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Blog: Audit & Assurance
Posted: 17 Feb. 2022 8 min. read
Green Bonds – How can robust product governance assist underwriters to manage the risk of Greenwashing?
Stephen Farrell James Staight
A global issuance of green, social and sustainability bonds collectively hit a record of $859 billion in 20211, compared to the $534 billion issued in 2020, underwriters can support the transition to a more sustainable economy and to meeting net zero targets by ensuring that finance is channelled to green investments and activities. Strong product governance frameworks remain critical to the identification and management of emerging conduct risks in this rapidly developing market.
What are the potential conduct risks to underwriters and arrangers in the green bond market?
There are several inherent conduct risks that exist in the green bond market that underwriters need to consider. These include, but are not limited to:
A lack of an agreed definition of what constitutes "green": provides scope for very broad interpretations by issuers and investors alike; for example, the interpretation as to whether Nuclear energy and natural gas should be considered as "green"2, despite not being referenced in the Climate Bond Standards- 'Eligibility of Projects & Assets'3.
Customer communications: Marketing documents, such as green bond frameworks, may differ in language and intent compared to accompanying contractually binding bond prospectus documents, creating a potential for investors to be ill-informed or be indirectly misled.
Potential perceived or actual conflicts of interest: for example, relating to 'second party opinions', that are commissioned and paid for by the issuer.
Inconsistent approach in Assurance requirements: creates the risk that bond proceeds are not managed as described, and documented internal controls are not implemented.
Potential for conduct risk to arise across the green bond lifecycle
Activities that occur throughout the lifecycle of green bonds may provide incentives to market participants that could precipitate an increase in conduct risk in green bond issuance compared to non-green bonds. As well as thinking about the conduct risks that specifically apply to market participants, underwriters need to think holistically about the conduct risks in the market due to their central role in the issuance process.
Issuer: Issuing bonds labelled as green may allow issuers to access new investment mandates, such as dedicated ESG investors, therefore widening their investor pool. This creates a potential incentive for the issuer to overstate the green credentials of the proposed use of bond proceeds. Issuers may have reputational reasons for wishing to issue bonds labelled as green, for example, as part of a wider corporate sustainability strategy. In some cases, issuers may reduce their financing or re-financing costs by issuing green bonds due to the "greenium", i.e., the interest savings on offer for bonds classified as green may be up to 25 basis points4. One or more of these market conditions may drive increased conduct risk through creating incentives to achieve a green bond market classification.
Underwriters: The green bond market is rapidly growing and part of the wider market trend for ESG investing that dominates the financial press. This provides an opportunity to gain and increase market share in a new market. To keep up with market demand there is a potential incentive to pursue an accelerated product launch without thorough considerations of all risks. The robustness and maturity of existing product governance structures may determine how well issuers mange these risks. In the EU, from 22 November 2022, a Delegated Directive5 which integrates sustainability factors into MiFID II product governance obligations for manufacturers and distributers will apply.
Data providers/second party opinions: The market for supporting documentation regarding green bond classification is varied in approach. Whilst they are branded as second party opinions as a collective, the methodology or output is not typically conducted under an internationally formally recognised standard (e.g., an International Standard for Assurance Engagements) . Whilst there have been efforts to formalise approaches on green bonds such as the proposed voluntary EU Green Bond Standard and proposed European green bonds egulation by the EU to register and supervise6 companies that act as external providers, the regulatory and assurance framework supporting the use of second party opinions in the market remains comparatively informal..
Institutional Investors: may face pressure to invest in green products to meet the changing demands of the underlying investors. In a market where demand is exceeding supply, and with the pressure to meet that demand, there is a risk that the length of time spent on due diligence by investors may not be sufficient to fully consider the relevant risks.
What potential implications should be considered in underwriting green bonds?
Through the product governance process, underwriters that issue green should consider the following implications when mitigating potential conduct risks:
Regulatory: There are requirements as set out in COBS 4.2., PROD 3.2.2, and PRR 2.1.2 to ensure that information provided to investors during the marketing of a security (e.g., bond issuance) on products are clear and not misleading. Lead underwriters will likely be considered both a manufacturer and a distributer for UK MiFID / MiFID purposes when marketing to both EEA and Non-EEA clients. Other syndicate banks that market bonds are likely to be considered a distributor under MiFID.
Reputational: Notably, the consideration as to whether "greenwashed" bonds could form part of retail investment portfolios as component parts of green funds that retail consumers invest in. Lead underwriters, in their roles as green bond manufacturers, should also consider whether they are covered by the newly proposed Consumer Duty7 requirements. If retail investors are found to have been consciously or unconsciously misled on the true nature of their investments, it is likely that the contagion effect will lead to a negative reputational impact for each of the market participants stated above.
Undermining market confidence: Greenwashing can lead to investors being sceptical of green bonds and reduce the availability of financing for green projects. Underwriters need to consider that the strengths or weaknesses in their product governance processes can have a direct impact on market confidence.
What underwriters can do to reduce the risk of issuing "greenwashed" bonds?
There are some immediate steps that underwriters can take to reduce the risks of "greenwashed" bonds being issued to the market.
Product governance arrangements: Underwriters should ensure they have robust product governance arrangements over the green bond area of their debt capital markets business line. Underwriters need to ensure they have arrangements that ensure that new issuances are agreed and signed off by committees with sufficient competence, experience, and seniority. There should also be an opportunity for challenge from key stakeholders including second line functions.
Second and third line controls: Underwriters should ensure they develop detailed second line monitoring controls and perform compliance reviews on their green bond business to reduce the risk of "greenwashed bonds" being issued. Underwriters should also engage their internal audit functions to review their green bond business periodically. Underwriters should ensure they have sufficient expertise, either internally or with external support, to ensure that the second and third line controls operate effectively.
Assurance of performance: Underwriters, in their role of MiFID product manufacturers with obligations to monitor the performance of green bonds, should work with the issuers to ensure that bond performance, especially monitoring that the funds are used for green purposes, is reviewed under a formal assurance standard such as ISAE 3000.
The size and scale of green bond issuance is growing year on year and this shows no sign of slowing down. The mobilisation of finance towards green investments and projects will be essential in the transition to a sustainable economy and underwriters of green bonds have an important role to play. The FCA has stated in its Climate Change Adaptation Report8 where it sees risks in the green bond market and will use its role as a facilitator of sustainability in financial markets to drive change. Underwriters, due to their central role in the green bond issuance process, need to think holistically about the conduct risks in the green bond market as well as their own specific conduct risks. Underwriters should ensure they strike the right balance between conducting the appropriate level of due diligence and the commercial opportunities from investor demand. Robust product governance arrangements and high-quality independent assurance are key tools for managing conduct risk in the green bond market. For the market to function effectively in the long term, it is essential that the maturity and implementation of the product governance and assurance keeps pace with the size and scale of the green bond market.
Global issuance of sustainable bonds hits record in 2021 | Reuters
https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/it-s-about-trust-eu-green-taxonomy-scrutinized-over-inclusion-of-nuclear-gas-68279835
climate-bonds-standard-v3-20191210.pdf (climatebonds.net) - Part C: Eligibility of Projects & Assets
Is The Green Bond Premium Here To Stay? | Seeking Alpha
COMMISSION DELEGATED DIRECTIVE (EU) 2021/1269
The EU puts its stamp on a new European green bond framework
CP21/13: A new Consumer Duty (fca.org.uk)
https://www.fca.org.uk/publication/corporate/fca-climate-change-adaptation-report.pdf
Head of ESG Assurance
stephenfarrell@deloitte.co.uk
Steve is the Head of ESG Assurance in our Audit and Assurance practice for our UK and North and South Europe partnership. Steve is a chartered accountant and has extensive experience in audit, internal audit and regulatory implementation programs. He has worked with a wide range of companies across all major industries, having developed a thorough technical understanding of products and control practices for non-financial risk management. Steve has significant experience in partnering engagements for the provision of ISAE 3000 / 3410 independent assurance over sustainability information and in relation to the sufficiency of design and operating effectiveness of processes and controls to report on non-financial information.
Morgan Jones
mhjones@deloitte.co.uk
Morgan is a director in our ESG Audit and Assurance Group. He has directed multiple ISAE 3000 assurance engagements for a variety of listed companies and has provided climate change risk subject matter expertise for FTSE 100 audits and recent IPOs. Morgan has extensive knowledge of ESG, climate risk, TCFD, green bonds and greenhouse gas measurement. He has overseen hundreds of assurance engagements of sustainability data and is a technical expert in sustainability reporting and green finance.
James Staight
jstaight@deloitte.co.uk
James oversees regulatory assurance work for Banking and Capital Markets clients in the UK across a variety of topics including conduct risk, climate risk, greenwashing, non-financial risk frameworks and assurance methodologies.
Rosalind Fergusson
rfergusson@deloitte.co.uk
Rosalind is a Senior Manager in Deloitte's EMEA Centre for Regulatory Strategy, specialising in capital markets regulation. Before joining Deloitte in January 2012, she worked in financial services policy at HM Treasury and as an Associate Portfolio Manager at an asset manager.
jpmurphy@deloitte.co.uk
James is a Senior Manager in Deloitte's Banking and Capital Markets Regulatory Advisory team, based in London. James has sixteen years experience in the financial services industry. James spent five years at the FCA as a Lead Associate in Wholesale Banking Supervision supervising a portfolio of European, Middle Eastern and African Banks. James spent fourteen months as a Senior Supervisor at the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) in the Wholesale Market Conduct Supervision team supervising banks and principle trading firms. James' regulatory experience includes Conduct Risk, MiFID II, Market Abuse, Corporate Governance and Financial Crime.
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The Origins of the Lab
The Lab Workshops
The Lab Masterclasses
The Idea Box
They participated
Nugget quotes
Links to other websites, studies, articles…
The media talk about the Lab !
The history of the Lab is linked to Les Arcs European Film Festival's. It is the result of a partnership that was developed and has grown for five years between the Festival and the Sisley Foundation, and later on with the association Le Deuxième Regard, focusing on women's position, especially female directors, in the world of cinema. The creation of the Lab in 2017 is the outcome of a path initiated by Les Arcs film festival in 2013 with the creation of the "Les Arcs- Sisley Femmes de cinema" prize.
Les Arcs – Sisley "Femmes de cinema" prize
Since 2013, Les Arcs – Sisley "Femmes de cinema" prize has been awarded during the festival.
Four years ago, while the subject wasn't under the radar yet, Les Arcs European Film Festival decided, through the creation of this prize, to honour each year a female director especially representative of the independent European cinema.
The purpose of this prize was to raise the awareness of the media, the professionals and the broad audience about the discrimination women still faced in the world of cinema.
It was also a simple method to make the work of a female director known and to encourage the broadcasting of her films.
The first three winners were:
Jasmila Zbanic, Bosnian director, for "Those who can tell no tales" (2013), Lucie Borleteau, French director, for "Fidélio: Alice's Odyssey"(2014), Malgorzata Szumowska, Polish director, for "Body" (2015).
Femme de cinéma 2013
Lucie Borleteau
Malgorzata Szumowska
Iram Haq
With the subject growing bigger and bigger, the team of Les Arcs wanted to take it further in 2016, replacing its traditional focus on a country by a focus on the "Nouvelles femmes de cinéma".
In 2016, the "Nouvelles femmes de cinéma" were celebrated at Les Arcs.
The programme had four main components:
10 emerging and talented female directors came to present one of their films and talk about it.
A study on the position of the new generation of female directors in the European cinema was initiated by the team of Les Arcs, in partnership with the Sisley d'Ornano Foundation, France Televisions, the CNC and Le Deuxième Regard association, which concluded that a new dynamic was on the rise.
Nouvelles Femmes de cinema study
Two roundtables were organized during the Festival with high-profile personalities:
One roundtable as part of our professional events, moderated by Geoffroy Grison, from Le Deuxième Regard association. Public figures from the industry debated the role of public European institutions in supporting female directors. With the participation of: Jessica Hausner, Austrian director and producer ("Lourdes", "Hôtel"…), Anna Serner, director of the Swedish Film Institute, and Diana Elbaum, Belgian producer (Entre Chien et Loup) also presenting "Boost Camp", an education programme she initiated, dedicated exclusively to women filmmakers.
One roundtable for the broad audience entitled: "To be a female director or to climb the Everest?", moderated by Véronique Auger, editor in chief at France 3, with directors Danièle Thompson, Catherine Corsini, Houda Benyamina, Alanté Kayaïté, Florence Ben Sadoun, editor in chief for the cinema column at ELLE magazine, and the president of Sisley Philippe d'Ornano.
And finally the "think tank cafés", organized every morning of the Festival, in partnership with Le Deuxième Regard, based on the "coaching – idea box" method, gathered more than 50 women and men from all the branches of cinema around the matter of gender equality.
…And something occurred during these "think tank cafés". Each morning, for more than two hours, men and women from all over Europe were attending, representing all the sectors of the industry, from actors/actresses to distributors, technical fields, specialized journalists etc. Each morning, the process was the same: quit acting as it's the thousandth roundtable on the matter, but instead listen to each other and search for ideas and actions together, to generate change. They were organized into two parts: one for sharing experiences and one to stir the idea box.
Was it the diversity of the profiles participating, their nationalities or their gender that made the discussions so rich? Was it thanks to their rare ability to listen that the speech got liberated? In any case, participants seemed to enjoy it so much, and the outcome ideas were so rich, that the team of Les Arcs, in partnership with Sisley and Le Deuxième Regard, came to the conclusion that it couldn't end there. This is how we came up with the "Femmes de cinema" Lab.
In 2017, the "Femmes de cinema" Lab is created
If the origin of the Lab is linked to Les Arcs European Film Festival, 2017 is the year of its official creation, and the Lab manages to gain its independence from the Festival. The two are closely linked due to the Lab's history and its teams, often joined, but its funding, its governance and its operating mode are now independent.
Le Lab Femmes de Cinéma - Association Révélations Culturelles
Crédits - Mentions légales


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Kids in Love (2016)
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Drifting through his gap year with its internships and travel plans, Jack has always suspected there was more to life than this. A chance encounter with the beautiful and ethereal Evelyn swerves his life radically off course.
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The De La Mora siblings concoct a mischievous plan to break into their old family home to retrieve a hidden treasure of significant importance.
After We Leave (2019)
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When 17-year-old Makoto Konno gains the ability to, quite literally, "leap" backwards through time, she immediately sets about improving her grades and preventing personal mishaps. However, she soon realises that…
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During her wedding ceremony, Rachel notices Luce in the audience and feels instantly drawn to her. The two women become close friends, and when Rachel learns that Luce is a…
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Peter and Michael, raised on the streets of Philadelphia, are the children of Irish mob members, forever linked by the crimes of their fathers. 30 years later, Michael now runs…
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A representative of an alien race that went through drastic evolution to survive its own climate change, Klaatu comes to Earth to assess whether humanity can prevent the environmental damage…
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Bob Saginowski finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into the neighborhood's past where friends, families, and foes all…
Trailer: Kids in Love (2016)


Krista Bremer, a South California girl who loves surfing, has just moved to North Carolina to study journalism when she meets Ismail Suayah, a Libyan older man from a poor, illiterate Muslim family. Soon they become a couple, but an unplanned pregnancy early in their relationship forces them to make choices. They decide to keep the baby and get married. My Accidental Jihad chronicles the challenges and rewards of a bi-cultural marriage.
I thought the title of the book was particularly well chosen: "accidental" refers to the unplanned pregnancy, and "jihad" means "effort" or "struggle" in Arabic, which conveys the difficulties of keeping a marriage alive. Krista Bremer is honest about her feelings, and is not afraid of asking questions. In addition, her descriptions are filled with beautiful imagery, and I thought her trip to Libya was really interesting because it opens the reader's eyes to a different way of living. However, I would have liked to know what was the reaction of Krista's family, especially her parents, when she told them she was going out with a Libyan. Did their perception of him change after 9/11? There must have been some prejudice about Muslims. I also thought that some parts of the book were a bit slow. In the end though, the book is a lesson in tolerance and acceptance, and it shows that Islam is all about surrender, that we need to accept that some aspects of our lives are out of our control.
My Accidental Jihad by Krista Bremer was sent to me for free in exchange for an honest review.
To Krista's astonishment and shame, Ismail bartered for her wedding ring.
While in vacation in Libya, Krista and Ismail's daughter, Aliya, is given a gift of a Hijabi Barbie. The doll wears a burka and unremovable underwear. It also has no breasts.
One of Ismail's brothers read My Accidental Jihad, and he couldn't stop laughing. He thought it was a shame that the book was not available in Libya, as it contains lessons in tolerance.
Aliya is now a teenager, has dyed her hair red, and loves Nirvana.


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Ashley Argota, née le  à Redlands (Californie), est une actrice et chanteuse américaine. Elle joue le rôle de Taylor dans Les Bio-Teens ainsi que dans Le Garçon idéal aux côtés de Kelli Berglund et de China Anne McClain.

Biographie

Carrière
En 2007, elle a joué dans un film intitulé Schooled. Elle est également apparue dans la série BrainSurge de Nickelodeon. En 2011, Ashley est apparue avec d'autres célébrités de Nickelodeon. Ashley confirme le  que Nickelodeon a supprimé Bucked & Skinner's.

En tant que chanteuse, Ashley a sorti deux albums, dont Dreams Come True (2006) et Ashley (2008).

Filmographie

Actrice

Cinéma
 2007 : Schooled : Soomi Alverez
 2015 : Broken: A Musical : Helen
 2016 : All Hallows' Eve : Sarah Ettels
 2018 : Cover Versions : Amber

Courts-métrages
 2015 : Blackout
 2015 : The Storybook Killer

Télévision

Séries télévisées
 2008 : iCarly : Kathy
 2008-2011 : True Jackson : Lulu Johnson
 2011-2013 : Bucket and Skinner's Epic Adventures : Kelly
 2012 : Baby Daddy : Ava
 2014 : Austin & Ally : Elle
 2014 : Chasing Life : Kristina
 2014-2015 : Les Bio-Teens : S-1 / Taylor
 2014-2016 : The Fosters : Lucy 'Lou' Chan
 2016 : #ThisIsCollege : Carolina
 2016 : Le Monde de Riley : Nikki
 2017 : Pilot Season : Girl #1
 2017 : Snatchers : Kiana
 2018 : Adopted : Mandi
 2018 : Liberty Crossing : Abigail Abaya

Téléfilms
 2014 : Cabot College : Gabby
 2014 : Le Garçon idéal : Nevaeh Barnes

Productrice

Séries télévisées
 2015 : Spies in Training

Parolière

Séries télévisées
 2003 : Star Search

Notes et références

Liens externes

Naissance en janvier 1993
Naissance à Redlands (Californie)
Actrice américaine de télévision
Chanteuse américaine du XXIe siècle
Acteur Nickelodeon

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Curtis Blaydes has looked unstoppable of late, but his rise through the UFC ranks has not been entirely flawless. In his first UFC bout, Blaydes experienced a tough, doctor stoppage loss to Francis Ngannou — and it's a fight he's wanted to get back ever since.
The good news for Blaydes is that Francis Ngannou seems to be a-ok with a potential rematch sometime in the near future.
First, of course, Francis Ngannou will have to get by the hard-hitting Derrick Lewis, who he's set to battle at UFC 226 in eight days' time.
Does a future rematch between Francis Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes interest you? Who do you think would come out on top in this second fight?


M Gymkhana® got it's start in October of 2012 here in the US. With the number of race tracks dwindling year by year and the number of track days being reduced as well, M Gymkhana® wanted to be an avenue where rider's could actually put their motorcycles and themselves to a test of skill. California has beautiful mountain roads and canyons that are being ridden everyday and every weekend, but the more you ride them the more you realize how many riders out there are underqualified and overconfident in their ability to ride these roads safely. M Gymkhana's® purpose is to increase the skills and ability of the everyday rider, give them the confidence and ability to ride everyday in a much safer capacity, give them a challenge in a semi-competitive and friendly environment, but being able to do so close to home on a budget. M Gymkhana® was also created to try to bridge gap between the poor reputation that many motorcyclist have as being daredevils, irresponsible and dangerous (honestly because many are, due to a lack of skill and overconfidence), by trying to introduce the everyday "caged" commuter to the real talent that it takes to ride a motorcycle well. We ride because we love motorcycles, but there is always room for improvement. Why not become a better rider by pushing your skills and abilities in a safe environment with others who have the same desire and have a great time in the process! This is why we started M Gymkhana®, and we hope to have any who would like to, come out and give us a try.


Graeme Dey, the MSP for Angus South Constituency, has welcomed figures which show that the number of community-owned renewable energy projects in Scotland has surged by a staggering 62% since 2011 – with over 450 local communities now benefitting from green power initiatives.
The SNP Scottish Government has a strong track record on supporting community empowerment and helping communities take steps to develop new renewable energy projects – despite huge subsidy cuts from the Tory government at Westminster.
Initiatives such as the Community Empowerment Act and the Local Energy Challenge Fund have helped support communities to develop their own low carbon energy – with 456 communities benefitting from wind, solar, hydro, heat pump and biomass projects across the country, a growth of over 62% in the last 7 years, according to statistics from the independent Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
"Renewables are key to securing our energy needs and tackling climate change.
"And it is vital that the move towards renewables is also benefitting communities across Scotland.
"The rapid increase in community-owned green energy projects can not only help communities cut down on their carbon footprint, but it will also save them money – providing them with the energy they need now and in the future as the technology progresses further.
"This is why it is so short sighted that the Tories have cut subsidies for the renewable sector – we need to support this technology and help it develop and succeed for the good of the environment, public health and the economy. The Tories should be reinstating subsidies and supporting this sector as a matter of urgency.


The scheduled rollout of Google's new mobile-friendly rules for mobile searches is less than 10 days away. Are websites rushing to convert to responsive design as Google intended to meet the 21 April roll-out of the new filter?
Apparently not. A recent Techcrunch survey by a marketing group that crawled Fortune 500 sites and evaluated them for mobile friendliness showed that overr 44% of the sites were not mobile-friendly. The data were similar to a survey we did last month on local companies in our San Diego metropolitan area. We found a similar number, 40%, of the companies in our survey were not mobile-friendly. We did some casual research among local contacts regarding the coming changes and what steps their marketing teams were taking to address them. We learned that several are in process on development that will produce responsive websites, just not necessarily before 21 April. This is not a Y2K scenario. There will be no doom or financial ruin. Only a company's mobile results are affected by a site that is not mobile-friendly, the organic search rankings remain the same. If a company is in a really tight niche competitive market with very few players, it might not see any significant differences for the search phrases that matter.
Rushing into a mobile-friendly development simply to meet the 21 April deadline without taking a critical overall look at your website, then developing a plan and budget are important . Hacking your site or falling victim to cheap solutions is not recommended.
A measured approach to the problem makes good sense. Because making a website mobile-friendly will very likely require a re-design of the site, it is a good time to review the site's effectiveness in projecting the company brand and messaging as well as evaluating the site's effectiveness at converting a visit into action. Mobile design offerings a new canvas to work with, so be sure to take the time to really think what this means to your visitor and embrace the richness of what this can provide. If Google's new rules moved some companies to replace legacy websites with modern responsive design, then it's good for those companies, and good for the Mobile Visitor.


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Bricks R Us offers you a variety of options for your brick engraving fundraiser. Engraved memorial benches, for example, are very effective for fundraising. They offer a way to memorialize a special person or event or give a dedication to someone from a class or organization. An engraved memorial bench ideal for places where there is a lot of foot traffic. Memorial sites, for instance, have many visitors walking through, and benches will give these visitors a comfortable place to sit. Browse through our selection of benches by scrolling down this page. You can also see some examples of benches we have engraved for customers in the past. Bricks R Us offers a variety of benches with different sizes, shapes, height and weight. All the prices you see on this page include shipping. An additional cost is incurred when adding a logo or symbol on a bench. Do you have any questions about our engraved memorial benches or about organizing a fundraiser? Fill out a contact form or give us a call at 888-MY-BRICK. The Bricks R Us team is here to help you plan a successful fundraiser!
As a way to help you express your gratitude to your donors, Bricks R Us has created Donor Certificates. A brick engraving fundraiser certificate is a great way to say thank you to a donor and show them that you appreciate their commitment to the cause. Each Donor Certificate is laser-printed on heavy ivory paper and is personalized to each donor with a red brick engraved with the donor's inscription. Standard Certificates: $8.00 Electronic Certificates: $4.00 * Please be aware we are only able to print text on the certificates. At the moment we cannot print any logos or symbols. * Certificates are printed by a professional printing company for a quality finish. Building a successful brick fundraiser is no easy task. Between planning for the fundraiser, organizing the events and engaging enough people to donate to the cause, a brick fundraiser is time-consuming. At the end of the day, though, there is no better feeling than knowing your fundraiser accomplished what it was meant to do. And while there is a lot to be thankful for, one can never forget the people that made the fundraiser a success – the donors! No amount of organizing and planning would matter if no one donates to your brick fundraiser. Thus, you always want to say thank you to your donors for their contribution. This display of gratitude goes a long way in showing your donors that their donations helped make the fundraiser a success. Contact us today to learn more about purchasing certificates!
Part of organizing a successful brick fundraiser is to raise awareness about your cause and your fundraising campaign. Bricks R Us has more than 25 years of experience in helping organizations plan their fundraisers; this includes helping them with their marketing efforts. As your partners for your upcoming fundraiser, we would like to help by providing you with order forms and free trifold brick fundraising brochures. If you have a particular type of brochure in mind other than a trifold brochure, feel free to show us a sample and we will do our best to accommodate you. You can email us the sample you have in mind, or call our customer service. Our main goal is to help your brick fundraiser succeed! Creating the Brochures To create the brochure for your organization, log into your account within the Online Ordering System and click on the brochure menu bar. You will need to complete the brochure questionnaire available on the page. Our team at Bricks R Us will use your information to create a professional template of the brochure. Keep in mind that Bricks R Us does not print the brochures. Our team will email you the PDF template within seven business days after you submit your brochure request. When submitting your brochure request, please include your organization's logo (if applicable), pictures, and at least two paragraphs explaining the campaign. Do you have any other questions about our brochure services? Give us a call at 888-MY-BRICK!
When engraving personalized bricks for your next fundraiser, there is no need to settle for plain text. Bricks R Us offers many options to make your fundraiser a unique, personalized experience. With Bricks R Us, your options are endless! Pick from a variety of brick options and sizes. Customize your brick color and be creative with your engraved message. Want to add a symbol to your bricks? We've got you covered! Bricks R Us offers over 300 different types of symbols, ranging from holiday designs to school mascots. If you would like to get creative with your bricks and personalize them even more, we recommend adding arrays. An array consists of your text engraved over a number of individual personalized bricks. Customers often use arrays as headers on a selected area; each brick or tile has one word on it. The cost of an array is the normal engraving price plus an array fee of $30.00 per 4 bricks. Scroll down this page to see examples of arrays we have engraved for customers in the past. Are you ready to start a fundraiser with personalized bricks? Contact Bricks R Us today! We are looking forward to helping you plan a successful brick campaign and make it unique to your organization. Our phone number is 888-MY-BRICKS. If you'd prefer to write us an email, you can submit a contact form and one of our customer service representatives will get back to you within 24 hours. Happy Fundraising!


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Rain early. Decreasing clouds overnight. Low 38F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..
Rain early. Decreasing clouds overnight. Low 38F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Tulsaworld.com: Obituaries published Jan. 12, 2020
CJ Olsen
On the morning of December 10, 2019 in Olympia, Washington, CJ Olsen (Carol Buehler-Shepherd) went to be with the Lord after a 4-year battle with cancer. She was 74 years old.
CJ was born January 10, 1945 in Mt. Vernon, MO, to Leo and Virginia Buehler. At Mt. Vernon High School she was a drum majorette and social butterfly. She was married at age 19, and moved to Monett, MO. Over the course of 2 decades, she raised 5 kids that were her pride and joy. In 1992, CJ and her youngest daughter, Lindsay made their new home in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and remained there for the next 22 years. CJ had several career changes but her final job before retirement was working for Community Care College in Tulsa, OK, as a successful student recruiter.
In October 2015, CJ met her angel and best friend, Chris Olsen. CJ sold her home in Broken Arrow and moved to Washington in November 2016. They were married January 27, 2017 in a private ceremony at Saint Michael Parish in Olympia.
CJ is survived by her husband, Chris Olsen of Olympia, WA; her children, Greg (Felicia) Shepherd, Tampa, FL, David (Jen) Shepherd of Wilmington, NC, Jennifer (Jason) Keller of Skiatook, OK, Angela Birmingham of Springfield, MO, Lindsay Shepherd of San Marcos, CA; her grandchildren, Brooke and Whitney Shepherd, Morgan and Jack Shepherd, Dylan and Anna Whaley, Isabel Bearden and Sophia and Joe Birmingham, Kelton and Shepherd Keller; her siblings, Edwin Buehler, Rita Turner-Dobson; and several cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home in Springfield, MO on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at 10:00am.
Nancy J. Nelson, R.N., C.M.P.E.
Tulsa, OK - Nancy Jo (Tuttle) Nelson, 72, born July 28, 1948 to Vance M. and Joan H. Tuttle, passed away at home, January 7, 2020.
Early in life, Nancy showed an interest in both music and nursing. In school she played the cornet in the Will Rogers Roper's marching band. After graduating in 1965, she followed her other passion and enrolled at St. John's School of Nursing.
She spent time at St. John's Hospital before furthering her career in Wichita. In 1982 she returned to Tulsa to join the premier Cardiology practice, Cardiology of Tulsa. The next 38 years saw her progress from a staff member to Director of Multi-specialty Clinic, at the Warren Clinic of the St. Francis Health System. Among her many accomplishments during those years, she beta tested NextGen Software with medical field emphasis on Cardiology. She was instrumental in opening a variety of branches for Cardiology of Tulsa, throughout the state of Oklahoma.
Her passion for Jazz and Big Band styles of music never left her. In her spare time, she formed a group called Nancy's Band. They played parties, dances and other events in Tulsa and the surrounding areas. After leaving she remained friends with the other band members and would gather occasionally to play together.
She was preceded in death by her father, Vance M. Tuttle. She is survived by her mother, Joan Tuttle; and her siblings, Carol Schoeneck, Vance Tuttle, Jr., Vanessa Tuttle Lee, and Holly Lindsey; additionally there are 7 nieces and nephews, Erika Ballard, Esther Bowen, Sara Tuttle Williams, Pamela Jones, Aaron Tuttle, Ronda Lee, Buddy Lindsey, Jr.; and 8 great nieces and nephews.
Nancy's wish was in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the American Cancer Society or American Heart Association.
Nancy's Memorial service will be held at the Spain Ranch, 732 E. 116th Street, Jenks, OK, at 2:00 pm on January 18, 2020.
Norma Jean Blackburn
Norma Jean Blackburn passed away January 7. 2020, in Green Valley, Arizona, at the age of 85. Norma was born July 9, 1934, in Knob Noster, Missouri. Norma attended school and was raised in Warrensburg, Missouri. While attending Central Missouri State University she met Jim Blackburn. Jim and Norma married September 4, 1955 in Warrensburg, Missouri.
After Jim's graduation from the University of Missouri, he began a career in the fertilizer business. Jim's career required Norma and their growing family to move frequently around the U.S. with the family ultimately settling in Tulsa. Norma and Jim had four children along the way. Jim's career required him to travel extensively. Norma served many roles during those formative years as a loving mother to her children and a supportive wife to Jim. In addition to her duties at home, the Lutheran Church and her relationship with her Lord were always present in her life. In her later years, Norma and Jim enjoyed travel, their many grandchildren and their winter home in Green Valley, AZ. This summer they looked forward to celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary.
Norma was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Helen Weinrich. She is survived by her husband, Jim of the home; her brother, Vernon Weinrich (Phyllis)of Warrensburg, MO; son, Tom (Carol) of Garden City, KS; son, David (Kathy) of Westfield, IN; daughter, Diane Tuttle (Steve) of Tulsa, OK; daughter, Traci Harvel (Jerald) of Sperry, OK; grandchildren, Erin Blackburn of Springfield, IL, Kyle Blackburn (Chantel) of Enid, OK, Mark Blackburn of Garden City, KS, Sara Killgore (Kyle) of Lindsborg, KS, Michelle Blackburn of Chicago, IL, Jason Blackburn of Westfield, IN, Justin Tuttle (Marissa) of Frisco, TX,; Natalie Belie of Tulsa, OK, Lindsey Belie of Madill, OK, Jacie Harvel of Oklahoma City, OK, Trace Harvel of Sperry, OK; and great granddaughter, Elway Blackburn of Enid, OK; and great grandson, Beckham Tuttle of Frisco, TX.
A funeral service will be held in Tulsa, OK, on Monday, January 13th, at 2:00 PM at Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church at 2550 E. 71st St., Tulsa, OK. A burial service will be held in Houstonia, MO, on Tuesday, January 14th, at 3:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Christ the Redeemer Church, Habitat for Humanity or a charity of your choice.
Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233. Share memories at www.moorefuneral.com
Catherine McBride West
Catherine McBride West was born December 30, 1937 at Scott & White Hospital, Temple, TX, while her father was in medical residence. Catherine's parents moved to Ada, OK, where Dr. McBride practiced medicine. Catherine attended Ada Schools for 12 years graduating in 1955.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Ollie and Maryella McBride; sisters, Mary Nan Rush and Joan "Josie" Smyth; two sons, Timothy and Larry Thomas West; grandson-in-law, Mikal Rice.
She is survived by her husband of 64 years, L.T. West, Jr.; her daughter, Terri G. Wade; granddaughter, Mary Catherine Rice; grandson, Michael L. Wade; son-in-law, Martin Wade; and great-grandson, Soaring Eagle Rice.
Catherine attended Tyler Jr. College and after moving to Tulsa, worked for Oral Roberts Ministry as a letter editor and secretary for 40 years. She helped start TAMI to advocate for mental illness. She was a founding member for Church of the Holy Spirit and organized the first prayer ministry.
Family requests in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to your favorite charity. Visitation will be 9AM-10AM, Monday, January 13, 2020, at Fitzgerald Southwood Colonial Chapel followed by a 10AM service in the chapel. Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233. Share memories at www.moorefuneral.com
Gary R. Mote
Gary R. Mote, 54, passed away suddenly December 19, 2019 in Baltimore, MD. He was born September 23, 1965 in Oklahoma City. Gary was employed by Northrop Grumman as Chief Metrologist. He loved his work and many friends. He loved a challenge and was acknowledged by Northrop Grumman for his creativity and unique problem solving skills. Gary loved fishing, camping, playing pool and everything OU. He was a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School where he was the BTW Hornet mascot and Class President his junior and senior years. Following graduation Gary served in the Oklahoma National Guard. He then attended the University of Oklahoma. Gary's joyful spirit will be missed by his coworkers, many friends, his family, and his cherished Lynn Strykowski. Gary was preceded in death by his brother, Randy Mote; his father, Jim Mote; and many aunts and uncles. Gary is survived by his mother, Rosalee Gray; his beloved step father, Ross Gray; dear nephews, Brodie and Axton Mote; Brodie's wife, Tara; great nephew and niece, Dean and Tori Mote; aunts, Vera Willey, Evelyn Renfro; and uncle, Bill Willey. Gary's generous spirit and quick wit will be missed by his many cousins and all who had the honor of knowing him. Funeral Home Bradley Ashton Kehl of Dundalk, MD cites donations to homeless shelters of one's choosing in Gary's name as he was known and loved by the homeless in Baltimore.
William "Amos" Cooper, Sr.
William Cooper, Sr. Graveside service for Amos Cooper will be 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, January 14, 2010, at Memorial Park Cemetery. A memorial service is set for 12:00 p.m., at MMS-Payne Funeral Home Chapel. Friends may visit at the funeral home on Monday, January 13, from 1pm-8pm, with family receiving visitors from 5pm-7pm.
William "Amos" Cooper passed away on January 7, 2020. He was 90 years old.
Amos was born on November 8, 1929, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to William Henry Cooper and Velma Grady (Mozingo) Cooper. He attended Lowell Elementary School in Tulsa before the family moved to Arkansas. Amos grew up on the family farm and eventually graduated from Plumerville High School in 1948. Since then he loved going to the annual homecomings which he attended for many years.
Amos' working career began at Crews Lumber Company in downtown Tulsa transporting lumber for construction of the original Admiral Twin Drive-in Theater. He became a skilled tool and cutter grinder while working at Douglas Aircraft in the early fifties. Over the years he worked for Custom Cutter, Toolco (which he co-owned), then started and operated Sawco, as well as Cooper Small Engine Repair. He later worked for T.D. Williamson and retired from McDonnell-Douglas (now Boeing) in 1992. He was very innovative and was often recognized for his ideas and his approach to problem solving. He could fix anything that was broken and did so for all in need. He joined the Masonic Lodge in 1957.
The oldest of four boys, he was kind hearted, a man of high character and had a jovial spirit. Everyone knew him as a sweet and mild-mannered man. A veracious reader, he loved reading about the old west and watching westerns.
Amos married Lenora Maxine (Hipp) Cooper on June 19, 1950 in Tulsa. Here they raised their two boys - William A. Cooper, Jr., and Terry L. Cooper. In 1978 they moved to Claremore where they found good neighbors and a great, refreshing country lifestyle. They celebrated their 69th anniversary this past year enjoying all the years with family and friends.
Amos was preceded in death by his parents; son, Terry L. Cooper; grandson, Thomas A. Cooper; and two brothers, Gary E. Cooper and H. Wayne Cooper.
Survivors include his wife, Lenora M. Cooper; son, William A. Cooper Jr. of the home; daughter-in-law, Cheryl Cooper; grandsons, Nick Cooper (wife Jackie) and Adam Cooper (wife Amanda); great- grandchildren, AJ, JP and Reagan Cooper; as well as his brother, Dean. E. Cooper; along with many other family members and friends.
In lieu of flowers please make donations to Operation Aware. www.operationaware.org
mmsfunerahomes.com
Annette M. Alloway
Annette M. Alloway, 89, passed away on December 18, 2019 at the Chateau at Montereau. Annette was born on February 5, 1930 in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, a daughter of the late Paul and Anna Slahor. Annette attended Lyndhurst public schools and received a BA degree in education from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She had a long distinguished career with Cities Service as the Administrative Assistant to the CEO in New York City. After transferring to Tulsa she was promoted to Manager of Human Resources. Following her retirement from Cities Service Annette had a second career at American Airlines, also in Tulsa. While her family missed her terribly when she moved from New Jersey to Oklahoma, it was in Tulsa where she met the love of her life, Arthur (Mac) Alloway. Together they shared twenty six years of marriage until his death in 2013. They had a passion for travel and visited many destinations including Alaska, New Zealand and the UK. They made many new friends along the way and always took the opportunity to cast a fishing line on these trips. Annette also enjoyed her winter breaks with her nieces in Florida.
Annette was an accomplished and avid bridge player. She played in many bridge groups over the years, most recently with her friends at Montereau. Annette was also active in Meals on Wheels and reading to students in Tulsa public schools.
Annette was an active member of Fellowship Lutheran Church and served on the Altar Guild. Her faith was very important to her and we can take comfort in knowing that she is home with the Lord.
In addition to her parents and husband, Annette was predeceased by her siblings, Paul, Mabel and Blanche. She is survived by her identical twin nieces, Annette Leckstrom and Diane Francis, both of Melbourne, Florida and many great nieces and nephews.
The family would like to thank the staff of the Chateau at Montereau and the Hospice of St. Francis for their compassionate care. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to Fellowship Lutheran Church Endowment Fund, 6727 S. Sheridan Road, Tulsa, OK 74133.
A memorial service will be held on January 16, 2020 AT 11:00 AM at Fellowship Lutheran Church.
www.floralhaven.com
John C. Fischer
John Clarence Fischer, 77, of Tulsa, OK passed away at home on January 8, 2020.
John was born on January 25, 1942 in Somerton, PA and was the only child to the most loving parents, Doris and Ben Fischer. He would tell you he was born lucky and grew up surrounded by cherished aunts, uncles and cousins and with unlimited freedom to create and explore. He was proud to be an Eagle Scout and go on to graduate with academic and military honors from Norwich University. In 1965, he married the love of his life, Natalie, then served with the 183rd Aviation Company (Seahorses) during the Vietnam War, earning a Bronze Star Medal. After his decorated military service came a truly rewarding career, taking him to interesting places, solidifying lifelong friendships and eventually finding his home in Tulsa as VP Human Resources for the Williams Companies. He felt blessed to serve on the boards for many charitable organizations, including the Tulsa Opera, Junior Achievement, The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges, Mental Health Association and Civil Service Commission. In his retirement, he dedicated himself to bringing together his brothers in the 183rd Aviation Company.
John loved to surround himself with family and friends, "the more the merrier" his mantra. His fondest memories were with everyone together in Ocean City, NJ or around the kitchen table. He loved his life of adventure with Natalie, took pride in the closeness of his children and found so much joy in his grandchildren who adored their "Dad dad." John is survived by his loving wife, Natalie Sparrow Fischer; and their three children and spouses, Deborah Fischer Frickey and husband, Derek of Colorado Springs, CO, Kristen Fischer Malloy and husband, Terry of Lawrence, KS, and Scott LeBaron Fischer of Silverthorne, CO; and four grandchildren, Hannah Catherine Malloy, Ryan Elizabeth Malloy, Connor Todd Frickey and Audra Grace Frickey.
Memorial service will be held 2:00 p.m., Friday, January 17, at Saint John's Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 183rd Aviation Company or the Tulsa Opera.
Ninde Funeral & Cremation (918) 742-5556
www.ninde.com
David E. Broach
The reason obituaries are so dull to read is that they are so dull to write and that's precisely why I'm writing my own: To save my family the drudgery in an otherwise stressful time. Following the standard format of obits I'll start with I was born to Maudie and Bob in 1948. I enjoyed being an only child until my two sisters, Leslie and Maudie Marie came along. After that I learned to be an only child with two sisters. I have to stop here and mention that when my kidneys failed in my forties, my youngest sister, Maudie Marie, unselfishly agreed to transplant one of hers. When it came time much later for another transplant, Leslie conveniently developed cancer rendering her ineligible and, although I assured her dialysis isn't so bad, Maudie didn't seize the opportunity to donate her other one. Fortunately our son, Peter jumped at the chance and eagerly agreed to step up for which I was profoundly grateful.
Moving on, I graduated from Edison High School in 1966 and moved on to blast my way through a five year architectural degree in only seven years at Oklahoma State. In 1983 I co-founded BSW Architects which grew to employ nearly 600 people in Tulsa and several other offices including Mexico City making it one of the ten largest firms in the U.S. for several years. I'm kind of proud of that.
Following retirement I served as Vice-President of the national board of the American Kidney Fund. Along the way I was President of the Eastern Oklahoma Chapter as well as President of the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. I was also President of the Tulsa Arts and Humanities Council and served on the Arts Commission of the City of Tulsa. There is some other stuff but these are the highlights.
Undoubtedly the best thing that I ever did was marrying Linda. I loved her dearly. She was my lover, partner, confidant and best friend. If not for her, I would have been writing this many years earlier. Linda gave me the gift of two wonderful daughters. Jan-Marie Kroh and her husband, Brad live in Kansas City where she is a practicing dermatologist. Stephanie spends most of her time helping keep women out of prison and lives in Tulsa with her husband,Matt Horten. They in turn have given us three granddaughters and two grandsons. Our son, Peter is a photographer living in Los Angeles. He has yet to have any kids which is regrettable because the gene pool would be greatly improved by his contribution.
I guess all that's left is to say goodbye to the many friends I've made over the last seven decades. I've kept up with some but lost track of many. Suffice to say that if I wasn't dead, I'd miss them all.
A memorial service will be held 3:00 p.m., Friday, January 17, at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 501 S. Cincinnati, Tulsa. In lieu of flowers please consider donations to Iron Gate or New Hope.
Ninde Brookside, 918-742-5556.
Joyce Hamilton
Joyce Hamilton, 85, of Tulsa, Oklahoma passed away peacefully on January 7, 2020, with her family by her side. Joyce was born on September 26, 1934 in Norfolk, Virginia to Robert and Jodi Gore. Joyce was an accomplished pianist and enjoying playing piano for her church, friends and family. Joyce was preceded in death by her loving husband of 62 years, Carl Hamilton. Carl and Joyce met as teenagers at Southwestern Bible College in Oklahoma City. Carl served for many years as the Provost of ORU in Tulsa. Carl and Joyce faithfully served the ORU community since ORU's founding in 1965. Joyce was the heart of her home and the ORU community. Any ORU student without a place to go for Thanksgiving knew they would find a warm welcome and a home-cooked meal at Dr. and Mrs. Hamilton's home. Joyce also served the Tulsa community by actively supporting a number of charitable organizations including the United Way. Those who will dearly miss Joyce include her daughters Deanna Flores and her husband, Eric, Carla Dossey and her husband, Jeff; her son -- Ray Hamilton; her granddaughter Eva Flores; and her surviving siblings Orville Gore and Beth Carr. A memorial service celebrating Joyce's life will be conducted by Father Lee Domenick on January 15 at 1 pm at Trinity Episcopal Church, 501 South Cincinnati Avenue, Tulsa. Visitation will be held on January 14 at 5 pm at Floral Haven, 6500 South 129th East Avenue, Broken Arrow. Memorials may be directed to Joy in the Cause (www.joyinthecause.org). www.floralhaven.com
Paul Edward Leslie
Paul E. Leslie, 85, went to be with the Lord on December 4, 2019 while resting at home in Emory, Texas.
Paul was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on November 27, 1934. He graduated from Will Rogers High School in 1952 and attended Oklahoma A&M College where he received a Bachelor's degree in Personal Management. Paul worked for the Corp of Engineers early on and retired as a Director for The Office of Personnel Management, U.S. Government. He retired in Emory, Texas, on the shores of Lake Fork.
Paul was preceded in death by his wife, Louise Leslie and his parents, Wayne and Dorothy Leslie. He is survived by his son, Doug Leslie and wife, Charlotte Leslie; brother, Robert Leslie and wife, Tomi Leslie; brother-in-law, Autry Hill and wife, Geraldine Hill; 3 grandchildren and three great granddaughters. Memorial Service:
Memorial Park Cemetery Chapel, January 17, 2020 at 2:00pm, 5111 South Memorial Drive, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74145. Interment immediately following the service.
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Palmarès

Club

Competizioni nazionali

Göteborg: 1957-1958

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Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Calciatori della Nazionale svedese


A new wave of regulations is one of the likely consequences of the financial crisis, and the microscope will be focussed on offshore financial centres. During his election campaign, President Obama criticised "corporations that hide their profits offshore", pointing to Bermuda. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, also has offshore in her sights. "We can no longer stand passively by as individual small countries attract financial institutions by ignoring internationally agreed-upon rules," she said, on a recent trip to Washington DC. In the UK, Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, has promised "very large and very radical changes" in financial regulation, while his Chancellor Alistair Darling has spoken of "potential problems with overseas territories and crown dependencies".
At the end of last year, when launching a formal Review into British offshore centres, Darling referred to the Icelandic banking collapse that affected British investors with Landsbanki's Guernsey branch, and with Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander's on the Isle of Man. Many who lost money probably did not understand that these banks were outside the UK supervisory system. But the UK Review is much wider in scope: it will examine all crown dependencies and overseas territories with significant financial sectors. This shows how regulatory change can snowball. These are the territories affected: Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Turks and Caicos Islands, British Virgin Islands, and Anguilla. Thus Caribbean offshore financial centres find themselves caught up in regulatory change that was occasioned by a collapse in Iceland. That's globalisation for you.
So what exactly will the Review cover? In announcing it, Darling said: "…overseas territories and crown dependencies …attract banking customers with lower taxes – without contributing to the UK Exchequer. But at times of stress, depositors need to know who will compensate them. The British taxpayer cannot be expected to be the guarantor of last resort." This statement gives the impression that the UK is considering introducing taxation in those territories. Not so, according to later clarification. In subsequent statements the UK?government said the Review would not look at changing the territories' existing constitutional arrangements, including their fiscal independence and the right to set their own tax rates. This must have come as a great relief to the territories concerned. And as for the UK government's being guarantor of last resort, depositors in banks in the Isle of Man and Guernsey may have been under a misunderstanding, but surely no despositor in a Caribbean financial institution could make the same mistake.
What then is the purpose of this Review? One possible outcome is that the UK may increase taxation disclosure obligations on offshore centres, something that would help the UK's authorities hunt down UK citizens attempting to evade tax. The territories may have to send the UK government more information than they do now. The taxation advantages of offshore financial centres may be unaffected, but their confidentiality advantages might be reduced.
If so, this would be a long way from Darling's statement, but a perfect example of how political rhetoric ossifies over time into a strengthened bureaucracy.
Not only would it be unfair to blame offshore financial centres for the financial crisis (they had nothing to do with it); doing so distracts us from understanding its true causes. We should not allow our politicians to rush to ill-considered regulation in reaction.
As Tim Ambler of the London Business School says in a thought-provoking recent paper for the Adam Smith Institute (The Financial Crisis: Is regulation cure or cause?) improving regulation will not provide more than modest help in future. The important thing, he argues, is that the Bank of England, the FSA and the credit agencies do the jobs they are supposed to do more effectively.


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Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes boss makes 'very difficult' claim about star ahead of F1 return
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Lewis Hamilton will hope to extend his F1 lead at the Belgian Grand Prix
MERCEDES boss Toto Wolff insists there will be no favourites at the Belgian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel continue to battle it out for the F1 crown.
By Marc Williams 15.08, 22 Aug 2018 UPDATED 22.08, 22 Aug 2018
Mercedes star and four-time world champion Hamilton currently holds a 24 point lead over Ferrari's Vettel.
The F1 calendar is set to burst back into life this weekend following the summer break as the racers head to Spa.
It has been an exciting season so far and Wolff is expecting another major test.
He said: "Both the Drivers' and the Constructors' Championship are extremely tight and I expect it to be a close battle all the way through to Abu Dhabi.
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"What is clear is that our competitors are pushing extremely hard and put up a very tough fight.
"So we need to keep our heads down, work hard to eliminate our weaknesses and further build on our strengths, and take the season race by race.
"It's very difficult to make any predictions for Spa.
"If this season has taught us one thing, it's that there are no clear favourites for specific tracks anymore and that it's not always the fastest car that wins.
GentingBet
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insists there will be no favourites at the Belgian Grand Prix
"It's very difficult to make any predictions for Spa"
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff
"Instead, the competitive balance seems to swing back and forth from circuit to circuit.
"2018 promises to be a season that we will still be talking about in years to come and we can't wait to get out there and start racing again."
Hamilton, who is traditionally at his best in the second half of the season, won last time out in Hungary.
He claimed a tense strategic victory at the Hungaroring to head into his holidays with a healthy advantage over Vettel.
Lewis Hamilton sends message to 'amazing' Mercedes team after Hungarian Grand Prix victory
Lewis Hamilton rejects world title claims after Hungarian Grand Prix victory
F1 news: Daniel Ricciardo reveals WHY he's quit Red Bull to join Renault
Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel resume their F1 rivalry this weekend
But when asked if he was closing in on the title, the Brit superstar said: "Absolutely not.
"It is far too early to think about that when you consider the ups and downs we have had this year.
"I don't believe there is ever a time when you think you have got your hand on the championship. We still have a long way to go.
"A lot can happen moving forward, but what is important is that we continue to keep the pressure on, and work as we have done until now."
19=. Sergey Sirotkin (Williams) - £105,706
19=. Charles Leclerc (Sauber) - £105,706
18. Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso) - £246,648
17. Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso) - £281,884
16. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber) - £352,355
15. Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault) - £528,532
14. Lance Stroll (Williams) - £1.27m
13. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) - £1.76m
12. Esteban Ocon (Force India) - £2.11m
11. Romain Grosjean (Haas) - £3.14m
10. Sergio Perez (Force India) - £3.52m
9. Nico Hulkenberg (Renault) - £3.88m
8. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) - £4.23m
7. Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren) - £4.93m
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - £7.05m
5. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) - £8.46m
4. Fernando Alonso (McLaren) - £21.14m
3. Kimi Raikonnen (Ferrari) - £28.19m
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - £35.24m
1. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) - £42.28m
Meanwhile, Vettel is determined to produce the goods in Belgium and avoid a repeat of last season when Ferrari dropped off the pace after their break.
The German has worked to do to catch his rival as our graphic from our friends at GentingBet shows above.
Vettel said: "Last year we lost the championship in the second half of the year because our car wasn't quick enough.
"But I am quite confident that we can improve. We have more to unleash."
Lewis Hamilton's TANTRUMS: F1 star's most SHOCKING outbursts after GP meltdown
Lewis Hamilton WINS Hungarian Grand Prix to extend championship lead over Sebastian Vettel
Lewis Hamilton: Sebastian Vettel wants to 'unleash' on F1 leader after Hungary GP drama
Copyright ©2019 Express Newspapers.


(2015-09-02, 13:17)Jayz2K Wrote: [ -> ] Well, I'm not really sure now how it happens. It's finally not at each launch.
(2015-08-29, 14:21)im85288 Wrote: [ -> ] Would you be able to add a few more listitems for displaying the formatted Studios, Genres and Cast?
(2015-09-02, 10:04)im85288 Wrote: [ -> ] Hi Marcel, would it be possible to cache the Cast information so that subsequent requests for the data return instantly?
(2015-09-02, 19:21)Jayz2K Wrote: [ -> ] Just saw it after my post. Thanks for the request.


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No Place Like Home?
Barry Graham May 14, 1998 4:00AM
On November 12 last year, it became official: Arizona is not safe for children.
In a report released that day by the state auditor general, the Department of Economic Security is found to be failing the abused or neglected children it's supposed to protect. The report, "A Performance Audit of the Department of Economic Security, Division of Children, Youth and Families," contains statistics that show that things are so bad for the children of Arizona that thousands of children who have been abused by their families have been ignored by those charged with helping them.
On first consideration, you wouldn't think so. It would seem that abused or neglected children and their friends know who to call. The state's child-abuse hotline received 55,645 calls last year. But the DES' Division of Children, Youth and Families is so understaffed that it was only able to investigate 84 percent of those cases; a total of 5,900 went uninvestigated. That is a huge increase over the previous year. In 1996, only about 1,500 cases had gone uninvestigated.
But it gets worse. In Maricopa County, nearly 40 percent of the investigations that did take place were not initiated in the required response time. Some investigations were poorly documented, some cases were left open for long periods when no more investigation was needed, and only about 40 percent of investigated cases were reviewed by a supervisor before being closed. Six percent of the case files were missing, so the auditor couldn't determine whether any investigations were performed in these cases.
In a letter to the auditor general's office, Linda Blessing, director of the DES, agreed with the report's findings.
The Child Protective Services' priority classification system is chilling. "Priority 3--Low Risk" cases of physical abuse are defined as "injuries not requiring medical treatment. For example, first-degree or cigarette burns, injury to buttocks or scalp, single or small bruises, etc. . . ."
So children being burned or beaten are considered to be at a low risk.
Does this sound as though the division is accomplishing its stated mission "to protect children, to ensure their ongoing safety, and to provide children in need and their families with an array of services that are accessible, appropriate, and which promote independence and self-sufficiency"?
When someone reports a suspected child abuse, this is how the procedure usually works: The division gets the call on the hotline and decides whether the situation needs to be investigated. If so, it then decides how quickly the investigation has to be started. There are four categories used to prioritize investigations, and the standard response time ranges from two hours for priority one reports to seven days for priority four reports. If the investigation shows that the child is in imminent danger of abuse or neglect, the child can be taken from the parents and placed in a group home, a facility where such children live together under supervision.
And, in that group home, the abuse and neglect may continue, says the report.
Group homes tend to be staffed by people who are undereducated and underpaid. And there is normally a staff shortage. Children commonly react to sexual abuse by acting out sexual behavior. And, if unsupervised, they'll act it out with each other.
People willing to speak on the record about group homes invariably ask not to be named, in order to protect the confidentiality of the children they work with.
Last November, a 5-year-old girl at Devereux in Scottsdale was heard by a witness to say that she and another girl had been "doing sex." The other girl is three years older, and bigger. The 5-year-old's roommate confirmed this, saying that she had walked into the room and seen the older child on top of the 5-year-old. The home's staff knew nothing about this until a volunteer pointed it out.
I called the volunteer, and she confirmed that the incident happened, but didn't blame Devereux. "The people at Devereux do take these things seriously, and follow up on anything that's reported."
So why didn't anyone there know about it until she reported it?
"The staff in group homes aren't given enough information on how to deal with so many children. There are too many children, and not enough staff. These are children who're going to act out, whether it's sexual abuse or just anger. They've been taken out of their homes. The staff need to be trained to deal with that."
This volunteer is reluctant to criticize group homes. "Enough isn't being done, but what's being done is better than nothing."
So what did Devereux do in the instance of the 5-year-old? "They were very positive. They rearranged the children, put them in different quarters," said the volunteer.
This is unsurprising; Devereux is one of the better group homes. It has a ratio of four or five children to every staff member. It aims to have room checks every 10 or 15 minutes. "But things do happen," concedes executive director Stephen Vitali. He was unable to talk about any specific incident, but said that in the case of the one I mentioned, the children involved would be separated and seen by a therapist.
Devereux's staff members are better qualified and better paid than most--they need a college degree or a combination of education and experience. But, even at this high end, they still only get paid from $8 to $10 an hour. "Most of them are kids out of college, getting ready to go to grad school," according to Vitali.
I spoke to the volunteer coordinator for the agency the volunteer is affiliated with. He said that the case of the 5-year-old had been satisfactorily resolved. But he agreed that, in most group homes, such problems must necessarily arise in an environment with too few staff members making too little money and with no training.
"All you need is a high school diploma to work in a group home," he told me. "Staff in these homes make between $5 and $7.50 an hour. How are you going to get qualified people for that? They should have to go through a training program. Children who've been sexually abused tend to become sexual predators or sexual victims. They have to be supervised."
He believes that the lack of quality child welfare, rather than being the fault of any one organization or group of organizations, reflects the lack of value our society places on its children.
"As far as child welfare goes, we're 42nd in the country. We don't respect our children. The problem lies with the community, with all of us."
A former group-home staffer tells me that staff morale is always low. "People work in these homes for these wages either because they're on the way to somewhere else or because they can't get anything better. I did it for a year, when I was a student."
Another tells a similar story. "It has a high burnout rate. So compassionate people who're very good at working directly with the residents tend to move on and get promoted into administrative positions, which they're not very good at."
The auditor general's report recommends that DES improve its oversight of group homes. But the report makes clear that lack of regulation is not all the fault of DES. "The legislature should consider strengthening the Division's current enforcement authority by providing it with the authority to impose civil penalties" on homes. But DES already has the power to suspend or revoke an agency's license, which it is reluctant to do because of the need for places where children can be safely housed. One agency was the subject of 14 child-abuse reports and more than 50 incident reports during 1996 alone, and still kept its license, though CPS stopped placing children there.
This agency or its specific group homes are not named in the report. DES did not return calls from me asking for details of this and other complaints.
"Taking children into custody is an extreme measure," a former group-home worker tells me. "You take them into custody because their situation at home is so dangerous. But these kids are damaged by what happened to them. They must be. And we're not doing anything to make them better. All we're doing is farming damaged children until they're old enough to leave."
Always assuming they're not ignored in the first place.


Barnes & Noble is now all set to release its own version of Nook Tablet to compete with Amazon Kindle and Apple iPad during a special Media event planned on Monday Nov 7th. Barnes & Noble, makers of Nook, sent out invitations for Monday Nov 7 Media Event 10:00 AM Eastern as reported by The L.A. Times. The invitation says "Please join us for a very special announcement," which displays "N" logo which probably represents Nook Tablet by Barnes & Noble. It is reported that Nook Tablet will have built-in support for eMail, Internet Browser and native Applications & Games same as Google offers in its Android OS.
Like Amazon, Barnes & Noble is also a book seller eCompany however they have analyzed the trends very well by jumping into the Tablet business by offering tablet devices incorporated eBooks to make things sell electronically rather than physical books. Amazon launched their Kindle range of Tablets which offers Amazon AppStore to download the eBooks online which had increased the sales of Amazon. Following the same steps Barnes & Noble is all set to launch their own version of tablet which will also allow eBook reading along with other Tablet features.


The house-made vanilla latte was a pleasant surprise to me. I guess I expected too little of SD cafes and assumed they would't have house-made syrups.
One of the most aesthetically lavish cafes I have visited. This one gets all the Instagram views. Being a flower shop, I ordered one of the signature floral lattes - rose - and had an avocado toast with egg to go with it.
Very basic and standard place for a solid latte. Wish I had more time to spend here because it seems like a decent atmosphere to get some work done.
This cafe is housed in a giant warehouse that shares a space with retails shops and other businesses. I ordered an original honey cinnamon latte and took it to go.
Because I live in Portland, where we have not one but three Coavas, I wasn't going to visit this one in San Diego because it did't feel unique to me. However, when I was passing through downtown and saw this beautiful location, I could not resist. It's kind of disappointing that Coava in San Diego is more beautiful that the locations in their home city of Portland.
This very hip and trendy shop delivered on a solid vanilla latte. This is somewhere I would return to time and time again if I lived in San Diego.


A new tick species has been spotted in New York, according to the state Departments of Health and Agriculture & Markets.
The longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) has been found in several locations in Westchester County. Although it can transmit disease to humans, no cases have been documented in the U.S. The tick is common in Australia, New Zealand and eastern Asia.


You may think you know exactly who your enemy is. Your enemy is your unhappy spouse. Your enemy is your stubborn teenager. Your enemy is your ungrateful boss. Your enemy is your friend who said something you don't like. Your enemy is the economy or the job market. Your enemy is your sickness. Your parents are your enemy. In short, you may think life is your enemy.
The truth is that most of the time you are wrong. You are likely to believe the enemy is the people and circumstances you encounter. When this happens your energy is spent fighting the wrong target!
You need God's wisdom to identify your actual enemy, otherwise, you become like the fool in Proverbs who is clueless about why he is frustrated and struggling.
Humans are born at war with God. Ephesians 2:1-3 tells us that the world is filled with people who, while dead in their sin, are very much alive to the leadership of the evil one. Then there is the matter of your flesh. When you consider the darkness of your heart you see evidence the enemy's legacy.
The world, the flesh, and the devil are your true enemies, not the people and circumstances that you typically war against. The world, that is the culture you interact with, is antithetical to God's truth. Paul says your true enemy is deceptive. He does not want you to recognize that you are a captive to seeing life the way he wants you to see it! Make sure the things you think and believe and practice are based on Scripture and not empty, deceptive thoughts.
The Cross calls you to be proactive. You must be on the offensive, taking every thought captive for Christ as Paul urges in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Do not use the world's methods of combat, but use the Spirit's weapons. Here are three examples of just how different the Spirit's idea of combat is from your natural response to problems.
These three examples offer a radically different offensive strategy. This is possible because of the grand story of redemption. Christ, by his sacrifice, has made it possible for you to engage your real enemies. The victory over sin won by Jesus means true freedom. You can now identify your true enemy. More importantly, you can draw strength from Christ's power instead of being angry or frustrated with your current list of enemies.
Because of Easter you no longer have to stumble around in the darkness!


January 2013 saw the long trip East to sample the many delights of Niseko. Great company, great food and the unique vibe of this Japanese wonder resort make the travelling miles worthwhile. After the skiing was done we had a sightseeing break in Tokyo, with more restaurant sampling, an onsen trip, the inevitable karioke, and even a visit to a Bonsai Master!