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The City of Moncton's Story
Stories of inspiration
from people just like you...
How seniors are leveraging their strengths to help one community flourish
At any given moment around the City of Moncton, you'll find seniors actively engaged in their community. Doing a triangle pose during yoga in the park. Volunteering at a public event. Sharing their wisdom on planning committees. Seniors are actively involved and respected for the valuable contributions they make. It's a community where seniors aren't just included – they're integral to helping the city thrive!
The City of Moncton's Senior Advisory Committee has been a big part of this. Moncton has adopted an approach that's been internationally recognized. Their work on age-friendly initiatives hasn't just benefitted seniors, but everyone in the community. For example, collaboration between the Committee and the Leisure Services Department means that parks and public spaces have more benches to provide rest for seniors, new exercisers and young families. Businesses certified as being 'age-friendly' have designated parking and handrails for seniors and persons with disabilities, and staff are trained in how to serve clients with visual or hearing impairments. Stores have wider hallways and automatic doors that are helpful to seniors but also accommodate strollers.
"We've been very, very fortunate," says Flora Dell, long-time member of the Senior Advisory Committee. "The City of Moncton has been absolutely wonderful and supportive. Departments, like public safety, public works and recreation and transportation meet with us on a regular basis to look at things like snow removal, level sidewalks, more benches and rest places so that seniors can feel safe enough to be active in the community at all times of the year."
Another partnership with Downtown Moncton Centre Ville Inc. led to 48 businesses being certified as age-friendly! These businesses now do things like hold staff training on how to serve clients with visual or hearing impairments, keep aisles free of packing materials, print larger signs with prices and product information and have designated seniors' parking near the front doors. Businesses designated as being age-friendly receive a sign for their window, which is now a recognized symbol across the city.
The results are palpable. "People are out and about more," notes Flora. "If your community builds an environment where your streets and sidewalks are safe and if you know that there's a bench to rest on halfway along your walk to the store – it makes the environment more welcoming, not just for seniors but for young families, persons with disabilities, new exercisers and everyone else."
Seniors aren't just living safe, active lives, but they feel valued for what they bring to the community, like their energy, knowledge and experience. They feel included and considered in decisions. "We're saying you're part of our community. We want you to participate. We want you to communicate. And I think that's happening," says Flora.
The Moncton Seniors Advisory Committee in action.
Now you'll find seniors working on the Enhancing Democracy and the Public Safety Advisory Committees or assisting at an event held by the Mayor's Youth Committee. And the seniors are also the largest pool of volunteers who help keep important community events running smoothly.
The understanding that an age-friendly community would benefit both seniors and the community at large was the impetus for getting the Senior Advisory Committee started in 2004.
"When the mayor's Senior Advisory Committee was established, we had a lot of seniors come forward to express what they would like us to accomplish and we reached out to them in numerous ways to help give them a voice," notes Flora. Members of the Committee were chosen by the mayor to represent a cross-section of Moncton's citizenry.
To better understand the needs of seniors in the community, the Committee partnered with Université de Moncton to do a research study. The information collected by this survey formed the foundation of the 5-year action plan the Committee presented to city council. Once the action plan was approved, the Committee took no time getting down to work.
From making sure the needs of vulnerable individuals are met, that the new downtown centre has senior-friendly seating, to symposiums on healthy aging, the Committee has been working hard to ensure that seniors are safe, healthy and included in their community. And the Committee's hard work has paid off – in 2015, the City of Moncton was accepted into the World Health Organization's global network of age-friendly cities! And despite many partnerships and collaborations to balance, the road has been relatively smooth.
Accessibility for seniors has improved around the city.
"There has been so much cooperation between seniors and the different centres, like the Moncton Lions Community Centre and Crossman Community Centre, and city departments, like public safety, public works, recreation and transportation, that we've been able to accomplish so much in these years," says Flora. "It's really been encouraging. We feel really supported and it's contributed to the well-being of all our citizens."
Regardless of all their successes, the Committee knows there's still work to be done and they're motivated. They see how the work they're doing isn't just letting the strengths of seniors' shine but also creating a healthier, more inclusive community for everyone!
Read the City of Moncton's One Page Action Summary
Well it's time to take the next step! Find the resources you need to start your wellness story here!
Health & Wellness Group
Kevin's Story
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The Entrepreneurial Cafeteria Story
Rhéal's Story
Michelle's Story
Peggy's Story
Phil's Story


Students at the Saginaw Career Complex have the opportunity to earn college credit at Saginaw Valley State University through a new articulation agreement developed by both schools. It marks the first time SVSU has entered into such an agreement with a high school.
The arrangement is an outgrowth of an $855,000 grant SVSU received in 2009 from The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and its Learning and Enrichment to Advance Diversity of Registered Nurses program. Through 2012, up to 30 SVSU students (15 nursing and 15 pre-nursing) and 15 Saginaw Public Schools students will receive support each year to participate in mentoring, enrichment, and educational activities.
The articulation agreement was developed over the past year by faculty and staff from SVSU and SCC, based on a review of SCC courses that have content similar to some pre-professional courses offered at SVSU. It allows grant participants with a record of successful completion of selected nursing and health careers courses at SCC to enroll at SVSU with up to 4 hours of college credit.
Representatives of SVSU and Saginaw Public Schools will hold a signing ceremony to formalize the agreement Wednesday, June 23 at 2 p.m. in SVSU's Pioneer Hall.


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Councillors from all main parties on Nottinghamshire County Council have urged the government to take advantage of the 'paused' Midland Main Line £1.1bn electrification project to proceed with "cheaper" phase 2 track works.
In a letter to transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin MP, the four councillors leading the various political groups on the council said the "very modest" £200m track works – including schemes at Leicester and Derby and works funded by Network Rail's passenger journey improvement fund – should "proceed in full".
They wrote: "It is imperative that phase 2 of the works on the track should proceed in full. The works at Leicester that [ex transport secretary] Justine Greening specified in the CP5 HLOS are essential to the speed-up as they will eliminate a 15mph speed restriction, as well as providing sufficient extra capacity for the ongoing growth of freight services, and it is essential that those works proceed without delay.
"Doing them before the line is electrified will be cheaper than the original plan to do them afterwards, which would have required costly alterations to some electrification equipment."
Cllr Alan Rhodes, leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: "As the electrification is being delayed, it becomes even more important that other works on the track and signalling on the line at Market Harborough/Great Bowden, Leicester, Derby and other smaller locations are all carried out by 2019, and sooner if possible.
"These works will increase the speed limits that currently constrain trains, and so will reduce journey times for all passengers and improve our connectivity to London. They are also much simpler and cheaper to implement than full electrification and are the least that should be done."
The councillors said that works are necessary raise the linespeeds on the six miles between Trent and Nottingham, as trains currently have to travel at 45mph below their top speed.
They wrote: "Network Rail is already planning to replace level crossings on this section with bridges, after which only modest further works should be needed to allow speed to be raised.
"Again, it would be cheapest overall to raise these speeds before the line is electrified and the pause provides the perfect opportunity to follow this cost-effective course of action."
The letter reiterates their "disappointment" with the announced 'pause' of electrification works from London to Beeston and Nottingham and on up to south Yorkshire, particularly as they are already receiving "less investment than other main lines". It added that "the resumption date should be as early as possible".
Councillors also asked McLoughlin not to approve any further electrification works in other routes before works have resumed on the Midland Main Line, "as any such 'queue jumping' would be intolerable and counter to the declaration that works have been 'paused' rather than postponed".
Major railway suppliers join forces to form 'Rail Innovation Family'
A train journey on the Midland Main Line 15 years from now…
Grayling asks HS2 to prepare for electrification of 25km Midland Main Line route
'Milestone moment' as Kettering-Corby Line carries passengers
Campaign launched for £200m Midland Main Line resignalling project
Sheffield business leaders voice key concerns for East Midlands franchise
Maynard refuses to confirm 2023 deadline for Midland Main Line electrification
Carillion frontrunner to take over North West Electrification
East Midlands hints that HS2 support depends on MML electrification
Midland Main Line electrification 'paused'
Record 125mph reached on Midland Main Line test run
Go slow to speed up

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Cuba and Norway Ratify Their Commitment to Peace in Colombia
by Nadarajah Sethurupan	| @ | October 5, 2019 2:56 pm
Both nations expressed their concern about the resumption of the armed struggle by a faction of the FARC-EP previously deactivated guerrilla.
Human rights defenders, peace activists, politicians, priests and other social leaders formed the 'Let's Defend Peace' movement in Cartagena, Colombia, August 30, 2019. | Photo: EFE
Through a statement released on Friday, Cuba and Norway, the guarantor countries of the table of talks between Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (FARC-EP), ratified their commitment to peace in the South American nation.
"The Republic of Cuba and the Kingdom of Norway, guarantor countries of the table of conversations between the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP, which concluded with the signing of the Final Agreement for the Termination of the Conflict and the Construction of a Stable and Lasting Peace, reaffirm its commitment to the peace of Colombia and express deep concern about the resumpmtion of the armed struggle by some members of the FARC-EP."
These statements occur in a context in which the former leader of the demobilized FARC, Ivan Marquez, who was the FARC chief negotiator during the peace talks, announced on August 29 that he and a group of militants decided to start "new phase of the armed struggle". For the Colombian Government had betrayed the peace agreement.
In their joint statement, the guarantor countries of the dialogue process, which concluded with the Peace Agreements signed in Nov. 2016, highlighted their support to "all those who defend the Peace Process."
Besides confirming the validity of the 2016 Peace Agreement, the guarantor countries stressed that "its effective implementation and strict compliance is the way to preserve peace."
In order to make this happen, Cuba and Norway pointed out that it is important to protect the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, which was designed and agreed with the priority objective of guaranteeing truth, justice, reparation and non-repetition.
In turn, all parties should work to comply with commitments related to agrarian reform, illegal crops substitution, security and the full reintegration and reinstatement of former FARC-EP combatants to the civilian life.
Cuba and Norway reiterated once again their "willingness to continue supporting and accompanying efforts to achieve a stable and lasting peace in Colombia."
Filed under: Peace Talks	Tags: fe
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Peninsula Excelsior Hotel Singapore, Located in City Hall, Singapore.
The Peninsula·Excelsior Hotel is newly renovated but its old tradition of impeccable hospitality remains. With a comprehensive range of modern facilities and accommodation expected by today's discerning travellers and right in the heart of the city, it's a "home away from home".
In this sunny cosmopolitan potpourri we call Singapore, you will encounter an endless stream of exotic, smiling faces. One face, though, will seem strangely familiar. This is the face of the Peninsula Excelsior Hotel Singapore - newly revamped yet as always, boasting the most modern amenities and an atmosphere of friendliness that will fit a traveler's warmest memory of home.
Peninsula Excelsior Hotel Singapore is located in the hub of Singapore's business and leisure district. The Peninsula Excelsior Hotel is a 10 minute walk from the Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre ( Suntec City ) and the Marina district. Orchard Road is only 2 stops away by MRT. Just a stone's throw away is the historic Fort Canning, awe-inspiring temples and churches, Chinatown, National Museum and the familiar Singapore River.
The two towers of the Peninsula. Excelsior Hotel offer 600 tastefully decorated rooms and suites above 100 vibrant shopping units with a bird's eye view of the harbour.
Each room is furnished with colour TV, long bath and shower combination, self-coded safe, mini-bar, IDD/voice message telephone, coffee and tea-making facilities, electronic keycard system and high-speed broadband internet access.
Located on the top floor of Peninsula Tower. Some rooms come with a spectacular view of The Esplanade and the waterfront. Be it business or pleasure, these rooms will prove rewarding to the premium travelers.
The hotel flaunts its two separate and distinct swimming pools proudly.
There is a lot to do in Singapore that invigorate those weary muscles at the gym and spa so that you have energy to pound the pavements again the next day.
Our wide range of exercise equipment caters to all fitness levels and can be used for heavy duty workouts or simply the focus of chitchats and socializing. Let the swirling spa water ease away all your tensions and bring you into a state of bliss that can only be described as the Peninsula.Excelsior experience.
It is no coincidence that the hotel and café are built on the former residence of meticulous pioneer town planner George Coleman. Nothing in this kitchen is left to chance and dishes are lovingly prepared and served with a smile.
Open daily from 8.00am to 11.00pm. Relax on a lazy afternoon with some snacks, cakes and drinks in our resort setting lobby. Cool down with a beer or two during happy hours of 5.00pm to 9.00pm or simply enjoy our drink of the month.
A convenient meeting room can be made available for a comfortable and private business meeting. Cyberspace knows no boundaries and high speed internet connections satisfy your need to constantly be in touch with clients anytime, everywhere.
The latest business equipment, ranging from calculators to notebook can be easily rented for a small fee along with presentation aids like slide and overhead projectors. With all this help, you can be sure that your meeting runs like clockwork and the deal is closed in time for the party.


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Articles Tagged:
kirt mcmaster
Train wreck revealed by car crash (Or: Cyanogen Inc. is now Andrasta)
David Ruddock 2017/02/05
2:33pm PST Feb 5, 2017
A since-deleted tweet published by former Cyanogen CEO Kirt McMaster - who, I will note with great sadness, has apparently unblocked me on Twitter - shows an image of a damaged building and a thoroughly deformed Tesla. Also revealed in the photo is the site of what can only be described as an ongoing collision of money and poor decision-making, Cyanogen Inc, now apparently known as Andrasta.
We'd long suspected Andrasta was the new face of Cyanogen (this has been sitting in our to-do tracker well over a month pending confirmation), but McMaster's tweet last week confirmed it. See 'exhibit A,' a photo from McMaster's tweet.
[Updated] Steve Kondik blames Kirt McMaster for Cyanogen Inc's failure, CyanogenMod to reorganize and regroup
3:00am PST Dec 1, 2016
ROMs & Modding
And now it's official. A new blog post on Cyngn.com confirms that the company has "separated ties with Steve Kondik, allowing him to continue to forge his path as
Steve Kondik has left a statement about the rather troubling news coming out of Cyanogen Inc. this week on the [private] official CyanogenMod developer Google+ community, and things aren't looking pretty. While Kondik doesn't say outright that he's leaving "the Inc," it's pretty strongly implied that he wants nothing to do with the company anymore. The problem is that while Kondik wants out and to move on with the CyanogenMod project, there could be significant legal hurdles in fully detangling the open source community project from the for-profit venture.
Cyanogen Inc. will shutter Seattle office by end of year, more layoffs happening, Kondik could be out
2:49pm PST Nov 28, 2016
According to sources both in and outside the company, Cyanogen Inc. is effectively ceasing to exist as it has for much of its short lifetime as of today, with a renewed round of layoffs and an internal announcement at the company that its Seattle headquarters will close by the end of the year, AKA within around a month. This should not be surprising to anyone at this point.
Our sources also claim that the future of the company's cofounder, Steve Kondik, is up in the air. Kondik was removed from the company's board, allegedly, as part of a managerial shakeup last month that also saw CEO Kirt McMaster cede his position to newcomer Lior Tal.
[Update: Confirmed] Kirt McMaster out as Cyanogen Inc. CEO, gets Eric Schmidt'ed to "Executive Chairman"
6:43am PDT Oct 10, 2016
McMaster sent out the following email to Cyanogen Inc. employees this morning, confirming his new position and that the man the company hired as COO, Lior Tal, is taking over
Kirt McMaster, the controversial CEO of Cyanogen Inc., will be stepping down from his role, we've learned. An announcement could come as soon as tomorrow as part of a larger news release regarding the company's new structure and direction. McMaster changed his title on LinkedIn recently to reflect the change. It is unclear what role this would actually give McMaster at the company, or who would replace him as CEO.
Here's everything with Google Assistant revealed at CES 2021
Unlocked, T-Mobile, and Verizon Galaxy S20 FE now receiving Android 11-based One UI 3 update
Steve Kondik: There won't be "much if any" involvement from Cyanogen Inc. on CyanogenMod 14
4:44pm PDT Sep 13, 2016
If a comment on a CyanogenMod commit thread by founder Steve Kondik is any indicator, rumors that Cyanogen Inc. is basically getting out of the OS development business seem to be coming to fruition. While the context of the comment is a rather specific commit thread, Kondik's frustration seems to have led to him to say a bit more about Cyanogen Inc.'s future plans than the company may have liked:
There isn't really going to be much if any involvement from the Inc this time around and I'm taking on a lot of stuff on my own to try and keep us moving forward.
Cyanogen CEO Says That Microsoft's Cortana Assistant Will Be 'Deeply Integrated' Into Cyanogen OS
Michael Crider 2015/09/12
9:59am PDT Sep 12, 2015
Cyanogen, the company that's grown out of the most popular third-party ROM for Android phones and tablets, is now a partner of Microsoft. CEO Kirt McMaster (who you might remember from some rather colorful statements earlier this year) says that the first fruit of that union will be the integration of Cortana with future versions of the modified Android ROM.
McMaster said so in an interview with International Business Times:
McMaster revealed that Cyanogen is working with Microsoft to deeply integrate Cortana into the next version of Cyanogen OS. This is key to catapulting Cyanogen into the mass market, he asserts: Cortana is currently available as an app on Android, but in order for it to make a real difference, it needs to be able to be integrated at the OS level so that its full potential can be leveraged.
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"A Theology of Money" explores the biblical doctrine of money and possessions, with special emphasis on using them to have an impact on eternity. With a view toward God's glory and eternal rewards, it includes practical application and attention to the stewardship of money in churches, families, and in personal lifestyle choices. Twelve sessions available to stream.
Join the movement of what God is going through Purpose Church in our community and around the world. We believe generous people transform the world and the local church is the best place to invest financially because every dollar you give goes further faster.
Take control of your money! It's budget time. Step-by-step instructions are given on how to make a budget.
"You can wander into debt, but you can't wander out." This website gives three quick tips on how to get out of debt.
Purpose Church is not recommending any particular financial advisor and is not responsible for any results of any advisor.
A qualified investment professional can help you make sound investment decisions, assist with financial goal setting and keep you informed about the economy. Here is a list of different types of professionals and how to choose which one you need.
An easy resource to help you find a financial investment advisor.
Whether just starting to plan for retirement or nearing the age of required minimum distributions, these free retirement calculators are here to help.


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The Lay Litigant's Brief and the Respondent's Grief
Self-represented consumers in consumer tribunals often leave lawyers having to respond to frivolous cases and inflated requests for compensation, writes Nilay B. Patel.
State consumer tribunals are alternatives to the complexities of legal process and procrastination of formal proceedings. The tribunals generally allow consumers and the business community to settle complaints and claims which otherwise block the smooth course of business transactions.
But then every person has a constitutional right to represent himself or herself in courts of law and tribunals without the appearance or even assistance of counsel. In fact, many consumer tribunals actually discourage and disallow the use of legal representation. This means that many consumer tribunals are left to the mercy of self-represented consumers in what are often unmeritorious cases against retailers.
Invariably, cases are mounted on the common factual substratum: a product, purchased from a retailer, is not fit for purpose. The retailer, for any number of legitimate reasons, refuses to restore the product or offer other remedies. There may, for example, have been consumer misuse or abuse, consumer ignorance of the product's operation or the consumer had a uniquely undisclosed purpose for the product.
We now have a consumer-turned-prospective "litigant" who approaches their state fair trading department for advice. Usually, the department advises that retailers are primarily liable for the products they sell and that the consumer should put their claim in writing to, or otherwise reapproach, the retailer. The prospective "litigant" then approaches the retailer with statements to the effect that "Fair Trading has advised me I am entitled to my remedy".
This is a mistranslation, an exaggeration, or a deliberate falsehood designed, in most cases, to elicit a favourable and summary outcome for an otherwise unmeritorious case. State fair trading departments are not empowered to render "ex parte" enforceable decisions against the retailer via a telephone conversation with a consumer. The states should ensure that consumers do not assume that their advice confers substantive entitlements. Enter the consumer tribunal.
"Very few, if any, lay litigants understand 'causes of action' and their legal elements that determine their case and, therefore, seldom have realistic views of the merits of their case"
Legal commentators have often stated that the self-represented are disadvantaged in court and consume a significant amount of court resources. They also identify a fundamental truism that they have little understanding of legal concepts.
While this is all true, little attention is given to the respondent's grief in responding to oft-resultant frivolous and vexatious cases and even inflated requests for monetary recompense.
Very few, if any, lay litigants understand "causes of action" and their legal elements that determine their case and, therefore, seldom have realistic views of the merits of their case. Even fewer understand the concept of mitigating costs - rather escalating them and then pleading for recovery before the tribunal. At times, some claims are attempts to secure a profit rather than to seek appropriate restitution. Claims are sometimes made without any corroborating evidence that the losses were in fact sustained.
Even a more elementary consequence of self-representation is misdirecting their claim against the retailer in cases where another party, such as the manufacturer or repairer, was overtly and exclusively responsible for the fault, malfunction or level of repair service. Based on our system of law however, because there is seldom privity of contract between the consumer and the manufacturer, retailers are named in disputes as a party to the contract of sale. Incorporated in that contract of sale are statutorily implied terms of fitness for purpose and merchantability.
Despite the lack of such privity between the consumer and the manufacturer, consumers and state fair trading departments are ignorant or dismissive of, sections 74B and 74D of the Trade Practices Act 1974. Essentially, those provisions hold the manufacturer liable directly to the consumer, despite the presence of an intervening retailer, where goods are not fit for purpose or are of unmerchantable quality. In Peterson v Merck Sharpe & Dohme (Aust) Pty Ltd [2010] FCA 180, Peterson did not pursue the first-instance supplier, the pharmacy, but rather brought action against the drug manufacturer.
Perhaps section 74 is "designed to achieve a large social purpose far beyond...commercial circumstance..." (Qantas Airways Ltd v Aravo (1996) 136 ALR 510 at 516, per Kirby J) and the nature of the facts in Peterson warranted pursuit of the manufacturer as are cases emanating from design or manufacturing issues, but the construction of sections 74B and 74D are unequivocal in subjecting manufacturers to the same conditions of fitness for purpose and merchantability respectively that are applied to retailers. These two conditions clearly transcend issues of pure defect.
But the consumerism-pragmatism hyphenation offers another reason for attacking the retailer: retailers are the easiest, most overt and convenient of targets even if, but for the contract of sale, they are factually and ethically in the clear. The new Trade Practices Amendment (Australian Consumer Law) Act (No. 2) 2010 does little to address the issue and appears, instead, to exacerbate it for the retailer.
Another consequence of self-representation is resorting to emotional theatrics when substantive merits give poor mileage.
While consumer tribunals are designed to exclude legal representation and minimise costs, a respondent, particularly legal or compliance personnel in larger organisations who are not involved in the original sale and who are unlikely to have been intimately involved at the early stages of the dispute or unfolding of the event, is burdened into understanding the full facts of the case, deciphering the consumer's often selected version of events, collecting all relevant data from multiple internal and external sources, assembling a response and ensuring appearance before the tribunal. Immeasurable financial and human resources and time are spent defending the case.
The state governments and tribunals must adopt measures to restore balance and fairness and deter unmeritorious cases before they reach the respondent. Consumer complaint forms are too general to facilitate adequate preparation by the respondent. They should, for example, ensure all claims are fully detailed, justified and substantiated with evidence.
Second, that the application may be dismissed or adjourned may come after the respondent has invested much resource in attempting to respond. Further, in NSW, claims for monetary orders are stated as a global amount and do not require supporting documentation at lodgement - an open opportunity for some to balance the family budget. Victoria's aim to achieve low costs and accessibility to justice by restricting orders for costs also hardly deters unmeritorious cases.
These above comments are directed towards unmeritorious cases and fanciful claims. There are of course victims of a variety of deceptive practices by businesses, or, as various state and federal laws describe them, "suppliers". Still, the falsehood that consumer is always king in cases hardly makes up for the fact that too often we all suffer due to shady deals, the purchase of shoddy commodities or faulty services.
Nilay B. Patel is a barrister & solicitor and the national manager of legal affairs and compliance of a retail chain.
The views here are his own and not necessarily those of his employer.


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Острова Лайн (Центральные Полинезийские Спорады) () — группа из 11 атоллов и низких коралловых островов, восемь из которых относятся к Кирибати, три — к внешним малым островам США. Расположены в центральной части Тихого океана, южнее Гавайских островов. Обобщающее современное название Лайн (от английского The Line — «экватор») связано с расположением островов по обе стороны экватора. Острова, относящиеся к Кирибати, находятся в самом раннем часовом поясе в мире — UTC+14: время дня (часы и минуты) здесь совпадает со временем на Гавайях, но сдвинуто на один день вперёд, при этом с некоторыми островами в Океании разница во времени составляет 25 часов.

Остров Рождества является самым большим атоллом в мире по площади суши.

География
Острова Лайн географически делятся на три подгруппы — северные, центральные и южные острова. Ниже в таблице острова приведены в порядке с севера на юг.

История
Острова были аннексированы Великобританией в 1888 году для прокладки Тихоокеанского кабеля через Табуаэран (в то время Фаннинг). Кабель использовался с 1902 по 1963 годы за исключением короткого периода в 1914 году.

В начале 1950-х годов на островах Киритимати и Молден были проведены ядерные испытания.

Население
Только три острова являются обитаемыми, общее население составляет 9236 жителей (по переписи 2010 года), из которых 5586 живут на Киритимати, 1960 на Табуаэране, и 1690 на Тераине. В 1900 году общее население этих трёх атоллов составляло около 300 человек.

Экономика
Основные отрасли экономики — рыболовство, добыча копры, выращивание хлебного дерева.

Примечания

Атоллы
Л

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Issue 320 20 September 2017
New government in Macedonia budgets for ARVs and prevention services to KAPs, as Global Fund support comes to an end
In what local activists are hailing as a "very important step in ensuring the sustainability of HIV services in Macedonia," the newly elected government has ordered the Ministry of Health to budget a considerable amount of money to provide antiretrovirals for people living with HIV as well as prevention services to key affected populations such as men who have sex with men, persons who inject drugs, and sex workers.
Identifying and solving country-level impediments to full absorption of Global Fund money
In this second instalment in our series on absorption issues, we look at problems that occur at country level. Lapsed funding is usually the result of delays in disbursements. Tardy disbursements, in turn, can be caused by human resource capacity problems, procurement difficulties, gaps in data collection and analysis, and shoddy construction of facilities that are used for Global Fund-related activities.
Problems operationalizing safeguards to mitigate financial risks create delays in implementing Global Fund's malaria grant to Cambodia, OIG says
Safeguards implemented by the Secretariat have effectively reduced financial and fiduciary risks to Global Fund grants to Cambodia, concludes an audit by the Office of the Inspector General. Unfortunately challenges in operationalizing the safeguards have led to prolonged delays in implementing some key activities in Cambodia's malaria program. Finding the right balance between mitigating fiduciary risks and program risks is a challenge.
As funding from the Global Fund is phased out, Bulgaria struggles to find sustainable financing
The path towards sustainability of HIV and TB services for key affected populations in Bulgaria is unclear. The Global Fund is on its way out, and the government has so far not budgeted for services at the same level as what the Fund was supporting. NGO advocacy remains weak, and many activists see little recognition by government and local authorities of the NGO role in the response to HIV and TB.
Global Fund Board approves transfer of funds within the 2014-2016 allocation to Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is being allowed to transfer € 2.6 million from its TB/HIV and RSSH grants, where the funds were projected to remain unused, to its malaria grant, where there was a gap in funding. The transfer allows Burkina Faso to avoid having funds lapse.
While it has given generously to the Global Fund, the U.K. has slashed its bilateral aid for HIV, NGO says
Although the U.K.'s Department for International Development increased its contribution to the Global Fund at the Fifth Replenishment Conference in 2016, DFID has significantly cut its bilateral programs focusing on HIV. Funding for HIV-specific programs declined from a peak of £221 million in 2009 to £23 million in 2015.
The UQD register is now available on the Global Fund's website
The Global Fund has posted its Register of Unfunded Quality Demand online. There are two databases, one for 2014-2016 and one for 2017-2019. The Fund has indicated that in 2014-2016 almost $1 billion in interventions from the register were funded.
Global Fund releases new results report
The "Results Report 2017" provides results for the period ending December 2016. In passing, the report revealed that the Global Fund is embarking on an ambitious fundraising drive to raise $500 million before the next replenishment conference.
9. ANNOUNCEMENT
New publications on civil society and communities
Two new publications on civil society and communities have been published by ICASO and the Global Forum on MSM & HIV.
David Garmaise
Finding the right balance between mitigating fiduciary risks and program risks is a challenge
After an investigation in 2013 by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) into allegations of fraud and kickbacks paid to government officials in Cambodia (see GFO article), the Global Fund Secretariat took steps to improve its management of financial and fiduciary risks in grants to Cambodia. The good news is that the safeguards put in place by the Secretariat have effectively mitigated those risks. The bad news is that implementers encountered significant challenges in operationalizing these safeguards, and this has resulted in prolonged delays in implementing some key activities in Cambodia's malaria program.
This is one of the main findings of an audit of Global Fund grants to Cambodia. A report on the audit was released on 6 September.
The audit covered the four active grants in Cambodia (see table for details) and the Cambodia portion of the Regional Artemisinin-resistance Initiative (RAI), for which the principal recipient (PR) is the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
Table: Grants included in the OIG audit in Cambodia
Grant name Principal recipient Component Grant period
Signed amount ($US)
KHM-H-NCHADS
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and STI (Ministry of Health)
October 2015 to December 2017
KHM-T-CENAT
National Center for Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control (Ministry of Health)
KHM-M-UNOPS
July 2015 to December 2017
KHM-S-PRMOH
Additional safeguards
The safeguards implemented after the OIG's 2013 investigation included the appointment of a fiscal agent for most of the government implementers. They also involved the adoption of an electronic payment mechanism to address control weaknesses identified at the sub-national level and community levels. The government PRs are required to use the electronic system for the $20 monthly allowance payments to community workers and village malaria workers (VMWs). The approximately 5,000 VMWs provide frontline services in local communities for early detection and treatment of malaria. Finally, the safeguards included the introduction of stringent, pre-approved travel plans to verify the validity of per diems. In addition to review and pre-approval of each travel plan by the fiscal agent, the local fund agent subsequently checked the execution of the plans.
The OIG said that the implementers' "perceived" unwillingness and inability to implement these additional safeguards and the lack of alternative strategies from the Global Fund Secretariat present significant challenges in the Fund's capacity to effectively safeguard its investments "without compromising the implementation of key activities and ultimately the achievement of the grants' programmatic objectives."
According to the OIG, the VMWs, a key component of Cambodia's national strategy to eliminate malaria, have not been able to provide services to communities since June 2015 due to delays in the implementation of the additional safeguards. Compared to other providers (i.e. health facilities and private providers) involved in malaria case management, the VMWs have historically been the most effective in malaria case finding, the OIG reported.
The interruption of services provided by the VMWs led to a decline in the share of diagnosis and treatment of confirmed malaria cases reported by these workers from 53.3% in 2014 to less than 8.7% at the end of 2016, the OIG said. In addition, at the time of the audit, almost 400,000 insecticide-treated nets funded by the Global Fund had been in storage for six months and were awaiting distribution by the VMWs to high-risk communities.
The OIG explained that VMW activities were not being performed mainly because of delays in the implementation of various mechanisms put in place by the Secretariat to ensure prudent use of funds. The OIG cited delays of over four months in signing a memorandum of understanding between the PR, UNOPS, and the National Malaria Program. In addition, a memorandum of agreement between the national malaria program and the provincial health departments was signed six to eight months' late due to delays in agreeing the mechanisms to account for the use of funds for travel-related costs at the sub-national level.
(In February 2016, Aidspan reported that a dispute over how travel costs should be accounted for resulted in delays in the implementation of two malaria grants.)
Further, the OIG reported delays of more than 22 months to develop, pilot and implement the electronic payment mechanism. Alternative temporary mechanisms were not considered, the OIG said, in order to avoid disruption in services while the long-term mechanism was being developed.
"In the context of the Global Fund's zero tolerance for fraud and corruption, which is crucial to donor confidence and the continued flow of funding to support programs, maintaining effective financial safeguards is crucial," the OIG stated. "The strict financial control measures adopted by the Secretariat are both a strong signal to donors and the country alike, as well as a key step towards remediating the fraud, corruption and nepotism risks identified in Cambodia." However, the OIG added, the operational modalities of these safeguards "need to be carefully evaluated by the Secretariat to ensure an effective balance in the mitigation of fiduciary risks and programmatic risks."
According to the OIG, contributing to the delays were gaps in the program management capacity of the National Malaria Program and implementers at provincial levels to effectively undertake their role and to manage and account for their funds. This affected their ability to develop budgets, work plans and terms of reference to procure the services of providers to undertake critical activities, the OIG said.
Because of the delays caused by the implementation of the additional safeguards, the OIG rated the design and effectiveness of implementation arrangements as "needs significant improvement." This is the second lowest tier of the OIG's four-tier rating scheme.
However, the OIG rated the design of the internal financial controls and the effectiveness of assurance mechanisms in safeguarding Global Fund resources as "partially effective," the second-highest tier of the rating scheme.
There was plenty of good news in the OIG's audit report, particularly with respect to the achievements of the HIV, TB and malaria programs: Cambodia is one of the few countries in the world that has met the MDG targets for the three diseases. About 80% of people living with HIV are on antiretroviral therapy, with more than 83% viral load suppression rates among those who had a viral load test. In addition, the country is on the verge of virtually eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, with infections declining from 7% in 2014 to less than 3% at the end of 2016. Cambodia is working towards achieving virtual elimination of HIV transmission by 2030.
In 2016, 23 of out of Cambodia's 25 districts reached the malaria pre-elimination stage, up from 12 in 2014. There was a decline in the incidence of malaria from 4.4 per 1,000 in 2004 to 2.82 at the end of 2016, and malaria related deaths declined from 18 in 2014 to less than one in 2016.
The TB treatment success rate in the country is above 90%.
The OIG said interventions are generally based on evidence and are strategically focused on key populations. In addition, it said, programs financed by the Global Fund complement investments by the government and development partners. There is no duplication of activities in the design of HIV, TB, malaria and health system strengthening grants.
Other areas of concern
The OIG identified other area of concern in addition to the problems implementing the additional safeguards. These included the following:
Delays in the roll-out of new treatment regimens to fight malaria drug resistance. Cambodia is the epicenter of artemisinin drug resistance. As such, the country is expected to change malaria regimens often to manage resistance of first line antimalarial medicine. Due to delays in the revision of the national treatment guidelines, in the delivery of the recommended regimen by the supplier, and in the registration of the recommended regimen with the relevant authorities, the roll out of new malaria treatment regimen in selected provinces in January 2014 was delayed for 14 months.
The OIG noted that despite improvements in the monitoring of private sector providers in Cambodia, there is sub-optimal coverage in the training, supervision and quality assurance of private sector service providers. At the time of the audit, 60% of the 1,495 public-private-mix providers had not been trained in national treatment guidelines or received any supervision. Weaknesses in supervision and quality assurance increase the risk of malaria treatment not being done according to the national guidelines, the OIG said.
The OIG attributed the weak oversight of the private sector to delays in the transition of the responsibility for oversight and supervision from non-governmental implementers to the Cambodia National Malaria Program. In 16 of the Cambodia's 25 districts, the transition had not yet been effected 22 months after it was slated to happen.
Duplication in implementation arrangements. The OIG noted cost inefficiencies arising from a high level of duplication in support and supervision functions. Program support personnel make up 22% of the $26.5 million human resources cost in the program budgets. Each of the Ministry of Health PRs has its own support and supervision functions for finance, procurement, and data gathering and reporting.
Limited measures to promote institutional sustainability. Although Cambodia has progressively increased its investments in the national response to HIV, TB and malaria, donors contributed more than 75% of available funding for the current period (2015-2017). However, the OIG noted, in 2018-2020 Global Fund investments will decrease by 30%, and U.S. funding for HIV is expected to decline.
In order to improve institutional sustainability, the OIG said, a specific health systems strengthening (HSS) grant of $12.1 million was approved by the Global Fund for implementation in 2015-2017. However, the OIG said, there have been significant delays in the delivery of HSS interventions – including those related to pharmaceutical and health product management, and health management information systems – and in the integration of HIV, TB and malaria services within existing primary health care packages. Consequently, only 25% of the funds for this grant had been spent by the end of 2016.
Weaknesses in programmatic and supply chain data. The audit revealed limitations in the completeness, timeliness and accuracy of reported HIV, TB and malaria data. For example, one in five health facilities offering pre-antiretroviral therapy and antiretroviral therapy services do not routinely report on selected HIV indicators, including those related to viral suppression and HIV/TB collaborative interventions. HIV, TB and malaria interventions are being implemented using mapping, size estimations and surveys that are outdated, the OIG said.
The inventory management database used by the disease programs in stores and hospitals to account for health commodities is fragmented and built on old technology with no technical support from the service provider or vendor, the OIG said. In addition, the inventory management database does not have the capability of providing early warnings of impending stock-outs or expiries.
Gaps in internal financial control systems. The OIG said that although significant improvements have been made in mitigating financial risks, certain gaps still exist in key fiduciary controls over financial records and management of advances. Access controls for accounting software used by government implementers are very weak, the OIG found, allowing implementers to backdate accounting entries, to edit or delete entries after a hard close, or to change payroll and other sensitive information without approval.
Agreed management actions (AMAs)
In response to the audit findings, the following AMAs were agreed:
The Secretariat will update its risk and assurance plan for the Cambodia grants, based on new implementation arrangement and capacity assessments, in order to minimize implementation delays, improve efficiency, limit duplications of grant funded cross-cutting functions and develop capacity to support institutional sustainability. [Due 31 May 2018]
The PRs and the national disease programs, in coordination with the Ministry of Health and technical partners, will develop data quality assurance plans for the three disease components. The plans will include details on the timelines and frequency for data quality assessment, routine data collection and data flow models, and a description of the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in data collection and data quality assurance. [Due 31 December 2018]
The Secretariat will work with the PRs and the national programs to address gaps in the existing accounting procedures. The work will include the segregation of duties and access rights to the accounting systems, and the establishment of procedures for monthly close-out, accounting for fixed assets and data backup. [Due 30 June 2018]
Previously identified issues
The last OIG audit of grants in Cambodia was in 2009 with the report published in 2010 (see GFO article). The audit identified weaknesses mainly in financial management and procurement and supply chain management. This year's audit noted improvement in the financial management of the portfolio, largely due to the safeguards put in place by the Secretariat. There is also an improvement in the storage conditions at the central medical stores. However, there have been delays in the implementation of measures to assure the quality of reported programmatic and supply chain–related data, including strengthening of the health management information systems and the logistics management information system.
In a letter attached to the audit report, Interim Executive Director Marijke Winjroks said that the OIG "rightly points out there remain opportunities to minimize implementation delays and improve efficiency; build more robust systems for routine data collection, data quality assessments and flow of data; and improve accounting procedures. The Secretariat is committed to updating our own risk and assurance plans for Cambodia, and working with the PRs and national disease programs to address these gaps."
program risk
village malaria workers
implementation arrangements
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Nazareth Hall is the social hub of the University. The facility houses the campus' Main Dining Room, a café-style eatery, two student lounges, two large meeting spaces, a game room, and the Student Center. Renovation of this facility presented a huge challenge for the entire construction team. Work could not begin until the end of the semester, and there was only a 10-week window to completely finish the job before classes restarted in the fall.
As part of the construction team, we took the schedule very seriously. The impact of this project not being ready for the upcoming school year would have affected student activities and living on the University campus. Completing on schedule was our focus from day one. The project had multiple trades, design teams, facility staff, and Construction Managers all working in concert in a very small timeframe to complete on schedule.


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Tag: food justice
Should we force supermarkets to send food waste to charities?
May 25, 2015 September 13, 2017
Food bank staff member loads supplies from Canadas largest food bank warehouse, Moisson Montreal. Photo: Aaron Vansintjan
by Aaron Vansintjan
I've been seeing a lot of news about food waste recently. In February, a report revealed that governments could save up to US$300 billion per year by cutting food waste. In March, it was announced that Loblaw's, one of Canada's major food retailers and supermarket chains, will start selling 'ugly fruit' at a discount. Then came the stories about start-ups in the US who are trying to source discarded vegetables from farmers, re-using them for other products.
And last week, many people excitedly posted the news from France: the government will force supermarket chains to send their food waste to charities. This announcement led several to suggest that the UK, and even the whole world, which tops EU in food waste, should follow France's example. And now, I'm reading stories about a new 'social movement' in Germany, where people volunteer to pick up and redistribute food from grocery stores, food retailers, bakeries, and restaurants.
I recently completed a three-year research project where I studied the food waste system in Canada. Specifically, I interviewed food bank directors and researchers, trying to piece together the history of how food banks evolved. Knowing this, friends and family enthusiastically send me articles describing these new 'solutions' to food waste, thinking I'd also be excited. However, having studied the food waste system, I find it difficult to respond without being too much of a downer: it won't work.
Don't get me wrong, I think these are all promising developments. Sending surplus food to charities will mean that supermarkets will bear part of the costs of the food waste they produce, and that the poor get access to more food. Selling ugly vegetables will mean landfills don't get filled with perfectly good produce. In short, they mean that we are in part succeeding at making our food system smarter. However, I don't think this is really a cause to celebrate.
"If you care about changing the food system, then selling ugly fruit or forcing supermarkets to send the food to charities is not the answer."
A story might help explain why I don't think such efforts will address the food waste problem. Any discussion around food brings up a lot of feelings, so I'll use a proxy. Say you own a major retail company, selling toys. You sell toys at really cheap prices, allowing as many kids as possible all over the world to get them. But some kids, because their parents don't have any money, don't get the toys. Meanwhile, because you try to produce as many toys as possible, for as many different kids (and parents) as possible, you will make a lot of toys that no one wants to buy. Also, accidents happen, and often. A pallett of dolls falls to the ground, breaking the boxes. A whole line of toys gets mislabeled. Because toys are quite cheap to make, it's actually less expensive to dump these toys in the landfill than to pay someone to unbox them, sort them, re-label them, and so on.
But say a bunch of concerned citizens realize all these toys are being thrown out. This is ridiculous–kids all over the world are crying because they don't get toys (and for many other reasons too, but let's put that aside). So they approach one of your store managers and ask, can we take your broken toys and give them away for charity?
At first, your store manager isn't into it. It will be annoying to let these people into the warehouse and rummage around. But they say they'll make it easy for her: volunteers will drive in, pick up all the toys really fast, and drive out. She also concedes that, actually, it is a real shame that all these toys are being thrown out. So she agrees.
Pretty soon store managers at different locations are telling you the same thing. People are picking up toys and giving them away… all for free! You didn't have to lift a finger. What's more, they're minimizing the costs of sending more things to the landfill–which often is calculated by weight. So you call in a bunch of these benevolent citizens and you tell them, "Listen, what you're doing is great. We want to help you. We'll give you funding, and all the broken toys you want. We'll make it easier for you, so you don't even have to ask a store manager anymore. We'll also organize country-wide advertising so that consumers can give away their toys and know about all the good work you–and my company–are doing."
This is an offer they can't refuse–the toy-charities were quite expensive to maintain, since the amount of refused toys just seemed to keep increasing. Volunteers, many of whom take the toys home themselves, are tired, and any less work is appreciated. They are glad to get the extra support.
In order to cut costs even further, you put some of the broken and ugly toys in your store–advertising them as a new, smarter way to cut waste. You might also send some of your new designs to the charities as test products, to see if any of them catch on–a cheap way to do consumer product testing.
Eventually, your efforts are rewarded. The ugly toys campaign turns out to be an excellent public relations strategy, at very small costs to you. Soon enough, the government mandates that all toys should make their way to charities, which you helped create in the first place. While this will incur some costs–you'd have to make it easier for charities to pick up the toys, which will mean hiring more staff–you still benefit from the publicity you receive from the charity efforts, and you won't really need to change your production line. So in the long run, not a big deal.
But what's the problem here?
Even if you sponsor these charities, the financial support they receive doesn't nearly compare to the amount of labor involved. Essentially, you're shifting toy-waste-processing costs onto volunteers, who are doing the work that your company really ought to do. In the field of ecological economics, this is called cost-shifting, and it is one of the primary tools corporations use to increase their profit margin at the expense of society.
Many of these volunteers are there because they themselves can't get access to toys. Or they need to fulfill community service hours because of a sentence. Or they don't have anything else to do–they live lives of isolation. While you're making the profits, these (mostly marginalized) people are paying the price of sorting your toys.
It's not the waste that's the root of the problem. It's the production line. You're producing cheap toys that break easily (endangering children), paying your workers minimum wage, and you constantly produce new toy designs that may not be bought but fill up the shelves nonetheless–guaranteeing a satisfied customer who'll keep coming back for more.
While the government may mandate that you send your toys to charities, they do nothing to support the charities–already over-worked and under-budget–that have to process the toys. At the same time, the government gets to cut costs on its welfare programs, since it is argued that the poor now have access to the food they need from charities.
Even if you were to send the toys to charities, and if you were to pay the charities to process these toys, would it make things better? We'd just be making an extremely wasteful system more cost-effective, essentially subsidizing the production of crappy and wasteful toys.
"Forcing supermarkets to donate their food waste is really just part of the neoliberalization of the food system — where both the food industry and the government cut costs, while society has to pick up the slack."
Extend this situation to the food retail industry, and it gets much worse. Because of the highly efficient production line, the agricultural process is incredibly environmentally hazardous, relying both on high inputs of fossil fuels and the use of toxic pesticides. The food industry relies on unjust migrant labor to drive production costs lower. This industry makes most of its new products from all the same ingredients, just packaged and shaped differently. For this reason, most food donated to food banks is highly processed, and quite unhealthy. Unlike with toys, volunteers often rely on the food they hand out. Food rots, so it is incredibly difficult to store and sort. With little funding and no municipal support, food banks rely more and more on volunteer service, while being increasingly bound to the continued existence of the industrial food system.
Because of these combined problems, forcing supermarkets to donate their food waste is really just part of the neoliberalization of the food system–where both the food industry and the government cut costs, while society has to pick up the slack, leading to the privatization of social safety nets through the establishment of food charities.
If you care about changing the food system, then a 'smart' approach to food waste, such as selling ugly fruit or forcing supermarkets to send the food to charities, is not the answer. In addition to forcing supermarkets to send food to charities, there are several things that would be much smarter.
Fine the corporations for the amount of food waste they produce. This will disincentivize a system that relies on charities to bear the costs of food waste processing. It will also ensure that the industry no longer makes most of its profit from endless lines of new products, which is one of the key drivers of food waste.
Clarify governmental rules and regulations around food waste, in favor of community groups. This might involve legalizing dumpster-diving, encouraging networks of citizens who wish to harvest food waste, and allowing the safe and hygienic processing and sale of food waste by non-profit community organizations.
This may sound crazy, but not only have food banks developed incredibly complex and efficient systems of dealing with food waste, they also aren't just charities. They often are crucial spaces for poor, isolated people to meet others and break their loneliness, while learning how to cook food. But even though food banks have the will to run more community-oriented activities, they often don't have enough funding, staff, or time. So create a fund that encourages food banks to start collective kitchens, cooking workshops for single mothers and migrants, urban gardens, compost programs, and community food events. This will generate local food systems and more inclusive, safe neighborhoods. It will give those who otherwise couldn't buy at the supermarket support structures so that they too can access acceptable food. It will help shift food banks from disempowering, demeaning, top-down, bureaucratic organizations to ones that are engaged in their community, empowering, and fun. Furthermore, it may help deal with the other 95% of food waste not created by supermarkets.
A bit more challenging: align the goals and activities of governmental departments. Why does one arm of the government fund employment in the community food sector for marginalized residents, when another agrees to free trade deals, leading to a food industry that relies on cheap migrant labor? Why does one department fund research on carcinogenic food, or ban toxic chemicals, when another turns a blind eye to destructive farming practices? In most countries, health, sanitation, agriculture, trade, and municipal policies are often misaligned and should be joined up, otherwise food waste–and injustices–will just keep piling up.
These policies–most of them quite simple to implement–would ensure a safer, efficient, more just, and smarter food system. They wouldn't only force supermarkets to limit their food waste. They would allow for a transformation from a food system oriented towards the bottom line to one that responds to people's needs.
Aaron Vansintjan studies ecological economics, food systems, and urban change. He is co-editor at Uneven Earth and enjoys journalism, wild fermentations, decolonization, degrowth, and long bicycle rides.
Posted in Essay, WasteTagged canada, food banks, food justice, food security, food waste, France, neoliberalism1 Comment on Should we force supermarkets to send food waste to charities?
Just what is gentrification anyway?
In Hanoi, urban gardening is a means of survival. Photography by Aaron Vansintjan
We hear the term 'gentrification' often nowadays. The news is full of it. Protests against Google and Microsoft buses, people in Vancouver fighting condo development by burning condos, food co-ops in Brooklyn worried about whether they're displacing the local Hispanic community. The news almost always frames the wealthy new residents as the culprits, and those unable to afford rising rent and property taxes as victims.
A month ago, I was staying in Tay Ho, a neighbourhood of Hanoi known for its growing expat population. Here I found chain supermarkets, unfinished luxury apartment complexes, brand-new chic boutiques, and dog spas. In between all of this, there remain some thin strips of orchards, garden plots, and vegetable markets hidden in the alleyways. A wealthy and mostly foreign social class seems to be increasingly encroaching on agricultural land. These, I thought right away, are the telltale signs of gentrification.
I wanted to find out more. To start my search, I met up with Roman Szlam. Roman is a volunteer guide for Friends of Vietnam Heritage, an English teacher, a blogger, and also happens to be a walking Wikipedia on the history of Hanoi.
"I've noticed everything you've noticed," he noted, recognizing my discomfort. "I see all the farms disappearing, all the high-rises coming in here. All the luxury development." But Roman didn't seem too troubled by the changes in Tay Ho.
Apparently, everyone who originally owned land in Tay Ho has been able to sub-lease it at high prices. "Even the farmers," noted Roman, "who are losing their farms here directly around West lake, tend to be happy. There are no protests from anyone." What's more, agriculture in the neighbourhood was primarily for decorative plants – in no way would the sale of this land affect the need for food access in the city.
I wondered whether it was really all that rosy in Tay Ho: were there some people that weren't as happy as others? Nevertheless, to Roman, the real gentrification problems were occurring in the outskirts of the city and in the city centre.
What's really happening in Hanoi?
In the early 2000s, Hanoi was facing mounting traffic problems, while the Old Quarter, the prime tourist attraction, was being slowly destroyed by untrammeled development. In 2008, the Vietnamese government allowed Hanoi to expand its borders significantly. To do this, they re-zoned huge swathes of land for commercial and high-income residential uses.
The re-drawing of Hanoi's borders coincided with a spate of farm acquisitions by the land management department. Officials offered farmers a small payment in return for the land and then leased it to developers – often acquaintances – at inflated prices. In other words, outright corruption. These developers thought it was the perfect time to build houses for Hanoi's new upper-middle-class. But this didn't go so well.
"Nobody bought any of these developments," Roman explained. "As they began to go bankrupt, these people who had borrowed 90 per cent of the money could no longer repay the banks."
The criminalization of the informal sector, which grew in large part due to land dispossession, in turn sets the conditions for the creation of a cheap new labour market.
At the time, many government-owned corporations had started investing in the stock market. Come the crash of 2008, Vietnam's banks had no more money, and foreign investors started pulling out, causing a banking crisis that still hasn't been resolved. What's more, a group of farmers started making a stink, holding in-your-face protests in front of the government buildings.
"This huge land grab," remarked Roman, "became a national scandal. It couldn't be hidden anymore. There was no money to be had anywhere. Consequently, a lot of the food production around Hanoi has been lost." In a city where 62 per cent of the vegetables consumed are locally produced, you can imagine the effect on food prices.
Around the same time, the city cleaned up its downtown core by, on the one hand, criminalizing street vendors, and on the other, promoting supermarkets and shutting down two of the city's open markets, replacing them with high-end – but mostly empty – malls.
Noelani Eidse, a PhD candidate at McGill, has been researching the case of Hanoi's street vendors and how their livelihood has been affected by land grabs on the urban fringe. "It's all part of this larger push for Hanoi to become a global city," Eidse said. "The rationale behind banning vending is that vendors are adding to traffic congestion. A less explicit reason is that vendors are seen as uncivilized and their livelihoods are considered to be anti-modern, and a hindrance to development."
There is no doubt that gentrification is an international phenomenon, and what links each case is the opening up of markets, privatization of public goods, and collusion between the market and state.
Eidse has found that it's often the same people who were pushed off their land who are also forced to make a living in other ways. "For a lot of these people," she explained, "it's either working in factories or working informally."
Those who choose informal work, like street vending and trading trash, are now being targeted by these new laws. Arrests and fines are more and more common, making it difficult for these people, mostly women, to practice their livelihood.
In sum, the unfair leasing of farmland to developers, shuttered and empty markets, lack of space for food vendors, and the inaccessibility of supermarkets for most Hanoians, has meant that many people in the city centre are now facing increased food insecurity and precarity. And so, the cycle of dispossession, precarity, and criminalization continues.
The all-too-real effects of gentrification
In Hanoi, top-down decisions to make the city more appealing to foreign investors helped trigger a nationwide banking crisis, followed by a shortage in food production and access locally. This is gentrification at its worst – far more devastating than a fancy boutique in the expat neighbourhood.
The changing of land rights, the corruption that came with privatization of land, and the increase in high-end development projects – all of these happened at about the same time that Vietnam opened its markets to foreign investment and encouraged foreign factories to set up shop. The criminalization of the informal sector, which grew in large part due to land dispossession, in turn sets the conditions for the creation of a cheap new labour market. People have no choice but to start working in the new factories run by foreign corporations.
Before I go on, I have to stress that Hanoi is unique. Vietnam, as a socialist state, also has an unusual land rights system and one-party-closed-door-politics. Pair this with increased liberalization, and a system of state-owned corporations, and you have a one-of-a-kind situation. It is also important to reiterate how sometimes it isn't all that bad, like in the case of Tay Ho and its wealthy expats.
But it's striking how these patterns repeat in other cities, like Lagos, Nigeria. Eidse noted that Singapore's model of development and regulation has been a reference point for Hanoi's own city planners. Gentrification in London and New York is well-documented. There, social housing and tenant rights were increasingly eroded through active government policies encouraging outsider investment. There is no doubt that gentrification is an international phenomenon, and what links each case is the opening up of markets, privatization of public goods, and collusion between the market and state.
In all cases, gentrification should be understood as the concerted effort, by a coterie of businesspeople and government officials, to profit from communal wealth.
It's easy to vilify the upper-middle class – those taking the Google bus or the expats moving into the new high-rises – but if you really want to address the problem, you need to follow the money.
In all cases, gentrification should be understood as the concerted effort, by a coterie of businesspeople and government officials, to profit from communal wealth. In Hanoi, this came in the form of land grabs and policies targeting the informal economy, but elsewhere it can happen through the privatization of social housing, or the branding of a city as a haven for the creative class.
It all seems a bit hopeless. Yet, there are plenty of avenues for resistance. In Hanoi, a group of villagers who had been pushed off their land started protesting in ways that made it hard for the media to ignore them, or for the police to beat them up. As a result, they were able to bring national attention to endemic corruption and initiate a series of laws to protect against land seizures.
While gentrification hurts those who have little to start with, those who have lost the most often have the loudest voice. If we want inspiration for future actions, it's these voices we should listen to. These villagers have it right – they followed the money, smelled something fishy, and created a stink.
This article was originally published in The McGill Daily.
Posted in Gentrification, Report-backTagged corruption, food justice, food security, gentrification, globalization, hanoi, vietnam


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We specialize in the export of wooden utility poles, both impregnated and raw poles.
Fidetron Oy (Ltd) is a Finnish enterprise specialized in the export of wooden utility poles, both impregnated and raw (untreated) poles.
The set-up is based on reliable long term partners in all fields; timber procurement,manufacturing, impregnating and logistics. The wide network of companies enables the supply of demanding specifications, whether it is about larger quantities loaded on conventional vessels or a small one time project delivery in container.
Reliability in quality and delivery time is our slogan. During the last 4 years we have delivered more than 120 000 poles. However, we think that customer satisfaction is more important than big figures.


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Team Panorama Ski Club Refund Policy
While we are excited to get back on snow this winter, we appreciate that there is still some uncertainty around how our program may look in terms of both training and racing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 2020/21 season, registration fees are payable in 2 equal installments on September 1, 2020 and December 1, 2020. In advance of the second installment becoming due, we expect to have received guidance from Panorama Mountain Resort with respect to its COVID-19 operating plan and confirmation that we will be able to deliver programming as intended, albeit in a way that is modified to ensure the health and safety of athletes, coaches and families. Details of the Club's Return to Sport Policies and Procedures for the 2020/21 season will be communicated to members closer to the start of the season. In the meantime, this refund policy has been amended to contemplate the risk of program cancellation because of COVID-19.
Guidelines from Alberta Health Services and Alberta Alpine will be monitored throughout the 2020/2021 season. Team Panorama reserves the right to modify this policy. All changes to the policy will be communicated to the membership.
Membership and Alberta Alpine Fees:
The Family Membership Fee of $315 is non-refundable under any circumstances. A family will remain a member of the Club to the end of the Team Panorama Ski Club fiscal year provided the full amount of all program fees and dues owing have been paid.
Any registration fees paid by Team Panorama Ski Club to Alberta Alpine on behalf of athletes are also non-refundable. All refund inquiries regarding Alberta Alpine Ski Association (AASA) fees are to be directed to AASA member services.
Fee Refund Due to COVID-19 related Program Cancellation:
If programming is cancelled prior to the 1st day on snow, registration fees paid will be refunded (less the Family Membership Fee and AASA Fees paid by the Club to AA (if any)). If programming is terminated at any time after the 1st day on snow due to a provincial health order or facility closure, registration fees (less the Family Membership Fee, AASA Fees and any other non-recoverable program specific costs incurred by the Club) will be refunded pro rata based on the number of scheduled days remaining in the season.
Elective Withdrawal:
No refunds will be given after October 15th. Prior to that date, 25% of the program fees will be refunded.
Withdrawal Due to Pre-Season/In-Season Injury:
For 2020/21 season only, if an athlete is injured prior to the program start date or during the season and is unable to start or continue in the program, the Injured Athlete Refund Policy will be the same as the "Fee Refund Policy Due to Covid-19 related Program Cancellation". A doctor's certificate will be required.
Withdrawal Due to Dismissal:
Under no circumstances will a refund of any kind be made to athletes or families who are dismissed from the program or the club for breaches of team policies, including the Athlete Code of Conduct.
Racer Account Refunds:
Families remain responsible for all racer account related charges up until the date of the athlete's withdrawal from the program.
Daily Cancellations Due to Weather:
No partial or prorated refunds will be offered for cancelled training days due to weather conditions.
Team Panorama Ski Club Program Change Policy
Program Changes:
All program changes are at the discretion of the Program Director.
Program Change Fees:
Prior to Feb 1st, families will be required to pay the full cost of the difference between the programs.
On, or after Feb 1st, families will be required to pay 50% of the cost of the difference between the programs.
Errors in Program Selection:
If during the registration process, an incorrect program selection is made,100% of the cost difference between the programs will be refunded if the club is notified prior to the first day of on snow training. Once an athlete has started skiing with the club, no refunds are available.
A switch to a lower cost program at any date after the start of on snow training will be considered as an 'Error in Program Selection' and no refunds will be available.
Team Panorama Ski Club Late Registration Policy
The registration deadline is August 15, 2020. After this date, all program fees increase by 10%.
Any family registering after the registration deadline will be required to pay the increased fees (regular fee + 10% late charge) as well as the Family Membership Fee.
Prior to Feb 1st, families will be required to pay the full cost of the program (including late fees) + 100% of the Family Membership fee.
On, or after Feb 1st, families will be required to pay 50% of the cost of the program (including late fees) + 100% of the Family Membership fee.


Jose Maria Olazabal has been granted more time to consider his two wild-cards for this year's Ryder Cup.
Instead of being named straight after the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles on August 26, Olazabal is going to watch that night's action from America. His two selections will then be announced the following day.
Two years ago the so-called 'Gang of Four' Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington, Paul Casey and Justin Rose were all playing the final round of the FedEx Cup event in the States when European qualifying came to an end.
Donald and Harrington heard they were in, but Casey, ninth in the world at the time, and Rose, twice a winner in America that summer, were left out by then captain Colin Montgomerie.
'There's going to be a change,' said Olazabal. 'I think the scenario last time was a delicate one, obviously for the captain and also for the players playing in the States.
'So we are going to wait until whatever happens in the States before we make the decision.
'I think it would be fair for anybody that is playing in the States that might be on the verge of winning that tournament.
'It would be completely unfair to name those two picks before the guy even tees off.
'And I would like to have an eye on the players that are hot at that time.
The event in America - again the first leg of the FedEx Cup play-offs - will still not count for points, however. That means those players not certain of their places in Olazabal's side will have to make a decision where to play.


Sinus headaches cause Pain and pressure around the sinuses in the forehead, especially behind and between the eyes, and above the nose. These areas may be tender to the touch. Pain that gets worse with movement, like bending over or lying down.


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books by Janice Graham
Book: The Tailor's Daughter - A Novel by Janice Graham
categories: Book, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Romance, British Fiction, Historical Romance, Historical Women's Fiction, Victorian England
Janice Graham
about this book: Set in 1860's Victorian England, The Tailor's Daughter tells the story of Veda Grenfell, an unconventional young woman with an indomitable spirit. Raised on Savile Row, the enclave of fashionable London tailors, Veda is every inch her father's daughter. She has inherited his talent, his sense of style, and his love of tailoring. When a fever leaves her deaf at the age of sixteen, shattering her hopes of marriage, only Grenfell's familiar workshop offers any promise of an active life. Determined to prove her worth in a world off-limits to respectable women, Veda persuades her father to promote her to the front of the shop where she makes a name for herself as tailor to London's smart young sporting set.
Veda matures into a woman of eye-catching beauty, inspiring the devotion of her dear and faithful tutor, Mr. Nicholls, as well as an ambitious Italian tailor who seeks to rise in her father's firm. For years, Veda has been increasingly drawn to Harry Breadalbane, a young viscount with humane ambitions frustrated by the expectations of his class. Heedless of the unsettling rumors about Harry's family and his brutally powerful father, Veda has absolute faith in Harry's goodness. When passion turns to betrayal, she abandons her beloved Savile Row and sets off on a treacherous journey that will lead her into a world of deception, murder, and madness.
Of all my novels, none have been as fascinating to research as The Tailor's Daughter. I'm often asked why I chose to make my heroine deaf. The answer is that the element was very much a product of my subconscious. The idea for the story came to me one night just as I was falling asleep, when my mind was in a pre-dream state . The character just waltzed into my head, quite vivid and very much her own woman: there she was, fitting a coat on a gentleman client. What was all the more remarkable is that I've never had any exposure to deafness. My first real contact with the Deaf community was through my research and my ASL classes.
The most exciting aspect of my research was the tailoring. I made a trip to London where I interviewed master tailors from two of the most respected firms on Savile Row—Henry Poole and Maurice Sedwell. It was a marvelous experience. I was given access to archives and nineteenth century work orders, and I actually handled some royal livery. The work that goes into bespoke garments is mind boggling; those garments are in a class all their own.
Henry Poole graciously fitted me for my own bespoke suit—photos of that experience, as well as a TV interview on Kansas City Live where I model the suit, are here on my website. http://janicegraham.com/media-events/ (Please note that my hair never, ever looks like this! Heaven knows why I tried something new the night before...and then I spent the morning trying to get the curls out. )
• "Graham is always and abundantly a good time…the sheer generosity of her invention, and her unfailing ability to create believable characters of every ilk, from the tepid to the grotesque, are nothing short of stunning." — Kirkus Reviews
• "…engrossing…the redemptive ending will please fans of the genre." — Publisher's Weekly
Video: Janice Graham shows off her Henry Poole suit and talks about researching her novel, The Tailor's Daughter
• Book Review: Bittersweet by p.d.r. lindsay
• Book Review: Cat and Mouse by Tim Vicary


Do you believe you could be a Psychic and are unsure how to proceed? Are you frustrated and uncertain as to the next step to take in developing spiritually? Do you want to continue improving and growing your psychic abilities? Are you wanting to do psychic readings for others, but don't trust your abilities enough to receive payment for your time?
If the answer to any of these questions is "yes" then the 'KTK Spiritual Advancement Academy' is for you.


Since I didn't have a workbench yet I was considering buying one from the hardware store or picking up a second hand on-line.
The cheapest new workbench that I could find was about $70 for an all wood basic workbench kit. After searching for quite some time I finally gave up on finding a decent used workbench for my garage. After my fairly fruitless search on-line for a workbench I starting to think that maybe I could build one, so I started another search to find the best way to do that. The workbench top and shelf were both off-cuts that I picked up for only $2.00 each from the hardware store.
You can read the step by step instructions on how to build it here, but honestly, it's super easy to build, and you end up a very sturdy and cheap workbench in the end.
I can barely keep my garage in order much less build more furniture that needs to go into storage in there! It's the hub of a man's world out there, whether it's being used on the latest project, propping up the man during a good chin wag, or holding the man's beer, a proper garage is simply not complete without a workbench. The workbench came ready to assemble with the plans, hardware and timber that I would need to assemble it.
After reading that I figured that I could probably build it and end up with something pretty usable.
Because I had the kids with me I reckon I spent nearly as long trying to buy the materials that I needed as I spent actually building it. I ended up with the workbench in the photo below, and all it took was about 2-hours of building and only $22.00 in materials!
Perfect for mortising both rails and.
Best option for a table top that people rod or wooden dowel that.
Router is the business end of the the leaves under the bed or in a closet cedar chests.
Ebony on today�s market into small the same, the tools as described these printable paper table.


That's why we decided to publish it here, for all to enjoy 👏.
Because it is a full day of teaching, we split up the materials in two parts. In this article, we will be building a table and a bar chart. In the second part, you will learn all about nested data and doughnut charts!
Also, the end result of the code in this article can be found here.
- Add the contents from this gist to it.
To make a bar chart we will use a SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is an XML-based markup language for describing two dimensional based vector graphics. SVG is essentially to graphics what HTML is to text.
We will add a SVG element to the DOM and to it we will add a g for grouping the other vector graphics we will be adding.
When you check your browser, you'll only see that some elements moved. However, when you check your DevTools, you'll see we have created a brand new element!
SVG's have different properties as regular HTML elements. fill determines the color of a rect element.
✍ Check your progress in the browser.
The transform attribute moves the axis to the bottom of the svg.
The adding of a text is done with a SVG text element. The code to draw the text looks quite similar to the code to draw the rectangles of our bars.
✍ Add a number to the top of each bar.
You made it! Are you happy with your page? Did you ever work with d3 before? Do you still have any questions? Check out my version of the code in this repo, or let us know in the comments!
Build a dashboard using D3 was originally published in Codaisseur Academy on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.


"The river is flowing, flowing and growing" is an Indian song: It is a song based on ancient Indian traditions, a translation of various Indian tribes. "The river is flowing, flowing and growing" is thus also a song of natural spirituality, of shamanism. You'll find "The River is flowing" in the Yoga Vidya Kirtan Songbook at number 560.
This podcast is a live recording from Yoga Vidya Germany. For more english yoga videos, music, blog posts, etc., please visit our english pages at my.yoga-vidya.org. Information on Yoga Vidya Teachers Training Course, seminars or workshops.