text:
Doing 'the business' with John Key – Here's How (Part # Rua)
Continued from: Doing 'the business' with John Key – Here's How
Once upon a time, at the bottom of the world, there was a small country that prided itself on being a fair, open, and uncorrupted society.
I'm no longer sure about the last bit.
Last year, Transparency International ranked New Zealand as the #1 least corrupt nation on Earth. We ranked above Denmark (#2), Finland (#3), Sweden (#4), Singapore (#5), and Norway (#6).
I'm no longer certain we deserve that top ranking, either.
The further that the Sky City/Convention Centre and Crafar farm deals are scrutinised – the stronger the odour of something unpleasant fills our nostrils.
To recap, let's start with the Crafar farms deal with Shanghai Pengxin.
Tahi: Crafar Farms/Shanghai Pengxin/National Government
The timetime of the Crafar deal runs something like this,
5 October 2009: Crafar Farms placed into receivership, owing $216 million to creditors.
22 December 2010: Government blocks bid by Natural Dairy to buy the 16 Crafar farms on 'good character' grounds.
27 January 2011: KordaMentha accepts offer from Shanghai Pengxin International Group Ltd to buy Crafar Farms.
13 April 2011: Shanghai Pengxin lodges application with the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) to buy the Crafar farms.
26 September 2011: Crafar farms receiver KordaMentha rejects a conditional NZ$171.5 million offer for 16 central North Island dairy farms from a group led by controversial former merchant banker Michael Fay.
27 January 2012: Government ministers approve Shanghai Pengxin's application to purchase 16 Crafar farms.
15 February 2012: High Court delays sale of Crafar farms to Shanghai Pengxin.
20 April 2012: Government ministers , Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson and Associate Finance Minister Jonathan Coleman approve the Overseas' Investment Office's (OIO) new recommendation to allow the sale of the 16 Crafar farms to Shanghai Pengxin.
At least, that is the version for public consumption.
Recent revelations indicate that much more was taking place behind the scenes. If we take that timeline and add the revelations that have come out in the last few months, the picture takes on a murkiness and a hint on something decidedly shady,
5 October 2009: Crafar Farms placed into receivership, owing $216 million to creditors.
2 December 2009: KIWI DAIRY CORPORATION LIMITED registered. (Then changes to ORAVIE LIMITED, 20 December 2010. Then changes to ORAVIDA LTD, 20 January 2011. Then changes to ORAVIDA NZ LIMITED, 13 May 2011. ) Shareholders: Jing Huang, Julia Jiyan Xu, and Deyi Shi. (Source)
11 June 2010: National Party receives $50,000.00 donation from Susan Chou. (Source)
30 July 2010: National Party receives $150,000 donation from Susan Chou. (Source)
18 November 2010: MILK NEW ZEALAND CORPORATION LIMITED* registered. Directors: Terry Lee and Jiang Zhaobai. (Source)
22 December 2010: Government blocks bid by Natural Dairy to buy the 16 Crafar farms on 'good character' grounds.
27 January 2011: KordaMentha accepts offer from Shanghai Pengxin International Group Ltd to buy Crafar Farms.
31 May 2011: National Party receives $100,000 donation from Susan Chou. (Source)
22 July 2011: ORAVIDA LTD registered. Shareholders: Jing Huang, Julia Jiyan Xu, and Deyi Shi. (Source)
27 July 2011: ORAVIDA PROPERTY LTD changes name to KIWI DAIRY INDUSTRY LTD. Shareholder: Deyi Shi (Source)
13 April 2011: Shanghai Pengxin lodges application with the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) to buy the Crafar farms.
26 September 2011: Crafar farms receiver KordaMentha rejects a conditional NZ$171.5 million offer for 16 central North Island dairy farms from a group led by controversial former merchant banker Michael Fay.
22 November 2011: National Party receives $50,0000 donation from Citi Financial Group. Shareholders: Yan Yang and Qiang Wei. (Source) (Source)
22 November 2011: National Party receives $1,600 from Oravida NZ. (Source) (Source)
26 November 2011: NZ General Election
30 November 2011: National Party receives further $55,000 donation from Oravida NZ. (Source) (Source)
27 January 2012: Government ministers approve Shanghai Pengxin's application to purchase 16 Crafar farms.
15 February 2012: High Court delays sale of Crafar farms to Shanghai Pengxin.
20 April 2012: Government ministers , Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson and Associate Finance Minister Jonathan Coleman approve the Overseas' Investment Office's (OIO) new recommendation to allow the sale of the 16 Crafar farms to Shanghai Pengxin.
* "Milk New Zealand Holding Limited" is the official applicant and purchaser of the 16 Crafar farms. It is supposedly a subsidiary of Shanghai Pengxin,
" Applicant
3. The Applicant is Milk New Zealand Holding Limited ("the Applicant"), a Hong Kong incorporated company which is an overseas person under the Act.
4. The Applicant will register as an overseas company under the New Zealand Companies Act 1993 prior to acquiring the Investment. The Applicant does not have any current interests in New Zealand as at the date of this Application.1
1 The 99% ultimate owner of the Applicant, Zhaobai Jiang, has a [redacted]% interest in a company ([redacted*])that has applied for consent to acquire development land at [redacted] . No decision has yet been made on this application." – Source
(*Note: Despite OIO redacting the second company, this blogger has found that it is actually "NATURE PURE LIMITED". Terry Lee and Zhaobai Jiang are both listed as Directors.)
Despite numerous company name changes; newly registered companies; and a lengthy trail of shareholders, the one link that does stand out between Shanghai Pengxin and financial donations to the National Party is Terry Lee.
Mr Lee, along with Deyi Shi and Xing Hong, registered KIWI DAIRY CORPORATION LIMITED on 2 December 2009, which, after several name changes, ended up as ORAVIDA NZ LIMITED on 13 May 2011. Xing Hong was also a one time Director of ORAVIDA NZ LIMITED and ORAVIDA PROPERTY LIMITED.
Deyi Shi is still a current Director of both ORAVIDA NZ LIMITED and ORAVIDA PROPERTY LIMITED.
On 22 and 30 November, 2011, the National Government received donations totalling $56,600 from Oravida NZ Ltd.
A further $300,000 was donated to National by Auckland businesswoman, Susan Chou, who, through her husband Zhaowu Shen, had a connection with Jack Chen and NZ Natural Dairy Ltd – the first unsuccessful attempt by Chinese investors to gain control of the Crafar farms.
Two months later, on 27 January 2012, National approved the sale of 16 Crafar farms to Shanghai Pengxin subsidiary, Milk New Zealand Holding Limited.
Readers are invited to draw their own conclusions from the facts presented.
Continued at: Doing 'the business' with John Key – Here's How (Part # Toru)
Sources & References
OIO: Decision required under the Overseas Investment Act 2005: Milk New Zealand
Holding Limited
CAFCA: December 2010 decisions
Elections NZ: Returns of party donations exceeding $30,000
Elections NZ: Returns of party donations exceeding $20,000
Interest.co.nz: Govt Ministers rubber stamp Overseas Investment Office approval of Shanghai Pengxin's Crafar farms bid
Adam Bennett, NZ Herald: Chinese cash flows to Nats
Adam Bennett, NZ Herald: China link to Nats' $200,000
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First blogged 28 April 2012
A FTA deal with Russia?! That's a big "NYET" Comrade Key!
Politicians sometimes just don't learn…
Prologue: 2008AD
On 7 April 2008, the then Labour Government signed a Free Trade Agreement with China. Part of that FTA included the following clauses,
" Article 143 Fair and Equitable Treatment
1. Investments of investors of each Party shall at all times be accorded fair and equitable treatment and shall enjoy the full protection and security in the territory of the other Party in accordance with commonly accepted rules of international law.
2. Fair and equitable treatment includes the obligation to ensure that, having regard to general principles of law, investors are not denied justice or treated unfairly or inequitably in any legal or administrative proceeding affecting the investments of the investor.
3. Full protection and security requires each Party to take such measures as may be reasonably necessary in the exercise of its authority to ensure the protection and security of the investment.
4. Neither Party shall take any unreasonable or discriminatory measures against the management, maintenance, use, enjoyment and disposal of the investments by the investors of the other Party.
5. A violation of any other article of this Chapter does not establish that there has been a violation of this Article.
Article 144 Compensation for Losses
Investors of a Party whose investments in the territory of the other Party suffer losses owing to war or other armed conflict, a state of national emergency, insurrection, riot or other similar events in the territory of the latter Party shall be accorded by the latter Party treatment, as regards restitution, indemnification, compensation or other settlements no less favourable than that accorded to the investors of its own or any third country, whichever is more favourable to the investors concerned."
" Article 138 National Treatment
Each Party shall accord to investments and activities associated with such investments, with respect to management, conduct, operation, maintenance, use, enjoyment or disposal, by the investors of the other Party treatment no less favourable than that accorded, in like circumstances, to the investments and associated activities by its own investors."
See: – Ibid
These are the sections which Auckland University law professor, Jane Kelsey, stated could result in a lawsuit for breaching our Free Trade Agreement with China, in the Crafar Farms affair. Quite simply, Chinese investors cannot be treated differently to local (or any other investors from other nations) in commercial and legal matters.
As Jane Kelsey stated,
"If the New Zealand Government had declined the Shanghai Pengxin purchase of the Crafar farms it could have faced an international lawsuit for breaching its free-trade agreement with China. The Government cannot treat applications from Chinese investors differently from similar applications from other countries' investors under what is known as the 'most-favoured-nation' or MFN rule."
See: Our hands were tied over the Crafar farms sale
Key was more circumspect in admitting this reality of the FTA, when on 27 January 2012, he said on TV3's 'Campbell Live' (@ ),
" … in our view, turning it down on the basis that they were Chinese is not only in my view unacceptable and a bit repugnant , actually it wouldn't be legally sound either."
See: Selling Crafar farms the right decision – Key
Which is about as close as Key has come to publicly admitting that we are bound by our FTA with China to treat their investors on the same footing as New Zealand investors. Whilst this may be met with approval by ACT ideologues, it sound nothing for our country's economy, nor future investment by our own children who may be priced out of the market by wealthier offshore investors.
Fast forward: 2012AD
Key is now chasing a similar FTA deal with Russia. In which case expect more purchases of our productive sector by wealthy Russian investors.
There is everything wrong with this prospect.
Russia is presently ruled by an oligarchy, with Vladimir Putin it's undisputed head.
This is a corrupt government that stole last December's election by voting fraud on a massive scale. Putin's opponants are either arrested and imprisoned (as in the old Soviet era), or murdered by "unknown assasins".
See: The farce of Russian elections
See: Russia's presidential election: rigging is a delicate art
Public dissent is actively discouraged by state repression, and often met with the use of violent force.
See: Putin's government moves to quash public dissent
The Russian mafia is amongst the most feared globally, and has strong connections with Putin's government,
" Russia is a corrupt, autocratic kleptocracy centred on the leadership of Vladimir Putin, in which officials, oligarchs and organised crime are bound together to create a "virtual mafia state", according to leaked secret diplomatic cables that provide a damning American assessment of its erstwhile rival superpower.
Arms trafficking, money laundering, personal enrichment, protection for gangsters, extortion and kickbacks, suitcases full of money and secret offshore bank accounts in Cyprus: the cables paint a bleak picture of a political system in which bribery alone totals an estimated $300bn a year, and in which it is often hard to distinguish between the activities of the government and organised crime. "
See: WikiLeaks cables condemn Russia as 'mafia state'
And this is the "virtual mafia state" that John Key wants closer economic ties with?!
This aspect should be especially worrying to New Zealand, a small nation especially vulnerable to penetration by sophisticated, organised crime.
More worrying is that our esteemed Security Intelligence Service and Police force – which is adept at spying on Maori activists in the Ureweras or peace activists-turned Green MPs – have either not informed the Prime Minister of Russia's corrupt criminal government, with mafia links – or has been ignored by National.
This is more than worrying – this is downright dangerous. Key is playing with fire when he associates with such dangerous people.
Why would National consider cosying up to the Russian government/mafia? Especially when, as Judith Collins stated in October 2009,
"Gangs have infiltrated businesses; turning legitimate enterprises into money laundering outlets. Their money has bought them a veneer of legitimacy that is far more dangerous to our society than anything we have seen before."
See: Organised crime threatens NZ way of life
Collins was referring to local organised gangs. But the same could hold equally true – if not more so – for international crime gangs that are far more organised; well resourced; vicious; and with links to state power.
The Russian mafia is not one to be trifled with. If Collins is concerned about our local crims, she should be positively panicking over the possibility that a FTA with Russia could draw us into closer contact with organised crime syndicates and their political allies in Moscow.
Dealing with Russia is akin to dealing with Columbia or Mexico, should their organised crime gangs ever gain a foothold in those country's respective governments (if not already).
The prospect of Russian investors with links to organised crime (or, indeed, a front for crime groups) is one that cannot be easily dismissed.
We need to be damned careful who we, as a nation, build closer relations with. If Key want to "Dance with the Devil", he is pulling the rest of us in with him.
This blogger reminds the reader of Eastern European notions of the vampyr legends (no, not the glamourised Hollywood version of young, handsome vampires – the Undead variety of gruesome appearance and dodgy personal hygiene). In popular culture, the vampyr could not cross a threshold to enter you home.
You were safe inside – unless someone in your home invited the vampyr to enter.
Once that invitation was extended, the blood-sucking monster could come and go as he (or she) pleased. There was no stopping the creature, except with the usual methods; stake, sunlight, garlic, ACT Party manifesto, etc.
Damned perceptive, our Eastern European cuzzies.
Just be careful, Mr Key, who you invite into our country…
MFAT: New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement
New Zealand China Free Trade Agreement (text)
Government could have faced lawsuit
Billionaire's playground: Russian rich-lister's home to rival Chrisco mansion
Putin, Key hopeful for Free Trade Agreement
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Another of John Key's lies – sorry – "Dynamic Situations"
An email sent to Dear Leader, last year,
from: [email]
to: firstname.lastname@example.com
date: Sun, Sep 11, 2011 at 12:32 AM
subject:Purchase of farmland
At a recent public meeting in the Hutt Valley, in answer to a question from
the audience, you responded that purchases of farmland, by overseas buyers,
would be restricted to ten farms per purchaser.
Can you confirm that this restriction is in place, and when the regulation was
– Frank Macskasy
No response (or even acknowledgement) was ever received from the Prime Ministers office.
The issue arose during a public meeting in Lower Hutt, organised by Hutt Grey Power, on 24 May last year. People were concerned about the sale of 16 Crafar farms to overseas investors. The audience were most clearly unhappy at the prospect that foreign investiors were buying up vast tracts of our productive land.
Key made reassuring noises and said that his Party were "looking" at putting a limit at the number of farms a foreign investor could buy. He proposed a cap of ten farms. (Though even that was not well received by the audience.)
In media reports though, he was somewhat less specific,
"Prime Minister John Key says the Government would look at changing the law to limit foreign ownership of productive land if there is growing public concern.
However, he says such a change in response to the sale of the Crafar farms would a knee-jerk reaction."
See: Law change possible over foreign land buyers – Key
See: PM: Change to foreign ownership law possible
Nothing ever happened, of course.
This was yet another example of John Key uttering vague reassurances with no intention of following through. And on 20 April, this year, Ministers Williamson and Coleman consented to foreign investor, Shanghai Pengxin, buying all 16 Crafar farms.
See: Govt's Crafar China sale decision slammed
No wonder that John Key's reputation is becoming more tattered with each passing day. After a while, people start remembering these things.
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Three Questions to Key, Williamson, Coleman, et al…
National released this media statement on Scoop.co.nz yesterday, when they announced their intention to proceed with the sale of the Crafar farms to Shanghai Pengxin,
Ministers approve Crafar farms bid
Friday, 20 April 2012, 11:22 am
Press Release: New Zealand Government
Hon Maurice Williamson
Minister for Land Information
Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman
Associate Minister of Finance
20 April 2012
Media Statement
Ministers approve Crafar farms bid
Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson and Associate Finance Minister Jonathan Coleman have approved the new recommendation of the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) to grant consent to Milk New Zealand Holding Limited to acquire the 16 Crafar farms
"New Zealand has a transparent set of laws and regulations around overseas investment," Mr Williamson says.
"Those rules recognise the benefits that appropriate overseas investment can bring, while providing a range of safeguards to protect New Zealanders' interests. They are applied evenly to all applications, regardless of where they are from.
"We have sought to apply the law in accordance with the provisions of the Overseas Investment Act and the guidance of the High Court.
"We have carefully considered the OIO's new recommendation. The OIO sought advice from Crown Law and independent legal advice from David Goddard QC. The Ministers also sought advice and clarification from Mr Goddard.
"We are satisfied that on even the most conservative approach this application meets the criteria set out in the Act and is consistent with the High Court's judgment."
Dr Coleman said the consent came with stringent conditions.
"These 27 conditions have been imposed to ensure Milk New Zealand's investment delivers substantial and identifiable benefits to New Zealand," Dr Coleman says.
The conditions require Milk New Zealand to invest $16 million into the farms and to protect and enhance heritage sites
"The combined effect of the benefits being delivered to New Zealand as a result of this transaction is substantial."
A copy of the OIO's new recommendation is at: http://www.linz.govt.nz/sites/default/files/docs/overseas-investment/oio-recommendation-crafar-farms-20120420.pdf
A copy of the OIO's decision summary is at: http://www.linz.govt.nz/sites/default/files/docs/overseas-investment/decision-summary-201110035.pdf
Jonathan Coleman says that, " The combined effect of the benefits being delivered to New Zealand as a result of this transaction is substantial. "
Maurice Williamson sez, " Those rules recognise the benefits that appropriate overseas investment can bring… "
And Our Dear Leader, John Key, smiles, waves, and said,
"Ministers could have overturned that decision, but there were no reasons to do so. The OIO correctly interpreted the legislation, and had they turned it down simply on the basis of being Chinese, it would not only be unlawful but unacceptable and would have been overturned in the courts." – Source
The questions I have for John Key, Maurice Williamson, Jonathan Coleman, et al in National are;
- What possible benefit is there to New Zealand when the Crafar farms owe a massive $216 million to predominantly Dutch and Australian banks; the sale to Shanghai Pengxin is for $210 million; and the purchasers intend to invest only an addition $14 million in the 16 farms – $875,000 per farm? The proceeds for the sale of the Crafar farms will not stay in New Zealand – they will flow back to Australia.
- How can the sale of a revenue-earning asset (eg, farms) to overseas investors be 'beneficial' to New Zealand when the profits from those assets will flow overseas, to offshore bank accounts. Profits will not be spent nor further re-invested in this country.
- Considering that New Zealand is a world leader in dairy production, what does Shanghai Pengxin – a company specialising in property development (the sixth largest in China; Appendix 5, para 42) and not dairying – have to offer us that the alternative New Zealand consortium, led by Michael Fay, and other local dairy farmers could not? Is this, effectively a vote of No Confidence in local farmers?
Several politicians have made several comments that the new Chinese owners will bring 'new skills and innovation' to our dairying industry.
This blogger finds that rather hard to believe. All of a sudden, New Zealanders are incapable of developing their own farms?
But perhaps the issues we should be most concerned out is a loss of revenue from those farms, as profits are repatriated overseas.
Michael Fay estimates we could lose $15 million per annum once the farms are producing milk for export,
" Sir Michael says at the forecast payout of $6.35 a share, the new owners would earn $30 million a year, half of which will go to state-owned enterprise Landcorp for farming the land.
"This transaction with Shanghai Pengxin is a very, very bad investment for New Zealand. It doesn't stack up on any economic basis," said Sir Michael.
"It's hard to see that half of it going overseas constitutes an economic benefit to this country. It's a cost, it's hard to define it as an investment". " – Source
And Bernard Hickey wrote about our loss of income as we sold more and more assets into overseas ownership, steadily worsening our current account deficit,
" For decades we have spent more than we earned as a nation and funded the difference by borrowing foreign money through our banks, or directly in the form of companies borrowing offshore or the government borrowing from foreign funds and banks. If we couldn't borrow the money, we would sell assets, be it companies, land or state assets.
We've been kidding ourselves for decades that, like the L'Oreal ad, we were worth it. We have run chronically high current account deficits for most of the last 30 years. We believed, and have been encouraged by our leaders, bankers, and asset buyers, that New Zealand could afford it and we deserved it.
But in our bones we knew we couldn't, and it's great to see Justice Miller at the High Court now tell us in this decision it has to stop, even if the government can't or won't do it. His ruling that any foreign buyer has to prove a bigger benefit to the nation than a local buyer sets a very high threshold.
It effectively says that any buyer has to invest an awful lot more, create a lot more jobs and pledge to reinvest dividends here, otherwise there is an inevitable drain on the nation.
In the last decade we have reached the limit of how much we could borrow and sell. For any chronic overspender, there is a point where they can't borrow any more because they can't afford the interest payments and they don't have anything left to sell. Just before that moment comes, they accelerate their asset sales and borrowing to pay the interest on the previously borrowed money and to pay the dividends on the previously sold assets…
… The government itself has been the heaviest borrower through the bond markets. It doesn't matter who we have borrowed it off, but again China is the biggest creditor through its sovereign wealth fund. Our state owned enterprises have also been borrowing heavily overseas and the government is about to start selling the jewels in the crown, at least some of which will go offshore.
The irony is that this frenzy of last minute borrowing and asset selling accelerates the process of making our economy unsustainable, because it pushes up our economy currency and hampers our ability to export our way out of this mess.
Just in case you question the logic, here's the chart showing how New Zealand's Gross National Income per capita, which is what we get to keep after we have paid the interest and the dividends, has been falling since 2003."
Quite simply, the more we borrow from overseas; the more income-generating assets we sell to overseas investors – the more money we end up losing on every deal. The profits that used to stay in NZ to be re-invested, are now flowing out to other countries; other peoples' bank accounts. Leaving us poorer and poorer year after year.
Selling farms after selling most of our profitable State Owned Enterprises will make things worse.
It's also hard to see how any potential New Zealand purchaser can compete with the incredible wealth and access to funds, that nations such as China possess. Indeed, the Overseas Investment commission made this very point in Appendix 5, para 19/a when it stated,
"… 19. The purchase price for the farms is NZD $[redacted] m, plus payment for the stock, estimated to be NZD $[redacted] m. The Applicant is willing to pay this price because:
a) it has access to relatively low cost capital;"
We are in dire straights when an offshore investor can outbid a New Zealander because they have access to cheap funds to which we do not.
This is not a level playing field. The deck is now stacked firmly against us.
The deal with Shanghai Pengxin calls for further investments,
- "The Applicant must invest the higher of NZD $14m or the value agreed between the Applicant and Landcorp in
clause 4.4 of the draft Property Management Agreement (see attachment "1") on investment for development
purposes on the Investment." (ref Appendix 1, para 6)
- "The Applicant must establish an on-farm training facility for dairy farm workers in accordance with clause 5(c) of the draft Property Management Agreement (see attachment "1"). The Applicant must contribute a minimum of NZD $[redacted] m towards the capital cost of establishing this facility. (ref Appendix 1, para 7) We don't know the value of this "training facility – the OIO has blanked out that information.)
- "The Applicant must give two scholarships of not less than NZD $5,000 each year to students of the on-farm training facility. The first two scholarships are to be awarded by 31 December 2013." (ref Appendix 1, para 8)
Aside from some walking tracks and other contractual obligations (which we recently discovered are not followed up by anyone from the Overseas Investment Commission – so we cannot be certain that the OIO's Conditions of Consent are followed through by Shanghai Pengxin, nor any other foreign investor) – what does New Zealand gain, financially, from this deal?
Let's re-cap:
- Sale price of $210 million – goes to foreign-owned banks in Australia and Netherlands. Benefit to NZ: nil
- Profits from export of milk from the 16 Crafar Farms – mostly remitted to China. Benefit to NZ: nil/negative ($15 million p.a. loss in overseas income)
- Additional investment required in farms – $14 million*. Benefit to NZ: nil. $14 million gain – wiped out after one year of profits ($15 million) remitted back to Shanghai Pengxin, in China
- Scholarships for two students, @ $5,000 per-person. Benefit to NZ: $10,000 p.a.
And that, folks, seems to be it: $10,000 per year.
In return, the new foreign owner gets,
- $15 million p.a. in profits
- 15 million Fonterra shares
- dairy products exported to China (along with profits made)
Now, unless this blogger's arithmetic is seriously out-of-kilter, it's hard to see how Jonathan Coleman's comment holds true that,
" The combined effect of the benefits being delivered to New Zealand as a result of this transaction is substantial. "
What, precisely, are those 'benefits'?!? Because none are apparent to this blogger.
Some further matters that warrant comment:
Point 1.
Mr Key says that,
"Ministers could have overturned that decision, but there were no reasons to do so. The OIO correctly interpreted the legislation, and had they turned it down simply on the basis of being Chinese, it would not only be unlawful but unacceptable and would have been overturned in the courts." – Source
Let's deal with that straight away.
It's bullshit.
In 2002, when American millionaire, John Griffin purchased historically-significant Young Nick's Head on the East Coast, there was considerable anger and opposition from many locals, and throughout New Zealand. Such was opposition that a hikoi to Parliament ended up with 200 people protesting on the grounds,
" Around noon on Monday 5 August a group of about 200 protestors arrived at parliament grounds, Wellington. Many of them had been on the hikoi (march) from Young Nick's Head, Gisborne, which left 11 days earlier. Most of the hikoi participants were from the Ngai Tamanuhiri iwi, who were dispossessed of the land around Young Nick's Head in the 19th century.
The protest group asked to see finance minister Michael Cullen, who is to decide on Friday 9 August whether to allow the sale of Young Nick's Head to the US millionaire John Griffen. Mr Cullen was not available, nor the prime minister Helen Clark. The Speaker of the House, Jonathan Hunt, told the protestors they could not stay on the grounds overnight, and were not to erect any tent or other structure. (The precedent was the tent embassy in parliament grounds after the Hikoi of Hope in 1999, which maintained a presence for four months before being broken up with arrests). " – Source
When Shania Twain purchased 25,000 hectares off South Island high-country near Wanaka, in 2004, there was considerable anger and resentment,
" The contentious issue of foreign ownership of New Zealand land is flaring again following a government decision to allow Canadian singer Shania Twain to buy nearly 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres) of picturesque mountain farmland.
Foreign ownership of New Zealand land stirs high passions among the nation's usually phlegmatic citizens.
Farmers in this primarily agricultural country argue wealthy offshore investors are pushing land prices far beyond their potential worth as productive property, while other New Zealanders argue their birthright is being sold to the highest bidder…
… Anti-foreign ownership groups estimate that between 6 and 7 percent of commercially viable New Zealand land is now owned by offshore interests." – Source
New Zealanders have always opposed land sales. Ever since Pakeha colonisers came to this country and said to Maori, "Have we got a deal for you!!", there has always been a scepticism toward the sale of land to foreigners. That feeling exists regardless of nationality, ethnicity, skin colour, etc.
In fact, John Campbell took Key to task on this very issue when the Prime Minister tried to play the "racism card" on his show, on 20 April,
KEY: "… let's say you just want to say 'no' because they're Chinese-"
CAMPBELL: " I don't think anyone- Wait a second. I think that's underhanded and disingenuous. I don't think anyone is saying 'no' [because they're Chinese]. I think people are talking about 8,000 hectares of prime dairy country and it's foreign ownership not Chinese ownership."
Despite Campbell making that point succinctly, Key carried on with the same theme – as no doubt he had been instructed by his media advisors, to stick to a couple of core-points.
It suits John Key – as it did with Maurice Williamson – to attempt to paint opposition to the Crafar Farm sales to Shanghai Pengxin as "racism" or "xenophobia".
No one likes to be called racist (except for for right wing extremists – but they're deranged anyway), and to have that accusation thrown at the public is National's shameful attempt to portray opposition to the Crafar sale as 'irrational'.
Somewhere up on the Ninth Floor of the Beehive; in the Prime Minister's department; John Key's media advisors are busily spinning this line to deflect criticism from their Boss.
These paid merchants of mendacity are clever buggers; university educated – and taxpayer funded. We pay to have them teach politicians how to spin bullshit to us.
Not a nice thought, is it?
Whether Key's spin doctors and media advisors will be successful re-defining the debate is another matter entirely. They have their work cut out for them, going by polling by Fairfax and NZ Herald,
Good luck in trying to dismiss two-thirds or three quarters of the public on this issue, Mr Key. As they say in business; the customer is always right.
Point 2.
"Ministers could have overturned that decision, but there were no reasons to do so. The OIO correctly interpreted the legislation, and had they turned it down simply on the basis of being Chinese, it would not only be unlawful but unacceptable and would have been overturned in the courts." – John Key, 27 January 2012
This is the second line that Key's spin-doctors have advised him and other Ministers to push: that the law allows these sales to proceed and MPs hands are tied.
Except… when it suits John Key, he is more than willing to trade off the law for other considerations,
In return for a new $350 million convention centre, John Key simply has to change the gambling laws.
Just as John Key changed employment laws in October 2010, to suit Warner Bros, in the making of "The Hobbit" movies,
Funny ole world, in'it?
John Key sticks to the "letter of the law" like a fly to dog poo. But when it suits him and his cronies, he can be… flexible.
What you are witnessing, my fellow New Zealanders, is what is colloquially known as "Crony Capitalism".
Is this really how we want our country to be governed?
* Note: the original OIO condition of a once-only $14 million investment has been increased with the latest OIO review, to $16 million. This blogger replies with a "whoopty-bloody-doo"; it makes little difference in the long term.
The OIO Decision: Decision required under the Overseas Investment Act 2005: Milk New Zealand
Holding Limited
No checks on foreign buyers of Kiwi land
NZ to lose 'millions a year' from Crafar sale
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User Pays: the eventual conclusion
Superman, for hire? Not quite right, is it…
Of course, we rightly view such a scene with aversion. Some things, we just don't expect to see with a price levied.
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Our British cuzzies recently discovered this on Monday, when it was discovered that the governing UK Conservative Party's top fundraiser Peter Cruddas, had been selling access to senior British government MPs and Ministers. The full story is worth reprinting,
" In a sting operation, 'The Sunday Times' secretly videotaped fundraiser Peter Cruddas discussing donations. The film showed him telling undercover reporters: "200 grand ($317,000), 250 is premier league … it'll be awesome for your business."
If donors met Cameron, Cruddas claimed in the recording, "within that room, everything is confidential and you will be able to ask him practically any question that you want."
'We will listen to you'
He suggested they could even influence party policy, saying: "If you are unhappy about something, we will listen to you and we will put it into the policy committee at (the prime minister's official residence)."
Cameron responded by saying Cruddas' actions had been "completely unacceptable." Cruddas, a millionaire, resigned within hours of the report.
Cruddas made the remarks to two journalists he thought were international financiers and who were accompanied by a lobbyist.
"Because we depend on donors so much we have to be careful" to show "you cannot buy access," he said according to The Sunday Times. But, he told the undercover reporters, if you donate "you could well be at a private house having a private dinner with George Osborne, David Cameron, William Hague, the chairman around the table."
Osborne, the cabinet minister in charge of economic and financial matters, and Foreign Minister William Hague are both members of Cameron's center-right Conservative Party, which leads the governing coalition alongside the Liberal Democrats.
The funding issue is embarrassing for Cameron, who promised before coming to power in May 2010 to curb corporate lobbying, saying it was the "next big scandal waiting to happen."
Following the report, Cameron admitted he had used his official home at 10 Downing Street to host dinners for Conservative donors.
The scandal threatened to undo Cameron's efforts to shake off his party's image of being too close to the interests of business and the rich as Britain undergoes an austerity program to cut its budget deficit.
"This is not the way that we raise money in the Conservative party, it should not have happened," said Cameron. "I will make sure that there is a proper party inquiry to make sure this can't happen again."
While there were also tax cuts for lower earners, the government's recent budget went down badly with many Britons, giving the impression the government was looking after the wealthy and cared little for those suffering rising unemployment and falling incomes as the economy struggles to recover from recession.
Previous attempts to reform the political funding system have foundered on the Conservatives' reluctance to cap donations from wealthy individuals and the opposition Labour Party's desire to avoid limits on contributions from unions. "
Msnbc.com's F. Brinley Bruton and Reuters contributed to this report.
Acknowledgement for source: MSNBC World News
By the next day, Britain's Prime Minister and Leader of the UK Conservative Party, David Cameron, admitted what 'The Sunday Times' had uncovered,
The article further states,
" Of a dozen couples or individuals who dined with Cameron, including eight who were at a post-election celebration in July 2010, six were financiers, including three hedge fund managers, and two were property magnates. Two run manufacturing firms.
The Chequers list included the names of party treasurers as well as the millionaire property developer David Rowland and Lebanese businessman Fares Fares...
… As other parties offer supporters and donors access to meetings and debates with leaders and senior officials, the Conservatives have a system for encouraging political and financial support. Their Web site offers a hierarchy of "Donors Clubs" where minimum levels of donation give increasing degrees of contact with party officials and representatives.
For the 50,000-pound ($80,000) annual membership of the "premier supporter group" – The Leader's Group – "members are invited to join David Cameron and other senior figures from the Conservative Party at dinners, … lunches, drinks receptions, election result events and important campaign launches". "
Cameron was at pains to reassure British voters that,
"We are more transparent than any government and any prime minister have ever been. We behaved properly.
"What Cruddas was doing was totally unacceptable."
We have a saying here in New Zealand for that kind of statement,
Of course, such things don't happen here in New Zealand. Our own National Government does not do "favours" for cash donations to the Party…
= 2 =
From the Electoral Commission webpage, "Returns of party donations exceeding $30,000",
From the Electoral Commission webpage, "Returns of party donations exceeding $20,000",
Those are the facts, as presented from various sources.
I invite you, the reader, to draw your own conclusions, regarding the individuals; companies; their donations and their links to National.
(Note: The Electoral Commission webpage on returns of party donations includes donations to Labour, ACT, The Greens, and NZ First.)
= fs =
Al Capone lives again?
There's a old cliche in gangster movies that goes something like this,
"Hey, Luigi, I gots an offer ya cain't refuse!"
[cue machine guns being locked & loaded]
"Ya dirty rat-"
It seems that our Chinese cuzzies have been watching a few too many gangster movies,
Mr Cheng Li, the "political counsellor" at the Chinese Embassy in Wellington, has
threatened warned 'suggested' that Chinese investment in NZ may be at risk if the Shanghai Pengxin deal to buy the 16 Crafar farms is not permitted to proceed.
Someone should tell Mr Li that,
- We are not a canton of China nor an occupied state like Tibet,
- New Zealanders don't take kindly to being "leaned on". We didn't like it in 1984 and '85 when our American cuzzies tried to pressure the Lange Government to abandon our nuclear-free policy – and we certainly don't like it when someone "heavys" us to make a deal we don't want.
- This does not enamour New Zealanders to welcome overseas investment in our country.
It's interesting that the OIO (Overseas Investment Office) stated that Shanghai Pengxin is a good corporate citizen. That may certainly be, and the owners of that company are probably Honourable Men.
The same, unfortunately cannot be said of the Chinese Government. "Monstering" us to sell, is simply not a good look.
Go back to spying on Tibetan activists and Falun Gong members, Mr Li.


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Local girl beats cancer twice to graduate college
College student beats a rare cancer to graduate WKYC
KENT- As many students wrap up school for Christmas break, others are wrapping up for good with winter graduation.
Kent State will hold their winter commencement ceremonies Saturday, December 19th and for one student, it means more than just earning a degree.
It's a special time in every student's life, but extra special if you were once told that life was supposed to end before this day even arrived.
Gina Cortese went to Kent State bright eyed and optimistic, wanting nothing more than to enjoy her time in college, before setting out into the world as a teacher.
During her second semester of junior year, Gina began feeling a numbness in her left toe.
After brushing it off, the numbness eventually moved its way up her leg and arm.
"The left side of my body just kind of gave out, so I kind of fell over," Gina said when remembering the incident. "I was like, okay, something is seriously wrong."
It was worse than she could have imagined. Gina had a brain tumor which turned out to be an extremely rare, giant cell glioblastoma.
However, she didn't want to know what she had or the odds of beating it. She knew that no disease would decide her fate.
"I just didn't want to know, because I knew that if I knew anything, I might not be as positive as I was," she said.
"She didn't want people to feel sorry for her," Gina's mother Sheila said. "She wanted to move on and get on with her life and do the things that she wanted to do."
The operation and treatment left Gina paralyzed on one side, forcing her to relearn to walk and talk.
She was cancer free for 8 months, when an MRI revealed that it was back and she'd have to go through the whole thing again.
She decided to go through hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment at University Hospitals and has been cancer free ever since.
Now, 6 years in the making, Gina will finally graduate from college. She's hoping to dedicate her life to working with cancer patients and started a charity that collects hats for chemo patients, Gina's Journey.
It's been a long battle but through it all, she fought with a smile. She knew all along, it was a battle she would win.
"Cancer has taught me so many amazing things that I would have never known if I hadn't gotten sick," she said. "For that, I wouldn't ever take it back. I have such a different perspective and view on life and I'm still here and I'm doing great."
If you'd like to learn more about Gina or help with her charity, you can visit her website.

subset: commoncrawl


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As a global organisation, Fletcher Building is serious about environmental sustainability issues and actively promotes energy efficiency and waste reduction initiatives within its business units.
Within the Construction Division, Fletcher Construction has focussed its sustainability efforts on mitigating environmental impacts, waste reduction and recycling. The adoption of Lean Construction is helping to accelerate these efforts. A number of Fletcher Construction's projects have also attained highly regarded 'Green Star Certified' status from the New Zealand Green Building Council.
Fletcher Construction's environmental efforts have seen the company win a number of significant awards, including:
You'll find all the contact details you need here


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Australia hope to exploit familiar conditions in tomorrow's World Cup final as they aim to become the first side to retain the trophy since the 1970s.
The pace and bounce of the Wanderers surface in Johannesburg, reminiscent of many tracks Down Under, will have Brett Lee and the rest of the Australian attack feeling at home.
Australia began their quest to match the West Indies' feat of defending the crown - achieved back in 1979 against England at Lord's - with a convincing victory over Pakistan at the same ground, one of a record 16 consecutive wins.
Final opponents India were steamrollered for a sickly 125 in the following Pool A contest at Centurion when Jason Gillespie sent down one of the most hostile spells in limited-overs memory.
Although Gillespie's heel problem curtailed his tournament, Australia's plans will revolve around similar early aggression from Lee in particular.
Two of India's top three, captain Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag, have been susceptible to pace in South Africa and they can expect some short stuff come tomorrow. "There will be probably be a bit of that but it's more the pace you bowl than the length with these guys," said Ricky Ponting, Australia's captain.
"Shane Bond got Ganguly and Sehwag with full deliveries when they played New Zealand at Centurion and before that Brett beat them both for pace in a similar way.
"If he gets it right he can cause them trouble."
That game-plan will be a key factor to holding off India's challenge and batsman Darren Lehmann hopes there are some mental scars to exploit from that nine-wicket thrashing earlier in the competition.
"It's a different game but they will be wary of our quick bowlers and we will go hard at them again," said the former Yorkshire captain. "It is a real case of us putting them under immense pressure early on."
Sachin Tendulkar is one man who has to deal with extraordinary pressure every day such is his status to more than one billion people back in India.
Not for the first time the weight on his shoulders come matchday will be of strength-sapping proportions but his return of 669 runs in 10 innings highlights the 29-year-old's focus.
"We have to put the pressure on him and all their top players," said Lehmann.


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Cisco Certified Network Associate Service Provider (CCNA SP) certification is for service provider network engineers, technicians and designers who focus on the latest in Service Provider industry core networking technologies and trends. With the ability to configure, implement, and troubleshoot baseline Cisco Service Provider Next-Generation networks, CCNA SP certified individuals deploy, maintain and improve carrier-grade network infrastructures.
This is an introductory course for networking. Any exposure or experience to Networking or with Service Providers will be useful.
The knowledge and skills that a learner must have before attending this course are as follows:
The Building Cisco Service Provider Next-Generation Networks, Part 1 course is associated with the CCNA Service Provider certification. The course is a 5-day Instructor Lead Training course that provides network engineers and technicians with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to support a service provider network. The course provides knowledge of the major components of a network and helps learners to understand how service provider networks function. The course introduces IP Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture that helps service providers to build modern, scalable and reliable networks. The course also includes classroom activities with remote labs that are useful to gain practical skills for deploying basic Cisco IOS / IOS XE and Cisco IOS XR software features to operate and support service provider networks.
This course is part of the following Certifications:
Upon completing the SPNGN1 course, the learner will be able to meet these overall objectives:
Module 1, IP Fundamentals, contains 6 lessons, a lab, and case study:
Module 2, Basic LAN Switching, contains 7 lessons and a lab:
Module 3, Basic IP Routing, contains 5 lessons and a lab:
Module 4, Connectivity Technologies, contains 5 lessons and 2 labs:
Module 5: Network Management and Security


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We conduct a residents' survey every two years and the results of the last one, carried out in 2017, are now available.
Read the 2017 online survey results.
A total of 1,571 people responded to the survey, over 500 more than in 2015.
The survey asked people to rate how happy they are living in the borough, how satisfied they are with council services and to identify what issues they believe we should be focusing on.
The feedback we receive helps the council understand what services are most important to you and help inform future planning and priority setting. The 2017 survey found people's priorities had not changed since the 2015 survey.
In 2017 we also carried out a face-to-face survey using a random sample method and the results of that survey are also available. The purpose was to explore other methods of acquiring representative views from borough residents.
Read the face-to-face 2017 survey results.
The full results of the 2015 survey can be found in this report.
Last updated: Tue 31st July, 2018 @ 09:50


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Market Snapshot
Highland Park North
Current Listings 2
Avg Home Price $272,500
Avg Size (Sq Ft) 2,672
Avg Price/Sq Ft $118
Avg Year Built 2005
Part of the larger Highland Park community, Highland Park North is full of traditional, suburban style houses. The properties here were developed by DR Horton, Capital Pacific and Lennar Homes, so there are several different styles present in the neighborhood. Some of the similar features of the homes are two-story ceilings, extra living spaces and large backyards. Highland Park North is a unique community in that the streets share their names with castles in the United Kingdom, such as Windsor, Balmoral and Edinburgh. Residents can cool off on hot summer days at the community pool, and families here appreciate that Highland Park Elementary is just minutes away from their homes. With Highway 45 bordering the community, Highland Park North residents enjoy convenient access to Round Rock, Austin and other surrounding areas. Outdoor lovers can spend long days canoeing or fishing at Lake Pflugerville, followed by dining at Morelia Mexican Grill, located within the Stone Hill Town Center. With so much to do inside the neighborhood and out, it's no wonder why Highland Park North is such a popular Pflugerville community.
Highland Park North Location and Map
- 26.1 mi/28 mins to Bergstrom International Airport
- 22.3 mi/24 mins to downtown Austin
Highland Park North Real Estate
Current Market: Highland Park North MLS ListingsLast Updated 12/13/19 at 3:15am
|Total Listings 2
|Residential Listings 2
|Home Sites 0
|Avg List Price $272,500
|Highest Price $290,000
|Lowest Price $255,000
|Avg Size (Sq Ft) 2,672
|Avg Price / Sq Ft $118
|Price / Sq Ft Range $78 - $158
|Avg Lot Size 0.23
|Avg Taxes / Year $6,709
|Avg Year Built 2005
Note: Averages and Prices do not include home sites. Data based on current listings only. For historical information contact us.
Newest listings in Highland Park North
Highland Park North Neighborhood Schools Back to Top
|School District:
|Pflugerville Independent School District
|Elementary School:
|Highland Park North Elementary School
|Middle School:
|Park Crest Middle School
|High School:
|Hendrickson High School
Note: Neighborhood school assignments change regularly. For the most current information, please contact us.
Things to Do Near Highland Park North Back to Top
More Pflugerville Neighborhoods Back to Top
Want to learn more about Pflugerville communities? Here is our complete list of Pflugerville neighborhoods.
- Arbor Creek
- Avalon
- Blackhawk
- Bluebonnet Acres
- Bohls Place
- Brookfield Estates
- Brookhollow
- Cambridge Estates
- Cambridge Heights
- Cantarra
- Carrington Court Townhomes
- Edgewaters
- Estates of Blackhawk
- Fairways of Blackhawk
- Falcon Pointe
- Gaston-Sheldon
- Gatlinburg
- Greenlawn Village
- Greenridge
- Heatherwilde
- Highland Park
- Highland Park North
- Katymead
- Lakes at Northtown
- Lakeside at Blackhawk
- Landings at Wells Branch
- Meadow Park South
- Meadow Point
- Meadows at Cambridge Heights
- Meadows of Blackhawk
- Mountain Creek
- Mountain Creek East
- North Park
- Northtown Park
- Old Town
- Parkcrest
- Penley Park
- Pflugerville Acres
- Pflugerville Estates
- Pflugerville Heights
- Picadilly Ridge
- Reserve at Westcreek
- Retreat at Blackhawk
- Ridge at Harris Ridge
- Ridge at Steeds Crossing
- Rolling Meadows
- Royal Pointe
- Saxony
- Settlers Meadow
- Settlers Ridge
- Shallow Creek
- Skyview Manor
- Sorento
- Spring Trails
- Springbrook
- Springbrook Centre
- Springbrook Enclave
- Springbrook Glen
- Steeds Crossing
- Swenson Farms
- The Club at Wells Point
- The Commons at Rowe Lane
- The Park at Blackhawk
- Verona
- Villages of Hidden Lake
- West Park/Park Place
- Wildflower
- Willow Creek
- Windermere
For Highland Park North, austinhomelistings.com Recommends
The information being provided is for consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing.
Based on information from the Austin Board of REALTORS® (alternatively, from ACTRIS) from December 13th, 2019 at 10:16am CST. Neither the Board nor ACTRIS guarantees or is in any way responsible for its accuracy. The Austin Board of REALTORS®, ACTRIS and their affiliates provide the MLS and all content therein "AS IS" and without any warranty, express or implied. Data maintained by the Board or ACTRIS may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.
All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified.


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Add your Business to POIDB.com.
Please complete the form below to add your business to POIDB.com. The fields marked with an asterix are required to be completed.
If you have 3 or more business locations then you can alternatively send us an email to firstname.lastname@example.com with a listing of your locations.


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Tonight the wife is out with her friends so its just me and the baby home alone. I had some things to do online tonight and I already put my baby to sleep for the evening so instead of using my MacBook Pro, I'm using my 5 year old HP Desktop PC that I haven't used in a really long time for a prolonged period of time since I have been booted from my office since I'm not home often and my wife works from home. I gotta say that I really missed this. As much as I love using my MacBook Pro and my iPads, there still is something that I love about using my desktop PC. I think its the awesome Bose sound system that my wife bought me many years ago and the 23″ screen that I'm using right now to write this blog post. Compared to my MacBook Pro, my PC is looking a little sluggish but I also think its because there is just so much crap on this computer that needs to be cleaned out and I just haven't had the time to do it.
There isn't much that I can do on my PC that I can't do on my MacBook Pro but one of the things that I can't currently do is play my music really loud of my Bose speakers which is still pretty awesome after all this time. I'm currently playing some music on Winamp (good lord that takes me back) since I actually still prefer it compared to iTunes. Since the entire family is pretty invested in Apple gear these days (never thought I'd ever say that) it makes sense for me to use a MacBook Pro at the moment. I just need way more storage (something along the lines of 2TB would do nicely) than I currently do on my MacBook. I can use external hard drives and everything but that almost takes most of the portability out of having a laptop.
I don't think I could ever get away from not having a desktop PC but I certainly am trying. I think the biggest thing about owning a desktop these days is the larger screen and using my Bose. I think I can get rid of everything else thats attached to it or find some other use. As an example, I have a secondary DVD writer, printer, and external drive that I still have to hook up to the desktop. I think I could get away with hooking everything up to a my wireless network at some point but that would require investing more money into my technology setup which I'm not prepared to do yet. The tech I use is still kind of old but I don't believe in upgrading my tech anymore unless something is truly not working anymore. Thats a big switch from just a couple years ago when I needed the latest and greatest gadget on the block. My entire setup except for my router and my monitor (both of which needed replacing) is over 5 years old now and the fact that they're all still working quite well is pretty amazing.
There aren't a lot of opportunities for me to use my desktop PC but its nights like this that let me enjoy the power I used to have when I ruled my office and the equipment in it.


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book info...
www.booktitans.co.uk ****
Book Review
Political Craps by Author Tom Ufert
by Susan Mahoney aka Catherine Mahoney This book is a layman description of why it is vital the masses not stand by the sideline and think that someone else will vote in a honorable hard working leader president, cabinet, house of representatives, and all government personnel in the next election. They should not stay quiet until the shit hits the fan, then it is too late. Want to read about the behind the scenes, the reasons why we as the people cannot and must not stand by the sidelines anymore. Author Tom Thomas Ufert has a gift to formulate the written word into understandable terms and pleasurable reading. This book should be in the top ten to preview, listen, read, and issue as a summer reading assignment in all families.
Message—take action now before it is too late, America falls apart as we point fingers at each other and blame one another while the American dream dies and the top VIPs laugh at all of the sheep who stood by and did nothing to transform government to be for the people not the other way around. June 6th was the release of Political Craps so there is still time to be part of not apart from the future. This author knows the truths and he is willing to bring them to light, are you ready to hear them, take action and have no regrets.
Learn more about the author, his views, decide which path to take and be a changing agent in the formulation of governmental bylaws and such. Starting on June 6th, 2014, author Tom Ufert hopes this book may be the catalyst to spark the fire of our consciousness and vote in the true politicians that care for the people, work for the people and save beautiful America.
To See more of Author Thomas Ufert Books, follow link below


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New MAC Opulash Mascara is MAC's twelfth mascara introduction, making MAC a leader in mascara wardrobing. Opulash Mascara aims to deliver volume and curl with an extra-large brush.
When I buy a mascara, I generally do look for a volumizing formula, so when MAC sent me a tube of Opulash Mascara to review, I was intrigued. At first glance, the brush is definitely big. I'm getting used to these ginormous mascara wands, though, having used Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash Mascara (still one of my faves!) and some of the CoverGirl mascaras.
In terms of performance, I really like MAC Opulash Mascara. The tapered brush was able to coat each eyelash without any clumping or need for a comb to separate. Opulash does provide volume; it does take 2 or 3 coats to build up, however. I curl my lashes daily anyway, so this wasn't as big of a deal, but yes, you do get an enhanced curl effect. At this time, Opulash comes in one shade: Optimum Black.
MAC Opulash Mascara retails at $17.00 and is available at Nordstrom.com, at MAC locations and online at www.maccosmetics.com.


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Our friend, photographer Sandy Alpert, is taking part in her very first major museum exhibition at the Griffin Museum of Photography. The museum will be exhibiting pieces from her series, "Ghosts Who Now Dance."
Welcome to the Griffin Museum of Photography, a nonprofit 501(c)3 public charity organization dedicated solely to the art of photography. Through our many exhibitions, programs and lectures, we strive to encourage a broader understanding and appreciation of the visual, emotional and social impact of photographic art.
At the Griffin Museum, you will find exhibitions from well-known photographers to those emerging on the scene that explore important themes and thought-provoking ideas. All of our exhibitions and programs are designed to encourage the passionate exploration of the art of photography.
If you're not local to the Boston area, the Griffin Museum is the perfect accompaniment to a beautiful fall visit to New England.
Alpert's works will be on view until November 27th.
For More Information: Sandy Alpert


text: Padraig #1 Posted August 11, 2017 After all these years, we finally have a Young Adult award at Worldcon. I know a number of people on this board have spent a lot of time on this especially LugaJetboyGirlirra. It got ratified today with a provisional name of Lodenstar, with the name to be ratified in San Jose. But there will be an award next year. I'd name some of the others on the committee but I am bound to miss a few. Congrats to those involved, those who helped and those who voted. Somebody else who knows more about this can give further details about all the work done. I do like the idea of a Lodey award... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Inside The MacBook Pro's 'Adaptive Charging' Battery
Battery technology was a big subject at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. There was the Fuji EnviroMAX, Energizer's zinc-air battery...even the weird, pee-powered battery from Aqua Power. But there was innovation from Cupertino too. There's more to the latest Apple MacBook Pro than just a bigger footprint; Apple has created a new technology for its batteries, which it calls Adaptive Charging.
According to Apple, "The battery has a chip that talks with its cells, monitoring everything from charge level to temperature. The chip relays this information to the computer, which uses an advanced algorithm to determine the optimal charging current. This Adaptive Charging reduces the wear and tear on the battery and gives it a much longer lifespan than ever before -- up to five years."
Sounds clever enough. The company claims there's more to the story, however, citing "advanced chemistry that extends the battery's lifespan even further," though I couldn't find much information about the specifics. Do you have any insight? Let us know!


text: If you failed to make it out to this year's Sasquatch! Festival in Washington's beautiful, bucolic The Gorge, NPR is hosting full-set streams of just about everybody who performed. So instead of climbing up and down a mountain to catch them all, you can park it right where you are and listen to Wilco, Foo Fighters, Archers Of Loaf, Death Cab For Cutie, Robyn, The Flaming Lips, Modest Mouse, Guided By Voices, The Decemberists, Gayngs, Flogging Molly, Wavves, Flying Lotus, Das Racist, Twin Shadow, Iron And Wine, Death From Above 1979, Local Natives, Bob Mould, The Radio Dept., The Thermals, k-os, Mariachi El Bronx, Wolf Parade, Black Mountain, The Antlers, Washed Out, and Wye Oak. Check them out here while you stare at the above photo and it will almost be like you were there.


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"2015 Vintage VSA555 Semi-acoustic - black, lovely and perfect to play! Has a really nice blues sound that I like. I use this guitar for a few numbers."more
With an Equipboard account you can rate this item, add it to your collection, submit a review to discuss what you like and dislike about it, and associate Vintage VSA 555 to artists that use it. Create an account!


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Welcome. Happy. Safe.
Lebec, California Pet Friendly Hotels & Lodging
Looking for a hotel in Lebec, CA that you can bring your pet to? We made sure that each one of the hotels below are pet friendly, so you can enjoy your trip with your pet by your side! Once you have found a pet friendly hotel, you can book your stay instantly from our website or call 866-212-1803 to speak with a pet travel agent.
Browse Pet Friendly Hotels In Lebec, California
9000 Countryside Ct - Lebec, CA (Map)
Days Inn by Wyndham Lebec welcomes four-legged guests at their pet friendly accommodation. Up to 2 pets are allowed in each room. The pet fee is $10 per pet, per night.
Rates from
612 Wainwright Ct - Lebec, CA (Map)
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Frazier Park is pet friendly. The pet fee is $30 per pet, per night.
Rates from
51541 Ralphs Ranch Road - Lebec, CA (Map)
All pets stay FREE at Motel 6. There is a limit of 2 pets per room. No breed or weight restrictions. Pets are permitted unless they pose a health or safety risk or are prohibited by law. Pets should not be left alone in your room. All pets and service animals must be declared at check-in.
Rates from
49713 Gorman Post Rd - Lebec, CA (Map)
Service animals and well-behaved pets are permitted unless they pose a health or safety risk or are prohibited by law. Pet fee is $10.00 per day to a maximum of $50.00 per stay. Pets should not be left alone in a room.


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By Hollister Dixon
Brand New occupy a very specific, very big place in my heart. I first heard the bombastic, pop punk gem of a record Your Favorite Weapon at roughly 16, and enjoyed it quite a lot. Then I discovered the very heartfelt and dynamic Deja Entendu, and fell head over heels in love with the band. Not long after falling in love, they released their third record, the wildly different and incredibly mature The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, an album so far removed in every way from Your Favorite Weapon that it may as well not even be the same band. This also includes the band's last record, Daisy, which could be described as "impenetrable" (and has, by my showgoing companion/FOTR contributor/only real Brand New fan I know Jordan Portlock), which continues that trek away from those wry, goofy pop punk roots. The last time Brand New stopped by Portland was the 2011 incarnation of MusicFest Northwest, and at that point, Daisy was already two years old. And, despite being five years removed from that record, and despite having no new material to speak of, it seemed like as good of a time as any for the band to come back to Portland – and a good reason for me to fall back in love with Jesse Lacey's words.


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Riser management installation and management is one of the services that we offer as part of a full-scale package for your data and phone cabling. Riser management originates from the MPOE, also known as the minimum point of entry. This is usually the place that your residence or company holds that originates most of the cable connections in the building. From the minimum point of entry, cables may be distributed to individual offices for all of your service needs. As long as this central nervous system of your cable network is functioning properly, you have much less chance of errors occurring.
Riser management was traditionally taken care of by the local phone company before the deregulation of the telecommunications industry. Deregulation helped to create competition among telecommunications companies, evening the playing field between smaller and larger entities. However, deregulation also encourages a lack of organization when it comes to riser management. Buildings that are unable to afford riser management individually may hire less talented network cabling companies, encouraging disorganization, downtime, fire hazards and security risks.
We look to bring back the surety and the competency of highly regulated riser management without the need for huge industry regulations. First of all, we limit the access to our riser cabling. Although the tenants in a building would be able to use their preferred vendor to make changes to the cabling in their units, your minimum point of entry would be protected by us. We have become a favorite of property managers because of our ability to organize riser management in this way. We also help to provide freedom to owners of commercial buildings with a variety of tenants to maintain.
If we take care of your riser management services and installation, you will have one point of contact for your network cabling. We will make sure that you have on-site technicians who are dedicated to your cause and learn your cabling network specifically. You will be able to request extension services for new features such as additional data and voice T-1 lines, POTs lines and other additions and changes. You will have no trouble organizing the financials behind new changes.
Our riser management services include the ability to maintain an audit of your system that will evolve in real time. We keep up with the ever-changing needs of your cabling network through an ongoing testing regimen with a focus on riser restoration.
Other benefits of our riser management services and installation package include enhanced accountability and building security, documented and tagged cable lines, a more rapid response time for problems, an assurance of compliance with local codes, immediate removal of any unnecessary or abandoned cables, cross connect management, customer portal service requests, and a cost-effective, locally owned solution that you can call on at any time. We look forward to helping you maximize the infrastructure you have while organizing your network. We have been able to save businesses and residences of all shapes and sizes a great deal of money and time with our riser management services.


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South Dakota metal building prices – Metal buildings are now being acquired by growing number of people due to steel's increasing popularity as main construction materials. Long before, steel structures are just famous for storage and barracks usage of military soldiers but now these structures are fast gaining fame and preference over the other construction types such as brick, wooden and concrete.
It is small wonder however, since metal buildings are really well-known to be durable and trending nowadays. You will see it around the countryside wherein metal structures are being used for several applications such as for churches, schools, warehouses, barns, offices and even for houses structures. Metal buildings are insect-resistant and highly sturdy structure that can be relied to stand for longer period of time.
Get connected to Several Dealers!
Receive multiple free quotes from top Metal Building companies. Compare styles and prices to get the best steel building for you. It's fast, easy, and free. Start now!
However, if you are planning to acquire one for yourself or for your business, it greatly helps to scout first for South Dakota metal building prices so you will know how much the development project will cost you. Metal building prices vary from one company to another and the main basis to their prices is the current value of steel in the market. Another factor that concerns South Dakota metal building prices is the quantity and quality of people needed for your construction project – engineers, architects, foreman, construction workers, contractors etc. That also depends on the size of the structure which is also related to the function of the building that you are about to develop.
Sizes and functions highly make the differences to the South Dakota metal building prices as larger structure means more materials and greater workforce. As with the function, different buildings come with different interior and exterior finishing as well and that too will matter greatly in terms of defining the cost of expenses.
Sure enough, each company will give you different price quotations though you have required them of the same services and materials. Be wise to make a good comparison and take note as well the services included for price quotation that each company gives.
South Dakota Metal Building Vendors
Use this webpage get in touch with the best qualified South Dakota metal building installers near your home and you will definitely begin to be given offers for the work. Filling out the short form above is all you have to do to generate prices from pre-screed retailers and installers. Having these written estimates is an effective method to assess the metal building offers in Madison, Rapid Valley, Mitchell, Madison, Rapid Valley, Mitchell, Spearfish, Ellsworth AFB, Custer, Belle Fourche, Brookings, Hot Springs, Brandon, Pierre, Vermillion, Huron, Aberdeen, Yankton, Sturgis, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Watertown and many additional neighborhoods close to you! When choosing your licensed contractor, validate such companies with the South Dakota State Website.
Counties Directory Within South Dakota
- Aurora County
- Beadle County
- Bennett County
- Bon Homme County
- Brookings County
- Brown County
- Brule County
- Buffalo County
- Butte County
- Campbell County
- Charles Mix County
- Clark County
- Clay County
- Codington County
- Corson County
- Custer County
- Davison County
- Day County
- Deuel County
- Dewey County
- Douglas County
- Edmunds County
- Fall River County
- Faulk County
- Grant County
- Gregory County
- Haakon County
- Hamlin County
- Hand County
- Hanson County
- Harding County
- Hughes County
- Hutchinson County
- Hyde County
- Jackson County
- Jerauld County
- Jones County
- Kingsbury County
- Lake County
- Lawrence County
- Lincoln County
- Lyman County
- Marshall County
- McCook County
- McPherson County
- Meade County
- Mellette County
- Miner County
- Minnehaha County
- Moody County
- Pennington County
- Perkins County
- Potter County
- Roberts County
- Sanborn County
- Shannon County
- Spink County
- Stanley County
- Sully County
- Todd County
- Tripp County
- Turner County
- Union County
- Walworth County
- Yankton County
- Ziebach County
Tagged with: Metal Building Prices SD • Metal Building Prices South Dakota


text: common sensical and/or confirmed by the pics we've seen so far. He says the unit has a 1.3 megapixel camera with flash, Bluetooth, a SD card slot, built-in MP3, and support for multiple IM protocols. The form factor is a sort of mix between the original Sidekick and the Sidekick II, and is notably bulky for a modern phone. There's a new cursor nubbin, which works well but feels a little flaky, along with an updated keyboard. Sadly, the screen is the same size and resolution as always, which is starting to thoroughly date the device. Luckily the SD slot makes music playback and PC file interchange easy, and the Bluetooth not only works well, but seems to provide some sort of PC functionality, which is always nice. Sounds like the device is mostly the same as far software goes, but it does seem the interface has been spruced a bit, and the AIM, Yahoo and MSN IM support are a big plus. We'll try and reserve judgement until we manage to get a Sidekick III in hand, but if this review is for real we can't have too terribly long to wait.


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How to be influential
November 30, 2017
One of my favourite conversations for a while was with beer-lover and influence expert Alex Swallow.
Influence is a perennial topic in the professional world, and most of us are in roles where we not only need to help others be influential, but we need to be influential ourselves.
In this podcast, I ramble on to Alex Swallow about what makes people influential, what we can do to be more influential and what we can do in workshops about influence to make them more meaningful.


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December 4, 1994, Section 1, Page 59Buy Reprints
WHEN the January issue of Details hits newsstands later this week, it will serve as a reminder that those who live by the cutting edge are sometimes kneecapped by the cutting edge.
Largely because of a perception that the magazine was falling behind the curve of smart urban culture, John Leland, the editor in chief, was removed last month by James Truman, the editorial director of Conde Nast Publications, who only 10 months earlier had handpicked Mr. Leland to succeed him at Details. The January issue is Mr. Leland's last.
"Details was a kind of eccentric, edgy magazine that was not afraid of taking risks," said Karen Rinaldi, an editor who left the magazine in October to become a book editor at Crown Publishing. "James had a quirkiness that was a little irreverent, and kids loved that. I think John didn't."
Mr. Leland's dismissal came at a time when circulation and advertising revenue were actually up. But there was also an unflattering buzz about Details in some quarters of the press and among members of the voguish crowd Mr. Truman runs with at European fashion shows and on the New York night scene.
"The numbers were absolutely fine," said Joe Dolce, who has replaced Mr. Leland as editor in chief. "But I think when you've got people watching the magazine so closely, it's not just about the numbers, it's a perception question."
Certainly, Mr. Truman, 36, had high hopes for Mr. Leland, 35, who took over after Mr. Truman was promoted in January to the top editorial job at Conde Nast, overseeing 13 magazines, including Vogue and Vanity Fair. Mr. Truman had made Details into the "hot book" of the early 1990's, winning a large readership of men in their 20's by mixing rock-star fashions, frank sex advice and flippant celebrity interviews. Its current circulation is about 480,000.
Mr. Leland, who met Mr. Truman at Spin magazine in the mid-1980's, had covered music for Newsday and later at Newsweek, where in 1993 he was made editor of the life-styles department. When he took over Details, he was lofted from relative obscurity into one of the most visible jobs in the magazine business, at a company whose star editors become gossip-column fixtures and are rewarded with clothing allowances and subsidized housing.
"James brought John in with the expectation he wouldn't make drastic changes," said one Details editor, who, like many others interviewed, did not want to be named out of consideration for Mr. Leland's feelings. "It fell short, I guess, of where we were in terms of edginess."
Editors inside and outside the magazine found the procession of cover subjects this fall -- Woody Harrelson, Heather Locklear, Sylvestor Stallone and, this month, Madonna -- to be oddly middle-of-the-road.
"If you take Harrelson, Stallone, Locklear and Madonna, what does that add up to?" asked Mr. Dolce, who was moved by Mr. Truman from Details to Vogue in June, then returned. "Details has always been a magazine perceived as being ahead of the curve. Those people are either in the curve or, in the case of Madonna, the curve has passed them."
The question of the magazine's identity came to a head over the January issue, which includes a 17-page feature, "Why Don't We Do It On the Road?," which reports on conversations the magazine's editors held with readers in 17 cities.
To Mr. Leland, the special package, which fills about half of the magazine's feature pages, was the latest in a series of efforts to make Details reflect the lives and cares of average readers.
"It was my idea to make the magazine more democratic," Mr. Leland said last week. "If people want to see huge celebrities, they can see them everywhere, and if they want to see screwed-up teens, they can see them everywhere, but for guys and women in their 20's and early 30's, they never get to see people like themselves."
Mr. Leland's vision, however, was unpopular with many people at the magazine and at Conde Nast, who think readers don't buy a magazine to be immersed in the workaday lives of people like themselves and that finding them there detracted from a sense of hipness.
On Nov. 2, Mr. Leland, who said he was "elated" about the January issue, sent the finished text of the "On the Road" feature to Mr. Truman, who seemed appalled.
"He felt really strongly the magazine should be a projection of the editors' vision, and it wasn't about the reader," Mr. Leland said. Six days later, Mr. Leland was summoned to Mr. Truman's office, at 350 Madison Avenue, and dismissed.
"John and I certainly did have differences of opinion about his ideas and their execution," Mr. Truman said last week. "Details remains the hottest young-men's magazine. Our goal is to keep it that way."
Mr. Leland, seemingly under no immediate financial pressure, said he was exploring computer-based "new media."
His dismissal was the latest in a history of sudden beheadings at Conde Nast, where editors in chief have learned of their fates while on vacation, from the lips of Liz Smith on the evening news and, in one case, while calling in for messages from an airport pay phone. Mr. Leland said that he, too, was blind-sided.
But several Conde Nast editors said that there were repeated signals that Mr. Truman was unhappy and that if Mr. Leland missed them, it was because he was frequently tone-deaf to those around him. Several editors said that morale had become a serious problem but that Mr. Leland seemed not to know it.
"A couple of people started to get into a funk," Mr. Leland responded. "It was something I was working on."
Staff members say that Mr. Dolce has already swept decisively into the top job and reshuffled future story lineups. Whether his issues will put the magazine back out ahead of the curve remains to be seen. If not, he, too, will probably be nervously guarding his kneecaps.


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App Review: Crazy Penguin Catapult by Digital Chocolate, Inc.
by Rob on
January 31, 2009
Filed under Daily App Reviews, Games
When we read the name of this app, Crazy Penguin Catapult, we were a little skeptical. Was this going to be a silly app that gives you a quick laugh and then you forget about it? We decided to give it a try anyway and were pleasantly surprised. Yes, the idea of catapulting penguins is still kinda silly, but it works. When you launch the game, it shows you a quick video of polar bears taking some penguins prisoner. The object of the game then is for you and your fellow penguins to save the other penguins.
You are then introduced to the map from which you enter the first level. Each level begins with the catapulting of the penguins. The penguins swing from a rope over the catapult in a cave. When you think the trajectory is correct, you tap the screen releasing the catapult. The catapult sends the penguins flying. Don't release the catapult at the wrong moment or the penguins will go splat on the ceiling or walls of the cave in a cartoonish sort of way.
Once all of the penguins have been catapulted out of the cave, you move on to the second phase of the level. On this screen you try to hit the polar bears with your remaining brave penguins. The penguins fly across the top of the screen. With one quick tap on the screen, they take a nose dive toward the polar bears below. The number of polar bears that you hit determines whether you complete the level or not and how many stars you get for the level (1-3). If you don't get a perfect score, you can always go back and try again. As you complete a level, you are returned to the map and the path to the next level opens up. There are even bonus levels that appear as you progress through the map.
It did not take us long to complete the first map, although successfully using the catapult on a few of the levels proved a real challenge. If you are looking for a game that will keep you occupied for awhile, this may not be the one for you. However, if you are looking for a fun way to kill some time, enjoy.
Crazy Penguin Catapult is $4.99 in the iTunes App Store.
A smaller version of the game, Crazy Penguin Catapult Lite, is free in the iTunes App Store.


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30 Day Disney Challenge: Day 5 Favorite Hero
I enjoy doing challenges. I will try to do one each month. This month's is the 30 Day Disney Challenge I saw over at sue's reading corner.
Day 5: Favorite Hero = Li Shang
If you read my my post for day 4, you can guess that my answer for this one will be Shang. I understand that he isn't the best or deepest character out there, but I hero worshiped him when I was a child.


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Styline Logistics has strategic service centers located in Huntingburg, IN, High Point, NC, and Tupelo, MS. We can pick-up and deliver anywhere within the 48 continental states. Our company drivers are dispatched from the Distribution Centers with pre-routed delivery loads. Styline Logistics also provides pick-up services for our furniture shippers throughout the same coverage area as well. Our unique line-haul delivery and pick-up network operation ensures that your shipments will be handled in a timely and efficient manner.
Huntingburg, IN 47542
High Point, NC 27263
Tupelo, MS 38804
Indiana1008 Styline Drive
Huntingburg, IN 47542
North Carolina1264 Jackson Lake Road
High Point, NC 27263
Mississippi1114 S. Eason Blvd.
Tupelo, MS 38804


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There are many benefits of using thermal imaging for a wide range of building, electrical and mechanical applications. The key benefits include:
Thermography is the capture and analysis of thermal data to accurately assess patterns of an objects thermal radiation through absorption, reflection, transmission and emission.
Thermography operates by accurately measuring the infrared or heat energy of any target objects surface, producing a detailed visual image showing its temperature profile in contrast with its immediate surrounding area.
The process does not measure temperature directly but enables remote analysis of relative temperature and heat variations, accurately sourcing and calculating anomalies through the applied knowledge of thermographic principles.
Excessive heat output is a key signature that a mechanical or electrical system or component may be close to the point of failure or has the potential to cause a serious health and safety issue such as injury to staff or fire risk.
Thermography or infrared thermal imaging is the most cost-effective method in determining faults in all electrical, electronic and mechanical equipment and structural issues and problems with buildings.
A thermographic survey of an electrical switchboard, for example, will reveal in seconds the location of any component with abnormal temperatures which may result in a fire, equipment failure or compromise staff health and safety.
Thermal Imaging technology has also revolutionised the approach to predictive maintenance. By pro-active early identification of potentially serious faults before they have a chance to fail, infrared thermography prevents sudden and costly disruption to critical operational and production systems by allowing repairs to be scheduled at a time which is convenient to everyone.
Here are just some of the reasons why working with ThermoView benefit our clients;


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About Our Virginia Law Practice
Founded in 1977, CowanGates uniquely combines friendly, personalized legal support with the expertise of a large, full-service law firm. Our clients are diverse, ranging from individuals, neighbors, families and friends, to major corporations, mid-size and small businesses. But no matter the client or the case, our goal remains the same: to deliver prompt, personal and professional service that is held to the CowanGates Standard of Excellence.
Our Midlothian, Virginia law office is dedicated to securing justice and favorable outcomes on behalf of clients in a timely and cost-efficient manner. Services include:
- Personal injury compensation for those hurt in car and truck accidents, slip-and-falls, and other mishaps
- Assisting people through some of the most difficult times of their lives with our family law and criminal defense practices
- Guiding families through estate planning and elder law
- Advising businesses of all sizes on the intricate matters of business and corporate law
Contact Us Today
Arrange your consultation with an experienced CowanGates attorney today. Call 804-320-9100, toll free 800-948-7160, or contact us online.
CowanGates Cares: Helping Our Friends and Neighbors
We strive to serve not only the legal and business interests of our community, but the charitable and civic areas, as well. Many of our clients are also our friends and neighbors. We consider ourselves fortunate to be able to contribute our time and resources to community organizations. You can learn more about the organizations we support on CowanGates Cares.
Congratulations to our attorneys who were selected for inclusion in 2019 Virginia Super Lawyers:
F. Neil Cowan, Jr.
Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiff (2012-2019)
Melanie Friend
Family Law (2015-2019)
Scott Stovall
Estate Planning/Probate (2018-2019)
We are pleased to announce CowanGates has been ranked in the 2020 "Best Law Firms" rankings from U.S. News & World Report, achieving a metro/regional Tier 2 ranking in Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs. The U.S. News – Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process.
The CowanGates law firm has been named to the U.S. News – Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" list since 2013, achieving a Tier 1 ranking in Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiff.
Neil Cowan, Jr. been selected for inclusion in the 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 Editions of The Best Lawyers in America© for Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs. He was also selected to the National Association of Distinguished Counsel – Nation's Top One Percent – Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, and is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
Ernest P. "Rusty" Gates, Jr. was named one of the National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys Top 10 (2016-2017) and was recognized by The American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys as one of the "10 Best" Attorneys for the state of Virginia. He is also one of the National Trial Lawyers Top 100.
Congratulations to Melanie Friend for being named one of Virginia Lawyers Weekly's "Up & Coming" Lawyers for 2016 and Virginia Business Magazine Legal Elite (Family Law) 2013 – 2016. Melanie was also named President of the Metro Richmond Women's Bar Association for the 2015-2016 bar year, was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star (2010-2014), and has been selected for inclusion in the list of Virginia Super Lawyers (2015-2017). Melanie has also been selected to the National Association of Distinguished Counsel – Nation's Top One Percent – Family Law.


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At Fiat Eastbourne, we don't just sell great cars. Among many other things, we also provide a range of money-saving aftersales offers. Each is designed to deliver maximum value for money and encompasses a wide variety of servicing, repairs and MOT-testing options, as well as Fiat-approved parts and accessories.
If your car requires a health check, an air conditioning service, replacement batteries, or any other kind of special attention, Fiat Eastbourne is here for you.
Click on the relevant links below to learn more about all the aftersales offers that we provide. If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to get in touch with us – we're open seven days a week.