text:
Question about Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008 for PC
I put the Streets and Trips disc in the drive and it will not start. I follow the manual and type in e:\setup_ST,exe and it will not start. It tells me to put a disc in the drive. A disc is already in the drive. I reinsert the disc and get the same message.
Posted by flemming on
First, on my computer the E drive IS the correct drive for CD's
I am running Windows XP.
And the comma was a typo in the e mail.....in actual practice, I correctly typed in a period.
I double clicked on the E drive with the Streets disc in the drive...nothing happened. Interestingly, when I moved the cursor over the E drive, I got O for content. What does that mean? This is a brand new disc.
I followed the loading instructions. It will not load automatically. I typed D:\setup_ST.exe I get a busy light for only a few seconds and I can get the hour glass but the drive busy light is not doing anything. What next?
David Smith
Corsicana Daily Sun
I have the same problem. But it is not a bad disk because it loaded on another coworkers computer, just not mine. ALSO a regualar music CD will load on my computer, it's just the street and trips 2008 that will not load???
I am having the same issue with Streets & Trips 2008. The disc is
loaded but I continue to get an error, (Please insert a Disc Into Drive
D:.) which is my DVD drive. I have tried everything. I have checked
other discs and they load with no issue. This sucks, $40.00 and I am
not sure If I can return it as it is an open item. I guess I will need
to prove to the store there is a disc error.
It is possible that in your computer, the disc drive is not the "E:\" drive. For instance, on my computer, the disc drive is the "D:\" drive - you would just substitute the drive letters.
What version of Windows are you running? - it could make a big difference.
Also, you can try double-clicking on "My Computer," and then double-clicking on the disc drive - it will cause the CD to load better than entering in "e:\setup_ST,exe ". Also, check your spelling - there should be a "." (period) in between ST and exe, not a comma.
Posted on Mar 07, 2008
SOURCE: I have freestanding Series 8 dishwasher. Lately during the filling cycle water hammer is occurring. How can this be resolved
Hi there,
Save hours of searching online or wasting money on unnecessary repairs by talking to a 6YA Expert who can help you resolve this issue over the phone in a minute or two.
Best thing about this new service is that you are never placed on hold and get to talk to real repairmen in the US.
Here's a link to this great service
Good luck!
Posted on Jan 02, 2017
Tips for a great answer:
Aug 19, 2013 | Microsoft Corporation Streets And Trips...
on Mar 10, 2011 | Office Equipment & Supplies
Mar 22, 2012 | Computers & Internet
Feb 23, 2011 | Copenhagen TA-454 256 MB MP3 Player
Jul 30, 2010 | Microsoft Streets & Trips 2009 Full...
Jul 09, 2009 | Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008 for PC
May 03, 2009 | Microsoft Streets & Trips 2009 Full...
Mar 06, 2009 | Microsoft Windows XP Professional With...
Nov 05, 2008 | Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008 for PC
Feb 15, 2008 | Microsoft Streets & Trips 2005 (b17-00179)
Aug 18, 2017 | Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008 for PC
Mar 05, 2018 | Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008 for PC
875 people viewed this question
Usually answered in minutes!
Level 3 Expert
3015 Answers
Level 3 Expert
18425 Answers
Level 3 Expert
2678 Answers
Step 2: Please assign your manual to a product:


text:
COOLA Mineral Face spf 30 Matte Tint Cucumber
Regular price
Naturally shield and nourish skin everyday with this antioxidant-infused, mineral matte SPF 30 sunscreen. Offering broad spectrum UVA/UVB plus environmental protection, this light, natural cucumber scented formula gives skin an immediate line-smoothing finish. Made with organic Rose Hip Oil, rich in free radical fighting Vitamin C and organic Evening Primrose and Flax Seed Oils delivering Omega-3 & Gamma-Linolenic Acid to improve elasticity and help skin retain moisture.
Organic Shea Butter smoothes and hydrates while the phyto-protector Plankton Extract rejuvenates skin. Ideal for normal or oily skin Natural Cucumber Scent Preservative Free Formula Water Resistant (40 minutes) Infused with Certified Organic Ingredients

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Now that we have our supplies, we are ready to start sewing our Hedgerow Book Bags!
First, mark and label pattern pieces on the fabric according to the layout diagrams on your Hedgerow Book Bag pattern. Cut out the pattern pieces. A rotary cutter can be very helpful for cutting neat, straight lines.
Once the pieces are ready, mark and cut a 2"x2" square out of the bottom of the following pieces: both Outer Bodies (A) and both Lining Bodies (D), like so:
Now we are going to assemble the exterior pocket. I should note that you can customize your pocket to fit your preferences- simply increase or decrease the height of the Outer Pocket and the Pocket Lining, making sure that the Outer Pocket is always 1" shorter than the Pocket Lining. Here is our video that demonstrates our technique for making fully lined pockets:
And here are the instructions:
Place the Outer Pocket (B) and Pocket Lining (E) right sides together with top edges (long edges) aligned and sew. Repeat for the bottom edge to create a tube. Press or crease both seam allowances open. Note: when sewing waxed canvas and lining fabric together, it is helpful to sew with the waxed canvas on top, since the lining fabric has a tendency to stretch. Sewing with the waxed canvas on top will help everything feed evenly through your machine. You may also wish to use a walking foot.
Turn the tube right side out and press or crease the pocket into a rectangle measuring 14"w x 5 1/4"h, with 1/4" of Outer Pocket (B) wrapping around to the back side of the pocket on both the top and bottom edge. Checkout the photo below to see what the pocket will look like from the back once this step is complete. Topstitch 1/8" away from the top of pocket.
Place the pocket onto one Outer Body (A) piece as shown, with the top edge of the pocket 4" from the top edge and 5 1/2" from the bottom edge of Outer Body (A). Clip, pin, or baste pocket in place.
Mark the stitching line on the pocket as shown to create a divided pocket. Alternatively, you can choose to omit the division for a bigger pocket, or create more divisions for smaller pockets.
Starting at the bottom edge of the pocket, sew along the stitching line mark.
There is your pocket! Now you are ready to assemble your outer bag.
Note: As you can see from the pictures, my waxed canvas has lots of marks on it. That is the nature of working with waxed canvas- it will mark up a lot at first, and then over time the marks will fade and the fabric will become softer and more worn-in looking. I do have a pretty big crease across my pocket that I will probably try to get rid of. You can "heal" marks in waxed canvas by applying gentle heat with an iron. Always protect your other fabrics, your work surface, and your iron by using a press cloth. For more, check out our post on Healing Waxed Canvas.


text:
In This Section:
Summer 2017 Tuition
Master's Degrees
Education (MAE) $475 per semester credit hour
Business Administration (MBA) $475 per semester credit hour
Nursing (MSN) $525 per semester credit hour
Bachelor's Degrees
RN to BSN (BSN) $450 per semester credit hour
Other Fees
Application Fee $50
Graduation Fee — undergraduate $200
Graduation Fee — graduate $225
Books (Varies by Program)
Satisfying Your Tuition Obligations
Paying with Financial Aid
The majority of Cumberland students are independent adults supporting themselves and their families, and financial aid makes it possible for them to complete their degree. If you intend to apply for federal financial aid, please complete your FAFSA form at www.fafsa.ed.gov right away. Cumberland University's FAFSA school code is 003485.
Tuition Reimbursement
Students with tuition reimbursement from their employer can defer tuition charges until the last day of class. Students must sign a promissory note with the Office of Financial Services stating they promise to pay, even if the employer does not.
Payment Plans
Students may also divide their tuition into three equal cash payments due on time at the beginning, middle, and end of a semester (for students who begin in Term A only)
Student Financial Services
Cumberland University is committed to making your online degree accessible and affordable. Please use the list of resources outlined below to assist with the financial aid process or to establish a suitable payment arrangement with the Office of Student Financial Services.
College Financing Web Resources
General Information from the Federal Government
Filling out the FAFSA Form
Applying for a FAFSA PIN
General Financial Aid Questions
Government Information on Tax Credits
Tennessee-based Grants (TSAC)
Finding Private Scholarships*
Scholarship searches can be conducted using many different resources. Here are a few:
College Board Scholarship Search
Scholarship America
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
College Answer/Sallie Mae Foundation
Nashville/Middle Tennessee-Based Scholarships
Hispanic Scholarship Fund
American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation
Finding More Private Scholarships
Other places to check include your high school guidance office, local library, local churches, local organizations (i.e., ELKS, VFW, American Legion), search engines and your local college financial aid office. *As a reminder, be cautious of websites or companies that require a fee to help you find scholarships.
Almost every student attending Cumberland receives some form of financial aid. Some you have to pay back, but other aid such as scholarships and grants, do not require repayment. You have to re-apply for most loans and grants every year by filling out a FAFSA application – it's not a one-time process.
Cumberland University makes no distinction in its financial aid policies or procedures on the grounds of age, sex, religion, color, national origin, or physical handicap.
Office Hours for Student Financial Services
Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
If you need help navigating the process, contact the Office of Student Financial Services during regular business hours at 615.547.1246 locally or 800.467.0562. The office is located in Memorial Hall, suite 103. For additional assistance, you may also send an email to email@example.com.


text:
Anti-terror police have carried out a controlled explosion at a London Underground station following the discovery of a "suspicious item".
North Greenwich station on the Jubilee Line was evacuated shortly before midday on Thursday after train staff found the item.
Police were called around 11am, with the station remaining closed over five hours later. Services on the entire line were suspended, but later partially reopened, although the section around North Greenwich remains closed.
The station serves the O2 Arena, one of the largest concern venues in the UK.
London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement:
Shortly after 11:00hrs on Thursday, 20 October, the British Transport Police was called to North Greenwich Underground Station after train staff reported finding a suspicious item on a train travelling eastbound on the Jubilee Line.
The station was evacuated and remains closed.
Specialist officers from the Met and BTP are in attendance and a controlled detonation has since taken place to ensure the item is safe.
While we are keeping an open mind, the Met's Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation because it has the expertise to deal with incidents of this kind. British Transport Police is supporting.


text:
I bought the TMate v1.0 "VFO Tuning Knob" a few years back at Friedrichshafen for use with my Flex-1500 as the TMate was much cheaper than Flex's own "FlexControl".
When I bought it I was probably still using Windows XP, but I certainly used it with Windows 7 without an issue, but on Windows 10 it wouldn't work due to no driver being available.
A little digging and I found that in Windows 10 Hardware ID for the TMate now ends with "&REV_0002".
The driver file "winusbtmate.inf" supplied by Woodbox Radio doesn't list any "&REV_0002" Hardware IDs, "winusbtmate.inf" only lists "USB\VID_1721&PID_0607" as a valid Hardware ID, not "USB\VID_1721&PID_0607&REV_0002" so Windows doesn't think the supplied "winusbtmate.inf" is the right driver.
So a bit of
hacking editing was needed to update "winusbtmate.inf" to include the Hardware ID "USB\VID_1721&PID_0607&REV_0002" allowing Windows 10 to match the Woodbox Radio TMate v1.0 with the driver files listed in "winusbtmate.inf".
The edited driver files can be downloaded from my website. Unzip to a local (on the PC) directory like the desktop.
However this is only half the battle. You also need to disable Windows 10 driver signing, but this is a simple process. To do this follow these simple steps, take from this website.
a. Press the Win + C and click on PC settings.
b. Switch over to the "Update & recovery" section.
c. Then click on the Recovery option on the left hand side.
d. Once selected, you will see an advanced start-up section appear on the right hand side. You will need to click on the "Restart now" button.
e. Once your Computer has rebooted you will need to choose the Troubleshoot option.
f. Then head into Advanced options.
g. Then Startup Settings.
h. Since we are modifying boot time configuration settings, you will need to restart your computer one last time.
I. Here you will be given a list of start-up settings that you can change. The one we are looking for is "Disable driver signature enforcement". To choose the setting, you will need to press the F7 key.
NOTE: After a reboot, Windows 10 will re-enable driver signing, and any drivers installed while driver enforcement was disabled will continue to work.
Once Windows has loaded, install the driver for the Woodbox Radio TMate v1.0 using the driver file you edited, or downloaded from my website. Windows will ask if you are sure you wish to install them, click on Yes / OK.
Windows 10 should now list the Woodbox Radio TMate device under "Universal Serial Bus controllers".
I hope this helps someone.


text:
March 31, 1889 – The Eiffel Tower is officially opened.
The Eiffel Tower is a wrought iron lattice structure on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Constructed in 1889 as the entrance to the 1889 World's Fair, it was initially criticized by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but has become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world: 6.98 million people ascended it in 2011. The tower received its 250 millionth visitor in 2010.
The tower is 324 meters (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-story building. Its base is square, 125 meters (410 ft) on a side. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to become the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years until the Chrysler Building in New York City was built in 1930. Due to the addition of the aerial at the top of the tower in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 5.2 metres (17 ft). Not including broadcast aerials, it is the second-tallest structure in France, after the Millau Viaduct.
The tower has been used for making radio transmissions since the beginning of the 20th century. Until the 1950s, sets of aerial wires ran from the cupola to anchors on the Avenue de Suffren and Champ de Mars. These were connected to longwave transmitters in small bunkers. In 1909, a permanent underground radio centre was built near the south pillar, which still exists today. On November 20, 1913, the Paris Observatory, using the Eiffel Tower as an aerial, exchanged wireless signals with the United States Naval Observatory, which used an aerial in Arlington, Virginia. The object of the transmissions was to measure the difference in longitude between Paris and Washington, D.C. Today, radio and television signals are transmitted from the Eiffel Tower.
On May 5, 1939, France issued a semi-postal stamp, 90-centimes + 50 centimes, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the tower (Scott No. B85):


text:
Kevin Durant has been linked to multiple teams this 2016 offseason. Various NBA rumors have him going to squads like the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar can add the Orlando Magic as another suitor this summer with reports that the Florida franchise might chase KD in free agency.
The Orlando Sentinel's Mike Bianchi made his pitch for the Magic convincing Durant in a column earlier this week stating the various reasons why Orlando should be considered by Durant as his next NBA team.
Bianchi said that that Durant won't win a championship in the tough Western Conference because of the presence of powerhouse teams Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. The Magic beat writer contends that the chances of OKC winning a title is "getting worse" and re-signing with the Thunder means that Durant will continue to come up short in winning the NBA championship.
ALSO READ: Boston Celtics badly wants to trade No. 3 pick; Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler main targets
Bianchi added that Durant's best decision is to move to the Eastern Conference and that if he plays for an East team, he'll eventually become the best player in the conference and will advance to the NBA Finals "each season" just like Lebron has done in the last few years.
NBA rumors has continued to link Durant to the East teams Celtics and Washington Wizards as possible destinations because Boston is one of the rising teams in the conference and Washington is where Durant grew up.
Durant has connection to Magic general manager Rob Hennigan, who worked with the Thunder management for four years before becoming one of the youngest GMs in the league with the Magic.
ALSO READ: Houston Rockets want Kevin Durant?
Orlando is one of the teams expected to have a huge salary cap space this summer with over $50 million to spend and enough to offer Durant the maximum salary. They also have a young core that includes Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucvic that could fit nicely with the OKC superstar.
The Lakers, Celtics, Wizards, Spurs, Warriors are the teams linked to Durant in NBA rumors, the Magic though a longshot to sign the OKC star could be the dark horse candidates in the blockbuster signing this summer.
Photo courtesy: Keith Allison/Wikimedia Commons


text:
This Web page has been archived on the Web.
2005 April Report of the Auditor General of Canada Chapter 3—Passport Office—Passport Services
2005 April Report of the Auditor General of Canada
Chapter 3—Passport Office—Passport Services
Main Points
Observations and Recommendations
Security and identity verification
Identity authentication and entitlement decisions
Challenges to the Security, Policy and Entitlement Division
Service to the public
Management of improvement initiatives
Fee increases
About the Audit
3.1—Excerpt from the Canadian Passport Order
3.2—Process and controls for issuing a passport in 2004
Main Points
3.1 The Passport Office is struggling to meet increasing security expectations and demands for service. Significant improvements are necessary in the processes for determining passport entitlement. The Office is currently unable to fulfill all of its responsibilities under the Canadian Passport Order. Its watch list is deficient and often not updated in a timely fashion because the Office has not found ways to automatically obtain data from other government sources. Management does not sufficiently monitor some key security functions to ensure that they are properly carried out.
3.2 The Passport Office has established and achieved its published service standards for clients. However, costs are increasing and are not tied to service standards. Although it has reported on the performance of certain major service standards, there is limited performance information about security measures. At the time of the audit, the Passport Office did not have the management systems and practices that would prepare it to meet future challenges effectively.
3.3 The Passport Office and Foreign Affairs Canada did not meet the requirements for ongoing consultation on service standards and how they relate to passport and consular fees. The Passport Office also lacks reliable cost information related to published service standards.
Background and other observations
3.4 The Passport Office is a Special Operating Agency reporting to Foreign Affairs Canada. It finances its operations from the user fees it collects. The Office issued about 2.5 million passports in 2003–04. It collected revenues of $158 million that it used to finance its operations and had a net income of $9 million. It also collected $54 million in consular fees for deposit to the Consolidated Revenue Fund. The Passport Office is responsible for enforcing the Canadian Passport Order in issuing various travel documents. Issuing the 24-page blue passport, which in 2005 rose in cost from $85 to $87, makes up about 98 percent of Passport Office business.
The Passport Office has responded. In its response to each recommendation throughout the chapter, the Passport Office indicates the action it has taken, is taking, or plans to take to address the recommendation.
3.5 The Canadian economy depends on trade. But globalization—of production, commerce, crime, terrorism, and travel—is evolving rapidly and creating new opportunities, risks, and requirements for travellers. Still, Canadians need and expect an official travel document that is secure and universally respected to ease their way across borders and around the globe. The Canadian Passport Order defines a passport as an official Canadian document that shows the identity and nationality of a person for the purpose of facilitating travel by that person outside Canada.
3.6 Rising demand and the security challenges due to the events of September 11, 2001, also contribute to an environment where the pace, scope, and direction of change is increasingly unpredictable. The Passport Office must balance three essential factors—cost, service, and security—while investing in the technology and human resources required to meet the needs of coming years.
3.7 The Passport Office is responsible for issuing, revoking, and withholding or recovering Canadian passports issued to Canadian citizens and other travel documents to Canadian permanent residents. Issuing the 24-page blue passport makes up over 98 percent of its business.
3.8 The Passport Office is a special operating agency reporting to Foreign Affairs Canada and, as such, is expected to
- encourage innovation in administration and service delivery while respecting control requirements and managing risk,
- provide greater freedom from departmental and government-wide administrative rules in return for clear performance levels, and
- improve cost-effectiveness and service delivery by applying private sector techniques while tightly managing performance targets.
3.9 The Passport Office operates on a revolving fund basis and is self-financing through user fees charged for various travel documents. Unlike government departments, it has no annual parliamentary appropriation for operations and must generate sufficient revenues to meet its expenses. It has a significant degree of autonomy in administering its operations.
The Passport Office faces new demands
3.10 The Passport Office experienced steady growth in the mid-1990s. The tragic events of September 11, 2001, brought security matters to the fore. The Passport Office now faces some serious challenges in a period of increased demand for passports: rising costs of production; pressures to adopt new technologies that heighten security features of the travel document; and identity authentication issues.
3.11 In May 2004, Foreign Affairs appointed a new chief executive officer. In the fall of 2004, the Passport Office was considering a new strategic direction that would focus on two types of clients: those who are applying for their first passport, and those who have previously sought and obtained a passport.
3.12 Since September 11, 2001, Canadians are more likely to carry their passports when traveling to the U.S. That, along with the implementation of the "one person, one passport policy," where children can no longer be included on a parent's passport, have given rise to higher demand for passports. At the same time, there has been a worldwide move to greater tightening of security.
- In 2002–03, 2.2 million passports were issued, a 13 percent increase over the previous year.
- In 2003–04 over 2.5 million passports were issued, a 15 percent increase over the previous year.
- The Passport Office estimates that 2.8 million passports will be issued in 2004-05, up from 1.0 million in as recently as 1999–2000.
3.13 Points of service. In 2004, more points of service were opened in response to increased volumes. Most Canadians obtain their passports by applying at one of the 30 domestic offices that offer front-counter service to applicants. The offices are administered through four regional directorates. In the last few years, the Passport Office has entered into arrangements with Canada Post Corporation to help passport applicants: postal staff in 49 selected locations review applications and forward complete ones to the Office. Canada Post charges an additional $15 fee for this optional service.
3.14 The public can also mail completed applications to Passport headquarters directly. The Passport Office also accepts applications through members of Parliament who forwarded about 65,700 applications to the Office in 2003–04. In addition to its network of offices, the Office is using other receiving agents such as the staff of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. Foreign Affairs Canada consular staff provide passport services abroad at over 100 missions.
Focus of the audit
3.15 The objectives of this performance audit were to determine whether the Passport Office has designed, implemented, and monitored effective controls over the issuance of passports; whether it has established and achieved reasonable levels of service; and whether it has achieved both objectives at a reasonable cost.
3.16 We examined four areas in this audit:
- security and identity verification,
- service to the public,
- management of improvement initiatives, and
- fee increases.
3.17 We undertook fieldwork at headquarters and in 15 offices. We examined relevant business, information technology, and management processes and practices, and we assessed compliance with applicable rules and authorities.
3.18 More information on the audit is found in About the Audit at the end of the chapter.
Observations and Recommendations
Security and identity verification
3.19 The production process and examiner's role. The Canadian Passport Order, approved by the Governor-in-Council, specifies who is entitled to a Canadian Passport and the conditions that must be met. The Passport Office may refuse to grant a passport to Canadian citizens with certain Criminal Code violations or charges pending. Passport Office staff are responsible for applying the rules and procedures of entitlement, which are listed in the Canadian Passport Order (Exhibit 3.1). Applicants must be Canadian citizens and applicants for passports for children must have guardianship rights.
3.20 The granting of a passport goes through three phases: application data entry and authentication of the identity and citizenship of the applicant; certain security checks that could prevent the granting of the passport; and printing and mailing (Exhibit 3.2). Examiners take, on average, 8 to 12 minutes to process a routine application.
3.21 The Canadian Passport is valid for five years. While many other western nations use a ten-year period, some of those countries are considering a five-year validity period. A shorter validity period allows the Passport Office to more rapidly introduce technological enhancements that improve the security of the passport document, thus reducing the risk of counterfeit or fraudulent passports in circulation. However, a shorter validity period has significant cost and service implications for its operations.
3.22 The passport application package includes information that is intended to help examiners assess that applicants are not only Canadian citizens, but that they are also the individuals they purport to be. In addition to proof of citizenship by either birth or naturalization, applicants must include other proofs of identity, guarantor information (including a guarantor-signed photograph), and two references. The original proof of citizenship, birth certificate, and proof of identity, in most cases, are compared to the application information and returned immediately to the applicant at the counter (or with the passport, for mailed applications).
Examiners are well trained
3.23 Examiners are the key officers in the passport entitlement process. Their role is to examine each application and assess whether applicants are who they say they are and, if so, whether they are eligible for a passport under the Canadian Passport Order. A national standard of performance for quality and efficiency governing this process only exists for examiners in training.
3.24 We found that the initial training provided to examiners in Canada is comprehensive. Training for domestic examiners consists of 4 weeks of in-class instruction followed by a 12-week period of qualification working with a mentor. (Training of consular officers abroad is discussed in paragraph 3.57).
3.25 We sent an interview questionnaire to 50 examiners and interviewed some additional examiners in the field. Most respondents expressed overall satisfaction with the initial training. The examiners felt that more frequent refresher training is required to keep up with changes in policies and procedures. Examiners also appreciated training on how to detect fraudulent documents when this was made available.
3.26 The extensive training program requires considerable investment. New staff must complete training before they can handle many of their duties. Management plans to change the structure of the initial training to increase the focus on security matters.
Security clearance levels need to be reviewed and updated as required
3.27 The governing authority for security clearance is the Treasury Board of Canada's Government Security Policy and the Personnel Security Standard. Examiners must clear the appropriate security level to be hired. The Passport Office determines the security level required for each examiner according to the type of assets or information that the examiner will need to access. In general, most examiners are cleared for "enhanced reliability." Each level higher requires a more thorough background check of the employee.
3.28 We reviewed employee personnel records to determine whether employees had the appropriate levels of security clearance according to the Government Security Policy. We also visited local offices and observed employee access to critical materials and equipment such as blank passports and printers. We found that 565 indeterminate and term examiners in the human resources system were cleared for enhanced reliability and 179 had the next higher clearance, "secret." Of these 565 examiners, 45 had "full job concept" in their job description, which means they had access to critical material and equipment. We also observed in our visits that certain examiners without a secret clearance had access to critical assets in some offices. We are concerned that contrary to government policy, individuals with inadequate security clearance potentially had access to some critical assets. The Passport Office has informed us that this identified vulnerability has been addressed.
Identity authentication and entitlement decisions
Quality assurance of the examiner function is lacking
3.29 The quality of security features on identity documents accepted by the Passport Office to determine entitlement varies greatly. Some older birth and citizenship certificates have few, if any, security features; the latest citizenship card, which includes several embedded security features, is more difficult to alter.
3.30 The Passport Office lacks a formal quality assurance system for the examiner entitlement functions. Therefore, there is no assurance that examiners have followed the required procedures to determine that an applicant is eligible for a passport. In our view, the Passport Office needs a formal quality assurance system that checks whether an examiner is making the proper decisions about the identity documents presented by an applicant. That system should also provide an independent check over other entitlement functions such as verifying information provided by guarantors. A proper quality assurance system would ensure that any examiner making a systematic error in judgment would be rapidly identified and corrective action or training undertaken.
Examiners do not have all the proper tools readily available
3.31 During our visits to passport offices, we observed the type and availability of some key tools for examiners. Examiners at all offices had reference manuals and these were reasonably accessible. However, we found the following:
- A black light is needed to see the security features on the latest Canadian citizenship card. We observed one or two black lights available in some of the offices we visited, but they were not in the examiner area. This means that examiners have to leave their stations to verify the authenticity of modern citizenship cards. Examiners informed us that service requirements kept them from using this tool routinely, because doing so would cause delays. As a result, they rarely use them.
- Magnifying glasses for document examination were generally not part of examiners' standard equipment. According to their training on document fraud, this tool is useful in detecting some forms of document fraud.
The Passport Office informed us that it will purchase black lights and magnifying glasses for all examiners to keep at their workstations. The Office also informed us that managers have been advised that they will be responsible for providing refresher training to examiners once the equipment has been delivered, and that training guides will be completed for distribution by 31 March 2005.
Checks on guarantor information are not performed as required
3.32 Guarantors are either members of certain professional associations or individuals with certain accreditations who confirm the identity of the applicant by signing a declaration and one photograph of the applicant. Each guarantor must have known the individual for at least two years. Applicants who do not know an eligible guarantor must have their applications notarized. The signature of a guarantor is one of the main controls to ensure the authenticity of an applicant's identity.
3.33 The examiner's training manual includes a comprehensive list of criteria to validate the guarantor's credentials or the information provided; this procedure is called a guarantor check. The list provides instructions on what should be documented about the verification performed. Generally, to perform a guarantor check, the examiner verifies the guarantor's status and contacts the guarantor by phone to confirm the information provided.
3.34 Passport Office procedures require that examiners conduct guarantor checks on a significant percentage of applications. However, there is no national reporting on this activity, and the Passport Office could not demonstrate that this objective was achieved. We examined a sample of 50 applications where a guarantor check was mandatory, for compliance with the requirement. In 37 cases, we found no evidence of a guarantor check. Part of the reason for this non-compliance appeared to be poor communication of corporate requirements on one of the categories. We then examined a second sample of 50 applications for another category where the requirements were clearly communicated. We found no evidence of a guarantor check in 2 of those cases. For both categories, the results of the checks performed were poorly documented. As a result of our audit, the Passport Office has informed us that it has sent policy clarification to its regional offices and will ensure that the policy is adhered to.
Confirming vital statistics is difficult for examiners
3.35 At their discretion, examiners confirm the data on a birth or citizenship certificate by asking regional co-ordinators to contact Citizenship and Immigration Canada or the relevant provincial registry and seek confirmation that the presented identity document was issued with identical data. This is time consuming and non-routine. The Passport Office conducted a pilot project in one office where the data were automatically checked against the provincial registry through an electronic link. The pilot proved successful, and participants told us that this type of electronic link is ideal to ensure the validity of birth or citizenship certificate information.
3.36 Currently, there are no direct electronic links to provincial bureaus of vital statistics. Such links would provide immediate confirmation of data and allow examiners to check for reported deaths. No similar link exists between the Passport Office and Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Such a link would even permit photo verification of some naturalized citizens. Together with other federal and provincial/territorial partners, the Passport Office is looking into the development of a national routing system to create such electronic links.
Foreign Affairs Canada and the Passport Office have provided leadership on addressing identity documentation issues
3.37 The Passport Office and Foreign Affairs Canada have provided leadership on addressing identity documentation issues in Canada. As a result of such issues and growing security concerns after the events of September 11, 2001, the federal government spearheaded the formation of the Council of Identity. Its objectives were to develop a policy framework on identity in Canada, facilitate implementation of the policy, and monitor its effectiveness. The Council is chaired by the assistant deputy minister of Foreign Affairs and is composed of representatives from various federal agencies and provincial and territorial vital statistics personnel. The Passport Office is a leading participant in the Council as part of its efforts to improve its ability to rely on foundation documents (for example, birth, death, marriage, and citizenship certificates) presented by applicants, regardless of the level of government in Canada that produces them.
3.38 Since April 2002, the Council has held six meetings. By the spring of 2004 it had met its main objective: the completed development of a framework for a comprehensive and consistent approach to establishing and verifying identity across federal and provincial/territorial jurisdictions. It submitted the framework to the government for approval. The framework provides the policy parameters for authentication, secure registration, and verification of identities in Canada, based on the concept of foundation documents. At the time of our audit, Council members were awaiting the framework's approval. Such a framework is considered necessary for the creation of a national routing system, which would allow electronic authentication of foundation documents.
Challenges to the Security, Policy and Entitlement Division
3.39 The Security, Policy and Entitlement Division of the Passport Office has 62 staff and is responsible for all security matters related to personnel and the production and physical security elements of passports. Within the division, the Security Operations unit is responsible for the functions that assist in making and supporting entitlement and passport issuance decisions.
3.40 In order to assess the adequacy of the Security Operations' activities, we asked the Passport Office to provide us with management reports. We also sought to identify any systematic quality assurance controls over security activities. The Passport Office advised us that they do not yet have aggregated management reports on all the activities of the unit. They have problems with extracting management information from the main information systems. Management advised us that supervisors could assess some activities. However, the tracked data is not integrated and analyzed in a way that would assist them in monitoring the performance of the division, in making resource allocation decisions, or in making decisions on program priorities.
3.41 Access to the passport issuing system needs to be restricted. We found very poor control over the granting of access rights to users. Data administrators, system administrators, case management officers, entitlement review analysts, and operational and non-operational office managers all have user access profiles that allow them to issue a passport. We also found duplicate, system, or generic user profiles. Of 71 unsuccessful examiner candidates sampled, 19 still had active user access rights that would allow them to approve an application.
3.42 In cases where there is no automatic alert in the system, examiners can authorize the printing of a passport without further checks on their decision. We expected that access to the passport production and information system would be adequately safeguarded by assigning the appropriate profile to each user name. We expected that only qualified examiners currently dedicated to examiner functions would be able to access the system to produce passports. We found that there were a significant number of users who are not examiners and who have access to the system. They can approve entitlement and, in some cases, effectively trigger the issuance of a passport. This puts the issuance process at risk. The Passport Office informed us that this is, in part, a result of new workflows developed for high volume offices where data entry staff—who are not examiners—have access to printing due to the system design.
3.43 The Passport Office cannot effectively enforce certain provisions of sections 9 and 10 of the Canadian Passport Order. Prior to approving the issuance of a passport, examiners automatically check all applicants against the watch list from the Passport Office's information system to detect potential reasons for refusing a passport. This automatic check is the main security control in the process; there is no information related to criminal charges or probation orders required on the application form. If applicants do not have alerts against their names on the automated watch list, examiners have no way of knowing whether decisions need to be made under section 9. Similarly, security personnel cannot know if they should consider revoking a person's passport under section 10. In addition, we could not find any documented criteria for making discretionary decisions to refuse or revoke a passport.
3.44 With its current information, the Passport Office cannot properly enforce certain provisions of sections 9 and 10 of the Canadian Passport Order, which address individuals with criminal charges or convictions (Exhibit 3.1). The Passport Office has three components to the watch list in its system: lookouts for persons, alerts for documentary evidence of citizenship, and alerts for guarantors. As of August 2004, the persons watch list had about 73,000 entries while the documentary evidence of citizenship and guarantor alerts had about 2,800 and 290 entries respectively. The largest category within the watch list is for parents (22,800) who are in arrears for child support payments.
3.45 Security officers advised us that the list is developed from information provided by a variety of sources, including migration integrity officers from missions abroad, law enforcement officers, courts, airline staff, and examiners. The majority of the information is provided voluntarily, on an informal basis. There are no automated data-sharing processes.
3.46 There are several databases maintained by government departments and agencies that the Passport Office could try and access to make its watch list more complete. For example, the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) lists persons wanted or on probation. We are not suggesting that the Passport Office must refuse or revoke passports for all of these people; many are likely not of interest to the Office in terms of enforcing the Canadian Passport Order. However, the Passport Office's watch list includes fewer than 2,000 of those individuals who are wanted or are on probation. The current watch list appears to be of limited value in enforcing sections 9 and 10 of the Passport Order. The Office has not found a way to gain automated access to these important data. The Passport Office staff may manually access the CPIC database through a terminal at its headquarters to examine any individual application. However, it does not electronically link the CPIC data to its own watch list. Since its system lacks an electronic link to this key data, the automatic checks would not flag pertinent applications for review. We have been informed that other agencies have established such links for their own specific needs. We recognize that the Passport Office needs the co-operation of other government departments to obtain much of the data it needs. Nevertheless, without reasonable automated links to other government data systems that deal with criminal offences, its watch list will likely remain deficient.
3.47 We also found several weaknesses in the management of the watch list. The updating of the list was neither complete nor timely, in part due to problems co-ordinating with other government departments and agencies. For example, in 45 investigations we examined that were performed by the Security Operations unit, an average of 18 days elapsed between notification and creation of alerts.
3.48 Under section 10 of the Passport Order, the Passport Office may revoke the passport of anyone charged with an indictable offence, sentenced to jail, or released on parole. The Passport Office has revoked less than 25 passports, on average, each year for the last three years.
3.49 For examiners and security staff, the automated watch list is a key control. When the watch list is deficient, as is currently the case, they cannot properly fulfil their responsibilities and enforce important sections of the Canadian Passport Order that deal with persons who are charged with crimes, serving sentences, or are on parole.
3.50 Weaknesses in the investigations of sensitive cases. The Security Operations unit collects information and conducts investigations on any suspicious activity. Files are created when information such as the following is received:
- a Canadian has been identified as a smuggler or has committed passport fraud and there is sufficient evidence to pursue an investigation,
- an individual obtained a passport fraudulently,
- an applicant forged guarantor information and charges will be pursued, or
- an applicant forged the other parent's signature and charges will be pursued.
3.51 In the absence of an effective case management system, the unit has only some manual records of its investigative activity. Such records do not allow the Passport Office to assess the outstanding workload, the rate of effective resolutions of investigations, or resource requirements.
3.52 We examined a sample of 50 sensitive case files and observed several problems. For example,
- in our view, the Passport Office did not fully investigate 12 cases. According to the Office, 3 of the 12 investigations were incomplete due to resource limitations, and 6 resulted in the Office granting or extending a limited validity period.
- in our view, the Office should have referred at least 6 cases to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
- for 10 cases that the Office did refer to the RCMP, there was no documentation on any follow-up activity to determine the status or the outcome of the RCMP's investigations.
3.53 Follow-up with the RCMP to determine the outcome of their investigations could provide useful lessons learned for the Passport Office in disposing of other outstanding cases. It would be in a better position to refer only those cases worthy of further investigation by the RCMP. The Passport Office and the RCMP could then better utilize their respective resources.
3.54 The Passport Office has improved its recording and sharing of information on lost and stolen passports. We followed up on the progress made as a result of observations on lost and stolen passports in our March 2004 Report, National Security in Canada—The 2001 Anti-Terrorism Initiative. The Passport Office has made significant progress.
3.55 In February 2004, the Passport Office assumed responsibility for entering its data into the Canadian Police Information Centre database. For those files we examined, it still took an average of 35 days after a passport was reported lost or stolen (down from 70 days noted in our March 2004 Report) to give that information to CPIC. The Passport Office has recently automated several procedures that should eliminate the delays. Furthermore, there is currently no backlog of files in the Passport Office for entry to the CPIC database, compared to over 4,000 observed in our March 2004 Report.
3.56 To be effective, information on lost and stolen passports needs to be recorded and shared in a timely fashion. As a result of our March 2004 audit, the Passport Office is now sharing information with the Canada Border Services Agency. If a border services officer scans or queries a passport that the Office has recorded as lost or stolen, it will trigger an alert. The Passport Office has also begun to share the information with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).
Control over issuance of passports by missions abroad presents several risks
3.57 The Passport Office relies on Foreign Affairs Canada consular staff to issue over 100,000 passports each year to applicants abroad. Consular staff perform examination, approval, and printing procedures. There are several key differences between mission and domestic passport services that result in increased risk:
- Consular staff do not consistently receive the same formal training and qualification as domestic examiners. Their passport training typically amounts to two days, compared with the four weeks of classroom training and twelve-week mentoring period provided domestically.
- In 2004, the upload of mission information into the Passport Office's system began on a daily basis. Previously, this was done every four to six weeks.
- Missions still print passports using the older passport booklet, which does not have the higher security features offered by the new booklet and new printing technology. The Passport Office is now planning to repatriate the printing of booklets, while providing only emergency travel documents at missions.
3.58 Recommendation. Foreign Affairs Canada and the Passport Office should do the following:
- Conduct a detailed security risk assessment of the passport examination and security functions, identify important gaps in the fulfilment of its mandate under the Passport Order, and take appropriate action. Such an assessment should address Passport Office examiners' security clearances, the conduct and recording of guarantor checks, system profiles, the completeness and accuracy of its watch list and methods used to share data with other federal and provincial agencies, its lessons learned process, and its management of investigations.
- Introduce quality assurance and control measures over its key entitlement operations to ensure that the Office conducts proper internal checks on initial decisions and properly controls access to critical assets.
- Work toward establishing electronic links with Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the provinces that could automatically validate the identity data on an application.
- Provide examiners with the proper tools to discharge their responsibilities.
- Provide more thorough examiner training for consular officers.
- Work with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the RCMP, and the Canadian Border Services Agency to develop memoranda of understanding for the sharing of information vital to the enforcement of the Canadian Passport Order.
Passport Office's response. As a result of increased international and domestic attention to security, there has been a significant shift in the policy framework in which the Passport Office operates. In the past, this framework primarily emphasized the delivery of service. Now it is rooted in domestic and global security, guided by the Canada National Security Policy of April 2004.
The Passport Office has put in place a series of key initiatives to address this recommendation. Specifically, working with Foreign Affairs Canada, it has launched a risk assessment to address strategic risk, including in the area of security. Once these results are received, a more focussed security risk assessment will be conducted. This will be accomplished in fiscal year 2005–06.
In fiscal year 2004–05, the Passport Office initiated a review of its Security Bureau and its functions to further enhance passport integrity, and it has allocated additional resources in support of this critical function. In fiscal year 2004–05 the budget of the Security Bureau was augmented by 25 percent over fiscal year 2003–04. The Bureau has added the positions of manager of intelligence and manager of compliance.
The Passport Office is redefining the mandate of the Security Bureau to identify core functions and processes. From this review, a three-year strategic plan and restructuring recommendation will be developed to narrow the focus of several divisions while introducing experienced senior managers and professionalizing staff development and training. The plan will be in place in fiscal year 2005–06.
The creation of new Regional Security units reporting to both regional and Passport Office headquarters will further ensure that the security continuum, from identity verification to passport printing, is strengthened. In fiscal year 2005–06, eight new regional security officers will be hired for this purpose. The units will be located in regional headquarters across the country and will be used to support the compliance program, conduct on-site interviews of applicants with complex cases, and investigate fraudulent applicants or applications.
As of 4 February 2005, the Passport Office has purged all inactive and duplicate access to its system. A profile compliance monitoring system of each non-examiner's access is currently under development.
An expanded trial to establish electronic links for verification of identity data, involving several federal government departments and two provinces, is scheduled for launch in April 2005. This system will be further developed as funds become available.
The Passport Office is researching case management software with the intent of having a security and intelligence case management system in place by September 2005. This important tool, along with facial recognition technology, will enable management to strengthen the process of verifying identity before the issuance of a Canadian passport.
Nevertheless, the fundamental challenge faced by the Passport Office will always lie in correctly confirming an individual's identity. Canada does not have an explicit identity program. None of the documents commonly accepted in Canada as proof of identity was originally intended for that purpose. A second challenge is the ability to share information among federal departments and agencies, because of issues of technical interoperability and legislative frameworks. The Passport Office and Correctional Service Canada are now close to concluding a Memorandum of Understanding for the sharing of critical information.
Service to the public
3.59 The Treasury Board's Results for Canadians: A Management Framework for the Government of Canada sets out the key principles of public services delivery. The framework states:
As citizens, Canadians have a right to fair, equitable and reasonable treatment from federal government institutions. As clients, Canadians have a right to accessible service that meets their priorities for improvement. . . .
Citizens want the government to respond to their needs and provide choice: one-stop, integrated access via Internet, telephone or mail, or in person.
3.60 The Treasury Board's policy on external charging required the Passport Office, in delivering its service, to conduct open, transparent, and informative consultations with stakeholders. It must consult its stakeholders on costing, service delivery methods, and on establishing standards.
Key service standards exists but gaps remain
3.61 The Passport Office manages its operations using some meaningful key standards, including public wait times for walk-in service, phone calls, and turnaround times for receiving a passport. These standards serve as good indicators of performance and as useful tools for service improvement by the agency.
3.62 However, the service standards were lowered in December 2001 without the required consultation with stakeholders. For instance, turnaround target times increased in 2001 from 5 to 10 days for over-the-counter applications and from 10 to 20 days for mailed applications.
3.63 Standards for such examiner functions as identity verification and citizenship determination do not exist. There is also no national standard on examiner output and error rate—the number of applications examiners are expected to process each day and the number of errors that could be expected.
3.64 The Passport Office has reported on its performance in some relevant and meaningful ways:
- using some key performance standards (such as wait times and turnaround times);
- discussing and explaining how expected performance was being met or was not; and
- including negative information in their reporting.
3.65 When the Passport Office was established as a Special Operating Agency in 1990, the Treasury Board approved a document outlining its performance accountability. The business plans of the Passport Office further elaborate on three major areas of performance: service to the public, security, and stability of its operations. It has included extensive information in its annual reports about its service to the public. However, there is limited performance information to Parliament about security and the stability of its operations.
3.66 The Passport Office follows the good practice of publishing some client satisfaction survey results. Improvements could be made to the presentation of survey information; for example, it could comment on any data limitations so that readers can interpret the survey results more accurately. Nevertheless, performance information found in the Office's Annual Report does not adequately reflect the three focuses of its business plan: reduce passport fraud (security); provide reliable and convenient service; and put in place the conditions necessary for improvement (stability). Reporting on security and stability activities is missing or insufficient. We also found that it does not report consistently on phone service standards and performance.
Costs have risen significantly
3.67 The number of passports processed by each employee has been dropping consistently over the past five years. A decrease in productivity can have a direct impact on service to clients. Lower outputs by employees can mean longer waiting times for the applicants.
3.68 The Passport Office tracks the productivity of its offices, which varies significantly. Generally speaking, productivity in medium offices is similar, but productivity varies greatly among small and large offices. The Passport Office has not identified the reasons for those variations. Doing so would permit it to adopt corrective measures to control costs. At the time of our audit, the Passport Office was developing a cost information system to better control its costs. The Treasury Board policy on fees charged to the public requires that departments and agencies consult clients on establishing service standards and the cost of those services. Currently, the Passport Office does not have adequate cost information on meeting service standards and, consequently, it cannot consult stakeholders about costs of regular or expedited services.
There is little contingency planning for crises
3.69 The Passport Office has experienced significant volume increases over the past few years. The increases of 2002–03 and 2003–04 were unusual, and the Greater Toronto Area experienced unprecedented demand. Although this was not anticipated, it was not entirely a surprise. At that time, the Passport Office had only long-term plans to address the general issue of rising volumes and their impact on customer service.
3.70 The field offices did have some measures or techniques that they used or developed in response to their volume crisis, but they were ultimately on their own. Regional managers and staff informed us that they worked longer hours or implemented innovative measures to try to cope with extreme volumes, but there was limited assistance offered by headquarters. There was no contingency plan, emergency fund, or temporary service locations to deal with an unprecedented demand. The Passport Office did not have an integrated risk management approach to ensure that it would be able to react to emergencies and cope with service demands before those emergencies became service failures.
Inability to forecast and influence demand places an undue burden on service
3.71 Year after year, demand for passports reaches a peak between November and March. As well, during this time there may be busier peak days of the week. The Passport Office does not have complete control over this phenomenon. However, it can influence demand to some degree. As early as its 2000–02 business plan, it discussed the concept of "flattening the demand cycle." The Passport Office's ability to influence demand is central to some of its key plans such as passport on-line and its renewals project, which times renewals for favourable periods of the year. At the time of our audit, phase I of passport on-line was being offered to the public as of the end of January 2005, and the renewal project had not been implemented.
3.72 In 2002–03, about 2.2 million passports were issued in Canada, a 13 percent increase over the previous year. The demand for passports normally varies according to the strength of the international economy, the season, and the occurrence of conflict abroad. But the 2003–04 volume significantly exceeded the Passport Office's forecasts. Forecasting is an important activity that is used to set budgets for each regional office. Acknowledging that their model required updating, the Passport Office developed and approved a new model in 2004.
3.73 Services are provided through members of Parliament. For over 30 years, the Passport Office has been accepting passport applications from members of Parliament (MPs) who forward them on behalf of their constituents. There is no formal agreement governing the process and the Office has not analyzed the security issues presented by this method of delivery. In 2003–04, the Passport Office processed 65,700 such applications. The service standard is 20 days, which is the same as for a regular application received by mail. MPs can enquire about the status of their applications by e-mail or a special telephone line. The passports are delivered to the MPs' offices by messenger service or can be mailed back to the applicants. The Passport Office estimates the cost per passport for this centralized service is less than the mail-in service, because there are fewer errors on the applications sent through an MP's office.
3.74 The Passport Office has not analyzed which of its different delivery methods are more desirable. It needs to balance the issues of access, security, cost, and impact on service delivery. Certain methods of issuing passports may be more cost-effective than others. The Passport Office needs to involve clients in setting reasonable standards that it can meet at reasonable cost without compromising passport integrity.
3.75 Recommendation. The Passport Office should
- develop and report on additional service standards, including information services such as e-mail, other correspondence, and telephone and track and control related costs;
- develop risk management practices and short-term plans to deal with extreme fluctuations in demand for service; and
- examine its service delivery methods with a view to influencing demand while improving cost-effectiveness and enhancing security measures.
Passport Office's response. The Passport Office agrees with the recommendation. New performance standards were introduced after September 11, 2001, as a result of the sudden increase in application volume and the introduction of new security requirements. It will develop and report on additional service standards.
It will introduce additional measures in 2005–06 to improve service in the areas of correspondence (including e-mail) and telephone inquiries. It will also introduce risk management practices and short-term plans to deal with fluctuations in volumes from both financial and operational perspectives.
Management of improvement initiatives
3.76 Although the Passport Office has documented its strategic planning process, weaknesses noted in the security and identity authentication activities, together with maintaining an adequate service level at a reasonable cost, impose considerable challenges. We examined its readiness to face those challenges.
3.77 We found nine strategic initiatives under way to either improve security or service, plus another five important projects that were not listed in the corporate planning document. For example, one project underway that would enhance security was a facial recognition capacity using submitted photos. Another project would streamline the passport renewal process and improve service. Many of these projects have been ongoing for several years and are not yet completed. The Passport Office's management has not prioritized those projects and weighed their relative importance. We found that the Office used no formal criteria to separate priority from non-priority projects, for ranking projects according to greater or lesser importance, or for sequencing projects in the order they must take place. Only budget criteria were consistently applied in assessing projects—to ensure that a project was not too costly.
3.78 We observed that management had not fully analyzed the impact of concurrent improvement projects on each other. For example, the Passport Office decided to open several new offices in recent years. At the same time, it has had projects in development for applying for a passport on-line and to allow people to renew their passports without presenting their source documents at passport offices. The Office opened two new offices in the Greater Toronto Area assuming they could downsize again if volume dropped as a result of those other strategic initiatives. We found that the quality of analysis for setting up new offices was poor and did not address many of the key requirements of a business case: cost benefit analysis; key assumptions and constraints; or implications on future operational costs.
3.79 Project management and policy change initiatives have a direct impact on the jobs of Passport Office staff. For example, the projects on renewals and passports on-line may result in a reduction of front-counter staff in local offices. On the other hand, the planned requirement for first-time applicants to make an appearance, instead of mailing their applications, could increase the demand on front-counter staff. We found no long-term, consolidated human resources plan to address the impact of such initiatives.
3.80 In 2002, the Passport Office adopted a framework for human resources planning and approved the Human Resources Strategic Plan and Action Plan in 2003. Responsibility and timing for several key actions still remain to be determined after two years. The Passport Office has yet to address the gap between future passport demand and its current human resources capacity.
3.81 Many technological and quality assurance improvements will need to be made to increase the security around the issuing of passports. As well, the Passport Office plans to make several changes to service delivery. In our view, even considering the improvements to service that have been made, its current management systems and practices are not adequate to meet those challenges.
3.82 Recommendation. The Passport Office should review, complete, and implement integrated human resource plans without delay and improve its management systems to enable it to
- prioritize its many improvement initiatives by ranking them according to approved criteria, and
- integrate the planning of new offices into its strategic framework and consider the mid- to long-term impact of all improvement initiatives on each other.
Passport Office's response. The Passport Office agrees to review, complete, and implement an integrated human resource plan in light of the Public Service Modernization Act. The reorganization and restructuring of the Passport Office and the establishment of a Major Projects Bureau in February 2005 will allow it to prioritize its improvement initiatives and rank them according to approved project management criteria. Improved project management processes will have a positive impact in supporting the long-term strategic vision of the Passport Office as a whole. The Office will ensure that the opening of any new offices will be integrated into the planning framework and reflect the strategic direction of the organization.
Fee increases
3.83 Charging for services differs from taxation in that the charge is for a product or service received by an individual, over and above what the general taxpayer receives. The Passport Office charged $158 million in fees in 2003–04 and collected another $54 million in consular fees that were deposited to the Consolidated Revenue Fund. Neither the Department of Foreign Affairs Canada nor the Passport Office has authority to re-spend the $54 million in consular fees. The Passport Office ended the 2003–04 fiscal year with a net income for the year of about $9 million and an accumulated surplus of $37 million.
3.84 The passport fee was set at $35 in 1992. In 1995, a consular fee of $25 was introduced to be charged on issuance of a passport, bringing the total fee to $60 charged to the applicant. In December 2001, the government raised the passport fee by $25 to a total of $85 for an adult regular passport. Of this, $60 funds the operations of the Passport Office through its revolving fund, and the $25 consular fee recovers consular services costs. The Passport Office does not manage or control consular activities in missions abroad.
3.85 The setting of passport fees is controlled by regulation. Passport fees are established by regulation under the Financial Administration Act and can only be changed by a regulation. The Act forbids user fee recovery in excess of costs. The Federal Regulatory Policy governs the development of regulations.
3.86 Key provisions of the regulatory process require a regulatory impact analysis as well as pre-publication in the Canada Gazette of the decision to impose a new fee. Prior to changing a fee, the proposal must include an analysis of the proposed regulation, the alternatives considered, a benefit-cost analysis, the results of consultations with stakeholders, the department or agency's response to any concerns raised, and the means of monitoring and enforcing the proposed fee or fee increase. The results of this analysis are summarized in a regulatory impact analysis statement.
3.87 Under the Treasury Board's Cost Recovery and Charging Policy and the subsequent External Charging Policy in effect until November 2004, departments had to ensure that there was a process for managing fee disputes. Although the Passport Office had an ombudsman function for passport issuance, it did not have a fee dispute management process as required by the policy.
3.88 The 2001 fee increase did not fully comply with authorities The Treasury Board's Guide to the Costing of Outputs in the Government of Canada defines full cost as the sum of all incurred costs, direct and indirect. The Guide provides examples of incurred costs, which are expenses that have been paid for. The Guide is silent about how to set fees based on projected future costs.
3.89 The Treasury Board's Guide to Costing of Service Delivery for Service Standards also states that costs recovered through fees are incurred costs. It does not consider using future cost projections as the basis for current fees. Passport Office and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat officials told us that cost projections may be valid for the Passport Office as a basis for fee determination; they referred to a principle that applies to revolving funds of breaking even over a three- to five-year business cycle. We accept as reasonable that fees may be set based on projections within such a cycle, to the extent they are set to recover only expected incurred costs. This implies that, according to the Financial Administration Act, fees would need to be lowered if expected costs did not materialize over the cycle.
3.90 The Treasury Board, on the advice of the Secretariat, recommended the approval of the passport fee increase of December 2001 based on its projections over a five-year cycle. The projections included the full price of future capital project outlays. They also included building an accrual accounting surplus of $84 million and a cash surplus of $34 million by 2006–07.
3.91 We could find no Treasury Board policies or guidance that would allow for setting user fees to include an expected surplus above the projected cost.
3.92 In 2001, as part of its regular client satisfaction survey, the Passport Office asked whether respondents would support a potential $10 or $20 fee increase to offset the costs of new services and security features. There was low to moderate support. About the same time the fee was increased, service standards were lowered significantly. The Office also ran a focus group with travel agents and associations where a proposed fee increase of $25 was discussed. But there has been little discussion with clients about the increasing costs of providing passport services. The Treasury Board policies dealing with cost recovery required that departments and agencies identify and explain clearly to clients why the services are being delivered in the manner they are, how charges are determined, and how costs are being controlled. In our view, the Passport Office did not meet this on-going requirement.
3.93 Treasury Board conditions with respect to consular fees were not followed. When the Treasury Board approved the introduction of the consular fee in 1995, it required the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, as it was then called, to absorb future costs and fully disclose the costs of consular services in its Main Estimates. However, there has been little cost information about consular services in the departmental annual reports to Parliament. Foreign Affairs Canada informed us that every year it had prepared an analysis of its consular costs. However, we could not audit these analyses for four of the years since 1995–96 because the Department could not locate the relevant files. Although the passport application showed the consular fee was $25 of the $85, there was no detailed information in reports to Parliament about what kind of costs justified the $25 fee. Passport applicants were not consulted as required and are not in a position to know what they are paying for or how the funds collected relate to the operations of consular activity. Consular fees collected increased from $34 million in 1996–97 to $54 million in 2003–04. Foreign Affairs Canada also directly charged $3 million for miscellaneous consular services in 2003–04.
3.94 New user fee legislation imposes additional requirements. As explained above, the Passport Office was not fully meeting the requirements under the Treasury Board policy on external charging. Parliament passed new legislation governing user fees in the spring of 2004. This legislation imposes additional requirements for transparency on how costs justify fees and on expected service levels. The Passport Office is not ready to comply with the new legislation because it lacks reliable cost information related to service standards.
3.95 Recommendation. In consultation with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Passport Office should review the process for setting the passport fee and client consultation on service levels to ensure compliance with the Financial Administration Act, user-fee legislation, and Treasury Board policies and guidelines.
3.96 Recommendation. The Passport Office should
- develop reliable cost information tied to service standards to justify current user fees and any future increases to user fees, and
- improve its method of client consultation to comply with new user fee legislation and ensure it has an appropriate mechanism for resolving fee disputes.
Passport Office's response. The Passport Office is currently establishing a Balanced Scorecard with a series of cost, performance, and security indicators. It will be introduced in 2005–06 and fully operational by 2007–08. With this approach, the Passport Office will be better able to determine the impact of new initiatives on its cost structures and in a position to take the appropriate action.
Activity-based costing will be introduced in 2005–06 and fully operational by 2007–08. It will allow the Passport Office to align costs with business lines and service standards.
In light of the events of September 11, 2001, the Passport Office did not have the opportunity to consult the public on the revised fee increase as security measures required immediate implementation. The Passport Office is committed to meeting all requirements for consultation in the future.
3.97 The Passport Office is struggling to balance and meet increasing security expectations and demands for service. It has not designed and implemented quality assurance for the examiner function and for effective security controls over the issuing of passports.
3.98 The Passport Office cannot effectively authenticate an applicant's identity and determine eligibility in all cases. Its watch list is deficient and not up-to-date. It has not found ways to automatically obtain necessary data from other government sources, or ways to effectively validate identity data with the provinces. Management's monitoring of security controls is poor. The Passport Office urgently needs to enter into co-operative arrangements with the provinces and other government departments to validate identity data and to obtain the data it needs to keep its watch list current and complete.
3.99 The Passport Office has so far established and achieved transparent levels of service, but it has not consistently consulted stakeholders on service standards and has had difficulty in controlling its costs.
3.100 Our audit has highlighted several areas that need urgent attention. The Passport Office needs to perform a comprehensive risk assessment of all its operations and prepare an action plan. The implementation of this plan should be closely monitored.
About the Audit
Our audit objectives were to determine whether the Passport Office achieved the following at a reasonable cost:
- design, implementation, and monitoring of effective controls over the issuing of passports; and
- establishment and achievement of reasonable levels of service.
Scope and approach
The main focus of our audit was the security measures and identity verification undertaken by Passport Office examiners and support staff. We also assessed quality of service to the public, which the Passport Office considers integral to its operations. Finally, we assessed whether the Office complied with authorities for setting user fees.
We examined Foreign Affairs Canada's financial information about consular activities. We reviewed the Department's internal audit reports to assess security and service issues at missions abroad.
We reviewed regional and headquarters' documents, interviewed management and staff, interviewed Treasury Board of Canada analysts, sampled databases, performed quantitative and qualitative analyses, observed operations and conducted interviews at headquarters and 15 offices, and sent an e-mail questionnaire to a sample of examiners. We examined a risk-based sample of case files to determine the adequacy of the Passport Office's operating procedures.
For our e-mail questionnaire to examiners and our tests of guarantor checks, we selected samples from the populations provided to us by the Passport Office. All our samples were taken from the most complete data that were available at the time of our audit. We sent an interview questionnaire to 50 randomly selected examiners and received 36 responses. For guarantor checks we examined 100 passport applications that required mandatory guarantor checks.
For our examination of the lost and stolen passport reports, we randomly selected 115 reports from daily reports beginning in February 2004 when the Passport Office assumed responsibility for entering its data into Canadian Police Information Centre database.
The criteria for this audit were based on the Canadian Passport Order, Passport Services Fees Regulations, the Financial Administration Act, Treasury Board policies and guides, and the Passport Office's manuals and guides.
We expected the Passport Office to have
- adequate procedures and processes in place to ensure that passports are only issued to eligible Canadian citizens;
- adequate procedures and processes in place to ensure that reasonable levels of service are established, achieved, and reported on;
- followed a formal project management process to improve service delivery; and
- complied with authorities for setting user fees.
Audit team
Assistant Auditor General: Shahid Minto
Principals: Paul Morse, Louis Lalonde
Directors: Sue Morgan, Robert Cook
Dusan Duvnjak
Anthony Levita
Lyane Maisonneuve
Jennifer McLeod
Heather Miller
Bridget O'Grady
Nicolas Paré
Benoit St-Jean
For information, please contact Communications at (613) 995-3708 or
1-888-761-5953 (toll-free).
Special operating agency—An agency within a government department that has greater management flexibility in return for certain levels of performance and results. (Back)
Revolving fund—A fund provided for a particular purpose that is periodically replenished by transfers from other funds or, as in this case, by user fees. (Back)


text:
When you buy a ticket to Väski, you will also get a small brochure, which includes a map of the island and an adventure game.
WHEN YOU ARRIVE ON VÄSKI ISLAND, PLAY THE GAME LIKE THIS: Your aim is to follow the map along the numbered route from one task to the next. You will find either a question or a task on the form for each task on the map. Complete the task and mark your answer on your adventure game.
You will get the results once you have returned home and entered your answers on the Väski website. Are you a Väski Supreme Ruler, an Island Hero, a Novice Sailor or a Beginner Treasure Hunter?
YOU CAN WIN AN iPAD!
Everyone who submits their an-swers by 12 August 2018 will be entered in a draw for an Apple iPad 32 Gt Wi-Fi tablet
(value 330 €)!


text:
When it comes to decorating a house for Halloween, there is no such thing as going too far.
The scarier, the better in our opinion.
To show you how its done and to give you a little inspiration to get you on your way, we have found some of the best decorated Halloween houses around.
Sit back and learn from the professionals.


text:
xRealDirtyGirl personal details:
xRealDirtyGirl is years old cam performer, doing live shows in webcams category, speaking languages.
Webcam model screen Name: xRealDirtyGirl
xRealDirtyGirl has build.
xRealDirtyGirl turns on:
xRealDirtyGirl turns off:
xRealDirtyGirl is willing to do in shows: show , shaved, stockings, anal sex, dildo, vibrator, striptease, dancing, cameltoe, smoke cigarette, zoom, close up, roleplay, fingering, live orgasm, oil, snapshot
xRealDirtyGirl Tags
honeyandjasmine cam | © girlsforkissing.com Online Since 21 Aug 2018


text:
"The unique thing on this trip, the train not only becomes your transportation, it becomes your restaurant, your nightclub, and of course your hotel. And what closer hotel could you have than the Washington, DC, Union Station, 3 1/2 blocks from the Capitol, right where everything is going on?" said Roger Verbeeren, CEO American Rail Excursions.
Sleeper cars, a dining car and a lounge car will be attached to the rear of Amtrak's Capitol Limited. The scenic route passes through the Midwest, Pennsylvania's Allegheny Mountains and along the Potomac River to destination D.C. Upon arrival, the sleeper cars are parked at the train station, and that's home base for the next several days.
So who's taking this trip? Debra and Alvin Harvey.
¶"It's more exciting than I could even imagine! In my family we have a history of nervous stomachs when we get excited and my stomach's been out of whack since Monday," said Debra Ann Harvey, Inauguration Express traveler.
Alvin, a retired firefighter, saw the ad for the trip in the paper.
"I said, we ought to just try, so I called Roger and he said he had a few left, so I said, Roger, book us up," said Alvin.
For Debra, whose father was a Pullman porter, this trip will be nostalgic and historic.
"I couldn't even imagine this," she said. "I never even dreamt that a black person would be the president of the United States."
Roz will be onboard, taking her first overnight rail trip and is delighted to be sharing the experience with you! You can check out her blog on as she travels on the Inauguration Express to D.C.


text:
|Photo by Gabrielle Taduran
Scored this pretty red stilettos from Ninewest. I've been looking for something like Christian Louboutin Kate shoes since last year..but its soo difficult to find one. Since I can't have Louboutins yet, so I need to find an alternative. Searched it from one mall to another but the long wait is over. I saw these beauty at Ninewest and the original price is php5450 and now they're selling it for php595..Imagine the discount that I got. I felt like I won a lottery..hahahhaha Sometimes it's best to do brisk walking inside the mall..LOL You get to exercise and enjoy the view. You might find treasure along the way. Happy Tuesday everyone.


text:
Drawing from the 70s singer-songwriter tradition, peculiar nostalgia, and wide-eyed wonder, Paul Demer weaves spiritual imagery with personal autobiography to craft melodic and lyrical folk music. Since 2011, he's toured across the country in support of two LPs and shared festival and concert bills with Indigo Girls, Jars of Clay, Sara Groves, and Gungor. Demer's third full-length, "I'm Glad You're Still Around," will be released in the summer of 2018.
In partnership with Texas Winds Musical Outreach, a non-profit that brings live music to some of society's most forgotten, Demer has performed over 500 concerts in hospitals and nursing homes across Dallas, TX.


text:
Hi. My name is Jim McGrath, and I'm currently a postdoctoral fellow in Digital Public Humanities at Brown University's John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage. I'm interested in digital humanities, digital archives, public history, public humanities, the history of reading, libraries, new media, poetry, and comic books. Check out the rest of my site to learn about the digital projects I've worked on and the classes I've taught at Brown and elsewhere.
I am pretty easy to find on Twitter (@JimMc_Grath). You can also email me at james_mcgrath[at]brown[dot]edu. I'm currently available to consult on projects similar to the ones outlined below: please be in touch if you're interested! I'm also happy to discuss my work in digital humanities, digital archives, public humanities, and digital public humanities (among other topics) in your classroom or at your university, schedule and resources permitting! Feel free to check out my CV to learn more about my work!
I have a doctorate in English from Northeastern University. My dissertation, "Borrowed Country: Digital Media, Remediation, and North American Poetry in the Twenty-First Century," examines the social dimensions of reading, writing, and publishing poetry in digital contexts (ebooks, Wikipedia articles, social media networks like Twitter) in the twenty-first century. Poets surveyed in the dissertation include John Ashbery, Anne Carson, Kevin Young, Steve Roggenbuck, and Patricia Lockwood. You can read the dissertation here, via Northeastern's Digital Repository Service. Some of its ideas will be revised and remediated in the form of academic articles, blog posts, tweets, and other modes of writing.


text:
Whether you are just starting out or have a mature practice, the e-commerce playbook starts with an assessment of your digital business.
- What is the current state of your digital properties?
- How well are you doing?
- How does it measure up to best practices?
- What are best practices?
This is not a general industry analysis, or regurgitated vendor hyperbole. B2X utilizes its 20 years of hands-on e-commerce implementation experience, strong business and technical understanding, and a deep knowledge of vendor offerings to develop an assessment that is specific to your current state.
Through a series of interviews, discussions, and reviews of existing materials we will develop an assessment of your needs and an actionable set of recommendations to move forward with the best information available, enabling you to make an informed decision with respect to your e-commerce initiative.
B2B E-Commerce Assessment
- Identification and discussion of overall business objectives and outcomes. Mapping those objectives back to e-commerce project requirements.
- Assessment and discussion of the current state of readiness regarding people, processes, and technology.
- Discussion on current and future states
- Assessment and discussion of current skills versus those required to reach and maintain future state
- Assessment and discussion of product content readiness
- Assessment and discussion regarding e-commerce integration points
- Review and discussion of proposed technology alternatives, to include any already investigated


text:
Cool Record Edit Deluxe 2016 distribution permissions and end-user license agreement
END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR Cool Record Edit Deluxe
IMPORTANT-READ CAREFULLY: This License Agreement is a legal Agreement between you and Cool Record Edit Deluxe for CoolMedia, LLC products.
Cool Record Edit Deluxe for Windows 2000, 2003 and XP/Vista/7.
Copyright(c) 2000-2010 CoolMedia, LLC All Rights Reserved.
Cool Record Edit Deluxe End-User Software License Agreement
1) Cool Record Edit Deluxe is shareware. The downloaded package is a full function version. You can distribute the downloaded unregistered copy of Cool Record Edit Deluxe without any modification in any way you like, but you can't distribute any of your registration name, registration code and other registration information or any crack program with it.
2) All content accessed through Cool Record Edit Deluxe is the property of the applicable content owner and may be protected by applicable copyright law. This Agreement gives you no rights to such content. Don't use this software to copy data if you have no rights to do with it.
3) Cool Record Edit Deluxe IS DISTRIBUTED "AS IS". NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND IS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. YOU USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE AUTHOR WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR DATA LOSS, DAMAGES AND LOSS OF PROFITS OR ANY OTHER KIND OF LOSS WHILE USING OR MISUSING THIS SOFTWARE.
4) Other product and company names appearing in this product and materials are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Registered and unregistered trademarks used in this program are the exclusive property of their respective owners.
CoolMedia, LLC


text:
All Recipes and Posts Tagged easy recipes
Double Layer Pumpkin Pie
Double Layer Pumpie Pie Check out this double layer pumpkin pie! Some of our favorite recipes, including those for pumpkin pie recipes were found in newspapers and magazines and coupon inserts. Over the years, we've found dozens of pumpkin pie variations… moreRead more
Paleo Fruit Crumble Recipe
Here's a delicious way to start your day. It's also perfect for a midday snack or even a light dessert. You can add some full-fat Greek yogurt (or coconut yogurt if you refrain from dairy). The crumble is made from germinated almonds and dates (not too… moreRead more
The consistently excellent A Tavola
So I eat out a fair bit and love trying new places. I also love returning to favourite places, especially ones that I've been to time after time that never fail to delight. A Tavola is one of these – and the fact that it's always full… moreRead more
A long-awaited return to the fabulous Food Barn
The Cape has more than its fair share of fabulous restaurants, lucky us…and The Food Barn is right up there. Co-founders Franck Dangereux (the chef) and Pete de Bruin have done something really clever by serving what is high-level fine dining in… moreRead more


text:
Stripe Study of Genetic Resources in the CGIAR
TypeInternal Document
AccessibilityOpen Access
MetadataShow full item record
Permanent link to cite or share this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10947/1324
Study of genetic resources activities and policies in the CGIAR, commissioned by TAC and conducted by a panel chaired by Henry L. Shands, completed March 1, 1994. The document also contains a transmittal from the TAC Chairman with TAC's commentary, and a transmittal from the panel chair. The study discussed the changing policy environment, the roles of various actors, and legal matters of concern to the CGIAR. It recommended the scope of future CGIAR activities, covering species of plants, as well as animals and trees, to be conserved, in situ conservation, applications of molecular biology, ecoregional research, databases and networks, training, and links between IARCs, NARS and NGOs. The panel argued that genetic resources conservation and related research was the most important activity of the CGIAR in the long term, and stressed the imperative of providing adequate and continuous funding.The panel proposed the establishment of a systemwide program on genetic resources. It suggested three possible modes of implementation: 1) management by the Inter-Center Working Group on Genetic Resources; 2) management by a reformulated IPGRI; or 3) management by a new board, responsible for both the program and IPGRI. TAC preferred a fourth alternative proposed by the IARCs at a joint meeting of TAC and center directors, with the cosponsors present. This was for the program to be managed through the Inter-Center Working Group, but with IPGRI playing a lead center role.Annexes describe the germplasm collections of IARCs, staff and budgets involved, and the safety duplications of the collections. This study was planned at TAC 62. The report was an agenda document at TAC 63 and the CGIAR meeting in May 1994.


text:
Watch Full Uncle John in HD QualityNow you can download full Uncle John in top quality with duration 114 Min and was published in 2015-03-16 and MPAA rating is 1.
- Original Title : Uncle John
- Movie title in your country : Uncle John
- Year of movie : 2015
- Genres of movie : Mystery, Crime, Drama,
- Status of movie : Post Production
- Release date of movie : 2015-03-16
- Companies of movie :
- Countries of movie : United States of America,
- Language of movie : English,
- Durationof movie : 114 Min
- Average vote of movie : 2
- Youtube ID of movie : N9h7y-kPGs0
- Translation of movie : EN,DE,
- Cast of movie :John Ashton (Uncle John), Alex Moffat (Ben), Jenna Lyng (Kate), Ronnie Gene Blevins (Danny)
Movie summary of Uncle John :
Free Uncle John in High Quality with movie plot "Uncle John revolves around the struggle to keep a mysterious disappearance unsolved" in top quality. Full Length of Uncle John in HD Quality by clicking the button above.
Now you can enjoy Uncle John in top video format. See Uncle John film with single submit the type by simply clicking the image of the sign in place button. Enjoy all of the albums new movie using all preferred movie surging! only watch this movie Uncle John right now for easy access this online movie. That is truly spectacular and may even among those rare remarkable. The top quality was great all about. Management, photos and visible effects ended up all really innovative and also brilliant. The pleasure of the script, often humorous possesses plenty of heart for everyone his characters are common very well developed.
... Full Streaming Uncle John in High Quality Video 720p ...
Director : Steven Piet, Writer : Steven Piet, Writer : Erik Crary, Editor : W.T. O'Brien
Of course, now you can view movie regarding Uncle John entirely length and obtain the hyperlink to this flick Uncle John in high definition format.
Tags: disappearance,


text:
- Home
- 2017 screenings
- Restorative Justice Conference 2017
- commffest WORLD MUSIC 2017
- Creative Aging
- Commffest Antigua 2018
- register-shared voices
Walk with Me (28 mins) USA
Director: Collective Effort
A minister working at Riker's Island challenges church hierarchy and overcomes resistance to create a Presbyterian church run by and for prisoners, exprisoners and people of faith who want to be in solidarity with them.
Director: Shawn Small
In India over 360 million people live in poverty. Of these, no one suffers more than millions of her children, who are exploited and sentenced to a life of bonded slavery. Their precious lives are worked away to pay debts that are not their own. But the tide is turning. Acres of Diamonds examines the two possible lives for vulnerable children in rural, poverty stricken India: A life in slavery with no hope of escape or a flourishing life with Good News India, where they receive food, clothes, education, and love. This film gives a voice to millions of forgotten children who are desperately in need of help. They have a chance at emancipation, if only someone will offer it to them.
Trek for Teens presents learn coding short presentation on how to code