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KDE e.V., the non-profit organization that supports the KDE community in legal and financial matters, has just published its report for the third quarter of 2010. The report highlights the history and current activities of KDE's Marketing Working Group and summarizes the results to date of KDE's individual supporting membership campaign 'Join the Game'. It also reviews the different contributor sprints and events that KDE members have attended in the last three months. These included the KDE Imaging Sprint that took place in Aix-en-Provence (France) in late August and Akademy 2010, KDE's yearly flagship conference that was held in Tampere, Finland, with much success in early July. The report ends by introducing the new KDE e.V. members and by presenting a brief system administration report and an overview of KDE e.V.'s finances.
Besides all its useful information, this report also features a brand new and beautiful design courtesy of KDE contributors Eugene Trounev and Rob Oakes. User-contributed artwork and images are also featured throughout, making this Quarterly Report a real celebration of community efforts. Check it out!
The Layout and the design of the pdf is very pretty, but the contents are rather boring. Why don't you spent this time to make a pdf magazine for every new KDE release? I think it would be very good for marketing. Every new KDE release makes me very happy because of it's rapid evolution, but if I was not following the .dot, The frustratingly minimalistic announcements makes it really difficult fore me to explore all the new and exiting stuff!
p.s. I love kde 4
I think it depends on the audience. There was a point in my life when I thought open source was uniquely (primarily) about the software. That is no longer true (or at least, not in the same way).
Now, I'm more interested in KDE and open source because of the community it represents. For that reason, the KDE e.V. publication resonates with me very well. I want to know what the people of KDE are doing rather than the evolution of the software.
With that said, I think that your idea of a PDF magazine (with exceptionally high production values) is very interesting. If properly tuned and targeted, it could be a powerful tool for showcasing KDE technology (which is awesome) and how it can transform people's lives for the better.
However, it's a huge undertaking to put together that kind of a publication. I would be happy to help with the design end of things, but to be successful, you would also need an editor. Maybe you could propose it to the KDE promotions working group? They might have the resources to put something together.
I think your point on the audience is a very important one.
I believe that there are people that follow the software and people that follow the community and lastly people that overlap both audiences. I think most users that follow the community would also fall into the software audience but I don't think the same is always true for the software audience.
I believe marketing, news and reports should take these differences in audience into account and try to keep to an audience per a article or report.
I enjoyed the little of this report that I have read so far, but this report is from my point of view definitely for a community audience and I believe written and present very well for that audience.
I think the release report/magazine nickkefi mentioned would fall mostly in the software audience category as it would mostly be promoting new features to current or potentially new users.
We would love to make a much more in depth reports of the new features - and sometimes we do. We'd like to do it again for the 4.6 releases, but need your help - see:
for more details
I was kind of fearing a "please help us" reply..
I did make o illuminated guide to kde in greek at 4.0 times when people was very confused about all these innovations. (I really loved these times... my desktop was so innovative, self-destructing and unstable! Like a true rock-star!)
Anyway, I have the following idea:
The developers may have a list of kde enthusiasts that are awful in maths (like me) and assign to them to write a pretty report and take some pretty screenshots of their new pretty awesome staff in their app. Then, the promo-team could take these articles, moderate them and put them in the paper. You could then name us "The kde reporters" and make us happy and motivated.
Yeah, you should know you can't post comments with ideas without someone like me asking you to help :-)
I think it is a good idea, however I wouldn't necessarily rely on the developers having time to ask you to do particular things (it could happen). However, you can go through the feature list as I linked to it and pick things to play with and write about, but maybe that's not quite what you mean.
Can you either mail kde-promo or me personally (firstname dot lastname at gmail dot com) to discuss? Thanks
A net result of > €50k for one quarter is not too shabby. Heck that's much better than some companies I know. :-)
for a very lively and colorful report. I enjoyed reading it! I like the addition of pictures from kde-look and from Akademy.
It shows how our community is lively and diverse.


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The beginning of February means possession of small amounts of so-called hard drugs is no longer a criminal act in Oregon.
Oregon voters overwhelmingly approved the decriminalization in November.
The new law only applies to possession and does not make it legal to sell, distribute or manufacture drugs.
The Drug Policy Alliance says all eyes are on Oregon as the new law shows a shift to a public health-centered approach to drugs, from a more punitive approach of imprisonment.
"It's not only that people are no longer going to be arrested and prosecuted for possessing drugs, but there's also going to be a huge increase in access to services," said Matt Sutton with the Drug Policy Alliance.
The new law makes possession a class E misdemeanor with no more than a $100 fine. It also establishes a drug treatment and recovery program.
That program will be funded by money saved by not arresting and prosecuting people for possession, and by some of the state's marijuana tax revenue.
The Drug Policy Alliance says other states such as California and Vermont are watching what happens in Oregon. But there are also plans to bring it up at the federal level.
"We've also introduced a federal framework for all drug decriminalization, and we do expect a bill to be introduced in the U.S. Congress within the first three months of this year," said Sutton.
The Drug Policy Alliance says the new law will also reduce the number of interactions with police.
A report by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission estimates the new law will result in a 95% decrease in racial disparities in drug arrests. The report states the impact could be even more significant due to disparities in police stops, jail bookings, bail and overall verdicts.

subset: commoncrawl


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A theoretical view of protein dynamics,
, Chem. Soc. Rev., Volume 43, p.5051-5066, (2014)
The dynamic view of proteins: comment on "Comparing proteins to their internal dynamics: exploring structure-function relationships beyond static structural alignments".,
, Phys Life Rev, 2013 Mar, Volume 10, p.29-30; discussion 39-40, (2013)
Coarse-grained representation of protein flexibility. Foundations, successes, and shortcomings.,
, Adv Protein Chem Struct Biol, 2011, Volume 85, p.183-215, (2011)
Recent advances in the study of nucleic acid flexibility by molecular dynamics.,
, Curr Opin Struct Biol, 2008 Apr, Volume 18, p.185-93, (2008)
Theoretical methods for the simulation of nucleic acids.,
, Chem Soc Rev, 2003 Nov, Volume 32, p.350-64, (2003)
Theoretical Methods for the Description of the Solvent Effect in Biomolecular Systems.,
, Chem Rev, 2000 Nov 8, Volume 100, p.4187-4226, (2000)


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A train arrived in Ukraine's second-largest city. Its cargo was the remains of hundreds of people. They were killed when a Malaysian passenger jet was shot down last week.
And the movement of the remains is considered a step forward. Until today pro-Russian separatists had prevented the train from leaving the area near the crash. Now the remains will be taken to the Netherlands for identification.
INSKEEP: European leaders must decide how far they want to go in pressing the resolution of the crisis. They've been reluctant to press Russia too hard. Now the mood is changing. Our coverage starts with NPR's Jackie Northam.
JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE: In the first hours and days after Malaysia Airline Flight MH17 crashed into rolling Ukrainian farmland, the reaction across much of Europe seemed to be shock. A commercial airline and the passengers on board caught up in a conflict many had hoped would be contained between Ukraine and Russia. But that initial grief has grown into widespread anger after pictures of the crash site showed separatists picking through the wreckage, collecting personal belongings of the victims, mishandling the dead and preventing investigators into the site. Heather Conley, director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says the separatists' abysmal handling of the situation has struck a chord in many Europeans.
HEATHER CONLEY: Europeans have been absolutely morally outraged at the lack of respect shown to the deceased from MH17. And honestly, the carelessness of treating those that perished in this tragedy - it has really focused European minds clearly and so you are seeing rhetorically a very new and different phase for Europe.
NORTHAM: The anger is focused as much on Russia as it is on the separatists it supports. The Obama Administration points the finger of blame at Moscow, saying it has extraordinary influence over the separatists. Here was President Obama yesterday.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Russia has urged them on. Russia has trained them. We know that Russia has armed them with military equipment and weapons including anti-aircraft weapons.
NORTHAM: European leaders have burned up the phone lines to Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to use his influence over the separatists to allow a full investigation of the crash site. Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands, which lost nearly 200 people in the crash, was initially reluctant to say who was responsible. But by the weekend, he was talking about tightening sanctions against Russia. British Prime Minister David Cameron said he spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande over the weekend about economic repercussions if Russia did not stop interfering in Ukraine.
PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON: It is time to make our power, influence and resources felt. Over the weekend I agreed with Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande that we should push our partners in the European Union to consider a new range of hard-hitting economic sections against Russia.
NORTHAM: Cameron said they should take the first step today during the EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels. Even though emotions are running high and the political will is there, Conley says EU members may be hesitant to impose tough sanctions on Russia. She says much of the Europe's economic recovery is still fragile and there's high unemployment. Conley says most European nations have strong economic ties to Russia and might be reluctant to impose sanctions deep enough to hurt Moscow. And she says Russia could retaliate.
CONLEY: Europe is very vulnerable. Should Russia decide to cut off gas supplies through Ukraine to Europe this coming winter, that would be an extraordinary consequence on Europe. So there is reluctance to provoke Putin into taking more difficult measures. But this is where leadership comes into play.
NORTHAM: Conley says at the same time, Russia is dependent on the European Union. It's its number one energy market and a prominent trading partner. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Washington. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Following a year of severely strained relations between the United States and Cuba, Cuban leader Fidel Castro openly declares that he is a Marxist-Leninist. The announcement sealed the bitter Cold War animosity between the two nations.
Castro came to power in 1959 after leading a successful revolution against the dictatorial regime of Fulgencio Batista. Almost from the start, the United States worried that Castro was too leftist in his politics. He implemented agrarian reform, expropriated foreign oil company holdings, and eventually seized all foreign-owned property in Cuba. He also established close diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, and the Russians were soon providing economic and military aid.
By January 1961, the United States had severed diplomatic relations with Cuba. In April, the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion took place, wherein hundreds of rebels, armed and trained by the United States, attempted a landing in Cuba with the intent of overthrowing the Castro government. The attack ended in a dismal military defeat for the rebels and an embarrassing diplomatic setback for the United States.
In December 1961, Castro made clear what most U.S. officials already believed. In a televised address on December 2, Castro declared, "I am a Marxist-Leninist and shall be one until the end of my life." He went on to state that, "Marxism or scientific socialism has become the revolutionary movement of the working class." He also noted that communism would be the dominant force in Cuban politics: "There cannot be three or four movements."
Some questioned Castro's dedication to the communist cause, believing that his announcement was simply a stunt to get more Soviet assistance. Castro, however, never deviated from his declared principles, and went on to become one of the world's longest-ruling heads of state. In late July 2006, an unwell Fidel Castro temporarily ceded power to his younger brother Raul. Fidel Castro officially stepped down in February 2008. Castro died on November 25, 2016, at 90.


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We are BURIED in snow with more on the way this weekend.
Wednesday's storm dumped quite a bit on us but not the 20-24" we were expecting. The hubby was home for the day so we had a fun family day playing in the snow. Well, Lola and I played mostly while hubby cleaned out our house and his parents place (they live up the street!) as well as roof raking.
Lola all bundled up and ready to go out! |
Lola with her "shovel" while we cleaned out wave one of snow |
The view from the SLEDCAM on our way to the in-laws |
I had my second PT session with Jared today and we are making great progress already. The patella tendons are already starting to loosen up and my quads are enjoying the stretching and rolling. He gave me some new exercises and some of these work on core and balance which I loved! Challenging stuff but I love a challenge. We also did more running and the changes we made with my form are making a huge difference. In one short week of running drills, he was pleased to say that I was running correctly and looking good!
While we are talking about running...I have been told to switch out shoes. The Kayano's are too heavy and I do not need motion control. Jared has suggested a lightweight performance stability shoe like the Saucaony Fastwitch and and New Balance 905. If you run in this kind of shoe, I would love to hear from you!
The bad news is-I just won a pair of Brooks Trance 10's from Leah at Chasing Atlanta this fall and they came last week. Jared looked at them today and said "no". Wrong shoe for my foot.
The K-Swiss shoes I won from Dailymile.com are also wrong for running but I will use these for weight training and cross training days.
Speaking of Dailymile.com, I was selected to apply to be on the Dailymile team! They select 300 people on the site and then you apply to get one of 30 positions. To apply you need to put together a video why you would be a great addition to the team. I have until Monday at midnight to submit my application.
Not that I want to sway any votes away from me but check out Mike's video submission--hilarious!!
Click HERE
I will certainly be posting when the voting is up-your support would be appreciated :)
I hope you have been paying attention lately. I am doing an exciting giveaway this weekend!! Make sure you check in for your chance to get in on some cool stuff.
Also, there is another really cool giveaway at 26.2 is My Cooldown . He is doing a Tanita BC-1000 scale giveaway. I thought this was supercool considering I am on a quest to lower my body fat %!! I just had to share this with you!


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The Trump administration is discontinuing a signature girls education initiative championed by former first lady Michelle Obama, according to officials.
The "Let Girls Learn" program, which she and President Barack Obama started in 2015 to facilitate educational opportunities for adolescent girls in developing countries, will cease operation immediately, according to an internal document obtained by CNN.
While aspects of the initiative's programming will continue, employees have been told to stop using the "Let Girls Learn" name and were told that, as a program unto itself, "Let Girls Learn" was ending.
"Moving forward, we will not continue to use the 'Let Girls Learn' brand or maintain a stand-alone program," read an email sent to Peace Corps employees this week by the agency's acting director Sheila Crowley.
" 'Let Girls Learn' provided a platform to showcase Peace Corps' strength in community development, shining a bright light on the work of our Volunteers all over the world," Crowley wrote. "We are so proud of what 'Let Girls Learn' accomplished and we have all of you to thank for this success."
Hours after CNN reported on an internal document advising administration employees that the education initiative would not be maintained, the White House said the program had not changed.
"There have been no changes to the program," said Kelly Love, a White House spokeswoman, referring to the "Let Girls Learn" initiative, which Obama launched in 2015.
The White House originally referred questions about the program to representatives of first lady Melania Trump, who declined to comment.
In its comment, the White House did not say whether "Let Girls Learn" would be maintained in the future as a standalone program -- and they also did not directly address the memo or why it had been sent.
The memo came the same day President Donald Trump's agriculture secretary, Sonny Perdue, was visiting an elementary school in suburban Virginia to announce changes to another initiative spotlighted by the former first lady, healthy school lunches.
Perdue was set to unveil a rule change "providing regulatory flexibility for the National School Lunch Program" during a visit to Catoctin Elementary School in Leesburg. Like "Let Girls Learn," improving the nutritional quality of school meals was a major focus of Obama's during her tenure as first lady.
It wasn't immediately clear how Perdue's announcement would alter the nutritional makeup of school lunches nationwide, though health advocacy groups warned that backtracking could prove dangerous for children.
"Rather than altering the current path forward, we hope the agency focuses more on providing technical assistance that can help schools get across the finish line, if they haven't done so already," said American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown.
"Let Girls Learn" was an inter-governmental initiative run primarily at the Peace Corps and the United States Agency for International Development. A spokesman for the Peace Corps said Monday the agency would continue its efforts toward girls' education.
"The Peace Corps continues to prioritize girls' education and empowerment programming," the spokesman said. "Girls' education and empowerment has been a hallmark of our work over the past 56 years and we look forward to continuing those efforts with our interagency partners. We remain dedicated to the passionate work of our volunteers and staff to empower and educate girls in their communities."
Tina Tchen, who served as Obama's chief of staff during her time in the White House, said the end of "Let Girls Learn" was a disappointment given a global recognition that educating young women could help improve conditions across developing nations.
"We felt it was important to have a branded campaign that drew attention to those issues, and we found that when we did it, we had extraordinary support," Tchen said. "I think it's unfortunate to not continue with the branded campaign. We think that this is an issue that has bipartisan support, it's really not a Republican or Democratic issue."
Tchen said the benefits of the program, which drew upon private sector support as well as government dollars, outweighed the costs. She noted that a development program launched by President George W. Bush to combat global HIV/AIDS, PEPFAR, had been maintained and expanded by the Obama administration.
" 'Let Girls Learn' had several years of funding already baked," she said. "We were hopeful that given that, it could continue. But obviously elections have consequences, and nobody knows that better than we."
After launching the initiative in 2015, Michelle Obama heavily promoted "Let Girls Learn," including during travel abroad and at events held in Washington. CNN Films produced a documentary highlighting some of the girls participating in "Let Girls Learn" programs in Morocco and Liberia during the then-first lady's trip there.
Obama also harnessed her popularity on social media to promote "Let Girls Learn," and enlisted celebrities like Frida Pinto and Meryl Streep to help highlight the struggle girls in many developing countries face in regularly attending school.
In October of last year, the Obama administration attempted to reinforce "Let Girls Learn" ahead of a new administration. The White House announced $5 million in private sector commitments toward the programs administered under the "Let Girls Learn" banner, bringing the total financial pledges to more than $1 billion for programs in 50 countries.
The hope then was to underscore the success of the initiative in the hopes the next administration would continue it.
The memo comes as Melania Trump begins to define her own platform as first lady. While she hasn't formally announced an official platform, women's empowerment and access to education for women and girls is emerging as a key area of importance for her growing East Wing.
"I continue to firmly believe that education is the most powerful way to promote and ensure women's rights. Together we will do this not only by striving for gender parity at all levels of education, but also by showing all children, and especially boys, that it is through empathy, respect and kindness that we achieve our collective potential," she said in a recent speech at the State Department.
First daughter Ivanka Trump who serves as an adviser to the President, is focused on women's empowerment and entrepreneurship, topics she's touted on panels and in speeches.
She is a self-described "Entrepreneur & advocate for the education & empowerment of women & girls," according to her Twitter biography.
In promoting the importance of girls education, Obama regularly highlighted her own educational path, and said it was critical to her success in the private sector and later as first lady.
"Education is a very personal thing for me," she said in October during a discussion at the Newseum with a group of girls from across the globe. "As I tell girls whenever I meet them, I wouldn't be here, sitting here not just in this chair but in the life that I have, if it weren't for my education."
Tchen said Monday that the former first lady was still assessing how to promote this issue in her new life as a private citizen.
"This is an issue she cares passionately about," Tchen said. "I think it's still early days for what she will do in her post-White House life. But this is one she's looking at figuring out where can she be value added, where can she help with this issue."
CNN's Betsy Klein contributed to this report.


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+66 (0) 2 712 7509
RMA partners with leading brands to distribute a wide range of agricultural and industrial equipment and products. We support farming, road building, construction and public utility projects as well as telecommunications, power generation, warehousing and distribution centers.
Lyn, born in Malaysia, educated in Canada, and currently based in Thailand, boasts an illustrious career spanning nearly three decades with a top global bank, with her last posting being the President & CEO of Thailand and Greater Mekong, covering Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.
In late 2020, in addition to being an advisor to several family owned businesses, she pursued her entrepreneurial passion, aiming to make a difference in financially underserved communities. Having resided in six global cities, Lyn's banking career expanded across ten countries in both North America and Asia. In 2012, Bloomberg recognized her as the International CEO of the Year in Thailand for leading a prominent financial institution and her roles as the Global Ambassador for Living with HIV and a member of the Global Diversity & Inclusion council.
Driven by a strong belief in doing more for the underserved segment, where up to two-thirds lack formal financial system access and face unscrupulous lending practices, Lyn embarked on establishing Mula-X, a fintech in Thailand. Mula-X
focuses on providing access to financial services to its low-income salaried user base through its platform and two owned and managed products: earned wage access and salary to wallet. Lyn, a staunch advocate of lifelong learning and
knowledge as a catalyst for financial freedom, operates Mula-X financial services platform alongside a comprehensive learning portal focused on financial literacy, wellness, self-improvement, and parenting knowledge.
RMA is committed to conducting business in a lawful and responsible manner subject to our values of integrity. Each employee is expected to perform their responsibilities with uncompromising honesty, integrity and in accordance with those laws regulations and the Group's policies and procedures stated in the Group's Code of Conduct and Compliance Manual.
In addition to better understanding and adhering to the policies, procedures and values, all employees must participate in a mandatory Code of Conduct and Compliance e-Training. Employees without Group email access are trained offline.
In order to fulfill the commitment, a Group Compliance Office was established and is available to all employees customers and suppliers via email, post and telephone. A dedicated Group Compliance Manager is responsible for the implementation of the Compliance Program as well as monitoring and managing any compliance issues and internal compliance controls.
In addition, a Speak Up culture is encouraged. When employees, customers or suppliers become aware of any situation that violates or appears to violate laws, regulations, or Group policies, they are encouraged to discuss such matters with the Supervisor and Group Compliance Manager. In a country where anonymous reporting is allowed, reporting via the Group's Whistleblower Hotline is also available. The Group will not tolerate retaliation to any individual for raising a concern or making a report in good faith. For more compliance-related issues or concerns, the Compliance Office can be reached via the following contact details:
RMA Group Compliance Office
150 TPlace Building, 15 Fl., Soi Sukhumvit 55 (Thonglor), Sukhumvit Road, Klongton Nue, Watthana, Bangkok 10110 Thailand | |
firstname.lastname@example.com | |
+66 (2) 762 8585 |
Alan Caugant is the Managing Director Global Modifications. He has responsibility for RMA Group's modification businesses in Thailand, Dubai, South Africa, Cambodia, Myanmar and Minecorp, in Australia.
Alan is an experienced global automotive leader. He has worked for Volvo Group from 2004-2017, holding increasingly senior roles in China, South Africa, Panama, Argentina, Brazil and Indonesia. More recently, Alan worked with Nissan-Renault until 2021, where he held the position of Senior Vice President with responsibility for ASEAN.
During Covid, he was running his own consulting business in his home country France.
As Global Technical Director of RMA Group, Peter Lawson is responsible for Global Technical Operations and overall profit and loss performance of RMA Automotive in Thailand, South Africa, Turkey and Minecorp Australia. Peter began working with RMA in 2014 as Country General Manager of South Africa. He brings with him 37 years of experience in the automotive industry, having run several large plants and as Vice President of Manufacturing and Operations for Ford Motor Company. He has developed extensive knowledge in manufacturing engineering, production, program launch and manufacturing business. Peter also has in-depth experience in lean manufacturing from his time as global Director of Ford Motor Company's Lean Manufacturing System (Ford Production System). He has a proven track record of delivering transformational change, leading to major quality and cost improvement.
Kevin Whitcraft is the Chief Executive Officer of RMA Group, the company he founded in Thailand with his father and brother over thirty-five years ago. Today RMA Group operates in 14 countries across multiple industries, employing over 8,500 people globally.
In the early 1990s RMA set up the first commercial shipping service between Thailand and Cambodia and formed RMA Cambodia which has become the largest vehicle and equipment distribution, sales and service operator in the country. RMA Group expanded rapidly across Southeast Asia partnering with multinational brands across multiple industries, including automotive, infrastructure, financial services, engineering and food services. Currently operations are located in Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Singapore, UAE, Turkey, South Africa, Australia and the US.
Kevin has been instrumental in the expansion of the business and he is an influential figure in the industrial, equipment, and distribution sectors in Southeast Asia.
Prior to founding RMA Group, Kevin was the Regional Sales Manager for Rochester Midland Corporation. He is a graduate of both the American University in Washington and Harvard Business School. Kevin is an avid sailor and is the President of the Phuket King's Cup Regatta Organizing Committee.
Chris Manley has been appointed as CEO of Ford Global Fleet Sales in 2023. He is an experienced operations manager with a demonstrated history of delivering exceptional value to shareholders, partners and customers while also leading the relationship management with RMA's OE manufacturing partners notably Ford, JLR, Mahindra and John Deere.
Chris has been RMA Group's Chief Operating Officer since 2018 overseeing Automotive Purchasing and Trading, RMA Myanmar, RMA Indonesia, and RMA Group Power. Prior to this appointment, Chris was the Country Manager for RMA Myanmar and Managing Director of Capital Automotive – retail distributors for Ford, JLR and John Deere. Chris joined RMA Group in 2009 as Head of Business Development based in Bangkok and became Country Manager for RMA Lao in 2011, the position he held until moving to RMA Myanmar in 2015.
Chris founded the Committee for the American Chamber of Commerce in Laos and is currently a board member of the American Chamber of Commerce Myanmar. Prior to joining RMA, he worked in various operational and management roles for Accenture, Johnson & Johnson and DFDL. Chris completed his Engineering undergraduate degree at North Carolina State University and his MBA and a Juris Doctor at the University of North Carolina.
Brendan Londt is a qualified Mechanical Engineering and is also completing an Executive MBA through Henley Business School. Brendan has extensive experience in Sales, Manufacturing and General Management within the automotive industry which he has attained through his experience in different companies like Ford, Barloworld Agriculture, Toyota Forklift & 600SA Holdings.
Max Talcott manages governmental and commercial relations with the aim of maximizing the benefits to all RMA businesses in Myanmar, in addition to leveraging synergies between the various RMA businesses. Max has been based in Myanmar since 2012, holding the positions of Director and Managing Director for Four Rivers and Bower Group Asia, whilst also serving as a Vice-President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Yangon, Myanmar. In his current role, he bears on the ground responsibilities for RMA Myanmar's Finance, IT and Human Resources departments and also directly oversees AVIS.
Max holds a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University, and currently resides in Yangon. Max is also a lover of scuba diving.
Burak Demirtas joined RMA Group in 2011, bringing with him invaluable experience in the construction materials industry. He holds an MBA in Finance & Accounting from Yeditepe University, Istanbul, and an MSc in International Management from the University of Sussex. In 2012 Burak was appointed Country Manager RMA Otomotiv in Turkey and in 2016 he also became Country Manager for RMA Kazakhstan. In June 2018, he relocated to Myanmar as Managing Director for Capital Automotive overseeing the Ford, JLR and John Deere divisions. Burak currently is the CEO of RMAltinay, RMA's fast expanding automotive modification business in Turkey.
Executive Director Clipper Board Holdings Limited
Kevin Whitcraft is an influential figure in the automotive, equipment, and distribution sectors in Southeast Asia. In the early 1990's he expanded RMA Group beyond Thailand and established RMA Cambodia which grew to become the largest automotive, agricultural and industrial equipment distribution, sales and service business in the country.
Under Kevin's leadership RMA's vehicle modification and parts distribution and fleet operations grew rapidly in the 2000's. RMA established itself as a top ten supplier to the US Army's TACOM, delivering over 43,000 modified vehicles to the Afghan National Security Forces.
Kevin took RMA's manufacturing facilities beyond Thailand to Turkey, Indonesia, Myanmar, South Africa, Australia and Dubai. To date RMA has delivered over 300,000 vehicles globally, including the fulfilment of long-term contracts with the United Nations, NGO's and Governments.
Ford Global Fleet Sales headquartered in the US, cemented itself as Ford's Global Export Distributor. It has access to nearly Ford's entire product line and access to over 100 markets.
Kevin has been instrumental in expanding the business to include engineering operations (Comin Asia), heavy and agricultural equipment distribution, food franchising of well known international food brands and food delivery (Express Food Group), and financial services (Bank South Pacific and DEVCO).
Kevin is a graduate of the American University in Washington and Harvard Business School.
Christian Wiedmann joined RMA Group as Senior Vice President RMA Group and Managing Director Automotive in 2023. He supports the overall management of the Group and consolidates all automotive related activities (outside of Cambodia) under one leadership.
Christian Wiedmann is an automotive and finance professional who started his career with AIG Private Banking and PwC in Switzerland, before joining the BMW Group in Germany in 2001. At BMW Group, he served various senior management functions within the Corporate, Financial Services and BMW Automotive Divisions, largely as COO, CFO and CEO of BMW legal entities in many regions across the globe, including Germany, Japan, Austria, Greece, South Korea, Australia and Thailand.
Christian is an MBA graduate from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
Ngorn Saing has been CEO of RMA Cambodia since December, 2014. Saing joined RMA Cambodia as an intern in 1996 and progressed rapidly through the organization thereafter, holding senior positions in accounting and finance. Saing was appointed Deputy Country Manager and CFO of RMA Cambodia in 2007. Saing has helped grow the business and supported its diversification from a primarily Automotive and Power Generation business, into serving the needs of customers in Cambodia. Saing is a graduate of the Royal University of Law and Economics in Phnom Penh, with a degree in Economics and an MBA in International Business, from the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. He was also the first Cambodian national to attend the Harvard Business School General Management Program.
Trevor Negus is the General Manager of RMA Automotive Holdings, Australia. Trevor joined RMA Group in January 2022 and has been instrumental in setting up the new business based in Melbourne. Trevor has had an impressive career with Ford Motor Company based in Australia, Southampton (UK), Nanjing (China) and Thailand, where he led the establishment of the Ford Thailand Manufacturing Plant and was appointed President of Auto Alliance Thailand (AAT). Most recently, Trevor has been working with MaxiTRANS Industries, a producer of vehicle trailers, as as Group General Manager Manufacturing, based in Victoria.
Ivan Keogh is the CEO for Comin Asia since 2022. Ivan is an Irish national and holds a BE (Civil) from University College Dublin. Spending the last 24 years in Asia and the Middle East, Ivan most recently worked for one of the world's leading engineering, design, and architecture consultancies, Ove Arup & Partners, based in Vietnam, heading its infrastructure practice for East Asia.
Before Ove Arup, he was Executive Director with Arcadis Asia, SVP & Managing Director for Asia Operations for Louis Berger, Regional Manager, India & Bhutan for SMEC International, and held several roles at Royal Haskoning (including a period in Cambodia).
Ivan is based in Cambodia at the Comin Asia Head Office in Phnom Penh.
Chris Cracknell was elected as a non-executive director of Clipper Holdings Limited in 2018 and subsequently Chair of the audit committee and a member of the remuneration committee.
Throughout his 44 year plus career, Chris has been pioneering successful new businesses globally within the B2B services field. He is currently Chair of Grant Thornton Thailand and Chair of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand. He also has his own consultancy company advising international businesses such as Mentisglobal and the Absotherm Group.
Chris joined Clipper Holdings Limited from OCS Group Limited where he was CEO for 19 years. In 2015 OCS was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade in recognition of its strong overseas performance under his leadership.
Michael Unsworth currently holds a number of executive positions including Director of Clipper Holdings, dwp Cityspace, and Adria Azija d.o.o. He has held instrumental roles in the research field and possesses high expertise of the Asia Pacific market. Michael was the Chief Executive Officer of Merrill Lynch Phatra Securities, the largest investment bank in Thailand, from 1998 until the end of 2000. Prior to that, he was monumental in growing Merrill Lynch's presence in the region as the Regional Head of Research of Merrill Lynch Asia Pacific.
Before relocating to the Asia Pacific market, Michael held managing positions in Europe where he worked as the Managing Director of European Investment banking in 1994. In 1988, Michael was appointed Head of the UK Research Department, helping grow the department's reputation as one of UK's best. As a graduate of St. John's College, Southsea and Middlesex University, Michael gained invaluable insights in the field of research and energy when he was made a partner of Scott Goff Hancock & Co. in 1981, when the company became an official member of the London Stock Exchange.
Hogi Patrick Hyun is the founder and director of Abacus Capital Group, an Asian fund management group he established in 1995. Under Hogi's leadership, the company expanded into Singapore, Jakarta and Bangkok operating across three divisions: investments, asset management and advisory. He helped Abacus Capital Group advance towards managing strategic investment portfolios for corporate investors and business families in 2000, and the company started its lifestyle investment portfolios in 2003.
Prior to founding Abacus Capital Group, Hogi held leading roles with Bankers Trust Company (now Deutsche Bank) for over seven years. He began as an associate and was soon appointed as the company's Vice President of Equity Derivatives Group in London in 1989. Hogi continued to lead in executive roles with Bankers Trust Company, moving from London to Hong Kong and later Singapore. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Yale University in 1985.
Peter is a global automotive business leader with thirty years of diverse experience gained with the Ford Motor Company in both developed and emerging international markets. After retiring from Ford in 2019, he is currently engaged in a portfolio of non-executive and advisory roles.
Peter joined the Clipper Board in 2020 and now also advises our CEO on automotive business development opportunities.
Rising to be a group vice president, one of the most senior executives at Ford, Peter was the "go to†leader to attack some of the most complex business problems around the world.
Based for twelve years overseas from his native United Kingdom (in Germany, Thailand and China), Peter most recently served in Shanghai as President of Ford Asia Pacific with full P&L responsibility for all of Ford's businesses and partnerships across Greater China (including Lincoln Motor Company), India, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Peter is a passionate advocate of former Ford CEO Alan Mullaly's successful "working together†principles, practices and management system.
Peter also serves as chairman of the Retail Automotive Alliance Ltd (UK), chairman of Advanced Electric Machines Ltd (UK), external advisor to Bain & Company and non-executive director and advisor to the CEO at Winner Imports Ukraine Ltd.
Thomas Whitcraft holds multiple directorships at RMA Group, and is one of the original founders of RM Asia (H.K.) Limited in 1985. He was born in Bangkok in 1962, and is a graduate of the International School of Bangkok (1980). He holds a BA Business Administration from Southampton College, University of Long Island, New York.
Thomas held the position of Treasurer of the Indochina Media Memorial Fund (IMMF) from 2001-2003. An enthusiastic sailor, Thomas is Vice Commodore of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club and a Member of Rotary Club of Bangkok South.
Steve Golsby, recognized by the Thai Prime Minister in 2011 for his contributions to the country's industrial and economic development, has been influential in the growth and success of a number of multinational companies, with a focus on the Asian region. As a current Honorary Investment Advisor to the Thailand Board of Investment and an Advisor to the Thai Union Group of Companies, Steve also serves as a Director of Beam Inc (NYSE) in America and of Masan Consumer, a leading food company in Vietnam.
In 2004, Steve served as President of Mead Johnson Nutrition, a global leader in nutritional products with a US$16 billion approximate market value. He later held the position of Chief Executive Officer in 2008, during which he monumentally transformed the company from a US-focused healthcare business to a high-performance global consumer products business. He retired as CEO in April 2013 and remains a member of the Board of Directors. Steve holds a business degree from the University of Strathclyde.
Harjeet is the CFO of RMA Group and provides comprehensive support to the Group's multitude of diverse companies and business units. Harjeet has extensive multinational business experience ranging from technical accounting to investor relations, mergers & acquisitions and strategy, through to business start-up, performance turn-around and joint venture management. He spent two decades of his career in various roles with Tesco Group, in the UK, India, Hong Kong, Japan and Thailand. Most recently Harjeet was CFO at OCS Group based in Bangkok before joining RMA Group in 2020.
Hisham heads up the Dubai Modification Center, RMA Automotive's newest manufacturing and distribution facility in Dubai's Jebel Ali Free Zone. Hisham, a Turkish national, has worked his entire professional career in the UAE and has a wealth of vehicle manufacturing experience. Prior to joining RMA, Hisham spent over 14 years with a group of companies that are market leaders in fire protection, health & safety and security systems as well as fire-fighting equipment. During this time he was responsible for sales and marketing, design, production, supply chain, quality, after-sales and customer service. Hisham has exceptional and long standing relations with numerous global automotive OEMs.
Hisham completed his MBA through Cardiff Metropolitan University in 2019.
Tom Whitcraft holds multiple directorships at RMA Group, and is one of the original founders of RM Asia (H.K.) Limited in 1985. He was born in Bangkok in 1962, and is a graduate of the International School of Bangkok (1980). He holds a BA Business Administration from Southampton College, University of Long Island, New York.
Tom held the position of Treasurer of the Indochina Media Memorial Fund (IMMF) from 2001-2003. An enthusiastic sailor, Tom is Vice Commodore of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club and a Member of Rotary Club of Bangkok South.
Sam oversees RMA Group's Finance and IT functions.
Prior to joining RMA Group, he held various positions in Singapore as Group Chief Financial Officer of the Interflour Group (a leading Southeast Asian food ingredients manufacturer), Executive Director and Head of Global Diversified Industries for ANZ Bank, and Director, Commodity Traders & Agribusiness at Standard Chartered Bank.
Before relocating to Asia in 2006, he worked in the oilfield services sector with Schlumberger Ltd where he held various senior finance positions across Europe, the United States and Africa.
Sam holds a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD where he was awarded the Henry Ford Prize in 2006. In his spare time he enjoys scuba diving (as a qualified PADI dive instructor), motorcycling, and keeping abreast of the latest technology innovations.
Angus joined Minecorp as Research & Development Manager in 2011, following an extensive eleven year career in product development, engineering, manufacturing and management in the automotive industry. He took on the role of Operations Manager after RMA Group's acquisition of Minecorp in 2013, and has been General Manager since 2015. Angus has been instrumental in the growth and diversification of the business ever since.
Martin joined RMA Group in 2019 as Managing Director of EFG Holdings. He is responsible for the EFG business in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, plus Palms Airport F&B Singapore. Martin, a UK National, is an accomplished global leader with a wealth of experience in the hospitality and retail industry. His extensive career in leadership positions with industry giants such as Starbucks Coffee, Marks and Spencer, Whitbread and Vodafone, has taken him across the globe. Prior to joining RMA Group, Martin was the CEO of Niso Corporation, Vietnam and Celebrity Fitness, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
Carol Grakul is a Sales and Marketing professional with an accomplished career spanning over 30 years, and has a track record for delivering and sustaining results in the highly competitive auto industry. She has been with RMA Group heading up Ford Global Fleet Sales based in Michigan, US for over a decade. Her career at Ford Motor Company has been in various divisions and positions, such as Southeast Asia District Manager for Worldwide Direct Markets, Fleet Marketing Manager for Export Operations, and Fleet Sales Representative at Ford Division.
JB is the Vice President of Airport Businesses in Cambodia, Singapore and Myanmar, and is responsible for leading Express Food Group's new brand development. JB joined RMA Group in 2003 as Country Manager Cambodia. During that time he was appointed president of the French-Cambodian Chamber of Commerce and Foreign Trade Advisor to the French Embassy. He subsequently went on to lead new operations in Vietnam for RMA before relocating to Bangkok to head the Hospitality Division. JB was educated in French business and management at EDC Paris Business School, under the patronage of HEC Entrepreneurs; he speaks French, English, German, Cambodian and Thai. JB is a certified coach and part of his portfolio is supporting and coaching members of the leadership team across RMA Group.
Joining RMA Group in August 2013, Stuart Daniels brought with him a wealth of expertize in Human Resources and applied it to his business objectives. He spent the majority of his career prior to RMA with Ford Motor Company and has undertaken assignments and postings in the US, UK, Germany, China, India and Southeast Asia. Originally from the UK, Stuart is a graduate of the University of Swansea, UK and the H.R. Institute of Personnel and Development Management at The University of Glamorgan.
Simon Hirst was appointed Country Manager Laos in October 2016. Simon brings a wealth of RMA and external experience to the role. He joined RMA in July 2010 after an extensive career in the Oil and Gas business. A UK national, Simon has worked extensively overseas in the UK, Thailand, US, Denmark and Korea. Simon graduated from Reading University, UK with a BA (Hons) in History & International Relations.
Since joining RMA Group in 2019 Pinaki has led the launch of Mahindra brand in Indonesia and the Ford fleet sales business while continuing to manage the existing automotive services business. Pinaki has over three decades of experience that includes a stint of fifteen years with General Motors and was based in India, Thailand and China. Prior to joining RMA Group he was the Regional General Manager for Minor International for South Asia and the Indian Ocean.
Michael Freeman joined Comin Asia in July 2016 as Regional Business Development Division Manager before assuming the role of Vice President – Contracting based in Cambodia. He brings with him over ten years' of cross-sector work experience gained in the Middle East in executive roles in the construction sector. In his current role, Michael maintains full responsibility for overall Comin Asia contracting operations across its regional operations in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
BSP commences operations as BSP Finance Cambodia in a joint venture with RMA Financial Services.
RMA Cambodia appointed authorized distributor for Hako.
EFG Cambodia opens five outlets in the new AEON Mall Sen Sok City, Phnom Penh.
RMA host multiple humanitarian agencies at the first Driver Recognition Program Finals 2018 in Southeast Asia.
Lao Land Rover receives APIO Retailer of the Year Award.
EFG Recognized with Three Distinguished Awards from Minor Food Group.
RMA Group in conjunction with Capital Automotive opened the first Ford Assembly Plant in Yangon, Myanmar. Capital Manufacturing Limited produces the Ford Ranger and Ford Everest exclusively for the Myanmar market.
EFG launches Bar B Q Plaza franchise in Cambodia with the first restaurant opening in Aeon Mall, Phnom Penh.
RMA is appointed as Authorized Ford Distributor for Service and Genuine Parts in Indonesia and sets up a network of service centers to provide services, parts, emergency roadside assistance and full warranty repair for Ford vehicles.
RMA delivers the first orders of the Rantis Armored Assault Vehicle to the Indonesian Mobile Brigade Corps.
RMA launches its new vision to be the partner of choice for leading automotive, equipment, services and food brands in Southeast Asia and beyond.
Krispy Kreme becomes the latest addition to the Hospitality Division.
JLG is added to the Infrastructure Division.
RMA reaffirms its expertise in modifications by being appointed as an Approved Converter for Nissan.
RMA Kenya achieves Superbrand status, a prestigious accreditation awarded by the world's largest independent arbiter of branding.
RMA City Motors opens its flagship Ford and Jaguar Land Rover dealerships on Rama 4 Road, Bangkok.
RMA Group celebrates its 30th anniversary on 17th December.
RMA acquires Minecorp of Australia, one of the world's leaders in fleet vehicle modification.
RMA purchases Urban Solutions, offering a full array of urban development and revitalization services in housing and urban infrastructure.
EFG adds Foreign Correspondents' Club of Cambodia to its portfolio, well-known hotels and restaurants in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
The Automotive Division adds Avis car rental to its portfolio in Cambodia and Laos.
RMA Kenya is established and becomes the sole distributor for Jaguar Land Rover in Kenya.
RMA City Motors opens an all-new 3S Ford dealership and service center in Bangkok.
 Manufacturing operations expand to Turkey with the formation of a modification center in Istanbul.
RMA acquires the Comin Group of Companies in Southeast Asia and adds Engineering Services and Facilities Management to its operations.
Afghan National Security Forces receive their 30,000th vehicle from RMA since the contract was first awarded by the US Army in 2004.
Himoinsa is added to Infrastructure Division.
Guava International expands to cover all Sub-Saharan markets in Africa.
A representative office also opens in China.
RMA is appointed as the only Approved Vehicle Modifier (AVM) in the commercial sector.
More popular food brands join EFG with the addition of Dairy Queen and BBQ Chicken.
The Infrastructure Division expands with the addition of John Deere, TCM and Mitsubishi Fuso.
RMA wins the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (UNDPKO) and the Afghanistan Technical Equipment Maintenance Program (ATEMP) contracts.
RMA achieves ISO 9001 certification, a testament to the quality management systems in place.
Manufacturing and, most notably, mine site vehicle capacity expands with a new modification facility in Indonesia (GFSI).
RMA opens a representative office in Turkey to manage contracts for Ford.
RMA purchases Guava International to manage the Jaguar Land Rover dealership network, covering 28 markets worldwide.
RMA's production capacity increases with the addition of a new manufacturing facility in South Africa. More brands join the Automotive and Infrastructure Divisions including General Motors, Mazda, Tata and JCB.
EFG adds Swensen's to its portolio.
RMA launches the Hospitality division with the formation of Express Food Group in Cambodia.
Ford certifies RMA as a global distributor to the Aid & Development sector in recognition of its expertise in automotive distribution.
RMAA is awarded the US Army TACOM contract for the supply of modified Ford vehicles to the Afghan National Security Forces. The total order will see more than 40,000 modified vehicles delivered to Afghanistan.
With partner brands John Deere, JCB and JLG, RMA can facilitate solutions in construction, road building, maintenance and commercial enterprises. Issues can be resolved within utilities, agriculture, mining, construction, telecommunication, exploration, oil & gas, rail & airport maintenance.
RMA places a high value on the long-term strategic relationships with its global brands. Ford, Mazda, Toyota, Fuso, Chevrolet, John Deere, JCB, Himoinsa, Kohler and SDMO stand as examples of that value and shared belief in quality. The same holds true with the value placed on partnerships built with governments, NGOs and the UN, and clients from the Mining, and Oil & Gas Sectors. RMA enters a client relationship with an eye on a long-term association. This level of partnership drives RMA logistics professionals to work side-by-side with clients to create the most cost-efficient routes and ensure a flawless delivery, to even the most remote location.
RMA's 90,000m2Â automotive center in Laem Chabang, Thailand, excels in engineering, design, assembly and distribution, and is strategically located for fast response to urgent needs in challenging markets.
Maintenance is at the core of RMA's quality program services, maximizing the lifecycles of vehicles, heavy equipment and power generators. An RMA Services Contract offers complete start-to-finish servicing.
RMA has a global network of efficient people and processes that truly differentiate it from others. RMA standards of quality ensure that Aid & Development, Government, NGO, Commercial and Peacekeeping Mission fleets in post-conflict markets operate at maximum efficiency.
RMA provides its clients with the world's best brands of vehicles and modified vehicles that are purpose-built and field-ready for the most difficult locations.
RMA's inventory of heavy equipment and power generators presents customers with a selection of global brands famed for their high standards of quality and value – John Deere, JCB, Himoinsa, SDMO and Kohler.
RMA has ISO 9001:2008 and 9001:2015 certification and also meets the rigorous standards of Bureau Veritas. It also complies with the stringent quality guidelines of Ford Motor Company and has become the only participant in its Qualified Vehicle Modifier (QVM) program in Southeast Asia. This recognition ensures that each modified vehicle has been designed, built and tested to meet the highest levels of reliability, endurance and utility. RMA has received certification as an original OEM parts and service supplier for many of the world's leading brands of trucks, heavy equipment and power generators.
Comin Asia along with its partner, OCS International, provide the most comprehensive Total Facility Management solutions available. TFM encompasses everything needed to provide services for living and working environments. Comin Asia teams aggregate a range of specialized services into a single service package, to ensure a facility is maintained and improved in a sustainable, environmentally stable manner. These services include overall environmental services of pest management, cleaning, hygiene, and gardening.
RMA and its subsidiary, Comin Asia, design, supply, install and maintain systems and subsystems in public and private infrastructure projects. Comin Asia enjoys a superior reputation recognized by the most demanding local and international project developers, property owners and utilities in these core construction engineering sectors in Energy & Electricity, HVAC, Air-Conditioning and Ventilation systems and Water & Fluids management. Comin teams expertly design, procure, install, test and commission all M&E equipment and ultimately recommend customized energy management programs that maximize a facility's energy efficiency. As a solutions integrator, RMA brand procurement strategies are aimed at providing the best quality equipment at the best possible price.
RMA has earned a reputation as the fleet manager's provider-of-choice for purpose-built vehicles and fleets. High quality standards have earned RMA accreditation as the only Qualified Vehicle Modifier (QVM) for Ford Motor Company in Southeast Asia. In order to be responsive to customers' emergency requirements, RMA maintains an ex-stock inventory of non-modified vehicles ready for shipment anywhere in the world within 48 hours, and has $16 million of parts and accessories in stock for quick turnaround.
Mark Tennant is a UK national who graduated with a BA (Hons) from Trinity College, Oxford. After a nine year career at Bentley Motors, working in both Singapore and the UK, holding positions such as Managing Director Asia Pacific, Director of Product Strategy, and Marketing Director, Mark joined RMA Group in February 2009 as Vice President of Automotive Sales & Marketing. In September 2013, Mark became CEO of Guava International, and is currently focused on general business development in RMA's automotive sectors.
Fawad Ahmadi joined RMA Group in 2009 as Business Executive Director for CIS Countries following 15 years of experience on diplomatic missions and with international organizations. He was appointed General Director for RMA Group Kazakhstan and Caspian Motors Kazakhstan, where he launched the JLR and Ford businesses in the country. He is currently Country Manager for RMA Group Afghanistan and RMA (Middle-East).
Sanpong Chuenroi has been with RMA since July 2001 and has in-depth knowledge of the Thai automobile dealership business from his 15 years of working in the industry. His expertise includes vehicle financing, insurance solutions, sales, parts business, body workshop and after-sales services. A Thai national, Sanpong holds an MSc from George Washington University and a Ph.D. in Economics from The National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok.
Arnaud Bigare was appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer for the Comin Group, in July 2016. He also continues to serve in the capacity of Chief Financial Officer to Comin Khmere and Comin Asia. Arnaud has a Masters degree in Finance & Business Administration and over 15 years' experience in Finance and General Management. He worked with ATOS and Air France Group prior to joining Comin Asia in 2013.
As Country Manager South Africa, Willem Oliver oversees new business development, budgeting, overall profit and loss performance, customer relationship management, and manufacturing. He joined RMA in 2014 after 25 years of working in the automotive industry as a Tier 1 supplier to various OEMs in South Africa.
Australian national Brennan Coleman joined RMA in April 2014 as General Counsel. Graduating with distinction from the College of Law, New South Wales, Brennan practiced corporate law in Australia, UK, Cambodia and Laos with a number of reputable legal firms. Prior to joining, he was the Managing Director of the DFDL Legal & Tax Group based in Laos.
Dan McNally joined RMA Group as Country Manager, Indonesia in May 2008. From October 2013 to July 2015, he was Managing Director of Minecorp. He then assumed the position of Global Modification Sales Director, where he was responsible for the global sales efforts of RMA Automotive's vehicle modification businesses based in the Group Office in Bangkok. During 2016, Dan was instrumental in securing and setting up the Ford Authorized Service and Parts Distribution business in Indonesia and returned to Jakarta as Country Manager, Indonesia.
RMA acquires Palms Food International, the long standing food franchisor at Changi Airport, Singapore.
Costa Coffee joins the Hospitality Division.
RMA Myanmar is established in Yangon to provide Automotive, Infrastructure, Engineering and after-sales operations to serve the retail and commercial needs of Myanmar and its people.
 RMA's environmental management systems achieves ISO 14001 certification.
RMA extends its Ford Qualified Vehicle Modifier (QVM) program to the South African and Indonesian facilities.
RMA commences operations in Kazakhstan as Caspian Motors with Ford and Jaguar Land Rover dealerships.
RMA grows rapidly to encompass four new divisions: Automotive, Power and Construction, Engineering and Trading & Logistics.
Global brands join RMA's network of operations, including Ford and SDMO.
Operations are set up in Central Asia and further expansion follows to five other regions, including the USA.
The Automotive division adds Global Fleet Sales (GFS) to provide fleet solutions to developing markets and the humanitarian aid sector.
RMA's flagship Assembly and Distribution Center opens in a Free Zone at Thailand's Deep Sea Port of Laem Chabang, covering a vast area of 90,000m2.
RMA becomes Ford's only Qualified Vehicle Modifier (QVM) in Asia Pacific and Africa, providing quality modifications which are supported by the manufacturer's full vehicle warranty.
RMA establishes Global Armor Thailand (GAT) and adds armored vehicle modifications to its services.
The US Army recognizes the quality of RMA's work by awarding it the Equipment Maintenance and Apprenticeship Service Program (EMAS) for work completed in Afghanistan.
The Hospitality Division is boosted with the addition of The Pizza Company, and Kohler is added to the Infrastructure Division.
RMA is established when specialty chemical producer Rochester Midland expands to Asia and Rochester Midland Asia, with its regional operations based Bangkok, is formed.
As a trading company, business is focused on the Mekong region.
Managed out of its purpose built 90,000 m2 manufacturing, assembly and distribution center in Laem Chabang, Thailand, RMA Parts & Service division is a fully dedicated unit focused on keeping customer projects fully operational. Its systems feature fast turnaround deployment of parts, vehicles, and mobile maintenance units, 24-7 technical hotline support and fly-in technicians to locations where there is no on-site professional support.
RMA manages its food and hospitality business through Express Food Group (EFG), who run franchises of The Pizza Company, Swensen's, Dairy Queen, Costa Coffee, BBQ Chicken and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. EFG is steadily expanding food and beverage operations across South East Asia. In addition to this, RMA also operates restaurants at three international airports and currently holds 15 outlets in Singapore and 16 outlets in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.
As owners of the Foreign Correspondents Club, EFG, operates two outstanding hotels, their restaurants and spas in Cambodia.
RMA takes an active role in Ford Motor Company's corporate sustainability program. This is centered on a science-based global strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It advances realistic, workable and effective climate change solutions. It is transforming current and future product and service planning as RMA introduces new products and technologies that significantly cut fuel consumption and emissions.
RMA is a registered member with D&B, the world's leading source of commercial information and insight on businesses, providing companies with quality business information in order to make critical business decisions.
RMA has ISO 9001 certification from Bureau Veritas, recognized world leader in conformity assessment and certification standards related to quality management and good business practices. ISO 9001 management principles apply to such key areas as customer focus, leadership, processes, system management, continual improvement and fact-based decision-making.
RMA has ISO 14001 certification from Bureau Veritas, recognized world leader in conformity assessment and certification standards. ISO 14001:2004 is a part of a series of international standards applicable to any organization relating to environmental management. ISO 14001: 2004 specifies the most important requirements to identify, control and monitor the environmental aspects of any organization; and promote the appropriate management of environmental issues in order to contribute positively to economic gain.
RMA is a member of, subscribes to and endorses the UN Global Compact, a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. The intention of these guidelines is for businesses to help ensure that markets, commerce, technology and finance advance in ways that benefit economies and societies everywhere.
For its customers to grow and thrive, they need product solutions and partnerships that can survive the most difficult times and conditions. There is power in Endurance, and RMA clients grow in partnership with the company.
RMA continually invests for the long term – in its businesses, in its partnerships with customers and in the durability of products and solutions.
From its early days in complex and emerging markets, RMA has understood that to be relevant to customers it must deliver products and service solutions imagined out of necessity – and to do it better. The value of Innovation has become an underlying concept in the RMA approach to meeting customer needs.
RMA thrives on delivering creative solutions, tailored to suit specific customer requirements.
RMA introduced an easy-to-manage solution to remove used engine oil in the Afghan army. As part of the waste management system, the oil was filtered and recycled several times, saving money and the environment.
Looking at a challenge from new angles can result in innovative solutions. RMA and its long-time business partner, Ford Motor Company, began using wheat straw-reinforced plastic rather than 100% traditional petroleum products to create plastic storage bins. This change is estimated to have reduced petroleum use by 20,000 pounds and CO2 emissions by 30,000 pounds per year.
The Compact aligns business operations and strategies with 10 universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. RMA ensures that its own actions support and embrace the protections of internationally accepted human rights and rejects rights abuses. RMA supports the elimination of discrimination in the workplace and the abolition of child labor. Read more about the UN Global Compact and its principles.
RMA helps create social and economic opportunity wherever it conducts business, through careful management of its social footprint and the positive contribution it can make in people's lives. As a worldwide employer, RMA supports the rights of individuals and cares for them as neighbors. RMA subscribes to the concept of equal opportunity, to creating a positive work environment, and offering people the kind of training that will help them realize their full potential.
To maintain business over time, RMA understands that customers want a long-term partner to support them, be committed to the business relationship and be reliable. Integrity is important and evident in everything RMA does.
RMA always strives for the best for its customers. Whatever it does is done right, and without compromise.
Where power grid systems are inadequate or incomplete, RMA can provide, install and maintain power generation systems and turnkey project solutions to municipalities, hospitals, private contracting projects, and populations in remote locations, partnering with industry leaders Himoinsa, SDMO, and Kohler power systems.
Along with offering complete fleet solutions, RMA offers tailored payment plans to meet the personal and commercial needs of their customers across a broad range of sectors. Trusted for over 30 years, RMA continues to set high service standards, helping customers achieve personal and organizational enrichment with tailored vehicles and equipment solutions.


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One day Sun, Moon, and Wind went out to dine with their uncle and aunts Thunder and Lightning. Their mother (one of the most distant Stars you see far up in the sky) waited alone for her children's return.
Now both Sun and Wind were greedy and selfish. They enjoyed the great feast that had been prepared for them, without a thought of saving any of it to take home to their mother—but the gentle Moon did not forget her. Of every dainty dish that was brought round, she placed a small portion under one of her beautiful long finger-nails, that Star might also have a share in the treat.
On their return, their mother, who had kept watch for them all night long with her little bright eye, said, "Well, children, what have you brought home for me?" Then Sun (who was eldest) said, "I have brought nothing home for you. I went out to enjoy myself with my friends—not to fetch a dinner for my mother!" And Wind said, "Neither have I brought anything home for you, mother. You could hardly expect me to bring a collection of good things for you, when I merely went out for my own pleasure." But Moon said, "Mother, fetch a plate, see what I have brought you." And shaking her hands she showered down such a choice dinner as never was seen before.
Then Star turned to Sun and spoke thus, "Because you went out to amuse yourself with your friends, and feasted and enjoyed yourself, without any thought of your mother at home—you shall be cursed. Henceforth, your rays shall ever be hot and scorching, and shall burn all that they touch. And men shall hate you, and cover their heads when you appear."
(And that is why the Sun is so hot to this day.)
Then she turned to Wind and said, "You also who forgot your mother in the midst of your selfish pleasures—hear your doom. You shall always blow in the hot dry weather, and shall parch and shrivel all living things. And men shall detest and avoid you from this very time."
(And that is why the Wind in the hot weather is still so disagreeable.)
But to Moon she said, "Daughter, because you remembered your mother, and kept for her a share in your own enjoyment, from henceforth you shall be ever cool, and calm, and bright. No noxious glare shall accompany your pure rays, and men shall always call you 'blessed.'"
(And that is why the moon's light is so soft, and cool, and beautiful even to this day.)


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Hot Stone Massage is designed to reduce chronic pain, muscle tension and joint stiffness. It targets the connective tissue that may have formed into stubborn, fibrinous knots. It stimulates, conditions and heals. While it can sometimes be an intense experience, Hot Stone Massage, contrary to popular opinion, need not be painful and can, in fact, be relaxing as the deeper layers of musculature are slowly released. This provides detailed attention to chronic issues and if you prefer a more intense massage experience.
- Tendonitis – Keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stress off your body
- Kyphosis – Builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness
- Lordosis – Helps maintain a healthy weight, healthy heart and lungs
- Scoliosis – Provides an all-over body workout, nearly all of your muscles are used
- Torticollis – Swimming is helping in alleviating stress
- Sciatica – Improving coordination, balance and posture
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OS X Lion: Large file downloads aren't easily manageable from any of the browsers on a Mac, but if you're looking for a little more control and a speed boost, SpeedTao does the trick.
The first time you run SpeedTao, you're asked to install extensions in all your browsers. This will trigger SpeedTao automatically when you download a file, but you can opt out and add only the larger the files if you like. To manually load files, all you need to do is drop a direct download link into SpeedTao and it will start going. From here, you can set speed limits, pause, and resume. It's also a bit more speedy than a browsers default downloader because it breaks the file into smaller chunks. Downloading the Ubuntu ISO took me about 13 minutes with SpeedTao and 18 minutes with Chrome. It's a free download from the SpeedTao website below.
SpeedTao | via Addictive Tips


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BERLIN – A Berlin man, already awaiting trial on 30 counts on possessing and promoting child pornography, was arrested again last week after a forensic analysis of his computer revealed more evidence that led to new charges.
In July, Kirt Barren Greenberg, 45, was arrested on possession and distribution of child pornography charges after a nearly year-long federal, state and local investigation into his alleged activities dating back to September 2009.
In November, Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (WCBI) detectives received the results from the analysis of Greenberg's computers, which displayed 27 images of child pornography. The Worcester County State's Attorney's Office was advised of the findings and a new warrant was sworn out for Greenberg's arrest. Last Friday, Greenberg was located at his West Street residence in Berlin and was taken into custody again. In addition, during his arrest last Friday, Greenberg was found in possession of Percocet that was not prescribed to him and drug possession charges were tacked on.
Last January, WCBI detectives began investigating Greenberg for an alleged violation of the Peeping Tom law. During the investigation, it was learned a female juvenile had been living at Greenberg's residence in Berlin on a temporary basis. Based on conversations the victim had with Greenberg during her time at his residence, she believed the suspect had videotaped her without her consent wearing little or no clothing.
Based on interviews with the victim, WCBI detectives in late February executed a search and seizure warrant on Greenberg's Berlin home, recovering several computer hard drives that were turned over to the Maryland State Police Computer Crimes unit for analysis.
Through the WCBI investigation, it was learned that last September, the FBI began a parallel investigation into Greenberg's possible possession and distribution of child pornography.
The FBI began investigating Greenberg when a special agent had logged into a public website in an undercover capacity and was allegedly invited by Greenberg to join his chat room.Once inside the chat room, the FBI special agent was able to download over 500 images of child pornography. Through its subsequent investigation, the FBI was able to track the source of the child pornography to Greenberg.
Greenberg's latest troubles come on the heels of a conviction last month in Wicomico County on animal cruelty charges for leaving several dogs locked in a car at a Salisbury mall on a 100-plus degree day. One of the dogs perished. Greenberg was sentenced to nearly a year in jail for animal cruelty, but has since appealed the verdict and his sentence has been stayed.


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In the U.S., the economy is thriving and expected to grow over the next few months. Businesses are expanding. The Federal Reserve has inched up interest rates, creating investment opportunities, and lenders are offering small business loans. All of this points to a promising outlook for the coming months. As a small business owner, this is the time to take a closer look at your profit and loss sheets to determine how you can make the most out of this current economy.
How Can You Increase Revenue and Profits in the Coming Year?
For most companies, increasing revenue and profit margins is a goal. Yet, there's strong competition in most sectors. Here's a look at ways you can boost your profit margins without having to invest heavily.
#1: Increase Pricing Marginally
Inflation is a key component of the current market. As the U.S. consumer increases confidence in spending, it becomes possible to increase prices. Re-evaluate your current price points. Are you getting enough from each sale to build profits?
#2: Don't Overlook the Impact of Tariffs
The ongoing trade war with China has many business owners worried about cost. Plan now. Tariffs are impacting nearly all industries including construction, retail, restaurants, and manufacturing to name just a few. Work with your team to understand the impact on your business's bottom line, such as the higher cost of goods, and build those costs into your prices.
#3: Get Rid of Tasks Not Adding Value to the Customer
Take a closer look at what you are spending on within your profit and loss. Is each one of these expenses directly contributing to your customers' needs? Eliminate costs that do not contribute to customer value.
#4: Review Competitor Prices
Along with increasing your prices, take a closer look at what your competition is charging for services. There are two things to focus on here. If their prices are higher, why? Are they offering something better for their product or service that encourages a higher price point? Second, are your prices competitively aligned with theirs? If not, what can you do to offer something extra to your customer?
#5: Reduce Overstock
Carrying a significant amount of stock does not improve business operations and increases costs. It can drive up waste when product is lost or forgotten. It also hampers your company's ability to keep inventory costs in line with your goals. Pair down stock.
#6: Find a Way to Increase the Value of Every Sale
Provide some last-minute addition your customer could buy to enhance their product or service. Ensure your sales team is speaking to each customer about this offer, right as they close the deal. If you sell cars, offer an add-on feature for a certain additional amount. If you sell professional services, determine if your customers could benefit from a monthly check-in or other add-on services.
#7: Expand Product or Services Lines With Care
Look for complimentary services and products that do not require a lot of investment to offer them to your customers. What additional products or revenue streams could enhance what you already provide? This may not require additional equipment or a large amount of inventory.
#8: Build Your Team's Skillset
Beyond a doubt, in a sales-oriented business, your company cannot build revenue if your sales team misses their market. Invest in sales training for the modern audience. Focus on moving away from traditional methods toward more efficient and brand-building methods for sales.
#9: Get Your Numbers in Line Now
Hiring a team to help you explore your current profit margins is critical. However, bringing on a professional organization to help with managing your books is only effective if you apply the information and insights they provide to you. In other words, find a team you can sit down with and discuss opportunities you can apply right now.
#10: Build Your Customer Base
Use a variety of tools to help build your customer base. Complete a market analyses to better understand who your target customer is. Then, work to modernize your marketing efforts to attract that specific audience. When you do, you turn heads and capitalize on a new set of customers.
Building revenue and profits starts with knowing where you are specifically. Review your prices, financial accounts, and books with care. Then, look for small ways to reduce costs that don't contribute to your profits and build up services, products, and prices for those that help your company to grow. Always have a focus on the bottom-line benefit of any investment you make.
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Holy Trinity St. Seraphim-Diveyevo Convent
The history of the Holy Trinity St. Seraphim-Diveyevo Convent began in 1760 when the Mother of God appeared to nun Alexandra in a dream at the village of Diveyevo and promised to base a great and unrivalled convent there. The Most Holy Mother of God has chosen Diveyevo to be Her favorite place, "the fouth and last dower on the Earth." She also promised to gather there the mercy and the grace of the Lord from all her previous dowers:
1) Iberia (Georgia)
2) Mount Athos (Greece),
3) Holy Trinity Lavra of the Caves (Ukraine, Kiev).
On that very spot where the Holy Virgin appeared, nun Alexandra built the church dedicated to the Icon of Kazan of the Mother of God (1773-1780). Later the two Nativity Churches were adjoined. They were the Church of the Nativity of Christ (1829) and the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God (1830), a burial vault, as Father Seraphim foretold.
In the center of the convent there are two magnificent cathedrals: the impressive five-domed Catherdral of the Holy Trinity (1865-1875) and the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord (1907-1916).
At the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries the convent's bell tower, the Hegumenia's Hall with the Church of St. Mary Magdalene and the Refectory Hall with the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky were built.
In 1830 Father Seraphim asked Diveyevo's nuns to dig the Holy Ditch, which would surround the elected place of the Mother of God. Father Seraphim said: "He who walks along the Holy Ditch praying "Rejoice, O Mother of God and Maiden Mary..." 150 times, for him this place will be Athos, Jerusalem, and Kiev."
Today the Diveyevo ascetics Saints Alexandra, Martha, Helen, Pelagia, Paraskeva, and Mary have been canonized. Their holy relics, as well as the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, are resting in God in the convent's churches.
Saint Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov predicted that Diveyevo would become a stronghold of Orthodoxy and a place where worldwide repentance would begin.
In 2003 the Russian Orthodox Church solemnly celebrated a centenary of the glorification of St. Seraphim. The next year the 250th anniversary of his birth was celebrated. Diveyevo's convent is becoming a turning point in the spiritual life of Russia.
- Holy Trinity St.Seraphim-Diveyevo Convent, postcard set, 2004.
- Wikipedia:Serafimo Diveevsky Monastery


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"I think she has pretty thoroughly — and probably irretrievably — proven that she is not up to the job of being president of the United States," David Frum, a former speechwriter for President Bush who is now a conservative columnist, said in an interview.Uh-oh. But wait, there's MORE:
Polling suggests that the number of Americans who think she is not fit to be president has increased since her introduction to the country last month. A number of conservative columnists and thinkers have publicly turned against her, or criticized Mr. McCain for choosing her, including George Will, David Brooks and Kathleen Parker, who wrote a column entitled "She's Out of Her League" for the National Review Online.But this last part should send a chill down everyone's spine:
Mr. Frum noted the difficulty that Dan Quayle, who was elected vice president in 1988, had in recovering from an early set of mistakes that led him to be ridiculed as an intellectual lightweight. "The story of Dan Quayle is he did probably 1,000 smart things as vice president, but his image was locked in and it was very difficult to turn around," he said. "And Dan Quayle never in his life has performed as badly as Sarah Palin in the last month." [Emphasis added.]Some reminders.
It's not pollution that is hurting the environment, it's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.On 9/11:
There were no Palestinians riding on planes on September 9th.And then the classic:
What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is.


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A number of prominent right-wing bloggers and their various hangers-on have been howling for Churchill's head, demanding the university fire him for making these statements. Few of them, it seems, have any respect for free speech, let alone the precepts of academic freedom.
Most of all, they also are putting their grotesque hypocrisy on display.
Now, the central thrust of Churchill's remarks -- that the American imposition of its aggressive self-interest in the Middle East has played a major role in fomenting terrorism there, and more of the same will not ameliorate that milieu, but rather worsen it -- probably should not be controversial, except that it runs smack into the popular post-9/11 mythology of America as Innocent Victim. Even more pointedly, his comparison of America's current aggression to its historical treatment of American Indians is one that has been made here too, as well as by such noted Indian spokesmen as Tim Giago. None of those raised any eyebrows at the time (though it may be simply that no one has gotten around to crucifying us yet).
Most of all, Churchill's remarks are important insofar as they point out the gross discrepancy in American perceptions of the actual misery they are inflicting upon the Iraqi people. With some estimates of civilian deaths nearing 100,000 in Iraq, we are rapidly approaching the point of having killed as many innocent Iraqis in a few years as Saddam did throughout his reign. The consequences of this suffering will rebound against us for many years to come. Yet most Americans remain blithely self-blinded to it; the only number that matters to them is the number of American soldiers killed there.
Nonetheless, there are real and significant problems with Churchill's thesis. It is not only devoid of any compassion for the victims of 9/11, it is profoundly wrong-headed in the nature of key arguments it makes about those attacks. I think Anthony Lappe put it best at Common Dreams:
- Churchill, no matter how he later tried to spin it, was clearly trying to do something more than "shock the yuppies." He was pinning a target on the backs of a very specific group of people, the "technocrats," and saying they deserved what they got that clear September morning. It was a vicious, sloppy polemic that he deserves to be called out on. To argue that a commodities trader (which many WTC victims were) deserves to pay with his life for buying pork bellies low and selling them high is simplistic, unprogressive, and I dare say, fascist -- even if, as he later tried to argue, he was merely applying America's standards back on itself.
It's one thing to criticize Churchill, and he richly deserves much of it. It's quite another to foment for his removal from his university seat and to likewise threaten anyone willing to give him a forum for his views. One is well within our rich tradition of free speech; the other runs counter not only to free speech but to academic freedom.
Because Ward Churchill is hardly the only academic in America with genuinely repulsive views that deserve renunciation. Indeed, there are a number of right-wing professors who could face similar academic firing squads if the punditocracy chose to raise their cudgels against them.
For instance:
-- James Everett Kibler, a University of Georgia English professor. A founder of the secessionist and white-supremacist League of the South, Kibler is mostly noted for his outspoken admiration for defenders of slavery and white upper-class rule.
-- Thomas DiLorenzo, an economics professor at Loyola College in Baltimore, who promotes a historical view of Abraham Lincoln as a wicked man "secretly intent on destroying states' rights and building a massive federal government."
-- Clyde Wilson, a University of South Carolina history professor. Wilson is another League of the South founder, and remains an unapologetic neo-Confederate. He says the only thing wrong with The Birth of a Nation is that it was too sympathetic to Lincoln.
-- Donald Livingston, a philosophy professor at Emory University. He has recently been focusing his work on "the philosophical meaning of secession." According to the SPLC, at a 2003 "Lincoln Reconsidered" conference, "he said that 'evil is habit-forming' and no habit is as evil as believing that Lincoln acted out of good motives."
And that's just the currently active neo-Confederates working in Southern universities. Some of those no longer active in academia include Grady McWhiney, now retired as a University of Alabama professor;
Outside the South, there are a number of problematic professors of various kinds, notably eugenics sympathizers and Holocaust deniers.
These include Kevin MacDonald, a Cal State-Long Beach evolutionary psychologist who testified on behalf of David Irving at his libel trial in London. MacDonald has argued "that anti-Semitism can be understood as a natural byproduct of a Darwinian strategy for Jewish survival," and insists that "Jewish behavior must be part of any adequate explanation of the recurrent persecution of Jews."
Then there was Glayde Whitney, a Florida State University psychology professor who liked to teach his students the basic precepts of white supremacy, i.e., that blacks are genetically inferior to whites. Whitney also was a subscriber to Holocaust-denial and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Most notably, he was closely aligned with David Duke, the notorious white supremacist, and wrote the foreword to one of his racist screeds. Whitney died in 2002, much to chagrin of right-wing extremists everywhere.
Now, most of these so-called conservatives who are attacking Ward Churchill -- who is indeed Native American -- are quick to deny that there is any racist component to their attacks on him (even though one could use the popular right-wing logic labeling as "racist" Democrats who questioned Alberto Gonzalez and Condoleezza Rice to suggest otherwise). Indeed, they piously invoke their feelings of repulsion towards racism whenever it seems to suit their purposes to do so.
So why are they not every bit as eager to expel these radical academics from our midst? Their silence has been longstanding; if anything, you'll find so-called mainstream conservatives actually defending thinkers like this (see, e.g., the long-running right-wing apologia for Charles Murray's repulsive theories about race.)
Personally, I think the principles of academic freedom are paramount in all these cases. But then, I'm not a right-winger.
[For more on the history and nature of right-wing extremism in academia, be sure to check out the rest of the material available at the Institute for the Study of Academic Racism.]


text: Blue is a highly versatile, go-to color for homeowners. From the depth of cerulean, cobalt and navy to airy pastels, the blue paint family of colors is a perfect choice for any room. Slate and blue-grays can act as a neutral when paired with brighter colors, or stand on their own for a sophisticated look with cream, white and wood tones. Pale blue paints invite us to relax, while the deepest blues provide an intriguing alternative to black.


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The Wild Goose Chase Cloggers is a non-profit educational organization based in Minnesota.
Our mission is to promote and sustain interest in traditional Appalachian clogging by offering concerts and workshops anywhere we can find an audience. The Geese offer school programs, workshops for all ages, and performances of 15 minutes to full 1 1/2-hour concerts.
The Wild Goose Chase Cloggers was established in 1979 and consists of 12 energetic dancers accompanied by the lively music of the Good Gravy String Band.
Produced and directed by Wade Barry (firstname.lastname@example.com)