation like the private sector banks? Is it a non-profit private sector organisation like the non-governmental organisation (NGO)-type microfinance institutions? Is it a cooperative bank? Is it a mutual bank?
The answer is none of the above. GB has a unique hybrid form that has elements of different types of organisations. GB is profit seeking and shareholder owned organisation like a public enterprise and the private sector banks, but the GoB has only 3.0 per cent ownership (unlike a public enterprise) and GB is not an incorporated business with limited liability for the shareholders (unlike the private sector banks). Like the cooperative and mutual banks, GB's member/borrowers are its main clients and depositors. But GB's profits are not normally passed on to the member/borrowers in the form of reduced borrowing rate or increased deposit rate or cash dividends (unlike a cooperative bank) and GB has non-member depositors and the GoB as part owner (unlike a mutual bank). In sharp contrast to the above profit-seeking corporate and membership-oriented cooperative/mutual character, GB shares a very important feature with government institutions like the BB and the ICB, namely, GB was created in 1983 by a special act (not under a general act) that conferred important governance and operational control rights to the GoB, much in excess of and unrelated to its ownership proportion.
It is worthwhile to explore at this point the implications of the unique hybrid form of GB as an organisation. The cooperative/mutual/NGO like features of GB kept the central focus of GB activities on the interests of the member/borrowers rather than profit maximising non-client shareholders. However, to do this with no initial deposit and capital contribution by the member/borrowers, to expand the membership significantly, and to offer more and better services, GB needed to raise a large amount of funds at a low cost of funding during the early years. This is where the special nature of the GoB sponsorship and GB's corporation like ownership structure played a vital role. In 1983, when GB was formed, the GoB injected equity capital in exchange for about 60 per cent ownership with the remaining 40 per cent allocated to the member/borrowers. The nationalised banks were instructed to provide loans to GB, and GB raised additional funds from international sources primarily in the form of loans, all at low interest rates as the 1983 GB Act essentially offered guarantee for GB liabilities by the GoB. It is to be noted that as of 1983 it was not yet proven that the microfinance model of Dr Yunus would be viable with a large number of member/borrowers with no collateral and equity of their own. The principal asset in the balance sheet of GB was the loans to its member/borrowers that are of poor quality by normal credit standards and as such the credit worthiness of GB to raise funds was of poor quality as well.
In other words, absent the GOB's partial ownership and its guarantee to backup GB loans, it is quite doubtful that GB could raise at the time the necessary funds at a low cost, the low cost being necessary to cover the high administrative costs of the microfinance model while keeping the interest rate at reasonable level for loans to the member/borrowers. While GB could sell part or most of the 60 per cent remaining (after the GoB's 40 per cent) ownership stake to local and foreign institutional investors, such an action would have taken away the majority representation of the member/borrowers in the Board of Directors and hence overall management of GB, very importantly including the selection of the Managing Director of GB. Without the majority representation by the member/borrowers and the selection of the Managing Director by the Board of Directors and not the Chairman, as is typical in a private corporation, one has to wonder whether GB's visionary founder-leader Dr Yunus could have continued as the Managing Director for as long as he did and as such whether GB would have turned into one of the most successful financial institution in the history of banking as it admirably did.
In this context, it is very important to recognise the very positive role the various regimes of the GoB have played, until now of course, in the governance of GB. Interestingly, the positivity comes from a historically passive, but facilitating, role of the GoB. By and large, successive regimes of the GoB have accommodated the various statutory changes requested by GB, including the crucial one that allowed GB to become a depository institution that can accept deposits from non-members as well. On the operations side, the GoB regimes permitted GB to expand its portfolio of services and investments without much of a hitch. In a nut shell, the GoB regimes awarded Dr Yunus utmost flexibility in building the world acclaimed institution that GB is today. Importantly, this flexibility included the continuation of Dr Yunus as the Managing Director beyond the stipulated retirement age for public employees although it remains controversial whether Dr Yunus was legally a public employee. In fact, the historical role of the GoB in the development of GB constitutes an exemplary case of optimal level and manner of government intervention in an otherwise free enterprise system. It has indeed been a virtuous trinity for socio-economic development, a path breaking concept of enterprise, a visionary leader and successive government regimes that passively facilitated the development of the enterprise, as and when needed, instead of actively governing or managing it.
In the backdrop of this history-making virtuous trinity and with the enforced departure of GB's visionary leader, the latest ordinance of the GoB to empower the government appointed Chairman of GB (instead of the Board of Directors) to select its Managing Director can only loom monstrous. Not only the move disenfranchises the 8.3 million poor and mostly female members of GB who now owns 97 per cent of GB, it represents a radical departure from the historical passive and facilitating role of the GoB in the management and governance of GB. Inevitably someday someone had to step into the shoes of Dr Yunus, and it is also entirely possible that the next GoB (via the Chairman) selected Managing Director will be the best qualified leader available, and both the GoB and the new Managing Director would have the wisdom of not toying with the proven and time tested business model of GB. But that possibility is just that, not a guarantee, nor even a reasonable expectation.
This is because the unique form of GB has been changed drastically by the latest ordinance since the GoB has effectively assumed operational control of GB as in the case of the public enterprises. As worldwide history would have it, enterprises operated by governments are rarely the most successful ones. Considering the dismal record of the GoB operated enterprises in particular, all well-wishers of GB, especially the vast army of member/borrowers, have good reasons to be terrified about the future of GB. Even greater than the risk of poor management by the GoB is the risk of instability in the GoB management goals, principles and priorities as the GoB regimes change or the preferences of the same regime shift. As a matter of fact, the latest ordinance itself demonstrates how the preferences of the same GoB regime can change abruptly and dramatically.
In this context, one argument to justify the assumption of operational control by the GoB is that, in the absence of Dr Yunus, the nine representatives of the member/borrowers (in the thirteen-member Board of Directors including the GoB appointed Chairman) do not have the necessary qualification and wisdom of making important decisions such as the selection of the Managing Director. And this could indeed be the case with a specific set of the nine representatives. However, such possibilities always exist in any shareholder owned corporation anywhere in the world where the Directors are elected by the shareholders. If at all, the representatives of the GB member/borrowers perhaps command more direct experience and knowledge of the micro level challenges and prospects of the microfinance bank than the elected directors in a typical corporation. Further, in countries with poor literacy rate like that of Bangladesh, democratic governments are elected by the popular support of voters who do not have any more qualification and wisdom than the member/borrowers of GB.
Shouldn't this be taken to mean that the collective wisdom of a large body of electorate, albeit of questionable wisdom at the individual level, is a better choice than the greater individual wisdom of a select few?
To conclude, the unique institution of GB is no more. The member/borrowers and the people of Bangladesh are left helplessly pondering if their prized institution could remain the pride of the nation and for how long.
Mo Chaudhury is Professor of Practice in Finance at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. His 27-year experience includes teaching and research in finance at reputable universities in Canada and USA and financial risk management of two large financial institutions based in USA.


Dell have announced a slew of product refreshes at this year's CES in Las Vegas.
"CES is the first show of the year, and with January often marked by ambitious resolutions, Dell comes to CES with new products that empower people to fulfill their highest potential," said Sam Burd, president, Client Solutions Group, Dell.
The biggest new addition to the company's mainline of work PCs this year is the Latitude 7400 2-in-1. The Latitude 7400's signature feature is the incorporation of a proximity sensor enabled by Intel's Context Sensing Technology.
According to Dell, this feature allows the device to detect user presence, wakes the system, and immediately scans for facial recognition to log in with Windows Hello. Then, when a user steps away for a break, it's also able to recognize that they have left and then automatically lock itself to preserve battery life and maintain security.
Dell are also talking the device up as "the world's smallest commercial 14-inch 2-in-1 PC. Dell also say it'll provide 24 hours of battery life on a single charge and support ExpressCharge - allowing it to regain 80% battery life in a single hour.
The other big hardware announcement here is that the company's flagship Dell XPS 13 (our Editor's Choice pick for best Professional PC for 2017 AND 2018) will be getting a minor facelift.
The "new" Dell XPS 13 features 8th Gen Intel Core processors, a top-mounted webcam and a slightly-improved InfinityEdge display with support for Dolby Vision HDR content.
Last but not least, there's also a new addition to the company's Inspiron line. Available in both 13-inch and 15-inch variants, the Dell Inspiron 7000 2-in-1 features aluminum body, narrow bezels and a diamond-cut finish. The PC also comes bundled with Dell's Active Pen stylus and a fingerprint reader built into the keyboard.
Under the hood, the PC also features what Dell are calling "Adaptive Thermal" tech.
According to the company, this lets the laptop to adjust its performance profile based on how a customer is holding it. One example they cite is that it could lower heat output if you're watching a movie while sitting the Inspiron 7000 on your legs and crank it up if it's been left on a desktop. It's unclear how the mechanics of this feature work. We'll reach out to Dell for more info and report back.
The new Dell XPS 13 will be available February, starting at $899.99 on Dell.com and Microsoft.com. Dell say it'll also be available in limited quantities through select Microsoft stores.
Dell Latitude 7400 2-in-1 will be available early March, starting at $1599.
Dell Inspiron 7000 2-in-1 will be available early May but has no confirmed pricing at this time.
Which Dell Laptop Should I Buy?


Pastor James leads this study through various topics every Sunday @9am. Through January and February, we'll be in a series called "Liturgy: The Blueprints of Worship." Ever wondered why we worship the way we do? Do we have to worship that way? Where does it even come from? Did some monk somewhere just make it all up?
3 yr. preschoolers - 4th graders meet every Sunday @9am downstairs!
5th graders - 12th graders meet on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month @9am in the Youth Room!


When: Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Full day of 4-H project focused workshops for all ages! Regional interviews for Regional Representatives candidates and top NW Regional Missouri Recognition Form candidates.
Registration is available on 4HOnline for current 4-H members. Fee $10 for all participants including lunch and workshop materials. Child care available for youth 1-4 years of age. Full day workshops for Clover Kids.


text:
Q: Can I change the port for SSH on a hosted server? I am changing over to a hosted server and I want to use non-standard ports for SSH. Is this possible? Wouldn't I have to have access to the router, in order to forward ports?

A: It depends on the provider's setup. Maybe the support staff can configure the router for you upon request; in any case you'll have to configure the ssh server as well.
ssh server port is usually configured in /etc/ssh/sshd_config (man sshd_config(5)) using the "Port" directive, as follows:
Port 22

Should you need to test if additional or different ports are allowed by your provider's firewall, you can have the server listening to multiple ports just by using multiple "Port" directives.
Do not forget to reload your sshd server after editing the file.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


There's a clear climate of enforcement in India currently. The stepped-up enforcement efforts include investigations by revenue authorities into cash transaction trends after demonitization, the revenue department issuing notices on Benami act, and a crackdown by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on shell companies.
With ongoing and ensuing (in the coming months) elections in multiple states and the central elections in April-May 2019, there will be more instances of questionable political contributions, cash for vote schemes, and incidents around money laundering for election spending, all leading to a likely increase in enforcement activity.
Some business spending during the campaign activity is likely to be classified as marketing or promotion -- some done through third parties, and actually being payments for services or activities not performed. For instance, payments for vehicles hired for road shows that were not conducted might fall into this category.
Some of this spending may also happen under extortionate circumstances, where a compliance officer doesn't have any information or knowledge about the events or the circumstances in which they occur.
A compliance officer's role is ever evolving. Every peice of information that helps a compliance officer understand the compliance challenges and prevent or detect them before they impact the reputation of the organization is critical.
Overall, a focussed approach that includes close observation of media reports about investigations, and reports of government enforcement, can act as a critical risk-management and early warning tool to protect the organization's compliance program.
Sundar Narayanan, pictured above, is a forensic accountant based in India. He currently leads the forensic services of SKP Business Consulting LLP. He can be reached at snarayanan@skpgroup.com.
Would the companies described in the post even have a compliance officers position that is not a puppet?


text:
Internet & E-Commerce /
Business Ecosystems, Cloud Services, Colocation, Data Exchange, Data Security, Enterprise, Financial Services, Interconnection, International Business Exchange (Ibx®) Data Centers
About Equinix
Equinix was incorporated in 1998 and is located in Redwood City, United States. The company specialises in Business Ecosystems, Cloud Services, Colocation, Data Exchange, Data Security, Enterprise, Financial Services, Interconnection, International Business Exchange (Ibx®) Data Centers with an estimated revenue and employee in the range of $1,000 to $10,000 million and 5001-10000 respectively.
Industry: Internet & E-Commerce
Headquarter: Redwood City, California
Website: https://www.equinix.com/
Equinix Contacts
Classification of Equinix Contacts as per Designation Label:
Classification of Equinix Contacts by Functional Responsibility (Top 5):
Equinix Website Traffic Analysis
In February, 2020 equinix.com's total website visitor was 389731, declined by 38% from previous month. Some key metrics are Average time spent on site is 13 minutes, Bounce Rate is 55% and average page per visit is 1 respectively.
Time Spent 13 Minutes
Equinix Social Followers
Equinix Social Engagement
Number of Tweets 13K
Frequently Asked Question About Equinix
1. When was Equinix founded? Equinix was founded in 1998.
2. What Equinix do? Equinix specialize in Business Ecosystems, Cloud Services, Colocation, Data Exchange, Data Security, Enterprise, Financial Services, Interconnection, International Business Exchange (Ibx®) Data Centers.
3. How much revenue does Equinix generate? $1,000 to $10,000 million.
4. What is employee size of Equinix? 5001-10000 employees.
5. What is Equinix legal type? Equinix is a Public company.
6. Where is Equinix headquarter located? Equinix headquarter located in Redwood City California, United States.
7. How many contacts are available in Equinix? We have 6058 contacts in our database.
8. How many decision makers are available in Equinix? We have 722 decision makers in our database.
Equinix Email Verification
We Verified equinix.com server for email deliverability.
Domain equinix.com
ISP Equinix
Organization Equinix
Server Location California,San Jose,United States,North America
YY, Inc.
HQ China
YY, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is located in Guangzhou, China. The company specialises in Online Entertainment, Live Game Broadcasting, Social Platform, Online Games, and Real-Time Communication with an estimated revenue and employee in the range of $1,000 to $10,000 million and 1001-5000 respectively.
Incorporated in 2004, Facebook, Inc. belongs to the Internet & E-Commerce industry and specialises in Connectivity, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Machine Learning, Social Media, Augmented Reality, Marketing Science, Mobile Connectivity, and Open Compute. The company is located in Menlo Park, United States and has an estimated revenue and employee of More than $10,000 million and Above 10000 respectively.
Baozun Commerce, Inc.
Baozun Commerce, Inc. works in the Internet & E-Commerce industry, specialising in Ecommerce Services, Website Design & Development, Technology, Logistics, Supply Chain Management. The company was incorporated in 2007 and is located in Shanghai, China. Baozun Commerce, Inc. has an estimated revenue and employee in the range of $500 to $1000 million and 5001-10000 respectively.
Incorporated in 1999, Salesforce belongs to the Internet & E-Commerce industry and specialises in Enterprise Cloud Computing, Customer Relationship Management, Success Cloud, Learning and Tutorials, Sales, Service, Marketing. The company is located in San Francisco, United States and has an estimated revenue and employee of More than $10,000 million and Above 10000 respectively.
HQ Japan
Rakuten works in the Internet & E-Commerce industry, specialising in Baby & Kids Gear, Clothing, Accessories, Electronics, Travel & Vacation, Health & Beauty, Shoes & Handbags Stores, Home Improvement & Appliances. The company was incorporated in 1997 and is located in Setagaya, Japan. Rakuten has an estimated revenue in the range of $1,000 to $10,000 million and employee of Above 10000 respectively.
HQ India
Incorporated in 2007, Flipkart belongs to the Internet & E-Commerce industry and specialises in E-Commerce, Online Shopping, PhonePe, Mobile Payments Service, Flight Booking. The company is located in Bangalore, India and has an estimated revenue in the range of $1,000 to $10,000 million and employee of Above 10000 respectively.
HQ South Africa
Incorporated in 1915, Naspers belongs to the Internet & E-Commerce industry and specialises in B2C e-commerce, Classifieds, Edtech, Media, Payments, Ventures, Video Entertainment. The company is located in Cape Town, South Africa and has an estimated revenue and employee of More than $10,000 million and Above 10000 respectively.
Akamai Technologies
Akamai Technologies was incorporated in 1998 and is located in Cambridge, United States. The company specialises in Content Delivery Network, Cybersecurity, Cloud Service Provider, Web & Mobile Performance, Dynamic Site Accelerator, IP Application Accelerator (IPA), Edge DNS with an estimated revenue and employee in the range of $1,000 to $10,000 million and 5001-10000 respectively.
Incorporated in 2008, Groupon belongs to the Internet & E-Commerce industry and specialises in community, customers, e-commerce, local commerce, marketing, social media, technology. The company is located in Chicago, United States and has an estimated revenue in the range of $1,000 to $10,000 million and employee of Above 10000 respectively.
Plarium
HQ Israel
Incorporated in 2009, Plarium belongs to the Internet & E-Commerce industry and specialises in Free-to-Play, Mobile & Social Games, Online Games, Social Gaming. The company is located in Herzliya, Israel and has an estimated revenue and employee in the range of $50 to $500 million and 1001-5000 respectively.
MyHeritage was incorporated in 2003 and is located in Or Yehuda, Israel. The company specialises in Family History, Family Network, Family Tree, Genealogy, Photo Sharing, Social Network with an estimated revenue and employee in the range of $5 to $10 million and 201-500 respectively.
Yebhi.com
Yebhi.com works in the Internet & E-Commerce industry, specialising in eCommerce, Logistics, Online Services, Online Shopping, Retail. The company was incorporated in 2009 and is located in Gurgaon, India. Yebhi.com has an estimated revenue and employee in the range of $50 to $500 million and 501-1000 respectively.
Share Equinix Information:

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Are you an immigrant waiting for permanent residence in the country you have chosen to live? It is a long process and a hard one at that. You have to know the ins and outs of being approved as a citizen. You need the help of legitimate persons who will help you in processing your papers. If you do not have knowledge of how to go about the whole process, you need to seek help from trusted and reliable lawyers and agencies.
This is also true when you apply for a visa to visit or go to another country. If you do not know the proper way of processing your papers, better seek help and advice to trusted people and agencies that know how.
Be informed, however, that there are criminals who use these reasons to harass people. We do not know, really, how these people are able to detect and know people who are applying for visas or are waiting for citizenship. However which way they knew, they will harass you to get your money and/or your identity. What they do is call you and pretend that they are from the embassy and rob you of your cash, identity, and privacy.
What you need to do is to keep yourself safe. Drop the call altogether because you know that this affair is being handled by your trusted lawyer or agency. No matter what reason or purpose the caller tells you, drop the call. Do not let yourself be misguided. Do phone number lookup to know about he phone number that called you, check reviews & the person making the unsolicited call. Contact the lawyer or agency handling your visa to let them know.
During times like this, it is best not to panic. Trust yourself and your instinct. Never decide hastily on anything. Always keep your presence of mind and never let let your guards down. Know whom to trust and do your own research and homework. Being informed and knowledgeable gives you an edge to protect and defend yourself.


2008 January — To Be Determined. . .
I escaped. I am catching up on local posts at the Atlanta Bread Company in N. Chuck and generally enjoying not having any children trying to perch on me as I type. If only this were a regular escape and not due to screwing up and mixing up the time of an appointment.
I believe it is time for me to begin making an effort to pay more attention to my actions. I've grown quite careless in recent weeks and I am not sure when it began. Each time I prepare a meal, I recreate the scene in The Sixth Sense where the cupboard doors and drawers open each time the mother turns around. Sure it's a mostly harmless quirk, but it may be a symptom of an underlying issue.
I wonder if I'm that inattentive while cooking, how am I doing while driving? Don't answer that.
I promise I'm still here. Kadie's death took me much longer to process than I imagined. Yesterday was the first day I didn't feel as though I were moving through molasses. I cannot imagine how her family is carrying on.
Tonight is the first time since it happened that I'll be seeing others not involved with this event. It will be nice to get out.
Ever since I showed this clip to Tim, taking pictures for Home Ec has become much more entertaining. In an ironic twist, if I get frustrated trying to get a good shot he'll ask, "Did you scream at it?" It's amusing, if nothing else.
I had a last chance to call to see how you were doing, to stop by, to see the baby, to do more than say we'd get together again soon; it passed and I didn't know it until I got the phone call today. I keep going through my hard drive. Searching.
I know there was a picture of you happy, smiling with your baby girl. I can't find it, I know I didn't take it long ago. I remember meaning to e-mail it, so you could see yourself as I see you. I didn't know it'd be the last.
My heart isn't letting me believe what is on the news and in the paper. It doesn't make any sense.
Someone tell me I wasn't blind to a cry for help.
I think of your baby, cold, in last night's rain. You had hoped it would snow.
Did you know that we hear every train that roars by?
Isn't declaring "I'm voting for Clinton because she's a woman!" just as blatantly sexist as "I'm not voting for Clinton because she's a woman!"?
Back to your regularly scheduled doldrums.
Most of the world is still sleeping. While I know better, the dog insists he hasn't been let out for days and if he doesn't get out this moment, he will wake the whole house.
There is only drip, drip, drip of fog condensing on tree branches, muffled stillness, quiet rumble of a train rolling by.
I stand in the darkened driveway waiting, it is peaceful here. Until it is shattered by the piercing whine of a two year old emanating from the house.
I sometimes wish the dog would take longer.
I hope everyone's celebration was safe and enjoyable. We didn't do anything other than gorge on bacon wrapped jalapenos. Which I am and will be regretting for a while. They were worth it.
Yesterday was a landmark day for me. Not only did I take all three kids out in public by myself, we went to several stores, and I took them to lunch at a sit down place where we managed to neither destroyed the premises nor run off the other customers.
It was a proud, proud day. It was also absolutely beautiful so we soaked up some fresh air and sunshine at a park.
Strangely enough no one melted down immediately after an elderly lady complimented the boys' manners. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.


text:
ELN PEACE
TRÁFICO DE MADERA
Home ᐳ News ᐳ Brief ᐳ Santos is 1st Colombian President to Visit Birthplace of FARC Rebels
Santos is 1st Colombian President to Visit Birthplace of FARC Rebels
COLOMBIA / 19 SEP 2011 BY HANNAH STONE EN
Juan Manuel Santos became the first Colombian president to visit the site where the FARC rebel group was created in the 1960s, and issued a call for peace in the country.
In a move which displayed the government's increased hold on former rebel territory, Santos visited Marquetalia, an area in the central Tolima department where the rebel group was formed in 1964.
The president declared that no zone in Colombia was off limits to the security forces, a significant claim given that during the 1990s the FARC controlled at least 40 percent of the country's area, much of this in the southern and central regions.
Deceased founder of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Pedro Antonio Marin Marin, alias "Manuel Marulanda," occupied the zone together with a small group of peasant fighters until government troops forced them out in 1964. This event is considered to mark the founding of the rebel army, which has now been active in Colombia for 47 years.
Santos repeated his call for the guerrillas to surrender, saying that their only other options were "death or prison."
He said that the FARC had lost more than 4,500 members in 2011, with 2,200 demobilized, almost 2,000 captured and 500 killed. Guillermo Leon Saenz, alias "Alfonso Cano," is thought to be hiding out in the Tolima department, harried by government forces. Santos has promised that Saenz will be taken down, saying that the government knows where the guerrilla chief is.
The president's landmark visit followed a weekend in which at least four people died and 21 were injured in attacks attributed to the FARC.
COLOMBIA FARC TIMOCHENKO
TIMOCHENKO
A Roaring Trade: Wildlife Trafficking in Colombia's Amazon
COLOMBIA / 15 SEP 2021
While not as lucrative as illegal mining, wildlife trafficking is still a multimillion-dollar business.
GameChangers 2021: COVID Chaos, Corruption, Deforestation and Synthetic Drugs
Welcome to InSight Crime's Criminal  GameChangers 2021, where we highlight the most important trends in organized crime in the Americas over the course…
Exploring Illegal Mining in Colombia's Amazon
AUC / 8 SEP 2021
As gold prices have skyrocketed, criminal groups once solely dedicated to the trafficking of drugs and arms have moved into…


So if you're a convicted killer of two policemen and twice deported, and you want to enter the US illegally again, you get something of a pass from the networks and the elite print media. BTW, he's a serious mental case, as demonstrated by his broad smile as the murder verdict was read. Decades ago, before information was digital and broadly and almost instantly accessible, there was a very disturbed guy who had been locked up on multiple occasions, and he also went on to murder two people. It would have been nice to figure out a way to keep him out of Texas.
This entry was posted on Monday, November 5th, 2018 at 5:08 pm	and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
They banned the ad because they thought it would be effective. The excuse was "racism".
One wonders if the networks aren't taking their cue from the social networking sites that censor anything they damn well please?
One also wonders if they won't eventually censor all GOP ads? After all, if a Republican is racist/white supremacist by definition, why would you allow him to buy ad time to spread his "hate"?
. . . And the networks never had a problem with dems showing ads like the GOP candidate pushing wheelchair-bound grandma over a cliff. Funny, that.


Mu-Jeong Kho: The petition for the release of Spain's political prisoners and for fair elections in Catalonia on December 21st.
The Chair of the IPEAD, Mu-Jeong Kho (academic affiliation: University College London) joined the petition below for the release of Spain's political prisoners and for fair elections in Catalonia on December 21st.
To view the petition, please click this link or pdf file.
To view the lists of academics (including Mu-Jeong Kho) supporting freedom and democracy in Catalonia, please click the link or this pdf file.
In the wake of the Referendum on Independence and the subsequent Catalan Parliament's proclamation of independence, the Spanish government dissolved the Catalan Parliament, deposed the Catalan government, and arrested eight members of the cabinet, including its vice-president. Although Spain has tried to extradite Catalonia's president and the remaining four ministers, who are currently in Belgium in an effort to ensure a fair hearing, their efforts have been so far unsuccessful. The Spanish prosecutor's comparison of the October 1st referendum on Catalan independence with an "armed coup d'état" reveals Spain's untenable position.
The Spanish government's appeal to the rule of law cannot disguise a political persecution of an extent and intensity not seen since the Franco dictatorship. The government's obvious goal is to not only instill fear in the Catalan people by censorship, arrests and threats before the referendum, but also by the overwhelming brutal police violence that was visited upon peaceful voters on October 1st itself. Furthermore, this has continued since the referendum, by extending judicial persecution to civil servants, mayors, teachers, journalists, and any person who voices opinions on behalf of the citizens' peaceful exercise of their democratic rights.
Spanish president Mariano Rajoy has called for snap elections in Catalonia on December 21st, while prominent members of his government and the Senate have simultaneously declared their intention to ignore any victory of pro-independence parties. Even without the incarceration of prominent political leaders and would-be candidates, their mistreatment in custody and persistent far-right violence against journalists and citizens, the response of the Spanish government is hardly creating a climate in which fair and free elections can be properly held.
Stop condoning Spain's undemocratic behaviour, including its misuse of the courts, its takeover of Catalan government institutions, its police violence, and its turning of a blind eye toward the more than one hundred incidents of far-right violence that have appeared after every unionist march.
Guarantee Catalans' civil and political rights as European citizens, including the freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and freedom of political expression, which are currently being violated with impunity by the Spanish State.
Demand that Spain release the ten political prisoners currently in Spanish jails, whose summary judgement hearings and subsequent preventative 'custody' in prison cells is a travesty of European democracy, and whose participation in the election cannot be fairly executed from jail.
Guarantee that no person or party will be prohibited from participating in the elections in Catalonia, and that Spain will not dictate which electoral programs are acceptable.
Provide accredited international observers to ensure that the imposed December 21st elections in Catalonia are carried out fairly and honestly.
The only peaceful solution to the conflict between Spain and Catalonia is a democratic one. It is time for the European and International communities to assert their influence in insisting that Catalan citizens be given the chance to express their opinion over the future of their country freely and democratically without fear of retribution in the courts, by police or by far-right extremists.
This petition will be considered one of the contents of the Mu-Jeong Kho's forthcoming book, 'Economists in Manifesto'.
Japan Association for Social Policy Studies (JASPS) release the members of the society.
Japan Association for Social Policy Studies (JASPS, 日本社会政策学会; http://www.jasps.org, founded in 1897) recently released the members of the society. Mu-Jeong Kho is one of the members with a specialty of Labor-Management Relations and Labor Economy.
Please first click here for more information.
And also click here as well.
As a straight outcome of this achievement, Heidi Hartmann and Michael Reich, who are the authors of the petition below, have sent the petition to the American Economic Association (AEA) today. A press release--More than 1,000 Economists impulse the AEA to Address Misogyny in the Field - has gone out this morning from the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) announcing the success of the petition.
As professional economists, we have been disturbed by recent reports concerning the inappropriate and sexist comments made on the Economics Job Market Rumors (EJMR) website.
Exhortations by some economists to boycott EJMR or to change the culture of the profession, desirable as those may be, do not go far enough. No one can shut down the EJMR site. We call upon the AEA to provide an alternative site-- which could be called AEA Job Market Data.
Economics Departments that use JOE or the job market at the annual meeting would be asked or required to provide detailed information on their job/candidate search and matching process, by individual name, for their own openings--interviewees at the AEA, call-backs, placements, offers extended and accepted, and so on. The AEA should devise methods to protect job candidate privacy while maintaining the added value of the site.
Placement officers and personnel committee members at many departments already collect much of this information on their competitors.
These data would improve transparency and fairness in the job market, especially for women and minority economists. Crowd-sourcing and scraping department web pages to obtain these data are already prevalent--but only available on EJMR or partially by personal effort. Unlike EJMR, an AEA-sanctioned site would not be rumor-based.
The AEA should release and widely disseminate a public statement that condemns the treatment of women economists on the site and should also reaffirm its commitment to increasing the diversity and geographical reach of the AEA in addition to supporting the professional development and interests of economists, teachers and students."
This petition has been released to the media: the Wall Street Journal, IWPR, etc.
For further information, please read the paper released by Alice Wu (2017) Labor Lunch: Gender Stereotyping Academia: Evidence from Economics Job Market Rumors Forum.
p.s. The Chair of the IPEAD, Mu-Jeong Kho (academic affiliation: University College London) also joined this Petition to the AEA regarding the Economics Job Market Rumors (EJMR) website. This petition will be treated in Mu-Jeong Kho's new book to come, titled 'Economists in Manifesto'.
Available as well: please click this link.
The conference is titled as 'Building Bridges in a Complex World: A Radically Different Kind of Conference' which will be held in the sunny Chania, Crete, Greece in the period of 6-8 July 2017.
As one can see the programme, the Building Bridges has received overwhelming numbers of presenters over the globe armed with very interesting topics.
If the link for the booklet above is not properly operating, please click this link.
Mu-Jeong Kho (Academic Affiliation: University College London), the Chair of the Institute for Political Economy and Development (IPEAD) , finally received an acceptance letter for his very short abstract & paper submitted to Building Bridges - Interdisciplinary Conference: Building Bridges in a Complex World, which is held in CHANIA, CRETE, GREECE | 6-8 July 2017.
The Invitation Letter from the Building Bridges Conference Committee to Mu-Jeong Kho, please click this link.
The Building Bridges Conference Guidelines and Timetable: Please click this link.
We are a network of academics and practitioners motivated by our work experiences inside and outside of Europe. With this being the first conference, we are hoping to turn this into an annual gathering to build bridges on three different levels: between theorists and practitioners, between people from different disciplines and between people from different parts of the world.
The IPEAD's Chair Mu-Jeong Kho (academic affiliation: University College London) had his conference paper's presentation at the 59th Annual WSSA-AFIT Conference, San Francisco (Hyatt Recency Embarcadero), CA, the USA.
Mu-Jeong Kho's Conference paper has been considered one of the very significant topics in the context of enduring influence of Thorstein Veblen, and particularly in Economics and also its relevant association such as Association for Institutional Thought (AFIT).
3. Please click this link 1 and link 2, if one wants to see the Linked Open Data (LOD) from the National Library of Korea.
4. If one wants to see Mu-Jeong Kho (고무정 in Korean) at the National Library of Korea, please click this link1 and link2.
Please click link1 and Link2.
The Chair of the Institute for Political Economy and Development (IPEAD), Mu-Jeong Kho (the academic affiliation: The University College London) listed in the European Economists for an Alternative Economic Policy in Europe.
Mu-Jeong Kho's paper has been selected to be included in the Association for Institutional Thought (AFIT) program at the Western Social Science Association conference to be held from April 12-15, 2017 in San Francisco, California, at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero.
You can find Mu-Jeong Kho and his presentation topic at the conference.
To download the JSPE News No. 18, please click this link.


text:
Q: Laravel: returning null from input::get() I need a dynamic form, which is created depending on database entries. To input the data into the database, this also needs to be dynamic. For some reason I am getting null in the value of my form.
My form loop
@foreach ($keyAccounts as $keyAccount)
        {{ Form::label($keyAccount->name, $keyAccount->name.':', array('class' => '')) }}
        {{ Form::text($keyAccount->name)}}

    @endforeach

which returns
hsbc dad:
        <input name="hsbc dad" type="text" id="hsbc dad">

                sdsad:
        <input name="sdsad" type="text" id="sdsad">

                dfffff:
        <input name="dfffff" type="text" id="dfffff">

When my form is submitted it calls on the actions controller and runs the following code
foreach($keyAccounts as $keyAccount){
        $assignedAccount = new AssignedAccount;
        $assignedAccount->contribution_id = $last_con_id->contribution_id;
        $assignedAccount->key_account_id = $keyAccount->key_account_id;
        $assignedAccount->year_to_date = Input::get($keyAccount->name);
        $assignedAccount->save();
    }

I am getting the year_to_date variable is null in an SQL error, even though the data is filled out.
here is my var_dump of the Input::get()
NULL string(1) "3" string(1) "3"

I don;t know why but the first entry is null. There is a total of three entries in the database, and no name variable is null

A:
Automated conversion to underscores where the space character is present.  Remove the space character or convert to underscore.  Try Input::get('hsbc_dad')
Heres another example


text:
You are at:Home»Reviews»Review: Roger Dubuis Excalibur Star of Infinity
Review: Roger Dubuis Excalibur Star of Infinity
By Peter Chong October 6, 2015 No Comments
The Roger Dubuis Star of Infinity. The jewel setting is very fine, and a huge number of carats lavished on a double tourbillon makes this a very extravagant, over the top bold watch. Catch phrases which Roger Dubuis use to describe herself.
Roger Dubuis remains quite an enigma in the world of haute horlogerie. Her products range from the incredulous to the truly spectacular. We have featured some of them here, here and here. And to build on the extravagance of many of their creations, we bring you the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Star of Infinity.
Roger Dubuis: Controversial Brand? or Agent Provocateur?
The brand was born out of the hands of the respected genius of Mr. Roger Dubuis. And have had a rather turbulent history seeing its ownership wrestled from Mr. Dubuis, and falling into the hands of the colourful and unstoppable Carlos Dias. It was then taken over by Richemont Luxury, and Georges Kern was immediately put in charge as caretaker CEO in October 2010. Richemont then appointed the current CEO, Jean-Marc Pontroué in 2011, and as observers, we must say that we are liking the progress. The catchphrase of being provocative, bold and over the top applies in spades.
Roger Dubuis Star of Infinity
The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Star of Infinity
The spectacular, and horologically interesting double tourbillon evolved once again. I photographed the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Double Tourbillon for Revolution Magazine and showed the off-take photographs here. To that already incredible base, Roger Dubuis now adds some brilliants.
The star shaped bridge, is made more obvious by encrusting it with magnificent diamonds (34 diamonds on the star), and the other bridges are made rhodium black to allow the star to shine even brighter. The way the diamonds are worked into the design is very artful and aesthetically pleasing. A total of 312 diamonds weing a total of 15 carats are added.
We are rather impressed with how Roger Dubuis inserted the brilliants. This is the new way of inserting diamonds into a watch, increasing its value, rather than the more traditional way of merely encrusting the case, bezel with baguette diamonds or creating a pave dial. Magnificent. This effect is definitely observable, even on the photographs.
A wallpaper sized image (1920pixels x 1200pixels) is available by clicking here. In so doing you agree to a zero cost license to use on the conditions that the use is limited only to non-profit, non-commercial personal purposes, and that you agree not to modify the image in any way.
The movement is the the RD01SQ, which is based on Roger Dubuis's flagship Excalibur Double Tourbillon, and features a hand wound skeletonized movement with double tourbillons. The tourbillons both make 1 revolution every minute, and do so in the same direction. The stylized cage, showing the signature RD shape is magnificently black polished, and is mesmerising to the observer as it spins.
The double tourbillons. Mesmerising. And nicely finished.
As with all Roger Dubuis offerings the Excalibur Star of Infinity is finished to Poinçon de Genève levels, and is accorded the seal.
The Excalibur case measures some 45mm in diameter and features the signature notched bezel and triple lugs. The watch sits quite comfortably on the wrist.
On the wrist, the watch commands a great presence with its diamonds, but equally important is that it sits well on the wrist, and is comfortable.
Further thoughts
Diamond encrusted watches are a dime a dozen…well, actually usually a million bucks a pop. The taste for high bling watches have subsided quite a bit. After the Russians's fascination, and recently with the increasing affluence and sophistication of the Chinese collector, they are becoming rather passé. But we think this Roger Dubuis Excalibur Star of Infinity breaks that mould of the generic diamond watch. It injects some artful thinking into the design. Adorn the signature star on the bridge with diamonds, darken the other bridges to allow the star to shine. And make up the bezel and case sides with more diamonds. And add the extravagance on an already highly specified and technical skeletonized Double Tourbillon movement.
And the catch phrases bold, over the top, provocative comes into focus once again. Even though this veteran author normally is not attracted to bejewelled watches, we must say he is at least intrigued. So Roger Dubuis: Agent Provocateur succeded! Touché!!.
Pricing is at an equally bold and provocative, over top S$1.09 million, it is available as a limited edition of 28 pieces.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Star of Infinity Specifications
Case, 45 mm, white gold, fully paved with baguette cut diamonds, 15.50mm thick;
Dial, openworked, flange and star set with baguette cut diamonds.
Total carat weight, 14.93 carats total.
Movement, caliber RD015SQ, hand wound, double tourbillon (both rotating once per minute). 16¾ lignes in diameter, 28 jewels, 50 hour power reserve.
diamonds double tourbillon roger dubuis
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Arthur Franklin Fuller (* 1880 in Chicago; † nach 1935) war ein US-amerikanischer Autor, Komponist und Diskriminierungsgegner.

Leben
Fuller, der Sohn eines Chorleiters, trat im Alter von sieben oder acht Jahren in den Chor der St James Church in Chicago ein, wurde später Solosopranist, trat in Konzerten auf und gewann etliche Preise. Nach dem Stimmbruch wirkte er kurzfristig als Chorleiter in der Episkopalkirche. Verschiedene Verletzungen und Krankheiten führten jedoch dazu, dass er ab 1899 solche Aufgaben nicht mehr wahrnehmen konnte: Unter anderem erlitt er laut eigener Aussage in seiner Jugend Unfälle beim Angeln und Baden, wurde von einem der Tollwut verdächtigen Hund gebissen und von einem Pferdehuf getroffen und stürzte schließlich schwer bei einer Art Mutprobe. 1897 entkam er mit knapper Not aus einem brennenden Gebäude, in dem er zu dieser Zeit arbeitete. Wenig später nahm er eine Stelle als Organist und Chorleiter in St. Paul's Cathedral in Fond du Lac (Wisconsin) an, gab diese Arbeit schließlich aber wegen Überlastung wieder auf. Seine nächste Position in Kingston (New York) trat er gegen den Rat seines Arztes an. Bald war er auch hier wieder als Organist und Komponist überaus beschäftigt und erlitt schließlich offenbar einen Herzanfall auf der Orgelempore. Da er sich von dieser Krankheit nur unzureichend erholte, konsultierte er zahlreiche Ärzte, die ihm aber nicht helfen konnten.

Fuller war schließlich nicht mehr in der Lage, zu gehen oder zu sitzen, und begann in einem hölzernen, überdachten Wagen, in dem er liegen konnte, durch die USA zu reisen und seine selbstverfassten Schriften und seine Kompositionen zu verkaufen. Er hatte dabei mit der Gesetzgebung zu kämpfen, die verbot, dass Behinderte sich in der Öffentlichkeit zeigten und Handel trieben bzw. gar bettelten, und musste, um seine Bücher zu verkaufen, regelmäßig den Ort wechseln. Seine Bemühungen, eine feste Arbeit zu finden, schlugen sich auch in zwei Filmauftritten nieder. Über Fullers Tod scheint nichts bekannt zu sein.

Werke
Fullers Werke trugen Titel wie An Odd Romance (1915), Fifty Thousand Miles Back-Ridden (1915) oder An Odd Soldiery (1915). Das letztgenannte Buch befasste sich vornehmlich mit dem Vorwurf der Hypochondrie, dem er sich ausgesetzt sah, weil seine verschiedenen Leiden niemals klar diagnostiziert wurden. Es enthielt auch Bilder, die Fuller in seinem Wagen liegend und von einem Assistenten begleitet zeigten. In diesem Werk bot er jedem Menschen, der ihn heilen könnte, 1000 Dollar an – allerdings nur unter der Voraussetzung, dass diese Summe im Falle des Misserfolgs ihm, dem Patienten, ausbezahlt würde. Befasste er sich in An Odd Soldiery einerseits intensiv mit seinen Leiden, so verfocht er hier andererseits die These, dass er als völlig normal anzusehen und als Musiker und Schriftsteller zu respektieren sei. Zu diesem Zweck war dem Band auch ein weiteres Bild beigegeben, auf dem keine Hilfsmittel oder sonstigen Hinweise auf seine körperlichen Einschränkungen zu sehen waren.

Fifty Thousand Miles Back-Ridden (1915) ist die Fortsetzung von An Odd Soldiery und schildert Fullers Reisen durch die USA und die Probleme, auf die er in den Städten stieß. In Brooklyn, wohin er 1910 von Jackson (Mississippi) aus gekommen sei, habe er es etwa mit John D. Godfrey zu tun bekommen, der für das Bureau of Charity und für die Polizei arbeitete und die Aufgabe hatte, "mendicant parasites" ("bettelnde Parasiten") aus dem Straßenbild zu entfernen. In einem Zeitungsartikel von 1905, der die COS (Charity Organisation Society) feierte, waren Godfreys Verdienste gerühmt worden, doch Fuller zeichnete ein kritisches Bild der COS und ihrer Abgesandten. Godfrey habe ihm in unmissverständlichen Worten erklärt, dass sein Anblick unerwünscht sei, und Fuller erhob Einspruch gegen die Prinzipien, die Godfrey verfocht: "Why should a cripple or afflicted man be compelled to have the public begged for him - why should he not beg himself?" Mit dieser Frage erhob er Einspruch gegen die "ugly laws", die es unansehnlichen Personen verboten, in der Öffentlichkeit zu betteln, obwohl er sich sonst häufig von der Masse der Bettler distanzierte und seine Verkaufstätigkeit auch nicht als Bettelei auffasste. Er wandte sich auch gegen Stimmungsmacher in Zeitungen, die den Bettlern unterstellten, heimlich Reichtümer zu horten und die Öffentlichkeit über ihre Lebenslage zu täuschen.

Im letzten Band seiner autobiographischen Schriften, Wrestling the Wolf (1919), beschrieb Fuller seine Bemühungen, selbstbestimmt von seiner eigenen Arbeit zu leben, statt in Institutionen versorgt zu werden.

Fuller schrieb neben den autobiographischen Büchern auch zahlreiche Gedichtbände und Liedtexte, zu denen er auch die Musik komponierte. 1935 kam eine Platte mit dem Titel The Ray of Sunshine mit Kompositionen für Gesang und Piano von Fuller heraus. Dorothy Kelleher war die Sängerin.

Ferner hatte Arthur Franklin Fuller kleine Rollen in zwei Filmen aus der Produktion von Cecil B. DeMille. We Can't Have Everything ist nicht erhalten geblieben, aber von Till I Come Back to You aus dem Jahr 1918 existiert noch eine Kopie. Fuller spielt in diesem Film einen verwundeten deutschen Soldaten.

Nachleben
Wiederentdeckt wurden Fullers Schriften von Susan M. Schweik im Zuge ihrer Studien zur diskriminierenden Gesetzgebung in den USA am Ende des 19. und Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts. Sie beschreibt sein Leben und seinen Kampf gegen die Gesetze und Institutionen in ihrem Werk The Ugly Laws.

Literatur
 Susan W. Schweik, The Ugly Laws. Disability in Public, New York und London 2009, ISBN 978-0-8147-4057-6, S. 263–278

Einzelnachweise

Autor
Komponist (Vereinigte Staaten)
Literatur (20. Jahrhundert)
Literatur (Englisch)
Literatur (Vereinigte Staaten)
Lyrik
Autobiografie
US-Amerikaner
Geboren 1880
Gestorben im 20. Jahrhundert
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia