text:
Communications Services Tax (CST) Workgroup - Upcoming Meeting (October 16, 2012)
On Tuesday, October 16th, 2012 the Communications Services Tax (CST) Workgroup will continue its series of meetings. The working group will meet in Tallahassee at the Department of Revenue. In summary the mission and deliverables of the workgroup are:
Review national and state tax policies relating to the communications industry;
Review the historical amount of tax revenue that has been generated by the communications services taxes imposed or administered under chapter 202, Florida Statutes, for the purposes of determining the effect that laws passed in the past 5 years have had on declining revenues;
Review the extent to which this revenue has been relied on to secure bonded indebtedness;
Review the fairness of the state's communications tax laws and the administrative burdens it contains, including whether the applicability of the tax laws is reasonably clear to communications services providers, retailers, customers, local government entities and state administrators;
Identify options for streamlining the administrative system; and
Identify options that remove competitive advantages within the industry as it relates to the state's tax structure without unduly reducing revenue to local governments.
A report of the working group is due to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by February 1, 2013.
FAC's Involvement
The Florida Association of Counties has two representatives appointed to the Task Force workgroups. The representatives are:
Davin J. Suggs, Senior Legislative Advocate, Florida Association of Counties
Alan S. Rosenzweig, Deputy County Administrator, Leon County
FAC staff will continue to not only monitor activities of the CST workgroup, but also provide staff support to the appointed representatives.
Please visit http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/cst_workgroup/ for more information on the workgroup including:
A complete listing of Task Force and workgroup members;
Meeting Materials;
Meeting Transcripts;
Future Meeting Dates and Times;
Additionally, to share your comments, suggestions and or ideas directly with the workgroup, please contact Andrea Moreland, Director Office of Legislative & Cabinet Services, Florida Department of Revenue at CST Working Group

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
using System.IO;
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;

namespace Wexflow.NetCore.Tests
{
    [TestClass]
    public class Touch
    {
        private static readonly string File1 = @"C:\WexflowTesting\Triggers\trigger1.empty";
        private static readonly string File2 = @"C:\WexflowTesting\Triggers\trigger2.empty";

        [TestInitialize]
        public void TestInitialize()
        {
            if(File.Exists(File1)) File.Delete(File1);
            if (File.Exists(File2)) File.Delete(File2);
        }

        [TestCleanup]
        public void TestCleanup()
        {
            File.Delete(File1);
            File.Delete(File2);
        }

        [TestMethod]
        public void TouchTest()
        {
            Assert.AreEqual(false, File.Exists(File1));
            Assert.AreEqual(false, File.Exists(File2));
            Helper.StartWorkflow(15);
            Assert.AreEqual(true, File.Exists(File1));
            Assert.AreEqual(true, File.Exists(File2));
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Lower Carbon
Minimal Waste
Biodiverse Campuses
Positive Procurement
EMS Operational Procedures
Communication and Engagement
Contact the Sustainability Team
Swansea University's Aspects and Impacts Register
At Swansea University, we are committed to carefully managing our impact on the environment.
Aspect: an element of an organisation's activities, products and services that interacts or could interact with the environment.
Impact: change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially, resulting from an organisations environmental aspects.
We use our environmental management system (EMS) to assess how our activities interact with and impact on the environment. Once we've identified our significant impacts, we use the EMS to help us put controls in place to manage them and work towards improving our environmental impact.
We have worked together with colleagues in the University's Academic Colleges and other Professional Service Units to develop our comprehensive, pan-university Aspects and Impacts (A&I) Register which summarises our environmental aspects and associated impacts. We also support the University's academic colleges and support services to develop their own registers covering their specific activities.
Mitigating Our Impacts
To mitigate the impact of our activities, we have developed Sustainability Objectives & Targets and our Academic Colleges and Professional Service Units have their own specific Sustainability Action Plans. In addition, we have also developed the EMS Action Plan 2018-19 which outlines key workstreams.
We are currently updating our Aspects and Impacts Register. Keep an eye out for further information coming soon.


text:
HomeCOMMENTARYWhat has WikiLeaks revealed about the Blair & Brown governments?
What has WikiLeaks revealed about the Blair & Brown governments?
March 11, 2019 Pam Barker COMMENTARY, GOVERNMENT, Spotlight 0
What has WikiLeaks revealed about the Blair and Brown governments?
DEFEND WIKILEAKS
(Read the PDF version here)
Document publications by Julian Assange's WikiLeaks shed important light on the foreign policies of the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown Labour governments. They particularly reveal the closeness of the US-UK special relationship, and the willingness of the UK to act in support of the US and to protect the latter's interests, in addition to examples of the UK's own duplicitous foreign policy decision-making.
A cable of February 2009 sets the scene. The charge d'affaires in the US embassy in London, Richard LeBaron, wrote of "the Brown Government's support for Bush administration foreign policies". After Obama took office, LeBaron stated, in reference to Brown's foreign policy: "The UK's commitment of resources – financial, military, diplomatic – in support of U.S global priorities remains unparalleled".[1]
The following are some highlights of how the UK government, behind the scenes, supports those "US global priorities", and some of its own.
Undermining the Iraq enquiry
The Brown government undermined the Chilcot enquiry it launched in 2009 into the Iraq war by immediately making promises to the US. Just as the enquiry was beginning in 2009, the MOD Director for security policy, Jon Day promised a senior US official that his government had "put measures in place to protect your interests" during the inquiry.[2] According to the US cable:
"He [Day] noted that Iraq seems no longer to be a major issue in the U.S., but he said it would become a big issue – a "feeding frenzy" – in the UK "when the inquiry takes off."'[3]
It is not known what this protection amounted to, but it appears to have been substantial. No US officials were called to give evidence to Chilcot in public. Evidence from some US officials was only heard in private during visits by inquiry members to the US. The inquiry was also refused permission to publish letters between George Bush and Tony Blair written in 2002 in the run-up to the war, even though they were referred to in evidence.[4]
The Iraq war
WikiLeaks' files highlight the legacy of Tony Blair in Iraq. In October 2010 WikiLeaks published the largest classified military leak in history – the "The Iraq War Logs", which consist of 391,832 reports documenting the war and occupation in Iraq from 2004-09 as told by soldiers in the US Army on the ground in Iraq. The reports detail 109,032 deaths in Iraq, comprised of 66,081 "civilians"; 23,984 "enemy" (those labelled as insurgents); 15,196 "host nation" (Iraqi government forces) and 3,771 "friendly" (coalition forces). The majority of the deaths (66,000, over 60%) of these are civilian deaths.[5]
The UK's "Op Telic"
A UK military report of 2006 on the war in Iraq published by WikiLeaks damns UK and US war planning, which, it says, "ran counter to potential Geneva Convention obligations" – and lead directly to the post invasion collapse of Iraqi society. It noted: "Leaders should not start an operation without thinking…it is not enough just to identify the desired end-state".
The report also reveals that Whitehall had been secretly planning the war during 2002 and that the Blair government kept the pending invasion ("Telic") secret from all but an inner circle of officers and officials until three months before the start of hostilities. It stated:
"In Whitehall, the internal OPSEC (operational security) regime, in which only very small numbers of officers and officials were allowed to become involved in TELIC business, constrained broader planning for combat operations and subsequent phases effectively until 23 December 2002."
Although the UK wanted UN Security Council approval, the UK found itself tied to a US ideological agenda and timetable. The report states:
"The UK had to work to a timetable and strong ideological views set in the United States. As one Senior Officer put it: 'the train was in Grand Central Station, and was leaving at a time which we did not control'".
The combined secrecy and ideology was a planning disaster that directly lead to the collapse of Iraqi society.
Not only was the military at large kept in the dark until the end of 2002, but contractors vital to the reconstruction and stabilisation of the country were not contacted until the end of the invasion in late April 2003:
"The requirements to plan, find resources for, and undertake interim government and reconstruction in Iraq, the non-military tasks, were discussed in outline across Whitehall, but approaches to potential contractors were not made until combat operations were coming to an end. Planning was not done in sufficient depth, and, at the outset of Phase IV [post combat operations] little finance was requested (and approved) for reconstruction purposes…. [T]he UK Government, which spent millions of pounds on resourcing the Security Line of Operations, spent virtually none on the Economic one, on which security depended".
The report argues the result was a breach of Geneva Convention obligations, for which coalition governments are legally responsible.[6]
Profiting from Iraq's oil
The invasion of Iraq has long been criticised for being a war for oil, and for years many commentators sought information on whether Britain would encourage its oil companies to profit from this widely-condemned war.
A US cable of April 2009, six years after the invasion of Iraq, shows Peter Mandelson (pictured), a chief architect of Tony Blair's election wins and now Trade Secretary in the Brown government, pushing British oil and other corporate interests in Iraq. Mandelson attended the Basrah Investment Conference which brought together 23 UK-based companies such as Shell, BP, Rolls Royce and HSBC. The region was significant to the UK since this was the principal area occupied by UK military forces after the 2003 invasion.
The US cable notes: "According to Basrah HMG officials, UK delegates were able to establish or strengthen relationships with key business figures in Basrah". Attendees also included the directors of oil investment in Basrah and the commander of Iraqi security forces in the region alongside "UK Force Commander Tom Beckett and several Basrah-based UK military officials". The cable added:
"Lord Mandelson opened the conference by looking back at the UK's long relationship with Basrah, and looked forward to closer economic cooperation ahead… The conference also demonstrated to local players that there are serious and respected UK multinational companies ready to do business in Basrah".[7]
Rigging the International Criminal Court
Another WikiLeaks file shows how the US and Britain rigged the International Criminal Court
(ICC) to stop it being able to hold Blair and Bush accountable for the crime of aggression over Iraq.
During the 1998 negotiations on the Rome Statute, the ICC's founding treaty, many of the 160 states attending argued for the Court to be given jurisdiction over the crime of aggression, but the US and the UK, amongst other states, were opposed. A compromise was struck in which the crime of aggression was included in the Rome Statute, but the Court would not exercise jurisdiction over this crime until a definition, along with the conditions under which the court could exercise jurisdiction, had been agreed. Discussion of these matters was put off until a conference in Kampala, Uganda, in 2010, ahead of which the US, France and the UK sought to influence the outcome of discussions. [8]
According to a February 2010 cable from the US Embassy to the UN in New York, the Obama administration wanted decisions on the crime of aggression to be deferred yet again after discussions in Kampala. Failing that, the US wanted to ensure that the ICC's jurisdiction over the crime would be subject to a "Security Council trigger", that is, the Court would only be able to act after the Security Council had determined that an act of aggression had taken place.[9] The governments of France and the UK agreed, along with Russia and China. By keeping the power to determine aggression within the Security Council where they have veto power, the five permanent members can prevent cases of aggression being brought at the ICC against themselves or their allies.[10]
In May 2009, the UK Foreign Secretary in the Brown government, David Miliband, appears to have connived with the US government, apparently to deceive the public.
A cable reveals Miliband helping the US to sidestep a ban on cluster bombs and keep the weapons at US bases on UK soil despite Britain signing the international treaty banning the weapons the previous
year.[11] The US military asserted that cluster bombs were "legitimate weapons that provide a vital military capability" and wanted to carry on using British bases regardless of the ban. Miliband approved a loophole created by diplomats to allow the US cluster bombs to remain on UK soil and was part of discussions on how the loophole would help avert a debate in parliament that could have "complicated or muddied" the issue.[12] The UK and US governments concocted the "concept" of allowing US forces to store their cluster weapons as "temporary exceptions" and on a "case-by-case" basis for specific military operations. Foreign Office officials:
"confirmed that the concept was accepted at highest levels of the government, as that idea had been included in the draft letter from minister [David] Miliband to secretary [of state Hillary] Clinton".[13]
The cables also revealed that the US was storing cluster munitions on ships based at its military base on Diego Garcia, in a UK Overseas Territory.[14]
A US lobbyist over Venezuela
The UK under Blair and Brown is often seen to be acting at US behest in the WikiLeaks publications.
In September 2006, a US cable notes that the UK government "agreed to our request" to lobby four other governments in support of Guatemala's bid for the Latin American and Caribbean Group seat on the UN Security Council. The reason was specifically to prevent Venezuela, under socialist President Hugo Chavez, accessing the seat. "Our demarche was timely", the US official in the London embassy notes, since the FCO Director for International Security, Stephen Pattison, "has been encouraging the Foreign Office leadership to be more aggressive in supporting Guatemala given the stakes. Pattison and several others at the FCO have told us the idea of Venezuela on the Council would be "ghastly."'[15]
The cable notes that the UK official was prepared to act in support of the US without the endorsement of the British Foreign Secretary. It states: "Pattison was unsure, however, if his pleas for aggressive support to Guatemala would resonate with Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett".[16]
Turkey: A deal?
In October 2007, Prime Minister Gordon Brown met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the latter's his visit to London. At the time, there were rising tensions between Turkey and the PKK Kurdish group which Ankara regards as a terrorist organisation. WikiLeaks reveals a US cable on this meeting, conveying information to the US from the UK ambassador to Turkey, Nick Baird. The cable notes first that:
"PM Erdogan spoke at length with PM Brown on the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and reviewed the GOT's ongoing diplomatic efforts with the U.S., Iraq, and the Europeans".
"Brown urged him [Erdogan] to employ restraint and provide President Bush and Secretary Rice with the few days they had requested before launching a cross border operation (CBO) into Iraq".[17]
It appears that Brown did not want to be publicly associated with a Turkish military operation he knew was coming, and was also acting at the behest of the US.
In addition, it appears that Brown was requesting this from Erdogan in return for British support for Turkey's EU bid. The cable notes:
"Erdogan and Brown discussed Turkey's EU bid. Brown pledged to support and maintain the momentum of Turkey's EU accession talks through a series of cooperative measures defined in the 2007/2008 Strategic Partnership document both prime ministers signed at the end of the meeting. In addition to EU issues, the bilateral plan outlines general proposals to help end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots, deepen the defense relationship, promote regional stability and global security, increase bilateral trade and investment, and enhance educational and cultural ties".[18]
9. Chagos Islands: Keeping the population out
The UK has long fought to prevent the Chagos islanders returning to their homeland, and its
main island, Diego Garcia, after forcibly removing them in the 1960s. WikiLeaks publications show this process continues.
A 2009 cable from the US embassy in London notes that a senior UK Foreign Office official informing the US that the UK wanted to establish a "'marine park' or 'reserve'" around the British Indian Ocean Territory, the UK overseas territory which includes Chagos. This was clearly a ruse concocted by Whitehall keep the islanders from returning: the cable notes that the:
"former inhabitants would find it difficult, if not impossible, to pursue their claim for resettlement on the islands if the entire Chagos Archipelago were a marine reserve".
However, US interests would be protected. The cable notes that the establishment of such a reserve "would in no way impinge on USG [US government] use of … Diego Garcia, for military purposes".[19] In addition, the UK official:
"agreed that the UK and U.S. should carefully negotiate the details of the marine reserve to assure that U.S. interests were safeguarded".[20]
A US cable of September 2009 cites Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam telling a US official that he had recently spoken to Gordon Brown who told him that it was "up to the Americans" to decide what they want to do with the Chagos Archipelago.[21]
More assurances to the US: Trident
In September 2009, Prime Minister Gordon Brown raised the prospect at the UN General Assembly of reducing the number of British nuclear-armed Trident submarines from four to three. Brown stated that "all nuclear weapons states must play their part in reducing nuclear weapons as part of an agreement by non-nuclear states to renounce them" and described his proposal as a "grand global bargain between nuclear weapon and non-nuclear weapons states."[22]
As ever, any reduction in UK military forces was likely to be bitterly opposed in Washington. A WikiLeaks publications shows that Julian Miller, the Deputy Head of the Foreign and Defence Policy Secretariat at the Cabinet Office, privately assured US officials that his government:
"would consult with the US regarding future developments concerning the Trident deterrent to assure there would be 'no daylight' between the US and UK".[23]
The idea that British decision making on Trident is truly independent of the US is undermined by this cable.
US spying on the UK
The Blair and Brown governments' willingness to act at the behest of the US occurred while Washington was spying on them.
Cables published by WikiLeaks show the US spying on the Foreign Office, collecting information
on British ministers. Soon after the appointment of Ivan Lewis as a junior foreign minister in 2009, US officials were briefing the office of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about rumours that he was depressed and had a reputation as a bully.[24] Clinton's office thanked officials for the "insightful and timely" information on Lewis, including on "the state of his marriage", and asked for further insights, "especially how Lewis works with Foreign Secretary Miliband".[25]
Washington is also shown to have been spying on the UK mission to the UN, along with other members of the Security Council as well as the UN Secretary General and other senior UN figures. A classified directive was issued to US diplomats under Hillary Clinton's name in July 2009, demanding forensic technical details about the communications systems used by top UN officials, including passwords and personal encryption keys used in private and commercial networks for official communications.[26]
Halting the Saudi corruption enquiry
The WikiLeaks documents reveal something of the sycophantic relationship that the Blair government had with Saudi Arabia. No single policy in this area was more controversial than Blair's decision in 2006 to drop the corruption investigation into BAE's £43 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, known as Al-Yamamah.
The UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ended the inquiry after intense diplomatic pressure from the Saudis. A US cable published by WikiLeaks, written four months after the collapse of the investigation, shows the SFO had evidence that BAE paid £73 million to a Saudi prince who had "influence" over the arms contract and that there were "reasonable grounds" to believe another "very senior Saudi official" received payments.[27] Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, then British ambassador in Riyadh who became a BAE Systems' director, "had a profound effect" on the decision by Robert Wardle, then SFO director, to end the investigation. The cable also noted the Italian government's view that the UK decision "seemed to be exclusively supported by economic interests", not national security, as claimed by Whitehall. [28]
Another US cable shows that the Canadian delegation to the OECD Working Group on Bribery, which discussed the Saudi bribery case, "had serious concerns about the UK's legal framework and adequacy of its corporate criminal liability legislation" while the US delegation:
"asked whether the UK could provide any assurances that BAE was not continuing to make corrupt payments to Saudi officials and that MOD officials were not continuing to participate in the alleged corrupt payments".[29]
Praising the Saudis
WikiLeaks publications show that Blair's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had a number of meetings in Saudi
Arabia with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Saud al-Faisal, in which Straw exuded praise for the Saudis and their system.
In April 2006, for example, a press conference between the two in Riyadh notes Straw challenging "stereotypes" of Saudi Arabia, amid increasing cooperation between the two countries. Straw said:
"I believe one very important consequence of this process has already been a much better understanding in the United Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and the heart of the Islamic world, is really very important. Because people have stereotypes, and the Brits are like anybody else following stereotypes. Stereotypes which can come from our history, come from old films, come from differences of dress, and the way aspects that apparently different religions can so easily be paraded. So this is a way of breaking down those false stereotypes and building up understanding that here is very important, very modern society in some respect, but also one that wants to show proper regard for its history and above all for its religion".[30]
The US embassy in Saudi Arabia noted the following month:
"HMG is trying hard to improve relations with Saudi Arabia. At stake is the renewal of the al-Yamamah project to which British Aerospace's fortunes in the Kingdom are largely tied".[31]
Confronting the UN
The UK and US have worked together to prevent reform of the world financial system.
In May 2009 Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development and John Sawers, then UK permanent representative to the UN who later that year became chief of MI6, held a meeting with US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice. A US cable notes that:
"Alexander and Sawers began the meeting by noting their concern that Cuba, Iran, Venezuela and other 'radical' G-77 countries would use the upcoming June 1-2 UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development to push for an outcome document that would for the first time, give the UN General Assembly a role in negotiations on revamping the Bretton Woods financial institutions and the world financial system".
To counter this:
"Sawers urged the United States to work with the UK to monitor preparatory meetings for the conference, quickly push back against the introduction of activist policy language into the outcome document, and split off more moderate G-77 countries who are already G-20 members".
Rice agreed, stating that:
"It would be important to work with the Netherlands (a co-facilitator for the negotiations on a conference outcome document) to tone down expectations and ensure that moderate G-77 countries continue to see the G-20 discussions as the proper venue for discussing BWI [Bretton Woods Institutions] reform".[32]
WikiLeaks files expose some of the myths of the Afghanistan war.
For example, Tim Foy, Deputy Head of the Afghanistan office for the Department for International Development (DfID) told US officials in July 2009 that "an increasing number of Afghans have no faith in the official government and are turning to the Taliban".[33] Another cable, of August 2009, records Matt Baugh, Principal Private Secretary to International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander, suggesting that the Afghan government, in which the UK was pouring aid, had no legitimacy. He said:
"The UK believes that the government needs to be able to deliver basic services if it is ever to gain legitimacy, and therefore, the UK will increase its direct assistance to the government".[34]
Blair's ultimatum on Libya
In February 2011 Tony Blair's assistant, Catherine Rimmer, emailed Jake Sullivan, Clinton's Deputy Chief of Staff, enclosing a copy of notes from Blair's recent personal call with Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi. At this time, the US and UK were on the verge of going to war with Libya, claiming that the Libyan leader was promoting civilian massacres in his country. Blair was by now out of UK office and was Middle East Envoy for the UN but had personal relations with Gadaffi over a number of years. Rimmer noted:
"Mr Blair wanted me to let you know that he is making these calls very privately and is not briefing the media". Rimmer stated that "Tony Blair delivered a very strong message to Gaddafi that the violence had to end and that he had to stand aside to allow a peaceful process to take place".[35]
Blair went further, however. The notes of the call show that Blair specifically threatened Gadaffi with war unless he stand down. He told Gadaffi: "The US and the EU are in a tough position right now and I need to take something back to them which ensures this ends peacefully".[36] This call was made on 25 February. Three weeks later, on 19 March, the US and UK began bombing Libya.
The outcome was disastrous for the people of Libya, plunging the country into lawlessness in which ungoverned spaces new terrorist forces arose while Libya became a dangerous transit hub for refugees seeking to reach Europe.
"A message from Tony"
US files published by WikiLeaks show Tony Blair seeking Hillary Clinton's help to become President of the European Council.
An October 2009 file reveals "a message from Tony" from Jonathan Powell, Blair's chief of staff. Powell wrote to Clinton adviser Sidney Blumenthal, stating:
"If Hillary had a chance to say something about TB being a good President of the European Council if asked about it during her remaining time in Europe that would be v helpful, The Austrian Chancellor has said today he doesn't want TB because he was for Bush rather than the new Democratic Administration".
Blumenthal then recommended to Clinton that she say some "nice words… without an explicit endorsement" since "the rap against him is that he's 'Bush's poodle', and your positive comments would help erase that taint".[37]
A view on Jack Straw
A memo written by the US Ambassador to the UK, Robert Tuttle, in July 2008 notes that:
"Outwardly an amiable and affable man, Straw is viewed with less affection by some cabinet colleagues who say they have been at the receiving end of his whispering campaigns regarding their abilities. Critics are also quick to note that he was one of the first of Blair's closest allies to jump ship in favor of Gordon Brown when he sensed the political winds were shifting in Brown's direction".[38]
ER recommends other articles by Defend Wikileaks
[1] https://WikiLeaks.org/plusd/cables/09LONDON348_a.html
[2] https://.org/plusd/cables/09LONDON2198_a.html
[4] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/30/wikileaks-chilcot-iraq-war-inquiry
[5] https://wikileaks.org/irq/
[6] https://wikileaks.org/wiki/Leaked_UK_report_damns_Iraq_war_planning
[7] https://WikiLeaks.org/plusd/cables/09BASRAH18_a.html
[8] https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/WikiLeaks-shows-how-us-britain-rigged-icc-avoid-justice-iraq
[9] https://WikiLeaks.org/plusd/cables/10USUNNEWYORK77_a.html
[10] https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/WikiLeaks-shows-how-us-britain-rigged-icc-avoid-justice-iraq
[11] https://WikiLeaks.org/plusd/cables/09STATE52368_a.html
[12]https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/dec/01/wikileaks-cables-cluster-bombs-britain
[13] https://www.theguardian.com/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/208206
[15] https://WikiLeaks.org/plusd/cables/06LONDON6591_a.html. https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/splash-venezuela-winning-un-security-council-seat-would-be-ghastly
[16] https://WikiLeaks.org/plusd/cables/06LONDON6591_a.html
[17] https://WikiLeaks.org/plusd/cables/07ANKARA2647_a.html
[21] https://WikiLeaks.org/plusd/cables/09PORTLOUIS265_a.html
[26] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/28/us-embassy-cables-spying-un
[27] https://WikiLeaks.org/plusd/cables/07PARIS829_a.html
[29] https://WikiLeaks.org/plusd/cables/07PARIS3181_a.html
[30] https://WikiLeaks.org/saudi-cables/doc121108.html
[31] https://WikiLeaks.org/plusd/cables/06RIYADH3491_a.html
[32] https://WikiLeaks.org/plusd/cables/09USUNNEWYORK458_a.html
[35] https://WikiLeaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/28646
Chagos Islands
Chilcot Enquiry
Europe's Trade Plans With Iran Show New Independence From Washington
The Venezuelan "Petro": Towards a New World Reserve Currency?
Cyprus tops illegal EU entries relative to its population size


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5 of the Greatest Colorado-Inspired Ski Films
These ski films are among the most iconic Colorado has ever produced.
By Mitch Breton
10 Movies to Look For at the 2019 Denver Film Festival
By Grant Mayotte
4 Films You Won't Want to Miss at Mountainfilm in Telluride
How Two Boulder Natives Made a Horror Film Stephen King Couldn't Resist
By Dylan Owens
Can the Fishing Community Save the World's Biggest Trout?
By Kelly Bastone
11 Movies You Won't Want to Miss at the 2018 Denver Film Festival
As the curtain gets set to rise on the 41st edition of the Denver Film Festival, here's a guide to the must-see films screening across the Mile High City.
Meet Ron Stallworth, the Colorado Detective Who Is the Subject of BlacKkKlansman
Forty years ago, a black Colorado Springs detective went undercover and infiltrated the KKK. Spike Lee brings Ron Stallworth's story to the silver screen on August 10.
Super Troopers 2 Cast Talks About Money, a Giant Bear, and Rob Lowe
The cast of Super Troopers 2 was at the Sie FilmCenter Sunday night for a private screening of the much-anticipated sequel. Here's what they had to say.
A Cinephile's Guide to April's Colorado Film Events
From the prestigious Vail Film Festival to a local celebration of women in the industry, here are seven festivals to put on your radar this month.
Don't Miss Louie Psihoyos' The Game Changers at the Boulder International Film Festival
The National Geographic photographer turned documentary film director returns to BIFF with a film about accomplished athletes who are performing entirely on a plant-based diet.
The Film Screenings You Don't Want to Miss in February
From three significant local film festivals to Academy Awards screenings and more, here is your complete guide to the month's best cinema events.
From Molly's Game to Molly's Comeback
Five years after she was indicted by the FBI for her illegal poker operation, Molly Bloom—the subject of Aaron Sorkin's new movie Molly's Game—talks to 5280 about her Colorado roots and her path forward.
Looking Back on 40 Years of the Denver Film Festival
The Denver Film Festival is enjoying its 40th iteration this year. We look back at the moments that shaped one of the city's signature cultural events.
Scenes from 40 Years of the Denver Film Festival
An intimate look at some of the Denver Film Festival's most memorable moments, in honor of its 40th anniversary.
10 Must-See Movies at the Denver Film Festival
During the festival's 40th anniversary, more than 200 films will be screened throughout the city. So, we've put together a list of must-see films to help you get started.
By Clare McCarthy
Redford and Fonda Star in Kent Haruf's Our Souls at Night
The final novel by one of Colorado's most celebrated authors is being produced as an original film by Netflix.
By Chris Outcalt
Find Badass Women on the Big Screen This Weekend
No Man's Land, the nation's only female-focused adventure film festival, returns to Carbondale for its third year.
By Emma Murray
Will Hollywood Come to Colorado?
A nearly billion-dollar media production facility may be coming to the state, but can Colorado convince major filmmakers to make movies here?
By Jay Bouchard
Coming Soon: A Documentary Championing Colorado Farmers
How We Grow focuses on the innovative food systems in Carbondale that support young farmers.
By Katelyn Lunders
Denver-Born Filmmaker Uncovers Russian Doping Scandal in "Icarus"
Bryan Fogel's Netflix documentary offers a stunning and intimate look at the Russian doping scandal.
By Joe Lindsey


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Falácia do holofote é um erro de raciocínio lógico que consiste em assumir que, aquilo que recebe maior atenção da mídia ou da imprensa deva ser aquilo que ocorre com maior frequência, ou que tenha maior importância relativa. Este raciocínio é falho por que a atenção da mídia pode ser direcionada para determinado assunto por motivos diversos, e não necessariamente em decorrência de uma maior importância relativa ou aumento na frequência de ocorrências daquele evento.

Exemplos
 Os casos de pedofilia estão aumentando, a mídia vem reportando muito mais casos deste tipo neste ano do que nos anos anteriores.
 O terrorismo na Europa é mais frequente do que no Oriente Médio, pois a mídia francesa publica muito mais artigos sobre terrorismo na Europa do que sobre terrorismo nos países do Oriente Médio.
 Nas semanas seguintes a morte de Michael Jackson, a imprensa americana noticiou com muito mais frequência este evento do que o declínio do nível de ensino, logo, a morte de Michael Jackson é mais importante do que a queda na qualidade de ensino.

No caso da pedofilia, talvez a quantidade de ocorrência de casos assim tenha se mantido estável nos últimos anos, e somente agora a mídia tenha se interessado em dar mais cobertura ao assunto. Motivos plausíveis para esta mudança poderiam envolver o fato do assunto ter sido trazido a tona recentemente por algum movimento ativista ou político influente, ou em decorrência de ter acontecido algum caso dramático envolvendo alguma pessoa ilustre.

No caso do terrorismo, talvez o número de atentados no Oriente Médio seja muito maior do que os ocorridos na Europa. Provavelmente os casos de terrorismo ocorridos na Europa recebam maior atenção da mídia francesa, pelo motivo dos atentados terroristas ocorridos em território europeu afetar muito mais diretamente a vida dos franceses do que aqueles ocorridos no Orienta Médio.

No caso da morte de Michael Jackson em comparação ao declínio da educação americana, é sensato concluir que o segundo caso afeta um número muito maior de pessoas do que o primeiro, o que lhe conferiria maior importância relativa. Mas o primeiro caso é muito mais dramático por envolver uma celebridade mundialmente famosa, e este talvez seja o motivo da morte de Michael Jackson ter atraído muito mais atenção da mídia nas semanas seguintes ao ocorrido do que o fato do nível da educação americana estar decaindo.

Ver também
 Falácia
 Sofisma

Ligações externas
Como Evitar Falácias
Guia das Falácias

Falácias lógicas

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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PW, Jul 20, 2020
Panasonic G3 vs G5
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 are two digital cameras that were announced, respectively, in May 2011 and July 2012. Both the G3 and the G5 are mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras that are equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. The G3 has a resolution of 15.8 megapixels, whereas the G5 provides 15.9 MP.
Mirrorless system camera Mirrorless system camera
Micro Four Thirds lenses Micro Four Thirds lenses
15.8 MP, Four Thirds Sensor 15.9 MP, Four Thirds Sensor
1080/60i Video 1080/60p Video
ISO 160-6,400 ISO 160-12,800
3.0 LCD, 460k dots 3.0 LCD, 920k dots
Swivel touchscreen Swivel touchscreen
4 shutter flaps per second 6 shutter flaps per second
Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5? Which one should you buy? Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their imaging sensors, their shooting features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.
An illustration of the physical size and weight of the Panasonic G3 and the Panasonic G5 is provided in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.
The G3 can be obtained in four different colors (black, brown, red, white), while the G5 is available in two color-versions (black, silver).
If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Panasonic G5 is somewhat larger (3 percent) than the Panasonic G3. Moreover, the G5 is markedly heavier (18 percent) than the G3. In this context, it is worth noting that neither the G3 nor the G5 are weather-sealed.
The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses that both of these cameras require. In this particular case, both cameras feature the same lens mount, so that they can use the same lenses. You can compare the optics available in the Micro Four Thirds Lens Catalog. Mirrorless cameras, such as the two under consideration, have the additional advantage of having a short flange to focal plane distance, which makes it possible to mount many lenses from other systems onto the camera via adapters.
Concerning battery life, the G3 gets 270 shots out of its DMW-BLD10 battery, while the G5 can take 320 images on a single charge of its DMW-BLC12 power pack.
The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. If you would like to visualize and compare a different camera combination, you can navigate to the CAM-parator app and make your selection from a broad list of cameras there.
Panasonic G3 4.5 in 3.3 in 1.9 in 11.9 oz 270 n May 2011 599
Panasonic G5 4.7 in 3.3 in 2.8 in 14.0 oz 320 n Jul 2012 599
Panasonic G6 4.8 in 3.3 in 2.8 in 13.8 oz 340 n Apr 2013 599
Panasonic GF6 4.4 in 2.6 in 1.5 in 11.4 oz 340 n Apr 2013 499
Panasonic GF3 4.3 in 2.6 in 1.3 in 9.3 oz 300 n Jun 2011 549
Panasonic GX1 4.6 in 2.7 in 1.5 in 11.2 oz 320 n Nov 2011 699
Panasonic G10 4.9 in 3.3 in 2.9 in 13.7 oz 380 n Mar 2010 499
Panasonic G2 4.9 in 3.3 in 2.9 in 15.1 oz 360 n Mar 2010 599
Panasonic GF2 4.4 in 2.7 in 1.3 in 10.9 oz 300 n Nov 2010 549
Panasonic GH2 4.9 in 3.5 in 3.0 in 15.6 oz 330 n Sep 2010 899
Panasonic G1 4.9 in 3.3 in 1.8 in 12.7 oz 410 n Sep 2008 599
Convert to Metric
Any camera decision will naturally be influenced heavily by the price. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The two cameras under review were launched at the same price and fall into the same market segment. Normally, street prices remain initially close to the MSRP, but after a couple of months, the first discounts appear. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.
The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.
Both cameras under consideration feature a Four Thirds sensor and have a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the review cameras among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability. Both cameras feature a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 4:3.
While the two cameras under review share the same sensor size, the G5 offers a slightly higher resolution of 15.9 megapixels, compared with 15.8 MP of the G3. This megapixels advantage translates into a 0.3 percent gain in linear resolution. On the other hand, these sensor specs imply that the G5 has a higher pixel density and a smaller size of the individual pixel (with a pixel pitch of 3.76μm versus 3.77μm for the G3). However, it should be noted that the G5 is a somewhat more recent model (by 1 year and 2 months) than the G3, and its sensor might have benefitted from technological advances during this time that at least partly compensate for the smaller pixel size.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 has a native sensitivity range from ISO 160 to ISO 6400. The corresponding ISO settings for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 are ISO 160 to ISO 12800 (no boost).
Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for many cameras. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of comparator-cameras.
Panasonic G3 Four Thirds 15.8 4592 3448 1080/60i 21.0 10.6 667 56
Panasonic G5 Four Thirds 15.9 4608 3456 1080/60p .. .. .. ..
Panasonic G7 Four Thirds 15.8 4592 3448 4K/30p .. .. .. ..
Panasonic G6 Four Thirds 15.9 4608 3456 1080/60p 21.3 11.5 639 61
Panasonic GF6 Four Thirds 15.8 4592 3448 1080/60i 20.7 10.6 622 54
Panasonic GX1 Four Thirds 15.8 4592 3448 1080/60p 20.8 10.6 703 55
Panasonic G10 Four Thirds 12.0 4000 3000 720/30p 21.2 10.1 411 52
Panasonic G2 Four Thirds 12.0 4000 3000 720/30p 21.2 10.3 493 53
Panasonic GH2 Four Thirds 15.9 4608 3456 1080/60i 21.2 11.3 655 60
Panasonic G1 Four Thirds 12.0 4000 3000 none 21.1 10.3 463 53
Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. Both cameras under consideration have a sensor with sufficiently fast read-out times for moving pictures, but the G5 provides a faster frame rate than the G3. It can shoot movie footage at 1080/60p, while the G3 is limited to 1080/60i.
Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The G3 and the G5 are similar in the sense that both feature an electronic viewfinder, which is helpful when framing images in bright sunlight. Moreover, their viewfinders offer an identical resolution of 1440k dots. The table below summarizes some of the other core capabilities of the Panasonic G3 and Panasonic G5 in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.
Panasonic G3 1440 n 3.0 460 swivel Y 1/4000s 4.0 Y n
Panasonic G7 2360 n 3.0 1040 swivel Y 1/4000s 7.0 Y n
Panasonic GF6 none n 3.0 1040 tilting Y 1/4000s 4.2 Y n
Panasonic GF3 none n 3.0 460 fixed Y 1/4000s 3.2 Y n
Panasonic GX1 optional n 3.0 460 fixed Y 1/4000s 4.2 Y n
Panasonic G10 202 n 3.0 460 fixed n 1/4000s 2.6 Y n
Panasonic GF2 optional n 3.0 460 fixed Y 1/4000s 2.6 Y n
Panasonic GH2 1534 n 3.0 460 swivel n 1/4000s 3.0 Y n
Panasonic G1 1440 n 3.0 460 swivel n 1/4000s 3.0 Y n
Concerning the storage of imaging data, both the G3 and the G5 write their files to SDXC cards. The G5 supports UHS-I cards (Ultra High Speed data transfer of up to 104 MB/s), while the G3 cannot take advantage of Ultra High Speed SD cards.
For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.
Panasonic G3 Y stereo mono - - mini 2.0 - - -
Panasonic G7 Y stereo mono Y - micro 2.0 Y - -
Panasonic G6 Y stereo mono Y - mini 2.0 Y Y -
Panasonic GF6 - stereo mono - - mini 2.0 Y Y -
Panasonic GF3 - stereo mono - - mini 2.0 - - -
Panasonic GX1 Y stereo mono - - mini 2.0 - - -
Panasonic G10 Y mono - - - mini 2.0 - - -
Panasonic GF2 Y stereo mono - - mini 2.0 - - -
Panasonic GH2 Y stereo mono Y - mini 2.0 - - -
Panasonic G1 Y - - - - mini 2.0 - - -
Both the G3 and the G5 have been discontinued, but can regularly be found used on eBay. The G3 was replaced by the Panasonic G5, while the G5 was followed by the Panasonic G6. Further information on the two cameras (e.g. user guides, manuals), as well as related accessories, can be found on the official Panasonic website.
So what conclusions can be drawn? Is the Panasonic G3 better than the Panasonic G5 or vice versa? The listing below highlights the relative strengths of the two models.
Advantages of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3:
Less heavy: Is lighter (by 60g or 15 percent) and hence easier to carry around.
More heavily discounted: Has been on the market for longer (launched in May 2011).
Arguments in favor of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5:
Better video: Provides higher movie framerates (1080/60p versus 1080/60i).
More detailed LCD: Has a higher resolution rear screen (920k vs 460k dots).
Faster burst: Shoots at higher frequency (6 vs 4 flaps/sec) to capture the decisive moment.
Faster buffer clearing: Has an SD card interface that supports the UHS-I standard.
If the number of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the G5 is the clear winner of the contest (6 : 2 points). However, the relevance of individual strengths will vary across photographers, so that you might want to apply your own weighing scheme to the summary points when reflecting and deciding on a new camera. A professional wedding photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges from the perspective of a travel photog, and a person interested in cityscapes has distinct needs from a macro shooter. Hence, the decision which camera is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.
G3 02:06 G5
How about other alternatives? Do the specifications of the Panasonic G3 and the Panasonic G5 place the cameras among the top in their class? Find out in the latest Best Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera listing whether the two cameras rank among the cream of the crop.
In any case, while the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the G3 or the G5 perform in practice. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate.
This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The following table reports the overall ratings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, and photographyblog). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge, reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.
Panasonic G3 + + 75/100 4.5/5 4.5/5 5/5 May 2011 599
Panasonic G5 + + .. 4.5/5 4.5/5 4.5/5 Jul 2012 599
Panasonic G7 + + 80/100 5/5 4.5/5 4.5/5 May 2015 649
Panasonic G6 + + .. 5/5 .. 4.5/5 Apr 2013 599
Panasonic GF6 + + .. 4.5/5 .. 4.5/5 Apr 2013 499
Panasonic GF3 82/100 71/100 4.5/5 4.5/5 4/5 Jun 2011 549
Panasonic GX1 + 77/100 4.5/5 4.5/5 4.5/5 Nov 2011 699
Panasonic G10 .. 70/100 4/5 .. 4/5 Mar 2010 499
Panasonic G2 .. 72/100 4/5 4/5 4.5/5 Mar 2010 599
Panasonic GF2 82/100 70/100 4.5/5 4.5/5 4.5/5 Nov 2010 549
Panasonic GH2 + + 79/100 4.5/5 4.5/5 5/5 Sep 2010 899
Panasonic G1 + + 70/100 4/5 4.5/5 4.5/5 Sep 2008 599
The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.
Panasonic G3:
Check Ebay offers Panasonic G5:
Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? If you would like to see a different side-by-side camera review, just use the search menu below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.
Canon 10D vs Panasonic G3
Canon 7D vs Panasonic G5
Canon M3 vs Panasonic G5
Leica D-LUX Typ 109 vs Panasonic G3
Leica M Typ 262 vs Panasonic G5
Panasonic G3 vs Sony RX1R
Specifications: Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic G5
Camera Type Mirrorless system camera Mirrorless system camera
Camera Lens Micro Four Thirds lenses Micro Four Thirds lenses
Launch Date May 2011 July 2012
Sensor Specs Panasonic G3 Panasonic G5
Sensor Format Four Thirds Sensor Four Thirds Sensor
Sensor Area 224.9 mm2 224.9 mm2
Sensor Resolution 15.8 Megapixels 15.9 Megapixels
Movie Capability 1080/60i Video 1080/60p Video
ISO Setting 160 - 6,400 ISO 160 - 12,800 ISO
Image Processor Venus FHD Venus VII FHD
DXO Sensor Quality (score) 56 ..
DXO Color Depth (bits) 21.0 ..
DXO Dynamic Range (EV) 10.6 ..
DXO Low Light (ISO) 667 ..
Screen Specs Panasonic G3 Panasonic G5
LCD Resolution 460k dots 920k dots
Shooting Specs Panasonic G3 Panasonic G5
Focus System Contrast-detect AF Contrast-detect AF
Continuous Shooting 4 shutter flaps/s 6 shutter flaps/s
UHS card support no UHS-I
Connectivity Specs Panasonic G3 Panasonic G5
HDMI Port mini HDMI mini HDMI
Wifi Support no Wifi no Wifi
Body Specs Panasonic G3 Panasonic G5
Battery Type DMW-BLD10 DMW-BLC12
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Some stuff I drew at work today.
and I colored the bird.
I also wrote a draft of something that might become… more. Hopefully. If I still feel good about it later.
This entry was posted on Saturday, August 4th, 2018 at 12:21 am	and is filed under Art, Found, News, Photo, Photoshop. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


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The Western Somali Liberation Front
By 1975 the UF came to be so strongly controlled, organized and equipped by Mogadishu, that it was considered "an arm of the Somali army" (Gilkes 1994b:722). In January 1976, the movement was split for logistical and propaganda reasons into the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF) and the Abo-Somali Liberation Front (ASLF) (Compagnon 1995:378). Aiming to keep militancy on either side of the Somali-Ethiopian border at bay, Barre not only restricted the WSLF's activities (Gilkes 1994b:722), but even avoided mentioning their existence to the Somali population (Markakis 1987:227; Lockyer 2006:5). At the time, Barre sent envoys to Addis Ababa to negotiate autonomy for the Ogadeen (Lewis 2002:232). However, the respective regional and international-level negotiations failed, Barre Somali president purposed himself of the Somali guerrillas (Laitin 1979b:112). Throughout 1976, the WSLF developed into "one of the largest and most capable insurgent movements in Africa" (Lockyer 2006:6), starting to move west in early 1977 (Ahmed I. Samatar 1988:133;Markakis 1998:31).…show more content…
Only then, on July 13th, 1977, did Barre officially commit his regular troops to the war (Nkaisserry 1997:15), reinforcing some 6,000-15,000 WSLF fighters with 35,000 soldiers (Lockyer 2006:9, referring to Marcus 1994:196f.; Matthies 1987:241f.).Thus, "the Somali dreams of national re- unification with one of the lost territories was about to be realized" (Nkaisserry
Nationalism : Issues And Achievements
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20th Century Somalia
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After last night's storm which left the landscape here in northern New Jersey blanketed in six or seven inches of heavy, dense snow, my morning was filled with yearnings for nothing more than lighting a warm fire and cooking a big bowl of hearty chili. Luckily, I had the necessary ingredients on hand, and along with a delicious peppery Syrah from South Africa, whipped up a batch that was a sure cure for the Winter blues!
In large pot over medium heat, saute onions in olive oil until soft.
Add crumbled turkey and cook in onion until browned. Drain and deglaze pot with wine.
Stir in chili mix and tomato sauce and simmer approximately 12 to 15 minutes.
Add mushrooms and continue to cook another 10 to 15 minutes, or until mushrooms soften.
Top with cheese if desired (I desired!).


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LEDA/PGC 36585 ist eine Galaxie vom Hubble-Typ Sm/Im im Sternbild Großer Bär am Nordsternhimmel. Sie ist schätzungsweise 61 Millionen Lichtjahre von der Milchstraße entfernt. Sie bildet gemeinsam mit NGC 3838 ein gravitativ gebundenes Galaxienpaar.

Weblinks
 SIMBAD Astronomical Database
 Aladin Lite

Einzelnachweise


Come Enjoy a Classic Mediterranean Cocktail!
Petra Bistro is as proud of its drinks as its food, and if you're hoping to enjoy the beautiful weather with a summery, refreshing cocktail, come down to Seattle's favorite Mediterranean restaurant!
Mediterranean cuisine extends well beyond what's on your plate–it's an entire family and history of flavors, spices, plants, beliefs, and culture, and you'd better believe all those things matter just as much for beverages as for food. Here are a few Mediterranean drinks that will help you breeze through your day and transport you somewhere where warm white sand meets a turquoise green sea, and your back is leaning against an olive tree.
What could be more Mediterranean than wine? And though yes, we know it might not be a cocktail, per se, you won't feel any less fancy sipping a glass of Mezzacorana, an Italian Pinot Grigio with a crisp, dry fruit finish ($9 a glass!). We have a long, noble list of wines, so come in and try something sparkling!
Our speciality cocktails are only $8, and include some pretty exotic ingredients. We highly recommend our Petra Tini with Tamar Hindi, which comes from the Indian legume with a singularly sweet and sour flavor.
Or, if you're in the mood for something a little sweeter and more traditional on a bright Spring day, try a Lemon Drop! The sugared rim will help temper the sour pucker of the lemon for something tropic, fruity, and fresh.
We couldn't make a list of drinks for spring and summer sipping without including Ouzo! Our favorite Mediterranean liquor, this anise-flavored, quite strong aperitif is distilled from the remnants of grape seeds, stems, and skins left after making wine, and you'll love the way it turns from clear to cloudy when you pour it over ice or add a little water.


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UK Back To Boris Johnson, Or Rishi Sunak Next? 4 Contenders After Liz Truss Quits
Four main players on the field to be UK Prime Minister as Conservatives elect new leader next week; two names other than Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson
Even before Liz Truss resigned, five names were floating about who'll come after her.
Economic policies that had to be reversed, a series of resignations by ministers and aides, and then loss of the Conservative Party's faith in her meant the announcement was no surprise.
What may be surprising is that Boris Johnson, her scandal-ridden predecessor, is one of the names in the mix.
Prominent UK news outlets — the Times, Daily Telegraph, and the BBC — have reports saying he's in the running. The Times report quotes sources as saying Boris Johnson believes it's a matter of "national interest" that he returns to 10 Downing Street.
He's no frontrunner, though.
That, unsurprisingly, is Rishi Sunak.
Liz Truss, who remains caretaker, will end up with the shortest tenure as PM in Britain's history.
The bookmakers' favourite, former finance minister Sunak had lost the race to Liz Truss just weeks ago.
After him come Penny Mordaunt and defence minister Ben Wallace, followed by Jeremy Hunt, the current finance minister. Mr Hunt has said he's not going to run, which brings former PM Boris Johnson to fourth spot on the favourites' chart.
The Conservatives — or Tories, as they're called — still have more until December 2024 in power, that is if they can find a PM who can last in the chair. The party will elect a new leader next week, until which time Liz Truss remains in the chair.
Here are the likely contenders:
Rishi Sunak became the Chancellor of the UK Exchequer (finance minister, in effect) just before the Covid pandemic hit in early 2020.
But his riches meant people even within the party were doubtful if he can understand the choose-heating-or-eating economic situation of the common people.
The finance-expert son of Indian-origin parents who came to the UK from Africa decades ago, the millionaire is married to Indian tech heiress Akshaya Murty, whose father NR Narayana Murthy founded Infosys.
Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, two main contenders in another PM race in Britain.
His alleged avoidance of taxes using loopholes has been questioned too. An MP since 2015, the 42-year-old quit just before Boris Johnson did, marred by scandals, in July.
Rishi Sunak said in his resignation that government should "be conducted properly, competently and seriously".
"I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning," he wrote. He then entered, and lost, the race to the top job to Liz Truss.
Penny Mordaunt, at present the Leader of the House of Commons, came third behind Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak in the Tory party leadership election.
After falling out of the race, she had backed Liz Truss. Recent;y, as Liz Truss's star fell, Penny Mordaunt wrote a newspaper column saying "Britain needs stability, not a soap opera".
The 49-year-old was once a reality TV star and is the only woman in the race now.
The BBC calls her "the Brexiteer who is popular with the grassroots". She was a prominent backer of Britain exiting the European Union in a 2016 referendum.
Ben Wallace, 52, Defence Secretary under Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, was a bookies' favourite when Mr Johnson quit. But he chose not to run.
A former soldier, he said he wanted to focus on "keeping this great country safe". He later endorsed Liz Truss.
Just two days ago, he had said he would quit if Liz Truss did not honour her promise to spend 3 per cent of the UK's GDP on defence by 2030.
Boris Johnson, the ever-colourful and often-scandalous former Mayor of London served more than three years as PM but had to quit after news of parties at his official home during the Covid lockdown surfaced.
That was not the only scandal that led to his exit, though.
Boris Johnson, educated at elite schools, has cultivated a humorous personality over the years.
His newspaper writing have often landed him in trouble — allegations of racism come up multiple times.
He has been a senior Tory for over two decades now, and support to Brexit is seen as his big moment of propulsion to the serious political plane.
#Boris Johnson #Johnson #Covid
Trump pleaded the fifth more than 400 times in fraud deposition, video shows
Former president repeatedly invoked constitutional right against self-incrimination in New York footage from late last summer
Sam Bankman-Fried tried to influence witness through Signal, DOJ alleges
Sam Bankman-Fried should be barred from encrypted messaging software, the government said, citing possible efforts at witness tampering.
The payments giant PayPal adds to the spate of January tech layoffs with plans to cut 7%, CEO Dan Schulman announced Tuesday.
51 Relaxing Poolside Sitting Areas To Daydream About
Relaxing poolside sitting areas, featuring luxurious outdoor living spaces, conversation pits, outdoor dining rooms, outdoor lounge furniture & modern gardens.


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Rediff.com » Cricket » Kohli, Ojha to replace injured Yuvraj, Harbhajan
Kohli, Ojha to replace injured Yuvraj, Harbhajan
Last updated on: August 03, 2011 19:37 IST
India's problems on the tour of England continue to grow. Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh have been ruled out of the remainder of the Test series because of injuries.
A statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Wednesday said Yuvraj has fractured his left index finger, while Harbhajan has a Grade One abdominal muscle strain.
Yuvraj's injury will take around four weeks to heal, while the off-spinner's recovery will take three weeks, it added.
With both players ruled out of the last two Tests in the four-match series, Virat Kohli and Pragyan Ojha have been named replacements.
Zaheer Khan missed a major part of the first Test at Lord's, which India lost by 196 runs, and could not play the second Test because of a hamstring strain.
Then, Gautam Gambhir was forced to sit out of the Nottingham Test, which India lost by 319 runs, after failing to recover from the elbow injury he sustained in the first Test.
Virender Sehwag, who missed the first two Tests in a bid to recover from a shoulder injury, will join the squad on Wednesday, but questions marks appear over his availability for the upcoming Tests at Birmingham and Oval.
Have a question relating to cricket and did not know who to ask? Now you can bounce your statistical queries off Rediff's resident expert.
Each week, Rajneesh Gupta will pick ten cricket-related questions readers send him and provide answers. Your queries should be addressed to: Ask Rajneesh on Facebook
Related News: Board of Control for Cricket in India, Virat Kohli, Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag
'India played like Bangladesh at Trent Bridge'
What's common between Bell and Azhar?
I didn't have any tricks left, says dejected Dhoni
Can't write off Dhoni after two losses: Akram
BCCI refuses to react to criticism over schedule


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NASA Draws From Apollo Emblem For New Artemis Moon Program Logo
Angels Designate Matt Harvey for Assignment After Allowing Six Runs In Last Start
Angels Designate Matt Harvey for Assignment After Allowing Six Runs Last Start
'Last Chance U' Players in the NFL 2019
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News Banking and Financial Institutions Brainard, Lael Clarida, Richard H (1957- ) Federal Reserve System Group of Twenty Inflation (Economics) Interest Rates International Trade and World Market Labor and Jobs Politics and Government Powell, Jerome H Trump, Donald J Unemployment United States Economy Williams, John C Xi Jinping
Wall Street Asks When, Not if, the Fed Will Cut Interest Rates
The American economy is showing signs of cooling, and Wall Street is counting on Jerome H. Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, to come to the rescue. The big question facing the Fed is when, not whether, to act, as far as investors are concerned. But the Fed faces a tricky balancing act as […]
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Friday demonstrated the limited influence of allies…
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Six subway lines in New York City were suspended in both directions…
Over the past week, tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans have taken…
How to Save the Amazon Rain Forest
Throughout the Amazon region, human activities like agricultural production, infrastructure development and…
Getty Former "Last Chance U" star John Franklin III is still fighting…
Report: Jason Miller receives 1-year prison sentence for…
Jason Miller's latest run-in with the law will see him serve time.…


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Q: Extending a matrix with a certain property over a finite field Suppose we have a $m \times n$ matrix $M$ with $n > m$ with entries over a finite field, say $\mathbb{F}_q$ with $q$ considered to be large compared to $m,n$. Suppose that $M$ has the property that every $m \times m$ minor of $M$ is invertible. Is there an efficient way to adjoin a column to $M$ to obtain a $m \times (n+1)$ matrix $M'$ with the same property?
The condition that $q$ is taken to be large is necessary in the following sense. If we take $q = 2$ for example, then we must necessarily have $n = m + 1$. To see this, apply elementary row operations to transform $M$ into $(I_m | A)$, where $I_m$ is the $m \times m$ identity matrix over $\mathbb{F}_2$. Now, for any column $a$ of $A$, the entries of $a$ must be all 1 because otherwise there would exist a subset of $m-1$ columns of $I_m$ such that $a$ is in the span of these columns. Hence $A$ has exactly one column consisting of all 1's.

A: I don't know an efficient algorithm answering your question but presumably it would have to break down for large $n$ - the MDS conjecture gives the maximal $n=q+1$ for odd $q\geq m$ with minor change in the even $q$ case. See Simeon Ball's work e.g. here http://www-ma4.upc.es/~simeon/jems-mds-conj-revised.pdf proving this when $q$ is prime.

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Notice has been given of the conclusion of the audit of our accounts for the year ending 31 March 2017. The audit concluded on 14 November 2017 by Grant Thornton UK LLP. A full copy of the notice can be downloaded below.


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using UnityEngine;
using System;
using LuaInterface;
using SLua;
using System.Collections.Generic;
public class Lua_UnityEngine_UI_GridLayoutGroup_Constraint : LuaObject {
	static public void reg(IntPtr l) {
		getEnumTable(l,"UnityEngine.UI.GridLayoutGroup.Constraint");
		addMember(l,0,"Flexible");
		addMember(l,1,"FixedColumnCount");
		addMember(l,2,"FixedRowCount");
		LuaDLL.lua_pop(l, 1);
	}
}


The concert featuring all Central Campus ensembles, like the performance shown here from 2012, will include the steel band, the wind, jazz, string, and guitar ensembles, as well as the choirs.
The music department of San Jacinto College Central Campus will host Expo Featuring All SJCC Ensembles on March 28 to showcase the department's student performance groups. The show will include the steel band, the wind, jazz, string, and guitar ensembles, as well as performances from the choir groups.
Likewise, music department Chair Eric Late said he sees the performance as an opportunity to expand the music programs' exposure.
The Expo Featuring all SJCC ensembles takes place at 7 p.m. on March 28 in Corbin Hall of the Monte Blue Music Building (C5). There is no charge for admission.


German publisher Axel Springer said that speculation it could relinquish control over its business was "completely unfounded", after the Wall Street Journal reported it is in merger talks with ProSiebenSat.1.
The WSJ said yesterday that the German broadcaster and the German publishing company are in early stage talks about merging their businesses – in a move that would see ProSiebenSat.1 emerge as the senior partner of a combined entity worth some €14.4 billion.
However, in a statement today, Axel Springer said the company continues to pursue a transformation of the business' legal standing to a KGaA (Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien) partnership limited by shares – a traditional structure for very large, publicly traded, family businesses.
The ProSiebenSat.1 Group owns TV channels including SAT.1, ProSieben, Kabel Eins, Sixx, and ProSieben MAXX and operates video-on-demand portal Maxdome.
Axel Springer publishes German newspapers like Die Welt and Bild and magazines like Rolling Stone and Auto Bild. It also bought German news and documentary channel N24 last year.


/ Modified dec 17, 2010 5:40 p.m.
Meet the originators of SANITY, a collaboration dedicated to getting students out of the classroom and into nature.
Margaret Wilch is a science teacher at Tucson High Magnet School. Katrina Mangin is the director of Science Education Outreach at the University of Arizona.
With the pressure to memorize scientific formulas, theories, and terms, it's easy for students to lose sight of how those concepts were discovered in the first place -- through hands-on scientific research, in the field or in the laboratory.
Taking science out of textbooks and back into nature is the fundamental concept behind SANITY, which stands for "Science and Nature in Tandem for Youth". It was co-founded in 2006 by Margaret Wilch, a biology teacher at Tucson High Magnet School, and Katrina Mangin, the director of Science Education Outreach at the University of Arizona.
Tucson High science students are immersed in independent research projects that take them across the street to work in University of Arizona science laboratories. In coordination with a research methods course, students also have the opportunity to attend a two-week summer field research experience in the Chiricahua Mountains.
Margaret and Katrina also discuss how empowering young inquisitive high school students with scientific research tools and concepts can be the catalyst for future academic success.


On September 11, 2012, the eleventh anniversary of 9-11, two U.S. government facilities in Benghazi, Libya came under attack. This preplanned attack, carried out by Islamic terrorists, resulted in the murder of U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans: Sean Smith, a Foreign Service information officer, and Tyrone S. Woods and Glen A. Doherty, two former Navy SEALs working as security personnel at our consulate.
So why did Administration officials, Susan Rice, Jay Carney, Hillary Clinton and even President Obama himself mislead the American people to believe that the murder of four Americans in Benghazi on the anniversary of 9-11 was merely the result of a spontaneous reaction to an anti-Mohammed video? Only a naïve person would ask such a question.
The Senate report demonstrates facts that show the Obama Administration did not adequately protect our brave public servants in Benghazi from terrorist threats even though there were clear warnings that our consulate was in great danger. The Administration allowed a dangerous situation to get out of hand and then it got caught with its hands down. As a result four Americans were needlessly murdered by Islamic extremists.
At the time the Obama campaign was trumpeting the false narrative that our tough-as- nails commander-in-chief had nearly eradicated the terrorist threat by focusing the country's attention on the killing of Bin Laden. The murder of our people in Benghazi threatened that narrative and jeopardized the re-election of President Obama. Therefore, instead of telling the American people the truth, the Obama spin team went into damage control. After all, there was a campaign to be won.
If high-ranking officials in the Obama Administration knew almost immediately that terrorists were involved in the murder of four Americans at Benghazi then why was our ambassador Susan Rice giving the American people a different version of events? There can be only one explanation. It was decided by Team Obama that the inconvenient truth behind the murder of four American public servants in Benghazi by Islamic extremists had to be suppressed.
The truth about Benghazi was trumped by Obama's need to get re-elected. The ugly reality of the Benghazi affair is that when Team Obama was faced with a choice, it put its own needs ahead of the interests of the American people. Hail to the Chief!
P.S. – OK. So the Administration hid the truth from the American people. Some rationalize this by saying, "Obama is my guy" or "it's no big deal – happens all the time." I say, when our national security is at stake, when there are Islamic extremists plotting the destruction of America – then it is a big deal. If our political leaders allow the American people to become complacent for any reason it will increase the likelihood of another murderous, 9-11-like attack on American lives.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of my Jewish friends and relatives a Happy Chanukah. We may not always agree on matters of state, but we have never let our opinions get in the way of our love and respect for one another. One thing I think we all agree upon however, is the fact that we are blessed to live in a country where there is religious freedom; where Jews, Christians and people of all faiths are able to live and work together side by side in relative peace. Unfortunately, this blessing is not shared equally among the nations of the earth. So how is it that we Americans have been blessed in this way and how do we preserve what we have?
Marc Lamont Hill, an Associate Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University recently said on the O'Reilly Factor that "Right now the wrong people are paying taxes, so a wealth tax would target people who may not have a ton of income but have substantial wealth….that would probably make the tax burden of most Americans lower." Mr. Hill, Paul Krugman, Warren Buffet and many other folks have been perpetuating the myth that the selfishly rich have rigged the system by transferring the tax burden from themselves to the middle class and the poor. I will leave it to the reader to judge whether they are simply misinformed or if they are up to something else.
The following tax statistics were gathered directly from the IRS' own website, so no spin from me here. They are for 2009, the most recent year with available data. The facts show that the top 1% of earners, who on average had an adjusted gross income of $960,000, paid 37% of all federal income taxes. The top 5% of earners paid 59% of all federal income taxes. The top 10% of earners, who averaged $245,000 in earnings, paid 70% of all federal income taxes. The top 25% of earners paid 87% of all federal income taxes, and the top 50% of earners paid 98% of all federal income taxes. In contrast, the bottom 50% of wage earners paid only 2% of all federal income taxes. (Source: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/09inratesnap.pdf ).
This brings me around to the real issue. The U.S. government is heading towards financial bankruptcy. When countries like Japan and China stop lending us money because they decide we are a bad risk the U. S. Treasury will stop sending out checks every month and there will be enormous human suffering in this country. The problem cannot be solved by raising taxes on "rich people." The problem is spending. We must reduce federal spending. That is the only answer. That means everything must be cut. If we don't reduce the size and scope of the federal government the coming fiscal implosion will make the financial crisis of 2008 seem like small peanuts.
Today on CNBC's Closing Bell, US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said, "What we're trying to do is put in place a comprehensive, balanced set of fiscal reforms that put us back on the path of living within our means." My reaction: Oh my God – WHAT CHUTZPAH !
Is there an honest person out there who seriously believes that Timothy Geithner and the Obama administration have been working to make the federal government live within its means? These rascal politicians say the most outrageous things. Geithner is the same guy who said publicly on November 19th that Congress should eliminate the federal debt ceiling, which sets a limit on borrowing. (Reminder: The U.S. Treasury already owes over $16 trillion in debt).
So which is it Mr. Geithner, do you want unlimited borrowing power to feed the beast or do you want the federal government to live within its means? Stop talking out of both sides of your mouth. You are an embarrassment to all good and honest people. And if you had an honest boss, he would fire you.
Should the U.S. Constitution be considered a "living, breathing" document?
There is a group called People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals or PETA. You may have heard of them. Last year PETA filed a lawsuit that, if successful, would have given new powers to the 13th Amendment that were never intended by its authors. They argued that the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished the enslavement of human beings in the U.S., applies to animals as well. PETA's argument was a gross misrepresentation of an important law. Their specific claim was that SeaWorld was in violation of the 13th Amendment because it was holding wild orca whales in captivity. PETA wanted to use the 13th Amendment to force SeaWorld to return the orcas back to their natural habitat.
What perceived flaw in the wording of the 13th Amendment encouraged PETA to file this lawsuit? Jeffrey Kerr, PETA's lawyer, argued that the text of the 13th Amendment does not specify who or what is a slave. Although he is right about that, it is disingenuous for Kerr to deny that the authors and original supporters of the 13th Amendment understood it to apply to anything other than human beings.
When commenting about PETA's lawsuit on TV Kerr argued that there are two equally valid ways to interpret the Constitution. The first way to interpret it is to assign to it the meaning its authors assigned to it. The second way to interpret the meaning of the Constitution, Kerr argued, is to give it the meaning that he desires to give to it. He is dead wrong on this second count. The consequence of viewing the law this way is that laws can be twisted to mean anything and thus will come to mean nothing.
Those like Kerr, who act on the claim that the Constitution is a "living" or "breathing" document are trying to undermine the rule of law. For them, the rule of law is flexible, it exists only so that it can be molded and shaped to fit their purposes. If those who share Kerr's views, and they are numerous, are successful, it will eventually lead to chaos and anarchy in our society. So while PETA's argument may seem silly and frivolous to us, the general idea behind it is dangerous. If we cherish the relative peace and prosperity we enjoy in this country, then we have our laws and our Constitution to thank. But when we allow those laws to be twisted to mean things they do not, we will begin to see the ruin of our nation.
Thankfully, this time, PETA's lawsuit was thrown out of court. But this fight between those who believe that our laws and Constitution should be ignored or twisted to fit their agendas and those who do not will continue for a long time. For those of us who wish to "secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity" we had better start teaching our children again about the meaning and importance of our founding documents and the ideas that made the founding of this great nation possible.
"To avoid therefore the evils of inconstancy and versatility, ten thousand times worse than those of obstinacy and the blindest prejudice, we have consecrated the state, that no man should approach to look into its defects or corruptions but with due caution; that he should never dream of beginning its reformation by its subversion." – Edmund Burke: Reflections on the Revolution in France, 1790.


text:
Planting a special kind of garden for a special cause
Pinwheel garden at entrance of PSWS campus honors Child Abuse Prevention Month
Mary Ann LaPorta, executive director of the Children's Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania, kneeling, plants the last pinwheel at the PSWS Nittany Lion Shrine as part of a community outreach event the campus held to commemorate April as Child Abuse Awareness Month. The event was attended by students, faculty, staff and community members.
By Amy Gruzesky
DUNMORE, Pa. — For the past month, dozens of pinwheels have adorned the area surrounding Penn State Worthington Scranton's Nittany Lion Shrine, greeting staff, faculty, students and visitors as they enter campus.
The pinwheels symbolize the campus' commemoration of April as Child Abuse Awareness Month, and are a symbol of hope for victims of child abuse. The pinwheel signifies a transformation of awareness into action.
The project was part of a community event sponsored by the campus and organized by Melissa Labuda, instructor in human development and family studies (HDFS) and an adviser to the campus' student Community Service Club. "Pinwheels of Hope: A Celebration of Children's Resiliency" was the first event of its kind at the campus and was held April 4.
The event was organized by HDFS students and faculty, students minoring in the campus' Child Maltreatment and Advocacy Studies (CMAS) program, and the Community Service Club, all of whom helped plant the pinwheel garden.
"It's not just about child abuse awareness and prevention, it's also to remind people that there is hope for the victims of abuse," Labuda said. "That's why we're calling it Pinwheels of Hope.
"Kids are resilient," she said. People need to remember that and realize that with intervention and help, these young victims can overcome this tragedy and move on from it, she added.
In addition to the planting of the symbolic pinwheels, organizers hosted an educational program featuring Mary Ann LaPorta, executive director of the local Children's Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania, and Jennifer Aglialaro, the center's associate director, child forensic interviewer and trauma therapist.
The pair talked about their experiences over the years in dealing with children who were victims of abuse, and helping to prosecute cases against those who caused the abuse.
Attendees also learned about all of the positive work the Children's Advocacy Center has done in the Greater Scranton area. Since 1998, the Children's Advocacy Center of NEPA has helped more than 12,000 children and adolescents by effectively assessing and treating child abuse and neglect.
Activities and Traditions
child maltreatment
Penn State Scranton announces dancers for THON weekend
Penn State Scranton alumnus gives back to student veterans
Designer Purse Bingo fundraiser to benefit THON taking place Feb. 5
Libraries announces changes in services due to Scranton renovations
Help is available at Penn State Scranton for students with disabilities
Penn State Scranton celebrates National Native American Month


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Yoga enthusiasts should check out this daylong convention for a chance to meet and mingle with other practitioners and discover wellness-based businesses around the city. The day includes a lineup of workshops led by experts in the field and a marketplace filled with new-age essentials like candles, healing crystals and herbal concoctions. Be sure to bring your mat: Local instructors will be on hand to teach classes.


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Home > Miscellaneous > United States Oil ETF
Why Citigroup Upgraded BHP Billiton to a 'Buy' Recently
By Anuradha Garg
Consensus is a "hold"
Of the 19 analysts covering BHP Billiton (BHP), five analysts have "buy" recommendations, ten have "hold" recommendations, and four have "sell" recommendations on the stock. The consensus target price for the company is 24.6 Australian dollars, which implies a downside of 3.3% compared to its current market price.
Citigroup upgrades BHP to a "buy"
Among other miners, Freeport-McMoRan (FCX), Southern Copper (SCCO), and Teck Resources (TCK) have been assigned mostly "hold" ratings by Wall Street analysts.
Citigroup (C) upgraded BHP's stock from a "sell" to a "buy" rating on December 5, 2016. While Citi isn't very bullish about the future prospects of iron ore given the fundamental rebalancing needed, it's turned bullish in terms of its outlooks for other commodities. Citi has also upgraded its iron ore price forecast by 21.6% for 2017 and by 58.8% for hard coking coal. Citi is positive on the outlooks for oil, copper, and zinc in 2017. To reflect its positive stance, it's upgraded diversified miners such as BHP.
JPMorgan Cazenove has retained its "underweight" rating on BHP's stock. It has a price target of 11.1 British pounds on the stock.
Changing sentiments
Since the beginning of the year, the number of "buy" ratings for BHP has fallen 26%. BHP's significant exposure to energy prices (USO) (UCO) through its Petroleum division may have caused some analysts to turn bearish on the stock. However, recently, OPEC's (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) decision regarding production cuts boosted crude oil prices. The cut should be positive for crude oil's outlook.
In the next article of this series, we'll look at the consensus earnings estimates for BHP and explore the possibility of a revision in these estimates.
Affirm Is Far From CEO Max Levchin's First Success Story
Trevor Noah Went From a South African Comedian to Hosting "The Daily Show"
Alexander Hamilton's Economic Contributions to the U.S.
Nanotechnology Penny Stocks Might Be a Good Investment in 2021


Christmas Tree Bonfire Is Back!
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Groton-Dunstable took home the championship trophy by defeating North Middlesex 48-26, in the annual Pete Trainor Memorial Tournament.
Number 1 Kicker/Punter in NE, 6th in Nation!
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"MASTER!", shouted Darky, "I have CACulated a large suply OF magic around the POOR MAN neighborhood!".
"They must be planning something", said the Masked Shadow, "Very well, we will kill them immediately".
"MASTER!", shouted Darky, "I will NOT risk you, I SHALL GO!".
"No fool, you miserabley failed last time, but you do have a point", pondered the Masked Shadow, "Very well, you are demoted".
"You are now classified as minion", said the Masked Shadow.
"But, MASTER!", shouted Darky, "I'M the ONLY ONE! Who's GOING TO BE your second in COMMAND? One of the CROWS!?".
The Masked Shadow then gave a sinister laugh an pulled a switch, and out from a chamber, rose a brand new creation. "He will be your supervisor in the mission", explained The Masked Shadow, "I'm counting on you two. The mission will not be disrupted".
Meanwhile, Poor Man was eating breakfast when Elephant went on top of the table. "Poor Man. Do you know why Sharky is ignoring me?".
"He either hates your guts or he's scared of every single fiber on your body ever since you pretty much tore him apart a few weeks ago", explained Poor Man, "But, hey, don't worry about it".
"You know what, I'm going to ask him myself", said Elephant, "There he is, hey Sharky!".
Sharky looked up at Elephant, then pretended like he didn't see him. "Sharky, are you scared of me?".
"What, no, I'm not scared of anything!", he denied, but when Elephant jumped down, Sharky shrieked.
"Why did you shriek Sharky?".
"Who says shriek, because I don't shriek thank you very much".
"If you don't shriek then how come you didn't shriek".
"I'm tough! I can rip you apart, see! Come at me!".
Elephant reached towards Sharky, but Sharky screamed and ran away. "SHARKY!", shouted Elephant, "YOU SHRIEKED AGAIN!".
Sharky then went out from under the rug. "Sharky, it's not like you didn't deserve it you were rude to everybody, you tried to get Poor Man to eat those nice zebras who live in our no car garage, and you threatened to put me inside a microwave".
"It wasn't me!", cried Sharky, "It was my evil clone, Darky, who was sent here by The Masked Shadow dude to influence Poor Man and to kill you, and I escaped to save you!".
"Yea, that story again", mumbled Elephant.
"Fine, I'll show you, come out through the doggy door", said Sharky, "You see that bird over there, it's evil and it's going to take us there".
"HEY BIRD! LOOK, FREE TUNA, COME AND GET ME BIRDBRAIN!".
"Sharky, that's a condor!", shouted Elephant.
"And, oh...", said Sharky, "That'll explain the gold coating and the fact that's it's headed right towards....".
So, while Sharky got swiped by a giant bird, Poor Man was weighing in. "Hm, and, what! 182.6!", shouted Poor Man, "I just gained 6 pounds in one day! How is that even possible!".
Poor Man was wandering around the house having a mild freak attack. "I'm fat! Oh my god, look at me!".
Poor Man looked at himself in the mirror, but it looked much wider than usual. "That's it! I need to go to a place where I know I'll lose a few weight, and I think I know the place that can do this!".
Poor Man then drove over the arcade to play some Pac Thing, when suddenly, he noticed a brand new game opened called "The Dancing Game that will help you lose weight you fat dumb person who may or may not be called Poor Man. And if you fail you are an unfit loser. MWA HA HA HA HA HA!".
"It's my destiny", said Poor Man as he pulled out a quarter.