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Can We Start Over Again 9
Maya requested from her management that she be allowed to celebrate with her family. She would skip the dinner sponsored by the network. She didn't mention that what she meant by family is her bestfriend, Richard Lim.
They thought her parents arrived. No one noticed Richard Lim for he tried his best to be discreet when he attended the awards night. It was dark where he was seated anyway.
Before the ceremony ended, he already left and just texted Maya that he will be staying at a hotel and he would just meet her when she's no longer busy.
Maya texted him back and opposed the idea. She told him to proceed to her unit as her Auntie Fe was already headed there anyway. She wanted to see him and celebrate with him that night.
Maya even requested her trusted personal PA (the one who's not provided by the network) to buy food for dinner. She wanted to celebrate home.
The moment she arrived at her condo, she ran towards Richard and flung her arms around him. She was already crying. "Ricky namiss kita! Namiss kita!"
She was hugging him tightly, not wanting to let go. He hugged her tighter in return. "I missed you too… so much."
He was trying to let her go but she still didn't want to end the hug. She even cried harder. "Hey stop crying. Nakakuha ka na ng award. You don't have to be a best actress anymore." He joked.
She slapped his chest lightly after she disengaged from the hug. "Nakakainis ka. Totoong iyak kaya to. Siyempre sobra kitang namiss eh."
He just smiled as he wiped her tears with his hand. He then stared lovingly at her. "I am so proud of you. You were great when your were giving your speech back there." then he paused, took a deep breath and continued. "You are so lovely Maya. You know that?"
She got affected by what he said, by the look he was giving her. "Alam ko. Gusto mo lang atang sabihin kong gwapo ka eh. Pumaparaan ka Ricky ha!" She joked because she doesn't know how to handle what she's feeling now that he's in front of her.
He is no longer her 15 year old friend way back then. Richard Lim is now a very handsome, dashing, confident and very attractive man.
She's also no longer the 13 year old Maya dela Rosa when she last saw him. If she was cute and adorable back then, Maya is now a very stunning, breathtaking and absolutely a very sexy and confident young lady.
Richard Lim spent a week in the Philippines. Maya asked for a week off from her showbiz engagements. She brought Richard to various resorts in the Philippines. She knows that he loves the sea.
For the first time, they were able to travel on their own without their nosy yet loving parents.
They visited Boracay, Subic and even Baguio. Auntie Fe was with them. They would frequently call their parents to show them the places they were visiting.
Back home, both their parents were happy that their children finally had time to bond after long years of not seeing each other. If they had it their way, they wished that their kids would end up together. That would make them very happy.
Richard enjoyed being with Maya. He learned more about the grown-up version of his best friend and he loved everything about her – her sophistication yet childlike ways, her decisiveness, her eloquence, her wit and humor, and most especially her being kindhearted and simplicity despite the stature she has now.
Maya would be attentive of him. She wanted Richard to enjoy his vacation in the Philippines. She took really good care of him.
He momentarily forgot the painful scene he witnessed during the awards night. They never talked about it for Maya requested not to mention anything about her showbiz career.
This was the reason why she chose private places for their vacation. She arranged everything so that they would have minimal interaction with crowd. She wants to enjoy their vacation.
At their rented villa in Baguio, the two were left by themselves at the couch by the fireplace. It was a chilly night that Auntie Fe went to bed early.
Both were having mugs of hot chocolate while watching an old cartoon series in the local cable. This was their favorite pastime when they were young.
"Ricky sana ganito palagi. Sana ganito kasimple yun buhay no?"
"Maya it's a choice. You could choose a simple life. You could always return home. You have proven yourself already. Matutuwa sina Nanay at Tatay mo, sina mama at papa at lalo na ako kapag umuwi ka. "
"Alam ko naman yun Ricky. Kaso kakapirma ko lang ng bagong kontrata. May mga pelikula pa akong gagawin May pinagiipunan pa kasi ako. Kapag natapos ko na lahat uuwi na ako sa atin."
"But Maya remember that time is very important. Baka sa kakaipon mo, you're not aware that you're wasting the precious time you should have been spending with people who matter, with your parents, siyempre kasali rin ako. I matter to you naman di ba?"
She stared at him and saw the sadness in his eyes. He will be leaving tomorrow night and they both don't know when they will be seeing each other again. She was very sad as well. "Siyempre naman. You matter a lot to me. Sobra sobra. At napakasaya ko kasi dinalaw mo ako dito. Salamat ha!" Then she moved closer to him and leaned on his chest. He just allowed it. They both seeked comfort from each other.
Though sad that they would be parting ways again, Maya and Richard had wonderful memories to cherish and always remember from the week-long bonding they had.
Maya was reprimanded by her management after pictures of her and Richard Lim taken by some fan in Boracay, made it's way to the social media. Many of their former fans became active again requesting the network to bring back the original The Voice Duets partners they loved.
The PR group of the network worked double time to cover the issue by either downplaying it or even to the point of maligning Richard Lim by way of tabloid articles.
Maya who knew about it informed Richard and she assured him that whatever is written in the papers and shown on TV regarding him were just part of the network's PR moves. She didn't want Richard to feel bad. She even talked to his parents. She was apologetic to them.
"Maya don't worry about me. Atsaka hindi naman ako kilala eh. What's important is your image, your career. Let your management handle everything. Sorry ha. Dahil sa pagbisita ko, nagkaroon ka tuloy ng problema."
"Ricky wag na wag kang magsorry na pumunta ka dito. Alam mo ba na yun pagdalaw mo ay yun pinakamasayang mga araw ko. Wag mo namang sabihing nagsisisi ka na dumalaw ka."
"Hey I'm not. Hindi ko naman iniisip yan. Those were also the happiest days for me."
"Kaya nga."
"As i was saying, concerned lang naman ako sa career mo."
"I can handle that Ricky, wag na nating pagusapan please."
"Sige. Hindi na. O i have to end this call na muna. You take care of yourself there okay? Baka hindi muna kita matawagan kasi I will be attending a convention for a week. Sina papa at mama muna tawagan mo." He calmly told her. He knows she was upset.
"Okay lang. May out-of-town shooting rin naman kami para sa movie. Mga ilang linggo rin yun. Mag-iingat ka rin dyan Ricky. Regards kina tito at tita."
"Shooting? What movie?"
"Yun movie namin ni James. The one we will shoot in Bali."
"Kayo lang?" He couldn't help but feel upset learning that Maya will be with James Ventura in a movie.
"Oo kasi siya yun kaloveteam ko. Romantic drama yun gagawin naming movie. Excited na rin nga ako kasi sa Bali yun shooting. Ang ganda dun Ricky."
"Great." His bland reply. "Sige na Maya I have to go. Bye."
"Okay Ricky. Bye."
The moment he ended the call, lots of scenarios entered his mind. He already saw James Ventura and he doesn't trust the guy at all. He searched about him already and found out that he is older than Maya. He has a reputation of being a ladies man. He had series of girlfriends and he tends to court ladies who are at the top of their careers then leaves them when projects are already scarce. Richard couldn't help but assume that James could also do that to Maya.
"Son are you okay?" His deep thought was interrupted by his father.
"Okay naman pa. Maya says hi pala."
"Oh you talked to her?"
"Yes pa. Kakatapos lang namin."
"Is that why you look upset? Is something troubling you?" Roberto sat in front of Ricky. He was just finishing his cup of coffee before he leaves for work.
"Wala naman pa." He denied it.
"Son, I have seen you and Maya grow up together. And you know me. I don't meddle in any of your business with her or with any of your friends. But let me tell you this, si Maya parang anak na rin namin yan ng mama mo. I hope that whatever the future holds for both of you, you would still look after each other. Alagaan mo siya even if you both have families of your own, even if wala na kami ng mama mo or wala na rin sina Tere at Art."
"Pa! ang advance naman ng pagiisip nyo. Of course I will take care of her even if you don't tell me to."
"I'm just telling you son. Well with that future family of yours… i hope it's with Maya." Then his papa stood up and left Richard thinking seriously about what his father said.
Maya and Richard didn't have the opportunity to talk again. Maya focused on her movie while Richard focused on his studies.
Richard would just check the news about Maya and unfortunately he would always see articles about her and James Ventura. Though he gets upset with it, he tells himself that it's all for show. It's to entice the fans to watch their movie.
He couldn't ask Maya about it.
He doesn't even know if what he feels for her is right.
It may risk their friendship.
That is one thing he won't allow to happen.
Maya is a guest in one of the talk shows to promote her new single.
"Sana po you would support my album. It has original songs written by Mr. Ryan Cayabyab. It is for a good cause din. Half of the proceeds will go to Bantay Bata as part of their Anniversary." She excitedly announced.
"So Maya kumusta naman kayo ni James Ventura?" The host asked her. It wasn't part of the script but the host asked her anyway. She just finished shooting the film with her loveteam.
"Okay naman kami." She shyly smiled. She knows James is in the audience. They will be dubbing for the movie's OST after her interview.
"Ang mga ngiti ba na yan ay may ibig sabihin?" The host asked again.
"Masaya naman kami. Special naman siya sa akin." She was careful in her answers as she was instructed by the management to act sweet with James and pretend that they have something special for the sake of their movie.
"So does this mean that he will be your escort in your coming debut?"
She will be celebrating her 18th birthday in two months.
She didn't answer it anymore for she wanted someone else to be her escort in that very special day of her life so she just smiled.
"Hmmmm makahulugan talaga ang mga ngiti na yan. I bet it means yes. Kayo naman na di ba?"
The audience were cheering and the host was waiting for Maya's answer.
Then she saw her manager seated with the audience. She needs to do what is asked of her for her movie.
"Ano po, we're more than friends." She shyly admitted but she was avoiding the camera. She didn't want to lie but she was instructed to.
"Ayun. Ikaw talaga Maya. Isa lang ibig sabihin nun. It means kayo na at nahihiya ka lang umamin. So it's expected naman na si James ang escort mo." Then the camera focused on the grinning James with the audience.
Maya didn't say anything anymore. She was thinking of her family and Richard back home.
In the Lim living room, while watching that said interview in TFC, Esmeralda Lim couldn't help but react.
"Boyfriend na ni Maya yun mayabang na lalaking yun? I don't want him for her. I need to talk to Teresita." She was clearly upset.
"He seems okay and Maya knows what she's doing. Hayaan mo na." Roberto tried to pacify his wife.
Richard didn't say anything. He was surprised that Maya admitted her relationship with James on TV.
He felt sad.
He is also mad at himself.
He felt so helpless.
He likes her but he still had nothing to offer her.
"Tita Esmie wala pa po ba si Ricky? Hindi ko kasi siya macontact."
"Wala siya dito Maya. He is busy."
"Pakisabi na lang po na tumawag ako."
He was actually in front of his mom but he is avoiding Maya.
"And what was that son? Bakit mo iniiwasan si Maya? May problema kayo?"
"No Ma. Wala."
"Then why aren't you attending her debut? You are invited at expected nina Tere na sasama ka sa kanila papunta ng Pilipinas."
"Ma busy ako sa work on that day. I'll just send her my gift."
"But son, your presence is the best gift you could give her."


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Ran 6 miles on the road today in 14 degree weather. It was cloudy with no snow when I started but about 2 miles into the run, it started to snow. Not just a couple flurries but a total white out! I couldn't see anything infront of me and it was cold and wet! UGH!! In minutes, the road became covered and quite slippery :( I was alittle stiff and tired from running the snow covered trails yesterday, so I really didn't need slippery roads to work this broken down body! I survived and probably looked like a snowman running down the road!! Lifted weights when I got home. Tomorrow, I would like to run on the trails but alittle fearful because of the hunters being out this week.
After I was done lifting, a quick shower and off to OWU to give Kyle his books that he needed for school. The stupid UPS was suppose to deliver the books Friday but of course that didn't happen! It will be a quiet everning at the Lemke house tonight. Corey and Kyle are back at school and I think Keith is off to see his girlfriend, Shelby. Maybe a good time to take a nap!!
Monday, January 11, 2010
A White Out!!
Posted by 4-EVER RUNNING at 3:39 PM
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subset: commoncrawl


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How they got here
There were a couple of surprising entrants into the National League playoffs in 1984. Out of the west came the Padres, who jumped out to a quick lead in the division and cruised to the playoffs, winning the division by 12 games as the only team in the West to finish above .500. Facing them was the Cubs, who started the year scuffling a bit in the East before acquiring Rick Sutcliffe from the Indians. Sutcliffe went a shocking 16-1 for Chicago and the Cubs rode his arm to a division championship.
With the matchup, the Cubs were making the postseason for the first time since 1945 while the Padres were making the playoffs for the first time ever, which was somehow a shorter time. But both teams were well-rested down the stretch and had their aces ready to go to start the series. That meant the Padres had to deal with Sutcliffe, and they didn't do a very good job of that. Sutcliffe threw shutout and hit one of the Cubs' five home runs as they romped to a 13-0 Game 1 win.
The Cubs won Game 2 as well, heading out to the West coast needing just one more win to wrap up the series (this was the last year of the best-of-5 LCS). But these were the Cubs, and nothing ever comes easy for the Cubs. San Diego cruised in Game 3, won Game 4 on a 2-run walkoff home run by Steve Garvey to tie the series. It was coming down to a final game. The Padres were bringing back Eric Show, who had gotten pounded in Game 1, while the Cubs were bringing back Sutcliffe, who hadn't lost since the last week of June. It should have been easy for the Cubs. But, it was the Cubs, and things were never easy with the Cubs.
The Game
That Billy Goat is a bitch, huh? While the goat's curse isn't as old as the Curse of the Bambino, it's just as powerful, just as likely to get blamed by an irrational fan base for everything that's wrong with their franchise.
Leon "Bull" Durham's dance with the Billy Goat was frighteningly similar to that of Steve Bartman. Both happened with his team in the lead, sure, but both happened with plenty of time left for the Cubs to recover. Also, both are a convenient excuse to cover up a complete Cubs collapse.
At first, it looked like Durham would be the man to finally break the Billy Goat Curse, as his two-run home run in the first gave the Cubs the lead. Jody Davis hit another home run in the second, and the Cubs handed the best pitcher in the National League a 3-0 lead in the deciding game of the series.
Sutcliffe was cruising, too, until San Diego loaded the bases on him with nobody out in the sixth. Like all good pitchers, though, he wiggled out of it; the Padres hit two straight sacrifice flies to cut the lead to 3-2, but you couldn't help but think they wanted so much more from the inning.
That's when the Billy Goat woke up.
A man was on second with one out in the bottom of the seventh when it happened. Tim Flannery hit a weak ground ball towards Durham at first, one that could have been an easy out. Instead, it went under his glove, and the tying run scored.
That should have been an easy play for the Cubs to overcome. Sure, the game was tied, but it was only tied, and they had plenty of time to recover. But the Billy Goat doesn't allow for recoveries. When he strikes, he sees to it that the Cubs suffer complete, humiliating collapse. The formerly unhittable Sutcliffe gave up three straight hits after Durham's error, and three more runs came home to make it 6-3 Padres.
The Cubs had six more outs to try to come back, but the writing was on the wall. When Gary Mathews struck out with two men on to end the eighth, it was over. San Diego got the last three outs to advance to the World Series, while the Cubs went home, cursing the Billy Goat for the 39th straight season.
It didn't much matter who won the NLCS - they weren't gonna beat the Tigers. If you had combined the Cubs and Padres, you might have had a team that could have beaten the '84 Tigers, but otherwise, no. The only real surprise of the 1984 World Series was that the Padres managed to win even one game against what was the best AL team of the 1980s.
What I'm doing.
The list so far:
11. 1984 NLCS: San Diego 6, Chicago 3
12. 2003 NLCS: Florida 9, Chicago 6
13. 2004 NLCS: St. Louis 5, Houston 2
14. 1972 ALCS: Oakland 2, Detroit 1
15. 1973 ALCS: Oakland 3, Baltimore 0
16. 1985 ALCS: Kansas City 6, Toronto 2
17. 2007 ALCS: Boston 11, Cleveland 2
18. 1991 NLCS: Atlanta 4, Pittsburgh 0
19. 1973 NLCS: New York 7, Cincinnati 2
20. 1987 NLCS: St. Louis 6, San Francisco 0
21. 1988 NLCS: Los Angeles 6, New York 0
22. 2004 ALCS: Boston 10, New York 3
23. 1986 ALCS: Boston 8, California 1
24: 1996 NLCS: Atlanta 15, St. Louis 0
Still to come:
1972 NLCS: Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh
1976 ALCS: Kansas City vs. New York
1977 ALCS: Kansas City vs. New York
1980 NLCS: Houston vs. Philadelphia
1981 NLCS: Los Angeles vs. Montreal
1982 ALCS: California vs. Milwaukee
1992 NLCS: Atlanta vs. Pittsburgh
2003 ALCS: Boston vs. New York
2006 NLCS: New York vs. St. Louis
2008 ALCS: Boston vs. Tampa Bay


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I did not expect to get to see a third edition of this race...
The event has a slightly different format this year, in terms of what events are being held and when they are being held. Also, night session ticket prices went up, and you can no longer watch from the ends of the track. I don't know if this is the fault of the organizers or the UCI, but it's sort of disappointing all around. The Madison final on the first night? The place wasn't even half full. Based on the schedule, I doubt I'll check out any more of the events. Too much individual sprint scattered on each day.
Anyway, I still enjoyed myself. The events for the evening were men's and women's team sprint, woman's team pursuit, men's omnium elimination, and the 40k Madison. Below are some photos. No Madison shots, as it's hard enough to just watch the race.
Friday, December 3, 2010
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Ross Mayfield has recently published a brilliant article titled An Adoption Strategy for Social Software in the Enterprise. on Many-to-Many which describes a strategy for growing grass-roots adoption of social software.
Top-down instruction may seem more appropriate in some environments, but may not be effective in the long-term as if the team leader stops actively making subordinates use the software, they may naturally give up if they have not become convinced of its usefulness. Bottom-up adoption taps into social incentives for contribution and fosters a culture of working openly that has greater strategic benefits. Inevitably in a successful deployment, top-down and bottom-up align themselves in what Ross Mayfield calls 'middlespace'.
Having witnessed so many software/communication projects grinding to a halt through poor uptake I think that this type of approach has a lot going for it. Too often all the energy is focused on the technology rather than the whole product.


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- About the department
- Advertising - Campaign and Non-Campaign
- Assurance Reviews and Risk Assessments
- Australian Government Investment Funds
- Budget
- Central Budget Management System
- Comcover
- Financial Reporting and Accounting Policy
- Land, Property and Asset Management
- Parliamentary Services
- Procurement
- Resource Management
- Risk Resources
- Superannuation
- Vehicle Leasing & Fleet Management
- Whole of Government Technology and Procurement
Website Categories
- Accessibility (15)
- Big Data (13)
- Cloud computing (39)
- Common Operating Environment (10)
- Data Centres (38)
- Document Accessibility (9)
- General (64)
- Gov 2.0 (57)
- Guest post (18)
- ICT Strategy (17)
- ICT Two Pass Review (1)
- Mobile (11)
- Open Source (5)
- Procurement (205)
- Procurement Coordinator (139)
- Skills (26)
- Standards (9)
- Technology and Procurement (47)
- Telecommunications (10)
- Web Guide (23)
Draft Roadmap for data.gov.au
The Department of Finance ArchiveThe content on this page and other Finance archive pages is provided to assist research and may contain references to activities or policies that have no current application. See the full archive disclaimer.
UPDATE: data.gov.au went live on CKAN with details at http://agict.gov.au/blog/2013/07/17/new-datagovau-%E2%80%93-now-live-ckan
As part of my role as Director for Gov 2.0 in the Technology and Procurement Division of Finance (under John Sheridan), I have responsibility for enhancing data.gov.au. This is quite exciting and an excellent opportunity to contribute to opening government data in Australia. We plan to make some significant progress in this area and would love your feedback on the draft roadmap below. We plan to move data.gov.au to an open data platform for all Agencies to use, and prioritise technical support initially for a few keen agencies who want to have their data accessible by API for policy analysis, improved applications development and data visualisation purposes. Then we can scale support for additional agencies as skills and capacity are built up and add new features and functionality over time. We will take a consultative, iterative and collaborative approach. We are running a number of information and discussion sessions for agencies and the public on Friday 19 April: UPDATE: We have shuffled the sessions around a little to accomodate more participants across Australia and to include a public briefing.
- Agency briefing (0900-1100): If you are an Agency interested in hearing more, we will have a data.gov.au Agency Briefing in Canberra from 9am-11pm on 19 April which includes a telepresence option for all capital cities.
- Public brieing (1130-1230): for anyone in the public to hear about and ask questions about data.gov.au. Also available via telepresence for all capital cities.
- Developer briefing (1300-1500): If you are interested in hearing more about the tech and contributing your thoughts, please come to our data.gov.au Developer Session. Also available via telepresence for all capital cities. We'll publish the technical documentation here on the blog for comment too, but this is a chance to talk tech with other open data geeks, data custodians and developers, get into the gritty details of the data.gov.au implementation and maybe even look at how we can improve the code for Australia. If there is sufficient interest we might live stream and record this for others to tune in and comment on.
All briefings will include a little information about GovHack, the upcoming national event where developers compete on clever ways to use government data for improving services, transparency, analysis and more. Please register your interest for any of the sessions above at http://datagovauroadmap13.eventbrite.com/. Please note the venue(s) to be confirmed pending registration numbers.
Draft Roadmap
Phase 0: consultation – April
- We are continuing consulting with existing data.gov.au publishers about the plan and to assist them in transitioning skills to use the new platform and take advantage of the additional functionality.
- We are talking to all the open data people we can find throughout federal, state/territory and local governments as well as our colleagues in New Zealand, building a community of government implementers to share knowledge, build expertise and collaborate where possible.
- We are running a developer day 19 April for developers and technical people in the public, industry and government to come together to look at the technical details of what we are planning. We would be looking for technical feedback, feature requests and any specific tweaks the community can make to the platform to make it better serve the needs of data publishers and users.
- We are asking for feedback from the Australian Government Linked Data Working Group, the Office for Spatial Policy, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, the Office of the Australian Government CIO, the APS Policy Visualisation Network and some of the Archives and Records agencies for suggestions to tweak the platform for improved data publishing and integration with other data sources.
Phase 1: data.gov.au platform – by end of April
- data.gov.au is being moved to the CKAN platform, which is used notably and very successfully by the UK Government to publish data and enable better public engagement with government. Finance has had discussions with the data.gov.uk team, as well as with open data experts around the world to ensure the data.gov.au refresh is based on global best practice, with a specific focus on the best quality data publishing possible. We will leverage the work of the UK team including the additional plugins they've developed. Thanks Toni and the data.gov.uk team! Also thanks to all the Australian Federal/State/Territory people who are working in this space for sharing your knowledge and experience!
- We will migrate all data from the current data.gov.au to the CKAN instance.
Phase 2: working with partnering agencies – over 12 months
- We will work with a small number of interested agencies to get their data published and automatically updating where possible.
- Additional agencies will be encouraged to use the platform, and to become partners of the initiative to get access to support services.
- Finance will support public hackathon events to encourage use of data.gov.au datasets, including GovHack 2013
Phase 3: improved reporting – 3-6 months
- We will put in place customised reporting of progress that takes into account useful metrics such as API access, hours saved in automated publishing per dataset, applications developed (where possible to find), and other stuff on which we will consult publicly.
Phase 4: data visualisation – 6-9 months
- We are considering putting in place some front end data visualisation services for people to mashup, visualise, analyse and interact with government datasets. We are considering a number of analysis and visualisation toolkits and would appreciate feedback from the community.
Phase 5: government apps register – 9-12 months
- We are considering enhancing the australia.gov.au mobile and apps page so that agencies and the public can more easily register mobiles applications and responsive web projects. In this way we can differentiate between government and non-government initiatives, people can rate and comment on mobile initiatives based on government data or services, and we can have a single place where people can find how to access government one their mobile devices. Something functionally similar to http://apps.usa.gov/
If you are interested in information about the CKAN API and other technical details, please see the CKAN documentation. Thanks all, and looking forward to reading your thoughts in the comments below, or feel free to get in touch with me pia.waugh at finance.gov.au. We'll try to report our progress on a monthly basis so you can see how we are going. Pia Waugh Director of Coordination and Gov 2.0 Technology and Procurement Division
Comments (6)
Posted by Alexander Sadleir on Wednesday 10th April, 2013
In terms of dataviz, and aside from the CKAN2 "Refine" data browser, there is also DataWrapper http://datawrapper.de/ which can provide a platform to combine datasets and publish the result as a graph. The work in this space should be focused on providing tools for a wider audience than statisticians though! http://gigaom.com/2013/04/07/we-need-a-data-democracy-not-a-benevolent-d... http://gigaom.com/2012/12/22/we-dont-need-more-data-scientists-just-simp...
Perhaps this phase of functionality is better described as "data exploration". For example, for any geographic polygon dataset a tool could let you put in an address/postcode and instantly see what data is there without downloading the data or having any GIS tools/experience.
CKAN includes an Apps repository plugin eg. http://data.gov.uk/apps This could be extended to differentiate between community and offical apps.
Posted by Zane on Thursday 11th April, 2013
Excellent post and thanks for the update. I am interested to see how the CKAN migration and API access will fit into the upcoming GovHack. With a consistent and continually updated data stream (APIs) I see more longevity in the potential GovHack applications.
Posted by simonfj on Thursday 11th April, 2013
Hey! What's this "under" John Sheridan? "with" pleease. John's going through what every NREN network manager has been learning for a decade = network architecture is transitioning from client/server to collaborator/cloud. He still hasn't addressed BYOD, BYOA(pp)and BYOC(content); as he says on his blog. But that's OK. His dutch equivilent could probably show him a thing or two.
Would you keep in mind that I'm trying to herd cats too; just between countries. I wouldn't mind involving .gov/edu.au in this one.
Looking at the platform (good choice) You've got it all in your head. I ended up here, trying figure out, as usual, how to aggregate conversations of working groups/task forces in different domains/archives. The hard part,from the comms side, is simply (ho, ho) changing the 'delivery' culture to be more inclusive. E.g. That cone-of-silence you're using for the agency brief could, with a few tweaks, be your TV station, and "connected classroom" for developers, et al. Just plug in some Google hangouts. stream and record. (I've mention it to them)
I'm trying, like you, to get the silos to BE SEEN to be collaborating. That's quite impossible until we have the 'higher ups' in gov.au agree on a strategy, which i can't find anywhere in gov.au,
So if you've got anything like this could you hang it on the govspace directory or maybe, considering you're taking the UK lead here, adopt/edit this one. Also NB.
P.S. Re: the courses. A quick overview, into to tools and join the community is the easiest way to go. People might not understand what you're doing. But they'll learn by imitation. I need ten Pia clones please:)
Posted by Bruce Armstrong on Thursday 25th April, 2013
In your presentation yesterday at the Intersect workshop on "Sharing Government Data: the Role of the Research Sector ..." in Sydney, you showed a slide of the draft Road Map. Is there any chance you can share it with us, or even just me?
Posted by Craig Thomler on Wednesday 1st May, 2013
This is good to see.
Please also note the Open Data Site Generations work I've done in my blog eGovAU. It might help influence thinking or culture change.
Posted by Mark on Wednesday 1st May, 2013
This is great news. I think the success of the new CKAN platform will be influenced by how much data you can get from other agencies to be automatically loaded and updated into the CKAN DataStore (as opposed to sitting in a un-useful csv blob, with timely updates dependent on constant vigilance).
Just out of curiosity, do you guys have any plans to mirror ABS data in your CKAN instance (using the ABS SDMX api to pull the data)? Could be a nice test case and might make the data more accessible due to the simplicity of CKAN's API compared to the mind boggling complexity of SDMX (at least for part-time hobbyists like myself!).
Last updated: 08 August 2016


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Decided: March 15, 1939.
HOME OWNERS' LOAN CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, PLAINTIFF-APPELLANT,v.ELIZABETH J. GRUNDY AND HENRY J. GRUNDY, HER HUSBAND, DEFENDANTS-RESPONDENTS
On appeal from a judgment of the Bergen County Circuit Court.
For the appellant, Emil M. Wulster.
For the respondents, Jerome J. Dunn.
Before Brogan, Chief Justice, and Justices Bodine and Heher.
The opinion of the court was delivered by
HEHER, J. Plaintiff-mortgagee sued upon its bond for the deficiency arising on the foreclosure of the mortgage. The foreclosure sale was had on March 3d, 1937; and the single question in issue was the "fair market value" of the security at that time. The plaintiff corporation was the purchaser of the mortgaged lands on a bid of $100.
The jury empaneled to try the issue returned a verdict of "no cause for action;" and plaintiff appeals from the consequent judgment. The verdict was necessarily predicated upon the finding that, at the date of sale, the "fair market value" of the mortgaged lands was at least the amount of the apparent deficiency, $10,823.
On July 9th, 1934, defendants made and delivered the bond and mortgage to plaintiff as security for the payment of a loan of $9,424.80. At the trial, plaintiff adduced from an expert in realty values evidence tending to show that, at the time of the foreclosure sale, the fair market value of the security was $7,000. Defendants introduced evidence of like character that the value was $8,500. Their witness had made realty appraisements for the plaintiff corporation; and he was also permitted to testify that the then "fair market value computed according to the formula" employed by plaintiff corporation in making such appraisements in the year 1934 was $10,709. This formula, so the witness testified, "was made up of three items: first, market value; second, capitalization of rental; and, third, replacement value. Those three items were added together and divided by three, and in this case the first item is $8,500, fair market value; capitalization of rental, $12,000. That was arrived at by an estimate of rental values over a period of ten years." He estimated the building "replacement value" at $10,972.50. It was calculated on a cubic foot basis of thirty-five cents, less depreciation of twenty per cent. The witness also expressed the view that the "fair market value" of the property in 1934 was $10,000.
In this situation, defendants called upon plaintiff to produce "an appraisal of the property in question made for" it by one Quinn, "sometime prior to July 9th, 1934;" and, upon its production, the paper was offered in evidence by defendants as "an admission against interest." Over the objection of plaintiff, it was admitted in evidence on the hypothesis that, "inasmuch as the mortgage was placed on the strength of an appraisal, * * * whatever is in the appraisal was ratified by the mortgagee * * * and, therefore, it would be binding." Therein Quinn certified, under date of March 9th, 1934, that the "present market price obtainable for property" was $12,000. The writing was labeled "Appraiser's Report;" and it contained the following injunction: "Appraisers are to regard this report as confidential. Applicant is not to be informed of any conclusions contained herein." Its admission in evidence is now assigned for error.
We deem the point to be well made.
Apart from the question of its relevancy on the inquiry as to the "fair market value" of the property on March 3d, 1937, the certification thus made by Quinn of his opinion of the "market price obtainable" on March 9th, 1934, was plainly hearsay, and therefore inadmissible. It is not classable as an admission against interest; nor does it fall into the category of a ratification of an agent's act binding upon the principal. Quinn's qualifications to form an expert judgment on the value of the mortgaged lands are not disclosed in his report; and it cannot be said with any show of reason that, by the mere procuring of his opinion as to the "market price obtainable" for the property, plaintiff vouched for his qualifications as an appraiser. For aught that appears, the statement of value thus embodied in his report did not induce the making of the mortgage loan; and there is no reason in principle why this "confidential" report, given under such circumstances, should be treated as an admission by plaintiff of the market price obtainable for the property at the time it was made.
This report, especially as regards the writer's view of the "market price obtainable" for the premises, does not fall within the common law classification of a record, return or report of a public nature, made under competent authority, in a matter of public interest, and therefore invested with such guaranty of trustworthiness as to warrant its introduction into evidence as prima facie proof of the matters embodied therein, notwithstanding the interdiction of the hearsay evidence rule. Keely v. Moore, 196 U.S. 38; 25 S. Ct. 169; 49 L. Ed. 376; United States v. Blackburn, 53 Fed. Rep. (2 d) 19; United States v. Cole, 45 Id. 339; Runk v. Ten Eyck, 24 N.J.L. 756; Sandel v. State, 126 S.C. 1; 119 S.E. Rep. 776; Commonwealth v. Slavski, 245 Mass. 405; 140 N.E. Rep. 465; Wigmore on Evidence (2 d ed.) §§ 1639 et seq., 1664, 1665, 1670-1672; Greenl. Evid., § 483; Jones Commentaries on Evidence (2 d ed.) §§ 1700 et seq.
And we are not advised of any statutory recognition of such report as an official document having probative force. This is certainly true of the statute authorizing the creation of the plaintiff corporation and defining its powers and duties. It was empowered, for a specified period since expired, "to acquire in exchange for bonds issued by it, home mortgages and other obligations and liens secured by real estate," and "in connection" therewith, "to make advances in cash to pay the taxes and assessments on the real estate, to provide for necessary maintenance and make necessary repairs," and so on, provided that "the face value of the bonds so exchanged plus accrued interest thereon and the cash so advanced" should "not exceed in any case $14,000, or eighty per centum of the value of the real estate as determined by an appraisal made by the corporation, whichever" should be "the smaller;" and also to make cash loans on the security of a mortgage on unencumbered property, provided that "no such loan" should "exceed fifty per centum of the value of the property securing the same as determined upon an appraisal made by the corporation." 12 U.S.C.A., § 1463.
Thus the appraisal was, by express statutory direction, required to be made by the plaintiff corporation itself. The individual appraiser's "report" was not conclusive of value, nor was it designed to render the opinion of value therein expressed evidential in an inquiry such as this; its office was to provide data that might or might not be accepted by the plaintiff corporation as ...
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Koreansk Mat authored by Byung-Hi and Byung-Soon Lim
A whole year has gone by, in many ways it feels like it was only yesterday we were there. Probably because we brought a big part of it back with us, The Korean BBQ. Five to be exact.
I LOVE Seoul. Not because it's pretty, cause it's not. Not because telling a taxi where to go is easy, cause it's not. But, because a sparkling toilet is never more than a few steps away and charge free. The subway rolls so smooth you don't have to hold on and the little junction jingle makes me smile every single time, Ding alling ding dong ting ting ting. The people couldn't be friendlier to their foreign guests. The novelty of everything is everywhere. The Dog Cafe and The Cat Cafe too. The over the top customer service makes you feel like King Trump on a good hair day and a tea latte is never further than across the way. But, the biggest because of all is the food.
Oh the lovely lovely food. Fresh and lovely food. The Korean's love their food and they love it fresh. Really fresh. It's spicy, meaty, fishy, tapas like yum. So if you ever feel like going on a culinary roller coaster head for South Korea and whatever you do don't miss the Hyundai grocery store experience.
The Man loves LOVES LOVES Korean BBQ so for his birthday I bought him yet another cook book. And this time he read it from cover to cover and started planning. Today he whipped up the best Korean BBQ we have had to date. We have been trying a variety of different marinade recipes with varying success. Mostly just so, so. Finally we have found the cookbook that delivers. We are both over the moon and ready to go hog wild with this collection of recipes. This cookbook is now on my list of must haves. Koreansk mat
The marinade recipes are incredibly easy and taste like home, I mean Seoul. All you need to do is head over to the nearest Biltema pick yourself up a table top gas burner, the camping kind, and then over to Naturkompaniet to buy the butan in the hairspray bottle. Oh and you would need a cast iron plate. Then over to City Gross and pick yourself up some brisket, ribs, beef steaks, thick bacon slices and a few other odds and ends at the local Asian store, kimchi, Korean bean dip, toasted sesame seeds… Okay the list is a bit long. But, really it is one of the most versatile and simple meals to throw together once you have the basic ingredients.
A Korean BBQ consists of a variety of meats most common being a paper thin brisket, marinated beef ribs and steaks along with the odd bacon slice and pork neck. On the side you will get a sesame dip and a spicy bean dip, kimchi, a variety of lettuce including my favorite sesame seed leaves, a bowl of spicy egg omelette, pickled Asian radish, marinated leek and my favorite of all pin mushrooms among other odds and ends.
Korean BBQ is an interactive experience. The meat gets put on the grill and browned on each side before you pick it up with a large set of tweezers and cut into bite size pieces with a pair of kitchen scissors letting the meat drop back onto the grill. With your chopsticks you grab a piece of meat dip into the sauce or sauces of choice and then wrap the meat in a piece of lettuce and shove it into your mouth.
Besides being really tasty it's also a lot of fun creating an easy going social atmosphere warmed up by the odd shot of Soju, Korean rice vodka.
Next up Bibimbap.


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There is a good argument which says that you shouldn't give 'Speakers of Pish' the oxygen of publicity.
But I disagree, and you won't be surprised to hear that.
Because regular readers will know that no Speaker of Pish has seized the oxygen of publicity and breathed quite as deeply as yours truly!
But I am not here to talk about me. Honest. It would be very boring indeed.
No, I am here to talk about the latest outburst from Adrian Durham.
Celtic fans can't wait for Rangers to return to the Scottish Premiership… their world has become meaningless without them
I think it is worthy of note that such frothing nonsense as his latest Daily Mail piece is presented as serious commentary in a mainstream publication. Because it causes you to think about the motivation, processes and editorial decisions that bring us the 'news' every day.
And getting to grips with those issues takes you some way down the track towards understanding what makes our society tick. And for all I laugh at the media portrayal of all things Sevco, the deeper interest for me is in the wider issues it raises about the things we are told, and why we are told them.
Let's face it, if you live in a liberal democracy and newspapers can blithely do something like proclaim the death of a football club on their front pages and then change their minds, then that's extremely interesting for all sorts of reasons!
Why wouldn't you be interested in that?
But back to the Pish of the Day…
Mr Durham's piece is a pretty unstructured blast at Celtic and its fans, suggesting that they really miss Rangers (RIP), and using phraseology truly worthy of an excitable phone-in host.
It trashes everything Celtic has achieved since 2012, offering not a hint of credit for any on-pitch achievements or for the long-term sustainable operation which saw it survive the demise of its "closest neighbour". A demise which was entirely self inflicted (a point which Mr Durham completely avoids).
The piece is without context or coherent argument. It simply takes a swipe at Celtic and its fans seemingly because the author has a platform to do so.
It presumes to know how we feel about the Ibrox club that went to the wall stiffing hundreds of creditors and having broken many rules.
It asserts
"Some Celtic fans have devoted their life to hating Rangers – they still try to claim the side currently top of the Scottish Championship isn't actually Rangers – they say it's a new club formed after summer 2012, and they are campaigning feverishly for Rangers to be stripped of their titles.
These aren't fans of football – these are people so worried about the decline of their own team, they have to seek new ways to deny history and put down the only club that can knock them off their rather meaningless perch in Scotland."
Miaow! It doesn't seem to occur to Mr Durham that some of us might simply have a rational concern that the sport we pay into might have been effectively rigged for a decade, and we would like that investigated. Properly. And with appropriate sanctions being on the table for use if guilt is established.
But I guess Mr Durham is unlikely to appreciate this point of view if his starting is that
"Scottish football put itself in the wilderness with its ridiculous punishment of Rangers three and a half years ago."
…and if he holds the view that
"When Rangers were around, Celtic knew they had to stick together to have the best chance of being successful. Without Rangers pushing them, Celtic have become a mess."
So where are Rangers, Mr Durham? And what exactly would have been the benefit to Celtic of chaining themselves to its corpse as it sank into the smoothly-puréed depths of liquidation?
And what about the other clubs in Scotland, Mr Durham? As far as I am concerned the game is all about them too. Today's Scottish Cup draw demonstrated this in spades. By far the most exciting Fourth Round tie was Hearts against Aberdeen, and I am really looking forward to it, despite being a fan of neither.
Two of our top teams – with great history and tradition – squaring off in a winner-takes-all encounter far earlier in the competition than either would like.
What's not to like?
And as for Celtic? Well, Celtic are by no means in perfect shape, and their European performances have been woeful of late. But they are stable, solvent, and are reaping the benefits of long-term sustainability by winning some (but not all) domestic trophies against other clubs who are living within their means. That is something to be proud of.
Finally, I would like to answer a question which Mr Durham poses of Celtic.
Q: "What kind of club gets knocked out of Europe twice before December?"
A: "Ally McCoist's Rangers, less than a year before they were liquidated".
Cheers Adrian!


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Before Jim Larkin started working on the unions in Ireland, there was very little chance for the people who were in the country to be treated fairly. This was a problem that he saw a lot of and something that he worked hard to be able to fix.
He wanted to make sure that things could get better for people who were in different situations and that was a huge part of the reason that he started the unions and why he consistently fought to make sure that things were going to be able to work out for the people who were doing different things.
When Jim Larkin was working on the docks in Liverpool, he did not see a lot of chances that people had to get better. He saw problems with this and wanted to make sure that things would get better for people so he encouraged the idea of a union in the docks and that was something that eventually came to fruition so that people would be able to enjoy everything that there was to offer in the jobs that they had even if they were not in the best position or had the best education.
While the world war was raging on, Jim Larkin was doing what he could to fight the powers of the country that he was a part of. He wanted to make things better for people and didn't want them to have to go to war with a country that was not even their own.
He did what he could to show Ireland that they didn't need to worry about the world war or helping places like the United States. He even went as far as going to the United States to protest the war and get people to join in on his mission.
Since he was in the United States and he was acting as an aggressive socialist, he got in trouble for the things that he was doing. He was charged, but later pardoned for the crimes that he committed and he was then deported back to Ireland so that he would be able to go back to his own country.
It was a change and something that he would have to deal with for many years to come so that he would be able to make the right type of changes to his life.
Overall, Jim Larkin was a great leader and someone who set up the changes for the unions around the world. He tried very hard to make sure that he was doing things the right way and that was a reason that he had to make things better on his own.
It was also something that made it easier for him to make sense of the way that workers were treated. He was able to learn more and handle more opportunities in his own career thanks to the experience that he had working for and fighting with the union to make things better for people.
Learn more about Jim Larkin:


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Review of Craig S. Keener, The Historical Jesus of the Gospels, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009, xxxviii + 831 pages, hardback.
Like many of Craig Keener's books, this one is thick and generously notated. It is academic though accessible. Keener writes very clearly and with commendable charity to those with whom he disagrees. He always keeps the reader's interest. In fact, even his many endnotes, all 210 pages of them (!), are often interesting.
I had wanted to give this work a longer treatment, but time will not allow it. But I hope these remarks will service readers with a good representation of what they will find in the work.
The book is divided as follows:
I. Disparate Views about Jesus
II. The Character of the Gospels
III. What We Learn about Jesus from the Best Sources
Nine Appendices
Bibliography and Indices
1. Overall Impressions
This is undoubtedly one of the best, if not the best book on the subject of the Historical Jesus that I have read. Keener's knowledge of the ancient Mediterranean world enhances (rather than obscures) his interaction with the Gospels themselves. He presents a full, compelling portrait of Jesus as a real Jewish eschatological figure, while civilly dialoging with a spectrum of Jesus scholarship.
2. Survey of Contents
In the first section, "Disparate View about Jesus," the writer rehearses many of the varied "Jesus" Books that have appeared over the years. He believes J. D. Crossan's "Jesus as Cynic Peasant" never existed (22). And he has even less time for the "Cynic Jesus" of Burton Mack's imagination. Declaring that it was the "doggish" lifestyle of the Cynic which as much as anything else identified one (24), the author notes that if Jesus was a Jewish cynic Sage, "he is the only one we know about." (19).
In chapter 3 on "Jesus and Judaism" he interacts with three chosen theses of M. Borg, G. Vermes, and E. P. Sanders (his former mentor), before moving on in the next chapter to discuss "Other Gospels." Keener shows why these alternative "gospels" are late inventions which never competed at the same level as the four canonical Gospels (e.g. 50).
Keener starts off Section II, "The Character of the Gospels," by agreeing with the likes of R. Burridge and L. Hurtado that the Gospels ought to be viewed as ancient biographies, though with certain unique features (Ch. 5), and he provides an enlightening discussion of ancient and modern biography.
The historical credibility of Luke-Acts is treated next, alongside ancient historiography (e.g. Polybius). Keener continues this theme in chapter 7, "Ancient Historiography as History," and shows how the better historians were very concerned with accuracy; for example, by seeking out eyewitness accounts (Cf. the work of Richard Bauckham). Although the historian saw himself as more than a mere reporter of bare facts (Ch. 8), this did not mean they deliberately wrote down historical falsehoods. True, "Rhetoricians were permitted to "adjust stories" to provide cohesiveness to their narrative" (111 – especially where speeches were concerned, [110]), but Luke avoids the standard rhetorical embellishments of those who wrote for cultured audiences. His purposes were different. Yes, he had an agenda. But, as Keener says, admitting to an agenda does not automatically make someone an unreliable witness.
From there he turns to examine source materials. His [fairly cautious] acceptance of 'Q' forces him to see the Sermon on the Mount as not being one actual speech (134). However, an illuminating chapter (Ch. 10) on oral transmission and memory retention gets things back on track. There is much helpful background material here, including some informative data on the practice of ancient "Note-Taking" (148-149).
It might be of interest to note just here that by the close of Section II the careful reader will have poured over 88 pages of endnotes! These notes should not be skipped, as they often supplement the matter in the body of the book.
Then we move into Section III, "What We Learn about Jesus from the Best Sources." The section kicks off with two short chapters: one on "John the Baptist," and another on Jesus' Galilean surroundings. Chapter 13 is about "Jesus the Teacher." Keener notices that "few if any other teachers sometimes prefaced their words with 'Amen [Truly], I tell you.'" (187). In this chapter the author concentrates on the Parables.
Chapter 14 focuses on Jesus teaching on the kingdom; a theme to which "virtually every stratum of Gospel tradition testifies." (196). Keener sees the kingdom as entailing an anticipated eschatological actuality. The Jews did not view the kingdom simply in terms of "God's mystical presence…for the present time; they were praying for God's future reign to come." (198. see also 208f., 246, 253-254). Jesus' "Son of Man" sayings ought to be seen in this light (200-201).
Every chapter, especially in this middle section, is worthy of patient study. I particularly liked how the author connected earlier material from the first part of his book in his chapter on "Jesus the Prophet." Throughout Keener draws our attention to the persistent eschatological tenor of the Lord's teaching. Because of his adoption of 'Q' he carefully weaves what he believes to be its early testimony into his presentation (e.g. Ch. 19). He is constantly demonstrating the plausibility of the Gospels' Jesus against His first century Jewish background. His long chapter entitled "Confronting and Provoking the Elite" for example, skillfully brings together the biblical witness with Second Temple scholarship to move the story along. Throughout the book, but notably so in the last quarter, the author refers to the 'Criterion of Embarrassment' to ground the plausibility of the inspired accounts (e.g., 308-309, 318, 324, 331).
In handling the data of the trial and execution of Jesus the writer quickly dispatches the silly, naive resuscitation myths devised by some popular infidels. Of the certainty of death by crucifixion he states that, "we know of no first century exemptions to that fate." (323). Similarly, he regards B. Mack's thesis about sources for "resurrection myths" as "historically incredible" (332).
In rejecting the modern site of the "Garden Tomb" the author sides with the increasing scholarly consensus. So too with the site of Golgotha; preferring somewhere at or near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (327-328).
In his assessment of "The Resurrection" (Ch. 22), Keener informs us that he will not endeavor to explore the "philosophic questions regarding supernatural causation." He sticks to his method, noticing among other things that the concept of bodily resurrection would have been virtually unintelligible to most Mediterranean people (344).
He does a good, quick job of refuting common so-called ancient parallels to the resurrection (e.g. Apollonius of Tyana; Mystery Cults; Osiris; Hercules, Adonis, etc.), explaining that "the Christian teaching is distinctly Jewish in its origin (338). when addressing the topic of "The Missing Body" he says that there is no known instance of the theft of corpses around Jerusalem (341).
3. A Few More Things
The Historical Jesus of the Gospels is an outstanding contribution to the field. It is elegantly written, and despite its length there is no wastage of words. Throughout his argument Keener is open about his own biases, even as he exposes the biases in the less conservative academics with whom he chooses to interact (e.g. Chs. 2 & 3, 126, 306, Appendix 8).
I would have liked to see more interaction with the work of N. T. Wright and perhaps Darrell Bock, and I wish the author had chosen to critique a Crossan or a Borg to the same extent that he did with B. Mack, but you can't do everything.
There were some pointers to his forthcoming companion book on "Miracles" (just released). Also some tantalizing mentions of a massive three volume commentary on Acts which is in the wings! We shall have to be patient.
For the present Craig Keener has given us this terrific study to tide us over. I strongly recommend that you add it to your reading list.


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The ombre effect is definitely a popular trend.
This project can be done on t-shirts, shorts, skirts, cardigans, etc.
Thanks to Cotton and Curls this is a great way to re-use old clothes and fabrics.
Well hope you have fun.
I'll be having alot of brief posts for this next little while.


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The Earth Path: Grounding Your Spirit in the Rhythms of Nature
Publisher: HarperOneFormat: Paperback
America's most renowned witch and eco-feminist offers a sequel to her bestselling classic The Spiral Dance, weaving together the latest findings in environmental science with magical spells, chants, meditations and group exercises to create the ultimate primer on our relationship to the earth.From the earliest times, respecting our interdependent relationship with nature has been the first step toward spirituality. Earth, air, fire and water are the four elements worshiped in many indigenous cultures and celebrated in earth-based spiritualities such as Wicca. In The Earth Path, America's best-known witch offers readers a primer on how to open our eyes to the world around us, respect nature's delicate balance, and draw upon its tremendous powers.Filled with inspiring meditations, chants, and blessings, it offers healing for the spirit in a stressed world and helps readers find their own sources of strength and renewal.Will appeal to Starhawk's traditional Pagan, New Age, and feminist readership.Young women newly interested in magic and witchcraft.A new and growing generation of those involved in ecology
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Measuring Progress in Safe Motherhood Programmes: Uses and Limitations of Health Outcome Indicators
There is great demand to show that progress is being made as a result of Safe Motherhood programmes to reduce maternal mortality. However, while maternal mortality indicators are intuitive and appealing, they are costly to measure precisely. Measures of maternal morbidity are also problematic. This paper examines the scope for using health outcome indicators for measurement, and the use of both experimental and descriptive study designs. Women's perceptions of obstetric morbidity can be measured using population-based interviews, but they agree poorly with biomedical diagnoses. Underlying (chronic) maternal morbidity, but not direct obstetric morbidity, can be measured via relatively expensive health-examination surveys. Facility-based information on maternal morbidity is a promising alternative to population-based interviews. The impracticality of using health outcome indicators leaves process indicators as the alternative in most settings, possibly supplemented by facility-based data on health outcomes. Considerably more work on process indicators, and documentation of that work, is needed. Study design is a key factor in determining whether change can be attributed to a Safe Motherhood programme intervention. Experimental approaches are definitive, but difficult and costly; hence, descriptive approaches are more likely to be used. Descriptive designs require the use of many process indicators, not just a few global ones, to build a convincing case that change is due to programme interventions. Better record-keeping and more critical use of data are recommended.
Anon. Measuring Progress in Safe Motherhood Programmes: Uses and Limitations of Health Outcome Indicators. In: Berer, M.; Sundari Ravindran, T.K. (Eds), Safe Motherhood Initiatives: Critical Issues. Blackwell Science Limited for Reproductive Health Matters, (1999) 31-42. ISBN 0 9531210 1 1
Measuring Progress in Safe Motherhood Programmes: Uses and Limitations of Health Outcome Indicators


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Every Sunday starting around 4pm, the main street of the "Old city" in Chiang Mai (Th Ratchadamnoen) is closed to vehicles and a huge market is set up extending the entire length up to Wat Phra Singh until midnight.
Anything can be found in there, from clothing to music, souvenirs, hill-tribe products and of course.. Street Food!
I always notice this little girl in hill-tribe costume (I think from the Hmong tribe if not mistaken) dancing on the Sunday market as well as the Saturday walking market, since February!
It saddens me to see poor or visually impaired people and especially children being used for begging or tourist traps. Those young girls have their childhood stolen from them to be able to attract money and it can be felt in their sad eyes.
Unfortunately it's the same in most countries of the world.


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Category Archives: Meeting Roles
Be Prepared!
Have you been tapped for a contributing role at the next meeting? Are you scheduled to give a prepared speech? Why spend the last few minutes frantically scrambling to get your role description or — even worse — write your … Continue reading
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Personal Budgets and Direct Payments
A personal budget is an amount of money identified by a local authority or an NHS body to deliver agreed provision. Its purpose is to give disabled children and young people and their families more choice and control over how their needs are met. A personal budget shows you what money is available to your child. You may be able to receive some or all of this money as a direct payment (cash payment) to buy and manage services yourself.
If your child has an EHC plan, then you have the right to request a Personal Budget. A Personal Budget allows you to control some of the money allocated to your child for the support set out in their EHC Plan. More information
If your child has been assessed as needing a social care service (e.g. short breaks), you have the right to request a direct payment instead. You can then use the money to make your own arrangements, for example by employing a carer/personal assistant to look after your disabled child in your home. To request a direct payment, speak to your social worker or contact the Children With Disabilities team.
If your child is eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare, they have the right to have a personal health budget. CCGs also have the power to offer personal health budgets to other groups of patients if they think they will benefit.
If you are a working parent of a disabled child or young person, you may be able to to get direct payments to cover the additionality element of childcare. Click here to download a leaflet about Direct Payments for childcare.
If you need help with recruiting a Personal Assistant (PA):
- Disability Sheffield run a PA register. The website aims to bring together PAs looking for work, and people looking for PAs. For a small fee, you can search a database of PA profiles available for work in your area and post your own advert.
- Sheffield's Local Offer website also has several PA listings. To see them, enter "Personal Assistant" into the "Keyword(s)" box.
- ibk initiatives can help you recruit, train and supervise PAs. They also offer payroll services.


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and open to Her Wisdom."
16th Day of the 10th Lunar Cycle
Ruled by Gaia
Lunar Tree Cycle of Muin/Vine
22nd Day of the Celtic Tree
Month of Muin/Vine
Moon Phase: Full - 5:17AM EDST
Moon sets: 7:24AM EDST
Moon rises: 7:02PM EDST
Moon in Pisces v/c 1:52AM EDST
Moon enters the Cardinal Fire
Sign of Aries at 4:47AM EDST
Rhiannon's Cycle of the Moon
Lunar Meditation: The alchemy
of Autumn
Sun in Libra
Sunrise: 7:08AM EDST
Sunset: 7:17PM EDST
Solar Question for the Day. "How
is truth served in your life?"
Lughnasadh (Gwyl Awst) Quarter
of the Year
September 23rd., 2010
FULL MOON - Keywords for the Full phase are: fulfillment, illumination, realization, and experience. It is the time in a lunar cycle that you are given a clear view so that you can make adjustments to put your back on track to manifesting the goals you set at the new phase. Go to a public place. Do something with a friend. LISTEN. Receive awareness. Understand others. She opens and blossoms during the Full Moon into the FLOWER, with the desire to share her beauty with others. Those who are born during the full enjoy companionship and partnership and desire to merge deeply. Fulfillment and illumination are their goals. The full moon rises at sunset and sets at sunrise. Astrologically, the Sun and Moon are in "opposition "(i.e. opposite each other in the sky and in opposite signs of the zodiac). She is visible from moonrise to moonset.
MOON IN ARIES - the moon in this transit asks us to wake up and remember who we truly are, even if it bothers those we love and work for. Tempers, tears and passions run hot. Remember that using the garden as metaphor for any projects you want to nourish - this is a great time for digging beds (laying out the groundwork), moving boulders (moving things that are in way of your work on your goals), weeding or pest removal (getting rid of those things that are holding you back on your projects), but put a hold on planting (don't be impulsive). Those who are born in the sign of Aries search for fire, fierce independence and their own voice. They may need to learn patience and cooperation. They can appreciate our fire. The Moon in Aries is a time of new beginnings, intense activity, pioneering in any field, reaching out with emotional surges, impulsiveness. This moon is the great tester of limits. When the moon is in Aries, you may want to depend on yourself, as there is also a certain amount of ego involvement. You might feel impatient now or want to initiate new things.
Aries Moon is based on impulsiveness and acting on feelings of the moment, rather than the result of reason. Sometimes snap decisions are made - later to be regretted.
Libra is an Air sign, relating to the world of thought, ideas, communication and humanity. It is also a Cardinal sign bringing eagerness, initiative, action and impatience.
Librans are generally self-expressive, communicative, mentally alert and extrovert. They tend to be charming, easy-going, diplomatic and compromising. They are happiest in harmonious company, preferring to conform and to avoid conflict and dissension. Librans are typified by the scales; they like to weigh things in the balance. They are intelligent and capable of seeing all sides of an issue, however, this can lead to indecisiveness, and sometimes to misunderstandings through doing what they think others expect. Librans enjoy bringing people together and often have a strong artistic or creative streak. They are acutely perceptive about those they love and are often forgiving of faults, whether, real or perceived. They tend to bottle up their feelings for fear of 'upsetting the balance.' On the negative side they can lack self-confidence, be fault-finding, indecisive, frivolous and shallow.
While the Sun is n their sign, Librans should be particularly wary of their tendency to compare both themselves and others to some kind of ideal, as this is bound to lead to disappointment. It is a good time for them to express themselves artistically. Those of other signs will also find this is a good time for artistic endeavors, social activities and for considering decisions which involve many positive and negative components.
[From: Kate West's "The Real Witches' Year"]
Origin: ceremonial-magic.blogspot.com


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Message from the President-CEO
New Developments in the Sector
Save the Date: CCIC Annual Conference
May 12-14, 2015
Palais des Congres, Gatineau, Quebec
For more information, please contact Michelle Bested
Biannual APG Meeting
April 15-16
CCIC offices
Ottawa, Ontario
NPSIA-CCIC Workshop: Harnessing Development Data
March 31, 2015
Venue TBC
For more information, please contact Aniket Bhushan, Shannon Kindornay, Fraser Reilly-King.
Book Launch (Montreal): « Rethinking Canadian Aid »
February 26, 2015
Montreal, Quebec
International Womens' Day 2015 - Ottawa
March 5, 2015
Library and Archives Canada Auditorium
Ottawa, Ontario
2015 Bell Lecture – Economic Literacy: Getting Past 'Supply and Demand' with Jim Stanford, Economist
March 9, 2015
Ottawa, Ontario
Evaluating Open Aid: Cui Bono?
March 10, 2015
Ottawa, Ontario
Les rapports de pouvoir dans les relations inter-organisationnelles en coopération internationale : histoire des acquis, risques et défis dans le contexte canadien actuel
March 19, 2015
Montreal, Quebec
World Social Forum 2015
March 24-28, 2015
Tunis, Tunisia
3rd International Open Data Conference
May 28-29, 2015
Ottawa, Ontario
CASID Annual Conference 2015 - Call for Papers /Panel Proposals
June 3-5, 2015
Ottawa, Ontario
In 2015, Canadians can do better on the global scene
February 5, 2015
As we prepare to celebrate international women's day 2015 in early March, it is befitting to reflect back on the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on Women's Rights and Gender Equality – when 189 governments and 30,000 women activists met in 1995 at the Fourth World Conference on Women to agree on a blueprint for advancing women's rights. How far have we come over the 20 years since this historic moment? What has been achieved? What gaps and challenges still remain? Have we backtracked on any fronts? How do we mobilize support to move this global agenda forward?
In short, though we have come a long way on many fronts, there still remains a lot to be done. Thanks in large part to the tireless struggle of women's organizations and their allies, huge strides towards equality have been taken, especially in terms of girls' education and maternal mortality. However, many hard-won gains for women are being threatened and eroded by fundamentalisms, austerity measures, climate change, and growing economic inequality.
Women still represent 70% of the world's poor. Spending on gender in international development remains low, and has been declining since 2009. In 2013, only 3% of all aid dollars globally went to projects primarily aimed at advancing gender equality. Women's organizations, and institutions such as UN Women, receive less than 0.3% of all official development assistance.
Historically, Canada has been a global leader in the field of gender equality, but our commitment appears to have waned. Only 1-2% of Canada's aid budget has been allocated to programs that are specifically designed at advancing gender equality and women's empowerment over the past 5 years, which is below the OECD donor average. Canada also has the greatest percentage of "gender blind" spending among the world's top 10 humanitarian donors. In 2013, less than 1% of Canadian humanitarian funds specifically addressed gender issues, such as projects that respond to sexual violence in conflict.
In Canada, the lives of many women have improved, but inequality remains. While more women than ever graduate from university, enter new professions and run for public office, access to political leadership, economic opportunities and job security have seen less progress. Women earn 19% less than their male peers for the same work, are more likely to be poor, and do twice as much unpaid work at home. And violence against women remains unchecked. Since 1980, more than 1,000 Aboriginal women and girls have been murdered or gone missing, and each day more than 8,000 women and children seek protection in shelters.
That is why we have two ongoing campaigns in the international development sector that place emphasis on these important questions and issues: the We Can Do Better 2015 and the Up for Debate campaigns. The Up for Debate Campaign, which was launched in the fall, is backed by an alliance of close to a hundred and forty groups working on women's rights issue in Canada and internationally. The campaign is focused on raising awareness about women's rights in the lead up to the 2015 federal election. Up for Debate calls on all political parties to commit to a federal leaders' debate on issues identified by women – the first in 30 years - and to make meaningful commitments to change women's lives for the better, at home and abroad by ending violence against women, ending women's economic inequality and supporting women's leadership and organizations. Supporters are asked to send party leaders a clear message for International Women's day by signing a petition calling on them to participate in a national debate on women's issues before the next election. Thomas Mulcair and Elizabeth May have already agreed to participate in such a debate!
We Can Do Better 2015 is a multi-faceted campaign of the international development sector in Canada focused on greater Canadian leadership on the global scene, and more specifically around combating inequality, promoting women's rights and gender equality, and stopping climate change. Our social media tools were launched in February, and our full website will be launched in March. For International women's day we invite you to "express yourselfie" by posting a message with your picture on our Facebook or Twitter pages, telling us how you think we can do better in 2015 on women's rights in Canada and abroad.
When global leaders meet in the fall of 2015 at the UN General Assembly to approve the new Sustainable Development Goals, Canada can build on its leadership around Maternal Newborn and Child Health and the pioneering work it has done on gender equality over the years. We can advocate for a more holistic approach to protecting and promoting all women's rights and freedoms, and call on the international community to fill critical funding gaps. And we must, of course, lead by example to make this happen. We can do better in 2015!
In solidarity,
Do you have any reactions to this column? I'd like to hear from you! Please send any comments to Julia Sanchez.
2015 is going to be a big year for the international community and here in Canada: the UN General Assembly will adopt a new agenda for development, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Canadians will be called to participate in a federal election. The timing is good to reflect on what kind of leadership we want from Canada -and Canadians- in the world and at home, so that we can address some of the most pressing issues of our times. CCIC and its members have launched on February 5 the "We Can Do Better 2015" campaign, asking Canada to play a positive role in tackling inequality and human rights, climate change and environmental sustainability, and in promoting women's rights and gender equality. Hundreds of people are already active on social media to share their wish and suggestions on how we can do better! Join the movement by following the campaign on Facebook and Twitter, and by letting your MP know that you care about these issues! The website of the campaign will go live the second week of March and will provide tools and resources on how to get involved.
On February 5, at a breakfast event that formed part of CCIC's Leaders' Forum, the Honorable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and for La Francophonie, announced the launch of the "International Development and Humanitarian Assistance Civil Society Partnership Policy." The announcement was met with resounding applause from the 100 leaders from Canada's top international development and humanitarian organizations gathered at the Forum. Highlights of the policy include the following: the recognition that civil society organizations (CSOs) are development actors in their own right with diverse roles and needs; the acknowledgment of the Istanbul Principles for CSO Development Effectiveness and humanitarian principles as the core principles that guide CSO work in development and humanitarian response; the commitment to establish diverse and predictable funding for CSOs, and to support public engagement; and the reaffirmation of the fundamental role that governments play in guaranteeing an enabling environment – in particular freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly - for CSOs in developing countries. The government has also agreed to review the policy with CSOs on an annual basis - essential to ensure its successful implementation. In the coming months, CCIC will be releasing a set of indicative milestones that will interpret how it envisages the policy being implemented.
At the same event, Minister Christian Paradis also announced the establishment of an Advisory Council, a multi-stakeholder platform that will bring together representatives from civil society, the private sector and academia to advise the Minister on key development issues, including strategic directions and priorities, on the implications of the latest development research and practice for Canada's development policy and programming, and on how to best engage Canadians on international development issues. "Dialogue is one of the three key pillars of an enabling environment for civil society groups to realize their full contribution to society", said Julia Sanchez, President-CEO of CCIC. "We are very encouraged to see the commitment to institutionalize regular, predictable, and transparent policy dialogue with the sector – in particular today's announcement of a new Advisory Council. Civil society groups have a lot to contribute given the depth and breadth of our experience on the ground. We look forward to seeing the Council take shape in the coming months." CCIC is planning to submit to the government some ideas, drawn from best practice, that could guide the establishment and functioning of the Advisory Council.
February is typically known as the month of love...and for the second year, CCIC is reaching out to its supporters, fans, friends and followers, asking them to support the work of the organization by a financial contribution. As you may know, CCIC has been functioning for the past four years with a smaller but dynamic team, and relying mostly on generous member contributions -as well as a research grant from the International Development Research Centre- to carry on its works and diverse activities. In order to be sustainable, the organization needs to diversify and increase its donor base. If you like and appreciate the work that we do, show your love by making a donation! CCIC's team is thanking you in advance for your support.
Preparations for the International Cooperation Days 2015: Universal Goals, Canadian Challenges conference are underway! Taking place at the Palais des Congres in Gatineau, Quebec May 12-14th, this conference will provide a unique opportunity to bring together voices from across our sector to engage in critical discussions and share important insights, ideas and experiences. High level keynote speakers, workshops and networking opportunities await! More details to come shortly! We look forward to seeing you there!
This workshop is organized by the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and CCIC.The goal of this interactive workshop is to determine where and how Canadian stakeholders, in particular representatives from Canadian civil society organizations (CSOs), are currently working with international development data, and where they would like to go next. It will be kicked-off by a panel discussing and illustrating what their respective organizations have been doing in terms of engaging with open aid data and development data more broadly. NPSIA will showcase how the (re-developed) www.cidpnsi.ca is leveraging open aid data, and CCIC will showcase what their sister organization, InterAction, is doing through its NGO Aid Map as a potential model for updating CCIC's own "Who's who Directory". The event will take place on March 31st (venue to be confirmed). For more information, you may contact Aniket Bhushan, Shannon Kindornay, or Fraser Reilly-King.
Good news for the international development sector, both at home and abroad: six months after having to close its doors because of funding cuts, the new board of the North-South Institute has announced on February 20 the revival of the institute, thanks to a special agreement with the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA), at Carleton University. The NSI will be located at NPSIA with provisions for maintaining its independence while building on the complementarities, so that both organizations will become more effective in advancing their missions. The NSI's mission will remain the same. Since its founding in 1976, the NSI has operated under the banner of "Research for a Fairer World". As its plans for revival consolidate, the NSI will return to its research work as the basis for analyzing economic, social and political implications of global change in order to provide Canadians and others with advice on policy alternatives to promote global development and justice.
On February 2nd Elissa Golberg began her role as Assistant Deputy Minister for Partnership for Development Innovation, previously held by Paul Samson. Most recently Elissa served as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations and Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. CCIC was thrilled to formally welcome Elissa at its recent Leaders' Forum Breakfast with Minister Paradis and looks forward to working closely together.
CCIC's Americas Policy Group wrote a letter to four MPs and Senators traveling to Colombia in February as members of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas. APG shared concerns from its partners on the ground, and urged Canadian officials to bring them up with their Colombian counterparts. Concerns included death threats against human rights defenders, the emergency situation for indigenous peoples, the land restitution process, the deepening of the peace process, and the connections between trade, investment and human rights abuses.
The APG penned an op-ed in Embassy upon hearing of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to delay the North American Leaders' Summit, originally set to occur in Ottawa this month. Postponement of the Summit allows Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto to avoid a forum in which he could be questioned about the human rights crisis that is rocking his administration. On Sept. 26, 2014, six students from Ayotzinapa were killed, and 43 were forcibly disappeared. This event and the bungled investigation that has followed illustrate disturbing levels of collusion between elected officials, public security forces and organized crime in Mexico.
Following a members meeting held in January, the APWG decided to increase its support towards country-specific discussion groups. Thus it recently created sub-groups on Afghanistan, Indonesia and the Philippines. These sub-groups are led by members and supported by the coordinator. They are spaces meant to allow members to share information, organize learning activities, and engage in policy discussions on specific countries. Additional country groups may be created in the future based on the interest of members. For more information, contact Denis Côté (coordinator of th APWG).
The Huffington Post Canada will soon host a new blog on international development and other global issues, in partnership with CCIC. This new blog called "Development Unplugged" is meant to replace, and build on the success of, the previous blog on Aid and Development that ran in the Ottawa Citizen from March 2013 to June 2014. The blog will provide a virtual space where practitioners, researchers, and academics can share commentary, reflections and lessons learned. It aims to be a platform for cutting edge thinking and debate on the global issues and challenges of our time. The blog will be launched late February/early March. For more information and if you would like to submit an article, please contact Chantal Havard.
The implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, which are expected to be adopted at a UN Summit in September 2015, will require substantial financing. And so the discussions regarding the means of implementation of the post-2015 development agenda have started in anticipation of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD3), which will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in July 2015. The first drafting session of the Conference outcome document was held on 27-29 January and led to discussions between UN member states of an "Elements Paper" circulated by the co-facilitators. The feedback received will inform the zero draft that is expected to be released by the end of February. Two more drafting sessions will be held in April and June, leading up to the Conference in July.
(To advance its policy agenda, support existing networks and have a greater impact, CCIC is involved in many coalitions. Each month we will be featuring one of them in Flash! so that you can get involved with them too.)
Common Frontiers is a Working Group of 13 organizational members (labour, human rights, environmental, church, development and economic and social justice organizations) from across Canada. As a coalition, Common Frontiers confronts, and proposes an alternative to, the social, environmental and economic effects of economic integration in the Americas. It does this in three ways : by challenging, through education and popular mobilization, the interests dominant powers to take advantage of the current economic crisis; by working with popular movements in the Americas to stop bi-lateral and multi-lateral 'free trade' agreements, all the while developing peoples' alternatives with respect to trade, decent jobs, climate change, and resource extraction; and by collaborating with like-minded coalitions/ networks in Canada to counter the Canadian Government's neo-liberal agenda for the Americas; and finally, by supporting the Hemispheric Social Alliance and its initiatives for social, economic, cultural and environmental change in the Americas. In North America, it works actively with the Mexican Action Network on Free Trade (RMALC), Mexico and the US Alliance for Responsible Trade (ART). It is also the Canadian representative in the Hemispheric Social Alliance. CCIC participates in Common Frontiers through its Americas Policy Group. The two networks have recently worked together on issues related to trade, investment and human rights in Colombia and Honduras.
This month, CCIC met with Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada. Alex talked about why advancing women's rights is crucial to Amnesty International Canada's work, described their current campaign Stop Torture, and shared Amnesty's view of the role of universality in the pursuit of social justice and human rights... among other things!
CCIC: As you know 2015 is a landmark year for women's rights and gender equality with the twentieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. We will also be celebrating International Women's Day on March 8th. How important is prioritizing and advancing women's rights to Amnesty International Canada's work?
Work to promote the protection of women's human rights is a central priority for Amnesty International in Canada and around the world, and has been for many years. That is reflective of the disgraceful fact that across the globe the full range of women's and girls' rights are gravely and cavalierly violated with astonishing frequency, distressing breadth and total impunity, every single day. Amnesty International has, in fact, prioritized this work over the past ten years through two major global campaigns, a previous campaign to Stop Violence against Women and the current My Body, My Rights campaign focused on upholding sexual and reproductive rights. Among the many ways that we take up the struggle for women's human rights, one very important area of work for us is to do everything we can to ensure the safety of women's human rights defenders, who strive to expose, campaign against, and mobilize in the face of violations of the rights of women and girls locally, nationally and internationally. Human rights defenders face challenges and perils in their work in countries around the world. The challenges and perils for women and girls defending human rights are almost always that much greater...
Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, in partnership with the Canadian Public Health Association, took the lead on this year's Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Week (SRH Week). This year's campaign took place from February 9th to 13th and built on the 2013 and 2014 theme Heart Your Parts. A new online sexual health information hub was also launched. The hub includes information that ranges from preventing unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections to consent and caring for yourself and your relationships, among other sexual health related topics.
Amnesty launched a petition asking His Excellency Naif Bandir A. Alsudairy, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia, to drop all charges against Raif Badawi, and release him without delay or conditions on his freedom. Authorities arrested Raif Badawi on 17 June 2012. They charged him with insulting Islam and creating the "Saudi Arabian Liberals" website for social and political debate. The charges related to articles Raif wrote criticizing religious figures. Raif Badawi's case bounced back and forth between courts until 7 May 2014. On that day, the Criminal Court pronounced a sentence of 10 years in prison, 1000 lashes and a fine of 1 million riyals (about $290,000 CDN).
World Literay Canada launched its national writing contest Write for a Better World open to students in grades 5 to 8. The contest invites students to write an original story describing what happens next in 400 words or less: "Something strange was happening to the mirror on the back of my bedroom door. My image looked shimmery, not quite like me. I touched my fingers to the smooth surface and felt a strange tingling. I jerked my hand away. And I was no longer at home." What happens next? That's up to you! The submission deadline is April 3rd.
The SDGs, to be announced in September this year, will replace the MDGs and serve as a universal framework for achieving sustainable development outcomes in all countries by 2030, including Canada. In this context, Canada 2030 takes an in-depth look what the SDGs could mean for Canada.
The federal government unveiled its wide-sweeping new anti-terrorism legislation on January 30, 2015. In addition to introducing two new pieces of legislation, Bill C-51, short-titled the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2015, enhances the powers given to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service ("CSIS") "to address threats to the security of Canada". The Carter's brief focuses on the Bill's impact on charities and not for profits and the individuals who are on their boards of directors, officers, or serve as employees or volunteers of such organizations.
World Report 2015 is Human Rights Watch's 25th annual review of human rights practices around the globe. It summarizes key human rights issues in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide.
The first-ever Global Nutrition Report provides a comprehensive narrative and analysis on the state of the world's nutrition. You may also find more information about the report's findings through a data and visualization platform, video, infographic and many global events!
A new report was published by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), titled "Adapting development: improving services to the poor", which identifies tools and practices that could transform our ability to deliver services to the world's poorest people in the post-2015 context.
If you have an item for Flash, send it by e-mail to Chantal Havard. Please note that Flash items should be no longer than one paragraph.
Canadian Council for International Co-operation
39 McArthur Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario,


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Since opening in June 2011 we have been going from strength to strength and can already boast many very happy returning visitors.
Why not come and join us? We are open every Friday and Saturday from 8pm 'til 4am.
PLEASE NOTE: The Mathew Street web site is not directly associated with the barslisted unless otherwise stated.


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Home > New Mobile Home Models for Sale > Wikman by Adventure Homes
Wikman by Adventure Homes New Mobile Home Model for sale
$40,000 | | 3 Beds | 2 Baths
Manufactured Home Details
|16ft X 76ft
|3 Beds
|2 Baths
|Located in a mobile home park
|Purchase Method
|Posted on
|Oct 29, 2012
|Updated on
|Jul 28, 2016
Contact Seller
Dave HoeferFactory Expo Homes Midwest
Mobile Home Description
If a full service kitchen complete with full bar and updated cabinets is near the top of your list of priorities, then the Wikman mobile home makes perfect sense. A large singlewide in its own right, this is one manufactured home that provides all of the comforts that you and your family should expect out of your new place. Whirlpool appliances in the kitchen are worth mentioning and a first rate utility room gives you the freedom to store things as you please. 'No wax' vinyl flooring in the kitchen and laminated counter tops make this particular home incredibly easy to use for those who value kitchen ease. Designed with either two or three bedrooms, the Wikman is mobile home that can be geared to your needs.


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Well Being
Thrifty Brits Save £6.9 Billion Each Year
Brits are becoming thrifty compared to a few years ago. They were able to save themselves a whopping £6.9 billion a year by taking advantage of promotional giveaways, according to a survey.
From free bikinis and flip-flops given away with magazines to coupons for free coffees and cinema tickets, our love of a good freebie saves each of us an average £150 a year, the research claims.
I guess in the old days, being thrifty means being cheap, but as time goes by, there were different levels of being thrifty.
There's the extreme thrifty where you refuse to spend on anything but basic necessity and is able to live on anything substandard. Then there's the thrifty because you can't afford to pay. Then there's the general thrifty crowd who choose to spend wisely. I think the better term for the 3rd one is "wise consumers".
Here are the top 10 freebies based on the thrifty brit survey
Free text messages (28 per cent)
Free mobile phone calls (27 per cent)
Metro (25 per cent)
Free CDs/DVDs with newspapers (25 per cent)
Interest-free credit cards (21 per cent)
Free music downloads (15 per cent)
Free broadband (nine per cent)
Free coffee (eight per cent)
Free nightclubs (five per cent)
Free jewellery/ accessories with magazines (four per cent)
[via lifestyle extra]


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How do consumers define personalised customer experiences? How do brands define it? What are the emotions customers experience when brands break promises?
Nan Russell, InMoment's Head of Global Centre of Excellence previews our first multinational CX Trends report at the CX Exchange Europe event in Brussels. This presentation was given on November 8, 2016.