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A FEW WEEKS ago, in the backdrop of President George Manneh Weah's visit to his Baptist Seminary property, a young boy was hit by a Pehn-Pehn motorbike. As the young boy labored in pain and bystanders tried to get him to a hospital, overzealous police officers denied them entourage left the scene.
WE ARE PRETTY SURE that this matter never reached the president, neither did he endorse the action of those in his security details or the officers assigned to the area. Nevertheless, a young man, nursing a broken leg had to endured the pain and suffering while security officers and police guarding the president showed their might and power of being in the proximity of the President.
THE POLICE DIRECTOR was informed of the incident by this newspaper and to this day, nothing has been heard about the officers involved and why they denied an accident victim an opportunity to get treatment at a hospital.
LAST THURSDAY, another incident occurred. FrontPageAfrica sports editor Christopher Walker was inflicted bodily harm, his camera damaged and ruffled to the ground by unruly and overzealous officers of the Liberia National Police.
TO DATE, THE LNP has not said a word about the embarrassment brought on to it by unruly officers or replacing the damage camera of FrontPageAfrica.
LIBERIA'S HISTORY is filled with similar stories. Governments have come and gone but the practice of overzealous security apparatus continue to linger.
IN 2006, TWO JOURNALISTS, Charles B. Yates of the privately-owned daily The Inquirer and Morris Gayboe of the privately-owned daily The Informer were told they did not have authorization to take photographs. When Gayboe nonetheless took pictures of a youth being arrested, several policeman began hitting him with their batons. Yates tried to intervene, explaining they were both journalists. But a policeman responded: "You too, you want your own like your friend?" And then Yates was also clubbed.
IN 2007, journalists, Daylue Goah of the privately-owned daily New Democrat and Evans Ballah of Public Agenda were severely beaten during a student demonstration. Goah and Ballah were sent by their newspapers to cover a student demonstration against conditions on the University of Liberia campus, which degenerated into rioting on the main streets of the capital not far from the presidential palace and which elicited a forceful intervention by the security forces.
IN 2010, TOGBA MULBAH, then a deputy parliamentary speaker was ordered the flogged by a policeman and beaten unconscious after he tried to impound one of Mr. Mulbah's vehicles.
OFFICERS OF THE SECURITY APARATUS must be trained and encouraged to use extreme caution in dealing with non-threatening ordinary citizens and conform to the principle of proportionality, that will not infringe on people's rights human rights.
On April 29, 2018, a zone commander for the Liberia National Police (LNP), Roosevelt Demann, shot and killed an unarmed civilian, Beyan Lamie, when Lamie attempted to flee after a confrontation. An LNP investigation determined that Lamie posed no danger to Demann at the time. In September, Demann was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Demann's legal counsel filed an appeal with the Supreme Court. The case is reportedly on the docket for March 2019.
SINCE THE END of the civil war, Liberia's international partners and stakeholders have invested millions of dollars in reform of the security sector. The police in particular, have been subjected to huge international investment as part of the security-sector reform (SSR) process, which has sought to reform the LNP to be more responsive to the Liberian people and their security needs.
A 2015 report by the Overseas Development Institute indicated that there was a slight decrease in trust of the police between 2008 and 2012, particularly in rural areas. "It is not possible to determine the reasons behind this decrease from the data without further research; however, it could be due to the reported increase in crime rates in Monrovia, as well as the perceived failure of SJR to result in improved police performance," the report noted.
SADLY, the security apparatus in Liberia today is on the wrong end of the stick, ignoring the decency of humanity, human rights and justice.
FOR A NATION EMERGING from more than a decade of civil war and in the midst of a transitioning democracy, it saddens us that Liberia continues to be reversing the tide of the history book to an ugly chapter many should be looking to forget.
THE ROLE of the police and security apparatus in any nation is to provide safety and security for all members of society, not just the elite and those at the helm of power.
TOO OFTEN we see the overzealousness of security officers taking a toll and threatening Liberia's effort to remove itself from its ugly past.
SADLY, INSTEAD of being empowered by the state to enforce the rule of law and prevent and detect crimes, the police and security apparatus are now being used to torment and inflict harm on ordinary citizens.
IT IS IMPORTANT NOW, more than ever before that those at the helm of power do all they can to ensure that police are afforded specific powers to enable them to carry out their rightful roles in society and not turn on those they should be protecting.
OFFICERS OF THE SECURITY APARATUS must be trained and encouraged to use extreme caution in dealing with non-threatening ordinary citizens and conform to the principle of proportionality, that will not infringe on people's rights human rights.
WHAT WE ARE seeing now is nothing more than a bunch of inhumane, underpaid and overzealous officers looking to impress their bosses at the expense of those languishing at the bottom of the economic ladder. This is not just wrong, but inhumane and done in poor taste.
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN leaders allow those at their disposal to fall prey to sycophancy. They shut the door on humanity without realizing the dangers they pose to the decency of life and those simply trying to live without the extraordinary chaos and confusion of those under the spell of the powerful.


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Thought it feels as though it has been somewhat muted and put on the backburner in hindsight of the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers struggled to beat a 2-6 team, even if on the road, while said team was playing a quarterback making his first NFL start, we should not lose sight of the simple fact that this team is 8-0.
And of the fact that this is the first time in franchise history that the Steelers have ever been 8-0. With yesterday's win against one of their greatest historical rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, they made franchise history by authoring the longest winning streak to begin a season, in doing so already matching their win total from a year ago.
The win broke a tie with the 1978 team that began its Super Bowl season with a 7-0 start. They ultimately finished the regular season 14-2, their second-best record ever, before securing the franchise's third title.
In actuality, however, the Steelers have had some long winning streaks before. In fact, within the regular season, they have had 13 winning streaks of seven games or more if you include multiple-season streaks. Nine of those streaks occurred in a single season. Their longest overall steak is 16 games, encompassing their 14-game winning streak of the 2004 season and the first two games of the 2005 season.
They have two other streaks of 10-plus games, including a single-season 11-game winning streak in 1975. That year, they also went 14-2, losing only their second and final games of the regular season en route to their second trophy. Were it not for a meaningless loss in the finale, they would have had a 14-game winning streak.
But we already know, of course, that the Steelers' longest all-time single-season winning streak was the 14-game run that they ended the 2004 season with. If they want to match that, then they still have six more consecutive games to win, and that would include a rematch against the Baltimore Ravens and a road meeting with the 7-2 Buffalo Bills.
For the time being, however, the 8-0 record obviously has them well-positioned. They have a two-game lead with a game in hand against the Ravens for the AFC North title, and they have kept apace of the Kansas City Chiefs, who are 8-1, having not had their bye yet. Everybody else in the entire league has at least two losses.
At this same point last season, the Steelers were 4-4, and even that was somewhat remarkable, considering that they started off 0-3 before going 1-4. But they rattled off a pair of three-game winning streaks sandwiched in between a loss and actually had themselves situated at 8-5 before a three-game collapse ended their season early.
It would have to be a historic collapse, however, to keep them out of the postseason this year, and that is because of a historically great start for the franchise.

subset: commoncrawl


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December 1990 - VOLUME 11 - NUMBER 12
Corporate VilliansThe 10 Worst Corporations of 1990by Russell MokhiberLeaving on of the more rapacious decades in corporate history, one is left to wonder: What have multinational corporations learned? After surveying the ten worst companies of 1990, the answer is clear: not much. With many governments of the world dependent on big business, corporations can be as nasty as they want to be. And they have been. From hooking kids on tobacco, to pushing untested and risky genetically engineered growth hormones, to intimidating employees who try to speak out against their company's misdeeds, the multinationals are as reckless, immoral and criminal as ever. Citizens concerned about this breakdown in law and order must become increasingly vigilant to protect themselves and their families from the marauding corporate cabal. Toward this end, we present the Ten Worst Corporations of 1990. The companies presented here are large, multi-billion dollar enterprises headed by white, "well-educated" men. Even the most notorious offenders use slick multi-media advertising campaigns to whitewash their misdeeds. But don't believe the hype. And don't believe you can't change things. Don't buy the products made by the worst corporations. Pick a high-profile local outlet of one of the ten, and picket it. Be creative and have fun. But spread the word. Also, keep your eyes out for corporate crime in your neck of the world. Nominations are now open for the Ten Worst of 1991.
ARCO: On July 5,1990, a massive explosion at an ARCO Chemical Company refinery near the Houston Ship Channel killed 17 workers and injured five others. According to the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union (OCAW), the explosion was the result of upper echelon management "placing profits over safety." The explosion occurred when a treatment tank containing 900,000 gallons of wastewater and chemicals exploded. Five of the dead workers were ARCO employees, 11 worked for Austin Industrial, a company contracted to clean the tanks, and one was an employee of another contractor, Waste Processing, Inc. Federal officials said that ARCO had been cited for two minor violations in the past. On January 3, 1991, ARCO agreed to pay $3.48 million in fines to OSHA, the largest dollar-amount settlement in OSHA's history. OSHA fined ARCO $10,000 for each of 347 "wilful" violations (committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act) and $11,300 for "serious" violations (in which the company should have known of a substantial probability of an accident resulting in death or serious injury). In addition to paying the fines, ARCO agreed to revamp its safety program at the Channelview plant as well as at three of its other facilities. Federal and state officials decided not to criminally prosecute ARCO for the seventeen deaths. "There is a direct association between the lack of preventive maintenance, the substitution of contract labor for skilled, permanent union labor and this accident," said Tony Mazzocchi, secretary-treasurer of OCAW. "The contractors were probably working more than 16 hours straight when [the tank] exploded." Mazzocchi believes that many other accidents have also occurred as a result of corporate use of contract labor. "The wages are cheaper, you don't pay any fringes, you run them in and out, you have total control over them; people have to do what they're told and they don't have any protection. But you give something up. Contract laborers often don't know what they are doing and are often recruited off the street. You give up a workforce that knows and understands a refinery." Hundreds of workers have been killed over the past couple of years in the petrochemical industry and thousands more injured. Mazzocchi says that the only way to stem the bleeding is to create safety programs that give all employees, including contract workers, the right to know about hazards in the workplace and the right to act on that knowledge. While its workers were being killed and injured, ARCO was ripping off the state of Alaska. In September 1990, ARCO settled a decade-old lawsuit by agreeing to pay $287 million in royalties from the production of oil from Alaska's North Slope. The state had charged that ARCO and British Petroleum had fraudulently manipulated oil prices to avoid paying taxes to the state. Alaska had sought punitive damages from ARCO in excess of $100 million. But just weeks before a trial, wily ARCO lawyers convinced the state to drop the fraud charges and allow ARCO to settle the case without admitting wrongdoing. Richard Fineberg, a former oil and gas policy analyst for Alaska's state management and budget office, denounced the state for dismissing the fraud charges and not disclosing to the public the terms of the settlement. Fineberg is campaigning to overhaul Alaska's system of negotiating disputes with major oil companies, which he contends are kept secret in violation of the public interest. Fineberg believes that the way in which Alaska settles its royalty disputes with ARCO and other oil companies will lead to repeat performances by the oil companies. "If we fail to demand public acknowledgement that the companies have engaged in royalty reporting and payment practices that are, at different times, inadequate, obstructionist, inaccurate and fraudulent, then by this action we guarantee with near certainty that we will face similar problems in the future," Fineberg said.
ASHLAND OIL: It is one thing to be a polluter. Many corporations are polluters. But it is another to seek to intimidate victims of corporate pollution-victims who are seeking to protect themselves from pollution and gain a measure of justice against the offending company. Ashland Oil is a polluting corporation with an intimidating edge. In Catlettsburg, Kentucky, Ashland runs a giant refinery. Local residents charge that the Ashland operations, including a metals-recovery system, have dumped heavy metals, many of which are carcinogenic and remain unregulated, into the neighboring community. Local residents charge that the chemicals are highly corrosive, cause paint to peel off people's cars and houses and cause skin burns. Ashland has been running the facility without obtaining the air pollutant permits required by the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The agency knows that Ashland is polluting the region, but continues to allow the plant to operate. "Given Ashland Oil's history of constructing and operating air contaminant sources without permits," begins one 1988 DEP memo, "I recommend the most stringent penalties available to use in the hope that Ashland Oil will get the message this time." A second December 1989 DEP memo writer asked a superior to commence legal action against the company "for numerous violations of the Air Quality regulations." The memo asserted that "these violations occurred starting in June 1987 . .. and continue to date. The documentation concerning these violations [is] quite voluminous.... Please take whatever measures allowed by law to impose any and all sanctions and remedies deemed appropriate." A study sponsored by Vanderbilt University and conducted by a Stanford University medical student found unusually high cancer rates around the Ashland facility. "They just can't run the plant a week without having what they call a malfunction or an upset," according to attorney Rodney Jackson, who represents hundreds of local residents charging that the company has damaged property and health. In July 1990, a local jury awarded $10.3 million to four residents. Instead of confessing guilt or exhibiting shame, Ashland went on the attack. Attorneys for the residents charge that following the verdict, the company turned the Catlettsburg area into a "civil war zone" in a campaign to win the support of local businesses, town governments and politicians. Ashland mounted a traditional "good neighbor" public relations effort, including staged rallies, letter-writing campaigns and telephone trees to counter the public impact of the $10.3 million verdict. But at the same time, residents were also bombarded with various forms of harassment, including obscene phone calls, acts of vandalism and other forms of intimidation. In August 1990, residents, this time on the other side of the Kentucky-West Virginia border, banded together and sued Ashland again. They charged the company with fraud, obstruction of justice and threatening plaintiffs and journalists. Attorneys for the residents called on a Kanawha County, West Virginia court to "supervise and regulate" the conduct of Ashland to prevent the company from "chilling the free litigation of these claims." "The tactics which defendants are using have gone beyond the permissible bounds of free speech which is protected under the constitution, and such actions warrant court supervision," argued Arnold Levin, an attorney for the residents. "The recent escalation of intimidation tactics requires the intervention of this court to safeguard the rights of the plaintiffs." Residents charge that Ashland is responsible for a series of acts of harassment against the four individuals awarded the $10.3 million verdict, and for surveillance and harassment campaigns targeting local environmentalists and other prominent supporters of legal action against Ashland.
BASF: On December 18, 1989, the West German multinational BASF, the world's second largest chemical corporation, with 130,000 employees and $25 billion a year in sales, settled a five-year labor dispute with Louisiana local 4-620 of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union. In June 1984, as part of a worldwide effort to reduce its labor costs, BASF locked 370 union workers out of its Geismar, Louisiana facility and refused to let them work. For the ensuing five and a half years since that infamous date, the union conducted a corporate campaign that effectively portrayed BASF as a despicable corporation in an historically criminogenic industry. In 1986, OCAW charged BASF with an "apparent coverup" of unsafe conditions that could lead to a Bhopal-like release of toxic materials from its Geismar facility in Ascension Parish, Louisiana. Releases of phosgene, toluene, disocyanate and other toxic chemicals had occurred at the plant, OCAW charged. And by locking out union employees, BASF was "running a complex chemical manufacturing operation with inadequately trained contract workers who are violating critical safety procedures on a regular basis." Reports of occupational risks and BASF pollution around the world, coupled with a union-led boycott of BASF consumer products, fuelled the corporate campaign and forced the company to rehire the locked-out workers and negotiate a new contract with the union local. But if what's happening in BASF plants in the Midwest is any indication, BASF has not learned much from its Louisiana experience. On July 19, 1990, a BASF facility in Cincinnati was rocked by a fatal fire and explosion. The explosion killed two workers, injured 17 others and caused extensive damage to the neighboring community. On November 19, 1990, OSHA issued citations alleging 133 safety and health violations--including 104 wilful violations--against the company for its role in the blast. OSHA proposed fines totalling $1,061,000. Joseph Kinney, director of the National Safe Workplace Institute, has identified a BASF plant in Detroit, Michigan as another dangerous site. "It's just a disaster waiting to happen," Kinney says. "There have been small problems at the plant and it's just a question of when the big problems will occur. Whistleblowers have talked to me about this plant. They say they think there is a really good chance for an explosion that could kill 300 people." And while it is readily apparent that BASF doesn't give a damn about its workers or the environment, this year provided evidence that the company doesn't give a damn about its customers. In July 1990, BASF finally settled a claim brought by an Illinois woman who alleged that a chemical detergent manufactured in the 1960s caused her leukemia [see "Deadly Detergents," Multinational Monitor, July/August 1990]. The woman, 23-year-old Fawn Wright, charged that the chemicals in the detergent Loxene, which was used to wash diapers at the Booth Memorial Hospital in St. Louis where she was born, caused her to become gravely ill, required her to have a blood transfusion when she was five days old and caused her current illness, acute myelocytic leukemia. One active ingredient in Loxene: pentachlorophenol, a wood preservative and suspected human carcinogen. BASF removed Loxene from the marketplace in September 1967, less than six months after Wright's birth. Twenty-three years later BASF finally agreed to pay Wright $3.75 million to settle the case.
COORS: In August 1987, AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland and Peter H. Coors, president of Adolph Coors Co., settled a ten-year-old labor dispute. Socially responsible beer drinkers started drinking Coors beer again and conveniently forgot that Coors was still controlled by an anti-environment, anti-women, anti-gay, anti-minority, pro-contra right-wing family. Joseph Coors, the company's vice president, donated a $65,000 airplane to Lt. Oliver North's operation in support of the Nicaraguan contras. He supports the National Rifle Association with generous gifts. He also is a vocal opponent of the Equal Rights Amendment. In 1984, company chairman William Coors told an assembly of black businessmen that "one of the best things [the slave traders] did for you was drag your ancestors over here in chains." He then added that the descendants of "wetbacks" should be thankful that their ancestors swam the Rio Grande to get to America. In November 1990, the company joined the ranks of corporate criminals when it pleaded guilty to two criminal misdemeanor counts in Colorado and agreed to pay a total of $650,000 in fines in connection with state charges of contaminating groundwater and failing to report the contamination to regulatory authorities. The investigation stemmed from chemical releases at the Coors plant in Golden, Colorado. Coors pumps groundwater from dozens of wells beneath and near the plant for both brewing and drinking water. When the company first discovered the contamination in 1981, it stopped using wells located in the contaminated areas for brewing or drinking water. The company continued, however to pump from the wells, redirecting some of the water to the treatment plant and dumping the rest directly into nearby Clear Creek, federal officials reported. Coors' advertising is dirty too, according to a coalition of public interest and environmental groups. In December 1990, the group awarded Coors an award for one of the year's "most misleading, unfair or irresponsible" advertising campaigns. A Coors advertisement, "The Search for Halloween Headquarters," constitutes "the cooptation of a holiday celebration for kids and its transformation into a drinking holiday, according to the Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence, Inc.
KENNECOTT/RTZ: The London-based multinational giant Rio Tinto Zinc operates 52 mines in 40 countries. In Canada, it has exposed its Denison Mine workers to radioactive exposures seven times higher than are considered safe. In Namibia, it houses its mine workers in appalling conditions in temporary camps and has run its operations in violation of United Nations resolutions on the country long occupied by South Africa. Around the world, from Northern Ireland to New Zealand, RTZ throws its weight around to get what it wants. It sometimes resorts to violent threats against groups defending indigenous lands from mining operations. An RTZ board member once threatened to "squash Survival International like a fly" if the group didn't get off RTZ's case. [See "Rio Tinto Zinc: The British Mining Monster," Multinational Monitor, April 1990.] Recently, Kennecott, the United States-based RTZ subsidiary, has been in a brawl with indigenous people in Wisconsin. According to a recent report by Al Gedicks, executive secretary of the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council, Kennecott wants to construct a small, open-pit copper mine near the city of Ladysmith. The mine would sit just 140 feet from the Flambeau River, one of the state's most pristine waterways and a prime walleye fishing area. The proposed mine is also within the territory retained by the Lake Superior Chippewa for fishing, hunting and gathering. The proposed site of the mine is opposed by a coalition of Wisconsin's six Chippewa bands and grassroots environmental groups. They argue that Native Americans have the right to protect their preserved fishing habitats and that Wisconsin cannot grant a permit to the mine unless Kennecott can prove that its mining activities will not degrade the natural resources in the area. In 1976, grassroots activists in Wisconsin defeated a similar Kennecott proposal, but now Kennecott has access to RTZ's global resources. Indigenous people fear that the proposed Kennecott facility will open the door for other mining companies to come in and pollute the area. Mining companies have a long history of polluting the nation's waters, and Kennecott is near the top of any list of polluters. Local groups allege that Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine in Utah is one of the United States' most polluted sites. In 1982, James Klausner, then an Exxon lobbyist, told the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Association that Wisconsin could host up to 10 major metal mines by the year 2000. Gedicks reports that multinationals have quietly leased over 400,000 acres of farm, forest and recreation land with the intent of mining uranium, copper and zinc. According to Gedicks, the Chippewa/environmentalist coalition wants to declare the area a toxic-free environmental zone that would be jointly managed by the state and the Chippewa. In May 1990, the Chippewa took their case to the RTZ board of directors meeting in London. When Gaiashkibos, a Chippewa leader. asked board chairman Sir Alistair Frame whether RTZ would respect Chippewa rights in Wisconsin, Frame answered, "We will deal directly with the federal and state government. Next question." According to Gedicks' report, Gaiashkibos tried to ask a follow-up question, but Frame turned off his microphone. "What we observed today confirms our worst suspicions about the intentions of RTZ," Gaiashkibos said of the meeting. "We have been told firsthand that RTZ couldn't care less about our rights or concerns."
MONSANTO: What is one to expect from a multinational corporation that tried to cloud debates on the environment in the 1970s with the motto "Without chemicals, life itself would be impossible"? Answer A corporation whose financial health in the 1990s is built on products of dubious value that pose serious or unknown risks to consumers and the environment the aspartame low calorie sweetener NutraSweet, the herbicide Lasso, the Copper-7 IUD and Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH), a genetically engineered bacteria, which, when injected into cows twice a month increases milk yields from 10 to 25 percent [See "Monsanto's Misdeeds," Multinational Monitor, July/August 1990]. BGH poses unknown risks to the economies of dairy-producing states and to consumers. In December 1990, Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, released a report concluding that the synthetic hormone has not been sufficiently studied to determine its impact on human and animal health. The Consumers Union report came on the heels of a lawsuit filed by the Foundation on Economic Trends, a public interest group, which charged Agriculture Secretary Clayton Yeutter and the Department of Agriculture's National Dairy Board with illegally helping Monsanto, Eli Lilly & Company, Upjohn Company and American Cyanamid promote the hormone. BGH has been banned in Germany, three Scandinavian countries and in parts of Canada. British regulators recently rejected an application by Monsanto for commercialization of BGH in England. In April 1990, Wisconsin and Minnesota, two major dairy states, issued temporary bans on the commercial use of BGH. A number of supermarket chains, including Kroger and Safeway, announced in 1989 that they would not accept BGH dairy products because of consumer concerns. Studies have predicted that BGH use will drive many small farmers out of business completely, severely affecting the economies of dairy regions. And public health expert Dr. Samuel Epstein of the University of Illinois argues that "cell- stimulating growth factors" such as BGH could induce premature growth and breast stimulation in infants and possibly promote breast cancer. Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug LaFollette complained in August 1989 to the Food and Drug Administration that "a few chemical companies are willing to endanger the health of millions of Americans who take for granted the safe, wholesome quality of our milk." Safety questions have also been raised about Monsanto's Nutrasweet. A study by a University of Illinois scientist indicated that using Nutrasweet appeared to heighten chances of behavioral disturbances an birth defects. Others argue that Nutrasweet has not been tested properly. But consumer group calls on the FDA to ban the sweetener as an "imminent hazard to public health" have fallen on deaf ears. While Monsanto has stopped producing the infamous herbicide Agent Orange and the insecticide parathion, which may have been responsible for half of the world's pesticide poisonings and 80 percent of those in Central America, it still produces some highly toxic chemicals, including the herbicide butachlor, which can cause skin and eye irritation and decreased body weight, organ-weight changes, reduced brain size and lesions. It also still produces the world's bestselling herbicide, alachlor, marketed under the trade name Lasso, for use on corn and soybeans. Alachlor has caused lung, stomach, thyroid and nasal cancers in laboratory animals.
MOBIL: Last year, Mobil made our "Ten Worst" list because of the way it mistreated the environment [See "Ten Worst Corporations of 1989," Multinational Monitor, December 1989]. This year it makes the list because of the way it continues to mistreat the environment, but also because of the way it mistreats its employees. In November 1990, a federal jury in Newark, New Jersey awarded $1 million in punitive damages and $375,000 in compensatory damages to Dr. Valcar Bowman, Jr., a former environmental affairs manager for Mobil Chemical Corporation. Bowman alleged in an unjust dismissal lawsuit that the company fired him for refusing to conceal environmental problems. Bowman was manager of environmental affairs for Mobil Chemical from 1984 until he was fired on April 14, 1986. He alleges that he was pressured to change environmental audit reports so as "to keep upper level management from being fully knowledgeable of" the environmental problems at the facilities. In the summer of 1985, Mobil's general counsel requested that Bowman and members of his staff go to a Mobil plant in Bakersfield, California and remove environmental records. According to Bowman, Mobil was concerned that law enforcement officials would raid the plant, looking for incriminating documents, as they had raided Mobil's Torrance, California facility earlier. Bowman refused to remove the Bakersfield records. "I not only refused to go to Bakersfield," Bowman said. "I told my staff members not to get involved in that kind of mess. And they all refused." After that incident, things "went from worse to horrible," according to Bowman. "I was continuing to have pressure applied on me to make changes on the audit reports. I was complaining to every executive that I thought would listen, including the president of the company. But nobody wanted to hear it. They had other ideas [about] what my future was going to be and eventually terminated me based on a cost-containment sham." Bowman calls it a sham because Mobil Chemical Company had record profits in 1986, the year he was fired. In October 1990, another former Mobil environmental affairs manager sued Mobil, charging that the company systematically covered up environmental and human health problems. Myron A. Mehlman, the former director of toxicology and manager of Mobil Oil's Environmental Health and Science Laboratories, claims Mobil incorrectly reported results of his toxicological testing of Mobil products to company officials and outside agencies. Mehlman held his position from 1978 until he was fired in 1989. He supervised about 100 employees in conducting tests and safety evaluations of Mobil's petrochemical products, including gasoline. Mehlman alleges that in September and October 1989, he attended a conference in Japan with high-ranking Mobil officials and other industry, government and environmental representatives. During a presentation, Mehlman warned that the true benzene levels in gasoline and other Mobil products posed a serious hazard to the public health and environment and that they should be reduced and that Mobil products should be modified. Immediately upon his return from the conference, Mehlman says he was placed on suspension and locked out of his office in Princeton, New Jersey. Mehlman says he was fired for his continuing objections to incorrect reports of his toxicological testing and for his disclosure of the public-health and environmental problems associated with Mobil products. Mobil argues that Mehlman was fired for a conflict of interest in connection with his participation in the publication of books and journals. Mehlman counters that this is a pretext, and that Mobil was told of any potential conflicts of interest and had approved of the work in advance. Mobil was unable, however, to cover up the largest gasoline spill in history. In July 1990 it agreed to clean up an underground lake of approximately 17 million gallons of petroleum products which had seeped under the streets of New York City since World War II. In an agreement with the state of New York, Mobil agreed to pump out the oil, most of which had leaked from Mobil's facility in Greenpoint, an industrial section of New York City. The lake contains about 6 million more gallons of oil than spilled in the largest single oil spill-last year's Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska. Mobil was fined $500,000. Even when it tries to be environmentally friendly, Mobil fails. In June 1990, the company was sued by seven states for deceptive advertising. According to the lawsuit, Mobil claimed that its Hefty brand trash bags were "environmentally friendly" and "degradable," when in fact they were neither. New York Attorney General Robert Abrams, calling Mobil's actions "green-collar fraud," said "degradable plastics" are "nothing but a snake-oil cure for our solid waste problems. It's a myth that degradable plastics quickly disappear or provide any benefits to the environment in a landfill, and Mobil knew it But that didn't stop Mobil from trying to mislead consumers into purchasing products that simply are not good for the environment.... Mobil's claims for its trash bags should be thrown into the landfill of rhetoric."
NORTHROP: Criminal Enterprise Being a defense contractor is a dirty job. Your corporate goal is to build weapons of mass destruction and to make money at it. Putting that bit of reality aside, one defense contractor stands out as perhaps the most corrupt in history: Northrop. Earlier this year, the company pleaded guilty to 34 criminal counts of providing false statements to the U.S. government over a three- year period in connection with the Cruise missile and the Harrier jet. The company was fined $17 million. But the settlement was a good deal for Northrop. As part of the settlement, federal officials agreed to drop 139 additional counts of making false statements and two counts of conspiracy. In addition, the government agreed to drop major investigations of charges that the company falsified test data on the MX missile and overcharged the Air Force on the B-2 Stealth bomber program. After the settlement, Northrop argued that the problem was with individuals and not with the company. "The company pleaded guilty because under the law it accepted responsibility for the unauthorized and unacceptable acts of three or four of its employees--even though they had acted on their own and even though it had fired them nearly three years before when their behavior was discovered," a Northrop spokesman said. But federal prosecutors shot back that the "employees" involved in the cheating included the general manager at a Northrop facility and the chief engineer. And, the prosecutors said, there were at least five test technicians and supervisors who falsified test results at the direction of the general manager and chief engineer. Federal prosecutors chided Northrop for suggesting that it provided full disclosure of the cheating. They also pointed out that Northrop was convicted of cheating on testing of components for more than 110 missiles and jets. Congressman John Dingell, D-MI, calls Northrop "a continuing criminal enterprise." There is no shortage of evidence to buttress that assertion. In September 1990, Wolfgang Kuhn, an international arbitrator, ruled that in the mid-1980s Northrop paid $6.25 million to South Korean businessmen in an attempt to influence the South Korean government to purchase Northrop's F-20 fighter airplane. Kung concluded that the scheme was "not a situation where low-ranking officers colluded to defraud Northrop, but where Northrop acted, probably illegally, through its top management." A House subcommittee investigating the payoff called it a plan to "develop a slush fund to bribe various Korean officials to buy Northrop's F-20 fighter." No F-20 planes were ever sold to South Korea. Currently, seven grand juries around the country are investigating allegations against Northrop of bribery, overcharging of the government and falsification of test records. Criminality is not new to those who run Northrop. In 1974, Thomas V. Jones, who resigned earlier this year as chief executive officer of the company, pleaded guilty to creating a company slush fund in 1972 to reelect then-President Richard Nixon. Jones also falsified documents and lied to a grand jury. He was fined $200,000 for the illegal contribution. A number of former Northrop employees are now suing the company under the federal False Claims Act, alleging that Northrop has been ripping off taxpayers for millions of dollars. Jean- Francois Truong, a former financial controller at Northrop, is suing Northrop over the B-2 bomber program, a program he has called "maliciously organized chaos, calculated to deceive." Truong alleges that Northrop managers repeatedly instructed him to falsify Air Force progress reports. Truong says that the chaos, confusion and waste that reigns at Northrop's B-2 program "is not due to new technology, or an expanding work force, as Northrop and the Air Force would have you believe." Instead, Truong believes the cause is Northrop's decision to "make the money first and some sort of product later."
NYNEX: Some industries are prone to wrongdoing, criminal and otherwise. The chemical, tobacco, pharmaceutical and auto industries come to mind. The telephone industry is not usually a regular in the criminogenic crowd. That's why NYNEX, the regional telephone company serving New York and the New England states, stands out. In May 1990, a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. indicted NYNEX on one count of criminal contempt for violating the consent decree that broke up the giant Bell operating system. The U.S. Justice Department began its investigation after Scott Rafferty, a lawyer hired for NYNEX's Telco subsidiary, questioned the legality of giving MCI Communications access to Telco computer facilities. Rafferty says he was fired for questioning the "regulatory exposure" of a number of NYNEX's business operations. In October 1990, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reached an agreement with the company settling FCC charges brought in February that the company overcharged its unregulated affiliates by $35.5 million. The company was fined $1.4 million. The settlement decree, approved by a vote of 5-0, did not cite findings of wrongdoing. But Commissioner Andrew C. Barrett said in a separate opinion that he would have preferred to have had such a finding. Barrett said there was "sufficient evidence of wrongdoing to find that NYNEX violated the FCC's rules regarding transactions between telephone companies and their nonregulated affiliates." Rafferty calls the FCC settlement with NYNEX a sellout. The New York Public Service Commission apparently didn't think very highly of NYNEX's veracity or competence either. It reduced the company's $945 million rate request to $23 million. Company executives were apparently paying more attention to the libidinous needs of fellow male executives than they were to the rights of the company's phone customers. From 1984 to 1988, NYNEX allegedly held "pervert conventions" in Florida, where employees and suppliers partied together. Awards were given at the convention: one NYNEX employee won the "Procurement Award" for three consecutive years for "arranging for women" to appear at the conventions; others included the "Most Valuable Pervert Award" and the "Moon Over Miami Award." Rafferty charges that there were improper relationships with suppliers at the conventions that tainted business transactions. New York State officials allege that many suppliers who attended the conventions saw their business from NYNEX increase, but NYNEX denies this. Instead of listening to Rafferty and other employees who sought an early exposure and resolution of incipient corruption within the company, NYNEX sought to silence the messengers. According to Rafferty, a number of other whistleblowers within the company faced this silencing treatment. Michael Burkhart was discharged by a NYNEX subsidiary after he questioned the use of illegal, one-of-a-kind contracts to give unlawful discounts to certain large corporate customers. Robert Zirkelbach was fired by a NYNEX subsidiary after he questioned markups as high as 1,004 percent that the NYNEX procurement subsidiary, MECO, was charging. Tobias Squitieri was fired after he complied with a New York state employment discrimination administration subpoena regarding the discharge of another employee. Many of the fired employees have brought legal actions against NYNEX.
RJR NABISCO: In 1989, a best-selling book, Barbarians at the Gates, documented the raucous takeover battle for RJR Nabisco, one of the world's largest consumer products companies, which markets such high-profile brands as Oreo and Chips Ahoy! cookies, Ritz and Triscuit crackers and Camel and Winston cigarettes. The battle ended with the company controlled by the New York investment banking firm of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. In Barbarians at the Gates, the authors describe the unmitigated greed displayed by those seeking to sink their teeth into RJR's profits. But RJR itself is a barbaric and unconscionable drug pusher, child-corrupter and killer, and its products should be boycotted. RJR is a major producer of cigarettes such as Camel, Winston, Doral, Magna, Vantage, More, Ritz and Chelsea. More than 1,000 people in the United States die every day from cigarette-induced disease. That's 40 funerals every hour--many of them due to RJR. What makes RJR stand out this year from the tobacco industry's other leading killers--Phillip Morris, Brown & Williamson and Lorillard? First and foremost, children. With smokers dying every day from tobacco-induced disease, the industry needs to addict a new batch of young consumers to remain financially healthy. And RJR has been a leader in addicting children, according to Dr. Joe Tye, director of the grassroots organization STAT (Stop Teenage Addiction to Tobacco). "The company has been so brazen in its attempts to recruit children to become nicotine addicts," says Tye, "so outrageous in its efforts to deceive smokers into believing that they can continue to smoke without personal harm, that 'corporate evil' is the only term that properly describes their behavior." Most outrageous is RJR's profligate use of its "Smooth Character" cartoon camel to push Camel cigarettes. Since the cartoon camel was introduced in 1987, the number of teenage smokers has increased by more than ten percent. "Talk to teachers and students in junior high and high schools," Tye says. "They'll tell you that Camels are replacing Marlboro as the cigarette of choice among teenagers." There has been widespread commentary in the advertising industry press about the phallic symbolism in the cartoon camel's facial features. In November 1990, STAT sponsored a contest that asks entrants to complete the sentence, "That's not a Camel. That's a .................." In 1989, RJR weighed in on women's rights with its beach rape ad. A four-page print ad, the pull-out offers tips on "how to impress someone at the beach." One suggestion is to "run into the water, grab someone and drag her back to shore, as if you've saved her from drowning. The more she kicks and screams, the better." After a storm of public protest, the company pulled the ad. RJR has a long history of using cartoon characters, professional athletes and images of social and sexual activity to encourage young people to smoke. Earlier this year, the company launched a new brand, Dakota cigarettes, and targeted it at "virile female" high school dropouts. According to an internal memorandum, the marketing campaign focused on women whose favorite pastimes were cruising, partying and attending hot rod shows and tractor pulls with their boy friends. The company also sought to market a high-tar Uptown cigarette to the black community, but community outrage, led by a Philadelphia doctor, Dr. Robert Robertson, caused RJR to withdraw the cigarette. Despite the hype about RJR's decision, the company has not stopped targeting blacks. Uptown would have had the highest nicotine content of any RJR cigarette other than the unfiltered Camel, and Robertson believes the reason the company put so much nicotine in Uptown was because many blacks spend less money on cigarettes, and RJR wanted to get them addicted quickly. In its effort to addict new smokers, RJR has targeted not only blacks, women and children in the United States, but is aggressively promoting smoking in developing countries. In Asia, the company uses "movie stars, rock music concerts, television advertising and promiscuous distribution of free cigarettes to lure unsuspecting children to become nicotine addicts," according to STAT. The boycott campaign against RJR Nabisco products has been picking up steam recently. On October 10,1990, Ben & Jerry's Gourmet Ice Cream company joined the boycott and announced that it will no longer be using RJR's Oreo cookies in its ice cream. |


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Look at this inspirational photo! Gorgeous coloring. I knew I had to play along in Jay Gee's Challenge when I saw it. I instantly thought about my Practicing Creativity The Whole Cycle when I saw that little bike! Here is what I came up with:
I did a little masking and copic coloring on this card! I hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by!!!
Supplies: Stamps: Practicing Creativity (bike, sentiment), Hero Arts (clouds), Lawn Fawn (Bird) Ink: Jenni Bowlin Soap Powder, Memento Rich Cocoa, Tim Holtz Distress Inks Other: Copics, Foam Dimensionals, Spellbinder Nestabilities Card Stock: Neenah Solar White, Bazzill


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Joao Virginia: 5
A rough afternoon for the young 'keeper, who conceded three goals in his first match in senior football although I wouldn't say any of them were his fault too much. Needs to work on his distribution and command of his box, although it may simply be a case of him getting used to Championship football. The ability is certainly there.
Andy Yiadom: 5
Given a rough afternoon by an electric Kadeem Harris, which wasn't made any easier by Jose Gomes' desire for his full-backs to play high up.
Terrific play in the first half when he cut inside from the right and saw his shot blocked by a Sheffield Wednesday arm on the line, but he faded as the match went on.
Liam Moore: 5
Not his usual commanding self defensively, and his distribution was noticeably worse than we're used to. Turned far too easily by Kadeem Harris just before the opener.
Matt Miazga: 5
Looked uncomfortable playing as a left centre-back rather than being on the right. Stopped a sure-fire goal with an instinctive header right before Wednesday went 2-1 up, but probably should have been tighter to Lucas Joao for the third goal.
Omar Richards: 4
He just looks out of his depth at this level. Richards doesn't inspire confidence defensively, isn't sure of himself on the ball, and offers little going forwards. Reading badly need Tyler Blackett back in the side, but that could be a few weeks away.
Andy Rinomhota: 5
Rino was given a tough job of anchoring Reading's midfield, having to do much of the legwork on his own as he was partnered by the more lightweight John Swift. Because of that, I don't think we should be too harsh on him, but he was certainly below his usual standard.
As he was anchoring the midfield, Rino had far less license to drive forwards with the ball - a trademark ability that gives our midfield an important extra dimension. When he did it, the one covering was Swift - so little defensive solidity there.
John Swift: 5
He was deployed alongside Rinomhota deep in the midfield, and stayed there pretty constantly. Even when Charlie Adam came on, Swift was used as a deep-lying player rather than being pushed up into the ten role.
Although he had some good touches and played some nice passes, Swift didn't offer enough solidity in the middle of the park. Although he's got a similar technical skillset to Lewis Baker - last season's deep playmaker - Swift doesn't balance out the midfield and cover for others in the same way.
He needs a freer role higher up the pitch where he can get on the ball in more dangerous areas and unlock defences - but without the defensive duties that hold him back.
Danny Loader: 4
In games like this, you want Loader to show his arrogance, getting on the ball and making things happen - but he just didn't do that. He frequently took the easy option, passing backwards or sideways rather than going forwards to put Reading on the front foot.
For a player who is in the side to create, that's just not good enough, and for me is more about mindset than about how he was deployed tactically - either on the right of midfield or as more of a number ten, although he had a stint leading the line in the second half before being subbed off.
He also gave the ball away carelessly in the first half for a chance that Harris could have done better with. Loader has a lot to learn from today.
Josh Barrett: 6
Generally that bit sharper and more positive than those around him, and created Reading's goal with a delightful floated pass for Meite to head home.
Played in a few roles throughout the afternoon - generally either on the left (of a 4-2-2-2 or 4-2-3-1) or more centrally as a number ten. He showed that he's versatile enough to fill in wherever required, but is probably better suited to being in the middle of the park, with his lack of pace holding him back as an out-and-out winger.
Modou Barrow: 4
Similarly anonymous to Loader, whether he was playing centrally or out wide. Missed a glorious chance in the first half, when he should have buried the ball after Yiadom's shot had hit a hand. He also blazed over in the second half after being fed by Barrett.
His only real positive contribution was to get onto the end of Michael Olise's lofted pass before being wiped out by Kieran Westwood - who was sent off.
Yakou Meite: 5
Took his goal really well, deftly guiding a header over Kieran Westwood to make it 1-1 in the second half. But, beyond getting his head on the end of a cross, he's not much use as a lone striker.
Against Wednesday, Meite was far too isolated in open play, didn't make things happen, and just wasn't good enough at holding the ball up and bringing others into play. He's just not suited to leading the line in this system, and must be moved out wide in future.
Charlie Adam: 6
Generally played as a number ten - to my surprise as he lacks the mobility for that role. He was involved in a few attacks and moved the ball around fairly well, but I would have preferred him deeper, in front of the defence, so that Swift could have been pushed up.
Michael Olise: 6
Looked bright on the right wing after coming on, and played a beautiful pass through for Barrow that saw the Gambian wiped out by Westwood. Much more proactive in finding space than Loader, and should have come on earlier.
Andrija Novakovich: N/A
He wasn't on the pitch long enough to get a rating.
Average: 5/10
Who was your man of the match? Vote in our poll below, or through this link.


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Home / Technology / Device Hub
Device Hub
The Device Hub is your single interface to integrate any connected device into your workflows. In combination with our IoT gateways and the open API, the Device Hub is a modular and scalable solution to capture data from connected sensors and remotely manage devices all along their lifecycle.
Data Sovereignty
You maintain complete sovereignty over your data with on-premise solutions and end-to-end encryption of data streams - all the way from the device to the database.
The Device Hub is available as SaaS solution to get started quickly and scale with your growing business. Validate your use case without the need to invest into a major IT project.
IoT Gateway
Our plug-and-play gateways are a robust solution to capture data from Bluetooth devices, in locations with bad mobile reception, or to minimize required user interaction.
Our main focus are medical wearable devices and their application for clinical research and health care. The Device Hub is GCP compliant and in use for device and treatment validations.
Open REST API
We are integrators. Knowing the challenges of getting different systems to work with each other first hand, we make sure that our solutions provide open and robust interfaces.
Interested? We help you integrate the Device Hub into your business workflows.
How it Works.
Connect Devices
Not every device can communicate directly over the internet based on a Wifi or mobile network connection. Bluetooth devices and devices used in locations with insufficient mobile network coverage require a gateway as intermediary.
Leitwert provides software to turn any connected device into a gateway – be it a smart phone or standalone hardware like a Raspberry Pi. This way, you can connect any device anywhere. Gateways are managed remotely with the Device Hub to monitor their status and coordinate roaming within a gateway network.
The standalone gateways are a very viable solution when data needs to be captured automatically and robustly, like in clinical trials or for patient monitoring.
Manage Devices
Devices communicate with the Device Hub via its REST API to request updates and their current settings. The Device Hub maintains a digital twin of each device, which reflects its current state – like its firmware version or settings configuration. Every exchange between the devices and the Device Hub is logged for auditability and efficient customer support.
Each device can be assigned to a specific distribution channel to manage access to new firmware releases. Administrators can set up separate channels as desired, e.g. for testing, factory programming, different regions or licensing models. Channel subscriptions are defined as device setting.
The server-side update delivery procedures are adaptable to your needs. The Device Hub can for example check update compatibility based on the digital twin of a device before providing the download link. Another use case is to implement a separate procedure for factory programming.
For device-server-authentication and communication security, the Device Hub can manage device specific encryption keys and access tokens. User rights to change settings or release updates can be managed per device group and workflows like a 4-eye-principle are enforceable.
You can integrate the Device Hub with your current IT infrastructure via its REST API, allowing you to deploy firmware directly from your repository of choice or to synchronize existing device lists.
Manage Data
The Device Hub is your device-agnostic logistics center to direct the data streams of all integrated devices in a single place. It makes sure that data streams are stored in the right database and can only be accessed and shared by its rightful owners.
Data streams are automatically enriched with metadata. This can include information taken from the digital twin of a device (e.g. settings at time of measurement) or application specific attributes like who is wearing the device or which factory is being inspected by a robot.
Stream processing pipelines allow you to deploy your own analytics algorithms, transform data and to analyze data streams in real time. Alarms can be defined and triggered based on incoming data. In the notification center you define who receives a push message for certain alarms or other data events.
All functions and data can be accessed via the open REST API, giving you a single interface to utilize data from any device in your business processes, export data for analysis with your software of choice or to feed your customized dashboards. You can adapt a white-label version of the standard front-end to your needs or develop a complete customized front-end based on the API.
The Device Hub is available as Software As A Service. If you want complete data sovereignty, you can direct all data to your own databases with end-to-end encryption or even host the Device Hub on-premise.
The Device Hub maintains an immutable audit trail and provides configurable approval workflows to comply with your quality requirements and application specific regulations like GCP, HIPAA or ISO 13485.
The Device Hub offers granular permission management to define roles for user- and device groups. Rights can be given for specific objects like data streams or device models. It allows for example to give a distributor administrator rights for a subset of devices to provide 1st level support and onboard customers.
A saferpay.com integration is available for online payments, e.g. to sell upgrades and additional features to device users. Such features can then automatically be enabled based on a firmware upgrade or by changing a device setting.
For on-premise installations, the Device Hub provides endpoints to monitor system performance e.g. with Prometheus.
Each device is registered with its unique ID and categorized within a product line and model type. Thereafter, the Device Hub tracks the device's firmware version, settings and all device-server-interactions to give you an overview on the device state all along its life cycle.
Devices request their current settings via REST API from the server by using the corresponding key. Of course, this requires that those settings are implemented endpoints on the device side. This allows for example to change sample rates, change the firmware distribution channel, unlock premium features or lock the device completely.
The device detail view is modular. Additional tabs can be created for specific device types, e.g. a separate log for gateway-device interactions. All the functions of the device view are available as REST API endpoints, enabling the implementation of customized front-ends according to your business workflow.
Distribution channels for firmware updates allow making new updates available only to specific device groups. Devices subscribe to one channel (e.g. staging, beta test, production), which can be changed based on device settings.
Devices request the currently available firmware version in their channel from the Device Hub. If that version is higher than the one installed on the device, the device can start the update procedure.
Update procedures allow to define the steps undertaken by the Device Hub before providing the update link to the requesting device. This can include device-specific encryption of the update or a compatibility check to make sure the currently installed version on the device can be directly upgraded to the new version.
A great use case for the above features is to define a channel and update procedure to deliver firmware to the production line in the factory. The Device Hub can deliver test firmware – including the bootloader – to program newly produced devices. After successful testing, the devices are directly registered as digital twin, can request their settings and receive the newest firmware.
content is in the making
content is in the making
content is in the making
The device management server offers a RESTful API. The API is structured into endpoints that deal with one type of an object. For example, there is an API that deals with Model instances.
The API is self-documenting: By visiting an API endpoint with a web browser, a HTML representation of the endpoint is shown that contains documentation of the API itself. The developer is able to view the data that is being returned and is able to place manual requests against the API for development purposes.
The Device Hub can be deployed on premise as follows:
- Remote access to Linux server:
- The customer provides a (virtual) Linux server, on which Leitwert installs the Device Hub including databases per remote access.
- Docker images:
- Leitwert provides the following images, which need to be installed together:
- Web Application: Requires a volume mount to save files (downloads, user updloads, etc.)
- Background task workers: Require the same volume mount to save files and can be scaled as required.
- Databases need to be provided separately (also possible as docker container):
- PostgreSQL for relational data
- Redis task queue
- MongoDB for event and data storage
- Leitwert provides the following images, which need to be installed together:
The following minimum requirements need to be met by the server:
- OS: Debian 9
- RAM: 4GB (8GB recommended)
- CPU: Modern 4-core CPU
- Storage: 50-100 GB SSD (depending on the use case)
- Access: Root access via SSH
- Communication: Access to email server for user account activation


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These plan bundles come with its own prepaid validity, so you won't have to reload anything for the next 3 or 6 months. If you subscribe to the RM144 bundle, your prepaid account will be active for 90 days while the RM288 bundle gives you 180 days of validity.
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So, what are you waiting for? Check out the latest bundle on Digi's Online Store or at your nearest Digi outlet. For more info, you can visit the biGBonus 4G Phone bundle page.


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Cocoa smallholders generally have limited contact with markets, leading to little awareness of product suitability, quality or choice of crop. This paper examines the characteristics of cocoa industries in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, discusses key issues for improvement and sustainability of the industries, and describes research and development initiatives aimed at improving smallholder incomes. For Indonesia, the paper explores the Sulawesi cocoa industry. It illustrates the efficiency of the supply chain, noting the large share (70 per cent) of the selling price that cocoa farmers receive. There are few intermediary collectors and traders, who make relatively low profits. However, there is room for quality improvement, which could be overcome through introducing differential pricing, and reducing farmers' losses through improved integrated pest management. The authors note that programs to support the cocoa industry have many elements critical to sustainability: a well-identified market, and strategies to reduce losses and improve productivity. The challenge will be to foster wide adoption of improved cultivars, encourage adherence to control measures recommended for pod borer and diseases, and link farmers to manufacturers to enable adequate income improvements to cover increased costs of management.
Download reference document (PDF 205.67 KB)
Publication Date:
Johnson G.I., Iswanto A., Ravusiro J., Keane P.J., Hollywood N., Lambert S.V. and Guest D.I.
In 'Agriproduct supply-chain management in developing countries', ed. by G.I. Johnson and P.J. Hofman. ACIAR Proceedings No. 119e, 179-187. Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research


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Gulf of Aden Security Review
A regularly updated review of both Yemen and the Horn of Africa covering topics related to security, governance, and militant activity.
Yemen: Senior intelligence officer Col. Abdullah al Ashwal assassinated in Sana'a; President Hadi arrives in New York for the UN General Assembly; Yemeni Defense Ministry denies rumors of a power transfer in the absence of President Hadi; unidentified assailants target liquefied natural gas pipeline in eastern Shabwah governorate
Horn of Africa: Unknown aircrafts bomb Kismayo airport; KDF and al Shabaab fight in Janaa Cabdalle; man killed in Afgoi; 100 arrested during searches in Afgoi; searches for al Shabaab militants begin in Mogadishu; KDF airlifts supplies after water is poisoned in Janaa Cabdalle, Burundi to supply 200 police officers to Somalia; Djiboutian forces take over security in parts of Beledweyne; Somali parliament convenes; President Mohamud meets with British officials
Yemen Security Brief
- Colonel Abdullah al Ashwal, a senior intelligence officer in Yemen's Political Security Organization, was assassinated in Sana'a on September 24. According to local sources, Col. Abdullah al Ashwal was shot by masked gunmen as he left his office in Safiya neighborhood in central Sana'a. Yemeni security officials said Col. Abdullah al Ashwal is the most senior intelligence officer to be assassinated in Sana'a. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQA) is suspected of being behind the attack.[1]
- Yemeni President Abdu Rabbu Mansour al Hadi arrived in New York on September 24 to participate in the United Nations General Assembly. President Hadi is expected to meet with the international community on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss development and aid plans.[2]
- The Yemeni Defense Ministry denied rumors on September 24 that President Abdu Rabbu Mansour al Hadi transferred power to Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed. According to local newspapers and websites, President Hadi, who is currently out of the country, transferred power to Defense Minister Ahmed during his absence. The Yemeni Defense Ministry called the claims baseless and urged the media to seek accuracy and credibility in reporting.[3]
- An explosion occurred at the liquefied natural gas pipeline between the Safir region in Ma'rib governorate and Belhaf in eastern Shabwah governorate on September 25. According to a local source, the liquefied natural gas pipeline connects to the southeastern Belhaf terminal. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is suspected of being behind the attack.[4]
Horn of Africa Security Brief
- Airstrikes carried out by unknown planes hit the airport in Kismayo on September 25. The airport is used by al Shabaab militants as a base and training ground. Two bombs landed within airport grounds, and two bombs landed in nearby areas. The number of casualties and who carried out the strikes is not known.[5]
- Al Shabaab attacked a Kenyan Defense Force base in Janaa Cabdalle, Lower Jubba, on September 24. Fighting lasted for several hours and became so severe that local residents were forced to flee their homes. The number of casualties from both sides is not yet known.[6]
- A man was shot and killed in Afgoi town, 70km outside of Mogadishu, on September 24. Abdikadir Omar Mohamed was leaving a mosque in the Hawo Takoe neighborhood in Afgoi when he was shot by unknown assailants. The attackers were able to flee the scene but an investigation into the murder is taking place. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.[7]
- Following the shooting of a local Afgoi man on September 24, forces loyal to the Somali government have carried out searches in Afgoi for al Shabaab militants. Over one hundred people have been arrested who are suspected of some connection to the terrorist group.[8]
- Search operations in Mogadishu began on September 25 to purge the city of al Shabaab-linked extremists. Somali security forces were instructed to carry out these searches because of the high level of killings in Mogadishu recently (thirty deaths since September 20). The Somali forces will be focusing on the Wadajir district where the violence seems to be concentrated. The number of people detained has not yet been revealed.[9]
- Kenyan Defense Forces had to airlift food and water to Somali and AMISOM soldiers headed toward Kismayo on September 22 and 23. Al Shabaab dropped poison in a well and vandalized pipes in Janaa Cabdalle in an attempt to slow the Somali advance on Kismayo.[10]
- The nation of Burundi has announced on September 24 that it will send 200 peacekeeping police officers to Somalia before the year ends. The Burundian Security Minister Gabriel Nizigama says those sent to Somalia will be chosen from three different police forces and will all be the be the top picks after a series of physical tests. Burundi has already sent six battalions to Somalia for peacekeeping purposes since 2007.[11]
- The Djiboutian contingent of AMISOM took over security of the Hawl Wadag neighborhood in Beledweyne from the Ethiopian contingent on September 25. Despite Djibouti's small contingent in Beledweyne, Djiboutian senior officers have said they soon hope to take over security of the entire city.[12]
- Somalia's parliament convened on September 24 to hold the first parliamentary meeting since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected as Somalia's first president in decades. The two-hundred members of parliament that were present discussed legislative and security issues, and chose a committee that will select the parliamentary sub-committees.[13]
- Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud welcomed British officials to Mogadishu on September 24. The UK's Chief of the General Staff Sir Peter Wall, and British envoy to Somalia Matt Bough spoke with President Mohamud about strengthening Somalia's security forces. During the meeting the British envoys made it clear that British leaders will support Somalia's new government.[14]


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World war I (or the Great War) was a defining event for the 20th Century. It marked the end (or beginning of the end) of centuries-old empires and the dawn-of newly independent states based on ethnic and linguistic commonality. It didn't just change the face of Europe, it changed the face of the world. From the Paris Peace Conference and Treaty of Versailles, we'll see how the end of World War I may have been just the set up for even more conflict in Europe and the world.
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text: On May 11, 2021 AEROFLEX contributed 300 packs (3,600 bottles) of drinking water to Health Service Center 41 Klongtoey, which will be distributed to the people waiting for the services in the unit area, including each vaccination unit and each Covid-19 checkpoint. This is to support, to relieve and to create awareness that everyone should work together to help each other in the current epidemic situation. AEROFLEX is ready to stand by and encourage healthcare professionals through this difficult time together.


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Home » Services
Dr Paul Teys' core services are designed to guide, inspire and grow leadership in schools. While his skills and knowledge can be tailored depending on the needs of the school, Paul's expertise is in the following areas:
Interim Principal
Executive Recruitment
Mentoring Educational Leaders
Executive Leadership Learning & Development Programs
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If you would like more information on how Paul can lead your school to success, please email him: firstname.lastname@example.com or call: +61 418610402


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Firstly, we must clear that what kind of medical device need pre-market approval in china.
Only the medical devices classified as Class II and Class III need to apply for a registration in china, and those devices belong to Cass I just need filing.
The main process includes
- The very first step of registration is the acceptance of materials. You can choose to submit the materials offline or online. The offline submission you can also chose submit by post or on-site submission. Since the ERP system is fully developed, the online submission is recommended.
- When your submission is successful, CMDE will finish the fill review in 5 working days and decide whether to accept the application. If your application meet the requirements, you will receive the notice of acceptance and a bill of payment. Otherwise, you not meet the requirements, your materials will returned together with supplementary letter or notice of rejection.
- After the payment of service fee, in the following 3 working days you will come to the most crucial stage of registration, the technical review and approval. The reviewers will have 90 working days to review the documents of Class III medical devices, and 60 working days to review the documents of Class II medical devices. In these working day, the reviewers need to make following decisions, whether an external experts consultation is needed. If the answer is yes, an expert consultation meeting will be convened, and technical review timing will be delayed. If the applicant is asks to attend the meeting, you will receive a letter with all the necessary for the meeting. All experts are selected in a random and blind manner for CMDE's expert database.
- If there is no external experts needed, the reviewer needs to decide whether the materials meets all the technical requirements for pre-market approval. If the answer is no, the reviewers need to notify the applicant all content that need to be supplemented or corrected or confirmed at one time. You will receive a supplementary letter with all the requirements. You will have at most one year to prepare the supplementary documents and finish the submission. Then CMDE have another 60 working days to review the supplementary document and write the technical review report. If you don't submit the supplementary document on time, your application will be rejected. When the technical review report delivered to the medical regulatory authority, the authority shall decide whether to approve the application with 20 working days. If approved, you can have your electrical and paper certificate in 10 working days. During the technical review period, a system inspection may conduct at the same if applicable.


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Nervous Tissue Anatomy and MCQs for NEET, GPAT, CSIR NET JRF, Staff Nurse Exam
Nervous tissue is of two types: neurons and neuralgia. Neurons are the working unit of the nervous system that generate nerve impulses. These neurons are supported by the connective tissue; collectively these tissue are known as neuralgia. Neuralgia is formed from different types of glial cells.
Each neuron consist of cell body and its processes: one axon and numerous dendrites. These neurons are also called as nerve cells. Bundle of the axons is known as nerve. These neurons need oxygen and glucose on regular basis to perform there work.
These neurons generate and transmit nerve impulses called as action potential. Some neurons generate the impulses while other neurons for the transmission of these signals ahead.
Nerve impulses are stimulated in to response to:
• Outside body-eg touch, light ect
• Inside the body- eg: change in concentration of CO2 in the blood can affect respiration.
The transmission of signal is sometime electrical and sometimes chemical; When the nerve impulses travel along axons, it is electrical signal; but when the signal flows from one nerve cell to the another, it is chemical because the nerves do not come in direct contact with each other.
Cell bodies
Nerve cells vary in shape and size and are very small to be seen from the naked eye. The cell bodies form the grey matter of the nervous system. This grey matter is found at the periphery(sides) of brain and in the center of spinal cord. Group of these cell bodies are called nuclei( in CNS) and ganglia(in PNS)
Axons and dendrites are the extension of the nerve cell and form the white matter of nervous system. Axons are found deep in the brain in tracts. These axons are referred as nerve or nerve fibers outside the brain and spinal cord. Each nerve cell has only 1 axon; which starts from the the axon hillock. They carry nerve impulses ahead of the nerve cell and are longer than dendrites. The membrane of the axon is called as axolemma and it surrounds the cytoplasm of the cell body. There are two types of neurons:-
- myelinated neuron: these are large axons; and those of peripheral nerves are surrounded by myelin sheath. It consist of a large number of schwann cells which lies along the length of the axon. each cell is covered by a multiple layered plasma membrane. Between the layers of plasma membrane is a fatty substance present known as myelin. Nodes of Ranvier are the tiny areas exposed between the adjacent schwann cell. These nodes carry out rapid transmission of impulses in myelinated neurons.
- Unmyelinated neuron: these are the postganglionic fibers; and small fibers of CNS. In this type of neuron, a number of axons are embedded in 1 Schwann cell. There is no exposed axolemma and the Schwann cells are in close association with each other. Transmission of impulses is slower than in myelinated neurons.
These are short processes that carry and receive the impulses from and towards the cell body. They have same structure as axons; but are smaller than axons. In motor neurons, dendrites form a part of synapses; and in sensory neurons, they acts as sensory receptors and responds to a particular stimulation.
A nerve consist of a number of neurons which are collected into bundles. Each bundle has several coverings of connective tissue for protection. These are:-
• Endoneurium:- it is a delicate tissue which surrounds individual fiber
• Perineurium:- it is a smooth connective tissue which covers each bundle of fibers
• Epineurium:- fibrous tissue which surrounds and protects a number of bundle of nerve fibers.
Nerves are of 3 types:-
1. Sensory or afferent nerves- these carry info from the body to the spinal cord; and then to the brain or connector neuron or reflex arcs. These nerves have sensory receptors which respond to the changes inside and outside the body
2. Motor or efferent nerves- these originate from the brain, spinal cord and autonomic ganglia(ANS). They transmit impulses to the effector organ, muscles and glands. Two types of motor nerves are present: somatic nerves which are involved in voluntary control of skeletal muscle contraction; autonomic nerves which are involved in involuntary control.
3. Mixed nerves- These nerves contain both sensory as well as motor fibers. Like the spinal cord has sensory and motor fibers in different tracts; but as nerve leaves the cord, these fibers are enclosed in same connective sheath.
The neurons of CNS are supported by glial cells. Unlike the nerve cells which cannot divide, the glial cells continue to replicate throughout the life. There are four types:-
- Astrocytes: These cells form the main supporting tissue in CNS. These cells are star shaped. Example is the blood-brain barrier; a selective barrier which protects the brain from the toxic substances and chemical variations of blood.
- Oligodendrocytes: These are smaller cells than astrocytes and are found in round nerve cell bodies of grey matter; where They provide support. These cells form and maintain myelin like Schwann cells in PNS
- Ependymal cells: They form the covering of the ventricles of brain and the central canal of spinal cord. These cells form choroid plexus that secrete cerebrospinal fluid.
- Microglia: They are least in number, and are formed from the monocytes that migrate from blood to the nervous system before birth.
Multiple choice questions(MCQs)
1. How many types of nervous tissue are present in the body?
2. Which structure is known as the working unit of nervous system?
A. nerves B. neurons
C. cell body D. neuralgia
3. Which of the following is a part of neuron?
A. axon B. cell body
C. dendrite D. all of the above
4. Match the following-
A. astrocytes 1. Forms the choroid plexus of ventricles
B. microglia 2. These are star shaped cells
C. ependymal cells 3. Covers the cell body in grey matter
D. oligodendrocytes 4. Formed from monocytes
5. When is the transmission of signal electrical?
A. when signal travels along the axon
B. signal flows from one nerve cell to another
C. never
D. always
6. What forms the grey matter of nervous system?
A. axon B. cell body
C. neuralgia D. dendrites
7. Which of the following statement is NOT true?
A. nerves are bundles of axons
B. neuralgia is a connective tissue that protects neurons
C. motor nerves are of 3 types
D. axons begin at the axon hillock
8. Which structure of myelinated neurons carry out transmission of signals?
A. Schwann cell B. nodes of Ranvier
C. axolemma D. axon hillock
9. What is the role of dendrites in case of motor neurons?
A. acts as sensory organ B. forms synapse
c. works as receptors D. none of the above
10. Which layer of connective tissue of nerve covers the individual fiber?
A. perineurium B. pericardium
c. epineurium D. none of the above
1. 2
2. neurons
3. all of the above
5. when signal travel along the axons
6. cell body
7. motor nerves are of 3 types
8. nodes of Ranvier
9. forms synapse
10. none of the above
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1. Ross and Wilson-Anatomy and physiology in health and illness; 12th edition; page no.-: 144-151
- Gerard J. Tortora -Principles of anatomy and physiology; edition twelfth ; page no.-: 416-421.


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The Rules of Attraction must have been one of the most unusual successful movie pitches in recent memory. "Have you seen that movie American Pyscho? OK, imagine if that guy had a kid brother. Now imagine if this sibling were played by Dawson, that pretty boy on the WB." Their casting-against-type back-up plan must have been Ray Romano Kills Everyone. This film is based upon the Bret Easton Ellis book of the same name. It is centered upon three characters, including Sean Bateman, the younger brother of American Psycho's Patrick Bateman (but no confirmed relation to Justine or Jason Bateman). Sean is every bit as nihilistic as his older brother, but the particulars of his story are much more sexual and drug-related in nature. He attends a fictional New England university where he deals drugs to make some spare cash. More importantly, he is sexually ambiguous, and finds himself the object of desire of the bisexual Paul, and later Paul's ex-girlfriend, Lauren. The book itself is set in the Reagan '80s and the sexual escapades are generally free and fast along with excessive drug and alcohol usage and all three characters essentially jump from one bed to the next with seemingly few reservations, though they do experience occasional twinges of regret and doubt. If the description of The Rules of Attraction sounds a lot like The Seamy Underbelly of Beverly Hills 90210, that's probably the intended effect, at least on the studio's part. Oversexed teen drama worked wonders for the box office of Cruel Intentions, an otherwise mediocre film that ended up with roughly $40 million in box office receipts (nearly quadruple its budget) due to a marketing campaign hinged around bisexual Buffy, Anal Queen of Lost Bets. Since teens somehow manage to find their way into R-rated films anyway, sexing up a story is the quickest way to guarantee box office. The hotter the stars, the more certain the money train. It's no surprise, then, that the casting of this project is a who's-who of rising young stars in Hollywood. Obviously, James Van Der Beek has the key role of Sean Bateman, but the film also stars the winsome Shannyn Sossamon, most recently seen in 40 Days and 40 Nights, as Lauren. As I type this, she is the number-one actress with less than five films, according to imdb.com rankings. Also onboard are two of the stars of Remember the Titans, Kip Pardue and Kate Bosworth. Bosworth's co-star on the short-lived WB show Young Americans, Ian Somerhalder, has been cast in the role of Paul, which many feel is really the focal character in the book. Seventh Heaven's Jessica Biel will portray Lauren's chain-smoking roommate who dresses only in black. This is without question one of the prettiest casts since Cruel Intentions, so expect the marketing campaign to be as tawdry as possible and the film to be quite successful. Of course, the possibility certainly exists that seeing sweet and innocent Dawson in such a devious role will alienate some of his fan base, but that certainly didn't hurt Sarah Michelle Gellar or Ryan Phillippe any. For movie lovers, the other good news is that Rules of Attraction is helmed by Roger Avary, the writer and director of Killing Zoe. Known for his relationship with Quentin Tarantino - a man who Avary claims has taken several of Avary's ideas and used them as his own - the director showed his own creativity and expertise with a clever turn on the bank robbery genre in 1994. The Rules of Attraction will be his first directorial effort since then, so expectations are high from the cult fan base he nurtures at his Web site, Avary's Domain. For people looking for cheap thrills, don't miss the "Dress to Get Screwed Party" scene. And if you know of a college that has this particular festivity, please e-mail me with the details. (David Mumpower/BOP)
Wednesday, February 28, 2024 © 2024 Box Office Prophets, a division of One Of Us, Inc. |


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These sturdy 4x6 inch flash cards are durable and matte laminated with rounded corners. Each card features a Wee Gallery animal on one side and a sans serif letter on the other.
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"The real treasure hunt … actually begins again now!" So says Marty Lagina as work at the Money Pit site resumes on this week's episode of The Curse of Oak Island — while another significant find is discovered at Smith's Cove.
Is this the year that the treasure-hunting team finally strike gold? One thing is certain, they agree that they are far too invested to stop now.
This week the team continues to unearth significant finds at Smith's Cove. As they carry on investigating what could be the stone box drain that feeds water into the Money Pit, they are stunned to discover yet another mysterious wooden structure.
Although they are baffled at first, they soon realize this could be the L-shaped structure found in the 1970s by Dan Blankenship.
At that time, he was building a cofferdam when he discovered what he called the U-shaped structure along with a parallel structure shaped like an "L." Unfortunately, a massive storm blew in and halted work before any answers could be determined as to their purpose or age.
Could this be the L-shaped structure? Rick Lagina is determined to figure out what it represents.
Next the team come upon another puzzling find, an awful lot of clay. Rick sighs as he wonders why it's there, saying, "The more work we put in … the more questions. We were hoping to get answers down here. Welcome to Oak Island. Keep digging!"
The next day at Smith's Cove geologist Terry Matheson, archeologist Laird Niven, and expert metal detector Gary Drayton arrive to see the latest finds.
Gary wastes no time getting to work, and soon exclaims, "Oooh that sounds good!" Digging by hand he yells, "wow, nice bit of curved lead, check this out!"
Laird rains on the parade saying, "Not a suprise to find lead around here," but Gary notes that the bracelet-like object has sloped edges and a flat back as if it were made on purpose. "Wait, it's got a design on it, unless I'm seeing things! I get excited when I find lead around here, this is where I found the cross!"
Last year Smith's Cove is where Gary found the now infamous lead cross, the most significant find to date. Are these two items connected?
"I don't know if this is a holy schmoley find just yet," he declares, "but this could be a friend of the cross."
Meanwhile Laird is back to inspecting the L-shaped structure and admits that it could be significant but he's on the fence as to whether or not it's original…when yet another startling discovery is made!
Rick and Alex Lagina excitedly shovel dirt from between oddly notched beams. Is there another possibly ancient man-made formation buried beneath Smith's Cove?
This could be the Hedden Wharf built by treasure-hunter Gilbert Hedden in 1936. At that time he found two timbers with strange markings, held together by wooden pegs.
Was it an ancient boat slip or the so-called slipway? He reportedly built his wharf on something, and that something could be this slipway!
But the team are ultimately confused again because there are no fast and easy answers. What they do know is that this structure is at the same level as the U-shaped structure, and both are in an area of significant interest. But does this mean that both were built at same time? And by whom, and for what purpose?
Meanwhile, in the War Room experts from Azimuth Consulting join the team to go over their findings about the flat rock discovered in last week's episode.
A laser scan has been performed and analyzed using enhanced 3D data. Their analysis uncovered two significant items. First, the flat area is perfectly flat, too straight to be natural, which leads them to believe that it was cleaved at one point. Second, the strange perpendicular marks are definitely peculiar!
The team conclude that the strange markings could be Runes, characters from the primitive Runic alphabet, because as it turns out, there is a similar stone at the Yarmouth Museum in Nova Scotia.
The discovery is quite dramatic says Rick, and they will have an expert look at it. But first, the team venture to the museum to compare the markings and there they find similarities between their rock and the one called the Yarmouth Runic Stone, found in 1812.
The Yarmouth Runic Stone is the subject of controversy as its carvings, as well as its origin, have proved to be undecipherable.
Helpful museum employees tell the team that most likely the characters are Norse with possible allusions to the Vikings. Vikings were in North America in the 11th century but does the flat stone now prove that they were also at Oak Island? If so, this is the rock that could rewrite history!
Ultimately the team are left with more questions than answers. They conclude that the carvings on the museum stone are more complex than the ones on the flat stone, and in the end they have no new information about the mystery they had hoped to solve.
This week the team also need to tackle the question of what to do in the Money Pit area. This year a series of core drilling operations at the site have located Shaft 6, a searcher tunnel leading to the fabled Chappell vault.
Now they must decide how to proceed in order to hit the vault itself. Marty wants to have a go at H8 again, as last year they found 18th century pottery, parchment, and human bones traced to the 17th century there, as well as the presumed Chappell vault.
But the mystery object was displaced before they could penetrate it. To this end, they decide to bring back ROC Equipment to start a digging operation with a 50,000 pound rotating oscillator that will drive down, and lift up, 50 and 60 inch wide drilling caissons.
The aim is to create an underground vacuum with the oscillator, causing the mysterious object to fall back down to where it was before it was displaced. It is the most ambitious effort ever undertaken to excavate and locate the Money Pit. Marty is excited at the possibilities and exclaims, "The treasure hunt resumes!"
After this week's episode, the team is more convinced than ever that the 220-year old Oak Island mystery will be solved. Will they discover treasure in the Money Pit, a vast structure built by Vikings, or perhaps a lead bracelet to go along with the lead cross?
Tune in next week and find out!
The Curse of Oak Island airs Tuesday nights at 9/8c.


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The Cuckoo and Bell, Walsall - pub details
Address: 19 Stafford Street, Walsall, West Midlands, WS2 8DG [map] [gmap]
Tel: 0871 951 1000 (ref 29207) - calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras
Walsall (0.3 miles), Bescot Stadium (1.8 miles), Bloxwich (2.6 miles)
Are you the Licensee? Click here. ** SPECIAL Royal Summer Sizzler offer! **
> Current user rating: 5.6/10 (rated by 5 users)
other pubs nearby:
Prince, Walsall (0.0 miles), Wharf, Walsall (0.1 miles), Red Lion, Walsall (0.2 miles), Varsity, Walsall (0.2 miles), Crown Inn, Walsall (0.2 miles) - see more nearby pubs
user reviews of the Cuckoo and Bell, Walsall
please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Update: i returned to the Cuckoo after hearing that it had real ale. The pub is a terraced, half brick and half white/black beamed exterior. The interior is one long room that i saw, with pool and and TV up one end and just tv down by the bar end. The interior was looking a bit shabby, with pinky coloured walls, but the wood decked bar looked fresh. There are old prints and pictures to give decoration. The service was fine, but it was quiet, mind you it was 5 o'clock still. Music was rock, and played at a decent level. Beer; sadly it was all tap tosh - not even the MILD had returned. There was one handpull, with Green King IPA, which i had and got through Sadly, lack of beer choice and the shabby interior mean i will not been coming back in the near future. Archivist - 13 Sep 2009 20:00 |
I've been in a few times and each time the entertainment has been wonderful. Strongly recommended for a great night. ladystardust - 5 Feb 2009 14:08 |
The Banks's Mild was ok and the pub fine for playing pool as the footy results came in on the TV, or a swifty - often had a pint there in the past Sadly, the pub as changed hads/been done-up, which means of course, the Mild has been taken out. Therefore, i will no longer be visiting this pub, but wish them well Archivist - 13 Jul 2008 20:16 |
Banks's smooth pour MILD can be better than nothing but in Walsall there's so much of the real stuff about it ain't worth touching this stuff. Other than that the pub looked like an OK type of place, hard to judge so early on a Saturday evening. Stus.search.4.mild - 22 May 2006 12:42 |


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Former cabinet minister and veteran broadcaster Sir Charles Carter has died. He was 78 years old.
Carter, who had been ailing, passed away on Saturday, according to his family.
With a firm grasp of Bahamian history and a reassuring voice, Carter made a mark in Bahamian broadcasting, amassing a dedicated following on radio.
He later entered frontline politics and served as a Progressive Liberal Party Member of Parliament and a Cabinet Minister.
"He was a faithful adherent and supporter of the progressive cause," according to PLP Fred Mitchell who issued a statement on Carter's passing.
"The party commends him to Almighty God and thanks him for his inestimable contributions to our country and its national life," Mitchell said.
After stepping away from frontline politics, Carter continued to serve the public by launching 102.9 Island FM, a radio station dedicated to promoting artists in the Bahamas and the region. Through his station, Carter kept the voices of talented Bahamians on the airwaves in contrast to his competitors who favored American music.
It was his belief that Bahamians ought to be recognized and celebrated by their own.
In 2016, Sir Charles visited Buckingham Palace, London for his investiture as a Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (KCMG) for his services to broadcasting and the media in The Bahamas.
Charles Carter is survived by his wife Lady Muriell Carter and his sons Eddie and Mark.